Compendium of History Reminiscence & Biography of Western Nebraska
Mr. Rose was born in Jasper county, Iowa, October 3, 1868, removing with his parents, Francis M. and Tabiatha (Flock) Rose, to Shelby county, that state, when he was about twelve years of age. His parents were highly respected residents of Cheyenne county, coming in 1885, and there they resided for twenty-two years, and now are living at Miller, Buffalo county, Nebraska. Our subject followed in April, 1886, and lived with his parents for about four years, then filed on a claim in section 4, township 14, range 46, upon which he proved up and sold in September, 1908. He purchased his present farm in March, 1907, an excellent property all fenced and with an unfailing supply of water in Lodgepole creek for stock and irrigation. He was very successful from the start; and although met with some discouragements, has, in the main, done exceedingly well, and is recognized as one of the progressive and prosperous farmers of his locality, a good business man and good manager. About sixty acres of his farm are cultivated, and he raises all kinds of small grains, using the balance for pasture and ranching purposes. The dwelling is of unusually neat architecture being one of the prettiest residences in the Lodgepole valley. The grove south of the house is one of the tallest in the region.
Mr. Rose was united in marriage March 20, 1902 to Miss Phebe Stewart, whose parents, Augustus N. and Martha (Coats) Stewart now reside in Keith county, Nebraska. Four children have been born of this union, who are named as follows: Velma Vesta, Viola Mildred, Vernon Lester and Georgia Anna (deceased) ; they form a most interesting and charming family their home being one of the most hospitable in this section. Mr. Rose occupies a foremost position in the affairs of his locality, is active in local politics, and liked by all who know him. Politically he is a strong Republican. Our subject and his wife are members of the Methodist church.
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The gentleman above named is prominent among the younger professional men of Crawford, Nebraska. Mr. Ivins is engaged in the practice of dentistry here, and has gained a large clientage through his skill and genial personality.
Mr. Ivins is a native of Dunlap, Iowa, born in 1880, of American parents. His father, Cyrus Ivins, was a well-known resident of Dunlap, and a successful business man, working as a traveling salesman through the state of Nebraska during the early pioneer days when the region was very sparsely settled. His mother was Martha (Johnson) Ivins. In 1885 the family moved to Fremont, Nebraska, where our subject was reared and educated, attending school in Omaha in 1894. In 1898 he enlisted in the Third Nebraska regiment and went to Cuba with his company, where he saw service in the Spanish-American war. After his return from the Spanish-American war he returned to Nebraska and began his study of dentistry, taking a course at the Omaha Dental College. which is a part of the University of Omaha. He was a brilliant student and graduated from that institution in 1903 establishing an office at Crawford in the same year, where he has built up a good practice and is considered one of the rising young men of the town.
In 1904 Mr. Ivins was married to Miss Myrtle Hogel, whose father, J. H. Hogel, is a well known old resident of Crawford. Mr. and Mrs. Ivins have one child, Myrtle Louise.
Mr. Ivins was elected a member of the city council in 1906, and is now serving on the village board. He is a Republican in politics.
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Frank Black, for the past twenty-five years a resident of Dawes county, Nebraska, has identified himself with the interests of Western Nebraska, and by building up a fine farm and lending his influence for good citizenship he has become one of the deservedly successful and prosperous citizens of his locality.
