USA > Nebraska > A Biographical and genealogical history of southeastern Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 19
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which he now lives. He has two hundred and forty acres of rich and productive land and yearly harvests good crops. The place is pleasantly located about a mile and a half from Western, and upon the farm is a large residence, a big barn, extensive corn cribs, a windmill and the latest improved machinery. He raises considerable alfalfa, and he also has a bearing orchard upon his place. There is a good grove, and well kept fences surround the farm and divide it into fields of convenient size. His property now constitutes one of the best farms in the township and is worth fifty-five dollars an acre.
In 1902 Mr. Wendorff was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on May 6. She had indeed been a faithful companion and helpmate to him on life's journey. In the early days of their resi- dence here she not only performed the duties of the household but also assisted him in the fields. She also carefully reared their family of nine children. She held membership in the Evangelical church, and her life showed forth her Christian faith, being characterized by many good deeds, so that her loss was deeply mourned throughout the entire com- munity as well as by her immediate family. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Wendorff are Louisa, Mary, August, Paul, Lena, George, Henry, Fred and Hannah, the last named being now eleven years of age. Mr. Wendorff is a member of the Grand Army post at Western, and belongs to the Evangelical church. He is a man whose word is as good as his bond, and his many sterling traits of character have made him a valued citizen of Saline county.
GILES H. MEAD.
On the list of the boys in blue who are now residents of southeastern Nebraska appears the name of Giles H. Mead, of Olive precinct, Saline
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county. Twenty-two years have come and gone since he located within the borders of this county, and twenty years prior to that time he had served his country as a loyal defender of the Union cause. He was born in Logan county, Ohio, near Richland, on the 25th of August, 1839, and is a representative of one of the old families of Vermont. His paternal grandfather, Ezra Mead, was one of the first settlers of the Green Moun- tain state. Stillmon Mead, the father, was born in Vermont and served his country as a soldier of the war of 1812. He was a miller by trade and also followed the occupation of farming, his life being characterized by untiring industry and perseverance. In 1854 he removed with his family to Iowa, settling in Webster county, near Fort Dodge, among the pioneer residents of that portion of the state. The following year the Indian massacre occurred at Spirit Lake, Iowa. Pioneer conditions prevailed largely throughout the state, and in his locality Stillmon Mead assisted in reclaiming the district for the purpose of civilization. He secured a tract of wild land from the government and with character- istic energy began its development into a good farm. He voted with the Free Soil party and also with the abolition party and was deeply in- terested in the question of freeing slaves. Both he and his wife held membership in the Presbyterian church and were most honorable people. Mrs. Mead bore the maiden name of Sarah Packard, who was born in Chittenden county, Vermont, a daughter of George Packard, of that state. Mr. Stillmon Mead passed away in August, 1885, at the very venerable age of eighty-seven years, and his wife died in 1878 at the age of seventy-five years. In the family were eleven children, three sons and eight daughters, and two of the sons were valiant soldiers of the Union army in the Civil war, R. B. Mead, having been a member of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry. His death occurred in Republic county, Kansas.
Giles H. Mead was a lad of about fifteen years when he accompanied
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his parents on their removal from Ohio to Iowa, and there he was reared upon the home farm, assisting materially in its development and im- provement. He left the plow, however, in August, 1861, donned the blue uniform of the nation and shouldered his musket in defense of the Union. It was in August, 1861, at Jefferson, Greene county, Iowa, that he responded to the president's call for fifty thousand.men, and was enrolled with the members of Company H, Tenth Iowa Volunteer In- fantry, under the command of Captain Orr and Colonel Pursell. The regiment went into camp at Iowa City, thence proceeded to St. Louis, Missouri, and afterward to Cape Girardeau, where Mr. Mead was under fire. He also participated in the battles of New Madrid, Island No. 10, Fort Pillow, Shiloh, the siege of Corinth, Iuka, the second siege of Corinth, Grand Junction and Coffeyville. He afterwards re- turned to Memphis, Tennessee, and was for forty-seven days engaged in besieging Vicksburg. At Champion Hills he was injured by a limb of a tree falling upon his shoulder. This dislocated and broke some of his bones, and he was sent to the hospital at Memphis, Tennessee, after which he was transferred to the general hospital at Indianapolis, Indi- ana. Subsequently he returned to Keokuk, Iowa, where he was honor- ably discharged in January, 1864, after nearly three years of active ser- vice, during which time he had on many occasions displayed his loyalty to his country and his valor upon the field of battle.
