Antelope County Archives – Nebraska Genealogy

Antelope County, Nebraska Genealogy

Antelope County is situated in the northeastern part of the State, in the fifth tier of counties from the eastern border of the State and in the second from the northern. It is bounded on the north by Knox County, on the east by Pierce and Madison, on the south by Boone and on the west by Wheeler and Holt Counties. It is twenty-four miles from east to west and thirty-six from north to south, containing twenty-four townships, 864 square miles, or 552,960 acres of land. The 42d parallel of latitude very nearly coincides with the northern line of its … Read more

History of Antelope County, Nebraska

CB and Q Depot in Brunswick Nebraska, 1969

Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Lands In 1860, the United States made land grants to the U. P. R. R. and the B. & M. R. R., giving them every odd-numbered section within twenty miles each way from the central lines of their respective roads when located. It came to pass after the lines were located that in certain places, especially at the junction of the two roads, near Old Fort Kearney, north of the B. & M. And south of the U. P., these two belts overlapped each other. It then became a question as to whose lands these … Read more

Antelope County, Nebraska Native Americans

Encampment Along The Platte by Worthington Whittredge

The early settlers of Antelope County suffered but little molestation from the Indians. From a little pamphlet descriptive of the county, written in 1878, by A. J. Leech, one of the early settlers, we make the following extracts: “In 1870, the settlers suffered from the first Indian raid. A party of ten Indians visited the new settlement, appearing friendly at first, but in two or three instances becoming extremely insolent, firing a number of shots into the house of Louis Petras, finally stealing nine horses and hurrying off toward the Sioux reservations in the Northwest.” “In November, 1870, the Indians … Read more

History of Neligh Nebraska

The town of Neligh is situated on the north bank of the Elkhorn River, on a small plateau or tableland, from which there are slight descents to the east and west, and considerably more descent to the south. To the north as a background are the hills, which limit the Elkhorn Valley, rising to a height of fifty or sixty feet. The land of which the town site of Neligh forms part, was originally granted to Nebraska by the United States Government. Subsequently, the Omaha & Northwestern Railroad Company received it as a portion of its grant of 50,000 acres … Read more

History of the Towns in Antelope County Nebraska

Levi Briggs and Lilly Marte were married in Frenchtown, Nebraska on July 2, 1886

Burnett The town of Burnett is located on the line between Antelope and Madison Counties. The most of the town and the railroad station are in Antelope. The town was named in honor of Mr. Burnett, first Superintendent of the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad. A. M. Burnham was the first settler, and opened the first store in March 1880. F. Dilts came here in October 1880, and William Childers, V. B. Lewis and James Childers in 1881. April 1, 1882, Burnett contained forty inhabitants. It is pleasantly situated in the Elkhorn Valley, a short distance south of the river, … Read more

Antelope County, Nebraska Military Records

Gen. O. P. Hurford, of Oakdale, who commanded the First Brigade of Nebraska Militia under the Territorial Government, contributes to this work the following letter, descriptive of Antelope County’s earlier military experiences, which will no doubt be of much interest to our readers. Oakdale, Neb., March 11, 1882 Western Historical Company Gentlemen In undertaking to comply with your request to furnish some account of the military transactions of Nebraska as far as they have passed under my observation, I realize that it is not always easy to hold the militia above ridicule at a time when the fashion was to … Read more

Antelope County, Nebraska Organization

In the year 1871, the State Legislature passed a law bounding Antelope County as follows: “Commencing at the southwest corner of Township 23 north, of Range 8 west; thence east to the southeast corner of Township 23 north, of Range 5 west; thence north to the northeast corner of Township 28 north, of Range 5 west; thence west to the northwest corner of Township 28 north, of Range 8 west; thence south to the place of beginning.” These boundaries have not been changed. At the time of the passage of the above act, Hon. Leander Gerrard was a member of … Read more

Antelope County, Nebraska Early Settlements

The first pre-emption claim made in Antelope County was by George St. Clair, commonly known as “Ponca George,” a man of Canadian French descent. His claim was No. 941, in the Dakota Land District. The date of settlement was April 25, 1868. On June 30, he entered his claim, which was in St. Clair Valley, one of the finest valleys in the county. St. Clair went West in the same year. Josiah McKirahan, from Belmont County, Ohio, pre-empted Claim No. 957. The date of his settlement was November 2, 1868. He “proved up” on his claim November 28, 1868, and … Read more

Geology of Antelope County, Nebraska

The immediate surface soil of three-quarters of the area of Antelope county is a dark clay loam, the remaining one quarter varying from a rich, sandy loam to a worthless yellow sand. The bottomlands are alluvium and modified loess. The uplands are composed of loess and drift. The sandy portions are either drift or modified loess, but the drift is limited when compared with the loess, and makes very fertile land. The soil of the hillsides average about eighteen inches in depth, and, on the bottom lands, from two and a half to three feet, though the subsoil, after exposure … Read more

Biographies of Antelope County, Nebraska

Biographies can provide some interesting information of the person you are searching for, use it with care, sometimes it is not accurate. Admire, B. F. Huntington, Charles F. Hurford, O. P. Johnson, Albert King, S. S. Kryger, Thomas Le Due, F. H. McCormick, E. P. Palmer, G. C. Taylor, I. N. Judge Wilson, R