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In 1859 they moved to Jefferson county, Iowa, and in 1880 moved to York county, Nebraska. They died at the home of our subject, the father in the year 1894, and the mother in 1883. The mother was born August 2, 1813. They were the parents of a family of four children, two sons and two daughters, three of whom are now living and are making their home in York county, Nebraska.Our subject was educated in Sweden, and came with his parents to the United States in 1857. He lived with his parents in Illinois and Iowa, and assisted them on the farm. In 1873 he came to York county, Nebraska, making the trip overland with a team and wagon, and arrived March 20. A few days later he bought a quarter section of land in section 29, Lockridge township, which was then raw, unbroken prairie, and at once began to make improvements. He first constructed a dugout, 10x12 feet, in which he made his home for one year. He then hauled lumber from Seward, Nebraska, and built a small frame house. In 1886, however, this little frame shanty had to give place to a handsome, modernly constructed and finished home, which is conceded one of the most elegant farm residences in York county.
Mr. Burke was married March 6, 1869, to Miss Charlotte Linstrom, also a native of Sweden. Her parents, Charles G. and Christina, came to the United States in 1857 and settled in Jefferson county, Iowa, and later moved to York county, Nebraska, where they both died. Our subject and Mrs. Burke have become the parents of one daughter, Mary E., who was born in Henry county, Iowa. She is now the wife of Charles A. Morgan and resides in York county. They have a family of five children. In political matters Mr. Burke invariably uses his influence and elective franchises in the support of the candidates of the Republican party, but has never sought public office. He and his wife are both members of the Swedish Lutheran church, and assisted in the erection of the first church building in the county. Mr. Burke is in every respect a self-made man. He started in life with nothing, and, in fact, had no capital when he arrived in Nebraska, and throughout his life has depended upon his own resources and his own energy; business prudence and sagacity have won him a comfortable fortune. He has not been without his share of reverses, and among other things he lived through the grasshopper scourge, but in the face of all he has persevered, made the most of his advantages, and always looking on the bright side of life and he has been rewarded by the acquisition of a good property and a high reputation.
NDREW J. SHAMBAUGH.--Prominent among the successful and enterprising farmers of Arborville township, York county, may be found the subject of this biographical sketch, who is considered one of the most industrious and worthy citizens of this part of the county. He was born near New Rumley, in Harrison county, Ohio, June 16, 1855, and is a son of George and Matilda (Hazelette) Shambaugh, natives of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania. The father, who was a farmer by occupation, died in Harrison county, Ohio, July 25, 1894, at the ripe old age of eighty-one years. In his family were six sons and three daughters, and of these our subject and one brother came to York county, Nebraska.
During his boyhood and youth Andrew J. Shambaugh attended the public schools of his native state and also obtained a thorough knowledge of agricultural pursuits upon the home farm. On starting out in life for himself he chose the occupation to which he had been reared and successfully operated the old homestead until coming
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west in 1886. In that year he took up his residence in York county, Nebraska, purchased a half section of land in Arborville township, to the cultivation and improvement of which he has since devoted his energies with most gratifying results. The entire tract is now under a high state of cultivation, and in connection with general farming he is engaged in the raising of hogs.In 1880, in Carroll county, Ohio, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Shambaugh and Miss Mary C. Vorhes, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Scott) Vorhes, who were both natives of Ohio, and died in Carroll county, that state. Mr. and Mrs. Shambaugh have one daughter, Maggie P. The family is identified with the Methodist Episcopal church, and socially Mr. Shambaugh affiliates with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Knights of the Maccabees and the Royal Highlanders. In political sentiment he is a Populist, and at one time he was the candidate of his party for county treasurer. He is a man of recognized ability, and, with his amiable wife, stands high in the community where they make their home. Those who know them best are numbered among their warmest friends, and no citizens in Arborville township are more honored or highly respected.
EDER C. NELSON buys grain at Staplehurst in Seward county and thereby renders service to the farming community that centers upon that thrifty Nebraska town. He studies the conditions of the markets, keeps in touch with the great commercial centers, and gives his patrons the benefit of his experience and observation. He is a good and honest man, and fills a valuable place in Staplehurst. He is one of the oldest settlers of this county, and saw its beginnings.