Mr. Mead was married in Lee county, Iowa, in 1865 to Rebecca Pickard, who for almost forty years has been a devoted companion and helpmate to him on the journey of life. She was born in Indiana and when four years of age went to Iowa with her parents, James and Amy (Dixon) Pickard, the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Illinois. The maternal grandfather, James Dixon, was one of the early settlers of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Pickard became residents of
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Lee county, Iowa, in 1849, casting in their lot with its early settlers, and the former died in Henry county, Iowa, at the age of eighty years, pass- ing away on the 4th of March, 1896. His religious faith was that of the Society of Friends. His wife died in 1857 at the age of forty-two years and left many friends to mourn her loss. In their family were eight children. William was a soldier of the Company D, Seventh Iowa Infantry, and was killed by a rebel bayonet thrust at Belmont, Missouri; John D. was a member of the Seventh Iowa Infantry; Henry J., who belonged to the same regiment, died at Cottonwood, Lee county, Iowa, in 1900. The other children of the family are Mrs. Rebecca Mead, Catherine and Mrs. Mary J. Divine, of Stewart, Iowa.
After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Mead began their domestic life upon a farm in Webster county, Iowa, near Dayton, and there they lived until 1882, when they came to Saline county and purchased the farm which is now their home. This comprises one hundred and sixty acres of land and is one of the best farms in Olive precinct. The first house was sixteen by twenty-four feet, to which he made an addition, sixteen by twenty feet. He has planted an orchard of five acres and has a good grove of four acres. There is a substantial barn, good feed lots and pas- ture lands and well tilled fields, and a glance at the place indicates to the passerby that the owner is a most progressive man who gives much time and attention to the operation of his farm.
The home of Mr. and. Mrs. Mead has been blessed with thirteen children : James L. ; Lennie J., who has engaged in teaching : Stillmon C .; Oscar R .; Amy : Joel C .; Henry A. ; Vesta B .; Minnie M .; Albert L., who died at the age of two and a half years; William E .; Giles Wright; and John Earl. The family is one of prominence in the community, members of the household occupying an enviable position in social circles. Mr. Mead is a Republican in his political views, and belongs
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to Tobias Post, G. A. R. He and his wife hold membership in the United Brethren church, in which he is serving as class leader and Sun- day school superintendent, and Mrs. Mead is also very active in the church work. He is truly a representative American citizen, and a worthy representative of that type of American character that promotes the public good in advancing individual prosperity. Prosperity has come to him as a natural consequence of industry and application, and his splendid success bears testimony to his rare judgment in business af- fairs.
LOUIS WALDTER.
Louis Waldter, one of the prominent old settlers of Wymore, Ne- braska, and a veteran of the Civil war, has been a resident of this state since 1857. His career as a soldier began with his enlistment Novem- ber II, 1862, in Company E, Second Nebraska Cavalry, Colonel R. N. Furnas and Captain Lewis Hill commanding. After thirteen months of hard service, he was honorably discharged, and returned to his home. During a portion of that time he was confined in the hospital, and has never fully recovered from the effects of the exposure and hardships.
The birth of Mr. Waldter took place in Rhenish Prussia, on Feb- ruary, 1831, and he is a son of Henry Waldter and Mary Waldter, both of whom died in their native land. There were three sons in their family. By trade our subject was a painter, and in 1848 and 1849 he served in the German Revolution, in the ranks In 1853 he came to the United States, the voyage consuming forty days. He landed in New York. From there he went to Cleveland, Ohio, and thence to Chicago. From that city he made his way to St. Louis and then to St. Joe, and still later to Nebraska. During these days he experienced many stirring
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adventures, and once came very near being lynched, his oppressors going so far as to place a rope around his neck.
While residing in Missouri he was united in marriage with Emma Thomas. She died in Nebraska in 1863, aged twenty-one years, leaving three children, namely: Mary Margaret, Theodore and Lewis. On December, 24, 1864, Mr. Waldter married Elizabeth Sherfey. In 1873 our subject located in Richardson county, Nebraska, and in 1885 he took up a homestead in Trego county, Kansas, but later returned to Nebraska. In politics he is a Republican, and represented his party in the state legislature at Lincoln, Nebraska, from 1867 to 1869.
THOMAS MOORE.
