Ellsworth Vaughn

VAUGHN, SMICE, LANGFORD

Posted By: Cindy Lovell (email)
Date: 5/19/2006 at 07:30:29

ELLSWORTH VAUGHN

Ellsworth Vaughn, who is engaged in diversified farming on his valuable estate in section 27, township 25, range 48, is one of the old settlers of Box Butte county. He has witnessed the growth and development of that region, has been closely identified with the same, and is a well known and highly esteemed resident of his locality. He enjoys a pleasant home, has a snug income from his farm as a result of many years of faithful labor in this state, and is one of the prosperous and successful men of the county.

Mr. Vaughn was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, in 1845. He is a son of John Vaughn, of French descent, his father having been born and raised in France. John Vaughn married Susanne Smice, a native of Pennsylvania, of German stock. When our subject was about a year old his parents immigrated to Iowa and were among the pioneers in Louisa County, where they lived up to the time of the Civil war, Ellsworth growing up on a farm, and received his education in the country schools.

He enlisted in the Eighth Iowa Cavalry, entering the service in 1863, and went with his regiment through Tennessee and Georgia; was with the Army of the Cumberland. He was also with General Sherman in Macon, Georgia.

At the close of the war he returned to Iowa, locating at Allamakee county, and made that locality his home up to 1886, farming a tract of one hundred and sixty acres, building up a good farm and doing exceedingly well while on the place.

From there he came to Nebraska, settling" in Box Butte county. His nearest railroad town from his location was Hay Springs, from which place he was compelled to haul all supplies. He came into this region by team, his first settlement being at old Nonpariel, now extinct, and he brought with him his personal effects, household goods, driving three horses and a colt, also two cows. He had one wagon carrying his family, consisting of his wife and seven children, and during the journey they were subjected to many exposures on account of the bad weather and the long, tedious trip. His first dwelling was a sod house, and during the first years he was obliged to do freighting through the country to help make a living for his family. He proved up on his homestead, improving the farm in good shape, and lived there up to 1903, then came to his present location, which is situated in section 27, township 25, range 48.

He has developed a fine ranch, consisting of nine hundred and sixty acres, three hundred and twenty of which lie close to the town of Alliance. This is all fenced, and he farms about one hundred acres, all of the ranch being supplied with good substantial buildings and every improvement in the way of machinery, corrals, etc. He now lives on the ranch near Alliance, on which he raises cattle and horses, also does a little farming.

Mr. Vaughn has succeeded in accumulating a fine property since coming here, and is one of the leading citizens and influential men of his community, always taking a commendable interest in local affairs. In political views our subject is a Republican.

In 1870 Mr. Vaughn was married to Mary Jane Langford, daughter of James Langford, a farmer and old settler in Allamakee County, Iowa. They have an interesting family of seven children, named as follows: Elmer, Ellsworth, Jr., Frank, Alice and Alfred (twins), Minnie J. and Almeda.
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(Note: I am not related...Found while doing research.)

From the "Reminiscence and Biography of Western Nebraska" 1909