My Genealogy Hound

JASPER WILSON, a wealthy farmer of Liberty township, Kearney county, was born March 15, 1838, in Monongalia county, W. Va., and reared on a farm until sixteen years of age, when he began an apprenticeship at carpentering, at which he was working when the war broke out. In June, 1861, he enlisted in the Union army. Company E, Second West Virginia infantry, and first served under McClellan, and later under Gen. Pope. He took part in many memorable battles and skirmishes innumerable, but passed through them all without a wound and without being captured. At the end of three years he was mustered out at Wheeling, and returned to his home, where he was married in 1864, and where he lived eleven years, engaged in farming and milling, and then moved to Illinois and remained a year or so. In 1878 he came to Nebraska and located his homestead in the southeast quarter of section 7, township 7, range 14, then all raw prairie. He at once put up a sod house, and the first year broke up about ten acres of the prairie and raised some sod-corn and plenty of melons. His fuel was willow brush, for which he went seven or eight miles to gather from the banks of the Platte river. Later he had his corn-stalks and cobs for fuel. After his sod house was built and a well dug, Mr. Wilson had left but $2.50 in cash and no team or farm implements worth mentioning. But he possessed an immense amount of determination, and at the end of two years had succeeded in proving up his claim to his homestead. By persistence in hard work and proper attention to the details of his farm economies, he has succeeded in reaching a point at which he can, in ease and comfort, enjoy the fruit produced by his pioneer labor. The sod house has been replaced by a comfortable two-story frame, and the raw prairie turned into blooming orchards and groves, fields teeming with grain, and meadows on which cattle graze in luxury. He has always met with success in raising good crops, and has escaped the many devastations of his section caused by snow, hail and grasshoppers.

The father of the subject of this sketch is Levin Wilson, who is a native of Virginia and a farmer. He was a strong Union man during the dark days of the Rebellion, but, being too old to enter the army, he gave his sons to the service of his country. Levin Wilson married Amanda Dawson, a native of Virginia, who bore him three sons and three daughters — Jasper, our subject, being the third in order of birth. Levin is still living in West Virginia, at the age of eighty-three years. Jasper Wilson married Miss Elizabeth Shriver, daughter of Abram Shriver. Abram is still living in his native State of Virginia, at the age of seventy years. To the union of Jasper Wilson and Elizabeth Shriver have been born twelve children, viz. — Martha F., Silas E. Ervine, Abram, Anthony C., Albert, Arley S., Marion B., David G., Eva G., Floyd and Maggie J. Of these, Silas E., died September 8, 1868, about five years of age, and Abram died December 23, 1868, at the age of one year.

Jasper Wilson is in politics a republican and has served two terms as supervisor and has been school treasurer ever since his district has been established. He is a member of the Christian church, as well as of the G. A. R., and, as his military record shows, is a true lover of his native country.