by K Dixit, May 2002

The Freemans and Quackenbushes were homesteaders in Gage County, Nebraska. Daniel Freeman is generally considered the nation's First Homesteader, as he signed up for his land shortly after midnight on Jan. 1, 1863, the date Abraham Lincoln's Homestead Act took effect. For more information on the Freemans, see the "Agnes Suiter Freeman Homepage" section.

The Quackenbushes were from an old New York family, originally of Dutch descent. Some branches of the family had moved out to Wisconsin, and our branch continued on from there to Gage County, Nebraska. My ancestor was Franklin E. Quackenbush, son of Lambert Quackenbosch and Emily Kathan. Franklin's elder brother had first settled in or near Beatrice, Gage County, and later the rest of the family settled in Grant Township, Gage Co. (near the town of DeWitt, in Saline County, Neb.).

Daniel and Agnes Freemanfs old homestead was in a place called Blakely Township, about four miles outside Beatrice. Franklin and Frances Quackenbush and their children also resided in Blakely Township.

Another report will deal with these families in the census years of 1870 and 1880.

Some of this information has been repeated and expanded in the Suiter Freeman Census section of this website.

1900 Census, Blakely Township (ED #46), Gage Co., Nebraska:

Blakely Township had a total of 26 pages in this census. In the 56th dwelling to be visited by the enumerator (sheet 4A), the family of Daniel and Agnes Freeman (my direct ancestors are in bold type):

(name, relationship, age, birth month/year and birthplace)

Daniel and Agnes (my great-great-grandparents) had been married for 35 years, and had a total of 8 children, 7 of them still living (Daniel Jr., who would have been 23 here, had died 20 years before at the age of 3). Daniel Freemanfs occupation was farmer, and his son John was a farm laborer. Le Claire and Agnes May were at school. This farm was owned with a mortgage.

In the very next dwelling (a house, as opposed to a farm) were found another son, Frank (full name George Francis), and his family. The 57th dwelling to be visited by the enumerator (on sheet 4A):

Frank and Goldie had been married for 3 years, and had 2 children, both living. No occupation is shown.

Elsewhere in Blakely Township, in the 72nd dwelling to be visited by the enumerator (on sheet 5A), were another set of my great-great-grandparents, the Quackenbushes. About ten years later, their son Clifford would marry Agnes May Freeman. It is said that Clifford worked at the Freeman homestead sometime before his marriage to Agnes May. He does not appear to have begun that work yet here in 1900, and by the time of the 1910 census, they were married.

Frank Quackenbushfs occupation was farmer, and Clarence, Walter, Bessie and Earl were at school. They lived on a rented farm. Frank and Frances had been married 20 years, and had 6 children, all living. This census shows all six children living at home.

Frank Quackenbush's parents were born in New York, and Francesfs parents were born in England. It also says that Frances immigrated to the U.S. in 1856, and had been in the U.S. for 44 years. So she must have come from England to the U.S. at about age 1. My grandma said she had always known that her Quackenbush grandmother had come from England as a baby, with her parents.

Image of the Quackenbushes in the 1900 census, found at www.ancestry.com. Frances Quackenbush's elderly parents, Richard and Mary Rossiter, are found living next to them, as well as her sister, Hattie. At the time I first saw this image, I didn't yet know Frances Quackenbush's maiden name and did not notice the Rossiters. However, later I remembered that my grandmother had told me she knew her Quackenbush grandmother's name was Rossiter, and that she had come over to the U.S. from England as a baby, with her parents. A recheck of the 1900 census found the Rossiters living next to their daughter. Five of the people in this image are my direct ancestors.

On to the 1910 Census:

Blakely Township (enumeration district 48), Gage Co., NE, 1910 census  April 1910.

On Sheet 1A, living in the first dwelling visited by the census-taker -- Daniel and Agnes Freeman's 6th child, George Francis ("Frank"):

George was a farmer/employer on a general farm. George and Goldie had been married for 13 years, and had 5 children, with all 5 still living. Lila, Daniel, and Dorothy had all attended school during that school year. Nathan Waits could not read or write, and his occupation was farm laborer.

In the very next dwelling (the 2nd visited by the census-taker) was George/Frank's younger brother:

Le Clairefs occupation was farmer on a general farm (working on his "own account", i.e. self-employed, but not an employer of others). This farm was rented. Le Claire and Sibyl had been married for 3 years, and Harvey was their only child so far.

Also in Blakely Township, several pages later:

1910 Census, Blakely Township (ED#48), Gage Co., NE

On sheet 6A, living in the 97th dwelling to be visited by the census-taker:

Frank was a farmer (and employer) on a general farm, which was rented. He and Frances had been married for 30 years and had 6 children, all still living. This census says Frankfs father was born in New York, and his mother in Vermont (although the 1900 census said they were both born in New York). Francesfs parents were both born in England, as was she.

