CUSTER COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES
ELBERT H. GAINES
Elbert H. Gaines, conspicuously mentioned as the republican candidate for the office of County treasurer of Custer County, in the election of November 7, 1911, is a native of Cambridge,Illinois, born January 10, 1852, the younger of the two children of Sylvester H. and Priscilla (Andrews) Gaines, whose only daughter died at the age of five years. Both parents died in Cambridge, the father April 1, 1870, and the mother July 18, 1865, both being natives of New York state. The father was a merchant in Cambridge, and an early settler in that part of the state.
After receiving an education in the common schools of his native place, Elbert H. Gaines entered mercantile life, and when in his twentieth year, engaged in the lumber business on his own account. November 14, 1886, he left Illinois, and came to Custer County, arriving there during the three days' blizzard, so that he had an early experience of Nebraska's storms. He located in Ansley, and, in company wiih [sic] Dan Hagan, there engaged in mercantile business under the firm name of Gaines & Hagan. In 1900, he purchased the interest of his partner, and since then the firm has been E. H. Gaines. He deals in groceries, hardware and various kindred lines, being one of the leading merchants of the County. He had been engaged with Mr. Hagan in various business enterprises, and has always enjoyed the respect and esteem of his business associates, as well as the general public. He is one of the pioneer business men of his region, and is a patriotic supporter of the best interests of his County and state.
Mr. Gaines was married at Menlo, Iowa, October 4, 1876, to Fannie B. Paige, and they have three children: Elbert P., born in Cambridge, Illinois, February 21, 1886, married Clara Varney at Ansley, Nebraska, June 18, 1907, and they have one child; Fred B. of Chicago, and S. Loine, at home. Mr. Gaines and family are prominent in social and educational circles, and he has belonged to the Masonic order the past twenty years. Although he has never been particularly active in political affairs, he has been much interested in the success of the republican party. He has refused various offices of honor at the hands of his party, but in earlier years served some time as a member of the town board and the board of education. He has always been progressive along all lines, and is considered a man of intelligence and excellent business ability, and is a man with many friends.
CHARLES L. GALLAHER
The late Charles L. Gallaher was among the early settlers of Custer County, where he was widely and favorably known, in his death the community lost a public-spirited and useful citizen. He was born in Brown County, Illinois, October, 3, 1859, eighth of the eleven children born to Harvey and Sally (Knight) Gallaher. He has one sister surviving, Mrs. Rhoda Woods, of Overton, an early settler of Hamilton. The Gallaher family is of English descent and its representatives were early settlers of Brown comity, Illinois. Harvey Gallaher served in the civil war and died in Brown County. His wife was also born in Illinois and died in Colorado.
When about fourteen years of age, Charles L. Gallaher left home for Fairfield, Iowa, and there learned the trade of butcher. In 1886 he went on to Nebraska, locating in Broken Bow. Custer County. He was married at the home of the bride's mother in Custer County, on September 4, 1887, to Miss Mary E. Twombly, also a native of Brown County, Illinois, who came with her family to Saunders County in 1881. She is a daughter of Calvin and Susan (Wiley) Twombly, natives respectively of Vermont and North Carolina. Her father died in Brown County, in 1867, and her mother in Custer County, October 29, 1905. Mrs. Gallaher has a brother, Thomas E., and a half brother, Charles Bedford, living in Custer County, a brother in Kansas and one in South Dakota. In 1883 Mary E. Twombly came with her two brothers, Charles and Samuel, to Custer County and herself took a homestead of one quarter of section twenty-seven, township eighteen, range eighteen, which is still her home.
Mr. Gallaher served several years as moderator of school district number two hundred and forty-two and stood well with his fellow citizens. He was all active and industrious farmer and interested in everything pertaining to the general welfare and progress. He died in a hospital in Lincoln, February 17, 1907, being survived by his widow and five children. Five children were born to him and his wife: Eva May, deceased Oliver P., Alice, Charles Elmer, Rena and Bell.
Mrs. Gallaher, with the assistance of her two sons, still carries on the farm. They own four hundred and twenty acres of good stock and grain farm land, from which they derive a good income. They have one of the pleasant homes of the neighborhood and are held in high esteem by all.
JOHN GARNISS
John Garniss is one of the younger men among the early settlers of Custer County, Nebraska, and lives on the homestead which his father secured in 1882. Mr. Garniss is a native of Canada, born September 10, 1867, third of the five children of Henry and Ellen (Drury) Garniss. He has two sisters in Custer County, Mrs. Hannah Scott, and Mrs. Harriet Scott, the latter living in Ansley, and both are mentioned further in connection with the sketches of her husbands, found elsewhere in this work. Others of the children are deceased. Both parents were born in England and they came to America in 1851, settling in Cheatham, Huron County, Canada. In 1877 the family came to Howard County, Nebraska, and in 1882 located in Custer County, where the father died in 1899; the mother now resides in Ansley. The father who built the first frame house on Dry Creek, secured a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres af [sic] land in sections two, and three, township seventeen, range eighteen, and lived there until his death.
Mr. Garniss was about ten years of age when his parents brought him to Nebraska, and he accompanied them to Custer County in 1882. In 1888 he pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land on section eleven, township seventeen, range eighteen, on which he afterward secured a homestead right, and lived there until 1902, when he purchased his father's homestead, and this has since been his home. He has been actively interested in the welfare and development of the community and is recognized as a public-spirited, useful citizen. He helped very materially in the organization of school district number one hundred and four, and has for some time past served as moderator of the board.
On December 22, 1897, Mr. Garniss was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth J. Collier, at the home of her parents in Custer County. She is the daughter of John and Jennie (Todd) Collier, an early and prominent family of the County. Mr. Garniss and wife have had four children: Jennie, who died in infancy; Henry J., Elizabeth E. and Margaret G. M. at home.
Mr. Garniss owns a four hundred and eighty acre stock and grain farm, well improved and equipped for successful operation, has a modern home and other new buildings, and his success is very gratifying from the fact that it has resulted from his own energetic and well planned efforts. In politics he supports the democratic candidate in state and national elections.
On the pre-emption claim, Mr. Garniss, and family lived in a "soddy" until 1900, when he built a comfortable frame house, to which additions have been made. We show a view of the home and its outbuildings, with the broad outlook across the beautiful valley, elsewhere on another page.
Mr. Garniss was at home at the time of that worst of late blizzards, January 12, 1888, but his father and brother were at a sale and were compelled to remain over night. During the dry year, 1891, nothing but fodder was raised on the place, and hail destroyed the crops in 1895, but since that time prosperity has crowned his efforts. Deer and antelope were plentiful in the country when the family first came, but soon passed on to the west, where settlers were not so thick as in the region here.
