Alda Township

Alda Township

W. G. Eldridge located in Hall County on May 20, 1859, on the northeast quarter of section 14, town 10, lange 11. The country was then decidedly sparsely settled. The nearest neighbors on the west were eight miles away. Buffalo, deer, antelope, wolves, and Indians roamed over the vast treeless plains with wild freedom, undaunted by the approach of any white neighbors. A few hundred Indians camping near Mr. Eldridge's humble habitation was not an unusual occurrence. He erected the first dwelling in the fall of 1859. Mr. Eldridge, the father of the Alda community, was a native of Lafayette, Indiana, born on December 23, 1882. He moved to Middleport, Illinois, at the age of twenty-one and carried on a harness shop until 1856. He went to Kansas then and without any permanent place of settlement traded ponies and horse with Indians and whites alike. Returning to Indiana in the winter of 1858, he stayed only long enough to get started for Nebraska in March, 1859. He was married in Hall County, in the fall of 1860 to Miss S. S. Shinton, a native of England. They had five children, Annie E. who became the wife of Warren Winslow, Jessie N., Mary I., Jasper J., and Fannie A.

Squire Lamb came to this part of the country in 1858. The Reese family came in 1860. In the meantime John Thomssen, one of the thirty-five members of the colony which settled near Grand Island in 1857, was married in 1860 to the one single lady who had ac- companied the original colony to Hall County. During the year 1860 this bridal couple setteled down and became pioneers of the present Alda township. Mr. and Mrs. N. V. Hansen settled on a place adjoining the Thomssen's. Other very early settlers were John Ring and two sons, John House and family, the Hann family, Henry Gam, and Charles and Arthur Lamberson. Francis Corkins came from Illinois to this part of Hall County in the fall of 1867. He worked through that neighborhood until 1875, then was married to Miss Harriet E. Smith and took a soldier's homestead.

W. H. Norton came to this part of the county in 1867. He worked on the Union Pacific railroad during the summers of 1867 and 1868, then settled down .on section 14, town 10, range 11. W. W. Mitchell came to Alda vicinity in 1871 and two years later embarked in business in Pawnee, now Alda.

Claus Stoltenberg came to Hall County in April, 1859. He was a native of Holstein, Germany, born September 2, 1832, and grew to manhood in his native land. He emigrated to America in 1856, and after spending some time in New York and in Wisconsin, he came to Nebraska and spent a year and a half in Omaha. He entered 160 acres of land, but afterwards acquired hiore land around him. He was married here December 6, 1862, to Miss Esther Paustean, a native of Holstein, Germany. They had six thildren, Alwine (wife of Claus Tagge, of Grand Island), Edward. Ferdinand. Cecile (wife of Bernhard Wise, of Rock County. Nebraska), Wilhelmine and Carl.

One of the very active men in the development of the Alda community was Hon. Z. H. Denman, Sr. He came to Hall County in August, 1871. He was born in Licking County, Ohio, March 26, 1834, and there he attended the district schools during the winter months and assisted his father on the farm in summer months until he was nineteen years of age, when he left to attend Martinsburg College, from which institution he graduated. In his twenty-fourth year he was married to Miss Harriett Robinson of Newark, Ohio. He then settled down to farming in his native county, and while there held the office of county surveyor. In 1864 he moved to Mc- Lean County, Illinois, and engaged in tilling the soil there until his removal to Hall County. He located thirteen miles southwest of Grand Island and at once set energetically to farming and raising stock. He gradually increased his acreage, until he became the owner of several hundred acres and a large amount of stock. He devoted his time to the affairs of the community as well as to his own farming operations. For many years he held the position of county supervisor from Alda precinct. In 1882 he was chosen by the people of the county to represent them in the state legislature, which position he filled with honor to himself and his constituents. He was president of the Hall County Agricultural Society in 1889. His death occurred very suddenly at the age of fifty-five years.

J\lr. Denman was but one member of a family that has left its impress upon the history of Hall County. W. H. Denman, J. A. Denman. Z. H. Denman, Jr., James S. Denman, H. C. Denman. J. Denman, W. C. Denman, C. W. Denman, were among his brothers, sons and nephews who have all made a remarkable record in the development of Alda township and Hall County generally.

