My Genealogy Hound

HON. THOMAS H. MARSHALL, one of the representative men of Phelps county, was born in the Province of Ontario, Canada, April 28, 1838.

He is a son of John and Sarah (Bresee) Marshall, the father having been born in Connecticut in 1794, and the mother in Vermont in 1801.

John Marshall went with his father to Canada when a lad. He grew to manhood and was married there. He was a blacksmith by trade, and a hard-working industrious man. He was noted for his enterprising spirit and was one of the best known and most popular men in the section of country where he lived. He took an active part in politics and was always identified with the great reform party. He was an elder in the Presbyterian church for forty years and always lived an upright life. He died in 1865, his wife following in 1883.

Hon. Thomas H. Marshall, the subject of this sketch, was one of a family of ten children and was the last one to leave the old homestead. His father being one of the pioneers of the Ottawa valley, in Upper Canada, where schools had not been organized, he employed private tutors to instruct his children. But Thomas being one of the youngest members of his family, he was too small to receive much benefit from the school privileges provided by his father. Young Marshall conducted the homestead farm until 1880. He was also an extensive dealer in lumber for a period of fifteen years. He has engineered many a raft of logs down the Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers to Quebec, and has traded extensively with the Indians in these northern regions.

Mr. Marshall was married July 19, 1870, the lady whom he selected to share his fortunes being Miss Marcia Kedey, a native of Canada. She was born in 1835. To this union have been born seven children — John, Jesse, Lizzie, Addie, Lillie, Thomas and Ralph.

Mr. Marshall is held in high esteem by his neighbors, as is evidenced by the fact that he was elected annually for seven years as a member of the county board. He resigned his position when he decided to emigrate to the United States. He was regarded as a prominent and influential citizen and always took an active part in local, state and national politics.

On the twenty-ninth day of March, 1880, Mr. Marshall purchased twenty-nine tickets for Nebraska points, many being for his neighbors, who decided to accompany him to the “States.” The little colony settled in the valley of the Platte, in the northern part of Phelps county, some purchasing railroad land and others settling on homesteads. They found the country new and very much unlike the one they had left. There were no railroads, no churches, in fact nothing. Mr. Marshall immediately set about to organize a Sabbath-school, and his efforts were successful. There has always been a Sabbath-school in that community since. In 1884 Mr. Marshall circulated a petition to have the county adopt the township representation system. He secured the requisite number of signatures, and succeeded in getting the matter submitted to a vote of the people. The people cast their votes for a change of the election and since that time Phelps county has enjoyed the privilege of more equal representation. Mr. Marshall was appointed the first supervisor for Williamsburg township, and has been elected to fill the position every year since, except one, when he was called upon to represent the people of Phelps and Harlan counties in the legislature. He served in in the state legislature in 1887, and took an active part in the work of the session. He was chairman of the committee on labor and a member of the committees on library and privileges and elections. The railroad commission bill was passed that session and several others of almost equal importance. Mr. Marshall introduced a bill to prevent the negotiation of bonds held by the state as a permanent school fund in case of loss or theft or otherwise. The measure passed without opposition in either house.

Mr. Marshall has 320 acres of good land on which he has made valuable improvements from time to time. He is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, United Workmen, Alliance and Grange.

Both he and his estimable wife are members of the Presbyterian church. He is a republican in politics and a man of considerable force and influence in local affairs in the county. He has always discharged every public duty with the utmost regard for the interests of his constituents and he is one of the best known and most highly esteemed men in the county.