STILLMAN GATES
Stillman Gates has one of the pleasantest homes of Sargent, Nebraska, surrounded by a beautiful lawn and well kept flowers and shrubs. He has lived there since the spring of 1909, retired from active life, and owns thirty-eight acres of well improved land in the place. He is a native of Chautauqua County, New York, born October 6, 1835, eldest of the five sons and three daughters of Lorison and Salome (Felt) Gates. The father was born in New York and the mother in Vermont, and they were married in Ellington, New York, December 4, 1834. Stillman Gates has in his possession his grandfather's gun, which was made in 1803, an original flint-lock, made over into a cap lock, and later arranged to take shot for amunition [sic]. In the spring of 1837 the family moved to Huron County, Ohio, where they lived until 1852, and where the following children were born to them: Lorison, Salome, Ira, Jane, Hosea, Goodwin and Ruth. In the fall of 1852 they came to Porter County, Indiana, their home for a number of years. The father was an ordained minister of the Christian church, and held different pastorates in Ohio. Several years before his death he moved to LaPorte, Iowa, where he passed away September 17, 1902, in his eighty-ninth year. His wife had died in Porter County, Indiana, January 3, 1869. Of their eight children, but three now survive: Stillman, Hosea and Jane. Hosea lives in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Jane, Mrs. Clark, lives in Estherville, Iowa.
Stillman Gates left home about the time he reached his majority, and was married in Wheatfield, Jasper County, Indiana, April 2, 1857, to Mary McNeal, daughter of James and Hope (Gifford) McNeal of St. Lawrence County. Five children were born to this union: James Lorison, married and living in Arkansas, has seven chidren: Herbert, married and living at Broke Bow, has eleven children; Harry S., married and living in Omaha; Frederick A., deceased; Salome, wife of Oliver L. Swick, of Custer County, has six children. Thus it may be seen that Mr. Gates has twenty-four living grandchildren. He lived in Indiana after his marriage for man years and there his wife died. He now has one great grandchild, a daughter born to Mrs. Howe Gates, son of Herbert P. Gates.
Mr. Gates was married (second) in Jasper County, Indiana, to Susannah Brown, January 12, 1873. In the spring of 1877 they moved to Tama County, Iowa, and in June, 1879, he made a trip with a horse to Custer County, Nebraska, looking for a location. He then made an entry on homestead on section five, township nineteen, range twenty, also a timber claim, and returned to Iowa. In December of the same year he moved with his family from their Iowa home to the homestead, having a four-horse team and wagon, with a house, six by sixteen feet, on wheels. They made the trip in the dead of winter and encountered many hardships before reaching their destination. During the early years they did their trading at Grand Island, making many trips over the road, Gates postoffice in Custer County was, named for Mr. Gates and for many years he served as postmaster. The local church and school house were built on his farm. He was one of the first settlers in his locality and for many years was active in the upbuilding and growth of community, being the friend of progress along all lines. He served for a number of years as justice of the peace and in other local offices. He had a country store at Gates and was one of the best known men in the County. He owned five hundred and sixty acres of choice land, and was successful as a farmer and stockman. In the spring of 1909 he retired from the farm and moved to his present place in Sargent, where he has every covenience obtainable and enjoys the well earned ease to which he is entitled.
On January 11, 1910, at Taylor, Loup County, Nebraska, Mr. Gates was united in marriage with Mary A. Cummins, an old resident of Nebraska, coming in 1884. Her maiden name was Downing and she was born in New York state, a daughter of Henry and Mary Downing. She has two brothers living, John Downing, living on the old home place, in St. Lawrence County, New York, and George E., of De Kalb, New York. By her first marriage she has four surviving children, namely: Frank Calkins, married and living in Wyoming; Eva, wife of Robert Ledger, of Garfield County, Nebraska, has two children; Theodore Calkins, married and living in Sargent, has three children; Lillian, wife of Fred Robbing, of Pawnee County, Nebraska. Another daughter, Gracie, married Frank York and died in 1905, leaving one daughter, Inez. Mr. York lives in Garfield County, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Gates have a wide circle of friends and are active in moral, educational and all progressive lines.
JOSEPH M. GIDDINGS
Joseph M. Giddings is well known throughout Custer County as an energetic, successful farmer and stockman. He was born at Hebron, McHenry County, Illinois, September 4, 1841, second child of George and Harriet E. (Montague) Giddings, who had two daughters and four sons. The Giddings family left Illinois in the spring of 1846, and moved to Winnebago County, Wisconsin, being pioneers of that region. The father purchased a large tract of land there, and the family lived in that County many years, the subject of this sketch being educated there. Two daughters and one son of the family still live in Wisconsin, the daughters in Winnebago County and the son at Fond du Lac.
Joseph Giddings was the only one of the family to come to Nebraska, which, he did in 1878, driving through by team. Starting on the first of March, accompanied by Frank Kimball, he did not reach his destination before the second of May, the roads being in such a fearful condition. He went to York County, raised two crops there, and in the spring of 1879, took up a homestead on the northwest quarter of section seven, township sixteen, range seventeen, in Custer County, where he resided until 1911, when he became a citizen of Ansley.
In the early days, Mr. Giddings experienced the same hardships and adversities as other pioneer settlers. Grand Island was their nearest trading point, and it was a trying thing to make the four-day trip, which he did many times with an ox team. He well remembers the dry years, the years of panic, and the times when they used a coffee mill to grind corn and wheat meal for their bread. He had always been in pioneer surroundings since he could remember, as he was a small boy when the family moved to Wisconsin, and he has a vivid recollection of going with his father, driving a yoke of steers, to the small trading post called Chicago, seventy-five miles distant from their home. Mr. Giddings did not attend the sale in the neighborhood, January 12, 1888, the day of the worst blizzard in many years, but Ira, his son, then a lad, was present. Messrs. Willard and Frank Kimball, neighbors, were present, however, and took the boy home with them, where he remained over night. Mr. Giddings can never forget the three-days' blizzard of October 15, 16 and 17, 1880, which began the winter of the deep snow. His well drifted full of snow, and was never used again, for in melting, it caused the well to cave in. They used melted snow for family use and stock until spring, and then had to haul water until fall. The man who had been engaged to bore a well for them in June did not come until November. This well has been in use ever since that time. The Giddings' first residence was a dugout in the bank west of their present home, the spot hidden by a plum thicket. This was followed by a sod house, and by a second one, in which the family lived until 1908, when the present neat frame dwelling was built.
Mr. Giddings was married in Winnebago County, March 1, 1871, to Miss Julia Sperry, a daughter of Rais and Sarah (Lilly) Sperry, both natives of Ohio. Her father and a brother came to Custer County about 1881, settling on the Mitchell farm in Myrtle township, of which her brother owns one hundred and sixty acres at this time. Mr. and Mrs. Giddings have two children: Lilly, wife of Sylvester Lee, lives at Ronan, Missoula County, Montana, has eight children, and Ira R., the youngest, took over the management of the farm in 1911, when the parents purchased a comfortable cottage in Ansley, and retired from active life.
