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"Rosewood School Historical Sketch"

Transcribed from the The Nemaha County Herald, July 11. 1946

Thursday, June 27, Mrs. Hugh Stoddard entertained a few of the pupils who attended Rosewood school in its early day. The after­noon was spent in recalling in­teresting incidents of pioneer, life in this community. Those present were Mrs. Fred Kiechel, Mrs. Martha Aldrich, Mrs. Nerva Butterfield, Mrs. Anna Hawley, and Mrs. Cora Sapp. These ladies had all helped Mrs. Stoddard in pre­paration of a sketch of Rosewood school, which was submitted to the State Historical Society. This was the first opportunity the ladies had had of hearing the completed story.

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At the close of the Civil War, there was quite a rush westward of people taking advantage of the Homestead Act which Congress had passed in 1862. About the year 1865, we find that many families began settling in the western part or Nemaha County, Nebraska. Among the first people to settle in the community known later as "Rosewood" were the William H. Hawley, Andrew Schaefer, and Paul Cuhman families. As time went on we find the following settlers establishing homes in or near this locality: David K. Farnam. A. M. T. Zook, Haite, Henry Leck, Daniel Huston, William Adams. Peter Smith, John E. Walton, Jonathan Edmundson, Daniel Houchins, Lawrence and William Clark. Farther south, in what was later called the Clifton neighborhood, were the Benton Aldrich, Julius Gilbert, Richard A. Hawley, Barton Coryell, Richard Coryell, and Benjamin Fredenberg families.

On March fifth, 1866, neighbors gathered to organize a school dis­trict. Known at first as Sub-dis­trict No. 4, Lafayette Township, Nemaha County. Nebraska, it was later District 11 of Nemaha County. At this meeting the qualified vot­ers appointed John E. Walton, chairman, and Andrew Schaefer, secretary. The following men were elected directors: William H. Hawley, David K. Farnam, and Andrew Schaefer. The voters de­cided to build a school house "six­teen feet wide, twenty-two feet long, one story high, with five twelve-light windows and one door." Andrew Schaefer was chair­man of the building committee.

The voters decided to hold a school for three months in a house be­longing to Mr. Zook, for which they were to pay six dollars a month.

Emile Berlet gave the use of the ground for the site of the school building, which was located about the middle of Section 27, in the east part of Lafayette Precinct, Nemaha County, Nebraska. It was on the north side of the half-mile road.

Children from many pioneer homes walked across the prairie— often quite a distance—to attend "Schaefer's School". There were few Schools in the community at this time: Lafayette, north of Brock, had been held for several years; Chiton began in 1868. The first frame school building in District 4 had no permanent foundation; it was equipped with a "boughten" desk for the teacher, but the pupils' desks were home-made. Each child was required to furnish his own books; therefore, children in the same class did not necessarily read from the same kind of reader. Each Friday night the books were stored in the teacher's desk, unless taken home by the pupils. There were two terms of school each year; a fall term of four months, a spring and summer term of three months. A girl of sixteen or seventeen might be the teacher and have pupils older than herself. Children of all ages attended; also children from other districts might visit a week or two until their own school started.

When, in 1873, the first school house burned to the ground, the teacher's desk—and all the books stored within—was saved. That summer while school was held in the granary on the John Thomas farm, "Uncle" Peter Smith quar­ried stone and laid a foundation for a new building which was lo­cated on the site of the former one. It was twenty by twenty-eight feet; one story high. The ceiling was of inch boards and unplastered. The windows were twelve-paned.

The new school was named by the first Mrs. Peter Berlet. She was a great reader and the name, Rosewood, from some source, ap­pealed to her.

Apparently no permanent rec­ords were kept of the school for many years, excepting the minutes of the annual meetings. In 1888 a grade record book was provided for recording pupils' standings. Even after that, the records were sometimes incomplete. Attendance records shows large enrollments at Rosewood. In September, 1888, when Elmer Good was the teacher, there were forty-six pupils on the roll; ten of these were sixteen years of age or older. One, twenty-five years. The children were divid­ed into three groups: Primary, intermediate, and; Grammar. Occasionally there was a pupil enrolled in an Advanced Grade. After each pupil's record there was a place for the teacher's remarks. Such re-ports as ''quick and bright", "a good boy," "lacks enterest,"{sic} or "left school for work," gave the next teacher hints as to what to expect from her pupils. Subjects taught by Mr. Good were: Reading, Grammar, Arithmetic, Geography, History, Physiology, Bookkeeping, and Orthography.

