| Notes |
- Some accounts state that William A. Amsberry served in the Mexican War and for his service received pay in government land warrants which he subsequently laid on land in Iowa. The author has no proof of this, as the National Archives have no pension or military records for him. The book Down on the Ridge, Reminiscences of the Old Days in Coalport and Down on the Ridge, Marion County, Iowa by Alfred B. McCown carries the following account of William Amsberry when we resided in West Virginia:
Besides tilling the soil down there on the hillsides and narrow little valley, Uncle Billy worked at his trade as a shoemaker while the boys hustled among the clods and stones and briars and sassafras. Uncle Billy was very popular, and new everybody for miles around. A public road wound its way from over on the "Big Sixteen" and other places as well, down the little creek, passing alongside of the old woodyard in front of Uncle Billy's House. ... one after another riding by on the road described would rein up his fiery steed and hail Uncle Billy with "Hello!" while he pounded and pegged away on an old cow-hide boot. This hailing him so often while at work got to be a sign of distress, so he gathered up his bench and tools and went out and sat down by the roadside where he stitched and pegged and pegged and stitched, ready for the next "Hello!" man that came that way.
William Amsberry continued to work as a shoemaker when he moved to Iowa and about this McCown relates: "(His) bench, in the winter season at least, was situated in the southeast corner of the living room near the old fireplace. Aunt Polly, with snow-white frilled cap, sits knitting by the light of the fire in the fireplace. Uncle Billy is pegging away on the sole of a shoe, working by the light of a tallow candle.
Not only was William a tanner and shoemaker, but he was a musician and composed some music. His music was clever and gained him notoriety. This music he would sing and play on the violin.
(Source: The William A. Amsberry and Related Families by Ruby Coleman)
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He was living in Mason Co., VA (now WV) in 1820 on page 119 of the census; shown as being engaged in manufacturing which may have been his shoemaking business. He is shown with 1 male under 10; 1 male 26-45 (himself); 3 females under 10 and 1 female 26-45 (wife?). He did not legally marry Mary "Polly" Everett until 15 May 1823. Therefore, it seems logical that the female shown on the 1820 Federal Census was his first wife, thus making her death in Mason County, VA. The three girls would have been Marietta, age 9, Ruth age 3 and Rosetta, possibly age 7. Who is the male child? He has never been noted, so perhaps he also died.
The Western Christian Advocate shows an obituary dated 14 June 1848 for Mrs. Mary Ann Amsbary, 21, married to M.P. Amsbary (Amsbury) who survives; issue infant daughter; reported by J.F. Alkeson (Atkeson). No place is listed. Is it possible that M.P. Amsbary is the male child under 10 on 1820 census? The J.F. Atkeson could be John Atkeson (Atkinson) husband of Rosetta. His last will and testament was brought before the Marion Co., Iowa court 2 July 1861 and made provision for the sale of land and proceeds to be given to some of his children. Listed were Rosetta Atkeson's heirs. Nothing is shown for an earlier son and nothing is shown for heirs of daughter Marietta.
(Source: Ruby Coleman}
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AMONG THE EARLY SETTLERS OF CUSTER
COUNTY, NEBRASKA, WERE
THE AMSBERRYS.
The Amsberrys of Custer county are the descendants of William A. Amsberry and Polly Everett, who entered into marriage relations in the state of New York, in 1821. William A. Amsberry's parents were of English descent, having emigrated to the United States in the early settlement of New England. William A. was a soldier in the war with Mexico, for which service he received his pay in government land warrants, which he subsequently laid on land in the state of Iowa, where he made his home in his old age. Soon after their marriage they left the stone and wood topped hills of New York and located in Mason county, Virginia, between two hills on a branch of the Little Sixteen, which meant a little stream of water coursing its way down the valley, over the pebbles and rocks, sixteen miles from the mouth of the Kanawah river.
Polly Everett Amsberry was the daughter of Francis and Sally Franklin Everett, the latter a cousin of Benjamin Franklin, the noted statesman and philosopher.
It was here in this humble home on the Little Sixteen that these people gave to the world William Franklin, Francis Everett, Lewis Norton, Almira, Horace Allen, and Matthew James Amsberry.
William A. Amsberry was a tanner and shoemaker by trade. He prepared his own tan-bark and tanned the raw material from which he manufactured the boots, shoes and leggins for the rugged woodmen, their wives and children of that day. Here he built a home and cleared out a small farm, on which employment for the children was furnished as they grow up. He was a musician and composer and gained wide popularity, as well as notoriety by his clever compositions of music, which he sang and played on the violin.
