 |
 |
History of the State of Nebraska
Chicago: The Western Historical Company
A. T. Andreas, Proprietor
1882.
Page 1497
fully for three months, and drawing $36, the amount of his winter's wages, and with no one to advise or condemn he tied his whole fortune up in a cotton handkerchief, and with a small copy of the Bible and Bullion's Latin Grammar, and Reader he hung the whole upon a stick across his shoulder and started on foot, one bright summer morning from his whilom home, and walked twenty-five miles to Hayesville, in Ashland County, where Vermillion Institute was located. At this time a new world was opened up—the world of Letters heretofore undreamed of. With but $36 in his pocket, without acquaintances or friends, he entered upon the academic course of study, having no idea where the money was to come from, how much it would take, or what he would do with the knowledge should it ever be obtained. There was a thirst for knowledge that could not be satiated in any way but in constant study. But the years rolled on in teaching and study, and he had climbed through the course of study, and must go somewhere to complete the college course. What seemed to be an accident directed his course to New Athens, in Harrison County, to a college under the direction of the Associate Presbyterians. To this place he started the second time on foot and travelled over 100 miles, until at the end of the third day, footsore and covered with dust, he arrived at the little out-of-the-way town, the goal of many an anxious hope. Here, as before, he worked, taught and studied until the middle of the senior year was gained. At this point he stopped, and being directed to St. Clairsville, in Belmont County, he obtained a suitable situation as principal of the Union Schools established in that town. Here he taught, studied and labored, but never returned to complete his collegiate course. He had obtained a fair standing as a Greek, Latin and Hebrew scholar, and could read and hold a limited conversation in German, French and Spanish languages. The mathematical course had been principally obtained by study while teaching and reviewing these branches for the purpose of standing the examinations in college. While in St. Clairsville he, in common with thousands of others, became greatly excited over the political issues of the day. The Whig party was dead, the Democratic party was a non-combatant, and the South was aggressive. His sympathies became enlisted with the thousands struggling to bring our government back to the first principles engrafted in the Declaration of Independence. He went with the hundreds to Philadelphia in 1856, and was admitted into that great body as an alternate delegate from Belmont County, Ohio. Here he just gained sight of those great apostles of human rights and political freedom, Lovejoy, Wilson, Stevens, and a host of other, and heard words that burnt into his very soul, words
RESIDENCE OF JUDGE D. T. MOORE.
never forgotten. He returned home fully determined to study law, and prepare himself for that great battle that all felt must come sooner or later. He now commenced the study of law in St. Clairsville, but health giving way he determined to go South, and see for himself if these things could be so. After passing through Kentucky and Tennessee, he landed at Franklin Springs, a popular little watering-place in the north part of Alabama. Here he taught a few pupils for board, and studied law, but in the spring of 1857, not liking the Southern character, he came North and located in Taylorville, Ill., where he continued the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in 1859, and commenced practice in Taylorville, in partnership with Z. P. Shumway, but the rebellion coming on Mr. Shumway volunteered for three years leaving the business of the office to the care of his partner. Poor health and close confinement finally drove him from the practice of his profession and he was forced to take some active outdoor employment to save life, and obtained employment as travelling special agent of an active insurance company. This employment he continued until the 19th day of January, 1864. In Taylorville he met among his pupils a Miss Sarah N. Shumway, daughter of Major Shumway, formerly a native of Massachusetts, and married her on her twentieth birthday. She was an accomplished lady, having honorably graduated at the Illinois Conference College for Females, located in Jacksonville, Ill. A short time after their marriage they started for Iowa. He intending to try once more the practice of the law, but circumstances so prevailed as to cause him to undertake merchandising in the little city of Washington, Iowa, where in about three years, by the rapid decline in merchandise which followed the close of the war, the young couple found themselves without the possession of a penny. The insurance business presented itself again and he accepted the general agency of an active western insurance company, which he followed for about fifteen months. Then taking the little money he had made and the other had saved, they took their little son Dwight Shumway Moore, born in Washington, Iowa, and started in the spring of 1869, for the still farther west in search of a place where there were no rich people, but where all live on a social equality. This place was found to be about three miles north of the present location of York. Here a homestead was taken, a sod house constructed, a well dug, and plowing commenced in June, 1869. Being settled the farthest west of any one they had no neighbors, and lived for months without seeing any one but the passing braves going and returning from the hunting grounds. The nearest post office was Seward about thirty-five miles by way of the road. When there were plows to be sharpened they were taken to the same town, there being no blacksmith shop nearer. The only mill was at Milford, not far from forty miles the then travelled