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Eclipse Church

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In the early part of this century a great need was eventually felt for a church building at Eclipse Cemetery, especially since there were so many funerals and the distance to travel was so great. The various Tucker families were most gracious to lend the use of their home to those in sorrow, but still it was a distance to their place, and was a hardship in frigid weather.

Once a group of people built a little sod house for church purposes on the ranch of Judd Gragg, but money with which to pay a minster could not be raised, and before long the little undedicated building was being used as a granary by Mr. Gragg. So it too, did not fill the need for a community building.

Eventually there was money enough to build a church building, enough to match that coming from the Episcopal Church, and in 1916 the building was constructed. The Reverend George Ware was one of the the most encouraging forces behind it. In 1918 the church was dedicated, and in 1978, they celebrated their sixty year anniversary as an Episcopal Church.

After the erection of the church, Bishop Beecher made the trip to All Saints Church to hold Memorial Day service almost every year. Later the Rt. Reverend Howard R. Brinker. D.D. carried on the tradition.

The women of All Saints Guild was organized in 1910 with Mrs. A.J. gragg first president; Mrs. Placer Tucker, Treasurer; and Mrs. Thomas Quinn, Secretary. A few years after that the Helping Hand Community Club came into the picture. Both worked for the upkeep of cemetery and church.

On November 1, 1981, the Eclipse Church resumed regular church services as a non-denominational organization. We were blessed with John Gale as our first minister. he and his family came to use from Tryon for nine months and we were deeply saddened to lose them.

We continued having regular church services with the help of many wonderful guest speakers. During this three month interval we also began working on our badly deteriorated church walls. Dave Christensen did the carpenter work, which was quite a challenge with no electricity. The work was completed within a two week interval and we were so pleased to have John Gale and his family back to help us celebrate the completion.

On November 21, 1981, we were again blessed with a wonderful minister from the Arthur Baptist Church, Paul Kondy is still with us as we hope he will continue to be for a very long time.

As far as we know, there have been only two wedding in the church. The first was November 3, 1956 with Don Bullington and Bonnie Connell. Milt Seson and Laura (Davis) Sedlacek were married on January 28,1984.

With God’s help we know that our little country church will continue to grow and be a wonderful service to our fine community.

Source:
McPherson County: Facts, Families, Fiction
Published 1986
Page 115

Eclipse Cemetery

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The following is written from an article by Mrs. Mabel Quinn who had corresponded with Mrs. Thomas P. Wood, Cressage, England. Mrs. Wood was the former Elvira (Vira) Tucker.

On a very hot July day in 1890, a man, woman and little baby drove into Tucker’s from the east, in a covered wagon. They asked for milk for the baby and a meal for themselves. The three month old baby was very ill with dysentery, and had been very badly neglected. Mrs. Tucker bathed the little girl in an effort to abate her fever.

The man and woman claimed that the baby’s mother had died and the woman was a sister of the man. They insisted that Mrs. Tucker keep the baby for awhile as they had no way to keep milk for it, as they traveled to Whitman. Mrs. Tucker had four little children and would soon have another. She felt she must decline but suggested they go see the Dave Edwards family who lived a half mile down the Dismal River on the Grant Keith homestead. They consented to keep the baby and the father agreed to return for it the first rainy day they could get time off from his hayfield job near Whitman. They never returned and nothing more was heard from them. They had given a false employer’s name and the address was fake as well.

The little girl had seemed to be getting stronger and nearly well when suddenly a few weeks later she fell into convulsions and died.

There was no cemetery near. Mr. Tucker made a little pine coffin. Mr. Edwards dug a grave on the northwest corner of Mr. Tucker’s tree claim, located thirty miles southwest of Mullen, Nebraska in Hooker County and the little unknown baby was laid to rest. Mr Tucker put a barbed wire fence around the grave. Some time later the Edwards lost a baby and soon after so did the Tyrrels, neighbors of the Edwards to the east.

