This is a NEGenWeb Project On-Line Library presentation.

        This county was named in honor of General Joseph Hooker (1814-1879), a noted general of the Civil War. Its boundaries were defined by an act approved March 29, 1889.

• Donald. An inland post office in Valley precinct, probably named for a local settler.
  
• Dunwell. This town was named in honor of the persons who started the first post office, William Dunbar and Frank Wells.
  
• Eclipse. The name was selected by three or four ranchers meeting at the home of A. J. Gragg. It is thought that the office was named independently, not after any other place or person.
  
• Hecla. This town was presumably named by the Grand Island and Wyoming Central Railroad Company, now a part of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad, probably directly or indirectly for the volcano in Iceland. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Kelso. A station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Mullen precinct. The name is probably local in origin.
  
• Moore. An inland place and a post office in Valley precinct, named for Mr. Moore, a local ranchman.
  
• Mullen. This village was named by the officials of the Burlington railroad after a contractor who operated in the vicinity. It is the county seat of Hooker county. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Weir. A station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Hecla precinct probably named for a local resident.
  

        Howard county was organized and the boundaries defined by an act approved March 1 1871, and again organized by an act approved March 28, 1871. It was named in honor of General Oliver Otis Howard (1830-1909), a prominent officer during the Civil War. It is sometimes stated that the county was named after Howard Paul, son of an early settler.

• Boelus. A village near the southwest corner of Howard county, in Lake Fork precinct, a junction point of two branches of the Union Pacific railroad. The name Boelus comes from the Belus, a small river of Palestine, described by Pliny as rising at the foot of Mt. Carmel and falling into the sea near Ptolemais (Acre), celebrated from the well known tradition that its fine sand led the Phoenicians to the invention of glass. The name Belus was also used by the Greeks for the national hero and deity of certain Semitic nations.
  
• Coatesfield. This town was named in honor of a Miss Coates who, with General Augur and his daughter, visited in the vicinity as guests of Captain Munson.
  
• Cushing. Cushing was named for James Cushing, an early settler in the community.
  
• Dannebrog. A Danish colony from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, made the first settlement here in May, 1871. The post office was established in the winter of 1872-73 and named in honor of the Danish flag.
  
• Elba. This town was named by the railroad company after a peculiar curve in the road south of town. This curve was known as "elbow curve" and in applying it to the town the railroad company modified it a little by calling it Elba. The town started in 1882.
  
• Farwell. The original name of this town was Posen, so named by a settlement of Polish people. Owing to a disagreement concerning nationality the name was changed by petition to Farwell, suggesting the Danish word for good-bye, that is, "good-bye Posen," or the passing from Polish to Danish. At the present time the majority of the settlement are Polish.
  
• Nysted. The citizens of Nysted named their town for a town in Denmark, from which the majority of them had come.
  
• Saint Libory. This town was named for Saint Libory, Illinois, the home of many of the early settlers.
  
• Saint Paul. The first settlement was made by J. N. and N. J. Paul in the spring of 1871 and the town was laid out October 10, 1871. When the time came to select a name for the new town, N. J. Paul suggested Athens, which was finally decided upon. A petition was sent to the post office department at Washington for the establishment of an office called Athens at this place. The petition was returned, however, because there was already a post office by that name in the state. The matter was then referred to Phineas W. Hitchcock, United States senator for Nebraska, who suggested the name Saint Paul in honor of the founders of the town. Saint Paul is the county seat of Howard county.
  

        This county was named after Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), third president of the United States. Its boundaries were defined and the county established by an act of the legislature approved January 26, 1856.

• Daykin. Named in honor of John Daykin who entered and formerly owned the land on which the town is located.
  
• Diller. This town was laid out in 1881. It is named in honor of H H. Diller, one of the oldest settlers in the vicinity.
  
• Endicott. Endicott was named for William C. Endicott, an attorney for Boston, Massachusetts, who was secretary of war in President Cleveland's cabinet. Mr. Endicott was born November 19, 1827, arid died May 6, 1900.
  
• Fairbury. The site of Fairbury was surveyed and platted in August, 1869, by Woodford G. McDowell and James B. Mattingly. It was named after Fairbury, Illinois, the home of Mr. McDowell. Fairbury is the county seat of Jefferson county.
  
