On this occasion, the fiftieth anniversary of the Hebron Journal, I will also endeavor to contribute a little of the early history of Thayer county. Unfortunately, father, enfeebled by a protracted illness and old age, now past 84 years, can not write, but I will relate for him as he is only able to dictate briefly. Personally I cannot remember a great deal of the early '70s, as I was only 5 years old when the first edition of the Hebron Journal appeared in 1871.
Father and his two brothers, Jacob and John Willy, moved out here from Clinton, Iowa, in 1870, and settled on three quarters of land purchased by my father in 1869, eight miles northwest in the Little Blue valley, where they erected a saw mill in the same year that the first Hebron Journal was printed, which was shortly after the birth-year of Hebron, 1871. In those days the huge cottonwood timbers furnished a great deal of the building material far and wide. The idea of the three brothers, however--being mechanics and millwrights by trade, was to connect a flour mill with the saw mill a little later, but they did not get that far, as the dam gave them so much trouble by washing out every season, they could not finance further developments in that line.
John Willy, the blacksmith (father of Joe Willy, the blacksmith here in Hebron), moved to Carleton when the Grand Island Railroad was built in Thayer county and started the first blacksmith shop at that point. Father and Jacob Willy remained on the farms.
It was soon rumored in Hebron that father was a bandmaster, and his services were engaged. A brass band was organized as early as 1872, with the following members originally: A.C. Ring, Will Hughes, Jim Gates, Frank Ferguson and Joe Davidson. The first two, besides my father, are here yet in Hebron. These boys then (old men now) made trips out to the farm to get their first music lessons. The people of Hebron offered strong inducements to get father to move to Hebron and after the grasshopper discouragement of 1874 (I can remember that all right) father moved to Hebron in 1875, where he was engaged in teaching band, orchestra, etc., up to late in the "80s.
Of the later band organizations under his tutorship only a few remain here today, vis.: A.C. Ring, Andrew Bethscheider, C.C. Fletcher, Will Hughes and E.E. Gregor. The Appolo band, as the old band was named, furnished music far and wide in those days and flourished far up in the '80s, and although they became antiquated on account of their old brass over-shoulder horns and music of the plainer and simpler sort, they were never outdone for harmony. One of father's ideals in music was harmony, and the secret of his amateurs being able to produce good harmony lay in the fact that father composed and arranged his own music and rearranged all printed music to suit each individual member's capacity.
As the old band was too slow coming up to date, however, a new band was started under the leadership of W.F. Beckett, C.C. Fletcher, Archie Bizalow and A.C. Past--known as the "Silver Quartette Band." They purchased nice silver-plated trombone shaped instruments and for appearance certainly set the old band in the shade.
But competition makes life. It came to pass that a good prize was offered for the best band on the Fourth of July of 1882. The two home bands were the only competitors. At day-break on the morning of the Fourth of July the two bands climbed on the roof of the hightest buildings in town, the concert was opened, and they both did their best. But the final contest was postponed till evening, after both bands had played hard all day. The judges were selected, among them Mr. Erasmus Correll, original editor of the Hebron Journal; Mr. A.G. Collins and Mrs. W.D. Galbraith. For the progress and execution as well as appearance in such short time, as they were organized, the "Silver Quartette Band" certainly deserved the prize. However, for that so essential part of good music, viz., harmony, the prize was conceded to the old band.
Father started the first music and sewing machine store in Hebron in 1882 and continued until the hard years of 1893, '94 and '95, which put him out of business.
The old landmark, the original school house in Hebron, now for many years occupied by the Hebron Journal office and printery, aids and brings back memories of my school days and early history of Hebron. Long live the Hebron Journal--otherwise "The Great Family Comforter."
Jos. A. Willy
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