History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 80

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

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ROY L. HOWARD, whose extensive land transaction and many business interests have made him well known in several counties, now resides on and operates his ranch of a thous- and acres, which lies on sections three and township three, Banner county. Mr. Howard was born in Buffalo county, New York, not far from Syracuse, January 11, 1877, the son of Julius A. and Lillian E. (Wescott) How- ard. In early life the father was a fisherman on the Great Lakes. In 1880, he came to Ne- braska and to Banner county in 1886, where lie homesteaded in August of that year, contin- ting on his land until 1895, when he retired to Gering, continuing in business there, how- ever, for a few years, as a member of the firm of J. A. Howard & Sons, meat dealers. At different times he was elected to local offices by the Republican party. He belongs to the order of Modern Woodmen of America and both he and wife are member of the Christian church. Of their five children, Roy L. is the eldest of the four survivors, the oth- ers being: Leon R., who lives at Omaha, mar- ried Grace Northrup; Leola M., the wife of Walter Beck, resides near Gering; and Luella M., the wife of Claud M. Brown, a farmer near Gering.

Roy L. Howard was educated in the public

schools of Banner county and afterward taught school for three years. He went to Omaha, where he learned the butcher's trade, afterward operating a meat market at Scotts- bluff for four years under the firm name of . Howard & Troy, subsequently selling to the firm of Deulin & Son. Mr. Howard then came to his ranch and this has remained his perma- nent home. This ranch covers the site of the old town of Ashford and when a part of Chey- enne county, the courthouse was located here. Mr. Howard also bought the original town site of Northport, at a later date reselling it to individuals. He also owned extensive proper- ties in Scottsbluff county, but has disposed of it and at one time had seventeen hundred and sixty acres in Banner county, which he has reduced to about a thousand acres. Addition- ally he has a farm in Morrill county in the vicinity of Bayard. Mr. Howard does a large stock business. He breeds Duroc-Jersey and mulefoot hogs, an advantageous feature of the latter breed being their abnormal growth to great weight. Recently Mr. Howard slaugh- tered one of this variety that weighed eight hundred and fifty pounds. He raises about three hundred of this type annually.

In 1900, Mr. Howard was united in mar- riage to Miss Ida M. Troy, and six children were born to this marriage, all of his children now residing with Mr. Howard. His second marriage took place on March 22, 1914, to Mrs. Anna E. Brown, a widow, a daughter of George M. and Anna E. (Marsh) Babbitt. Her father was an early settler and home- steader on the North Platte. His death oc- curred October 8, 1911, the mother of Mrs. Howard passing away July 19, 1910. A Re- publican voter all his life, Mr. Howard has been conscientious in his views on public ques- tions, but has never desired political honors.

VANCE J. CROSS, one of Banner coun- ty's prominent and representative men, has been a resident for thirty-four years and dur- ing that time has been closely identified with the constructive measures and general develop- ment of this rich and beautiful part of Ne- braska. Whether in official or private life, Mr. Cross has been enterprising and useful, and by the residents of Harrisburg in par- ticular, he will long be remembered, for he, in association with three others, J. B. Fors- man, Charles A. Scholley and Samuel Fisher, laid out the town site, the proposed city be- ing named Centropolis.

Vance J. Cross was born in Muskinguni

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county, Ohio, October 1, 1841, a son of Elias and Clemintine (Dickenson) Cross, the for- mer was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, and the latter in Coschocton county, Ohio. The father was a cooper by trade and follow- ed that vocation all his active life, retiring in 1882, and moving to Iowa, where his death occurred soon afterward. He was a man of substantial character and was postmaster at Harrisonville, Ohio, for some years. Both he and wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Of their six children, Vance J. is the only survivor.

