While many former slaves settled in Omaha and the railroad towns where jobs were available, many also settled in other parts of Nebraska. African Americans were more likely to settle in western Nebraska, as there was more land available for them under the Homestead Act. The Jerry Shores family and their relatives, the Speese's, lived near Westerville in Custer County. Jerry was a former slave. He took a claim next to his brothers, Moses Speese and Henry Webb (each had taken the name of his former owner).

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