Our sincere appreciation to Kimberly Guthmann for being so giving of her time to go to the Elk City Cemetery to take photos of the Abraham headstones. THANK YOU, our family is truly grateful.
--------------------------------------------
John McCue ABRAHAM was born February 4, 1840 in a large brick house (built by his grandfather Lot ABRAHAM Sr.) which was near the road leading from Scripio to Hamilton in Butler County, Ohio. John was the seventh child of nine children born to Lot Sr.'s son and daughter-in-law, John Lot and Sarah (née McCUE) ABRAHAM.
In the spring of 1841, John Lot and Sarah moved their family from Ohio to Iowa. Per their eldest son Lot, they traveled in "a big, stiff-tongued wagon with a scoop framed bed [most likely a Conestoga wagon; the scoop bed also known as an upward curved floor was designed to keep the wagon contents from tipping and shifting during travel]; their wagon was drawn by a good team of bay horses called Pop and Sambo." The couple traveled with their five young children: Susie age 10, Rebecca 9, Sarah 5, Lot 3, and John McCue 1, and "a small amount of household goods, a large chest in which was concealed $1,400 in silver [for the purchase of land in Iowa], and a bureau."
While living in Ohio, John Lot and Sarah had suffered the loss of two daughters, Margaret, age 4, and Nancy, age 1; the girls died 1833 and 1835 respectively.
The ABRAHAMs traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio from their home in Butler County. Due to rainy weather, this segment of their journey often experienced delays on the road where their team became mired in thick mud; they "had to call out for help from settlers who used ox teams" to extricate the stalled horses and wagon. Also, friendly Native Americans they encountered would "often" take a little time to stop them to admire John Lot's team of horses; this cause some consternation for 3-year-old Lot due to his worrisome fears that the Indians were going to take the horses from them.
At Cincinnati, they drove their wagon onto a steamboat which took them "down to Cario, Ohio and up to Keokuk, Iowa." Upon arrival in Iowa, they began their drive to the home of friends near New London.
John Lot spent the summer of 1841 renting a house with land, three miles east of New London, where he cultivated and raised a small crop while spending every day possible looking for property suited for a permanent home for his family. He wanted good land with a stand of heavy timber and "on the border of the prairie" but away from its tall prairie grass which held stagnant water infested with mosquito-borne diseases. After carefully searching, John Lot ABRAHAM found the land he wanted to make into their farm and home. It was located in Section 35, Center Township, Henry County, Iowa. He purchased 400 acres for $1,600 and paid $1,400 in silver with a remaining balance of $200 owed. He immediately began work clearing part of the land, building a log house and a barn, making fence rails, plowing, and growing crops. On November 3, 1841, Sarah gave birth to their eighth child, Catherine.
During the winter of 1842/1843, John Lot became ill with "Winter Fever" and died on February 10, 1843 at the age of 36 years and 10 months. Sarah was pregnant with their ninth child, a little girl. She gave birth seven months later on September 19, 1843 and named their daughter, Margaret.
After John's death, Sarah McCUE ABRAHAM (age thirty-six) was faced with a mortgage to pay, a farm to manage, and seven children to raise without her husband. She never again married. Sarah devoted her life to her children and worked hard to ensure that they were fed, clothed, and attended school. To generate income, Sarah spent countless long hours "at her loom weaving blankets, jeans, linsey [homemade linsey was a durable plain-woven coarse fabric made from linen (threads from fibers of the cultivated flax plant) and wool; it was a.k.a. Linsey-Woolsey and was worn by farmers almost universally prior to machine made textiles)], flannel, or carpet for anyone able to hire the work done. She raised flax and spun and wove that with wool from her little band of sheep."
Sarah made everything the children wore except their shoes. Through her endless efforts and her children's help, the family was able to stay together and survive the lonely lean years following the death of the children's father. John Lot and Sarah's children grew into adulthood and had the opportunity to have families of their own and fulfilling lives.
In 1861, John McCue ABRAHAM's older brother Lot (confident that the family and farm would be well cared for by his brother John in his absence) made the decision to leave the family farm and join the Union Army. He fought in the American Civil War with Company D of the 4th Iowa Regiment of Cavalry Volunteers until the war ended. John remained at home managing the farm and caring for their mother and sisters.
