Weston County
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Thomas Alexander HOWEY was born in 1848 in Bucyrus, Ohio, of
English parents. He had two brothers and one sister.
Thomas attended
school in Chicago and became a brick layer in Cleveland. He taught school in
Missouri for about three years and worked as a surveyor in Missouri and
Oklahoma. In the early 1870s, Thomas decided to go west and migrated to the
Black Hills, Dakota Territory. However, the Army informed him that the Indians
had not yet been cleared from the "Hills" and white settlers should not have
entered the area. Calvary soldiers escorted Thomas and his three traveling
companions back east as far as Iowa.
It is believed by some members of
the family, who are still living, that Thomas met and married Ida Viola YOUNG in
Birmingham, Iowa, in 1876, and then came back to the Black Hills. It is known
that she came to the Black Hills in 1877 with her mother, Sophia STIGER YOUNG,
and two brothers and three sisters, to be with her father, Capt. Samuel A.
YOUNG.
In October, 1878, Thomas A. HOWEY and Ida Viola YOUNG were married
in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, a union that was to bring twelve children into
the world.
Thomas manufactured brick in Central City through 1884, and
many of his bricks were used for roads in the towns of Lead and Deadwood. In
1884, the family moved to Inyan Kara to work a claim and ranch for the next
seven years. [Inyan Kara is currently in Weston Co., WY]
From 1890
through 1897, the family lived in Newcastle, Weston County, Wyoming, where
Thomas operated a brick plant on Salt Creek. He manufactured the brick for the
"Clem on the Corner" dry goods store and for other buildings in town. He also
ran a dray in Newcastle.
In 1897, the family moved [Homestead] to Coe's
Ranch and a timber claim on the Limestone Mountain, a few miles northeast of
Newcastle in Redbird Canyon. The family's mailing address was Moon, South
Dakota. The postmasters there traveled to Newcastle once a week to pick up mail
for everyone who lived on Limestone Mountain.
Thomas and his older sons
built a beautiful home on the mountain with six rooms on the main floor and two
upstairs, with a bunkhouse close by. While living there, Thomas worked in a
sawmill at Mystic with Jesse and Ted Terhune of Hulett, Wyoming, and as a
bartender in Hill City. He also operated a brick yard in Hill City until 1910.
Thomas spent his last years on the ranch in Redbird Canyon, passing away in
August 1923. Ida continued to live at the ranch until passing away in 1941. Both
were buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Newcastle.
The family's first three
children were born in Central City.
Adeline May HOWEY, born in 1879,
married Thomas Brennan in Newcastle, and they had five children, three of whom
are still living. Thomas died in 1925, and five years later,Adeline married
Arthur BACON in Newcastle, giving her four step-children.
Thomas Allen
HOWEY was born in 1880 and married Elizabeth TERHUNE in Custer, South Dakota in
1904. They had five children, four are still living.
Claude Douglas HOWEY
was born in 1883. He married Bertha SNIDER in Newcastle. Six of their seven
children are still living.
Three more children were born to the HOWEY
family in Sundance, Crook County, Wyoming.
Charles Garland HOWEY was born
in 1885, married Vida MCCUMSEY and they ranched in the Alzada community until
1940. Their family consisted of five children, four of whom are still living.
William Nye HOWEY was born in 1888. he and Pearl AMBERCROMBIE were married
in Musselshell, Montana in 1915. Pearl still lives in Musselshell. Four of the
couple's five children also survive.
Bonnie Cuthbert (Bert) HOWEY was
born in Sundance, Wyoming in 1889. He never married and helped his mother
operate the Redbird Canyon Ranch for many years after his father's death in
1923. The oldest of the HOWEY children who still survive, Bert is now ninety
years of age, and living in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Newcastle, Wyoming was
the birthplace of four more of Thomas and Ida's twelve children.
Ruby
Lillain HOWEY was born in 1891 and married Jess JENKINS in Sundance in 1908. Now
eighty-eight, she is living in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Edmond Leroy
HOWEY, born in 1893, married Delores PRICKETT in Deadwood in 1921. Their six
children are all living today.
Hazel Leota HOWEY was born in 1895 and
married Edward M. MILLER in Deadwood in 1911. Three of their four children are
still living.
