Greeley County, Nebraska
Biographies

Judge Abram Axtell

Judge Abram Axtell, a prominent representative of the legal profession at Vancouver, was born at Barbourville, Delaware county, New York, June 26, 1845, and is descended from an old New England family founded in America in early colonial days. Indeed the ancestral line runs back to the early settlement of Massachusetts. His great-grandfather, Moses Axtell, lived in the Bay state at the time of the war for independence, in which his acts glorified the Axtell name. He was a member of the famous Boston tea party and as a minute-man became a soldier of the American army, participating in the battles of Concord and Lexington, and was also with Generals Warren and Gill at Bunker Hill. He likewise participated in the engagement at Monmouth Swamp and Camden's Dell. He was a personal friend of Generals Greene and Henryson and was an ardent admirer of and dearly loved General Washington, with whom he was at Valley Forge and also at the capture of the two thousand Hessians at Trenton after crossing the Delaware. Tradition has it that he assisted in removing the remains of General Warren from the battleground of Bunker Hill back to Boston, where the honors of a Masonic burial were accorded him. Moses Axtell lived for many years to enjoy the liberty for which he fought and died at his home at Barbourville, New York, where his grave, properly marked, may still be seen. It was in the same neighborhood that Moses Axtell, Jr., the grandfather of Judge Axtell, was born, lived and died. The Judge's father, also named Moses, was born in Barbourville, New York, but spent his last days in Waushara county, Wisconsin. He married Huldah Greene, whose father, Robert Greene, served as a musician in the United States army in the war of 1812.

The subject of this review, who by his family and immediate friends in his youth was called Abe, a name that has clung to him since that day, was educated in the common schools of Barbourville, New York, and in a select high school in the village of Laurens, Otsego county, New York. His attention was then given to farming until 1861, when he entered upon those events which constitute the military chapter in his life history. He joined the Home Guards that spring under command of Captain Olins at West Oneonta, Otsego county, New York, and in October, 1861, joined the famous One Hundred and First Regiment of New York Volunteer Infantry, with which he served as a musician until June 4, 1862, when on account of disabilities contracted in line of duty he was honor ably discharged. He afterward became nurse and musician, serving most of the time as chief musician, at Chestnut Hill in the United States general hospital at Philadelphia, remaining there from November, 1863, until February 21, 1865, when he was again honorably discharged but on the same day reenlisted in the One Hundred and Seventy-ninth New York Volunteer Infantry, which was then located behind the breastworks in front of Petersburg, Virginia. He served with that regiment as chief musician until the close of the war and was in all the battles in which the command took part, including the siege of Petersburg and the encounters with the enemy from that time until General Lee surrendered to General Grant. With his regiment he was discharged at Alexandria, Virginia, June 8, 1865, but was not mustered out until the command reached the home of its colonel, William Gregg, at Elmira, New York. Years later Judge Axtell became connected with the military forces of Oregon and was duly commissioned and assigned to duty on May 6, 1899, as captain of Company H, Third Regiment of the Oregon National Guard, but resigned on the 31st of October following.

After the Civil war Mr. Axtell began studying law and was admitted to practice upon examination in open court before Judge Tiffaney of the ninth judicial district of Nebraska at Scotia, Greeley county, that state. On the 5th of February, 1888, he was admitted to practice as an attorney before the United States interior department and all the bureaus thereof. In the winter following he came to Oregon, settling at Grants Pass, Josephine county. In addition to the private practice of law there he served from 1890 until 1894 inclusive as city attorney and during that time revised, compiled and put in book form in the order and method of a code all the city ordinances then existing. He was mayor of Grants Pass from May, 1896, until May, 1897, during which time he succeeded in considerably reducing the city debt, notwithstanding the fact that more than a usual amount of improvements was made. Previous to his election to the mayoralty he served as deputy district attorney in Josephine county, Oregon, and in 1898 was elected county judge, serving upon the bench for four years. His record as a judge was in harmony with his record as a man and lawyer, being characterized by high personal worth and by ready and unbiased solution of all the difficult legal problems that came before him.

Throughout the period of his residence in the northwest he has enjoyed a reputation as an able advocate and safe counselor and it is well known that his devotion to his clients' interests is unfaltering, yet he never forgets that he owes a still higher allegiance to the majesty of the law.

Aside from the public offices mentioned above, he served as justice of the peace at Scotia, Nebraska, for both the city of Scotia and for Greeley county in pioneer days—from 1878 until 1887 inclusive, and in the justice court had the initial experience which well qualified him to render the more difficult decisions in the county courts.

On the 28th of May, 1877, at Austin, Minnesota, Mr. Axtell was married to Phebe Magary, who was born and reared in Fillmore county, Minnesota, a daughter of .Mr. and Mrs. Robert Magary. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Axtell have been born four children: Mrs. Estella McPhadden, Louie, Abe and Moses.

