An American Family History

Lincoln, Sheridan Township, Logan County, Illinois
Chariton, Lucas County, Iowa
Pilot Mound, Boone County, Iowa
Warren County, Iowa
Dayton Township,Webster County, Iowa
Napoleon, Logan County, North Dakota
Tell, Emmons County, North Dakota

Illinois became a state in 1818. A large influx of American settlers came in the 1810s by the Ohio River.

Emma, Frank, Clara and Lura Long
photo courtesy of
Linda Fruit King

Thomas Long married Louisa Taylor in Lincoln, Logan County, Illinois on March 28, 1869.  According to Louisa's obituary, they had eight children. Two of their children died as infants. 

Their first child, Thomas Long, was born in Lincoln, Logan County, Illinois on January 26, 1870 and died the same day. The family appeared in the 1870 census in Lincoln, Sheridan Township, Logan County, Illinois. The household consisted of Thomas age 35, Louisa age 21, and Wesley Long age 20. Thomas and Wesley were farmers.

Viola Belle Long Bertrand O'Dea was born on December 23, 1870 and Franklin Monroe Long was born in 1875. In 1877 Clara May Long Lane Posekany was born in Illinois.

The family appeared in the 1880 census in Lincoln Township, Lucas County, Iowa. The household consisted of Thomas age 52, who was farming, Louisa age 31, Viola B. age eight, Franklin age five, and. Clara B. age three. Louisa's brother, Abram who was 24, was also living with them and farming.

Next they moved to Warren County, Iowa and then in 1894 they moved to Webster County, Iowa. At the time of the 1895 Iowa State Census they were living in Dayton Township, Webster County, Iowa. The household consisted of Thomas age 56, Louisa age 46, Frank age 20, Clara age 17, Lura age 14, and Emma age 12.

Viola married in 1887.

They appeared in the 1900 census in Dayton Township, Webster County, Iowa where they rented a farm. The household consisted of Thomas who was 62, Louisa who was 51, Franklyn who was 24, Clara who was 22, Laura (Lura) who was 18, and Emma who was 16. Thomas was a farmer and Franklyn was an engineer. There were three boarders in the household: Henry E. Cole age 26, Thurm Caylor (Taylor?) age 24, and Monte Roberts age 21.

In 1901 Clara married Todd Lane of Chariton. The rest of the family homesteaded in Napoleon, North Dakota. They moved there on September 14, 1901 according to the homestead application. The witnesses on their application were John G. Kroeber, Carl Kaz, Lewis Bell, and R. A. McCalmont. Lewis became Frank's father-in-law.

Thomas Long and family came to North Dakota and settled in Kroeber Township in 1902, on the farm that was later the Pete Marquart place. Mr. Thomas Long was a Civil War Veteran.

The family consisted of his wife, Louise, son Frank who used to run a grocery store in Braddock, Clara (Pasahony), Lura (Shafer), Eldora (Vie), and Viola (Bertrand). (from Kintrye, North Dakota 100th Anniversary Book, 2004, courtesy Janice Eyman)

Another version was recorded in Leroy and Lura's history:

[Lura] and her father came here in the spring of 1902 and stayed with the Moriss [sic Morris] family west of North Lake until the shack on their homestead was built. Frank, her brother and the rest of the family came in 1903.

The only Morris family in Logan County at that time were Johnson William and Anna Morris.

According to the application they settled on prairie-farming land and the family resided on the land continuously from the spring of 1902. The witnesses said Thomas "has about 65 acres broke, and has raised 6 crops on land." The improvements included two houses, one stone and one frame, a barn, a well, about 70 acres fenced, and some 700 trees growing. Final proof was made on June 3, 1908.

They were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

In 1909 Lura married Leroy Shafer and Emma married Oscar Vie. In 1910 they attended their son-in-law, Joseph Bertrand's funeral in Chariton and Franklin married Louise Bell.

At the time of the 1910 census, Louisa was with her mother, Sarah Branstiter Taylor, and sisters in Lincoln Township, Warren County, Iowa.

In 1911 Louisa died and in 1917 Thomas died. They are buried together in Napoleon Cemetery in Logan County, North Dakota with their daughter, Viola.