• Gladstone. Named by M. A. Low, general attorney of the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific railroad for the English statesman, William E. Gladstone.
  
• Harbine. The site of Harbine was laid out in 1881. It was named in honor of Colonel Thomas Harbine of Fairbury.
  
• Helvey. Named after Thomas Helvey, one of the first white settlers of Jefferson county, who located in the vicinity on March 25, 1859.
  
• Jansen. The virtual proprietor of this town was Peter Jansen (1852-1923) and the site was named in his honor. Peter Jansen was a Mennonite emigrant from Berdjinsk, Russia. He was state senator, a commissioner to the Paris Exposition, and represented Nebraska at the Louisiana Exposition, 1904. He died at Beatrice, Nebraska, June 6, 1923. Jansen, Saskatchewan, was also named for him.
  
• Kesterson. Named in honor of John C. Kesterson of Fairbury.
  
• Meridian. This town dates back to the fall of 1868 and was the first town in the county to be surveyed and platted. It was named after the sixth principal meridian line on which it is located. The town is now extinct but the precinct still retains the name.
  
• Plymouth. Plymouth was named after a colony of early settlers from New England who located in the vicinity.
  
• Powell. This town was named by the Nebraska Land and Town Company in honor of James D. Powell, Reuben Powell, and the Powell families who were among the first white settlers in the vicinity. The Powells settled here in March, 1865
  
• Reynolds. Named for the father of a Mr. Reynolds, contractor for the Burlington and Missouri railroad.
  
• Steele City. Steele City was laid out in 1873. It was named by the Nebraska Land and Town Company in honor of Dudley M. Steele, president of the Saint Joseph and Denver City railroad.
  
• Thompson. Named for I. N. Thompson, virtual proprietor of the town.
  

        Johnson county was named in honor of Colonel Richard M. Johnson (1781-1850) of Kentucky, vice-president of the United States (1837-1841). Its boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved March 2, 1855. They were reestablished and defined February 10, 1857.

• Cook. This town was named by a Mr. Cook who owned much of the land in the vicinity at the time when the town was platted. Mr. Cook wished to name the town for his eldest daughter, but his son and two other daughters would not hear of such partiality. On this account Mr. Cook named the town for all of his children, he said.
  
• Crab Orchard. The original town of Crab Orchard was about one mile west of its present site. At that time a crab-apple orchard was located on the town-site and on this account the town was so named.
  
• Elk Creek. This place is near the southeastern corner of Johnson county on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad, in the vicinity of Elk creek, after which it was named. The creek owes its name to the former presence of elk along its course.
  
• Graf. This town was named in honor of L. A. Graf who donated the town site.
  
• Saint Mary. The original name of this village was Smartville, after Mr. Smart, an early local settler, who kept a general store, but a number of citizens objected to this name and made efforts to change it. At that time a new parochial school was built and called Saint Mary's Parochial School. A movement was started to change the name of the village to Saint Mary and the change was approved by the post office department.
  
• Sterling. John Mann, one of the first settlers of this town, came from Sterling, Illinois, and named Sterling, Nebraska, after his old home.
  
• Tecumseh. The town of Tecumseh was laid out by John Maulden in 1856. It was first named Frances in honor of the wife of General Johnson for whom the county was named. A year later the name was changed to Tecumseh in honor of the Indian chief who was killed by Colonel Johnson at the battle of the Thames in 1813. The county seat was established here by an act of the legislature approved February 13, 1857.
  
• Vesta. The land on which the village of Vesta stands was homesteaded by J. W. Hall who was later postmaster. The office was established at the home of W. H. Strong. At that time his brother, Marshall Strong, a schoolmaster from Massachusetts, was visiting with him. The name Vesta was chosen on recommendation of Marshall Strong after a little girl whose name was Vesta, a pupil of his, in Massachusetts. An erroneous local tradition claims that Vesta was named after a daughter of J. W. Hall.
  

        Kearney county was named for old Fort Kearney. The history of the county dates back to the establishment of the fort in 1848. The fort was named for Major General Stephen Watts Kearny (1794-1848). Gannett states in his work on place names that the county was named for General Philip Kearny. The county was organized and the boundaries defined by an act approved January 10, 1860.

• Axtell. This town was named for an engineer on a Burlington passenger train.
  
