Philip and Nancy Mesner family. Philip and Nancy Emry Mesner joined Central City Friends Meeting in 1904, three years before they actually moved here in 1907. At the time they were living southeast of Hastings and had moved to the area so their older children could attend the college. Nancy Mesner's parents, Amanda and David Emry had already moved into the community. Since that time, the Mesner family has been an active and vital part of the Meeting. Nancy Mesner was a moving force in the Meeting. For many years she was Clerk of Ministry and Counsel, spending many hours on behalf of the Meeting. She did not like to miss Meeting for Worship, and in letters to her children who lived away, to whom she wrote on Sunday afternoons, she would often discuss the scripture, text and meaning of the sermon. There's a story about her in her later years, when she was dependent upon family to take her to church. The children who were supposed to pick her up were late. She tired of waiting and started off walking to town (a good mile). When the belated family caught up with her, she was at least half way, walking along the railroad tracks, on a cold winter day!
     Philip and Nancy Mesner had twelve children, all of whom were active in the life of the Meeting. They were Charles, Gilbert, Julia, Francis (Frank), John, Hugh, Oriella, Raymond, Bessie, Belle, Ralph and Angie. Charles became a Friends Pastor, and lived in the east most of his years. Gilbert and Raymond both served as Presiding Clerk. John was the Treasurer for many years. Belle married Marion Marsh and they were active in Fairview Methodist. Raymond married Erma Marsh and they remained active in the Friends Meeting. Bessie married Ray Barnes and their family transferred in and out of the Meeting several times before they ultimately located in Idaho. The others also moved away.
     Today, grandchildren and great grandchildren are still active in the Meeting, carrying on the legacy of their grandparents.

Prepared by Neil and Kay Mesner

Raymond and Erma (Marsh) Mesner Family. Raymond and Erma Marsh Mesner lived all of their lives in the Central City area, Their occupation was farming, but they also devoted many hours to the life of Central City Friends Meeting. They both attended Nebraska Central College, but graduated from William Penn College. As a young man out of college, Raymond felt led to be a conscientious objector during World War I. This was a radical stance and he was somewhat ostracized by some members in the community. He was part of an early contingent of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) that went to France from 1917-

1919 and did housing reconstruction. This began a lifelong service and support of AFSC. He spent many hours on buses and trains attending meetings. He was also closely associated with Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and enjoyed participating in those activities. As with most Friends, he was active in many aspects of the Meeting, including Presiding Clerk. He was well respected for his wise counsel and vision. He also served on the college board for many years.
     Erma Mesner, in addition to raising seven children, also gave many hours of service to the Meeting. She was an accomplished pianist, and her gifts of ministry in music gave many hours of inspiration. She was also noted for her writing gifts, and for years served as Recording Clerk for the Monthly Meeting and Yearly Meeting. She had a knack for gathering up young people and to the end, they enjoyed visiting with her. She was a surrogate "mom" to many who needed one.
     The children of Raymond and Erma are Dale, Warren, Elizabeth, Neil, Helen, Philip and William. While most of them moved away, their Quaker upbringing has been a strong motivation in their lives, and they have been active in other churches. Philip was recorded as a minister in Nebraska Yearly Meeting. Warren and Neil stayed in the area and each contributed to the life of the Meeting. Warren sang in the choir and later served faithfully as Meeting treasurer for many years. He was also very interested in FCNL and liked to keep up with their activities. Both he and Neil have always pitched in and helped where was needed. We grieved at Warren's all-too-soon death just this past January. Neil has served two different terms as Presiding Clerk, sung in the choir and was a Sunday School teacher. He has been most interested in AFSC activities, serving on the national Corporation Board, and on the Regional Board of Directors. Again, the legacy carries on.

Prepared by Kay and Neil Mesner

Neil and Kay (Roberts) Mesner Family. Neil Mesner is a "birthright" Quaker and has always been a part of Central City Friends Meeting. Kay Roberts Mesner transferred her membership there after they were married in 1958. It has been an amazing unraveling process to discover over the years we had Quaker forebears that intertwined over many decades. Both families were part of the Quaker migration that went from Pennsylvania to Ohio to southeast Iowa to northeast Nebraska. In an old Quaker cemetery near Pleasant Plain, Iowa, we discovered our Mesner, Emry and Roberts forebears lying side by side in eternal rest.
     Neil has served the Meeting faithfully over the years as co-president of Young Adults, Sunday School teacher, choir member and extended periods as Presiding Clerk two different times. He stretched beyond the local Meeting, attending four conferences of Young Friends of North America, serving as yearly meeting representative on the Corporation Board of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). He served two terms on the Regional AFSC Board of Directors. He also provided an important supportive role to Kay as she also participated in Friends activities.

Kay has served the local Meeting as Sunday School teacher, organist and Clerk of Ministry and Counsel. She has also been active on the yearly meeting level serving as Corresponding Clerk, Presiding Clerk, Asst. Clerk and Recording Clerk. This has also allowed her to participate in Friends United Meeting on Commissions and the General Board and a term as Recording Clerk.
     All of their children, Miriam, Brian and Cheryl, have been active in the Meeting as they grew up. They all served as Sunday School Treasurer and attended youth camps at Rockcleft in Colorado. They were active in any and all youth activities that came along. Miriam also served the yearly meeting as Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) representative and Recording Clerk. Brian works on the local level, having served as usher and participates in Trustees activities on the upkeep of church property. Cheryl has served on several committees of the Meeting and as Recording Clerk. She is also an FWCC representative on the yearly meeting level, as well as Asst. Recording Clerk.

