Biographical and historical memoirs of Adams, Clay, Hall and Hamilton counties, Nebraska, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties mentioned, and numerous biographical sketches of the citizens of such counties, Part 89

Author: Goodspeed Brothers
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co.
Number of Pages: 820

USA > Nebraska > Adams County > Biographical and historical memoirs of Adams, Clay, Hall and Hamilton counties, Nebraska, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties mentioned, and numerous biographical sketches of the citizens of such counties > Part 89
USA > Nebraska > Clay County > Biographical and historical memoirs of Adams, Clay, Hall and Hamilton counties, Nebraska, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties mentioned, and numerous biographical sketches of the citizens of such counties > Part 89
USA > Nebraska > Hall County > Biographical and historical memoirs of Adams, Clay, Hall and Hamilton counties, Nebraska, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties mentioned, and numerous biographical sketches of the citizens of such counties > Part 89
USA > Nebraska > Hamilton County > Biographical and historical memoirs of Adams, Clay, Hall and Hamilton counties, Nebraska, comprising a condensed history of the state, a number of biographies of distinguished citizens of the same, a brief descriptive history of each of the counties mentioned, and numerous biographical sketches of the citizens of such counties > Part 89

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P. T. Walton, auctioneer, Sutton, Neb. Among the names identified with the business enterprises of Sutton, commanding worthy mention, is that of P. T. Walton & Son, who are known throughout the city and adjoining county as the best auction- eers to be found. P. T. Walton was born in Whitley County, Ind., September 9, 1847, and is the son of P. R. and Prudence (Hodges) Walton, the father a native of the Green Mountain State, born November 7, 1809, and the mother a native of Utica, N. Y., where her birth occurred on No vember 22, 1811. She died March 4, 1871. P. T. Walton, the third of five children (four of

whom are living) born to his parents' marriage, was reared to the arduous duties of the farm, and having his father's consent, enlisted in Company E, Thirty-first Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and served three years, or until 1865, when he was honorably discharged at Lonisville, Ky. He then returned to Delaware County, Iowa, whither the family had removed in 1857, and spent two years engaged in agricultural pursuits. He then took several courses in music, and from 1867 to 1873 taught both vocal and instrumental music in Iowa and Nebraska and was a very successful musician. He came to Clay County, Neb., May 20, 1871, and has since been a resident of this county, being engaged from 1873 to 1878 in the employ of the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Company. From 1878 to 1886 he was in the agricultural implement business, and in March, . 1887, he received a patent for Walton's Sure Cnre for Hog Cholera. Since the granting of the same he has been manufacturing and selling this remedy, which has proven to be one of the best cures of its kind in the market. He has also been in the auctioneer business all the time since his residence in this State, and is one of the successful men in this line. He was married on August 5, 1866, to Miss Mary Huskey, a native of Germany, born in 1842, and the fruits of this union have been four children: B. T. (who is now in partnership with his father), Lydia M., James E. and Grace B. In politics Mr. Walton is a Republican, and so- cially he is a member of the G. A. R., I. O. O. F. and K. of P. He and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and for two years he has been Sabbath-school superintendent at Sutton. He is one of the pioneers of Clay County and an honored and respected citizen.

George Weber is a native of Ashland County, Ohio, born on October 23, 1848, and is of German descent, his parents Michael and Mary Magdaline (Spillman) Weber, having been born, reared and married there. They immigrated to the United States in the year 1847, and located in Adair County, Mo., in 1858, near Kirksville, and are there now living. Mr. Weber was a soldier in the Federal army for three years. and was in the Kirksville (Mo.) fight, as well as a number of

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others. George Weber remained with his father until he was twenty years of age, then went to work for himself, and in 1875 came to Nebraska, arriving in Clay County in March of that year, and immediately homesteaded eighty acres of the land where he now lives, being now the owner of 200 acres, all under fence and cultivation. well improved with all necessary buildings, his barn and residence being new. His orchard comprises about 200 trees. The property of which he is the owner, has been mostly obtained since coming to Nebraska, and he is deservedly classed among the substantial farmers of the county. He was married in Adair County, Mo., December 24, 1871, to Miss Elizabeth Ellen Stanley. a native of Indiana, born in Porter County, and a daughter of Solomon Stanley. She and Mr. Weber are the parents of three children: Jacob M., Minnie May and William A. Both parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of Edgar, and he belongs to the A. O. U. W.

