Three Civil War soldiers were early settlers in area

In a little over 10 days the obnoxious political ads will take a breather and then we will be overstimulated by new political ads until the general election. One might wish that the candidates would spend more time actually outlining their vision of Nebraska’s future but on the other hand, it is doubtful any are running for altruistic reasons. They call the issues “hot button issues” meaning no one really cares what you stand for overall, just what you say you care about that they themselves also care about. Hot button issues do a great job of keeping the electorate focused on the frosting and not really questioning what the cake is made of beneath. It is a sad way to run a state or for that matter the greatest country in the world, my personal opinion of course!

Before I roll us back into 1912, if you didn’t know, the 1950 United States Census is on line now. I have not attempted to navigate it yet, but those who have say it is a nightmare in epic proportions. Ancestry.com has a 1950 Census tool with which you can find the enumeration district your relatives lived in. Apparently, the entire census is not searchable yet, but if you have the enumeration district you can direct your search to that specific area. Good luck with that, tongue in cheek I say, for while there would not be a huge amount of those districts in our area, searching somewhere like Los Angeles could take you into the next decade.

Three old soldiers who had come to Red Willow County as settlers following their service in the Civil War passed away in 1912. All were buried in Riverview Cemetery here in McCook where even today the statue honoring their service still stands.

“W. H. Smith passed away last Friday and was buried Sunday. William H. Smith, one of the early settlers of this part of Red Willow County, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. C. L. Markwad, last Friday, after an illness of considerable length.” (McCook Tribune, 9/30/1912) The obituary goes on to say that William had served with the 11th regiment Michigan Infantry, serving three years in the war. In 1879 he had moved to Nebraska and took a homestead stake east of McCook. His wife, Emma (Severence) Smith and five daughters, Mrs. Cora Angel, Mrs. Vida Lafferty, Mrs. Bessie Markwad, Mrs. Minnie Miller and Mrs. Iva Markwad survived him. He was given a GAR ritualistic funeral as a member of the J.K. Barnes post.

“George H. Zimmerman was born in Stark county, Ill., May 22, 1842, and died September 30, 1912. In 1891 he moved to this county where he has since resided.” ( McCook Tribune, 10/03/1912) George had served in the 3rd Illinois Cavalry from the spring of 1864 until the Civil War ended. His wife, Margaret (Marsh) Zimmerman and all ten of his children, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. Ed Mitchell, Mrs. Doyle, Mrs. Fred Traphagan, Charley, Alva, Ella, Dora, Clara and Lora all survived him. George, also a member of the J. K. Barnes Post of the GAR, was buried in Riverview cemetery.

“Another Old Soldier Joins the Great Majority-Jacob Steinmetz passed away about three o’clock this morning, following a stroke of paralysis, yesterday.” (McCook Tribune 10/03/1912) Jacob had been a resident of McCook for about 25 years having been appointed to the Land Office during the Cleveland administration. He had served in Co. B 186 Reg. Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Married twice, he left behind three daughters from his first marriage to Elizabeth (Grinner) Steinmetz, Mrs. Paul Miller, Ella Eichler and Anna Serr. His second wife, Minnie (Flack) Steinmetz and two daughters, Mrs. Amelia Wentz and Miss Iona Steinmetz also survived him. Again, as a member of the J.K. Barnes post GAR, he was afforded the ceremonial service at Riverview cemetery.

The GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) organization was very active in McCook and there are many pictures of these gentlemen but few are identified in the photos. Having gone back to sorting photos from two families again, all I have to say is WRITE names on the back!

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