History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 30

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

USA > Nebraska > History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III > Part 30

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Mr. Harvey at that time had to drive sixty miles to Cheyenne to find a market for his crop, and received thirty-five cents a bushel for wheat that took the first prize at the state fair and also the sweepstake prize for the best wheat grown in Nebraska. Like other settlers he faced hard times on many occa- sions, often worked for seventy-five cents a day at anything that offered, and during one winter Mrs. Harvey went to Cheyenne and did nursing in order to add to the family ex- chequer, and at other times she remained to look after the crops while Mr. Harvey and son Charles worked for John Gordon on Horse Creek. It was not all work and no play in early times, however, and Mr. Harvey had an enjoyable occasion, when settlers from all over the county met in Bull Canyon and got acquainted with each other, that being the first "get together" meeting they ever had, but not the last. At one time Mr. Harvey had an open range in Banner county of fifty-five sec- tions and it took him three days to ride

around it. The first school house was built by the settlers, a log structure 16x24 feet in dimensions, which was used for some years as the taxes in the district did not prove suffi- cient to build a new one. In 1909 Mr. Harvey came to Kimball and bought fifty acres and a comfortable residence. He and wife are mem- bers of the Presbyterian church.

FRANCIS O. BAKER, who is a man of business prominence in Kimball county, where he has large land interests as well as in Ban- ner county, is president of the Bushnell State Bank at Bushnell. Mr. Baker was born in 1863 in De Kalb county, Illinois. His parents, William and Mary (Newport) Baker, were born near Dover, England, and after coming to the United States lived for two years near Syracuse, New York, then moved to De Kalb county, Illinois. In 1877 they went to Ne- braska, settling in Saline county, where the father yet lives, but the mother died in June, 1917. They had children as follows: an in- fant that died at birth; Mattie, who married Emmett Buckingham of Beaver Crossing, Ne- braska, and they have five children; Charles, who is a retired farmer and stockman, lives at Lincoln; Francis O, who was fourteen years old when he came to Nebraska ; and Ad- · die, who is deceased.

Francis O. Baker had public school ad- vantages in Illinois, accompanied his parents to Saline county, Nebraska in 1877, and re- mained at home assisting his father until he was twenty-four years old. At that time he went to Banner county, where he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres, on which he proved up and to which he subsequently added. Mr. Baker now owns four sections of land in Banner county and one section in Kimball county, having lesser interests in other coun- ties. In May, 1910, Mr. Baker came to Bush- nell and embarked in the mercantile business, shortly afterward organizing the Bushnell State Bank. He served this institution at first as cashier, but in 1917 was elected president and has ably directed its affairs ever since, making it one of the sound, stable banks of the county. Mr. Baker having the full confi- dence of the public in his business sagacity and personal integrity.

Mr. Baker was married in 1893, to Miss Ella Harvey, a daughter of George W. Har- vey, a prominent retired citizen of Kimball. Mr. and Mrs. Baker have three children: Charles, born in 1898, has finished his high school course and is assisting his father; Robert born March 8, 1904; and Alice, born

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September 1, 1906. Mr. Baker and family attend the Presbyterian church. He is identi- fied with the fraternal order of Modern Wood- men of America.

PERRY BRAZIEL is one of the real pio- neers of the West, the son of one of the pio- neers of the middle states. He was born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1854, the son of Robert Braziel, who was born in Tennessee and died in the 70's. His mother's maiden name was Steele .. She was a native of North Carolina, and died at the age of fifty years. The father moved to Illinois in 1812, when that country was young. He was a farmer and an Indian fighter in the Black Hawk wars, a Democrat in politics, and a Methodist. There were five chil- dren in the family, the subject of this sketch being the only one now living.

Mr. Braziel came to Kansas with his father in 1857 and settled in the Osage Nation, where they farmed and ran cattle. In 1868 he went to Texas and worked on the trail and the Texas range as a cowboy. In 1880 he came to west- ern Nebraska - what is now a half-dozen counties being then all Cheyenne county - and in 1884 he took a homestead east of where the town of Haig now stands. He proved up on his homestead and bought several different tracts of land until twenty-two years ago when he came to his present farm where he now owns 420 acres of irrigated land, well im- proved. He has followed farming and stock- raising and has been very successful.