road. They had but $30 in money and this soon went leaving them like their neighbors, minus coffee, tea, sugar, meat, vegetables and often flour. They ground wheat in the coffee mill for cakes and used boiled wheat for dessert, and sometimes dessert was all they had for dinner. But good health continued, pure air and pure water was abundant; and in a few months the emigrants came in and the deer, antelope, elk and buffalo disappeared. In the spring of 1870 the county was organized, D. T. Moore taking quite an active part in obtaining petitions for that purpose. At the election for county officers D. T. Moore was elected unanimously to the office of Probate Judge. Through his influence a State road was located and surveyed from Lincoln through Seward, York and Hamilton Counties, which was not much more than located until both sides of said road was lined with new homesteaders. In the spring of 1871, he was elected over his competitor by a vote of two to one as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention to convene at Lincoln in June, of that year. In this convention he took quite an interest, and was constant in attendance and faithful in the discharge of his duties, and his votes and speeches in that body show that he even then foresaw the coming storm wherein labor and capital would become (by means of corrupt men) antagonistic forces. In 1872 he attended the State Republican Convention for the nomination of State officers, and although unexpected and unsolicited he received quite a complimentary vote in that body for Governor. He withdrew his name after one vote was cast. Since then he has taken personally no active part in the politics of the State, but is wide awake to the political situation and fully believes that "eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." His politics have been Republican from the first start of the party of 1856. He has been on the political stump and advocated the cause of the party in every national election, but believes the party lash should never be applied to a man's conscience. He is a firm advocate of the free school system and hopes to see the day when technology, handicraft and the proper use of tools will be taught in high school in each county seat in the State. He thinks intemperance is a national crime and will never be subdued until text books shall be placed in the hands of the children and taught in the common schools defining in full the destruction that alcoholic beverages produce. He has his whole life been a believer in the Christian religion, and is now a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. About five years since he moved from his farm to York and has from that time to the present been engaged in the practice of law, and has seen York County spring up from a wilderness of prairie into a rich and populous county and York, the county seat, into what might be called the Athens of Nebraska.
LIEUT. ANDREW C. MONTGOMERY, attorney-at-law, was born in Mercer County, Pa., August 23, 1837. He is the son of Archibald and Margaret Montgomery, nee Carnahan, of Scotch-Irish descent. The subject of this sketch received a common school education, then worked on the farm, and taught school in his native State until August 15, 1861. He then enlisted in the Eighty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Company B, and served three years, and during this time was promoted for meritorious service from private to several minor positions, and finally reached the rank of First Lieutenant. He was wounded at the battle of Malvern Hill through the right thigh, but remained in active service till the time of enlistment expired, being in a number of hard fought battles, such as seven days at Fredricksburg, Chancellorville, Gettysburg, the fight in the Wilderness, around Petersburgh, etc. He returned to Pennsylvania, where he was employed at farming and at various other occupations until August, 1870, when he came to Nebraska with his family, and took up a claim in York County, on Section 32, Township 11, Range 2 west, York Precinct, and was among the early settlers of said precinct. He taught school two months in York in 1871, the first that was taught in said town. He took his pay in wood and other luxuries of the county. Here he lived, improving his homestead, until 1876. He then commenced reading law in the office of Hon. D. T. Moore, York, but finished his course with Hon. G. B. France, and was admitted to the bar before Hon. George W. Post, May 14, 1878. He has since made that his vocation. He served as Police Judge of York City two years. He is a member of the G.A.R., Robert Anderson Post, No. 32. He was married February 22, 1864, in Pennsylvania, to Miss Annie M., daughter of Houston Borland, of Mercer County, Pa.
MORGAN, McCLELLAND, & DAYTON, proprietors York Republican. This paper was founded in 1876 by Morgan & Ross, but the latter gentleman soon sold out his interest to Lee Love, and he, in turn, sold out to E. E. Post. In 1881 he was succeeded by McClelland & Dayton. This is the oldest paper in York County; was originally six columns, but in 1877 was enlarged to seven columns, all printed at home. It is Republican in politics, a strong advocate of the temperance cause, and has a circulation of over 1,000 copies. W. E. Morgan, senior member of the firm, was born in Cheshire County, N. H., in 1836; graduated at the Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn., in the class of 1860. He served nine months as a soldier of the Rebellion in the Eighth Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, Company A. He came to York County, Neb., in the spring of 1871, and took up a homestead on Section 34, Township 11, Range 2 west, York Precinct. He served as Probate Judge of that county from 1873 to 1875, and was one of the original Trustees of the Nebraska Conference Seminary, and has always taken an active part in the good and welfare of his town and county.
