Looking for obits for Samuel Kent, died 2 Feb 1917 in Norfolk. Also for his wife, Mary Kent, died 8 Apr 1923 in Norfolk. Thanks

Hello Michael,

I have Mary Ann's but not Samuel's

Newspaper Article Obituary Norfolk Daily News Pg 6 April 9, 1923
Headline- Mrs. Samuel Kent, Pioneer, is Dead
Mrs. Sam Kent, an old pioneer of this vicinity, died at her home in Battle Creek Sunday morning. Funeral services will be held at St. Patrick's church, Battle Creek, at 10 o'clock Tuesday morning, the Rev. Father Thomas Walsh officiating, assisted by the Rev. Father Sullivan of Tilden and the Rev. Father Rose of Wisner.
Mrs. Kent was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1835 and was married to Samuel Kent in Canada in 1857. In 1869 they located on a farm six miles south west of Norfolk.

Michael,
Here is Sam Kent Sr. obit. I assume with your pictures that you are a descend from his son James Ambrose. What is your relation to Steven Kent who was a policeman from Columbus, Nebraska? I descend from Samuel Kent's daughter Mary Ann who married Nicholas Kent also from Wexford Ireland. Their son Peter Kent was my great-grandfather. He also was a policeman in Norfolk. My sister and her boyfriend have Sam Kent's original homestead and are restoring the house to its turn of the century elegance. I have Kent history I would like to share.
Brian Planer


The Norfolk Daily News
Feb 2, 1917, page 5

SAM KENT, SR., DIES ON HIS BIRTHDAY

END COMES AT HOM IN BATTLE CREEK ON HIS EIGHTY-FOUR ANNIVERSARY.

WIDELY KNOWN AS PIONEER

Came to Madison County in 1870 with $300 and Selected Homestead to Which He Brought His Family.
Funeral to be Held Sunday.

Sam Kent, Sr. known as "Uncle Sam Kent" to hundreds of friends in Madison County and one of the old pioneers of this vicinity passed away at BATTLE CREEK at 2:30 Friday morning, his eight-fourth birthday anniversary. Heart failure was the cause of death. Funeral Services will be held in the Catholic Church at BATTLE CREEK at 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon.

Homestead in 1870

Sam Kent was one of the best known homesteaders in this vicinity. Back in 1870 he drove into Norfolk on a stage coach and took a homestead half way between Norfolk and BATTLE CREEK.
Here he reared a fine family, was a successful farmer and on July 14, 1905 he celebrated his golden wedding anniversary. Sam Kent never regretted coming west. Just before celebrating his golden wedding, he told friends that he always pointed to two things with sepecial pride--first, that every move he made since boyhood was a move westward, and second, that his westward course brought him to Norfolk.

The old pioneer was born in county Wexford in the south of Ireland on Feb. 2, 1833. When he was 21 years old he went to Quebec, Canada, with a number of his schoolmates.

He worked in Montreal and at several places in Canada, and sent his small earnings to his parents back in Ireland. The salaries paid in those days were quite small, but by hard work and a thrift which were peculiar to Sam Kent, he succeeded. On July 14, 1853(1855), Mr. Kent moved to upper Canada and married Miss Mary Doyle. With his bride he conducted successfully a farm for a few years. The year Abraham Lincoln was assassinated saw Sam Kent hard at work as a fireman in a sawmill at Lake Huron, Mich. With the small fortune of $300, plenty of health and happiness and full of hope Mr. Kent moved westward, reaching here in 1870. On the same stage coach which brought him to Norfolk, he rode out toward BATTLE CREEK and selected his homestead. His early days were spent in making the acquaintances of the Wisconsin pioneers who welcomed him with open arms. He took up his first abode in a house which had been built north of town by August Raasch. He then sent for his family who found that he had constructed a very neat sod house on his own homestead. He raised corn and was successful in stock raising. He often told of his trips to Columbus and Wisner with grain. He liked to tell the hunters who frequently visited his farm in the later days of the hardships which the old pioneers experienced. His favorite story used to be that of the west, the reward of honest, clean, and industrious living and thrift. He often told how he had made his little fortune of $300 grow larger through hard work and faith in the land of Nebraska.

