History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 87

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

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ANGNST SUDMAN, an honored pioneer merchant of Oshkosh, to whose development and upbuilding he has contributed in large measure, has also assisted in the industrial advancement of the county which was still a part of Deuel county when he came here. Mr. Sudman is still extensively interested in ranch operations in this county and at Oshkosh is in- terested in a lumber business, besides being one of the chief stockholders of the First State Bank.

Mr. Sudman was born in the province of Hanover, Germany, on October 6, 1865, and was reared in his native land, where he re- ceived excellent educational advantages. Af- ter he came to western Nebraska, as an am- bitious and spirited young pioneer, he attended school at Lodgepole, Cheyenne county, in the winter of 1884-85, for the purpose of familiar- izing himself with the English language. At the age of seventeen years Mr. Sudman set forth to seek his fortunes in America. He land- ed at New York City on June 14, 1882, and made his way to western Nebraska where for the first year he was employed on a sheep ranch in the vicinity of Lodgepole, Cheyenne county. Later he passed about a decade as an employe on a large stock ranch in that part of Cheyenne county now comprised in Deuel county, and during this period he as- sisted in driving two large bands of sheep over the trail from Utah to Julesburg, Colorado, six months having been required to make each trip, one time about eight thousand head of sheep were driven, and on the other sixteen thousand head.

In 1888, Mr. Sudman took a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, six miles east of Chappell, and after proving up engaged in

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HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

farming until 1897, when he sold the land, for twenty-two thousand dollars. In 1893, he returned to his native land to visit his widowed mother and renew the associations of his boy- hood days. He remained only a few months in Germany and after his return to Nebraska went to live at Oshkosh, in May, 1894. He engaged in the mercantile business, as a mem- ber of the Sudman Company, his associates being his brother Fred and B. E. Fish. A large general merchandise business was de- veloped by this company, Mr. Sudman being the manager of the enterprise for sixteen years. He then disposed of his interest in the busi- ness. The Sudman Company purchased land in the early days in which was included the townsite of Oshkosh, which was platted by the company. The coroporation conducted ex- tensive operations in the raising of cattle, horses and other live stock, and when the company sold the mercantile business to Aug- ust Sudman purchased his partners' interests in the ranch enterprise. The Sudman company established the first lumber yard and imple- ment business at Oshkosh, and in the early days it was necessary to freight all goods overland from Chappell, about thirty miles away. Mr. Sudman was the second postmas- ter at Oshkosh and when he succeeded to the individual ownership of the land held pre- viously by the Sudman Company he found himself in possession of about twenty-nine hundred acres, all within three miles from Oshkosh. This included a thousand acres in the valley, the remainder being grazing land. Mr. Sudman has since disposed of a portion of his holdings, but he purchased other land and has done much to further the industrial development of his home county. Here he now has a half section of wheat land, a thou- sand acres of hay and corn land, and five hundred and sixty acres available for irriga- tion, his holdings in Garden county comprising two thousand, nine hundred and eighty acres. Mr. Sudman raises cattle, horses and hogs on a large scale besides dealing extensively in live stock, as a buyer and shipper. He is a Republican and has served twelve years as a member of the school board of Oshkosh. He and his family are members of the Lutheran church and he is affiliated with Oshkosh Lodge, No. 286, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, as well as with the local camp of Modern Woodmen of America. He is a citizen who has done much for his home town and county, where he is valued and honored as a pioneer.

On June 6, 1897, was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Sudman to Miss Anna Pearl

Plummer, who was born in Missouri, and came to Nebraska with her widowed mother, who took a homestead five miles northeast of Osh- kosh and whose son, W. C. Plummer, likewise made homestead entry in the same locality. To Mr. and Mrs. Sudman have been born five chil- dren: Carl August, died at the age of six months ; Clyde H., is his father's valued assist- ant in the work and management of the ranch property : and the younger members of the home circle are Donald E., Glenn F., and Pearl Augusta.

KENNETH W. McDONALD, who has served Morrill county with rare fidelity as county attorney under three elections, is a leading member of the bar at Bridgeport, of which city he has been a resident since 1913. Mr. McDonald has lived in Nebraska since boyhood but his birth took place in the Old Dominion, the home of his ancestors, January 18, 1874.

