Former Nebraska Governor Albinus Nance

This is not a relative, but I periodically write articles for the NSGS publication Ancestree, so thought I would put it on my blog too.

Albinus Nance was born in Stark County, Illinois on March 30, 1848. His parents were Dr. Hiram Nance and Sarah Smith. His father was an eminent physician and surgeon, a descendant of French Huegenots who settled in North Carolina. His mother was of English heritage. He was educated in Kewanee, Illinois until age 16. At age of 16 he enlisted in the 9^th Illinois Cavalry to fight in the Civil War. He fought in several battles and was wounded in the Battle of Nashville. After the Civil War he entered Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. In 1870 he was admitted to the bar in the supreme court in Illinois.

He moved to Nebraska in 1871 to homestead and practice law. He settled in Polk county being granted a homestead in 1875. Most of his time he spent practicing law in Osceola and working his real estate business. In 1873 his friends submitted his name to the Republican convention of the thirteenth district of the state legislature. He won at the election by about 2000. While in Polk county, he met notable residents who became his friends: Charles H. Morrill and John H. Mickey. They were members of an Osceola banking firm and started the Stromsburg Bank in 1881.

In 1875 Albinus Nance married Sarah White, daughter of Egbert and Mary White of Farragut, Iowa. To this union, one daughter was born, Helen. Helen later married Walter L. Anderson. Walter and Helen did not have any children, so Albinus Nance doesn’t have any living descendants at this time.

He served in the Nebraska House of Representatives from 1875 to 1878, serving as the speaker in 1877-1878. He also served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1876. In 1878 while he was serving as speaker, he was elected as governor of Nebraska. He was only 30 years old at the time, so he was nicknamed the “boy governor”. He and his administration were popular with the people. He won re-election in 1880 with “wild enthusiasm”. He is known for calling in the Nebraska state militia to subdue the strikers in the Camp Dump Strike; one striker was killed by the militia.

After serving as governor, he left Lincoln shortly after serving and made his home in Chicago. There he was engaged in handling railroad stocks and bonds.

Albinus Nance passed away at the Augustana hospital in Chicago on December 7, 1911 after having pneumonia. Funeral services were held at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Walter Anderson, in Chicago. The body was laid to rest in the family plot in Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska. Offices at the state house were closed for an hour for the funeral time as many of the state officers and prominent citizens attended his service. Governor Nance was a member of the Knights Templar and the Masons. Pallbearers included his friends Charles H. Morrill, A. S. Tibbets, C. O. Whedon, A. S. Raymond, A. W. Field, J. H. McClay, R. E. Moore, and Oliver E. Mickey (son of former governor John H. Mickey). Many other notable men served as honorary pallbearers including doctors, governors, a judge and a captain.

Nance County, Nebraska is named for former governor Albinus Nance and is located just northwest of Polk county where the governor resided for years.

For more about him and photos, go to his Findagrave page: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12839/albinus-nance

Genealogy Review of 2019

Less than a week left of 2019, so it's a good time to see how the year went.

Peronally: 

1. Worked on some collateral lines, finding more distant cousins. 

2. Got an additional DNA test done. So with 23 And Me done, my DNA is now on the 4 main DNA sites. 

3. I didn't blog much this year, only about 5 times. So I need to try to do better. I get busy and forget. 

Voluntarily:

1. I am an avid cemetery photographer. This year my total photos on Billion Graves is 10,835 and total transcriptions of 9933. This is an increase for the year of 8499 photos and 7709 transcriptions. For Findagrave my totals are now 10,842 memorials added and 24,061 photos added. This is an increase for the year of 861 memorials and 2986 photos. 

2. NSGS: I finished my first complete year as president, and also coordinated a conference in Grand Island with Blaine Bettinger, expert on DNA. It was well attended and everyone enjoyed Blaine as a presenter. 

3. GenWeb: I continue to maintain a county site. Didn't update it much this year.

Professionally: 

1. I gave several presentations this year: Beginning DNA twice (in Columbus and David City), Cemeteries three times (twice in Arapahoe, once in Lincoln), and Homesteading at NSGS. I also recently got selected to speak in FGS 2020 in Kansas City next September. I am excited to give three presentations at my first national genealogy conference. 

2. I helped several clients this year. 

3. I started digitizing for FamilySearch. This has been quite the learning experience. I know computers well, but have learned a lot more about cameras. Also learned more specifically what FamilySearch wants. 

4. I attended APG (Association of Professional Genealogists) meetings when I could, most of them online.

I think that's about it. What did you accomplish in 2019? Do you set goals for 2020? Leave me a link below. 

Amazing Local Man: James Calmar Wilson

I wrote up this article for our local newspaper and the state genealogical publication, so I figured I could put it on my blog.
Note I am NOT related to this man; neither is anyone in my family. I do live in the county where he is from.

