Robert Rodney SEGER
(25 Dec 1879 - 26 Oct 1946)
Robert Rodney SEGER, son of Joseph SEGER and Sarah GARDNER, was
born Christmas day, 1879, in Henderson, Minnesota. He was 3 or 4
years old when his mom died, in about 1883 - sometime after that,
he reportedly lived with an uncle named GARDINER in Cheyenne,
Wyoming for a period of time. When he was 12, he ran away and lived
with his father and two brothers in logging camps in Minnesota for
several years. At some point later, he lived with "Grandma Briggs"
(no relationship), in Frazee, Minnesota.
Agnes (Johnson) Seger
On November 19, 1905, "Bert" married Agnes Cameron JOHNSON,
the daughter of John "Jake" JOHNSON and Marion Smith BINNIE. They
lived in Campbell, Minnesota for three months then moved to
Kensill, North Dakota. There were 4 daughters born from this
marriage: Marion Phyllis, born December 14, 1906; Agnes Louise,
born November 11, 1908; Florence Bernadette, born October 10, 1914,
died November 10, 1927; Ruth Lillian, born May 19, 1917. The family
lived in and out of Spokane from 1910 to 1923, moved to Burnt
Valley for four years, then to Portland, Oregon, then back to
Spokane. Bert worked in the shipyards in Seattle during WWII. He
passed away in October 26, 1946, in Seattle, where he was employed
as a shipyard foreman. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery,
Spokane, WA.
Robert SEGER's father, Joseph SEGER was born November 1837 in Maine. He was the son of Nathaniel SEGAR and Sophia SCRIBNER, of Unity, Maine. Joseph married Susan (or Sarah) GARDNER about 1858, probably in Minnesota. Susan's lineage is undetermined at this point. Joseph SEGER's occupation is listed on the 1860 census as miner.
Agnes (Johnson) SEGER reported a story that Robert told about his father. As the story goes, Joe SEGER was captured by indians and lived with them for seven years. During that time, he apparently married an indian woman, Rebecca. There was at one time a large portrait that Robert SEGER had. After he died, it was given to his sister, Libby SNOW. It was apparently a dark skinned woman, and it was said to Libby that it was a picture of her mother. Libby reportedly responded that it wasn't her mother (indignantly), and the picture was never seen again. In reality, if the story has some truth, it wouldn't probably be Libby's mom, but Louis' mom. The story indicated that "one child named Lou" was the result of the relationship between Joseph and Rebecca. According to the 1880 census, Louis SEGER was born February 1868, in Wisconsin. There is a well documented story of a Nathaniel Segar from Maine (Joseph's great uncle) who was captured by indians during the Revolutionary War (detailed below). Maybe that's what's trickled down as family legend. There's probably no way to know for sure.
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Steamboat captains from Manitoba,
the "Canadian Nile Contingent"
William Robinson, Aaron R. Russell,
John S. Segers, Jerry Webber
It is fact that the SEGER family was unusually adventuresome.
Joseph's brother John Scribner SEGERS (born July 3, 1832 in Maine),
married Mary S. CLARK in about 1859. They had five children, the
first Rodney, dying at the age of five years, and the next three,
Willie, Aggie, and Franklin, dying at the age of one year. John's
wife, Mary (Clark) SEGERS died July 18, 1878.
John SEGERS was a riverboat captain, running steamboats on the upper Mississippi, as well as the Red River in Minnesota, the upper Athabasca River in Saskatchewan, the Yukon River and the Nile River in Egypt.
He was recruited in 1884 as one of eight pilots (four from the East, in Ottawa, and four from the West, in Winnipeg) chosen by the English government, as part of a larger Canadian contingent of about 390 people, who were hired as part of an expedition for the relief of General Gordon on the Nile, in Africa. SEGERS and A.R. RUSSELL reported their travels on the Nile on returning to Canada in an interview which was published in the Ottawa Free Press on March 21, 1885. Later he was a pilot on the boats during the Riel Rebellion in Canada. John SEGERS obituary described him as "one of the first steamboat captains". The S.S. Athabasca, launched in 1888, was "162 feet long and nearly twenty-eight feet wide, with a draft of four feet, and her Captain
Klondikers' camp at Athabasca
with the S.S. Athabasca in background, 1898.
was John Segers."
