Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

I believe that Veda Clements knows something about everyone of our Franklin county Pioneers. I often enter her door with a name of someone I am interested in and Veda says, "Just a minute, let me think." In no time, she is able to tell me my answer.

My latest trunk load from her home is a box of old newspapers, starting about 1895 through 1914. That's a lot of reading!

Old newspapers are my favorite source of history, because they tell me just what life was like on that day. I learn the local news, social events, and who is buying and selling land. I even find references to sod houses on these bits of property. I know what the prices of goods cost at that time, from the price of food to the price of a buggy or a horse. I've learned that a house might cost a hundred dollars and the price of oats might be five cents a bushel. A hundred dollars was a lot of money in 1898, and more than one house was needed to farm the land. I guess considering the ratio, between the price of a team of horses a hundred years ago, to the price of a tractor today, things have not changed that much. They both cost a lot of money.

In an envelope, stuck deep in a file that Veda let me borrow last Wednesday, I found some yellow newspaper clippings. I found the way people wrote in 1900, maybe a bit m ore exciting and humorous than we write today. I hope they bring a smile to your face.

From issues of a local newspaper dated June 1900, it must be a Bloomington newspaper from the names and places. Let's go back almost a hundred years in time. I've included modern updates with some of the almost century old news.

"Dr. Sumner never said a word, but just built an addition to his house on his farm south of town."

The Presbyterian people will begin at once the erection of a parsonage in this city. They propose to make it a comfortable home of six rooms and estimate that it will cost some six or seven hundred dollars." (The Presbyterian Church in Bloomington stood south of the old James Donovan house, formerly the J. B. McGrew home. story for another day)

"We know of an excellent exemplification of the fact that 'little pitchers have big ears.' Don't talk too much before some children if you don't want it told. If you want to be well entertained for a while, take a drive across the river, turn west toward Barber's Ranch through the heavy timber, one of these warm evenings, just at dusk and see it lit up by the lightning bugs." (This ranch was owned by James Barber, Oak Grove township, the SW ¼ of Section 7, Ed Gardner now lives on that farm)

"A. E. Burr and Peter Johnson of North Franklin Township have had their land surveyed. They have fine farms and have raised a fair crop of corn not with standing the general failure in that vicinity." (Peter Johnson lived in North Franklin Township, the NW ¼ of Section 6, almost on the Kearney CO. line.)

"Willard and Otto Harmon, brothers to E. French Harmon of Center Creek were in this neck of the woods the fore part of the week visiting old friends. They have not been here for several years before, although living in Furnas County. They are the same in every way, but we notice that they are getting gray and we advise them to leave the country and go to some place where men do not get old." (Elias French Harmon lived in Bloomington Township, the east 80 acres of the NE ¼ of Section 27. That's along highway 136, just west of Franklin.

"Mr. and Mrs. Curt Castor gave their little daughter, Nora, and her schoolmates, to the number of eighteen, a delightful day among the trees Friday. Early in the day, the little folks from town were taken to the Castor farm in a wagon and the picnic started when the wagon started and lasted until it got back and was unloaded at night." (Curt Castor lived in Turkey Creek Township, the SW ¼ of Section 1. This is the farm Steve Donovan now lives on. Prior occupants were in order, Lowell Herrick, Dennis Dorn and Don Kahrs.

" Married at the home of the bride's parents last Wednesday night. Mike Hirsch to Miss Lillie Sincock, Judge Huffman officiating. The young generation consisting of the dogs Cats, chickens and boys of the neighborhood furnished the music for the occasion. Just as the beautiful cantata was at its highest speed, Mike, like the Good Samaritan, stepped out and treated the boys to cigars and told them that they could not smoke, to come back and get peanuts—Gold Bug?" (Will we find our what Gold Bug means? Mike Hirsch owned a hardware store in Bloomington. Veda's note said: married January 5, 1898, page 3 of book 377.)

" Mrs. Sincock, of Naponee, moved to town yesterday and took possession of her residence recently purchased from Judge Huffman."

And from today's current news:

One June 6, 1999 south of Naponee, south of the river, in Turkey Creek Township, the NE ¼ of Section 34. A wedding took place outside at sunrise. I wasn't there but I heard it was a fine wedding. The pheasants, meadowlarks and turkeys provided the music for the special occasion. Fragrant milkweed and primroses rooted deep in the ground were her flowers. Never will her bouquets wilt and die. Next year, and for years ever after, they will return again to remind them of the beauty of this Sunday morn. I was told, only five people, bride and groom included were in attendance, and one coyote viewed from a distance. Just as the anonymous couple said their 'I do's', and just as the natural cantata was at its highest, morning broke and the sun rose over the crest of the hill and showered their happy faces with golden red rays. I know they must be God blessed, for in the past three weeks, what had we had? Maybe three days of sunshine? And the Lord chose to give them one of these three days for their beautiful wedding days. I pray this marriage will always be marked by the Lord's favor.

In those old newspapers I also found, they often played the guessing game with their readers. Ah, don't you like a good mystery?

"As the deep pants for streams of water,
So my soul pants for you, oh God." Psalm 42:1

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

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