Mr. Giddings has an excellent record as a soldier. He enlisted in Company K, Eleventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, being mustered in September 4, 1861, and was discharged at Montgomery, Alabama, September 4, 1865, having been in the service four years. His regiment was on guard duty on the Iron Mountain railroad, below St. Louis, for a number of months, then went to the front. Their first important battle was at the Siege of Vicksburg, and they afterward went down to New Orleans, and on to Berwick Bay. Here, at Brazier City, Mr. Giddings was taken ill, after four days of continuous picket duty in the rain. He was sent to the hospital. rejoined his regiment when able, and, with it, participated in many engagements, becoming a veteran. After his discharge, he returned to his Wisconsin home.
Mr. Giddings is a republican in politics, and has been a delegate to every County convention but three since coming to the County, and was a member of the first board organized to frame the herd law. He is a comrade of the Grand Army of the Republic.
THOMAS J. GILLIGAN
Thomas J. Gilligan, a successful and prosperous rancher and farmer of Custer County, Nebraska, came to the County with no cash capital, but was possessed of energy and ambition, combined with a strong will to succeed. He is a self-made man and attained his present position through economy, industry and attention to details. He was born in Elizabethtown, New York, in March, 1860, third of the seven children born to John and Eliza Gilligan.. His brother John, a physician and surgeon, came to Nebraska some years ago and located in O'Neill, Holt County, and the two sons are the only ones of the six surviving children who live in Nebraska. The father died in New York in 1878 and the mother still lives in that state.
Born and reared on a stony farm in the Adirondack mountains in northern New York, Mr. Galligan early learned habits of industry and thrift. He remained with his parents until reaching his majority. In 1878 he went to Iowa, and in the fall of 1881 came to Gage County, Nebraska, where he spent the winter. In the spring of 1882 he came to Howard County, where he remained until the spring of 1884, then filed on a homestead in Custer County. He worked in Howard County during the winter months of 1884-85, and in the spring of 1886 came to make it permanent residence on his new homestead. He also had a tree claim and began to improve and develop his land. He proved his title and added to his possessions from time to time until he was the owner of eighteen hundred acres. In 1911 he sold twelve hundred and eighty acres. In 1897 he moved from his homestead to another part of the farm of five hundred and twenty acres on section sixteen, township twenty, range twenty-one where he has a fine and well equipped grain and stock farm. There is a fine grove of trees on this place and some fruit, besides splendid hay and pasture land. This farm is located at the mouth of Big River canyon, and the home is very pleasantly situated. Taken as a whole, Mr. Gilligan believes, with good reason, that he has the best farm in his part of the County.
Mr. Gilligan was married in Blaine County, Nebraska, in October, 1898, and six children were born of this union, one of whom is dead; and all of the others are on the home farm, making a fine representative family. They are named as follows: Ellen, Mary, Peter, Thomas, deceased; Jennie and Nicholas.
ELLIS W. GIVEN
The Given family is one of the oldest in Custer County, and its members have always been identified with the best interests of their County and state. Ellis W. Given was born in West Virginia, February 10, 1866, seventh of the ninth children of Robert and Mahulda (Jordan) Given. A sketch of the father appears in this work. He was an original homesteader in Custer County, and a highly-respected and prominent citizen of the County until his death, April 3, 1899. The family moved from West Virginia to Whiteside County, Illinois, in 1867, coming to Fillmore County, Nebraska, in 1878, and about six years later located in Custer County, where many of its members have been well known in various movements for the progress and development of central Nebraska.
In his eighteenth year, Ellis W. Given accompanied his parents to Custer County, having previously removed with them to Illinois, and later to Filmore County. He turned his attention to farming, and is one of the prosperous young men of his part of the state. He is a pioneer, and has made his own way, through energy and ability, in his line of work. He now lives on one of the best farms in Custer County, a short distance north of Merna, on the southeast quarter of section twenty-nine, township eighteen, range twenty-one, where he has a large, modern home of eight rooms and bath, besides numerous closets. The house was erected in the fall of 1907, and was occupied in December of that year, Christmas dinner being the first meal in the new house.
On Christmas day, 1895, Mr. Given married Kate Jacquot, a native of Illinois, born near Saunemin, Livingston County. She is a daughter of Nicholas and Josephine (Mitchell) Jacquot, pioneers of Custer County. Both parents are natives of Paris, France. The father, when about seventeen years of age, came to America about 1860, and the next year enlisting in a regiment of Illinois cavalry, served through the entire war. Mr. Given and wife have an interesting family of three children, all born in Custer County: Brooks, Ardetta and Robert. The family is active in various public movements, and well known in social and educational circles.
Mr. Given was in the fields at the time of the coming of the famous blizzard of January 12, 1888, but soon made his way to the house, where he remained until the storm was spent.
Mr. and Mrs. Given are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he is a democrat, and is a member of the Royal Highlanders.
ROBERT GIVEN
Robert Given, an honored and respected pioneer of Custer County, Nebraska, had the sincere respect and esteem of a large circle of friends, by whom his death was deeply deplored. He had been recognized as a public-spirited and substantial citizen and represented the best intrests [sic] of his County and state during his long life there. He and his wife whose maiden name was Mahulda (Jordan) Given, came from West Virginia to Whiteside County, Illinois, in 1867. In 1878 they came to Fillmore County, Nebraska, with an emegrant [sic] car containing horses, cows, and household goods, and bought land there from the railroad company. In the fall of 1884, Mr. Given, with his wife, their sons, Ellis, and Ewell, and their daughter, Debora, came into Custer County, and took up a homestead comprising
southwest quarter of section twenty-eight, township eighteen, range twenty-one. Their son, Sampson, had preceeded them a year, filing on a homestead and timber claim near where Merna is now situated. They were among the early settlers of the region and among the best known families in Custer County. Mrs. Given died January 19, 1809 [sic], and her husband died April 3 of the same year, at the home of his son, Ellis.
Mr. and Mrs. Given were survived by the following named children, five of whom reside in Nebraska: Kate, now Mrs. J. S. Kennard, of Fillmore County; William, of Lincoln; Sampson and Ellis Given, and Debora, now Mrs. James Anderson, of Custer County. Ewell lives in Wyoming. Sketches of Sampson and Ellis appear elsewbere in this work.
REUBEN E. GLASS
In the death of Reuben E. Glass, who spent the last years of his life retired from active life, in Broken Bow, Nebraska, Custer County, lost one of its most valuable citzens [sic]. He had been a resident of the state since 1873 and during that time he had become well known and had made many friends who appreciated his character and worth. Mr. Glass was born in Detroit, Michigan, November 13, 1846, third of the six children born to Zenas and Sarah (Ferris) Glass, natives of New York. The father, who was of Scotch-Irish descent, died in Michigan, and the mother survives, making her home in Lincoln, Nebraska. Of their children: one son, Milton, died in the Civil war; one son, Edwin C., lives in Lincoln; one daughter, Mrs. Sarah Frost, lives in Lincoln; others are deceased.
