Garfield County NEGenWeb Project © 1997 - 2005 BAS
Anna M. Cameron
HE future Garfield County had for its first known white settler a colorful character by the name of Charley Jones. According to legend he arrived Nov. 10, 1872, six hours ahead of the equally colorful Truman Freeland, his nearest rival for local pioneering honors. This was ten days after surveyors had completed their description of the last tract of land. Charley Jones filed on a homestead at the mouth of heavily wooded Jones canyon. Immediately afterward he built a cabin against a hillside and set to work logging red cedar for sale to the oncoming settlers and in Grand Island more than eighty miles south by ox team.
At this time deer and elk were still abundant enough in the valley to furnish prodigal amounts of fresh meat to the man handy with a needle gun. The Pawnees and the Sioux still crossed the picturesque hills which surround the valley and continued to camp along the Calamus and Loup rivers which meet approximately six miles west of Charley Jones' cabin. But after the first homesteaders had invaded the territory, the days of wild game and Indians were numbered. Before many years early hunters like William Draver and his son Alex, and James Barr were obliged to go farther and farther toward the South Dakota line for the sight of big game.
During the first months after the arrival of Jones, and Freeland other settlers trickled in by families and parties. Probably more to lend encouragement to the colonists than because protection was imperative, the government soon dispatched a camp of soldiers up the North Loup valley from the direction of Grand Island. Actually the approach of the soldiers was so leisurely, according to B. F. Janes, one of the pioneers, that the "settlers up here at the river forks were guarding the soldiers when it was supposed to be the other way around." Some of the settlers, however, as Mr. Janes remembers, were afraid even of the shadow of a harmless Pawnee. And to contribute to the fears of the timid, there were occasional depredations on the part of the Indians.
In March, 1873, for instance, the so-called Battle of Sioux creek in Loup County was precipitated by the theft of horses and mules in Valley County. It was because of this seemingly bloodless affray ten miles or more west of the present Burwell that the scouting expedition which advanced so deliberately was demanded by the settlers. During another affair over the ownership of white property a soldier by the name of Sergeant Daugherty was killed in the Battle of the Blowout. This skirmish occurred as late as the spring of 1876.
Between these two historic dates the Battle of Pebble creek directly across the Loup river from the site of Burwell was also the outcome of a looting. This time the McClimans homestead and the "trapper's cabin" were raided by a band of Sioux on Jan. 18, 1874. As the result of this indignity, sixteen neighbors from the cabins and dugouts along the then frozen little Loup took up the trail the next morning armed with guns and the determination to recover valuable pelts and other stolen property or to die in the attempt. The pursuers quickly overhauled the thieves who had pitched a large tepee at the point where the creek flows down into the river from the canyons on the north. The Indians are said to have fired the first shot after a brief parley and the settlers sought shelter under a bank to return the volley. One of the bullets instantly ended the life of incautious young Marion Littlefield, a twenty-one year old trapper to whom a monument was dedicated on June 13, 1937, by the Burwell Wrangler's Club. The marker stands a few yards from the spot of his death. George MacAnulty, the one remaining survivor of the original sixteen, was present for the unveiling.
Charley Jones is named as one of the pioneers conspicuous in the Battle of the Blowout. But from all gun fighting, Truman Freeland, the earliest preacher on Garfield County soil, held conspicuously aloof. In a diary entry on Jan. 19, 1874, the second white settler records that after looking from his cabin window, he had just seen "them" going by with the body of the "unfortunate young man." He was glad, he adds, that he had had nothing to do with the affair and makes no further reference to it. He did, however, speak at the unveiling of the Littlefield monument in 1937, more than sixty years after the Battle of Pebble creek and a year preceding his own death.
The immediate result of the Battle of Pebble creek was the petition to Washington asking that a permanent fort be established in that part of the North Loup valley. The bill was introduced soon afterward and passed by congress within a few weeks. Construction got under way in the early fall of 1874 and the new post became known as Fort Hartsuff. It lay ten miles down the Loup, southeast of the future Burwell on the opposite side of the river in Valley County. One building was completed in time for the now famous Christmas ball of 1874.
From this time on, homesteading was accelerated and the fort served the settlers until its abandonment in May, 1881. It gave a feeling of security and aided in other useful ways. An ambulance, for instance, might be sent to fetch the sick to the492
in Nebraska Garfieldgarrison hospital. And the garrison hospital when not in use for its intended purposes, might be converted to more festive ends. The older settlers talk with undimmed enthusiasm of the great balls at the fort. People came from miles up and down the Loup, many of them fording the river with their teams or crossing on the ice in winter. Delicacies were imported by the soldiers from Grand Island for these occasions and the valley settlers danced until dawn.
