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Our Hoshouer Family Connection |
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Anderson ~ Bennett ~
Benitez ~ Bingham
~ Black ~ Blaker ~ Brown
~ Buckley ~ Bunnell
~ Burwell
~ Chek ~ Cseh ~ Cogswell ~ Crabtree
~ Crawshaw ~ Critchfield ~ Darrough
~ Devine
~ Englehaut
~ Garwood ~ Gehr ~ Grow
~ Hoschouer ~ McArthur ~ McMurtrie ~ Millen
~ Newberry
~ Herrington ~ Hickcox ~ Hutchinson ~ Madison ~
Madison ~ March ~ Robinson ~ Peden ~ Monroe ~
Pruett ~ Piet~ Rodriguez ~ Stice ~ Sutcliffe ~ Warren Our
families come from Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska, New
York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia and dates back
to 1895 in Kansas. We also
came from Austria, Ireland, Scotland, Hungary,
Germany, and England. Traditionally, the last name can tell a lot about
your heritage. The last name often
told where you came from and the class of your family. We haven’t kept that tradition; and so it isn’t
as easy to tell much about a person from their last name these days. |
HOSHOUER Our Hoshouer Connection is through my late mother in
law, Anna Ruth Bingham My
Spouse’s Family Bingham ~ Buckley ~ Hoschouer ~
Newberry ~ Herrington ~ Hickcox ~ Hutchinson ~
Madison ~ Monroe ~ Most
of this information was found using Ancestry.com and Genforum. Most of this information comes from Chris
Christianson's information. I've
emailed him to obtain more information and am so excited because he sent me
the one and only picture we have ever had of Minnie Estella Hoschouer! THANKS!. Some of this
information comes from the research of a cousin, Brian McCullum,
and I am checking on those sources also.
Thanks to these people and a little hard work on my part, I've been
able to put this Family tree page together. The recent photos of Iaasac and Catherine and the headstones found in the Hoschouer Family Cemetery come from Robin Hoschouer Zeller who still lives near the family
homestead. She has provide
me with some interesting family stories and photos! THANKS! Our Hoshouer family
is from Rossburg, Darke
County Ohio and Lancaster,
Pennsylvania from the old Pennsylvania
Dutch families and can trace their
ancestors back to Germany, Switzerland, and France Houshouer NAME ·
I have not found a meaning for this family name yet,
although I have found the most interesting stories about this family. Hoschouer
Family Tree Paulus Hoschar (1667 - 1726) Born in Germany on
1667. He passed away on 1726 in Germany. Paulus
married Mary Elizabeth Schultz and had 4 children. Mary Elizabeth Schultz (1654 - 1738) Born in Wolkskirchen on 12 Oct 1654. Mary Elizabeth married Paulus Hoschar and had 4 children.
She passed away on 29 Sep 1738 in Alsace Reg German
Empire. Children
of Paulus and Mary Hoschar: ·
Jacob Hoschar ·
Peter Hoschar ·
Johann Theobald Hoschar ·
Catherine Hoschar Schultz name meaning German:
status name for a village headman, from a contracted form of Middle High
German schultheize. The term originally
denoted a man responsible for collecting dues and paying them to the lord of
the manor; it is a compound of sculd(a)
‘debt’, ‘due’ + a derivative of heiz(z)an
‘to command’. The surname is also established in Scandinavia. Johann Theobald Hoschar
(1710 - 1785) Born
in Switzerland on 1710 to Paulus Hoschar and Mary Elizabeth Schultz. He passed away on 10
Feb 1785 in Brecknock Lansaster,
Pennsylvania, USA. Johann Theobald married Anna
Barbara Wieders and had 6 children. Anna
Barbara Wieders (1707 - 1728) Born in German
Empire on 1707 to Johannes Heinrich Weiders and
Anna Maria Many. Anna Barbara married Johann Theobald
Hoschar and had 6 children. She passed away on 1728
in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. Children
of Johann Hoschar and Anna: ·
Elisabeth Hoshour ·
Johan Peter Hoschaar ·
Heinrich Hoschaar ·
Anna Barbara Hoschaar ·
Catherine Hoshour ·
Friedrich Hoschaar Parents of Anna Barbara Wieders Johannes Heinrich Weiders (1697 - 1729) Born in Erlenbach,
Switzerland on 1697 to Hans Jacob Witter. Johannes Heinrich married Anna
Maria Many and had a child. He passed away on 26 Aug 1729 in Germany. Anna Maria Many (1683-1704) Johan Peter Hoschaar (1729 - 1801) Born in France on
14 Mar 1729 to Johann Theobald Hoschar
and Anna Barbara Wieders. He passed away on 13 Dec
1801 in Brecknock Lancaster Pa. Johan Peter married Barbara Mintzker and had 8 children. Barbara Mintzker (1760 - 1824)Born in
Pennsylvania, USA on 1760 to Ludwig Mintzker.
