Page, Thomas

PAGE

Posted By: Joyce Hickman (email)
Date: 4/2/2008 at 22:23:26

Thomas Page

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.79, Boomer Twp.)
Thomas Page, farming, P. O. Harrison, was born in England, near Stratford-on-Avon, in 1818. Mr. Page's birthplace was near that of Shakespeare, and he has seen Shakespeare's birthplace many times. Mr. Page came to America in 1852, and settled first in Edwards County, Ill., and lived there for five years, and came to Council Bluffs in July 1857. With the exception of four years, he has lived in Pottawattamie County ever since. Those four years he was on the frontier in Nebraska and Colorado. Came to Boomer Township in 1864, but did not buy his present farm ill the winter of 1865, and since that time has been on his farm. His occupation from a child has been that of farming; his father, John Page, was also a farmer. None of Mr. Page's relatives came to America that he knows of. He was educated in England in the common schools till he was nine years old, and then what other education he got was at night schools and Sunday school. When Mr. Page bought his present farm, there were no improvements whatever; no fence, grove, but open prairie. Now he has groves, good buildings and other improvements. His farm consists of 120 acres, and he does all kinds of farming. He has been married twice; first, in England, to Miss Elizabeth Painting; she died after he came West, and while in Nebraska. He was married the second time to Mrs. Margaret Newton. They were married in Nebraska. He has three children by first wife and six by second wife, and one dead. Two of his children are married, both in this township. Mrs. Page also has two sons living in Boomer Township. Mrs. Page was born in Yorkshire, England. She was married in England to George Newton. They came to Boston first. From there, Mrs. Newton, or Mrs. Page, came to Florence, Neb., with her two boys; was married in Nebraska to Mr. Page in 1858. Mr. Page is Republican in politics; is a member of the Mutual Protectionists and also a Granger. He has held almost all of the township offices.