Mr. Glass grew to manhood's estate on a Michigan farm, receiving his education in local schools. He served in the civil war as a member of Company D, Twenty-fourth Michigan Infantry, where he won a creditable record, and after leaving the service returned to Michigan, where he engaged in business in the line of retail drugs. His first wife was Mrs. Lina Ferguson, who died in Michigan, leaving one daughter, Mrs. Lizzie Nichols, who has since died.
In 1873, Mr. Glass came to Plattsmouth, Cass County, Nebraska, where he engaged in the drug business, and there, on February 3, 1876, he married Miss Margaret Louise Mitchell, who was born in Iowa and came to Cass County in 1874. She is the daughter of Francis P. and Margaret (Wright) Mitchell, the former a native of Greene County, Ohio, and the latter of South Carolina. The father, a physician by profession, died in New Orleans in the fifties, and the mother died in Iowa in 1845.
In 1878, Mr. and Mrs. Glass moved to Kearney, Nebraska, where they spent two years, but on account of failing health he was obliged to give up his business, and in March, 1880, they came to Custer County and he took a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres on South Loup where they remained ten years. He also pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land, and in 1897 or 1898 purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land on section nineteen, township seventeen range twenty, although he never lived on the latter place, which Mrs. Glass now owns. In December, 1891, Mr. Glass retired from farm life and purchased a comfortable residence in Broken Bow, which continued his home until his death, October 11, 1905. He was survived by his widow, who still lives in the home, where she has every comfort and is surrounded by a large circle of sincere friends. Mr. Glass was a staunch Presbyterian in religious views and stood ready to help any religious or beneficial movement in his County or state. He died in the prime of life, and his death came as a shock to his many friends and acquaintances, by whom his loss was deeply deplored. He was regarded as a public-spirited citizen and highly esteemed by all.
MATTHEW H. GLASSEY
Matthew H. Glassey, owner and operator of a fine grain and stock farm in Custer County, is an early resident of Nebraska and has passed through the various trials and vicissitudes of pioneer existence. He has always been actively interested in the welfare and development of County and state and is held in high regard its a public-spirited, substantial citizen. Mr. Glassey was born in Brooklyn, New York, August 8, 1853, second of the four children of Matthew and Ann (Roome) Glassey. He has a brother, Frederick Glassey, in Iowa, and the other children are deceased. The father was born in Scotland and died in New Orleans, and the mother was born in England and died in Iowa.
In early manhood Mr. Glassey removed to Illinois, where he worked at farming for several years, and he was married in that state October 21, 1873, to Martha Brinley, a native of Indiana, daughter of Abraham and Anna (Wilson) Brinley. Mr. Brinley, born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, of German descent, died in Oklahoma, January 26, 1893, and Mrs. Brinley, who was of Irish extraction, was born in Pennsylvania and died in Iowa, January 28, 1885. One son, Eldridge Brinley, lives in St. Paul, Nebraska, James Brinley lives in Lincoln; a daughter, Mrs. George Shepperd, lives in Valley County, Nebraska, and another daughter lives at West Point, Illinois.
After marriage, Mr. Glassey and wife lived on an Illinois farm until the spring of 1881, when they came with their two children to Johnson County, Nebraska. There Mr. Glassey purchased land and engaged in farming, later lived in Valley County about one year, and in 1885 pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land on section twenty-three, township nineteen, range seventeen, which is still the home place. He afterwards took a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres of land in Westerville township. In 1892 he removed to Lincoln to live for a time, in order to give his children better educational advantages, later returning to the farm. He has a well improved farm, adapted to raising stock and grain, and specializes in Clydesdale horses. His farm lies along the beautiful valley known as Woods Park, which was named for the first settler there, and who raised the first corn in the valley. Mr. Glassey is one of the best known men of the region, and stands well with his fellow-citizens. The family have a large circle of friends and acquaintances and are interested in every measure affecting the general progress and prosperity. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Glassey, George F., married and living in Custer County, has four children, and Ethel Grace, a teacher in Nebraska public schools.
HAMILTON B. GLAZIER
Hamilton B. Glazier belongs to one of Custer County's best known families, and is himself an original homesteader there. He was born in Winona County, Minnesota, November 9, 1862, son of Isaac Glazier, one of the very early settlers of Custer County. Isaac Glazier was born in Warren County, New York, December 25, 1819, and was reared on his father's farm. On April 9, 1858, he married Emily M. Bollen in Illinois. She was born in the state of New York, May 12, 1831.
Before 1860, Mr. Glazier had removed to Olmsted County, Minnesota, and later lived in Wabash County, that state, leaving the latter place May 12, 1879, and proceeding with a "prairie schooner" to Custer County, Nebraska. With him came his wife and their five children: Daniel, Lois Louisa, Hamilton B., Effie Inez and Albert. He took up a homestead on the southwest quarter of section four, township eighteen, range seventeen, and also secured a timber claim. His wife died on the homestead, January 6, 1886, and he passed away there in May, 1890. Their daughter, Effie Inez, died on the farm in August, 1887, and their son, Daniel, in 1895.
Hamilton B., Lois Louisa and Albert Glazier still reside on their father's old homestead farm, and Daniel was also an original homesteader. Hamilton B. and his sister, Lois, now own the home place, and in early years were themselves original homesteaders. The old farm, which comprises one of the choice half-section estates of the County, is well located, and has a fine grove of trees. There are several fine belts of timber, which were set out by members of the family during the early years of their residence there, and which add greatly to the appearance and value of the place. The members of the family who still live there derive a good income from the grain and stock farming they carry on, and have a pleasant home. They have a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, and are well regarded by all as representative of the best interests of the community.
WILLIAM GLEASON
Among the best known residents of Custer County is William Gleason, now living retired from active life, at Ansley, and who is a veteran of the Civil war. Mr. Gleason was born at Reading, Hillsdale County, Michigan, September 13, 1836, son of Eleazer and Betsey (Berry) Gleason, the second of a family of ten children and the first white child born at Reading, the surrounding country at that time being inhabited by Indians. He now has a brother and a sister in Michigan and two brothers in Oregon. The father was a native of New York and died about 1893, at Reading. The mother, also a native of New York, died on the homestead in Michigan, in March, 1896.
Mr. Gleason was reared on a farm, received his education in the local schools, and then took up farming as an occupation. March 21, 1861, he was married at Allen, Michigan, to Esther Russell, a native of the state of New York, and soon afterward they removed to Illinois, from which state he enlisted in August, 1862, in Company H, One Hundred and Fifteen Illinois Infantry. He served until the close of the war and received his final discharge at Camp Butler in the summer of 1865. He participated in many, important engagements, including those at Chickamauga, Resaca, Nashville, Dalton, and minor skirmishes and struggles.
After the war Mr. Gleason and wife lived a few years in Michigan, then removed to Iowa, where they remained ten years, he engaging in grain and agricultural implement business. In June, 1884, Mr. Gleason brought his wife and four children to Nebraska, and they secured a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres of land in Loup precinct, Custer County, which was the family home until 1903, at which time he retired from active life. They then located at Ansley, here he purchased a good residence and ten acres of land, which they still ocupy.
