USA > Nebraska > A Biographical and genealogical history of southeastern Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 4
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On the 30th of November, 1865, Mr. Gilmore was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary Campbell, who has been a devoted wife and help- mate to him. She was reared in Illinois for twelve years and attended the public schools there. Her father, Aaron Lyle Campbell, was born near Uniontown, Ohio, and was of Scotch parentage. He married Miss Mamie McAdam, a daughter of George McAdam, who was a soldier of the war of 1812. On leaving the Buckeye state Mrs. Gilmore's parents removed to Illinois and the father died at Ford county, that state, at the age of seventy-two years. He was a farmer by occupation and al- ways carried on agricultural pursuits in order to provide for his family. His political allegiance was given to the Republican party, and in relig- ious faith he was a Presbyterian and served as an elder of the church. His widow still survives him and is now living in Lewiston, Illinois, at the age of eighty-five years. In the family were seven children, six of whom, two sons and four daughters, reached years of maturity.
Mr. Gilmore removed from Illinois to Nebraska in 1877, and set- ยท tled upon his present farm twenty-four years ago. He has two hundred and eighty acres of fine land, constituting one of the best improved farms in this portion of the state. Upon his place is a good house, a very extensive barn, a fine orchard, good groves and. in fact, all mod- ern improvements, representing an investment of thirty-five hundred dollars. He raises Chester White hogs and has won many premiums at the state fairs. He also raises Southdown sheep. In his business
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he has been very successful owing to his unremitting industry, laudable ambition and well directed efforts.
To Mr. and Mrs Gilmore have been born thirteen children: Hetta E., who is a successful teacher in the public schools of Fairbury; Deda M., who is also engaged in teaching in Fairbury; James C .; Edward D .; Charles E .; Ella M .; Luletta E .; Ella M .; Garfield; Wallie Birney; Harry ; Pearl; and John V. One of the sons, Edward Gilmore, was a soldier of the Spanish-American war, serving with the Second Nebraska Regiment under command of Colonel A. J. Bills and Captain Mc- Donald.
Mr. Gilmore is a stanch Republican in his political views and has served as a member of the school board. He also belongs to Russell Post, G. A. R., of Fairbury, and he and has wife hold membership in the Presbyterian church. He has a wide acquaintance in the county where he has now lived for more than a quarter of a century, and where he has so directed his efforts as to overcome all difficulties and obstacles in his path and work his way steadily upward to success.
JACOB K. DILLER.
Jacob K. Diller is numbered among the pioneer settlers of Jeffer- son county, Nebraska. He came to this state in October, 1870, secured a homestead claim and took up his abode thereon in July, 1872. He has since devoted his energies to its improvement. He found here pioneer conditions such as are always met with by the frontiersman. The land was wild and unimproved, the homes were widely scattered, and there were many difficulties and hardships to be borne in reclaiming the dis-
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trict for the purposes of civilization and planting the seeds of progress and improvement.
Mr. Diller is a native of Pennsyvania, his birth having occurred in Cumberland county near Carlisle, on the 17th of January, 1845. His paternal grandfather, Francis Diller, Sr., was born in Pennsylvania, but was of German ancestry. He served his country as a soldier in the war of 1812 and both he and his wife died in the Keystone state. Fran- cis Miller, Jr., the father of our subject, was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, was reared under the parental roof and early be- came familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He chose farming as a life work, and it was through his industry and enterprise in that direction that he was enabled to provide for his family. He married Miss Nancy Kamory, who was also born in Pennsylvania and was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mathew Kamory, both of whom spent their entire lives in the Keystone state. Francis Diller and his wife came to Jefferson county, Nebraska, in 1873, establishing their home in Fairbury, where they continued to reside un- til called to their final rest; the father passing away in Fairbury at the age of sixty-seven years, while the mother's death occurred when she was eighty-one years of age. She held membership in the Methodist church and lived a consistent Christian life. In their family were ten children : Henry ; Susan; Eliza; Amanda; Jacob; Andrew, who was a soldier of the Civil war; Mary A .; Levi; Matilda; and Mattie.