Mr. Nelson was born in Denmark, November 16, 1844. His parents were Nelson and Marin Rasmusen. They lived and died in Denmark, which has been the home of the Rasmusen family for unnumbered generations. In their home Mr. Nelson grew to manhood, and was educated in the Danish schools. He was bred a farmer, and at the age of twenty-four set out for the United States. Landing in New York, he made no stop until he reached the little city of Dwight, Illinois. There he spent the ensuing five years. In 1874 he entered Nebraska, and bought a tract of railroad land, two and one half miles west of Staplehurst. He built a small house and immediately undertook the conversion of the unbroken prairie into a cultivated farm. It was a serious undertaking, but in eight years it was accomplished. In 1882 he left it, came into the thriving young town, and entered into the grain business with Mr. Jacobs, and is now engaged in that very important enterprise. They are the proprietors of a well appointed elevator, and the volume of trade for the last sixteen years aggregates an immense total.
Mr. Nelson entered into matrimonial relations with Miss Mary Fox, February 28, 1874. She was a native of Illinois, and an accomplished lady. From this union came seven children, whose names are Leana, Nelson, Jr., Sophia, Ida, Hans, Mamie, and Erick. She died in 1892, and he was married two years later to Miss Jebina Vedster. She was born in Denmark, and is the mother of two children, Robert and Peder V. They are members of the Danish Lutheran church. He is associated with the Modern Woodmen of America. He usually votes the Democratic ticket, but has never sought office, and has held no public position. His business has commanded his entire attention, and it has well rewarded his close devotion. He came to Staplehurst practically without means, and to-day he owns two fine farms, and two
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large elevators. He may well look back upon his career with satisfaction, for it has been an unusually creditable and successful one. The church organization of which he is a member is now erecting a new Danish Lutheran church and Mr. Nelson is a member of the building committee.
ORACE GARFIELD, deceased, came came to Butler county in 1858. He was then a boy of twelve years of age, and had come into the state in company with his parents from Venango county, Pennsylvania. His father, Solomon Garfield, had left Pennsylvania with the intention of locating in Kansas, but passing through Missouri, he was prevented from crossing the river on account of his political convictions. He turned his feet north, and settled in the Platte valley, on the present site of Linwood, in the spring of 1858, and spent the next four years in this vicinity. The Garfields and the Blairs during this period had many thrilling experiences with the Indians, who were very numerous and were determined to drive the white settlers away. After repeated attempts to dislodge the Garfields they apparently abandoned their purpose, and eventually became quite friendly. In the year 1863 the Garfields moved up Silver creek and there established a ranch known as Garfield's Ranch, and there Solomon Garfield died in 1865. As narrated elsewhere, the mother, Margaret Garfield, returned to Butler county, and secured a home for her fatherless brood by homesteading a tract of land on section 4 of Bone Creek township. Here the four brothers grew up to a strong and sturdy manhood, and furnished the world rare illustrations of the character that might be nurtured under extreme danger and privation.
Horace Garfield had learned to read before his parents had left the east, but during the early years of his history in this state there was little opportunity for schooling, and his education was utterly neglected. He found himself at the age of eighteen with scarcely the rudiments of an education. His determination to advance was not to be overcome. With what books he could secure he studied by the firelight, and when he could afford it the light of a candle, and prepared himself for the practice of law. It was a rough road to enter a great profession, and only a great soul could travel it. He became a lawyer, and was recognized as the first on the bar of his own county, and very quickly acquired a reputation throughout the state as a practitioner, and a roaster of his own profession. He was a member of the legislature, and a man of wide reputation. He won his high standing not less by his strong and steady character, his thorough knowledge of his profession, than by his upright character and inflexible honesty.
