THE FREMONT COUNTY HERALD
May 3, 1907
UNCLE LIGE IS AN OLD-TIMER.
E.R. Hawley of Percival Tells the Herald Man a
Few Things of the Long Ago.
E.R. Hawley of Percival is making a visit at the home of his son,
H..E. Hawley of this place and on last Wednesday as the elder
Hawley was passing about our streets, he called at the Herald
office and his brief stay was highly appreciated. Mr. Hawley is
one of the early settlers of Fremont county, having come to Civil
Bend near where Percival now stands in 1864 where he took a tract
of land and began its improvement. For many years his farm was
the only one fenced in that locality and very nearly all of the
Missouri bottom in Benton township was unbroken and the grass
grew in great abundance. About 1867 when the K.C. railroad was
built and Percival was established Mr. Hawley concluded to try
his fortune as a merchant and engaged in the grocery business
which he conducted for several years. He has been one of the
active men in bringing to bear many of the prosperous events of
Fremont county and has lived to see the fruits of his labors.
Time and space forbids an extended write-up of "Uncle
Lige" as he is familiarly known, and suffice to say that he
was in a reminiscent mood and feeling at his best so that his
jokes and "down east" expressions (being a Vermonter)
were listened to with the deepest interest. He never fails to
recall the incident of going with the Percival band to Council
Bluffs to play for a political rally. His grandfather, John
Hawley, was captain in the Revolutionary war and is said to have
been with George Washington. At the battle of Bennington,
Vermont, Captain Hawley distinguished himself for gallant service
and was presented by the ladies of that place, with a military
scarf which E.R. Hawley now has in his possession. Before taking
his departure from our office, Mr. Hawley spoke regarding his age
and stated that the 87th milestone was passed on the 31st of
March, 1907.
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THE SIDNEY ARGUS - HERALD
May 3, 1907
Two Sidney Boys Successful
A. W. and E. H. Rockwell who grew to manhood in Sidney have in
the past few years made a great financial success in the business
world, both of them being connected with the Sharples Separator
Company. A.W. holding the position of vice president and general
manger. The Chicago Record - Herald of Sunday April 28th
gives an account of A.W. Rockwell of West Chester, Pa., buying a
handsome residence property in Chicago for $45,000.
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THE FREMONT COUNTY HERALD
May 10, 1907
Mr. James Johnson departed Wednesday enroute for his home at
Kewanee, Illinois, after an extended visit with his daughter,
Mrs. W. N. Jarman. Mr. Johnson has passed his 88th milestone, yet
he enjoys very good health and expects to make his journey home
M.N. Spencer, of Red Oak, is in the city representing the foreign
creditors of J. M. Ellicott. Mr. Spencer conducted a country
store one mile east of where Randolph now is, in 1877. He was
engaged in the wholesale grocery business at Red Oak for several
years but is now retired. This office acknowledges a pleasant
call.
Automobile Balked
Charles Monson and wife came over from their home in Prairie
township yesterday in their automobile. The machine balked on the
Jordan hill east of town and Mr. Monson sent word to Shannon
& Axtell to come to his relief with a goodly supply of
gasoline and the firm responded to his call immediately and the
Monsons came into town under favorable circumstances. It is a
first-class machine and doubtless will give Mr. and Mrs. Monson
the greatest pleasure to be derived by rapid transit over the
highways.
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Transcribers notes:
N.B.: The top of Jordan Hill is the loess ridge east of Sidney on
the highway where it overlooks the Nishnabotna Valley. In fact,
the panorama to the east, northeast, southeast which one sees
from this vantage point made up what, around the beginning of the
1900's, was called the Nishna Valley neighborhood. The Monson's
lived on the east side of the Nishna Valley neighborhood.....When
the Monson's built a "shed" expressly for the purpose
of having something for storing their car in, the papers called
it the Monson's "car house".... The Monson's during the
1930's and 1940's ran a gasoline station along the highway at
their farm, it being the westernmost of the three along the
Sidney - Shenandoah stretch of No. 2. The Farwell's --we lived
about two and a half miles south--often would buy a loaf of bread
along with a few gallons of gasoline. (John Jorgenson also had a
gas station along the highway where it passed over Singleton
Creek, and the Teachout's (?) operated one after you descended
into the East Nishnabotna valley just west of Shenandoah.)--W.F.
Deer Creek post office had opened on April 7, 1871. When James W.
Jay petitioned for a post postoffice on Deer Creek on February
20, 1871, he said it would be located in the southwest quarter of
section 10 township 70 range 41 on the south bank of that creek,
about one and one-eighth mile from the West Nishnabotna
river....When Randolph was established in 1879, the postoffice
was changed to that place. --W.F.
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THE FREMONT COUNTY HERALD
May 31, 1907
A REMARKABLE FENCE
In passing the farm of W. H. Campbell just west of town ye
reporter halted to converse a moment with Mr. Campbell who was
working by the roadside. He had removed an old fence and replaced
it with a new one and the old posts that were taken up have
history as to the length of time they were in the ground. Mr.
Campbell was interested to know just when the posts were set so
called up W. L. VanEaton, Sr., whose father, Joshua VanEaton,
first settled upon the farm. Mr. VanEaton informed Mr. Campbell
that those posts were set in the fall of 1857 and that they were
sawed from select burr oak timber that came off of the land that
is now owned by Mrs. Sophia Campbell. The logs were hauled to a
mill that stood where A. F. Metelman's pasture now is and there
sawed by Jack VanEaton. The posts are 7 1/2 feet long and are in
a good state of preservation. The farm of 160 acres was enclosed
with a five board (burroak) fence and the posts set six feet
apart.