175married in 1866 to Miss Mary Turner, who was born in Germany but during her infancy was taken to Will county. Some time after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Herbst removed to Benton county, Iowa, and in 1884 arrived in Buffalo county, Nebraska, where he entered a homestead and also a tree claim in Scott township. Upon his land he built a frame house and with characteristic energy began to till the soil and develop the farm, continuing to engage in general agricultural pursuits there until three years ago, when he was obliged to give it up on account of his age, having then reached the eighty-third milestone on life's journey. He is today the oldest resident in this part of the county, but he has lived an active life, has been a hard worker and is yet in excellent physical trim, his only ailment being stiff shoulders, the result of being hit by a rebel cannon ball.
Mr. and Mrs. Herbst became the parents of eleven children, of whom five are yet living; Mrs. Minnie Feldwoch, a resident of Grant township; Mary, the wife of S. Tool, who is living in Callaway, Nebraska; Martha, the wife of Ed Lewis, whose home is in Callaway, Nebraska; Hulda, the wife of William Shate, residing in Cherry county, Nebraska; and Henry W., who occupies the old home farm.
Mr. Herbst has always voted with the republican party since becoming a naturalized American citizen. His religious faith is that of the Lutheran church, to which he has ever been most loyal, exemplifying in his life its teachings and endeavoring at all times to live according to the golden rule. His many substantial qualities have given him firm hold upon the affectionate regard of his fellow citizens and he is today one of the most venerable and honored resident in this part of the state.
JOHN S. MINTON
John S. Minton is engaged in the automobile business at Kearney and his agency has become a profitable undertaking. He handles a number of well known cars and his ability is manifest in the success which is attending him in his undertaking. Iowa claims him as a native son, his birth having occurred at Osceola, Clarke county, November 9, 1869. He was one of five children, of whom two are now living, born to John H. and Elizabeth (Bush) Minton. The father was a native of West Virginia and was a cabinet maker by trade but in his later life turned his attention to farming. When a young man he left home and went to Boone county, Indiana, where about 1846 he was united in marriage to Elizabeth Bush. In 1864 he removed to Osceola, Clarke county, Iowa, and in 1884 removed to Frontier county, Nebraska, where he spent his remaining days, his death there occurring in 1891, while his wife passed away in 1896. He was a man of marked force of character, possessing many sterling traits which gave him a firm hold upon the regard and goodwill of those with whom he was associated. For seven years he was a schoolteacher in Indiana and in Clarke county, Iowa, he was honored with election to the offices of register of deeds and county clerk, serving in the latter position for a number of years. His duties were most faith fully and capably discharged and his labors wrought for the benefit and upbuilding of the community in which he made his home. Politically his allegiance was
176HISTORY OF BUFFALO COUNTY given to the republican party and he was a stanch and faithful member of the Christian church.
John S. Minton lived in Iowa to the age of fourteen years, spending his youthful days upon a farm in Clarke county and in Osceola. He received his educational training in the district schools and after coming to Nebraska with his parents learned the blacksmith's trade. In the spring of 1897 he arrived in Kearney, where he began working at his trade, which he followed for a number of years. In 1909 he embarked in the concrete and machinery business in partnership with D. Wort under the firm style of Wort & Minton and with him in 1911 he established an automobile agency, representing the Ford, Maxwell, Reo and Oakland cars. They have since conducted this business with growing success and annually sell a large number of these different cars, their business having grown to large and gratifying proportions. Mr. Minton thoroughly knows the good points of every machine and his ability along commercial lines makes him successful as a salesman.
On the i6th of August, 1898, Mr. Minton was married to Miss Anna Bryant and to them have been born three children, Earl, Dale and John H. Mrs. Minton is a member of the Christian church and Mr. Minton belongs to the Masonic fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Royal Highlanders. In politics he is a republican but he does not seek nor desire office as it is his wish to give his undivided attention to his business affairs and his close application and unremitting energy constitute strong and potent forces in his growing success.
