farming and teaching combined. He became owner of forty acres of land near Brighton, but as it was nearly all timber and poor soil, he sold it for a fair price in gold, and with the proceeds started on a further quest for the land of milk and honey. He journeyed across the Hawkeye State with a team, in the month of February, and not finding anything to suit him within its limits, crossed the Missouri River at Kenosha about the 20th of March, 1856. This place was then a hamlet of five or six log houses.
   From Kenosha Mr. Flower was accompanied on his journey by Durell Reed, then a lad sixteen years of age. They passed through the present town of Mt. Pleasant, where a few adventurous settlers had located, and which was ten miles west of Kenosha. No settlers had ventured beyond this point. They finally arrived at the falls of Weeping Water, known in the Indian language as "Keet-sotee-te-cutt," the water which cries. This section of country greatly pleased the travelers, especially Mr. Flower, and he staked out a claim, resolving to settle there.
   Cass County at this time had not been subjected to the Government survey. Mr. Flower commenced the building of a log house near the falls, and the site of that humble dwelling was four rods west of the west end of I street, north of the coal shutes of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, as it now stands. The house later was used for a dwelling, church, school and stable, and greatly to the regret of the present generation was torn down in 1880, by Dr. M. M. Butler, the present owner of the property.
   Mr. Flower and his young companion had been but a week in their new quarters when the Indians made a raid upon them, stealing their horses and taking them to their camp near the present town of Waverly. Mr. Flower and a new comer, Mr. Millagan, followed in hot pursuit on foot. The prairie had recently been burned, and the ground was black and destitute of vegetation. The melted snow and recent rains had rendered the ground soft, so that they could easily track the marauders, and finally overtook them in the neighborhood of what is now Waverly.
   The pursuers followed them down the stream of Callahan Creek, in hopes of finding a sheltered nook wherein they could encamp for the night. Their surprise and joy may be imagined when they suddenly came upon a camp of Government land surveyors, about sixteen in number, who invited them to partake of their fare, and to whom they related the story of their wrongs.
   In the morning the majority of these men volunteered to go with Mr. Flower and Mr. Milligan to the Indian village, about ten miles distant. The Indians had entered into a treaty with the Government, and considered the surveyors its emissaries. Not wishing to be caught in violation of their treaty, when they saw the company coming over the top of the ridge, they whipped Mr. Flower's horses out of their camp, so as not to be caught in possession of stolen horses. This ended the first Indian trouble. Mr. Flower returned to his claim, and went to work on his house, having it in comfortable condition when his wife and five children arrived with a small party of friends, about the 6th of May. He then began breaking the ground, and put in a small crop, from which he obtained a very good harvest, under the circumstances.
   On the 1st of July, that year, there occurred an "Indian scare," and about 150 men repaired to Weeping Water, from Plattsmouth, Nebraska City and Omaha, to protect the settlers. They brought a cannon from Omaha, and in a reconnoitre one Indian was captured, and five men occupied themselves in guarding him in an uncompleted log house. During the evening the Indian made complaint of being "heap sick," and a number of them were sent out with him to walk him around in the fresh air. They halted near a small oak shrub, the Indian having a buffalo robe over his shoulder. Their surprise may be imagined when after watching the savage half an hour or more they went up to shake him, and give him to understand it was time for him to return to the house, they found no Indian, nothing but a buffalo robe over a scrub-oak bush. As they had treated him well, and there were no other Indians in the vicinity, the men disbanded and returned to their various places.
   Under the claims law then extant Mr. Flower held two 160-acre tracts, one being a part of the western portion of the present city of Weeping Water, the other was subsequently known as

the Hank Hubbard farm. Before the "scare" a party of men, five in number, adventurers, with Hiram Craney as leader, came to the settlement and sojourned a few weeks. Afterward, they coveting one of the claims of Mr. Flower, and others belonging to his friends, conceived the brilliant plan of inaugurating another Indian war, so that the settlers might be obliged to leave the valley and they could then "jump" the claims.
   These parties gave the settlers to understand that they were going to leave the country, and it was supposed they were gone, but they returned shortly in the guise of Indians, and skulking around the stony cliffs at a distance, succeeded in making the settlers believe that hostilities were intended. The settlers, being poorly supplied with arms and ammunition, held a meeting, and Mr. F. volunteered to go after the necessary articles if they would gather the five families into one house, and stand guard until his return. In his absence these frontier ruffians tore down his pre-emption shanty, on the place now known as the Hank Hubbard Farm, and others with it, then going to the land office in Nebraska City, made oath, one for another, that Mr. Flower and others had abandoned their claims. These parties were then allowed to file upon them, and under the law there was no redress.
