Town: Ogallala

Willard & Celia Black Family of Merrick County, Nebraska

A History of Merrick County, Nebraska to 1895

Willard E. Black and Celia McCollister Black, high school sweethearts from Central City, Nebraska, are set to celebrate their forty-fifth wedding anniversary on July 27, 1981. Willard, born near Fullerton, Nebraska, moved to Merrick County in 1917. Celia, born near Goehner, Nebraska, moved to Central City in 1920. The couple has primarily lived on a farm north of Central City, where Willard and his brother Merlin formed a farming partnership post-World War II. They have three children: Dale, Linda, and Jolene, and have been active members of the Methodist Church. The Blacks plan to retire to Central City soon.

Biography of Ilus Couch of Ogallala, Nebraska

Residence of Ilus Couch

Ilus Couch occupies an enviable position among the extensive ranchers and prominent settlers of the valley of the South Platte river, where he operates a very large and growing stock business. Ilus Couch was born in Tiskilwa, Bureau county, Illinois, October 7, 1857. His father, Benjamin C. Couch, was a native of New Hampshire, born in the village of Boscawen, September 19, 1822. His parents were native of England. Our subject’s mother, Martha J. Calf, was also a native of Salisbury, New Hampshire, born March 3, 1825, and died December 31, 1860, when he was but three years old. The … Read more