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Hills and in Colorado but was not fortunate enough to strike a good lead.
Mr. Wolf first homesteaded in 1889, but after starting a farm he abandoned the place and allowed it to go back, and later homesteaded on section 2, township 15, range 48, taking this farm in 1896. He stuck to the place, constantly improved it, erected good buildings, planted trees, and now has a fine estate, consisting of six hundred and forty acres of deeded land, besides controlling four hundred and eighty acres additional. About one hundred acres are in a high state of cultivation on which he raises splendid crops, and he is engaged to quite an extent in stock raising, running one hundred cattle and a small bunch of horses. The ranch has a complete set of good buildings, corrals, all fenced, and every improvement necessary for the operation of a model ranch and farm.
On September 7, 1892, Mr. Wolf was married to Mary Freichs, at Sidney. She was a native of Adams county, Illinois, and came to Cheyenne county with her father, Herman Freichs, in 1886, they being among the pioneers in that region, and the family are well known to all the old timers. Six children came to bless the union of our subject and his estimable wife, named as follows: Rudolph, Magdalene, Mary, Paul, Katie and Alice, all of who are living at home, each assisting in a large measure to carry on the home ranch.
Since his residence in this county Mr. Wolf has taken an active interest in every movement for the betterment of conditions, and his name will be remembered through all the coming history of the state of Nebraska as a leading man in the county's affairs. He is a stanch Democrat, uses his influence for the good of the party, and has attended numerous conventions of the party as a delegate. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America of Sidney.
After this he went to work as a bartender and in 1899 started in the saloon business for himself. He still owns the tree claim which he took up on coming to Cherry county, and also a fine house in Valentine.
Mr. Hull was married to Miss Annie Lanner, who is of German descent, born and raised in Iowa. In politics Mr. Hull is a Republican, and takes an active interest in all party affairs.
Mr. Bateman was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1832, was raised there and lived with his parents until he was twenty-three years of age. His father, John Bateman, was a stage driver before the railroad was introduced in their vicinity, and he and his wife never left the mother country. In 1885 our subject came to America and located in Wisconsin where he remained for thirty-two years with the exception of one winter which was spent in Idaho. He is a butcher by trade, and followed that occupation at different times in his younger days. In 1864 he crossed the plains and engaged in the stock business, which he has followed almost constantly since coming to America. In 1887 he came to Sheridan county and filed on the homestead which he occupied for many years, moving his family here the following spring. He experienced some pretty hard times during the dry years which struck the locality soon after he settled here, and lost all his crops for several seasons, and his finances got so low that had he paid his debts he would not have had anything left. He worked hard in establishing his farm, and gradually added to it until he became the proprietor of nine hundred and
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sixty acres of good land. His ranch was well improved and he built a good house, barns, etc., making a pleasant home and valuable estate, which he gained by dint of his industry, supplemented by the strictest integrity, and he well merited the success and high standing accorded him in his community. In 1907 he sold his farm property and returned to Wisconsin on a visit. He has bought property in Gordon, however, and intends to make that place his home.
Mr. Bateman was married in 1871 to Miss Elizabeth Caunt, who was born in England and came to America with her parents when a young girl. Her father never liked America and was dissatisfied after settling here. Her mother, who was Miss Anna Smith, was born in England, in 1825, and is now living in South Dakota and enjoying the best of health. Mr. and Mrs. Bateman have a family of eight children, namely: Nelson, William, Margaret, Louisa, Matthew, Fred, Elizabeth and Lillian, all of whom, excepting three which died in infancy, grew to young manhood and womanhood.
In 1904 Mr. Bateman returned to England for a visit, and intends to go again soon, as he enjoys revisiting the scenes of his boyhood and living over again the happy days he spent in the mother country. He is one of the oldest men in this part of the state, but is hale and hearty, does not know what sickness is. He is an inveterate reader, never using eye-glasses or any aid for his sight. He keeps abreast of the times, and is one of the best informed men in the community. He is a Republican. He takes an active interest in party affairs, but has never held any office in Nebraska but has served his party in different capacities while living in Wisconsin. He has a host of acquaintances and enjoys the friendship and esteem of everyone who knows him.
