USA > Nebraska > A Biographical and genealogical history of southeastern Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 24
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LEWIS CALEY.
Lewis Caley, a prominent stock dealer and successful business man of Filley, Gage county, Nebraska, has resided in this locality since 1881. He is a distinguished veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted at Platteville, Grant county, Wisconsin, in August, 1864, when only six- teen years of age in Company B, Forty-third Wisconsin Volunteer In- fantry, Colonel Amos Cobb (later judge of the supreme court of Ne- braska) and Captain Shaw commanding. The regiment saw active service in Kentucky and Tennessee, and after the battle of Nashville they were ordered to guard the railroads and to maintain law and order in Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. Mr. Caley served until the close of the war and was honorably discharged, having made a record of which . both himself and his family may well be proud.
Lewis Caley was born in Grant county, Wisconsin, July 12, 1848. He is a son of Samuel Caley, who was born in Pennsylvania and was there reared to manhood, and married Catherine Boussman, who was born and reared in Pennsylvania and came of Dutch stock. The father came to Grant county, Wisconsin, in 1842. He worked in the lead mines at Galena, Illinois, and later at Potosi, Wisconsin, where there were also lead mines. Both parents died in Nebraska, the father at the age of seventy-five years. In early life the father was a miner, but spent his declining years as a farmer. In politics he was a Republican, and his religious affiliations were with the Methodist church. Twelve children were born to these parents. The father also served in the Civil war in the Thirty-ninth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and a son Samuel served in the Second Wisconsin Cavalry, and after he received his honorable discharge re-enlisted in the Forty-seventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.
Our subject grew to manhood in Grant county, Wisconsin, and learned to be a successful farmer on his father's property. On return-
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ing home to Wisconsin after his war experience he resumed farming and thus continued until 1870, in which year he was married to Amelia J. Walker. She was born in Erie county, New York, near Buffalo, and is a daughter of Andrew Walker of that county, who was born in Ver- mont, and his wife Louise (Holly) Walker, a native of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Walker moved to Grant county, and both are now de- ceased. In politics he was a Democrat and became quite prominent in local affairs. Five sons and four daughters were born to Mr. and Mrs. Walker. In 1878 our subject removed to Decatur county, Kansas, and took up a homestead, where he resided for four years, and then in 1881 located in Gage county, Nebraska, where he has since resided. He is a man who stands exceedingly high in the estimation of his fellow towns- men. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Caley : Earl, who died at nine years; Luke, who died at six years; Roy, deceased at age of three; Andrew J., deceased in infancy; and Rose, the only survivor, a young lady at home.
J. O. JEFFREY.
J. O. Jeffrey, of Wymore, Nebraska, a prominent dealer in coal and wood, has resided in this community since 1888, when he came from Marshall county, Kansas. His birth took place near Connersville, Fayette county, Indiana, April 16, 1846, and he is a son of Lewis John- son Jeffrey.
The early life of Mr. Jeffrey was spent upon his father's farm and his education secured in the public schools. When he was twenty- five years of age he married Rose Penton, who was born in Ohio and reared and educated in Iowa, being a daughter of John Henry Penton of Ohio, who now resides in Taylor county, Iowa.
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In 1883 Mr. Jeffrey moved to Maryville, Marshall county, Kansas, but in 1888 decided to remove to Wymore, and has since made that city his home, becoming one of its most worthy citizens. Among other things he bought and remodeled the Hotel Jeffrey, which is now one of the best hotels in the county, and this he leases to other parties. He has also erected a pleasant residence for himself and family, of seven rooms fully supplied with all modern appliances and furnished in a manner which reflects credit upon his taste and that of his wife. Four children have been born to this happy couple, namely : Mrs. Alice Stevens, of Wymore ; Charles, of Wymore; Forest and Fenn, twins. By pursuing honorable methods in his business dealings, Mr. Jeffrey has built up a large and flourishing trade, and is one of the leading coal and wood dealers of the city. In politics he has always taken an active part, sup- porting the principles of the Democratic party, and served for two years on the city council and for seven years on the school board. He and his family are all connected with the Methodist church, and they are justly regarded as very important factors in the social life of Wymore.
JOHN M. TOUT.
