History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 5

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

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PATRICK MAGINNIS, pioneer, frontiers- man and early settler, today capitalist, land- owner, banker and successful business man, has had a career of varied and interesting ex- periences, from hunting buffalo on these west- ern plains when western Nebraska was a veritable wilderness with settlements few and far between, to the civilized existence of mod- ern days, and few men twenty years his jun- ior show so few of the scars of life. A resi- dent of Nebraska for nearly forty years, Mr. Maginnis knew this country when most of the houses in the central and western section were of sod and has watched with the eye of proprietor the various changes that have been wrought with the passage of the years and the sturdy progressive work of the settlers. He has borne a full share of the labor of de- velopment from the earliest years and since irrigation was first attempted along the Platte river, has been one of the most promi- nent figures and important factors in making what was known as the "Stakes Plains." of

the middle west, blossom like the rose and today the rich valley lands of the Panhandle are the most productive in this wide country. It is said that the Irish-Americans always suc- ceed, whether on the public rostum, where they are possessed of golden speech; behind the counter, where business acumen counts for capital ; on the farm and ranch, where energy and thrift are in demand and in commercial life of wide range; Mr. Maginnis has proved this to be true and his personal success is so bound up with the development and success of the south west section and all the people who are living, prospering and thriving there that he should be given special mention in the annals of the Panhandle.

Patrick Maginnis is a son of the Emerald Isle, born in County Down, near Belfast, Janu- ary 6, 1867, the son of Hugh and Alice Ma- ginnis, who were married in their native coun- try in February, 1864, and became the parents of seven children, four girls and three boys : Patrick, of this review; Arthur, who came to the United States, spent his life here and died February 20, 1920, at Lawrence, Massa- chusetts ; Mary Maginnis McAlinden, who has nine children and lives at Airdrie, Scotland ; Charles H., who came to America when young and now lives in San Francisco, California, where he is in the government service as a member of the staff of the pure food depart- ment, and has one son; Elizabeth, the wife of John Morgan, of Airdrie, Scotland, who is connected with one of the large rolling mills of that city where they are rearing five chil- dren; Allen, who married a Mr. Kelly, and Susan who now lives with the mother in Ire- land. Mrs. Maginnis is a remarkable old lady of seventy-five vears, who still retains much of the vigor of her youth and all her mental faculties. Hugh Maginnis died in his native land in 1905.

Patrick Maginnis attended the public schools in his native country until he was thirteen years of age but being an ambitious lad he had paid attention to the stories told by return- ing Irishmen from America of the many ad- vantages and opportunities open for a youth willing to work, and August 11, 1880, broke all the dear home ties and sailed for the United States. After landing on our shores he came west to Illinois, locating in Brown county, re- mained there two years then came to Nebra- ka to take advantage of whatever business openings he might find in the frontier country. Mr. Maginnis had worked in a blacksmith shop in Illinois and after settling in his new home at Aurora, Hamilton county, followed

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

that vocation until he moved to Sweetwater county, Wyoming where he was employed on a ranch, part of his time being devoted to the necessary blacksmithing of such an enterprise. In 1885, a true pioneer, Mr. Maginnis came to the Panhandle, one of the early residents of the present Kimball county, making his home in what was then known as the town of Ante- lope, now Kimball. He opened the first black- smith shop when there were but a few houses and has seen this little frontier settlement grow into one of the flourishing communities of the state. With a successful and growing business, Mr. Maginnis was not too busy to let his inventive genius mature and ripen and dur- ing the years from 1885 to 1910 was ever alive to the demands and necessities of the new country opening and developing under his eyes. He was one of the first men of the sec- tion to see that the first attempts at irrigation were crude and expensive ; he studied over the question of betterment and invented a flume which greatly helped in the infant reclamation projects along the Platte. Within a short period he began the manufacture of the flumes extensively, applied for patents which were granted in 1902. The state used the flume on all its projects in the Panhandle; it was in- troduced into Porto Rico and Mexico but dur- ing the time it has been in use the patents were infringed on which caused Mr. Maginnis long and expensive litigation and it was necessary for him to obtain a restraining order from the Federal Court which held for years until a decision in his favor was handed down and the question settled for all time by Judge Lewis, of Denver. Since then Mr. Maginnis has increased the output of the flume and in the last year sold more than a quarter of a million dollars' worth. As his many and varied inter- ests had grown to such proportions he was in- duced to sell his patent rights in the flume at an enormous profit and now devotes his time to his landed and commercial interests in Kimball county and the state of Oregon.

