BIOGRAPHIES: James NEVIN, Clinton Township, Barron Co., WI ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Transcribed by Kate Wilson. Edited and submitted by Vic Gulickson 4 January 2004 ************************************************************************ James Nevin was born in Ireland July 25, 1857, the son of Robert and Martha (Stewart) Nevin, who came to America in the spring of 1881, spent the summer in Ontario, Canada, and in the fall came to Barron County and took up their home in Cumberland Township on an 80-acre farm owned by their son, Joseph. Of their children Jane is the wife of August Hart, of Boise, Idaho; Joseph is deceased; Rebecca is the wife of Samuel McCoy, of London, Canada; James is the subject of this sketch, and Matilda is now Mrs. Carl Germanson, of Clinton Township, this county. James Nevin came to America about 1875. For a time he spent his summers farming in eastern Canada and his winters lumbering in Roscommon County, Michigan. He began for wages of but $26 a month, and during his first winter was cheated even out of that, so that for the winter’s work he received but $10 above his board. In 1880 he came to Barron County and purchased 80 acres of land in Clinton Township. He had no money, times were hard, the nearest town was Cumberland, eight miles away, and there were no roads to that place. The farm was all wild. Mr. Nevin cleared a place in the woods, erected a log cabin and started a garden. For a time he cut white ash bolts for barrel staves, hauling them to Rice Lake by way of Barron. The trip, which occupied twenty-two miles, was partly over the Knapp, Stout & Co.’s "tote roads" and the journey sometimes took considerably over twenty hours. For a few years Mr. Nevin was compelled to leave his farm in the winter time and secure employment as a lumberman. But his circumstances improved during the passage of time, his hard work resulted in success, the little log cabin was replaced by a good set of buildings, and the wild forest land became a well cultivated, well kept and well ordered farm. Mr. Nevin became a substantial man in the community and for one year served as a member of the town board and for one year as town assessor. In the fall of 1919 he rented the farm and moved to Barron City, where he has a pleasant home on Division street. Although living in Barron he still serves as superintendent of highways in Clinton Township, a position he has occupied for some years past. Mr. Nevin was married Sept. 30, 1885, to Rebecca Stewart, daughter of William and Mary (Wilson) Stewart, who lived in a neighboring county in Ireland, and whom Mr. Nevin had courted before coming to this country. Mrs. Nevin was one of nine daughters. She came to America alone and joined her sisters in Philadelphia. Her parents came to America for a while, then returned to Ireland where the father died, after which the mother again came to America and died in Philadelphia. Mr. and Mrs. Nevin have been the parents of nine children. William Robert was born July 5, 1886, and is living on a homestead of 320 acres in Montana. Joseph was born Aug. 17, 1888, and is a farmer in Saskatchewan, Canada. Martha Jane was born Jan. 22, 1891, and is the wife of Ernest Salsbury, of Comstock, this county. James Jr., was born March 21, 1893, and lives on the home farm in Clinton Township. Mary Elizabeth was born Oct. 30, 1895, is the widow of Harlow Stuntz, and lives with her brother on the home farm in Clinton Township. Anthony was born Feb. 17, 1898, and is now farming in Cumberland Township, this county. He married Dora Hanson, of Cumberland Township. Violet S. was born April 4, 1900, and is now the wife of Albert F. Carlson, of Comstock, Wis. Samuel was born Aug. 1, 1902, and with his brother, James Jr., rents the home farm in Clinton Township. An unnamed infant is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Nevin are members of the Church of God, but attend the First Baptist Church of Barron. The family is highly regarded throughout the community. --Transcribed from: History of Barron Co., Wisconsin, H. C. Cooper, Jr., & Co., 1922, pg. 122. © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm