Thomas Andrews, an English immigrant, purchased 80 acres of land near Missouri Valley successfully growing abundant crops and harvesting prairie hay. In 1870, Mr. Andrews began importing livestock from eastern Canada and in 1873, began exploring the Republican River. Moving his family west to the Lexington area were disastrous from 1876-1880. In 1880, Burlington railroad established lines through the valley allowing Mr. Andrews to important Clydesdale horses and short horn cattle from Scotland and England thru Canadian importers.
I am always pleased to receive an invitation to tell the story of my husband’s life, and I hope to be pardoned if I show any overdue pride in his achievements.
Thomas Andrews was born July 26, 1840 at Bideford, Devonshire, England.
His father was a mechanic, but his grandmother owned and lived upon a farm. The farms in that part of the country were not very extensive but were well kept and cared for and stocked with good stock.
Thomas seemed to be born with a natural love for the soil and good stock, so he lived a greater part of the time with his grandmother at Parkum (Our homestead here in Nebraska still proudly bears the name of Parkum). When he was ten years of age, he moved with his parents to Ontario, Canada.
Upon reaching the age of sixteen years (a very tender age to us now) his father purchased a small farm near the river Thames and installed his sixteen-year-old son as sole manager to carry on the work as he saw best to do, while he, the father, and another brother conducted a “machine shop” in the village nearby.
Thomas was fortunate in possessing a good wise sister, although younger in years than he, she was a help and inspiration to him (all labor such as farm work was foreign and uninteresting to the mater or mother). For five years he worked this way, winning many prizes at the local fairs for stock, as well as plowing at the “plowing matches”, which in those days were tests of physical ability, as well as skill and good judgment.
When twenty-one years of age he decided to marry and upon informing his parents of the fact, they in turn, informed him that no addition to their family was desirable, so after six months he left his father’s home with but the clothes he wore - never to return, only for short visits at long intervals.
After earning the small sum of money necessary in those days to begin home building upon he was married.
Then began a life of economy - no investments in diamonds or jewelry - housekeeping was begun in two small rooms and afterwards a cabin was built on some unimproved land. Crops were planted principally potatoes, but when fall arrived the sale price for potatoes were 10¢ per bushel. This price was refused and as cattle were also cheap, he traded potatoes for stock - took what grain he had raised (the mill having ground it) mixed potatoes with the ground mixture of oats and peas, fed and fattened his stock for the butcher. Stock being disposed of he was soon ready to begin his journey to the Missouri River which placed his heart had long been set on seeing.
A team and wagon were rigged out, bedding, clothing and dishes packed, which made a very heavy load. Thus, he left his native land and came to the good old U.S.A. where Uncle Sam offered his gift of land. As traveling was expensive, the money soon disappeared.
Upon reaching the Mississippi River at Morristown, Ill. he stopped and rented a farm.
At this time, the Civil Way had ended, and the discharged soldiers were returning to their homes and some immigrating west.
He then sold his good outfit for a cheaper one and resumed his journey to Co-Bluffs, Iowa. Later years, being asked by his friends in Canada how the journey was managed on so small a capital he replied, “By trading off everything but my family and dog.”
Council Bluffs was reached about the first of August, but the journey was continued about thirty miles north up the Missouri River near where Mo. Valley now is - then a corn field.
Here he was greeted with abundant crops, good prairie hay to be had for the cutting, and plenty of cheap fuel to be obtained by hauling it a distance of five miles.
He purchased eighty acres of land for one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, rented a farm for two years, then lived on his own farm for two more years.
When he journeyed to Co. Bluffs to obtain his winter supplies, he paid one dollar for three pounds of sugar, three dollars for one pound of tea, and other things accordingly.
In 1866 he, with others, had a contract for supplying the U.P. railroad with cottonwood ties at one dollar per tie. They ran a raft down the Missouri river to Omaha which in those days was not overly pleasant work but considered profitable.
In 1870 he began the importation of stock from Eastern Canada, and when his success was decidedly apparent, his father asked him to return to Canada that he might help him to buy a farm in that country, but the offer was declined with thanks, and never regretted having done so.
In May 1873 he in company with others began to explore the Republican River in Nebraska. The spring happened to be very wet and they were delighted with the prospects of the “New Country.”
Buffalo, deer and antelope were plentiful at that time, roaming the prairie.
The August following found him and his family again in loaded wagon.
Arriving at the Republican River the first day of September their hearts fell at the sight of the very different looking country. Springtime had presented it - no rain had fallen during the summer and with grasshoppers raiding over the valley, it looked more the part of desert than valley.
Here he was with eight head of cattle to care for, as well as a number of horses, but he had sold his Iowa possessions and there remained nothing else to do but stay.
Immigration to a new country means anything but ease and comfort. At night it was necessary to build a “smoke” for the mosquitos were so bad - the team could not be unharnessed and during the day, “green head” flies drew the blood from the poor horses.
Provisions had to be hauled from the Union Pacific (sometimes from Lowell where the land office was located) from Lexington or Plum Creek as it was then named.
During the years between 1876 and 1880 he sowed but reaped nothing. In October 1878, there swept over the prairie a terrible fire, burning the range and two hundred ton of hay.
Everything except the house was burned, so it was a thankful family assembled after the fire for many were left without homes.
It was then necessary to dispose of the stock at a loss as Mr. Andrews feared they might starve as everything in the valley had been burned.
The winter following there was a dreadful epidemic of diphtheria. The neighbor children, as well as his own, were stricken. No medical help was obtainable only by driving many miles - no automobiles to carry help or telephones to summon it. Mr. Andrews waited upon his own children and all recovered. Many of the neighbors’ children died - many times he was called to a neighbor’s home to take the place of a physician, or to help construct the rough box which held the form of some precious child to be placed beneath the prairie sod.
In 1880 the Burlington railroad came thru the valley; times began to change - some small grain and corn had been raised. Mr. Andrews then went east for more stock.
In 1888 he went to England for the purpose of importing both horses and cattle, as well as to visit his old home, but while there was taken ill with typhoid fever, so the former idea had to be abandoned. The year following (1889) the opportunity presented itself of obtaining Clydesdale horses and short horn cattle from a direct importation from Scotland and England thru Canadian importers.
He then gave his undivided attention to stock raising and importing and made many successful showings at the different fairs as well as good private sales.
In 1907 he was appointed judge of short horn cattle at Portland, Oregon - two years later he was sent on a like commission to Salt Lake City. He, with Ex-Governor Shallenberger held several successful sales.
Thomas Jr., his son, now carries on the same industry on part of the estate.
