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Centennial History Book
Every community has cherished REMINISCENCES
ITEMS OF INTEREST THAT I REMEMBER
Mrs. Nora LaBounty
I’ll try to recall a few things, which I can of early history of Farnam and its community.
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. F. Rolph, son, Clayton, and two daughters, Frederecka and Lillian, came to Lexington by train from Westfield, New York, then onto the Farnam territory by wagon and horses, where only grass grew on the ground. This was in the spring of 1884. Other residents of that time were Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Tufts and daughters, Dora F., who married Wm. F. Johnston, another Tufts girl, Minnie, who later married Sam F. Parker. Those people, as I recall, were from a Pennsylvania group or colony from Bradford, Pennsylvania. It seems to me that several came from other localities; an Ohio 242 group from near Cleveland. Among these were G. B. Dryden, wife and three daughters, Kittie, Gertrude, and Helen; Gertrude who married Harry Taylor, their son, Byron Taylor, who still lives in Farnam. R. C. Perkins, C. G. Nickerson, and two later ones who returned in a few years to their native state. Other party settlers were Wesley Thompson, Owen’s father, J. R. Shaw, Aaron Stull, two McDermott boys, Steve and Tom, two sisters, Polly and Rose; Rose married Judd Burrow, (their daughter became Mrs. Harve McNickle’s first wife). Henry and Anson Holderman lived in the northeastern community.
Few schools were carried and only three months in the fall.
My earliest remembrance in the fall of 1890 is a sod building east of town, south of R. W. Reynolds home now of the Dean Reynolds. The teacher was a Miss Hayden. My father, Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Crossgrove, my brother, Merle, M. J. Hunt, a cousin, John Crossgrove, of Westfield, New York, came to Farnam in March, 1885; father and Uncle Will both took claims at North Platte, on land in Lincoln County, Section 12, Township 9, Range 26, the north half. Later years, father bought the south half of 12, the Prireett tree claim and the Norgren homestead. Father owned Section 12 for years and sold it to Emil Krepcik in later years.
The earliest business house on the west side of the street in Farnam that I remember was the Woods Brick Front Hotel and there was a meat market. They were both located on the lots where the Co-Op Station is today.
I remember that G. B. Dunton, his daughter, Pansy, and Herb Stilley, C. Bradshaw, Cora and Pearl Caley, and brother, Del Caley, were the earliest singers for quartets for funerals and special days.
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Ralston brought State Bank to Farnam, some little time before 1903. They were on the east side of the street then. I was treasurer of our high school class and I deposited our money in it, then.
C. R. Gastineau was an early depot agent and became cashier of the State Bank later.
S. F. Parker was the first cashier of the Farnam Bank. M. C. Divoll and E. T. Buss had an early grocery store. It was the forerunner of the Best Place Mercantile Company. Those two and W. G. Parker were those that gave books to members of high school graduates.
I went to work July 1st, 1903, as cashier there after my May graduation from high school. I worked only six months as I was having trouble with my eyes.
Early in 1904, Merle brought whooping cough to us at home. Mother coughed as hard as we kids but no whoops. Sister Mary was very ill with pneumonia at one time and I was very ill. In recovery, Mary’s hair had to be cut off. She felt very terrible about that because it wasn’t very fashionable to have very short hair; but she did recover quite rapidly aftewards.
I was born November 29th, 1885, of course, I don’t remember that, but I do remember walking to school in the fall of 1900. I walked across the Eckstein place and looked into their pot holes (buffalo wallows) in that pasture.
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