From 1913 edition of
YORK COUNTY NEBRASKA
OLD SETTLER'S HISTORY
as found online at
http://www.memoriallibrary.com/NE/York/1913/bios3.htm
William V. Powell
The subject of this sketch was born at an early age in Fayette County, Ohio, March 20th, 1836, on a farm near the (148) present county seat, Washington Court house. Mr. Powell's grandfather was a Welchman who came to this country many years ago, and finally located in Virginia, where his father, John Powell was born and reared. Mr. Powell's father and possibly his grandfather moved to Ohio in the last century, where his father married a German girl by name of Polly Miller, and William was the last of six children, he being the only boy. When about one year of age he lost his mother, and really never knew a mother's loving care, but had the good fortune to be taken by an excellent family, that of Hugh Rankin, with whom he lived until he was 14 years of age. At that age he ventured out into the big world to do for himself still making his home with Mr. Rankin when out of employment. When Powell had reached the age of 13, Mrs. Rankin, (her husband had died) sold her farm in Ohio, and removed to a farm near Peru, Indiana. At the age of 15 he got employment as an engineer in a steam sawmill, and worked at this vocation until the breaking out of the Civil War. On august 25th, 1861, he was mustered into Company A, 39th Indiana Vol. Inf., Col. T. J. Harrison, with Orris Blake as Captain of his company.
He participated in the battles of Mumfordsville, Shiloh, Berryville and Stoneriver or Murfreesboro, as it is best known. This great battle was fought December 31, 1862, and January 1st, 1863. There was a heavy cold rain falling the first day and night, and the exposure at this time was too much for many of the boys and they suffered from bad colds and pneumonia. Among those who went down with pneumonia was Mr. Powell, who was a very sick man for weeks, and when once convalescent was discharged as totally disabled, and it was a close call for him as he did not recover from the effects of this illness entirely for ten years. On reaching his home near Peru, Ind., he found himself just in time to hear his funeral sermon preached at the country church. He had been reported killed at the Stone-river, and his old friends at home were about to do the last honors to his name. They were very glad to change the sermon to one of thanksgiving for his safe return.
Mr. Powell's health improved so slowly, if indeed, it improved at all, that his physician advised him to go (149) further west into a higher and dryer climate, and so, he moved to Iowa, stopping in Jefferson County, near the little town of Batavia. He was so much helped by the change (this was in August, 1863) that by September 20th, 1864, he had mustered up courage to marry. The bride was the comely widow, Mrs. Sarah A. Marlowe, whose husband had died in battle at Prairie Grove, Arkansas. Mrs. Marlowe had one child, a little girl; Edith, who lived with Mr. and Mrs. Powell until her marriage to Edward Radley, and was well known to all the old settlers in northern York county.
For the first eight years of his married life, Mr. Powell farmed in Iowa, but in 1872, in company with J. H. Daggy, he came came to York county, and homesteaded the northeast quarter of section 6, in town 12, range 2, in Thayer township. Mr. Daggy selected the N. W. quarter of the same section. They returned to Iowa and making sale there, packed up what they cared to keep and loaded their families into covered wagons took to the road leading to York County, where they arrived about Nov. 25, 1872.
Mr. Powell rented a farm of the late Captain J. B. Read, who though a Confederate Veteran, proved to be a good neighbor and friend. During the following winter, the neighbors took Powell and Daggy with them to the Platte river, some thirty miles to the northwest, for loads of wood. It was one of those trips that one of Mr. Daggy's horses broke loose in the night. Hank heard the animal making tracks away from their camp and whiningly complained to Bill, "There is that dratted old fool of a Jim-horse, he is going straight back to Iowa, and will swim the Missouri river and snag his fool-self to death, and then what will I do for a horse to put in my crop with." Old Jim, however, did not go far but returned to his mate, and he was a glad sight to Daggy, when he went out the next morning.
The one event that remains the clearest in the memories of the old settlers is the Great Easter Blizzard of April 13-14-15, 1873. For three days the storm was so severe that Mr. Powell was unable to reach his stable and care for his live-stock. He expected to find them all dead, out upon reaching the stable after the storm had some (150) what abated on Wednesday afternoon, he found them alive and not much the worse for their long fast.
After the snow had all gone Powell and Daggy built sod-houses and moved upon their own land in June, 1873. They had put in a little wheat and a little sod-corn, which yielded very fairly, and they were much encouraged, but the following summer the Grasshoppers came down upon Nebraska, and cleaned up the corn and all the garden stuff, and that was the blow that "almost killed father." The "Hoppers" laid millions of eggs in the ground and this looked as if it were not possible to raise anything another year. One Sunday during the fall, Mr. M. Sovereign and family were visiting with the Daggy's, and Milt and Hank were walking out over the place, they stopped and made an estimate of the number of grasshopper eggs to the square inch, the number was near 4,000 to the square inch.