Henry Weber, farmer and stock-raiser, Sut- ton, Neb. This prosperous and most successful farmer and stock-raiser emigrated to Clay County, Neb., from Russia, in 1875, and first located at Sutton, where he was engaged in farm labor for about four years. The four years following this he was engaged in buying stock for Thomas Powers, and in 1883 he purchased his present homestead of 160 acres, 115 of which are under cultivation. Henry Weber is the son of J. and Susanna (Schait) Weber, and the grandson of Henry and Maria K. (Borel) Weber, who are still living at a ripe old age. The parents were born in Russia, where the mother resides at the present day, but the father died in 1870. Henry Weber was born on December 16, 1854, and was married at Sutton, Neb., on February 13, 1883, to Miss Minnie Keller, the daughter of Otto and Dorothea (Bierman) Keller, natives of Hanover, Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Keller emigrated to Illinois about 1857, thence to Nebraska about 1880, and located in Fillmore County. To Mr. and Mrs. Weber have been born four children, all sons: Wilhelm G. (born on November 4, 1884), Louis H. (born on February 4, 1886), Frederick J. (born on Septem-

ber 27, 1887) and Edward (born on May 9, 1889). Mr. Weber has been a witness to the growth and development of the country, and has been quite successful in his pursuits. He is one of the well- to-do farmers of his township. He and wife were formerly members of the German Reformed Church. which they still attend, but do not hold member ship. He cast his first presidential vote for James A. Garfield, and has always supported the Repub- lican party.

John Weir, farmer and stock - raiser, Lewis Township, Clay County. In mentioning those of foreign birth who have become closely assoei- ated with the farming and stock-raising interests of Clay County, we should not fail to mention Mr. Weir, who is not only one of the substantial men of the county, but is also esteemed and respected by all who know him. He was born in County Donegal, Ireland, in 1835, and there received the principal part of his education. When sixteen years of age he came to the United States, secured a position as clerk in a store, and continued in the same for four years. He saved his salary, and later went to Illinois. where he rented a farm in Stark Connty, and tilled the soil until he had accumulated sufficient means to enable him to purchase land, remaining there until 1882, when he emigrated west. He sold his farm of eighty acres for $12,000, and came immediately to Clay County, where he bought half a section of land, and this he has since increased to a section. He is an extensive stockman, and is decidedly one of the largest feeders in the county. He was mar- ried at the age of twenty three in Stark County, Ill., to Miss Jeanette E. Fall, a native of Scotland, and the fruits of this nnion were nine children, eight now living: William, Adam A., Margaret, Jennie A., Mary, James E., Hiram H., John, and one died at the age of seven months. In his po- litical views Mr. Weir is a Democrat, and is quite deeply interested in politics. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and all his people were members of the same. He is the son of William and Mary Weir, the father a farmer by occupation.

Justus E. Wheeler, clerk of the district court, Clay Center, Neb. Every life has a history of its

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HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.

own, and although in appearance it may possess little to distinguish it from others, yet the political career and experience of Mr. Wheeler as well as his popularity as a citizen, have contributed to give him a wide and popular acquaintance with nearly every resident of Clay County. He was born in Stephenson County, Ill., on February 7, 1846, and is the son of Henry R. and Electa B. (Ellis) Wheeler, natives of Greene County, N. Y. Justus E. Wheeler was reared to manhood in his native county, and received a good high-school and busi- ness education in the same. In 1863 he enlisted in the Union army as private in Company D, Fourth Illinois Cavalry, serving as private and non- commissioned officer with the Fourth and Twelfth Cavalry, until June, 1866. After the war he en- tered the service of the United States in the revenue department, and later followed mercantile pursuits in Chicago until 1874, when he moved to Clay County, Neb., with his father and family. The father died at Harvard in 1884. Justus E. followed farming until 1881, when he moved to Clay Center, and was deputy county clerk for four

years. In 1887 he was elected to his present office which he has filled ably and well ever since. On Jannary 18, 1871, he was united in marriage with Miss Charlotte A. Winters, a native of Wayne County, N. Y., and to his marriage has been born one child, a son, Henry K. Mr. Wheeler is a Re- publican in his political views and a member of the G. A. R. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and a mem- ber of the A. O. U. W. He is a man much re. spected and an intelligent and upright citizen.

