KEMP, GROVER C. AND ZERA V. (JOHNSON)

by Mildred Zozier

Entry F235 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Grover C. Kemp arrived in Hooker County
while a young boy. He was born April 23, 1892
in Henderson County, Illinois and emigrated
with his parents, Jesse and Julia (Dowell)
Kemp, first to Kansas, then to Hooker Co.,
Nebr. Jesse home steaded land about 7 miles
southwest of Mullen in 1906. Grover attend-
ed school, worked, and lived the greater part
of his life in Hooker Co. After serving in
World War I, he homesteaded land southwest
of Mullen in 1920-23. He married Zera V.
Johnson on May 15, 1923 and they soon
became tenant farmer-ranchers for a Mr.
Gruenig located about 12 miles southwest of
Mullen. They raised a large garden and
canned vegetables, chicken, beef' and pork in
a large copper boiler on a wood burning range.
Grover not only butchered for himself' but
for many of the neighbors. He salted hams,
and sides of bacon to hang in the hayloft to
cure.

Four children were born to Grover and
Zera: Mildred in 1924, Warren Wm. (Bill) in
1926, Richard (Dick) in 1930 and Jack in
1932. In 1930 Grover brought home some
caps and gun for the children on the 4the of
July. Bill, so young, pretended to shoot
rabbits in the hayloft. It caught the hay on
fire and not only the barn but our car was
destroyed by the firey inferno that followed.
It was many years later before we had another
car and going 12 miles to get groceries was an
all day ordeal with a team and wagon.

For entertainment, Grover and Zera en-
joyed playing cards with many neighbors and
there were good times had at the many barn
dances. In 1936, Mr. Gruenig sold his land
and Grover moved his family to Mullen. He
worked for Mr. Wm. Brammer, the banker,
caring for the live stock at his place 2 miles
north of Mullen on the Middle Loup River.

Grover moved his family back to the
country in 1938 to Thomas County. About
1940, we moved back to Hooker Co. to what
was known as the "Old Baldwin Place". We
lived there until 1948 when his health began
to fail so he bought a small place on the
outskirts of Seneca. As health continued to
fail, they sold out in the fall of 1957 and
moved to Omaha to be near Mildred. He died
in 1966 and Zera died in 1973. Mildred now
lives in Arkansas; Bill is in Grand Island;
Dick is in Omaha; and Jack lives in Sargent.