History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 121

Author: Shumway, Grant Lee, 1865-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., The Western publishing & engraving co.
Number of Pages: 1056

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ruary 5, 1910; Edgar, born October 25, 1912; Fred, born January 3, 1914 ; Marie, born Feb- ruary 2. 1916, and Marjorie, born July 16, 1918. Mr. Streeks has never held political of- fice and is an independent voter.

CHRISTIAN PFEIFER .- One of the rep- resentative citizens and substantial residents of Banner county is Christian Pfeifer, heavy landowner and extensive breeder of White Face cattle. Mr. Pfeifer's residence is mag- nificently located, directly at the foot of Wild Cat mountain, which is five thousand feet above sea level and rises eight hundred feet above the house. He was born at Galion, in Crawford county, Ohio, December 28, 1868, the son of Godfrey F. and Emma (Snyder) Pfeifer, the former of whom was born in Ger- many, March 31, 1839, and died in Nebraska, January 8, 1916. The mother of Mr. Pfeifer was born in Ohio, August 17, 1835, and died September 19, 1913. The father was an edu- cated man and after coming to the United States taught school first in Ohio and later in Kansas, coming to the latter state when it was opened for settlement. In 1875, he home- steaded in Kansas and remained on his land until 1901, when he retired and came to Ne- braska, after which until his death he lived with his sons. He was a Democrat in politics and both he and his wife were members of the Christian Church. Of their seven children Christian is the eldest of the survivors, the others being as follows: John, who lives in Scottsbluff county ; Laura, who is the wife of Frank Sears, of Saint Regis, Montana; and Katie, who is the wife of Francis Whitman, near Paradise, Kansas.

Christian Pfeifer attended school until nine years old and occasionally through a winter term later on and was also, to some extent, in- structed at home by his father, but since the age of fourteen years has practically looked after himself in every way. He has had many experiences and has seen wonderful develop- ment in this section. He remembers away back in boyhood his father going to work on the railroad in order to get enough money to buy provisions for the family after the grass- hoppers had ruined the crops, and on one oc- casion carried a bag of flour on his shoulders a distance of six miles to his home. He has seen many settlers gathering the dried bones of cattle and buffalo that had died from lack of food and the severe winter weather, and at one time saw these bones piled eight feet high at Kimball. He witnessed the hauling of all the lumber for the building of Gering, it be- ing freighted from Kimball. He had exper-

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ience in catching wild horses. He would often chase them for three days before he could catch them. There would be from fifteen to twenty in one bunch. Stallions of the bunch, on noticing the approach of a rider, would whirl and come to meet the rider and when within a short distance suddenly snort and turn, race back to the herd and chase them away by biting them.

On one occasion when chasing horses Mr. Pfeifer glanced behind him and saw a horse covered with sweat rapidly approaching, with a grey wolf close behind him; he turned and gave chase to the wolf, but his horse being tired, he lost both wolf and horses. Another recollection of his boyhood is of the use of oxen in the old days for farm labor. Practi- cally no farm machinery was in use and no one had ever dreamed of such an astonishing contrivance as a farm tractor of modern days.

Mr. Pfeifer worked and rode range for the L. F. Cattle Company, which owned sixty five thousand head of cattle, for nine years, saved his money and since then has ranched for himself. He came to Wyoming in May, 1884, helped to take out the first ditch on Rawhide creek, remained one season but in the fall returned to Kansas and remained in that state until 1886, when he came back to this part of Nebraska. For several years he worked all around Kimball and from Greeley, Colorado, to Cheyenne and Julesburg, during the first year runing cattle as far as Ogallala, but after settlers began to come in, the cattle- men had to hunt other ranges. There were yet a few buffalo left but Mr. Pfeifer never shot any but on many occasions brought down antelope. He has trailed catttle from Texas to Wyoming the trail being from a quarter to a half mile wide. On one occasion, on the way from Texas, at Pine Bluff the herd started for water and a railroad train ran into the stam- pede and killed sixty head. Mr. Pfeifer was in Banner county at the time of the battle of Wounded Knee. On account of the Indians so successfully running off the horses of the settlers, the cowboys succeeded in training their horses to run into the corrals when the Indians appeared.

In recalling these and many other early hard- ships, it is no wonder that Mr. Peifer declares these days in Nebraska better than the old ones. He now owns twelve hundred and twenty acres of farm and grazing land, cultivating about five hundred acres and raising three hundred cattle annually in addition to horses and some hogs and is interested also in buying and selling hogs.

