History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 25

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

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In November, 1913, Mr. Cronkleton was united in marriage to Miss Anna Morrow, a daughter of Thomas Morrow, extended men- tion of whom will be found in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Cronkleton are members of the Cath- olic church and he belongs to the Knights of Columbus. In his political affiliation he has always been a Republican. He has served as a United States commissioner, and since com- ing to Bayard has been town clerk and also a member of the school board.

THOMAS F. WATKINS, who, probably is as well known in Morrill county as any other individual, unless Mrs. Watkins, his admirable wife be excepted, came to Bayard in 1910. Since then Mr. and Mrs. Watkins have owned the Commercial hotel and have had much to do with the development of what was then a village into the close semblance of a city. Mr. Watkins was born at Swansea, Wales, May 27, 1848.

The parents of Mr. Watkins were Thomas and Mary (Davis) Watkins, the former of whom was born in Wales, December 11, 1814, and the latter February 27, 1822. They came to the United States and located on 160 acres of land in Monroe county, Iowa, when Thomas F. was an infant. There were two older children in the family, nine more were born in America, and besides Thomas F., the following are living: W. D., who resides at Long Beach, California ; D. M., who owns the old family homestead in Monroe county, Iowa; Mary M., who is the wife of Thomas Lewis, of Long Beach, California, and Mittie, who is the wife of Martin Haller, a farmer

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near Springfield, Missouri. The parents were members of the Baptist church.

In his boyhood Thomas F. Watkins had but meager educational advantages. He early learned to perform farm work and labor in the coal mines. In 1890 he came to Alliance, Ne- braska, where he carried on a meat business for four years, after which he worked on a ranch in Box Butte county for four years. In 1898 he came to Morrill county and after mar- riage took charge of his wife's homestead and put the property in fine shape. Later he bought a tract of land near the homestead and subsequently his wife secured a second home- stead. In 1910 they moved into Bayard, as mentioned above, and went into the hotel bus- iness. The Commercial hotel is known all through this section and patronage never fails.

At Hemmingford, Nebraska, Mr. Watkins was married to Mary Nebraska (Joice) Dual, who is affectionately known by man in Ne- braska, as she bears the distinction of having been the first white child born in Nebraska City, Neb. In this connection, by her kind permission, part of a private letter is here quoted, that will prove interesting to every reader :

"My father, Jacob H. Joice, of Dayton, In- diana, emigrated to eastern Nebraska in the year 1854 and settled in what is now the thriv- ing city of Nebraska City, building the fifth house which was built in this city, obtaining the material from the natural forest surround- ing the little place. The population of the sur- rounding country consisted chiefly of Indians from the Otoe tribe which, as a general rule, were very friendly to the white settlers. J. H. Joice was of Irish descent while his wife, for- merly Angeline Blacklidge, was of Scotch de- scent. I was born on the 17th day of Decem- ber, 1854, and by the request of a prominent man of the community at that time, I was named Mary Nebraska, he promising if the child was so named he would deed her a quar- ter section of land when she reached her ma- jority, but this promise was never fulfilled. At the age of three years I moved with my par- ents to Iowa, locating where at one time East- port stood. From Eastport we moved to Hamburg, Iowa, where I grew to young wo- manhood and was married. It was only a few years until I was left a widow, during which time I lived in Savannah, Missouri. After the death of my parents the call of my native state appealed to me so strongly, that I emigrated to Bayard, Nebraska, where I met and married Thomas F. Watkins. The first year of our married life was spent in the city of Alliance, Nebraska, after which we located on a home-

stead three miles due east of Bayard, Nebras- ka, where we underwent the hardships and privations of the early pioneers of that day. We lived the life of the pioneer ranchman for about sixteen years, when we moved to Bay- ard in the year 1910, purchasing and operat- ing the Commercial hotel of that place. Bay- ard at that time consisted of a population of about 200 men, women and children. At this time the settlers coming from eastern Nebras- ka and adjoining states, began locating on the lands adjacent to Bayard, where they organ- ized a successful irrigating project which transformed a former desert into a veritable Garden of Eden." Mrs. Watkins concludes with expressions of pleasant anticipation con- cerning the annual homecoming celebration of the early pioneers of Nebraska City to which she had been invited and in which she has found herself a highly honored guest when- ever she has been able to attend.

