page 1045

on section 34, township 15, range 52, which is now the home ranch, and together with his brother Andrew they own nearly two thousand acres of land, part of which is situated on Lodgepole creek and is mostly hay land. The partnership was dissolved in January, 1907, each taking his share of the cattle, the land having been owned severally from the beginning. Robert farms about one hundred and ten acres, running one hundred and sixty-six head of cattle and twenty horses and is prospering in his venture. He has the property will improved, the buildings being constructed of stone. The dwelling, remodeled in 1908-'09, is partly constructed of concrete and is a commodious and convenient dwelling. We are pleased to present a view of the ranch buildings on another page of this work.

     Mr. McAdam has gained a deservedly high station as a citizen and has always taken an active part in local and county affairs. In political views he is a Republican, except in local issues. Members of the Presbyterian church in Canada, they, finding no congregation of their denomination at Potter, have united with the Methodist church. Mr. McAdam is a member of the Modern Woodmen order at Potter.

     Mr. Russell was born in Monona county, Iowa, November 13, 1871. His father, Isaac N. Russell, was of American stock, a farmer and stock raiser, and came to Nebraska in 1889 with his family, locating in Cherry county, where he died September 14, 1900, and where his wife still resides. Our subject is the eldest in his father's family of four children, and was raised in Iowa until he was eighteen years old, and at the age of twenty-one started out for himself. He took up a homestead in 1894 in section 6, township 29, range 34, where he resides and to which he has since added four hundred and eighty acres, making a ranch of six hundred and forty acres of good land, well improved with good buildings and fences. He has about seventy-five head of cattle and thirty horses, and devotes his time to joint farming and stock raising, using besides his own land a section adjoining, which belongs to his wife.

     When Mr. Russell came to this region he had very little capital to start with, but by dint of his industry and perseverance he has built up a fine farm and valuable estate, and is satisfied that he has done much better here than he could have done Iowa. He has seen much of the ups and downs of an old settler's life, but late years have been better and he has been able to forge ahead at greater speed and is now recognized as one of the prosperous and successful men of the county. He has almost six hundred and forty acres of fine hay land, and from this he cut a splendid crop each years. Much of his farm is under lease to tenants, who cultivate the soil.

     Mr. Russell was married September 29, 1896, to Miss Myrtle Doyle, born in Missouri in 1879, whose father, Theodore Doyle formerly lived in this county, but is at present residing in Frontier county. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Russell, named as follows: Ruby, Dora, Theodore and Mildred, all born and reared in Cherry county. There is but one drawback to the location of Mr. Russell's farm, which is the distance to the nearest school, located our miles from his home, an inconvenience prevalent in the sparsely settled ranch country.

     Mr. Russell is a Republican in political faith and in November, 1907, was elected county commissioner by that party.

     Mr. Anderson first learned the carpenter and cabinet trade with his father, A. J. Anderson, now a farmer and resident of Sheridan township, Phelps county, where our subject's three brothers are also successful farmers. Few men have enjoyed the mechanical and manual training that has fallen to the lot of Mr. Anderson. For four and a half years Mr. Anderson was carpenter and foreman of the house of correction at Chicago. For eleven years he was instructor in the carpenter and cabinet department of the Illinois state reformatory for boys at Pontiac, Illinois, where his class consisted of from sixty to one hundred and twenty pupils, one-half of each day

page 1046

being given to manual training. The reports of the institution showed that sixty-five to eighty per cent, of the boys so trained followed the trade afterwards as a life work. For four years he was superintendent of construction for the Illinois state reformatory. Three and one-half years was spent with the Boland & Gormley Hardware Company, one of the most extensive of its kind in Chicago, as expert on fancy building hardware. He learned the trade of machinist at the McCormick Reaper Works, also in the Malleable Iron Works as a molder and brass finisher, and for several years was in the cabinet department of the Kimball organ factory, and while n Chicago worked on many of the finest residences being built at that time.

