Oscar Hanson

Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Bell Hanson.

LaVern and Pauline were married on September 4, 1938, and lived their 54 years of marriage in or 10 miles north and east of Holdrege. They both worked to raise crops on the farm which had been C.A. Leslie Johnson's farm. Leslie was LaVern's stepdad. LaVern was the oldest of five children born to Bessie Johnson. His father was Sam Miller but since Bessie raised him along with her mother, Ida, he kept the Johnson name. Ida had come from Sweden to join her brothers and spoke only Swedish. Consequently, LaVern spoke Swedish only too until he went to school at age 5. At the age of 85, LaVern went with his daughter Sandra and her friend to Sweden to see his grandmother's beloved Smoland. On that trip he discovered the descendants of a great aunt and uncle who stayed behind in Sweden on the home place near Ruda. Bessie married Leslie and had four more children, Zola, Quenton, Vearl and Carol. Pauline was the daughter of Oscar and Belle (Brittain) Hanson of Elsie, Nebraska. She was raised on the farm and attended school at Elsie. She was valdectorian of her class and was accepted into a school of higher education. She met LaVern as he was doing work for her father and accepted his proposal of marriage and moved with him to Holdrege. LaVern and Pauline raised wheat, alfalfa, beans, sugar beets, and corn and milo on their land. They also tended cattle, horses, chickens, and hogs. They separated the milk from the cows and sold the cream along with the eggs from the hens. This meant there were chores to do everyday. Animals always needed to be fed and cleaned up after. Their days were busy. Yet they always found time to do a little traveling and headed into town (Holdrege) every Saturday night. They had many hard times when the farm never paid the bills and thoughts of losing it were always there. LaVern continued to pay on the land, however, and by the time of his death he had extended the farmland he worked to a full section. The land was not all together but 1/2 section was with the home place. He added the last 1/4 in the last 2 years of his life. He would have had it all paid for when he died had he not added the new quarter. That quarter meant a lot to him, as he had farmed it as a renter for over 50 years. They made many friends in their community. They had a square dance club which turned into a card club and eventually became called the skunk-hollow club. It was called that because they met in an old school house where skunks holed out underneath. These were long time friends as the club went on for over 60 years. The group continued to meet with them after they built a new home in Holdrege. Some of the members were still in the country, but many had moved to town and children were farming the land. LaVern rented the farm place for awhile and then was delighted when his grandson, Brad Johnson moved into the house. The house had been remodeled in the early 1950's to modernize it with an indoor toilet and gas furnace. When they raised their four children, the house was over one hundred years old, but was kept pretty much up to date by Pauline's hard work at wallpapering, painting and fixing. She kept the house spic and span. Pauline and LaVern were the parents of Ronald L. Johnson, Robert R. Johnson, Sandra L. Hilsabeck-Hastings (Bryce) and Linoma Wingate. (Wayne).

Willard and Esther Harbeson have spent their entire lives in and near Elsie. Esther is a third generation native, and Willard is a second generation. Willard was born on the place where Gunner Eckberg now lives on October 17, 1915. His parents came from Custer County in 19O7. They had nine children who grew up in this area, only Willard is still living . Esther was born on the place where her brother Dale Hanson now lives on April 18, 1918. Her parents were Oscar and Belle (Brittain) Hanson. Oscar was born on the family homestead east of Elsie in December 1886, and the Brittains moved here from Somerset in 1903. Brothers Emil and Dale still live in this vicinity, and her sister Edith Hunter lives in Omaha. Willard and Esther raised four boys. Gene lives in Oakland, N.J. with his wife Joan. Earl and Sheri live in Ca. Duane and Heidi live in Ca., and Donald and Joan live in Elsie Willard's nephews, Harold and Leland spent several years with them and attended school in Elsie. The Harbesons farmed for several years, but moved into Elsie in 1946 where they operated a creamery and feed store. In 1950 they bought the "drug store". This business was also the social gathering place of the town, for both the young people and their parents. The soda fountain was the chief attraction. Here .05 cokes and phosphates were quickly made. The peanut busters were famous, costing .25, as did the thick milk shakes and malts. The high school kids delighted in thinking up new flavor variations and seeing if you could remember long enough to make them and serve them. Bottled pop was also .05 at first, and when it went to .10 in about 1952, people swore they would never drink another bottle of it and for a couple of years the pop case didn't have to be filled very often. But business at the fountain boomed—drinks were still .05 there for the regular 6 oz. glass. There must have been a million cups of coffee served across that bar starting in early morning when the school bus drivers came in before they went on the routes and never stopping before midnight when the "night" people had their last one before going home. Coffee was also .05 until about 1960 when it became necessary to have .10 for it. Esther and the boys ran the store most of the time as Willard started working for the Burlington Railroad. He retired in 1980 after 30 years first as a section laborer, then as an equipment operator. During this time Willard also repaired radios and TV's during the evenings and on weekends. Their hobby is traveling, and they have been in all states. They also made it to Singapore and Hong Kong while Earl was living there. Willard and Esther had been married 50 years — April 14, 1986. They have three grandchildren — Heather (Earl's) and Chris and Paul (Donald's), and a step grandson, Andy (Duane's). They also had 2 great grandchildren

Oscar and Belle (Brittain) Hanson were married on June 3, 1917, and lived their fifty-eight years of marriage in or near Elsie. They both came of pioneer stock and were proud of their heritage. Oscar was the oldest of four children born to Ola and Betsey (Olson) Hanson who came from Sweden in the early 1880's. They came to Perkins County in 1885 to homestead about one and a half miles southeast of Elsie. Oscar was born there on December 27, 1886. He attended school in Elsie, usually only during the winter months when there was no farm work to be done. He tended his trap line on the way to school and since skunks were the main trapees, sometimes he was sent home again. Belle was the daughter of the postmaster, John F Brittain and his wife Theresa (Smith). Belle was born on the family homestead in Lincoln County in Somerset, on January 6, 1895. They moved to Elsie in 1903. She at tended the ten years of schooling offered then went to Curtis for a summer of "normal training". She taught several years in the Miller and Glunz schools then in town. Oscar and Belle lived three and a half miles west of Elsie during their active years. They worked hard raising chickens, hogs and cows to supplement the farm income. The lean 30's saw them economizing with the rest of the dust bowl residents, enjoying simple pleasures like Saturday nights in town, community softball games (played in the area just south of the Methodist Church.) County Fairs (I never knew them to miss one) and the I.O.O.F. and Rebekah Lodges. They both joined the Elsie Methodist Church early and remained faithful members as long as health permitted. Oscar and Belle knew hard times, bad crops, hail, wind, grasshoppers, drought and blizzards, but there were the good times and their good friends. They never wished for more than the "good life" on the Nebraska plains. Oscar died in 1975 and Belle in 1986 having lived long and productive lives. They were the parents of five children; Esther (Mrs. Willard) Harbeson, Pauline (Mrs. LaVern) Johnson. Emil, Dale and Edith (Mrs. Sam) Hunter