Earl Bryan HOWEY was born in 1897 and married Daisy May
PRICKETT in 1919 at Deadwood. One of their two children is still living, and
Earl, eighty-two, and Daisy are living today at Post Falls, Idaho.
The
last two children were born at Moon.
Anna Margaret HOWEY died at the age
of six and was buried at the ranch.
Valentine Llewellyne HOWEY, born in
1904, married Lewis SAUER in 1922. They are living today in Coeur d'Alene,
Idaho, and they have a girl adopted in 1944.
Names and dates of the
events of the history of Thomas Alexander HOWEY and Ida Viola YOUNG, who were my
grandparents on my father's line, are taken from birth, death, marriage records
and traditional information from aunts, uncles, cousins, parents and friends of
the families.
1. THOMAS ALEXANDER HOWEY was born 23 May 1848 in Bucyrus, Crawford Co., OH, and died 22 August 1923 in Moon, Pennington Co., SD. He married IDA VIOLA YOUNG 03 October 1878 in Deadwood, SD. She was born 08 July 1860 in Galion, Crawford Co., OH, and died 06 October 1941 in Deerfield, Pennington Co., SD.
Children of THOMAS HOWEY and IDA YOUNG are:
2. i. ADALINE HOWEY, b. 24 April 1879, Central City, SD; d. 08 February 1970, Sheridan, WY.
3. ii. THOMAS ALLEN HOWEY, b. 19 November 1880, Central City, SD; d. 19 January 1968, Portland, OR.
4. iii. CLAUD DOUGLAS HOWEY, b. 18 February 1883, Central City, SD; d. 28 April 1974, Modesto, CA.
5. iv. CHARLES GARLAND HOWEY, b. 20 September 1886, Central City, SD; d. 05 July 1952, Prescott, AZ.
v. WILLIAM NYE HOWEY, b. 17 February 1888.
vi. BARNEY CUTHBERT HOWEY, b. 31 December 1889.
vii. RUBY LILLIAN HOWEY, b. 17 January 1891.
6. viii. LEROY EDMOND HOWEY, b. 05 June 1893, Newcastle, Weston Co., WY; d. 11 December 1960, Rapid City, SD.
7. ix. HAZEL LEOTA HOWEY, b. 16 April 1895, Newcastle, Weston Co., WY; d. 06 December 1973, Coeur d' Alene, ID.
8. x. EARL BRYAN HOWEY, b. 14 March 1897, Newcastle, Weston Co., WY; d. 17 February 1993, Coeur d' Alene, ID.
xi. ANNA E HOWEY, b. 16 November 1898.
9. xii. LLEWELLYNE VALENTINE HOWEY, b. 14 February 1904, Moon, Pennington Co., SD; d. 26 July 1997, Vancouver, WA.
2. ADALINE HOWEY (THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 24 April 1879 in Central City, SD, and died 08 February 1970 in Sheridan, WY. She married (1) THOMAS BRENNAN 24 June 1898 in Newcastle, Weston Co., WY. She married (2) ART L. BACON 11 December 1930 in Newcastle, Weston Co., WY. He was born 29 January 1884 in O'Neil, NE, and died 26 May 1946 in Newcastle, Weston Co., WY.
Children of ADALINE HOWEY and THOMAS BRENNAN are:
i. VIOLA ANNA BRENNAN, b. 28 July 1899.
ii. PATRICK ALLEN BRENNAN, b. 28 January 1901.
iii. THOMAS EARL BRENNAN, b. 10 February 1903.
iv. AGNES MAY BRENNAN, b. 01 January 1907.
v. JOHN SIMAN BRENNAN, b. 21 September 1909.
3. THOMAS ALLEN HOWEY (THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 19 November 1880 in Central City, SD, and died 19 January 1968 in Portland, OR. He married ELIZABETH TERHUNE 15 December 1904 in Custer, SD. She was born 09 July 1885 in Arcadia, NE, and died 12 February 1959 in Coeur d' Alene, ID.
Children of THOMAS HOWEY and ELIZABETH TERHUNE are:
10. i. INEZ ROSETTA HOWEY, b. 09 October 1905, Deerfield, Pennington Co., SD; d. 29 May 1993, Pueblo, CO.
ii. CHESTER LEROY HOWEY, b. 08 March 1907.
iii. VENNA WONONA HOWEY, b. 14 February 1911.
iv. FLOYD LEE HOWEY, b. 24 January 1914.
v. THERMAN OTTO HOWEY, b. 20 September 1915.