Mr. Axtell has long been active in the Masonic fraternity. He became a Mason at North Loup, Nebraska, took the Royal Arch degrees at St. Paul, Nebraska, and was created a Knight Templar in Mount Lebanon Commandery, No. 6, at Grand Island, Nebraska. Following his removal to the northwest he became a member of Grants Pass Lodge, No. 84, F. & A. M., and a charter member of Reams Chapter, No. 28, R. A. M., at Grants Pass, in which he filled all the principal offices including that of high priest; and on the 11th of June, 1900, he was regularly annointed and consecrated and became a member of the Council of High Priests, duly initiated at Portland, Oregon. Since his removal to Vancouver he has become a member of Mount Hood Lodge, No. 32, F. & A. M., of which he is now treasurer; Vancouver Chapter, No. 9, R. A. M.; Vancouver Commandery, No. 10, K. T., He joined General Ransome Post, No. 36, G. A. R., at Scotia, Nebraska, as a charter member and served as its commander. Later he belonged to General Logan Post, No. 39, at Grants Pass, Oregon, and filled its principal offices, including that of commander. As a department officer he was judge advocate and General Sherman was department commander, and he has served the department as chief musician of its drum corps, filling this office at the present time. His local membership is now with Ellsworth Post, No. 2, G. A. R., in which he has served as quartermaster and was judge advocate on the staff of Department Commander J. T. Goss from June 22, 1905, to June 22, 1906. The spirit of patriotism and the basic principles of Masonry have long been actuating" forces in his life. Born on the Atlantic coast, he has moved westward step by step until reaching the Pacific coast country and while witnessing and taking part in the upbuilding and the advancement of prosperity in this section he has become convinced that the city of Portland, Oregon, and of Vancouver, Washington, is and will be to the Pacific coast country what New York city and its New Jersey suburbs are to the Atlantic coast country.

(Portland, Oregon, Its History and Builders, 1911) pages 588-592
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Patrick H. Barry

General Patrick H. Barry is governor of the Soldiers' Home at Sawtelle. He was appointed in December, 1912, taking up his duties January 17, 1913, as acting governor, and since the first of March, 1913, he has been governor of this institution.

While a lover of California and occupied in the congenial duties of supervising an institution for the welfare of his fellow comrades who saw active service in the Civil war, General Barry spent the greater part of his life in the middle west and in the far east. He was born in County Cork, Ireland, August 23, 1844, and as a boy was brought to the United States by his parents, who lived in Boston.

He had all the enthusiasm and patriotism of the typical Irishman, and at the outbreak of the Civil war attempted to enlist in the army, but was rejected on account of age. He determined to become a soldier, and leaving home and going to a locality where he was unknown he was accepted as a private in Company E of the Sixty-third New York Regiment in September, 1861. He had just past his seventeenth birthday.

The Sixty-third New York was part of Meagher's Irish Brigade, one of the hardest fighting and most brilliant organizations in the Union army. With the Sixty-third New York General Barry participated in the siege of Yorktown, the battles of Fair Oaks, Games' Mills, Bottom's Ridge, Savage Station, Cold Harbor, Malvern Hill, Second Bull Run and Antietam. At Antietam he was wounded in the ankle and discharged. He recovered and re-enlisted July 2, 1863, in Company A, 12th Massachusetts Infantry. With this regiment he was a participant at Mine Run, the Wilderness, Laurel Hill, Spottyslvania Court House, Bowling Green, second battle of Cold Harbor and Petersburg. The concluding scenes he saw as a member of the Thirty-ninth Massachusetts, to which he had been transferred. He was in the thick of the fighting at the famous Crater before Richmond. There he displayed that heroism which is the basis of many of the citations and medals and honors which are mentioned in the present great war. While attempting to save a comrade from a building that had been set on fire he was horribly burned about the face, but refused to go to the Field Hospital, and a few moments later his right arm was shattered by the fragments of a bursting shell. This wound necessitated amputation above the elbow and he came home from the war with one arm in his sleeve, yet in spite of this handicap he proved himself no mean competitor in the practical affairs and business of life.

July 2, 1865, the second anniversary of his re-enlistment in the army, he married in Boston Miss Mary Monahan, a native of Ireland. They lived in and near Boston until the spring of 1880, when they sought the new lands of the middle west. General Barry took a homestead and timber claim in Wheeler county, Nebraska, and lived there to endure all the hardships of pioneer experience.

In 1882 he moved to another locality in Greeley county, to a tract sold to settlers by the Irish Catholic Association. General Barry lived there until 1904, and became highly prosperous as a farmer and stock breeder. On leaving the farm he moved to Greeley Center, where his wife died November 25, 1907.

Of his active connection with military affairs since the Civil war it is best to rely upon an article written and published in the Twentieth Century Farmer of Omaha in 1911. Quoting from this article: "When Silas A. Holcomb was elected governor of Nebraska he made Patrick H. Barry adjutant general of the Nebraska National Guard. General Barry immediately took up the seemingly hopeless task of making the Nebraska National Guard an effective force. Working night and day he whipped it into some semblance of a fighting force, and thus it was that when President McKinley called for troops in the Spanish-American war the Nebraska guardsmen were not only among the first to respond, but were among the best drilled, best equipped and best disciplined volunteer troops sent to the front. General Barry's standing among the Nebraska veterans of the Spanish-American and Philippine war’s is evidenced by the ovation given him every time he attends one of their reunions. As an organizer, as a disciplinarian and as a manager of men General Barry has proved his efficiency, and these are the qualities that induced the governmental authorities to take him from the quiet retreats of his country home in Nebraska and put him upon the board of managers that has to do with the management of one of the largest and finest sanitariums in the world, that maintained by the United States government at Hot Springs, South Dakota, for the care and comfort of disabled volunteer soldiers."

The appointment referred to in this quotation was the selection of General Barry as a member of the board of managers in charge of the Battle Mountain Sanitarium at Hot Springs, and it was from the duties and responsibilities of that office that he came to California to take up his present duties at the Soldiers' Home at Sawtelle.

