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"Homes of the Poor"
The following information and table was prepared from data extracted from pages 237-241
 History of Hamilton and Clay Counties Nebraska
supervising editors
George L. Burr, Hamilton County
O. O. Buck, Clay County
Compiled by Dale P. Stough
Vol. I
Illustrated
Chicago
The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company
 1921
(Original article reprinted from Omaha World Herald, October, 1920)
Submitted by:  Linda Willuweit-Joy       l.joy@juno.com
The article indicates the status of poor farms in 53 COUNTIES ... not just Hamilton & Clay. Because the article did not present the counties in alphabetical order ... we have done so in a table based on that data. But you may also read the scanned pages of the original article as it was published. There is information given about how the indigent were cared for in counties which did NOT have poor farms. But of special interest will be the fact that there were poor farms in all of the following counties:
Adams/Antelope/Boone/BoxButte/Buffalo/Burt/Butler/Cass/Cedar/Clay/Colfax/Cuming/Custer
Dakota/Dawes/Dawson/Dixon/Dodge/Douglas/Franklin/Fillmore/Furnas/Gage/Gosper/Hall
Hamilton/Howard/Jefferson/Johnson/Keith/Lancaster/Lincoln/Madison/Merrick/Nemaha/Nuckolls
Otoe/Pierce/Platte/Polk/Red/Willow/Richardson/Saline/Sarpy/Saunders/Seward/Sherman/Stanton
Thayer/Valley/Washington/Webster/York