Barbara married Johan Peter Hoschaar and had 8
children. She passed away on 15 Apr 1824 in Brecknock
Lancaster Pa. Children
of Johan and Barbara Hoschaar: ·
Jacobus James Hoschauer ·
William Hoschaar ·
Maria Margaret Hoschour ·
Catherine Hoschour ·
Barbara Hoschaar ·
Anna Hoschaar ·
Peter Hoschauer ·
John Henry Hoschauer Parents of Barbara Mintzkers
Ludwig Mintzker ( - 1776) Born. He passed away on 2 May 1776 in
Berks, Pennsylvania, USA. Jacobus James Hoschauer (1783 - 1860) Born in
Pennsylvania, USA on Jul 1783 to Johan Peter Hoschaar
and Barbara Mintzker. He passed away on 24 Oct 1860
in Berks Pa.Jacobus James married Hannah Stoman and had 9 children. Hannah Stoman (1786 - 1870) Born in
East Hempfield Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA on 26
Oct 1786. Hannah married Jacobus James Hoschauer and had 9 children. She passed away on 19 Nov
1870 in St Michaels Churchyard, Lancaster Pa. Children
of Jacobus and Hannah Hoschauer: ·
John Hoshauer ·
Elizabeth Hoschauer ·
Isaac Hoschouer ·
Samuel Hoschauer ·
Lydia Hoschauer ·
Henry Hoschauer ·
Susan Hoschauer ·
Joseph Hoschauer ·
Abraham Hoschauer Isaac Hoschouer (1809 - 1884) Born in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, USA on 16 Aug 1809 to Jacobus James Hoschauer and Hannah Stoman. He
passed away on 11 Dec 1884 in South Rossburg Brown,
Ohio, USA. Isaac married Catherine Hutchinson and
had 9 children. Catherine Hutchinson (1807 - 1885) Born in Cumberland,
Pennsylvania, USA on 17 Jun 1807. Catherine married Isaac Hoschouer
and had 9 children. She passed away on 13 Sep 1885 in Rossburg
Brown, Ohio, USA. Hutchinson name meaning Northern English: patronymic
from the medieval personal name Hutchin, a
pet form of Hugh. Isaac Hoschouer, was born in
Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. May 13, 1809, and died December 13, 1884. He
spent the early years of his life in the state of his nativity, was descended
from one of the old Pennsylvania Dutch families and could speak the German
tongue. He received a common school education which, however, was quite
meager, and was reared to habits of industry and economy. Removing" to Ohio, he took up his
abode in Montgomery county, where he located when Mansfield was a mere
hamlet. (To whom this refers, I have not figured out yet-unless one of his children
had a middle name of Mansfield) The trip was made across the country with
teams, and about 1833 he came to Darke county,
where he entered forty acres of land from the government. This was a dense
forest tract, upon which not an improvement had been made. Soon, however, he
built a little log cabin and as the years passed he added to his property,
extending the boundaries of his farm until at the time of his death he was
the owner of three hundred and seventy acres of land in Brown township. His
political support was given the Democracy, and he was a strong advocate of Jacksonian principles. Isaac and his wife Catherine moved from Brecknock Twp. Lancaster County Pennsylvania to
Mansfield, Montgomery County, Ohio. About 1835 he moved to Darke County, Ohio and entered 40 acres from the
government. This land was dense forest tracts with no improvements. He built
a little log cabin and as the years passed added to it till he owned 370
acres. In his early manhood he wedded Catherine
Hutchinson, who was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, on the 7th of
June, 1807, and passed to her final rest on the 13th of September, 1885. Children
of Isaac and Catherine Hoschouer: ·
Mary Hoschouer (widow of
Henry Moore of Fredonia, KS) Mary Hoschouer
Moore (1833 - ____)* ·
Abraham Hoschouer (married Orpha Orilla Hickox) Abraham Hoschouer (1835
- 1884)* Abraham and his wife were on that wagon train with his sister Martha
and her husband John Gilbert to Saline County, Nebraska. It took them 52 days
to get to Turkey Creek which was before Saline County was a county. They were
Pioneers! ·
Sarah Hoschouer Sarah Hoschouer (1837 - 1857)* ·
Isaac Jackson Hoschouer
(Jackson) Isaac Jackson Hoschouer (1838 - 1913)*
Isaac Jackson's wife Lydia who was a sister to John Zeigler's wife Eliza Jane
(Jennie) They moved to Friend,
Nebraska ·
James Hoschouer James Hoschouer (1840 - 1841)* ·
Martha Hoschouer (Mattie)
(married John Gilbert, a resident farmer of Friend, Nebraska) Martha Mattie Hoschouer Gilbert (1842 - 1907)* Martha (Mattie)
and her husband and Abraham and his wife were on that wagon train. It took
them 52 days to get to Turkey Creek which was before Saline County was a
county. They were Pioneers! John was
one of the 1st Nebraska State Representatives. He was pretty wealthy in his
own right. ·
Nancy Jane Hoschouer Nancy
Jane Hoschouer Weaver (1844 - 1896)* ·
John Zeigler Hoschouer
(married Jennie Young) John Zeigler Hoschouer (1846
- 1919)* John
Zeigler's wife Eliza Jane (jennie) was the sister
to Iaasac Jackson's wife Lydia. ·
Phebe Ann Hoschouer Phoebe Ann Hoschouer
Routsong (1849 - 1921)* the wife of John Routsong, who resided on the old family homestead. Abraham Hoschouer (1835 - 1884) Born in Ansonia, Darke, Ohio, USA on 21 Mar 1835 to Isaac Hoschouer and Catherine Hutchinson. Abraham married Orpha Orilla Hickox and had 8 children. He passed away on 11 Apr 1884.