   The parties committing this outrage were well armed, and the settlers did not dare to resent their actions. They got the land from the Government, but sold out the first opportunity, and before long the country was rid of them. Hiram Craney later went to Utah and joined the Mormons. In the fall of 1856 Elam Flower commenced building a mill near the site of the present Clinton Mills, digging races and getting out stone for a dam. He cut into logs the best walnut trees he could find, and hauled them to the mouth of the Weeping Water, about seven miles above Nebraska City, and ferried them across the river in a flatboat, where prior to this a sawmill had been started. He had lumber sawed to use in making an overshot water wheel, and other timbers for the mill.
   Mr. Flower had come to this section of country with a reasonable amount of capital, but finally found that his expenses were exceeding his income. About this time two young men came into the settlement, one claiming to have money, and the other recommending himself as a fine mechanic. Their names were Fair and Nice. Mr. Flower took them into partnership, but after several months no money appearing, and one of the fellows becoming very abusive and overbearing, he sold his interest in the business, taking notes without security. There being no deed for the land, there was thus no opportunity for placing a mortgage. William Reed and his sons, coming in soon after, the firm of Fair & Nace sold the property to Reed for cash, and skipped for California without paying Mr. Flower.
   William Reed & Sons got this mill in operation in 1861, but did not begin grinding wheat into flour until two years later. The principal parts of this structure were later removed to Millford by Mr. Reed. But to return to the winter of 1866-57, which was noted throughout the Northwest for its severity. On the 1st of December the storm commenced, and for ninety days there was continual frost, without warmth enough to thaw the snow on the south side of the most sheltered nooks, only one day in three months. "Lo! the poor Indian," who would steal horses and commit depredations in warmer weather, was now in a starving condition. It was then the forgiving nature of Mr. Flower asserted itself, and it was noticed by his neighbors that he frequently sheltered and fed straggling members of the tribe, until his winter provisions began to run short. In the beginning of winter a crust had formed on the snow, and new snow falling upon this, and drifting by the heavy winds and blizzards made it impossible to get a team through, and in many instances deer were caught and killed with axes or clubs, but as they were almost starved to death, the meat was nearly valueless.
   Over these drifts one day Mr. Flower took his hand sled and started for Kenosha, twenty miles away, where had been started a store. He arrived at his destination after one day's travel, and the next morning started homeward, his sled loaded with flour, bacon, coffee, etc. He was obliged to face a Northwestern driving snow storm and thus tugged along all day without road or trail to guide him. By keeping due West, however, with the aid of his knowledge of the lay of the land, he found himself about four miles from home just as

night was coming on. He did not dare to attempt crossing another ridge, as another blizzard was setting in. Mr. Flower had to pull his sled down Cedar Creek, a small stream that emptied into the Weeping Water, and after considerable trouble succeeded in finding a cabin that was located near Jim Sperry's brick kiln. He supposed it was empty, but what was his surprise on pushing the door open to find it was inhabited by a widow, whose husband had died late in the fall. She had living with her two children, aged three and five years, both girls, and a half-witted nephew nearly man grown. The widow and nephew had both frozen their hands trying to kindle a fire with powder and caps, and some cotton from a quilt had been tried, but they had failed on account of so much snow being in the house. Mr. Flower found the cabin dreary and cold, with two inches of snow all over inside the house. A few more hours and all would have been over with these wretched creatures. Mr. Flower, like all well regulated frontiersmen, had matches in his pocket and found plenty of wood close by in the snow, which he brought in and there was soon a glowing fire, He then shoveled the snow out of the house, brought in his provisions, and they had a royal frontier feast all around.
   The next day, putting the children in the feather bed, with the blankets over them, and leaving part of the provisions in the cabin, he started out accompanied by the woman, Mrs. Carr, and her nephew, to the cabin of Mr. Flower. This structure, only 16x16 feet square, they found upon their arrival was already full of Indians and storm-bound white men, in all twenty-two persons. Mr. Flower and the other settlers got through with that terrible winter as best they could.
