Hager Poor Farm
Franklin County, Nebraska




Levi and Lilly Belle Harger were married in 1872 (see below). They moved onto the property about 1880 and built a temporary sod house, just west of where the brick house now stands.

I think the Poor Farm must have existed in the mid-late 1870s. 1870-1890 would capture the date for sure. The Poor Farm was not located where the brick house now stands. The Hargers owned land just south and west of Bloomington, and also some land between Bloomington and Franklin on the south side of where US Highway 136 now runs. I believe one of these locations is where the Hager Poor Farm was located.

Here are some photos of the Hager House. These photos were taken 20 Feb 2006.




For those interested in the Hager Family, here is their Wedding Certificate Information:

DESCENDANTS OF LEVI DAVID AND LILLY BELLE HAGER
(as recorded in the Hager family bible)

Levi D. Hager and Lilly Belle Thompson married March 21, 1872.
Levi died July 19, 1907. Lilly Belle died December 26, 1936.

Child 1. Ida Belle Hager, born June 24, 1874, died November 10, 1893.

Child 2. Frank Erastus Hager, born April 15, 1879, died May 9, 1918.
Married Emma Frances Hathaway February 8, 1900. She died March 14, 1912.
Child 2.1. Alfred Levi Hager, born October 10, 1902.
Child 2.2. Frances Lillian Hager, born December 23, 1904.
Child 2.3. Donald Vance Hager, born February 1, 1907.
Child 2.4. Lawrence “Bud” Walter Hager, born August 3, 1911.
Married Hattie May Walker, January 24, 1917. She died November 22, 1982.
Child 2.4.1. Robert Franklin Hager, born December 29, 1917

Child 3. Mary Alice Hager, born March 20, 1882, died October 1, 1938.
Married Homer L. Skiles December 14, 1899. He died October 15, 1943.
Child 3.1. Clarence Enos Skiles, born December 27, 1900.
Child 3.2. Ida May Skiles, born November 30, 1902.
Child 3.3. Emily Pearl Skiles, born February 10, 1905.
Child 3.4. George Levi Skiles, born September 6, 1907.
Child 3.5. Lilly Belle Skiles, born December 17, 1909.
Child 3.6. Franklin Ebbert (Bert) Skiles, born Sept 1, 1914.
Child 3.7. Mamie Janett Skiles, born June 19, 1917.
Child 3.8. Florence Eveline Skiles, born July 26, 1919.

Child 4. Ebbert Daniel Hager, born September 19, 1885, died January 5, 1972.
Married Mary Ellen Phelps January 30, 1907.
Child 4.1. Lewis Ebbert Hager, born March 3, 1910.
Child 4.2. Sylvia Ellen Hager, born December 5, 1913.
Child 4.3. Edna Maxine Hager, born November 12, 1920.

Child 5. Grace Jenett Hager, born May 28, 1891, died May 29, 1967.
Married George Edward Garrett July 27, 1910. He died May 8, 1963.
Child 5.1. George Walter Garrett, born September 20, 1916.

The Hager Bible was published by the New York: American Bible Society, and is dated 1875. It is noted that both the Old and New Testaments were translated out of the original tongues.

It appears that Levi and Lilly Belle are the originators of this bible, and the first entries were probably made by Lilly Belle. The bible weighs 9 lbs and measures 12 ¾ x 10 ¼ x 3 inches thick.


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Updated 2008