Mr. Tucker eventually fenced a plot of land and said he wanted it used for a community cemetery. After the post office was established in the Tucker home and name Eclipse, the cemetery became known as “Eclipse Cemetery”.

Funerals were usually held at the home if a minster could be found but most time only a hymn was sung by the group of gathering neighbors and friends and the Lord’s Prayer said in unison at the gravesite. In summer, prairie flowers were gathered and used and in winter the flowers from the house plants that every pioneer mother grew in her sod house windows were offered. There was no embalming of a body, no telephone over which to call a doctor if one could be found. Many a saddle horse made its last trip whose rider was endeavoring to get a doctor “in time” or to order a casket from Alliance or Broken Bow. Baptism was often administered by Mrs. N.L. Reuter.

The Tucker’s hospitality was always extended to the funeral parties and the women of the community always brought food and prepared a meal for their comfort. The men dug the grave and acted as pallbearers. In bad weather, the trip to the cemetery was made one day and the burial the next.

Of the many “who have come to make their bed” are those of diverse faiths, Mormons, Roman Catholics and almost any Protestant denomination one can mention.

Source:
McPherson County: Facts, Families, Fiction
Published 1986
Page 131

Uncle Jack Jeffords

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by niece, Phyllis Jean Parker

My most vivid recollection of a great man — a gentleman and a lover of the Great Outdoors — my Uncle Jack Jeffords — is of a wild Jeep ride over the Sandhills, rounding up the Angus cattle for shipping. With my hand on the ceiling of the Jeep, we rode at a breath-taking pace — seemingly clinging to the side hills like flies on a ceiling. I’m not ashamed to admit that my heart was beating like a trip-hammer as we precariously descended one hill, only to climb another even more treacherous!

With one hand hanging on to my cowboy hat, and the other braced hard on the Jeep’s roof — I gasped at Uncle Jack — “Can’t you slow down a bit — after all, we don’t want two human bodies and a “totaled” Jeep shipped out in the same semis as the cattle!”

“Oh, relax, P.J.,” this Jeep with its four wheeled drive is fool-proof. Just enjoy the ride. Get your stick there on the floor. That maverick yearling over there may need a bit of a prodding.”

And SO we rounded up the cattle. A day in my book that I’ll never forget.

And such assurance; such a positive outlook; such ease of accomplishment — he had all the finesse of a past master of the old and experienced ranch foreman.

Then another summer, he took me East from the Camp to the Dismal River Valley — we were carrying guns, — he a 12 gauge shotgun, and I a lightweight 20 gauge. As we trudged easily along the trail, nothing missed his eagle eye. There were the tracks of a raccoon; a badger had dug in that south sand blowout; a beaver dam erected at the bend in the river; the wild chokecherry crop had been good that year; as had the wild plums — and when the trees were in bloom, such a gorgeous sight with their soft pink fluff — and the fragrance; a time to be glad you were alive and in good health!

And there, indented in the powdery gypsum dust, were the tracks of a loping jackrabbit. Such birds — gay meadowlarks with their throaty call and bright yellow plumage; red and yellow-winged blackbirds; the tiny snowbird darting in and out of the low brush like hummingbirds; the stately sandhill crane, and the fantastic blue heron standing one-legged like his cousin, the stork, biding his time until a school of minnows caught his eagle eye; the predatory chicken hawk, soaring like a glider — just how does he know which down or up draft to take?? The chattering sparrow, the diving coot (or mudhen), black and white in his tuxedo feathers; the “Shit-a-Quart” taking off in splattery glory; — a veritable aviary of birds allocated to a sandhill sanctuary.

And insects — the huge homesteader grasshopper. with his long saw-toothed legs; the gnats that can be so irritating and so many; a blue-bottle fly; sand fleas; a sweat bee that can dive onto target with deathly and painful accuracy; the buzzing honey bees gathering their nectar from a flowering alfalfa field and ad infinitim. Will the insects some day, take over our world?

