Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

This article will inform the reader about Verna Donovan’s past 90 years. I’m going to make a video to use for a program for her birthday celebration at the Bloomington Community Center on October 10. I will retrace each step of Verna’s life from birth to the present. Any woman living this many years is worthy of this recognition. I would like to interview all persons 90 years or older and give them proper due in my weekly column.

William and Catherine (Garbison) Dunn were Verna’s grandparents on her maternal side.

William Marion Dunn was born February 15, 1857 in Louisa County, IA. He was the son of Hiram and Miriam (Willis) Dunn. Hiram was born August 5, 1818 in Muskegon County, OH. Miriam Willis was born June 26, 1837 in Belmont County, OH.

Catherine Garbison was born February 25, 1863 at Liberty Center, IA. She was the daughter of Jacob and Polly (Coles) Garbison. Jacob was born December 27, 1834 in Marion County, OH. Polly Coles was born April 10, 1842 in OH.

William and Catherine were married August 5, 1881. They had nine children. The second one born was Blanche Dunn, born December 24, 1883. William and Catherine came to Franklin County and bought land in Ash Grove Township, Section 21. Courthouse records say the land was purchased November 18, 1893. This land is about eight miles northwest of Bloomington and just about * mile south of Pleasant view Church. When William bought these 160 acres of land, his address had been Norton County, KS. William’s uncle, John Dunn, settled on the adjoining west section (SE * 20-3-16).

William and Catherine later moved to Bloomington, where he owned a general store. This store still stands in the west row of buildings on Main Street. He was also an auctioneer, county commissioner and a stock and grain dealer. I wonder how he felt in 1919 as he auctioned off all the goods from his own store. A picture shows him doing so with gloom on his face. He was sheriff of Franklin County in the late 1890’s. While sheriff, the rock jail was built in 1898-99 and once held the famous murder suspects of Joseph Kriechbaum. William apprehended suspects Tooman and Cole at their house out in the country across the creek from our Donovan Farm today.

James and Lydia (James) Sharp were Verna’s grandparents on her paternal side.

James M. Sharp was born October 21, 1834 at Shelby County, IN. James Sharp was the son of John L. Sharp (born March 12 1812) and Catherine Golding born (October 12, 1819). James Melton Sharp was the oldest child born to John and Catherine Sharp. Lydia Ellen James born September 24, 1853 at Taylor County, the daughter of Sarah Ann James. More research will be necessary to reveal the name of her father.

James and Lydia Sharp were married November 14, 1875. They had nine children born to them. Clarence M. Sharp was born June 19, 1880 in Iowa, the third oldest child born to James and Lydia Sharp. It is said James, badly wounded at the Civil War battle of Shiloh was a distant cousin of Ulysses S. Grant. James and Lydia came from southern Iowa to Bloomington in 1902. They bought 160 acres of land in Farmers Township, SW *, the east 80 acres of section 36. James only lived about four years after coming here. Today, Duane Donovan, great grandson of James Sharp owns this family farm. At the north end of this property sets the remnants of the James and Lydia Sharp Home. Close by sets a cedar tree to mark this site for the future. They lost two adults children, Gaylen and Maude, to the dreaded 1918 flu. They died with in days of each other. Gaylen farmed this farm and Maude was a rural schoolteacher (a story for another day). After James death, Lydia and her children farmed this farm until 1942.

Clarence and Blanche (Dunn) Sharp were Verna’s parents.

They were married March 8, 1909 in Lincoln. They were the parents of four children. Verna was their oldest. Then Don, Catherine and Bess were born. Clarence worked for Blanche’s uncle, running a flourmill in Bozeman, MT when they were first married. Catherine Dunn’s sister, Laura Bell Garbison was married to a Mr. Thruston. Today, the mill survives under the same name in Bozeman, MT.

Verna Sharp born October 28, 1909 in Bozeman, MT. When she was about 8 months old the family moved back to Bloomington. She said her parents didn’t like the climate in Montana. They first lived with William and Catherine Dunn, Blanche’s parents. Then they moved into a house in the east part of Bloomington, known to us as the Terry Fegter residence. Clarence and family lived in this house three to four years while Clarence farmed 200 acres to the east of the house. Verna remembered the big barn east of the house and was sorry to find it was gone. From her memory she told me the barn was built in the bank. The first floor opened to the east on the underground level. The second floor the haymow was unique in the fact a person entered it at ground level. From the east-west driveway a person could drive into the haymow. The bank side and first floor were built from the hard green rock collected south of the river. I brought the chicken houses to Verna’s attention and she remembered they raised chickens. From out of the blue she said: “When I was a little girl I could walk downtown to grandfather William’s general store.” As she did so, she walked past the McGrew mansion and remembered they had a lily pond in the yard to the east side of the house, and an iron picket fence around the house. The McGrew house later became her home where she and her husband raised their eight children. I went to the courthouse and looked up this farm in the east part of Bloomington and Verna remembered right to the acre the amount of land this farm contained. My 1905 Atlas of Franklin County shows J. H. Kling owning this farm. Charlie Moffett bought these 200 acres in 1910. Clarence rented this farm and walked every acre of it behind a walking plow, pulled by horses some time around 1911-1913. The legal on this property is 32-2-15 containing 40 acres and 33-2-15 containing 160 acres. Verna called this farm the Moffett place.

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

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