Sedgwick County KSGenWeb

Portrait And Biographical Album of Sedgwick County, Kan.

Chapman Brothers 1888

Pages 280  

SOLOMON NIGHSWONGER. Sedgwick County has many well-to-do and successful farmers who are the architects of their own fortunes and are connected largely with the official life of this section. Among these is the subject of this personal history, who is the present Trustee of Viola Township, on section 26, where he settled in the fall of 1876. He was born in Marshall County, Ill., April l5, 1854, and is the offspring of Abraham and Jane (Sellers) Nighswonger. 

     The grandparents of our subject were natives of Virginia, who settled in Pike County, Ill., where his father was born. The latter was reared to farm life, but in early manhood was employed for a time upon the various steamboats that plied upon the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, and was married in Pike County. Some time after his marriage he removed to Marshall County, Ill., where our subject was born, and there made his home until 1881, when he came to Kansas and settled on section 23, in Viola Township, where he owned a tract of 800 acres of land, which he had bought in 1876. This immense and valuable farm he improved and there made his home until his death, which occurred July 10, 1885. The mother of our subject is living and resides upon the old homestead in this county. She was the parent of nine children, of whom the following six still survive: Annie, wife of Theodore Kerr; Solomon, the subject of this sketch; William, Frank, Isaac and Oscar. 

     Solomon Nighswonger was reared upon the paternal farm and there received the training that he has made answer so successfully in his agricultural pursuits through life. He received his education in the district schools of his native county, and on attaining his manhood in 1876, came to Kansas, and made a claim on his present place. In 1878 he returned to his native county in Illinois, where, on February 26, he was united in marriage with Miss Ada Tanquary, who was born in Marshall County, Ill., April 19, 1857, and is the daughter of Cornelius and Sarah (Huff) Tanquary, natives of Ohio. By this union our subject and his wife have been blessed with a family of four children, who bear the following names: Bertha Viola, Rollie Albert, Harry Maynard and Walter C. 

     Mr. Nighswonger has a fine property of 240 acres of land, and gives the greater proportion of his time to the rearing of stock, in which he is meeting with a merited and richly deserved success. He is numbered among the wealthy and prosperous farmers of the county, and occupies a high place in the consideration and respect of his fellow-citizens. In his political views he coincides, to some extent, with the National Greenback party, but is entirely independent of party lines, being one of those rugged natures that have minds of their own, and having such, dare maintain them. He is now serving the people of the township as Trustee for the third term, and is a conscientious and faithful officer. In his religion he is a Baptist, and a God-fearing and sincere Christian gentleman.

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