In 1865,
there was a wagon train that left Rossville ( it is
known as Rossburg now) in Darke
County, Ohio. Rossville is about a mile away from Isaac's land. Isaac and Catharine's daughter Martha (Mattie) and her husband (J.W. Gilbert)
and Abraham and his wife (Orpha
Orilla Hickox) were
on that wagon train. It took them 52 days to get to Turkey Creek which
was before Saline County, Nebraska was a county. They were Pioneers! (Bessie's mother, Minnie Estella Hoschouer was born 10 years later, there in Friend,
Saline County Nebraska. Bessie's Great
Uncle, J.W. Gilbert's father was one of the first settlers of that
community. Bessie's Grandparents,
Abraham and Orpha and her Great Aunt Mattie and
Great Uncle J.W. Gilbert were one of the first
38 settlers of Friend, Saline County, Nebraska) Orpha Orilla Hickox
(1842 - 1919) Born
in Girard, Branch, Michigan, USA on 3 Feb 1842. Orpha
Orilla married Abraham Hoschouer
and had 8 children. She passed away on 2 Sep 1919. Children of
Abraham Hoschouer and Orpha
Orilla Hickox are:
Hickox name meaning English:
patronymic from Hickok. Minnie Estella Hoschouer (1875 -
1915/1916) Born
on 1 Oct 1875 to Abraham Hoschouer and Orpha Orilla Hickox. Minnie Estella married Charles Fritzgerald Madison and had 3 children. She passed away
on Apr 1915/1916, leaving 3 young children.
Charles remarried an older woman (Ernestine Buckley) and they had some
children, which I'm still sorting out · Name: Minnie HOSCHOUER · Name: Minnie MADISON · Death: ABT 1915/1916 · Note:
in childbirth with Florence Marriage 1 Charles Fritzgerald MADISON
Charles Fritzgerald Madison (1879 -
1956) Born
in Concordia, Kansas, is likely buried in
Concordia. Not much other information
is available about this person yet.
When his wife Minnie Estella Hoschouer
passed away Minnie died in childbirth in 1916, leaving him with 3 young
children to raise, he remarried an older woman (Ernestine
Buckley) and had more children which I am still trying to sort out. Correct name is
Charles Fritzgerlad (that's where Uncle Fritz got
his name) Charles
Fritzgerald Madison marriage 1: Minnie Estella Hoschouer Children
of Charles Madison and Minnie Estella Hoschouer
are: ·
Bessie Orpha Madison, b. 17 Jul 1912, Concordia KS, d. 13 Mar
1996, Augusta KS. ·
Francis Fritz Madison, b. 1914,
Kansas married Margarie. They had at least one daughter 1. Judy Jean
Madison ·
Florence Madison, b. 1916, Kansas married
Clovis Nitcher Charles
Madison married 2: Ernestine Buckley Children
of Charles Fritzgerald Madison and Ernestine
(Buckley) Madison are: ·
???? ·
Bessie Orpha Madison (1912 - 1996) Born
on July 17, 1912 in Concordia, Kansas, Died March 13, 1996 in Newton, Kansas,
Buried in Augusta, Kansas. Bessie claimed
that her middle name on her birth certificate was "Irene". I will get a cc and verify. Bessie married Walter Marion "Bud"
Bingham (1906 - 1957) Walter
“Bud” and Bessie were married very young. Bessie was only 17 years
old. They lived in Kansas, Arkansas areas. They raised 13
children. Bud worked at Cutty Hays Meat
Company as a meat-cutter and Beachcraft.
This
may not be 100% accurate yet. Please
be patient as I gather family information, kids of these people, etc. Children of Walter Marion "Bud" and Bessie
Bingham: o Charles Walter
(1929-2001) married Nina (divorced) 6 children o
Anna Ruth (About 1932-2007)
married Jimmy W Grow (divorced-deceased), married Richard Welliver
(divorced), married Warren Rude (deceased) o Peggy Louise
(1933-2006) married Earnest Ralston; 7 children o Patsy Lucille
(stillborn twin to Peggy) o Hazel (1934) married Don VanHorn;
4 children o Florence Virginia
(1937) married Roscoe Gayle Grow (divorced), married Gayle Milner (deceased);
7 children o Margaret
(1938-2009) married Emmitt Nollar (divorced),
married George Keith (deceased) o Bud (1940-1986)
married MaryAnn Roberts (divorced); 4 children o LaVerna Kay (1941)
married Bob Morrow (divorced), married Royce Graber; 6 children o Larry Gene (1943-1997)
married Leslie Jackson (divorced); 3 children o Iona Sue (1945)
married Tom Terronez (divorced) married David
Maxwell; 3 children o Sherry Lynn (1947)
married Bill McCandless (deceased), married JackHalberstadt (deceased) o Linda Rae (1948)
married ____ McCollum (divorced), married Russell Coiner; 3 children o
Richard DelRoy ( ) married Linda _____; 3 children Anna Ruth Bingham (1932-2008) Anna
Ruth Bingham Born on XXXXXX in XXXXX, Arkansas, Died XXXXXX in Wichita,
Kansas, Buried in XXXXXX Anna
Ruth Bingham married
Jimmy W Grow about 1951. They divorced
about 1955. He was killed in a car
accident as he swerved to miss a bus full of school kids. Ruth and her sister Virginia both married
the Grow boys from Atlanta, KS. So
their children became double cousins and their children grew up closer than
average cousins because they shared Aunts, Uncles, Grandmas, and Grandpas. Jimmy
and Ruth were divorced, and Jimmy died in a truck accident in 1955. Ruth worked at Cessna, various grocery
lines as a cake decorator, and later married Warren Rude and moved to
Wichita. Warren preceded her in death,
and she moved back to the Burrton-Buhler area to be near family prior to her
death. Ruth was a wonderful
woman. She was the best mother-in-law
any girl could ever hope to have!
