CAMPBELL FAMILIES

by Charles C. Campbell

Entry F60 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Michael Campbell and Charles C.
                 Campbell

Michael Lincoln Campbell (9/6/1860-
2/12/1898) and Frances Adell Stevenson
(5/8/1865-7/12/1928) were married in Cher-
okee County, Iowa, on June 16, 1883. To this
union was born Charles Chester on Septem-
ber 27, 1884. Michael was a boomer: at
various times he was a licensed pilot on the
Great lakes, a boarding-house operator in
Gothenberg, Nebraska, and a miner. He once
shot prairie chickens and grouse commer-
cially on what later became the Otto Maire
place southwest of Mullen.

In 1898 Michael was killed in a mine
accident in Victor, Colorado, leaving "Dell"
and Charlie virtually penniless. They moved
to Mullen that year to join her parents, the
Francis Stevensons.

Dell started over by making custom hats
for ladies in Mullen. Eventually this venture
grew into a millinery shop, then a dry-goods
store, and finally a general store, the Sand
Hills Commercial Co.

Charlie drove for a livery stable, taking
veterans and homesteaders to their claim
cabins in the area. He also herded sheep
briefly on the Middle Loup. About 1900 he
worked on a CB&Q section crew to earn
money to learn the telegrapher's key, and at
age 18 he became the youngest and only
single station agent on the Billings branch of
the CB&Q. Consequently Charlie was moved
all over the branch to fill in for married
agents.

While stationed at Halsey, Nebraska,
Charlie married (in Thedford) Vera Louise
Callender (11/15/1889-3/31/1925). To this
union were born two sons, Charles Chester Jr.
( "Chet," 2/14/1913-) and Ray (9/28/1915-
10/2/1963).

Around 1910 Dell persuaded Charlie to
leave the railroad and become her partner,
first in the dry-goods store and later in the
Sand Hills Commercial Co. Dell, who was
completely deaf, always made her home with
Charlie and Vera. They operated the general
store from around 1916 until they sold it to
William Gruenig in 1932.

During the thirty-odd years in Mullen,
Charlie was active in civic affairs. He served
on the Village Board and was County Trea-
surer, and he played tuba in the village band.
Both Charlie and Vera were active in IOOF
and Rebecca Lodge and in St. Joseph's
Episcopal Church. Vera was an accomplished
pianist much in demand for choirs and
musical functions.

By 1932, both Dell and Vera had died, and
Charlie had married (4/16/1928) Cleo Feni-
more of Merna. In 1932 the family moved to
Ft. Collins, Colorado, to operate a gift shop.
When it promptly failed, the family returned
to Mullen where they still owned a home.
After two years during which Charlie worked
at clerical jobs for the Village of Mullen and
Frank Construction Co., the family - charlie,
Cleo, Chet, and Michael (b. 1934)
moved to Tacoma, Washington, where Ray
was becoming established in the truck-sales
business.

Charlie worked at several bookkeeping jobs
in Tacoma until he joined Todd Shipyards,
where he was employed until 1947. That year,
he and Cleo separated (later divorced) and he
moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where
Chet had accepted civilian employment after
being discharged from the Army. In 1949
Charlie accepted a job with Holmes &
Narver, the overseas contractor for the
Atomic Energy Commission, in Los Angeles,
where he remained until his death on Febru-
ary 24, 1958.

Cleo had remained in Tacoma, where she
finished business school. She worked for Kirk
Evergreen co. from 1949 until she retired in
1978. In the meantime she had remarried
(Fred Schmechel) and been widowed. In
1980, she moved to Tucson, Arizona. She died
there on September 25, 1983.

Michael, who had suffered brain damage at
birth, is a resident of Bethphage Mission in
Axtell, Nebraska.

Ray, who had gone on to own and operate
the Diamond T truck agency in Tecoma, died
prematurely in 1963. He had married Marga-
ret Scott in 1937, and they had one son, Larry
Scott Campbell (b. 1938).

Chet's story is told separately (see under
Charles C. Campbell, Jr.)