This settled the matter in their minds. The next week they pulled back for Iowa, but on counting the eggs over there, they found as many if not more, and so it was the next spring found them both on their Nebraska claims again. The "hoppers" came twice more, but did not injure us so badly as in 1874, and in a few years all had thrown off the grasshopper scare, and we have not seen them since.
Mr. Powell is the father of eight children -- all of them living -- and now having passed the three score and ten, he is taking life easy in his comfortable little cottage in Benedict with his good wife at his side. The following are the eight children of William V. and Sarah Fancher Powell: Mary E.(m.George Young), Charles P.(m1.Minnie Hurd), Jennie (m. Allie Hurd), Wm. Frank (m. Alice Christina Kenaston), Fred W. (m. Carrie Loreman), Stella (m. Marion Fellows), James H. (m.?), Maggie (m. John Turner)
YORK COUNTY NEBRASKA
OLD SETTLER'S HISTORY
as found online at
http://www.memoriallibrary.com/NE/York/1913/bios3.htm
William V. Powell
The subject of this sketch was born at an early age in Fayette County, Ohio, March 20th, 1836, on a farm near the (148) present county seat, Washington Court house. Mr. Powell's grandfather was a Welchman who came to this country many years ago, and finally located in Virginia, where his father, John Powell was born and reared. Mr. Powell's father and possibly his grandfather moved to Ohio in the last century, where his father married a German girl by name of Polly Miller, and William was the last of six children, he being the only boy. When about one year of age he lost his mother, and really never knew a mother's loving care, but had the good fortune to be taken by an excellent family, that of Hugh Rankin, with whom he lived until he was 14 years of age. At that age he ventured out into the big world to do for himself still making his home with Mr. Rankin when out of employment. When Powell had reached the age of 13, Mrs. Rankin, (her husband had died) sold her farm in Ohio, and removed to a farm near Peru, Indiana. At the age of 15 he got employment as an engineer in a steam sawmill, and worked at this vocation until the breaking out of the Civil War. On august 25th, 1861, he was mustered into Company A, 39th Indiana Vol. Inf., Col. T. J. Harrison, with Orris Blake as Captain of his company.
He participated in the battles of Mumfordsville, Shiloh, Berryville and Stoneriver or Murfreesboro, as it is best known. This great battle was fought December 31, 1862, and January 1st, 1863. There was a heavy cold rain falling the first day and night, and the exposure at this time was too much for many of the boys and they suffered from bad colds and pneumonia. Among those who went down with pneumonia was Mr. Powell, who was a very sick man for weeks, and when once convalescent was discharged as totally disabled, and it was a close call for him as he did not recover from the effects of this illness entirely for ten years. On reaching his home near Peru, Ind., he found himself just in time to hear his funeral sermon preached at the country church. He had been reported killed at the Stone-river, and his old friends at home were about to do the last honors to his name. They were very glad to change the sermon to one of thanksgiving for his safe return.
Mr. Powell's health improved so slowly, if indeed, it improved at all, that his physician advised him to go (149) further west into a higher and dryer climate, and so, he moved to Iowa, stopping in Jefferson County, near the little town of Batavia. He was so much helped by the change (this was in August, 1863) that by September 20th, 1864, he had mustered up courage to marry. The bride was the comely widow, Mrs. Sarah A. Marlowe, whose husband had died in battle at Prairie Grove, Arkansas. Mrs. Marlowe had one child, a little girl; Edith, who lived with Mr. and Mrs. Powell until her marriage to Edward Radley, and was well known to all the old settlers in northern York county.
For the first eight years of his married life, Mr. Powell farmed in Iowa, but in 1872, in company with J. H. Daggy, he came came to York county, and homesteaded the northeast quarter of section 6, in town 12, range 2, in Thayer township. Mr. Daggy selected the N. W. quarter of the same section. They returned to Iowa and making sale there, packed up what they cared to keep and loaded their families into covered wagons took to the road leading to York County, where they arrived about Nov. 25, 1872.