Mr. Maginnis' sons have been running a fine hardware store in Kimball for years, and when the father decided to build a large com- mercial block, the store was not disturbed, the new building was erected around the one do- ing business and is now housed in the well- known Maginnis block which consists of store on the first floor with office rooms above. one of which Mr. Maginnis keeps for his own use.

Believing in the future of this section, Mr. Maginnis began buying land in Kimball coun- ty, when his purchases were the raw prairie. He continued to increase his holdings until

he was known as one of the largest land own- ers in this section of the state. From time to time in recent years he has sold or traded off the largest part but still owns three hundred and twenty acres under water rights and eight hundred and sixty acres of rich farming and grazing land. Not confining his business to Nebraska alone, Mr. Maginnis has purchased valuable land in Oregon, near the railroad sta- tion of Redmond, and this land is also under water.

Some time ago Mr. Maginnis purchased a block of stock in the American Bank, of Kim- ball and was elected one of the executive heads of that institution and is vice president. This is one of the progessive banking houses of Nebraska, having today a paid up capital of a hundred thousand dollars.

In 1888 Mr. Maginnis married Miss Mar- garet A. Marshall, the daughter of Holmes H. and Isabella Marshall. Mrs. Marshall's first husband was a Mr. Weir, who was the father of the two small children left father- less when he was accidentally killed. Mrs. Weir later married Mr. Marshall and her chil- dren took the Marshall name. The Marshalls were old and respected residents of Kimball, locating here at an early date. Ten children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Maginnis ; Arthur F., Alice Isabella, Robert J., Edward Dewey, Hugh Marshall, Lizzie Margaret, William P., Mary Ellen and a son Charles, who died in 1899.

Mr. Maginnis has taken an active part in the life of Kimball county and the city of his adoption since first coming here to live and may be said to be its foremost citizen in years of residence and worldly goods. His standing with his fellow citizens and in the county is testified to by his election as sheriff of the county which he served for years be- fore being elected county treasurer in 1902 and reëlected, serving until 1905, when he re- fused another nomination as his growing busi- ness interests demanded all his time and ener- gy. The Maginnis family is one of the best known and prominent in the southern Pan- handle where every member has taken and is now taking an important part in the upbuild- ing of the southwest region. They are one of the oldest families in years of residence, the boys and girls are all popular and well liked, taking after their parents, who are among the most genial and best liked people of the coun- ty, ever ready to help their friends, open handed in giving to any cause to build up and develop Kimball and the county.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

ARTHUR M. FAUGHT, M. D., formerly mayor of Scottsbluff, and a physician and sur- geon whose professional reputation extends over the state, for a decade has been one of this city's most virile and constructive citi- zens. Illustrative of his public spirit and civ- ic interest, he has been the means of establish- ing here a umber of worthy enterprises, in- cluded in which is the Mid-West Hospital, an institution deserving high praise as to its aim and accomplishments.

Arthur M. Faught was born July 27, 1884, at Plattsmouth, Cass county, Nebraska. His parents were John and Martha (Root) Faught, both of whom were born also at Plattsmouth. The mother of Dr. Faught died in 1915, but the father survives and resides at Lincoln, living retired after an active busi- ness life covering many years, eighteen of which he spent at Phillips, Nebraska, where he was interested in lumber. In his political views he is a Democrat. Arthur M. Faught is the eldest of the family of children born to his parents, the others being: Mrs. Ralph Murphy, of Hastings, Nebraska; Claude J., in charge of the L. C. Smith Typewriter in- terests at Sioux City, Iowa ; Mrs. Grace Bus- by, of Minneapolis ; Justice L., connected with the Bell Telephone Company at Rochester, Minnesota ; and Ruth, residing with her father at Lincoln. The family was reared in the Christian church.

Arthur M. Faught is a graduate of the Ne- braska State University. In 1905 he was graduated from the medical department of Colton University, immediately afterward en- gaging in medical practice in Seward county, Nebraska, where he remained four years. In 1909 he came to Scottsbluff and many are the ties that now bind him to this city, where a friendly greeting meets him on every side, and where his devotion to his professional work is deeply appreciated. In 1911 he es- tablished here the Mid-West Hospital, which he owns, a thoroughly modern structure with thirty beds. He has been exceedingly suc- cessful in his surgical cases, to which he de- votes the most of his time, many patients availing themselves of his skill, some from a long distance but many nearer home as indi- cated by a record that shows that he has preformed over 2,000 major operations. He has taken post-graduate courses in operative surgery and watched many major operations in the clinics of noted institutions in Chicago.

