USA > Nebraska > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 7
USA > Nebraska > Clay County > History of Hamilton and Clay counties, Nebraska, Vol. II > Part 7
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GEORGE MARVEL
The goodly heritage of pioneer proclivities found constructive value and appli- cation in the earlier period of the Nebraska career of George Marvel, a venerable and honored citizen of Hamilton county, for he has been a resident of this common- wealth for more than forty years and has contributed his quota to civic and indus- trial development and progress. He was born on a farm near Waynesville, DeWitt county, Illinois, in the year 1841-a date which shows that his parents had a measure of pioneer distinction in that state. He is a son of Prittman and Rebecca (Barr) Marvel, the former born in South Carolina and the latter in Indiana, both families having been established in the United States for many generations. The father became a successful farmer and dealer in live stock in Illinois, but both he and his wife passed the closing years of their lives in Indiana.
The common schools of his native state afforded to George Marvel his early education and in his youth he also gained definite fellowship with practical industrial and business affairs. In view of conditions obtaining in Illinois at the present time it is interesting to record that as a boy Mr. Marvel there pursued his studies in a primitive log schoolhouse, equipped with slab seats and other rude accessories. He was twenty years of age when he subordinated all personal interests and ambi- tions to respond to the call of patriotism when the Civil war broke out. In 1862 he enlisted as a member of Company B, Second Illinois Cavalry and with this gallant command he continued in service until the expiration of his term in 1864, when he
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re-enlisted, with the result that he continued in the ranks of the Union army until the close of the war, he having been at San Antonio, Texas, at the time of receiving his honorable discharge in the summer of 1865. He served with his original com- pany during his entire military career and took part in numerous battles and many minor engagements. It may be specially noted that he participated in the battles of Shiloh and Corinth and that he lived up to the full tension of the great conflict through which the integrity of the nation was preserved. During two years of his service he was with raiding parties. In later years he has vitalized his interest in his old comrades by his active affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic.
After the close of the war Mr. Marvel returned to Illinois and engaged in farm enterprise in his native county, where he became the owner of a farm of one hundred and forty acres. For a time thereafter he was associated in the operation of a sawmill at Waynesville, that state, where also he was identified with the general merchandise business. In 1880 he came to Dawson county, Nebraska, where he was engaged in farming until 1883, when he came to Hamilton county and in company with his brother-in-law, T. D. Houchin, prosecuted farm opera- tions on land which is the site of the present village of Phillips. In his home his wife provided board for the men who were engaged in surveying the line of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad through this county. The family dwelling was a small frame house and in this county Mr. Marvel continued his progressive activities as an agriculturist and stock grower until 1899, since which year he has lived virtually retired in the village of Phillips.
On the 9th of April, 1864, while he was home on a furlough, in DeWitt county, Illinois, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Marvel to Miss Louisa Houchin, and to this union were born the following children: Rebecca E., died young; Carrie B., likewise is deceased ; the third and fourth children died in infancy; Mary Jane is the wife of Monroe Travis, of Aurora, Hamilton county; Hattie C. is the wife of Frederick Nielson, of Fairbury, Jefferson county; and William is a successful carpenter and builder at Phillips, Hamilton county.
