Courtesy of the Nebraska State Historical Society, Oblinger Family Collection

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Full text transcription of pages 1-12

Bachelors Hall Neb' Fillmore Co
Apr' 13^th 1873
Dear Wife and Baby

here I am at my old trade again, the boys have each of them just been writing a letter and now I am in the business. Sam wrote to Jeff Burch I do not know who Giles has written to for I did not see. Well, Ma I got your letter yesterday that was mailed Apr' 1^st while Sam got {Begin inserted text}one{End inserted text} from will mailed the day, last monday, why this was I cannot tell I should have got one yesterday written last Sunday but did not. yours of March 30^th I was very anxious about as I did not get on saturday I walked to Sutton monday expecting to get it but was disappointed but Giles & I went into Sam's letter to find the news from home and that relieved my anxiety considerable. I was afraid Ella had the Measles bad and you would not write on that account but after reading Wills letter I felt easier but I was sorry to hear that Nettie was sick She had better come with you to Neb' where there is no chills only along the streams (where we have settled there has been none known yet and I hope never will be) then if she was to come here she might stand a chance of making some of these young bach's happy well enough of this

The measles are here too but not so plenty as Ind has them because there is not so many to have them. I think Geo' Reed has but little concern for his family but if they can stand it I can. if Ella is as long taking the measles after being exposed as I was it will be a good while for I was with them all the time for about 5 weeks before I took them but I hope she will not have them as hard as I did. Says her knows how to eat cake and coffee, bless her little life I begin to {Begin deleted text}feell{End deleted text} feel as though those dear little arm would soon be clasped round my neck and those sweet little lips would kiss mine. tell Will Helvie if he wants to know who I kiss first just to come along. bless her, her want to learn her letters before she leaves Grand Pa's well that is right pet learn your letters as soon as you can but dont be as long about it as I was

Well it must have been quite a surprise to you to get such a quilt it looks as though some one else thought something of you as well as me but you ought not to have told me about any of the mens names that were on it for I might get jealous you know but I will forgive them this time and thank them to boot, and all the Dear Ladies too & we'll try and think of all of them when we sleep under it.

Well Ma I will soon have a house done I have the walls all up the door frame in the pole up in the middle the ridge pole on and the rafters up now I have the roof to put on yet, and a window to put in and the floor to level off and then it is ready to move into it is 14 by 16 ft inside the walls are 2 1/2 ft thick I have worked a little over 9 days at it & hauled the sod {Begin deleted text}ad{End deleted text} and done every bit of the work alone no one even coming to look at me work till yesterday afternoon Mr Ferguson our nearest neighbor came over to look at it and pronounced it a good job and done quickly it took two of them 9 days to build his house. about 3 oclock yesterday afternoon Sam came to see it and brough me 2 letters one from Mrs Oblinger mailed Apr 1^st and one from mr Huck the man that owns Jenny he says she has a colt and is all right so I have that much toward a horse team again. now I will try and buy a mat{Begin inserted text}c{End inserted text}h for it this fall and will soon have a young team again. If you can make the arrangements with Uriah Cook to pay your way it will save me a good deal of trouble for I cannot get a draft without going or sending to a bank and there is none nearer than Crete and if I send I would have to go to Fairmont (16 miles) and get a man there who is doing business for the Bank to send to it for me and then when it came back I would have to remail all of which would be a good deal of trouble which would be avoided if you can make such arrangements with cousin Uriah.

I wish my little pet could see her cousin Adah for I know it would do Adah much good for I expect the poor child has a lonesome time since she is left without a mother. I have not answered Adah's letter yet but will do so soon I wrote to Sabra a few days ago and I told Joe this country would just suit him for he could drive horses just as fast as he pleased here and no bad places to hinder. tell Brother Snell I wish him God Speed in his new position, and success to the sunday school may it and the church prosper, our church privileges are not so convenient here as they are there but in time what little leaven there is here will do great good if we are only faithful

