Miles ZENTMYER

1842 - 1911  (69 years)

• Name	Miles ZENTMYER
  Birth	25 Jun 1842	Spruce Creek, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
  Gender	Male
  Death	18 Sep 1911	Schuyler, Colfax, Nebraska (pronounced 'Skyler')
  Burial	Schuyler Cemetery, Schuyler, Colfax, Nebraska - Plot: Cascade section, Lot 98
  Notes	"MILES ZENTMYER, attorney and counselor at law. He does a large collection business for Eastern parties, and deals in real estate. He is also one of the proprietors of the Schuyler Herald, owned by Zentmyer & Holcomb. Mr. Zentmyer first located in Schuyler in January, 1873, emigrating from Huntingdon, Pa., where he was born June 25, 1842. He enlisted, August, 1862, in Company C, One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers Infantry, in the nine months' service. He began the study of his profession in October, 1863, in the law office of Scott, Brown & Bailey, in his native town, where he remained; and also taught school several terms, etc., until February 25, 1865, when he again enlisted as a private; and March 1, 1865, he was appointed First Lieutenant of Company F., Seventy-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers Infantry. In his nine months' service he participated in battles of Antietam and Chancellorsville. He was discharged December 6, 1865, in Victoria, Texas, and was mustered out in Philadelphia, Pa., January 16, 1866. Eighteen months after being mustered out he entered the former law office and resumed his studies, and was admitted to the bar August, 1869, and began the practice of law in his native place, where he remained until he moved to Nebraska. Was married in Huntingdon, Pa., May 26, 1874, to Miss Jennie M. Crewitt, also a native of the latter place. They have one son, George Aubrey, born May 2, 1881. (three siblings who preceded George did not survive, but two sisters who were born after this was written did survive -Ed) Mr. Z. is a member of Acacia Masonic Lodge, No. 34; also I. O. O. F., Schuyler Lodge, No. 38. Was elected County Judge in fall 1881. He ran for Lieutenant-Governor of Nebraska on the State Democratic ticket in 1876. He and Mrs. Zentmyer are members of the Presbyterian Church of Schuyler." - Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska, 1882 "Served as Judge for the years 1882 - 1884." Judy Brezina, Curator, Schuyler Historical Society Museum Schuyler Colfax, for whom the town Schuyler and the county of Colfax were named, served as the 17th Vice President of the United States under Ulysses S. Grant from 1869 to 1873, and prior to that as the 25th speaker of the House of Representatives from 1863 to 1869. Schuyler was made the County Seat of Colfax County in 1869, and it was a boom town in the years 1870 and 1871, as it was the terminus of the Blue River Cattle Trail, over which Texas cattlemen would drive their longhorn cattle to be loaded onto Union Pacific trains for transport to Chicago, to be slaughtered for a meat-hungry post Civil War America. The population grew from 100 to 600 over two years. The cattle boom faded as tensions between the local farmers and the transient cowboys escalated. Farmers began deliberately stampeding the herds to protect their crops, and laws were passed allowing locals to confiscate stray cattle. Realizing that Schuyler had become too hostile, cattlemen abandoned the route after the 1871 season, pushing the cattle trails further west to places like North Platte and Ogallala. But the cattle era permanently shaped Schuyler, fueling its initial economic growth and transitioning it from a tiny railroad stop (originally called Shell Creek Station) into a permanent Nebraska town. It was into this up-and-coming place that Miles Zentmyer chose to settle in January of 1873..
  Person ID	I2331	Zentmeyer Main Tree
  Last Modified	3 Aug 2026

  
  

  Father	Major John ZENTMYER,   b. 24 Mar 1808, Washington County, Maryland d. 13 Mar 1891, Porter Twp., Huntingdon Co., Pennsylvania (Age 82 years)
  Mother	Margaret GATES,   b. 28 Mar 1810, Pricetown, Berks, Pennsylvania d. 14 Jul 1888, Alexandria, Porter Twp., Huntingdon, Pennsylvania (Age 78 years)
  Marriage	29 Mar 1832
  Family ID	F290	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Jane McNamara CREWITT,   b. 14 Nov 1849, Pennsylvania Furnace, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania d. 20 Jun 1935, Omaha, Douglas, Nebraska (Age 85 years)
  Marriage	26 May 1874	Huntingdon, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, at the Huntington Presbyterian Church, Rev. Samuel Moon presiding.
  Notes	The Miles Zentmyer family was listed on Vine St. in multiple US Census records, and a published account located the house at the southwest corner of Vine and Oregon Streets. But in 1928 Schuyler renamed their streets, so Miles and Jennie's house was located at the southwest corner of present-day 11th and C Streets. Jennie and her daughter Nona, age 23, moved to Omaha soon after Miles' death, where they resided with Nona's 29-year-old sister Herma, who had moved there earlier. The Sanborn Fire Insurance map for Schuyler from 1923 indicates that the house had been demolished sometime prior to that year. A Phillips 66 gas station was built and operated by the Vondracek brothers on the site beginning in 1934, the year before Jennie died in Omaha. After Jennie's death, both daughters moved to Portland Oregon, where they lived for the remainder of their lives.
  Children	1. Jane Dorland ZENTMYER,   b. 14 Mar 1875, Huntingdon, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania d. 17 Mar 1875, Schuyler, Colfax, Nebraska (Age 0 years)   2. John Aubrey ZENTMYER,   b. 19 Jul 1877, Schuyler, Colfax, Nebraska d. 30 Sep 1877, Schuyler, Colfax, Nebraska (Age 0 years)   3. Edith May ZENTMYER,   b. 01 May 1879, Schuyler, Colfax, Nebraska d. 12 Jul 1879, Schuyler, Colfax, Nebraska (Age 0 years) + 4. George Aubrey ZENTMYER,   b. 2 May 1880, Schuyler, Colfax, Nebraska d. 17 Jan 1968, Riverside, Riverside, California (Age 87 years)   5. Nona ZENTMYER,   b. 19 Dec 1882, Schuyler, Colfax, Nebraska d. 22 Aug 1970, Portland, Multnomah, Oregon (Age 87 years)   6. Hermina Tottie ZENTMYER,   b. 30 Jan 1888, Schuyler, Colfax, Nebraska d. 22 Jan 1966, Portland, Multnomah, Oregon (Age 77 years)
  Family ID	F23129	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 Oct 2016