General Barry, like most men of progressive thought and action, has had a varied political experience and affiliation. Even while living in Massachusetts he became identified with the Greenback movement, and in Nebraska was affiliated with the Farmers Alliance and the People's party, having been elected and served two terms as a member of the Nebraska Legislature. In later years he has chosen a rather independent course in casting his ballot.

General Barry had an ideally happy home life. He and his wife enjoyed an uninterrupted companionship for over forty years, and it has been his privilege to see five sturdy sons grow to manhood and fill places of usefulness in the world. These sons are: Judge James B., of Sawtelle, California; Patrick, of Greeley Center, Nebraska; John P., who lives on the old homestead at Greeley Center; Francis A., also a farmer of Greeley Center, and Thomas M., a stockman and farmer at Greeley Center.

(Los Angeles From the Mountains to the Sea, Vol. 2, 1921) page 155
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Judge John J. Bean

Judge John J. Bean, farmer, Greeley County, and attorney at law, located at Scotia in May, 1876, and engaged in farming and keeping hotel; was the first Postmaster in the place, taking the office in January, 1877, and holding same five years; elected County Judge fall of 1879. He located his land in Scotia Precinct, Greeley County, on Section 4, Town 17, Range 12, 230 acres, fifty of which is under plow; born in Merrimac County, N. H., April 9, 1842; lived in native State until 1855; family then moved to Ripon, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., where they lived two years, then to Waushara County, same State, where he attended the common schools, etc.; soon moved to village of Plainfield, same county, where he clerked; kept books, etc., until he came to Nebraska; enlisted in August, 1864, in Company I, Thirty-seventh Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry; placed on detached service ; mustered out May 5, 1865; married in Wautoma, Wis., April, 1862, to Miss Betsy J. Van Alen, of Dunkirk, Erie Co., N. Y. They have two children--Mary J. and Willie J. He is a member of I. O. O. F. of Ord, Nebraska, and Ransom Post, No. 26, G. A. R.

History of State of Nebraska, 1882
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Dr. J. B. Beebe

One of the most prominent figures river from '71 to '77 was "Doc" Beebe. He came to the North in 1871 and for years "Beebe's Ranch" was one of the best in the Valley. His wife and charming daughter Susie were notable pioneer women. In 1890 Mr. Beebe went to Oregon where years later he died.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

J. W. Bilyeu

J. W. Bilyeu was born September 20, 1841, in Clinton county, Illinois. When twelve years of age his parents moved to Bond county. Mr. Bilyeu grew to manhood. On August 12, 1862, he enlisted in the 130th Illinois Infantry. He was present at the siege of Vicksburg. Upon his discharge in August, 1865, be returned to Bond county. March 22, 1860, he married Miss E.C. Pile of Bond county. 1877 he came to the Loup country and homesteaded near Scotia. In 1904 he purchased property in Scotia where he has since lived.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

S. W. Bilyeu

Postmaster and dealer in general merchandise, Scotia, opened the mercantile trade January 9, 1882; carries a stock of about $2,500; was appointed Postmaster in May, 1882; located in Lamartine, Greeley County, October 1, 1875. He taught school in the winter and farmed in the summer until 1877, when he was elected County Clerk of Greeley County; he was re-elected in 1879. He was born in Clinton County, Ill., August 17, 1844; lived in his native State until August, 1862; enlisted the 12th of the same month in Company E, One Hundred and Thirtieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry; participated in the battles of Port Gibson, Champion Hills, Black River, sieges of Vicksburg and Jackson, and was taken prisoner at Sabine Cross Roads, and confined in Camp Ford, Texas, thirteen and one-half months; was mustered out in June, 1865; came to Bond County, Ill.; farmed and taught school for four years, then engaged in the mercantile business. He was married in Bond County, Ill., in 1865, to Miss Ella Harris, of St. Louis, Mo. They have had four children--Milo D., deceased, Frank S., Nellie E., and Le Roy V. His wife died in the spring of 1875. He was again married in Merrick County, Neb., February 19, 1877, to Miss Flora Donaldson of Burlingame, Neb. He is a member of Ransom Post, No. 36, G. A. R.

History of State of Nebraska, 1882
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Mansell Davis

One of the very first settlers in Greeley county was Mansell Davis. He was born in Jamestown, New York resided there till 1867, when he moved to Dakota, Wisconsin. While in New York he was engaged in mercantile pursuits. His western life has however, been that of farmer. When in 1871 the Dakota Seventh Day Baptists commenced casting about for new homes Mr. Davis was a member of the second or voluntary committee to explore the west that came to the Loup and became one of the first six to file on claims in Greeley county. In those early days Mr. Davis took quite an active part in politics. Thus he was the first surveyor of Greeley county, and in the capacity of county superintendent and county supervisor at the present time he lives on his fine farm three miles south Loup.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Balramen Emery

Greeley Center, Neb., March 9-[Special Correspondence.]—Few men have entered upon the stage of life with as serene a line before its glarish foot-lights as Balramen Emery of Greeley Center, Neb.

On the 11th day of August, 1795, he was born in the town of Temple, N. H. His father was of English and his mother of Irish stock. but both parents were born in New Hampshire. For the first twenty-four years of life he trod his native hills, the greater portion of the time being devoted to herding sheep.

At 24 he married and with the true spirit of a pioneer, after receiving the parental blessings, with his young wife started for the dim, distant, wild and woolly west, and after an eventful journey he arrived in Oneida County, New York. This was then the boundless west. Here he remained until 1846, when he removed to Wisconsin, where he remained until 1880, when he removed to Nemaha County, Nebraska and in 1888 moved to Greeley Center, his present home.

