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 OTOE AND 0ASS SOUNTiES, NEBF^ASKA, 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent 
 and Representative Citizens of the County, 
 
 TOGETHER WITH 
 
 PORTRAITS AND BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL THE GOVERNORS OF THE STATE, AND 
 OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 
 CHICAGO: 
 
 CHAPMAN BROTHERS. 
 1889. 
 
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 ^HE greatest of English historians, Macadi.ey, and one of the most brilliant writers 
 of the past century, has said : "The history of a country is best told in a record of the 
 lives of its people." In conformity with this idea the Portrait and Biographical 
 ALBUJr]of this county has been prepared. Instead of going to must}' records, and 
 taking therefrom dry statistical matter that can be appreciated by but few, our 
 corps of writers have gone to the people, the men and women who have, by their 
 enterprise and industry, brought the county to a rank second to none among those 
 comprising this great and noble State, and from their lips have the story of their life 
 struggles. No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelli- 
 gent public. In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the 
 imitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by 
 industry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited 
 advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and women, with an 
 1 3lj influence extending throughout the length and breadth of the land. It tells of men who 
 ^ have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have 
 become famous. It tells of those in every walk in life who have striven to succeed, and 
 records how that success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells also of many, very 
 many, who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pursued "the even tenor of their way," content 
 to have it said of them as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy — "the}' have done what 
 they could." It tells how that many in the pride an<l strength of young manhood left the plow and the 
 anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's 
 call went forth valiantly "to do or die," and how through their efforts the Union was restored and peace 
 once more reigned in the land. In the life of every man and of every woman is a lesson that should not 
 be lost upon those who follow after. 
 
 Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a saci-ed treasure, from the fact 
 that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which would otherwise be 
 inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work and every opportunity possible 
 given to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written, and the publishers flatter them- 
 selves that they give to their readers a work with few errors of consequence. In addition to the biograph- 
 ical sketches, portraits of a number of representative citizens are given. 
 
 The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will be missed in this volume. For this the 
 publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some refused to give the 
 information necessary to compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. Occasional!}' some member of 
 the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such opposition the support of the interested 
 one would be withheld. In a few instances men could never be found, though repeated calls were made 
 at their residence or place of business. 
 
 ^ , „ CHAPMAN BROS. 
 
 Chicago, December, 1888. 
 
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 FIRST I'RESIDENT. 
 
 19 
 
 
 i 
 
 HE P'ather of our Countrj' was 
 'al born in Westmorland Co., Va., 
 Feb. 22, 1732. His parents 
 were Augustine and Mary 
 (Ball) Washington. The family 
 to which he belonged has not 
 been satisfactorily traced in 
 England. His great-grand- 
 father, John Washington, em- 
 igrated to Virginia about 1657, 
 and became a prosperous 
 planter. He had two sons, 
 Lawrence and John. The 
 former married Mildred Warner 
 and had three children, John, 
 Augustine and Mildred. Augus- 
 tine, the father of George, first 
 married Jane Butler, who bore 
 him four children, two of whom, 
 Lawrence and Augustine, reached 
 maturity. Of six children by his 
 second marriage, George was the 
 eldest, the others being Betty, 
 Samuel, John Augustine, Chades 
 and Mildred. 
 Augustine Washington, the father of George, died 
 in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his 
 eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate on 
 the Patomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon, 
 and to George he left the parental residence. George 
 received only such education as the neighborhood 
 schools afforded, save for a short time after he left 
 school, when he received private mstniclion in 
 mathematics, His spellina v/as rather defective. 
 4> 
 
 ^^ 
 
 Remarkable stories are told of his great physical 
 strength and development at an early age. He was 
 an acknowledged leader among his companions, and 
 was early noted for that nobleness of character, fair- 
 ness and veracity which characterized his whole life. 
 
 When George was i4yearsoldhehadadesire togoto 
 sea, and a midshipman's warrant was secured for him, 
 but through the opposition of his mother the idea was 
 abandoned. Two years later he was appointed 
 surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. In 
 this business he spent three years in a rough frontier 
 life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very 
 essenrial to him. In 1751, though only 19 years of 
 age, he was appointed adjutant with the rank of 
 major in the Virginia militia, then being trained for 
 active service against the French and Indians. Soon 
 after this he sailed to the West Indies with his brother 
 Lawrence, who went there to restore his health. They 
 soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence 
 died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter 
 who did not long survive him. On her demise tlie 
 estate of Mount Vernon was given to George. 
 
 Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddle, as Lieuten- 
 ant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the mihtia was 
 reorganized, and the province divided into four mili- 
 tary districts, of which the northern was assigned to 
 Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this 
 a very perilous mission was assigned him and ac- 
 cepted, which others had refused. This was to pro- 
 ceed to the French post near Lake Erie in North- 
 western Pennsylvania. The distance to be traversed 
 was between 500 and 600 miles. Winter was at hand, 
 and the journey was to b« made without military 
 escort, through a territory occupied by Indians. The ^ ' 
 
•^T^ 
 
 GEORGE WASHINGTON. 
 
 trip was a perilous one, and several limes he came near 
 losing his life, yet he returned in safety and furnished 
 a full and useful report of his expedition. A regiment 
 of 300 men was raised in Virginia and put in com- 
 mand of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Washington was 
 commissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was 
 then begun against the French and Indians, in which 
 Washington took a most important part. In the 
 memorable event of July g, 1755, known as Brad- 
 dock's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer 
 of distinction who escaped from the calamities of the 
 day with life and honor. The other aids of Braddock 
 were disabled early in the action, and Washington 
 alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter 
 to his brother he says : " I had four bullets through 
 my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped 
 unhurt, though death was levelino my companions 
 on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was 
 not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken 
 direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit 
 him. 
 
 After having been five years in the military service, 
 and vainly sought promotion in the royal army, he 
 look advantage of the fall of Fort Duquesne and the 
 expulsion of the French from the valley of the Ohio, 
 10 resign his commission. Soon after he entered the 
 Legislature, where, although not a leader, he took an 
 active and imjjortant part. January 17, 1759, he 
 married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy 
 widow of John Parke Custis. 
 
 When the British Parliament had closed the port 
 'if Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces 
 that "The cause of Boston is the cause of us all." 
 It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Con- 
 gress of all the colonies was called to meet at Phila- 
 delphia,Sept. 5, 1774, to secure their common liberties, 
 peaceably if ixjssible. To this Congress Col. Wash- 
 ington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the 
 Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of 
 England were plainly apparent. The battles of Con- 
 cord and Lexington had been fought. Among the 
 first acts of this Congress was the election of a com- 
 mander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and 
 responsible office was conferred upon Washington, 
 who was still a member of the Congress. He accepted 
 it on June 19, but upon the express condition that he 
 receive no salary. He would keep an exact account 
 of expenses and expect Congress 10 pay them and 
 nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch to 
 trace the military acts of Washington, to whom the 
 fortunes and liberties of the people of this country 
 were so long confided. The war was conducted by 
 him under ever)' possible disadvantage, and while his 
 forces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every 
 obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion 
 and matchless skill lie gained liberty for the greatest 
 nation of earth. On Dec. 2-^, 1783, Washington, in 
 a parting address of surpassing beautv, resigned his 
 A* ^ '- 
 
 commission as commander-in-chief of the army to 
 to the Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He 
 retired immediately to Mount Vernon and resumed 
 his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all 
 conneclion with public liie. 
 
 In February, 1789, Washington was unanimously 
 elected President. In his presidential career he was 
 subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a new 
 government ; trials from lack of confidence on the part 
 of other governments; trials from want of harmony 
 between the different sections of our own country; 
 trials from the impoverished condition of the country, 
 owing to the war and want of credit; trials from the 
 beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. His 
 clear judgment could discern the golden mean; and 
 while perhaps this alone kept our government from 
 sinking at the very outset, it left him exposed to 
 attacks from both sides, which were often bitter and 
 very annoying. 
 
 At the expiration of his first term he was unani- 
 mously re-elected. At the end of this term manv 
 were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolutely 
 refused a third nominaiion. On the fourth of March, 
 1797, at the expiraton of his second term as Presi- 
 dent, he returned to his home, hojiing to pass there 
 his few remaining yeais free from the annoyances of 
 public life. Later in the year, however, his repose 
 seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France. 
 At the prospect of such a war he was again urged to 
 take command of the armies. He chose his sub- 
 ordinate offlcers and left to them the charge of mat- 
 ters in the field, which he superintended from his 
 home. In accepting the command he made the 
 reservation that he was not to be in the field until 
 it was necessary. In the midst of these i:>reparations 
 his life was suddenly cut off. December i 2, he took 
 a severe cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling 
 in liis throat, produced inflammation, and terminated 
 fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On the eigh- 
 teenth his body was borne wi'h military honors to its 
 final resting place, and interred in the family vault at 
 Mount Vernon. 
 
 Of the character of Washington it is impossible to 
 speak but in terms of the highest respect and ad- 
 miration. The more we see of the operations of 
 our government, and the more deeply we feel the 
 difiiculty of uniting all opinions in a common interest, 
 the more highly we must estimate the force of his tal- 
 ent and character, which have been able to challenge 
 the reverence of all parties, and principles, and na- 
 tions, and to win a fame as extended as the limits 
 of the glolie, and which we cannot but believe will 
 be as lasting as the existence of man. 
 
 The person of Washington was unusally tan, erect 
 and well proportioned. His muscular strength was 
 great. His features were of a beautiful symmetry. 
 He commanded respect without any apjicar.Tnce of 
 li.TUL'htiness, and ever serious without being dull. 
 
>► I I <•• 
 
 •9^ 
 
 SECOND PRESIDENT. 
 
 
 Si—* '^^^~ 
 
 _«-sA&at^'^ 
 
 
 the second 
 
 J OHN ADAMS, 
 /V President and the first Vice- 
 President of the United States, 
 was born in Braintree { now 
 -^ Quincy ),Mass., and about ten 
 miles from Boston, Oct. 19, 
 1735. His great-grandfather, Henry 
 \dams, emigrated from England 
 about 1640, with a family of eight 
 sons, and settled at Braintree. The 
 parents of John were John and 
 Susannah (Boylston) Adams. His 
 father was a farmer of limited 
 means, to which he added the bus- 
 iness of shoemaking. He gave his 
 eldest son, John, a classical educa- 
 tion at Harvard College. John 
 graduated in 1755, and at once took charge of the 
 school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a 
 "school of affliction," from which he endeavored to 
 gain relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the 
 study of law. For this purjxise he' placed himself 
 under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. He 
 had thought seriously of the clerical profession 
 but seems to have been turned from this by what he 
 termed " the frightful engines of ecclesiastical coun- 
 cils, of diabolical malice, and Calvanistic good nature,'' 
 of the operations of which he had been a witness in 
 his native town. He was well fitted for the legal 
 profession, possessing a clear, sonorous voice, being 
 ready and fluent of speech, and having quick percep- 
 tive powers. He gradually gained practice, and in 
 1764 married Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, 
 and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his 
 marriage, (1765), the attempt of Parliamentary taxa- 
 tion turned him from law to politics. He took initial 
 gteps toward liolding a town meeting, and the resolu- 
 <• ^ ' 
 
 tions he offered on the subject became very popular 
 throughout the Province, and were adopted word for 
 word by over forty different towns. He moved to Bos- 
 ton in 1768, and became one of the most courageous 
 and prominent advocates of the popular cause, and 
 was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg- 
 lislature) in 1770. 
 
 Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegates 
 from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congress, 
 which met in 1774. Here he distinguished himself 
 by his capacity for business and for debate, and ad- 
 vocated the movement for independence against the 
 majority of the members. In May, 1776, he moved 
 and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies 
 should assume tlie duties of self-government. He 
 was a prominent member of the committee of five 
 appointed June 11, to prepare a declaration of inde- 
 pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but 
 on ."^dams devolved the task of battling it through 
 Congress in a three days debate. 
 
 On the day after the Declaration of Independence 
 was passed, while his soul was yet warm with the 
 glow of e.xcited feeling, he wrote a letter to his wife, 
 which, as we read it now, seems to have been dictated 
 by the spirit of prophecy. "Yesterday," he says, "the 
 greatest question was decided that ever was debated 
 in America; and greater, perhaps, never was or will 
 be decided among men. A resolution « as passed 
 without one dissenting colony, ' that these United 
 States are, and of right ought to be, free and inde- 
 pendent states.' The day is passed. The fourth of 
 July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch in the history 
 of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated 
 by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary 
 festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of 
 deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty 
 God, It ought to be solernnized with ix)mp, show§, 
 
 ?^h 
 
* ► II ^- 
 
 JOHN ADAMS. 
 
 games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations 
 from one end of the continent to the other, from this 
 time forward for ever. You will think me transported 
 with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of 
 the toil, and blood and treasure, that it will cost to 
 maintain this declaration, and support and defend 
 these States; yet, through all the gloom, I can see the 
 rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is 
 Worth more than all the means; and that posterity 
 will triumph, although you and I may rue, which I 
 hope we shall not." 
 
 In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed a 
 delegate to France and to co-oi)erale with Bemjamin 
 Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in- 
 the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms and money 
 from the French Government. This was a severe trial 
 to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home, 
 compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and ex- 
 posed him to great peril of capture by tlie British cruis- 
 ers, who were seeking him. He left France June 17, 
 1779. In September of the same year he was again 
 chosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readi- 
 ness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of commerce 
 with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet 
 might be found willing to listen to such pvoposels. He 
 sailed for France in November, from there he went to 
 Holland, where he negotiated imi)ortant loans and 
 formed important commercial treaties 
 
 Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed 
 Jan. 21, 1 7 S3. The re-action from the excitement, 
 toil and anxiety through which Mr. Adams had passed 
 threw him into a fever. After suffering from a con- 
 tinued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he 
 was advised to goto England to drink the waters of 
 Bath. ^Vhile in England, still drooping anddes[X)nd- 
 ing, he received dispatches from his own government 
 urging the necessity of his going to .Amsterdam to 
 negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health was 
 delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through 
 storm, on sea, on horseback and foot, he made the trip. 
 
 February 24, 1785, Congress appointed Mr. Adams 
 envoy to the Court of St. James. Here he met face 
 to face the King of England, who had so long re- 
 garded him as a traitor. As England did not 
 condescend to appoint a minister to the United 
 States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he was accom- 
 plishing but little, he sought permission to return to 
 his own countr)', where he arrived in June, 17 88. 
 
 When Washington was first chosen President, John 
 .Adams, rendered illustiious by his signal services at 
 home and abroad, was chosen Vice President, .^gain 
 at the second election of Washington as President, 
 Adams was chosen Vice President. In 1796, Wash- 
 ington retired from public life, and Mr. Adams was 
 elected President,though not without much opposition. 
 Serving in this office four years.he was succeeded by 
 Mr. Jefferson, his opponent in politics. 
 
 While Mr. Adams was Vice President the iireat 
 
 French Revolution shook the continent of Eurojie, 
 and it was upon this point which he was at issue with 
 the majority of his countn,'men led by Mr. Jefferson. 
 Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French peojile 
 in their struggle, for he had no confidence in their 
 power of selt-government, and he utterly abhored the 
 classof atheist philosophers who he claimed caused it. 
 On the other hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongly 
 enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence or- 
 iginated the alienation between these distinguished 
 men, and two powerful parties were thus soon organ- 
 ized, Adams at the head of the one whose sympathies 
 were with England and Jefferson led the other in 
 sympathy with France. 
 
 The world has seldom seen a spectacle of more 
 moral beauty and grandeur, than was presented by the 
 old age of Mr. Adams. The violence of party feeling 
 had died away, and he had begun to receive that just 
 appreciation which, to most men, is not accorded till 
 after death. No one could look u(X)n his venerable 
 form, and think of what he had done and suffered, 
 and how he had given up all the prime and strength 
 of his life to the public good, without the deepest 
 emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his peculiar 
 good fortune to witness the complete success of the 
 institution which he had been so active in creating and 
 supporting. In 1824, his cup of happiness was filled 
 to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highest 
 station in the gift of the people. 
 
 The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the half 
 century since the signing of the Declaration of Inde- 
 pendence, arrived, and there were but three of the 
 signers of that immortal instrument left upon the 
 earth to hail its morning light. And, as it is 
 well known, on that day two of these finished their 
 earthly pilgrim?ge, a coincidence so remarkable as 
 to seem miraculous. For a few days before Mr. 
 Adams had been rapidly failing, and on the morning 
 of the fourth he found himself too weak to rise from 
 his bed. On being requested to name a toast for the 
 customary celebration of the day, he exclaimed " In- 
 dependence FOREVER." When the day was ushered 
 in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannons, 
 he was asked by one of his attendants if he knew 
 what day it was? He replied, "O yes; it is the glor- 
 ious fourth of July — God bless it — God bless you all." 
 In the course of the dav he said, "It is a great and 
 glorious dav." The last words he uttered were. 
 " Tefferson survives." But he had, at one o'clock, re- 
 signed his spiiit into the hands of his God. 
 
 The personal appearance and manners of Mr. 
 Adams were not particularly prepossessing. His face, 
 as his portrait manifests.was intellectual and exjjres- 
 sive, but his figure was low and ungraceful, and his 
 manners were frequently abrupt and uncourteous. 
 He had neither the lofty dignity of Washington, nor 
 the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marked 
 the manners and address of Jefferson. 
 
 ^1^ 
 
^-' 
 
 «l 
 
 W2, 
 
f 
 
 i 
 
 THIRD PRESIDENT. 
 
 ■•► 
 
 ^7 ^,\ 
 
 ,2M&:lia&^'^^> ^^^...^4 
 
 '>S1 ^ -AT \ -:^> -XctT- T ^'' 
 
 «IOa^JAS .7EPPEBS 
 
 
 HOMAS JEFFERSON was 
 born April 2, 1743, at Shad- 
 ow ell, Albermarle county, Va. 
 His [Jarents were Peter and 
 line (Randolph) Jefferson, 
 the former a native of Wales, 
 and the latter born in Lon- 
 dun. To them were born six 
 diughters and two sons, of 
 whom Thomas was the elder. 
 When 14 years of age his 
 father died. He received a 
 most liberal education, hav- 
 ing been kept diligently at school 
 from the time he was five years of 
 age. In 1760 he entered William 
 and Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat 
 of the Colonial Court, and it was the obode of fashion 
 and splendor. Young Jefferson, who was then 17 
 years old, lived somewhat expensively, keeping fine 
 horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet lie 
 was earnestly devoted to his studies, and irreproacha- 
 able in his morals. It is strange, however, under 
 such influences, that he was not ruined. In the sec- 
 ond year of his college course, moved by some un- 
 ex|)lained inward impulse, he discarded his horses, 
 society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had 
 previously given much time. He often devoled fifteen 
 hours a day to haid study, allowing himself for ex- 
 ercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out 
 of the city and back again. He thus attained very 
 high intellectual culture, alike excellence in philoso- 
 phy and the languages. The most difficult Latin and 
 Greek authors he read wi'.h facility. A more finished 
 scholar ha~ seldom none fort li from collcLie halls ; and 
 
 there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virginia, a 
 more pureminded, upright, gentlemanly young man. 
 
 Immediately upon leaving college he began the 
 study of law. For the short time he continued in the 
 practice of his profession he rose rapidly and distin- 
 guished himself by his energy and accuteness as a 
 lawyer. But the times called for greater action. 
 The policy of England had awakened the spirit of 
 resistance of the American Colonies, and the enlarged 
 views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led 
 him into active political life. In 1769 he was chosen 
 a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In 
 1772 he married Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beauti- 
 ful, wealthy and highly accomplished young widow. 
 
 Upon Mr. Jefferson's large estate at Shadwell, there 
 was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, which 
 commanded a prospect of wonderful extent and 
 beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected for his new 
 home; and here he reared a mansion of modest yet 
 elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon, 
 became the most distinguished resort in our land. 
 
 In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, 
 where, though a silent member, his abilities as a 
 writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he 
 was placed upon a number of important committees, 
 and was chairman of the one appointed for the draw- 
 ing up of a declaration of independence. This com- 
 mittee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, 
 Benjamin Franklin, Roger .Sherman and Robert R. 
 Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was appointed 
 to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested 
 a few verbal changes before it was submitted to Con- 
 gress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made 
 in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July 
 4, 1776. What must have been the feelings of that 
 
^f^ 
 
 28 
 
 THOMAS JEFPEMON. 
 
 uian — what the emotions that swelled his breast — 
 who was charged with the preparation of that Dec- 
 laration, which, while it made known the wrongs of 
 America, was also to publish her to the world, free, 
 boverign and independent. It is one of the most re- 
 markable papers ever written ; and did no other effort 
 ijf tlie mind of its author exist, that alone would be 
 sufiicient to stamp his name with immortality. 
 
 In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to 
 Patrick Henry, :,s Governor of Virginia. At one time 
 the British officer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to 
 Monticello, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five 
 minutes elapsed after the hurried escape of Mr. Jef- 
 ferson and his family, ere his mansion was in posses- 
 sion of the British troops. His wife's health, never 
 very good, was much injured by this excitement, and 
 in the summer of 1782 she died. 
 
 Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783. 
 Two years later he was appointed Minister Plenipo- 
 tentiary to France. Returning to the United States 
 in September, 1789, he became Secretary of State 
 in Washington's cabinet. This position he resigned 
 Jan. I, 1794. In 1797, he was chosen Vice Presi- 
 dent, and four years later was elected President over 
 Mr. Adams, with Aaron Burr as Vice President. In 
 1804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity, 
 and George Clinton, Vice President. 
 
 The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second adminstra- 
 tion was disturbed by an event which threatened the 
 tranquility and peace of the Union; this was the con- 
 spiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated in the late election 
 to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled 
 ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a 
 military expedition into the Spanish territories on our 
 southwestern frontier, for the purpose of forming there 
 a new republic. This has been generally supposed 
 was a mere pretext ; and although it has not been 
 generally known what his real plans were, there is no 
 doubt that they were of a far more dangerous 
 character. 
 
 In 1809, at the expiration of the second term for 
 which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined 
 to retire from political life. For a period of nearly 
 forty years, he had been continually before the pub- 
 lic, and all that time had been employed in offices of 
 the greatest trust and responsibility. Having thus de- 
 voted the best part of his life to the service of his 
 country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his 
 declining years required, and upon the organization of 
 the new administration, in March, 1809, he bid fare- 
 well forever to public life, and retired to Monticello. 
 
 Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole 
 families came in their coaches with their horses, — 
 fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and 
 nurses, — and remained three and even six months. 
 Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a 
 fashionable watering-i)lare. 
 
 The fourth of July, 1826, being the fift;eth anniver- 
 
 -^l-i- 
 
 sary of the Declaration of American Independence, 
 great preparations were made in every part of the 
 Union for its celebration, as the nation's jubilee, and 
 the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemnity 
 of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the framer, 
 and one of the few surviving signers of the Declara- 
 tion, to participate in their festivities. But an ill- 
 ness, which had been of several weeks duration, and 
 had been continually increasing, compelled iiim to 
 decline the invitation. 
 
 On the second of July, the disease under which 
 he was laboring left him, but in such a reduced 
 state that his medical attendants, entertained no 
 hope of his recovery. From this time he was perfectly 
 sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the next 
 day, which was Monday, he asked of those around 
 him, the day of tlie month, and on being told it was 
 the third of July, he expressed the earnest wish that 
 he might be permitted to breathe the airof the fiftieth 
 anniversary. His prayer was heard — that day, whose 
 dawn was hailed with such rapture through our land, 
 burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed for- 
 ever. And what a noble consummation of a noble 
 life ! To die on that day, — the birthday of a nation,- - 
 the day which his own name and his own act Jiad 
 rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicings and 
 festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to him, 
 as the author, under God, of their greatest blessings, 
 was all that was wanting to fill up the record his life. 
 
 Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin- 
 dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear 
 him company, left the scene of his earthly honors. 
 Hand in hand they had stood forth, the champions of 
 freedom; hand in hand, during the dark and desper- 
 ate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered and 
 animated their desixjnding countrymen; for half a 
 century they had labored together for the good of 
 the country; and now hand in hand they dejiart. 
 In their lives they had been united in the same great 
 cause of liberty, and in their deaths they were not 
 divided. 
 
 In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather 
 above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes 
 were light, his hair originally red, in after life became 
 white and silvery; his complexion was fair, his fore 
 head broad, and his whole countenance intelligent and 
 thoughtful. He possessed great fortitude of mind as 
 well as personal courage ; and his command of tem- 
 per was such that his oldest and most intimate friends 
 never recollected to have seen him in a passion. 
 His manners, though dignified, were simple and un- 
 affected, and his hospitality was so unbounded that 
 all found at his house a re.ndy welcome. In conver- 
 sation he was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic; and 
 his language was remarkably pure and correct. He 
 was a finished classical scholar, and in his writings is 
 discernable the care with which he formed his style 
 upon the best models of antiquity. 
 
/ (Z/o<-^'~^ zA^ i*,,.x6-t^ /?^iv. 
 
•►HI-4*- 
 
 FOVRTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 3» ik 
 
 n^ri]Eg ni^fiDiso]]. 
 
 AMES MADISON, "Father 
 t^ of the Constitution," and fourth 
 ^-j' President of the United States, 
 was born March i6, 1757, and 
 died at his home in Virginia, 
 '^-^ June 28, 1836. The name of 
 James Madison is inseparably con- 
 nected with most of the important 
 events in that heroic period of our 
 country during which the founda- 
 tions of this great lepubHc were 
 laid. He was the last of the founders 
 of the Constitution of the United 
 States to be called to his eternal 
 reward. 
 
 The Madison family were among 
 the early emigrants to the New World, 
 landing u[X)n the shores of the Chesa- 
 peake but 15 years after the settle- 
 ment of Jamestown. The father of 
 fames Madison was an opulent 
 planter, residing u[X)n a very fine es- 
 
 ftate called "Montpelier," Orange Co., 
 Va. The mansion was situated in 
 the midst of scenery liighly pictur- 
 i esque and romantic, on the west side 
 of South-west Mountain, at the foot of 
 Blue Ridge. It was but 25 miles from tlie home of 
 Jefferson at Monticello. The closest jjersonal and 
 political attachment existed between these illustrious 
 men, from their early youth until death. 
 
 The early education of Mr. Madison was conducted 
 mostly at home under a private tutor. At the age of 
 r8 he was sent to Princeton College, in New Jersey. 
 Here he applied himself to study with the most im- 
 
 prudent zeal; allowing himself, for months, but three 
 hours' sleep out of the 24. His health thus became so 
 seriously impaired that he never recovered any vigor 
 of constitution. He graduated in 177 i, with a feeble 
 body, with a character of utmost purity, and with a 
 mind highly disciplined and richly stored with learning 
 which embellished and gave proficiency to his subsf ^ 
 quent career. 
 
 Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study of 
 law and a course of extensive and systematic reading. 
 This educational course, the spirit of the times in 
 which he lived, and the society with which he asso- 
 ciated, all combined to inspire him with a strong 
 love of liberty, and to train him for his life-work of 
 a statesman. Being naturally of a religious turn of 
 mind, and his frail health leading him to think that 
 his life was not to be long, he directed especial atten- 
 tion to theological studies. Endowed with a mind 
 singularly free from passion and jjrejudice, und with 
 almost unequalled powers of reasoning, he weighed 
 all the arguments for and against revealed religion, 
 until his faith became so established as never to 
 be shaken. 
 
 In the spring of 1776, when 26 years of age, he 
 was elected a member of the Virginia Convention, to 
 frame the constitution of the State. The next year 
 (1777), he was a candidate for the General Assembly. 
 He refused to treat the whisky-lovir.g voters, and 
 consequently lost his election ; but those who had 
 witnessed the talent, energy and public spirit of the 
 modest young man, enlisted themselves in his behalf, 
 and he was appointed to the Executive Council. 
 
 Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were 
 Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison remained 
 member of the Council ; and their appreciation of his 
 
 •► 
 
 •►41-^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ~ ^U <• 
 
 32 
 
 JAMES MADISOM. 
 
 intellectual, social and moral worth, contributed not 
 a little to his subsequent eminence. In the year 
 1780, he was elected a member of the Continental 
 Conj^ress. Here he met the most illustrious men in 
 our land, and he was immediately assigned to one of 
 the most conspicuous positions among them. 
 
 For three years Mr. Madison continued in Con- 
 gress, one of its most active and influential members. 
 In the year 1784, his term having expired, he was 
 elected a member of the Virginia Legislature. 
 
 No man felt more deeply than Mr. Madison the 
 utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, \\'\\.\\ no na- 
 tional government, with no power to form treaties 
 which would be binding, or to enforce law. There 
 was not any State more prominent than Virginia in 
 the declaration, that an efficient national government 
 must be formed. In January, 1786, Mr. Madison 
 ^ carried a resolution through the General Assembly of 
 Virginia, inviting the other States to appoint commis- 
 sioners to meet in convention at Annapolis to discuss 
 this subject. Five States only were represented. The 
 convention, however, issued another call, drawn up 
 by Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their 
 delegates to Philadelphia, in May, 1787, to draft 
 a Constitution for tlie United States, to take the place 
 of that Confederate League. The delegates met at 
 the time appointed. Every State but Rhode Island 
 was represented. George Washington was chosen 
 president of the convention; and the present Consti- 
 tution of the United States was then and there formed. 
 There was, perhaps, no mind and no pen more ac- 
 tive in framing this immortal document than the mind 
 and the pen of James Madison. 
 
 The Constitution, adopted by a vote 81 to 79, was 
 to be presented to the several States for acceptance. 
 But grave solicitude was felt. Should it be rejected 
 we should be left but a conglomeration of independent 
 States, with but little power at home and little respect 
 abroad. Mr. Madison was selected by the conven- 
 *tion to draw up an address to the people of the United 
 States, expounding the principles of the Constitution, 
 and urging its adoption. There was great opposition 
 to it at first, but it at length triumjihed over all, and 
 went into effect in 1789. 
 
 Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Repre- 
 sentatives in the first Congress, and soon became the 
 avowed leader of the Republican party. While in 
 New York attending Congress, he met Mrs Todd, a 
 young widow of remarkable power of fascination, 
 whom he married. She was in person and character 
 queenly, and probalily no lady has thus far occujiied 
 so prominent a position in the very peculiar society 
 which has constituted our repul)lican court as Mrs. 
 Madison. 
 
 Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State under 
 Jefferson, and at the close of his administration 
 was chosen President. At this time the encroach- 
 ments of England had brought us to the verge of war. 
 
 I was 
 T men 
 
 British orders in council destioyed our commerce, and 
 our flag was exposed to constant insult. Mr. Madison 
 was a man of peace. Scholarly in his taste, retiring 
 in his disposition, war had no charms for him. But the 
 meekest spirit can be roused. It makes one's blood 
 boil, even now, to think of an American ship brought 
 to, upon the ocean, by the guns of an English cruiser. 
 A young lieutenant steps on board and orders the 
 crew to be paraded before him. With great nonchal- 
 ance he selects any number whom he may please to 
 designate as British subjects ; orders them down the 
 ship's side into his boat; and places them on the gun- 
 deck of his man-of-war, to fight, by compulsion, the 
 battles of England. Tiiis right of search and im- 
 pressment, no efforts of our Government could induce 
 the British cabinet to relinquish. 
 
 On the iSth of June, 1812, President Madison gave 
 his approval to an act of Congress declaring war 
 against Great Britain. Notwithstanding the bitter 
 hostility of the Federal party to the war, the country 
 in general approved; and Mr. Madison, on the 4th 
 of March, r8i3, was re-elected by a large majority, 
 and entered upon his second term of office. This is 
 not the place to describe the various adventures of 
 this war on the land and on the water. Our infant 
 navy then laid the foundations of its renown in grap- 
 pling with the most formidable power which ever 
 swept the seas. The contest commenced in earnest 
 by the appearance of a British fleet, early in February, 
 1813, in Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole 
 coast of the United States under blockade. 
 
 The Emperor of Russia offered his services as me 
 ditator. America accepted ; England refused. A Brit- 
 ish force of five thousand men landed on the banks 
 of the Patuxet River, near its entrance into Chesa- 
 peake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of Bladens- 
 burg, upon Washington. 
 
 The straggling little city of Washington was thrown 
 into consternation. The cannon of the brief conflict 
 at Bladensburg echoed through the streets of the 
 metropolis. The whole population fled from the city. 
 The President, leaving Mrs. Madison in the Wliite 
 House, with her carriage drawn up at the door to 
 await his speedy return, hurried to meet the officers 
 in a council of war. He met our troops utterly routed, 
 and he could not go back without danger of Ijeing 
 captured. But few hours elapsed ere the Presidential 
 Mansion, the Capitol, and all the public buildings in 
 Washington were in flames. 
 
 The war closed after two years of fighting, and on 
 Feb. 13, 18 15, the treaty of peace was signed at Ghent. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1817, his second term Of 
 office expired, and he resigned the Presidential cliair 
 to his friend, James Monroe. He retired to his beau- 
 tiful home at Montpelier, and there passed the re- 
 mainder of his days. On June 28, 1836, then at the 
 age of 85 years, he fell asleep in death. Mrs. Madi- 
 son died July 12, 1849. 
 
Z^^-^:.^?-^^^ ^j'^^ 
 
HI-4«- 
 
 FIFTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 35 
 
 K 
 
 >s^^^/,/g>vJv L^ 
 
 priQES n]oi]ROE. 
 
 ^^^WT^^^ 
 
 AMES MONROE, the fifth 
 .Presidentof The United States, 
 was born in Westmoreland Co., 
 Va., April 28, 1758. His early 
 life was passed at the place of 
 nativity. His ancestors had for 
 many years resided in the prov- 
 ince in which he was born. When, 
 at 17 years of age, in the process 
 of completing his education at 
 William and Mary College, the Co- 
 lonial Congress assembled at Phila- 
 delphia to deliberate upon the un- 
 just and manifold oppressions of 
 Great Britian, declared the separa- 
 tion of the Colonies, and promul- 
 gated the Declaration of Indepen- 
 dence. Had he been born ten years before it is highly 
 probable that he would have been one of the signers 
 of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left 
 school and enlisted among the patriots. 
 
 He joined the army when everything looked hope- 
 less and gloomy. The number of deserters increased 
 from day to day. The invading armies came ix)uring 
 in ; and the tories not only favored the cause of the 
 mother country, but disheartened the new recruits, 
 who were sufficiently terrified at the prospect of con- 
 tending with an enemy whom they had been taught 
 to deem invincible. To such brave spirits as James 
 Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through 
 difficulty and danger, the United States owe their 
 political emancipation. The young cadet joined the 
 ranks, and espoused the cause of his injured country, 
 with a firm determination to Hve or die with her strife 
 -4« — 
 
 for liberty. Firmly yet sadly lie shared in the mel- 
 ancholy retreat from Harleam Heights and White 
 Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it fled 
 before its foes through New Jersey. In four months 
 after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots 
 had been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of 
 Trenton he led the vanguard, and, in the act of charg- 
 ing upon the enemy he received a wound in the left 
 shoulder. 
 
 As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was ]3ro- 
 moted a captain of infantry ; and, having recovered 
 from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however, 
 receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an 
 officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During the cam- 
 paigns of 1777 and 177S, in the actions of Brandy 
 wine, Germantown and Monmouth, he continued 
 aid-de-camp; but becoming desirous to regain his 
 position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a 
 regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed 
 owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Upon 
 this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at 
 that period Governor, and pursued, with considerable 
 ardor, the study of common law. He did not, however, 
 entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag; 
 but on the invasions of the enemy, served as a volun- 
 teer, during the two years of his legal pursuits. 
 
 In 1782, he was elected from King George county, 
 a member of the Leglislature of Virginia, and by that 
 body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive 
 Council. He was thus honored with the confidence 
 of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age ; and Iiaving 
 at this early period displayed some of that abilUy 
 and aptitude for legislation, which were afterwards 
 employed with unremitting energy for the public good, 
 
 *^^ 
 
36 
 
 JAMES MONROE. 
 
 he was in the succeeding year chosen a member of 
 ihe Congress of the United States. 
 
 Deeply as Mr. Monroe fsh tlie imperfettionsof theold 
 confederacy, he was opposed to tlie new Constitution, 
 thinking, with many others of the Republican party, 
 '.hat it gave too much power to the Central Government, 
 and not enough to the individual States. Still he re- 
 tained the esteem of his friends who were its warm 
 supporters, and who, notwithstanding his opposition 
 secured its adoption. In 1789, he became a member 
 of the United States Senate ; which office he held for 
 four years. Every month the line of distinction be- 
 tween the two great parties which divided the nation, 
 the Federal and the Republican, was growing more 
 distinct. The two prominent ideas which now sep- 
 arated them were, that the Republican party was in 
 sympathy with France, and also in favor of such a 
 strict construction of the Constitution as to give the 
 Central Government as little power, and the State 
 Governments as much power, as the Constitution would 
 warrant. The Federalists sympathized with England, 
 and were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con- 
 stitution, which would give as much power to the 
 Central Government as that document could possibly 
 authorize. 
 
 The leading Federalists and Republicans were 
 alike noble men, consecrating all their energies to the 
 good of the nation. Two more honest men or more 
 pure patriots than John Adams the Federalist, and 
 James Monroe the Republican, never breathed. In 
 building up this majestic nation, which is destined 
 to eclipse all Grecian and Assyrian greatness, the com- 
 bination of their antagonism was needed to create *he 
 light equilibrium. And yet each in his day was de- 
 nounced as almost a demon. 
 
 Washington was then President. England had es- 
 poused the cause of tlie Bourbons against the princi- 
 ples of the French Revolution. All Europe was drawn 
 into the conflict. We were feeble and far away. 
 Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality be- 
 tween these contending powers. France had helped 
 us in the struggle for our liberties. All the despotisms 
 of Europe were now combined to prevent the French 
 from escaping from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse 
 than that which we had endured Col. Monroe, more 
 magnanimous than prudent, was anxions that, at 
 whatever hazard, we siionld help our old allies in 
 their extremity. It was the impulse of a generous 
 and noble nature. He violently opposed the Pres- 
 ident's proclamation as ungrateful and wanting in 
 magnanimity. 
 
 Washington, who could aporeciate such a character, 
 developed his calm, serene, almost divine greatness, 
 by appointing that very James Monroe, who was de- 
 nouncing the policy of the Government, as the minister 
 of that Government to the Republic of France. Mr. 
 Monroe was welcomed by the National Convention 
 in France with the most enthusiastic demonstrations. 
 
 \v^ 
 
 Shortly after his return to this country, Mr. Mon- 
 roe was elected Governor of Virginia, and held the 
 office for three yeais. He was again sent to France to 
 co-operate with Chancellor Livingston in obtaining 
 the vast territory tlien known as the Province of 
 Louisiana, which France had but shortly before ob- 
 tained from Spain. Tlieir united efforts were suc- 
 cessful. For the comparatively small sum of fifteen 
 millions of dollars, the entire territory of Orleans and 
 district of Louisiana were added to the United States. 
 This was probably the largest transfer of real estate 
 which was ever made in all the history of the world 
 
 From France Mr. Monroe went to England to ob- 
 tain from that country some recognition of our 
 rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against those 
 odious impressments of our seamen. But F^ng- 
 land was unrelenting. He again returned to F^ng- 
 land on the same mission, but could receive no 
 redress. He returned to his home and was again 
 chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon resigned 
 to accept the position of Secretary of State under 
 Madison. While in this office war with England was 
 declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and during 
 these trying times, the duties of the War Department 
 were also put upon him. He was truly the armor- 
 bearer of President Madison, and the most efficient 
 business man in his cabinet. Upon the return oi 
 peace he resigned the Department of War, but con- 
 tinued in the office of Secretary of State until the ex- 
 l)iration of Mr. Madison's adminstration. At the elec- 
 tion held the ptevious autumn Mr. Monroe himself had 
 been chosen President with but little opposition, and 
 upon March 4, 1817, was inaugurated. Four years 
 later he was elected for a second term. 
 
 Among the important measures of his Presidency 
 were the cession of Florida to the United States; [he 
 Missouri Compromise, and the " Monroe doctrine.'' 
 
 This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monroe 
 doctrine," was enunciated by him in 1823. At that 
 time the LInited States had recognized the independ- 
 ence of the .South American states, and did not wish 
 to have European powers longer attempting to sub- 
 due portions of the American Continent. The doctrine 
 is as follows: "That we should consider any attempt 
 on the part of European powers to extend their sys- 
 tem to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous 
 to our peace and safety," and "that we could not 
 view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing 
 or controlling American governments or provinces in 
 any other light than as a manifestation by European 
 powers of an unfriendly disposition toward the United 
 States." This doctrine immediately affected the course 
 of foreign governments, and has liecome the approved 
 sentiment of the United States. 
 
 At the end of his fecond term Mr. Monroe retired 
 to his home in Virginia, where he lived until 1830, 
 when he went to New York to live with his son-in- 
 law. In that city he died, on the 4th of July, 1S31. 
 
 ■•►HI- 
 
J, 5, At 
 
 dyy^xj 
 
HI-^«- 
 
 SIXTir PRESIDENT. 
 
 4 
 
 ♦ 
 
 •^^^^•^js-^i^s*^;^*^;^' 
 
 3051] Qaii]6Y wim>- 
 
 :;c'-i«^;;;s-'^*;:S-**:-s-«$;;&*S;S-j' 
 
 ^fe(VV4>e^ 
 
 OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the 
 sixth President of the United 
 ^States, was born in the rural 
 home of his honored father. 
 John Adams, in Quincy, Mass., 
 on the I ith cf July, 1767. His 
 mother, a woman of exaUed 
 worth, watched over liis childhood 
 during the almost constant ab- 
 sence of his father. When but 
 eight years of age, he stood with 
 his mother on an eminence, listen- 
 ing to the booming of the great bat- 
 tle on Bunkers Hill, and gazing on 
 upon the smoke and flames billow- 
 ing up from the conflagration of 
 Charlestown. 
 
 When but eleven years old he 
 took a tearful adieu of his mother, 
 to sail with his fatner for Europe, 
 through a fleet of hostile British cruisers. The bright, 
 animated boy spent a year and a half in I\uis, where 
 hi-i f.ither was associated with P'ranklin and Lee as 
 minisler plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted 
 the notice of these distinguished men, and he received 
 from them flattering marks of attention. 
 
 Mr. John Adams had scarcely returned to this 
 country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad, .\gain 
 John Quincy accompanied his father. At Paris he 
 applied himself with great diligence, for six months, 
 to study; then accompained his father to Holland, 
 where he entered, first a school in .\msterdam, tiien 
 the University at I.eyden. About a year from this 
 time, in 1781, when the manly boy was but fourteen 
 years of age, he was selected by Mr. Dana, our min- 
 ister to the Russian court, as his private secretary. 
 
 In this school of incessant labor and of enobling 
 culture he spent fourteen months, and then returned 
 10 Holland through Sweden, Denmark, Hamburg and 
 Bremen. This long journey he took alone, in the 
 winter, when in his sixteenth year. Aaain he resumed 
 his studies, under a private tutor, at Hague. Thence, 
 
 -^ 
 
 in the spring of 1782, he accompanied his father to 
 Paris, traveHng leisurely, and forming acquaintance 
 with the most distinguished men on the Continent; 
 examining architectural remains, galleries of paintings, 
 and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again 
 became associated with the most illustrious men of 
 all lands in the contemplations of the loftiest temporal 
 themes which can engross the human mind. After 
 a short visit to England he returned to Paris, and 
 consecrated all his energies to study until May, 1785, 
 when he returned to America. To a brilliant young 
 man of eighteen, who had seen much of the world, 
 and who was f;imiliar with the etiquette of courts, a 
 residence with his father in London, under such cir- 
 cumstances, must have been extremely attractive; 
 but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he pre- 
 ferred to return to America to complete his education 
 in an American college. He wished then to study 
 law, that with an honorable profession, he might be 
 able to obtain an independent support. 
 
 Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twenty, 
 he studied law for three years. In June, 1794, be- 
 ing then but twenty-seven years of age, he was ap- 
 liointed by Washington, resident minister at the 
 Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in July, he reached 
 London in October, where he was immediately admit- 
 ted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pinckney, 
 assisting them in negotiating a commercial treaty with 
 Gieat Brilian. After thus spending a fortriight in 
 London, he proceeded to the Hague. 
 
 In July, 1797, he left the Hague to go to Portugal as 
 minister plenipotentiary. On his way to Portugal, 
 upon arriving in London, he met with despatches 
 directing him to the court of Berlin, but requesting 
 him to remain in London until he should receive his 
 instructions. While waiting he was mairied to an 
 American lady to whom he had been previously en- 
 gaged, — M'ss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter 
 of Mr. Joshua Johnson, American consul in London ; 
 a lady endownd with that beauty and those accom- 
 plishment which eminently fitted her to move in the 
 elevated sphere for which she was destined. 
 
 ^^\r 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 40 
 
 JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 
 
 He reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797 ; 
 where he remained vmtil July, 1799, when, having ful- 
 filled all the purposes of his mission, he solicited his 
 recall. 
 
 Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen to 
 the Senate of Massachusetts, fiom Boston, and then 
 was elected Senator of the United States for six years, 
 from the 4th of March, 1S04. His reputation, his 
 ability and his experience, placed him immediately 
 among the most prominent and influential members 
 of that body. Especially did he sustain the Govern- 
 ment in its measures of resistance to -the encroach- 
 ments of England, destroying our commerce and in- 
 suiting our flag. There was no man in America more 
 familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon 
 these points, and no one more resolved to present 
 a firm resistance. 
 
 In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the Pres- 
 idential chair, and he immediately nominated John 
 Quincy Adams minister to St. Petersburg. Resign- 
 ing his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked 
 at Boston, in August, 1809. 
 
 While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense stu- 
 dent. He devoted his attention to the language and 
 history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the 
 European system of weights, measures, and coins ; to 
 the climate and astronomical observations ; while he 
 kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and 
 Latin classics. In all the universities of Europe, a 
 more accomplished scholar could scarcely be found. 
 All tlirough life the Bible constituted an importar.t 
 part of his studies. It was his rule to read five 
 chapters every day. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took the 
 Presidential chair, and immediately appointed Mr. 
 Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave of his num- 
 erous friends in public and private life in Europe, he 
 sailed in June, 1819, for the United States. On the 
 i8th of August, he again crossed the threshold of his 
 home in Quincy. During the eight years of Mr. Mon- 
 roe's administration, Mr. Adams continued Secretary 
 of State. 
 
 Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's second 
 term of office, new candidates began to be presented 
 for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. Adams brought 
 forward his name. It was an exciting campaign. 
 Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and 
 sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson re- 
 ceived ninety nine; John Quincy Adams, eighty-four; 
 William H. Crawford, forty -one; Henry Clay, thirty- 
 seven. As there was no choice by the people, tlie 
 question went to the House of Representatives. Mr. 
 Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and 
 he was elected. 
 
 The frierids of all the disappointed candidates now 
 combined in a venomous and persistent assault upon 
 Mr. Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in 
 the past liistory of our country than the abuse which 
 
 was poured in one uninterrupted stream, upon this 
 high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never was 
 an administration more pure in principles, more con- 
 scientiously devoted to the best interests of the coun- 
 try, than that of John Quincy Adams; and never, per- 
 haps, was there an administration more unscrupu- 
 lously and outrageously assailed. 
 
 Mr. Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, ab- 
 stemious and temperate in his habits; always rising 
 early, and taking much exercise. AVhen at his home in 
 Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast, 
 seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was said 
 that he was the first man up in the city, lighting his 
 own fire and applying himself to work in his library 
 often long before dawn. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired 
 from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew- 
 Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice Presi- 
 dent. The slavery question now began to assume 
 IXDrtentous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned to 
 Quincy and to his studies, which he pursued with un- 
 abated zeal. But he was not long permitted to re- 
 main in retirement. In November, 1830, he was 
 elected, representative to Congress. For seventeen 
 years, until his death, he occupied the post as repre- 
 sentative, towering above all his peers, ever ready to 
 do brave battle' for freedom, and winning the title of 
 "the old man eloquent." Upon taking his seat in 
 the House, he announced that he should hold him- 
 self bound to no party. Probably there never was a 
 member more devoted to his duties. He was usually 
 the first in his place in the morning, and the last to 
 leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could 
 be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. The 
 battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, against 
 the proslavery party in the Government, was sublime 
 in Its moral daiing and heroism. For persisting in 
 presenting [)etitions for the abolition of slavery, he 
 was threatened with indictment by the grand jury, 
 with expulsion from the House, with assassination ; 
 but no threats could intimidate him, and his final 
 triumph was complete. 
 
 It has been said of President Adams, that when his 
 body was bent and iiis hair silvered by the lapse of 
 fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little 
 child, he was accustomed to repeat every night, Ijefore 
 he slept, the prajer which his mother tauglit him in 
 his infant years. 
 
 On the 2 ist of February, 1848, he rose on the floor 
 of Congress, with a paper in his hand, to address the 
 speaker. Suddenly he fell, again stricken by parnly- 
 sis, and was caught in the arms of those around liim. 
 For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to 
 the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving conscious- 
 ness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around and 
 said " T/its is the end of earth :'\\\^\\ after a moment's 
 pause he add'jd, "I am eoiiteiit" These were the 
 last words of the grand "Old Man Eloquent." 
 
 -<*■ 
 
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 SE VENTH FRESIUENT. 
 
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 "^i^^ 
 
 VDREW JACKSON, the 
 i enth President of the 
 L' lilted States, was born in 
 Waxhaw settlement, N. C, 
 March 15, 1767, a few days 
 after his father's death. His 
 parents were poor emigrants 
 from Ireland, and took up 
 their abode in Waxhaw set- 
 tlement, where they lived in 
 deepest poverty, 
 Andrew, or Andy, as he was 
 universally called, grew up a very 
 rough, rude, turbulent boy. His 
 features were coarse, his form un- 
 gainly; and there was but very 
 little in his character, made visible, which was at- 
 tractive. 
 
 When only thirteen years old he joined the volun- 
 teers of Carolina against the British invasion. In 
 1781, he and his brother Robert were captured and 
 imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer 
 ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am 
 a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of 
 the dauntless boy. 
 
 The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate 
 blow at the head of the helpless young prisoner. 
 Andrew raised his hand, and thus received two fear- 
 ful gashes, — one on the hand and the other upon the 
 head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert 
 with the same demand. He also refused, and re- 
 ceived a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which quite 
 disabled him, and which probably soon after caused 
 his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and 
 were finally stricken with the small-pox. Their 
 mother was successful in obtaining their exchange. 
 
 and took her sick boys home. After a long illness 
 Andrew recovered, and the death of his mother soon 
 left him entirely friendless. 
 
 Andrew supported himself in various ways, such as 
 working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and 
 clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he 
 entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however, 
 gave more attention to the wild amusements of tiie 
 times than to his studies. In 1788, he was appointed 
 solicitor for the western district of North Carolina, of 
 which Tennessee was then a part. This involved 
 many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of 
 every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear, 
 and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish 
 witn the Sharp Knife. 
 
 In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who 
 supposed herself divorced from her former husband. 
 Great was the surprise of both parties, two years later, 
 to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been 
 definitely settled by the first husband. The marriage 
 ceremony was performed a second time, but the occur- 
 rence was often used by his enemies to bring Mr. 
 Jackson into disfavor. 
 
 During these years he worked hard at his profes- 
 sion, and frequently had one or more duels on hand, 
 one of which, when he killed Dickenson, was espec- 
 ially disgraceful. 
 
 In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee then 
 containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the 
 people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a con- 
 stitution. Five were sent from each of the eleven 
 counties. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates. 
 The .new State was entitled to but one member in 
 the National House of Representatives. Andrew Jack- 
 son was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he 
 rode to Philedelphia, where Congress then held its 
 
 •► 
 
 \ 
 
JL 44 
 
 -•►■ 
 
 i 
 
 ANDREW JACKSON. 
 
 sessions, — ■a. distance of about eight hundred miles. 
 
 Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Demo- 
 cratic pirty. Jefferson was his idol. He admired 
 Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr. 
 Jackson took his seat. Gen. Washington, whose 
 second term of office was then expiring, delivered his 
 last speech to Congress. A committee drew up a 
 complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson 
 did not approve of the address, and was one of the 
 twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to 
 say that Gen. Washington's adminstration had been 
 " wise, firm and patriotic." 
 
 Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States 
 Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home. 
 Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court 
 of his State, which position he held fjr six years. 
 
 When the war of 1812 with (ireat Britian com- 
 menced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair. 
 Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there was 
 an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who 
 would do credit to a commission if one were con- 
 ferred uixjn him. Just at that time Gen. Jackson 
 offered his services and those of twenty-five hundred 
 volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops 
 were assembled at Nashville. 
 
 As the British were hourly e.xpected to make an at- 
 tack upon New Orleans, where Gen. Wilkinson was 
 in command, he was ordered to descend the river 
 with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The 
 expedition reached Natchez; and after a delay of sev- 
 eral weeks there, without accomplishing anything, 
 the men were ordered back to their homes. But the 
 energy Gen. Jackson had displayed, and his entire 
 devotion to the conirfort of his soldiers, won him 
 golden opinions ; and he became the most popular 
 man in the State. It was in this expedition that his 
 toughness gave him the nickname of " Old Hickory." 
 
 Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip Col. 
 Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman 
 made about his taking a part as second in a duel, in 
 which a younger brother of Benton's was engaged, 
 he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was 
 iingering upon a bed of suffering news came that the 
 Indians, who had combined under Tecumseh from 
 Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white set- 
 tlers, were committing the most awful ravages. De- 
 cisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with 
 his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in 
 a sling, and unable to mount his horse without assis- 
 tance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an 
 army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Alabama. 
 
 The Creek Indians had established a strong forton 
 one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River, near the cen- 
 ter of Alabama, about fifty miles below Fort Strother. 
 With an army of two thousand men, Gen. Jackson 
 traversed the pathless wilderness in a march of eleven 
 days. He reached their fort, called Tohopeka or 
 Horse-shoe, on the 27th of March, 1814. The bend 
 
 of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of 
 tangled forest and wild ravine. Across the narrow 
 neck the Indians had constructed a formidable breast- 
 work of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, 
 with an ample suplyof arms were assembled. 
 
 The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly des- 
 perate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When 
 bleeding and dying, they would fight tliose who en- 
 deavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morn- 
 ing until dark, the battle raged. Tlie carnage was 
 awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the 
 river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as 
 they swam. Nearly everyone of the nine hundred war- 
 rios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam 
 the river and escaped. This ended the war. The 
 power of the Creeks was broken forever. This bold 
 plunge into the wilderness, with its terriffic slaughter, 
 so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants 
 of the bands came to the camp, begging for peace. 
 
 This closing of the Creek war enabled us to con- 
 centrate all our militia upon the British, who were the 
 allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will 
 than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian 
 campaign to so successful an issue Immediately he 
 was appointed major-general. 
 
 Late in .\ugust, with an army of two thousand 
 men, on a rushing march. Gen. Jackson came to 
 Mobile. A British fleet came from Pensacola, landed 
 a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort, 
 and from both ship and shore commenced a furious 
 assault. The battle was long and doubtful. At length 
 one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired. 
 
 Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little 
 army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, 
 And the battle of New Orleans which soon ensued, 
 was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won 
 for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. Here his 
 troops, which numbered about four thousand men, 
 won a signal victory over the British army of about 
 nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the 
 loss of the British was two thousand six hundred. 
 
 The name of Cien. Jackson soon began to be men- 
 tioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in 1824, 
 he was defeated by Mr. Adams. He was, however, 
 successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected 
 for a second term in 1832. In 1829, just before he 
 assumed the reins of the government, he met with 
 the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of 
 his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has 
 perhaps never been surpassed. From the shock of 
 her death he never recovered. 
 
 His administration was c ne of the most.memorable 
 in the annals of our countr. ; applauded by one party, 
 condemned by the other. No man had more bitter 
 enemies or warmer friends. At the expiration of his 
 two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where 
 he died June 8, 1845. The last years of Mr. Jack- 
 son's life were th^t of a devoted Christian man. 
 
 ■^•- 
 
"^"Jj^Z^^^^i^U^.^^^,^ 
 
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 EIGHTH PRESIDENT. 
 
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 ARTIN VAN BUREN, the 
 
 eighth President of the 
 
 United States, was born at 
 
 Kinderhook, N. Y., Dec. 5, 
 
 17S2. He died at the same 
 
 place, July 24, 1862. His 
 
 \ ( body rests in the cemetery 
 
 <■ " ^ at Kinderhook. Above it is 
 
 /■^tirK ;i ijlain granite shaft fifteen feet 
 Nik ^ . . 
 
 W high, bearing a simple inscription 
 
 |M about hall way up on one face. 
 
 'I' The lot is unfenced, unbordered 
 
 or unbounded by shrub or flower. 
 
 There is but little in the life of Martin Van Buren 
 of romantic interest. He fought no battles, engaged 
 in no wild adventures. Though his life was stormy in 
 ixilitical and intellectual conflicts, and he gained many 
 signal victories, his days passed uneventful in those 
 incidents which give zest to biography. His an- 
 cestors, as his name indicates, were of Dutch origin, 
 and were among the earliest euiigrants from Holland 
 to the banks of the Hudson. His father was a farmer, 
 residing in the old town of Kinderhook. His mother, 
 also of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel- 
 ligence and exemplary piety. 
 
 He was decidedly a precocious boy, developing un- 
 usual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At the 
 age of fourteen, he had finished his academic studies 
 in his native village, and commenced the study of 
 law. As he had not a collegiate education, seven 
 years of study in a law-office were required of him 
 before he could be admitted to the bar. Inspired with 
 a lofty ambition, and conscious of his powers, he pur- 
 sued his studies with indefatigable ind.istry. After 
 spending six year^ in an office in his native village, 
 A* 
 
 he went to the city of New York, and prosecuted his 
 studies for the seventh year. 
 
 In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years of 
 age, commenced the practice of law in his native vil- 
 lage. The great conflict between the Federal and 
 Republican party was then at its height. Mr. \'an 
 Buren was from the beginning a ixilitician. He had, 
 perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the 
 many discussions which had been carried on in his 
 father's hotel. He was in cordial sympathy with 
 Jefferson, and earnestly and eloquently espoused the 
 cause of State Rights; though at that time the Fed- 
 eral party held the supremacy both in his town 
 and State. 
 
 His success and increasing ruputation led him 
 after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, tli.: 
 county seat of his county. Here he spent seven years 
 constantly gaining strength by contending in tht, 
 courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned 
 the bar of his State. 
 
 Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mi. 
 Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for 
 beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short 
 years she sank into the grave, the victim of consump- 
 tion, leaving her husband and four sons to weep over 
 her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was 
 an earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record 
 of those years is barren in items of public interest. 
 In 181 2, when thirty years of age, he was chosen to 
 the State Senate, and gave his strenuous support to 
 Mr. Madison's adminstration. In 1815, he was ap- 
 pointed Attorney-General, and the next year moved 
 to Albany, the capital of the State. 
 
 While he was acknou-ledged as one of the most 
 prominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had 
 
 •^h-^* 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 >► II < • 
 
 4S 
 
 MARTIN VAN BUREN. 
 
 the moral courage to avow that true democracy did 
 not require that " universal suffrage " which admits 
 the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right of 
 governing the State. In true consistency with his 
 democratic principles, he contended that, while the 
 path leading to the privilege of voting should be open 
 to every man without distinction, no one should be 
 invested with that sacred prerogative, unless he were 
 in some degree qualified for it by intelligence, virtue 
 and some property interests in the welfare of the 
 State. 
 
 In 1S21 he was elected a member of the United- 
 States Senate; and in the same year, he took a seat 
 in the convention to revise the constitution of his 
 native State. His course in this convention secured 
 the approval of men of all parties. No one could 
 doubt the singleness of his endeavors to promote the 
 interests of all classes in the community. In the 
 Senate of the United States, he rose at once to a 
 conspicuous position as an active and useful legislator. 
 
 In 1827, John Quincy Adams being then in the 
 Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected to 
 the Senate. He had been from the beginning a de- 
 termined opposer of the .Administration, adopting the 
 "State Rights" view in opposition to what was 
 deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams. 
 
 Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen Governor of 
 the State of New York, and accordingly resigned his 
 seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the United 
 States contributed so much towards ejecting John Q. 
 Adams from the Presidential chair, and placing in it 
 Andrew Jackson, as did Martin Van Buren. Whether 
 entitled to the reputation or not, he certainly was re- 
 garded throughout the United States as one of the 
 most skillful, sagacious and cunning of politicians. 
 It was supjx)sed that no one knew so well as he how 
 to touch the secret springs of action; how to pull all 
 the wires to put his machinery in motion ; and how to 
 organize a political army which would, secretly and 
 stealthily accomplish the most gigantic results. By 
 these powers it is said that he outv^itted Mr. Adams, 
 Mr, Clay, Mr. Webster, and secured results which 
 few thought then could be accomplished. 
 
 When Andrew Jackson was elected President he 
 apixiinted Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. This 
 position he resigned in 1831, and was immediately 
 appointed Minister to England, where he went the 
 same autumn. The Senate, however, when it met, 
 refused to ratify the nomination, and he returned 
 
 •►HH^*- 
 
 home, apparently untroubled ; was nominated Vice 
 President in the place of Calhoun, at the re-election 
 of President Jackson ; and with smiles for all and 
 frowns for none, he took his place at the head of that 
 Senate which had refused to confirm his nomination 
 as ambassador. 
 
 His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal of 
 President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated favor- 
 ite ; and this, probably more than any other cause, 
 secured his elevation to the chair of the Chief. Execu- 
 tive. On the 20th of May, 1836, Mr. Van Buren re- 
 ceived the Democratic nomination to succeed Gen. 
 Jackson as President of the United States. He was 
 elected by a handsome majority, to the delight of the 
 retiring President. " Leaving New York out of the 
 canvass," says Mr. Parton, "the election of Mr. Van 
 Buren to the Presidency was as much the act of Gen. 
 Jackson as though the Constitution had conferred 
 upon him the power to appoint a successor. ' 
 
 His administration was filled with exciting events. 
 The insurrection in Canada, which threatened to in 
 volve this country in war with England, the agitation 
 of the slavery question, and finally the great commer- 
 cial panic which spread over the country, all were 
 trials to his wisdom. The financial distress was at- 
 tributed to the management of the Democratic party, 
 and brought the President into such disfavor that he 
 failed of re-election. 
 
 With the exception of being nominated for the 
 Presidency by the " Free Soil " Democrats, in 1 848, 
 Mr. Van Buren lived quietly upon his estate until 
 his death. 
 
 He had ever been a prudent man, of frugal habits, 
 and living within his income, had now fortunately a 
 competence for his declining years. His unblemished 
 character, his commanding abilities, his unquestioned 
 patriotism, and the distinguished positions which he 
 had occupied in the government of our country, se- 
 cured to him not only the homage of his party, but 
 the respect ot the whole community. It was on the 
 4th of March, 1841, that Mr. Van Buren retired from 
 the presidency. From his fine estate at Lindenwald 
 he still exerted a powerful influence upon the politics 
 of the country. From this time until his death, on 
 the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty years, he 
 resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of leisure, of 
 culture and of wealth; enjoying in a healthy old 
 age, probably far more happiness tlian he had before 
 experienced amid the stormy scenes of his active life. 
 
^;^/fe/2/L^' 
 
 -K^ 
 
-^•- 
 
 NIA^'TH PRESIDKNT. 
 
 -•»- 
 
 ILLIAM HENRY HARRI- 
 SON, the ninth President of 
 the United States, was born 
 It Berkeley, Va., Feb. 9, 1773. 
 His father, Benjamin Harri- 
 son, was in comparatively op- 
 ulent circumstances, and was 
 one of the most distinguished 
 men of his day. He was an 
 intimate friend of George 
 Washington, was early elected 
 a member of the Continental 
 Congress, and was conspicuous 
 among the patriots of Virginia in 
 resisting the encroachments of the 
 ritish crown. In the celebrated 
 Congress of 1775, Benjamin Har- 
 rison and John Hancock were 
 both candidates for the office of 
 eaker. 
 
 Mr Harrison was subsequently 
 chosen Governor of Virginia, and 
 was twice re-elected. His son, 
 William Henry, of course enjoyed 
 in childhood all the advantages which wealth and 
 intellectual and cultivated society could give. Hav- 
 ing received a thorough common-school education, he 
 entered Hampden Sidney College, where he graduated 
 with honor soon after the deatlr of his father. He 
 then repaired to Philadeliihia to study medicine under 
 the instructions of Dr. Rash and the guardianship of 
 Robert Morris, both of whom were, with his father, 
 signers of the Declaration of Independence. 
 
 TJpon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and not- 
 withstanding the remonstrances of his friends, he 
 abandoned his medical studies and entered the armj-, 
 having obtained a commission of Ensign from Presi- 
 
 dent Washington. He was then but 19 years old. 
 From that time he passed gradually upward in rank 
 until he became aid to General Wayne, after whose 
 death he resigned his commission. He was then a[)- 
 pointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. This 
 Territory was then entitled to but one member in 
 Congress and Capt. Harrison was chosen to fill that 
 position. 
 
 In the spring of 1800 the North-western Territory 
 was divided by Congress into two portions. The 
 eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced 
 in the State of Ohio, was called " The Territory 
 north-west of the Ohio." The western portion, which 
 included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and 
 Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana Territory." Wil- 
 liam Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was a])- 
 IX)inted by John Adams, Governor of the Indiana 
 Territory, and immediately after, also Governor of 
 Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as 
 extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He 
 was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was in- 
 vested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now 
 rapidly increasing white population. The ability and 
 fidelity with which he discharged these responsible 
 duties may be inferrtjd from the fact that he was four 
 times appointed to this office — first by John Adams, 
 twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by Presi- 
 dent Madison. 
 
 When he began his adminstration there were hut 
 three white settlements in that almost boundless region, 
 now crowded with cities and resoimding with all the 
 tumult of wealth and traffic. Oneof these settlements 
 was on the Ohio, nearly opjxjsite Louisville; one at 
 Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the third a French 
 settlement. 
 
 The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrison 
 reigned was filled with manv tribes of Indians. About 
 
 r- 
 
HI-^«- 
 
 52 
 
 WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 
 
 the year 1806, two extraordinary men, twin brothers, 
 of the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. One of 
 these was called Tecumseh, or " The Crouching 
 Panther;" the other, Olliwacheca, or " 'J'he Prophet." 
 Tecumseh was not only an Inaian warrior, but a man 
 of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomit- 
 able perseverance in any enterprise m which he might 
 engage. He was inspired with the highest enthusiasm, 
 and had long regarded with dread and with hatred 
 the encroachment of the whites upon the hunting- 
 grounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was 
 anorator, who could sway the feelings of the untutored 
 Indian as the gale tossed the tree -tops beneath which 
 they dwelt. 
 
 But the Prophet was not merely an orator : he was, 
 in the superstitious minds of the Indians, invested 
 with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a 
 magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter 
 the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went 
 from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent 
 by the Great Spirit. 
 
 Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate 
 the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippe- 
 canoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter. 
 October 28, 1812, his army began its march. When 
 near the Prophet's town three Indians of rank made 
 their appearance and inquired why Gov. Harri-^on was 
 approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a 
 short conference, arrangements were made for a meet- 
 ing the next day, to agree upon terms of peace. 
 
 But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted with 
 the Indian character to be deceived by such protes- 
 tations. Selecting a favorable six)t for his night's en- 
 campment, lie took every precaution against surprise. 
 His troops were posted in a hollow square, and slept 
 upon their arms. 
 
 The troops threw themselves upon the ground for 
 rest; but every man had his accourtrements on, his 
 loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The 
 wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in 
 the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversa- 
 tion with his aids by the embers of a waning fire. It 
 was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In 
 t!ie darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possi- 
 ble, and just then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all 
 tlie desperation which superstition and passion most 
 highly inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the 
 little army. The savages had lieen amply provided 
 with guns and ammunition by the English. Their 
 war-whoop was accompained by a shower of bullets. 
 
 The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the 
 light aided the Indians in their aim. With hide- 
 lius yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubting a 
 i)]ieedy and an entire victory. But Gen. Harrison's 
 troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them 
 until day dawned : they then made a simultaneous 
 charge with the bayonet, and swept every thing be- 
 fore them, and completely routing th>> ^o^. 
 
 Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked 
 to the utmost. The British descending from the Can - 
 adas, were of themselves a very formidable force ; but 
 with iheir savage allies, rushing like wolves from the 
 forest, searching out every remote farm-house, burn- 
 ing, \)lundering, scalping, torturing, the wide frontier 
 was plunged into a state of consternation which even 
 the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceive. 
 The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in the 
 forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagra- 
 tion of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had made 
 the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detroit. 
 Under these des[)airing circumstances. Gov. Harrison 
 was appointed by President Madison commander-in- 
 chief of the North-western army, with orders to retake 
 D_"troit, and to protect the frontiers. 
 
 It would be difficult to place a man in a situation 
 demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; but 
 General Harrison was found equal to the position, 
 and nobly and triumphantly did he meet all the re- 
 sponsibilities. 
 
 He won the love of his soldiers by always sharinji 
 with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while 
 pursuing the foe up the Thames, was earned in a 
 valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blanket 
 lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five British officers, 
 his prisoners of war, supped with him after the battle. 
 The only fare he could give them was beef roasted 
 before the fire, witliout bread or salt. 
 
 In 1816, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member of 
 the National House of Representatives, to represent 
 the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved an 
 active member; and whenever he spoke, it was with 
 force of reason and power of eloquence, which arrested 
 the attention of all the members. 
 
 In i8ig, Harrison was elected to the Senate of 
 Ohio; and in 1S24, as one of the iiresidential electors 
 of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The 
 same year he was chosen to the United States Senate. 
 
 In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought him 
 forward as a candidate for the Presidency against 
 Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of 
 Mr. Van Buren 's term, he was re-nomirated by his 
 party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimously nominated 
 by the Whigs, with John Tyler for the Vice Presidency. 
 The contest was very animated. Gen Jackson gave 
 all his influence to prevent Harrison's election ; but 
 his triumph was signal. 
 
 The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webster 
 at its head as Secretary of State, was one of the most 
 brilliant with which anv President had ever been 
 surrounded. Never were the prospects of an admin- 
 istration more flattering, or the hopes of the country 
 more sanguine. In the midst of these bright and 
 joyous prospects. Gen. Harrison was seized by a 
 pleurisv-fever and after a few days of violent sick- 
 ness, died on the 4th of April ; just one month after 
 his inauguration as President of the United States, 
 
 -^y^^ 
 
 H^l 
 
'6'fl/KL A 
 
•^f^ 
 
 TENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 -•► 
 
 55 
 
 
 TYLER, the tenth 
 Piesidentof the United States. 
 He was born in Charles-city 
 Co., Va., March 29, 1790. He 
 was the favored child of af- 
 fluence and high social po- 
 sition. At the early age of 
 twelve, John entered William 
 and Mary College and grad- 
 uated with much honor when 
 but seventeen years old. After 
 graduating, he devoted him- 
 self with great assiduity to the 
 study of law, partly with his 
 father and pirtly with Edmund 
 Randolph, one of the most distin- 
 guished lawyers of Virginia. 
 
 At nineteen years of age, ne 
 commenced the practice of law. 
 His success was rapid and aston- 
 ishing. It is said that three 
 months had not elapsed ere there 
 was scarcely a case on the dock- 
 et of the court in which he was 
 not retained. When but twenty-one years of age, he 
 was almost unanimously elected to a seat in the State 
 Legislature. He connected himself with the Demo- 
 cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures of 
 Jefferson and Madison. For five successive years he 
 was elected to the Legislature, receiving nearly the 
 unanimous vote or his county. 
 
 When but twenty-six years of age, he was elected 
 a member of Congress. Here he acted earnestly and 
 ably with the Democratic party, opposing a national 
 bank, internal improvements by the General Govern- 
 
 ment, a protective tariff, and advocating a strict con- 
 struction of the Constitution, and the most careful 
 vigilance over State rights. His labors in Congress 
 were so arduous that before the close of his second 
 term he found it necessary to resign and retire to his 
 estate in Charles-city Co., to recruit his health. He, 
 however, soon after consented to take his seat in the 
 State Legislature, where his influence was powerful 
 in promoting public works of great, utility. With a 
 reputation thus canstantly increasing, he was chosen 
 by a very large majority of votes, Governor of his 
 native State. His administration was signally a suc- 
 cessful one. His popularity secured his re-election. 
 
 John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed 
 man, then represented Virginia in the Senate of the 
 United States. A portion of the Democratic party 
 was displeased with Mr. Randolph's wayward course, 
 and brought forward John Tyler as his opponent, 
 considering him the only man in Virginia of sufficient 
 popularity to succeed against the renowned orator of 
 Roanoke. Mr. Tyler was the victor. 
 
 In accordance with his professions, upon taking his 
 seat in the Senate, he joined the ranks of the opposi- 
 tion. He opposed the tariff; he spoke against and 
 voted against the bank as unconstitutional ; he stren- 
 uously opposed all restrictions upon slavery, resist- 
 ing all projects of internal improvements by the Gen- 
 eral Government, and avowed his sympathy with Mr. 
 Calhoun's view of nullification ; he declared that Gen. 
 Jackson, by his opposition to the nullifiers, had 
 abandoned the piinciples of the Democratic party. 
 Such was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress, — a record 
 in perfect accordance with the principles whfch he 
 had always avowed. 
 
 Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice of 
 liis profession, TJiere was a :pl:t in the Den;ocralic 
 
 ■► I I <— 
 
 n 
 
HI-4»- 
 
 ••► 
 
 JOHN TYLER. 
 
 party. His friends still regarded him as a true Jef- 
 tersonian, gave hini a dinner, and showered compli- 
 ments upon him. He had now attained the age of 
 forty-six. His career had been very brilliant. In con- 
 sequence of his devotion to public business, his pri- 
 vate affairs had fallen into sonre disorder; and it was 
 not without satisfaction that he resumed the practice 
 of law, and devoted himself to the cultme of his ulan- 
 tation. Soon after this he removed to Williamsburg, 
 for the better education of his children ; and he again 
 took his seat in the Legislature ot Viiginia. 
 
 By the Southern Whigs, he was sent to the national 
 convention at Harrisburg to nominate a President in 
 1839. The majority of votes wer.i given to Gen. Har- 
 rison, a genuine NVhig, much to the disapiX)intnientot 
 the South, who wished for Henry Clay. To concili- 
 ate the Southern Whigs and to secure their vote, the 
 convention then nominated John Tyler for Vice Pres- 
 ident. It was well known that he was not in sympa- 
 thy with the Whig jiarty in the No-.th: but the Vice 
 President has but very little power in the Govern- 
 ment, his main and almost only duty being to pre- 
 side over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it hap- 
 pened that a Whig President, and, in reality, a 
 Democratic Vice President were chosen. 
 
 In 1841, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice Presi- 
 dent of the United States. In one short month from 
 that time, President Harrison died, and Mr. Tyler 
 thus found himself, to his own surprise and that of 
 the whole Nation, an occupant of the Presidential 
 chair. This was a new test of the stability of our 
 institutions, as it was the first time in the history of our 
 country that such an event had occured. Mr. Tyler 
 was at home in Williamsburg when he received the 
 une.xpected tidings of the death of President Harri- 
 son. He hastened to Washington, and on the 6th of 
 April was inaugurated to the high and responsible 
 office. He was placed in a position of exceeding 
 delicacy and difficulty. All his long life he had been 
 opposed to the main principles of the party which had 
 brought him into power. He had ever been a con- 
 sistent, honest man, with an unblemished record. 
 Gen. Harrison had selected a Whig cabinet. Should 
 he retain them, and thus surround himself with coun- 
 sellors whose views were antagonistic to his own? or, 
 on the other hand, should he turn against the party 
 which had elected him and select a cabinet in har- 
 mony with himself, and which would oppose all those 
 views which the Whigs deemed essential to the pub- 
 lic welfare? This was his fearful dilemma. He in- 
 vited the cabinet which President Harrison had 
 selected to retain their seats. He reccommcnded a 
 day of fasting and prayer, that God would guide and 
 bless us. 
 
 The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for the 
 incor|X3ration of a fiscal bank of the United States. 
 The President, after ten days' delay, returned it with 
 his veto. He suaeested, however, that he would 
 
 approve of a bill drawn up upon such a plan as he 
 proposed. Such a bill was accordingly prepared, and 
 privately submitted to him. He gave it his approval. 
 It was passed without alteration, and he sent it back 
 with his veto. Here commenced the open rupture. 
 It is said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this meas- 
 ure by a published letter fiom the Hon. John M. 
 Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who severely 
 touched the pride of the President. 
 
 The opposition now exultingly received the Presi- 
 dent into their arms. The party which elected him 
 denounced hmr bitteriy. All the members of his 
 cabinet, e.\cepting Mr. Webster, resigned. The Whigs 
 of Congress, both the Senate and the House, held a 
 meeting and issued an address to the people of the 
 United States, proclaiming that all political alliance 
 between the Whigs and President Tyler were at 
 an end. 
 
 Still the President attempted to conciliate. He 
 appointed a new cabinet of distinguished Whigs and 
 Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong party 
 men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary to resign, 
 forced out by the pressure of his Whig friends. Thus 
 the four years of Mr. Tyler's unfortunate administra- 
 tion passed sadly away. No one was satisfied. The 
 land was filled with murmurs and vituperation. Whigs 
 and Democrats alike assailed him. INlore and more, 
 however, he brought himself into sympathy with his 
 old friends, the Democrats, until at the close of his term, 
 he gave his whole influence to the support of Mr. 
 Polk, the Democratic candidate for his successor. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1845, he retired from the 
 harassments of office, to the regret of neither party, and 
 probably to his own unspeakable lelief. His first wife, 
 Miss Letitia Christian, died in Washington, in 1842; 
 and in June, 1844, President Tyler was again married, 
 at New York, to Miss Julia Gardiner, a young lady of 
 many personal and intellectual accomplishments. 
 
 The remainder of his days Mr. Tyler passed mainly 
 in retirement at his beautiful home, — Sherwood For- 
 est, Charles-city Co., Va. A polished gentleman in 
 his manners, richly furnished with information from 
 books and experience in the world, and possessing 
 brilliant powers of conversation, his family circle was 
 the scene of unusual attractions. With sufficient 
 means for the exercise of a generous hospitality, he 
 might have enjoyed a serene old age with the few 
 friends who gathered around him, were it not for the 
 storms of civil war which his own principles and 
 policy had helped to introduce. 
 
 When the great Rebellion rose, which the State- 
 rights and nullifying doctrines of Mr. John C. Cal- 
 houn had inaugurated, President Tyler renounced his 
 allegiance to the United States, and joined the Confed- 
 erates. He was chosen a member of their Congress; 
 and while engaged in active measures to destroy, by 
 force of arms, the Government over which he had 
 once presided, he was taken sick and soon diedt 
 
 ^tr^ 
 
 ♦::^^ 
 
-4^ 
 
 ELE VEn Tli PRESIDE N T. 
 
 a 
 
 SS ik 
 
 p- JAMES K, POI/K, ^-# 
 
 •► 
 
 
 AMES K. POLK, the eleventh 
 ^>i-, President of the United States, 
 ^) was born in Mecklenburg Co., 
 J N. C, Nov. 2, 1795. His par- 
 ;"! ents were Samuel and Jane 
 (Kno.x) Polk, the former a son 
 of Col. Thomas Polk, who located 
 at the above place, as one of the 
 first pioneers, in 1735. 
 
 In the year 1006, with his wife 
 and children, and soon after fol- 
 lowed by most of the members of 
 the Polk famly, Samuel Polk emi- 
 grated some two or three hundred 
 miles farther west, to the rich valley 
 of the Duck River. Here in the 
 midst of the wilderness, in a region 
 which was subsequently called Mau- 
 ry Co., they reared their log huts, 
 and established their homes. In the 
 hard toil of a new farm in the wil- 
 derness, James K. Polk spent the 
 early years of his childhood and 
 youth. His father, adding the pur- 
 suit of a surveyor to that of a farmer, 
 ' gradually increased in wealth until 
 
 he became one of the leading men of the region. His 
 n)other was a superior woman, of strong common 
 sense and earnest piety. 
 
 Very early in life, James developed a taste for 
 reading and exi:ressed the strongest desire to obtain 
 a liberal education. His mother's training had made 
 liim methodical in his habits, had taught him punct- 
 uality and industry, and had inspired him with lofty 
 principles of morality. His health was frail ; and his 
 father, fearing that he might not be able to endure a 
 
 sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the 
 counter, hoping to fit him for commercial pursuits. 
 
 This was to James a bitter disappointment. He 
 had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks 
 were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this 
 uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his 
 earnest .solicitation his father removed him, and made 
 arrangements for him to prosecute his studies. Soon 
 after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy. With 
 ardor which could scarcely be surpassed, he pressed 
 forward in his studies, and in less than two and a half 
 years, in the autumn of 1815, entered the sophomore 
 class in the Uftiversity of North Carolina, at Chapel 
 Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of 
 scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing 
 himself to be absent from a recitation or a religious 
 service. 
 
 He graduated in 18 iS, with the highest honors, be- 
 ing deemed the best scholar of his class, both in 
 mathematics and the classics. He was then twenty- 
 three years of age. Mr. Polk's health was at this 
 time much impaired by the assiduity with which he 
 had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of 
 relaxation he went to Nashville, and entered the 
 office of Felix Grundy, to study law. Here Mr. Polk 
 renewed his acquaintance with Andrew Jackson, who 
 resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few 
 miles from Nashville. They had probably been 
 slightly acquainted before. 
 
 Mr. Polk's father was a Jeffersonian Republican, 
 and James K. Polk ever adhered to the same politi- 
 cal faith. He was a popular public speaker, and was 
 constantly called upon to address the meetings of his 
 party friends. His skill as a speaker was such that 
 he was popularly called the Napoleon of the stump. 
 He was a man of unblemished morals, genir.l and 
 
 .^h 
 
^f^ 
 
 JAMES K. POLK. 
 
 Murteoiis in his bearing, and with that sympathetic 
 nature in the joy s and griefs of others which ever gave 
 him troops of friends. In 1823, Mr. Polk was elected 
 to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his 
 strong influence towards the election of his friend, 
 Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of the United States. 
 In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah 
 Childress, of Rutherford Co., Tenn. His bride was 
 altogether worthy of him, — a lady of beauty and cul- 
 ture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a 
 member of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave 
 to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that 
 for fourteen successive years, until 1839, he was con- 
 tinued in that oflice. He then voluntarily withdrew, 
 only that he might accept the Gubernatorial chair 
 of Tennessee. In Congress he was a laborious 
 member, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was 
 always in his seat, always courteous ; and whenever 
 he spoke it was always to the [xsint, and without any 
 ambitious rhetorical display. 
 
 During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was 
 Speaker of the House. Strong passions were roused, 
 and stormy scenes were witnessed ; but Mr. Polk per- 
 formed his arduous duties to a very general satisfac- 
 tion, and a unanimous vote of thanks to him was 
 passed by the House as he withdrew on the 4th of 
 March, 1839. 
 
 In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, as a 
 candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. He was 
 elected bv a large majority, and on the 14th of Octo- 
 ber, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. In 184 1, 
 his term of office expired, and he was again the can- 
 didate of the Democratic party, but was defeated. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was inaugur- 
 ated President of the United States. The verdict of 
 the country in favor of the annexation of Texas, exerted 
 its influence upon Congress ; and the last act of the 
 administration of President Tyler was to affix his sig- 
 nature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the 
 3d of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to 
 the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas 
 as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister, 
 Almonte, immediately demanded his passports and 
 left the country, declaring the act of the annexation 
 to be an act hostile to Mexico. 
 
 In his first message. President Polk urged that 
 Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be re- 
 ceived into the Union on the same footing with the 
 other States. In the meantime, Gen. Taylor was sent 
 
 with an army into Texas to hold the country. He was 
 sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was the 
 western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nearly 
 two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Grande, 
 where he erected batteries which commanded the 
 Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated on 
 the western banks. 
 
 The anticipated collision soon took place, and war 
 was declared against Mexico by President Polk. The 
 war was pushed forward by Mr. Polk's administration 
 with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was first 
 called one of "observation," then of "occupation," 
 then of " invasion," was sent forward to Monterey. The 
 feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopelessly 
 and awfully slaughtered. The day of judgement 
 alone can reveal the misery which this war caused. 
 It v/as by the ingenuity of Mr. Polk's administration 
 that the war was brought on. 
 
 'To the victors belong the spoils." Mexico was 
 prostrate before us. Her capital was in our hands. 
 We now consented to peace u[X)n the condition that 
 Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Texas, 
 all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower Cal- 
 ifornia. This new demand embraced, exclusive of 
 Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. This 
 was an extent of territory equal to nine States of the 
 size of New York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen 
 majestic States to be added to the Union. There were 
 some Americans who thought it all right : there were 
 others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecution 
 of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives and 
 more than a hundred million of dollars. Of this 
 money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico. 
 
 On the 3d of March, 1849, Mr. Polk retired from 
 office, having served one term. The next day was 
 Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated 
 as his successor. Mr Polk rode to the Capitol in the 
 same carriage with Gen. Taylor; and the same even- 
 ing, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return to 
 Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of age. 
 He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habits, 
 and his health was good With an ample fortune, 
 a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ties 
 of the dearest nature, it seemed as though long years 
 of tranquility and happiness were before him. But the 
 cholera — that fearful scourge— was then sweeping up 
 the Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracted, 
 and died on the \^\\\ of June, 1849, in the fifty-fourth 
 year of his age, gready mourned by his countrymen. 
 
 .^h^ 
 
^i 
 
 ^^^^^^^^^^=^^^-^2^X%t^-^ 
 
-Il-^*- 
 
 ! 
 
 TWELFTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 63 i\. 
 
 /s.. 
 
 ^-. 
 
 Wli!>^gtatrC\V.lt;Sv.V.VA.V:r. v v\ v \ ^^ v t-r-r-r-r~r- ^ y ^ \ ^ y ^ T 
 
 ACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth 
 President of the United States, 
 was born on the 24th of Nov., 
 1784, in Orange Co., Va. His 
 father. Colonel Taylor, was 
 a Virginian of note, and a dis- 
 tinguished patriot and soldier of 
 the Revolution. When Zachar^' 
 was an infant, his father with his 
 wife and two children, emigrated 
 to Kentucky, where he settled in 
 the pathless wilderness, a few 
 miles from Louisville. In this front- 
 ier home, away from civilization and 
 all its refinements, young Zachary 
 could enjoy Imt few social and educational advan- 
 tages. When six years of age he attended a common 
 school, and was then regarded as a bright, active boy, 
 rather remarkable for bluntness and decision of char- 
 acter He was strong, feailess and self-reliant, and 
 Tianifested a strong desire to enter the army to fight 
 the Indians who were ravaging the frontiers. There 
 is little to be recorded of the uneventful years of his 
 childhood on his father's large but lonely plantation. 
 In 1808, his father succeeded in obtaining for him 
 the commission of lieutenant in the United States 
 army ; and he joined the troops which were stationed 
 at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. Soon after 
 this he married Miss Margaret Smith, a young lady 
 from one of the first families of Maryland. 
 
 Immediately after the declaration of war with Eng- 
 land, in 18 12, Capt. Taylor (for he had then been 
 promoted to that rank) was put in command of Fort 
 Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles above 
 Vincennes. This fort had been built in the wilder- 
 ness by Gen. Harrison.on his march to Tippecanoe. 
 It was one of the first points of attack by the Indians, 
 led by Tecumseh. Its garrison consisted of a broken 
 
 company of infantry numbering fifty men, many of 
 whom were sick. 
 
 Early in the autumn of 1812, the Indians, stealthily, 
 and in large numbers, moved upon the fort. Their 
 approach was first indicated by the murder of two 
 soldiers just outside of the stockade. Capt. Taylor 
 made every possible preparation to meet the antici- 
 pated assault. On the 4th of September, a band of 
 forty painted and plumed savages came to the fort, 
 waving a white flag, and informed Capt. Taylor that 
 in the morning their chief would come to have a talk 
 with him. It was evident that their object was merely 
 to ascertain the state of things at the fort, and Capt. 
 Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, kept 
 them at a distance. 
 
 The sun went down ; the savages disappeared, the 
 garrison slept upon their arms. One hour before 
 midnight the war-whoop burst from a thousand lips 
 in the forest around, followed by the discharge of 
 musketry, and the rush of the foe. Every man, sick 
 and well, sprang to his post. Every man knew that 
 defeat was not merely death, but in the case of cap- 
 ture, death by the most agonizing and prolonged tor- 
 ture. No pen can describe, no immagination can 
 conceive the scenes which ensued. The savages suc- 
 ceeded in setting fire to one of the block-houses- 
 Until si.x o'clock in the morning, this awful conflict 
 continued. The savages then, baffled at every point, 
 and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. Capt. 
 Taylor, for this gallant defence, was promoted to the 
 rank of major by brevet. 
 
 Until the close of the war. Major Taylor was.placed 
 in such situations that he saw but little more of active 
 service. He was sent far away into the depths of the 
 wilderness, to Fort Crawford, on Fox River, which 
 empties into Green Bay. Here there was but little 
 to be done but to wear away the tedious hours as one 
 best could. There were no books, no society, no in- 
 
 -•^ 
 
64 
 
 ■•►■ 
 
 t 
 
 ZACHARY TAVtOR. 
 
 •► 
 
 
 tellectual stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful 
 years rolled on Gradually he rose to the rank of 
 colonel. In the Black-Hawk war, which resulted in 
 the capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor 
 took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part. 
 
 For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in 
 the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and in 
 employments so obscure, that his name was unknown 
 beyond the limits of his own immediate acquaintance. 
 In the year 1836, he was sent to Florida to compel 
 the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and re- 
 tire beyond the Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty, 
 had promised they should do. The services rendered 
 here secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of 
 the Government; and as a reward, he was elevated 
 to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet ; and soon 
 after, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief com- 
 mand of the United States troops in Florida. 
 
 After two years of such wearisome employment 
 amidst the everglades of the peninsula, Gen. Taylor 
 obtained, at his own request, a change of command, 
 and was stationed over the Department of the South- 
 west. This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi, 
 Alabama and Georgia. Establishing his headquarters 
 at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his family 
 to a plantation which he purchased, near Baton Rogue. 
 Here he remained for five years, buried, as it were, 
 from the world, but faithfully discharging every duty 
 imposed upon him. 
 
 In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the land 
 between the Nueces and Rio Grande, the latter river 
 being the boundary of Texas, which was then claimed 
 by the United States. Soon the war with Mexico 
 was brought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
 Palma, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the 
 Mexicans. The rank of major-general by brevet 
 was then conferred upon Gen. Taylor, and his name 
 was received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in 
 the Nation. Then came the battles of Monterey and 
 Buena Vista in which he won signal victories over 
 forces much larger than he commanded. 
 
 His careless habits of dress and his unaffected 
 simplicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops, 
 the saln-iquet of " Old Rough and Ready.' 
 
 Tiie tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista 
 spread the wildest enthusiasm over the country. 'I'he 
 name of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The 
 Whig party decided to take advantage of this wonder- 
 ful popularity in bringing forward the unpolished, un- 
 lettered, honest soldier as their candidate for the 
 Presidency. Gen. Taylor was astonished at the an- 
 nouncement, and for a time would not listen to it; de- 
 rlaring that he was not at all qualified for such an 
 office. So little interest had he taken in politics that, 
 for forty years, he had not cast a vote. It was not 
 without chagrin that several distinguished statesmen 
 who had been long years in the public service found 
 their claims Eet aside in behalf of one whose name 
 
 had never been heard of, save in connection with Palo 
 Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena 
 Vista. It is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste re- 
 marked, " It is a nomination not fit to be made." 
 
 Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a fine 
 writer His friends took possession of him, and pre- 
 pared such few communications as it was needful 
 should be presented to the public. The popularity of 
 the successful warrior swept the land. He was tri- 
 umphantly elected over two opposing candidates, — 
 Gen. Cass and Ex-President Martin Van Buren. 
 Though he selected an excellent cabinet, the good 
 old man found himself in a veiy uncongenial position, 
 and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassed. 
 His mental sufferings were very severe, and probably 
 tended to hasten his death. The pro-slavery party 
 was pushing its claims with tireless energy , expedi- 
 tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; California was 
 pleading for admission to the Union, while slavery 
 stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor found 
 the political conflicts in Washington to be far more 
 trying to the nerves than battles with Mexicans or 
 Indians. 
 
 In the midst of all these troubles. Gen. Taylor, 
 after he liad occupied the Presidential chair but little 
 over a year, took cold, and after a brief sickness of 
 but little over five days, died on the gth of July, 1850. 
 His last words were, " I am not afraid to die. I am 
 ready. I have endeavored to do my duty." He died 
 universally respected and beloved. An honest, un- 
 pretending man, he had been steadily growing in the 
 affections of the people; and the Nation bitterly la- 
 mented his death. 
 
 Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly acquainted with 
 Gen. Taylor, gave the following graphic and truthful 
 description of his character: — " With a good store of 
 common sense, Gen. Taylor's mind had not been en- 
 larged and refreshed by reading, or much converse 
 with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the conse- 
 quence. The frontiers and small military posts had 
 been his home. Hence he was quite ignorant for his 
 rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His sim- 
 plicity was child-like, and with innumerable preju- 
 dices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to the 
 tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectable, 
 chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or hish.ii 
 a little on one side of his head; or an officer to leave 
 a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an out- 
 side pocket, — in any such case, this critic held the 
 olfjnder to be a coxcomb (perhaps something worse), 
 whom he would not, to use his oft repeated phrase, 
 'touch with a pair of tongs.' 
 
 "Any allusion to literature beyond good old Dil- 
 worth's spelling-book, on the part of one wearing a 
 sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utter 
 unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In short, 
 few men have ever had a more comfortable, labor- 
 saving contempt for learnirg of every kind." 
 
 t 
 
jCC-I^U'-ixxrTx) 
 
^ 
 
 THIRTEENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 67 
 
 -^^ 
 
 I ^'MILLflRn FILLfflnHE. >^ 
 
 'fT 
 
 ILLARD FILLMORE, thir- 
 teenth President of the United 
 States, was born at Summer 
 Hill, Cayuga Co., N. Y ., on 
 the 7th of January, 1800. His 
 '•^ father was a farmer, and ow- 
 ing to misfortune, in humble cir- 
 cumstances. Of his mother, the 
 daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard, 
 of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been 
 said that she jxjssessed an intellect 
 of very high order, united with much 
 personal loveliness, sweetness of dis- 
 position, graceful manners and ex- 
 quisite sensibilities. She died in 
 1 831 ; having lived to see her son a 
 young man of distinguished prom- 
 ise, though she was not permitted to witness the high 
 dignity which he finally attained. 
 
 In consequence of the secluded home and limited 
 means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender ad- 
 vantages for education in his early years. The com- 
 mon schools, which he occasionally attended were 
 very imperfect nistitutions; and books were scarce 
 and expensive. There was nothing then in his char- 
 acter to indicate the brilliant career upon which he 
 was about to enter. He was a plain farmer's boy ; 
 intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred 
 influences of home had taught him to revere the Bible, 
 and had laid the foundations of an upright character. 
 When fourteen years of age, his father sent him 
 some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of 
 Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier. 
 Nea/ the mil there was a small villiage, where sonic 
 
 •► II <• 
 
 enterprising man had commenced the collection of a 
 village librar)'. This proved an inestimable blessing 
 to young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in read- 
 ing. Soon every leisure moment was occupied with 
 books. His thirst for knowledge became insatiate ; 
 atid the selections which he made were continually 
 more elevating and instructive. He read history, 
 biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was en- 
 kindled in his heart a desire to be something more 
 than a mere worker with his hands; and lie was be- 
 coming, almost unknown to himself a well-informed, 
 educated man. 
 
 The young clothier had now attained the age of 
 nineteen years, and was of fine personal appearance 
 and of gentlemanly demeanur. It so happened that 
 there was a gentleman m the neighborhood of ample 
 pecuniary means and of benevolence, — Judge Walter 
 Wood, — who was struck with the prepossessing ap- 
 pearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaint- 
 ance, and was so much impressed with his ability and 
 attainments that he advised him to abandon his 
 trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The 
 young man replied, that he had no means of his own, 
 no friends to help him and that his previous educa- 
 tion had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood had 
 so much confidence in him that he kindly offered to 
 take him into his own ofitice, and to loan him such 
 money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous 
 offer was accepted. 
 
 There is in inany minds a strange delusion about 
 a collegiate education. A }Oung man is supposed to 
 be liberally educated if he has graduated at some col- 
 lege. But many a boy loiters through university hall-; 
 ind then enters a law office, who is by no means as 
 ■► 
 
i 
 
 68 
 
 MILLARD FILLMORE. 
 
 •^h^ 
 
 well pre[)ared to prosecute his legal studies as was 
 Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothing- 
 mill at the end of four years of manual labor, during 
 which every leisure moment had been devoted to in- 
 tense mental culture. 
 
 In 1823, when twenty-three years of age, he v/as 
 admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. He then 
 went to the village of Aurora, and commenced the 
 practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region, 
 his practice of course was limited, and there was no 
 opportunity for a sudden rise in fortune or in fame. 
 Here, in the year 1826, he married a lady of great 
 moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station 
 she might be called to fill, — ^Miss Abigail Powers. 
 
 His elevation of character, his untiring industry, 
 his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advocate, 
 gradually attracted attention ; and he was invited to 
 enter into partnership under highly advantageous 
 circumstances, with an elder member of the bar in 
 Buffalo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1829, 
 he took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the 
 State of New York, as a representative from Erie 
 County. Though he had never taken a very active 
 part in politics, his vote and his sympathies were with 
 the Whig party. The State, was then Democratic, 
 and he found himself in a helpless minority in the 
 Legislature , still the testimony comes from all parties, 
 that his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very 
 unusual degn e the respect of his associates. 
 
 In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a seat in 
 the United States Congress He entered that troubled 
 irena in some of the most tumultuous hours of our 
 national history. The great conflict respecting the 
 national bank and the removal of the deposits, was 
 then raging. 
 
 His term of two years closed ; and he returned to 
 his profession, which he pursued with increasing rep- 
 utation and success. After a lapse of two years 
 he again became a candidate for Congress ; was re- 
 elected, and took his seat in 1837. His past expe- 
 rience as a representative gave hmi strength and 
 confidence. The first term of service in Congress to 
 any man can be but little more than an introduction. 
 He was now prepared for active duty. All his ener- 
 gies were brought to bear uixsn the public good. Every 
 measure received his impress. 
 
 Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, and 
 his popularity filled the State, and in the year 1847, 
 he was elected Comptroller of the State. 
 
 Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seven 
 years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, in 
 Congress and as Comptroller, had given him very con- 
 siderable fame. The Whigs were casting about to 
 find suitable candidates for President and Vice-Presi- 
 dent at the approaching election. Far away, on the 
 waters of the Rio Grande, there was a rough old 
 soldier, who had fought one or two successful battles 
 with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to be 
 proclaimed in tiumpet-tones all over the land. But 
 it was necessary to associate with him on the same 
 ticket some man of reputation as a statesman. 
 
 Under the influence of these considerations, the 
 namesofZachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore became 
 the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates for 
 President and Vice-Peesident. The Whig ticket was 
 signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, 1849, 
 Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millard 
 Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States. 
 
 On the 9th of July, 1850, President Taylor, but 
 about one year and four months after his inaugura- 
 tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Con- 
 stitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became Presi- 
 dent. He appointed a very able cabinet, of which 
 the illustrious Daniel Webster was Secretary of State. 
 
 Mr. Fillniore had very serious difficulties to contend 
 with, since the opposition had a majority in both 
 Houses. He did everything in his power to conciliate 
 the South ; but the pro-slavery party in the South felt 
 the inadequacy of all measuresof transient conciliation. 
 The population of the free States was so rapidly in- 
 creasing over that of the slave States that it was in- 
 evitable that the power of th\e Government should 
 soon- pass into the hands of the free States. The 
 famous compromise measures were adopted under Mr. 
 FiUmcre's adminstration, and the Japan Expedition 
 was sent out. On the 4th of March, 1853, Mr. Fill- 
 more, having served one term, retired. 
 
 In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Pres- 
 idency by the " Know Nothing " jJarty, but was beaten 
 by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived in 
 retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil war, 
 he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed that 
 his sympathies were rather with those who were en- 
 deavoring to overthrow our institutions. President 
 Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without any 
 cordial words of cheer to the one party or the other. 
 He was thus forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe 
 old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, 1874. 
 
 •►- 
 
^%^^^c^^^ 
 
*► I I ^« 
 
 FOURTEENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 r^": 
 
 71 
 
 ->^^ 
 
 
 fe-:-f3SS^' ^'-FHflNKLIN PIERCEj^ ^,'.y.r, ,i^^ 
 
 RANKLIN PIERCE, the 
 fourteenth President of the 
 ' United States, was born in 
 Hillsborough, N. H., Nov. 
 23, 1804. His father was a 
 Revolutionary soldier, who, 
 with his own strong arm, 
 hewed out a liome in the 
 wilderness. He was a man 
 of inflexible integrit)'; of 
 strong, though uncultivated 
 mind, and an uncompromis- 
 ing Democrat. The mother of 
 Franklin Pierce was all that a son 
 could desire, — an intelligent, pru- 
 dent, affectionate. Christian wom- 
 an. Franklin was the sixth of eight children. 
 
 Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, gen- 
 erous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the 
 love of old and young. The boys on the play ground 
 loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors 
 looked upon him with pride and affection. He was 
 by instinct a gentleman; always speaking kind words, 
 doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact 
 which taught him what was agreeable. Witliout de- 
 veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural 
 devotion to books, he was a good scholar; in body, 
 in mind, in affections, a finely-developed boy. 
 
 When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, he 
 entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me He was 
 one of the most ])opular young men in the college. 
 The purity of his moral character, the unvarying 
 ^ ' courtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and 
 
 genial nature, rendered him a universal favorite. 
 There was something very peculiarly winning in his 
 address, and it was evidently not in the slightest de- 
 gree studied: it was the simple outgushing of his 
 own magnanimous and loving nature. 
 
 Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin Pierce 
 commenced the study of law in the office of Judge 
 Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of 
 the State, and a man of great private worth. The 
 eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his 
 father's prominence as a public man, and tlie brilliant 
 political career into which Judge Woodbury was en- 
 tering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the faci- 
 nating yet perilous path of political life. With all 
 the ardor of his nature he espoused the cause of Gen. 
 Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the 
 practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected 
 to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here 
 he served for four yeais. The last two years he was 
 chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote. 
 
 In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected 
 a member of Congress. Without taking an active 
 part in debates, he was faithful and laborious in duty, 
 and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom 
 he was associatad. 
 
 In 1837, being then but thirty-three years of age, 
 he was elected to the Senate of the United States; 
 taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren commenced 
 his administration. He was the youngest member in 
 the Senate. In the year 1834, he married Miss Jane 
 Means Appleton, a lady of rare beauty and accom- 
 plishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn every 
 station with wnich her husband was honoied. Of the 
 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 72 
 
 FRANKLIN PIERCE. 
 
 three sons who were bom to them, all now sleep with 
 their parents in the grave. 
 
 In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame 
 and increasing business as a lawyer, took up his 
 residence in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. 
 President Polk, upon his accession to office, appointed 
 Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States; but 
 the offer was declined, in consequence of numerous 
 professional engagements at home, and the precariuos 
 state of Mrs. Pierce's health. He also, about the 
 same time declined the nomination for governor by the 
 Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr. 
 Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of 
 brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his 
 troops, at Newport, R. I., on the 27th of May, 1847. 
 He took an. important part in this war, proving him- 
 self a brave and true soldier. 
 
 When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native 
 State, he was received enthusiastically by the advo- 
 cates of the Mexican war, and coldly by his oppo- 
 nents. He resumed the practice of his profession, 
 very frequently taking an active part in political ques- 
 tions, giving his cordial support to the pro-slavery 
 wing of the Democratic party. The compromise 
 measures met cordially with his approval ; and he 
 strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infa- 
 mous fugitive -slave law, which so shocked the religious 
 sensibilities of the North. He thus became distin- 
 guished as a "Northern man with Southern principles.'' 
 The strong partisans of slavery in the South conse- 
 quently regarded him as a man whom they could 
 safely trust in office to carry out their plans. 
 
 On the 12th of June, 1852, the Democratic conven- 
 tion met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the 
 Presidency. For four days they continued in session, 
 and in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a 
 two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far had been thrown 
 for Gen. Pierce. Thjn the Virginia delegation 
 brought forward his name. There were fourteen 
 more ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly 
 gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he 
 received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all 
 other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was 
 the Whig candidate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with 
 great unanimity. Only four States — Vermont, Mas- 
 sachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee — cast their 
 electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pierce 
 was therefore inaugurated President of the United 
 States en the 4th of March, 1853. 
 
 His administration proved one of the most stormy our 
 country had ever experienced. The controversy be- 
 tween slavery and freedom was then approaching its 
 culminating point. It became evident that there was 
 an "irrepressible conflict" between them, and that 
 this Nation could not long exist " half slave and half 
 free." President Pierce, during the whole of his ad- 
 ministration, did every thing he could to conciliate 
 the South ; but it was all in vain. The conflict every 
 year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolution 
 of the Union were borne to the North on eveiy South- 
 ern breeze. 
 
 Such was the condition of affairs when President 
 Pierce approached the close of his four-years' term 
 of office. The North had become thoroughly alien- 
 ated from him. The anti-slaver)' sentiment, goaded 
 by great outrages, had been rapidly increasing; all 
 the intellectual ability and social worth of President 
 Pierce were forgotten in deep reprehension of his ad- 
 ministrative acts. The slaveholders of the South, also, 
 unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advo- 
 cated those measures of Government which they ap- 
 proved, and perhaps, also, feeling that he had 
 rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to be 
 able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully dropped 
 him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed him. 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re- 
 tired to his home in Concord. Of three children, two 
 had died, and his only surviving child had been 
 killed before his eyes by a railroad accident ; and his 
 wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished of 
 ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. The 
 hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was left 
 alone in the world, without wife or child. 
 
 When the terrible Rebellion burst forth, which di- 
 vided our country into two parties, and two only, Mr. 
 Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which he 
 had always cherished, and gave his sympathies to 
 that pro-slavery party with which he had ever been 
 allied. He declined to do anything, either by voice 
 or pen, to strengthen the hand of the National Gov- 
 ernment. He continued to reside in Concord until 
 the time of his death, which occurred in October, 
 1869. He was one of the most genial and social of 
 men, an honored communicant of tiie Episcopal 
 Church, and one of the kindest of neighbors. Cren- 
 erous to a fault, he contributed liberally for the al- 
 leviation of suffering and want, and many of his towns- 
 people were often gladened by his material bounty. 
 

 -ZZ^7Ze_J ^ 
 
 ^^UC'^Z^/y^Z-^d^^?/^ 
 
1f^ 
 
 I'IFTEENTH PRESIJJENT 
 
 I ^^^ aj?tgJ■-^^^^a^^';:i^^i,g'^;5i'r'V^'^'V■''r. , <.'f;'^a:;^^; 
 
 7| 
 
 -««« >- 
 
 -< S»*— 
 
 
 f"^ 
 
 -««« — ►-< 
 
 AMES BUCHANAN, the fif- 
 teenth President of the United 
 States, was born in a small 
 frontier town, at the foot of the 
 eastern ridge of the Allegha- 
 nies, in Franklin Co., Penn., on 
 the 23d of April, 1791. The place 
 where the humble cabin of his 
 father stood was called Stony 
 Batter. It was a wild and ro- 
 mantic spot in a gorge of the moini- 
 tair.s, with towering summits rising 
 L;randly all around. His father 
 was a native of the north of Ireland ; 
 a poor man, who had emigrated in 
 1783, with little property save his 
 own strong arms. Five years afterwards he married 
 Elizabeth Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer, 
 and, with his young bride, plunged into the wilder- 
 ness, staked his claim, reared his log-hut, opened a 
 clearing with his axe, and settled down there to per- 
 form his obscure part in the d-rama of life. In this se- 
 cluded home, where James was born, he remained 
 for eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual 
 advantages. When James was eight years of age, his 
 father removed to the village of Mercersburg, where 
 his son was placed at school, and commenced a 
 course of study in English, Latin and Greek. His 
 progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he 
 entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle. Here he de- 
 ve"loped remarkable talent, and took his stand among 
 the first scholars in the institution. His application 
 to study was intense, and yet his native powers en- 
 
 abled him to master the most abstruse subjects with 
 facility. 
 
 In the year 1S09, he graduated with the highest 
 honors of his class. He was then eighteen years of 
 age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of 
 athletic sport, an unerring shot, and enlivened with 
 an exuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately- 
 commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster, 
 and was admitted to the bar in 1812, when he was 
 but twenty-one years of age. Very rapidly he rose 
 in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand 
 with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but 
 twenty-si,x years of age, unaided by counsel, he suc- 
 cessfully defended before the State Senate one of the 
 judges of tlie State, who was tried upon articles of 
 impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally 
 admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; and 
 there was no lawyer in the State who had a more lu- 
 crative practice. 
 