Mr. and Mrs. Watkins have had no children of their own but they raised two children, Stella Slausen and Richard Dual, the former of whom is deceased, the latter being a resi- dent of Bayard. They also raised a nephew of Mrs. Watkins, Frank Joice, deceased. For forty-nine years Mr. Watkins has belonged to the order of Odd Fellows and both he and Mrs. Watkins are old members of the auxili- ary order of Rebekah, and both have repre- sented their local body in the Grand Lodge. Mr. Watkins has never been a politician and at present he maintains an independent atti- tude on public questions and votes according to his own judgment that has been ripened by many years of thought and mingling with his fellowmen. Mrs. Watkins has one brother and one sister, H. A. Joice and Mrs. Hattie White, both of whom reside at Bigelow, Holt county, Missouri.

JOHN L. LOEWENSTEIN, who is the able manager of the L. W. Cox & Company lumber business at Bayard, is not only an alert and enterprising business man, but is also an earnest and useful citizen in a public capacity. During the seven years of his residence at Bayard, he has so firmly established himself in the confidence of his fellow citizens that in April, 1918, he was elected a member of the city council and has faithfully performed every duty pertaining to this office.

John L. Loewenstein was born at Keokuk, Iowa, in 1882, the only son of Christopher and Caroline (Schultz) Loewenstein, both of whom were born at Keokuk, of German par- entage. The mother died there in 1916, but the father survives and carries on his business

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of hardware merchant in that city. In politics the father is a Republican, fraternally is an Odd Fellow, and all his mature life has been a member of the German Evangelical church. Mr. Loewenstein has one sister, Mildred, who is the wife of Frank Wiseman, who is a sales- man in the electrical line, at Oakland, Cali- fornia. The parents of Mr. Harpole were W. S. and Elizabeth (Griffith) Harpole, the former of whom was born in Virginia and the latter in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. Their people settled in Indiana when they were young and they were married there and re- mained until 1881, when they moved to south- western Missouri. The father bought land After his public school course at Keokuk, John L. Loewenstein attended a commercial school. The first business opening he found was in a shoe factory and for several years he remained there and learned the trade. From there he went into railroad work as an em- ploye in the main office of the Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy. One year later he accepted a position with the Iowa State Insurance Com- pany, with which concern he continued for two years and then embarked in the drug business on his own account, at Cantril, Iowa, and re- mained so connected for four years. In the meanwhile Mr. Lowenstein kept alert as to there and both died on the home farm. Of their ten children seven are living, Charles H. being the only one residing in Nebraska. His educational opportunities were somewhat meager, confined to a little country school near his father's farm in southern Indiana. He grew up on the home farm, accompanied his parents to Missouri and afterward followed an agricultural life there until 1900, when he came to Bayard, Nebraska. Here he saw a business opening in the hardware line and started in a small way, in partnership with D. J. Burke. Immediate success followed as the village grew into a town and then a city, other business opportunities, and when he. and Mr. Harpole and Mr. Burke proved equal found a congenial opening in the lumber trade, with E. G. Caine, at Indianola, Nebraska, took advantage of it and continued there until 1912, when he came to Bayard and accepted his pres- ent position. He has substantial knowledge along several lines of activity and a very wide acquaintance, has a genial manner that wins friendly attention and an upright character that in the business world means trustworthi- ness. to the occasion. At first they increased their stock but later found themselves needing more room and purchased the large brick building they now occupy. The business is now incor- porated as the Burke-Harpole Company, which is capitalized at $30,000. There is hardly an instance in the city where a business enterprise has developed more rapidly or sub- stantially. In addition, Mr. Harpole is inter- ested to some extent in farming, owning valu- able land in Morrill county.

In 1904 Mr. Loewenstein was united in mar- riage to Miss Edna Frances Caine, who was born at Keokuk, Iowa. They have three chil- dren : Madeline, Lillian, and Josephine. Mr. and Mrs. Loewenstein are members of the Presbyterian church. He is a Republican in his political affiliation, and he belongs frater- nally to both the Masons and Odd Fellows. Bayard has made wonderful progress within the last few years and credit is due those men of business foresight and true public spirit who have in every possible way furthered her in- terests and it is but just to say that Mr. Loewenstein is one of these.