According to family stories, when the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861 began the American Civil War, both Lot and John wanted to join the Union Army but they knew one of them would need to stay and work on the farm and take care of the family. There was much discussion between the two brothers as to which should enlist. To settle which brother would voluntarily enlist, the young men decided to go out in a field and settle the matter with a fist fight -- whoever won would leave home and join the army while the other stayed to care for the family and work the farm until drafted into service. Both were strong and determined to win. Their determination resulted in the fight continuing for quite some time under the hot sun. It wasn't until both men were near collapse from exhaustion and dehydration that John reluctantly conceded to his older brother Lot.
John registered for the draft and was classified as Class I, and as such was subject to do military duty, but he was never drafted. He had had success at managing the Abraham farm and producing beef, pork, poultry, grains, vegetables, fruits, and hay. With shortages of farm products increasing with each year of the war, the military may have valued his service as a successful farmer as a vital role needed by the Union to help supply their troops.
During the Civil War years, few young men were available on the home front for the young ladies of a community seeking to impress a potential beau. As such, John McCue ABRAHAM became a popular target for the young women within the area he socialized especially since he was attractive, strong and healthy, kind, thoughtful, helpful, and was successfully managing the largest farm in the area. He enjoyed the extra attention from the flirtatious young ladies at the various social gatherings but none captured his heart until he met Miss Catharine Margaret "Kitty" BARTLETT; she was an intelligent, outgoing, energetic, nurturing, kind, thoughtful, attractive, petite woman, about two and half years younger than John, with naturally wavy dark hair and dark brown eyes.
Catharine was born in Indiana to an English father and a Scottish mother. During 1854, when she was about eleven, her parents John William and Catharine "Kate" (née CARMICHAEL) BARTLETT, moved their family from Rush County, Indiana to Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa. By 1856, her father had purchased land in Jackson Township, Henry County, Iowa and established a farm with the help of his sons.
Six months after they first met, John McCue ABRAHAM and Catharine Margaret BARTLETT were married on Sunday, February 5, 1865 at her parents' home in rural Henry County (near the Quaker community of Salem). On November 19, 1865, the families of the couple gathered together for a dinner in honor of John and Kitty's first born child, Lot William ABRAHAM, born at the Abraham Family home on November 18th.
Sarah, the matriarch of the ABRAHAM Family, died from a stroke on September 7, 1872 at the ABRAHAM Family home on the farm her husband, John Lot, founded and she and the children had worked so hard to maintain and keep from foreclosure. Their farm was in the ABRAHAM family for three generations.
In the spring of 1881, John and Catharine moved from Iowa with their family to Nebraska and settled in the Elkhorn River Valley in Douglas County. Over the years that followed, their homestead grew into a successful cattle ranch of at least 400 acres and Nebraska became their permanent home.
John and Catharine had six sons and one daughter: Lot, Margaret "Maggie", James Willard, Charles, John Edward, Arthur, and Roy Clair. (Please refer to the 1898 family photo posted above. John and Catharine are shown with all their children except for John Edward; he had died in 1882 at the age of seven.)
John McCue ABRAHAM was a kind-hearted man loved for his cheerfulness, kindness, and his obvious love for his family and friends.
--------------------------------------------
John McCue ABRAHAM was born February 4, 1840 in a large brick house (built by his grandfather Lot ABRAHAM Sr.) which was near the road leading from Scripio to Hamilton in Butler County, Ohio. John was the seventh child of nine children born to Lot Sr.'s son and daughter-in-law, John Lot and Sarah (née McCUE) ABRAHAM.
In the spring of 1841, John Lot and Sarah moved their family from Ohio to Iowa. Per their eldest son Lot, they traveled in "a big, stiff-tongued wagon with a scoop framed bed [most likely a Conestoga wagon; the scoop bed also known as an upward curved floor was designed to keep the wagon contents from tipping and shifting during travel]; their wagon was drawn by a good team of bay horses called Pop and Sambo." The couple traveled with their five young children: Susie age 10, Rebecca 9, Sarah 5, Lot 3, and John McCue 1, and "a small amount of household goods, a large chest in which was concealed $1,400 in silver [for the purchase of land in Iowa], and a bureau."
