Ponca City

Ponca City

Charles F. Putnam, one of the most respected of the pioneers, was born in Cavendish, Vt.,in 1835. Went to Massachusetts in '46, came to Ponca in '56, and made his home there or in Ponca township ever since. Roughed it in early times with the rest of the settlers. Lived in Ponca one year, then took as a homestead a place now owned by -I. G. Crowell, a mile west of Jeff. Wilbur's farm. The farm he now owns and has lived on for the past twelve years contains ISO acres, and is well located and cultivated. Mi-. Putnam was the first sheriff of the county, and has since usefully rilled several offices. He is in every respect a worthy citizen and highly esteemed throughout the county. His excellent memory of past events has greatly assisted in the preparation of this history. Mr. Putnam is married and has two sons and one daughter.

A Davis, another pioneer, came to this county January 3, 1861, and first located at Ponca. In the fall of '65 he w7as elected county treasurer, and held that office year after year by the almost unanimous consent of the citizens, until January. 1876 ten years. Much of the time, Mr. Davis, like Bisbee, carried his office in his hat, yet with such extreme carefulness, that every cent received was promptly accounted for. A few years ago he removed to Ponca township, wdiere, on an excellent farm and with a clear conscience, he passes his honorable days with his family in peace and comfort,

M. B. Dewitt came here in 1866, took a homestead and now lives on what was the old Beardshear homestead. He and his children have 510 acres well cultivated and good buildings. Has a wife and 4 sons and 3 daughters. He was sheriff five terms, and supervisor six years. His portrait appears with those of the supervisors of 1895. In the preceding pages some of his experiences as sheriff appear in connection with the Mat Miller trial and the Indians who murdered Munson.

Samuel Biggerstaff, 1864, lived and died in Ponca township. Owned 160 acres. Thomas Stobaugjh and Joseph Morehouse came with Biggerstaff. Morehouse is dead and Stobaugh in Missouri.

S. H. Coats, I867r came from Iowa, was county surveyor several years and had a farm near Sheriff Hewitt's. He was prominent in county affairs and a useful citizen. He went to the Black Hills about 1875.

John Roden is one of the wealthiest men in the county.. He has several hundred acres where he lives, and is largely engaged in farming and stock raising. He was one of the early settlers of the county, coming here in 1856.

David Carnell came with Mr. Dewitt, his brother-in-law. and settled near him. He died many years ago, leaving a large family. His widow married Charles Barber.

(Jeorge Mattison was an early settler and is a prominent farmer and business man. For several years he was in the milling business and is now largely engaged in farming, buying and shipping cattle, etc. He has a large farm, tine house and improvements where he and his family reside, and has the respect and esteem of the county at large. He was elected to the legislature a year ago and served his constituents with ability and success.

B. H. Beller and his' brothers, E. Beller and Phil Heller, came here at an early day. They first located in the township and B. H. now resides there. The others have removed to Ponca city. B. H. Beller wa; sheriff of the county in 1S74 and 1875. All are respected and worthy citizens.

"Old Mam' Shook, as he was called, came here in 1862 from Sioux City and lived in the timber several years. He died about twenty-six years ago.

John Enders came in the fall of '65 and his brother, Jesse Enders, about '()(>. Both are farmers and both have valuable farms and improvements. They have families and are in comfortable circumstances.

Benjamin Sencenbaugh, the father of Lee Sencenbaugh and Cy Sencenbaugh of Ponca city, located about 1866 in Ponca township on a homestead adjoining and south of the Donlin place, (a mile east of town). Late in the fall of '69, while digging a well, and when at a depth of forty feet the hoisting box tilled with dirt came loose and fell that distance upon him. injuring him so severely that he died that night. He was a good and industrious man and much liked in the community.

Daniel Donlin. from Bear Creek. Iowa, settled near where Martinsburg now is. in June, 1856. He lived there till February 18, 1866, and was then frozen to death in a blizzard while returning from a trip to Sioux City. (An account of this is given elsewhere.) He left a wife and ten children. In March, 1886, his wife and a part of her family removed to their farm of 160 acres, about one and one-half miles east of Ponca. and has lived there since. Two of the sons, D. F. Donlin and Mike Donlin. live and are in business in Ponca; Wm, and Thomas Donlin at Martinsburg, and James and John on the farm east of Ponca.

Wm. O'Connor came from Erie, Pa., in 1863. Bought the place where he now lives, in October of that year. Left and went to Iowa after buying the land and was there five years. Married in Iowa in 1865. Came back here in 1868 and bought Adam Smith's farm south of Ponca. Lived there ever since '68. Has six children, all living and all born here but one. Mr. O'Conner knew President Garfield in L848, when both were drivers on the canal in Ohio. Mr. O'Conner is noted as having an excellent memory and education.