CHARLES H. HARPOLE. - There are few lines of reputable business that do not have adequate representation at Bayard, in fact the little city can claim same progressive concerns that would be creditable anywhere. Reference may be made to the Burke & Har- pole Company, dealers in general hardware and furniture and undertakers, the founder of the business being Charles H. Harpole, who came to Bayard in 1900. He was born in Warrick county, Indiana, December 15, 1863.

In August, 1893, Mr. Harpole was united in marriage to Miss Elneta Mingus, who was born in Ohio. She died without issue, in June, 1914. Mr. Harpole was married sec- ond in 1916 to Miss Emma De Vault, who was born at St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mrs. Harpole is active in the various avenues of beneficence carried on by the church. Mr. Harpole belongs to no fraternal body except the Modern Woodmen. He is a staunch Republican in politics and has served with great efficiency on the school board and in other town offices. He is held in high esteem at Bayard and is numbered with the representative business men of the place, one ever ready to encourage worthy enterprises and generous in his support of charitable movements.

WILLIAM WEBER. - The year 1887 marked the arrival of Mr. Weber in that part of old Cheyenne county that is now comprised in Scottsbluff county, and he became a pioneer homesteader in the vicinity of the present

GOTTFRIED KAMANN

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county seat, Gering. Of this original home- stead of 160 acres he later disposed, after having made good improvements on the place, and he then invested in other land, his valu- able holdings now comprising 240 acres, de- voted to diversified agriculture and the rais- ing of excellent types of live stock, and the greater part of the tract having been supplied with good irrigation facilities. This admirable ranch property, accumulated through the earnest and honorable endeavors of the own- er, is situated in section 1, township 15, and is eligibly situated about one-half mile east of Gering.

Mr. Weber was born in Germany, on the 10th of March, 1863, a son of Anton and Gertrude (Petz) Weber, both of whom were born in Cologne, Germany, and both of whom passed their entire lives in the fatherland of their nativity.

William Weber acquired his youthful edu- cation in the excellent schools of his native land, and he was an ambitious young man of eighteen years when he severed the home ties and immigrated to America, in 1881. He arrived in April of that year and soon made his way to Illinois, where he continued to be employed-principally at farm work-until 1887, when he came to Nebraska and num- bered himself among the pioneers of what is now Scottsbluff county. Here he has kept pace with the splendid march of development and progress, and at all times he has stood exemplar of the most loyal and public-spirited citizenship, so that he has a secure place in popular esteem. He has assisted in the fur- therance of those movements that have con- served the best interests of the community and was for some time president of the Central Ditch Company, controlling one of the import- ant irrigation projects of the county. His po- litical allegiance is given to the Republican party, he and his family are communicants of the Catholic church and he is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America.

In 1889 Mr. Weber wedded Miss Minnie Brown, of Utica, New York, and her death occurred at the home in Scottsbluff county. Of this union were born four children: Will- iam H., is a prosperous farmer in this coun- ty ; Bert R., likewise is identified with farm enterprise in the same county and he is in- dividually mentioned on other pages; Anna is the wife of John Fohland, a farmer south of Melbeta, this county ; and Harry died at the age of five years. In 1904 Mr. Weber was united in marriage to Miss Winnie Newby, a

native of Missouri, and she likewise is de- ceased, the two children of this union having died in infancy. Mr. Weber contracted a third marriage, when Miss Ida Davis became his wife, she having been born and reared in Nebraska.

GOTTFRIED KAMANN is one of the sturdy, hardy pioneers of Nebraska, who has known the hardships and privations of early settlers in the west and who has contributed his share to the upbuilding of the county. It is to this citizen that recognition is here ac- corded.

Gottfried Kamann was born in Rhine prov- ince of the German Empire in 1862, being the son of Heinrich and Gertrude (Bovenschen) Kamann, both natives of Germany, where they were reared and educated. The father was a blacksmith in the old country who was engaged in the practice of his vocation for many years, thus earning a comfortable living for his fam- ily. At the age of eighty-one years he bravely broke all the old ties that bound him to the land of his birth and sailed for America to join his children who had established them- selves in the great "Land of Promise." After seven years passed with the members of his family he passed away here at the age of eighty-eight years and four months.