Becoming part of the Bingham family was an privilage and and honor. They are really a great and close family. Jimmy Wilford Grow (XXXX -
XXXX) Born
on XXXXXX in XXXXX, Kansas, Died XXXXXX in Wichita, Kansas, Buried in Latham,
Kansas Children
of Anna Ruth and Jimmy Wildford Grow: (These boys
do not want their names or information shown on the internet) o Xxxxxx Grow (boy) o Xxxxxx Grow (boy) o Xxxxxx Grow (boy) Deborah Jean met xxxxxxx while
home on leave from the U.S. Navy. They were married at United Methodist
Church. The Reverend Dellenbaugh proceeded
the ceremony. They had some very good
years together. Children: o
Jennifer married Jeremy ·
Megan ·
Jimmy o
Gayle married Larry (divorced); later married Eduardo
(divorced) ·
Lacy ·
Christopher ·
Alexis ·
Madison o
Jamie married Kevin ·
Kevin ·
Novalie ·
Christian Facts and Documentation about this family I've run across some of the most interesting
stories on this family and this time in History from researching both Darke
County Ohio and Friend, Saline Nebraska Taken
from "A Biographical history of Darke County,
Ohio : compendium of national biography" - Published 1900 (about John Zeligler Hoschoer) Catherine
was a fond and indulgent mother, her influence for
good was marked among her children and by all who knew her. She had four sons
and five daughters, and of the family five were yet living in 1900 when the
book was published, namely : Mary, the widow of
Henry Moore, of Fredonia, Kansas; Jackson, a farmer who is married and lived
in Friend, Nebraska; Martha, wife of John Gilbert, a resident farmer of Friend,
Nebraska; John Ziegler, the subject in book; and Phebe,
the wife of John Routsong, who resided on the old
family homestead. After Isaac and
Catharine died the land was split up and Phoebe got some land that had the
Cemetery on it. Sad to say, she made no provisions to keep it in the family.
Over the years the farmers that acquired it didn't take care of it and then
during the late 70's was vandalized. The Brown Twp Trustees owns it now
stones be sucked under the ground. So, Robin Hoschouer
Zeller (descendent of John Ziegler Hoschouer) and
her husband and Isaac and Catharine's farmhands g
great grandchildren are working hard in it. They have dug up stones and bases
and replaced bases and straightened leaning stones and are replacing broken
stones with new stones. There were 5 stones left standing when they started
and now there are 58 stones standing. This is our heritage and Robin was not
willing to lose it. They also put up a flagpole, bench, a 52" angel
statue and her husband made a directory. The directory is so when you can no
longer read the stone you can at least see where the stone is. Taken
from "A Biographical history of Darke
County, Ohio : compendium of national biography" - Published
1900 JOHN HOSCHOUER. A
representative of one of the pioneer families of Brown township, Mr. Hoschouer lias been a resident
of Darke county since his birth, which occurred on
the 18th of May, 1846. His father, Isaac Hoschouer,
was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. May 13, 1809, and died December
13. 1884. He spent the early years of his life in the state of his nativity,
was descended from one of the old Pennsylvania Dutch families and could speak
the German tongue. He received a common school education which, however, was
quite meager, and was reared to habits of industry and economy.
Removing" to Ohio, he took up his abode in Montgomery county, where he
located when Mansfield was a mere hamlet. The trip was made across the
country with teams, and about 1833 he came to Darke
county, where he entered forty acres of land from the government. This was a
dense forest tract, upon which not an improvement had been made. Soon,
however, he built a little log cabin and as the years passed he added to his
property, extending the boundaries of his farm until at the time of his death
he was the owner of three hundred and seventy acres of land in Brown
township. His political support was given the Democracy, and he was a strong
advocate of Jacksonian principles. In his early
manhood he wedded Catherine Hutchinson, who was born in Cumberland county,
Pennsylvania, on the 7th of June, 1807, and passed to her final rest on the
13th of September, 1885. A fond and indulgent mother, her influence for good
was marked among her children and by all who knew her. She had four sons and
five daughters, and of the family five are yet living, namely
: Mary, the widow of Henry Moore, of Fredonia, Kansas; Jackson, a
farmer who is married and lives in Friend, Nebraska; Martha, wife of John
Gilbert, a resident farmer of Friend, Nebraska; John of this review; and Phebe, the wife of John Routsong,
who resides on the old family homestead. Mr. Hoschouer
is now the only living male representative of the family in Brown township.