W. H. BUCK.
W. H. Buck, engaged in business at Gibbon as a lumber dealer, belongs to that class of enterprising, progressive men who recognize the fact that obstacles and difficulties may be overcome by persistent, earnest effort, and when one avenue of opportunty seems closed they can always carve out other paths whereby they may reach the desired goal. Mr. Buck is a native son of New England, his birth having occurred at Northfield, Vermont, on the 10th of August, 1858. He is a son of Bradley and Polly (Hopkins) Buck, both of whom were natives of Vermont and are representatives of old New England families. The father devoted his life to the occupation of farming and both he and his wife continued their residence in Vermont until called to their final home.
W. H. Buck was reared on the old homestead and acquired his education in the public schools. His youthful training was that of the farm and he devoted his attention to the work of the fields until 1888, when he left home and made his way to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. He was employed in various ways there for five years and in August, 1886, came to Gibbon. Prior to his arrival here he had purchased the lumber business of Fred W. Gray, of Omaha, and upon his removal to this town he took possession of the business, which he has since successfully managed and conducted, covering a period of almost thirty years. He is accorded a liberal patronage, for his business methods are reliable and his enterprise unfaltering. He is also associated with financial interests as one of the stockholders of the Exchange Bank of Gibbon, and he is the owner of three hundred and forty
177HISTORY OF BUFFALO COUNTY acres of improved farm land near the town, from which he derives a gratifying annual income.
In 1880 Mr. Buck was united in marriage to Miss Flora Woodruff, of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and to them have been born three children: Ella Bernice, the wife of George E. De Wolf, superintendent of schools at North Bend, Nebraska; James Bradley, who is associated with his father in the lumber business; and Florence Beryl, who is attending the Wesleyan University at Lincoln, Nebraska. Mr. Buck belongs to Gibbon Lodge, No. 37, I. O. O. F., and to the Modern Woodmen. His political support is given to the republican party and he has served in various town offices, the duties of which he has discharged with promptness and fidelity. His entire course, public and private, commends him to the confidence and goodwill of all, and throughout Gibbon and his part of the county he is spoken of in terms of high regard.
FRANK MAJOR.
For thirty-three years Frank Major has been a resident of Buffalo county and during the last sixteen years of this period has made his home in Kearney. He has witnessed the greater part of the growth and development of this section of the county as pioneer conditions have been replaced by the advantages of a modern civilization. He is now engaged in contracting and carpentering at Kearney and has erected some of the fine homes of the city.
His birth occurred in Yorkshire, England, February 20, 1840, and in his native country he was reared to manhood. His opportunities in youth were somewhat limited, for at the age of thirteen years he began serving an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade and afterward worked as a journeyman. At that period it was necessary to thoroughly master all the details of the business, for carpenter work had not then become specialized and each individual must know how to do all kinds of building. In 1865, in England, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Davison, and in 1870, accompanied by his wife and three children, he sailed for America, landing at Toronto, Canada, on which day the youngest child died.
After a short stay in Canada the family removed to Low Moor, Clinton county, Iowa, where they maintained their home for thirteen years, during which period Mr. Major worked at the carpenter's trade. In 1883 he came to Nebraska and settled on a farm two miles south of the present site of Watertown in Buffalo county. For seventeen years he resided upon that place, converting it from a tract of wild prairie into richly cultivated fields, from which he annually gathered rich crops. He carried on his farm work according to modern progressive methods and that his labors were at all times practical is indicated in the excellent crops which he gathered. In the year 1900 he removed to Kearney, where he has since been engaged in contracting and carpentering. For the most part his work has been confined to the building of residences and some of the fine homes of Kearney have been erected by him.