On January 18, 1894, Mr. Pfeifer was mar- ried at Kimball, to Miss Iva B. Campbell, who is a daughter of John H. and lizabeth (Mur- ray) Campbell, early settlers in Kimball coun- ty. The mother of Mrs. Pfeifer died when she was a child but her father survives and is a very prominent business man of Kimball. Mr. and Mrs. Pfeifer have children as fol- lows : Floyd C., who served in France during the Great war; Agnes Fay, was married to Aaron Shaul September 17, 1919, and has a child, Roena Pearl Shaul, the first grandchild, born September 9, 1920; Inez B., Elsie Fern, Gladys Irene, Edythe M., and Christian John. The family attend the Christian and Baptist churches. Mr. Pfeifer has never accepted a political office although he has been identi- fied with much that has substantially developed this section. At present he is an independent voter. He remembers the winter of 1919-20 as a very hard winter, and that on April 17, 1920, a severe storm starting with a rain and killed more cattle than was ever before known.

EVERETT BIGSBY, who is a prosperous general farmer living on his homestead situ- ated on section thirty-two, town nine, Banner county, is well known in the county to which he came when twelve years old. He has al- ways been engaged in agricultural activities, on his own account and for others, and is numbered with the successful farmers of this section. He was born in Sanilac county, Michigan, December 11, 1876.

The parents of Mr. Bigsby were William and Isabel (McClellen) Bigsby, the latter of whom was born in Ireland and died in Ban- ner county, Nebraska, in September, 1916. The father of Mr. Bigsby was born at London, Canada. He came to the United States prior to the Civil War, in which he served for eigh- teen months and afterwards settled on a sol- dier allotment in Michigan. From there he moved to Buffalo county, Nebraska, and home- steaded, and five years later, on May 10, 1887, came to Banner county, took a pre-emption and tree claim, both of which he subsequently sold, but he resided in Banner county until his death in 1910. Of his family of ten chil- dren Everett was the fifth in order of birth, the others being as follows: Georgianna, who is the wife of John B. Hentz, county treas- urer of Banner county; Chester, who lives in Iowa; Stella, who is the wife of Leonard Ball, lives in Michigan; Fred, who lives in Idaho, married Edith Case, who is now de- ceased ; Roland, who lives in Banner county, married Clara Fuller ; Myrtle, who is the wife of Arthur Olsen, a farmer in Banner county ;

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and three who died young. The parents were members of the Baptist church. The father was a Democrat in politics but never accepted any political office.

Everett Bigsby completed his education in Banner county and then went to work, be- ing employed for a number of years on differ- ent ranches in the county. In May, 1905, he was married to Miss Leola Hoke. Her mother died many years ago, but her father resides at Palisade, Colorado, where he is engaged in a real estate and parcel post fruit business. Mr. and Mrs. Bigsby have four children : Rupert, Voyne, Derward and Keith, all of whom en- joy all the advantages a careful father can give. Mr. Bigsby homesteaded in 1909 and has a well improved, well stocked farm. He is a Republican in politics but he is not an office- seeker. As a neighbor and citizen he is held in esteem.

H. G. GUMAER. - The community was indeed shocked and saddened Monday morn- ing to learn that during the small hours of the morning one of its most beloved and highly respected citizens had passed to the great be- yond after a brief illness, death being caused from heart trouble. Practically all the im- mediate family were present at the home of his brother, William F. Gumaer, when this grand man gasped his last breath at two o'clock. The deceased had been ailing off and on for the past month but his condition was not thought serious until about ten o'clock Sunday night, at which time the family began to realize that the end was not far off. A few seconds before two o'clock he moved over on- to the lounge from his chair unassisted, sat down, made the remark to those present that he was "a mighty sick boy," closed his eyes and passed peacefully away, sitting upright, to that undiscovered country from whence borne no traveler returns.

Henry G. Gumaer was born in Waupaca county, Wisconsin, on October 31, 1855. Died at Oshkosh, Nebraska, October 20, 1919, and would have been sixty-four years old his next birthday.

He was the second child in a family of seven, three boys and four girls, and both father and mother are now dead. The former died while the family still lived in Wisconsin, about 1887, and the latter's death occurred when the deceased was about nineteen years of age. Both parents originally came from New York state.

