John Newens

1846 - 1914  (67 years)

• Name	John Newens  [1, 2]
  Born	17 Aug 1846	Tipton, Cedar Cnty, IA   [1, 3, 4]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	Agriculture - Farmer
  Died	10 Apr 1914	Cedar Rapids, Linn Cnty, IA   [1, 3, 4]
  Buried	12 Apr 1914	Linwood Cem, Cedar Rapids, IA   [1, 3, 4]
  Person ID	I154	SnoufferCampbell
  Last Modified	17 Apr 2011

  
  

  Father	Henry Newens,   b. Abt 1817, London, England ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Celestia Bunker,   b. Shamilee, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	USA   [1]
  Family ID	F48	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Ellen Wilkinson,   b. 14 Nov 1843, Lock Haven, Clinton Cnty, PA ,   d. 28 Oct 1933, Cedar Rapids, Linn Cnty, IA  (Age 89 years)
  Married	6 Sep 1874	Tipton, Cedar Cnty, IA   [1, 3, 4, 5, 6]
  Children	1. Hannah Celestia Newens,   b. 17 Aug 1879,   d. Mar 1970, Tiburon, Marin Cnty, CA  (Age 90 years)   2. Blanche Alice Newens,   b. 10 Sep 1882,   d. 1898  (Age 15 years)   3. Bertha Ina Newens,   b. 30 Dec 1884, Tipton, Cedar Cnty, IA ,   d. 26 Oct 1981, Cedar Rapids, Linn Cnty, IA  (Age 96 years)
  Last Modified	5 Dec 2009
  Family ID	F46	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  John Newens Abt 1909

  
  

