Notes |
- From Gail Ferris' notes:
Hiram Marcus Dexter was born in Aug.7, 1854 in Wayne Co., Pennsylvania. At the age of 1 year old he moved with his parents to Morristown, Minnesota. His father died in 1864 leaving his mother to rear four children of which he was the oldest. At the age of 12 or 14 he and his brother Clarence started the life of a cowboy leaving home after their mother remarried as Hiram did not get along with his stepfather, Philip Smith. They were living in Minnesota near Morristown, having come from New York. Hiram worked his way south to Texas and worked as a cowboy for the Goodnight Ranch riding the range from Minnesota to Texas. He helped trail cattle up through Nebraska on the Old Chisholm Trail until he was twenty-six years of age.
Hiram met Katherine Amanda James when he wintered some cattle near Silver Creek, Nebraska. After marrying, they started housekeeping on a farm near Silver Creek where they lived for two years. They then moved to a farm in Clarks, Merrick County, Nebraska, where their six children were born on a place owned by him. It later was owned by Lloyd Dexter (at present, 1999, property is owned by Bill Dexter). In 1914 Hiram and Katy decided to go west. They located on a ranch near Kinsey, Montana, (near Miles City Montana) as he loved the frontier life. He felt Nebraska was getting too thickly populated. Paul, Kenneth, Cedric and Lloyd all went to Montana too. Each homesteaded a section of ground and Hiram purchased a section in the same area. Lloyd stayed 5 years, from 1915 to 1920. He then returned to Nebraska. Paul and Cedric went on to Washington State and Kenneth went to California. While in Montana, they cut cedar trees for posts to fence their ground. They mined coal in the Badlands. Coal was free for the mining at that time. This was to earn extra money. Katy died in Miles City, Montana, after a goiter operation for hyperthyrodism. She was brought to Pierce Chapel Cemetery in Clarks, Nebraska for burial.
In 1932, when Mark (Hiram aka Mark) became ill his son Claude received a message stating he was very sick and wanted to come "home" at once. Claude went to Montana and brought him back to live with them, (Claude & Pearl Dexter) where he was diagnosed as having cancer of the stomach. As there was no cure for the disease, he bore his sickness in faith believing in God to the end. Fifty-one years before the question was asked of him, "In whom do you put your trust? He replied, "In God". He united with the Episcopal church in his youth.
In 1881 he joined the Masonic order at Morristown, Minnesota. He was a continuous member for fifty-one years. He helped to organize Solar Lodge, No. 134 of Clarks, Nebraska. He was the last of the charter members of that lodge. He died September 16, 1932. He was also buried at the Pierce Chapel Cemetery on the Dexter lot.
[Hiram Dexter from Gail.FTW]
Hiram Marcus Dexter was born in Aug.7, 1854 in Wayne Co., Pennsylvania. At the age of 1 year old he moved with his parents to Morristown, Minnesota. His father died in 1864 leaving his mother to rear four children of which he was the oldest. At the age of 12 or 14 he and his brother Clarence started the life of a cowboy leaving home after their mother remarried as Hiram did not get along with his stepfather, Philip Smith. They were living in Minnesota near Morristown, having come from New York. Hiram worked his way south to Texas and worked as a cowboy for the Goodnight Ranch riding the range from Minnesota to Texas. He helped trail cattle up through Nebraska on the Old Chisholm Trail until he was twenty-six years of age.
Hiram met Katherine Amanda James when he wintered some cattle near Silver Creek, Nebraska. After marrying, they started housekeeping on a farm near Silver Creek where they lived for two years. They then moved to a farm in Clarks, Merrick County, Nebraska, where their six children were born on a place owned by him. It later was owned by Lloyd Dexter (at present, 1999, property is owned by Bill Dexter). In 1914 Hiram and Katy decided to go west. They located on a ranch near Kinsey, Montana, (near Miles City Montana) as he loved the frontier life. He felt Nebraska was getting too thickly populated. Paul, Kenneth, Cedric and Lloyd all went to Montana too. Each homesteaded a section of ground and Hiram purchased a section in the same area. Lloyd stayed 5 years, from 1915 to 1920. He then returned to Nebraska. Paul and Cedric went on to Washington State and Kenneth went to California. While in Montana, they cut cedar trees for posts to fence their ground. They mined coal in the Badlands. Coal was free for the mining at that time. This was to earn extra money. Katy died in Miles City, Montana, after a goiter operation for hyperthyrodism. She was brought to Pierce Chapel Cemetery in Clarks, Nebraska for burial.
In 1932, when Mark (Hiram aka Mark) became ill his son Claude received a message stating he was very sick and wanted to come "home" at once. Claude went to Montana and brought him back to live with them, (Claude & Pearl Dexter) where he was diagnosed as having cancer of the stomach. As there was no cure for the disease, he bore his sickness in faith believing in God to the end. Fifty-one years before the question was asked of him, "In whom do you put your trust? He replied, "In God". He united with the Episcopal church in his youth.
In 1881 he joined the Masonic order at Morristown, Minnesota. He was a continuous member for fifty-one years. He helped to organize Solar Lodge, No. 134 of Clarks, Nebraska. He was the last of the charter members of that lodge. He died September 16, 1932. He was also buried at the Pierce Chapel Cemetery on the Dexter lot.
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