One hundred years ago on the 21st of August, a fine, wonderful person was born on a farm just east of Kennard, Nebraska. That young lady, Bertha Jane Dulaney, was my mother-in-law. In 1908, at the age of 28, she married Joe McManigal, the son of Archibald and Virginia Belcher McManigal. She was a hard-working, loving, caring, PROUD lady that raised her family by herself after her husband died. My husband, Joe, was only four years old at the time of his father's death. Other children were: Nelle, Mrs. Frank Hightree of Lyons; Dorothy, Mrs. Clyde McDonald of Blair; Keither McManigal of Waterloo, Nebraska, and Jane, Mrs. Jim Rolan of Des Moines. One brother, Gordon, drowned in Hamil, South Dakota, in 1925.

In her life she raised and/or took care of not only her family, but probably half of Blair from the Crowells of Crowell Home to the late Seymour Smith, and many others in between. Bertha made it quite clear to me that as long as it was honest work, there was not much she would not do to raise her family and keep them together. In true pioneer style, she did just that. She cooked, cleaned, took in washing and ironing, split her own wood to keep warm by and pumped and carried her own water to cook and wash with. Many are the sick she took of in the hospital and homes and many were the hungry she fed in the cafes she worked in.

Her father, John Dulaney, raised hogs on their farm and was very successful at it. He sold everything and they went to Oklahoma during the land rush in 1893, fell on hard times and lost it all. They came back here and took over the management of the Poor Farm east of Blair for a number of years. Bertha used to tell of how the young folks would hurry with their morning chores so they could go ice skating in the winter. They skated on Fish Creek from the Poor Farm to the Missouri River.

John Dulaney was born in Lawrence County, Ohio, on July 3, 1852. He came to Washington County in 1895. He and Belle Vilena Wild were married January 11, 1876. Besides Bertha Jane, #3, John and Belle had five more children: Benjamin M., married Frances Hansen, Effie M., only lived one year, Hattie V., Mrs. Arthur McManigal, Lyle and Matte Gleen, Mrs. Harry Bovee. Belle Vilena was born in Siota County, Ohio, April 21, 1856. She came with her parents, Milton B. and Vilena Carter Wild from St. Louis to DeSoto in 1856. DeSoto was quite a town at that time.

When Milton and Vilena Carter Wild first settled here in Washington County, they lived on a farm that was later called Dana College Farm. A pasture and meadow land had an excess amount of water on it from a spring. Milton B. drained it by plowing a furrow. That furrow made the present Cauble Creek. When they later moved to town, he had a livery barn on Front Street where Christopher's Body Shop is. He also owned all the land east to 17th Street and from the alley north to Front Street.

Vilena Carter Wild's parents were Alexander and Catherine Neff Carter Senior. Her brothers were Jacob, Alexander Jr., T. Marion and L. Nathan. Jacob, Alex and T. Marion were about the first people in here and the area was designated as Carter Valley for some time. The greatest part of the land chosen as the town sight was purchased from the three brothers. Thomas Marion Carter was the first citizen of Blair.