Charley Jones continued to be active in affairs of the county until after the county seat fight which culminated in 1890. With the capital realized from the sale of cedar logs and hand-made shingles, many of which went into the construction of Fort Hartsuff, Jones opened an early trading post at the mouth of the scenic canyon which bears his name. In 1884, twelve years after their arrival, Jones, Freeland and some neighbors started a boom to make Willow Springs the county seat of Garfield after its partition from Wheeler County.* Although by his candid published admission it cost the first settler in the county "money" to retain the center of government in his town from 1885 to 1890 it looked for a time as if his energetic efforts would meet with permanent success. Then the balance was swung by the extension of the Burlington railroad to establish a terminus at Burwell and further aided by the failure of the Union Pacific to build north through Willow Springs. Practically all the business men including Jones, followed the county offices across the river the two and a half miles west to the rival town. And the pretty young village of Willow Springs became the ghost town whose desirable lots still rise to haunt the abstractor for the farm land upon which they were once platted.
Burwell, the little town with the big rodeo, was located in 1883 with an eye to beauty and safety as well as to sound economic considerations. It was laid out in the southwest corner of the county in a wide flat plain encircled by hills. The swift Loup river, which is joined by the Calamus above Pebble creek, winds along the north edge of the only village in the county on the river banks. The river flows far enough below the last houses to insure against the danger of the most rampant spring and summer floods. Lying in rich irrigable farm land, Burwell was originally situated to serve the ranch country which opens away in the sandhills five miles north of the village limits. The nearest railroad town through the sandhills is Atkinson, which is fifty-six miles up a graveled road. The road was completed in the early 1930's and is known as highway No. 11. Thus the trading radius which was advantageous in the day of the hitching post could be maintained after the filling station and the garage had supplanted the village watering trough and the livery stable.
It cannot be said, however, that either the town or the county has been spared the gamut of reverses which included the prairie fire which jumped both the rivers, the successive visitations of grasshoppers and the drouths in addition to the tornado of Sept. 15, 1905. The great blizzard of 1888 caused much general suffering and took the life of little Elza Abbott, the son of William Abbott. The child had been sent by his employer to look for cattle and lost his direction in the storm. The Burlington tracks had been completed and the first train arrived in Burwell Dec. 16, 1887. Zack Harris, a railway engineer, who was also farming at the time, found his way into town Jan. 12, 1888, by following the ties.
On March 31, 1902, the Burwell school house burned in the middle of the afternoon. A high wind endangered everything to the south and east of the two-story frame building but there was no loss of life. The occurrence is said literally to have frightened the citizens out of the hand-pump-and-bucket-brigade era into the day of a modern water system and the related public utilities.
In 1905 a vicious little twister whirled down the river forks and reduced to ruins the section of Burwell that lay between the Loup and the north edge of the business square. The number of the injured and homeless was considerable and the relief train carrying material aid tided the victims over the first days following the disaster. The one death as the result of the tornado was that of Mrs. E. B. McKinney, the wife of a Garfield County pioneer and a woman, who as an early county superintendent had been influential in improving the educational system of the territory.
At least four times in the history of the county attempts have been made to combat drouths with irrigation. Of these, the projects of 1891 and 1894 came to nothing. But the third project locally promoted under the slogan of "irrigate or emigrate" which filed for incorporation April 12, 1898, was ultimately completed. Whether this ditch would have been an unqualified success, the cyclic appearance of rain followed its building so spontaneously that it was soon permitted to fall into disrepair and was abandoned after a few years.
Thirty years later the North Loup River Public Power and Irrigation project became serviceable to a few Garfield County farmers in the summer of 1938 and went into more general use in the summer of 1939. Apparently the historical trinity of drouths, irrigation and rain was destined to repeat itself. A flood impaired the Burwell dam on May 12, 1938, before it could be dedicated. And early on Sunday morning, June 25, 1939, a section of the levee was destroyed by a deluge which sent the river surging through the village park, carrying bath houses, boats and benches with it. Pieces of wreckage later were reported to have passed the town of Ord, sixteen miles to the south. Before the water had subsided, moreover, two bridges had been swept away, one above the dam and a concrete structure several hundred yards below the spillway. Regardless of the
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*The United States postoffice department furnishes the information that The Forks postoffice, the predecessor of Burwell. was originally listed in Valley County and without changing its geographical location was later in Taylor County, then Wheeler County and finally in Garfield.483
Garfield Who's Whospectacular promise of necessary rain, the work of repairing the dam was immediately commenced and within a few weeks from the time of the destruction the farmers on the affected north side of the river toward old Willow Springs and Fort Hartsuff again saw the liquid silver flowing through their rows of corn.
