History Reminiscence & Biography of Western NE

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Compendium of History Reminiscence & Biography of Western Nebraska

page 285

to which his success is in a large measure due.

Mr. Townsend was born in Vernon county, Wisconsin, October 22, 1857. He is a son of Jonathan Townsend, a farmer of Pennsylvania German origin, and Martha Goldrick, who was also a native of the Keystone state. He is the seventh member of a family of eight children, was reared on a farm, beginning at an early age to assist his father in the hard work of which every one who has ever lived in the country knows there is much. He received a common school education, and after attending the state normal school began teaching in his native county. At the age of twenty-one he left home and began a career for himself. Coming west he first settled in Hamilton county, Nebraska, in 1871, where he followed teaching for two years. In 1880 he came to Brown county an remained there through the severe winter of 1880-81, having taken a homestead in the northwest quarter of section 11, township 30, range 23, where he put up a two-story dwelling built of hewed logs, and "batched" it for several years. In 1890 this house burned and all his household goods were lost. During these years all his supplies had to be hauled from Oakdale and Neligh, a distance of about one hundred miles, and in making these trips he was obliged to spend several nights camping out on the road. He was employed part of the time during the early years here in teaching the district school in his locality, and has since first coming always taken a deep interest in all educational matters in the county, for two terms serving as superintendent of schools of Brown county. In 1894 he purchased his present home, located in section 12, township 30, range 23, moving on it in the same year. This was entirely unimproved property, and he went to work building up a good farm, and now has a complete set of substantial and comfortable buildings, with windmill, fences, etc., which makes it one of the best farms in the locality. A view of the home and surroundings may be seen elsewhere in this work. He enjoys peace and prosperity and his pleasant home is surrounded by all the comforts of country life. He engages principally in grain raising, which he finds very profitable, also keeps quite a goodly number of stock.

Mr. Townsend was married November 15, 1887, to Miss Leona Hagerman, a native of Wisconsin, Her father, Calvin Hagerman, is an old settler in this county, and a sketch of this gentleman's life will be found in this volume on another page. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend have a family of four children, who are named as follows: Glen R., Lura B., Lyndon E. and Lisle M. They are a happy family, and highly respected in the community in which they reside.

Mr. Townsend has been a man of successful endeavor, and is now numbered among the substantial and prominent citizens of this locality. In political faith he is a Democrat and affiliates with the Ainsworth camp. *Woodmen of the World.*

*"Portion between the two asterisks in the above bio appears exactly as it is in the original book. Interpretation is left to descendents."

---->o<---- DR. HAL. C. SMITH
The gentleman above named is one of the well known and highly esteemed residents of Franklin, Nebraska, where he has practiced medicine for the past two years. He is a young man of exceptional intelligence and good judgment, and has fitted himself for the profession which he has chosen for his life work by a superior education and years of hard study and close application. Dr. Smith is a native of Pike, county, Illinois, a son of Rev. John T. Smith, a well known minister of the Christian (Disciples) church, and our subject grew up in Illinois. He was educated at the Nebraska City high school and later the Lincoln Medical College, graduating from the latter institution in 1904. He then took a post graduate course at the Chicago Polyclinic College and attended Pratt's Course in Chicago during 1905 and Northwestern the following year. Dr. Smith is also a graduate of Neiswanger's School of Electro-Therapeutics, and in 1908 he attended the surgical clinics at the Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital of Chicago and also Dr. Pratt's Course the same year at Herring Medical School. In addition to this, he spent some time at Dr. Mayo's Hospital, Rochester, Minn., and has thoroughly prepared himself for his career. In May, 1904, he located at Brownsville, and came to his present location in 1906, where he is now enjoying a large practice, and rapidly gaining recognition as a master of the work.

Dr. Smith is a Mason and Shriner, also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member of the Republican Valley and the Nebraska State Medical Associations, also secretary of the County Medical Association, and special examiner here for the New York Mutual Life Insurance Company, the Bankers' Life, of Lincoln, and the Security Mutual Insurance Company, of Lincoln, besides acting also for the Middle West, of Lincoln, and the Union Central, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and State Mutual Life Assurance Com-

Compendium of History Reminiscence & Biography of Western Nebraska

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pany, of Worcester, Mass. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and Ancient Order of United Workmen.

