When the Richardson brothers came to Madison County in 1869, they built log houses for themselves. Timber from the Elkhorn River bottom which bordered Albert's homestead and the Battle Creek three miles away was available to them. Fred W.'s cabin was sixteen foot square with a dirt roof and dirt floor. In later years, he built the large frame house where the Leo Prauner family now lives.

Mr. Richardson believed in the principles of the Republican Part and cast his first vote while in the army for Abraham Lincoln.

He was elected Madison County Treasurer in 1881, but by reason of a contest of the election was deprived of the office for one year until the Supreme Court of Nebraska finally awarded him the election to the office. In 1883, he was reelected for two years.

In 1889, he was elected County Clerk and reelected to the same office in 1891. Later he served two terms in the Nebraska Legislature.

He was a member of Madison Lodge No. 85 Independent Order of Odd Fellows and a Charter member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Battle Creek and Commander for a term. During the term of President Theodore Roosevelt he was appointed postmaster at Battle Creek. His term of office followed that of F. H. L. Willis and served thus until he resigned to move to Cherry County with younger members of his family about 1910 following the enactment of the Congressman Moses Kincaid Law allowing homesteaders to file on 640 acres of sandhill land.

The Fred Richardson children who had a part in Battle Creek history included George E. who for a number of years served as County Clerk and thereafter lived in Madison. He came to Battle Creek in the early forties and until his retirement, served as secretary (cashier) of the Battle Creek Cooperative Credit Association which had to serve the community as a bank after the depression and bank failures in the nineteen thirties. Edna, who became Mrs. Will Palmer; Amy, who became Mrs. Harry Barnes; Bertha, who served Mr. Richardson as deputy during his term in the post office and later married and became Mrs. Algernon Tweedy and moved to California. Old timers also remember that Bertha served as piano accompanist for Frank Martin and Billie Hoover on the mandolin who played for many dances in Battle Creek. Ruth was a teacher, became Mrs. Frank Pearman and moved to Bentonville, Arkansas. Richard who married Ida Reavis and after homesteading in Cherry County moved to Portland, Oregon; Frank E. of Springview, Nebraska; and the youngest, Margaret H. who married George DeWalt of West Point. Mr. DeWalt for years served as County Judge in Cuming County and Margaret spent many years as a teacher in Cuming County schools. We are indebted to her for the story of the Richardson family.

Harry Reavis, whose father homesteaded only two miles south of the Fred Richardson homestead, told the story that

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