Written by Ben P. Sanders, July 4, 1935, when his granddaughter Esther Sanders was taking a college course.-

I was born in Danville, Illinois August 17, 1859; lived there with my parents until I was 9 years old. My father moved on a 40 acre farm 12 miles west of Danville. We lived there 2 years. My father sold the farm and in 1871 he fixed up a wagon, covered it and we started for Nebraska. There was Mother and six of us children, 4 girls and 2 boys one sister older than I. We all slept in the wagon. Father and Mother put a coop of chickens on the side of the wagon and tied an old cow behind the wagon and in September 1871 we bid friends and loved ones good bye and pulled out for Nebraska. We had lots of trouble with the old cow, she didn't want to come to Nebraska or at least she acted that way. Bulled back most of the time. Some of us children had to take our turn walking behind the old cow with a whip. Well she had to be whipped to get her to come to Nebraska, but she furnished us with plenty of nice milk all the way and the hens furnished us some eggs. We landed in Nebraska Oct 26 and Father took a homestead 6 miles north of David City, Butler Co. where my Father and Mother went to work to build a home. We children did what we could. The next step was to build a mansion which we dug in the side of a bank covered it with poles and hay. My people were very poor so when March came I got a job herding cattle in the cornstalks until grass came at $10 per month I worked 7 months and my father had to have the money to keep the rest of the family for it was all the money he had and I heard my father say it was the best $70 he ever had. Well the next year the grasshoppers came and ate everything we had to live on, but my father had lots of friends in Illinois. So they sent clothing and beans, some meat and flour. So you see how God provided for us! I have lived in Nebraska all the time since I left Illinois except for 2 years that I was in Iowa working by the month for $20 a month. I was married to Amanda Tiede, March 14, 1889 at my fathers homestead. Father pronounced the words that made us man and wife and on March 16, I and my father loaded an emigrant car and billed her out to Gordon Nebraska. My youngest brother (Jacob) and I came through with the car. I had filed on a homestead and taken a tree claim in 1887, 10 miles south and east and one mile south of Gordon. My wife, Father, Mother and two young sisters, Maude and Susie came on the train March 23. Same year built a sod house, 12x14, moved in and went to work breaking and improving the place as my means would let me. I broke sod for my first cow and wagon at $2 per acre. That fall my neighbor and I put a cover on the wagon and drove to Butler Co. to shuck corn for 3 cents a bushel, slept in the wagon and did our own cooking. Made $65 a piece drove back home around Dec 23. The weather was fine until Dec 24. Big blizzard Dec 28th. The next morning the snow had drifted us under. Had to go out at the top of the door. That spring got plenty of rain and raised $14 worth 36 cents per bushel corn. Sold eggs 5 cents per dozen but they went as low as 5 cents. We sold no eggs for less than 5 cents and always had plenty to eat. Then dry weather set in. The last year I farmed on the place, sowed 100 acres of wheat threshed 90 bushels. Planted 90 acres of corn it got as far as the tassel. The next year I rented a place on the creek that had water and some hay on it and started to raise cattle on a small scale. Stayed there for 2 years then took a job as foreman on the Mills Bros. Ranch at $45 - furnished. Stayed there 4 years, then bought a ranch and started raising cattle. Lived on the ranch 3 years. Was director of our school district 61 Cherry Co. for 25 years. My children all got their schooling in this district. We raised 10 girls and boys all grown and married, besides raising 3 grandchildren. Left the ranch and moved to Gordon in 1934.