Soapweed
Well-known member
Here is a little bit of local history that I typed up for a Facebook post. Thought I would share it here, too.
Old Log Cabin Where Leander Creek Runs Into the Niobrara River
From A SANDHILL CENTURY (the Cherry County history book, written in 1985), story of Ira and Elizabeth Nichols
In the early 1800's, a Mrs. Higgins came to America from England. She and her husband had sold their home in preparation for the move. Her husband gave her a ticket and passport, and told her he would meet her at the ship. They had two daughters, a baby and two-year-old Ester.
When Mr. Higgins didn't arrive at the ship, Mrs. Higgins came to America without him and joined a caravan to Ohio, but he wasn't there either. She left Ester at Rehobeth, Ohio, with people named Lyle, and she and the baby returned to the East Coast in search of her husband. They were never heard from again.
Annie Lyle, a girl of 16, adopted Ester Higgins. Ester married William M. Pace, and they had nine children of whom three were Charles S., Newton W., and Elizabeth (Lettie). They moved to what was later Lyle, Minnesota, named after Annie Lyle's father, a Mower County judge.
Elizabeth Ann Pace married Ira Burnett Nichols, and they had four children: Charles Strong "Tad," July 27, 1875; William Leslie "Will," March 11, 1877; Della Elnora, November 21, 1883; and Newton Burnett "Bert," April 14, 1889.
In the spring of 1884, the family came to Nebraska to spend the winter at O'Neil and then traveled on to Merriman, which wasn't much of a town. Ira and Elizabeth settled on the Niobrara River nine miles south of Merriman in 1885, and another daughter, Mary Lillian, was born on Elizabeth's birthday, February 2, 1886.
While Ira was building a log house, the family lived in Thomas Hoskiss' dugout in a hillside, with a small lean-to built over it. Hoskiss lived up Leander Creek, and the old Nichols home stood where the creek enters the Niobrara. Ira later built a new log house which Jack Cobb now owns and keeps in repair.
The first log house had a dirt floor with a roof of tar paper covered with sod. Elizabeth put down a homemade rag rug in the bedroom, but it soon rotted on the dirt floor.
First, the family was plagued by fleas, and while Elizabeth was ill with the old lagripp (Spanish Flu), a family named Timms spent the night and left head and body lice. The girls were little with long hair, so their brother Charles doused their heads with coal oil and boiled all of the clothing. He even boiled his sister Lillie's red flannel undershirts which shrunk up to nothing, but the lice were gone.
Later, the bedbugs came. Ira hadn't taken the time to debark the logs and the bark made a wonderful hiding place. The bedbugs nearly ate the family during the night, so Elizabeth and the boys removed all the chinking from the logs, barked the logs, burned the bark, and scalded the walls with lye water. Then they whitewashed the walls with lime, and they were rid of the bedbugs and fleas.
During the trip to Nebraska, Elizabeth had driven a span of mules on a covered wagon and Ira had drived a team of horses on another. Ira traded the horses for six cows, 12 sheep, and $200, but kept the mules. He also bought a long-horned team of oxen named Tom and Jerry. Later, he bought a team of horses, Ned and Daisy with a little colt. The boys took turns working for Mr. Hourz near Gordon to pay for them.
The herd of sheep and cows grew to a nice size, and Elizabeth made butter in wooden tubs furnished by an Omaha firm, which bought the butter when it was delivered to meet the evening passenger train in Merriman. It was good butter, and she received ten cents a pound as well as six cents per dozen for eggs.
The children milked the cows and herded the sheep, cows, and horses, until fences could be built. One was kept busy chasing other peoples' cattle from their land.
Ira Nichols was born August 20, year unknown, and he died December 4, 1934 at Hot Springs, South Dakota. Nothing is known of his parents who migrated from Scotland to Illinois. Ira was a private in Company G, 17th Illinois Cavalry during the Civil War, and his two brothers were also veterans. William Pace, Elizabeth's father, served during the Civil War with the company which buried the dead.
The Nichols children all married and led normal lives. Bert died August 29, 1942 and Lilly died November 11, 1918. Charles "Taddy" lived in Oregon with his wife Mamie and son, Bill. Taddy died August 27, 1966. Will, who lived alone in Valentine, died in January 1969.
Della married Julius Andrew Jensen, January 2, 1906, and he died July 18, 1957. His parents were full-blooded Danes who came to America by ship from Copenhagen, Denmark.
Della and Julius raised five children: Bert was born January 8, 1907; Paul, November 29, 1909, was killed in an auto accident in 1953 at the age of 42 and left a wife and three children; Eunice Vivian, January 12, 1911, has a daughter Reva and lives in Greeley, Colorado; Louis R., March 14, 1913, has two sons in Portland, Oregon; and Julius A., March 18, 1919-December 10, 1966, had three children and lived at China Lake, California.