While living in Ohio, John Lot and Sarah had suffered the loss of two daughters, Margaret, age 4, and Nancy, age 1; the girls died 1833 and 1835 respectively.
The ABRAHAMs traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio from their home in Butler County. Due to rainy weather, this segment of their journey often experienced delays on the road where their team became mired in thick mud; they "had to call out for help from settlers who used ox teams" to extricate the stalled horses and wagon. Also, friendly Native Americans they encountered would "often" take a little time to stop them to admire John Lot's team of horses; this cause some consternation for 3-year-old Lot due to his worrisome fears that the Indians were going to take the horses from them.
At Cincinnati, they drove their wagon onto a steamboat which took them "down to Cario, Ohio and up to Keokuk, Iowa." Upon arrival in Iowa, they began their drive to the home of friends near New London.
John Lot spent the summer of 1841 renting a house with land, three miles east of New London, where he cultivated and raised a small crop while spending every day possible looking for property suited for a permanent home for his family. He wanted good land with a stand of heavy timber and "on the border of the prairie" but away from its tall prairie grass which held stagnant water infested with mosquito-borne diseases. After carefully searching, John Lot ABRAHAM found the land he wanted to make into their farm and home. It was located in Section 35, Center Township, Henry County, Iowa. He purchased 400 acres for $1,600 and paid $1,400 in silver with a remaining balance of $200 owed. He immediately began work clearing part of the land, building a log house and a barn, making fence rails, plowing, and growing crops. On November 3, 1841, Sarah gave birth to their eighth child, Catherine.
During the winter of 1842/1843, John Lot became ill with "Winter Fever" and died on February 10, 1843 at the age of 36 years and 10 months. Sarah was pregnant with their ninth child, a little girl. She gave birth seven months later on September 19, 1843 and named their daughter, Margaret.
After John's death, Sarah McCUE ABRAHAM (age thirty-six) was faced with a mortgage to pay, a farm to manage, and seven children to raise without her husband. She never again married. Sarah devoted her life to her children and worked hard to ensure that they were fed, clothed, and attended school. To generate income, Sarah spent countless long hours "at her loom weaving blankets, jeans, linsey [homemade linsey was a durable plain-woven coarse fabric made from linen (threads from fibers of the cultivated flax plant) and wool; it was a.k.a. Linsey-Woolsey and was worn by farmers almost universally prior to machine made textiles)], flannel, or carpet for anyone able to hire the work done. She raised flax and spun and wove that with wool from her little band of sheep."
Sarah made everything the children wore except their shoes. Through her endless efforts and her children's help, the family was able to stay together and survive the lonely lean years following the death of the children's father. John Lot and Sarah's children grew into adulthood and had the opportunity to have families of their own and fulfilling lives.
In 1861, John McCue ABRAHAM's older brother Lot (confident that the family and farm would be well cared for by his brother John in his absence) made the decision to leave the family farm and join the Union Army. He fought in the American Civil War with Company D of the 4th Iowa Regiment of Cavalry Volunteers until the war ended. John remained at home managing the farm and caring for their mother and sisters.
According to family stories, when the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861 began the American Civil War, both Lot and John wanted to join the Union Army but they knew one of them would need to stay and work on the farm and take care of the family. There was much discussion between the two brothers as to which should enlist. To settle which brother would voluntarily enlist, the young men decided to go out in a field and settle the matter with a fist fight -- whoever won would leave home and join the army while the other stayed to care for the family and work the farm until drafted into service. Both were strong and determined to win. Their determination resulted in the fight continuing for quite some time under the hot sun. It wasn't until both men were near collapse from exhaustion and dehydration that John reluctantly conceded to his older brother Lot.
John registered for the draft and was classified as Class I, and as such was subject to do military duty, but he was never drafted. He had had success at managing the Abraham farm and producing beef, pork, poultry, grains, vegetables, fruits, and hay. With shortages of farm products increasing with each year of the war, the military may have valued his service as a successful farmer as a vital role needed by the Union to help supply their troops.