A large coyote trace — made, Uncle Jack said — late last night, probably stalking a newborn Angus calf; and the scraggly tracks of the sharp-tailed grouse — following his beaten grass-laid maze — the game we were after!

We walked quietly, no conversation — when Uncle Jack stopped, put his finger to his lips, and said in a whisper:

“Watch now. They’ll fly any moment” — just how did he know? A built-in radar that man had, attuned to nature’s sounds on a micro-wave

Sure enough — the birds flew — like bolts from a chain lightning flash — and we opened fire. Two birds down — one in heavy cover. Oh, to have old Mike, or dependable Boots at our sides. But both dogs are long gone to their Happy Hunting Ground. So, we waded into the muck and mire, and of course, Uncle Jack spotted the dead bird.

So we propped our guns up against the old willow tree by the U-turn of the Dismal Creek, and wandered on (after hanging the two birds on a high branch — gutted and bled — while we meandered on down the river bed looking for arrowheads.

“A partial”, I screamed, as I picked up a fragment of a chipped arrowhead — and a small blue trading bead: Uncle Jack said quietly, “Well, what do you know — here’s a steelhead”, — proof that the WHITE traders had been in the territory.

So we whiled away an afternoon that ended all too quickly. How I hated to see the day end. Good things, arrive in such packages.

Picked up our birds and our guns, walked back to the jeep and headed for “the camp”. Such a perfect day with a grand old man! The patience of Job he had, and so thoughtful of our ignorance of outdoor lore — always explaining, never impatient, satisfying and answering one’s hardest or easiest questions.

Such a privilege to have been one of the recipients of his careful and watchful teachings. How can I ever thank him? No way– except to honor his memory and somehow pass on to a novice a few of his great teachings and knowledgeable lore. No way to even come close to doing the teaching job he has accomplished — all we can do is try and do what we can.

Other memorable occasions:

(1) Trout fishing on the North Loup for German Brown; (2) Camping overnight on the Loup; (3) Taking his old Llewellyn Setter, Mike, for a long walk; (4) Playing cribbage or a hot game of 3-handed Solo with him and my mother and Aunt Lucy; (5) Eating some gourmet “first” from his wild-growing knowledge of the Sandhill flora — like cactus buds, Indian potatoes, buffalo (or buck) berries, yucca sprouts, etc.

So it is with deep regret and a noticeable heartache, that I bid you farewell. Uncle Jack, you have been an idol and a teacher I’ll never forget. May your Happy Hunting Ground be all that you hoped for; may you meet again with your wife, Aunt Grace, and have your own “Shang-grl-Ia”. May the cold ‘Nor-Easterner’ never blow where you are; may the sun shine brightly for all the time, and may your old friends be on deck to greet and welcome you!

Source:
McPherson County: Facts, Families, Fiction
Published 1986
Pages 387-388

William Thomas and Sarah Gibson Haney

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by Helen Trumbull

Sarah Gibson (daughter of Alexander Gibson’s) and William Thomas Haney (son of Isaac Haney’s) were married November 3, 1895, east of Ringgold by the Rev. G.W. Brooks.

This young couple lived on Sarah’s homestead.  This was near the Lena Post Office in what is now Arthur County.  Tom and Sarah acquired quite a few acres of land while living here.  This young couple, like all pioneers of those days, suffered many hardships.  It was while they were living here that their first three children were born, Violet, Lulu (my mother), and Nancy.  Tom always called Lulu Lulee.  A lady by the name of Grandma Stoddard was mid-wife when these three children were born.

After this Sarah and Tom moved with their three children on a tree claim which was located 23 miles south of Mullen.  Their building were located west of where Don Mussers live today.  It was here that William Isaac was born on September 23, 1904.  Fern and Roy were also born while the Haneys lived here.

