USA > Nebraska > Douglas County > Omaha > History of Omaha from the pioneer days to the present time > Part 22
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In 1876 the following list, in addition to the above, was published-the persons whose names are marked thus [*] having since died: A. J. Hanscom, the Creightons, C. W. Hamilton, Herman Kountze, Augustus Kountze, James G. Chapman*, Dr. J. K. Ish*, O. F. Davis*, John Green, J. E. Boyd, Peter Windheim, the Beindorfs, Cam Reeves, the Reeses, Richard Kimball, St. John Goodrich*, C. S. Good- rich, Ezra Millard*, J. H. Millard, the Barkalows, the Dur- nalls, Timothy Kelley, Dr. Plummer*, Peter Frenzer, Joe Frenzer, J. M. Clark, the McAuslands, H. O. Jones*, Tom Murray, Captain W. W. Marsh, Harrison Johnson*, James Smith, Geo. Smith, M. Hellman, A. Cahn, Wm. Sexauer, the Demarests, John A. Horbach, G. M. Mills*, H. R. A. Pundt, Vincent Burkley, Judge Lake, Hon. James M. Wool- worth, Mrs. Frank Coffman, the Patricks, S. R. Brown, Randall Brown, J. J. Brown, Wm. F. Sweesy, A. J. Simp- son, E. F. Cook, F. A. Schneider, J. F. Sheely, John M. Sheely, John R. Porter, Harry Deuel, J. R. Meredith*, Dr. Peck*, the Roeders, Edwin Loveland*, Fred Davis. John McCormick*, Josiah S. McCormick, the Homan family, Fred Court, Peter Hugus*, Ed. Dallow, Senator P. W. Hitchcock*, Senator A. S. Paddock, John Yerger, S. M. Curran*, George Silvester, Byron Reed, John Campbell*, E. L. Eaton, J. W. Tousley, Rev. W. N. McCandlish, Joel T. Griffin*, Fred Drexel, Joe Redman, David Harpster, Henry Grebe, Charles Karbach, Frank Murphy, J. T. Allen*, E. A. Allen, Major George Armstrong, Judge Briggs*, Gen- eral J. M. Thayer, the Dees, Mrs. W. W. Wyman, Mrs. Cuming, Mrs. W. D. Brown*, Mrs. Helen A. VanCamp, Mrs. Alfred Sorenson, Mrs. Emma Nebraska Mckenzie, John H. C. Brown, Mrs. Jesse Lowe and family, F. L. Ruf, Levi Kennard, G. A. McCoy, Charles Powell*, Ignace Scherb and brother, the Shull family, J. S. Gibson. the Barkers. Wiley Dixon, Hon. John I. Redick, the Yates family, D. Sullivan, Tom Riley, John Riley, Frank Dellone, Fred. Dellone. James M. Winship, John Evans, W. A. Gwyer, W. H. S. Hughes,
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B. E. B. Kennedy, the Hartmans, James E. Boyd, Wm. A. Paxton, G. W. Doane, Frank Kleffner, A. F. Frick, D. Whitney, E. B. Chandler*, the Medlocks, Father Curtis*, Peter Malone, Dr. James H. Seymour, [died in 1862] Michael and Jerry Linahan, Paul and A. J. Harmon, Charles P. Birkett, Samuel E. Rogers, Reuben Wood, Jerry Mahoney, Ed. F. Tennery*, D. S. Parmelee*, John Lutz. E. V. Smith, Silas A. Strickland*, Pat and Michael Connolly, Thos. O'Connor, J. W. Van Nostrand, A. N. Ferguson, Pat Dinan, M. Lavin, Pat McDonough, Geo. I. Gilbert, Milton Rogers, Martin Dunham, Thomas Martin, Joe Fox*, Dr. Wm. Mc- Clelland*, W. J. Kennedy*, John Kennedy, John Kennelly, John Petty, the Forbes family, Henry Livesey, Thomas Swift, Luke McDermott, the Lehmer family, Charles Tur- ner, C. M. Aumock*, Fred. Kumpf, J. C. Wilcox, E. S. Seymour, Mrs. C. W. Koenig, the Misses McCheane, Charles Childs, Fred. Krug, B. P. Knight, James McArdle, George Mills, William Woods, Hon. Uriah Bruner, [now of West Point, J John J. Bruner, [now of Oakdale,] Andrew J. Bruner, [died in 1860,] E. Wakely, John McCreary, H. M. Judson, Thomas Gibson and family.
