This is a NEGenWeb Project On-Line Library presentation.

        Lincoln county was organized and the boundaries defined by an act of the legislature approved January 7, 1860, under the name of Shorter county. The name was changed to Lincoln county in 1866 in honor of President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). The boundaries were redefined March 1, 1871.

• Arna. An inland locality in Wells precinct. The name derives from a village in the Grecian Archipelago.
  
• Bignell. This town was named for E. C. Bignell of Lincoln, Nebraska. Mr. Bignell was superintendent of the Burlington and Missouri railroad out of Lincoln at the time when the road was established.
  
• Birdwood. A station on the Union Pacific railroad west of North Platte. The northwest precinct of Lincoln county has the same name. Both descriptive names are local in origin and are named after Birdwood creek. Birdwood creek which flows through the precinct has a locally descriptive name. Birdwood creek is a literal translation of the Dakota Indian name Zintka-chan Wakpala for the same creek, so given because the birdwood or indigo shrub (Amorpha fruticosa) is commonly growing along the stream.
  
• Brady. This village was platted by G. D. and Mabel Matherson, January 28, 1889, and was incorporated in 1907. It is situated in Brady Island precinct and both the precinct and the town were named after the first settler in the vicinity. Mr. Brady is believed to have been killed by the Indians about the year 1859. Another and more circumstantial account is that he was murdered in 1833 by a French companion who had quarreled with him. Both were members of a party of trappers coming down the Platte river and had camped upon the island now known as Brady Island. Shortly afterwards the Frenchman met a violent death, presumably by the hand of a friend of Brady; but the report was given out that he had accidently shot himself and was later picked up by the Pawnees and died while in their care. The island where the first tragedy occurred has been known ever since as Brady Island.*
  *(See Shumway, History of Western Nebraska and Its People, vol. 2, p. 32.)
  
• Denmark. A former post office and a community in Fox Creek precinct, settled chiefly by Danish emigrants, hence the name.
  
• Dexter. A station on the Union Pacific railroad in Sunshine precinct, west side of Lincoln county. The name is probably local in origin.
  
• Dickens. The town of Dickens was named for the English author Charles, Dickens.
  
• Echo. A descriptive name for a former inland postoffice and locality in Wells precinct.
  
• Gannett. A station on the Union Pacific railroad, east of North Platte, in Hall precinct. It was named for J. W. Gannett, auditor for the railway.
  
• Garfield. President James A. Garfield was assassinated about the time Garfield post office was established. It was named in his honor, as well as the precinct in which it is situated. The post office has been discontinued.
  
• Hershey. The town of Hershey was named after J. H. Hershey, an early settler and a large rancher and land owner. Mr. Hershey was a business partner of William Paxton and through the influence of Mr Paxton with the railroad company he was able to get a siding and as an honor to Mr. Hershey it was named for him about the year 1890.
  
• Hindrey. A station on the Union Pacific railroad in Brady precinct, probably named for a local resident or a railroad man.
  
• Ingham. Ingham post office was named for a man by that name who was travelling through the country at the time when the office was established.
  
• Maxwell. The original name of this town was McPherson after the near-by fort which was named for Major-General James B. McPherson, of Civil War fame. The Union Pacific railroad changed the name to Maxwell in honor of an early official on the road. The precinct has the same name. The near-by national cemetery retains the name Fort McPherson.
  
• Myrtle. This town was named in honor of Myrtle Brink, a young lady who lived in the vicinity. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Nichols. A station on the Union Pacific railroad in Nichols precinct. The name is probably for a local resident or a railroad man.
  
• North Platte. The town of North Platte was laid out for the Union Pacific railroad by General G. M. Dodge in November, 1866. It is situated on the North Platte river, hence its name. It is the county seat of Lincoln county.
  
• O'Fallons. A junction point on the Union Pacific railroad. It received its name from a bluff in the vicinity. It is believed, probably correctly, that the bluff was named for Major Benjamin O'Fallon, soldier, Indian agent, and trader. It is also claimed that the name is for a hunter who was killed in the vicinity.
  
