John W. GILBERT, farmer, P. O. Friend, Section 33, Town 8 Range 2, East, was born in Ohio, in 1840. In 1865, he moved to Saline County, Nebraska and took the place he lived on as a homestead. At that time there were about sixty settlers in the county.
John W. Gilbert was an only son of Louisa Winans & Jonas Gilbert. He was married on November 7, 1863, to Miss Mattie Hoschouer of Darke County, Ohio, who, two years later left all her people, who were well off, and followed her husband to the plains of Nebraska, to help make a home and a name in the far west.
Gilbert's anti-religious stance cost him some friends when he took his neighbors to court for holding Sunday school in a rural schoolhouse. He was defeated in district court and on appeal in the Nebraska Supreme Court.
An Elected representative from the 25th Nebraska District, a wealthy landowner and "a man of honor who never drank, swore or smoked." Gilbert probably is better remembered for his atheism than his library. Yet he once confessed that his motives for the library were more selfish than philanthropic.
Land passed on to young Jon enabled him to retire at the age of 35 - giving him more time to proselyte against the church. In his later years he lived at the east edge of Friend, and was among the community's most influential citizens.
During his lifetime, one other interest possibly attracted even more attention than Gilbert's irreligious views. That was the 75-acre big game park where he maintained herds of buffalo, deer, elk and mountain goats.
Folks came by team and buggy to see the herds, but the animals got to be an awful nuisance when they'd break through into the cemetery and turn over headstones, finally, he hired special cowboys to round them all up and ship' em off to Fort Niobrara.
John W Gilbert, one of southeast Nebraska's most prominent atheists, isn't buried with the rest of his family, however. His ashes are on display at the library he bequeathed to Friend in 1916. Pictures of the animals as well as the large oil portrait of Gilbert still hang from the library walls. This portrait hangs near his ashes.
Despite his unpopular beliefs, Gilbert was well respected. He was elected to the Nebraska House in 1878 and to the Saline County Board two years later.
Gilbert died March 12, 1922, at the age of 81.
John W. Gilbert was an only son of Louisa Winans & Jonas Gilbert. He was married on November 7, 1863, to Miss Mattie Hoschouer of Darke County, Ohio, who, two years later left all her people, who were well off, and followed her husband to the plains of Nebraska, to help make a home and a name in the far west.
Gilbert's anti-religious stance cost him some friends when he took his neighbors to court for holding Sunday school in a rural schoolhouse. He was defeated in district court and on appeal in the Nebraska Supreme Court.
An Elected representative from the 25th Nebraska District, a wealthy landowner and "a man of honor who never drank, swore or smoked." Gilbert probably is better remembered for his atheism than his library. Yet he once confessed that his motives for the library were more selfish than philanthropic.
Land passed on to young Jon enabled him to retire at the age of 35 - giving him more time to proselyte against the church. In his later years he lived at the east edge of Friend, and was among the community's most influential citizens.
During his lifetime, one other interest possibly attracted even more attention than Gilbert's irreligious views. That was the 75-acre big game park where he maintained herds of buffalo, deer, elk and mountain goats.
Folks came by team and buggy to see the herds, but the animals got to be an awful nuisance when they'd break through into the cemetery and turn over headstones, finally, he hired special cowboys to round them all up and ship' em off to Fort Niobrara.
John W Gilbert, one of southeast Nebraska's most prominent atheists, isn't buried with the rest of his family, however. His ashes are on display at the library he bequeathed to Friend in 1916. Pictures of the animals as well as the large oil portrait of Gilbert still hang from the library walls. This portrait hangs near his ashes.
Despite his unpopular beliefs, Gilbert was well respected. He was elected to the Nebraska House in 1878 and to the Saline County Board two years later.
Gilbert died March 12, 1922, at the age of 81.
John W. GILBERT, farmer, P. O. Friend, Section 33, Town 8 Range 2, East, was born in Ohio, in 1840. In 1865, he moved to Saline County, Nebraska and took the place he lived on as a homestead. At that time there were about sixty settlers in the county.
John W. Gilbert was an only son of Louisa Winans & Jonas Gilbert. He was married on November 7, 1863, to Miss Mattie Hoschouer of Darke County, Ohio, who, two years later left all her people, who were well off, and followed her husband to the plains of Nebraska, to help make a home and a name in the far west.
Gilbert's anti-religious stance cost him some friends when he took his neighbors to court for holding Sunday school in a rural schoolhouse. He was defeated in district court and on appeal in the Nebraska Supreme Court.
An Elected representative from the 25th Nebraska District, a wealthy landowner and "a man of honor who never drank, swore or smoked." Gilbert probably is better remembered for his atheism than his library. Yet he once confessed that his motives for the library were more selfish than philanthropic.
Land passed on to young Jon enabled him to retire at the age of 35 - giving him more time to proselyte against the church. In his later years he lived at the east edge of Friend, and was among the community's most influential citizens.
During his lifetime, one other interest possibly attracted even more attention than Gilbert's irreligious views. That was the 75-acre big game park where he maintained herds of buffalo, deer, elk and mountain goats.
Folks came by team and buggy to see the herds, but the animals got to be an awful nuisance when they'd break through into the cemetery and turn over headstones, finally, he hired special cowboys to round them all up and ship' em off to Fort Niobrara.
John W Gilbert, one of southeast Nebraska's most prominent atheists, isn't buried with the rest of his family, however. His ashes are on display at the library he bequeathed to Friend in 1916. Pictures of the animals as well as the large oil portrait of Gilbert still hang from the library walls. This portrait hangs near his ashes.
Despite his unpopular beliefs, Gilbert was well respected. He was elected to the Nebraska House in 1878 and to the Saline County Board two years later.
Gilbert died March 12, 1922, at the age of 81.
John W. Gilbert was an only son of Louisa Winans & Jonas Gilbert. He was married on November 7, 1863, to Miss Mattie Hoschouer of Darke County, Ohio, who, two years later left all her people, who were well off, and followed her husband to the plains of Nebraska, to help make a home and a name in the far west.
Gilbert's anti-religious stance cost him some friends when he took his neighbors to court for holding Sunday school in a rural schoolhouse. He was defeated in district court and on appeal in the Nebraska Supreme Court.
An Elected representative from the 25th Nebraska District, a wealthy landowner and "a man of honor who never drank, swore or smoked." Gilbert probably is better remembered for his atheism than his library. Yet he once confessed that his motives for the library were more selfish than philanthropic.
Land passed on to young Jon enabled him to retire at the age of 35 - giving him more time to proselyte against the church. In his later years he lived at the east edge of Friend, and was among the community's most influential citizens.
During his lifetime, one other interest possibly attracted even more attention than Gilbert's irreligious views. That was the 75-acre big game park where he maintained herds of buffalo, deer, elk and mountain goats.
Folks came by team and buggy to see the herds, but the animals got to be an awful nuisance when they'd break through into the cemetery and turn over headstones, finally, he hired special cowboys to round them all up and ship' em off to Fort Niobrara.
John W Gilbert, one of southeast Nebraska's most prominent atheists, isn't buried with the rest of his family, however. His ashes are on display at the library he bequeathed to Friend in 1916. Pictures of the animals as well as the large oil portrait of Gilbert still hang from the library walls. This portrait hangs near his ashes.
Despite his unpopular beliefs, Gilbert was well respected. He was elected to the Nebraska House in 1878 and to the Saline County Board two years later.
Gilbert died March 12, 1922, at the age of 81.
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