 In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a 
 candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for 
 ten years he remained a member of the Lower House. 
 During the vacations of Congress, he occasionally 
 tried some important case. In 1831, he retired 
 altogether from the toils of his profession, having ac- 
 quired an ample fortune. 
 
 Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presidency, 
 appointed Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The 
 duties of his mission he performed with ability, which 
 gave satisfaction to all parties. Upon his return, in 
 1833, he was elected to a seat in the LTnited States 
 Senate. He there met, as his associates, Webster, 
 Clay, Wright and Calhoun. He advocated the meas- 
 ures proposed by President Jackson, of making repri- 
 
 -<^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 -•►Hl- 
 
 76 
 
 JAMES BUCHANAN. 
 
 •►Hh-<» 
 
 sals against France, to enforce the payment of our 
 claims against that country ; and defended the course 
 of the President in his unprecedented and wholesale 
 removal from office of those wlio were not the sup- 
 porters of his administration. Upon this question he 
 was brought into direct collision with Henry Clay. 
 He also, with voice and vote, advocated expunging 
 from tlie journal of the Senate the vote of censure 
 against Gen. Jackson for removing the deposits. 
 Earnestly he opposed the abolition of slavery in the 
 District of Columbia, and urged tlie prohibition of the 
 circulation of anti-slavery documents bv the United 
 States mails. 
 
 As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he advo- 
 cated that they should be respectfully received; and 
 that the reply should be returned, that Congress had 
 no power to legislate upon the subject. " Congress," 
 said he, "might as well undertake to interfere with 
 slavery under a foreign government as in any of the 
 States where it now e-xists." 
 
 Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, Mr. 
 Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such, 
 took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of 
 the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that crossing 
 the Nueces by the American troops into the disputed 
 territory was not wrong, but for the Mexicans to cross 
 the Rio Grande into that territory was a declaration 
 of war. No candid man can read with pleasure the 
 account of the course our Government pursued in that 
 movement 
 
 Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly with 
 the party devoted to the perpetuation and extension 
 of slavery, and brought all the energies of his mind 
 to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. He gave his 
 cordial approval to the compromise measures of 1S50, 
 which included the fugiiive-slave law. Mr. Pierce, 
 upon his election to the Presidency, honored Mr. 
 Buchanan with the mission to England. 
 
 In the year 1856, a national Democratic conven- 
 tion nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. The 
 political conflict was one of the most severe in which 
 our country has ever engaged. All the friends of 
 slavery were on one side; all the advocates of its re- 
 striction and final abolition, on the other. Mr. Fre- 
 mont, the candidate of the enemies of slavery, re- 
 reived 114 electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received 
 174, and was elected. The popular vote stood 
 1,340,618, for Fremont, 1,224,750 for Buchanan. On 
 March 4th, 1857, Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only four 
 years were wanting to fill up his threescore years and 
 ten. His own friends, those with whom lie had been 
 allied in political principles and action for years, were 
 seeking the destruction of the Government, that they 
 might rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a 
 nation whose corner-stone should be human slavery. 
 tn this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly be- 
 vvildered He could not, with hi§ long-avowed prin- 
 
 ciples, consistently oppose the State-rights party in 
 their assumptions. As President of the United States, 
 bound by his oath faithfully to administer tlie laws, 
 he could not, without perjury of the grossest kind, 
 unite with those endeavoring to overthrow the repub- 
 lic. He therefore did nothing. 
 
 The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration 
 nominaied Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer 
 in the next Presidential canvass. The pro-slaverv 
 party declared, that if he were elected, and the con- 
 trol of the Government were thus taken from their 
 hands, they would secede from the Union, taking 
 with them, as they retired, the National Capitol at 
 Washington, and the lion's share of the territory of 
 the United States. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan's sympathy with the pro-slavery 
 party was such, that he had been willing to offer them 
 far more than they had ventured to claim. All the 
 South had professed to ask of the North was non- 
 intervention upon the subject of slavery. Mr. Bu- 
 chanan had been ready to offer them the active co- 
 operation of the Government to defend and extend 
 the institution. 
 
 As the storm increased in violence, the slaveholders 
 claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchanan avow- 
 ing that Congress had no power to prevent it, one of 
 the most pitiable exhibitions of governmental im- 
 becility was exhibited the world has ever seen. He 
 declared that Congress had no power to enforce its 
 laws in any State which had withdrawn, or which 
 was attempting to withdraw from the Union. This 
 was not the doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with 
 his hand upon his sword-hilt, he exclaimed, " The 
 Union must and shall be preserved!" 
 
 South Carolina seceded in December, i860; nearly 
 three months before the inauguration of President 
 Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless despair. 
 The rebel flag was raised in Charleston: Fort Sumpter 
 was besieged ; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals 
 were seized ; our depots of military stores were plun- 
 dered ; and our custom-houses and post-offices were 
 appropriated by the rebels. 
 
 The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our 
 Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked 
 on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away, 
 and close the administration, so terrible in its weak- 
 ness At length the long-looked-for hour of deliver- 
 ance came, when Abraham Lincoln was to receive the 
 scepter. 
 
 The administration of President Buchanan was 
 certainly the most calamitous our country has ex- 
 perienced. His best friends cannot recall it with 
 pleasure. .\nd still more deplorable it is for his fame, 
 that in that dreadful conflict which rolled its billows 
 of flame and blood over our whole land, no word came 
 from his lips to indicate his wish that our country's 
 banner should triumph over the flag of the rebellion. 
 He died at his Wheatland retreat, June i, 1868. 
 
 ■•►HI- 
 
<^ 
 
 eX>c32^^<^r-z^ 
 
-IH-^^ 
 
 SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 79 
 
 % i ABRAHAM > ^||>^?-<# 4 LINCOLN. !> | 
 
 BRAHAM LINCOLN, the 
 sixteeiuli President of the 
 ^United States, was born in 
 Haidin Co., Ky., Feb. 12, 
 1 809. About the year 1 7 80, a 
 man by the name of Abraham 
 Lincohi left Virginia with his 
 1 imily and moved into the then 
 w lids of Kentucky. Only two years 
 after this emigration, still a young 
 man, while working one day in a 
 field, was stealthily approached by 
 an Indian and shut dead. His widow 
 was left in extreme poverty with five 
 little children, three boys and two 
 girls. Thomas, the youngest of the 
 boys, was four years of age at his 
 father's death. This Thomas was 
 the father of .\braham Lincoln, the 
 President of the United States 
 whose name must henceforth fo>-ever be enrolled 
 with the most prominent in the annals of our wodd. 
 Of course no record has been kept of the life 
 of one so lowly as Thomas Lincoln. He was among 
 the poorest of the poor. His home was a wretched 
 log -cabin; his food the coarsest and the meanest. 
 Education he had none; he could never either read 
 or write. As soon as he was able to do anything for 
 himself, he was compelled to leave the cabin of his 
 starving mother, and push out into the world, a friend- 
 less, wandering boy, seeking work. He hired him- 
 self out, and thus spent the whole of his youth as a 
 laborer in the fields of others. 
 
 When twenty-eight years of age he buill a log- 
 cabin of his own, and married Nancy Hanks, the 
 daughter of another family of poor Kentucky emi- 
 grants, who had also come from Virginia. Then- 
 second child was Abraham Lincoln, the subject of 
 this sketch. The mother of Abraham was a noble 
 woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created to adorn 
 a palace, doomed to toil and pine, and die in a hovel. 
 "All that I am, or hope to be," e.xclaims the grate- 
 ful son " I owe to my angel-mother. 
 
 When he was eight years of age, his father sold his 
 4 » 
 
 cabin and small farm, and moved to Indiana. Where 
 two years later his mother died. 
 
 Abraham soon became the scribe of the uneducated 
 community around him. He could not have had a 
 better school than this to teach him to put thoughts 
 into words. He also became an eager reader. The 
 books he could obtain were few; but these he read 
 and re-read until they were almost committed to 
 memory. 
 
 As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly family 
 was the usual lot of humanity. There were joys and 
 griefs, weddings and funerals. Abraham's sister 
 Sarah, to whom he was tenderly attached, was mar- 
 ried when a child of but fourteen years of age, and 
 soon died. 'I'he family was gradually scattered. Mr. 
 Thomas Lincoln sold out his squatter's claim in 1830, 
 and emigrated to Macon Co., III. 
 
 Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age. 
 With vigorous hands he aided his father in rearing 
 another log-cabin. Abraham worked diligently at this 
 until he saw the family comfortably settled, and their 
 small lot of enclosed prairie planted with corn, when 
 he announced to his father his intention to leave 
 home, and to go out into the world and seek his for- 
 tune. Little did he or his friends imagine how bril- 
 liant that fortune was to be. He saw the value of 
 education, and was intensely earnest to improve his 
 mind to the utmost of his power. He saw the luin 
 which ardent spirits were causing, and became 
 strictly temperate; refusing to allow a drop of intoxi- 
 cating hquor to pass his lips. And he had read in 
 God's word, "Thou shalt not take the name of the 
 Lord thy God in vain ;" and a profane expression he 
 was never heard to utter. Religion he revered. His 
 morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated by a 
 single vice. 
 
 Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired laborer 
 among the farmers. Then he went to Springfield, 
 where he was employed in building a large flat-boat. 
 In this he took a herd of swine, floated them down 
 the Sangamon to the Illinois, and thence by the Mis- 
 sissippi to New Orleans. Whatever Abraham Lin- 
 coln undertook, he performed so faithfully as to give 
 great satisfaction to his employers. In this adven- 
 
 \ 
 
80 
 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 
 
 ture his employers were so well pleased, that upon 
 his return tiiey placed a store and mill under his care. 
 
 In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk war, he 
 enlisted and was chosen captain of a company. He 
 returned to Sangamon County, and altliough only 23 
 years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but 
 was defeated. He soon after received from Andrew 
 Jackson the appointmentof Postmaster of New Salem, 
 His only post-office was his hat. .\11 the letters he 
 received he carried there ready to deliver ft) those 
 he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and soon 
 made this his business. In 1834 he again became a 
 candidate for the Legislature, and was elected Mr. 
 Stuart, of Springfield, advised him to study law. He 
 walked from New Salem to Springfield, borrowed of 
 Mr. Stuart a load of books, carried them back and 
 began his legal studies. ^Vhen the Legislature as- 
 sembled he trudged on foot with his pack on his back 
 one hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In 
 1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here it 
 was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 he re- 
 moved to Springfield and began the practice of law. 
 His success with the jury was so great that he was 
 soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit. 
 
 In 1854 ihe great discussion began between Mr. 
 Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery question. 
 In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois, 
 in 1856, he took an active part, and at once became 
 one of the leaders in that party. Mr. Lincoln's 
 speeches in opposition to Senator Douglas in the con- 
 test in 1858 for a seat in the Senate, form a most 
 notable part of his history. The issue was on the 
 ilavery question, and he took the broad ground of 
 ;he Declaration of Independence, that all men are 
 created equal. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this con- 
 test, but won a far higher prize. 
 
 The great Republican Convention met at Chicago 
 on the i6th of June, i860. The delegates and 
 strangers who crowded the city amounted to twenty-- 
 five thousand. An immense building called "The 
 Wigwam," was reared to accommodate tlie Conven- 
 tion. There were eleven candidates for whom votes 
 were thrown. William H. Seward, a man whose fame 
 as a statesman had long filled the land, was the most 
 urominent. It was generally supposed he would be 
 the nominee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received 
 the nomination on the third ballot. Little did he then 
 dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the 
 bloody death, to which that nomination doomed him : 
 and aslittledid he dream that he was to render services 
 to his country, which would fix upon him the eyes of 
 the whole civilized world, and which would give him 
 a place in the affections of his countiymen, second 
 only, if second, to that of Washington. 
 
 Election day came and Mr. Lincoln received 180 
 electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was, therefore, 
 constitutionally elected President of the United States. 
 The tirade of abuse that was poured ujOTn this good 
 
 t* 
 
 and merciful iTian, especially by the slaveholders, was 
 greater than upon' any other man ever elected to this 
 high position. In February, 186 1, Mr. Lincoln started 
 for Washington, stop\)ing in all the large cities on liis 
 way making speeches. The whole journey was frought 
 with much danger. Many of the Southern States had 
 already seceded, and several attempts at assassination 
 were afterwards brought to light. A gang in Balti- 
 more had arranged, upon his arrival to" get up a row," 
 and in the confusion to make sure of his death with 
 revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled 
 the plot. A secret and special train was provided to 
 take him from HarrisL-urg, through Baltimore, at an 
 unexpected hour of the night. The train started at 
 half-past ten ; and to prevent any possible communi- 
 cation on the part ot the Secessionists with their Con- 
 federate gang in Bakimore, as soon as the train had 
 started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. Lincoln 
 reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated, 
 although great anxiety was felt by all loyal people. 
 
 In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave 
 to Ml Seward the Department of State, and to other 
 prominent opponents before the convention he gave 
 important positions. 
 
 During no other administration have the duties 
 devolving upon the President been so manifold, and 
 the responsibilities so great, as those which fell to 
 the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and 
 feeling his own weakness and inability to meet, and in 
 his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, he 
 learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in 
 determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his 
 trials, bo*h personal and national. Contrary to his 
 own estimate of himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the 
 most courageous of men. He went directly into the 
 rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, 
 with no guard but a few sailors. From the time he 
 had left Springfield, in 1861, however, plans had been 
 made for his assassination.and he at last fell a victim 
 to one of them. April 14, 1865, he, with Gen. Grant, 
 was urgently invited to attend Fords' Theater. It 
 was announced that they would be present. Gen. 
 Grant, however, left the city. President Lincoln, feel- 
 ing, witii his characteristic kindliness of heart, that 
 it would be a disappointment if lie should fail them, 
 very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to 
 the play an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth 
 entered the box where the President and family were 
 seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the 
 next morning at seven o'clock. 
 
 Never before, in the history of the world was a nation 
 plunged into such deep grief by the death of its ruler. 
 Strong men met in the streets and wept in speechless 
 anguish. It is not too much to say that a nation was 
 in tears. His was a life which will filly become a 
 model. His name as the savior of his country will 
 live with that of Washington's, its father; hiscountrj^- 
 men' being unable to decide which is the ereater. 
 
^■c^y^ 
 
 fai:^/t 
 
•►Hh-^*- 
 
 SB VENTEENTH PRESIDE.\ T. 
 
 -•► 
 
 
 M Wi VY >K) uc^r -iri 
 
 ^ {., 
 
 \- 
 
 b NDREW JOHNSON, seven- 
 n>l teenth President of the United 
 States. The early life of 
 \ndrew Johnson contains but 
 ^ the record of poverty, destitu- 
 tion and friendlessness. He 
 / was born December 29, 180S, 
 in Raleigh, N. C. His parents, 
 belonging to the class oi" the 
 "poor whites " of the Souih, were 
 in such circumstances, that they 
 could not confer even the slight- 
 est advantages of education uiwn 
 their child. When Andrew was five 
 years of age, his father accidentally 
 lost his life while heiorically endeavoring to save a 
 friend from drowning. Until ten years of age, Andrew 
 was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by the 
 labor of his mother, who obtained her living with 
 her own hands. 
 
 He then, having never attended a school one day, 
 and being unable either to read or write, was ap- 
 prenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman 
 was in the habit of going to. the tailor's shop occasion- 
 ally, and reading to the boys at work there. He often 
 read from the speeches of distinguished British states- 
 men. Andrew, who was endowed with a mind of more 
 than ordinary native ability, became much interested 
 in these speeches ; his ambition was roused, and he 
 was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read. 
 
 He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, and 
 with the assistance of some of his fellow-workmen, 
 learned his letters. He then called upon the gentle- 
 man to borrow the book of speeches. The owner, 
 
 pleased with his zeal, not only gave him the book, 
 but assisted him in learning to combine the letters 
 into words. Under such difficulties he pressed on- 
 ward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours 
 at work in the shop, and then robbing himself of rest 
 and recreation to devote such time as he could to 
 reading. 
 
 He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at 
 Greenville, where he married a young lady who pos- 
 sessed some education. Under her instructions he 
 learned to write and cipher. He became prominent 
 in the village debating society, and a favorite with 
 the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he or- 
 ganized a working man's party, which elected him 
 alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, wliich 
 position he held three years. 
 
 He now began to take a lively interest in political 
 affairs; identifying himself with the working-classes, 
 to which he belonged. In 1S35, he was elected a 
 member of the House of Representatives of Tennes- 
 see. He was then just twenty-seven years of age. 
 He became a very active member of the legislature, 
 gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in 
 1840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Van 
 Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to those 
 of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much 
 readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased 
 his reputation. 
 
 In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, he 
 was elected a member of Congress, and by successive 
 elections, held that important post for ten years. In 
 1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and 
 was re-elected in 1855. In all these resixjnsible posi- 
 tions, he discharged his duties with distinguished abii. 
 
 •^:^^ 
 
.^1^^ 
 
 ANDRE W JOHNSON. 
 
 ity, and proved himself the warm friend of the work- 
 ing classes. In 1S57, Mr. Johnson was elected 
 United States Senator. 
 
 Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated 
 the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his 
 reason, that he thought this annexation would prob- 
 ably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable 
 sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom, 
 and become merged in a population congenial to 
 themselves." In 1850, he also supix)rted the com- 
 promise measures, the two essential features of which 
 were, that the white people of the Territories should 
 be permitted to decide for themselves whether they 
 would enslave the colored people or not, and that 
 the free States of the North should return to the 
 South persons who attempted to escape from slavery. 
 
 Mr. Johnson was never ashamed of his lowly origin: 
 on the contrary, he often took piide in avowing that 
 he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir," 
 said he on the floor of the Senate, " I do not forget 
 that I am a mechanic ; neither do I forget that Adam 
 was a tailor and sewed fig-leaves, and that our Sav- 
 ior was the son of a carpenter." 
 
 In the Charleston- Baltimore convention of iSuj, ne 
 was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the 
 Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of the South- 
 ern Democracy became apparent, he took a decided 
 stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery 
 must be held subordinate to the Union at whatever 
 cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly 
 imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of 
 Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the 
 Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, ap- 
 pointed him Military Governor of the State, and he 
 established Ihe most stringent military rale. His 
 numerous proclamations attracted wide attention. In 
 1864, he was elected Vice-President of the United 
 States, and upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15, 
 1S65, became President. In a speech two days later 
 he said, " The American people must be taught, if 
 !hey do not already feel, that treason is a crime and 
 must be puriished; that the Government will not 
 always bear with its enemies; that it is strong not 
 only to protect, but to punish. * * The people 
 must understand that it (treason) is the blackest of 
 crimes, and will surely be punished." Yet his whole 
 administration, the history of which is so well known, 
 was in utter iai:onsistency with, and the most violent 
 
 opposition to, the principles laid down in that speech. 
 
 In his loose policy of reconstruction and general 
 amnesty, he was opposed by Congress ; and he char- 
 acterized Congress as a new rebellion, and lawlessly 
 defied it, in everything possible, to the utmost. In 
 the beginnirig of 1868, on account of "high crimes 
 and misdemeanors," the principal of which was the 
 removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the Ten- 
 ure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were pre- 
 ferred against him, and the trial began March 23. 
 
 It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three 
 months. A test article of the impeachment was at 
 length submitted to the court for its action. It was 
 certain that as the court voted upon that article so 
 would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronounced 
 the President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was neces- 
 sary to his condemnation, he was pronounced ac- 
 quitted, notwithstanding the great majority against 
 him. The change of one vote from the not guilty 
 side would have sustained tlie impeachment. 
 
 The President, for the remainder of his term, was 
 but little regarded. He continued, though impotently, 
 his conflict with Congress. His own party did not 
 think it expedient to renominate him for the Presi- 
 dency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unpar- 
 alleled since the days of Washington, around the name 
 of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotten. 
 The bullet of the assassin introduced him to the 
 President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never was 
 there presented to a man a better opportunity to im- 
 mortalize his nam.e, and to win the gratitude of a 
 nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his home 
 in Gree«ville, Tenn., taking no very active part in 
 politics until 1875. On Jan. 26, after an exciting 
 struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of Ten- 
 nessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth Con- 
 gress, and took his seat in that body, at the special 
 session convened by President Grant, on the 5th of 
 March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the e.x-President 
 made a visit to his daughter's home, near Carter 
 Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he was 
 apparently in his usual vigorous health, but on reach- 
 ing the residence of his child the following day, was 
 stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscious. 
 He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away at 
 2 A. M., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His fun- 
 eral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of August, 
 with every demonstration of respect. 
 
 .>-it: 
 
 ■4*' 
 
 *rl* 
 
/^-^f^^.^-^:^ 
 
EIGHTEENTH FRESIDENT. 
 
 87 
 
 L\SSES S. GRANT, the 
 1^ eighteenth President of the 
 United States, was -born on 
 the 29th of April, 1822, of 
 Christian parents, in a humble 
 home, at Point Pleasant, on the 
 banks of the Ohio. Shortly after 
 his father moved to George- 
 town, Brown Co., O. In this re- 
 mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses 
 received a common-school edu- 
 cation. At the age of seven- 
 teen, in the year 1839, he entered 
 the Military Academy at West 
 Point. Here he was regarded as a 
 solid, sensible young man of fair abilities, and of 
 sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank 
 as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the 
 middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of in- 
 fantry to one of the distant military posts in the Mis- 
 souri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary 
 solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating 
 Indians. 
 
 The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was 
 sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first 
 battle was at Palo Alto. There was no chance here 
 for the exhibition of either skill or heroism, nor at 
 Resaca de la Palma, his second battle. At the battle 
 of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that 
 he performed a signal service of daring and skillful 
 horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its am- 
 munition. A messenger must be sent for more, along 
 a route exposed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut. 
 Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians, 
 grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging upon one 
 \ ' side of the anip^al, ran the gauntlet in entire safety. 
 
 From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantry, 
 10 aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In 
 preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he 
 was appointed quartermaster of his regiment. At the 
 battle of Molino del Key, he was promoted to a 
 first lieutenancy, and was brevetted captain at Cha- 
 pultepec. 
 
 At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant re- 
 turned with his regiment to New York, and was again 
 sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The 
 discovery of gold in California causing an immense 
 tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt. 
 Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in 
 Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the im- 
 migrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt. 
 Grant resigned his commission and returned to the 
 States; and having married, entered upon the cultiva- 
 tion of a small farm near St. Louis, Mo. He had but 
 little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not re- 
 munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into 
 the leather business, with a younger brother, at (ia- 
 lena. 111. This was in the year i860. As the tidings 
 of the rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears 
 of Capt. Grant in his counting-room, he said, — 
 "Uncle Sam has educated me for the army; though 
 I have served him through one war, I do not feel that 
 I have yet repaid the debt. I am still ready to discharge 
 my obligations. I shall therefore buckle on my sword 
 and see Uncle Sam through this war too. " 
 
 He went into the streets, raised a conijjaiiy of vol- 
 unteers, and led them .as their captain to Springfield, 
 the capital of the State, where their services were 
 offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by 
 the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt. 
 Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the 
 volunteer organization that was being formed in the 
 State in behalf of the Government. On the 15th of 
 
 T 
 
 :»^ 
 
88 
 
 •«► 
 
 dL ySSAS S. GRA NT. 
 
 June, 1 86 1, Capt. Grant received a commission as 
 Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Vol- 
 unteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who 
 had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such 
 ihat he was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier- 
 General and was placed in command at Cairo. The 
 rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth 
 of the Tennessee River. Scarcely had its folds ap- 
 peared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The 
 rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and 
 stripes were unfurled in its stead. 
 
 He entered the service with great determination 
 and immediately began active duty. This was the be- 
 ginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond 
 he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and 
 effectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he sur- 
 prised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Henry 
 won another victory. Then came tlie brilliant fight 
 at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the 
 victory, and the brave leader of the boys in blue was 
 immediately made a Mnjor-General, and the military 
 district of Tennessee was assigned to him. 
 
 Like all great captains. Gen. Grant knew well how 
 to secure the results of victory. He immediately 
 pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the 
 terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the 
 siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an 
 unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty 
 thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two can- 
 non. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most 
 severe blow which the rebels had thus far encountered, 
 'and opened up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. 
 
 Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with 
 Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro- 
 ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown from 
 ii!s horse, and received severe injuries, from which he 
 v/as laid up for months. He then rushed to the aid 
 of Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas at Chattanooga, and 
 by a wonderful series of strategic and technical meas- 
 ures put the Union Army in fighting condition. Then 
 followed the bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout 
 Mountain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels 
 were routed with great loss. This won for him un- 
 bounded praise in the North. On the 4th of Febru- 
 ary, 1864, Congress revived the grade of lieutenant- 
 general, and the rank was conferred on Gen. Grant. 
 He repaired to Washington to receive his credentials 
 and enter upon the duties of his new office. 
 
 Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge of 
 the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed National 
 troops for an attack upon Richmond, the nominal 
 capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to de- 
 stroy the rebel armies whic^i would be promptly as- 
 sembled from all quarters for its defence. The whole 
 continent seemed to tremble under the tramp of these 
 majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle field. 
 Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trains 
 were burdened with closely packed thousands. His 
 plans were comprehensive and involved a series of 
 campaigns, which were executed with remarkable en- 
 ergy and ability, and were consummated at the sur- 
 render of Lee, April 9, 1865. 
 
 The war was ended. The Union was saved. The 
 almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Gen. 
 Grant to be the most prominent instrument in its sal- 
 vation. The eminent services he had thus rendered 
 the country brought him conspicuously forward as the 
 Republican candidate for the Presidential chair. 
 
 At the Republican Convention held at Chicago, 
 May 21, 1 868, he was unanimously nominated for the 
 Presidency, and at the autumn election received a 
 majority of the popular vote, and 214 out of 294 
 electoral votes. 
 
 The National Convention of the Republican party 
 which met at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 1872, 
 placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second term 
 by a unanimous vote. The selection was emphati- 
 cally indorsed by the people five months later, 292 
 electoral votes being cast for him. 
 
 Soon after the close of his second term. Gen. Grant 
 started upon his famous trip around the world. He 
 visited almost every country of the civilized world, 
 and was everywhere received with such ovations 
 and demonstrations of respect and honor, private 
 as well as public and official, as were never before 
 bestowed upon any citizen of the United States. 
 
 He was the most prominent candidate before the 
 Republican National Convention in 1880 for a re- 
 nomination for President. He went to New York and 
 embarked in the brokerage business under the firm 
 nameof Grant & Ward. The latter proved a villain, 
 wrecked Grant's fortune, and for larceny was sent to 
 the penitentiary. The General was attacked with 
 cancer in the throat, but suff'ered in his stoic-like 
 manner, never complaining. He was re-instated as 
 General of the Army and retired by Congress. The 
 cancer soon finished its deadly work, and July 23, 
 18S5, the nation went in mourning over the death gf 
 the illustrious General. 
 
 ♦^ 
 
t 
 
 •►HI-*- 
 
 t 
 
 NINETEENTH PRESIDENT. 
 
 9, .. 
 
 RUTHERFORD B. HiS^TES. 
 
 f |' g^'C?^'^^^'^'g,^■^'^.^l■^^.^l^.•■l^;-l^.^l|.■^j|■;^|^>.^i^:,■^^>^,;■'l ;.'>;.'. •..■tg.'tfrv^iig^ti^i^t^t^^M 
 
 4 
 
 ^ UTHERFORD B. HAYES, 
 i^ the nineteenth President of 
 ^' the United States, was born in 
 Delaware, O., Oct. 4, 1822, al- 
 most three months after the 
 death of his father, Rutherford 
 Hayes. His ancestry on both 
 the paternal and maternal sides, 
 was of the most honorable char- 
 'il, acter. It can be traced, it is said, 
 as far back as 1280, when Hayes and 
 Rutherford were two Scottish chief- 
 tains, fighting side by side with 
 Baliol, William Wallace and Robert 
 Bruce. Both families belonged to the 
 nobility, owned extensive estates, 
 and had a large following. Misfor- 
 tune overtaking the family, George Hayes left Scot- 
 land in 1 680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son 
 George was born in Windsor, and remained there 
 during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, mar- 
 ried Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of his mar- 
 riage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. Ezekiel, 
 son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufac- 
 turer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes, 
 son of Ezekiel and grandfather of President Hayes, was 
 born in New Haven, in August, 1756. He was a fanner, 
 blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to 
 Vermont at an unknown date, settling in Brattleboro, 
 where he established a hotel. Here his son Ruth- 
 erford Hayes the father of President Hayes, was 
 
 •^a 
 
 born. He was married, in September, 18 13, to Sophia 
 Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors emi- 
 grated thither from Connecticut'', they having been 
 among the wealthiest and best famlies of Norwich. 
 Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to 
 1635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders 
 of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers 
 in the Revolutionary War. 
 
 The father of President Hayes was an industrious, 
 frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me- 
 chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stocks 
 ing, or do almost anything else that he choose to 
 undertake. He was a member of the Church, active 
 in all the benevolent enterprises of the town, and con- 
 ducted his business on Christian principles. After 
 the close of the war of 1812, for reasons inexplicable 
 to his neighbors, he resolved to emigrate to Ohio. 
 
 The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day, 
 when there were no canals, steamers, nor railways, 
 was a very serious affair. A tour of inspection was 
 first made, occupying four months. Mr. Hayes deter- 
 mined to move to Delaware, where the family arrived 
 in 1817. He died July 22, 1822, a victim of malaiiai 
 fever, less than three months before the birth of the 
 son, of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore be- 
 reavement, found the support she so much needed in 
 her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the 
 household from the day of its departure from Ver- 
 mont, and in an orphan girl whom she had adopted 
 some time before as an act of charity. 
 
 Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the 
 
 ••> J f ^* 
 
I 
 
 •►Hl^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 92 
 
 RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 
 
 4 
 
 subject of this sketch was so feeble at birtli that he 
 was not expected to live beyond a month or two at 
 most. As the months went by he grew weaker and 
 weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of in- 
 quiring from time to time " if Mrs. Hayes' baby died 
 last night." On one occasion a neighbor, who was on 
 familiar terms with the family, after alluding to the 
 boy's big head, and the mother's assiduous care of 
 him, said in a bantering way, " That's right! Stick to 
 him. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't 
 wonder if he would really come to something yet." 
 
 " You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. "You 
 wait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him 
 President of the United States yet." The boy lived, 
 in spite of the universal predictions of his speedy 
 death; and when, in 1825, his older brother was 
 drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his 
 mother. 
 
 The boy was seven years old before he went to 
 school. His education, however, was not neglected. 
 He probably learned as much from his mother and 
 sister as he would have done at school. His sports 
 were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being 
 his sister and her associates. These circumstances 
 tended, no doulit, to foster that gendeness of dispo- 
 sition, and that delicate consideration for the feelings 
 of others, which are marked traits of his character. 
 
 His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest 
 in his education ; and as the boy's healtli had im- 
 proved, and he was making good progress in his 
 studies, he proposed to send him to college. His pre- 
 paration commenced with a tutor at home; bit he 
 was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the 
 Wesleyan University, in Middletovvn, Conn. He en- 
 tered Kenyon College in 1838, at the age of sixteen, 
 and was graduated at the head of his class in 1842. 
 
 Lnmediately after his graduation he began the 
 study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, Esq., 
 in Columbus. Finding his opportunities for study in 
 Columbus somewhat limited, he determined to enter 
 the Law School at Cambridge, Mass., where he re- 
 mained two years. 
 
 In 1845, after graduatmg at the Law School, he was 
 admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly 
 afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-law 
 with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he re- 
 mained three years, acquiring but a limited practice, 
 and apparently unambitious of distinction in his pro- 
 fession. 
 
 Li 1849 he moved to Cincmnati, where his ambi- 
 tion found a new stimulus. For several years, how- 
 ever, his progress was slow. Two events, occurring at 
 this period, had a powerful influence upon his subse- 
 quent life. One of these was his marrage with Miss 
 Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. J^imes Webb, of 
 Chilicothe; the other was his introduction to the Cin- 
 ciniati Literary Club, a body embracing among its 
 members suck men asHiief Justice Salmon P.Chase, 
 
 4> 
 
 Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many 
 others hardly less distinguished in after life. The 
 marriage was a fortunate one m every respect, as 
 everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of our 
 Presidents was more universally admired, reverenced 
 and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and no one did 
 more than she to reflect honor upon American woman- 
 hood. The Literary Cluu brought Mr. Hayes into 
 constant association with young men of high char- 
 acter and noble aims, and lured him to display the 
 qualities so long hidden by his bashfulness and 
 modesty. 
 
 \\\ 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judge of 
 the Court of Common Pleas; but he declined to ac- 
 cept the nomination. Two years later, the office of 
 city solicitor becoming vacant, the City Council 
 elected him for the unexpired term. 
 
 Ill 1861, when the Rebellion broke out, he was at 
 the zenith of his professional life. His rank at the 
 bar was among the the first. But the news of the 
 attack on Fort Sumpter found him eager to take up 
 arms for the defense of his country. 
 
 His military record was bright ard illustrious. In 
 October, 186 1, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and 
 in August, 1S62, promoted Colonel of the 79th Ohio 
 regiment, but he refused to leave his old comrades 
 and go among strangers. Subsequently, however, he 
 was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the battle 
 of South Mountain he received a wound, and while 
 faint and bleeding displayed courage and fortitude 
 that won admiration from all. 
 
 Col. Hayes was detached from his regunent, after 
 his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and placed 
 in command of the celebrated Kanawlia division, 
 and for gallant and meritorious services in the battles 
 of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he was 
 promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevetted 
 Major-General, "for gallant and distinguished Fcrvices 
 during the campaigns of 1864, in West Virginia." In 
 the course of his arduous services, four horses were 
 shot from under him, and he was wounded four times. 
 
 In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress, from 
 the Second Ohio District, which had long been Dem- 
 ocratic. He was not present during the campaign, 
 and after his election was importuned to resign his 
 commission in the army; but he finally declared, " I 
 shall never come to Washington until I can come by 
 the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in 1866. 
 
 Ir. 1867, Gen Hayes was elected Governor of Ohio, 
 over Hon. Allen G. Thurman, a popular Democrat. 
 In 1869 was re-elected over George H. Pendleton. 
 He was elected Governor for the third term in 1875. 
 
 In 1876 he was the standard bearer of the Repub- 
 lican Party in the Presidential contest, and after a 
 hard long contest was chosen President, and was in 
 augurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served his 
 full term, not, hcwever, with satisfaction to h'.s party, 
 but his admit: 'stration was an average on,/^-. 
 
"♦- 
 
 TiVENTIETIi PRESIDENT. 
 
 35 ,k 
 
 -^- *--•?-- --- ^ -^■5$«S'*5« 
 
 -■t- -'r'- -•^ -"? 
 
 f JAMES 4, tMClELDri -^ 
 
 ^ $^$ c^^ $«»$ «^- ^^Ti ^IS-^ $<5f^& c-^-F ^-^^ -^$ ^«>^ ^^?e i^i i9f^ <^>i i^ 
 
 
 A 
 
 a 
 
 AMES A. GARFIELD, twen- 
 tieth President of the United 
 States, was born Nov. 19, 
 1831, in the woods of Orange, 
 Cuyahoga Co., O His par- 
 '" ents were Abram and Eliza 
 (Ballou) Garfield, both of New 
 England ancestry and from fami- 
 lies well known in the early his- 
 tory of that section of our coun- 
 try, but had moved to the Western 
 Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settle- 
 ment. 
 
 The house in which James A. was 
 born was not unlike the houses of 
 poor Ohio farmers of that day. It 
 .,ds about 20x30 feet, built of logs, with the spaces be- 
 tween the logs filled with clay. His father was a 
 nard working farmer, and he soon had his fields 
 r.leared, an orchard planted, and a log barn built. 
 The household comprised the father and mother and 
 iheir four children — Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and 
 }ames. In May, 1823, the father, from a cold con- 
 tracted in helping to put out a forest fire, died. At 
 this time James was about eighteen months old, and 
 Thomas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, can 
 tell how much James was indebted to his biother's 
 coil and self sacrifice during the twenty years suc- 
 ceeding liis father's death, but undoubtedly very 
 much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sis- 
 ters live in Solon, O., near their birthplace. 
 
 The early educational advantages young Garfield 
 enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most of 
 ;hem. He labored at farm work for others, did car- 
 penter work, chopped wood, or did anything- that 
 would Ijring in a few dollars to aid his widowed 
 mother in he- =trnggles to keep the little family to- 
 
 gether. Nor was Gen. Garfield ever ashamed of his 
 origin, and he never forgot the friends of his strug- 
 gling childhood, youth and manhood, neither did they 
 ever forget him. When in the highest seats of honor, 
 the humblest fiiend of his boyhood was as kindly 
 greeted as ever. The poorest laborer was sure of the 
 sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness 
 of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the 
 sweat of the brow. He was ever the simple, plain, 
 modest gentleman. 
 
 The highest ambition of young Garfield until he 
 was about sixteen years old was to be a captain of 
 a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard 
 a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She 
 finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the 
 understanding, however, that he should try to obtain 
 some other kind of employment. He walked all the 
 way to Cleveland. This was his first visit to the city. 
 After making many applications for work, and trying 
 to get aboard a lake vessel, and not meeting wiili 
 success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos 
 Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. He re- 
 mained at this work but a short time when he went 
 home, and attended the seminary at Chester for 
 about three vears, when he entered Hiram and the 
 Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of school in 
 tlie meantime, and doing other work. This school 
 was started by the Disciples of Christ in 1850, of 
 which church he was then a member. He became 
 janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way. 
 He then became both teacher and pupil. He soon 
 " exhausted Hiram " and needed more ; hence, in the 
 fall of 1854, he entered Williams College, from which 
 he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest hon- 
 ors of his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram 
 College as its President. As above stated, he early 
 united with the Christian or Diciples Church at 
 Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous mem- 
 ber, often preaching in its pulpit and places where 
 he happened to be. Dr. Noah Porter, President of 
 Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion : 
 
 •^» 
 
u 
 
 ^ ^u < • 
 
 96 
 
 JAMES A. GARFIELD. 
 
 T 
 
 " President Garfield was more than a man of 
 strong moral and religious convictions. His whole 
 history, from boyhood to the last, shows that duty to 
 man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and 
 faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs 
 of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In 
 my judgment there is no more interesting feature of 
 his character than his loyal allegiance to the body of 
 Christians in which he was trained, and the fervent 
 sympathy which he ever showed in their Christian 
 communion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty 
 and noble who are called' show a similar loyalty to 
 the less stately and cultured Christian comnmnions 
 in which they have been reared. Too often it is true 
 that as they step upward in social and political sig- 
 nificance they step upward from one degree to 
 another in some of the many types of fashionable 
 Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the 
 church of his mother, the church in which he was 
 trained, and in which he served as a pillar and an 
 evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsec- 
 larian charity for all 'who loveour Lord in sincerity.'" 
 
 Mr. Garfield was united in marriage with Miss 
 Lucretia Rudolph, Nov. i r, 1858, who proved herself 
 worthy as the wife of one whom all the world loved and 
 mourned. To them were born seven children, five of 
 whom are still living, four boys and one girl. 
 
 Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 1856, 
 in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three 
 years later he began to speak at county mass-meet- 
 ings, and became the favorite speaker wherever he 
 was. During this year he was elected to the Ohio 
 Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland, 
 and in 1861 was admitted to the bar. The great 
 Rebellion broke out in the early part of this year, 
 and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to fight as he had 
 talked, and enlisted to defend the old flag. He re- 
 ceived his commission as Lieut. -Colonel of the Forty- 
 second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Lrfantry, Aug. 
 14,1861. He was immediately put into active ser- 
 vice, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in ac'.ion, 
 was placed in command of four regiments of infantry 
 and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the 
 work of driving out of his native State the officer 
 (Humphrey Marshall) reputed to be the ablest of 
 those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given 
 to the Rebellion. This work was bravely and speed- 
 ily accomplished, although against great odds. Pres- 
 ident Lincoln, on his success commissioned him 
 Brigadier-General, Jan. 10, 1862; and as "he had 
 been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years 
 before, so now he was the youngest General in the 
 army." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh, 
 in its operations around Corinth and its march through 
 Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of the 
 General Court-Martial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John 
 Porter. He was tlien ordered to report to Gen. Rose- 
 crans, and was assigned to the "Chief of Staff." 
 
 The military b^story of Gen. Garfield closed with 
 
 his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he won 
 the stars of the Major-General. 
 
 Without an effort on his part Gen. Garfield was 
 elected to Congress in the fall of 1862 from the 
 Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Ohio 
 had been represented in Congress for si.xty years 
 mainly by two men — Elisha Whittlesey and Joshua 
 R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that he 
 resigned his place in the army. At the time he en- 
 tered Congress he was the youngest member in that 
 body. There he remained by successive re- 
 elections until he was elected President in 1880. 
 Of his labors in Congress Senator Hoar says : " Since 
 the year 1864 you cannot think of a question which 
 has been debated in Congress, or discussed before a 
 tribunel of the American people, in regard to which 
 you will not find, if you wish instruction, the argu- 
 ment on one side stated, in almost every instance 
 better than by anybody else, in some speech made in 
 the House of Representatives or on the hustings by 
 Mr. Garfield." 
 
 Upon Jan. 14, 1880, Gen. Garfield was elected to 
 the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of tiie 
 same year, was nominated as the candidate of his 
 party for President at the great Chicago Convention. 
 He was elected in the following November, and on 
 March 4, 1S81, was inaugurated. Probably no ad- 
 ministration ever opened its existence under brighter 
 auspices than that of President Garfield, and every 
 day it grew in favor with the peo)jle, and by the first 
 of July lie had completed all the initiatory and pre- 
 liminary work of his administration and was prepar- 
 ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Williams 
 College. While on his way and at the depot, in com- 
 pany with Secretary Blaine, a man stepped behind 
 him, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his back. 
 The President tottered and fell, and as he did so tlie 
 assassin fired a second shot, the bullet cutting the 
 left coat sleeve of his victim, but in.licting nofeirthei 
 injury. It has been very truthfully said that this was 
 " the shot that was heard round the world " Never 
 liefore in the history of the Nation had anything oc- 
 curred which so nearly froze the blood of the people 
 for tlie moment, as this awful deed. He was smit- 
 ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, and 
 was at the summit of his power and hope. For eighty 
 davs, all during the hot months of July and August, 
 he lingered and suffered. He, however, remained 
 master of himself till the last, and by his magnificent 
 bearing was teaching tlie country and the world llie 
 noblest of human lessons — how to live grandly in the 
 very clutch of death. Great in life, he was sur|Mss- 
 ingly great in death. He passed serenely away Sept. 
 19, 1883, at Elberon, N. J , on the very bank of tlie 
 ocean, where he had been taken shortly previous. The 
 world wept at his death, as it never had done on the 
 death of any other man who had ever lived upon it. 
 The murderer was duly tried, found guilty and exe- 
 cuted, in one year after he committed the foul deed. 
 •►- 
 
;* 
 
 TIVENTY-FIRST PHESIDENT. 
 
 99 
 
 fl[- r^rr !i;:?5a' i'^ K ^v. :^\ ri^ MmM 
 
 HESTER A. ARTHUR, 
 
 |>) twenty-first Presi'^.^iu of the 
 
 ^'^ United States, was born in 
 
 P ranklin Cour ty, Vermont, on 
 
 thefiftiiof Odober, 1830, and is 
 
 the oldest of a family of two 
 
 sons and five daughters. His 
 
 father was the Rev. Dr. William 
 
 Arthur, aBaptistd.rgymaniWho 
 
 emigrated to tb.s country from 
 
 1^ the county Ant.im, Ireland, in 
 
 his i8th year, and died in 1875, in 
 
 Newtonville, neai Albany, after a 
 
 long and successful ministry. 
 
 Young Arthur was educated at 
 Union College, St henectady, where 
 he excelled in all his studies. Af- 
 ter his graduation he taught school 
 in Vermont for two years, and at 
 the expiration of that time came to 
 New York, with $500 in his pocket, 
 and entered the office of ex-Judge 
 E. D. Culver as student. After 
 being admitted to the bar he formed 
 a partnership with his intimate friend and room-mate, 
 Henry D. Gardiner, with the intention of practicing 
 in the West, and for three months they roamed about 
 in the Western States in search of an eligible site, 
 but in the end returned to New York, where they 
 hung out their shingle, and entered upon a success- 
 ful career almost from the start. General Arthur 
 soon afterward nvirpfd the daughter of Lieutenant 
 
 Herndon, of the United States Navy, who was lost ar 
 sea. Congress voted a gold medal to his widow in 
 recognition of the bravery he displayed on that occa- 
 sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. Arthur's 
 nomination to the Vice Presidency, leaving two 
 children. 
 
 Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celebrity 
 in his first great case, the famous Lemmon suit, 
 brought to recover possession of eight slaves who had 
 been declared free by Judge Paine, of the Superior 
 Court of New York City. It was in 1852 that Jon. 
 athan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to New York with 
 his slaves, intending to ship them to Texas, when 
 they were discovered and freed. The Judge decided 
 that they could not be held by the owner under the 
 Fugitive Slave Law. A howl of rage went up from 
 the South, and the Virginia Legislature authorized tjie 
 Attorney General of that State to assist in An appeal, 
 Wm. M. Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed 
 to represent the People, and they won their case, 
 which then went to the Supreme Court of the United 
 States. Charles O'Conor here espoused the cause 
 of the slave-holders, but he too was beaten by Messrs. 
 Evarts and Arthur, and a long step was taken toward 
 the emancipation of the black race. 
 
 Another great service was rendered by General 
 Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jennings, 
 a respectable colored woman, was put off a Fourth 
 Avenue car with violence after she had paid her fare. 
 General Arthur sued on her behalf, and secured a 
 verdict of $500 damages. The next day the compa- 
 ny issued an order to admit colored persons to ride 
 on their cars, and the other car companies quickly 
 
 f 
 
 '^ ^\ ^' 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 
 
 4 
 
 followed their example. Before that the Sixth Ave- 
 nue Company ran a few special cars for colored per- 
 sons and the other lines refused to let them ride at all. 
 
 General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention 
 at Saratoga that founded the Republican party. 
 Previous to the war he was Judge-Advocate of the 
 Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Gov- 
 ernor Morgan, of that State, appointed him Engineer- 
 in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was made Inspec- 
 tor General, and soon afterward became Quartermas- 
 ter-General. In each of these offices he rendered 
 great service to the Government during the war. At 
 the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the 
 practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr. 
 Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney 
 of New Yoik, was added to the firm. The legal prac- 
 tice of this well-known firm was very large and lucra- 
 tive, each of the gentlemen composing it were able 
 lawyers, and possessed a splendid local reputation, if 
 not indeed one of national extent. 
 
 He always took a leading part in State and city 
 politics. He was appointed Collector of the Port of 
 New York by President Grant, Nov. 21 1872, to suc- 
 ceed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July, 
 20, 1878, when he was succeeded by Collector Merritt. 
 
 Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential 
 ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the famous 
 National Republican Convention held at Chicago in 
 June, 1880. This was perhaps the greatest political 
 convention that ever assembled on the continent. It 
 was composed of the leading jx)liticians of the Re- 
 publican party, all able men, and each stood firm and 
 fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for their 
 respective candidates that were before the conven- 
 tion for the nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield re- 
 ceived the nomination for President and Gen. Arthur 
 for Vice-President. The campaign which followed 
 was one of the most animated known in the history of 
 our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of 
 the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his 
 party made a valiant fight for his election. 
 
 Finally the election came and the country's choice 
 was Garfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated 
 March 4, 1881, as President and Vice-President. 
 A few months only had passed ere the newly chosen 
 President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then 
 came terrible weeks of suffering, — those moments of 
 anxious suspense, when the hearts of all civilized na- 
 
 tions were throbbing in unison, longing for the re- 
 covery of the noble, the good President. The remark- 
 able patience that he manifested during those hours 
 and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible suf- 
 fering man has often been called upon to endure, was 
 seemingly more than human. It was certainly God- 
 like. During all this period of deepest anxiety Mr. 
 Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to his 
 credit that his every action displayed only an earnest 
 desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, to 
 serve the remainder of the term he had so auspi- 
 ciously begun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested 
 in deed or look of this man, even though the most 
 honored ]X)sition in the world was at any moment 
 likely to fall to him. 
 
 At last God in his mercy relieved President Gar- 
 field from farther suffering, and the world, as never 
 before in its history over the death of any other 
 man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty of 
 the Vice President to assume the responsibilities of 
 the high office, and he took the oath in New York, 
 Sept. 20, 188 1. The position was an embarrassing 
 one to him, made doubly so from the facts that all 
 eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would do, 
 what policy he would pursue, and who he would se- 
 lect as advisers. The duties of the office had been 
 greatly neglected during the President's long illness, 
 and many important measures were to be immediately 
 decided by him ; and still farther to embarrass him he 
 did not fail to realize under what circumstances he 
 became- President, and knew the feelings of many on 
 this point. Under these trying circumstances President 
 Arthur took the reins of the Government in his own 
 hands ; and, as embarrassing as were the condition of 
 affairs, he happily surprised the nation, actmg so 
 wisely that but few criticised his administration. 
 He served the nation well and faithfully, until the 
 close of his administration, March 4, 1885, and was 
 a popular caTididate before his party for a second 
 term. His name was ably presented before the con- 
 vention at Chicago, and was received with great 
 favor, and doubtless but for the personal popularity 
 of one of the opposing candidates, he would have 
 been selected as the standard-bearer of his party 
 for another campaign. He retired to private life car- 
 rying with him the best wishes of the American peo- 
 ple, whom he had served in a manner satisfactory 
 to them and with credit to himself. 
 
/PtrtXyr- 
 
 C/c^o(^yU^><ywi^^ 
 
u 
 
 TWENTY-SECONn PRESIDENT. 
 
 103 
 
 "S:S<&?"S-^S; <5> t*> a 
 
 >\I /\\> X 
 
 •*" S-tf'-SI.J-'^-ar 'C -^ S :g 
 
 1 So 05 re tier QQeTDeLml 
 
 
 ■# -<^ •=»<«> ^ji i^^-^^^-^r^^-^^ 
 
 ^i^\\\/ j\: ^ 
 
 1^^; 
 
 TEPHEN GROVER CLEVE- 
 LAND, the twenty- second Pres- 
 ident of the United States, was 
 bora in 1837, in the obscure 
 town of Caldwell, Essex Co., 
 N. J., and in a little two-and-a- 
 half-story white house which is still 
 standing, characteristically to mark 
 ^*'i the humble birth-place of one of 
 America's great men in striking con- 
 trast with the Old World, where all 
 men high in office must be high in 
 origin and born in the cradle of 
 wealth. When the subject of this 
 sketch was three years of age, his 
 father, who was a Presbyterian min- 
 ister, with a large family and a small salary, moved, 
 by way of the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to 
 Fayetteville, in search of an increased income and a 
 larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most 
 straggling of country villages, about five miles from 
 Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour was born. 
 
 At the last mentioned place young Grover com- 
 menced going to school in the "good, old-fashioned 
 way," and presumably distinguished himself after the 
 manner of all village boys, in doing the things he 
 ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of 
 all geniuses and independent thinkers. When he 
 arrived at the age of 14 years, he had outgrown the 
 capacity of the village school and expressed a most 
 
 emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To this 
 his father decidedly objected. Academies in those 
 days cost money; besides, his father wanted him to 
 become self-supporting by the quickest possible 
 means, and this at that time in Fayetteville seemed 
 to be a position in a country store, where his father 
 and the large family on his hands had considerable 
 influence. Grover was to be paid $50 for his services 
 the first year, and if he proved trustworthy he was to 
 receive $100 the second year. Here the lad com- 
 menced his career as salesman, and in two years he 
 had earned so good a reputation for trustworthiness 
 that his employers desired to retain him for an in- 
 definite length of time. Otherwise he did not ex- 
 hibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or 
 eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good boy. 
 But instead of remaining with this firm in Fayette- 
 ville, he went with the family in their removal to 
 Clinton, where he had an opportunity of attending a 
 high school. Here he industriously pursued his 
 studies until the family removed with him to a point 
 on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a 
 village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica, 
 N. Y. At this place his father died, after preaching 
 but three Sundays. This event broke up the family, 
 and Grover set out for New York City to accept, at a 
 small salary, the position of " under-teacher " in an 
 asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for two 
 years, and although he obtained a good reputation in 
 this capacity, he concluded that teaching was not his 
 
 -»► 
 
1= 
 
 •^Hi^^ 
 
 ■•►HI 
 
 S. GROVE R CLEVELAND. 
 
 r 
 
 calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order, 
 he left the city to seek his fortune, instead of going 
 to a city. He first thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as 
 there was some charm in that name for him; but 
 before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to 
 usk the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted 
 stock-breeder of that place. The latter did not 
 speak enthusiastically. "What is it you want to do, 
 my boy?" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study 
 law," was the reply. " Good gracious ! " remarked 
 the old gentleman ; " do you, indeed ? What ever put 
 that into your head.' How much money have you 
 got.?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got 
 any." 
 
 After a long consultation, his uncle offered him a 
 place temporarily as assistant herd- keeper, at $50 a 
 year, wiii'e iie could " look around." One day soon 
 afterward he boldly walked into the office of Rogers, 
 Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told them what he 
 wanted. A number of young men were already en- 
 gaged in the office, but Grover's persistency won, and 
 he was finally permitted to come as an office boy and 
 have the use of the law library, for the nominal sum 
 of $3 or %\ a week. Out of tliis he had to pay for 
 his board and washing. The walk to and from his 
 uncle's was along and rugged one; and, although 
 the first winter was a memorably severe one, his 
 shoes were out of repair and his overcoat — he had 
 none — yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular. 
 On the first day of his service here, his senior em- 
 ployer threw down a copy of Blackstone before him 
 with a bang that made the dust fly, saying "That's 
 where they all begin." A titter ran around the little 
 circle of clerks and students, as they thought that 
 was enough to scare young Grover out of his plans ; 
 but in due time he mastered that cumbersome volume. 
 Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland 
 exhibited a talent for e.xecutiveness rather than for 
 chasing principles through all their metaphysical 
 possibilities. " Let us quit talking and go and do 
 it," was practically his motto. 
 
 The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was 
 elected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in 
 which Buffalo is situated; and in such capacity it fell 
 to his duty to inflict capital punishment upon two 
 criminals. In rSSi he was elected Mayor of the 
 City of Buffalo, on the Democratic ticket, with es- 
 pecial reference to the bringing about certain reforms 
 
 in the administration of the municipal affairs of that 
 city. In this office, as well as that of Sheriff, his 
 performance of duty has generally been considered 
 fair, with possibly a few exceptions which were fer- 
 reted out and magnified during the last Presidential 
 campaign. As a specimen of his plain language in 
 a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an iniqui- 
 tous street-cleaning contract: "This is a time for 
 plain speech, and my objection to your action shall 
 be plainly staled. I regard it as the culmination of 
 a mos bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme 
 to betray the interests of the people and to worse 
 than squander the people's money." The New York 
 Sun afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleve- 
 land's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and there- 
 upon recommended him for Governor of the Empire 
 State. To the latter office he was elected in 1882, 
 and his administration of the affairs of State was 
 generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if 
 any, were made very public throughout the nation 
 after he was nominated for President of the United 
 States. For this high office he was nominated July 
 IT, 1884, by the National Democratic Convention at 
 Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F. 
 Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, 
 Benjamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.: and he 
 was elected by the people, by a majority of about a 
 thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Repub- 
 lican statesman, James G. Blaine. President Cleve- 
 land resigned his office as Governor of New York in 
 January, 18S5, in order to prepare for his duties as 
 the Chief Executive of the United States, in which 
 capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th of 
 March, 1885. For his Cabinet officers he selected 
 the following gentlemen: For Secretary of State, 
 Thomas F. Bayard, of Delaware ; Secretary of the 
 Treasury, Daniel Manning, of New York ; Secretary 
 of War, William C. Endicott, of Massachusetts ; 
 Secretary of the Navy, William C. Whitney, of New 
 York; Secretary of the Interior, L. Q. C. Lamar, of 
 Mississippi; Postmaster-General, William F. Vilas, 
 of Wisconsin ; Attorney-General, A. H. Garland, of 
 Arkansas. 
 
 The silver question precipitated a controversy be- 
 tween those who were in favor of the continuance of 
 silver coinage and those who were opposed, Mr. 
 Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his 
 inauguration. 
 
c>^^ 
 
 i^i^^-T^-^^L-i-^^iiJi-tc 
 
-•►HI 
 
 TWENTY-THIRD PRESIDENT. 
 
 107 ') 
 
 
 X o»o.@\Vs;/@..c«o.. 
 
 -^^ 
 
 NJAMIN HARRISON, the 
 twonty-lliirt] President, is 
 the descendant of one of the 
 liistorical families of this 
 country. The head of tlie 
 family was a Major General 
 Harrison, one of Oliver 
 Cionivfell's trusted follow- 
 gliters. In the zenith of Crom- 
 iVcr it became tlie duty of tliis 
 Hanison to participate in the trial of 
 Charios I. ami afterward to sign the 
 deatli warrant of tlie kin<i;. He subse- 
 quently paid for tliis with his life, being 
 hung Oct. 13, IGGO. His descendants 
 came to America, and the nest of the 
 family that appears in history is Benja- 
 min Harrison, of Virginia, great-grand- 
 father of the subject of this sketch, and 
 after whom he was named. Benjamin Harrison 
 was a nii'iiilici' of Liie Continental Congress during 
 the years 1 77-1-5-G, and was f)ne of the original 
 signers of the Declaration of iiKk'pendence. He 
 was three tiir.cs elected Governor of Virginia. 
 Gen. William Ibniy Ihuilson, liie son of tlie 
 
 distinguished patriot of the Revolution, after a suc- 
 cessful career as a soldier during the War of 1812, 
 and with a clean record as Governor of the North- 
 western Territory, was elected President of the 
 United States in 1840. His career was cut short 
 by death witliin one month after his inauguration. 
 President Harrison was born at North Bend, 
 Hamilton Co., Ohio, Aug. 20, 1833. His life up to 
 the time of iiis graduation by the Miami University, 
 at Oxford, Ohio, was the uneventful one of a coun- 
 try lad of a famil}' of small means. His father was 
 able to give him a good education, and nothing 
 more. He became engaged while at college to the 
 daughter of Dr. Scott, Principal of a female school 
 at Oxford. After graduating he determined to en- 
 ter upon the study of tlie law. He went to Cin- 
 cinnati and then read law for two years. At the 
 expiration of tliat time young Harrison received the 
 only inheritance of his life; his aunt dying left him 
 a lot valued at $800. He regarded this legacy as a 
 fortune, and decided to get married at once, take 
 this money and go to some Eastern town and be- 
 gin tiie practice of law. He sold his lot, and with 
 the nione>' in his pocket, he started out with his 
 young wife to fight f(.>i' a place in the world. He 
 
Y 
 
 n 108 
 
 BENJAMIN HARRISON. 
 
 -••►HI— =4* 
 
 decided to go to Indianapolis, which was even at 
 that time a town of promise. He met with slight 
 encouragement at first, making scarcely anything 
 the first j-ear. He worked diligently, applying him- 
 self closely to his calling, built up an extensive 
 practice and took a leading rank in the legal pro- 
 fession. He is the father of two children. 
 
 In 1860 Mr. Harrison was nominated for the 
 position of Supreme Court Reporter, and then be- 
 gan his experience as a stump speaker. He can- 
 vassed the State thoroughly, and was elected by a 
 handsome majority. In 1862 he raised the 17th 
 Indiana Infantry, and was chosen its Colonel. His 
 regiment was composed of the rawest of material, 
 l)ut Col. Harrison employed all his time at first 
 mastering military tactics and drilling his men, 
 when he therefore came to move toward the East 
 with Sherman his regiment was one of the best 
 drilled and organized in liie army. At Resaca he 
 especially distinguished himself, and for his bravery 
 at Peachtree Creek he was made a Brigadier Gen- 
 eral, Gen. Hooker speaking of him in the most 
 complimentar}' terms. 
 
 During the absence of Gen. Harrison in the field 
 the Supreme Court declared the ofHee of the Su- 
 preme Court Rei)orter vacant, and another person 
 was elected to the position. From the time of leav- 
 ing Indiana with his regiment until the fall of 1864 
 he had taken no leave of absence, but having been 
 nominated that year for the same office, he got a 
 thirty-day leave of absence, and during that time 
 made a brilliant canvass of the .State, and was elected 
 for another terra. He then started to rejoin Sher- 
 man, but on the way was stricken down with scarlet 
 fe-ver, and after a most trying siege made his way 
 to the front in time to participate in the closing 
 incidents of the war. 
 
 In 1868 Gen. Harrison declined a re-election as 
 reporter, and resumed the practice of law. In 1876 
 he was a candidate' for Governor. Although de- 
 feated, the brilliant campaign he made won for him 
 a National reputation, and he was much sought, es- 
 pecially in the East, to make speeches. In 1880, 
 as usual, he took an active part in the campaign, 
 and was elected to the United States Senate. Here 
 he served six years, and was known as one of the 
 ablest men, best lawyers and strongest debaters in 
 
 that body. With the expiration of his Senatorial 
 term he returned to the practice of his profession, 
 becoming the head of one of the strongest firms in 
 the State. 
 
 The political campaign of 1888 was one of the 
 most memorable in the history of our country. The 
 convention which assembled in Chicago in June and 
 named Mr. Harrison as the chief standard bearer 
 of the Republican party, was great in every partic- 
 ular, and on this account, and the attitude it as- 
 sumed upon the vital questions of the day, chief 
 among which was the tariff, awoke a deep interest 
 in the campaign throughout the Nation. Shortly 
 after the nomination delegations began to visit Mr. 
 Harrison at Indianapolis, his home. This move- 
 ment l)ecame popular, and from all sections of the 
 country societies, clubs and delegations journeyed 
 thither to pay their respects to the distinguished 
 statesman. The poi)Lilarity of these was greatly 
 increased on account of the remarkable speeches 
 made by Mr. Harrison. He spoke daily all throngli 
 tlie summer and autumn to these visiting delega- 
 tions, and so varied, masterly and eloquent were 
 his speeches that tliey at once jjlaced him in the 
 foremost rank of American orators and statesmen. 
 On account of his eloquence as a speaker and his 
 power as a debater, he was called upon at an un- 
 commonly early age to take part in the discussion 
 of the great questions that then began to agitate 
 the country. He was an uncompromising anti- 
 slavery man, and was matched against some of the 
 most eminent Democratic speakers of his State. 
 No man who felt the touch of his blade desired to 
 be pitted wiih him again. With all his eloquence 
 as an orator he never spoke for oratorical effect, 
 but his words always went like bullets to the mark.. 
 He is purely Amei'ican in his ideas and is a splen- 
 did type of the American statesman. Gifted with 
 quick perception, a logical mind and a ready tongue, 
 he is one of the most distinguished impromptu 
 speakers in the Nation. jNlany of these speeches 
 sparkled with the rarest of eloquence and contained 
 arguments of greatest weight. Many of his terse 
 statements have already become aphorisms. Origi- 
 n.<il in thought, prer-ise in logic, terse in statement, 
 ^■et withal faultless in eloquence, he is recogTiized as 
 the sound statesman :uul brilliant orator of the dav. 
 
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 1 DAVID BUTLER. M 
 
 I HE HON. DAVID BUT- 
 LER. Closely connected 
 with the early history 
 and the development of 
 Nebraska and associated 
 with it at perhaps the most 
 critical period of its his- 
 tory, the gentleman whose biogra- 
 phy is here sketched must ever be 
 remembered by the citizens of the 
 State in that association. Cliosen 
 by an overwhelming majority in 
 186G to be the first to occupy the 
 Governor's chair under the new 
 organization ; re-elected with en- 
 thusiasm to the same ofHce in 
 18G8, and yet again honored by 
 the confidence of the people in 1870, he has done 
 perhaps as much as any one individual in safely 
 launching the "Ship of State," Nebraska, upon her 
 unparalleled voyage of ever-growing success. 
 
 Gov. Butler was born in Greene County, Ind., 
 near the town of Linton, Dec. 15, 1829. He is the 
 eldest son of ten children, of whom six survive. 
 The grandfather of our subject, Thomas Butler, 
 was a native of Virginia, and removed to Indiana 
 and became one of the earliest pioneers of that Ter- 
 ritory. As the country developed he was promi- 
 nently identified with the various enterprises that 
 helped to that end, and enjoyed the greatest confi- 
 dence and respect of all who knew him. The maiden 
 name of his wife was Mary Robinson. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in the year 
 1809, was reared upon the pioneer farm of his 
 
 father, and grew up amid surroundings that would 
 to-day be anything but congenial by reason of the 
 primitive condition. He became an enterprising 
 and prosperous farmer, and also dealt very exten- 
 sively in cattle. He became the husband of Nancy 
 Christy, the daughter of Joseph Christy, Esq. Like 
 her father, she was born in North Carolina. 
 
 The early life and boyhood of our subject were 
 spent amid agricultural surroundings, and such 
 education as he obtained was received first in a 
 private school, where he w.as prepared for the pub- 
 lic institution, in both of which he made rapid prog- 
 ress, and drank as deeply as was permitted at the 
 fountain of knowledge. He remained upon the 
 farm until he was twenty-one years of age, but long 
 before attaining his majority was a thorough, prac- 
 tical farmer, and understood all that was necessary 
 in regard to the management of stock. In his 
 youth he had given promise of powers and intelli- 
 gence, and though they lay dormant for many years, 
 were bound to make themselves known and felt, as 
 had been the case of the Virginian pioneer in In- 
 to whom reference was made above. 
 
 Upon attaining his ma;jority Mr. Butler began 
 farming on his own account, supplementing the 
 same by trading in cattle, which he drove through 
 to Wisconsin, where they were at a premium, ow- 
 ing to the fact that the country was just being 
 opened up for settlement. He continued thus 
 engaged until the year 1852, when he embarked in 
 mercantile pursuits, retaining, however, his interest 
 in his cattle trade. These engagements, although 
 somewhat diverse, were not incompatible, and in 
 them he was quite prosperous until the financial 
 
 "i* 
 
 -^^ 
 
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 -♦- 
 
 112 
 
 DAVID BUTLER. 
 
 crash of 1857. He was a heavj' loser at that time 
 in tlie failure of the Citizens' Bank at Gosport, 
 Ind., and also through the inability' of many of 
 his creditors to meet their payments from a like 
 cause. He, however, struggled manfully against 
 the relentless tide of ditliculty that threatened 
 utter ruin, and fiually succeeded in paj-ing dollar 
 for dollar of every liabilitj', with interest due. iVlr. 
 Butler in early youth took an unusual interest in 
 political questions, and proved that he possessed a 
 grasp of mind and independence of character by 
 forsaking the Democratic traditions of his father's 
 house, and casting his first vote for the Republican 
 party at its birth. In 1856 he was nominated b}' 
 the Republicans of the Tvventieth District in Indiana 
 for the State Senate. Not having had any politi- 
 cal experience, and the opposition springing a third 
 candidate, he was persuaded to withdraw before 
 the election, not, however, without having made a 
 spirited canvass, though a partial one. 
 
 In the fall of 1859 Mr. Butler removed to Paw- 
 nee City, Neb., and there associated himself with 
 the Hon. W. B. Raper, and with that gentleman 
 embarked again in business; but even here he re- 
 tained his interest in the cattle trade, and was very 
 shortly gratified to see his earnest efforts rewarded, 
 and to be able to fill a larger place than had been 
 possible before his trials in 1857. This partnership 
 lasted until 18C1, when Mr. Butler was elected a 
 member of the Territorial Legislature. 
 
 In 1803 Mr. Butler was elected State Senator for 
 a term of two years, representing the First District, 
 which comprised the counties of Richardson, Paw- 
 nee, Johnson, Gage, Clay, Jefferson, and all the un- 
 organized territory lying to the westward. ~ Both 
 in the House and Senate Mr. Butler made his 
 mark, and did good service for his constituents 
 and the State, and it was as a result of tl>e abilitj- 
 then manifested and recognized, the personal worth 
 and high character sustained by him, th.at he was 
 nominated and by a large majority vote |)assed by 
 the hand of the people to the highest chair of 
 office within the gift of the people. 
 
 Among the services rendered the State by Mr. 
 Butkn' while in the l^egislature may be mentioned 
 the introduction of a bill for the reapportioning of 
 Nebraska, the passage of which he worked very 
 hard to procure, but in Legislative halls as in every 
 other the green-eyed monster of jealousy is bound 
 to find admittance. It was so in this case, and to 
 this was due the failure of our subject in spite of 
 his hard work; but upon renewing the fight in the 
 Senate he was successful, and the ))ill went through 
 intact. 
 
 As above noted Mr. Butler was elected Gover- 
 nor in 18GG of the newl}- admitted State, and dur- 
 
 ing his term of office managed the affairs of State 
 so wisely and so well as to receive at both the two 
 subsequent elections the expression of a grateful 
 people by re-election to the same high office. While 
 serving his second term as Governor, the Legislature 
 committed to his care the delicate and laborious 
 work of removing the capital from the cit^v of Omaha 
 to a central position in the interior of the State, a 
 part of Nebraska then almost uninhabited. This 
 was successfully accomplished, and a State House, 
 State University and Lunatic Asylum erected with- 
 out the aid of legislative appropriations. The 
 city of Lincoln with its public buildings is a monu- 
 ment of Gov. Butler's financial sagaeitj' in the man- 
 agement of affairs of State. 
 
 After retiring from the Governorship Mr. Butler 
 returned to and continued mercantile life, prosecut- 
 ing the interest connected therewith even more 
 extensively than before. He continued to make 
 Pawnee City his headquarters until 1868, when he 
 removed to Lincoln, the capital, residing there un- 
 til 1874, when he located upon his present farm 
 three miles west of Pawnee City. This beautiful 
 property, which is known as the Uplands Stock 
 Farm, comprises 320 acres, which is supplied 
 with admirably arranged and substantially con- 
 structed buOdings, such as would be needed for 
 his purpose. Besides dealing in cattle, he raises 
 and feeds quite a large number annually, wliile 
 every winter considerable attention is paid to the 
 fattening of cattle for the market. At one time 
 he was a breeder of Short-horn cattle, and his 
 farm was well stocked with thoroughbreds of the 
 most favored breeds of both cattle and hogs. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Butler was celebrated in 
 January 1800, when he was united with Miss 
 Lydia Storey, of Bloomington, Ind. The family 
 circle of Gov. Butler comprises four children, who 
 bear the names subjoined: Violet E., Seth D., 
 Darias and Paul. At all times our subject has 
 taken a most active interest in the political and 
 general interests of Nebraska, and h.as been unfail- 
 ing in his efforts to advance the same. On the 
 4th of September, 1888, he w.as nominated for 
 Governor on the Union Labor ticket as their 
 standard bearer, and stumped the State in behalf 
 of the movement. He is a prominent member of 
 the I. O. O. F., and is affiliated with Interior 
 Lodge No. 9, at Pawnee City. (iov. Butler is a 
 man of much reserve force, bright, clear intellect, 
 possessing in no small measure the power that is 
 indispensable in directing and managing enter- 
 prises of magnitude. He is at all times a true gen- 
 tleman, strong in friendship, ever genial, affable 
 and courteous, both winning and retaining the ad- 
 mhation, respect and friendship of his fellows. 
 
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 ^F^OBERT W, FURNAS,«- 
 
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 'ON. ROBERT WILKIN- 
 SON FURNAS was the 
 second gentleman to re- 
 ceive from the people of 
 the State the high honor 
 of being elected Gover- 
 nor. He was chosen to fill this po- 
 sition in the year 1873, and retired 
 at the close of his terra, having 
 earned the good-will, respect and 
 admiration of the whole people by 
 reason of his excellent administra- 
 tion. He was born in Troy, Miami 
 Co., Ohio, on the 5th of May, 1824. 
 His parents were natives of .South 
 Carolina, in which State also the grandfather had 
 been born. His great-grandfather was a member of 
 a good old English famil}', and was born at Stand- 
 ing Stone, in the count}' of Cumberland, England. 
 He was brought up and educated in his native place, 
 and when a J'oung man was there married, and then 
 started with his wife for the New World. They 
 landed in South Carolina about the year 1762. 
 Thomas Furnas, the third child of John and Mary 
 Furnas, was born in 17G8, six years after the settle- 
 ment of his parents in America, as above noted. 
 William Furnas was the fifth child and only son of 
 Thomas and Esther Furnas. The chosen occupa- 
 tion of this interesting family for several genera- 
 tions has been that of farming. The chief institu- 
 tion, at that time, of the South, in connection with 
 all labor, especial!}' field work, was that of slaverj', 
 and the members of the early generations of this 
 
 family were most conscientious members of the 
 Quaker Church, which looked upon it as an abomi- 
 nation. This was the occasion finally of their re- 
 moval to Ohio, which they did in 1804, settling in 
 the Miami Valley, [t was in the home there estab- 
 lished that the subject of this sketch was born. He 
 is the eldest of a family of three children, and the 
 only one now living. His twin brother died in in- 
 fancy, and his younger sister at the age of fifteen. 
 
 In 1832 the parents of our subject were stricken 
 down by the ravages of that dreaded plague, the 
 cholera, which swept over the country at that time, 
 taking in its course, old and young, rich and poor, 
 without distinction. In this trying time the natural 
 guardians of the life of our subject, the directors 
 of his footsteps, the instructors of his life, were re- 
 moved, and he was left to struggle and battle in 
 the conflict of life unaided by them. Then, when 
 the clouds seemed darkest and thickest, his grand- 
 father stepped forward in order to supply, at least 
 in some measure, the place thus left vacant, and 
 with him he remained until he reached his seven- 
 teenth j'ear, working on the farm during the sum- 
 mer, and during the winter attending school. He 
 seized every opportunitj' afforded for the increase 
 of knowledge, and has ever continued to add to his 
 store, and his reputation is that of a well-read, 
 thoroughly educated gentleman. 
 
 As soon as our subject attained the above-men- 
 tioned age, he went to Covington, Ky., and there 
 served an apprenticeship to the printing business, in 
 the office of the Licking Valley Beyisier, published 
 by Richard C. Langdon. It was at that time one 
 
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 leo 
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 ^i^l--^ 
 
 lifi 
 
 ROBERT WILKINSON FURNAS. 
 
 4 
 
 of the most noted newspapers, and its editor, one 
 of tlie first newspaper men in the West or South. 
 Young Furnas remained in this office until 1843, 
 and acquired a large store of practical knowledge 
 of trade, general business, and life, as well as con- 
 siderable information upon all ordinary topics, be- 
 sides the specific attainment desired in the knowl- 
 edge of the business. The benefit of this schooling 
 is perhaps clearly traceable even in the present, and 
 the immediate past. Leaving Covington he pro- 
 ceeded to Cincinnati, opened a book and job office, 
 and continued in the printing business at that place 
 for two years with good success. 
 
 Near the close of that time, and in the year 1 845, 
 our subject was united in marriage with Mary S. 
 McComas, a native of Ohio, and a most excellent 
 lady, one who has the power and ability to assist 
 him in life, and fitted to grace any position in so- 
 ciety, however high. There have been born of this 
 union five children. 
 
 One of the first public engagements entered into 
 bv our subject when he became a voter was when, in 
 C()mi)any with several other young men, he felt the 
 necessity of education as the means necessary to 
 power iu this life in any of its relations. They 
 bound themselves to advocate the building of the 
 school-house in Troy, and a lot was reserved for 
 that purpose. Older citizens, perhaps not so well 
 alive to the progressive spirit of the age, thought it 
 unnecessary, and thiew in the way a thousand ob- 
 jections. The young men were defeated at the 
 poles the first year, but nothing daunted continued 
 the contest, and the next year carried their point 
 by a small majority, with the result that a $17,000 
 school-house was erected, and has stood a monu- 
 ment to the enterprise and foresight of these young 
 men. Upon the success of the above undertaking, 
 Mr. Furnas was elected one of the School Directors, 
 which he continued to be until his removal to Ne- 
 braska, when he resigned. 
 
 Our subject was only twenty-three years of age 
 when he became proprietor of the Troy Times, an 
 organ of the Whig party, of which also he was the 
 editor and publisher, and by his trenchant articles 
 did much service in the Taylor campaign. In 1852 
 he sold this paper, and was engaged first as Freight 
 and Ticket Agent, afterward as conductor for the 
 
 Dayton & Michigan Railroad, continuing until 1856. 
 In March of that year he emigrated to this State, 
 established himself at Brownville, and in Jul}^ of 
 the same year established the Brownville Advertiser, 
 and entered the arena of political life. He became 
 a very zealous advocate of the agricultural and edu- 
 cational interests of the State, and in the fall of 
 that year was elected to the Territorial Legislature. 
 Here the masterly qualities that have since distin- 
 guished him before the State were made manifest. 
 During his term of office, as noted in the foregoing 
 paragraph, our subject originated the schoolsystem 
 of the Territory, which was modeled in its general 
 features after the system of Ohio. In the j'ear 1858 
 he was re-elected and again took his seat in the 
 Legislature. In 1861 he was elected Chief Clerk, 
 and early in the spring was commissioned Colonel 
 in the United States Regular Army, and received 
 orders from the Secretarj' of War to organize the 
 loyal Indians and have them mustered into the serv- 
 ice. He was successful in his mission and raised 
 three regiments. These were fully equipped, and 
 Col. Furnas commanded them in the Southern ex- 
 pedition under Gen. Blunt, which took in the bor- 
 ders of Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and the Indian 
 Territorj'. Resigning his commission after having 
 done splendid work with his command, he returned 
 and went to work to recruit, and established the 
 2d Nebraska Cavalry, and added fresh glories to 
 the already brilliant record of military achieve- 
 ment. With this command he served under Gen. 
 Sully in the now renowned "Sullj^ expedition" 
 against the Sioux Indians, wherein they were pursued 
 to British Columbia. 
 
 The next four years our subject was employed 
 as Indian Agent for the Omaha and Winnebago 
 Indians, which he resigned to take his place at the 
 helm of the State as already recorded. Among the 
 many honors worn so gracefull3', and in such manly 
 spirit, are: Regent of the State University, Presi- 
 dent of the State Board of Agriculture, President 
 of the State Agricultural Societ}', President of the 
 State Soldiers' Union, Vice President of the National 
 Pomological Association, Past Grand Master of 
 the I. O. O. F., Past Grand High Priest, and Past 
 Gr.and Commander of the Masonic bodies of the 
 State of Nebraska. 
 
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 J pre 
 
 1^ 
 
 ILAS (iARBKK. Tliis ,U> 
 tingiiished and well-known cit- 
 izen of Nebraska served tliu 
 /^^'■■-fiW'i State most acceptably as its 
 Y' [(v^'o*-J/'\ Governor for tlie two terms, 
 Vi^UjbrO' >, from ig74 to 1878. He was 
 born in Logan County, Oliio, 
 21, 1833. There he passed 
 loyhood days, attending the 
 common schools and developing 
 into a sturdy and promising young 
 man. At the early age of seven- 
 teen years he was determined to 
 strike out for himself and see what 
 he could do toward making his own 
 living. He was ambitious, yet we 
 very much doubt whether the beard- 
 less young man who turned his face Westward in 
 1850 ever had the remotest idea that he would 
 himself some day be at the head of a great com- 
 monwealth, that would be created still furtiicr 
 toward the setting sun. At that time he came into 
 Iowa, which was receiving such floods of emigrants 
 from the older settled States. He located in Claj'- 
 ton Count3' and engaged in agricultural pursuits, 
 the occupation which has done so much toward de 
 veloping some of the best men our Nation has 
 produced. His life for some years was uneventful, 
 
 yi-'t he was Ijcing discipiiufd and iircpared for the 
 honorable and useful positions he was to lill in 
 after years. lie took an ;ictive interest in all pub- 
 lic matters, and was a well-inforined, hard-wqrkiu"- 
 j'oung man. 
 
 When the stars and stripes which had so Ion" 
 floated above P't. Sumter were fired upon and the 
 little garrison compelled to surrender, the patriot- 
 ism of the North was aroused as never before in the 
 history of the country. Thousands of the best 
 men of the Nation immediately volunteered their 
 services to aid in suppressing the monstrous rebell- 
 ion, which had replaced the American banner with 
 the stars and bars. Among this vast army of pa- 
 triotic men might have been found Silas Garber. 
 He was mustered into the 3d Missouri Infantry, 
 which was known as the famous Lyon Regiment. 
 He served with this regiment for one year, when 
 he was mustered out and returned to Clayton 
 County. He, however, did not long remain in tiie 
 quiet of that peaceful section, for we soon again 
 find him at the front. Now he is First Lieutenant 
 of Company D, 27th Iowa Infantry, which he 
 raised. His valiant services soon received recoo-ni- 
 tion, and he was promoted to be Captain of the 
 company, which position he faithfully and ably 
 filled until the close of the war. He participated 
 in all the battles of the Red River campaign, and 
 
•► 
 
 120 
 
 SILAS GARBER. 
 
 Pleasant Hill., La., the battles of Old Oaks, Miss., 
 Nashville, Tenn., and others under the command of 
 Gen. A. J. Smith. 
 
 Upon being mustered out of military service 
 Capt. Garbcr returned to Clayton County, but soon 
 thereafter went to California, where he passed the 
 next four years. He came to Nebraska in the early 
 part of 1870, and found a suitable location in Web- 
 ster County, where he still resides, being the oldest 
 resident in Red Cloud. He was indeed a pioneer 
 of the Great West, for when he located in Webster 
 County there were but two settlers in the count}'. 
 
 Upon locating in Red Cloud and ever since Mr. 
 Garber has taken a most important part in both 
 her business and political affairs. He engaged in 
 farming and merchandising, and is to-day Presi- 
 dent of the Farmers' & Merchants' Banking Com- 
 
 pany of that city, and also largely identified with 
 its material interests. He was chosen the fust 
 Probate Judge of the county, and also represented 
 his district in the Legislature, and served for one 
 year as Register of the United States Land Oflice 
 at Lincoln. 
 
 Capt. Garber became popular both with the pco 
 pie and the politicians, and was nominated for 
 Governor by the Republican Convention, which 
 assembled at Lincoln Sept. 3, 1874, and was elected 
 by a handsome majority. He served so acceptably 
 that he was renominated by the convention which 
 met Sept. 26, 1876. He was again endorsed at the 
 polls in November, and served iintil the close of 
 his term in 1878. He then retired to his home at 
 Red Cloud, where he has since resided, n highly 
 respected and useful citizen. 
 
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 ^LBiisrxjs nsr^nsroE. [ • 
 
 ALBINUS NA^X'E, 
 
 Fourth Governor of the 
 State of Nebraska, and in 
 that connection the recip- 
 ient of the confidence, ad- 
 miration and highest es- 
 teem of the people, not simply of 
 .^ ^% Nebraska, but wherever his most ex- 
 rSmfwife cellent administration is known. If, 
 however, it be but borne in mind 
 that Gov. Nance is a descendant of 
 a long line of noble representatives 
 of a certain Huguenot family, whose 
 members were of the stamp and 
 stuff of which martyrs and heroes 
 are made, and therefore persons of thought, con- 
 viction and strength of character, it is not surpris- 
 ing that he should possess the same, which under 
 the more happy regime of present government and 
 liberality of opinion, should liring him into promi- 
 nence and enable him in his high station to sustain 
 a reputation mostbrill.ant. 
 
 The ancestors of Gov. Nance on his father's side 
 were of that number driven from France by the 
 religious intolerance and persecution that followed 
 the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. With many 
 others similarly situated they came to the New 
 World and formed what became a very prosperous 
 community in the State of North Carolina, their 
 descendants moving North and Westward, ever 
 
 in the vanguard of progress, as section after sec- 
 tion and district after district were located. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 30th 
 of March, 1848, at Lafayette, Stark Co., 111., and 
 he is the oldest son of Dr. Hiram Nance, for many 
 years one of the most successful physicians and 
 able surgeons in Central Illinois. His settlement 
 in that State dates back to 1836. It was the Far 
 West of tliat period, and was filled with far more 
 of danger, difficulty and hardship, and- demanded 
 more spirit, liravery and self-denial than is con- 
 ceivable in these days, when the bands of steel pass 
 by the door of the AV^estern pioneer, and thus 
 bring him into almost immediate contact with the 
 great world of civilization. The ancestry of Gov. 
 Nance upon the maternal side of the family was 
 English. The maiden name of his mother was 
 Sarah R. Smith, who was born in the State of Ohio. 
 At the outbreak of the Civil AVar Albinus was 
 but a lad of thirteen, but his patriotic soul was 
 fired with loyal enthusiasm, and he chafed severely 
 at the restraint of years tliat prevented him taking 
 a more able stand in defense of the Union. At a 
 later period of the struggle and when just sixteen 
 years of age, he enlisted in the 9th Illinois Cavalry. 
 The youthful defender and intrepid young soldier 
 was mustered in contrary- to both the wishes and 
 continued earnest protests of his parents and friends. 
 But he could know no restraint in this matter, and 
 was determined to follow the stars and stripes, 
 
 «► M 4* 
 
^i^ 
 
 '^ 124 
 
 ALBINUS NANCE. 
 
 and to defend them if so needed until the death. 
 
 He continued in the service until the close of the 
 war, and participated as an active combatant in 
 tlie battles of Guntown, Hurricane Creek, Franklin, 
 Nashville, Tupelo, Spring Hill and Columbia, Tenn. 
 ,IIe was one in the line that made one of the most 
 daring and gallant charges at the battle of Nash- 
 ville, and was slightly wounded in the same. 
 
 The necessity for war being passed. Cavalryman 
 Nance returned his saber to its sheath, and when 
 the regiment disbanded returned to his home and 
 became a student at Knox College, Galesburg, 111., 
 where he took part of the classic course. Soon 
 after leaving college he commenced the stud\' of 
 law, and in 1870 was admitted to the bar bj' the 
 Supreme Court of Illinois, after passing in the best 
 possible manner a verj' rigid examination. 
 
 Standing upon the threshold of life, the future 
 stretching before him, animated by the grandeur 
 of the prospect supplied by hope and ambition, the 
 subject of our sketch was more fascinated and im- 
 pressed by the opportunities and inducements held 
 out by the newer country, and pursuant thereto he 
 decided to come to Nebraska, as the most promis- 
 ing of all the States and Territories of that mag- 
 nificent field. This was in 1871. He secured a 
 homestead in Polk County, devoting part of his 
 time to farming, but the larger part to the practice 
 of his chosen profession; but his experience was 
 such as almost invariably follows — his, ability was 
 speedily recognized and his legal work rapidly 
 grew upon his hands, and before long he left his 
 farm to sow and reap in other fields, .at once more 
 congenial and lucrative. 
 
 In accordance with the decision referred to in 
 the above paragraph, Mr. Nance removed to Osce- 
 ola, the county seat of Polk Countj', where before 
 very long he was fully established in legal practice. 
 In 1873 his friends submitted his name to the 
 Republican Convention of the Thirteenth Dis- 
 trict for Representative in the State Legislature. 
 The counties of Adams, Butler, Cl.ay, Fillmore, 
 Hamilton, Platte, Polk and York sent their dele- 
 gates, and these gentlemen thus representing the 
 interests of a large body of citizens in those coun- 
 ties, comprised the convention to which his name 
 was presented. There were seven candidates in 
 
 all, and each candidate had his circle of friends; 
 these were diligent in season and out of season to 
 advance the interests of the several candidates. 
 Naturally a long and exciting contest was speedily 
 commenced, and watched with deep interest by all. 
 In order that the reader may appreciate the posi- 
 tion occupied by the young law3-er in the estima- 
 tion of the people, and the impress his character 
 anrl ability had already made, we would notice 
 that after several ballots had been taken the an- 
 nouncement was made that Albinus Nance had 
 received the nomination, and thus began his po- 
 litical career with a clear sun and a fair sky. 
 
 The princiiMl opponent of our subject in the 
 convention, urged b}- his friends, and spurred on by 
 his own, doubtless, laudable ambition, determined to 
 enter the field as an independent candidate, and 
 the most strenuous efforts were made to defeat the 
 regular candidate of the convention, but without 
 success. The election showed a majority of about 
 2,000 in favor of the subject of this writing. 
 
 In 1876 Mr. Nance was one of the six delegates 
 chosen by the Republican State Convention to 
 represent this State at the National Convention at 
 Cincinnati, and was by his fellows elected Chair- 
 man of the delegation. During that year he was 
 renominated for the Legislature, indeed, almost 
 without opposition, and at the opening session of 
 the Legislative body he was elected Speaker of the 
 House. If he had made a reputation and record as 
 a member, he more than established it, and added 
 fresh luster in his more advanced position, thus 
 necessarily bringing himself before the people, who 
 at once recognized in him one worthy of additional 
 honors. In 1878 the Republican State Convention 
 nominated him for Governor, and he was elected 
 by a large majority. In 1880 he was renominated 
 by acclamation and with wild enthusiasm, and re- 
 elected \>y a majority greatly in excess of any other 
 candidate on the State ticket. 
 
 One of the happiest steps ever taken by Gov. 
 Nance was that of his union in matrimony in 1875, 
 when he became the husband of Miss Sarah White, 
 daughter of Egbert and Mary White, of Farr.agut. 
 Iowa, who presented her husband with a bright and 
 beautiful little daughter, who bears the name of 
 Nellie, 
 
 »^t 
 
^^^^U^'-~€^<Q 
 
-4^ 
 
 James W. Dawes 
 
 -^ 
 
 ■•o^o-(§^\.^qX.o^.. 
 
 tfl 
 
 ^'-^AMES W. DAWES. Tins 
 
 jentle- 
 :'; man was elected Governor in the 
 iW»^ year 1883, and such uas his of- 
 , :' licial deportment that lie was 
 '( . renominated witli enthusiasm, 
 ^ ;.' r.nd re-elected by an apprecia- 
 tive people. He continued to 
 occupy his high jiosition in the 
 service of the State until the 
 j'ear 1887, and during the lime 
 gave every evidence tliat the 
 confidence of those who iiad 
 elected him in his honor, inan- 
 iiood and ability, was indeed 
 well founded. He was the fifth 
 Governor of the State. Gov. 
 Dawes was born at McConnelsvilie, Morgan Co., 
 Ohio, on the 8th of January, 1845. He went with 
 his parents when they removed to Wisconsin in 
 1856. The rudiments and foundation work of his 
 education were received in Ohio, but in the Wiscon- 
 sin schools the major part of the work was done, and 
 from them our subject was graduated with a good 
 practical English education, such as wouhi serve in 
 the daily affairs of life. As he advanced in years and 
 was capable of doing more service upon the farm, 
 he attended school only in the winters, devoting 
 the summers to husbandry. In October, 1864, he 
 was engaged in clerking for G. J. Hansen & Co.. 
 who were engaged as general merchants at Kilbourn 
 
 City, Wis., where lie continued until October, 1868, 
 and in these four years gained invaluable experience 
 of men and business, adding materially to his store 
 of information, and, unknown to himself, but none 
 the less really, preparing for days of larger oppor- 
 tunity and more important engagements. 
 
 The next employment taken up by our subject 
 was that of the study of law, which he began and 
 carried on with his cousin, Julius H. Dawes, Esq., 
 of Fox Lake, Wis., a prominent and successful 
 lawyer. Here our subject devoted every atten- 
 tion, and became a careful, persevering and diligent 
 student, so much so that his examination, which de- 
 termined his admission to the bar, was unusually 
 brilliant, and he was accordingly admitted with 
 congratulations upon the 10th of January, 1871, 
 and began the practice of his chosen profession, 
 which, from its being eminently congenial and pe- 
 culiarly well adapted to one of his ability and 
 mental cast, was that in which success in life was 
 more completely assured him. 
 
 Not long after the admission of our subject to 
 the bar another, and if anything more important, 
 event occurred. It was that of his marriage. In- 
 stances are far too common where an error of jud"- 
 ment or a misplaced confidence at such lime has 
 been fraught with disastrous results to both con- 
 tracting parties; results all the more serious because 
 of the nature and faults of the contract. It was the 
 
t 
 
 128 
 
 JAMES W. r)AWP:S. 
 
 happiness of Mr. Dawes and the lady of his choice 
 to be mutually compatible in disposition, tastes, 
 desires, and in fact all the varied points where dif- 
 ference of sentiment would in all probability lead, 
 sooner or later, to a breach of confidence or worse. 
 This union, therefore, has brought a more complete 
 happiness, a more perfect felicity, into both lives, and 
 has made the home all that could be desired. This 
 interesting event occurred at Fox Lake, and was 
 celebrated on the 1 Ith of May, 1871. 
 
 Our subject located in Crete, of this State, on 
 the 5th of September, 1871, with the intention of 
 engaging for a time in mercantile pursuits. For 
 some years he continued in this line of business 
 with an ever-growing success and enlarging patron- 
 age. In March of 1877 he transferred his energies 
 from commercial pursuits to the legal profession, 
 opening a law office at Crete, and has since been 
 one of the leading lights of the Nebraska bar. He 
 became a member of the Nebraska Constitutional 
 Convention of 1875, and the following 3'ear was 
 elected State Senator. During his term of office 
 he won from all golden opinions of his ability and 
 power, and his sojourn in Senatorial halls was, if 
 anything, more pleasant than usual, owing to his 
 genial, affable and courteous manner, which won 
 and retained many much vakied friendships, and 
 which was the means of affording him larger oppor- 
 tunities than might have otlierwise been possible. 
 His record in this connection is upon the books of 
 the session, and is well known, and does not there- 
 fore call for detailed mention in such a writing as 
 the present; suffice it here to remark that it was such 
 as to ultimately lead to his election to the highest 
 official chair in the State.. 
 
 From May, 1876, to September, 1882, inclusive, 
 the subject of this sketch continued to hold the po- 
 sition as Chairman of the Republican State Central 
 Committee of Nebraska. The long continuance and 
 the number of consecutive terms embraced within 
 the above dates speak more clearly and emphaticallj' 
 his ability and power than anything that might be 
 said in addition. Mr. Dawes was further honored 
 by being elected delegate to the Republican Na- 
 tional Convention at Chicago, in June of 1880. 
 This it will be remembered was the convention that 
 nominated the noble, but ill-fated, James A. Gar- 
 
 field. The delegation of which he was a member 
 at this time unanimously named him as a member 
 of the National Republican Committee for Nebraska 
 for a term of four years, which it was his privilege 
 to serve with every satisfaction to all parties con- 
 cerned for that period. 
 
 Few men ever felt more the need of education 
 for a people who governed themselves than Gov. 
 Dawes. The absolute necessity of universal educa- 
 tion, wide in scope, complete in curriculum, ex- 
 haustive in detail, practical in its aim and general 
 utility, was evident to him, and he was therefore 
 deeply interested in educational matters, and his 
 sympathies were alwaj's assured for matters con- 
 nected therewith. He has served in several offices 
 connected with this department, the most important, 
 perhaps, being those of Trustee and Secretary of the 
 Doane College, which is situated at Crete. The 
 duties of these offices have engaged his attention 
 since the year 1875. 
 
 The crowning glory of the official life and public 
 service of the subject of our sketch was that which 
 identified him with the chief office of the State, In 
 the year 1882 he was nominated by the Republican 
 party for Governor. His life was well known, his 
 character thoroughly understood, his past services 
 remembered and appreciated, and accordingly he 
 was received with much favor, and elected amid the 
 plaudits of the whole people. He entered upon the 
 duties of his high office in January, 1883, continu- 
 ing to discharge the same throughout the usual pe- 
 riod of two years. At the expiration thereof he 
 was again nominated by his party and re-elected 
 by the people, and for a second term continued to 
 discharge his duties as before. Is any further 
 proof of his ability, honor, manhood and faithful- 
 ness demanded.' Can any mere verbose compli- 
 mentary eulogium express as much as this, especially 
 when it is reinforced by all the accompanj'ing marks 
 of confidence and regard of the people ? Gov. Dawes 
 will long be remembered, having won a warm place 
 in the hearts and memories of the people, together 
 with his most excellent administration of afifairs, 
 which from first to last materially assisted the onward 
 march and development of Nebraska as a State, and 
 aided in placing her among the very first of all States 
 of the greatest Republic the world has ever known. 
 
 •► 
 
-■»- 
 
 ^^OMM M. TFIAYRR. 
 
 -'c^^l- 
 
 r. JOHN M. THAYER. 
 
 This distiiiguishecl gentle- 
 man, whom Nebraska de- 
 lighted to honor by the 
 gift of the highest office 
 in its power to bestow, was 
 elected thereto by an overwhelming 
 ^^ majority in the autumn of 1886, and 
 ®^^^2^ b3' his wise administration of affairs, 
 his excellent executive ability, has 
 since fully justified this enthusiastic 
 choice. The place of the nativity of 
 our subject is Bellingham, Norfolk 
 Co., Mass. ;he is theson of Elias and 
 Ruth (Staples) Thayer. The chosen 
 occupation of the father was farming, and in the 
 physical and moral healthful environment of pasto- 
 ral life our subject was brought up. 
 
 The smallest part of man is the physical, that can 
 be weighed avoirdupois and measured with a tape 
 line ; a far greater and nobler is that of stamp di- 
 vine — the mind, which is the true "standard of the 
 man."' Having in mind the importance of proper 
 instruction, in order to the proper use of this most 
 wonderful instrument, our subject, after the usual 
 preparatory instruction, attended the classes at 
 Brown Universit}-, from which institution he was 
 graduated in 1 S47. The law was the chosen profession 
 of our subject, and at it he worked assiduously un- 
 til the year 1854, still continuing a resident of his 
 native State, and at that time he removed to the 
 Stale of Nebraska. 
 
 Omaha, then a rising young town, with a newly 
 opened and undeveloped terrritory all around it, 
 afforded a good field for a young man of education, 
 enterprise, enthusiasm and energy, to " rise up with 
 the country." In the year 1 855 the political arena 
 was entered. Jlr. Thayer became one of four can- 
 didates for Congressional honors; a splendid run for 
 the office, however, resulted only in defeat, the suc- 
 cessful candidate being Fenner Ferguson. The fol- 
 lowing year was remarkable as that in which the 
 now "grand old party" was organized. The con- 
 vention was held at Bellevue, and our subject was 
 a candidate for the party nomination, but was de- 
 feated by Mr. Daily. This experience was repeated 
 in every particular in June of 1860. He was suc- 
 cessful in receiving the nomination to the Territorial 
 Legislature, and served the session of 1860-61. 
 
 Our subject entered the service of the United 
 States at the beginning of the Civil War, and re- 
 ceived the commission of Colonel of the 1st Ne- 
 braska Infantry. In the year 1855 he had been 
 elected by the Territorial Legislature Brigadier 
 General of the Territorial Militia, and afterward 
 promoted to that of Major General of the militia. 
 While in these positions he was frequently led into 
 engagements more or less serious on the frontier, 
 the enemies being the aborigines of that section, 
 who at that time had not entirel3f ceased their old 
 habits of depredation. The intimate knowledge of 
 our subject concerning the Indians, their surround- 
 ings, their attitude, their feelings, and their chiefs, 
 were all of immense value to him. As a case in 
 
 •►^t::* 
 
 ♦r*' 
 

 132 
 
 JOHN M. THAYER. 
 
 point, which we might mention, our subject was ap- 
 pointed by Gov. Izard to act in conjunction with 
 Gov. O. D. Richardson, to inquire into certain out- 
 rages by Pawnees, to meet them in council and ef- 
 fect a treaty with them ; in this tbey were fairly 
 successful. But later events proved the lesson was 
 but poorly learned by the Indians. In 1S58, with 
 a command of 194 volunteers, our subject went out 
 after the same tribe, certain of their number having 
 murdered, maltreated and robbed the settlers. He 
 captured the entire tribe after a stubbornly con- 
 tested battle, which was fought on the grounds oc- 
 cupied by the town of Battle Creek, which derives 
 its name from that event. 
 
 As Colonel of the 1st Nebraska Infantry, our 
 subject did good work in behalf of the Union, and 
 it was not long before his superior military powers 
 attracted attention, and he was promoted to be 
 Brigadier General and breveted Major General. At 
 Ft. Donelson and Shiloh he commanded a brigade 
 in such excellent manner as led to the above honor. 
 Through the siege of A^icksburg and the capture of 
 Jackson, Uliss., he also commanded a brigade, and 
 for a time a division. The confidence of the com- 
 manders in him was such that at the assault at 
 Chickasaw Bayou, one of the storming columns was 
 confided to his care. In this fight he had his horse 
 shot under him, and again while leading a charge at 
 Arkansas Post. All the essential features, charac- 
 teristics and traits of the successful soldier were 
 possessed by him, and this being recognized resulted 
 in the Army of the Frontier being given him to 
 command. Throughout his service in military life 
 he was a true soldier, a favorite with his men, who 
 were confident that he would lead them to success 
 and victory; respected by his officers, who well 
 knew his sagacity and military genius, largely the 
 result of his long experience on the frontier. 
 
 In political matters our subject was a Democrat 
 until the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. He 
 sympathized with the Free-Soil movement, but be- 
 ing in the Territory he could not vote. In the year 
 1856 he supported Fremont, and since that time has 
 continued a stanch Republican. Upon the admis- 
 sion of Nebraska as a State, Mr. Thayer was elected 
 United States Senator in the election of 186G. and 
 served faithfully until the close of his term. At the 
 
 expiration thereof he was appointed by Gen. Grant 
 tlie Governor of Wyoming Territory. In this office 
 the qualities that had made him successful in civil 
 life, that had made him a military leader and com- 
 mander, the ability that had been developed for the 
 handling of large bodies of men, the harmonizing 
 of heterogeneous elements, combined to make his 
 Governorship one worthy of note, and, doubtless, 
 was the cause of the confidence expressed by the peo- 
 ple of Nebraska in after days. 
 
 The home of our subject is one that bears in its 
 every -day life and happiness a brightness and com- 
 pleteness that is more to be desired than the amass- 
 ing of riches, the accumulation of power, or the 
 right to sway the scepter of authority. He was 
 united in the holy bonds of matrimony with I\Iary 
 T. Allen, a lady possessing a disposition, character 
 and intelligence, most beautiful, admirable and cleai', 
 one who has been trained to follow closely the Great 
 Exemplar of the true life. She is the daugliter of 
 the Rev. John Allen, a clergyman of the Baptist 
 Church, a, native of Massachusetts. 
 
 Gov. Thayer, though not a member of any spe- 
 cial denomination, is a firm believer in the Christian 
 religion, and always has been. His family adhere 
 to the faith of the Baptist Church, of which also his 
 parents were members. In that communion, also, 
 he was trained and brought up, and he has al- 
 ways retained a great desire to lielp forward every 
 movement of religious nature; whenever it has been 
 possible to elevate the moral standard of the people, 
 his active sympathies were engaged. One feature 
 of his Governorship has been his evident anxiety 
 that a more general and hearty acquiescence to a 
 higher moral and religious standard should obtain, 
 and whatever enterprises, projects, societies or asso- 
 ciations, looked to this as their aim ,uk1 object, were 
 at all times sure of his hearty sympathy and support. 
 As noted above, our subject stood before the 
 people of Nebraska in the year 1880 as candidate 
 for Governor. He was warmlj' received, actively 
 and heartily supported, and enthusiastically elected 
 by a majority of 25,000, in which he /an about 2,000 
 ahead of his ticket. His administration has revealed 
 the wisdom of this choice, and it is not too much to 
 say that the citizens of Nebraska have at no time 
 had occasion to repent of their choice. 
 
 •^t 
 
 m*" 
 
•►=11--* 
 
 
 OTOE COUNTY, 
 
 NEBRASKA. 
 
 •Jtih^ 
 
 ■» 11 <« 
 
M^r^ 
 
 s-^^ 
 
 -e-i- 
 
 INT^RODUQT^O 
 
 3HE time has arrived when it 
 becomes the duty of the 
 people of this county to per- 
 petuate the names of their 
 pioneers, to furnish a record 
 of their early settlement, 
 and relate the story of their 
 progress. The civilization of our 
 the enlightenment of the age 
 and the duty that men of the pres- 
 ent time owe to their ancestors, to 
 themselves and to their posterity, 
 demand that a record of their lives 
 and deeds should be made. In bio- 
 w 7X''/Y " graphical history is found a power 
 Sv/Sa^ to instruct man by precedent, to 
 ^vW^^cD jWs* enliven the mental faculties, and 
 ^ "^ to waft down the river of time a 
 
 «afe vessel in which the names and actions of the 
 people who contributed to raise this country from its 
 primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly 
 the great and aged men, who in their prime entered 
 the wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their 
 heritage, are passing to their graves. The number re- 
 maining who can relate the incidents of the first days 
 Df settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an 
 actual necessity exists for tlie collection and [jreser- 
 vation of events without delay, before all the early 
 settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time. 
 
 To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind 
 from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough, 
 in spite of their best works and the most earnest 
 efforts of their friends to perserve the memory of 
 their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion 
 and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor- 
 tion to the amount of inteUigence they possessed. 
 The pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the 
 names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhu- 
 mations made by the archeologists of Egypt from 
 buried Men-.phis indicate a desire of ihose people 
 
 to perpetuate the memory of their achievements 
 The erection of the great obelisks were for the same 
 purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find the 
 Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu- 
 ments, and carving out statues to chronicle their 
 great achievements and carry them down the ages. 
 It is also evident that the Mound-builders, in piling 
 up their great mounds of earth, had but this idea — 
 to leave something to show that they had lived. All 
 these works, though many of them costly in the ex- 
 treme, give i)ut a faint idea of the lives and charac- 
 ters of those whose memory they were intended to 
 perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of 
 the people that then lived. The great pyramids and 
 some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity; 
 the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crum- 
 bling into dust. 
 
 It was left to modern ages to establish an intelH- 
 gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating 
 a full history — immutable in that it is almost un- 
 limited in extent and perpetual in its action ; and 
 this is through the art of printing. 
 
 To the present generation, however, we are in- 
 debted for the introduction of the ndmirable system 
 of local biography. By this system every man, though 
 he has not achieved what the world calls greatness, 
 has the means to perpetuate his life, his history, 
 through the coming ages. 
 
 The scythe of Time cuts down all ; nothing of the 
 physical man is left. The monument which his chil- 
 dren or friends may erect to his memory in the ceme- 
 tery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his 
 life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished, 
 which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated 
 by a record of this kind. 
 
 To preserve the lineaments of our companions we 
 engrave their portraits, for the same reason we col- 
 lect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we 
 think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to 
 wait until they are dead, or until those who know 
 them are gone: to do this we are ashamed only to 
 publish to the world the history of those whose lives 
 are unworthy of public record. 
 
 •► 
 
 :-?r^ 
 
►^1-^ 
 
 
 ^\: 
 
 <^ 
 
 -•►- 
 
f 
 
 4- 
 
 ..^- 1-' 
 
 ■HP , 
 
 
 
 
 i^^,n*j-^ 
 
 
 E^' 
 
 ^ 
 
 «««4CjI2/(S-^— fl 
 
 NE of the most important fac- 
 tors in tlie business develop- 
 ment and prosperitj^ of a 
 city, county or State, is its 
 railroad communications. A 
 retrospection of the history 
 of the South Platte Country since 
 the advent of railroad facilities will 
 convince the careful observer of the 
 immense l)enefit resulting from the 
 introduction of this essential adjunct 
 of commercial enterprise. The fol- 
 lowing brief sketches of the leading 
 railroads of this section of the great 
 commonwealth will form an interesting feature of 
 this Album. It may be remarked in this connec- 
 tion that the roads referred to are not only the im- 
 portant corporations of Nebraska, but stand among 
 the first in the Nation. 
 
 The Union Pacific Railway. 
 
 z^^rilS great national highway is so well known 
 not only throughout the United States, but 
 all over the world, that a mere reference to 
 it would seem sufficient, yet, for the benefit of those 
 
 ./^~aj<Z7OTBi. 
 
 who have never had the pleasure of riding over its 
 smooth track, and thus had an opportunity of gaz- 
 ing upon the fine scenery along its route, the fol- 
 lowing description is given: 
 
 It formed a part of the first trans-continental 
 line of railroad from ocean to ocean, and was con- 
 ceived, and its construction authorized, as a war 
 measure, the needs of the Government during the 
 War of the Rebellion having clearly shown tlie ne- 
 cessity for it. When first talked of many thought the 
 feat of constructing a line of railroad over the Rocky 
 Mountains an utter impossibility. Many of those 
 who had crossed the plains, deserts and mountains 
 to California, in '49-50, knetv very well that a rail- 
 road could not be built there, for "how could a 
 locomotive ascend a mountain where six yoke of 
 oxen could scarcely haul a wagon." It must be 
 remembered that the line of this road follows al- 
 most exactly the old emigrant wagon road, not 
 only on the plains on the north side of the Platte 
 River, through the State of Nebraska, but, in fact, 
 all the way to Ogden, in Utah Territory. In the 
 days of '49-50, when long trains of gold-seekers, 
 after outfitting at Council Bluffs, wended their 
 way over the plains, the country was filled with 
 hostile Indians, herds of wild buffalo, deer and 
 antelope. There was scarcely a house west of the 
 Elkhorn River within twenty miles of Omaha. 
 
 md I 
 
 the I 
 ha. f 
 
-4*- 
 
 =L. 
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 Now the traveler sits in a luxurious Pullman car, 
 and is whirled over the smooth railroad at forty 
 miles an hour, past villages, towns and cities filled 
 with active, busy, intelligent people, and as far as 
 the eye can reach on either side of the road farms 
 join each other, and a million and a half of people 
 live in the State of Nelnaska. through which the 
 road runs. 
 