The next spring a three-month term was held beginning April 1st, with Ella L. Cain as teacher. There were only twenty-seven pupils enrolled—not one over the age of thirteen. Evidently the older boys and girls were too busy working to attend school.

Most of the teachers who lived too far away to drive or ride horse­back to school, boarded at the Emile Berlet home, not because Mrs. Berlet wanted them—with hired men to do for—but because when the teacher showed up in the fall with bag and baggage, she always took her in.

In 1894, when Mr. A. P; Wilson, Jr., was the teacher, a full nine months of school was held, this being the first time in Rosewood's history that school had held con­tinuously over a period of eight or nine months.

There was no well on the school grounds in the early days, so water was carried from the Berlet or Donze home. It was a great privilege to have permission to "pass the water" a time or two during school hours. A pupil passed along the aisles carrying water pail and dapper. No one thought of drinking during recess and no one had ever heard of such a thing as germs in a drinking cup.

Mrs. Cora Sapp, nee Cora Haw­ley, recalls a prank a boy played one day. He came early to school, chalked his face, very white, climbed into the attic and shut the trap door after him. Soon little Alice Berlet came into the build­ing; the boy pushed aside the boards and peered down at her. When she saw the "ghost", Alice ran shrieking home to mamma.

In the fall, the prairie was beautiful with goldenrod; the younger girls liked to gather huge armfuls of the flowers and decor­ate a certain little building on the grounds. Children hunted the Compass plant (rosin weed) to collect the exuding rosin; it made good gum after a bit of chewing. Mrs. Martha Aldrich said, "We Campbell children were delighted with it; we carried home big 'chews' of this gum to store away for winter enjoyment. We had an old dipper almost full of it when our father discovered it and burn­ed it."

The pupils liked to tell stories of imaginary and real dangers. The buffalo wallows were "bottom­less pits; if you fell in, you'd never be fished out!" Gypsies who camped occasionally on the school grounds fascinated and frightened the children who were sure that "once the gypsies got you, nobody would ever find you again." Each year after their beans, corn, and pumpkins were harvested for the winter, the Pawnee Indians, from the southeastern part of Nebraska, went north to visit the Winnebagoes or other tribes in Nebraska and South Dakota. This annual trek led them along an old Indian trail across the Emile Berlet farmstead. Often they camped on the school grounds seeking the shelter and privacy of the tall black locust hedge which surrounded the acre of ground. Although the children of the community just could not keep away from the Indian camp, no child ever dared to leave his group lest he "disappear and never be heard of again."  Eagle eyes kept watch, too, of pet dogs for fear the Indians would "coax them away from home".

As years passed. Rosewood saw many changes inside and out. The little, old twelve-light windows were replaced by the modern two-paned type. In 1893 the board members voted to have a large porch built on the south end of the building, replacing the small entry. This porch, enclosed, made bins for cobs and coal. In 1903, a school library was started at Rosewood; books were purchased for it from time to time. In 1908 a new floor was laid; two years later a Smith heating plant was installed. This type of Stove called for a new chimney; also a plastered ceiling. After several attempts to strike water, a well was finished in 1910. In 1911 the old double desks, which had been purchased after the former building burned, were replaced by new, individual seats.

Rosewood was reputed to be one of the best schools in the county, with good equipment and well-prepared teachers. In the summer of 1920, Rosewood was merged with Brock, Pete White, Elm Grove, Lafayette, and Cottonwood, under the new redistricting law, to form Consolidated District 14. For several years, school was maintained in the country school houses as previously except that now they were under the supervision of the Superintendent of Schools and music teacher at Brock.

In 1925, the Brock school burned; a modern building was erected to accommodate the entire consolidated school. Buses were purchased and all children transported to Brock. In the summer of 1926, the five country school buildings were sold at auction by the Brock Consolidated School District. Mrs. Nella Stoddard bought Rosewood, hired it moved to her farm, and converted it into a dwelling for her son, Hugh.

In pioneer days, the school house and homes became centers for social and religious life; thus we find that Rosewood served the community in many ways other than as a school. Young and old alike traveled in wagons, in bobsleds, on horseback, and afoot, to gatherings of all kinds. Meetings in one district were attended by folk from other sections.