County

Poorhouse

Contract
for
Keeping
of the Poor

Outdoor Relief
ADAMS 320-acre poor farm
($60,000)
4 male; 1 female 		    
ANTELOPE 160-acre poor farm
($20,000) 		   no indigent 
ARTHUR no poor farm    no indigent
BANNER no county farm    1 male
kept at a hospital 
BLAINE no poor farm    1 person receives
assistance as needed
BOONE 160-acre poor farm
($35,000) 
rented out		   4 females 
supplied with food
in their own homes 
BOX BUTTE 320-acre poor farm
9 room brick building
($18,000)
3 males 		    
BOYD no poor farm   no indigent
[4 women receiving
the mother's pension] 
BROWN no poor farm   no indigent
[When occasion demands, the poor are assisted by the county.]
BUFFALO 240-acre poor farm
($35,000)
4 males 		    
BURT 200-acre county farm
($60,000)
4 male indigent		    
BUTLER 160-acre poor farm
($44,000)
3 male; 1 female 		    
CASS 120-acre county farm
($60,000)
12 males; 2 females 		    
CEDAR 160-acre poor farm
($28,000)
5 male indigent 		    
CHASE no poor farm or home     no indigent
CHERRY no poor farm    no indigent
CHEYENNE no poor farm    no indigent 
CLAY 320-acre county farm
($40,000)
1 male; 1 female		    
COLFAX 160-acre poor farm
($56,000)
3 male; 2 female 		    
CUMING 160-acre poor farm
($64,000)
3 male indigents		    
CUSTER 400-acre poor farm
22 room house
($100,000) 
more information
5 males; 2 females		    
DAKOTA 80-acre poor farm
($20,000)
3 male indigents 		    
DAWES 160-acre poor farm
($5,000)
4 male indigent 		    
DAWSON 160-acre poor farm
($32,000)
1 male indigent 		    
DEUEL no poor farm    no indigent
DIXON 160-acre poor farm
($35,000)
2 male; 3 female 		    
DODGE 245-acre poor farm
($85,000)
8 males; 2 females		    
DOUGLAS 40-acre poor farm
modern
($120,000)
166 males; 39 females 		    
DUNDY no poor farm    no indigent 
FRANKLIN 320-acre poor farm
($64,000) 		   no indigent 
FILLMORE 160-acre poor farm
($30,000)
8 males; 3 females 		    
FRONTIER no poor farm  2 indigent kept 
by private parties
assisted by county 		  
FURNAS 160-acre poor farm
($15,000) 		   no indigent
GAGE 160-acre poor farm($30,000)
9 males; 3 females 		    
GARDEN no poor farm   no indigent 
GARFIELD no poor farm   no indigent
GOSPER 320-acre poor farm
($12,800)
no one to occupy it 		    no indigent
GRANT  no poor farm   only 1 male assisted from time to time 
GREELEY no county farm    1 indigent
cared for in a hospital 
HALL 160-acre poor farm
($20,000) 
rented out		   5 males; 1 female
care for in hospital 
HAMILTON 240-acre poor farm
($50,000)
3 male; 3 female		    
HARLAN no poor farm   no indigent
HAYES no county poor farm    no indigent 
HITCHCOCK no poor farm or building     no indigent
HOLT no poor farm or building   indigent assisted from general fund 
HOOKER no poor farm   no indigent
HOWARD 160-acre poor farm
($12,000)		   no indigent
JEFFERSON 320-acre poor farm
($40,000)
7 male inmates		    
JOHNSON 320-acre poor farm
($35,000)
2 male indigent 		    
KEARNEY no poor farm    no indigent 
KEITH 5-acre poor farm
($2,500)		 1 female indigent cared for by the county in a private home   
KEYA PAHA no poor farm    1 indigent male whom county assists
(the first in a number of years) 
KIMBALL no poor farm    no indigent 
KNOX no poor farm    no indigent
LANCASTER 240-acre poor farm
($75,000)
"... a large fireproof modern building that cost $27,000 four years ago."
12 males; 11 females 		    
LINCOLN 160-acre poor farm
($75,000)
2 male; 3 female 		    
LOGAN a building used when necessary ($500)    no indigent
LOUP no poor farm
"no use for one" 		    
MADISON 160-acre poor farm
($25,000)
2 male; 3 female 		    
Mc PHERSON no poor farm    6 partially indigent
(one family)
partially self-supporting
MERRICK 160-acre county farm
($15,000) 		   2 males; 1 female
cared for in a hospital 
MORRILL no poor farm    no indigent
NANCE no poor farm   no indigent
(county fund) 
NEMAHA 160-acre poor farm
($30,000)
6 males; 1 female 		    
NUCKOLLS 160-acre poor farm
($16,000) 		   no indigent 
OTOE 160-acre farm
($50,000)
"one of the most modern county farms in the state"
10 males; 2 females		    
PAWNEE  no poor farm   10 persons 
assisted from general fund 
(4 males; 4 females) 
PERKINS unimproved poor farm
($12,000) 		   about a dozen persons 
PHELPS no poor farm    1 male draws $12/mo;
few widows draw mothers pension 
PIERCE 200-acre poor farm
($40,000)
2 males 		    
PLATTE 240-acre poor farm
($85,000)
5 male indigent		    
POLK  200-acre poor farm
($45,000)
2 males; 1 female		    
RED WILLOW 40-acre poor farm
($15,000)
1 male; 1 female 		    
RICHARDSON county farm - 120 acres
($4,000) 
10 male; 2 female 		  [Note: It is not clear from the notes whether they are cared for on the county farm or elsewhere. PHL ] 
ROCK no poor farm or building  2 indigent whom county pays $16/mo for their keep in private families   
SALINE 320-acre poor farm
($80,000)
2 male; 3 female 		    
SARPY 60-acre poor farm
($48,000)
2 male indigent 		    
SAUNDERS  320-acre poor farm
($96,000)
10 males; 2 females		    
SCOTTS BLUFF no poor farm   no indigent 
"Whenever there is need of assistance the county takes care of the cases by pension, or pays for their keep in private homes."
SEWARD 160-acre poor farm
($40,000)
4 males; 1 female 		    
SHERIDAN no poor farm    no indigent
SHERMAN 320-acre farm
($60,000)
rents out 		   1 male indigent
3 mothers' pension
    cases 
SIOUX one town lot & building
($1,000)
1 male 		   [Note: It is not clear from the notes whether he is cared for in the poorhouse or elsewhere. PHL ]
STANTON 20-acre poor farm
($12,000)
2 male indigent 		    
THAYER 160-acre poor farm    no indigent
THOMAS no poor farm   no indigent 
THURSTON no poor farm    5 indigent that are cared for [notes do not indicate whether in their own homes or in some other private homes] 
VALLEY 125-acre poor farm
($18,000) 		   no indigent
WASHINGTON 160-acre poor farm
($12,800)
3 male indigent 		    
WAYNE  no poor farm   pays part of house rent
for 1 person 
WEBSTER 320-acre poor farm
($30,000)
1 male; 1 female 		    
WHEELER no poor farm   no indigent
YORK 160-acre poor farm
($50,000)
4 males; 1 female		    
View the full text of the article.

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