No event of special importance occurred to vary the monotony of life upon the
farm in his boyhood days. He began his education in a little log
school-house, 18x20 feet, the seats being formed of saplings which were hewed
smooth on one side and placed horizontally upon wooden pins, and across pins
inserted into the wall was laid a long board which served as a writing desk
for the older scholars. The building was heated by an immense fireplace, and
the smoke made its escape from a mud-and-stick chimney, The schoolmaster was
often more successful in maintaining discipline by the aid of a birch rod
than in instructing the scholars in the branches of English learning taught
in the common schools. The old-time "blue- back elementary spelling
book" and Ray's arithmetic where used, and the school term continued for
about three months. Through-out the remainder of the year Mr. Hoschouer was engaged in the operation of the home farm,
in tilling the soil and harvesting the crops. He remained with his parents
until they were called to the home beyond.
On the 2d of January, 1876, he wedded Miss Jennie Young, one of Darke county's native daughters. Her birth occurred
February 3, 1855, her parents being Ebenezer Reed and Sarah (Colby) Young.
They had ten children, five sons and five daughters, and all are living with
one exception. Of the nine who survive eight are residents of Ohio, one
sister, Lydia, being the wife of Jackson Hoschouer,
of Friend, Nebraska. The father of these children was born in Ohio, May 9,
1820, and died about 1891. He possessed natural mechanical ability and was a
carpenter and joiner by trade. His education was obtained in the common
schools. For many years he was a
resident of Allen township, Darke county, and was
known as a reliable citizen. In politics he was a staunch Democrat, and in
religious belief a Universalist. His wife, who was born in Ohio, April II,
182S, and died in April, 1890, was also of the Universalist faith. At
the time of his marriage Mr. Hoschouer rented the
old family homestead, and in 1880 purchased fifty-five acres of land, going
in debt for a part of it. His industry and economy, however, have enabled him
to make all payments upon his property, and to add to the farm until he is
now the owner of two hundred and seventy acres, constituting one of the
valuable farms of Brown township. It extends into York township also. He
raises the crops best adapted to this climate, and the well-tilled fields are
an indication of his careful supervision and .yield to him a golden tribute
in return for the care and labor he bestowed upon them. The home of Mr. and
Mrs. Hoschouer was blessed with the presence of
eight children, six sons and two daughters, and the living are: Myrtle, the
wife of Charles Harless, a tobacco-grower of York
township; William I., who has passed the Boxwell
examination, admitting him to any high school in the county, but is now
assisting his father in the cultivation of the home farm; Lewis F., who also
aids his father; and Jackson, Edward, John R. and Leland C, who are all with
their parents and are making good progress in their school work. Mr.
and Mrs. Hoschouer have traveled life's journey
together for a quarter of a century, sharing its joys and sorrows. They are
active in support of all measures which contribute toward the intellectual
and moral development of the community. Both are representatives of honored
pioneer families, and through this community are widely and favorably known.
Mr. Hoschouer is an advocate of Democracy, and has
cast his ballot for its presidential candidates since voting for Hon. Horatio
Seymour in 1868. His entire life has been devoted to the work of the farm,
and his practical and progressive methods have resulted in bringing to him
creditable success, of which he is in every way worthy. Martha
"Mattie" Hoschouer was born on December
14, 1842 in Brown Township, Darke County, Ohio to
Catherine Hutchinson & Isaac Hoschouer. On
November 7, 1863 in Darke County, Ohio, Martha
married John Winans Gilbert, only son of Louisa Winans & Jonas Gilbert. After two years of marriage
she left all her people, who were well off, and followed her husband to the
plains of Nebraska, to help make a home and a name in the far west. There
were no children born to this union. The couple did have a daughter Anna
Wheaton - researcher assumes she would have been adopted. Martha "Mattie" Hoschouer Gilbert died in August 15, 1907. J. W. GILBERT, farmer, P. O. Friend, Section
33, Town 8 Range 2, East, was born in Ohio, in 1840. In 1865, he moved
to Saline County, Neb., and took the place he now lives on as a homestead.
At that time there were about sixty settlers in the county. In 1879, was
elected to the State Legislature for the term of two years, for Saline
County; and in 1880, was elected County Commissioner for three years; has
held other minor offices. Mr. G's father came to Nebraska, with his
son; they secured about 1,000 acres of land on Turkey Creek, and
were successfully engaged there in mixed farming until the death of the elder
gentleman, February 22, 1882. Jonas Gilbert is a native of Ohio, and
was born in Shelby County, in 1810. In 1834, was married to Louisa Winans, a native of New Jersey. She was born in 1816.
