Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

“Archaeology Dig on Rebecca Creek”

I was invited (or you might say I begged my way) into an archaeology dig on the Rebecca Creek area on June 20. Before I till you about the dig, I would like to give you the historical background on the site and the surrounding area.

The legal description of the site is Section 23-1-16. The gravesite is located in the east 80 acres of NW *. Rebecca Creek runs north, right over the hill to the east.

On May 1, 1878, Dr. Nathan L. Whitney applied for the final homestead paper that made him owner of these 80 acres and the adjoining 80 acres to the east. His homestead certificate number was 903. The application number was 544. I wish I had time to send for the final proof of homestead before this goes to print, but that takes at least six weeks to get those results back. When a person homesteaded and was ready to file their final papers, they had to fill out proof-of-homestead papers, telling what buildings they had erected, what farm ground they had torn up, and how many feet of fence. These are a wonderful source as a land tract record and allow us to know what the land might have looked like 5 or 10 years after they had filed their first paper (a story for another day). Dr. Nathan Whitney had probably filed his first homestead paper five years prior to 1878, or maybe before that. Homesteaders had to live on the 160 acres for five years and make certain improvements.

This would make the doctor one of the very first pioneers of our county. Franklin County was established in 1870, with maybe a few here in 1869. I know by 1879 Dr. Whitney had left Rebecca Creek and moved to the north part of Bloomington.

Many early emigrants to Franklin County settled up and down Rebecca Creek.

There is abundant information about these people. There were many Douglas’ in the area of Section 23: a few of them were James Douglas, His wife Ida, and his mother, Lois Douglas. According to the 1905 Franklin County Atlas, they lived on Section 23. Then too, there was Elam Douglas, Joshua Douglas, Sanford V. Douglas. Neighbors of the Douglas’ were Amanda Williams, who later married Sanford V. Douglas. She was the sister of Dr. Whitney, the owner of the location of a gravesite that is a topic of this article. Other neighbors included George Clapp, John Ramsey, James Zediker, Onias Phillips (a story for another day), Dr. N.L.Whitney, and others.

Lois Douglas’ obituary card says her children were James Douglas, Mrs. Whitney, Mrs. Gage, and Mrs. Zediker. The obituary card of Elam Douglas says he was a brother of James O. Douglas, so that makes him also a son of Lois Douglas. There are sad memories here. Elam’s obituary says he died at 30 years old on December 10, 1876, shortly after he came to Franklin County. He is buried in Franklin’s cemetery. Courthouse records indicate Elam Douglas homestead the SW *, 23-1-16. This was the first 160 acres owned by Herman Schnuerle’s father, Jacob Schnuerle.

Most all of these people on Rebecca Creek were related, some of them by marriage. Most came from Oswego, Co, New York, but some came from Illinois. I could write a small book about the many people living on Rebecca Creek in the 1870’s and 1880’s, but will save their colorful life stories for later. If you take a trip down Rebecca Creek, now in 2000, all you will see is a clear flowing creek winding to the Republican River. The years have covered most of the signs of the inhabitants of this area. From all the names on the maps and the names in the record books at the courthouse there must have been 50 or more families living along the head waters of Rebecca Creek and along it feeder springs and draws. Now, only a few families remain to farm the fields along the tree-covered creek.

Jacob Schnuerle came here in 1900. Jacob and his wife, Elise, were the parents of 14 children, 6 boys and 8 girls. Into this family 4 sets of twins were born. Jacob bought 160 acres in the SW *, 23-1-16 in 1900. This land lies straight south of the site of the Archaeological dig. Jacob and his family first lived in the south part of the * section on the western slope, later moving in 1911 to the house built by James Douglas at the north part of the * section of 23. Jacob later bought more land on Rebecca Creek, including the 80 acres once owned by Dr. Nathan Whitney. Herman Schnuerle was one of the twins born to Jacob and Elise Schnuerle. Herman will be 92 years old in September. Herman told me that Jacob’s old house to the south part of the 160 acres was still standing in 1922, when his brother tore it down to use the lumber to build him and his new wife a new house. Herman also told me in our recent conversation that he remembered moving up to the new house in the north part of the 160 acres. He was three-years-old at that time and he made the move riding on the hayrack.

From generation to generation, and to the future generations this land will be passed on and so to will the stories, courtesy of Herman Schnuerle who remembers everything. Herman enjoys showing my family the field south of his old house in section 23, where he has found many an Indian artifacts. As he got out of this pickup he said, “Lets go find you an arrowhead.” I think to myself, “ I wonder if we will find an arrowhead.” He went on his way slowly across the field to the east and I went dowsing for a grave he found many years ago while cultivating this field. A. T. Hill, the former state archaeologist, had done an archaeology dig on it, fining among its core many beads and arrowheads.

My amateur dowsing produced a sign of the grave just as Herman called from the other side of the field for me to come. “Look what I found!” he said. In the palm of his hand he had an almost whole arrowhead. It seemed to be simple for him to find another sign of what our local Indians used for survival. I might add, I have never found an arrowhead in my life, and I always envied those who are blessed with a special sense for finding them.

A year and a half go in February, on the top of the hill overlooking Rebecca Creek, and within a few feet our recent archaeology dig, Herman showed me the place of two children’s graves. He said his brother Bill had told him about them and that they might be from the Miese family. Brother Bill passed lots of good information to Herman. So, I went to all the sources to find out about these graves. Mamie Way in Oklahoma told me all she knew (a story for another day). I went to the courthouse and searched records. I looked at school census and all the histories about his area and learned a lot, but nothing about the two graves. It was to remain a mystery until Herman surprised me on the phone. “Guess what? Neil and Shirley Schnuerle found a skull, over the hill from the graves.” The skull went to the sheriff’s office and the Nebraska State Archaeologist was called. Next week, I will continue with the report of Rob Bozell on the unearthing of an eroding grave on the east 80 acres, NW *, 23-1-16.

If the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy,
And love emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs,
Is more elastic, more starry, more immortal-that is your success.
Henry David Thoreau

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

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