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- 'My grandad, Michael K. O'Nevil came from Ireland. After coming toAmerica he dropped the'O'. He said it was too much bother, so it's beenNevil ever since. He married my grandmother (also from Ireland) afterthey came over. 'He had been on a whaling ship and had gotten into a ruckus with thefirst mate and the captain. They each had a belaying pin, but it didn'tdo them much good. They were going to put him in irons and take him backto Ireland, but after the ruckus was over he jumped ship and swam toanother ship, about three miles distant, that was headed for America. Henever went back to Ireland. 'The first I knew of him is when they left Travis County, Illinois, wheremy father, James Henry 'Henry' Nevil was born. They went from there toRockford, Illinois. When they left Illinois they had a wagon and threehorses. My dad rode the lead horse. They landed in Pueblo, Colorado,where grandad had a fruit and confectionery store. I don't know whenthey left there. 'The next thing I have is they were living on Redwater next to the BearLodge Mountains in Wyoming. They were there during the winter of 1886when so many of the big cattlemen lost all their cattle. My dad saidwhen the snow went off the next spring the cattle carcasses floated downall the dry draws so thick that a person could have stepped from one tothe other all the way across. How long they were there I have no idea.Neither do I know whether grandad had homesteaded there or whether theywere on someone else's place, but he and Grandma had to go to Spearfish,South Dakota on business and left three children there till they camehome. Micheal K. Nevil homesteaded April 9, 1892, Township 53 north andRange 62 West. 'My Aunt Emma was the oldest, then dad, and then George. One night Emmathought she heard a noise that should,t have been in the other part ofthe house. She got a butcher knife and went to see (without a light).She was pretty quiet and there was a man outside. He had gotten thewindow up and had stuck his arm inside and caught hold of the window sillto climb in. That's when Aunt Emma chopped his fingers off with thebutcher knife. The fingers were still there when their folks came home.Granda notified all the doctors in the country of what happened and tolet him know if anyone came in to get taken care of. They all said noone came and no one ever saw anyone with fingers gone. Grandad wanted tomeet that man pretty bad. 'The next I knew, he had set up a boot and shoe store in Spearfish, SouthDakota. He made boots and shoes all by hand. How long long he was thereI have no idea. My grandmother died a short time before my folks weremarried in 1896. James Henry Nevil married Onie Morris in 1896. She wasa sister of Nina (Morris) Mahoney and Jasper W. 'Will' Morris. 'I was born January 9, 1898 and was about two years old when grandad cameout to the ranch for a short time. My father homesteaded down BeaverCreek, north of Alva, Wyoming. I had one brother, Teddie 'Ted' James,who died in 1920 from an appendicitis operation. 'Aunt Emma married Dan Casey of Spearfish, South Dakota. They had sixchildren, one set of twins, Katy and Agnes, Jim, the oldest boy, Franknext and a set of twin boys, Raymond and Russell. Aunt Emma, Frank andthe twin boys moved to Sheridan, Wyoming after Dan died. Katy marriedGeurney Robb of Belle Fourche, South Dakota who worked for J. C. EcclesHardware for many years. I don't remember who Agnes married nor wherethey lived. 'George Nevil, my dad's brother )I never saw him) was a red headed man,and worked for a railroad company. He had a leg cut off from a railroadaccident and died not long after. I don't know if it was from losing theleg or not. 'I married Lucye M. Jay from over close to Alzada, Montana, up MedicineCreek above the Cross Anchor Ranch. We had five children, Henry Jay,Loyce, Genevieve, Phyllis Jean, Bob Joe and Daniel Albert. We lost Danin 1976 from a heart attack. He left three children, two boys Scott Jay,David James and a girl, Dani Marie. We also have thirteen grandchildrenand five great grandchildren. 'My folks are both buried at Vancouver Washington, Evergreen Cemetery,McLaughlin, Heights The account is found on pages359 and 360 in the book, 'Pioneers of CrookCounty 1876-1920' by Crook County Historical Society, Crook County,Wyoming, Published by State Publishing Company, 303 East Sioux, Pierre,South Dakota and Copyright 1981, Crook County Historical Society,Sundance, Wyoming.
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