Thomas Moore, of Wymore, Gage county, Nebraska, one of the honored citizens of that locality, came to this state in 1868 after an honorable career as a soldier during the Civil war. He enlisted at Springfield, Illinois, in 1864, in the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Illi- nois Volunteer Infantry, Company H, Captain Bogardus commanding, and he served until the close of the war, participating in several engage- ments.
He was born May 10, 1847, at Chatham, New Hampshire, and is a son of Taylor Moore, who was born in the highlands of Scotland. His wife was Adalaide Carson, a daughter of Ivory Carson, a native of Maine. The parents of our subject moved to Illinois and from thence to Ne- braska, settling at Blue Springs, where the father died at the age of eighty-six years, having been a farmer all his days, and a Free Will Baptist in religious faith. The mother passed away at the age of sev-
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enty-two years. The children born to these parents were: James T., Thomas. Harriet, E. E., and Ellen, deceased.
Mr. Moore was reared in Illinois, and received his education in the district schools. After leaving Illinois he lived for one year at Tecum- seh, Johnson county, Nebraska, from which place he came to Wymore. While residing in Tecumseh he married Frances Eberhardt, of Illinois, a daughter of Henry and Mary (Trumbull) Eberhardt, both of whom are deceased. Henry Eberhardt was a soldier in an Illinois regiment. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Moore are as follows : Belle; Ella Clay- ton, of Keith, Nebraska; and Osman, at home. In politics Mr. Moore is a Republican, and is a blue lodge and chapter Mason, having joined the lodge at Tecumseh. He is a man of high purposes, upright in living, honored by all who know him, and one who makes and retains friends.
GADDIS P. HAGEMAN.
Gaddis P. Hageman, of Wymore, Nebraska, is one of that city's most highly respected citizens and a veteran of the Civil war. He en- listed September 16, 1861, at Sidney, Shelby county, Ohio, in a com- pany of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Among other engagements, he participated in the siege of Vicksburg, and was honorably discharged in 1865. He was wounded at Fort Donelson and has never fully recov- ered from his long and gallant service.
The birth of Mr. Hageman occurred at Milford, Hamilton county, Ohio, November 17, 1841, and he is a son of Simon Hageman. Simon was a son of Christian and Deliah (Wooden) Hageman, of German ancestry who came from Hamilton county, Ohio. The father died at the age of eighty-six years, and the mother is seventy-eight years of age. They had eight children, five sons and three daughters.
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Gaddis P. Hageman was married in Mercer county, Ohio, Noven1- ber 19, 1867, to Mary J. Hawkins, who was born in Butler county, Ohio, a daughter of Richard and Lydia (Davis) Hawkins, the former of whom died in Ohio aged sixty-four years, having been a chair-maker by trade, while the mother died at the age of sixty-three years. Thirteen children were born to this worthy couple, two of whom served in the Civil war, namely : John Hawkins, of the Fortieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, who died a few years ago; Corbly Hawkins, of the Fifty-sixth Ohio Volun- teer Infantry, is also deceased. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hageman are as follows : Adelaide, Lulu, Christian, a railroad engineer, Arthur, Albert, Susan, Grant and Rose, all of whom are grown to ma- turity and married.
Our subject is a Republican in political faith, and also is very prom- inent in G. A. R. matters. His wife served during the war as a nurse, and both enjoy recalling the stirring events of those days when heroes were developed on every side, and men and women showed their bravery in every action. Both are consistent members of the Methodist church, and are highly respected not only in church circles, but throughout the entire community.
ROBERT BRUCE PARKS.
Robert Bruce Parks, of Lincoln precinct, Saline county, is a well known citizen of this portion of southeastern Nebraska, where he has made his home since 1884. He has made the tilling of the soil his voca- tion in life, and is a wide-awake and progressive farmer who has elevated his daily toil from the realm of mere drudgery and found it a pleasant, profitable and most honorable occupation.
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Mr. Parks was born in Lee county, Illinois, near Dixon, December 13, 1844, being a son of Hiram and Martha (Moon) Parks. His father was born in New York state, and was an early settler of Lee county, Illinois. He was at Chicago when that present great city was a small village, with a few stores set on the swampy land about the Chi- cago river. He bought a claim of government land near Dixon, Illi- nois, and he farmed there the remainder of his life. passing away at the age of seventy-five, and his wife at the age of ninety. Their daugh- ter Rebecca was the second child born at Dixon. These parents were members of the Baptist church, and he was a Republican. There were eight children in the family : Mary, Eunice, Rebecca, Wayne, an officer in the One Hundred and Fortieth Illinois, Robert Bruce, Henry, Fred, and Abner.
