Abner G. England
Montana GenWeb Archives 
May be copied for non-profit purposes. 
History of the State of Montana, by Joaquim Miller, 1894 

Abner G. England, a Montana pioneer of 1864 and one of 
Missoula's most successful farmers, dates his birth in 
Lawrence County, Illinois, November 1, 1830. Of his 
life and ancestry a brief record is herewith presented. 
Mr. England's grandfather, Thomas England, was born in 
Pennsylvania and was descended from a family of early 
settlers of that state. He lived to be eighty-five years 
of age and reared a family of thirteen children, six 
daughters and seven sons. His fifth child, Joel Wallace 
England was born in Tennessee in 1807. From Tennessee 
the family emigrated to Illinois being among its pioneer
 settlers and in that state Joel W. England was married 
to Jane Seeds, a native of Illinois, her father having 
removed from Ireland to that state when it was on the 
frontier. After their marriage they settled down on a
 farm and continued to reside in Illinois for a number 
of years after which they removed to Missouri where he 
spent the rest of his life and where he died at the age 
of eighty-four years. He had been a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church for many years and was one 
of the most highly respected men in the community where 
he lived. His first wife died leaving him with three 
sons and two daughters, of whom Abner G was the oldest 
and by a subsequent marriage Mr. England had one son 
and four daughters. 

Abner G. England was seven years old at the time his 
mother died and after her death the home was broken up 
and he went to live with William Thompson, his youthful 
days divided between farm work and attendance at the 
district school. Upon reaching maturity, he rented a 
farm on Ellison prairie, Lawrence County, Illinois and 
at the end of one year he had by hard work and economy 
saved enough with which to furnish his share of an 
outfit with two others to come to California. This was 
in the spring of 1853. Their outfit consisted of five 
yoke of oxen and a wagon and provisions. Frank and 
Wiley Cruse had been his schoolmates and they were 
now to be his companions and partners in crossing the 
plains. They left St. Joseph, Missouri on the 28th of 
April as a part of a train composed of 
twenty-six men made the long journey in safety and 
landed at Placerville August 2, 1853. After Mr. 
England's arrival in California, he was for two 
years in the livery business at Marysville. Then 
he mined on the middle fork of the Yuba River and 
engaged in a fluming enterprise in which he lost 
all he had made. From there he went to Nevada City 
where he had a claim which he worked four months, 
during that time taking $500 worth of gold more
than his expenses. Next, he went to Alleghany, Sierra 
County, where he remained five years having the usual 
luck of a miner--sometimes lucky, sometimes broke. 
From Sierra County he went to the Territory of Nevada 
from there to San Francisco and from that city came 
in 1864 to Missoula valley in Montana. He rented a 
farm three milesfrom his present home. Although the 
crops were small that year prices were high and he 
cleared $4,000. He sold his wheat for $7.50/bushel; oats, 
$2.50/bushel; potatoes six and a half to ten cents per 
pound; cabbage, five cents per pound and onions twenty-five 
cents per pound. The following year he took claim to 160 
acres of governmentland, moved onto this place in 
November and since 1865 has resided there. He built 
a log cabin on his claim andfor eight years he lived 
the life of a bachelor.
 
March 11, 1873 Mr. England was happily married to Mary 
Cousins, a native of Illinois and a daughter of Dr. E.G.
Cousins, a physician of that state. They are the parents 
of two children, a son and a daughter. Their daughter 
Ella N. is attending school at Missoula and their son 
Orville G. is in College in Deer Lodge. 

While in Sacramento in 1872 Mr. England offered his 
services to his country but on account of a physical 
disability was rejected. This effort to join the Union 
Army proved his loyalty to his country. While he has 
given little attention to political matters, his vote 
has always been cast with the Republican Party. 

Since coming to Montana, Mr. England's career has been 
that of the successful farmer and able financier. From 
time to time he has added to his original holdings 
until now he has 560 acres in one body, one of the 
choicest farms in Montana. In 1883 he erected his 
splendid and commodious brick residence. While he 
has met with markedsuccess in his farming operations, 
he has not confined his attention to his farm alone 
but has become interested in various enterprises that are 
of great value to the country. He was one of the organizers 
of theFirst National Bank of Missoula, has been one of 
its stockholders since its organization and is now its 
vice-president. The Bank Corporation owns the beautiful 
National Bank building which was built at a costof 
$115,000 and the same corporation also owns the 
Missoula Hotel, one of the best hotels in the county, 
it having been erected at a cost of $65,000. 

Mrs. England was a charter member of the First Presbyterian 
Church of Missoula and is one of the few charter members 
who are still spared to worship there. 

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