One is apt to consider the pioneer period of Platte county as covering the decade between 1870 and 1880. Long years before that time, however, George Berney arrived in this county and through the intervening period until his death was closely associated with business affairs and public interests which have left their impress upon the material and political upbuilding of the county and its development in many ways. He arrived in Columbus in 1857, when the site of the now populous and prosperous city was marked by only a log cabin or two. His life was in many respects eventful and covered a wide range of experiences -- experiences from which he learned many valuable life lessons. A native of the land of the Alps, he was born in Volz, Canton Grisons, Switzerland, January 30, 1832, his parents being Anton and Ursula (Furger) Berney, and was but six years of age when his mother died. Three years later his father married again, and on that account he left home to provide for his own support, and for two years he was employed at herding cattle in Lindau, Germany. He then went to Milan, Italy, where he made his home with an uncle, who was proprietor of a hotel, assisting there in work connected with the hotel. He became actively interested in the revolution of 1848, was made a prisoner by the Austrians and nearly lost his life in the blowing up of an armory. Finally he escaped and eventually made his way to his old home in Switzerland, where he arrived in 1853.

Mr. Berney had studied European conditions, and with his love of liberty, resolved to seek "the land of the free and the home of the brave." It was in the fall of 1854 that he consummated his plans for coming to the new world and in the spring of 1855, then twenty-three years of age, he was at work in the lumber woods of northern Wisconsin, meeting the hardships incident to cutting timber in that region. He afterward went to New Orleans, where he secured employment on a steamer plying between that city and Mobile. In 1856, at St. Louis, he learned that sixty men were wanted to drive cattle and teams to California from western Kansas and made inquiries concerning this, paying one dollar of his hard-earned money for the information. On reaching western Kansas he found that his informant had merely swindled him out of his money and in May, 1856, he made his way northward to Omaha, from which date he was numbered among Nebraska's substantial residents.

From his boyhood Mr. Berney had known nothing but hard work and his characteristic spirit of industry at once caused him to seek employment in Omaha, which he found with John H. Green, a stonemason. In the fall of that year his employer sent him, in company with Fred Gottschalk and Fred Becker, to Columbus with two yoke of oxen to cut logs for a new sawmill which had just been started, but when within three miles of Fremont the oxen became stuck in the snow. Mr. Berney volunteered to remain with the teams while the other two men should proceed to Fremont, then a hamlet of three log huts, and secure aid. The storm became a blinding blizzard and Mr. Berney nearly perished before rescue reached him. The next day the little party had to return to Omaha, unable to continue on their westward way through the snow.

In March, 1857, Mr. Berney traveled on foot from Omaha to Columbus, carrying all of his provisions in his camp kit. When he reached Shell creek he suffered from snow blindness but continued along, walking waist-deep in snow, attempting to reach the cabins of his friends, Charles Reinke and Henry Lusche, who had preempted claims along the creek a few months before. Because of the condition of his eyes he passed their shanties and would have been lost had not Reinke seen him and gone after him. Mr. Berney secured a squatter's claim about two miles from the home of his friend and eight miles northeast of Columbus and walked back and forth to Bellevue for supplies. His life continued to be one of indefatigable and unfaltering industry and during the pioneer period he suffered great hardships, at times amounting to extreme privations. In the early days he took a contract to dig a deep ditch two miles long to serve in lieu of a fence for the cattle. He was busy at the work for a year and during that period lived almost entirely upon crude cornmeal and water. In 1860 he sold his claim for one hundred and fifty dollars, bought an ox team and started for Colorado. About thirty-five miles from Denver on the Platte river he engaged in raising hay, which he hauled to Denver, selling it to the government for the cavalry horses at the post, receiving as high as two hundred dollars per ton. He thus gained a good profit, but hauling hay at that time was a most difficult undertaking, for he had to ford streams, sleep under the wagon in the snow and eat frozen bread. Again disaster overtook him, for a flood swept down the Platte valley, burying his hay lands in two feet of sand and thus terminating the business which had been yielding him a good financial reward.

Mr. Berney then turned to freighting between Omaha and Denver, engaging in that business for a year. On one of his trips from Omaha, reaching Fort Kearney he was stopped by the soldiers on account of the Indians, as they had destroyed and killed everything for about two hundred miles west of them. He was obliged to stay there about seven days; by this time about five hundred teams had gathered. They then made their way though in trains, camping at night about fifty teams together. When reaching Denver he got twenty dollars a sack for his flour, which cost him three dollars and fifty cents in Omaha -- a very handsome profit, but freighting on the frontier among bands of hostile Indians is certainly an experience that the young man of today would think he could not endure. Pioneers were born not made.

After this he again came to Nebraska, traveling by stage in the spring of 1865. Making his way to Columbus, he married and then took up his abode on a homestead five miles southwest of Columbus, turning his attention to the raising of cattle and hogs, which business he conducted on an extensive scale. He was the first man in Platte county to ship corn-fed cattle to the Chicago market. Some time afterward he sold his original farm and purchased a larger tract of land near the Platte, residing thereon until 1892, when he removed to Columbus to spend his declining days.

Mr. Berney spoke four languages, German, English, French and Italian. In 1881 he made a trip to his native country, visiting France, Switzerland, Italy and the principal towns in those countries. In 1889 he again made a trip to those countries seeing the World's Fair at Paris, in company with Robert Kummer and John Gisin. In 1908 he made the third trip to Switzerland, remaining one year.

The death of George Berney occurred February 13, 1915, at which time he was the oldest pioneer of Columbus. He was a member of the Catholic church and was laid to rest in the parish cemetery. His was indeed an active and useful life and' as an agriculturist he contributed largely to the development and progress of Platte county, where he had a circle of friends who esteemed him highly for his many sterling traits of character and his genuine worth. No history of the county would be complete without extended reference to him and it is with pleasure that we present his history to the readers of this volume.

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Published in The Columbus Telegram March 7, 1913

DIED
BERNEY--George Berney, one of Platte county's pioneer settlers, died in this city last Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The surviving near relatives are his son, J.F. Berney, and five grandchildren, one full sister, Barbara Stoffel, of Volz, Switzerland, also two half-brothers, Joseph Berney, of Greeley county, Nebraska, and Anton Berney, of Alexandria, Egypt. The deceased was born in Volz, Switzerland January 30, 1832. When only 6 years of age his mother died. Three years after he left home and was employed herding in Lindan, Germany. Two years later he went to Milan, Italy, where he lived with his uncle until 1854.
The following year found him in America working in the lumbering woods of Wisconsin and later steam-boating at New Orleans. In May, 1856, he arrived in Omaha, where he worked for John Green, a contractor, until March, 1857, when he left for Columbus afoot, carrying clothing and provisions. He settled on land nine miles northeast of Columbus, where he remained until 1860, when he sold the claim for $150. With this amount he purchased a team of oxen and journeyed to Colorado. He took up a hay claim about thirty-five miles from Denver, and until 1864 was engaged in making and hauling hay to Denver, receiving as much as $200 per ton. Through the overflowing of the Platte river the hay claim was covered with sand, rendering it worthless.
Then for one year he was engaged in freighting from Omaha to Denver. In the spring of 1865 he returned to Columbus and married Rosa Henggeler, who is also deceased. He then went to farming and stock raising five miles west of Columbus, being the first to ship corn-fed cattle to Chicago from Platte county. In 1892 he moved to Columbus, where he since resided.
Few men endured more hardships in the early days; camping out and fording streams in all kinds of weather, and being constantly in danger of attack by the Indians. Funeral services were held at the Catholic church at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

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