Precinct "D" (Township 12 North, Range 1 East)
Seward County, Nebraska
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Precinct "D" INDEX
History of "D" 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 115-116:
[Surnames: ALLEN, HATCH, HORNBURG, HORTON, JACKMAN, JOHNSON, RAGAN, REYNOLDS, RICHIE]
"D" PRECINCT.
This is the north-western precinct of the county, and is principally situated on the great divide between Blue river and Lincoln creek; however, the latter creek runs through the southern portion of it. This precinct is a most excellent farming region, and is the home of many of our best and most successful farmers. It has no village within its borders, and only a short piece of railroad. The F., E. & M. V. just clips the corner of the precinct. The people are provided with five rival markets, viz.: Ulysses, Surprise, Poston, Utica, and Staplehurst; so that all portions of the precinct are handy to good market towns.The census tables give the precinct 777 population, 140 farms, and 5 schools, all with good frame buildings. The post-office is named Orton, and is kept at a farm house, and the mail service is by star route.
The first settlement was made in 1867 by Mr. Wm. Jackman and Mr. Jesse Horton. We remember his moving to the county with a pair of oxen harnessed like horses. Mr. Wm. Reynolds settled in 1868. He it was who committed suicide in Utica some years ago while in a fit of temporary insanity. Also Mr. Johnson, a lame man, who bought the first harvester ever taken to the Lincoln creek settlement, in 1870, and O. C. Ragan, of the hawk story, came the same year; also Wm. Hornburg; and in 1871 the Richies—A. D., Wm., and his brother—with T. C. Allen and several others, made settlement on the high prairie, among whom were E. B. Hatch, who taught the first school in Jackman's dug-out in 1872.
[p. 116] This portion of the county is finely developed, and we are free to say that it is our favorite precinct for farming purposes.
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