• Somerset. This place is situated in Somerset precinct on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad. It apparently was named after Somerset, Massachusetts.
  
• Spannuth. A former inland post office near the east side of Lincoln county in Spannuth precinct, both names are probably local in origin.
  
• Spear. The name for a former inland post office and a locality near the northwest corner of Lincoln county in Birdwood precinct, local in origin.
  
• Sutherland. This town was named for a Mr. Sutherland who was one of the high officials of the Union Pacific railroad in 1869, when the town was laid out and named.
  
• Vroman. A station on the Union Pacific railroad on the east side of Lincoln county in Vroman precinct. It and the precinct were named for William Vroman, a resident of the vicinity.
  
• Wallace. The Lincoln Town-Site Company laid out this town and the head of that company named the town in honor of his son-in-law, Wallace.
  
• Wellfleet. This village was named after Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The name is said to be a corruption of "whale fleet."
  
• Whittier. This place is a former post office in Whittier precinct which is located on the north line of Lincoln county. It and the precinct were named for the poet, John Greenleaf Whittier.
  
• Willard. The name for an inland locality in Cox precinct, probably local in origin.
  

        Logan county was named in honor of General John A. Logan (1826-1886). In the early days this county was largely settled by Civil War veterans. Its boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved February 24, 1885.

• Ford. The post office at Ford was so named because it was located at the home of "Bud" Ford. It has been discontinued for some time.
  
• Gandy. The town of Gandy was named in honor of James Gandy, one of the oldest settlers. Mr. Gandy built the first court house in Logan county, of which Gandy is the county seat. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Gem. A former post office near the northeast corner of Logan county, in Burt precinct. It was so named by C. T. Johnson who owned the land where the post office was located.
  
• Hoagland. This place was named for W. V. Hoagland, an attorney of North Platte, Nebraska, who homesteaded the land on which the village was laid out.
  
• Kirsch. The post office at Kirsch was located at the home of F. J. Kirsch, a farmer living north of Stapleton, Nebraska, and was named in his honor. This office has been discontinued.
  
• Logan. This town was named for Logan county in which it it located. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Stapleton. This place is at the terminus of a branch of the Union Pacific railroad and near the line of Gandy and Dorp precincts. It was named for a friend of Harry O'Neill by the name of Stapleton, a partner of the town-site promoter who offered to give a donation to the town of Stapleton.
  
• Wagner. This office is located in Burt precinct. It was named for Mr. Wegener, the man who owned the ranch on which it is located.
  

        Loup County was named after the Loup river which flows through it. The boundaries of the original county were defined by an act of the legislature approved March 6, 1855; and were redefined by an act approved February 23, 1883. Gannett's treatise on place names states that Loup county was named for the tribe of Pawnee Loups. More probably the Loup river was so named.

• Almeria. When the Almeria post office was established about thirty-five years ago, several names were submitted but none were very satisfactory. The name Almeria was suggested by the United States post office department and adopted. The town was named in honor of Almeria Strohl, wife of Wess Strohl, the founder of Almeria. The precinct in which Almeria is situated is called Strohl, after Wess Strohl.
  
• Calamus. The town of Calamus was named after the Calamus river which is in the immediate vicinity. The post office has been discontinued. Calamus river is a translation of the Dakota name Sinkpe-ta-wote Wakpa. Sinkpe-ta-wote (food of the muskrat) is the Dakota name of calamus or sweet flag, wakpa means river.
  
• Ferguson. Named after a Scotchman, John Ferguson, an early immigrant to the vicinity and who lived just over the line in Blaine county.
  
• Gracie. The town of Gracie, and also Gracie creek, were named for a man by that name who was an old settler in the vicinity. A local tradition gives the following account. Gracie post office was named after Gracie creek. Gracie creek was named for a little blind girl named Grace. Her people were traveling through the country and camped on the bank of the creek for several days. Little Grace loved to play in the water, and the creek was named Gracie in her honor. This is the story told by the local, old ranchmen with regard to how Gracie creek was named.
  
• Moulton. The Moulton post office was named in honor of L. M. Moulton who was instrumental in having it established. Mr. Moulton was also the first postmaster, serving in that capacity for a long term of years.
  