During the Civil War years, few young men were available on the home front for the young ladies of a community seeking to impress a potential beau. As such, John McCue ABRAHAM became a popular target for the young women within the area he socialized especially since he was attractive, strong and healthy, kind, thoughtful, helpful, and was successfully managing the largest farm in the area. He enjoyed the extra attention from the flirtatious young ladies at the various social gatherings but none captured his heart until he met Miss Catharine Margaret "Kitty" BARTLETT; she was an intelligent, outgoing, energetic, nurturing, kind, thoughtful, attractive, petite woman, about two and half years younger than John, with naturally wavy dark hair and dark brown eyes.
Catharine was born in Indiana to an English father and a Scottish mother. During 1854, when she was about eleven, her parents John William and Catharine "Kate" (née CARMICHAEL) BARTLETT, moved their family from Rush County, Indiana to Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa. By 1856, her father had purchased land in Jackson Township, Henry County, Iowa and established a farm with the help of his sons.
Six months after they first met, John McCue ABRAHAM and Catharine Margaret BARTLETT were married on Sunday, February 5, 1865 at her parents' home in rural Henry County (near the Quaker community of Salem). On November 19, 1865, the families of the couple gathered together for a dinner in honor of John and Kitty's first born child, Lot William ABRAHAM, born at the Abraham Family home on November 18th.
Sarah, the matriarch of the ABRAHAM Family, died from a stroke on September 7, 1872 at the ABRAHAM Family home on the farm her husband, John Lot, founded and she and the children had worked so hard to maintain and keep from foreclosure. Their farm was in the ABRAHAM family for three generations.
In the spring of 1881, John and Catharine moved from Iowa with their family to Nebraska and settled in the Elkhorn River Valley in Douglas County. Over the years that followed, their homestead grew into a successful cattle ranch of at least 400 acres and Nebraska became their permanent home.
John and Catharine had six sons and one daughter: Lot, Margaret "Maggie", James Willard, Charles, John Edward, Arthur, and Roy Clair. (Please refer to the 1898 family photo posted above. John and Catharine are shown with all their children except for John Edward; he had died in 1882 at the age of seven.)
John McCue ABRAHAM was a kind-hearted man loved for his cheerfulness, kindness, and his obvious love for his family and friends.
Our sincere appreciation to Kimberly Guthmann for being so giving of her time to go to the Elk City Cemetery to take photos of the Abraham headstones. THANK YOU, our family is truly grateful.
--------------------------------------------
John McCue ABRAHAM was born February 4, 1840 in a large brick house (built by his grandfather Lot ABRAHAM Sr.) which was near the road leading from Scripio to Hamilton in Butler County, Ohio. John was the seventh child of nine children born to Lot Sr.'s son and daughter-in-law, John Lot and Sarah (née McCUE) ABRAHAM.
In the spring of 1841, John Lot and Sarah moved their family from Ohio to Iowa. Per their eldest son Lot, they traveled in "a big, stiff-tongued wagon with a scoop framed bed [most likely a Conestoga wagon; the scoop bed also known as an upward curved floor was designed to keep the wagon contents from tipping and shifting during travel]; their wagon was drawn by a good team of bay horses called Pop and Sambo." The couple traveled with their five young children: Susie age 10, Rebecca 9, Sarah 5, Lot 3, and John McCue 1, and "a small amount of household goods, a large chest in which was concealed $1,400 in silver [for the purchase of land in Iowa], and a bureau."
While living in Ohio, John Lot and Sarah had suffered the loss of two daughters, Margaret, age 4, and Nancy, age 1; the girls died 1833 and 1835 respectively.
The ABRAHAMs traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio from their home in Butler County. Due to rainy weather, this segment of their journey often experienced delays on the road where their team became mired in thick mud; they "had to call out for help from settlers who used ox teams" to extricate the stalled horses and wagon. Also, friendly Native Americans they encountered would "often" take a little time to stop them to admire John Lot's team of horses; this cause some consternation for 3-year-old Lot due to his worrisome fears that the Indians were going to take the horses from them.
At Cincinnati, they drove their wagon onto a steamboat which took them "down to Cario, Ohio and up to Keokuk, Iowa." Upon arrival in Iowa, they began their drive to the home of friends near New London.