For six years Dr. Faught was city physi- cian of Scottsbluff ; is chairman of the examin- ing board of Scottsbluff county, and is ex-

aminer for civil service positions in govern- ment offices. He is a member of the Ameri- can Medical association; the Nebraska State Medical association; the Scottsbluff county Medical society, and the National Electic Medical association. Politically he is a Re- publican, but largely because of his general popularity he was elected mayor of this city in 1917. His administration was an admir- able one but taxed his strength because of his professional duties, hence he declined to again become a candidate.

On July 25, 1906, Dr. Faught was united in marriage to Miss Rosa Hartman, of Staple- hurst, Seward county, Nebraska, and they have two children: Ardon M. and Audry H. Dr. and Mrs. Faught are members of the Episcopal church. Like his father, he is a Thirty-second degree Mason, and belongs also to the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Elks.

NELSON H. RASMUSSEN, M. D., who is meeting with success in the practice of medicine and surgery at Scottsbluff, came to this city in 1917 and already has built up a satisfactory practice and has made many per- sonal friends. Although not born in America, almost his entire life has been spent here.

Dr. Rasmussen was born September 18, 1881, in Denmark, one of seven children born to J. S. and Carrie (Jensen) Rasmussen, who were born, reared and married in Denmark. They came to the United States in 1882 and established a home at Winona, Minnesota, where the father secured employment in a big business plant. He was a steady, depend- able workman and not only secured the confi- dence of his employers, but also of his neigh-' bors. He and family belonged to the Metho- dist Episcopal church, in which he was an earnest worker, and he was equally active in the cause of temperance. Dr. Rasmussen is the oldest of their children, the three other sur- vivors being: John, who owns a ranch in North Dakota; Mary, the wife of Paul Nel- son, of Oregon; and Margaret, the wife of Rudolph Offerman, who operates a hardware store and lumber yard at Cobden, Minnesota.

The public schools of Winona, in which he remained a student until he was graduated from the high school, gave Nelson H. Rasmus- sen a fair preparation for a future career, but at first it helped him very little in the matter of securing a medical education, which was the goal of his ambition. His father could give him but little assistance and the youthi re- alized that he must depend on his own efforts.

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

In no way discouraged and never giving up the hope of ultimate success, he went to the Klondyke region and worked four years in the gold fields there, meeting with some re- ward. Prior to this, however, he had worked on a Minnesota farm, had tried railroading, and had endeavored to learn the blacksmith trade. When finally he found himself an en- rolled student of medicine in the John A. Creighton Medical College at Omaha, he took upon himself various duties in order to pay his way. Possibly it was not always agreeable to act as janitor in the church edifice, as a waiter at table or to spend his Saturday after- noons selling goods in a clothing store while others of his age were on holiday pleasures bent, but, to his credit be it said, he persisted and in these and other ways earned sufficient to not only give himself a fine medical educa- tion, but to also enable his sister to take a course in nursing at Omaha. After his grad- uation, Dr. Rasmussen served a year as an interne in the Creighton and St. Joseph hos- pitals, and afterwards was associated with Dr. T. J. Butler, at Omaha, and later as assis- tant to Dr. J. E Conn, a prominent surgeon at Ida Grove, Iowa. Since coming to Scotts- bluff Dr. Rasmussen has given special atten- tion to surgical cases, making specialties of obsterities and pediatrics.

In 1917 Dr. Rasmussen was united in mar- riage to Miss Theresa C. Lzingle, who was born at Ashton, Nebraska, and was graduated as a nurse from St. Catherine Hospital, Om- aha. They have one daughter, Betty. Mrs. Rasmussen is a member of the Roman Cath- olic church, while the Doctor belongs to the Christian church. He is an independent voter in politics, but is identified with leading or- ganizations, belonging to various Masonic bodies including the Mystic Shrine, and a member also of the Yoemen and the Danish Brotherhood.

RALPH W. HOBART, judge of the Sev- enteenth Judicial District of Nebraska, is emi- nently qualified for the high position to which he has twice been called by the votes of his fel- low citizens, and in which he has served with conspicuous judicial ability since April, 1911. Through a long and successful career as a lawyer, Judge Hobert won distinction at the bar, and when the Seventeenth District neaded a broad-minded, well balanced, firm and reso- lute judge, it was fortunate that he was elected to the bench.