     In 1904 Mr. Anderson came to Holdrege, Nebraska, and since then has been engaged in contracting and building, and put up some of the finest residence buildings her, including the Carnegie library.

     Mr. Anders was married to Miss Amelia Christianson, daughter of C. M. Christianson, one of the pioneer settlers of Sheridan townships, who at his death left over a section of land to his children and a reputation as a devout Christian, having been an active member and official of the Swedish Mission church during his life. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have no children.

     Since Mr. Anderson's residence here he has earned the confidence of all with whom he has been associated, and enjoys an enviable reputation as a citizen.

     Mr. Knori was born in Switzerland in 1867 on a farm. His father, Andrew Knori, lived and died in that country, following farming all his life. Our subject grew up there, coming to America in 1891, landing in New York in May, and immediately struck out for the west, settling in Wisconsin, where he secured employment in a cheese factory and followed that work for two years. He then came to Sioux county, Nebraska, locating in Sow Bellie creek, where he filed on a homestead and proved up. He had nothing to start with, and his first dwelling was a dugout, in which he "batched it" for eight years. He went through many hard times during those years, but gradually improved his place, and succeeded in developing a good farm. In 1901 he settled on his present farm, situated on section 35, township 33, range 56, which was not altogether unimproved land, is lying along Big Monroe creek. He now owns a ranch of twenty-two hundred and fifty acres, and is engaged almost wholly in stock raising, keeping both beef and dairy cattle, is one of the most prominent ranchmen of his locality. His ranch is all fenced and well supplied with running water the year around. He raises some crops, having about one hundred acres cultivated with the balance in hay land and pasture. He has considerable irrigated land and raises a great deal of alfalfa. When Mr. Knori first started farming in this vicinity his only team was a pair of oxen, which did all his work of two years. He has had severe losses from drouths, etc., and in 1894, was burned out, losing property to the amount of three hundred dollars, which was a severe setback for him at that time.

     In 1901, Mr. Knori was married to Miss Elizabeth Noreisch, a native of Germany, born in Germany in 1881, who came to this country with her parents, who were old settlers in Sioux county and a sketch of whom appears in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Knori are the parents of four sons, named as follows: Samuel, Manuel, Lewis and Gustave.

     Our subject is one of leading men of his community, always active in local affairs, and is one of the substantial old-timers of his county.

      Politically he is a Democrat, but always votes for the best man. He is prominent in school matters in his township, at present serving as moderator.

     Mr. Bordwell was born in Cazenovai, New York, December 29, 1845, and grew up in that state. His father and mother were natives of

page 1047

Connecticut and Massachusetts, of English descent, both now being dead.

     In 1865 Mr. Bordwell came west to Chicago, where he remained for one year, then came to Omaha and spent seven years, engaged in real estate business. From Omaha he came to Cheyenne county, landing here in 1874, and since that time has lived here continuously. He homesteaded a tract of land situated in section 28, township 14, range 49. After locating here he passed through all the various changes that struck this region, going through the good, bad and indifferent times, but in spite of many hardships kept up his courage and stuck to his determination to build up a good home and fortune by his own efforts.

     In 1869 Mr. Bordwell was married to Margaret A. James, born in Hannibal, Missouri, and at the time of her marriage to our subject resided near Blair, Nebraska. Mrs. Bordwell died in 1901, leaving a family of three children, namely: Harry M., born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1871, and the other two , Frank J. and Vinnie E., born in this county in 1875 and 1884, respectively.

     Mr. Ashbaugh was born in Mercer county, Ohio, June 28, 1863, of American stock, his father being a farmer by occupation. There were nine children in his parents' family, of whom he was the eighth member in the order of birth. He was reared and educated in his native state, and at the age of twenty-one years he came west and filed on a homestead in section 14 and 15, township 30, range 23, putting up a small house built of logs, in which he lived for several years. His first team with which he broke up land was a yoke of oxen, which he used for two years. He saw many hard times, witnessing the dry years, having two total losses of his crops, besides losing his barns by fire in 1901. He worked hard and faithfully to overcome all difficulties, and now owns a fine farm of four hundred acres, one hundred of which are under cultivation, and the balance in pasture and hay land, including three acres of thrifty alfalfa. He has built up a good home and is well satisfied with the result of his labors.