James Calmar Wilson is the only son born to John Wesley and Margaret Olive (McCune) Wilson. He was born in Stromsburg, Polk County, Nebraska on October 8, 1900. His mother gave music lessons out of her home, and one student arrived that day and was told that she gave birth that morning so the student’s lesson would be postponed. His mother passed away when he was just 15 years old, and his father when he was 18, so he spent quite a bit of time with his maternal grandparents, Calmar and Julia McCune.

He was educated at home for the first year, and then entered Stromsburg schools in second grade. He graduated from Stromsburg High School with the Class of 1917. He then entered the state university and received his Bachelor’s of Science from that institution. Since graduation, he tried his hand at several occupations including farming, professional musician, college professor, explorer, writer and lecturer. He was an instructor for a time in the English department at the Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

The local paper records the departure of Jim and his friend Francis Flood in August 1927 for their trip around the world, calling them journalists. Francis was the associate editor of the Nebraska Farmer, while Jim is called a farmer, saxophone player and journalist. For this trip they needed passports and also had letters from the army, navy, White House and governor. They carried one suitcase between them, Wilson’s banjo, and a camera. They wrote articles for magazines, and took pictures and motion film for a couple companies. In 1928 with Francis, they became the first white men to cross central Africa from coast to coast. He and Francis made this 1200-mile trip by motorcycle, crossing roads never traveled by wheels. At one point, he was so thankful for a drink he played his banjo in gratefulness. Another day he played his banjo at the Emir’s palace and was offered three of his four wives, which he declined. He has made other travels and explorations to India, Burma, Siam, China, Japan, Canada, Alaska and Mexico. His love of travel and adventure seemed to come from his mother, herself quite a traveler in almost all the countries of Europe.

He married Alice Winona Olmstead on December 24, 1928 in Lincoln, Nebraska. To this union, two sons were born: David James and Steven Calmar.

As of the fall of 1933, he is a lecturer and writer and has been unusually successful. His articles have appeared in many leading magazines, and has lectured before Field Museum, Harvard Club of Boston, The Executives’ Club of Chicago, Colgate University and hundreds of other leading organizations throughout the east. At this time he made his home in northern Indiana on the shores of Lake Michigan.

In 1936 Jim Wilson wrote a book “Three Wheeling Through Africa” which describes their trip in 1927-1928 with the motorcycles, at times having to carry them with the aid of camels. He cites the friendliness and helpfulness of the African peoples. This book was briefly on the New York Times bestseller list. The book was originally published by Robbs Merrill of Indianapolis and sold for $3.50.

Image of book from Amazon.com 

I found a copy of this book for a somewhat reasonable price and ordered it. I am browsing through it and will donate it to our local public library. In this book Jim calls himself “a misfit, drifting from engineering to peddling books to vandeville to blondes to music to brunettes to punching cows to Alaska to raising wheat, and now to Africa”. (chapter 3, page 41). 

In 1938-1939 he made another worldwide trip, this time writing for World Letters. After World War II, he taught again, this time at Colorado A & M in Fort Collins.

In 1954, he and Alice moved to a farm near Polk where he finally settled until his passing. There he pioneered the use of native tall-grass prairie grass for pasture, erosion control and prairie restoration. He co-authored a book with his wife Alice and his son Steve entitled “Grass Land” on ecological aesthetic and economical values of our Middle Western conservation society of America. This book is hard to find to purchase, but is available at Nebraska college and university libraries. This book was self-published by “Wide Skies Books” in Polk, Nebraska by the Wilson family. Their son Steve took all the photos in the book and has won international claim as a professional photographer.

He also had an article published in the August 1943 issue of Harper’s Magazine entitled “Don’t Waste the Game Crop!” co-authored with his wife Alice. Actually his wife was quite the writer; she wrote for “The Nebraska Farmer”, “Saturday Evening Post”, and “Family Circle”.

He also wrote many songs and was an accomplished musician, no doubt another talent passed on and encouraged by his talented mother, who herself was an accomplished musician having studied at the New York Conservatory of Music.

James Calmar Wilson has a valley named for him called “Jim Wilson Canyon” in Fall River County, South Dakota. It is in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland near Pine Ridge Reservation. 

He passed away January 31, 1995 and is buried in the Stromsburg Cemetery. 

Below is my photo of his gravestone: 

August: Husband's relative, Floyd Buchanan

As an avid cemetery photographer, I am often trying to "complete" a cemetery by photographing the entire cemetery and put the photos on Findagrave and Billion Graves. Well little did I know that this part of my hobby would lead me to finding one of my husband's relatives less than 20 miles away from us!

My husband is a Nebraska transplant. He was born in Iowa, but never lived there as they just drove across the river to the hospital. He grew up some in Illinois, where many of his ancestors were from. Most of his life he spent in northwest Indiana. So I NEVER thought I would find one of his relatives in Nebraska, let alone less than 20 miles away!