Prepared by Kay Mesner

Warren and Selma (McConnell) Mesner. Warren was a birthright member. Selma began attending in the fall of 1939 and both she and Warren became active members in 1942, and joined the Meeting in 1940. Warren was interested in FCNL and served on the AFSC Regional Committee in Des Moines. He was church treasurer for many years. Selma served part of one tern on the AFSC Committee and is now the church treasurer and writes the newsletter.
     Warren and Selma have three sons; Michael, Clifford and Howard.

Carol Mlynar. Carol became interested in Friends when she discovered that Elton Trueblood was a leaf on her family tree. She began reading some of Elton's books and became a convinced Friend. Carol was a counselor in the Grand Island High School and came to Central City very faithfully, taking part in worship and teaching Sunday School when asked.
     She has served on the FWCC executive committee and has made an effort to keep our Meeting informed of FWCC's activities.

Everett and Lucy (Stephen) Myers. Everett and Lucy were both born in Merrick County, both attended Nebraska Central Academy.
     They were the parents of seven children, one dying in infancy; Margaret (Blum), Gladys (Glantz), Esther (Newsom), Barbara (Lahde), Dean (killed on Iwo Jima, World War II), and William J.
     Everett and Lucy resided in Merrick County until 1943, leaving to live in California.

Harrison and Hannah (Abel) Myers. Harrison Myers was born near Findley, Ohio, March 25, 1857. At the age of six he moved with his parents to Rose Hill, near Oskaloosa, Iowa. In the year 1880, at the age of 23, he came to Nebraska on an immigrant train in the employment of Abraham Sampson. After a few months, Mr. Sampson decided to return to Iowa, and Harrison bought the crops and implements of Mr. Sampson and established himself as an independent farmer, near Clarks where all members of the family were born.
     Although Harrison had never met Hannah Abel, who was born February 11, 1863, and also lived near Oskaloosa, Iowa, they arrived in Nebraska about the same time. She, with her parents, William and Esther Abel, arrived March 2, 1880. The Abels came by Prairie Schooner to Lone Tree, now Central City. Soon a courtship followed and culminated in their marriage February 3, 1881.
     Four of the children died while young, and the remaining family consisted of Ida Davison, Everett, Mabel Myers, Esther Watkins, Harold, Inez Mills Klomhaus, and Leona Scofield. (Leona was a member until her death. She lived in Texas.) Their goal was a well-educated family with a religious background as shown by the zeal and planning in building their next home near the Friends College, when the children became old enough to enter the academy. Their home was the center of activity for young as well as older people, and they always found room for one more whenever the occasion arose.
     Religious principles as set out by the Friends' Doctrine guided and directed this mother and father. Sincerity, simplicity, and devotion characterized the life of Hannah. No task seemed too hard for Harrison, and regardless of how hard he worked he never used his children to ease his own tasks -- he gave himself liberally that they might enjoy the best he could provide.
     This home welcomed those promoting the cause of the Kingdom of Heaven; traveling ministers and those attending Friends' Quarterly and Yearly Meetings knew the hospitality always so generously extended.
     Hannah's family (Abels) were of the Quaker faith also.

Taken from the Merrick County History, submitted by Leona Scofield.

AraBelle (Mott) Patrick. AraBelle was the daughter of Herbert and Lillie Mott. During her early years she lived in various Nebraska communities as her father was a recorded Quaker minister and had a gift for establishing Friends Meetings wherever he went. In 1908 the family moved to Scott City, Kansas. After graduating from high school, AraBelle taught school in a small community. College years were spent at Colorado College in Colorado Springs and at Nebraska Central College in Central City.
     AraBelle developed a great love for reading and an appreciation of fine poetry.
     During the next decade she both taught school and did social work in Pennsylvania, with one program, the House of Industry which was administered by the American Friends Service Committee. It was the AFSC that recommended her for a teaching job in the Coal Area Work in an isolated part of eastern Kentucky. A letter, after her arrive in Kentucky in November, 1933 said: "On Friday I worked in the Health Department office (in Breathitt County) - getting schools and needy communities marked on my map of the county. Very few of the schools (i.e. school students) have been weighed and measured. For those that had sent in this report, I worked out the percent of each child under weight, and number needing the feeding. I added to the railroad and highway lines on my map most of the usable roads and trails. Perhaps I can get into much of county before roads generally become impassable (with snow and mud)". In a letter two months later she stated her understanding of her special love and joy in teaching: "Yes, schools are my special joys, but five of ours closed yesterday (in late January) so I must find ways of getting close to those children." Education was to be a major part of her life.
     Returning from her Kentucky mountains, she married Ira Patrick in 1934, and moved to Fruita, Colorado. "Mr. Pat" was a home builder and their home, once the site of a wedding, was always open to friends. AraBelle taught English and worked in the library at the Fruita High School for a number of years.
     Stanley Kent Patrick was born in 1938. Later that year she went back to the school at Troublesome Creek in Kentucky to teach. Because of the Depression, married women were not allowed to teach in Colorado: "The men need the jobs." Kentucky allowed women married women to teach. She taught there for eight months for $460 and Mr. Pat helped to build bridges.
     She returned to Fruita and taught there and served as librarian until the mid-I960s.
     Her husband had died and she sold her home in 1966 to begin her second career: serving wherever needed in the Society of Friends. In 1967 she traveled to Kenya to become headmistress of a girls school, asking her cousin Vera Duffy to come out to help her in this year-long assignment. On their way back to the United States she and Vera spent two months together visiting European Centers and she was able to visit her son at New York University as she traveled through New York. She would spend two winters as a volunteer at Quaker Hill in Richmond, Indiana, and one winter as an assistant staff person at Minneapolis Friends Meeting in Minnesota. One period was spent living at Friends House in Central City. Summers were spent at her beloved Rockcleft, the camp and retreat in the