Della Jensen (who original wrote this in 1966) lived in Merriman and died December 24, 1977 at 94 years. She was buried in Merriman with her husband, sister Lillie, son Paul, and her Grandmother Hicks. --Della Elnora Jensen--
Old Log Cabin Where Leander Creek Runs Into the Niobrara River
From A SANDHILL CENTURY (the Cherry County history book, written in 1985), story of Ira and Elizabeth Nichols
In the early 1800's, a Mrs. Higgins came to America from England. She and her husband had sold their home in preparation for the move. Her husband gave her a ticket and passport, and told her he would meet her at the ship. They had two daughters, a baby and two-year-old Ester.
When Mr. Higgins didn't arrive at the ship, Mrs. Higgins came to America without him and joined a caravan to Ohio, but he wasn't there either. She left Ester at Rehobeth, Ohio, with people named Lyle, and she and the baby returned to the East Coast in search of her husband. They were never heard from again.
Annie Lyle, a girl of 16, adopted Ester Higgins. Ester married William M. Pace, and they had nine children of whom three were Charles S., Newton W., and Elizabeth (Lettie). They moved to what was later Lyle, Minnesota, named after Annie Lyle's father, a Mower County judge.
Elizabeth Ann Pace married Ira Burnett Nichols, and they had four children: Charles Strong "Tad," July 27, 1875; William Leslie "Will," March 11, 1877; Della Elnora, November 21, 1883; and Newton Burnett "Bert," April 14, 1889.
In the spring of 1884, the family came to Nebraska to spend the winter at O'Neil and then traveled on to Merriman, which wasn't much of a town. Ira and Elizabeth settled on the Niobrara River nine miles south of Merriman in 1885, and another daughter, Mary Lillian, was born on Elizabeth's birthday, February 2, 1886.
While Ira was building a log house, the family lived in Thomas Hoskiss' dugout in a hillside, with a small lean-to built over it. Hoskiss lived up Leander Creek, and the old Nichols home stood where the creek enters the Niobrara. Ira later built a new log house which Jack Cobb now owns and keeps in repair.
The first log house had a dirt floor with a roof of tar paper covered with sod. Elizabeth put down a homemade rag rug in the bedroom, but it soon rotted on the dirt floor.
First, the family was plagued by fleas, and while Elizabeth was ill with the old lagripp (Spanish Flu), a family named Timms spent the night and left head and body lice. The girls were little with long hair, so their brother Charles doused their heads with coal oil and boiled all of the clothing. He even boiled his sister Lillie's red flannel undershirts which shrunk up to nothing, but the lice were gone.
Later, the bedbugs came. Ira hadn't taken the time to debark the logs and the bark made a wonderful hiding place. The bedbugs nearly ate the family during the night, so Elizabeth and the boys removed all the chinking from the logs, barked the logs, burned the bark, and scalded the walls with lye water. Then they whitewashed the walls with lime, and they were rid of the bedbugs and fleas.
During the trip to Nebraska, Elizabeth had driven a span of mules on a covered wagon and Ira had drived a team of horses on another. Ira traded the horses for six cows, 12 sheep, and $200, but kept the mules. He also bought a long-horned team of oxen named Tom and Jerry. Later, he bought a team of horses, Ned and Daisy with a little colt. The boys took turns working for Mr. Hourz near Gordon to pay for them.
The herd of sheep and cows grew to a nice size, and Elizabeth made butter in wooden tubs furnished by an Omaha firm, which bought the butter when it was delivered to meet the evening passenger train in Merriman. It was good butter, and she received ten cents a pound as well as six cents per dozen for eggs.
The children milked the cows and herded the sheep, cows, and horses, until fences could be built. One was kept busy chasing other peoples' cattle from their land.
Ira Nichols was born August 20, year unknown, and he died December 4, 1934 at Hot Springs, South Dakota. Nothing is known of his parents who migrated from Scotland to Illinois. Ira was a private in Company G, 17th Illinois Cavalry during the Civil War, and his two brothers were also veterans. William Pace, Elizabeth's father, served during the Civil War with the company which buried the dead.
The Nichols children all married and led normal lives. Bert died August 29, 1942 and Lilly died November 11, 1918. Charles "Taddy" lived in Oregon with his wife Mamie and son, Bill. Taddy died August 27, 1966. Will, who lived alone in Valentine, died in January 1969.
Della married Julius Andrew Jensen, January 2, 1906, and he died July 18, 1957. His parents were full-blooded Danes who came to America by ship from Copenhagen, Denmark.
Della and Julius raised five children: Bert was born January 8, 1907; Paul, November 29, 1909, was killed in an auto accident in 1953 at the age of 42 and left a wife and three children; Eunice Vivian, January 12, 1911, has a daughter Reva and lives in Greeley, Colorado; Louis R., March 14, 1913, has two sons in Portland, Oregon; and Julius A., March 18, 1919-December 10, 1966, had three children and lived at China Lake, California.
Della Jensen (who original wrote this in 1966) lived in Merriman and died December 24, 1977 at 94 years. She was buried in Merriman with her husband, sister Lillie, son Paul, and her Grandmother Hicks. --Della Elnora Jensen--