Oliver Thomas Dempster was born in Dixon County, Laurel, Nebraska, June 30, 1903 to Thomas Jefferson Dempster and Grace Greenwood Ross. They lived on a farm northeast of Laurel. Oliver attended country school and Laurel High School. He helped with the farming and was also a mechanic in the Ford garage in Laurel.
Oliver married Esther Mae Grove, November 26, 1927 at Yankton, South Dakota and they moved to a homestead northeast of Orchard. Esther was born April 20, 1906 in Antelope County, Royal, Nebraska to Philo Ulysses Grove and Bertha Ellen Geers. She attended Pleasant Valley school and graduated from Orchard High School in 1922. She attended Wayne State and taught school for seven years. Oliver operated a corn sheller and a threshing machine for many years as well as farming and raising live stock. They had three children: Duane, Neva Mae and Shirley Ann. All graduated from Orchard High School.
Source Unknown: Originally submitted for this website in June 2007