 This railway is one of the very best on this con- 
 tinent. Its two main stems, the one from Kansas 
 City, the other from Council Bluffs, uniting at 
 Cheyenne and diverging again at Granger, one for 
 Portland and one for San Francisco, are crowded 
 with the commerce of the Orient and the Occident, 
 while people from everj- nation in the world may 
 be seen on its passenger trains. Every improve- 
 ment which human ingenuity has invented for the 
 safety or comfort of the traveler is in use on the 
 Union Pacific Railway, and it has been operated so 
 many years, having been finished in 1869. that all 
 weak points at all assailable by the snow have been 
 protected. 
 
 For nearly 500 miles west of Council Bluffs, and 
 700 miles west of Kansas City, there are no heavy 
 grades or curves. The Pacific Hotel Company 
 manage the eating-houses, under the supervision of 
 the llailwaj- Company, and no better meals are to 
 be found on any railroad in the United States. 
 
 Crossing the Missouri River from the Transfer 
 Depot, Council Bluffs, over a magnificent steel 
 bridge of eleven spans, seventy-five feet above the 
 water, each span 250 feet long, Omaha is reached, 
 and the trip across the continent to either Portland 
 or San Francisco commences. Leaving Omaha the 
 road follows the Platte River through the thickly- 
 settled and fertile Platte Valley to Cheyenne (516 
 miles from Omaha), the capital of Wyoming Terri- 
 tory. At this point the Kansas Main Line via 
 Denver connects with the Nebraska Main Line 
 from Council Bluffs. 
 
 Leaving Kansas City, one passes through some 
 of the finest farming Land of the West, and a suc- 
 cession of thriving cities and towns. First, Law- 
 rence, the scene of many exciting events during 
 the time when it was a question whether Kansas 
 was to be a free-soil or slave State. Topeka is 
 the capital uf the State, containing some 35,000 
 
 people. The heart of the golden grain belt of 
 Kansas is then traversed for hour after hour. 
 Junction City, next, is so called from the fact that 
 here the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad has a 
 branch reaching to Texas, Arkansas and the Gulf, 
 of Mexico. From Ellsworth the road runs through 
 the Ilarker Hills, where the traveler sees many 
 cairns of stones, mementoes of John C. Fremont, 
 the Pathfinder. From Ellsworth to the boundary 
 line of the State one passes through what a very few 
 years ago appeared on all school geographies as 
 the Great American Desert. Just west of Ellis 
 one of the finest grazing regions in the world is 
 entered. After crossing the Colorado State line 
 comes Chej-enne AVells, where there is a well of 
 the purest water that is found between the Mis- 
 souri River and Denver. From Cheyenne Wells 
 the road climbs rapidly until First View is reached. 
 This station is so called because here is obtained 
 the first view of the snow-capped mountains of 
 Colorado, with Gra3''s Peak in the west and Pike's 
 Peak on the south. 
 
 The ascent is rapid into Denver, 639 miles from 
 Kansas City, with a population of 85,000, the 
 queen city of the mountains and capital of Colo- 
 rado. The elevation is 5,203 feet above sea level. 
 The trip from Denver to Chej-enne, Wyo., along 
 the foothills of the Rock}- Mountains affords a ka- 
 leidoscopic panorama of hills, fields, farms, rivers, 
 running brooks and lofty mountains. Here the 
 Eastern traveler for the first time sees fields of al- 
 falfa of a deep green color, grown by the use of 
 irrigating ditches. The run of 107 miles from 
 Denver to Cheyenne, Wyo., is quickly made. 
 
 Che.yenne. 6,038 feet in altitude, with a popula- 
 tion of about 10,000, is one of the sprightliest and 
 most prosperous cities in the entire West. It is 
 well and compactly built, and for many years has 
 been the center of the cattle industry of the North- 
 west. 
 
 After leaving Cheyenne the train climbs a grade 
 of 2,000 feet in thirty-three miles to Sherman, 
 8,247 feet above sea level, and the highest point 
 of the transcontinental ride between the Missouri 
 River and the Pacific coast. From Sherman can 
 be seen Long's Peak, nearly- 200 miles away. The 
 scenery is wild and rugged. Just beyond Sherman 
 
 f 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 ^ 
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 is Dale Creek Bridge, one of the most remarlvable 
 sights of tlie overland trip. The structure is of 
 iron, and stretches from bluff to bluff with a 650- 
 foot span. The train passes over it just 127 feet 
 al)ove the creek, which looks like a mere rivulet 
 below. Pike's Peak can be seen away off to the 
 .south, not less than 165 miles distant. 
 
 Laramie, twenty-three miles west of Sherman, 
 often called the '"Gem City of the Rockies," has an 
 elevation of 7,149 feet above sea level, and a popu- 
 lation of about 6,000. It is one of the principal towns 
 on the main line of the Union Pacific Railway be- 
 tween Council Bluffs and Ogden. It is situated on 
 Big Laramie River, fifty-seven miles northwest of 
 Cheyenne, and is an important market for wool. 
 Its schools are good, and the I'niversity of Wyo- 
 ming and the I'nited States Penitentiary are lo- 
 cated here. 
 
 The great Laramie Plains, which stretch away 
 for miles on either side, and which afford pastur- 
 age for thousands of cattle and horses, are of great 
 interest. Eighty-three miles west is Carbon, in the 
 coal regions. One hundred and twenty-one miles 
 west of Rawlins is Rock Springs. In this locality 
 there are immense coal beds across the continent 
 to Portland, Ore. 
 
 At Green River the trains for Portland, Ore., 
 are made up, although they do not make their de- 
 parture from the main line over the Oregon vShort 
 Line Division until Granger is reached, thirty 
 miles west of Green River, and the trip across the 
 continent is continued over the Oregon Short 
 Line, reaching out, as it does to the great North- 
 west, until the great Territory of Idaho is en- 
 tered at Border Station. Then on through Soda 
 Springs and Pocatello^the junction with the LTtah 
 & Northern branch, for the Yellowstone National 
 Park, Butte, Garrison and Helena; thence to Sho- 
 shone Station, where the junction is made for the 
 great Shoshone Falls. 
 
 From Nampa, Idaho, the Oregon Short Line 
 skirts along the boundary line of Idaho and Ore- 
 gon, following the Snake River. Huntington is 
 the junction of the Oregon Siiort Line Division 
 with the Oregon Railway & Navigation Compan}', 
 an auxiliary line of the Union Pacific Railwaj'. 
 
 Leaving La Grande, and passing over the sum- 
 
 mit at Meacham, on through the Umatilla Reserva- 
 tion to Pendleton, and over the Cascade Mount- 
 ains, the tourist reaches "The Dalles" Station, on 
 the Columbia River, the commencement of "The 
 Dalles" of Columbia. 
 
 All along the sights have been absorbing in their 
 varied aspects; but it is only when a pause is made 
 at "The Dalles" Station that the true grandeur of 
 the scenery of the Columbia River is impressed 
 upon the mind. There are good accommodations 
 here, and from this point the noble river, surging 
 and whirling to the sea, breaking the image rocks 
 into wave fragments, occupies the mind of the 
 beholder. The Columbia is one of the world's 
 great rivers, affording a waterway that is navigable 
 for traffic for over 200 miles. Upon it, near its 
 mouth, the largest ocean steamers ply with safety. 
 Its largest tributary is the Williamette, draining 
 the valley of the same name, and being navigable 
 for vessels of any size to Portland. There can be 
 nothing more inspiring than the ride along "The 
 Dalles" of the Columbia, with the shining river on 
 one side and the towering battlements of the shore 
 on the other. The scene is one of continued mag- 
 nificenca Along the Rhine, the Rhone, or the 
 Hudson, there is nothing that will compare with 
 the stately palisades of the Columbia, with their 
 cool recesses kept sunless by the overhanging rocks, 
 and watered by the melting snows of their own 
 summits. A splendid view can be had of Mt. Hood, 
 Mt. St. Helen's, and the Cascades, where the scen- 
 ery surpasses anything of the kind in the world. 
 
 From Portland magnificent ocean steamers de- 
 part for the far distant Orient. Fine steamers also 
 ply from Portland to Alaska. 
 
 From Portland to San Francisco the trip can be 
 made in the iron steamships of the Oregon Railway 
 & Navigation Company, which will compare favor- 
 ably with tlie best ocean steamers on the Atlantic 
 for safet3^ speed and comfort; or by rail over the 
 Mt. Shasta route of the Central Pacific Railroad 
 (the Southern Pacific Company). 
 
 Between Cheyenne and Ogden about ten miles of 
 showsheds altogether are passed at different points 
 on the line. These sheds are all in Wyoming. They 
 are quite a feature of the ride across the continent; 
 the Central Pacific Railroad having about thirty 
 
 ■► 1 1^ < « 
 
 ♦rJ»- 
 
"a^ 
 
 •«► 
 
 •4t 
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 miles altogether on its line between Ogden and 
 Sacramento. Ogden is 1,034 miles from Council 
 Bluffs, 1;260 miles from Kanans City, and 833 miles 
 from San Francisco. 
 
 The crowning scenes of the trip across Utah and 
 Nevada to San Francisco are not beheld until after 
 leaving Reno. Cape Horn, Emigrant Gap, the 
 Sierra Nevadas, Donner Lake, and other objects of 
 more than ordinary interest will be found. Nevada 
 is celebrated for her famous mines. The marvel- 
 ous Carson and Humboldt sinks, in which the 
 waters of all the rivers in the State of Nevada, 
 save one. are swallowed; the Mud Lake, the Borax 
 marshes, and countless numbers of thermal springs, 
 have been the wonder of the scientist and the de- 
 light of the tourist. One hundred and fifty-fiye 
 miles from Reno is Sacramento, a beautiful citjr, 
 and the capital of California. 
 
 From Sacramento the Central Pacific Railroad 
 branches off, via Lathrop, to Los Angeles, from 
 which point the prominent cities and noted resorts 
 of California are readily reached. From Sacra- 
 mento the Davis cut-off, now the main line of the 
 Central Pacific road, takes the tourist through to 
 Oakland, where a ti-ansfer is made across an arm of 
 the bay to San Francisco, and here this part of the 
 trip "Across the Continent" terminates at San Fran- 
 cisco. 
 
 NOTES ABOUT THE TRAINS, EQUIPMENT, JUNCTIONS 
 AND CONNECTIONS, 
 
 It is wortli while knowing that two through 
 trains leave Council Bluffs every day with through 
 cars for Denver, Ogden, Salt Lake City, Los An- 
 geles, San Francisco and Portland. One of these 
 trains, the fast one, called "The Overland Flyer," 
 has Pullman Palace Sleeping Cars only, running 
 through to Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and 
 Portland. The other train, the Overland Express, 
 has Pullman Palace Sleeping Cars, Modern Day 
 Coaches and Free Family' Sleeping Cars. From 
 Kansas City two fast express trains leave daily 
 with through cars for Denver, Cheyenne, Salt 
 Lake City and Portland. These trains have Pull- 
 man Palace Sleeping Cars and Modern Day Coaches. 
 The morning train h.as the Free Family Sleeping- 
 
 Cars. The equipment of these trains is unsuri^assed 
 and all that can be desired. A good road-bed, 
 standard-guage track, steel rails, iron bridges, and 
 stone culverts combined, insure safety and speed. 
 
 The Missouri Pacific Railway System. 
 
 s^^^^HIS great system, which now threads its way 
 tlirougli several States west of the Missis- 
 ' sippi River, has been a potential factor in 
 the development of Missouri and Kansas, and with 
 its accustomed enterprise a short time ago pene- 
 trated with its lines into the rich agricultural dis- 
 tricts of Nebraska, to compete, in tiiis growing 
 State, with its rapidly accumulating business. It 
 was also among the pioneer roads in Kansas, and its 
 many branches now traverse in different directions 
 the most thickly settled portions of that State. It 
 has contributed in a large measure, by its liberal 
 and aggressive policy, toward the rapid develop- 
 ment of the great resources of Kansas. It is inter- 
 esting to note briefly its history, as it was the first 
 road built west from St. Louis, as early as 1850-51. 
 The preliminary steps to build the road were taken, 
 and it has since gradually' extended its lines, like 
 the arteries and veins of the human system, until 
 it has encompassed in its range the best portions of 
 Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, and has even 
 reached out and tapped the large commercial cen- 
 ters of Texas and Colorado. In Missouri its several 
 lines and connections pierce the great coal anci 
 mineral fields of the State, enabling it to lay down 
 in Kansas City, Topeka, Leavenworth, Atchison, 
 Wichita, Omaha and Lincoln, cheaper than any 
 other roads, these essential adjuncts so necessary in 
 the development of commercial centers; and even 
 the settlers in the outlying districts of Kansas and 
 Nebraska have fuel laid down to them more cheaply 
 on account of this road. 
 
 Its splendid and far-reaching management ex- 
 tends to its patrons, both in freight and passenger 
 traffic, the best facilities for reaching the seaboard 
 and the great Eastern marts of trade. The growth 
 and development of the Missouri Pacific System has 
 been rapid and fully abreast of the times. Its local 
 business is enormous and rapidly increasing. In 
 
 •►^ll-^ 
 
•^f^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 t 
 
 TRANSPORTATION. 
 
 respect to its througli business no other road or 
 system in Nebraska is better equipped than this. 
 Its steel rail tracks, well-ballasted road beds and 
 superior passenger coaches constitute it one of the 
 greatest railroa<l systems of the West. Its superb 
 fast train between .St. Louis and Denver, via Kansas 
 City and Pueblo, is unquestionc.bly the most ele- 
 gant and best equipped train of any road which 
 enters the peerless City of tlie Plains. 
 
 It runs more passenger trains and finer coaches 
 between 8t. Louis and Kansas City than an}' other 
 road, and the volume of its freight traffic between 
 the above mentioned emporiums of the State of 
 Missouri is vastly greater than any other line. It 
 lias contributed in a marked and wonderful degree 
 toward the building up of the various cities along 
 its numerous lines. Kansas City has felt its influ- 
 ence more than that of any other road centering 
 there, largely on account of its lines that lead into 
 the heart of the coal, iron and granite fields of 
 Missouri, and the extensive timber districts of Ar- 
 kansas, and by its connecting lines with the exten- 
 sive and growing cattle interests of Texas and the 
 Southwest. 
 
 It gives to its numerous and rapidly increasing 
 patronage in Nebraska and Kansas unsurpassed 
 facilities for reaching the great health resorts of 
 Arkansas and Texas, over its line from Omaha to 
 St. Louis, about 500 miles in extent. It runs the 
 finest trains between these two cities, passing through 
 Weei)ing Water, where connection is made with the 
 line from Lincoln, the State capital, thence to 
 Nebraska City and Falls Citv, in Nebraska, and St. 
 Joseph, Atchison and Leavenworth, before reaching 
 Kansas City. The length of its main line and 
 branches in Nebraska is over 322 miles, its northern 
 terminus being Omaha, where connections are made 
 with all the roads centering in that metropolis. 
 
 The line from Omaha to Falls City is 115 miles, 
 the Crete branch 58 miles, Lincoln to Auburn 76 
 miles, Warwick to Prosser and Hastings 73 miles. 
 Various extensions and diversions are constantly 
 being made in Nebraska. 
 
 Thus it will be seen that this road already taps 
 the two leading cities in the State, Omalia and Lin- 
 coln, besides Nebraska City, rapidly growing into 
 importance, and likewise Hastings. Its mileage in 
 
 Kansas is 2,707 miles, in Colorado 151 miles, and 
 the total mileage of the Missouri Pacific System is 
 4,99i miles. 
 
 lience the reader will readily observe that this 
 great railway system is one of the most important 
 which traverses the several important and growing 
 States west of the Mississippi River. On account 
 of its extensive mileage and the ramification of the 
 system, it is destined to promote in a large degree 
 the development of the material interests of the 
 country through which it passes. 
 
 The Burlingftoii & 3Iis.soiiri River Railroad 
 in Nebraska. 
 
 (^^^HIS important road was commenced at 
 (ll^^i Pl'^t'ismouth, Neb., where it connected with 
 ^^#' the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad 
 in 1869, and the main line of the road was ex- 
 tended westward to Kearney. Subsequently the 
 Denver extension was finished; this line was short- 
 ened by the construction of the line from Kenne- 
 saw to Oxford ; by the acquirement of the Omaha 
 & Southwestern Railroad, the Atchison & Nebraska 
 Railroad, the building of the short line from 
 Omaha to Ashland, and the extension to Cheyenne, 
 W3'0., which gives the road a short line between 
 the INIissourt River points and Denver & Cheyenne. 
 At Omaha connections are made with the roads 
 centering there. The number of miles of road in 
 Nebraska is 2,120.30. The road is ballasted with 
 stone, gravel, cinders and earth. 1,600.08 miles 
 are laid with steel rails, the rest being laid with 
 iron. The total mileage in the Burlington system 
 West of the Missouri River is 2,778.78 miles. 
 
 Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. 
 
 (^^^HIS is the last important trunk line to enter 
 the South Platte Country. It enters the 
 State of Nebraska at Berwick, and runs in 
 a north and westerly direction to Fairbury and 
 Nelson. At Fairbury the road branches and con- 
 nects with the main line for Denver, thus giving 
 the Southern part of the State another direct com- 
 munication with the great lumber and other 
 interests of Chicago and Kansas City, and the 
 great lake and seaboard marts of trade. 
 
 *^^i^ 
 
 :?^»- 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 i- 
 
 '-^yj ^no^^. \"^^ 
 
 ^i- 
 
 ^»- 
 
 • ^^ t -^^ 
 
••»> 
 
 •^ 
 
 =tf* 
 
^c^(7lo^i^ 
 
'^^- 
 
 r. deP^orest p. rolfe, 
 
 Mayor of Nebraska City, 
 is one of the leading busi- 
 ne,ss men of Otoe County, 
 and his portrait is justly 
 entitled to an honorable 
 place in this work. He is a man of 
 unusual ability, energy and fore- 
 thought, and he has been a great 
 power in advancing the commercial 
 interests and promoting the growth 
 of this city, of which he first became 
 a resident in pioneer days. Mr. Rolfe 
 was born at C'ooper's Plains, Steuben 
 Co., N. Y., July 20, 1839. His father, 
 Joseph Rolfe, was a native of Monmouth County, 
 N. J., born May 12, 1800, and was a son of Moses 
 Rolfe, who was born in Virginia, and a descendant 
 of an old English family. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject removed to Mon- 
 mouth, N. J., and later to Ovid, Seneca Co., N. Y., 
 and was one of the early settlers of the county. He 
 subsequently moved from there to Steuben County, 
 where he spent the remainder of his life. The father 
 of DeForest was a mere boy when his parents re- 
 moved to the State of New York. He was reared 
 and married in that State, Mrs. Eliza (Reed) Man- 
 rose, of Dutchess County, becoming his wife. Her 
 fatlier, Gilbert Reed, was born in Kinderhook, N. 
 Y., and, as a boy, remembered many scenes of the 
 Revolution, his father being connected with the 
 
 Commissary Department of the Continental Army 
 at Vallej' Forge, and spent large sums of his own 
 monej' in supplying the patriotic soldiers, and in 
 return received Continental script. Jlr. Reed passed 
 his last days at Avoea, N. Y., being upward of 
 ninety at his death. 
 
 Joseph Rolfe established himself in the lumber 
 trade in early manhood, and built up a large busi- 
 ness, buying extensive tracts of timber land in 
 Western New York, manufacturing lumber and 
 rafting it down the Susquehanna River and its trib- 
 utaries to tide water, where he sold it. He finally 
 retired to private life, having secured a comforta- 
 ble competency, and spent his declining years in 
 the home of a son in Lawrenceville, on the Penn- 
 sylvania State line, djdng there in January, 1878, 
 having survived his wife, who died in Avoca, N. 
 Y., in November, 1866. He was a man of un- 
 doubted probity of character, well gifted with men- 
 tal and physical vigor, and throughout a long and 
 honorable career his course was such as to command 
 the highest respect of his fellowmen. Socially, he 
 was a member of the I. O. O. F.; iDolitically, he was 
 a Whig until the organization of the Republican 
 partj', when he joined its ranks, and was ever after 
 a steadfast supporter of its policy. 
 
 DeForest P. Rolfe, of whom we write, was reared 
 in his native county, receiving his education in the 
 public schools. At the age of sixteen he entered 
 the office of the Steuben Farmers^ Advocate, a 
 weekly paper published at Bath. N. Y., and there 
 
 *► II <•• 
 
 ^*r#^ 
 
•4^ 
 
 ij-t 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 learned the art preservative, working in tliat office 
 for four years. He then went to St. Louis, Mo., 
 where, failing to get emploj'ment at his trade, he 
 accepted a position as clerk in the auction and com- 
 mission house of F. A. Kennon, remaining with that 
 gentleman until February, 1861. He then "returned 
 to New York and visited home and friends for a 
 few weeks, when he once more set his face to'ward 
 the setting sun, and on the 14th of April in that 
 year he arrived in Nebraska City, which was at that 
 time the headquarters of the freighters who teamed 
 goods across the plains, the Government having 
 buildings here in which the goods were stored that 
 were to be distributed to the military posts and to 
 the Indians. The surrounding country was in a 
 very" wild condition, there being no settlements in 
 the interior of Nebraska, only a few venturesome 
 settlers had made claims away from the settlements, 
 which were on the Missouri River, and had im- 
 proved a little of the laud; almost the whole of tlie 
 territory was then owned by the Government, and 
 for sale at $1.25 per acre. St. Joseph, Mo., was the 
 nearest railway station, and all travel and trans- 
 portation was by way of the jNIissouri or overland 
 with teams, the stages making daily trips to St. 
 Joseph during the winter season. Wild game was 
 very plentiful; deer, elks and wolves roamed the prai- 
 ries, and but a few miles westward the buffaloes still 
 lingered. There were Indians in the vicinity, and 
 members of the Otoe, Omaha and Pawnee tribes 
 were frequent visitors to the place. The old block 
 house, which was a part of old Ft. Kearney, and 
 built by the Government, was standing, and was 
 used by the city as a calaboose. 
 
 Shortly after his arrival here our subject engaged 
 in the grocery business with his brother R. M., and 
 they continued together until 1863, when DeForest 
 P. formed a partnership with "William Fulton to 
 establish a clothing and outfitting store. In 1867 
 he sold out his interest in the business and removed 
 to Chicago, where he lived for two years. He then re- 
 turned to this city and engaged in the lumber busi- 
 ness until 1874, when he became interested in the 
 Reed Plow Company. At the end of a year he 
 severed his connection with that company to en- 
 gage in the sale of agricultural implements, and was 
 appointed general agent for Nebraska and .Southern 
 
 Iowa for the D. M. Osborne <fe Co. harvesting ma- 
 chinery. He held that agency until 1879, when he 
 again took up the lumber business, which he has 
 continued to the present time with great financial 
 success, and he has built up a large trade, necessi- 
 tating a branch yard at Julian, Nemaha County. 
 
 Mr. Rolfe was married, Dec. 6, 1866, to Miss 
 Susan Gilmore, a native of Bath, Steuben Co., N. 
 Y'., and a daughter of Perez and Susan (Towle) 
 Gilmore. Mrs. Rolfe is an intelligent, benevolent, 
 well-informed ladj', with easy, ple."isant manners, 
 rendering her an important factor in the social cir- 
 cles of this city and county. 
 
 Our subject has occupied an influential position 
 in regard to the administration of public affairs in 
 Otoe County almost from the very first, as his fel- 
 low-citizens early recognized his superior tact and 
 good executive powers, and that, withal, he is a 
 safe leader, as he is possessed of sound judgment, 
 and his acts are ever controlled by the highest prin- 
 ciples. His geniality, ready wit and liberality have 
 won for him hosts of friends and make him verj' 
 popular with the people. Politicallj^, he has always 
 affiliated with the Democratic party. He was ap- 
 pointed County Treasurer to fill a vacancy in 1863, 
 was a member of the last Territorial Legislature, 
 and was elected to the first State Legislature. He 
 did not, however, take his seat in the latter body, 
 as he differed with his constituents on the question 
 that was to be decided that session as to the best 
 site for the State capital, they preferring that it 
 should be situated on Salt Creek, and he, with his 
 usual tact, foreseeing the fact that another city built 
 up so near Nebraska City on the west would natur- 
 ally retard the growth of the latter and blight lier 
 then bright prospects, would not vote for its location 
 there, and not wishing to misrepresent his constitu- 
 ency in the legislative deliberations he resigned, 
 thus showing that 'he cared more for ])rinciple than 
 for empty honors. The people of this city have 
 since been brought to a realizing sense that he was 
 right, and that it would have been much better for 
 their city if the capital had been located at a greater 
 distance. In 1885 he was elected to the oflSce of 
 Mayor, but he refused to be a candidate in 1886. 
 In 1888 he was again elected on a non-partisan 
 ticket by an overwhelming majority, so great is his 
 
•► 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■♦- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 145 a 
 
 popularit3' and the confidence of his fellow-citizens 
 in his integrity and capability. 
 
 Mr. Rolfe is a prominent member of the Board 
 of Trade, of which organization he was the first 
 Secretary, and afterward President, and also of the 
 Building and Loan Association, of which he is Presi- 
 dent, and he has been identified with every public 
 enterprise for years, was instrumental in securing 
 the water-works, and in the organization of the com- 
 pany was made its President; he has ever been 
 active in aiding industrial enterprises for the build- 
 ing up of the city. Mr. Rolfe is also a prominent 
 Mason, .and has from time to time occupied many 
 of the leading stations, from the Blue Lodge to 
 Consistory. 
 
 '^-^^=^^4->~^^ 
 
 "^ OHN -H. DAMMA holds a high place .among 
 the prominent and successful merchants of 
 I Talmage, and is one of the best and most 
 (^^^ favorably known German-American citizens 
 in thi.s part of the county. He owns and occupies 
 a fine brick building on Main street, which stands 
 22x80 feet, and carries a full and varied stock of 
 general merchandise, such as is in const.ant demand 
 in the town and country surrounding. He came to 
 Talmage in the year 1882, to start a timber-yard for 
 the Chicago Lumber Company, and sold the first 
 lumber that was bought here; he came when there 
 was scarcely a house to mark the place where now 
 stands the populous and thriving town of Talmage. 
 
 Recognizing the well-nigh inevitable future of 
 State and county, with far-sighted business enter- 
 prise Mr. Damma determined to enter into business 
 at this place, and erected a store and put in a stock 
 of goods,which was in charge of a confidential clerk 
 whenever he was compelled to be .absent in the in- 
 terests of the lumber trade. 
 
 In 188.5 Mr. Damma left the lumber-yard, and 
 then gave his entire attention to mercantile pur- 
 suits. He is now by far the leading merchant in 
 his line in the town, and has a business of not less 
 than $25,000 per annum. He came to this place 
 from Nebr.aska City, where he had been engaged 
 for the previous five years as clerk in a general 
 store. He h.as been in the State since 1875, .ind in 
 
 the beginning worked for two years in Delaware 
 Precinct on the farm of Reuben Whitt.aker, an old 
 settler and extensive .agriculturist. 
 
 Our subject was born in Franklin Countj', Mo. 
 on the 21st of September, 1853. He is of Germ.an 
 descent, his father, William Damma, having come 
 from that country when eleven years of age. He 
 located in Franklin County, Mo., and there attained 
 his majority. He w.as united in marriage with 
 Miss Caroline Holtgrewe. This lady was born in 
 Germany, and accompanied her parents to the 
 United States when she was fifteen years of age. 
 They made their home in Franklin County, and 
 there she w.as educated and brought up from the 
 time she attained the above-mentioned age. 
 
 William Damma, the father of our subject, begiin 
 life as a farmer, and is now living upon his own 
 property in Franklin County, Mo., operating a 
 tract of 320 acres. This farm his father, Henry 
 D.amma, had entered when he first came to the 
 United States with his family, in the year 1840. 
 It was then in an entirely native condition, un- 
 broken and undeveloped. There Henry Damma 
 made his home and spent the remainder of his life, 
 dying when .about forty years of age. Mr. and 
 Mrs. William Damma are active members of the 
 German Evangelical Church; he is strongly .attached 
 to the Republican party, and almost invariably 
 votes its ticket. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is the eldest son of a 
 f.amily that comprises five sons and six daughters, 
 all of whom are living; six of them are married 
 and have homes of their own.> He was educated 
 and reared in Franklin County, and there received 
 all needed instruction regarding the operation of a 
 farm. In the year 1874 he crossed the Atlantic 
 and made a visit to the old home in Germany, 
 where he spent several months renewing his ac- 
 quaintance with kinsfolk and friends of the familj% 
 who were for the most part engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits. Upon returning from his trip Mr. 
 Damma went to Franklin County, but shortly 
 afterward removed to this county. In 1884 our 
 subject was united in marriage to Miss Caroline 
 Holtgrewe. This lady was born in Lyons Town- 
 ship, Franklin Co.. Mo., on the 17th of August, 1864, 
 and is the daughter of John H. .and Catherina 
 
 •►:JI-^ 
 
u 
 
 ' ^ 146 
 
 -•» 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 t 
 
 (Pohlmaii) Holtgrewe. Of this union tliere has 
 been born one child, who bears the name John H.. 
 Our subject and wife are earnest members of the 
 Evangelical Church, and both there and in the 
 community generally they are very highly es- 
 teemed. Mr. Damma has for three years been 
 President of the Village Board. He is a man of 
 character, energy, and unquestioned reputation, and i 
 is an excellent representative of his constituents in 
 any and every matter that is for their interest. 
 
 VyjOSEPH HENDRICKS, one of the earliest 
 settlers of Hendricks Precinct, is numbered 
 I among its most enterprising farmers. His 
 ^j/y homestead, comprising 120 acres of land on 
 section 17, isoneof the most desirable in thispartof 
 the county, the land being in a fine state of cultiva- 
 tion, and the buildings amply adapted to the pur- 
 poses of rural life. Both the farm and tiie dwelling 
 are conspicuous for neatness and good order, evinc- 
 ing that intelligent supervision which is the greatest 
 charm of any home. 
 
 Our subject is the brother of George Hendriclis, 
 a sketch of whom will be found elsewhere in this 
 work, together with the parental history. The family 
 is of substantial ancestry, and have proved excellent 
 citizens wherever they have lived. Joseph was born 
 in Jackson County, Iowa, April 24, 1853, and when 
 a child three years of age came with his parents to 
 this county. Young as he was he still remembers 
 crossing the Missouri River on a flatboat before the 
 days of steam in this section. He continued with 
 his parents until a youth of nineteen years, acquir- 
 ing his education in the district school. At this age 
 also he was married, and his father having died 
 rented the homestead for a period of two years. Then, 
 purchasing a tract of wild land he began in earnest 
 the development of a homestead of his own. In 
 connection with other labors he planted a large 
 number of maple and cottonwood trees, which have 
 added greatly to the value and beauty of his prop- 
 erty. He also has 160 rods of hedge fence, which 
 forms a most pleasing feature of the landscape, 
 dividing the fields at once in the most beautiful and 
 substantial manner. He put up a house and barn. 
 
 planted an orchard, and gradually brought about 
 the other improvements essential to the comfort of 
 liimself and family. He has six acres of native 
 grass. 
 
 The wife of our subject, to whom he was mar- 
 ried March 10, 1871, at her home in Hendricks Pre- 
 cinct, was formerly Miss Sophia, the daughter of 
 Daniel and Jane (Balch) Livingston. The former 
 was a native of British America, his early home 
 being along the Red River Vallej', which stream he 
 often crossed by swimming. The mother was a 
 native of Indiana. The parents were married in 
 Jones Count}', Ohio, where the father carried on 
 farming a period of twenty-five years, and also 
 worked as a carpenter. They came to Nebraska in 
 1870, and are still living on a farm in Hendricks 
 Precinct. Their nine children were named respect- 
 ively : John, Sophia, Calvin, Neal, Lincoln, Daniel, 
 Ann, Alex and Archie. 
 
 Mrs. Hendricks was born in Jones County, Iowa, 
 May 4, 1851. Of her marriage with our subject 
 there are three children: Oscar Nile, born Feb. 17, 
 1873; Leona, Oct. 15, 1875; and Dora Nellie, Nov. 
 9, 1884. Mr. Hendricks is a stanch supporter of 
 Democratic principles, while the sympathies of his 
 estimable wife are with the Republican party. He 
 was Postmaster at Solon . in 1883, and until its 
 removal to Hendricks, and is a member of the 
 School Board of his district. 
 
 JOHN D. EIS. This gentleman is numbered 
 among the most enterprising young farmers 
 of Russell Precinct, where he owns and op- 
 erates the southwest quarter of section 31. 
 He comes of an excellent family, being the brother 
 of Walter S. Eis. a sketch of whom, together with 
 that of the parents, will be found on another page 
 of this volume. 
 
 Mr. Eis was born Sept. 4, 1854, in Muscatine, 
 Iowa, where he received a common-school educa- 
 tion, and w^orked with his father until reaching his 
 majority. He then began farming on his own ac- 
 count in Iowa, where he remained until the spring 
 of 1884, then determined to go farther West. He 
 came by rail from Muscatine to Unadilla, and in 
 
 •► II 4* 
 
 ?^Jh-^ 
 
■•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 short time selected his location, ■nhich was then a 
 tract of uncultivated land. He has himself per- 
 fected all the improvements which we behold to-daj", 
 and which comprise all the appurtenances of a well- 
 regulated homestead, including a good set of farm 
 buildings, an apple orchard, and the smaller fruit 
 trees, and groves of boxwood and maple. His farm 
 is provided with running water, and possesses many 
 natural advantages which have made his labors as a 
 tiller of the soil easj' and remunerative. The pro- 
 prietor has accomplished much in a comparatively 
 short period. 
 
 The lady who presides with grace and dignity 
 over the home of our subject was in her girlhood 
 Miss Catherine, daughter of Frederick and F^liza- 
 beth (Eis) W^elsh. The parents of Mrs. Eis were of 
 German birth and parentage, their birthplace hav- 
 ing been in one of the Provinces of Prussia, whence 
 they emigrated to America before their marriage. 
 They settled first in Ohio, then removed to Mus- 
 catine County, Iowa, where thej' still reside, 
 surrounded by all the comforts of life on a well- 
 improved farm of 155 acres. Their ten children 
 are all living, and were named respectiveljM Cath- 
 erine, Fredrieka, Charles, John. Marj-, Laura, Eliza- 
 beth, Rebecca, Lill^' and Louisa. 
 
 Mrs. Eis, the eldest child of her parents, was born 
 in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, Dec. 14, 1855. She 
 was educated in the common school, and remained 
 under the home roof until her marriage, removing 
 in the meantime with her parents to Iowa. Of her 
 union with our subject there have been born live 
 children, one of whom, a son, Charles, died when 
 eight months old. The survivors are Mary, Pearl, 
 Rebecca and Lizzie. They are all at home. Mr. 
 Eis cast his first Presidential vote for Hayes, and is 
 the uniform supporter of Republican principles. 
 
 ».^^-jOT-.. 
 
 ¥ 
 
 -v'w-'42jej2/©S(@' 
 
 J r AMES CUMMINS. The name of this gen- 
 I tleman is familiar among the extensive oper- 
 11 ators in live stock in this count3', he having 
 ^ his headquarters in the village of Talmage. 
 He came to this section of the country during the 
 period of its early settlement, and has proved him- 
 self one of its most useful and enterprising pio- 
 
 neers. He was on the spot at the laying out of the 
 village of Talmage, which became the nucleus of 
 his future operations, and with whose interests he 
 has since been continuously identified. Here and 
 at Burr Station he feeds and fattens large numbers 
 of animals each year, having his market mostly at 
 Talmage. In 1882 he laid off twenty acres which is 
 now known as Cummins' Addition, and which com- 
 prises sixty-four-lots, now all sold and improved. 
 In addition to his town property Mr. Cummins 
 owns a fine farm of 120 acres adjoining the village 
 limits. The land has been brought to a good state 
 of cultivation, and thereon have been erected neat 
 and substantial buildings, in keeping with the spirit 
 of enterprise which has always characterized the 
 proprietor. He has been a resident of McWilliams 
 Precinct since 1866, and the first ten years of his 
 residence here gave his attention to agricultural 
 pursuits. He settled upon an unbroken prairie 
 from which he built up his farm, effecting all the 
 improvements which the passer-by observes to-day 
 with admiring interest. Jlr. Cummins first came 
 to Nebraska in the fall of 1866, making his way 
 hither from Pennsylvania. A year later, desiring 
 to see something more of the Great West, he mi- 
 grated to Montana, and subsequently, in 1869, pro- 
 ceeded to Dakota Territory, where he engaged in 
 farming, and continued a resident until the spring 
 of 1871. 
 
 While in Dakota Mr. Cummins had been engaged 
 in freighting from Nebraska City to Ft. C. F. 
 Smith, Mont., and also operated a stock ranch in 
 Montana, besides speculating in lands. Upon his 
 return to this county the spirit of adventure de- 
 parted from him and he concluded to settle down, 
 and construct for himself a homestead. He is a 
 descendant of excellent Pennsylvania stock, and 
 was born in Bradford County, that State, Nov. 8, 
 1844. His father, Caleb Cummins, also a native of 
 the Keystone State, was the son of John Cummins, 
 who was born in the Scottish Highlands, aud emi- 
 grated to America during hisj'oung manhood. Set- 
 tling in Pennsylvania he married Miss Mary Covell, 
 a native of that State, and they became the par- 
 ents of nine children. They spent the remainder 
 of their lives upon a farm in Bradford County, 
 where Grandfather Cummins departed this life at 
 
 4»- 
 
 *¥^h 
 
"•►HI- 
 
 US 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 the vipe old age of eiglity-two years, and his wife 
 when about two years younger. 
 
 Caleb Cummins, the father of our subject, was 
 reared a farmer's boy among his native hills, and 
 upon reaching manhood married a maiden of his 
 own countj'. Miss Lucy, daughter of Mansor Cham- 
 berlain. The latter was a native of Vermont and 
 a member of a well-known old New England family 
 which had been represented for several generations 
 in the Green Mountain State. Mansor Chamber- 
 lain died in Bradford County, Pa., of apoplexy, at 
 the age of sixty-six years. He was a farmer by 
 occupation, and possessed all the stern and sturdj' 
 traits of a substantial ancestry. 
 
 Caleb Cummins and his wife began the journey 
 of life together on a farm in Ridgebury Township, 
 Bradford County, where they lived until the death 
 of the mother in the spring of 1848. The father 
 subsequently married Miss Mary Fuller, and in 
 1855, leaving Pennsylvania, migrated to Dakota 
 Territory, settling among the earliest pioneers of 
 Union Count}'. After residing there a number of 
 years they moved to Lj'onsville, in Buffalo County, 
 where they now live, the father lieing seventy-four 
 years old and the stepmother fifty-one. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the youngest of 
 two sons and one daughter born to his parents, the 
 latter of whom, Margaret by name, died in DeKalb 
 County, 111., when an interesting young lady of 
 nineteen summers. AVarren, the brother, is married, 
 and a resident of Phillips County, Kan., where he 
 is successfully engaged in farming. 
 
 After the death of his mother our subject was 
 taken to the home of his grandfather, where he 
 lived ten years and until the death of the latter. 
 The boy was then thrown upon his own resources, 
 and employed himself at whatever he could find to 
 do. He continued a resident of Bradford Countj', 
 and lived with one man, George W. Cooper, f(<r a 
 period of four j'ears, beginning at the munificent 
 salary of $4 per month. As his services became 
 more valuable his wages were raised, and in the 
 meantime he acquired a thorough knowledge of 
 farming pursuits. He first set foot upon the soil of 
 Nebraska in 1866, and when ready to establish a 
 home of his own was married, in McWilliams Pre- 
 cinct, this count}', to Miss Jennie Nelson. This 
 
 lady was born in Henry County, 111., May 12, 
 1855, and is the daughter of Augustus Nelson,who, 
 with his wife, is a native of Sweden, and now 
 living upon a farm in Johnson County, this State, 
 in the enjoyment of a competence. Mr. Nelson is 
 one of the most successful and skillful agricultur- 
 ists of his time, and has always been an excellent 
 manager financially. He came to Nebraska in 1 868, 
 when his daughter Jennie was a j'oung girl of thir- 
 teen years. 
 
 Mrs. Cummins received her education in the dis- 
 trict schools of Henry County, 111., and remained 
 under the home roof until her marriage. She is 
 now the mother of two interesting children, daugh- 
 ters, Minnie and Clara. Mr. Cummins, politically, 
 votes the straight Republican ticket, and has been 
 a member of the Village Board for a period of four 
 years. He is a man who makes friends wherever 
 he goes, being courteous and companionable, well 
 informed, and a man interesting to converse with. 
 
 
 psr^g* 
 
 R. G. M. BRINKER. For twenty years 
 this gentleman has been recognized as a 
 leader of medical science in Nebraska City, 
 and also as a citizen. He was born in 
 Frederick County, Va., on the 27th of June, 1813. 
 His early j'ears were spent in the Shenandoah Val- 
 ley. His middle name, Madison, is derived from 
 the President of that name, who was in office at the 
 time of his birth. 
 
 The parents of our subject, George and Elizabeth 
 (Kendrick) Brinker, were Virginians by birth. 
 His father followed agricultural pursuits chiefly 
 throughout a life that extended over eighty-two 
 years, while his mother lived to be almost ninety- 
 six. The latter years of her life were spent in the 
 home of her only daughter, Mrs. Ann R. Rhodes, 
 at Denver, Col. Besides this daughter there were 
 four sons in the family. Our subject was the 
 oldest boy and second child. 
 
 Dr. Brinker was fortunate in having good edu- 
 cational advantages presented to him in his youth. 
 As he progressed in his studies, and appi'oached- 
 the years when the question was presented as to 
 what should lie the chosen occupation of his life, he 
 
 •► 
 
 4l-i.- 
 
 :^^h 
 
Ht-^»- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 149 
 
 elected to read medicine, and began to do so under 
 the care of a preceptor, Dr. Anderton Brown, of 
 Middletown. Va., when nineteen years of age. 
 This gentleman was one of the bright lights of the 
 profession, and was an acknowledged able physi- 
 cian and instructor. 
 
 When twenty-two years of age the subject of our 
 sketch entered the University of Pennsylvania, 
 pursuing his studies with much care until he was 
 gr.aduated in the j'ear 1837, receiving the usual di- 
 ploma. His first experience as a practitioner was 
 at .Strasburg, Shenandoah Co., Va. There he con- 
 tinued very successfully engaged for seventeen 
 3-ears, and won for himself quite a reputation as a 
 diagnostician and prescriber. 
 
 During the above-mentioned period the Doctor 
 was married. This important and deejil}' interesting 
 event was celebrated at Strasburg, Ya., March 7, 
 1839, the ladj' of his regard being Mary A. H. 
 Bowman, the excellent daughter of Capt. Isaac 
 Bowman, of Revolutionary AVar fame. She was 
 born in the vicinity of Strasburg, Va. From child- 
 hood up they had been friends and companions, and 
 almost naturall}- they came to decide that that 
 which had been begun in early years, and whicli 
 continued so long, should go on till death should 
 separate, and thej^ be bound by strongest ties. 
 There have been born to them eight children, 
 whose names are recorded as follows: George I. is 
 an extensive mine owner in Breckenridge, Col.; 
 Mary E. is the wife of E. Humphrey, the well- 
 known grocer of Denver, Col.; Ella R. remains 
 at home with her parents; Arthur is a partner of 
 E. Humphrey in the grocery business, in Denver, 
 Col.; Lucie is still at home, as is also Annie, who is 
 a widow; James M. died when fourteen years of age, 
 and Joseph is Superintendent of the Utah Western 
 Division of the Rio Grande Railroad, and lives at 
 Ogden, Utah. 
 
 In 1854 Dr. Brinker migrated to Missouri witli 
 his familj-, locating at Brunswick, Chariton County, 
 where he continued in the practice of medicine for 
 fully ten years. Then, leaving in 1865 he came to 
 Nebraska Citj% which from that time has continued 
 to be his place of residence. He bought himself a 
 very comfortable'and cozy little home on Eleventh 
 street and First avenue. The Doctor owns a farm 
 
 of 160 acres about six and one-half miles south- 
 east of this city, which is managed by renters, and 
 is utilized for general purposes. 
 
 Being a true and patriotic American citizen the 
 Doctor has always taken the greatest possible inter- 
 est in the political economj' of the district he might 
 be a resident of as well as that of the Nation at large; 
 usually he has voted with the Democratic party, 
 but lias alwaj's considered it his first dutj^ to con- 
 sider the person and principles, rather than the 
 policjr or part}'. In spite of the weight of years 
 upon him, and although attending to a very exten- 
 sive practice, our subject carries himself and ef- 
 fectually attends to all the demands upon him with 
 a brightness and vigor that shame man}- j'ounger 
 men. It were very hard to find a more esteemed 
 and in everj' way respected man or citizen, a truer 
 friend, or more uniformly- genial and courtly gen- 
 tleman. 
 
 y WILLIAM E. INGALLS. If a continued 
 extension of business and solidifying of 
 
 \J^' financial interests mean anj-thing, the case 
 of the gentleman whose life stor^' is herein pre- 
 sented, would show that in his bakery store and 
 restaurant he is an able caterer of gastronomic neces- 
 saries and luxuries, and moreover that his efforts 
 are fully appreciated, which is undoubtedly the 
 case. Mr. Ingalls was born in Jacksonville, Mor- 
 gan Co., 111. His father. Hart Ingalls, is a native 
 of Niagara County, N. Y., where his father, Darius 
 Ingalls, was for many years a resident and prosper- 
 ous farmer. He moved from that State to Illinois 
 in 1832, and became a pioneer of the latter State. 
 He took a tract of Government land and improved 
 it, but to-day it is absorbed in the city of Jackson- 
 ville. Tlie village of Jacksonville had just been 
 laid out. There was but one store and a black- 
 smith-shop in the place. The nearest market for 
 many years was at Meredosia on the Illinois River, 
 some twenty-five miles distant, and not infre- 
 quently the journey to St. Louis, which was 110 
 miles away, had to be made for special market pur- 
 poses. The entire journey was performed alwaj's 
 with ox-teams. 
 
 The father of our subject was fifteen years old 
 
 ^i- 
 
150 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 when his parents moved to Illinois. He was reared 
 amid agricultural pursuits, and from his boyhood was 
 used to farm life. He chose tliis for hie life occu- 
 pation, and continued to follow the same until his 
 death, which occurred in 1846, when he was but 
 twenty-nine years of age. The maiden name of 
 his wife, the mother of our subject, was Elizabeth J. 
 Elledge. She was born in Indiana, and is the 
 daughter of Benjamin and Catharine Elledge, of 
 Indiana. She was married a second time, to W. A. 
 Wise, and now lives in Griggsville, Pike Co., 111. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was but an infant 
 when his father died. After his mother's second 
 marriage he went to I'eside with her. His step- 
 father was by trade a gunsmith, and almost natur- 
 ally he was fond of handling the tools, and from 
 the time he left school worked with his father and 
 learned the trade. His education previously ob- 
 tained was received in the public schools of Griggs- 
 ville. In 1863, when but seventeen years of age, 
 our subject enlisted, becoming a member of Com- 
 pany B, of the 68th Illinois Infantry, in which he 
 served for one year, and then was discharged with 
 the rest of his regiment. They were first stationed 
 at Camp Butler for about five months, and then did 
 garrison duty at Washington, D. C, for a few 
 weeks. From there they were sent to Alexandria, 
 Va., and from that place to Fairfax Seminary, where 
 he did garrison duty for the remainder of his term 
 of service. After that he went to St. Louis, and 
 was engaged for two years in the United States Ar- 
 senal in that city. 
 
 Upon leaving that employment Mr. Ingalls en- 
 gaged in a broom factory and learned the trade, and 
 continued to work in St. Louis for five years, when he 
 returned to Griggsville and commenced to learn the 
 baker's trade. He worked there for one year, and 
 then went to Naples for a short time, and from 
 there to Jacksonville, where he established himself 
 in business, and continued until 1879. Then he 
 went to Atchison, Kan., and worked- for Poehler 
 Bros., remaining for seven years. He then came to 
 Nebraska City and embarked in his present busi- 
 ness. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was united in marriage 
 with Adelaide Ireland, a native of Illinois. She 
 was the daughter of James Ireland, of Massachu- 
 
 setts. She died in the year 1877, leaving three 
 children, whose names are mentioned as follows: 
 Luther Clyde, George L. and Harrj'. A second 
 alliance was contracted in the year 1879, the name 
 of the lady being Mrs. Anna (Cook) Hulett. This 
 lady was born at Lambertville, N. J., and is the 
 daughter of Piiillip and Martha Deltz. Her first 
 husband was Henry Hulett, of Illinois, by whom 
 she became the mother of two children. To our 
 subject there have been given five children, viz: 
 Henry, Lee, Mamie, Parker and Jessie. 
 
 ^^EORGE CONKLIN, an early pioneer of this 
 III (— -, count}', is now numbered among her wealth- 
 ^^J) lest farmers and most extensive land-owners. 
 He has a large farm in Otoe Precinct, where he 
 resides, and he has been more than ordinarily suc- 
 cessful in his life work. He was born near Sid- 
 ney Plains, Delaware Co., N. Y., on the 19th of 
 December, 1831. His parents were Thomas and 
 Clarissa (Smith) Conklin. His father died in Dela- 
 ware Count}' in 1834, ere he had passed the prime 
 of life. 
 
 The mother of our subject married a second time 
 a few years later, and her son went to live with an 
 uncle for a few j'ears. He then returned to live 
 with his mother, but the high-spirited lad found 
 his nature and his stepfather's incompatible, and 
 as they could not agree, he would not live under 
 the same roof with him, and went to work for a 
 farmer by the month, receiving 18 a month for a 
 year. He worked hard and steadily, and saved 
 all of his earnings that year, and after that was 
 employed by the day or month a part of the 
 time on a farm, and a part of the time in raft- 
 ing lumber down the Susquehanna River, being 
 thus employed until the year 1856. In that year, 
 with four others, he came to the Territory of 
 Nebraska, coming by the way of the river from 
 St. Louis, there being no railroad then west of 
 Iowa City. The journey consumed many d.aj's, as 
 it took them five days to get to St. Louis, and 
 from there to Nebraska City thirteen days, fare 
 and board being $60. The country around here 
 at that time presented a very wild appearance, 
 
 ••^1^: 
 
HI-4«- 
 
 -•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 151 
 
 a marked contrast to its well-settled, flourishing 
 condition of to-day. Indians still lingered here, 
 and deer, wild turkeys and other kinds of game 
 were very plentiful. His companions staid but a 
 week, and apparently not liking the prospect, re- 
 turned to Pennsj'lvania. Our subject, with more 
 pluck and enterprise, perhaps, decided to try his 
 life here, and see what it held for him, as he 
 was then young and unmarried, and had no strong 
 ties to bind him elsewliere. When he first came 
 here, he and his friends, having heard of Prai- 
 rie City, started out to find it. Having walked 
 about eight miles from Nebraska City, they stopped 
 at an isolated log cabin to inquire the way to the 
 city they were in search of, and they were very 
 much surprised on being told that they were al- 
 ready in Prairie City. Much disgusted, they passed 
 on up the creek for a few miles, and sta3'ing all 
 night at a log cabin, they returned to Nebraska City 
 the next day. Mr. Conklin soon found employ- 
 ment on a farm, pradently saving his earnings, and 
 in the fall of 1856 he took up a claim on the banks 
 of the Nemaha, in Otoe County. He built a log 
 house, in which he staid until his finances were 
 reduced to $2.50, and he then returned to Nebraska 
 City to find employment, whereby he might re- 
 plenish his purse. All the following winter he was 
 engaged in teaming logs to a sawmill, but owing 
 to the failure of the men who emploj'ed him, he 
 lost most of his wages, or rather, did not get 
 them at all. In the summer he worked in another 
 mill, and in the succeeding winter worked by the 
 day and job until spring opened, when he rented a 
 farm in Four Mile Precinct. He engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits there until 1858, when he bought 
 a tract of land in the same precinct. But he could 
 not pay for it, and so traded it for a pair of horses. 
 He continued to rent land for three years, and then 
 bought eighty acres in Four Mile Precinct. He 
 built a house and lived on his land a year, and then 
 sold it, purchased another eighty acres near by, 
 and resided on that two or three years. At the 
 end of that time he also disposed of that at a 
 handsome profit, and soon purchased another 80- 
 acre tract of land in that precinct, but almost 
 immediately sold it. After that he rented a farm 
 until 1870, when he bought the place where he 
 
 <• 
 
 now resides. His first purchase was of eighty 
 acres of wild land, and he has since added to it, 
 until he lias 520 acres in one body in Otoe Pre- 
 cinct. It comprises some of the best farming 
 land in the vicinity, and the greater part of it is 
 improved, although eighty acres of it is in fine 
 timber. He has erected suitable buildings, has 
 good machmery, and evertliing about bears the 
 mark of a skillful and practical farmer. 
 
 Mr. Conklin was married, Jan. 27, 1859, to Miss 
 Martha Shelenbarger, a native of Fayette County, 
 Pa. Her father, Isaac Shelenbarger, who was a 
 farmer, spent his last years in Fayette County, 
 Pa. Tlie maiden name of his wife was Susan 
 Shelenbarger, of the same name though no rela- 
 tive, and she was a native of Fayette County, 
 and is now a resident of Thomas County, Kan. She 
 makes her home with her children, and is eighty 
 years old. The pleasant married life of Mr. and 
 ]\Irs. Conklin has been blessed to them by the birth 
 of eight children, as follows: Emma, the wife of 
 Charles Hall; John, Frank, Lizzie; Susie, wife of 
 JNIason Ricker; Hester, Jacob and O. P. 
 
 Mr. Conklin is eminently a self-made man, as 
 from the time when he was a small lad he has had 
 to make his own way in the world unassisted. He 
 has been a hard and constant worker, doing well 
 whatsoever his hand has found to do. Through it 
 all he has preserved the integrity of his character 
 unblemished, and is entitled to the respect of his 
 fellow-citizens. In politics lie is a stanch Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 ■jf^ REDERICK W. RODENBROCK. Thetour- 
 ti^g' ist making Ills first trip to Germany may 
 /ll, pass through the beaten paths of tourist 
 travel, and, when he has finished all, if he will but 
 turn his face toward the historic Province of West- 
 phalia, although but about 8,000 square miles in 
 its area, and therefore small as compared with the 
 ground .already covered by him, he will appreciate 
 the fact that in many regards he has left the best 
 until the last. It must suffice here merely to re- 
 mark that its climate is most excellent, agreeable 
 and heatliful ; its center and more northern part is 
 
 ^ 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 152 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 comparatively level, and possesses some stretches 
 of heather that would make the heart of the Scotch- 
 man beat wildly with delight. Coming down to the 
 southwestern portion of the Province, the face of 
 the country changes and becomes undulating, but 
 shortly the traveler finds himself surrounded by 
 most beautiful and fertile hills, and not a few grand 
 and towering mountains. Nestled in one of the 
 prettiest and most fertile valleys is tlie village of 
 Halle, and from its streets, as we look up on either 
 band, the eye ranges over the hillsides and to the 
 distant mountain tops, and we realize somewhat of 
 the beauty and sublimity of that scene, and are 
 convinced that for scenery it is very difHcult to 
 surpass it. The village is about ten miles from 
 Bielefeld, a picturesque, walled Prussian town, and 
 tiie center of commerce, trade and society of this 
 district. 
 
 In this beautiful village of Halle above referred 
 to, and amid the beauties with which nature has 
 endowed that place, there was born upon the loth 
 of October, 1840, in the home of one of its most 
 honorable and respected citizens, a son, who re- 
 ceived the name that stands at the commencement 
 of this sketch. The parents of our subject were 
 Frederick W. and Katrina Rodenbrock. and the 
 father followed the occupation of farming upon 
 property that had been owned by the family for 
 man}' generations. As their forefathers had done 
 before them for the most part, he and his wife 
 were born, brought up. and ran the entire course of 
 life in their native valley. Our subject and his 
 brother, John Frederick, were the onl}' members of 
 the family who came to the United States. 
 
 As soon as our subject was old enough to attend 
 school opportunity was afforded him to do so, and 
 he continued thus engaged until he had reached his 
 fourteenth year. During that time he began to 
 develop those qualities and powers that have, under 
 the congenial influences and amid the favorable 
 surroundings of American life and commerce, made 
 him the success he is. After leaving school our 
 subject was his father's assistant upon the farm, and 
 then, as was customary, he entered the army, and 
 served for three years. During this time the Sles- 
 wick-Holstein War took place, during which time 
 he did garrison duty on the Island of Reegan to 
 
 guard it from the naval forces. At the termination of 
 the required period of military service he received 
 an honorable discharge, and returned home to find 
 that during hiii absence his father had been removed 
 h}' death. 
 
 Realizing how much more than ever he was re- 
 quired at iiome, and recognizing that upon him to 
 a large extent his mother would lean, now that her 
 husband's arm could no longer support her, our 
 subject nobly set to work to do everj'thing in his 
 power to make her life bright and restful, and has 
 the pleasurable consciousness of knowing how large 
 his efforts have been. He remained with her until 
 1865, and then, satisfactory arrangements having 
 been made for her comfort, and with the hope of a 
 larger success in the New World than the old could 
 extend, in the fall of that j'ear set sail from Bremen, 
 and after a comparatively lengthy ocean trip landed 
 at New York, and went on thence to St. Louis. 
 
 Life amid the strange and in many regards 
 novel surroundings in this to him new city, was 
 begun by our subject engaging with J. H. Rott- 
 raan in the wholesale busines"s. After a few months 
 he came to Nebraska Cit}', and accepted a position 
 as clerk in the grocery store of F. W. Rottraann, 
 and there continued for about five years, during 
 which i)eriod his energy, integrity, business pusii 
 and tact, so favorably impressed his employers that 
 at its close he was accepted as a partner in the firm, 
 which arrangement continued for over three j-ears. 
 Then the stock was divided, and IMr. Rodenbrock 
 removed his portion to the store where he is at 
 present located; viz., upon the northwest corner of 
 Central avenue and Twelfth street. From that time 
 until the present success has continued, to attend 
 him, and to-day it were, perhaps, not beyond the 
 bounds of truth to say that he is one of. if not the 
 most, solid and successful business men in the city. 
 
 There are few better able to appreciate the 
 felicitous pleasures and quiet healthfulness of home, 
 and it was the good fortune of our subject in select- 
 ing a partner in life to make such decision as as- 
 sured him in the companionship of his wife all that 
 could be desired for that sacred relationship. On 
 the 4th of September, 1873, Mr. Rodenbrock and 
 Miss Lena Kregel were united in holy matrimony. 
 This estimable lady was born in Claj'ton County, 
 
 "•►HI 
 
t 
 
 ••^ 
 
 •^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 153 
 
 Iowa, and is the daughter of Henry and Mary Kre- 
 gel, both natives of Germany. There have been 
 born to our subject six ciiildren, whose bright 
 vivacity and merriment have made his home more 
 inviting and happy than any otlier place to him, 
 and, as they are developing traits of character and 
 mental powers that promise much, there is doubt- 
 less a bright and happy future 3'et in store for both 
 them and their parents. The names they have re- 
 ceived are Amanda, Minnie, Henry, also Laura and 
 Lewis, twins, and a baby unnamed. 
 
 Before closing this compendium mention might 
 be made for the encouragement of those readers 
 who may be beginning life, of some indicators of 
 the success that has crowned the efforts of our sub- 
 ject. In addition to his business house Mr. Roden- 
 brock has erected a large two-story building on 
 the southeast corner of Central avenue and Twelfth 
 street, upon a site of 50x60 feet: also another, if 
 anything more handsome in its exterior and com- 
 plete in its internal arrangements; this likewise is a 
 two-story building, upon the southwest corner of 
 Central and Eleventh streets, and having an elegant 
 front on Central avenue of 100 feet. 
 
 The early religious connection of our subject was 
 with the Lutheran Church of his native country, 
 and to this he has continued his adherence, and, 
 with his wife and family, is numbered among its 
 most firm adherents and hearty supporters. In 
 questions civic and governmental he is usualty 
 found voting with the Republican party, which 
 recognizes in him an oft-tried and stanch friend. 
 As a citizen, he is ever read^' to aid and support 
 in every way possible every enterprise, project or 
 plan that will assure the people of the city, precinct 
 or county any improvement, privilege or progress. 
 
 ?RED DUERSCHNER, the pastor of the St. 
 Paul's Lutheran Church, of Rock Creek, is 
 a gentleman of fine capabilities, good edu- 
 cation, and more than ordinarily intelligent. He 
 assumed charge of this parish in July, 1882, and in 
 the discharge of his duties has acquitted himself in 
 that creditable manner which has secured for him 
 the confidencie an,d este.epa of all with whom he has 
 
 associated. The jDarish at this time comprises thirty 
 families, an increase from eighteen since the time 
 the present pastor became connected with it. He 
 also conducts the school in connection with the 
 church, having an average attendance of about 
 forty students. 
 
 Mr. Duersehner was born at Galena, 111, Dec. 
 27, 18(31, and completed his education in the 
 seminary at Mendota. The main secret of his suc- 
 cess has been his deep interest in his work, laboring 
 conscientiously and faithfully for the best good of 
 his people. His father, Rev. C. Duersehner, was a 
 native of the Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, 
 whence he emigrated to the United States when a 
 young man, and completed his studies in the Uni- 
 versity of Iowa, soon afterward entering the minis- 
 try and devoting the remainder of his life to the 
 service of the churcli. He, however, only lived to 
 be middle aged, his death occurring about 1878, in 
 Illinois, at the .age of fortj'-five years. 
 
 The mother of our subject was in her girlhood 
 Miss Catherine Hammerand, also a native of Bava- 
 ria, and who came to America iu her girlhood, set- 
 tling with her parents in Iowa. She is still living, 
 making her home in Pyrmont, Mo., with her son 
 John, and has about attained her threescore years. 
 
 Our subject is one of the younger tnembers of a 
 family of five sons and one daughter born to his 
 parents. His brother John, also a minister of the 
 Lutheran Church, stationed at Pyrmont, and him- 
 self, are the only ones living. Frederick H., like his 
 brothers, pursued his studies in the common schools 
 of Galena, 111., where he prepared himself for 
 his college course. Ujwn reaching manhood he 
 was married, at Wilton, Iowa, Oct. 13.4I886, to 
 Miss Sophia List, who was born in Madison, Wis., 
 Sept. 14, 1864. Mrs. Duersehner is the daughter 
 of John and Wilhelmina (Hahnen) List, who are 
 now residents of Wilton, Iowa, and the father a 
 minister of the Lutheran Church. They were na- 
 tives of the German Empire, the father of Bavaria 
 and the mother of Wurtemberg, and came to the 
 United States in early youth, and were married in 
 Des Moines County, Iowa. Mr. List is a minister 
 also warmly' devoted to his work, and is the means 
 of doing much good in his communit3\ 
 
 Mrs. Duersehner was carefully trained and edu- 
 •► 
 
"4^ 
 
 154 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 i 
 
 cated, and is amply fitted to be the companion and 
 helpmate of her husband. She is a favorite in 
 church and social circles, and the little household 
 has been brightened by the birth of one child, a 
 daughter Tilly. Their home is very pleasantly sit- 
 uated, and is an attractive resort for the many 
 friends thej' have gathered about them. 
 
 lEORGE W. DOANE. The farming and 
 stocli-raising interests of Otoe Countj' have 
 a lively representative in the subject of this 
 sketch, who owns 280 acres of fine land on the 
 southeast corner of section 4, Soutli Branch Pre- 
 cinct. He evidently has made the most of his ex- 
 periences as an agriculturist, and in reward for his 
 thrift and industry is surrounded by all the com- 
 forts of life with many of its luxuries, and with an 
 ample competence for his old ag^. 
 
 Our subject is a native of Penobscot County, Me., 
 and the son of Joshua and Rachel (Hayden) Doane, 
 who were also born in the Pine Tree State. The 
 father was a farmer by occupation, but in the fall 
 of 1849 left his own rugged hills for the more pro- 
 ductive lands of Dane County, Wis. Near the land 
 upon which he located in the pioneer daj-s the town 
 of Stoughton finally grew up, and he lived to see the 
 country around him developed from its first wild, 
 uncultivated condition to that of a prosperous com- 
 munity of civilized people. He is still living near 
 Stoughton, having now arrived at the advanced age 
 of eighty years, and for a long period has been a 
 devoted member of the Baptist Church. The 
 mother died at the old homestead in the spring of 
 1886, at the age of seventy-four. 
 
 The parental household included ten children, 
 namely: Hiram, Nelson, George W. (our subject), 
 Rozella; Hannah and Charles (deceased); Jeremiah, 
 Ellen, Luke and Louisa (deceased). Hiram, Nel- 
 son and Charles during the late war served as Union 
 soldiers, and frequently' met the enem}' in the smoke 
 of battle. Hiram was wounded at the battle of 
 Chickamauga, and Nelson was wounded in the neck 
 at Pittsburg. Both recovered, however, and are now 
 in Wisconsin. The other surviving members of the 
 family are also residents of Wisconsin. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born Dec. 4, 1837, 
 and was a lad twelve years of age when his parents 
 removed to Wisconsin. He attended the common 
 schools, and spent his boyhood and youth after the 
 manner of most farmers' sons, becoming familiar 
 with the various emploj'ments of rural life. Upon 
 reaching his majority he began farming for himself 
 not far from the old homestead, and was thus oc- 
 cupied until 1865. Then, crossing the Mississippi 
 he came to this State, making the journey overland 
 with teams, and homesteading 160 acres of land, 
 settled upon it and began the improvements which 
 now reflect in such an admirable manner upon his 
 industry and enterprise. He has brought the en- 
 tire tract to a productive condition, planted a grove 
 of Cottonwood trees, and has an orchard three acres 
 in extent, besides the smaller fruits. The land is 
 watered by a living stream, and stocked with good 
 grades of cattle, horses, etc. He purchased the ad- 
 ditional 120 acres in the spring of 1883. He is 
 fond of fine horses, and has an interest in the valua- 
 ble full-blood Norman "Romulus" imported. 
 
 The lad}' who has presided over the domestic 
 affairs of our subject with wise and prudent fore- 
 thought for the last twenty-nine years, was in her 
 girlhood Miss Frances Wheeler, and became his 
 wife in Dane County, Wis., Feb. 27, 1859. Mrs. 
 Doane is the daughter of Henry and Sarah (Kelley) 
 Wheeler, natives of New Hampshire, and the father 
 is a shoemaker by trade. They left New England 
 for Wisconsin about 1853, settling in Stoughton, 
 where the father died in 1864. The mother is still 
 living, and makes her home with her daughter in 
 South Branch, Otoe Co., Neb. Mrs. Doane is their 
 only living child, and was born in Sutton, N. H., Feb. 
 8,1840. She is now the mother of five children — 
 Arthur N., Halsey A., Henry E., Elva and Charles. 
 Arthur married Miss Jane Reed, resides in Knox 
 County, and is the father of one child, a son, Alfred. 
 Halsey married Miss Sylvia Jones, is also farming 
 in Knox County, and is the father of one child, a 
 daughter, Hope. The other children remain at 
 home with their parents. 
 
 Mr. Doane cast his first Presidential vote for 
 Abraham Lincoln, and is an ardent supporter of 
 Republican principles. Both he and his estimable 
 wife are members in good standing of the Presby- 
 
 ^ 
 
OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 157 
 
 ^h 
 
 tei'ian Church, attending at Hopewell. Mr. D. has 
 been a member of the School Board since the forma- 
 tion of the district, and Road Supervisor a number 
 of j'ears. He is warmly interested in the success of 
 the temperance cause, and a member of tiie society 
 in South Branch. He has built up a record of an 
 honest man and a good citizen, one who enjoys in 
 a marked degree the esteem and confidence of his 
 community. 
 
 -i^^' 
 
 ^^^EORGE F. LEE, whose portrait is presented 
 (if '^ *^" ^^^ opposite page, is well known in this 
 ^^4 section of the countrj'. not on!}- as a pioneer 
 of Otoe County, who has been identified with its 
 agrieidtural interests for many years, but also as a 
 true Christian gentleman, tiian which no higher 
 praise can be bestowed. Bj' his influence and ex- 
 ample he has done much to el'jvate the moral, so- 
 cial and religious status of the community where 
 he resides. He has borne an honorable part in the 
 public affairs of his adopted county, serving as its 
 rejiresentative in the Territorial Legislature of 1858, 
 as County Commissioner for three years, and he 
 was Justice of the Peace for Otoe Precinct for six- 
 teen J'ears. He is now living a somewhat more retired 
 life in one of the pleasantest homes in Otoe Pre- 
 cinct, where he has a valuable farm, from vvhicli, 
 under his able and skillful management, he derives 
 an ample income. 
 
 Mr. Lee is of Kew England origin and ancestry, 
 having been born in the town of Guilford, New 
 Haven Co., Conn., Dec. K!, 1830. His father, p:ii 
 Lee, and his grandfather, Eber Lee, were both 
 natives of that town, and of English descent. His 
 grandfather was a farmer in his native State, and 
 alwaj's followed that pursuit. He spent his last 
 years witli iiis only daughter, in Meriden, Conn., 
 and died at the advanced age of ninety-four years. 
 
 The father of our sul)ject was reared and mar- 
 ried in his native town, Lydia Everts, a native of 
 Killingworth, Conn., becoming his wife. In 1833 
 Mr. Lee left his old New England home with ills 
 familjr to take up his abode in Ohio. They traveled 
 by water to New York, thence up the Hudson to 
 Troy, from there to Buffalo on the Erie Canal, and 
 from there by lake to Cleveland. Mr. Lee l)ouglit 
 
 <• 
 
 a tract of limber land in Twinsburg, Cuj-ahoga 
 (now Summit) County, built a small frame house to 
 shelter his family, and at once entered upon the 
 task of improving a farm. There were no rail- 
 ways there then, and Cleveland, twenty miles dis- 
 tant, was the nearest market. In 1847 he sold his 
 place there and removed to Hiram, where he invested 
 in village property, and resided there and in his na- 
 tive State man}' years. In 1862 he came to Ne- 
 braska, and made his home with our subject until 
 his death, in 1876. His wife had preceded him to 
 the better world during their residence in Twins- 
 burg, in 1842. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was two and one-half 
 years old when his parents moved to Ohio, and he 
 continued to live with his father until his sixteenth 
 year. He then went to reside with a farmer for 
 two and a half years. He was a bright, thoughtful 
 youth, and early evinced a strong thirst for knowl- 
 edge, which was at the end of that time gratified 
 by his admission to the High School, which he at- 
 tended for two years. He was an earnest student, 
 and he afterward entered the academy at Brockport. 
 N. Y., where he pursued a course for six months. 
 He thus secured an excellent education, and, re- 
 turning to his native State, engaged in teaching in 
 the winter and in farming in the summer until 1854. 
 He then turned his attention to the trade of car- 
 penter, which he followed until 1856. In September 
 of that year he came to Nebraska by way of the 
 railw.ay to St. Louis, and thence bj' boat up the 
 ISIissouri to Otoe City. Here he soon found em- 
 l>loyment at his trade, and in the same fall made a 
 claim to the southwest quarter of section 13, Otoe 
 Precinct. He erected a small frame house, and in 
 the spring of 1857 his wife joined him, and they 
 settled on the place and commenced to improve a 
 farm. They resided there until 1872, and in the 
 meantime he had bought the place where he now 
 resides, and in that year built the house he now oc- 
 cupies. It is a tasty, modern frame structure, ve- 
 neered with brick. He also erected a conveniently 
 arranged frame barn, and other substantial farm 
 buildings. All his buildings are octagon in shape. 
 His farm comprises 160 acres of well-improved 
 land, with a good supply of fruit. 
 
 Mr. Lee was uiiirried, April 17, 1855, to Miss 
 
 -►jH^ 
 
!i^^lr-4» 
 
 158 
 
 otop: county. 
 
 Betsey W. Strong, who was born in New Hartford. 
 Conn., in 1835. Her family since early Colonial 
 times had been residents of Connecticut. Her 
 father, Edward W. Strong, was born in the same 
 town as herself. May 18, 1804, being the date of 
 his birth. His father, Elijah Strong, was born in 
 Coventry, Conn., in 1776, and his father, likewise 
 named Elijah, was, it is thought, born near New 
 Coventry, Conn., and spent his last j'ears in New 
 Hartford. Mrs. Lee's grandfather was reared in his 
 native State, and there married to Betsy W. Sadd, 
 a daughter of Noah Sadd. She w!is, it is thought, 
 born in East Windsor, Conn., and she died in the 
 village of New Hartford. March 4, 1821. Mr. 
 Strong was a carpenter by trade, and later became 
 a farmer. He was a good singer, and during the 
 winter seasons taught a singing-school in the county. 
 He died in New Hartford, Conn., Sept. 1, 18n0. 
 
 Mrs. Lee's father was reared and married in Con- 
 necticut, and removed from there to Nevv York in 
 1847. He took up his residence in Beekmantowu' 
 where he worked at the cabinet-maker's trade for 
 several years. He then moved to Highgate. Vt., 
 and made his home there until 1874, when he came 
 to Nebraska, and spent his last years with Mrs. Lee, 
 dying Jan. 24, 1886. The maiden name of his wife 
 was Sally A. Shepard ; she was born in New Hartford, 
 March 19, 1802, and died in the same place March 
 16,1842. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Lee 
 was Alvin Shepard, and he was born in New Hart- 
 ford, Conn., Nov. 30, 1773, a son of Daniel and 
 Jerusha (Ensign) Shepard. He was a wood-turner 
 by trade, but he subsequently became a fur dealer, 
 going as far north as Montreal for his stock. Later 
 in life he settled on a small farm near New Hart- 
 ford, and died there May 3, 1854. The maiden 
 name of his wife, Mrs. Lee's grandmother, was 
 Sevila Holcomb. She was born in Granb3% Hart- 
 ford Co., Conn., and died on the home farm near 
 New Hartford, in August, 1836. 
 
 Mr. Lee has been an interested witness of the 
 growth and progress of Otoe County almost from 
 the very beginning of its settlement by the white 
 men. When he first came here the land had not 
 come into market, and the settlements were confined 
 to the streams. The first settlers had taken up the 
 timber land, thinking that the most valuable, and 
 
 most of the land was held by squatters who were 
 read}^ to sell their claims, whenever opportunity 
 occurred, fpr from two to three times what the 
 Government charged for it. The country round 
 about was in a state of almost primeval wildness. 
 Deer were plentiful, and wild turkeys and prairie 
 chickens furnished many a delicious meal for the 
 pioneers. No railways penetrated the Territory 
 for some years, and steamers were constantly plying 
 on the river. Our subject and his fellow-pioneers 
 ma3' well be proud that they have assisted in the 
 development of such a grand and noble State as 
 the Nebraska of to-day, from the sparsely settled, 
 wild Territorj' of less than thirty years ago. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Lee are .active and influential 
 members of the Congregational Church, he having 
 joined in Ohio and she in Connecticut. They were 
 charter members of the church in Nebraska City, 
 and were active in securing the establishment of 
 the church in their own neighborhood. They helped 
 U) organize the church, and he has been Deacon, 
 Trustee and Treasurer, and Superintendent of the 
 Sund.ay -school for manj' years. Mr. Lee is a strong 
 temperance man, and so firmly believes that the 
 temperance question is one of the great issues of 
 the day that he carries it into politics like many 
 others of his fellow-countrymen, and, whereas he 
 was formerly for many years a Republican, he is 
 now a Prohibitionist. Mr. Lee is Secretary' of the 
 Camp Creek Cemetery Association, and he has been 
 connected with it in some official capacity since its 
 organization in 1866. The cemetery_was at that 
 time laid out on a part of his farm. It is beau- 
 tifully located on the southwest quarter of sec- 
 tion 13, on a rise of ground that secures good 
 drainage. It is tastefully laid out. and is indeed a 
 lovely resting-place for the dead, and, with its sad 
 and sacred associations, a hallowed spot for the 
 living. 
 
 'jl^-^ best known and respected names in Mc- 
 ^^^ Williams Precinct, we had almost said in the 
 county, and the gentleman who bears it is one of 
 the most enterprising and successful farmers in the 
 district, and also one of the most extensive stock- 
 
•^f^ 
 
 ^^ ^ 1 ■<. 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 169 
 
 raisers within the confines of Otoe County. He has 
 lived in that precinct since the year 1863, and 
 bouglit his land when the settlements made in the 
 precinct might liave been ahnost counted upon the 
 fingers. He is one of the busy worl^ers who seem 
 never to tire of toil, alw.iys planning or executing, 
 and here lies the secret of his success, if it be but 
 understood and borne in mind that a bright, keen 
 intelligence has directed him in his efforts. 
 
 Capt. Pahde first purchased 320 acres on sections 
 13 and 24, building his residence on the former sec- 
 tion, on the North Branch of Nemaha Creek. He 
 first lived in a log cabin, and continued to live in 
 it for nine years. It is still in good preservation, 
 and stands upon the original site. After that time 
 it gave place to a better and moi« commodious 
 structure, and he now has one of the best residences 
 in the county, a large two-story brick house, with 
 basement and all other buildings in keeping. His 
 farm and ranch include over 700 acres of excellent 
 land for his purposes, all being splendidl}' culti- 
 vated or otherwise improved. He has already 
 given away to his children some 300 acres, aud at 
 onetime owned over 1,000 acres in this county 
 alone. 
 
 Previous to coming to Talmage our subject had 
 lived in Gasconade County, Mo., for many years, 
 in fact for the greater part of the time since he 
 came to the United States, and also for a short 
 time in the States of Illinois and Iowa. Until 
 he came liere he had followed agriculture, and 
 owned 280 acres of land in Gasconade County. 
 He was born in Westphalia. Germany, on the 14th 
 of December, 1808. His father, Zacliariah Pahde, 
 was a farmer, and had been from his youth. He 
 died at the Age of sixt3'-six years. The maiden 
 name of his wife was Charlotta Overwertmann; she 
 also attained the same advanced age. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was the eldest of four 
 children born to his parents. He came to the United 
 States two years before his brother August, who 
 died later in Franklin County, after he had been 
 married but a few years, leaving two children. 
 When twenty years of age our subject enlisted in 
 the German Arm}-, and continued in the service for 
 three years, and was retained as a militiaman until 
 he came to the United States in the year 1838. lie 
 
 landed upon American soil on New Year's Day, 
 after a voyage in the sailing-vessel '-Joanna," 
 under charge of Capt. Minard Master. The trip 
 lasted eight weeks and two days, and entered the 
 port of New Orleans as above mentioned. 
 
 Upon starting life in this country our subject 
 first proceeded up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, 
 Mo. ; the first three years he traveled around the 
 country, working in different places as a farm la- 
 borer. At the end of that period he was married, 
 and then settled in Gasconade County, and worked 
 at teaming for about five years, when he bought his 
 first land comprising 120 acres, upon which he 
 lived until he came to this State, but not until after 
 he had, at the outbreak of the war, raised a com- 
 pany of German citizens which was called Company 
 J, and attached to the o4th Missouri Infantry. Of 
 this company lie was commissioned Captain on the 
 25th of August, 1862, and remained in command 
 until the latter part of the year 1863, when, owing 
 to a little difficulty with Col. Jail who was in com- 
 mand, he resigned h's commission and left the regi- 
 ment. Shortly after returning home he received a 
 request from a daughter who was living in this 
 State, which led liira hither. 
 
 The record of our subject as a military man is 
 that of a careful, but brave and daring soldier. His 
 former experiences in his native country had done 
 much to help him in service here. The principles 
 that have governed his whole life controlled him 
 while in the army. He made many friends, and was 
 held in much respect by his men. 
 
 Capt. Pahde was married in Franklin County, 
 Mo., in the year 1842, the lady of his choice being 
 Miss Henrietta Krute. She also was born in West- 
 phalia, and came to the United States .alone in 183U. 
 She was brought up and educated in her native 
 country, and throughout her life manifested the 
 results and fruit of her home training. She died 
 at her home in this precinct, in 1888. She was then 
 seventy-three years, four months and ten days old. 
 Nine children had come to call her mother, three 
 of whom are now deceased, viz: Henry, Frederick 
 and Maria H. The surviving children bear the 
 following names: Louisa Charlotte, now the wif^ 
 of Menrj' Damma, of McVVilliams Precinct; Freder- 
 icka W., wife of Henry U. Demme, of Wayne 
 
 ■> 
 
 t- 
 
H.= 
 
 4^ 
 
 i^lr 
 
 160 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Conntj', Neb. ; Catherina, wife of William Nemann, 
 of Johnson County; John H., one of the prosperous 
 farmers of ISIcWiJIiams Precinct; Charlotte H., 
 now Mrs. William Hustmann ; John F., Jr., who is 
 the husband of Louisa Batters, of this precinct. 
 Each member of this family is strongly attached to 
 the German Evangelical Church, and they have 
 been members of the same from their j'outh. 
 
 Our subject is one of the stanch and doughty 
 supporters of the Republican party, and does not 
 feel right excepting when doing his utmost to ad- 
 vance the interests of the party when active worlc 
 is required, as in the time of campaigns. He is en- 
 ergetic in such undertakings, and alwajs works in 
 a truly loyal and patriotic spirit. 
 
 -^=^€^^4+4- 
 
 WIGHT A. PLYMPTOX. This gentle- 
 man is a worthy representative of a familj^ 
 jjgji^^ that has had every occasion to be i)roud 
 of its lineage, descent and name. He is a 
 very highl}' esteemed citizen and prosperous farmer 
 on the southwest quarter of section 17, South 
 Brancli Precinct. Frederick Plympton, the grand- 
 father of our subject, was born in Massac liusetts, 
 and was one of the prominent citizens in the clos- 
 ing decades of the last century and the early part 
 of the present. His son Frederick, the father of 
 our subject, was born in Sturbridge. 3Iass.. in the 
 year 1790. He served in the AVar of 1812 on the 
 Canadian frontier. The cliosen occupation of his 
 life was that of a shoemaker, which he carried on 
 for several years in Utica, N. Y. He became the 
 husband of Maiy Jones, who was born in Rutland, 
 Vt., in 1795, after which they removed to Catta- 
 raugus County, N. Y., where they made their home 
 until 1847. The subsequent four or five years 
 found them in Wood County, W. Ya. In 185.5 
 he settled on a piece of land in Clear Lake, 
 Steuben Co., Ind., where the motlierof our sub- 
 ject died Sept. 15, 1855; the father came to Ne- 
 braska in 1862 to live with his son Dwight, and 
 here he made his home until his death, which oc- 
 curred Jan. 14, 1875. 
 
 The family of which our subject was a meml3er 
 included three children, he being the eldest; i\Iar- 
 
 guerette L. and Benjamin J. He was born in Burton. 
 Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., on the 28th of May, 1829. 
 He continued at home with his father until he at- 
 tained his majority. After leaving school, which he 
 was not privileged to attend for long and the opf M-- 
 tunities of which were-quite limited, he went with liis 
 parents to Ohio. In 1852 the removal was made to 
 Clinton Connty. Iowa, where 1 60 acres of land were 
 purchased in 1863. He did not do the farming 
 work himself, but was in the employ of the Sioux 
 Indian Agency, and continued thus for two years. 
 Then he moved to Keokuk County and engaged in 
 farming for about four j'ears. 
 
 In 1870 our subject came to this county, filed on 
 forty acres of land near Palmyra, but staid there 
 less than two years. He then went back to Nebraska 
 City, and purchased eighty acres of land in its vicin- 
 ity. There he continued farming until 1882, and 
 then bought his present property of 160 acres, which 
 he has thoroughly' improved by buildings, orchards, 
 shade trees, hedging, fencing, residence, etc. All 
 this work has been done in a very thorough and 
 perfect manner, with a view both to utility, dura- 
 tion, and as far as such was possil)le the beauty of 
 effect and finish. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Plj-mpton was celebrated in 
 Keokuk County, Iowa, on the 16th of February. 
 1865. He then received in marriage the hand of Abi- 
 gal Badger, who was born in Oakland County, Mich., 
 on the 8th of February. 1844, to Lester S. and 
 Saphronia H. (Rockwell) Plympton, both of whom 
 were natives of New York State. The calling of 
 her father was that of farming; his death occurred 
 when he was sixty-nine j'ears of age, in Iowa, in 
 1864. Her mother, who is still living, and at the 
 age of seventy-four, is now making her home in 
 California with her son Ralph, who is a Jlethodist 
 minister. She is the mother of thirteen children, 
 whose names are recorded as follows: John, an in- 
 fant deceased and unnamed, Hulda, David, .Juliet, 
 Abigal, Mariett, Rensellaer, Lj'dia, Armina, Clar- 
 rie, Charles and Sherman. David served through 
 the late war in the 18th Iowa Infantry, serving 
 chiefly in INIissouri and Arkansas. 
 
 Four cliildren liave come to. bless the union of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Plympton, who bear the following 
 names: Ethel, Frederick D., Robert M. and Saphro- 
 
 ■•►^1- 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 m ill 
 
 nia ]\I. Ethel is happily married to James R. Colon, 
 a farmer in Thomas Count^N Kan., and is the motlier 
 of one child, Elmer R. Mrs. Pl3-mpton is at pres- 
 ent Postmistress in Burr Oak, and lias held the 
 position since 1885. 
 
 Our sul)ject and wife are members in good stand- 
 ing of the South Russell Baptist Church. They are 
 held in high esteem b}^ the people of the district, 
 and are much liked by all who know them. Politi- 
 cally, Mr. Plympton is and has always been a stanch 
 friend of Democratic principles, and usuallj' in- 
 dorses its actions of diplomatic policy, supporting 
 it b}- his influence and ballot. 
 
 ^ ^>#. ^ 
 
 ^^^-^RED DEUTSCH. Among the respected Ger- 
 
 P;i man-American citizens of McWilliams Pre- 
 cinct our subject occupies an honorable 
 position. He is very successful as a farmer and 
 stock-raiser, and operates 160 acres of land on sec- 
 tion 34. His land is well improved and provided 
 with the various buildings, etc., necessar3^ for his 
 work. He has lived upon his present farm since 
 the year 1871, and has made the propert3^ what it is. 
 
 Mr. Deutsch came to this place from Lee County, 
 Iowa, which had been his home for twenty years, 
 and had been engaged in farming for the greater 
 part of the time. He was born in the Rhine Prov- 
 ince of B>'ronne, Germanj% in the ^-ear 1822. His 
 father, John Deutsch, was a prosperous German 
 fariT-er. He died at the age of fifty-five 3'ears, in 
 his native land, as did his wife, although she at- 
 tained the riper age of sevent3' years before her 
 demise. The maiden name of the mother of our 
 subject was Lena Bear. 
 
 Our subject was one of a large family; he lived 
 with his parents in the old country home until he 
 was about twenty j-ears of age, when he came to 
 this country and located in Lee Count3-, where, 
 May 8, 1851, he was married to Miss Lena Hers- 
 tein, whose birthplace was almost identical with 
 that of her husband. vShe was born on the 1st of 
 Ma3', 1821, to Christ and Mary (Gable) Herstein, 
 both of whom died in Germany, about middle life. 
 Mrs. Deutsch was reared by certain members of the 
 Mennonite faitli, who nlso instructed our subject. 
 
 She came to this countr3' when thirty 3'ears old, and 
 with other of her acquaintances settled in Lee 
 County. She has been a true and faithful wife and 
 noble woman, receiving the highest regard of her 
 friends and neighbors and warmest affection of her 
 husband and family. She is the mother of nine 
 children, of whom five are now dead, viz: John, 
 who was married . to Minnie Brehmn, who is also 
 deceased; the3" were the parents of two children — 
 Williain F. and Lydia. The next child was Katie, 
 who died at the age of twent3'-one years; Mar3^, 
 whose demise occurred when she was seventeen 
 mouths old; Fred, who died when seven months 
 old, and Jacob, when an infant of six weeks. 
 The names of the living members of the famil3' are: 
 Lizzie, now Mrs. Herman Wendel, of Talmage; 
 Mar3', wife of Frank Me3'er (see sketch of this gen- 
 tleman); Anna and Fred. 
 
 In the 3'ear 1843, when about twent3'-one 3- ears 
 of age, and before his marriage, Mr. Deutsch, with 
 a few companions, started out with an ox-team to 
 explore the country west of the Missouri River, 
 and traveled a considerable distance west of the 
 Platte River, where the3' met the western explorer, 
 Gen. John C. Fremont. The memory of our sub- 
 ject supplies man3' pleasing recollections and recalls 
 numerous experiences connected with this trip, one 
 of the happiest being connected with this meeting. 
 The3' did not stop on their western journe3' until 
 the3' reached the Pacific Slope and had gone through 
 Oregon. In the sjjring of the following 3rear the 
 little band of thirt3'-six returned to Iowa, taking 
 the journe3' on horseback. It was then that he de- 
 termined to secure a home, which he has never re- 
 gretted doing. 
 
 Li^«jHEODORE R. FRERICHS, Cashier of the 
 (fn^^ Bank of Talmage, which is a State Bank, is, 
 *^^^ with the President, Peter Berlet, Esq., the 
 successor of James Sweet & Co., who disposed of 
 their interests iu this institution in the fall of 1885. 
 It is now successfully operated under a capital of 
 $20,000. with a surplus of 14,000, and is numbered 
 among the leading institutions of its kind in South- 
 ern Nebraska. The present management is ac- 
 
 '^^ 
 
1= 
 
 ^.^h- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 credited with honesty and forethought, and the 
 bank is patronized b}' the best business raen and 
 farmers on the southern line of the county. 
 
 The subject of this sketch came to Talmage from 
 Nebraska City five years ago, and soon afterward 
 was taken into the employ of James Sweet & Co. 
 In consideration of strict attention to his duties, 
 and the unquestioned honesty which has marked his 
 career, he was chosen cashier under the former 
 management, in which position he has been retained. 
 He commenced his business career as a mercantile 
 clerk in Nebraska Cit}', of which he was a resident 
 two years. 
 
 The native place of our subject, however, was in 
 the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, Germany, where 
 he first opened his eyes to the light Jan. 20, 1859. 
 At the age of twenty-one years he emigrated to 
 America. He was the youngest child of his parents, 
 whose family consisted of five sons and one daugh- 
 ter. The father, Frederick F. Frerichs. followed 
 the trade of a shoemaker successfully, and died in 
 his native Province in 1873, at the age of fifty-six 
 years. In accordance with the laws of his country 
 he had given a service of three years to the German 
 Army before his marriage. His wife, the mother 
 of our subject, was in her girlhood Miss Talka 
 Teten, a native of the same Province as her hus- 
 band, and of pure German ancestrj'. Slie is now a 
 resident of the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, and is 
 sixty-four years of age. 
 
 The brothers and sister of our subject are natives 
 mostly of Germany. Theodore R., like them, was 
 given a good education, and at the age of fourteen 
 years commenced learning the confectionery trade, 
 but did not follow it after setting foot upon Amer- 
 ican soil. He readily acquired American customs 
 and the English language, the latter especially, be- 
 ing now able to read, write and talk with great 
 fluenc3'. After becoming a resident of Talmage he 
 was married, Nov. 28, 1883, to Miss Mary Teten, a 
 native of his own country, also born in the Grand 
 Duchj' of Oldenburg, 'on the 8th of June, 1865. 
 She was brought to this country by her parents, 
 Herman J. and Talca Mary (Kruse) Teten, when a 
 child two years of age. They located in Rock 
 Creek Precinct, this county, settling upon a tract of 
 prairie land, from which the father built up a good 
 
 homestead and where the parents lived until the 
 spring of 1879. Thence they removed to Barton 
 Count}', Kan., find are now living at their ease in 
 the village of Albert. 
 
 Mrs. Frerichs was reared to womanhood in this 
 county and was educated in the common schools. 
 Of her union with our subject there have been 
 born two sons and one daughter — Richard T., Her- 
 man A. and Pearl A. Mr. and Mrs. F. began the 
 journey of life together in Talmage, where thej' 
 have lived since their marriage, and have gathered 
 around them many friends. Our subject, politicall}-, 
 is an earnest supporter of Republican principles, 
 and for three years has lieen Village Treasurer, also 
 Treasurer of the School Board. He takes kindly to 
 the institutions of his adopted country-, having be- 
 come thoroughly Americanized and identified with 
 its interests. He has kept his eyes open to what 
 was going on around him in the world, and is fast 
 attaining to the position of a leading citizen in 
 his community. 
 
 Tp«) I'ZENIUS WILHELM, the owner of a farm 
 Ife] of 320 acres on section 25, Belmont Pre- 
 '} ' — --^ cinct, was born in Saxony, Prussia, on the 3d 
 of May, 1817, to Anton and Ephie Wilhelm. Our 
 subject was brought up and educated in his na- 
 tive place, and came to the United States in 1837. 
 Upon arriving at New York he made his way to 
 Philadelphia, where he remained for about one year, 
 and then went to Indiana, and from that State, 
 later, proceeded to New Orleans, where he contin- 
 ued for four years, working at his trade, which was 
 that of a carpenter. Leaving New Orleans our 
 subject went to Atchison County, Mo., in the year 
 1841, and from there in 1850 to California, where 
 he was mining gold for four years, after which he 
 returned to Missouri, and in the fall of 1855 came 
 to this county, which presented a very different 
 appearance to what it does at present. 
 
 On the site of Nebraska City at the time Mr. 
 Wilhelm arrived there was nothing excepting the 
 old empty dismantled fort and a few log cabins, 
 but very shortly after building began and settlers 
 arrived. Our subject has been a very hard worker, 
 
 ■► 
 
 r 
 
»► J l ^ »- 
 
 ••► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 163 
 
 and has been largely connected with the lumber 
 and milling interests. He put up the first steam 
 sawmill in Nebraska City, and was the first to saw 
 lumber by the aid of steam in that city, if not, in- 
 deed, in the State. He continued to run the mill 
 for about twenty years, and made a large amount 
 of money there. He settled ui)on his present farm 
 in 1870, but had owned it since 1862, and gradually 
 improved it as he found opportunity. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was married, in Janu- 
 arj^, 1837, to Martha Herget, who, like himself, is 
 a native of Prussia. Six children have been born 
 to them, but only two are now living, viz: Mary 
 and John. Mary married Gust ISIitchner. of Rock 
 Creek Precinct, and has five children, whose names 
 are as follows: William, Henry, Rosa, Josephine 
 and Mary. Jolin married Eva Warton, and lives 
 in Four Mile Precinct, and the}' are the parents of 
 three children. 
 
 Mr. AVilhelm and his family are members of the 
 Catholic Church, and attend the services at Ne- 
 braska City. He has made whatever has attended 
 his life by simply continuous hard work and ex- 
 cellent thrift, in which he has always been assisted 
 by his excellent wife. Politically, he is a member 
 of the Democratic body, and votes the ticket pre- 
 sented by it. Mr. Wilhelm also has 320 acres of 
 good land in Palmyra Prucinct, this county. 
 
 --^-^^^^^^^^^^^^^'^^-^ 
 
 '\fJOSEPH DAVIS, well known among the 
 business men of Nebraska City, has offi- 
 ciated as night watchman around its leading 
 (^^' business houses for the past eight years. 
 This fact alone indicates his reliabilitj', and the 
 standing which he occupies in the community. He 
 has a remarkably pleasant home in the northwestern 
 part of tlie city, a neat dwelling handsomely fur- 
 nished, and presided over by a verj- estimable lady, 
 who has for some time carried on a very successful 
 dressmaking establishment, which is patronized by 
 the fashionable ladies of the city. 
 
 The subject of this sketcli was born on the farm 
 of his father near Madison villc. Ky., Nov. 11, 
 1838, and was there reared until a youth of seven- 
 teen years. He is the son of Joseph and Lucy 
 
 (Herrin) Davis, the former a native of South Caro- 
 lina and the latter of Scotland. The mother came 
 with her parents to the United States early in life, 
 and after their marriage Joseph and Lucy Davis 
 settled on a farm in Hopkins County, Ky., where 
 they spent the remainder of their lives. The father, 
 a slave-holder, carried on agriculture sucjessfully, 
 and died in 1869, at the age of seventy-seven years. 
 The mother preceded her husband to the silent 
 laud, her death taking place when she was scarcely 
 middle-aged, being forty years old. 
 
 Joseph Davis occupied his Kentucky homestead 
 for more than fifty years, and in the meantime drew 
 around him a large circle of friends and acquaint- 
 ances. The parental household included seven 
 children, namely: John, David, William D., Rob- 
 ert H., Verine, Daniel H. and Joseph. They were 
 given a common-school edueation, and Joseph, 
 upon leaving home, began an apprenticeship at the 
 blacksmith trade. The father was wealthy, but 
 Joseph realized that riches sometimes take wings, 
 and resolved to secure himself against future want 
 b\' becoming master of a trade. One spring, how- 
 ever, when work was very pressing, he overheated 
 himself, and at the same time was injured by a 
 horse which he was shoeing, and for a long time 
 afterward suffered a serious illness, which threat- 
 ened to place him in an early grave. 
 
 About this time the California gold fever was rag- 
 ing at its height, and young Davis, more in quest of 
 health than riches, determined to seek the Pacific 
 Slope. He set out in company with nineteen of 
 his acquaintances, and proceeded first to New York 
 City, whence they boarded a steamer, intending to 
 make the trip via the Isthmus of Panama. The 
 steamer became disabled before reaching her des- 
 tination, and was only able to proceed ver^' slowly, 
 during which time both passengers and crew were 
 almost starved. They, however, finally safely ar- 
 rived in San Francisco, and in due time the bracing 
 air of California had its desired effect upon our 
 subject, strengthening him to such an extent that 
 he was soon enabled to work in the mines. He pur- 
 chased a claim in the Placer diggings, which proved 
 very profitable, and became member of a stock 
 company of four, who labored together until late 
 in the season, and then retired into winter quarters, 
 
-4^ 
 
 161 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 with the agreement that each should appear promptly 
 on their respective claims April 2(1 of the following 
 spring. 
 
 This compact was, however, verj' difficult to 
 carry out, as the snowdrifts impeded the passage, 
 so that our subject was delayed a daj', not being 
 able to put in an appearance until April 3. He 
 found his claim taken by other parties, and thus I 
 lost it. He then turned his attention to mining in 
 other districts of California, where he continued 
 for a period of six j'ears with results quite satis- 
 factory. 
 
 Our subject, while a resident of California, made 
 tlie acquaintance of a charming young lady. Miss 
 Nellie McCallum, who became his wife Jan. 22, 
 1866. their marriage taking place on Vancouver's 
 Island. Afterward they took an extensive tour on 
 the Pacific Slope, traveling through California, 
 Oregon and Washington Territory, visiting the cit}' 
 of Portland and other important points, and finally 
 started for the old home of our subject in Kentucky. 
 Arriving there, Mr. Davis found his father seriously 
 ill, and he remained with him until his death, which 
 took place in October, 1867. 
 
 After this sad event Mr. and Mrs. Davis started 
 on the return trip to California, taking in St. Louis 
 and Nebraska City on the way. At this latter point 
 Mr. Davis was taken desperately ill with smallpox, 
 which for daj-s threatened his life, but he finally 
 recovered, about one month from the time of being 
 taken down, and then decided to tarry awhile in 
 this region. He accordingly purchased three lots 
 and a small house in the vicinity of his present 
 residence, and occupied himself as a painter, which 
 trade he had learned in California. He continued 
 at this a number of years with excellent results. 
 By writing he learned that his property had passed 
 out of his hands by default. He, however, resolved 
 to make the best of circumstances, and, by the as- 
 sistance of his excellent and sensible wife, has an 
 attractive and comfortable home and is surrounded 
 by the good things of life. The family residence, 
 which was put up by our subject in the summer of 
 1887, is a tasteful and substantial structure in the 
 midst of pleasant surroundings, and is in a choice 
 locality on Second avenue. 
 
 Mr. Davis, like all genuine Kentuckians, is a 
 
 great lover of good horses and cattle, and, although 
 living in the heart of the citj\ points with par- 
 donable pride to the inmates of his barn, which in- 
 clude some fine Jersey cows and a span of beautiful 
 and valuable horses. Our subject and his excellent 
 wife have no children of their own, but are per- 
 forming the part of kind parents to an adopted 
 daughter. Dora, who is now thirteen years of age. 
 Mr. Davis has an interest in some of the silver 
 mines of Colorado, from the proceeds of which he 
 realizes sufficiently to pay him for bis time and 
 trouble in looking after them. He is a man of de- 
 cided views, and a stanch supporter of Democratic 
 principles. 
 
 ^ OHN SCHMITZ, who is prominently known 
 throughout Rock Creek Precinct, is one of 
 its most successful and progressive farmers, 
 and the owner of 240 acres of valuable land, 
 which he has brought to a thorough state of culti- 
 vation. He has a set of substantial frame buildings, 
 including a dwelling, with barn and outhouses, an 
 orchard of apple trees and the smaller fruits, and 
 everything calculated for his own comfort and those 
 dependent upon him. 
 
 Mr. Schmitz came to Nebraska from Lorain 
 Count3', Ohio, of which he had been a resident for 
 a period of ten years. His native .State was Wis- 
 consin, and he was born in Jefferson Count}-, Oct. 
 14, 1842. While a young child, his parents removed 
 to Fond du Lac County, where he was reared and 
 educated, and whence he emigrated to Ohio after 
 reaching his majority. He came to this county 
 in the spring of 1874, locating on the land which 
 he now owns and occupies, and which he has trans- 
 formed from a tract of wild prairie land to one of 
 the best farms in the precinct. 
 
 Our subject is of substantial German ancestry, 
 being the son of Peter and Margret (Schneider) 
 Schmitz, who were natives of Germany, and are 
 now living in Rock Creek Precinct. The parental 
 household consisted of eight children, five of whom 
 are living, and making their homes in Otoe County. 
 John, after laying the foun<lation for a future home 
 of his own, was united in marriage with Miss Jo- 
 
 »^t 
 
m- 
 
 
 I [• 
 
 1 
 I 
 
h 
 
 t 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 167 
 
 <• 
 
 haniia Seifeit, a native of Prussia, who emigrated 
 to America with her parents when a young woman. 
 After setting foot upon American soil they came 
 directly to the West, and located at once in Rock 
 Creek Precinct, this county, where they are still 
 living in the enjoyment of a comfortable home, the 
 father successfully carrying on farming. 
 
 Mrs. Schmitz received an excellent education in 
 the German tongue, and has been the true helpmate 
 of her husband in all respects. She is a lady pos- 
 sessing many womanly virtues, intelligent as a com- 
 panion, methodical and careful as a housekeeper. 
 Of her union with our subject there have been born 
 two children: Henrj', born Dec. 6, 187.5, and Eman- 
 uel. Dec. 1, 1885. Mr. Schmitz, politically, votes 
 the straight Democratic ticket, and, vvith his excel- 
 lent wife, is a member in good standing of the Ger- 
 man Catholic Church, attending religious services 
 in Hock Creek Precinct. He is a member of the 
 School Board of his district, and is imbued with the 
 sentiments of his ancestry in regard to the thorough 
 education of the young. Asa farmer, he is thorough 
 and skillful, and as a business man, prompt to meet 
 his obligations, thus distinguishing himself as an 
 honest man and a good citizen, and, possessing these 
 qualities, is considered one of the most valued 
 members of his community. His farm is not only 
 a credit to himself but to this county, with whose 
 interests he has been identified now for a period of 
 thirteen years. 
 
 'if? OHN YONT. There are few more intelli- 
 gent and well-informed men in the farming 
 community of Rock Creek Precinct than the 
 subject of this sketch. In addition to the 
 tilling of the soil he is quite extensively engaged 
 in stock-raising, and has one of the finest home- 
 steads in the precinct. His property embraces 480 
 acres of land, on sections 27, 28, 33 and 34. The 
 homestead proper comprises the southeast quarter of 
 section 28, his first possession in this county, and is 
 supplied with first-class buildings. The residence 
 is particularly noticeable, being of a pleasing style 
 of architecture, handsomely furnished, and attract- 
 
 4* 
 
 ive in its surroundings. There is an abundance of 
 fruit and shade trees, and an apple orchard of 700 
 trees in good bearing condition. 
 
 Mr. Yont crossed the Mi.«sissippi in the spring of 
 1857, and lived one year in Des Moines County, 
 Iowa. He came to Nebraska in 1858, and on the 
 19th of July, 1859, secured his pre-emption claim, 
 although he did not take up his residence here until 
 ten years later. During tiie first four years of his 
 residence in Nebraska he worked by the month; 
 after that he bought a team and began freighting 
 across the plains from Nebraska City to various 
 points in the West, frequently going as far as Jules- 
 burg, Col. This business he followed about eight 
 years. In the meantime he became fully acquainted 
 with the dangers and difficulties of life on the fron- 
 tier, meeting all sorts of men, and frequently hav- 
 ing to use considerable strategy to keep out of 
 trouble. While camping out and keeping bachelor's 
 hall he also learned to be a good cook. He first 
 began the improvement of his farm in the spring 
 of 1871, putting up his first suljstantial building 
 that year. He had prior to this erected a shanty, 
 and made things as comfortable as possible until 
 he could do better. 
 
 Our subject, a native of Pennsylvania, was born 
 near the city of Pittsburgh, April 25, 1838. His 
 parents, John and Agatha (Derterly) Yont, were 
 natives of the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, 
 the father born in 1800. They were reared and 
 married in their native Province, and John Yont, 
 Sr., learned the trade of stonemason, which he fol- 
 lowed considerably, and also engaged in farming. 
 After coming to the United States the parents set- 
 tled in Pennsylvania, and the father occupied him- 
 self at his trade and at farming near the city of 
 Pittsburgh. He was prospered in his labors, and 
 made manj' friends among the people of his com- 
 munity. 
 
 The mother died there after having nearly at- 
 tained her threescore years. The father later joined 
 his son, our subject, in Nebraska, and died at the 
 home of the latter, Oct. 19, 1877, at the age of 
 seventy years. Both he and his excellent wife were 
 members in good standing of the Lutheran Church, 
 and the father for a time after coming to this coun- 
 try voted with the old Whig |)arty. Later, how- 
 
 ■<• 
 
ti 168 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ever, he identified himself with the Democracy, the 
 principles of which he supported until his death. 
 
 John Yont was the seventh child in a family of 
 three sons and seven daughters, of whom him- 
 self and three of his sisters are living. Two of 
 these continue residents of Pennsylvania, and one 
 lives in Nemaha County, this State. -John remained 
 under the home roof until coming to the West. On 
 the 24th of December, 1865, he was married, in 
 Sidnej', Iowa, to Miss Sophia Atkinson, who was 
 born in Pennsylvania near the childhood home of 
 our subject, Nov. 10, 1842. Her parents, James 
 and Elizabeth (Miller) Atkinson, were of Ameri- 
 can birth, but of Irish and Dutch descent i-espect- 
 ively. They lived in Pennsylvania after their 
 marriage for a time, and then emigrated with their 
 little family to the West, while. Mrs. Yont was a 
 small child. They first took up their residence in 
 Fremont County, Iowa, the father pre-empting land 
 near the embryo town of Sidney, where he im- 
 proved a good farm, and where the mother died ripe 
 ill years, Oct. 15, 1872. The father later joined his 
 children in Nebraska, and now makes his home with 
 his daughter, Mrs. Muir, of Rock Creek Precinct, 
 this count}', lieing seventy-eight j-ears old. After 
 coming West one more child was added to the 
 household circle, and the family in all consisted of 
 four sons and three daughters. Five of these are 
 living, one resides in Washington Territorj', one in 
 Minneapolis, and the others in Nebraska. 
 
 Mrs. Yont received her education in the pioneer 
 schools of Fremont Countj', Iowa, and remained 
 with her parents until her marriage. .She is now 
 the mother of eight children. The eldest son, 
 Charles A., is a successful teacher in the public 
 schools of this county ; Edwin C, Jesse G., Alonzo 
 E., Rose and Lilly (twins), Victor and Etta are 
 all at home with their parents. They are a very 
 intelligent and interesting group, and will he given 
 the advantages in keeping with their station in life. 
 Edwin C. and Jesse are graduates of the Business 
 College at Lincoln ; Charles A. attended the Ne- 
 braska State University and also the Normal School, 
 and is thoroughly qualified for his chosen profes- 
 sion. 
 
 The wife of our subject is a member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. Mr. Yont takes a warm 
 
 interest in the temperance movement, and since 
 1 885 has voted with the Prohibitionists. He is a 
 man in whom his fellow-citizens have abundant 
 confidence, and has held various local offices. The 
 family are widely known and highly respected for 
 their intelligence and sterling worth, and their hand- 
 some home, a view of which is shown on another 
 page, is one of the most pleasant and hospitable 
 resorts to be found in the State of Nebraska. 
 