J. W. Gilbert was an only son. He was married in 1863, to Miss
Mattie Hoschouer of Darke
County, Ohio, who, two years later left all her people, who were well off,
and followed her husband to the plains of Nebraska, to help make a home and a
name in the far west. The Homestead Act of 1862 Americans continued to move
westward even during the turmoil of the Civil War. After the war ended, several
million Americans immigrated to the regions beyond eastern Kansas and
Nebraska, enticed by cheap federal land that Congress offered in the
Homestead Act of 1862. Under the act, any individual settler paying a small
filing fee could stake a claim to 160 acres of free land in the West, as long
as his family "improved" the land by farming it and living on it. The distribution of Government
lands had been an issue since the Revolutionary War. At the time of the
Articles of Confederation, the major controversy related to land measurement
and pricing. Early methods for allocating unsettled land outside the original
13 colonies were arbitrary and chaotic. Boundaries were established by
stepping off plots from geographical landmarks. As a result, overlapping claims
and border disputes were common. The Land Ordinance of 1785 finally
implemented a standardized system of Federal land surveys that eased boundary
conflicts. Using astronomical starting points, territory was divided into a
6-mile square called a township prior to settlement. The township was divided
into 36 sections, each measuring 1 square mile or 640 acres each. Sale of
public land was viewed as a means to generate revenue for the Government
rather than as a way to encourage settlement. Initially, an individual was
required to purchase a full section of land at the cost of $1 per acre for
640 acres. The investment needed to purchase these large plots and the
massive amount of physical labor required to clear the land for agriculture
were often insurmountable obstacles By 1800, the minimum lot was halved to
320 acres, and settlers were allowed to pay in 4 installments, but prices
remained fixed at $1.25 an acre until 1854. That year, federal legislation
was enacted establishing a graduated scale that adjusted land prices to
reflect the desirability of the lot. Lots that had been on the market for 30
years, for example, were reduced to 12 ˝ cents per acre. Soon after,
extraordinary bonuses were extended to veterans and those interested in
settling the Oregon Territory, making homesteading a viable option for some.
But basically, national public-land-use policy made land ownership
financially unattainable for most would-be homesteaders. With the secession of Southern
states from the Union and therefore removal of the slavery issue, finally, in
1862, the Homestead Act was passed and signed into law. The new law
established a three-fold homestead acquisition process: filing an
application, improving the land, and filing for deed of title. Any U.S.
citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S.
Government could file an application and lay claim to 160 acres of surveyed
Government land. For the next 5 years, the homesteader had to live on the
land and improve it by building a 12-by-14 dwelling and growing crops. After
5 years, the homesteader could file for his patent (or deed of title) by
submitting proof of residency and the required improvements to a local land
office. Physical conditions on the
frontier presented even greater challenges. Wind, blizzards, and plagues of
insects threatened crops. Open plains meant few trees for building, forcing
many to build homes out of sod. Limited fuel and water supplies could turn
simple cooking and heating chores into difficult trials. Ironically, even the
smaller size of sections took its own toll. While 160 acres may have been
sufficient for an eastern farmer, it was simply not enough to sustain
agriculture on the dry plains, and scarce natural vegetation made raising
livestock on the prairie difficult. As a result, in many areas, the original
homesteader did not stay on the land long enough to fulfill the claim. Homesteaders who persevered were
rewarded with opportunities as rapid changes in transportation eased some of
the hardships. Six months after the Homestead Act was passed, the Railroad
Act was signed, and by May 1869, a transcontinental railroad stretched across
the frontier. The new railroads provided easy transportation for
homesteaders, and new immigrants were lured westward by railroad companies
eager to sell off excess land at inflated prices. The new rail lines provided
ready access to manufactured goods and catalog houses like Montgomery Ward
offered farm tools, barbed wire, linens, weapons, and even houses delivered
via the rails. But the Homestead Act required
those claiming the land to live on it, and the act forced settlers to develop
the land in 160-acre plots. So, each settler was at least 1/4-mile away from his
or her nearest neighbor. In some parts of the West, you might find yourself
tens of miles away. A horse, if you were fortunate enough to have one, was
your transportation, so it took time and effort to visit your neighbors. Loneliness was a fact of life,
and we may see evidence of that fact in photographs from the time. Look at
the photograph of the John Curry sod house in 1886. Do you see the birdcage?
Both the birds and their cages are fragile objects. Why would families go to
all the trouble to transport them across hundreds of miles of bumpy trails in
rough wagons? Well, the birds may have helped cope with the loneliness.
Canaries offered a bright spot of color in a landscape that the settlers saw
as relentlessly green and brown. And their songs were welcome, because native
birds could be few and far between on the treeless prairies. Schools were usually one of the first buildings to be built to
draw settlers to an area In many cases, the schools became
the focal point for community life, serving as churches, polling places and
social gathering locations. Our ancestors would be sick to hear what is
happening to our schools these days.