He is recorded on the 1891 census in Lac La Biche District, Alberta,Canada, with his daughter, Jessie SEGERS. When the news of gold being found in the Klondike in Alaska, in 1897, he led a party of fourteen via the Mackenzie River, then to the Arctic Red River, over the watershed to the Porcupine River, and eventually to Dawson City. In 1903, SEGERS invested in a sternwheeler, the Quickstep. He lost everything when, as the Quickstep was anchored at Nome, an earthquake caused a tidal wave which picked up the sternwheeler, and deposited it on top of a warehouse near the dock. That resulted in a lawsuit in the amount of $1500 to pay for damages. John SEGERS died in Rossland, British Columbia on April 15, 1909.
Joseph SEGER's father, Nathaniel SEGAR was the son of Josiah SEGAR and Jane MESERVE, of Unity, Maine. He was born March 5, 1808, in Unity. He married Sophia SCRIBNER on December 18, 1832, in Unity. Sophia was the daughter of John SCRIBNER and Susanna (or Susan) SPENCER. Their youngest child Belinda was born in Maine in 1854. Soon after Belinda was born, the family left Maine, heading for Minnesota.
An 1859 map of Unity Township, in Waldo Co., Maine gives good indication of the site of the Segar family home in Maine. Although the family left Maine sometime between 1854 and 1856, James Taber's book "History of Unity, Maine" from 1916,
gives a history of land ownership that matches the 1859 map. It reads, "Stevens, Moses Haxter,
from his father, Otis F. Stevens, he from Charles Segar. " (p. 136) . . . and "Betts, R.W., from
J.A. Tweedy, he from Stephen Files, he from heirs of A.W. Fletcher, Fletcher from
James Morse, he from Benj. Williams, he from Jacob Severance, he from Raymond McManus,
he from Clement and Nathaniel Seger" (p. 115). The adjacent properties shown on the map as being
owned by O.F. Stevens and R. McManus in 1859 then, were likely the properties comprising the
original Segar homestead.
Nathaniel SEGAR is first recorded in Sibley County, Minnesota in 1856, listed as a County Commissioner. Nathaniel SEGAR died in Henderson, Minnesota, on September 13, 1872, and was buried in Brown Cemetery. His obituary reads as follows:
OBITUARY
"Nathaniel Segar Died on the 13th inst.,at 2 o'clock P.M., at the residence of his son-in-law, Thomas Welch, in Henderson, Nathaniel Segar, a native of Waldow county, Maine, aged sixty four years and six months. He had been a resident of this county for the last sixteen years, and held prominent offices during such times as his failing health would permit, among which was that of county commissioner for a number of years. A man of strict integrity and the most scrupulous sense of justice, he was dearly beloved by the surrounding country, and all who came in contact with him attest to his many virtues. He lived a Christian life, and died in the full belief that to him belonged a portion of that eternal bliss which is due to a long and well spent life. To his family and friends we extend our most heart-felt sympathies."
Sophia (Scribner) Segar died in St. Paul, Minnesota, on March 16, 1895, and was buried in the Segar plot in Brown Cemetery, next to her husband.
Her obituary reads as follows:
SOPHIA N. SEGERS --- Aged 88 Years, is Brought to Her Final Resting Place.
DIED- At St. Paul, Saturday morning, March 16, 1895, Mrs. Sophia N.Segers. The deceased was a native of Maine and was an early settler in Sibley County. She was born November 5, 1810. Her remains were brought to Henderson for interrment Tuesday morning. Six children, namely, John and Joseph Segers, Mrs. S.S. Welch, N.A. Segers, Mrs. Belinda Kipp and Dumont Segers, remain to mourn for her. The funeral was held from the depot direct to Brown's cemetery and was followed by a large concourse of friends.
Josiah SEGAR was born October 11, 1745, in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Josiah SEGAR and Thankful ALLEN. He married Jane MESERVE about October 1787, probably in Bethel, Maine. The marriage is recorded in the records of Fryeburg, Maine. Many genealogies record their date of marriage as March 6, 1788, however, as the original record attests, there is no actual date attached with the entry. The other marriage, between Stephen Bartlett and Dorcas Barbour occurred on October 23, 1787, according to Lapham's "History of Bethel, Maine". The actual entry in the Fryeburg, Maine records, however, does not indicate a date.
The birthdate of their oldest child Orilla in 27 Aug 1788
would indicate that the marriage date is more likely about Oct
1787.