Mr. Powell rented a farm of the late Captain J. B. Read, who though a Confederate Veteran, proved to be a good neighbor and friend. During the following winter, the neighbors took Powell and Daggy with them to the Platte river, some thirty miles to the northwest, for loads of wood. It was one of those trips that one of Mr. Daggy's horses broke loose in the night. Hank heard the animal making tracks away from their camp and whiningly complained to Bill, "There is that dratted old fool of a Jim-horse, he is going straight back to Iowa, and will swim the Missouri river and snag his fool-self to death, and then what will I do for a horse to put in my crop with." Old Jim, however, did not go far but returned to his mate, and he was a glad sight to Daggy, when he went out the next morning.
The one event that remains the clearest in the memories of the old settlers is the Great Easter Blizzard of April 13-14-15, 1873. For three days the storm was so severe that Mr. Powell was unable to reach his stable and care for his live-stock. He expected to find them all dead, out upon reaching the stable after the storm had some (150) what abated on Wednesday afternoon, he found them alive and not much the worse for their long fast.
After the snow had all gone Powell and Daggy built sod-houses and moved upon their own land in June, 1873. They had put in a little wheat and a little sod-corn, which yielded very fairly, and they were much encouraged, but the following summer the Grasshoppers came down upon Nebraska, and cleaned up the corn and all the garden stuff, and that was the blow that "almost killed father." The "Hoppers" laid millions of eggs in the ground and this looked as if it were not possible to raise anything another year. One Sunday during the fall, Mr. M. Sovereign and family were visiting with the Daggy's, and Milt and Hank were walking out over the place, they stopped and made an estimate of the number of grasshopper eggs to the square inch, the number was near 4,000 to the square inch.
This settled the matter in their minds. The next week they pulled back for Iowa, but on counting the eggs over there, they found as many if not more, and so it was the next spring found them both on their Nebraska claims again. The "hoppers" came twice more, but did not injure us so badly as in 1874, and in a few years all had thrown off the grasshopper scare, and we have not seen them since.
Mr. Powell is the father of eight children -- all of them living -- and now having passed the three score and ten, he is taking life easy in his comfortable little cottage in Benedict with his good wife at his side. The following are the eight children of William V. and Sarah Fancher Powell: Mary E.(m.George Young), Charles P.(m1.Minnie Hurd), Jennie (m. Allie Hurd), Wm. Frank (m. Alice Christina Kenaston), Fred W. (m. Carrie Loreman), Stella (m. Marion Fellows), James H. (m.?), Maggie (m. John Turner)
From 1913 edition of
YORK COUNTY NEBRASKA
OLD SETTLER'S HISTORY
as found online at
http://www.memoriallibrary.com/NE/York/1913/bios3.htm
William V. Powell
The subject of this sketch was born at an early age in Fayette County, Ohio, March 20th, 1836, on a farm near the (148) present county seat, Washington Court house. Mr. Powell's grandfather was a Welchman who came to this country many years ago, and finally located in Virginia, where his father, John Powell was born and reared. Mr. Powell's father and possibly his grandfather moved to Ohio in the last century, where his father married a German girl by name of Polly Miller, and William was the last of six children, he being the only boy. When about one year of age he lost his mother, and really never knew a mother's loving care, but had the good fortune to be taken by an excellent family, that of Hugh Rankin, with whom he lived until he was 14 years of age. At that age he ventured out into the big world to do for himself still making his home with Mr. Rankin when out of employment. When Powell had reached the age of 13, Mrs. Rankin, (her husband had died) sold her farm in Ohio, and removed to a farm near Peru, Indiana. At the age of 15 he got employment as an engineer in a steam sawmill, and worked at this vocation until the breaking out of the Civil War. On august 25th, 1861, he was mustered into Company A, 39th Indiana Vol. Inf., Col. T. J. Harrison, with Orris Blake as Captain of his company.
He participated in the battles of Mumfordsville, Shiloh, Berryville and Stoneriver or Murfreesboro, as it is best known. This great battle was fought December 31, 1862, and January 1st, 1863. There was a heavy cold rain falling the first day and night, and the exposure at this time was too much for many of the boys and they suffered from bad colds and pneumonia. Among those who went down with pneumonia was Mr. Powell, who was a very sick man for weeks, and when once convalescent was discharged as totally disabled, and it was a close call for him as he did not recover from the effects of this illness entirely for ten years. On reaching his home near Peru, Ind., he found himself just in time to hear his funeral sermon preached at the country church. He had been reported killed at the Stone-river, and his old friends at home were about to do the last honors to his name. They were very glad to change the sermon to one of thanksgiving for his safe return.