Mr. Gumaer left Wisconsin in 1879 and came to Grand Island, Nebraska, and in 1880, in

company with his brother, Alfred W. Gumaer, he moved to St. Paul, Nebraska, where they engaged in the lumber business, their's being the first venture of its kind in that town. In March, 1885, in company with John Robinson, he left St. Paul with an ox team and trailed four hundred head of cattle. Upon their ar- rival here they formed the old Oshkosh Land and Cattle Company, the members be- ing H. B. Potter, George Kendall, John Robinson, A. W. and H. G. Gumaer. They erected a set of ranch buildings on the old Mills quarter, which now adjoins Osh- kosh on the southwest corner. They also platted the town and named it after Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and erected the first store in Osh- kosh which is now known as the old Miller Hotel and stands on the corner of Fish street and Gumaer avenue. This company continued in operation until about 1894 when three of the members dropped out and left the affairs of the company in charge of John Robinson and our subject. This partnership was continued several years thereafter after which, by mu- tual agreement, the stock and land was equally divided and each went his own way, both ac- cumulating large estates by staying with the country through all the trials and tribulations of the early settler. Up until several years ago the deceased had the ranch well stocked with hogs, cattle and horses. He was one of the first to see the advantages of beet raising and since his move in the agricultural field this section of the county is being known as one of the best beet producing communities in the valley.

Mr. Gamuaer was unmarried. He was a staunch Democrat and was elected the first county commissioner from the north district of Deuel county ( which is now part of Garden county) and again in 1903 was elected to the same office and served in that capacity for six years. He was prominent in all county and state affairs. He was also prominent in Masonic lodge circles, being a charter member of Golden Fleece Lodge, of Chapell, and Osh- kosh Lodge No. 286, holding the office of treasurer since the latter's organization.

Thus ends the life on earth of one of Ne- . braska's early settlers and one of the founders of Oshkosh, a man who was beloved by all who knew him and whose loving way and kind disposition will be sorely missed throughout the years to come. "Hank," as he was com- monly known, was a man highly respected and one who had not an enemy in his large circle of friends and acquaintances. He was honest and upright in his dealings with all mankind,

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and it can truthfully be said that he lived a man's life among men.

He leaves to mourn their loss two brothers, Alfred W. and William F. Gumaer, of Osh- kosh, Nebraska; and four sisters, Mrs. H. B. Potter, of Oshkosh, Nebraska; Mrs. A. L. Covey, of Omaha ; Mrs. H. L. Cook, of Lin- coln ; and Mrs. H. B. Van Decar, of Los An- geles, California, the latter not being able to make train connections in time for the fun- eral, besides a large circle of friends and ac- quaintances. It is needless to say that the be- reaved ones have the sympathy of the entire community.

All business houses closed their doors and the wheels of industry were stopped for two hours during the funeral services, which were held at the Methodist church Wednesday af- ternoon at two o'clock, Rev. Benjamin Kuhler presiding, in the presence of a large concourse of people who gathered to pay all due respect to the man who had been a friend to practical- ly all of them. Immediately following the church service the body was placed in charge of his Masonic brethren who accompanied their beloved brother to the Oshkosh cemetery where the beautiful and impressive Masonic burial service was performed over the remains of our most worthy brother. His body has finally returned to the earth and his spirit to God who gave it, but his memory will ever remain with us until time immemorial. "The will of God is accomplished, amen." So mote it be. Farewell brother, we bid thee a long farewell. Yours was a life on earth that makes for good citizenship; you have been a friend in need as well as in deed ; your column is broken and your good counsel and timely advice will be with us no more. Farewell brother, farewell !

The pall bearers were : K. A. McCall, Floyd Jones, August Neuman, R. Lisco, Mr. Per- singer and J. F. Crane.

SAMUEL KELLY, whose extensive farm and stock operations have made him promi- nent in Banner county for many years, was born in La Salle county, Illinois, October 20, 1862. His father, John B. Kelly, was born in

linois but moved from there to Missouri about 1865, where he bought a hundred and twenty acres of land and resided there until his death on November 8, 1871. A Democrat in politics but never an office-seeker, he was a self-re- specting citizen and good man. The mother of Samul Kelly was a member of the Free Will Baptist church. Their children were as

follows :Eunice, who is the wife of J. C. Iker, lives in Page county, Iowa ; Samuel, who lives in Banner county ; Rebecca, who is the wife of Frank M. Stockton, of California; John, who lives in Banner county ; Georgia P., who lives in Kansas City, is president of the company operating the largest salt mine in the world; and Emma, who married a Mr. Bessy, lives in Colorado. The mother of the above fam- ily by a second marriage became the wife of D. M. Davis and at the time of her death, January 21. 1907, left four children : Charles, who lives in Worth county, Missouri; Alonzo, who lives at La Grange, Wyoming; J. E., who lives also at La Grange; and Ruth who is the wife of George Jennings, of Redding, Iowa.

