Buffalo County, Nebraska - Chapter 41: First Settlers in Cedar Township - Mrs. John Davis Loses Her Life in the, 1916

Chapter 41: First Settlers in Cedar Township - Mrs. John Davis Loses Her Life in the

FIRST SETTLERS IN CEDAR TOWNSHIP - MRS. JOHN DAVIS LOSES HER LIFE IN THE MEMORABLE STORM OF APRIL, 1873 GRASSHOPPER RAID IN 1874 ORGANIZATION OF SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 20 MRS. E. W. CARPENTER FIRST TEACHER -

With Five Charter Members

The first homestead selections were made by (E.) West and (S. J.) Houston, two soldiers of the Civil war, from the State of Ohio. After making selection of the east half of section No. 14, they returned to their homes in Ohio. They returned in the spring of 1873, made their filings on their homestead claims, and hired E. W. Carpenter to break five acres on each quarter, when they again started for Ohio, but were detained at Grand Island three days by the great storm of April 13-15, 1873, and were never heard from again.

The first actual settlement in the township was made in the spring of 1873 by John Davis on section No. 2, E. W. Carpenter and Joseph White on the west half of section No. 14, and Samuel Higgins on section No. 22. These settlers were located on their claims during the great storm in which Mrs. John Davis lost her life. On Sunday morning, April 13th, Mr. Davis started for Grand Island on foot, following the section lines east. The storm overtook him before he arrived at his destination. He left his wife in their dugout with the understanding that she would go to the home of E. W. Carpenter for the night, a mile or more to the south. The storm came so suddenly (at 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon) that it seems she did not dare to leave home. It appears that she undressed and went to bed, and that in the night the ridge pole broke with the heavy load of dirt (the dugout had a dirt roof). The rafters protected her so that she might have remained in the bed. The door was barred, and it appeared she forced her way through the window. She left with but little clothing and without her shoes. When the storm ceased (at sundown) on Tuesday, neighbors went to the Davis home, and not finding her, began a search, and found her body on a ridge about sixty rods southeast of her home. Mr. Davis arrived that evening. They buried her near the dugout. The place has changed owners several times and it is likely all traces of the grave is lost.

The same year (1873) M. A. Young and Joseph Clayton settled on the west half of section Xo. 10, Capt. J. 3.1. Treichler on the southwest quarter of section No. 22, Alaj. John Dance on the northwest quarter of section No. 25, and Mrs. S. Higgins tiled on the northwest quarter of section No. 26 for her children by a former husband. In October, 1873, the writer with his family arrived at Kearney, and meeting John Davis, was persuaded to investigate his neighborhood, and after looking for a location in Platte and Boone counties concluded that the abandoned homesteads of West and Houston suited him. He with Henry Luce filed contests and secured homestead papers and made permanent settlement.

The foregoing constituted the settlement during the winter of 1873-74, which was a mild, dry winter. The summer of 1874 was very hot and dry, a little wheat was harvested, but no corn. About the middle of July the migrating grasshoppers completely covered the ground and devoured nearly every green thing. It looked as though we had struck the wrong country, but we all stayed except Major Dance.

In the spring of 1874 Robert Haines of Center Precinct called on us for the purpose of estimating the value of our personal property and securing the names of our children of school age so that his school district could get the state apportionment due school districts. We at once took the proper steps to head off this scheme by organizing our township and forming School District X^o. 20 by taking the north twelve miles from School Districts Nos. 11, 6 and 16. We drew our share of the state apportionment, and hired Mrs. E. W. Carpenter to teach our school.

So satisfactory was her work that we employed her the next summer to teach in the same room. However, by this time teachers' wages had advanced 100 per cent. (The records disclose that on February 17, 1874. on petition of J. E. Miller and other legal voters. County Superintendent J. J. W. Place created School District No. 20, and issued a formal notice to the legal voters in the new district to meet at the home of E. \\'. Carpenter on March 6, 1874, and perfect the organization of the district.)

