Joseph Ogle, born in Fulton County, Illinois, in 1849, became a prominent farmer and stockman in Richardson County, Nebraska, after settling there in 1873. Starting with limited resources, Ogle developed a successful 320-acre farm in Grant Precinct, near Dawson. Known for his diligence and skill, Ogle built a thriving homestead, including a fine two-story residence constructed in 1903. He married Lourette Swisegood in 1874, and together they raised seven children. Active in the community, Ogle served on the school board and played a significant role in local agricultural development.
Joseph Ogle, an agriculturist and stock farmer of Grant Precinct, with a post office at Dawson, has been a resident of Richardson County since 1873, having come from Hancock County, Illinois. Although now older, he remains vigorous and energetic, enjoying the best things life has to offer. He and his wife have worked diligently, applying their intelligence and efforts to their endeavors, and their success is evident in their fine home and productive farm. Their operations are carried out with precision, and their home is both hospitable and comfortable.
Joseph Ogle was born in Fulton County, Illinois, on March 31, 1849. His grandfather was a cooper in the same county and died during a cholera outbreak. His father, John Ogle, was born in Ohio around 1823 and died near Humboldt, Nebraska, in 1880. John Ogle married Jemima Servia Burgess, who was born in Pennsylvania. They had ten children, and Jemima passed away after a long marriage, being buried on Joseph’s birthday. John Ogle later remarried. John and Jemima were members of the United Brethren Church. Their children were: Mrs. Hattie Davenport, a widow living in Augusta, Illinois; Mrs. Mary Brown, a widow living at South Sioux City, Iowa, with five living children; Joseph Ogle; John M., who lives in Missouri; William Otto, of Washington County, Colorado; James Oscar, of Franklin Township, Richardson County; and Noah, a farmer in Augusta, Illinois. One daughter, Azubah Hayes, died in Montana, leaving two sons and two daughters.
Joseph Ogle received a district schooling until he was eighteen years old. At the age of twenty-two, he left Illinois with a team of good horses, a wagon, plow, and cultivator, driving overland to Nebraska. He camped out on the journey, leaving Illinois on February 26 and arriving in Brownville on March 9, 1873, with fifty dollars in cash. He farmed on his brother-in-law’s land for the first season. He then returned to Illinois to marry the girl who would become his wife and partner for thirty years. They returned to Nebraska to build their future. Joseph bought a quarter section of untouched land, which still forms part of his farm. He now has three hundred and twenty acres in his home place and a quarter section of bottom land in Nemaha County.
Joseph began improving his land in the spring of 1877, building a small frame house that served as their home for many years. A few years ago, he moved this house back and began constructing a beautiful country residence, which is now one of the finest in the area. The house, surrounded by trees, stands back from the road and harmonizes with its surroundings. It is two stories high with a large attic and a basement housing a furnace and a steel tank supplying water to all rooms. The house features a large pillared porch in front, a screened rear, seven large bedrooms, and richly furnished parlor, living room, dining room, and kitchen. Joseph oversaw the construction, which cost four thousand five hundred dollars, ensuring he got value for every dollar spent. They moved into the house in November 1903. The property also includes a solid stone arch cyclone cave, a large barn built in 1884, and other buildings and equipment.
Joseph and his wife, Lourette E. Swisegood, have made stock raising and general farming highly profitable. Lourette was born in Hancock County, Illinois, a daughter of Daniel H. and Anna C. (Haynes) Swisegood, both natives of North Carolina and pioneers in Illinois. Both her parents are still living in good health on their homestead in Hancock County. Lourette is one of ten children: Sarah S., who died at eighteen months; John Swisegood, who came to Nebraska in 1877 and died on his farm near Dawson; Mrs. Ogle; Cornelia White, living in Augusta, Illinois; the fifth child died at three years; Eliza Blanche, who died at twenty-six years old; Nora Spence, living in Missouri; George, a farmer in Illinois; Thomas, who died in Illinois at twenty-five; and one son who died in infancy.
Joseph and Lourette have lost three children and have four living: John, who farms one of his father’s places, has a wife and two children; Anna Blanche, the wife of Walter Cross, a tenant farmer, has three children; Susie died on March 21, 1903, at twenty-two; Marcellus died in infancy on January 10, 1883; Lena E., a charming young lady, is her mother’s right-hand supporter at home; Ray, eighteen, is at home and still a student; and Bertha Pearl died on October 28, 1892, at three years old.
Joseph Ogle is a Republican and has served as a school board member. He and his wife were once members of the Grange. Joseph has been an integral part of the Richardson County community, and his efforts have created a successful and enduring legacy.
Source: Lewis Publishing Company, A Biographical and Genealogical History of Southeastern Nebraska, 2 volumes, Lewis Publishing Company, 1904.