WILLIAM RAMSDELL

     William Ramsdell is a native of Michigan. His first visit to Nebraska was in 1865 when he came in the service of the Government because of the depredations committed at that time by the Sioux Indians. He, with his Company arrived at Forth Levenworth, Kansas, on the 17th of June, and then made their way to Fort Kearney, Nebraska, from which point they crossed the State to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. As soon as the Indians knew of the presence of the Government soldiers they wanted peace. It will be remembered that the Sioux Indians had taken advantage of their opportunites, in the lack of soldiers in the West; to try and drive out the white people and secure their ancient hunting grounds.

     Peace being restored he was soon able to return to Michigan, arriving there in December of the same year, and without being favorably impressed with Nebraska as a possible home. During %their journeyings from June to November; they never had enough rain to wet through their shirt sleeves.

     In March 1871 he returned to Nebraska and inspected the land, and came to the conclusion that he would settle in the State, where there had been great changes during the five years from his first visit; so he went back for his family and returned in July and lived till November near the Walnut Creek.

     He secured a claim in Liberty Township, on section 2, town 7, range 1, being 3 miles south and 3 miles east of Exeter. On November the 14th, he went up to his claim to build and make ready for settlement. Mrs. Ramsdell was left behind and was living in a log house; it was "chinched" but not mudded or plastered.

     The evening of that day saw a change of weather, when it began to snow, and snowed all the next day and the next night; the snow drifted into the house and was soon under and over the bed, until it lay 16 inches deep on the top of Mrs. Ramsdell who could not move from her unhappy condition for some time. She was finally liberated by the help of her brother.

     During this storm the brother had to go and look after the cattle; they were busy digging a well on the place, and owing to the snow storm lost its location. It was found afterwards that the brother had nearly walked into the well on his way to feed the cattle, which, had it happened could only have one result. Many indeed are the dangers in life both seen and unseen, from which we are often providentally saved.

     The cost of boring a well in those days was $1 per foot, but had the cost been only 10 cents a foot the Ramsdells could not have undertaken it on their farm at that time because they had no money. He had to draw his water from the Turkey Creek, a distance of two miles; he also went 14 miles to seek firing, and could see only one house in all that distance.

     The Ramsdells have but two children; both sons and both doing well. Deyo, the eldest, was in the first Graduation class of the Exeter High School, and is now a physician in Kansas City, Mo. Glen as an optician in Moline, Ill.

     Mrs. Mary Borman, the wife of another homesteader whose land cornered with J. K. Barber's, and who remained here only twelve months, is a sister to Mrs. Ramsdell. There was born to them on January 8, 1872. a baby girl named Gertrude; believed to be the third white child born in Fillmore County. They soon afterwards sold out and returned to Michigan where they are now living.

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JAMES HORNE

      James Horne was a native of Low Coats, Lanarkshire, Scotland, and was therefore a native of the same County as the illustrious Doctor David Livingstone; Blantyre the home of Livingstone being only seven miles away.

     Mr. Horne worked as an engineer on the Caledonian Railway, and came to America in 1853, finding employment on the Hudson River Rail Road, and remained in that employment for sixteen years.

     In the year 1858 he visited the old home, and was then married to Miss Jenny Miller, and soon the happy couple bid farewell to Scotland to make a home in America.

Farewell to the land of the bonnie brown heather,

Farewell to the land of the true and the brave,

Long may the rare beauties commingle together,

And long may the thistle in innocence wave.,

E'er long I shall hear the rough voice of the ocean,

E'er long I shall plough the wild waves of the sea;

But while I have breath I will breath in devotion,

Success to the land of the bold and the free.

It is not the wealth distant lands may afford me,

It is not the joys they to me may impart;

Can make me one moment to cease to adore thee,

Or make thy name Scotland less dear to my heart.

Land of the brown heath I will love thee for ever,

Naught can thy dear name from my memory dispel;

Though now from thy old rugged shores I must sever,

And breath; but in fondness a long fare thee well.

     Arriving safely in America, they made their home in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., living there about eleven years. They then moved to Illinois where Mr. Horne was employed on the Illinois Central Rail Road, and resided in Amboy; living there five or six years. He had already purchased ninety acres of land in Illinois; so that, when the "Western Fever" broke out he readily caught the infection and farming became the chief thought, so he determined to try out the prospects of the land. His first tour of inspection was to Canada, but that was before his famous countryman, Lord Strathcona, had succeeded in completing the Canadian Pacific Railroad, or had opened up for homesteading the great North West. The Canadian prospects not being encouraging he went to Kansas, but not liking the looks of the land in that state, he tried Nebraska, and was so favorably impressed with this new country that he decided to try his fortunes on Nebraska's virgin soil.

