Portrait and biographical album of Lancaster county, Nebraska, Part 65

Author:
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman brothers
Number of Pages: 812

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Young Sieck developed into manhood in his native place, and about the time of reaching his majority crossed the Atlantic and located in Scioto County, Ohio. He carried on mining there, and was married, Sept. 10, 1854, to Miss Eliza Wellner, a native of his own country, and who was born Nov. 8, 1835. Mrs. Sieck is the daughter of Frederick and Flazia (Frazier) Wellner, the former of whom was a farmer by occupation, and died at Portsmouth, Ohio, when well advanced in years. He also was a native of Hanover, and came to the United States soon after his marriage. He spent his life thereafter in Scioto County, Ohio, where the mother is still living, and is now more than eighty-five years of age. They were trained in the doctrines of the Lutheran Church, to which they religiously adhere.

Mrs. Sieck was a young woman nineteen years of age when she set out for the United States, unat- tended by any of her family. She located in Scioto County, Ohio, where she supported herself at what- ever she could find to do until her marriage with our subject. She has proved to him a most efficient companion and helpmate, and they have become the parents of eight children, the record of whom is as follows: Jolin, the eldest son, married Miss Car- rie Smith, and operates a quarter of section 13 in Highland Precinct; Henry married Miss Eflie Liv- ingstone, and is also farming in this vicinity; Lewis owns and operates a farm in Highland Precinct, and is unmarried; Mary is the wife of Christ Weiloger,

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also a successful farmer of Highland Precinct; Elizabeth, Frederick, Charlotte and Frank remain at home with their parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Sieck began the journey of life to- gether ou a farm in Scioto County, Ohio, but the first year of the Rebellion our subject enlisted as a soldier in the Union Army, Oct. 18, 1861, respond- ing to the second call for troops. Becoming a member of Company B, 56th Ohio Infantry, he marehed with his comrades to the front in time to witness the surrender of Ft. Donelson, and later was in the battle at Memphis, Tenn. He also fought at Ft. Gibson and in the siege at Vicks- burg, was also at the battle of Jackson, Miss., and at the latter was wounded by a ball which passed through the strap of his haversack and plowed through the flesh, making an ugly sear which he will carry to his grave. Ile, however, soon recovered sufficiently to resume his place among his comrades, and participated in various other engagements until receiving his honorable discharge, in New Orleans, at the close of his term of enlistment.

After leaving the army our subject returned to his home in Scioto County, Ohio, where he followed farming until his removal to Iowa. It is hardly necessary to say that he votes the straight Repub- lican ticket, and, with his estimable wife, is a member in good standing of the Lutheran Church.

G EORGE LONGTON. This name, which is familiar to a large proportion of the resi- dents of this county, is that of one of its earliest settlers and most worthy men. Ile came to this county during the process of its carly develop- ment, and endured in common with the people about him hardship and privation, and now, sitting under his own vine and fig-tree, is enjoying the reward of his early toil and sacrifices in the possession of one of the productive farms of Southeastern Ne- braska.

The property of our subject embraces 320 acres of land, a part of which, however, has only been subjected to the process of cultivation, Mr. L. hav- ing made a specialty of stock-raising and grazing numbers of cattle for the last fifteen years. In this

industry he has been quite successful, realizing a comfortable income. Ile came to Nebraska in 1860, while it was still a Territory, but at that time passed through into Colorado, where for two years he em- ployed himself in the mines. In 1862-he took up his abode in Nebraska City, Otoe County, then came to Highland Precinct, this county, and pur- chased the land which he now owns. lle at once established a ranch, and at the same time made it the headquarters for one of the stage lines from Omaha and Lincoln to Denver, boarding and sta- bling the horses, keeping on hand a good store of provisions, and giving shelter and entertainment generally to both man and beast.

During that period Mr. Longton operated as "mine host" to thousands of Western travelers, many of whom still live to recollect his genial coun- tenance and his kindly offices. Ilis house was the headquarters for travel through this region for a number of years, including the period when Indians were numerous and his farm bordered on one of their principal trails. The path is still faintly in- dicated by a furrow in the ground, along which the red man made his way. It was known as the " Pole Trail," as the Indians were in the habit of dragging their poles with them while mounted on their ponies in migrating from one camping-ground to another, thus being enabled to set up their wigwams in short order.