The parent of Mr. McDonald were James V. and Emeline A. (Gannaway) McDonald. Both were born in Virginia, and both paternal and maternal grandfathers of Mr. McDonald were born there also, the former, Solomon McDonald, on his father's plantation of seven- teen hundred acres. The McDonalds came originally from Glencoe, Scotland, located first in Deleware but became established in Vir- ginia as early as 1685. On the maternal side the ancestry was English. Long before the war between the states, the McDonalds and the Gannaways were large planters and slave- holders in Virginia.

In 1881, Mr. McDonald's parents came to Nebraska. The father and his two brothers, Franklin and William McDonald, had been officers in the Confederate army, and after the close of the war, facing new conditions and necessities, the father learned the carpenter trade and worked at it after locating at Pierce, Nebraska, in 1881, until he was seventy-five years old. He died eight years later. He warmly supported the principles of the Demo- cratic party and both he and his wife were faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Of their twelve children six are living including Kenneth W., the others being : Beauregard, who is postmaster at Pierce, Ne- braska; Charles, who is a contractor at San Pedro, California ; Estelle, who is the wife of Alonzo Glaze, in the decorating business at Pierce ; Grundy, who is a physician in prac- tice at Long Beach, California ; and Solomon R., who is a United States mail clerk residing at Council Bluffs, Iowa.

MILES J. MARYOTT

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

Kenneth W. McDonald was educated in the public schools at Pierce and graduated from the high school in 1892, then read law under a local attorney and completed his course in the Boston Law School. He entered upon the practice of his profession at Pierce, where he remained until 1913, a period of seven years, during which time he served Pierce county in the office of deputy county attorney for one year. At first Mr. McDonald was alone in his practice at Bridgeport but subsequently admitted his brother-in-law, George W. Irwin, to a partnership. The firm is considered a very strong one and handles a large percentage of the important court business. In 1914, Mr. McDonald was elected county attorney on the Democratic ticket, was re-elected in 1916 and again in 1918.

At Creighton, Nebraska, in March, 1913, Mr. McDonald was united in marriage with Miss Ethel G. Irwin, who was born at Creigh- ton. Mr. and Mrs. McDonald have an adopted daughter, Margaret Elaine. They are mem- bers of the Episcopal church. Mr. McDonald is an advanced Scottish Rite Mason. He is a man of high personal character, has many times proved the sincerity of his citizenship in advocating worthy enterprises at Bridge- port, and during periods of great general con- cern and national stress, he has heartily co- operated with his fellow citizens in bearing the burdens.

MILES J. MARYOTT has achieved high reputation as an artist and taxidermist and as a painter his technical skill is remarkable be- cause his talent as an artist has been developed without instruction in either coloring and de- signing. Like Charles Russell and other cele- brated western artists, he is entirely self taught, and his creative genius has found ex- pression in many beautiful canvasses that have received the highest of critical commendation. The career of this native son of Nebraska may well be said to have been far aside from the beaten path and he had added to his laurels a remarkable record as marksman and as a baseball player. He and his widowed mother now reside in an attractive home at Oshkosh, Garden county, and it is gratifying to be able to give in this publication a brief re- view of his career. Mr. Maryott was born at Tekamah, Burt county, Nebraska, September 4, 1873, a son of Asahel K. and Emily ( Her- rick) Maryott. The former was born in Brookfield, New York and the latter in Chau- taugque, New York in 1842. Their respec- tive parents were early pioneer settlers at Hus-

tisford, Wisconsin. Ashel K. Maryott began to farm in his native state, and came to Ne- braska in 1865, before the admission of the territory to the Union. He was one of the pioneers of Burt county, where he took up a homestead, near the present village of Decatur, where he developed a productive farm. He continued his activities as an agriculturist and stock grower until 1884, when he sold his farm and removed to the vicinity of Cozad, Dawson county, where he secured a tract of land and continued farming on a more exten- sive scale. There he passed the residue of his life as his death having occurred in 1907. His political allegiance was given to the Republican party. His marriage was solemnized in Wis- consin, and his widow now lives at Oshkosh at the age of seventy-eight. They became the parents of five sons and four daughter, of whom the subject of this review was the sev- enth in order of birth.