So I ended up finding three of his first cousins two times removed. Floyd Buchanan, and two of his sisters Iva (Buchanan) Towslee and Maud (Buchanan) Roth. They are three of five children of Mary Regina Foresman and Robert A. Buchanan. Mary Regina Foresman is the daughter of John Piatt Foresman and Anna Filbert (my husband's great-great-grandparents).

Floyd, Iva and Maud were all born in McDonough County, Illinois. Iva is the oldest born in 1867, Maud in 1870, and Floyd in 1876. Also born to this couple were Carrie in 1873 and Grace in 1878. Their early life was spent in McDonough County, Illinois. At the age of 20, Floyd came to Merrick County, Nebraska. Sister Iva came in about 1885 to Merrick County, Nebraska to be with a step-sister (Mrs. Emma Sutton). Maud frequently visited her relatives in Silver Creek, Nebraska and it was there she met her beau, Alvin Roth.

Floyd married Mattie Floss Yeoman and was active in the community. He served as Postmaster from 1930-1935, also on city council, and in IOOF, Masonic Lodge and Rebekah Lodge. Floyd was the father of three daughters. All three siblings were members of the Episcopal church and served as active members. Maud had one daughter, and she (Maud) met her death the earliest at the age of 57. Iva married Edgar Towslee and to my knowledge, did not have any children.

Iva died at age 71 and Floyd at age 78. All three are buried in the Silver Creek cemetery with their spouses. One of Floyd's daughters who passed away young, is also buried there.
My cemetery photos are below. 
I got this information from the cemetery, from census records online and from the newspapers which are now online.

January: Anna (Jorgensen) Dorman

Since my genealogy meeting got postponed, it's a good time to do a blog post. This one is not an ancestor, but is a relative. My paternal grandfather's sister, my great aunt, Anna (Jorgensen) Dorman.

Anna Marie Jorgensen was born June 23, 1905 at Minden (Kearney county), Nebraska to Jorgen Christian "Chris" and Inger Katrina "Katie" Jorgensen. She was the youngest of three siblings, and also the only one I met as she lived the longest of the three.

In 1907, the family moved to Sidney, Cheyenne county, Nebraska. Her father was farming. They remained there for a long time. The family is still in Cheyenne county, Nebraska in the 1920 census. A short time after that census, her older sister passed away. Martha Irene Jorgensen died March 9, 1920 at the age of 17 from influenza at their home in Cheyenne county. It must be hard to lose a sister when you are 14 years old.

Anna absorbed all the "book learning" she could in school. Anna kept herself busy working and writing the local gossip column. In the 1920s and1930s, from 1932 to 1940, she wrote the social news under the heading "Grand Prairie" for The Telegraph newspaper. She was paid 50 cents a week, and was supplied with paper, pencils, pens, envelopes and 3-cent stamps.

Anna got married a little later in life. At the age of 35, she married Clarence A. Dorman in Sidney, Cheyenne County, Nebraska. To this union three sons and one daughter were born. To my knowledge, two of the sons are deceased, David and Robert. One son and one daughter are still living.

They bought a farm northwest of Sidney, and not long after, oil was discovered on their property. They raised cattle and used the profits from the oil wells for a few additional conveniences.

On December 16, 1971 she lost her husband as he passed away at the hospital in Sidney, Nebraska.

Anna Dorman celebrated her 90th birthday in June 1995 at the Mountain Vista Health Center in Wheat Ridge, Colorado with many cards from her friends from Sidney. Shortly after, on August 11, 1995 she passed away in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

I should have a few photos of Anna somewhere. For records on her, I used the census, newspapers online, gravestone photos and family notes. If/When I find more family photos, I will add them. For now this will have to do. Rest in peace Great-Aunt Anna (or should it be Grand-Aunt). Another post to debate that.

Genealogy Review of 2018

About one more week left in 2018 when I started this. I do these mostly for me, I admit. I like to keep track of the year, genealogy wise. So here is what I accomplished in 2018 and a little of what I'm looking forward to in 2019.

PERSONAL:
1. Laptop died in November, but luckily much of my genealogy is online so I lost some but not as much. If Ancestry is good for something, it's good for storing your tree online and knowing you can get your gedcom there. This reminded me of the need for backups, online or on separate drive.
2. Several Nebraska newspapers have gone online on Advantage Preservation, so I have spent a little time looking up myself and my paternal side.



