This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Gaston, Cumings, Hitchcock, Hume, Shepardson, Ingraham, Platt, Blanchard Classification: Biography Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/ok.2ADE/1767 Message Board Post: During her retirement, Mabel Bridges (4/6/1891 -4/18/1976), using a card file, gathered notes on the earliest of the pioneers in Fremont county. I'm copying the following from Mabel's notes: 1.--1814: Born in Danby, New York, in 1814. Moved to vicinity of Oberlin, Ohio, in 1834. Married Maria Cumings in 1837. With his family and others went on mission to Pawnee Indians on the Loupe Fork of the Platte river in 1840; acted as government farmer for the Pawnees for 4 or 5 years. In 1847 became interesed in establishing a school in southwest Iowa, hoping to benefit Pawnees. Moved to the vicinity of Tabor 1851, bought claim of Mr. Beeler--History of Fremont County, 1881, pages 574 - 575. 2.--1842: Received $600 on April 18, 1842 for his services as farmer from the Council Bluffs Indian Agency.--House Document No. 76, 27th Congress 3rd Session. 3.--1842: Book 464, 2nd Session of the 28th Congress, House Document NO. 28, page 5, says he was appointed as farmer by the Council Bluffs agency on April 18, 1842. 4.--1850: ORDERED to serve as petit juror at first District Court--Minutes, Feb. 4, 1850. 5.--1850: Federal Census, Fremont county, IOwa G.B. Gaston....35.....NY Maria..............34.....VT Alexander........12.....OH Alonzo..............9.....Iowa Ophelia.............7.....Indian Territory 6.--1852: President of the first agricultural society, chartered in 1852.--Lingenfelter, page 7. 7.--1852: Fremont county Census, "Scott township" G.B. Gaston....4m....2f 8.--1854: Fremont county Census George B. Gaston....4m....2f...1 voter...1 militia...no aliens 9.--1856: Iowa State Census, Fremont county, "Scott township" G.B. Gaston....41....b. NY.....7 years in Iowa M.C................40........VT......7 A.C. (m)..........17........OH.....7 A.M. (m)..........15........Nebr...7 E.M. (f)............13........b. in Pawnee Indian Country....7 Carolus Hitchcock...11..Mich...7 years in Iowa. Loren Hume.....11......Mich.....2 years Salome Shepardson....22.....Mass....9 years N.D. Ingraham.......22.....NY.....1 year 10.--G.B. Gaston, a brother of Mrs. Platt, located near Dr. Ira Blanchard in Civil Bend; brought and operated the first steam sawmill. High water of 1851 discouraged these settlers; they re-located and founded Tabor in 1852.--Mills - Fremont history, page __?__