WILLIAMSON, CHARLES E. AND CARRIE (ZEPP)

by Cecile Williamson Lewis

Entry F454 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Carrie and Charlie Williamson Wedding, Liberty, Iowa, April 18, 1906.

Charles E. Williamson was born at Liberty,
Iowa, March 12, 1875 and died May 1, 1955
in Mullen, Nebraska. Carrie Zepp was born
November 21, 1882 at Jamison, Iowa and died
November 15, 1957. Both were buried in the
Cedarview Cemetery in Mullen. This couple
was married April 18, 1906 at Liberty, Iowa.

Charlie and Carrie came to Nebraska in
Hooker County the year 1908. They brought
their possessions by emigrant car on the
railroad from Iowa. They filed for their
homestead in 1908 and built their own one
room sod house about seven and half miles
southeast of Mullen. They worked her and
lived until a few years later they were able to
buy an adjoining 360 acres, where they had
already built a house. They only had one
horse at first when they came and used it to
carry supplies from Mullen. One sold settler
recalled seeing Charlie with his supplies
remarked, "Charlie threw a sack on his
shoulder and walked beside his horse loaded
with supplies, the full distance home."

Two girls were born to this family, Gladys
May, February 9, 1912 married Robert
Purdum. Glayds died January 1985. Cecile
Berniece, now Mrs. Harold Lewis (husband
deceased) was born August 1, 1918. Now lives
in Canon City, Colorado.

The Williamson family milked many cows
and sold cream for a living as they increased
their cattle herd and made improvements on
their homestead. They worked hard, even-
tually obtaining a ranch composed of horses,
hereford cattle, chickens, pigs, turkeys, geese,
etc. Each year cattle buyers would come out
to buy cattle and Charlie would sell to the
highest bidder. Following the sales, they were
sorted out and driven to the Mullen stock-
yards by horseback. Usually one of the girls
or both were lucky enough to help make the
drive. The stock was then shipped by train,
usually to Omaha, Nebr. There were good
times and hard times during those years, but
with the true pioneer spirit, they always came
through as winners. Charlie and Carrie were
loved by everyone. Charlie always said if he
had an enemy he didn't know it. The were
always active in neighborhood gatherings,
church, bazaars and community activities in
town. The girls attended country schools
until the schools were discontinued. They
stayed several years through the school week
with their Grandpa Zepp in Mullen and went
home on the week-ends. Charlie and Carrie
and girls weathered many hardships through
blizzards, droughts and loss of grain due to
hail and insects. They later sold this place
and bought another, one and half miles
southeast of Mullen, where they planted a
large grove of trees. They were the first in the
community to buy a cabinet radio, Atwater
Kent. The night, Senk Mercantile brought it
out for demonstration, ice cream cans were
brought in and planks laid across then for all
the people in the neighborhood to come and
listen. Everyone stayed until the station went
off the air and then there was time for
laughter and refreshments. They were also
owners of the first Delco Light plant which
gave them their first electric lights. Other
enjoyable occasions to be remembered was
when the neighbors and friends would
usually gather at Kelso, east of Mullen, north
of the railroad tracks to celebrate the Fourth
of July with lots of good food and homemade
icecream, fried chicken, and ots of lemonade.
An amusing incident that happened on one
of these occasions, as it often did - it rained.
It not only rained but it was cold also. On this
day and age, no one would think of wearing
anything but a dress. As it got wetter and
wetter, it began to shrink and she went to a
neighbors to dry, it got shorter and tighter
which embarrassed the poor lady so and no
one could loan her clothes because of her size.
However she and all the rest had many laughs
later and those were there will never forget
the sight of the "creeping dress" on that
particular 4th of July. A dance floor, tempo-
rarily built every 4th, to let people dance into
the wee hours, to conclude the festivities with
local folks providing the music.

Carrie became an invalid the last fifteen
years of her life. The house east of Mullen
where they were living, burned to the ground
and everything they possessed was lost. By
the grace of God, Carrie had been moved into
the living-room from her bedroom the week
before so she could be with the rest of the
family all the time. She was close to an
outside door so she was able to be carried
outside and rescued from the flames. They
then bought Grandpa Zepp's two room house
in Mullen where Charlie carefully and faith-
fully cared for Carrie, for a number of years.
Charlie's health failed and they moved to the
Alice Pool Rest Home for the rest of their
lives, where they were given the most loving
and compassionate christian care by Alice.

Truly they were two of the many sturdy,
hardy, determined citizens that helped make
Hooker County a great place to live. Not only
did they reflect their lives on the community
but installed in their daughters lives many of
the characteristics that helped to mold their
lives to become good citizens. Hooker County
may well be proud of the hundreds of
homesteaders, whose footprints will always
make Hooker County one of the finest places
in the United States.