Mr. Marvel has been unflagging in his allegiance to the democratic party and while he has never been ambitious for official preferment he served for a time as deputy sheriff of his native county, in Illinois. He and his wife have been for many years earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
GEORGE L. LEVEE
George L. Levee, who resides on section 6, Deepwell township, Hamilton county, claims the old Empire state as the place of his nativity, but in his youth was not denied a goodly measure of pioneer experience in the west. He was born in Madison county, New York, on the 2d of June, 1839, and there was reared to the age of fifteen years, his educational advantages having been those of the common schools of the locality and period. As a lad of five years, in 1844 he accompanied his parents on their removal to Iowa. The journey was made with team and wagon and the parents became pioneer settlers in the Hawkeye state, where the father developed a farm and where he passed the remainder of his
MR. AND MRS. GEORGE L. LEVEE
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life, as did also his wife. In the schools of Iowa George L. Levee continued his studies when opportunity offered, and there also he learned the trade of black- smith, under the effective direction of his father, who was a skilled workman. When the dark cloud of Civil war cast its pall over the national horizon, George L. Levee was one of the gallant young men of Iowa who tendered aid in defense of the Union. He enlisted in Company G, Fourth Iowa Cavalry, and with this command proceeded to the front. He did a large amount of scouting service, took part in many skirmishes and other minor engagements, and was with his regiment in the army commanded by General Sherman, his service having con- tinued until the close of the war and he having attained to the rank of orderly sergeant. He made a record of faithful and valiant service and one of his prized treasures is the old sword which he carried during his military career. His continued interest in his old comrades is signalized by his affiliation with the Grand Island post of the Grand Army of the Republic.
After the war Mr. Levee returned to Iowa, and there continued to be asso- ciated with his father in conducting a blacksmith shop at West Point until the spring of 1873, when he fortified himself for his experience as a pioneer in Nebraska. With team and wagon he drove through from Iowa to Hamilton county, accompanied by his wife and their one child and the supplies which he took with him included a stove and two cows. Upon his arrival in Hamilton county, just after the historie Easter blizzard that had held this section of the state snowbound for three or more days, Mr. Levee entered claim to a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, in Deepwell township. On his land he erected a frame shanty, and this primitive dwelling long since gave place to a better habitation, while the building improvements upon the farm at the present day are of modern order and aid in marking the property as one of the model farms of the county. An orchard and a goodly number of native trees were planted by Mr. Levee in the early years and they add to the attrac- tions of his farm. He and his wife endured their full share of the trials and vicissitudes of the pioneer period and he recalls that he was able to supply the family larder by his skill as a marksman, with deer, antelopes and other wild game which were much in evidence in the earlier period of his residence in Hamilton county, where he has remained continuously on his original homestead.
Mr. Levee gave his zealous co-operation in the furtherances of measures and enterprises projected for the general good of the community and has ben essen- tially one of the builders of Hamilton county along both civic and industrial lines. He was one of the organizers of the school district of his community and gave effective service as a school director. Soon after coming to the county he established a blacksmith shop on his farm, and there was much demand for his skilled service at his trade. In this connection it is interesting to record that in this shop he invented and perfected a grasshopper breaking plow and for a number of years manufactured a large number of these plows annually, their efficiency causing a ready demand for his products.
In Iowa was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Levee to Miss Emily V. Woodman, and the supreme loss and bereavement in his life came when his devoted wife was summoned to eternal rest on the 16th of April, 1920. She was a true pioneer woman of gracious personality and her memory is revered in the
Vol. II-5
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community that represented her home for nearly half a century. Of the four children, the first, George P., died at the age of ten years; Vermont remains with his father on the old homestead and has the active management of the farm; Mary is the wife of L. H. Schultz, of Hamilton county; and Abbie is the wife of Abraham Ummel, likewise a resident of this county. The political allegiance of Mr. Levee is given to the republican party and he has been affiliated with the Masonic fraternity since the year 1866.