Six religious congregations are now actively represented in Burwell. The Congregational Church was organized Oct. 8, 1888, a year before the incorporation of the village which took place in October, 1889. Buildings were subsequently erected by the Methodists, Christians, Catholics and Pentecostals. The Lutherans hold services regularly but have no building of their own. Books were moved into the brick Carnegie Library building on Jan. 1, 1915. In 1916 the Burwell Butter Factory started a successful career. in 1935 was launched the livestock market which attracts farmers every Friday and draws buyers from all the surrounding states. Also in 1935 Dr. R. S. Cram, a native son, established the Cram Hospital, which at the time of its inspection in 1938 became the only hospital between Grand Island and O'Neill formally recognized by the American Medical Association. A new $120,000 school house was dedicated April 12, 1937.
The most exuberant expression of the local spirit has been the development of the big rodeo. This entertainment feature commenced as nail-keg-and-plank fiesta in a stubble field in 1921. By August, 1928, according to the Burwell Tribune of rodeo week, the attendance had climbed to 23,000 persons in one day. Citizens saw cars appear on the streets of the little village of 1,155 population from all the ninety-three counties of Nebraska and from every state in the union for a single show. The Wrangler's Club, an organization of business men, got behind the event by giving itself a cow-punching name, by calling prospective members mavericks and by furnishing its officers such ranching titles as Boss, Overseer and Chinaman. In the summer of 1939 a boosters organization calling itself the Ranger's Club came into being and promptly had its commissions accepted by celebrities all over America. Practically every national rodeo entertainer of note has performed before the extensive stands and against the suitable background of distant yucca and cactus-sprinkled canyons.
On June 17, 1939, the debate concerning the selection of a name for Burwell was unexpectedly and finally settled at a meeting of the local historical society. The town was laid out by Frank Webster on land belonging to the Webster family and to I. B. Nelson, a grist miller. Previous to the naming of the village, a brother of Frank Webster was killed in Wisconsin by a falling tree, two weeks before his intended marriage to a young woman named Ida Burwell, according to legend. As a gesture of respect to the fiancee of his brother, Frank Webster proposed that the village be called Burwell. On Jan. 21, 1884, the postoffice was so named, the change being made from The Forks, as the dugout postoffice, established on July 9, 1875, and. kept by Henry C. Maxin. A faction of citizens had become convinced the "B" in the name of I. B. Nelson stood, by strange coincidence, for Burwell thus entitling both the original owners to a share in the christening honors. Will Nelson, a son of the grist miller, electrified the historical society by waiving the distinction for his family, after a controversy which had lasted for fifty years. He flatly announced that his father's name was not Burwell and that the "B" merely was used as a middle initial. "The town," he said, "was named for Ida Burwell."
In 1939 the interest of Garfield County was actively turned not only to its early history but to another project more tangible. In co-operation with the other counties in the North Loup valley under the leadership of the historical groups, attempts were renewed to bring about the restoration of Fort Hartsuff. Although the unicameral legislature of Nebraska and the congress of the United States were not sufficiently interested to convert the still sturdy collection of buildings into a permanent memorial, plans were laid for the continuance of the campaign. Since failure to carry out what has once been started is foreign to the residents of the valley, it is believed that before long tourists will be able to visit the old fort in a setting familiar to the pioneers who settled on the farms around it and who regarded it less as an army post than as the early social center which tied them together.
ANDERSON, ASA R: Lumber Dealer; b West. Point, Neb Aug 25, 1885; s of William Anderson-Mary Graves; ed Garfield Co; m Beulah Chambers Dec 25, 1910 Burwell; s Asa Jr, Donald; d N Ruth (Mrs Everitt Major); 1903-1919 cement worker & carp, Burwell; 1919- emp by A I Crom & Co Burwell; Meth Ch; Rep, hobby, travel; res Burwell.
