Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

Built in the National gable-front-and-wing style of architecture popular from the 1850’s to the 1890’s the brick home of Levi and Lillie Hager was an impressive structure in an area where sod and wood frame houses were common. The house was built in 1885.

On September 22 and 23, 2000, the descendents and friends of Levi Hager walked through the back door of Levi and Lillie Belle’s home in Macon Township, Franklin County, to meet each other and relive old memories. They came from Colorado, California, Washington, New Mexico, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan and Nebraska.

Family member Loretta Davidson wrote, “The descendants of Levi and Lillie Belle (Thompson) Hager have been accounted for. First generation family ties include: Thompson, Skiles, Phelps, Hathaway, Walker and Garrett. Second generation family include: Hartz, Stickert, Cummins, McCaid and Lynch. A 14-generation tree has been completed with one line, Steadman Hager. It is still being completely documented.

There are plans for the house and they are being taken one step at a time. One of then is: get it cleaned and use it for reunions and family gatherings.

There are discussions about eventually having it put together sufficiently to restore it to it’s original status.

Apple and pear trees in the orchard that were planted by the original family are still producing fruit. Some of the older members in attendance remember the orchard from their childhood days, visiting Levi and Lillie Belle.

The house was constructed in 1885 and was referred to as “one of the finest houses in Franklin County.” Funds to construct the house were obtained by selling lots from the tree claim Levi obtained when the family first moved to the area in 1871 from Dodge County, Nebraska. His claim was half-timber and half-prairie, and when the county became more populated, he divided his woodland into small lots, selling it to other settlers having no timber (this is located on the first Levi Hager farm on Center Creek).

Cousins from across the country are coming together to restore and renovate the house and surrounding acreage. With Dean Hager’s death over Memorial Day weekend in 2000, the farm passed to his two heirs, Mark and Don Hager. They asked the family about their interest in creating a trust to preserve the family farm for a nominal amount of the original quarter section. None of the cousins reside in Nebraska but they are scattered across the county from one coast to the other. Frank Lynch of Conifer County, put a great deal of effort into coordinating the trust effort and bringing the reunion to a reality.

Flo Ragsdale said, “I felt like I just stepped into a time vacuum. I was ten when I was in the house the last time. This time when I went in the house I felt like Levi and Lillie Belle were all right there among us, looking over our shoulders, looking on and approving. When I was three-and-a-half-years-old we moved to Torrington, Wyoming. I remember George and Grace Garrett; they had a lot of connections with my family. They were with us when my brother Billy died. He died of complications of a tonsillectomy when he was five. We were living with George and Grace when Billie died. Billie is buried in Franklin’s Greenwood Cemetery, as are many other Hager ancestors.

Mary Hager Wieber’s impression was,” I was excited to see everyone so interested, especially the very young ones. It was neat to see everyone working together for a common cause from Tina Lynch (age 8) to uncle Bob (age 83). I am looking forward to going back, getting more accomplished next Memorial Day weekend. The house itself must have been a fabulous home for the family during that era. It’s extra special to me, as my grandfather, Ebbert Daniel Hager was born there.”

Other Hager families were meeting the same weekend in Texas from Eli’s Hager’s linage. Eli is a brother to Levi. Contacts with that branch have been made and will be further solidified as histories are put together.

We enjoyed looking through old pictures, verifying old family stories and putting together bits and pieces of the puzzle. Levi’s son Ebbert, left the area over 75 years ago and this was the first time his descendants had met their cousins at the original homestead. This was the result of Frank Hager, Dean Hager’s brother, becoming acquainted with Sylvia (Hager) Plum at a Hospital in Rawlins, Wyoming several years ago. Family members from Frank Hager and other cousins confirmed stories that had been in Bert’s family.

This is the original structure. The walls are solid; some are around 18 inches thick. Levi and his family lived in a sod house for six years and built this house in 1885.

The above picture was taken around 1916, according to Robert Hager, because his mother and father are both in it, and there were only together a short amount of time before Frank Hager died.

I entered the back door of this old house and was glad to do so, for I had felt honored to be asked to go through Walt Garrett’s old papers to look for anything of historic value, and did I ever have a good time. This past summer I spent two long afternoons going through file after file and closets full of books. I found old books with family names in them and one very special book that was given to Levi and Lillie Belle when they were married. This book was lying in a box in the upstairs closet. There was another special book that included a bit of Dopker/Thompson history in it. I sure want a copy of this bit of memories. The Dopkers also lived on Center Creek just below where Levi and Lillie Belle lived. Mrs. Dopker was Daniel Thompson’s mother. The Thompsons also lived on Center Creek before moving to Macon Township and close by the Hagers. Among those papers I found letters written by Hattie Hager to her mother-in-law. There were letters from other family members including letters Grace (Hager) Garrett wrote when Walt Garrett was a little boy telling about the funny things he did. Sometimes I get the feeling that every month we lose a farmstead in Franklin County. It scares me when I see smoke in the air or a bulldozer sitting in a vacant farmyard. It’s a sign of progress, and I know it must happen.

I also got to meet Hager cousins on Monday morning before they left and they entrusted all these mementos in my care until I can get them copied for my Franklin County pioneer files. Recently, over the email, came pictures and histories from these people. It just makes me feel good when people are so anxious to share all they know with me.

That day, before I left the bid table in the front room of Levi’s house, I had a complete history of the family along with lots of stories (for another day). Next week I will share the most precious find of all from Walt Garrett’s file drawer, i.e.: a picture from the past.

Let us work with out disputing;

It is the only way to render life tolerable. Voltaire

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

Return to For Another Day main page

Return to Franklin County NEGenWeb Main Page