History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 28

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

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Bailey family : Idell, the wife of Lemuel Smith, who resides on the old home place ; Lillian, who holds a business position in Fremont, Nebraska, being associated with the Hammond Printing Co .; Ruth and Julia, who are seniors in high school ; Edna, Arthur J., Beryl, and Grace, who also are all taking courses in the public school. Mrs. Bailey resided on the farm till 1919 when she moved to Mitchell to give her children better school advantages.

GILBERT ROSS, who has been a resident of Nebraska since 1909 and who is the owner of an excellent ranch property in Morrill coun- ty, is essentially to be noted as one of the world's productive workers, for his advance- ment has been gained entirely through his own ability and well ordered efforts. In the thriving village of Bayard, Morrill county, he conducts a substantial teaming business, the while his family resides on the homestead which is eleven miles northwest of the town.

Mr. Ross was born in Westmoreland coun- ty, Pennsylvania, on the 26th of April, 1864, and is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Knox) Ross, both of whom passed their entire lives in the old Keystone state, the former having been a school teacher within the period of his early manhood. Gilbert Ross was still a child at the time of his father's death and there- after he lived in the home of his paternal grandfather until the death of the latter. At this juncture in his career Mr. Ross, who was at the time a lad of but eight years, was taken into the care of strangers and he continued to work for his board and clothes until he had attained the age of fourteen years. He then received eight dollars a month for his serv- ices in hauling lumber with a four-horse team, and he continued to be identified with work of this order until he was twenty-five years old. He then obtained employment as locomotive fireman on the Pennsylvania Rail- road, and within the four years of his service in this capacity he served as fireman on both freight and passenger trains. It can well be understood that his early educational training was limited to a somewhat irregular attend- ance in the public schools of his native state, but he made good use of the advantages afforded in the stern school of practical labor and experience.

After retiring from railroad work Mr. Ross was engaged in teaming in Pennsylvania un- til 1909, when he came with his family to Ne- braska and located on a homestead eleven miles northwest of Bayard, to the general im- provement and supervision of which he has

since given his attention, though he devotes the major part of his time to his prosperous teaming business at Bayard. His ranch com- prises six hundred acres and is utilized prin- cipally for the raising of cattle and horses, the land being excellent for grazing and his average herd of cattle comprising about one hundred head. Mr. Ross is vigorous and am- bitious and is the type of citizen that is most fully valued in this progressive section of Ne- braska. He is a Republican in politics, is af- filiated with the Fraternal Order of Eagles and he and his wife hold membership in the Brethren church.

Mrs. Blanche (Shaffer) Rose, wife of him whose name initiates this review, is likewise a native of Pennsylvania, as were her parents, Frank and Mary (Carus) Shaffer. Mr. and Mrs. Ross have three children: William E. and A. C., both of whom are engaged in farm- ing in Morrill county ; and Blanche Ione, who remains at the parental home.

REV. THOMAS C. OSBORNE has been a resident of Western Nebraska since his boy- hood days, is a representative of one of the honored pioneer families of this section of the state and individually he has done well his part in the furtherance of civic and material progress. He has given most effective service in the ministry of the Presbyterian church and is known as a man of distinctive culture and broad and well fortified convictions. Since his retirement from active ministerial labors he has given his attenton principally to the su- pervision of his valuable landed interests in Morrill county, (where he is also proprietor of the Farmers Exchange, a progressive weekly paper, of which he is editor and publisher, at Bayard.)

Mr. Osborne was born in McLean county, Illinois, on the 9th of September, 1876, and is a son of Samuel H. and Emily (Benson) Osborne. Samuel Osborne was born in Steu- ben county, Ohio, and was a child at the time of the family removal to In- diana, where he was reared on the home farm and received his education in the common schools of the period. When the dark cloud of the Civil War cast its pall over the national horizon he loyally went forth in defense of the Union. He enlisted as a private in the Eighty-eighth Regiment of Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which was as- signed to the Army of the Cumberland and with which he served until the close of the war. He lived up to the full tension of the

