Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

Mary Hill lived on their Bethel farm from 1905 until 1920. She moved many times over the years. These three chapters help explain Mary Hill's life up to 1920 and make note of one of these moves.

Mary Commented, "we moved soon after that (1920)" Silva Robinson was Mary's fifth and sixth grade teacher at Bloomington. Mary remembered Silva, "She was the teacher that took us to Kearney and Bill bought the metal box for Dad. I can't remember what I bought." Mary would have been about 7 * years old when they left the farm in Farmers Township. She remembers that day: " I rode in the wagon with Mom, and she had George, He was just a tiny baby. I suppose Bill rode with us. Elsie and Hazel helped drive the cattle down." Mary said her father moved his family to the farm on the creek to have a better farm and water.

A.C. and Annie Anderson moved to Big Cottonwood Creek (west of Bloomington) by the Bloomington Mill in 1920, with the help of Carl Dunn, Charlie Kahrs, Jim Watson, and Earl Watson, I have a picture of this day. All these fine gentlemen are standing by A.C.'s side. They all look so young and handsome in this black and white photo. I love their hats, all of the same design. That style must have been a fad at the time. These men lived up in Bethel District at the time of the move. Were they sad to see him leave the area or were they happy that he had bettered himself?

We still have a long way to go in the coverage of Mary Hill's life. After she was married to Ted Hill, they moved 10 times. I have pictures of most of these farms. I will also cover some of the histories of these farms. Howard and Bonnie Hill have been so much help with this information. However, with out Mary Hill's memories and wonderful picture preservation, we would not have access to these histories.

Chapter 9

Mary Continued to grow up on this farm on Big Cottonwood Creek located at the south end of the SE * of section 36, in Farmers Township. A.C.'s family lived in the second house north of Bloomington Mill. Once again, the buildings have been torn down, leaving just the foundations to tell us where the house and barn sat. I remember going there to that house site, which is just one mile straight south of where we live. It's a lovely walk down the creek to A. C.'s home.

Chapter 10

Writer Donovan recalls: " There was a mill pond on our property to the north of our home now. This millpond supplied water to the Bloomington Mill, which was about a mile south of our farm. Being interested in the mill, I followed the Old Mill Race south to the next holding mill pond which was north of A. C.'s house. Part of his barn sat on the hill, making it much like a walkout basement. I took that trip down the creek early enough to remember that barn. This barn is gone now, leaving only its deep foundations. Inscribed in it concrete foundation is, I believe, the name of Lewis Moran. The Morlans lived south of the Anderson House. They were early day settlers here. Mary (Anderson) Hill later makes a comment on the Morlans, as I proceed to record her handwritten notes to her life story.

She grew to womanhood with her parents on this farm. Today, a heating stove that provided the Andersons with warmth on cold winter days is on its side, open to the elements. Around the yard are pieces of metal buckets and dish pans that once watered the animals, or held the eggs. On one of my trips down to the old mill I saw a wild deer run through the farmyard of A. C. Anderson, probably thinking they were safe because the wild animals know the farm is now void of humans. Only the field rodents occupy the ruins of the yard on this cold day in January 2001.

Mary (Anderson) Hill remembers some tame farm animals: "I rode May, the horse, when Dad plowed the garden and planted potatoes. I loved that. The horses' names were May and Dick, a gentle old team.

All Architecture is what you do to it when you look upon it. Walt Whitman.

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

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