John M. Tout, one of the leading residents of Wymore, Gage county, Nebraska, is a veteran of the Civil war, and began his career as a soldier in 1861, when he enlisted at East Germantown, Wayne county, Indiana, in Company D, Eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Benton. He served bravely for three years, and was honorably discharged.
Our subject was born August 11, 1840, near Richmond, Wayne county, Indiana, and he is a son of Joseph Tout and a grandson of
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John Tout, both of Pennsylvania. The maiden name of the mother of our subject was Fanny Echternich, and she was born in Pennsylvania of Irish parents but died in Indiana. In politics the father was a Democrat, while in religion both he and his wife were Protestants. They had fourteen children in the family, four being soldiers : Joseph, in an Indiana regiment; John M .; V. K .; and Robert.
The early life of our subject was spent in Indiana, where he learned the trade of carpenter. From Indiana he went to Lee county, Iowa, and thence to Lincoln, Nebraska, and took up a homestead ten miles southeast of that city, where he lived five years, and then sold his property and located in Gage county on Elm creek, but later removed to Wymore, where he engaged in contracting and building. Still later he became postmaster of Wymore and conducted a general store in conjunction, discharging the duties of his office with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of all.
Mr. Tout was married in Nebraska City, Nebraska, in 1868, to Mary C. Muzzy, who was born in Indiana, a daughter of James Muzzy, de- ceased. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tout is Mrs. Maud Pratt of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. Tout is a member of Coleman Post No. 115 of Wymore, in which he takes an active part. In politics he is a Democrat and an important factor in local affairs. He and his wife reside in their beautiful home and dispense a gracious hospitality to a large circle of friends.
WILLIAM WESTON.
One of the leading agriculturists of Riverside township, Gage county, Nebraska, is William Weston, who makes a specialty of water- melons and produces some of the finest raised in this state. Like many
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men who have become prominently identified with western affairs, he is a native of Ohio, born in Morgan county, June 24, 1839, and is a son of Jeremiah and Matilda (Andrews) Weston. His father was born in Maine of early New England ancestry, the family having been found- ed in this country in 1632, and it has been well represented in all of our wars commencing with the Revolution. Our subject's paternal grandfather, and his maternal grandfather, Augustus Andrews, were both soldiers of the war of 1812, the latter holding a captain's com- mission. To Jeremiah and Matilda Weston were born the following children : Matilda, Lois, Charles, George, John, Mary J., Amzi, Wil- liam and Robert. The father of this family, who was a farmer by oc- cupation and a Whig in politics, died at the age of seventy years, and his wife, who long survived him, passed away at the advanced age of ninety-two years. She was an earnest member of the Presbyterian church.
On the old home farm in Morgan county, Ohio, William Weston spent his boyhood days much like other farmer boys of his time, but at the age of sixteen he commenced learning the blacksmith's trade, which he followed for three years, and then resumed farming. Prompted by a spirit of patriotism, he enlisted in Morgan county, Ohio, May 2, 1864, in Company B One Hundred and Sixty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under the command of Captain Fulton and Colonel Taylor. He remained in the service until the close of the war, taking part in the Lynchburg raid in Virginia and in other raids and skirm- ishes. General Hunter commanded the regiment a part of the time. When the term of his enlistment had expired Mr. Weston was discharged on the 2d of September, 1864. and returned home.
Previous to entering the army he had been married in 1862 to Miss Lucy Sawyer, who was also born, reared and educated in Ohio,
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a daughter of David and Diadama Sawyer. She had one brother, David Sawyer, Jr., who was a soldier of the Civil war, being a mem- ber of the Ninth Virginia Cavalry. Mr. and Mrs. Weston have be- come the parents of nine children, namely : Mrs. Florence Adams, now a resident of Missouri; Mrs. Nevada Stonebaugh, of Whiting, Kansas; Dell, deceased; Jeremiah, a resident of Wyoming; Robert, a ranch- man at Casper, Wyoming; William, deceased; Lincoln S, an engineer now residing in the state of Washington; Irene; and Ray.
In 1869 Mr. Weston removed to Henry county, Illinois, and sub- sequently resided in Stark county, that state, for a time. Later he was for three years a resident of Washington county, Kansas, and in 1886 came to Gage county, Nebraska, purchasing a farm in the Blue river valley. He has become widely known as the champion watermelon raiser of southeastern Nebraska, and no better melons are to be found anywhere than those produced on the West Valley Melon Farm, as the place is now called. Mr. Weston is a man of progressive ideas and keeps well posted on the leading questions and issues of the day. By his ballot he supports the men and measures of the Republican party, and he never withholds his aid from any enterprise which he believes will prove of public benefit.
WILSON S. LILLY.
Wilson S. Lilly, who is now successfully engaged in farming and stock-raising in Sherman township, has been a resident of Gage county for almost a quarter of a century, and has therefore witnessed much of its growth and development, at the same time bearing his part in the work of improvement. His early home was in Ohio, for he was born
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near Columbus, Franklin county, that state, January 3, 1842, his parents being Samuel and Mary (Coffman) Lilly, who were natives of Penn- sylvania and of German descent. They were early settlers of Ohio, where the mother died when our subject was only four years old, and the father subsequently removed to Michigan, where he passed away at the ripe old age of eighty-eight years. He was an expert carpenter and fine mechanic, being one of the best workmen in Branch county, Mich- igan. He was a member of the Methodist church and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was a supporter of the Republican party. He was always true to his convictions of right and was honored and respected by all who knew him. Our subject had two brothers, Henry and Samuel A. Lilly, who were also soldiers of the Civil war, the for- mer having been a member of a Michigan cavalry regiment and the latter of an Ohio regiment. Henry is still living in Branch county, Michigan.
During his boyhood Wilson S. Lilly accompanied his father on his removal to Branch county, Michigan, where he commenced work at an early age, so that his education has been mainly acquired in the school of experience. He was numbered among the boys in blue who so gal- lantly fought for the old flag and the cause it represented in the war of the rebellion, enlisting at Coldwater, Branch county, in August, 1862, at President Lincoln's call for sixty thousand more troops. As a member of Company H, Nineteenth Michigan Volunteer Infantry, he was under the command of Captain G. H. White and Colonel H. C. Gilbert, who was killed in Georgia on the march to Atlanta. He was also under Major Shafter, who as a general took a very prominent part in the Spanish-American war in Cuba. Mr. Lilly participated in the battles of Murfreesboro, Spring Hill and Franklin, Tennessee. He was captured and incarcerated in Libby prison for thirty days, after
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which he was granted a furlough of thirty days which he spent at home. He rejoined his command at Nashville, and went with Sherman on the march to the sea, participating in the battles of Resaca, New Hope Church, Rome and Lookout Mountain. He assisted in the capture of Atlanta on the 22d of July, 1864, where General McPherson was killed, and then proceeded with Sherman up through the Carolinas. He was in the battle of Goldsboro and then marched on to Raleigh, where he was when General Johnston surrendered, and then on through Richmond to Washington, D. C., participating in the grand review in that city. As the war was over he was then honorably discharged at Detroit, Michigan, in July, 1865.
Returning home Mr. Lilly engaged in farming in Branch county for five or six years, and was there married in 1868 to Miss Eunice W. Tripp, who was born in New York and spent her girlhood in that state and in Michigan. Her parents were natives of the Empire state, and in their family were two sons, William and Edward Tripp, who were members of a Michigan regiment in the Civil war. Mr. and Mrs. Lilly have eight children, namely: Mary, Harvey, Nelson, Frances, Jane, Myrtle, Louie and Lester McKirby.
In 1870 Mr. Lilly came to Nebraska and took up a homestead in Franklin county, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, to the improvement and cultivation of which he devoted his energies for nine years. He then came to Gage county and bought a farm of one hun- dred and sixty acres in Sherman township, on which he has since made many good and substantial improvements. In connection with general farming he gives considerable attention to the raising of stock, making a specialty of Black Hawk Morgan horses, which he considers one of the best breeds for general purposes. He is a thrifty, enterprising farmer and has met with well merited success in his operations. His right
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of franchise is exercised in support of the men and measures of the Republican party, and he is an honored member of Rawlins Post, G. A. R., of Beatrice, Nebraska. His home is noted for its hospitality and good cheer and he has a host of warm friends throughout his adopted county.
ADAM McMULLEN.
Adam McMullen, of Wymore, Nebraska, is one of the younger members of the Gage county bar, but his prominence is by no means measured by his years; on the contrary he was won a reputation which many an older practitioner might well envy. Prominence in his pro- fession comes through merit alone and the high position he has attained attests his superiority.