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great conflict and his military record is vir- tually coincident with that of the gallant regi- ment of which he was a member and with which he participated in many important en- gagements, including the battles of Chica- mauga and Stone's River. After the war this valiant young veteran passed some time in Iowa and at Kearney, Nebraska, and about 1870 he returned to Illinois and engaged in farm enterprise. Later he conducted a gen- eral merchandise store at Colfax, that state, where also he served as postmaster. In 1887 Samuel Osborne came with his family to what is now Morrill county, Nebraska, where he entered claim to a pioneer homestead two and one-half miles northeast of Bayard. He duly perfected his title to this claim and then, in 1890, entered a pre-emption claim three miles southeast of Bayard. He developed and im- proved this property, upon which he continued to maintain his home until his death, his name being held in gracious memory as that of one of the sterling pioneers of the county. He was a man of much prevision and progressive- ness, was a loyal and liberal citizen and did much to forward the advancement of this part of Nebraska. In earlier years he was a Re- publican in politics, but he was actively aligned with the populist party during the period of its maximum influence in national and state affairs. He served for a long period in the office of justice of the peace and was other- wise accorded marks of popular confidence and esteem. Both he and his wife, whose death occurred in 1917, were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Osborne was born in McLean county, Illinois, and was one of the revered pioneer women in Morrill county, Nebraska. Of the four children, Thomas C., of this review, was the second in order of birth. Dale B., the eldest, now re- sides upon the old home place of his parents ; Eva June died at the age of twenty-seven years ; and Dean H., who was for eighteen months in the government aviation service in connection with the world war, has been re- siding at Bayard since his discharge, after the close of the war.

Thomas C. Osborne acquired his prelimin- ary education in the public schools of his na- tive state and was a lad of eleven years at the time of the family removal to Nebraska. Af- ted completing the curriculum of the high school at Crawford, Dawes county, he entered the Nebraska Presbyterian college, at Hast- ings, in which institution he was graduated in 1901, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts.

Thereafter he completed a three years' course in the Presbyterian Theological Seminary at Omaha, from which he was graduated on the 1st of May, 1904. During the autumn of that year he had charge of the church at Wayne, judicial center of the county of the same name, and there his ordination occurred. He retain- ed this pastoral charge until the spring of 1910, and from March 1st of that year until March 1, 1918, he was pastor of the Presby- terian church in the city of Scottbluff. Through his able and earnest labors the church was greatly advanced in spiritual and material well being and he gained recognition as one of the leading clergymen of his denomination in this part of the state. His retirement was forced through a throat disorder and general- ly impaired health, and under these conditions he established his residence on the homestead which he had obtained in 1902, the same being situated four miles northeast of Bayard. He has made excellent improvements on this place, which comprises one hundred and sixty acres, irrigated from the farmers' ditch and two miles east of Bayard he has a tract of eighty acres, with similar irrigation facilities. His land is effectively given over to the propagation of grain, alfalfa and sugar beets, and his health has been recuperated through his out- door life in the supervision of his farms. Mr. Osborne takes lively interest in all things per- taining to the moral, social and industrial ad- vancement of his home community and state. He was a member of the Nebraska Constitu- tional convention of 1919-20. He and the members of the family are zealous workers in the Presbyterian church, the while he main- tains an independent attitude in politics.

. In the year, 1903, was solemnized the mar- rage of Mr. Osborne to Miss Julia M. Jones, a college classmate of his at Hastings, and of this union have been born five children : Emily L., Charles C., Clifford W. and Howard B. remain at the parental home, and Roger C. died in infancy.

LEON A MOOMAW, Cotner Uni. A.B. A.M. - Although entitled to place after his name letters indicating hard won college de- grees, it may be possible that Professor Leon A. Moomaw, of Morrill county, takes equal pride in the success that has attended his ag- ricultural undertakings. Born and reared on a farm, the memory of Nature's ever recur- ring miracle of seasons and plenteousness re- warding honest toil, may have accompanied him through university life and subsequent

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intellectual effort in the educational field, for the time came when college honors were laid aside and the learned teacher became an en- thusiastic farmer. Remembering that agri- cultural production is the basis of all produc- tion, the transfer of scientific knowledge from the professions to the fields must, with such earnest men as Mr. Moomaw result beneficial- ly.