In 1888 he was married to Ida Rayburn, a native of Illinois, daughter of Thomas Ray- burn who homesteaded in 1886 in what is now Castle Rock precinct of Scottsbluff county. They have three children, namely :

Robert, now in South Omaha, having lately returned from service with the American army in France, being with the Ninth Veterinary Corps overseas for eleven and one-half months.

Thomas A., who is now at home after a ser- vice of twenty-two months with the colors. He served on the front line in France fourteen months with the 148th Field Artillery and 116th Ammunition Train.

George, the youngest son, is at home.

Mr. Braziel has been a leader in the life of the county since it was organized. He has held the office of county commissioner, and is a member of the board of directors of the irriga- tion district in which his land is situated. He is an independent voter and belongs to the Ma- sonic order. Mrs. Braziel is a member of the Methodist church.

No man in the North Platte valley stands higher than Perry Braziel as an independent

and progressive citizen and a man of integrity and honor. He has prospered in this world's goods and in the opinion of his fellow man. He has raised a family that is a credit to him and has a right to be well satisfied with the record that he has made.

HORACE C. AMOS, who is one of Kim- ball's representative business men and for a number of years identified with the Citizens State Bank, is not a native of Nebraska, but has spent the greater part of his life in this state. He was born in 1877, at Racine, Wis- consin. His parents were Arthur and Julia (McCumber) Amos, both of whom died at Kimball, his father having been a banker and stockman.

Horace C. Amos was nine years old when his parents moved to Kearney, Nebraska, where they remained two years and then came to Kimball. Here Mr. Amos attended the public schools and completed the tenth grade studies, then entered the Kearney Military academy and remained one year. He then became interested in the stock business on his own account and continued in that line for twenty-one years, when he was elected county clerk. After serving in that office with the utmost efficiency for three years, Mr. Amos resigned in order to give his attention to the affairs of the Citizens State Bank of Kimball. In the meanwhile he proved up on a homestead in Kimball county which he sold at a later date.

In 1905 Mr. Amos was united in marriage to Miss Ema Tracy, who was born at Pine Bluff, Laramie county, Wyoming, and they have two daughters: Marjorie and Marian, aged respectively twelve and seven years, both of whom are attending school at Kimball. Mr. Amos and family belong to the Episcopal church. He belongs to the fraternal order of Knights of Pythias, and in that connection as in every other, is held in the highest esteem.

ORLEY D. PICKETT, who is an enter- prising business man of Bushnell, Nebraska, where, in partnership with his brother Roy, he conducts a cream and produce station, was born February 25, 1886, in Nemaha county, Nebraska. His parents are Frederick and Ef- fie (Dickerson) Pickett, who came to Kim- ball county, March 3, 1907, and now reside on a farm north of Kimball. Of their six chil- dren Orley D. is the eldest, the others being as follows: Bertha, who is the wife of Henry Wright, a farmer and ranchman living north- west of Kimball; Clinton, who resides on his

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ranch north of Kimball; Ernest, in Bushnell; and Francis, who is a farmer south of Bush- nell ; and Roy, who is associated with his eld- est brother at Bushnell.

Orley D. Pickett spent his boyhood days on the home farm and attended the public schools until the opportunity came to engage in farming for himself. In the fall of 1913 he came to Bushnell and accepted a position as clerk with Mr. Baker, a leading business man, and remained with this employer until September 4, 1915, when he purchased the business, and his prospects seemed so bright that he put in a stock representing the invest- ment of $16,000. War clouds quickly gather- ed as time went on, America became involved in the great struggle and when the govern- ment found it necessary to issue calls for sol- diers, Mr. Pickett and his brother Roy found themselves among those selected. With only four days' notice, Mr. Pickett sold out his business and prepared to answer the call, his brother Roy having made arrangements to leave Kimball for camp at El Paso, Texas, on the day the armistice was signed.

In 1911 Mr. Pickett was married to Miss Bertha Bower, who is a daughter of Franklin and Helen (Gross) Bower. Mrs. Pickett has one sister. Iva Maud, who is the wife of F. E. Miller, a stockman and farmer near Dela- ware, Ohio. The father of Mrs. Pickett still lives in Ohio, but her mother passed away August 24, 1883. Mr. and Mrs. Pickett at- tend the Presbyterian church. He is promi- nent in public affairs at Bushnell and has been a member of the city council since incorpora- tion.