In public affairs Mr. Gleason takes an active interest, and he served five years as assessor, and during most of the time, since he came to the state has field various offices on the school board of district number sixty-seven. He is a promoter of every measure calculated for the general good, and is considered a substantial, reliable citizen. Both he and his wife have a wide circle of friends and they have reared their children to patriotic views regarding their adopted state. They have four children, namely: Marcus, living at home; Fannie married A. Stuckey, of Ansley, and they have four children; Betty, married F. A. Betts, of Oregon, and they have ten children; Mary is the wife of S. C. Bruner, of David City, Nebraska, and they have one child. Mrs. Gleason's parents were both born in New York and died in Michigan. She has a sister and three brothers in Michigan, a sister in Oklahoma and a brother in Nebraska.
SAMUEL LEROY GLOVER
Samuel Leroy Glover is well known throughout, central Nebraska as a successful farmer and ranchman, having large interests in Custer County. He owns a large tract of land, well developed and equipped in every respect, and one of the most charming homes in the County. He was born in Otsego County, New York, July 4, 1832, third child of Ezra Jarvis and Hannah (Mudge) Glover and the only one of his family now surviving. His parents were natives of New York, and married in Otsego County, and three sons and three daughters were born to them. The father was a shoemaker by trade, and at different times the family lived in various small villages in the Counties of Otsego, Tioga and Chemung, and also lived for a short time in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, but returned to Owego, Tioga County, where the death of the father occurred in 1844. After his death, the widow returned with the children to Otsego County.
After the death of his father, Samuel L. Glover lived with an uncle for about a year, then went with his mother and the other two surviving children, Henry and Mary, to the neighborhood of Hope factory, three miles south of Cooperstown. The three children were sent to work in the factory. Later they removed to Oneida County, and the two boys worked in a woolen mill. The latter factory paid cash to their employes instead of requiring them to trade out their earnings at the company store, and about 1850, the family were able to move to western Pennsylvania, where they had purchased a small farm. Samuel remained there until twenty years of age, then left home to go out in the world for himself. He went to work, in a country store and post-office. Although his father had lived in several different places he always located in a village where his children could have educational advantages, and Samuel was an apt and ambitious pupil, making the best of his opportunities. After spending about a year as clerk in the store, he began in the local school during the winter months, and in the spring resumed work as clerk.
On October 18, 1854, in Erie County, Pennsylvania, Mr. Glover was united in marriage with Martha Jane, daughter of John M. T. and Mary (Greenlee) Dunn. They lived in Erie County after marriage, and Mr. Glover worked in a store until the spring of 1855. They then moved to Erie City, where he engaged in the retail grocery trade about one year, then moved to LaSalle County, Illinois, where he rented a farm from the spring of 1857 until the spring of 1861, when they removed to Livingston County, Illinois, and carried on a farm Mr. Glover owned, until their removal to Custer County, Nebraska, in the spring of 1886.
During the previous fall, Mr. Glover had made a trip to Butler County, Nebraska, where his brother, Henry, and his son, Henry Bion, were living, and the latter came overland with him into Custer County, where he purchased land. In the spring, Mr. Glover brought his wife and three children to their new home on the ranch, which had been purchased in the fall. During the winter of 1885 and 1886, the sons, Bion and Percy, and daughter, Deett, remained on the home farm. They have steadily prospered, and the firm of Glover & Sons have a fine herd of cattle, and over six hundred and forty acres of land in the home farm. They have a modern home, well kept lawn, and trees and flowers. Although he and his wife have been married fifty-seven years, both are active and in robust health. The sons practically manage the farm work, and Mrs. Glover has her daughter, Mrs. Potter, to help in the home. They have six children: Deett, Mrs. J. W. McRae, of Harlan County, has two children; Mary Emily, Mrs. Potter, living with her parents; Grace, wife of E. V. Sparks, of eastern Colorado; Henry Bion, interested with his father in the farm and stock business, lives on section thirty-five, township eighteen, range eighteen, and is married; Percy D., married, and living on his fine Custer County farm, has fifteen children; Sidney L., married, and living on section twenty-four, Westerville township. They are a representative family, and active in furthering the best interests of the community. Mrs. Glover is the only surviving member of her family, as Mr. Glover is of his.
ERWIN W. GOODRICH
Erwin W. Goodrich, of Sargent, is a large landholder in Custer County, and has been successful as a grain and stock farmer. He is one of the early settlers of the County, where in early days he met the usual vicissitudes and trials of pioneer existence. He was born in Winnebago County, Illinois, February 29, 1856, next to the eldest of the four children of Julius L. and Olive (Conklin) Goodrich. Only two of the children survive, he and his sister, Mrs. E. E. McCray, a teacher in Loup City schools. The father was born in Vermont, of Welsh descent, settled on a homestead in Custer County in 1878, and died there in March, 1903. The mother, a native of Syracuse, New York, now lives in Loup City, Nebraska.
Mr. Goodrich grew to manhood on a farm in Illinois, receiving his education in local schools and later engaging in farming. In the fall of 1878 he came to Custer County and took a timber claim of one hundred and sixty acres on section thirty, township twenty, range eighteen, and returned to Illinois. In the fall of 1880 he again came to Custer County and took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres adjoining his tree claim, and also pre-empted one hundred and thirty-five acres on the river. He soon began to prosper and has since added to his possessions and has made many improvements on his land.
On April 4, 1888, in Taylor, Nebraska, Mr. Goodrich was united in marriage with Emily McGrew, born in Mercer County, Missouri, daughter of Kirby and Elza Ann (Mark) McGrew, natives of Ohio, who now live in Burwell, Nebraska. Mrs. Goodrich has a brother, Melvin, living in Burwell; a sister in Denver, and one in Des Moines, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Goodrich made their first home in the little sod house on the homestead. In early days Grand Island, one hundred miles distant, was their nearest trading point and market. Mr. Goodrich served as moderator and director of the school board of district number one hundred and forty-five and aided all measure's for the furthering of the best interests of the community. He is a successful farmer and owns eleven hundred acres of land which is devoted to stock and grain farming. This includes his three original claims. He engaged quite extensively in the stock business.
Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Goodrich: Arleigh H., Ruth G., Mary Elza, and Niel, at home, and one son who died in infancy, In the spring of 1911 the family moved to Sargent in order that the children might enjoy better educational advantages.
