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Note: Patent Record Book 2, page 185, Dawes Co., Nebraska
Homestead Certificate No. 635, Application 909
Chadron, Nebraska
South west quarter of Section twenty six in Township Thirty four north of Range Forty seven West of the sixth Principal Meridian in Nebraska containing one hundred and sixty acres.
Recorded Vol. 2, Page 95
"History of the Blinn Farm" by Ward Blinn: Deeds and Records
United States to Rueben Winter, April 7, 1856
Reuben Winter to E.M. Golding, Feb. 16 -- May 2 1885
Reuben Winter & wife to J.H. Jontz, Dec. 1, 189 -- March 1891
John H. Jontz & wife to Solomon Blinn & wife Nov. 25, 1892 -- Nov. 26, 1892
Solomon Blinn & wife to George Blinn Feb. 16, 1897 -- Feb. 19, 1897
George Blinn & wife to Ward Blinn & wife
Suffered from Asthma and emphysema. Many in the family suffered from allergies and joked about the Blinn cough/clearing throat. Source: Dorothy Blinn Townsend
Notes from "Everything is Lovely When the Goose Hangs HIgh" written by the Blinn siblings:
"Dad had asthma and at times it was very hard for him to breathe. He was allergic to chicken feathers. There was a chicken hatchery next door to their town home which was not the best for his health. He had to use some very strong medicine for his asthma which effected his heart. He died of a heart attack on Feb. 14, 1941 -- Valentine's Day."
"I (Mildred) shall never forget when Dad was so sick with pernicious anemia. He had to eat ground raw liver mixed with orange juice. He wanted to get well but such awful medicine was prescribed for him. He was sitting in a chair and told me how badly his legs burt and that he soon would not be able to walk. He cried as he felt so bad." "Father died of a heart attack from an asthmatic attack while we were living on the farm near Spencer. We had no telephone so the message came to us by telegram."
"FUNERAL RITES FOR GEORGE BLINN, SUNDAY"
Geo. O. Blinn, for many years a prominent citizen and land owner of this community, died suddenly at his home in Glidden, Friday morning. He had suffered from poor health for some months past, but his death was an unexpected blow to his family and friends.
Funeral services were held in the Methodist church Sunday afternoon at 2:30. The body lay in state at the church until 2:00 o'clock when it was returned to the home where the family and a few intimate friends listened to the service over radio loud speaker facilities. Rev. J.R. McNichols, the pastor preached the funeral sermon.
Music was furnished by a male quartet, Wilbur Porter, W. H. Genter, O.B. Moorhouse and C.M. Roberts, with Mrs. Earl Sherfield at the pipe organ. Mr. Genter also sang as a solo, "Abide With Me."
Interment was made at Westlawn cemetery with Junia Eaton and Ben A. Luft in charge of arrangements.
The home and church were filled with beautiful floral offerings of friends from near and far, as mute testimonials of their esteem for the deceased.
George Oscar Blinn was born in Henry county, Illinois, June 21, 1867, and died at his home in Glidden, Feb. 14, 1941, at the age of 73 years, 7 months and 23 days.
Mr. Blinn was twice married, the first union being with Miss Elzada Daniels at Chadron, Nebraska, March 24, 1887. By this union was born a son Ray Blinn living at Sioux City. Mr. Blinn's first wife died in Feb. 1890, as the result of an injury when thrown from a horse some time previously.
March 3, 1897, he was united in marriage to Miss Hattie Everts at Glidden, Iowa, where he resided the rest of his life.
There was born to Mr. Blinn by his second marriage seven daughters and three sons, all living with the exception of Lucille who died at the age of 3 1/2 years. The living children are Mrs. Leon Haggard, (Alice) and Leonard Blinn, Los Angeles, Calif; Mrs. Merton Townsend (Dorothy) and Miss Jean Blinn, Omaha, Neb; Mrs. Leonard Streck (Mildred) Spencer, Iowa; Mrs. John Juergens (Grace) Mrs. Erwin Waldron (Mary), Everett Blinn and Ward Blinn all of Glidden.
He is survived by his widow and the above named children; one brother Grant Blinn of Gordon, Nebr; eleven grandchildren and other more distant relatives.
Among those from a distance attending the rites, were a cousin Herbert Norton and a niece Miss Ora Moon, both of Kewanee, Ill.; a group from the Omaha World Herald, Omaha, Nebr. Mrs. Julia Sudenberg, Marie Kanger, Marie Jergovic, Lois Wibe, Stella Pedersen, LeRoy Gorman; Miss Mildred Hoople, Des Moines; Mrs. G.H. Townsend, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Robb, Sioux City; Mr. Herman Streck, Mapleton; Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Stock, Rockwell City.
