COX, A. B. "ECK" AND MINNIE (KIRK)

by Donald Cox

Entry F94 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

The A.B. (Eck) Cox Family. L-R-Eck, Lucille, Don, Henry and Minnie.

Alexander B. Cox "Eck" was born 14
October 1879 and died in a car wreck south
of Valentine 13 May 1959. Minnie L. Kirk was
born 7 August 1882 and died in Mullen 15
November 1976. Both were born in Grayson
County Virginia. They had three children
Donald A. born 7 May, 1912-Henry J. born
September 15, 1915 and Martha Lucille born
26 September 1920.

In Virginia a young man was allocated a
parcel of land to clear of rock and briars. For
this he could farm it for a period of time. Eck
had worked at this sporadically for some
time. However a grubbing hoe didn't fit his
hands very well and horse-trading took
precEdence. Grandpa (Little Doc) told me
Eck had more stock than he did at times. In
the fall of 1899 Rush (Colonel) Osborn
returned from Cherry County to Grayson to
visit. He told about a country with no rocks
or briars - 160 acres for free - just live on it.
Eck decided that was for him. He decided to
accompany Colonel back to Nebraska. He
disposed of his stock and Grandpa gave him
$500. They stopped in Madison County
where Colonel had brothers. Eck stayed
there, worked for Hoyt, traded horses, far-
med some on his own. When the "Kincaid
Act" was passed in 1904 Eck came on to
Mullen. Here he learned John L. Roseberry
would hire home-steaders and that he had a
reputation as an honest man. Roseberry
would size them up, if he thought they
wouldn't stay he suggested they file with-in
his area, if he thought they would stay then
he proposed they file further away. Eck was
asked to file outside his area. He filed on S.12.
T26, R35 some 6 miles to the south and south
of Calf Creek which valley was aleady taken
with 160 homesteads.

Minnie was working as a seamstress for 50
cents a day. John Parsons of Harrison,
Nebraska was visiting in Virginia and he told
her she could get work in the Black-Hills for
more pay. She coaxed her mother to let her
return with him and she got a job in
Deadwood as a maid for $20 per month. Later
she worked in a dress-making shop for better
pay. In 1909 Eck convinced her to file on a
relinquishment joining him on the west. In
1910 Eck proved up on his section. They were
married 17 December 1910. In the spring they
moved his 16 by 18 one and a half story house
and joined it onto her 10 by 12 shack. In this
manner they fulfilled the requirement for
buildings and living on the land. At this time
the two sections joining them on the north
(which had the meadow) was for sale. He
couldn't raise enough money to swing the
deal so a partnership was formed with H.J.
Lowe, a merchant of Mullen, to buy it. As I
grew up I can never remember a time when
there wasn't a land deal brewing. Since all the
work was done with horses and they run both
a ranch and farming crew so some 15 to 18
men were around all summer. Also one man
was on freight wagon to and from Mullen
most of the time to get needed supplies. This
required over 100 horses to be in the pasture
north of the buildings during the summer.
These men plus a constant stream of "Grub
Line Riders" made Minnie and a hired girl
several mouths to feed. Washing was done for
all, on a washboard, a large garden was raised
and canned for winter in a wash-boiler over
a coal burning range of large size. That
kitchen was a hot place on just a warm
summer day. A well pumping through a
shallow tank was the only means of keeping
things cool. When the wind didn't blow that
didn't work too well. The water was then
directed down the rows of a large strawberry
patch below the milkhouse. This meant every
time one went there for something they took
time to direct the water down a different row.

The hogs were fed the grain, drove to
Mullen and the railroad and shipped to
Omaha. Proceeds from them was expected to
pay running expenses. The cattle were trailed
to Hecla because it was closer to the summer
pasture. They carried the 7 0 Brand. Proceeds
from cattle sales went to make down payment
on more land. By 1922 Mr. Lowe's health was
failing so they decided it would be prudent
to divide up the operation. In 12 years they
had put together 26,000 acres, had 1000 cattle
and 300 horses. They divided the land, horses
and quite a large debt. Lowe brought Eck's
1/2 of cattle and he went to New Castle,
Wyoming and bought a train-load of cattle.
They carried two brands neither of which was
in use in Nebraska so they didn't have to be
rebranded. These brands are still being used
by A.B. and Marvin. In 1947 Eck and Minnie
retired to Mullen, selling the ranch to their
two sons-Henry buying the west and south
part and Don the east and north part.

Lucille was born in a maternity home in
Mullen. When Eck got in to view the new
arrival they had a second baby in bed with
Minnie. They had Eck going all around town
passing out cigars on twins. This was just one
of the many pranks pulled off by Windy
Boyer, Ollie Franke, John Vinton, John Motl
and Eck.