To Mr. and Mrs. Major have been born eight children, but only four of the
178HISTORY OF BUFFALO COUNTY number are now living: Kate, a school teacher; Charles, who conducts a grain elevator at Watertown, Nebraska; Jessie, who is teaching school in Spokane, Washington; and Frank, who is devoting his life to the work of the ministry. The parents are consistent and faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Since becoming a citizen of the United States Mr. Major has been identified with all that has worked for the best interests of his adopted country. He became a member of the Farmers' Alliance at its inception and afterward became allied with the populist party. However, he has always maintained an independent attitude in politics, voting according to the dictates of his judgment rather than guiding his course by party ties. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world, for here he found the opportunities which he sought and has gradually worked his way upward, being both the architect and builder of his own fortune.
FREDERICK J. SWITZ.
Frederick J. Switz is one of the oldtime residents of Kearney and his record as a soldier and citizen well entitles him to representation in the history of Buffalo county. His entire course has been marked by loyalty to duty and by fidelity to every trust reposed in him, and his course is worthy of the warmest commendation. He is a native of the kingdom of Prussia, his birth having occurred in Spreewald, near the village of Borgsdorf, on the 20th of February, 1842. His father, Christian Switz, was a farmer in the old country and for two years served in the German army. He married Elizabeth Plashna and in the year 1856, accompanied by his wife and six children, emigrated to the new world, taking passage on board a sailing vessel bound for the United States. They made a remarkably quick trip for that period, their voyage being terminated at the end of thirty days. The family located in Cleveland, Ohio, and one of the first things that Mr. Switz did after his arrival was to take out his first naturalization papers. He became imbued with a love for his adopted country and when treason threatened the disruption of the union he volunteered his services in its defense and was enrolled as a member of the Sixth Ohio Cavalry in September, 1861. He served for three years, or until the expiration of his term of enlistment, and was then honorably discharged. In the old country he knew Franz Sigel, who was a general in the Union army during the Civil war, and under him Mr. Switz served, acting as aide-de-camp a part of the time. After the war he resumed farming, which he followed in different localities, and his last days were spent in the Soldiers' Home in Washington, D. C., where he passed away about the year 1892.
Frederick J. Switz was nearly fourteen years of age when he was brought in this country by his parents. He had previously attended the public schools of Germany and after reaching America he learned the trade of chair making in what was then Newburg, Ohio, but is now a part of the eighteenth ward of Cleveland. He devoted two years to the work, during which time he received four dollars a month with his board and washing. He, too, espoused the cause of the Union at the time of the Civil war, enlisting on the 19th of September, 1861, as a member
179HISTORY OF BUFFALO COUNTY of Company G, Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which regiment James A. Garfield, later president of the United States, was commander. He was discharged December 2, 1864, after participating in the engagements at Middle Creek, Kentucky, Cumberland Gap, Chickasaw Bluff, Arkansas Post, Grand Gulf, Thompson Hill, Raymond, Champion's Hill, Big Black River, the siege of Vicksburg, the Red River Expedition under General Banks and the battle at Duvals Bluff, Arkansas. He was honorably discharged at Columbus, Ohio, and returned home with a most creditable military record.
Mr. Switz then resumed work in the chair factory and his ability, industry and honesty led to his promotion to the position of foreman. After three years there spent he left his old employer to engage with another concern, and in 1869 went to Auburn, Alabama, where, under the firm name of Runnels & Switz, he embarked in the manufacture of furniture. After spending five years there he closed out the business and in February, 1874, came to Kearney, where he has since lived. Here he purchased a small furniture establishment owned by a Mr. Grant, and later he bought out the establishment of J. P. Johnson, consolidating the two. For thirty-nine years he conducted a furniture and carpet business and undertaking concern, and during this period he had at various times seventeen competitors, not one of whom was able to remain in business. He was the first of the furniture dealers in Nebraska to add to that line a carpet department. His long continuance with the trade indicates the success which is his. In 1913 he disposed of his holdings and confined his attention thereafter to retailing and jobbing paints, glass and wall paper, in which business he is still engaged, incorporating the same under the name of the Switz Paint & Glass Company. He is one of the few remaining early settlers of Kearney, having arrived here when the city contained a population of but three hundred, and he has not only witnessed its growth into the bustling, enterprising city of today, but has contributed in large measure to its development.
