John Wesley Birney
1849-1910
This information was taken from three newspaper clippings.
Monday morning while J. W. Birney was picking tomatoes in his garden, eight miles northeast of town, he took a pain in his chest and went to the house to rest. Finding no relief he went to bed. He continued to grow worse and before medical aid could be summoned (in half an hour) he had quietly passed away.
It was a case of acute heart trouble. He had always been a robust man and the news of his death came as a great shock to the community.
John Wesley Birney was born in Tippecanoe, Harrison County, Ohio, October 17, 1949. Moved to Fulton, Mo., June 18, 1890 and to Dawson Co., Nebraska April 1, 1891 where he resided until God called him home at 8:50 a.m. Saturday, August 27, 1910 at the age of 60 years, 10 months and 10 days.
He was married to Miss Carrie Lee, July 11, 1878. To this union was born five daughters, four of whom survive him, one having died in infancy. He leaves a widow, four daughters, and seven grand-children to mourn his loss, besides one sister and a host of other relatives and friends.
He was converted at fourteen years of age and united with the M.E. Church. When he took up his residence in Dawson County he united with the United Evangelical church. For several years he has been a member of the Bethel Evangelical church where he was buried. When the M.E. class was organized September 28, 1902, he became a member and class leader and remained active in the Lord's work, being Sunday School superintendent or assistant and class leader until his promotion.
He was a loving husband, a kind father an esteemed neighbor and a friend to all.
He was a man who read much and the Bible was his text book. He had no Commentaries, but he had a knowledge of the work of God. As a citizen he took great interest in the affairs of his country, and his council was good both in regard to state and nation and the church.
Mr. Birney with his family have lived on a farm near Cozad, Neb., for the past 20 years and is widely known through the community in which he lived, whom to know was to love, and respect. He was a good neighbor a splendid citizen, and above all a good Christian as he was an active and willing worker in the church.
He has been a Mason for over 30 years and several years a member of Meridian Lodge No. 188 of Cozad, Nebraska. He was buried by the lodge with full Masonic honors. He was a faithful Mason, a diligent Christian and a useful intelligent citizen who will be missed by all.
His faith was firm in God, his fellowman and his community where he is remembered as an ideal man worthy of imitation. His honesty, usefulness and cheerfulness have erected to his memory a higher monument than friends could make.
His work on earth is finished and God has called him to Himself, and may we be able to bow in humble submission to God's will. The multitude of friends and neighbors of this community extend their heart felt sympathy to the bereaved and stricken widow and children in this, their time of sorrow. Funeral services were conducted in the Bethel church by the pastor, Rev. L.R. Hansberry, assisted by the former pastor, Rev. W.A. Horuaday, and the Evangelical pastor, Rev. Shaffer. The pastor preached the sermon from I Thes. 4:18-14. The funeral took place August 29th at two p.m. after which the remains were laid to rest in the Bethel cemetery under the auspices of the Masonic Lodge of Cozad.
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John's sister Isabella and husband George Johnston and family had come to Nebraska from McLean County, Illinois in the spring of 1891.They purchased a quarter section of land near Lexington, Nebraska. They came for Isabella's health. They traveled by rail with some stock and hay. George Johnston also homesteaded 80 acres northwest of Lexington (N.E. of Cozad). In order to keep it he had to build a house and live in it 6 months. This he didn't want to do. So he wrote to John Wesley Birney who had lost everything in a Rock Quarry in Ohio, and told him he could have it if he came out.
John Wesley Birney had had a Rock Quarry Business near Deersville, Ohio, with another man. Everything was going fine until one morning John went to work and found out that his partner had gone with all of the money, he had only a stone (9 1/2 long x 1 3/4 wide x 1 3/4 tall) left. Being as that was all he had left from a $10,000.00 business. They called the stone the $10,000.00 Whetstone.
The Birney's sold their good furniture to make the trip. The marble top dresser, the desk-chest of drawers and the wardrobe were their old furniture.
Information taken from Marie Grant granddaughter of John Birney and Isabelle Smith granddaughter of Isabella Birney Johnston.
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A niece of John Wesley Birney's, Mary George writes to cousin Roscoe Johnston in Feb 1964: "I remember it was like a funeral when Uncle J. W. Birney lost his money in a stone quarry and they left Tippecanoe, almost penniless, to go "out west" and start over from scratch."
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John Wesley Birney grew strawberries for a time and his daughters picked them. We have a picture of them in the field.
