Compendium of History Reminiscence & Biography of Western Nebraska
  page 205
			    WILLIAM GIBSON

         William Gibson is one of the well-known citizens of Cherry
     county, and a prosperous and well-to-do farmer. His residence is
     on section 34, township 26, range 33, and he is the owner of four
     hundred and eighty acres of land, all of which is well
     improved. He is a gentleman of integrity and good judgment and
     well merits the success which has come to him and the enviable
     reputation which he enjoys as an old settler and worthy resident
     of his locality.

         Mr. Gibson was born in Rock Island county, Illinois, in
     1867. His father, Alex. Gibson, was born in Ireland, as was also
     his mother. The former followed farming all his life, and the
     family settled in Iowa when William was a child one year old, and
     after that lived on several different farms in that state,
     remaining there for sixteen years in all. He attended the common
     schools, and worked at farming through his boyhood, coming to
     Nebraska with his parents about 1883, and when he was
     twenty-three left home and started for himself, taking a farm in
     Fillmore county, Nebraska, which he operated for several
     years. In 1893 he went with his family to McPherson county,
     settling on barren prairie land, filing on a homestead and proved
     up on it. There he put up sod buildings and built up a good
     ranch. That place was located thirty-five miles from a town, and
     they lived on it for about nine years, then moved to Mullen and
     made that their home for two years, coming to his present ranch
     from there. He now has a good ranch and home, having put up good
     buildings, fences and every improvement. He lately erected a fine
     barn fifty-six by thirty- two feet, and has plenty of sheds, with
     wells, windmills, etc.

        Mr. Gibson was married in 1891, to Miss Sadie Brown, daughter
     of John Brown, a farmer and native of Scotland, who settled in
     this locality many years ago, her mother's maiden name was Agnes
     Brown. To Mr. Gibson and his good wife have been born the
     following children: John, Frank, Irene and Pearl, who form a most
     charming family group.


  page 179 
			 JOHN ROSS LELACHEUR

         John Ross LeLacheur, who resides in section 29, township 26,
     range 32, Cherry county, Nebraska, has a valuable estate which he
     has gained by industry and good management. He was born in
     Delaware county, Iowa, in 1876, on a farm.

        Elisha LeLacheur, the father of our subject, was a native of
     Prince Edward Island, born in 1831, and came of French
     parentage. He grew up in that country and came to America with
     his parents when he was a lad of eleven, the family settling in
     Iowa, and he attended the country schools in Delaware county, and
     was married there in 1863 to Mary J. Bliss, of English and Yankee
     stock, the mother now residing in Mullen.  John Ross LeLacheur
     was one of four children in his father's family, named as
     follows; Phoebe E., Frank W., John R. and Wm. H., and he was the
     third member in order of birth. In 1882 our subject moved to
     Nebraska, driving from Iowa with a team and covered wagon,
     bringing with them a yoke of oxen and three horses, also three
     colts. The trip was a hard and tedious one, they being obliged to
     camp out at night, but they came through with no serious
     drawbacks, and after arriving in Nebraska settled in Nance
     county, where they lived for four years, then came to Cherry
     county and settled on a ranch situated eleven miles northwest of
     Mullen. There their first dwelling was a tent, in which they
     lived during the first summer. Storms and hail literally tore the
     tent to pieces in a few months, and they were obliged to build a
     sod house before the rough weather came on in the fall, and also
     built a hen house of sod, barns and sheds for their stock. They
     had hard times at first, but gradually kept improving the place
     and tried to farm, but lost several crops during the dry years,
     and had bad luck. On October 23, 1894, the father died as a
     result of an accident. He was helping fight a prairie fire and
     was so badly burned that he only survived his wounds eighteen
     hours. On January 1, 1901, the old ranch homestead building
     caught fire and burned to the ground. One son, William, and his
     family occupied the dwelling at the time, and his wife was
     awakened at four o'clock in the morning by the smell of smoke,
     found the house on fire and they barely escaped from the burning
     building with their lives. As it was, William's hair was badly
     singed and his night clothes were nearly burned off his body. His
     wife and their child were almost caught in the fire, but managed
     to escape without serious harm. This put an end to occupying the
     old ranch house, but the place is still used as a summer pasture
     for stock.

         In 1899 our subject went on a ranch of his own, which was
     situated in section 29, township 26, range 32. He had been
     married in December of the year previous, to Maggie Stevenson,
     daughter of Frank Stevenson, an old settler in western
     Nebraska. Mrs. LeLacheur's mother was prior to her marriage, Miss
     Adelaide Allen, born in Pine Grove, Warren county,
     Pennsylvania. The young couple at once started out to build up a
     good home together, and worked hard and faithfully to accomplish
     that end, and have succeeded in a marked degree. Mr.  LeLacheur
     is now the owner of a fine ranch of 640 acres, all of which is
     fenced and improved with good buildings, and he is extensively
     engaged in the stock raising business, also farming quite a
     portion of the place. He has two children, Clyde and Ross.

        One brother, William, also owns a good ranch of 640 acres,
     which he established in 1900, and is located in sections 26 and
     27, township 25, range 32, this being the property of his wife,
     who acquired it through homestead rights. She was Miss Anna
     Gibson, daughter

  page 180 

     of Alexander Gibson, an old settler in McPherson county,
     Nebraska, and her mother's maiden name was Ellen Morrison. Two
     boys have been born to William Horton LeLacheur and his good
     wife, namely; Ralph and Earl.

        The LeLacheur family was among the first to settle in this
     part of Cherry county, coming here when there were but two houses
     in the entire neighborhood in which they located. Each has done
     his full share in the upbuilding of the region, and take leading
     parts in the community.  During the early days the subject of
     this review and his brother Frank, captured two deer and tamed
     them so that they became household pets, but during the severe
     hail storms that swept the country and destroyed the tent in
     which they lived, these animals were killed, and the entire
     family were as much grieved by their loss as they were at the
     serious property loss which they suffered.

     
     Compendium of History Reminiscence & Biography of Western Nebraska
     Chicago: Alden Publishing Company,  1909
     http://www.rootsweb.com/~neresour/OLLibrary/cofhar/index.html