In the common schools of Ohio near his father's little farm, Vance J. Cross obtained a fair amount of schooling for the time, then helped his father and together they went to Iowa where he rented land at first and after- ward bought. He carried on general farming there until in October, 1885, when he came with his family to Banner county, Nebraska, where he took a pre-emption and tree claim two years later and homesteaded where he has since lived. Mr. and Mrs. Cross had real pioneer experiences. The nearest neighbor was four miles distant from their homestead and probably the wide expanse of country be- tween them and friendly faces seemed much greater. Their first shelter was a log struc- ture without door or window, unplastered and unfloored. When Mr. Cross had an op- portunity to go to North Platte to make hay on the river banks, it was too profitable a chance to decline, although he had to leave his wife and daughter with the responsibility of raising the small crop already in the ground. They were protected by two dogs, not from human interference as might be the case to- day, but from range cattle, that not only would have damaged the growing crops but might have trampled the people. No accident of this kind ever happened to the family although Mr. Cross often had to be away from home in order to get mail and provisions from Kim- ball, the nearest town thirty-three miles away. That first log house still holds together, Mr. Cross probably having a sentimental interest in it in comparing it with the handsome modern residence that long since has taken its place. There are other interesting landmarks in the vicinity, Long Spring, often mentioned in local history, being on Mr. Cross's land, and "Lov- er's Gap," around which romances have been written, is on land adjoining the Cross line fence. Mr. Cross and his son are heavy land- owners, he having almost a thousand acres and his son an entire section, the greater part be-

ing grazing land. Mr. Cross raises about twenty-five head of cattle a year.

On January 10, 1871, Mr. Cross was united in marriage to Miss Francis S. Cross, a daugh- ter of Jesse and Eleanor (Ryan) Cross, na- tives of Maryland and Ohio, respectively. They located in Iowa in 1856. Mr. and Mrs. Cross have had seven children and the fol- lowing survive: Jennie, who is the widow of John N. Fickes, lives at Kimball; Elias L. and Henry W. H., both of whom live at home ; and Dolly A., who is the wife of Otte Yaege, lives at Kimball. Mr. Cross has always been a Republican and has taken part in many county campaigns. He served as sheriff of Banner county for four terms and has been prominent in other capacities. His remini- scences of early days in this section are ex- ceedingly interesting.

WILLIAM H. ZORN .- The mental power of constructing or creating something entirely new, needful and expedient, is a faculty by no means given to every one, but it is through this gift that the world makes progress. In Wil- liam H. Zorn, inventor, Harrisburg, Nebraska, is a man who has turned his talents to good account. Mr. Zorn was born in West Vir- ginia, August 21, 1856, and is a son of Joseph and Amy J. (Richards) Zorn, both natives of Virginia.

The parents moved to Logan county, Ohio, and from there in 1871, started overland to Nebraska. After many adventures they reach- ed Dodge county, where the father invested in land. He later became interested in a nurs- ery business and for five years sold fruit trees for the Stephens Nursery Company of North Bend, Nebraska. In May, 1887, he came to Banner county and pre-empted land on sec- tions 34-17-38, and the family lived on the place until 1900. They endured many priva- tions and very often the larder was supplied by the prowess of the sons who hunted ante- lope. In the above year the father moved to Harrisburg and bought a livery stable, con- ducting the same until 1912, and his death occurred the next year. The mother survived until October, 1914. Of their five children, three sons and one daughter are living.

William H. Zorn had common school ad- vantages in Ohio. After the family came to Nebraska, he followed farming until 1888, at which time he homesteaded for himself in Banner county and lived on his land for twelve years, moving then to Harrisburg. Since then he has devoted himself to perfect-

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ing his inventions, many of which have not yet been patented but several have been very generally accepted, among which are two auto- mobile gates, an end gate rod and an equalizer for windmills. The value of all these devices have been proved by wide use and in the near future Mr. Zorn will have patents on others equally ingenious and useful. Mr. Zorn re- calls pioneer experiences with pleasant mem- ories. While there were hardships, it was a hardy, wholesome life for youths and he and his brother thrived on it.

Mr. Zorn remembers seeing as many as a hundred head of wild horses in a drove in what was called Wild Horse corral. They hunted antelope with trained horses and dogs. Mr. Zorn is a Republican in politics.

JOHN V. BRODHEAD, who is a progres- sive farmer and ranchman of Banner coun- ty, has become one of the substantial men of this section through persistant industry, care- ful saving and wise investing. He was born in Pike county, Pennsylvania, December 29, 1854, and is a son of David O. and Marie (Van Etten) Brodhead, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania, where the father died in Janu- ary, 1912, and the mother in February, 1916. They were members of the Presbyterian church. Of their nine children five are living, John V. being the only member in Nebraska.