ANDERSON, O T: Grocer; b Barton, Vt June 3, 1876; s of William Anderson-Mary Graves; ed Cuming Co; m Ocie Chambers Oct 18, 1899 West Point; s Floyd, Clifford; 1899-1904 farmer, Garfield Co; 1904-10 engaged in freighting, O'Neill; 1910-12 opr dray for lbr & coal yards, Burwell; 1912-17 worked for Weber Hdw Co; 1917-28 emp by O J Miller Groc; 1928- Anderson Handy Groc; Neb Retail Groc Assn; Meth Ch; res Burwell.
BECKER, CLAUDE WINTON: Mayor; b Westside, Ia, Mar 6, 1885; s of Wilber M Becker-Mary E Chauncey; ed Burwell HS; m Evelyn F Costello Jan 25, 1910 Burwell; s William N; Guy E; d Agnes E; 1888 came to Burwell with parents, father estab first gen store; 1902-10 clk in father's store; 1910- 20 farmed S W of Burwell; 1920-Nov 1938 pur & opr Electric Theater; Nov 1938- ret; 1936-40 mayor; helped org IOOF, past noble grand; Rep; hobby, travel; res Burwell.
BROWNELL, RALPH E: Manager Butter Factory; b Burwell, Neb June 20, 1888; s of Jeremiah Brownell-Abby Wilbur; ed Burwell HS; St Paul Bus Coll; m Mable Green Aug 16, 1917 Ord; s Robert; 1908-11 opr farm Burwell; 1912-13 impl ldr (sic); 1917- mgr Burwell Butter Factory, also opr 330 A farm; dir North Loup Pub Power & Irrigation Dist; past mbr city bd; chmn Wranglers Club; master AF&AM; mbr Neb Co-op Creamery Assn; Rep; res Burwell.
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in Nebraska GarfieldCAMERON, ANNA MARGHARETTA: Sociology Instructor; b Burwell, Neb Jan 9, 1894; d of Dr Neil Cameron-Minnie Osmer; ed Burwell; St Mary's Acad, Salt Lake City Utah; U of N, BA 1915, MA 1920; 1916-16 HS tchr, Shelton; 1916-17 prin Dodge HS; 1917-18 English tchr Wilber HS; 1919-21 Industrial secy Lincoln YWCA; 1921-22 grad work U of N; 1922-23 English tchr Midland Coll; 1923-24 exec secy ARC, Owosso Mich; 1925 exec secy ARC, Athens Ga; 1925-29 instr in social work, U of N extn div & exec secy Neb Conf of Social Work; 1929-33 grad work & instr in sociology, U of Mich; 1933-37 did priv research, Chicago; 1937 org sociology courses U of N Extension Div; Congl Ch; hobby, pioneer hist research; res Burwell.
COFFIN, HARRY J: Farm Loan Agent; b Boston, Mass Jan 11, 1860; s of Henry J Coffin-Harriett Merriam; ed Boston Mass HS; Chauncy Hall priv sch; m Mary Halloran May 1, 1893 Inman; d Frances (Mrs F E DeLashmutt), Olive (Mrs Ralph Walker), Margaret (Mrs Carroll Walker); 1878-82 farmed in Colfax Co; 1883 pre-empted land in Holt Co; 1884- ranching & other activities; 1892 estab Burwell Lbr & Coal Co, bus oprd by daughter (Frances); past co commr; past J P; past mbr sch bd; past mbr bd of trustees; has visited eastern coast, Mexico & Canada on 3 different trips & has visited west coast twice; mbr Neb Lbr Dlrs Assn excursion party to Portland Ore & Tacoma Wash 1905 also to Panama in 1913; AF&AM; past noble grand IOOF; Neb Retail Lbr Dlrs Assn; Congl Ch; Rep; hobbies, travel, civic work; res Burwell.
CRAM, ALBERT I: Coal & Lumber Dealer; b Monmouth Co, Ia Nov 16, 1871; s of Wiber Cram-Honor Filbey; ed David City HS; Rathbun Bus Coll, Omaha; m Effie Wilson Sept 1, 1897 Garfield Co; s Dr Roy S; d Bessie (Mrs F W Bieser), Honor (Mrs C A Frease); 1893-97 cash of First Bank, Burwell; 1897 opr & owner A I Cram Coal & Lbr Co; 16 years mbr sch bd; 6 years co engineer; mbr state bd Neb Retail Lbr Dlrs Assn; Wranglers Club; past master AF&AM; past patron OES; Congl Ch; res Burwell.