• Heartwell. A village on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Paton precinct. It was named for J. B. Heartwell of Hastings, Nebraska, a prominent citizen, president of the Nebraska Loan and Trust Company of Hastings, and one time state senator.
  
• Keene. The village of Keene was named for a workman who located for a few months in the vicinity.
  
• Lowell. The site of this town was changed in 1871. It was named for the poet, James Russell Lowell. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Minden. Mr. Fred Bredemier, the first postmaster for Minden, named this town after his old home, Minden, Germany. The townsite was selected in December, 1876, and at that time the German population predominated. Minden is the county seat of Kearney county.
  
• Newark. The first settlement in this vicinity was made by A. S. Lindbeck in May, 1877. Mr. A. E. Touzalin, general manager of the Burlington railroad at that time, suggested the name Newark for the town. It has also been said that the person who owned the town-site came from Newark, New Jersey, and named the new town after his old home.
  
• Norman. This town was named for John and Carl Norman in consideration of the fact that they owned the eighty acres which comprised the town-site.
  
• Wilcox. The town of Wilcox was named in honor of one of its founders, Henry Wilcox.
  

        Keith county was named in honor of Mr. M. C. Keith of North Platte. Mr. Keith was the grandfather of Keith Neville, recently governor of Nebraska. The boundaries were defined by an act approved February 27, 1873. The county was organized on May 3, 1873. Gannett states in his work on place names that the county was named for John Keith of North Platte, Nebraska.

• Belmar. A village of the Union Pacific railroad in Lonergan precinct, probably named for some official of the railway.
  
• Bertha. This town was named in honor of Miss Bertha Matthews, the daughter of the first postmaster.
  
• Brule. The town of Brule, in Brule precinct, was named after the Brulé tribe of the Teton Sioux Indians. Brulé, burned, is the French translation of Sichángxu, burnt thighs, the Indian name of uncertain origin.
  
• Keystone. Mr. W. A. Paxton, a large cattle owner in the early days, used the keystone brand for his cattle. His ranch was also called Keystone, probably because he used this brand. Later a settlement was established in the vicinity and was called Keystone on account of these facts.
  
• Lemoyne. A large tract of land in this vicinity was at one time owned by Mr. Lemoyne Jacobs. When the railroad was built through the county, Mr. Jacobs was very liberal toward the company and gave it the right of way through his land. In return for this favor the company built a depot on Mr. Jacob's land and named the station Lemoyne in his honor. Mr. Jacobs now lives a mile north of the depot. He is one of the oldest settlers in the western part of Nebraska where he has lived for over forty years.
  
• Ogallala. This town was named for the Oglala (often spelled Ogalalla) tribe of the Teton Sioux Indians. It is the county seat of Keith county. The precinct has the same name. The word Oglala means "to scatter one's own."
  
• Oren. A former, inland post office in White Tail precinct. It was named for Oren F. Chesebro, the postmaster, or for his son Oren.
  
• Paxton. A village on the Union Pacific railroad in Paxton precinct. It and the precinct were named for W. A. Paxton of Omaha, Nebraska.
  
• Roscoe. The town of Roscoe was named for an old siding which was established on the main line of the Union Pacific railroad in 1868.
  
• Sarben. Thts town was named from Aksarben or the first six letters of Nebraska reversed in order.
  

        Keya Paha is the Dakota Indian name of a hill and the river was named from that hill, ke'-ya, turtle; pa-ha', hill; Ke'-ya, turtle; Pa-ha', hill; wa-kpa', river, Turtle Hill river. The Keya Paha river runs through the northeastern portion of Keya Paha county. It is usually stated that the county was named Keya Paha because of its many, small rounded hills. This county was formed from Brown county by vote, November 4, 1884.

• Brocksburg. The founder of the town was Henry Brockman and he named the town Brocksburg after himself.
  
• Burton. The town of Burton was named for a Mr. Burton who conducted a country store here when the county was first settled. The precinct in which the town is located was also named for Mr. Burton by the county commissioners at the organization of the county.
  
• Carns. In 1879 the settlers chose the name Elm Grove for the office to be established. This name was changed by the U. S. post office department to Carns and so far as is known the name chosen was not in honor of any place or person.
  
• Eclipse. An inland locality in Holt precinct.
  
