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Peter Youngers
Born on December 25, 1852 in Pike county, Pennsylvania to Peter Sr. and Barbara Youngers
Died August 15, 1921 in Wisconsin (Buried in Geneva)
Married Marilla Nicholson on November 23, 1879.
Parents of three children: Pearl, Myrtle Maud and Nell
When he was seven, his parents moved to New York City where he became a newsboy, selling the New York Times.
In 1871, he came to Nebraska in a covered wagon.
He and his parents settled on adjoining homesteads in Liberty township in 1871.
He planted an orchard of apples, cherries, peaches, and grapes.
He began working as a day laborer in the building of the Burlington railroad to Kearney Junction.
In 1872, E. F. Stephens established a nursery in Crete and secured a contract from the Burlington to plant trees along the north side of cuts in the railroad as a windbreak for the snow. Mr. Youngers worked for Stephens and had charge of planting all of the trees.
He encouraged farmers to plant osage orange trees as windbreaks.
He took a homestead and started a nursery in Exeter in 1878.
He established a pioneer nursery in Geneva a few years later.
A. J. Brown was a partner and the name of the firm was Youngers & Co.
They employed from 40 to 120 men.
They grew apple tree seedlings in great numbers, importing apple seeds from France
The company was known nationally.
In 1898 Mr. Youngers was elected a member of the state board of agriculture and served on the board of managers from 1899 to 1906 when he was elected president and served two terms. He was a member of the board of managers until 1915. He had been treasurer of the state horticultural society from 1888 to 1921.
He was a member of the executive committee of the Fillmore County Council of Defense during the war.
He had a rugged physique and a striking personality and was valued as a stable and substantial citizen by all who knew him.
Later in life, A. J. Brown and Youngers turned their earnings into Fillmore County real estate.
Mr. Youngers became a large stockholder in Citizens Bank and was elected president.
In 1929, he was honored as an outstanding nurseryman and a portrait of him was unveiled in the “Hall of Agricultural Achievement” at UNL.
--Taken from Nellie Youngers (Mrs. Lionel Henkle) Westbrook, Connecticut
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