William F. Amsberry, the oldest of the children was the first to drift from the old plantation of the Virginia home. He with his young bride, Harriett A. Brown, moved to Marion county, Iowa, and located near the Des Moines river, near Knoxville, on government land for which they paid $1.25 per acre. They gave to the world Mary Jane Beatrice, Darius Mathew, Medora H., Boyd F., Marsena L., Kittie B., and twin boys who died in infancy.
Lewis Norton and his bride, Jane Coffman, in a few months followed and located on land adjoining his brother William F. They gave to the world Florentine, Lewis Allen, Mary, William Zachariah, James Green, Nola, Norton, Charley, Adaline and Lyman B.
Almira Amsberry, with her husband, William Beard, came soon after and located six miles down the river from her brothers, William and Norton. Their children were Albert, David D., Mary E., Ellen J., and Jabus Everett. William Beard, the husband and father, lost his life as a soldier in the Civil war. Some years after, the wife and mother married Pearly Troby. The second family of children were Ruth, Sophie, Allen and Pass. These children are married and have families. Ruth married James Runyan, Jr.; Ellen married Perry Dady; Sophie married Leonard Dady; Pass married Will Sharper.
Francis Everett Amsberry and his wife, Lucy Beard, remained on the old Virginia plantation until after the Amsberry settlement was made in Custer county, Nebraska. Their children are Margaret, Sally, John A., Martha, James M., Laura, Frank E., Myra, William, Ella and Floyd. All are married but Martha, and have families, and all live in Custer county except Floyd and family.
The two older children of William and Harriet Amsberry, Beatrice, now Mrs. H. T. Coffman, and Darius M. Amsberry, were the first to move to Nebraska to seek homes on the wild domain.
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1000
COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY.
Darius and H. T. Coffman went to Nebraska in the fall of 1873 and located near Grand Island, in Hall county. Both Beatrice and Darius, before emigrating to the west spent a series of terms in Central University, a Baptist school at Pella, Iowa.
In the spring of 1874, John A. Amsberry came to the state and first located in Valley county, near Ord. Beatrice Amsberry, with her husband located on a homestead near Grand Island. Darius resumed his occupation as teacher in district number one, in Grand Island, where he taught five years in succession.
On learning of the organization of the new county of Custer, John and Darius located homesteads in sections thirty and thirty-one, township fifteen, range seventeen, near where Mason City now stands. This was the nucleus of the Amsberry settlement in Custer county. Prior to this settlement Darius M. had gone back to Iowa, in the spring of 1875, where he married Miss Evaline Greenlee, of Corydon, Iowa, on April eighth, the daughter of Sylvester and Esther Barnett Greenlee, pioneers of Wayne county, who had emigrated from Mason county, West Virginia. The children of this family are Minnie May, William S., Ama R., Lorin W., Jessie, who died in infancy; Lillie H. Minnie May married W. J. Clay, and they are living on a farm of their own near Broken Bow; William S. is married, and is express agent at Deadwood, South Dakota; Ama R. married Carl Foote, and is living on a, ranch of their own of several hundred acres, near Dunning, in Blaine county; Lorin W. is married living in Broken Bow and is a printer by trade; Lillie H. is living with her parents in Broken Bow.
After a year or more John A. Amsberry, growing tired of a bachelor life, returned to Iowa and married Miss Mary Buckley, daughter of Frank and Martha Buckley, who were former residents of West Virginia. Their children are Zadee, Frank, and Nellie. Zadee married Ray Duke, a druggist in Mason City, Nebraska. Frank is engaged with his father on the original homestead, with several hundred acres added, in farming and raising thoroughbred Poll Angus cattle, both farming and cattle raising are carried on extensively. Nellie is living with her parents.
When John and Darius located in Custer County there was but one neighbor in five miles, and not more than a half dozen settlers within a radius of fifteen miles, and less than two hundred in the county, which embraced a territory of forty-eight by fifty-four miles. Their buildings were constructed of sod, but little lumber being used, as their nearest railroad point where lumber could he bought was at Kearney or Grand Island, sixty miles distant. On account of the great distance from a railroad, groceries ceased to be a necessity in large assortment and quantity, but they were not without provisions as the canyons abounded in wild plums, grapes, currants and gooseberries in their season this wild fruit was gathered in large quantities in the fall, which provided sauce the year round. This with the sorghum made from home grown cane met all the needs in the line of food. Elk, deer, antelope, prairie chickens and jack-rabbits were plenty at first and from this source a supply of fresh meat could be obtained without much loss of time as they were at hand and were not very wild. The only time the colony was hard pressed for provisions was the winter of 1880 and 1881, when the snow was so deep from November, 1880, to April, 1881, that it was impossible to go to market or the grist mill, thirty miles distant, to secure bread stuff. Those who had not laid in a large supply of flour in the fall for weeks had to parch corn and grind it on their coffee mills for all the bread they ate.