Those were flush times in 1876, having had fair crops in 1875, settlers began to flock in, and we had to build a schoolhouse. The materials were "Made in Nebraska." The walls of the schoolhouse, two feet thick, were of sod and plastered with gypsum dug from a nearby bank. The joists and rafters were from Cottonwood trees, and the roof was made from willows and sod. The materials for the floor, windows and the door had to be imported. The architect^ and the builders were home grown. This commodious edifice afforded ample room for school purposes, as well as a place for church, Sunday school and political meetings. It became a great seat of learning and many graduates from the school are holding positions of honor and trust.

Our first precinct election was held in 1874. Eleven votes were cast, which cost the county $14, and they were well worth the money. The year 1876 was a poor one for crops. It will be long remembered by early settlers as the last and greatest sweep of the migrating grasshoppers. These pests covered the cultivated portions of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and the western half of Iowa. The year 1877 ^^as one of the most productive years in our history (as a county), and prices for grain ruled unusually high, especially for wheat. From this date for twelve successive years there was not a crop failure.

We first got our mail at Gibbon, then changed to Kearney. During the summer of 1879 we sent a petition to Washington for a mail route and a postoffice. We failed to send a name for the office, so the postoffice department named the office Majors, in honor of the blue-shirted statesman of Nemaha County, Col. Thomas J. Majors.

E. W. Carpenter was appointed postmaster, and William Grant of Kearney mail carrier. This star route was later extended to the home of Erastus Smith, where later Ravenna was located. Mr. Carpenter continued as postmaster until the office was discontinued in 1907, a period of twenty-eight years. His income from the office the first year was $9, and probably did not exceed $30 in any one year during the time he held the office. This was certainly a great sacrifice on the part of Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Carpenter in the interests of the neighborhood, and I am sure it was so considered by all patrons of the office.

Mrs. E. W. Carpenter taught two terms of school of three months each. She was a highly useful woman in our community. Her death occurred April 13, 1907.

The first church organized was the United Presbyterian. It was organized in John McCool's sod house by Rev. David Inches of North Bend, Neb., on December 20, 1882. The charter members were: John McCool, Mrs. Rose Ann McCool, James E. Miller, Mrs. Ann J. Miller and George W. Duncan. The church had a scattering supply for a pastor until 1885, when Rev. Isaac A. Wilson was installed as pastor. The church increased rapidly until it about reached the one hundred mark, when some of the members moved to Poole, in Beaver Township, and started a church there. Others moved to other states, greatly weakening the congregation. In 191 5 the church had a membership of about thirty. In 191 5 the pastor for the two churches - Majors and Poole - is Rev. E. C. Coleman.

The first settlers in town No. 10, range No. 15. in Buft'alo County, were C. A. Borders, N. Turner, F. Chisler, F. J. Weldin, M. Conners, J. C. V. Kelley, B. J. Holmes, W. S. Hall, in 1873 ; and S. S. St. John, J. M. Smith, J. Gass, N. E. Coombs, Joel Miller, N. Fellers, J. Trumbull, W. J. Neely, J. E. Holloway, F. G. Hamer, B. Streigle, G. H. Cutting, W. G. Patterson, S. W. Thornton and E, Goodsell, in 1874.

When township organization was adopted in the county in 1883, the county board named the township "Thornton," in honor of Hon. S. W. Thornton, a soldier of the Civil war and one of its earliest settlers.

In the life of the township there was organized a Catholic Church, which erected a church building. The church organization is still in a flourishing condition.

At an early date there was an organization of the Alethodist Episcopal Church, their church huilding being known as Haven Chapel, which is still a religious center for a considerable extent of territory.

At an early date a postoffice was established and which was continued until the advent of free rural delivery, since which time people of the township have been served by a carrier from the Kearney office.

One of the first farmers' telephone companies in the county was organized largely through the efforts of people residing in this township, a history of which, kindly furnished by George Bischel, appears elsewhere in this volume.