Jacob K. Diller was reared in the usual manner of farmer lads. At an early age he began work in the fields, and the summer months were devoted to the task of plowing, planting and harvesting, while in the winter seasons he attended the public schools. Experience and observation in later life have largely added to his knowledge, making him a well informed man. He was a very young man at the time of the
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outbreak of the Civil war, and on the 6th of April, 1865, he donned the blue uniform of the nation and became a member of the One Hun- dred and First Pennsylvania Infantry under Captain Wolfe. The regi- ment was stationed at Roanoke, and at Newbury, North Carolina, and he was with the army until the 25th of June, 1865. For a time he was ill prior to his return, and was then on detail duty at the hospital for some weeks. After the close of hostilities he returned to his old home in Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1869, when he went to Cham- paign county, Illinois. There he worked at the carpenter's trade with his brother Henry at Rantoul, but afterward turned his attention to farming in that portion of the state. At a later date he again went to Pennsylvania, but subsequently returned to Champaign county, Illinois.
Mr. Diller was married near Rantoul in that county on the 9th of June, 1870, the lady of his choice being Miss Mary A. White, who was born in Jersey county, Illinois, and spent her girlhood days there, the public school system of the state affording her her educational privi- leges. Her father, George White, was born in New York and mar- ried Mrs. Matilda Daugherty Ott, who was a widow. She was born in Mississippi, and was a daughter of Thomas Daugherty, a farmer who belonged to an old southern family. Mr. White died in Nebraska at the age of sixty-nine years. He was a worthy member of the United Brethren church and was honored and respected by all who knew him. His wife, who passed away at the age of sixty-one years, was loved for her many good traits of heart and mind and her generous hospitality. In their family were eleven children, seven of whom reached adult age. To Mr. and Mrs. White were born seven children : Mary; Arvilla, now deceased; Lucy, who is living in St. Joseph, Missouri; Joseph, William and Addie, all deceased; and George White, who resides in Missouri. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Diller were ten in number: George F .;
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Mattie Eliza; Levi S .; Anna M .; Odella; Ina; William H .; Charles Edward; and Robert Carlyle; and Mina May, who was a bright girl of genial and affectionate nature and died at the age of twelve years.
As before stated Mr. Diller became a resident of Jefferson county, Nebraska, in 1872. He had many difficulties and hardships with which to contend in the early days of his residence here. The hot winds of the summer, the blizzards and the intense cold of winter all served to ren- der his efforts of little avail, but as the years progressed he triumphed over the hard conditions of frontier life and is now the possessor of a valuable and productive farm. In 1892 he erected a fine modern resi- dence at a cost of thirty-five hundred dollars, and in its furnishings it indicates the cultured and refined taste of the family. It is supplied with all modern equipments and underneath the house is a cement and brick cellar. The residence is heated by furnace, and diamond window panes add to its attractive appearance as well as serve the purpose of lighting. The house stands upon a natural building site and is indeed one of the attractive features of the landscape. Upon the farm is an orchard of four acres, an excellent grove and everything about the place is in splendid condition, indicating the careful supervision of the progressive owner. Both Mr. and Mrs. Diller possess many sterling traits of char- acter which have rendered them so popular with a large circle of ac- quaintances and have gained them many warm friends.
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ISAAC N. THOMPSON.
Isaac N. Thompson is an honored veteran of the Civil war and is now prominent in Grand Army circles. He is one of the honored pio- neer settlers of Jefferson county, where he has made his home since March, 1868, and in this state he is a recognized leader among those who fought for the Union at the time of the country's peril. He was born in Ridgefarm, Vermilion county, Illinois, on the 25th of February, 1838. The family is of Scotch-Irish lineage, and the grandfather of our subject was John F. Thompson. The father, James W. Thompson, was born in Tennessee and after arriving at years of maturity wedded Irena A. Davis, who was born in North Carolina and was a cousin of Jefferson Davis, the president of the southern Confederacy. Her father was a soldier of the war of 1812, and was killed in the battle of New Orleans, while serving under General Jackson. For many years Mr. and Mrs. James W. Thompson resided in Illinois, and the father's death occurred in that state in 1864, while his son Isaac was absent in the army. The mother passed away in 1901 when eighty-five years of uge. Both were honored and respected by all, and their memory is yet enshrined in the hearts of many who knew them. James W. Thomp- son was a stanch advocate of abolition and of the Union cause, and in an early day he was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, Owen Love- joy and many others of the prominent and distinguished opponents of slavery. On the organization of the Republican party to prevent the further extension of slavery he joined its ranks, and he was ever most loyal to his political convictions and to his honest opinions, bearing upon every question. To Mr. and Mrs. James W. Thompson were born eight children : Henry C., who was a soldier of the Twenty-fifth Illi- nois Infantry and is now living in Colorado; Isaac N .; Mrs. Maria L.