 ALTER S. EIS, one of the most energetic 
 
 \J andpr 
 W owns 8 
 
 osperous farmers of Russell Precinct, 
 and operates 160 acres of land com- 
 prising the southeast quarter of section 31. During 
 the six years of his residence here he has effected 
 good improvements, and distinguished himself as a 
 man of more than ordinary business abilities, besides 
 being a thorough and skillful agriculturist. The 
 home and its surroundings is one of the most attract- 
 ive in this part of the county. The wife of our 
 subject, a very intelligent and capable lady, pre- 
 sides over his domestic affairs in the most praise- 
 worth}' manner, and performs her part in maintaining 
 the reputation of the homestead as a place to which 
 it is very pleasant to repair both for friend and 
 stranger. 
 
 Our subject is of German ancestry on the father's 
 side, Jacob Eis having been born in Prussia, whence 
 he emigrated with his father when a youth of six- 
 teen years. They settled first in Ohio, and Jacob, 
 six years later, desiring to see something of the 
 Great West made his way across the Mississippi into 
 Muscatine County, Iowa, where he was employed by 
 the month on a farm until 1861. He had in the 
 meantime with genuine German thrift and prudence 
 saved up a snug sum of money, which he invested 
 in forty acres of land, and began farming on his own 
 account. He made considerable improvement, and 
 as time passed on added to his real estate, so that he 
 is now the owner of 220 acres, all of which he has 
 brought to a good state of cultivation, and now has 
 first-class buildings, all the modern machinery, a 
 fair .assortment of live stock, and the general appur- 
 tenances of a modern country estate. In short, he has 
 accumulated a comiietence for his old age. 
 
 •Mh^: 
 
•► ir^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 169 
 
 Jacob Eis in earlj' manhoofl had married Miss 
 Mary Irwin, who was born near the city of Pitts- 
 burgh, Pa. ^he came with her family to the Hawk- 
 eye State, and died in Muscatine County, in April. 
 1861. Of this union there were born four children — 
 John D., Charles II., Walter S. (our subject) and 
 Boardm.an A. The three brothers of Walter S. are 
 residents of Nebraska. 
 
 After the death of his first wife Mr. Eis was 
 maiTied to her sister Rebecca, who died at her 
 home in Muscatine County. Iowa, May 27, 1884. 
 Of , this union there were born eight children, 
 namely: Elry J., Albert N., Abraham L., Gracie E.. 
 Jacob M., Rosa, Alice and Arthur G. 
 
 Walter S. Eis was born in Muscatine County, 
 Iowa. Jan. 24, 1858, and remained upon the farm 
 with his father until twenty-four years of age. He 
 had in the meantime acquired a common-school 
 education, and became familiar with the various de- 
 tails of farm life. He was now married, and in the 
 spring of 1882 came to this county and located on 
 his present farm in Russell Precinct. The improve- 
 ments which the passing traveler admires with in- 
 terest are the result of the industrj' of the proprietor, 
 and indicate that he has spent very few idle hours. 
 He has considerable wire fencing around his fields, an 
 orchard embracing three acres, and the choicest of 
 apple trees besides the smaller fruits, while the 
 healthy groves form a shelter from the heat of sum- 
 mer and the winds of winter, both to man and beast. 
 
 Our subject was first married in his native county 
 Feb. 2, 1882, to Miss Effie M., daughter of Andrew 
 and Mary (Eaton) Baker. Her father farms on 
 eighty acres of land in Muscatine County. The 
 mother died in November, 1 880, at the age of forty- 
 nine years. The household circle included four chil- 
 dren, three sons and one daughter, the brothers of 
 Mrs. Eis being John, Theodore and Charles. Mrs. 
 E. was born in Muscatine County, June 2, 1862, 
 and by her union with our subject became the 
 mother of two children, sons — Hugh and Boardman. 
 She departed this life at her home in Russell Pre- 
 cinct, Oct. 12, 1885. 
 
 Mr. Eis contracted a second matrimonial alliance 
 on the 10th of November, 1886, with Miss Jennie 
 Palmer, who w.as born near Fowlersville. Mich., 
 June 5, 1863. Mrs. Jennie Eis is the daughter of 
 
 S. S. and Hattie L. (Evans) P.almer. the former a 
 native of Baltimore, Md., and the latter of Michigan. 
 They are both living, and reside near Davenport, 
 Iowa, where the father is engaged in farm inc. 
 The famil}'^ consists of four children, three daugh- 
 ters and one son. namely: Jennie, Clara, Eugene 
 and Eva. 
 
 To our subject and his present wife there has 
 been born one child, a son, Guy R. Mrs. Eis is a 
 member in good standing of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and our subject, politically, votes the 
 straight Republican ticket. He has been quite act- 
 ive in local politics, and in the fall of 1887 was sent 
 as adelegate to the Republican County Convention. 
 He has served as School Director in his district for 
 a term of five years. 
 
 ^~'^*~}.sr- 
 
 u 
 
 •►Htr^- 
 
 ^ )>^ALLACE MUNN. a well-to-do farmer of 
 Berlin Precinct, is in possession of one of 
 its best regulated farms and most attractive 
 homes. He owns and operates the northeast quar- 
 ter of section 1 2, and his household is presided 
 over by his daughter Laura, a very intelligent and 
 well-educated young lady, formerly a teacher. 
 
 Wayne County, Ohio, was the early tramping 
 ground of our subject, and where his birth took 
 place at the modest homestead of his parents, Sept. 
 12, 1838. The latter were Bethuel and Arvilla 
 (Jones) Munn, natives of New York State. Grand- 
 father Munn was of Scotch descent, and a butcher 
 by trade, which he followed in New York City for 
 a number of years. Bethuel Munn in early life 
 learned millwrighting, which he followed in his 
 native State until his removal to the West. This 
 journey was accomplished about 1829, he locating 
 among the pioneers of Wayne County, Ohio, where 
 he took up 160 acres of timber land, upon which 
 he lived and labored until his death, in 1854, at 
 the age of sixty-two j'ears. The mother had pre- 
 ceded her husband to the silent land ten years, 
 her death taking place in 1844, when she was but 
 thirty-nine years old. Their family consisted of 
 nine children, who were named respectively: Dar- 
 win, deceased ; Ahijah; Silas, deceased; Mortimer, 
 Eugene; Wallace, our subject, and his twin brother 
 
 f 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 .^h 
 
 170 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 i: 
 
 Warren, who, in the fall of 1888, moved to Florida; 
 J.ane and Arvilla. Seven of these are living, mak- 
 ing their homes mostly in Nebraslva. 
 
 Our subject after the death of his father began 
 an apprenticeship at tiie cabinet trade, in Wooster, 
 Ohio. His education had comprised a period of 
 three years spent in the common school. He con- 
 tinued in his native State until the spring of 
 18.')9, then made his way across the Mississippi 
 to Pettis County, Mo., where he spent the follow- 
 ing summer, and thence migrated to Des Moines, 
 Iowa. Being seized with a tit of homesickness he 
 started back to Missouri on foot, but at Indianola 
 met a partj' coming to Nebraska City and joined 
 them, but after reaching this place concluded to 
 move on, and went down the Missouri to George- 
 town, Mo., where he resumed his trade, forming a 
 partnership with William Dorsey in the cabinet and 
 undertaking business, and lived there until 1861. 
 
 Mr. Munn now decided to revisit Nebraska, but 
 again took in Ft. Des Moines, and remained there 
 until December, 1861, and from there returned to 
 his native State. He farmed on the old homestead 
 thereafter for two years, and in the spring of 186.5 
 went overland to Salt Lake, and from there to 
 Virginia City, ]Mont., and wintered in Boulder 
 Valley, Mont.; lie then began freighting across the 
 plains through Wyoming to Helena, Mont. In the 
 fall of 1866 our subject returned to Ohio, where he 
 was married in 1867, and, settling in Defiance 
 County, was employed in an oar factory until the 
 fall of 1867. 
 
 Mr. Munn, in the spring of 1868, came to this 
 county, determined to make permanent settlement. 
 and purchased the laud which he now owns and 
 occupies, pacing for it the sum of $1,750. He at 
 once commenced the improvement of his purchase, 
 hauling building material from Nebraska City. He 
 set out groves, an orchard of apple and cherry 
 trees, put up a house and barn, and has added those 
 little embellishments from time to time which have 
 so much to do in promoting the comfort and en- 
 joyment of a family. His land possesses many 
 natural advantages, among them one of the finest 
 springs in the county. His fields are divided by 
 hedge and wire fencing, and, besides raising corn 
 and grain in large quantities, Mr. Munn makes a 
 
 specialtj' of stock-raising, and feeds annually large 
 numbers of cattle and swine, while he has a number 
 of good horses. Besides his property in this county 
 he has a timber claim in Thomas Count3', Kan. He 
 has suffered most of the hardships of life in a new 
 county, battling with grasshoppers, drouth, etc., but 
 has come out of it all with flying colors. 
 
 Our subject was married in Wayne County, 
 Ohio, Feb. 28, 1867, to Miss Mary Groflf, who was 
 born in Lancaster County, Pa., Feb. 2, 1842. This 
 lady became the mother of five children, and de- 
 parted this life at her home in Berlin Precinct, Dec. 
 10, 1887. The eldest child of our subject is his 
 only son, Silas. The daughters are Laura, Edith, 
 lola and Maude; they are all at home with their 
 father. Mr. Munn votes the straight Democratic 
 ticket, has served on the Grand and Petit Juries, 
 and has been an efficient worker in his partj', being 
 frequentlj' sent as a delegate to the County Con- 
 ventions. He has also served on the School Boaifl 
 of his precinct several years. His children are 
 bright and intelligent, are being given a thorough 
 education, and trained in the principles of religion 
 and morality. They attend the Good Will Sunday- 
 school. The daughter Laura, who has taken the 
 mother's place in the household, is discharging her 
 filial duties in a most creditable and praiseworthy- 
 manner. Mr. Munn has been quite a traveler in 
 his time, his journeyings extending over a large 
 portion of the West. 
 
 JOHN F. RENKEN. The career of this old 
 and highly respected resident of Rock Creek 
 Precinct has been that of an industrious and 
 successful farmer, who, having secured a 
 competency', is now living retired from active labor 
 at his fine homestead on section 30. U|)on this he 
 has lived for a j>eriod of twenty-nine years, having 
 settled upon tlie land which he had pre-empted from 
 the Government in the spring of 1859. The farm 
 is 146 acres in extent, has been brought to a fine 
 state of cultivation, and is well supplied with good 
 buildings. Stock-raising has formed one of the im- 
 portant features of the place. 
 
 In addition to the home farm Mr. lienken owns 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ••»- 
 
 otop: county. 
 
 171 
 
 other land in this county to the extent of 224 acres, 
 all of which is improved and in a productive con- 
 dition. He came to this county during the period 
 of its early settlement, and when the small town of 
 Nebraska Citj' was his nearest market. He migrated 
 to Nel)raska from Madison County, 111., of whicii 
 he had been a resident five years, and where he had 
 settled upon his emigration from his native land. 
 He was born in what was then the Kingdom of 
 Hanover, April 6, 1827, and is the son of Henry 
 Renken, who was of pure German ancestry, and 
 joined his son, John F., in this country in the spring 
 of 18C8, when quite well advanced in years. He had 
 been accompanied across the Atlantic by another 
 son, and settled in Rock Creek Precinct, this county, 
 where his death took place in 1872, after he had ar. 
 rived at the advanced age of eighty-two years. He 
 had followed farming all his life, and had presented 
 the example of an honest man and good citizen. 
 He had been trained in the doctrines of the Lu- 
 theran religion, and to these adhered faithfully until 
 he passed away. The mother, Mrs. Anna (Engle) 
 Renken, died at the old home in Germany in 1860, 
 at the age of seventj' years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared at home 
 with his two brothers and one sister, and received 
 a fair education in the schools of his native King- 
 dom. After leaving school he was emplo3'ed at 
 farming mostly, and was twenty-seven 3'ears of age 
 an<l unmarried when he came to the United States. 
 Not long after settling in Madison Count3', III., he 
 took unto himself a wife and helpmate. Miss Cath- 
 erine Tietken, who was born in Germany not far 
 from the childhood home of her husband. Her 
 father died in 1887, and her mother in 1872, in Ger- 
 many. She joined her brother in the United States 
 in 1856, when she was twenty-five years old. Of 
 her marriage with our subject there have been born 
 eight children, four of whom are deceased, namely: 
 Herman (1st), John, Herman and Anna E. Those 
 survivingare: Henrj', who is emploj'ed asa clerk in 
 a general store at Talmage; E. Margaret, at home 
 with her parents; John F., Jr., a teacher in a school 
 of the Lutheran Church in Woodford County, 111., 
 and William, who remains with his parents. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Renken not long after their mar- 
 riage settled upon a farm in Madison County, III., 
 < • 
 
 but in 1859 crossed the Mississippi. Our subject 
 has given his attention strictly to agricultural pur- 
 suits since coming to America. He and his family 
 are connected with the Lutheran Church, in which 
 Mrs. Renken is a Class-Leader and an interested 
 worker, warmly devoted to her religious duties. 
 Politically, our subject votes the straight Repub- 
 lican ticket. He meddles very little with politics 
 and has no aspirations for office. Mr. Renken held 
 the office of School Director for a term of eighteen 
 j-ears. 
 
 EiNOCH G. KING, the young, competent 
 and enterprising pharmacist at Dunb.ir, Dela. 
 fi ware Precinct, was born on the 27th of 
 June, 1860, in Logan County, III., near Atlanta. 
 His father, Cyrus King, was born in Clarke County, 
 Ohio, in the year 1822, and by occupation was a 
 farmer. The maiden name of his mother was Marj' 
 George. She was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, 
 in the year 1824. After their marriage his parents 
 made their home in Illinois. Their home circle 
 included four children — our subject, James E., Rob- 
 ert C. and Elnora. 
 
 The subject of our sketch w-as reared upon a 
 farm and received his education in the district 
 schools, after which he attended the Northern In- 
 diana Normal School, at Valparaiso, Ind. In the 
 year 1884 he came to this State and stopped at 
 Dunbar. Until the following spring he engaged in 
 teaching in that vicinit}', and then went to Berlin, 
 in this county-. There he continued teaching for 
 six months, which made two years he had been 
 thus engaged. He then entered the store of Mr- 
 Allen as drug clerk, continuing until March of 
 1886, when he became the partner of Mr. Allen in the 
 drug-store at Dunbar. The following March he 
 purchased the entire business, and has since that 
 time run it alone. He carries a full line of drugs 
 and medicines, which he supplements with such 
 articles as are usually found in similar stores in 
 towns of the same size as Dunbar, including clocks, 
 watches and jewelry, various articles used in house 
 decoration, books, stationery, etc. 
 
 On the 20th of September, 1887, our subject was 
 joined in matrimony with Miss Lou Jones, the 
 
 •►:lt-^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 172 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 daughter of Robert and Mercy Jones, of Dunbar. 
 Her father being deceased, her mother is living 
 with them. Mrs. King is a devout member of the 
 Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and our subject 
 attends the same congregation. Although not a 
 church member, he is a liberal supporter of relig- 
 ious and benevolent institutions. 
 
 Mr. King is a stanch Republican, and the fact 
 that, entirely unsought by him, he was appointed 
 Postmaster here on the 25th of September, 1888, 
 testifies abundantly to the esteem in which he is 
 held, and his popularity- as a man and citizen. Prior 
 to her marriage the wife of our subject held the 
 office of Postmistress for three 3'ears. 
 
 ?OLKERT FA8S, Recorder of Deeds of Otoe 
 County, is performing the duties of his office 
 with honor to himself and to the satisfaction 
 of his constituents. He is a resident of Nebraska 
 City, and has made his home here for several years. 
 He is an intelligent, well-informed man, has trav- 
 eled quite extensively in the Western States and 
 Territories, and has seen much of frontier life. He 
 was born in the Province of Hanover, Germany, 
 March 26, 1849. His father, Conrad Pass, was born 
 in the same locality, and there spent his entire life, 
 being for many years actively engaged in the general 
 mercantile business. He was an upright, honest 
 man, well worthy of the confidence in which he was 
 held b}^ his fellow-citizens. His estimable wife, 
 whose maiden name was Annie Margaret Falkers, 
 was a native of the same place as himself, and a 
 lifelong resident there. Six of the children born 
 to her and her husband grew to,maturitj% namely: 
 John B., Mary C, Herman H., Folkert, Annie M. 
 and Gesiue Fredericka. . The subject of this sketch 
 and his brother Herman are the only members of the 
 family who live in America. The latter is married 
 and lives in Nebraska City. 
 
 Folkert Fass, of whom we write, obtained a lib- 
 eral education in the schools of his native land, 
 which he attended quite steadily until he was six- 
 teen 3'ears of age. In 1868, when he was but nine- 
 teen j-ears of age, he ambitiously decided to try his 
 fortunes in the New World, and immediately after 
 
 landing in this country he made his way directly 
 to Missouri. He staid there but a short time, 
 however, and then came to Nebraska Citj', arriving 
 here in the fall of that year. In December he re- 
 turned to Missouri, and in the following summer, 
 in company with a number of others^ started from 
 that point, with a pair of mules and a wagon, to 
 drive to Dallas, Tex., then a small town. After 
 spending a short time there our subject started on 
 a pedestrian tour to Louisville, Denton County, tak- 
 ing provisions with him and cooking and camping 
 by the wa^'. He lived there nearlj' a j'ear, and then 
 resumed his journey across the wilds of Texas to 
 the Rio Grande. A part of the journey lay through 
 an uncultivated country, where antelopes, deer and 
 other wild game abounded, and Indians still made 
 their homes there. He soon returned to Louisville, 
 and from there went to the Indian Territory and 
 visited Ft. Smith, from whence he crossed the 
 mountains to Arkansas, and at Mar3'sville, that 
 State, sold his team and took passage in a stage for 
 Missouri. At that time there was a line of railway 
 completed to Indian Territor3% and in 1872 Mr. 
 Fass went b3' rail to that part of the countr3', whence 
 he went to Ft. Scott, Kan., and from there to Kan- 
 sas "City. In December of that 3'ear he again re- 
 turned to Carrolton, Mo., and once more started 
 with a team from there and came to Nebraska City, 
 of which he has since been a continuous resident. 
 
 Thus ended our subject's travels, which had taken 
 him over manj' hundred miles of this country, and 
 he being an observing, wide-awake man, profited 
 much by his fine opportunities for gaining knowl- 
 edge of its many and varied resources, la3ang up a 
 good fund of information, besides having a thor- 
 ough experience of life on the frontier. We are 
 sorry that the brief limits of this sketch will not 
 permit us to record some of the interesting inci- 
 dents of his journe3angs to and fro, or to describe 
 some of the scenes that he passed through. In the 
 fall of 1887 Mr. Fass was elected to his present 
 office as Recorder of Deeds, and by his faithful and 
 conscientious discharge of his work has shown him- 
 self well worthy of the trust reposed in him by his 
 fellow-citizens, and proved himself to be an efficient 
 public official. 
 
 Our subject has a pleasant home, rendered coz3- 
 
 ■» m 
 
it^ 
 
 •«»- 
 
 <9 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 173 
 
 and comfortable by the wife to whom he was 
 united in marriage in Ma}', 1876. ;Mrs. Fass was 
 formerl}' Miss INIarj- Winkler, a native of Germany, 
 who came to America with her mother and grand- 
 mother when she was five years of age, and was 
 reared in Chicago, 111. Of their union three chil- 
 dren have been born — Gesine M.. George C. F. 
 and Elbe. In 1883 Mr. and Mrs. Fass returned to 
 their old home in Germany, and spent a few pleas- 
 ant weeks amid the scenes of their youth. 
 
 ri|_^ ON. DAUVERSE NEFF. This name will 
 if jjj bring before the minds of many readers of 
 /4W^ this volume a face and character well known, 
 (^) and that by no means unfavorablj', for the 
 subject of this sketch is one of the most valued 
 citizens of 83'racuse. Through years of manhood 
 he has toiled in order to better his position in life, 
 but has always found time and oi)portunity to give 
 expression to his devotion to the interests of tlic 
 communitjr of which he is a resident. In the com- 
 parative retirement from active affairs which he 
 elects to enjoy he finds the reward of former years 
 of untiring effort and persevering industry. He 
 has been a resident of Otoe County since 1877, and 
 in the j-ears since that time has impressed all who 
 know him with a sense of his high character, large 
 business capacity- and sterling worth. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 21st 
 of May, 1834, in New Lisbon, Otsego Co., N. Y., 
 and is the son of Silas and Polly Neff, who were 
 likewise natives of the Empire State, and died in 
 New Lisbon. Our subject was one of four chil- 
 dren born to them, one of whom was a daughter. 
 By a former marriage Mr. Neff, Sr., had become 
 the parent of eight other children. By trade he 
 was a carpenter, which he followed with consider- 
 able success. He died when our subject was but 
 eleven j-ears of age, leaving his widow to bring up 
 unassisted the children whom it had lieen his hope 
 to have seen enter their various paths in life and 
 to have helped them in the same. 
 
 Until he attained his majority the subject of this 
 sketch continued to work upon a farm, and there laid 
 the foundation, in habits of thought and industry, for 
 
 future success and prosperitj-. In December, 1854, 
 he went to LaFaj'ette County, Wis., where he fol- 
 lowed the joint occupations of farming and school 
 teaching. Three years later he purchased an inter- 
 est in a general store at Calamine, Wis., which con- 
 tinued for five 3'ears under the firm name of Smith 
 & Neff* later he became the sole proprietor, and so 
 continued until 1877, by which time the business 
 had very largely increased, and he had become inter- 
 ested in the lumber trade, and also in grain. In 
 each of these enterprises fortune favored our sub- 
 ject, and he continued to progress in them year b}^ 
 year. He came to Syracuse, as was noted above, 
 in 1877, and immediately engaged in mercantile 
 pursuits. Somewhat later he associated with a 
 gentleman in business under the firm name of D. 
 Neff & Co., after which he again embarked in the 
 grain trade. This he continued until January, 
 1887, when he removed from a direct interest in 
 the business, and has since lived a somewhat re- 
 tired life. Two reasons led up to this step — first, 
 that he had a competency sufficient to warrant the 
 step; secondlj^, and chiefly, because his hearing 
 failed him very rapidly, leaving him almost with- 
 out any power in that direction. 
 
 Mr. Neff is still the owner of two well-improved 
 and admirably cultivated farms, each of 160 acres 
 in extent; also a half-interest in a store at Hildreth, 
 in this State, which is operated by his brother Frank- 
 lin, under the firm name of Neff Bros. This was 
 the first store established in that place, and is still 
 one of the leading houses of business. He is also 
 a Director of the First National Bank of Syracuse, 
 the responsibilities of which office, linked with his 
 other business interests, leave him sufficient to do 
 to relieve the tedium of a life th.at would otherwise 
 be exceedingly dull to one who has been so con- 
 stantly active as our subject. 
 
 Mr. Neff' was married, on the 9th of February, 
 1863, to Harriet A., daughter of Rev. Hewitt and 
 Julia M. (Howell) Fitch. The father of this lady 
 was a native of New Lisbon, N. Y., and a clergy- 
 m.an of the Baptist Church. He served in this sa- 
 cred office for a period of thirteen years at Ed- 
 mundton Centre, N. Y. The marriage of Mr. and 
 ]\Irs. Neff has been blessed and its felicities much 
 augmented by the birth of four children, of whom 
 
 M» 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 174 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 they have been privileged to rear three, viz: Clar- 
 ence, Homer and "Walter. Their daughter Mattie 
 died at the age of ten years. 
 
 Mrs. Xeff is an earnest, devoted member of the 
 Baptist Church, and is most highly esteemed by 
 reason of the beautiful Christian life which adorns 
 her profession. Our subject, although not a mem- 
 ber of the church, is a true friend of good morals 
 and every social virtue. His own character and 
 social status were such as to commend him to his 
 fellow-citizens, so much so that he was called upon 
 to represent them in his district while a resident 
 in the State of Wisconsin, in the Legislature of that 
 State. He also served as Justice of the Peace, and 
 since coming to Nebraska has held several offices 
 and trusts. He is a stanch Republican, and has al- 
 ways been accounted a true friend to the party and 
 a loyal citizen. It is his pleasure to number among 
 his friends all the best citizens of the county, by 
 whom also he is much respected. His life is an 
 instance of what may be accomplished by noble, 
 vigorous, manly effort and endeavor. 
 
 1"^^ EV. THOMAS L. AUSTIN, a resident of 
 |!s^ Rock Creek Precinct, and Postmaster at 
 /L W, Julian, labored for a number of years in the 
 ^pjministr^' of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 South, but of late has given his attention largely 
 to agricultural pursuits. He has a fine farm of 240 
 acres, located on section 36, of which he took pos- 
 session in May, 1870, when its condition was in 
 wide contrast to that of the present. It was then 
 an unbroken stretch of prairie, undisturbed by the 
 plowshare, but is now one of the most valuable 
 farms in this part of the county. In bringing it to 
 its present condition it is hardly necessary to say 
 there have been employed years of time and labor, 
 and no small outlii}' of money. Tlie buildings are 
 neat and substantial, the dwelling is admirably 
 adapted to all the comforts of rural life, and the 
 barns and out-buildings conveniently arranged for 
 the storing of grain and the shelter of stock. 
 
 Our subject, a native of Virginia, was born near 
 
 the cit}' of Lynchburg in Campbell Countj', Sept. 
 29, 1822. His father, Alex Austin, was a surveyor 
 by profession, which he followed partially, but also 
 carried on farming. He also was a native of the 
 Old Dominion, and of Scotch-Irish ancestry, the 
 latter emigrating to America from the North of 
 Ireland prior to the Revolutionary War. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared and edu- 
 cated in his native State, but went over into Nortii 
 Carolina for his bride, being married there to Miss 
 Elizabeth Burgess, a daughter of one of the promi- 
 nent famdies of the State. She was of English an- 
 cestry, and her paternal graudfather was a preacher 
 under the reign of King George III. The parents 
 after their marriage settled in Virginia, the father 
 carrying on agriculture in Campbell Count}', and 
 both spending there the remainder of their days. 
 The mother died when about sixty-five years of age. 
 Alex Austin survived his excellent wife many years, 
 his death taking place when ninetj'-one years old. 
 During the War of 1812 he did gallant service as a 
 Colonel of the 53d Virginia Infantry, and in poli- 
 tics was a member of the old Whig party. Both 
 parents were members of the Episcopal Church. 
 Their family consisted of nine children, eight sons 
 and one daughter, three of whom are living, mak- 
 ing their homes mostly in Campbell County, Va. 
 
 Our subject received a good education in his 
 native county, and at an early age exhibited un- 
 usual thoughtfulness and intelligence. He was 
 ordained a minister of the Southern Methodist 
 Episcopal Church about 1844, and since that time 
 has labored more or less in the Master's vineyard. 
 He was married in Campbell County to Miss Mattie 
 Ward, who was born there in 1824, and is the 
 daughter of Seth and Martha (Noble) Ward, the 
 former of English descent, and a farmer by occu- 
 pation. He died in middle life when tiis daughter 
 Mattie was a small child. The mother continued a 
 resident of the Old Dominion, and died in IMissis- 
 sippi about 1882. 
 
 Mrs. Austin was reared mostly b}' her paternal 
 grandparents, receiving a common-school educa- 
 tion, and being trained carefully to all housewifely 
 duties. She is now the mother of nine children, of 
 whom William A. and Elizabeth are married, and 
 residents of Nebraska. The others, Susan M.. Sally 
 
 ■ •►^ 
 
sr- 
 
 '% 
 
 !UcutMc^. ^/^^h^cM.-^ 
 
^^:^^^^^.e..<.>^ 
 
•^^f^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 177 
 
 .•^h 
 
 B., Mary E., Lucy W., George El. and Roberta L., 
 are at home with their parents. Mr. Austin, politi- 
 cally, is a sound Democrat, and iu 1887 was ap- 
 pointed to his present office. 
 
 J^~i OIIN II. McMECHAN is a practical, prosper- 
 1 ous farmer and stock-raiser of Four Mile 
 Precinct, and he is managing with marked 
 ' success the old homestead that was once the 
 property of his father, the late John JIcIMechan, 
 a well-known and widely respected pioneer of Otoe 
 County. Our subject was born in Zanesville, Ohio, 
 Feb. 22, 1839, coming of good old stock, his an- 
 cestors representing an ancient Scotch family, one 
 of whose members, the great-grandfather of our 
 subject, during the Reformation settled near Bel- 
 fast, Ireland, and became one of the large land- 
 owners of the Kingdom. Later, in the early years 
 of this century, one of the scions of that house, the 
 grandfather of our subject, a brave, high-spirited, 
 energetic man, emigrated to America and cast in 
 his lot with the pioneers of Ohio. 
 
 We are pleased to be able to give so much inter- 
 esting history of the life of John IMcIMeclian, the 
 father of our subject: 
 
 John McMechan died Nov. 3, 1883, at "Head- 
 wood," the family residence in Otoe County, near 
 Nebraska City, of the infirmities incident to old 
 age, being eighty-three years and twenty-three days 
 old. The McMechan family is of Scotch origin, 
 and lived in Ayrshire, but being active and lead- 
 ing members of the "Solemn League and Cove- 
 nant," was forced by religious persecution to leave 
 Scotland in 1650, and settled in County Antrim 
 in Ireland, near "White Abbey," five miles from 
 the city of Belfast. John McMechan, the father of 
 the subject of our sketch, was a wealthy land-owner, 
 and the family estate in Ayrshire and Antrim 
 County numbered several thousand acres of graz- 
 ing and tillable land. His wife was a Miss Mary 
 Ballentine, daughter of David Ballentine, of Ayr- 
 shire, and grandniece of Lord John Ballentine, a 
 cousin of Mary Queen of Scots. John McMeclian 
 was born on the 1 0th of October, 1 800, at the fam- 
 
 ily homestead, "Carmonia," near the "White Ab- 
 bey," five miles from Belfast. He had four brothers 
 and five sisters. He survived all of his brothers 
 and two of his sisters. In 1810 the family came 
 to America and settled in Belmont County, Ohio, 
 eight miles from Wheeling, Va., and his father in 
 the same year purchased the "Indian Springs" 
 farm, so called from the springs at which the In- 
 dians camped previous to attacking Wheeling. His 
 jDarents being Covenanters, were remarkably rev- 
 erent in their observances of the teachings of di- 
 vine truth, and he being early impressed with them 
 grew up with an abiding sense of duty and right, 
 and a strong hostility to false pretenses. He re- 
 ceived a good and thorough common-school educa- 
 tion, the best to be had in those days in that new 
 and sparsely settled country. He also learned the 
 lessons of a high moral culture and of industrial 
 habits, constituting the basis of integrity and fidel- 
 ity to duty, which marked his career. At the age 
 of seventeen he engaged in mercantile pursuits, for 
 which he was by nature admirably fitted. 
 
 When twenty-one years of age he moved to Mt. 
 Pleasant, Ohio, and engaged in merchandising, 
 where he remained until 1826, when he went to 
 Zanesville, in the same State, and on the 24th of 
 April, 1827, he married Miss Matilda Ballentine, 
 the second daughter of David Ballentine, of tliat 
 town. 
 
 Tliis happy union was blessed with a famih* of 
 six sons and four daughters, of whom one son and 
 one daughter died in infancy. During his resi- 
 dence in Zanesville he engaged in the flouring-mill 
 and mercantile business. In 1842 he removed from 
 Zanesville to Glasgow, Mo., where he continued 
 merchandising, and at this place he built and con- 
 ducted the first packing-house on the Missouri 
 River. In 1846 he removed with his family to St. 
 Louis, Mo., where he embarked in the wholesale 
 grocery business, under the firm name of J. S. 
 Thompson & Co., afterward Hammill & McMechan, 
 Worthington & ISIc^Ieclian, and later John JIc^NIe- 
 chan, until the summer of 1853, when he closed 
 out his business in St. Louis. 
 
 In September, 1853, he removed to Council 
 Bluffs, Iowa, then the principal outfitting and 
 starting point for Utah and California emigrants, 
 9^ 
 
t 
 
 » ^l <• 
 
 ' ^ 178 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 and there lie engaged in tlie wholesale grocery and 
 outfitting business, and in freighting across, the 
 plains to Salt Lake City, Utah. His was the first 
 exclusively wholesale grocery store in Council 
 Bluffs, Iowa. When Nebraska was opened for set- 
 tlement, in 1854, he was offered a portion of the 
 town site of Omaha, but not liking the social ele- 
 ment then predomuiating, on account of the Mor- 
 mon element, he declined, but purchased several 
 lots on the original town site, and for him was 
 built one of the first business houses erected in 
 Omaha. He closed out his business and sold his 
 real estate at Omaha and Council Bluffs in the au- 
 tumn of 1854, came to Nebraska, and became one 
 of the original proprietors and one of the founders 
 of Kearney City, which is now part of Nebraska 
 City, Otoe Co., Neh. He surveyed and laid out 
 the town site, and when the land was subject to 
 entry, entered the same in the land-office at Omaha. 
 In the autumn of 1854 he purchased of Hall, 
 Piatt & Co. the steam sawmill at Civil Bend, Fre^ 
 mont Co., Iowa, and in the spring of 1855 moved 
 the same to the new town in Nebraska, it being the 
 first steam sawmill erected in that place. 
 
 On the 5th of April, 1855, the family removed 
 to Kearney City, where the subject of this sketch 
 built the first frame dwelling-house erected in that 
 town. In 1857 he purchased of Ephraim W^hite a 
 farm two miles soutli of Nebraska City, in Otoe 
 Countj'. where the family has resided since 1863, 
 and which when purchased was named '"Headwood." 
 Soon after buying this farm Mr. JNIcMechan set out 
 a fine orchard, which was one of the first planted 
 in that part of the Territory. Mr. McIMechan was 
 a man of indomitable energy, and for him were 
 built the "Planters' House," the first and only hotel 
 in Kearney, now a part of Nebraska City, Neb., the 
 business houses of T. H. & L. C. Winn & Co., 
 Kallcman & Wessells, and the hardware store of D. 
 B. McMechan, the first hardware store in Kearney 
 or Nebraska City, aiid a large number of dwellings. 
 
 In 1820 the elder McMechan united with the 
 Associate Reformed Presbyterian (now United 
 Presbyterian) Church, presided over by Rev. Sam- 
 uel Findley, D. D., in St. Clairsville, Ohio, and 
 was a Ruling Elder and Trustee for seven years in 
 the United Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Mo., 
 
 mt — 
 
 during his residence in that city. He was an earn- 
 est, energetic, zealous, consistent and generous 
 Christian, exemplary in all the duties of religion, 
 and putting in practice his religious belief, always 
 encouraging churches, religion and charitable so- 
 cieties, and one of his first acts after settling in 
 Nebraska was to establish a Sabbath-school, under 
 the auspices of the church of which he was a work- 
 ing member. This was the first denominational 
 Sabbath-school established in the Territory. At 
 the same time Rev. R. H. Allen, of Mt. Pleasant, 
 Iowa, came to Nebraska by invitation of Mr. Mc- 
 Mechan, and held divine service in Kearney, now 
 one of the wards of Nebraska City, and preached 
 the first sermon delivered in the new town. The 
 subject of this sketch possessed a truly modest, 
 retiring, cheerful, quiet, contented, charitable and 
 unassuming disposition; his mind was clear and 
 his judgment had much weight, and these quali- 
 ties, together with his Christian life, won for him 
 tlie highest esteem of all who knew him. He pos- 
 sessed that stability of character which is the dis- 
 tinguishing mark of his countrymen. In business 
 he was active, prompt and punctual. He gave often 
 and lavishly to the poor and needy, and no appeal 
 in behalf of suffering humanity ever passed him 
 unheeded, and although a Presbyterian in his be- 
 lief and views, he gave liberally to all denomina- 
 tions wherever he lived. The poor of this section 
 never knew a better friend than he wlio has gone 
 from them forever. Socially, he was agreeable, 
 entertaining and hospitable to a fault. His pecu- 
 liarly happy temperament continued to the last. 
 His perseverance in active well doing was not os- 
 tentatious, but fruitful and unceasing. 
 
 As a citizen and town proprietor Mr. JlcJIechan 
 was solid and substantial, just, obliging and hon- 
 orable, covirteous and accommodating, lieartily en- 
 gaging in every movement which seemed calculated 
 to benefit the community or society at large. He 
 gave, liberally. of his property and means to every- 
 thing which tended to tlie advancement of religious 
 or public good, to the encouragement of men strug- 
 gling in business, and to those starting in life, or to 
 the unfortunate and deserving. In friendship his 
 attachments were sincere, strong and confiding. 
 As a church member he was liberal, ever ready and 
 
■•►-1I--4* 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ll'J 
 
 cheerful in his contributions for the support of the 
 Gospel. As an Elder and church officer he was 
 careful and diligent, cautious in forming a judg- 
 ment, but his opinion when formed was the result 
 of careful consideration. Good will was in his 
 heart, and ever found expression in his words and 
 acts of Ivindlj helpfulness. He was a man of sterl- 
 ing worth and uncompromising fidelity to principle. 
 In the simplicity of his manner there was a gujind- 
 eur and strength of character not to be mistaken, 
 and in the broad and generous sympathies of his 
 heart there was that true sincerity that crowns the 
 greatness of Christian manliood. He was a faith- 
 ful, fond, loving and tender husband; a good, kind, 
 consistent, indulgent and affectionate father. He 
 was never absorbed with worldly affairs. He was 
 alwajs intent on the life of the mind and of the 
 heart for himself and his familj-. He spared no 
 pains in the training of his children, and was earn- 
 est in the cultivation of piety in his family. He 
 lived to see a large, prosperous .and enterprising 
 town grow, aided by his own work, where had -been 
 dense woods and a wilderness; fruitful fields and 
 l)rosperous villages where naught but the bare 
 prairies were to be seen when he came to the then 
 infant Territory. In his old age he could not 
 boast of worldly success, but enjoyed a moderate 
 competence, and he gathered around his Thanks- 
 giving table nearly a score of children and grand- 
 children, who looked up to him with reverence and 
 affection. By all who knew him, but especially by 
 the' inner circle of his own home, will he be ever 
 remembered as a man of unswerving trust, inflexi- 
 ble integrity, of unflinching fidelity in all life's 
 relations, and of tender, ever-deepening affections. 
 No richer heritage could any parent bequeath to a 
 child than tlie memory of such a character. 
 
 As a Christian Mr. McMechan was deeply at- 
 tached to and interested in the welfare of the church 
 of his choice, devoted, earnest, zealous and faithful, 
 and his religious life was not one of ostentatious 
 profession, but of humility and quiet piety. He 
 made the Bible a study, and could recite whole 
 chapters, which he had committed to memory in 
 his youth. His love for the Psalms was peculiarly 
 strong, and he had memorized the entire metrical 
 version, as sung in the United Presbyterian Church. 
 
 and taught them to his children. Of his life and 
 its successes let it be written : '• Mark the perfect 
 man, and behold the upright, for the end of that 
 man is peace." When his evening came the clouds 
 in his sky were golden. The setting sun of life 
 lighted them up with a radiance that heralded a 
 blessed immortality. 
 
 Mrs. Matilda McMechan, relict of John Mc- 
 Mechan, died Feb. 5, 1886, from the effect of a fall 
 consequent to paralysis, at " Headwood," the fam- 
 ily residence in Otoe County, near Nebraska Citj-, 
 aged seventy-eight j'ears, ten months and twenty- 
 three days. She was the eldest daughter of David 
 Ballentine, and a direct descendant of Lord John 
 Ballentine; slie w.as born March 12, 1807, at "He.ad- 
 wood," the family estate near Belftist, Ireland. In 
 1814 the family came to the United States and set- 
 tled in Ogdensburg, N. Y., where she and her only 
 sister. Agues (N<ancy),and her four brothers, Will- 
 iam, John, Henry and David, the two latter twins, 
 were educated. When she was seventeen years of 
 age the family removed to Zanesville, Ohio, and 
 there, when eighteen years old, she united with the 
 United Presb3'terian Church. She was united in 
 marriage with John Mc^Iechan. April 24, 1827. .at 
 Zanesville. 
 
 The family moved to the West in 1842, living at 
 Glasgow, Mo., until 1846, then removed to St. 
 Louis, living there until 1853, and in the autumn 
 of that year moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and in 
 October, 1854, they came to Nebraska Territory, 
 settling in Kearney City, which Mr. McMechan laid 
 out, and which is to-day part of Nebraska City. 
 Mrs. McMechan had ten children, six sons and four 
 daughters. Of these, two walked before her '-through 
 the valley of the shadow of death;" John and Rachel 
 died in infancy. The eight living are: Mary Jane, 
 now Mrs. Alexander E. McCormett, in New Orleans, 
 La.; Annie Clarke, residing at " Headwood," the 
 family residence; David Ballentine, in Kansas City, 
 Mo.; -John Henrj-, living at "Headwood." the fam- 
 ily residence; Andrew Charles, Lieutenant U. S. N.; 
 Matilda, Mrs. S. H. Calhoun, in Nebraska City, Neb. ; 
 William Ballentine and Edwin Elbridge, in Kansas 
 City, Mo. Two of her brothers survive her: Will- 
 iam Ballentine, of Kansas City, Mo., and Henry 
 Ballentine, of ^lariposa County. Cal. David INIc- 
 
180 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 i 
 
 Median, in 1857, opened the first hardware store 
 in Nebraska City, and was also the first south of 
 the Platte. 
 
 IMrs. McMechan was possessed of an amiable, 
 loving, retiring and charitable disposition, gentle 
 in manners, kind and sympathetic, refined and in- 
 telligent to the highest degree, and endowed with 
 excellent judgment, active and efficient in every 
 good work. As a Christian woman, a Christian wife 
 and a Christian mother, she was a model, and truly 
 worthy of imitation. While she "rests from her la- 
 bors," by her life we may hear her saying to us, in 
 words of inspiration: "Be diligent, that ye may be 
 found of Him in peace, without spot and blameless." 
 When she went to Council Bluffs, Iowa, there was 
 no Bible Class in the Presbyterian .Sabbath-school 
 there, but she soon organized one and taught it 
 during her residence in that place. When the fam- 
 ily removed to Nebraska she, with her husband and 
 family, organized in Kearney City the first denomi- 
 national (United Presbyterian) Sabbath-school in 
 the then infant Territory, and she taught the first 
 Bible Class. In 1877 she and her husband united 
 with the Presbyterian Church at Nebraska City, 
 there being no United Presbyterian Church there. 
 For three years before her death Mrs. INIcMechan 
 was unable, because of physical weakness and fail- 
 ing sight, to attend chnrch,but while thus deprived 
 of the privileges of meeting with God's people in 
 His own house, doubtless He made her own home a 
 little sanctuary, where He met with her and blessed 
 her. It was her custom to gather her family to- 
 o-ether and have them read the Bible, which was 
 read through yearlj', and afterward would be read 
 several sermons from the bound volumes of the 
 Pulpit, a United Presbyterian periodical. She had 
 very clear views of GosiJel truth, being a diligent 
 Bible student all her life until within ten years of 
 her death, when failing sight prevented her search- 
 ing tlie Scriptures. In her girlhood she had mem- 
 orized the Gospels and the metrical version of 
 David's Psalms, as sung in the United Presbyterian 
 Church. These with the catechism she taught her 
 children, and when she could no longer see to read 
 she would repeat entire passages of Scripture and 
 the Psalms from memory; her jo^' was to sing the 
 twenty-third Psalm. 
 
 While rising from her seat in her sitting-room 
 on the afternoon of the 19th of January, 1886, to re- 
 ceive some visitors, she fell, fracturing the right 
 thigh bone, the fall being caused by a paralytic 
 stroke of the lower limbs. She lingered until the 
 afternoon of the 5th of February, bearing her suf- ■ 
 fering with great fortitude, and with full possession 
 of all her reasoning faculties, and conscious until a 
 few hours of her death, which she, like a good and 
 true Christian, calmly awaited, sleeping quietly and 
 sweetly away without pain or struggle. She needs 
 no eulogy to hallow her memory, no marble monu- 
 ment to keep her in remembrance. She lives in the 
 hearts of all who knew her. Her monument is al- 
 ready built: a noble, intelligent, charitable and con- 
 sistent Christian character. Upon it in letters of 
 light are inscribed the words for us all to read: 
 " Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee 
 a crown of life." 
 
 The subject of this sketch was but an infant 
 when his parents moved to Missouri; he was twelve 
 years of age when they took up their residence in 
 Council Bluffs, and fifteen years old when they 
 moved to Nebraska. The wild, sparsely settled 
 Territory of that day bore but little resemblance to 
 the wealthy and populous State of to-day. The 
 settlements were then mostly confined to the river, 
 and the whole interior of the State was a wild, 
 open prairie inhabited hy Indians. Deer were 
 plentiful on the plains only a short distance from the 
 city, and with other wild game often set forth the 
 table of the pioneer. In 1859 Mr. McMechan 
 commenced freighting across the plains, taking corn 
 that he had raised himself on the farm, in two 
 wagons, with a pair of horses to each wagoii, and 
 delivering it in Denver' at fourteen cents a pound. 
 He made but one trip that year, and during the 
 winter was engaged in teaming flour from Winter- 
 set, Iowa. From 1860 until 1863 he had charge of 
 his father's freighting business. In the fall of 
 1860 he engaged in a wholesale grocery business 
 in Denver, with his brother David. In the spring 
 of 1863 they were burned out there, and then they 
 returned to Nebraska City and established them- 
 selves in the hardware business, which they con- 
 tinued together until 1869, when our subject took 
 charge of his father's homestead, and he has ever 
 
•► i r^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 181 .,| 
 
 since been engaged in general farming with gratify- 
 ing success. The farm is located two miles south 
 of the court-house in Nebraska City, and contains 
 160 acres of the richest and most productive land 
 to be found in this locality. The residence is a 
 commodious brick house, pleasantly located on a 
 rise of ground, overlooking a beautiful stretch of 
 country. There is quite a varietj' of trees in the 
 yard, some of which were planted by the father of 
 our subject, and all of them were planted during 
 his lifetime. 
 
 Mr. McMechan's shrewd common sense, and his 
 industrious, methodical habits have been prominent 
 factors in his success in life. He is upright and 
 conseientious in his dealings, and his neighbors find 
 in him a man to respect and esteem. 
 
 The portraits of John and Matilda McMechan 
 are presented in connection with this sketch. 
 
 /^\ IIARLES C. COWLES, prominent and suc- 
 |lf cessful as a farmer, intelligent and capable 
 
 ^^^' as a business man, and one of the most val- 
 ued members of his community, is numbered among 
 the old and honored residents of Wyoming Precinct, 
 where he has a fine tract of 320 acres of land, on 
 section 14, and which is familiarly known as "Sun- 
 nyside Farm." Some idea of its beauty and value 
 may be obtained from the fact that at one of the State 
 Fairs it was awarded the first prize in point of im- 
 jjrovement and natural resources. The residence is 
 a handsome two-story frame structure with base- 
 ment, finished and furnished in modern style, and 
 with its surroundings forms one of the most com- 
 plete homes to be seen within the boundaries of the 
 county. The barn and other out-buildings are 
 equipped with all conveniences required for the 
 proper sheltering of stock and storing of grain. Ad- 
 jacent to these is a fine apple orchard of 1 ,200 bearing 
 trees, in prime condition and yielding bountifully. 
 There is also an abundance of smaller fruits in their 
 season. The property lies about seven miles north- 
 west of Nebraska City, and forms one of the most 
 .attractive pictures in the landscape of this region. 
 Our subject came to this part of the county in 
 the spring of 1857, ten years before Nebraska was 
 
 admitted into the Union as a State, and when his 
 youthful companions were little Indian boys of the 
 Otoe tribe. They h.ad their little "set-to's," as 
 youngsters will, and when the battle raged too 
 strong the squaws came out and chased away the 
 white boys. Upon one occasion, when the conflict 
 was a little more serious than usual, our subject 
 was threatened by an old warrior with losing his 
 scalp, and. as may be supposed, hied himself to a 
 place of safety as soon as convenient. 
 
 The entire life of J\Ir. Cowles has mostly been 
 spent on the banks of the Missouri, except the pe- 
 riod spent in the mountains, he having been born 
 in Atchison County, Mo., Dec. 18. 1849. His par- 
 ents were Charles H. and Mary (Martin) Cowles, 
 and he was the second son and child. The father, 
 a farmer by occupation, died at his home in ^3*0- 
 ming Precinct, April 14, 1888, when nearly seventy 
 years old. (See sketch of C. H. Cowles.) He had 
 been a resident of Nebraska for a period of thirty- 
 four years, coming here in the spring of 1854. 
 Until 1857 he lived in Nebraska City, when it was 
 but a hamlet, but finally moved onto a farm in 
 Wyoming Precinct, where he followed agricultural 
 pursuits and became a prominent man in his com- 
 munity. The wife and mother is still living at the 
 old homestead. 
 
 Mr. Cowles after leaving the district school en- 
 tered Tabor College, Iowa, but in the meantime had 
 taken a course in the Normal School at Peru. He 
 was naturall3' fond of study, and made the most of 
 his opportunities, and at the close of his last school 
 term was well fitted for the future business of life. 
 The first employment to which he turned his atten- 
 tion was in connection with a nursery at Bloom- 
 ing-ton. 111., which he operated about five years. 
 
 In the fall of 1876 Mr. Cowles, desirous of see- 
 ing something more of the Great West, crossed the 
 plains by rail, and spending some time in Colorado, 
 returned home in the f.all of 1880. He then took 
 a trip East, traveling considerably over the East- 
 ern States, then returning home again, set out for 
 New Mexico, and spent some time in its mining re- 
 gions, where he invested a portion of his capital, 
 and from which he realized good returns. About 
 1887 he returned to this count}^ and took posses- 
 sion of the land which he now owns and occupies. 
 
I 
 
 - ' 182 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 While residing in New JNIexico Mr. Cowles en- 
 gaged quite largely in stock-raising and ranching. 
 He owns four separate ranches, which he still oper- 
 ates, besides owning a sixth interest in a large com- 
 panj' doing an extensive ranch business. His home 
 place wa.s thirty miles west of Socorro, at Magda- 
 lena, the terminus of the Magdalena Branch of the 
 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. He also 
 owns some valuable mining property in that dis- 
 trict. 
 
 Our subject, on the 7th of July, 1885, was united 
 in marriage with Miss Lillj' White, at Zanesville, 
 Ohio. This lady was born there Feb. 13, 1859, 
 and is the daughter of Homer and Sarah J. (Cas- 
 sidy) White, who are still living, and residents of 
 Zanesville. Mr. White is a prominent insurance 
 man, having been connected with some of the best 
 companies in the United States, and being particu- 
 larly expert in the adjustment of claims. 
 
 Mrs. Cowles was carefully educated in her na- 
 tive town, and was graduated from Zanesville High 
 School in the class of '78. Later she became a 
 teacher, and was very successful, occupying a posi- 
 tion in the public schools of her native city for a 
 period of seven years before her marriage. Of her 
 union with our subject there .are two children : 
 Fayzette Mae, who was born Sept. 17, 1886, and 
 Clayton Earl, July 13, 1888. Mrs. C. is a member 
 in good standing of the Baptist Church, and a very 
 estimable lady, who has hosts of friends in this vi- 
 cinity. Our subject is a sound Republican, politi- 
 cally, but has no aspirations for offlee, and has very 
 little to do with matters beyond the boundaries of 
 his large estate, whicli can only be properly man- 
 aged by close attention and calculation. 
 
 /p^EORGE W. BROWN is one of the promi- 
 jll (i=i nent farmers in Otoe Precinct, and one of 
 ^^4! tl'e early pioneers of Nemaha County in 
 1865. He removed to this county in 1867, and es- 
 tablished himself on his present farm, which com- 
 prises 160 acres, and is situated on section 17. 
 Upon this he has made excellent improvements, and 
 is one of tlie well-to-do citizens. He played no 
 mean part in the earlier history of the Territory', 
 
 which is all the more creditable to him. because 
 whatever has been accomplished in his life has been 
 the result of his own ambition and continued effort, 
 in wliich he has been supported bj' his wife, a most 
 excellent lad}', devoted to iier liushand and chil- 
 dren. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Thomas and 
 Margaret (Phillips) Brown, both natives of Cum- 
 berland County, Pa. There they were married and 
 lived until 1856, when the}' came to this State, 
 bringing with them their two sons. John P. and 
 George, the latter being at that time about twenty' 
 years of age. Besides these they had two other chil- 
 dren, viz: Mary S. and Eliza Jane, who were born 
 in Pennsylvania. Mary is the wife of Martin L. 
 Smith, of Federalsburg, Md., and Eliza Jane is the 
 wife of Dr. John Cleland, of Davenport, Iowa. 
 
 The native place of our subject is Bloorafield, 
 Perry Co., Pa., and the date of his birth the 22d 
 of February, 1832. He grew up at Carlisle, Pa., 
 where his father had a farm, upon which, espe- 
 cially after school days had passed, the two broth- 
 ers assisted their father, and continued until the 
 older brother went to Washington City to learn the 
 carpentry trade. 
 
 In 1853 the subject of our sketch joined his 
 brother at Davenport, Iowa, where he was estab- 
 lished in business. There he engaged in milling 
 and worked by the month. In 1865 he came to 
 Nemaha County and engaged in farm work, two 
 years later removing to this count}', where he rented 
 a farm, but w.as shortly established upon his present 
 property. 
 
 Our subject had not been long in Otoe County 
 before he made the acquaintance of Myra, daughter 
 of J. G. and Julia (Layman) Carmichael (see sketch 
 of Mr. Carmichael). Mrs. Brown svas born on the 
 8th of December, 1844, in Mifflin County, Pa., and 
 was nine years of age when her parents removed 
 West. After passing through the classes of the 
 common school, she took the High School course at 
 Nebraska Cit}', and made exceedingly good prog- 
 ress. Mr. and Mrs. Brown were married at the resi- 
 dence of her parents, on the 26th of September, 
 1861, at Minersville, Otoe Precinct. 
 
 There have come to Mr. and Mrs. Brown eleven 
 children, whose names are as follows: Abbie T., \ r 
 
*► ir < • 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 183 
 
 Mary; Ediiie, who fiied when six months old; 
 Thomas. Jennie; Lora. who died at the age of four 
 3'ears; George Franivlin, William^. Ida, Maude and 
 Carl. Abbie T. is the wife of .Tewett Thomas, one 
 of the successful merchants of Neliraska City, and 
 they are the parents of two children — Minnie and 
 Harry. Mr. and Mrs. Brown may be justly proud 
 of their children, to wliom they have been enabled 
 to give a good education, and who appreciate all 
 the care and provision made for them bj^ tiieir par- 
 ents. 
 
 When Mr. Brown looks back to his lieginning in 
 Nebraska, it must be vvith exceeding tliankfulness, 
 remembering that he started with but |!2.50, and 
 that to-day, with his productive, well-kept farm, his 
 beautiful home, his wife and children, he is among 
 the most prospered and happily situated of the citi- 
 zens of the county. During the past year (1888) 
 he erected a very fine two-story frame house, very 
 commodious and comfortable. It is supplied with 
 the numerous appliances and conveniences gener- 
 ally considered almost indispensaljle to the modern 
 home. Beloved by his family, and respected in the 
 community at large, lie stands in the front of Otoe's 
 citizens. In politics he is a stanch Republican. 
 The family attend the Southern Methodist Church. 
 
 of Berlin Precinct, possesses the warrantee 
 deed to 1,000 acres, and operates 200 besides, 
 his home being within two miles of the town. He 
 is a pojjiilar and pulilic-spirited citizen, intelligent 
 and liberal, and in all respects a useful member of 
 his community. Of German birth and ancestry, 
 he is the son of Christ and Sophia (Harra) Shrader, 
 who were natives of the Prussian Province of Meck- 
 lenburg, the father born in 1 795 and the mother in 
 1805. The paternal grandfather, Jacob vShrader, 
 was a farmer by occupation, and spent his entire 
 life upon his native soil, dying at a ripe old age. 
 
 The father of our subject, when a youth of seven- 
 teen years, enlisted in the German Army, serving 
 against Napoleon. After the war was over he re- 
 turned to his native town and became a weaver of 
 custom work, which trade he prosecuted success- 
 
 fully until the year 1862, and became owner of a 
 small farm. On the 15th of October of the year 
 mentioned Christ Shrader started with his family 
 for America, and shortly after landing in New 
 York City proceeded to Cleveland, Ohio, where he 
 settled and lived seven months. Next he moved 
 to Lee Coimty, 111., and spent his last years with 
 his children near Dixon, his death occurring in 
 September, 1869. The mother survived her hus- 
 band until 1875, coming to NebravSlva and spending 
 her last days with her children; she died when sev- 
 entj^ years old. The six children of the parental 
 famil}^ were: Sophia, a resident of this county; 
 Mary, who lives in Cleveland, Ohio; Dora, living 
 in this county; John, in Valp.araiso, this State; Fred, 
 our subject, and Henrj% in Berlin. 
 
 Our subject was born in the Province of Meck- 
 lenburg, Prussia, Sept. 20, 1843, and remained with 
 his parents on their little farm until a youth of 
 eighteen years, in the meantime receiving a thor- 
 ough education in his native town. He came to 
 America with Ills imrents, crossing the Atlantic on 
 the sailing-vessel " Columbus," taking passage at 
 Hamburg, and after a two-months voyage, in which 
 they encountered several severe storms, landed 
 safely in New York City. Fred remained with his 
 parents in Cleveland during their stay there, then 
 accompanied them to Lee County, 111., and subse- 
 quently was emploj^ed on a farm two years. He 
 then began operating rented land, and was thus oc- 
 cupied until March, 1869, When he determined to 
 seek his fortunes on the other side of the Missis- 
 sippi River. 
 
 The first purchase of Mr. Shrader in this county 
 was eighty acres of land in Berlin Precinct, upon 
 which there had been no attempt at improvement. 
 There was then not a mile of railroad west of the 
 Missouri River. Mr. Shrader landed in this county 
 with a cash capital of $4,75, and for two years after 
 coming here operated rented land until he could 
 begin the improvement of his purchase. Upon this 
 he built a house, into which he removed in the 
 spring of 1871, and thereafter proceeded vigorously 
 in the task of building up a homestead. The near- 
 est market was Nebraska City, and he battled with 
 drouth, grasshoppers and other difficulties, making 
 considerable headwa3', notwithstanding. He set out 
 
 ^k^ 
 
h 
 
 ••► 
 
 184 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 groves of cottonwood aiirl willow trees, and i)lanted 
 an orchard of 250 apple trees, and in due time the 
 first humble dwelling was replaced by a substan- 
 tial and modern residence, with barns and the other 
 necessary out-buildings. Later he added to his 
 landed area, buying in 1874 eighty acres adjoining 
 his first purchase at $6.50 per acre; two years later 
 he bought 160 acres adjoining which was improved, 
 and for which he paid $2,000; in 1879 he bought 
 120 acres for $1,000; in 1880 he added 200 acres to 
 his estate, paying for this the sum of $l,550;in 1882 
 he secured 160 acres for $2,200; in 1883 he bought 
 the 160 acres adjoining for $1,850, and the year 
 following he added 120 acres of highly improved 
 land, for which he paid $2,800; his last purchase 
 was in the spring of 1887, and comprised a quarter- 
 section under a high state of cultivation, for which 
 he paid $5,000. His land altogether is now placed 
 at an average value of $30 per acre. 
 
 In the spring of 1888 our subject invested a por- 
 tion of his spare capital in the merchandise store of 
 Shrader Bros., in Berlin, an establishment which 
 now carries $10,000 worth of goods, the largest 
 stock in town, and enjoys a good patronage. In 
 his farming transactions Mr. Shrader makes a spe- 
 cialty of live stock, buying and feeding cattle, and 
 shipping annually about three cars of these, be- 
 sides two, or three cars of swine; he keeps about 
 eighteen head of horses. To this industry is de- 
 voted about 480 acres of his land, while he lets the 
 balance to a tenant. 
 
 Our subject, while a resident of Lee County, 111., 
 was married, Feb. 14, 1869, to Miss Katie Albright, 
 who was born in Somerset Countj^ Pa., May 4, 
 1849. Mr. and Mrs. S. began their wedded life 
 together in this county, and here their seven chil- 
 dren were born, four sons and three daughters, 
 namely: Emma, Ella, Albert, Charles, Fred, Sarah 
 and Levi. Ella officiates as clerk in her father's 
 store at Berlin; Charles also spends some of his 
 time there. The other children remain at home 
 with their father. 
 
 On the 9th of March, 1888, our subject and his 
 family were called to mourn the loss of the devoted 
 wife and mother, a'loss which was not only deeply 
 felt hy them, but by all who knew her. Mrs. Shra- 
 der was a lady possessing all the womanly virtues. 
 
 fulfilling the duties of wife and mother in the most 
 praiseworthy manner, being kind and gentle in her 
 household and having the welfare of her children 
 deeply at heart. *She stood bravely by the side of 
 her husband during his early struggles, being his 
 efficient helpmate, a most kind counselor and wise 
 adviser. She lived to seethe country around them 
 developed into a prosperous community, and t(j 
 enjoy those home comforts which she h.id so justly 
 earned by her toils and sacrifices, and her name is 
 held in kindly remembrance not only by her fam- 
 ily, but hosts of friends and acquaintences. 
 
 INIr. Shrader has always kept himself well posted 
 upon current events, and votes the straight Re- 
 publican ticket. He takes considerable interest in 
 politics, and has done good service for his party in 
 this section, frequently being sent as a delegate to 
 the county and State conventions. He has been a 
 member of the School Board ten years, was Super- 
 visor eight years, and Assessor two years. He was 
 a charter member of the German Lutheran Church 
 at Berlin, with which he is still connected, and gives 
 liberally and cheerfully to its support. He is a 
 Trustee of the church property, and besides con- 
 tributing largelj' in the erection of the building, 
 solicited money outside, and has given freely of 
 his time and means in the general welfare and i)ros- 
 perity of the church. Berlin Precinct has within 
 its borders no more useful or praiseworthy' citizen. 
 
 •<3= 
 
 =E>- 
 
 ON. GEORGE FERGUSON, who is widely 
 known throughout the county in his politi- 
 cal relations, and who is at the head of a 
 very successful business as dealer in stock, 
 farm implements and vehicles in Dunbar, was born 
 in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the 14th of 
 August, 1 845. He is the son of William and Agnes 
 Ferguson, who were natives of the same country and 
 district. His father, who is now deceased, came 
 with his family to New York in 1848, and settled 
 nineteen miles south of Buffalo, removing in the 
 year 1854 to Guernsey County, Ohio. 
 
k.^^,^'^^ 
 
 Residence of Isaac Farley, Sec.19. Rock Creek Precinct. 
 
 Residence OF Mrs. Cath ERINE M? AizzR ,5LC.2S.fN0ffTHj Russell Precinct. 
 
-•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 187 
 
 Tlie suliject of our sketch was ediicateri in the 
 schools of Guernsey County, Ohio, and qualified 
 himself for teaching. In the year 1871 he went to 
 Polk County. Iowa, and taught school until the fol- 
 lowing spring; then he attended the Iowa Agricult- 
 ural College at Ames, in that State, continuing 
 until the summer of 1873, when he came to this 
 county and engaged in teaching in Wyoming and 
 the vicinity, continuing thus for five terms. Leav- 
 ing the school-house and teacher's desk, he engaged 
 in farming about six miles north of iSyracuse. Here 
 he found every oppoitunitj- to put into practice the 
 instruction received both from his father and at 
 Ames. He continued there until April, 1888, and 
 still owns the farm of eighty acres. 
 
 Upon the 4th of August, 1881, Mr. Ferguson was 
 united in marriage with Lorinda E. Gale, the daugh- 
 ter of John and Elizabeth Gale, of iSheboj'gan Falls, 
 Wis. Their marriage has been consummated by 
 the birth of four children, of whom three still live, 
 viz: Maude A., Wallace J. and Helen E. 
 
 In former years Mr. Ferguson was active in the 
 ranks of the Republican party, and was elected in 
 the fall of 1878 on the Republican ticket to repre- 
 sent Otoe County, Neb., in the Legislature. He 
 served his term of office with satisfaction. Since that 
 time, however, his political opinions have undergone 
 a change, and he is now a prominent and active 
 worker with the Prohibitionists, and holds the posi- 
 tion of Chairman of the Prohibition party in Otoe 
 County. Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson are both mem- 
 bers of the United Presbyterian Church, of which 
 our subject has been an adherent about twenty 
 years, and his wife about two. 
 
 p^HOMAS F. McALEER. Among the young 
 farmers and citizens of Russell Precinct and 
 Otoe County Mr. McAleei- takes a promi- 
 nent position. He is the owner of 160 acres of 
 splendidl\' cultivated land on section 23, and oper- 
 ates 640. He is extensively engaged as a horse and 
 cattle dealer, and has been unusually successful in 
 business in that connection. It goes without say- 
 
 ing that there is before him a very propitious ca- 
 reer. 
 
 James McAleer, the father of our subject, was 
 born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in the year 1810, 
 and his mother, whose maiden name was Catherine 
 Darcy, was born in County Leitrim of the same 
 country. His father was an agriculturist prior to 
 leaving his native country, which he did in 1839, 
 coming to America. The voyage which promised 
 so fair ended (iisastrouslj', for the vessel was 
 wrecked on the Island of Nova Scotia, and he only 
 escaped by swimming ashore. Obtaining work as 
 a baker he continued there for two years, and then 
 went to Boston, where he went into the marble 
 business and worked as a polisher, which he had 
 learned as a young man in Ireland. He' c(>ntinued 
 theie until 1849, then removed to Providence, con- 
 tinuing in the same business. Thence he went to 
 Princton, 111., in 1863, and there operated forty 
 acres of land in addition to his polishing, which 
 was not discontinued. 
 
 Coming to Nebraska in 1873. Mr. McAloer, Sr., 
 purchased 160 acres of land from the Burlington 
 & Missouri River Railroad Company, and went to 
 work to improve the same, and at his death in 1888 
 had 480 acres of splendidly cultivated land. lu 
 politics he was a Democrat and faithful to his party. 
 His wife came to America in 1846 alone, and landed 
 in New York. From there she removed to Provi- 
 dence, where she met her husband, to whom she 
 was united on the 17th of July, 1853. She was the 
 mother of seven children, whose names are as fol- 
 lows: Mary E., James, Miles, John, Thomas, Frank 
 and Bernard. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Provi- 
 dence, R. I., on the 11th of May, 1863, and was 
 about a year old at the time his parents removed 
 to Illinois. He grew up upon the farm and was 
 early made acquainted with all the various duties 
 and labors connected therewith. His parents saw 
 that he obtained a good practical education in the 
 common school, and was thus in some measure 
 fitted to take up his share of the activities of life. 
 AVhen in 1873 his parents removed to Nebraska, he 
 was ten j-ears of age, and he continued at work 
 upon the home farm until he was about twentj'-one, 
 when he entered with zest into the conflict of life 
 
 :*^iU. 
 
•►Hl^^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 upon bis own account, and has been so successful as 
 to become the owner of a quarter-section of very 
 valuable farming land. He usually buys and feeds, 
 preparatory to marketing, two carloads of cattle and 
 five of hogs per annum. He has taken much pains 
 to procure and raise Short-horns and Polled-Angus 
 cattle, and has six' very valuable animals of the 
 former variety, but his chief delight so far as stock 
 is concerned is in raising Clj'desdale roadsters. 
 He owns forty iiead of horses and ten fine mules. 
 His propert3' in cattle is quite valuable and worthy 
 of all the care he bestows upon them. 
 
 Our subject is a member of the Catholic Church 
 at Palmyra, and was prominent in tlie organization 
 of the society and building of the church. The 
 parents are also of the same religious faith. Polit- 
 ically, Mr. McAleer is a Democrat, and takes an 
 active interest in political affairs. Twice he has 
 been called upon to act as delegate to the County 
 Conventions. 
 
 A view of the McAleer homestead is given on 
 an adjoining i)age. 
 
 — ^^#J*|— 
 
 SAAC FARLEY, the present Assessor of Rock 
 Creek Precinct, and one of its most successful 
 agriculturists, owns and occupies a fine home- 
 stead on section 19, which embraces 160 acres of 
 •well-improved land with neat and substantial build- 
 ings. He has a goodly assortment of live stock, 
 and all the machinery necessary for the successful 
 prosecution of his chosen calling. He has groves 
 of fruit trees and shrubbery, and has surrounded 
 himself and family with all the other comforts of 
 modern life. A view of his fine farm residence 
 with its environments is presented to our readers. 
 
 Mr. Farley settled upon his farm in the fall of 
 1882, having moved here from another in the same 
 precinct. He came to Otoe County as early as 1869, 
 of which he has since been a resident, and contin- 
 uously engaged in farming pursuits. His native 
 place is the Province of Ontario. Canada, he hav- 
 ing been born in Peterboro, April 1, 1837. There 
 he was reared and educated, making his home with 
 his parents, Patrick and Mary (O'Rielly) Farley. 
 They were natives of Ireland, and spent their last 
 
 years in the Dominion, both dying at an advanced 
 ago, the father having reached ninety-five years. 
 The latter served under the Duke of Wellington 
 during the French War, and was married before 
 coming to America. The parental family included 
 eight children, seven of whom are living. The 
 parents were members of the German Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 Our subject was one of the younger members of 
 the large family of children, and grew to manhood 
 in his native Province, receiving a common-school 
 education. He was married there to Miss Mary A. 
 Nolan, who was also a native of the Province of 
 Ontario, and was born in September, 1839. She 
 made her home with her parents until her marriage, 
 acquiring her education in the common schools. 
 Her parents were natives of Ireland, whence they 
 emigrated to the Dominion of Canada after their 
 marriage, where they spent the remainder of their 
 lives, and the father followed farming pursuits. 
 They were members in good standing of the Cath- 
 olic Church, people cai'eful and conscientious in 
 their lives, and respected by their neighbors. 
 
 Mrs. Farley has stood bravely by the side of her 
 husband in his efforts to build up a home, laboring 
 equally with him early and late for the comfort and 
 well-being of their little family. They are the 
 parents of six children, namely: Edward, Mary, 
 Josephine, Helen, Joseph and John. Mr. and Mrs. 
 F. are consistent members of the Catholic Church, 
 in the doctrines of which they were reared in early 
 childhood. Our subject, ■ politically, is a sound 
 Democrat, and is serving his seventh term in his 
 present office. 
 
 /ip^ WASH GILES is well known throughout 
 (|/ J—-, Wyoming Precinct as proprietor of the 
 '^^j, "Living Water vStock Farm," and the "Ar- 
 lington" herd of Poland-China swine, comprising 
 some of the finest specimens of Poland-Chinas to 
 be found in this section of the State. At the head 
 of the herd of Poland-Chinas is Messenger, No. 
 1884, S. P. C. R.,and although only fifteen months 
 old has already made an admirable record. Mr. 
 Giles has six other animals of the Poland-China 
 
 ■^•- 
 
OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 189 
 
 { 
 
 != 
 
 breed, and registered as follows: Ett, No. 2822; 
 Grace (1st), No. 2820; Grace (2d), No. 2825; 
 Cala, No. 2821; Arlington Maid, No. 2823, and 
 Topsie G.. No. -3171. The herd was established in 
 1882 with Otoe Prince, No. 2335, at the head. Mr. 
 Giles has competed successfully with breeders all 
 over this section of the country at the State and 
 county fairs, in which many of his animals have 
 come home with blue ribbons. 
 
 The farm of our subject is finely adapted to stock- 
 raising, and in this industry he has been remark- 
 ably successful during his residence in this county, 
 which dates from the spring of 1860. He was 
 born in Peoria, 111., April 28, 1854, and is the 
 son of Joseph Giles, a native of the Island of St. 
 Helena. His paternal grandfather, Thomas Giles, 
 was with the exile Napoleon at the time of the 
 latter's death. 
 
 Joseph Giles came to the United States when a 
 young man, and located Jn Peoria, 111., where he 
 married Miss Susanna Redfern. This lady, like her 
 husband, was of P^nglish descent, and came to the 
 United States when a child of thirteen years, locat- 
 ing in Peoria, 111., with her parents. After mar- 
 riage .Joseph and Susanna Giles lived in Peoria, 
 111., until coming to Nebraska, in the spring of 
 1860. The father purchased a tract of new land 
 on section 11, in Wyoming Precinct, where, with 
 his estimable wife, he labored industriously, and 
 lived until March. 1885, when, retiring from active 
 labor, they moved to Nebraska City, where they 
 are now spending their declining years surrounded 
 by all the comforts of life. 
 
 Our subject was the youngest child .and only son 
 of a family of six children, one of whom, a 
 d.iughter, Ann, died when very young. He lived 
 at home until his marriage in Wyoming Precinct, 
 Dec. 14, 1876, to Miss Mary Martin. This lady 
 was born in Utica, Venango Co., Pa.. Oct. 4, 1852, 
 and is the daughter of John E. and Maria (Rey- 
 nolds) Martin, a sketch of whom will be found 
 elsewhere in this work. They came to Nebraska 
 in 1857, and the education of their daughter Mary 
 was conducted in the common schools at first and 
 completed in the Normal School at Peru. Of her 
 union with our subject there have been born two 
 children: J. Roy, Oct. 1, 1877, and Carl M., June 
 
 8, 1879. The family residence is a comfortable 
 structure, and the out-buildings all that are desirable 
 for the prosecution of both agriculture and stock- 
 raising. The pens for the swine are equipped with 
 everything that is necessary for their comfort and 
 the success of the industry to which Mr. Giles 
 gives especial attention. He is a man of decided 
 views, keeps himself well posted upon matters of 
 general interest to the intelligent citizen, and votes 
 the Republican ticket. 
 
 -Jfe- 
 
 •>-»-«• 
 
 ^., APT. BEN S. PINDAR, who is one of the 
 practical farmers of South Branch Precinct, 
 farming 160 acres on the northwest quarter 
 of section 33, and also well and favorably known 
 thronghout tlie county, was born in Washington 
 County, Md., on the 21st of May, 1836. He is the 
 son of Benjamin and Sarah (Small) Pindar. His 
 father was born in Camden County, Del., in 1800, 
 and his motiier five years later in Berkeley County, 
 Va. The grandfatlier of our subject, Edward Pin- 
 ilar, made quite a record as a soldier of the Revo- 
 lution under Washington, and was a nephew of 
 Charles Lee of Revolutionary fame. '1 be maternal 
 grandfather, Samuel Small, was of English descent 
 but horn in Virginia. He also was one of the 
 patriot heroes of 1776. 
 
 The parents of our subject were married in 
 Virginia, and there made their home. The father 
 was an overseer of a plantation, and so continued 
 for many years. Afterward they moved to Mary- 
 land, where he engaged in farming. In 1847 the 
 family removed to Henry County, Ohio, and eighty 
 acres were purchased in the vicinity of Napoleon. 
 There farming was carried on until 1867, when the 
 property was soW, and the family removed to South 
 Branch Precinct of this county, where in 1886 the 
 father died. He had been bereaved of his wife in 
 1867, when she had reached the advanced age of 
 sixty-two years. They were the parents of four 
 children, viz: Susan, Annie, Ben S. and Perry, 
 the latter deceased ; he was in the war, and served 
 in the same regiment as our subject, was taken with 
 brain fever, and died at Nashville in 1862. 
 
 The subject of our sketch staid at home until 
 
 ■*► 
 
•►■ 
 
 u 
 
 190 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 he attained his majoritj', the j-ears of his boyhood 
 beiiio; spent in the usual occupations of the comnnon 
 school, after which he attended the full High .School 
 course, lieing graduated therefrom, and afterward 
 becoming his father's assistant upon the farm. He 
 was eleven j'ears of age when the removal was made 
 to Ohio. After that change of residence the chief 
 work of his education was attended to, for bis High 
 School course and more preparatory education were 
 supplemented by three years in Heidelberg College 
 at Tiffin. Until he was twenty-five years of age he 
 taught school in various districts, and held a ver^' 
 high certificate of ability. 
 
 In 1861, at the time the first call for troops was 
 made b3' President Lincoln, Mr. Pindar enlisted in 
 the 14th Ohio Infantry, and served in Company F. 
 The enlistment was made for three months, as was 
 the case with nearly all the men, it being supposed 
 that the war would be settled by that time. He was 
 mustered in at Cleveland, Ohio, under Col. Stedman 
 and Gens. Rosecrans and McClellan, and served 
 chiefly in West Virginia. He was in the first battle 
 of the war at Phillippi, then at Laurel Hill, Cheat 
 River and Canick Ford, which ended the campaign 
 in Virginia, and the term having expired, he, with 
 others, was mustered out at Toledo, Ohio, on the 
 18th of August, 1861. 
 
 Re-enlisting the following day in the 38th Ohio 
 Infantry, our subject was mustered in at Defiance, 
 received the commission of a Lieutenant, and then 
 went into service in Kentucky under E. D. Bradley. 
 The first of the series of battles of that campaign 
 was the battle of Wildcat, after which they were 
 sent to Mills Springs, and became part of Gen. 
 Thomas' division; then followed the battles of 
 Perry ville, Stone River, Chattanooga, Chickamauga 
 and Missionary Ridge. At Nashville he was pro- 
 moted to be Captain, and served* in that capacity 
 from that time. He was with Sherman throughout 
 the Atlanta campaign, en route to the sea, and took 
 part in all the engagements of that campaign. The 
 hardest fighting experienced by the regiment which 
 he served was at Jonesboro. At Chickamauga 
 he was stunned by the explosion of a shell imme- 
 diately above his head. Although he recovered 
 sufficiently to leave the field, he never fully recov- 
 ered his hearing, and when at Savannah in Febrn- 
 
 •►Hh-^- 
 
 ary of 1 865, his trouble had become so bad that he 
 received an honorable discharge, with congratu- 
 lations for gallant service. His discharge was pro- 
 cured at his own request, as he felt it impossible for 
 him to do good service, having almost entiiely lost 
 the power of hearing. 
 
 Leaving the military service, our subject returned 
 to New York by steamer, and from there he went 
 to Ohio. He [lurchased forty acres of land, and 
 for one year continued farming. In the spring of 
 1867 he started for this State, going by rail to St. 
 Joseph, and from there by steamer to Nebraska 
 Cit3'. Again taking the train at that place he came 
 to this county and to South Branch. Here he 
 entered a homestead claim for the 160 acres of 
 prairie land which he has now made such a beauti- 
 ful and productive farm. His property is well 
 watered by a branch of the Nemaha River that 
 winds its way through it. 
 
 At Napoleon, in February, 1864, in order the 
 better to enjoy his veteran furlough Capt. Pindar 
 was united in marriage with Miss Eva H. Choat 
 the daughter of Thomas and Louisa (Randall) 
 Choat, both of whom were born in Maine, of 
 English descent. They removed afterward to .Seneca 
 County, Ohio, and took eighty acres of land be- 
 fore it was at all settled for many miles around 
 his home. The parents are both dead, but have 
 left three children — William A., Liza J. and EvaH. 
 William A. Choat was Colonel of the 38th Ohio 
 Infantry, and did gallant service. He was shot in 
 the breast upon the 1st of September, 1864, at the 
 battle of Jonesboro. and fell upon the field. 
 
 The wife of our subject was born in Thomaston, 
 Me., in January of 1836. She was well educated 
 and carefully nurtured and trained at home. For 
 three j'ears she attended the college at Oberlin, 
 Ohio, of National renown, and afterward served as 
 a teacher; during the war she filled an appointment 
 in the post-office department at Napoleon. There 
 have been born to Capt. and Mrs. Pindar three 
 children — Maud, Hazzard and Maggie. Maud is 
 attending school at Toledo, Ohio, and the rest of 
 the family are at home. 
 
 Ever since the School Board District was organ- 
 ized Capt. Pindar has been one of its members; for 
 sixteen years he has been the Assessor of the pre- 
 
Residence OF C. A. Smith, 5ec.20.Hendric5 Precinct. 
 
 iUoiULiUEOFj H Behrend5,Sec 19 FouR Mile Precinct 
 
h 
 
 •9^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ciiict, and continues to hold the position. In the 
 G. A. R. also he takes a prominent p.art; he is a 
 member at Sterling of the Wadsworth Post No. 
 99. His political relations have always been with 
 tiie Republican party, of which he is a stanch 
 adherent and hearty supporter. Mrs. Pindar has 
 been a member of the Universalist Church in Ohio 
 since the year 1859, and has never united with any 
 organization locally. As a family, as well as in- 
 dividuals, they are much respected by all who know 
 them, and enjoy the hearty esteem of the com- 
 munity at large. 
 
 — ^'^^^liJt^i^iT^'^-^ 
 
 ( lai 
 
 OH AN H. BEHRENDS is a fine represent- 
 I ative of the farmers of Otoe Countj', and 
 1 his large and valuable farm in Four Mile 
 ^^^i Precinct is one of the best managed and 
 most attractive places within a radius of many 
 miles. A view of this the publishers give in con- 
 nection with this outline history of its respected 
 proprietor. Mr. Behrends was born April 21, 
 183o, in Hanover, Germany, vhich was likewise 
 the birthplace of his father, Bernhard Behrends, 
 who spent his entire life there engaged in farming. 
 The mother of our subject was also born in Han- 
 over. She also died in Germany. There were but 
 two children, the subject of this sketch and his 
 brother, Albert J . who resides in Nemaha County. 
 Our subject was reared in his native land, and re- 
 ceived the benefits of a sound education in its ex- 
 cellent schools, which he attended quite steadily 
 until he was fourteen years old. He then went to 
 work on a farm, and from that time until 1853 
 toiled hard to acquire a practical knowledge of 
 agiicnllnre. In that j-ear he came to America to 
 try life in the New World, hoping to be able to lay 
 up a competence and to live in the comfort and 
 ease that would be denied him under the existing i 
 state of affairs in the Fatherland. He set sail from 
 Bremerhaven in June, and landed in New Orleans 
 seven weeks and two days later, with but a few 
 dollars in his pocket. He went directly to Madison 
 County, 111., and there found employment on a 
 farm at |12 a month. He continued to work by 
 the month there and in Sangamon County until 
 
 1856, when the alluring accounts of the won- 
 <lerfid fertility of the soil of the wild prairies of 
 Nebraska, its bracing climate, and many other nat- 
 ural advantages, determined him to come here and 
 engage in agriculture, and he was soon voyaging 
 up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to his desti- 
 nation. He landed at Brownville in the month 
 of July of that year, and shortly after selected 
 a desirable location in Nemaha County, and when 
 the land came into the market he entered his claim 
 from the Government, paying $1.25 an acre for 
 the land. He erected a log cabin to shelter him, 
 and proceeded to develop his land. The country 
 around was then mostly in a wild, unsettled slate, 
 deer and other kinds of game were plentiful, and 
 Indians were often seen lingering about their old 
 homes. Brownville, fourteen miles distant, was 
 the nearest market. Mr. Behrends continued to 
 live there for four years, and, at the expiration of 
 that time, he sold his partly improved claim at 
 a good advance on the cost price, and bought 
 160 acres in Rock Creek Precinct. Thirty acres of 
 this tract were broken, but there were no build- 
 ings, and he at once erected a house, and for two 
 years he was actively engaged in agriculture in 
 that precinct. At the end of that time he had a 
 good chance to sell his place and make quite a sum 
 of monej'. and he took advantage of it. He then 
 bought a tract of wild prairie in tlie same precinct, 
 built a comfortable house, broke the entire iract of 
 land, and resided thereon until 1877. He then 
 bought his present farm, which comprises 360 acres 
 of land, exceedingly rich in all the elements that go 
 to make it one of the most productive estates in 
 Otoe County. It is finely located in Four Mile Pre- 
 cinct, four miles southwest of Nebraska City, and 
 its nearness to a thriving city and to good markets 
 makes it of additional value. Mr. Behrends is a 
 business-like, skillful agriculturist, and already has 
 his land under good cultivation, and has erected a 
 substantial and conveniently arranged set of farm 
 buildings, and has one of the best and among the 
 finest farmhouses in the precinct. 
 
 Mr. Behrends was married, in 1 8G0, to Miss Annie 
 Sophia Arends. a native of Hanover, and their pleas- 
 ant wedded life has been blessed to them by the 
 birth of sixteen children, only three now living, 
 ^ 
 
 r 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 f 
 
 192 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 namely : Bernhard B., Maggie and Herman. They 
 have a cozy, attractive home, and friend and stran- 
 ger alike receive a cordial welcome and enjoy a gen- 
 erous and unstinted hospitalit}- from host and 
 hostess while under its sheltering roof. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Behrends are esteemed members of the Lu- 
 theran Church. In his political sentiments Mr. 
 Behrends is decidedly independent. As a man of 
 practical habits, sound principles and genial man- 
 ners, our subject exerts a good influence in this com- 
 munity', and is greatly' respected by his fellow- 
 citizens. 
 
 4 
 
 eAMILLUS A. SMITH, Justice of the Peace 
 of Hendricks Precinct, and one of its most 
 prosperous and public-spirited citizens, owns 
 a valuable farm on section 20. He is considerably 
 interested in stock-raising, and ships numbers of 
 cattle and hogs each year to the markets. 
 
 The first recollections of our subject are of the 
 modest home of his parents in Spring Township, 
 Crawford Co., Pa., where his birth took ijlace Dee. 
 11, 1843. He attended the village school, and his 
 father having died when he was a lad. remained 
 with bis mother until the outbreak of the Civil War. 
 The family at that time having removed to Wis- 
 consin, he enlisted in the 1st Wisconsin Infantry, 
 and in the battle of Perryville, Ky.. was wounded 
 in the left fore-arm, by reason of which he was con- 
 fined in the hosjjital three months. Anxious, however, 
 to rejoin his regiment, he returned to it while his arm 
 was still in a sling, and participated thereafter in the 
 battles of Stone River, Murfreesboro. Chiekamauga, 
 Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge. Then, under 
 command of Gen. Sherman, he marched to the sea, 
 taking part in the meantime in most of the engage- 
 ments of the Atlanta campaign. On the 25th of 
 July, 1804, he was wounded at Atlanta in the right 
 leg, and off duty one month. Upon rejoining his 
 regiment he met the enemy in the fight at Benton- 
 ville, and was with Sherman at the time of Johnston's 
 surrender at Raleigh. He continued in the army 
 until the close of the war, and received iiis honor- 
 able discharge at the cit\' of Washington, D. C, 
 
 <• 
 
 then went with his regiment to Milwaukee, where it 
 was disb.anded. 
 
 Our subject now began farming near Trenton, 
 Dodge Co., Wis., on a small tract of land which he 
 had purchased, and where he continued until coming 
 to this county. He started for Nebraska on the 1st 
 of May, 1867, and made the entire journey over- 
 land in a wagon. He crossed the Missouri on the 
 3d of June, and seven days later homesteaded the 
 land which be now owns and occupies. After pro- 
 viding a shelter for his family he began the im- 
 provement of his purchase, setting out groves and 
 an orchard of 150 trees, besides adding from time 
 to time the various conveniences required for the 
 comfort of the famil}'. The land is watered by 
 running streams and is highly productive. 
 
 Our subject was married at Beaver Dam, Wis., 
 May 1, 1867, to Miss Anna Robinson, who was born 
 in Dodge County, that State, Sept. 2, 1848. Her 
 father, Ichabod Robinson, a native of England, was 
 born In 1816, and emigrated to America with his 
 brothers when but a lad seventeen j'ears old. They 
 settled first in Ohio, then removed to Kentucky, 
 but after his marriage Mr. Robinson located in 
 Dodge County, Wis., where he carried on farming 
 until his death, in 1885. The wife and mother was 
 in her girlhood Miss Sarah A. Davis, a native of 
 Kentucky. Her death took place in Dodge County, 
 Wis., in 1851. The household circle comprised the 
 following children: Mary, Eliza, Samuel, David, 
 Annie, Mattie and Sarah. The latter died when 
 about thirty -three years old. Samuel and David 
 served as soldiers in the late war, from which they 
 came out uninjured, but upon the return home 
 after receiving his honorable discharge, Samuel fell 
 between the cars of a moving train and was in- 
 stantly killed. 
 
 To our subject and his wife there have been born 
 five children, namely: Mattie, Arthur, Elmer, Anna 
 and Ada. AVith the exception of Arthur, who is 
 engaged in brickmaking at Lincoln, they are all at 
 home with their parents. Mr. Smith is a true blue 
 Republican, politically, one of the warmest sup- 
 porters- of the principles of his party. Soon after the 
 war he identified hiniself with the G. A. R., and is 
 a member of Mansfield Post No. 56, at Palmyra. 
 He has served .is School Moderator in his district 
 
 r 
 
•► I I <•• 
 
 ii^!-i. 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 since the time of its organization, and has officiated 
 as Justice of the Peace since the spring of 1881. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in New York, 
 in 1807. He served an apprenticeship at the shoe- 
 maker's trade during his early manhood, but later 
 became interested in agricultural pursuits, whicli he 
 followed in Crawford County, Pa., where his death 
 took place in 1846. The paternal grandfather, 
 Israel Smith, served as a soldier in the Revolution- 
 ary War, and subsequentlj- received a pension from 
 the Government. The mother of our subject was 
 in her girlhood Miss Perthina Bail. She was born 
 in Chautauqua County, N. Y.,in 1815, and after the 
 death of her husband lived in Pennsylvania until 
 1859. Her death took place in 1879. The pa- 
 rental household included six children, namely: 
 Harriet, .Sarah, Americus, Orphilia, Camillus (our 
 subject) and Orion. Americus enlisted in the same 
 regiment in which his brother Camillus served, and 
 was shot through the heart at the battle of Perry- 
 ville; his remains now fill a soldier's grave at Perry- 
 ville, Ky. 
 
 Mr. Smith commenced at the foot of the ladder in 
 life, and has seen many years of hard labor with 
 drawbacks and privations. Now in the enjoyment 
 of a pleasant and comfortable home, he is simply in 
 possession of what he is honestlj' entitled to by 
 reason of his industry and perseverance. Mrs. 
 Smith is a lady of many amiable qualities, cirltured 
 and hospitable, and their home, one of the most 
 attractive in this region, is the frequent resort of 
 hosts of friends. 
 
 The view of Squire Smith's residence is presented 
 in connection with this brief sketch of his life. 
 
 •rW<, 
 
 i^^^ALTON MASSEY, one of the substantial 
 m^^ men of Otoe Precinct, enterprising and pub- 
 ^^^ lie-spirited, is essentially a Western man, 
 having been born on this side of the Mississippi, in 
 Gasconade County, Mo., forty miles from Jefferson 
 City, April 15, 1837. His paternal grandfather 
 was one of the first settlers of that State, taking ui) 
 a tract of wihi land and following the pursuit of 
 agriculture. He spent his last years in Missouri. 
 The subject of this sketch took up his residence 
 
 Ht^4^ 
 
 in Otoe Precinct in the fall of 1862. His parents. 
 George and Margaret (Branson) Massey, were also 
 natives of Missouri, and there they both spent 
 their entire lives, except a three-years residence in 
 Tex.as. the father engaged in farming pursuits. 
 Their family consisted of eight children, namely: 
 Charles. Talton; Ann and Elizabeth, both deceased ; 
 Thomas, who died young; Nancj', deceased; Sarah 
 is the wife of James Russell, and they live in Idaho; 
 and William. 
 
 Mr. Miissey, our subject, was the second child 
 of his parents, of whom he was deprived bj' death 
 when but a boy. The children were then scattered, 
 and our subject was tstken into the home of his 
 uncle, Benjamin Simpson, in Barton County, Mo., 
 where he lived until able to do for himself. He 
 now commenced freighting (this was in 1857) 
 across the plains, transporting merchandise from 
 Westport, Mo., in wagons to Santa Fe, N. M. 
 This was an experience in which he saw much of 
 life in the wild West, meeting all kinds of men, 
 and often making his waj' through difficulties and 
 dangers. He was thus occupied two years, then 
 returned to Barton County. Mo., where he purchased 
 land and resolved to settle down. 
 
 The next important event in the life of our sub- 
 ject was his marriage with Miss Martha Ann Lucas, 
 which occurred near the town of Lamar, in Feb- 
 ruary, 1859. Mrs. JNIassey was born in Sangamon 
 County, III., Aug. 10, 1840, and was the only 
 living child of Allison and Louisa (Harper) Lucas 
 Mrs. Lucas died when her daughter, Mrs. Massey, 
 was an infant. 
 
 Mr. Lucas, after the death of his wife, moved to 
 Pike County, III., where Mrs. Massey was princi- 
 pally reared ; then she removed with her father to 
 Barton County', Mo. The Lucas family left Illinois 
 and moved into Gasconade County, Mo., but, be- 
 coming discontented, returned later to Illinois. 
 They afterward moved back to Missouri, settling 
 this time in Barton Count}', where Mr. and Mrs. M. 
 were married. 
 
 Our subject and his wife continued residents of 
 Missouri until the fall of 1862, and then, on account 
 of the troubles connected with the Civil War, de- 
 cided to go farther North. On their way to Illinois 
 Mrs. Massey was taken quite ill at Nebraska Citj', 
 
 f 
 
•►HF^ 
 
 194 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 and they were obliged to halt. Mr. M. engaged 
 himself as a farm laborer, thinking to stay only un- 
 til his wife was sufficientlj- recovered to proceed on 
 their journey. He became pleased with the coun- 
 try and the i)eople, and finally resolved to sta3' here, 
 although not purchasing land until the spring of 
 1866. He first secured 160 acres, and has now one 
 of the best cultivated farms in Otoe Precinct. The 
 twenty -two years of his residence upon it have been 
 devoted to its improvement, and, looking over his 
 fields and buildings, the proprietor has abundant 
 reason to congratulate himself upon the result of his 
 labors. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Massey there have been born 
 eight children, tlie two eldest, Mary Jane and Will- 
 iam H., in Missouri; the other six, Charles W., 
 Louisa A., Isadora, George W., Sarah E. and Nancy 
 A., were born in Otoe Precinct, this county. The 
 eldest daughter is at home with her parents. Will- 
 iam is a resident of Sterling. Jefferson Co., Neb ; 
 he married Miss Ina R. Crook, of Nebraska City, 
 and they have three children — Clarence C, Oda 
 Pearl and Viva B. Charles W. is at home; 
 Louisa A. became the wife of T. L. Nipps. and 
 the mother of one child, Mary A., and died on 
 the 6th of March, 1888. Mary A. is now living 
 with her grandparents. Isadora is pursuing her 
 studies in Nebraska City. George W., Sarah E. 
 and Nancy A. are at home with their parents. 
 
 My. Massey is a stanch supporter of the prin- 
 ciples of the Democratic party. He has given es- 
 pecial attention to the education of his children, 
 and ihey form a bright and interesting group whom 
 the parents regard with pardonable pride. 
 
 ELIJAH W. ROSS ranks high among the suc- 
 cessful, hard-working and manly citizens of 
 •) Palmyra Precinct. He is one who does not 
 live for himself alone, but has large interests in 
 every enterprise or plan that will advance the pros- 
 sperity of the district in which he resides, whether 
 they be of an educational, religious, or merely po- 
 litical character. He successfully farms 160 acres 
 
 of good land on sections 20 and 29, and other 
 things being equal, sees a large retuni for every 
 investment of strength or finances that he may 
 make. 
 
 Our subject is the son of James and Priscilla 
 (Young) Ross, both of whom were natives of New 
 York State. In this family commingles both Scotch 
 and German blood. His father, who is an agricult- 
 urist, is now seventy-two years of age, and his 
 mother seventy-four. Grandfather Ross was in the 
 War of 1812 as a Captain, and merited special men- 
 tion for gallant service. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was the third of six 
 children born to his parents, whose names we men- 
 tion as follows: Peter, Artem us, Elijah W., Betsey 
 A., Ella and Artemus. The second child and Ella 
 are deceased. Elijah was born on the 12th of March, 
 1839, in Oswego, N. Y. He was brought up on a 
 farm, and continued at home until 1861, when he 
 was united in m.arriage with Miss J.ane Dunlap, 
 daughter of William Robert Dunlap, whose sketch 
 api)ears on another page in this volume. Mrs. Ross 
 was born on the 7th of August, 1841. 
 
 After their marriage our subject and his wife 
 made their home in New York State until 1871, 
 when they came to this State with their three chil- 
 dren. Until that time Mr. Ross had been engaged 
 in sawmill work and in the general lumber trade, 
 but since he came to Nebraska has given his atten- 
 tion almost entirely to stock. The first experience 
 in Nebraska in home life was in a dug-out, which 
 served them for the first year and a half, after which 
 they removed to their more commodious, comfort- 
 able and pleasant home. They are the parents of 
 seven children, whose names we mention as follows: 
 Ella, Emerson, Emery. Manly, Ida, William and 
 John. Ella is happily married to Samuel FuUwider, 
 and is a resident of Sharon, Kan. ; they are the 
 p.arents of two children. Emerson is a farmer at 
 Turlington. 
 
 Our subject and wife are members in good stand- 
 ing of the United Brethren Church, of which or- 
 ganization he has been the Treasurer. His political 
 principles are those of the Prohibition party, and 
 he takes a lively and active interest therein. They 
 are both highly esteemed, and are cordially received 
 in the most select circles of local society. 
 
 •^^ 
 
:z^M^^rh^ 
 
•►Hh-^*- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 197 ii 
 
 REDERICK BORCIIERDING is the ov\Tier 
 of a very fine and produetive farm on sec- 
 tion 3 of Delaware Precinct, and is one of 
 tiie most worthy representatives of that usually 
 most desirable class of citizens, viz., those who 
 have emigrated to this country from Germany. He 
 bears the national characteristics of intelligent, 
 earnest, persevering and thrifty labor, and to this, 
 doubtless, is owing the success that lias attended 
 his agricultural efforts. 
 
 Our subject was born in Hanover, on the 22d of 
 November, 1842. He came to this country with 
 his father in the spring of 1860; a settlement was 
 made in Clayton County, Iowa. Tlie dawn of life 
 in America was shrouded with gloom, overcast by 
 the clouds of trouble and enveloped in the shadows 
 of de.ath, for within two weeks after reaching Iowa 
 Frederick Borcherding. Sr., was taken sick and died. 
 
 The subject of our sketch never was privileged 
 to attend the American schools, but at the same 
 time has obtained a fair English education. He 
 came to this county in the fall of 1868, and lived 
 in Berlin Precinct until the fall of 1879, when he 
 came to his present farm, which he has since culti- 
 vated with assiduous care, seeing as a result thereof 
 a continuouslj' growing success. 
 
 While residing in CLayton County, Iowa, our 
 subject was married, on the lOtli of October, 1866, 
 to Eliza Abker. She was born in Clayton County, 
 Iowa, of German parentage, and remained with her 
 parents until her marriage. To Mr. and Mrs. Bor- 
 cherding have been given seven children, of whom 
 six survive, viz: Maggie, Annie, Eward, Jennie, 
 Alfred and Josie. Alfred had a twin sister, who 
 died at the age of one year and a half; she bore 
 the name Alice. 
 
 The total acreage owned by our subject is 480, 
 all well improved and utilized for farming and 
 stock-raising purposes. In starting our subject had 
 practically' nothing; what has been obtained is the 
 result of hard work, good m.anagement and thrifty 
 care. He now has a good farmhouse and an ex- 
 cellent barn that has recently been put up, stand- 
 ing 40x42 feet and 34 feet high from the basement, 
 which is eight feet from floor to ceiling. The base- 
 ment walls are all of rock, and stand upon a good 
 foundation. The cost of this building, exclusive 
 
 of his own work, was SI, 400. The quarrying of 
 the stone and the hauling of the same a distance of 
 nine miles, besides other work upon the actual 
 building, he did himself. Our subject and his wife 
 are both members of the Lutheran Church and in 
 good standing. They are well respected in the 
 neighborhood, and enjoy the perfect confidence 
 and esteem of all who know them. 
 
 p^HOMAS H. ASHTON, M. D., an able and 
 popular physician of Sj'iacuse, located intliis 
 city in the month of March, 1886. He is a 
 native of Brown County, Ohio, and was born to 
 James and Cassandra (Sly) Asliton, on the 8th of 
 March, 1841. His father was a native of Bucks 
 County, Pa., and his mother of Clermont County, 
 Ohio. The gre.at-grand father of the Doctor emi- 
 grated from Ashlon, England, at an early daj', and 
 settled in Pennsylvania. There his son .Samuel was 
 born, brought up, and in early manhood married. 
 He continued after that interesting event to follow 
 the pursuits of husbandry until the year 1806. He 
 then migrated to Oiiio, and three years later set- 
 tled in Clermont County, making it his home for 
 the remainder of his days. 
 
 The f-ather of our subject was four years of age 
 when his parents removed from Bucks Count}', Pa., 
 an<l settled in the Buckeye State, where he grew to 
 manliood. Upon leaving scliool he learned the trade 
 of blacksmith, in connection with which he also fol- 
 lowed farming. He removed to Defiance County 
 in the same State in 1851, where he continued to 
 live until 1886, when he died at a very advanced 
 age. The longevity of this family has been per- 
 haps one of the striking features connected with its 
 historj', for almost every member has attained more 
 than the usually allotted term of life. 
 
 The mother of our subject is of Scotch and Hol- 
 land-Dutch ancestrj', and the family may be traced 
 for several generations in Virginia. The maternal 
 grandfather of Dr. Ashton, Jacob Sly, with several 
 friends and neighbors, migrated in the j'ear 1791 
 to Cincinnati, Ohio. At the time of the Indian 
 troubles of that region he was with Gen. St. Clair 
 as a wagonraaster, and while thus engaged was in- 
 
 ■ > 
 

 =4 
 
 19S 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Y pre: 
 
 jiirerl and left the service. Proceeding to Clermont 
 County, lie settled down to farming, and it was at 
 that homestead the mother of our subject was born. 
 There she made her home until her marriage. Her 
 death occuired in the jear 1 883. in Defiance Countj', 
 Ohio, when she had reached the age of about eighty 
 3'ears. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was the seventh of nine 
 children born to his parents. He was reared on the 
 home farm, and pursued his early studies in the dis- 
 trict school. At the age of eighteen he attended 
 school at Defiance, and besides the studies of the 
 prescribed curriculum also received instruction in 
 Latin, the higher mathematics and literature. In 
 1861 he entered the university at Ann Arbor, Mich., 
 and was graduated from the department of medi- 
 cine in 1863. ISoon after this he received a com- 
 mission from Gov. Morton, of Indiana, as Special 
 Surgeon to the Armj- of the Cumberland, and after 
 thirt}' days of service was tendered a position upon 
 the regular medical staff, serving thereon until the 
 close of the war. 
 
 During the time the Doctor was stationed at Kash- 
 ville, Tenn., he attended the university in that 
 cit}', from which he was also graduated. Later, and 
 while stationed at Murfreesboro, he was taken with 
 smallpox, and lay for several weeks battling with 
 that dread disease. His splendid constitution now 
 did him good service, and indue time be recovered 
 and returned to duty, when he was given the charge 
 of the pest hospital in that city, which contained 
 usually upward of 100 patients. After holding 
 this position for some time, he was transferred to 
 the United States General Hospital No. 4, at Mur- 
 freesboro. This hospital contained 284 beds, and 
 was full nearlj' the entire time of his service, which 
 continued until November, 1865, when the hospital 
 was closed, and our subject returned to Defiance, 
 Ohio. 
 
 Dr. Ashton now began to practice his profession 
 in his native place, where he soon achieved an envi- 
 able reputation, and resided until 1882. He then 
 went to Colorado to take charge of a health resort, 
 but that not being a financial success, he came to 
 Nebraska. Upon looking over the city of Syracuse 
 and the surrounding countr}' he was favorably im- 
 pressed with the outlook, soon opened an office, and 
 
 speedily had made a reputation, entering upon a 
 lucrative piactiee. 
 
 The Doctor was married in Ohio in 18G5, and is 
 the parent of two children — Merrill and Ethel. As 
 a fair exponent of the intelligence and ability of the 
 medical profession in Southern Nebraska, we give 
 his i)ortrait, which, with those of his compeers, will 
 be looked upon in later years with no less interest 
 than that of the present time. 
 
 /p5iE0RGE B. HENDRICKS, of Hendricks 
 jll Q=, Precinct, enjoys the distinction of being one 
 ^^jj of its earliest pioneers. He is ])leasantly 
 located on section 8, where he has resided for a 
 period of over thirt}' years. His land, 160 acres in 
 extent, has been carefullj' and skillfull}' cultivated, 
 and yields in abundance the choicest crops of 
 Southern Nebraska. Mr. Hendricks served as a 
 soldier of the Union during the Rebellion, and his 
 life has been that of the careful, conscientious and 
 industrious citizen, one who has done good as he 
 has had opportunity', and lived at pe.ace among his 
 neighbors. 
 
 Our subject is descended from two excellent 
 Southern families, his father having been Hiram Hen- 
 dricks, a native of Virginia, and his mother in her 
 girlhood Sicily Thompson, who was born in Ken- 
 tucky. Later they removed with their parents to 
 Indiana, where their marriage took place. In the 
 fall of 18-17 they removed to Iowa, where the father 
 carried on farming until 1856, and during that year 
 cast his lot among the earliest pioneers of Southern 
 Nebraska. Coming to this county he ])re-empted 
 160 acres of land not far from its southwestern lines, 
 and the new precinct then in process of organization 
 was named in his honor. He was chosen Justice of 
 the Peace not long afterward, in which ofHce he 
 served acceptably several years. He assisted in the 
 organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 being one of its charter members, and his house was 
 always open for religious services, and as the home 
 of the itinerant preacher. 
 
 This good man passed away in the fall of 1861, 
 at the early age of forty-eight 3ears. The mother 
 is still living, and has remained a widow for a period 
 
 •^U 
 
-<»■ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 199 n 
 
 of tweiit^'-seven ypais. She makes her home witli 
 lier son at the olfl f;u-m. Their chihlren. eleven in 
 number, were named respectively : Jane M., Louisa, 
 David, Sarah; George B., our subject; Hannah, who 
 died when about thirteen years old; Catherine; 
 John, who died at the age of about one ye,ar ; Joseph, 
 Maggie and Hiram. Those who survive, with the 
 exception of two, are residents of Hendricks Pre- 
 cinct. 
 
 The suliject of this sketch was born in Delaware 
 County, Ind., Aug. 7. 1842. He came with his par- 
 ents to Iowa, and continued on the farm, pursuing 
 his studies in the district school. He was a lad of 
 fourteen 3-ears when the family came to this county, 
 and has a clear recollection of the trials and hard- 
 ships incident to pioneer life. In 1864, during the 
 progress of the Civil War. he enlisted in a company 
 of scouts sent out against the Indians under the 
 command of Gen. Sully, and saw much of border 
 warfaie, being among other engagements in the 
 battles of Bad Lands, which continued three da3's 
 without intermission. At the close of the war he 
 received his honorable disharge, and was mustered 
 out at Sioux City, Iowa. 
 
 After returning from the army our subject took up 
 a homestead claim of 160 acres in Hendricks Pre- 
 cinct, but later crossed the plains four times to 
 Denver, and once went as far as New Mexico for the 
 pur[)Ose of freighting. Upon his return to Nebraska 
 he confined his attention closely to his farm, and in 
 time effected the improvements wdiich have made 
 his home one of the most desirable in this section. 
 He planted Cottonwood, ash and elm trees, an or- 
 ch.ard of 100 apple trees besides the smaller fruits, 
 and quite an extent of hedge for fencing. He put 
 up a neat and substantial dwelling, has a good barn 
 and a vineyard. He keeps a goodly assortment of 
 live stock, and has the improved farm machinery 
 necessary for the prosecution of agriculture in a 
 profitable manner. 
 
 The lady who has been the close counselor and 
 companion of our subject for a period of nearly 
 twenty years, was in her girlhood Miss Melinda E. 
 Allstot, and they were wedded on the 28th of 
 August, 1870. Mrs. II. was born in Dubuque. 
 Iowa, March 22, 1804, and is the daughter of 
 George and Nancy (Morgan) Allstot. the father a 
 
 native of Kentucky, and the mother of Virginia. 
 They were married in Indiana. Mr. A. was a 
 wheelwright by trade, which he followed in that 
 Stale until his removal to Iowa, when he turned his 
 attention to farming. In 1870 he came to Lancaster 
 Count3-, Neb., where he homesteaded 160 acres of 
 land, but on account of failing health was obliged 
 to abandon active labor. He was finally placed in 
 the Insane Asylum at Lincoln, where his death took 
 place in the fall of 1884. The mother is still living, 
 and makes her home with her son in Lancaster 
 County. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Hendricks had a family of 
 ten children, namely: Susan, Kate, Sarah, John, 
 George, James, Hannah, Melinda, Albert and Rob- 
 ert. The latter is now deceased. To our subject 
 and his wife there have been born seven children : 
 Laura, May, Charles, William, Raymond. Nettie 
 and Frank, all of whom are at home with their par- 
 ents. Both parents and children attend the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church at S(jlon, and Mr. Hendricks, 
 politically, gives his support to the Democratic 
 
 party. 
 
 --^'->^^i^^t^^io^^^^^^--^ 
 
 RANK P. HAZELTON. a well-to-do farmer 
 
 Ji of Hendricks Precinct, and pleasantly lo- 
 cate<l on section 16, came to Nebraska in 
 the spring of 1872, and purchased the eightj- acres 
 upon which he has since labored and made good 
 improvements. His farm buildings are neat and 
 comfortable. He has a stream of living water, with 
 a good supply of shade trees and an orchard of 
 apples and the smaller fruits, besides the other nec- 
 essaries for the comfort of his family. 
 