William D. Brown, the first pioneer and one of the original owner of the spot where Omaha now stands, died February 3d, 1868. Dr. Miller, who was then editor of the Herald, paid the following tribute to his memory:
"Another old settler is dead. Not only an old settler, but we may add, perhaps, the eldest among the early settlers of Omaha and Nebraska. William D. Brown, the original founder of Omaha, died at his residence in this city on Monday evening last in the fifty-fifth year of his age, leav- ing a wife and four children, three daughters and one son, to mourn his loss. The circumstances of Mr. Brown's death are as follows:
"On Monday, a week ago, Mr. Brown visited Council Bluffs for the purpose of arranging some property inter- ests, and, among other things to pay some taxes. He is known to have had about ninety dollars in his pocket. He was met by several old friends in his usual health, which by the way, was somewhat broken, when he first arrived, but having been there a day or two, he was subsequently found on the streets in a condition which called for the active assistance of old friends, which he received, being as well
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known in the neighboring town as he is in Omaha. He had been badly beaten and bruised in his face and over his person by some unknown ruffian, and, as he alleged, robbed of his money. He took the stage for Omaha on Saturday. Upon arriving on the corner of Thirteenth and Douglas, he undertook to walk to his residence, but he fell two or three times in the effort, and was finally taken home by kind friends in a carriage, where he arrived in a very exhausted state, suffering much from the injuries which undoubtedly hastened his death.
"Mr. Brown stood emphatically prominent in this and neighboring communities as the veteran of all pioneers in Nebraska. In a career of nearly forty years in the west, we find him known through all the chief towns from Galena to Ft. Des Moines and Omaha in this character. Always just in the advance of civilization to the westward, he was guided by an intuitive judgment, based, of course, upon his strong common sense, upon that line of latitude, and to those points which mark the channels of commercial inter- course and development. In 1854, we found him upon this very spot, the first 'claim' to the soil upon which this city now stands being his. He was an equal owner in the original Omaha Town and the Council Bluffs and Omaha ferry company, a large property holder and a prominent man. He was almost as much a part of Omaha as the ground on which it has been built up, a sort of land-mark by the side of the broad path which city he assisted to map out to all the older residents, as well as to many of the new. In his more vigorous life he was a man of unsullied inte- grity and sound intelligence, of a genial heart and nature which engaged all who knew him in warm sympathy with him, and, in expressing our own, we know we express the regrets of all who knew him, at his loss.
"The old settlers are rapidly passing away. Two years ago this class of our citizens who had been in the territory in 1855, met in social gathering at the residence of the editor of this paper. William D. Brown and Addison R. Gilmore, since dead, were there. The idea of an Old Settlers' asso- ciation took shape in that, to us, the most interesting gathering we ever enjoyed, which has since been shame- fully neglected-an idea that ought to receive practical attention if we would preserve in proper permanence of
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form the rich incidents of the early life of our growing city and state."
Dr. Enos Lowe was one of the original pioneers of Omaha, and one of the most active leaders in the founding of the city, as well as in every public enterprise that tended towards its material growth and development. He was born at Guilford Court House, North Carolina, May 5th,
G COMY
DR. ENOS LOWE.
