Mr. and Mrs. James Alexander left Aberdeen, Scotland, for Exeter,
Nebraska, on June 22, 1872, after passing through the vicissitudes
of a long sea voyage, and the initiations of the immigrant entering
a strange country; they made their way westward, and ultimately
arrived at the Pacific Junction in Iowa. Here they were left on the
open platform without a home or shelter, but having with them some
beds and rugs, and the weather being fine, these were unpacked,
spread very carefully on the platform, and there with the starry
heavens for a covering they passed the night. They next made their
way to Lincoln, a small town in those days, and were provided for a
while with accommodation in the Burlington Immigration House. In due
course they came out to Exeter, and on arriving at the getting off
place (there being no depot) they were put off the train with their
boxes and trunks and again left to make the best of a new situation.
The party consisted of six persons: Mr. and Mrs. Alexander, two
small boys, a grandmother, and a girl who looked after the children.
Mr. J. K. Barber happened to be on the ground at the time, and
offered to take them to their destination, the place being three
miles east near the railroad. This offer of help was gladly
accepted, and they made their way to where many years of their life
would be spent.
Mr. Alexander was able to buy the rights of
a homestead for $50.00, and sent the necessary tiling fee of $14.00
to Lincoln. It was not for some time afterwards that he learned of
the $14.00 having been used for some other purpose, which meant,
that the land in the Government's eyes was not his, and it became
necessary to pay the $14.00 a second time. Such was the character of
some people with whom the pioneers had 'o deal.
They secured
the use of an old soddy built on the adjoining land at a rental of
one dollar a month; such a charge would appear unusually reasonable
in contrast with char;4es in their native •'Granite City," but
this house was not of granite, it had but one small room, the roof
was of such a character as to necessitate the use of umbrellas in
rainy weather, and the floor being dug out made a good receptacle
for the water, and was at times more like a duck pond than ought
else, probably the rent charged was sufficient for such a house.
During their sojourn in this house they were called upon to
celebrate their first "July Fourth." Mr. and Mrs. James Home having
heard of the new arrivals from Scotland, and being themselves of the
same hardy stock, they naturally felt led to make a friendly visit
to bid the strangers welcome to the new country; making the Fourth
of July the occasion of the visit. With their two children they
called upon the Alexander's who at the time of this visit were
without a stove or chairs, table or bedsteads; but they had brought
with them some of the Scotch oatmeal, the real stuff that makes
their people muscular, sturdy, and strong; some cheese and tea,
which, with the aid of other good things they celebrated their
independence of many other things.
A dugout was made on
their own land for a home, this also being a house of one room;
wherein they had to make the most of little space in this broad
land. The capacity and furnishings of this house were at times taxed
to their utmost possibility. On one occasion when Mr. Alexander was
attending prayer meeting in town, seven wayfaring men presented
themselves at this humble home for a night's shelter. Here indeed
was a task and the responsibility, yet with that large hearted
responsiveness to the call of the hour so often demanded and so
often granted in the hospitable west, these men were taken in and
sheltered, being made as comfortable as possible on the floor; while
the members of the household slept on boxes.
Mrs.
Alexander's first trip to Friend was through the kindness of a
neighbor; the journey was made over the prairie on a Bob Sled drawn
by an ox team named Buck and Berry. The condition of the trails were
such (there were no roads in those days) that the passengers were as
often off as on their seats; all the joyful bumps and jumps of a
modern automobile ride are not to be compared to the pleasures of
that Bobsled ride over the prairie, for Mrs. Alexander declares she
enjoyed that trip to Friend.
They were often brought to
church services by an American named Harry Sturtevant; whose name
appears as a charter member of our Congregational Church; he had a
good measure of the old time religion in his soul; in fact it was
"pressed down and running over," and so great was the overflow that
the journey by wagon was made lively with his singing, his favorite
song being, "Jesus Died and Paid it All," so real was his experience
of the love of Christ which sought outward expression, that where he
failed in voice volume; he made up with his feet on the bottom of
the wagon.