     Returning to Illinois he sold out his interests there and then came and took up a Pre-emption, it being the south west corner of Section 34, Town 8, Range 1, West; settling in the year 1870. Little indeed was his knowledge of farming, or about the things connected therewith, it was necessary for him to ask how to unhitch a horse, and this in spite of his having come from the Scottish County noted for its "Clydesdale" (a superior heavy working horse) he had been trained to the building, driving, or the taking to pieces of the "Iron Horse," but, by his persistent energy and untiring determination he succeeded not only in hitching or unhitching a horse; but in making a home, and a reputation as a farmer of no mean ability.

     The Hornes lived for a time in a sod house, but were afterwards able to build a commodious frame dwelling. Their nearest trading point in the early days was Pleasant Hill. The country was one vast plain with nothing to obstruct the view, so that, when the Woodard house loomed up over the prairies, it proved quite a surprise, no such house had been anticipated on the wild plains. Mr. Horne died eleven years ago at this writing, in his seventy fifth year, well respected in the community.

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     He came to Nebraska when it needed courage to face the new conditions of life, but he had faith in God, faith in himself, and faith in Nebraska soil. He believed he was providentially led to this new undertaking, and if work was the hand-maid to faith (faith without works is dead) then, that would be forthcoming without stint.

     We read that "Lo; the poor Indian" could work some, and trust in the "Great Spirit" for success, and would with thanksgiving sing:

Hi-chiya naiho-o! Let us begin our song,

Let us begin, rejoicing, Hitciya yahina-a.

Let us begin our song, let us begin, rejoicing,

Singing of the large corn, Hitciya yahina-a;

Singing of the small corn, Hitciya yahina-a.

     And would with confidence sing their prayer for Rain:--

Hi-ilo-o ya-a-! He who sees everything

See the two stalks of corn standing;

He's my younger brother, Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a!

He who sees everything sees the two squashes;

He's my younger brother, Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a!

On the surnit of Ta-atukam sees the corn standing;

He's my younger brother, Hi-ilo-o ya-a-a!

     And no less willingly would the Scottish, Engineer-Yeoman work and trust in his God as he sang the praises of thanksgiving which he had learned from the Psalms in his childhood:

"Thou crownest the year with thy goodness, and thy paths drop fatness,

Thou visitest the earth and waterest it, thou greatly enrichest it,

Thou preparest them corn, thou hast so provided for it.

Because thy loving kindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise thee, thus, will I bless thee while I live,

I will lift up my hands in thy name,

And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips."

     We are indebted to Mrs. Horne for the few reminiscences here recorded.

     Having heard through a Lincoln Lawyer that a Scotch family had located somewhere near their home; they decided to pay their respects, and offer their kind wishes to the strangers from over the sea. This would be no great difficulty providing an opportune time presented itself; for, "A Scot, ye ken, is no verra shy about approaching anyone; leave alone a brither Scot." So they decided to make that visit on July Fourth, and across the prairies they went, taking with them their two boys to celebrate in the Alexander home. The details of this incident are recorded in the Alexander stories, but we may add here, that the visit proved to be the forerunner of many visits; this one was distinctly welcome, and through "The cup that cheers, but does not inebriate," and that "Oatmeal" the principal article of Scottish food; there came about that cheering and steading friendship which has proved abiding throughout the years. Their thoughts are ever true to those of their Poet, Burns, 

Blind chance, let her snapper and stoyte on her way,

Be't to me, be't frae me, e'en let the jade gae;

Come ease, or come travel; come pleasure or pain.

My warmst word is: "Welcome and welcome again!"

      Some gentlemen came from the east to hunt buffoloes just about the time when the meeting to organize the County was called to meet in the sod barn on the Horne place. The hunting party had evidently the stronger pull on Mr. Horne, for he with Ben Herrington, a neighbor, set out with the party. While on this trip a huge buffalo was seen making its way straight towards the men with savage intent; when Herrington fired, and brought the

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animal low. This provided a good supply of meat which they dried. It was sometimes necessary to make pontoons and bridges to get their horses and wagons across the rivers, but in spite of all difficulties they were favored with success. The party returned with great satisfaction bringing with them plenty of buffalo and deer meat, besides turkeys and other game.