Many local schools are closing for the lack of funding. Poor planning on the part of our government
and lack of the principles once held by the pioneers,
will close many more schools before this newest great depression is over. The Depression of 1893 Cleveland's second term was much
more dynamic than his relatively uneventful first term, as the Depression of
1893 hit just months after he took the oath of office. This depression, the
worst the country had seen since the Depression of 1873, could not have come
at a more desperate time for the federal government. On top of the fact that
the U.S. Treasury was already nearly empty, wily investors traded silver for
gold in a convoluted scheme that sent the gold reserve sinking below the $100
million mark. Had this trend continued, there would not have been enough gold
to back the paper currency in circulation. The United States would have then
had to go off the gold standard, which would have crashed the economy
completely and ruined the country's financial credibility abroad. J. P. Morgan's Loan To prevent any more gold from
being used up, Cleveland repealed the 1890 Sherman Silver Purchase Act, much
to the chagrin of Populist-leaning Democrats. But the act's repeal had little
positive effect, and by the following year there was only $41 million left in
the Treasury. The federal government thus was forced to look elsewhere for
help. In a transaction that perhaps perfectly encapsulates the great power
and wealth of big business in the Gilded Age, President Cleveland borrowed
more than $60 million from Wall Street financier J. P. Morgan to put the U.S.
economy back on solid ground. The first large-scale U.S. union
was the National Labor Union, founded in 1866 to organize skilled and
unskilled laborers, farmers, and factory workers. Blacks and women, however,
were not allowed to join the union. Though the National Labor Union was not
affiliated with any particular political party, it generally supported any
candidate who would fight for shorter workdays, higher wages, and better
working conditions. The National Labor Union existed for only six years. When
the Depression of 1873 hit, workers' rights were put
on hold; Americans needed any wages, not better wages. Moreover, union
members found it difficult to engage in collective bargaining with company
heads when companies could easily hire thousands of immigrant
"scabs," or strikebreakers. About Saline County, Nebraska Saline County, little more than a
quarter of a century ago, was undistinguished by name, boundary line, or
survey. It was then a part of the wild and undivided country which knew no
settlement nor recognized civilization. The buffalo and Indian roamed over it
at freedom and at will and the yet wilder and more savage bordermen
performed unmolested their revolting tragedies of crime and murder fearlessly
and without danger of detection or punishment. In 1855, the survey was made
and a portion of territory was detached from the mass and named Saline
County. The Big Blue River crosses the
county from north to south, along the eastern part by which with its numerous
tributaries, the entire county is excellently watered for both agricultural
and stock raising purposes. A branch called the West Blue River, joins the
main stream in the northwest part of the county and it is also fed by
numerous creeks of considerable size in its flow southward through the
county. Among these is Turkey Creek which enters the county on the
west side and arching around toward the north again flows southward, emptying
into the Big Blue near the southeast corner of the county. This is the
largest creek in the county and affords most excellent water power
privileges. Swan Creek, the next in size, crosses the southern part of the
county from east to west and is of sufficient size, for a considerable
distance from its mouth, for propelling purposes. Besides these there are
several other creeks of minor size, such as Walnut, Dry Brush, Spring,
Johnson, and Squaw, with their numerous smaller branches and tributaries. THE FIRST SETTLER in Saline
County, Nebraska Abraham Hoschouer
and Orpha Orilla Hickox-Hoschouer were among the first 38 settlers of
Friend, Saline, Nebraska! How cool is that little piece of history? The time had now come, when the splashings of the breakers of civilization should fall
upon this uncivilized country. Even already the adventurous frontiersman,
hunter, trapper and explorer, had led the vanguard, but none had come to
stay. The first permanent settlement of Saline County began in the year 1858,
just twenty-four years ago. As to who the first
settler was, is a question upon which there is a diversity of opinion. That it should be so, in the
absence of any record of the fact, and when several, near about the same
time, "came to stay," may rather be inferred. Were the statements of most of
the early settlers now living taken for authority, there would be several
first settlers.
The better authorities upon the subject place the honor between E. Frink, who located, in 1858, on Turkey Creek, near
the present site of Pleasant Hill, and Victor Vifquain,
who located the same year, in the northeast part of the county, not far from
where the city of Crete now stands. The preponderance of the evidence,
however, lies in favor of Vifquain, to whom must be
accorded the credit of being the first permanent settler in Saline
County. Those next immediately
following Vifquain and Frink
were: William Stanton, James Johnston, Jonas Gilbert, J. S. Hunt, John
Tucker, Tobias Castor, J. C. Bickle, William
Remington, William Wall, and others. PIONEER EVENTS. The first couple married in the
county was Henry Smothers to Mary Porter, February 10, 1866. The first child
born among the settlers was Victor Emanuel Vifquain,
on the 21st day of October, 1859. The first death was Thomas Duncan,
occurring in the year 1860. S. Caldwell preached the first sermon, in the old
dirt-covered log house that had been built on Vifquain's
farm for a schoolhouse. Little can be imagined by those
who have never experienced it, the hardships with which the early settlers of
Saline County were compelled to contend. Far removed from markets, they were
compelled to go to Nebraska City, on the Missouri River, a distance of
seventy-five miles, for groceries and other necessities. A sharp lookout had
to be kept up against the Indians. Scouting parties of two or more men were
frequently dispatched to ascertain if any hostile tribe was nearing the
place. Organizations with this in view were formed, or attempted to be
formed. At one time a meeting was called to effect an organization of this
sort. ORGANIZATION in Saline County Saline County became organized February 18,
1807. Other attempts to organize had been made, prior to this, and a sort
of temporary organization established, with a full set of county officers and
board of commissioners elected. This organization, however, lacked for
permanence. The first board of
commissioners elected in 1867, under the permanent organization, was
composed of the following named members: John Cox, Jonas Gilbert and
Abram Byrd. Since then, the following boards
have been elected: 1868. -- John Cox, Jonas Gilbert and John Venlemens. 1869. -- John Cox, John Venlemens
and J. S. Tucker. 1870. -- J. I. Tucker, John Cox and W. B. Houck; during the
year Tucker resigned and William Smith was appointed to fill his place. Smith
also resigned before the expiration of the term, and J. Jansen was appointed
to fill the vacancy. 1871. -- John Cox, J. Jansen and Frank Jenlinek. 1872. -- John Cox, Frank Jenlinek and William H. Clark. John Cox resigned and John
Gilbert was appointed to fill the unexpired term. 1873. -- Frank Jenlinek, W. H. Clark and L. W. Coplen.