With a common school education and sound home training John V. Brodhead started out for himself when twenty years old. He work- ed as a farmer until 1886, in his native state then came to eastern Nebraska and in 1887, to Banner county and homesteaded near Flowerfield. He lived on that property for eight years, moving then to Kimball, but in 1904 he returned to Banner county and bought the land on which he lives on section sixteen, township nine, where he farms over a hun- dred acres and raises a hundred head of cat- tle yearly. He has owned at least four thou- sand acres and yet has twelve hundred acres of ranch land. Mr. Brodhead has prospered greatly since returning to Banner county, at which time his stock consisted of two cows and two horses. Mr. Brodhead is a stockholder in the Banner County Bank.

In Pennsylvania, in March, 1878, Mr. Brod- head was united in marriage to Miss Margaret I. Cronn, a daughter of Clarkson and Eliza- beth (Runyan) Cronn, natives of Pennsyl- vania who homesteaded in Banner county, Ne- braska, near Flowerfield, in 1887. They now reside in Oregon. Of the seven children born

to Mr. and Mrs. Brodhead the following sur- vive : Ada M., who is the wife of Ethan 'Tracy, living near Norwood, Colorado; David C., who lives in South Harrisburg, married Allie Wyatt ; and John H., who has recently return- ed from overseas service as a soldier in the World War, married Helen Smith and they live at Norwood, Colorado. Mrs. Brodhead is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He has long been a member of the order of Knights of Pythias. In politics he has always been identified with the Republican party, be- lieving thoroughly in its principles and never desiring public office. He was chosen a mem- ber of the schoolboard, however, and served with great usefulness for nine years.

In recalling early days in Banner county, Mr. Brodhead remarks that he and wife came to Nebraska in order to secure land and estab- lish a permanent home. At that time land in Pennsylvania was held at a prohibitive price for the ordinary young man with a growing family. They met with many discouraging conditions after reaching here and went through some real hardships, but they have long since passed away. During those early years he worked hard, often riding the range for days without seeing a single other per- son, then entered the employ of Lambert C. Kinney and was his ranch foreman for nine- teen years. Mr. Brodhead is widely known and is held in universal esteem and is num- bered justly with the representative men of Banner county.

WILLIAM D. SHAUL, general farmer, stock raiser and bee man, belongs to that en- terprising group, of pioneers who came to Banner county in its undeveloped days, home- steaded, endured hardships and in many ways paved the road for easier traveling by the younger generation. He was born in Jackson county, Kansas, November 13, 1864.

The parents of Mr. Shaul were Aaron and Matilda Shaul. The father was born in Madi- son county, Indiana, January 20, 1829, and died in Oklahoma, July 2, 1898. The mother was born in Missouri, January 18, 1838, and died in the home of a daughter at Minatare, Nebraska, November 5, 1918. Of their fam- ily of nine children, William D. is the third of the four survivors, the others being: Syl- vester A., who lives at Minatare; Ida Belle the wife of Samuel Sprigs; and Lula E., who married Milton Riles of Gering. Aaron Shaul went from Indiana to Iowa when young and throughout life engaged in agricultural

ALLEN B. McCOSKEY

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pursuits. From Iowa he moved to Kansas, from which state he returned several times to Iowa before he established a home there, but afterwards lived twenty-four years in Kansas. In the fall of 1887, accompanied by his son William D., S. E. Sprigs and Calvin Marts, he came to Banner county, Nebraska and all of them secured homesteads in the same neigh- borhood, this being near the present town of Ashford, which village was started in the following winter. Aaron Shaul remained in Banner county for eight years, then moved to Oklahoma and his death occurred there three years later. It required courage and re- sourcefulness in those early days to secure means of subsistance. William D. Shaul re- members that on one occasion, when there was great lack of corn and flour in the little col- ony, that his father and George A. Palmer started for Paxton with a load of pine posts, hoping thereby to get money with which to make possible the purchase of real food ne- cessities. They could find no buyers, however, at Paxton and had to go seven miles further, near North Platte, where they sold their posts for twenty cents apiece. With this money they stocked up with corn and flour and when they returned home had no trouble in dispos- ing of it profitably. This was in the winter of 1894-95.