After Darius M. Amsberry had proved up on his homestead, in 1884, he moved to Broken Bow, having been elected county superintendent of schools in the fall of 1882. He was elected for three consecutive terms, from 1882 to 1888. During this period the country had its greatest growth in population, and he organized in that time one hundred sixty-five school districts. In 1887 he purchased the Custer County Republican, the pioneer paper of the town of Broken Bow. The Republican was started with the platting of the town, June, 1882, by R.. H. Miller. At the close of his third term as county superintendent, January, 1888, he assumed personal busness [sic] and editorial management of the paper and continued active in it its management until August, 1906, when, having been appointed Receiver of the United States land office at Broken Bow, by President Theodore Roosevelt, in July of that year for a term of four years. He turned the active management of the paper over to his foreman, Charles K. Bassett, as practically all of his time was required in the government office, in disposing of the government land in his district under the Kinkaid law of six hundred and forty acre homesteads. At the expiration of this term he was re-appointed to the same office by President William Howard Taft. He continued the supervision of the publication of the Republican, however, until July 1, 1911, when he sold the plant to Norman Parks. He still resides in Broken Bow, where he has one of the best homes of the city, besides business; property, as well as valuable property joining the city.
Soon after finding valuable government land in Custer county these two pioneers, John and Darius Amsberry proceeded to notify their relations and friends of the splendid opening for free homes. It was not long until the valleys and hills around about were settled with Amsberrys and relatives. Among the first were Darius' father, mother and family; Zach Ambserry [sic] and bride. His mother, "Aunt Jane," widow of Norton Amsberry, and her family, Almira Amsberry, Trolly and her family, Francis E. Amsberry and family, Beatrice Amsberry Coffman, husband and family, Florintine Amsberry Mossman, husband and family, Rose Amsberry Greenlee, husband and family, Laura Ambserry [sic] Fisher, husband and family.
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY. 1001
Medora H. Amsberry, who filed on a homestead where Mason City now stands, married George W. Runyan and they are now residing in Mason City, having retired from their valuable farm near town. They gave to the world, Ira, Ada, Blanch, Merle, William and Willis, twins, and Glenn. Ira married Fraces Rumery who following the example of their ancestors have filed on government land, under the Kinkaid act, on which they are residing. Ada married Buff Watson and is living on her father's farm near Alason. Blanch married Henry Rumery, who has taken a section of government land. Merle, who for several years has been a student in Grand Island Baptist College, as well as William, Willis and Glenn are still single, and all but Glenn have homesteads.
The children of Beatrice Amsberry Coffman are Mary, Harry, Hariet, Paul and Kittie. Harriet, Kittie and their father are dead and Paul is living on the home place near Mason with his mother, who after the death of her husband, moved from her city home back to the farm. Mary married James Kelley and they, with Harry are living on homesteads in Box Butte county. Harry married Rosa Runyan, daughter of Dug and Mary Jane Runyan.
Boyd F. Amsberry married Mollie Coffman. They gave to the world Elmer, Mary, Augustus. Hiram and Harry. Mary married Pratt Bliss. They are living in Seattle, Washington. Elmer and family and Augustus are living in Vancouver. British Columbia. Hiram and wife live in Anacortes, Washington, from which place he operates is postal mail clerk. Harry is still in school and at home with his parents.
Marsena L. Amsberry is married and has a valuable farm near Ansley on which he resides. His children living are Maple, Holly, Ora, Lavern, Violet and Ethel. Maple married John Mitchie and they live on their own farm adjoining her father. The other children are all at home with their parents.
Kittie Amsberry maried [sic] M. L. Whitaker, who is in the mercantile business at Canton, Nebraska, and have a section of land near, which the children work. They gave to the world Ray, Howard, Clifford, Mamie, Edith, Helen and Herbert, all of whom are at home.
Zach Amsberry still owns his homestead, which with time has become valuable, from which he and wife enjoies the fruits thereof in extensive travel for health and recreation. Their children are Alma and Fannie, and are both married.
Nola Amsberry married Henry Zimmerman and now reside in Ansley, near where they have a valuable farm. They gave to the world, Ray, Adaline, Thomas, Lottie, Fronia and Flora, all of whom are married, but Flora.
Norton, Charley and Lyman are married and live in the vicinity.
Aunt Jane is still living and makes her home with her youngest son Lyman on the farm.
The Amsberrys of Custer are generally prominent members of the Baptist church and active in all lines of Christian work, as well as all matters of public interest.
A portrait of D. M. Amsberry is presented on another page of this volume.
[Source: COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY OF NEBRASKA, 1912
pps 999-1001 from http://www.rootsweb.com/~neresour/OLLibrary/Comp_NE/]
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Our Family History
1789 - 1861 (72 years)