Henry S. White. This honored and respected resident of Lone Tree Township is accorded a worthy place in this volume, for he is a well-known agricultorist and stockman, and a man of un- doubted integrity and honesty of purpose. He was born in Geauga County, Ohio, October 4, 1853, and is a son of Shephard and Louisa (Stafford) White, natives, respectively, of Vermont and New York. Henry S. White has been familiar with the duties of farm life from his earliest recollec- tions, and besides spending his youth in assisting his father in tilling the home farm he attended school, and in time entered Hiram College, and

upon leaving this institution he followed the occu- pation of school-teaching for several years. In the month of May, 1879, he came to Clay County, Neb., and in the month of February, 1880, purchased eighty acres of fertile land in Section 36, afterward purchasing 120 acres more in the same section, which he still owns and upon which he has resided since 1881. December 25, 1882, he was married to Miss Esther, a daughter of Henry and Esther (Rose) Hall, of Fairfield, a sketch of whom ap- pears in this work. Mr. and Mrs. White have reared a family of three children: Charles H., Elsie E. and Bertha Grace. Mr. White has al- ways been a Republican in his political views until of late, and is now a Prohibitionist. He and Mrs. White are members of the Christian Church, and he is a man who is recognized as one of the up- right and respected agriculturists and citizens of Clay Connty.

John G. White, a resident of Fairfield Town- ship, was born on the 28th day of May, 1860, in Geauga County, Ohio, and is a son of Shephard White, a native of the " Green Mountain State." John G. was reared to manhood in his native State, and being rather mischievous and careless in his youth, did not take advantage of the opportunities offered him for advancement, and only acquired a common-school education. Like the majority of boys he followed in his father's footsteps, and has always given his attention to agriculture. After residing in his native State until he attained his majority, he, in 1882, followed his brother Henry, and came west, settling in Clay County, where he purchased 240 acres of land, but now only owns 160 acres, eighty acres in Section 1, and eighty acres in Edgar Township. Miss Jennie C. Buffing- ton, a daughter of John Buffington, of Indiana, be- came his wife, she having been born near Knox- ville, Knox County, Ill., August 7, 1862, and to them two children have been born: Edna and an infant unnamed. In connection with his farming operations Mr. White is engaged in raising a good grade of horses and cattle, and although a young man and a recent settler, he is already accounted a representative farmer of the county, and being bon - est in all his dealings with the public he is respect -

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CLAY COUNTY.

ed and esteemed accordingly. He has always sup- ported the men and measures of the Republican party, and is a member of the Christian Church at . Fairfield. By careful management be has secured a start toward a handsome competency, and gives every promise of becoming a wealthy citizen.

William T. Widenor, farmer and stockman, Inland, Neb. In Inland Township there are to be found a number of men who, while perhaps not as large land holders as many others in the county, devote themselves with such ceaseless energy to the estate they do own that the results are much more satisfactory than had the same amount of la- bor been placed npon a larger tract. Mr. Widenor owns eighty acres of land but has all this under cultivation, with good orchard, complete and neces- sary buildings and other desirable conveniences. This farm is located three miles from Inland and about six miles from Hastings. Mr. Widenor is a native of New Jersey, born in Warren County, in 1830, and is the third of four children born to John and Elizabeth (Thomas) Widenor, the latter first daughter of John Thomas, all of New Jersey. The parents were born in Warren County, N. J., in 1802 and 1798, respectively, and the father was a carpenter by trade. They were married in 1825, and reared a family of four children: Henry (in Conway, Taylor County, Iowa, married), George (in New Jersey, married), William T. and John T. (who is married and resides at Scranton, Pa. ) The parents of these children died in their native county in 1836 and 1855, respectively. The father was a Democrat in politics. His father, Henry Widenor, was of German descent. William T. Widenor re- ceived his schooling in New Jersey, and in 1853 went to Lackawanna County, Pa. Previous to this, in 1850, he was married in New Jersey, to Miss Catherine M. Price, of New Jersey and the dangh- ter of Robert and Jane Price, also natives of New Jersey. William T. Widenor followed tanning from his early youth and this continued in Pennsylvania until 1872, when he emigrated to Wisconsin and set- tled in Sank County of that State, where he tilled the soil. In the same year Mr. Widenor came to Clay County. He entered eighty acres of land from the government and to this he moved his family in

September, 1873. He and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and he is a class- leader in the same at Inland. In politics he is Democratic and has been judge of election in In- land Township. To his marriage were born the following children: Elizabeth (now Mrs. True of Hayes County, Neb.), George (a farmer and horse raiser of Clay County), Emma (now Mrs. Wise of Hayes County, Neb.), William M., John, Susan (now Mrs. Hartley of Clay County, Neb. ), Alma (now Mrs. Morrison of Dundee County, Neb. ) and Ruth.

