DIED

LEWIS--At the ripe old age of seventy-five years, Jacob Lewis, the last survivor of the little party of pioneers who arrived here in the early spring of 1856 to found the present city of Columbus, passed away at his home, just east of the city last Wednesday. He was of German stock, his birthplace being Biedigheim, Germany, where he was born September 2, 1834. At the age of eighteen he came to his adopted country, America, and located at Middletown, Ohio, where he lived four years, until 1856, when, with the other twelve members of the party, he started west to establish a home in the perfect wilderness, leaving their Ohio home in the dead of winter, and arriving at Columbus in March of that year, making the entire trip in a wagon. Here he remained eight years, when he returned to Ohio and in April, 1865, was married to Catherine Engle. They then returned to Columbus, which has since been their home and where they have reared their family. During the early part of his life he took great interest in the city which he helped to found. Soon after arriving here Mr. Lewis bought the home farm, on which he has resided, and the greater portion, of his life was devoted to cultivating it. During the early days, he, with the other settlers, were often called on to help defend the settlement against the encroachments of the Indians and although never regularly in the army, he saw considerable service of this kind. Besides his aged wife, Mr. Lewis leaves a family of four children, three sons, Chas., George and Jacob, one daughter, Mrs. William Stevenson, all of this city. Funeral services were held Sunday at the home and at the German Reform church, being conducted by the pastor, Rev. Neumarker. Those acting as pall bearers, Henry Gass, Nich Blaser, Fred Luckey, F. Brodfueher, Louie Phililps and John Meyer, were all life long friends of the deceased.

BIO
JACOB LEWIS

The name of Jacob Lewis, which is among the names of the founders of Columbus and Platte County carved on the exterior wall of the Platte County Court House, has remained prominent in Platte County History for nearly one hundred years. Mr. Lewis was born in Bedigheim, Wurtemburg, Germany, September 2, 1834, and came to Omaha, Nebraska from Columbus, Ohio, early in 1856. He was one of the advance guard for the Columbus Company, and one of the thirteen founders who arrived here on May 29, 1856, to found a town.

The present Lewis farm, which adjoins Columbus on the Eighth Street Road, was staked out by Jacob Lewis in 1856. This one hundred sixty-acre tract was purchased from the government for one dollar twenty-five per acre. Here, Mr. Lewis built a log cabin and began farming in the pioneer way with ox teams. His perseverance and hard work in breaking the prairie sod was soon rewarded by a marked change in the appearance of his claim. It also marked the beginning of the development of Platte County farming.

After eight years Jacob Lewis returned to Columbus, Ohio, where, in 1865, he married Katherine Engel, a native of Germany, born at Darmstadt-Hesse, April 2, 1842. Shortly after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis came to Columbus, and established their home on Mr. Lewis' land. Upon their trip here, as they, were crossing the Mississippi River, they received the news of President Lincoln's assassination. This was an event of great historical importance. Feeling against the assassin ran high. The incident was often told to the Lewis children, when their parents retold stories of their pioneer life.

Another experience told to them by their parents was the story of the Indians. One evening, when Mr. Lewis was doing his farm chores, he was suddenly and silently surrounded by five warriors mounted on their ponies. The redskins quickly drew their bows and arrows. Mr. Lewis zigzagged toward the house, grabbed his rifle, and shot above them to frighten them away. He was careful not to shoot an Indian, for the Indians never forgave the killing of one of their tribe, and the penalty for the white man who had killed an Indian was to be skinned alive.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Lewis had six children. Charles J., born June 30, 1867, farmed the original farm until his death, April 26, 1943. The Lewis farm is now operated by his son, Charles, Jr. George John Lewis, engaged in farming, resides in Platte County. John, born in 1872, died when he was five years old. Jacob, Jr., former treasurer of Platte County, died in April, 1946. Katherine the wife of William Stevenson, died in 1948, and Anna Lewis died in infancy.

Mr. Lewis, who had helped found and build Columbus, saw it grow from a struggling townsite to one of Nebraska's finest communities. As the town prospered, so did pioneer Jacob Lewis, for at the time of his death, October 6, 1909, he owned five hundred acres of good Nebraska farmland. Mrs. Katherine Lewis died May 17, 1914


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You can find the brief obit about Jacob Lewis from the old newspapers located on the website of Platte County, Nebraska Researchers located HERE it's listed under 1909.

The bio of his life was taken from M. Curry and is located HERE