Grandpa Emery, as he is now lovingly called, was tall in stature, gaunt in flesh, sickness he never experienced and today his stalwart form is erect and has every faculty of the body and mind unimpaired.

His political career has been peculiar. His first vote was for James Monroe in 1816 and at every election since the sacred portals of the ballot box received with the true impress of democracy stamped upon it. His faith in the sublime principles of the Democratic Party never faltered, and adherence to his party since he began his first campaign in the golden days of the "era of good feeling" until to this, has been faithful, consistent and fearless. He never was a candidate for office. He has been a great reader and his memory is marvelous. Pope and Homer are his favorite authors and he can recite the entire “essay on man." He has never used tobacco. He has been temperate but was never a total abstainer. Though a firm believer in revelations, he has never joined any church denomination. His first and only love, whom he married at 24, died twenty years ago. He did not remarry. Four sons were born to him and are all living. He is at present living with his son, A. B. Emery, and his grandson, Will Emery, and his great grandson, Frank Emery, also reside with him.

He joined the Free Masons in New York in 1819, and has ever since been an active and honored member of that organization. His life struggle has been an honorable conflict. In him right has always found a champion. Generous of heart, pure of soul. Firm in his convictions, no wonder that Balramen Emery was beloved by his friends and respected by all.

Transcribed and contributed by: Frances Cooley
Morning World-Herald - April 20, 1891

George Farell

George Farell was born in Columbus, Indiana, January 10, 1857. In 1870 his parents moved to Caldwell county, Missouri, only to move to Howard county, Nebraska, the following year, having filed on their homestead the previous year. Though only a boy he and a friend went up near Kent and squatted on some land there. However, being forced off his land in 1874 he returned home and in 1877 homesteaded his present farm. The same year he married Miss Emma Bixby. In the fall they moved to Scotia only to return to the farm four years later.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Alcie P. Fish

The man who has the distinction of the first settler in Greeley county was Mr. Alcie P. Fish. He was born February 18, 1822, near Brockport, New York. When he was 12 years old his father died and he was compelled to shift for himself. In March, 1843, he married Esther E. Williams near the Niagara Falls. In 1848 Loraine county, Ohio, where their son Elihu B. Fish was born, Elihu is the only survivor of four children. In 1850 Mr. A. P. Fish came to Fon du Lac county, Wis. In 1861 he enlisted in the First Wisconsin Cavalry where he served till his discharge in November, 1864. In October, 1871, he came to Greeley and pre-empted. His son followed the next spring and homesteaded one mile north of his present residence. Mr. Alcie P. Fish was one of the first county commissioners. Indeed, the first election was held in his house. His son was first county clerk of Greeley county. In the fall of 1879 the younger Fish married Miss Julia McMillan. The father moved to Scotia in 1887 and died three years later.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Andrew Gardner

Andrew Gardner was born in Buffalo, N. Y., in 1849. When but a child he moved to Green Bay, Wis., where he lived till 1861. At this time he changed his residence to Fond du Lac, Wis., where he lived until he came to Nebraska in 1878. Mr. Gardner has always been a farmer, although in early days he used to spend the winter trapping. He worked on his farm about eight miles southeast of Scotia until 1904 when he retired from active labor and moved to town.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

A. J. Gillespie

Andrew J. Gillespie, Sr., the grand old patriarch of the Loup, filled his hundredth year June 4, 1905. He is still remarkably hale and hearty for a man of his years. This wonderful good health he ascribes to the thirty four years he has lived in Nebraska "where people stay young longer than any where else on earth." Mr. Gillespie's name has lone been associated with the North Loup Valley to which he came early in 1871. He first settled near Elba where he operated quite a ranch. His herd of cattle was the first to fatten on the grasses of the Loup. He also took the first contract to carry the United States mail up the North Loup valley, the route being fully seventy miles long. Often he drove the stage in person but never did his passengers dream that the man who guided his team with such skill over the difficult route had long filled his three score and ten.

Mr. Gillespie was born in Kentucky, June 4, 1805, near the place where Abraham Lincoln first saw light four years later. Like Lincoln he spent his early manhood in Illinois, where he married Temperance Lee Bankston, daughter of Colonel Bankston, a life-long friend and comrade of Lincoln. Thirteen children were born to them, of whom twelve reached middle age.

In 1836 the family moved to Iowa where they remained for many years. In 1871, at an age when most men are preparing to spend their declining years in peace, he sold his home near Dubuque and came to Nebraska. He became a great hunter and soon attracted the attention of leading plainsmen, who have ever held him in the highest esteem. At the age of seventy-five he is known to have killed deer at a distance of more than three hundred yards. The centenarian is tall and supple, showing in his carriage but slight indications of the burden of a hundred years of active life. His long line of descendants inherit his fine physique and remarkable stamina. Thus his seventh son, Joe, won the trying horse race of many hundred miles from Chadron, Nebr., to Chicago, when already past middle life. He has a remarkable lot of descendants living—numbering in all 172 souls. Of these nine are his own children, seventy-seven are grand-children, eighty great grand-children, and six great great grandchildren. At a grand public celebration held at Scotia in honor of his hundredth birthday, in the neighborhood of a hundred descendants assembled to do the old man honor, and eight hundred guests were lunched and drank to his health and many happy years yet to come.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Col. B. F. Griffith