     Mr. Ashbaugh was married in Mercer county, Ohio, October 2, 1883, to Miss Martha Fast, a native of Ohio, daughter of Daniel and Andora (Kiser) Fast, who were farmers and of American stock. Mr. and Mrs. Ashbaugh have six children - Nettie, the wife of James Crane, foreman of Plum creek section 52, Chicago & Northwestern railway; James, Mary Eli, Willis and Lloyd. For the past six years Mr. Ashbaugh has been moderator of his school district, and has taken a deep interest n all school work. He is a Democrat politically, a Modern Woodman fraternally (sic) and in religion an adherent of the United Brethen church.

     Mr. Thorp was born in Clay county, Missouri, in 1855. His parents were of English descent, natives of Kentucky, who settled in Missouri n 1821, and there our subject grew up and was educated. His boyhood years were spent among the pioneers of the west and he grew up a sturdy, independent frontier lad, early learning to depend upon his own efforts and also to assist his parent in the building up the home farm. In 1890 Mr. Thorp settled in Nebraska. He bought three hundred and sixty acres of land in Loup county, situated ten miles west of Burwell, and there followed farming and stock raising until 1897, when he moved to Burwell and established himself in the real estate business. For some time he owned and operated a general store here and made considerable money out of that enterprise. He is well known all over this part of the state and greatly admired for his excellent business ability and upright character, and is numbered among the well-to-do men financially of the county.

     In 1880 Mr. Thorp was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Taylor, a native of Missouri, and they are the parents of four children, two of whom are living, namely: Clara and Wil-

page 1048

liam T. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Burwell, and they are held in high esteem by every one in their community. Mr. Thorp has always taken an active interest in politics in his locality, and while living in Loup county served as county commissioner for seven years. In 1902 he was elected a member of the state legislature and served one term.

He is a Democrat and a strong party man.

     The greater part of our subject's life was spent in his native county, from which so many of our thrifty and enterprising citizens came. Here he received his education and learned the bricklayer's trade, which occupation he followed in several different parts of Germany.

     In 1868 Mr. Oetken and Miss Tomma Lottman were married and to this union ten children were born: Henry, George, Sena, Mollie, Minnie, Fred, Emma, Marie, John and Johanna, the last two dying in the old country. Some of Mr.Oetken's older children came to the United States in the early days and settled in Iowa in 1884 and 1887 and some of them live in that state now. It was not until 1892 that our subject, in company with two of his children, Fred and Minnie, came to America and located in Dawes county, Nebraska. In 1893 the wife and the three children, Mollie, Emma and Marie, came over the ocean and joined him in Dawes county, where the father prepared a home for them in section 21, township 30, range 50.

     When Mr. Oetken first settled on his farm in Dawes county there was nothing but a common board shanty on the place, [and here he no improvements (sic)], but to one of his race and blood this was no obstacle. He set to work with a determination characteristic of the German race and in a wonderfully short space of time his place began to show the fruits of his untiring labors. He erected a comfortable home for his family, a good barn, three windmills and two good wells. On two occasions his crops were destroyed by hail, but with all the hardships he experienced in making a new home in this western country he was not discouraged, but struggled on , and met with the success which was justly due his efforts. From time to time he secured adjoining land, and engaged in the raising of cattle, horses and mixed farming.

     During his lifetime in Dawes county Mr. Oetken took a lively interest in the affairs of the locality in which he resided, and did much toward the development of the county. In 1902 he passed away, leaving an estate of seven hundred and sixty acres, containing an abundance of good pine timber, which is now well looked after by his son Fred. He left behind him a host of loyal friends, who will ever honor his memory.

     Mr. Radford was born in 1852 at Somersetshire, England, and came to Canada with his parents in 1854. Later they went to New York state and thence to Iroquois county, Illinois, where he was reared.