At the time they moved to the Hooker County ranch, there was no mail other than that at Mullen.  There were no roads, only sand trails, so they didn’t get mail very often.  Later, they were able to get their mail at Eclipse Post Office which was eight miles to the west.  Finally the Haneys were able to get a post office in their home.  Sarah was postmistress for this post office called Moore, Nebraska, for almost 21 years.  Some of the name of people who got mail here were Larsen, Ragland, Vina, Wilcox, Downing, Harris, Summers, McClure, Harmon and Hatch.

On January 22, 1931, Grandma Haney was down on her knees lighting a Coleman gas heater when it exploded.  Sarah’s clothing caught fire.  She was saved only through the action of her son, Bill, who came with covers from the bed and carried her out.  There was no time to save any of the furniture and clothing as the flames spread rapidly and within half an hour, the house was a smoldering ruin.  No one else was burnt, as the rest of the family escaped by going out the windows.  Sarah was rushed to a hospital in North Platte where she wasn’t expected to live for several days.

The Dismal River was two miles from the ranch home.  The cattle had to depend on the water from the “Creek” or Dismal River for their drinking water.  The cattle had to be checked frequently so they didn’t get into swamps or quicksand.

The river furnished these early settlers with fruit, such as chokecherries, plums, currants and raspberries.  Sarah always cooked and canned all the fruit she could use for her family.  They also raised a large garden always trying to have at least forty bushels of potatoes in the cellar for winter.  The fall work wasn’t done until there was a huge stack of cow chips picked up and stacked and wood or trees piled up for fuel for the winter.

Bad storms during the winter was always a great hardship for these early settlers.  One winter they had a bad storm with bad weather lasting for two months so that they were unable to get out with a team and wagon.

Grandad Haney had one of the first cars that was found in the Sandhills.  When he went to put it in the shed for the first time, he hollered, “Whoa! Whoa!”  Luckily, he got it stopped before it went through the side of the shed.

Am and Adeline Hatch lived in the valley to the east of Haneys.  When the children were old enough for school and there were enough pupils, a school was started.  Edna Hatch was the first teacher.

While the children were still at home, a Sunday School missionary came to the schoolhouse and organized a Sunday School and church services were held whenever a traveling preacher came along.  The Haneys were always at these services.

In the early thirties, during the drought and depression some of the place was sold.

Violet married Edgar Deidel.  They lived for a while northeast of Tryon.  Violet is a widow now and lives on Walker Road southwest of North Platte.  Her four children live close by.

Lulu married Clyde Wilson.  Their story is located in another part of this book.

Nancy taught school in the Winters District northeast of Tryon.  She married Ed Frost and now she has retired from teaching.  She and Ed lived in Chadron for several years after they both retired.  Nancy is widowed now and lives at Grand Junction, Colorado, near her two sons.  William is deceased.  Mary, his wife, lives on the home place northwest of Tryon.  Their son, Bill, and his family live on the same ranch.  Their daughter, Patty Jennings, and her family live in Denver, Colorado.

Fern attended high school and graduated from the McPherson County High School.  She attended nurses training and graduated as a registered nurse.  Her husband, Ray Agnor, is deceased.  She lives in San Pablo, California, near Virginia, her only child, and family.  This winter Fern is going back to school to renew her nurse’s license.

Roy, the youngest of the family, married Florence Fox.  They live southwest of Mullen on a ranch.  They have two children.  Bonnie, who married Gaylord Porath, lives southeast of Mullen on a ranch.  Harold lives on a racnh near Oconto.  He married Theresa Applegarth of Hyannis.

Thomas suffered several strokes and was invalid for many years.  He passed away May 25, 1939, at the age of 77 years, eight months and 22 days.  Services were held at the Episcopal Church at Eclipse.  Burial in the Eclipse Cemetery.