DAVID BENJAMIN GORDAN
Among the very early settlers of Nebraska: were the members of the Gordan family, David B. Gordan having lived in the state since he was two years of age. He is one of the self-made men of his part of the state, and now owns a well developed farm in Custer County, west of Arcadia. He is recognized its one of the substantial men of his locality and has earned his possessions by his own efforts. Mr. Gordan was born in Fulton County, Illinois, April 10, 1867, fifth in a family of seven children born to John and Mary (Bivins) Gordan. The father a native of Germany came to America in childhood growing to manhood in the state of Pennsylvania, where he was married. He enlisted in a Pennsylvania regiment, serving two years in the civil war. In 1870 he came to Milford, Nebraska, and died in York County, that state, in 1891. The mother a native of Illinois and of Scotch and German parentage, died in Custer County, Nebraska, in 1904. Of their children besides David B. the following may be related: Mrs. Susan Casteel and Mrs. Lily Dascher live in Custer County; Mrs. Hattie Hulshizer lives in Brown County, Nebraska; Mrs. Ida Francis lives in Grant County, same state; one son is deceased; Lorenzo D. lives at Schuyler, Nebraska.
When he was two years old Mr. Gordan accompanied the rest of the family to Milford and two years later they removed to Seward County, where the father secured a homestead and lived on it nineteen years. Later he moved to Gresham, York County. David B. Gordan has always followed farming and in 1898 purchased two hundred acres of land on section twenty-three, township seventeen, range seventeen, Custer County; which is still the home place. He has four hundred acres in sections fourteen and fifteen devoted to grain and cattle. He has devoted this place largely to stock raising, in which he has met with gratifying success, and in the year 1909 he erected a handsome residence at a cost of five thousand dollars. We give in excellent view of this model country home on another page of this work, to which we invite attention as one of the best in this section of Nebraska. A complete system of water supply and gas illumination is installed in both house and barn.
September 2, 1889, Mr. Gordan was married in Custer County, to Anna Abresch who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, daughter of William and Anna Abresch. Her father, a native of Germany, served in the German army and later came to America, locating in Milwaukee, where his death occurred in 1879. His wife is now living in Seward County, Nebraska and she has one son, Charles, also living there. Mr. Gordan has always had much patriotic love for Nebraska, the only home he can remember, and has taken an active interest in public affairs. He is serving his ninth year as moderator of school district number eleven and has promoted the cause of education and every other good cause which he considers for the best interests of the people. In politics he is republican.
Eight children have blessed the union of Mr. Gordan and wife, namely: Louis W., Clifford H., married Kate Echer of Schuyler; Esther, married Victor Malm, Lloyd, Theodore, Myrtle, Charles, and Alven. Mr. Gordan passed through many trying experiences in his early years in the state and since he began farming on his own account has met with various reverses and discouragements In the year 1892 he lost all his crops by hail and during the next four years his crops were a failure by reason of drouth, or hail which destroyed or injured five successive crops. Four years the grasshoppers totally or partially devoured his grain and growing corn, one year being numerous enough to stop the trains by making slippery tracks where ground beneath the wheels. When the family came to the state, antelope were to be seen by the thousands; Mr. Gordan, senior, killed many of them, as well as deer and buffalo to supply the family in meat. He, together with an elder son and son-in-law had just returned from hunting west of Grand Island when the three days' blizzard of April 12 to 14, 1873, broke over the country. Mr. Gordan of this sketch just missed being out in the well-known blizzard of January 12, 1888. He used a clothesline to find his way to the barn and return in feeding his stock. For thirty-five years, since the age of ten, Mr. Gordan followed threshing; in that time he owned several horsepowers, ten new engines, fourteen separators, and seventeen corn shellers. His policy was to sell while still in good condition and buy new, thus avoiding breakage and expensive repairs. In 1911 he retired from the business having spent enough years in the trying vocation.
JOHN GOVIER
John Grovier and family are widely known and highly respected in their part of Custer County, and have a large and well-improved farm. Mr. Govier is a native of England born in 1853, the oldest child of James and Ann Govier, who had five sons and two daughters. The father came to America in 1867, and the following year the mother followed with four sons and one daughter, joining him in Grant County, Wisconsin. Mr. Govier grew to young manhood on his father's farm in Grant County, and as a youth went to Illinois.
Mr. Govier was married in Illinois in 1877 to Miss Rebecca M. Beamer, and in the spring of 1885 he shipped an emigrant car of household goods and a span of horses and two cows, to North Loup, Valley County, Nebraska, whence he come overland with a wagon to his homestead on the southeast quarter of section twenty, township eighteen, range nineteen, being one of the original homesteaders of that part of Custer County. He had come into the County the previous fall, and taken up his homestead, and in April, 1886, his wife and four children joined him there. They are among the early comers of the neighborhood, where they have a wide circle of friends. They have a fine farm of five hundred acres, which is well improved and equipped, and Mr. Govier makes a specialty of feeding and shipping stock. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Govier, of whom six now survive: Harry, married, and living two miles east of his father, has three children; Clarence, married, and living in Custer County, has two children; Mabel, wife of Milter Peterson, lives near Wisertt postoffice, and they have eight children; Pearl, wife of Alfred Larson of Custer County, has seven children; Willard: married, and living near the home farm; Blanche, at home.
Daniel Govier, popularly known as "Uncle Dan," makes his residence with Mr. and Mrs. Govier. His eighty-one years rests lightly with him, and much special farm work is the result of his endeavors.
GEORGE W. GREENWALT
George W. Greenwalt is one of the pioneer homesteaders of Custer County, Nebraska, and has witnessed the development of the country around his home from the time he located there, nearly thirty years ago, until the present time, and during this period the region of sod shanties, where the land was mostly devoted to the cattle ranch business, has changed to a region of fertile farms and comfortable farm homes. He was one of those who found it necessary at times, in the early days, to use a coffee mill to grind a little grain for making bread, and when he came he had almost no cash to invest, but made his start in life by his own efforts and did his full share, at the same time, to assist the general development and improvement. He is a native of Dayton, Henry County, Illinois, born January 18, 1862, next to the youngest child of John and Caroline (Goodman) Greenwalt, who were parents of four daughters and two sons.
Mr. Greenwalt was the older of the two sons in the family, and the brother, Daniel, resides in Kimberley, South Africa. An elder sister of Mr. Greenwalt, Mrs. A. R. Doolittle, lives in Portland, Oregon. Mr. Greenwalt lived in his native state until his eighteenth year, and June 20, 1880, came direct from Henry County to Custer County, Nebraska and began working on a ranch in order to learn the cattle business, the country at that time being given over to large ranches. He became an expert cattleman and also rode the Wyoming range in the same capacity. He has traveled extensively and crossed the continent four times, and is well informed on a variety of subjects.
In the spring of 1883 Mr. Greenwalt took up his present homestead on the southwest quarter of section eight, township seventeen, range nineteen, and has since lived continuously on this place.
He has developed and improved his estate and now has four hundred acres in this property, devoting considerable attention to stock raising and handling a large herd of cattle. He has been actively instrumental in promoting the welfare and development of his part of the County and has served in various offices of public trust. During the years 1901-1905 he served as County commissioner. He is unmarried and realizes to the full extent the difficulties of holding a homestead under adverse circuimstances and pioneer conditions. He is one of the able and enterprising business men who have done so much for the region and has given freely of his time and influence for the betterment of his County and state.
FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS GREER, M. D.