Both Josiah SEGAR and his brother Nathaniel, were listed on the 1790 census for Bethel, Maine. Some time after 1790, Josiah moved, residing on Standish, Cumerland County, Maine between 1792 and 1798, and settling in Unity, Waldo County, Maine by about 1800.
Josiah SEGAR's brother, Nathaniel was one of the original founders of Bethel, Maine, known at that time as Sudbury, Canada. On August 3, 1781, six Indians from Canada came into the upper settlement at Sudbury, armed with tomahawks and scalping knives, and captured Nathaniel Segar and several others, taking them to Canada, and delivering them to the English authorities. They remained prisoners at Montreal until the following year, when, after the surrender of Cornwallis, there was an exchange of prisoners. The prisoners were taken down to Quebec, and on the tenth of November, 1782, they embarked on board a ship bound for Boston. They proceeded to their old home at Newton, where they were received by their relatives and friends.Not one word had they heard from them since their capture, fifteen months before, and they had abandoned all hope of ever seeing them again. Years later, Nathaniel SEGAR wrote a detailed account of the incident, "A Brief Narrative of the Captivity and Suffering of Nathaniel Segar". He died in Bethel, Maine on May 10, 1847, and is buried in Hanover Cemetery.
Agnes (Johnson) Seger
Robert SEGER's father, Joseph SEGER was born November 1837 in Maine. He was the son of Nathaniel SEGAR and Sophia SCRIBNER, of Unity, Maine. Joseph married Susan (or Sarah) GARDNER about 1858, probably in Minnesota. Susan's lineage is undetermined at this point. Joseph SEGER's occupation is listed on the 1860 census as miner.
Agnes (Johnson) SEGER reported a story that Robert told about his father. As the story goes, Joe SEGER was captured by indians and lived with them for seven years. During that time, he apparently married an indian woman, Rebecca. There was at one time a large portrait that Robert SEGER had. After he died, it was given to his sister, Libby SNOW. It was apparently a dark skinned woman, and it was said to Libby that it was a picture of her mother. Libby reportedly responded that it wasn't her mother (indignantly), and the picture was never seen again. In reality, if the story has some truth, it wouldn't probably be Libby's mom, but Louis' mom. The story indicated that "one child named Lou" was the result of the relationship between Joseph and Rebecca. According to the 1880 census, Louis SEGER was born February 1868, in Wisconsin. There is a well documented story of a Nathaniel Segar from Maine (Joseph's great uncle) who was captured by indians during the Revolutionary War (detailed below). Maybe that's what's trickled down as family legend. There's probably no way to know for sure.
the "Canadian Nile Contingent"
William Robinson, Aaron R. Russell,
John S. Segers, Jerry Webber
John SEGERS was a riverboat captain, running steamboats on the upper Mississippi, as well as the Red River in Minnesota, the upper Athabasca River in Saskatchewan, the Yukon River and the Nile River in Egypt.
He was recruited in 1884 as one of eight pilots (four from the East, in Ottawa, and four from the West, in Winnipeg) chosen by the English government, as part of a larger Canadian contingent of about 390 people, who were hired as part of an expedition for the relief of General Gordon on the Nile, in Africa. SEGERS and A.R. RUSSELL reported their travels on the Nile on returning to Canada in an interview which was published in the Ottawa Free Press on March 21, 1885. Later he was a pilot on the boats during the Riel Rebellion in Canada. John SEGERS obituary described him as "one of the first steamboat captains". The S.S. Athabasca, launched in 1888, was "162 feet long and nearly twenty-eight feet wide, with a draft of four feet, and her Captain
Klondikers' camp at Athabasca
with the S.S. Athabasca in background, 1898.
He is recorded on the 1891 census in Lac La Biche District, Alberta,Canada, with his daughter, Jessie SEGERS. When the news of gold being found in the Klondike in Alaska, in 1897, he led a party of fourteen via the Mackenzie River, then to the Arctic Red River, over the watershed to the Porcupine River, and eventually to Dawson City. In 1903, SEGERS invested in a sternwheeler, the Quickstep. He lost everything when, as the Quickstep was anchored at Nome, an earthquake caused a tidal wave which picked up the sternwheeler, and deposited it on top of a warehouse near the dock. That resulted in a lawsuit in the amount of $1500 to pay for damages. John SEGERS died in Rossland, British Columbia on April 15, 1909.
