Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

This book called the Compendium of History, Reminiscence and Biography, tells of some wonderful pioneer history of Franklin County. I will continue with coverage from this 1200 page book. The author traveled through out the state of Nebraska talking to its farmers and businessmen. I searched this book for anyone listed as living in our county and copied the works of that person for my files.

I find these stories interesting and once again I am sharing these few bits about the citizens of our area. In this thick book covering the whole state of Nebraska there are only 15 to 20 people from Franklin County listed in its pages. This time I will branch out into a different part of our county telling about a gentleman from the Macon-Hildreth area. I find Herman Hummels on the 1905 Atlas map owning the NE * of section 16 in Macon Township. This would be 2 miles north and 3 * miles west of Macon.

“Henry Hummels, of Macon Township, Franklin County, is a prosperous and widely known real estate dealer of that part of Nebraska. He also handles insurance, loans, etc. and has a wide reputation as a public auctioneer, officiating at nearly every large sale of livestock in the region, his services being in demand at every important sale held.

“Mr. Hummels was born in Illinois. His father, Harmon Hummels, was a farmer in Menard County there, and came from Petersburg, NE in 1885, settling on a farm in Macon Township, and on this homestead our subject has spent the greater part of his career, although he started in the real estate business at Hildreth in 1899 and has given the past ten years almost exclusively to his land deals. He advertises extensively in the Chicago and local newspapers, and lived in Hildreth for five years doing a nice business, then moved to Macon and since locating in that latter place has sold more of the land in this and adjoining counties, including Furnas, Red Willow and Frontier counties, than any agent in this section of the state. Besides Nebraska lands Mr. Hummels handles farm property in all of the different western states from Illinois to Colorado, making a specialty of settling homesteaders, and in this manner has been instrumental in bringing many settlers here from the east who have improved many fine farms and helped build up the locality.

“In the insurance line Mr. Hummels represents some of the best old line companies, insuring against fire, lightning and accidents, and possibly writes more policies than any other agent in the county.

“Mr. Hummels is enthusiastic about the future of Nebraska, and declares that people who buy land here now will be able to double their investments in the next year or two. At the present time he has over forty thousand acres of picked land on his list for sale in this vicinity, and also has considerable land in South Dakota. He is a thorough businessman and convincing talker and through honesty of purpose has gained the confidence of all with whom he has any dealings by this straightforward principles. Mr. Hummels is a well to do man, and has accumulated his property through his persistence and strict integrity of word and deed.

“In political faith our subject is a Republican. He has taken a leading part in local affairs tending to promote the best interests of his community, and well deserves the success, which has come to him as a reward of this many years of labor. Mr. Hummels is a member of the Local lodge of the Ancient Order of Untied Workmen.”

“Imitation is the sincerest flattery,” Charles Colton

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

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