Miles J. Maryott was educated in the public schools of Cozad, Dawson county. He early developed marked skill in connection with the American "national game," and in baseball out- side of Nebraska was made when he entered professional baseball activities, as a member of the team of Mankota, Minnesota. He played with this team in the seasons of 1895 and 1896, was with the Galesburg, Illinois, team for the ensuing season, and the Fort Collins, Colorado, team claimed him as a member for the season of 1898. For the three following years he played with the Kearney, Nebraska team, and for the first half of the season of 1902, was with the Keokuk team, of the Iowa state league, the remainder of that season he served with the Sioux City team, in the West- ern League. He terminated his professional career in baseball with the Wichita team, (Kansas), of the Western Association.

In the meantime Mr. Maryott had not ne- glected his talent as an artist, and he has made a specialty of pictures of animals and birds, his work being principally in oils and many fine paintings stand evidences of his talent. He is conceded to be one of the best artists in the state and that in spite of the fact that he never has taken a single lesson in painting. The same condition holds good in connection with his skill as a taxidermist, in which field of work he has been licensed both by the United States government and the state of Nebraska. He has one of the finest collections of native birds in Nebraska, besides which he has as- sembled one of the largest and most inter- esting collections of Indian relics to be found in the state. His prowess as a marksman led to

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his being retained in the service of the Peters Cartridge Company in 1907, in the capacity of expert marksman. In june of that year, in a contest held in the city of Chicago, Mr. Mary- ott tied for first place in the grand American handicap, and he has the reputation of being one of the foremost all-round marksmen in the world.

Mr. Maryott has made the passing years bear to him an interesting and varied tribute, and he has maintained his home at Oshkosh since 1909. Here he is the devoted companion of his loved and venerable mother, and here he finds ample demands upon his time and atten- tion in connection with his art and taxidermic work. He took four hundred and eighty acres of land under the provisions of the Kinkaid law, and has proved his title to this property, upon which he has made improvements that mark it as a valuable Garden county farm. In politics he supports the Republican party.

WILLIAM L. LAW, who is now serving his second term as county commissioner of Garden county, established his residence here when the county was still a part of Deuel coun- ty, and has developed and improved one of the valuable farms of four hundred and eighty acres which is well situated twelve miles north of Oshkosh, the county seat. Here Mr. Law has secure vantage-ground as one of the en- terprising agriculturists and stock-growers of the county and the confidence in which he is held by the community is demonstrated by the office to which he was elected. As county com- missioner he has advocated and supported measures that have furthered the civic and ma- terial welfare of the county, and he is known as a wide awake and progressive business man.

William L. Law was born in Van Buren county, Iowa, on December 21, 1876, the sec- ond in order of birth in a family of three sons, his elder brother, Charles E., and his younger brother, John M., both being residents of Seattle, Washington, the mother having main- tained her home at Seattle and Sumas, that state, since 1899. Mr. Law is a son of Loren- zo and Eliza (Meredith) Law, both were born in Iowa, where the respective families settled in the pioneer days. The father prepared him- self for the medical profession, and after his graduation from a medical college engaged in practice in Iowa until he removed with his family to Long Pine, Brown county, Nebras- ka, where he conducted a drug store until the time of his death, which occurred when he was fifty-one years of age. Dr. Law was a man of sterling character and high intellectual-

ity and he was successful in the exacting work of his profession, having continued in active practice after engaging in the drug business at Long Pine. He was a Democrat in politics.

William L. Law was educated in the public schools of Iowa and Frontier county, Ne- braska, and began his career by engaging in farm enterprise, to which he gave his atten- tion for a period of about eight years. For the ensuing two years he was engaged in the livery business at Lexington, Dawson county, and he then removed to Deuel county and took up a homestead in what is now Garden county. On this homestead, to the area of which he has since added, he has continued his vigorous activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower and his able management has brought him suc- cess. He has made the best of improvements on his farm property. Mr. Law is one of the influential men of his community, has served thirteen years as school director of his district and is serving at the present time - winter of 1919-20 - his second term as a member of the board of county commissioners. Well fortified in his views concerning economic and govern- mental policies, he gives his political allegiance to the Republican party and is influential in its local councils in his county.