   We find the following in regard to the town of Weeping Water, but Mr. Flower held other claims under the claim law. In the United States Land Office at Lincoln is the record of property in the City of Weeping Water, as follows:
   Book A., Page 39 -- (Elam L. Flower, to the public.) -- Claim Certificate, filed April 24, 1856.
   This is to certify that I have located a claim in Cass County, Territory of Nebraska, for the use of six individuals for town site. Said site comprising the following, to wit: Northwest 1/4 of Northwest 1/4 of section 1, town 10, range, 11 East, with other lands, and containing in all 1,640 acres, more or less. File received the 24th day of April, A. D., 1856. By G. H. Brown, Deputy Recorder of Deeds.
   This was a great scheme, and this 1,640 acres of land was platted into three towns, on paper, all adjoining and named respectively, Caledonia, Grand Rapids and Weeping Water -- divided into shares. But as it was Government land and not yet in the market no deeds could be given, although some of the shares were sold for a trifle. A few members of the town company inaugurated a scheme to commence East and put the town shares of Caledonia on the market, which would have been a swindle; but Mr. Flower put a stop to this at once; and eventually the whole business was abandoned. There was no town known as Weeping Water until the year 1880, although the first store was started in 1867, when Eugene L. Reed, (of whom a sketch will be found elsewhere in this volume,) Frank Wolcott and others organized the village of Weeping Water.
   Weeping Water was not formally organized as a city of the second class until the first of May, 1888, and it was then found there were enough inhabitants for it to become a city of the second class. Its growth and development has been detailed elsewhere in this work. In the fall of 1888 the inhabitants numbered 2,200, and by the various additions which have been made from time to time to its area, it now covers nearly as much ground as the "paper town" of 1856 did, with the difference in the number of population. There are now a score or so of frame store buildings, all occupied, several brick blocks, hundreds of fine residences, two main lines of railroad, grain elevators, mills, various industries and the other enterprises naturally belonging to a flourishing and rapidly growing city in the heart of a rich farming country.
   Upon the coming of the spring of 1858 Mr. Flower finding difficulty in getting his mill started, and apprehending it would be a long time before it would pay, and in consideration of the dishonesty of his partners, sold out and moved across the river into Millville, Iowa, opposite Kenosha, which was then but a steamboat landing, although there were

slight indications of a village being started. A sawmill had been started by Sidney Treat, and there were about twenty families in the place. Mr. Mower was soon recognized as a substantial citizen and in due time was elected Justice of the Peace; he was also appointed Postmaster, and set up a grocery store. The postoffice was named Buchanan.
   The place where this village once stood has long been the bed of the Missouri River. In 1860 Mr. Flower returned to this county, taking up his abode near Mt. Pleasant, where he staid two seasons, then moved to 4 point five miles west of Weeping Water. In the meantime he received a land warrant good for 160 acres, as the reward of service in the army when he was a boy about sixteen years of age. This was the southeast quarter of section 35, township 11, range 13, of Cass County. He laid his warrant, proved it up and battled with many difficulties for a number of years -- drouth and far-away market included. Owing to the expense of fencing his land, which was required by law, and under the general impression of that day that there was no use of trying to farm on a piece of upland, he moved to the land now owned by his eldest son, G. M. Flower. This was then a ranch lying along the great overland Government wagon road to the Western forts and the emigrant road to Pike's Peak and California, and included the southwest quarter of section 31, township 11, range 13, of Cass County. Here Elam Flower turned his attention to stock-raising, also keeping hay, grain and other supplies for travelers. In 1865 he began freighting with one team to Ft. Kearney. After making one trip he enlarged his facilities to four teams, and with his three eldest boys, Gilbery Manley, Warren A. and Clarence P., made several trips to the forts and Denver. In the spring of 1866, in addition to Denver he took in Salt Lake City, this enterprise occupying a period of eighteen months. He entered Salt Lake City too late in the fall to recross the mountains, and consequently was compelled with his boys to winter in that vicinity on the Severe River, southwest of Salt Lake City 150 miles, and forty miles from any settlement.
   Mr. Flower, however, purchased a supply of school books before leaving the City of the Saints and busied himself instructing his boys and hearing their lessons during the winter in a small shanty on the banks of the Severe River. Upon the starting of the grass in the spring father and sons set out eastward with their teams across the mountains, Clarence and his father had an attack of the mountain fever, from which the son soon recovered, but not so with the father. Although he lived until June 28, 1872, he was never able to do any work. He suffered greatly thereafter, although his natural energy sufficed to keep him off his bed most of the time. He returned to Cass County in August, 1867, and lived on the ranch, which began to be settled all around by homesteaders.
