George, Lydia and their two sons left Pennsylvania in the late winter or early spring of 1883. George was doing well in Pennsylvania before they left. He had a team and was hauling timber to the coal mines and lumber from the saw mills. There were a few of his friends that had come west and had sent back some very favorable reports. When they got to Nebraska, they landed at Columbus in Platte Co., Nebraska. Columbus was a pretty new town in 1883. George left his family in Columbus and went to Atkinson, Holt Co., Nebraska. There was homestead land there and he located on 160 acres, 11miles northeast of Atkinson. George's friends at Atkinson staked him to a yoke of oxen, wagon and a breaking plow. He made a well and put up a one room sod house and had it ready in about six weeks, then sent for his family. He purchased the homestead on November 21, 1885 for $200.00 or $1.25 per acre. George had borrowed money from a loan company to acquire the homestead. Two years of drought and grasshoppers resulted in the loan company foreclosing on the homestead in the spring of 1887. They moved to Garfield Co. where George built a stable first, then a sod house. In 1892 the family left Nebraska and went west. George and his family pioneered in Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon, Washington and back to Nebraska. The family first located near Columbus, Platte Co, Nebraska in 1898, and moved near Valentine, Cherry Co, Nebraska in 1902. On May 18, 1915, George received a Land Patent to 196 acres near Valentine, Nebraska.

George died on June 23, 1923 in Valentine Township, Cherry Co., Nebraska. Lydia returned to Pennsylvania after George's death and died on January 17, 1927 in West Wyoming, Luzerne Co., Pennsylvania.

Obituary: Old Man Dies Suddenly

George N Thompson, aged 74, falls dead at Harris Ranch. George N Thompson, aged 74 years, a ranch laborer on the George A Harris ranch, four miles west of Kennedy, met a sudden death about 11 o'clock last Saturday afternoon. Apparently heart failure was the cause. Mr. Thompson had been at the Harris place for some time. During the winter he had not been able to work, complaining about trouble with his heart. Saturday forenoon he was working in a plowed field some distance from the house. About 11 a.m. Mrs. Harris, who was alone on the place, saw him coming toward the house on a hay rack, on which he was standing up. She returned to her household duties, but after a while not seeing Thompson in the yard went to the door and found the team and rack standing in the yard with no sign of Thompson. Mounting a horse she rode some distance in the direction from which she had seen him coming and found Thompson's body lying in a shallow pool of water. Word was phoned to town and County Attorney Heelan, Sheriff Hammon and Deputy Coleman at once drove out to the place, forty miles or more from Valentine. They brought the body to the home and found that the old man's head and face were badly scarred by barbed wire cuts. It appeared that he had either fallen from the rack in a faint or had been bumped out, and had been dragged a short distance when the team passed within two or three feet of a wire fence. Considering the old man's age and his heart trouble, it was easy to reach the conclusion that he had died from natural causes and a formal inquest was not found necessary. A son, Cleve P. Thompson, who was working on the electric transmission line near Kilgore, was notified and the body brought to town. Burial was made at Mt Hope cemetery Wednesday afternoon, no services being desired by the son. It is understood that Mr. Thompson left several other sons, the whereabouts of some of them being unknown. A deposit of $34.10 in a Senecad bank was his only asset, so far as is known.

Chronological Timeline of George & Lydia Thompson

1853, June 7 -- George Nelson Thompson was born in Monroe Township, Wyoming Co., PA to Ezra Thompson and Sarah Jane Crispell

1861, April 27 -- Lydia A. Tripp was born in Lockville, Luzerne Co., PA to Danford C. Tripp and Lucy Ann Whitlock.

1879, November 9 -- George and Lydia were married at the Caverton Church, Luzerne Co., PA

1880, August 15- Myron Danford Thompson was born in Bowmans Creek, Wyoming Co, PA

1882, August 13 - Sealburt F Thompson was born in Monroe Township, Wyoming Co, PA

1883 -- George and family left Pennsylvania and arrived at Columbus, Platte Co., NE

1883 -- George and family moved to a homestead near Atkinson, Holt Co., NE

1883, November 14 - Myrtle A. Thompson was born in Atkinson, Holt Co, NE

1885, July 30 - Bessie M. Thompson was born in Atkinson, Holt Co, NE

1885, November 21 -- George purchased a 160 acre homestead near Atkinson, Holt Co., NE

1886, July 3 - Moses Thompson was born in Atkinson, Holt Co, NE

1887 -- George and family moved to Garfield Co., NE

1889, May 11 - Stella Thompson was born in Garfield Co., NE

1890, December 18 - James E. Boyd Thompson was born in Highland, Garfield Co, NE

1892 -- George and family left Nebraska and pioneered in Wyoming, Montana, Oregon, Washington

1895, September 9 - Lorenzo E. Thompson was born in Pendleton, Umatilla Co, OR

1897, August 17 - Cleveland P. Thompson was born in South Park, King Co, WA

1898 - George and family returned to Nebraska and located near Columbus, Platte Co, NE

1899, April 5 - Paul Glendon Thompson was born in Columbus, Platte Co, NE

1902 - George and family moved near Valentine, Cherry Co, NE

1915, May 18 -- George received a Land Patent to 196 acres near Valentine, Cherry Co, NE

1923, June 23 -- George Nelson Thompson died in Valentine Township, Cherry Co., NE

1927, January 17 -- Lydia A. Tripp died in West Wyoming, Luzerne Co., PA

Century Family Recognition Certificate #1054

Submitted by Gary Thompson <Amfirst@aol.com>
December 2002