The weather still continues dry here yesterday evening it threatened rain but we did not get it and this evening again I hope it will come for we need it bad enough the wheat that was sowed a month ago is just barely up while some that was put in two weeks ago is harly sprouted I sent to town yesterday for a 1/2 bush of early rose potatoes to plant I told Giles if he would furnish the ground & raise them I would furnish the potatoes as he has ground that was broke last year and mine is all prairie unbroken yet & they would not do well on it. Ma you must make up your mind to stand a good deal of wind for Neb' does a heap of blowing and since it is so dry there is lots of dust flying. yesterday and today have been terrible windy it nearly blew me off the walls of my house yesterday when I would be carrying a sod on the wall a gust of wind would come and blow my hat over my eyes and nearly capsize me my sods for my wall were pretty heavy they were from 2 1/2 to 4 ft long 4 in thick and from 10 to 12 in wide now you may think a sod of that size would not hold together but if I could have handled them I could have 10 ft without breaking. the whole furrow as longh as I plowed it all hung together unbroken so you see we have some pretty tough sod here but when once entirely subdued it is like a pile of ashes. Oh yes I have quite a wood pile up I have wood plentier here {Begin deleted text}that{End deleted text} than I had at Jake murrays if he does live in a timbered country and me where there is none in sight there is one consolation here you wont have to burn old rotten fence rails

Tell Father to watch for a package of papers Sam is going to send some of our county papers this week & let him see how a wild country flourishes in that line I call it pretty good for a beginning. Oh, yes, Sam was invited to a dance the other evening and he went over the left¹ there was a young Lady invited while he was eating his dinner she says to Mr Ward (the man he is working for) and aint you coming to the dance friday night and before Sam could make a reply Ward commenced making of it and sport in general and saved Sam the trouble of an answer so he lit out as soon as he eat his dinner and did not have to insult any one with a refusal Mr. DeWolfs went but it did not amout to much so they came home about half past eleven. Ma if Will Helvie wants to see a couple of big smacks given just tell to come along with you and he can have the pleasure. well I suppose 2 or three sundays is all that will intervene till they are given bless my little pets life Pa has been very lonesome sometimes without her now if she is only spared to come to see me it will be all right I am glad that I have so good a prospect for a home for her & ma there will be many privations to endure yet ere we get it comfortably fixed but if spared health & strengt we will succeed by & by then we can live happy together

We got 2 letters yesterday one for me & one for Sam mine was from Mattie and Sams was from Nettie also 2 packages of news papers in Giles name. Ma did you get 2 Lincoln papers from me I mailed the last one at Sutton you never said whether you got it or not One of the Gazettes we got come in 8 page form it looks better in its new dress. I tried to ride Old Buck the other day (that is my ox) and Sam hit him with the whip and made him throw me he dont carry high enough head & is to low on the withers to stick on easy this moring him & me was taking Giles Cattle & mine to water and he got on to one of Gile's and was leading the other and the one he was on stumped his toe & fell dow and pitched sam over his head and he was holding the rope {Begin deleted text}bett{End deleted text} between his legs that Old Bill was tied with Well the folks have just come home so I will close for this time

Your Affectionate Husband

Uriah W Oblinger

perhaps you can read this my arms are so numb & tired handling heavy Sod that it is hard work for me to write

