William H. Englebright

MCCOMB, CODY, LINCOLN, CUSTER, BROWN

Posted By: Valorie Richards (email)
Date: 4/3/2005 at 13:43:22

Roberts' Rambles
June 17, 1948
Keosauqua Republican

William H. Englebright

George B. McComb at present residing at 1145 First St., Red Bluff, Calif., has the thanks of this column for a clipping from the Sacramento Bee of May 29, 1948, containing a story of incidents in the life of William H, Englebright of 221 J. Street, Sacramento. Mr. Englebright celebrated his one hundredth birthday anniversary on May 31.

Records on file at the clerk's office at Keosauqua indicate that Frederick Wire as administrator filed a report on Feb. 11, 1873, of Augustus Englebright, 52, estate, in which the following children were named: Mary, William, Philip, Sophia, and Katharine.

A. Englebright once owned 160 acres of land in section 36, Vernon township north of Willits Station. His second son, William H., is evidently the one who told his life story to the Bee reporter in part as follows:
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When W. H. Englebright was in his seventies or thereabout, he sold his chicken ranch and decided to retire. He figured his savings would last him the rest of his life. When he was 82 he ran out of money. Now, on his 100th birthday he says his old age pension does him nicely. It keeps a man of his age in chewing tobacco, and a person does not need much in the way of clothes.

A few cronies and a good chaw, are all a man really cares about by the time he reaches 100.

Although Englebright is unable to get around much he declares he still has a strong heart and a good pair of lungs. But, he says, "my memory is almost gone. I can hardly remember a name."

Nevertheless, he remembers when his father, Augustus Englebright, set out in 1852 for California from his farm in Van Vuren county.

He also has vivid recollections of Bill Cody, the famous Buffalo Bill. "I was well acquainted with him," he said.

Englebright also remembers another man whose fame will long outlive that of the Plainsman.

"Abraham Lincoln," he said. "I saw him once, it was at Racine, Wisconsin, I think I was 16 years old at the time. Abraham Lincoln was the greatest man who ever lived except Christ."

He also recalls still another noted Civil War figure. "I saw John Brown when he was at Bonaparte, Iowa, recruiting soldiers for the march on Harpers Ferry."

He believes it was General Custer's outfit which wanted him to join it and fight the Indians when, at the age of 19, he drove a six-yoke team of cattle to Deadwood Gulch, S. Dakota, to deliver supplies at the mines. He declined the invitation and hung onto his scalp.

About living to be 101 he doesn't care much. "It's about 50-50 with me whether I pass out or stay here," he said. "I've got no fear of the future and I don't believe in punishment beyond the grave." Although a great Bible reader, he never joined a church.

NOTE: A. Englebright was listed as a resident of Vernon township in the history of Van Buren County which was published in 1878.
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I am not related. This article was located at the Donnellson, Iowa library in the "E" obituary book for Van Buren County.