Col. B. F. Griffith was born in Monroe county, New York, in 1845. When but five years old his parents moved to Pennsylvania which became his home. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Co. H. 105th Pennsylvania Infantry and as a member of that regiment he fought through four long years. He certainly did his part in this great rebellion, having fought in many of the greatest battles of the war, Fair Oaks, Seven Pines, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Gettysburg. In the last named of these battles he was severely wounded in no less than three places and afterwards spent sixteen months in the hospital. After having been discharged he returned to Pennsylvania where he lived till 1878 when he moved to this valley. Mr. Griffith is a lawyer, having been admitted to the bar in 1882. He has twice been elected county attorney of Greeley county. His home is in Scotia.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Rev. George Hillman

Rev. George Hillman came to the North Loup Valley in April 1872, and settled in Greeley county. On May 10, 1872, he preached a sermon in the house of John Vanskike. Captain Munson sent an armed escort to guard the congregation from Indians. The first Methodist church ever organized in the Loup Valley was organized at the Hillman home, also the first Sabbath school. The first general election was held in his home on October 8, 1872 at which time he was elected county judge, being of course the first judge of Greeley county. Rev. Hillman was born in Banwell, Somersetshire, England, September 17, 1829; came to America in 1848; lived in Iowa until 1872 when he came to Nebraska. He was married to Miss Hannah Jenkins in 1853. Rev. Hillman and his good wife are now living near Scotia. They are in good health and still enjoy living. Mr. Hillman still preaches occasionally. The old settlers hold them in love and esteem, remembering the long years of right living this good couple have spent here in the North Loup Valley.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

S. E. Horton

S. E. Horton, County Superintendent of Public Instruction for Greeley County, Neb., first came to that State in the spring of 1878, and settled in Spring Creek Precinct, on a homestead Section 28, Town 19, 160 acres, and timber claim on Section 34, of 160 acres; has about sixty acres improved, and 120 acres of the homestead under cultivation; was elected County Superintendent in 1879; born at West Haven, Rutland Co., Vt., September 4, 1852; lived in native State until 1872; attended the Fort Edward Collegiate Institute in Washington County, N. Y., graduating in the spring of 1872; taught school in several counties in New York. He came to Joliet, Ill., and took charge of Joliet Mound School a year. Taught in Spring Lake, Tazewell County, three years; taught in East White Hall, Greene County, Ill., several months. He is a wide-awake Western man.

History of State of Nebraska, 1882
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

John G. Kellogg

The minnesinger of the Loup, was born in Lake county, Illinois, January 15, 1846, where he grew to manhood and got all the schooling he ever had. Here he farmed and composed rhymes. When twenty-three years old he set his face westward and came to Platte county, Nebraska. Here he lingered till August, 1871, when in company with Shepard, Scott and Stewart, pioneers spoken of elsewhere, he set out for the North Loud Valley. On the 7th day of September he selected his claim in Greeley county, lying above present-day Scotia. Mr. Kellogg was one of the organizers of Greeley county and became its first county superintendent. On January 30, 1879, he married Belle Scott, one of the earliest women to come into the Loup, who is more than usually conversant with all topics pertaining to early frontier life. They have five children living.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

T. P. Lanigan

T. P. Lanigan, County Treasurer of Greeley County, resides in Iowa Precinct, Greeley County. He first came to Nebraska May 1, 1880, and located at O'Connor, where he taught school and engaged in mercantile trade one and one-half years, after which he engaged in farming, etc. Owns 480 acres land, 125 under cultivation. Born in Iowa County, Wis., January 11, 1854; lived in native State some time. In Chicago, Ill., three years, engaged in manufacture of Bessemer steel; also in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., in manufacture of dye woods, and from latter city to Montreal, Canada, where he clerked in grocery store a year; then to New York City some time; from thence to Iowa County, Wis., where he attended school, taught several terms, etc. Was a student in Wisconsin State University at Madison two years. Married, in Greeley County, Neb., 1881, to Miss Ellen Phelan, of Jackson County, Iowa. Elected County Treasurer fall 1881; also Justice of the Peace; tried first case in O'Connor.

History of State of Nebraska, 1882
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Willam E. Morgan

Willam E. Morgan, 60, taught during 1860-61, in Chatham, New York, and studied law at Claremont, N. H., 1861-63. He removed to Illinois in 1864 and enlisted in 8th Illinois Cavalry. In 1865 he entered Garrett Biblical Institute, and graduated in 1867, and was then pastor of several churches.

In 1871, Brother Morgan took up a homestead, while a pastor. In 1873 he was a county assessor and in 1874-75 a county judge. In 1876 he founded the York Republican of Nebraska, and was with it twelve years. He opposed saloons by preaching and printing, and there have been no saloons there since 1876, with a present population of 8000.

In 1892 he moved to Scotia, Greeley County, ran the Independent two years, and then consolidated the Leader and the Independent. In 1899 Brother Morgan sold out, and is now postmaster at Greeley, Nebraska, which position he has held since 1897.