     In 1876 he came to Nebraska, settling in Kearney county on a farm, and one year later homesteaded where he now lives, on section 30, township 8, range 14. He has been engaged in stock raising and mixed farming ever since locating here and has accumulated a valuable estate, his ranch at first containing one hundred and sixty acres, to which he has added constantly until he is now proprietor of thirteen hundred and sixty acres, as above stated. Of this about three hundred and sixty acres are in meadow, seven hundred acres in pasture, and the balance cultivated. He keeps about three hundred head of cattle and feeds all the grain and hay he raises, besides being compelled to buy more. His cattle are good grades, and he has thoroughbred Hereford males in his herd. He runs a large number of hogs annually, and handles only Berkshires crossed. He has dealt in the red hogs but prefers the Berkshire for all purposes, having at the head of his herd a pedigreed boar, and runs

page 1049

from fifty to three hundred hogs all the time. In 1908 Mr. Radford went into the Poland China strain and handles only that breed now, believing it to be the best of all. Mr. Radford raises five hundred tons of hay each years, and the place is abundantly supplied with good water, this combined with the fine valley land making it a splendid stock farm. His corn crop is always of the best and he has never had failure in the thirty-one years he has been here, getting an average yield of thirty-five to forty bushels per acre. He raises some wheat and oats, the latter averaging thirty bushels for the past ten years, and has had a yield of one hundred and fifteen bushels per acre some years. He has twenty acres of fine alfalfa and cuts good crops each season, while he has so much A1 wild hay that he does not need to sow alfalfa. There is seventy-six acres of red-top grass on his ranch which makes splendid fodder for cattle.

     Mr. Radford was married in 1883 to Miss Lizzie Shaad, of Crawford county, Ohio, and to them have been born the following children: Boyd, who married Miss Meluzenia Gormley, daughter of William W. Gormley, whose sketch appears in this book: Budd, aged twenty-two years: and Nora, aged twenty. Since 1905 our subject's sons have been equal partners with their father in the stock and ranching business, and take a deep interest in the work. In this way he has kept them at home, and it would be good plan for more farmers to try this method of keeping their sons on the farm, as it makes them ambitious to do the best possible and is a very good thing for both parents and children.

     Mr. Radford takes an active interest in local public affairs. He has been road overseer for nine years, school director and treasurer for several terms, also town clerk for two years. Politically he is an Independent. We present a picture of Mr. Radfords's residence on another page of this volume.

     Mr. Wilson was born in Jefferson county, Iowa, in 1851, and is a son of Joshua Wilson, a farmer, and native of Indiana. He married Frances Templeton, born in Ohio of Irish-American stock, and they had a family of twelve children, of whom our subject is the second member, and living at this writing. At the age of twenty-one he started in to make his own way in the world, following farm work for a couple of years, then taught school for three years, spending part of his time in different work after he quit teaching. He journeyed through Montana, Washington and other western states, working on railroad grades, etc., for four years, and in 1887 came to Sheridan county, taking a contract for four miles of Burlington & Missouri grade, and after he had finished this work made up his mind to stay in Nebraska. He had here plenty of room, range and water, and thought no one else would care to locate in the region, so filed on a homestead on section 9, which he still holds. There was then only one house between his own and the town of Whitman, and his idea was to build up a big cattle ranch. He bought forty-two head of cattle in 1888, and that was his start in the business. He put up a sod house and lived in it up to 1901, then built a fine brick residence, bringing the brick from Box Butte county, as he could not stand the idea of living in a frame or sod house. He succeeded in his venture from the first, and now has nineteen quarter sections of land, besides leasing other land, nearly all of which is valley land lying along the railroad, and he can load his stock within a mile of his ranch. He runs three hundred head of cattle and the number of horses, and thinks this is the best stock country he ever saw, and he has had wide experience all over the western states. Since he came here the region has developed considerably, and he is contented to stay as long as he cares to run a ranch, the dry seasons here really being better for him than wet ones.