Although it was the custom for patrons to visit the school Often, they received a special invitation to attend an "exhibition" given at the close of each school term, Of course these programs, consisting of dialogues, recitations, and songs, were, free; each child did his best to show how well he could recite his "piece". People came to these "exhibitions" from near and far; they brought their lanterns and hung them up beside the lighted bracket lamps in the school house.

To the pioneer the school house was also a religious center. People of all denominations met here for Sunday School; leaders of different faiths took turns in conducting church services. On October 31st, 1870, a Baptist church, called "Zion Hill", was organized at Rosewood. The "brothers" whose names appear on the record of this meeting are: William H. Hawley, Peter Smith, Jonathan Edmundson, and Daniel Houchins. The "sisters" were: Ann Edmundson, Eliza Hawley, and Eliza Smith. Occa­sionally, the Baptists held "pro­tracted" meetings at Rosewood; the converts from these revivals received their immersions in the Little Nemaha River, just above the mill dam north of Brock where the bottom of the stream was paved with rock. The Baptists held their church services at Rosewood until a building was erected at Brock. The dedication of this new church building was held Novem­ber 5, 1882. At this time another organized group of Baptists, who had been meeting west of Brock at Union school, joined with the "Zion Hill" folk to form the Brock Baptist church.

Sometimes members of the "Church of Christ" met at Rosewood. These folk had organized in 1889, at the Richard A. Hawley home in Clifton neighborhood. The families who met first for this purpose were the Richard Hawley, Barton and Richard Coryell, Julius Gilbert, and Benjamin Fredenberg families. The members of this faith had their immersions in a natural basin at a spring near the Richard Coryell home. In 1889, a Christian Church was organized in Campbell's Hall at Brock, with eighteen charter members. In 1892 they built a neat little church, which enlarged, is still in use.

Of all social activities of the pioneers, perhaps none was more popular than the singing schools. The early pupils of Rosewood re­call with pleasure the happy hours spent at such gatherings. One of the most pleasing singing teachers was John Bright, who organized and taught singing in evening schools. Mr. Bright married Miss Laura Snodgrass, a teacher of Rosewood. Mrs. John Deuser, nee Alice Berlet, remembers that John Bright would come for Laura on Fridays. He came early sometimes, for she recalls sitting between them in one of the double seats during recess and listening to the two singing together. At another time, Professor Ed Lippett, from the Peru State Normal, conducted singing schools at Rosewood and other centers.

Ciphering matches, spell-downs, and writing schools were evening social events held at Rosewood. This school often challenged an­other school—Linden, Clifton, or Brock—to a friendly contest in spelling or ciphering. Mrs. Nerva Butterfield, nee Nerva Gilbert, re­calls that the writing schools were held in the evenings; the young people who attended paid for their lessons. At one time she won a gold pen given by the teacher, John Leck, for the greatest improvement in writing.

In the early years of its history, Rosewood was the meeting place of a Grange which held a gathering once a month. This lodge was at­tended by women as well as men; the topics discussed pertained to agriculture. In 1871 the Grange held an oyster supper; the soup was made in a wash boiler at the Donze home and carried over to the school house. Mrs. Fred Kiechel who was eleven-year-old Vina Donze at the time, recalls the in­cident of the soup-making in her mother's kitchen.

In collecting facts from school records and other sources, and in visiting with pioneers who knew Rosewood and its patrons years ago, many bits of personal history have been learned. Perhaps some of the stories of these early pio­neers who built the community around Rosewood, will prove of interest.

William H. Hawley, born Febru­ary 22, 1830, in Kent, England, was a life-long farmer. He came to the United States in 1849, locating in Wisconsin, where he married Eliza Walton. In 1861 he brought his family to Nebraska. Mr. Haw­ley began here with scarcely a dollar, hauling wood for $1.25, in order to pay entry fee of $14. He was one of the first to agitate the herd-law question, and through his influence, stock in Lafayette and Glen Rock Townships were placed under a law quite similar to that now in force throughout the state. The Hawley family lived in Brownville until 1864 when Mr. Hawley had made improvements enough to call his farm his home. Mr. Hawley was a leader in the organization of a new Baptist church. He served almost continu­ously for twenty-five years as a school officer. His son, Richard T., and his grandson, J. W., both served many years on the school board at Rosewood. Mrs. Anna Hawley, widow of R. T. Hawley, lives on the home place with her son, Charles, and family.

