Collection of Nebraska Pioneer ReminiscencesDaughters of the American Revolution. Nebraska
History
Collection of Nebraska Pioneer Reminiscences
Daughters of the American Revolution. Nebraska
Frontier and pioneer life -- Nebraska; Nebraska -- History
The Omaha, Pawnee, and Otoe Indians, when visiting other Indians, would
stop at Dr. Wiley's and ask for things to eat. Sometimes there would be
fifty of them. An old Indian would peer in. If the shade was pulled down
while he was looking in he would call the party vile names. If food was
given him a dozen more Indians would come and ask for something. If
chickens were not given them they helped themselves to all they found
straying around. It would make either tribe angry to ask if they were
going to visit any other tribe. The Pawnees would say, "Omaha no good";
the Omahas would say, "Pawnee no good."
Mrs. Wiley kept a copy of the _Omaha Republican_, published November 30,
1859. The paper is yellow with age, but well preserved, and a few years
ago she presented it to the State Historical Society. It is a four-page
paper, the second and third pages being nearly all advertisements. It
contains a letter written by Robert W. Furnas, ex-governor of Nebraska,
and a long article about the late J. Sterling Morton. This was about the
time Mr. Morton tried to claim the salt basin at Lincoln as a
preÎmption, and wanted to locate salt works there.
Mrs. Wiley always took a great interest in the development of the state;
she attended the State Fair almost every year, spending a great deal of
time looking over the new machinery.
Dr. Wiley died in 1887 and Mrs. Wiley in 1914. Mrs. Wiley lived to the
age of 87 years.
Little Erma Purviance, daughter of Dr. W. E. and Edith E. Purviance, of
Omaha, is a great-granddaughter of Mrs. Wiley, and also a namesake. May
she possess some of the virtue and intelligence of her ancestor.
NOTE: Mrs. Wiley's two daughters, Araminta and Hattie, were
students in the early years at Brownell Hall, then the only means
of obtaining an education, as there were very few public schools.
Some of the children and grandchildren still live on the lands
taken by Dr. and Mrs. Wiley, and have always been among the
well-to-do citizens of Cass county.
Mrs. Edith Erma Purviance, the writer of the foregoing article,
spent most of her girlhood with her grandmother, who sent her to
the State University, where she made good use of her advantages.
Other children of Mrs. Wiley were also university students or
identified with the various schools of the state. Mrs. A. Dove
Wiley Asche, youngest daughter of Mrs. Wiley, now occupies the old
home, out of which so recently went the brave pioneer who made it
of note among the early homes of the territory.--HARRIETT S.
MACMURPHY.
THE BADGER FAMILY
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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