Thomas & Lucy Ashton

	Dundy County Nebraska Genealogy Trails

Printed in the Benkelman, NE Post, date unknown

Thomas Henry Ashton 1853-1937

Lucy Perkins Ashton 1869-1954

Thomas Ashton was born in Belleville, Ontario, December 7, 1853. He came to Yuma County first in 1872, age 19, returned to Belleville, and in 1875 returned to Yuma County to stay. He arrived from Nebraska City, Nebraska, where his uncle lived. He arrived by the "Walk and Tie" method. This was one horse and two men. One would ride ahead and tie up the horse for the second who was walking. The second would ride ahead of the walker, tie and so on and on.

He arrived with a new suit, a gold watch, and one hundred dollars This same suit, incidentally, was loaned to all of the young men of the area for their weddings This suit was used innumerable times and for many, many years.

He "Hired-Out" to the Benkelman Land and Cattle Co. where he worked for 5 years, the last three as foreman The ranch was located near Benkelman. This was a large steer operation. In the 1880's he made three big cattle drives to Mexico bringing back hundreds of longhorn Mexican steers. This took many long weeks with many men assisting. These were exciting and interesting trips for a young man and he reminisced about them always.

The third and last of these drives Torn Ashton kept the steers for himself and headquartered in the Wray area and ranged between Buffalo and Rock Creek. He traded those headquarters (present Frank Miller Ranch) for the present State Line Headquarters now occupied by Lela and Ashton Wilson. This is Section 10, Township 1, Range 42 West.

The cowboys lived on the prairies for months. These roundups were in Western Nebraska, Western Kansas, and Eastern Colorado. A Chuçk Wagon always traveled with each outfit. The Ashton Outfit's cook was "Uncle Billy Welsh", an Irishman. He always called the Ashtons, "Mama and Papa," altho he was older and never married. He lived with the Ashton family for 48 years until he died at age 93. In those days the cowboys would go to Culbertson, Nebraska, for supplies as the railroad had come that far in 1877.

All of the buildings, barns, corrals, bunkhouse, and cookhouse on the ranch were soddies. The winter work force averaged about 10, but 20 or more were necessary for summer. Between 1870 and 1882 the grass fat steers were driven to Ogallala or Burlington. This ranch was later expanded to 30,000 acres at the height of its operation.

Mrs. Sylvia Seedorf writes in her History of Laird, “The growth and economy of the Laird Community depended greatly on the surrounding ranches and their payrolls. The 4-A Ashton ranch was one of the mainstays of the community. Tom Ashton was a man of great character and integrity who paid out thousands of dollars to his hands, which helped establish and build their present farms ."
Immigrant trains with West Russians arrived in Haigler from 1908 to 1912 Many of these young men were employed by Tom Ashton and have remained to populate the Haigler and St Francis area.

In 1892 Thomas Ashton and Lucy Frances Perkins were married in Benkelman. Lucy was 13 when her parents Susan and Martin Perkins arrived by covered wagon from Washington County, Missouri, to homestead in the Sanborn Area in 1882. Lucy liked to tell the story of how scarce girls were on the new frontier. Anytime a new girl moved into the community the cowboys would call on her whether she lived near or far. From the first time Tom Ashton saw Lucy, he decided she was his girl and he would marry her when she was old enough. He called on her father every Sunday afternoon thereafter to reserve his position. He kept his horse tied at the front gate to discourage all of the other cowboys.

The Ashtons had 4 children: Esther 1896, Susan 1895, Thomas 1898, and Helen 1900. Esther married Dr Cecil Hendry Wilson M D of Bartow, Florida and had two sons, Ashton of Laird and Thomas Ashton M D of Washington, D C; Susan died at age 23; Thomas Martin married Mazie Watson of Sanborn and had one son. Gerald Martin of Denver; Helen married Charles Long of Bartow, Florida and had a son Dr Charles W Long, Jr. M.D. of San Francisco, California.

Tom Ashton continued the ranch as a steer operation but included about 1909 registered Percheron horses and registered Shorthorn cattle These annual sales were famous and buyers came in from all over the west. He acquired banking interests in Benkelman, Haigler, Idalio, and Laird, as well as being a stockholder in the 1st National Bank of Wray. Only the Laird bank and the First National Bank of Wray remained at the time of the famous "Bank Holiday".

The natives like to tell the story of the Laird State Bank when the Bank Holiday was declared all of the depositors came to town and withdrew all of their money. Then they all spent the afternoon on the street corner outside the bank discussing this great catastrophe. When late afternoon arrived Tom Ashton stepped out on the corner and said "Now that you have all of your money out, will you have it tomorrow? Or do_. you want to put it back in a sale place?” The men all looked at each other distrustingly and followed Tom Ashton back into the bank and deposited it all back. So the Laird State Bank survived.

The Ashtons' children were educated at the country school in Sanborn for elementary school. They were sent to Boarding school for high school and college at Merrymont Academy in Concordia, Kansas.

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