• Ovitt. The post office was named in honor of Mrs. Laura R. Ovitt who was its first postmistress.
  
• Taylor. The town of Taylor is named from the post office established here about 1881, which in turn was named in honor of Ed Taylor, a local pioneer. Taylor is the county seat of Loup county. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Valleyview. This post office is situated on a high elevation which has a good view of the neighboring valley for several miles and on this account was named Valleyview by Walter Hesselgesser, the postmaster.
  

        McPherson county was organized by Governor Thayer in 1890. Its boundaries were defined by an act of Legislature, March 31, 1887. The county was named in honor of General James B. McPherson (1828-1864), of Civil War fame.

• Brighton. A former post office in Tryon precinct. In pioneer days a family by the name of Brighton homesteaded in the vicinity and the locality was known as Brighton valley. When the post office was established it took the same name.
  
• Chandler. The Chandler post office, in Worden precinct. was named for an elderly lady, Mrs. S. L. Chandler, who was living in the vicinity at the time the office was established. Mrs. Chandler is at present living in Sullivan county, Indiana.
  
• Flats. During the homestead days a Mrs. Lombard and two of her sons homesteaded land about three miles from this town in a broad valley which came to be known as "Lombard Flats." Later the Lombard home was selected for the post office and in chosing a name, Lombard was omitted and the office was called "Flats." Since then the post office has been moved several times but it has retained the same name.
  
• Forks. This town was so named because of its location atthe fork of East and West Birdwood creek. The post office here has been discontinued for several years.
  
• Lemley. A locality in Lemley precinct, both named for a local resident. The pioneer postmaster was George M. Brooks and he named the post office after his infant son, Lemley Brooks. The post office has been discontinued.
  
• Lilac. The name Lilac was selected by the government from a list of several names suggested for this post office. A small lilac bush was growing in the yard of the family who wished to establish the office, and therefore they included the name Lilac in the list of the names which they submitted.
  
• Mayflower. A former post office near the line of Tryon and Cottonwood precincts.
  
• Nesbit. A recently discontinued post office in Lemley precinct, apparently named for a local resident.
  
• Ney. A former post office near the northeastern corner of McPherson county, in Hall precinct, named for a local resident.
  
• Omega. This town was named Omega after a biblical reference, "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and ending" of Revelation. On the frontier the word omega meant the last or the end of things. This post office was at the end of the star mail route out from Gandy, hence the name. The post office has been discontinued.
  
• Ringgold. There was at one time a post office in Dawson county called Ringgold. This office was discontinued and some of the residents of the town moved to McPherson county. When a new town was started here it was named by these residents after the old town in Dawson county. On old maps the Dawson county village is given as Ringold.
  
• Summit. An inland post office in the northeastern part of McPherson county in Hall precinct. It was so named because of its elevated position. Formerly the post office was in the southwestern part of Thomas county in Dismal precinct.
  
• Tryon. Authorities and old residents differ on the subject of the naming of this town. Some say it was named for William Tryon, a colonial governor of America (1725-1788); others say it was named by Judge Neville of North Platte, Nebraska; and still others say that it was named by Mrs. Jay Smith, now of Kearney, Nebraska, who said: "Let's keep trying on to have a town." Tryon is the county seat of McPherson county.
  
• Valyrang. The post office was established at the home of Mrs. Lou Hurd who sent in this name to the United States post office department. She spelled the name Valley Rang but the post office department shortened the name to Valyrang.
  

        Madison county was organized in December, 1867. It was named Madison at the suggestion of the Germans at Norfolk who came from Madison county, Wisconsin. Its boundaries were defined and the county established by an act of the legislature approved January 26, 1856; redefined by an act approved March 3, 1873. Gannett in his work on place names states that Madison county was named for President James Madison (1751-1836).
        The statement that the county was named Madison at the suggestion of German settlers from Madison county, Wisconsin, after their former home, accords with that of Judge McCallum in his History of Madison County, Nebraska, as published on page 5 of the Weekly Review, Madison, Nebraska, issued July 7, 1876, and is authoritative. Madison county, Wisconsin, was named for President James Madison.