     Their experiences during the great blizzard were much the same as their neighbor's; their horses had to do without food or water for three days. It was during that storm that Henry Morgan, an employee of Dr. Smith's, and in whom the Hornes were greatly interested was away South seeing his sweetheart, and could not get back, the Doctor having to do most of his own chores as a result. One thing in particular which he had to do is well remembered. The family cat had in someway or other been left out in the storm, and when the doctor found it the poor beast was completely covered with ice, a large dish pan full was taken off of poor pussy.

     A Sunday School was started in the sod school house near Den Songster's place, Mrs. Morgan (the above sweetheart) did a great deal to help on the work, she provided at her own expense the school supplies, which were secured somewhere in Iowa, but like many of the early efforts of this kind, it necessarily ceased owing to changed conditions.

     The Horne home was only once visited by Indians, when two called on a winter's day begging, and after being helped went peacefully away.

JOHN ZISKA

     John Ziska came from Bohemia in 1853, bringing with him his wife and family. In the old country he had been a coachman for a Baron; who in appreciation of his faithful services promoted him to the position of an overseer over the serfs on his estate. Owing to the doing away of serf labor and the unsettled condition of things in Bohemia he decided to come to America, and after a six weeks sea voyage arrived safely in this country, and then made his way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When looking around for a location and something to do; a Jew who was known to Mr. Ziska advised him to buy fifteen acres of swamp land near Milwaukee, he could then cut the wood and sell it for a living. The suggestion was anything but acceptable at that time, and was therefore declined, but that same land is now the center of the city which shows that it would have been a good investment.

     He bought 120 acres of land about thirty miles south of Milwaukee, on the Fox river in Racine County, and farmed it for ten years. Some friends at that time visited the Ziska farm from the St. Louis coal fields, and the reports given by them regarding the work and wages there seemed so much of an improvement on farming; that he decided to sell his farm, stock and impliments (sic) and try mining. He made his way to the coal mines where he worked for seven years, at the end of which time he had made no progress but was in fact, financially poorer as a result of his venture. In the spring of 1869 he came up the Missouri river on a steamboat to Nebraska City, and was nine days on the trip. He then bought two yoke of oxen, an old government wagon, besides other things and started out west. He had met a fellow-countryman in Nebraska City from whom he received information about the country, and having left his family near the Blue River he made his way west on foot, and secured some land on the county line in Fillmore County. Having returned after his family they came to the new location on the tenth day of May 1869, renting an old dugout on the other side of the line in Saline County until their own dugout was ready. He soon commenced breaking, and had twenty five acres ready for sowing; when he went to Lincoln for provisions, and while there he filed for his eighty acres

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on Section 24, Town 7, Range 1 West.

     They moved onto the claim in September, and on the night of their removal there was a great flood, the Turkey creek became half a mile wide causing the loss of much property and many cattle. One poor woman lost her cow and calf which were all she possessed, so the Ziskas and other neighbors helped her over her troubles. Two years later this same woman whose husband was a carpenter and was away working at Nebraska City, had her cow stolen, and was given help by these friends.

     There was another neighbor for whom Mr. Ziska ploughed some land and sowed it to wheat without making any charge so as to help him along, but who, when Mr. Ziska needed the loan of a plough and asked him for this favor refused, saying, "He did not wish to have his plough dulled." How often it is that people fail to learn that "One good turn deserves another."

     The last buffalo killed in Fillmore county was in 1868, two Indians followed him down the Turkey creek and killed him where what afterwards became the Ziska homestead.

     Dan Dillan who homesteaded in 1868 on the same section as Ziska, was the only white man they knew of in Fillmore county when they came. Mr. Ziska had put in fifteen acres of buck-wheat, and then went to Lincoln leaving Fred at home to drag the land. Dan Dillon had a pair of Texas cattle and two other large oxen, and these came over and hooked the Ziska cattle very badly which scared Fred very much. His mother was advised by the neighbors to get some turpentine to put on the injured oxen, so she sent him a journey of eighteen miles on foot to get twenty-five cents worth. He reached home again about nine o'clock at night, and was so stiff and sore that he could not get out of bed the next morning. The remembrance of this experience has always prevented his forgetting the time when he was fourteen years of age, and that his mother needed turpentine for the oxen.

