 JOHN NEWELL AND FAMILY. |
is also a farmer in Kimball county, and with his brother, Conrad A., owns a large part of section 14-13- 58 in Kimball county. Conrad A. Johnson assisted his father and went to school until about fifteen years of age, since which time he has largely engineered his own affairs and has done well. He began with a small bunch of stock and herded it on the free range as a beginning. After the Kincaid act became a law, he homesteaded section 22-13-58, improved his property with fine buildings, expanded his stock business and now has a hundred and fifty head, mostly cattle, and about a hundred and seventy acres under farm cultivation. On May 10, 1911, Mr. Johnson was married to Miss Esther Ekstrom, a daughter of Mathias and Josephine Ekstrom, residents of Pine Bluff. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have two children: Maxine, who was born June 9, 1913, and Conrad W., who was born February 12, 1917. Mr. Johnson belongs to Kimball lodge No. 294, A. F. & A. M., Kimball, Nebraska, and also to the order of Royal Highlanders at Pine Bluff. JOHN NEWELL. -- An indomitable energy that has triumphed over seemingly great obstacles, as well as varied fortunes, is that which has dominated John Newell during the varied stages of a remarkably earnest and productive busines (sic) career in which he has rallied to his cause splendid initiative ability and has spurred fortune until she has smiled upon him. Depending entirely upon his own resources he has pressed forward along the line of worthy ambition and that he has arrived at the goal of substantial success and influence in connection with business operations needs no further voucher than the fact that he is now the owner of many thousand dollars worth of fine arable land in Scottsbluff county. Energy, progressiveness, and correct business policies have enabled Mr. Newell to achieve unqualified success in the different lines of farm industry, which he early chose as life vocation. John Newell was born in Louisa county, Iowa, April 8, 1856, the son of Robert F. and Christiana Newell, both natives of the Buckeye state. Matured and invigorated by hard labor, Robert Newell had a fine physical constitution, was sturdy and lived his full "three score years and ten,passing away in his seventy-fifth year, while his beloved wife who had been his devoted companion and helpmate for nearly a half century--a woman whose strength has been as the number of her days and who had many pioneer experiences in the great west, lived to the mature age of ninety-three. Robert F. Newell was for a long term of years recognized as one of the most progressive and substantial farmers, stock-feeders, and stock-shippers in his state, owning four hundred acres of land which was highly improved, having an ample supply of the farm implements of his day which greatly facilitated his operations. They lived in a day of great piety, large families and plain living were much more common than in the twentieth century day of hustle and progress; the olive branches around their table numbered eight: Elizabeth, the wife of Henry Cushman, a physician in Tacoma, Washington; Thomas, who died in Iowa; Caroline, the wife of Lewis E. Riley, who also died in Iowa; Mary, the wife of E. S. Curtis, living retired in Iowa; John, the subject of this review; William, living in Mitchell, Nebraska; Robert, a resident of Iowa; Hattie, the wife of Frank Sidman, has a happy home in Kansas. Robert F. Newell received his elementary education in Ohio, his native state, but being an ambitious youth determined to broaden his education and opportunities and became an expert bookkeeper. He stood high in Masonic circles and in politics was a recognized stalwart in the ranks of the Democratic party. Because of integrity and superior attainments he stood high in the esteem of his fellow citizens, which was shown by them in selecting him to serve as county supervisor, an office he filled with marked capacity. John Newell was reared on his father's farm in Iowa, where he early gained experience in herding cattle and recalls some of the pioneer experiences of that locality. He was afforded the advantages of the public schools and for some years continued to be associated with his father in farm industry. His father having been a cattleman, it was but natural that the son should find that ranch life appealed to him and believing that greater opportunities were offered in the west he went to Wyoming in 1885, where for eleven years he was engaged in stock raising on a large ranch before coming to Scottsbluff county in 1896. Upon reaching Nebraska Mr. Newell purchased one hundred and sixty acres of fine land in section 4, towship (sic) 9, where he soon established a home. Ten dollars an acre was the purchase price and we may well appreciate the success that has crowned the work of this man who today is the exponent of agricultural and live stock enterprise in this section, when we learn that recently he refused three hundred dollars an acre for his holdings. Not only is Mr. Newell a farmer, he is a man |
of the world, having found or taken time to study political and economic affairs that not only affect his own business but that of the whole country. He has never had time to devote to public office but gives earnest and active support to the Democratic party. Mr. Newell has been a devoted father to his family of six children, to whom he has given every advantage. They are Elizabeth, the wife of J. Fadney, a farmed of Saginaw, Oregon; Caroline, the wife of William Howard, lives on a ranch near Mitchell; Hattie May, the wife of Robert Newell, whose death in the officers training camp at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, was a heavy blow to the entire family; who, however, have the satisfaction and comfort that he cheerfully and bravely gave his life for his country; Mary, the wife of Walter Nunn, on a ranch in Wyoming; Robert, now living on the home place south of Mitchell; and Maud, the wife of Novrel Laberten, a ranchman of Wyoming. Mr. J. Newell passed away on the 22nd of April, 1920, at Eugene, Oregon, but was buried in Scottsbluff county. JENS JENSEN, who has been a resident of the Panhandle for more than a decade and is well and favorably known in Kimball county as a farmer and in Dix as an extensive dealer in real estate, is one of the younger business men of southwestern Nebraska who has nobly taken part in the