Mr. Rundquist was born in Wexeo, Sweden, in 1846, and came to America when he was twenty-one years old. He located in Minnesota, remaining there for some years, and in 1879 came to Phelps county, settling on a timber claim in Sheridan township, section 14. Here he built a sod house and went to work improving the property. He soon after built a frame dwelling. He planted trees on his farm, and had a grove of eighteen acres, and was very successful in his farming operations, raising grain, and mixed stock. He had a large number of chickens, and about fifty to seventy-five hogs. His wheat crop averaged twenty-two and corn fifty bushels to the acre. He remained on this place up to 1904, then sold his holdings, and purchased the eighty acres where he now lives, situated on section 32, of Sheridan township, Phelps county. This property adjoins the town of Holdrege. He has this farm well improved, and is very comfortably situated. In 1906 Mr. Rundquist visited Sweden, remaining for two months, and went all over the country around Stockholm. He visited the fair at Nochapin.
Railways have made a great change in that country, and many small towns have sprung up all around in the vicinity of his old home. The timber is rapidly being cut down, and everything much changed from the time he lived there. Every man in obliged to serve three years in the army, and the people are very slow in taking up modern improvements, and it is next to impossible to accumulate any great amount of wealth in that county.
Mr. Rundquist was married in 1876 to Miss Sophia Peterson, of Sweden, and they have a family of three children, namely: Anna, Sally and William.
Mr. Rundquist takes a commendable interest in all matters of public interest in his community, was assessor of his township for ten years, and under the new law, acts as deputy, which he has held since 1905. He is also a member of the school board. In political faith, he is an independent voter.
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associated himself with the Union Pacific Coal Company for one year.
In the year of 1885, Mr. Kennedy came to Cherry county, Nebraska, and took pre-emption in section 29, township 30, range 30, and proved up. Then he returned to Omaha for a time and assisted his father in the latter's law office until 1893, when he came back to Cherry county, settling near what is now Kennedy postoffice (which office was named after him), on his tree claim on section 31. In 1894 he was married to Miss Nancy E. McAlevy, a school teacher, daughter of Samuel E. McAlevy, who was a ranchman and one of the old settlers of Cherry county. Five children resulted from this union, named as follows: Benjamin, Samuel, Charlotte, Curtis and Elizabeth.
Mr. Kennedy is at present engaged in stock raising and ranching, and is the owner of a six-hundred-and-forty-acre ranch, located in section 31, township 30, range 30, and section 5, township 29, range 30, Cherry county, Nebraska. His brand is known as the "Flying E. Bar" ranch. He is one of the substantial old settlers of this county, and has done his full share in the making of history of this section of the country. He has passed through many hardships and discouragements in reaching the success to which he has attained, and is respected and admired as one of the leading citizens of Cherry county, Nebraska.
Mr. Kennedy is a stanch Democrat, and has held local office at different times. Since November, 1906, he has served as postmaster at the office which bears his name.
The father of our subject, John B. Harris, was a farmer all his life, he settling in Colorado in 1878. When Octave was two years of age his mother died. He lived in his native state until he was nine years of age, then came west with a sister, locating in California, remaining there for one winter. In 1871 he went to Fort Collins, Colorado, and worked out on ranches as a cowboy, and while yet a young lad rode all over the western country, rounding up cattle along the Powder river, and all the streams in this western county. For five years he lived with and was employed by Andrew McGinley, who is a prominent old settler and well-known ranchman of Sioux county. Octave located in this county in 1880, and for about five years worked as a cowboy, riding on horseback all through the country from Platte City to South Pass, Wyoming, and was familiar with every part of western Nebraska.
In 1885 Mr. Harris located on a ranch of his own, situated on Running Water river, which was, at that time, entirely unimproved prairie, and he had to start at the very beginning to build it up. He first put up a log house and remained on the land up to 1892, then came to his present location, filing on it as a homestead. He is now proprietor of one thousand six hundred acres, also operates a large tract of leased land as a ranch. He has a fine brick house of commodious size, 36x36 feet, two full stories high, with a nine-foot basement, and is one of the handsomest residences in the locality. He is engaged principally in the cattle and horse business, raising many animals each year for the market and breeding purposes.
Mr. Harris was married on March 7, 1885, to Caroline N. Abler, whose father, Lewis M. Abler, was a carpenter and wheelwright, and emigrated from France to this country during young manhood. Five children were born to our subject and his good wife, namely: Lewis, James Lester, Fred Abler, Frank and Addie May, all born and raised in the county.
Mr. Harris is a Republican in political belief.
