19th Century Cameo
19th Century Jewelry, Family Heirlooms
Handmade cameo brooch from the 19th Century (c. 1870). The cameo is carved from shell and is bordered by 24 carat gold. The original fastener pin on the back is still intact and functioning. The carved scene depicts a woman walking near a town or city.<br /><br />The cameo belongs to April White (<span data-dobid="hdw">née</span> Headley) of Kearney, Nebraska. She received it from her mother, Terri Headley (<span data-dobid="hdw">née</span> Johnson) of Omaha, Nebraska, who originally received it from a member of her family. Originally, the cameo was a wedding gift to Mary Cronin (<span data-dobid="hdw">née</span> Jensen) of O'Neill, Nebraska in the 1870s. Mary is Terri's ancestor.
April White
Terri Headley
Mary Cronin
c. 1870
06/20/2015
April White
Dr. Jinny Turman (scans)
Andy and April White
University of Nebraska at Kearney (Images)
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/came/hd_came.htm
https://www.antiquesjournal.com/pages04/archives/cameos.html
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Shell and Gold Cameo
Kearney, Nebraska
O'Neill, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Land Ownership Deed
Paper Documents, Early Nebraska Deed
Original paper deed for land ownership presented to Roswell D. Gould of Buffalo County, Nebraska in 1879, ancestor to Sara and Terrence Holoubeck. The deed was presented to Gould by the General Land Office at Grand Island, Nebraska of the United States and states that Gould had paid in full for the land and thus given rights to ownership of the land. These deeds were issued after the Congressional Sale Act of 1820, which allowed settlers to purchase smaller areas of land for $1.25 per acre. An interesting aspect of this deed is that the two Presidential signatures by Rutherford B. Hayes do not match. The deed certificate is no. 1153 and has the United States seal.
General Land Office of the United States
Sara and Terrence Holoubeck
Roswell D. Gould
General Land Office of the United States
1879 (Deed Issue Date)
April 24, 1820 (Sale Act of Congress)
06/20/2015
April White
Dr. Jinny Turman
Sara and Terrence Holoubeck
University of Nebraska at Kearney (Images)
http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/wo/Law_Enforcement/nlcs/education__interpretation/homestead_graphics0.Par.57736.File.dat/Expanded%20Homestead%20Timeline%20final.pdf
http://www.blm.gov/es/st/en/prog/glo.html
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/jackson-lincoln/timeline-terms/land-act-1820
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Paper Document
English
Grand Island, Nebraska
Buffalo County, Nebraska
Washington D.C.
Timber-Culture Certificate
Paper Documents, Early Nebraska Deeds and Certificates
Certificate for Albert More, a family ancestor of Terrence and Sara Holoubeck. The certificate is original, paper, and stamped with United States Seal. The certificate was issued as part of the 1873 Timber Culture Act by Congress to encourage settlers to plant trees. This particular certificate, no. 475 application 2142, was issued for encouraging tree planting near/around Grand Island, Nebraska and granted More 160 acres to do so. The other interesting aspect of this artifact is that the two Presidential signatures of Benjamin Harrison do not match. The Holoubecks believe that one or both were signed by Secretary M. McKean for President Harrison.
The United States Congress
Sara and Terrence Holoubeck
Albert More
General Land Office of the United States
1874-1878
1873
1892 (Certificate Issue Date)
06/20/2015
April White
Dr. Jinny Turman
Sara and Terrence Holoubeck
http://www.mnopedia.org/thing/timber-culture-act-1873
http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/timeline/timber_culture_act_1873.htm
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/broadsides_bdsks10468/
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Paper Document
English
Grand Island, Nebraska
Washington D.C.
Buffalo County, Nebraska
Fort Kearney Marker
Wooden Post Marker
Original wooden road marker for Fort Kearney Crossing. The dates on the front are 1848, 1871. The marker was installed in 1910 and found years later. The dates on the front mark when the trail to Fort Kearney crossed the Platte River from 1848-1871 on the Overland-Oregon Trail, and there are visible bullet holes. Don received the marker as a birthday present c. 1996. It was found in the 1950s by amateur archaeologist Merwyn Henderson.
This web article has a much more detailed history of the artifact:
http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/history-buffs-solve--year-old-mystery/article_25afb46a-ebfc-11e0-9a0e-001cc4c002e0.html
Don Dingman has this important information to include:
There were three crossing points on the Platte River. All of these crossing points were, and still are, located in Buffalo County, Nebraska. There were two crossing points on the north side of the river, and one on the south side at the ferry crossing point on the Oregon Trail where this marker was placed.
The Soldier's Free Homestead Association of Gibbon, Nebraska (a.k.a. the Old Settler's Association) was a Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) group of civil war soldiers. They first came to Buffalo County in 1871 on a train with the purpose of homesteading land there. In the following years, they would meet on the grounds of Fort Kearney for picnics and reunions (see attached PDF photos). In 1906, this group organized into the Fort Kearney National Park Association with the goal of having their beloved fort declared a national part. At that time they decided to have an annual three-day reunion and gain political support for their idea with their representatives in Washington D.C.
The group wanted to place large, granite markers on the three crossing points and also honor General Carrington. Carrington had done a complete survey of the islands and the crossing route in 1866. He was still alive in 1910 and had planned to be at the reunion that same year. Sadly, his health was failing and he was unable to attend. Two years later, General Carrington died in 1912.
The group had a vision of Fort Kearney and the surrounding area eventually being a national park with many stone monuments and markers to tell the history and stories of Fort Kearney and the Oregon Trail. In August 1910 came the reunion at the fort and it was a marked success. They named the reunion "Camp Carrington." Over 500 people camped at the old fort and there were four to five thousand visitors including the Governor of Nebraska and a Nebraska Congressman.
Originally, the marker was meant to be dedicated and placed on Thursday afternoon (August 25, 1910), but was moved to Thursday morning due to some train schedule mix ups with the ceremony's scheduled speakers. The Fort Kearney National Park Association did not have the funds to purchase a stone marker so a temporary one was placed instead. The marker was dedicated by the Women's Relief Corp (WRC) to the women that crossed the Platte River at that point on the Oregon Trail.
Don Dingman also adds:
For the GAR to place a marker on any western trail is extremely rare. Unfortunately the effort in Washington failed that year and the group ended along with its cause.
Kearney, Nebraska
Don Dingman
Merwyn Henderson (1989)
1848-1871
1910
06/20/2015
1950s
April White
Dr. Thomas Kiffmeyer
Don Dingman
University of Nebraska at Kearney (Images)
http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/history-buffs-solve--year-old-mystery/article_25afb46a-ebfc-11e0-9a0e-001cc4c002e0.html
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_Kearney_Crossing_1848_-_1871_-_Platte_River_Marker..jpg
http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/markers/texts/old_ft_kearny_road.htm
http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/39434712/
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Wooden Board
English
Kearney, Nebraska
Buffalo County, Nebraska
Platte River
Fort Kearney, Nebraska