Second Generation

6. James Louis HARTSHORN¹ was born on 4 Aug 1809 in Bolton LeMoors, Lancashire, England. * LDS (IGI) records show a James Louis Hartshorn born 4 Aug 1809 which agrees the claim made in the newspaper article, noted below. Family records show a James baptised on 4 August 1822. The siblings were baptised at Deane by Bolton are from that same family record. Other children were born to a William and Ann Hartshorn in Farnsworth-from-Kearsley, Lancashire but are thought to be another family. There is nothing conclusive that links James Louis with the family of either William and Ann but there are too many similarities to totally exclude this family from this study. He was baptized on 4 Aug 1822 in Deane by Bolton, Lancashire, England. He died on 22 Oct 1909 in Havelock, Lancaster, Nebraska. Died at home of son, Israel. The following story of the life of James Louis Hartshorn appears to cover the important parts of his life. It gives a great deal of insight into the life of a many many of us would love to have met.

From the Havelock, Neb. newspaper, July, 1909:

"James Hartshorn, now living in Havelock will be one hundred years on the fourth of next month (August, 1909). He was born in Bolton, England, August 4, 1809 and comes from a long-lived family, his father dying at the age of ninety-two and his mother at the age of eighty-seven; a grandfather lived to be ninety-three and one of his grandmothers lived to be ninety-two. Mr. Hartshorn is not only remarkable for having lived so long after the allotted time of three score and ten but is remarkable also for having retained the faculties which generally forsake those who live to advanced years. In conversing with Mr. Hartshorn would not judge him to be past seventy and he does not have the appearance of being over fifty years of age. He has a heavy growth of hair on his head and on his face a full healthy growth of beard. Until five weeks ago he has been in perfect health and until recently he has been living all alone in his little home in the eastern part of Havelock, where he did his own cooking and attended all of his own wants. A few weeks ago he was taken ill with dropsy and is now at the home of his son, Israel Hartshorn.

"Mr. Hartshorn's face and his conversation indicate that he has been at peace with mankind. 'I have peace, peace, peace,' he said. 'I have plenty, plenty, plenty,' he said. 'I am more blessed than any man and in all my life, never had an enemy.' And this feeling of good will is evident in his clear, happy countenance. His only indication of extreme age is the faraway look in his eyes. This man of an iron constitution says he has never called a physician to see him and has never had a touch of rheumatism, or other ailments which might come to people who have labored hard during their life. For ten years past he has worn glasses and enjoys his second sight, reading quite distinctly the larger type in the newspapers.

"His father's occupation was principally that of a miner, having had charge of the then famous Dickson Green coal mines, owned with the large estate of Lord Edgerton who was in the upper chamber of parliament. In these mines, the younger Mr. Hartshorn, the subject of this story, began his daily labors at the age of about ten years, this being the usual age for young people to start in the employment field. At this youthful age he not only worked in the mines the regular hours of from 4 to 5 in the morning to 6 in the evening, walking to and from his home one and a half miles, but he would run across fields to his home, eat supper and get to the night school by 7 o'clock.

"In talking to Mr. Hartshorn, his descriptions of his childhood days seem like reading a story from an old book. He talks of his attending night school and learning the dour rules in arithmetic and attending Sunday school with the same pride as the young men and women of this generation will speak of going to some college of high standing.

"The extent of his education was his two years at the night school from 7 to 9 in the evening, and in the instructions he received in the Sunday schools, which in England in those days were carried on with considerable degree of proficiency. In the examinations in the Sunday school, Mr. Hartshorn was among the first in his classes. All the schooling he received was between the ages of ten and twelve years, and yet, after coming to the United States, he held good positions both at New Orleans and St. Louis as a bookkeeper. Tuition in the night school cost his parents ten cents a week. "The most notable event of his childhood days was attending the coronation of Queen Victoria of England. Mr. Hartshorn was then a young man and he was one of the special guards which was assigned for the coronation ceremony. He says he can remember distinctly that the young queen was awakened from her sleep so that she could be crowned at the exact minute that she became of age. He says that he stood within five feet of the queen as she was being crowned, and that when he returned home he told his mother that the queen was a 'big fat Dutch girl.'

"As a young man, Mr. Hartshorn was an extensive traveler for his time, having visited the countries of Spain, Cuba, the West Indies and the United States. These trips he made in the years 1837, 1838 and 1839. The trips were made in sailing ships, the first two years he traveled as one of the sailors on the boats, but his last voyage was made purely for pleasure. The trip he took to America, he recalls with some distinctness, as he then got his first experience of American humor, or what he called the 'Yankee trick.' On landing below New Orleans Mr. Hartshorn and one of his shipmates decided to make a trip into the city, having been on board a little over six months, and were anxious to step on land. The sight of a bakery was tempting, and they purchased fresh bread and a nice cake of corn bread and found it had been made of sawdust. Undoubtedly, the corn bread was kept to sell to foreigners, to whom corn bread at that time was a curiosity.

"Mr. Hartshorn came to America in 1837 to make his permanent home. He was married to Susan Carpenter in 1847 and to them were born ten children, six boys and four girls. All the daughters are dead and the sons are all living. The are: William A. and Marion, Carbon, Ia.; Joseph of Des Moines, Ia.; James L., Israel and David of Havelock. Mr. Hartshorn has twenty-eight grand children, a number of great grand children and one great-great grandchild.

"Mr. Hartshorn lived in Iowa twenty-five years, most of that time near Corning. While residing in that state he was offered the superintendency of mining of the state by the governor, with a salary of $1,800 and expenses, but this offer he refused to accept. When coming to Nebraska he settled in Havelock where he has since resided. On August 4 the Hartshorn families are contemplating a grand reunion and celebration to observe the one-hundredth anniversary of their relative. The picture was made from a photograph taken a few weeks ago and shows Mr. Hartshorn in his favorite pastime of smoking a cob pipe. This was the first photograph taken of him since 1879."

James Louis and Susannah did not move out of Bureau Co. until the 1880's. The 1860 census thru 1880 censuses shows them firmly planted there. The 1865 Agricultural Census for Mineral twp, Bureau Co. lists James Hartshorn as owning a coal mine that produces 270 tons of coal annually. His livestock is valued at 150 dollars and his grain products at 850 dollars.

James Louis HARTSHORN and Susan\Susannah CARPENTER were married on 17 Sep 1848 in St. Clair Co., Illinois. Susan\Susannah CARPENTER was born in 1822 in Indiana. Could have been born as early as 1814. She died in 1874 in Plattesmouth, Cass, Nebraska. Other records give death date as 1864; died of breast cancer. James Louis HARTSHORN and Susan\Susannah CARPENTER had the following children: