Person:William Jaques (5)

THOMAS V. JAQUES

Thomas V. Jaques, one of the leading old settlers of Keya Paha county, resides on a well-improved farm in Custer precinct, and is thoroughly conversant with agricultural pursuits and is a successful and progressive member of the farming community of this section of the country. Mr. Jaques was born in Burlington Plain, near Hamilton, Canada, March 18, 1849. His father, Thomas Jaques, was a native of England, of French ancestry, who came to Canada as a young man, and in 1871 came to the states and settled in Greene county, Iowa, with his family, consisting of his wife, who was Miss Margaret Bird, of English stock, and their eight children, of whom our subject was the fourth member. At the age of twenty-one years he started out for himself, following farm work, as his boyhood years had all been spent on a farm and he had had plenty of hard work to do in assisting his parents on their home farm in Iowa, where they located. In 1884 he came to Keya Paha county, settling on a homestead one mile from Springview, and lived on the place for ten years. He then bought his present home, located on section 1, township 33, range 21, which was partly improved at that time. He is considered one of the leading old settlers of this county, having built up two farms here, also planting many trees and groves on his own and others places, having on his own farm ten acres of the finest grove to be found in the county. He has nine hundred and sixty acres of land mostly in pasture, keeping one hundred and eighty head of cattle and some horses and hogs. At no time during the distressing drought were the crops of his farm a total failure. Mr. Jaques was married December 4, 1874 to Miss Lavina Clopton, whose parents were among the early settlers in Iowa, where they still reside. To Mr. And Mrs. Jaques have been born the following children: Marshall B., Joseph F., William A., Ralph B., Guy D., Nettie Pearl, Bessie O., and Ethel I., all grown up. In political faith Mr. Jaques is a Republican, although he does not take any active part in Politics. He is a member of the Methodist church and the Royal Highlanders of Springview. A picture of Mr. Jaques place will be found on another page of this volume.

SOURCE: COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISENCE AND BIOGRAPHY, p. 269. THOMAS V. JR. and LAVINIA JAQUES FAMILY

By Marie (Jaques) Johnson (granddaughter)

Thomas V. Jaques was one of the early settlers of Keya Paha County. He came to the area in 1884. Mr. Jaques was born in Burlington Plain, near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. His ancestors came from England. It was said that he was mostly English, but was enough French to have the French name. His father, T.V. Jaques, married Margaret Bird, who was of English ancestry. T.V. Jaques Sr. came to Green County, Iowa in the early 1870's. T.V. JR. and two brothers lived for a time in Jackson County. They then joined the rest of the family in Green County. There he married Lavina Clopton Dec. 2, 1874. In 1884, they came to Keya Paha County, Neb. For ten years they lived on a homestead one mile north of Springview. Mr. Jaques then bought a farm three miles north and a half mile east of Springview. It was partly improved. He built it into a well improved, successful farm. He had 960 acres, mostly in pasture. He at one time kept 150 head of cattle and some horses and hogs. He had a ten-acre grove on his farm. He also had a part in planting trees on other farms. The farm is now owned by Glen Forgey. No one lives there, and the once comfortable house is nearly gone.

Mr. And Mrs. Jaques were parents of 12 children. Four sons passed away in infancy. All are now deceased. Marshall B. was for many years a teacher. He was principal at Four Lakes, Wash., at the time of his death. Joseph F. was a farmer in Nebraska and near Millboro, S.D. He later moved to Montana. William A. was a farmer in Keya Paha and Brown Counties and later in Idaho. He also worked on gardens and grounds at the Idaho State School. Ralph B. lived on a farm near Springview and later in town where he was custodian at the city hall and the grade school. Guy B. lived at Springview most of his life. For many years he was caretaker at Mount Hope Cemetery and was also town marshall for several years. Nettie (Jaques) Sylvanus was a teacher in Sioux City, Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado and a homemaker. Bess (Jaques) Cook, Kelly was a homemaker in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Idaho. Ethel Jaques) Carr was a homemaker in Keya Paha and Brown Counties. Mr. And Mrs. Jaques still have relatives living in this area. Grandchildren are Bonnie Bellin, O'Neill; Edryce Rynearson and Getha Nelson, Ainsworth; Jack Carr, Springview, children of Ethel Carr, and Jean Herrman, Ainsworth, daughter of Ralph Jaques. Others are scattered over several of the western states.

(Written after the death of Marie's father in 1970 in Nampa, Idaho)