   The elder Flower took great interest in the Grange movement being agitated at that time, identifying himself with the order and being elected Master. He also occupied other local offices. Considering his career, as heretofore noted, it is hardly necessary to speak of the estimation in which he was held by the people of this county. He was an honest and upright man in all his dealings, and made for himself a record which his descendants may look upon with pride. It was generally conceded that "Uncle Elam," as every one called him, had no enemies, and after his death the last sad rites were attended by the largest gathering of people ever known in Weeping Water. Politically, he is a stanch Republican and it is believed he was the first man in Nebraska to set about the formation of the Union Club, later known as the Union League. Of this William Reed was the commanding officer and Mr. Flower his lieutenant. Mr. Flower had an intense hatred of anything savoring of disloyalty to the Union, and on more than one occasion forced members of the Rebel element to withdraw their expressions of sympathy with the Confederacy.
   As mentioned above, there were five sons and two daughters. These are all living, all residents of Nebraska, and with one exception residing in or near Weeping Water. One son, Clarence, is a resident of Frontier County. Warren A., the third child and second son, was born Dec. 10, 1850, in Brighton. Iowa; P. F., the fifth child and fourth son, was born May 6, 1855, and these two are among the prominent business men of Weeping Water.

   Warren A. Flower was a little lad of five and one-half years when his parents came to Nebraska, and young as he was he had already attended school. After that he never saw the inside of a school-house for years and he only studied at home a very little until after he was fifteen years old. He then entered the school at Mt. Pleasant, where he was a pupil. After the trip to Utah he returned to school at Mt. Pleasant, attending three months; then at Weeping Water school a short time, but as his home was five miles from the village he abandoned his studies until a more favorable season. When nineteen years old he resumed his books, but was obliged to give them up soon on account of the illness of his father.
   Warren Flower after becoming of age, not satisfied with his lack of education, repaired to Brighton, Iowa, and making his home with his uncle attended the graded school there two terms. He would have continued, but on account of failing health caused by the climate and close confinement was obliged to withdraw once more. He then began learning the photograph business, which he took up readily, and ere long set up a little gallery of his own at Richland, Iowa, where he sojourned a short time, then coming to Weeping Water operated a gallery one winter. We next find him in Syracuse a few months, but he finally abandoned photography for the time and going to Jasper County, Neb., took up a tract of land. Upon this he operated in summer and made pictures in winter at a town a few miles distant.
   Like his father before him, Warren Flower, upon reaching manhood, was discovered to possess excellent qualities as a business man and a citizen. In 1873 he was appointed Sheriff, and the following year he was elected Surveyor of Jasper County, Neb., although he did not qualify, as the county was new and the settlers few, so there was little to do in this line. He was also on the Returning Board of Jasper County at the time of the election of Zediker, and the adoption of the State Constitution, when Harmon, a Democrat, tried to steal the ballots of Zediker, the Republican.
   Warren A. Flower was married Jan. 21, 1876, at Plum Creek, Dawson Co., Neb., to Miss Mary Ann, daughter of Joseph Maycook, at that time Treasurer of Gosper County, Neb. Mrs. Flower was born June 14, 1858, at Buckingham, England. The children of this marriage are Albert Warren, who was born at Stowe, Frontier Co., Neb., May 2, 1880; and Lilly Antoinnette, born in Weeping Water Feb. 18, 1894. Finding the same trouble in Western Nebraska that his honored father had met with when coming to Cass County, Mr. W. A. Flower after an absence of ten years returned to Weeping Water to find it a flourishing railroad town, the farmers raising fine crops, which they were able to convey to good markets, a prosperous artist operating a well-appointed gallery, and other concomitants of an enterprising and intelligent community.

ERL F. FLOWER, fifth child and fourth son of Elam L. Flower, was born at Brighton, Iowa, May 6, 1855, and came to Weeping Water, Neb., with his parents, when a child only one year old. He was left at home with his mother and two younger children when only a lad of nine years (while his father and three older brothers were freighting, on their two years' trip to the great Salt Lake City), looking after the small herd of cattle, doing chores summer and winter, and helping his mother all he could. He was known as "mother's boy" even after he had grown to be a man. His kindness toward his fellowmen, and his honest, upright dealing with all, gained for him warm friends in all who knew him, far and near. His schooling was very limited, as he either worked or herded cattle continually until a man grown. Nevertheless by a few weeks in school and plenty of home instruction he attained a good education, pressing onward and upward.