JUDGE J. H. SMITH ,
Judge J. H. Smith was one who wrote his name high on the keystone of the legal arch of Nebraska. He was widely known as an eminent jurist, serving as judge of the sixth judicial district and for many years he was active and prominent in the practice of law. His birth occurred in Peoria, Illinois, March 2, 1854, and his life record covered the intervening years to January, 1913. His parents were Thomas and Parmelia (Hill) Smith, the former a native of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, who devoted his life to mechanical pursuits. The grandfather in the paternal line was Samuel Smith, an artisan and man of large stature. The maternal grandfather was Thomas Hill who always followed the occupation of farming. It was in the year 1855 that Thomas and Parmelia (Hill) Smith removed from their home in Pennsylvania to Arlington, Illinois, and later became residents of Princeton, that state, where they were living at the time the father enlisted for service in the Civil war, joining Company A, of the Sixty-ninth Illinois Infantry. In 1868 he removed with his family to Osceola, Iowa, where Jerome H. Smith worked at the trade of carpenter for five years. He had pursued his early education in the schools of Illinois and following the removal of the family to Iowa he devoted his leisure hours, while following his trade, to the study of law. Later he entered the office of Chaney & Temple and on the 2d of June, 1875, was admitted to the bar. Immediately thereafter he entered upon the practice of his profession in Osceola, where he continued until March, 1879, and then removed to Aurora. In this city he began practice alone and later entered into partnership with E. J. Haines and Phillip Likes. For years he remained an active and promi- nent member of the Aurora har, proving his ability by the careful analysis of his cases and the clearness with which he presented his cause before the court. In 1906 he removed to Lincoln and was attorney for the Royal Highlanders until his death.
It was in Osceola, Iowa, in 1878, that Judge Smith was united in marriage to Miss Roseltha F. Likes, a daughter of Phillip and Harriett (Agar) Likes, who went to Iowa in pioneer times, the father practicing in Osceola for a number of years and afterward removing to Aurora, where he continued in the active work of the profession until his death. He became one of the leading attorneys and pioneer settlers of Hamilton county and was prominent and successful not only in law practice, but in other business enterprises of a financial nature. To Judge and Mrs. Smith there were born six children, five of whom are living: Herbert H., who is a prominent orchestral leader of Lincoln, Nebraska; H. Leslie, an attorney of Scotts Bluff, Nebraska; Roscoe L., a practicing physician of Lincoln, who has been extremely successful in his chosen profession; Fred F., who died from influenza in
.
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1918, at which time he had engaged in merchandising until a short time before his death ; Jerome H., engaged in the real estate business at Scotts Bluff, Nebraska; and Phillip T., who is a veterinarian, residing at Scotts Bluff.
In his political views Judge Smith was a republican, but the only offices he ever held were in the strict path of his profession. He served for a number of years as prosecuting attorney at Osceola and through appointment of Governor Thayer took his place upon the bench of the sixth judicial district, serving until 1892. His decisions were strictly fair and impartial, being based upon comprehensive knowl- edge of the law with ability to apply accurately its principles. Personal opinion and prejudice never entered as a disturbing force into his decisions and his record was one which reflected credit and honor upon the judicial history of the state. He at one time served as a member of the city council and his entire career was charac- terized by the utmost devotion to the public welfare. While residing in Aurora Judge Smith owned a fine home and also several valuable Hamilton county farms. He was a man of great energy, never stopping short of the accomplishment of his objective, and his judicial cast of mind enabled him readily to recognize each side of a question and to determine concerning the relative values thereof. All who knew him speak of him in terms of the highest regard.
JAMES E. HOWARD
James E. Howard, sheriff of Hamilton county, was born in DeWitt county, Illinois, April 2, 1869, and is a representative of one of the old pioneer families of that state. His grandfather, Joseph Howard, a native of Kentucky, removed to DeWitt county during the period of its early settlement and development and there devoted his life to farming and was also a preacher of the Methodist church. His son, Francis M. Howard, was born in Illinois and continued his residence there until 1889 when he came to Nebraska and made investment in two hundred and eighty acres of well improved land in Hamilton county. His attention was then given to the further cultivation of his farm until 1905 when he removed to Aurora where his remaining days were spent in the enjoyment of well earned rest. He married Sarah Trowbridge, also a native of Illinois and a daughter of Jacob Trowbridge who established his home in Illinois when the work of settlement and development there seemed scarcely begun. Both Mr. and Mrs. Francis M. Howard were con- sistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, guiding their lives according to its teachings for many years and later they joined the Congregational church. In his political views Mr. Howard was a stalwart democrat and served as state senator from Hamilton and Clay counties. While in the general assembly he gave careful consideration to all the vital questions and problems that came up for settlement and left the impress of his individuality upon the legislation of that period. He passed away in 1906 and his wife passed away in 1871. They were the parents of three children: William, a farmer of Missouri; Lee, a brick mason living in Waterloo, Iowa; and James E. After losing his first wife Mr. Howard married again and there were five children of the second union: Robert, of Kansas City ; Wade, who is engaged in the hardware business in Aurora; Frank, who is
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postmaster at Ravenna, Nebraska; Lawrence, a traveling salesman residing in Oklahoma City; and Edith, the wife of Al Cessna, a mail carrier of Aurora.