Mr. Robert B. Parks was reared on the old farm in Lee county, Illinois, receiving his early education in the district schools. When he was twenty years old, on May 10, 1864, he enlisted at Dixon in Company D, One Hundred and Fortieth Illinois Infantry, in Captain Smith's company and Colonel Whitney's regiment. They were encamped at Dixon, then at Springfield, and from there were sent south to Memphis. They were engaged in fighting General Price's troops in southern Mis- souri, and saw considerable campaigning during the later months of the war. They were finally ordered to St. Louis, and thence to Chicago, where Mr. Parks received his honorable discharge from the service of the Union, on October 27, 1865.
Mr. Parks was married in Lee county, Illinois, August 23, 1868, to Miss Ellen Deck, who has been a faithful and inspiring companion and helpmate for the succeeding thirty-six years. She was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, and at the age of nine years, in 1856, she came to Lee county, Illinois, with her parents, Elijah and Han-
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nah (Heller) Deck, both natives of Pennsylvania. Her father, who was a farmer, a strong abolition Republican in politics, and a member of the Presbyterian church, died at the age of sixty-nine, and her mother passed away at the age of eighty. Mrs. Parks was one of nine children, as follows: Valentine, a soldier in the Thirteenth Pennsylvania, Susan, Mary, Joseph, in the Thirty-fourth Illinois for four years, William, in Company E of the Tenth Illinois, John, in Captain Cheney's Illinois battery, Ellen, George, and Martha. Mr. and Mrs. Parks are the parents of six children : Harry W., Sidney E., Bert M., Walter, Irvin, and Fanny F., the wife of G. Gerdis, of Seward county, Nebraska.
Mr. Parks came out to Nebraska and settled in Saline county in 1884, and has been a prosperous farmer here ever since. He owns a beautiful estate of two hundred and forty acres, on which are excellent improvements of all kinds, both residence and outbuildings being in evi- dence of the thrifty management of the owner. The farm is situated six miles northwest of Dorchester, and is one of the model farmsteads of the precinct. Mr. Parks is a Populist in politics. He takes much interest in the question of local education, not only for the benefit of his own children but for the entire community, and is a member of his dis- trict school board. He is a member and a past commander of the W. T. Sherman Post of the Grand Army of the Republic at Dorchester. He and his wife are members of the Evangelical church, and he serves on the board of trustees. He is a sincere and reliable man and citizen, and is a valuable factor in compassing the welfare of his community.
PETER WHITLOW.
Peter Whitlow, a retired resident of Auburn, is one of the pioneer settlers of Nemaha county, Nebraska. He was born in Barren county,
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Kentucky, November 2, 1826, and is a representative of an old Kentucky family. His grandfather Whitlow died in Kentucky in 1833, in the sixtieth year of his age, after an active and useful life as a well-to-do farmer, and after having reared a family of five sons and two or three daughters. The sons were Daniel, Greenville, Solomon, Pleasant and Willis. Daniel Whitlow was born in Barren county, Kentucky, about 1794; married a Miss Runyan, and in 1834 moved with his family to Tennessee and thence, about 1841, to Greene county, Illinois, where he became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land, and where he carried on agricultural pursuits for a number of years. He died at the home of one of his sons in Jersey county, Illinois, in 1876. He was the father of three other children besides Peter, namely : Tabitha, Wright and Willis. Tabitha was the wife of a Mr. Overton. She died in Cass county, Illinois, when past middle life, without issue.
Peter Whitlow grew up on his father's farm and had a fair school- ing. On leaving the home place, he went to Cass county, Illinois, where he worked out as a farm hand until his marriage, that event occurring in the fall of 1843, when he wedded Miss Melinda Overton. As the years passed by sons and daughters to the number of ten were given to them, of whom we record that Mary is the wife of August Reiners, of South Auburn, Nebraska; Perry, a resident of Auburn; Louisa, wife of Benjamin Bryan, also of Auburn; Daniel, a farmer of Douglas pre- cinct; Charles, engaged in farming near Auburn; Amos, a resident of Oregon ; Theodore, a gold miner of California; Emma B., wife of Albert DeWitt; Alice, married and living in California ; and Ellen, deceased.
Mr. Whitlow has been a farmer all his life, has spent nearly half a century in Nemaha county, and is therefore entitled to rank with the pioneer farmers of the county. He landed here in November, 1854, and took up one hundred and sixty acres of land in Douglas precinct,
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on which he lived and labored until a few years ago, and a part of which he still owns. He is now living, retired from active life, in his pleasant home in Auburn, still enjoying the companionship of his faithful wife, and with children and grandchildren around him.
