Frank Bauman was born January 22, 1882 at Columbus, Nebraska to Frank and Bertha Bauman, who had emigrated to this country a few years earlier from Germany. When Frank was in the second grade he had to quit school and help his widowed mother and younger sister, Minnie. He taught himself through correspondence courses and later on he was to own and operated a motorcycle sales and service shop at Columbus.
In 1910 he rode his motorcycle to Neligh, following telephone lines and cattle trails since roads were scarce. He went to work for the Gilman Mills and became the electrical engineer for the Neligh, Pierce and Valentine mills.
In 1916 he married Alice C. Rainbow of Pierce, daughter of Clara Hughes and Francis Rainbow. She was born on November 14, 1891 in Winnipeg, Canada. Frank and Alice made their home in Neligh in a house he had built and it was there they lived the rest of their lives. He was water commissioner for Neligh from 1931 to 1951. He retired in 1966 and passed away September 14, 1969. Alice died in Casper, Wyoming on April 30, 1970. They had three children: Alice Francis, Frank R, and James H.
Source Unknown: Originally submitted for this website in June 2007