Judge Hobart was born at Calais, Washing- ton county, Maine, March 24. 1865, of Eng-

lish extraction and old colonial stock. The first of the Hobart family on record in this conn- try bore the name of Edmund. He came from England in 1633 and assisted in the settlement of Charlestown, Massachusetts. Judge Ho- bart's parents were Daniel Kilby and Amy Elizabeth (Whidden) Hobart. His father was born April 15, 1823, in Maine, and died March 15, 1891. In civil life he was in the lumber and commission business, and for six- teen years he held a consular office in relation to the Dominion of Canada. He was married in Maine to Amy Elizabeth Whidden, who was born in New Brunswick, May 21, 1827. and died June 9, 1896. Her father, Reudol Whidden, was a native of New Hampshire. Of the seven children born to the parents of Judge Hobart, he is the second of the three survivors, having two brothers Charles E. and Harry K.

Ralph Whidden Hobart had collegiate training in Kings College, Nova Scotia. Sub- sequently he came to the United States, en- tered the University of Michigan where he was graduated in law at Ann, Arbor, in 1888, and the following year located for practice in Dell Rapids, Minnehaha county, South Da- kota, where he remained eleven years. In 1900 he removed to Columbus, Nebraska, where he practiced until 1906 when he came to Mitchell, and through appointment was called from the bar to the bench in April, 1911. Twice since then he has been elected judge of the Seventeenth Judicial District, his jurisdiction extending over the counties of Scottsbluff, Banner, Morrill, Garden and Ar- thur. Both in public and in private life, Judge Hobart stands as an example of useful, high- minded, exemplary American citizenship.

In 1898 Judge Hobart was united in mar- riage to Miss Anna Maldrum, who was born in Ontario, Canada, and the have one son, Edmund Maldrum. Mrs. Hobart is a mem- ber of the Congregational church. Judge Ho- bart is a Republican. For many years he has been a Mason and Odd Fellow.

THOMAS M. MORROW, the subject of this sketch and the second son of Thomas and Mary (McDonald) Morrow, was born in Lewis county, New York, on the 25th day of October, 1868. His parents were born in Ire- land and came to America when quite young. They were united in marriage in Lewis county, New York. Their children are as follows : John, who for the past five years has been rt- ceiver of public moneys in the United States land office at Alliance, Nebraska; Thomas M.

Cetteoffer.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

Morrow; Lavinia, a teacher in the public schools of Bayard, Nebraska; William, law partner of Thomas M. Morrow ; Anna, wife of George G. Cronkleton, cashier of The First National Bank of Bayard, Nebraska; Frank, physician and surgeon at Columbus, Nebraska, and Mary, the wife of J. P. Golden, a real estate dealer of O'Neill, Nebraska, all of whom were born in Lewis county, New York, except Mary, who was born in Holt county, Nebraska. In 1879, Thomas and Mary Mc- Donald Morrow moved with their family from Lewis county, New York, to Holt county, Ne- braska, where they settled upon a homestead and continued to reside until 1906 when they sold the homestead. They then went to Den- ver where they remained for about one year and moved from there to Scottsbluff, Nebras- ka, where they now reside.

Thomas M. Morrow received his early edu- cational training in the public schools of Holt county, Nebraska, and in 1892 graduated from the Fremont normal school. During the fol- lowing year he was principal of the public schools of Oakdale, Antelope county, Nebras- ka, and during the next year superintendent of the public schools of O'Neill, Holt county, Ne- braska. While engaged in educational work, he also pursued the study of law and was ad- mitted to the bar in February, 1894. In Sep- tember of the same year he began the practice of law at Gering, Nebraska, where he re- mained until 1899. In 1896, he was united in marriage to Miss Lizzie Carlon. On October 26, 1897, William and Mary Morrow, twins, were born of this marriage at Gering, Ne- braska.

While located at Gering, Nebraska, Mr. Morrow acquired a reputation as a lawyer which was far above the average practitioner in western Nebraska. In 1899, Mr. Morrow desiring to enter a broader field for the prac- tice of his profession, moved to Omaha with his family with the intention of making that city his permanent home. Shortly after establishing himself in the practice of law in Omaha, his wife's health commenced to fail and he was compelled to move to Denver in the following year for the benefit of her health. Hoping that the climate of Denver would soon restore her health, he abandoned all idea of returning to Omaha and opened a law office in Denver, but her condition gradu- ally grew worse and she died in April, 1901. On June 13, 1907, he was again married to Margaret L. Rank and they have two daugh- ters, Lettie and Catherine, aged respectively eleven and seven years. Owing to the reputa- tion acquired by him while located at Gering,

Nebraska, he was from time to time, while living in Denver, called back to western Ne- braska for the trial of important cases.