• Enterprise. Enterprise was named by the early settlers in this vicinity who wished to give notice that their neighborhood "was made up of enterprising people." The post office here has been discontinued.
  
• Jamison. This town was named in honor of its founder S. P. Jamison. It is in Keya Paha precinct.
  
• Marlbank. An inland village and a former post office in Holt precinct. The name is apparently locally descriptive.
  
• Meadville. The first postmaster in this town was Merrit I. Mead, for whom the office was named. The office was established in 1883 in Brown county and discontinued in 1896. It was reestablished in Keya Paha county in 1904.
  
• Mills. Mills was so named because a grist-mill was once operated in the town. The precinct is also named Mills.
  
• Norden. The town of Norden was established in 1885. A man by the name of Bastedo was the first settler. He came from Germany and named this town after a town near the North Sea in Germany.
  
• Pinecamp. An inland village and a post office in Pine precinct. The name is locally descriptive for both the precinct and the village as there is pine timber in the vicinity.
  
• Riverview. A village and a post office in Pine precinct. The name is locally descriptive as the village is near the Niobrara river.
  
• Simpson. This post office was named after H. S. Simpson who homesteaded here in 1880 and was the first postmaster. He was also elected the first sheriff of Brown county. The precinct is also named Simpson.
  
• Springview. This town, the county seat of Keyn Paha county, was so named because a spring used to flow not far from the town square. There is a tradition that one of the early settlers, John F. Carr, in order to procure the location of the town, hauled water and kept this spring running until after the town was located. Since that time no water has come from the spring.
  

        Kimball county was named in honor of Thomas L. Kimball (1831-1899), vice president and general manager of the Union Pacific railroad. It was organized in 1888. Gannett's treatise on the origin of place names erroneously gives the honor to John P. Kimball. Kimball county was formed from Cheyenne county by vote November 6, 1888.

• Beacon. This place is in the northwest part of Kimball county, in Bushnell precinct. It was named after the local postmaster.
  
• Bethel. This place is situated in Dix precinct. It was named after a local sod church which was dedicated "Bethel" by the pioneer minister in charge, after Bethel, Palestine, meaning in Hebrew "house of God," from beth, house and el, God. The post office has been discontinued.
  
• Bushnell. Bushnell in Bushnell precinct, was named for a civil engineer on the Union Pacific railroad.
  
• Crossbar. This place was named for the cattle brand of the man in charge of the post office. It was located near the east side of Johnson precinct. The post office has been discontinued.
  
• Dix. The original town of Dix was laid out by C. T. Robertson and secured its name from Dixon, Illinois, the former home of Margaret Robertson, the owner of the land. It has been stated that the town was named for General Dix of the Federal army in the Civil War, but this information is not authentic.
  
• Gifford. The post office at Gifford no longer exists. It was named for William Gifford who homesteaded the land on which it was located. Mr. Gifford sold his property and moved away, and at that time the office was discontinued.
  
• Kimball. The original name of this place was Antelopeville, so named because of the prevalence of antelope in the vicinity. As there was a post office in the state called Antelope the name was changed in 1885 to Kimball, in honor of Thomas L. Kimball, vice president and general manager of the Union Pacific railroad. Kimball is the county seat of Kimball county. The precinct is still called Antelope.
  
• Hodges. Hodges is located in Dix precinct and was named after Earl R. Hodges, the postmaster.
  
• Kauffman. This place was named for Mrs. Cora B. Kauffman, the postmaster. It is situated near the south line of the county.
  
• Oliver. This station was named for Oliver Ames, a prominent Union Pacific contractor and builder. The original name was Adam, for Adam Ames, a brother of Oliver; but as there was another station on the Union Pacific railroad called Adam the change was made. There is an "Ames Monument" at the top of Sherman Hill, Wyoming, dedicated to these brothers.
  
• Owasco. This is a station on the Union Pacific railroad. It was so named from the fact that it was opposite the "Circle Arrow Ranch," the "O" representing the circle and "co" meaning the company.
  
• Parker. This post office is in the northwest part of Kimball county, in Bushnell precinct. It was named after Harold H. Parker, the postmaster.
  
• Smeed. A station on the Union Pacific railroad. It was named for an Irishman who was foreman on a large horse ranch owned and operated by the Creighton interests of Omaha.
  