Andrew Schaefer, for whom the school was first named, came to Nemaha County when there were very few people living in the western part of the county. His home_; one of the first frame houses in this locality, was built entirely of cottonwood lumber hauled from a sawmill on the Missouri river near Peru. This house was located in Section 27, on what is now known as the Dr. Jack farm near Brock.

Fred Kiechel, Mr. Schaefer's step-son, wrote in "Reminiscences of Pioneer Days": "I was born, January 10th, 1856, in Alsace. When I was two years old, my father died and my mother, with her three small children, again rejoined her father's household. In 1859 this family group emigrated to America. Eventually we came to New York. From here we travel­ed by train and river boat until after many weary days and nights we arrived at the old river land­ing called Rock Bluffs, below what is now Plattsmouth. Nebraska had been organized as a territory only six years before." Two years later Fred's mother was married to Andrew Schaefer.

Joseph Donze, who was born in France, emigrated to America in 1858, and settled in Illinois, in 1868 the family traveled west; a year later they moved into the Rosewood district. A frame house was built almost directly across the road from the school. Mrs. Joseph Donze's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Francois Berlet, and her two brothers came to Nebraska at the same time as the Donze family. They crossed the Missouri river with their covered wagons and teams at Nebraska City. The two sons, Peter and Emile, established homes; Peter in Section 28, on the south side of the road: Emile, just west of the, Donze home. Both Peter and Emile were farmers and cattle raisers; as time went on they bought more land and had men to help with the herding and feed­ing of cattle. Today many acres of fine farm land are still owned by the Berlet family.

Mrs. Fred Kiechel, nee Vina Donze, has a wonderful memory and recalls much of her early life in this community to which she came at the age of seven. She states: "There was a nearly, new school house when we came here in 1869. At that time the teacher was Mr. Andrew, Frank Chard's great-grandfather. There were many pupils because this was the only school for many miles around." Mrs. Kiechel remembers that their neighbors to the east—the Haite family who bought the forty acres that Zook owned—planted willows in the swamps; Mr. Haite made baskets that were so attractive he could not supply the demand.

Mrs. Kiechel's recollection of the fire are quite vivid. On this particular Sunday, religious ser­vices had been held as usual at Rosewood. The Emile Berlet family was away for the day and grand­father Berlet was visiting at the Donze home. About five o'clock, Mr. Berlet decided to go home to do "chores". It was then he looked across at the school house and saw flames coming from the building. It was thought that an over-heated stove on this cold day was responsible for the fire. The Donze family was alert at once. Mr. Joseph Donze, a powerfully built man, ran and broke in the locked door of the building. He yanked up the teacher's desk which was nailed to the floor; he and his son, Henry—a strong lad of fif­teen—carried it to safety. The building burned completely; Rich­ard A. Hawley hauled the ashes away for hog feed. That summer, Vina remembers, when "Uncle" Peter Smith quarried the stone and laid the foundation for a new school building; her mother sent her over with a cool drink every time a fresh bucket of water was drawn.

In 1879 Fred; Kiechel and Vina (Emma Alvina Donze) were mar­ried, this marriage being the cul­mination of a friendship establish­ed at Rosewood, where both bride and groom had received their early schooling. The marriage lines were read by Rev. Jones, the United Brethren minister from Linden. Two years later, the Kiechels bought a farm near Johnson, where in 1929, they celebrated their gold­en wedding anniversary. Mrs. Kiechel, now past eighty-four years of age, still lives on a farm near Johnson with her son, Ray­mond Kiechel, and family.

On a tombstone in Clifton ceme­tery, the site for which was do­nated in 1868 by Julius Gilbert, we read: "John A. Thomas, died November 28, 1878, aged 65 years, 5 months, and 29 days." Mr. Thomas was one of the early sett­lers near "Schaefer's School", coming here sometime prior to March 1868. He, his wife, Druscilla, and their three children—Archie, James Edward and Lizzie—moved on a homestead in Section 28 and built their house across the road north and a little east of the Peter Berlet home. Here they started the arduous task of breaking sod and beginning to farm. In the minutes of one of the school meet­ings we read that Mr. Thomas was elected director of the school. Mrs. Kiechel and Mrs. Butterfield re­call many visits to this hospitable home, where, as Mrs. Kiechel says, "Mrs. Thomas was a wonderful cook; she could make a fine meal out of almost nothing!"

