YARYAN, EARL AND ANNA

by Anna and Earl Yaryan

Entry F463 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Earl and Anna Yaryan. Wedding picture January 10 1937.

Earl and Anna Yaryan, January 10, 1987; 50th Wedding Anniversary.

Anna Mathilda Wiese, eldest daughter of
Louis L. and Edith May (Clemens) Wiese was
born April 6, 1910, 16 miles north of Mullen,
on the Wiese homestead. In 1920 the Wiese
family moved to Burwell, then onto Omaha
in 1925 where Anna graduated from Under-
wood High in 1930. In 1932 the Wieses moved
back to Mullen. In 1935 the family moved to
Minnesota. Only Anna remained in the
Sandhills. She worked for the Harry Mat-
thews family, Butch Weldon, Marie Roseb-
erry, Nora Coble and Lucille Prewitt.

Andrew Earl Yaryan, eldest son of homes-
teaders Jacob Andrew and Laura Ellen (Bell)
Yaryan was born October 20, 1901, in Way-
nesburg, Pennsylvania (due to a doctor
shortage in the Sandhills) . At the age of 6
months his mother and he returned to the
Sandhills homestead. Earl attended District
166 Cherry county school. Earl and Charley
Todd accompanied by young Ben Todd rode
horseback 75 miles to Valentine to get their
eighth grade diplomas. Going to Valentine
they faced a strong wind and rode in hard rain
most of a day. The entire trip took five days.
He took ninth and tenth grades in Kearney
where he stayed with his grandparents. After
school and Saturdays he worked in the
canning factories.

Earl graduated from Mullen High School
in 1921. He was captain of the basketball
team. At that time, the team traveled by train
to neighboring towns like Antioch and Sene-
ca, stayed overnight in the host players
homes and returned home on the next train.
One after school and Saturday job was
helping run and pour the cement for the main
street of Mullen.

Earl's mother ran the Palmer Store and
Capwell Post Office 35 miles northwest of
Mullen. At age 16, he was driving a six-horse
freight team to Mullen and back for supplies.
For some time Earl did all the freighting for
the Farrar Cattle Company, south of Hyan-
nis, using either a six or eight horse team
depending on the load. After four lessons and
lots of practice Earl became a regular fiddle
player at country barn dances. Some of the
favorite dances were the two-step, schot-
tische, heel and toe polka, elbow swing, waltz
quadrille, rye waltz, other waltzes and square
dances. Some popular square dances were the
Grape Vine Twist, Forward Back-Forward
Across, and Swing 'em Like Thunder. In the
fall of 1936 Earl went to the Big Creek Ranch
as Foreman for $75 a month. On January 10,
1937, before the fireplace at the Fred Prewitt
home Earl and Anna were married. Earl
continued his duties as foreman and Anna
became cook which meant 3-day brandings
and carrying meals in big wooden boxes to the
men on cattle drives. All was done without
refrigeration. One of their first big challenges
was getting rid of the bed bugs in the bunk
house.

A daughter, Judy Arla, was born
1939. They moved to their present homesite
in 1943. In 1951 they moved to Mullen for
judy to complete her schooling. While in town
Earl did odd job carpentering. He helped
Frank Stoughton with the first barbecue pit.
Anna cooked at the Jewel Diner and the
regular Commercial Club dinners each
month. She also assisted Alice Pool at the
Pool Rest Home and did lots of babysitting.
In the early 50's Earl was instrumental in
getting REA to his community, a telephone
line and better roads. He has served many
years on local school boards, election board,
ASCS board, Methodist Church Administra-
tive and Trustees Board. In 1976, Earl was
Bicentennial Pioneer Knig at the Hooker
County Fair. Anna was active in extension
clubs and band parents clubs, has been the
adult Sunday School teacher since 1961 and
has held many offices of the United Method-
ist Women.

Earl and Anna have maintained a busy life
creating their ranch in the Sandhills. They
constructed all of their buildings themselves;
the house in 1948 followed by the barn,
garage, and shop and the house in town in
1951. Lots of changes have occurred -
constructing sod buildings to building the
present wood frame homes; picking up cow
chips to burn to an all electric heated home;
roping and harnessing 75 .horses a day at
haying time to climbing onto a tractor;
driving cattle to Mullen and Hecla stock-
yards (complete with stampedes) and riding
the train with the cattle to Omaha or Sioux
City to having the truck come to your house;
checking windmills and fences with a team
and wagon to driving a 4-wheel pick-up;
stocking the ice house to the modern refri-
gerator with an ice maker; driving a Model T
Touring car with 29-44 soft tires to driving
an Olds with power steering and power
brakes, etc. One of Earl and Anna's greatest
joys is watching the six grandchildren grow,
experiment, and aspire in many activities.
Their love of home and church is reflected in
their lives.