Dr. Flavius Josephus Greer is an early Nebraskan, and one who has passed through the trials and vicissitudes of pioneer life. He is one of the best known men in Custer County, and has long been identified with its progress and development. He was born in Carroll County, Ohio, October 22, 1841, youngest of the nine children of George and Sarah (Lee) Greer. The father was born in Maryland, of German ancestry, and the mother was born in Ohio, of Irish extraction. Both died in York County, Nebraska, the father in 1895 and the mother in 1877. But three members of the family now survive: Miss Mary Greer, of Callaway; W. H. Greer, of Forest Grove, Oregon, and Dr. Greer.
Dr. Greer was reared on a farm in Ohio, receiving his elementary education in the public schools. Later he was a student in Harlem Springs, Ohio, and still later studied medicine. He was married at Springfield, Ohio, May 5, 1863, to Sabina J. Noble, a native of Carroll County, and daughter of David and Sarah (Powell) Noble, the father a native of Payette County, Pennsylvania, and of Irish extraction, and the mother a native of Pennsylvania, of German extraction. Both died in Carroll County, he in March, 1875, and she about 1883. Mrs. Greer has a sister and two brothers in Carroll County, and her brother, Barzilla, is living on the home farm, which was obtained by his parents from the government in 1832.
Dr. and Mrs. Greer established their first home in their native County, where they lived until April, 1866, when they went to Rome, Iowa, and there he opened up his first office for the practice of his profession. In May, 1871, he made a trip into Nebraska, looking for a suitable location, traveling from Lincoln to Seward on the first train that passed over the Burlington railroad there. He filed an entry on one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he entered as a pre-emption. This place was located ten miles northwest of York, on Lincoln creek. Soon afterward, he returned to Iowa, and, although he made subsequent trips to York County, it was not until January 31, 1873, that he came with his wife and children to establish a home there.
In the spring of 1874, he moved into York, where he opened a drug store, and engaged in medical practice. He remained in York until 1889, and later lived in Madison and Gage countties for short periods. In the spring of 1885, the family moved to southwestern Kansas, but in 1888, returned to York County, Nebraska. They came on to Callaway, Custer County, in June, 1890, and Dr. Greer has since continued his practice there, although his interests have been broad and varied. He has been engaged in the drug business much of the time, and has also been interested in the stock business and real estate. He served several years on the town board of York, and, later on the board at Callaway, and is a well-known and popular citizen. He stands well in his profession, and has many friends in various circles.
Six children were born to Dr. and Mrs. Greer: James A., married and living in Perkins County, has four children; Cora, who died in August, 1888; Harley E., married, and living in Perkins County, Nebraska, has three children; George N., married, and living in Callaway, has two children; Lydia K., wife of R. R. Barnard, of Callaway; Sadie G., wife of William F. Zumbrunn of Kansas City, Missouri.
JOHN A. HALL
John A. Hall is an early Nebraskan who has made his success in the state and has always been much interested in the progress and development of county and state, and has been well known for his upright character and honest dealing. He was born in Edmeston, New York, April 7, 1844, eldest of the four children of Zachariah S. and Polly M. (Chase) Hall. He and his brother, Harvey D., are the only surviving members of the family. The father and mother were both natives of the state of New York, he born in Washington county and she in Pittsfield, and both died in that state, he in 1876 and she in 1890. Mr. Hall is a lineal descendant of an English ancestor of the name who came to America from England in 1640.
Mr. Hall reached maturity on the New York farm, receiving his elementary education in local schools and later attending Cooperstown Academy, and the Williston Seminary at Easthampton, Massachusetts. He taught several years in New York and later in the schools of Nebraska He was married in Willimantic, Connecticut, March 9, 1869, to Mrs. Eliza Burlingame, whose maiden name was Bull. She has one daughter by a former marriage: Addie, wife of Frank Benedict, of Hartford, Connecticut, who has three children. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hall: Herbert E., at home, and Frank G., married and living near Mason City.
Mr. and Mrs. Hall lived on the Hall homestead in New York until March, 1873, when they came with their small son to Hall county, Nebraska, securing a homestead of eighty acres near Grand Island. This place was their home until 1881, when they came on to Custer county and took up a timber claim of one hundred and sixty, acres, later pre-empting one hundred and sixty acres on section twenty-nine, township fifteen, range seventeen, which is still the home place. He helped organize school district number nine, and served for some time on its board. He is a good citizen and interested in everything pertaining to the general advancement of the interests of his community. He has been personally successful, has a well improved farm of three hundred and twenty acres of land. and is president of the Farmers' State Bank at Mason City, in which he is it stockholder.
The Halls are among the best known families in Custer county and have a large circle of friends.
He is a member of the Baptist church and in politics is a populist.
The family have lived out two "soddies" in Custer county and now occupy a neat frame cottage. One of their most terrifying experiences was in a cyclone which tore out the west side of their stable and landed it over on the east side. A son who was milking in the stable at the time was uninjured, nor were the cattle hurt; one calf, whose tether rope was new and strong, was carried over the roof with the timbers and killed.
In the blizzard of January 12, 1888, Mr. Hall and wife were in town; driving to the school house he got the children and drove home. Much of the way, however, he had to walk ahead and pilot the team through the blinding, icy midst. Nothing was raised in 1894, the dry year, and eleven years before, hail completely destroyed the growing crops, but with later success those early hardships are, but a memory.
JAMES W. HALLIWILL
James W. Halliwill, a prosperous and successful farmer owning sixteen hundred acres of land, most of it within the borders of Custer county, is highly esteemed as a public-spirited and progressive citizen, who is interested in the upbuilding of the central portion of Nebraska. He passed through the experiences and hardships of the early days in his region and is well and favorably known. He was born in Jasper county, Iowa, October 26, 1862, next to the oldest of six children born to Austin and Rebecca (Sims) Halliwill. He has one sister in Long Beach, California, and two brothers in Iowa, and two of the children are deceased. The father was born in Medias, Guilford, Ohio, August 16, 1833, and the mother in Indiana, April 13, 1844, and they now reside in Mitchellville, Iowa.
Mr. Halliwill grew to manhood on an Iowa farm, received his education in the public schools, and its a young man engaged in farming on his own account. In the fall of 1884 he decided to seek the larger opportunities offered for advancement in the west and pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land and took up a tree claim of like size about twenty miles west of Broken Bow, Custer county. After proving up his claims to these properties he took another one hundred find sixty acres of land as a homestead and another tree claim adjoining. On June 1, 1898, Mr. Halliwill married Miss Julia M. Klump, of Custer county, a native of Jo Daviess county, Illinois, and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Klump, who were among the early settlers on West Table, Custer county, and became prominent in local affairs. Two children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Halliwill: Everett Lee, and Rebecca Jane.