Mr. Black was born in Henry county, Iowa, in 1854. His father, Lafayette Black, was a native of Ohio, and among the pioneer settlers in Iowa. He married Annie Johnson, born in Kentucky. She is now seventy-four years of age and is living in Gentry county, Missouri. Our subject grew up in the latter state, where the family settled when he was about six years of age. He received but a limited schooling, attending the country schools, and much of his time was spent in assisting his parents in performing the farm work and helping build up their home. At the age of twenty he left home and started in for himself, following farm work for two or three years, spending some time in Madison and Henry counties, Iowa, and in the fall of 1876 came back to Missouri, where he was married and began farming on his own account in the same county with his parents. He remained there for eight years, then came to Nebraska with the Sweat colony, arriving at Valentine on April 6th, 1884, and teaming from that place to where he located, spending one month or more on the trip from Missouri. He took up a homestead, his present home, in section 23,
township 32, range 48, and built a log cabin on the place;
finishing same with a dirt roof, and occupied this, for two years,
then building a good log house. He owned some ox teams and these
he used in breaking up his farm and hauling timber for different
purposes. The first crop he put in was a sod crop of corn,
potatoes and vegetables, and had a very good yield. He went
through the drouth years, but never had an entire failure of
crops, although was often obliged to haul wood and sell it to
obtain a living and make up for his short crops. He continued to
build up his farm, however, and through industry and perseverance
succeeded in getting together a nice property, constantly adding
to his acreage, until he is now owner of a fine ranch of 1,000
acres. located on Big Bordeaux Creek, and besides this controls
altogether two thousand six hundred acres. The. farm is well
supplied with natural timber, wild fruits and good water, and he
has it well improved with good buildings, and about twenty miles
of fence. He raises considerable corn, and handles a great deal of
stock each year. On another page we present an interesting picture
showing views on Mr. Black's ranch.
Mr. Black takes a keen interest in local pubic affairs, at all times lending his aid and influence for good government and the bettering of conditions in his community. He is a Republican.
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John Doe, residing on section 36, Laird township, is one of the successful agriculturists of Phelps county, Nebraska. He is a man of energetic will and industrious habits and richly deserves the success which he has attained here, and commands the respect and esteem of all with whom he comes in contact.
Mr. Doe is a native of Illinois. His father originally came from Bangor, Maine, and his mother was a native of Troy, New York, the family coming west when our subject was a child and settling in Illinois, where he grew up. The father later came to Nebraska, his death occurring in Phelps county in 1900, and the mother still lives here.
Father and son farmed in Bureau county for many years, the former living on one farm for forty years.. This farm comprised one hundred and sixty acres, and while they were there raised good crops and accumulated quite a snug little property, but after coming to Nebraska found that the opportunities were much better here, and crops just as good as in Illinois; and climate more agreeable. Mr. Doe is engaged mostly in grain raising, and his wheat crops are of the best. He keeps only enough stock for fanning and domestic purposes, and finds grain raising very profitable. For the past fourteen years he has owned and operated a threshing outfit, and threshes all over this part of the country, deriving a nice income from this source. He is enthusiastic regarding wheat raising, and thinks that winter wheat, if properly planted and taken care of, will make any man. He came to his present farm in 1892, having purchased it six years previously, at that time the land being mostly wild, and he has broken it all up and now has it in a high state of cultivation.
Mr. Doe has never married.
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John M. Samuelson, who lives on section 16, township 15, range 40, in Keith county, Nebraska, occupies am enviable position among the old timers and successful ranchers of the county. He was born in the province of Smolan, Sweden, June 23, 1853, his father being a mechanic and carpenter. Our subject grew up in his native land, where at an early age, he learned the cabinet maker's trade, which business he followed in various parts of Sweden and Norway. He in the prosecution of his craft and was for some years connected with the government work of the two countries named, going at one time as far as Trondjam, Norway.
In 1887, with his wife and five children, he came to America, sailing from Gottenburg for Hull, England, on the 14th of July; four days later he embarked at Liverpool in the Arabic and after a voyage of thirteen days, landed in New York the last day of July. Thence he came west to Nebraska, reaching Ogallala, August 5th, where he joined a brother and followed cabinet making for two years. During 1890 and 1891 he lived in the city of Denver, Colorado, plying his trade, after which he returned to Keith county, settling on a farm two and one-half miles northwest of Ogallala, where he entered a homestead on section 26, township 14, range 39. Here he put up good buildings and thoroughly improved the homestead, living there un-
til 1897, when he proved up on the homestead and came to his present farm in section 16, township 15, range 40. He has a splendid ranch of two hundred and sixty acres of fine land, all of which is irrigable; it is thoroughly improved with good house, barns, sheds, granary, corn-crib, two wells and wind mills and a nice grove of forest trees. He has taken special pains in growing a fine orchard of apple, cherry and peach trees. He also has some wild plum trees and an abundance of small fruit. His farm is one of the best in Keith county.