On the 7th of August, 1872, Mr. Switz was married to Miss Emma A. Rawson, of Nebraska City, who died November 27, 1894. They were the parents of three children: Arthur F., who died when about thirty-seven years of age; Annie L., the wife of Charles W. Ashley, of Sioux City, Iowa; and Bessie E., the wife of C. D. Van Dyke, of Sioux City. For his second wife Mr. Switz chose Mrs. Phoebe S. (Hotchkiss) Allen, the widow of Homer J. Allen.
While of foreign nativity, Mr. Switz has no sympathy with the Kaiser in the present war and is in every sense of the term a loyal American citizen, with a love for the land of his adoption that is unshaken. His loyalty is evidenced in the fact that he risked his life to preserve the Union and is further evidenced in his long, honorable career and his support of all those interests which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride. In his political belief he is a republican and served as county coroner for six years during the pioneer period. In religious faith he is a Congregationalist, and fraternally he is a Mason, having become a member of Iris Lodge, No. 229, A. F. & A. M., at Cleveland, Ohio, in November, 1868. He transferred his membership to Auburn, Alabama, and from there to Kearney, and is one of the four surviving charter members of the blue lodge of this city. He is also a member of the chapter and commandery and has served as master of his lodge and as eminent commander of the Knights Templar. His course in life has commended him to the confidence and goodwill of all and his
180HISTORY OF BUFFALO COUNTY enterprise and industry in business have wrought along the lines of progress and success, gaining him place among the substantial and honored residents of Kearney. Those who know him esteem him highly and his life record should serve as an example to all men of foreign birth who become citizens of the new world and who owe undivided allegiance to the stars and stripes.
EDGAR LAFAYETTE TEMPLIN.
Edgar Lafayette Templin, part owner of the Shelton Clipper, was born at Jonesboro, Washington county, Tennessee, on the 19th of November, 1879, and for two years there lived with his parents, Elbert and Malinda (May) Templin, who were natives of the same state, where they resided until 1881, when they came to Nebraska, settling in Nemaha county. Two years later they removed to Jefferson county, taking up their abode near Reynolds, where they resided until 1900, when they removed to O'Neill, where the mother's death occurred on the 13th of September, 1910. The father is still living there. In the family were fourteen children, nine sons and five daughters, all of whom have reached years of maturity and still survive--a notable family record.
Edgar L. Templin was reared and educated in Jefferson county, where he attended the common schools, supplemented by a course in a commercial college at Omaha, Nebraska. After leaving school he took up telegraphy, at which he worked for about twelve years. He was employed by the Western Union Telegraph Company at Omaha during the last six years of that period and during the last two years was traffic chief in the main office at Omaha. In the year 1911 he came to Shelton, where he engaged in the newspaper business in partnership with C. C. Reed. This connection is still maintained in the ownership and conduct of the Shelton Clipper, one of the leading country newspapers of the state.
On the 10th of March, 1909, Mr. Templin was united in marriage to Miss Hazel A. Reed, who was born in Buffalo county, a daughter of F. D. and Hattie Reed, mentioned elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Templin attend the Presbyterian church and he is also affiliated with the Knights of Pythias lodge at Shelton. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he is now a member of the city council. He takes a deep and helpful interest in affairs pertaining to the general good and his influence and support are given in behalf of all those measures which are a matter of civic virtue and civic pride.
JOHN REDDY.
Photo of John Reddy Photo of Mrs. John ReddyJohn Reddy was one of the most progressive and valued farmers and citizens of Buffalo county until death called him, and his memory is yet cherished by those who were his associates. He was born in County Sligo, Ireland, on the 25th of May, 1846, and at the age of sixteen years entered upon an apprenticeship to the dry goods business, serving for five years in that connection in the city of Sligo, after which he came to the United States and for a short time lived
185HISTORY OF BUFFALO COUNTY in New York city. He afterward removed to Vermont and subsequently became a resident of Dunlap, Harrison county, Iowa.
While there he was married in June, 1871, to Miss Mary Lehan, a native of County Cork, Ireland, who came to the United States with an older brother when she was a maiden of but nine years. She was then placed in a convent at Salem, Massachusetts, where she was educated.
In 1872 Mr. and Mrs. Reddy came to Gibbon, Nebraska, and for some time he was in railroad service, continuing in that line of work for eight or ten years after coming to the new world. He then purchased a farm adjoining Gibbon and gave his attention to general agricultural pursuits up fo the time of his death, which occurred on the 28th of May, 1902, his farm comprising four hundred acres of rich and valuable land, which is still in the possession of the family and is one of the desirable properties of Buffalo county.
To Mr. and Mrs. Reddy were born six children, of whom five are living: Nellie, the wife of K. C. Baker, of Atoka, Oklahoma; Bernard E., who is engaged in the music business in Kearney; Roy, acting as station agent at David City, Nebraska; Maud, the wife of Mr. S. D. Nixon, of Chicago, Illinois; and Belle, the wife of E. G. Tunks, of Gibbon, Nebraska.
In politics Mr. Reddy was a democrat and, while he did not seek political office, he served for many years as a member of the school board and did much to further the interests of education. He was a member of Granite Lodge, No. 189, A. F. & A. M., and was buried with Masonic honors when death terminated his career. He had been a faithful exemplar of the craft and in every relation of life was found true and honorable, faithfully discharging the duties that devolved upon him and holding at all times to high principles. Mrs. Reddy still survives her husband and occupies a beautiful home in Gibbon.
CLARENCE S. ROBINSON.
Clarence S. Robinson resides at No. 613 West Twenty-first street in Kearney and is the owner of a valuable farm property on section 10, Divide Township, to the development and supervision of which he gives his time and attention. He was born in Iroquois county, Illinois, on the 1st of February, 1859, and is a son of John and Janette (Leighton) Robinson, the former a native of England and the latter of Scotland. They came to the United States in young manhood and womanhood, and were married in Danville, Illinois, after which they took up their abode upon a farm in Vermilion county, Illinois, near the Iroquois county line. There the father passed away in 1862 and following his demise the mother continued to reside upon the old homestead farm until 1890, when she took up her abode in Hoopeston, Illinois, where she remained up to the time of her death which occurred on the 13th of February, 1910.
Clarence S. Robinson was reared upon the home farm and acquired his education in the common schools. As early as his sixteenth year he began farming for himself as a renter in Iroquois county and since that time has depended entirely upon his own resources. In 1884 he made a trip to Buffalo county, Nebraska, and while, here purchased the north half of section 9, Divide township.
186HISTORY OF BUFFALO COUNTY In 1886 he returned to take up his permanent abode in this county and at once began the development and improvement of his half section of land, remaining upon his farm until 1903, when he removed to Kearney to educate his children, since which time he has made his home in the city. In the meantime hecarefully and energetically conducted his farm work and as his financial resources increased he added to his property until he is now the owner of seven hundred and twenty acres of land all in one body in Divide township and comprising some of the best land in the township. He is a stockholder in the Farmers' Elevator Company of Kearney and also of Riverdale, and is a stockholder in the Kearney Telephone Company.
On June 8, 1887, Mr. Robinson was married to Miss Roxana Chariton, of Rusco township, this county, a daughter of Charles Chariton, who came to Buffalo county from Christianburg, Virginia, in 1885, and took up a homestead in Rusco township. He now resides in Yates Center, Kansas. For many years he served as postmaster of Pleasanton, and he was widely and favorably known in this county because of his close connection with its development and his thorough reliability in business affairs.
To Mr. and Mrs. Robinson have been born six children: Laura, who is now a teacher in the Kearney schools; Grace, the wife of H. D. Wagner, of Oregon, Illinois; Arthur, who is cultivating his father's farm; Donald, who is employed in Kearney; and Glen and Sidney, who are both in school. In his political views Mr. Robinson is a democrat and has served as township clerk, as township treasurer and as a member of the school board, discharging the duties of these various positions in a most creditable manner. He and his wife are members of the Christian church and guide their lives according to its teachings. For a long period Mr. Robinson has been known as one of the representative business men and agriculturists of his community. After removing to the city he rented his land for seven or eight years, but for the past four or five years has operated one hundred and sixty acres himself and is now busily engaged in the active work of tilling the fields and in the management of his property interests, his business affairs being well directed, splendid success crowning his efforts.
A. T. REYNOLDS.
As cashier of the National Bank of Amherst, which he organized, A. T. Reynolds occupies an important place in the financial circles of Buffalo county. He is a native of Nebraska, his birth having occurred in Madison county in 1877, and he is a son of D. F. and Emma (Twiss) Reynolds, who are now living in Lincoln. The father farmed for many years but has put aside the cares of active life and is enjoying a period of well earned leisure.
A. T. Reynolds passed his boyhood upon the home farm in Madison county and received his early education in the district schools. Subsequently he was a student in the Fremont Normal School and in the State Normal School at Peru and for three years thereafter engaged in teaching school. Later he entered the insurance field but in 1903 he came to Amherst and organized the Farmers State Bank, which was capitalized at five thousand dollars. The officers were:
187HISTORY OF BUFFALO COUNTY A. U. Dann, president; R. L. Hart, vice president; and A. T. Reynolds, cashier. In 1908 1008 the institution was nationalized and since that time has been known as the First National Bank of Amherst. The capital has been increased to twenty-five thousand dollars and there is now a surplus of five thousand dollars. The bank owns its own building, which is a substantial brick structure, and its business is steadily increasing. The officers remain the same and the prosperity of the institution is proof of their efficiency and sound judgment. The policy of the bank has been such as to gain the confidence of the public and at the same time to encourage the legitimate business expansion of the community.
Mr. Reynolds .is a republican in politics. He is identified with the Masonic blue lodge at Miller and with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Amherst and is popular both within and without those organizations. His business interests demand the greater part of his time and yet he is always willing to cooperate with various agencies in securing the material and civic advancement of Amherst. Neither his ability nor integrity has ever been questioned and he is justly held in high esteem wherever known.
RICHARD HIBBERD.
Richard Hibberd is a contractor and brick\manufacturer of Kearney who has won place among the substantial business men of the city. His activities are of a character that contribute to public prosperity as well as to individual success and his life record is an illustration of what may be accomplished when determination, enterprise and laudable ambition point out the way. Mr. Hibberd is a native of England, his birth having occurred in Staffordshire on the 12th of April, 1845, his parents being John and Lucy (Baxter) Hibberd. The father was a hardwood lumber dealer, but the mother's people were for many generations connected with the business of brick manufacturing.
Richard Hibberd acquired a common school education and afterward learned the rudiments of the brick industry with his maternal relatives. When a young man of eighteen he came to America and after looking to some extent for a location in the east he determined to seek the opportunities for a livelihood offered in the interior. Accordingly he purchased an immigrant ticket to Chicago and thence another ticket to Galena, Illinois. In passing through Sterling, en route to Galena, the appearance of that place impressed him favorably, so he left the train, at which time he had but five cents in his pocket. He found employment as a farm hand at twenty dollars per month and after working for one month he entered the service of General J. B. Steadman in the secret service of the Federal army. He was not enlisted at that time owing to the fact that, being a foreigner and resident of this country for but a short time, it was deemed unwise for him to have any legal connection with the Union forces in case it happened that he should be captured by the enemy. For a year and nine months he served in the capacity of secret service man and in January, 1865, was mustered in as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Prior to this, however, he had done service in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, his work often being of a most important and hazardous character. After his
188HISTORY OF BUFFALO COUNTY enlistment he went to the front at Dalton, Georgia, and was employed at picket work along the route that General Sherman's army traversed the preceding year. He ended his military career when mustered out at Savannah, Georgia, January 30, 1866, being paid off at Springfield, Illinois, on the 9th of February. He had rendered valiant and valuable aid to his adopted land and there has never been any citizen more loyal to American interests than has Richard Hibberd, who came to America with the full intention of becoming a citizen of this country and not giving to it a half-hearted allegiance.
