THOMAS H. MC CLELLAN
In our daily rush to get where ever it is that we are trying to get,
it is well that we should pause briefly to reflect on where we have
been - to remember the roots from whence we have come and all of the
people who had a part in helping us get where we are today. What
more fitting time for this than a centennial? We tend to think of a
century as a very long time, but actually, as a measurement in time,
it is a short time and one person’s average life span is even
shorter.
At first mention of writing for Verdigre history, I thought that
anyone who had moved to the area in 1952 should give no thought of
writing his history; but on second thought the percent of anything
is a sizable chunk and one thing was sure, we would not be around
for another centennial.
Thomas Henry McClellan, born December 12, 1907, at the farm home in
Gasper County, was the youngest of ten children born to William and
Ollie McClellan. The farm, located about seven miles northeast of
Arapahoe and about one mile north of the Furnas County line, was
purchased by his parents in 1884.
Tom’s father was born April 1, 1860, at Martinsville, Morgan County,
Indiana, the third child of Hugh Thomas and Eliza Jane (Baker)
Bragg, but when he was two years old his parents both died and he
was adopted by James and Deliah McClellan. On November 4, 1880, he
married Ollie McClellan, who was a daughter of Wesley and Belinda
(Johnson) McClellan. Wesley was a brother of James. Tom’s maternal
grandmother (Ollie’s mother) lived to be 103 years old. There were
U. S. Army generals on both sides of the family - the Braggs and the
McClellans.
Tom’s oldest sister, born March 18, 1882, was more than 25 years
older than he and the youngest of his thee brothers was nearly 14
years older, so while he had big brothers to idolize, he didn’t have
much companionship from them. He remembers they had a threshing
machine operated by a steam engine and they threshed for their
neighbors. This was before World War I. His oldest brother died of
the flu during the epidemic in 1918 and was buried only one week
before Christmas. His other two brothers, who were in France, had
been spared and the Armistice had been signed November 11, so
Christmas of 1918 was a time of both joy and sorrow for the family.
But his brothers never came back to the farm after the war. Tom
began working in the field driving horses and mules at a very early
age. He says he hardly remembers but he was only eight or ten years
old. His father specialized in popcorn production. He sometimes
shipped out a railroad car of popcorn, and sold large quantities to
local people. At Christmas time, he took several fifty-gallon
barrels of popcorn balls to Arapahoe and distributed them on the
streets. He had made wood popcorn ball molds and Tom remembers
working many hours helping make the popcorn balls. Tom had to stay
out of school in the spring to help prepare fields and plant the
popcorn and he stayed out of school in the fall to help with the
popcorn. During the time he did attend school, he went to Lone Tree
School which was about 1 ½ miles from home. He walked to school and
it was only in stormy weather that anyone took him to school or went
to get him. It was a one-room school taught by one teacher, but
there were often as many as 20 pupils divided among the eight
grades.
Tom’s mother lost her sight from cataracts at an early age, so she
was without sight during all the years that Tom remembers. He was
devoted to her and did all that he could to help her and make her
life a little easier.
Tom was married to Evelyn Trunnell on Christmas Day, 1935, but he
continued to live nearby and farmed the home place. His mother died
July 17, 1936, and his father died September 13, 1939. They and his
oldest brother are buried in Arapahoe Cemetery in Furnas County.
In March of 1938, Tom and Evelyn moved to Beaver Crossing in Seward
County and their daughter, Wanda Faye, was born on living,
they moved back to Gasper County and continued to live there for ten
years. Their son Jarold Thomas was born living, at the
Lexington hospital while they lived west of Elwood. This followed
the very bad winter of 1948-49 when the deep snow began on November
18 and lasted well into the spring. When Jerry was less than a month
old, they moved to a Sandhills ranch in Holt County, 32 miles
northwest of Burwell. Here they experienced the terrible March 7,
1950, blizzard that killed many cattle in the area.
In 1952 they purchased the farm northwest of Verdigre that had been
the Frank Cuhel farm and was then owned by Frank Cuhel’s son, Emil.
Emil’s parents are buried in the Pischelville Cemetery only a few
miles south of the farm. Emil moved to a farm north of Burwell.
Wanda married James Kudera in 1966, and lives on a farm near Leigh,
Nebraska, in Stanton County, and they have a son Terry, born
living.
Jerry married Pamela (known as Pam) Wavrunek on Christmas Day, 1972,
and they live in their own house on the home farm where they farm in
partnership with Jerry’s parents. They lost their firstborn, twin
boys - Anthony and Billy, born March 7, 1974. They are buried at the
Pischelville Cemetery. They have two sons, Jeremiah J. born
living, and Dustin Thomas, born living.
[pg 329 PHOTO Tom and Evelyn McClellan and their two children taken
at 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1985. Left to right: Jerry, Evelyn,
Tom, and Wanda]
-Submitted by Mrs. Thomas (Evelyn) McClellan
Pages
328, 329