PHILIP NELSON, who is a well known and respected resident of Kimball county, where he has successfully carried on several business enterprises, was born on Chellon Is- land, between Denmark and Norway, and in 1886 accompanied his parents to the United States. Their names were Julius and Sophia Nelson, honest, hard-working people, who were very highly thought of in the neighbor- hood of Dix, where they first located. They homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres and also took a tree claim, proved up on their land, and the father died there in 1913. The mother then went to Blair and died in the home of a daughter, in 1917. They had nine children, five sons and four daughters as follows : Jo- hanna, who died in 1903; Peter, who lives on his fruit farm in California; Christina, who was the wife of Melvin Tracy of Butte, Mon- tana, died April, 1920; Hans, who lives in

California; Bina, who is the wife of John Hanson, of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Jack, who lives on a ranch near Dix, Nebraska ; Philip, who is the youngest son ; and Margaret, who is the wife of Ole Anderson, of Blair, Nebraska.

Philip Nelson's boyhood days were spent in going to school, and herding cattle for his father and other ranchmen. He had ambition, however, to be a business man in another line, and with this end in view went to Potter and engaged as a clerk in a general store. In 1910, in partnership with his brother Peter, he bought the lumber yard at Potter and operated it for two years, when he purchased the gen- eral store of C. E. Birt, thereby acquiring a stock of merchandise valued at $2,100. He continued in the mercantile business until 1919, selling his store at that time after a very satisfactory business season, his stock being valued at $15,000. In the meanwhile he had bought a half section of land in Kimball county which he rents out, the products of his farm and ranch being mainly grain and horses. Mr. Nelson is looking out for another investment, as he is too active to think yet of retiring from the business field. In 1915 he married Chris- tina Peterson and they have two children, Louis and Ruth. Mr. Nelson is a fine example of what determination will do, for through it he has overcome many difficulties, has made an honorable business name for himself and has personal friends everywhere. He belongs to the Lutheran church.

ERNEST EUGENE GODING. - Al- though aspiring to no position of leadership in advancing the welfare of development of the growing little city of Dix, the successful activ- ities of E. E. Goding have brought him to public attention. Since locating here he has been active, interested and useful in many ways.

E. E. Goding was born in Pawnee county, Nebraska, April 14, 1879. His parents were Rufus H. and Jessie F. Goding, who came to Nebraska in 1877, the year of their marriage, andRufus H. Goding bought a quarter sec- tion of land near Pawnee, on which the family lived for five years, Mr. Goding engaging in farming and raising stock. He then removed with his family to Lincoln county, South Da- kota, remaining there until 1907 and then mov- ing to Morrill county, Nebraska. In 1917 the parents of Ernest E. Goding sold their Mor- rill county interests and went to California and now reside retired at Harper in that state. Of their family of six children, Ernest E. was the first born, the others being as fol-

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lows: William M., who is a prominent citi- zen of Cheyenne county, where he is a mem- ber of the board of county commissioners ; Bertha E., who is the wife of Mark Myers; Edith, who died at the age of five years ; Clara R., who is the wife of Dr. Dayton Tur- ney, of Los Angeles, California ; and Flora, who is the wife of James Davison, who did own an extensive cattle ranch near Dalton, Nebraska, but now resides in Colorado. The parents are members of the Baptist church.

E. E. Goding attended school in Lincoln and Turner counties, South Dakota, then en- tered the South Dakota State University, where he spent four years, then entered the United States army, serving through a first enlistment in Company A, First South Dakota volunteer infantry. He re-enlisted in Com- pany I, Thirty-seventh United States volunteer infantry and with this unit went to the Philip- pine Islands, where he served almost three years, being promoted first sergeant of Com- pany I. He was honorably discharged at San Francisco, in 1901. Mr. Goding has a fine record as a soldier in the Spanish-American War. With his contingent he reached the Philippines on August 24, 1898, just eleven days after the battle of Manila. After his safe return to the United States and his dis- charge from the service he had honored, he took up a homestead in Charles Mix county, South Dakota, on which he proved up. Af- ter selling his homestead at a profit, he taught school in Charles Mix county for the next seven years, also being interested in ranching. In 1909 he came to Kimball county, Nebraska, taking up four hundred and eighty acres of land under the Kinkaid act, located northwest of Dix. He resided on that land until March, 1919, when he came to Dix and embarked in the real estate business, made practical in- vestments in the way of substantial business enterprises here, and through newspaper con- nection has been a valuable exploiter of the interests of this place. He is interested in the Dix Mercantile Company, in the erection of a number of substantial business structures and in the laying of fine cement pavements. Mr. Goding still owns two sections of land in Kimball county but has them under rental.

