A Short History of Brule County

Notations about Batt Ryan's involvement in the local school.  It also talks about a range fire that missed the Batt Ryan farm.

Mr. Ryan, Mr. Smith and Mr. Doty saw to the building of a schoolhouse in their neighborhood which was the first one in the township. It was built near the Doty home and took the name Doty School House which it still retains. Etta Doty, daughter of Aaron, was the first teacher and Ed and John Ryan, Oney, Margaret, Alice and Joe Smith, V. Wellner and Bert Doty were among the first pupils.

The neighbors met often at the schoolhouse for sociable times the ladies serving lunches or cake and ice cream and the men visiting and discussing events of the times. Among those who took part were the Dotys, the McCrearys, the Ryans, the Smiths, the Boneys, and the Andersons.

The Boney family consisted of the parents and daughters, Kate, Ella, Agnes, Nora, Ann and Margaret, and sons, Andrew, John and James. The last named was later in life killed by an outlaw while discharging his duty as a County Officer.

Another interesting family was the Frank Griswold family. May, Maude, Alice and Ruth were the girls and Fred the only boy. They all made good in their several professions. Several of them were teachers. May married James W. Lawless, the County Superintendent of schools.

Aaron Doty and Martin Smith were on the township board with Batt Ryan as clerk for many years and Mr. Ryan also was on the school board with Casper Anderson for twenty years and the affairs of the township were handled in a very careful and economic manner.

There were many prairie fires but when one started the whole neighborhood turned out to fight it. One started near the west side of the township and after burning a barn for Owen Smith and one for Mr. Bickner it traveled east until a crowd of men from Kimball checked it just before it reached the Batt Ryan buildings, it took a southerly course and ran down into Highland Township where it was finally subdued. 

 SMITH TOWNSHIP  (Another notation of Batt Ryan)

The township was named after Owen Smith the first actual settler and one of the prominent men in the pioneer days. Mr. Smith together with Batt Ryan and Aaron Doty did much toward getting things started in this township and helped to make it one of the finest and most friendly neighborhoods in the county

Mr. and Mrs. Batt Ryan and their family came to Smith Township at an early date, and Mr. Ryan was on both the school board and the township board for years. Their only daughter, Ethel married Jack Verschoor of Mitchell. One son, William was killed in World War I, Ed died at home-Leo lives on the old homestead, John lives Nebraska, and Frank has worked for years in the Kimball post office and was made post master when Bud Richards died. Frank had four sons in World War II, and a daughter Mary Rita was a Wave. Although all of his boys were across and in action none of them were wounded and all five children came home to celebrate the occasion the middle of the summer. His boys names were Jack, Will, Neil and James.

Land Divisions

The first man to prove up on his claim was James H. Bell, who on June 16, 1882, became the owner of the Southwest Quarter of Section 1. The following is a list of the people who took up land in Smith Township and received Patents from the Government:
Section :

1 Andrew Boney Phillip Klinkel Batt Ryan James Bell
2 Henry T. Wilson James W. Smith Albert C. Shane
3 Edward F. Douglas Thomas Archer Owen Smith Sanford Poston
4 Thomas Archer Jerry Cavanaugh Mar yB. Drewry Alphonzo G. Kellam
5 Terry Cavanaugh Heirs of Anna E Paige Frank Griswold Patrick Oakes
6 Chester B. Dike Abial Dike Zilpha Cubertson Will D. Camery
7 Edward Hathaway William P. Henderson Esdras Manseau
8 Virgil A. Fitch James J. Boney Niels Arndthanson Ole Reirson
9 Lucy Griswold Casper Anderson John J. Moyford Andrew Andreson
10 Robert Stewart Joseph P. Smith John W. Talbot Herbert F. Baker Frederick Storm
11 John A. Wellner James W. Lawless Aaron Doughty James Spears
12 William L. McCreary Dan Bartholomew Sarah L. Loughridge Edward Shortell
13 Charles Raish Frances Dooley Sabra E. P. Ames
14 Aaron Doughty Hugh F. L. Burton, Michael Friehwirth Daniel D. Wheaton
15 John W. Talbot Herbert F. Baker William C. Stanbery William E. Gorman Mary Evenson
17 Julia Everson John A. Roberts William J. Burnett Hellik Severson
18 William E. Weston Manson Wilson Even Hallekson John L. Eicholtz
19 Andrew Halleckson William T. Gibson John H. Hanson Amos Connaway
20 Frank Korzan Christopher Halleckson Anna M. Krattebol John Williamson
21 Nils Rindy Tames Hanson Lewis Pederson Mary Horn
22 John McCarty William L. McCreary William Dunkel Vandeline Kautman Mattias A. Petricka
23 Frederich Storm Hannah C. Farmer Carl Pitan Timothy B. Turpett
24 Helen C. McDonald Frederick W. Storm John N. Van Horn Albert Gruel
25 Martin M. Smith Franklin B. Spatz Peter Larson
26 John C. Vict Frank Victor Abraham Tu:
27 William Dun Vandeline Kautman John Svitak Frank Kautn Stephen Kov
28 Frank Havel Thomas Cah Anton Urba Scott Hayes
29 Sofie Tonner John A. And Ole William* Gilbert Satn James A. Li
30 John A. Joh Ole William Frank Meist Barney Lanj Oluf Olson John N. Van Horn was elected to the township in the early '80s.