Mr. Samuelson was married in Sweden, in March, 1875, to Miss Anna Johnson, who was also a native of the province of Smolan, in that country. Mr. and Mrs. Samuelson have had six children: Matilda; wife of Clarence Mahafy, ranching near Ogallala: Charles I., who is mentioned below; Francis Oscar, engaged in farming four miles northeast of Ogallala; Theodore, a blacksmith in the county seat; Martin, a teacher at Dodge, Nebraska, and Gustave, who still resides with the old folks at home.
Mr. Samuelson had but little of this world's goods to start on when he landed in Keith county, having but $60 in money and being burdened with debts amounting to ninety dollars. But he was full of grit and determination to win and he has made a fine success of life. He has occupied a prominent place in the affairs of his community and is known everywhere as an upright and progressive citizen. He is a Republican in and a member of the Lutheran church.
Charles J. Samuelson, son of our subject, is farming for himself on five hundred acres of his land, and has proven to be a successful farmer. Charles J. has a finely improved farm, on which he has good buildings, an orchard of spendid trees and all necessary improvements. He settled on his land in 1903 and his industry and good management have, in four years, established him on the road to wealth and prosperity,
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John Berney, county judge of Wheeler county, Nebraska, is one of the foremost men of this section. He was elected to his present office on the Republican ticket in 1905, and re-elected in 1907 to same office, and is now serving his second term.
Mr. Berney is a native of Sheffield, Illinois, born in 1871. His father, James B., was born in 1842, in Scotland, at the age of four years coming to the United States with his parents, settled in New York state. Our subject's mother was Mary Henderson, born in New York state, of Irish descent, and she was the mother of nine children, John being the eldest of the brood. Both parents are still living and own a ranch of eight hundred acres in Wheeler county. When our subject was a young man of eighteen years he left Illinois and came west, settling in Platte County, Nebraska, where he bought a small farm. After operating that place for several years he sold out and moved to Boone county where he worked at the printer's trade and remained there up to 1904. He next came to this county and established the Wheeler County Independent, at Bartlett, the county seat, the only county newspaper published in Wheeler county, Nebraska. Mr. Berney was elected to his present position and he is one of the most popular public officials the county has ever had, able and efficient in every respect.
Mr. Berney is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and is active in every movement introduced for the improvement of his locality. He is familiar with every part of his county, well liked and a man of sterling character and honesty of purpose. He is enthusiastic regarding the possibilities of this section and thinks the opportunities for the average man are better here than in the eastern states, also considers western Nebraska superior to any other part of the state as an agricultural section, on account of the healthy climate, good water supply, etc. Mr. Berney has never married.
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Fred Guildner, a prominent farmer of Liberty precinct, resides on his well-improved farm of eight hundred acres, and conducts the same in accordance with modern methods and scientific principles. He is one of the old settlers of western Nebraska, and has done his full share in the building up of his locality, incidentally accumulating for himself a fine estate and valuable property in Perkins county.
Mr. Guildner was born in the town of Erford, Germany, in 1860. When he was a small boy his father died, and the mother came to America with her family when he was seven years of age and for a time they lived in New York City, then emigrated to Wisconsin where our subject was raised and educated. As a young man he spent considerable time in the lumber business in Wisconsin, working in the lumber regions near Lake Superior. In 1881 he came to Nebraska, settling in Hamilton county, and lived there for four years. There he began in the well business and followed it up to 1885, then came to Perkins
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