The History of the Early Settlement of Norton County, Kansas

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lough.JPG (36454 bytes)land near Norton but when he returned with his family in March, 1873 he found the land had been taken; he then took land at Almena.  He was born in Braton (sic) county, Virginia, May 28, 1828.  His eldest son Peter Lough, who is well known to the old settlers left here in 1888 and went to Oklahoma; he now lives in Blaine county and is practicing medicine.  As to whether he ever studied medicine before going there or not we are not informed.

Jim Lough, his second son, lives in Oregon. He left here in 1890.

The balance of Mr. Lough's family lives in this county.  In politics Mr. Lough was a republican until 1890; he has since been a populist.  He is at present time justice of the peace of Almena township.

Reuben Bisbee was born at Bellows Falls, New Hampshire Sept. 18, 1805.  He was of Scotch descent. He moved with his parents to Vermont when he was two years old; joined the church at the age of twelve years.

On January 4, he married May Armstrong, who was born Jan. 2, 1807 in Connecticut and moved with her parents to New York and settled at Crown Point on Lake Champlain at which place they were married.  About the year 1832 or 1834 they moved to Canada, where during the rebellion of 1837 and '38 he was forced to take the oath of allegiance to Great Britian (sic).  There were seven sons and six daughters.  The sons were generally dissatisfied with Canada, having so much yankee blood in them it was hard for them to keep down their loyalty. Their mother always being a regular blue blooded yankee.  The oldest son went to California in the early fifties and the rest of the family lost a 1 trace of him.  At different periods the other boys came into Michigan and returned again to Canada until the spring of 1873 when the youngest son, R. 
Bisbee Jr. determined to come west.  Father Bisbee then sold out bringing with him Wm. Nelson, wife and family of four sons; (Mrs. Nelson being his oldest daughter.  R. Bisbee Jr., wife and two sons, Betsy C. his youngest daughter, Archie Hewitt, Sarah Finley (an adopted daughter) and Mrs. Nelson, Wm. 
U's mother.  He first went to Plattsmouth Nebraska then to Lowell, Nebraska, where he met Vic I. Clark. who located the whole family on the Sappa.

Reuben Bisbee was the first postmaster at Devizes and named the office.  He gave and had laid out the Devizes' cemetery, where he was lain to rest the last of January 1887.  He was 82 years 4 months and 1O days; old Grandma Bisbee followed him on April 2, 1892, aged 85 years and three months; they traveled together for over 61 years;

Father Bisbee was an active member of the Methodist church over 70 years and mother Bisbee a member for 81 years.

Franklin D. Hakes was born in Jefferson county, New York, November 8, 1893.  He was married to Rosita Bently December 

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