Gottfried Kamann was reared and educated in his native province in Germany, received excellent educational advantages in the pub- lic schools of Germany which were at that time conducted by the state, and thus laid the foundation for an excellent practical education which has proved of great value to him since coming to the United States and en- gaging in business independently. He was a far-sighted youth, saw that with the land in his native country largely owned and controlled by the Junker class, there was little chance or op- portunity for him to acquire land of his own and he did not care to spend his life in the laboring class. For many years Mr. Kamann had heard of the many advantages to be had in the United States and after attaining his majority and his period of military service over, he decided that his future would be brighter in America, and on March 6, 1885, set sail for this country. For two years he was engaged in varied occupations while learning the customs of the country and the English language and thus had an excellent opportunity to hear of the different sections of the country and decide which section would be the most desirable for his home. Mr. Kamann chose Nebraska, locating on a homestead on the Dutch Flats in 1887. He at once began im-

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provements on the place, such as farm build- ings, a house, and as water was the paramount need of every settler, drilled the first well in this locality, from which all the neighbors hauled their water for a long time. The coun- try was sparsely settled at this period, farm houses being far apart with great stretches of prairie separating the primitive homes of these sturdy pioneers of civilization and Mr. Kamann says that he saw antelope, deer and other wild game running across his land and could go hunting from his dooryard for sup- plies of meat. What changes this man has seen in the brief span which has elapsed since he first drove into the country, for today the wide prairies which smiled with wild flowers in the sun have become a prosperous country- side of fine farms, dotted with thrifty and thriving communities that are as barometers of the country itself. Upon first establishing him- self here Mr. Kamann had to drive to Sidney for his supplies but was glad that he had the money to get them as many of the first men to locate here had a very hard time, became dis- couraged and returned to their old homes far- ther east, but this German was determined that he would not be daunted by a few hard years, and his faith in the section has been justified, and today he is himself the possessor of a com- fortable fortune won on these prairies of the west. There were two children in his family, himself and his sister Elizabeth, who is the wife of Valentine Thomas, who resides in Sioux county.

Money was a very scarce commodity in the west during the early eighties and as Mr. Kamann was a strong, healthy man, he found employment with the construction men when the railroad was built from Broken Bow to Alliance, and with this money was enabled to place many improvements on his land that other settlers had to do without or wait to establish at a later date, after they had man- aged to sell some of their farm produce at some distant market. From first locating in the valley, Mr. Kamann took active part and interest in all movements for the development of this section, being one of the first men to have the vision of what this land would become with water and as a consequence was one of the pioneers in irrigation, working on the con- struction of the first ditch which was to bring water to the thirsty earth and prosperity to the Morrill section. This was known as the "Farmers Canal," which has been such an im- portant factor in the development of what is now one of the richest farming sections of the whole country as well as the most prosperous, for the river valley soil, with plenty of water

and the never-failing sunshine of the high prairies, has caused the valley lands of the Panhandle to become a veritable garden spot where the greatest returns are obtained from the labor placed upon the land.

In 1891, Mr. Kamann married Miss Wil- hemina Bremer, and to this union five chil- dren have been born. Those living are : Henry, a farmer of Scottsbluff county, who responded to his country's call when the United States declared war against Germany and served with the rank of sergeant in the army, but has been discharged and is again at home; Arthur W., also a farmer in Scottsbluff county ; Clara A., a school teacher in her home district ; and Kath- arine, who is at home. Mr. Kamann is affili- ated with the Masonic fraternity and has at- tained the thirty-second degree. The pioneers of the eighties and nineties know Mr. Kamann's early activities and hold him and his family in high esteem and today he is regarded as a prominent and leading spirit in the com- munity.

JOSEPH C. WILLIAMS. - These lines concern one of the younger generation of busi- ness men-one just a decade beyond his major- ity ; one who comes of sturdy, fine, old colon- ial stock, of a family that located on the Atlan- tic seaboard states during the period of settle- ment in the tide water region and their indom- itable courage and characteristics that insure a high degree of success have been handed down to the man whose name heads this re- view. Mr. Williams is the owner and man- ager of the largest drug house in Henry, which he established himself and today it is one of the leading business houses in the val- ley of Scottsbluff county.

