Walter Newbury, now deceased, one of the early settlers in Milton township, and a prominent Butler county pioneer, was a native of Chemung county, New York. He was born February 9, 1822, a son of Steven and Ester (Turner) Newbury, natives of New York, and of Irish descent. The Newbury family removed to Wisconsin in 1843, and settled in Rock county. They were among the very early settlers of that county. Walter Newbury was a young man of twenty-one when he went with his parents to Wisconsin.

On February 21, 1849, Walter Newbury and Lydia Pember were united in marriage. She was born in New York, December 12, 1830, and was a daughter of Joseph S. and Mary (Thompson) Pember, both natives of New York. Joseph S. Pember, the father, died when comparatively a young man, and some years later, his widow married Daniel Farnham, also a native of New York. In the fall of 1843, Daniel Farnham and his family went from New York to Wisconsin and settled in Rock county, in the neighborhood where the Newbury family resided, and here Walter Newbury and Lydia Pember met and were afterwards married. Lydia Pember was a girl about thirteen years of age when she went to Wisconsin with her mother and stepfather.

After their marriage, Walter Newbury and his bride went to Green county, Wisconsin, and bought 160 acres of land, and while they encountered the hardships and trials of the pioneers, they were contented,

happy and prosperous. They remained in that section of Wisconsin until 1872, when they came to Butler county, Kansas, and homesteaded the northeast quarter of section 34, Milton township. They came by rail as far as Peabody, where they bought a team and wagon, and loaded up their goods and drove to their new home in Milton township. Mr. Newbury engaged in farming and stock raising, and was successful. He was a man, prominent in the affairs of his community, and was held in high esteem by his fellow citizens. He held various township offices of trust and responsibility, and was township treasurer for a number of years. He was active in local politics, and a devout member of the Presbyterian church. He died December 7, 1909, and thus closed the useful career of one of Butler county's respected pioneer citizens.

To Walter Newbury and wife were born the following children: E. C., Long Beach, Cal.; Adelade, married F. B. Ewing, and is now deceased; Mary Esther, married George Tolle, El Dorado; D. S., lives on the old homestead in Milton township; John P., Troy, Kans.; R. T., present address unknown; Walter S., Portland, Ore.; Frank Maude, married Fred Betz, Long Beach, Cal. Mrs. Newbury, the mother, is now living on the old homestead in Milton township, and is one of the grand old pioneer women of Butler county. She has seven living children, twenty-eight grandchildren, and twenty-two great-grandchildren. She spends much of her time visiting her children, and has spent considerable time on the Pacific coast with her children who live there; in fact, she divides her time between Kansas and California.

Previous | Main Page | Biography Index | Next

Pages 639-640,