The war over, Mr. Hibberd embarked in partnership with his brother, J. E. Hibberd, in the business of manufacturing brick at Spring Hill, Whiteside county, Illinois, and there remained for a year, after which he engaged in brickmaking at various places. In 1868 he and his brother purchased a farm in Henry county, Illinois, and in connection with the cultivation of their land continued brickmaking for two years.
At the end of that time Richard Hibberd sold out and went to England on a visit. While there, on the 28th of February, 1870, he married Miss Emma M. Gould and in May of that year returned to America with his wife. For a time he engaged in brickmaking in Geneseo, Illinois, and on the 17th of April, 1871, he arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he remained for six years, doing contract work and also manufacturing brick. He afterward lived at Seward and at David City, engaged in the same line of business, but in the meantime homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres in York county. In July, 1880, he came to Kearney, having taken the contract to complete the building of the State Reform (now the Industrial) School, since which time he has made his home in this city. For thirty-six years he has had more to do with the erection of public buildings and business blocks throughout middle Nebraska than any other one man. The school buildings of Kearney, the Methodist Episcopal, the Episcopal, the Presbyterian and United Brethren churches of Kearney, the Odd Fellows Hall, the Masonic Temple, Kearney Hall and many other structures in Kearney, the Masonic Hall at Grand Island, the opera house at Hastings, the main building of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum at Omaha and numerous others all stand as monuments to the skill, enterprise and ability of Mr. Hibberd, who by reason of the efficiency to which he has attained in his chosen field of labor has long ranked as the foremost contractor of this part of the state.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hibberd have been born six children, as follows: John C, a bricklayer of Kearney; Charles F., who is a bricklayer residing at North Platte; Elma B., principal of the Hawthorn school in Kearney; Lucy C., who is the wife of L. B. Clark, of Lincoln, Nebraska; William E., a bricklayer of Kearney; and Adelbert L, who is a practicing physician of Miller, Buffalo county, and is also a bricklayer by trade.
In politics Mr. Hibberd is independent, voting for men and measures rather than for party. He served on the city council for one term but otherwise has never sought or held public office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs, which have been wisely directed and have brought to him notable and deserved success. His labors have constituted an important element in the adornment of various cities, for he always holds to the highest architectural standards and combines beauty with stability, utility and convenience. Starting upon his business career in the new world with but a single nickel in his pocket
189HISTORY OF BUFFALO COUNTY and today ranking with the most substantial citizens of central Nebraska, his record should serve to inspire and encourage others, showing what may be accomplished when there is the will to dare and to do. Moreover, his life record is an indication of the fact that success and an honored name may be won simultaneously.
JOHN GORDON.
John Gordon is engaged in business in Kearney as a coal dealer and was formerly for a long period station agent in this city, being a most popular and efficient representative of the road. His friends--and they are many--speak of him as a most obliging, kindly, helpful and courteous man and entertain for him the warmest regard. He was born in Toronto, Canada, January 18, 1859, and there spent the period of his boyhood and youth. When eighteen years of age he learned telegraphy and while thus engaged he provided for his own support by piling wood and in doing other work. When he had mastered the business he became an operator and ticket agent at Park Hill, Canada, a town on the Grand Trunk Railway, and there remained until 1884, when he crossed the border into the United States, where competition is keener but where advancement is more quickly secured. He made his way to McCook, Nebraska, but soon afterward accepted a position at Hagler, Nebraska, seven miles from the Colorado line on the Burlington road. He spent twelve years in station service for that road, remaining for three years at Denver and afterward becoming agent at Alliance, Nebraska, but his health failed and he then gave up his position, going to Detroit, where he was a traveling salesman, representing a wholesale glove and mitten house. Three years were passed in that connection, after which he removed to Friend, Nebraska, where he returned as station agent for four or five years for the Burlington railroad. On the expiration of that period he came to Kearney and was agent at this place for ten years, when again his health failed. He was then made traveling freight and passenger agent out of Denver but after a time he resigned and turned his attention to the coal trade. When he gave up his position as station agent at Kearney the business men of the city presented him with a diamond ring in which his name is engraved. He stood very high with the railroad company, being one of its trusted employes, ever carefully safeguarding the interests of the road and at the same time giving most courteous treatment to its patrons, doing all in his power to further the interests and convenience of travelers.