James Williams. There are few farms, if any, of its size in this portion of Clay County, Neb., that represent a handsomer picture of advanced agriculture than the one referred to in the present sketch. It comprises 160 acres of fertile land, all of which is inclosed in a good hedge fence, and is in a fine state of cultivation, well improved with a commodious and substantial frame residence, a good new barn, granaries, etc., besides an ex- cellent grove of cottonwoods, box-elder and ash, comprising about eight acres, and an excellent young orchard just commencing to bear. Mr. Will- iams, the owner of this farm, was born in Greene County, Ill., October 20, 1835, and is a son of James and Lucy (Crittenden) Williams, who were born in East Tennessee and Culpeper County, Va., the former's birth occurring in 1792. He re- moved to Kentucky with his father at a very early day, and was there reared to manhood, but in the fall of 1829 he became a resident of Greene Coun- ty, Ill., which place continued to be his home until 1855, when he moved to Macoupin County, where his death occurred on July 1, 1882. He and his father and brother served in the War of 1812 along the shores of Lake Erie. His wife's death occurred several years prior to his own. James Williams, the subject of this sketch, remained with his par- ents until twenty-nine years of age, living with them in Greene and Macoupin Counties, after which he engaged in agricultural pursuits for himself, remaining there until April, 1889, being the owner of a one-half section of land in the last-named county. At the above-mentioned date he sold out and purchased his present property, which has

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HISTORY OF NEBRASKA.

proved a decidedly good investment. He was mar- practicing in Lincoln one year, located in Sutton and there continued nntil 1881. In that year he located in Harvard, where he has since devoted himself to the relief of suffering humanity. He has practiced his profession in Clay County for the past seventeen years, and is now numbered among its oldest and most prominent physicians. Dr. Wilcox was married in Wyandot County, Ohio, to Miss Angeline C. Hall, a native of Lake County, and the daughter of Moses Hall. She died in 1860, leaving one child, Frank W., who is now a young man. Dr. Wilcox was married to his present wife in the fall of 1881. She was formerly Miss Lydia Martin, danghter of Capt. George W. Martin, of Harvard. Dr. Wilcox is a Royal Arch Mason and in politics is a devoted member of the Republican ried in Maconpin County, Ill., June 30, 1863, to Miss Mary J. Strong, a daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth Strong, but she died in 1865, having be- come the mother of one child, who is now deceased. Mr. Williams married his present wife September 3, 1868, she being Miss Strong, born in Scott County, Ill., a danghter of Rev. William H. Strong. who was a native of Kentucky, and had been a minister of the Christian Church for fifty years. Four children were born to Mr. Williams' sec- ond marriage, Elmer E. (who is now attending school at Fairfield) and John D. (a lad of thir- teen years) being the only ones now living. Lulu died at the age of seventeen months in Illinois, and James C. March 3, 1889, at the age of five 1 years. The family worship in the Christian Church at Fairfield, and are honest and npright citizens. party. He was a member of the Nebraska State Constitutional Convention in 1875. He served as postmaster of Mattoon, III., under Andrew Johnson, and he was the first mayor of the city of Harvard, Neb. He has represented Clay and Fillmore Coun . ties one term in the State Senate, and is one of the representative citizens of the county. He is a pleasant, sociable man, and possesses a quiet and amiable disposition. He has led an active life, and in every circle, whether of a civil, professional or political character, he has been conscientious in doing his whole duty, and is an honorable, npright man.

Dr. Marcus W. Wilcox, physician, Harvard, Neb. Dr. Wilcox is recognized throughout the State as a friend of and laborer in the canse and advancement of the medical fraternity, and no name is better known among the medical profes- sion than his. He was originally from Honeoye Falls, Monroe County, N. Y., where his birth occurred June 14, 1832, and is the son of John W. and Polly (Hnrlburt) Wilcox, both natives of the State of New York. Dr. Wilcox was but three years of age when his father died, and when six years of age he accompanied his widowed mother, two brothers and two sisters, to Ashtabula County, Ohio, where he grew to manhood. He passed his youth in the town of Jefferson, and when not in school was employed as a clerk. At twenty-one years of age he took up the study of medicine, and in the fall of 1851 entered the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, which he attended one term, being provided with the necessary means by ex- United States Senator Benjamin Wade. In the fall of 1852 he began his practice at Sycamore, Wyandot County, Ohio, and afterward graduated from the Ohio Medical College of Cincinnati. In 1864 he received his degree from the Chicago Medical College. Prior to this he had successfully practiced his profession at Carey, Ohio, and Mat- toon, Ill. In 1871 he came to Nebraska, and after