• Troy. This neighborhood is near the northwest corner of Kimball county, in Bushnell precinct. The post office, Troy, when established was named after the local postmaster.
  

        Knox county was named in honor of Major General Henry Knox (1750-1806)2 It was originally named L'Eau Qui Court county but was renamed by the legislature at the request of Representative David Quimby by an act approved February 21, 1873. The county was established and its boundaries defined by an act approved February 10, 1857, and redefined January 13, 1860

• Bazile Mills. An inland village and a former post office in Creighton precinct. One of the early local mills was built in this place on Bazile creek, hence the name. The name of the creek is probably derived from Bazeilles, Ardennes, France.
  
• Bloomfield. The town of Bloomfield was named in honor of Bloomfield Dyer who at one time owned the land on which the town-site is now located.
  
• Blyville. A former village which was named, according to Gannett's treatise for George W. Bly, an early settler in the vicinity.
  
• Center. This town received its name from the fact that it is located in the center of the county. It is the county seat of Knox county.
  
• Creighton. This town was named by a Mr. Bruce, who was interested in the locality, in honor of John A. Creighton, an early resident of Omaha and the founder of the John A. Creighton Medical College of Creighton University. The Pioneer Town-Site Company laid out the town in 1885. Gannett's treatise erroneously gives the honor to Edward Creighton who inspired the foundation of Creighton University. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Crofton. Mr. J. T. M. Pierce named this town after Crofton Court, a place he owned in England. He spent much time and money in procuring the construction of the railroad through this town. According to another account Mr. Pierce came to America shortly after the Civil War and bought large tracts of land for a wealthy Englishman named Crofton. Then when the town-site was plotted by Pierce he gave it the name Crofton after Mr. Crofton of England who never visited America.
  
• Jelen. The post office at Jelen which marked the beginning of the town was established in the early part of 1904. Anton Jelen, a Bohemian, was appointed postmaster on February 8, 1904, and conducted the office in his general merchandise store at this place. The postmaster-general selected the name Jelen for this office in his honor. The precinct is named Bohemia because it was settled by Bohemians.
  
• Knoxville. This place was named by William Darnelle, a pioneer of Knox county, Nebraska, after his former residence city of Knoxville, Illinois. It is in Washington precinct.
  
• Le Blanc. The post office at Le Blanc was named in honor of G. A. Le Blanc who started a store in the neighborhood and also was postmaster at one time. The post office has been discontinued and there is very little of the settlement left.
  
• Millerboro. This inland village and its precinct, Miller, were named for Captain S. M. Miller, the first settler in the vicinity.
  
• Niobrara. This town was named after the Niobrara river. It is situated near its mouth. The precinct has the same name. The name Niobrara was given to the river by the Omaha and Ponca Indians and it means spreading water or spreading river (from ni, water, and bthatha, spreading). The meaning is frequently given as "running water," through confusion arising from the translation of the Pawnee name of the same river, Kitsu Kakis (from kitsu, 'water, and kakis, rapid) which may be translated rapid water or running water. This translation gives the name to the village, Running Water, located a few miles northeast of Niobrara, in South Dakota. The county seat was located at Niobrara by an act of the legislature approved February 14, 1877.
  
• Pishelville. Anton Pischel was the founder of this town and established the second post office in Knox county here in May, 1871. The town was named in his honor.
  
• Reidsville. A former village in Knox county, named for Charles J. Reid, the first settler.
  
• Santee. An inland village near the Missouri river in Santee precinct. It and the precinct were named for the Santee Sioux (Dakota) Indians. Doctor Charles Alexander Eastman, the noted ethnologist and Indian physician, received his early education in the school in this village.
  
• Sparta. This is an inland place in Sparta precinct. It was probably named after Sparta, Wisconsin, or possibly after Sparta, Illinois. The name comes from Sparta in Greece.
  
• Venus. So named by S. L. Whitmore because of the beauty of the surrounding country.
  
• Verdigre. The post office here was originally named Verdigris after a former post office in the vicinity which was named after Verdigris creek. The town, however, was always called Verdigre and later the name of the post office was changed to Verdigre in order to correspond to the name of the town. The precinct has the same name. The name of the creek was suggested by the presence of green copper ore.
  
• Walnut. This town was so named because of the numerous walnut trees in the vicinity.
  
• Wausa. Two Lutheran ministers, Foglelstrom and Torell, named this town in honor of Gustavus Vasa, the first Protestant King of Sweden. The spelling of Wausa was adopted because it conformed with the pronunciation of the name. The town was established in 1890.
  
• Winnetoon. The town of Winnetoon was named by W. F. Fitch, an official of the railroad, after a farm in Dane county, Wisconsin, owned by Nathan Deane.
  

        Lancaster county was named after the town and county of Lancaster in Pennsylvania which were named after Lancaster county, England. Its boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved March 6, 1855. The county was reestablished and its boundaries redefined by an act approved January 26, 1856.

• Agnew. This village was named after William James Agnew, of Plattsmouth, Nebraska, who was for a short time a railroad contractor and later a popular railway conductor.
  
• Arbor. A station on the Chicago and Northwestern railroad, north of Lincoln, in North Bluff precinct. The name was probably given by Joy Morton, the owner of the land, because of the timber in the vicinity. Mr. Morton recently donated the arboretum, known as Arbor Lodge, situated near Nebraska City, to the State of Nebraska, in perpetuity as a public park.
  
• Belmont. This village is a suburb on the north side of Lincoln. The name is from the French belle montagne, "beautiful mountain", and the village was so named because it is situated on high prairie or a ridge north of Salt Creek valley.
  
• Bennett. When the Midland Pacific railroad was built through here in 1871, the town of Bennett was surveyed and platted. It was named in honor of John Bennett, a local resident, who was one of the officials of the road.
  
• Berks. Highland was the original name of this town. It was renamed Berks by the Burlington and Missouri railroad probably after Berks county, Pennsylvania. The post office has recently been discontinued. There is a tradition that the town was named for a Mr. Berks, presumably a local settler. The precinct is still known as Highland. The central portion of the precinct is a watershed or high land, hence the name.
  
• Bethany. J. Z. Briscoe, of Lincoln, later of Betbany, one of the founders of the town, selected the name after Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, Palestine. His main reason for selecting this name was that Bethany, Palestine, was a suburb of Jerusalem, the educational center of the Jewish people. Thus, Bethany, Nebraska, was to be the suburb of Lincoln, the educational center of the people of Nebraska. This town was laid out and settled by the religious sect known as the Disciples. The incorporated and official title of Bethany is Bethany Heights. The word Bethany is from Hebrew, beth, house, and ani, poverty or misery.
  
• Burnham. A station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad, southwest of Lincoln, in Yankee Hill precinct. It was named for S. W. Burnham, an early owner of land in the vicinity.
  
• Cheney. Cheney was platted in 1874. It was named in memory of a man by that name who was the first settler on the town-site. Cheney is shortened from Cheyney's Station the name by which the town was originally called.
  
• Cobb. This place is a station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad, southwest of Lincoln, in Denton precinct. It was named for an early owner of land in the vicinity.
  
• College View. So named because it is the home of Union College built by the church of the Adventists.
  
• Cushman. A station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad, as well as a near-by park, in Garfield precinct, named for an early resident.
  
• Davey. The site of Davey was platted in 1886 by the Western Town and Lot Company. It was located partly on the farm of Mr. Michael Davey for whom it was named.
  
• Denton. Denton was laid out in 1871 and named in honor of Mr. Daniel M. Denton, homesteader of the land on which the town is built. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Emerald. The name Emerald was given to this town because of its location in what the settlers called "the most beautiful green spot in this country." The town is bordered on the east by beautiful green trees, on the west by a rolling hill, and here and there in the vicinity are frog-ponds full of green foliage and pond lilies.
  
• Firth. The town of Firth was laid out in 1873. It was named in honor of Superintendent Firth of the Atchison and Nebraska railroad.
  
• Hallam. Hallam was laid out in 1892 by the Kansas Town and Land Company. It is in Buda precinct.
  
• Havelock. Settlement was begun in this vicinity in the late eighties. The town was named for Sir Henry Havelock (1785-1857), an English general, the hero of the siege of Lucknow.
  
• Hickman. This town was laid out by C. H. Hickman in 1872 and was named in his honor.
  
• Holland. The first settlements were made in this vicinity before there were any railroads west of the Missouri river, and all merchandise had to be carried overland from Nebraska City. The name of this town was derived from a party of immigrants from the Netherlands who settled here in 1867. They were generally known as Hollanders.
  
