|
a.
|
Note: N36 Nebraska the Land and the People: Volume 3
Charles E. Mcpherson. Well may this history enter a tribute of honor to the venerable pioneer citizen whose name initiates this paragraph. Republican City, Harlan County, is a village that was founded by his distinguished father, who was one of the sterling pioneers of Nebraska and who played a large and influential part in the early stages of civic and material development and progress in this now favored commonwealthóservice that was effectively continued by the son, Charles E., who has long been one of the leading citizens of Harlan County.
Nebraska the Land and the People: Volume 3 At historic old Tippecanoe, Ohio, Charles E. McPherson was born April 20, 1846, son of Dr. John McPherson and Elizabeth (Fergus) McPherson, the latter a daughter of Gen. James Fergus, who served as a gallant soldier and officer.
Nebraska the Land and the People: Volume 3 page 366
John McPherson, M. D., was born in Livonia, Livingston County, New York, December 21, 1818, and his wife was born in Bethel Township, Miami County, Ohio, April 12, 1824, their marriage having there been solemnized May 1, 1845. They were married over fifty-five years before death parted them. In the period of his youth Dr. John McPherson received excellent educational advantages, as gauged by the standards of the period, and he qualified himself effectively for the practice of his chosen profession, graduating from Ohio Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio. After his marriage the Doctor continued in the general practice of medicine in Ohio until the spring of 1856, when he came with his family to Nebraska Territory, nearly ten years prior to the admission of the state to the Union. He made the overland journey in company with the late Hon. Robert W. Furnas, who later became governor of Nebraska and in whose honor Furnas County, this state, was named. It was also through his influence that ex-United States Senator T. W. Tipton came to Nebraska from Ohio. On his arrival in the old frontier town of Brownsville, Nemaha County, then a place of major importance as a trading center and as a stopping place of emigrants making their way to Nebraska and other western districts, Doctor McPherson, with the energy and progressiveness that ever characterized him, proceeded to erect and place in operation a sawmill, later he built a hotel that there afforded good accommodations of the pioneer order, and he also established at Brownsville a general mercantile business. He had much of leadership in every civic and business enterprise of that historic frontier town of Nebraska, and his civic loyalty was eventually shown by his there erecting a large [p.366] brick building that covered an entire city block and that continued as one of the landmarks of that section of Nebraska until it was destroyed by fire in the late '90s. Doctor McPherson thus played an important and constructive part in civic and material development at Brownsville, where he continued his residence until 1871, when he removed with his family to Harlan County. With his wonted vigor and enterprise he here proceeded to locate and plat the townsite of the present Republican City, where he erected a store and established a general merchandise business. Charles E. McPherson served as the first postmaster of the new town. At Republican City Dr. John McPherson founded the McPherson Normal College, for which he donated a large two-story building and erected a large dormitory building of substantial brick construction, this college having continued its successful educational service about fifteen years, and the college buildings having finally been destroyed by fire, in 1896. To the support and advancement of this college Doctor McPherson and other members of his family made liberal financial contributions from time to time, as the needs of the institution prompted. To the two principal streets of Republican City Doctor McPherson gave the names of Furnas and Carson, in honor of his close and valued friends, Governor Robert W. Furnas and John L. Carson. Doctor McPherson represented throughout his long and useful career the very incarnation of buoyant optimism and loyal civic progressiveness, and he may well be termed one of the founders and builders of the present great state of Nebraska. He continued as the most honored and influential citizen of Republican City until his death, January 3, 1891. His loved and devoted wife followed him to eternal rest by a period of only one year and six months. Of their eight children Charles E., immediate subject of this review, was the eldest. His youngest brother, John E. McPherson, of Wilmington, California, is now the only surviving member of the immediate family circle. Belle, the second child, was born November 14, 1848, and died February 6, 1866; Shannon Franklin was born October 8, 1850, and died November 14, 1852; Harriet Amanda was born February 23, 1853, and her marriage to William Blackburn occurred October 6, 1870, her death having occurred October 2, 1873, and her daughter Margaret Blackburn, now of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, who was born at Republican City, January 15, 1873, having been the first white child born in Harlan County; Alue, next younger of the children, was born August 17, 1855, and she became the wife of Harry Dolen, of Nebraska City, her death having occurred May 12, 1875; William J. was born August 16, 1859, and was a resident of Kimball, Nebraska, at the time of his death, April 12, 1918, his marriage with Miss Harriet Pettyjohn having occurred November 28, 1883, and their children having been five in numberó John J., Annie, Marie, Charles E. and Elizabeth Caroline. Minnie, next younger of the children, was born May 8, 1862, and died May 7, 1865; John Elmer was born April 18, 1864. The McPherson family has been established in the United States many generations, and the lineage traces back to sterling Scotch origin.