Leon A. Moomaw is a native of Nebraska, born in Scottsbluff county, December 27, 1887, and is a son of Austin and Agnes (Spriggs) Moomaw. The father was born in Illinois, fifty-seven years ago, and the moth- er was born in Missouri. In 1886 they came to Nebraska and homesteaded in Scottsbluff county, where the father has ever since been a general farmer. Later he secured a tree claim in Morrill county. Until he was twen- ty-two years old, Leon A. Moomaw resided on his father's farm, but in the meanwhile his education was attended to and from the local schools he entered Cotner at Lincoln, from which he was graduated with the degree of A. B. Later he entered the State University at Lincoln, from which he bore off the degree of A. M. He then entered the educational field, in no subordinate position, however, but as a member of the faculty of Cotner Univer- sity, in which institution he was professor of history for three years.

In 1914 he was united in marriage to Miss Minnie E. Young, who was born in South Da- kota, July 25, 1886. Her parents, Hiram and Sarah (Adams) Young, lived in Iowa. Since 1909 they have lived retired at Lincoln, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Moomaw have two children: Evelyn and Robert. In 1912 both Mr. and Mrs. Moomaw homesteaded in Ban- ner county and they are still holding their 1,180 acres of dry land there, the subsequent development of which may be stupendous. In 1913 they came to Morrill county and he took charge of his father's old tree claim, has 200 acres, and has devoted his best efforts to the development of this land ever since. All the land is now irrigated and under Mr. Moo- maw's intelligent management is a wonder- fully productive property. He has placed fine improvements here and has one of the spaciouse modern homes of this section. Both he and wife are members of the Christian church, and they have a wide social circle. Although not active politically, Mr. Moomaw is not an indifferent citizen, but on the other hand, every movement that promises to be of substantial and permanent benefit to the coun- ty, finds in him an earnest advocate.

JAMES A. CADWELL, who will long be remembered as one of the fine men of Mor- rill county, passed away at his home on the beautiful farm he had worked hard to de- velop and improve, on January 8, 1918. His birth took place in Saunders county, Nebras- ka, March 27, 1878. He was a son of John T. and Sarah E. (Gilbert) Cadwell, both of whom were born in Ohio. They were early settlers in eastern Nebraska and homesteaders, and they passed away on their farm in Saun- ders county.

James A. Cadwell grew to manhood in his native county and was educated in the public schools. With self-respecting independence and wise provision, as soon as his schooldays were over, he learned the trade of a carpenter and followed the same to some extent even after he became interested in farming. He was a man of high principles, and when his country became embroiled in war with Spain, he enlisted as a soldier and served all through the Spanish-American war.

In 1901 James Asa Cadwell was united in marriage to Miss Lulu Parks, who was born in Lancaster county, Nebraska, a daughter of Theodore and Florence (Spencer) Parks, the former of whom was born at Plattesmouth, Nebraska, and the latter of Massachusetts. They still reside in Nebraska and Mr. Parks continues his agricultural industries. The fol- lowing children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Cadwell : Everett, Jessie, Clarence, Glenn, Dorothy, Florence, Vera, Eliza and Maxine. Mr. Cadwell was ever anxious concerning his children's welfare and gave them every ad- vantage in his power.

In 1905 Mr. Cadwell come to Morrill coun- ty and homesteaded and his family joined him in the following year. He left them a well improved farm of one hundred and ten acres, eighty-seven acres of which are irrigated. He was never an active politician in the sense of desiring to hold public office, and was always a Republican, although he entertained a high personal opinion of William Jennings Bryan, who had been the colonel of his regiment in the Spanish-American war. With his family he belonged to the Baptist church at Ashland, Nebraska.

JOHN ROBERTSON. - Coming to the United States from his native Scotland, where he was born September 27, 1862, when but seventeen years of age, Mr. Robertson has spent almost forty years in Nebraska and a goodly portion of them in Morrill county, where he is widely known and much respected. He accompanied his parents to Quebec, Can-

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ada, but they never came into this country. Mr. Robertsan spent three years at Schuyler, in Colfax county, Nebraska, and then made his way to Scottsbluff county, finding the present busy, prosperous, little city of Gering, a set- tlement of two log houses and one sod house. Later he homesteaded in Morrill county and pre-empted an entire section of land, all of which he has sold.