4. CLAUD DOUGLAS HOWEY (THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 18 February 1883 in Central City, SD, and died 28 April 1974 in Modesto, CA. He married BERTHA BELL SNIDERS 20 March 1918 in Newcastle, Weston Co., WY. She was born 24 January 1897 in Broken Bow, NE, and died 01 January 1982 in Modesto, CA.
Children of CLAUD HOWEY and BERTHA SNIDERS are:
i. CLAUDE DOUGLAS HOWEY, b. 22 October 1918.
ii. EDWARD HOWEY, b. 1920.
iii. HOWARD HOWEY, b. 1922.
iv. SHIRLEY LLEWELLYN HOWEY, b. 04 January 1925.
v. CLAYTON WESTLEY HOWEY, b. 14 September 1926.
11. vi. CLYDE NEWEL HOWEY, b. 24 August 1928, Newcastle, Weston Co., WY; d. 10 December 1994, Colorado Springs, CO.
vii. MILDRED WANDA HOWEY, b. 03 March 1930.
viii. CALVIN LEON HOWEY, b. 08 October 1936.
ix. CLARENCE CHARLES HOWEY, b. 25 November 1936.
x. BERTHA HOWEY, b. 01 January 1941.
5. CHARLES GARLAND HOWEY (THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 20 September 1886 in Central City, SD, and died 05 July 1952 in Prescott, AZ. He married VIDA MAE MCCUMSEY 19 November 1912 in Belle Fourche, SD. She was born 04 December 1894 in Chalk Buttes, MT, and died 09 August 1934 in Hot Springs, SD.
Children of CHARLES HOWEY and VIDA MCCUMSEY are:
12. i. JESSE QUENTIN HOWEY, b. 05 November 1919, Alzada, MT; d. 05 March 1999, Missoula, MT.
13. ii. IDA MARIE HOWEY, b. 11 December 1913, Belle Fourche, SD.
iii. THOMAS LEROY HOWEY, b. 14 May 1917.
iv. CHARLES ROBERT HOWEY, b. 06 August 1918.
v. ARTHELDA HOWEY, b. 08 August 1915.
vi. EDNA RUBY HOWEY, b. 15 November 1921.
6. LEROY EDMOND HOWEY (THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 05 June 1893 in Newcastle, Weston Co., WY, and died 11 December 1960 in Rapid City, SD. He married DOLORES PRICKETT 17 December 1921 in Deadwood, SD. She was born 29 July 1903 in Hill City, SD, and died 03 September 1987 in Custer, SD.
Children of LEROY HOWEY and DOLORES PRICKETT are:
14. i. RUBANA PEARL HOWEY, b. 16 July 1922, Deerfield, Pennington Co., SD.
ii. LEROY ALEXANDER HOWEY, b. 08 August 1923.
iii. RAMONA MURDELL HOWEY, b. 12 September 1925.
iv. HUGH LYLE HOWEY, b. 08 May 1927.
v. REBECCA JUNE HOWEY, b. 12 June 1928.
vi. ROBURTA DOLLENE HOWEY, b. 01 October 1930.
7. HAZEL LEOTA HOWEY (THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 16 April 1895 in Newcastle, Weston Co., WY, and died 06 December 1973 in Coeur d' Alene, ID. She married EDWARD M. MILLER 21 September 1911 in Deadwood, SD. He was born 26 August 1886 in Deerfield, Pennington Co., SD, and died 22 April 1956 in Coeur d' Alene, ID.
Children of HAZEL HOWEY and EDWARD MILLER are:
i. GRACE MILDRED MILLER, b. 25 August 1912, Deerfield, Pennington Co., SD; m. GUY PARKER, 15 July 1928, Deadwood, SD; b. 13 December 1893, Alliance, NE; d. 08 August 1956, Rapid City, SD.
ii. CLARICE LORETTA MILLER, b. 21 September 1913.
iii. WARREN EDWARD MILLER, b. 06 July 1921.
iv. ROY DOUGLAS MILLER, b. 02 November 1924.
