BLAINE COUNTY   NEBRASKA

  BLAINE COUNTY 
NEBRASKA

NEGenWeb Project

Named for James G Blaine (1830-1893), an American Statesman. 
Established 5 March 1885. 

GENEALOGY HOME PAGE


WELCOME


Whether your family gets together for an annual reunion, or you are invited to one of the sandhills famous pot-dinners,
you are welcome at our "table" any time as you "get-together" with your family history.

Bon Appetit! Enjoy! and just plain "dig-in" to your familyhistory!

 

This site is a part of the NEGenWeb Project, which is itself a part of the USGenWeb Project
These projects are dedicated to the collection and sharing of information about genealogical research in the United States.

     We are the Coordinators for the Blaine County NEGenWeb.  

     Donna now lives in Pennsylvania, but she was born and raised in Blaine County, and is currently interested in the development of a historical museum at Dunning, Nebraska. 

     I live in Washington State but I have enjoyed being Blaine's "neighbor" for the past three years as the coordinator for Loup County's NEGenWeb.   

Join the "game"  and "try your hand" at family history!
Pat Ash and Donna Dietrich 

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 Ray Gardner, Jim McCormick, Dr. Irvin, E. H. Riggs, and Ringo!
Photograph is courtesy of Mike D. Riggs 

The above photograph is better viewed by clicking on it.

 


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Click on the  link below for pages you want to view & enjoy!

BLAINE COUNTY RESOURCES
- - -  lots of helpful information including Who's Who in Nebraska in 1940 - Blaine County.  


BLAINE COUNTY SURNAMES

- - -
as connected with researchers' inquiries


BLAINE COUNTY QUERIES

- - - the "what and who" people are looking for.

 


BLAINE COUNTY LOOK-UPS

 - - - where volunteers will help look-up information in resources that they have available.


INDEX to the Surnames in  the
 History of Blaine County, Nebraska, Volume 1, 1988

- - - Copies of this book may be found at the list of public and academic libraries
listed on the above Index.


INDEX to Colleen Swtizers'
The Settlement of Loup & Blaine Counties - Blaine Section  
This is an every-name index  - - you might just find that elusive ancestor! 
It also includes a listing of public and academic libraries where the book can be found.


Blaine County, Nebraska Marriage Book A Index
Compiled, transcribed, and copyrighted by Donna Collier Dietrich, 2003.


INDEX TO BLAINE NEWSPAPERS, 1913-1915

- - - including the Blaine County Booster and the Brewster News.


BLAINE COUNTY OBITUARY INDEX 

to the Mamie Osborn Collier Collection - -
as of February 2003 we have posted over 100 new obituary items!!


BLAINE COUNTY Cemetery Map and Locations
. . . includes a page for Dunning Cemetery, with the headstones of Sam & Flora Field Dunning, and Brewster Cemetery Photographs

Palmer Monument Customer List.
This is part of the Mamie Osborn Collier collection
 
- - - and has information for the communities of Dunning, Purdum, Brewster, 
and Halsey, in Thomas County

  Maps of Blaine County, Nebraska
- - -. including 1885, 1895, and 1920, and 2003 precinct maps.


BLAINE COUNTY Old (and new) Photographs
- - -.NOW including Blaine County officials as of 1908, current Brewster and Dunning photos, and historic photos of the Home State Bank, Wilson Hotel, and Dunning Community Center, and Sandhills Heritage Museum, at Dunning.


African-Americans of Blaine County
. . . features Blaine pioneers, Amos Harris, cowboy, and 
William Alfred Young, Dunning blacksmith, as well as links to other sites

 Deeds & Abstract for Dunning, NE
     


1890 BLAINE Business and Farmers Index

- - a way to find someone in Blaine as the 1890 Federal Census was destroyed 
by fire in 1921.


1904 Semi-Centennial History of Nebraska, Blaine County
  - - includes photograph of Blaine County Court House and some biographies of community leaders, together with their photographs.

