In the summer of 1871 John and Henry Bennett left Columbus, Nebraska and headed northwest to Antelope County finally settling south of Elgin. Each had his own homestead.
John had a large family, some of whom were Luther, Louisa, Rufus and Loran Bennett. John was a blacksmith by trade. Luther was a farmer and also became Antelope County Sheriff for two terms. Luther and his wife had a family of three boys and six girls. Charlie, son of Luther, married Mary Willenberg from Halbur, Iowa, in 1909. They had eight children: Pat, Leola, Gladys, Buela, Dorothy, Margie, Leonard and Charles.
Leonard, at a very young age, helped his father set wagon tires; grind and polish plow lays and cultivator shovels. He was but 12, when his father died. The family moved to California.
Leonard graduated from Elgin High in 1940. On January 5, 1943, Leonard enlisted in the Army Air Corps for pilot training. He married Gladys Bennett, daughter of Charley Bennett at Selma, Alabama on October 16, 1943. Leonard was sent to England to the 10th Fighter Squadron, 50th Group on June 4, 1944. He crashed landed his P-47 on Omaha Beach, spent four months in the hospital, and returned to fly 101 missions. He was discharged November 10, 1945.
He returned to Elgin and operated the
Bennett Implement for the next 36 years. Leonard and Gladys were the parents of four children: Richard married Lana Kinney; Diane married
Ron Connick; Jolene married Paul Schrage and Mary married Bill Kazor.
* * * [another bio -- same Leonard]
Leonard
Bennett, son of Charles H and Mary C Bennett, was born January 9, 1923 at
Elgin, Nebraska. He graduated from
Elgin High in 1940. He moved to
California and worked for General Motors and Consolidated Steel. He entered the U S Army Air Corps on
January 5, 1943. On October 16, 1943,
he married Gladys E. Bennett, daughter of Charles H. and Ruth L. Bennett of
Neligh. She graduated Neligh High in
1941. Leonard was sent overseas in
1944 to the 10th Fighter Squadron. He was injured on his 22nd mission. Leonard flew a total of 80 missions. On October 28, 1944, their son, Richard,
was born. He was awarded the Air
Medal with 15 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and Purple
Heart. He left service in 1945. The family moved to Elgin in 1946 where he
started a machine and welding shop and later became an implement dealer for
Allis Chalmers Mfg Company for 31 years. While in Elgin, they had three more children: Dianne, Jolene and Mary. Richard married Lana Kinney and they have
three children. Dianne married Ron
Connick. They had four children. Jolene married Paul Schrage and they had
three children. Mary married Bill
Kaczor and they had two children.
Sources Unknown: Originally submitted for this website in June 2007