Yuma County, Colorado Photographs

Yuma County Pioneer Photographs:

On the same census page is the Keenan family, Mary, daughter Bertha, and son Raymond.  It can't be coincidence, because Mary WOODWARD Keenan was the sister of Cynthia Ann WOODWARD, who married Albert Monk in Colorado.

"Lewis A. Kent was born in Illinois in 1847.  He and his wife came to Nebraska in 1871 and homesteaded in the northeast corner of Kearney County.  He helped organize the county and served as the county clerk for five terms.
 

In 1885 Kearney County "Louis" A. Kent is a banker, with S.M.  They have a daughter Ida, 15.
They had been in Kearney County in 1880, as well.  Lewis said he was a County Clerk

A Nebraska Blue Book has Lewis serving a term in the Nebraska State Senate in 1887.

HON. LEWIS A. KENT, Minden, Kearney county, was born in Olney, Ill., Oct. 29, 1847. His educational advantages were the common and academical schools. When 17 years of age he began teaching, and continued in that capacity seven years. In 1871 he came to Nebraska, located a homestead in Kearney county, improved it, worked in a store, and slowly but surely grew up with the county. In 1873, he was elected county clerk, which position he held by successive elections until 1882. He then went into the banking business, and is now president of the First National Bank of Minden. His district, the twenty-ninth, embraces the counties of Kearney, Harlan, and Phelps, and his majority - Republican, was 1,400. Senator Kent is an active working member, and stands high in the esteem of his fellow citizens. He is treasurer of the State Board of Agriculture, and has been a member of that organization for fourteen years. Prominently identified with many of the representative interests of the state, he is ever ready to encourage her advancement and aid in the development of her resources.

"In writing of the early settlers of Kearney county, there comes to mind at once the name of Lewis A. Kent, now a prominent business man of the town of Minden.  Not only is Mr. Kent an old settler of Kearney county, be he has been actively identified with all its interests, its settlement, growth and development, having assisted in its organization and having held a number of responsible offices, and is therefore deserving of special mention in connection with its history.

Lewis A. Kent is one of a family of seven children born to David and Hester (Guynn) Kent, there being besides himself three brothers and three sisters - William Alexander, Benjamin Franklin, Aaron Lytle, Maggie E., Emma and Anna.  The subject of this notice is a native of Richland county, Illinois, and was born October 29, 1847.  He was reared in his native county on his father's farm, receiving an ordinary common-school training.  His first pursuits were those of agriculture.  Marrying in 1870, he came to Nebraska a year later and settled in Kearney county, taking a a homestead four miles east of the town of Lowell, and there began his career in the West.  He began in a humble way.  In fact, he drove through from Illinois with a team, and after two years' farming he moved into Lowell and began clerking in a store,.  In the fall of 1873 he was elected county clerk of Kearney county, having assisted in the organization of the county in June 1872, and held the office of clerk by successive re-elections for five terms.  The county seat was then at Lowell.  After it was moved to Minden, Mr. Kent moved there, and after he finished out his term of office as county clerk he began the banking business, opening a private bank at that time in partnership with Rush H. Palmer, which bank was re-organized as the First National Bank of Minden, in 1883.  Mr. Kent became president and has been the active and efficient chief executive of the First National since.  He has given his time almost exclusively for the past two years to his private interests; but as stated at the outset of this sketch, he has held a number of public offices at one time and another in Kearney county.  After assisting in organizing the county, he was elected superintendent of public instruction ; he was then elected county clerk, serving five terms; he served then in the legislature; in the senate, from Harlan, Kearney and Phelps counties, and he has been a member of the State Board of Agriculture for fifteen years.

Mr. Kent married in 1870, prior to moving West - the lady whom he selected to share his fortunes with him being Miss Leona M. Barney, then of Woodford county, Illinois, a daughter of Hiram Barney, now of Kearney, Buffalo county, Nebr.  Mr. and Mrs. Kent have a pleasant home in Minden.  They are members of the Methodist church and liberal contributors to all charitable purposes"

=======================================================================

In 1872 at Munhall's Hotel in Lowell, Lewis A. Kent was one of the voters for the organization of Kearney County.  MUNHALL's wife Jennie was the aunt of Cynthia Woodward, who married Albert Monk in Yuma County, so the families knew each other a decade before Cynthia was born.

=======================================================================

It's possible, but not likely, that the Lewis A. Kent - a Sergeant at the start of the Wilderness battle, promoted to a Captain at the end of the battle, is the same one,  because of the age. 

In 1893 Lewis A. Kent is president of the First National Bank of Minden.

Leona must have moved to Yuma County soon after 1902 - proved up in 1908, because in 1910 she's in Pasadena, California, widowed, with son Lewis C., who drives a wagon for a seed store.

The 1911 Pasadena directory has Mrs. Leona N. Kent living at 1239 La Pintoresca Drive.  Louis C. Kent, driver for Campbell Seed Store, has the same address.

When Lewis registered for WWI, he said he was born January 28, 1894 in Newark, Nebraska (that's the same town as Albert Monk ).  He said he was married and had physical disabilities.  He was a mechanic for the Altadena Nursery Company.

In 1920 Lewis C. Kent is married to Margaret, E., living in Pasadena.  Lewis is a salesman at a seed store.

He must be the one in Mountain View Cemetery, Altadena

This page is maintained by M.D. Monk.