In 1909 Mr. Goding was united in marriage to Miss Eva Parker, a daughter of Charles and Ella Parker. The father of Mrs. God- ing died in Kimball county in 1918, but the mother survives and lives two miles west of Dix. The Parkers came to Kimball coun- ty from South Dakota. Mrs. Goding is one of a family of fourteen children, seven boys

and seven girls.

Mr. and Mrs. Goding have two daughters: Mildred V. and Olive J., aged respectively eight and three years. Mr. Goding and his family attend the Presbyte- rian church. He belongs to the order of Odd Fellows, having united with this organiza- tion at Lake Andes, in Charles Mix county, South Dakota.

L. FRANK PRICE, who has been so promi- nently concerned in the development of the incorporated town of Dix, Nebraska, that it is difficult to mention any of its important enterprises without reference to him, was a man of business prominence in other sections before coming to Kimball county.

L. Frank Price was born in Shelby county, Illinois, October 20, 1877, and was young when the family moved to Decatur, where his boyhood and youth were spent, his public school advantages extending through the high school course. He also completed a course in Brown's Business college at Decatur, fol- lowing which he went into railroad work and continued in train service for five years. He then became identified with the insurance busi- ness, in the Peoria Life Insurance Company, with which concern he remained for some years as superintendent of the Decatur district. A change of climate being deemed best for some members of his family, Mr. Price moved to Ogden Utah, and for two years was in the employ of the Short Line Railroad in the Og- den yards. Removing then to Denver, he shortly afterward homesteaded in Weld coun- ty, Colorado, and proved up before moving to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he re-entered rail- road service, for two years afterward being with the Northern Pacific system.

Mr. Price, however, had not entirely retired from the insurance line, and finding prospects encouraging in Wyoming became connected with the state agency of the Central State Life Insurance Company for the state of Wy- oming, and continued as state agent until the spring of 1917, when he took over Western Nebraska for the same company, establishing his headquarters at Kimball. His business experience had given him excellent training along many lines and before he had lived long in Kimball county his interest was aroused in the little village of Dix, at that time an in- significant country hamlet, with a population of not over 26 individuals all told. Mr. Price, however, was an experienced railroad man and many times had he witnessed a section of country developed almost over night by the coming of the railroad. Hence he was liber- al in his investments in land at Dix, although,

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at that time, he found little encouragement among the old settlers here, even such well informed men as the Gundersons, Phillip Nel- son and E. J. Horrum. Mr. Price was not dis- couraged however and soon, through his vi- talizing energy had wonderful development take place, culminating in the incorporation of the town of Dix on September 4, 1918. He has continued active in every business and public- spirited enterprise, in many of these being associated with Mr. Goding, the firm of God- ing & Price, carrying on a large real estate business, being founders of the Dix Tribune, which issued the first newspaper here on May 12, 1919, foremost in other matters of busi- ness. During the time Mr. Price was chair- man of the town board about twelve thou- sand feet of cement walks were laid. He is secretary of the school board of Dix and it is no secret that largely through his efforts the township high school was accorded Dix in- stead of Kimball. The laying of the corner stone of that handsome modern structure was a memorable event in the town, the exercises being under the auspices of the Masonic fra- ternity, the Grand Master of the state laying the stone.

Mr. Price was united in marriage to Miss Alice J. Griffin, who was born in De Witt county, Illinois, a daughter of B. C. and Judy (O'Brien) Griffin, natives of Ireland, who came when young to the United States with their parents. Mrs. Price has four brothers and two sisters. Her father died in 1916, but her mother survives and lives in Illinois. Mr. Price's mother, Mrs. Lodema Price, makes her home with her son, they two being the only re- maining members of that family. Mr. and Mrs. Price have one daughter.

HANS GUNDERSON, who has the dis- tinction of having been the original purchaser of the town site of Dix, has always been a man of discretion and foresight, and the pres- ent flourishing town owes much to his energy and practical enterprise. He is one of a group of earnest, public-spirited men, whose united efforts have brought about a wonderful de- gree of progress in a comparatively short space of time.

