George Ferris and Mary Johnson both spent their childhood years near Galesburg, Illinois. At about the age of twenty one, George went to, Wyoming and worked in the coal mines at Rock Springs. In 1876 he was returning to Galesburg with a friend, Elijah McKendry, who had homesteaded the Southwest quarter, Range two, township 14, section 7and they stopped off at Central City, then known as Lone Tree. They inspected the McKendry homestead, and this resulted in him giving McKendry his gold watch, $200 and a $400 mortgage, for a deed to the quarter section.
He returned to Illinois, where he married Mary Johnson on December 27, 1876. Their first child, Maude (Osborn) was born December 2, 1878, and on March 1, 1879, they came to the newly acquired farm northwest of Central City. Part of the original homesteader’s cabin still exists in the interior of the house on these premises.
They had four more children, Ora (Sampson), Mamie (Gardner) and sons, Lee Johnson and Lisle William. They were industrious, progressive and successful farmers, acquiring considerable other real-estate. They were strong supporters of the Fairview Methodist Church, and while not possessing of no great amount of schooling themselves, they were strong supporters of the local school and advocates of higher education for all youth.
George Ferris could well be classified as fifty years ahead of his time. He was not only progressive, but an excellent carpenter and mechanic, with an inventive intuition. Even before the days of manure spreaders, when it had to be hauled out in a wagon, he had designed and had in operation a manure loader. Horses and dirt scoops were used to get the manure on a platform which was then elevated by horsepower and dumped into a wagon. His only patented invention was a stack-form used for both hay and grain bundles in the days of stacking grain. This was manufactured in Central City for a while, but cheap labor limited its sale.
Using horse scrapers, he dug the location for a rather large pond just east of his house, and filled it with water produced by a wind mill using several sand points to produce a large stream. From this pond he irrigated quite a large garden and orchard. Back in the 1890’s, after the whole family, and assorted helpers, had picked strawberries in the early morning, he would drive to Central City and sell them housed to house for 25 cents. The Ferris home was the first, or among the very first to have electric lights (32 volt direct current) and running water and a bathroom. He had a horse drawn mechanical corn picker back before 1920 and one of the first tractors in the area about the same time.
George Ferris passed away on November 27, 1921, but his visions of manure loaders, stack forms, and of irrigation are evident today. Mary Johnson Ferris passed away on July 25, 1942. They have numerous descendants, too many to name here, many of whom still live in Merrick County. Photographic proof of his inventions have been preserved by a grandson, Donald F. Sampson. (Transcribed from ”History Of Merrick County, Nebraska - 1981”)
He returned to Illinois, where he married Mary Johnson on December 27, 1876. Their first child, Maude (Osborn) was born December 2, 1878, and on March 1, 1879, they came to the newly acquired farm northwest of Central City. Part of the original homesteader’s cabin still exists in the interior of the house on these premises.
They had four more children, Ora (Sampson), Mamie (Gardner) and sons, Lee Johnson and Lisle William. They were industrious, progressive and successful farmers, acquiring considerable other real-estate. They were strong supporters of the Fairview Methodist Church, and while not possessing of no great amount of schooling themselves, they were strong supporters of the local school and advocates of higher education for all youth.
George Ferris could well be classified as fifty years ahead of his time. He was not only progressive, but an excellent carpenter and mechanic, with an inventive intuition. Even before the days of manure spreaders, when it had to be hauled out in a wagon, he had designed and had in operation a manure loader. Horses and dirt scoops were used to get the manure on a platform which was then elevated by horsepower and dumped into a wagon. His only patented invention was a stack-form used for both hay and grain bundles in the days of stacking grain. This was manufactured in Central City for a while, but cheap labor limited its sale.
Using horse scrapers, he dug the location for a rather large pond just east of his house, and filled it with water produced by a wind mill using several sand points to produce a large stream. From this pond he irrigated quite a large garden and orchard. Back in the 1890’s, after the whole family, and assorted helpers, had picked strawberries in the early morning, he would drive to Central City and sell them housed to house for 25 cents. The Ferris home was the first, or among the very first to have electric lights (32 volt direct current) and running water and a bathroom. He had a horse drawn mechanical corn picker back before 1920 and one of the first tractors in the area about the same time.