The Indian troubles after the war occurred while Mr. Longton was a resident of this section, but so wise had been his conduct in his intercourse with them that while all the settlers around him were driven out in fear of their lives, he remained, not- withstanding the threats of some of them to annihi- late himself and family. For the most part, however, the Indians were friendly to Mr. Longton, and his firm but kindly methods of dealing with them were the means of securing their wholesome respect, and they indeed finally exerted themselves to befriend him. IIe has been the witness of many thrilling events, similar to those connected with the names of Kit Carson and Daniel Boone, and his brave de- meanor in times of danger has become a matter of history in these parts. In the mountains of Colorado, likewise, he met with many adventures calculated to try the courage of any ordinary man, but out of

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which he came unharmed, and found friends wher- ever his lot was cast.

Mr. Longton began his operations as a cattle dealer after the building of the railroad, and subse- quently carried on general farming until about 1882, when he practically retired from active labor. He is now quite well advanced in years, having more than reached his threescore and ten. He was born ou the other side of the Atlantic, in Lancashire, England, Jan. 5, 1818, and is of pure English stock as far back as he can trace his ancestry. His father, George Longton, was a well-to-do farmer who spent his entire life in his native shire, and died at the age of sixty-two years. He married, in early man- hood, Miss Mary Burton, a highly educated and in- telligent lady who came of a wealthy family. She passed away previous to the decease of her husband, at the age of fifty-two.

To George and Mary Longton there were born nine children, five sons and four daughters, of whom George, Jr., our subject, was the third. Two sons and two daughters are yet living in England. Our subject is the only member of the family who came to the United States. He was carefully reared and well educated, and crossed the Atlantic when about thirty years old, in November, 1849. He was un- married and for three years following was employed in a barrel factory in Pennsylvania. Upon leaving that State he repaired to Kalamazoo, Mich., and next to Mendota, Ill., where he opened a butcher shop, which he operated successfully for a period of seven years. At the expiration of this time he crossed the Mississippi, and spent a year in this State ; then, gathering together four teams, he started out with a large load of provisions for the Far West, distributing them among the mountains of Colorado. This venture, however, did not result in any financial benefit.

Upon deciding to locate permanently in this county, Mr. Longton had in his house a Mr. John Gill and his wife, who remained with him about five years. Then Mr. Gill died, and Mr. Longton mar- ried his widow, Mrs. Sarah Gill, Dec. 1, 1879. Mrs. Longton was born on the Isle of Man, in 1824, of which place her first husband, Mr. Gill, was also a na- tive. Mr. Gill made his way to Liverpool when a young man, learning the trade of ship carpenter, and

becoming an expert at his trade. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. G. returned for awhile to their native iste, whenee they emigrated to America in 1852. They lived for a time in Cleveland, Ohio, then in Quincy, Ill., whence they removed later to Missouri, and in 1860 to Colorado. Mr. Gill followed his trade successfully, making considerable money and also losing it. Upon coming to Highland Precinct he pre-empted a homestead of 240 acres, which prop- erty he retained until his death, about 1878.

Our subject is a stanch supporter of Republican principles. He is a good man in the broadest sense of the term, and has held various positions of trust and responsibility in the county where he has lived so long and built up such a good record. He was reared in the Episcopal Church, to the faith of which he still religiously adheres.

W ILLIAM WILTERDINK. The hand of industry is everywhere apparent among the home surroundings of the subject of this sketch, who came to this county in the spring of 1870, and homesteaded eighty acres of land on section 25, in Yankee Hill Precinct. From the primitive soil he has eliminated a good farm, and provided himself with those comforts and con- veniences which are inseparable in the life of a well-ordered citizen. In addition to general agri- culture, he makes a specialty of stock-raising, hand- ling good grades of cattle, horses and swine, and besides being a thorough and judicious tiller of the soil, holds a good position, socially and financially, among his neighbors.

Onondaga County, N. Y., contained the early home of our subject, where his birth took place under the modest roof of his parents on the 15th of March, 1849. His father, John II. Wilterdink, a native of Ilolland, emigrated to America in 1831, bringing with him all the substantial elements of a most excellent ancestry. The mother, a native of the same country as her husband. and now de- ceased, was by name Christina, and the parents set- tled in Onondaga County, N. Y., where they lived until about 1850. That year they changed their residence to Sheboygan County. Wis., where their

Luke Hall

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son, William B., was reared to manhood, and where the father is now living, having arrived at the ad- vanced age of seventy years. The mother died about 1860.

John H. Wilterdink, after the death of his first wife, contracted a second marriage, and his last wife is still living in Wisconsin. He was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, honest and con- scientious in his beliefs. and was a strict tutor of his large family of children, eleven in number, and nine of whom survive. These were named respect- tively: William B., our subject. who is the eldest of the family; John G., a resident of Buda Pre- cinct, on the southwestern line of this county ; Henry, who is a farmer in Colorado; Garrett; Al- bert; Cena, the wife of D. Foss; Kate, Mrs. Russ- ing. a widow ; Annie, Mrs. Samuel Dinawold; Mary and Gertrude, all live in Wisconsin.

The subject of this sketeh grew to manhood in the Badger State, receiving a limited education, hut being fond of reading, kept himself well posted in regard to matters of general interest, and has since kept up his early habit of perusing the reliable journals of the day. When starting out for himself in the spring of 1870, having reached his majority. he made his way to this county and homesteaded eighty acres of land in Yankee Hill Precinct. In 1877 he sold this, and removed to his present farm. This is also eighty acres in extent, where he has erected good buildings and gathered together the appliances indispensable to the well-regulated coun- try estate. Ilis father had no property to give him, and his possessions are solely the result of his own industry and perseverance.

Our subject, when assured that he could com- fortably maintain a family, secured for himself a wife and helpmate, being married, July 4, 1874, to Miss Caroline, the daughter of Henry and Kate (Walker) Simmons, the wedding taking place at the home of the bride, in Grant Precinct. Henry Sim- mons was a native of Ohio. and one of the pioneers of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Wilterdink com- meneed life together in a manner suitable to their means and station, making it a point to live within their income, and each year has seen something added to the comfort of their home, which has been blessed also by the birth of seven children.

These were named respectively : James II., Kate, Edna, Ernest. Walter, Annis and Levi.

Mr. Wilterdink is a decided Republican, politi- eally, and has been Moderator in his school district for several years in succession. Although not a member of any religious organization. he makes it a rule of his life to follow the Christian precept of doing unto others as he would be done by. No man has been more warmly interested in the growth and development of Southern Nebraska, and by bringing a portion of its soil to a state of culti- vation, he has materially assisted in bringing about this condition of affairs. The men who have la- bored quietly and conscientiously each in his sepa- rate place, although making very little noise in the world, really form the bone and sinew of a commu- nity, without which the fabric would soon, meta- phorically, fall to pieces.

Le UKE IIALL. One of the most important victories gained by Richard the King-maker, as the Earl of Warwick was called, over the Lancastrians in the War of the Roses, was that at Northampton, the chief city of Northamptonshire, one of the central counties of England, about 985 miles in extent. It is a beautiful county, and of inter- national renown by reason of its gently sloping hills covered with a green carpet of velvety grass, noble trees, broad valleys and shady glens, inviting and enticing by their bewitching beauty. In this county was born, March 16, 1818, to William and Ann Hall, the subject of this writing, now a pros- perous farmer in Denton Precinct, residing on sec- tion 7.

Mr. Hall was reared to manhood among the hills and dales upon which his infant eyes first gazed. His education was limited and his advantages few, as compared with the opportunity and the helps pro- vided the present generation ; nevertheless, by giv- ing his close attention to reading, he has advanced so that very few are better informed upon current topies and items of general knowledge.

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In 1853 the determination to see the New World caused our subject to bid farewell to friends and home, say his good-bys to his native hills and shadowed glens, and emigrate to America, taking passasge in the sailing-vessel "Narragansett." A six- weeks voyage was only relieved by the sight of an occasional sail and the alternate storm and calm. Upon landing at New York our subject proceeded to Aurora, Ill., and obtained work on the railroad for about two and one-half years. He next went to Burlington, Iowa, where he was section boss for the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy Railroad Com- pany a period of twenty years. Upon abandoning railroading Mr. Hall came to this State in the year 1880, and procured 160 acres of land, which was but slightly improved when he settled upon it. He has since erected a very comfortable farm dwelling, and the green sward surrounding this, the flower beds and kitchen garden, with a background of stables, the barn and other out-buildings, present a most pleasing picture.