Mr. Garfield was married in 1874 to Miss Elizabeth Morgan. This happy matrimonial partnership was broken all to soon by the death of his wife in 1881. The bereaved husband did not long survive her, passing away in 1884. They left only one child, a son, Horace F. Garfield, who was born in Butler county in 1875. The young orphan spent the next nine years of his life with his grandmother, and at fifteen years of age struck out for himself. He went to Superior City, Nebraska, where he remained one year. He spent a year in northern Michigan and Minnesota, and in 1883 reappeared in Butler county. In 1895 the young man secured an engagement with the Northern Pacific Railroad as a fireman on a locomotive. He held the position for some months, but tiring of the excitement and nervous strain threw it up and came back again to Nebraska and established himself in the blacksmithing. business at Edholm, where this history finds him. He is as yet unmarried, is a bright and genial
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character, and has many friends. He remembers the good name he bears, and well sustains its dignity and honor.
EORGE W. BOWERS.-- In time to come this volume will acquire added value as a repository of records whose historical significance will then be fully appreciated, but readers will doubtless peruse with special interest the stories of gallant service in that great struggle which settled once for all that this nation is, in truth, "one and indivisible." It has often been said that the letters sent home during the war by the soldiers of all grades would make, if published, a better history of the war than that yet given, and the suggestive views of the conflict in the individual experiences contained in this book certainly give new color to many historic scenes. Mr. Bowers was one of the boys in blue who served throughout the entire struggle and made for himself a war record both honorable and glorious. He is now a leading farmer of York county, Nebraska, residing on section 8, Lockridge township.
Born in Summit county, Ohio, July 29, 1840, our subject is a son of Jacob and Lydia (Rowe) Bowers, natives of Pennsylvania, who removed to Ohio in an early day, and in 1848 became residents of Joliet, Will county, Illinois, where they spent the remainder of their lives, the father dying in 1893, aged eighty-one years, the mother in 1898, aged eighty-six. They were farming people and were highly respected by all who knew them. All of their eight children are still living.
George W. Bowers, who is the third in order of birth in his family, was reared and educated in Illinois, and for fourteen years engaged in boating on the Erie canal and Mississippi river, being thus employed until the outbreak of the Civil war. Prompted by a spirit of patriotism he enlisted in McAllister's battery of light artillery, and with that command served for three months and twenty days. Returning to Chicago, he joined the Chicago Board of Trade Battery, light artillery, for three years or until the close of the war, and participated in the following battles: Stone River, Elk River, Chickamauga, Peach Tree Creek, Big Shanty, Farmington, Dallas, Jonesboro, Stone Mountain, Pulaski, Atlanta, Decatur, Chattahoochee River, Lovejoy Station, Nashville, Selma and a number of engagements of minor importance, forty-two in all, including thirteen hard-fought battles. Fortunately he escaped without wounds, and when mustered out was serving with the rank of sergeant. He assisted in the capture of Jeff Davis.
After the war Mr. Bowers returned to Illinois, where he made his home until 1871, which year witnessed his arrival in York county, Nebraska. He homesteaded his present farm on section 8, Lockridge township, and has since devoted his entire time and attention to its cultivation and improvement. In connection with general farming he is also interested in stockraising, and in both branches of business is meeting with excellent success.
On the 10th of December, 1868, Mr. Bowers wedded Miss Helena Hess, a native of New York state, whence her parents, Riley and Cornelia Hess, removed to Illinois when she was a child of twelve years. Three children grace this union: Fred E., Edison F., and Minnie M., now Mrs. John Canfield. For many years Mr. Bowers affiliated with the Republican party, but is now a Populist. He has filled the office of justice of the peace and other minor offices with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic, and he and his wife are consistent members of the Congregational church. They are honest, respectable people, who have walked in the
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paths of virtue and honor throughout lives of usefulness, and are deserving of the high regard in which they are held by the entire community.
EORGE A. MERRIAM, for many years the popular and efficient clerk of the district court of Seward county, is one of the most popular men in this part of Nebraska. He is a stanch Republican, but the fervor and consistency of political convictions have never seemed to alienate the good will of his neighbors, however much they might antagonize his party. He has carried on extensive enterprises, and has reaped a rich reward for his mingled daring and caution.
