Keene Nebraska
Keene Nebraska was like many other towns with hopes of becoming thriving communities. Schools, Stores, banking and industry and of course a church. Keene had several churches, two located in the bounds of Keene itself. A Swedish Methodist Church and Evangelical Mission Church. Keene was located in Kearney County.
The other church was located about three miles north and one mile west of the town of Keene. This was Bethania Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church grown from the roots of Sweden, the mother Church.
Well, you can be sure that having three churches serve one small town caused quite a stir among the residents. All three churches were Swedish. Some folks came from as far away as Franklin County to attend Bethania. Riding in buckboards and stock wagons in all kinds of weather and all seasons.
Of course, the church just didn't happen it took folks to open their homes for the first meetings and then form committees and plan a vision of a church community. Folk's with common interests, language and heritage. In 1878 the vision turned into a sod building, twenty feet by thirty, and right in the middle of open prairie. No money was available for a wooden floor or wooden seats. Now with common purpose the people of the church began to build their community in common bond to improve God's house.
An addition was built to the church and then in 1885, a wood frame building took shape and rose high above the prairie with a spire pointing up for all to see. Church bells were installed and called the people to worship. Most all of the people were farmers and worked the land, dependent on the weather for crops and the money that came from selling the crops.
It was in the town of Keene that my father was born, March 17, 1911, on St. Patrick's day. Both of his parent's were Swedish and their family's lived in Keene and worshiped at Bethania. His parent's were confirmed and married there. And then their children were baptized there. My grandfather ran the local grain elevator in Keene. It was owned by Nebraska Iowa Grain Co. Elevators in those days were made of wood and many elevators in those days burned. This one burned. My grandfather also barbered and did shoe repair in the elevator and my dad a small boy, got hold of his shoe hammer. A shoe hammer was a special tool for working on shoes. Dad took the hammer to the railroad tracks to bust up some rocks. The hammer broke and his dad was just a little unhappy.
Dad's maternal grandparent's lived very close and they kept a cow that dad would have to go and get and milk it. After milking dad would jump on the cow and ride it back to his grandparent's pasture. His grandma Kinman lived in Keene and was a old lady. Her husband had passed away. Dad loved to see her as she really loved him and was glad to have him and the other kid's come over. Grandma and Grampa Almquist were not as warm, maybe it was the way they had grown up.
With grandpa's elevator burning down and them not rebuilding, he looked for another job. The Pastor of their church, Rev. Carl A. Lonnquist found grandpa a job at Bethphage Mission in Axtell where he was a farm manager.
They lived in Axtell. He, grandma and all the kid's. Grandma was worried about her children being exposed to the residence of Bethphage and told grandpa she wanted to move. Grandpa took a trade paper in the grain business and answered a ad for a job at Forreston, Illinois. One of the requirement's was that you have to speak and understand German. Somehow grandpa could do this and he was hired.
Grandpa had very little money and needed to find money to rent a boxcar to send furniture to his new home. One of grandma's brothers bought grandpa's car for $75.00 and grandpa had enough for the box car. Another one of grandma's brother's Albert came to help load the boxcar and in 1919 the town of Keene was no longer near.
Some of dad's memories were " I remember living in Keene during 1911 to 1919 along with six brother's and sister's, of course, my parent's, Victor and Lydia Kinman. My grandparent's, Nicholas and Hedda Kinman, settled in Keene around 1880, and my grandparents, John and Hannah Almquist, and came to Keene around 1900. My father was a manager of a grain elevator for many years until it burned down. It was not replaced and thus our departure from Keene. I remember the names of the people living in Keene during my time, which numbered around 60. Charlie Danielson was the general store keeper; Charlie Dorsett was the banker; Dick Chitzler and Louis Tilbury ran the blacksmith shop; my Dad and Oscar Smith were the grain elevator operators.
Mr. Freeman carried the mailbag from the depot to the post office, a part of the general store. My schoolteacher was Ferona Molesworth and her boy friend was Andy Matson. My best friend was Oliver Wendell, who is my cousin. The car's I remember were my Grandpa Almquist's Maxwell, my Dad's Overland, Dossett's Studebaker, and Olaf Wendell's Oakland. The school mates I recall were the Danielsons---Ardyce, Wayne, & Admyth, Arden Dossett, Wilber Larson, the Peterson's --- Elmer, Alice, Walter and William, Hazel Lundeen, Francis Anderson, and Helen Burger along with cousin Oliver. Our recess time was usually spent in Alfred Boostrom's pasture drowning out ground squirrels, picking daisies, and throwing buffalo beans with a pointed stick. Ed Boostrom made us whistles, swings, etc; so was a favorite of mine. Grandparents on both sides, along with most relatives, are now at rest in Bethany churchyard. (1987)
This page created June 11, 1997
Copyright ©1997 James Kinman
Most recent revision
April 23, 2001