Akron, Colorado newspaper article about William Brandon written by one of his grandsons. Taken from Ancestry.com
Photo of William Brandon. Taken from Ancestry.com
As I read the clipping from an Akron, Colorado newspaper, I pictured the life of some “Paul Bunyan-esque” American hero or character in an old western: full of danger and adventure. The article followed the adventures of a man who was seemingly pursued by danger as he traveled across the country, and yet he was always one step ahead. It was hard for me to imagine that this story was not only true, but it was also about my 4th great-grandfather, William Ferrien Donaldson Brandon.
The story began in 1865 at the close of the Civil War. At that time, the railroad barely made it to the eastern border of Nebraska. William and a partner took a team of oxen over five hundred miles to reach Denver, Colorado. Along the way, the pair stopped at Julesburg, Colorado. Two days after their arrival, the town was burned and its citizens slaughtered by Indians. However, by then William was long gone and would likely not hear the news or realize his luck for some time to come.
William spent a year prospecting in Denver and then returned to Iowa. There he married Cathrine Emeline Stillwell, a woman from Cincinnati, Ohio, who was one year younger.
Photo of William Brandon’s Wife Cathrine Stillwell. Taken from Ancestry.com
Nevertheless, William hadn’t had his fill of adventure yet. Four years into his marriage, he filed for a homestead in Valentine, Nebraska. He and his family moved out to their homestead and began to farm the land there. Unfortunately, Sitting Bull led an Indian uprising in 1878, killing anyone he could in an attempt to rid his homeland of the white man. William was scared for himself and his family and fled the homestead in the night without having fulfilled the homestead requirements.
Yet William was still determined to claim a homestead for himself. At the age of 43, William left Iowa once again; this time to claim a homestead near Otis, Colorado. He struggled briefly with claiming the homestead because he hadn’t relinquished his previous homestead in Nebraska but, in the end he was finally able to successfully claim his homestead.
Once William Brandon set his mind on claiming a homestead, he would not be stopped until he had reached his goal. The remarkable thing is, the same relentless stubbornness that helped him survive lives on in his family. His son earned his living as a blacksmith in small town Iowa and his grandson, my great grandfather, made it through the great depression as the owner of his own grocery store. This trait has carried on through his blood; even down to me. As I child nothing could stop me from what I wanted. When I was two, I knocked out my only two teeth when I feel down the stairs after trying to reach the top and before I was out of elementary school, I had broken six bones. However, much like William, the same attitude that kept putting me in danger, helped me reach my goals. I have no doubt that his perseverance will continue in future generations.