MERCURE, NELSON DARWIN, JR. AND MARGARET HANNA

by Margaret Hanna Mercure

Entry F294 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Nelson Darwin Mercure Jr. and wife Margaret about 1981.

40th Anniversary of Nelson D. Mercure Jr. and wife Margaret, 1976.
L-R: Steven, Ron, Margaret, Nelson, Twila and Norris

Darwin `Red' and Margaret Mercure. Wedding picture, 1936.

Nelson Darwin Mercure, Jr. - fondly called
"Red" - born May 16, 1914 in Hooker
County, Mullen, Nebr. His parents were
Nelson Darwin Mercure, Sr. and Sarah
(Josiassen) Mercure. His father Nelson Sr.
was killed when Nelson Jr. was 2 years old.

He worked at different ranches and for
R.C. Franke and Mathews Chevrolet and any
where he could make a dime. He graduated
from Mullen High School in 1931. He went
to Emily Griffith Opportunity School in
Denver for 6 months. He stayed with an uncle
in Denver.

He worked at Hendy-Ogier Ford garage in
North Platte and also at the Chrysler garage
in Denver in 1936. He was working there
when he and Margaret were married. Darwin
was a rancher and Farm Equipment dealer.
He built 2 business places in Mullen. The
Ford garage on Highway 2 in 1937 and the
building where Fred Kraye has his business.

Nelson Jr. courted and married Margaret
Della Hanna on May 16, 1936. Margaret was
the oldest child of Seth and Fern Hanna.
Margaret was also born in Hooker County,
Dec. 22, 1918 at her maternal grandmother's
rural home, 3 miles west of Seneca, Nebr.

Margaret and her 2 sisters Bonnie and
Ulala Fern were all 3 graduates of Mullen
High School. Margaret graduated with the
class of 1935. Margaret's brother attended
high school in Mullen and Curtis, Ne. In 1987,
Margaret and sister Ulala (Mrs. L.L. Mad-
sen) of Chadron are the only living children
of Fern and Seth Hanna. Nelson's mother is
deceased and Margaret's mother Fern Hanna
is living and will be 92, Oct. 1, 1987.

Nelson Darwin Jr. and Margaret have 4
children to be proud of. They have 13
grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren -
and proud of all. The four children are:
Ronald Seth Mercure born 1939 in
Mullen, Ne., Norris Dean Mercure born
1941 in Mullen, Ne., Twyla Fern (Mer-
cure) Kelley born at Alliance, Ne.
1950, and Steven Joseph Mercure born
1952 at Chadron, Ne.

All 4 children Ron, Norris, Twyla, and
Steve attended Cherry County Rural
Schools. Ron graduated from Valentine High
School and Chadron College. He married
Lenus Taylor. They have 4 children, Randy,
Rhonda, Richard, and Mary Jo. Ron taught
school several years. Ron and Lenus now have
Brewer's Canoers and Bowling alley business
in Valentine, Ne. Rhonda is married to Wm.
Krueger, they have 2 children, Joshua and
Jamie Jo. Randy is married to Mary Lutter.

Norris graduated from Valentine High
School, Hastings College, and the University
of Iowa, Iowa City. Norris is a Physical
Therapist at Clarinda, Iowa. Norris married
Sharon Mauch. They have 3 children, Kim-
berly, Kristin, and Michael.

Twyla graduated from Mullen High
School. She is an R.N.,receiving her nurses
training at Scottsbluff, Ne. She married John
Kelley. They have 2 children, Jennifer and
Alan. They live in Mesa, Arizona. Twyla
works in a Pediatricians Office.

Steven graduated from Thedford High
School, Chadron College and the University
of Ne., College of Law. He married Kathi
Flanigan. Steve is a lawyer in Tecumseh, Ne.
They have 4 children, Shane and Nicholas
and adopted 2 Korean girls, Megan and
Mary.

Nelson Jr. and Margaret lived and worked
on Cherry Co. ranches about 35 years. Their
3 sons helped on the ranches. Nelson Jr. was
a born mechanic and was also a good rancher.
In 1948 they moved to the Triple L ranch, 15
miles west of Brownlee with Margaret's
father, Seth Hanna. They bought their cows
from Seth Hanna.

The first summer on the Triple L there
were from 15 to 20 people at the ranch table
to feed. Nelson and Margaret both worked
very hard. Nelson Jr. kept the old tractors
running and mowed lots of hay on this 13,000
acre ranch. He also worked hard feeding the
cattle and the other ranch work. The winter
of 1949 was one of their roughest winters on
the ranch with the '49 blizzard, but they had
quite a few bad winters.

Nelson Jr. was one of the first ranchers in
the Brownlee area to buy some Angus bulls
to use with Hereford cows and to raise black
baldy yearlings. He kept on with Hereford
cows and bought Simmental bulls and they
sold yearlings of good weight. He was criticiz-
ed by family and other ranchers for doing
this. Now nearly everyone in the Sand Hills
do this.

The Mercure's and Fern Hanna still own
the south part of the Triple L, about 5500
acres. It is leased to Tim and Helen Burney.
The ranch was divided in 1950 between the
Harley Nutters and the Mercures.

The Mercures retired in 1975 and spend
winters in Mesa, Arizona and their summers
in the beautiful Ne. Sand Hills at their home
by Merritt Dam. Health problems force them
to be in a warmer winter climate.

Nelson Jr. and Margaret have both attend-
ed their 50 year high school alumni celebra-
tions at Mullen High School. They celebrated
their 50 year anniversary in 1986 and a trip
to Hawaii.