The services at that time were held over the
Smith and Dolan store, and they presented several unusual features
to the Scottish Presbyterians. It seemed odd to find the men and
women divided in worship after the fashion of the Jews; the men on
one side of the room and the women on the other, a custom still
surviving in the services of country school houses. It was equally
strange to find the people visiting together in the building
immediately after service, a custom which does not obtain in the
places of worship of older countries, and not even in this country
among Episcopalians or Roman Catholics.
The men thought
nothing of attending services then in their blue overalls; often the
color of the main garment was washed out, or had faded in the sun,
while relief was given to the whole aspect of the garment by the
brighter blue of the new cloth patches about the knees, how the
original knee parts had been worn out is not told, though we believe
many of them were men of prayer, and one thing is certain, the
fashions did not count with men and women attending divine service
in those days. It was the fashion to go to worship, and as their
custom was they went, and He, who looketh not on the outward
appearance, but looketh into the heart, gave them their meat in due
season.
During those early days many and varied were the
casual visitors at the Alexander home; their house being near the
railroad made it a place of call. On one occasion a train pulled up
nearby, and to the consternation of the women folk especially, the
railroad people switched off a car containing Pawnee Indians, and
left it on the siding. The Indians were on their way to make a
friendly visit to the Omahas; being hungry and left here in this
way, soon scattered themselves among the neighboring houses. Five of
them called en Mrs. Alexander, who, well knowing that the best thing
to do with an Indian was to feed him, provided for their needs and
after having all they could eat and a scarf each; they went away
saying, "Her a good squaw."
On another occasion they were
visited by twenty Omahas, braves and' squaws, these however, instead
of asking to be fed, had brought some buffalo meat with them and
were quite willing to share it with the household for the use of the
cook stove. One young brave saw a cap belonging to one of the
Alexander boys lying near the well, and soon donned it on his own
head, but the Scottish blood that had flowed through a thousand
generations, and had defied the Danes and the English in bygone
times was soon aroused, and would 'not be cowed by a young Indian
buck; so Mrs. Alexander soon had the cap restored to its rightful
owner. In spite of all precautions the squaws managed somehow to
secure some of the household clothing. During their sojourn a train
put in an appearance, and the braves stood on the track to stop the
train, for which act the Engineer presented them with a good
squirting of hot water; when they replied with their well known Ouh!
Ouh! Ouh!
Among the more regular visitors was an Indian
known as Pawnee John; when visiting a home he usually wanted flour,
but he never refused tobacco when he could get it.
During
the blizzard of April 1873 a man on horseback came and asked for a
night's shelter, but such was the storm that he remained three days;
after he had gone away he sent by mail the sum of two dollars in
acknowledgement of the kindness he had received. It was in this
storm that many cattle and horses were lost, many being driven into
the Blue and drowned. A Mr. Butler lost several cattle between his
home and Turkey creek, when Mrs. Alexander asked after his horse,
because it was missing; such was the easy and contented disposition
of the man even in trouble that he replied, "The horse is all right"
yet, the horse was dead.
There was a great difference
between the homesteaders going west who would call for help, and the
people going west to Pikes Peak for gold; the latter were invariably
adventurers; after they were gone some chickens were usually gone
also.
An old man named Gibson, known by the children as
"Gibby," would call at the home and stay overnight, he came from
Geneva and had on this occasion been to Crete, he was a dealer in
cattle, and it appears that on this trip he had lost some money; the
loss of which worried him a great deal. The beds were arranged in
each corner of the room, and during the night someone heard him
talking to himself and saying, "I will kill myself" and "throw
myself in front of the train." He was remonstrated with for talking
so foolishly, but he managed to secure an old razor from one of the
boys for which he gave ten cents, and was found actually cutting his
throat. A doctor was sent for, and he stitched up the wound, but the
Newspaper report declared that the doctor had sewed the man's head
on with the face to the hack.
The year 1874 in known as the
grasshopper year, several incidents have already been given, it was
dinnertime at this home when the dark cloud was seen; after dinner,
as with others, nothing remained in the corn fields save the stump
ends of the corn stalks.
Pioneers of Fillmore and Adjoining Counties
Source: Pioneer Stories of the Pioneers of Fillmore and adjoining Counties, by G. R. McKeith, Press of Fillmore County News, Exeter, Nebraska, 1915