1804. When he was about ten years of age his parents moved to Bloomington, Monroe county, in the territory of Indiana. When a mere boy he began the study of medicine, and soon commenced practice in the midst of the many vicis- situdes and privations incident to a new, wild and sparsely settled country. Accumulating some little money from his practice, he concluded to acquire a higher culture in his
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profession, and accordingly entered the Ohio medical col- lege at Cincinnati, where, in due course, he graduated with high honors. He then located at Greencastle, and some time afterward went to Rockville, Indiana, where he con- tinued practice for a number of years, during which time he was a member of the Indiana legislature. In 1836 he made a trip to St. Louis, Mo., went up the Mississippi river to Burlington, Iowa, then known as Flint Hills, on a tour of observation, and in the fall of 1837, he moved to that point and resumed the practice of medicine, he remaining there until 1847. During his life there he was a member of two conventions for framing a state government, and was president of the second one. He received from President Van Buren, in 1847, the appointment of receiver of public moneys, at the land office in Iowa City, where he removed the same year and held the position four years. About that time he received the appointment of collector of customs at Puget Sound, which he declined. In 1853 he was appointed receiver of public moneys at Kanesville (now Council Bluffs), whither he removed, held the office two years and resigned. In the meantime, he and a few friends organized the Council Bluffs and Nebraska ferry company, of which he became president, and he at once went to Alton, Illinois, and bought the steam ferryboat "General Marion," had a full cargo put on board, and brought her to Council Bluffs. From this small beginning, the ferry company, under his guidance, became a strong organization and a most im- portant factor in settling the great trans-Missouri country. They built several fine steamers (some of which were de- stroyed by ice). and during all the period preceding the ad- vent of railways and the building of bridges, maintained a most efficient and satisfactory means of communication. Prior to the establishment of this company, or about that time, he and some few other gentlemen made a treaty with the chief, Logan Fontenelle, and his tribe, the Omahas, by virtue of which they were permitted to occupy a certain area on the west side of the river. The laying out of the town site of Omaha followed immediately, the surveying, mapping and marking of the public highways and claim- lands being done by A. D. Jones, under Dr. Lowe's super- vision as president of the ferry company. From this time he became identified with Omaha and Nebraska, and was
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ever active, energetic and zealous in forwarding the public interest. No one in the community devoted more labor or gave more time gratuitously to the public weal than Dr. Lowe, and when the safety and future of the community were in jeopardy he gave most liberally from his personal means and private property, besides devoting much of his time to the cause and making many journeys at his own expense and without reward. At this time he took a prom- inent and conspicuous part in the committees sent to New York and Boston to secure the building of the Union Pacific railway bridge at Omaha ; and it may be well to record the fact here in the history of this pioneer, that but for the per- sistent labors of those committees the Union Pacific bridge would not have been located at Omaha. The citation of this fact alone is sufficient to show how great a debt Omaha owes to such men as Dr. Lowe-a debt that can never be paid, and is all too likely to be forgotten by those who step in to fill the places of the fallen pioneers. In 1866 the Old Settlers' association was organized. Dr. Lowe was chosen president, and held the position until his death. At the outbreak of the war of the rebellion, Dr. Lowe, though somewhat advanced in years, felt that every able-bodied man should aid in stamping out the attempt to destroy the nation's life, and at once entered the service as surgeon of the First Nebraska regiment, going into the field in the de- partment of Missouri, under General Curtis (another emi- nent western pioneer who has ceased from his labors), but at the solicitation of his son, General W. W. Lowe, the doc- tor was soon transferred to his command in the army of the Cumberland, with whom he served as brigade and division surgeon until his health became so impaired that, upon rec- ommendation of his son, his resignation was accepted, and he returned to his home in Omaha. The invigorating cli- mate of Nebraska after a time restored him to health and comparative vigor, and he renewed his active labors in the community, only to cease when health and strength de- parted. Many important industries and enterprises owe their existence to his creative power, nerve and courage, among which may be named: The Omaha Gas Manufac- turing company, of which he was president ; the Omaha & Southwestern railway company, in which he was director ; the organization of the State Bank of Nebraska, of which
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he was vice-president ; the Grand Central hotel company, and many other enterprises of more or less note and signifi- cance, all going to show his faith in the future of Omaha and Nebraska, and his readiness to uphold his faith by his works. And still further back in the early days, long be- fore the Union Pacific railway was thought of, he and others, as incorporators, succeeded in having an act passed by the territorial legislature, approved March 1, 1855, to in- corporate the Platte Valley & Pacific railway company, for the purpose of constructing and building a railroad, single or double track, from the Missouri river at Omaha City, and also a telegraph line, up the North Platte river and on the north side of the South fork; and from a memoir written by Dr. Lowe, this sentence was taken : "Let it be remem- bered that this great work (a Pacific railway) was actually commenced within the corporate limits of Omalia in Febru- ary, 1860." He was one of the incorporators of the Council Bluffs & St. Joseph railroad, in May, 1858. The following is a just tribute to the man:
"The character of Dr. Lowe, like his noble and stately form, dignified and commanding, never tainted by infidelity to public or private duty ; always generous in service to friends and the community ; wise in counsel as a citizen, and singularly gifted as a physician with insight into disease and prevision of the thousand forms of its malig- nity, and of the issues of life and death, which wait upon it ; is of right entitled to the veneration and perpetual re- membrance of all who have made their homes in the city of Omaha, and among whose founders he was one of the first, for twenty-five years of its history. After the full period allotted to man on earth, full of years and of honor, he laid himself down to rest in death."
Dr. Lowe died on the afternoon of February 12, 1880. His wife died at Burlington, Iowa, February 19, 1870. She was born February 26, 1810, in Mercer county, Kentucky. Her maiden name was Kitty Ann Read. The doctor and she were married July 22, 1828, in Putnam county, Indiana. They had only one son, General W. W. Lowe, who has lived in Omaha since 1868, locating permanently here im- mediately after his resignation from the army in 1869.