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		Miles Zentmyer From the Zentmyer Collection, colorized with AI.
  		The Miles and Jennie Zentmyer family From the Zentmyer Collection. Nona, George, Miles, Hermina, and Jennie Crewitt Zentmyer. Colorized from a black and white original.
  		Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania Miles Zentmyer's birthplace is listed as Spruce Creek, although at the time the family was living a short distance away from town on a farm owned by the Huntingdon Furnace Co.
  		M. Zentmyer's Tent at Camp Harker, Tenn. From the Zentmyer Collection. Written on the back side - "Painted by E. Hodsdon (1899) From a pencil sketch made by Henry Comb, (1865.)"
  		Miles Zentmyer's discharge from the Union Army From the Zentmyer Collection. Dated December 6, 1865
  		Miles is open for business in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania A 'business card' advertisement in the Huntingdon Journal dated 4 Jan 1871. Image by Gary Zentmyer
  		Miles clears the air about his candidacy Article in Reading (Pennsylvania) Times, 30 May 1872. Image by Gary Zentmyer
  		Miles and Jennie Zentmyer's Marriage From the Zentmyer Collection. On 26 May 1874 as recorded in Miles & Jennie Zentmyer's family bible, which is currently in the custody of your webmaster.
  		Appeal for help from grasshopper plague Article from the Huntingdon Globe, 25 Nov 1874. Miles was writing from Schuyler, Nebraska but had been born and bred in Huntingdon County Pennsylvania and evidently felt he still had some influence there. Image by Gary Zentmyer
  		Nebraska Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1879-80 For Schuyler area Image by Gary Zentmyer
  		Amos Svoboda's recollection of Miles Zentmyer Amos was born in 1896 and died in October of 1966, the same year this article was published. Amos was the owner of the Schuyler Sun newspaper at that time. Recent research reveals that Miles Zentmyer actually founded the Schuyler Sun in August of 1875, and owned it for a brief period thereafter.
  		Aerial image of Schuyler in 1884. Miles and Jennie's house circled at the southwest corner of Vine and Oregon streets, present-day 11th and C Streets.
  		The Zentmyer residence in Schuyler. At the southwest corner of Vine and Oregon streets, this image is from Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for 1885 during Miles and Jennie's time in Schuyler. Note Office and Dwelling, color yellow indicates wood frame, 1 and 2 refers to number of stories, and x means shingle roof. This corner is currently addressed as 321 E. 11th St. and features an auto repair building formerly used as a gas station.
  		Schuyler Map From 1899 Showing the Zentmyer residence at the southwest corner of Oregon and Vine streets, on a double lot.
  		Vine St. Looking West from Oregon St. This postcard image is from 1910, the year before Miles died. The Zentmyer residence is on the far left of the view, and the Bolton Dry Goods Store is on the far right. Image courtesy Nebraska State Historical Society.
  		Miles moves to Grand Island, Nebraska Article dated 1891 Image by Gary Zentmyer
  		Grand Island Sailers' and Soldiers' Home During the years 1891-92 Lieutenant Miles Zentmyer was the second Commandant of this facility, which opened in 1887 in Grand Island, Nebraska. Originally built for Union veterans of the Civil War, it eventually accepted Confederates as well. The original Victorian building was torn down in 1931. In January 2019 a new Veterans Home was opened in Kearney, Nebraska and this campus was abandoned.
  		Union Pacific Depot in Schuyler, Nebraska The Union Pacific was central to the Miles Zentmyer family. Miles' son George worked for the UP in Omaha, and daughter Herma worked in Omaha as well, and both visited Schuyler often. The depot was demolished in 1980 and Schuyler is no longer a stop on the Union Pacific Railroad.
  		Zentmyer Candidacy is a Morton-Castor-North deal From the Columbus Journal, 10 Oct 1894 Image by Gary Zentmyer
  		Mr. Zentmyer is not at heart a Bryan man From the Columbus Journal, 24 Oct 1894 Image by Gary Zentmyer
  		Various Articles about Miles Zentmyer These pieces speak for themselves . . .
  		Editorial letter defending the occupation of Railroad Attorney. Printed in the Norfolk News, 15 Aug 1902. Norfolk is about sixty miles from Schuyler. Image by Gary Zentmyer
  		Miles Zentmyer's Obituary In the Schuyler Messinger, September 22, 1911
  		Death Certificate for Miles Zentmyer
  		Schuyler Cemetery, Schuyler, Colfax Co., Nebraska Image courtesy Gary Zentmyer
  		Miles and Jennie Crewitt Zentmyer's Headstone Along with their three children who died in infancy. Located in Schuyler Cemetery, Schuyler, Colfax Co., Nebraska Section 8, Row 2, south to north Photo courtesy Gary Zentmyer
  		Grave Locations in Schuyler Cemetery
  		Miles Zentmyer, Civil War Veteran This monument is at the headstone for Miles and Jennie Zentmyer in the Schuyler Cemetery. The subtext is in the Schuyler Museum record for civil war veterans buried in the Schuyler Cemetery.