 
BlAINE COUNTY 1917 listing of Male residents
and former residents alive in 1917
- - - data from 1917-1918 civil registration cards.


Belle J. Dunn's History and Development of Blaine County.    
-- written when she was a student at the University of Nebraska in 1927.


BLAINE-BITS from the Brewster News!

    Mamie Osborne Collier's Newspaper Collection,
Volumes 1, 2 & 3 (1905-1908) - - - 
 
      All the bits of news you might have missed!

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From Sunbonnets and Overalls - -
A History of the People of the Purdum Community by the Purdum Project Club.


Pioneer Postings

This page has the David Finch story as well as the wonderful essay, 
"My Father's Memories" of Lawrence Wilson - - this is too good to miss!


This and That for Blaine County --
. . . including Loup County Pioneer Museum Files for Blaine County, newspaper articles from days gone by, and even a 1917 concert program of the Dunning Band! 


James G. Blaine's Scrapbook on the Internet
 - - - just for fun, and a bit of information about Blaine County's namesake!


NEGenWeb SEARCH PAGE
for all of NEBRASKA
 
- - some help to find people that may have been in other places in Nebraska, even Blaine County!

GenConnect Message Board for 
  Blaine County, Nebraska

.. . . browse and/or search postings about Blaine.


Nebraska's
NEGenWeb Resource Center
- - - includes basic helps, Nebraska schools, military information, orphan trains, Nebraska railroads, pioneers in Nebraska, ethnic and immigration information, Native American research, cemeteries, ancestors' sharing information, Nebraska family reunions, religious information, Nebraska poorhouses, and links to other Nebraska sites. 


NEBRASKA's
NEGenWeb On-line Library,
including the Mardos Collection of many historical Nebraska books on-line, 
as well as Journals, Newspapers, Maps and Atlases




Excerpted from Colleen Swtizer's
The Settlement of Loup and Blaine Counties

Chapter 1, "Blaine County Territory" pp 227-228
Copyright 1977. Published by Purcell's, Inc., Broken Bow, Nebraska.
*

"Blaine County, one of the sandhill region group, was Indian hunting ground when 
the first whiteman explored its valleys.  There was big game in abundance and doubtless it was a 
favorite resort.  This is evidenced by Indian bones and stone implements as well as by arrows 
points and fragments of pottery which have been found. The Pawnee Indians occupied the area 
and when the Sioux invaded their hunting ground the two tribes became bitter enemies.  It is 
believed several large battles between these Indians occurred in the area of Blaine and Loup 
county territories. The county was first seen by white man in 1796 when Mackey's French 
Explorers passed up the North Loup River Valley.  In the year 1856 Lt. G. K. Warren passed 
through the area near where the Blaine-Loup county line now lays, enroute from
 Ft. Pierre to Ft. Kearney.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"
In the late 1870s cattlemen started using the Blaine area as a grazing land.  Among the first to 
range cattle in the territory was David E. 'Davie' James. . . "
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Samuel N. Dunning is given credit as the first settler of Blaine County territory, having come to
 the area in the 1870s long before there was and sign of civilization."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"
Richard R. Greenland was the earliest cowboy character of the area and the first to range cattle 
on 'Buffalo Flats' in northwest Blaine county territory."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"
The picturesque frontiersman Amos Harris  . . . also ranged vast herds on the Calamus 
River Valley in the early days.  Legend states that Harris was the first Negro cowboy in the 
state of Nebraska."


* Colleen Switzer has graciously granted Blaine NEGenWeb  her permission for the use of this material.


  Questions or Comments?
We would like to hear from  you.  
PLEASE put "Blaine County" in your email subject line . 
Thanks so much.

Pat Ash, Blaine NEGenWeb 
- - -  - - - -
If you should have a problem reaching us, you may 
contact the Nebraska State  NEGenWeb Coordinators,
 through  the mailbox below.



      "Thanks "to Rootsweb.com for being our host.

GGLogo04

Copyrighted by Blaine NEGenWeb, Patricia C. Ash, 2003
Last Updated: Wednesday, 8 July 2004.