HON. JOHN McPHERSON, general merchant, was born in Livingston County, N. Y., December 21, 1818, removing when quite young to Huron County, Ohio; here he read medicine for some years, after which he attended the "Ohio Medical College," graduating in 1847. He then practiced medicine in Tippecanoe, Ohio, and was also engaged in manufacturing linseed oil, and dealing in lumber, etc. He came to Nebraska in 1855, located in Brownville, where he carried on mercantile business until May, 1879. In connection with this, from about 1863 to 1867, he conducted a steam flour and saw mill. He also opened a large cigar manufactory at that place, continuing it for about three years. In 1871 Mr. McPherson opened a general merchandise establishment at Republican City, and is still carrying it on. And in 1872 removed his mills from Brownville to here, running them at this point for about two years. He was a member of the Territorial Constitutional Conventions and also of the State Constitutional Convention of 1875, and elected to fill an unexpired term in the State Senate in 1863. Mr. McPherson was married in Miami County, Ohio, in 1845, to Elizabeth Fergus, daughter of General James Fergus. They have three children, Charles. William and John.
Daniel B. Colhapp, born in Covington, Ky., January 24, 1846, died January 2, at Tecumseh; when he was nineteen years of age he became an apprentice in the printing office of the Nebraska Advertiser which was started at Brownville, June 7, 1856, by Dr. John McPherson and Robert W. Furnas.
RAILROADS.
As early as February 23, 1857, the following-named gentlemen formed themselves into an association for the purpose of building a railroad from Brownville to New Fort Kearney. The incorporators were I. T. Whyte, Robert M. Stewart, James M. Hughes, Robert Holladay, Andrew S. Holladay, Robert W. Furnas, Oscar F. Lake, William H. Hoover, Henry S. Mayo, John G. Telford and William Barbee. Section 2 of the articles of incorporation provided the business of the association should be to construct and build a railroad, with double or single track, from the Missouri River at Brownville, in Nemaha County, or at any point on said Missouri River, within fifteen miles above or below said town of Brownville, to New Fort Kearney, and thence to the west line of the Territory of Nebraska, with power to connect with other road or roads, or extend this into other States and Territories where the laws of those States o Territories permit. Section 3 declared that said company should have the power to make, adopt and be governed by such rules and regulations as the interest of the company may require, not incompatible with the laws of the United States or this Territory, and might connect with or consolidate stock with other companies, provided always that nothing in the article of incorporation be so construed as to give them the power and privilege of banking. Section 5 fixed the capital stock of the company at $5,000,000, to be divided into shares of $100 each. The immediate government and direction of the said company to be vested in the persons named in the articles of incorporation, who were to hold their office until a board of seven directors should be elected by the stockholders of the company and be qualified; the directors to be elected annually. Other sections provided that the company should commence the construction of the road within ten years; should transport the United States mail upon such terms as may be agreed upon by the Post Office Department and the company; that the principal place of transacting the business of the corporation should be Brownville, at which place the office of the corporation was permanently located; and lastly the incorporation was to continue in full force for the period of fifty years, or until February 23, 1907. From this time, however, railroad schemes were allowed to rest more than ten years, or until May, 1867, when the Brownville, Fort Kearney, & Pacific Railroad Company was organized. The sum of $100,000 was subscribed within the city of Brownville. The first meeting was held May 28th, at which John McPherson was chosen President, and C. G. Dorsey, Secretary. A committee, consisting of Messrs. Dorsey, Thomas, Hewett and Church, was appointed to draft articles of incorporation, which having been reported and approved, the following-named persons became incorporators: John McPherson, John L. Carson, Luther Hoadley, O. B. Hewett, B. F. Lushbaugh, H. C. Lett, R. W. Furnas, H. M. Atkinson, J. W. Blackburn, C. W. Wheeler, C. G. Dorsey, W. H. Hoover, J. S. Church, E. W. Thomas, John L. Colhapp, Evan Worthing, Theodore Hill, T. W. Bedford, A. P. Coggswell, and A. S. Holladay. After the meeting, the articles of incorporation were filed, as required by law, and the people were confident of the early completion of the road. The Advertiser of August 29th said: "The company is now one of the institutions of the country, composed of the solid men of this city; men of energy and capital, determined to strain every nerve to make the road west of Brownville a success."
From Miami County, Ohio records:
18 Jun 1854 Warfield, Elizabeth <-- McPherson, John, Eliz. 30 326 Hyattsville Lot 26 24 Jul 1860 Warfield, Elizabeth --> Lay, John W. 37 571 Hyattsville Lot 26 07 Aug 1848 Shellabarger, Michael <-- McPherson, John 24 328 Tippecanoe Lot 26
|