George Ferris passed away on November 27, 1921, but his visions of manure loaders, stack forms, and of irrigation are evident today. Mary Johnson Ferris passed away on July 25, 1942. They have numerous descendants, too many to name here, many of whom still live in Merrick County. Photographic proof of his inventions have been preserved by a grandson, Donald F. Sampson. (Transcribed from ”History Of Merrick County, Nebraska - 1981”)
George Ferris and Mary Johnson both spent their childhood years near Galesburg, Illinois. At about the age of twenty one, George went to, Wyoming and worked in the coal mines at Rock Springs. In 1876 he was returning to Galesburg with a friend, Elijah McKendry, who had homesteaded the Southwest quarter, Range two, township 14, section 7and they stopped off at Central City, then known as Lone Tree. They inspected the McKendry homestead, and this resulted in him giving McKendry his gold watch, $200 and a $400 mortgage, for a deed to the quarter section.
He returned to Illinois, where he married Mary Johnson on December 27, 1876. Their first child, Maude (Osborn) was born December 2, 1878, and on March 1, 1879, they came to the newly acquired farm northwest of Central City. Part of the original homesteader’s cabin still exists in the interior of the house on these premises.
They had four more children, Ora (Sampson), Mamie (Gardner) and sons, Lee Johnson and Lisle William. They were industrious, progressive and successful farmers, acquiring considerable other real-estate. They were strong supporters of the Fairview Methodist Church, and while not possessing of no great amount of schooling themselves, they were strong supporters of the local school and advocates of higher education for all youth.
George Ferris could well be classified as fifty years ahead of his time. He was not only progressive, but an excellent carpenter and mechanic, with an inventive intuition. Even before the days of manure spreaders, when it had to be hauled out in a wagon, he had designed and had in operation a manure loader. Horses and dirt scoops were used to get the manure on a platform which was then elevated by horsepower and dumped into a wagon. His only patented invention was a stack-form used for both hay and grain bundles in the days of stacking grain. This was manufactured in Central City for a while, but cheap labor limited its sale.
Using horse scrapers, he dug the location for a rather large pond just east of his house, and filled it with water produced by a wind mill using several sand points to produce a large stream. From this pond he irrigated quite a large garden and orchard. Back in the 1890’s, after the whole family, and assorted helpers, had picked strawberries in the early morning, he would drive to Central City and sell them housed to house for 25 cents. The Ferris home was the first, or among the very first to have electric lights (32 volt direct current) and running water and a bathroom. He had a horse drawn mechanical corn picker back before 1920 and one of the first tractors in the area about the same time.
George Ferris passed away on November 27, 1921, but his visions of manure loaders, stack forms, and of irrigation are evident today. Mary Johnson Ferris passed away on July 25, 1942. They have numerous descendants, too many to name here, many of whom still live in Merrick County. Photographic proof of his inventions have been preserved by a grandson, Donald F. Sampson. (Transcribed from ”History Of Merrick County, Nebraska - 1981”)
He returned to Illinois, where he married Mary Johnson on December 27, 1876. Their first child, Maude (Osborn) was born December 2, 1878, and on March 1, 1879, they came to the newly acquired farm northwest of Central City. Part of the original homesteader’s cabin still exists in the interior of the house on these premises.
They had four more children, Ora (Sampson), Mamie (Gardner) and sons, Lee Johnson and Lisle William. They were industrious, progressive and successful farmers, acquiring considerable other real-estate. They were strong supporters of the Fairview Methodist Church, and while not possessing of no great amount of schooling themselves, they were strong supporters of the local school and advocates of higher education for all youth.
George Ferris could well be classified as fifty years ahead of his time. He was not only progressive, but an excellent carpenter and mechanic, with an inventive intuition. Even before the days of manure spreaders, when it had to be hauled out in a wagon, he had designed and had in operation a manure loader. Horses and dirt scoops were used to get the manure on a platform which was then elevated by horsepower and dumped into a wagon. His only patented invention was a stack-form used for both hay and grain bundles in the days of stacking grain. This was manufactured in Central City for a while, but cheap labor limited its sale.
Using horse scrapers, he dug the location for a rather large pond just east of his house, and filled it with water produced by a wind mill using several sand points to produce a large stream. From this pond he irrigated quite a large garden and orchard. Back in the 1890’s, after the whole family, and assorted helpers, had picked strawberries in the early morning, he would drive to Central City and sell them housed to house for 25 cents. The Ferris home was the first, or among the very first to have electric lights (32 volt direct current) and running water and a bathroom. He had a horse drawn mechanical corn picker back before 1920 and one of the first tractors in the area about the same time.
George Ferris passed away on November 27, 1921, but his visions of manure loaders, stack forms, and of irrigation are evident today. Mary Johnson Ferris passed away on July 25, 1942. They have numerous descendants, too many to name here, many of whom still live in Merrick County. Photographic proof of his inventions have been preserved by a grandson, Donald F. Sampson. (Transcribed from ”History Of Merrick County, Nebraska - 1981”)
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