JAMES I. MOSBARGER, farmer, Section 14, Township 11, Range 3 west, was born in Coles County, Ill., July 2, 1848. His parents were Jacob and Sarah J. Mosbarger, the former of Germany, and the latter, whose maiden name was Prather, of Irish descent. They were among the early settlers of Coles County, having settled there in 1842. Here the subject of this sketch worked on a farm with his father, and acquired a common school education. In August, 1872, he came to Nebraska and took up a homestead, where he now owns 120 acres of land all under plow. He has been a member of the School Board three years. He was married in October, 1868, to Miss Barbara E. Landis, formerly of Ohio. They are original members of the Christian Church, Houston Precinct, and superintended the first Sabbath school in Houston Precinct. They have seven children—Cora L., Henry J., Rosa J., Isaac N., James A., Mary E., and Jacob F. Mr. Mosbarger had three elder brothers, who were soldiers of the Rebellion.
DR. WILLIAM H. MARTIN, physician and surgeon, came to the State of Nebraska in 1868, first locating in Nebraska City, where he engaged in the practice of his profession. In 1875 he located in York. He was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, December 13, 1839, and is the son of D. C. and Sarah Martin, who were of English descent; his mother's maiden name was White. He received his literary education at the Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, from which he graduated in the classical course in 1862. He then studied medicine in the offices of three of the leading physicians of the city of Delaware. In the winter of 1862-63 he attended lectures at Michigan University, at Ann Arbor. In 1864 he commenced attending lectures in the Bellevue Medical College, New York City, graduating from the said college in the spring of 1865. His first practice was in the eastern part of Ohio, where he remained until his emigration to Nebraska. He is a member both of the State Medical Society of Nebraska and of the Central Nebraska Medical Society. He was married in 1862, in Ohio, to Miss Georgiania A. Ladd, a native of Michigan. Their family consists of four children—Minnie May, married to E. W. Mosier, of York; Junius C., Charles F., and Mamie C.
PROF. WILLIAM PECK, A. M., teacher of mathematics and modern languages in the Nebraska Conference Seminary, York, was born in Prussia, near Berlin, May 4, 1837. Was a student in his native country until eighteen years of age, when he went to England and joined the British and Foreign Legion, in which he served until the close of the Crimean war. Then emigrated to the United States, and after traveling around through various localities finally settled in Washington County, Neb., in 1865. Entered the ministry in 1871, and in 1873, was ordained deacon, at Plattsmouth, by Bishop Andrews, and two years later elder at Lincoln, by Bishop Gilbert Haven, deceased. Was engaged in the ministry in Nebraska Conference until 1881, when he was appointed to his present position by Bishop Foster. He is a graduate of Baldwin University, Berea, Ohio, also of Baker University, Kansas. He was married in Washington County, Neb., in 1866, to Miss Patience D. Cameron, who was born in Canada, and by whom he has three children, Mary, John and Ida.
THOMAS PORTER, farmer, Section 24, Township 10, Range 3, west, P.O. York, came to Nebraska in the spring of 1871, and homesteaded the place upon which he now lives, which was a soldier's claim of 160 acres. This he has improved till he now has 120 acres under plow and thirty of timothy and blue grass. He also has a fine grove of his own planting, and one and one-half miles of cotton-wood trees around his farm. Mr. Porter was formerly from Ohio, born in Guernsey County, July 30, 1834. His boyhood was spent in his native State, where he received his education and made farming his occupation till 1854. Then removed to Vermillion County, Ill., and continued his former pursuit till 1864, when he became a soldier of the Rebellion, enlisting in the Forty-fourth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Company F. At the close of the war he returned to Illinois, and in 1871, came to Nebraska, as above. He is a member of Robert Anderson Post, No. 32, of the G. A. R., and he and his wife belong to the Baptist Church, York. Mrs. Porter was originally from Ohio, but they were married in Illinois, her maiden name, Elcey Kimbell. They are the parents of three boys and six girls.
HON. GEORGE W. POST, Judge of the Fourth Judicial District, Nebraska, was born at Cumberland, Guernsey Co., Ohio, February 20, 1851, the son of William