Hopewell Camp No. 4522, M. W. A., was instituted at Hopewell schoolhouse, School District No. 35, in Thornton Township, February 8, 1897. The first officers and charter members were: D. M. Arbuckle, V. C. ; I. F. Henline, B.; J. C. Powers, A.; David R. Mathieson, clerk; L. N. Hollingsworth, P. W. Snook, George Bischel, J- N. Johnson, E. E. Thorn, J. H. Fester, J. S. Burton, William R. Fisher, F. S. Alusil, William Oehlrich, Ed Gillming, David McCan, Louis J. Meyers, George H. Gillming, Ed A. Poole, A. J- Frederick, Peter J. Gillming, C. L. Greemhalge, George S. Hayes, Ed A. Rose, Nicholas Gass, Fred A. Rynese, A. E. Debrie.

In the year 1897 the camp erected a hall, 29 by 36 feet, on section No. 16, in Thornton Township. The membership so greatly increased that in the year 1901 the hall was enlarged by an addition of sixteen feet. In 191 1 the membership of the camp was 105, and in 191 5 the membership was seventy-six. The officers: J. AI. Stiles, V. C. ; Frank Stiles, A.; W. J. Turner, B.; Fred Sitz, clerk.

Prairie View Camp No. 2228, Royal Neighbors, M. W. A., was instituted in Thornton Township June 13, 1900. The officers and charter members were: Mrs. Hannah Smith, oracle; Mrs. Luella Rogers, recorder; Mesdames Mary Altmaier, Bessie Bischel, Maggie Baily, Gertrude Burton, Maude Clark, Edith Debrie, Jannette Cass, Jane Foster, Ethel Gillming, Alma Howe, ]Mary Hayes, Etta Richards, Flora E. Weller, ]\Iiss Lucretia Snider, George Bischel, A. E. Debrie, Luther McKee, George Richards.

This camp has the distinction of being the only Royal Neighbor camp in the State of Nebraska located in a rural neighborhood, its membership composed entirely of farmers, their wives and daughters. Mrs. George Bischel, who served eight years as recorder of the camp, writes that this organization meant much to its members, as it was the means of bringing them together in a social way when otherwise the members would probably ne\er have all been known to each other. Of course there was always the faithful few who kept the camp alive.

Buckeye Valley Butler

Buckeye A'alley is in Valley Township, and the first settlement in Buckeye Valley was by Col. W. T. Beatty and George Simpkins, in 1873 ; W. R. Wheeler, in 1874; J. B. Wheeler, George E. Fredericks, T. O. George, O. Knepper, in 1878, and William Trivelpiece, in 1879.

A schoolhouse was erected in which a Sabhath school was held, this about the year 1880. Rev. J. Marsh here organized a "class" of the Methodist Church, and Air. Marsh also held regular preaching service in the schoolhouse. In the early '80s a Grange was organized, which flourished for many years, this being the last of the Grange organizations of that date in the county to surrender its charter.

The Butler class of the United Brethren Church in Christ was organized under the pastorate of Rev. John Green in September, 1884, with the following charter members : O. Knepper, Mrs. Emma H. Knepper, Henry C. Fliegel, Mrs. Elizabeth Fliegel, Johnathan Stearns, Mrs. Mary Stearns, Mrs. N. Woodhull and several others.

At an expense of $915 a church building was erected and dedicated April 24, 1898, by Bishop J. S. Mills, the pastor at that date being Rev. A. L. Zimmerman, and the trustees George C. Lunger, Wm. Trivelpiece, O. Knepper, H. C. Fliegel and Peter Gillming.

The pastors serving this church from the beginning have been O. Knepper, John Green, H. S. Munger, J. M. Witters, J. Bremser, W. S. Fields, T. B. Cannon, Wm. Thompson, C. J. Bohart, A. L. Zimmerman, Wm. Tooley, A. Boyd, W. C. Miller, L. L. Epley, W. C. Arnold, Reverend Mr. Spahr, J. Mason, Walter Smith and C. E. Harrington.

This church disorganized in 1915, and the church building was sold to the Buckeye Valley Grange, and is now (1916) being used as a Grange hall.