Vol. 11-2
Summer 2002
The Holdrege Area
Genealogy Club
Meetings
held at the
on the first Monday of the month at
The
public is welcome!
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NEW BOOKS ON THE SHELF
Given
by Ben and
The
Original Scotts Colonists of Early
Tomfoolery
Peddley, Park, Jelly Bean and ME
Wade
and Laura - Our Story
The
Longest Road to
Given
by Dick and Majorie Dyas
Your Guide to Cemetery Research by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
Given
by
200
years of American History in Ryhme
Given
by Sally Massey
Community
Survey of
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Holdrege
Area Genealogy Club has voted to spend $500 to purchase some early newspaper of
some of the small towns surrounding
The
Ragan News 1895-1902
The
Wilcox Herald starting 1895
The
Wilcox Post 1893-1894
Elm
Creek Beason starting with 1898
Congratulations
to Renate Emken for receiving the appreciation
certificate from the State Genealogical Society.
Also
congratulations to Dick and Majorie Dyas for receiving certificates from the Nebraska State
Genealogical Society for being charter members of the society for twenty-five
years.
Your President, Sandra Slater
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QUERIES
1. Would like to share information with anyone
researching these Phelps and Harlan County, Nebraska families: SKOOG,
BERGSTROM, NCNIEL, LENEY, POWELL, LINDSTROM, MAGNUSSON, AND
HAINEY.
Looking
for descendants of John August Johnson (1834
Sara
Firehammer
Granger,
IN 46530-7488
2. I am trying to locate members of my
father's family in
Frank
Fink
(530)
842-5337
Email
3. Searching for information on William D.
Hurd born
Judy
Hilleman
(yes her street number is the same as her last name)
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HOLDREGE AREA GENEALOGY
CLUB
RECOGNIZES
RENATE EMKEN
We,
the members of the Holdrege Area Genealogy Club, want to thank Renate Emken for her outstanding contribution to our organization
and to the community.
Renate
has donated many hours of her time to organize the Camp Atlanta Prisoner of War
archives at the
The
organizing of these files will be of benefit to those individuals interested in
She
has also assisted other genealogists in the community by translating documents
and letters for them.
Renate
is also actively involved in researching her German and Czech ancestors. Some
of the Names she is researching are EMKEN (
THANK YOU RENATE
FROM ALL OF US!
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PHELPS PIONEER AT
By Bernice Brown
(Exact date of article unknown but some time
before June of 1960. Mrs. Ida Kiplinger
lived to be 109 years old. She is buried at
There's
nothing dull about history. Particularly if it's related by a group of octogenarians who have
witnessed most of the happenings of the last century.
For
Example, Ida May (Mrs. Fred) Kiplinger.
She's nearly 93 and to give you an idea of the blithe spirit which
remains undaunted through the years, she still keeps a critical eye on her
figure and she's been known to interrupt an after-lunch rest period to get out
and inspect a certain hat she may want to wear later in the week.
As
regards years, Mrs. Kiplinger is senior member of the guests at
From
Mrs.
Kiplinger was a girl of 18 when she came to
Holdrege Optometrist since 1901.
"Kip"
as most of her friends have called her through the years,
met Fred Kiplinger in the German Evangelical Church Free Church in Holdrege
with Fred's father was serving as pastor.
A daughter of a family of Methodists, Ida May was present in the capacity
of organ player (she had formerly played in a Congregational church back in
Fred's
father, Rev. E. L. Kiplinger, performed the service which made Ida May Fred's
wife, as well as a member of the father's congregation. In later years he
baptized their children; read the marriage service for their son Ralph, when he
married Miss Mabel Roach of Arapahoe; and in time baptized their children.
Ralph
Kiplinger, now president of Guarantee Mutual Life insurance Co. in
Loomis-Holdrege
Resident
Ida
May Kiplinger's residence in
They
were living in Loomis in 1902, time of the disastrous prairie fire which
threatened to wipe out the town. Mrs.
Kiplinger had come to Holdrege for a few days to get medical care for the
Kiplinger's child, Neeld, who later died. The two older children and their father had
stayed in Loomis, and Mrs. Kiplinger had some bad moments before she was
reunited with her family the following day.