development of this section and who responded to the call of his adopted country when war was declared against Germany. Mr. Jensen is a native of Denmark, that country which has supplied the United States with so many of her sturdy and worthy citizens, who are known for their industry and ability. Jens Jensen was born in the Danish peninsula, July 27, 1886, the son of Chris and Annie Jensen, the father having devoted his life to agricultural pursuits in his native land. There were eight children in the family, five boys and three girls; along with the other children Mr. Jensen attended the excellent public schools maintained by the government in Denmark and thus laid the foundation for a good practical education which has been of great value to him in business. He remained at home with his parents, working on the farm summers until his education was completed and then devoted all his time to farming until 1911, when he broke all the home ties to sail for America, as he had determined to come to this land of promise to seek his fortune, for here, free land could be obtained at a low cost. Landing in New York Mr. Jensen soon started west, came to Nebraska City, Nebraska, where he remained four weeks looking the country over and to learn of the different sections. His brother, Ollie, had already located in Kimball county on land situated twelve miles south of Dix and there Mr. Jensen began his career in the new country. He first worked on the farm to learn the American way of doing things, but in 1914, rented a place of his own four miles east of Dix where he remained a year. Realizing the advantages of a commercial training, Mr. Jensen then entered a business college at Grand Island for a special course which he believed would assist him. Some time later he returned to Kimball county and bought a quarter section of land south of Dix which he farmed until October, 1917, when he enlisted in the army at the President's call for volunteers. Mr. Jensen was sent to Fort Riley for his preliminary training, having been assigned to the Three Hundred and Eleventh Cavalry. Six months later he was transferred to the Field Artillery. He remained in that branch of the service until honorably discharged December 22, 1919, at Camp Stetson, Kentucky. Returning to Kimball county, Mr. Jensen again engaged in the active management of his land and began to carry on a successful real estate business, a vocation in which he is meeting with well earned and deserved success. He is today one of the leading members of his community and well demonstrates that a young, ambitious man with no other equipment than his long head, two capable hands and the determination to succeed can accomplish in the Panhandle. Mr. Jensen has a brother, Christian, who is a successful farmer near Gridley, California, which shows that the training the young men received in their native land has been well applied in the land of their adoption. Mr. Jensen is a member of the Woodmen of the World and will join the Masonic fraternity at Potter in the near future. He is progressive in his ideas, believes in adopting modern farming methods and finds they pay; he supports and contributes to all movements for the development of his town and Kimball county. GEORGE LESTER VOGLER, cashier of the Bank at Kimball, Nebraska, has been connected with banking institutions since he completed his education and has ad- |
vanced to his present important position through industry and personal merit. His career has been the expression of well directed and well applied principles; and he has thus succeeded in building for himself a reputation as an astute man of business and adherent of sound, conservative banking principles, which leads to confidence with the public. Mr. Vogler was born at Dix, Nebraska, September 23, 1889, the son of Henry and Clementia Vogler, a complete sketch of whom will be found elsewhere in this volume. As a youth Mr. Vogler was sent to the excellent public schools for his elementary education, graduated from the Kimball high school in 1906, and then took a special commercial course in the Lincoln Business College, to prepare himself for a business career. Soon after leaving college he accepted a position with the First National Bank of Lincoln, where he spent two years mastering the varied branches of banking and made such good use of his time that in 1909, he was offered the position of assistant cashier of the Bank at Kimball, which he accepted. From the first Mr. Vogler showed marked ability among the banking fraternity of the Panhandle; he had sound business sense and retained this office six years. He was elected cashier of the bank in 1915, and has continued in that capacity to the present time. Mr. Vogler in his official capacity has contributed materially to the growth and prosperity of the institution, at the same time advancing his own standing in banking circles, as a capable and thoroughly informed banker. From first locating in Kimball Mr. Vogler has taken an active interest in community affairs and served as a member of the village board, where his foresight and progressive ideas have helped in the development of the town. Mr. Vogler is also a director of the bank in which he serves. July 23, 1913, occurred the marriage of Mr. Vogler and Miss Harriet E. Rollings, at Lincoln, Nebraska. Mrs. Vogler is the daughter of Eunice Rollings, She is a graduate of the Lincoln high school, the State University, where she specialized in physical training and after receiving her degree taught in Evansville, Indiana, two years before her marriage. There are three children in the Vogler family: Dorothy, aged six; John Rollins, aged four; and George Lester Jr., a small boy of about two years. The Vogler family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church; Mr. Vogler is a 32d degree Mason and a Shriner; he also belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and the Knights of Pythias. In politics he is a liberal Democrat, not being bound by strict party lines when a good man for office is considered. Though young, Mr. Vogler has gained the confidence of the people of the southwest Panhandle as a banker; devotes his entire time and attention to the duties of his office and is regarded as one of the rising men in commercial and banking circles in western Nebraska. GOTFRED JENSEN has been numbered among the vigorous representatives of farm industry in Garden county for more than