8. EARL BRYAN HOWEY (THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 14 March 1897 in Newcastle, Weston Co., WY, and died 17 February 1993 in Coeur d' Alene, ID. He married DAISY MAY PRICKETT 10 April 1919 in Deadwood, SD. She was born 07 August 1900 in Hill City, SD, and died 06 May 1982 in Post Falls, ID.
Children of EARL HOWEY and DAISY PRICKETT are:
i. EVELYN MAE HOWEY, b. 21 September 1922.
15. ii. GERALD EVERETT HOWEY, b. 16 December 1920, Hill City, SD; d. 07 January 1956, Newcastle, Weston Co., WY.
9. LLEWELLYNE VALENTINE HOWEY (THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 14 February 1904 in Moon, Pennington Co., SD, and died 26 July 1997 in Vancouver, WA. She married LUDWIG WILHELM SAUER 03 October 1922 in Hot Springs, SD. He died 24 April 1983 in Coeur d' Alene, ID.
Child of LLEWELLYNE HOWEY and LUDWIG SAUER is:
16. i. JUDY KAY SAUER.
10. INEZ ROSETTA HOWEY (THOMAS ALLEN,
THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 09 October 1905 in Deerfield, Pennington Co., SD, and
died 29 May 1993 in Pueblo, CO. She married EARL NORRIS FRANKS 29 May 1928 in
Missoula, MT. He was born 19 January 1905 in Stevensville, MT, and died 17
October 1973 in Stevensville, MT.
11. CLYDE NEWEL HOWEY (CLAUD DOUGLAS,
THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 24 August 1928 in Newcastle, Weston Co., WY, and died
10 December 1994 in Colorado Springs, CO. He married IVA MAE CAMPBELL 19 January
1952 in Raton, NM.
12. JESSE QUENTIN HOWEY (CHARLES GARLAND, THOMAS
ALEXANDER) was born 05 November 1919 in Alzada, MT, and died 05 March 1999 in
Missoula, MT. He married MADELINE KIRKWOOD 1946.
13. IDA MARIE HOWEY
(CHARLES GARLAND, THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 11 December 1913 in Belle Fourche,
SD. She married DALE LEWIS. He was born 12 January 1913 in Smithfield, NE, and
died 18 January 1970 in Lead, SD.
14. RUBANA PEARL HOWEY (LEROY EDMOND,
THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 16 July 1922 in Deerfield, Pennington Co., SD. She
married RUSSELL EDWARD PHILLIPS 14 June 1941 in Chadron, NE. He was born 05
December 1912 in Deadwood, SD, and died 14 April 1967 in Rapid City, SD.
15. GERALD EVERETT HOWEY (EARL BRYAN, THOMAS ALEXANDER) was born 16 December
1920 in Hill City, SD, and died 07 January 1956 in Newcastle, Weston Co., WY. He
married (1) CHARLOTTE PARKER 11 September 1944 in Newcastle, Weston Co., WY. She
was born 23 July 1929 in Lame Deer, MT, and died 1965 in Crow Agency, MT. He
married (2) GENEVIEVE COOL 14 May 1949 in Billings, MT, daughter of LEROY COOL
and BEULAH GRIFFITH. She was born 09 February 1923 in Cambria, WY, and died 02
August 1992 in Casper, WY.
16. JUDY KAY SAUER (LLEWELLYNE VALENTINE
HOWEY, THOMAS ALEXANDER) She married ? MCINTYRE.
Endnote:
1. Beulah
Cool Obituary, 27 Oct 1960, News Letter Journal, Newcastle, WY.
Contributed by Darlena Howey
Jack Kraft came to Upton on April 1, 1909 from Artesian, SD in a freight car.
He told friends there were really three freight cars as his brother and another
man came along. The had their stock and furniture in the cars, which were called
emigrant cars, and he remembers the cost was $103. The men rode in the cars.
The men were on the road five days, going around by Sioux City, Iowa, then
they came up to Upton on the Burlington. Jack took a homestead on Fiddler Creek
about fourteen miles south of Upton.
The homestead consisted of 320 acres
each, the men didn't farm much the first season, they spent their time building
"shacks" as they were called. The shacks were 14 by 16 feet, and Jack said they
were such "good" carpenters that when winter came they often had to sweep snow
out of the shacks, other homesteaders had the same experience.