John Lot spent the summer of 1841 renting a house with land, three miles east of New London, where he cultivated and raised a small crop while spending every day possible looking for property suited for a permanent home for his family. He wanted good land with a stand of heavy timber and "on the border of the prairie" but away from its tall prairie grass which held stagnant water infested with mosquito-borne diseases. After carefully searching, John Lot ABRAHAM found the land he wanted to make into their farm and home. It was located in Section 35, Center Township, Henry County, Iowa. He purchased 400 acres for $1,600 and paid $1,400 in silver with a remaining balance of $200 owed. He immediately began work clearing part of the land, building a log house and a barn, making fence rails, plowing, and growing crops. On November 3, 1841, Sarah gave birth to their eighth child, Catherine.
During the winter of 1842/1843, John Lot became ill with "Winter Fever" and died on February 10, 1843 at the age of 36 years and 10 months. Sarah was pregnant with their ninth child, a little girl. She gave birth seven months later on September 19, 1843 and named their daughter, Margaret.
After John's death, Sarah McCUE ABRAHAM (age thirty-six) was faced with a mortgage to pay, a farm to manage, and seven children to raise without her husband. She never again married. Sarah devoted her life to her children and worked hard to ensure that they were fed, clothed, and attended school. To generate income, Sarah spent countless long hours "at her loom weaving blankets, jeans, linsey [homemade linsey was a durable plain-woven coarse fabric made from linen (threads from fibers of the cultivated flax plant) and wool; it was a.k.a. Linsey-Woolsey and was worn by farmers almost universally prior to machine made textiles)], flannel, or carpet for anyone able to hire the work done. She raised flax and spun and wove that with wool from her little band of sheep."
Sarah made everything the children wore except their shoes. Through her endless efforts and her children's help, the family was able to stay together and survive the lonely lean years following the death of the children's father. John Lot and Sarah's children grew into adulthood and had the opportunity to have families of their own and fulfilling lives.
In 1861, John McCue ABRAHAM's older brother Lot (confident that the family and farm would be well cared for by his brother John in his absence) made the decision to leave the family farm and join the Union Army. He fought in the American Civil War with Company D of the 4th Iowa Regiment of Cavalry Volunteers until the war ended. John remained at home managing the farm and caring for their mother and sisters.
According to family stories, when the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861 began the American Civil War, both Lot and John wanted to join the Union Army but they knew one of them would need to stay and work on the farm and take care of the family. There was much discussion between the two brothers as to which should enlist. To settle which brother would voluntarily enlist, the young men decided to go out in a field and settle the matter with a fist fight -- whoever won would leave home and join the army while the other stayed to care for the family and work the farm until drafted into service. Both were strong and determined to win. Their determination resulted in the fight continuing for quite some time under the hot sun. It wasn't until both men were near collapse from exhaustion and dehydration that John reluctantly conceded to his older brother Lot.
John registered for the draft and was classified as Class I, and as such was subject to do military duty, but he was never drafted. He had had success at managing the Abraham farm and producing beef, pork, poultry, grains, vegetables, fruits, and hay. With shortages of farm products increasing with each year of the war, the military may have valued his service as a successful farmer as a vital role needed by the Union to help supply their troops.
During the Civil War years, few young men were available on the home front for the young ladies of a community seeking to impress a potential beau. As such, John McCue ABRAHAM became a popular target for the young women within the area he socialized especially since he was attractive, strong and healthy, kind, thoughtful, helpful, and was successfully managing the largest farm in the area. He enjoyed the extra attention from the flirtatious young ladies at the various social gatherings but none captured his heart until he met Miss Catharine Margaret "Kitty" BARTLETT; she was an intelligent, outgoing, energetic, nurturing, kind, thoughtful, attractive, petite woman, about two and half years younger than John, with naturally wavy dark hair and dark brown eyes.
Catharine was born in Indiana to an English father and a Scottish mother. During 1854, when she was about eleven, her parents John William and Catharine "Kate" (née CARMICHAEL) BARTLETT, moved their family from Rush County, Indiana to Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa. By 1856, her father had purchased land in Jackson Township, Henry County, Iowa and established a farm with the help of his sons.
Six months after they first met, John McCue ABRAHAM and Catharine Margaret BARTLETT were married on Sunday, February 5, 1865 at her parents' home in rural Henry County (near the Quaker community of Salem). On November 19, 1865, the families of the couple gathered together for a dinner in honor of John and Kitty's first born child, Lot William ABRAHAM, born at the Abraham Family home on November 18th.