James E. Howard, spending his youthful days upon the home farm in Illinois, pursued his education in the public schools there supplemented by a term's study in Aurora in 1890 following the removal of the family to Nebraska the previous year. After putting aside his textbooks he devoted his attention to the occupation to which he had been reared and continued to engage in farming until 1916 when he was elected sheriff of Hamilton county, taking up the duties of the office on the 1st of January, 1917. At the close of his two years' term he was reelected, so that he is the incumbent in this position. He has ever discharged his duties fearlessly and faithfully and has made a most capable record, as evidenced by the fact of his reelection.
On the 15th of November, 1893, Mr. Howard was married to Miss Edith Zuck who was born in Illinois, a daughter of Eugene H. Znck who came to Hamilton county in 1876 and was here the owner of farm land. Mr. and Mrs. Howard have become parents of four children, of whom three are living: Elva, who is employed by Governor McKelvey ; Frances, the wife of Percy Yost, a traveling salesman ; Ross, who died at the age of nineteen years; and Eugene, who is in school. The parents are members of the Congregational church and in social circles occupy an enviable place, having many friends in Aurora and throughout the county. Mr. Howard has always given his political allegiance to the democratic party and is one of its recognized leaders in this section of the state. Since called to office he has rented his farm on which previous to assuming public duties he made his home, having one hundred and twenty acres of well improved land on which he engaged extensively in stock raising, handling a large amount of registered stock. He now leases his land that he may devote his entire time to the duties of the office and is making a most creditable record as a county official.
JAMES J. SMITH
A prominent citizen of Giltner, Hamilton county, is James J. Smith who has been living there since his retirement from active farm life about 1904. He was born in eastern Canada, November 30, 1847, a son of James and Margaret (Rickaby) Smith, both natives of Ireland. The father was a shoemaker by trade and also did some farming in his native country before coming to America. For some time they resided in Canada, then removed to New York and subsequently came to Nebraska, settling in Cheyenne county where both James and Margaret Smith passed away.
James J. Smith received his education in the Canada schools, having to walk six miles each day to the schoolhouse. After putting his textbooks aside he worked on his father's farm and later in a brickyard in Canada but in the early '60s came to the United States, settling in New York state. There he purchased one hundred acres of wooded land which he cleared and on which he erected a log house. He was married in that state in 1869 and in 1873 came west to Nebraska, making the trip by train as far as Harvard, this state. He secured a homestead of eighty acres
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in township 9, range 81, and thereon erected a frame and sod house and suitable outbuildings. He bought a team and broke his own land, which he immediately set about to cultivate but suffered the total destruction of his crops at two different times, when the grasshopper storm hit the country. During the Easter blizzard they were snowed in for several days and his fuel supply was willows cut from the banks of the Platte river and cornstalks. Later buying a yoke of cattle Mr. Smith hauled his grain to Hastings, where he found a ready market. From time to time he added to his original tract and at one time had two hundred acres of fine improved land. He still owns one hundred and twenty acres, upon which he has planted trees and which he has otherwise improved. He planted a fine orchard, but this was killed by hail. General farming took up his time until about 1904, when he decided to retire from active farm life with the result that he removed to Giltner, where he is now residing.