 Our subject is of New England ancestry, his par- 
 ents, Otis and Melissa (Graves) Hazelton, having 
 been born in New Hampshire, the father in Spring- 
 field, and the mother in Andover. After marriage 
 they lived upon a farm in the Old Granite State 
 until 1866, then migrated to Iowa, settling near the 
 present town of Farmersburg, in Clayton County, 
 where they remained five j^ears. Thence, in 1871, 
 they removed to Lancaster County, Neb., where 
 the father homesteaded 160 acres of land, and 
 where they now live. 
 
 The father of our subject, in 1862, during the 
 
 •► 
 
•►Hf^^ 
 
 200 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 progress of the Civil War, enlisted in the 11th New 
 llampshii-e Infantry', being njiistered in at Concord, 
 apd served until the close, participating in many 
 important battles. 'Ihese included Fredericksburg, 
 the siege of Viciisburg, and most of the engage- 
 ments of the Army of the Potomac. He received 
 his honorable discharge at Washington, D. C. He 
 is now a resident of Panama, Lancaster Co., Neb., 
 where be has been Postmaster for some years, and 
 is now arrived at the age of sixty. The mother 
 died when comparatively a j'oung woman, in 1862. 
 aged forty-one years. Their family consisted of 
 three children, all sons: Frank P., our subject; 
 Fredericic, a real-estate dealer at Norton, Kan., and 
 Sidney, who lives with his parents. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Springfield, 
 N. H., July 1 1, 1853. His first recollections are of 
 the mountains around his boyhood home, where he 
 remained until a lad of thirteen years, the family 
 then moving to Iowa. There he passed several 
 years, following after the manner of the sons of 
 pioneer farmers, assisting his father and attending 
 the district school. Later he became a student of 
 the Western College, of Iowa, taking the scientific 
 course and remaining two years. He was eighteen 
 years old when the family came to Lancaster 
 Count}', this State, and continued under the pa- 
 rental roof until twenty. Subsequently he taught 
 school for a period of five years. He was married 
 in Panama, Neb., Oct. 12, 1879, to Miss Dora 
 Brewer, who was born in Missouri, July 3, 1862. 
 The parents of Mrs. Hazelton were Jacob and Susan 
 (Smith) Brevver, the father a native of West Vir- 
 ginia, and the mother of Ohio. Jacob Brevver mi- 
 grated to the Buckeye State early in life, where he 
 was married, and for a time carried on farming. 
 During the first years of the Rebellion he com- 
 menced freighting across the plains. In 1865 he 
 settled in the vicinity of Hendricks, this county, 
 where he engaged in farming, then sold out and 
 removed to Seward County, where he now lives in 
 retirement upon a competence. Mrs. H. was the 
 youngest of the ten children born to her parents. 
 Of her brothers and sisters six are living, and resi- 
 dents of Nebraska. 
 
 Otis Hazelton, the elder child of our subject and 
 his wife, was born Nov. 9, 1880, and Clyde, the 
 
 younger, Oct. 13, 1885. These interesting chil- 
 dren comi)lete the household circle. Mr. H. votes 
 the straight Republican ticket, and has been Asses- 
 sor of Hendricks Precinct three years, serving also* 
 as School Director in his district. Socially, he be- 
 longs to the~I. O. O. F., being a member of Nemaha 
 Lodge No. 32, at Bennet, in which he has passed 
 all the Chairs. 
 
 ■^URGP^N F. KRAMER. The farm of this 
 gentleman occupies a portion of section 20 
 in North Branch Precinct, and comprises 840 
 (^g// broad acres. It has for a period of eleven 
 years been subjected to that careful course of cul- 
 tivation which has made it one of the most valuable 
 tracts of land in this section of Otoe County. It 
 was but a stretch^of wild prairie when it came into 
 the possession of its present proprietor, who settled 
 upon it March 1, 1877. That he has made good 
 use of his time is apparent from the fine improve- 
 ments, including substantial buildings, thefruitand 
 shade trees, the well-kept fences, the machiner}' and 
 the live stock, the whole of which comprises a pic- 
 ture delightful to the eye. 
 
 In viewing the extent and value of this property 
 the reader will not be surprised to learn that it be- 
 longs to a native of the German Empire, hundreds 
 of whose sons have assisted so greatly in the devel- 
 opment of the great State of Nebraska. Mr. Kra- 
 mer was born in the Province of Holstein, Oct. 3, 
 1840, and is the son of Henry and Sophia Kramer, 
 who were natives of the same Province as their son, 
 and who spent their entire lives upon their native 
 soil. Their family included thirteen children, two 
 only of whom are living, who came together to the 
 United States, and Jacob, the brother of our sub- 
 ject, is now living on a portion of the farm of the 
 latter, and possesses much of the industry and en- 
 terprise which have distinguished our subject. 
 
 Mr. Kramer received a good education in his 
 native tongue, having been, in accordance with the 
 laws and customs of his native country, placed in 
 school at an early age, where he pursued his studies 
 until a lad of fourteen years. The few j'edrs inter- 
 vening between that time and manhood were em- 
 
•^^V-M^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 201 
 
 plo3'ei1 at farming. At the age of twenty young 
 Kramer delerminerl to seek his fortune on the other 
 side of the Atlantic, and bidding farewell to the 
 friends and companions of his youth, sailed from 
 Hamburg in the month of May, and after a com- 
 paratively brief voyage set foot upon American 
 soil at Castle Garden, New York City. 
 
 Our subject from the great metropolis proceeded 
 westward to Chicago, 111, near which city he worked 
 for a time in a hay-pressing establishment. Thence 
 he migrated across the Mississippi River into Scott 
 County, Iowa, where he was employed as a farm 
 laborer first, and afterward in a steam gristmill 
 about eighteen months. After his departure from 
 the Hawkeye State we next find him working on a 
 farm in Cooper County, Mo., and from there he 
 came to Nebraska City in the spring of 1868. 
 
 The first employment of Mr. Kramer in this 
 county was as a farm hand near Nebraska City, but 
 he determined to become his own man as soon as 
 possible. His first step in this direction was the pur- 
 chase of a team, bj' which means he engaged in a 
 general transportation business, and later secured 
 part ownership in a threshing-maciiine. Next he 
 rented a tract of land in Wyoming Precinct, upon 
 whicli he operated as a tenant for a period of seven 
 years. At the expiration of that time, having accu- 
 mulated a snug sum of money, he purchased the 
 320 acres included in his present farm. The stim- 
 ulus of ownership enabled him to make exceedingly 
 good headway, and in the course of a few j'ears he 
 found himself on the highway to prosperity. In 
 1883 he added a quarter-section to his purchase, 
 wiiich is devoted largely to the growing of grain, 
 while he has no small number of cattle, horses and 
 swine. These he feeds, and has all the facilities for 
 tlie most profitable prosecution of this industry. He 
 has thus been the means of developing a large area 
 of North Branch Precinct, and in this manner con- 
 tributed to its growth and prosperity. He has been 
 a man of strict integrity and fair dealing, and enjoys 
 in a marked degree the confidence of his neighbors. 
 
 The marriage of our subject with Miss Mary 
 Rodway took place at the home of the bride in Ne- 
 braska City, and of this union there have been born 
 nine children, namely: Lizzie, Charles, Isabelle, 
 George, Eugene, Lulu, Maggie, 'Minnie and Mark. 
 
 The eldest is sixteen years of age, and the young- 
 est seven. They are all living at home. Mrs. 
 Kramer is the daughter of Samuel and Mariah Rod- 
 way, natives of England, and was born May 1, 1 853, 
 in England. Her father is now deceased ; the mother 
 is a resident of this county. Mr. Kramer cast his 
 first Presidential vote for Seymour, and although 
 meddling very little with politics keeps himself 
 well posted upon matters of general interest to the 
 intelligent citizen. 
 
 ^OHN McGINLEY. In the career of this 
 gentleman is illustrated that of the self-made 
 man, who was thrown earl}^ in life upon his 
 own resources, and has by a course of per- 
 severing industry attained a good position, socially 
 and financially. He is now the owner of an exten- 
 sive tract of land, consisting of 680 acres in Hen- 
 dricks Precinct, and 172 in Delaware. His homestead 
 is provided with handsome and substantial build- 
 ings, and all the farm machinery necessary to the 
 carrying on of agriculture after the most approved 
 methods. Mr. McGinley as a citizen is liberal and 
 public-spirited, and uniformly the encourager of 
 those enterprises calculated to advance the welfare 
 of the community, socially, morally and financially. 
 The subject of our sketch was born in County 
 Tyrone, Ireland, in 1830, and is the son of Patrick 
 and Rosa (Kennie) McGinley, who were natives of 
 the same county as their son. They emigrated to 
 America in 1866, and coming directly to the West, 
 settled in Delaware Precinct, this county, where the 
 father died the year following at the age of fifty- 
 six years. The mother is still living, and a resi- 
 dent of Hendricks. The parental household in- 
 cluded nine children, five of whom are living and 
 residents of Nebraska. John was a young man 
 twenty-two years of age when coming to the United 
 States, having preceded the family a number of 
 years. He sailed from Liverpool and landed in 
 New Orleans, and thence proceeded to Cincinnati 
 by steamboat. 
 
 In 1878 our subject purchased 680 acres of land 
 in Hendricks Precinct, this county, and has made all 
 the improvements which have constituted his home- 
 
 •► II < •• 
 
•►HK-^- 
 
 202 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ^1 
 
 i= 
 
 stead one of the most valuable in this part of Otoe 
 County. The land is well watered with running 
 streams, and pleasant groves scattered here and 
 there form a grateful shade in summer and protect 
 both man and beast from the blasts of winter. Ten 
 acres are planted to orchards, and numerous other 
 fine fruits add to the comfort and enjoyment of the 
 family. 
 
 Mr. McGinley was married in Cincinnati, Ohio, 
 Feb. 14, 1858, to Miss Mary, daughter of James and 
 Ellen (]\IeKinne) Sheridan, who were also natives 
 of Ireland, born in County Donegal. The family 
 started out for America in July, 1855, and the 
 father died on the ocean. The family settled first 
 in Cincinnati, where Mrs. McGinlej' was reared to 
 womanhood, and remained with her mother until 
 her marriage. The latter subsequently made her 
 home with this daughter, and died at Dunbar, 
 June 25, 1883, at the advanced age of eightr^'-four 
 years. The parental family included nine chil- 
 dren, of whom Mrs. McGinley w,as the fifth in order 
 of birth. She was born in County Donegal, Ire- 
 land, Ma}' 12, 1835, and was nineteen years old 
 when she crossed the Atlantic. 
 
 The children of Mr. and Mrs. McGinley. ten in 
 number, were named respectivel}' : Rosanna, Ellen, 
 Lizzie, Marj', James, William, George, Francis, 
 Maggie and Jessie. They are all living at home 
 with the exception of Lizzie, who is the wife of 
 Charles Flynn, a well-to-do farmer of Delaware Pre- 
 cinct. They have one child, a daughter, Jessie. 
 Mr. McGinley has been quite prominent in local 
 affairs; he has served as Road Supervisor for a 
 period of ten years, and is still holding the office. 
 He has also operated considerably as a contractor 
 for railroads and county bridges. He fulfilled 
 several contracts during the building of the Mis- 
 souri Pacific. He and his excellent wife were 
 reared in the faith of the Catholic Church, of which 
 they still remain devoted adherents, and attend 
 services both at Palmyra and Nebraska City. Mr. 
 McGinley, politicallj', is a stanch Democrat, and a 
 warm supporter of the principles of his party. 
 Mrs. McGinley is a lady greatly esteemed in her 
 community, intelligent, refined, and possessing all 
 the womanly virtues. 
 
 When our subject came to this county Nebraska 
 
 City was a hamlet of a few houses. He was one of 
 the earliest settlers of Delaware Precinct, and has 
 here upon his farm much valuable timber. He is 
 considerably interested in stock, feeding exten- 
 sively from sixty to 100 head each year, and is 
 breeding mules, having on hand usually about 
 twelve head. A man wide-awake and energetic, 
 he has long been recognized as one of the most 
 important and successful farmers of the county, in 
 whose development and prosperity he has been no 
 unimportant factor. He has watched its growth 
 with the interest which is felt by every intelligent 
 citizen, and in the development of one of its finest 
 farms has added greatly to the value of its landed 
 estate. 
 
 ^OHN B. HOSTETTER. a gentleman of 
 more than ordinar}' intelligence, and a local 
 l)reacher of the United Brethren Churcli, is 
 also greatly interested in agricultural pur- 
 suits, lie owns a good farm of eighty acres on 
 section 9 in Palmyra Precinct, and possesses all the 
 qualities of an honest man and a good citizen, one 
 who has built up for himself a record on which in 
 coming years his children will look with pride. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Mont- 
 gomery County, Ind., Aug. 11, 1843, and spent 
 his boyhood and youth after the manner of most 
 farmers' sons in the pioneer days, conning his les- 
 sons during the winter season in the little log 
 school-house, and assisting his father during the 
 seasons of sowing and reaping around the home- 
 stead. He is the son of Sherman and Mary A. 
 (Byrd) Hostetter, the father a native of Rock- 
 bridge County, Va., and the mother born in Ken- 
 tucky. 
 
 The paternal grandfather. David Hostetter, when 
 quite small took up his residence in Pennsylvania, 
 thence emigrating to Ohio, and later to Mont- 
 gomery County, Ind., about 1829. He was conse- 
 quently one of the earliest pioneers of that region, 
 and there he spent his last days. Sherman Hos- 
 tetter's family consisted of the following children by 
 his two marriages: Mary; two infants who died un- 
 named; William H. ; Aaron B., who died youn 
 
 ?^r#-^ 
 
»► II <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•^ 
 
 203 
 
 '■^ 
 
 John B., our subject; Armilda, also deceased; Me- 
 lissa R. ; Fronissa C. ; Sherman A. ; James D. ; Louis 
 W. ; Margaret E. ; Allen H. and Edgar C. Of these 
 nine are living, and residents of Nebraska and 
 Indiana. 
 
 Our subject claims that the scenes drawn by 
 Eggleston in the '•Hoosier Schoolmaster" frequently 
 resemble those which occurred during his boyhood 
 and youth. He was a bright and observant lad, 
 more than ordinarily mischievous, it is believed, and 
 uever losing an opportunity of playing a harmless 
 joke on his parents or comrades. His father was a 
 leading man in the community, foremost in his 
 encouragement of religion and education, and was 
 the Trustee of Scott Tovvnship for a number of 
 years. John B. grew to manhood on the farm, and 
 before reaching his majority was married, Jan. 
 20, 1864, to Miss Clarissa Wall, a native of Put- 
 nam County, Ind., and born July 12, 1842. She 
 also was the daughter of a farmer, ami had been 
 carefuUi' trained to all housewifely duties, receiv- 
 ing her education in the district school. Our sub- 
 ject after becoming the father of one child was 
 constrained to offer his services as a Union soldier, 
 feeling it bis duty to leave home and family, as at 
 that time there seemed little prospect of an immedi- 
 ate termination of the war. He enlisted for a term 
 of one year in Company F, 11th Indiana Infantry, 
 and went with his regiment first to Baltimore. He 
 saw very little of active service, and at the time of 
 Lee's surrender the regiment was stationed upon 
 the outskirts of the city of Baltimore, which city 
 like scores of others in the North was made the 
 scene of general rejoicing. In that city he re- 
 ceived his honorable discharge in August, 1865. 
 
 Our subject now returned home. His father at 
 that time was a member of the Indiana Legislature, 
 and by his advice, which coincided with the con- 
 victions and wishes of our subject, the latter iden- 
 tified himself with tlie Methodist Episcopal Church 
 as a local preacher, his pious labors engaging the 
 most of his time from that period until he came to 
 Nebraska in the fall of 1881. He had uever lost 
 his love for rural pursuits and life in the country, 
 and accordingly souglit his home in the agricultural 
 districts, purchasing eighty acres of land from the 
 Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company. 
 
 Upon this there were no buildings and no improve- 
 ments. Mr. Hostetter proceeded after the manner 
 of the pioneer settler to build up a home for him- 
 self and family, in which labor he has met with 
 success. Naturally industrious, and possessing ex- 
 cellent judgment, he has labored with his hands 
 to good advantage, while at the same time, by con- 
 stant reading and study, he keeps himself well 
 posted upon the various questions of the day. Fol- 
 lowing in the footsteps of his honored father, who 
 was first a Whig and then a Republican, he has 
 striven to cast his influence in favor of the passage 
 of those laws which should give to the people their 
 highest freedom and most even justice. He has 
 the satisfaction of reflecting upon the fact that his 
 father assisted in the defeat of the Military Bill 
 during his services as a Legislator, and thereby en- 
 joyed the warm friendship of Gov. Morton and 
 other eminent men. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Hostetter there have been born 
 nine children, namely: Ida R., Lillian A., Sherman 
 F., Marshall E.. Earl J., Eunice C, Mary E., Ray- 
 mond E. and Addison L. The oldest daughter is 
 now the wife of Samuel Pollett, a well-to-do far- 
 mer of Palmyra Precinct; they have one child, 
 Lena L The other children are at home with their 
 parents. Mr. Hostetter is a strong advocate of 
 temperance, and during the existence of slavery 
 was bitterly opposed to the "peculiar institution," 
 having had his convictions greatly strengthened by 
 the reading of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" when a boy. He 
 is a prominent member of the G. A. R., at Palmyra, 
 in which he has served as Junior Vice and Chaplain. 
 
 The father of our subject departed this life at his 
 home- in Indiana, Dec. 6, 1868, when about sixty- 
 one years of age. In the Legislature he was the 
 Republican Representative from Boone County, 
 Ind., at a time when the Union members were in 
 the minority. At the time of the introdu(;tion of 
 the Military Bill, over which there was so much con- 
 troversy, the only hope of the Union men lay in 
 "bolting" so as to prevent a quorum. It was 
 agreed by the Democrats that the doors should be 
 closed to prevent the departure of the Republicans. 
 The father of our subject at the risk of his life 
 coolly placed himself at one of the doors, and by 
 main force kei)t it open. To his great relief an 
 
 ^t^ 
 
 
Hl-^- 
 
 204 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 joy the projecterl bill was thus defeated, and he re- 
 ceived the congratulations of his constituents and 
 brother members. Gov. Morton in person com- 
 mended him highl}', and thereafter remained his 
 earnest and admiring friend. 
 
 'Tr^ ODOLPHUS J. VAUGHAN, of Russell Pre- 
 \y^ cinct, although a blacksmith and wagon- 
 tii \\\ maker by trade, is also fond of agricultural 
 ^^ pursuits, and consequently upon coming to 
 this county established himself on a tract of land 
 comprising the southeast quarter of section 16. 
 Here he has built up a valuable and attractive 
 homestead, and has surrounded himself with all the 
 comforts of life. He has a blacksmith-shop on his 
 place, and in this during the year saves himself a good 
 many dollars, being able to repair his own imple- 
 ments and shoe his own horses, and perform the 
 same offices for his neighbors. His chief character- 
 istics are industry and perseverance, in the exer- 
 cise of which he has obtained a competency — -some- 
 thing for a rainy day and for his declining years. 
 
 Greene County, 111, was the early tramping 
 ground of our subject, where his birth took place 
 over fifty-one years ago, on the 18th of .June, 1837. 
 His father was a farmer by occupation, and the earl}' 
 life of Rodolphus J. was thus spent amid the quiet 
 scenes of country life, where he became thoroughly 
 familiar with farm employments as carried on in 
 times that were comparatively early in the settlement 
 of the Prairie State. At the age of twen ty-one years 
 he began farming for himself in Marshall County, 111., 
 to which he removed with his father in 1 885. In the 
 biography of Charles E. Vaughan found elsewhere 
 in this volume appears a sketch of the parental his- 
 tory. 
 
 Mr. Vaughan remained a resident of Marshall 
 County, 111., until after the outbreak of the late 
 Rebellion, and in 18G4 enlisted as a Union soldier 
 in Compan}' D, 11th Illinois Infantry. He was 
 mustered in at Camp Butler, Springfield, and was 
 assigned to the Army of the Mississippi, and under 
 the command of Gen. Grant went to the South. 
 Soon afterward thej' joined the Red River expedi- 
 tion, and our subject participated in the battles of 
 
 Ft. Blakely, Spanish Fort, and some other minor 
 engagements, obtaining a good idea of the hardships 
 and privations of life in the army. At the 'ilose of 
 the war he was mustered out at Baton Rouge, La., 
 and later received his honor.ible discharge in Spring- 
 field, 111. 
 
 Returning to his old haunts in Marshall Count}', 
 III., our subject resumed farming there, continuing 
 thus employed until the si)ring of 1872. He then de- 
 termined upon a change of location and occupation, 
 and going to Washburn, 111., purchased a black- 
 smith-shop, which he conducted until the spring of 
 1878, then returned to the farm. In the spring of 
 1881 he came across the Mississippi into this county, 
 and located upon the land which he now owns and 
 occupies. His farm and his shop together are the 
 source of a handsome income. 
 
 Our subject found his wife in Marshall Count\', 
 111.. Miss Annette Sweet, to whom he was married 
 Dec. 2, 1858. Mrs. Vaughan was born in Sanga- 
 mon County, 111., March 10, 1840, and is the daugh- 
 ter of Daniel and Elsie (Sweet) Sweet, who were 
 natives of New York State, the father born at Bur- 
 lington, Otsego County, in 1809, and the mother in 
 Otsego County, in the year 1816. The maternal 
 grandfather, a native of New York, was of Scotch 
 ancestry and an old Revolutionary soldier. The 
 father of Mrs. Vaughan removed to Illinois in 1820, 
 and eight years later to St. Louis, Mo., where he 
 engaged in brickmaking. He followed this occu- 
 pation a number of years thereafter, manufacturing 
 brick in the counties of Morgan, Greene, Sangamon 
 and Scott, 111. In McLean County, 111., he followed 
 butchering about twenty years, and at one period 
 in his life engaged in farming. He is still living, 
 making his home with his daughter, Mrs. Vaughan. 
 His career has been quite eventful, he having when 
 a young man served in the Black Hawk War under 
 Gen. Henry. The mother d ied in Sangamon County, 
 111., when middle aged, in 1849. Their family 
 consisted of the following children : Oscar, Annette, 
 Atheline, Martha L. and William B. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Vaughan commenced the journey 
 of life together in Marshall Countj', 111. There 
 have been born to them six children, two only of 
 whom are living. The son, Alva B., makes his home 
 in the city of Lincoln, and is in the employ of the 
 
 Htr^- 
 
 ?^t 
 
*► I I M - 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 205 
 
 Burlington & ]\Iissoiiri River Railroad. The daugh- 
 ter, Cora L., is the wife of Mr. Frank Hull, a well- 
 to-do farmer of Ru?sell Precinct. 
 
 Ill politics Mr. Vaughan votes the straight 
 Republican ticket. Religiously, both he and his 
 estimable wife are meml)ers in good standing of the 
 Baptist Church at South Russell, in the organization 
 of which Mr. V. performed an important part and 
 of which he is a Deacon. He has served as Road 
 Supervisor two years, and soeiallj', belongs to the 
 I. O. O. F. being a member of Lodge 2so. 447, at 
 Washburn, 111. 
 
 'Ml OUIS DAMME. The subject of this nana- 
 I (^ tion became a resident of this county in 
 1^^^ December, 1864, and has signalized him- 
 self as a hard-working and enterprising citizen. 
 This course has not been without its good results, 
 for by it he has liecome the owner of one of the 
 finest farms in Mc Williams Precinct. This prop- 
 erty is pleasantly located on section 31, and com- 
 prises 273 acres of improved land, with a set of 
 good farm buildings. Mr. Damme located upon 
 his land in the spring of 1868, with little means 
 save his strong muscle and stout heart, and from 
 that very modest beginning has arisen to an envia- 
 ble position, socially and financially. 
 
 Our subject was born April 1, 1843, in Franklin 
 County, Mo., and is of German parentage. His 
 father, Henry Damme, was born in Germany, and 
 married a lady of his own country. After the birth 
 of four children they emigrated to the United 
 States, and soon after setting foot upon American 
 soil made ther way to the southwest, across the 
 Mississippi into Franklin County, Mo. Here the 
 father engaged in farming, and died of the cholera 
 early in the fifties, when about fifty-five years old. 
 The mother had preceded her husband to the silent 
 land, and Louis when a lad ten years of age was 
 thus left an orphan. 
 
 After the death of his parents our subject was 
 taken into the home of his brother. William Damme, 
 who lived in Franklin County, Mo., and with whom 
 he remained until a youth of seventeen. After the 
 outbreak of the late Civil War he enlisted in the 
 
 ■► I I 4* 
 
 4th Missouri Infantry. Company E, under command 
 of Capt. Moutwiler, mostly doing guard duty, and 
 serving a period of eighteen months. Upon leav- 
 ing the army he returned to his native county and 
 soon afterward came to Nebraska. In Otoe County 
 he was married, Feb. 17, 1870, to Miss Dora Rei- 
 mers, a native of Germany, and who came to the 
 United States with her parents when a young 
 woman. They first settled in St. Louis, thence 
 came to this county, and afterward moved to Kan- 
 sas, settling on a farm in Barton County, where the 
 father, Henry Reimers, is' yet living. The mother, 
 Mrs. Mary Reimers, died in the s))ring of 1888, 
 aged about fifty-five years. 
 
 To our subject and his excellent wife there have 
 been born six children, namely: Anna, Alvina, 
 Julius, Bertha, Amy and Louis. The eldest is sev- 
 enteen years of age and the j'oungest seventeen 
 months. They all continue under the home roof. 
 Mr. Damme votes the straight Republican ticket, and 
 both he and his wife are members in good standing of 
 the German Evangelical Church, of Osage Precinct. 
 He has never sought office, and takes very little 
 interest in political matters. His chief pilde is in 
 being a first-class farmer, and in this respect his 
 career has been one of which he may be proud. 
 
 -^ .^-t^ ^ 
 
 'jlpfiDWARD F. THORP is one who is. familiar 
 fe] with every phase of pioneer life, having 
 llt—^ always lived upon the frontier. He was 
 born in Cayuga County, Ohio, on the 31st of Au- 
 gust, 1834, to Garrett and Loranna Thorp, who 
 were natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Benjamin 
 Thorp, the grandfather of our subject, was born in 
 New Jersey, and reared in that State upon a farm, 
 but migrated to Pennsylvania, and was one of the 
 pioneers of W.ashington County, whence he re- 
 moved to Cayuga Count}' in 1808, and helped to 
 develop that district. He entered a tract of Gov- 
 ernment land which lay about eight miles from the 
 site of the present city of Cleveland, where he 
 cleared a farm, and made his home until his death. 
 The father of our subject was eight years of age 
 when the above-mentioned removal to Ohio was 
 made. That supplied the scenes of his early life 
 
 m^ 
 
 1 
 
^^l-i. 
 
 206 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 and also of his early manhood. In that district he 
 was married, purchased a tract of land near the 
 old homestead, and cleared a farm from the wilder- 
 ness, and made his residence there until the year 
 1846, when he went to Allen Township, Hillsdale 
 Co., Mich., and there repeated the process. He was 
 in Michigan until 1856, and then again started 
 West with team and wagon, taking his journej- 
 tlirough Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, stopping in the 
 latter State at Marshalltown, where he bought a 
 tract of land and started to improve the same. He 
 there made his home until the death of his wife in 
 1865, then he sold out, and now resides with our 
 subject. The maiden name of the mother of our 
 subject was Loranna Scoville. She was born in 
 Medina County, Ohio, and was a daughter of Ansil 
 and Sarah Scoville. She became the mother of eight 
 children. Our subject was twelve years of age 
 when his parents went to Michigan, and attended the 
 schools both of that State and Ohio, and received 
 such instruction as they were capable of affording. 
 As he grew stronger he became his father's assist- 
 ant on the farm, and continued to live with his 
 parents until 1857. In starting in life for himself 
 he assisted in a sawmill at Eastport, which became 
 a town of about 400 families, but the river having 
 changed its course and taken the town site in its 
 way, Eastport does not now exist. He was in that 
 place for about two years, and then went to Mar- 
 shalltown and improved a tract of land that he had 
 bought there. In 1 860 he returned and worked in 
 the same mill until 1861. From that time until the 
 fall of 1868 he was working in the flouring-mill at 
 the same place. 
 
 Leaving the State of Iowa in 1868 our subject 
 came to Nebraska City, where he formed a partner- 
 ship with N. R. and M. E. Pinne3', his former 
 employers, and bought the city mills, which he con- 
 tinued to operate until the 26th of December, 1877. 
 Upon that day the mills were burned and became a 
 total loss. Since that time he refitted and operated 
 a mill at Palmyra and another at Hamburg. In 
 July, 1887, he commenced keeping hotel, and 
 opened the Thorp House, and was abundantly suc- 
 cessful. His excellent wife managed the hotel un- 
 til June, 1888, when our subject received injuries 
 tliat incapacitated him from working further at his 
 
 trade, and from that time he has taken charge. It 
 is only due to his wife, however, to say that her 
 admirable management and happy manner secured 
 for the house many friends and customers. 
 
 The marriage of our subject was celebrated in 
 the year 1863. He was then united in wedlock 
 with Martha A. Nicholson, of Indiana. To them 
 have been born four children, whose names are as 
 follows: Milton R., Minnie E., Nora and Clyde A. 
 In the Masonic fraternity our subject is quite well 
 and favorablj' known, being a member of Western 
 Lodge No. 2, the Alpha Council No. 2, Keystone 
 Chapter No. 2 antl Mt. Olivet Comraandery No. 2. 
 
 ^ FREDERICK SMA.LLFOOT, one of the 
 ([( ^, most enterprising German farmers of Berlin 
 ^^^J Precinct, is pleasantly located on the south- 
 east quarter of section 26, where he has a well-de- 
 veloped farm and an attractive home. He has 
 worked his way upward from an humble position 
 in life and may be properly numbered among the 
 self-made men of Otoe Countv, whose prosperity 
 has been the result of their own industry and per- 
 severance. Our subject when landing upon Ameri- 
 can soil was alone and among strangers, with very 
 little money in his pocket, and no friends to assist 
 him to employment. His own honest face, how- 
 ever, soon secured him a position toy which he was 
 enabled to make his way comfortably, and since 
 that day he has been climbing upward. 
 
 Our subject was the fifth child and only son of 
 C. F., Sr., and Johanna (Miller) Smallfoot, and was 
 born in the Kingdom of Saxony on the 2d of March, 
 1830. He was reared in the town of Sweckau, 
 where he attended school until he was fourteen 
 years of age, was confirmed in the German Lu- 
 theran Church, and later apprenticed to the trade 
 of wagon-maker. At this he was occupied until 
 the year before coming to the United States, and 
 that j-ear he employed in traveling over his native 
 Empire. 
 
 In the spring of 1854 our subject, then a young 
 man of twenty-four 3'ears, made his way to the 
 port of Bremen, and resolved to emigrate to Amer- 
 ica. He took passage on a sailing-vessel, which. 
 
 1- 
 
»► II < • • 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ■207 
 
 after forty-two days, and lying still four or five 
 daj's in a ealm. landed safelj- in New York Citj'. 
 Thence he made his way to Milwaukee, Wis., where 
 lie secured employment at his trade, and later was 
 occupied at this in Madison, Wis., for four years. 
 At the expiration of this time he went onto a farm 
 in Middleton Township, Dane County, where he 
 had purchased forty acres, and where he lived until 
 1869. In the spring of that 3'ear, selling out, lie 
 came to this county. 
 
 Settling in Delaware Precinct, Mr. Smallfoot 
 operated on rented land for a period of eigiit years, 
 and in 1877 purchased the land which lie now owns 
 and occupies. This was a tract of raw prairie 
 without a fence or building, and Mr. 8. therefore 
 commenced at first principles to huild up a home- 
 stead, lie devoted four acres to groves, set out 
 an orchard of 100 apple trees, put up a house and 
 barn, and in due time turned his attention largely 
 to stock-raising. He now has besides his fine draft 
 horses, good grades of cattle and Poland-China 
 swine. His fields are laid off with hedge and wire 
 fencing. He raises large corn crops, and is gener- 
 ally successful. 
 
 Our subject found a wife and helpmate in Dane 
 County, Wis., being married there in A[)ril, 1866, 
 to Miss Johanna Miller, who was born in the cit}' 
 of Leipsic, Germany, Feb. 28, 1834. Mrs. S. came 
 to America with tvvo brothers in 1853. Of her 
 union with our subject there have been born six 
 children, namely: August, Amelia, Ida, Edward, 
 Augusta and Emma. Tlie eldest son is farming in 
 Delaware Precinct; Amelia is the wife of William 
 Gass, also lives in Delaware Precinct, and is the 
 mother of three children; Ida, Mrs. Robert Bu- 
 chanan, is the wife of a well-to-do farmer of South 
 Branch Precinct, and the mother of one child; 
 Emma married George Haffner, a farmer of Lan- 
 caster County, Neb., residing near Firth. The 
 other children are at home with their parents. 
 
 Mr. Smallfoot cast his first Presidential vote for 
 Buchanan, and is one of the most reliable sup- 
 porters of the Republican party. Coming from a 
 land believing in the thorough education of its 
 children, he is always interested in the maintenance 
 of schools, and has been a member of the School 
 Board in his precinct for a period of six years. 
 
 He is quite i)rominent in local affairs, and has 
 served on the Grand Jur}\ He is a member of the 
 German Lutheran Church in Berlin Precinct, to 
 the support of which he contributes liberally', assist- 
 ing in the building of the church edifice, and is 
 esteemed as one of the pillars of the society. 
 
 ^. : .-.g^#^^^-^ 
 
 ^^ERHART HENRY MEYER is a member 
 III <^ °^ '''^^ ^' ™ ^'^ Noelting & Meyer, the leading 
 "^^^i hardware merchants of Nebraska City. He 
 was born in Garnavillo, Clayton Co., Iowa, April 
 11, 1858. His father, Deitrich Meyer, was a na- 
 tive of German3', where he was reared and educated. 
 When attaining to manhood he decided that the_New 
 World held moi'e attractions for him than the old. 
 as he thought that here he could better earn his wa}' 
 to a competence and to a life of ease than in his 
 native land. Accordingly' he crossed the waters, 
 and making his way to Cincinnati, Ohio, lie found 
 employment there as a stair-builder. He i-emained 
 in that city until 1857, when he turned his face 
 westward, and set out for Iowa with his famih', 
 going by the way of the Ohio and Mississippi 
 Rivers, and landing at Guttenberg. He located in 
 the town of Garnavillo, where he engaged in the 
 mercantile business, opening a general store. There 
 were no railwaj-s in that section of Iowa at that 
 time, and he received his goods b^' way of the 
 river. He continued prosperously engaged in busi- 
 ness there until his death in 1870. Since that time 
 his wife and one of his sons have managed the busi- 
 ness interests successfully. In his death his adopted 
 county lost a valued and useful citizen, one who. as 
 a good financier and a man of probitj-, was identi- 
 fied with its best Interests. His wife, to whom he 
 was greatly indebted for his high standing, was for- 
 merly Margaret Kregel, a native of Germany. Her 
 father, Gerhart Kregel, was likewise a German by 
 birth, and he served in the German array during 
 the Russian War. He came to America with his 
 family and lived for a time in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 From there he went to Clayton County, Iowa, in 
 1857. going by the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. 
 He bought a tract of wild prairie land and improved 
 quite a farm. He died in 1886, having attained 
 
 • > II ^« 
 
 ned A 
 
208- 
 
 ^. 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 .^mh: 
 
 the remarkable age of ninety-six j-ears. He had 
 four sons and one daughter. Of the nine children 
 horn to the parents of our subject, six grew to ma- 
 turity : Margaret, wife of William Kregel ; John D. ; 
 William ; Gerhart H. ; Emma and Lena, twins. 
 Lena died in 1886. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared in his na- 
 tive town, and received his earl3' education in its 
 public schools. Ke further advanced iiis education 
 by attendance at a select private school, where he 
 had the advantage of superior instruction. As soon 
 as he was large enough to be useful he commenced 
 to assist his father in the store, and- thus laid the 
 foundation for an excellent mercantile training. 
 When he was sixteen he went to work in a carriage- 
 sliop, remaining thus employed for three years. He 
 made his iiome with his parents until 1878, when 
 he came to Otoe County, Neb., and the ensuing- 
 three years was engaged as a clerk in tiie establish- 
 ment of William Beckraan. He then started in 
 business for himself by opening a clothing and gen- 
 tleman's furnishing goods store in Syracuse. That 
 he managed very protitabl}' in that town until 1883, 
 when, seizing the fine opportunity offered to him 
 in this city to enter the hardware business, became 
 here and purchased a half-interest in it, and con- 
 summated tiiK present partnership, b}' which ar- 
 rangement both parties have been greatly benefited. 
 They are men of enterprise; have a fine establish- 
 ment, well stocked with the best articles in the line 
 of goods that thej' carry, and they are extensively 
 patronized, as their moderate charges and honest 
 dealings deserve. 
 
 Mr. Meyer was united in marriage with Miss 
 Anna L. Mohrman, Nov. 18, 1881. Mrs. Meyer is 
 a native of Clayton County, Iowa, and a daughter 
 of J. H. and Mary Mohrman. The great sorrow of 
 the married life of our subject and his wife was the 
 death of their only child, their little daughter, Luln 
 Grace, who was born July 23, 1885, and died April 
 2G, 1887. 
 
 "Dear little Lulu, by how tender a tie 
 8iie links home upon earth to home in the sky." 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Mej'er are members of the Evan- 
 gelical Lutheran Church, and their influence and 
 cordial co-operation are alwa3's extended to aid in 
 any good or charitable work. Mr. Meyer is a 
 
 young man of decided business talent.-keen, prompt 
 and fair in his dealings, and he has already' gained 
 an assured place among the solid, reliable mer- 
 chants of Nebraska City, although he began at the 
 bottom of the ladder, and is an entirely self-made 
 man. He takes an intelligent interest in politics, 
 and stands with the Republican party. 
 
 OLIVER H. BUMFORD, one of the older resi- 
 dents of Palmyra Precinct, and a inan who 
 has scores of friends in this vicinity, owns 
 and occupies with his estimable wife a pleasant and 
 comfortable home, which comprises a small farm of 
 eighty acres on section 16, Palmyra Precinct. He 
 was born near the town of Pompeii, Onondaga Co., 
 N. Y., Jan. 19, 1836, his home being about ten 
 miles from the city of Syracuse. When a lad ten 
 years of age his parents removed to Florence 
 Township, St. Joseph Co., Mich., where the father, 
 a blacksmith by trade, purchased twenty acres of 
 land, and building up a good home, spent the re- 
 mainder of his life. He retired from business a 
 few years before his death, and passed away on the 
 29th of August, 18.59, at the age of sixty-four 
 3'ears. The mother has since made her home with 
 her son, our subject, and has now reached the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty -five. 
 
 The parents of our subject, John and Patty Bum- 
 ford, were natives of Massachusetts, and the father 
 during his early manhood served as a Lieutenant 
 in the War of 1812. The home circle was com- 
 pleted by the birth of ten children. William is 
 still living, and George died at the age of thirteen. 
 The survivors are: Mary A., William, Paulina, 
 Martha, and Oliver, of our sketch. The latter is 
 the youngest of his parents' living children, and 
 remained with them in St. Joseph County, Mich., 
 until twenty -nine years of age. In 1864 he pur- 
 chased a half-interest in a sawmill in Ionia County, 
 but four years later removed to Mitchell County, 
 Iowa, and settled upon a farm. Thence he came to 
 Nebraska in 1872, and homesteaded eighty acres in 
 Palmyra Precinct. In 1878, changing his location 
 and occupation, he a-ssumed charge of a hotel at 
 
 • •► 
 
 1 
 
JL 
 
 -4»- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -t^ 
 
 209 
 
 i 
 
 ^ 
 
 Bennet, whieh he conducted one year, then with- 
 drew, and engaged for two years following as clerk 
 in a general store. 
 
 We next find our subject engaged in general 
 merchandising at Roca, where he operated success- 
 fully two years, then unfortunately admitted a 
 partner to the business, who proved to be a rascal, 
 and who involved our subject in great loss. In 
 1882, therefore, he returned to his farm, where he 
 has since lived. 
 
 Mr, Bumford, on the 13th of September, 1863, 
 was united in marriage with Miss Georgiana Hen- 
 derson, the wedding taking place at the home of 
 the bride in Sturgis, Mich. Mrs. Bumford was 
 born in July, 1844, in Constantino, St. Joseph Co., 
 INIich., and is the daughter of Adam and Margaret 
 Henderson, who were natives of Ireland and New 
 York State respectively', and .spent their last years 
 in Michigan. The family consisted of four chil- 
 dren, namely: John, Oliver. Charles and Georgiana. 
 Of these Mrs. Bumford is the only one living. 
 
 Our subject has always talcen a warm interest in 
 political matters, and has been a member of the 
 Rei)ublican party since its organization. He was 
 elected Assessor in the spring of 1887, and has also 
 served as Justice of the Peace two terms in Ben- 
 net. He was appointed a delegate to the Otoe 
 County Republican Convention in 1886. He is at 
 present a School Director in his district. Socially, 
 he belongs to the A. F. & A. M. and I. O. O. F. 
 He is a man who has lived quietly and unostenta- 
 tiously, pursuing the even tenor of his way as an 
 honest man and a good citizen, his interests cen- 
 tering mostly around his fireside. Mr. and Mrs. 
 B. have no children. 
 
 U' 
 
 ILLIAM BECKMAN. The mercantile in- 
 terests of the city of Syracuse find a most 
 worthy and enterprising representative in 
 the subject of this sketch. He has been a resident 
 of this county for a period of twenty years, pitch- 
 ing his tent here in the fall of 1 877. He first opened 
 his eyes to the light near the town of Edwardsville, 
 Madison Co., TIL, Oct. 6, 1853. His parents were 
 natives of Berlin, Germany, and the father, Rudolph 
 
 Beckman, was a farmer bj' occupation. Our subject 
 was left motherless when an infant, and thus has no 
 remembrance of her who bore him. AVhen but a 
 lad of seven years lie vvas doubly orphaned by the 
 death of his father. ' He was then given a home 
 among strangers, and knows but little of his own 
 people. He has no brothers, and his only sister, 
 Dinah, Mrs.;,Frederickson, is a resident of Johnson 
 County, this State. 
 
 Young Beckman [after the death of his fatlier 
 continued at the homestead two years, then went to 
 the city of St. Louis, Mo., with J. H. Wagoner- 
 His early education had been extremely limited' 
 and he was thrown upon his own resources. He 
 accepted the first position which presented itself as 
 an employe in a coal yard, and was occupied four 
 ye.ars. Then coming to this Stale, he located in 
 Nebraska City, in the fall of 1868 becoming the 
 employe of Buck & Jones, hardware merchants, in- 
 tending to learn the tinner's trade. The firm, how- 
 ever, soon closed up their business, and our subject 
 was again left without a job. 
 
 Mr. Beckman. however, continued his connection 
 with the hardware business with the firm of Mohren- 
 sticker & Clober, remaining with them sixty days, 
 and then this firm also closed its doors. About 
 this time he had the misfortune to sprain his ankle, 
 and being unable to work contracted a board bill 
 with M. T. Johnson, and to pay this was employed 
 by Mr. J. in the dining-room of his hotel. Subse- 
 quently he occupied the clerk's desk in the oflSce 
 six months, but feeling that he was not adapted to 
 the position of a hotel clerk withdrew, and became 
 a clerk in a grocery store. From this he drifted 
 into a store of general merchandising, where he w^as 
 employed until 1877. 
 
 Realizing most sadly the disadvantages of his 
 neglected education, Mr. Beckman in the winter of 
 1875 entered the Commercial College at St. Louis, 
 Mo., and after diligent study was graduated from 
 that institution six months later. Then returning 
 to Nebraska City, he entered the employ of the same 
 firm, the gentleman above mentioned, with whom 
 he continued until the 1st of August, 1877. His 
 pLan then was to establish himself at Tecumseh, in 
 Johnson County, in liusiness, but failing to securea 
 desirable location he returned to Syracuse, and be- 
 
 •> m ^ * 
 
 •^^ 
 

 t 
 
 210 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 came successor of J. S. McConncga, and has since 
 been engaged in general merchandising with marked 
 snccess. He has a neat and substantial residence in 
 the eastern part of the city, and is the owner of other 
 valuable town property. With the exception of 
 1500 from his father's estate, he has attained'his pres- 
 ent position, financiall}', by his own resolution and 
 energy. During the time he was employed as a 
 clerk he saved 11,000, having in the meanwhile lived 
 economically and deprived himself of many of 
 those things which tiie young man of to-da}' imag- 
 ines he cannot do without. 
 
 The lady who has presided over the household of 
 our subject for a period of nearl}' ten years was in 
 her girlhood Miss INIinnie E. Risser, to whom he was 
 wedded Jan. 7, 1879. Mrs. Beckman was born in 
 Franklin Center, Lee Co., Iowa, in 1856, and is the 
 daughter of David and Christina (Hubach) Risser, 
 who were natives of Germany, and are now resi- 
 dents of Otoe County, where the.father is carrying 
 on farming. To Mr. and Mrs. Beckman there have 
 been born five children, n.amel^': Leona A.. Edward 
 D., Frederick W., Grover R. and Amelia C. The3' 
 are members in good standing of the German 
 Evangelical Church, and Mr. Beckman, politically, 
 votes the straight Democratic ticket. He takes a 
 warm interest in local politics, and is frequentl3' 
 chosen a delegate to the State Conventions. 
 
 
 i-rs. 
 
 1- 
 
 JASPER A. WARE lives in one of the pleas- 
 antcst homes in Nebraska City, a comrao- 
 dious brick structure, which is finely located 
 on an eminence, sloping gentlj' back from 
 the street, one mile from the court-house, overlook- 
 ing a beautiful stretch of country. Mr. Ware was 
 for many years the leading banker of Nebraska 
 Cit3\ and was actively identified with its business 
 interests, but he now devotes himself to marketing 
 and gardening. 
 
 Mr. Ware was born in Todd County, Ky., March 
 5, 1831. His father, Edmund Ware, was a native of 
 Virginia, but his grandfather, Lewis Ware, was, it 
 is thouglit, born in England, emigrating from there 
 to America and settling in Virginia. He subse- 
 quently moved from there to Kentuckj', and located 
 
 near Frankfort, where he spent his last years. The 
 ' father of our subject was a boy when his parents 
 moved to Kentucky, and there he grew to man- 
 hood and married, Laura V. Anderson, a native of 
 Virginia, becoming his wife. Her father. Nicholas 
 Anderson, who, so far as known, was of Virgin- 
 ian birth, was of English ancestry, and was a pio- 
 neer of Kentuck}'. After marriage Mr. Ware 
 moved to Todd County, K3'., and there bought a 
 large tract of timber land, eight miles from Elk- 
 ton and one and a half miles from Trenton. He 
 cleared quite a large farm, and resided there until 
 his death in I 855. When he first settled there he 
 erected a set of log buildings, but before his death 
 he replaced them by a good set of frame buildings. 
 His wife died on the home farm in 1847. They 
 were well known, and greatly beloved by the many 
 who often shared the generous hospitality of their 
 comfortable home. They were the parents of eight 
 children, all of whom grew to maturity, as follows: 
 .Sarah J.. Charles AV., Marj' A., Jasper A., Gertude, 
 Susan B., Nicholas M. and Louisa. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared in his na- 
 tive county, and received a good, practical educa- 
 tion in its schools. He remained in the home of his 
 parents until he was nineteen, when he entered the 
 mercantile business as a clerk in a general store 
 with his brother in Trenton. He remained with 
 him five years as a clerk, and then bought an inter- 
 est in the store, but in 1857 he sold out his share 
 in the business and started West, coming directly 
 to the Territory of Nebraska, arriving here on the 
 8th of May, that year. He bougiit a squatter's 
 claim to nearly a section of land located in differ- 
 ent parts of the county. He was at that time a 
 single man, so did not establish a home, but boarded 
 at the Planters' Hotel in Nebraska City for a time, 
 and dealt in real estate. In 1859 he opened a 
 bank, and was engaged in banking until 1871, do- 
 ing an extensive business. In 18G6 he went to 
 Omaha to make arrangements for opening .-i bank 
 there in partnership with P. S. Wilson and J. W. 
 Hugus, and operated that bank in connection with 
 the one in Nebraska City until 1870. He invested 
 large sums of money in realty, and at last found 
 himself encumbered with over $10,000 worth of 
 land at the very time when the markets were dull- 
 
h 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -i^h-* 
 
 211 
 
 est, inrleerl at a complete standstill. In conse- 
 quence of this he closed liis bankin"- business, and 
 has since devoted bis time to fai-miiij^ ami garden- 
 ing-, at which he makes large profits. 
 
 Mr. Ware w.as m.arried. Oct. 10, isfil.to Miss 
 Ellen H. Kinney, and their pleasant wedded life has 
 been blessed to them bj' the birth of four children ; 
 Florence 1.. the wife of Richard S. Hall, of Omaha; 
 Pollen, Grace L. and Norton. Mr. and Blrs. Ware 
 and their family are devoted members of the Epis- 
 copal Church. Mr. Ware is a man pf easy, digni- 
 fied presence, and his genial, kindl}' manners have 
 won him scores of friends. He is exceedingly 
 public-spirited and liberal, and his record in all the 
 relations of life shows him to be a tender husband, 
 a devoted father, an obliging neighbor, a tried and 
 trusty friend, and a loy.al citizen. He is a Demo- 
 crat in his political views, and has done his adopted 
 city good service as Treasurer. 
 
 y" ILLIAM P. REDFIELD. The subject of 
 this sketch, a well-to-do farmer of Belmont 
 Precinct, was born in Parke County, Ind., 
 Nov. 14. 1838, and is the son of Ptleg and Silena 
 (Shewel) Redfield, of Middletown, Conn., and now 
 deceased. The paternal grandfather, William Red- 
 field, was of English ancestry, and served as a soldier 
 first in the Revolutionary War, and later in the 
 War of 1812. His ancestors settled in America 
 about 1640, and his father, S.imuel Redfield. was 
 the son of Capt. William Redfield, who was the 
 seventh son of Theophilus, and he the eldest son of 
 James, the name then being Redfln. The latter was 
 a son of William Redfin, .also spelled " Redfen," 
 "Redfyn" and '• Redfyne." Between 1630 and 
 1639 members of the faniilj- were found on the 
 south side of the Charles River, six miles from the 
 city of Boston, where they owned four acres of land 
 near the foot of what is known now .as Normanton 
 Hills, where the renowned Elliott preached his first 
 sermon to the Indians. He was awarded a clear title 
 to this in 1642 by the proprietors of Cambridge, as 
 the records show, and in 1646 he sold to Edward 
 Jackson, and then his name disappeared from the 
 
 records of Massachusetts, when it is supposed he be- 
 came identified with the Connecticut famil}'. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in his na- 
 tive county, received a common-school education, 
 and became fainilinr with farming pursuits. He 
 came to this county in 1856, whijc Nel)r.nska w.as a 
 Territory, settling on the northeast quarter of sec- 
 tion 20, near where his son now lives. The mother 
 passed awaj' in 1858, and the father surviving his 
 wife a period of eighteen years, died in 1876. 
 
 Mr. Redfitld is the owner of eighty-six acres of 
 well-cultivated land, and makes a specialty of fruit- 
 raising. He is also fond of fine stock, and has a 
 herd of handsome Jersey cattle besides Poland- 
 China swine. 
 
 Mr. Redfield was married, Nov. 19, 1862, to Miss 
 Elrnestine, daughter of Marshall Pratt,.now deceased, 
 who was a native of New York State, and who set- 
 tled in this county in 1859. Of this union there 
 were born five children, four of whom are living, 
 namely: Marshall, Nellie, Emma and Gr.ace. Mar- 
 shall married Miss Leota Jackson, is the father of 
 one child, a scm William, .and lives in Wisner, this 
 State; Nellie is the wife of Mr. Frank Sargent, of 
 Otoe Precinct, and the mother of one child, a 
 daughter. Edna. Emma is attending High School in 
 Nebr.aska City; Grace, the baby, seven years of 
 age, is at home with her parents. 
 
 Mr. Redfield has been a useful man in his com- 
 munity, intelligent .and public-spirited, and served 
 as Justice of the Peace a period of four years. 
 Both he and his estimable wife are members in good 
 standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Vl OHN DEIDRICII STUTT. A fine body of 
 land thoroughly improved, under good man- 
 agement, and embellished with neat and sub- 
 stantial buildings, forms a picture of rural 
 life most delightful to the e^'e. Such a homestead 
 has the subject of this sketch built up in North 
 Branch Precinct, the residence and main buildings 
 being located on the southeast quarter of section 5. 
 The entire estate of our subject, however, includes 
 600 broad acres lying on sections 4, 5, 8 and 9. 
 Everything that the hand of industry and taste 
 
 •►Hl-^*- 
 
 =T* 
 
•^f^ 
 
 212 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 "Mr* 
 
 could suggest has been utilized for carrying on 
 agriculture in the most thorough and skilled man- 
 ner. Mr. Stutt makes a specialty of stock-raising, 
 and in the prosecution of this industry has pro- 
 vided himself with all modern conveniences, among 
 the most conspicuous being a series of tanks by 
 which the stock is watered with great ease and with 
 regularity. The pens and sheds are in keeping 
 with the balance of the premises, and comprise 
 ample room for shelter and feeding. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is a man of more than 
 ordinary intelligence, having been finely educated 
 in his native tongue, and has also adapted himself 
 to the intricacies of the English language. He is a 
 constant reader, and keeps himself well informed 
 upon topics of general interest. He is a man 
 who has traveled a great deal, seen much of the 
 world, and has the faculty of making the most of his 
 opportunities. He was given a thorough musical 
 education, an art of which he was extremely fond 
 and in which he was very proficient, but was obliged 
 to resign his Professorship on account of an atfec- 
 tion of the e3'es, which threatened him with great in- 
 convenience, if not total loss of sight. 
 
 Mr. Stutt is one of the oldest settlers of North 
 Branch Precinct, and it is possible is its oldest liv- 
 ing resident. His native country was the little 
 Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, which during the 
 war between France and Prussia was made a Prov- 
 ince. There he first opened his ej'es to the light 
 Feb. 21, 1821, in the town of Fredeburg, where 
 he was placed in school at an early age, and received 
 a thorough education in the German tongue. Upon 
 completing his studies he commenced teaching, and 
 was thus occupied a period of ten j'ears, six of 
 these as Principal. His close application to books 
 and music, especially, resulted in a partial loss of 
 sight at times, and there being nothing else desir- 
 able at which he could engage in his native land, he 
 resolved in 1847 to seek his fortunes on the other 
 side of the Atlantic. 
 
 Mr. Stutt in the .fall of the year mentioned bade 
 adieu to the scenes of his childhood and youth, and 
 embarking on a sailing-vessel at the port of Bre- 
 men, made an ocean voyage of eight weeks' dura- 
 tion, landing in the city of New Orleans. Thence 
 by steamer he proceeded to St. Louis, Mo., where 
 
 •^» 
 
 he employed himself in a furniture factory for six 
 months. We next find him in Sangamon County, 
 111., where he w.as occupied in a hemp mill two and 
 one-half years. Later, in company with his brother 
 Henry, he purchased 320 acres of unimproved land 
 in Scott County, upon which they operated three 
 years, then our subject, leaving the farm to the 
 supervision of his brother, returned to Missouri and 
 purchased 100 acres of land in the vicinity of St. 
 Louis, where he operated successfully three years 
 as a gardener. 
 
 At the expiration of this time, Mr. Stutt, selling 
 this property, made his way to Cincinnati, Ohio, 
 where he spent a winter, and thereafter purchased 
 land in Canton County, Ky., eighteen .acres, for the 
 sum of $110 an acre, which he devoted to garden- 
 ing purposes. During the panic of 1857 business 
 becoming far from being i-emunerative, he sold out 
 at 160 per acre, and repairing to Chicago, III., em- 
 barked in the retail grocery trade. One year of 
 this, however, sufficed, and selling out his stock he 
 returned to his Illinois f.irm, and prosecuted agri- 
 culture there until 1802. In the spring of that year 
 he sold out to his brother, and coming to this county 
 homesteaded 160 acres of land in North Branch 
 Precinct, raw prairie on sections 23 and 24. To 
 this he secured a legal title, and then traded with 
 Silas Gray for 120 acres on section 4. Prior to 
 this, however, he had purchased 160 acres on section 
 5, and to this had moved and already begun im- 
 provements. 
 
 Nebraska City .at this time was but a lumber-3%ard, 
 with no machinery for dressing building material, 
 and Mr. Stutt .accordingly had to have his building 
 material dressed at Kenosha. A part of the first 
 dwelling he erected is still standing, but was de- 
 serted for the newer and more modern residence in 
 1883. This latter is now flanked bj' a fine barn and 
 an expensive windmill. The land has been brought 
 to a high state of cultivation, while groves, orchards, 
 and choice shade .and other fruit trees stand upon 
 what was once the lonely prairie. Mr. Stutt has 
 twelve acres devoted to an apple orchard and ten 
 acres of native timber. His entire landed posses- 
 sions aggregated at one time 720 acres, 120 of 
 which he sold in 1886. He superintends the opera- 
 tion of all his land, which is nearly all utilized in 
 
 -•►HK 
 
•►Hh-^*- 
 
 OTOE COtTNTY. 
 
 213 
 
 his live-stock operations. Mr. Stutt ships usually 
 every year two cars each of cattle and swine, and 
 keeps about ten high-grade horses. His Qelds are 
 laid off with neat wire and hedge fencing. 
 
 Tiie marriage of our subject with Miss Catherine 
 Aden took place at the home of the bride in Daven- 
 port, Iowa, May 15, 1855. Mrs. Stutt, likelier hus- 
 band, is also a native of Hanover, Germany, and 
 w:as born May 2, 1840. She came to America with 
 her parents in 1846, tiiey settling in St. Louis, 
 where they lived until 1848. Of this union there 
 have lieen born nine children, namely: Adelia, 
 Adolph, Minnie, Arnold, Clara, Ernest, Otoe, Octa- 
 via and Eugene. Adelia is the wifeof Gustav Witt, 
 a farmer of North Branch Precinct, and they have 
 two children; Adolph is married, is also farming in 
 North Branch Precinct, and is the father of four 
 children; Minnie is the wife of Charles Bush, a 
 merchant of Ashland; Arnold is farming in North 
 Branch; Clara is the wife of Charles Witt, a farmer 
 of Syracuse Precinct; Ernest continues at home 
 with his parents; Clara was graduated from the Peru 
 Normal School, and has been engaged as a teacher 
 for the last four yeais. 
 
 Mr. Stutt has been a member of the School 
 Board of his district since its organization twenty 
 years ago. Politically, he is a stanch Democrat, and 
 socially, is a member in good standing of the I. O. 
 O. F. He has been Superintendent of a Sund.ay- 
 school, and, with his estimable wife, belongs to the 
 German Lutheran Church. His example is one 
 from which the young men of to-day may take a 
 useful lesson. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Henr3' and Ade- 
 laide (Wieging) Stutt, who were also natives of 
 Hanover. The paternal grandfather, Jacob Stutt, 
 fought against the first Napoleon in the war be- 
 tween France and Germany. Grandfather John 
 Ulick Wieging was blacksmith and farmer com- 
 bined, and being a very engaging young man, mar- 
 ried a wealthy lady, whose estate he afterward 
 managed. Her first name was Elizabeth, but the 
 latter name has not been preserved. The grandpar- 
 ents spent their entire lives in their native Empire, 
 llenr}' Stutt, the father of our subject, was a verj' 
 talented man, a professor of music, and for more 
 than ordinar}' proficiency in his art received a 
 
 medal from the King. The fiftieth year of his 
 residence and labors at one place was made the oc- 
 casion of a fine celebration. He followed his pro- 
 fession until the advanced age of eighty-three 
 years, retiring ten years before his death, which 
 occurred in August, 1882, he thus being ninety- 
 three years old. The mother passed away a year 
 previous to the decease of her husband, she also at- 
 taining the ripe old age of ninety three 3'ears. The 
 four children of the parental family were: Mary, 
 who died when sixty years old ; J. Diedrich, our sub- 
 ject; Henry, who is farming in Scott Count}', Iowa, 
 and John, who died at the age of twenty-nine years. 
 
 -^ 
 
 "jfJOIIN WEBER is one of the successful 
 I I stock-raisers and general farmers of McWill- 
 
 dl iams Precinct, where he owns 344 acres on 
 / section 30, all well-improved and cultivated, 
 fully ])rovided with buildings, miscellaneous ma- 
 chines and implements that are indispensable to the 
 modern farmer. The pasture and stables also are 
 fully stocked with high-grade animals of consiiler- 
 able value. 
 
 Mr. Weber has lived upon his present property 
 since the year 1877, although he had obtained it 
 one year previousl}'. Before that time he had been 
 a resident of Lee County. Iowa, and was born in 
 Charleston Township of that county on the 2d of 
 February, 1852, of German parentage. 
 
 The father of our subject, John Weber, Sr., was 
 born in Wurtemberg. There he was brought up, 
 and learned the tailoring trade, and as aj^onng man 
 was married to Lizzie Rhode, a native of the same 
 Kingdom. They made their first home in the same 
 district until after the birch of their two first chil- 
 dren, then with their little ones came to this country, 
 and settled upon a farm in Lee County, Iowa. 
 There he continued, and was numbered among the 
 prosperous farmers and worthy citizens. Recently 
 he has retired from the active work of the farm, ami 
 has reached the good old age of seventy-two years; 
 his wife, who is still living, is sixt3'-six years of .age. 
 They are lifelong members of the Lutheran Church, 
 and have instructed their children in the same faith. 
 Mr. Weber is and has been for many years a mem- 
 
^f^ 
 
 211 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ber of the Democratic party, and was at one time 
 somewhat active in political circles. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is one of a large family 
 of children, six only of whom are now living. He 
 was brought up in Lee County, and attended the 
 common schools there, after which he remained 
 upon the farm with his father, whom he assisted 
 until he became of age. He observed the twenty- 
 third anniversary of his birth by celebrating his 
 man-iage with Miss Catharine Hopp. who was born 
 in Charleston Township Aug. 31, 1853. She is the 
 daugbiter of Phillip and Lizzie (Frelk) Hopp, who 
 are now living upon a farm in Osage Precinct of 
 this county, which they obtained in 1877. 
 
 The family of our subject and wife includes eight 
 children, whose names are recorded as follows: 
 Charles, William, Bertha, Lewis, John, Edward, 
 Eda and Herman. Mr. and Mrs. Weber are attend- 
 ants of the Lutheran Evangelical Church, and are 
 well received in religious circles, as they are also in 
 society at large. Our subject espouses the Democ- 
 racy, and is deeply interested in political matters. 
 
 •i- 
 
 -^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 -> 
 
 'ffjOSEPH S. GRAY, an old resident of Pal- 
 myra Precinct, settled on the western line of 
 1 this county twenty-seven years ago, and for 
 ^^' a time his house was the resort of the weary 
 traveler through this region when public places of 
 rest and refreshment were few and far between. 
 Many were the travelers who sought a grateful 
 shelter under his roof while on their way from 
 Nebraska City to Denver, Col. Of late years he 
 has given his attention strictly to farming, and has 
 the oldest apple orchard in Palmyra Precinct. He 
 has brought his land to a fine state of cultivation, 
 has a fair assortment of live stock, and although 
 not living elegantly by any means is in the enjoy- 
 ment of the comforts of life. 
 
 Our subject, a native of Durham Countj', En- 
 gland, was born in Pittington Parish, Nov. 18, 
 1823, and received his education in the common 
 school. His parents, John and Jane (Sheldon) 
 Gray, were natives of the same county, and of pure 
 English descent. His father w.is deputy foreman 
 of a coal mine, and the parental family included the 
 
 following children : Joseph S., our subject; Hannah, 
 John and William, all in England; Robert in Iowa, 
 William in Kentucky. Thomas and Isabella in Ray- 
 mond, Neb. Three died in infancy. 
 
 Our subject when twenty-five 3'ears old resolved 
 to seek his fortunes on the other side of the Atlan- 
 tic. Accordingly, on the 28th of March. 1848, 
 he embarked at Liverpool on the sailing-vessel 
 '•Sawatara," and set foot upon American soil in 
 New York City on the 10th of May, 1848. Thence 
 he proceeded directly to Carbon County, Pa., 
 where he engaged in coal mining. He had been 
 accompanied by his wife, to whom he was married 
 in England, April 13, 1846, and who in her girl- 
 hood was Miss Isabella Hughes. She was also a 
 native of Durham County, and born May 1, 1826. 
 Her parents were John and Dorothy Hughes, and 
 the father was a coal miner bj' occupation. They 
 spent their last years in England. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Gray were born two children, 
 both of whom died in infancy in England. Our 
 subject and his w;ife after a two-years residence in 
 the Keystone State, removed to Ohio, and thence to 
 Lawrence County in the same State, Mr. Gray still 
 prosecuting his calling of coal miner. In due time 
 he was promoted to agent and salesman, where he 
 disposed of large quantities of coal, which were 
 shipped by steamboats down the Ohio River, and in 
 which business he was occupied until 1855. 
 
 In tiie spring of the above-mentioned year Mr. 
 Gray crossed the Mississippi and located in Fre- 
 mont County, Iowa, where he engaged in farming, 
 and continued to reside until after the election of 
 1860. Then, having become a naturalized citizen, 
 he cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham 
 Lincoln. He was a warm admirer of the great 
 emancipator who so thoroughly carried out his 
 anti-slavery sentiments. Upon coming to the 
 Hawkeye State he had purchased forty acres of 
 land, and this he sold out at a good profit in 1861. 
 With the proceeds he came to this count3^ and 
 homesteaded 160 acres, for the cultivation of which 
 he was amply fitted, having brought from Iowa 
 three ox-teams. He also brought six head of other 
 cattle and twenty -five head of hogs, the latter be- 
 ing about the first of their kind brought into the 
 precir.ct. He was looked upon by the neighbors as 
 *^ 
 
•►-Hl-^*- 
 
 •► 
 
 1 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 21 o 
 
 quite wealthy. Tlie nearest of these was Peter 
 iSibert, and continued so for many years thereafter. 
 To our subject and his estimable wife tliere were 
 born seven children, namely : Dorothy J., Joseph .S., 
 Jr., James. Thomas, Belle, Hannah anil Eliza, all 
 of whom are living and are now residents of Ne- 
 braska. Mr. Gray during the earlier years of his 
 residence here was quite prominent in local affairs, 
 served as a member of tlie School Board, and was 
 generally active in the enterprises set on foot for 
 the good of the community. He is a member of 
 the Old Settlers' Association, has served as Road 
 Supervisor, and been sent as a delegate to the 
 County Convention by the Republican party, of 
 whose i)rinciples he still continues a warm supporter. 
 
 Vlir^ M. KIRKHAM. Among the early pioneers 
 IILiir of Nebraska who have been instrumental in 
 developing her great agricultural resources, 
 ^and are still active members of her farming 
 community, is the gentleman whose name stands at 
 the head of this sketch. He was an early settler 
 of Nebraska City Precinct, locating on his present 
 farm in the }'ear 1856, and has ever since been 
 numbered among the most industrious and thrifty 
 citizens of this community. He is a native of Cory- 
 don, the county seat of Harrison County, Ind., his 
 birth occurring in that city on the 20th of Octo- 
 ber, 1818. His father, Mieliael Kirkham, was born 
 in Kentuck}-, a son of Henry Kirkham, a native of 
 Ireland, and a pioneer of Kentucky, whither he 
 went from his native land in early manhood, and 
 casting in his lot with the early settlers, passed, it 
 is supposed, the remainder of his life there. 
 
 The father of our subject, it is thought, was 
 reared in his Kentucky birthplace, but after mar- 
 riage moved to Indiana, and became a pioneer of 
 Harrison County. He was quite a trader, and used 
 to traffic on the rivers. AVhen our subject was an 
 infant the father went down the Ohio and Missis- 
 sippi Rivers, and died while away from home. He 
 left a widow and two children to mourn tlie loss of 
 a kind husband and loving parent. Our subject's 
 mother was thus left in poverty with two small chil- 
 dren to care for, but she nobly shouldered her 
 
 burden, and kept a shelter over their heads and 
 provided them with food and clothing b}' taking in 
 sewing. She subsequently married again, and con- 
 tinued to live in Harrison County until her death. 
 The subject of our sketch lived with his mother 
 a part of the time, and with friends some of the 
 time, until he was fourteen years old. Then, being 
 a strong, well-developed lad, ready and willing to 
 work, he chose a guardian, and was bound to learn 
 a trade, that of carpenter and joiner, at which he 
 was em]3loyed until he was twenty-one, receiving 
 in return his board and clothes. He then started 
 out in life for himself with two new suits of clothes, 
 $5 worth of tools, $5 in cash, and plenty of pluck 
 and resolution to make his own way in the world 
 very successfully. He began his independent life 
 in Laynesville, Ky., wTiere he found work at his 
 trade, and was busily employed there until 1841. 
 He then returned to Indiana, and was engaged at 
 carpentering in Harrison County until the follow- 
 ing year, when he decided to seek work at his trade 
 in some of the new and growing towns beyond the 
 Mississippi River. He proceeded on his journey 
 down the Ohio and up the Mississippi and Missouri 
 Rivers to Libert}', Mo., and thence on foot to Union 
 Mills, where he visited a few weeks. He then pro- 
 ceeded by wagon to his destination, the town of 
 Savannah, in Andrew County, which was then a 
 new village, with but few houses. He at once ob- 
 tained work as a carpenter, and actively pursued 
 his trade there until 1849. In the meantime, in 
 the year 1843, he was united in marriage to Miss 
 Tryphena Holland, who has actively aided him in 
 the establishment of the comfortable, pleasant home 
 in which they are passing their declining years. 
 AVhen Mr. Kirkham left Savannah he located in Kan- 
 sas City, then only an insignificant hamlet, com- 
 prising a few small houses, of which more were 
 built of logs than of sawed timber. He followed 
 his trade there until the spring of 18.50, when he 
 caught the gold fever, and started with others for 
 California in the month of May. Making the jour- 
 ney overland, he arrived at Diamond Springs in 
 August, and the ensuing two years was busily en- 
 gaged in mining. In May, 1852, he abandoned the 
 rough, hard life of the mining camp, and with his 
 savings started for home, going b}' the way of the 
 
 -•►^1 
 
Hl=«; 
 
 t 
 
 216 
 
 otop: county. 
 
 1 ' 
 
 Isthmus of Panama and New York, and thence to 
 Platte Count}', JNIo., where he bought a tract of 
 improved land, and devoted himself to f.irming. In 
 1856 Mr. Kirkham rented his farm, .ind came to tlie 
 then almost uninhabited Territory of Nebraska, to 
 seek on its fertile soil a location more suited to his 
 purposes. He came with a horse and buggy to 
 Nebraska City, and after examining the country 
 roundabout, he selected the claim now comprising 
 his iiresent farm, and as soon as the Government 
 threw the land on the market he entered it at the 
 land-office at Nebraska City. After buying his 
 land and securing a title to it, he went back to 
 Missouri for his family, and returned with them to 
 their new home in September, 1856, bringing a 
 part of their hovisehold goods in the wagon that 
 served as a conveyance. Ever since that time Sir. 
 Kirkham has been an esteemed resident of Ne- 
 braska City Precinct. He is a prudent, hard-work- 
 ing man, and by his energetic perseverance has 
 improved the once wild prairie land that he pur- 
 chased from the Government more than thirty 
 years ago into a valuable farm, comparing favor- 
 ably with his neighbors in respect to cultivation, 
 neat and substantial buildings, and all else that 
 goes to make up a first-class farm. 
 
 ]Mr. Kirkham is a sober, honest, upright man, 
 and the respect felt for him by his fellow-citizens 
 is but the just reward of a good life. In his re- 
 ligious opinions he is a believer in the doctrines of 
 the Seventh-Day Adventists; in his political senti- 
 ments he is a Democrat. 
 
 AVID M. HARP, farmer and carpenter 
 combined, has a fine tract of land located 
 (fi^y^^ on the southwest quarter of section 6, Hen- 
 dricks Precinct, and watered by a branch 
 of the Nemaha. He pursues his trade during the 
 summer season, at the same time supei'intending 
 the operations of his farm. He is a genial and in- 
 telligent man and a useful citizen, taking an active 
 interest in church matters, and casting his influence 
 on the side of morality and good order. 
 
 The parents of our su))ject, Daniel and Betsy 
 
 (Voung) Harp, were natives of New York State, 
 
 ^•^ 
 
 where they were married, and where the father 
 pursued his trade of carpenter during his early 
 manhood. In 1 840 he emigrated to Henry County, 
 111., where he turned his attention to farming, and 
 acquired a good property. In 1860 he ehangecl 
 his residence to Monroe Count}', Wis., where with 
 his estimable wife he is still living, retired from 
 active labor. 
 
 The parental household of our subject included 
 nine children, four of whom are living, and resid- 
 ing mostly in Wisconsin. David M. was the third 
 in order of birth, and was a little lad six years 
 of age when his parents removed to Illinois. He 
 was born in New York, Dec. 16, 1834. He re- 
 mained under the home roof until attaining his ma- 
 jority, and learned the trade of a carpenter under 
 the instruction of his excellent father. In 1857 he 
 took up his residence in Clayton Countj^, Iowa, 
 where he followed his trade until 1863. From the 
 Hawkeye State he came to the western part of this 
 county, making the trip overland with an ox-team, 
 and homesteaded the land upon whicli he now re- 
 sides. 
 
 It is hardly necessar}' to say that our subject has 
 labored most industriously to effect the improve- 
 ments which the passing traveler now looks upon 
 with admiration. He has two houses on his farm, 
 his residence and a tenement. He planted ten 
 acres of forest trees, making a fine grove, and has 
 two acres of choice apple trees. His farm ma- 
 chinery and live stock are fully in keeping with 
 the demands of the progressive agriculturist. He 
 purposes in due time to retire from active labor, 
 having purchased ground in the city of Hendricks, 
 where he intends building. 
 
 Mr. Harp was married in Claj'ton County, Iowa, 
 Oct. 22, 1859, to Miss Bessie Gould, who was born 
 in Monroe County, Wis., Aug. 15, 1844. Mrs. 
 Harp is the daughter of Solomon and Lucinda 
 (Stanford) Gould, both natives of New York State, 
 and the father engaged in the lumber trade, at the 
 same time carrying on a sawmill. The family 
 came to Nebraska about 1862, and the father died 
 in Johnson County in 1874; the mother died some 
 time before. Mrs. Harp was the youngest of their 
 seven children. 
 
 To our subject and his wife there have been born 
 c^ 
 
 t 
 
OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 217 < i 
 
 four children, the eldest of whom, a daughter, Ju- 
 lia, died at the age of eight. The survivors are 
 Edward, Joseijhiiie and Adah. The eldest is twenty- 
 five years of age, and the youngest sixteen. Ed- 
 ward married Miss Lulu Nunn, and is a carpenter 
 by trade, the father of one child, and a resident of 
 Hendricks; Josephine is the wife of William Rat- 
 liff, of Hendriclvs, and the mother of three children 
 — Bessie, Freddie and David. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Harp are members of the 
 United Brethren Church, and usually attend serv- 
 ices at Mt. Zion. Mr. Harp has officiated as Class- 
 Leader a number of years, is a Trustee, and Super- 
 intendent of the Sunday-school. He is one of the 
 warmest advocates of Prohibition, and a zealous 
 member of this political party. He has served as 
 Constable in Hendricks Precinct for the last three 
 years, and been a member of the School Board for 
 a period of twenty years. 
 
 \^^-^ ON. GEORGE W. McKEE. This gentle- 
 If )Ji "^''■'^ '* established in business in Syracuse as 
 i\^^ a dealer in grain and livestock. He is one of 
 (^) the very early pioneers of the county, having 
 settled with his mother, in the year 1857, about two 
 miles west of the site of the city, at that time of 
 course unfounded. He is a native of Delaware 
 County, Ohio, and was born on tiie 10th of Junei 
 1837. He is the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Kel- 
 len) McKee. The paternal grandparents of our 
 subject were natives of Scotland, and in 1804 emi- 
 grated to this country, crossing the Atlantic in the 
 month of October, in a sailing-vessel, thus obtain- 
 ing an experience in the realm of Father Ne[)tune 
 not entirely delectable, seeing that the equinoctial 
 gales were in full force, but these moving experi- 
 ences were banisiied from their minds by an event 
 more absorbing in interest, for while on tlie voyage 
 a son was born to them, to wiiom was given the 
 name Henry. 
 
 Henry McKee grew to manhood, receiving his 
 education and first instruction in trade in the State 
 of Delaware. He was apprenticed to that of civil 
 engineer, to which he seemed more attracted tlian 
 any otlier. He was a careful and intelligent ap- 
 
 prentice, and it was not long oefore he made his 
 mark in his business. He became the husband of 
 Miss Kellen, who was born in the State of Dela- 
 ware. Of her family she knew but little, having 
 been left an orphan in early childhood. Her hus- 
 band removed to New York not long after their 
 marriage, and was one of the surveyors of the first 
 railroad in the United States. This work accom- 
 plished, he settled in Ithaca in the State of New- 
 York, and later removed to Ohio. In the latter 
 State he died in 1853, having reached the age Of 
 forty-eight years. Mrs. McKee came to Nebraska, 
 and died upon the farm near Syracuse. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Henry McKee were born nine 
 children, eight of whom it was their privilege to 
 bring to mature years. These are as follows: James 
 H., who was murdered in Texas during the war on 
 account of his pro-slaveiy ideas; Sarah A., now the 
 wife of John Roberts, of Long Beach, Cal. ; George 
 W., our subject; John R., of Palmyra, Neb.; Clark 
 Thomas, who died in 1861, in Leadville, Col.; 
 Maria J., who died in Ohio; Belle, happily married 
 to W. W. Lowe, and residing in Long Beach, Cal., 
 and William I., of Syracuse. 
 
 The subject of our sketch passed his early life 
 upon a farm, and at the age of twenty came to Ne- 
 braska, and helped to bring the farm to a high state 
 of cultivation. In 1860, like many others, he went 
 to Pike's Peak, but returned disappointed. In 
 1863 he engaged in freighting on the plains, which 
 calling he pursued until the year 1868, when he 
 returned to Syracuse and settled to the pursuit of 
 agriculture. Shortly afterward, in addition to his 
 farm, he purchased an interest in a gristmill, which 
 he operated for about eleven years, also carrying 
 on a grain business, which he still continues. He is, 
 perhaps, at once one of the most extensive and 
 snccessful dealers in the county. He is the owner 
 of about 500 acres of well-improved farming land 
 in Otoe County, also an elevator in Syracuse, and 
 his farm of 180 acres a little west of town, where 
 he resides. He has spared neither time, trouble nor 
 expense in making this a most desirable residence, 
 and has upon it everything apparently that is 
 necessary for pleasure, comfort and convenience. 
 His property has been acquired by his thrift and 
 assiduous lalior, for he received nothing from his ^ r 
 
 •►-11-^^ 
 
 •> I I < • 
 
218 
 
 -•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 I 
 
 parents, saving, perhaps, 100 acres of Linrl near Pal- 
 myra, upon the death of his mother. 
 
 Mr. McKee was married in the year 186S, and 
 has become the parent of three children — Cora, 
 Elmer and Blanche B. In all matters, enterprises 
 and projects that have looked toward the advance- 
 ment of the interest of the community and county 
 his policy has been most liberal. He has always 
 been deeply interested in educational matters, and 
 the welfare generally of the rising generation. He 
 was one of the organizers of the Otoe County Fair 
 and Driving Association, of which he was the 
 President the first two terms. He was also instru- 
 mental in organizing the Sj'racnse Lodge of the 
 Knights of Honor, and is a prominent member of 
 the Masonic fraternity. In this he has served as 
 Worshipful Master of Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 57, 
 A. F. & A. M., of Syracuse, and in that ofHce was 
 always an able worker. He has initiated many into 
 the mysteries of the order and brought them into 
 the light of its triluminous altar. 
 
 Upon his farm our subject has given special at- 
 tention to the raising and feeding of beef cattle 
 and hogs for Eastern markets, and usiiall}- ships 
 quite a large number annually. So successful has 
 he been in this and his grain business that he is 
 counted among the wealthy citizens of the district. 
 His political aspirations and princijiles are sym- 
 phonious with those of the Republican party, and 
 he has frequently been called upon to act as dele- 
 gate to County, District and State Conventions, 
 his reputation among his fellows being that of a 
 true, honorable, loyal and faithful Republican and 
 citizen. In 1876 and 1877 Mr. McKee was honored 
 by his fellow-citizens, who elected him to represent 
 them in the State Legislature. This he did in a 
 manner that has shown the wisdom of the choice 
 and given all parties concerned every satisfaction. 
 
 ^/ OHN MALL A R is one of the prominent and 
 I worthy representatives of the genus Gerraan- 
 I ] American citizen, and is alike a credit to his 
 (^^ native country and also that of his adoption. 
 He is a capable and prosperous stock-raiser in Rus- 
 sell Precinct, and in that connection utilizes 160 
 
 acres of some of the best land in the county. His 
 propert3- is situated upon section 34 of that pre- 
 cinct. 
 
 The father of our subject, Henry Mallar, was a 
 native of Holstein, Germany, where he was a well- 
 to-do merchant, continuing in his business until 
 death claimed him in the year 187-2, when he was 
 but forty-nine j'ears of age. The maiden name of 
 his wife, the mother of our subject, who was also 
 born in Holstein, was Anna Runpf. She was but 
 twenty-eight years of age when she departed this 
 life, in the year 18,58, leaving to the care of her 
 husband four children, viz.: Geashen; Annie, now 
 of Chicago; Henry, who followed the nautical pro- 
 fession, and was drowned at sea after being ship- 
 wrecked ; and John. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 12th 
 of April, 1844, in the same district as his parents. 
 Until he was twenty-one j'ears of age he made his 
 home with his father. His time until that period 
 was occupied by the accumulation of knowledge 
 and development of liis intellectual faculties, and 
 afterward he assisted his father in business and upon 
 the farm. In beginning life for himself, upofi at- 
 taining man's estate, he followed agriculture until 
 the fall of 1870, then concluded to try his fortunes 
 upon trans-Atlantic soil. He therefore sailed from 
 Hamburg on the good ship"Simbrog," which landed 
 him safely in New York after about fourteen days. 
 
 Leaving New York our subject went to Daven- 
 port, Iowa, where he worked upon a farm for nine 
 months, then went to DuPage Count}', Iowa, and 
 there worked on a farm for two years, and for the 
 next six j'ears rented land; 1880 witnessed his 
 removal and his settlement in McWilliams Precinct, 
 where for three years he continued to rent land. At 
 the end of that period he purchased 160 acres of 
 prairie land still in all the wild picturesqueness of 
 its virgin state, which he has transformed by the 
 subtle alchemy of persevering, intelligent labor until 
 it has become one of the finest farms in the district. 
 Many points would present themselves for detailed 
 mention, the difficulty would be in the selection. 
 His property is made beautiful by shady groves of 
 well-developed and valuable forest trees, covering 
 perhaps three acres, and no less so by the well-kept 
 hedges and other fencing. The orchard, which con- 
 
•►HK-^^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •219 
 
 tains over 150 trees, woulii invite more careful .and 
 close attention, wliilehis barn and other farm build- 
 ings would be found fully to meet the varied re- 
 quirements for the storage of grain and feed, and 
 shelter for stock. 
 
 The special efforts of our subject are in the direc- 
 tion of raising high-grade cattle and horses, al- 
 though large numbers of the best breeds of hogs 
 are always on hand. Of horses he is perhaps more 
 inclined to favor the Clydesdales, and is the owner 
 of several magnificent creatures of that breed. 
 
 The beautiful home of Mr. Mallar, splendidly 
 located upon a fine, grassy slope, has its chief at- 
 traction in the most excellent wife and happy chil- 
 dren of om- subject. The maiden name of his 
 companion in life was Emma Hostick, one of Ne- 
 braska Citj^'s fair daughters. She has presented her 
 husband with three children, whose names are as 
 follows: Annie, Andalia and Bertie. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Mallar are members of the German 
 Lutheran Church in Syracuse, and our sul)ject holds 
 the position of Trustee of the property. Ever since 
 his naturalization in the year 1880 he has elected to 
 vote the Democratic ticket, and is now accounted 
 one of the stanch friends of that party in this 
 county. 
 
 ^OHN L. HARRIS, one of the intelligent 
 I thinkers and capable citizens of Palmyra 
 Precinct, is a descendant of one of the good 
 old families of Virginia, in which State he 
 figured somewhat conspicuously in other years. He 
 now resides on section 22, where he operates eighty 
 acres of good farming land. He is the son of 
 James N. and Elizabeth W. (Allen) Harris, who 
 were born in Orange and Fluvanna Counties, Va. 
 The great-grandfather of our subject, Samuel 
 Harris, was a Government appointee in the Colo- 
 nial days, and was of English family. He came 
 from England in the eighteenth century, in order 
 to fill the position assigned to him, and has left a 
 record of faithful service. His son Samuel D., the 
 grandfather of John L. Harris, was of Virginian 
 birth. He followed the occupation of civil engin- 
 eer, and was on his way to the Tcrritor3^ of Ken- 
 tucky for the purpose of engaging in land surveying. 
 
 and died; this occurred in 1816. The father of our 
 subject was an agriculturist, and resided upon the 
 old Harris homestead, cultivating the broad acres 
 of the old home farm. He died there in the year 
 1872, being then sixty-nine years of age. His wife 
 departed this life in the year 1880, at the advanced 
 age of sixty-eight years. They wei'e tb(! parents of 
 six children, who bore the following names: John 
 L. ; Mary E., who died in infancy; Sarah J., Emily 
 M., Brown and Letiza D. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 7th of 
 September, 1829, near Lexington, Rockbridge Co., 
 Va. He grew up on a farm and assisted his father 
 at blacksmithing, learning the business. The com- 
 mon school provided him with an education. Until 
 he was twenty-two years of age he resided at home, 
 and a))out that time was united in marriage with 
 Miss Mary E., daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Cam- 
 den) Eskew, who were*also Virginians. 
 
 The wife of our subject was born in February, 
 1831, and was therefore twenty years of age when 
 she was married. The young couple settled in their 
 new laome, which was at Lexington, where Mr. 
 Harris continued his blacksmithing business, which 
 was quite extensive and kept him fully employed. 
 After two years lie was induced to go to South- 
 western Virginia in, company with two partners, 
 with the intention of manufacturing agricultural 
 implements, including not simply plows and har- 
 rows, but those more complicated, such as feed-cut- 
 ters, feed-mills, etc., under the firm name of W. J. 
 Keller & Co. They erected factories at Wytheville 
 in 1854, and made excellent progress until the 
 crash of 1857, caused by Buchanan's free trade 
 policy; then, being unable to collect from the far- 
 mers, the firm became financially embarrassed. 
 
 Not long afterward the wave of secessional feel- 
 ing and agitation ran high, and in due course was 
 followed by the war. Therefore Mr. Harris emi- 
 grated to Missouri and settled in Pike County. Al- 
 though a Virginian, and therefore presumably a 
 Southern sympathizer, he never for one moment 
 wavered in his loyalty to the Union. His business 
 interests being established in Missouri, he was in 
 haste to return to his wife and children, whom he had 
 left at the old home with the promise of returning 
 within three or four weeks. Being a first-class me- 
 
 •► I I <•- 
 
 ■*^l-M» 
 
»► II <•• 
 
 220 
 
 ■^K 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 chanir he \yas exempt from service in the Confed- 
 erate Army, but he was kept in Virginia by first 
 one tiling and then another, and was finally pre- 
 vented from returning to Missouri. 
 
 In 1869 Mr. Harris engaged quite extensively 
 and successfully in the lumber business in Rock- 
 bridge County, Ya., where he continued until 1874. 
 The following five years he occupied himself in 
 agricultural pursuits, linking, however, with that 
 such work as might come to him in the line of his 
 trade, which grew to be very extensive, and in 
 time included the manufacture of carriages and 
 wagons. When he went into the lumber business 
 he involved himself in debt to the amount of sev- 
 eral thousand dollars, but entering with heart and 
 soul into ever}'' circumstance connected therewith, 
 he came out very successfully. In the fall of 1880 
 he left Virginia for Nebraska, coming to this county 
 and to his present farm. 
 
 The family circle of Mr. and Mrs. Harris includes 
 seven children, three of whom, however, died in 
 infancy. The surviving members of the family are 
 as follows: 8andy, Adison V., Louis E. and Jessie. 
 Sandy was united in marriage with Miss Moxley, 
 of Virgmia, who has presented him with one son, 
 John M.; Adison V. resides in Dawes County, this 
 State, and is married to Miss INIary Meechara ; they 
 are the parents of two children, viz: Lelia and Al- 
 bert y.; he is engaged in the hardware and agri- 
 cultural implement business at Whitney in this 
 State. Louis E. is the owner of 320 acres of land, 
 and proprietor of the White Clay Ranch in Dawes 
 County; the maiden name of his wife was ]\Iiss 
 Nannia Oliver. Jessie is still at home. 
 
 The subject of our sketch has always been a strict 
 Republican and a doughty defender of the princi- 
 ples of his party. At the same time he lias never 
 sought political preferment. He was ajipointed 
 Judge of Elections of the Buffalo district of his 
 native county for ten consecutive years, from 1870 
 to 1880, accepting the position out of loyalty and 
 earnest desire to promote fair play. For several 
 years he has given the labor problem careful study, 
 and is the recipient of communications from the 
 Bureau of Industrial Statistics for the State of Ne- 
 br.'^ska, indicating that his labor has not been in 
 vain, and that his views, sound and practical, are 
 
 calculated to nearly meet the demands of the case. 
 Religiouslj-, Mr. Harris is allied to the Presby- 
 terian Church, although he was reared in the doc- 
 trines of the Methodist Church, and has always 
 respected its teachings. He has had to contend 
 with the common difficulties of life, financial and 
 otherwise, but in spite of all lie may be pronounced 
 a success. 
 
 \fl ACOB PENN, who has farmed successfully 
 in Delaware Precinct for a number of years, 
 is the regular type of the honest Pennsyl- 
 vanian, and was born in Washington County, 
 that State, on the 3d of August, 1825. His father, 
 William Penn, was a native of Maryland, and is 
 still living in Washington County, Pa., being now 
 ninety years of age. The mother of our subject, 
 who in her girlhood was Miss Phebe Bane, was 
 also a native of Washington County, that State, 
 and is still living, having arrived at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty-eight years. Jacob was edu- 
 cated in the common school, and spent much of his 
 early life assisting in a flouring-mill, and operating 
 a carding-machine. Soon after reaching his ma- 
 jority he was married, Nov. 19, 1846, to Miss 
 Emeline, daughter of William and Maria (Claw- 
 son) McCloiy. Of this union there have been born 
 five children, all of whom, with one exception, died 
 when young. The survivor is a son, William II. 
 The others were named respectively: Ann E., ]Mary 
 E., Abner B. and John N. 
 
 Mr. Penn came to this count}' in the fall of 18.59, 
 while Nebraska was a Territory, purchased a tract 
 of land, and was joined by his famil}' in the follow- 
 ing spring. The country was wild and new, and, 
 like most of the people around them, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Penn had little save their courageous hearts with 
 which to beoin the struggle of life in a new coun- 
 try. Their goods unfortunatel}^ were destroyed by 
 fire in a warehouse in Nebraska City, and this at 
 that time was indeed a calamity. They endured 
 many hardships and privations during the first few 
 years, at a time when their neiglil>ors were few and 
 far between, and Indians and wild animals were 
 numerous. Deer and wolves roamed unrestrained 
 
 Htr4^ 
 
 *^h 
 
(>^^Tr->->-;>^ ^/5^T.^--^ 
 
 ^Q,--^f^^!^^d-'-Zi£.jy^^ 
 
•^r^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 223 
 
 over the prairies, and it was necessary, botli on ac- 
 count of wolves and Indians, for the family to be 
 safely housed at night. Our subject had selected a 
 home ou the North Branch of the Little Nemaha, 
 also called AVilson Creek, and in the course of a 
 few years there grew up around them a population 
 of intelligent people. The pioneeers all assisted 
 each otlier, and were hospitable and kind, far be- 
 yond the people of the present daj'. 
 
 The pioneers amid their hardships and trials 
 sought to train their children in the ways of moral- 
 ity and religion, and preaching was held at the 
 private houses, conducted first by a United Pres- 
 byterian minister and later by a Baptist. A Baptist 
 society was first organized in the valley, and serv- 
 ices were often held in the house of ]\Ir. Penn, he 
 and his excellent wife being prominently identified 
 with the organization of the church of wliich they 
 have now been members for a period of thirty-six 
 years. They have watched the growth and de- 
 velopment of Nebraska with warm interest, and 
 during the course of well-spent lives have gath- 
 ered around them hosts of friends. 
 
 eHARLES R. STEDMAN, a leading mer- 
 chant of Uiiadilla, commands a lucrative 
 patronage, keeping a stock of general mer- 
 chandise, including about everything necessar3' to 
 the village or country household. He is a native of 
 T'ioga County, N. Y., where his birth took place 
 April 4, 1843. When a lad of twelve years he re- 
 moved with his parents to Lee County, 111., where 
 he acquired a common-school education and con- 
 tinued on the farm until a youth of nineteen. 
 
 The Civil AVar being then in progress, our sub- 
 ject in the summer of 1862 enlisted in Company 
 D, 75th Illinois Infantry, the regiment being under 
 command of Col. John E. Bennett. He also served 
 under Gens. Buell. Rosecrans and Thomas, and 
 participated in many of the important battles of the 
 war, namely: Perry ville. Stone River, Chicka- 
 mauga. Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and 
 Ringgold. The privations and hardships incident 
 to army life had the effect to undermine his health, 
 and for a i)eriod of six months, <luring llie year 
 
 1864, he was confined in the hospital at New Al- 
 bany, Ind. Later he returned home on a three- 
 weeks furlough, tiien rejoined his regiment, remain- 
 ing in the service until the close of the war, and 
 being mustered out at Chicago, in June, 1865. 
 
 Our subject, upon returning to civil life, began 
 farming in partnership with his father, in Lee County, 
 111., where he lived until 1875. In the spring of 
 that year, with a desire to see the land west of the 
 Mississippi, he came to this countj', and in company 
 with his father purchased 320 acres of land in Rus- 
 sell Precinct. Here they effected fine improvements, 
 putting up good buildings, setting out groves and 
 an orchard, and gathering about them all the con- 
 veniences and comforts of modern rural life. In 
 the fall of 1886 our subject, desirous once more of 
 a change, traded his farm for a slock of general 
 merchandise, and established in his present business 
 at Unadilla, of which he has since been a resident. 
 He has had a good trade from the start, being a 
 man straightforward in his business transactions 
 and prompt to meet his obligations. 
 
 The marriage of our subject with Miss Clara M. 
 Wells was celebrated at the home of the bride in 
 .South Branch, Nov. 30, 1876. Mrs. Stedman is 
 the daughter of Gilbert and Mary (Keliey) Wells, 
 old and highl}' respected citizens of this county, 
 and a sketch of whom will be found elsewhere in 
 this work. She was born near Warner, N. H., 
 June 29, 1856, and after perfecting her studies in 
 the Peru Normal School, developed into a teacher, 
 which profession she followed for a time before her 
 marriage. Of her union with our subject there are 
 two daughters, Nellie and Alma, who are at home. 
 Mr. Stedman cast his first Presidential vote for 
 Abraham Lincoln, and since becoming a voter has 
 kept himself well posted upon matters of State and 
 National interest. For a number of years he sup- 
 ported the principles of the Republican part^', but 
 his warm interest in the temperance movement led 
 him, in 1888, to identify himself with the Pro- 
 hibitionists. He has been a member of the School 
 Board of his district three years, was Deputy County 
 Treasurer two j'cars, and has twice been sent as a 
 delegate to the Nebraska State Convention. In all 
 the offices which he has been called to fill he has dis- 
 charged his duties in a most praiseworthy and con- 
 
 •^ 
 
 •► I I ^- 
 
 f 
 
 :^U 
 
-11-^^ 
 
 \ \ 224 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 scientious manner. During the existence of the 
 G. A. R. Post in Unadilla he was identified with it, 
 and is also a member of the I. 0. G. T., at Unadilla. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Knos C. and Malina D. 
 (Wall) Stedman, like their son, were also natives of 
 Tioga County. N. Y. The paternal grandfather 
 was of English descent, and a native of Vermont. 
 The great-grandfather served under Washington in 
 the Revolutionary War. Enos Stedman was a far- 
 mer by occupation, and also operated a sawmill on 
 the Susquehanna River. He was greatly pros- 
 pered, accumulating a snug fortune. In 1855, 
 leaving the Empire State, he emigrated to Illinois, 
 and purchased land in Lee County near the then 
 embr3'o town of Dixon. He remained a resident of 
 that section for a period of eighteen years, then, 
 selling out, took up his residence in Freeport, but 
 two years later, in 1875, crossed the Mississippi, 
 and coming into this county located in Russell Pre- 
 cinct, taking the east half of section 32. He im- 
 proved the raw prairie into a well-cultivated farm, 
 set out groves, an apple orchard and the smaller 
 fruit trees, and effected all the improvements nec- 
 essary for the comfort of the modern and progressive 
 agriculturist. After a well-spent life he departed 
 hence Aug. 1, 1886, at the advanced age of seventy- 
 eight years. The mother is still living on the old 
 homestead, being now seventy years old. 
 
 Enos Stedman was a strong Republican, and a 
 member in good standing of the Baptist Church. 
 The mother of our subject was his second wife, he 
 having been first married to Miss Eliza Wolverton, 
 who became the mother of five children. These 
 were named respectively: Ann, Alma, Elizabeth, 
 Mary and Clinton. The latter, during the late war, 
 did efficient service for the Union cause as a spy. He 
 experienced many hairbreadth escapes unharmed, 
 and is now a resident of Texas. At the outbreak 
 of the Rebellion he was a resident of the Lone Star 
 State, and was pressed into the rebel service. He 
 deserted, however, and as soon as possible joined 
 the Union forces. In the discharge of his duties 
 he was captured several times by the rebels, but 
 succeeded each time in making his escape. Of 
 the marriage of Enos Stedman with the mother of 
 our suliject there were born eight children, of 
 whom (y'harles R. was the eldest. The others were 
 
 •►Hh-^- 
 
 named respectively: Enos J., Ezra F., Eva F., 
 Minnie E., Herbert E., Carrie A. (deceased) and 
 Wallace E. In this connection we present a por- 
 trait of Mr. Stedman. 
 
 RA D. CIIATFIELD is one of the capable and 
 much esteemed citizens of Palmyra Precinct, and 
 is the owner of an admirably cultivated fertile 
 farm of 160 acres on section 10. His parents, 
 Abraham and Jerusha (Cotton) Cliatfield, were born 
 in Connecticut and Massachusetts, respectively. 
 Both were taken by their parents to the State of 
 New York when they were children. They were 
 married m Greene County of that State. His father 
 died In 1864, aged sixty-four years, while his mother 
 survived until 1885, and then passed to her long- 
 home after a life of eighty-eight years. They were 
 the parents of five children, viz: Ira D., Caroline, 
 Samuel W., Emma and John H. 
 
 It will be observed that Ira was the eldest child 
 in the family of which he was a member. He was 
 born in Delaware County, N. Y., on the 15th of 
 February, 1821. Upon leaving school he engaged 
 in the glove and mitten business, and the manufact - 
 ure of tanned goods, After getting fairly started 
 in business, he was taken sick with bilious fever, and 
 after an illness of three months he recovered, but 
 only to find that his partner had in the interim 
 swindled him out of all his property. 
 
 Starting afresh, our subject accepted the agency 
 for Gen. H. Sampson and George W. Pratt, whole- 
 sale tanners and leather dealers, becoming their 
 head clerk, and remained with them for twelve 
 3'ears. He was also connected for some years with 
 the Whitney Chair Manufacturing Company, and 
 served them in the capacity of chief clerk. 
 
 Mr. Chatfield has been twice married. By his 
 first wife, whose maiden name was Eliza Case, he 
 became the parent of two children, Eli P., and liliza, 
 who died when she was three months old. Upon 
 the 1st of January, 1849, he was united in wedlock 
 with Lydia Patterson, who was born at Green- 
 wich, Washington Co., N. Y., March 12, 1826. 
 This marriage has been fruitful in the birth of six 
 children, viz: George H., who was drowned when 
 
 r 
 
•► II <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 22o 
 
 i 
 
 thirteen years old; Clara A., Julia E., Emma J., 
 Irene P. and William N. Julia K. is happily mar- 
 ried to Morris Dennis, of Syracuse, and is the 
 mother of two children — Margaret and Emma; 
 Emma J. is the wife of Mr. Page, of Syracuse, and 
 is the mother of one child, John; Irene P., now 
 Mrs. Michael McFall, of Cass County, has one lit- 
 tle daughter, Anna Laura; Eli P. is at Wash- 
 burn, Bayfield Co,. Wis., where he is a successful 
 merchant; he married Miss Idia Parker, and their 
 home circle includes three little ones — Eli P., Jr., 
 Anna and John M. William N. is a teacher in 
 the public schools of this county. 
 
 Mr. and j\Irs. Chatfleld are members of the Epis- 
 copal Church in this precinct, and in that circle are 
 highly esteemed, as they are indeed in eyery other 
 relation. Our subject has served the county as a 
 Justice of the Peace, Assessor, Overseer of High- 
 wiiys and School Director, and in every instance 
 has done good work. In political matters he es- 
 pouses the Rei^ublican cause, and is looked up to 
 somewhat as a leader. He enjoys the heartiest con- 
 fidence and esteem of his fellows, and is much valued 
 as a citizen in the communitv. 
 
 — l-^4=^^t^-^ 
 
 [F^ GRACE W. MAX AIM. Among the prosperous 
 if^i farmers of Palmyra Precinct the subject of 
 iiv^ this sketch occupies no unimportant posi- 
 (^) tion, being a wide-awake, intelligent citizen, 
 and having as the result of years of industry and 
 good management accumulated a fine property. 
 The o-reater part of this represents a fine farm on 
 section 20, where he has a commodious and tasteful 
 residence, good barn and other out-buildings, a fair 
 assortment of live stock, modern machinery, and all 
 the other appurtenances of the well-regulated coun- 
 try home. At the head of his household is one of 
 the most estimable and intelligent of ladies, who, 
 from a ripe experience in life, which has not been 
 unmixed with many hardships and difficulties, has 
 emerged an admirable specimen of womanhood, and 
 in possession of those qualities of mind and heart 
 which have secured her the homage and respect of 
 all who know her. 
 
 Our subject is the offspring of a good family, be- 
 
 •> 11 <• 
 
 ing the son of William T. and Hannah (Howland) 
 Maxam, who were natives respectively of Jefferson 
 and Herkimer Counties, N. Y. Grandfather Maxam, 
 a native of Massachusetts, was of Welsh ancestry, 
 and carried a musket in the War of 1812, doing 
 good service with his rggiment at Sackett's Harbor. 
 The mother's family also was of Welsh ancestry, 
 and Grandfather Howland, also a soldier in the War 
 of 1812, yielded up his life on the battle-field at 
 Greenbush. 
 
 The fatiier of our subject left the Empire State 
 in 1833 and emigrated to Ohio, locating in Summit 
 County, where he has since lived. During the 
 years of his active life he followed the occupation 
 of a farmer, but is now retired, having reached the 
 advanced age of seventy -seven years. The mother 
 died at the homestead therein 1873, when sixtj'- 
 eight years old. They were the parents of four 
 sons: Horace W., our subject, Alonzo A., who 
 continues a resident of the Buckeye State; Samuel 
 H., in Van Buren County, Mich., and Lewis L., who 
 is engaged in farming, and resides near the city of 
 Lincoln, in this State. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Adams 
 Township, Jefferson Co., N. Y., Oct. 31, 1832. He 
 was an infant of eleven months when his parents 
 removed to Ohio, where his earliest recollections 
 center, and which embrace some events which oc- 
 curred when he was but two years old. He was 
 reared to farm pursuits in Summit County, and was 
 the typical boy, being mischievous, agile as a 
 squirrel, and giving his parents no end of harmless 
 trouble and annoyance. He studied his first les- 
 sons in the district school, and later spent five terms 
 at Twinsburg Academy. Subsequently he officiated 
 as a pedagogue two terms. 
 
 LTpon reaching his majority, young Maxam, leav- 
 ing the home roof, migrated to Van Buren County, 
 Mich., where he still followed farming, and met his 
 fate in the person of Miss Mary E. McKay, to 
 whom he was married Sept. 10, 1855. He con- 
 tinued a resident of the Wolverine State until after 
 the outbreak of the Civil War. He had now a 
 little family upon his hands, and for this reason 
 watched the conflict without participating in it 
 until February, 1865. He could then rest easy no 
 longer, and leaving his wife and three children in 
 
 •<• 
 
 
■•►Hl- 
 
 226 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 good hands, enlisted in tlie 1st Mchigan Cavaliy, 
 which was assigned to the Arm3r of the Potomac. 
 He was not called upon to engage in active fighting, 
 and the close of the war found him at Remount 
 Camp, near Harper's Ferry, where he was mustered 
 out, and later received his, honorable discharge at 
 Cumberland, Md. 
 
 Mr. Maxam now returned to his home and family 
 in Van Buren Countj^, Mich., where not long after- 
 ward occurred the dtath of his wife, who left four 
 children, namely: Frank W., John N., George H. and 
 Mary E. The latter died when six months old. 
 The bereaved husband and father, taking his 
 motherless children, now returned to Ohio, and 
 lived with his father one year. In the spring of 
 1868 he came to Nebraska, bringing his two eldest 
 children with him, and for two years thereafter pre- 
 sided over his household affairs himself, and home- 
 steaded eighty acres of land which is now included 
 in his present farm. 
 
 In the meantime Mr. Maxam formed the ac- 
 quaintance of Mrs. Hannah E. (Howard) Robey, to 
 whom he was married Nov. 1, 1870, and who 
 since that time has continued his faithful and affec- 
 tionate partner, steadily alive to his best interests 
 and tliose of their family. Mrs. Maxam was born 
 in Boston, Mass., on July 29, 1828, and is the 
 daughter of Sylvester andBetsej- (Haj-den) How- 
 ard, the former a native of Jefferson County, N. Y., 
 and the latter of Hopkinton, Mass. Sylvester 
 Howard was a farmer by occupation, and served as 
 a minute man at Sackett's Harbor during the War 
 of 1812. The Howards were of English ancestry, 
 and the first representatives in this country — three 
 brothers — crossed the Atlantic during the Colo- 
 nial days. To the parents of Mrs. Maxam there 
 were born ten children, namely: Maj'nard, who 
 died young; Charles A., Mary W., Amasa, Emery, 
 Eda, Hannah E., Sylvester, Elizabeth and Abel T. 
 
 Sylvester Howard, when his daughter Hannah 
 E. was a child four years of age, removed to Penob- 
 scot County, Me., and thence, in 1845, to Rock 
 County, Wis. The now flourishing city of Janes- 
 ville was then a hamlet of two or three houses, al- 
 though the primitive court-house had been erected. 
 Hannah E., in 1847, was married to C. K. Robey, 
 antl they toi)k u\> their residence near the embryo 
 
 town of Stoughton. where there were born to them 
 four children, namelj': Jerome A., Mary F., John 
 and INIelvin. After the death of her husband Mrs. 
 Robey in the spring of 1868, came to this county, 
 bringing with her two of her children, and home- 
 steaded a claim on section 20, having for one of 
 her nearest neighbors Mr. H. W. Maxam. The lonely 
 condition of each, one with his two motherless 
 children, and the other with her two fatherless little 
 ones, suggested at not a very late date in the period 
 of their acquaintance that the households might 
 be combined with both pleasurable and beneficial re- 
 sults, and their marriage accordingly followed in 
 due time. Mr. Maxam in the summer of 1883 put 
 up their present commodious dwelling, and has from 
 time to time added those comforts and conveniences 
 naturally suggested to himself and his excellent 
 wife. He has now eighty acres of good land, and a 
 homestead which invariably attracts the attention 
 of the passing traveler as one combining all the 
 elements of comfort and plenty. 
 
 Mr. Maxam remembers distinctly the campaign 
 of 1840, when he shouted for "Tippecanoe and Tj'- 
 ler too." He has been a member of the Repub- 
 lican party since its organization, is a strict temper- 
 ance man, and has held the various school offices of 
 his district. He has been greatly interested in the 
 veterinary science, to which he has given consider- 
 able study, and practices quite successfully among 
 the equines of his precinct. He has also, a good 
 knowledge of human ailments, and is often called 
 upon to prescribe for his neighbors. His treatment 
 is always very simple, he being strongly in favor 
 of the homeopathic system of medicine. 
 
 -5-Hi.^^^:^-i-J— 
 
 r- 
 
 "SP^ OBERT STAFFORD, one of the early set- 
 \]i^ tiers of Nebraska City, was born in Burton 
 ZllW, Caggles, Lincolnshire, England, Oct. 26, 
 ^^1818. His parents were Robert and Chris- 
 tina (Wilkinson) Stafford, both also natives of En- 
 gland, where they spent their entire lives. Our 
 subject was the 3'oungest of ten children, and the 
 only one coming to the United States. His father 
 died when lie was a little lad eight years of age, 
 and as soon as old i'nuu<;h Robert commenced to 
 
 ■•►- 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 227 
 
 work out and assist his mother in tlie maintenance 
 of the family. 
 