Mr. McMullen is a native of Allegany county, New York, and a son of John H. and Mary (Harbouse) McMullen, both of whom were natives of Scotland, the former born near Edinburg and the latter at Glasgow. The McMullens were highlanders and were a prominent old family. The parents of our subject were reared, educated and married in their native land and on coming to this country located in Allegany county, New York. In their family were six sons and three daughters.
The early life of Adam McMullen was spent in the east and he was provided with good educational advantages. At the age of twenty years he came to Lancaster county, Nebraska, and entered the State University, where he was graduated in the class of 1896. Later he attended law school at Washington, D. C., completing the course there in 1899. Previous to this time he had accepted the position of secretary to Senator Dietrich, of Nebraska, and in that capacity spent six years
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in the capital city. He was admitted to the bar in 1901, and is now successfully engaged in the practice of his chosen profession at Wymore. He is thoroughly versed in the law, is a close student, a logical reasoner and has a ready command of English. He also has a good presence and a clear voice, which makes him popular as an orator, and he is often called upon to deliver public addresses. He is a thirty-second-degree Mason, belonging to Albert Pike Lodge, of Washington, D. C., and stands high both in social and professional circles.
In June, 1901, Mr. McMullen was united in marriage to Miss Cora Greenwood, a young lady of culture and refinement, who was born in Wisconsin and was educated at the College of the Sacred Heart in Omaha, Nebraska, and at Boston, Massachusetts. Her father, H. A. Greenwood, is one of the most prominent business men of Wymore, having been an important factor in the upbuilding and prosperity of that city, where he located in 1881. He was born on the 24th of Feb- ruary, 1840, at Abbott, Maine, and is a worthy representative of an old New England family, some of his ancestors having aided the colonies in their struggle for independence as soldiers of the Revolutionary war. His parents were Horace and Cornelia (Gowe) Greenwood, also natives of the old Pine Tree state. In 1858 the family removed to La Salle county, Illinois, and later to Woodford county, that state, where Horace Greenwood died in 1863, at the age of fifty-four years. His wife long survived him, passing away in 1895, at the age of eighty-four years. In their family were five children. H. A. Greenwood was reared and educated in Illinois, and during the dark days of the Civil war enlisted in the Eighth Illinois Cavalry, which was known as one of the best cavalry regiments of the north and composed of black abolition- ists. At Washington it was often said that it was the finest body of cavalrymen in the United States and it made for itself a glorious rec-
W. H. EDGAR
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ord in defense of the Union cause. It was commanded by Colonel E. J. Farnsworth, who was killed in the battle of Gettysburg. They were also in the battle of Antietam and many other important engagements. Mr. Greenwood was married at Loda, Iroquois county, Illinois, to Miss Mary Cavanaugh, a native of New York. Two children blessed this union : Cora, now the wife of our subject, and Ivy, wife of Bridill Thall, of Wymore. Mr. Greenwood was the first banker to engage in business in Wymore, and he has been identified with a number of other business enterprises. He erected the Greenwood block and is the owner of much valuable real estate, including several farms in this state. He also owns a number of lumber yards which he has estab- lished at various places, and is to-day one of the most successful and prosperous business men of his adopted city. In business affairs he is prompt, energetic and reliable and usually carries forward to suc- cessful completion whatever he undertakes.
W. H. EDGAR.
W. H. Edgar, postmaster at Beatrice, was born September 10, 1840, near Burlington, Iowa. His parents moved to Collinsville, Illi- nois, when he was three years old, and seven years later moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where they remained until 1855, when they moved to Jacksonville, Illinois. Mr. Edgar attended the public schools of the last named city, and later was a student in Illinois College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1860-I.
In the fall of 1861 he enlisted in Company K, Thirty-third Illinois Infantry, and after six months' service was discharged on account of dis- ability. He afterwards re-entered the service as second lieutenant of
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Company E, Thirty-second Illinois Volunteers. After his army service he went to work for the Adams Express Company, and was located at various times at Vicksburg, New Orleans and Mobile in the employ of the company. In 1864 he went to Aurora, Illinois, and after due prepar- ation was admitted to the bar of that state. In 1867 he became city editor for the daily Jacksonville Journal, and in 1869 was sent to Jersey- ville, Illinois, to take charge of a paper owned by the Journal Company. After a couple of years he bought the paper at Jerseyville and became sole owner. He conducted the Jerseyville Republican until 1887, when he left the state. In 1890 he took charge of the Pike County News, at Louisiana, Missouri, and at the end of two years was offered the editor- ship of the Daily Express, at Beatrice, Nebraska. He accepted this posi- tion and held it for ten years, until the ownership of the paper changed.