Politically Mr. Whitlow is a Democrat. He is not a church mem- ber nor has he ever identified himself with any secret organization.
ROBERT COULTER.
Robert Coulter, who is a prosperous farmer on section 27, River- side township, Gage county, Nebraska, with postoffice at Beatrice, has been a resident of this county since 1878, and during this quarter of a century has enjoyed excellent success in his business matters, and at the same time has gained the esteem of all his fellow citizens. He is an old soldier of the Civil war, and his record as a soldier is by no means the least honorable and interesting part of his career. In general, he has been successful in all his undertakings, and while he is now drawing toward the limit of his years on earth he is happy and contented with what he has accomplished for himself and his fellows and is able to enjoy the pleasant circumstances with which his past endeavors have surrounded him withal.
Mr. Coulter was born near Belfast, Ireland, September 13, 1835, a son of Martin and Margret Coulter, who were born and died in Ire- land. Of their nine children, three came to the United States, namely : John, who died in New England; William, who lives in Ohio; and Rob- ert. Mr. Coulter was reared in Ireland, and did not come to the United States until he was twenty-one years old, in 1856. He was six weeks and three days on the voyage, and after landing he came to Ohio and was en-
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gaged in different occupations until the war. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Portage county, Ohio, and was assigned to Company I, One Hundred and Fourth Ohio Infantry, under Captain Wells and Colonel Riley. The regiment was sent south and took part in some of the great battles of the armies of the Cumberland and Tennessee. He was under General Thomas at Chickamauga, and was then sent with the army under Thomas against Hood in Tennessee, taking part in the engagements culminat- ing in the crucial battle of Nashville. He was then sent up the Ohio to Cincinnati, thence to Wheeling, West Virginia, and to Washington, and from there by boat to Fort Fisher. After the capture of this strong- hold he was sent into North Carolina, and at Greensboro was honorably discharged, June 17, 1865.
Following this creditable career as a soldier for his adopted land, Mr. Coulter returned to Portage county, Ohio, and remained there some time, then spent a year in Indiana, and in 1878 came to Gage county, Nebraska. He bought seven hundred acres of land, and since then his farm has received all the up-to-date improvements and acces- sories, in the manner of barns, windmills and machinery, so that it is conceded to be the best place in the township, and worth several times what Mr. Coulter originally gave for it.
In 1881 Mr. Coulter was married in Henderson county, Illinois, to Miss Martha Brooks, a lady of much intelligence and amiability, devoted to her family, and a valued member of society. She is a daughter of Sherrod and Mary Brooks, the former of whom was a native of New York and during the Civil war a soldier in Company C, Eighty-fourth Illinois Infantry, and the latter was born in Georgia. There were five children in the Brooks family : Frank, Eva, Manirva, Mrs. Martha Coulter and Garett. Mr. and Mrs. Coulter have two sons, William Rus- sell, aged twenty-two, and Ralph D., aged nineteen. who are both energetic
ALEXANDER BELL
JAMES T. BELL
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young men of this county. William Russell is a member of Company C, Nebraska National Guard, has served three years and enlisted again for three more years. Mr. Coulter is a member of the local Grand Army post, and his wife is a member of the Women's Relief Corps No. 92.
ALEXANDER BELL.
Alexander Bell, a well known and prominent citizen of Jefferson county, Nebraska, has been in this locality for many years, and has done more than his proportionate share in the work of progress and upbuild- ing. Although now well advanced in life, he is far from being at the limit of his usefulness to society and the world in general, and has enjoyed a career of which he may well be proud.
He was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, November 6, 1843, the Bells having long been identified with the history of that state. George Bell, a native of the state and the father of Alexander, was the son of a soldier of the war of 1812, and the progenitor of the family had come from the highlands of Scotland to America during the Revolutionary war, and was killed in the Wyoming valley massacre. George Bell married, in Pennsylvania, Margaret Anderson, who had a brother in the Mexican and Civil wars, so that the family on both sides of the house has been well represented in the armed conflicts in which this republic has been engaged. George Bell was a successful farmer and stockman, and voted with the Democratic party. He died at the age of sixty-four, and his wife at the age of seventy-two. They were the parents of five children : James T., mentioned below; one who died in infancy: Alexander; Anderson, a twin brother of Alexander, is now
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