Mr. Lurz was born in the village of Augsberg, Kingdom of Bavaria, October 28, 1843, and is a son of Gottlieb Lurz, a huntsman by occupation, living in Augsberg, where he raised his family of eight children, of whom our subject is the second member. At the age of twelve he began work, brick making, at which he was engaged for many years. At thirty he was superintendent of a large brickyard and seven years later established a business for himself, which he conducted until emigrating
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to America. Sailing from Antwerp on the Red Star liner Wiessland, in 1891, he landed in New York after a voyage of twelve days. Settling in Buffalo, he remained for nearly four years, working as a brickmason, while his son followed carpenter work in an ice box factory in that city. May 7, 1894, the family moved to Cherry county, where they took a homestead, the father on section 13 and the son on section 14, both of whom still live on and own these farms. Mr. Lurz has spent considerable money in improving the farm, building fences, barns, etc. The farm consists of one thousand four hundred and forty acres, most of which is hay land. For some time he was engaged in stock raising, but of late he has sold off the stock and has now turned his entire tract into a hay farm, shipping large quantities of baled hay each season.
Mr. Lurz was married in Germany, in 1867, to Miss Eva Schnelle, who died in January 1884. They had a family of children, namely: Fannie, now Mrs. Oley Brockley, living in Montana; Mary, wife of Karl Hoffstedder, and Karl, Jr., born October 28, 1875. The latter is his father's right-hand man, and the two are associated together in all their dealings. When they came to this section they lived in sod houses for some years, then put up substantial frame houses and have pleasant homes. Karl, Jr., was married July 4, 1904 to Miss Ida Wikle, a native of Nebraska, born in 1888. They have two children, Elsie and Millie. Karl, Jr., is a member of Wood Lake Camp No. 2947, Modern Woodmen of America. Both father and son are stanch Democrats. They are highly esteemed in the locality in which they reside and are prosperous and worthy citizens. Mr. Lurz and his family are members of the Catholic church.
A view of the family residence is
shown elsewhere in this work.
Mr. Phillips is a native of Van Buren county, Iowa, born in 1855. His father, Moses Phillips, was of Irish-German extraction, a farmer by occupation, and married Miss Sarah Silvers, of Ohio. Our subject was reared and educated in Iowa, where he was brought up to do all sorts of hard farm work, and during his boyhood years learned the lesson of responsibility and energy from his sturdy parents, which stood him in such good stead in later life. In 1879 he left Iowa and driving overland settled in the western part of Kansas, locating in Decatur county. The trip was made in a covered wagon and took many weeks, the nights being spent in camping out along the way. The first year he was in Kansas the drouth (sic) destroyed his small crops, but after that had better success and he remained there for seven years, when he sold out his holdings for a good sum and returned to Iowa. He spent three or four years there, then decided to go back to Kansas, and in the fall of 1890, left the latter state and came to Nebraska, settling in Dawes county, where he began farming on rented land, which he worked for a couple of years, then bought his present farm in section 18, township 30, range 52, and later took a Kincaid homestead adjoining this farm. He and his wife now own one thousand one hundred and forty acres of good land located on Dead Man's creek, and here he has fine running water for his stock, of which he keeps quite a large number. There is plenty of natural timber on the place, wild fruits, etc., and he raises good crops of small grains, cultivating about seventy acres, while from forty to fifty acres can be irrigated. He has been very successful in his different ventures, and is counted one of the wealthy men of his locality, all gained through his thrift and industry, supplemented by good business judgment and honesty of dealings. When he lived in Kansas he dwelt in a sod house for a time and had to start farming with wild, raw prairie land, utterly unimproved, and succeeded in building up a good home there.
Mr. Phillips was married in 1877 to Miss Malinda Hughes, daughter of Jerry. A. and Elizabeth (Wycoff) Hughes, and to them have been born eight children, seven of whom are living, named as follows: John, Hollie, Rollie, Mose, Elsie, Lottie and Winfield. Timothy, second of the children, is deceased.
In political views our subject is a strong Republican.
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that, while still in the forties, he is deservedly written in this history as one of the leading citizens of this region. His home is in secton (sic) 3, township 30, range 29, and here he has built up one of the leading agricultural establishments in Cherry county.