They got
nicely settled and were getting along all right on the homestead when the severe
winter of 1911 and 1912 came along. Feed was scarce, many ranchers lost their
cattle, and Jack was not spared. Jack said that eating was pretty slim, but they
got by. He said there were a lot of sage chickens, and some of those were tough
birds. One he cooked for two days and it was still tough. Some people even ate
prairie dogs but the Kraft's stuck to the sage hens, but things got better in
time.
He married Rose Barr on April 13, 1913. They lived on the homestead
until 1924, and when he had proved up on the land he sold it. He says he had
visions of free land, but when he figured it all up, it wasn't really so free.
Mrs. Kraft passed away in 1936.
Jack worked for a time at the elevator in
Upton, and he also worked on the highway in 1926. He started to work in the
Upton Lumber Company and worked there for many years.
He told friends
that Upton was all down in one end of the town near the depot when he came to
Upton in 1909. There were no buildings north of the Shamrock Hotel, unless it
was one or two little buildings. The town had two saloons: one was called the
Red Onion; and he thought the other was owned by Jarbo Poulson and a man named
Walker. He thought the population was about a hundred at that time. There were
very few houses. The stores were the Pioneer and the Odgen Mercantile, both
general stores. They carried a stock of groceries and some hardware. There were
so few children the school house was a little board building. Many of the frame
buildings were put up in the early days. Many have been abandoned and stand like
ghosts as a reminder of pioneer times.
Jack liked Upton. He had many
friends and enjoyed visiting. When he wasn't visiting, or working, he passed the
time by reading. His friends were saddened by his death in October 1965. He was
buried at the Greenwood Cemetery in Upton, Wyoming.
August Kraft (known to all as Pat) was born March 22, 1882 in Clinton County,
Iowa to Matthew and Elizabeth (Schroeder) Kraft. They came from Germany in 1863.
From Iowa, the family moved to Artesian, South Dakota.
In 1909, Pat Kraft
and John Schneider came to Weston County, Wyoming from Artesian, South Dakota.
They came by covered wagon and team, and both homesteaded on Fiddler Creek. They
proved up on their claims about 1913.
Pat was Jack Kraft's younger
brother and Ted Kraft's older brother. They all homesteaded near each other. Pat
was about two miles north of Ted's homestead and about one-forth mile west and
south of Jack's.
Pat said he and Schneider celebrated the 4th of July,
1909 in Sundance, Wyoming.
Pat did some farming and had a small herd of
cattle, a couple of horses and some chickens. He used his team and wagon to help
the neighbors hauling hay, etc. He was the bachelor of the Kraft family so he
has no descendants except nieces and nephews left. I am a niece who was raised
close to him, so he was kind of special.
He didn't have too much social
life. He did have dances in his front room. It was about fourteen feet by twenty
feet, and we had many a country hoe-down there. Everyone brought cake and
sandwiches for lunch and Uncle Pat furnished the coffee and of course, he got to
keep the lunch that was left. We all had a good time.
Pat would always
volunteer to help thresh, brand, and butcher. He mostly walked to the neighbors,
sometimes drove his pickup, always stayed for a meal and then he would slip
quietly away and go home, never saying goodbye to anyone.
He owned a 1923
Dodge Roadster then later a 1938 Chevrolet pickup but he did do lots of walking
to places that he went to visit.
He passed away May 1950, at Weston
County Memorial Hospital and was buried at Artesian, South Dakota. He was one of
the early settlers in Weston County, Wyoming.
Left to right: Ted, Effie, and children
Ann, Audra "Whitey," and Mary "Toots"
Taken in 1930 with their 1928 Chevrolet.