Joseph SEGER's father, Nathaniel SEGAR was the son of Josiah SEGAR and Jane MESERVE, of Unity, Maine. He was born March 5, 1808, in Unity. He married Sophia SCRIBNER on December 18, 1832, in Unity. Sophia was the daughter of John SCRIBNER and Susanna (or Susan) SPENCER. Their youngest child Belinda was born in Maine in 1854. Soon after Belinda was born, the family left Maine, heading for Minnesota.
An 1859 map of Unity Township, in Waldo Co., Maine gives good indication of the site of the Segar family home in Maine. Although the family left Maine sometime between 1854 and 1856, James Taber's book "History of Unity, Maine" from 1916,
Nathaniel SEGAR is first recorded in Sibley County, Minnesota in 1856, listed as a County Commissioner. Nathaniel SEGAR died in Henderson, Minnesota, on September 13, 1872, and was buried in Brown Cemetery. His obituary reads as follows:
OBITUARY
"Nathaniel Segar Died on the 13th inst.,at 2 o'clock P.M., at the residence of his son-in-law, Thomas Welch, in Henderson, Nathaniel Segar, a native of Waldow county, Maine, aged sixty four years and six months. He had been a resident of this county for the last sixteen years, and held prominent offices during such times as his failing health would permit, among which was that of county commissioner for a number of years. A man of strict integrity and the most scrupulous sense of justice, he was dearly beloved by the surrounding country, and all who came in contact with him attest to his many virtues. He lived a Christian life, and died in the full belief that to him belonged a portion of that eternal bliss which is due to a long and well spent life. To his family and friends we extend our most heart-felt sympathies."
Sophia (Scribner) Segar died in St. Paul, Minnesota, on March 16, 1895, and was buried in the Segar plot in Brown Cemetery, next to her husband.
Her obituary reads as follows:
SOPHIA N. SEGERS --- Aged 88 Years, is Brought to Her Final Resting Place.
DIED- At St. Paul, Saturday morning, March 16, 1895, Mrs. Sophia N.Segers. The deceased was a native of Maine and was an early settler in Sibley County. She was born November 5, 1810. Her remains were brought to Henderson for interrment Tuesday morning. Six children, namely, John and Joseph Segers, Mrs. S.S. Welch, N.A. Segers, Mrs. Belinda Kipp and Dumont Segers, remain to mourn for her. The funeral was held from the depot direct to Brown's cemetery and was followed by a large concourse of friends.
Josiah SEGAR was born October 11, 1745, in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Josiah SEGAR and Thankful ALLEN. He married Jane MESERVE about October 1787, probably in Bethel, Maine. The marriage is recorded in the records of Fryeburg, Maine. Many genealogies record their date of marriage as March 6, 1788, however, as the original record attests, there is no actual date attached with the entry. The other marriage, between Stephen Bartlett and Dorcas Barbour occurred on October 23, 1787, according to Lapham's "History of Bethel, Maine". The actual entry in the Fryeburg, Maine records, however, does not indicate a date.
Josiah Segar - Jane Meserve
Marriage Record - Fryeburg, Maine
Marriage Record - Fryeburg, Maine
Both Josiah SEGAR and his brother Nathaniel, were listed on the 1790 census for Bethel, Maine. Some time after 1790, Josiah moved, residing on Standish, Cumerland County, Maine between 1792 and 1798, and settling in Unity, Waldo County, Maine by about 1800.
Josiah SEGAR's brother, Nathaniel was one of the original founders of Bethel, Maine, known at that time as Sudbury, Canada. On August 3, 1781, six Indians from Canada came into the upper settlement at Sudbury, armed with tomahawks and scalping knives, and captured Nathaniel Segar and several others, taking them to Canada, and delivering them to the English authorities. They remained prisoners at Montreal until the following year, when, after the surrender of Cornwallis, there was an exchange of prisoners. The prisoners were taken down to Quebec, and on the tenth of November, 1782, they embarked on board a ship bound for Boston. They proceeded to their old home at Newton, where they were received by their relatives and friends.Not one word had they heard from them since their capture, fifteen months before, and they had abandoned all hope of ever seeing them again. Years later, Nathaniel SEGAR wrote a detailed account of the incident, "A Brief Narrative of the Captivity and Suffering of Nathaniel Segar". He died in Bethel, Maine on May 10, 1847, and is buried in Hanover Cemetery.