Michael,
Here is Sam Kent Sr. obit. I assume with your pictures that you are a descend from his son James Ambrose. What is your relation to Steven Kent who was a policeman from Columbus, Nebraska? I descend from Samuel Kent's daughter Mary Ann who married Nicholas Kent also from Wexford Ireland. Their son Peter Kent was my great-grandfather. He also was a policeman in Norfolk. My sister and her boyfriend have Sam Kent's original homestead and are restoring the house to its turn of the century elegance. I have Kent history I would like to share.
Brian Planer


The Norfolk Daily News
Feb 2, 1917, page 5

SAM KENT, SR., DIES ON HIS BIRTHDAY

END COMES AT HOM IN BATTLE CREEK ON HIS EIGHTY-FOUR ANNIVERSARY.

WIDELY KNOWN AS PIONEER

Came to Madison County in 1870 with $300 and Selected Homestead to Which He Brought His Family.
Funeral to be Held Sunday.

Sam Kent, Sr. known as "Uncle Sam Kent" to hundreds of friends in Madison County and one of the old pioneers of this vicinity passed away at BATTLE CREEK at 2:30 Friday morning, his eight-fourth birthday anniversary. Heart failure was the cause of death. Funeral Services will be held in the Catholic Church at BATTLE CREEK at 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon.

Homestead in 1870

Sam Kent was one of the best known homesteaders in this vicinity. Back in 1870 he drove into Norfolk on a stage coach and took a homestead half way between Norfolk and BATTLE CREEK.
Here he reared a fine family, was a successful farmer and on July 14, 1905 he celebrated his golden wedding anniversary. Sam Kent never regretted coming west. Just before celebrating his golden wedding, he told friends that he always pointed to two things with sepecial pride--first, that every move he made since boyhood was a move westward, and second, that his westward course brought him to Norfolk.

The old pioneer was born in county Wexford in the south of Ireland on Feb. 2, 1833. When he was 21 years old he went to Quebec, Canada, with a number of his schoolmates.

He worked in Montreal and at several places in Canada, and sent his small earnings to his parents back in Ireland. The salaries paid in those days were quite small, but by hard work and a thrift which were peculiar to Sam Kent, he succeeded. On July 14, 1853(1855), Mr. Kent moved to upper Canada and married Miss Mary Doyle. With his bride he conducted successfully a farm for a few years. The year Abraham Lincoln was assassinated saw Sam Kent hard at work as a fireman in a sawmill at Lake Huron, Mich. With the small fortune of $300, plenty of health and happiness and full of hope Mr. Kent moved westward, reaching here in 1870. On the same stage coach which brought him to Norfolk, he rode out toward BATTLE CREEK and selected his homestead. His early days were spent in making the acquaintances of the Wisconsin pioneers who welcomed him with open arms. He took up his first abode in a house which had been built north of town by August Raasch. He then sent for his family who found that he had constructed a very neat sod house on his own homestead. He raised corn and was successful in stock raising. He often told of his trips to Columbus and Wisner with grain. He liked to tell the hunters who frequently visited his farm in the later days of the hardships which the old pioneers experienced. His favorite story used to be that of the west, the reward of honest, clean, and industrious living and thrift. He often told how he had made his little fortune of $300 grow larger through hard work and faith in the land of Nebraska.

Brian,

Thanks for the obit. I don't suppose you have a hard copy of it with the photo? Somebody sent me one last year that was a photocopy of the newspaper obit, but the photo was just a dark spot on the page. I would be interested in anything you have about Sam or the Kents going back to Ireland. I would also be interested in seeing what Sam's homestead looks like because I have a bunch of Kent photos that I can't ID, some of which are in front of a house. As to Steve, he was my g/g uncle. I assume that if you saw that pics of James Ambrose, you also saw the info on Steve.

Look forward to hearing from you,
Mike