Lots of people came from South Dakota to Weston County, Wyoming and settled
on Fiddler Creek. Among them were four Kraft brothers. Jack Kraft married Rosa
Barr; Pat Kraft never married; Albert Kraft evidently didn't stay too long, he
went back and settled in Iowa; and Ted Kraft who was my dad. I guess Jack,
Albert and Ted came by train. Uncle Pat came by covered wagon. These people all
came out between 1909 and 1913. Joe Barr, a very good neighbor and friend, came
out with my father. Ted and Joe made their homestead claims about 1911. They
worked on the places six months and the other six months they went back to South
Dakota to work. Then came back to Wyoming in the spring to work and improve the
homesteads. In December of 1913, Ted went back to South Dakota where he married
Effie Stansbury. In January 1914, they both came to Wyoming on the train. Ted
had already built the cabin and had it furnished completely, even the dishes and
utensils. From 1914 until 1920, they both made the yearly trips to South Dakota
to work so they could get money for their homestead improvement. In 1920, they
bought some heifers and stayed on the Wyoming place for good.
Ted and
Effie had three children [Ann, Audra "Whitey" and Mary]. Anna Elizabeth
(deceased) was born October 1, 1914. She married C.L. Sundstrom and they had
three children, Shirley (deceased), Jack (deceased), and Patricia. She lives in
Alaska. Ann later married Les Leudtke of Dubois, Wyoming. On March 23, 1918,
Audra Roy "Whitey" (deceased) was born. He married Elizabeth Norris. They had
one child, Everett. He and his family live on Fiddler Creek on a ranch. On
January 28, 1920, Mary Louise "Toots" was born. She married Tracy Schlup, they
have two children. Fred lives in McCook, Nebraska. Don lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Tracy and Toots are now in Newcastle.
Work was pretty much the order of
the day. I know before we kids were old enough Mother and Dad did plenty, but as
we grew older, we had to help, too. We worked in the fields, milked cows and did
most everything that goes with farm work. Ted did lots of farming, raised corn,
wheat, oats and barley. He also broke all his own work horses until he bought a
tractor. We did a lot of socializing, too and had good times. All the neighbors
would gather for a big picnic. We went to school at the Fiddler Creek School. It
was about two and one-half miles east of our place. Bertha Dunham Slagle was our
first teacher. She taught four years there. The kids who went to the school when
I did were Ann, Whitey, Middletons, Utters, Glen Barr and Giffins. Teachers were
Bertha Slagle, Lucille Roberts, Irma Zanoni, Gladys Pridgeon and Pearl Dewey.
My folks raised most of our food. We butchered beef and hogs. The hind
quarters of the beef were hung in a cold place to freeze. The hams were smoked.
The rest of the meat was canned and stored in the cellar. This helped us through
the summer and fall until next butchering time. They also raised chickens and
had a vegetable garden. The vegetables were canned and potatoes put in the
cellar. Mother had lots of butter and egg customers. That is what she called
them. They lived in the Osage oil fields and some lived in town. Every week
butter was churned and molded into one pound packages to be delivered along with
eggs, milk and buttermilk. (Oh how I wish I had a glass of that buttermilk now.)
Lots of our groceries were bought with this money.
In April 1914 a social
club was formed. It was called the Fiddler Creek Social Club. Most of the
neighbors on Fiddler Creek belonged. Dorothy Cowger's mother and my mother were
members, and she and I belong to the club now. Men and children were and are
welcome to come and enjoy the good dinners and socializing.
Most of our
transportation was done by team and wagon or horseback. We all learned to ride
horses pretty young. Later I remember we had a Model T Ford which had to be
pushed up a steep hill if it had too much weight on it. In 1928, we got a new
Chevrolet. It is in the picture. This was our pride and joy, especially Mom's.
In early years before the cars, the whole family would bundle up and walk
about a mile to the neighbors to visit. It would be a cold and moonlit night. We
kids rode horseback to visit our friends, too. Our closest towns were Osage and
Upton. Osage was where we did most of our shopping besides Montgomery Wards
catalog. We went to Upton to the horse sales. This was a big day for everyone.
Ted and Effie are both gone now. They lived on the homestead for forty-eight
years. Effie lived a year alone on the ranch, then she moved to Upton where she
lived until 1977. She was very active up until the time of her death.
I
guess you could say we all had a very good life and I am glad I was raised on a farm
in Weston County, Wyoming on Fiddler Creek with the rest of the Fiddler Creek kids.
Copyright 1989 by Mary Schlup; Reprinted with permission from Don Schlup; Transcribed and edited by JhaRee Miller, 1999
Johnnie Leek, Newcastle's resident photographer, has his new gallery ready for work and here you can get work done by a working man who guarantees every dollar's worth you get done and, unlike the traveling amateur, he is always here to make good his guarantee. Patronize home industries.