Peter Smith, born at Gloucester, England, June 2, 1819, came to America in 1845. He settled at Janesville, Wisconsin, where he worked for Julius Gilbert. His wife-to-be was still in England; Peter remarked so often that he wished "his Lizzie" could come to America that at last Mr. Gilbert offered to advance money for her passage to this country. In due time word came that Eliza was at Milwaukee, Wisc. Poor Peter had no means of traveling; also he could not afford to quit his work to go get "his Lizzie". Finally he arranged with a neighbor, who was taking a load of grain to Mil­waukee, to look-up the young wo­man and bring her back with him. True to his word, the man hunted until he found Eliza, who had found work in a hotel. She was very much disappointed that Peter had not come for her. The neighbor explained but it made no differ­ence, he could not persuade Eliza to return with him—a perfect stranger. "If Peter wants me, let him come for me himself!" Thus spoke "Lizzie". At last the hotel manager and the near-by mer­chants helped persuade Eliza to make the trip. Peter and "his Liz­zie" were married. Later the Smith family moved to Kansas, but as Peter was not in sympathy with slave owners, he found his neigh­bors very hostile. They ran him out; Peter, blood slushing from his shoes, escaped by way of the Mis­souri River to the safety of Brownville. It was well over a year be­fore he had earned enough to send for his family with whom he was reunited in 1857. On April, 1865, Peter Smith took a homestead of one hundred sixty acres of land in Section 34 and 35 in Lafayette Precinct. A year later, he moved his family to the new location, where they lived in a cave in the creek bank until Peter quarried stone on his farm and built a house. This rock house still stands.

Isaac, the oldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Smith, was married to Celia Adams, whose parents cross­ed the Missouri river on the ice near Peru in the spring of 1865. Not realizing about dangerous floods along the river, the Adams family settled on bottom land; it was not long until they had to move quickly to save themselves. After living on a farm near Peru for several years, the Adams fam­ily moved to a place near the Little Nemaha, not far from Brock. After their marriage, Isaac and Celia lived in Nebraska for several years, finally coming to live on one of the forties in the original homestead. Mrs. Celia Smith now makes her home at Table Rock, Nebr. On May 23rd, 1945, Mrs. Smith was ninety-one years of age. Her sister, Cora (Mrs. R. M. Campbell), recalls many of the dangers and hardships the fam­ily experienced in pioneer days. Miss Cora Adams taught two terms of school at Rosewood, the first in 1882.

Thomas Smith, brother of Isaac, married Ella Hawley and esta­blished his home a half mile north of the stone house. Ella, who had come to Nebraska at the age of two years with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Hawley, was one of the first pupils to attend the school later called Rosewood. She recalls that, after the burn­ing of the first building, she walk­ed to the Thomas farmstead and attended school in the granary. Mrs. Smith still lives on the ori­ginal forty to which she went when first married. On September 3rd, 1946, she will be eighty-six years of age.

Another friendship which began at Rosewood and culminated into marriage was that of John Deuser and Alice Berlet. John's parents were pioneers who had come to Brownville in 1863. Mr. Deuser had opened up a hardware store which he operated for many years before moving to a farm east of Rosewood. John rode a horse from Glenrock vicinity to attend school at Rosewood.

In the spring of 1871, a covered wagon and two pair of oxen— "Buck" and "Berry", "Tom" and "Jerry"—came to a forced halt at Nebraska City. The oxen had given out. Mr. J. M. Campbell, owner of this equipment, had left Danville, Ill., and headed westward with his five motherless children. Mr. Campbell was a real pioneer for he had been to Nebraska fifteen years before this—when there was nothing but "red Indians and buf­faloes". Now his destination was his claim in the Republican River valley. Fear that the family was contracting mumps, and the fact that someone had jumped his claim, made Mr. Campbell decide to remain in the vicinity now known as Brock. His children lived for a while with the Ad Bird fam­ily; in the fall they walked across the prairie to "Schaefer's School". They felt timid and lonesome until they made friends among the other pupils. When Emma Hawley fussed with and smoothed Rachel Campbell's curls, it delighted Ra­chel; soon she was out with the rest gathering flowers near the school. Mr. Campbell had a store for many years in Brock; after his death, his daughter, Rachel, took over the business and kept store until 1943. Three of the "Campbell sisters", Mrs. Martha Aldrich, Mrs. Belle Marcellus, and Mrs. Rachel Ball, make their home in Brock. The fourth sister, Mrs. Ella Eller, lives in Louisville. R. M. (Dolph) Campbell resides in Auburn. All five are past eighty years of age.