• Battle Creek. The Pioneer Town-Site Company laid out this town in 1884. It was named after a near-by stream on which General John M. Thayer in command of the Nebraska volunteer militiamen fought a battle against the Pawnee Indians. According to the late Albert Watkins, historian of the Nebraska State Historical Society, this reputed battle is a myth. The precinct is also called Battle Creek.
  
• Emerick. A village in Emerick precinct. It and the precinct were named for John Emerick, a local pioneer. The postoffice has been discontinued.
  
• Enola. This town was named for its founder, T. J. Malone. Mr. Malone's name was spelled backwards, with omission of the m, in order to form the name for the town.
  
• Hope. This town was named in honor of H. C. Hope, superintendent of telegraph for the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha railroad. It was established in 1894.
  
• Kalamazoo. An inland locality in Schoolcraft precinct, doubtless named for Kalamazoo, Michigan. The next precinct south has the name Kalamazoo. The name derives from negikanamazo, a word of some Indian language, variously translated as "otter tail, beautiful water, boiling water, or stones like otters."
  
• Kent Siding. A station on the Chicago and Northwestern railroad in Valley precinct.
  
• Madison. H. M. Barnes and his sons made the first settlement here in the fall of 1868. Madison is usually stated to have been named after the county. It is also authoritatively stated that the town was named by Herman Madison Barnes, son of Frank Barnes, homesteader of the present site. Madison is the county seat of Madison county. The precinct is also named Madison.
  
• Meadow Grove. The town of Meadow Grove received its name from a grove that stood in a meadow near the town site.
  
• Newman Grove. This town received its name from a beautiful grove of natural timber (cottonwood), of about one hundred and sixty acres in extent, which is situated in the vicinity. The grove belonged to Newman Warren and was known as the Newman Grove.
  
• Norfolk. Colonel Mathewson, one of the founders of the city, told the folowing story concerning the origin of the name Norfolk. When it was time to send a petition to the post office department to have a post office established, the question of a name was brought up for consideration. Finally the name Nor'fork, a contraction of North Fork, was agreed upon, since the town was located on the north fork of the river. The petition was accepted but the post office department respelled the name Norfolk, assuming, undoubtedly, that the petitioners had misspelled the name. The office was established in 1867. Gannett's treatise on place names states that Norfolk, Nebraska, was named for Norfolk county, England. The precinct has the name Norfolk.
  
• South Norfolk. This junction point on the Chicago and Northwestern railroad is situated a short distance south of Norfolk, in Norfolk precinct, hence the name.
  
• Tilden. The name of this town was originally Burnett, in honor of the first superintendent of the Sioux City and Pacific railroad. It was changed to Tilden because of the similarity of Burnett to Bennett in Lancaster county, which caused some confusion in the delivery of the mail. The name Tilden was given the town in honor of Samuel J. Tilden of New York, the lawyer and statesman (1814-1886). The town was surveyed and platted in October, 1880.
  
• Warnerville. The post office at Warnerville has been discontinued. The town was named for an early setfler, Mr. H. Warner, who operated a store and an elevator for many years. It was originally named Munsonville and was changed to Warnerville when Mr. Warner bought land interests and started in business. The precinct is still known as Warnerville.
  

        Merrick county was named in honor of Elvira Merrick (Mrs. Henry W. De Puy). The county was established and its boundaries defined by an act of the legislature approved November 4, 1858. The bill to establish Merrick county and to locate the county seat at Elvira was introduced by Representative Henry W. De Puy, from Dodge county.

• Archer. This town was named for Robert T. Archer.
  
• Central City. This town is the county seat of Merrick county. The name "Central City" was given the town because it is centrally located in the agricultural region of Nebraska.
  
• Chapman. This town was named after a roadmaster of the Union Pacific railroad when the station was established. John Donovan, the local section boss, was the first postmaster, and he named the town after his superior officer. The precinct is also named Chapman.
  
• Clarks. The town of Clarks was named in honor of Silas Henry H. Clark (1836-1900), who was.for many years the active head of the Union Pacific railroad.
  
