masthead left
 swngs logo
 masthead_right

Furnas County Resources

Furnas County Records

  • Church
    Transcription from the St. Matthew Lutheran Church Registers.
  • Marriages
    The first 6 volumes of the marriage records.
  • Platmap
    The 1916 Furnas County Plat book.
  • Soldier
    A list of soldiers from the Soldiers and Sailors book.

Furnas County Towns and Places

Named in honor of Robert W. Furnas (1824-1905), governor of Nebraska from 1873 to 1875. The county was organized and its boundaries defined February 27, 1873.
  • Arapahoe
    Peak population (1950), 1,226. Post office established April 25, 1872. Named for the Arapahoe Indians. An exploring party from Plattsmouth, Nebraska, headed by Capt. E. B. Murphy, founded the town July 18, 1871. Arapahoe lost county seat in election with Beaver City on Oct. 14, 1873.
  • Beaver City
    Peak population (1920), 1103. Post office established January 15, 1873. Named for its location on Beaver Creek. In early days there were beaver in the stream. Beaver City won the county seat in election with Arapahoe on October 14, 1873.
  • Buffalo
    Named for buffalo, which roamed the plains in early days.
  • Burton's Bend
    Post office established August 27, 1872; name changed to Holbrook. Named in honor of J. B. Burton early settler who platted the town.
  • Cambridge
    Peak population (1950), 1352. Post office name changed from Medicine Creek August 3, 1880. Hiram Doing entered a homestead claim in 1871 on the present townsite of Cambridge and built a house near Medicine Creek. In 1876 he sold it to J. A. Pickle, who in January Of 1877 built a saw and grist mill on the west bank of the creek. Pickle surveyed a townsite in 1878 and laid out a town, which he wanted to call Northwood. Residents referred to it as Pickletown. Other suggested names were Scratchpot City and Lickskillet. The post office remained at Medicine Creek. With the building of the Republican Valley Railroad May 23, 1880, W. E. Babcock met railroad officials at Oxford, who suggested the name Cambridge, probably for Cambridge University in England or the town in Massachusetts. Pickle became the first postmaster.
  • Carisbrooke
    Post office established April 10, 1873. Name changed to Stamford December 6, 1887. Named for Carisbrooke, village on the English Isle of Wight.
  • Coldwater
    Post office established August 19, 1880; discontinued April 9, 1888. Named for Coldwater, Minnesota, by a resident.
  • Dudgeon
    Post office established June 23, 1881; discontinued August 23, 1881. Probably named for J. A. Dudgeon, early settler and Civil War veteran.
  • Edison
    Peak population (1910), 334. Post office established February 27, 1880. Village named for Eddie Rohr, son of Robert H. Rohr, Storekeeper and postmaster.
  • Gilltown
    Post office established March 28, 1882; discontinued May 14, 1883. Probably named for James Gill, first postmaster.
  • Grandview
    Post office established May 3, 1880. Name changed to Oxford February 15, 1881. Named for its wonderful view. Ten states have places with this name.
  • Hendley
    Peak population (1910), 238. Post office name changed from Lynden February 18, 1888. Town named in honor of a Mr. Hendley, local settler.
  • Holbrook
    Peak population (1930), 488. Post office name changed from Burton's Bend March 16, 1881. Town named in honor of a Mr. Holbrook, official of the Burlington Railroad.
  • Hollinger
    Census not avaliable. Post office established January 4, 1905; discontinued 1945. Former town and railroad station probably named for E. A. Hollinger, a local settler.
  • Judson
    Post office established September 19, 1873; discontinued December 18, 1874. Probably named in honor of Samuel Judd, first postmaster.
  • Lynden
    Post office established April 25, 1873; name changed to Hendley February 18, 1888. Named for the precinct and established by I. S. Meyers.
  • Medicine Creek
    Post office established September 16, 1873. Name changed to Cambridge August 3, 1880. Named for the creek on which it was located.
  • Midway
    Post office established May 19, 1873; discontinued November 7, 1878. Named for its location midway between two other post offices.
  • New Era
    Post office established June 3, 1872; discontinued April 27, 1881. Named by Theodore Phillips, a local settler.
  • Northwood
    Proposed name for Cambridge.
  • Oram
    Post office established October 1, 1883, discontinued May 13, 1886. Origin of the name not learned.
  • Oxford
    Peak population (1950), 1270. Post office name changed from Grandview February 15, 1881. Probably named by Burlington Railroad officials for Oxford University, England
  • Pickletown
    See Cambridge.
  • Precept
    Post office established February 26, 1877; discontinued July 21, 1906. Probably named for the word precept in the Bible or for other locations named Precept.
  • Rexford
    Post office established May 3, 1881; discontinued February 4, 1888. Probably named in honor of Jacob Rexford, first postmaster.
  • Richmond
    Post office established October 8, 1872; discontinued April 4, 1877. Named by Henry Brown, who came from Richmond, Illinois, and built a mill.
  • Rockton
    Post office established June 18, 1874; discontinued April 2, 1887. Probably named for nearby rocky area. Places in Illinois and Pennsylvania have this name.
  • Scratchpot City
    Name proposed for Cambridge.
  • Sett
    Post office established August 4, 1880; discontinued April 21, 1901. Probably named for George Sett Johnson, early settler.
  • Sherman
    Post office established March 28, 1881; discontinued June 27, 1893. Probably named for Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of Civil War fame.
  • Spring Green
    Post office established May 27, 1873; discontinued February 28, 1905. Probably named in the spring when vegetation was green. There is a Spring Green, Wisconsin.
  • Vincent
    Post office established August 23, 1880; discontinued November 29, 1887. Origin of the name not learned. Vinceus Schwap was first postmaster.
  • Whitney
    Post office established March 12, 1877; moved to Red Willow County August 1, 1879. Probably named for B. F. Whitney, early settler and county officer.
  • Wild Turkey
    Post office established April 18, 1873. Name changed to Wilsonville December 16, 1873. Named for the wild turkey then found along the creeks.
  • Wilmot
    Post office established October 31, 1877. Moved to Norton County, Kansas, August 28, 1882. Named by John Gamble, first postmaster, for a friend, Wilmot Champion.
  • Wilsonville
    Peak population (1930) 489. Post office name changed from Wild Turkey, December 16, 1873. Named in honor of L. M. and Carlos Wilson brothers, merchants and stockmen.
  • Yeager
    Post office established February 11, 1899; discontinued July 12, 1899. Named in honor of Amon Yeager, postmaster.