Early Days in
 By Mrs. Lon Kelly (nee Amanda Messersmith)  In the year 1884 my father, T. J. Messersmith and my oldest brother, Marion took up land in Frontier County, Nebr., near the Russell post office (now discontinued). They lived six months on this land. They broke up a small piece of land. Father built a two room sod house and Marion built a small one room sod house. They hauled water from Mr. Westropes a mile away. The family was still in Gage County, Nebr., near Odell, when their sod houses were completed with boards for windows, they came back home with their team and wagon, and had a sale and prepared to move west, which we did in the month of February, 1885.
Talk about hard times we surely did see them. It would be useless to try to mention them all. My brothers, Marion and Tommy drove through with the team and brought a few necessary things, such as stoves and bedding. The rest of the family which consisted of father, mother and eight children came by train to Cambridge. My two eldest sisters being married; they did not come with us. We were met at the train by the boys, and it took us all day long and into the night to get out to our new home. The snow was deep and the road was like cattle trails. They ran all around over the prairie and ridges. We traveled for miles and got no place. The boys had put the stoves up, so we spread the bedding down on the dirt floor and went to bed. However, we did not continue to live that way many weeks; as soon as the weather would permit they went to Cambridge and got lumber and put floors in the house and made some bedsteads.
Imagine twelve of us living in two little sod rooms, but before spring opened up we made the acquaintance of several neighbors, namely Mr. Scott and family, Mr. Binger and wife, Mr. Kyle and family, and Mr. Harry Jones and wife, who managed the Russell post office. Immediately I went to work for the Jones' and stayed there five months. There I met and made many friends as they came from far and near for their mail. Tommy and I continued to work away for almost two years; Tommy receiving $20.00 per month and I received $10.00 per month of which we would turn most all of it to the folks at home to live on.
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In the winter of 1886 I taught school in Mr. Hinman's one room sod house before there was a district organized in the county. There were twelve of school age in a six mile square, and the parents just privately hired me to teach them. Oft times the snow was so deep that fir days there wouldn't be more than two or three there.
In the spring of 1885 father bought a team of oxen and put my brother Harry out to break prairie with them. They glided along very nicely for sometime and Harry got a number of acres turned over, but when the weather got warm the oxen didn't believe in working much. Early of a morning they would do fine, but when the day begun to get warm they would come to the house bringing Harry and all regardless of how hard Harry would try to keep them. Harry and the oxen, however got a great many acres of land under cultivation, and we were very proud to have a fine sod crop that year.
With all the ups and downs we had lots of pleasures, for the whole country was like one big family. We had a nice union Sunday school, and people would come for ten miles around. We had parties of different types and dances. Sometimes even dances on the dirt floor.
I am happy to say our family is not scattered as badly as some families that I have known. Tommy and myself are the only two who live out of the state of Nebraska. Tommy and family for several years have lived at Malmo, Minn., and Oklahoma's lovely sun has shown upon me for thirty-five years. Mr. Kelly passed away eleven years ago last May. My oldest sister, Orpha, or Mrs. D. A. Armstrong had lived at Warrensburg, Mo., for several years prior to her death in the year 1914. My next sister, Emma, or Mrs. S. G. Foster is living near Orafino, Nebraska. (Katie) Mrs. Ed Heart is living at Lincoln, Nebraska. Mary, or Mrs. Charles Bray is at Mitchell, Nebraska, George is at Curtis, Nebraska, Lucy, or Mrs. Will Atkisson and Andy Messersmith are both at North Platte, Nebraska and as everyone knows Harry and Lonnie are there at Farnam. Father, mother, Marion, Orpha, and our baby sister Tenia, or Mrs. Clyde Thompson have all been called to their heavenly home where their toils and sorrows have ceased.
I often wonder how mother endured all she had to, for in February 1887 the stork brought our baby brother Andy; which made frontier life that much harder for mother, with its lack of money.
I would be so happy to be there at the Anniversary.
1886
1936
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Web Publisher: Weldon Hoppe