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Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Sutton's Primary City Ballot - 1920


This is the Sutton city ballot for the primary election in 1920 from the Citizens "party" caucus.




John J. Pershing's Favorite Son for President Ad

General John J. Pershing was a "Favorite Son" candidate for President of the United States from Nebraska.



H. O. Gemar's 1920 Talking Machine Business


A new business on Sutton's north side in 1920 was H. O. Gemar's store offering the "New Comfort" Talking Machines and OKEH Records.


From Wikipedia, the entry for Okeh records tells us:


Okeh Records is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916,[1] which branched out into phonograph records in 1918.[2] The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Otto K. E. Heinemann but later changed to "OKeh". Since 1926, Okeh has been a subsidiary of Columbia Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music. Okeh is a Jazz imprint distributed by Sony Masterworks, a specialty label of Columbia.

1920 George Rauscher & Son Grocery Ad


In March 1920, Melchoir Figi sold his interest in the Figi & Rauscher grocery concern. The firm continued in business as George Rauscher & Son.




1920 Sutton Advertising


1995 All-County Girls' Basketball Team

The 1995 All-County Girls' Basketball Team appeared in The Clay County News on March 30, 1995.


1995 All-County Boys' Basketball Team

The 1995 All-County Boys' Basketball Team appeared in The Clay County News on March 30, 1995.



1995 All-County Wrestlers


This group of young men were the 1995 All-County Wrestling team as selected by The Clay County News.



Sutton and the County Received Relief Aid in 1895

The Harvard Courier carried this item in March of 1895 describing an effort to obtain relief for people in Sutton and in Clay County.




More research uncovered that much of Nebraska suffered from sever drought during the '90's especially in 1894 and 1895. There were multiple relief programs for the farmers in the area.


Our area had also been the recipients of relief in 1874 when grasshoppers destroyed the crops and left settlers high, dry, and hungry. 




A. G. Israelson - Saronville reporter dies - 1945

Some Saronville news here. A. G. Israelson served for many years as the Saronville news reporter for the Harvard Courier, The Sutton News, and for Clay Center Papers.

A. G. (Andrew Grant) Israelson died April 3, 1945 at the age of 73. This April 5 issue of The Harvard Courier carried the notice of the correspondent's death and carried his last column for the newspaper. 














As your blogger and Sutton historian I must note that my sister and I received mention in our 2nd Great Uncle's column. That's us up there near the beginning of the third section of the column where he mentioned Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Johnson and children - that's us. Roberta was about two months old. Me, a bit older. 










Sunday, March 22, 2020

Clay Co. Men Inducted in late March 1945

Even as the war prospects were improving in March 1945, the Selective Service kept the pipeline busy with replacements for men who had been on active duty for up to three-plus years.




My cousin, Rolland Ernest Johnson, was 20 years old as he left Clay Center on March 25, 1945.

Personal perspective: it was 21 years and three months later on June 28, 1966 that I left for basic training at Lackland AFB, Texas at age 23. Seems somehow circular. 



Thursday, March 19, 2020

F.M.& M.V. and the B.&M.R.R. through Harvard

Harvard was served by two railroads 125 years ago. Most will recognize the B. & M. R. R. as the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad. The F. E. & M. V. road is less well known. 





The F.E. & M.V. railroad, “The Elkhorn” was the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad. It’s main route went from Omaha through Northern Nebraska to Chadron and on to Casper and Rapid CIty. 

Charles Henry King made his fortune establishing banks and freight services in towns he founded including Chadron and Casper. His son Leslie Lynch King was born in Chadron and later the family moved to Omaha where Leslie Lynch King, Jr. was born on July 14, 1913. The younger Leslie King played football at the University of Michigan, became a member of the House of Representatives, and the 38th president of the United States. He did that using the name given him by his mother’s second husband, Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr.

The F.E. & M.V. constructed several lines in Nebraska including a long east-west route from Omaha across northern Nebraska to Chadron, a track that later became known as the "Cowboy Line."