In 1903, his brother, William Morrow, graduated from the law school of the Univer- sity of Nebraska, and for three years there- after was associated with him in the practice of law in Denver. The two brothers realized the great possibilities of the North Platte Valley and in 1906 shortly after the construc- tion of irrigation ditches in the valley was be- gun on a large scale, it was decided that Wil- liam Morrow should open a law office in Scottsbluff and conduct the business under the firm name of Morrow & Morrow. Although it was then thoroughly understood that the connection of Thomas M. Morrow with the firm was limited to such cases as he actually and personally assisted in trying, yet all of his former friends and clients brought their bus- iness to William, and in a few years his bus- iness grew beyond the capacity of any one man to handle it. In 1915, Thomas M. Mor- row came to Scottsbluff and entered into an equal partnership with his brother in the prac- tice of law. They continued the firm name of Morrow & Morrow. This firm handles a large proportion of the important law bus- iness in Scottsbluff and surrounding counties. Both members of the firm are considered among the best lawyers of the state and have participated in nearly all of the important liti- gation of western Nebraska. They are held in the highest esteem by the general public, and their business is constantly growing.

Thomas M. Morrow belongs to the Roman Catholic church, is a member of the Denver council of Knights of Columbus, the Modern Woodmen of America, and other fraternal organizations. He has a wide circle of friends here and in all other places where he resided.

CHARLES F. COFFEE. - Few men in Nebraska are better known in the cattle busi- ness than Charles F. Coffee, an honored resi- dent of Chadron, and his interests in this line connect him with this great industry through- out the entire country. Mr. Coffee has been closely identified with the development of western Nebraska for many years and his spir- it of public service, marked even in boyhood, and his gift of business organization, have been vitally helpful over a long extended per- iod. He is an important factor in political life and a dominant one in the state in the fi- nancial field.

Charles F. Coffee was born March 22, 1847, at Greenfield, Dade county, Missouri, a son of John T. and Harriet L. ( Ware) Coffee, the

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

latter of whom died in 1863, in Dade county. Of the six children born to his parents, Charles F. is the only one living in Dawes county at the present time. One brother was accidentally killed in Wyoming, in 1879, and another, Sam- uel B. Coffee, died at Harrison, in Sioux coun- ty, after which his family moved to Chadron.

John T. Coffee, father of C. F. Coffee, was born in Tennessee and educated for the law and in 1855, through the good offices of Hon- orable John S. Phelps of Missouri, was award- ed a commission as captain in the regular army and in 1856 or 1857 was elected a member of the Missouri Legislature and chosen speaker of the house. In 1861, he raised a very effi- cient regiment of soldiers for the confederacy, serving under General Price and General Sheby of Missouri, and was in all the battle of any note during the war. He distinguished himself on many occasions by unusual brav- ery and military tactics. On one occasion at the Battle of Lone Jack, capturing a body of Federal troops, almost unaided and was pro- moted to colonel. However, after the war be- tween the states was over, being tired of mili- tary life he resumed the practice of law and drifted to Georgetown, Texas, and continued to follow this vocation till his death in 1893, at the age of seventy-five years.

During boyhood Charles F. Coffee had but indifferent educational opportunities in ref- erence to school training, but the practical lessons he learned while earning his own living from the age of twelve years, were doubtless, of far more value to him in after days than any knowledge he could have absorbed from textbooks. When the Civil War came on he succeeded in being accepted as a soldier in the Confederate army although only thirteen years of age. He was mainly engaged in his father's regiment and after the war closed went to Texas and tried several lines of in- dustry, with very indifferent results. He farm- ed some, clerked in a store awhile, then owned a store and went broke. Mr. Coffee tried rais- ing cotton, but the prices went down and the young financier went with it, and in 1871, he hired as a "cowboy" to help drive a herd of about eighteen hundred head of longhorns from Texas to Cheyenne, Wyoming, for Snyder Brothers. Young Charles showed such ability for his work that in one month he was promoted to foreman and his pay advanced twenty dollars. He worked for this company two years trailing cattle from Texas to Wy- oming and remembers a circumstance which happened on the first drive. The first white man they struck in Wyoming was the station

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History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 5

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