July 23, 1853, was the date on which Jesse Lowe crossed the Missouri river from Kanesville, now Council Bluffs,
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and put foot upon the ground which was soon to be included within the limits of the future great city of Omaha. He crossed the stream in a small skiff accompanied by Jesse Williams. Each took up a claim. Mr. Lowe's claim was located in the vicinity of the west end of Cuming street, and embraced a quarter-section of land, to which he subse- quently added three other quarter-sections, making in all
JESSE LOWE.
640 acres. Mr. Lowe was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, March 11, 1814. The family soon afterward moved to Indi. ana. Young Jesse Lowe was educated in Bloomington Col- lege, Indiana, and after leaving college he studied law for sometime in the office of General Tilghman Howard. He did not then seek admission to the bar, but was afterwards admitted in Nebraska, but never practiced. Being in poor
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health he concluded to travel, and he accordingly spent several years in the south. During this period he was en- gaged to a considerable extent in purchasing stock for the army. When the Mexican war broke out in 1847, he became commissary of a Missouri volunteer regiment under Ster- ling Price. He was promoted to paymaster, in which capacity he served until the close of the war, when he joined his elder brother, Dr. Enos Lowe, then receiver of public moneys at Iowa City. When Dr. Lowe was made receiver at Kanesville, now Council Bluffs, in 1853, Jesse Lowe ac- companied him thither, and assisted him in the performance of the duties of the office. One day Jesse Lowe looking across the Missouri pointed to the present site of Omaha, and predicted that it was the spot for a great city. His next move, as already stated, was to cross the river and stake out a claim. At this time he was the only person whom Major Gatewood, the Indian agent, would permit to trade with the Indians. Immediately upon the extinguish- ment of the Indian title to the land, early in 1854, the city of Omaha was surveyed and platted. It is claimed that the city was named by Jesse Lowe. On May 28, a claim club was organized, and Mr. Lowe was one of its members. It is related that this club built a small house on wheels, which was moved from one claim to another, and served as the home of each claimant in turn during the necessary periods of personal occupancy required by law. The old "claim house" found its last resting place on Ninth street, and is now the flat-roofed portion of the one-story house, 413 South Ninth street, across the alley on the south side of the Cozzens hotel. At the time Mr. Lowe settled in Omaha he had as a result of his former business enterprises and savings, what were considerable means for those days, and he estab- lished himself in the real estate business, which he contin- ued until his death, April 3, 1868. He had also the exclusive privilege of trading with the Indian tribes at the adjacent agency. He built the first banking house (almost the first brick building in Omaha), which, after years of occupancy by different private banking firms, became the United States National bank, and was early in 1887 torn down to give place to a fine modern building of stone. In 1857, the city having obtained a charter, Mr. Lowe was elected its first mayor. The parents of Mr. Lowe being strict "Friends,"
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or Quakers, his early training in the principles of that sect shaped and governed his whole life, although in his later years he became a member of the Lutheran church. He was an excellent financier, of sound judgment, ready at all times to aid in anything calculated to promote the advance- ment of Omaha.
Hon. Andrew J. Poppleton has been one of Omaha's most distinguished citizens for over thirty-four years. He
HON. A. J. POPPLETON.