Mr. Robertson was married at Columbus, Nebraska, to Miss Myrtle May Folnsbee, who was born in Missouri, and they have had children as follows: Mrs. Mary Hays, lives at Mitchell, Nebraska ; Harry, lives at Whealand, Wyoming; Mrs. Alta Detrick, lives in Mis- souri ; Robert, a farmer ; John, safely returned home from military service in France; Clif- ford who went to France with the American Expeditionary Force as did his older brother, spent fifteen months in France, and saw hard service, later being attached to the army of occupation in Germany ; and Myrtle, who re- sides at home. Mr. Robertson is an inde- pendent voter.

LLYN O. McHENRY, one of the leading merchants of Morrill, is distinctly a Nebraska product as he is a native son of Scottsbluff county. Here he was born, here he was reared and educated, here he married, and here he has practically lived his life to the present time. He belongs to a family which is well and favor- ably known in the county and also the Pan- handle and which is highly respected for its contribution to the civic and material welfare and progress of this section of the state.

Llyn McHenry was born in Scottsbluff coun- ty, May 26, 1891, being the son of Oliver O. and Mary J. (Hall) McHenry, of whom com- plete mention and portraits appear on other pages of this volume, to whom were born five children : Elizabeth, who married John A. Bur- ton and now lives in California ; Matthew H., a resident of Gering ; Lucy, who married John M. Springer and now lives in California ; Harry H., who resides at Springer, Wyo. ; and Llyn O.

Llyn grew up here in his native county, at- tended the excellent public schools, and thus laid the foundation for his subsequent business career. After his school days were over he accepted a position in the county court house as deputy clerk of the district court, a position which he so ably filled that he remained in office for seven years. The young man, how- ever, had decided that he would enter business independently and with an idea of learning the intricacies of finance first hand, entered the Gering National Bank of Gering, where he was

able to gain practical and theoretical knowl- edge of banking. Two years later, while hold- ing a lucrative and responsible position with this institution Mr. McHenry responded to his country's call for men to enter the army and aid the United States and the Allies to make the world safe for democracy and rid it of the horror of the Hun. After entering the army he was stationed at Fort Logan for a year and a half and after receiving his honorable dis- charge at the close of hostilities returned to Scottsbluff county. Soon after returning Mr. McHenry formed a partnership with R. B. E. Quick and the two men established the Quick Drug Company at Morrill, Neb. They have a fine store building, excellent and attractive equipment and are able to handle a constantly growing trade. Mr. McHenry's varied busi- ness experiences as well as those in the army supplement the natural ability and qualifica- tions which mark him as an able executive in any line of business, thus he and his partner are conducting successfully an establishment that has varied demands and requires far sight as well as work to keep abreast of the con- stantly changing demands and wider field. That they are fully able to do this is demon- strated by their gratifying returns financially as well as the ever-increasing clientele which they enjoy.

Mr. McHenry is a Republican in politics and though he is the supporter and advocate of every movement for the improvement of Mor- rill and the surrounding district and in every way lives up to his own high standard of American citizenship he is now far too busy to take an active part in politics, but throws his influence to the man best qualified to serve the county and city. He is a wide reader of the best literature of the day as well as a student of subjects allied with his business and thus keeps abreast of the times and for the firm we predict a prosperous and successful future.

On May 29, 1912, Mr. McHenry married Miss Delight Byers, who is also a native of our great commonwealth, born in Washington county, where she was reared and was given the benefit of an excellent education. Mrs. McHenry is a gracious woman of charming personality, who has made many friends in the city of Morrill, where the McHenry home is regarded as one of the most hospitable. Mr. and Mrs. McHenry have one child, Ina Cor- rine, who is at home. The entire McHenry family are splendid people and well merit the high esteem of their friends and their business associates. Scottsbluff county is the richer by the mere fact that it has such citizens who will hand down to posterity their traditions and high ideals of what true Americans should be.

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ANDREW J. DUNHAM, who is one of Morrill county's substantial farmers and stock- men, is also one who has built up his fortune through individual effort. Left an orphan when five years old, his memories of childhood and early youth have no home setting, and the opportunities that came to better his condition, were those he found for himself.