Mr. Powell's health improved so slowly, if indeed, it improved at all, that his physician advised him to go (149) further west into a higher and dryer climate, and so, he moved to Iowa, stopping in Jefferson County, near the little town of Batavia. He was so much helped by the change (this was in August, 1863) that by September 20th, 1864, he had mustered up courage to marry. The bride was the comely widow, Mrs. Sarah A. Marlowe, whose husband had died in battle at Prairie Grove, Arkansas. Mrs. Marlowe had one child, a little girl; Edith, who lived with Mr. and Mrs. Powell until her marriage to Edward Radley, and was well known to all the old settlers in northern York county.
For the first eight years of his married life, Mr. Powell farmed in Iowa, but in 1872, in company with J. H. Daggy, he came came to York county, and homesteaded the northeast quarter of section 6, in town 12, range 2, in Thayer township. Mr. Daggy selected the N. W. quarter of the same section. They returned to Iowa and making sale there, packed up what they cared to keep and loaded their families into covered wagons took to the road leading to York County, where they arrived about Nov. 25, 1872.
Mr. Powell rented a farm of the late Captain J. B. Read, who though a Confederate Veteran, proved to be a good neighbor and friend. During the following winter, the neighbors took Powell and Daggy with them to the Platte river, some thirty miles to the northwest, for loads of wood. It was one of those trips that one of Mr. Daggy's horses broke loose in the night. Hank heard the animal making tracks away from their camp and whiningly complained to Bill, "There is that dratted old fool of a Jim-horse, he is going straight back to Iowa, and will swim the Missouri river and snag his fool-self to death, and then what will I do for a horse to put in my crop with." Old Jim, however, did not go far but returned to his mate, and he was a glad sight to Daggy, when he went out the next morning.
The one event that remains the clearest in the memories of the old settlers is the Great Easter Blizzard of April 13-14-15, 1873. For three days the storm was so severe that Mr. Powell was unable to reach his stable and care for his live-stock. He expected to find them all dead, out upon reaching the stable after the storm had some (150) what abated on Wednesday afternoon, he found them alive and not much the worse for their long fast.
After the snow had all gone Powell and Daggy built sod-houses and moved upon their own land in June, 1873. They had put in a little wheat and a little sod-corn, which yielded very fairly, and they were much encouraged, but the following summer the Grasshoppers came down upon Nebraska, and cleaned up the corn and all the garden stuff, and that was the blow that "almost killed father." The "Hoppers" laid millions of eggs in the ground and this looked as if it were not possible to raise anything another year. One Sunday during the fall, Mr. M. Sovereign and family were visiting with the Daggy's, and Milt and Hank were walking out over the place, they stopped and made an estimate of the number of grasshopper eggs to the square inch, the number was near 4,000 to the square inch.
This settled the matter in their minds. The next week they pulled back for Iowa, but on counting the eggs over there, they found as many if not more, and so it was the next spring found them both on their Nebraska claims again. The "hoppers" came twice more, but did not injure us so badly as in 1874, and in a few years all had thrown off the grasshopper scare, and we have not seen them since.
Mr. Powell is the father of eight children -- all of them living -- and now having passed the three score and ten, he is taking life easy in his comfortable little cottage in Benedict with his good wife at his side. The following are the eight children of William V. and Sarah Fancher Powell: Mary E.(m.George Young), Charles P.(m1.Minnie Hurd), Jennie (m. Allie Hurd), Wm. Frank (m. Alice Christina Kenaston), Fred W. (m. Carrie Loreman), Stella (m. Marion Fellows), James H. (m.?), Maggie (m. John Turner)
YORK COUNTY NEBRASKA
OLD SETTLER'S HISTORY
as found online at
http://www.memoriallibrary.com/NE/York/1913/bios3.htm
William V. Powell
The subject of this sketch was born at an early age in Fayette County, Ohio, March 20th, 1836, on a farm near the (148) present county seat, Washington Court house. Mr. Powell's grandfather was a Welchman who came to this country many years ago, and finally located in Virginia, where his father, John Powell was born and reared. Mr. Powell's father and possibly his grandfather moved to Ohio in the last century, where his father married a German girl by name of Polly Miller, and William was the last of six children, he being the only boy. When about one year of age he lost his mother, and really never knew a mother's loving care, but had the good fortune to be taken by an excellent family, that of Hugh Rankin, with whom he lived until he was 14 years of age. At that age he ventured out into the big world to do for himself still making his home with Mr. Rankin when out of employment. When Powell had reached the age of 13, Mrs. Rankin, (her husband had died) sold her farm in Ohio, and removed to a farm near Peru, Indiana. At the age of 15 he got employment as an engineer in a steam sawmill, and worked at this vocation until the breaking out of the Civil War. On august 25th, 1861, he was mustered into Company A, 39th Indiana Vol. Inf., Col. T. J. Harrison, with Orris Blake as Captain of his company.
