My Genealogy Hound

LEWIS J. LORAIN, one of the first settlers in Kearney county, is a native of Ohio, born in Washington county, November 5, 1845.

His father, Croton J. Lorain, was born in Bedford county, Pa., and his mother, who bore the maiden name of Mary Lobdell, was a native of Ohio. She died in 1855. The senior Lorain, who has resided in various states, now lives in Franklin county, being one of the early settlers in that section of the great state of Nebraska.

Lewis J. Lorain, the subject of this sketch, was reared on a farm, and, like most farmer boys of his day, had to depend solely on the common district school for his education. When the war broke out he was but sixteen years old, too young to be accepted as a soldier, but the following year, 1862, his services were gladly accepted, and he accordingly enlisted, joining the Fourth West Virginia regiment. His first skirmish was with Moccasin’s Rangers. He afterwards was at the battles of Cedar creek, Winchester and Petersburg. He was taken prisoner while under General Hancock in the Shenandoah valley, but was fortunate enough to make good his escape. He served till March 1, 1864, when he was mustered out. He then re-enlisted in the three-months’ service, and was mustered out the second time in September, 1865. being one of the last boys in blue to leave the field of the great civil conflict.

After the war, Mr. Lorain emigrated to Jersey, Ill., where he was a successful farmer for ten years. His next move was to Nebraska, where he arrived in 1877, settling in Kearney county, which at that time bordered on the frontier, and took a tree claim in Grant township, in the southeast corner of the county. At that time there were very few settlers in that section, and the country, of course, was very new. There was any amount of antelope and deer, and once in a while a few buffalo could be found. He built a comfortable sod house and was not long in bringing order out of chaos.

Mr. Lorain was married, March 13, 1869, to Miss Mary C. Whitten. She is a native of Jersey county, Ill., and was born December 1, 1849. As a result of this happy union, four children have been born — Mary A., born March 26, 1870; Charles, born January 20, 1874; Minnie B., born December 2, 1876, and Crayton J., born February 19, 1881.

Mr. Lorain has one hundred and sixty acres of land well improved, and has fully thirty thousand thrifty trees growing nicely. He also has a large variety of fruit trees, many of which are beginning to bear. He is one of the few Nebraska farmers who believe all the common kinds of fruit can be successfully raised in this country. He is a firm believer in the principles of the republican party, and has always strictly adhered to the party on all state and national questions.

There is a bit of ancestral history concerning the Lorain family, which is of sufficient general interest to deserve mention. Mr. Lorain’s father was one of the radical abolitionists of Ohio in the antebellum days, and was a member of the famous James G. Birney party. He was a conductor on the “Under Ground” railroad, which was successfully operated in those exciting days. Like most radical leaders of great moral reforms, he had enemies by the thousands and was closely watched on every side. He and his companions were arrested at one time, charged with aiding negroes to escape, and were thrown in jail, in which they suffered confinement for six months. His comrades were Peter Garner and Mordecai Thomas. Mr. Lorain’s paternal grandfather was a private soldier under General LaFayette, and came to America along with that distinguished personage.