Re: George and Margaret Penn
PENN, NEWHOUSE, SWECKER, STEPHENSON, BROWN, SHOCKER, WOOD
Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email) In Response To: George and Margaret Penn (Lorrie Marsh)
Date: 6/1/2014 at 20:31:09
According to the 1900 Census of Onawa, Monona, Iowa, George Penn was born in June 1848 and was a traveling salesman, unlike the 1880 census which lists him as an attorney. His mother, Margaret's birth was listed as March 1823 in Pennsylvania. In 1910, George, wife and children and his mother Margaret are in Kansas City. He is listed as traveling salesman. In 1920, George, wife and daughter are living in Kansas City, Missouri. he is listed as a 72 year old machinery salesman; In 1930, his wife is still in Kansas City, listed as a widow and by 1940, she is in Los Angeles California with her daughter and former son-in-law. In 1885, Margaret is living in Onawa, Monona, Iowa with her husband, Caleb Penn. The following county history corroborates some of this information and states that Margaret's maiden name was Newhouse and that she died in Broken Bow, Nebraska.
History of Custer County, Nebraska: A Narrative of the Past, with Special Emphasis Upon the Pioneer Period of the Country's History, Its Social, Commercial, Educational, Religious and Civic Development from the Early Days to the Present Time, William Levi Gaston, A. R. Humphrey, Western Pub. and Engraving Company, 1919 - Custer County (Neb.), page 427:
CHARLES PENN — The experiences of Charles Penn, now a member of the retired colony of Broken Bow, have ranged through the pursuits of war and peace, and have included mining in Colorado and Mexico, blacksmithing and machinist work in Nebraska, and large sheep operations in which he occupied a leading and prominent place among the ranchers of his section. His career has been a long, useful, and eminently successful one, and, in his declining years, he may look back with a measure of pardonable pride over his accomplishments.
Mr. Penn was born in Morgan county, Ohio, November 22, 1846, a son of Caleb P. and Margaret (Newhouse) Penn, natives of Pennsylvania. Caleb P. Penn was a son of Reason Penn, who took his family to Morgan county, Ohio, at an early day, and there the father of Charles Penn was educated, grew to manhood, and was married. In 1850 Caleb Penn removed to Linn county, Iowa, where he settled down to agricultural pursuits, but in the evening of life he retired from active affairs and took up his residence at Broken Bow, with his son, at whose home both he and Mrs. Penn passed away. They were the parents of four children, of whom two survive, Charles and George, the latter a traveling salesman, with headquarters at Kansas City. Mr. Penn was reared a Quaker, while his wife was a member of the Christian church. He was a Whig originally in his political views, but with the birth of the Republican party he became an adherent of its principles.
The education of Charles Penn was acquired with some difficulty, as it was necessary that he walk three miles to and from the Iowa district school of his community. but In the meantime he also was able to learn much Of the blacksmith and machinist’s trades. The Civil war came on to interrupt his career, and, although he was little more than a lad, he enlisted, in 1862, in Company H, Twenty-fourth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with which he served nearly three years. He fought with a command which took part in some of the bloodiest and hardest-fought battles of the great struggle between the north and the south, but his recollection of the hottest fight of them all was that of Champion Hill, Where his regiment lost 676 during the time, out of the 1,018 men never returning. On his return from the war, the brave young soldier resumed his trades of machinist and blacksmith, both of which he fully mastered, and finally he settled at York, Nebraska, where he opened a shop for the pursuance of his vocations. He was successful in his efforts, and in 1882 he came to Broken Bow, gave up his regular trades, and turned his attention exclusively to the buying and selling of sheep, a field in which he had acquired some previous experience. This was something entirely different from his mining experiences in Colorado and old Mexico, his working at his trades, or his wearing of his country’s uniform, but just as he had been successful in the other avenues of endeavor, so did he become prosperous in his operations along this line, and by 1883 he had 24,000 sheep and a large and valuable ranch. He continued to be actively interested in this field and to have large holdings in other enterprises and industries until 1907, when he retired from active affairs and transferred business burdens to younger shoulders.
Mr. Penn was married December 25, 1865, to Miss Emily Swecker, who was born in Wisconsin, a daughter of an early Iowa settler. Mrs. Penn died October 12, 1888, having been the mother of ten children, of whom seven are living: W. H., a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work; Effie Stephenson, of Edgemont, South Dakota: Nellie Brown, of Leaf City, South Dakota; Melvin, of Butte city, Montana; Ellsworth, also of that place; Clara Shocker, of Stanton, Nebraska; and Ed, engaged in carpentry at Broken Bow. Mr. Penn was again married January 1, 1890, when he was united with Miss Laura Wood, a native of England, and they have two children: Warren, of Los Angeles, California, a general salesman for the Hudson Automobile Cornpany; and Edith, in the employ of the Burlington Railroad Company, at Lincoln. Mrs. Penn is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Penn is affiliated with the blue lodge and chapter of the Masonic fraternity. He is a Republican in politics, and on several occasions has held public office, having been city marshal while a resident of York and sheriff of Custer county from 1885 to 1890. during which time he established a splendid record for efficiency, conscientious performance of duty, and unwavering courage.
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