In January, 1854, the
first settlement in Nemaha
County was made by W. W. MOORE,
who came from St.Joseph and
settled at Baker's Ford on the
Nemaha, nine miles from Seneca
in Nemaha Township. The old
California trail crossed the
Nemaha at Baker's Ford. The name
of Moorestown was subsequently
given to the eighteenth election
district. This point formed the
center of a settlement and was
afterwards known as Urbana. The
first marriage solemnized in the
county was in Nemaha township
November 12, 1854, the
contracting parties being
Charles LEACHMAN and Mrs.
Caroline Davenport, a widower
and widow, who had emigrated
from Iowa to which state they
soon afterward returned. The
marriage was solemnized by Rev.
Thomas Newton. The first white
child born in this county was in
Nemaha township, Mollie KEY,
born to Greenberry and Polly
KEY, March 1855. There is some
question if regard to the first
death. In September, 1854, Jacob
B. Newton, son of Rev. Thomas
Newton, died of typhoid fever.
The record further says that
Mrs. Davenport's first husband
died in this county and was
buried on the Henri KORBER place
in Nemaha township, his coffin
being made by Christian BOBST
and Ralit TURNER out of his
wagon-box.
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The only Indian scare in
which the early settlers of
Nemaha county were concerned
occurred in the spring of '56.
The preceding winter the
Pottawatomi Indians had been
'very' restless and it was
thought they would go on the war
path as soon as the grass
started. The settlers gathered
in force at Baker's Ford and
were expecting the Indians to
swoop down on them at any
moment. After several days they
learned that the Indians had no
designs against the whites, but
were preparing an expedition
against their old enemies the
Pawnees, by whom they were
afterwards badly defeated.
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The early history of
Nemaha township was marked with
some interesting and exciting
times. Miles CARTER was hanged
at Baker's Ford February 27,
1865. CARTER had been arrested
on that day for horse-stealing
and his preliminary hearing was
set for the next day, February
28, before John W. FURROW's
Justice of the Peace in Seneca.
CARTER was lodged in jail to
await the hearing on the next
day. But that night the
vigilantes took him from jail
and he was hanged to a limb of a
maple tree that overhung the old
trail at Baker's Ford. The next
morning Fred KORBER had started
to Seneca with an ox team and
when on the opposite side of the
stream he saw as he thought a
man standing on the other side
waiting for a ride to Seneca.
But when he drove across and
came to where the man was, he
saw him dangling in the air at
the end of a rope, with his face
black and swollen and his tongue
protruding. He was thoroughly
frightened, and Star Pointer
never made better time for nine
miles than did those oxen from
there to Seneca.
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Nemaha has a population of
656, the increase during the
past year being 17. This
township is a great grazing and
farming country, and its people
own 485 horses, 2724 cattle, 51
mules and asses and 3333 hogs.
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We met a frost in the way
of new subscribers when we
entered Nemaha township from the
southeast, as nearly all the
farmers in that locality are
already subscribers.
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The first new subscriber
was Jacob THONEN. He has been in
Kansas nine years and owns 250
acres of land located near
Baker's Ford, where the first
settlement in Nemaha county was
made.
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We took a spin over to the
farm of Ed ROGERS, who is a son
of Michael ROGERS, deceased, one
of the first settlers. On this
farm is a flowing well which
furnishes water for the family
and all the stock.
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Frank HAFERKAMP is
generally rushed with work, but
takes time between meals to post
himself on the county news. It
is easy to guess what paper he
reads.
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We met C. E. JUDY in the
road on horseback with a
magazine in his hand and six
papers in his pocket. He now
takes seven. Mr. JUDY is a
native of Ohio and has been in
Kansas a dozen years. He owns a
model farm of 330 acres in the
Nemaha valley. he usually makes
his fat cattle and hogs haul his
corn to market.
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The next day we drove up
to Joseph SELBACH's in time for
dinner and the way we devoured
the choice viands set before
us,was evidence enough to Mr.
and Mrs. SELBACH that we
heartily enjoyed their
hospitality. Mr. SELBACH is a
native of Kansas and has been
in Kansas 30 years, and Mrs.