CRAM, ROY S DR: Physician & Surgeon; b Burwell, Neb Feb 3, 1903; s of Albert I Cram-Effie Wilson; ed Burwell HS; Doane Coll; U of N, BSc 1928; Alpha Tau Omega; Phi Rho Sigma; m Edith Frease Aug 12, 1926 Ravenna; d Roene, Jean; 1928-29 interne Uni Hosp, Omaha; 1929- gen prac Burwell; 1935- opr Dr Cram's Hosp; city phys; past pres Garfield Co Fair Bd; Four Co Med Soc; Neb St Med Assn; AMA; AF&AM; Wranglers Club; Congl Ch; Rep; hobby, dogs; res Burwell.
GAVIN, JOSEPH EUGENE: Railway Agent; b Friend, Neb Jan 31, 1879; s of Anthony Gavin-Margaret McFarlane; ed Friend; m Kathryn Lulu Laughlin June 6, 1906 Greenwood; d Virginia (Mrs J E Shafer), Vivian (Mrs E M Halloway), Beth (Mrs F E Winger); 1898-1902 clk in clothing store, Friend; emp six months in CB&Q RR depot, Friend; 1902-06 relief agt CB&Q RR; 1906-10 agt, Greenwood; 1910 station agt Burwell; Wranglers Club; Veterans of Burlington Lines; past master AF&AM; past mbr sch bd; hobbies, fishing & hunting; res Burwell.
GREEN, WALTER S: County Clerk; b Rushford, Minn Mar 22, 1870; s of John Green-Mary Hall; ed Rushford Minn HS; m Alma Davis Feb 1916 St Joseph Mo; s Clarence H, Charles A; d Lulu (Mrs Eugene Compton), Mable (Mrs R E Brownell), Ellen; 1899-1906 opr & station agt CB&Q RR; 1906-25 owner of gen store, Burwell; 1938- Garfield Co clk: past mbr town bd; BPOE; KP; Neb Assn of Co Commrs, Co Clks, Co Registers of Deeds & Co Highway Commrs; Co Clks Assn; hobbies, golf, gardening; res Burwell.
HALLOCK, CHESTER E: Co-owner Hotel; b Rosevale, Neb Feb 25, 1902; s of Harry HalIock-Effegene Moorman; ed Burwell HS; m Lena Nelson Oct 24, 1923 Council Bluffs Ia; s Robert Allen; 1919-21 worked in father's hotel Burwell; 1921- coowner with mother since death of father; 1937- clk & treas town bd & treas of sch dist; Wranglers Club; AF&AM; Amer Hotel Assn; Congl Ch; Rep; hobbies, fishing, hunting; off hotel; res Burwell.
HALLOCK MRS EFFEGENE: Co-owner Hotel; b Hardin Co, Ia. Feb 18, 1878; d of Uriah Moorman-Cynthia Henshaw; ed Marshall Co Ia; Holt Co; Ord HS; m Harry O Hallock Dec 9, 1900 Ord (dec Oct 1921); 1893 tchr 3 mos, Garfield Co; 1894 tchr 3 mos, Garfield Co; 1895-97 tchr Holt & Garfield Cos; 1897-98 tchr Elyria; 1898-99 tchr, Greeley Co; 1899-1900 tchr, Valley Co; 1900-10 farmed with husband; 1910 moved to Burwell where husband was ptr in jewelry store; 1911-12 opr restaurant; 1912-13 opr Livingston Hotel; 1921- co-owner of hotel with son; Woman's Club; past mbr Domestic Science Club; OES; Meth Ch; Rep; hobby, travel; res Burwell.
JOHNSON, FRANK A: Hardware Dealer; b Saunders Co, Neb Aug 17, 1870; s of Benjamin Johnson-Anna Traxell; ed Saunders & Garfield Cos; m Julie Brown Sept 1896 Burwell; s Leonard, Oscar (name should be "Osce" per niece, Jennifer Sheaff), Harold, Everett, Dwight; d Lucille (Mrs W T Johnson); 1893-96 emp by Scott Bros gen store Burwell & Taylor; 1896-1900 ptr in Osce Cram hdw; 1900- owner Johnson Hdw: past pres Bank of Burwell; mbr Neb Retail Hdw Dlrs Assn: past mbr sch bd & city bd; owner 8000 A in Garfield Co; AF&AM; Congl Ch; Rep; hobbies, business & dogs; res Burwell.
