Kit Carson County, Colorado |
Hugh M. and Prudence Eva (Baker) Santee, William J. Santee , 7S 43W
David Crola Mowry died at the home of his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Wagner, in Geneva township, Fillmore county, Nebraska, Saturday, February 19, 1938, aged 80 years, 11 months, and 19 days. He was born to Jesse A. and Eliza (Stickell) Mowry near Princeton, Bureau co. Ill. He was the oldest of nine children. He was of the ninth generation of Mowrys in America. The first ancestor was a relative and one of the Roger Williams party and a founder of Providence, R. I. Mr. Mowry had a country school education, then went to what was known as a select school and learned carpentry and plumbing. In his twenty-first year, 1878, he came to Fillmore county by horse and buggy and bought a farm in Bryant township. He farmed until 1886 when he moved to Geneva, where he built what was known as "the big red shop" just south of the park and opened a planning mill. This he sold in 1891. Then he worked for the city and for a Mr. Ward, who had the furniture store and also the opera house. To this opera house came many colorful characters which gave "Dave" his inspiration for his "Fantastical Fantasma" show. Then followed years of plumbing. He went into the tent and awning business and did general repair work. The two years preceding his death he visited around some but made his home mostly with his daughter, Mrs. Tom Wagner. He was married to Lucy M. Brown, March 30, 1882, at Summit, near Shickley. Nine children were born to this union. They are: Mrs. Genevieve Erikson of Nampa, Idaho; Mrs. Verna Wagner of Geneva, Route 3; Cleo Jesse, deceased, James B. of Peoria, Ill., Mrs. Martha Plemmons, deceased; Herbert A., deceased; Clinton Leon of Geneva; Mrs. Thora Woolsey, deceased; and Alice, infant, deceased. His wife died in 1925, a few days preceding her daughter, Mrs. Woolsey. A double funeral service was held. He leaves to mourn besides his children and friends, two sisters, three brothers, and ten grandchildren. Mr. Mowry established a wide reputation in his later years with his gathering of unique old curiosities in his Geneva museum. The collection included thousands of articles dealing with the early history of Geneva and the county, such as spinning wheels, lamps, farm implements, old clocks, maps, etc., freaks of human nature articles from foreign soil, coins, mounted specimens of animals, guns of many kinds, pictures with interesting history connected and many odd pieces gathered over a long period of years. Because of the lack of proper display space and the increasing care of the museum, Mr. Mowry in 1936 gave the display to the Hastings museum, where it now is cared for. It was probably fortunate that this was done as a few months later the building was destroyed by fire and none of its contents were saved. The funeral was held Monday afternoon at 2:30 at the Geneva Congregational church, Rev. W. H. Shoaf, pastor of the Methodist church officiating. A quartet composed of Wayne Higginbotham, Guy A. Brown, Merritt Donisthorpe and Kenneth Helsey furnished music. Interment was in the Geneva cemetery. Because of Mr. Mowry's long association with the business interest of the city, stores were closed during the funeral. (The Nebraska Signal February 24, 1938.) |
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