Son Clifford was a farm laborer on the home farm, and it says he is married, but had been married for just 0 years. Indeed, 1910 is the year that his first son (my grandmafs oldest brother, Richard) was born, and other information indicates that Clifford and Agnes May had married after 1908, in other words probably in late1908 - early 1910. But where is his bride, Agnes May? She was nowhere in the Blakely Township section. I finally found her elsewhere (see next section).

Bessie was a book keeper at a laundry, and Earl was a farm laborer on the home farm. Bessie had also attended school at some time during that school year.

Next was a bit of looking for Agnes May Freeman Quackenbush, recently married in 1910, whose husband Clifford was found, married but living with his parents. I looked for Agnes May in one section of Beatrice Town (it has several census enumeration districts), and then remembered that her parents, Agnes and Daniel Freeman, had moved into Beatrice in the couple of years before Danielfs death in 1908. This was in Beverly Kaplanfs book, gDaniel and Agnes Freeman, Homesteadersh. The address she gave was 1000 Lincoln St. in Beatrice. So I checked the section containing Lincoln St. There they were in that section! --though not at 1000 Lincoln Street, but rather at 602 N. 10th Street. My grandma said this might possibly have been the same house, situated on the corner of the two streets.

1910 Census, Beatrice, Enumeration District 46 (sheet 3A), at 602 N. 10th Street:

Agnes Freeman is shown as widowed, and Agnes Quackenbush is married, but for only part of a year (I couldn't read the number of months). Edith was single, with no occupation. Agnes Freemanfs occupation was gown incomeh, and Agnes Quackenbushfs was teacher at a school. The home was owned by Agnes Freeman, with a mortgage.

It seems likely that Agnes and Clifford Quackenbush had been married such a short time that they had not yet gotten their own place together. Agnes would have been expecting her first child, Richard, already, as this census was taken in April and Richard was born on Sept. 27, 1910.

A likely explanation for this living situation might be that, having been perhaps living with her mother in town before marriage (and working as a teacher), Agnes May married part-way through the school year and needed to continue to stay with her mother in town, in order to work the rest of the school year. My grandma said this is probably right, and that it was frowned upon for a teacher to be married or pregnant in those days.

The Freemansf homestead was 4 miles from Beatrice, and Clifford Quackenbushfs parentsf place may have also been a similar distance from town. In those days it may have been necessary to go by horse and wagon/buggy (or walk 4 miles), and particularly as she was expecting a baby, it would have been preferable for Agnes May to stay in town with her mother until the end of the school year.

1920 Census for Blakely Township, enumeration district 53, Gage County, Nebraska. Sheet no. 1A

Living on a farm (the 4th family visited in this enumeration district):

Le Claire was Daniel and Agnes Freemanfs next-to-youngest child, who was born in 1884.

In 1920, Le Claire and his family were living on a rented farm, and Le Clairefs occupation was farmer. Harvey, Russel, Woodrow and Helen had all attended school for all or part of that school year.

On the very next page is:

Same 1920 Census, sheet no. 1B

Living on a farm (the 12th family to be visited in this enumeration district), and next door (the 13th to be visited) -- Le Claire's elder brother George "Frank" with his family, and their mother, Agnes Suiter Freeman:

(the house next door may have been on the other side of a field, etc, in this rural district.)

George (usually called Frank) was Daniel and Agnesfs 3rd-to-youngest child. Georgefs occupation is listed as farmer on a general farm, and his son Danielfs occupation is listed as farm labor on home farm. Agnes had no occupation, but the nature of industry or business she is engaged in is "landowner". Her home is owned free of mortgage. I couldnft read whether George was renting or was an owner. Maxine and Edward had attended school sometime in that school year.

There was no sign of any of the Quackenbushes in 1920 -- they seemed to have completely disappeared from Blakely Township, and some searches through Beatrice Town also revealed nothing. In January 1920, Clifford and Agnes May Quackenbush would have had 3 children already, and would have been expecting my grandmother's birth later that same month. The people are listed in terms of their locations on Jan 1, 1920, but the enumeration was actually done after that date, for example around the middle to end of January. So we will not see Grandma listed, but their locations on the 1st or on the enumeration day could be influenced by her expected birth.

Next report: the Freemans and Quackenbushes in 1870 and 1880 -- Blakely Township and Beatrice, Gage Co., Nebr.

Another later report will solve the mystery of the Quackenbush family's disappearance in 1920.