Mr. Hall was married in his native shire to Mary A. Barrett, in Junc, 1841, and by her became the parent of two children. William, and an infant, de- ceased. William went through the whole of the war of 1861-65, and was twice veteranized; he resides in Fremont County, lowa.

If there be such a thing possible as a self-made man, our subject is to be found in that category. At the time he landed in Illinois, fresh from the Atlantic, he was in debt to the amount of $55; to- day, although by no means the largest farmer and wealthiest citizen, he is the owner of a first-class farm, and an exceedingly comfortable and happy home, and whatever has thus accrued to him is the harvest of diligence, thrift, perseverance and manly effort. Ilis character and education have developed even more favorably than his finances. The polit- ical situation finds its solution for him in the prin- ples of the Republican party, and it receives his earnest support. lle is most heartily esteemed by his fellow-citizens, who know only too well how to respect the qualities which have made his life a success.

We are pleased to add to the portrait list of Lancaster County the pictured features of Mr. Hall, who has proved himself one of its most reliable

citizens. In the elimination of one of its best home- steads from the primitive soil he has thus added much to its cultivated acreage, and consequently to its real-estate value; of all such men we say "success attend them."

REDERICK STRELOW. The subject of NG this biography in 1877 purchased 160 acres of school land on section 16 in Highland Pre- cinct, where he has since operated with excellent re- sults, bringing the soil to a productive condition, and effecting the improvements which have established him as one of the progressive agriculturists of this region. Previous to purchase, however, he had contracted for it as a lessee for a period of twenty- five years, and thus redeemed it from the wild prairie.

Mr. Strelow came to this county from Michigan, in 1874, and to that State had migrated from Cook County, Ill., after having also been at one time a resident of Chicago. In the great city he followed the trade of carpenter, which he had learned in his native Prussia, he having been born on the other side of the Atlantic Sept. 13, 1836. He was trained and educated in that strict and careful manner common with the German national- ity in rearing their children, and was married in his native Province to Miss Mary Benning, who was born not far from the early home of her husband, on the 27th of March, 1838. Like him she is of pure German ancestry, and for a period of five years after their marriage they continued upon their native soil, where their two eldest children, Minnie and Lewis, were born.

Our subject and his family. in 1865, set sail for the United States, landing in New York, and pro- eeeding directly westward to the city of Chicago. After coming to this country their household was increased by the birth of nine more children. Will- iam died in DuPage County, Ill., when two years old; Mary is the wife of James Roop, Jr .. and re- sides in Highland Precinct; Charles and Lewis died in Chicago when three months old; Bertha, a very industrious and energetie young lady, is carrying on business for herself as a dressmaker in Crete;

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Robert and George are at home with their parents; John and Fenton died at the homestead in High- land Precinct, when nine days and fourteen days old, respectively.

Mr. Strelow will not be confined within any party lines, but reserves the right to support the men whom he considers best qualified to have in charge the interests of the people. He has held the various local offices of his township, and is a man whose opinions are uniformly respected, being possessed of strong good sense and that integrity of character which holds in seorn a mean action. Ile has also officiated as Road Supervisor for a period of three terms. Both he and his excellent wife were reared in the doctrines of the Lutheran Church, and usually attend services with the society in Highland Precinct.

E DWARD MARSHALL, a prominent far- mer, whose property is situated upon section 11, Denton Precinet, is a scion of a Vir- ginian family whose history extends back to the pre-Revolutionary period, and whose names are connected with that memorable struggle. His pa- ternal ancestors were English, who, with the desire for larger liberty, both in regard to conscience, and things more palpable to outward sense, came to this country among the earliest colonists. The grand- father of our subjeet served under Washington throughout the whole of the War for Independence. His maternal ancestors were Germans, and emi- grated to America after the formation of the United States. The Marshall family finally settled in Vir- ginia, where the father of our subject was born, reared and married, and in the early part of the year 1834 emigrated to Indiana, which was his home until 1847. He was survived by his wife only about two years.