   When our subject became of age he bought a farm near the home place of 160 acres, broke up the raw prairie, farmed and improved until he got it in a high state of cultivation, and owns the same at present date. A few years later we find him buying and shipping stock from Missouri to Nebraska. Perl F. has broken up over 1000 acres of wild land in this vicinity. Therefore he, like his

father before him, has always taken an active part when he could do so, to help others, and has in the last few years induced many Eastern people to migrate to this new and beautiful country.
   About the 1st of January, 1887, our subject and W. A. Flower, in company with Dr. Lang, started a drug store. The following August he bought out Dr, Lang, and Flower Bros. have since pursued that business together, and from their widespread acquaintance, winning ways and square dealing with all, they control a generous patronage throughout the surrounding country. He was married, Feb. 9, 1887, to Miss Cora Olive Bellinger, at Clinton, N. Y., eldest daughter of James C. and Arminda (Paige) Bellinger, of that place. She is a descendant of Adam Bellinger, Esq., Col. Christopher Bellinger, Col. Peter Bellinger, Capt. Peter Bellinger and Gen. Nicholas Hercomer, all of old Ft. Hercomer, now Herkimer City, Herkimer Co., N. Y., found in the history of the Bellinger and Hercomer families of that place, and traced back as far as the first settling of the beautiful Mohawk Valley, in 1725. Thus we find again the descendants of two noted families joined together. Cora O. Bellinger was born at Walesville, Oneida Co., N. Y., April 30, 1864. She attended select school at Oriskany Falls for a number of years, and finally finished her education with it four years' course at the Houghton Seminary, of Clinton. She came to Weeping Water with her husband, in March, 1887, and was so well pleased with this place that she induced her father to remove with his family, which he did in September, 1888, and soon after embarked in the business known as The New York Clothing Store, Bellinger & Sons, proprietors.

EAL HARVEY DIMMITT is a prosperous farmer living in Elmwood Precinct. He was born in Clermont County, Ohio, Jan. 31. 1845. He has very faint recollections of that State, and of the journey by steamboat to Peoria, Ill. His educational advantages were those of the early schools of Illinois, before the admirable school system of that State was introduced. At the age of sixteen his name was enrolled as a volunteer among the defenders of his country, at the breaking out of the Civil War. Being too young he was rejected, but he is none the less deserving of the credit due any soldier, as it was not anything on his part that prevented him from taking an active part in the struggle that ensued.
   Mr. Dimmitt and Miss Mary Caroline Robbins were married Oct. 7, 1869. The lady was a native of Tazewell County, Ill., and is a daughter of Jacob and Harriet (Walker) Robbins. In 1877 they removed to Nebraska, where they settled on 160 acres of land on section 29, and have made the improvements which now surround them. Beginning on the wild land, he has by hard work and diligent application secured a farm which, in fertility and productiveness, is excelled by few in the county. He planted groves, and set out an orchard of choice fruit, of all varieties best adapted to the climate, thus securing to himself many comforts, as well as a source of some profit, and he has projected other improvements, which, when completed, will make his farm one of the most complete in the county.
   Eight children have been born to these worthy people -- Wilson E., Edward A., Bertha L., Charles A., William A. (now deceased), James Roy, Claudius and Louis. They are at home with their parents, and each and every one take a lively interest in the success and well being of the entire family. The father of our subject was James S.; the mother was Sarah Walker. The father was born in West Virginia, near the Potomac River; the mother's birthplace was Ohio. Our subject represents Scotch descent, received from the father, and German descent, received from the mother's side. His father settled in Highland County, Ohio, then removed to Clermont County, where he was married. In 1852 he came from Ohio to Tazewell County, Ill., removing thence to Woodford County, in the same State, where he purchased land and lived until 1877, when he came to Cass County, Elmwood Precinct, and purchased 320 acres of land from the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, located on section 29, and 160 acres on section 30. He died, aged seventy years, in 1882. The mother is now seventy years old, and makes her home with our subject. A family of five children were born