Mr. Merriam was born in Burlington, Vermont, November 12, 1850, and was a child in the family of Stedman and Lucretia (Packard) Merriam. His father was from New York, and his mother from Vermont. The husband and father was a merchant for many years at Millford, one of the more important towns of this county. George was educated at the Upper Iowa University, a well-known institution of learning at Fayette, Iowa. When he had finished his school days he came to Milford, and for some months assisted his father in the store. He felt well prepared for the school-room, and he spent four years in teaching, one year of which was spent at Milford and three years in the Brokaw district. In 1878 the city of Seward became the scene of his labors, and here he was engaged in a mercantile enterprise. In 1882 he was deputy county clerk tinder J. W. Dupin, and in 1883 was elected district clerk. This position he has held by repeated re-election to the present time. He has been mayor of Seward, and is at this time a member of the school board. He was married in 1872 to Miss Sarah Martin, who was born in Pennsylvania, and is the mother of two daughters and one son. There have been no deaths in the family, or in his father's family. The names of the growing children are Eva E., Jessie L. and Fay M. He is associated with several of the leading fraternal societies, and is frequently met with in the assemblies of the Knights of Pythias, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Ancient Order of the United Workmen and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a stanch Republican, and has served on both the state central and the county committees. He own and controls the only abstract records of the county, and gives it his personal attention. He has been more than ordinarily successful in his business and political enterprises. He has many strong friends in the county, and twice he has been the only Republican official left in the court house.
ETER S. HULL is one of the first settlers of New York township, York county, and has been prominently identified with its agricultural interests for twenty-seven years., He has been a champion of every movement designed to promote the general welfare, a supporter of every enterprise for the public good, and has materially aided in the advancement of all social, industrial, educational and moral interests.
A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Hull was born in Adams county, April 25, 1838, and is a son of William and Mary (Wonder) Hull, also natives of that state, where they spent their entire lives. The paternal grandfather, Peter Hull, was a German by birth, and about 1806 or 1808, came to the United States in company with five brothers, spending his remaining years in Pennsylvania. By occupation he was a farmer. The father of our subject, who followed blacksmithing as a life-work, died in the Keystone State about 1878.
In his family were four sons and two
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daughters, of whom Peter S. Hull, of this review, was the third son and the third in order of birth. He was reared and educated in his native state, and with his father learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed for some years. He also engaged in teaching school for a time in early life. In 1863 he donned the blue and went to the front, as a member of Company B, Twenty-first Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry. During the nine months he was in the service of his country, he was stationed most of the time in Pennsylvania and Maryland.After his discharge from the army Mr. Hull continued to live in his native state until 1866, when he removed to Stephenson county, Illinois, and subsequently lived in Lee county, that state, until coming to Nebraska in 1871. Here he took up a homestead on section 20, New York township, York county, and has since transformed the raw land into highly cultivated and productive fields, which yield a golden tribute in return for the care and labor he has bestowed upon them. For four years he lived in a sod house, and then removed to the city of York, where he worked at the carpenter's trade until 1887, when he returned to his farm, on which he has erected good and substantial buildings and made many other excellent improvements; which add greatly to its value and attractive appearance.
Mr. Hull was married in Pennsylvania, in 1866, to Miss Hannah M. Kellogg, a daughter of Enos S. and Sarah (Thompson) Kellogg, also natives of that state, where the father died, but the mother's death occurred in York county, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Hull have a family of eight children, all living, namely; Alton; Edward T, Nellie E., now Mrs. James Campbell; Harry L., who is first sergeant in Company A, First Nebraska Volunteer Infantry, and is in Manila, Philipine (sic) Islands; Bridie M. wife of O. Davis; Warren W.; Wray C. and Gracie B.
Mr. Hull and his wife are consistent members of the Congregational church, of York, and he is also identified with the Grand Army Post at that place. He is a Populist in politics, and has-been called upon to serve his fellow citizens as road overseer three years, and township treasurer one year. Financially he has met with a fair degree of success since coming to York county, and he has gained the confidence and esteem of all with who he has come in contact.
EONARD M. JOHNSON.--Among the earnest men whose depth of character and strict adherence to principle excite the admiration of his contemporaries, Mr. Johnson is prominent. For a quarter of a century he has been identified with the agricultural interests of York county and is the owner of a valuable farm on section 28, Arborville township, the improvements of which stand as monuments to his thrift and enterprise. His has been a busy, useful and honorable life and he well deserves representation in this volume.