LAVERTY, GUY: Attorney; b Blackhawk Co, Ia Nov 2, 1868; s of Anson A Laverty-Mary McClintic; ed Ord HS; Fremont Normal; adm to bar 1893; m Emma M Glover Aug 31, 1892 Ord; d Carmen (Mrs H B Hornby) 1893- prac law Burwell Co; past co atty; past 3 years atty for North Loup River Pub Power & Irrigation Dist; city atty 6 years; 43 years opr fire ins agcy, representing Springfield & Hartford; opr 1,200 A ranch; Garfield & Loup Co & Neb St Bar Assns; IOOF, past noble grand; Meth Ch, 19 years SS supt; hobbies, livestock & ranching; res Burwell.
MANASIL, FRANK W: Auto Dealer; b St Paul, Neb Apr 14, 1884; s of Frank Mansil-Anna Blaha; ed St Paul HS & Bus Coll; m Marie C Meyers 1907 St Paul; s William, Leonard; d Elizabeth; in merc work 4 years Elba & Cotesfield; 1908-20 ptr in Meyers & Manasil gen mdse store, Burwell; 1916- opr Ford Agcy; past mbr city council; dir Garfield Co Frontier Fair Assn, past secy; dir Bank of Burwell; owns farms in Garfield Co; Wranglers Club; KC; Cath Ch; hobby, travel; res Burwell.
MANASIL, WILLIAM F: County Attorney; b Elba, Neb Aug 12, 1908; s of Frank Manasil-Marie Meyers; ed Burwell HS; St Marys Coll, Kas; Creighton U; Gamma Eta Gamma; m Marie Oliverius June 18, 1935 Albion; d Mary Kay; 1931-33 prac law Omaha; 1933- prac law Burwell; 1938- co atty; past city atty; secy sch bd; secy Garfield & Loup Co Bar Assn; Neb St Bar Assn; Wranglers Club; KC; Cath Ch; Rep; hobbies, fishing, hunting; res Burwell.
MITCHELL, RUSSELL A: Hardware Dealer; b Burwell, Neb Oct 10, 1899; s of Allen Mitchell-Emma Osmers; ed Burwell HS; Lincoln HS; m Nora Wood; June 5, 1927 Sargent; d Patrica Ann; 1923- with brother in hdw, furn & undertaking, Mitchell Bros; dir & VP Garfield Co Frontier Fair Assn; AF&AM; Neb Retail Hdw Dlrs Assn; Rep; hobby, fishing; res Burwell.
MOORE, MRS BESSIE: Druggist; b Kearney Neb June 20, 1890; d of Henry Wyotty-Alice M Hoover; ed Kearney HS; Fremont Normal; registered with state bd 1915; m E L Moore Dec 1912 Kearney; s Lewis; since 1913 assoc in drug bus in Big Spring & Blue Hill; 1926- opr Moore's Drug Store in Burwell with son; past pres NFWC; PEO; worthy matron OES; Neb Retail Druggists Assn; Congl Ch; res Burwell.
PARSONS, KENNETH MUTTER: Publisher; b Ord, Neb Nov 20, 1905; s of William C Parsons-Eleanore Mutter; ed Burwell HS; U of N; Delta Sigma Phi; m Marie K Speith Oct 5, 1928 Burwell; s William Curtis II; 1927-37 opr linotype in father's newspaper office; 1937- ptr of father, W C Parsons & Son, Burwell Tribune: Wranglers Club; past master AF&AM; past patron OES; pres sch bd; dir of Neb Big Rodeo; Rep; hobby, amateur photography; off Tribune Bldg; res Burwell.
PARSONS, WILLIAM CURTIS: Publisher; b Wayne Co, N Y May 16, 1874; s of Henry L Parsons-Mary Beadle; ed Papillion HS; m Eleanore Mutter June 23, 1904 Ord; s Kenneth M; 1888-93 learned the printing trade under Edgar Howard at Papillion; 1893-95 worked on various newspapers; 1895-1907 bus mgr & foreman for Ord Quiz with W W Haskell; 1907- owner Burwell Tribune; Wranglers Club; past master AF&AM; past mbr sch bd, AOUW; Rep; hobby, photography; office Tribune Bldg; res Burwell.