     In 1869 the Shawnee Indians made a raid through the country; they had reached Hebron and it was reported they were coming down the Little Blue, everybody in the district had packed up ready to make an escape; when some of them went over to investigate the matter, and found that the Indians had gone home after killing some men and stealing thirteen head of horses. This was the last raid made by the Indians in this part of the country.

     One winter an Indian visited the Ziska home, the snow lay thick on the ground, and the Indian by his motions indicated his desire for a place to lie down. After some hesitation they let him come into the house to stay overnight, giving him some supper and a straw bed on the floor. The Indian who was evidently out hunting carried a rifle, which they thought looked rather suspecious (sic), so Mr. Ziska put his own gun by the side of his bed and his revolver under the pillow so as to be ready for any emergency. Neither Mr. Ziska nor the Indian slept much that night, they were evidently too much afraid of each other, and when the Indian left the house next morning and was about twenty rods away; he fired off his gun which they thought was a signal for something serious, but nothing happened, so the Indian left and the reason for firing off his gun in that way was best known to himself.

     In later years he bought half a section of railroad land and divided it between his two sons, Fred M. and Frank, giving them also the grain for the first year, after which they were to "paddle their own canoes." It meant hard work for the boys to pay interest and taxes, with corn selling at 7 to 10 cents and wheat 35 to 50 cents a bushel. So Fred farmed for only two years and then entered into the drygoods business, going to Crete to learn the secretes of the trade during the years 1873-75. He next enterd (sic) the Faling Brothers Store in Exeter, invoicing the stock, the business com-

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ing into the possession of Peter Faling; the other brother going west to Cambridge. Mr. Fred Ziska married in 1878, and after working in Faling's store for two years, he sold his farm and went into business with Fred Wright a druggist who also had worked in Faling's store. After a sixteen months partnership Mr. Wright sold his interest in the business to Mr. Ziska, and went east to Friendship, N. Y., at the urgent request of his parents. He had a business there for a short time but did not like it, and had already made up his mind to return to Exeter when he unfortunately contracted typhoid fever and died.

     Mr. Fred Ziska remembers well the struggles of his parents in those pioneer days, and can appreciate to the full the changed conditions of life in this community. One time the Turkey creek was so high they could not get to the mill, and were out of flour, so they made some kind of a grater out of tin, and made corn meal - "Jonny cake" was a special luxury those days. He was at the organization of the County, then came the making of the School Districts, and the erection of the first school house, the tax assessed which was mostly for educational purposes was $80 a quarter section. Mr. William Dyer, a homesteader alongside of the Ziska place was the first school teacher of their district.

PHILIP SCHWAB

     Philip Schwab a native of New York State went first to Michigan where he lived about three years, and then came to Nebraska, in 1871.

     He was employed for a time at the sawmills near the West Blue; afterwards homesteading two and a half miles west of Exeter, where he built a sod house 16 ft. by 20 ft., to be followed by a frame building, besides many other improvements. Mr. Schwab married Melissa Whitaker, whose grandmother was the first white woman to take up land in Fillmore County. This Mrs. E. A. Whitaker came in 1868 with her two sons and took the fourth homestead in the County; the land being situated in the West Blue Township. She was for two years the only white woman in the county, and lived an eventful life, her trials, privations and perils during those early days were very great, she was often exposed to the attacks of surrounding Indians. She was however of great courage and determination, and was able to gain the confidence of her Indian neighbors. She declared after having lived in several States that she liked Nebraska best of all.

     On one occasion, Mr. Bussard a relation, had a team of oxen tied at the side of the Whitaker dugout, the men had gone somewhere, and Mrs. Whitaker saw a herd of Buffaloes making towards the cattle. Fearing that something serious would happen to the cattle; she went out with outstretched apron as though she were shooing a brood of chickens, she managed to chase them till they turned their course and ran away. A band of Indians who had been chasing them followed in pursuit.

     James and William Whitaker the sons before mentioned, came first to Nebraska in 1866, but had gone East, and returned bringing their mother with them. James was the father of Mrs. Schwab. Willian (sic) the uncle had the claim adjoining his mother's so he built a sod house of three rooms; half of which was on each claim, and in that way the mother and son lived out their seperate (sic) homestead rights under one roof.

     Mrs. Schwab's sister, "Emma," was the first white girl born in Fillmore County (now Mrs. J. K. Hall living west of town.) This event was not only of interest to the white settlers, but also to the Indians. There were two old squaws; who lived near the Whitaker home and were very sociable; would come over to the house to see the baby, and nothing pleased them

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