 For a time after the death of his father our sub- 
 ject made his home with an Episcopal clergyman, 
 where he received his board and clothes in rej ay- 
 ment for the light labor he was enabled to perform. 
 Next he went onto a farm, living with one man 
 four years, and later was employed in a flouring- 
 mill until twenty years of age. He then entered 
 the employ of a very wealthy gentleman, who 
 owned a large number of horses, and of these young 
 Stafford was given charge. He was thus occupied 
 until 1853, when, resolving to seek his fortunes in 
 America, he resigned bis position, and, accom- 
 panied by his bride, set sail for the United States, 
 leaving Liverpool the last of March on the good 
 ship "Plantagenet," and landing in New York City 
 after a voyage of seven weeks and three dajs. 
 
 Our subject now proceeded to the State of Ohio, 
 and purchased a farm in Richland County, three 
 miles from Shelby. This he sold in 1857, and 
 started for the Territory of Nebraska, making the 
 journey by rail to Davenport, Iowa, and thence by 
 the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to Nebraska 
 City, where he arrived on the 29th of April. This 
 place was then but a hamlet, and the land a few 
 miles west still owned by the Government. Deer, 
 antelopes and wolves roamed over the prairies, but 
 the young town was the headquarters for many 
 emigrants and freighters, and business was already 
 beginning to assume a lively aspect. 
 
 Mr. Stafford took up a claim of Government 
 land about ten miles west of the embrj'O town, and 
 upon it erected a small house, but lived there, how- 
 ever, only about two months. He then moved to 
 Nebraska City, renting a log house on what is now 
 North street, and purchasing a team, engaged in 
 teaming and freighting. In 1858 he began the cul- 
 tivation of his land, putting in first a crop of corn. 
 Although the season was late, he realized handsome 
 returns. 
 
 During his residence in the Buckeye State Mr. 
 Stafford had visited Iowa and entered 320 acres of 
 land in Benton County. This he now traded for 
 eight acres of land with a good frame house, near 
 Nebraska City, and into this moved his family. In 
 1859 he traded that property for his present home. 
 
 at the corner of Sixteenth street and First avenue. 
 Three years later he sold the land he had pre- 
 empted, and with the proceeds erected a building 
 on JMain street, where he engaged in business for a 
 period of ftiurteen or fifteen years. He had for 
 years previously practiced considerably as a veteri- 
 nary surgeon, and to this still gives considerable 
 attention, meeting with good success. 
 
 Our subject was married in his native Lincolnshire 
 in March, 1853, to Miss Louisa Pepper, who was 
 born there, and is, like himself, of pure English an- 
 cestry. Of this union there are four children liv- 
 ing, namely: Annis; Ida, the wife of Rev. A. R. 
 Lemon; Frederick and Nellie. A little girl named 
 Florence died at the age of six years. 
 
 K. BRADLEY, who is engaged in the real- 
 estate and insurance business, is classed 
 among the most active and enterprising of 
 the citizens of Nebraska City who are taking a 
 prominent part in promoting its growth. He is a 
 native of Lexington, Ky., his birth occurring in 
 that city April 13, 1827. His father, James F. 
 Bradley, was boi'u in Franklin County, Ky., but 
 his grandfather, Tliomas Bradley, was a native of 
 Virginia, the date of his birth being March 5, 1761. 
 The great-grandfather of our subject, Robert Brad- 
 ley, was, it is thought, also born in Virginia. He 
 was a descendant of an ancient English family, who 
 were among tlie early settlers of Virginia, coming 
 to this country with the Botetourt Colony, which 
 located at Fincastle, Botetourt County, and were 
 the founders of that town. The grandfather of our 
 subject was reared in Virginia, and moved from 
 there to Kentuckj% and was a pioneer in Franklin 
 County. He took up a tract of land near the capi- 
 tal of the State, and cleared a farm from the wil- 
 derness, which he made his home until death. His 
 wife also died on the home farm; her maiden name 
 was Philadelphia Ficklin, and she was born Dec. 
 15, 1768. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared amid the 
 pioneer scenes of Franklin County, and, although 
 but a boy, he served in the War of 1812. After he 
 had grown to manhood he went to Lexington, and 
 
 •►Ht:"^- 
 
 *^l 
 
^ 
 
 228 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 
 was clerk in the post-office there for many .yenrs. 
 In 1836 he gathered together his family and his 
 household effects, and with two wagons and sis 
 horses journe3'ed to Indiana, where he had decided 
 to locate, and they cooked and camped by the way- 
 side until they had reached their destination in 
 Eush County. The family lived there four years, 
 during which time Mr. Bradley taught school. In 
 1840 tliey again started westward, traveling by the 
 Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Elvers to a point in 
 Platte County, jMo. There Mr. Bradley cast in his 
 lot with the other pioneers, arid buying a tract of 
 timber land, built a log cabin, and commenced the 
 arduous task of clearing a farm. There were no 
 railways in the West at that time, and all trans- 
 portation was done on rivers. Hemp and tobacco 
 were the principal products of the country. Mr. 
 Bradley improved a fine farm, and spent his re- 
 maining j^ears in the State of his adoption, dying 
 in 1878, at an advanced age. He was a man of 
 much intelligence, well educated, of a strictly up- 
 right character, and was an influence for much 
 good. He lived to see the wild, sparsely settled 
 country, of which he was a pioneer, become popu- 
 lous and prosperous through the efforts of such 
 men as be. The maiden name of his wife, mother 
 of our subject, was Nancy Keller, and she was a 
 native of Faj'ette County, Ky. Her father, Jacob 
 Keller, a Pennsjdvanian by birth, became an early 
 settler of Fayette County, where he was quite ex- 
 tensively engaged in the distillery business. He 
 was of German ancestry, and spent his last years in 
 Fayette County. The mother of our subject sur- 
 vived her husband but a few mouths. She was in 
 many respects a notable woman of marked charac- 
 ter; she worked hard during her early life, and 
 many weary hours found her cooking over the old- 
 fashioned fireplace, or at the spinning wheel and 
 weaving loom, that her family might be made com- 
 fortable. No sacrifice was too great for her to 
 make for her household, which comprised, besides 
 her husband and herself, their twelve children, all 
 of whom grew to maturity. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the second child 
 of his parents, and he was but nine years old when 
 tliej' moved to Indiana, and thirteen years old when 
 they went to Missouri to make their home in that 
 
 -^9 
 
 State for the remainder of their lives. He was 
 educated in the country schools, which were con- 
 ducted on the subscription plan. He assisted his 
 father on the farm, and remained an inmate of the 
 parental home until he was seventeen years old. 
 He then went back to Lexington, Ky., to live with 
 his uncle, Josejjh Ficklin, who was then Postmaster 
 of that city, and he clerked in the post-office until 
 1849. Then, in the opening years of early man- 
 hood, full of desires, ambitions, and energy of youth 
 and health, he determined to try life amid the ex- 
 citing scenes of California. He went by the over- 
 land route, starting from Liberty, Mo., in the month 
 of August, with about 100 others and nearlj' thirty 
 teams, and arriving in San Diego, Cal., the last of 
 the following December. From there he proceeded 
 on a steamer to San Francisco, and thence to Pla- 
 cerville, then called Hangtown, aud in that place 
 he engaged in the mercantile business until 1851. 
 He then disposed of his interests in the Golden 
 State and returned to his old home and friends in 
 Missouri, going by the Nicaragua route to New 
 Orleans, and thence up the Mississippi and Missouri 
 Elvers. He engaged in the mercantile business at 
 Liberty, Mo., and later in Plattsburg, Mo., untU 
 1864, when he came to Nebraska Cit}-, where he 
 opened a general store. This city was at that time, 
 before the introduction of railways in the State, the 
 headquarters of the freighters across the plains to 
 the mountains, and the greater part of his trade was 
 with them. He continued in that business several 
 years, and later engaged in buying and shipping 
 grab: until 1884, when he established himself in his 
 present business as a real-estate dealer and an in- 
 surance agent. He has been prospered in his vari- 
 ous business ventures, and is now one of the moneyed 
 men of the city. 
 
 Mr. Bradley was married, June 5, 1853, to Miss 
 Lucy Lincoln, a native of Liberty, Mo. Her father, 
 George Lincoln, a native of Kentucky, in 1820 re- 
 moved from that State to Clay County, Mo., of 
 which he was one of the first settlers. He improved 
 a farm there, on which he made his home until 
 deatli. The maiden name of his wife was Julia 
 Ann Gatewood, and she is a native of Fayette 
 County, Ky.; she is now living with a daughter in 
 I'lattsburg, Mo. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. 
 
 ••^ M < • 
 
»► I I <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 229 
 
 Bradley has been blessed to them by the birth of 
 flye children, namely: Eugene K., Graham L., 
 George, Marshall and Julia. ]\Ii-. and Mrs. Brad- 
 ley are members of the Christian Church, and their 
 standing in the community is of the highest. Mr. 
 Bradley is a Democrat in his political beliefs, and is 
 a strong adyocate of the policy of his p.irty. 
 
 OTHNIEL HOR.NE. Casliier of the Bank of 
 Syracuse, owns one-third of Ihe stock in this 
 institution, the balance being divided among 
 nine others. It was organized as a private bank in 
 1880, hy Messrs. Louis Hoeble and W. T. Peet, who 
 conducted it until July. 1882. Mr. Home then 
 purchased the interest of Mr. Peet, and in June, 
 1886, the bank was incorporated under tbe State 
 law of Nebraska, with a paid-up capital of §30.000. 
 Louis Hoeble was chosen President, and Mr. Home 
 Cashier, hut as the former is absent most of the 
 time Mr. Home has full charge of the business, 
 which, under his skillful management, is now in the 
 enjoyment of a large i)alronage from the leading 
 business men of the county. It has paid its regular 
 dividends, and has a good surplus. Tlie building 
 is owned by the bank, and the offices devoted to 
 the transaction of business connected therewith are 
 fitted up with modern furnishings and all the neces- 
 sary appliances. 
 
 The subject of this sketch began life at the 
 modest homestead of his parents in Ontario County, 
 N. Y., March 5, 1841. He is the son of John and 
 Elizabeth (Niece) Home, the former a native of 
 New Jersey and the latter of New York State. The 
 family is supposed to be of German and English 
 ancestry, but having pursued their lives quietly and 
 unostentatiously, and not being exceedingly pro- 
 lific, little has been preserved of the family records. 
 John Home was a farmer hy occupation, and spent 
 his entire life in the Empire State, passing away at 
 the homestead in Ontario County about 1852. The 
 mother after the death of her husband removed to 
 Illinois, and died at her home in Lockport, Will 
 County, about 1858. The parental household in- 
 cluded four children, the eldest of whom, a son, 
 Eichmond, was a wagon and carriage maker by 
 
 trade, and died in Medina, Ohio, in 1886; Mary E. 
 is tiie wife of William Samson, of Lockport, 111. ; 
 OUiniel, of our sketch, was the third child; Addie 
 F. is tiie widow of George Il.all, and resides in 
 Chicago. 
 
 At the time of the death of his father our subject 
 was a lad of eleven years, and two years later the 
 family removed to Medina, Ohio. Thej' lived 
 there until 1856, then took up their residence in 
 Lockport, 111. Olhniel, in common with his brothers 
 and sisters, acquired a common-school education, and 
 began his business career in Lockport, III., in 1856, 
 as clerk in a general store. He was thus occupied 
 until the summer of 1862, and in June of that j'ear, 
 the Civil War being in progress, he enlisted as a 
 Union soldier in Company G, lOOtii Illinois Infantry- 
 and prepared to fight the enemies of his country. 
 
 The regiment to which our subject was assigned 
 was ordered first to Louisville, Ky., where it was 
 made a portion of the Army of 'the Cumberland. 
 Mr. Home participated with his comrades in many 
 of the important battles of the war, being at Stone 
 River and in all the battles of that campaign. The 
 100th Illinois was first a part of the 1st Brigade, 1st 
 Division and 21st Army Corps, and afterward a 
 part of the 2d Brigade, 2d Division and 4th Army 
 Corps. Mr. Home at an early date was promoted 
 to Sergeant, and immediately after the battle of 
 Stone River in January. 1863, was commissioned 
 as Sergeant Major. On the loth of December, 1803, 
 he was promoted to First Lieutenant, and on the 
 3d of August, 1864, commissioned Adjutant, with 
 which rank he was mustered out in July, 1865, the 
 war having then terminated. 
 
 Mr. Home was in all the battles of the Atlanta cam- 
 paign with the exception of the first engagement at 
 Atlanta, in which the brave Gen. McPherson was 
 killed. From Lovejoy Station, in the vicinity of 
 the beleaguered city, the 100th Illinois Infantry 
 with the balance of the command returned to look 
 after the army of the rebel General, Hood, and for 
 this reason did not participate in the famous march 
 to the sea. Mr. Home was at the battles of Chicka- 
 mauga and Mission Ridge, and by his brave and 
 faithful service secured not only the approval of 
 his superior ofl3cers, but the friendship and good- 
 will of his subordinates. 
 
 ■ ► II ^ * 
 
 »^h 
 
•► 
 
 
 "^^ 
 
 230 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 After his retirement from the service Lieut. 
 Home returned to Lockport, III., and resumed his 
 old position as clerk in the store which he left 
 previous to his enlistment. A year later he went 
 from there to the Union stockyards, Chicago, as 
 book-keeper for a commission firm, but in the fall 
 of 1866 crossed the Mississippi into Blairstown, 
 Iowa, where he was engaged in merchandising and 
 the milling trade until January, 1874. The reason 
 of the subsequent change was that he had been 
 elected Treasurer of Benton County in the fall of 
 1873, and at the date above mentioned assumed 
 charge of his office, now taking up his residence in 
 Vinton. Iowa. The duties of this he discharged 
 until the 1st of January, 1877, then resigned, and 
 became partner of a banking firm in Blairstown, 
 where Le continued to live and do business until 
 coming to this State. 
 
 Mr. Home devotes his whole time and attention 
 to the business of the Syracuse Bank, and is the 
 owner of a good property, including a pleasant 
 home within the city limits, and land outside. All 
 that he possesses he has accumulated through his 
 own industry, having at an early age been thrown 
 upon his own resources, and is thus a self-made man 
 in the truest sense of the word. His early experi- 
 ences, however, instead of being a drawback, onl3' 
 developed within him those qualities wliich have 
 formed the basis of a most successful career, and 
 have been the means of enabling him to take a 
 position among the liberal-minded and progressive 
 men of the day. He has alvva3's taken considerable 
 interest in politics, and is an industrious worker in 
 support of the Republican party, whose principles 
 he believes to be those which shall sustain the 
 Nation in its onward career to fame and glorj'. He 
 has held various offices of responsibilitj' and trust 
 in connection with local affairs, and at the con- 
 vention which assembled in September, 1888, was 
 nominated by his party as their candidate for the 
 State Legislature, and was elected in the Novem- 
 ber following. 
 
 Miss Nellie Heidy, of LaFayette County, Wis., 
 became the wife of our subject Sept. 15, 1870. She 
 was born April 3, 1850, received a fair education, 
 and remained a memi)er of the parental household 
 until her marriage with our subject. Of this union 
 
 there have been born three children, one of whom 
 died in infancy. The survivors are sons, Frank and 
 Othniel, the former born July 25, 1872, and the 
 latter Aug. 13, 1879. The family residence is very 
 pleasantly situated in the eastern part of the city, 
 and forms one of its pleasantest and most attractive 
 homes. Mr. Home, socially, belongs to the G. A. R., 
 being Past Commander of Wadsworth Post No. 21, 
 in Sj'racuse, is a member of the military order of 
 the Lo3'al Legion, a Knight Templar, and Past 
 Master of the Masonic lodges at Blairstown, Iowa, 
 and Syracuse, Neb., and a member of the A. O. U. 
 W., with which he has been identified since 1873, at 
 which time he obtained membership in Lodge No. 
 21, at Blairstown, Iowa. He is a favorite both in 
 social and business circles, and a man always des- 
 tined to be of note in his community. 
 
 ~v .^^ ^ 
 
 (^p^llOMAS THOMAS, who is prosperously en- 
 fff^^ gaged in the transfer business, is one of 
 ^/^Jy' Nebraska City's solid, reliable citizens. He 
 was born July 11, 1830, in Champaign County, 
 Ohio, which was likewise the birthplace of his father, 
 Daniel Thomas. His grandfather, Thomas Thomas, 
 was born either in Scotland or Wales, and, coming 
 to America, he became one of the first settlers of 
 Champaign County, Ohio. He kept a tavern in 
 the town of Urbana for some years until his re- 
 moval to Illinois, where he identified himself with 
 the early pioneers of the State, and there passed the 
 remainder of his life. 
 
 The father of our subject grew to manhood in 
 his native county, and after his marriage with 
 Elizabeth Traverse, he moved to Hancock County, 
 and became one of its pioneers. The country was 
 for the most part a sparsely settled wilderness, with 
 Indians still lingering about their old homes, and 
 bears, wolves and other animals lurking in the 
 swamps and woods. He bought a tract of tim- 
 ber land, and during his residence there of nearly 
 twenty years was busily engaged in improving a 
 farm in the primeval forests of Ohio. He finally re- 
 moved to Toledo, and resided there until about 1 860, 
 when he came to Nebraska City. While the war 
 was in progress he enlisted in an independent com- 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
Residence of John Caspers ,Sec.32 Rock Creek Precinct 
 
 
 Residence or M. H. Wiles. Sec. H.DELAWAfrEPREciuc 
 
 Residence of Hermann Arends,Sec.32. Rock Creek Precinct. 
 
•►Hh-*- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 pviiiy, and went forth to defend the frontier. At 
 the close of the Rebellion he took up his residence 
 in St. Joseph, Mo., and there his last years were 
 passed. His good wife had preceded him many 
 years before, dying in 1841. There were six chil- 
 dren born of their marriage, five of whom grew to 
 maturity, but our subject is th(i only one now 
 living. 
 
 The latter was in his eleventh year when he was 
 deprived of the care and instruction of a kind, wise 
 mother, and shortly after that sad occurrence his 
 father broke up housekeeping, and the little lad 
 was thrown on his own resources. But the pluck}', 
 self-reliant boy soon found employment as a driver 
 of horses on the towpath of the Miami Canal. He 
 subsequently engaged in boating on Lake Erie one 
 season, and two seasons on the Ohio and Jlississippi 
 Rivers. He worked on the canal until the railway 
 came, and continued his residence in Ohio until 
 the fall of 1857, when he came to Nebraska CitJ^ 
 b}' way of the canal from Toledo to Terre Haute, 
 Ind., from there to Alton, 111., by rail, and thence 
 by team to this State across Missouri and a corner 
 of Iowa. 
 
 During his residence in Ohio Mr. Thomas had 
 married, in 1851, Miss Louisa Newhouse, a native 
 of Switzerland. Her father, William Newhouse, 
 was likewise of Swiss birth, and passed his entire 
 life in his native land. After his death his widow, 
 with the seven of the eight children born to her- 
 came to America, the other child coming later. 
 She located in Madison County. 111., and bought a 
 tract of land, which her children farmed for her, 
 and she resided there until her death. The pleas.ant 
 wedded life of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas has been 
 blessed to them by the birtii of three children, as 
 follows: George H. ; Ada, the wife of John Myei-s, 
 and Solomon J., all of whom reside in Nebraska 
 City. 
 
 The first winter of his stay in this part of the 
 country Mr. Thomas was employed in a sawmill 
 on the Iowa side of the boundary line. In the 
 spring of 1858 he rented a farm five miles from 
 Nebraska City. He had taken up a homestead 
 claim the first winter that he was here, and broke a 
 few acres and built a small house thereon, but 
 early in 18C0 he went to the monntains to drive a 
 
 team with a load of powder for the mines, and 
 while he was gone some rascal jumped his claim. 
 After that he employed his time wholly in teaming 
 in Nebraska City for three or four years. Subse- 
 quently he eng.aged in a wholesale grocery house 
 shipping goods for about two years. After that he 
 was emploj'ed in the store of Hawke Brothers for 
 some time, and was then elected City Marshal. 
 He served in that responsible office for eight years, 
 and during that time the city was greatly indebted 
 to him for the preservation of peace, an<l for its 
 general prosperity, as he was a faithful and efficient 
 officer. Since retiring from office he has confined 
 his attention strictly to the transfer business, from 
 which he derives a good income. He is a man of 
 much force and energy, of sound principles, and is 
 trusted by all who know him. 
 
 ^ OHN PETERSON. This gentleman, a resi- 
 dent of Russell Precinct, hails from Den- 
 mark and was born at Le Mark on the Place 
 ^^ Moen, Feb. iO, 1830. He was the eldest of 
 nine children born to Peter and Christine Peterson ; 
 the former died in 1876, being seventy-one years 
 of age, and the latter, whose years told the same 
 number, in 1879. The names of their children are 
 as follows: John, Lors, Peter, Frederick, Hans P., 
 Mary C, Sophia, Karn C. and Christian. 
 
 The subject of our sketch remained upon the 
 home farm until he was twenty-two years of age. 
 and then had to serve four years in the regular 
 army, after which he returned to the farm, remain- 
 ing until 1862, when he determined to emigrate to 
 America, and set sail from Hamburg for New 
 York City. The voyage lasted eight weeks and 
 four days. The tiresome and not altogether pleas- 
 ant journey over, he found work in a brickyard at 
 Perth Araboy, N. J., where he worked three 
 months. He next went to Buffalo to work upon 
 the railroad, at which he continued throughout the 
 summer. From Buffalo he emigrated to Bedford 
 County, Pa., and before long found work there also. 
 
 On the 22d of Septemljer, 1864, the Civil War 
 being in progress, Mr. Peterson enlisted in Com- 
 pany B, 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry, which became 
 
 •► 
 
 -►^ ■ 1 <• 
 
11^ 
 
 ^i^l 
 
 •2o 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 part of the armj' under Sheridan. He was mustered 
 in at Chambersburg. and from there went to Wash- 
 ington and took part in nearly every one of the 
 larger battles of the campaign, besides doing duty 
 in reeonuoitering and skirmishing. He was mus- 
 tered out and discharged ^t Alexandria, .June 9, 
 18C5, after a service of nine months, in which time 
 be had fought in many of the important battles of 
 the war. Upon leaving the militarj' service our 
 subject went back to Pennsylvania, and worked in 
 a foundry until 1867; he then repaired to Chicago, 
 111., and thence to Iowa City, continuing at woikin 
 various foundries in these places until 1877, when 
 he came to this State and settled in Russell Pre- 
 cinct, purchasing eighty acres of land on section 
 12. This he at once began to improve, and suc- 
 ceeded in his labors beyond his expectations. 
 
 Finallj', in 1884, receiving what he believed to 
 be an advantageous offer for his farm, our subject 
 traded it for his present property, and moved onto 
 it. The house, barns, groves, orchard, and in fact 
 all the improvements, have been made since that 
 time, Mr. Peterson having prospered greatly. He 
 is an esteemed member of the community, a con- 
 sistent adherent of the Lutheran Church, and active 
 in the ranks of the Democratic party, the princi- 
 ples of which he has defended since becoming a 
 citizen of this Republic. 
 
 It is gratifying to note the results of a persistent 
 industry, and the view which is shown of the 
 Peterson homestead, perhaps, is the most forcible 
 illustration of this which could be presented. It 
 forms a reminder which will stand for years to 
 come and do him honor. 
 
 (S^^HOMAS DEAVEY, the owner of 240 acres of 
 fine farming land on section 32 in Palmj'ra 
 Precinct, is a very intelligent English gen- 
 tleman of good education, who seldom meets his 
 equal in matters of historj^ and general practical 
 information. Among his manj' excellent qualities 
 is the careful attention which he gives to the educa- 
 tion of his children and his strong advocacy of 
 temperance, he being a pronounced Prohibitionist. 
 A native of Dorsetshire, England, our subject 
 
 •^^ 
 
 was born March 25, 1819, and is a son of George 
 and Margaret (White) Dewej', who were also of 
 English birth and parentage, and the father a local 
 politician of considerable note, holding the office 
 of High Constable, Court Bailiff, etc. He lived to 
 be seventy j-ears of age, and, with his excellent wife 
 spent his entire life upon his native soil. The 
 father survived his wife, she being seventy-three 
 years old at the time of her death. Their family 
 consisted of two sons only, Charles W., and Thomas, 
 our subject. The former is now deceased. 
 
 Young Dewey grew^up amid the quiet scenes of 
 country life, and at the age of twenty years com- 
 menced to learn the trades of carpenter and wheel- 
 right. These he pursued in the cities of Lynn, 
 Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton, Sussex, Sea- 
 ford and other places. He developed rare genius 
 as a machinist, and in due time was given a position 
 in the civil engineering department of the Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 Mr. Dewey when twent^'-nine years of age was 
 married, March 4. 1848, to Miss Mary Ann Howell, 
 who was born in Sussex, Sept 17, 1830, and whose 
 grandfather was a native of Wales. She was the 
 eldest of four children and the daughter of Richard 
 and Mary (Elphick) Howell, who were natives of 
 England, and spent their last years there. Their 
 family consisted of seven children, four now living. 
 
 Our subject and his wife began the journe}' of 
 life together in the city of Lewis, England, where 
 they lived until after the birth of four children. 
 Mr. Dewey then decided to seek his fortune on 
 another continent, and with his little familj' set sail 
 from Liverpool on the 1st of May, 1867. Soon 
 after landing upon American soil he made his way 
 directly across the Mississippi to the newly ad- 
 mitted State of Nebraska, and bought 160 acres of 
 land in Hendricks Township. Two years later he 
 homesteaded eighty acres of his present farm, upon 
 which he has lived now for a period of nineteen 
 years. The household circle after the emigration 
 to America was enlarged by the birth of one more 
 child. George, the eldest son, when about twenty- 
 eight years old, went to Montana, and was murdered 
 by the Indians; Margaret is married; Charles died 
 in England at the age of six years; Annie is mar- 
 ried; Thomas, a bright and promising youth, is a 
 
 •► 
 
t 
 
 •►HI-<^ 
 
 •► 
 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ^•^T* 
 
 233 
 
 student at the seminary in Bennet, fron? which he 
 expects to graduate in the class of '91. William, 
 born in America, died at the .age of nineteen years. 
 Miss Margaret Dewey became the wife of Hiram 
 Pound, a. well-to-do farmer of Hendricks Precinct, 
 and is now the mother of three daughters — Clara. 
 Mary and Bertha. Miss Annie Dewey married 
 Ora Woods, another farmer of Hendricks Precinct, 
 and is the mother of one child, Charles Albert. 
 
 IjHOMAS H. ASHTON, of Syracuse Precinct, 
 settled upon the land which he now occupies 
 in the winter of 1870. It embraces 160 
 acres on section 33, and presents to the admiring 
 eye of the passing traveler an admirably regulated 
 homestead, indicating on all sides the supervision 
 of a man of more than ordinary good taste and 
 business capacities. As a tiller of the soil Mr. Ash- 
 ton has long been recognized as a success, and now, 
 while passing down the sunset hill of life, is in the 
 enjojinentof those comforts and luxuries which are 
 the legitimate reward of industry, perseverance and a 
 well-ordered life. As a pioneer of the county, one 
 who looked upon it in its primitive daj's, and whose 
 labors have contributed in a large measure toward 
 its present wealth and prosperity, he is regarded 
 with that tacit reverence and respect which can 
 only be accorded men of his worth and standing. 
 
 The childhood home of our subject was in Mon- 
 mouth County, N. J., where his birth took place 
 Nov. 30, 1797. His father, Samuel, w.as a native 
 of Pennsj'lvania, and his mother, Mrs. Hannah 
 (Johnson) Ashton, was, like her son, born in New 
 Jersey. Both the Ashtons and Johnsons are of 
 English extraction. Tiiomas H. was but a year old 
 when his parents removed from New Jersej' to 
 Fayette County, Pa., and the father was obliged to 
 pay $7 per 100 pounds for the transportation of his 
 family and goods over the mountains. 
 
 In the spring of 1807 the Ashton family decided 
 upon another removal, and this time took up their 
 line of march to the vicinity of Marietta, Washing- 
 ton Co.. Ohio. The mother onl^y lived three years 
 afterward, her death taking place in the fall of 1810. 
 \>y which calaniit\- eight children, six sons and two 
 ■^•- 
 
 daughters, were deprived of her affectionate care. 
 Of these Thomas H. is now the only survivor. 
 The family after the death of the mother removed 
 to Clermont County before its division, by which a 
 part of it became Brown Count}'. 
 
 The subject of this sketch pursued his first studies 
 at New Haven, Fayette Co., Pa., in 1806. He at- 
 tained his majorit}' in Brown Count}-, Ohio, and 
 soon afterward purchased a tract of land at $1.50 
 per acre, which he declared he would retain posses- 
 sion of until offered §20 per acre for it. The [jeople 
 around him made fun of this asseveration, but in 
 the fall of 1851 he proudly disposed of his quarter- 
 section of land for the snug sum of $3,000, an 
 amount very near his expectations, which would 
 have been fully realized probably had he waited a 
 year or two longer. 
 
 Mr. Ashton, now desirous of a change of occupa- 
 tion, repaired to the town of Faj'ettevillc, Ohio, 
 where he put up a large brick residence, purchased 
 a stock of goods, and engaged in general merchandis- 
 ing. In 1854 he removed to the northern part of 
 the State, settling on a farm in Defiance County^ 
 which he had purchased for $2,000, and where he • 
 lived until the fall of 1870. Then, selling out for 
 the snug advance of $5,000, he made his way across 
 the Mississippi to this .State, and invested a portion 
 of his capital in the land which he now owns 
 and occupies. This purchase, however, was for 
 the most part accidental, as he came to this State 
 simply to visit his son in Nebraska City, and was 
 persuaded by the latter to this step. The IGO acres 
 for which he paid $2,000 is now considered worth 
 twice that sum. The money which Mr. Ashton .at 
 that time had left after paying for his land, he di- 
 vided among his children, in true fatherlj' f:ishion. 
 
 Our subject while a resident of the Buckej'e 
 State was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth 
 Cramer, Dec. 31, 1818. This lady, like her husband, 
 was also a native of New Jersey, and was born in 
 June, 1801. A kindly Providence smiled upon 
 their union in the birth of nine children, but five 
 of these were taken away before reaching mature 
 years. Rachel, Mrs. Blue, is living with her son in 
 Defiance County, Ohio; Benjamin D. is a practic- 
 ing physician of Traverse City, Mich.; William 
 died in this county, Jan. 5, 1886; Elizabeth F. is 
 
 — — •P^ 
 
t 
 
 234 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 the wife of George Brechbill, who operates the 
 homestead. Mrs. Elizabeth Ashtou fleparted this 
 life at her home, Oct. IC, 1876. 
 
 Mr. Ashton east his first Presidential vote for 
 Monroe, when one of the political parties of the coun- 
 try was known by the name of old-line Whig. Upon 
 its abandonment he allied himself with the Repub- 
 licans. He has voted f(jr every Republican Presi- 
 dent from the fall of 1818 until 1884, when he was 
 unable to attend the polls. Since 1819 he has been 
 a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 
 which he served as Class-Leader and iSuperintendent 
 of the Sunday-school, and held various other posi- 
 tions of trust and responsibilitj' in connection there- 
 with for many years. In his prime \\,e was strong 
 and athletic, seldom knowing a day's illness. He 
 reverts proudly to the fact that he never quarreled 
 with a man in all his life, and never was a party to 
 a suit in court. In 1883 he was stricken with 
 paralj'sis, and has never fully recovered from the 
 effects of this. He knows all about the difficulties 
 and hardships of pioneer life. His land in Ohio was 
 originally covered with timber, which he cleared 
 and brought to a good state of cultivation. He 
 had at first but fifty acres, and in the course of time 
 added to it by 100. He was thrown upon his own 
 resources at an early age, but this, instead of prov- 
 ing a detriment, only stirred him on to renewed 
 labor, and was in fact probablj' that which con- 
 tributed largelj' to his success. He is a self-made 
 man in every sense of the word. 
 
 George Brechbill, a son-in-law of our subject, 
 was born in Westmoreland County, Pa.. July 1 2, 
 1831, and is the son of Henry and Marj' (Lose) 
 Brechbill, who left the Keystone State about 1835, 
 and took up their residence in Defiance County, 
 Ohio. The father was a farmer by occupation, and 
 both parents died while scarcely middle-aged, leav- 
 ing four children, namely: Sarah. John, George 
 and Abraham. George grew to manhood in Defiance 
 County, Ohio, and at the same place, in 1856, was 
 married to Miss Ashton; they came to Nebraska 
 in 1871, and have since lived with our subject. 
 
 Mr. Brechbill is an ex-soldier of the Union, hav- 
 ing enlisted in the fall of 1863, in Company I, 9th 
 Ohio Cavalry, which was assigned to the Army of 
 the Cumberland, and went vt'ith Sherman on his 
 
 famous march to the sea. Mr. B. was an active 
 participant in some of the most important battles 
 of the war. and after a brave and faithful service 
 received his honorable' discharge in North Carolina. 
 He is a stanch Republican, politically, and a mem- 
 ber in good standing of the Methodist ?:;piscopal 
 Church. Of his union with Miss Ashton there 
 have been born five children, three of whom died 
 3'oung, and Mary E. died when an interesting 
 maiden of eighteen j'ears. There is thus left them 
 onlj"^ one child, a daughter, Gertrude, who was born 
 June 27, 1870. William Ashton, the sixth son of 
 our subject, also served during the Civil War, in 
 Company G, 38th Ohio Infantr3', from 1861 until 
 its close. 
 
 ^?=^EORGE WRIGHT, one of the leading far- 
 [|| ^=^ mers and stock-raisers of Otoe County, re- 
 ^^^ siding in Otoe Precinct, was an earl}' pioneer 
 of this section of the country, and has witnessed 
 almost its entire growth, of which he has been an 
 important factor. While actively assisting in the 
 development of the great agricultural resources of 
 this region his labors have been well rewarded, as 
 he IS now the possessor of a handsome propertj", his 
 farms comprising 700 acres. 
 
 Mr. Wright was born in Germany in 1835, a son 
 of Michael and Rosina (Atlee) Wright, natives of 
 Germanj'. They were reared and married in their 
 native country and resided there until 1843, when 
 they came to America with their familj', and lo- 
 cated for awhile in Upper Canada. In 1 844 they 
 came to the "States" and settled in Nauvoo, III., 
 where Mr. Wright invested in town property. He 
 enlisted from there to take part in the Mexican 
 War, and served until the close of the war. He 
 did not return to Illinois, but went to California, 
 and never went back to his home. The mother of 
 our subject died in Nauvoo, leaving five children: 
 George; John, who lives in Rockport, Mo.; Susan, 
 who married Lewis Lewis, and lives in Otoe Pre- 
 cinct; Joseph and Mabel, who are now dead. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was but eight 3'ears 
 ol<l when he came to America with his parents. He 
 commenced attending school in his native land 
 when he was six j'ears old, and the remainder of 
 
 ■<*■ 
 
*► II <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 •235 
 
 "T* 
 
 liis education he securerl in the American public 
 schools. He was ten years old when he had the 
 .sad misfortune to lose a good mother, and his 
 father going soon after to serve in the Mexican 
 War, the children were separated, being taken by 
 different friends, and our subject went to live for 
 avvliile with a man in Nauvoo. In a short time 
 he was talien by another man, who soon after 
 moved to Dallas, and later to Olena, where he en- 
 gaged in the mercantile business. Our subject was 
 a bright, active lad, ambitious to obtain an educa- 
 tion, so he attended school in both of the towns 
 mentioned, and when not engaged in studying he 
 assisted in the store. In 18o.i he concluded to 
 come West to seek a home, and came directly to 
 the Territory of Nebraska and to Nebraska City, 
 arriving hereon the 1st of October. He found 
 this place then but a village, with onl^' one brick 
 buihling completed, and the greater part of the 
 business was done in the part called Kearney. He 
 soon secured a situation as clerk in a store at Ste- 
 phens, Richardson County, which was then no vil- 
 lage, only a trading-post for the Indians. In the 
 following spring he gave up his clerkship and re- 
 turned to Otoe County, where he found work on a 
 farm at $20 a month, and he continued to work 
 by the month or job until 1857. He then made 
 claim to the northeast quarter of section 24, Otoe 
 Precinct, and entered it from the Goveinment in 
 the land-office at Omaha. He first built a log cabin 
 on his land, but as he was then single, he con- 
 tinued to work out until after his marriage in 1861, 
 with Miss Susan Hanks. The year following his 
 marriage he settled on his place, which has ever 
 since been his home. By hard work, wise economy 
 and judicious expenditure, he has acquired one of 
 the largest and most valuable estates in Otoe 
 County. He has inereasetl the area of his land to 
 700 acres, all in Otoe Precinct, and nearly all im- 
 proved. He engages in general farming and stock- 
 raising with marked success, as is attested by his 
 abundant harvests, and the fine, well-kept stock of 
 good grades that roam over his rich pastures. 
 
 Mrs. AVright has contributed her share in bring- 
 ing about this prosperity, and their home is made 
 cheerful and cozy b}^ her skillful hands and ready 
 tact. Three children complete the family circle: 
 
 Laura received her education at Mt. St. Scholastica, 
 at Atchison, Kan. ; Mar}' is attending the common 
 schools; Martha is now a student of the State Nor- 
 mal School at Peru, Neb.; all are single and at 
 home. 
 
 Mr. Wright is a stirring, energetic man, and that 
 he has been very successful in life he owes to his 
 indomitable persistence in overcoming obstacles, 
 and to his habits of industry, for he is an entirely 
 self-made man. That through all the conflicts of 
 life he has not fought and wrought for self entirely 
 is proved bj' his liberality and generosity to others. 
 He is a Democrat in his political sentiments, and he 
 takes a lively interest in all that pertains to his 
 adopted country. Mrs. Wright and her eldest 
 daughter are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church South. 
 
 -'e^^- ■ 
 
 ^f? HORRUM, a leading hardware merchant 
 I {© '^^ Talmage, carries a full stock of the mer- 
 jj^'K chandise pertaining to his line of trade, and 
 has also added farm implements, wagons, buggies 
 and other road vehicles. He is a man of means 
 and standing, the owner of a handsome and com- 
 fortable home on Main street, and in all respects a 
 prominent and well-to-do citizen. 
 
 Mr. Horrum established his present business in 
 Talmage in 1886, and is rapidly building up a con- 
 trolling trade. Previous to this he had been iden- 
 tified with the brick manufactory of L. T. Spick- 
 nail, which was established in 1881 near the village 
 limits, and of which the output was as many as 
 500,000 annually. From this factory came nearly 
 all the brick used in the principal buildings built of 
 this material in Talmage. In 1886 Mr. Horrum with- 
 drew, disposing of bis interests to his partner, and 
 invested his capital in his present business. 
 
 Our subject came to Nebraska in the spring of 
 1870, locating on a tract of land in the vicinity of 
 the present village of Talmage, which, however, at 
 that time had not been laid out. He engaged in 
 farming, and became widely and favorably known 
 to the people of this section. Previously he had 
 been a resident of Cass County, Mo., to which he 
 had removed from Dearborn County, Ind., landing 
 on the other side of the Mississippi in 1869. 
 
 *► II <•• 
 
236 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Dearborn County, Inrl., was the early home of 
 our subject, and where his birth took place July 6, 
 1853. His father, William Horrura, was also a 
 native of that county, to which the parents of the 
 latter had come in the pioneer days, settling not far 
 from the present site of Lawrenceburg. Grand- 
 father Daniel Horrum was a native of New Hamp- 
 shire, where he was reared, and married to Miss 
 Polly Blodgett, and after the birth of a part of 
 their family they emigrated from the Old Granite 
 State to Indiana, locating in Dearborn County, 
 where they spent the remainder of their lives. Mrs. 
 Polly Horrura passed away about twelve 3'ears 
 before the decease of her husband, at the age of 
 seventy-six, being ten years younger than he. 
 The latter was eighty-six years old at the time of 
 his death. During his early manhood, for three 
 years, he did good service in the War of 1812, and 
 participated in some of the most important battles 
 of that war. He was a Universalist in religion, and 
 a man careful and conscientious in his dealings with 
 his neighbors, possessing a strict sense of justice, 
 which insured him the esteem and C(jnfi(lenfe of ail 
 who knew him. 
 
 William Horrum, the father of our subject, was 
 reared and educated in his native county, and 
 otherwise spent his time after the manner of most 
 farmers' sons. His wife, the mother of our sub- 
 ject, was Miss Polly Huston, a native also of Dear- 
 born County, Ind., her childhood home being not 
 far from that of her husband. Her parents had 
 emigrated to Indiana from one of the New En- 
 gland States, becoming residents of Dearborn County 
 during its early settlement, and at a time when the 
 country was inhabited principally by wild animals 
 and Indians. The father of our subject, after his 
 marriage, began the development of a farm from a 
 tract of wild land, ujjon which he labored until the 
 fall of 18G9. He then crossed the Father of Waters, 
 and secured a tract of land in LaFaj'etle Precinct, 
 Nemaiia County, this State, upon which he lived a 
 number of years, building up a good farm, but 
 which he left in the spring of 1887, and, retiring 
 from active labor, took up his residence in the vil- 
 lage of Taltnage, where, with his excellent wife, he 
 is spending his declining years in ease and comfort. 
 Both tiie parents have been members of the Chris- 
 
 tian Church for many years, and liberally con- 
 tributed to its support. Mr. Horrum gave the ground 
 for the church edifice, which was built on a part of 
 his farm. He was a charter member of the societ \', 
 and it was largely through his encouragement and 
 assistance that it was maintained during its first 
 struggling years. Mr. H. in early life voted the 
 old Whig ticket, but later identified himself with 
 the Republicans. 
 
 Leman Horrum was the eldest of the three chil- 
 dren born to his parents, all sons, the other two 
 being named Omer and Stephen W. His early 
 education was conducted in the schools of Dear- 
 born County, Ind., and later he was a student in the 
 Normal at Peru, this State. He is a man of more 
 than ordinary intelligence, and keeps himself well 
 posted upon matters of general interest. Like his 
 parents, he belongs to the Christian Church, and 
 like his father, he is a stanch supporter of Repub- 
 lican principles. He has with one exception ful- 
 filled all the obligations of a good citizen, but still 
 remains a bachelor, having, it is supposed, so much 
 business upon his hands that he has not 3'et found 
 time to attend to this most important matter. 
 
 /^cA AMUEL SWANK. Longfellow has most 
 ^^^ truly remarked in one of his exquisitely 
 |ll£_l| realistic poems, that "Into each life some 
 rain must fall, some days must be dark and 
 dreary'," but the problem that has stirred many 
 hearts is, why so much more rain falls into some 
 lives than into others. The subject of our sketch 
 is one whose life has been constantly overshadowed 
 by clouds of trouble and trial, and the sunlight and 
 brightness have been fitful and intermittent, but at 
 the same time his constant struggle and manful con- 
 flict have resulted in the building up of an excep- 
 tionally fine character, and beautifying a most 
 appreciable spirit. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is the son of Joseph 
 and Littas (Van Metri) Swank, who were married in 
 Kentucky, and from that State removed to Indiana. 
 They were the parents of eleven children, and our 
 subject, who vvas born on the 10th of January, 1827, 
 
 -J^ J ^ <■ 
 
t^ 
 
 •► II ^» 
 
 I 
 
 4t 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 237 
 
 was their seventh child. The place of his nativity 
 was Harrison County', Ind. AVhen about eleven 
 months old, his parents removed to Montgomery 
 County, where the father died when our subject was 
 aliout four and a half years old ; being left thus early 
 without paternal care and wealth, it is not surpris- 
 ing that his education was limited by circumstances 
 and for the same reason much curtailed. When 
 twenty-one years of age, be went to Rock Island 
 County^ 111. 
 
 In 1847 Mr. Swank was united in marriage with 
 Miss Sarah Walker, the daughter of Samuel A. and 
 Nancy A. Walker, who was born in Madison County, 
 111., in the year 1830. He became the owner of sixty 
 acres of land at Rock Island. 111., and there remained 
 until 1858, when he removed with his wife and 
 child to Marshall County, Kan., where he settled. 
 Later they became pioneers of Richardson County, 
 Neb., and were there throughout the Nebraska and 
 Kansas troubles that necessarily aroused so much 
 strong feeling among the advocates of either side 
 of the question. 
 
 Leaving Kans.as. our subject removed to Missouri, 
 and lived in that State at the time of the Civil War. 
 July 3, 1863, he enlisted in the 13th Kansas In- 
 fantry, and served in the Southwestern Division of 
 the army. His militar}' career, while it did not 
 bring him prominently before the people as a great 
 soldier, was one of honor, devotion and patriotism, 
 and, like so manj' others, he during that period per- 
 formed every duty for home and native land in the 
 best possible manner, and earned the reward that 
 always comes to those who are swayed by high prin- 
 ciples, and who faithfully follow the dictates thereof. 
 At the conclusion of the war, with health impaired, 
 Mr. Swank returned to Missouri and again took 
 up the more ordinary avocations of life, remaining 
 there with his family until 1 868, when he came to this 
 State and took up his present homestead of eighty 
 acres, which he succeeded in l)ringing to a very 
 high state of cultivation by the help and assistance 
 of others. From the time of his military service, 
 and as a result thereof, his sight had begun to fail 
 and he became almost blind, but in that affliction 
 luas been supported and sustained by his own pa- 
 tient spirits, and the affection of his familj'. 
 
 The home circle of our subject included four chil- 
 
 dren, viz: William E., Cora J., Caroline A. and 
 Arthur E. William E. is married to Miss Tucker, 
 of Nebraska, and resides in California; they are 
 the parents of one beautiful little daughter, Lena. 
 Cora J. is the wife of L. H. Bertz, and resides at 
 Bennet; they too have a daughter, who is named 
 Hattie J. Caroline A. is happily married to .James 
 Malcomb, and has presented her husband with two 
 children, who are named McCoy' E. and George 
 Samuel. 
 
 Our subject is in political affairs a stanch Repub- 
 lican, but has been prevented taking the .active part 
 he would have desired by reason of his blindness. 
 Religiously, he is connected with the Latter-Day 
 Saints, and is one of the consistent and devout mem- 
 bers of that community. He is one of the capable 
 and much esteemed citizens of his district. 
 
 OATHAN D. FOSTER. The subject of this 
 sketch, a very capable and intelligent man, 
 is by occuptition a general farmer, mechanic 
 and millwright. In the knowledge of these indus- 
 tries he is pr.actically independent, for though he 
 should lose every cent of his property, he has that 
 which money cannot buy. He occupies a finely 
 improved farm of 1 20 acres on section 3, in Mc- 
 Williams Precinct, and is pursuing the even tenor 
 of his way as an honest man and a good citizen. 
 
 Mr. Foster came to Nebr.aska on the 1st of April, 
 1880, from Davis County, Iowa, and soon after- 
 ward settled upon his present farm. He had been 
 a resident of the Hawkeye State for a period of ten 
 j^ears, carrying on farming, and employing himself 
 when opportunitj- presented as a mechanic. His 
 early home lies on the other side of the Mississippi, 
 in Washington County. 111., where he was born Oct. 
 9, 1828. His father. Andrew Foster, a native of 
 Campbell County, Ky., was a well-educated man, 
 and for years engaged as a teacher. The paternal 
 grandfather of our subject w.as an old Revolution- 
 ary soldier, who after the independence of the Col- 
 onists h.id been established, settled in the Blue 
 Grass regions, and engaging in farming, there spent 
 the remainder of his life, dying at a ripe old age. 
 Andrew Foster was cut down in his prime, his death 
 
 ■► ■ <•• 
 
-ll-4«- 
 
 -•► 
 
 238 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 taking place at the home of the familj' in Washing- 
 ton County, 111., when Xathan D., our subject, was 
 a little lad of seven years. The mother, Mrs. 
 Nancj- (Cos) Foster, subsequently became the wife 
 of James Hall, of Alabama, and only lived to be 
 middle-aged, her death taking place when she was 
 forty-five years old. 
 
 Young Foster continued to live with his mother 
 until her death, when he was a youth of eighteen 
 years. At the age of sixteen he had commenced 
 an apprenticeship at the carpenter and millwright 
 trades, at which he was employed until a man of 
 thirty-two years, living mostly in the Middle States. 
 In the spring of 18G0 he started across the plains, 
 and for two years thereafter hunted for gold in the 
 Nevada Gulch mines. He met with moderate suc- 
 cess, and thence migrated to Virginia City, Mont., 
 during the opening of the mines there. 
 
 At this period the country was over-run by what 
 were termed "road agents," and it became necessary 
 for the citizens to organize themselves for their pro- 
 tection. Mr. Foster was chosen Lieutenant of a 
 company for the suppression of these outrages, and 
 by his bravery and fidelity to duty was largely in- 
 strumental in effecting the desired result, not, how- 
 ever, until thirty- three desperate men had been 
 executed by hanging. In the discharge of his du- 
 ties he passed through many thrilling experiences 
 and hairbreadth escajDes, and has to this day a re- 
 volver captured from one of the most desperate of 
 the outlaws, and one of the first to be hanged. It 
 is a Colt's Navy, and Mr. Foster subsequently car- 
 ried it for some time for the protection of his per- 
 son. While in the mountains he became an expert 
 hunter, having a reputation second to none in that 
 region, and many were the buffalos, deer and ante- 
 lopes which were l)rought down by his unerr- 
 ing rifle. He also occasionally successfully attacked 
 a mountain lion. He thus employed his time two 
 or three months during the winter season. 
 
 Mr. Foster, in the spring of 18G7, set his face 
 eastward, crossing the Yellowstone River and the 
 Missouri, and on his way back to his old haunts 
 spent four years at Council Bluffs, Iowa. In this 
 city occurred the death of his wife, Mrs. Marion 
 (Cook) Foster, to whom he had been married at 
 Council Bluffs in 1865. She was bom in Grant 
 
 County, Mich., and came to Nebraska with her par- 
 ents when a j'oung woman. She was a lady of 
 many estimable qualities, and greatly mourned by 
 our subject. There was one child born to them, 
 Jennie, Nov. 1, 1867; she has married beneath her 
 station, and our subject does not recognize her. 
 
 In March, 1870, Mr. Foster was married a second 
 time at Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Miss Jane Sober, 
 who was born in Ontario County, N. Y., and reared 
 on the Western Reserve in Ohio. She came to 
 the farther West alone ; her parents were the de- 
 scendants of old New England families. She is the 
 foster-mother of one child, Christian Robert, a 
 smart little lad of seven j'ears. Mr. Foster, politi- 
 cally, is a reformer, and liberal in his religious views. 
 He has endeavored to follow the precepts of the 
 Golden Rule, and, with his estimable wife, is a fa- 
 vorite in social circles. 
 
 Vi<^\OAri EMBREE purchased the land which 
 I j) he now owTis in Russell Precinct during the 
 li\,^ period of its early settlement, and here he 
 has since remained, watching the growth and de- 
 velopment of one of the most prosperous States 
 west of the Mississippi. His career has been one 
 filled in with industry, as is evinced in his posses- 
 sion of one of the finest farms in this county. It 
 includes 160 acres of land, which yields in abun- 
 dance the choicest crops of Nebr.aska, and upon it 
 are tlie buildings of modern style of architecture, 
 amplj' adapted to the convenience of the proprietor, 
 all the purposes of living, the shelter of stock and 
 the storing of grain. Personally, the proprietor is 
 one of the leading men of his county, one who 
 enjoys in a marked degree the esteem and confi- 
 dence of his fellow-citizens. 
 
 Our subject is the offspring of excellent Quaker 
 stock, and was born in Vermilion County, 111., 
 Feb. 22, 1833. His father, Jesse Embree, was a 
 native of Preble County, Ohio, whence he emi- 
 grated early in life to Illinois, and in Vermilion 
 County married Miss Mary IloUingsworth, also of 
 Quaker parentage, and a native of that count3'. 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject was of 
 French descent, but his parents probably were na- 
 
 ^IC^ 
 
 't^^ 
 
Residence OF W^ D Ashley, Sec. 31. Syracuse: Precinct. 
 
 Residence OF G.W. Brown, Sec, 17. Otoe Precinct. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ResidenceofTalton Mas5EY,Sec.22. Otoe Precinct 
 
■^•- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 241 
 
 tives of England, whence, it is supposed, tliey 
 crossed the Atlantic during the Colonial days. 
 They settled in one of the Nevv England States, and 
 the grandfather upon reaching manhood carried a 
 musket in the War of 1812. On the mother's side* 
 Grandfather IloUingsworth was of English descent, 
 and also served in the above-mentioned war. 
 
 Jesse Embree carried on farming in Vermilion 
 County, 111., until 1840, and then moved across the 
 Mississippi River into Washington Count}', Iowa. 
 There in due time he became the owner of 500 
 broad acres, purchasing first a half-section, and 
 adding graduallj' to his landed estate. He was 
 greatlj' prosjiered, and died in possession of a com- 
 petency in 1858, at the age of fifty-one years. The 
 mother had passed away seven years before, in 
 1851, aged thirtj'-flve. Their six children were 
 named respectively: Noah; Martha A., who died 
 when twenty-two years old; Jehu H., Anna JI., 
 Sarah J. and Elmina. The survivors are residents 
 mostly of Nebraska. 
 
 Oiu- subject remained under the home roof until 
 the death of his father, having acquired a common- 
 school education, and became intimately acquainted 
 with the details of country life. He then rented 
 the homestead for a number of years, and finally 
 became owner of part of it, continuing there until 
 the spring of 1870. Then, with a longing to see some- 
 thing more of the West, and believing that he could 
 do better elsewhere, he sold his interests in Iowa, 
 and gathering together his personal effects, started 
 overland with a team for Nemaha County, Kan. 
 Upon his arrival there, however, not being pleased 
 witli the outlook, he went north into Nebraska, and 
 soon afterward settled on the land in Russell Pre- 
 cinct which he now 6wns and occupies. It was 
 then a quarter-section of raw prairie, upon which 
 there was not even a shelter for his head. He be- 
 gan operations in true pioneer style, and labored 
 for a number of years under the disadvantages of 
 a distant market, and the various other difficulties 
 which beset the pioneer farmer. The perseverance, 
 however, which he had inherited from his substantial 
 P^uglish ancestry, served him well in this emergency, 
 and in due time prosperity began to smile upon 
 his labors. He brought his land to a good state of 
 cultivation, set out five acres in a grove of cotton- 
 
 HI-** 
 
 wood, maple and walnut trees, divided his fields with 
 four miles of hedge fencing, planted an apple and 
 peach orchard, and in the midst of these erected a 
 substantial and convenient set of farm buildings. 
 His laud is amply supplied with running water, and 
 possesses many natural advantages, whicli, com- 
 bined with those which he has added, make it one 
 of the most desirable estates of this part of Otoe 
 County. 
 
 Mr. Embree was married in Keokuk, Iowa, on 
 the 17th of June, 1858, to Miss Margaretta, daugh- 
 ter of Rev. F. F. and Rachael (Harris) Lj'on, the 
 father a native of Wayne County, N. Y., and the 
 mother of Macoupin County, Ky. The paternal 
 great-grandfather was of French birth and ancestry, 
 and his son. Grandfather L^'on, a native of New 
 Y'ork, spent his last 3'ears in that State. The ma- 
 ternal great-grandfather was a native of England, 
 and married Miss McVey. He settled in Tennessee, 
 and there was born his son, who became the grand- 
 father of Mrs. Embree. 
 
 F. F. Lyon was born in Scotland, whence he re- 
 moved first to Ireland, and then crossed the At- 
 lantic to the United States, locating in Tennessee, 
 where he became the owner of 600 acres of land, 
 upon which stands the present city of Nashville. 
 From this propertj- he never received any benefit, 
 however, as he had entrusted his papers to a law- 
 yer who died, and the important documents were 
 lost. Mr. Lyon then emigrated to Iowa, locating 
 in Keokuk County, where for a number of years 
 he oflSciated as minister of the LTnited Brethren 
 Church. In 1878 he retired from the ministry, 
 and now lives upon a farm in Jefferson County, 
 Iowa, which is mostly devoted to stock-raising. 
 He is also the owner of 200 acres of land in Rawlins 
 County, Kan. Mr. Lj'on is quite healthy and act- 
 ive, although seventy-two years of age; the mother 
 is sixty-three. They are the parents of thirteen 
 children, one of whom, Rachel J., died when three 
 years old. The survivors are Nancy A., Marga- 
 retta, Samuel T., William A., Clarissa, Frederick 
 L., Mary E., John S., Demarcus N., Su.san I., Na- 
 thaniel B. and Ulysses W. 
 
 ]Mrs. Embree was the second child of her parents, 
 and was born in Jefferson Count}-, Iowa, July 25, 
 1841. She received a common-school education. 
 
 -•► 
 
 f 
 
242 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 and was carefully trained by an excellent mother 
 in all the housewifely duties. Of her union with 
 our subject there have been born eight children, 
 two of whom, Ezra and Rachel N., died in infancy. 
 The ■ survivors are Allen L., Oliver H., Frederick 
 C, Jehu W., Noah M. and Mary E. Allen, Fred- 
 erick and Jehu are located in Custer County, this 
 State. Jehu was graduated from the Union School, 
 at Gibbon, in Buffylo County, and is a young man 
 of more than average ability, having a license to 
 preach; he is also a successful teacher. Oliver is 
 in Oregon; Noah is attending school at Gibbon. 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Embree are members in good 
 standing of the United Brethren Church, at Una- 
 dilla, which ]Mr. E. assisted in organizing, therefore 
 being a charter member, and is also a Trustee. He 
 has officiated as Sunday-school Superintendent four 
 years, and contributed liberally to its support and 
 maintenance. His warm interest in the temperance 
 cause led him in 1888 to identify himself with the 
 Prohibition party. He has been connected with 
 the School Board of his district for the last three 
 years, and always gives a hearty support to the 
 enterprises having for their object the general wel- 
 fare of the community. 
 
 
 ^/fM LLEN BIGGS is one of the early settlers 
 l@/4Hi of McWilliams Precinct, and indeed of 
 il* Otoe County. He has lived on his present 
 farm since the year 1864. The property, 
 which includes 240 acres of improved and carefully 
 cultivated, arable land, is situated on section 1. 
 He has a very fine residence, which is of recent 
 construction, and admirably situated amid sur- 
 roundings tiiat indicate an appreciation of the 
 picturesque as well as the more substantial profit. 
 
 For four years previous to making his home as 
 above Mr. Biggs resided in the vicinity of Ne- 
 braska City, although he owned and was improving 
 his farm on McWilliams Precinct during that time. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Biggs started life hand in hand, hav- 
 ing at the first practically nothing. By mutual 
 help and incitement they began to make tbeir way 
 in the woild. Our sul)ject had lived in Gentry 
 
 County, Mo., for two years before coming to this 
 State, but did not feel anxious to make it his 
 adopted State and permanent home for the reason 
 that tiiroughout the entire period of his residence 
 there he had suffered from chills and ague. He 
 was brought up in Jefferson and Campbell Counties, 
 Tenn., where his parents had removed from their 
 home in Indiana, where he was born in Decem- 
 ber, 1822, making the change when he was about 
 three j'ears of age. 
 
 The father of our subject, James Biggs, w.as a 
 native of Tennessee, and married his wife, Mary 
 Gwinn, in the same State. They had lived but a 
 few years in the Hoosier State wlien they returned, 
 as above noted, to Tennessee, where, after attaining 
 a good old age, they died. They were the parents 
 of ten sons and three daughters; of tliese our sub- 
 ject was the fourth child. He continued to make 
 his home with his parents until he came of age, 
 when he was married and began life for himself. 
 
 The subject of our sketch celebrated his first 
 marriage in Jefferson County, Tenn., the lady of 
 his choice being Mary A. Flatford, who was there 
 born and brought up. With her husband she re- 
 moved to Campbell County, and there died in the 
 prime of life, leaving four daughters and one son. 
 The names of the daughters are as follows: Marga- 
 ret J., Mary A., Sarah E. and Eliza A. All of 
 them are married and living in Nebraska. The 
 son,' William, is now deceased. 
 
 The second marriage of our subject took place 
 in Campbell County, Tenn. He then became the 
 husband of Ruth Miller, a native of that county. 
 After four years of happy wedded life this lady 
 died. She had become the mother of two children, 
 both of whom died in infancy. 
 
 Mr. Biggs was once again married while still a 
 resident of Campbell County, being joined in wed- 
 lock with Catharine Thomas, who was born in that 
 countj' on the 3d of April, 1836. This lady is the 
 daughter of Joseph T. and Mary ( Bloodsaw ) 
 Thomas, both of whom are now deceased. Mrs. 
 Biggs was educated in the schools of her native 
 county, and lived with her parents until her mar- 
 riage. She has presented her husband with eleven 
 children, of whom four are deceased, viz: Matilda, 
 George W., Lydia A. and an infant unnamed. The 
 
 •► ■ <■- 
 
 -»-ll- 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 243 
 
 living ohildren are: James F., now married to Miss 
 Lina Adams: Martha E., the wife of Mr. Timothj' 
 Paine; George W., Isaac N., Ella C, Elsie M. and 
 John A. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Biggs have for many years been 
 numbered with the membership of the Baptist 
 Church, which they joined in Tennessee. Although 
 not prominent in political circles, our subject is 
 interested in all such matters, as a good and tnie 
 citizen. He is numbered with the Republican 
 party, and as a rule votes the ticket presented by 
 the convention. 
 
 \t'OHN E. CASSELMAN, brother of Franklin 
 T. Cassehnan, is one of the wealthy citizens 
 of the county, which has been iiis home since 
 (^^/ tiie earlj' days of settlement. He settled in 
 Otoe County in the spring of 1859. His farm is 
 situated on section "20, Otoe Precinct, and comprises 
 400 acres. His parents, Henrj' H. and Mary (Fry- 
 mire) Cassehnan, were both of German extraction, 
 although natives of Canada, where the family has 
 been for several generations. His father was en- 
 gaged as an agriculturist, and was quite well-to-do. 
 He died at his Canadian home in Februarj', 187', 
 aged seventy-three years. There also the mother 
 died the following year, being seventy-eight years 
 of age. Their family circle included seven children, 
 viz: Michael H., Phillip A., Charles N., George H., 
 Franklin T., John E. and Abram B. All but the 
 latter still survive. Charles N. lives in Broome 
 Countj', N. Y., the other three in Canada. 
 
 The birth of John E. occurred on the 20th of 
 September, 1835, in Duudas County, Canada, where 
 he lived until he was nineteen, engaged chiefly in 
 farm work, educational facilities being exceedingly 
 limited. Leaving home in 1855, he went to Jeffer- 
 son County, N. Y., where he worked on a farm for 
 two years; then he joined his brother Franklin T., 
 in Atchison County, Kan. In 1858 he started for 
 California, but was taken sick at Ft. Kearney, and 
 was sent back to Nebraska City, where he arrived 
 in the fall of that 3'ear. There being much sick- 
 ness there he went to Fremont, Iowa, and passed 
 the winter. In the spring of 1859 he returned to 
 
 Nebraska City, working for two years upon the 
 farms one year with Mr. Davis, the latter year being 
 spent with Sir. Pendleton. 
 
 At the time of his return to Nebraska City our sub- 
 ject had only $3. This practically is the beginning 
 of his present prosperity and wealth. All his earn- 
 ings he put into land, and was able to purchase his 
 present property of 160 acres in the year 1868. 
 The following year he was united in wedlock with 
 Luc}' A. Emery, the estimable daughter of George 
 and Sarah Emery, also natives of Canada, but resi- 
 dents of Nebraska since September, 1865. They 
 first settled in Nemaha County, and after two years 
 went to Johnson Countj', removing to their present 
 home at Crab Orchard in 1884, where they live 
 a retired life, as is congenial to those of such ad- 
 vanced age as they, being sixtj' -eight and sixty-six 
 respectively. Their six children are mentioned as 
 follows: Susan, Sarah, Lucy A., Frances A.. Elva 
 0. and Robert G. Mrs. Cassehnan was born on 
 the 6th of March, 1848, about twelve miles west of 
 Brockville, Canada, and until her marriage made 
 her home with her parents. She has presented her 
 husband with five children, viz: Etta M.. Burton 
 E., Carrie M., Sadie (deceased) and Lucy Mabel; 
 all make their home with their parents. Mr. Cas- 
 sehnan is giving his children the benefits of a good 
 education. 
 
 In September, 1861, our subject enlisted in Com- 
 pany C, in the 1st Battalion of cavalry of Nebraska 
 Territory. They left for St. Louis in October, 1861. 
 The regiment was commanded by Col. Lowe, and 
 with other independent companies from Minnesota, 
 Iowa and Missouri, formed the Curtiss Horse Regi- 
 ment, afterward the 5th Iowa. He fought in many 
 battles, among them Chickamauga, Pittsburg Land- 
 ing, Sugar Creek, Pulaski and Atlanta. He was 
 discharged honorably at Nashville in 1864, after 
 serving three years and thirty -seven days, with the 
 record of a good, true and gallant soldier. He is a 
 member of the William Baumer Post No. 24, G. A. 
 R., Nebraska City. 
 
 For seven years our subject has held various 
 school offices, for two terms was Justice of the 
 Peace, and has at all times been as a politician in the 
 Republican ranks. He is a man very highly re- 
 spected, a careful thinker, and of finest character. 
 
 •►Ht^«4- 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 244 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 His wife also is abundantly worthy of every good 
 and kindly word tliat could be spoken, and has been 
 true in the most perfect manner to every obligation 
 that has come to her as the result of her relation to 
 our subject and their children, and is eminentl}' 
 admired and respected in the community. 
 
 #^ 
 
 AMES HALL. A gentleman in the |)rime of 
 life, intelligent, enterprising and well-to-do, 
 the subject of this biography is one of the 
 most valued citizens of Delaware Precinct, 
 where he settled in the spring of 1881. He is now 
 the owner of 200 acres of valuable land, finely 
 located on section 10, which he has brought to a 
 thorough slate of cultivation. His fields are laid off 
 with neat and substantial fences of osage orange, 
 and his farm stock and machinery are what would 
 naturally be expected of the skillful and thorougli 
 agriculturist. The residence and its surroundings 
 indicate the existence of cultivated tastes and ample 
 means. Adjacent is a flourishing apple orchard and 
 groves of elm and cottonwood, while other fruit 
 and shade trees add their embellishments to the 
 general appearance of the premises. It is without 
 question the home of the prosperous and well-to-do 
 citizen. 
 
 Our subject was born amid the Lowlands of Scot- 
 land, in Roxburyshire, on the 3d of July, 1848. His 
 parents, William and Mary (Murra}^) Hall, natives of 
 the same county, were well-to-do and intelligent 
 people, and the father now resides in Chicago, III., 
 but the mother is deceased. The household circle 
 consisted of five sons and one daughter, all of 
 whom are living mostly in the United States. 
 
 Mr. Hall received the advantages of the common 
 schools in his native shire, and lived there until a 
 man of twenty-five years. During his 3'outh and 
 early manhood he was occupied in farming. He 
 had been a lad thoughtful beyond his years, ambi- 
 tious of doing well in the world, and being a man 
 among his fellowmen. He believed that he could 
 do better for himself in all respects on the other 
 side of the Atlantic, and accordingly in the spring 
 of 1 872 embarked on board an ocean steamer at 
 Liveri)ool, anti fifteen or sixteen days later set 
 
 foot upon American soil in the city of New York. 
 He remained in the Dominion two years, then made 
 his way to Marshall County, III. He was employed 
 there as a farm laborer until 1881, then resolved to 
 invest his capital west of the Mississippi. 
 
 In the spring of 1881 Mr. Hall purchased 200 
 acres of his present farm. There had been little 
 attempt at improvement, and he set himself indus- 
 triously at work to cultivate the soil and build up 
 a homestead which would reflect credit upon him 
 and those who should enjoy it with him. His labors 
 have met with their legitimate reward, as all will 
 acknowledge who have seen it. For a man who 
 landed in America witli a capital of $2.50, it cannot 
 be denied that he has done well, and that nature 
 endowed him with more than an ordinary share of 
 common sense and the faculty of good manage- 
 ment. On the 3d of February, 1881, our subject 
 was united in marriage with Miss Minnie Scoon, 
 who was born in Roxburyshire, Scotland, Aug. 1, 
 1850. Her parents, Robert and Mary (Nichol) 
 Scoon, were also of Scotch birth and parentage, and 
 are now deceased. 
 
 Their family included ten children, who are now 
 mostly in Illinois. To Mr. and Mrs. Hall there 
 have been born a son and daughter, William and 
 Mary, vvho are now six and one years of age 
 respectively. Mr. Hall, politically, gives his sup- 
 port to the Republican part}-. He is at present 
 School Treasurer of his district and Road Super- 
 visor, and, with his estimable wife, a member in good 
 standing of the United Presbyterian Church. Public 
 spirited and liberal, kind and courteous, as a neigh- 
 bor and friend, he fulfills the ideal of the honored 
 citizen and useful member of society. 
 
 one of its most prosperous farmers, has in 
 his homestead 240 acres of fine land, besides 
 120 acres in another body. The former lies on the 
 southeastern portion of section 12, and the whole 
 is finely adapted to stock-raising, with which in- 
 dustry the proprietor has successfully occupied 
 himself for a number of years. He has discharged 
 the duties of his present office since 1876, and is an 
 
 ^U 
 
-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ■t^ 
 
 245 
 
 old army veteran, having served as a Union soldier 
 from the outbreak of the Rebellion until its close. 
 He was first promoted to Corporal, later to Serge.int, 
 and ofliciated in the latter capacity until receiving 
 his honorable discliarge. 
 
 The cliildhood home of our subject was in Prus- 
 sia, where his birth took place Oct. 19, 1832. He 
 attended the common schools of his native town 
 until the age of thirteen years, and at that age also 
 was confirmed in the German Lutheran Church. 
 That same .year, 1846. his parents came to America, 
 he accompanying them. 
 
 The father of our subject, John George F. Xeu, 
 was born in the Rhine Province, Prussia, in the year 
 1801, and m.arried Miss Elizabeth Boeler, a native 
 of Saxony, and who was born in 1802. The pater- 
 nal grandfather, Mathias Xeu. also of German 
 birth and ancestry, was a shoemaker by trade, and 
 spent his entire life upon his native soil. Grand- 
 father Boeler was chief engineer in a large coal 
 mine near Schwal bach, and died within the confines 
 of his native Empire. 
 
 John G. F. Xeu learned shoemaking in his early 
 manhood, at which he was occupied in his native 
 Province until crossing the Atlantic. After his 
 arrival in the United States he settled with his 
 family in Dearborn County, Ind., where he followed 
 shoemaking and farming combined. From Dear- 
 born he removed into Ripley County, where he 
 purchased forty acres of land, from which he im- 
 proved a good farm, and where his death took place 
 in January, 1853. The mother died in July, 1882, 
 .at the home of her son Valentine, in Indianapolis, 
 Ind. The four surviving children of the parental 
 family are: Catlierine; Fred, our subject; Louisa 
 and John P. Valentine is deceased. The husbands 
 of Catherine and Louisa, after the outbreak of the 
 Civil "War, enlisted in the same regiment as our 
 sul)ject, and Lonis.a's husbtmd died in St. Louis in 
 1865. The sisters and brothers are now residents 
 of Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. Xeu remembers considerable of his native 
 Province and many of the incidents of preparation 
 for the long journey to America. The parents and 
 children journeyed from Rotterdam to London by 
 rail, and at Liverpool embarked on board the sail- 
 ing-vessel -'C^ueen of the AVest," upon which they 
 
 were tossed about for thirty-two days, encounter- 
 ing some storms, but finally landing in safety at 
 New York Harbor. Young Neu remained with his 
 parents until reaching his majority, and learned 
 shoemaking under the instruction of his father, but 
 did not work at the trade after reaching the age of 
 twenty-one. His first independent farming opera- 
 tions were begun on a tract of land in Ripley- County, 
 Ind., and in 1855, when twenty-four years of age, 
 he was married, and purchased forty acres in Riijley 
 County. Upon this he Labored until entering the 
 army, and his wife subsequently carried on the 
 farm until his return home. 
 
 Our subject enlisted Aug. 17, 1862, in Com- 
 pany G, 83d Indiana Infantry, with his two brothers 
 and two brothers-in-law, they being mustered in at 
 Lawrenceburg. Their regiment w!is assigned to 
 the 2d Brigade, 2d Division, 15th Army Corps, 
 Army of the Tennessee, under command of Gen. 
 Sherm.an. Mr. Neu with his comradea particip.ited 
 thereafter in many of the important b.attles of the 
 war, was in the fight at Chickasaw Bayou, near 
 Vicksburg, at Arkansas Post, Champion Hills, Big 
 Black River, in both charges on the 18th .and 22d 
 of il.ay, at Vicksburg, and all through the siege 
 following. After its surrender he met the enemy 
 at Jackson, Miss., later at Tuscumbia, Ala., Mission- 
 ary Ridge and at Chattanooga, where his regiment 
 was .at the front, and Mr. Neu was in the very front 
 ranks. Later he fought .at Resaca, Ga., D.allas and 
 Kenesaw Mountain, and was near Atlanta on the 
 22d of Julj', when the brave Gen. McPherson was 
 killed. After the surrender of Atlanta they moved 
 back to the vicinity of Chattanooga, following up 
 Hood's retreat, then returned to Atlanta, and soon 
 thereafter entered upon the f.amous march to the 
 sea. Our subject was in all the battles of that cam- 
 paign, and later marched with his regiment up 
 through the Carolinas and to Washington, partici- 
 p.ating in the grand review, and soon afterward re- 
 ceiving his honorable discharge. Although endur- 
 ing the hardships and privations common to the lot 
 of the soldier, he w.as never wounded or captured, 
 and returned with a fair degree of his old-time 
 strength and good health. 
 
 After being transformed from a soldier to a civil- 
 ian Mr. Neu returned to his home and his family 
 
 •►-Hl-^^ 
 
 :^U 
 
^f^ 
 
 24G 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 -^1-^ 
 
 in Ripley County, Ind., but soon afterward sold his 
 property there and spent the winter following in 
 Southeastern Missouri. Thence in the spring lie 
 journeyed by steamer to Nebraska City, and two 
 days later proceeded by team to section 25, town 
 y, range 12. purchasing in May, 1866, eighty acres 
 of improved land, upon which he occupied himself 
 for a term of seven years. In the meantime he 
 greatly improved the value of the property, bring- 
 ing the soil to a state of cultivation and putting up 
 buildings with material hauled from Nebraska City. 
 
 May 24, 1872, Mr. Neu sold his farm above 
 mentioned, and changed his residence to his pres- 
 ent place, whicli he had previously purchased. Af- 
 ter his settlement here he had the usual conflicts 
 attendant upon the pioneer of those days, together 
 with grasshoppers and drouth, and he estimates 
 that the labor of Ave j'ears thereafter was re- 
 quired to place him where he started. Those days 
 arc past, however, and he now looks around him 
 on a fine estate, embracing a farm of 240 acres, 
 with handsome and substantial modern build- 
 ings, groves and orchards, and all other appurte- 
 nances of the well-regulated farm. His land is well 
 watered by Jordan and Spring Grove Creeks, and 
 he has 100 acres of native timber. Ten acres ad- 
 jacent to the residence are devoted to groves of 
 hickory, walnut, oak and wild cherry trees, and his 
 orchard comprises 350 apple trees, while he has the 
 smaller fruits in abundance. His live-stock opera- 
 tions include cattle and swine mostly, of which he 
 ships of the former usually a carload annually and 
 of the latter two carloads. His stock is mostly 
 graded and his horses are particuhirlj' fine, includ- 
 ing Cleveland Bays and Morgans. Large amounts 
 of corn and grain are required to feed all this 
 stock. 
 
 Our subject was married near Brookville, in 
 Franklin County, Ind., Oct. 4, 1855, to Miss Char- 
 lotte S. Schwertfeger, who was born in Ripley 
 County, that State, Aug. 30, 1836, Mrs. Neu has 
 proved a most worthy helpmate and assistant of 
 her husband, and of their union there have been 
 born nine children, namely : AmielaL., Frederick 
 S., Lizzie, Lena; George W., who died when five 
 weeks old; John; Bertha, who died when thirteen 
 months old; Henry F.,aud William J., who died at 
 
 the age of seven years. The eldest daughter is 
 the wife of Henry Anderson, a well-to-do farmer 
 of Hendricks Precinct, and they have five children; 
 Frederick married Ida Yener, and is farming in tlie 
 vicinity of Hartwell, Kearney County ; Lizzie is 
 the wife of Eugene Patterson, who is farming in 
 Dawes County, and they have two children ; Lena 
 married Mr. A. Dillon, who is farming near Lowell, 
 in Kearney County, and they have two children; 
 John is farming in Dawes County, and Henry is at 
 home with his parents. 
 
 Mr. Neu has held the position of Assessor about 
 nine years and has been School Treasurer of his 
 district six years. Socially, he belongs to Western 
 Star Lodge, A. F. & A. M., at Nebraska City, is 
 also a Knight of Pythias, belonging to Eureka 
 Lodge No. 7, and is identified with the G. A. R., 
 both these lodges at Nebraska City. He is an ar- 
 dent supporter of Republican principles, laboring 
 manfully for the support of these in his own county, 
 and being frequently sent as a delegate to the 
 County and State Conventions. A useful man in 
 his community, he is public-spirited and enterpris- 
 ing, one having hosts of friends, both in business 
 and social circles. 
 
 EORGE H. BURGERT is one of the lead- 
 ing citizens of Nebraska City, and has for 
 several years filled one of its most responsi- 
 ble offices, that of City Treasurer. He was born in 
 New Bedford, Coshocton Co.. Ohio, Feb. 14, 1830. 
 His faLher. David Burgert, was born in L.ancaster 
 County, Pa., Nov. 20, 1795, and his father is 
 thought to have been a native of Germany, who, 
 coming to America some time during the last cent- 
 ur3-, settled in Pennsylvania, and spent his last 
 years in Lancaster County. The father of our sub- 
 ject was reared in his native State, and when a 
 30ung man started for the then Far West, and lo- 
 cated in Stark County, Ohio, where he bought a 
 tract of timber land .and cleared a farm from the 
 wilderness. He then sold and moved to Coshoc- 
 ton County, and again attempted the task of clear- 
 ing a farm from the depths of the primeval forest. 
 He first erected a log house, which was afterward 
 
•►-11-^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ••► 
 
 247 
 
 r 
 
 the birthplace of our subject, a; id with tiie aid of 
 Ills sons he developed his land into a line farm. 
 While a resident of Stark County he had engaged 
 in the mercantile business, and when he moved to 
 Coshocton Countj' he took with him his stock of 
 goods and opened a store at West Bedford. He 
 continued in business as a merchant about forty- 
 five 3'ears, and then, having acquired a handsome 
 competence, he sold out, moved to Cuyahoga 
 County, and bought a farm near Cleveland, where 
 he lived two or three years. He then removed to 
 Toledo and built a home in that city, and lived re- 
 tired from the active duties of life until his death, 
 March 30, 1876. H^was a man of enterprise and 
 considerable luisiness talent, whose reputation for 
 honor and integrity was second to none. The 
 maiden name of his wife was Eleanor Huett, and 
 she was born in County Armagli, Ireland, July 2, 
 1797, being of English ancestry. She died in New 
 Bedford, Nov. 30, 1840. There were twelve cliil- 
 dren born to her and her liusl)and, all of whom 
 grew to maturity, namely : Elizabeth, Sarah, Daniel. 
 Levi, Adam, Catherine, George H., James H., 
 Mary A., Lucinda, Amos and Amanda. Nine of 
 these are now living, Sarah, Daniel and Levi being 
 deceased. 
 
 The sul)ject of this sketch was the seventh child 
 and fourth son of his parents. He grew to man- 
 hood in his native county, receiving the prelimina- 
 ries of his education in the district school, which 
 was further supplemented by a term's attendance 
 at the academy at West Bedford. He assisted on 
 the farm and clerked in his father's store, and con- 
 tinued to lie an inmate of his parents' home until 
 1852. In 1850 he forme<l a partnership with Jacob 
 Hocksteter, and engaged in the mercantile business 
 with him in Bedford for two years. He then went 
 to Indiana and spent a few months in Worthington. 
 He returned to his native State after that, and in 
 Cleveland engaged as a clerk in the boot and shoe 
 store of Huett <fe Buj'ett for one year. The next 
 year found him again in Worthington, Ind., where 
 he sold goods for Langworthy & Blount. Two 
 years later, in the fall of 1 857, he came to the Terri- 
 tory of Nebraska, coming by rail to Jefferson City, 
 and thence on a boat on the Missouri River to Wes- 
 ton, and there, the boat not being able to stem the 
 
 ^h^ 
 
 current, he and the other passengers took the stage 
 to St. Joseph, and came from there on a boat to 
 Nebraska City. Here he first found eraplo3'ment 
 as a clerk for the Burnham Bros., remaining with 
 them for a year and a half. Then he and others 
 established themselves in the boot and shoe busi- 
 ness. He associated with his partners for two years, 
 and then bought their interest, and conducted the 
 business alone until 1865. At that time he was ap- 
 pointed Assistant Postmaster, an office which he 
 held for nine ye.ars, discharging its onerous duties 
 with characteristic ability and fidelity. In 1877 
 Mr. Burgert's fellow-citizens showed their high ap- 
 preciation of his great worth by electing him to the 
 office of City Treasurer, and he was re-elected in 
 April, 1878. So satisfactory has his administration 
 of the affairs of this important and responsible office 
 been that he was re-elected each year until 1886, 
 when he was re-elected for two years. 
 
 Mr. Burgert was married, Sept. 13, 1860. to Mara 
 Louisa Haskell, and their happy wedded life has 
 been blessed to them by the birth of the following 
 children: Minnie E., wife of J. K. Bickel; Celia 
 M., Xida E., George, Susie, Harriet and Am}-. 
 Mrs. Burgert comes of old and well-known New- 
 England ancestry, and she was born June 6, 1841, 
 in Princeton, Bureau Co., 111. Her father, Jona- 
 than Haskell, was a native of Newburyport, Mass., 
 and a son of Noah H. and Judith (Stickney) Has- 
 kell, natives of Massachusetts. His parents moved 
 from their New England home to Ohio in the early 
 years of the settlement of that State. The mother 
 died there soon after their arrival. In his early life 
 Noah Haskell had been a seafaring man, and was 
 for many years Captain of a vessel. He remained 
 in Ohio but a few years, and then went to Califor- 
 nia, where he died. Mrs. Burgert's father grew to 
 manhood in Ohio, and from there he went to Illi- 
 nois, where, in Canton, Fulton County, he was mar- 
 ried, April 9, 1840, to Harriet N. Loomis. She was 
 born in Hinckley, Medina Co., Ohio, June 7, 1823. 
 Her father. Job Loom is, was a native of M.assachu- 
 setts, removed from there to New York about 1805, 
 and in 1819 went to Ohio and was one of the first 
 settlers of Medina County, the removal in both 
 cases being made with teams. He bought a tract 
 of timl)ered land in Hinckley Precinct, and made 
 
 ■*^h-^ 
 
-J^ 
 
 •248 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 that his home the rest of his days, until his death in 
 1828. 
 
 Mrs. Haskell's mother, Mrs. Burgert's grand- 
 mother, spent her last yeaA in Georgia, where she 
 died in 1854. Her maiden name was Zilpha Han- 
 mim, and she was born in Southampton, Mass. Her 
 father, Mrs. Burgert's great-grandfather, was, so far 
 as known, a native of Massachusetts. He was a 
 soldier in the Revolutionary War, and at one time 
 was captured by the Indians. He was given the 
 cliauce to run the gauntlet, and was successful and 
 made bis escape. He spent his last years in Massa- 
 chusetts. Mrs. Burgert's parents moved to Illinois 
 in 1839, and settled in Fulton County. Her father 
 was a man of more than ordinary mental capacity, 
 and was accounted a genius by his friends. He 
 was quite an extensive traveler, and visited many 
 parts of the country. He died in Louisville, K}'., 
 Nov. 19, 1883. His widow now resides with her 
 daughter, Mrs. Burgert. 
 
 Jlr. Burgert is a very capable man, of irreproach- 
 able habits, and both in public and in private life 
 bears a stainless character. He is honesty itself, 
 and his word is as good as another man's bond. 
 He regards his office as a sacred trust, and dis- 
 charges its duties with an eye single to the best in- 
 terests of the community. He and his wife are 
 both active members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. Mr. Burgert is a Republican in politics, 
 and socially, he is a member of Frontier Lodge 
 No. 3, I. O. O. F. 
 
 ^^Hi 
 
 g"^v 
 
 t- 
 
 .^ HARLES E. VAUGHAN, a farmer in good 
 (l( circumstances, widely and favorably known 
 
 "^^7 throughout Russell Precinct, owns and oc- 
 cupies 180 acres of land on section 2'2. He pur- 
 chased in the spring of 1883 eighty acres, the next 
 year twenty acres, later doubled the first amount, 
 and has brought the whole to a fine state of culti- 
 vation. The fertility of the land is augmented by 
 streams of running water, and his buildings, of mod- 
 ern style of architecture, convenient and comfort- 
 able, are all that are required to meet the ideas of the 
 intelligent and progressive agriculturist. He has 
 groves, fruit trees, and all the other appurtenances 
 
 of a well-regulated farm. It is hardly necessary to 
 say that his time h.as been industriously emploj^ed 
 since he has become a resident of this county, with 
 results that should be eminently satisfactory'. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, a native of Marshall 
 County, 111., was born Nov. 20, 1853, and remained 
 with his parents until reaching his majority. The 
 latter were by name Thomas H. and Sarah J. (Cory) 
 Vaughan, the father a native of Rutland, Vt., and 
 the mother born in the vicinity of Lake Champlain, 
 N. Y. Thomas H. Vaughan was left an orphan at 
 a very early age, and made his home in Vermont 
 with an aunt until reaching manhood. He then 
 cast his lot with the early settlers of Greene County, 
 111., where he pursued first his trade of shoemaker, 
 but later changed his occupation to farming. 
 
 The father of our subject in 1850 left Greene 
 County, and purchased 160 acres of land in Mar- 
 shall County, upon which he settled and spent the 
 remainder of his life. He distinguished himself as 
 an active and useful citizen, as one of the pillars of 
 the Baptist Church at Washburn, and departed this 
 life at the old homestead in April, 1871. The 
 mother after the death of her husband joined her 
 son C. E. in Nebraska, and is still living, being now 
 seventy-one years old. 
 
 The six children of the parental family were 
 named respectively: Rodolphus J., Russell W., 
 Amy E., Julia A. (who died when thirty-four years 
 old), Charles F. (our subject) and Sumner T. 
 Rodolphus during the late war enlisted as a Union 
 soldier in an Illinois regiment, and is now in Otoe 
 County ; Charles E. upon reaching his majority 
 began farming on the old homestead for himself 
 and was thus occupied five years. Then, desiring 
 to see something of the farther West, he crossed the 
 Mississippi into this county, first locating on sec- 
 tion 27 in Russell Precinct, in the spring of 1880. 
 Three j^ears later he removed to section 21, and in 
 1883 purchased eighty acres of his present farm. 
 
 The marriage of our subject took place in Berrien 
 Count}', Mich., Dec. 19, 187G, the maiden of his 
 choice being Miss Lillie M., daughter of Joseph A. 
 and Elizabeth (Peck) Becker. The parents of Mrs. 
 V. were both natives of Pennsj'lvania, whence they 
 removed to the Wolverine State after marriage, 
 where they still reside in comfortable circumstances. 
 
 t 
 
^^/^^^^T^^^-V^^^-^e^M-^^ 
 
•►HH-^*- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •251 
 
 •► 
 
 Their family consisted of eleven children, namely: 
 Jacob J., John J., William H., Annie E., Lilly M., 
 Adeline I., Mary A., Martin L., Sarah E., Ona M. 
 and Oliver A. 
 
 Mrs. Vaughan was born in the city of Harrisburg, 
 Pa., Oct. 24, 1854. She was reared to womanhood 
 in Michigan, and remained with her parents until 
 her marriage. Of her union with our subject there 
 are four children: Thomas Henry, born Oct. 29, 
 1H78; Sadie S., Aug. 6, 1882; Elsie M., Oct. 2G, 
 1885, and Russell J.. July 17, 1888. Both Mr. and 
 Mrs. V. are members in good standing of the Bap- 
 tist Church at South Russell, our subject being in- 
 strumental in its organization and since that time 
 ofBciating as Clerk. Politically, he is a straight 
 Republican, has served as Assessor two years, and 
 was a member of the School Board three years. 
 Both ho and his estimable wife take a warm inter- 
 est in Sunday-school work, Mr. V. officiating as 
 Superintendent. Their house is the frequent resort 
 of the many friends whom they have gathered about 
 them by their kindly courtesies and cordial hospi- 
 tality. 
 
 jl^ ENRY P. FARNSWORTII. The subject of 
 lj)i| this sketch, whose portrait is given upon the 
 iiW^ opposite page, aud who is one of tbe very 
 (^) first settlers of Russell Precinct, is further 
 distinguished as being the oldest pioneer of this 
 section, and also a veteran of the Republican party. 
 He is an active politician, a strong and clear-beaded 
 thinker, and a man who exerts much influence 
 among his fellow-citizens. ])uring the Civil War 
 he indicated his sentiments in the most jiractical 
 manner by serving as a soldier in the Union Army, 
 and bis entire career has been that of an honest 
 man, a good citizen and a useful member of the 
 community. 
 
 Our subject was born on the banks of the 
 Mississippi River, in Muscatine County, Iowa, Oct. 
 22, 1845, and spent many hours of his boyhood 
 sporting along the Father of "Waters. He remained 
 a member of the parental household until a young 
 man of twenty-two j'ears, acquiring bis education 
 in the distric-t school. He was but a youth of six- 
 -^« 
 
 teen j'cars at the time of the outbreak of the Re- 
 bellion, aud was obliged to restrain his patriotic 
 sentiments until later in the conflict. After he 
 was eighteen, however, he enlisted, on the 4th of 
 May, 1864, in the 44th Iowa Infantry, being mus- 
 tered in at Davenport. He went vSouth with his 
 regiment under the command of A. J. Smith, do- 
 ing guard duty mostly along the M. P. & C. R. R., 
 and meeting the rebels in several skirmishes, dur- 
 ing one of which he received a slight wound in the 
 arm. Much as he desired he did not participate 
 in any active battle, and received his honorable 
 discharge on the 19th of September, 1864. 
 
 After the war Mr. Farnsworth staid at home 
 until the spring of 1869, and then, gathering to- 
 gether his personal effects, started overland with 
 a team for the young State of Nebraska. He was 
 accompanied by his wife, and they crossed the Mis- 
 souri River on the 20th of March, making their 
 way directly to Russell Precinct, in this county, 
 where our subject had already secured 240 acres of 
 uncultivated prairie land. Upon it there were no 
 buildings, and the first business of Mr. Farnsworth 
 was to put up a house. He then set himself in- 
 dustriously to the task of improving his property, 
 and in due time began to realize the reward of his 
 labors. He has now one of the • most valuable 
 farms in this part of the county, with running 
 water, native timber, and the soil brought to a 
 good state of cultivation. He has planted groves 
 and an orchard of 1 00 apple trees, besides the 
 smaller fruits. That he has worked industriously 
 cannot be questioned when we note the various 
 items which form a most complete whole. For the 
 construc^tion of his buildings the timber had to be 
 hauled from Nebraska City, and to enumerate the 
 many other difficulties and hardships under which 
 he labored would take more time aud space than 
 afforded within the limits of a brief biogra])hy. 
 
 Our subject was married Feb. 20, 1868, at the 
 home of the bride on the banks of the river near 
 which he had played in his boyhood, to Miss Helen 
 Burdett. This lady was born in the same county 
 as her husband, Sept. 11, 1851, and is the daugh- 
 ter of Humphrey and Esther (BenefiU) Burdett, 
 the father a native of Kentucky and the mother of 
 Indiana. Thev were married in Iowa, in 18.38, to 
 
 -•►HI 
 
i 
 
 252 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ■^r 
 
 which State the fatlier had emigratod during its 
 pioneer da3'S. He became tlie owner of considera- 
 hle land, but in 1873 left the Hawke^ye State and 
 came to this county, locating in Palmyra Precinct, 
 where he lived until 1885. He then changed his 
 residence to Cheyenne County, Kan., and now 
 makes his home with his children. He has arrived 
 at the advanced age of eighty j^ears. The wife 
 and mother died at her home in Palmyra Precinct, 
 tliis county, in the spring of 1874, aged fifty years. 
 Their five children were named respectivelj^: Marj^, 
 William, Isabelle, Helen and Eliza. The latter is 
 deceased. The others are residents mostlj' of Ne- 
 braska and Kansas. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife there have 
 been born eight children, namely: Humphrey M., 
 who died when six years old ; Alonzo T. ; Delia, 
 deceased; Ruth A., Frank, William, Sumner G. and 
 Algia. The survivors are all at home with their 
 parents, and form an interesting group, of more 
 than ordinary intelligence. Mr. P'arnsworth cast 
 his first Presidential vote for U. S. Grant, and 
 is an ardent supporter of Republican principles. 
 No man takes a warmer interest in the growth and 
 development of his adopted country. He drew up 
 the petition to the County Superintendent for the 
 organization of the school district in which he now 
 lives, and a similar document in connection with 
 the organization of Russell Precinct. He is the 
 only original settler living who was here at the 
 time of the organization of the district. He taught 
 school during his younger years in his native State, 
 two years later in Unadilla, and also in Russell 
 Precinct, District No. 6. He has served as Asses- 
 sor and been a member of the School Board for a 
 period of eight years. He is at present JNIoderator 
 in his district. He was strongly urged by his fel- 
 low-citizens, in the spring of 1875, to become a 
 Republican candidate for Justice of the Peace, but 
 declined. He has been frequently sent as a delegate 
 to the various conventions of his party, and as an 
 ex-soldier belongs to the G. A. R., being a mem- 
 ber of the Chickamauga Post No. 119. In relig- 
 ious matters he has been a member in good standing 
 of the Christian Church since 1874. 
 
 ]\Iarshall Farnsworth, tlie father of our subject, 
 was born in Williamstown, Vt., in 1815, and married 
 
 •► 
 
 Bliss Rebecca Daniels, a native of North Carolina. 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject, Thomas 
 Farnsworth by name, emigrated from his native 
 Highlands in Scotland during his early manhood 
 to the United States, where he was married and 
 became the father of a family of ten children. The 
 youngest of these was Marshall. The latter left 
 New England as early as 1837, emigrating across 
 the Mississippi into Muscatine County, Iowa, where 
 he purchased eighty acres of land and began farm- 
 ing in pioneer style. He was greatly prospered, 
 and after the lapse of years became the owner of 
 500 broad acres. After a residence of forty years 
 in the Haw keye State, he sold out in 1881, and still 
 pushing westward, took up his abode in Los An- 
 geles, Cal., where he is now engaged in real-estate 
 business. He is still active and in possession of his 
 faculties, although having reached the advanced 
 age of seventy-two years. The mother died at the 
 homestead in Muscatine County, Iowa, in the fall 
 of 1 869, at the age of fortj^-flve years. Henry P., 
 our subject, was the eldest of their family of children. 
 The others were named respectively : Eric D., Eliza 
 E., John M.; George A., who died when an infant; 
 Thomas E., when thirtj^ ye.ars old, and Norah E., 
 when five years old. 
 
 W.ILLIAM BALFOUR, of Wyoming Pre- 
 cinct, owns one of the prettiest farms within 
 its limits, and which, with its tasteful mod- 
 ern buildings, forms one of the most attractive 
 pictures of section 6, of which it embraces eiglity 
 acres. On either side of the dwelling are beauti- 
 fully trimmed evergreens, while other choice shrub- 
 bery protects the homestead from the storms of 
 winter and the heat of summer.- Tliere are fruit 
 trees in abundance, an orchard of apples adds the 
 finer varieties, which yield abundantly in their sea- 
 son, providing the family with delicacies, anrl that 
 which they do not use finds a ready market. Mr. 
 Balfour has distinguished himself as a thorough 
 and skillful farmer, and his stock-raising operations 
 especially jneld him a handsome income. 
 
 Onr subject took possession of the land which he 
 now occupies iu the fall of 1«69, and the iniprove- 
 
•►Hl-*- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 253 
 
 ments which we behokl to-flay are the result of his 
 industry, as at the time of |)urchase there were no 
 fences or buildings, in fact no attempt whatever at 
 improvement. Mr. B. arrived in Nebraska in the 
 spring of I8G8, from Lake County, 111., of which 
 he had been a resident since 1 850. There also he 
 was occupied as a farmer, although laboring for 
 others, but in the meantime kept an eye out for 
 the future, and saved something with which to 
 cross the Mississippi. 
 
 Mr. Balfour was born near the shores of tho Bal- 
 tic Sea. in the city of Duyzt, Prussia, April 5, 
 1845, and on his father's side was of Scotch an- 
 cestry. His paternal grandfather, James Balfour, 
 was born in the '"land of the thistle," whence he 
 emigrated to Prussia, and was there married to a 
 lady of German birth and ancestry, and there both 
 spent their entire lives. His son James, the father 
 of our subject, was thus the offspring of two of the 
 best nationalities on the face of the earth. James, 
 Jr.. who was one of three children born to his par- 
 ents, was subjected to careful home training, and 
 given a thorough education in the Fatherland, and 
 when reiiching manhood was married to a most 
 estimable lady, by whom he likewise became the 
 father of three children, of whom our subject, Will- 
 iam, was the youngest. The mother died while a 
 young woman, and after her decease James Balfour 
 brought his three children to America, and located 
 on a tract of land in Lake Countj', III., where soon 
 afterward he was again married, to Miss Louisa M. 
 Hinman. This lady was of American birth, and out- 
 lived her husband, James Balfour having died when 
 fifty-five years of age. 
 
 The father of our subject after the outbreak of 
 the Civil War hastened to the defense of his adopted 
 country, and such was the nature of his services 
 that he was promoted to the First Lieutenancy in 
 Company I, 45th Illinois Infantry. He served, 
 however, a period of only seven months, his mili- 
 tary career being cut short by a gunshot wound at 
 the battle of Shiloh, which ultimately caused his 
 death, the ball going through the right arm near 
 the shoulder, necessitating amjjutation. Prior to 
 this, at Ft. Donelson, he was shot through the same 
 right arm, and the second wound naturally aggr.a- 
 v.ated the first. lie had served as Captain in the 
 
 standing army of Germany, .and was thus admirably 
 fitted for the duties devolving upon him as a sol- 
 dier of the Union. Mrs. Louisa Balfour is still 
 living, a resident of Lake County, 111., and has now 
 passed beyond her threescore years. She receives 
 a pension from the Government. 
 
 Our subject was but a lad when coming with his 
 father to the United States, and completed his edu- 
 cation at the Old Soldiers' College in Fulton, 111. 
 So well did he improve his time with his books 
 that he was given the position of teacher in the 
 schools of Otoe County, Neb., where he was thus 
 occupied several winters after coming to Nebraska. 
 He was married in Wyoming Precinct, Nov. 15, 
 1876, to Miss Ella Hughes. This lady was born in 
 this county, Feb. 16, 1858, and is the daughter of 
 George H. and Catherine (Rousch) Hughes, who 
 were natives of Pennsylvania. Her parents were 
 reared and married in the Keystone State, and 
 came to the West about 1856, locating in Wyoming 
 Precinct, this county, where the mother died when 
 a little past middle life. The father, a practicing 
 physician, then returned east as far as Indiana, and 
 is now living in that State, being now well advanced 
 in years. 
 
 Mrs. Balfour was quite a young girl at the time 
 of her mother's death, and was taken into the home 
 of Mr. Bassett, of Otoe County, where she w.as 
 reai'ed and educated, and became proficient in all 
 household duties. She is now the mother of six 
 children — Myrtle E., Cyrus L., W. Marvin, George 
 S.. Carl A. and a babe named Max E. She is a 
 lady of much intelligence, and highly esteemed 
 among her neighbors. Mr. Balfour, politically, is 
 a sound Republican, although having no desire for 
 the responsibilities of ofBce. He takes pride in his 
 farm and home, while at the same time giving his 
 support and encouragement to the enterprises cal- 
 culated to advance the interests of the i)eople 
 around him. 
 
 Our subject soon after the outbreak of the late 
 Rebellion, inspired by the patriotism of his honored 
 father, enlisted as a Union soldier, Dec. 5. 1861, in 
 Company I, 45th Illinois Infantry, under command 
 of Capt. O. A. Bridgeford and Col. John E. Smith, 
 the latter of whom is now Maj. Gen. Smith, of 
 Chicago. He was with his regiment at F'ts. Henry 
 

 ■2:,i 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 and Donelson, but on account of the extreme ex- 
 posure and hardi<bip endured on the march he was 
 taken ill, and obliged to accept his honorable dis- 
 charge for disability, returning home July 30, 1862. 
 He was then only a little past seventeen years of 
 aare. 
 
 ,^^EORGP] BROWNLEE. This worthy and 
 ible citizen, whose home is situated upon 
 
 11 (=■ capal 
 il his f. 
 
 P ' cin 
 
 irm that comprises one-half of section 
 33 of Palmyra Precinct, is a descendant of a long and 
 distinguished line of Scottish ancestry of noble 
 birth and family. The first member of the family 
 to come to this country was William Brownlee, the 
 grandfather of our subject. He came to the country 
 as a young mau, and settled in Washington County, 
 Pa., and took up agriculture. There he met and 
 married the lady who became the mother of Eben- 
 ezer Brownlee, the father of our subject. He be- 
 came the husband of Miss Carson, and engaged in 
 husbandry and cattle raising. Both still reside in 
 Washington County. Mr. Brownlee, Sr., being sixty- 
 three and his wife sixty-four years old. They are 
 the parents of six children, to whom the appended 
 names were given: Robert, George, James C, 
 John S., Samuel and Jennie E. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 16th 
 of August, 1851. in Donegal Township, Washing- 
 ton Co., Pa., and was there brought up and edu- 
 cated in the schools of the district. He began to 
 work upon the farm at a tender age, and is in 
 every regard a thorough, practical farmer. His 
 education was limited to the advantages afforded 
 bj' the common school, but he drew largely from 
 the expensive and well-selected library that had 
 originally been in the possession of his grand father, 
 so that he is a well-informed man. 
 
 After several years of work upon the farm, when 
 our subject was about twenty years of age, feeling 
 the need of further study, he entered the West 
 Alexandria Acadcmj', and continued to attend the 
 classes of that institution for two years. His father 
 was the owner of certain Nebr.aska lands, and upon 
 leaving the academy he came out to this State to 
 take charge of them. He came to Palmyra Pre- 
 cinct in 1872, and wentto farming and stock-raising. 
 
 The first Merino sheep brought into Otoe County 
 were brought by Mr. Brownlee, who imported them 
 from Pennsylvania. The first consignment com- 
 prised one carload, the second, which was made in 
 1876, was of two double-decked carloads. He con- 
 tinued the breeding and raising of sheep, and was 
 exceedingly prosperous, and at one time had over 
 1,000 head. In addition to the sheei) he has been 
 quite extunsivelj' engaged with cattle and hogs. 
 
 Mr. Brownlee was united in marriage, in 1876, to 
 Miss Mary E. Craig, a former schoolmate, who was 
 born in the vicinity of his own home on the 20th of 
 August, 1852. She is the daughter of James and 
 Elizabeth Mary (Dickey") Craig. They attended 
 school and academy together for some time. Five 
 children have been born to them, who bear the fol- 
 lowing names: Lemuel M.. Kbenezer L., James C, 
 Cora L., and Eliza, who died when seven months 
 old. 
 
 Although of Eastern birth, parentage, education 
 and .sj-mpathies. Mr. Brownlee has become atypical 
 Western man in all that appertains to the welfare of 
 his adopted Stale, and the interests of the citizens 
 there. He usually votes with the Republican 
 part}', and lakes the deepest interest in matters 
 where political economy is concerned. He and his 
 family are most highly esteemed Liy the community 
 at large. 
 
 <» I^ILLIAM H. LOWE, of Four Mile Pre- 
 A\A* cinct, is well known as one of the early 
 W^ pioneers of Otoe County, with whose agri- 
 cultural interests he is to-day so extensively identi- 
 fied, and it has been his privilege not only to witness 
 almost its entire growth, but to contribute largely 
 to its material prosperity. Mr. Lowe may be said 
 to have been a pioneer from his birth, as he is 
 the son of a pioneer, and w.is bom amid the prime- 
 val forests of Southern Michigan, in the very 
 earliest j'ears of its settlement, and was thus reared 
 amid pioneer scenes in that and other States, and 
 many jears of his life were thus passed on the fron- 
 tier of civilization. 
 
 Mr. Lowe was born Jan. 1, 1829, .at Tecumseh, 
 Lenawee Co., Mich. His father, Peter Lowe, was 
 born in New Jersey, and was there reared and 
 
 ■•►HK 
 
*► II M- 
 
 -•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 255 
 
 married, Charity Lamberson, likewise a native of 
 New Jersey, and of Frencli descent, becoming liis 
 wife. After marriage Mr. Lowe moved to Onon- 
 daga County, N. Y., and tlien began his life as a 
 pioneer, which did not cease until he had been an 
 early settler in five States, and had assisted in the 
 development of each. He bought timber land in 
 Ouondaga County, and improved three different 
 farms in New York, and then, seeking "fresli fields 
 and pastures new," he removed to the Territory of 
 Michigan about 1825, and located in that part of 
 Monroe Count}' now included in Lenawee C'ountJ^ 
 He bought wild land, erected a log house in which 
 our subject was born, and lived there for some 
 years, busily engaged in removing the tall, cent- 
 uries old trees that he might clear a farm. In liis 
 liumble home in that wilderness the saddest mis- 
 fortune of liis life overtook him in the death of his 
 devoted wife in 1829. In 1832 Mr. Lowe sold his 
 land in Micliigan, and buying a tract of part 
 prairie and part timber land in LaPorte County, 
 Ind., he identified Iiimself with 'the early settlers 
 of that State. But lie was evidently not satisfied 
 with his surroundings there, for in 1833 he sold his 
 land, and we next hear of liim in Illinois, the re- 
 moval liaving been made with teams, and he passed 
 in his journey through Chicago, then a small place. 
 He staid in Rock Island County one year, and 
 then shook the dust of tha Prairie State from liis 
 feet, and pushed westward across the Mississippi to 
 Missouri, and located in Cooper County, of which 
 he thus became an early settler. He entered a tract 
 of prairie laud from the Government, built a hewed 
 log house, and improved quite a good farm. There 
 were no railways there, and the only near market 
 was Boonesville, on the river. In 1842 Mr. Lowe 
 sold his farm in Cooper County and bought a large 
 tract of wild land from the Government, in Atchi- 
 son County, the same State, and he there made his 
 final home. He imi)roved two good farms, and at 
 his death in 1861 was quite well off in this world's 
 goods. He was a man of marked energy of char- 
 acter, of much shrewdness and ability, and his gen- 
 uine worth commanded the respect of those who 
 knew him. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was but. an infant when 
 his mother died, and an elder sister took charije of 
 
 him. In the various moves that his father made 
 to the frontier, he kept ahead of the primitive log 
 scliool in which the children of pioneers often ob- 
 tained their education, so that our subject never 
 attended school until his father settled in Cooper 
 CoHuty, Mo. Fortunately for him his sister had 
 received a good education for those days, and she 
 instructed her brothers and sisters at home. At the 
 age of sixteen our subject left the paternal roof to 
 make liis own way in the world, and the first year 
 was employed as a farm laborer at $7 a month. In 
 1847, during the Mexican War, he enlisted in the 
 United States Armj-, with the expectation of go- 
 ing to Mexico. His regiment, which was Icnown 
 as the Oregon Battalion, was, however, sent to the 
 Northwest Territory to guard the frontier, and 
 was stationed at old Ft. Kearney, now Nebraslta 
 City. Nebraslm was then an unorganized Terri- 
 tory in possession of the Indians. Mr. Lowe 
 remained at the garrison one month, was then dis- 
 charged from the service, and engaged with Maj. 
 Dougherty, who at the time had charge of the 
 Government cattle which were herded on the river 
 bottoms. In November of that year (1847) Mr. 
 Lowe returned to Missouri and bought a tract of 
 Government land in Atchison County, paying for 
 it with monejf he had earned while in the service 
 of the Government. The land was timber, and he 
 rented other land for awhile until he could get 
 enough of his own cleared for cultivation. In 1852 
 he entered a tract of prairie land, settled on it, and 
 improved a part of it. In 1854 he sold that, and 
 in 1855, March 12, came to Otoe Countj^ and made 
 a claim on the land on which he now resides. It 
 had not been surveyed at the time, but when it 
 came in the market he entered it at the land-office 
 in Nebraska City. He has been a continuous resi- 
 dent here since that time, and has witnessed almost 
 the entire growth of Nebraska, Kansas, Western 
 Missouri and Iowa. He now has a valuable farm 
 comprising 637i^ acres under fine tillage, well sup- 
 plied with suitable buildings and all the necessary 
 farm macliinerj', so that in every respect his estate 
 may be considered a model one. 
 
