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Segments Presented by Lyle Harvey
BARTLEY BLAIN
(Read at the Page Methodist Church on July 20, 2008)
Bartley Blain was one of the more well-known
and influential individuals in Page and Holt County during the 1880’s
and 1890’s. Barley was born in New York on March 5, 1832. Bartley’s
mother was a Baptist, but in 1849 while living in Michigan he joined
the Methodist Church and began preparing to become a Methodist Minister.
While studying to become a minister he obtained his teaching certificate
and taught school. He later moved to Minnesota and became a part of
the volunteer cavalry there to help put down the Indian uprising that
began in that state of Minnesota in 1862.
Bartley moved his family to Holt County,
Nebraska in 1877 and began farming near Middle Branch, northeast of
Page. He continued to preach in the area and rode his horse to Kearney
(a full 200 miles) to attend the Methodist Conference there. During
this time, Bartley preached regularly in 14 places, three in Knox County
and eleven in Holt County. In 1883 he became the Methodist Minister
in O’Neill and helped build the first Methodist Church there and
it was dedicated on December 16, 1883.
Early in October in of 1883, Bartley
became the Holt County Superintendent. He served in this capacity for
two and a half years and during that time he helped form 120 school
districts in Holt County and changed the boundaries of 40 others. During
this time there were 5,000 students in Holt County. Before his term
as County Superintended expired, he was appointed by the Methodist Conference
to preach at Middle Branch and Maxfield Churches. His own home near
Middle Branch served as the church for the Middle Branch area. He also
preached in the Lambert Post Office that was the home of Mr. Foster.
Bartley also preached some in the Pleasant Valley sod schoolhouse south
of the current town of Page. In 1890, the wood frame schoolhouse was
built in the southwest part of Page and church services were held here
as well as in the Maxfield Church.
Bartley moved into Page sometime after
1890. Church services continued to be held in the wood-frame school
until 1896. In November 1897, the quarterly conference authorized L.T.
French, George Hunter, Rev. Bartley Blain and Rev.. W. A Chappel to
deal for the lots and investigate the probability of building a church
in Page. Rev. Bartley Blain says that he had charge of the work of the
building the church and work began in 1897. The wood frame Methodist
Church Building was dedicated on June 26, 1898.
Rev. Bartley Blain died at his home
in Page on November 19, 1918 at the age of eighty-six years. He is buried
in the Lambert Cemetery beside his two wives.
Bartley’s descendant, George Blain
still lives on the original Blain homestead.
Lyle Harvey
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