a quarter of a century, and thus it becomes evident that he here encountered his quota of the hardships and responsibilities that marked the pioneer epoch in this section of Nebraska. He has brought to bear the perseverance, energy and sterling honesty of purpose that so emphatically characterizes the race from which he sprung. Mr. Jensen was born in Denmark, on May 2, 1864, and received his early education in the excellent schools of his native land. There he continued to reside until spurring ambition and self-reliance led him to come to America and seek the better opportunities that are offered here. He was twenty-three years of age when he arrived in this country, and made his way to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he was identified with business activities for about five years. He then came to that part of Deuel county, Nebraska, that is now comprised in Garden county, and in the same year, 1893, he filed entry upon a homestead of a hundred and sixty acres, ten miles northeast of Oshkosh. He not only perfected his title to this claim and developed it into a productive farm, but he also added gradually to his holdings, until he is now the owner of a well improved and valuable farm estate of nine hundred and sixty acres; in the work and management of which he has been ably assisted by his sons, who are now his partners in the well ordered industrial enterprise, which involves general agricultural industry and the raising of excellent grades of cattle and hogs. After many years of earnest and prolific industry, attended with success, Mr. Jensen felt justified in laying aside the heavier labors and responsibilities that had long been his and after assigning the active management of his farm |
property to his sons he retired and removed to Oshkosh, in the spring of 1919. He has supported those measures that have tended to advance the general welfare of the community, is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America, and he and his wife are zealous communicants of the Lutheran church, his political allegiance being given to the Democratic party. At Council Bluffs, Iowa, November 10, 1889, Mr. Jensen wedded Miss Petria Fredericksen, who likewise was born and reared in Denmark and who was eighteen years of age when she came to America and established her residence at Council Bluffs. Mr. and Mrs. Jensen have three sons and five daughters: Anna is the wife of Roy Bentz, of Oshkosh, and they have three children; Fred C., is again at home in Oshkosh, served in the Seventeenth Hospital Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces in France during the progress of the late war, and he was with his corps in France for a period of nine months. He married Daisy Riley and lives on the home farm, they have one boy, Harley; James T., who likewise resides at Oshkosh, is a widower with one child, Bernard; Clara is the wife of Carl Hendricks of Oshkosh and they have one child, Floyd G.; Martha M. married Irvin McConkey and lives on a farm; Frank L., Olga and Eva are all at home. As previously stated, the sons are associated with their father in the operation of the latter's fine ranch, which is situated near the village of Hutchinson, where Mr. Jensen served for a number of years as a member of the school board. CALEB W. GAULT. -- Though he made four removals, from one locality to another, within a period of fourteen years, there has been in the career of Mr. Gault no deviation from the line of purposeful energy in connection with the basic industries of agriculture and stock raising, of which he is now a substantial and popular exponent in Garden county. Mr. Gault is one of the valued citizens contributed to the Nebraska Panhandle by the old Hoosier state. He was born in Montgomery county, Indiana, December 24, 1853, and thus, with infantile nonchalance, passed his first Christmas day as a new arrival in the home of his parents. His father, John Gault, was a millwright by trade and vocation and was sixty-three years of age at the time of his death, in 1894. He was a native of Kentucky and a scion of a pioneer family of that commonwealth. Caleb W. Gault is indebted to the public schools of his native state for his early educational advantages, and he has been continuously identified with farm enterprise since he was twenty-three years of age. He came to what is now Garden county, Nebraska, years ago, and to the homestead which he entered he has not only perfected his title but has also added, under the provisions of the Kinkaid act, until he now has a well improved and valuable farm estate of six hundred and forty acres, all fenced and cross-fenced, equipped with good buildings and modern working facilities and elegantly situated not far from Oshkosh. On his farm Mr. Gault is carrying forward successful operations as an agriculturalist and stock grower, and he is one of the representative citizens of his community. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party and his civic loyalty has been shown in ten years of effective service as school director of his district. November 9, 1879, recorded the marriage of Mr. Gault to Miss Rose L. Dowling, a native of Missouri, and she has proved a true helpmeet to him in his advancement to the goal of independence and prosperity. In conclusion is given brief record concerning their children: Nora is the wife of Edward Hamlin, of Bellefourche (sic), South Dakota; Allen F. wedded Miss Lucy Embell, in March, 1910; Mamie is the wife of Ogden Fought, of Oshkosh, Nebraska; Ava wedded Miss Lavina Adking; Albert and Vera continue to infuse youthful joy in the parental home. MRS. WILLIAM BRODRICK, one of the later settlers of Alliance who is winning a fine reputation as a business woman, is the owner and manager of the American Hotel which was opened to the public during the late summer of 1919, and already has a growing and most satisfactory clientele among the traveling public which patronize the many hotels of Nebraska. Mrs. Brodrick was born in Griswold, Iowa, the daughter of John H. and Mary D. (Thompson) Carroll, the former a native of the Dominion of Canada, while the mother was born at Griswold, Stark county, Illinois. Mrs. Brodrick was the oldest of four children born to her parents and when she was only a year and a half old her father removed to Omaha, as he was a civil engineer and his business caused the |
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