Nebraska isn?t just about Husker football, although on football Saturdays you would think it is. For genealogy researchers and genealogy sleuths, Nebraska holds a rich history that includes pioneers, Native American Ancestors, the Lewis and Clark expedition, Mormons, emigrant settlements, wagon trails, and much more.
Native American history makes for a veritable treasure trove of possible fascinating Nebraska ancestors. During the mid-1700s to 1800 many native tribes, such as the Otoe, Omaha, Ponca, and Pawnee, lived in eastern Nebraska. The western part of the state consisted of the Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Pottawatomie tribes. When the Mallett brothers came to Nebraska in 1700, there were approximately 40,000 Indians living there.
Eventually, counties started to form in Nebraska. In 1855 the territorial legislature defined Otoe County, which was one of the largest and the first counties to become established. The Watota, Pawnees, and Omaha tribes in Otoe County lived along the Missouri River. Otoe County is derived from ?Oto,? an abbreviation of Watota.
The county seat is Nebraska City, which was the first locality in Otoe County. In 1865 the Otoe Courthouse was built on what was once an Indian cemetery. Nebraska City is overflowing with historical gems that are a professional genealogist?s dream. The Otoe County Courthouse holds the kind of county records ? such as marriages, wills, and estate papers ? that are a goldmine for genealogists. These records give clues to family history and date back to when the Courthouse first opened. There are also records available from the district and county courts for Otoe County.
The Homestead Act of 1862 gave settlers 160 acres of free land provided they paid a ten dollar fee and agreed to live on that land for five years. This exciting opportunity brought many emigrants to Nebraska. Many of these early ancestors were German, who were closely followed by the Czech, Swedish, and Danish settlers. Genealogists will find great diversity researching various ancestors in Nebraska. Otoe County Register of Deeds makes original land documents available to genealogy researchers.
Don?t forget that Nebraska has beautiful historical landmarks and tourist attractions. One notable property is the J. Sterling Morton home, located in Arbor Lodge State Historical Park in Nebraska City. This ?house? is a 52-room mansion built to look like the White House. J. Sterling Morton is also the founder of Arbor Day and was the editor of the Nebraska City News. His son, Joy Morton, was the founder of the Morton Salt Company in Chicago, Illinois.
Genealogists should definitely visit another historic location in Otoe County ? the Mayhew Cabin, also known as John Brown?s Cave. It was owned by Allen and Barbara (Kagi) Mahew. John Brown?s Cave was an underground cave, located below the Mayhew Cabin, where fugitive slaves who crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska would hide.?The family fed and cared for the runaway slaves until they could go to the next stop.
Nebraska was considered a free state, but some slavery did exist in Otoe County. Consequently, there may be opportunities to research slave records in Nebraska; to our surprise, we may discover we have slave ancestors in Nebraska.
For genealogists who wish to do cemetery research and locate burial information in Nebraska, there are approximately 50 recorded cemeteries and family plots in Otoe County. Some of these abandoned cemeteries include: Old Elmwood Cemetery, Fowlkes Cemetery, and Warden Cemetery. These cemeteries are located on private property and can only be accessed with permission from the owner. However, pictures of the headstones and names have been recorded and documented for family history purposes. Surnames like Fowlkes, Snowden, Warden, Lowe, Gilman, Tolle, and Anderson can be found in some of these abandoned cemeteries. There is so much exciting information to help complete your family tree in Nebraska.
The Morton-James Library in Nebraska City has an excellent genealogy section. Included is microfilm of the Nebraska City News Press, as well as a few short-lived newspapers that were started in Nebraska City. There is also a section dedicated to Otoe County family genealogy, as well as lots of information on the cemeteries located around Otoe County.
The Otoe County Museum of Memories in Syracuse must not be overlooked for Nebraska family history research. Besides obituaries and family history documents for Nebraska, you will find audio tapes about the lives of people who lived around Syracuse and in Otoe County. Some of the most interesting audio tapes are from the caretakers of the Otoe County Poor Farm. They talk about the people (known as ?inmates?) who lived there, the inner workings of the farm, and how the inmates came to the poor farm.
This is a brief overview of several family history research resources that can be found for Otoe County and Nebraska genealogy. Contact Record Click for professional genealogy researchers in Otoe County to help discover your Nebraska ancestors.
Source: http://www.recordclick.com/nebraska-genealogy/
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