was born in Troy, Michigan, July 24th, 1830, and remained upon his father's farm until he was fourteen years of age. He was prepared for college at Romeo, Michigan, and then entered Union college, at Schenectady, N. Y. After his graduation, in 1851, he returned to Romeo, and for several months taught Latin and Greek. In October, 1852, Mr. Poppleton was admitted to the bar in Detroit, he having
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read law during his college course and also having studied in the office of C. I. and E. C. Walker. After his admission to the bar, Mr. Poppleton attended John W. Fowler's law school, at Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He then began active prac- tice in Detroit. When the Kansas-Nebraska bill was passed, the young lawyer, who had great faith in the future of the new country that was thus opened up, determined to locate in Omaha. Arriving here October 13, 1854, he estab .. lished himself in practice at once, and has continued active- ly in his profession ever since. Mr. Poppleton was a member of the first and second sessions of the Nebraska territorial legislative assembly, and was the second mayor of Omaha, during the years 1858-59. When Nebraska was admitted as a state into the union, Mr. Poppleton, together with J. Sterling Morton, was given the democratic vote for United States senator. In 1868 he ran for congress on the democratic ticket, but was defeated. When the ground was broken for the inauguration of the Union Pacific, De- cember 2d, 1863, Mr. Poppleton was one of the prominent speakers at the celebration. His speech was a splendid effort, and demonstrated to the audience the ability of the man. Vice-President Durant showed his appreciation of the speech by appointing Mr. Poppleton, the very next day, as attorney of the Union Pacific. This, however, did not in- terfere with his general practice, but in 1869, when the road was completed, a great deal of important litigation arose from construction contracts, and consequently his entire at- tention was demanded by the company. Thereupon he was given a regular salary and made the general attorney of the road, which position he held until the spring of 1888, when, desiring less arduous labors during the balance of his life, he resigned, much to the regret of the general officers of the company. During the twenty-four years that he was in the service of the Union Pacific he was a very busy man. His jurisdiction extended over Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Montana and Oregon, and in 1886 Kansas was placed under his charge. At the time of his resignation there were over five hundred cases pending in his jurisdic- tion. Mr. Poppleton's fortune has been acquired from the savings of his professional earnings, which he from time to time carefully invested in Omaha real estate. Mr. Popple- ton never speculated in railway stocks, and never owned
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any railroad property of any kind. He depended wholly upon his profession for his success. Mr. Poppleton is an accomplished scholar, orator and writer. He takes great pleasure in his well-selected library of general literature at his elegant home on Sherman avenue.
Hon. Origen D. Richardson, who for many years was a prominent citizen of Omaha, and especially in the early
HON. ORIGEN D. RICHARDSON.
days, was a native of Vermont, He was born in 1796. In the war of 1812 he was a private in the Vermont volunteers, and'fought in the battle of Plattsburg. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1824. Five years later Mr. Richardson located in Michigan, where he remained for twenty-five years. During this period he rose to the first rank as a lawyer, and took a very active part in politics.
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He was one of the leaders of the democratic party in Michigan, and was frequently rewarded with public office. He served several terms in both branches of the territorial and state legislatures, and was lieutenant- governor from 1844 to 1848. He possessed the fullest con- fidence of the people of Michigan, as he was a man of the highest character. Upon his removal to Omaha in Septem- ber, 1854, Governor Richardson at once took a leading part in territorial affairs. He was elected to the first Nebraska territorial council, and in 1855 was appointed one of the commissioners to prepare a code of laws. Most of this work he did himself, and this codification is the basis of the pres- ent laws of Nebraska. He continued the practice of his profession, and was regarded as one of the leaders of the bar. The revised statutes of 1867 were prepared by Mr. Richardson, J. S. Sharp and A. J. Poppleton. Most of the work, however, was done by Mr. Richardson, who was an able jurist as well as an effective advocate. Such is the esti- mate of the man by Mr. Poppleton, who pays him the following tribute : "Governor Richardson -- who died in Omaha in 1878-was a clear and logical thinker, with the additional gift of a pleasing and effective style of speech Through his strongest and most serious efforts there was apt to run an undercurrent of humor, ridicule and satire, which maintained the interest of court and auditors at the highest point; yet his chief power lay in the vigor and con- clusiveness of his argument. One of Governor Richard- son's best traits was his interest and sympathy with young men, students and lawyers. He was naturally genial and kindly to all, and was never too busy for a pleasant word and hearty greeting to the young. * The impress of a noble character is never effaced, but becomes a guide and monitor of youth forever. His family life was singularly happy. After fifty years of domestic happiness, in which youthful vows and attachments grew stronger and more sacred with the lapse of years, husband and wife were called together-crossing the silent river, as they had so long journeyed upon earth, side by side. He left one son and two daughters, all yet living-Lyman Richardson, from its origin until very recently joint founder and proprietor. and business manager of the Omaha Herald: Mrs. Z. B. Knight
18
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and Mrs. G. I. Gilbert. all important factors in the best life of Omaha."
Joseph Williamson Paddock, one of the original Omaha pioneers of 1854. was born in Mapena, St. Lawrence county, New York, April 27, 1825. During his younger years, be- fore emigrating to the west. he was engaged in mercantile
HON. J. W. PADDOCK.
and manufacturing pursuits. Coming west in September, 1854, he located in Omaha, and has ever since resided in this city. Mr. Paddock was chief clerk of the house of representatives of the first Nebraska territorial legislature, and was the first clerk of the United States district court, serving in that capacity from April, 1855, to July, 1858. He
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