Precinct "G" (Township 11 North, Range 3 East)
Seward County, Nebraska
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Precinct "G" INDEX
History of "G" 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 118-120:
[Surnames: BEMIS, BROWN, CLARK, COOPER, COX, DUNAWAY, DUNCAN, ELLIS, GALE, IMLAY, MASON, MOFFITT, MORGAN, OLMSTEAD, ROBERTS, SAMPSON, SHAFER, WOOLEY, WYMORE]
"G" PRECINCT.
So far as is definitely known, William Wymore and a brother-in-law of the name of Olmstead made the first settlement, in the fall of 1863—Mr. Wymore on Sec. 8, what is now part of W. W. Cox's farm, Mr. Olmstead on Sec. 17, Mr. John Roberts' north farm. These parties were deserters from the Union army and the provost marshal (Hon. O. P. Mason) had discovered their whereabouts, and they having learned this, hurriedly made their escape early in March, 1864. Mr. Cox purchased Mr. Wymore's claim for seventy-five dollars, and Mr. O. abandoned his, and the land was entered by John Roberts in 1865.In the first half of April, 1864, Hon. Wm. Imlay and his father's family moved to their claims, and Mr. R. T. Gale moved to his at about the same time. Father Dunaway settled in July, and W. W. Cox on the first day of December. In April, 1865, Thomas Dunaway and wife made settlement, and were followed in May by Richard Sampson and J. N. Roberts. Lewis Moffitt came in July, and built a log house on the future site of the city, and Rev. E. L. Clark came in October. This completed the settlements of 1865. In the early [p. 119] spring of 1866 the settlement was increased by the addition of E. L. Ellis, John Roberts, Sen., Joseph Sampson, and, later in the season, James A. Brown on Sec. 20, J. F. Duncan who settled on Sec. 8, Stites Wooley on Sec. 15, and Roger Cooper on Sec. 12. E. B. Shafer settled just south of the present city, and Wm. Cooper just north-east of the city.
The first homestead entry was that of Mr. Gale, of January 2, 1863; Stites Wooley (lately deceased) was the second; W. W. Cox, third, dated March 27, 1864; Father Dunaway, fourth; David P. Imlay, fifth; Wm. Imlay, sixth; David Imlay (Grandpa), seventh; Richard Sampson and J. N. Roberts, eighth and ninth; Thomas Dunaway and Joseph Imlay, tenth and eleventh.
During the summer of 1864, there were broken thirty acres of land on three farms, viz., Wm. Imlay's, D. P. Imlay's, and Mr. Gale's. The following summer there were broken about one hundred and fifty acres, on seven farms. It may be a matter of surprise that no more land was broken, but it is equally surprising, to us that understand fully all the conditions, that so much was accomplished. In the first place, we were all as poor as church mice. We had but few and very poor teams, and very few and miserably poor breaking plows. Had the reader seen the writer with a pair of plowshares, wending his way on foot to old man Morgan's to get them sharpened by a corn-cob fire, then seen the vexation and delays in adjusting them to the work on our return, then followed us in our perambulations hunting for the lost oxen, and then accompanied us with our old ox team seventy-five miles to mill, and watched all our struggles to keep soul and body together, menaced by Indians on the one side, begging us out of countenance, and frequently showing a spirit of arrogance and impudence, so that we hardly dare leave our families any length of time. Frequently we were compelled to scour distant settlements of Lancaster, Otoe, and Cass counties for meager supplies of provisions, fording streams and camping out nights. With very little or no money, no credit (there was no one in reach to credit us), a scanty supply of provisions, and still more scanty supply of clothing, we struggled against wind and tide through the weary years of our first settlement. In many instances we had to make "bricks without straw." Houses were to be built without proper tools, also bridges, and every class of work was accomplished under the most discouraging [p. 120] circumstances. The wonder is that we did not all become so much discouraged as to pull up stakes and go back to our wife's relations, as some of the more weak-kneed folks did.
During August, 1864, the little settlement of four families became seriously alarmed on account of the Indian panic, at the same time of the exodus from Salt creek. Mr. Gale was away from home at Salt basin. The families had all gathered on Plum creek, at Grandpa Imlay's house, and were hurriedly preparing for flight, when suddenly Wm. Imlay's wagon tire burst, and while they were all dismayed at the catastrophe it proved a blessing in disguise, for the rest of the company could not leave him and family to perish alone, and before they succeeded in getting the old wagon in shape to travel the scare was over, and all were ready to return to their homes. Thus the infant settlement was saved from abandonment by this lucky accident.
A few days after our arrival, with our family at the new home, about the night of the 8th of December—a very cold winter night—the gentle rapping of Joseph Imlay was heard in the small hours of the night, with the refreshing news that a child was about to be born at the house of Mr. Gale. Wife hurriedly dressed, and Joseph hitched our old "Nig" and "Darb" to the wagon, and away they went down the bottom and across the present city to the bank of Plum creek, just to the east of Mr. Bemis' home, where a huge snow drift was encountered. The oxen were chained to the wagon, and our good wife was compelled to slide down the steep bank over the great drift of snow to reach the creek. When she reached the house she found that Miss Clara Gale had come to life and light to bless the home of her parents. We are happy to say that the young lady is yet living, and is highly accomplished and a resident of East Portland, Oregon.
During 1867 and 1868 settlement increased quite rapidly. The latter year witnessed the birth of the future city, and the history of the precinct from that time is so blended with that of the city that we couple them in a future chapter. This, in connection with the earlier chapters of "reminiscenses," we deem a sufficient history of the early times of this immediate locality. However, there are many incidents of those days that it would be gratifying to the author to see in print, but it is not our aim to bore the reader with details unnecessarily.
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