SELBACH was born in Nemaha
county near their home place.
Her father Ed McCAFFREY was one
of the first settlers in the
county.
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Joseph H. HAUG and A. W.
HAUG were next visited. They are
both prosperous young farmers.
We left each of them plenty of
democratic literature to read.
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We found Frank AZIERE
wiping the perspiration from his
brow, caused by stacking
new-mown timothy and clover hay.
He didn't have time to tell us
of his history, but judging by
his looks we put him down as a
jayhawker.
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Peter and James McQUAID
were born in Seneca. They are
not living on their mother's
farm of 440 acres. We found
James in the field plowing corn
and Peter in the house with a
pair of lame lungs caused by a
cold. We left Peter with plenty
of good reading material and
moved on.
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The threatening clouds and
cool breeze from Nebraska and
dusty roads made us seek shelter
at the fine home of Wm. H.
ALLISON. Here we were pleasantly
entertained for the night. Mr.
ALLISON is a native of Illinois
and came to Kansas in 1869. Mrs.
ALLISON was born in Maine. Their
splendid farm of 160 acres is a
model of neatness and thrift.
Mr. ALLISON has always voted the
republican ticket, but he is one
of those liberal minded men who
respect the opinions of others.
He is a gentleman and an
scholar.
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We next drove to the home
of William KATZ. His home is hid
among shady bowers, where he and
his beautiful young wife are
spending their first year of
married life. Mr. KATZ' find
field of corn shows that he
understands farming and that he
is not afraid of work.
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We next stopped at the
home of Lewis WIESEDEPP. He was
born in Wisconsin. He has a nice
farm of 160 acres. He has been
in Kansas thirty-one years.
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The first sight we got of
Henry POPPE he was chasing a
runaway horse. Mr. POPPE is a
bachelor and it is a wonder that
with such a fine home as his, he
has been able to remain single
so long.
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Robert EICHE is a good
farmer and a good democrat. He
has only been in the county
about a year.
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We next visited Andrew
TAYLOR. Mr TAYLOR is a native of
Scotland and has been in Kansas
thirty-one years. He has always
voted the democratic ticket
except when Gen. GRANT ran for
president against Horace GREELY,
when he voted for the great
commander. He owns a fine 160
acre farm, well stocked and
improved and here he expects to
live the balance of his days, an
independent and happy farmer's
life.
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W. D. BOND is a recent
acquisition to Kansas, having
moved here last spring from
Nebraska. Mr. BOND will help to
swell the majority of BRYAN,
BREIDENTHAL and BUSINESS in
Kansas this fall.
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As we drove on over the
rugged hills towards the west
line of Nemaha township we
swooped down on Vendolyn NOVAK
in his comfortable farm home
hidden from public view by the
surrounding hills. Mr. NOVAK's
parents came to Kansas from
Bohemia many years ago and
settled on this farm where they
reared a large family of
children, all of whom live in
this county. Mr. NOVAK's mother,
a very old lady, is making her
home with him.
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We luckily met John
STUEVE, a bright young
democratic farmer of Richmond
township and found him very
eager to add his name to the
long list of readers of the
Courier-Democrat.
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We drove over to see Henry
FANGMAN, another Richmond
township farmer. Mr. FANGMAN has
had quite a serious time this
spring and summer. He was taken
down first with the measles,
when he got over the measles he
was taken down with pneumonia
and was very sick for a long
while. He is now slowly
convalescing and will be cheered
up each week by reading the
fresh, crisp news in the best
newspaper in the county.
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Monday morning we drove t
the home of W. E. KENNEDY in
time for dinner. Mr. KENNEDY had
just finished harvesting as fine
a field of wheat as we ever saw.
Mr. KENNEDY is a conservative
man and he estimates that his
wheat will yield about 35
bushels per acre. We had a
splendid dinner at this home.
Mr. KENNEDY is well posted on
the current events, and of
course he reads good papers.
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Our next stop was at the
fine home of Uncle James GREGG.