A native of Ontario county, New York, he was born January 12, 1836, and is descended from good old Revolutionary stock. His grandfather, John Johnson, was a native of England, and emigrated to America about 1776, served as a colonel in the American army. The parents of our subject, John and Matilda (Read) Johnson, were both natives of the Empire state, and the father was a tanner and currier by trade, a pursuit which he followed for many years. In 1849 he removed to Van Buren county, Michigan, and died in that county in 1894, while his wife passed away in 1896.
Mr. Johnson, of this review, was the second in a family of six sons and one daughter. He was educated in the Empire state and accompanied his parents on their
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removal to Michigan, where he remained until 1858, when he became a resident of Edgar county, Illinois. There, he carried on farming until April, 1861, when at the first call of his country he offered his services to the government and joined Company E, Twelfth Illinois Infantry, in which he served for four years and three months, enlisting three times during that period, as his terms of service expired. He was a brave and loyal soldier and participated in a number of important battles, including the engagements at Belmont, Kentucky; Fort Higginson, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, the first and second battles of Corinth, Iuka, Jonesboro, Altoona Pass, and at Shiloh, and again at Corinth was slightly wounded.After the war Mr. Johnson returned to Illinois, where he carried on farming until 1873, when he emigrated to York county and secured a homestead on section 28, Arborville township. He built there a sod house, which was his home for twelve years when it was replaced by a more modern residence. Other improvements have been added from time to time, and year by year additional acres have been placed under the plow until the whole tract has become a highly cultivated field, returning a golden tribute to the owner.
In 1865 Mr. Johnson wedded Miss Angie Fightmaster, a native of Illinois, and they have five children, namely: John N., Minnie L., Phebe A., Leonard H. and Emma A., all yet under the parental roof. The parents are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. Johnson belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic. In politics he is a Republican and for a number of years has served as school officer, being treasurer for nine years. Success has crowned his well directed and enterprising efforts and to-day he is worthily accounted one of the substantial and highly respected citizens and pioneers of York county.
ICHOLAS MILLER has been for a quarter of a century or more a familiar figure in the streets of David City, and the various centers of life and activity in Butler county. He came into Nebraska in the spring of 1872, and locating where we now find him has applied himself with all the sturdy strength of his Teutonic character to the making of a home and the winning of a competence. He has gone about his business quietly, and sticking to it faithfully, it has made him comfortably wealthy. He has won the confidence of his neighbors, and is known as an upright and honorable man. He began life with nothing to help him but his own arm and heart and brain, and now as the evening shadows begin to lengthen he sits under the shadow of his own vine and fig tree, and there are none to molest him.
Mr. Miller was born in Prussia, March 17, 1843, and is a son of Anton and Ann Miller, who were the descendants of a long line of Prussian ancestors. He came to America at the age of thirteen, and was the first of the family to emigrate. It required courage for a lad of that tender age to leave the scenes of home, and seek his fortunes in a strange land. But courage is a quality that has never been lacking in Nic Miller. He came to this country by way of Quebec, and passed through Dunkirk, New York, and Chicago for St. Paul. But at that moment the far northwest was suffering from a grasshopper visitation, and young Millet came back to Freeport, Illinois, where he secured work among the neighboring farmers. The Civil war found him in DeKalb county, and he very promptly enlisted in Company E, Thirteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was but a lad of seventeen, but he served throughout the war, and bore himself in all its strange experiences with the steadiness and courage of his German ancestry. He participated in many battles, saw defeats and victories, was taken prisoner by the
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Confederates, and emerged from its deadly scenes sound in body and limb. The Thirteenth was organized at Dixon, Illinois, and was despatched to St. Louis. It was sent to Rolla, and Springfield, Missouri, and broke over the border into Arkansas, where it fought at Pea Ridge, Batesville, and Helena. It had a hand in the first fighting at Vicksburg, and-bore itself right valiantly at Chickasaw Bayou. It was engaged around Vicksburg until the fall of that rebel stronghold gave command of the river, and then it moved on into Mississippi and Alabama. Upon its banners are written Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, along with such other noted names as Deer Creek, Jackson, Brandon, and Ringgold, Georgia. Mr. Miller was taken prisoner at Madison Station May 17, 1864, and was confined in Castle Morgan, at Cahawba, an Alabama prison pen, for ten months, but was paroled from restraint when the evident