• Notes

  The 1880 census shows John, a 37 [sic] year old farmer, living with his wife Ellen, 37, and daughter Hanna E.[sic], 10 months old, in Pottawattamie County. 1880 U.S. Census, Walnut, Layton Twsp, Pottawattamie Cnty, IA (T 9, Roll 361, p. 195). Cedar Rapids [IA] Gazette (?) (no date; abt 1909): "Mr. and Mrs. William D. Snouffer gave a dinner Tuesday at one o'clock, in honor of the sixtieth birthday of Mrs. Snouffer's uncle, Mr. I. Newens of Nome, Alaska, who came to Cedar Rapids to spend Christmas with his brother, Mr. John Newens. Covers were laid for eight and the dinner was served in five courses. "Mr. and Mrs. Snouffer's guests were Mr. I. Newens, Mr. and Mrs. John Newens, Miss Lessie Newens, and Mr. and Mrs. Silas Miller of Mt. Vernon." On 4 Mar 1946 John's daughter Bertha (Newens) Snouffer wrote a letter to her granddaughter Barbara Nelson about homesteading days in Colorado: "It was Christmas 1909 ... when my [father's brother] Uncle Isaiah Newens came to Cedar Rapids to visit us. He had been living in Nome Alaska for many years.... Uncle Isaiah was my fathers brother, and another brother Uncle Dick [Richard Newens] and his wife came from southern Iowa, and a cousin [Charlie Newens] who was a son of another brother ["Uncle Ned" or Edward Newens] of theirs came from Chi[cago]..... Uncle Dick got all of us interested in going to Colorado to 'take up homestead land.' He told of land that the government was opening up to homesteaders. So Grandpa Newens, Aunt Lessie [Newens] (who was not married), Uncle Art [Snouffer] and your Grandpa Snouffer all decided they would go out [to Colorado] and investigate. "They left here [Cedar Rapids, IA] in Jan. 1910 and were quite enthused about the prospects, so with the help of a cousin (Uncle Dick's son) who was already located there they picked out the land they would like to have, and then they went to the Government Land Office in Sterling Colo and filed a claim for their land; each one had 160 acres. Then they came home and we prepared to move.... "Grandpa Newens arranged for a [railroad] box car and in it all the furniture was packed on one side of the car, and on the other side was a buggy, a wagon, a team of horses, and Uncle Arts dog Fanny, and a crate with about 24 chickens.... "*** Grandpa Snouffer was the carpenter, Great Grandpa Newens helped him, and Uncle Art made the trips back and forth to town for lumber, more of the household goods, groceries, etc. "Great Grandma Newens, Aunt Lessie, Your mother (who was my little baby not two years old yet) and I stayed here in Iowa for about two weeks, then we decided we would go also.*** "*** [When a range fire threatened them] Grandpa Newens was wise enough to start a fire and burn a strip about 10 feet wide ... around our household goods ... then we went over to where the house was being built and new lumber piled near, and built a similar fire break. [In an earlier draft of the letter she then wrote: "Our house was soon finished.... Aunt Lessie's house was built next, then Uncle Art's and finally Great Grandpa & Grandma Newens house was finished. *** We lived on the farm for three years, then proved up and got a government deed.... The land is still ours and has been farmed every year -- although we only lived there the three years. ***]" (Most of the group returned to Cedar Rapids after the required three years.) The 1910 Colorado census shows that the extended Newens family was living in Morgan County. John Newens was listed as a 63-yr old farmer, living with his wife Ellen. Nearby was his 25-yr old daughter Bertha I. Snouffer, living with her husband William D., a 26-yr old farmer and their 2-yr old daughter "Blanch N." [sic] Also living nearby were John and Ellen's daughter, 31-yr old Lessie Newens, and William Snouffer's brother Arthur. 1910 U.S.Census, Prec. 12, Snyder, Morgan Cnty, CO (Series T624, Roll 123, p. 294A). Other Newens also lived nearby. (Ibid. p. 294) Obituary, Cedar Rapids [IA] Gazette (?) (no date): "Former Cedar County Citizen Dies at Cedar Rapids. "C.R. Republican [a newspaper?]: The friends of John Newins [sic] of this city will be grieved to learn of his death, which occurred at 5:45 p.m. Friday [10 Apr] at the home, 318 5th Avenue west. "The deceased was born in Tipton, Iowa, August 17, 1846. For the past seventeen years Mr. Newins has lived in this city with the exception of a short time spent in Colorado. He was married to Ellen Wilkinson at Tipton, Sept. 6, 1874. To this union were born three daughters, one of whom, Blanche Alice, preceded her father to the grave 15 years ago. The other children, Mrs. Lessie Shank and Mrs. Bertha Snouffer, reside in this city. In addition to the above he is survived by two brothers, Richard and Isaiah of Morina [sic], Colo., and Seattle, Wash., respectively, and three grand children. "Mr. Newins was taken seriously ill on the first day of April, one side becoming paralyzed. For a few days it was thought he would recover, as he was conscious and able to recognize members of his family. Later, however, his conditon grew worse and it became evident to his sorrowing friends and family that he would not survive. "The funeral services were held at the home on Sunday afternoon [12 Apr] ... interment in Linewood [sic] cemetery...."

  
  

• Sources

  [S2] Bertha Newens|, Bertha Ina (Newens) Snouffer, "Newens & Snouffer Family Records", (Bertha Ina (Newens) Snouffer; unpublished charts; created abt 1960; revised abt 1970; original charts possessed by Wm.C.Snouffer). [S42] Jewell - Snouffers|, Carol Snouffer Jewell, "Snouffer, Schnauffer, Newens of Germany, IA, 1523-1997" (Nov 1999), (Family Tree Maker, "World Family Tree," CD-ROM database (vol. 54, tree 2400), Cambridge, MA; The Learning Company, Inc. : 2000). [S5] Cedar Rapids Gazette|, Cedar Rapids Gazette, (Cedar Rapids, IA), (Apr 1914). [S7] Cem - Linwood, Cedar Rapids, IA|, Genealogical Soc'y of Linn Cnty, IA, "Linn County, Iowa Cemeteries, Linwood, Cedar Rapids", (Genealogical Society of Linn Cnty, IA, PO Box 175, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406 : 2001), p. 87. [S5] Cedar Rapids Gazette|, Cedar Rapids Gazette, (Cedar Rapids, IA), (28 Oct 1933). [S6] IA Census 1930, Cedar Rapids|, Iowa, Linn Cnty, Cedar Rapids, 1930 U.S. Census, (The National Archives, Washington, D.C.), (T626, Roll 665, ED 47, p. 2B).