Mr. Williams is a southerner, as he was born in Allendale, Barnwell county, south Carolina, December 12, 1888, being the son of Joseph J. and Virginia (Wooten) Williams, the former also a native of South Carolina, while the mother was born, reared and re- ceived her early education in Florida. Three children grew up in the Williams family: Ed- gar L., lives at Greeley, Colorado ; Joseph, and Lelia, who married James T. Pomeroy of Chi- cago. Joseph J. Williams was a physician who came west and located in Colorado when Joseph was a small boy. For many years Dr. Williams was engaged in the practice of his profession in Hotchkiss, Colorado, where he built up a lucratice practice which he enjoyed until he retired from active life, dying No- vember 19, 1919, at Hotchkiss, Colorado. Mrs. Williams died in 1915. Dr. Williams

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was a member of the Baptist church, was for many years a Democrat in his political faith and fraternally was allied with the Masonic order.

Joseph Williams received his early educa- tional training in the excellent public schools of Hotchkiss, Colorado. After finishing the ele- mentary grades he entered the high school, graduating after a four year course. Follow- ing this he entered the pharmacy de- partment of the Colorado State Agriculture college, where he remained a student until he received his degree of Ph. G. He was at once registered as a graduate in pharmacy under the state pharmacy board and admitted to prac- tice his profession. Within a short time Mr. Williams came to Scottsbluff, where he work- ed for the Great Western Sugar Company until 1915, when he believed he saw an ex- cellent opening in Henry and located here. He opened a modern up-to-date store on the main street, equipped with every convenience to handle his trade and now enjoys a fine busi- ness. A good drug house is one of the neces- sities of a community and a pharmacist must use care to give safe and satisfactory results, as his business is regulated by strict laws of the state and nation and he is no less responsi- ble for the health and life of his patrons than the physician whose prescriptions he is called on to fill. Henry has been fortunate in having Mr. Williams in whom full reliance can be placed. He carries a fully equipped stock of the various medicines, patent medicines and all lines allied to the drug business which the public has learned to expect and demand. His store is very attractive and is one of the most prosperous representative business cen- ters of the town.

On June 25, 1912, Mr. Williams married Miss Florence Wallace, a native daughter of Scottsbluff county, who was reared here on the high prairies, received her educational advantages in the public schools and here also met her future husband. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Williams, Joseph Wallace and Virginia Lee, attractive young sters for whom a bright future is in store. Mr. Williams is an independent in politics, and though he takes no active part in political af- fairs is a worthy and representative citizen who lives up to his own high standards of Americanism as the worthy scion of an old southern family should. Fraternally his af- filiations are with the Masonic order as he has taken his 32d degree in that order.

HERMAN G. STEWART, who is one of the capable and progressive representatives of the farming and stock-raising industries of the Mitchell valley and Scottsbluff county, is not one of the earliest settlers in this section as he located in Sioux county when he first came to Nebraska, but since coming into the valley of the Platte has kept pace with the steady advancement that has marked this fa- vored section of the state. Mr. Stewart was born in Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, Sep- tember 29, 1854, beng a child of Henry and Ruth (Grant) Stewart, the former a native of New York and the latter of Ohio. Henry Stewart was descended from a long line of colonial ancestors who had played an import- ant part in shaping the growth and develop- ment of our great country when it was in its infancy and he himself as soon as he attained manhood's estate_took an active and interested part in the councils of the Republican party, as he was one of the fifty men who organized it, when the new party began to take shape. He had a good, practical education in his youth and upon this excellent foundation he continued to build by wide reading along both political and business lines, until he was re- garded as one of the best informed men of his day. Mr. Stewart was one of the men who believed that a great future lay in store for the great Mississippi valley and early deter- mined that he should have his part in the opening up and development of the country. As railroads were few and the price of trans- portation high he came west by way of the great lakes, making the trip from New York by boat. After arriving in Wisconsin he locat- ed on a farm in Fond du Lac county, where he immediately engaged in general farming, and stock-raising when that state had hardly been reclaimed from the wilderness, for Wisconsin was heavily timbered, especially along the water course, and Fond du Lac county is in the lake country. There were seven children in the Stewart family: Martha, the wife of W. A. Thornton, died at Crawford, Nebras- ka; Martela, the wife of John Stewart, a dis- tant relative. is deceased; Celia L., married Thomas Jefferson Cummings, and now lives at Riverside, California; Henry, lives near Crawford on a farm; Heman G., A. E., a farmer in Scottsbluff county, and John F., a farmer near Crawford.

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History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 25

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