Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

On March 5, 1999, I went on a history excursion that involved some of the early history of Naponee. But first let me tell you about the Englishman who immigrated to America and homesteaded at Naponee.

Samuel Gillard was born in 1813 at Fairbanks, East Tennard, Sommerset Shore, England. He came with his parents to America in 1837, and settled around Buffalo, New York. He married Julia Staret in 1846 (who died in 1855, leaving him with two small girls, Emily and Lettie.)

In 1856 he married Mrs. Margaret Dow. Margaret's maiden name was Hogan. She had married James Dow in 1845 and had three children by this marriage, Margaret, Robert and Isabella. Margaret's first husband, James Dow, was killed in Chicago, Illinois when a boiler exploded killing 30 to 40 people. Robert Dow was five years old when this accident happened (Robert Dow is also a story for Another Day.)

Two sons were born to Samuel and Margaret Gillard: George and Charles. In 1857, the family moved with oxen and covered wagon to Parkersburg (Butler Co.) Iowa.

Samuel and Margaret and their children came to Nebraska in 1871 in a covered wagon to their homestead they called Cedar Ridge, a half mile northeast of Naponee. The legal description is SW ¼, the north 80 acres of Section 4-1-16.

At that time, there was no house or well on the big divide, and buffalo and Indians were still in the area.

The first morning after their arrival they saw a large heard of buffalo racing across the land where the Naponee High School now stands.

When they first came to Naponee it consisted only of a post office in a dugout south of the present Rassmussen home (check map for Rassmussen property).

To touch lightly on Samuel Gillard, I will tell you about his mill.

The first impetuous that led to the building of the mill in Naponee was in 1873, when Samuel Gillard made a turbine wheel out of lumber which he sat along Turkey Creek—the Mudsill was sawed out by J. D. Calhoun at his sawmill in Bloomington. The venture proved to be a failure. Soon after that time, Mr. Gillard built an undershot wheel, which he put across the creek that was a success. For several years he ground feed and such for him self and the community. A few years later, possibly in 1874 or 1875, Samuel Gillard and Richard Walther started a building to be used for a mill. When completed and part of the machinery was in place, a flood came down Turkey Creek and undermined the corner, with the result the building fell into the creek. The company that sold the machinery sent a man and an engineer. They reported in favor of moving the mill up the bank to be run by a cable from the waterwheel.

J. D. Gage and Rufus Yard, who put the mill in shape and added equipment, replacing the old stone burrs that had been in operation, purchased the mill.

Since Samuel was born in 1813, he was 58 years old when he came to Naponee to homestead. His age and actions were a common trend during the 1870's in this area. The founders of our county were not all young men. Many of the first men and women who came west were at an age where we would be thinking of retirement, and yet they trudged off on a whole new adventure in life. Did they not worry about how they would make it at their age in the wild untamed land? It seems to me they just trusted in the Lord, said their prayers and headed out for the unknown.

Note on the map that Robert Dow had also come to the Naponee area and was living on his homestead about a half-mile north of Samuel. Robert's homestead was located in the NE ¼, 4-1-16. I am sue it was nice to have Robert so close to them for support and help.

Both, Samuel Gillard and Robert Dow were early farmers and businessmen of Naponee. Samuel Gillard lived to be 98, living almost 40 years after he homesteaded at Naponee. Samuel passed away April 1911, and is buried in the Naponee Cemetery.

Samuel Gillard's home still stands on this homesteaded 80 acres. This wonderful story will be continued next week when we take a trip to his house and grounds with Lewis Driewer.

Credit of this week's column goes to the 1976 "Naponee History Book."

"Worry and thanksgiving cannot occupy the same space at the same time." Steve Munger

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

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