Neligh, Nebraska: The Landowner's Name, Someone Else's Idea
Neligh, Nebraska, carries the name of the man who bought the land. But it was a neighbor, William B. Lambert, who suggested it in 1873.
A compliment from a neighbor
Lilian Fitzpatrick lays out the cast in her 1925 survey. Niels Larsen, the Cuming County surveyor, “surveyed and platted this town in February, 1873.” Then “Mr. William B. Lambert suggested the name as a compliment to John D. Neligh of West Point, Nebraska, who was one of the first settlers and who bought the land on which the town is located.”
The man behind the name
A history of Neligh reprinted on NebraskaGenealogy.com, drawn from A. T. Andreas’s 1882 History of the State of Nebraska, lists Neligh, Lambert and Thomson as the town’s founders. GNIS adds that the town became the county seat of Antelope County in 1884.
Three founders, one name
If you’re keeping score, that’s three founders by Andreas’s count, plus Larsen, the surveyor who drew the plat. You won’t find Larsen’s, Lambert’s or Thomson’s name on the town, though. Only the landowner’s made it onto the map.
Sources & further reading
- Lilian Linder Fitzpatrick, Nebraska Place-Names (University of Nebraska, 1925). Free to read online; it covers every county. Larsen’s plat and Lambert’s suggestion.
- NebraskaGenealogy.com, “History of Neligh.” Reprints Andreas’s account naming Neligh, Lambert and Thomson as founders.
- GNIS feature 831582 (U.S. Geological Survey). The federal record for Neligh. Platted 1873; county seat 1884.
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