From Stories of Nebraska, pages 76-78 Chapter L David Henry was born in Cumberland County, Ohio and when still a small boy he moved with his parents to Wabash County, Indiana, in which State he grew up to manhood and then moved to Whiteside County, Illinois. He volunteered for service in the civil war at the first call, enlisting in Company A 34 Illinois Infantry and served four years. After the war he was back in Illinois, and a year later was married to Adeline Crom who was also a native of Ohio. They moved to Iowa in 1869, and in 1872 came to Nebraska buying a homestead-right from William Kral for $200, on Section 24 Atlanta precinct near Tobias. The trip to Nebraska was made in a lumber wagon leading two cows with mostly bad weather and muddy roads. Mrs. Henry had often to walk half a mile at a time carrying a small child on each arm. Sometimes the wagon would stick fast in the mud, and was only pulled out by having a chain fastened to the end of the wagon tongue thus enabling the horses to get a bettter foothold up the hills. Their first home was a dugout with a roof made of poles covered with brush and hay. There was a hole in one end, and during the blizzard of "73" Mrs. Henry had to get up and fill it in as best she could but the snow found its way into the hole and there was a covering of fine snow on the bedclothes. On opening the door next morning, they found themselves snowed under, and Mr. Henry fell into the snow in his attempt to get out. He had to dig his way through to the corn pile and this they used for fuel as the woodpile was still father away and buried out of sight. The dugout had but one small window which faced the east, there was no plaster on the walls, and sheets were stretched overhead for a ceiling and to catch the dirt that might and did fall from the roof, while the floor was of fresh mother earth. Mrs. Henry was not quite satisfied under conditions like these, especially as their neighborhood was noted for rattlsnakes, and, one night when talking over these matters with her husband she warned him of the risk they were running and he courageously replied: "I would go to bed with a rattlesnake!" As they talked, they heard the noise of a rattler as he fell from the roof in the dark part of the room, hitting the bed as he descended. It had evidently come through a mouse hole of which there were not a few, but Mr. Crom (sic) was unwilling to go near the visitor even out of bed until his wife had pulled back the bed-tick, and then he killed the snake with an ax as it lay curled up on the earth floor. This event settled the dugout question, and the next day a sod house was started and when finished became their home for one year, when a frame house became possible by having a mortgage on their land. When they came to the homestead Mr. Crom (sic) traded his horses for cattle and broke the land with an ox team as many others were doing, and their Sunday drives to church were by the ox-wagon route but they usually arrived. When the first prairie fire came Mr. Henry was at a neighbor's on business. Mrs. Henry saw the fire approaching and in great haste she sought a gunny sack which she soaked in water. The fire had by this time jumped the fire guards and was making its way toward the stable but with a courageous effort and the use of the wet sack she turned it, saving the stable though everything burnable around was lost. An experience after the frame house was built and which caused some anxiety, was an unusually strong wind that piled the dirt around the place as high as a hedge, and the house had to be propped to save it from blowing over. On another occasion Mr. Henry went to Swan creek for kindling. A heavy rain storm came up and he could not get back and he stayed at the David Frankforter place. In the meantime Mrs. Henry and the three children were without firing in a house unplastered, and it was very cold. She wrapped the children up in all the clothing possible to keep them warm and after they were asleep she went out in the dark and rain to get the cow that she might have the milk for their breakfast. It was nine p.m. when she accomplished the task. Next morning at sun-up Mr. Henry came home. During the 1888 snowstorm the children were at school but were dismissed. Two of them a boy and girl made their way to the Peter Mass home and stayed the night, but the younger children also a boy end girl thought they could get home. In their efforts to brave the storm the girl got into a snow drift and the brother could not pull her out. The little fellow took off his overcoat and threw it over her head which helped her to breath (sic) more freely, then he struggled on home and fell prostrate on the floor, crying: "Stella is freezing! Stella is freezing!" Mr. Henry went immediately to seek the girl and met her on the way. She had found the coat, so valuable in helping her to breath (sic) in the fierce storm that she had struggled on until she was able to crawl out of the drift and was making a bold effort to get home, though she was almost fainting when her father met her. Mr. Whitefoth. a neighbor, went to get his children, taking a short cut, as he thought, across his land, but got lost in the storm. He had to walk all night to keep himself warm, and had gone round and round in a circle, while the children reached home in safety having followed the fence as a guide. Mr. Henry died in 1914 at the age of 73 years. Mrs. Henry lives in Friend aged 81 years having wonderfully survived the pioneer experiences. She was the youngest daughter of the Rev. Jacob Crom a well known United Brethren Minister of his day, and her son is the Rev. E. Henry of Inavale, Nebraska. There were also four of her nephews ministers, all having followed the example of the Grandfather, Rev. John Crom of Ohio Pioneer fame. Thus the family has been in the United Brethren fold for several generations.