1874. -- W. H. Clark, L. W. Coplen and William Stanten. W. H. Clark went out of office and P. J. Carl was
appointed. 1875. -- L. W. Coplen, P. J. Carl and J.
Donnelly. 1876. -- P. J. Carl, T. B. Parker and A. Bucher. 1877. -- M. W.
Hall, P. J. Carl and A. Bucher. Hall resigned and Wencil
Vilda was appointed to vacancy. 1878. -- A. Bucher,
P. J. Carl and Wencil Vilda.
1879. -- Wencil Vilda, P.
J. Carl and William Miller. Carl went out of office March 8, 1879, and W. T.
Dudgeon was appointed. 1880. -- W. R. Markland,
William Miller and Frank Shabata, who resigned
before end of term. 1881. -- John W. Gilbert, William Miller
and Frank Karten. Karten
was appointed in place of Shabata, resigned. 1882.
-- Frank Karten, John W. Gilbert and G.
A. Hunt. Searching for Shelter When settlers first moved onto
the land, they needed shelter immediately. For a few days, they may have
stayed in their wagons or a tent. But many soon built a temporary, one-room
structure, called a cabin. A cabin is simply a quickly constructed one-room
dwelling, and can be made of any material, including log, lumber, stone, or
sod. If you had a hill on your claim, you might construct a dugout. By
digging into the hill, you immediately had a back wall and two of your side
walls. Dugouts were cramped, often no more than ten feet square, but they
provided quick shelter, allowing the settlers to turn their attention to the
other survival needs of providing food and water. The early settlers who came to
Nebraska selected home sites where they found familiar materials from which
to build their dwellings. Along timber covered rivers like the Missouri and
Republican, log and lumber houses were common. In the few places in Nebraska
where you find stone outcroppings, stone was quarried and used. Where there
was clay, people made houses out of adobe, or built walls by tightly pounding
dirt into forms to make a solid wall. But in many places in Nebraska those
building materials were simply not to be found, and
so settlers turned to sod. As far as we know, the first building made out of
sod, and not adobe, was at Fort Kearny in the late 1840s. Over the years, by
trial and error, newcomers to Nebraska learned how to work with sod
effectively. For those who came with little or no money, they were
inexpensive to build. You needed money only for windows, doors, and whatever
lumber was required for the roof. With walls made of tightly packed sod, two
to three feet thick, these buildings did an excellent job of dealing with the
extremes of Nebraska's climate. In the winter these walls in held heat, and
in the summer, they stayed comfortably cool. What was it like to live in a
sod house? Was it better to live in a wood-framed house? Click these links to
compare the memories of two settlers who lived in different types of houses.
Soon, the cabin no longer met the needs of the settlers, and within a year or
two, they would build their first permanent house. Many of the same
techniques that they used for their cabins were used for the first house.
Like cabins, the first house could be made of a variety of materials,
including stone, log, clay, and lumber. "The wagon cover over a hole
in the ground is a common first dwelling. The furs on the wagon wheel are
fox. The pelt held by the man with the beard is badger. Beside him, a pile of
traps." Keeping Warm Keeping warm in the winter was a
common problem for residents of the plains, and different groups had
different solutions to the problem. For instance, John W. Hartman came to
eastern Nebraska in 1890 and got to know some of the first generation of
settlers. Hartman wrote, "John Gilbert was a stage-driver working
for the government. ... The Pawnee were great friends to John
Gilbert. Many of their tribe would come each fall to make Gilbert
a visit. In one of their visits, Gilbert went down to the timber where
they were camped and setting around a little fire. Gilbert got a lot
of brush and logs to put on the fire. The Indian chief said: 'White man
damn fool - builds great big fire and have to get a long ways from it. Indian
builds a little fire and sets around it.' " Most settlers built fires in
stoves to heat their houses, but the homesteaders didn't have the same fuel
sources they had back east or in Europe. Wood was precious. Coal was
expensive. So what did they use? As with their building materials, they used
what they found at hand. If you lived by a stream, you gather wood. Hay,
straw and even sunflower stalks were used. And someone discovered that
"chips" - that is, droppings from either cows or buffaloes that had
dried in the sun - burned pretty well in the stoves. So, the chips were used
for fuel. All you had to do was gather them up. Piles of chips up to 10-12
feet high might be built next to the sod house. “Two are
better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of
them falls down, the other can help him up… Two people
can resist an attack that would defeat one person alone. A rope
made of three cords is hard to break.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9 Life is all About Choices Created and Designed by Deborah Jean Copyright: Deborah 2000 Last updated: May 2015 |
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