Source: The News Journal, Friday, 06 Oct 1905, p. 1C3
It’s well-known in Wyoming ranch
country that gender is irrelevant. Anyone who can do the job is a cowboy.
In the case of Matilda “Tillie” Mae Bock and her sister Clara, when their
dad Julius “Jule” Bock needed cowboy help, they were the eldest children in the
family and were the ones to saddle their horses and go to work.
Tillie
was born Nov. 30, 1902, on the Double Spear Ranch in Weston County. This was
land her father had homesteaded when he was 21 years old, the minimum age for a
man to claim a homestead. He built a cabin and proved up on his land while
starting his family with wife Bertha. Julius would eventually buy more
homesteads and the YT Ranch, giving him property across a wide territory.
Ultimately, he acquired 1,200 head of cattle and had 2,000 head of sheep.
Initially Julius, with Tillie and Clara to help, managed the operation. Later,
other children assisted, and he also hired help, so he eventually had a crew of
20 men. Tillie started school when she was only 4 years old. At that time,
classes were held only during June, July and August, because of the winter
weather being so severe. To get to the school, she and her six siblings either
rode their horses or walked. Riding was second-nature for Tillie and she spent
most of her childhood and adult life in the saddle. She has been inducted into
the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame, joining her father in the elite group of
cowboys in the WCHF.
All seven Bock children were born on the ranch.
Tillie and Clara being the oldest learned at a young age to carry their
share of ranch work. They spent long days in the saddle, helping gather cattle
and sheep during the roundups, and helping ship them on the railroad. Weston
County History reports both became “exceptionally good horsewomen at a fairly
young age.” In fact, Tillie and her sister were featured at the Belle Fourche
Roundup one year as “The girls from Newcastle who roped and tied steers.” Family
friend Joe Fordyce once said that, “If a guy had a horse that could not be broke
or if the horse had bad habits, he recommended to anyone to take the horse to
the Bock Sisters.”
Cowboy Tough
Tillie married George Sewell in 1925.
She continued to be actively engaged in the ranching business for many years in
addition to raising her family of seven children. Tillie had a succession of
favorite horses and put many miles on each of them.
After her marriage,
Tillie lived at the YT Ranch. Later, she and George worked on other ranches.
When George died in 1949, she was left to raise their three children that were
still at home. Tillie and her children went through trying times, but they were
cowboy tough. She recalled “many cold winter mornings, waking up and having to
thaw the tea kettle that froze on the stove overnight.”
Tillie had
learned cowboy work from her father and she instilled in her children, and
grandchildren, the cowboy way. Her three sons also worked in ranching and farming.
Contributor and Source: Unknown
There is a woman in Newcastle who is 110 years old. She was born in County Curry, Ireland. Her father was at one time wealthy and born of a grand old race, their names figuring largely in the wars of Ireland back in its earlest history; in war the boldest; in peace the most peaceable and sustaining, an honorable name in prosperity and adversity. Her maiden name was Hannah McGraw and she was married at the age of seventeen to an Irishman named Sullivan, who died, leaving her a widow at the age of about thirty years. She was again married at the mature age of forty. In 1852 she, with her family, emigrated to America, landing in Philadelphia, and after residing there about three years they removed to Illinois, where they lived until about three years ago, when they moved to Hall county, Nebraska, where they lived but a short time. They then moved to Ft. Robinson, Nebraska, and from there to Newcastle. She is the mother of ten children, three boys and seven girls, most of whom are living. She is grandmother to forty people; great grandmother to twenty-two, and has been great grandmother for twenty-five years. She has enjoyed good health most of her life, and has been able to walk up to three weeks ago. She could thread a needle with perfect ease up to the age of 109, and her eyesight is still good and health fair, with the prospect of reaching the age of 125 or 130.
Source: The Newcastle Journal, Friday, 11 Apr 1890, p. 5E4
Harold Whitcomb, who has been at the Antlers hotel for some time for treatment of his hand which was badly crushed by being caught in a saddle rope, is getting along nicely now, though he will be greatly inconvenienced in life by the loss of the larger part of his hand.
Source: The News Journal, Friday, 06 Oct 1905
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