Andrew J. Dunham was born in Mansfield, Connecticut, November 5, 1860, a son of Eph- raim and Mary (Little) Dunham. His young mother died when he was born, and his father when the boy was five years old. He was cared for in the city of Windsor, Virginia, but lived in Newhampshire for the next four years and before starting out on his own ac- count, had some educational training, and lived in Massachusetts and Connecticutt until at the age of twenty-one years he began working in Minnesota remaining there un- til 1888, when he came to Box Butte county, Nebraska, and homesteaded near Hemingford and proved up on his one hundred and sixty acres. He lived there for about twenty years and then moved to Morrill county. Here, in 1907, he bought a relinquishment claim of one hundred and sixty acres and subsequently an entire half section of land. He now has four hundred and eighty acres of fine graz- ing land and feeds fifty head of cattle and one hunred head of hogs annually, and carries on general farming on his eighty irrigated acres. Mr. Dunham is quite modest over all he has accomplished, but undoubtedly it shows strong character and high principles and Mr. Dun- ham deserves great credit.

Mr. Dunham married Miss Lena Ander- son, who was born in Norway, where her parents spent their entire lives. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Dunham, namely : Mrs. Eva Fleheaty, of Bayard, Ne- braska ; Mrs. Myrtle Ross, of Bayard; Melvin, a farmer in Morrill county ; and Verne, Opal, Hattie, Hazel and Anna, all at home. The children have attended school regularly and have been taught to prize an education. Mr. Dunham has been a member of the town school board for ten years. He is independent in politics.

EMMONS C. VIVIAN, who is a repre- sentative of one of the old and substantial pioneer families of Morrill county, Nebraska, has spent the greater part of his life here, be- ing a youth of sixteen years when he accom- panied his parents to this section. He was born in Cass county, Nebraska, August 24, 1872.

The father of Mr. Vivian, Richard Vivian, was born in England, in 1830. In 1844 ac- companied by a brother, he took passage in a sailing vessel, which was on the sea for three months before reaching the harbor of New York. During the voyage the brother of Mr. Vivian disappeared and supposedly was ac- cidentally drowned. Richard Vivian was a fine man and it would be interesting to know how the young English boy spent his time before he came to Nebraska, which was prior to 1872. In the meanwhile he was married to Miss Elizabeth Frazier, who was a native of New York. She died in Nebraska, March 10, 1896. They had four children, of whom Em- mons Clarkson was the last born. In 1888 Richard Vivian removed from Cass to old Cheyenne, now Morrill county, and took a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres and a tree claim of the same extent. The entire purchase at that time was nothing but wild prairie, but Mr. Vivian lived to see great changes wrought through his industry. At the present time all that land is irrigated and wonderfully productive. Mr. Vivian died in 1911, having been very successful as a farmer and ranchman.

Emmons Clarkson Vivian remained with his father and grew to manhood well acquainted with farm and ranch life. In 1897 he home- steaded one hundred and sixty acres for him- self, under better conditions perhaps, than had attended his father, but under no such fa- vorable opportunities as at present are present- ed, when the homeseeker, if he has sufficient capital, may possibly secure an irrigated farm that will produce more abundantly than in any other state in the Union. Mr. Vivian's homestead is such a farm, all irrigated and finely improved. Adjoining his farm is the forty-nine acre farm of his wife, also improved and irrigated, and it is upon this tract that the comfortable farm-house stands.

In Morrill county, in 1900, Mr. Vivian was united in marriage to Miss Blanche Snider, who was born April 4, 1879, at Kirksville, Missouri. She is a daughter of Albertus and Armilda (Legan) Snider, the former of whoni was born in Ohio and the latter in Indiana. They came to Nebraska some thirty years ago and homesteaded near Camp Clark. They now live retired in Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Vivian have one child, Carol. Mrs. Vivian is a lady of intellectual requirements and has interested herself greatly in the mat- ter of public education. Her work in this direction has been recognized by election to the school board, on which she has served

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faithfully and efficiently for six years. Mr. and Mrs. Vivian are widely known and uni- versally esteemed.

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History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 28

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