ROSE, BERNHARD A: County Judge; b Hay Springs, Neb Nov 21, 1897; s of Gust Rose-Mathilda Mattson; ed Valley Co HS; Fremont Normal; U of N Law School, LLB 1922; Phi Alpha Delta; m Gladys Lewis Sept 14, 1924 Smith Center, Kas; s Robert; 1922-23 prac law Ord, Gudmundsen & Rose; 1924- prac law. Bur-
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Garfield Who's Whowell; 1933- Garfield Co judge; pres Loup & Garfield Co Bar Assn; Neb St Bar Assn; Wranglers Club; past master AF&AM; past noble grand IOOF; Congl Ch; chmn Republican Central Com; hobbies, athletics, baseball; res Burwell.
RUNYON, GLENN E: Attorney; b Mason City, Neb Feb 5, 1897; s of George W Runyon-Edora Amsberry; ed Mason City HS; adm to Neb bar 1928; m Erma Stewart May 26, 1918 Alliance; s Lynn S, Paul M, Gerald L, Robert E; 1928-29 prac law, Havelock; 1930-31 assoc with Burkett, Wilson & Brown, Lincoln; 1932- prac law Burwell; past co atty; city atty Burwell 5 years; mbr bd of edn; during World War enl June 1918 in Seattle naval res force, disch Sept 1921; past comm Amer Leg; Garfield Co & Neb St Bar Assns; mbr bd trustees, Congl Ch; Dem; hobby, civic activities; res Burwell.
SIME, EDWARD F: County Superintendent of Schools; b Morrison, Colo Sept 10, 1898; s of Fred Sime-Mary Bissell; ed Pauline HS; KSTC; U of N; 1917-26 sch tchr in Garfield Co; 1926- supt of schs Garfield Co; secy Garfield Co Frontier Fair Assn: AF&AM; NSTA; Neb St Supts Assn; Nonpartisan; hobby. athletics; res Burwell.
SMITH, ELDON J: Physician & Surgeon; b Mechanicsville, Ia July 31, 1879; s of Thomas A Smith-Miranda Mershon; ed South Omaha HS; Neb Wes; U of N, MD 1905; Phi Rho Sigma; m Mable Fischer June 28, 1922 Omaha; s Eldon J; d Mershon; 1905- prac law Burwell; opr 1,200 A ranch, specializing in Hereford cattle; also interested in potatoes & beets which he raises on 160 A irrigated valley land; past mbr sch bd; Garfield Co phys; during World War mbr examining bd for military draft; Loup Valley & Tri-Co Med Socs; Meth Ch; Rep; hobby, livestock; res Burwell.
TUNNICLIFF, GEORGE T: County Treasurer; b Harvard, Neb July 21, 1886: s of Edward M Tunnicliff-Jessie R Oliver; ed Burwell HS; m Ada E Ward July 7, 1929 Boston Mass; s Roland W, David G; 1911-25 traveled for Burroughs Adding Machine Co; 1927-28 Garfield Co judge; 1930-35 Burwell P M; 1939- co treas; during World War in 318 field signal service corps O/S 9 months, disch Apr 1, 1919; Amer Leg; Neb Co Treas Assn; AF&AM; Luth Ch; Rep; hobby, reading; res Burwell.
WALKER, RALPH LEO: Pharmacist; b Hayes Co, Neb June 18, 1898; s of Robert Walker-Agnes McKillip; ed Maywood HS; Clements Sch, Fremont; 1918 passed state examination PhG; m Olive Coffin Jan 19, 1923 Burwell; s Ralph Leo Jr; d Margaret Jean; 1918-23 pharmacist various Neb towns; 1923- owner & opr Walker's Pharm, Burwell; Nebraska Retail Drug Assn; past mbr sch bd; past mbr village bd; Wranglers Club; past master AF&AM; OES; Congl Ch; Rep; hobbies, fishing, hunting; res Burwell.
WOOD, ROSS W: Dentist; b Sargent, Neb Nov 6, 1894; s of E Murt Wood-Gustie Kahon; ed Sargent HS; Creighton U, DDS 1917; Xi Psi Phi; m Ethel V Hill June 17, 1920 Macomb Ill; s Wayne; 1917- prac Burwell;. past mbr sch bd; city bd & Garfield Fair bd; during World War casual detachment Fort Riley Kas Med OTC; disch with commission of lt; past adj & past treas Amer Leg; AF&AM, Scot Rite 32o; Tangier Shrine; NW Neb Dental Soc & Neb St Dental Assn; Wranglers Club; hobby, fishing; res Burwell.
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