 To the wife whose help and encouragement made 
 his success possible, and who shares his prosperity, 
 I\Ir. Lowe was united in marri.age Mareli 16, 1848. 
 
 ^^l 
 
«► II ^i- 
 
 -■► 
 
 2o6 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 She was formerly ]Mary A. Welsh, and was born 
 April 18, 1828, in Jacteon County, Mo. Her father, 
 James Welsh, was a native of North Carolina, and 
 his father, Thomfis Welsh, was born in Ireland. 
 He came to Americ-a accompanied by his wife, and 
 settled in North Carolina, buying a tract of land in 
 Haywood County, and resided there until his death. 
 Mrs. Lowe's father grew to manhood in North 
 Carolina, and after his marriage with Mary Gross, 
 a native of Tennessee, he moved to Missouri, sev- 
 eral families going at the same time, and the re- 
 moval being made with teams and pack horses. He 
 settled in Howard County as one of its pioneers. 
 He bought timber land and built a log house, but 
 he afterward removed to Jackson County, and was 
 one of its very first settlers. He bought a tract of 
 timber land there, on which he erected a log house, 
 in which Mrs. Lowe was born. He continued to 
 be a resident of that county until his death in 1847. 
 His wife had preceded him to the better world in 
 1844. Mrs. Lowe was carefully trained, and being 
 sixteen years old when her mother died, many of 
 the household cares fell on her young shoulders. 
 She waa strong and self-reliant, and became a nota- 
 ble housekeeper. She earlj^ learned to spin, weave 
 and knit, and to her skillful hands the family owed 
 their clothes. She became an excellent cook, and 
 many an appetizing meal has shfe cooked before the 
 old-fashioned fireplace, as it was not until 18.53 
 that she had her first stove. The following is the 
 record of the nine children, six of whom are living, 
 who have blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Lowe: James lives at Oberlin, Kan.; Francis M. 
 lives in Ft. Calgory, Northwest Territory; Richard 
 lives at lied Mountain, Col.; Lee is at home; Mary- 
 married Henry Wlnton, of Nebraska City; Nancy 
 Alice is the wife of Edward Lowe, of Nebraska 
 City; Sarah L. M. was born June 2, 1858, and died 
 Feb. 22, 1887; John Nicholas was born Sept. 28, 
 1849, and died Oct. 9, 18.55; William Edward was 
 born May 16, 1856, and died at tlie age of three 
 years. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Lowe are faithful members of the 
 Christian Church, and their religion shines through 
 all their works. In the forty 3fears that they have 
 traveled life's road together they have been true 
 in all the relations of life to each other, and to 
 
 "r 
 
 those about them; as parents, their children have 
 found in them their best friends; as neighbors, 
 others have found in them safe and wise coun- 
 selors and willing helpers; those in trouble have 
 often found balm in their kindly expressed S3'm- 
 pathj', and in their prosperity they have not been 
 iinmindful of the unfortunate and needy, but have 
 generously extended a helping hand. It is such 
 people as these who raise the standard of morality 
 and goodness in a community. In politics Mr. 
 Lowe is a Democrat. 
 
 ILTON F. MEEK is one of the younger 
 but successful agriculturists of Otoe Pre- 
 cinct, in this county, and operates ninety- 
 five acres of fine farming land on section 
 28. He was born on the 12th of .January, 1856, in 
 Schuyler County, JIo. His father, Jefferson R. 
 Meek, was born in Henry County, Ky., and brought 
 up in Indiana, obtaining his education in the schools 
 of that State. His mother's maiden name was Sophia 
 Webster. Shortly after the marriage of his par- 
 ents they settled in Missouri, being among the 
 early pioneers of that State. There the mother 
 died in 1858, leaving ten children. Those who bore 
 the subjoined names alone gi-ew to mature years, 
 viz.: Alfred, Susan, William, Frank, John, Nannie 
 and JMilton F. By a second union the father of 
 our subject became the parent of four other chil- 
 dren. 
 
 Until he w.as nine years of age Milton F. Meek 
 lived in Schuyler County, but owing to constant 
 depredations by lawless giierrilla bands, the family 
 removed to Shelby Countj-, where he attended the 
 district school and was brought up on the farm. 
 In the summer of 1878 he came to Nebraska to 
 pay a visit to his brother John, who had settled in 
 this precinct in about the year 1873. He took a 
 great liking to the covmtry, and was especially 
 pleased at having the acquaintance of the lady 
 whom he subsequently married. 
 
 September 13, 1881, our subject was verj- happily 
 married to Miss Grace Winyard, the amiable and ac- 
 complished daugliter of John and Ann (Hodges) 
 Winy.ard, the latter now l\Irs. Ann iMartin (see 
 
 ♦r:"- 
 
*► I I <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 257 i ' 
 
 her sketch for further items of interest). Miss Win- 
 3'ard was born Dec. 3, 1862, upon the farm of 
 her parents in this precinct. Her union has been 
 blessed by the birtli of one child, whose name is 
 Carlton L. jNIeek. 
 
 Our subject and his wife are both earnest mem- 
 bers of the Camp Creek Congregational Church, of 
 which he has been a Trustee for several years. INIrs. 
 Meek is the Secretary and Treasurer of the local 
 W. C. T. U., which is in a flourishing condition, 
 while her husband is no less active as a Prohibi- 
 tionist. They are liighly esteemed in the community 
 of which they are residents. 
 
 IriljERNHARD HENRY NOELTING, a young 
 l'i>C< man of enterprise, energy and recognized 
 ability, is one of the foremost business men 
 of Nebraska City. He is head of the firm of 
 Noelting & Meyer, hardware merchants; he belongs 
 to the Great "Western Fur Company, of which lie 
 has been Secretary for some years; he is a Director 
 in the Building and Loan Association, and is a 
 member of the Board of Trade. 
 
 Mr. Noelting is a native of Westphalia, Germany, 
 born in the village of Wallenbrueck, count3' of Her- 
 ford, twelve miles from the city of Bielefeld. His 
 father, Herman Henry Noelting, w.as a lifelong resi- 
 dent of the same place, making farming his occupa- 
 tion until his death, while yet in the prime of life. 
 There were two children born to him and his wife, 
 our subject and his sister Catherine, who married 
 Frederic Strunk, and now lives in the town of 
 Berne, Count}' Bockum, Westphalia. The parents 
 of the subject of this sketch were Herman Henry 
 and Catharine M. E. (Wessling) Noelting, natives 
 of Germany ; the father is deceased. The mother 
 of our subject was born in the town of Werther, 
 County Halle, Germanj', and is a daughter of 
 Bernhard Henry and Katherine Ilsabeir (Pohlman) 
 Wessling. She was married a second time, to 
 Peter Henry Schwentker, and they have four daugh- 
 ters. She still lives in the old country. 
 
 Bernhard Noelting obtained a sound education 
 in the schools of his native land, which he attended 
 quite constantly until 1871, when he came to Amer- 
 
 ica. He was quite young when he lost his father, 
 but he was carefully trained by a good mother, and 
 went forth into the world well fortified against its 
 manifold temptations by the inculcation of good 
 principles. After reaching the hospitable shores of 
 this country, he proceeded immediatel}' to Ne- 
 braska City, and soon found employment on a 
 farm in Otoe County. He worked by the month 
 there for two and a half years, and then returned 
 to Nebraska City. Here he became a clerk iu the 
 establishment of F. W. Rottman, and in the five 
 and a half years that he remained with him he ob- 
 tained a thorough practical knowledge of the ins and 
 outs of trade. In the year 1880 Mr. Noelting started 
 in business for himself, forming a partnership, and 
 opening a hardware store under the firm name of 
 Noelting, Kregel & Co. He has been in the busi- 
 ness continuously since witii a change of partners. 
 The first change was to Noelting & Rector in 1882, 
 and in 1 884, after the death of Mr. Rector, Mr. 
 Mej'er became his partner, under the firm name of 
 Noelting & Meyer. This is the leading hardware 
 firm in Nebraska City, has a well-stocked and well- 
 appointed establishment, does a large business, and 
 gives general satisfaction to its many patrons. The 
 firm keeps a large supply of stoves, and they manu- 
 facture their own tinware, pumps and windmills, 
 and do a general gasfitting business. The present 
 firm has a branch house at Union, Neb., which is 
 well supplied with the same line of goods carried 
 here, together with farm implements. 
 
 Mr. Noelting has a keen, resolute, uncompromis- 
 ing nature, and in his business and social relations 
 his energetic character and practical sagacity find 
 ample field for exercise. He is an active member 
 of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and a teacher 
 in the Sunday-school. He is "strong in the faith, 
 and seeks for the good and cherishes it." 
 
 , EV. HIRAM HURST. After a long and 
 active life of ministerial labor, this gentle- 
 man has since 1884 lived retired, althoQgh 
 jno less interested than formerly, before he 
 attained the honor of the veteran in Gospel sol- 
 diery. He now resides on section 1 of McWilliams 
 
 ■•►HI- 
 
-^^ 
 
 -•►Hh 
 
 258 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Precinct, in the vicinity of Delta, where he has 
 made his home since 1878, and of Nebraska since 
 185.5. He has alw.a3's operated a farm in connec- 
 tion with his preaching engagements, but gave the 
 preference to the latter. His home was in Wj-oming 
 Precinct from 1855 to 1878, when he took up his 
 residence as at present. 
 
 Our subject was ordained a minister of the Regu- 
 lar Baptist Church some years after coming to the 
 State, and has carried on that department of his 
 life work with energy, spirit and effectiveness. He 
 has been associated with the Baptist Church of this 
 and Mills County, Iowa, and has built up several 
 new churches, strengthening and reviving weak and 
 semi-defunct organizations. The church at Delta 
 in its organization and efHciencj-, and also the house 
 of worship, are the result of his work, but only one 
 of many instances that might be cited. The only 
 reason for his leaving the pulpit and pastoral work 
 was the failure of his health, which demanded tiiat it 
 be transferred to younger and stouter, even though 
 less able and experienced men. 
 
 Mr. Hurst entered land upon coming to the State 
 in 1855. He settled on and entered the same in 
 Wyoming Precinct, and was one of the first in the 
 county to do so. There he made his home, and 
 brought up and educated a large family. He is a 
 native of East Tennessee, and was born in Claiborne 
 County on the 1st of March, 1821. His parents 
 were West Virginians, and in that State his father, 
 Joseph Hurst, was re.ared, married, and for several 
 j-ears carried on farming. The maiden name of his 
 wife, the mother of our subject, was RhodaMcNew. 
 After the birth of several children Joseph Hurst 
 and his wife moved to Claiborne County, Tenn. 
 and there made a home for their little ones, but 
 when their family had grown up, came to this State, 
 where the father died aged seventy-eight years, and 
 the mother about forty-eight years. They were 
 for many years members of the Baptist Church, and 
 were among the first to be baptized in Andrew 
 County, Mo., whither they had gone from Tennes- 
 see, and for a number of years had lived upon a 
 farm. 
 
 Our subject has been three times married. First 
 in Andrew Count}', to Elizabeth Todd, who, al- 
 though born in Indiana, had accompanied her par- I 
 
 ents to Missouri in her childhood. They were 
 neighbors to the familj' of Mr. Hurst, and fellow- 
 members of the church. For some ye.ars after his 
 marriage our subject continued farming in Missouri, 
 moving later to Iowa, where he took a claim in 
 Madison County in 1845, being perhaps the first to 
 enter a claim in that county. After ten years spent 
 in that district he removed as above mentioned in 
 the year 1855 to Nebraska, where the old pioneer 
 life was lived over again. Mrs. Hurst died in 
 Wyoming Precinct, this county, when about fifty 
 years of age, leaving eight children, viz: John M., 
 who is now the husband of Hester Webb, and one 
 of the successful farmers of the county; James H., 
 who married Mollie Gray, and is one of the well-to- 
 do farmers of Norton County, Kan.; William H., 
 residing in the same county; Sarah, the wife of 
 John Whetstone; Thomas Jefferson, at Edgar, and 
 married to Josie Smith, of Cass County. Neb. ; 
 Isaac N., who was married to Mollie Webb; Isabell, 
 the wife of John Hughes, of this county, and 
 Martha M., who is married to Steve Bales, of Tal- 
 mage. 
 
 The second marri.ige of our subject was cele- 
 brated at Wyoming, the lady being Elizabeth Lewis, 
 who was born in Indiana, but Mr. Hurst was not 
 long to enjoy her companionship, as she died about 
 one year after her marriage. Upon another occa- 
 sion also our subject stood before the nuptial altar, 
 and was united in marriage with Mrs. Ellen E. 
 Wood, relict of Fred W. Wood. That gentleman 
 was born in France. When but a little lad he ac- 
 companied his parents to the United States, but 
 subsequently was taken to England, where he was 
 educated, and where he remained until he was of 
 age. He then came to this country, and before 
 long to Nebraska, locating in the western part of the 
 State, where he met and married Miss E. E. Knox, 
 now Mrs. Hurst. 
 
 Miss Knox was born in Belmont County, Ohio, 
 Nov. 25. 1844. and is the daughter of John and 
 Agnes (Douglas) Knox. After the death of her 
 mother she came with her father in the year 1856 
 to Nebraska City, after tarrying in the State of Iowa 
 for about four years. Soon after coming to this 
 State Mr. Knox pre-empted land in West Otoe 
 County, later in Th.ayer County, where he operates 
 
 •> II 4* 
 
 1 ^ <• 
 
f\ 
 
 ■2> 
 
 ROCJ<FORD M. C. CHU/fCH . 
 
 Residence OF A.J. Reynolds, Sec 29.5outh Branch Precinct. 
 
 it^^m^^ 
 
 
 
 Residence OF James Hunt, Sec. 7. South Branch Precinct. 
 
 Mill and Residence of F. W.Schroeder , Sec.)?'. Syracuse: Precinct. 
 

 ' »» " ■ ^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 261 
 
 liis farm. Mrs. Hurst made lier home with her 
 father until her marriage with Mr. Wood, and has 
 all her life been associated with agricultural life. 
 She owns 160 acres of land, well improved and 
 stocked, which her late husband obtained when a 
 young man. He was by trade a mechanic in the 
 line of carpenter. He died at his home in this 
 county on the 8th of February, 1 846, at the age of 
 forty-seven years. He was the father of seven 
 children; two daughters, Katie A. and Katie E. are 
 both deceased. The surviving children are named 
 as follows: Charles W., May B.,Kate A., Lizzie G. 
 and 8}'lvester H. By her second marriage there 
 are four children, one. George H., being deceased. 
 The remaining children are named as follows: 
 Mary C, Edwin K. and Frederick H. 
 
 Mr. Hurst still retains his membership in the 
 Baptist Church, and is pleased to have his wife, two 
 daughters and sons with him in that relation. Upon 
 two occasions Mr. Hurst has been nominated for 
 Kei)resentative of the county', but was defeated. 
 For twenty j-ears he held the office of Justice of 
 the Peace. Two sons of our subject were in the 
 Rebellion, and represented the family in its patriotic 
 devotion. One was wounded at Nashville, and the 
 other honorablj- discharged, owing to ph3'sical disa- 
 bility. Politicallj', our subject is a Democrat, and 
 a stanch adherent of the party. 
 
 ON. FRANCIS SIM, a well-known and 
 wealthy citizen of Otoe County, was in for- 
 mer days prominently identified with its 
 pioneers, and is now one of its most pros- 
 perous farmers. Since coming here thirtj^-two j'ears 
 ago he has accumulated a large and valuable prop- 
 erty, and the home that he has built for himself 
 and family is one of the pleasantest in all Otoe Pre- 
 cinct. He was born in County Cornwall, England, 
 May 9, 1821. and his father and grandfather, both 
 named Philip Sim, were natives of the same county. 
 The latter was a farmer and a miller, and spent his 
 entire life in the place of his birth. 
 
 The father of our subject early learned the trade 
 of wool-comber, but did not engage in that long, 
 but went to butchering, and later was employed in 
 
 -4* 
 
 farming and milling. He remained a resident of 
 Cornwall until 1850, and then came to America to 
 live with his son. our subject, remaining with him 
 in his home in Middletown, Conn., until 1856, when 
 the son came to Nebraska, and he went to visit a 
 nephew in Wisconsin. In the spring of 1 857 he 
 came to Nebraska to make his home with his son, 
 and died here in 1863. The maiden name of his 
 wife, the mother of our subject, was Elizabeth 
 Rowe, and she was a daughter of William and Jane 
 (Dorrington) Rowe. She died about 1855 in her 
 native town, in the county of Cornwall, England. 
 There were four children born to her and her hus- 
 band, three of whom grew to maturity. Our sub- 
 ject and his father were the onlj' members of the 
 family who came to the United States. 
 
 Francis Sim was reared in his native town, and 
 as soon as large enough he commenced to work in 
 his father's mill, and learned from him the trade of 
 miller. He was a very capable and spirited young 
 man, and being ambitious to try life in the United 
 States, where he thought his labor would be better 
 remunerated, and that he would thus be enabled to 
 gain a competence and establish a comfortable home, 
 he set sail from Falmouth, April 19, 18-18, .and after 
 a voyage of six weeks landed in New York City 
 the following June. He made his way to Middle- 
 town. Conn., where he found employment in a fac- 
 tory for the manufacture of locks, hinges, etc. For 
 three j'ears and ten months he was thus employed by 
 one man. He then went to work in another factory, 
 where squares, bevels and rules were made. At 
 the end of a year he went to work in a pump fac- 
 torj' for a year, owned by W. aiid B. Douglass. 
 After that he opened a corporation boarding-house 
 for the Russell Manufacturing Company, and was 
 thus employed by that com pan}' until 1856, when 
 he concluded to start West and try to secure a 
 home where lands were chea|). 
 
 During his residence in Connecticut Mr. Sim had 
 married, in 1849, Miss Sarah M. Clark becoming 
 his wife, and to her devoted assistance he is greatly 
 indebted for his after success. She was born in 
 Haddam, Conn., a daughter of Daniel and Wealthy 
 (Burr) Clark, natives of Connecticut. There were 
 ten children born of that marriage, four of whom 
 are now living — Philip, William, John and Charles. 
 
 ■ » 
 
 f 
 
-4^ 
 
 262 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Mrs. Sim departed this life April 11, 1880, leaving 
 many friends to pay tribute to her worth. 
 
 Mr. Sim's marriage to his present estimable wife 
 togk place Dec. 3, 1880. She was formerly Miss 
 Eliza Manery, a native of County Down, Ireland. 
 Her father, John Manery, was born in the same 
 county, and her grandfather, James Manery, was 
 born in Countj' Armagh, Ireland, but he spent his 
 last years in County Down. Mrs. Sim's father came 
 to America in 1874, and settled in Thaj'er County, 
 Neb., where he still resides. The maiden name of 
 his wife was Eliza Kilpatrick, and she was likewise 
 of County Down. Mrs. Sim came to America in 
 1861, and resided in Quebec, Canada, until 18735 
 when she came to Nebraska, and has lived here 
 ever since. To them has been born a daughter, 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 When Mr. Sim came to Nebraska, in 1856, he 
 went by steamer through Long Island Sound and 
 up the Hudson River to Troj', N. Y., thence by 
 rail to Buffalo, where he embarked on the lake for 
 Detroit, from there to Chicago and St. Louis by rail, 
 and from the latter point on a steamer to Nebraska 
 Cit3', where he landed September 19. He bought 
 a squatter's claim to a tract of land on section 23 
 of Otoe Precinct, and he moved with his family 
 into a log cabin standing on the place, and when 
 the land came into the market he entered it from 
 the Government at the land-of33ce in Nebraska City. 
 Since then he has been very successful, and has 
 added to his landed estate until he now owns 575 
 acres of as rich and productive land as lies under 
 the sunny skies of Nebraska. He has his land di- 
 vided up into three fine farms, two of which are 
 managed by his sons. Each of his farms is supplied 
 with excellent and substantial frame buildings, and 
 with all the appurtenances for conducting agri- 
 culture in the most approved manner. 
 
 In the thirty-two years that have passed since 
 Mr. Sim came here to seek a home, he has witnessed 
 the wonderful growth of Nebraska from an almost 
 absolutely wild condition, with but few inhabitants, 
 and with deer, wild turkeys, wolves and other wild 
 animals roaming acrf>ss the boundless, uncultivated 
 prairies, to a rich and powerful State, with magnifi- 
 cent farms, thriving cities, busy towns and countless 
 beautiful homes, with scarcely a trace of its former 
 
 wildness, excepting, perhaps, in the more remote 
 portions of the State. As a man of sound wisdom, 
 ability and honesty, Mr. Sim became conspicuous 
 among the early settlers of this State in Territorial 
 days, and took an active part in public affairs. 
 In 1863 he was elected as Representative to the 
 Territorial Council, or Legislature. In politics he 
 is a stanch Republican. 
 
 if=T)REDERICK A. STUKENHOLTZ. Prosper- 
 l^fgi ous and enterprising as a farmer, highly 
 j^ esteemed in the community, and one of the 
 most earnest supporters of educational and religious 
 institutions, this gentleman is eminently worthy a 
 place in a history of Otoe County. Moreover, he is 
 one of its pioneers, and has done what has lain in 
 his power to assist its onward and upward progress. 
 He now owns 404 acres of splendid farming land, 
 situated as follows: On section 29, sixty acres, on 
 section 32. 160 acres, on section 31, 160 .acres, and 
 on section 35, twenty-four acres. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is the son of Frederick 
 G. Stukenholtz, and was born near the city of Her- 
 ford, Prussia, on the 2d of October, 1831. It was 
 his misfortune to lose his mother when he was 
 about four j'ears of age, her death occurring in the 
 year 1835. ■ She left seven children, who bore the 
 names here appended: Harmon H., Henny, Annie, 
 Marj', Casper H., Frederick A. and Sophia. 
 
 For the first thirty-six years of his life our sub- 
 ject lived in Prussia, receiving a splendid home and 
 good religious training, though his educational 
 opportunities were very limited. His large enter- 
 prise and love of liberty could not brook the re- 
 straints of imperialism, and resulted in his coming 
 to the " Land of the Free." He sailed from Bremen 
 Sept. 14, 1851, in company with his sister Sophia, 
 and arrived in New York on the 4th of November, 
 1851. His first efforts to obtain work were made 
 in Buffalo, where, beginning at the very bottom of 
 the ladder, he began by cutting wood. After one 
 year in that city he went to Lockport, Niagara 
 County, and for two years worked upon a farm. 
 
 While at Lockport our subject made the acquaint- 
 ance of Anna M. E. llauptman, the daughter of 
 
•► I I <•• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 263 
 
 i 
 
 ♦ 
 
 Harmon and Catherine (Ilaabine) Flauptnian. who 
 also loi^ked to the Fatlierland as tlie land of their 
 birth. Their daughter Anna was the second of seven 
 children born to them in their native land, and ac- 
 companied them to this county, she being at the 
 time about twenty years of age. 
 
 In 1856 Mr. and Mrs. tStukenhoItz migrated to 
 Jefferson County. Wis., but the following year came 
 to this State, settling on the unbroken prairie, which 
 was at that time entirely destitute of houses, homes, 
 churches, schools, government or law, and almost of 
 settlers. Life was held very cheap, and a shooting 
 caused little or no remark. He took up a claim of 
 eighty acres, and went to work with the splendid 
 result that is apparent to all by a glance at his 
 admirably cultivated and fertile, productive farm. 
 
 The family circle of our subject included eight 
 children, viz : An infant stillborn ; Annie P., Har- 
 man II. (both deceased), Mary E., John F., Charles 
 II., Ida (deceased) and Carrie. Mary P. is mar- 
 ried to John Wellberger, of Otoe Precinct, and they 
 have three little ones, whose names are Addie 
 S., Nelson and Charles E. Carrie is the wife of 
 John Maasr, of this precinct, and is the mother of one 
 child. Ethel M. 
 
 The religious home of our subject and his wife 
 is within the pale of the German Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church in Nebraska City, of which organization 
 they were charter members, and our subject has 
 been a Trustee from its commencement. He is not 
 a leader in politics, but is a student and lover of 
 the institutions &nd government of his adopted 
 countr3', and alw.iys votes with the Republican 
 party on National questions. 
 
 -^ 
 
 I 
 
 /^j^\ RS. ANN MARTIN has been for many 
 years identified with the various inter- 
 ests of Otoe County, and is a lady of in- 
 telligence and culture, an earnest temper- 
 ance advocate, and very highly esteemed member of 
 societ}'. Her home is situated upon section 28 of 
 Otoe Precinct. Her parents, Richard and Grace 
 (Balch) Hodges, were natives of England, and were 
 the parents of six children, five of whom came to 
 this country with their i)arents. Their first home 
 
 in the New World was in Tompkins County, or. .as 
 it is now called, Schuyler County, N. Y. The 
 names of their children are as follows: Elizalteth, 
 Janes; Palmice, who died in infancy; Ann, Maria 
 and John R. 
 
 The nativity of ]\Irs. IMartin dates from the 7tli 
 of July, 1832, and her place of birth was near the 
 city of Bath, Somerset County, England. When 
 she came to America she was about eight years of 
 age, and received her education in the common 
 schools of this county, attending also at Peach 
 Orchard Academy, Schuyler Count^^ Her mother 
 died in the year 1847, at the age of fifty-nine years. 
 The subject of our sketch began teaching in Schuy- 
 ler County upon being graduated from the academy, 
 and afterward taught in Chemung Countj', .and con- 
 tinued to follow this profession in all about three 
 years. 
 
 In 1853, while upon a visit to her sister, Mrs. 
 Elizabeth Jaquish, who resided at Barrington, in 
 Cook County, III., our subject met Mr. John Win- 
 jard, to whom she was afterward married. This 
 gentleman Vfos born in England on the 21st of De- 
 cember, 1827. He came to this country from England 
 in 1849, and was farming in Cook County- at the 
 time the acquaintance began. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Winyard came to this State with 
 their two children in 1858. They did intend to 
 settle in Kansas, but becoming disgusted with the 
 State after a short acquaintance, it being right in 
 the midst of tlie Kansas and Nebraska troubles, they 
 departed from their original intention and located 
 three miles northwest of Palmyra Village, and Mrs. 
 Winy.ard's husband died July 18, 1871. The father 
 of Mrs. Winyard accompanied them to Nebraska; 
 he died at the residence of his daughter in 1858. 
 They were the parents of the following children: 
 Amelia M.; Carrie E., who died when five ye.ars old; 
 Libbie E., who died when two months old; Ilettie 
 J., Grace E. and May A. 
 
 Of the above-named children Amelia is now the 
 wife of John Meek, a resident of Otoe Precinct; 
 she had previously been married to John Carr, by 
 whom she became the mother of two children — Ole 
 F. and Preston W.; Hettie J. was the wife of Clar- 
 ence B. Casselman, the well-known hardware mer- 
 chant of Hendricks; she died in 1886. leaving two 
 
 ^^h^ 
 
1^ 
 
 H^ 264 
 
 "•►^P- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 children — Winnie M. and Frank W. Grace E. is now 
 Mrs. Milton Meek, and lives on the old homestead; 
 she has presented her husband with one bright, 
 beautiful child, who bears the name Carlton L. 
 Maj' A., who still makes her home with her mother, 
 is single. 
 
 The second marriage of our subject was celebrated 
 in 1873, when she became the wife of Mr. Hiram 
 Martin. He was a native of Oneida County, N. 
 Y. Of this marriage one chUd was born, whose 
 name is Maude L. Mrs. Martin is a member of the 
 Congregational Church at Camp Creek, and is one 
 of the prominent workers of the W. C. T. U., which 
 has been in running order in this place for over 
 two years. In this she is joined by her daughters, 
 who are all actively engaged in the temperance 
 cause, and are recognized leaders therein. 
 
 «o« . i?' . ; i fl . t; » '?i «>-«o. 
 
 •►Hh-<«- 
 
 eHRlSTOPHER OELKE. Among the Ger- 
 man-American citizens of Otoe Precinct, 
 few are more loyal to the institutions and 
 government of their adopted country, of higher 
 character or more successful in business undertak- 
 ings, than he whose life is herein sketched suc- 
 cinctly. His home and farm are upon section 7 of 
 the above precinct. His property comprises 1 34 acres. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is the youngest of 
 twelve children born to John and Catharine (Mj'er) 
 Oelke. He was born on the 24th of Februarj', 1843. 
 When his parents came to this country he was nine 
 years of age. Their home was made in Clayton 
 County, Iowa, where, about seven years later, his 
 father died. After that event our subject began 
 to work out upon the neighboring farms by the 
 month. The following year he accompanied his 
 brother-in-law, Henry Hyer, and came to this .State, 
 where he followed the same course. The next 
 year he went to Pike's Peak, but not being so suc- 
 cessful as he anticipated he went to Virginia City, 
 Mont., and worked in the silver mines for two 
 years in the employ of a companj'. 
 
 Leaving Montana Mr. Oelke went prospecting 
 for himself, and developed a gulch mine on Silver 
 Creek, and is reputed to have been the first to dis- 
 cover silver on that creek, which was named bj' 
 
 him on account of that event. Being desirous of 
 making a change he sold his mine and bought 
 stock in the Virginia City mines, but this was not 
 a successful move. 
 
 In 1865 the subject of our sketch returned to 
 Nebraska and embarked in farming. In 1873 he 
 celebrated his marriage with Miss Catharine Tlieile, 
 the daughter of Frank and Margaret (Walder) 
 Tbeile. She was born near Hamburg, and did not 
 come to this country until 1870, when she was 
 twent}' years of age, and came to Nebraska City. 
 Her sister Lj'dia accompanied her in this long jour- 
 ney, and both lived for a time in Nebraska City. 
 There have been born nine children of this union, 
 whose names are recorded as follows: Mary, Carl, 
 Maggie, Chris Henry, Louis. Taj-lor, Arthur, Frank 
 and Harry (twins). 
 
 Mr. Oelke purchased 160 acres in 1880, and when 
 the Missouri Pacific railroad was built he sold twen- 
 t3'-six acres to that railroad for a town site, at $75 
 per acre, on which is loc.ited the station and village 
 of Paul. This left him his present property of 134 
 acres, and since that time, by patient, persevering 
 industry, he has brought it from an unimproved con- 
 dition to its present productive, fertile state. His 
 last improvement was the erection of a very pleasant 
 and commodious one and a half story frame dwell- 
 ing, whicii is designed to meet every requirement 
 of home life, so far as such is possible. In poli- 
 tics he is a stanch Republican, and has so been for 
 many years, although not taking a very prominent 
 place in political affairs. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Oelke are members of the German Lutheran Church, 
 where they are much esteemed, as the^^ are indeed 
 wherever they ate known. 
 
 ^ .^^ «^ 
 
 RUNE BRUNS. The property of this well- 
 to-do farmer of Rock Creek Precinct com- 
 |; prises 160 acres of fertile land, embracing 
 the northwest quarter of section 20. Of 
 late years he has been giving especial .attention to 
 stock-raising, and keeps some excellent breeds of 
 cattle and hogs. He has been a resident of this 
 county for a period of twenty-six years, coming to 
 Nebraska with his parents during its Territorial 
 
 ■•►-*- 
 
»► II <• 
 
 .^h 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •2G5 
 
 i 
 
 (laj'S. He located on his present farm in March, 
 1884, and during a comparatively !)rief residence 
 upon it has effected some line improvements. 
 
 The parents of our subject. Ocke and Fannj' 
 (Wallmann) Bruns, were horn in what was then the 
 Kingdom of Hanover, German}', which was also the 
 birthplace of their son Brune, where he first opened 
 his eyes to the light Nov. 15, 1853, and was the 
 eldest son of a famil}' of five children. They set 
 out for the United States in the summer of 1862, 
 when our subject was a lad of nine years, embark- 
 ing on a sailing-vessel, landing seven weeks later in 
 the city of New York. They made their way di- 
 I'ectly to Nebraska, the father selecting a tract of 
 land on section 19 of McWilliams Precinct, this 
 county, where he became owner of 170 acres, from 
 which he has built up a comfortable homestead, and 
 where, with his estimable wife, he still lives. The 
 father is sixty-six j-ears old and the mother fifty- 
 six. Both are members in good standing of the 
 Lutheran Chureii, and people greatly respected in 
 their community 
 
 The first lessons of our subject were conducted 
 in the schools of his native Province, but his edu- 
 cation was completed in McWilliams Precinct, this 
 countj'. Here also he was reared to manhood, and 
 married Miss Gesine Yarenhorst, who was born 
 near the town of Etzel, Hanover, .June 20, 1854. 
 Her parents were Phillip and Gesine (Wall) Yaren- 
 horst. Thej' were of pure German ancestry, and 
 still continue residents of their native Empire, the 
 father pursuing his calling of agriculturist, and be- 
 ing now quite well advanced in j-ears. 
 
 Mrs. Bruns was reared to womanhood in her na- 
 tive Province, and came alone to America when 
 twenty years of age. She also proceeded directly 
 westward across the Mississippi to this county, and 
 lived with her husband's parents in McWilliams 
 Precinct until her marriage. Of her union with 
 our subject there were born five children, the sec- 
 ond f)f whom, a son, Rudolph, died when a bright 
 and interesting lad of nine years. The survivors 
 are three daughters and one son. and named respect- 
 ively: Fannj-, Lena, Anna and Ocke. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Bruns, like their parents before them, are connected 
 with the Lutheran Church, and our subject, politi- 
 ^ ' cally, is independent, aiming to support the men 
 
 whom he considers best qualified for office. He is 
 a quiet and unassuming citizen, having no desire 
 for official honors, preferring to give his undivided 
 attention to his home and bis family. He has ful- 
 filled all the obligations of an honest man and a 
 good citizen, being prompt in his business trans- 
 actions, and a member of the community whose 
 word is considered as good as his bond. 
 
 -^•- 
 
 |E^OX. LOULS HOEBEL, President of the Bank 
 Ijji; of Syracuse, and widely known throughout 
 l^^^ the count}' as one of the large grain dealers, 
 (^ having his headquarters at Hildreth and Up- 
 land, was born in Freeport, Stephenson Co., 111., on 
 the 17th of December, 1842. He is a son of Jacol) 
 and Elizabeth Hoebel, who were natives of Bavaria, 
 Germany, where they grew to years of maturity 
 and were married. In the year 1842 they deter- 
 mined to emigrate to the New AVorld, and upon 
 effecting their purpose settled upon a farm near 
 Freeport. Mr. Hoebel, Sr., became the owner of 
 140 acres of good farming land, which he was en- 
 abled to bring to an almost perfect condition for 
 agricultural purposes. He erected first-class build- 
 ings for the various requirements of the farm, and 
 also a comfortable farm residence. 
 
 The father of our subject died in the year 1882, 
 after an active, and upon the whole, prosperous life 
 of eighty-two years, having survived his wife, the 
 mother of our subject, since the year 1857. They 
 were the parents of six children, all of whom at- 
 tained to years of maturity, but of whom two. 
 Peter and John, are now deceased. The surviving 
 members of the famil}' are: Jacob, whose home is 
 in Stephenson Count}-, 111.; Phillips, who resides in 
 Benton County, Iowa; Catherine, now Mrs. Sprat- 
 ler, and Louis, the subject of this sketch. 
 
 The early years of the youth and manhood of our 
 subject were spent in his native county. He was 
 brought upon his father's farm, and attended the pub- 
 lic school near by. Between the two the work of his 
 education went on, and when he was fifteen years 
 of age he started to learn the trade of a tinner. 
 This he followed at Freeport until he attained his 
 majority, when he went to Benton County, Iowa, 
 
 ■> J *^ 
 
-11^ 
 
 266 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 and engaged in the hardware business with bis 
 brother, and continued therein until the 1st of 
 January, 1880. Our subject then came to Syra- 
 cuse, and associated himself with Walter Peet as a 
 partner in a banking-house, which they established, 
 and which has become an incorporated bank, and is 
 that over which our subject now presides. In 1886 
 he embarked in the grain trade at Hildreth and Up- 
 land, to which he has since given much of his time 
 and attention. To say that he is successful is 
 almost unnecessary, for the record of his life is that 
 whatever he has undertaken he has conducted to a 
 desirable finish. 
 
 Mr. Hoebel became the husband of Katie Sauer, 
 at Freeport, in June, 1865. This lady, who is the 
 daughter of Ambrose and Terisa Sauer, was born 
 at Baden-Baden, April 30, 1845. When her par- 
 ents came to this country she was twelve years of 
 age. They first settled at Freeport, 111., and en- 
 gaged in farming. There have been born to our 
 subject four children, whose names are as follows: 
 Carrie, Ida, Fred and Edwin. 
 
 The political relations of our subject are with the 
 Democratic party. He was enthusiastically elected 
 to represent his district in the Lower House of the 
 State Legislature. He has also served one term in 
 the State Senate. He is a prominent member of 
 the Masonic fraternity, and is well received in it 
 by his fellows. In addition to bis other business 
 interests he is President of the Upland Banking 
 Company, at Upland. He resides upon his farm, 
 which is pleasantly situated near Syracuse, and is 
 an extensive land-owner in other parts of this State 
 and Kansas. He is a man of character, of business 
 qualities, shrewd, of large intelligence, and one re- 
 spected and esteemed by all. 
 
 ,HADAMANTHUS H. SCOFIELD, Prin- 
 cipal of the public schools at Syracuse, 
 traces his ancestry back to England, whence 
 ^the first representatives of the family in 
 this country emigrated to America during its Co- 
 lonial daj's. History records the fact that some 
 time between 1594 and 1600 a boy was born in 
 England, among whose descendants are now found 
 
 -<•- 
 
 noted Generals, eminent divines, and bright lights 
 in nearlj^ every calling or profession in which man 
 is engaged. The name of this boy was Daniel 
 Scofield, and he must have been a venturesome 
 lad, as it is believed he took passage in the "May- 
 flower," which landed on Plymouth Rock in De- 
 cember, 1620. There have now elapsed 268 years, 
 and the Scofield family is scattered over the whole 
 length and breadth of the land, having reached the 
 tenth generation, of which our subject is a repre- 
 sentative, and who probably aggregate 500 souls. 
 Some time ago they formed an association for the 
 purpose of holding annual reunions and preserving 
 their records. The first meeting was held in 1866, 
 at which time eighty-five members were present. 
 The 3'ear following the meeting included 151 mem- 
 bers, and the third session was attended by 212. The 
 next meeting, appointed for Aug. 16, 1889, is to 
 be held at the home of Levi Loomis, in Ashville, 
 N. Y. 
 
 Seymour Scofield, the father of our subject, was 
 born in the town of Greenfield, Saratoga Co.. N. Y., 
 in 1805, and enjoys the distinction of being the 
 oldest living member of his race, although they are 
 noted for longevity. He grew to manhood, becom- 
 ing familiar with agricultural pursuits, and mar- 
 ried Miss Eliza Scofield, a distant relative. During 
 the year 1844 they took up their residence in Jef- 
 ferson County, N. Y., where the father eliminated 
 a good farm from the heavy timber. In 1856 he 
 changed his residence to Chautauqua County, where 
 he now resides, and though crippled in his lower 
 limbs, possesses all his mental faculties in a high 
 degree, and is a fine, handsome, intelligent and 
 high-spirited old gentleman. The faithful and af- 
 fectionate wife and mother, who has jouruej^ed 
 with him for a period of fifty-seven years, is also 
 living, and although seventy-seven j^ears of age, 
 loolts as .young as a lady of sixty. 
 
 This aged and honored pair became the parents of 
 ten children, eight of whom are living, and residents 
 mostly of New York and Pennsylvania. Rhada- 
 manthus II., our subject, was their fourth child, 
 and was born at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., Oct. 27, 
 1839. He was but a boy when the family removed 
 to Chautauqua County, and there secured his edu- 
 cation in the common schools and academies. His 
 
I- 
 
 -•»* 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 parents being in limited circumstances, he made his 
 own living from early youth, employing himself at 
 whatever he could tind to do, and pa3'ing his way 
 through school. He finally developed into a teacher, 
 and having a thirst for learning, succeeded finally 
 m entering the State Normal School, of Edinboro, 
 Pa., where he was nearly prepared for graduation 
 at the outbreak of the Reliellion. This crisis in the 
 nation's history aroused the patriotism of the stu- 
 dents generally, and our subject, with others, en- 
 listed in a Pennsylvania regiment of infantrj-, but 
 on account of phj'sical disability was in a short 
 time discharged. 
 
 Young Scofleld now resumed teaciiing in his 
 native State for a time, and then visited "Whiteside 
 County, 111., where he taught one term. The ex- 
 citement of the oil discovery in Pennsylvania being 
 now at its height, he visited the region where wells 
 were being developed, but after experimenting 
 there for a time, concluded there was nothing for 
 him in that region, and returning to Illinois, taught 
 school during the winter seasons, and spent his va- 
 cations in traveling over different States. While re- 
 siding in Morrison, 111., he made the acquaintance of 
 Miss Lottie McDearmon, to whom he was married 
 in September, 1868. Mrs. Scofleld was born in 
 Aurora, N. Y., on the 22d of March, 1840, and 
 early in life removed with her parents to Chicago, 
 111., and later to Whiteside County, that State, 
 where she was graduated from IMt. Carroll Seminary. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Scofleld after their marriage set- 
 tled in Chautauqua, N. Y'.,and our subject devoted 
 himself to teaching. Later he assumed charge of 
 the public schools at Blairstown, Iowa, and subse- 
 quently held the same position at Iowa Falls and 
 Sidnej^ that State. In 1883 he invested in land 
 in Madison County, Neb., and had then made up 
 his mind to become a tiller of the soil. He was 
 obliged to abandon this project on account of the 
 failing health of his wife. He then took charge 
 of the schools at Madison, but was soon c6mpelled 
 to resign his position. Mrs. Lottie Scofleld de- 
 parted this life at her home in Madison, April 2, 
 1885, leaving four small children — Ralph, Ernest, 
 Hattie and Bertha. The home of our subject was 
 then broken up, and his little girls were sent to 
 Portland, Ore., to live with an aunt, while Ralph 
 
 remained in Madison and Ernest was taken into 
 the home of an uncle living in Missouri. For some 
 time after Mr. Scofleld was unalile to confine him- 
 self to any one place, but in 1886 was called to 
 take charge of the schools at Syracuse, which he 
 arranged according to the graded system, and in 
 1888 graduated a class of four members. 
 
 On the 7tli of June, 1887, Mr. Scofleld contracted 
 a second marriage, with Mrs. Juana L. Sanderson, 
 who was born in Lincolnshire, England, but came 
 to the United States with her parents when quite 
 young. She is a lady of excellent education, and 
 has followed teaching for some years. She has been 
 since her marriage associated with lier husband as 
 assistant teacher in the schools of Syracuse. 
 
 The Scoflelds, from father to son, through many 
 generations, have been stanch supporters of Demo- 
 cratic doctrines, and our subject is no exception to 
 the rule. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and a sosial, 
 genial, intelligent gentleman, who numbers his 
 friends by scores, and whose home is a most at- 
 tractive resort for the cultivated element of society. 
 
 -—i- 
 
 #-# 
 
 -^— 
 
 i^^'HOMAS ANDREWS, of Russell Precinct, 
 ((^^ owns and operates a snug farm of 101 acres 
 ^^^ on section 30. His homestead is one illus- 
 trative of peace and contentment, and his domestic 
 affairs are presided over by a lady of more than 
 ordinary abilities, both as a helpmate and house- 
 keeper, the dwelling within being a picture of taste, 
 cleanliness and beauty. St. Paul, during his jour- 
 neyings and philosophizings, once remarked that 
 "Cleanliness is next to godliness," and the intelli- 
 gent individual will heartily coincide with him in 
 this sentiment. Mrs. Andrews evidently believes 
 entirely in tlie truth of it, and carries it out in her 
 daily life. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Andrews are approaching the after- 
 noon of lives which have been well spent, during 
 which they have lived at peace among their neigh- 
 bors, and shed a good influence around them. 
 Our subject is the eldest of twelve children, tiie 
 offspring of Bartholomew and Philamela (Merriam) 
 Andrews, who were natives of Litchfleld, Conn., 
 the father born in 1790, and the mother flve years 
 
 i^ 
 
 t- 
 
.>-ll-^ 
 
 2G.S 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 .^h^ 
 
 later, in 1795. The paternal grandfather, Lyman 
 Andrews, was of English ancestry, but born in 
 Connecticut, and the maternal grandfather, Thomas 
 Merriam, was also a native of Connecticut, where it 
 is supposed he spent his entire life. 
 
 Bartholomew Andrews when a young man twenty- 
 two years of age was drafted into the army dur- 
 ing the War of 1812, but on account of illness vvas 
 unable to serve. He had in the meantime with his 
 parents taken up his residence in Saratoga County, 
 N. Y., to which they had migrated when he was a 
 little lad four years of age. There the parents of 
 our subject were married. In 1815 they moved 
 to Onondaga Countj', N. Y., where the father pur- 
 chased sixty acres of heavily timbered land, from 
 which he cleared a farm, where he erected a sawmill, 
 and by means of the two together accumulated a 
 fine property. There he spent the remainder of his 
 days, his death taking place Oct. 12, 1867. The 
 mother survived her husband a period of eighteen 
 years, remaining a widow, and died on the 13th of 
 April, 1885, at the advanced age of ninetj'. 
 
 The twelve children of the parental family were 
 as follows: Thomas, our subject; Gamsej'; Hannah, 
 deceased ; Noah ; Caroline and Lavina, deceased ; 
 Edwin, Titus; Curtis, deceased; Solomon, Clarissa 
 and Almira, the two latter also]deceased. Solomon 
 during the Civil War enlisted in the 3d Iowa Bat- 
 tery, which was stationed most of the time around 
 Little Rock, Ark., and after the expiration of his 
 first term of enlistment volunteered the second time. 
 He is now in Iowa. The surviving members of the 
 family are mostly residents of Nebraska and New 
 York. 
 
 Thomas Andrews, our subject, the eldest child of 
 his parents, was born in Onondaga Countj', N. Y., 
 April 14, 1817. He made his home with his par- 
 ents until reaching his majority, in the meantime 
 receiving a common-school education. He then 
 learned the cooper's trade, which he followed for a 
 period of ten years. He was married while a resi- 
 dent of New York State, after which he followed 
 farming two years, then going to Walworth County, 
 Wis., resumed his trade and lived there also two 
 years, at the same time carrying on farming in a 
 modest way. 
 
 In 1853 our subject, seized with the gold fever. 
 
 made his way to California, and in company with 
 his brother staking a claim in Sacramento County, 
 was engaged most of the time thereafter for a period 
 of ten j'ears in hunting for the yellow ore. Not- 
 withstanding his perseverance he met with indiffer- 
 ent success, and 1863 found him on his wa}' to 
 his old home in Onondaga County, N. Y. He lived 
 there three years, then moved to Wisconsin. 
 
 In 1875, once more crossing the Mississippi, Mr. 
 Andrews purchased 240 acres of laud in Keokuk 
 County, Iowa, in partnership with his brother, 
 which they operated together until 1877, and then 
 Thomas disposed of his interest in the property to 
 his brother. With the proceeds he purchased 160 
 acres in Jefferson, Iowa, which he sold in 1884, 
 and determined to experiment upon the soil of 
 Nebraska. The result was his purchase of the 
 homestead whicli he now owns and occupies. Upon 
 this he has made great improvements, setting out 
 groves and an orchard and hedge, and otherwise 
 gathering together the appliances forming the com- 
 plete rural home. He has of late years given his 
 attention largely to stock-raising, dealing in cattle, 
 hogs and horses, the latter embracing the celebrated 
 Hambletonians and Clydesdales. 
 
 Mr. Andrews was first married in Onondaga, 
 N. Y., Feb. 28, 1847, to Miss Julia A., daughter of 
 Oliver and Clarissa F. Hill, who was born in that 
 county Jan. 10, 1824. Her parents were natives 
 respectively of Vermont and New York State, and 
 the father a cabinet-maker by trade. They spent 
 their last j'ears in New York. Of this marriage 
 there was born one child only, Julia A., who is now 
 the wife of John McGonogel, and resides in Onon- 
 daga County, N. Y; they have two children. Mrs. 
 Julia A. Andrews departed this life at her home in 
 New York, in 1848. 
 
 Our subject and his present wife, who in her girl- 
 hood was Miss Mary A. Rush, were united in mar- 
 riage in Keokuk County, Iowa, May 9, 1869. Mrs. 
 Mary Andrews was born in Westmoreland County, 
 Pa., Jan. 10, 1844, and is the daughter of Joseph 
 and Catherine (Auttman) Rush, who were also 
 natives of th.it county. They moved to Iowa in 
 1858, where the father followed farming, and where 
 he is still living, being now seventy years of age. 
 The mother died Aug. 28, 1888. Of this union of ^ ' 
 
Residence of Lars Andersen Sec.30. Delaware Precinct. 
 
•►HI-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 271 iL 
 
 J,H 
 
 our subject there have been born five children, 
 namely: Lovina; A. B., deceased; Cora, May and 
 Rosa. The survivors are all at home with their 
 parent". Mr. Andrews cast his first Presidential 
 vote for Harrison, and is a stanch Republican "dyed 
 in the wool." He has been a member of tlie School 
 Board of his district for the past three years, and in 
 religious matters belongs to the Baptist Church at 
 Eden school-house, in which he officiates as Sujier- 
 intendent of the Sunday-school. 
 
 To Joseph and Catherine Rusli, the parents of 
 Mrs. Andrews, there were born eight cliildren, one 
 son and seven daughters, namely : Mary A., John, 
 Lizzie; Susan, who died when about eighteen years 
 old; Trac3'; Frances, deceased; Maggie, and Lucy, 
 deceased. The last two were twins. Five of the 
 children are surviving, and mostl3' residents of 
 Iowa. 
 
 bARS AKDERSEN. The Old World has 
 , given thousands of the best of her sons to 
 1 the development of the AVestern Continent, 
 and among these the subject of this sketch forms a 
 worthj' example. He is one of the most prosper- 
 ous farmers of Delaware Precinct, where he owns 
 160 acres of good land on section 30. By a process 
 of careful cultivation he has brought it to a very 
 fertile condition, and upon it has erected good 
 buildings, including one of the handsomest resi- 
 dences in this locality, a view of which appears on 
 the adjoining page. He has done much of his own 
 carpenter work, being a natural mechanic, and thus 
 has s.aved an outlay of .hundreds of dollars. Our 
 subject has an orchard comprising about 400 vari- 
 ous fruit trees, and had last year over 100 bushels 
 of fine peaches. 
 
 Our subject presents most forcibly- the illustr.a- 
 tion of the self-made man, as he began in life 
 dependent upon his own resources. His earliest 
 recollections are of a modest home in the Kingdom 
 of Denmark, where his birth took place Feb. 23, 
 1847. His parents were Anders Madsen and Else 
 C. (Sorensen) Andersen, natives of the same Prov- 
 ince as their son, and wliose household consisted of 
 
 eleven children. Of these latter nine are living, 
 and are residents of Denmark. 
 
 ]\Ir. Andersen received a common-school educa- 
 tion, and during his youth and early manhood 
 employed himself at farming. He continued upon 
 his native soil until a man twenty-five years of 
 age, and then, desirous of something better than the 
 prospect held out to him there, set sail in the 
 spring of 1872 for the United States. He made his 
 way at once to Nebraska, and for several years was 
 emplo3'ed as a Laborer in Nebraska Cit}'^ and vicin- 
 itj-. In the meantime he saved what he could of 
 his earnings, and finallj' rented a tract of land and 
 commenced farming. He was thus employed until 
 taking possession of his present land. 
 
 Mr. Andersen was m.arried in tlie month of 
 October, 1879, to Miss Christina Christensen, the 
 wedding taking place at the home of the bride in 
 Nebraska Citjr. Mrs. Andersen is the daughter of 
 Christian Nelson and Meren (Jensen) Christensen, 
 natives of Denmark, and was born Sept. 21, 1852, 
 in Denmark. Of her union with our subject there 
 is only one child living, a son, Cliarles, although 
 thej' have been the parents of five. 
 
 JNIr. Andersen upon becoming a naturalized citi- 
 zen identified himself with the Republican party, 
 the principles of which he is still a warm supporter. 
 He, however, meddles very little with politics, and 
 has no desire for office. He commenced from first 
 principles in the building up of his f.arm, there 
 having been very little attempt at improvement on 
 bis land at the time of its purchase. He certainly 
 deserves great credit for his achievements, which 
 cannot otherwise than have been the result of per- 
 sistent industry and the wisest management. He is 
 esteemed among his neiglibors as an honest man 
 and first-class citizen, and one emiuentl\' worthy 
 of representation in this work. 
 
 W.^ ERMAN WACHENDORF, ''mine host" of 
 ~ the European House and Restaurtint, at Tal- 
 mage, is numbered among the energetic 
 _ business men of the place, and one who is 
 
 contrilniting his full quota to it.'; importance as a 
 
■^ 
 
 ■•►■ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 i: 
 
 growing town. He came to the place in the spring 
 of 1882, and put up a building, within which he 
 established the first permanent restaurant and sa- 
 loon in the place, and which he has since con- 
 ducted in a highly successful manner. This being 
 the beginning of his business career, his success has 
 been a little bej'ond the ordinarj-, his good sense 
 in a large measure supplying the lack of experience. 
 Among the many views presented in this volume 
 is one of the business place of this enterprising 
 gentleman. 
 
 A native of the Province of Hanover, Germanj', 
 our subject was born Feb. 10, 1854, and crossed 
 the Atlantic when a youth of eighteen years. Soon 
 after setting foot upon American soil he proceeded 
 to Lafayette County, Wis., where he engaged in 
 farming, and in IMarch, 1875, was married to Miss 
 Addie Koppamann. This lady was also a native of 
 Germany, and came to the United States when a 
 young woman. She onlj^ survived her marriage a 
 few years, her decease taking place in Belmont Pre- 
 cinct, Otoe County, this State, in the fall of 1880. 
 Her death was caused by eating meat affected by 
 trichina — the flesh of a pet pig which she had 
 raised herself. Mr. W. and a daughter were also 
 taken seriously ill from the same. 
 
 Of this marriage of our subject there had been 
 born two children, daughters, of whom Lizzie, the 
 elder, is now living with an aunt in Burlington, 
 Iowa, and Anna, with an uncle in Colsburg, Iowa. 
 Mr. Wachendorf contracted a second marriage, 
 Nov. 9, 1881, in Belmont Precinct, with Miss Celia 
 Strochmann, also a native of Germany, who came 
 to America when a young lady. Her father, Fred- 
 erick Strochmann, is a resident of Nebraska Citj-. 
 Of this union there have been born four children, 
 one of whom, John, died in infancy. The sur- 
 vivors are Celia, Lena and Dora T. 
 
 John Wachendorf, the father of our subject, 
 spent his entire life in his native Province of Han- 
 over, Germany. He married a lady of his own na- 
 tionality, INIiss Anna Robbins, who died when her 
 son Herman was a lad nine years of age. The lat- 
 ter came to this State after his marriage, and lo- 
 cated first in Belmont Precinct, this county, where 
 he established a little country store in the winter 
 of 1879. He is developing into a thorough busi- 
 
 ^1 
 
 ness man, is becoming fully identified with the in- 
 terests of his adopted country, and uniformly votes 
 the straight Demc)cratic ticket. 
 
 <¥/ OHN SCHARP, of Wyoming Precinct, is the 
 owner of a fine farm of 320 acres, pleasantly 
 located on section 16. Upon this he has 
 Labored industriously since the spring of 
 1857, when he secured ownership to IGO acres, and 
 b^an the building up of the homestead which is 
 now looked upon with an admiring eye by all wlio 
 pass by it. The buildings, tasteful and substantial, 
 are eminentlj' creditable to the proprietor, and pos- 
 sess all the conveniences required by the modern 
 agriculturist. The fences are kept in good order, 
 the live stock is well fed and sheltered, and the 
 machinery for the prosecution of agriculture is of 
 the latest improved pattern. JMr. Seharp occupies 
 a prominent position in social and business circles, 
 and has been no unimportant factor in the develop- 
 ment of the liest interests of this part of tlie county. 
 
 Our subject looked upon Nebraska during its 
 Territorial da3's, having come to this county as 
 early as 1857. ten years before it was admitted into 
 the Union as a State. He settled then in Wyoming 
 Precinct, of which he has since been a resident. A 
 native of Denmark, he was born Feb. 9, 1843, and 
 when a lad of fourteen years emigrated to America 
 with his father, with whom he lived until reaching 
 his majority. The father was accidentally killed 
 by a runaway team in June, 1885. He was a far- 
 mer by occupation, and was married in his native 
 country to Miss Mattie Houschildt, by whom he 
 became the father of six clfildren, five living, and 
 all in Otoe, Neb. 
 
 Our subject, when prepared to establish a home 
 and domestic ties of his own, was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Katie Gruber, who was a native of 
 one of the Rhine Provinces, Germany. She was 
 born May 1, 1858, and came to America with her 
 parents when a child nine years of age. The lat- 
 ter were Jacob and Maggie (Young) Gruber, and 
 after coming to the United States they crossed the 
 Mississippi, settling in Cass County, Neb., where 
 they are still living. Their family consisted of two 
 
•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 273 
 
 sons and six daiiglitei's, and Mrs. S. remained a 
 member of the [larental iiouseiiold until her mar- 
 riage. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife there have 
 been born six children, one of whom, a son, Herbert, 
 died in infancy. Tlie survivors are Mattie, Henry, 
 Trinn, Herman and Melanie Rose. The eldest is 
 twelve j'ears of age and the youngest fifteen months, 
 and tlieyareall at home with their parents, forming 
 an interesting group of which the latter may well 
 be proud. Mr. Scharp has been a prominent man 
 in his community, looked up to by his neighbors, 
 and respected by all who know him. He votes the 
 straigiit Republican ticket, but has carefully avoided 
 the responsibilities of office, preferring to devote 
 his time and attention to his fai'ming interests. 
 From a modest beginning he has accumulated a 
 good property, the result of his own industry and 
 perseverance, he being from the first dependent 
 upon his own resources. 
 
 "w; 
 
 
 »?w 
 
 ^^5$ W. OILMAN, f-ngaged in a prosperous drug 
 il[ (^f) business in Talmage, also deals in all kinds 
 ^^i|) of stationery, silverware, jewelry, etc., and 
 b}' his straightforward methods of doing business is 
 in the enjoyment of a good patronage. He estab- 
 lished in business here in June, 1885, and carries a 
 full line of the articles pertaining thereto. He is 
 one of the younger business men of the community, 
 and bids fair to occupy a prominent position in the 
 near future. 
 
 Mr. Oilman is a true Westerner, having been 
 born on the sunset side of the Mississippi, on the 
 Platte River, at Cottonwood Springs, Oct. 27, 1862. 
 He was one of the first white children claiming 
 their nativity in Nebraska, his early home being 
 only fifteen miles from Ft. McPherson, where the 
 great conflict with the Sioux Indians took place in 
 18G5. His father, J. K. Oilman, operated a ranch 
 and a freight line from Nebraska City to Ft. Mc- 
 Pherson, and lost during the Indian raids several 
 thousand dollars' worth of cattle and mules. In 
 addition to his other interests he was for a time in 
 the employ of the Government, and also filled a 
 contract of getting out ties for the Union Pacific 
 
 Railroad Company. He dealt largely with the In- 
 dians, and his intercourse with them was tempered 
 with such good judgment that they became very 
 friendl}' to him, and he acquired a perfect knowl- 
 edge of their language, as also did his family, being 
 able to speak it fluently. This was a great advan- 
 tage to him, and after the general raids spoken of, 
 the Indians never molested hira or his family. 
 
 The father of our subject, with his estimable wife, 
 was on the pkins a period of four years, during 
 which time their son G. W. was born. He wore 
 for his first suit a pretty buckskin outfit, which 
 was made for him by an Indian squaw, and which 
 he preserves to this day. It is hardly necessary to 
 say that it is looked upon by his children and 
 friends with a great deal of interest. The elder 
 Oilman finally decided to return to the bounds of 
 civilization with his family, and placing them in 
 safety in Nebraska City, he again went to the fron- 
 tier with S. F. Nuckolls, one of the prominent pio- 
 neers of the State, and Ihej' began mining in the 
 Wahsatch Mountains, in Utah Territory', remaining 
 in that region for a period of eight years. Instead of 
 getting rich, however, Mr. Oilman lost largely, like 
 many others at that time. In 1876, in company 
 with Robert Hauke of Nebraska City, he went to 
 Dakota, and became the owner of thirteen acres of 
 land, upon which is located the city of Deadwood. 
 For some years he also owned two of the principal 
 stores there, and the property was the subject of an 
 extended litigation in which Mr. Oilman and his 
 friend, Mr. Hauke, as plaintiffs, won their case each 
 time, although necessarily at great exjjense. 
 
 The father of our subject this time met with 
 some success as a miner, then returned to Nebraska 
 City, and not long afterward was seized with the 
 fatal illness which terminated his life, Jan. 21, 1887. 
 His was a very checkered career, and one in which 
 he saw much of the world and men. He was born 
 at the foot of Mt. Washington, in New Hampshire, 
 July 3, 1829, and came of an old and highly re- 
 spected New England family. During his younger 
 years he frequently served as a guide for visitors 
 to Mt. Washington, which then as now was a popu- 
 lar summer resort. At the age of fifteen years he 
 was given a Government position as engineer on 
 the dry docks, at Pensacola, Fla., and thus early in 
 
 9^^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ■♦■ 
 
 M» 
 
 i74 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 1 ' 1 
 
 life gained a good knowledge of general business. 
 He was driven from Florida on account of the yel- 
 low fever, taking passage on a lumber vessel, whicli 
 was wrecked a few days later off the coast of the 
 Gulf of Mexico, and he, with one of his companions, 
 floated for three days on a piece of the wreck, and 
 were picked up half starved and nearly exhausted. 
 During this time tliey had saved a little flour, which 
 they wet, and dried in the sun, and ate to keep life 
 within them. Upon being rescued young Oilman 
 sought his old home in New Hampshire, and re- 
 mained there until reaching his majorit}', when he 
 came to Nebraska. 
 
 The mother of our subject was in her girlhood 
 Miss Martha Fitchie, a notice of whose family will 
 be found in the sketch of William Campbell, on 
 another page in this volume. She survives her 
 husband, and is now a resident of Nebraska City. 
 She was a true pioneer wife and mother, a woman 
 of more than ordinary intelligence and force of 
 character, and amply fitted to battle with the diffi- 
 culties of the varied career which she shared with 
 her husband. 
 
 The subject of this sketch received his education 
 in the schools of Nebraska City, and entered upon 
 his business career as clerk in the drug-store of Sloan 
 & T3aker, with whom he remained three years, and 
 subsequently was with James Reed for the same 
 length of time. His wife was formerly Miss Grace 
 E. Gregory, and a sketch of her family will be 
 found in the biography of S. C. Gregory, elsewhere 
 in this volume. Mr. Gilmau, as a citizen, is public- 
 spirited and liberal, and politicalh% votes with the 
 Democratic party. 
 
 1 ASIL E. NEWTON, who is filling the honor- 
 able and responsible position of editor of 
 the Palm3'ra Pilot, and in that relation is 
 widely known throughout the count}- and 
 even beyond its oorders, is the worthy son of Ben- 
 jamin H. and Amanda C. (Edmundson) Newton, 
 who were natives of Ft. Smith, Ark., and Dalton, 
 Ga., respectively. The Newton family is not alto- 
 gether unknown iii history; the early representa- 
 tives of this family came from France and settled 
 
 in Louisiana in Colonial days. The father of our 
 subject was a General and served on Wheeler's 
 staff, in the Confederate Army, also under Long- 
 street at Chickamauga, and under Joe Johnston at 
 the surrender of that General after the war was 
 practically closed by the action of Gen. Lee. The 
 maternal side of the family represented the Union- 
 ists, and their sentiments and feelings were very 
 strong in that direction. Upon the announcement 
 of the secession every house in Spring Place, ex- 
 cept James Edmundson's, was brilliantly illumi- 
 nated, and nothing but his high position and vast 
 wealth prevented his being invited to take hasty 
 leave. This gentleman, who was the grandfather of 
 our subject, served as a State Senator for a num- 
 ber of terras, and was eightj'-seven j'ears of age 
 when he died. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 3d of 
 January, 1865, at Ft. Valley, Ga. He attended the 
 public schools of Arkansas, whither the family had 
 removed, beginning to, attend the classes when 
 about five j'ears of age. At the time of the death 
 of his father the family were in good circumstances, 
 thanks to his business enterprise and forethought, 
 but in order to give her son every advantage and 
 benefit in the line of education the mother began 
 to teach school. At the age of thirteen j'ears our 
 subject entered Hiwassee College, East Tennessee, 
 and by diligent study was advanced to the head of 
 his class, which position he retained almost until he 
 was graduated, which he did with the class of '80, 
 upon which occasion he filled admirably the posi- 
 tion of valedictorian. He engaged as a news agent 
 on the Southern railroads, continuing for about a 
 year, then, in 1881, he came to Nebraska, and set- 
 tled at Salem, in Richardson County. 
 
 The marriage of our subject was celebrated at 
 Salem, the lady of his choice being Miss Nora 
 White, the daughter of George W. and Katie (Mey- 
 ers) White. In spite of some o|)position at first on 
 the part of the parents incidental chiefly to the age 
 of their daughter, the earnest desire of the j'oung 
 people was carried into effect, and they became 
 one at Salem, Jan. 19, 1886, and with his beautiful 
 young bride of fourteen years of age he came to 
 Palmyra, and i)Ought out Benjamin Saunders, the 
 owner of the Pilot, which pa[)er he has since edited 
 
•^f^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 in an able manner.- That his efforts are appreciated 
 b}- the comiuunity is unquestioned, seeing that tiie 
 circulation lias largely increased, and the general 
 business of the office is a thorough financial success. 
 The political sentiments of our subject are strongly 
 Republican. 
 
 fOB W. CASSEL. Among the practical, pros- 
 perous farmers of Otoe County who are act- 
 ^^^ I ive in sustaining her great agricultural in- 
 (^^' terests, aud who were numbered among her 
 pioneers in the early days of her settlement, the 
 subject of this sketch is worthy of more than pass- 
 ing notice. His farm on section 29, Four Mile 
 Precinct, with its well-tilled acres, its commodious, 
 substantial buildings, and manj^ other valuable im- 
 provements, is classed among the best in tliis part 
 of the county. 
 
 Mr. Cassel was born Dec. 7, 1835, in Warren 
 C'ountj', Ind., and is a son of the Hon. John Cassel, 
 a noted pioneer of Nebraska. His father w.as born 
 in Newberry District, S. C, Aug. 14, 1801, his 
 father, the grandfather of our subject, being a na- 
 tive of the same district. The Cassels were of En- 
 glish ancestr3% and settled in South Carolina in 
 Colonial times. Tlie grandfather of our subject 
 moved to Kentucky about 1805, and after to Ohio, 
 where he became a pioneer of Warren County. He 
 cleared a farm and resided there until about 1835, 
 when he went to Indiana and settled in Fountain 
 County, of which lie remained a resident until his 
 death. The maiden name of his wife was Mary 
 Huffman, aud slie was also a native of .South Caro- 
 lina. 
 
 The father of our subject was but a boy when his 
 parents moved to Ohio; there he was reared and mar- 
 ried, Sarah Thomas becoming his wife in 1827. She 
 was born in W.aj'ne Township, Warren Co., Ohio, her 
 father, Edward Thomas, a native of Pennsylvania, 
 being a pioneer of that county. The maiden name 
 of his wife, grandmother of subject, was Parmelia 
 Wright. After marriage Mr. Cassel continued to 
 live in Ohio until 1833 or 1834, and then started 
 West with teams and located in Warren County, 
 Ind., as one of its pioneers. He bought a tract of 
 
 >► ■ <•• 
 
 timber land, and in the home that he built up there 
 the subject of this sketch was born. The nearest 
 market for some years was Chicago, 125 miles dis- 
 tance, a small place at that time, and it used to take 
 from ten days to two weeks to make the round trip. 
 On one of these trips he was offered in exchange 
 for his team forty acres of land now included in 
 the city. He did not trade, as the low, swampy 
 land was anything but desirable for agricultural 
 purposes, and the town at that time gave no prom- 
 ise of its present greatness. He cleared his land in 
 Warren Count}- and resided there until 1856, when 
 he sold his farm with the intention of making his 
 future home in the Territory of Nebraska. Gather- 
 ing together a part of his household effects, he and 
 his wife and their eight children started on the long 
 journey with four wagons and ten horses. Wher- 
 ever night overtook them they camped and cooked 
 their meals, and in the month of July arrived at 
 Nebraska City. Mr. Cassel bought a claim from a 
 squatter on section 32 of what is now Four Mile 
 Precinct. Ten acres of the land were broken, and 
 with the small frame house, into which the family 
 immediately moved, constituted the improvements 
 on the place. Deer, wild turkej^s and other wild 
 animals still lingered in this section, but in the 
 winter following the deer became easy victims in 
 the deep snow that was not crusted hard enough to 
 bear them, and they were nearly exterminated. Mr. 
 Cassel improved a fine farm and was a resident here 
 until his death, which was a great loss to the com- 
 munity, as he was a man of sterling worth and 
 strong eliaracter, who identified himself with the 
 best interests of the county. He took part in pub- 
 lic affairs, and in 1858 was elected to the Territo- 
 rial Legislature. He was a firm supporter of the 
 Union cause in the trying times that preceded the 
 war. ISIrs. Cassel, who was in everj' respect worthy 
 of such a husband, now lives with her daughter, 
 Mrs. Thaler, in Palmyra, Neb. She has eight chil- 
 dren living, namely: Joseph M., Job W., Parmelia 
 (now the wife of William Thaler), Nancy, William 
 H. H., James, Elijah T. and Edwin W. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the third child 
 born to his parents, and he was reared in his native 
 county, gaining his education in the pioneer scliools 
 of the time, the primitive school-house where some 
 
 a^ 
 
 i 
 
*7f^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 ' ' 276 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 of his youthful days were passed being built of 
 logs, with rude slab benches for the pupils to sit 
 upon. When not in school lie assisted in the farm 
 work, and when his parents removed to Nebraska 
 he went with them, and in the same year took up a 
 claim in the Missouri River bottom and entered it 
 from the Government at the land-office at Nebraska 
 City in 1857. In 1858 he traded that land for his 
 present homestead on section 29, Four Mile Pre- 
 cinct, adjoining the old homestead. It was a tract 
 of wild prairie land at the time, and the next year 
 he commenced its improvement by breaking quite 
 a tract and planting a grove and orchard. In 1859 
 he went to the mountains, crossing the plains, and 
 in the fall of 1859 returned and sold his farm, staj'- 
 ing here until the spring of 1860, when he again 
 went to the mountains, and the following three 
 jj^ears was engiiged in mining in different places in 
 Colorado. He subsequentlj' took up the business 
 of freighting from Nebraska City to the mountains, 
 but at the end of a j^ear he again turned his atten- 
 tion to mining, and for nearly two j^ears was thus 
 employed in Virginia City, Mont. After that he 
 returned to Nebraska City, and bought his old place 
 back again with the capital gained in the Rockies, 
 and has been a continuous resident here since. His 
 farm comprises 240 acres of rich, alluvial soil, whose 
 fertility and productiveness are practically inex- 
 haustible. 
 
 Mr. Cassel was married, in 1865, to Miss Mary 
 Harmon, and their pleasant household circle is com- 
 pleted by the presence of the four children who 
 have been born of their union, namely: Luna, Wal- 
 ter N., Albert and John. Mrs. Cassel comes from 
 good old New England stock, and is herself a na- 
 tive of Massachusetts, born in the town of New 
 MarlI)oro, to Oliver and Luna Melissa (Norton) 
 Ilarnion. Her father, who was a pioneer of Ne- 
 braska, was born in the town of Suffleld, Conn., 
 where his father, Alexander Harmon, was engaged 
 in farming for many j'ears; he died in New Marl- 
 boro, Mass. The maiden name of his wife, grand- 
 mother of INIrs. Cassel, was Mary Hanchett, and 
 she died in Rockford, 111., at her daughter's. Mrs. 
 Cassel's father was reared on a farm, and after mar- 
 riage located in New Marlboro, Jlass., and later 
 moved to Canaan. Coun., where he bought a farm. 
 
 which he managed successfully until 1855. In 
 that year he sold all his propert}' in Connecticut 
 and bought a farm in Aurora. 111., which was one 
 mile south of and is now included within the city 
 limits. He resided there until 1862, and then started 
 with his wife and three children for the Territory 
 of Nebraska, with two wagons and one carriage, 
 bringing a small part of his household goods. After 
 traveling twenty -one days they arrived at Nebraska 
 City, and ]\Ir. Harmon bought the southwest quar- 
 ter of section 27, Four Mile Precinct. The improve- 
 ments consisted of sixty acres of broken land and a 
 log house, and on that place he made his home until 
 his death, Dec. 19, 1874. In the meantime he had 
 added to his landed estates until he possessed 320 
 acres, besides a tract of 160 acres in Palmyra. Mr. 
 Harmon was a well-educated man, and used to 
 teach in his younger days. He was an extensive 
 reader, and at one time edited the agricultural de- 
 partment of the Nebraska City Press. He was 
 twice married; his first wife, the mother of Mrs. 
 Cassel, died in Massachusetts, her native State, in 
 1850. His second wife, whose maiden name was 
 Rebecca Aldrich, died in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a few 
 years after her husband's death. There were two 
 cliildren by the first marris^e and one child by the 
 second. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Cassel are conscientious members 
 of the Baptist Church. They are true Christians, 
 happy in their family relations, kind and helpful 
 toward their neighbors, and those who have been 
 unfortunate, or are in need, never appeal in vain 
 to them for sympathy and assistance. Mr. Cassel 
 takes a lively interest in the political questions of 
 the day, and uses his influence to promote the in- 
 terests of the Republican party, of which he is a 
 stanch advocate. 
 
 ENRY VOLLM ANN, a farmer of Otoe Pre- 
 cinct, in good circumstances, first set foot 
 upon the soil of Nebraska July 26, 1856, 
 (^3) eleven years before its admittance into the 
 Union as a State. He consequentl3' ranks among 
 its earliest pioneers, and has contributed his quota 
 toward the develoi)nient of one of its most prosper- y ' 
 
 -t#-«« 
 
>► I I <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •*^ 
 
 277 
 
 ous counties. His propei't3' embraces 140 acres on 
 the southwest quarter of section 6, where he has 
 instituted fair improvements, and brought his land 
 to a good state of cultivation. He is a self-made 
 man in the broadest sense of the term. In his 
 youth he had the advantage of a common-school 
 education, and iiy his own efforts has improved 
 himself mentally by a course of general reading, 
 and as a penman he is especiallj' fine. He has been 
 a close observer of men and things, and has em- 
 braced every opportunity to keep himself posted 
 upon matters of general interest to the thinking 
 man. Among the industries our subject is both 
 carpenter and farmer, receiving his early instruc- 
 tions from his excellent father, who was a mechanic 
 and a builder of good repute. 
 
 Our subject was born on the 4tli of Februar}', 
 1830, near the city of Frankfort, in the Province of 
 Hesse-Cassel, German}^ and was the elder of a fara- 
 ilj' of two children only, the younger being his 
 sister Elizabeth, who is now the wife of John 
 Schmidt, and they live in Louisville, Ky. Our 
 subject was named after his father and his sister 
 after his mother. They also were of German birth 
 and ancestry, and the latter died when her son 
 Henry was about six years old. The father was 
 married a second time, and of this union there were 
 born four children, two of whom are deceased; the 
 others emigrated to America, and are now residents 
 of Indiana and Louisville, Ky., respectivel3'. 
 
 In the spring of 1855 the family emigrated to 
 America, settling in Louisville, Ky., to which city 
 Henry, our subject, had preceded them in the j^ear 
 1 853. There the father followed his trade, and 
 lived to the advanced age of seventy-three years, 
 his death taking place in 1873. Henry, Jr., served 
 an apprenticeship of four years at the carpenter's 
 trade, and was a young man twentj'-three 3'ears old 
 wlien he came to America. He left Louisville in 
 1855, and crossing the Mississippi, took up his resi- 
 dence in St. Joseph, Mo., wiiere he followed his 
 trade of carpenter, and from there went to Savan- 
 nah, Mo., where he learned cabinet-making, and 
 where he lived until coming to tlie Territory of 
 Nebraska. 
 
 Our subject, upon crossing the Missouri, in July, 
 185G, located in the embryo town of Nebraska City, 
 
 still pursuing his trade of carpenter, and invested 
 his surplus capital in 140 acres of Government land, 
 for which he paid $1.25 per acre. Here he was 
 married two years later to Miss Ursula Schindler, 
 who was born in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland, 
 and is the daughter of Jacob and Anna (Zwecke) 
 Schindler, who were natives of the same canton^ 
 (For her parents' history see biograpliy of her 
 brother, Deitrich Schindler.) Mrs. V. came to 
 America in 1867, with her father and two step- 
 brothers. Her father's fauiilj' consisted of six chil- 
 dren, three of whom are now living. Of her union 
 with our subject there have been born four sons and 
 three daughters, namely: Henry; Anna, who died 
 when twenty-five years old; Edward W., Emil, 
 Henrietta, August and Maggie. Henry is at home 
 with his parents; Anna married Emil Bourlier, and 
 became the mother of one child, a daughter, Ida 
 Anna, who is now living with her grandparents, the 
 mother having died May 25, 1885. The remaining 
 children are single and living at home. 
 
 The Vollmann residence is a neat and tasteful 
 structure, one and one-half stories in height, and 
 adjacent is a well-built barn and other accessories 
 of a well-ordered homestead. Mr. V. has planted 
 fruit and shade trees, and gathered about himself 
 and his familj- many comforts. He votes the 
 straight Republican ticket, but has never sought 
 the responsibilities of office. His residence is situ- 
 ated within a stone's throw of the station of Paul, 
 on the Missouri Pacific Railroad, the road passing 
 tiu'ough a portion of his farm. Its close proximity 
 to the railroad renders his farm more valuable. 
 
 bOUIS SCHACHT. This very prominent 
 German farmer and wealthy citizen of Osage 
 Precinct is, perhaps, the most widely and 
 favorabl}' known of any man along the southern 
 line of Otoe Count}'. He is the owner of 760 acres 
 of valuable land, and is extensively engaged in 
 stock-raising, breeding cattle, horses, mules and 
 swine. Notwithstanding his extensive personal in- 
 terests, he is more than ordinarily public-spirited 
 and liberal, warmly interested in the establishment 
 and maintenance of schools and churches, and all 
 
 ►► J l • 4 t> 
 
Hl^^ 
 
 278 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 the institutions which will tend to elevate the peo- 
 ple. He gives liberally' to religious organizations, 
 and deeded two acres of land to one of the districts 
 for a school building and grounds. This is only 
 one example of his generosity, as he is the man to 
 whom the citizens first apply for assistance when 
 any enterprise is set on foot calculated to be of 
 general good to the community. 
 
 Equal in goodness witli her husband, and blessed 
 with an abundance of sound common sense, is the 
 wife of our subject, who presides with grace and 
 dignit}' over his domestic affairs, and encourages 
 him to every worthy ambition. Mrs. Schacht, al- 
 though not having been a resident of the United 
 States a very long period, has learned the English 
 language very readily, and adapted herself rapidly 
 to the customs of the people around her. Their 
 home is one of the most attractive spots in the 
 landscape of this region. The residence is tasteful 
 and commodious, and the barns and out-buildings 
 fully in keeping with the requirements of the pro- 
 gressive agriculturist. The premises are well kept, 
 good order and cleanliness seeming to be tiie para- 
 mount objects. The well-fed stock ranging over 
 the broad fields forms a most pleasing picture, and 
 the air of comfort and abundant means at once 
 strikes the beholder with admiration. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in the Prov- 
 ince of Westphalia, Prussia, on the 4th of June, 
 1846, and is one of the younger sons of Christof 
 and Wilhelraina (Brune) Schacht, who were natives 
 of the same locality, and of pure German ancestry. 
 The father was born in 1797, and when a youth of 
 eighteen years entered the German army and 
 fought under Frederick William III against the 
 first Napoleon. At the close of the war he returned 
 to the occupations of farm life, became an exten- 
 sive land-owner, and spent the remainder of his 
 days in his native Province. He lived to the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty-five years, and died in March, 
 1882. He had survived his estimable wifeaperiod 
 of fourteen years, her death having taken place in 
 1868, when she was fifty-five years old. A more 
 extended notice of the family will be found in the 
 sketch of William Schacht, a brother of our sub- 
 ject, on another page in this Album. 
 
 The boyhood and youth of Mr. Schacht were 
 
 r 
 
 spent under the parental roof, and in common with 
 the youth of Germany he was given an excellent 
 education. He was bright and ambitious to learn, 
 and later attended the evening schools. At the age 
 of eighteen j'ears, desirous of something better than 
 the prospect held out to him in his native land, and 
 also believing a change of climate would be bene- 
 ficial to his somewhat impaired health, lie resolved 
 to emigrate to the New World. Setting sail from 
 the port of Bremen on the steamer "Maine," in the 
 spring of 1864, he landed in New York City three 
 weeks later, after a very stormy passage. Thence 
 by rail he made his way to Franklin County, Mo., 
 and a year later came by steamer to Nebraska City. 
 Thence migrating to the southwestern part of the 
 county, and being pleased with the face of the 
 country, he purchased 200 acres of land, which is 
 now included in his present homestead. It was 
 then a tract of wild prairie, not a foot of which had 
 been disturbed by the plowshare. Mr. Schacht at 
 once set about the improvement of his property, 
 devoting ten acres to the planting of groves, set 
 out an orchard of 600 apple trees, together with the 
 smaller fruit trees, and gradually erected the build- 
 ings required for his comfort and convenience. In 
 due time he invested his surplus capital in addi- 
 tional land, 240 acres of which is in McWilliams 
 Precinct. The balance is in Osage and Johnson 
 Counties, Neb. He superintends the operations of 
 the home farm and leases his other land. 
 
 In the winter of 1872 Mr. Schacht, desirous of 
 seeing his aged father, crossed the Atlantic, and 
 spent twenty-six weeks among the friends of his 
 boyhood and youth. This visit was the means of 
 bringing about 100 of his German fellow-citizens 
 to America, who settled mostly in Nebraska. Mr. 
 Schacht has never regretted the day that he set foot 
 upon American soil, and Otoe County has reason 
 to congratulate herself that he located within her 
 borders. 
 
 Mr. Schacht was married in his native Province, 
 June 4, 1878, to Miss Louisa Wellmann, who was 
 born in what was then the Kingdom of Hanover, 
 July 24, 1856. Mrs. Schacht is the daughter of 
 Henry and Louisa (Ileitmma) Wellmann, who were 
 natives also of Hanover, and the father a farmer in 
 good circumstances. He, however, was cut down 
 
 :?^» 
 
it^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 281 
 
 in his prime, dying in 1860, when but forty j'ears 
 of age. The mother survived lier husband a period 
 of twent}'-six years, remaining a widow, and died 
 in the spring of 1886, at the age of sixty -seven 
 years. They were tlie parents of four children — 
 Caroline, Louisa, Carl and August. Tlie latter died 
 when about twentj' years old. The others all sur- 
 vive. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Schacht 
 served in the German army during tiie wars against 
 the first Napoleon, and spent liis last days upon his 
 native soil. 
 
 To our subject and his wife there have been born 
 five children, one of whom, a son. Henry, died when 
 two years old. The survivors, all daughters, Min- 
 nie, Louisa, Matilda and Emma, are at home with 
 their parents. Both Mr. and Mrs. .S. are members 
 in good standing of the Evangelical Church, of 
 Osage, in the organization of which our subject 
 assisted, as also in the erection of the church build- 
 ing. He has continuously been one of its chief 
 pillars, officiating as a member of the Board of 
 Trustees and as Treasurer. Politically, he votes 
 the straight Republican ticket. He has officiated in 
 his district as School Moderator ft)r the last three 
 years, and Road Supervisor for two years. 
 
 Mr; Schacht keeps from 150 to 300 head of cat- 
 tle on his land, and ships by the carload. He 
 usually keeps a herd of 500 head of swine, shipping 
 about 200 yearly. Of horses and mules he has 
 usually about twenty-five head. These animals are 
 all sleek and well-fed, and form one of the attract- 
 ive features of the farm. The passing traveler 
 gazes long at this homestead with its evidences of 
 thrift and prosi)erity, and carries away with him a 
 picture of it in his mind for many a day afterward. 
 
 ^^ AYID BEASLEY. Otoe County has within 
 its borders many who are engaged in the 
 raising of stock, and by reason of their suc- 
 cess therein have every right to be justly 
 proud of their success. Among these may be men- 
 tioned the subject of this writing, whose stock farm 
 is upon section 1 of Belmont Precinct, where he 
 gives almost his entire attention to the raising of 
 
 Short-horn cattle and full-blooded Poland-CJuna 
 hogs, with magnificent results. 
 
 Our subject was born in Greenfield, Ohio, on the 
 29th of December, 1817, to Isaac and Susana Beas- 
 ley, natives of Kentucky. His father was a soldier 
 in the War of 1812, and served with distinction; 
 subsequently he became one of the first pioneers of 
 Ohio. In 1819, with his family, he removed to 
 Rush County, Ind., settling there in the midst of 
 the primeval forest, surrounded by the original 
 denizens and Indians. In 1827 the family emi- 
 grated to Illinois, but the following year returned 
 to Indiana, making their home in Montgomery 
 County. In June of that year the death of the 
 father occurred. 
 
 The surroundings of our subject in the d.iys of 
 his boyhood and youth were of somewhat primi- 
 tive order, but quite in keeping with the pioneer 
 life of that period. The school-house where his 
 early education was obtained was rough, and as we 
 would suppose, inadequate to meet the case. It was 
 just such a log cabin as was usually found at that 
 time, although now it has become an unknown 
 quantitj', or almost so. 
 
 The settlement of Mr. Beasley upon his present 
 jsroperty dates from August of the year 1864. He 
 is the owner of 179 acres of splendid land, where, 
 however, as mentioned above, his chief attention is 
 given to his stock, althougii some general farming 
 also receives attention. His Short-horns are all of 
 high grade, and many of them almost pure, and his 
 herd numbers twenty-five. His hogs are, perhaps, 
 the best in the country, some of them weighing as 
 much as 500 pounds, and he could easily obtain the 
 jjremium if it were his desire to enter them in an 
 exhibition of stock. 
 
 On the 22d of March, 1839, the subject of our 
 sketch was united in marriage with Elizabeth John- 
 sou, who was the daughter of Thomas Johnson, and 
 was born in Maryland, near Harper's Ferry. She 
 received a careful home training and manifested a 
 most beautiful disposition, and noble, womanly 
 character, and after a happy married life of thirty- 
 eight years, died on the 5th of February, 1877. 
 There were born to Mr. and Mrs. Beasley sixteen 
 children; the sexes were equally represented in the 
 family-, but only the following members of it are 
 
 ■^^ 
 
• ► iCm^ 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 282 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 now -living: Harriet, Richard J., Mary E.. Amanda, 
 Eliza Ann, Tiiomas, William, Susan C, Margaret 
 and John (twins), Lewis and Mollie, all of whom 
 are married. Mr. Beasley has thirty-eight grand- 
 children and four great-grandchildren. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Beasley united with the Methodist 
 Church in their early years. Mrs. Beasley was a 
 consistent and devout member of that communion 
 for over forty years, and our subject still retains 
 his connection therewith. He is ever ready to take 
 up any resi)onsibility that comes to him as a citi- 
 zen, and usuallj' deposits his ballot in favor of the 
 Republican party. His first vote was for William 
 H. Harrison. 
 
 Among the portraits of leading citizens given in 
 this volume may be found that of Mr. Beasley, and 
 as a fitting companion picture we present that of his 
 estimable wife. 
 
 lEV. JOSIAH RITTER, a minister of the 
 Lutheran Church, and a farmer of ripe ex- 
 perience, is now living retired from active 
 ^^ labor upon the homestead where he settled 
 in April, 1868. This is pleasantly located on sec- 
 tion 25, in McWilliams Precinct, and forms one of 
 the most desirable homesteads along the southern 
 line of Otoe County. This, when coining into the 
 possession of our subject, was an uncultivated tract 
 of land, but now presents a fine illustration of the 
 results of resolute industry and good raanagement. 
 It comprises 2G0 acres, which have been brought to 
 a careful state of cultivation, and upon which has 
 been erected a set of substantial frame buildings, in- 
 cluding a roomy and comfortable residence, a good- 
 sized barn, and the other structures required for the 
 proper care of stock and the storing of grain. Mr. 
 Ritter raises good grades of cattle and other stock, 
 and has always taken pride in the appearance of his 
 homestead, keeping everything up in good shape 
 and not permitting more than necessary waste or 
 loss. 
 
 The early home of our subject was in the little 
 Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, March 8, 1823. 
 His father, Gottlieb Ritter, was a vineyard keeper 
 and wine-maker, and spent his entire life in liis na- 
 
 tive land, passing away at the ripe old age of 
 eighty-two years. The mother, Mrs. Doretha Rit- 
 ter, also of German birth and ancestry, died about 
 1875, prior to the death of her husband. Josiah, 
 of our sketch, was the elder of their two sons, the 
 other being Gottlieb, Jr., who still remains in iiis 
 native country. 
 
 Our subject, in common with the children of 
 Germany, received a thorough education and lived 
 in his native town until 1849, being then a man of 
 twent3'-six years. In the fall of that year he crossed 
 the Atlantic, and taking up his residence in Toledo, 
 Ohio, engaged in the ministry. There, also, Nov. 
 12, 1851, he was married to Miss Christiana D. 
 Swartz, also a native of Wurtemberg, and the 
 playmate of his younger 3'ears. They were be- 
 trothed before Mr. Ritter came to America, and she 
 passed from earth after having been the faithful 
 and affectionate companion of her husband for a 
 period of eleven years. In the meantime Mr. Rit- 
 ter had taken up his residence in Bureau County, 
 III., and he and his estimable wife had become the 
 parents of three children, one of whom, a daughter, 
 was taken away after the death of the mother. The 
 two iiving are sons, Frederick and Adolph, the for- 
 mer a resident of California, and tiie Latter married, 
 and a farmer of Rock Creek Precinct. 
 
 Mr. Ritter, Oct. 24, 1862, contracted a second 
 matrimonial alliance, at Caledonia, Racine Co., Wis., 
 with Mrs. Charlotte (Strangman) Weinmann. This 
 lady is a native of Westphalia, Germ.any, and born 
 May 24, 1828. She came to the United States in the 
 summer of 1845, and was married in Racine, Wis., in 
 1852, to Rev. John Weinmann, a minister of the Lu- 
 theran Church. Mr. and Mrs. Weinmann settled 
 in Baltimore after their marriage. Mr. Weinmann 
 in 1858 crossed the Atlantic to his native home in 
 Germany, and when readj^ to return home took p.as- 
 sage on the ill-fated ship "Austria," which when two 
 days' journey from New York Citj' was destroyed 
 by fire. September 13, and all on board perished. 
 Mrs. Weinmann, in her widowhood, was left with 
 one daughter. Lydia, who is now the wife of Au- 
 gust Engfer, and lives in Red AYing, Minn. 
 
 After their marriage our subject and his present 
 wife took up their residence in Bureau County, III., 
 and Mr. Ritter had charge of tiie German Lutheran 
 
 •► 
 
 ^1-^- 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 i 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •283 
 
 Church at Hollowaj'ville for a period of seven 
 years. Thence thej' removed to Davenport, Iowa, 
 wliere he preached two and one-half 3'ears, and 
 from there came to this county, in which he has 
 labored as a minister for a period of fourteen jears. 
 In the meantime he purchased land, and has built 
 up the homestead which he now occupies. He re- 
 tired from the ministry in the j-car 1842. While a 
 laborer in the Master's vineyard he did good 
 service. He organized the society, and was also 
 instrumental in building the church edifice of the 
 Lutheran denomination in this precinct, and in his 
 labors has been largely assisted b\' his worthy' wife. 
 They are the parents of three children — .John, 
 Mary and William. The daughter is the wife of 
 John Frerich, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere 
 in this volume. 'J"he sons are at home with their 
 parents. 
 
 Mr. Ritter has become thoroughly identified 
 with the interests of his adopted country, and is an 
 earnest supporter of Republican principles. Dur- 
 ing the Civil War he was greatly desirous of, join- 
 ing the ranks of those who were fighting for union 
 and freedom, but with the care of a young wife 
 and child his duties seemed to lie at home. He, 
 however, paid for a substitute, and felt that he had 
 done what he could in the good cause. 
 
 IL^ ON. .JAMES C. BOYD, a gentlem.-in of good 
 Yf jV education and formerly Superintendent of 
 ■—^"^ the county schools, came to this section in 
 (^j March, 1864, and was a resident of Ne- 
 braska City and vicinity until the spring of 1867. 
 He then secured a tract of raw prairie laud, eighty 
 acres of which was broken, but aside from this there 
 had been no attempt at improvement, no fences and 
 no buildings. He has now a farm of 240 acres on 
 section 2 in Delaware Precinct, all enclosed with 
 good buildings, and one of the finest residences in 
 his precinct. The latter is two stories in height, 
 and the main part covers an area of 16x36 feet, 
 while there is an "L" of one and one-half stories, 
 16x24 feet, and still an addition to the "L" 16x12, 
 one story. A veranda runs the whole length of 
 the main building in front and across the "L" on 
 
 one side. The buildings adjacent are iu keeping 
 with the dwelling, and indicate in a marked manner 
 the cultivated tastes of the proprietor. 
 
 Our subject was born twenty miles from the 
 cit}' of Knoxville, in Blount County, E. Tenn., 
 June 10, 1837, and is the son of William Boyd, a 
 native of the same place, and who is long since de- 
 ceased. James C. was carefully reared, and com- 
 pleted his education at Maryville College in his 
 native county. He subsequently taught school 
 three or four terms in Tennessee, and then set his 
 face toward the West. Mr. Boyd upon coming to 
 this county was at once recognized as a man of 
 more than ordinary ability, warml3' interested in 
 the establishment and maintenance of schools. He 
 was elected County Superintendent in the fall of 
 1879, and re-elected twice in succession, discharg- 
 ing the duties of this ofHce for a period of six 
 years in a most praiseworthy manner. He would 
 have been reinstated again but desired to withdraw, 
 and forbid his name being used again as a nominee. 
 He has alwaj's been quite prominent in local affairs, 
 and served as Assessor three or four terms. 
 
 On the 26th of July, 1860, Mr. Boyd was united 
 in marriage with Miss Sibby T. McCuUoch. and of 
 this union there were born eight children, seven of 
 whom are living, namely: Laura L., Emily E., John 
 W., Charles F., Edward C, Mary E. and Albert L. 
 Laura is the wife of Malcom Brown, of Papillion, 
 this State; Emil}^ married Herbert G. Stillwell, and 
 they live near Palmyra, being the parents . of one 
 child, a daughter, Macy B.; John married Miss 
 Julia Martin, and lives in Berlin Precinct. 
 
 Besides the homestead Mr. Boyd owns 160 acres 
 of good land on section 10 in Delaware Precinct. 
 He is a man highly esteemed by his neighbors, and 
 his wife, a most estimable lady, is a member in 
 good standing of the United Brethren Church. 
 
 iF^ ON. DAVID BROWN occupies a prominent 
 \l)i, place among the pioneers of Nebraska, who 
 '^^<^ have been so largely instrumental in the 
 ^) upbuilding of the State, have taken an act- 
 ive part in the administration of its public affairs, 
 and are now closely identified with its most impor- 
 
Hl^^ 
 
 284 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 tant business interests. Mr. Brown is a resident of 
 Nebraska Citj', where he is engaged in the business 
 of loaning money and in selling real estate. He is 
 also greatly interested in agriculture, and has 
 owned and developed three different farms in this 
 county. He now has a ranch of 3,000 acres in 
 Frontier County, Neb., which is well stocked with 
 fine graded cattle. He was born Nov. 8, 1837, in 
 Penn's Manor, Bucks Co., Pa. His grandfather, 
 also named David, was a native of the same county, 
 where he was iirosperously engaged as a farmer, and 
 where he spent his entire life. He was a man of 
 keen foresight, and of more than ordmar}^ intelli- 
 gence, and bis sound judgment made him invalu- 
 able in the councils of his fellow-citizens. He was 
 for twenty years Secretary of the Bucks County 
 Insurance Societj-. He was a member of the So- 
 ciety of Friends, and reared his children in that 
 fai.th. Politically, he was a Whig until the forma- 
 tion of the Republican party, when he became one 
 of its stanchest supporters. In 1860 this good 
 man passed to his reward, and Bucks County was 
 called upon to mourn the loss of one of her most 
 lo3'al sons. The maiden name of his wife, grand- 
 mother of David Brown, was Sarah AVilliams, and 
 she was a native of Abingdon, Pa. 
 
 John Brown, the father of our subject, was a na- 
 tive of the same town as himself. He was reared 
 in his native county, and following in the footsteps 
 of his forefathers, adopted the calling of a farmer. 
 But his premature death in 1839, at the age of 
 thirty-two, cut short a useful career and deprived 
 the communitj' of one of its most valued members. 
 The maiden name of his wife, the mother of David, 
 was Mary Eastburn. She was born in. Solebury 
 Township, Bucks Co., Pa., and was a daughter of 
 Aaron and Mercy (Bye) Eastburn, natives of the 
 same county, and members of the Society of Friends. 
 Mrs. Brown resided in Bucks County until a few 
 mouths before her death, when she went to Phila- 
 delphia, and died at the home of her daughter 
 there in 1866. She was the mother of four chil- 
 dren: Harriet, the wife of Samuel B. Fox, of Phila- 
 delphia; IMercy E.; David;' and John "W., who is 
 engaged in a wholesale grocerj' business in Phila- 
 delphia. 
 
 David Brown, of tliis biogra})liical sketch, was 
 
 but two years old when his father died, and he went 
 to live with his paternal grandfather, with whom 
 he made his home until he had grown to maturity. 
 He was carefully reared and received the benefit of 
 a fine education, attending first the district school, 
 and he was then sent to a Quaker academj' at Falls- 
 ington, Buclis County, and later to the Westtown 
 Academy, Chester Co., Pa. He was thus amply 
 qualified for the profession of teacher, which he 
 adopted for a time, commencing to teach in his na- 
 tive county at the age of sixteen, and continuing 
 thus engaged for two years. After that he went to 
 Philadelphia and entered a law and convej'ancing 
 office as a student. He was thus employed for 
 three 3'ears, earning his way by doing clerical work, 
 looking up bills and drawing papers, and m the 
 evenings he was an assistant at a public library. 
 In April, 1859, Mr. Brown left his native State to 
 trj' life in the great and growing West, coming by 
 rail to Pittsburgh, and thence down the Ohio and up 
 the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to Nebraska 
 City. He spent a few days here looking about the 
 countrj' and malting the acquaintance of the lead- 
 ing citizens, to whom he had brought letters of in- 
 troduction; he then returned to St. Joseph, whence 
 he went to Kansas City. He soon concluded to 
 come back to this part of the country-, taking a 
 boat to St. Joseph, and thence he came on a stage 
 to Nebraska City. The roads were bad at that 
 time, rendering the journey a tedious one, the pas- 
 sengers often having to walk and carry a rail to 
 pry the stage out of the mud. This was the time 
 of the great exodus to and from Pike's Peak, and 
 Mr. Brown finding many intelligent men here out 
 of work and out of funds, and all branches of busi- 
 ness, especially the professions, more than full, in- 
 stead of opening an office here as he had intended, 
 started out in search of a suitable tract of Govern- 
 ment land, thinldng to turn his attention to agri- 
 culture. While traveling through the country on 
 foot he had an opportunit}- to teach in Nemaha 
 County, at a salary of $10 per month and board. 
 He accepted the position, and taught three months. 
 He then went to Missouri and located in Mound 
 City, Holt County, where he was variously engaged 
 as a teacher, lawyer and farmer. He rented land, 
 bought stock, and was quite prosperously engaged 
 
 ^h-«- 
 
 ^~* 
 
>► II <• ■ 
 
 t 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 285 
 
 in general farming until after the breaking ovit of 
 war. In February'. 1862, lie again came to Ne- 
 braska C'it3% bringing his stock along with him. lie 
 rented land in Four Mile Precinct, and engaged in 
 farming and dealing in stock. During that and the 
 following summer he made several trips to Mis- 
 souri to buj' cattle, and brought them to Nebraska. 
 In the winter of 1862-63 he t.aught school in Four 
 Mile Precinct. In the fall of 1863 he engaged in 
 freighting across tlie plains, which in those days 
 before railroads were introduced west of the Mis- 
 souri was a very profitable business, as all transpor- 
 tation to the different military posts and raining 
 camps in the mountains was done with teams. Mr. 
 Brown put three teams on the road and made one 
 trip to Denver in the fall of 1863. The following 
 winter he returned to his native State and spent the 
 season in Philadeliiliia. In the spring he came back 
 to Nebraska City, fitted up six teams, and loaded 
 them with freight for Salt Lake Cit}', which he de- 
 livered at the rate of eighteen cents a pound. On 
 subsequent trips he received twenty-five cents per 
 pound. At that time there was a great exodus 
 from the vicinity of Salt Lake to Idaho, and he 
 sold all his wagons at a high price, and returned 
 home with his mules. Indians were plentiful and 
 hostile at that time, as they continued to be the 
 most of the time, until he discontinued the freight- 
 ing business in 1867. During 1864, however, the}^ 
 were the most troublesome, but Mr. Brown fortu- 
 nately escaped attack that year, and it was not until 
 the 3'ear 1867 that he had an encounter with the 
 savages, which took place near Cheyenne Pass, but 
 none of the whites were killed, and only one red- 
 skin bit the dust. During the year 1868 Mr. Brown 
 was engaged almost exclusively in farming, and in 
 1869 he went East and passed most of the win- 
 ter. On his return he established himself in the 
 insurance business, continuing his interest in that 
 until 1885, since which time he has engaged in 
 loaning money and in selling real estate, besides 
 managing his large farming interests. Mr. Brown 
 was married, in 1871, to Miss Jennie L. Lombard, a 
 daughter of Franklin Lombard, a native of Massa- 
 chusetts. Of tliis marriage one son has been born, 
 Herbert W. ]Mr. Brown is a man of sound educa- 
 tion and of unusual abilit^r and character, and he 
 
 has always since the early days of his settlement 
 here plaj-ed an important part in the conduct of 
 public affairs. His record as a Representative to 
 the State Legislature, to which office he was elected 
 in 1870, was such as to confer honor on himself and 
 his constituency. In 1871 he was aiipoiuted Post- 
 master of Nebraska City, and for five years served his 
 fellow-citizens in that capacity to the general satis- 
 faction of all. He is at present a member of the 
 City Council, and looks well to the interests of the 
 community. He takes an intelligent view of the 
 political situation of the daj', and is a pronounced 
 Republican. 
 
 •►HK-^^ 
 
 ATHROP ELLIS, a well-known and lion- 
 ored resident of Four Mile Precinct, has for 
 more than twenty j'ears been identified with 
 its highest interests. He is prosperously engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits, and from the wild prairie, on 
 which he settled when first coming here, he has 
 developed a fine farm, which, in point of cultiva- 
 tion, comfortable buildings and neat surroundings, 
 compares favorabl3' with the best in this locality. 
 
 Mr. Ellis was born in Henrietta, Monroe Co., N. 
 Y., April 30, 1818, and is a descendant of an old 
 Connecticut family. His father, William Ellis, was 
 born in that New England State, in the town of 
 Norwich, and his father. Deacon William Ellis, was 
 likewise a native of that State. He was a son of 
 th.at famous New England divine, the Rev. John 
 Ellis, a chaplain in the Continental Army during the 
 Revolution. After the war he spent his last 3'ears 
 in Connecticut, dying in 1805, at a ripe old age. 
 Deacon Ellis, the grandfather of our subject, went 
 into the army with his father to take care of his 
 horse, and at eighteen j^ears of age enlisted and 
 served in the ranks six months, and for that during 
 the last years of his life was a pensioner. He 
 taught school in Connecticut for many years, Imt 
 finally removed from there to New Y'ork about 
 1817, and located in Henrietta, where he bought a 
 tract of land, improved a farm, and March 1, 1837, 
 closed a useful life. 
 
 The father of our subject enlisted in the War of 
 1812, and served a short time. He married in his 
 
 f- 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 286 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 t- 
 
 native State Miss Polly Lathrop, likewise of Con- 
 necticut birth and ancestry, and a daughter of 
 Asher and Temperance Lathrop. Mr. Ellis went to 
 New York in 181G with his brother-in-law, Martin 
 Edgcrlon, making the journey in a one-horse wagon, 
 and he selected a tract of land in Henrietta. He 
 then went back to Connecticut to settle up his af- 
 fairs in that State, and in 1817 moved with his 
 family, then consisting of his wife and one child, to 
 his future home in New York State. He built a 
 log house on his land, the one in which our subject 
 was afterward born, and cleared quite a tract of 
 land, on which he resided until 1821. In thatyear 
 he went to Bergen, Genesee County, and bought 
 another tract of land, which he Improved into a fine 
 farm, and he there rounded out a long life of eighty 
 years, dying in November, 1872. His estimable 
 wife also died in Bergen. They were the parents 
 of eight children, all of whom are living. 
 
 Lathrop Ellis was the second child born to his 
 parents, and he was reared in Bergen, receiving the 
 preliminaries of his education in the LeRoy public 
 schools. He was a tiioughtful, studious lad, and 
 greatly desired to improve his education, so witli 
 that end in view he worked hard to earn money to 
 pay his tuition at the academy at LeRoy, N. Y. It 
 was a classical school, under the supervision of 
 Prof. F. W. Olmsted, where he pursued a thorough 
 course of study, and he also attended the academy 
 at Henrietta. With this sound mental equipment 
 at the age of twenty-three be entered upon the pro- 
 fession of teacher, and for some years was thus 
 engaged in the winter seasons. In 1844 he went to 
 Wisconsin by way of the lakes, and landing at Mil- 
 waukee, then a village, penetrated into the interior 
 in search of a suitable location where he could build 
 up a home. He entered eight}' acres of land in 
 Fond du Lac County from the Government, built a 
 house, and then went back to New York for his 
 promised bride. He was there married, in 1845, 
 to Miss Almeria Vienna Ward, who was born in 
 Genesee Count\', N. Y., Oct, 20, 1821. She was a 
 daughter of Abel C. Ward, who was born in Kil- 
 lingsworth. Conn., in 1796. His father, John Ward, 
 was also a native of Connecticut, and it is supposed 
 that his grandfather, Deacon Levi Ward, was like- 
 wise a native of that New England State. He was 
 
 a Deacon in the Congregational Church, and he 
 removed to New York in 1808, and settled in Gen- 
 esee County. He bought a tract of land of the Hol- 
 land Purchase Company, and spent the remainder 
 of his life in that county, dying at the venerable 
 age of ninety-six. Mrs. Ellis' grand fatlier was 
 reared and married in Connecticut, and moved to 
 NewY'ork with his family in 1808, the removal 
 being made with ox-teams through the wilderness 
 to the town of Bergen, where he bought a tract of 
 timber land. He cleared a farm, on which he spent 
 his last years. The maiden name of his wife was 
 Lucinda Meigs. The father of Mrs. Ellis was 
 twelve years old when his father moved to New 
 York. After attaining manhood he bought a tract 
 of land in Bergen, on which he settled at the time 
 of his marriage. For several years he officiated as 
 a minister of the Congregational Church. In 1851 
 he sold there, and moved to Fond du Lac County, 
 Wis., where he bought a tract of land, and farmed 
 tiiere for many years. He subsequently removed 
 to the city of Fond du Lac, and lived there in retire- 
 ment until his death at the age of seventj'-six. 
 
 On his return to Wisconsin Mr. Lathrop Ellis 
 brought a wagon, and at Milwaukee purchased a pair 
 of oxen, and drove with his wife and one child to 
 Fond du Lac County, a distance of sixtj'-six miles. 
 He soon became identified with the public affairs of 
 the county, and was made Deputy Surveyor in 1846, 
 and served in that capacity for a short time, was 
 then elected County Sarvej"or, and served for 
 many years, resigning the office in the year 1866. 
 From about 1850 up to 1863 he devoted most 
 of his time to civil engineering on the line now 
 known as the Chicago & Northwestern. He sur- 
 ve^-ed from Watertowu to Lake Superior. A part 
 of the time he had been quite extensively engaged 
 in the lumber business, and when the first railway 
 was projected in Wisconsin he was employed on the 
 survey, and worked at that and on other railways 
 in the State more or less for many years. In 1866 
 he came to Otoe County, and bought a tract of wild 
 land now included in his present farm. By the 
 quiet force of steadj^ work, seconded by good man- 
 agement, he has improved a good farm, whose well- 
 tilled acres yield him an ample income. 
 
