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©Photo courtesy Jane Ramsay Graff, On A Bend of the River ©1967
©Photo courtesy Jane Ramsay Graff, On A Bend of the River ©1967
Biographies and Obituaries, "P" Surnames
Early Residents of Seward Co., Nebraska
Note: If you have any obituaries, biographies, photos, or stories about early residents of Seward Co., Nebraska, please consider adding them to this website. --Alice
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Biographies and Obituaries "P" INDEX
PARKS, PENCE, PETERS, PHELPS, PIERCE, PLEINESPARKS, Fred M., husband of Maria (SHEELY). This biography is from W. W. Cox, History of Seward County, Nebraska and Reminiscences of Territorial History, Part Two: Biographical, 1905, page 132:
[Surnames: PARKS, SHEELY, TRUE]
FRED M. PARKS
Was an Illinois boy born in Lee County in 1849, September 22, and there grew to manhood, when he took the western trail and landed in Guthrie County, Iowa, where he wooed and won the hand and heart of Miss Maria Sheely in 1871. Mrs. Parks was born in Vermillion County, Indiana, in 1849 and came with her parents in 1855 to Iowa. To them were born three children: Mabel died when four years old; a little son who died in early infancy; Miss Iva, at home.The family came to Seward in 1887 and Mr. Parks engaged in the coal trade for a time with General True. For fifteen years he has been in the feed and poultry trade. He made a new departure in the poultry trade in that he commenced buying by weight and was the first to do so in Nebraska. His business has steadily grown until it has become one of the important industries of our city.
Mr. and Mrs. Parks are members of the M. E. church and he is a Modern Woodman. Mrs. Parks is a charter member of the Ben Hur order and is also a member of the Royal Neighbors of America. She has been chancellor of the Royal Neighbors for four years.
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PENCE, Agnes J., daughter of Samuel and Emily (ANDERSON) PENCE. This biography is from page 211 of the 1967 book On A Bend of the River, posted here courtesy of the author, Jane Ramsay Graff.
[Surnames: ANDERSON, COLMAN, MOREFIELD, NORVAL, PENCE, ROYER, SWEASEY]
AGNES J. PENCE
by Margaret Sweasey
Her name is very familiar to many of our older citizens for she is the only lady who served Seward as a county treasurer.
PETERS, John, husband of Lydia (MUELLER), son of Johann and Anna (MEYER) PETERS. This biography, written by his wife, is from page 211 of the 1967 book On A Bend of the River, posted here courtesy of the author, Jane Ramsay Graff.
PETERS
John Peters was born on January 25, 1900, in Hussel, Germany to Johann H. Peters and Anna nee Meyer.
PHELPS, William, son of Bela and Henrietta (CHERRY) PHELPS, husband of Mary A. (SIDEBOTTOM). This biography is from the Compendium of History, Reminiscence and Biography of Nebraska, Alden Publishing Company, Chicago, 1912, pages 523-524.
WILLIAM PHELPS.
PIERCE, William Orlando, husband of E. S. (POOR).
This biography is from W. W. Cox,
History of Seward County, Nebraska and Reminiscences of Territorial History, Part Two: Biographical, 1905, page 136 (p. 137 photo scan courtesy Pat Ryan White):
PLEINES, Johanna Margaretha, daughter of Johann Ludwig and Elisabeth Helena (SCHMIDT) PLEINES, wife of Friedrich IMIG. See: Johanna Margaretha (PLEINES) IMIG
Her parents, Samuel and Emily Anderson Pence were early pioneers in the county.
Agnes graduated from Seward High School with the class of 1893 and served her community in many ways. She was assistant Post master under Wm. Royer from 1902 to 1909, and then served as Clerk of the County Court under both Judges H. N. Colman and Harry L. Norval. In 1918 she served as a Government Clerk in Washington D. C., coming back to Seward in 1919 to act as assistant County Treasurer under C. E. Morefield. She was Seward County Treasurer for two terms, 1923-1931.
She has always been active in many clubs of Seward, Fin de Siecle, M. U. M., Woman's Club, and Community Club. She served the original Rebekah lodge as Secretary for many years and was a charter member of the present lodge, making her one of the few with such a long membership.
She was an early member and worker of the Congregational Church. When the Seward Congregational Church disbanded, she transferred her membership to First Methodist Church.
Of late years she worked in the Blade Office for the State Roads and Irrigation Dept. in the State Capitol, and for some of our local insurance offices.
Always active and constantly thinking ahead she was a reliable and dependable worker. She suffered a stroke in 1965 and died in our centennial year.