Paintings
and Potatoes
"They
thought the town would go," Mrs. Kiplinger recalled, "and Fred worked
frantically, hauling people away in his surrey.
The fire was stopped near the railroad tracks, and after it was all
over, we found that the girl who worked for me had tried to save what she
considered valuable In our house, and in the bottom of
the surrey were all our paintings nearly covered by a bushel of seed potatoes,
which the girl thought worth saving too."
The
paintings referred to were the work of Fred's brother, Ernest Kiplinger, who
had studied in
In
1908 the Kiplingers moved to Holdrege, where Mr.
Kiplinger continued in the banking business.
They built a home here, since converted into the Regal Steak House. The building has been remodeled extensively,
and plans are underway for more changes; but still it was quite a house In it's original state, with five bedrooms, upstairs, and
reception room, library, living room, dining room, kitchen, dressing room and
sun room down stairs. The sun room had
11 windows.
Recollections
Mrs.
Kiplinger has a knack of remembering piquant turns in events such as an
incident about the house. "After serving as superintendent of his father's
church for many years, my husband decided it was time to resign; and the
congregation had a party in his honor at our house. I was upstairs when the guests began arriving
and as I started down the stairs I stumbled, fell the length of the stairs, and
came to rest at the feet of my guests.
It was the most impressive entrance I have ever made.
Later,
the house was sold and in 1923, the Kiplingers moved
to
Tin
Cans on a String
"This
salesman came to Holdrege selling telephones," Mrs. Kiplinger said.
"They were made of wood and when you wanted to talk to the party at the
other end you tapped on the telephone.
It was a lot like talking over a tin can with a string, like the boys
rig up."
The
invention of the camera meant a new hobby for the family. They became "shutter hounds": and Mr.
Kiplinger developed the prints in his own dark room. Some of them taken in 1900 have weathered the
intervening years remarkably well.
Many
recollections Mrs. Kiplinger has put down on paper for the benefit of future
generations.
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EZRA REED LIVED IN
’HOLE I THE GROUND’ FIRST WINTER
Ezra
Reed an enterprising young hardware merchant of Loomis,
Mr.
Read was married
Mr.
Read sold his homestead November 1889, and moved to Loomis where he opened a
hardware store December 1st. that year.
He carries a splendid stock, comprising a general line of hardware
including a stock of harness. Mr. Read
is a careful businessman and enjoys the confidence of his community, and
although he had only been in business a few months he is succeeding beyond his
expectations.
Both
he and wife are zealous members of the
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ERIC JOHNSON
CIVIL WAR OFFICER,
EDITOR, LEGISLATOR
(Biographical
Souvenir of the Counties of Buffalo, Kearney, Phelps, Harlan and Franklin
County, Nebraska, 1890)
Hon.
Eric Johnson was born in
Captain
Johnson married
Captain
Johnson entered the journalistic field in 1864 as editor and proprietor of the
Galva Illinois Union, launching upon the sea of journalism in 1869. The
Illinois Swede, which was afterwards changed to Nya Verlden, and moved to
Captain
Johnson never had the advantage of any high grades of education than a few
winters in the pioneer district schools of
In
1871 he was journal clerk of the Illinois House of Representatives.
In
July 1885, he became a resident of
The
Progress has for several years been the official paper of the county. And has an actual circulation of 1,100. It is now published by Eric Johnson and
Son. The same firm commenced
In
the fall of 1888, Captain Johnson was elected to the legislature from
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ORGANIZATION RECORD
OF THE
AND OTHER STATISTICAL
MATTER PERTAINING TO
TERMS OF OFFICE
Treasurer
R.
M. Hindman 1873-1877
C.
Jensen 1878-1879
P.
O. Hedlund 1880-1881
P.
Peerson 1882-1884
F.
H. Young 1873
W.
A. Dilworth 1974-1879
L.
Halgren 1880-1881
P.
O. Hedlund 1882-1884
Sheriff
W.
P. Miller 1873-1875
James
Sweizey 1876-1879
A.
A. Wyatt 1880-1881
L.
A. Newman 1882-1884
John
Schaffer 1873-1875
F.
G. Wilke 1876-1879
D.
H. K. Whitcomb 1880-1883
C.
J. Beckman
Commissioners
C.
J. Dilworth, E. L Barnes, J. D. Musgrove 1973
No
Record - 1874
A.
S. Baldwin, T. Downing 1875
A.
S. Baldwin, T. Downing, P. A. Brodin 1876-1877
P.
A. Brodin, T. M. Hopwood, A. B. Baldwin 1878
P.
A. Brodin, D. M. Case, T. M. Hopwood 1879-1881
E.
M. Palmer, D. m. Case, P. A. Brodin 1882
D.
M. Case, Peterson Anderson, E. M. Palmer 1883
D.
H. K. Whitcomb, Chairman, Township organization 1884
Superintendent
of Public Schools
1876
1877
A.
C. Christiansen 1878-1879
C.
S. Bradley 1880-1881
Mrs.
Mina Hopwood 1882-1884
Hugh
Dequine 1876-1877
P.
O. Hedlund 1878-1879
B.
E. Bremzell 1880- 1883
E.
Soderman 1884
Coroner
John
T. Barr 1876-1879
L.
C. Barr 1880-1881
William
Wilcox 1882-1883
S.
F. Hunter
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NAMES OF LEADING
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MEN IN
WHO HAVE AIDED IN THE
PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICIAL
STATE ATLAS OF
P.
O. Hedlund -
Peter
Peerson -
Charles
J. Beckman -
J. H. Einsel -
Commercial State Bank; J. H. Einsel, Vice President;
E. D. Einsel Cashier and State Senator. Paid
up Capital, $40,000, P. O. Holdrege,
J.
M. Harbaugh - Attorney-at-law. Native
of
H.
O. Barber - Grain and Stock. Native of
T
& J. Ormond & Co. - Holdrege House. Native of
E.
B. Guild - Secretary of School District No. 44. Graded
School. Established in 1884. L.
Banta President; J. M. Olmstead treasurer. P. O. Holdrege,
Nebraska
Lumber Co. - All Kinds of Lumber. R. D. Jones President; F.
E. Gable, secretary. P.O.
Ruby and Latta -
Livery, Feed and
W.
E. Hymer - Native of
Morton,
Johnson & Co. - Natives of
John
Smith - Real Estate. Native of
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A RECORD OF THE FARMS OF
LEADING FARMERS AND LAND OWNERS IN PHELPS COUNTY, NEBRASKA
WHO HAVE ASSISTED IN THE
PUBLICATION OF THE OFFICIAL
STATE ATLAS OF NEBRASKA
J.
H. AND E. D. Einsel -- Section 5, Township 5, Range
18, 18, 360 acres; Section 15, 16, Township 6, Range 20; 480 acres; Section 16,
Township 6, Range 19; 329 acres; Section 25, township 7, Range 18; 320 acres;
Section 19, 29, township 7, range 17, 320 acres; section ___ Township 6, Range
18; 160 acres; total, 1960 acres, purchased in 1883; est. value $20,000. Grain and Stock Farm. P. O.,
William
E. Hymer - Section 34, Township 6, Range 18; 3 city
lots; Section 29, 32, Township 5, Range 17;Section 5,7, Township 6, Range 18;
Total 1280 acres, purchased in 1878; Estimated value $42,000. Owns 5,880 acres of land in
S.
Latta - Section 24, Township 6, Range 18; 160 acres,
purchased in 1876; Estimated Value $3,000. Grain and Stock
Farm. P. O. Holdrege,
Morton,
Johnson & Co. - Section 21, Township 5, Range 17; 160 acres, purchased in
1879, estimated value, $2000. Grain and Hay farm. P.
O. Holdrege,
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~
Max
Biscoff, proprietor of the Orleans Meat Market, was
united in marriage to Miss Anna Mentzmeir, the
wedding occurring last Saturday evening at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Miller of this city, Rev. Benj. S. Haywood officiating. The happy couple have been the recipients of congratulations from many
friends during the week.
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HARLAN
Bainbridge
News:
Crops
are fine. Some are cutting their rye and fall wheat.
Mr.
Elkins has finished cutting his rye and is waiting for his spring wheat, which
is putting on a gold hue and soon be ready for the harvester.