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A sketch of the life of Mrs. George Blinn cannot help but be of interest to our readers. Mr. Blinn knew the hard way of life, although for a good many years prior to his death, life had dealt more kindly with him and he enjoyed and appreciated the good things which came his way as a reward for his persistence and his "never-say-die" spirit.
George was the son of a Pennsylvania Dutchman and an English mother, who was born in Bureau County Illinois. His grandparents moved to Illinois about 1845, where the grandfather acquired large tracts of cheap land, and later gave each of his children large farms. The grandparents were for progress, and they placed church in first place, building a U.B. church and establishing a cemetery on a Blinn farm. Later a Methodist church was also built on Blinn property, and its 100th anniversary will be celebrated in 1941, at Neponset, Ill.
Born in these surroundings June 21, 1867, George attended rural school and acquired such knowledge as was available in those early days. Later the family moved to Geneseo, Ill., where he attended "town school" with its usual hardships for the country boy of that period.
In the spring of 1879 the family moved to Marshalltown, Iowa. Here he attended district school. He attended this school for over a year and was the admitted to the "town school." He liked to live in Marshalltown, where his father was a doctor. During the vacation periods, George would work at anything, and he dearly loved to play baseball. It was a Marshalltown where he had the pleasure to play ball in the same team with Billy Sunday and Adee Anson. For a time he drove a hack for the hotel and while still a young boy became "infected" with a desire to become a printer and went to work in the office of the Times-Republican. Although he did not follow the printing trade, he never got completely cured and along in 1889 he tried it again in Chadron, Nebr., where he cranked the old country Campbell every week and where this writer was also employed as "printer's devil." He always liked the smell of printers ink.
Along in the year 1885, a Marshalltown land promoter organized a group of settlers for homesteading land near the Pine Ridge Indian reservation, in northwest Nebraska. This iead appealed to Mr. Blinn and he joined the group. The settlers arrived at their destination (Valentine, Nebr.) in their immigrant cars, March 1, ???? The cattlemen and cowboys did not relish settlers spoiling their range and staged a "wild west show" to scare them out -- shooting up the town, riding into the hotel and stores and firing their six shooters in every direction. The newcomers didn't scare much, and in a short time George, his brother, father and mother, were located in a tent on a homestead, several miles north of Valentine. Indians were plentiful, and not too friendly to the "pale face," and were a dirty lot.
The house on the homestead was built by Mr. Blinn and his mother, while his father and brother hauled their goods from Valentine over a trackless prairie. The house had no foundation nor floor, and windows were added whenever they had the time or opportunity.
It was while living here that George gathered together a few former Marshalltown boys and challenged the Chadron boys for a baseball game -- the first one played in the town. The Chadron boys won a close game.
To tide over the period between crops, Mr. Blinn worked on railroad construction, the railroad then being built through the Black Hills to Deadwood, S.D.
In commenting on the Black Hills at the time the railroad was being built, Mr. Blinn said "I believe the Black Hills was the worst wild west spot in the United States. The miners and cattlemen made good money -- and so did the gamblers."
It was while living on his claim that he met and married Miss Elzada Daniels on March 24, 1887.
Prior to their marriage, she was thrown from a horse, and the injury received then caused her death in Feb. 1890, in Chicago, where she had been taken for treatment, leaving Mr. Blinn with a young son to care for.
Crop failures and doctor bills had left him penniless. But after arranging for the care of his little son, he started west from Chicago where he had been employed during his wife's stay in the hospital, driving a hack. He made a town-to-town stop looking for work, which failed to materialize until his arrival in Glidden. Here he was given carpenter work on a new elevator being built. Later farm work was given him, Mr. Prior Mackey, still a resident of Glidden, giving him steady work, the first job being to help erect a barn on the Mackey farm.
From Mackey's he went to Mrs. Hagan's to assist her in preparing stock for a public sale. While with her, he rented her farm, and bought some equipment at the sale -- going into debt for the whole amount. While on the Hagan farm, his mother came from Nebraska to keep house for him. This was the turning point in his life. Later in the year his father and brother came to Iowa and bought land. From that time on life began for Mr. Blinn and he finally became the owner of 800 acres of well improved land.
In the year 1897 (March 3) he married Miss Hattie Everts who has been a most excellent helper in all of his undertakings.
In all of his hardships and disappointments, Mr. Blinn never lost hope of winning out eventually. His courage to go ahead made him a leader in his community and he was always among the first to encourage better churches, schools, telephones, roads and homes. He battled adversity for many years but saw success crown his efforts.
Card of Thanks
We wish to thank everyone for their thoughtful kindness at a time when it was greatly appreciated. Mrs. George O. Blinn and Children.
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