My Genealogy Hound

WALTER SHREEVE is a native of Norwich, England, born January 31, 1850, and is the son of Alfred and Elizabeth (Davy) Shreeve, also natives of England. His maternal grandfather was heir to a large fortune, but lost it all in a chancery suit lasting twenty years. He was a contractor in mason work by occupation. The subject’s father was a laborer, fishing, in season, in the English channel off the coast of Yarmouth. He came to New York City in the fall of 1852, and was there robbed of everything, including money, by baggage thieves. After a terrible winter of sickness in New York City, he moved to Medina, New York; while there, in 1861, the subject’s mother died, and in 1864 his father married again, his second wife being Mrs. Susan (Wholston) Greengrass, a native of England. His first wife bore him six children, viz. — Emma (Mrs. William Cobb), lives in Albion, N. Y.; Walter (the subject); Nellie (Mrs. Mooney), deceased; Amanley, a carriage painter, lives in Lincoln, Nebr.; Alva E., lives in Dawes county, Nebr.; Libbie (died in infancy). To Mr. Shreeve’s second marriage have been born two children, viz. — Fred and Libbie. Both are married. The former, with father and mother, lives in Marshal county, Dak.; the latter in New York State. Walter Shreeve, the subject of the sketch, when beginning life for himself was first employed on the Erie canal as driver. He tried to enlist in the army as drummer boy in 1862-63, but his father prevented. He left the canal at Albany, N. Y., and went to New York City and shipped on the clipper David C. Crockett, A. M. Burgess, captain. It was freighted and bound for San Francisco, Cal., at which place they arrived in December, 1864, after one hundred and seven days’ voyage, being the quickest trip that year, but one. The “Sea Serpent” of the same line made the trip in one hundred days. In San Francisco he left the clipper and his pay, then due, and enlisted in Company B, Third United States artillery, February 17, 1865, stationed at Camp Reynolds, Angel Island, San Francisco harbor. It was ordered to recruit and join the regiment before Richmond, but before enough men could be raised to fill the company the battle was won. Then he was transferred to Battery D, Second United States artillery, and soon after sent to Black Point, San Francisco harbor, Cal., at which place he served the balance of his time, three years. He was discharged at Black Point, San Francisco harbor, February 17, 1868. On the 25th of the same month, he sailed on a “Vanderbilt” steamer for New York City, by way of the San Juan River and Graytown route through New Guatemala Isthmus; from New York he came to Buffalo county, Nebr., in 1872, landing at the old Kearney Station, with $5.37 cash. Board was $7 per week, but fortunately he found employment the next morning, carrying mail across the Platte river to Dobytown, Fort Kearney and Sydenham, then called by Moses H. Sydenham, Centoria, the center of the United States of America, the future capital of the state and of the United States. After carrying mail a month he filed a soldier’s homestead claim on lots 1, 2, 3 and 4, in section 6, township 8, range 18 west, in Buffalo county, near the station of Elm Creek, which claim he was obliged to sell on account of bad luck and sickness. Then he filed a pre-empted claim on the southeast quarter of section 30, township 9, range 18, in the fall of 1883, on which he made final proof May 25, 1885, and on which he still resides. Has been a resident of Elm Creek since 1872, except two years during the Black Hills excitement, which time was mostly spent in the employ of the Black Hills transfer company called the Pratt & Ferris, or P. & F. Outfit, the largest company hauling freight to the Hills. The years 1881 and 1882 were spent in a trip through Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah and Colorado for health. He worked most of the winter of 1881 for the Rufus B. Hatch Company in getting out material for the first hotel built at the Mammoth Hot Springs in the National Park, Wyoming. A Mr. Hobart was foreman, a brother of the company’s president, Mr. Hobart, of New York City.