• Elvira. This town was at one time the county seat of Merrick county. It was established at the same time that the county was established and was named in honor of Mrs. Elvira Merrick De Puy. The county seat was located here by an act of the legislature approved November 4, 1858. The town does not now exist.
  
• Palmer. This village is on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad, and it is believed that Palmer was named after an official of the Burlington system.
  
• Silver Creek. A near-by stream has the descriptive name Silver Creek, hence the name for this village on the Union Pacific railroad The precinct has the same name.
  
• Sunrise. An inland village in Mead precinct. The name is appropriate for a locality having a beautiful sunrise or an unobstructed view to the east.
  
• Worms. An inland village in Prairie creek precinct. It was probably named for Worms, Rhein-Hessen, Germany.
  

        Morrill county was named in honor of Charles Henry Morrill, a veteran of the Civil War and regent of the University of Nebraska, 1890-1903. The county was originally a part of Cheyenne county and was set apart and established at the general election held November 3, 1908, and by proclamation of Governor George L. Sheldon, November 12, 1908.

• Angora. Mr. John King is authority for the statement that the name Angora was given about the year 1900 by the railway officials Before the coming of the railroad the vicinity was called Antelope Hill. The name comes from Angora, in Anatolia, Asia Minor
  
• Atkins. This is a station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad. It is named for Col. A. W. Atkins.
  
• Bayard. The town of Bayard, in Bayard precinct, was named in 1887 by Millard and Jap Senteny after their former home at Bayard Iowa.
  
• Bonner. A station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Bonner precinct, both probably named for a local resident.
  
• Bridgeport. This town is the county seat of Morrill county. It derives its name from the local bridge over the North Platte river, erected by H. T. Clark, the owner, of Omaha, Nebraska, to facilitate stage travel from Sidney, Nebraska, to the Black Hills, South Dakota. Subsequently the town was located near the bridge site
  
• Broadwater. The name was given to this town by Mr. Moeller, president of the Union Pacific railroad, and was so designated in honor of a personal friend of his, named General Broadwater. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Chimney Rock. This place is a station on the Union Pacific railroad near the west line of Morrill county. It is so named from a noted and conspicuous landmark called Chimney Rock which is a conical pile of rock with a spire like top, standing between two and three hundred feet high.
  
• Cleman. The Cleman post office was named in honor of its first postmaster, John Kleman. It is in Storm Lake precinct.
  
• Colyer. This post office was named for Mrs. Nannie J. Colyer, the postmaster. It is located near the southeastern corner of Morrill county in Wier Lisco precinct.
  
• Goodstreak. This place is situated near the northwest corner of the county in Good Streak precinct. It is stated that the local pioneer physician and homesteader, Doctor Worth, having found a place where surface fuel was plentiful, reported to his few and widely separated neighbors that he had found a good streak and this odd name has clung to the locality and precinct ever since.
  
• Guthrie. This is a station on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy railroad in Court House precinct. It was named for S. L. Guthrie.
  
• Lynn. An inland postoffice in Reilly Hill precinct. It was probably named for a local settler.
  
• Northport. Northport derived its name from the fact that it is located on the north side of the North Platte river.
  
• Redington. This town, as well as the precinct, was named in honor of the noted Indian fighter, Henry V. Redington. During the seventies and eighties Mr. Redington made this part of the west his headquarters. He made it his special business to protect ranchmen from Indians who were at that time stealing a great many cattle. Mr. Redington is still living. He resides at Sidney, Nebraska.
  
• Silverthorn. An inland place in Wier Lisco precinct. The name is probably of local origin.
  
• Simla. The original name of this town was Mud Springs, a noted station of the pony express and the overland stage, and the scene of an Indian attack during 1865. Simla was probably named by some representative of the Burlington railway system. It suggests Simla in India.
  

        Nance county was originated on February 4, 1879. It was named in honor of Albinus Nance, governor of Nebraska, 1879-1882. The boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved February 13, 1879.

• Belgrade. This town was named by James Main after Belgrade on the Danube, "because its location on a hill resembled that of the Serbian city."
  