William D. Shaul attended the district schools in boyhood but never had advantages such as he has been able to give his own chil- dren. He lived with his people and helped them until his marriage, which took place Oc- tober 14, 1892, when he was united with Miss Mary E. Palmer, an early settler in Banner county. The mother of Mrs. Shaul is deceas- ed, but the father survives and is a resident of Holly, Oregon Mr. and Mrs. Shaul have had children as follows: Aaron A., who assists his father ; William E., who lives in Banner coun- ty, married Sadie Olsen; James G., who is in business at Gering, married Ethel Clarey ; Etta M., who is the wife of Carl Philpot, of O'Neill, Nebraska ; Orrin, who lives at home ; Lulu and Lola, twins, and Rose, all of whom live at home ; and one who is deceased.

When his father went to Oklahoma, Wil- liam D. Shaul accompanied him but returned to his homestead in 1897. One year later he moved near Gering, but three years afterwards came back to Banner county and has remained here ever since. He still owns property near Gering, and during the past year has operated some six hundred acres of land as a general farmer and stockraiser. He turns off from

twenty-five to thirty head of cattle a year and seventy head of horses. He has seen many changes and witnessed remarkable fluctuations in price, both of livestock and grain. In 1892 he hauled wheat a distance of seventy miles to Sidney and sold it for fifteen cents a bushel. In addition to his other industries, Mr. Shaul keeps colonies of Italian and brown bees and secured over fifteen hundred pounds of honey in the past year. He has always been a busy man, too busy to ever consent to hold political office, but he has never changed in his adher- ence to the principles of the Republican party.

ALLEN B. McCOSKEY, county surveyor of Scottsbluff county, Nebraska, to which sec- tion of the state he came thirty-three years ago, has been a continuous resident, with the excep- tion of four years during which he performed public duties at the state capital. Coming here at an early day, when settlers were hastening to secure homesteads, and boundary lines were often suggested rather than proved, he found instant demand for his knowledge of applied mathematics, and probably has done more in the accurate settlement of land claims than any other surveyor in this part of the state.

Allen B. McCoskey was born August 6, 1851, in Washington county, Indiana, in the same house in which his father, Robert Mc- Coskey, had been born. The McCoskey family has been more or less a pioneering one. The great-grandfather of Surveyor McCoskey came from north Ireland and settled in Virginia. There his son, James McCoskey, was born and from there came to Indiana and as one of the earliest settlers, built his log cabin in a belt of timber in Washington county and died there. Robert McCoskey, one of a family of seven boys and four girls, spent the greater part of his life in agricultural activities, although he was a cooper by trade. In early manhood he married Julia A. Wilson, who was born at New Washington, Indiana, and died in her native state in August, 1865, leaving five children : Allen Bruce was the eldest, the others being Elizabeth, who lives at Niobrara, Nebraska; Moffet Alexander, a farmer and gardener near McMinnville, Oregon: Julia A., the wife of C. M. Hiestand, a telegraph operator at Ther- inalito, Butte county, California, and Robert Henry, a clerk in a store at Scottsbluff. Both parents were members of the Presbyterian church. After the death of the mother, the father kept the children together until they were all grown up. He came to Nebraska in 1891 and made his home with Allen about a year, then took a preemption near the present site of Scottsbluff and proved up on same. His

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death occurred while on a visit to his daughter at Ogallala, Nebraska, November 26, 1893, at the age of seventy-two years.

In the country schools Allen B. McCoskey received his primary education but he had addi- tional advantages for his parents sent him to Blue River Academy after finishing the district school course. This was an excellent institu- tion maintained by the Society of Friends, and with Quaker thrift and simplicity more atten- tion was paid to such branches of study as higher mathematics, including the principles of surveying, than others of a less practical nature. During these early years home en- vironment made Mr. McCoskey a farmer and perhaps choice, later on, a school teacher, and it is quite probable that he was successful in both lines. However, after four years in the schoolroom in rural Indiana, with no very sat- isfying prospect for a different future, he finally decided, like former pioneers of the family, to go pioneering into the West. Mr. McCoskey was too practical to expect an easy life for himself in the somewhat unsettled regions of which he directed his course in 1882. When he reached South Dakota he found work as a carpenter ready for him and for two months he adapted himself to life there, doing his best but not feeling satisfied with conditions. He then crossed the border into Nebraska and shortly afterward joined a dredging outfit, with which he continued two years. During the following two years he was employed in an undertaking establishment. In 1886 Mr. Mc- Coskey came into Scottsbluff county and had the business foresight to pitch his tent here. He homesteaded and resided on his land for a time, but sold it when the demands of his pro- fession made removal to the town of Scotts- bluff imperative, and this progressive little city has been his home ever since, with the excep- tion of the years spent in Lincoln as assistant state engineer from 1897 to 1901, which called him all over the state. He has surveyed on all the ditches of this county. He began surveying shortly after coming here and there is not much concerning the topography of the county that Mr. McCoskey cannot make clear. He was first elected county surveyor in 1892, and in 1897 was appointed assistant state engineer and spent four years in the engineer's office at Lin- coln.