VOLUNTEER:
1. Findagrave & BillionGraves: 9981 memorials and 21,075 photos; 2336 images and 2224 transcriptions. I basically just started contributing to BG this year, since June. Findagrave I have been on for 16 years, which is still over 1000 photos per year. This last year I added about 980 memorials and just over 4200 photos. I try to take photos in many states. This summer we are taking a vacation to a "new" state so hopefully I get a few moments to take a few photos in a cemetery.
2. NSGS: Organized a good conference with Judy Russell which was well attended and we made some money. Then I became president in the summer.
3. GenWeb: Well with the Rootsweb server problem, I moved my site. Right now it is actually on both sites/servers. This reminded me of the need for backups.
4. I also have done some indexing of marriages, which has been online on GenWeb and in print as part of NSGS quarterly publication.



PROFESSIONAL:
1. I helped a small number of clients (about 5) getting documents or researching.
2. I had my first out of state speaking engagement. Thanks to the Swedish Genealogical Society of Colorado for having me. I was supposed to speak at Homestead National Monument and got cancelled TWICE due to weather.
3. I attended around half of my APG meetings (mostly online) and a few Twitter genchats.

Next year I look forward to speaking 2-3 times all within the state. Also I look forward to learning more about DNA from Blaine Bettinger since he is coming to Nebraska for NSGS. Otherwise I am not sure what else 2019 will hold. Happy New Year! May all of you make progress on your genealogy goals.

Homesteaders and Land Owners

I'm long overdue for a blog post.
In April, yes two months ago, I spoke in Colorado to the Swedish Genealogy Society of Colorado about homesteaders. In doing so, I showed them one of my homesteaders and the many (over 20) pages of documents online in his homesteading file. They were surprised that you can find naturalization information in a homesteading record. That is because they had to prove their citizenship.

Well since then, I thought I should look up ALL my possible ancestors who might have homesteaded or otherwise owned land.
Some sources for homesteading and land records include the following:
1. glorecords.blm.gov (This stands for the General Land Office records at the Bureau of Land Management)
2. Fold3.com (subscription)
3. Ancestry.com (subscription)
4. NARA
5. FamilySearch.org and Family History centers
6. Homestead National Monument in Beatrice, NE
7. University of Nebraska at Lincoln libraries (8 of them on two campuses)

Okay so I started looking up my ancestors.
On my mom's side I tried the Seggermans: The only Seggerman who homesteaded is not MY ancestor but a cousin of some sort: Henry Seggerman who homesteaded in Montana in 1919.

On my dad's side I have the following:
1. Lars Jorgensen in Kearney County, Nebraska: He was my example for my presentation, a pioneer settling in 1885 and then getting more land in 1890. He is the one I found over 20 pages on Ancestry of his homestead record.
2. Jesse Fields in Madison County, Nebraska: His record is from 1879-1884. As a Civil War veteran, he paid less than $20 for his 160 acres of land.
3. Charles William Hanks in Madison County, Nebraska: He is the son-in-law to Jesse Fields. His record is from 1886. He paid less than $10 but only had 40 acres.
4. Emeline Mary Nelson in 1891 in Frontier County, Nebraska for 160 acres. I'm nearly certain this has to be my ancestor. She was a single mother who came over from Denmark, so she had to do something to support them.

So now my mom's side:
1. Felix Regnier in Baca County, Colorado in 1906. Along with Felix, several of his 10 children also owned land in Baca County, Colorado: my great-grandfather Roy, along with his siblings Carrie, Iva (Ivy) and Louis. Carrie and Iva (Ivy) were single women their entire lives, so I am sure Felix thought he should try to provide for them. I heard there was a town in Baca County called Regnier, Colorado, and there is some proof to that here: https://history.denverlibrary.org/sites/history/files/Place_Names_of_Colorado.pdf on page 510 (although you may need to go to 525 on the site).
2. John B. Regnier in Washington County, Ohio in 1825: So this was pre-homesteading days and John B. Regnier was actually deceased by 1825 so it was his heirs, or as the document says "heirs at law" who owned this piece of land.
3. Levi Barber in Washington County, Ohio in 1832: Also pre-homesteading days, and this is a joint record, so I'm not really sure if Levi owned this land or if he was representing someone. He was along with Seth and Andrew Fisher, and the document states "Levi Barber, (absignee?) of Andrew Fisher". That word is hard to read, but later on the document acts like the land is "to have and to hold" by Seth Fisher and Levi Barber. Don't you love the language there? Not sure how you "hold" the land, but it sounds like they married it.
4. Katie C. (Dacy) Regnier in 1905 in Cimarron County, Oklahoma: This document is great because if I didn't already know, it gives her maiden name and her middle initial. I did know her maiden name, but not her middle initial. Her parents passed when she was pretty young, so my guess is an older sibling or someone set up this homestead for her. There were several woman homesteaders back in the day, although it was less common.

Part of Katie (Dacy) Regnier's homestead document

There are many books on homesteaders if this interests you. Message me if you would like some recommendations, or you can do a search. Who knows? You might find a book about one of your relatives.