(The Shield: Official Publication of the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity, 1908) page 308
Submitted by Cathy Danielson ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

OMICRON SURVIVORS

O Charge was established in the fall of 1875. Rooms were obtained in a prominent block on Main street, Middletown, and maintained until the commencement season of 1861. Early in 1861 two companies of soldiers were organized in Wesleyan University. Two of the members of the Class of 1862 were in one of these companies and returned in 1865 with distinguished records. Another member of this class who was of the O Charge had left college on account of ill health and died in 1864 in Rome. Carl Laux, Jr., '62, is now a druggist in Los Angeles. Of those of the Class of 1863 Timothy E. Steele, a Hartford lawyer, died a few years ago. George W. Cook and R. H. Gidman are in the land of the living. One of the Class of 1857, a lawyer in Philadelphia, affiliated with another Fraternity. Robert Henry and Nehemiah Nickerson, of the Class of 1855, are with us, the former in poor health, and the latter still caring for the bodies of his patients. Henry E. Eastman, of 1858, died in 1865. Of the Class of 1859, Charles C. Adams and Henry B. Brown are actively interested in promoting the welfare of the Fraternity and are the nursing father and mother of the 0 Survivor's Association, while Asa Boothby still teaches as he has since graduation, and Samuel Emery is heard from in this article. From the Class of 1860, six have joined Q Charge. John B. Lapham, William E. Morgan, and Webster R. Walkley are reported here. Eugene O. Ranney is still practicing the medical art and John Young is still at the legal bar. Of the Class of 1861, William D. Bridge is the wet nurse of the 0 Survivor's Association. Francis D. Edgerton and William J. Bramblee have joined Q, and the fourth member has affiliated with another fraternity. One of the Class of 1855, one of the Class of 1856, and one of the Class of 1858, have joined Q. There are therefore thirteen survivors and their interest in the revival of 0 Charge dispels any fear of the number thirteen being an unpromising omen. It will be seen that the four members of 1859 are still alive, all are beyond the limit of three-score and ten and yet all wish to score ten for 0 revived. The charter, somewhat primitive, was preserved by William D. Bridge but no trace of the records of the Charge is left. Those who have sent their records are as follows: William E. Morgan listed under this.

Submitted by Cathy Danielson

George W. McAnulty

George W. McAnulty was born at Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in 1853. He lost both of his parents at an early age. His father losing his life in his country's defense during the Civil War, and his mother dying within the same year. At the age of eighteen he went to Texas and for the first time saw the great West. After some time spent in the Lone Star state he went to Illinois and thence back to Pennsylvania. But he had gotten his taste for the plains. Accordingly he came back and arrived in Nebraska and the North Loup Valley In 1873 he settled on the James Barr farm near Burwell. When Fort Hartsuff was established helped to build some of the structures there. Later he enlisted in Captain Munson's company—Co. C, 9th U. S. Infantry—which was ordered into active service a few days after his enlistment. The company joined the rest of the 9th Regiment at Port Laramie, Wyoming Territory. The Great Sioux War was on and the boys were on the frontier. Mr. McAnulty was with General Crook in the terrible campaign of 1876, and returned with his company to Fort Hartsuff two years later and was there discharged. He married Miss Lillie Moore in March, 1880, and settled near Ord. In 1882 he moved to Scotia where he has since resided. He has three children, two sons, Fred and John, and one daughter, Louise. Mr. McAnulty is a believer in the North Loup Valley. Never, even during the darkest years, has his faith in it faltered.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

David Moore

David Moore one of the early settlers of Greeley county was born in Ohio in 1827. He came of good Quaker stock. His early life was spent in Indiana and Illinois. As a boy he knew Lincoln and often heard him address a jury in the old court house at Delavan, Ill. Later his parents settled in eastern Iowa, near Wyoming. Here he met and married Louise Standish in 1848. He served throughout the Civil War in Co. K, 24th Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He was with his regiment in some of the hardest fought battles of the war. He came to Nebraska June, 1873, and settled in Greeley county taking as a homestead the northeast quarter of section 10-17-12, one mile east of Scotia where he resided for twenty years. In 1893 he moved to Scotia. He was most public spirited and untiring in his efforts to build up this part of the state. He was admitted to the bar in 1881 and practiced law for some years. In early days his home was noted for its generous hospitality and for many years David Moore was known as the friend of the settler. He died November 25, 1904, at his home in Scotia. His wife and three children survived him. His oldest son Horace Moore died June 23, 1905. Those still living are Dr. Mila S. Moore of Taylor, Nebr., and Mrs. George McAnulty of Scotia.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson - - - - - - - - - - - - -

David Moore, farmer and stock-raiser, first came to Greeley County, Neb., in the spring of 1873, and settled on a homestead in Scotia Precinct; now owns 320 acres, 160 of which is under cultivation; wheat and corn does well in this county. He has been County Commissioner of Greeley County two terms, and Notary Public several years; born in Eaton, Preble Co., Ohio, February 14, 1827; lived in native State until 1834, and family moved to Richmond, Wayne Co., Ind., and lived five years; moved to Tazewell County, Ill., and farmed six years, then to Jones County, Iowa. He followed milling until 1873; married in Canton, Jackson Co., Iowa, 1848, to Miss Louisa Standish of Ontario County, N. Y. They have three children--Horace, Lillian E. and Milan S.; enlisted in August, 1862, Company K, Twenty-fourth Regiment Iowa Volunteer infantry; participated in battles of Port Gibson, Champion Hill, Black River, siege of Vicksburg, Sabine Cross Roads, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek; was Orderly Sergeant of his company; mustered out in Baltimore, Md., in June, 1865. Is a member of Ransom Post, No. 36, G. A. R.

