KEMP, BEN AND CATHERINE AGNES (WELLS)

by Maxine Kemp Hazen

Entry F234 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Ben and Agnes Kemp 35th Wedding Anniversary 1947

Ben Kemp was born August 27, 1887 and
died at Grant, Nebraska May 12, 1964 at the
Rest Home. Catherine Agnes (Wells) Kemp
was born January 8, 1886 and died at the
Ogallala, Nebraska Hospital on July 27, 1964.
They were married in Stockham, Nebraska
December 25, 1912 and lived to celebrate
their Golden Anniversary, December 17, 1962
at Arthur, Nebraska in the home of their
daughter, Maxine Hazen, where they lived at
the time, in a trailer home.

Daddy came to Nebraska from Illinois in
1904 and worked for John Roseberry north
of Mullen for awhile and saved his money and
bought a buggy, a team of horses and a set of
harness. My Mom came to Hamilton County,
Nebraska when when was 12 years old and
was raised by her grandparents and later
came to Mullen to live with her Dad, Isaac
Wells. She taught school and also home-
steaded a piece of land which was bought by
John Buchfinck when my parents left their
home out south of Mullen. They then lived
on Grandad Wells place which Mama inher-
ited as she was the only child. Grandad Wells
died in 1925. The place was later lost due to
financial trouble.

Daddy and Mama lost three children, a set
of twins, boy and girl born prematurely and
a little boy who lived only two months. They
then adopted me after the death of my
mother, Edna Boyer. I've been told that no
one could have made me live as tiny and
premature as I was, but God and Agnes
Kemp. She used a cardboard box, and an old
range oven door, feeding me every two hours
with a lot of T.L.C. I understand my blood
Dad, Chester Boyer was a mail carrier south
of Mullen.

Later, two month old Paul was adopted
from Omaha Children's Home and I was the
happiest sister in Hooker County. I wasn't
alone anymore and was so proud of my baby
brother. Mama and Daddy were two grand
people as our adoptive parents.

When I started to High School in Mullen
in 1935, Daddy worked at the Farmer's
Elevator, owned by Theodore Folk, for many
years and then took up construction work. It
was then they bought a trailer home and
moved all over Nebraska. They loved it and
made many friends. While in Mullen, Mama
worked at the Cafe just east of the Commer-
cial Hotel. Her main task was turning her
home into a maternity home because of the
love for babies and just plain love for people.
She began with friends and relatives coming
in to be doctored by Dr. D.A. Walker and
Jessie Phipps, in what was known as the
Clara Stoner house. They later moved to the
main fioor of Mrs. Lillie Elliott's house in the
30's and began in earnest to help families far
and near to bring new life into the world. Jon
Hamptons and Ben Ewoldts had several of
their children there. A Wolfenden baby,
Rectors, Margurite Simonson's last boy and
Virginia Huddle, all four had babies at once
to my knowledge. How Mama did it, I don't
know, as the first year she washed on the
washboard and I'd come home from school at
noon and hang up baskets of clothes, then
after school, I'd bring them in and fold them.
I also had to milk a cow at Dr. Walker's barn
which really griped me. Daddy did the
milking in the morning but it was my job in
the evening. Ollie Payne may have had the
first baby there. There were many I can't
remember or knew but to my knowledge
there were 88 babies born in the home.

After Daddy's retirement in 1955 from
construction, they just putted around and
picked up odd jobs until they parked their
trailer across the fence from us in Arthur,
Nebraska and proceeded to enjoy life back in
the country again. Daddy hadn't been in good
health the last three years of his life. He had
asthma from 1955 to 1963, then it stabilized
and he didn't have to take anymore medica-
tion. His mind failed before passing away at
the Rest Home at age 77. Mama was also in
the Rest Home when she had a stroke in
October of 1963 and was in and out of the
hospital in Ogallala. Nursing help was un-
available so she went to the Rest Home in
Grant, Nebraska. She passed away from a
colostomy operation and had an open incision
for three months at the Ogallala Hospital
before passing away at age 78.

I know their lives were rough and hard but
they both were grand, lovable people and
really enjoyed life, taking the bad with the
good. I'm sure the good outweighed the bad.
They were helpful to all folks so they made
many friends. Friends and relatives called
which my folks considered precious visits.
Whatever I have written doesn't anywhere
near relate to how great and wonderful they
were. The younger children of their friends
knew them as "Daddy Ben" and "Grandma
Kempy". Surely they have a crown in heaven,
full of stars each representing loving deeds,
kind and comforting words and T.L.C. all
around to friends and neighbors, young and
old and new friends and all relatives. God rest
their souls and may we all meet again in
heaven that special day.