He participated in the battles of Mumfordsville, Shiloh, Berryville and Stoneriver or Murfreesboro, as it is best known. This great battle was fought December 31, 1862, and January 1st, 1863. There was a heavy cold rain falling the first day and night, and the exposure at this time was too much for many of the boys and they suffered from bad colds and pneumonia. Among those who went down with pneumonia was Mr. Powell, who was a very sick man for weeks, and when once convalescent was discharged as totally disabled, and it was a close call for him as he did not recover from the effects of this illness entirely for ten years. On reaching his home near Peru, Ind., he found himself just in time to hear his funeral sermon preached at the country church. He had been reported killed at the Stone-river, and his old friends at home were about to do the last honors to his name. They were very glad to change the sermon to one of thanksgiving for his safe return.
Mr. Powell's health improved so slowly, if indeed, it improved at all, that his physician advised him to go (149) further west into a higher and dryer climate, and so, he moved to Iowa, stopping in Jefferson County, near the little town of Batavia. He was so much helped by the change (this was in August, 1863) that by September 20th, 1864, he had mustered up courage to marry. The bride was the comely widow, Mrs. Sarah A. Marlowe, whose husband had died in battle at Prairie Grove, Arkansas. Mrs. Marlowe had one child, a little girl; Edith, who lived with Mr. and Mrs. Powell until her marriage to Edward Radley, and was well known to all the old settlers in northern York county.
For the first eight years of his married life, Mr. Powell farmed in Iowa, but in 1872, in company with J. H. Daggy, he came came to York county, and homesteaded the northeast quarter of section 6, in town 12, range 2, in Thayer township. Mr. Daggy selected the N. W. quarter of the same section. They returned to Iowa and making sale there, packed up what they cared to keep and loaded their families into covered wagons took to the road leading to York County, where they arrived about Nov. 25, 1872.
Mr. Powell rented a farm of the late Captain J. B. Read, who though a Confederate Veteran, proved to be a good neighbor and friend. During the following winter, the neighbors took Powell and Daggy with them to the Platte river, some thirty miles to the northwest, for loads of wood. It was one of those trips that one of Mr. Daggy's horses broke loose in the night. Hank heard the animal making tracks away from their camp and whiningly complained to Bill, "There is that dratted old fool of a Jim-horse, he is going straight back to Iowa, and will swim the Missouri river and snag his fool-self to death, and then what will I do for a horse to put in my crop with." Old Jim, however, did not go far but returned to his mate, and he was a glad sight to Daggy, when he went out the next morning.
The one event that remains the clearest in the memories of the old settlers is the Great Easter Blizzard of April 13-14-15, 1873. For three days the storm was so severe that Mr. Powell was unable to reach his stable and care for his live-stock. He expected to find them all dead, out upon reaching the stable after the storm had some (150) what abated on Wednesday afternoon, he found them alive and not much the worse for their long fast.
After the snow had all gone Powell and Daggy built sod-houses and moved upon their own land in June, 1873. They had put in a little wheat and a little sod-corn, which yielded very fairly, and they were much encouraged, but the following summer the Grasshoppers came down upon Nebraska, and cleaned up the corn and all the garden stuff, and that was the blow that "almost killed father." The "Hoppers" laid millions of eggs in the ground and this looked as if it were not possible to raise anything another year. One Sunday during the fall, Mr. M. Sovereign and family were visiting with the Daggy's, and Milt and Hank were walking out over the place, they stopped and made an estimate of the number of grasshopper eggs to the square inch, the number was near 4,000 to the square inch.
This settled the matter in their minds. The next week they pulled back for Iowa, but on counting the eggs over there, they found as many if not more, and so it was the next spring found them both on their Nebraska claims again. The "hoppers" came twice more, but did not injure us so badly as in 1874, and in a few years all had thrown off the grasshopper scare, and we have not seen them since.
Mr. Powell is the father of eight children -- all of them living -- and now having passed the three score and ten, he is taking life easy in his comfortable little cottage in Benedict with his good wife at his side. The following are the eight children of William V. and Sarah Fancher Powell: Mary E.(m.George Young), Charles P.(m1.Minnie Hurd), Jennie (m. Allie Hurd), Wm. Frank (m. Alice Christina Kenaston), Fred W. (m. Carrie Loreman), Stella (m. Marion Fellows), James H. (m.?), Maggie (m. John Turner)
Gravesite Details
Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Marker