Mr. Daniels was born near Morrison, Whiteside county, Illinois, April 29, 1860, where his parents, David and Mary (Potter) Daniels, had long been established as successful tillers of the soil. Both were American born, the father a native of Massachusetts, the mother of Ohio. John W. was their second in a family of eight children. He was reared on the farm, where he remained until reaching the age of seventeen years, when he left home to determine his destiny for himself. Naturally he followed farming, to which he had been reared, and for which he seemed to have a special fitness. For a time he worked in this line in Iowa, and then went into the southern part of Nebraska, where he rented land for two years on a farm in Adams county. In 1884 he made his first appearance as a settler in Cherry county, and in August of that year located on a pre-emption claim. Here he lived alone for some years, and had for his "bachelor" home a sod house, a most modest and unassuming structure, but equal to his needs in those early days. He did his farm work with oxen, and carried on such grain and corn farming as was customary at that time. His constant effort, however, has been to get away from grain as his main line, and become a stock breeder. This he is doing and on a very large scale. He owns an extensive ranch consisting of twenty-four hundred and eighty acres, well watered by Gordon creek and Watts and Meadow lakes, which border it, and suitable alike for pasture or hay, and here he is developing a very important horse, mule and cattle industry. He has taken advantage of the homestead, pre-emption and tree claims in securing his land, and has a Kincaid homestead of four hundred and eight acres.
Mr. Daniels was married May 8, 1889, to Miss Minnie E. Davis, a native of Kane county, Illinois, reared in Bureau county of that state. Her father, William S. Davis, an old settler in Cherry county, is a native of Warren county, New York. After fifteen years' residence in Illinois he migrated to Thayer county, Nebraska, in 1880, and five years later to Cherry county, where he took up a homestead with a tree claim on Schlage creek. Her mother, Margaret Swartout, is of German descent, a native of Dutchess county, New York. To Mr. and Mrs. Daniels two children have been born, Carl A. and Ralph R.
Mr. Daniels has taken an important part in local and county affairs, and has repeatedly been elected to high positions by the Republican party. He has attended many conventions and other political gatherings and conferences as delegate and a leading member of the party. In the fall of 1898 he was elected clerk of Cherry county, and served four years in that position, proving in every way a competent and trustworthy official. He affiliates with the Ancient Order of United Workmen at Valentine.
On another page of this volume we
present a picture of Mr. Daniels' ranch residence and the family
group.
Mr. Green was born in Monroe county, Arkansas, February 8, 1868, and is the fourth member of a family of seven children born to his parents, George W. and Amelia C. (Duncan) Green, both of whom were descendants of old American stock and lived to the best traditions of their ancestry. In the spring of 1878 the family removed to Watonwon county, Minnesota, and the following year to Rock county, Nebraska, making their journey overland from Minnesota in what was called a "prairie schooner," propelled by oxen, and requiring four weeks for the completion of the trip. The family home was made on section 18, township 32, range 17, and here the varying fortunes of pioneer days were experienced to the full.
When Edward G. Green had reached the age of twenty years he was united in mar-
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riage with Miss Cora White, whose father, Ezra White, was a farmer and miller in Iowa. To this union have come four children--Roy, Blanche, Delpha and Elden. After his marriage Mr. Green pre-empted land in the southern part of Rock county, where he built a sod house which became the home of the new family for some three years. At that time many were attracted by the promise of the new country just being opened up to the world by the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Mr. Green and his wife spent two years in Oregon, but were not entirely satisfied with the country, and returned to Rock county in 1893, and for the ensuing three years were residents of Long Pine or vicinity. Later Mr. Green rented land near the old homestead, which he cultivated for four years, after which he bought his present farm in sections 19 and 20, township 32, range 17, and here we find him at the present time well situated and becoming prosperous to a marked degree. He has remodeled the dwelling house, put up good buildings, and in general greaty (sic) improved the place. The evergreen grove filling the front lawn is an especially attractive feature of the place. His farm is one of the choice quarter sections of the county.
Mr. Green is a Republican in his political associations, and takes much interest in local conditions and questions. He has been precinct assessor and is regarded as one of the most reliable and substantial citizens of the day. The family are members of the Kirkwood Methodist church.
Mr. Harris is a native of Marine City, Michigan, where he was born in 1863. His father, Orsemus Harris, was a shipbuilder at Marine City, Michigan, born in Vermont, and was of English ancestry. His mother was Miss Lovicy Allen before she was married and was of German descent.