After Tom’s death, Sarah moved to North Platte, where she resided until she passed away at her home on July 10, 1955.  Services were held at the Eclipse Episcopal Church.  Burial in the Eclipse Cemetery.

Source:
McPherson County: Facts, Families, Fiction
Published 1986
Pages 520-522

Hugh Elmer and Mary Gibson Neal

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by Minnie Wilson

Ellen Morrison was born in 1833 in Belfast, Ireland.  Alexander Gibson was born in Belfast, Ireland, also, but even though they only lived five miles apart they never met until on board ship coming to the United States from Ireland.  They were married in the United States.

Sometime during their life they resided in Fremont, Nebraska.

To this union were born seven children.  The eldest of which as a son, William.  They had six daughters:  Margaret, Mary, Sarah, Ellen, Annie and Agnes.

Mary Gibson, the third child of Alexander and Ellen Gibson, was born January 16, 1872, in Sigourney, Iowa — Keokuk County.  Mary married Hugh Elmer Neal in 1900.  They lived on a farm near Hyannis, Nebraska.  To this union were born five daughters:  Hazel, Helen, Clara, Doris and Minnie.  They lived on a farm in Hooker County, which was about 13 miles north of Tryon.  Then they moved to Seneca, Nebraska, where Elmer worked for the Burlington Railroad in the shops.  In 1912 they moved back to the farm.  In 1918 Elmer was killed in an accident.

Mary moved her family to Tryon, Nebraska in 1919.  Clyde and Lulu Wilson were married in December, 1919, and they moved on her place north of Tryon.  Mary took in boarders.  Mary owned the house where Ed and Annabelle Bullington now live.  In 1920 Hazel graduated from McPherson County High School.  Helen graduated from MCHS in 1922.  Helen taught school in District #1 in McPherson County.

In 1925 Mary moved to North Platte, Nebraska.  Clara graduated from North Platte High School in 1926.  Clara also taught schools in McPherson County.

Hazel and Helen attended the Lord Lister School of Nursing.  Upon completion of study, both became registered nurses.

Doris graduated from high school in 1928.

In 1934 Mary and daughter, Clara, moved to Tryon, Nebraska.  Clara taught school.  Years later they moved to Benedict, Nebraska where they resided and Clara taught for 19 years.

Mary and Clara returned to Tryon again.  Clara got a teaching position in the public schools at Chappell, Nebraska.  Mary sold her home and moved to Chappell.  Clara retired from teaching while living in Chappell.

Mary passed away at Chappell, Nebraska, on January 14, 1964.  She lacked two days of being 93 years old.  She and her husband, Elmer, are both buried at the Eclipse Cemetery in southwest Hooker County.

Clara passed away in February of 1976 and is buried at Chappell.

Hazel married George Geneau in 1932.  To this union two children were born.  Sara Lee in 1933.  She is married to James Utter.  David Neal was born in 1938.  He is married to Marge Hanley.  They have two sons:  Darren and Michael.  George passed away in July of 1980.

Helen married J. Logan White in 1935.  They ran a newspaper in Sutherlin, Oregon.  They still reside there.  Logan passed away in February, 1981.

Doris married Ernest Petri and they lived in Walla Walla, Washington.  They are both now deceased and are buried at Walla Walla.

Minnie married Robert Wilson in 1934.  They had two children.  Warren Wesley born in 1937 and Beverly June in 1948.  Warren married Beverly Brannon in 1959.  They have two sons, Kerry Dale and Jon Eric.  They reside in Kansas City, Missouri.  Beverly married Garry Luedke in 1966.  Three children were born to this union:  Douglas Eugene, Kristi Jolene and Roberta Faye.  They reside in Paxton, Nebraska.

Robert Wilson passed away November 26, 1969 in Denver, Colorado.  Minnie resides in North Platte, Nebraska.

See also J. Logan and Helen Neal white stories elsewhere.

Source:
McPherson County: Facts, Families, Fiction
Published 1986
Pages 665-666