C. J. Wilson. One of the neatest and best- conducted farms in Clay County is that controlled by Mr. Wilson, on which he has resided since 1881. Although he came to the State in 1879 his buildings and fences are all in excellent repair and he has good fruits of all kinds and five acres of an excellent young forest. Besides tilling the soil much of his attention is given to raising fine stock. He owns some fine horses, cattle and swine. He was born in Lafayette County, Wis., November 1, 1861, being the third child born to Miles and Rachel (Gurly) Wilson, the former a native of Yorkshire, England, and the latter of Edinburgh, Scotland. Miles Wilson received his early education in Eng- land and was there reared to manhood. In 1850 he came to the United States and settled in Gelana, Wis., where he engaged in agricultural

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CLAY COUNTY. .

pursuits. He was married in 1858, and his mar- riage resulted in the birth of nine children, four of whom are now living: C. J., Nancy (now the wife of D. B. Helm, living in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa), Mary J. (living in Denver, Colo. ) and E. V. (a resident of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa). From Wisconsin Mr. Wilson removed to Clay County, Neb., in January, 1879, and here makes his home, his wife having died October 7, 1887. C. J. Wilson, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared in Wisconsin, and when nineteen years of age com. menced tilling the soil on his own responsibility. February 29, 1888, he was married to Miss Luella Kaster, a daughter of Thomas Kaster and Marga- ret (Williamson) Kaster, of Wisconsin, in which State he was married. They have one child, Dar- win. Mr. Wilson is an active Democrat and has been a delegate to the county conventions for sev- eral years in succession, and socially is a member of the I. O. O. F., the K. of P. and the Farmers' Alliance.

After the war Mr. Wittenberg returned to Kansas and spent some time on the farm, after which he went to Topeka, of that State, and until 1872 was a merchant of that city. He came to Sutton in the fall of 1872, and at once engaged in the same busi- ness here. This he has since continued, and has been unusually successful. He is energetic and enterprising, a thorough and competent man of busi- ness, who is honorable and npright in all his deal- ings. In 1887 he built his present business house, a commodious brick structure, two stories high, 42x81 feet, and carries the most complete line of dry goods in this part of Nebraska. He has taken an active part in building a number of the best structures in Sutton, and is one of the representa- tive men of that city. He was united in marriage at Topeka, Kas., in March, 1871, to Miss Rachel Schumacher, a native of France, born in 1849, and their union has been blessed by the birth of six children: Bell, Nannie, Herman, Abe, Sophia and Esther. In politics Mr. Wittenberg is a Repub-

M. Wittenberg, merchant, Sutton, Neb. The | lican. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, trade carried on in merchandising is of very great Sutton Lodge No. 49, and is a member of the Sut- ton town council. He is also a member of the G. A. R., and is one of the directors of the First National Bank. He is a self-made man, and de- serves much credit for his enterprise and business ability. importance, and constitutes a leading factor in the commercial fabric of the smaller towns and vil- lages. It is a line of business requiring special qualifications of a high order, and only those pos- sessed of these succeed in this somewhat precarious undertaking. Prominent among those engaged in Christopher E. Wolf is a grain buyer, represent- ing J. H. Gregg of St. Joseph, Mo. He was born in North English, Keokuk County, Iowa, May 19, 1864, and was the third of eleven children born to the marriage of Abraham Wolf and Catherine Fritz, both of whom were born in Dayton, Ohio, the former in September, 1847, and the latter in Jan- nary, 1853. Owing to the long distance this family lived from any school, Christopher E. re- ceived very meager educational advantages, and at the early age of thirteen years he commenced the battle of life for himself by working on a farin, as his parents had all they could do to properly care for the remainder of the family. At the age of sixteen years he went to Shelby, Iowa, and worked as a farm hand, sending his wages to his parents, only reserving an amount sufficient to meet his own immediate expenses. He remained this line in Sutton is Mr. M. Wittenberg, one of the pioneers of the county and one of the oldest con- tinuous dry goods merchants of Sutton. He owes his nativity to Hungary, where his birth occurred in April, 1837, and is the son of Morris and Rachel (Fischer) Wittenberg, natives, also, of Hungary. The mother died in that country at the age of thirty- five years, and the father died in Portland, Ore., at the age of seventy-two years. By occupation he was a merchant. M. Wittenberg, the eldest of four living children, came to the United States in 1857 and settled in Kansas. In 1862 he enlisted in Com- pany B, Twelfth Kansas Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war. He had a brother, Arnold, who was a member of Company H, Second Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, enlisting in 1861, and who died from wounds received at Little Rock, Ark.

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Author: Goodspeed Brothers Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co. Number of Pages: 820

Author: Goodspeed Brothers
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago, The Goodspeed publishing co.
Number of Pages: 820