Mr.
Aldons and wife started a few days ago to their new
home in
Mr.
Willie has his new sod house plastered and is now ready to move in it. He says he has a hitching strap running at
large with a wolf tied to one end of it.
He captured the wolf and had it tied and it got loose.
The are eleven headers and harvesters in this
neighborhood and they have all they can do.
Mr. Harris, C. F. Farris and John Cowardin,
had when they commenced 500 of their own grain to cut. After cutting 40 acres of rye, they commenced
to cut for Mr. James Garrison.
A
herd of ponies past through Bainbridge Saturday evening going south, we presume
if the parties who had the ponies in charge had known we have a town here, they
would have stopped and tried to sell some of them.
We
heard quite a noise, one night last week, in the direction of
Mr.
Zerbe was out here the fore part of last week, to buy
some fat cattle. He had with him a young
Bainbridge
is becoming somewhat spicy as it has received a supply of cinnamon; that being
the names of parties who lately moved among us. WANDERER
Weekly
Tribune,
WAS IT MURDER?
On
last Sunday evening, the coroner, Dr. J. J. Hall of this place, was notified
that the man was found dead near
We
the undersigned jurors impaneled and sworn to inquire how, and in what manner,
and by whom and what the dead body came to its death, do find upon examination
of the said body, and find name of dead man was William T. St. Clair, and that
he came to his death from the effect of a gun-shot wound from the hand of an
unknown party, and the estate of the deceased is not sufficient to defray the
expenses of the inquest and his funeral.
G.
A. Webb E. F. Dobbins
Andrew
Calvin
Bowman J. W. Calrothers
A
few letters and soap receipts were found on his body, by which they identified
his name. A letter, evidently from his
wife in
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Land
in this county has advanced fully fifty per cent during the past year but are
comparatively cheap yet. Good improved
farms are selling at from six to fifteen dollars per acre, while a few very
desirable places may be bought for even less than these figures. These prices will not continue long as lands
must necessarily steadily advance for some time to come. Farms may be rented at a rental of from 1/4
to 1/2 of the amount raised. Mechanics
and laborers get work readily at good wages.
The
building materials used here are brick, stone and lumber. Brick are burned here. The lumber comes from the pineries. Coal and wood are used for fuel. The wood is from the native groves of the
rivers and streams. The coal is shipped
from
(This
article is written to answer questions propounded in something over twenty
letters received at the office lately.)
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REALLY WERE BOYS OF ‘61
Editorial
from Holdrege Daily Citizen
A
recent article in the Citizen about Grand Old Army of the Republic, mentioning
that some of the Civil War soldiers were as young as 12, drew the attention
Mrs. E. W. Price, 90, of Hastings, a former Citizen news correspondent while
residing at Methodist Memorial Homes here. Interested in the Civil War, she
saved a clipping about the war. Which
the veteran's administration in
Surprise
is often expressed that there are so many veterans of the Civil war still
living. The fact is that the war was
fought, at least on the northern side, by boys.
Of the 2,159,798 enlisted, there were only 46,626 who were over 25 years
old. The official figures of the age at
enlistment in the Civil war were read in the House of Representatives the other
day by Joseph C. Cannon and they are as follows:
Those
10 years and under 25
Those
11 years and under 38
Those
12 years and under 225
Those
13 years and under 300
Those
14 years and under 1,523
Those
15 years and under 104,987
Those
16 years and under 231,051
Those
17 years and under 844,891
Those
18 years and under 1,151,438
Those
19 and 20 and under (These two classes make the total number of enlistment's
2,159,798)
Those 22 years and over. (These two classes make the total number of
enlistment's 618,511.)
Those
25 years and over 46,626
It
will be noticed from this statement that the greatest number of enlistments
were of boys 18 and under. In a great
number of cases these boys became officers before they were 20, some of them
even reaching the rank of captain. The
methods of war have so changed that in future armies there must be a greater
number who can handle the intricate, complex and death-dealing machinery and
engines of destruction. But as far as the Civil War was
concerned fighting was done by boys, and praise, "Boys of ‘61" is a
literal expression of the truth and not metaphorical.
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