approach of the end made it unwise and foolish to longer retain Union prisoners. He was mustered out of the United States service June 8, 1865, and came back to Illinois to engage in farming in Stephenson county. At this time he was twenty-two years of age, and though bronzed with the southern sun, was a strong and hearty man. He had saved his money to a very considerable extent, and began life for himself under very favorable conditions.Mr. Miller was married in 1866 to Miss Gertrude Weisen, who also claimed Prussia as her home land. She was a daughter of John and Anna Weisen, and was the mother of six children. The first four of these claim Illinois as their native state, and the last two belong to Butler county. Their names are Mary, John, Clara, Agnes, Anton William and Nicholas. She died in January, 1885, and her remains rest in the cemetery at David City. Her children are widely scattered. Mary is the wife of A. H. Lang, whose home is in Kossuth county, Iowa, and Clara is Mrs. Thomas Bowen, of Chicago. Agnes is the wife of Bert Hall, and the boys are engaged in farming. Mr. Miller was married a second time to Miss Anna Catherine Eiting, a resident of Butler county and a daughter of Bernard and Patronella Eiting. She is a devoted wife and helpmeet and is much respected by her many friends.
When Mr. Miller entered Butler county he brought but little money with him, enough, however, to secure the possession of a quarter section, on which he lived until January, 1893. At that time he removed to David City, leaving a farm that had increased to four hundred acres, and was in a high state of fertility. In political affiliations he is a stanch Democrat, and strongly supports the party. In religion he is a member of the Catholic church, of David City, and has always taken a lively interest in its prosperity. He was on its building committee, and was treasurer of its first organization. He has subscribed liberally to its funds, and raised much money for its construction. He is a man of affairs, and is honored by his community in many ways. He has twice been elected to the county board, and is regarded as one of the leading citizens of the county.
OHN McGOWEN is one of the self made men of Seward county, who came to this state in limited circumstances, but have succeeded through their own industry, perseverance and good management in securing a good home and comfortable competence for themselves and families. His early home was on the other side of the Atlantic, for he is a native of the Emerald Isle, born in County Clare, April 13, 1820. His parents, Thomas and Bridget (O'Day) McGowen, were also natives of the same county, were farming people and spent their entire lives in the parish of Killmikle. Their
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family consisted of eight children, four sons and four daughters, of whom two sons are now deceased, and our subject is the only one living in this country.In the public schools of Ireland John McGowen acquired a limited education, but his training in farm work was not so meager and he soon became a thorough and skillful agriculturist. In 1848 he sailed for America, and on reaching this country located in New York state, where he spent five years. The following twelve years he lived in Muskingum county, Ohio, and from there removed to McLean county, Illinois, where he followed farming until coming to Nebraska in 1874. He then purchased the farm in Seward county, upon which he still lives, and after erecting a small house upon his place he commenced to break and improve his land. Soon acre after acre were placed under the plow and to-day he has a fine farm of two hundred acres under a high state of cultivation. His family arrived here in 1875.
In 1846 Mr. McGowen was united in marriage with Miss Susan Coughlan, and they became the parents of the following children, namely: Thomas, Susan, Mary, John (deceased) and Anna, twins, George, Ellen and James. The wife and mother was called to her final rest in 1888, and two years later Mr. McGowen wedded Mary (Considine) Mungovan, who was born in Ireland and came to the United States in January, 1850. They are communicants of the Catholic church at Ulysses and are held in high regard by all who know them. Politically Mr. McGowen is a stalwart Democrat, and he has most creditably filled some minor offices of honor and trust.
EORGE U. WARNER.--Among the well-to-do and successful farmers of Polk county, who have accumulated a competency through their own exertions and economy, and who are carrying on the business of farming and stock raising in a manner which draws forth praise from everyone, is the subject of this biographical notice, who resides on section 33, township 13, range 2. He was born June 9, 1849, in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, of which state his parents, William and Hannah (Miles) Warner, were also natives. The paternal grandfather, Isaac N. Warner, was of German descent. The father of our subject was a member of a Pennsylvania regiment during the Civil war, and in 1863 removed to Illinois, locating in Carroll county, where he made his home until coming to Polk county, Nebraska, in 1874. After one year spent in Falls City, he settled on a homestead on section 28, township 13, range 2, where he is still living at the ripe old age of eighty years, honored and respected by all who know him. His estimable wife died in 1894. Their children were Jacob; Martin; George U.; C. G.; a resident of California; W. R.; and C. H.