Our subjeet was born at the home in Marion County, Ind., on the 22d of May, 1836. The name of his father was William, and his mother Catherine Marshall. Their family cirele included five chil- dren : William R .. a resident in Miami County; our subject; Anne, now Mrs. Kercher, of Wabash County, Ind., James, of St. Louis, Mo., and Henry

M., a successful farmer in Wabash County of his native State. It will be noticed that our subject was only ten years of age when he was left father- less, and twelve when, as an orphan, he was left to face the cold, unfeeling world alone. Upon the death of his mother he was apprenticed to a black- smith to learn the trade, and in this business con- tinued until he attained his majority.

As a young man our subject started out for him- self, and opened a blacksmith-shop and shoeing forge in Howard County, Ind. In this he remained for five years, and so faithfully had he worked, and so well had he learned his trade in the days of his apprenticeship, that each year his favorable reputa- tion was extended, with the desirable result that he was enabled to lay by a snug sum against a time of need. After five years our subject engaged in the sawmill business, with W. G. Mulligan as a partner. Their headquarters were situated at Petersburg, Ind., and for seven years our subject was even more successful than he had been in his previous business.

From the creaking bellows and ringing anvil, our subject had gone amid the clatter of machinery and whirr-r-r of the buzz-saw. He now exchanged the latter for the vocation of the farmer under the free canopy of the eternal blue, with the lowing of cat- tle and the singing of birds. In 1884 he severed his connection with Mr. Mulligan, and purchased a farm in Howard County, Ind. After a period of about three years he determined to follow Horace Greeley's advice, and "go West," and having been so successful in Indiana. argued that, with the larger facilities and the fine climate of Nebraska, he could be even more so, and in 1884 settled upon his present farm, having fourteen years previously spent some time in Nebraska, prospecting and in- vesting in land, situated about twelve miles north of Lincoln, near the site of Davey Station, which has since grown up in that neighborhood. Here he had purchased 160 acres from the Burlington & Mis- souri River Railroad, for which he paid $640. This property he afterward traded for his present farm, giving in addition $1,000 in cash.

Until the year 1859 our subject had been con- tent to bear the loneliness resultant from the death of his parents, but upon the 18th of August, that

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year, this was numbered with the things of the past, and he was wedded to Helen E. Couse, a native of New York State, born Dec. 29, 1840. IFer father was John Prudence, a resident of New York. This marriage our subject has never had cause to regret ; its felicity was assured, but has, nevertheless, heen largely augmented by the appearance from time to time of the little ones given to them. Four of these returned in early life to the home of the Great Father of all. The remaining four have grown up to be honored and beloved in the home, and re- spected in the larger circles of daily life. Anne B., the eldest, is the wife of G. W. Felton, of Lincoln ; Charles, Harry and Hattie are still at home. The names of those deceased are recorded as follows: Ida, Edward, Pearl and William.

Our subject is a large-hearted, public-spirited man, self-reliant and having large reserve force. What- ever he has acquired, whether in education, prop- erty, character or influence, it is his own work, ambition and energy. Such men are indeed worthy of the admiration and respect which we in this grand Republic, as citizens, are so ready to accord.

OHN W. MENLOVE, a wealthy capitalist of Lincoln, Neb., has for many years been prominently identified with its business in- · terests, and has materially aided its growth from a small village to a large and populous city of nearly 50,000 inhabitants. He is a son of John Menlove, who was one of the first settlers of Ste- phenson County, Ill., and he was born Nov. 17, 1840, in the humble abode that his father had erected on his homestead in the town of Erin. The father of our subject was a native of England, and when he left the home of his childhood and youth to make his own way in the world, he selected Stephenson County, then a wild and sparsely inhabited country, as his future abode, and he became one of the lead- ing pioneers of that county. He took up a traet of land from the Government and built a log house, the roof of which was covered with shakes, which, in lieu of nails, were held in place by the weight of poles. Chicago. 125 miles distant, was the nearest market, and oftentimes, the price of grain being

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Portrait and biographical album of Lancaster county, Nebraska, Part 65

Author: Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman brothers Number of Pages: 812

Author:
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman brothers
Number of Pages: 812