My Genealogy Hound

S. R. TRAUT, of the town of Gibbon, Buffalo county, is a Pennsylvanian by birth and comes of Pennsylvanian parentage. His father, Samuel Traut, and his mother, Sarah Royer, both having been born and reared in Berks county, that state. His parents belonged to pioneer families, which moved into northwestern Pennsylvania, where they met and were married, and where they passed the most of their lives, the mother dying in 1866 and the father in 1881, both in Erie county, and both well advanced in years. They were the parents of eight children, besides the subject of this sketch, these being four boys and four girls, by name and in the order of their ages as follows - Lydia, Reuben, William, Henry, Jesse, Eliza, Ann and Margaret; our subject, Samuel R., being the youngest and making the ninth. He was born in Erie county and lived there until moving West in 1871, being brought up on his father’s farm, receiving a good common-school education and being reared to the habits of industry and usefulness common to farm life. He married in August, 1862, the lady whom he selected for a companion being Miss Sarah R. Shugert, daughter of Caleb and Ruth Shugert, of his native county, and began the race of life in the place and at the calling to which he was reared. He resided there till 1871, when having determined to move West, where land was more plentiful and opportunities for getting on in the world were better, he came in October of that year to Nebraska and located a claim in Buffalo county, four and a half miles northeast of the newly-settled town of Gibbon. Going back to Pennsylvania, he returned with his family in the spring of 1872 and settled on his place, where he continued to reside for a number of years, engaged in farming. He saw much of the hard times, having passed through the grasshopper seasons, the dry years, the hail and all the trying times incident thereto, as did all the old settlers who remained steadfastly by their choice and, as they say, “toughed it out.” After the first few years Mr. Traut made some progress and in more recent times he has reaped in a large measure the result of his first year’s labor, privations and hardships. He quit the farm in 1879 and moved into Gibbon for he purpose of educating his children and has since resided there, but retains his old homestead and his farming interest. Mr. Traut had the misfortune to lose his wife in 1880, she dying that year. A year later he married Mrs. William Brady, of Gibbon, an old settler and a lady of many excellent qualities of head and heart. Mr. Traut is an intelligent, progressive, public-spirited citizen and one who is highly esteemed, as is also his excellent wife, who is now pointed out by her neighbors and friends as the most heroic woman of the original Gibbon colony. Mrs. Traut certainly did have a hard time of it in the earlier days and she deserves all the praise bestowed on her for the courage and fortitude she has displayed. She and her first husband came to Buffalo county with the Soldiers’ Free Homestead Colony, coming from New York State. William Brady was a native of Ireland. He came to America when a lad, grew up in New York, enlisted in the Union army from that state, served during the war, married in Washington county, New York, in 1865, and lived there till 1871, when he came West, settling at Gibbon. He was killed by an accident in the summer of 1873 while making brick for the court house then being erected, his being the first death in the township. By his death Mrs. Brady with four little children was left to make her way as she could. She had only her homestead and, as it may be guessed, her lot was by no means an easy one. But by industry and good management she held on to her homestead, kept her children together and reared them, giving to each the benefit of a good education. Mrs. Brady is herself a native also of the “Emerald Isle,” coming to America when a girl and stopping in New York, where she met and was married to William Brady. By this union she has four children as noted above, all of whom are now grown, these being three daughters and a son — Ida M., Mary E., James A. and Gracie.

Mr. Traut also has six children by his former marriage — Sarah E., Ida M., Lilla Belle, Sydney D., Seth L. and Katie I.

Mr. and Mrs. Traut live on the old homestead where Mrs. Traut first settled, it being the first homestead taken in Gibbon township.