John McKinley and Judge Arnold, both of whom have been in a great measure identified with Ponca township, have brief sketches in the chapter relating to Ponca city.

Wm. Shea was a soldier in the regular army from 1835, for near twenty years. Was stationed at Fort Randall in 1861, and from there went south and came back in 1864. Soon after, he took a homestead of 160 acres in this township, adjoining the Arnold farm, and bought eighty acres more on which he lived. He died in 1882. He had no family. The farm is now owned by Wm. O'Conner.

D. P. Sherwood came here from the east with his family in 1876, and bought and located on the farm of Phil Beller. about a mile northwest of Ponca. The same year he commenced raising an orchard. Since then he has added to the first quarter section until he now has 7*20 acres, hill and \ alley, well watered and suitably divided into fields by several miles of fence. Since the first also, he has devoted his attention largely to orchards and fruit. He has now over 8,000 fruit trees, mainly apple, 5,000 of which are old enough to bear. His trees are divided into four orchards, in the first of which, about 1.000 trees are seventeen years old. In addition to apple trees, he has pear, plum and cherry trees and a large number of choice grape vines. He has demonstrated that fruit, and good fruit, can be raised here in abundance and with profit. Mr. Sherwood deserves the friendly remembrance of the citizens of the county for the persistence with which he has, in the face of difficulties, short crops and many discouragements, kept to his determination to have a great fruit farm. Within a few years, when all his great army of trees are bearing, the result will be thousands of bushels per year. It is to be hoped he will live to see and enjoy the daw Mr. Sherwood is married and has a large family of sons and daughters.

Charles Frederick Blecker came from Prussia in 1862. Stopped in Pennsylvania seven years and then came to this township. Wm. Blecker and August Blecker came with him. Wm. died after being here a year, and August moved to Iowa about sixteen years ago. Charles bought a farm of 160 acres and paid $310 for it. He has now 480 acres well improved and in as fine a location as the county affords. Has three sons, two of whom Robert and Charles A., are married and have good farms near by, and one daughter, married to Fred Rogosh, who lives on West Creek.

H. F Brown has a large farm, highly improved and cultivated, a fine residence, and groves, fruit trees and grape vines in splendid condition, about two miles northwest of town. Mr. Brown came here a few years ago and has since been prominent in public affairs.

M. Huddleston owned and ran the ferry across the Missouri at Sioux City in 1857 and conveyed across a large number of the people who at that time came to Dixon county. He afterwards went to Niobrara and in 1864 came here and bought of John Stough the farm he afterwards lived on up to about four years ago, when he sold it to the Ponca Driving & Fair Association for fairgrounds, racecourse, etc. Mr. Huddleston was never married. A short time before he came here, his brother, Wm. Huddleston. became a resident of Ponca, and lived there much of the time since then. Both are men who have a multitude of friends and without an enemy in the world.

A. Reynolds, up to his death about two years ago, resided for several years on his farm, a short distance northwest of Ponca. He was county judge in '90, '91, '92 and '93, and performed the duties of the office acceptably. 'He had also been supervisor of Ponca township in 1886, and some years before was postmaster at Ponca. He left a wife and several children, who still reside on the pleasant farm owned by him.

E. W. Shaw came from New York in 1S79. Started a harness shop in Ponca and then bought a farm two miles east. He has 383 acres, well improved, and is a successful farmer.

W. F. Robinson and family came here from Meigs county, Ohio, in April. 1890. Wm. Scott and J. D. Kautz (sons-in-law of Mr. Robinson.) and their families came with him. All live in Ponca township. Robinson has 160 acres, and Scott and Mr. Kautz 200 each. Mr. R. has a wife and nine sons and daughters, six of whom are married.

Antone Engle, came to Ponca township about 1872 and is a successful farmer. He was one of the county commissioners in 1883 and 1884, two years, at the end of which time he resigned.

S14 History Of Dixon County, Nebraska

0. Waterman came in 1883 from [da county. Iowa, where he had been auditor and clerk forten years. He first bought 10f> acres here, and now owns 401), all fenced and improved.. Has a wife and eight sons and daughters, all married except two.

An institution that in a County of so much abundance is next to useless, is the county poor farm. The farm is in Ponca township and is situated three miles west of Ponca on the Silvercreek road and contains 160 acres of good land. The house is 24x50 feet, and two stories high, containing 18 rooms. The grounds around the house are artistically arranged ami attractively tilled with shade trees, vines, etc. The building was completed in the summer of 1894 and on the 1st of November of that year was opened. R. P. Williams, an energetic farmer of Otter Creek, was appointed superintendent and remained a year giving good satisfaction by his excellent management. During the time there were from two to three inmates.

The names of other of the residents of Ponca township are doubtless also deserving of mention. These brief notices in all townships are furnished us by those who are acquainted with the residents, but of course they have been liable to forget many of them.