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The following is an excerpt from:
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COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. published in 1899.
Hopefully this is your Jacob "Jake" Hiner.
JACOB L. HINER, the proprietor of a neat and well kept farm on section 20, West Blue
township, York county, is one of the men in whose coming to the state all good people of
Nebraska might well rejoice. He has devoted his life to agriculture, and his career should
teach the boys to stand by the farm. When he came to the state he had a span of old
horses, and five dollars in money. Three of these dollars went to pay the cost of
preemption and the other two bought eight bushels of corn. And from this exceedingly
unpromising condition he has won a modest fortune.
Mr. Hiner was born in Ripley county, Indiana, January 31, 1845, and was a son of
George and Margaret (Funkhouser) Hiner. His father was a native of Indiana, but his mother
came from Pennsylvania. They moved to Appanoose county, Iowa, in 1849, and settled on
prairie land. She died there, but he lived until 1887, when he died in Nebraska.
Jacob Hiner was born and bred a farmer. He attained his majority on the Iowa farm,
and began a career for himself by working out among the neighboring farmers. He wedded
Miss Susan Ford in 1870. She was a native of Vermillion county, Indiana, where she was
born October 2, 1849. Her parents were Jacob and Catherine (Jordan) Ford, and her father
was a native of Ohio, and her mother of Kentucky. He brought the family to Iowa in 1853,
and died in August, 1897, at Exeter, Nebraska. Her mother is still living, and is tenderly
cherished by her children and grandchildren. In 1872 Mr. and Mrs. Hiner came into
Nebraska, and settled where they are now to be found. There beginnings were humble, and
such as fitted in with the simple life of the community. For seven years they lived in a
sod house, and in 1880 moved into their present comfortable and pleasing residence. In
1872 Mr. Hiner raised some sod corn, and the next year quite a crop of wheat. He rented a
quarter section and r!
aised corn on it. In 1874 he raised a large crop of wheat, and had the best intentions
regarding corn, but the grasshoppers anticipated his purpose in that direction, and
cleaned out the corn fields thoroughly. He now owns two hundred and forty acres, of which
one hundred and eighty is under thorough cultivation. He carries on general farming, and
is interested in Durham cattle and Poland-China hogs. Mr. and Mrs. Hiner have seven
children now living. Mary Styer is the oldest daughter, is married, lives in Thurston
county, and is the mother
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COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY. 577
of two children, Elsie and Willard. John W., the oldest son, is unmarried. Minerva
Lafferty has her home in York county, and is the mother of one daughter, Zelma. The other
younger children are Clerinda, Nevada, Amy and Vertie. One child, Florence, died in early
life. He and his wife are members of the Christian church, of which he has been an
official and a devoted member for many years. He advocates free silver, and belongs to the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Exeter. He has. been road supervisor, and is a member
of the school board of district No. 7. He is regarded as an honorable man, and is
respected throughout the country.