Mr. Edgar has held a number of positions of trust and honor. During the incumbency of Governor Cullom of Illinois, he was commis- sioned as colonel and aide on the personal staff of the governor. In 1880 he was the Republican candidate for Congress in the Twelfth Illinois district, and was defeated by General Singleton, of Quincy. Mr. Edgar received the full Republican vote in the banner Democratic district of the state. In 1881 Mr. Edgar was appointed postmaster at Jerseyville, Illinois, and served as such four years. In 1900 he was elected state senator for the twenty-seventh session of the Nebraska legislature, from Gage county, and, so far as majorities go, was the "high man" in the senate. He served on a number of prominent committees, brought sev- eral important measures before the body, and succeeded in getting in- scribed upon the statutes a good law relating to blackmail. In 1902 Mr. Edgar was appointed postmaster at Beatrice for four years, and in Feb- ruary of that year took charge of the office, which he holds at this writing.
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Mr. Edgar is the eldest of five children, four brothers and one sister, all but one now living and married. His father, Dr. W. S. Edgar, was the son of William Edgar, of Rahway, New Jersey, who, with his wife and seven sons and two daughters, emigrated to Illinois at an early day. Of this family, only one son survives, Timothy B. Edgar, a man now in the eighties, living at St. Louis. The mother of Mr. Edgar was the daughter of Judge Janes, of Pittsford, New York, who at an early day moved to a farm near Burlington, Iowa. Judge Janes had three daugh- ters and two sons, Mrs. W. S. Edgar being the youngest of the daugh- ters. Dr. Edgar was for many years a prominent physician in St. Louis, and died in that city in 1877, while his wife died at Jerseyville, Illinois, in 1880.
Mr. Edgar was married in 1890 to Mrs. M. E. Davis, at Lincoln, Nebraska ; they have no children.
CHATFIELD H. BUTLER.
Chatfield H. Butler, one of the highly respected citizens of Glen- wood township, Gage county, Nebraska, and a veteran of the Civil war, enlisted in October, 1861, in Company I, First Nebraska Cavalry, Cap- tain Jacob Butler (his brother) commanding. For some time the regi- ment was under General Fremont. After a hard and gallant campaign, our subject was honorably discharged in 1864.
Mr. Butler was born near Richmond, Wayne county, Indiana, in 1833, and he is a son of Samuel Butler, a Quaker. Samuel Butler had two children, namely: Our subject and Jacob Butler, now a capi- talist of Iowa. Our subject was reared in Wayne county, Indiana, but in 1857 removed to Iowa. In 1869 he was there married to Louisa
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Annon, who was born in Jackson county, Indiana, and is a daughter of John and Catherine Annon, natives of Germany who located in Page county in 1855 and are still residents of that locality. In 1887 our subject left Page county and settled in Gage county, Nebraska, three and one-half miles from Odell, and has continued successfully there engaged in farming. The children born to himself and wife are as follows: Charles C., of Portland, Oregon; Eva; Albert, on the home- stead; Lizzie J .; Dora Belle; John and Nellie. The mother has passed away, having been a devout Christian woman and a devoted wife and mother. In politics Mr. Butler is a Republican and takes an interest in local affairs. He is a member of the G. A. R., and also a member of a Masonic lodge in Iowa, having joined that order in 1866. Mr. Butler is cordial to all, and is a man who makes and retains friends. His pleasant home is open to all, and none are ever turned away.
ORLANDO T. RANDALL.
Orlando T. Randall, one of the prominent farmers of Logan town- ship, Gage county, Nebraska, came to this section of southeastern Ne- braska in 1886, and has proved himself a worthy and enterprising citizen, capable in business matters and as an agriculturist, and loyal and devoted to family and friends and upright and sincere in all the relations of life. He has had an honorable career from his entrance into real activities, and has to his credit service in the Civil war, as a Union soldier.
Mr. Randall was born at Pillar Point, opposite the historically memorable Sackett's Harbor, in New York, on August 14, 1843. His grandfather, Thomas Randall, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and
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