Elizabeth Wakefield was born March 7, 1842, at Belvedere, Illinois. The daughter of George Wakefield, born in Vermont and Sarah Murphy born in Michigan. Her sister, Sybil Wakefield was the mother of Manda Simpson, first white child born in Nebraska territory at Stoperia, an Indian settlement.
When Elizabeth was a small child, her parents moved on the Platte river, eighty miles from Omaha, where the family lived many years conducting a trading post. Their nearest white neighbors were thirty miles away. Two Indian children were the playmates of Elizabeth and she could speak their language as readily as her own. Their home was a log cabin and sod house combined for many years.
This frontier trading post was in the path of the gold rush when people were rushing west to seek their fortunes as fast as horses could wind their way. Some were using ox teams. Log cabins had been built and sod houses too on this trading center.
At night, the great caravans drove into this place of rest and provisions for the continued journey were bought and stored in the wagons. The pioneers formed a great circle around the camp as a protection against raids of any sort at night. Great was the rush of arriving and departing of these pioneers for the California and Denver goldfields.
On Nov. 3, 1861, she married John Beecroft, who had come from New Jersey and was running a trading post at Elm Creek, Nebraska. They soon left for Ft. Leavenworth,a frontier Army trading post, where Mr. Beecroft was in the mercantile business for ten years. He was a member of the State Militia and Home Guards for three years. After going back to Nebraska, then to Kansas City, the family moved to De Soto, Kansas in 1877, being among the leading merchants of this community for many years. Elizabeth Beecroft was among the pioneer business women of America, very active in domestic and business affairs.
She was gifted with great dignity of manner, but held all her loved ones and friends throughout her life by her love, dignified and gentle lady-like manner, and she passed from earthly view as one of the outstanding figures of pioneer life, beloved and missed by all, at the home of Mrs. George Beecroft where she had lived much of her time the last twenty years. Her husband passed away June 22, 1898.
To this union the following children were born: Laura who passed away, June 10, 1907; George, of De Soto; John, who passed away March 29, 1881; Charles, of Ottawa, Kansas; Mrs. Mae Douglas, whose home is near Jewett. Sixteen grandchildren, eighteen great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. "The Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light." ---L.B.G.
**Obit from De Soto Eagle Eye, Dec. 31, 1931, pg.1,col.4
When Elizabeth was a small child, her parents moved on the Platte river, eighty miles from Omaha, where the family lived many years conducting a trading post. Their nearest white neighbors were thirty miles away. Two Indian children were the playmates of Elizabeth and she could speak their language as readily as her own. Their home was a log cabin and sod house combined for many years.
This frontier trading post was in the path of the gold rush when people were rushing west to seek their fortunes as fast as horses could wind their way. Some were using ox teams. Log cabins had been built and sod houses too on this trading center.
At night, the great caravans drove into this place of rest and provisions for the continued journey were bought and stored in the wagons. The pioneers formed a great circle around the camp as a protection against raids of any sort at night. Great was the rush of arriving and departing of these pioneers for the California and Denver goldfields.
On Nov. 3, 1861, she married John Beecroft, who had come from New Jersey and was running a trading post at Elm Creek, Nebraska. They soon left for Ft. Leavenworth,a frontier Army trading post, where Mr. Beecroft was in the mercantile business for ten years. He was a member of the State Militia and Home Guards for three years. After going back to Nebraska, then to Kansas City, the family moved to De Soto, Kansas in 1877, being among the leading merchants of this community for many years. Elizabeth Beecroft was among the pioneer business women of America, very active in domestic and business affairs.
She was gifted with great dignity of manner, but held all her loved ones and friends throughout her life by her love, dignified and gentle lady-like manner, and she passed from earthly view as one of the outstanding figures of pioneer life, beloved and missed by all, at the home of Mrs. George Beecroft where she had lived much of her time the last twenty years. Her husband passed away June 22, 1898.
To this union the following children were born: Laura who passed away, June 10, 1907; George, of De Soto; John, who passed away March 29, 1881; Charles, of Ottawa, Kansas; Mrs. Mae Douglas, whose home is near Jewett. Sixteen grandchildren, eighteen great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. "The Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light." ---L.B.G.
