Precinct "C" (Township 12 North, Range 2 East)
Seward County, Nebraska
Note: If you have any obituaries, biographies, photos, or stories about early residents of Seward Co., Nebraska, please consider adding them to this website. --Alice
Return to Seward County, Nebraska Precincts INDEX
Precinct "C" INDEX
History of "C" in History of Seward County, Nebraska by W. W. Cox, 1888The following article is from W. W. Cox, History of Seward County, Nebraska, 1888, Chapter VI, pages 113-115:
[Surnames: AGUR, ALLEN, ARCHER, CASEY, CORR, DURLAND, GILLBANKS, GLADWISH, GOEHNER, HARTMAN, HORNBURG, LOWREY, McKAY, PITT, REED, SHIELDS, SCHOEPP, WORLEY]
"C" PRECINCT.
Was first settled by Frank Shields in the winter of 1863 and 1864, on what is known as the "Casey place." His settlement was not [p. 114] very permanent. Among the first to make permanent settlement were Wm. Reed, Judge John W. Shields, Geo. Reed, John A. Durland, and Frank E. Pitt. These all settled in 1864 and 1865, and were soon followed by Moses Mitchell, Walter Hoops, and two or three others whose names have escaped our memory. These early settlers all located by the river, for the sake of the timber and water. Settlements did not penetrate the high prairie much until 1868, when people came like a flock of pigeons."C" precinct is cut in two unequal parts by Blue river, and has excellent water-powers that are yet undeveloped. Lincoln creek also cuts the south-west corner of the precinct, and furnishes a splendid water-power, which has a fine mill at Marysville. This mill was built by Luke Agur in 1870, and has been lately rebuilt, enlarged, and much improved. It is now a first-class country flouring mill with all modern improvements.
Marysville is the nucleus of a large German settlement that extends far up and down the creek, and overreaches the boundaries of the precinct. They had located a store and church, with a school-house, soon after the founding of Seward. Wm. Hornburg, John Schoepp, and old Mr. Hartman's family were among the first to settle there. George C. McKay, John Gladwish, Father Archer and his family, and some others settled on the prairie between the river and Lincoln creek, and further up the river Thos. Corr and John Gillbanks settled in 1868. Marysville remains a trading point and post-office, and the Lutheran church makes it a prominent gathering place for the people.
Staplehurst was founded by George C. McKay in the autumn of 1879, immediately after the completion of the A. & N. R. R. Mr. McKay erected the first dwelling. T. W. Lowrey opened a grain house the same fall. Staplehurst grew slowly at first, but in 1882-83 it began to assume importance as a shipping and trading point. Messrs. Goehner & Co. laid out a large addition to the town, and many business houses sprang up immediately, including two first class elevators, a good hotel, a fine church, and a host of dwellings. They have two school-houses, and maintain a graded school. The place contains near three hundred inhabitants, and is organized as a village; enjoys a good trade, and is prosperous.
"C" precinct has 1,076 inhabitants, with 139 farms and eleven [p. 115] manufacturing industries, and six school-houses. Many of the farms are well improved with fine orchards and many good barns. The precinct has six miles of railroad.
T. C. Allen is responsible for the following story: Probably the first time a religious meeting was held old Father Worley, of Ulysses, was preaching in a sod school-house, and was talking of hell and heaven in an old-fashioned way, and had the congregation pretty well excited, when a serpent fell into the lap of one of the ladies, from the brush covering of the house. The audience were worse scared at the snake than at the preacher's hell, which he was so ably describing. For further particulars the reader is referred to the Rev. Father Worley.
_____________________________________