Sarah, the matriarch of the ABRAHAM Family, died from a stroke on September 7, 1872 at the ABRAHAM Family home on the farm her husband, John Lot, founded and she and the children had worked so hard to maintain and keep from foreclosure. Their farm was in the ABRAHAM family for three generations.
In the spring of 1881, John and Catharine moved from Iowa with their family to Nebraska and settled in the Elkhorn River Valley in Douglas County. Over the years that followed, their homestead grew into a successful cattle ranch of at least 400 acres and Nebraska became their permanent home.
John and Catharine had six sons and one daughter: Lot, Margaret "Maggie", James Willard, Charles, John Edward, Arthur, and Roy Clair. (Please refer to the 1898 family photo posted above. John and Catharine are shown with all their children except for John Edward; he had died in 1882 at the age of seven.)
John McCue ABRAHAM was a kind-hearted man loved for his cheerfulness, kindness, and his obvious love for his family and friends.
--------------------------------------------
John McCue ABRAHAM was born February 4, 1840 in a large brick house (built by his grandfather Lot ABRAHAM Sr.) which was near the road leading from Scripio to Hamilton in Butler County, Ohio. John was the seventh child of nine children born to Lot Sr.'s son and daughter-in-law, John Lot and Sarah (née McCUE) ABRAHAM.
In the spring of 1841, John Lot and Sarah moved their family from Ohio to Iowa. Per their eldest son Lot, they traveled in "a big, stiff-tongued wagon with a scoop framed bed [most likely a Conestoga wagon; the scoop bed also known as an upward curved floor was designed to keep the wagon contents from tipping and shifting during travel]; their wagon was drawn by a good team of bay horses called Pop and Sambo." The couple traveled with their five young children: Susie age 10, Rebecca 9, Sarah 5, Lot 3, and John McCue 1, and "a small amount of household goods, a large chest in which was concealed $1,400 in silver [for the purchase of land in Iowa], and a bureau."
While living in Ohio, John Lot and Sarah had suffered the loss of two daughters, Margaret, age 4, and Nancy, age 1; the girls died 1833 and 1835 respectively.
The ABRAHAMs traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio from their home in Butler County. Due to rainy weather, this segment of their journey often experienced delays on the road where their team became mired in thick mud; they "had to call out for help from settlers who used ox teams" to extricate the stalled horses and wagon. Also, friendly Native Americans they encountered would "often" take a little time to stop them to admire John Lot's team of horses; this cause some consternation for 3-year-old Lot due to his worrisome fears that the Indians were going to take the horses from them.
At Cincinnati, they drove their wagon onto a steamboat which took them "down to Cario, Ohio and up to Keokuk, Iowa." Upon arrival in Iowa, they began their drive to the home of friends near New London.
John Lot spent the summer of 1841 renting a house with land, three miles east of New London, where he cultivated and raised a small crop while spending every day possible looking for property suited for a permanent home for his family. He wanted good land with a stand of heavy timber and "on the border of the prairie" but away from its tall prairie grass which held stagnant water infested with mosquito-borne diseases. After carefully searching, John Lot ABRAHAM found the land he wanted to make into their farm and home. It was located in Section 35, Center Township, Henry County, Iowa. He purchased 400 acres for $1,600 and paid $1,400 in silver with a remaining balance of $200 owed. He immediately began work clearing part of the land, building a log house and a barn, making fence rails, plowing, and growing crops. On November 3, 1841, Sarah gave birth to their eighth child, Catherine.
During the winter of 1842/1843, John Lot became ill with "Winter Fever" and died on February 10, 1843 at the age of 36 years and 10 months. Sarah was pregnant with their ninth child, a little girl. She gave birth seven months later on September 19, 1843 and named their daughter, Margaret.
After John's death, Sarah McCUE ABRAHAM (age thirty-six) was faced with a mortgage to pay, a farm to manage, and seven children to raise without her husband. She never again married. Sarah devoted her life to her children and worked hard to ensure that they were fed, clothed, and attended school. To generate income, Sarah spent countless long hours "at her loom weaving blankets, jeans, linsey [homemade linsey was a durable plain-woven coarse fabric made from linen (threads from fibers of the cultivated flax plant) and wool; it was a.k.a. Linsey-Woolsey and was worn by farmers almost universally prior to machine made textiles)], flannel, or carpet for anyone able to hire the work done. She raised flax and spun and wove that with wool from her little band of sheep."