---->o<---- ALLEN G. FISHER
Allen G. Fisher, whose name is familiar to all acquainted with the business men of Northwestern Nebraska, was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, in September, 1863, of Scotch-Irish, Pennsylvania Dutch and English blood. His father, George W. Fisher, senior, is a Presbyterian minister, still in charge of the First Presbyterian church of Trenton, Illinois, of which he was made pastor in 1868.

Our subject was educated at McKendree College, Lebanon, Ill., where though youngest he took third honor in his class with the degrees of A. B., LL. M. and A. M. In 1884 he took third honors and degree of LL. B. at Washington University, St. Louis. He served as deputy clerk of Cumberland county, Illinois, for twenty-eight months, and May 1, 1886, located at Chadron, where he was a member of the firm of Fall, Spargur & Fisher, the first lawyers in Chadron. He has practiced law there continuously since, except 1898, when he was in the army. He took a homestead in section 32, township 30, range 56, in Sioux county, Nebraska, and still owns this and other lands. His practice extends all over central Wyoming and Black Hills, and all over Nebraska. He is a Republican and from January, 1897, to June, 1898, was county attorney of Dawes county, being elected by the same majority that the county gave Bryan, and Holcomb for Governor on the fusion ticket. For three years he served as city attorney of Chadron. Having been since 1887 a member of the National Guard, he was commissioned captain for services in Sioux war in 1891, and in 1898, at the declaration of war with Spain, he raised Company H. Second Regiment, Nebraska Volunteer Infantry, and was elected captain and commissioned as such and went south with it to Chickamauga Park, Georgia. They were mustered out with this regiment at Fort Omaha, October 24, 1898, at the end of six months' service, and he was offered a similar commission in the Philippine army, but the war being ended, declined this. During this service the county board removed him from the office of county attorney as a political stroke, but was placed on the ticket as candidate for representative, after his muster out, to fill vacancy, by declination of Republican nominee, and he carried the district (then and later fusion by more than 800 votes) by a substantial majority.

Mr. Fisher was married in 1884 to Miss Flora Yanaway, also a native of Ohio, and they are parents of six living children: John G., a Sioux county rancher; Bessie V. and Winnie, both graduates of Chadron High School and Wesleyan students at University Place; William Allen, Alice Regina and Charles Andrew, who survive their brother, George, who died in 1905.

---->o<---- JOHN N. STANDT
Among the business enterprises which contribute in a marked degree to the prosperity of Holdrege, Phelps county, Nebraska, is the wholesale bakery and confectionery establishment of John N. Standt, sole proprietor and manager.

Mr. Standt is a native of Bundenbach, Rhineland, Germany. His parents having died, our subject left his native land with an uncle when only a boy, going to London, England, and he there learned the baker's and confectioner's trade, working at it up to 1885, and at that time came to the United States where he has been in the same business ever since.

In 1889 he came to Holdrege and began in business, starting in on small scale as he had not much capital, but he made a success from the start, and his good bread, cakes and confectionery brought him an ever increasing trade and he is accounted one of the leading business men of the town. He now turns out from one thousand five hundred to two thousand loaves of bread per day, and his cake and candy output is correspondingly large, employing four bakers all the time. He sends his goods all through the western part of Nebraska, also into Colorado. He does not keep any solicitors to sell his goods, but sells them entirely on their merits. Mr. Standt owns his store and factory building, which is located on one of the main corners of Holdrege.

Mr. Standt is one of the active public-spirited men of his community, and takes a leading part in all matters that tend to the advancement of commercial and educational affairs. He has been city treasurer for the past eight years. At different times has held the office of chairman and secretary of the county central committee of the People's Independent party of Phelps county. He is an active member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Woodmen of the World, the Highlanders, the Mutual Protective League, also the National Protective League, besides other fraternal and social organizations. He has a genial, social disposition and pleasing