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1849-1910
This information was taken from three newspaper clippings.
Monday morning while J. W. Birney was picking tomatoes in his garden, eight miles northeast of town, he took a pain in his chest and went to the house to rest. Finding no relief he went to bed. He continued to grow worse and before medical aid could be summoned (in half an hour) he had quietly passed away.
It was a case of acute heart trouble. He had always been a robust man and the news of his death came as a great shock to the community.
John Wesley Birney was born in Tippecanoe, Harrison County, Ohio, October 17, 1949. Moved to Fulton, Mo., June 18, 1890 and to Dawson Co., Nebraska April 1, 1891 where he resided until God called him home at 8:50 a.m. Saturday, August 27, 1910 at the age of 60 years, 10 months and 10 days.
He was married to Miss Carrie Lee, July 11, 1878. To this union was born five daughters, four of whom survive him, one having died in infancy. He leaves a widow, four daughters, and seven grand-children to mourn his loss, besides one sister and a host of other relatives and friends.
He was converted at fourteen years of age and united with the M.E. Church. When he took up his residence in Dawson County he united with the United Evangelical church. For several years he has been a member of the Bethel Evangelical church where he was buried. When the M.E. class was organized September 28, 1902, he became a member and class leader and remained active in the Lord's work, being Sunday School superintendent or assistant and class leader until his promotion.
He was a loving husband, a kind father an esteemed neighbor and a friend to all.
He was a man who read much and the Bible was his text book. He had no Commentaries, but he had a knowledge of the work of God. As a citizen he took great interest in the affairs of his country, and his council was good both in regard to state and nation and the church.
Mr. Birney with his family have lived on a farm near Cozad, Neb., for the past 20 years and is widely known through the community in which he lived, whom to know was to love, and respect. He was a good neighbor a splendid citizen, and above all a good Christian as he was an active and willing worker in the church.
He has been a Mason for over 30 years and several years a member of Meridian Lodge No. 188 of Cozad, Nebraska. He was buried by the lodge with full Masonic honors. He was a faithful Mason, a diligent Christian and a useful intelligent citizen who will be missed by all.
His faith was firm in God, his fellowman and his community where he is remembered as an ideal man worthy of imitation. His honesty, usefulness and cheerfulness have erected to his memory a higher monument than friends could make.
His work on earth is finished and God has called him to Himself, and may we be able to bow in humble submission to God's will. The multitude of friends and neighbors of this community extend their heart felt sympathy to the bereaved and stricken widow and children in this, their time of sorrow. Funeral services were conducted in the Bethel church by the pastor, Rev. L.R. Hansberry, assisted by the former pastor, Rev. W.A. Horuaday, and the Evangelical pastor, Rev. Shaffer. The pastor preached the sermon from I Thes. 4:18-14. The funeral took place August 29th at two p.m. after which the remains were laid to rest in the Bethel cemetery under the auspices of the Masonic Lodge of Cozad.
**************
John's sister Isabella and husband George Johnston and family had come to Nebraska from McLean County, Illinois in the spring of 1891.They purchased a quarter section of land near Lexington, Nebraska. They came for Isabella's health. They traveled by rail with some stock and hay. George Johnston also homesteaded 80 acres northwest of Lexington (N.E. of Cozad). In order to keep it he had to build a house and live in it 6 months. This he didn't want to do. So he wrote to John Wesley Birney who had lost everything in a Rock Quarry in Ohio, and told him he could have it if he came out.
John Wesley Birney had had a Rock Quarry Business near Deersville, Ohio, with another man. Everything was going fine until one morning John went to work and found out that his partner had gone with all of the money, he had only a stone (9 1/2 long x 1 3/4 wide x 1 3/4 tall) left. Being as that was all he had left from a $10,000.00 business. They called the stone the $10,000.00 Whetstone.
The Birney's sold their good furniture to make the trip. The marble top dresser, the desk-chest of drawers and the wardrobe were their old furniture.
Information taken from Marie Grant granddaughter of John Birney and Isabelle Smith granddaughter of Isabella Birney Johnston.
**********************
A niece of John Wesley Birney's, Mary George writes to cousin Roscoe Johnston in Feb 1964: "I remember it was like a funeral when Uncle J. W. Birney lost his money in a stone quarry and they left Tippecanoe, almost penniless, to go "out west" and start over from scratch."
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John Wesley Birney grew strawberries for a time and his daughters picked them. We have a picture of them in the field.
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