On the 24th of June, 1885, in London, Canada, Mr. Gordon was united in marriage to Miss Tillie Maddocks, who is a native of Plymouth, England, but was brought to Canada when seven years of age. Since her marriage she has lived in Nebraska and she is the mother of two children: Norma, who is a teacher in the Gibbon schools; and Paul, who is associated with his father in the coal business.
Politically Mr. Gordon is a republican and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but has never consented to accept office. He belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and he also has membership in the
190HISTORY OF BUFFALO COUNTY Presbyterian church. His life has been guided by sound principles and actuated by high ideals, and all who know him attest his genuine worth and speak of the high regard in which he is held.
FRANK E. BEEMAN.
PortraitFrank E. Beeman, practicing at the Kearney bar, is a native of Trumbull county, Ohio, his natal day being September i, 1861. He is a son of Oliver Keth Beeman, well remembered by many of the residents of Kearney, and is a grandson of Ansel Beeman whose father, Nathaniel Beeman, was a resident of Kent, Litchfield county, Connecticut. The family was established in America by Symon Beeman who removed from Scotland to Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1640. He was the father of Samuel whose son, Samuel, was the father of Thomas, Sr. The last named went from Stonington, Connecticut, to Kent, that state, in 1740. His son Ezekiel was the father of Nathaniel, who married Rachel Keth. They became parents of two children. The younger, Ansel, born in 1787, was left motherless when two years of age and when a youth of seventeen years he drove an ox team through the wilderness to Ohio, becoming a pioneer of the famous Western Reserve. There in 1811 he married Anna Maria Gibson, a daughter of Eleazer and Mary Gibson, the former having been an officer of the Connecticut line during the Revolutionary war and for his service he was granted a pension of eighty dollars per year during his lifetime. Seven children were born to Ansel Beeman and his wife, including Oliver Keth Beeman, whose birth occurred in Mahoning county, Ohio, September 3, 1827, and he there grew to manhood. He acquired a good practical education and started out in life as a district school-teacher. Being an exceptionally fine penman he was often called upon to draw up legal documents such as wills, deeds, conveyances, etc., and in time he obtained a practical knowledge of ordinary legal procedure and practiced law in a small way. However, the greater part of his life was devoted to farming and stock raising and he was largely instrumental in introducing graded merino sheep and graded cattle in his part of the country. In this way he accumulated a considerable amount of this world's goods. On the 7th of February, 1856, he married Harriet P. Misner, and in the year 1888 removed to Kearney, Nebraska, where he passed his remaining days, his death occurring January 12, 1915- The male members of the Beeman family as far back as there is record of them were exceptionally large and powerful, being noted for their great physical strength, and Oliver Keth Beeman was no exception to this rule. His political allegiance was given to the republican party and he held membership in the Masonic order. He was a liberal contributor to religious work and helpful public enterprises and his chief characteristic was his sturdy, rugged honesty and his unswerving integrity. His widow survives him and yet resides in Kearney.
Frank E. Beeman came to Kearney a briefless lawyer in January, 1888, and he was hard put in his early professional career to make his income keep up with his living expenses. Probably his first case was when he was appointed by the court to defend a man for attempted murder and while his client was justly