In 1895 Mr. McCoskey was united in mar- riage to Miss Ora Johnson, a daughter of Wil- liam Johnson, a homesteader in Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. McCoskey are members of the Pres- byterian church. He is a Scottish Rite Mason and past master of his lodge, and belongs also to the Royal Highlanders. In political circles

he has been somewhat active as a Democrat, but outside his profession has never accepted public office.

UZELL T. SNOOK, who is an enterpris- ing and substantial farmer and stockraiser in Banner county, has spent the greater part of his life in Nebraska and is well and favorably known in different sections. He was born in Jefferson county, Iowa, February 1, 1873.

In the spring of 1887 the parents of Mr. Snook came to Nebraska. They were Gus- tavus and Arvilla (Miller) Snook, the former of whom was born at Fairfield, Iowa, October 14, 1846, and the latter in Ohio, April 13, 1850. Of their family of ten children the fol- lowing are living: Henry W., whose home is at Union Oregon? Uzell T., whose home farm lies on section thirty-two, township twenty, range fifty-five, Banner county ; John V., of Redwood valley, California ; Carrie M., who is the wife of J. W. Patterson, of Gering ; and Archie, who lives in Scottsbluff county. The mother of this family died May 5, 1908. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, with which she united at Gering, Ne- braska. The father of Mr. Snook was an ex- perienced sawmill man when he came from Iowa to Nebraska. Here he first operated a sawmill for its owners near Long Spring, and later a sawmill in Muddy canyon. He sawed the lumber which went into the con- struction of the first bridge at Gering, which was the only bridge in Scottsbluff county for many years. The logs came from Carter can- yon. While thus engaged Gustavus Snook homesteaded near Pierson's ranch and lived in Banner county until 1898, when he moved to Scottsbluff county and followed farming south of Gering until 1907, then took a Kinkaid homestead, on which he lived during the rest of his life, his death occurring there on July 9, 1913. He was a man of sterling character and firm convictions, a strong Democrat in politics and sound in his Presbyterianism.

Uzell T. Snook attended school after com- ing to Nebraska at Harrisburg and remained with his father until the age of twenty-one, when he started out for himself. He home- steaded a Kinkaid tract in 1907, on which he now lives, having four hundred and eighty acres here and farms about one-third of his land. He breeds Hereford cattle and has about fifty head a year. He has witnessed many changes since he first came here and in com- menting on these, says that one dollar a day was the general harvest wage and he has work-

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ed for less. In 1887 all the wild animals had not been exterminated for on one occasion, with an ordinary shotgun, he killed a bob cat that measured four and one-half feet in length. Mr. Snook has everything very com- fortable around him and has done a large amount of improving.

On February 20, 1896, Mr. Snook was united in marriage to Miss Sadie E. Smith, who died June 25, 1917. She was a daughter of John E. and Nancy (Sego) Smith, who came to Nebraska in 1888. The mother of Mrs. Snook died January 1, 1917. The father lives at Gering. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Snook: Don M., who is at Syracuse, New York, was in military service for twenty-three months during the Great War; Avice, who is the wife of Edward N. Tart, resided at home while her husband was in military service in France; Harold, who is in business at Brush, Colorado; Ethel M., the wife of Albert Burkey, of Scottsbluff county ; and Victor, Chester and Agnes, all of whom are at home. In politics Mr. Snook is a Democrat.

TED KELLY, one of Banner county's sub- stantial citizens, has spent his entire life here and is a representative of an old county fam- ily, a descendant of one of the earliest settlers. He was born July 9, 1886, in his parent's pio- neer home, a sod house, in Banner county, this primitive dwelling still being preserved on his farm.

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History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 80

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