     Mr. Wilson was married 1904 to Miss Mabel Taylor, born in Iowa in 1870. She is a daughter of J. C. and Nancy J. (Gray) Taylor, native of Ohio, who settled in Iowa in the early days. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson had one child, Francis, who died in infancy, and one living, Mabel Louise, born December 25, 1907.

     When Mr. Wilson located here Alliance was not located, but was started during the same fall, and has grown to be a thriving town. Antioch is his post office and Reno his railroad station, and his nearest trading post is Alliance, Nebraska. Mr. Wilson is popular in political circles, serving two terms as county surveyor, and refusing a third term because he could not devote the time necessary to the work. He could do considerable in this line of work: but his stock and ranch takes up all of his time and he prefers to attend to that business in preference to any other. He is a Populist, having votes that ticker ever since

page 1050

     Mr. Story was born in Pennsylvania in 1870. His father was Charles A.Story, from Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and during the Civil war was a captain in Pennsylvania regiment. Our subject came to Nebraska in 1879 and located on a farm near Amherst, Buffalo county, remaining on that place up to 1892, and for a time was in the agricultural implement business, and although he was very successful he decided to enter into the mercantile line of business, and in 1898 came to Maxwell and together with W. A. and W. H. Merrick, formed the firm of W. H. Merrick & Company, and opened up a fine general merchandise store in November of that year. The firm does a large business, their trade extending for twenty miles south and thirty miles north of the place, and they are steadily increasing their already complete stock, branching out the new lines, and making it one of the up-to-date establishments in this county.

     In 1897 Mr. Story married Miss Edna Merrick, daughter of W. H. Merrick, an old settler of Kearney county, Nebraska, having located there in 1878. He has held the office of county commissioner of Kearney county for some years, and was also a merchant of Newark, Nebraska, carrying on a store there from 1888 until 1901, when he sold this out and started in business at Amherst. The Merricks are an old family, who for generations past have lived in New Jersey, and his branch came to Rockford, Illinois, in the pioneer days of that state. Mr. and Mrs. Story have a family of three children, two sons and one daughter, all of whom are at present attending school.

     Mr. Story takes a commendable interest in all affairs which tend toward the advancement of conditions in his locality, and is highly respected and esteemed by his fellow associates.

      In political faith he is a Democrat.

     Mr. Rosenbaum was born in Washington county, Virginia, in 1860, on a farm. His father, Joel Rosenbaum, was of American birth, of Pennsylvania-Dutch stock, born in Virginia, and he married Nancy Ramsey, also of American stock. Our subject grew up in Virginia, assisting his parents in the work of carrying on their home farm, attending the country schools where he received his early education. At the age of twenty-two years he came west to Washington county, Nebraska, and began farming near Blair, and spent eleven years in the eastern part of the state. In 1887 he was employed on the railroad, and that fall went to work in Douglas county, Nebraska. He came to Dawes county in 1893, first living on a farm south of his present location, remaining on that land for about nine years, living there continuously with the exception of one summer which he spent in Wyoming.

      Since coming here he has been engaged principally in farming, and at time has undergone sever losses in dry years, when all crops failed utterly. He was often discouraged and thought of moving away, but managed to stick to his farm, and gradually improved it, and is now glad he stayed. He owns a valuable tract of land located in section 36, township 33, range 48, having under his control nearly the whole section. He is engaged mostly in stock raising, and the fact of his being on Big Bordeaux creek makes it an ideal stock ranch, furnishing plenty of good running water for his stock and irrigation purposes.

     In political views he is an independent voter, and bound by no party lines.

     Mr. Record was born in Morgan county, Indiana, in 1836. His father was a native of Kentucky, a farmer by occupation, and he married Margaret Reynolds, they living in Indiana

page 1051

for many years, and our subject was reared in that state. When he was twenty-six years of age he enlisted in the army, as a private in Company H, Seventieth Indiana Regiment, under Colonel Benjamin Harrison. On August 15, 1862, he took part in the skirmish at Bowling Green, Kentucky, later was in the Army of the Cumberland, in the Atlanta campaign. While he was on the latter expedition he was stricken with fever and afterward was sent to Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga. He was promoted from private to second lieutenant, but resigned from the post.