The first fifteen years of his life George U. Warner spent in his native state and there acquired a good practical education in the public schools. He accompanied his parents on their removal to Carroll county, Illinois, and remained with them until he attained his majority, being reared upon a farm. Coining to Polk county, Nebraska, he took up a homestead on section 34, township 13, range 2, and after erecting a dwelling turned his attention to the cultivation and improvement of his land, raising a small crop of wheat and oats in 1874. In the summer of 1892 he erected his present elegant residence, which is one of the best country homes for miles around. All of the improvements upon the place are in keeping with his residence and stand as monuments to his thrift and industry. He owns three hundred and twenty acres of rich and valuable land, two hundred and forty of which are devoted to the raising of
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grain, while the remainder is used for pasturage.In November, 1872, Mr. Warner was joined in wedlock with Miss Rosabel Shrader, who was born in Union county, Pennsylvania, April 29, 1854, a daughter of Solomon and Catharine (Katherman) Shrader, also natives of the Keystone state, and farming people. About 1850 her parents removed to Carroll county, Illinois, and in the spring of 1874 emigrated to Butler county, Nebraska, where they still reside. They reared a family of eight children: George; Mrs. Warner; Mrs. Ann McCray; William; E, H.; Fred, deceased; Kate; and Alberta. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Warner are as follows: Bertha L., Frank W., Eva B., Hattie M., Curtis Ray, Glenn S., Hazel V. and Lee M. The parents are worthy members of the Lutheran church, of Bethel, York county, in which Mr. Warner is now serving as deacon, and he is also serving as a member of the school board of his district. Socially he is identified with the Modern Woodmen Camp at Stromsburg, and politically he formerly affiliated with the Republican party, but he is now a Populist. His sterling integrity, inflexible honesty, and general high principles, have won him the respect of the entire community, and he is to-day one of the most esteemed and valued citizens of his section of the county.
. T. BUCKLEY, of Stromsburg, has been prominently identified with the history of Polk county since early pioneer days, when the land was wild, improvements few, and many of the now flourishing towns and villages of this part of the state had not yet sprung into existence. He has been an important factor in the development of the agricultural resources of the county, and in the promotion of its commercial activity, and it is to such enterprising and progressive citizens as Mr. Buckley that the county ows (sic) its present prosperity and advanced position. Widely and favorably known, his life record cannot fail to prove of interest to many of our readers.
Born on the 21st of July, 1847, Mr. Buckley is a native of Yestricland, Sweden, which was also the birth place of his parents, John and Martha (Headstrom) Buckley, who came to America in i855, locating on a farm in Knox county, Illinois. The father was then in quite limited circumstances and for a time worked on a gravel train on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. In 1868 he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits in Illinois, and about 1876 came to Nebraska, making his home in Stromsburg until his death. The mother still resides in that city. They were the parents of five sons who reached mature years: Peter T., John, Andrew, Frank and Lewis, who has now passed away. The parents were members of the Baptist church.
The subject of this sketch attended the schools of his native land in early boyhood, and when nine years of age accompanied his parents on their emigration, crossing the Atlantic in a sailing vessel. They were nine weeks and a half on the water, and fourteen weeks had elapsed before they reached Knox county, Illinois, where P. T. Buckley was reared to manhood. He did not attend school again until after he had attained the age of fifteen years, and then for only two winter terms, being four and one-half miles from a school. His services were needed in support of the family and his wages went to his father until he reached his majority, when his father gave him a team and a wagon and he began farming on rented land in Knox county. There, he remained for two years, and in 1871 came to Nebraska with his brother, Andrew.
Mr. Buckley secured a homestead on the east half of the northwest quarter of sec-
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© 2002 for the NEGenWeb Project by Pam Rietsch, Ted & Carole Miller |