Washington Precinct

The history of the first settlement of Washington township is covered in detail in the narratives of the first colony, by William Stolley, Fred Hedde, and Christian Menck. The first colony settled in Washington township and the story of the first ten years of the history of Hall County, as told by those venerable pioneers, mainly is the history of Washington township.

Out of this township grew and developed the great city of Grand Island, but nevertheless there remains many interesting stories of development in Washington township outside of Grand Island. The roll of early settlers in the south part of the township has been included in the roster of those south of the Platte River. A roster of those who owned land in Washington township north of the river on or before 1890 presents many names that are more than familiar in the development of the city of Grand Island also :

When we first located in Lake township, in 1872, there was nothing to obstruct the view over the rolling prairies. Not a tree was visible. Here and there was a settler, but they were few and the small buildings erected by them were very scarce:

On April 13, 1873, there was a snow storm which I shall never forget. Snow fell continuously for three days. One could not see three feet ahead. The settlers had big losses through this storm. This visitation was soon followed by the grasshopper sieges - several years in succession. The pest devoured all of the corn, oats, and wheat that was planted and in course of maturing. The atmosphere was so filled with them that the sun was no more visible.

They sometimes came with such rapidity that it was difficult to get out of their way or start back fires and save what Httle property we had. I remember one particular incident well. I was taking a load of hay from my farm to Grand Island. -The fire came from the southwest and in an angle with the St. Paul road. Chas. Stolley came and called to nie, asking me to take him along and out of danger. We were compelled to urge the horses into their utmost speed to get out of range of the advancing fire, and finally made it.

Township offices are not usually very keenly sought, nor sometimes considered such high honors. But, nevertheless, it is unquestionably the few men in any given township who will year after year discharge the duties of township clerk, treasurer, assessor, justice of the peace, or road overseer who constitute the foundation stone of an individual structure for that township. The American township is a unit small enough to cement the neighborhood within its borders into a community with distinctive individuality. This was perhaps never more strikingly and concretely illustrated than in the late war when the plan was universally resorted to of dividing the county's quota in each campaign and drive into township quotas. The townships then entered into a friendly, but nevertheless, sincerely keen rivalry to gain early place in answering their quota and an honorable record in exceeding it.

First Division

Prior to 1872 the county was not divided into townships, but into three precincts. Election officials, road workers, and various public servants were selected from these respective precints. As a fairly accurate indication of the personnel of the residents of this division, the following two lists are incorporated to show who were the registered voters in April, 1871, of the first and second precincts. This, no doubt, was not a complete list of voters in eother precint for the precinct registrar sat on later dates to recieve further registration.

into various precincts, and the different communities began to take on individual form along the lines that the township eventually emerged. In the fall of 1872 the call for the general election embraced four precincts, with the fourth located around Martinsville.

In the fall of 1874 the election notice called for elections at an increased number of precincts. Several names appeared for these precincts that afterwards attached to various townships, namely: Grand Island, Prairie Creek, Alda, South Loup, Wood River, South Platte, and Martinsville. Among officers elected at that time for various precincts were : Assessors, H. C. Denman, South Platte, A. V. Potter, Prairie Creek, W. H. Harrison, Alda, Anthony Moore, Wood River, Isaac Madlick (appointed) for Martinsville. L. J. Abbott for Wood River and Lester Houghton for South Platte as road overseers. Showing the relative importance of the various precincts, it might be noted that the 1874 elections showed 302 votes cast in Grand Island precint, 140 in Alda, 67 in South Loup, 48 in South Platte, 56 in Prairie Creek, and 133 in Wood River.

The election of 1876 was held along the same precint divisions, and on the question of township organization showed a vote of 628 for and 157 against. Assessors who served in the spring of 1877 along the old line of organization were: A. A. Lyon, South Platte, N. M. Depue, Prairie Creek, Anthony Moore, Wood River, R. C. Perkins, South Loup, Henry Giese, Grand Island, and A. Bordon, Martinsville. No organization along different townships was effected during 1877 and when the call was issued that fall for a general election it designated the same seven precints. On a vote on township organization at the election of November 6, 1877, a majority of 478 was shown in favor.

1st, Washington, comprising all of township 11 range 9, and township 10 range 9, north of river; practically the present Washington township.