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Rhode, of North Dakota; Mrs. Mary J. Frazier, of Colorado; John F., who was a soldier of the Seventy-ninth Illinois Infantry and is now probate judge of Washington county, Kansas, where he settled at an early day; Mary J., who is living in Liberty, Colorado; Laura E., of Newkirk, Oklahoma; and Charles D., of California.
Isaac N. Thompson was reared upon the old home farm, and les- sons of industry and economy were early instilled into his mind. His literary education was acquired in the public schools, and he has greatly supplemented his knowledge by reading, observation and experience in later years. On starting out in life on his own account he followed the pursuit to which he had been reared, and has always been an agricul- turist. He sought as a companion and helpmate for life's journey Miss Julia A. Haworth, and they were married at Danville, Illinois, on the 3Ist of March, 1859. She has been to him a faithful companion and helpmate on life's journey for forty-five years, her encouragement and aid being of great assistance to him. She was born, reared and educated in Illinois. Her parents were Eli and Lydia (Dillon) Haworth, the former a native of Ohio, while the latter was a representative of an old Tennessee family. Both, however, died in Illinois.
At the time of the Civil war Isaac N. Thompson put aside all busi- ness and personal considerations in order to espouse his country's cause. Leaving his family in Vermilion county, Illinois, he enlisted on the 12th of July, 1862, as a member of Company A, Seventy-ninth Illinois In- fantry, under command of Captain T. Clark, who was later promoted to lieutenant-colonel. The regiment was commanded by Colonel Gunip and went into camp at Mattoon, Illinois, but after twenty days was sent to Louisville, Kentucky, and Mr. Thompson was first under fire at Perryville. Later he participated in the battles of Crab Orchard, Edge- field and Stone River. He served for a time under Generals McCook
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and Rosecrans and he took part in the Tullahoma campaign, participat- ing in the battles of Chickamauga, Fayetteville, Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga and Knoxville, going to the latter place in order to relieve the troops under General Burnside. Later his regiment was ordered to Loudoun, Tennessee, and he participated in the battles of Buzzard's Roost, Pulaski, Tennessee, Frankfort and Nashville .. He participated in the severe figlit with General Hood's forces at Frankfort and later the regiment was ordered to Decatur, Alabama. He also was at Re- saca, siege of Atlanta and Jonesboro and other battles. He was wounded at Liberty Gap June 25, 1863, was wounded at Chickamauga September 19, 1863, and was captured at Stone River December 31, 1862, by General Joe Wheeler, but was recaptured on the battlefield by his own command. Mr. Thompson was honorably discharged from the service on June 12, 1865, at which time he held the rank or orderly ser- geant. He was brave and loyal, never faltering in the performance of any duty, and his military record is one of which he has every reason to be proud.
Following the close of the war Mr. Thompson rejoined his family in Illinois and lived for a time in Iroquois county, that state, but in 1867 came to Nebraska, and in March, 1868, secured a homestead claim in Antelope precinct, Jefferson county. . Here he began the de- velopment of his farm, and although surrounded by pioneer conditions he bravely met the hardships which devolved upon him and in course of time his labors were rewarded with gratifying success. In the year 1869 he was elected to the position of county clerk and served two years. He was then nominated again, but a fusion element defeated him. After two years, however, he was again before the public as a candidate for the office and he was elected for a term of two years,
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during which he served with credit to himself and satisfaction to liis constitttents.
To Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have been born six children : Homer H., who is now a railroad conductor ; Alice, the wife of Gross Nicklaus; Mrs. Lillie I. Spence, of Fairbury, Nebraska; Edward P., who is also in the railroad employ; Charles G., a railroad man; and Anna L. They also lost two children: Samuel S., who was born in October, 1862, during his father's absence at the war, and died ere his return; and Abbie E., who married J. E. Burge, died September 9, 1894. The family is well known in Fairbury and Jefferson county and their friends are many. Mr. Thompson is particularly well known in political and Grand Army circles, and is a stanch Republican who takes a very deep and active interest in the welfare and success of his party. He has served as commander of Russell Post No. 77, G. A. R, and he was indentified with the Sixth Grand Army post of the United States, which was lo- cated at Loda, Illinois. Mr. Thompson served as quartermaster under General C. F. Steele when the latter was state commander of Nebraska, and he is now a member of General Black's staff. He served as ser- geant of arms in the state legislature in 1886-7, and at all times he is loyal and true to every trust reposed in him, whether it is of a public or private nature. His friends know him to be a man of sterling worth and of the utmost reliability, and he enjoys the unqualified confidence and the respect of all who know him.
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ALMON M. AKIN.
Almon M. Akin, who formerly filled the position of county com- missioner in Jefferson county, is one of the old pioneer settlers of Ne- braska, having first come to this state in 1856, when it was still in the ter- ritorial period of its existence. He was born in Ontario county, New York, at Allen's Hill on the 30th of April, 1833. His father, Almon G. Akin was also a native of the Empire state and was of Scotch line- age. He served as a soldier of the war of 1812, and during his active business carreer followed the occupation of farming. He married Miss Mary Bentley, also a native of New York and a representative of an old family of that state. At a later date he removed with his wife and children to Indiana and subsequently went to Michigan, where his death occurred when he was fifty-one years of age. He voted with the Republican party, and he and his wife were communicants of the Epis- copal church. Mrs. Mary Akin departed this life at the age of eighty- seven years, and her death was deeply regretted, for she possessed many good qualities of heart and mind that had endeared her to a large cir- cle of friends. They were the parents of six children, five sons and a daughter, of whom five are now living.
Almon M. Akin spent his early boyhood days in New York, then accompanied his parents on their removal to Vigo county, Indiana, and sebsequently went with them when the family home was transferred to Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin. He is indebted to the public school system of the country for the educational privileges which he enjoyed in his youth. He first came to Nebraska in 1856 and made his way to Brownville, this state. In 1859, he started for California, making the overland journey with an ox team and arriving at his destination after three and a half months of travel over the hot sandy plains of the west
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and through the mountain passes. He saw many Indians while en route and experienced many of the hardships and privations incident to a trip to the Pacific coast at that time.
While residing in California Mr. Akin was united in marriage to Miss Mary Mavor, who was descended from old families of both the highlands and lowlands of Scotland. She was born in the land of the heather, a daughter of William and Margaret (McCorbie) Mavor, both of whom were natives of Scotland, where the father's death occurred. The mother afterward came to this country and died in the far west at the very advanced age of ninety-six years. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Akin was blessed with six children : Lucy I., Alice and Grace, who have been popular school teachers; Bertha, who is also successfully en- gaged in teaching school; Malcomb M., who was formerly a teacher and is now in Fairmount, Nebraska, where he is successfully engaged in the practice of dentistry; and Almon G., who is engaged in the operation of a part of the home farm. The children were all provided with good educational privileges and have become respected members of society.
Mr. Akin owns four hundred and eighty acres of land, and came to this farm in the winter of 1871. Mr. Akin gives his political allegiance to the Republican party, but on the Greenback ticket he was elected county commissioner, in which position he served most creditably, dis- charging his duties with promptness and fidelity. He belongs to the Presbyterian church, of which his wife and daughters are also mem- bers. He has ever been honorable in his relations with his fellow men, never taking advantage of any one in a trade transaction, and he has the unqualified confidence and respect of all with whom he has been associated. Culture and refinement are characteristic of his home, and
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the family occupies an enviable position in social circles of Jefferson county.
CAPTAIN GEORGE C. VANCE.
Captain George C. Vance, whose residence in southeastern Nebras- ka dates from August, 1869, was born in Baring, Maine, on the 22d of April, 1816. He is descended from Scotch-Irish ancestry, and his grandfather settled at Londonderry, New Hampshire, at a very early per- iod in the colonization of the new world. William Vance, the father of Captain Vance, was born at Londonderry, New Hampshire, and became a prominent attorney of that state. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war under General Benedict Arnold before that com- mander proved a traitor to his country, and during his services sus- tained five bullet wounds. He was a man of much influence in political circles and his opinions carried weight concerning many matters which affected the general progress and public welfare. He married Charlotte Holland, also a native of New Hampshire, who died when her son George C. was twelve years of age, leaving five children. The others are Nancy; Robert, who was a soldier of the Mexican war and a suc- cessful business man, whose death occurred in New York; William, who was a soldier of the Mexican war, a sergeant in a Massachusetts regiment ; and Charlotte, the wife of United States Senator Morrill, of Maine.
Captain George C. Vance was reared in the Pine Tree state and had the advantages of the influences and surroundings of a good home and helpful parental training. He was trained to habits of industry and honesty and remained with his parents until seventeen years of age, when in 1833 he went to sea upon a whaling vessel, which rounded
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Cape Horn and which returned with forty-two hundred barrels of sperm oil. In 1849 he sailed on a California packet carrying two hundred and forty-seven passengers for the gold fields. This vessel also rounded Cape Horn. The vessel stopped at Rio de Janeiro, thence after sailing for one hundred and sixty days reached Valparaiso and sixty days later arrived at San Francisco. Mr. Vance spent some time in California. On his voyages he has seen many parts of the world, visiting the Sand- wich Islands in 1834. He also visited the Fiji Islands, the Society Is- lands, New Zealand, Morenzee Island, Sunday Island, the island of Pitcairn, sailed on the Arctic ocean, visited Japan, China, the Philippines and Manila, and, in fact, has sailed on all the seas on the face of the globe. He was at Japan when the United States opened its ports. He bought a sailing vessel for trade with the Sandwich Islands, and he took the first shipload of sweet potatoes to California. He was en- gaged in trading for some time there and later he returned to the east, where he took charge of a ship loaded with corn for Ireland. This vessel, however, was wrecked off the coast of Italy. Captain Vance then returned to the United States. From the time that he first sailed upon the whaling voyage he was continuously advanced until as commander of vessels he became an important representative of marine interests.
At the time of the Civil war Captain Vance espoused the cause of the Union and served in General French's division. He acted as quar- termaster of the brigade, ranking as captain and his commission was signed by Abraham Lincoln and Edwin Stanton. He served most ac- ceptably, discharging the duties that devolved upon him with the ut- most loyalty and when the war was over he received an honorable dis- charge.
Captain Vance later went to England in the mercantile trade, and then located at Readfield, Maine, near Augusta, where he conducted a
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good business for a number of years. In 1869 he came west to Nebras- ka, at which time Fairbury contained one shanty. He secured land in Jefferson county and also purchased a large tract in Gage county, Ne- braska, southeast of Beatrice, where he engaged in farming for eigli- teen months. He then came to Jefferson county, where he bought and operated over eight hundred acres of land, placing five hundred acres under a high state of cultivation. He always had great faith in the future of Nebraska and did much to improve Richland precinct and promote its substantial development. About fifteen years ago he retired from active business, built a nice home in Fairbury and is now enjoying the comforts of life which come to him as the reward of his earnest and well directed labor.
Captain Vance was married at the age of twenty-two years to Susan F. Hanscom, of Mount Vernon, Maine, who was one of a family of twelve children. She died at the age of eighty-two years. She was greatly esteemed for her kindness of heart and mind. She possessed a sunny disposition and lovable nature, and through sixty years of mar- ried life she never spoke an unkind word to her husband. She was loved by all who knew her and her entire career was in harmony with her professions as a member of the Baptist church. In her life she indeed exemplified her Christian faith, and all who knew her held her in the highest esteem and entertained for her warm affection. She left six children : Mrs. Jane Dearborn, who is a widow residing in Beatrice, Nebraska; Mrs. Mary Converse, of Grand Island, Nebraska; George H .; Mrs. Lydia Tinkham; Mrs. Emma Wells, of Rockdale, Massachusetts; and Phronie, Readville, Maine. Captain Vance is a strong Republican, having supported the party since casting a ballot in 1856 for its first candidate, John C. Fremont. He is now the oldest member of Fairbury Post, G. A. R., and is one of the most honored and
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