• Fullerton. Fullerton was surveyed and platted in 1878. It was named in honor of Randall Fuller who was one of the earliest settlers Fullerton is the county seat of Nance county. The precinct has the same name.
  
• Genoa. This name was given to the town by the Mormons who settled here in 1857. It was named for Genoa, Italy. The precinct has-the same name.
  
• Kent. A station on the Union Pacific railroad in Council Creek precinct.
  
• Merchiston. A station on the Union Pacific railroad in Council creek precinct.
  
• Northstar. An inland village in Loup Ferry precinct. A number of villages in the United States have this name. The name is suggestive of high latitude or a place facing the polar star.
  

        Nemaha county was named for the Nemaha river. The Otoe Indian name of the river is Nimaha, from ni, water; and maha, miry; that is miry water river. The boundaries were defined by an act of the legislature approved March 7, 1855; redefined January 26, 1856, and November 1, 1858. A neighboring county in Kansas has the same name.

• Aspinwall. An old settler gave as the reason why the citizens chose the name Aspinwall: "We wanted to have a big name."Aspinwall was the longest and most impressive name that suggested itself to them.
  
• Auburn. North Auburn was platted by the Lincoln Land Company in 1869 and was originally named Sheridan. When the Burlington and Missouri railroad was built west from Nemaha to Tecumseh in 1881, it missed by a mile the old inland town of Sheridan and platted a new town which was called Calvert. About a year later the Missouri Pacific railroad was built through Sheridan to Omaha. At this time Church Howe and Charles D. Nixon of Oswego, New York, who owned some land through which the Missouri Pacific railroad ran, laid out a new town-site joining Sheridan on the east. Mr. Howe and Mr. Nixon, together with the Lincoln Land Company, helped to agitate the county seat removal, and, after they had succeeded in locating the court house half way between Calvert and Sheridan, they decided to incorporate the two towns under one name. Mr. Nixon suggested the name Auburn after Auburn, New York (which was near his former home), and it was adopted by both the post office and the railroads. Auburn is the county seat of Nemaha county.
  
• Brock. The station at Brock was named by the railroad officials in honor of a superintendent of the road, also said to be a local resident. Later the post office accepted the name.
  
• Brownville. This town was named in honor of Richard Brown (1822-1900), who with B. B. Frazer owned the site and planned and platted the original town in April, 1856. The county seat was located here by an act of the legislature approved March 7, 1855. The town was incorporated March 14, 1855, amended February 1857, and reincorporated February 12, 1864.
  
• Glen Rock. This town was surveyed on September 7, 1857. It was named by Irvin Bristol because of its location in a valley near some stone quarries.
  
• Howe. The original town was named Bedford and was platted on January 20, 1882. The post office and depot were named after Major Church Howe. Mr. Howe was for several years the American consul at Palermo, Italy, and later at Sheffield, England. His home while in this vicinity was on a farm adjoining the east side of Howe.
  
• Johnson. Johnson was named for Julius A. Johnson who owned the land on which the town is located. The site was laid out in 1869.
  
• Julian. About thirty-five years ago a post office was established at a farm house a little more than a mile from the present location of the town. This post office was given the name Julian in honor of Julian Bahaud, a rich, bachelor Frenchman who lived in the community and owned several farms near by. Mr. Bahaud was known to all his neighbors as "Old man Julian." When the town was established the post office was moved to its present site but still retained the name. Mr. Bahaud was murdered at his lonely home in June, 1899.
  
• Nemaha. The town of Nemaha was named for the Nemaha river. It was incorporated by an act of the legislature approved January 22, 1856.
  
• Peru. The early settlers in this vicinity came from Peru, Illinois, and, when the town was laid out, they gave it the name of their former home. It was incorporated by an act of the legislature approved January 13, 1860.
  
• Saint Deroin. This town was washed away by the Missouri river in 1911, but it is of interest historically. It was one of the oldest towns in the state, laid out in 1854. Joseph Deroin, an Otoe chief, owned the land on which the town was located and it was named for him. The precinct still retains the name.
  

© 2001 for the NEGenWeb Project by Connie Snyder