In 1869 Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Maria Barlow, a native of New York state and to them ten children were born: James S., a mechanic of Chappell; Delbert, residing in Louisville, Nebraska; Jessie, the wife of J. M. Miller, a prominent farmer of Hamilton county; R. J., living on the old home farm; S. R., residing in Colorado; O. L., a farmer residing in Hamilton county ; H. B. of Hampton, Nebraska ; William, deceased ; George; and Mary, now deceased, who was the wife of George Fry.
Mr. Smith follows an independent course in politics and he is a member of the Baptist church. Mrs. Smith is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Smith is indeed well known throughout Hamilton county as a man whose integrity of character and industrious life have gained for him the considera- tion and respect of all his acquaintances and associates.
MARCUS H. SMITH
As a young man Mr. Smith gained much experience in connection with pioneer farm industry in Hamilton county, Nebraska, and here he now has secure prestige as one of the progressive exponents of the agricultural and live stock enterprise in Union township, his land being located in section 34. He was born in Orleans county, New York, in the year 1853, a son of Francis and Jemima (Wiles) Smith, both natives of England. Francis Smith became a farmer in the old Empire state and later followed the same vocation near Galesburg, Illinois, where he re- mained until 1880, when he came with his family to Hamilton county, Nebraska, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land. Here he reclaimed and developed a productive farm and was one of the honored patriarchs of this county at the time of his death, when ninety-one years of age, his wife having passed away at the age of seventy-six years.
Marcus H. Smith gained his youthful education in the public schools of Illi- nois and his entire active career has been marked by close association with the basic industries of agriculture and stock raising, in connection with which he has won substantial prosperity within the period of his residence in Nebraska,
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having been a young man when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Hamilton county, this state.
On the 1st of February, 1888, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Smith to Miss Clara Patterson, who was born near Galesburg, Illinois, and whose father, William S. Patterson, is accorded a memorial tribute elsewhere in this work. Mr. Smith is an independent in politics and his wife is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Harvard. They have no children.
THOMAS A. SIEFKEN
Thomas A. Siefken, who has been prominent in the agricultural business and political circles of Clay county for many years and who is now in charge of the Farmers' Elevator Company at Harvard, was born in Lee county, Illinois, April 12, 1873, a son of Hero S. and Jane (Sutton) Siefken, the former a native of Germany and the latter of Ohio. Both parents came to Illinois at an early date and were there married. They made their home in Illinois until 1879 when they came west to Nebraska and settled in Clay county, where the father purchased land from the Union Pacific Railroad. Being a man of grim determination and courage he allowed no obstacle, however great, to remain long in his path and he met all the hardships of those early pioneer days with no thought except to succeed. He applied himself with great diligence to the cultivation of his land with the result that he soon became recognized throughout the county as a prom- inent and progressive farmer. He had one of the first frame houses in the county, hauled the lumber from Harvard and completed the erection of his dwelling in February, 1879. He still owns his homestead and has two hundred and forty acres of fine land. Mrs. Siefken passed away in July, 1909, on the homestead. To them six children were born: Mrs. Mary McCoy of Arapahoe, who is residing on a farm; Hannah, who is the wife of James Robertshaw, a farmer near Hastings; Frank E., who is engaged in farming in Clay county; Thomas A., whose name initiates this review; Oliver A., who is farming near Imperial; and Charles, who died in 1906. When age conferred upon Mr. Siefken the right of franchise, he became a stanch supporter of the republican party, later trans- ferred his allegiance to the populist party and now is inclined toward the demo- cratic party, although he follows, generally, an independent course, voting for the man he thinks best fitted for the office. His religious faith is that of the Christian church, of which he is a consistent member. Upon the outbreak of the Civil war, Hero S. Siefken joined Company G, Tenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served for four years. He was wounded while in action and was con- fined to the hospital for six months. He participated in many of the important battles of that conflict and was with Sherman on his march to the sea. Mr Siefken has held many township offices and was county supervisor for a number of years. He is well known throughout the community as a representative citizen and is now residing with our subject, Thomas A.
Thomas A. Siefken received his education in the common schools of Clay county and later entered the Fremont Normal School. He then taught school
THOMAS A. SIEFKEN
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