• Jamaica. This is a station on the Union Pacific railroad in Yankee Hill precinct and was platted in 1885. It was probably named for Jamaica, New York.
  
• Kramer. The land on which Kramer is located was given by a Mr. Kramer, for whom the town was named. The site was laid out in 1888.
  
• Lancaster. A station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in south Lincoln. The name derives from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
  
• Lincoln. Originally named Lancaster, the county seat of Lancaster county. The site of Lincoln as capitol of the state of Nebraska was formally located in July, 1867. The name was chosen in honor of President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was made the county seat of Lancaster county by an act approved February 12, 1869.
  
• Malcolm. Malcolm A. Showers once owned the section of land of which Malcolm is now a part. The town was named for him and was laid out in 1877.
  
• Martel. Martel was named by R. J. Greene, A. G. Beeson, and H. M. Bushnell of Lincoln who bought the land and laid out the town-site, in honor of Charles Martel, the Hammer, king of the Franks, 689-741.
  
• Normal. The location of Normal included the site of the Lincoln Normal School for which the town was named. The school no longer exists and the town has become a part of the city of Lincoln, though the post office is still maintained.
  
• Panama. This village was founded in the late seventies and is located on the Missouri Pacific railroad in Panama precinct. It was probably named for the Isthmus of Panama or the Panama canal, which were then more or less discussed.
  
• Pecks Grove. A station on the Missouri Pacific railroad on the east side of Lincoln. It was named for Philetus Peck, the owner of the land and planter of the neighboring grove.
  
• Pella. An inland village near the southeastern corner of Lancaster county in Panama precinct. It was founded by Hollanders from Pella, Marion county, Iowa, and was named by them after their former home. Pella, Iowa, was colonized by Dutch emigrants whom the word "Pella" meant "city of refuge." The name derives from Pella, the ancient capital of the Macedonian empire and the birthplace of Alexander the Great.
  
• Prairie Home. A man by the name of Waite who owned a farm one-half mile south of this village named it Prairie Home. Mr. Waite was the first agent on the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific railroad in this village. It is thought that he named it Prairie Home because the post office was at that time in a private dwelling on the prairie.
  
• Princeton. This village is located on the Union Pacific railroad and was founded in 1886. It was probably named for Princeton, New Jersey.
  
• Raymond. This town was named after I. M. Raymond, the senior member of the firm of Raymond Brothers and Clark, wholesale grocers of Lincoln. It was platted in 1880.
  
• Roca. Roca was laid out in 1876. In the early days the chief industry in this vicinity was stone quarrying. When the town was laid out in 1876, the citizens wished to choose a name which would suggest this industry. Roca was decided upon since this is the Spanish word for stone.
  
• Rokeby. This village was probably named for Sir Walter Scott's poem, Rokeby.
  
• Saltillo. This village was founded in September, 1882. It was probably named for Saltillo, Mexico. Saltillo is from the Spanish word salto, meaning leap or bound; saltillo, a little hop or a little leap. The neighboring precinct has the same name.
  
• Sprague. This town was surveyed on the Missouri Pacific railroad in 1888 by a Mr. Sprague, for whom it was named.
  
• Summit. A station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in South Pass precinct. It is situated on or near the crest of the watershed or divide, hence the name.
  
• University Place. So named because it is the location of Nebraska Wesleyan University. It was previously named Athens.
  
• Walton. Named after A. Walton who homesteaded about three miles northeast of the present village and who ran the first pony express to his farm where the post office was at the time. When the railway was built and the new town was located, it retained the old name.
  
• Waverly. The settlement of Waverly dates back to about 1868. The town was named for Sir Walter Scott's historical novel, Waverley, and the streets are also named from the same work. The precinct has the same name.
  
• West Lincoln. A village on the Union Pacific railroad northwest of Lincoln in West Lincoln precinct. The name derives from Lincoln, Nebraska.
  
• Woodlawn. A village on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad, in Oak precinct. The name is locally descriptive, there being timber in the vicinity. The name of the precinct is also arboreal in origin and for a local reason. Oak creek which runs through this precinct has its name for the same reason, that is for the bur oak timber in the vicinity.
  

© 2001 for the NEGenWeb Project by Connie Snyder