History of State of Nebraska, 1882
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

E. A. Nurton

E. A. Nurton of Scotia is a much traveled man. He was born in Dubuque county, Iowa, February 19, 1856, and here he spent the first twenty-one years of his life. In September 1, 1877, he and his father bought one and one-half sections of railroad land live miles from Scotia. In the fall he returned to Iowa and the next year worked his father's farm. However, in the fall of 1878 he returned to his land in Nebraska. In 1879 he again went back to Iowa and worked for nine months for his uncle. Then again he returned to Greeley county. On February 6, 1883, he married Miss Emma L. Woodward of Dubuque, Iowa. In 1886 he moved to Ord only to leave in 1888. The next year however he sold his farm property and moved to Scotia where he lives at present.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

T. C. Phelan

T. C. Phelan, County Clerk of Greeley County, Neb., came to O'Connor in March, 1880, located on railroad land and began farming. Elected County Clerk in the fall of 1881. He was born in Niagara County, N. Y., March 5, 1842. His family moved to Jackson County, Iowa, where he lived until he came to Nebraska. He was a student of Lenox College, Hopkinton, Iowa, and was Superintendent of Public Instruction in the latter county two years, and engaged in mercantile business for five years. He was married in the latter county, Iowa, December 29, 1868, to Miss Kate Fogarty, of Pittsburgh, Penn. They have three children--Mary Ellen, James Edward and Francis Joseph. Mr. Phelan owns 480 acres of land, 100 of which is under cultivation.

History of State of Nebraska, 1882
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Jeremiah Pridemore

Jeremiah Pridemore was born in Lawrence county, Indiana, April 24, 1833. When but a child his parents moved to Clay county, Illinois, where he grew to manhood. In March, 1859, he married Miss Sarah File of Bond county, Iowa. In 1861 he enlisted as a private in the 48th Illinois Infantry. He saw much active service and engaged in the battles of Ft. Donalson, Shiloh. Vicksburg, Chattanooga and Atlanta. After his discharge in September, 1864, he returned to Bond county, Iowa, where he lived till he came to Greeley county in 1877. He still lives on his old homestead.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

George C. Sauter

George C. Sauter was born at Wittenberg, Germany, and came to America when but three years old. His parents spent some time at Detroit and Chicago, but later removed to Indiana where the boy grew to manhood. He came to Fish Creek in Greeley county in 1877 and homesteaded there. He married Anna Brandt of Indiana. Of his children none are living. The Sauters remained on the farm till 1893 when they moved to Scotia where they are now nicely located.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

William Scott

Two of the first among early settlers in Greeley county were William Scott and his son, L. E. Scott. William Scott was born in Fairfield county, Conn., July 22, 1823. As he grew to manhood he learned the carpenter trade. He was married September 6, 1849. His eldest and at present only living son, L. C. Scott, was born in October of the next year. In 1855 the Scotts came to Freeport, Iowa, only to return ten years later to Connecticut. In 1866 they moved to Rosendale, Fon du Lac county, Wisconsin. In the spring of 1872 L. E. Scott moved on to Greeley county and was followed by his father in the fall of the same year.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Alza M. Stewart

The first settler in Valley county was Alza M. Stewart who came to this county in August, 1871. Mr. Stewart was born in Binghampton, New York, May 27, 1843. When a small child his parents moved to Waukegan, Ill., where he lived till 1869. During this time he served for three years in the army. In April, 1869, he came to Platte county, Nebraska, where he lived till he came to Valley county. In January, 1872, he took out papers homesteading the first farm in Valley county. In 1874 he moved to his timber claim adjoining his homestead but being in Greeley county. On July 4, 1874, he married Miss Mamie Rurdick.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Alonzo Shepard

Alonzo Shepard is one of the first four settlers of the North Loup Valley. He was born in Canton, Mass., in 1836. When but six years old his parents moved to Illinois where he lived till 1867. At .this time he decided to come to Nebraska and after spending six months in Omaha finally took up a pre-emption claim in Platte county. In the fall of 1871 he came to this valley and took a homestead in Greeley county whither he moved with his family in April, 1872. Mr. Shepard was married in 1866 and to the couple but one child was born. Mr. Shepard was a member of the first militia but was never engaged in any fights against the Indians.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

A. M. Thayer

A. M. Thayer, Sheriff of Greeley County, Neb.; resides in Spring Creek, same county. First came to Nebraska in June, 1875, and located in latter township on a homestead, where he engaged in farming and stock-raising. Now owns 320 acres fine land, ninety acres of which are under cultivation. Elected Sheriff in 1879; re-elected in fall of 1881. Born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., May 21, 1841; lived in native State until 1854, and family moved to Rock County, Wis., and lived until 1872, when he went to Harrison County, Iowa; engaged in farming until he came to Nebraska; enlisted, May 18, 1861, in Company D, Second Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry; participated in battles first and second Bull Run, Gaines' Mill, Fredericksburg, South Mountain, Antietam and Wilderness; mustered out July, 1864. Married in Alexandria, Va., fall of 1863, to Miss Mary Ann Cogan, of London, England. They have five children--Ernest H., Maud C., Delia E., Percy and Lewis M. He is a member of Ransom Post, No. 26, G. A. R.

History of State of Nebraska, 1882
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Vanskike Settlement

No history of the North Loup Valley would be complete without mention of the Vanskike settlement. Three brothers, John, James and Jefferson, with their brother-in-law, Joe Conway, came to the valley in the spring of 1872. They settled in Howard county, just below the Greeley county line. They were all typical pioneers. They cheerfully bore their part in the early years and made many friends. Their homes were noted for hospitality.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

S. C. Vanskike

Throughout most of his life S. C. Vanskike has been identified with the banking business and is now assistant cashier of the Bank of Glenrock at Glenrock. Wyoming. He is a native of Nebraska, his birth having occurred in Greeley county, .March 2, 1889, his parents being Charles and Carrie (Scott) Vanskike. The father was a native of Indiana, while the mother was born in Nebraska, where they are still living. They have become the parents of seven children, six of whom survive.

S. C. Vanskike spent the days of his boyhood and youth under the parental roof and began his education at the usual age as a pupil in the common schools of Scotia, Nebraska, there passing through consecutive grades to the high school, while subsequently he became a college student and thus was well qualified for life's practical and responsible duties. When his textbooks were put aside he turned his attention to the banking business, which he followed in Scotia, Nebraska, until August, 1917, when he removed to Glenrock to become assistant cashier of the Bank of Glenrock.

The bank was organized on the 5th of June, 1917, with A. A. Spaugh as the president and was capitalized for fifteen thousand dollars. Mr. Vanskike brought broad experience to bear in the performance of his present duties and his efforts are contributing to the growing success of the institution, which has already become well established on a firm and substantial basis. He is a courteous and obliging official, doing everything in his power to please the patrons of the bank to a point that will not hazard the interests of the institution.

In 1910 Mr. Vanskike was united in marriage to Miss Ella Sautter and to them have been born two children, Cecil and Zola M.

Mr. Vanskike belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and to the Royal Neighbors. His political endorsement is given to the democratic party and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They have already won many warm friends during the period of their residence in Wyoming and he is regarded as a valuable acquisition to the business circles of Converse county.

(History of Wyoming, Vol. 2, 1918)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Viola Wallace

The first white woman in Greeley county was Mrs. Viola Wallace, wife of James L. Wallace. She arrived with her husband in December, 1871. They settled on the creek which today bears their name, "Wallace Creek." A brother of Mrs. Wallace, George Wallace, came with them, taking an adjoining claim. Mrs. Wallace was a lady of education and refinement, born and educated in the southern city of Norfolk, Virginia. Mrs. Wallace was a brave little woman and bore the great change from the luxurious home in the city to a settler's cabin on the extreme frontier with wonderful fortitude. Mrs. Wallace (now Mrs. Thomas Grandberry) lives at Long Pine, Nebr.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

William Byron Weekes

William Byron Weekes grain and live stock dealer, Scotia, Greeley county, was born in Illinois near the city of Cairo, November 5, 1859. He is of English ancestry, and his father, Thomas Weekes, was a soldier in both the Mexican and the Civil Wars, was mortally wounded at Hartsville. Tennessee, December 1, 1862, and was taken prisoner by the Confederates, and soon after died in Libby prison. The mother of Mr. Weekes was in maidenhood Elizabeth Lindridge. After the death of her husband she cared for her children the best she could, and gave them the advantage of a common school education. Before he was sixteen years old, with an elder brother, Charles Weekes, William came to Nebraska and settled upon a homestead in Greeley county. This was in the fall of 1875, and since then Greeley county has been his permanent home. He was successful as a farmer and a stock grower, and for some years has been as successful as a dealer in stock and grain. In the quarter of a century that he has resided in Greeley county, he has seen the country about him converted into rich farms, and railroads and towns built up. He has carved his own fortune by industriously working, and is in independent circumstances. In the matter of politics he has always been a Republican. From 1886 to 1890 he served as treasurer of Greeley county, and in 1891 was one of the Board of County Supervisors. He is a Mason of the Royal Arch degree and is also a member of the Woodmen and the Tribe of Ben Hur. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was married June 12, 1881, to Nora A. Whitehead, and has six children—Charles W., now a physician in Scotia, Edwin and Edgar, twins, Chester, Cecil and Edith Weekes.

(The Trail of the Loup, by H. W. Fogt, AM, 1906)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

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Weekes, William Byron, grain and livestock dealer, Omaha, Neb., formerly of Scotia, Greeley county, was born near the city of Cairo, Ill., November 5, 1859, son of Thomas Weekes, who was a soldier in both the Mexican and the Civil Wars; and mortally wounded at Hartsville, Tenn., December 1, 1862, was taken prisoner and soon after died in Libby prison. The mother of Mr. Weekes was in maidenhood, Elizabeth Lindridge.

In 1875 William settled upon a homestead in Greeley county. He has always been a republican. From 1886 to 1890 he served as treasurer of Greeley county, and in 1891 was one of the board of county supervisors. He is a Mason of the Royal Arch degree and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

He was married June 12, 1881, to Nora A. Whitehead, and has six children: Dr. Charles W., Edward and Edgar—twins, Chester, Cecil, and Edith.

(Illustrated History of Nebraska, Vol. 3, 1913)
Submitted by Cathy Danielson

Ed. Wright

Ed. Wright, has charge of general merchandise store for W. H. West, of Grand Island; business opened in March, 1878; carries stock of about $3,000. Mr. Wright located in Scotia at that time. The above is the first store established in Greeley County. He was born in Dover, Del., February 17, 1857; lived in native State until 1876, and went to Fort Scott, Kan., and engaged in the manufacture of cheese one season, then came to Nebraska. Married May 14, 1882, to Miss M. J. Bean, daughter of Judge J. J. Bean, of Scotia. Mrs. W. is a native of Plainfield, Wis.

History of State of Nebraska, 1882
Submitted by Cathy Danielson