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[Surnames: ARVANETTE, FOSLER, GREUNKE, KUTZ, MEYER, MUELLER, PETERS, PRESTON, RICHTER, SCHROEDER]
by Lydia Peters
Mr. Peters learned the bricklayer trade by working as an apprentice for an uncle and after World War I he attended Architects School.
When the inflation hit Germany Mr. Peters and a brother Nicklaus came to the U.S. in December 1923 settling in Staplehurst with relatives of his parents the Henry Richter family.
John continued his trade here as a bricklayer but the brother Nick, a carpenter by trade, left Nebraska to make his home in New York City.
Two brothers Claus and Hans and a sister Grete are living in Germany and the brother Nick in N.Y. The parents and a brother have died since.
Mr. Peters became a U.S. citizen in May 1930.
On April 9, 1928 John Peters was married to Lydia nee Mueller, daughter of John and Martha nee Schroeder at Staplehurst, Nebr.
Mrs. Peters' parents are living on the farm 4 mi. northwest of Staplehurst yet with her brother Chris and wife, she also has a sister Mrs. Wayne (Lawilda) Fosler.
In August 1941 the Peters family realized the need to move to a larger city to give their 7 children a better education and chance for employment and Seward was chosen for this move and house and all was placed on wheels.
While the house was being moved from its location in Staplehurst, the roof caught on fire from an unknown origin and nearly burned to the ground a short distance from town.
The children are as follows: Arlene Arvanette, Viola Preston, Deloris Greunke, Doris Kutz and sons Edgar and Leroy and Delmer who is associated with his father in Peters Masonry Construction.
There are also 22 grandchildren.
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[Surnames: CHERRY, MAXWELL, PHELPS, SIDEBOTTOM, SIVLEY]
William Phelps was born in Henry county, Illinois, May 8, 1851, and was second of four children in the family of Bela and Henrietta (Cherry) Phelps who had two sons and two daughters. Both of Mr. Phelps,[sic: Phelps'] parents had been married previous to their marriage -- the father to Henrietta Sivley, who died and who was the mother of four children. Our subject's mother at the time of her marriage to Bela Phelps was the widow of William Maxwell by whom she had one child.
Mr. Phelps was born on the farm where he grew up to his young manhood and received such advantages in schooling, etc., as Henry county afforded; and December 12, 1872, Mr. Phelps was married to Miss Mary A. Sidebottom, a native of Illinois, the Sidebottom family being of the pioneers of Henry county, and at their home the daughter was married.
In 1873 Mr. Phelps purchased a farm in Fremont county, Iowa, where he lived until coming to Merrick county, Nebraska, with his wife and four children. He purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres two miles west of Central City which is well equipped, and where he still resides. Mr. Phelps has a good orchard on this farm and raises a fine variety of apples.
Joseph Phelps, a half-brother, had come to Merrick county in 1869, and Father Phelps and wife came to visit him in 1883; and after the son William and family came to Merrick county, Father and Mother Phelps made their home on the farm of their son James and family. James Phelps came to Merrick county in 1884 and moved to Seward county, Nebraska, in 1888. Father Phelps died February 20, 1899, in his ninety-first year. Mother Phelps died September 7, 1907, in her eighty-fourth year.
Our subject and wife have had five children born to them, four born in Iowa, and one in Merrick county, Nebraska: Lily, Samuel, Claudie, who reside under the parental roof; Walter, who died in Merrick county in 1884; and Effie, who lives at home.
Mr. and Mrs. Phelps, whilst not of the very first settlers in Merrick county, have assisted in making this portion of Nebraska a prosperous and successful community, using their best efforts for the betterment of their home and county, and they have the respect and esteem of many friends.
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[Surnames: CALLENDER, PIERCE, POOR]
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WILLIAM ORLANDO PIERCE
Was married December 31, 1849, to Miss E. S. Poor. She was born in Goosland County, Virginia, June 21, 1832. The young people came west in 1851 and settled in the wilderness of Mahaska County, Iowa, but hardly satisfied and after five years, or in 1856, they followed the western trail and crossed the great river and settled in Sarpy County, Nebraska. In 1868 they took a homestead just east of the embryo city of Seward. Mr. Pierce built the third residence in the little town just east of Callender's coal yard.
Mr. and Mrs. Pierce raised eleven children, viz: Emely J., George W., Henry F., Adelia, Mary E., Lydia I., Nettie M., Thomas E., Minnie L. and Charles W. Mr. Pierce died in 1900 in Seward. Mrs. Pierce resides at Seward.
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