When our subject was a year old the family moved to Wisconsin and settled in the little city of Waupaca, where they lived until 1877. In this year the family came to Nebraska, driving through in a covered wagon, and, after a trip lasting five weeks, they settled in Greeley county. Here our subject grew to manhood, engaged in farming on the home place and elsewhere. He remembers the old sod shanty, the first home of the family, and also that he farmed over the ground where the city of Greeley Center now stands.
It was in the city of Greeley Center where Mr. Harris was married in 1886 to Miss Ida Henderson, daughter of Nels H. Henderson, a pioneer farmer of Greeley county and formerly a resident of Wisconsin. Her mother was Miss Lena Larson before marriage.
In 1886 our subject went to Valley county, Nebraska, and settled near Burwell on the North Loup river, where he farmed for two years. Then for two years he worked in a lumber yard, and in 1890 he quite that business and went to railroading, first in Burwell and later in Lincoln. He started work as a locomotive fireman and later became an engineer, following the employment for sixteen years. He lived in Lincoln for a number of years up to 1900, and had runs on the railroad both ways from the city. Mr. Harris is a good citizen and possesses the business intelligence and push that always characterize the successful railroad man.
Mr. Oldaker was born in Johnson county, Iowa, August 20, 1860, and was the second child in a family of ten. He lived in Johnson county until he was twenty-one, then went to western Montana and remained in that vicinity for four years. After that he drifted around to different points, finally returning to his home place. He came to what was then Cheyenne county, now known as Kimball county, in the fall of 1888, took up a homestead of a quarter section, and proved up on the land. Here he has passed through all the pioneer times, gradually adding to his original farm until he is now owner of four hundred and eighty acres, all well improved, and about one
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hundred and forty acres under cultivation. He has placed good buildings on the ranch and runs a large bunch of cattle and horses. His place is one of the valuable estates in the section, and he is counted among the prosperous and successful farmers and ranchmen of his region.
Mr. Oldaker's father is dead, while his mother resides in Wellman, Iowa. He also has five brothers and three sisters living, residing in different parts of the country.
Our subject was married to Miss Clara K. Kennedy, a native of Illinois, whose parents now live at Boulder, Colorado. Eight children have been to our subject and his good wife, as follows: Royal C., April 19, 1889, Elmo M., April 18, 1891 (died August 13, 1891); John Gilbert, May 31, 1892, Bessie Fay, July 2, 1894; Lolo M., July 30, 1896; Clarabel A. L., June 15, 1898; Earl F., June 14, 1902; Clifford L., July 15, 1907. The children live at home with their parents, where they have a pleasant home, and all are popular among the younger residents of their locality. Mr. Oldaker has been connected with the local schools in different capacities for a number of years, and takes a commendable interest in all local affairs. In politics he is independent of party.
Mr. Kellam is a son of David Kellam, a native of Delaware, and Ruth (Peter) Kellam, who settled in Illinois in 1830. Mrs. Kellam last resided at Beatrice, Nebraska, where she died at the age of ninety-one years. She enjoyed good health and an active mind up to the last. She was a daughter of Rev. William Peter, a pioneer preacher in the Methodist Episcopal church of Kentucky. He rode the circuits with Rev. Cartwright and the pioneer band who carried Methodism into the wilds of the west. Rev Peter was born in Kentucky, grew up there, and in 1830 he came west to Illinois, where he lived for only ten days, then died, leaving a widow with a large family of children.
Mr. Kellam, our subject, grew up in Illinois. After coming to Nebraska he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Midland township, Gage county, and conducted this farm up to 1901, also being interested in the real estate and insurance business with offices at Beatrice, where he had a large patronage and handled many deals in farming lands throughout that locality. He is a capable business man and was one of the foremost men of his section to push the development of the country, and has been an important factor in its growth. Six years ago he purchased the E. B. James farm, located one mile south of Franklin, on the river bottoms, the bluffs of this place overlooking the town. This farm has a good dwelling house and all improvements, and is a nice property. Mr. Kellam sold the place in 1906, as he wished to give up working hard, and is now prepared to spend his years in comfort and quiet, enjoying the fruits of his long years of labor.
Mr. Kellam married Nettie Forwood, daughter of T. B. Forwood, a native of Delaware, whose parents were pioneers in Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Kellam have the following children: Alfaretta, married to C. J. Furry, in business in Franklin; D. M., a druggist, and Mildred, at home.
Politically our subject is a Republican, and he has always been an active worker in his party. Mr. Kellam was appointed postmaster at Franklin by President Roosevelt in 1907.
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