FRENCH, GERALD AND ESTHER (WIGGINS)

by Esther Wiggins French

Entry F150 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Hydertractor Gerald's 1st tractor Gerald and Esther French 1920.

Gerald C. French was born in Omaha,
Nebraska December 12, 1899 and came with
his parents, Albert Lewis and Carolin (Ro-
gers) to Mullen in 1905. Esther Wiggins was
born at Wisner, Nebr. in 1899 and lived in the
south-eastern part of Nebraska till 1911
when the family moved from Rising City,
Nebr. to Seneca, Nebraska, where her folks
had a store. They traded the store to Marshal
Cunningham for 648 acres at Seneca. Esther
finished High School at David City, then
came to Seneca, contracted a school to teach
in Hooker County.

Gerald and Esther first met when her
parents were taking her to her first teaching
job in Sept. 1919. Gerald rented a place just
west of his parents, that they had moved to
when they were married. In April 14, 1928,
Gerald and Esther were married in Seneca.
They have three children, Alice, Gene and
Roger.

During the depression years, 1933-`35,
Gerald worked on the W.P.A. project that
built the gravel road south of Mullen, which
is now an oiled highway to North Platte. He
had to furnish his horses which took most of
his earnings to feed them. Hay was $20. a ton.
In 1934, Gerald took some young hogs to town
to sell. The buyer offered him 1 cent a pound.
They weighed 85 pounds, Gerald said he
wouldn't sell them for that saying, "We'll
take them home and eat them first." He
butchered them all, which we canned and
cured and had lots of pork to eat.

In the late 30's, Gerald bought a threshing
machine and did custom threshing in Hooker,
Thomas, Cherry and Grant Counties for a
number of years. When Alice was big enough
to drive, she drove the pickup for Gerald
when they moved. The roads were mostly
winding trails form place to place-still are
in places, but many have been replaced with
grading, graveled or blacktop roads.

About 1941, Gerald bought the home place
from his father and we moved there. His
parents lived in the other house there. In
about 1950, the power lines were brought in
to most ranches and a better telephone
system was built.

When Gene and Roger finished High
School in Mullen, they attended the Univer-
sity at Lincoln, Nebr. for four years. Gene
then went into the Air-Force and Roger went
into the Army. When the boys were dis-
charged from service, Gene bought a place
near Broken Bow, Nebr. and Roger came
home and went into farming and ranching
with his Dad, south-east of Mullen. Both boys
were married in their last year at the
University.

Alice attended a Business School in Den-
ver, Colorado, then transferred to Lincoln,
Nebr. where she met Con Urbach and they
were married. They still live at Denton, Nebr.

In 1975, Gerald and Roger decided to put
down a deep well and irrigate a 200 acre field
and raise alfalfa as well as corn for the cattle.
It made a big difference in yield.

Gene had the misfortune to break his back
in an accident, so Gerald went down to Gene's
for two years and ran his ranch. When he was
finished there, he, Lyle Starr and Tom
Prentice built the house in Mullen and we
moved in the year 1977.

Gerald became ill with Cancer and passed
away in 1984. He was buried in the Cedarview
Cemetery at Mullen, Nebr. Esther still lives
in their home at Mullen.

Alice married Con Urbach to this union
three children were born Pam, Wayne and
Mark.

Gene married Wilma Larson of Broken
Bow, Nebr. to this union three children were
born Karen, Lynn and Carl.

Roger married Beverly Cox to this union
three children were born Wanda, Anne and
Jerry.