CLEMENS, ELMER AND 'MINA' GORSUCH

by Anna Yaryan

Entry F76 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Mina (Gorsuch) and Elmer B. Clemens. (1938)
Great-granddaughter Phillis Jean Evenson.

Elmer Benjamin Clemens was born in
Hennepin Co., Ill. on April 26, 1863. When a
young man, he worked in the forest or lumber
in Michigan; so he was a regular lumberjack.
After a few years he moved to Kenesay, Ne.
where he met and married Almina Roretta
Gorsuch, fifth child of John and Mary Welch
Gorsuch, on October 8, 1889. They had two
children: Edith May who married Louis L.
Wiese and Earl LaVon who married Myrtle
Rose Klinert. Almina or `Mina' as she was
always known, was born in Hilldale Co. Mich.
on February 6, 1868.

In the fall of 1894 they, with Mina's brother
Jess, moved on a homestead fifty miles
northwest of Mullen, where George Younkin
now lives. In 1902 they moved into Mullen,
buying lots 6 and 10, building a home on Lot
10 located on First and Laird Street. This
location was later known as the Louie Neal
place. The Clemens' and Mina's father, John
Gorsuch, spent a year in California where he
worked in the fruit orchards. None of them
liked Calif. so they returned to Mullen. Elmer
worked on the railroad and did carpentry.
Mina worked for Mrs. Greenberry Cleaven-
ger in the old Evergreen hotel; this property
now owned by Wayne and Janet Gorsuch. It
was during this time they joined the Mullen
M.E. Church.

In late 1913 Mr. Clemens exchanged with
Elmer Wickham the house in town for Mr.
Wickham's ranch in south Cherry Co. They
owned this ranch until they moved to Pine
River, Minn. in Nov. 1938. At this time they
sold it to Wilkie Coble.

In Oct. 1919 Elmer traded a Rio automo-
bile to David Speck for the east half of Block
8 in the Original Town of Mullen on First and
McShane. The Marshall's home is now where
Mina had her garden and currant patch. The
present Trackwell house sets where the
Clemens' house set. By this time daughter
Edith had married. Clemens' moved into the
Speck house and the Wieses moved onto the
Wickham. Wieses moved to Burwell in 1920
and Will moved there. Wills lived there a
year. When they left, Clemens went back.

Their son, Earl was married Dec. 28, 1921.
They lived with his folks until early fall of
1922 when Earl and Rose moved to Scotts-
bluff to work in the sugar beets. Earl became
ill the last of November and passed away Dec.
2, 1922 from complications following gall
bladder surgery and pneumonia.

Clemens moved back into Mullen after
Earl's death. Mina's nephew, Jack Eastwood
and bride Peggy, moved onto the Wickham.
They lived there until Wieses moved back to
this ranch. Grandchildren Tillie, Leona, and
Nellie stayed with their grandparents and
attended high school. There always seemed
to be numerous young people around. Elmer
enjoyed making popcorn balls and Mina
candy. Claudia Machalan says she first
learned to pull taffy at Grandma Clemens'
home.

Elmer and Mina took one more hitch in the
country remaining until it was sold. They
spent 6 months traveling before moving to
Minnesota the fall of 1938. One day in the
spring of 1939, Elmer decided to chop wood
while Mina and Edith went to town. When
the ladies returned, they found that he had
had a stroke and lived but a few hours. From
then until the time of her passing, Grand-
mother's time was spent living among her
grandchildren.

She always wished to return to Mullen for
one more visit. Her wish was granted in the
fall of 1954. She lived in Alice Pool's Nursing
Home until she passed away January 24,
1956. They are both buried at Pine River,
MN.