SHIMMIN, R. H.

by Jessie P. Shimmin

Entry F382 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Soddy built about 1887 by R.H. Shimmin. Mattie (mother) holding Jessie's
older brother and her sister.

House built in 1900, Shimmin Ranch in Hooker County

House built in 1927, Shimmin Ranch in Hooker County

Robert Henry Shimmin was born on May
3, 1858 in Liverpool, England to a Manx
family by the name of Thomas and Isabel
Shimmin from the Isle of Man. As a boy he
learned the carpenter trade as all boys must
learn a trade. He spent some of his summers
in France and when he was 16 or 17 he came
to the United States as his father had come
over here to work, he was an architect and was
murdered here so Robert went back to
England. He came back to U.S. around 1874
on the ship Batavia, landing in New York
City. He traveled west through 5 states to
Rockford, Ill. where his cousin lived. It was
too damp there, he went on to Cherikee, Iowa
where he met my mother Mattie Belle Waxler
born in Mount Ephraim, Ohio March 22,
1868. Her father had been a Civil War veteran
and had one leg taken off above the knee, I
believe. He died when she was 7 years old.
Her mother took in washing to make a living
for her children. She died when Mattie was
13 or 14. Mattie was sent to Iowa to the home
of an uncle. After meeting Robert, they
finally decided to get married. She was 16.
they went to Cherikee and were married June
22, 1885. They moved on west across the
Missouri River to York, Nebraska where they
met one of Mattie's sisters & they lived there
until after their baby daughter Catharine
Isabel was born May 26, 1886. They lived
there a short time then moved on west across
the North Platte River and up into McPher-
son County where he filed on some land &
built a sod house. When they arrived there
they had a small baby, a wagon & team of
horses, a milk cow, a dog and 50 cents. Robert left
the team and wagon with Mattie and went on
foot to north of North Platte where he found
a job. He worked there until he got some
money then he bought a sack of flour & a few
small things and walked home. He did this
until his job was finished. They heard the
land they had filed on was not where they
were living so they gave that up & went into
Hooker County and settled on the place
where the home is today Section 24 Township
21 Range 32 Claim No. 37. In a short time the
kinkaid Act was passed and he was allowed
to file on 160 acres more. That was in 1887
and he proved upon it in 1892. In July their
oldest boy Robert Alfred was born on the
21st, 1889. In 1890 they had another boy but
he only lived one month and 21 days.

Sometime in 1890 a prairie fire went
through but all they could do was to keep it
away from the buildings. About that time the
Uptons had come to be a neighbor. The big
ranchers were coming & one rancher gave my
father fencing to put in to keep his cattle off.
Another son was born, Harry Malcolm July
12, 1892. They raised and canned all kinds of
vegetables, milked cows & had their butter,
raised chickens & had eggs, had hogs for
meat, smoking part of the meat. They got
wild fruit from the Dismal River to make jelly
& butter. They had a cave and kept potatoes
& carrots in it. They bought apples so never
went hungry as the children were growing up,
but when they first settled here they went
hungry a lot.

A son, George Earl was born September
26,1895 and when he was 6 years old a
rattlesnake bit him. My father was mowing
and George was following him, Father went
to the house & told my mother she had better
watch George as he had killed a snake. She
went out to hunt him, he was sitting by the
duck pond putting mud on his leg. She got
him to the house, washed his face and was
going to wash his feet but his leg was so
swollen she had to cut his pants leg off. They
gave him milk to drink and pounded up
onions as a poultice. Elmer Neal had some
whiskey so they gave George some and they
pulled him through. A few days later George
Fuller's 5 year old boy was bitten but he died.

The twins were born February 22, 1898,
Frank Merl and Jessie Pearl. About that time
they built a new frame house but they hadn't
moved in yet. My mother heard a strange
sound coming from the wall after they had
gone to bed and she said "that wall is coming
in" but my father didn't think so. She finally
got him up & that wall came in so they got
busy and moved in the new house. Later that
year they were in the hay field and saw a
storm coming so rushed home and started for
the cave when my mother said, "where are the
twins?" My sister said in the house asleep.
Mother rushed in and picked us up and just
stepped outside the house when it went over,
that was Aug. 1900.

April 1, 1903 Roy Albert was born. A little
earlier than this they got a school started but
had to board the teacher for nothing as they
would only pay the teacher 30 or 40 dollars
a month. Nan Barnebey was the first teacher.
My father was County Commissioner for 28
years, I believe, there is no record of it.
January 26, 1911 Thomas Edward was born,
he was killed by a horse November 4, 1914.
In 1927 the water came up, fed by springs so
they had to build a house. In 1913 we had a
terrible blizzard killing so many cattle but
ours were in the corral. Another blizzard
came in March 1931, we went to a funeral but
our cattle were in the corral when we left
home but the old man that lived with us
turned them out after we were gone. They
drifted for many miles and after the storm it
took Frank 2 days to get them home. In May
of that year a tornado destroyed every
building on the place but the house and it was
badly damaged.

June 22, 1940 my parents celebrated their
55th wedding anniversary with relatives from
several states and good neighbors with a big
dinner. On April 14, 1942 my mother died at
the age of 74, and on September 15, 1945 my
father died at the age of 87. They both died
at home and are buried in the Miller Ceme-
tery in McPherson County. My sister Katy
died April 9, 1965 and is buried in Nampa,
Idaho. Bobbie died January 23, 1962 and is
buried in the Miller Cemetery. Harry died
October 17, 1965 and is buried in Mullen.
George died July 17, 1970 and is buried in
Illinois. Frank died April 3, 1971 and is buried
in the Miller Cemetery near Tryon, Ne. Roy
and I are the only ones living this day in 1986.