**Obit from De Soto Eagle Eye, Dec. 31, 1931, pg.1,col.4
Elizabeth Wakefield was born March 7, 1842, at Belvedere, Illinois. The daughter of George Wakefield, born in Vermont and Sarah Murphy born in Michigan. Her sister, Sybil Wakefield was the mother of Manda Simpson, first white child born in Nebraska territory at Stoperia, an Indian settlement.
When Elizabeth was a small child, her parents moved on the Platte river, eighty miles from Omaha, where the family lived many years conducting a trading post. Their nearest white neighbors were thirty miles away. Two Indian children were the playmates of Elizabeth and she could speak their language as readily as her own. Their home was a log cabin and sod house combined for many years.
This frontier trading post was in the path of the gold rush when people were rushing west to seek their fortunes as fast as horses could wind their way. Some were using ox teams. Log cabins had been built and sod houses too on this trading center.
At night, the great caravans drove into this place of rest and provisions for the continued journey were bought and stored in the wagons. The pioneers formed a great circle around the camp as a protection against raids of any sort at night. Great was the rush of arriving and departing of these pioneers for the California and Denver goldfields.
On Nov. 3, 1861, she married John Beecroft, who had come from New Jersey and was running a trading post at Elm Creek, Nebraska. They soon left for Ft. Leavenworth,a frontier Army trading post, where Mr. Beecroft was in the mercantile business for ten years. He was a member of the State Militia and Home Guards for three years. After going back to Nebraska, then to Kansas City, the family moved to De Soto, Kansas in 1877, being among the leading merchants of this community for many years. Elizabeth Beecroft was among the pioneer business women of America, very active in domestic and business affairs.
She was gifted with great dignity of manner, but held all her loved ones and friends throughout her life by her love, dignified and gentle lady-like manner, and she passed from earthly view as one of the outstanding figures of pioneer life, beloved and missed by all, at the home of Mrs. George Beecroft where she had lived much of her time the last twenty years. Her husband passed away June 22, 1898.
To this union the following children were born: Laura who passed away, June 10, 1907; George, of De Soto; John, who passed away March 29, 1881; Charles, of Ottawa, Kansas; Mrs. Mae Douglas, whose home is near Jewett. Sixteen grandchildren, eighteen great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. "The Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light." ---L.B.G.
**Obit from De Soto Eagle Eye, Dec. 31, 1931, pg.1,col.4
When Elizabeth was a small child, her parents moved on the Platte river, eighty miles from Omaha, where the family lived many years conducting a trading post. Their nearest white neighbors were thirty miles away. Two Indian children were the playmates of Elizabeth and she could speak their language as readily as her own. Their home was a log cabin and sod house combined for many years.
This frontier trading post was in the path of the gold rush when people were rushing west to seek their fortunes as fast as horses could wind their way. Some were using ox teams. Log cabins had been built and sod houses too on this trading center.
At night, the great caravans drove into this place of rest and provisions for the continued journey were bought and stored in the wagons. The pioneers formed a great circle around the camp as a protection against raids of any sort at night. Great was the rush of arriving and departing of these pioneers for the California and Denver goldfields.
On Nov. 3, 1861, she married John Beecroft, who had come from New Jersey and was running a trading post at Elm Creek, Nebraska. They soon left for Ft. Leavenworth,a frontier Army trading post, where Mr. Beecroft was in the mercantile business for ten years. He was a member of the State Militia and Home Guards for three years. After going back to Nebraska, then to Kansas City, the family moved to De Soto, Kansas in 1877, being among the leading merchants of this community for many years. Elizabeth Beecroft was among the pioneer business women of America, very active in domestic and business affairs.
She was gifted with great dignity of manner, but held all her loved ones and friends throughout her life by her love, dignified and gentle lady-like manner, and she passed from earthly view as one of the outstanding figures of pioneer life, beloved and missed by all, at the home of Mrs. George Beecroft where she had lived much of her time the last twenty years. Her husband passed away June 22, 1898.
To this union the following children were born: Laura who passed away, June 10, 1907; George, of De Soto; John, who passed away March 29, 1881; Charles, of Ottawa, Kansas; Mrs. Mae Douglas, whose home is near Jewett. Sixteen grandchildren, eighteen great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. "The Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light." ---L.B.G.
**Obit from De Soto Eagle Eye, Dec. 31, 1931, pg.1,col.4
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