In October, 1898, Mr. Law wedded Miss Mamie A. Sprague, who was born at Danville, Illinois, and who was a girl at the time of the family removal to Frontier county, Nebraska, where she was reared and educated, her father, John T. Sprague, a native of Indiana, having been a pioneer in Frontier county, where he took up and improved a homestead and where he continued his farm enterprise until 1909, since which year he has lived retired at Osh- kosh, Garden county. Mr. and Mrs. Law have five sons and five daughters: Connie, Arthur, Lola, Sydney, Vera, Clyde, Rex, Ralph, Vir- ginia, Vivian.

WILLIAM F. GUMAER is a representative of one of the prominent and influential families of Garden county and the name which he bears has been most closely identified with the de- velopment and upbuilding of this section of Nebraska, as may be seen by reference to the sketches concerning his elder brothers, Judge Alfred W. Gumaer and Henry G. Gumacr, on other pages of this publication. Mr. Gumaer has been actively identified with industrial and business interests in Garden county and is now one of the principal stockholders and ac- tive executives of the Oshkosh Mercantile Company, which conducts an extensive and

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AMBROSE E. SCOTT

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

well ordered merchandise business at the coun- ty seat.

Mr. Gumaer was born at Weyauwega, Wis- consin on January 11, 1873, and in the sketches of his elder brothers is given record concerning the family history. He was young when he came with his brother Henry G. to St. Paul, Howard county, Nebraska, where he attended the public schools, and later took a course in the Bryant & Stratton Business Col- lege in the city of Chicago. Thereafter he was for seven years running a grocery store at Ashland, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Superior, and the following year he engaged in the collection business in that city. In 1897. he went to Alaska, but in the following year when the nation became involved in war with Spain, his patriotism and loyalty prompted him to return from the north and tender his services as a soldier. He enlisted in Company L, Second Volunteer infantry, which did gal- lant service in Porto Rico during the Spanish- American War. Prior to this he had been for five years a member of the National Guard. After the close of the war and receiving his honorable discharge, Mr. Gumaer became a solicitor for the Fox River Telephone Com- pany, in Wisconsin, holding this position four years. In 1902, he returned to Nebraska and became associated with his brother Henry in agricultural and live-stock operations in the present Garden county. After three years he was made manager of the general store of W. W. Bowers, at Oshkosh, and held this position until 1909, when he removed to the new town of Lisco, this county, where he be- came secretary and manager of the Lisco Mer- cantile company, besides gaining the distinc- tion of becoming the first resident of the town. He lived in Lisco seven and one-half years, and then impaired health caused him to pass about a year in the city of Omaha, where he received medical treatment. Upon his return to Garden county he became one of the in- terested principals in the Oshkosh Mercantile Company, to the affairs of which he has since given his attention and to the upbuilding of the substantial business of which he has contributed in large measure.

Mr. Gumaer is a Democrat, he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and his wife is an Eastern Star. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church, Mrs. Gumaer holding membership in the Methodist Episcopal church.

December 11, 1906, was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Gumaer to Miss Zulah Mae Bow- ers, who was born at Caldwell, Kansas, but was reared and educated in what is now Gar-

den county, Nebraska. She attended the schools of Alliance, Lodgpole, Chappell and Oshkosh. Mr. and Mrs. Gumaer have two children : Viola Ruth and Priscilla Mae.

AMBROSE E. SCOTT. - In considering the wonderful advantages that have resulted from the application of irrigation to the arid lands in many sections, it is no small honor to have been the originator of the idea, and such honor may be justly claimed by Ambrose E. Scott, formerly of Banner county, Nebraska, but now one of the leading business men of Scottsbluff. Furthermore, Mr. Scott was so thoroughly convinced of the value of his idea that he built the first reservoir ever constructed in Banner county.

Ambrose E. Scott was born at New Concord, Ohio, in 1863, the sixth in a family of twelve children born to William S. and Violet Jane (Scott) Scott, the other survivors being as fol- lows: Charles, who lives in Texas; Alexander, a farmer near Twin Falls, Idaho, and Alvah B., a physician of the osteopathic school at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The parents were natives of Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, from which state they moved to Ohio and died there. The father was a superintendent of con- struction on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad for many years. He was a veteran of the Civil War, having served four years in the Fifteenth Ohio volunteer infantry, during which time he was wounded and was captured by the enemy and was incarcerated in Libby prison for three weeks. Both he and wife were members of the United Presbyterian church. The Scott family came to America from the north of Ireland and are descended from a long line of fine Scotch-Irish ancestors, who played important parts in the history of Scotland and the Emer- ald Isle.

Ambrose E. Scott had some school advan- tages in Ohio. In 1886 he came to Banner county, Nebraska, and in 1887 took a home- stead on which he afterward lived for thirty years. There he figured prominently in the history of that county as will be mentioned in different subjects by the historian in the history of the county. In 1917 he left his farm and came to Scottsbluff and later went into the farm implement business in partnership with Guy Carlson and they are doing a heavy business.

In 1902 Mr. Scott was united in marriage with Miss Ida Eckerson, who was born in Iowa, and they have one son, Charles H. Mrs. Scott also proved up a claim in Banner county. While living there Mr. Scott served two terms as county treasurer, elected on the Republican ticket. He belongs to the order of Modern

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Woodmen and to the Knights of Pythias, in which organization he has passed all the chairs. Mr. Scott is widely known and is deeply inter- ested in the work of the different irrigation districts.

ELMER J. HARNESS has been a resident of Garden county from the time of his birth, is a representative of one of the pioneer fam- ilies of this section of the state and has gain- ed a secure status as a prosperous and enter- prising agriculturists and stock-grower, his operations being conducted on the old home- stead of his father, situated two miles west of Oshkosh.

Elmer John Harness was born at Oshkosh, this county, December 23, 1892, a son of John and Ella (Martin) Harness, the former of whom was born and reared in Illinois and the latter in the state of Connecticut; by a prior marriage Mrs. Harness has one son, William Brown, now a resident of Denver Colorado. In 1886, John Harness came to Cheyenne county, Nebraska, and became a pioneer set- tler in that part of the county that now consti- tutes Garden county. Here he took up, im- proved and perfected title to a homestead now owned and occupied by his son Elmer .. Mr. Harness continued his activities as an agricul- turist and stock-raiser until his death, in 1904, at the age of fifty-two years. He was a sterling citizen who commanded the esteem of his friends and his name merits place among the pioneers of Garden county, where his widow still resides, her home being about three miles west of Oshkosh.

Elmer J. Harness attended the pioneer schools of Garden county and he was a lad of fourteen years at the time of his father's death. Thus as a youth he gladly assumed the burdens and responsibilities of making his own way and also providing for his widowed mother. For three years he was engaged in farming on rented land, six miles west of Oshkosh, then returned to the old homestead, where he has since held place as one of the representa- tive agriculturists and stock-growers of the younger generation, specializing in raising hogs. Liberal and loyal as a citizen, he sup- ports those agencies and enterprises that tend to advance the welfare of his home community and county, his political allegiance being given to the Republican party and his religious faith being that of the Lutheran church, of which his wife likewise is an active communicant.

At Alliance, Box Butte county, on October 15, 1913, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Harness to Miss Gertrude Catron, of Bridge-

port, Morrill county, where she was born and reared, being a daughter of Isaac and Anna (Foote) Catron, who are pioneer citizens who reside on their farm, four and one-half miles northeast of Bridgeport. Mr. and Mrs. Har- ness have a winsome little daughter, Viola May, who was born April 27, 1919.

JACOB H. ROUDEBUSH is a pioneer citizen who merits recognition in this history not only by reason of the prominent and in- fluential part he has played in connection with the civic and industrial development and up- building of western Nebraska, but also because of his service in the Union army during the latter part of the Civil War. He took part in the suppression of Indian outbreaks in the west, and gained an experience that but few survivors of his generation can claim. Mr. Roudebush is one of the extensive landholders of Garden county and well known farmers.

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History of western Nebraska and its people, Vol. III, Part 87

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