Mr. GREGG was born in Scotland
in 1827 and emigrated to America
in 1857, settling on the farm
where he still lives. At one
time he owned over eleven
hundred acres of fine Nemaha
land but with advancing age he
found the work of looking after
it all too much for him and he
has sold off until he has 438
acres left, which is, however,
one of the model farms of the
county. He is a great horse
fancier and has no doubt done
more than any other man to
improve the stock of horses in
this county. His favorite breed
of horses is the Clydesdale and
he has at various times added
high priced imported Clydesdale
stallions to his stud. he has at
present two fine specimens of
the equine family, one of his
own raising and the other a
two-year-old, foaled in Kansas,
which promises to become the
finest Clydesdale stallion ever
owned in the county.
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From Mr. GREGG's to Christ
BEHRENS' is not far as the crow
flies, but we couldn't fly so we
slowly wended our way along the
devious road that leads through
the woodland that fringes the
Turkey creek and finally landed
in BEHRENS' dooryard. Mr.
BEHRENS has been in Kansas
seventeen years and in Nemaha
county two years. He owns eighty
acres of Nemaha township land
and 405 acres in Marshall county
near Marysville. He is a
stalwart democrat and is doing
good missionary work for
democracy among his neighbors in
old Nemaha.
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We found Wm. CLARK sitting
in the shade of a hedge fence
watching his fat horses eat
grass and his corn grow. This
Napoleon of Nemaha township
democracy seemed to be enjoying
himself immensely as we drove
up. Mr. CLARK is a native of
Scotland and has been in Nemaha
county twenty-eight years. HE
sold his farm last spring but
couldn't make up his mind to
leave Nemaha county.
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August OEHMKE has been a
resident of sunny Kansas twenty
years, but he has only been
farming a few years. Previous to
moving on the farm he lived in
Bern.
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David FISHER has lived in
our county twenty-nine years.
Mr. FISHER was born in Scotland,
and Father Time and Kansas
climate have dealt kindly with
him.
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Just as the sun was going
down we drove over into Clear
Creek township, here we met A.
B. SHARPE. Mr. SHARPE was born
in Tennessee, and came to Kansas
in 1857, when a young man.
Neighbors were few and far apart
in those days. Mr. SHARPE has
traveled a great deal and in all
his travels he has invariably
turned back to his old love --
Nemaha county.
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We stopped over night with
our old friend John SKOCH. John
was born in Bohemia, but has
lived in Kansas nearly all his
life. He is one of these jolly
fellows, who always looks on the
bright side of life, and when
John's head has turned gray, he
will have plenty to keep him in
comfort and ease.
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M. H. CALNAN is a Kansas
product, he was born in Kansas
in 1863. Mr. CALNAN has been a
continual reader of the
Courier-Democrat for over twenty
years. Mike as he is familiarly
called is one of the democratic
Democrats of Clear Creek. He can
always be depended onto do his
share of work in a campaign year
and some day Nemaha county will
be glad to honor him with an
office should he desire it.
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J. P. HYNES is living on
the old CALNAN farm, he was born
in Maryland and reared in
Chicago. Mr. HYNES has been a
resident of Kansas for 22 years
and like all Kansas people
thinks Kansas the only place to
live.
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We couldn't quit our
perambulations and leave the
confines of Clear Creek township
without calling on that warhorse
of Clear Creek democracy, John
MCGRATH. We found him at home
and it didn't take much talking
to convince him of the superior
qualities of the
Courier-Democrat as a first
class democratic purveyor of
everything that is going on in
Nemaha county, for he has known
this fact for thirty-eight
years. Mr. McGRATH is a true
blue son of the "auld sod"
although he was born in Ohio and
has lived in this county for
forty years. We were most
pleasantly entertained by Mr.
McGRATH during our short visit
and when we left he handed us
the wherewith to work the
Courier-Democrat slot machine
for a year's subscription.
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We met M. B. KERNS in the
cornfield with the perspiration
rolling down his cheeks. Mr.
KERNS lives in Marion township
where he spent his boyhood days.
He is a son of Lemuel KERNS who
now lives in Ottawa. Burr, as he
is know in the neighborhood, is
a rustling hard worker, who
doesn't spend all his money for
fine carriages and clothes, but
he seems to enjoy about as much
prosperity as any of them.
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