This is a copy of a website originally created by my father's cousin, Jim Wilks, about one of our notable ancestors, William Daily. Jim passed away in 2014 and I copied his website onto mine before it disappeared. The website was originally published at dailyboys.pbworks.com/FrontPage and it did indeed disappear. Unfortunately, I failed to copy over most of his images. The information here is presented in a series of independent articles that were not intended to be read in any particular order. Choose a different article from the menu of subpages on the bottom of the page.
The Daily Boys
Samuel Daily William Daily
The Founding of the Republican Party in Nebraska
Early Nebraska Politics
Earliest Civil Rights Activists in Nebraska and the
Abolition of Slavery
Omaha World Herald – April 25, 1926 –
“Sometime Willa Cather or some other Nebraska writer will base a wonderful story upon the Daily fighting spirit. Perhaps Sam Daily will be the hero of such a story for his fights were the sort that attracts the larger attention. But in William, no less than in his brother Sam, was the fighting spirit ever displayed.”
Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska -
“. . . a meeting was held in Brownville, at the office of W. H. Hoover, and an association effected to erect a monument over the remains of Mr. Daily [Samuel] in Walnut Grove Cemetery in Brownville. . . . Although so fairly begun, the plan has not been consummated, and it is a reproach to Nemaha County and Nebraska, that no monument marks the resting-place of Samuel G. Daily.”
It is also a reproach to Nemaha County and Nebraska that so few in Nebraska have ever even heard of either of the Daily brothers.
Kral's "700 Famous Nebraskans" did not include either of the Dailys. When this was pointed out to Mr. Kral, he included Samuel in the next edition; "900 Famous Nebraskans." The most extensive website of Nebraska history is the NEGenWeb site. It contains a listing of over 1,200 prominent Nebraskans between 1854 and 1904 published by the Omaha Bee in 1904 - neither Daily is included.
Is it possible that the social and educational reputations of prominent citizens could influence the reporting of history? Is it possible that the likes of Morton, Bryan and Furnas who seem to dominate the history of the second half of the 19th century in Nebraska were social, educational, and political opposites of the Daily brothers and hence the Daily’s existence is virtually ignored?
Even in 2008, during the debate over the State apology for slavery, the Daily's are again ignored. In the recent reporting of the first attempt to abolish slavery in the State, credit is given to William Thayer for introducing such a bill in the Territorial legislature in 1859. The history of this subject reports that Samuel Daily, the first Territorial legislator to declare himself an anti-slavery Republican, and credited with being the "Father" of that party in the state, introduced the first bill to abolish slavery a year earlier in 1858. None the less, he was ignored in the reporting of this debate.
After serving three terms in the US House of Representatives for the Territory of Nebraska (winning contested elections over Nebraskans that have not been forgotten - Experience Estabrook and J. Sterling Morton) he was appointed Deputy Collector of Customs in New Orleans at the direction of President Lincoln. He died there of yellow fever less than a year later.
His younger brother William picked up where Samuel left off. As a state Legislator in the first legislative session after statehood, he lead a successful effort to establish universal sufferage in the state (it should be noted that in that era, universal applied only to males.) At this time, he was also a leader in passing legislation to open Nebraska public schools to Negro children.
He then proceeded to attempt to modify all Nebraska statutes that contained any racial references or restrictions. J. Sterling Morton reported on this effort as follows:
"Sir William Daily, member from PrU; as he spells it, has prepared twenty-seven bills for striking out the word white in Nebraska laws. Trouble with the apportionment bill alone prevented him from striking out Brown in Brownville, and inserting 'without distinction on account of race or color."
These few paragraphs only deal only with civil rights and barely scratch the surface of the lives of these two forgotten Nebraskans and their contributions to the state's history. This site is an attempt to reintroduce the Daily's to the history of Nebraska and establish their proper place therein.
Copyright 2009 - Jim Wilks