Samuel Kelly was about nine years old when he lost his father and started out for himself when sixteen years old. He attended school in Worth county, Missouri, and worked on farms there and later in Iowa. In the spring of 1887 homesteaded in Banner county Nebraska, locating near Minatare, and in the spring of 1887, homesteaded in Banner county and has lived here ever since. Like many other homesteaders he found times hard and took advantage of every opportunity to earn money. Sometimes he had to leave his wife and chil- dren alone on the homestead for weeks to- gether. For some time he worked on a ranch south of Cheyenne, in Wyoming; also cut tim- ber from the hills and sold it at Scottsbluff, and thus, in many way of honest contriving and persistent industry, kept his family well and comfortable. In 1890-91 he remembers hauling his wheat a distance of thirty miles, to Kimball, and selling it for twenty-six cents a bushel. To contrast those days with the pres- ent brings pleasurable emotion. Mr. Kelly now owns and operates, including his wife's homestead of a hundred and sixty acres, about three thousand acres. His sons are farming seven hundred acres and the rest is ranch land, Mr. Kelly has bred Hereford cattle and standard hogs for many years. Progressive methods are made use of on this farm and the various industries are carried on very pro- fitably.

Mr. Kelly was married first to Miss Idella Lorain county, Ohio. He was a farmer in Il -. Bowen, who died September 23, 1889, leaving two children, the one survivor being Laura, who is the wife of Ralph Darnell, of Banner county. On February 15, 1893, Mr. Kelly was married to Miss Jennie Skinner, who is a daughter of Richard and Emma (Powell) Skinner, natives of Perry county, Ohio, early settlers and prominent people of this county. The father of Mrs. Kelly is a veteran of the

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Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly have had the following children: Glenn, who lives on the home farm; Earl, who operates the Peter Han- son place; Roy Earnest, who homesteaded at Glenrock, Wyoming; and Vern, Lillian, La- vera and Clifford, all of whom are at home. Mr. Kelly and his sons are staunch Republi- cans but none have ever desired public office. Mr. Kelly belongs to the A. O. U. W. at Scottsbluff and W. O. W. at Minatare.

MARK H. CROSBY, deceased. Not every early settler who came poor into Banner coun- ty improved his prospects by remaining, but some of them did, and one of these is Mark H. Crosby, who is one of the county's most sub- stantial farmers and ranchmen of today. An old team and wagon and thirty-five dollars in money was his fortune when he came here in the fall of 1887 ; before his death it is probable that Mr. Crosby's name on a bit of bank paper would have been acceptable in any fi- nancial institution in the country. He started out for himself when fifteen years old and has made his own way in the world.

Mark H. Crosby was born in Ashtabula county, Ohio, November 20, 1851, a son of Almon and Abigail Hall Crosby, the latter of whom died when he, one of the fourteen chil- dren, was but three years old. The father married again and the stepmother died in Janu- ary, 1911, the mother of six children. Of his brothers and sisters, Mark H. Crosby is the only one in Nebraska. The father lived un- til 1875. He was a general farmer and own- ed a sawmill at the time of his death in Henry county, Ohio. He was a Republican in poli- tics but never aspired to public office.

Mark H. Crosby's education was largely gained in the school of experience. When fif- teen years old he went to work for farmers at eight dollars a month. In 1875, he went to Jasper county, lowa, and made his home there until 1884, for two years before moving to Harrison county, Missouri, he worked land on shares. He remained in Missouri for three years, then came to Banner county, as above stated, and in the fall of 1887 homesteaded where he now lives. Mr. Crosby has eight hundred acres and devotes the most of it to ranch purposes, averaging from thirty to forty head of cattle yearly. In early days here and before that, he worked hard at anything that would gain him an honorable living and has had much to contend with. He hauled freight for twelve and a half cents a hundred weight from Kimball; worked from daylight to dark for seventy-five cents, accepted, in fact, al- most any work and any wage, in order to

get enough to make payments on his land and the cows with which he was trying to start a herd. When making trips to Kimball and other markets he slept on the ground under his wagon in order to save hotel expenses. To sell his first wheat he hauled it thirty miles to Kimball and then received twenty-seven cents a bushel. He has seen many hard times but has lived through them and set an example that deserves emulation. His first home in Banner county was a small structure of which he was very proud because it had a board roof and Nebraska shingles (Butte Clay). In the fall of 1911, Mr. Crosby vis- ited his relatives and they could scarcely be- lieve the experiences he had passed through and in thinking them over, Mr. Crosby was led himself to greatly marvel.

Mr. Crosby was married on November 12, 1882, to Alice Campbell, who died without issue, on June 21, 1911. His second marriage was to Mrs. Cornelia (Hampton) Kimberly, widow of Edward Kimberly, and daughter of William R. and Sarah M. (Deter) Hampton, who came to Banner county in March, 1887, and homesteaded near Hull. Several years later they moved to Harrisburg and there Mr. Hampton engaged in the practice of law until he retired. A short time previous to the death of Mrs. Hampton, on December 4, 1903, they had moved to Gering, where he died December 6, 1904. They had celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on July 3. 1903. They had eleven children, the survivors being: Theodore, living at Hastings, Nebraska; Mrs. Crosby ; Ida, wife of Emory Signs of Iowa ; Jennie L., wife of Henry Highes, of Mapleton, Kansas ; Commodore, living at Gering; William, living at Gering ; Russell R., of Baxter, Iowa; and Albert J., living at Gering. All of the five sons homesteaded in Banner county and Mrs. Cros- by also homesteaded after the death of her first husband but later sold, retaining, however, valuable residence property at Gering.

Mrs. Crosby came to Banner county with her first husband, Edward Kimberly, and they homesteaded ten mile northwest of Harrisburg. Mr. Kimberly developed a serious catarrhal in- fection and they moved from the homestead to Cheyenne, Wyoming, in the hope of im- provement, but his death followed there, on August 16, 1913. He was one of the earliest school teachers in Banner county, where he taught for a number of years. When Mrs. Crosby first came here she frequently enjoyed horse-back riding, but even for so daring and skilled horsewoman as herself, there was great danger from the range cattle. She always rode bareback and on many occasions when herd-

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ing her cattle, they would get mixed with the wild range cattle and it was only through her dexterity that she escaped injury from them. Mrs. Crosby, like her husband has had many pioneer experiences and their relation is more interesting that a book of romances.

Mr. and Mrs. Crosby were members of the Baptist church, to which he belonged for thirty years. He was always a Republican in his political views and remained identified with that great old American organization. At different times, when time and opportunity jus- tified it, Mr. Crosby accepted public office and for many years served on the school board and for three terms was eleced school treasurer. Mr. and Mrs. Crosby were very highly esteem- ed by all who knew them and the acquaintance was very wide. Mr. Crosby died May 27, 1920.

GEORGE SCHINDLER, while by no means the first homesteader in his section of Banner county, has been one of the permanent resi- dents since he came here thirty-one years ago, never leaving the county as did many others, to seek work at intervals, in neighboring states. Mr. Schindler's object in coming to Banner county was to secure for himself and family a home, for which he was willing to face ne- cessary hardships and work to the extent of his ability. He is now one of the county's most substantial citizens and respected trust- worthy men.

George Schindler was born in Allen coun- ty, Ohio, September 18, 1850. His parents were Dr. George and Susanna (Thompson) Schindler. His mother was born in Pennsyl- vania and died in Ohio in 1898. His father was born in Germany, was educated there as a physician, took part in the revolution of 1848 and afterward came to the United States and settled in Ohio. Dr. Schindler practiced there until his death in 1861. He was a man of scientific learning, a chemist who compound- ed his own medicines and was a specialist in the treatment of milk leg fever and cancer. In those days in his section of Allen county, many rivers and other streams were yet un- bridged but that fact never deterred Dr. Schindler from going to the relief of his patients, and on many occasions he came honie with his clothing frozen about his body from having to ford these unbridged waterways. He belonged to the Masonic fraternity and was a Democrat in politics. Of his eight children there are four surviving, George being the only one of the famly to come to Nebraska.

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History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 121

Author: Shumway, Grant Lee, 1865- Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., The Western publishing & engraving co. Number of Pages: 1056

Author: Shumway, Grant Lee, 1865-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Lincoln, Neb., The Western publishing & engraving co.
Number of Pages: 1056