from your loving Husband

Uriah Oblinger

Friday Apr' 18^th
Dear Wife & Baby

I thought my letter finished Sunday evening. I spoke about looking for rain in that & raining a little, but now I can tell you of one of the most terrible storms I ever witinessed Language fails to describe so that one may know just how it seemed to one in the storm. It struck us at sunset sunday evening with wind & rain & rained nearly all night the wind increaseing all the time monday morning it turned to snow (very fine article) & snow & wind increasing all the time all though it seemed as though the wind was doing it best. the storm lasted from sunset Sunday evening till near midnight Wednesday night making near 80 hours storm. when we would go out to try to do anything for the stock we could not see other more than from 5 to 10 ft & to be heard we had to shout at the top of the voice on account of the wind blowing such a gale. one could har{Begin inserted text}d{End inserted text}ly keep his feet at all we had to dig snow about 1/2 hr whenever we undertook to feed anything in order to get to the stable door. the snow streamed through every crevice I say streamed through for it just almost blinded one to get to the corn pile we had to shovel in short it was shovel to utmost of ones strength to do anything or get anything. Mr Wards were at mr Elliots visiting and did not get home & Sam was going to ride home with them so him & Giles were caught there too but about 9 oclock sunday night Giles & Sam & Mr Ward came up here to stay all night on monday morning Mr Elliotts stove smoked them {Begin deleted text}ot{End deleted text} out on account of the stove pipe being defective and we had to bring them all up here, 2 women 4 children & 5 men all here. Mr DeWolfs being gone to his wifes sisters 18 miles southeast of here, & left all of his things for us to tend, 2 cows 5 calves hogs & yoke of oxen and chickens. by hard work we saved every thing for him but 4 pigs 1 chicken & 2 calves the third calf probably will die. the calves were in a small stable very open where for us to have tried any more than we would have perished us. one of his cows had a young calf right in the midst of the storm in the stable half full of snow where there were 2 yoke of oxen and another cow & I gathered it up & carried that in the cellar and saved it. Mr Elliotts fed their horses & mr Wards monday morn and the storm was so fearful that we could not venture dow to his stable to see after them till tuesday evening although not more {Begin deleted text}that{End deleted text} than 80 rd tuesday evening we concluded to venture and when we got there we found the entrance to the house door banked full to the top and his stable door being in the north and considerably open we found 2 calves 1 cow & six head of horses all snowed in as the storm came from a little west of North the stable full from one end to the other entire{Begin deleted text}ly{End deleted text}ly to the roof except right at the door where there was just room for 2 horses to stand by being litterally crammed togeher the rest all down, well the next thing was to get them out. two of the men Mr Ward & Ellott commenced digging to get the house door open while the rest of us wen to getting horses out I took an open knife and went in to 2 of the horses and cut the halters {Begin inserted text}&{End inserted text} came near getting under as they were nearly crazy to get out we got them in the house carpet & all on the floor. then commenced digging to get the rest out we saved all but one of Mr Wards & she died in 1/2 hour after we got her out we dug through the roof and found her packed in snow laying on her side with the snow so tight around her she could only move her head a little we dug the side of the stable down about half way and dragged the mare over the side as there was 20 feet of snow betwen her & the door. the next morning (wednesday) we dug mr Elliotts cow out she will probably live but is not able to get up yet but 2 calves that were in the stable perished making 4 calves 1 5 year old mare² & 4 pigs that perished right here at 2 stables with us. the loss of stock has {Begin deleted text}bed{End deleted text} been fearful & I am afraid human life, as there were numbers of emigrants on the road though I have heard of none yet. there was a woman about a mile from here with 4 children whose husband was away from home and I knew she had but little wood if any so Wednesday afternoon I concluded to make the effort to reach her and see how they were getting along & I had to go right aganst the strom. just as I was starting Sam hollowed at me to come back that I would get lost and perish but I did not come back nor perish either. I would proceed abut 5 rd then turn and get a little breath then try it again in this way I succeeded in reaching the house & she was mighty glad to see me as they were out of wood and the ax buried under the snow. they had been in bed for 2 days only as she would break up something in the house to burn & cook something for the children to eat the oldest was only 7 years old. I dug the ax from under the snow hunted my way to a pig pen got a couple of poles and cut wood enough to do till next day then started home again but the storm had commenced abating so that I could by spells see nearly 1/2 mile on the way back I got a prairie chicken his feather were so icy he could not go very fast & threw the shovel after him (I had taken one with me) and knocked it over yesterday was beautiful & today also the snow by night will be all gone except in the ravines and the snow banks. over 1/2 the prairie is bare already and good walking. Sam lost his hat monday morning so I willed him my old one. his started near cut over the prairies for Kansas. Sam seems some little discouraged since witnessing the storm but there is no use of that for it is the most terrible storm ever witnessed here and may never occur again

what made the storm so destructive to the life of stock was the time of year that it occurred the stables or a great many of them have nothing but hay for roof with poles thrown on to hold them down and they had considerably blown to pieces and people thought there was no use to fix them as summer was just here I heard of one man had 30 head and another 60 head of cattle go off in the storm and has not found but few yet and they were dead. another had 15 hed perish in one pile when stock was turned loose to shif for themselves they would just go with the storm

Now Ma dont get discouraged discouraged [sic] because we have had a terrible storm here for I am not one thing about the storm it was not cold at any time only just enough to snow and very damp at that and fine only one on tuesday a little while that it was cold enough to freeze between here & Giles stable there is 3 snow banks caused by the wood piles and pig pen and it is only some 5 or 6 rd distant I had got the wall all up on my house and the rafters on and there is some snow in it but not near as bad as I expected as the door was open & window it had a draft clear through and consequently kept nerly clear the whirl around the house kept about 15 ft space all round entirely clear of snow but outside of that and about my wood pile it is from 3 to 5 ft deep but is solid and can be run over anywhere. one would be wet in a little in the storm. (Oh yes the Sheriff has just served notice on Giles to appear the 14^th of Next moth as a jurryman this all about the storm till I see you, which I hope will not be long. this is poor writing for me but I guess you can read it I am considerably used up fighting the storm to save stock so that I can hardly write. I wrote a letter to uncle wheelers Sunday eveneing and one to you both are by me now I will not write them anything about the storm but you can send this sheet to them if you wish for the benefit of him & George you can tell the folks they never seen a storm in Ind only playthings

Love to all

Uriah W Oblinger