In 1903 Mr. Halliwill purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land on section fifteen, township seventeen, range twenty-three, to which the family moved. He has in this place a well improved and equipped farm, well adapted for raising grain and stock, and very productive. He has been identified with the best interests of his county and state and is always ready to advance any movement for the general welfare and progress. For some years past he has served on the board of school district number one hundred fifty-one. He and his wife are well known in various circles and have many friends.
ADAM F. HANNAWALD
The late Adam F. Hannawald, an early settler of Custer county, and well-known as a man of strict integrity and high character, did much to influence the early development of Custer county and central Nebraska, and his death was deeply deplored by his many friends. He was a veteran of the civil war and throughout his life was known as a patriotic, useful citizen. He was born in Utica county, New York, September 28, 1836, a son of Adam and Dorothy (Shingler) Hannawald, and the oldest of their six children. He has a brother in Denver, Colorado, and another brother, Martin, in Bridgeport, Nebraska. Mr. Hannawald grew to manhood on a farm in New York and received his education in local schools, later engaging in farming on his own account. He was married in Madison county, New York, January 29, 1859, to Anthy L. Owen, also a native of that state. On August 7, 1862, Mr. Hannawald enlisted in Company B, One Hundredth and Fifty-seventh New York Infantry, and owing to physical disability was discharged on February 8, 1863, and then returned to his home, and resumed farming in his native state.
In 1865 Mr. Hannawald brought his family to Oshtemo, Michigan, living there until coming to Hamilton county, Nebraska, in 1883. In 1885 the family came to Custer county and pre-empted one hundred and sixty-four acres of land on section two, township seventeen, range twenty-two, where Mr. Hannawald died February 10, 1898, survived by his widow and four children: Frank, of Custer county, a sketch of whom also appears in this work, has three children; Stella married Merlin Valleau, of Lansing, Michigan, and they have nine children; Ettie M., wife of L. J. Read, of Merna, has two children; Nettie, wife of Archie Meek, lives in Anselmo, Custer county. Mrs. Hannawald lives in Merna, but retains ownership of the old homestead. She has resided there some years, owns a pleasant home, and is in close touch with her children and her many friends, thus insuring a large degree of happiness in her later life. The family are highly respected and esteemed, being among the earlier ones of central Nebraska, where they have been identified with various measures affecting the general welfare and prosperity. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Hannawald will be found on another page.
FRANK O. HANNAWALD
Frank O.Hannawald, a successful farmer and stock man of Cluster county, Nebraska, belongs to one of the old families of the region and is highly respected as an enterprising and public-spirited citizen. He was born near Oneida, New York, July 15, 1860, and was the first born of the six children of Adam and Anthy (Owen) Hannawald, also natives of New York. A sketch of the father also appears in this work, in which the family is given further mention. In 1865 the parents removed to a farm near Mattawan, Michigan, and they lived in that state until the fall of 1883, when they came to Hamilton county, Nebraska, and located on a farm near Aurora. The father brought with them the following four children: Frank, Etta, Nettie, and Flossie. Stella, Mrs. Merlin Valleau, remained in Michigan, but she and her husband came to Hamilton county in 1884. In the spring of 1885 the family came to Custer county, where in March of that year the father secured a homestead. He lived on this farm, which was located three miles west of Merna, until his death February 10, 1898. He was survived by his widow and four children, Flossie having died after the family came to Custer county. The mother lives in Merna but still owns the homestead.
In 1884 Frank Hannawald secured a homestead on section seven, township seventeen, range twenty-one, Custer county, and he now has three hundred and twenty acres in his home farm, which is well improved and equipped for raising stock and grain. He has a comfortable, modern residence, surrounded by trees, with an orchard and other improvements, and has other substantial buildings. He has made his home on the original homestead all these years and is one of the best known men in the county, belonging to an old and honored family. He passed through various years of drouth and hard times in his earlier years there and has well earned his present era of prosperity. He has given much time to the furthering of the progress and development of his county and state and he and his wife, who have a wide circle of friends, are active in social and educational circles.
Mr. Hannawald's marriage occurred in Aurora, Nebraska, on Christmas day, 1885, when he was united with Lilly Wilkins, daughter of James H. and Martha Wilkins, an old family of Hamilton county. Three children have been born of this union: Mabel, wife of Claude Leisure, of Portland, Oregon, has two children a son and a daughter; Beryle, wife of Fred Wright, living two miles south of Merna, has one child, a son; Velva, at home. Mrs. Hannawald has one brother, William Wilkins, living in Custer county, and, her parents reside at Aurora.
ANSON B. HARTLEY
Anson B. Hartley, one of the prominent real estate and loan men of central Nebraska, is closely identified with the business interests of Sargent and Custer county. He has made his own way in life and has attained success through hard work and business ability, managing his affairs according to the needs of the times and with strict attention to details. He has the reputation of being upright and honorable in his dealings and has many friends in his community. Mr. Hartley was born in Westchester county, New York, March 26, 1860, fifth child of Joseph and Mary E. (Atwood) Hartley, who have six sons and two daughters. The father was a native of Bellefontaine, Ohio, and the mother of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and they were married in Ohio. They removed to New York City about 1842, and there the father engaged in the wholesale and retail dry goods business, being a member of the firm of Wentz, Hartley and Company, later becoming a member of the firm of Taft, Griswold & Kellogg, dealers in wholesale dry goods. In 1872 he sold his interests in the city and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, at that time a little city of about five thousand population. He organized and became president of the Lancaster county bank, and in 1879 disposed of his banking interests and moved to York county, buying a farm near Bradshaw. He lived there until March, 1882, then moved with his family to Custer county and took a homestead on section nine, township nineteen, range nineteen, his home until 1892. Then, returning to Lincoln, he engaged in general mercantile business and continued to conduct it until his death, March 31, 1900. He was survived by his wife and seven children. Mrs. Hartley died in 1901, and those of the children now living are: William D., married and living in New Mexico; Carrie E., wife of C. W. Green, of Marquette, Michigan; Anson B., whose name stands at the head of this sketch; Joseph A., of Columbus, Ohio; Ellis T., of Columbus; Edward C., of Spokane, Washington; Flora B., wife of Charles Martin of Duluth, Minnesota.
In the spring of 1882, Mr. Hartley secured a homestead on the southeast quarter of section nine, in the town where his father had located, and this remained his home until the spring of 1902, when he came to Sargent and engaged in the real estate business, also dealing in insurance and loans. He began business in a primitive cracker box. He has forty acres in the tract of way, and according to his own report his first office desk was a dry goods box and his chair a land where he has erected his pleasant home, land where he has erected his pleasant home, which adjoins Sargent on the west. His is one of highly respected and having many friends. They are ready to give of their time and money to aid every cause for the general welfare and prosperity and the friends of progress along all lines.
On March 6, 1884, in Lillian township, Custer county, Mr. Hartley was united in marriage with Margie F. Dupray, and they have seven daughters and one son living: Carrie, wife of W. L. Probert, of Custer county, has two children; Fred A., in business with his father in Sargent; Mabel and May, twins; Bessie, Eveline, Grace and Elma, at home.
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