Before the county board appointed under this arrangement could qualify the supreme court handed down an act declaring the legislative act under which the said organization was created unconstitutional. In the meantime the board had appointed for each township a set of officers. This list might be mainly valuable to show who were the leading and active spirits in local governmental afifairs of the county at that time:

High ; treasurer, J. H. Leonard ; road overseer, John L. Johnson; justices of the peace, Louis Richard and Lafayette Martindale; constables, Jesse Boring and O. H. Taylor,

Sheridan: Supervisor, Ira M. Ware; clerk, Wm. A. Gillett; treasurer, George Cornelius; assessor, Edgar Varney; justices of the peace, John Leckenby and Jacob Shoemaker; constables, James Walsh and Martin Powers.

Alda : Supervisor, William Powell ; clerk, Henry Lamb; treasurer, Squire S. Lamb; assessor, Z. H. Denman, Sr. ; justices of the peace, Andrew Hofmeister, George Moody; constables, Peter Pehrs and Dan Baker.

South Loup : Supervisor, J. E. Locke ; clerk, J. T. INlahafifie ; treasurer Edmond Locke ; assessor, Geo. Bellany; justices of the peace, T. P. Rundlett and Calvin Goodrich; constables,Edward S. Rundlett and James Paul.

Cameron: Supervisor, S. E. Benton; clerk, J. B. Stephens; assessor, E. O. Palmer; treasurer, Lester Houghton ; road overseer, S. K. Guy; justices of the peace, J. P. Goodrich and H. C. Streator; constables, W. Stuart and S. H. Rader.

Martinsville : Supervisor, Seth W. Wilson ; clerk, Wm. H. Austin ; treasurer, Walter Miller; assessor, O. F. Foote; road overseer, Austin V/ilson ; justices of the peace, R. Wescott and D. J. J. Hornbeck ; constables, Jas. H. Sweeting and James Gowd.

Grant : Supervisor, J. M. Powers ; clerk, George Humphrey ; treasurer, Irving Cole ; assessor, Wm. Olthofif ; road overseer, John R. Britt ; justices of the peace, Lucas Henry and John Walker; constobles, J. L. Brookover and John Creason.

South Platte : Supervisor. J. W. Smith ; clerk, Geo. H. LaMonte ; treasurer , Wm. Reese ; assessor, S. L. Loucks ; road overseer, Jacob Mushrush; justices of the peace, L. S. Orcutt and S. S. Shultz; constables, Thomas Caldwell and Geo. W. Burger.

clerk, S. Smith; treasurer, W. J. Burger; assessor, Martin Ennis ; road overseer, D. Whittecar; justices of the peace, \Valter Smith and Moorefield ; constables, Joseph Hilton and C. Lower)'.

A. D. Tilley; assessor, Frederick Suehlsen; treasurer, Frederick Locscher; road overseer, Peter Mohr; pustices of the peace, Emerson Rogers and H. E. Kent; constables, Chas. Peterson and Dunning Giccu,

During 1879 and 1880 several new precincts were formed, and the call for an election in the fall of 1880 designated the following voting precincts: Grand Island, Piairie Creek, Lake, Alda, Cameron, South Loup, Wood River, Martinsville and South Platte, By 1882 more townships had joined the list and among the officers elected were : Assessors, M. Murphy, A. H. Wilhelm, and F. M. Clailin for East, West and North Grand Island, W. C. Mullen, Alda, John O'Connor, Wood River, J. Demary, South Platte, S. Veeder, South Loup, T. W. Dodd, Cameron, Z. Avery, Martinsville, N. M. DePue, Prairie Creek, Frederick Suehlsen, Lake, W. H. Harrison, Harrison, C. L. Alford, Maylield, Patrick Nevills, Jackson, and M. V. Marsh, Doniphan, By 1889 the list had developed until it included all of the present townships. Inasmuch as all of the present existing township units of the county are thus more than thirty years old it would be impracticable to continue the list of local officers, however dersirable such a roll of honor would be.

In closing this phase of township history it will not be amiss to record a list of citizens of the various townships who are carrying the responsibilities of local government at this time, in 1919.

South Loup: Clerk, J. R. Herrick; treasurer, Ray Green ; Justice, F. A .Meith Sr. ; road overseer, M. A. Benton. Cameron: Clerk, W. J. Porter; treasurer, C. O. Jameyson; justice, E. S. Lee; road overseer H. A. Powers.