The John Walton home was just south of Peter Smith's. Old-timers remember Mrs. Jane Walton as "the largest woman they ever saw". Although over four hundred pounds in weight, she could get into the saddle and ride a horse very well. Her father, Mr. Hickey, weighed over five hundred pounds; he suffered so with the heat that he spent most of his summers in the cellar. When folks wished to give an idea of his height they would say that Mr. Hickey could rest his elbow on the stovepipe at Rosewood. He and his two daughters, both of whom were very heavy, were "show" people. The John Walton family raised sugar cane and made molasses to sell. Mrs. Nerva Butterfield remembers that her family went to buy molasses of the Waltons.

In April, 1863, Mr. and Mrs. Benton Aldrich and three children arrived at their new home—a forty acres one mile south of the William Hawley place. Mr. Aldrich, who had previously purchased his land from the government, was a farmer and horticulturist; he raised berries, peaches, and apples. Mrs. Aldrich, ever ready to help in times of sickness, was often called to assist at births. The Clifton Post Office was established in the Aldrich home in 1869. In 1876, a library, comprising over seven hundred volumes and circulating among sixty-nine families, was housed in the Aldrich home. Mr. Aldrich was librarian and treasur­er of the Library Association. When the organization disbanded many years later, some of the books were taken back by their owners, but there remain many old books of the library in the home of Mrs. Cremora Aldrich, widow of Benton's youngest son, Alfred. Their daughter, Margaret Miller Aldrich, cherishes these books.

Another pioneer family that came in 1867 and settled in the community now known as Clifton, was the Julius Gilbert family. Mr. Gilbert, who married Ann E. Coryell in Wisconsin, bought a homestead right, three-fourths of a mile west of what is now Coryell Park. He was a feeder of cattle on a large scale. He served as County Surveyor for four years. Mr. Gilbert was a great music-lover; almost from the very first he invited his neighbors to his home, where with the use of a homemade blackboard, he taught them to sing by note. Mrs. Nella Stoddard, nee Nella Aldrich, re­called with pleasure the happy hours at this singing school. Both Gilbert boys, Charles and Frank, had violins; Nerva, the older daughter, was given a little organ when she was seventeen. James R. Dye, violinist and music teacher from Nemaha, often stayed over­night at the Gilbert home. He said to Mr. Gilbert, "I have a little organ for about seventy-five dollars that you ought to buy for Nerva." Mr. Gilbert purchased the organ; Nerva had a few lessons from Fanny Arnold; daughter of Dr. Arnold of Brownville. Soon Nerva and her organ were much in demand. The organ was loaded into a wagon and taken to many meetings. Nerva became Mrs. E. N. Butterfield and went to live on a farm two and a half miles north of Rohrs. Now past eighty-five years of age, Mrs. Butterfield makes her home on this farm with her son, Woodford, and family.

Mr. Gilbert opened his home to religious services; people came from far and near. The Smedley and Black families came from Charter Oak neighborhood. Seats were made by placing boards on boxes, then covering with blan­kets. Mr. Gilbert was a ready speaker and often conducted these meetings himself.

This family was linked with the Donze family by two marriages. Frank Gilbert married Mary Pau­line Donze in 1882; Fred Donze and Jennie Gilbert were wed in 1892. Both couples celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversaries.

About three miles south of Brock on the site of the Coryell pioneer home is located the very lovely Coryell Park which Mr. and Mrs. L. L. Coryell, Sr., planned, built, and presented to the public as a memorial to their pioneer par­ents, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Coryell and Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Parker. Richard Coryell, wife and baby, George, came here from Wisconsin in 1867, traveling in a covered wagon pulled by a pair of mules. L. L. Coryell, second son, tells that at one time, drought, grasshoppers, sickness of the family, death of their only cow, and no resources to live, would have forced the family to return to relatives, had it not been for the kindness of J. M. Campbell in extending them credit for groceries to live on through another winter.

Many more interesting incidents connected with pioneer life are re­vealed in the memorials the Coryells have placed in this park.

Mrs. Hugh Stoddard, Rt. 1, Auburn, Nebr.