Sarah made everything the children wore except their shoes. Through her endless efforts and her children's help, the family was able to stay together and survive the lonely lean years following the death of the children's father. John Lot and Sarah's children grew into adulthood and had the opportunity to have families of their own and fulfilling lives.
In 1861, John McCue ABRAHAM's older brother Lot (confident that the family and farm would be well cared for by his brother John in his absence) made the decision to leave the family farm and join the Union Army. He fought in the American Civil War with Company D of the 4th Iowa Regiment of Cavalry Volunteers until the war ended. John remained at home managing the farm and caring for their mother and sisters.
According to family stories, when the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861 began the American Civil War, both Lot and John wanted to join the Union Army but they knew one of them would need to stay and work on the farm and take care of the family. There was much discussion between the two brothers as to which should enlist. To settle which brother would voluntarily enlist, the young men decided to go out in a field and settle the matter with a fist fight -- whoever won would leave home and join the army while the other stayed to care for the family and work the farm until drafted into service. Both were strong and determined to win. Their determination resulted in the fight continuing for quite some time under the hot sun. It wasn't until both men were near collapse from exhaustion and dehydration that John reluctantly conceded to his older brother Lot.
John registered for the draft and was classified as Class I, and as such was subject to do military duty, but he was never drafted. He had had success at managing the Abraham farm and producing beef, pork, poultry, grains, vegetables, fruits, and hay. With shortages of farm products increasing with each year of the war, the military may have valued his service as a successful farmer as a vital role needed by the Union to help supply their troops.
During the Civil War years, few young men were available on the home front for the young ladies of a community seeking to impress a potential beau. As such, John McCue ABRAHAM became a popular target for the young women within the area he socialized especially since he was attractive, strong and healthy, kind, thoughtful, helpful, and was successfully managing the largest farm in the area. He enjoyed the extra attention from the flirtatious young ladies at the various social gatherings but none captured his heart until he met Miss Catharine Margaret "Kitty" BARTLETT; she was an intelligent, outgoing, energetic, nurturing, kind, thoughtful, attractive, petite woman, about two and half years younger than John, with naturally wavy dark hair and dark brown eyes.
Catharine was born in Indiana to an English father and a Scottish mother. During 1854, when she was about eleven, her parents John William and Catharine "Kate" (née CARMICHAEL) BARTLETT, moved their family from Rush County, Indiana to Mount Pleasant, Henry County, Iowa. By 1856, her father had purchased land in Jackson Township, Henry County, Iowa and established a farm with the help of his sons.
Six months after they first met, John McCue ABRAHAM and Catharine Margaret BARTLETT were married on Sunday, February 5, 1865 at her parents' home in rural Henry County (near the Quaker community of Salem). On November 19, 1865, the families of the couple gathered together for a dinner in honor of John and Kitty's first born child, Lot William ABRAHAM, born at the Abraham Family home on November 18th.
Sarah, the matriarch of the ABRAHAM Family, died from a stroke on September 7, 1872 at the ABRAHAM Family home on the farm her husband, John Lot, founded and she and the children had worked so hard to maintain and keep from foreclosure. Their farm was in the ABRAHAM family for three generations.
In the spring of 1881, John and Catharine moved from Iowa with their family to Nebraska and settled in the Elkhorn River Valley in Douglas County. Over the years that followed, their homestead grew into a successful cattle ranch of at least 400 acres and Nebraska became their permanent home.
John and Catharine had six sons and one daughter: Lot, Margaret "Maggie", James Willard, Charles, John Edward, Arthur, and Roy Clair. (Please refer to the 1898 family photo posted above. John and Catharine are shown with all their children except for John Edward; he had died in 1882 at the age of seven.)
John McCue ABRAHAM was a kind-hearted man loved for his cheerfulness, kindness, and his obvious love for his family and friends.
Inscription
ABRAHAM
--------------
CATHARINE
WIFE OF J. M. ABRAHAM
DIED MAY 3, 1901
AGED 59 YEARS
--------------
JOHN M. ABRAHAM
DIED JULY 6, 1913
AGED 73 YEARS
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