     After he returned from the war, in 1865, he followed farming in Indiana, and was elected to sheriff of Morgan county, serving two terms, and later was elected county clerk, acting in that capacity for one term. In 1877 he went to Iowa, settling in Dallas county, and there farmed for five years, next moved to Calhoun county and remained up to 1886, when ha came to Nebraska, locating in Keith county. He filed on a homestead south of Paxton, put up a house and other buildings and opened a farm. He experienced hard time during the first few years, while the drouths were general throughout that region and it was almost impossible to raise a crop.

      Mr. Record did contract work, putting in irrigation ditches in different parts of the neighboring counties. In this way he was able to improve his place, and gradually built it up in good shape, getting into the stock business on a large scale, and has done exceedingly well of late years. He has a valuable ranch, supplied with every improvement, good buildings, and plenty of good wells, etc., and he is recognized as one of the progressive and prosperous farmers and stock men of his locality.

     Mr. Record married Melitta Williams, of Morgan county, Indiana, in 1858. She was a daughter of John Williams, a prominent farmer of that region. Her mother was Elizabeth Pruitt. Mrs. Melitta Record died May 25, 1903. Our subject has one daughter and one son, Laura and Charles Lincoln, the latter in partnership with his father on the farm and ranch. He was born in Indiana in 1860, spending his boyhood in Indiana and Iowa, coming to Nebraska in 1888. He also took a homestead and prove dup on it, father and son combing the two places, and have made a fine ranch out of the two properties. Charles Record married Miss Lillie Everett in Iowa, in 1883.

      Mrs. Record is a daughter of William Everett, of Perry, Iowa, a veteran of the Civil war, who served in the Twenty-sixth Indiana Infantry. Six daughters have been born to Mrs. and Mrs. Charles Record, namely: Edna Fern, Mary M., Harriet L., Athel Annie, Lucile and Pearl.

     Mr. White is a native of Tennessee, born on a farm near Athens, February 12, 1858. His father, Daniel White, followed farming all his life. He was a soldier in his Confederate army, and married Miss Susan Pace, whose people were among the first in eastern Tennessee. Both parents died in Arkansas when our subject was three years of age, the father at Little Rock, while in the army, the mother prior to the beginning of the war. Newton was reared by an aunt until eight years of age and with her he went to Louisville, Kentucky, about 1862, and to Washington county, Indiana, about three years later. After reaching a mature age he followed farming as an occupation, opening up a farm for himself in Washington county, in 1876, where he lived up to 1884. At that time he came to Keya Paha county, settling on a homestead on section 29, township 33, range 20. He sold this after a short time, purchasing three hundred and twenty acres on Burton creek and occupied this until it was lost during the dry years and then returning to Keya Paha county purchased his present to Keya Paha county purchased his present farm which consists of three hundred and twenty acres, with three hundred and sixty acres under lease, of which about one hundred and twenty-five acres are under cultivation. The father and one son are engaged in raising Shorthorn cattle, having a herd of twenty-five, all registered. They also keep over thirty horses and a large number of hogs. Beside his farming interests Mr. White owns property of Springview, and moves in town during the winter to five his children the benefit of the city schools.

     Mr. White was married in Plattsburg, while still living in Indiana, September 17, 1877, to Miss Ophelia Hatbaugh, daughter of Robert and Mary (Jackson) Hatbaugh, of German-American stock. Four children have been born to them, named as follows: Carl M., Jesse L., Bruce H. and Edwin D., all living on or near the old homestead.

     Our subject is strong Republican and a firm believer in party principles, but he has never taken an active interest in politics, his whole time being given up to the management of

 

 

© 2002 NEGenWeb Project Resource Center, Chris Geis, Ted & Carole Miller