Hans Gunderson was born in Norway, Au- gust 12, 1866, came to the United States in 1873 with his parents and three brothers. The family lived in Omaha for fifteen years, dur- ing which time two more sons were added to the family. Of them all, Hans was the sec- ond born. He was twenty-two years old when he came to Kimball county and took a home- stead, later selling it and taking a Kinkaid

claim. Aside from his large holdings at Dix, Mr. Gunderson owns two hundred acres forty acres under water, of land situated three miles north, one and three-quarter section four miles south of Dix, and rented to good ten- ants. He has a $30,000 investment at Dix. When Mr. Gunderson came here first he as- sociated himself with other enterprising men and his interest has been continuous. The first building he erected was a blacksmith shop, then a town hall, a restaurant building, two small houses, a carpenter shop and his own comfortable residence. His activities at pres- ent include the erection of two brick build- ings on Maple street, in which the post office wil be located, also the Central telephone and city offices.

Mr. Gunderson was married to Miss Belle Snyder, November 16, 1891, at Harrisburg, Banner county, Nebraska, who was born in Iowa. They have four children: Aye, Effie, Mervin and Claria.

Mr. Gunderson has always been progressive in his ideas. He owned the first threshing ma- chine in Kimball county and for years did all the threshing in Kimball and Banner counties, even as far as Bridgeport. This machine was a J. I. Case horse-power rig, 12 horses being used for power. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias lodge at Kimball, and assisted in the organization of the camp of Modern Woodmen at Dix, which now has a member- ship of seventy-five individuals. Few men in this and adjoining counties are better known than Hans Gunderson.

FRANK E. CAMPBELL, who is one of the enterprising business men of Dix, Ne- braska, is a native of Illinois but has been a resident of Nebraska during the greater part of his life. He was born March 2, 1872, and is a son of most worthy parents, John and Cath- erine Campbell.

The parents of Mr. Campbell were born in Ireland and both came to the United States when young, and were married in the city of New York. They located afterward in Illi- nois and Frank E. was born while his father was a farmer there, one of a family of five daughters and four sons, all of whom lived to maturity. In 1884 the Campbell family came to Nebraska, first settling four miles east of Fairfield, but later moving to that part of Cheyenne county that is now included in Kim- ball. The father homesteaded in the north- east corner of Kimball county, in 1886, secur- ing one hundred and sixty acres and later a timber claim and proved up on his land. He died there December 5, 1893, after which the

MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM L. WALLACE

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

mother moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where her death occurred in 1908.

Frank E. Campbell had country school ad- vantages in Kimball county, but much of his time in boyhood was given to herding cattle. Later he homesteaded in Lawrence Forks Val- ley, in Banner county, lived on his land for five years and proved up, residing for about eight years in that county. In 1894 he sold his ranch to his brother-in-law, J. E. Bevington. After leaving the ranch Mr. Campbell went to Potter, where he started a billiard room and soft drink establishment, conducting this busi- ness there until March, 1918, when he came to Dix. Here he went into the business on a larger scale and now has well equipped billiard parlors, which are well patronized by lovers of this form of pleasant exercise, and he also conducts a confectionery and soft drink busi- ness.

Mr. Campbell was reared in the Roman Catholic faith and has always been sincere in his church relations. He has never married. Not particularly active in a political way, nevertheless Mr. Campbell is a good citizen and as a "booster" has done much of Dix, being ever ready to co-operate with other en- terprising citizens in movements for the gen- eral welfare. Mr. Campbell is a member of the order of Modern Woodmen at Dix.

WILLIAM L. WALLACE, one of the early settlers of the North Platte valley, was born in Marshall county, Indiana, April 8, 1867, the son of M. F. and Nellie (Ada ) Wal- lace. There were eleven children in the family, of whom six are livinng, namely: Frank, of Scottsbluff, Nebraska; Etta, of Hastings; Ed- ward, living in California; John, of Alliance, Nebraska ; Julius, of Hastings, Nebraska ; and the subject of this sketch. The family mnoved to Hastings, Nebraska, in the spring of 1873, and there the father took a homestead and fol- lowed general farming. Both the father and mother are still living on the old home place near Hastings.

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History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 30

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