 Six children have been born to our subject and 
 
A 
 
 "^•- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 287 
 
 •►HI 
 
 liis wife, of whom the following is the record: 
 Emma Jane married the Rev. George M. Darley: 
 Myron L..the only son. is connected with the Quar- 
 termaster's department in the regular army as 
 wagonmaster in Arizona ;]\I. Adell married James H. 
 McLellan; Celia F. married Amsdell Sheldon ; Dora 
 married Dr. William A. Wj-man ; Vina M. is now a 
 teacher in Cass County. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis gave 
 their children good educations, and the daughters 
 have all taught school. Mrs. Ellis, the mother of 
 the children above mentioned, died at their home in 
 P'ond du Lac, AVis., Sept. 10, 1861, and Mr. Ellis 
 married his present wife, L. Marilla Ward, sister of 
 his first wife, their wedding taking place in Fond du 
 Lac, April 20, 1864. 
 
 Mr. Ellis is a man of deep, earnest nature, and 
 his liberal education gives him a broad outlook on 
 life. He is progressive and practical in his views, 
 and in his social relations he is genial, hospitable 
 and helpful. In his wedded life he has been very 
 happ}', as in his wife he finds a companion and 
 friend, who can enter into his thoughts, and sym- 
 pathize with him in his aims, and her cheerful, 
 amiable disposition endears her to those about her. 
 She is indeed a true '"homemaker." 
 
 Mr. Ellis is a pronounced Republican in his 
 political views, becoming a member of that parly 
 on its formation. Jn his early days he was a Whig. 
 and cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. W. H. 
 Harrison, and now, forty-eight j'ears later, has 
 voted for the illustrious grandson of the old hero 
 of Tippecanoe, the Gen. Harrison of to-day, now 
 President-elect. 
 
 (|L^ L. WOOD, editor of the Nebraska Press, 
 If jV was born in Iowa City, Iowa, Sept. 18, 
 l^^ 1856. He went to Cincinnati, Ohio, when 
 l^j) fifteen years old, to make his own waj', and 
 was connected with the Canal Elevator Company 
 until 1878, during the latter part of the time doing 
 some newspaper work, for which he had always 
 shown a predeliction. A year was spent in Colo- 
 rado in various pursuits, and two years at the State 
 University of Iowa, from the law department of 
 which he was graduated in 1881. During these 
 -.4» 
 
 two years he was connected with the Iowa City 
 Eepublican and other papers, and contributed to 
 Eastern periodicals. He returned to Cincinnati from 
 another AVestern trip in Juh', 1882, and for a year 
 did more or less work on the Commercial-Gazette 
 and the Cincinnati Enquirer, and at this time and 
 later wrote poems and sketches for the Week (Cin- 
 cinnati), the Current (Chicago), the Continent 
 (Philadelphia), the Critic (New York), the Comet 
 (Chicago), and other literary weeklies and minor 
 magazines. 
 
 Mr. Wood went toLeadville, Col., in April, 1883, 
 assuming the city editorship of the Chronicle, was 
 then city editor of the Democrat, and for a time 
 managing editor of both papers. In June, 1885, 
 he bought the editorial interest in the Nebraska 
 Daily Press, which has prospered remarkably under 
 his management, and is to-day one of the foremost 
 papers of the great State of Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. Wood was married, Sept. 3, 1885, to Miss 
 Jennie Hanford, of Vinton, Iowa. 
 
 —^ "#-f# ''^ 
 
 ^t~, ENRY OLIVER McCART, of Palmyra 
 iJlD] Pi'^cinct, is operating a small farm in a ver}' 
 1^^ thorough and skillful manner, making a 
 i^) specialty of market gardening. His land 
 lies on section 4, and embraces fort}' acres, which 
 he has brought to a thorough state of cultivation. He 
 completed, in the year 1888, a neat and substantial 
 dwelling, and has around him all the conveniences 
 and comforts of modern life. He raises horses, 
 cattle and swine, also operates a boring and drilling 
 machine, and his various interests afford him a 
 handsome income. 
 
 The offspring of most excellent ancestrj', our 
 subject is the son of Henry and Massy (Wilkins) 
 McCart, who were born and reared in Morgan 
 County, Tenn., where also they were married. The 
 paternal grandfather, Robert McCart, was a native 
 of Virginia, whence he removed to Tennessee early 
 in life, being numbered among its pioneer settlers. 
 He served as a soldier in the War of 1812, under 
 the command of Gen. Jackson, and participated in 
 the battle of New Orleans. The great-grandfather 
 was a scion of one of the best Scotch-Irish families 
 
 ♦^1 
 
h 
 
 288 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 in the North of Ireland, while on the Wilkins side 
 of the house our subject traces a portion of his an- 
 cestry to England. 
 
 Grandfather Wilkins was of New England birth, 
 but in early manhood went to Tennessee, and from 
 there later to Marion County, 111. He w.as a farmer 
 by occupation, and became a large land-owner in 
 the Prairie State, where he spent his last years. 
 The parents of our subject also became residents of 
 Marion County, 111., where the father was greatly- 
 prospered in his farming operations, but flnallj', about 
 1855, with his wife wont Ijack to Tennessee, where 
 they died within a few days of each other, when 
 only middle aged, being the victims of an epidemic. 
 
 The parental household included two sons and 
 four daughters, namely: Mary A., Carrie N. C, 
 Hannah E., Henry Oliver (our subject), Margaret 
 and Louisa J. One besides our subject, Louisa, is 
 living, and a resident of Kentucky. Henry O. was 
 born in Marion Countj', 111., Dec. 25, 1838, and 
 lived there until a lad of eleven years, when he 
 accompanied his parents to Tennessee, tie and an 
 elder brother remained on the farm there one year, 
 then Henry, repairing to Nashville, eng.aged as a 
 boat hand on the Cumberland River a few months, 
 then returned to the farm. His brother subsequently 
 moved to Illinois, but Henry remained in Tennes- 
 see until the outbreak of the Rebellion. Their 
 property, comprising a farm of 100 acres, lay ten 
 miles south of Jamestown. 
 
 Notwithstanding our subject was the child of 
 Southern parents, he had been imbued with anti- 
 slavery and LTnion sentiments, and upon the ap- 
 proach of the great conflict went into Keiitucky and 
 enlisted as a Union soldier in Company H, 12th 
 Kentucky Infantry, being mustered in Oct. 3. 1861. 
 for the three-years service. Although only twenty- 
 three years of .age, he was thoughtful beyond his 
 years, and was solemnly convinced of the justice of 
 the Union cause and the wickedness of human slav- 
 ery. He had in Tennessee seen the unhappy vic- 
 tims of the peculiar institution tied up and whipped 
 cruelly, and witnessed other scenes which could not 
 fail to arouse the sympathies of a human being. 
 He first saw the smoke of battle at Camp Hoskins, 
 and in February, 1862, fought at Mills Spring, 
 afterward at Shilob, and was subsequentl3' in many 
 
 of the important battles of the war. During all the 
 trials and hardships incident to arm}^ life he was 
 sustained and encouraged by the consciousness of 
 being in the path of duty. In going from the Ohio 
 River to North Carolina with his regiment he, with 
 his comrades, swam and forded rivers, and were at 
 one time on the forced march of forty-two days, 
 during which they saw little rest, and were indif- 
 ferently supplied with food. 
 
 At Corinth Mr. McCart, while serving on picket 
 duty, was attacked with measles on account of the 
 exposure incident to his position, suffering greatly 
 both at that time and on account of the after 
 effects, from which he has never recovered. He 
 was obliged to accept his honorable discharge on 
 account of disability, and return to his old home 
 in Tennessee. Although able no more to engage in 
 active fighting he lost no opportunity to assist the 
 Union cause and encourage men to enter the ranks, 
 frequently piloting them from Eastern Tennessee 
 across the Cumberland Mountains into Kentucky 
 for this purpose. On one of these journeys he was 
 captured by guerrillas, but succeeded in making his 
 escape. In February, 1863, Mr. McCart, having 
 somewhat recovered his health, again entered the 
 service, and was happy in being able to continue 
 until the close of the war. 
 
 Mr. McCart, before his re-enlistraent, was mar- 
 ried, April 12, 1863, in Scott County, Tenn., to 
 Miss Minerva Blevins. who was born in Wayne 
 County, Ky., June 5, 1839. She is the daughter 
 of Jonathan and Amy (Chittwood) Blevins, who 
 were natives of Tennessee, and at an early day re- 
 moved to Missouri, where they remained until 1866. 
 The mother had died in 1841, leaving six children. 
 The father is still living, being now a resident of 
 Pulaski County, Ky., and having attained the ad- 
 vanced age of seventy-nine years. He contracted 
 a second marriage, and became the father of six 
 more children. Six of his sons and daughters are 
 living, and residents of the United States and Scot- 
 land. 
 
 After petice had been declared Mr. McCart re- 
 turned on a visit to his old home in Tennessee, and 
 for the purpose also of straightening up matters 
 connected with his father's estate. A few weeks 
 later he decided to make his home in Lawrence 
 
 t 
 
 ■^»" 
 
 -•► 
 

•►-Hl-^^ 
 
 OTOK COUNTY. 
 
 291 
 
 •► 
 
 Countj-, III., so lie returned there and established a 
 market garden in the vicinity of Lawrenceville. 
 In Ma^', 1867, he removed across the Mississippi 
 into the young State of Nebraska. In this journey 
 he was accompanied by his wife and one child. He 
 homesteaded the forty acres which he now owns 
 and occupies before the village of Palmyra was 
 laid out, and first engaged in freighting from Ne- 
 braska City to Lincoln, being thus employed during 
 tiie winter of 1869-70 with a team of horses. On 
 account of failing health he was obliged to abandon 
 freighting for something that would allow him 
 more rest and quiet under his own roof. He then 
 purchased the necessary machinery for drilling 
 wells, and has sunk hundreds of these within the 
 confines of Otoe Count}'. Ten years ago, hovvever, 
 he began turning his attention to marketgardening, 
 in which he has met with flattering success. His 
 stock embraces seven head of horses and fifty head 
 of swine. 
 
 To our subject and his excellent wife there have 
 been born ten children, nine of whom are natives 
 of this county. Merc}', the eldest, died in infancy, 
 and Sheridan died when eleven j'ears old ; James 
 died at the age of twenty months. The survivors 
 are: Anna J., Daniel, Henry O., Jr., Hannah, Solo- 
 mon, Winfield and Frank. 
 
 FRANKLIN T. C ASTLE]SrAN, the cattle king 
 of Nebraska, has pa^ised through a most 
 unusual and exciting experience, and his 
 life is filled with incidents of deepest interest, 
 which deserve rather a 500-page volume than a 
 brief sketch, such as is here absoluteh' unavoida- 
 ble. Regretting that this should be so, it must 
 suffice to present ohI}' the most prominent points. 
 To add to the interest of the sketch we give a por- 
 trait of the distinguished subject on the opposite 
 page. 
 
 Our subject is the son of Henry H. and Mary 
 (Frymire) Castleman, and was born on the 20th 
 of Maj', 1833, in the countj- of Dundas, Canada, 
 He was reared upon the farm of his parents, and 
 also learned blaeksmithing witli his l)rother, who 
 
 ■^9 
 
 was then established in Tioga County, N. Y., but 
 now lives in Broome Count}-, N. Y., with whom he 
 staid two years. The ideas of "Western life fired 
 his youthful ambition, and he started for the Far 
 West, finally making his way to Kansas. Journey- 
 ing by railroad to St. Louis, he went up the Mis- 
 souri River to Leavenworth, and after a time 
 continued his journey to Sumner, which is about 
 four miles below Atchison, which was just then 
 being laid out on the Missouri River. Here he 
 made the acquaintance of the celebrated Albert D. 
 Richardson, a traveler and writer of prominence. 
 He also met Horace Greeley when he made his 
 memorable trip to the mountains. In Colorado 
 Mr. Castleman engaged in mining and prospect- 
 ing. He discovered the Quartz Mill Lodi Mine in 
 Leavenworth Gulch, which for a time was very 
 rich, and took from it $4,000 worth of gold in 
 thirty days. It proved, however, to be but of 
 short duration, although valuable while it lasted. 
 In 1865 he went to Southern Colorado and New 
 Mexico on an exploring expedition under Gov. 
 Gilpin, of Colorado Territory, and was emjiloyed 
 in prospecting for him. Continuing about four 
 months thus engaged, he returned to Denver, and 
 was engaged as foreman of the Baker Silver Min- 
 ing Company, remaining with it for about two 
 and a half years. About that time he was taken 
 very sick with rheumatism, and had to leave the 
 mines, after which he was engaged by a contractor 
 of the Union Pacific Railroad Comp.any, Mr. C. 
 working four teams of his own. He remained in 
 that employ until after the road was completed, 
 and in the presence of a large concourse the ma- 
 hogany tie was placed in position, and with a heavy 
 silver mallet the completing spike, which was of 
 gold, was driven home. His connections with the 
 railroad being over, he went to Butler County. Kan., 
 and tried farming there, but was taken with the 
 ague, and after a number of years aljandoned it. 
 
 In 1873 our subject sold his farm and engaged in 
 the cattle business, in partnership with J. J. Cox, 
 and pureh.asing 700 head of cattle at Wichita, Kan., 
 they took them to Colorado, and prospered be- 
 yond the most sanguine expectations. The part- 
 nership was dissolved in 1877, and our subject 
 realized as his share of tlie profits .nbout it2,000. 
 
 •^ 
 
•►-Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 292 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Taking tliis capital he went to New Mexico, where 
 he bought 1 85 head of cattle, and then drove them 
 back to Colorado. He continued in his business 
 alone until 1885, and then sold out all his interest 
 in the business to a great advantage. 
 
 In 1865 Franklin T. Castleman enlisted m Com- 
 pany C, of the Colorado Militia, under Col. Moon- 
 light, to escort the mail up and down the Platte 
 River, and was engaged for 100 days. At the end of 
 that time Gen. Connor, from Salt Lake, Utah, as- 
 sumed command, and they were discharged. About 
 the time of the close of the war he wrote home that 
 he was about to form an independent company 
 and assume command of the same, and then carry 
 the war into the enemy's country. He intended 
 it simply for a joke, but his brother, supposing him 
 in earnest, wrote him a letter severely upbraiding 
 him. and requesting him if determined to enter 
 upon such a course to write them one more letter, 
 which would be a solemn farewell. As he wrote 
 the "one more" letter they supposed he had done 
 as he had jn-oposed. Years rolled on and he was 
 believed by all his friends to be dead. Pat Mur- 
 phy, an old acquaintance of the family in Canada, 
 went out to the plains of Colorado, and to his 
 greatest surprise discovered in the cattle king of 
 whom he often heard, and whom he supposed to be 
 dead, F. T. Castleman, and subsequently, after Mur- 
 phy went back to Canada and reported the facts, 
 the brother, J. E. Casselman, who was then a citizen 
 of Otoe County, came to Colorado to visit his 
 brother. 
 
 Our subject is one of the rich men and most 
 valued citizens of the county, and has hitherto 
 enjoyed his life in single blessedness. His name 
 is slightly changed since his going to Colorado, 
 and occurred owing to the mistake in drawing up 
 of certain legal papers, by which it was written 
 Castleman instead of Casselman. To this probably 
 is due the non-recognition of the name by his 
 brother. After he sold out in Colorado he made 
 a visit to his brother here, and subsequently bought 
 the farm where he now lives, which comprises 480 
 acres, and is one of the most highly improved and 
 best fenced farms in Otoe Precinct. He carries on 
 his farm according to the most advanced methods. 
 His barns and out-buildings will compare favora- 
 
 bly with the best in the county. His whole place 
 bears the impress of thrift, care and neatness in its 
 management. A view of his splendid place is 
 given as a fitting accompaniment to this brief out- 
 line history of the life of its owner. 
 
 ^^\ HRISTIAN BLUM. Among the prosperous 
 Yf^ German farmers of Russell Precinct the 
 ^^^ subject of this sketch occupies a position in 
 the front ranks. He came to this county from 
 Mercer County, 111., in the spring of 1876, purchas- 
 ing 143 acres of land on section 30. Here he has 
 labored industriously and with fine results, having 
 now a good set of farm buildings, an orchard of 
 seventy-five trees with the smaller fruits, his fields 
 enclosed with hedge and wire fencing, a fair assort- 
 ment of live stock, and all the other requirements 
 of the progressive agriculturist. There are displa3-ed 
 on every hand the evidences of the genuine Ger- 
 man prudence and thrift which have descended to 
 him from one of the best nationalities on the face 
 of the globe. 
 
 The parents of our subject, George and Susanna 
 (Hummel) Blum, were born in the Kingdom of 
 Wurtemberg, Germany, where the father pursued 
 his trade of wagon-maker, and carried on farming 
 until 1857. Then, not being satisfied with the head- 
 way he was making upon his native soil, he resolved 
 to emigrate to America. Soon after setting foot 
 upon the Western Continent he made his way to 
 Mercer County, 111., where he purchased forty acres 
 of land, and, with his excellent wife, spent the re- 
 mainder of his life. The father died in the spring 
 of 1867, at the age of seventy-three years. The 
 mother had preceded her husband to the silent land, 
 her death taking place in 1865 from cholera, when 
 she was sixty-eiglit years old. The family con- 
 sisted of three children of their own: John; George, 
 who died young; and Christian, our subject; and 
 Mary, an adopted daughter. The eldest son is farm- 
 ing in Washington County, Iowa. During the late 
 war he joined a regiment of artillery from Illinois, 
 and was mustered in at Chicago. This shortly 
 afterward proceeded to the South, where he partici- 
 pated in many of the important battles of the war. 
 
 ••^W 
 
•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 293 
 
 iiK'luding tliat at Pittsburg Landing, and the siege 
 of Mcksljurg. He served three years and escaped 
 unharmed. Tlie adopted daughter, IMary, is mar- 
 ried, and a resident of Mercer County, 111. 
 
 Our subject was born in the Kingdom of Wur- 
 temberg, May 2, 1836, and lived there with his par- 
 ents until reaching his majority, receiving that 
 thorough education commonly accorded the youth 
 of the German Empire. He accompanied his father 
 to America, they making the voyage across the 
 Atlantic on a sailing-vessel, being thirty-three daj'S 
 on the ocean. He lived five years with his father 
 in Mercer County, 111., and in the fall of 1862 
 proffered his services as a Union soldier, enlisting 
 in Company C, 102d Illinois Infantry. He was 
 mustered in at Preemption, 111., went south into 
 Kentucky, and was assigned to the Army of the 
 Mississippi, under the command of Gen. Sherman. 
 He was in some of the most important battles of 
 the campaign, namely: Perry ville, .Stone River, 
 Murfreesboro, Lookout IMountain, Chickamauga, 
 Chattanooga, and marched with the old hero from 
 Atlanta to the sea. He was all through that memora- 
 ble campaign, and at the close of the war went up 
 through the Carolinas and was present in the grand 
 review at Washington. Thence the regiment re- 
 turned to Chicago, where our subject was mustered 
 out and received his honorable discharge. He had 
 now fully gained his title to American citizenship, 
 and returning to the Prairie State resumed farming 
 in Mercer County. 
 
 The marriage of Christian Blum and Miss ]\Iin- 
 nie Iluinel took place in Mercer County, 111., Jul}- 
 26, 1865, and thej^ began to live together on the 
 little farm of forty acres purchased by our subject, 
 and there continued to live for a period of ten 
 years. In the spring of 1875 Mr. Blum concluded 
 to cross the Mississippi, and moved to Page County, 
 Iowa, living there also ten j-ears. In the spring of 
 1885 he came to Nebraska and located on the farm 
 which he now owns and occupies. He has become 
 thoroughly identified with the interests of his 
 adopted county, which recognizes in him one of its 
 most valued and useful citizens. 
 
 Mrs. Blum is the daughter of John and Barbara 
 (Boeck) Humel, who were also natives of Wurtem- 
 berg, and emigrated to the United St.atcs in the 
 
 spring of 1864, settling in ^Mercer County, 111. The 
 father was a weaver by trade, but upon coming to 
 America engaged in common labor. He departed 
 this life in the spring of 1886. The mother is still 
 living, making her home with one of her sons in 
 Mercer County, 111. The six children of the pa- 
 rental family were named respectively: John, 
 Emanuel, Lewis; Qaroline, who died when thirty- 
 three years old; Louisa and Minnie. Mrs. Blum, 
 the youngest of the household circle, was a native 
 of the same Province as her parents and her hus- 
 band, and was born Juh^ 30, 1836. She came with 
 her father's family to America and lived at home 
 uutil her marriage. Her union with our subject 
 has resulted in the birth of six children, the eldest 
 of whom, a son, John, died when eleven years old. 
 The survivors — Christian, Minnie, Mary, Emma 
 and Sophia — are all at home with their parents. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Blum were reared in the doctrines of 
 the Evangelical Lutheran Church, to which the}^ 
 still lojally adhere, being members of the church 
 at Hopewell. Mr. Blum, politicall}', votes the 
 straight Democratic ticket. He has no desire for of- 
 ficial honors, preferring to relegate the responsibili- 
 ties of office to somebody who would not make as 
 good a farmer. 
 
 ENRY C. HANDY is one of the prom- 
 hient, enterprising and successful business 
 men of the county, and the owner of an 
 extensive farm in North Branch, his home 
 on section 25, where he settled in the j'ear 
 His property includes 700 acres, the home 
 farm comprising 280 acres, all well improved and 
 utilized for the purposes of stock raising and feed- 
 ing, with which business he has been connected for 
 about three years, and in that time has conducted 
 business extensivelj' in twenty -eight different States, 
 and in the Territories. 
 
 Our subject was born in Colerain, Mass.. on the Uth 
 of October, 1841, to Charles and Lavina (Ross) 
 Handy. The giandfather of our subject, Charles 
 Haudy. was born in Scotland, where he was brought 
 up and came to man's estate. There also he was 
 married, and made his first home. In an early da}' 
 
 ■•►HI- 
 
> ► ir^ 
 
 294 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 he came to the United States with a colony which 
 peopled Colerain. His wife was born in the North 
 of Ireland. 
 
 The father of our subject wiis a stockman in the 
 Broughton Market for over forty-five years, and 
 was in partnership with H. C. Leland for twenty- 
 two years. He continued in the business until he 
 was seventy years of age, and died in the year 1867, 
 about nine years after he had retired. His wife, 
 who departed this life in thej'ear 1862, also attained 
 the same age of seventy-nine years. They were 
 the parents of ten children, of whom five are now 
 living. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was the youngest 
 child born to his parents. When seventeen years 
 of age he went to New York City, where his 
 brother Charles was engaged in a wholesale bakery 
 business. There he remained for about six j^ears- 
 During the last two years he attended the Shel- 
 bourne Falls (Mass.) Business College, where he 
 received a thorough business education. At the 
 age of twenty-three he sold out his bakery business, 
 and for one year served as mail agent on the Cunard 
 Line between New York and Liverpool. He then 
 came West, and at Chicago entered the house of 
 Austin, Leiter & Palmer as dry-goods salesman. 
 He remained in the house one year, and for the six 
 subsequent j'ears was on the road as their repre- 
 sentative, covering in that time most of the AVestern 
 States. At one time he made heavy sales in five 
 different States, and carried a large jobbing trade. 
 
 In 1871 our subject engaged in the wholesale 
 jtrovision, grain and seed trade, but after a few 
 months of successful business lost all by the Chicago 
 fire, and was again ready to work for someone else, 
 and entered the employ of the J. Russell Manu- 
 facturing Company, for which he traveled four 
 J'ears. He then engaged with C. H. Fargo, and 
 served them until 1879, then again with Mr. Rus- 
 sell until 1885. He had purchased a farm of 280 
 acres in the year 1879, but had rented the same 
 until the close of his engagiment with Mr. Russell, 
 although he had made this his headquarters from 
 1882. The marriage of Mr. Handy was celebrated 
 in 1886, the lady of his choice being Ann P. Deane, 
 who was born in St. Louis, Mo., in May, 1848. She 
 is the daughter of J. Charles and Helen (Porter) 
 
 Deane. Her father was for many years a Captain 
 on one of the Missouri River boats, but upon leav- 
 ing his vessel embarked as a grain merchant at St. 
 Louis. There had been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Handy three children, who have received the names 
 Charles H., Benjamin D. and Kate A. Mr. Handy 
 is a member of the Northwestern Traveling Men's 
 Association, and has been an active member. He 
 has the reputation of having sold throughout 
 twentj'-eight of the States and Territories of the 
 Union, and of a success unusually marked. He has 
 a large natural capacity for business, is pleasant 
 and affable in manner, but thoughtful, shrewd and 
 keen. His political sympathies are with the Re- 
 publican party, of which he is an old and tried 
 member. 
 
 ENRY SHRADER, one of the most stirring 
 business men of Berlin, is interested in both 
 farming and merchandising, and possesses 
 decided business talent, having from a cap- 
 ital of ^200 built up a fine property. This includes a 
 half-interest in the store and a good farm of ICO 
 acres with modern improvements, lying on sections 
 21, 9 and 12 in Berlin Precinct. Mr. Shraderhas for 
 his life partner a verj' intelligent and efiicient lady, 
 who nearly equals him in point of business talent, is 
 w'ell educated and intelligent, and contributes her full 
 share in maintaining the reputation of the familj'. 
 In the sketch of Mr. Fred Shrader, the brother 
 of our subject, which will be found on another 
 page in this volume, will be noted the parental his- 
 tory. Henry, like the balance of his family, was 
 born in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg. Germany, 
 first opening his eyes to the light July 3, i 850. He 
 was a lad twelve years of age when he crossed the 
 Atlantic with his parents, thej' sailing from Ham- 
 burg ill October of 1862 on the ship "Colum- 
 bus," the voyage occupying eight weeks and two 
 daj's, and during which they encountered at one 
 time a severe storm which continued three days, 
 and which menaced the safetj^ of the vessel and all 
 on board. They finally, however, landed safely at 
 New York City, and our subject accompanied his 
 parents during the removals thereafter from C'leve- 
 
 *t 
 
 <• 
 
■► I I <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ••► 
 
 •295 
 
 Hh^ 
 
 land, Ohio, to Dixou, 111., and from there to this 
 State. 
 
 Young Shrader commenced working for himself 
 at the age of thirteen years, at the munificent salary 
 of S3 per month, except during the harvest season, 
 wlien he was given 84. He was thus employed in 
 farming for a period of seven years, in the mean- 
 time completing his education duiing the winter 
 se.asons in the common schools. After coming to 
 Nebraska in December of 1869, he was occupied 
 at farming one year near Nebraska City, and in 
 June of tlie year following purchased 120 acres of 
 school land on section 16. Upon this there has 
 been no attempt at improvement, and our subject 
 commenced from first principles to build up a home- 
 stead. He set out groves, erected buildings, culti- 
 vated the soil, and lived there until 1881, when he 
 removed to his present farm, which he had pur- 
 chased the previous year. This, like the other, was 
 raw prairie, and he proceeded as before to develop 
 a farm with like results. His buildings are on 
 section 7, and consist of a tasteful modern residence, 
 a good barn, and all the necessary out-buildings for 
 the storage of grain and the shelter of stock. He 
 sold his first purch.ase in the year 1 887, and re- 
 moved to Berlin, purchasing an interest in the stock 
 of merchandise then owned by G. H. Hillman, and 
 ventured upon a new department of business. His 
 natural talent has carried him through this scheme 
 successfully. The business is operated under the 
 name and style of Schrader Bros. They carry a 
 large stock of clothing, drj'-goods and groceries, 
 and have in connection with this a millinerj' estab- 
 lishment. They carry a stock of goods worth SilO,- 
 000, and enjoy the patronage of the best people of 
 this section. 
 
 The wife of our subject was in her girlhood Miss 
 Catherine Walch, and they were married in Ne- 
 braska City, June 24, 1875. Mrs. Shrader is the 
 daughter of Charles and Barbara (Neu) Walch, the 
 father a native of Alsace, France, and the mother 
 born in Byron, Germany. The paternal grand- 
 father, Jacob Walch, also a native of Alsace, was a 
 well-to-do farmer, and Grandfather Michael Neu, 
 who pursued the same occupation, emigrated to 
 America in 1839, and settled among the pioneers of 
 Bureau County, 111., where he spent the remainder 
 
 of his days. The parents of Mrs. Shrader were 
 married in Bureau County, 111., where the father 
 farmed until 1870, then came to this county. Here 
 he purchased 160 acres in Berlin Precinct, upon 
 which he made good improvements, and where his 
 death took place in 1875, when he was but fort}'- 
 two 3"ears old; the mother is still living at the old 
 homestead. 
 
 Besides Mrs. Shrader there was born to her 
 parents only one other child, a son, Ch.arles, who is 
 now with his mother. Mrs. Shrader was born in 
 Bureau County, 111., Aug. 22, 1857. She was sub- 
 jected to careful parental training, acquired a good 
 education in the common schools, and received from 
 her excellent mother lessons in those housewifely 
 duties upon which the happiness of a home so much 
 depends. Of her union with our subject there are 
 five children, namely: Annie, Rudolph, Minnie, 
 Ulka and Carrie. Mr. Shrader, politically, is a 
 stanch Republican, and was a charter member of 
 the German Lutheran Church at Berlin, to the sup- 
 port of which he has given liberally, and officiated 
 as Trustee and Secretary. He has represented 
 Berlin Precinct in the County Board of Super- 
 visors two years, and has been a member of the 
 Election Board for a long period. The family 
 occupies an enviable position in social circles, and 
 among business men Mr. Shr.ader is given a place 
 in the first ranks. 
 
 ■^1 OHN MICHAEL. The subject of this sketch 
 bears the distinction of being the oldest pio- 
 neer of Palmyra Precinct. Great have been 
 the changes which have occurred since he 
 first set foot on the soil of Nebraska, and no 
 man has watched with warmer interest its growth 
 and development. Prominent among its business 
 and agricultural interests, he has been no imim- 
 portant factor in bringing this commonwealth to 
 its present proud condition. His labors have met 
 with abundant reward, as he is now in the enjoy- 
 ment of a beautiful home and a competence for his 
 old age. In addition to this he has also fully es- 
 tablished himself in the esteem and confidence of 
 his fellow-citizens, being very popular, especially 
 
 > ► II <•• 
 
 ♦^h 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 206 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 among the old settlers, who remember his ellicieiicy 
 in other days, and the young extend to him that 
 tactic respect and reverence accorded to those who 
 have seen so much of life and been so useful in the 
 world. 
 
 Mr. Michael first arrived in Nebraska Territory 
 on the 1st of April, 1857. He was then a man of 
 twenty-nine years, having been born Feb. 15, 1828. 
 His native place was Northampton County, Pa., 
 and his parents were John and IMary (Warner) 
 Michael, both natives of the Keystone State. John 
 Michael, a farmer by occupation, was a hard-work- 
 ing, industrious man, and the sons were taught 
 those habits of thrift and economy which formed 
 the secret of their success in life. The household 
 circle included eight children, namely: Joseph, who 
 died young; Thomas; John, our subject; Charles, 
 George, David, James and Hannah. Of these our sub- 
 ject and his sister Hannah are the only ones who sur- 
 vive; the latter is a resident of Pennsylvania. The 
 father of our subject, in the fall of 1877, left his 
 Pennsylvania home and with his family emigrated 
 to Nebraska. Both parents spent their last years 
 at the home of their son John, and died within a 
 year of each other, the mother in 1882, when sev- 
 enty-six years old, and the father in 1883, at the 
 advanced age of ninety-one. 
 
 The Michael family were of substantial German 
 ancestry, the first representatives in the United 
 States crossing the Atlantic during the Colonial 
 days. Our subject learned to speak the German 
 tongue when but a boy, but on account of limited 
 school facilities grew up with very little education, 
 except what he picked up himself by reading and 
 observation. He was taught at a very early age to 
 make himself useful around the homestead, and 
 when leaving it at the age of eighteen worked out 
 at So per month. In 1852 he made up his mind to 
 seek his fortunes west of the Mississippi. He first 
 went to Iowa, settling in the vicinity of Dubuque, 
 where he worked out by the month for a time and 
 then engaged as teamster. With genuine German 
 thrift and prudence he saved what he could of his 
 earnings, and in the spring of 1857 came to Ne- 
 braska with a capital of $300. This, however, 
 should have been three times that sum, as he lost 
 $900 on his contract for hauling building material 
 
 for the seminary at Cascade, Iowa. In coming from 
 Iowa to Nebraska our subject made the journey with 
 a team of horses and a wagon, in company with 
 Thomas Hunter and Henry Salladay. Mr. Hunter 
 pre-empted land in the vicinity of Nebraska City, 
 but Mr. Salladay soon afterward went back to Ohio. 
 Mr. Michael located liis land along the western part 
 of the county, on sections 7 and 8 in Palmyra Pre- 
 cinct. His nearest white neighbor, for six months, 
 was twentj' miles away, but Indians were jjlentiful, 
 and having the good judgment to treat them kindly 
 and in a discreet manner, they neither injured nor 
 annoyed him. 
 
 Mr. Michael up to this time was a single man, 
 as he believed in laj'ing the solid foundations of a 
 home before taking upon himself the responsibili- 
 ties of a family. Having arrived at this point he 
 was finally united in marriage with Miss Alary 
 Spahule, the wedding taking place at the home of 
 the bride, in Lancaster County, Neb., in September, 
 1877. Mrs. Michael was born in German}^ Jan. 
 22, 1859, and came to the United States with her 
 parents when sixteen years old. Her parents, Jo- 
 seph and Rosalia Spahule, were of pure German an- 
 cestrj^ The father spent his last years in Kansas 
 and the mother in Nebraska. Their family included 
 nine children, five of whom are living; they mostly 
 reside in Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Michael commenced their wedded 
 life together in the log house which is still standing 
 on the premises. This was replaced many years 
 ago by a tasteful and commodious frame dwelling, 
 and the barn and outhouses adjacent are ample evi- 
 dence of the taste and means of the proprietor. Mr. 
 Michael, besides carrying on the cultivation of his 
 land successfully, has planted fruit and shade trees 
 in abundance, including a large apple orchard in 
 good bearing condition, and the choicest of all tlie 
 smaller fruits. His land is well watered and very 
 productive, and the source of a~haudsome income. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Michael there have been born 
 four children, all sons — George, Charles, David and 
 James. David died when seven years old, and 
 James when three. The survivors make their home 
 with their parents. Mr. Michael cast his first Presi- 
 dential vote for Buchanan, and since that time lias 
 uniformly' supported Democratic principles. He is 
 
 •^^:^ 
 
 »^^hM» 
 
it^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY". 
 
 ••► 
 
 297 
 
 widely and favorably known throughout this part 
 of the county, and has been foremost in the enter- 
 jirises calculated for its development and progress. 
 He was instrumental in forming the Old Settlers' 
 Association, and is its Vice President. A work of 
 this kind would by no means be complete without 
 the name and a brief epitome of the character of 
 one of the earliest settlers of Otoe Count}', among 
 whom John Michael occupies no unimportant place. 
 
 --^SS»«^^»^ 
 
 «^5tf^««^»tf~ 
 
 s^, HERMAN A. HOSTETTER. one of the 
 most prosperous farmers of Palmyra Pre- 
 cinct, would at once be singled out in a 
 community on account of his fine stature, 
 being six feet three inches in height and otherwise 
 of commanding presence. He is also a gentleman of 
 remarkable intelligence, and a citizen who enjoys in 
 a more than ordinary degree the friendship and es- 
 teem of those around him. The doors of his hos- 
 pitable and pleasant home are alike open to friends 
 and strangers, who are welcomed with that courtesy 
 which bespeaks the gentleman born and bred. His 
 property consists of a fine farm of 200 acres on 
 section 20 in Palmyra Precinct, of which he took 
 possession in the fall of 1883. He has labored to 
 excellent advantage, being surrounded now with 
 all the comforts of life and many of its luxuries. 
 
 Sherman Hostetter, Sr., the father of our subject, 
 a native of Preble County, Ohio, was a man of 
 more than ordinary ability, cultured and intelligent, 
 and one who exerted a wide influence during the 
 years of his active life. He was warmly interested 
 in the political questions of the day, a member first 
 of the old Whig pai-ty and afterward a Republican. 
 After taking up his residence in Indiana he was 
 elected to the State Legislature, and was instru- 
 mental in the defeat of the Militarj' Bill, which 
 during the times of the Civil "War involved most 
 important issues. On account of his efficiency at 
 tills period, he became the warm personal friend of 
 Gov. Morton, who extended to him that kindly 
 confidence and esteem fully in keeping with his 
 merits. Conscientious and upright in all his deal- 
 ings with his fellowmen, he at all times steadily 
 resisted the temptation to profit by that which had 
 
 the shadow of dishonesty, as was finally illustrated, 
 especially at one time, when Hon. G. S. Orth, Con- 
 gressman-at-Large from Indiana, came to his house, 
 and for three days sought to persuade him to in- 
 vest in a quantity of whisky which could be pur- 
 chased for a trifle, and by the disposal of which 
 there was no question but that he would realize a 
 fortune, as at that time was about to be passed the 
 Internal Revenue Law, which would bring about this 
 result. The father replied: "I have some boys 
 growing up, and if I make my money in whisky, 
 the}' will be justified in drinking it." No promises 
 or threats could move him from the stand which he 
 had taken, and the tempter departed, able to say at 
 least once in his life that he had met a man gov- 
 erned by principle. 
 
 It is hardly uecessar}' to say that the father of 
 our subject was first a 'W"hig, then a Republican, 
 was also an Abolitionist, and by his political speeches 
 in Indiana turned the tide of many an important 
 question. For a period of fourteen years he la- 
 bored actively in the cause of freedom and union, 
 and rested from his earthly labors on the 7tn of De- 
 cember, 1868, passing aw.ay at his home in Indiana 
 amid the mourning of many friends and the regret 
 of all who had known him. He had married in 
 early manhood Miss Mary Ann Byrd, who was a 
 native of Kentucky. They had removed from 
 their native State in their youth, and they were 
 married in Indiana. Of their union there were 
 born ten children. Further mention of the family 
 is made in the sketch of John B. Hostetter, which 
 will be found elsewhere in this volume. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Montgom- 
 ery County, Ind., Aug. 26, 1850, and spent his 
 boyhood and youth upon a farm, receiving his ed- 
 ucation in the common schools. This was exceed- 
 ingly limited and conducted about fifteen days 
 during the winter season. Living in the midst of 
 a timber tract, he early became proficient in the use 
 of the ax, and grew up familiar with the various 
 other pursuits of farm life. 
 
 Mr. Hostetter was married rather late in life, 
 when a man of thirty-two years, in the fall of 1882, 
 to Miss Sarah J., daughter of Thomas and Nanc}' 
 (Smith) Pollet. He had before this continued un- 
 der the parental roof as a member of his father's 
 
 ■» 
 
 ^V 
 
*► II M - 
 
 298 
 
 ••► 
 
 t 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 household. Mrs. Hostetter was born near Oxford, 
 in Preble Count}', Ohio. Aug. 5, 1853, and was the 
 fourth in a familj- of ten children. Her parents 
 were nativss of Ohio, and are now deceased. They 
 removed from the Buckeye State to Indiana when 
 she was a little girl seven years of age, and she 
 spent the time mostly under the parental roof un- 
 til her marriage. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hostetter after their marriage re- 
 mained upon the old homestead in Montgomery 
 County, Ind., until it was sold in 1883. They 
 then came to Nebraska, and settled upon the farm 
 where they now live. .Of their union there have 
 been born three children — Bertha F., Clarence I. and 
 an infant unnamed. It is hardly necessary to say 
 that Mr. Hostetter is a stanch Republican, following 
 in the footsteps of his honored father. In religious 
 matters he is one of the most prominent members 
 of the United Brethren Church, and Assistant Su- 
 perintendent of the Sunday-school. Socially, he 
 belongs to the I. O. O. F.. of Palmyra. 
 
 (|J,_^ ERBERT G. STILLWELL, who, although 
 [fjjj the owner of but eighty acres, successfully 
 l^^ farms 240 acres, situated in Russell Precinct, 
 'i^ the home farm being upon section 30, 
 is the son of George W. and Louisa (Burdell) Still- 
 well, and both the parents and son were born in 
 Jefferson County, N. Y. The family is of German 
 descent, but has been identified with American citi- 
 zenship for several generations. The father of our 
 subject was a farmer and worked eighty acres of 
 land. In 1869 he went to San Francisco, and there 
 kept a dairy and also ran a soda spring in Mappa 
 Valley for three years, then removed to Richardson 
 County, near Falls City, where he followed hus- 
 bandry until 1874, then removed to this county, 
 where he died in 1876, at the age of forty-nine 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Stillwell, Sr., enlisted in a regiment of New 
 York infantry in the year 1861, and served until 
 the close of the war. He was present at Bull Run, 
 Gettysburg, and a number of other of the larger 
 and more important engagements. He was a Re- 
 publican in his political relations, and a Baptist 
 
 in his religious faith. After the death of her hus- 
 band the mother of our subject bought 160 acres, 
 and supervised the improvement and operation of 
 the same and still owns the property. She is living 
 near San Francisco, and is fifty-four years of age. 
 Three children came to call her motiier — Sarah E., 
 Herbert G. and Daniel S. 
 
 Tlie subject of our sketch opened his eyes to the 
 light on the 21st of April, 1862, and was about 
 seven years of age when his parents removed to 
 California. He attended the public schools in the 
 city of San Francisco for a year or two, and then 
 his parents removed to Nebraska, and he of course 
 accompanied them. After his father's death he con- 
 tinued to make his home with his mother, and as far as 
 was possible assist her in the maintenance of home, 
 until he attained his majority. He then took charge 
 of his mother's farm. In 1885 he spent six months 
 in New York City in an express office, and in 
 July, 1886, he crossed the continent to California, 
 and there attended the Petalunia Commercial Col- 
 lege, where he took a six-months course of instruc- 
 tion, and then returned to Russell Precinct, and took 
 up his present place in the beginning of 1887. It 
 was at the lime partially improved, and he contin- 
 ued that good work and brought it to its present 
 super-excellent condition. He has from the first 
 given much attention to stock-raising, chiefly of 
 hogs and graded horses. 
 
 Mr. Stillwell celebrated his marriage with Miss 
 Emma E. Boyd at Dunbar, Neb., Sept. 8, 1887, 
 His excellent wife is the daughter of J. C. and Isa- 
 bell (McCulloch) Boyd. Her father was born in 
 Blount County, Tenn.,and followed agricultural pur- 
 suits; he removed with his wife and family to this 
 State in 1863, and settled in Delaware Precinct, and 
 engaged in farming, changing his residence to his 
 present home in Dunbar in 1809. He is the owner 
 of 400 acres, and superintends the working thereof 
 himself. He has always been a member of the Re- 
 publican party, and has several times been called 
 upon to fill various offices. He was Assessor for 
 three years and County Superintendent for four 
 terms. 
 
 Mrs. Stillwell was born in Blount County, Tenn., 
 June 11, 1863, and is the second of seven chil- 
 dren born to her parents. The names of her brothers 
 
 •►Ht::* 
 
 ers Y 
 
Residence of H ermann Teten,5ec.19. Rock Creek Precinct. 
 
 Residence OF James Lewis , Sec 26//Vff/?rA'y) Palmyra Precinct. 
 
 H-.^^^v«.^-.r -f i." 
 
 --f«?eAs^ \J^-y-KJirr' 
 
 Residence OF Christian Bischoff, 5ec.29. Rock Creek Precinct. 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 301 
 
 i 
 
 and sisters are as follows: Laura L., John W., 
 Frank C, Eddie C, Mamie E. and Albert L. She 
 is a lady of culture and education, and liesides the 
 usual instruction of the common schools she attended 
 the Peru Normal School of this State for four years, 
 fitting herself for the position of a teacher, and con- 
 tinuing to follow that jjrofession with mqrked ability 
 and success for thirteen terms. She has presented 
 her husband with one child, who bears the name of 
 Maey Bartlett. 
 
 Mrs. Stilhyell is a devout member of the Cumber- 
 land Presbyterian Church, and is the recipient of 
 the cordial respect and esteem of her fellow mem- 
 bers, as she is indeed of that of the comraunitj' so far 
 as she is known. Onr subject is a member of the 
 School Board at Russell, and has held that position 
 since 1888. He is a firm Republican, and is alwa3's 
 ready to take his stand with the party. He is a 
 man of intelligence and character, and esteemed 
 throughout the community. 
 
 =E3- 
 
 I^REDERICK PAAP. The career of the self- 
 made man is finely illustrated in the subject 
 of this sketch, who began life in America 
 dependent upon his own resources, without means, 
 a stranger in a strange land. He is now one of the 
 leading farmers and land-owners of Berlin Pre- 
 cinct, holding a clear title to 1,360 acres, which he 
 has transformed from a tract of wild prairie to a 
 highly productive condition. The homestead oc- 
 cupies the southwest corner of section 15, and pre- 
 sents one of the most attractive spots in the landscape 
 of that region, being embellished with fine build- 
 ings, a commodious and convenient residence, a 
 substantial barn, and the pens and sheds required 
 for the shelter of stock, of which the proprietor 
 makes a specialty. Within, the home is presided 
 over by a lady well educated, refined and hospita- 
 ble, who has done her share toward the building 
 up of the reputation of the family, and assisted in 
 drawing around them hosts of friends. 
 
 Our subject was born in the Grand Duchy of 
 Mecklenburg, Aug. 31, 1839, and is the son of 
 Frederick, Sr., and Mary (Scholtz) Paap, who were 
 
 natives of the same place as their son. The pater- 
 nal grandfather, Dedloflf Paap, was a cooper bj' 
 trade, but served in the German array during the 
 war between France and Russia. On the mother's 
 side grandfather John Scholtz inclined more to the 
 peaceful pursuits of .agriculture, being for a num- 
 ber of j'ears overseer of a farm. Both spent their 
 entire lives in their native Germany. 
 
 The father of our subject occupied himself as a 
 gardener near his native town until 1857, then re- 
 solved to emigrate to America. He was accom- 
 panied by his wife and children on the voyage 
 across the Atlantic, and for two years thereafter 
 lived in Cleveland, Ohio. In the spring of 1859, 
 coming to this county, he purchased eighty acres 
 of land on section 15, Berlin Precinct, for which 
 he paid the sum of $70, all the money he had in 
 the world. He commenced in true ijioneer fashion 
 the development of the farm, and was prospered in 
 his labors, building up a good homestead and sur- 
 rounding himself with all the comforts of life. He 
 doubled his original purchase, and there spent his 
 last days, passing away Aug. 4, 1879, when sixty- 
 nine years old. The mother is still living, making 
 her home with her son William, in Berlin Precinct, 
 and is now seventy-eight years of age. Their three 
 children were named respectively: Frederick, our 
 subject; William and Louisa. The two latter a,ve 
 residents of this precinct. 
 
 Mr. Paap attended the common schools of his 
 native town until a lad of fourteen years, in the 
 meantime learning the art of gardening of his 
 father. After leaving the day school he pursued 
 his studies at an evening school four j'ears longer. 
 He came with his father to the United States when 
 a youth of eighteen years, in 1857, making the 
 voyage on a sailing-vessel, the "St. John," embark- 
 ing at Hamburg and landing at New York six weeks 
 and three daj's later. In the meantime they en- 
 countered several storms, and at one time the ship 
 took tire, but fortunately this was arrested before 
 very much damage was done. 
 
 Young Paap landed a stranger in a strange land, 
 not being acquainted with a soul in America and 
 almost penniless. He made his way to Cleveland, 
 Ohio, where for two years he employed himself at 
 whatever he coidd find to do, sometimes by the 
 
 •►Ht^ 
 
 ^^^^4-^ 
 
^f^ 
 
 -•►Hl- 
 
 302 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 month and sometimes by the day. In 1859 he re- 
 solved to cross the Mississippi, made his way by 
 rail to St. Louis, thence by steamboat to this county, 
 landing in Nebraslva City. He was fortunate in 
 securing emploj'ment on a farm, and worlied the 
 first 3'ear for Dave Martin, receiving at the close 
 in pa3'ment for his services $150. This seemed 
 quite a goodly sum, as he had landed in Nebraska 
 with $5. 
 
 Our subject the second year of las residence in 
 this county was employed at a hotel in Nebraska 
 City. In 1862 he engaged in freighting to Denver, 
 and later worked in John Bennett's mill, near Ne- 
 braska City; 1863 and 1864 found him freight- 
 ing again, and later he was employed in a wholesale 
 establishment at Nebraska City. His journej'ings 
 across the plains were invested with the usual 
 dangers and hardships for those times, when the 
 Indians looked upon the whites with very unfriendly 
 eyes, and the traveler at no time felt secure either 
 as regarded life or property. Mr. Paap, however, 
 possessed a cool and temperate judgment, which 
 enabled him to keep out of difficulty both with the 
 rough white element of that region and with the 
 Indians. During the early part of 1865 he was 
 one of the company of home guards organized for 
 mutual protection. 
 
 Tlie eighty acres of land which our subject now 
 occupies as his homestead proper was purchased by 
 him in the spring of 1860, but he did not make 
 any attempt at improvement upon it until after his 
 marriage. Then, fortified by the assistance and 
 sympathy of a good wife, he put up a modest 
 dwelling, and in true pioneer style began the im- 
 provement of his property. In breaking the soil 
 the wife frequently drove the oxen, while Mr. Paap 
 held the plow. After he had put in his first crop he 
 began setting out fruit and shade trees, and has 
 now fine groves and eleven acres planted with ap- 
 ple trees, and choice fruits of the smaller varieties. 
 In adding to his landed area he has paid all the 
 way from $7 to $25 per acre, hut for none of it 
 would he to-day take less than $35 per acre. This 
 he has divided into six farms, each being supplied 
 with groves, orchards, houses and barns. For the 
 building of his present fine residence he was 
 obliged to haul all the material from Neliraska 
 
 1- 
 
 City. It is handsomely finished and furnished, 
 and supplied with all modern conveniences. 
 
 Mr. Paap began at an early date his operations as 
 a stock-raiser, and has been remarkablj^ successful. 
 He keeps none Init good grades of animals, and his 
 horses are especially fine, being draft animals of 
 the Clydesdale stock. Of these he has seventeen 
 head, besides a span of valuable mules. In his 
 stock operations he utilizes 320 acres of his land, 
 over which he has personal supervision, and rents 
 the balance. 
 
 The marriage, of F'rederick Paap and Miss Caro- 
 line Sturm was celebrated at the home of the bride, 
 in AVeeping Water, Feb. 2, 1864. Mrs. Paap was 
 born in what was then the Province of Alsace, 
 France. March 24, 1846, and received a careful 
 education, becoming familiar with both the French 
 and German languages. She accompanied her 
 father's family to America when a young girl of 
 thirteen years, in the spring of 1859. Her parents 
 were Andrew and Madoline (Understock) Sturm, 
 also natives of Alsace, and the father a prosperous 
 farmer. The mother died in Germany in 1853. 
 The family crossed the Atlantic on the sailing-ves- 
 sel "Brockness," and not long after landing in New 
 York City proceeded directly westward to Nebraska, 
 locating in Cass County, where the father purchased 
 320 acres of land. Upon this he settled with his 
 family, effected good improvements, and there spent 
 the remainder of his life, his death taking place in 
 April, 1874, at the age of seventy-three years. The 
 children of the parental household, five in number, 
 were named resi ectively: Magdalene, Andrew, 
 Sarah, Caroline and ISIary. The brother and the 
 sisters of Mrs. Paap are residents of Nebraska. Her 
 maternal grandfather served in the French army 
 during the war between France and Germany, in 
 1812. Grandfather Sturm during his early man- 
 hood was the owner of a fine property, but for 
 thirty-six years afterward was bedridden from an 
 incurable disease, the expense of which consumed 
 the most of it. 
 
 To. Mr. and Mrs. Paap there have been born 
 five children, namely: Omar, Alexander, Albert, 
 Medora and Lj^dia, the latter twins. The eldest of 
 these is twent3'-four years of age, and the younger 
 ones ten. Tliey arc being trained and educated in 
 
 ■•►■ 
 
•►-11-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 303 
 
 a manner befitting tlieir station in life. Mr. and 
 Mrs. P. are charter members of tlie German Metli- 
 odist Episcopal Churcli, at Berlin, and have always 
 contribnted liberally and cheerfully to its sui)port. 
 Mr. P. gave valnable assistance in erecting the 
 church edifice, has been a Trustee for many years, 
 and is Superintendent of the Sunday-school. Po- 
 litically, he is a fervent supporter of Republican 
 principles, and has done his party good service in 
 this county, frequently being sent as a delegate to 
 the State and County Conventions. He has also 
 served on the Grand and t*etit Juries. He is a man 
 who keejis himself posted upon current events, one 
 with whom it is interesting and profitable to con- 
 verse. 
 
 LBEKT HAUPTMANN, one of the most 
 substantial members of the farming eoni- 
 li munity of Otoe Precinct, owns 240 acres 
 of its most valuable land, pleasantly lo- 
 cated on section 35. He is one of the nationality 
 which has done so much in the development of the 
 great State of Nebraska, of German birth and an- 
 cestry, liis early home being in the Pi'ovince of 
 Westphalia, Prussia, where he first opened his eyes 
 to the light Jan. 7, 1829. 
 
 Harmon H. and Anna Margaret (Isl.abince) Haupt- 
 mann, the parents of our subject, were also natives 
 of Prussia, the father born in the little Province of 
 Westphalia, and living there until after his mar- 
 riage and the birth of his children. In the j-ear 
 1853 all the family came to the United States, set- 
 tling first in Niagara County, N. Y.; thence, not 
 long afterward, they removed to Jefferson County, 
 Wis., and the year following to Nebraska. 
 
 Albert, our subject, had, however, preceded his 
 parents to America, and it was through his persua- 
 sions that thej' joined him here. The father was a 
 well-educated man, and both parents belonged to 
 the higher classes. Upon coming to the West they 
 crossed the Missouri River on the 1st day of July, 
 1856, at a point upon which now stands Nebraska 
 City, the site of whicli was then occupied by only 
 a few wooden hovises. The father pre-empted 160 
 acres of land, embracing the northeast quarter of 
 section 35, building up a homestead which is now 
 
 •►-It^ 
 
 occupied by his grandson, George E. Hauptmann, 
 and where the aged grandmother is still living, be- 
 ing now eight^'-three years old. The father died 
 Nov. 30, 1886, at the age of eighty-three years and 
 ten^ months. 
 
 The parental family included seven children^ 
 u.amely: Albert, our subject; Elizabeth, Casper, 
 Henry, Anna C. I., John Frederick and Willi.im F. 
 Tliey are all well-to-do and residents of Nebraska. 
 Albert was twenty-two j'ears of age when he came 
 to America; he acquired an excellent education in 
 his native tongue, his father being in good circum- 
 stances and able to give his children the best ad- 
 vantages. 
 
 Young Hauptmann, when first setting foot upon 
 American soil, emplo3'ed himself at farming in the 
 vicinity of Saratoga Springs, N. Y.. and not long 
 afterward wrote back to his parents, urging them 
 to join him in America, and they did so before he 
 came on to Nebraska. They lived for a time near 
 Lock])ort, N. Y., and Albert preceded them to Jef- 
 ferson County, Wis., in 1854, they joining him 
 eighteen months later. 
 
 Our subject, while a resident of Wisconsin, was 
 united in marriage with Miss Anna Margareta Isla- 
 bince Jacobmej^er, who was, like her husband, a na- 
 tive of Prussia, and born April 2, 1838. She came 
 to America with friends when a young girl of fif- 
 teen years. Immediately after their marriage Mr. 
 and Mrs. Hauptmann started for Nebraska, arriv- 
 ing in Nebraska Cit}- on the 2d of June, 1856, the 
 journey being made by team. Our subject at once 
 pre-empted 160 acres of land, and for many years 
 thereafter was, with his estimable wife, industriously 
 employed in building up tlie homestead. His in- 
 dustry and perseverance met with their legitimate 
 reward, he being now surrounded with all the com- 
 forts of life, with a prospect of a competence for 
 his old age. He purchased additional land in 1878, 
 and has brought the whole to a good state of culti- 
 vation, erecting thereon substantial and convenient 
 buildings. 
 
 The houseliold circle of our subject .ind his esti- 
 mable wife was completed by the birth of nine 
 children, who, with the exception pf a daughter, 
 Louisa, who died when an infant, are all living. 
 They are n.amed respectively: Anna, Harmon A., Jay 
 
 -•► 
 
Hf^ 
 
 304 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 H., Charles F., Lj-dia, Theodore, Hannah M. and 
 Maggie. Anna is the wife of AVilliam Jewell, of 
 Nemaha County, and the mother of three children 
 — Lydia, AUie and Nettie. The others are at home 
 with tlieir parents. Mr. Ilauptmann is a member 
 ill good standing of the German INIethodist Episco- 
 pal Church, and politically, votes with tlie Repub- 
 lican party. He has never sought official honors, 
 although officiating on the School Board of his 
 precinct. His good wife and the mother of their 
 children died Sept. 14, 1888, and is buried in Lee 
 Cemetery, this precinct. 
 
 ^^^ILBERT WELLS, engaged in the real-estate 
 ill __ and insurance business at UnadiJla, and a 
 '^^5, gentleman representing a good amount of 
 property, owns and occupies a small cottage in the 
 town. A native of Sutton, Merrimack Co., N. H., 
 he was born May 5, 1826, and until the age of 
 twentj'-one years spent his time upon a farm, ac- 
 quiring his education in the common schools. After 
 reaching his majorit}' he commenced farming on his 
 own account on his father's land, then purchased a 
 farm for himself, which he afterward exchanged for 
 village property' in Waterloo, N. H. 
 
 After his marriage our subject removed to Dane 
 County, Wis., settling in the viciuit}' of Stoughton, 
 and in the spring of 185G purchased eight}' acres 
 of land, upon which he operated as an agriculturist 
 for a period of nine years. The fall of 1865 found 
 liim west of the Mississippi, and located in South 
 Branch Precinct, this county, of which he has since 
 been a resident. 
 
 The journey hither was made overland with a 
 team, the party crossing the Missouri River at 
 Nebraska City. Mr. Wells homesteaded and im- 
 proved a claim on section 4, where he made good 
 improvements, setting out groves of fruit trees and 
 hedge fences. He was obliged to have his building 
 material hauled from Nebraska Cit}', with which to 
 put up a house and the various other structures 
 required for his convenience. He subsequently 
 added forty acres to his real estate, but this he has 
 since deeded to his son. 
 
 Mr. Wells, in the fall of 188G, removed from the 
 
 farm to a home which he had purchased in Una- 
 dilla, where he has a house and three lots on I 
 street. Soon afterward he went into partnership 
 with C. R. Stedman, in the grocerj' trade, but on 
 account of failing health was obliged to abandon 
 this. In the spring of 1888 he began dealing in 
 real estate, and also became an agent for the Phoe- 
 nix Fire Insurance Company, of Hartford, Conn. 
 He is a man prompt to meet his obligations, straight- 
 forward in his business" transactions, and in all re- 
 spects a highly esteemed citizen. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Benjamin and 
 Lois (Wheeler) Wells, also natives of the Old Gran- 
 ite State, the father born in Loudon and the mother 
 in Sutton. Benjamin Wells was a farmer by occu- 
 pation, and enlisted as a soldier in the War of 
 1812, although not seeing any actual service. On 
 the mother's side Grandfather Wheeler was an old 
 Revolutionaiy soldier, and received an honorable 
 wound at the battle of Bunker Hill. He spent his 
 last years in Sutton. Both the Wells and the 
 Wheeler families were of English descent. 
 
 Benjamin Wells owned a farm of 100 acres in 
 Sutton, N. H., and was fairly prosperous in his 
 labors as a tiller of the soil. He was a member of 
 the Baptist Church, and died about 1845. The 
 mother, a member of the same church, survived 
 her husband a period of ten years, dying in 1855, 
 at the age of seventy-six. They were the parents 
 of eight children, two of whom died in infancy; the 
 others lived to mature years, but Benjamin, Luc}' 
 W., James and George are since deceased. The 
 survivers are Sarah W. and Gilbert. The sister is 
 a resident of South Newbury, N. H. 
 
 Our subject, in the fall of 1854, was married in 
 Warner, N. H., to Miss Mary W. Kelley, who was 
 the second child of Caleb and Susanna W. (Worth) 
 Kelley, both natives of the Granite State. The 
 father was of Irish ancestry, and a farmer in pros- 
 perous circumstances, holding 200 acres of good 
 land. His death took place in 1853, in his native 
 State. The mother subsequently removed to Wis- 
 consin, and died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. 
 Moses Emerson, at Stoughton, in 1878. Of their 
 six children only three are living, namely: Mary 
 W., LovinaM. and Lucy S. Thomas H., the 3'oung- 
 est son. and twin brother of Lovina, enlisted in 
 
 -^i 
 
t. 
 
 •►Hl^ 
 
 ^T 
 
 4« 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 305 
 
 iiHOMAS BELL. This gentleman is one of 
 tlie most widely known and at the same 
 time truly respected citizens of Palmyra, and 
 a worth}" representative of the mercantile interests 
 of this place. He is the son of William and Helena 
 (Heron) Bell, who were natives respectively of 
 Yorkshire and the county of Durham, England. 
 
 the 7th Wisconsin Regiment for three years, in 
 the earh* part of the War of the Rebellion. He par- 
 ticipated in several hard-fought battles, and was 
 once wounded. He died of smallpox in the hospital 
 after honorably serving his country for two years 
 and nine months. Samuel W. and Emily J. are also 
 deceased. I 
 
 Mrs. Wells was born near Warner, N. H.. Jul}' i 
 Ih, 1835. She received a common-school educa- 
 tion, and continued with her parents until her mar- 
 riage. Of her union with our subject there h.ave 
 been born five children, namely: Clara M., Jessie 
 F., Llewellyn A., Forest J. (deceased) and Ermina 
 L. Clara is tiie wife of C. R. Stedman, a merchant 
 of Unadilla (whose biography will be found else- 
 where in this work), and the motiierof two children 
 • — Nellie L. and Alma R. ; Jessie married J. M. 
 Brown, who is farming in Washington Territory; 
 they have five children — Clarence O., Harry, Frank, 
 Myrtle, and an infant unnamed. Llewellyn mar- 
 ried Miss Nellie Balfour, and is farming in SoutL 
 B.ianch Precinct, this county ; the have one child, a 
 son, Hugh G. Ermina L. married H. E. Stedman, 
 who is farming in Russell Precinct, and they have 
 one child, Georgietta. 
 
 Mr. Wells states that he was born a Democrat, 
 reared a Republican, but votes with the Prohibition- 
 ists. He .served as Justice of the Peace for four 
 years in Sout.h Branch Precinct, was Assessor one 
 year, and a member of the School Board several 
 years. At Burr Oak he was Postmaster for a 
 period of ten years, withdrawing from the otflee in 
 the summer of J 882. He was at one time a mem- 
 ber of the P. of H.. belonging to the Grange at 
 Rockford. and afterward in his own school district. 
 In the spring of 1870 he was the Census Taker of 
 South Branch Precinct. 
 
 His father was by occupation a farmer, and was a 
 small land-o\vner in his native country. He died 
 in the year 1858, aged sixty-eight years, at his home 
 in England. His wife died in England after her 
 son Thomas had left for America. She was ninety 
 years of age, and almost until the last was a hale 
 and healthful old lady. Grandfather Bell was a 
 man of large knowledge, and was Principal of the 
 grammar schools at Kirby, England, for many 
 years. 
 
 Our subject was one of a family of six children, 
 who received the following names: Mary, Stephen, 
 Jane, Frances, William and Thomas. Thomas was 
 born on the 21st of May, 1824, in Yorkshire. He was 
 from earliest childhood very delicate in health. 
 His" education was received in the parish school, 
 and he was allowed to continue longer than was 
 usual. After leaving the institution he was ap- 
 prenticed to a tailor for seven years. At the time 
 he was twenty-one years of age he was possessed of 
 just one sovereign sterling, representing in Ameri- 
 can currency about $4.85. Until coming of age 
 he had devoted his spare time and evenings ver}' 
 diligently to his studies, and thus lai'gely increased, 
 solidified and established his education. 
 
 Upon coming to man's estate Mr. Bell began 
 business for himself as a merchant tailor; consider- 
 ing the almost insurmountable difficulties he had to 
 contend with in beginning with practically nothing, 
 he did remarkably well, and was very successful. 
 When twenty-five years of age he was married to 
 Miss Elizabeth Reed, the daughter of John and 
 Hannah Reed, both of whom were natives of York- 
 shire. They were the parents of eleven children, 
 eight of whom were boys. Mrs. Bell was the fifth 
 child, and was born in March, 1827. She was edu- 
 cated in the schools of her native place, and re- 
 ceived a fairly good English schooling. Her father 
 was engaged extensively in business as adairym.an, 
 and she was known as the "buxom dairy lass of 
 Yorkshire" by her friends and companions. Her 
 parents died in their native country. After their 
 marriage in August, 1849, Mr. and Mrs. Bell con- 
 tinued to live at IMarton, Yorkshire, for about eight 
 years. He had studied theology, and become one 
 of the prominent members of the church since he 
 was .about seventeen years of age, and was fre- 
 
 ■ ► I I <• • 
 
 •►^il-^ 
 
30G 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 
 quently urged to take up the work of t!ie ministry. 
 He became pastor of tlie church at Broughton, and 
 served as its regularlj^ ordained pastor for six 
 years. He filled charges at Broughton and Stocks- 
 ley, continuing until the summer of 1851. In the 
 fall of that year he accepted a call from the Park 
 Head Church of Cumberland, which was one of the 
 first churches built by the ejected ministers of the 
 seventeenth century, for one Rev. George Nichol- 
 son. 
 
 While in pastoral charge in Cumlierland Mr. 
 Bell taxed his constitution, which had never been 
 the most robust, to such a degree that he was com- 
 pelled to resign his charge, much "to the regret of 
 the three congregations he had served, for under 
 his able ministry the work had grown to an unex- 
 pected extent, and the membership was nearly quad- 
 rupled. Upon the advice of his physician he 
 determined to try what the United States climate 
 might do for him, and therefore sold out his prop- 
 erty, and, accompanied by his wife and family, he 
 set sail from Liverpool on the 3d of April, 1867, 
 on board the steamship "Louiscana." He landed 
 in the city of New York, after an ocean passage of 
 twent3'-one days, unmarked by any especial note- 
 worthy incident; but his destination was Nebraska, 
 and he proceeded at once to the West. 
 
 Before leaving England Mr. Bell had organized 
 a colony consisting of over 100 Englishmen, and 
 they came to Otoe County on or about the 1st of 
 May, 1867. Almost without exception they took 
 claims in the vicinity of Palmyra, and it acquired 
 the name of the English settlement. Mr. Bell 
 bought one-half of section 22, and immediately went 
 to farming, whicli was an entirely new vocation for 
 him. His health, however, began to improve from 
 the first, and as he became more acquainted with 
 the Government and institutions of the country he 
 grew to like it more and more, and before long de- 
 clared his intention of becoming an American citi- 
 zen. He took out his first papers at Nebraska City, 
 in the j^ear 1867, shortly after his arrival here. 
 
 Richard Oakley, one of the colonists, built and 
 stai'ted the first store in Palmyra. From this be- 
 ginning the town has grown to its present position 
 of importance to the surrounding country. Upon 
 the urgent request of the Superintendent of the 
 <> 
 
 Home Mission Society of America, he accepted the 
 position of pastor of the Congregational JMeeting 
 at Palmyra. He took hold of affairs vigorously, 
 organized the congregation, and set them to work 
 as a church, and at his instigation they erected the 
 church building. For four years and a half he 
 continued to serve them faithfully and well, but 
 the strain was more than he could bear, and at the 
 end of that time through failing health he was com- 
 pelled to resign his charge and return to farming. 
 
 In 1877 our subject went West to Gosper Countj^ 
 this State, and took up a pre-emption, and also a 
 timber claim, intending to have settled there, but 
 owing to the death of his eldest son, John R., he 
 was unable to carry out his plans, and so continued 
 farming in Palmyra Precinct. He now owns but 
 a small farm of but twenty acres, not far from the 
 town. Twelve acres are taken up with apple trees. 
 He also owns several good store buildings in Pal- 
 myra, and sixteen lots of village property, also two 
 good residences. He has also his hardware store, 
 where he does a large business under the name of 
 Tliomas Bell. He and his son run a clothing store, 
 and have an established business. He also handles 
 upon an average 500 tons of coal annually. 
 
 There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bell 
 eleven children, viz.: John R., William, Thomas, 
 Hannah, Jane H., Elizabeth, Thomas H. and Mary,' 
 who were all born in England, and in this country 
 the family circle was extended to admit Robert, 
 and two who died in infancy. John R. died as 
 above mentioned when about twenty-five years of 
 age; William and Thomas also died in England; 
 Hannah is happily married to Dwight AVait, and is 
 the mother of four children; .Jane H. is the wife of 
 Richard Oclvley, and is the mother of five children; 
 Elizabeth lives in St. Joseph with her husband, J. 
 H. Parker, who is m.inager of the Mutual Telegraph 
 Company at that place; Thomas W. is in business in 
 Palmja'a; Mary is at home, and Robert died in this 
 State in 1878. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Bell was appointed Notary Public 
 under Gov. Dawes, and for three terms has held 
 the office of Justice of the Peace. For fourteen 
 years he was School Moderator for District No. 8. 
 He is a prominent member of the religious organiza- 
 tion of Palmyra, and is a strong temperance advo- 
 
 
>► II <•• 
 
 4 
 
 otop: county. 
 
 307 
 
 cate, which lie has been in fact since he was about 
 seventeen years of age. In politics he is a Repub- 
 lican, and takes much interest in such matters. lie 
 is eminently respected as a man, a citizen and a 
 Christian, as are also the various members of his 
 family. His influence fdr good in the community 
 is quite large. He is now a strong Prohibitionist. 
 
 ETER A. FLODIN. Among the extensive 
 
 grain buj-ers and dealers of Otoe County, 
 
 ^_l^ is the gentleman whose history is herein 
 
 •|1\ sketcheil. He is the owner of the 'lalmage 
 Steam Elevator, of which he has been proprietor 
 since July, 1888. He has been connected with the 
 business for a considerable period, working for 
 Jameson Brothers, and then purchasing the elevator 
 and outfit, succeeding that firm in the business. 
 Since he has had the business he has made strenu- 
 ous efforts to enlarge the trade, and has prospered 
 beyond measure in his endeavor. He is prepared 
 to handle all kinds and quantities of grain, having 
 an elevator possessed of a capacity of 10,000 
 bushels. He commands and manages a trade avei'- 
 aging 4,000 bushels per diem. 
 
 Mr. Flodin came to Talmage from Leona, Kan., 
 having been engaged there in the hardware and 
 tinning trade for several years. He began business 
 at that place in the year 1874, establishing first a 
 blacksmith-shop, which was successfully operated 
 for about seven years, after which he turned his 
 attention to hardware, implements, etc., until com- 
 ing to this place. In both he was a success, and 
 had an extensive and profitable trade. 
 
 .Sweden was the land of the nativity of the sub- 
 ject of our sketch, and where his birth took place 
 on the 27th of December, 1847. He was there 
 brought up and educated, and learned the black- 
 smith trade, which he continued to follow in his 
 native country for about six years. In 1870, and 
 while y€t a single man, he came to the United 
 States, and stopped for a short time in Toledo, Ohio. 
 Later he went on to Atchison, Kan., and subse- 
 quently to St. .Joseph, Mo. ; in tlie latter place he 
 followed his trade for two years, but at the end of 
 
 •►Hl-^*- 
 
 that period removed to Severance, Kan., and later 
 went on to Leona, where he figured prominently in 
 business circles until he came to this State. 
 
 While a resident of Leona there occurred an in- 
 teresting incident in the life of Mr. Flodin, being 
 that of his union in marriage to Miss Ida R. Schock. 
 This lady was born in the State of Ohio, where 
 also her parents were born, but of German descent. 
 .She came west to Leona in the j^ear 1870, and re- 
 mained there until after she became of age. She 
 is the daughter of Jacob and Maria H. (Sherry) 
 Schock, who are still living at the above-named 
 town, where Mr. Schock is a prosperous and well- 
 established wagon-maker, carpenter and builder. 
 Mrs. Flodin has presented her husband with three 
 children, whose names are as follows: Carl E., Ber- 
 tha H. and Nellie B. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is a u>ember of the A. 
 F. & A. M., and holds the position of Junior War- 
 den of Trestle Board Lodge No. 162, of Talmage, 
 of which he is an affiliate, and is also Trustee of 
 the lodge and property. Politically, he is a sound 
 Republican, and takes a deep interest in all political 
 affairs. 
 
 ^pj RYSTAL S. WADE is one of the old settlers 
 '|( of the State, and has made for himself quite 
 
 ^^Ji' a record as a miner, and in later j'ears, also 
 as an agriculturist. His excellent wife and life 
 companion is a lady of noble character, most de- 
 voted in every domestic relation. Their home is 
 situated on section 17, Otoe Precinct, where they 
 own IGO acres, which is utilized for general farm 
 purposes. 
 
 The parents of our subject, James G. ami Eleanor 
 B. Wade, were born in Ohio and Kentucky respect- 
 ively, but were married and settled in Fountain 
 County, Ind. They did not remain there for any 
 considerable period, but removed to Fremont 
 County, Iowa, in 1847, at which time there were 
 but six families in the entire county. There the 
 father died in 1860, when b\tt thirty-nine years of 
 age, and was followed to the silent land in 1856 by 
 his wife, who had attained the age of fifty-five 
 years. Both were twice married. By his first union 
 the father had three children. By her first marriage 
 
 f 
 
•*-*=^ 
 
 "^^ 
 
 308 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 the mother had six. Their union was blessed 
 bj' the birth of five children, to whom were given 
 the subjoined names — Barbara, Crystal S., Robert, 
 Fleming and Antoinette. 
 
 On the 29th of December, 1839, in Fountain 
 County, Ind., was born the subject of our sketch. 
 His earliest recollection is that of crossing the 
 Mississippi at St. Louis in the course of the migra- 
 tory journey. His boyhood days were spent in 
 Iowa, and he grew up among the Pottawatomie 
 Indians. Owing to the newness of the country his 
 education was but scanty. Such as he received was 
 obtained at Sidney, which was laid out in 1851. 
 Being the only son left at home, the mother upon 
 him rested large responsibility in regard to home 
 affairs. 
 
 It was in the spring of 1860 that our subject went 
 to Colorado, for the purpose of seeking his fortune 
 in the mines. Taking three yoke of oxen, a cow and 
 his dog, he and his brother-in-law, John G. Graves, 
 started west. Crossing the plains they reached 
 Denver after a journey of about six weeks, and at 
 once pushed on for the mines. He did fairly well 
 in Colorado, but was hardly satisfied, and in 18(j2 
 went to Montana, joining the companj' of gold 
 miners in the vicinity of Virginia City, where he 
 remained until the fall of 1864, when he returned 
 to this county and purchased his farm of 160 acres, 
 and settled down to improve it. 
 
 The wedding of our subject and Miss Augusta 
 Guy, a lady descended from the Guys of Scotland, 
 which family at one time held the earldom of War- 
 wick, and is a branch of the Scottish royal family, 
 was celebrated on the 7th of December, 1865. She 
 is a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Phillips) Guy, 
 who were natives of Pennsylvania. The grand- 
 father, Thomas Guy, was the first representative of 
 the family to settle in this country, coming from 
 Scotland many years ago, and settling in Pennsyl- 
 vania. 
 
 Leaving Pennsylvania the parents of Mrs. Wade 
 removed to Davenport, Iowa, in the 3-ear 1844, 
 coming to Nebraska in 1858. They settled in this 
 county, where the father died in June of 1873, at 
 the age of eighty-five years, and the mother de- 
 |)arted this life in 1880, aged seventy-one years. 
 Their union was fruitful in the birth of two chil- 
 
 r 
 
 dren, viz: Hiram and Margaret A. The latter was 
 born on the 10th of February, 1849, at Davenport. 
 She was nine years of age when they came to this 
 State, where her education was continued in the 
 schools of Nebraslta City. She has presented her 
 husband with three children, viz: Delia, Edwin 
 Guy and Ida Bell. Delia is the wife of W. H. 
 Cockrain, of Nuckolls County, Neb., and they have 
 two little ones, named Winnifred and Pearl: Edwin 
 and Ida attend the Normal School at Peru, Neb. 
 The subject of our sketch has held the office of 
 Justice of the Peace for several years, and for two 
 terms has been Assessor. Nine j^ears he held dif- 
 ferent school offices, in each serving with conscien- 
 tious thoroughness. Politically, he is a Republican ; 
 witli|]his wife, he is associated with the Methodist 
 Episcopal communion, of which they have been 
 members for many years. 
 
 y'lLSON McCONNELL. In Otoe Precinct, 
 on section 33, a fine farm attracts the at- 
 ^J^^ tention of the passing stranger, not more 
 on account of its neat appearance and seeming fer- 
 tility and productiveness, than for its sightly loca- 
 tion one-fourth of a mile from the Missouri River, 
 commanding a broad and extensive view not only 
 of a part of Nebraska, but of the adjoining States 
 of Iowa and Missouri. The eye rests on one of the 
 richest and most fertile farming regions in the 
 world, and the low bluffs of the river, the gently 
 undulating prairies stretching for miles on either 
 hand, dotted with lovely groves of forest trees, 
 planted by the early settlers, form a scene of un- 
 surpassing beauty, one that a lover of nature never 
 ceases to admire. The fortunate owner of the farm 
 referred to is Mr. AVilsou McConnell, the subject 
 of this sketch, who is here quietly passing the de- 
 clining years of a useful life, surrounded by the 
 loving care of his children, free from the burden of 
 ill-health so often laid upon the aged, and able to 
 enjoy the good things of life that he has gathered 
 together tlirough long years of industry and shrewd 
 management. 
 
 Mr. McConnell was born in Belmont County, 
 Ohio, April 13, 1811. His father, Robert McCon- 
 
 T 
 
^ 
 
 / 
 
 f^l 
 
 ,'?!i^"5?»' #. ' '-?vSA"" 
 
 ^^K^n£^{J 
 
1 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 311 
 
 ^y 
 
 iiell, was a native of Pennsylvania, and was tliere 
 reared and manied. He moved from bis native 
 Stnte to Oluo early in the present century, and be- 
 came a pioneer of Belmont County. He lived 
 there until about 1816, and then east in his lot with 
 the early settlers of Harrison County, in the same 
 State. He bought a farm there, and was success- 
 fully- engaged in agriculture until his death. The 
 maiden name of his wife, the mother of our subject, 
 was Prudence Coleman. She was, it is thought, a 
 native of Virginia, and died on the home farm in 
 Ohio. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared in the pio- 
 neer home of his parents in Harrison County, and 
 after his marriage he bouglit a farm near his father's 
 homestead, and lived tliere for many years. At 
 length he sold his place tliere and moved to Indiana, 
 settling near Peru in Miami Countj', where lie 
 bought a farm of 160 acres. In 1864 he traded 
 for the land that he now owns and a tract in Kan- 
 sas; the latter he has sold. In the fall of that year 
 he bought a stock of general merchandise in Chi- 
 cago, and, accompanied by his family, started west 
 to find a suitable location to open a store, going by 
 way of the railway to St. Joseph, Mo., then the 
 western terminus of the railway, and from there 
 proceeding on a steamer to Omaha. He did not 
 consider the opening there favorable, so he returned 
 to Atchison County, Mo., where he opened a gen- 
 eral store. During that winter he sold his goods, 
 and in the spring returned to Indiana and bought a 
 hotel at Greencastle, which he managed until the 
 following spring. He then sold out and returned 
 to Miami County, and rented land until 1869. In 
 the fall of that year he removed with his family to 
 Nebraska to locate on his land, coming with teams. 
 His land was at that time in a wild state, not a sod 
 having been turned by the plowshare, and there 
 being no buildings thereon, he rented a cabin near 
 by, in whicli his family spent the winter. During 
 that season he was busily employed in erecting a 
 Commodious and comfortable hewed log house, into 
 which his family moved in the spring of 1870, and 
 in that year he made the first improvements on his 
 land, which he has since brought into a high state 
 of cultivation. 
 
 The beloved wife of our subject, vvho so faith- 
 
 fully aided him in his early struggles, departed 
 this life at their home in Indiana, May 5. 1864, 
 leaving behind her a pleasant memory of a life well 
 spent, and full of all things that go to m.ake a good 
 woman. Her maiden name was Rachel Hooper, 
 and she was born in Harrison County, Ohio, Oct. 
 29, 1819. Mr. McConnell has seven children liv- 
 ing — Robert J., Mary E., John, Nancy, Joseph, 
 Wilson and Rachel. All the sons have been mar- 
 ried. The father of Mrs. McConnell was Jesse 
 Hooper, a farmer and a tanner, who carried on 
 both occupations in Miami County, and died there. 
 Mr. McConnell is a good citizen, a man of stable 
 character and steady habits, who is thoughtful and 
 kind in his family relations, and whose neighbors 
 always find him obliging and helpful, so that he 
 full^- deserves the high esteem and considerati )n in 
 which he is held b}^ all. In politics he is a Demo- 
 crat. 
 
 ENJAMIN D. TAIT, a prominent resident 
 of Nebraska City Precinct, is a wide-awake, 
 intelligent man, of fine business ability, and 
 ^^5>=s^ of sound principles and good habits. He 
 personally superintends his farming, stock-raising 
 and fruit-growing interests, and derives from them 
 a substantial income. The father of our subject, 
 James Nelson Tait, was a pioneer of Nebraska, and 
 an early settler of Nebraska City, with whose com- 
 mercial interests he was prominently identified for 
 several years. 
 
 Our subject is a native of Clermont County, 
 Ohio, his birth occurring there Jan. 31. 1844. His 
 father was James N. Tait, who was born in Spring- 
 field, Mass., Dec. 19, 1816. His father, Joseph D., 
 was a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and at the age 
 of fourteen he entered the English Armj- as a drum- 
 mer boy, and came to America with his regiment 
 during the War of 1812, and was present at the 
 battle of Lundj-'s Lane. After peace was declared 
 he settled in Massachusetts, and there married a Miss 
 Holten, of New England birth. He subsequently 
 moved from IMassachusetts to New York, and plied 
 his trades of stonemason and plasterer in Oswego 
 
 •• >M < • 
 
^ .".12 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ! 
 
 County, where he resided until his death. After 
 mailing his home in this country he was alwaj'S a loyal 
 citizen, and during the late war enlisted as drum- 
 major, but the infirmities of age incapacitated him 
 for the position, and he was soon discharged and 
 lived but a short time. His wife survived him a 
 number of years. 
 
 The father of our subject, whose portrait we give 
 on an accompanying page, was but a boj' when his 
 parents moved from Massachusetts to New York, 
 and there he grew to manhood. He remained in 
 the parental home until he was nineteen, and then 
 started out to seek his own living, traveling quite 
 extensivel3', and doing odd jobs of work at anything 
 that would pay. He finally settled down near Ba- 
 tavia, Ohio, and was for some time engaged as a 
 clerk, until he learned the trade of a miller, and he 
 then operated a mill for the same man for whom he 
 had been clerking. After marriage he established 
 himself in the mercantile business in Clermont 
 County, Oliio, and from there he went to Marathon, 
 where he carried on the same business until 1858. 
 In that year he wound up his affairs in Ohio, and 
 came to the Territorj' of Nebraska, by way of the 
 Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, landing in 
 Nebraska City on the 1st of May. He went to Ne- 
 maha County, and there made a claim, on which he 
 built a small frame structure in which to live, broke a 
 few acres of his land and raised a crop. Wild ani- 
 mals, such as deer, prairie chickens, wolves, etc., 
 were very plentiful then, and the deer destroyed his 
 sweet corn. 
 
 In the fall of the year, after he had proved up 
 on his land, Mr. Tait moved to Nebraska Citj' and 
 entered into the mercantile business. There were 
 no railways nearer than Eastern Iowa at th.at time, 
 and all transportation was done with teams or on the 
 waters of the Missouri River, where steamboats were 
 constantly pljing. Mr. Tait kept a general store with 
 Talbert Ashton, under the firm name of Ashton <fe 
 Tait. They were appointed agents for the different 
 steamboat lines, leased the levee from the city, and 
 had to collect wharfage and keep it in repair. This 
 was for some time the headquarters of the freighters, 
 who were engaged in teaming supplies across the 
 plains to the different military posts and mining 
 camps, and large amounts of freight were received 
 
 and forwarded by the firm. Mr. Tait and his part- 
 ner continued in the mercantile business together 
 until 1865, and as agents of the steamboats until 
 
 1868, when they dissolved partnership, and Mr. 
 Tait retained the agency until his death. May 1, 
 
 1 869, caused by accidentally walking off a high bank 
 in the night, and sustaining injuries from which he 
 died in a few hours. Nebraska City thus lost an 
 energetic, enterprising citizen, one who had done 
 much to extend its commercial interests. 
 
 Mr. Tait and his wife were the parents of three 
 children — Benjamin D., Joseph E. and Mary E. 
 Joseph was born Feb. 17, 1847, and died Oct. 30, 
 1 865 ; Mary married David W. Ferry, and resides 
 in Nemaha County. The maiden name of the 
 mother of our subject was Rachel Cramer, and she 
 was born in Brown County, Ohio, Jan. 2, 1823. 
 Her father, Benjamin D. Cramer, was born in Mon- 
 mouth County, N. J., Oct. 16, 1799. a son of .Sam- 
 uel and Rachel (Doughty) Cramer, the former 
 supposed to have been a native of New Jersey, and 
 the latter of New Goshen, Orange Co., N. Y. In 
 1816 his parents removed to Ohio, going with 
 wagons to Pittsburgh, and thence on ttatl)oats down 
 the Ohio to their destination. Mr. Cramer bought 
 a tract of timber land in Brown County, and there 
 engaged in farming until his death. Mrs. Tait's 
 father, grandfather of our subject, was but a youth 
 of seventeen years when his parents moved to Ohio 
 in January, 1817. He inherited a part of the old 
 homestead after his father's death, and bought 
 another pl.ace near by, and resided there some 
 years. About 1852 he broke up housekeeping to 
 make his home with his children, and in 1862 came 
 to Nebraska to spend his last years with Mrs. Tait. 
 The maiden name of his wife was Calista Granger, 
 and she was born in Seneca County, N. Y""., a 
 daughter of Ephraim and Dorothy (Lampkin) 
 Granger. She died at the old homestead in Brown 
 County, Ohio. 
 
 Benjamin Tait. of this sketch, was a lad of four- 
 teen years when he came to Nebraska with his par- 
 ents, and he remembers well the incidents of pio- 
 neer life here. He had gained the foundation of a 
 sound, practical education in the Ohio public schools, 
 and after a course in the city schools here, in 186 7 
 was sent to Poughkepsie, N. Y'., to attend Eastman' 
 
 ,n's t 
 
OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 313 
 
 Business College. On his return home he became 
 a clerk in his father's establishment, which situation 
 he retained until the latter's death. From that 
 time until the present he has been extensively en- 
 gaged in general farming and fruit-growing. 
 
 Our subject was married, March 8, 1882. to Miss 
 Ida M. Sittler, and thej' have one child, Jessie. 
 Mrs. Tait was born in Rock Creek Precinct, Dec. 
 19, 1862. Her father, John Sittler, was born in 
 Pittsburgh, Pa., a son of Michael Sittler, a native of 
 Baden Baden, Germany, who on coming to America 
 located in Pittsburgh. He subsequently moved to 
 New Albany, Ind., and is now a resident of Nebraska 
 Cit}'. Mrs. Tait's father was young wlieii his father 
 moved to Indiana, and he afterward came to Ne- 
 braska, and lived for some j-ears. The maiden 
 name of Mrs. Tait's mother was Margaret F. Brown, 
 and she was born in Mason County, III., to Jesse 
 and Hannah (Streater) Brown. She is now the wife 
 of William McLennan. Mr. and Mrs. Tait are 
 valued members of this community, as thej- are 
 frank, warm-hearted, charitable people, and every 
 good work receives their encouragement and cor- 
 dial support. In politics he is a stanch Republican. 
 
 -^KS 
 
 •^S»j»> 
 
 ^^ LARENCE B. CASTLEMAN is carrying on 
 (l( a lucrative trade in hardware at Hendricks, 
 
 ^^( in the southwestern part of this county, 
 where he has been established in business since 
 June of 1 888. He is a careful and conscientious 
 business man, and is a favorite in both social and 
 business circles, and issteadil}' gaining ground, with 
 the prospect in the near future of conducting one 
 of the indispensable institutions of the city. 
 
 Our subject is the scion of an excellent family^ 
 being the son of Charles N. and Cordelia (Jenks) 
 Caslleman, the father a native of Ontario, Canada, 
 born in 1828, and the mother a native of New York, 
 her birth taking place in 1834. They were married 
 in Broome County, the latter State. The elder 
 Castleman was a blacksmith by trade, serving his 
 apprenticeship at Syracuse, of which he was a resi- 
 dent ten years. Later he removed to a farm in 
 Broome Countj', N. Y., where, with his excellent 
 
 wife, he is still living, and in good circumstances. 
 Their family included Ave children, namclj' : Clar- 
 ence B. ; Jasper H., who is farming in Broome 
 County, N. Y. ; Daniel A. and William C, in Colo- 
 rado, and Franklin, at home with his parents. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Speeds- 
 ville, N. Y., Feb. 14, 1856, and continued with his 
 parents until reaching his majority, acquiring a 
 common-school education. In December, 1877, 
 leaving the Empire State, he came to Nebraska, and 
 for five years thereafter was a resident eight miles 
 south of Nebraska Cit3\ where he engaged in farm- 
 ing. In 1882 he came to this count}', and took up 
 a tract of uncultivated prairie land lying on section 
 36 in Palmyra Precinct. He remained there four 
 j-ears, in the meantime bringing about good im- 
 provements. He then returned to his native State 
 to visit his old friends, and soon after coming back 
 to this county purchased another eighty acres ad- 
 joining his land, upon which he labored until the 
 spring of 1888. Then, desirous of a change of 
 occupation, he invested a portion of his capital in a 
 stock of hardware. Later he erected a fine build- 
 ing in Hendricks, in which he placed a full line of 
 everything pertaining to his trade, including agri- 
 cultural implements. 
 
 Mr. Castleman came to this county "fanc}' free," 
 but soon became acquainted with one of its most esti- 
 mable young ladies. Miss Hettie Winj-ard, to whom 
 he was married at the home of the bride in Otoe Pre- 
 cinct, in the southeastern part of this count}', Dec. 
 20, 1882. Mrs. Castleman was born in this county, 
 Aug. 10, 1860, and was the daughter of John and 
 Ann (Hodges) Winyard, who were natives of En- 
 gland, whence thej' emigrated to the United States 
 in early life, settling with their parents in Illinois, 
 where the}' were married. The father was a farmer 
 by occupation, and the family came to Nebraska in 
 18.'>8, while it was still a Territory. Mr. W. secured 
 a tract of laud in Otoe Precinct, where he followed 
 farming, and where his death took place in 1872, 
 at the age of forty-five years. The mother is still 
 living, and resides on the homestead. The house- 
 hold circle included four children, namely: Millie, 
 Hettie, Grace and May. 
 
 Mrs. Castleman was a lady of excellent education, 
 and taught school successfully for a period of six 
 
 •►Hl-^^ 
 
 •>-Ht 
 
ife 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 years before her mariiage. bhe was a graduate of 
 tlie Pennsylvania Normal 8ehool, but became the 
 wife of our subject before completing the course. 
 She became the mother of two children, Winnie and 
 Frank, and died in Palmyra, this county, Feb. 11, 
 1886. While a resident of Otoe Precinct C. B. 
 Castleman was a member of the Congregational 
 Church, in which he officiated as Trustee. He is 
 now identified with the Presbyterian Church at 
 Hopewell. Politically, he is a warm supporter of 
 Kepublican principles. 
 
 WilLLIAM E. KENNICUTT. The homestead 
 of this early pioneer of Otoe County is one 
 of the finest in Southern Nebraska. The 
 farm comprises 160 acres of highly cultivated land, 
 and on it is located a large and elegant residence, 
 with finely constructed barns and outhouses adjoin- 
 ing, the former set in the midst of an ample lawn with 
 walks and driveways, and the latter comprising all 
 the conveniences required by the modern and pro- 
 gressive agriculturist. There is an abundance of 
 shade and fruit trees, while shrubbery and flowers 
 in the summer season serve to embellish the grounds 
 and comjjlete the attractions of the place. Within, 
 the home is presided over by a verj- intelligent and 
 excellent lady, our sulijcct having been particularly 
 fortunate in the choice of a wife and helpmate. The 
 family is widely and favorably known throughout 
 this section as a leading exponent of its education, 
 and the cultivation which is one of the features of 
 the social element of Otoe County. 
 
 Our subject was born fifty-four years ago in Ful- 
 ton County, N. Y., May 8, 1834, at the modest 
 hom6 of his parents, whose property consisted of a 
 farm in Mayfield Township. His father, James H. 
 Kennicutt. was born in JIassachusetts, reared to 
 manhood in New York, and was married in the 
 latter State to Miss Abigail Wells, who was born in 
 Hartford County, Conn. She was a teacher, and 
 removed to Fulton County. N. Y., in her girlhood. 
 The parents s|tent their last years in Hartford 
 County, Conn. Of their six children, William E., 
 of our sketch, was the eldest born; Mary F. is the 
 wife of James Foote; John died in childhood; 
 
 •► 
 
 4mh. 
 
 James H. died in 1868, in Montana; Jennie is the 
 wife of Leonard Lewis, also a resident of Montana; 
 Abby W. is the wife of C. W. Cook; they live in 
 Montana. 
 
 Mr. Kennicutt spent his childhood and youth 
 after the manner of most farmers' sons, pursuing 
 his first studies in the district school. At the age 
 of thirteen years he entered the public schools of 
 Hartford. Conn., where he studied a period of three 
 3'ears, then returned to the farm, assisting his father 
 in its various emploj-ments until reaching his ma- 
 joritj'. He also learned the printer's trade in Hart- 
 ford, Conn. He had, however-, already' conceived 
 the idea of visiting the West, and when starting out 
 in the summer of 1856 came directly to this county 
 in company with Joseph Foote, landing in Nebraska 
 City. They made their way to Chicago, 111., by 
 rail, from there to Batavia by the same means, then 
 purcliased a team of horses and a wagon, and pro- 
 ceeded by this means on their journey, crossing the 
 Mississippi on a ferry at Fulton, HI., and the Mis- 
 souri at Minersville, then Otoe City. 
 
 Our subject soon took up a pre-emption claim of 
 160 acres, which is included in his present farm. In 
 the spring of 1857 he commenced working for a Mr. 
 Pendleton, but in the fall of that year went over 
 into Atchison County, Mo., where he lived a 3'ear, 
 and from there migrated to Fremont County, Iowa. 
 
 In the fall of 1858 our subject, in company with 
 Mr. Frank Squires, purchased a steam sawmill in 
 Fremont County, Iowa, which they operated very 
 successfully for a period of two years, and during 
 which time Mr. K. laid the basis of his future pros- 
 perity. He now disposed of his interest in the 
 sawmill, and about this time, the spring of 1861, he 
 had the happiness of welcoming liis father's family to 
 this section. 
 
 Mr. Kennicutt, in the fall of 1862, feeling assured 
 that he was now able to support a family, was 
 united in marriage with Miss Sophia, daughter of 
 Henry and Jane (Smith) Adams, who was of an 
 excellent family, and was born Oct. 14, 1840, at 
 Holley, Orleans Co., N. Y. Her father was the 
 second cousin of John Adams, second President of 
 the United States, and she was the eldest child of the 
 second marriage of both parents. Of the first mar- 
 riage of her father there were born two sons — Tru- 
 
 r 
 
>► 1 1 ^> 
 
 
 OTOK COUNTY. 
 
 315 
 
 man H. and Nathaniel. Of the first marriage of 
 her mother there were born two daughters — Mary 
 J. and Henrietta McCrillis. 
 
 Mrs. Kennicutt grew up amid the quiet scenes of 
 country life, pursuing her first studies in the com- 
 mon school, and at the age of ten years entered the 
 academy at Ilolley, where she took a seven-years 
 course, and developed into a well-educated young 
 lady. When eighteen years old she came to Ne- 
 braska, accompanied by her father, her eldest half- 
 brother and the eldest half-sister, landing in Otoe 
 County in the f.all of 1858. The motlier had died 
 in Holley, N. Y., when her daughter Sophia was 
 but eight years of age. The father now settled in 
 the vicinity of Otoe City, which was then but a 
 hamlet, where he occupied himself at farming, and 
 is now deceased. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kennicutt commenced the journey 
 of life together in true pioneer style, in a manner 
 suited to their means and surroundings. Their first 
 dwelling was a log house, where, notwithstanding 
 their humble surroundings, the}' spent maii^' happy 
 years. This was on tlie home farm of her father. The 
 present residence was erected in tlie summer of 1861, 
 and remodeled in 1882, and it is hardly necessary 
 to sa}' that it lias taken years of labor to bring their 
 farm to its present condition, and erect the build- 
 ings whicli attract the admiring eye of the passerby, 
 and form one of the attractive features in the land- 
 scape of that region. The household circle has 
 been completed by the birth of four children, 
 namely: Harry A., Frank B., Allen McC. and an 
 infant unnamed, now deceased. All the boys have 
 been students at Doane College, in Crete. Henry 
 is at present attending the School of Technology 
 in Boston, Mass., making a specialty of civil engin- 
 eering, and expects to graduate in the class of '91. 
 Frank B. and Allen McC are at home with their 
 parents. 
 
 The winter of 185fi-57 Mr. Kennicutt recalls as 
 one of the most severe that he ever experienced, 
 and during which, being a single man, he made his 
 home with Mr. Foote and Mr. Pendleton. He as- 
 sisted in the organization of Hazle Dell School Dis- 
 trict, which was one of tiie first organized in Otoe 
 Count}', and was a leader in inany of the enter- 
 ^ ' prises affecting the moral and educational status 
 
 of the community, He voted both times for the 
 adoption of the State Constitution during the agi- 
 tation of the question in 1860, and later in 1866. 
 He cast his first Presidential vote for Lincoln, and 
 since 1872 has been independent in politics. He 
 has borne an honorable part in the development of 
 Otoe County, and is respjcted as among its best 
 citizens. 
 
 — -^m- — 
 
 AVID W. HERSHEY, M. D., one of the 
 able and popular physicians of Nebraska 
 City, and whose reputation is quite exten- 
 sive in the county, was born in Amherst, 
 Erie Co., N. Y. His father, John Hershey, was a 
 native of the same county, while the grandfather, 
 whose given name was Christian, was born in 
 Maryland, and was, as far as can be gathered, of 
 Swiss ancestry. He settled in Erie County when it 
 was still uncleared timber land and without settlers. 
 He cleared for himself a farm, and built his home 
 and out-buildings from the timber felled under his 
 own ax. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared upon the 
 home farm, and afterward, when at about the age 
 of thirt3'-five, he entered mercantile life in Amherst 
 and continued for about two years, then returned 
 to the f.arm, where he followed agriculture until his 
 death, in the year 1881. His wife, the mother of 
 our subject, was Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob and 
 Chastren Welty. She died many years before her 
 husband, leaving three children: Our subject; Mar- 
 garet, who is a teacher at Buffalo, N. Y., and an- 
 other little one who died quite young. 
 
 The education of our subject was begun in the 
 district schools, and he afterward entered the Gen- 
 esee University at Lima, N. Y. In 1850 he elected 
 to follow the medical profession, and began study- 
 ing with Dr. L. J. Ham, at Williamsville, N. Y. He 
 also attended the medical department of the uni- 
 versity at Buffalo. At that time the eminent Doc- 
 tors, White, Hamilton, Flint and Dalton, were 
 members of the faculty of that institution, and he 
 was privileged to study under those gentlemen. He 
 was graduated from the university in Februarj', 
 1854, receiving the usual diploma at that time. 
 Dr. Ilershey beg.an the pr.aetico of liis profession 
 
•► I I < - 
 
 316 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 
 at AVilliamsville, continuing there with unqualified 
 success some years. In 1864 he was appointed As- 
 sistant Surgeon to the 98tli New York Regiment of 
 the National Guards; this regiment was mustered 
 into the service of the United States at Elmyra, N. 
 Y'., in August, 1864, and served for several months. 
 He held this position until 1867, when he came to 
 Nebraska City and opened an office for regular 
 practice and surgery. Since that time he has con- 
 tinuously followed his profession, growing up with 
 the city, and has made for himself a name as a 
 medical man that is an honor to his alma mater. 
 
 In 1862 Dr. Hershey was united in marriage with 
 Miss Josephine Emmons. Mrs. Hershey was born 
 in Springville, Erie Co., N. Y.,and is the daughter 
 of Dr. Carlos Emmons, now dead. Of this union 
 four bright and interesting children have been bom, 
 viz.: Hattie, who has become very successful as an 
 artist; John, Margie and Herbert. John is at Union, 
 Neb., engaged in clerking in a dry-goods store; Mar- 
 gie is at home; and Herbert is attending school at 
 home. 
 
 Mrs. Hershey is a consistent member of the Bap- 
 tist Church, and in religious circles, as in all others, 
 is most highly esteemed. The Doctor is an active 
 and tried member of tlie Republican party. He is 
 quite prominent in political affairs, and belongs to 
 the G. A. R. and the State iledical Society. While 
 a resident of his native State, Dr. Hershey held the 
 position of School Commissioner for the Third Dis- 
 trict of Erie County a period of three years, doing 
 efficient service in connection with the educational 
 interests of that section, and after coming to Ne- 
 braska City was for a time a member of the Board 
 of Education. In this county he has held the office 
 of Coroner for ten years; he has also been the County 
 Physician a number of years. He is a member of 
 Baumar Post, G. A. R., at Nebraska City. 
 
 JAMES PALEY is one of the most enterpris- 
 ing and successful citizens of Nebraska City, 
 where he is carrying on an extensive marble 
 business. He is well known throughout 
 Otoe and adjoining counties, and wherever known 
 is honored and respected as a good citizen, one 
 
 who attends strictly to business, deals fairly and 
 honestly, and is wide-awake, always keeping up 
 with the times. He was born in the city of Leeds, 
 Y'orkshire, England, Aug. 7, 1840. His father, 
 Benjamin Pale}', and his grandfather, James Palej', 
 were likewise natives of the same shire. The latter 
 was a stonemason, and worked at his trade in dif- 
 ferent parts of England, remaining a lifelong resi- 
 dent of his native land. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in England, 
 and learned the stonemason's trade of his father. 
 He married Elizabeth Seaby, a native of Notting- 
 ham, England. In the j'car 1 849 he came to America 
 to seek a home, leaving his family in England 
 until he found a suitable location. He first stopped 
 awhile in Baltimore, finding work at his trade there. 
 In 1851 he sent for his wife and two children, and 
 six months after their arrival in Baltimore he re- 
 moved with them to Warren County, Va., where 
 he still followed his trade for a time. He subse- 
 quently went to Fauquier County, in the same State, 
 and later to Shenandoah County, also in Virginia. 
 He was a contractor on the Manasses Gap Railroad 
 when it was in process of construction. In 1857 
 Mr. Paley moved to Sheridan County, Mo., and 
 stopped there a short time. He then decided to 
 try farming in Howard County, Mo., and purchased 
 a farm there. He was also engaged at his trade 
 there for a time. He finally disposed of his place 
 in that count}^ and in Boone County, the same 
 State, engaged in the marble business for two years. 
 When the war broke out he again resumed farm- 
 ing, renting a farm for two years in Atchison 
 Countj^ Mo. At that time he was quite out of 
 health, and he then took up his residence in Fre- 
 mont, Iowa, and did but little for some time. In 
 1863 he came to Nebraska City and resumed work 
 at his old trade of mason, and was engaged in that 
 until 1867. Again he became a farmer, taking up 
 a homestead claim ten miles south of Lincoln. He 
 improved a fine farm, and lived thereon for nine 
 years. He then sold his property, settled up his 
 affairs there, and returned to Nebraska City, where 
 he lived for nearly a year. After that he went 
 back to Missouri, and spent his declining years in 
 Ray County, djdng Sept. 26, 1885, aged sixty- 
 eight years. His wife had preceded him the year 
 
 -*^h-^ 
 
> ► II < •• 
 
 -■^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 317 
 
 before, the date of her death being Oct. 7, 1884. 
 They were people of genuine worth, whose useful 
 and upright lives commanded the respect of all who 
 associated with them. They were the parents of 
 four children, two of whom died in infancy. Those 
 living are our subject and his sister Elizabeth, wife 
 of Charles H. Cates, of Jackson County, Mo. 
 
 James Palej' was a lad of eleven years when he 
 and his mother and sister set sail from Liverpool 
 in the middle of May, 1851, to follow his father 
 across the Atlantic. They landed at Baltimore on 
 the 23d of the following July, after a long voyage 
 of nine weelvs. After the removal of the family to 
 Virginia, our subject commenced work with his 
 father on the bridge that spans the Shenandoah 
 Valley, his father being the contractor. He con- 
 tinued in the emplo3' of his father until 1860, when 
 he went to St. Louis and worked in a stone 3-ard 
 under instruction for a year, and thus became an 
 expert stone-cutter. After the breaking out of the 
 war business was quite suspended, and he turned 
 his attention to agricultural pursuits in Missouri 
 for a year, and then engaged in the same in Fre- 
 mont County, Iowa, for another year. In 1863 he 
 crossed the plains as a teamster with a' freight 
 train drawn by six pairs of oxen. lie went as far 
 as South Pass, and then went back to Cottonwood 
 Spring's, where he left that train and entered another 
 bound for Denver. After his arrival in that city 
 he worked as a stone-cutter for six months^ and 
 then went to Central City, a mountain town forty 
 miles distant, and there he mined for three months, 
 and then worked at his trade until August. 1865. 
 He then returned to Nebraska City, where he found 
 work as a stonemason, among other work cutting 
 stone for the present court-house. He continued 
 as a stone-cutter until 1870, and then established 
 himself in the marble business, and has been en- 
 gaged in that continuously ever since. 
 
 Mr. Paley was married, July 18, 1872, to Miss 
 Nancy Anderson, a native of Ohio, and a daughter 
 of Lewis and Ruth (Blunt) Anderson, natives of 
 the 'same State. Mr. and Mrs. Paley are highly es- 
 teemed by their friends and acquaintances, of whom 
 thej' have manj^ They are attendants at the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and cordially sup- 
 port every scheme for the social and moral ele- 
 
 M» 
 
 vation of the city. Altliough Mr. Palej' was not 
 one of the earliest settlers of Nebraska Cit}', he can 
 lay claim to the distinction of being an "old-timer," 
 and it has been his privilege not only to watch the 
 growth of the city from a small town to its pres- 
 ent size and importance as the leading city of Otoe 
 County, but to contribute thereto. by buOding up 
 an extensive and flourishing business within its 
 limits by his industry and shrewd management. So- 
 cially, our subject is identified with Frontier Lodge 
 No. 3, I. O. O. F.-; politically, he is a stanch Demo- 
 crat. 
 
 ^ACOB W. WALDSMITH is prominently 
 
 I I identified with the mercantile interests of 
 ^A I Nebraska City, as one of fts leading grocers, 
 '^^Jj also with its social and religious circles, and 
 he is influential in its public life. He is one of 
 the self-made men who, coming to Nebraska in 
 earl}^ Territorial da3^s with scarcely $20 in his 
 pocket, cast in his lot with the energetic and wide- 
 awake pioneers who had preceded him to this land 
 of promise, and while actively assisting them and 
 those who came after to develop the marvelous re- 
 sources of the county, and give it its present emi- 
 nence in commerce, agriculture, and all that marlvS 
 an enterprising and prosperous community, has ac- 
 quired a competence that will enable him to pass 
 the evening of life in comfort and luxurj'^, free 
 from the cares and anxieties that beset his early 
 years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born three miles 
 northwest of Mifflintown, Juniata Co., Pa., April 
 20, 1835. His father, John "Waldsmith, was born 
 in Berks County, Pa., but his grandfather, William 
 Waldsmith, was, it is thought, born in Germany. 
 He was a farmer, and moved to Juniata County in 
 1800, becoming an early settler there. He bought 
 a large tract of timber land in the Tuscarora A^al- 
 lej', and the village of Johnstown is now located 
 thereon. He cleared a good many acres of his land 
 and resided on it until his death. Several of his 
 grandchildren now own and occupy farms that were 
 included in his original purchase in the opening 
 year of this century. 
 
 The father of our subject was Init a boy wlien 
 
 ♦^h 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 318 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 his parents moved to Juniata County, and there he 
 was reared on a farm, always following agricultural 
 pursuits, and resided there until his death. The 
 maiden name of his wife, mother of our subject, 
 was Martha White, and she was a native of the 
 same county, and died on the homestead in 1847. 
 There were twelye children born to that worthy 
 couple. 
 
 Jacob Waldsmith was twelve j^ears old when his 
 mother died, and two j-ears later his father broke 
 up housekeeping, and our subject had to seek a 
 home elsewhere. In 1851 he went to Carroll 
 County, Ind., and obtained employment on a farm 
 at ^12 a month. He continued to work there as a 
 laborer until 1857, and on the last day of Septem- 
 ber, that .year, started for Nebraska, then a Terri- 
 tory, going by rail to Alton, 111., then the western 
 terminus of the i-ailway; from there b}' boat to St. 
 Louis, and so on to Nebraska City, where he landed 
 on the 16th day of October. Ho soon took a claim 
 four miles northwest of the city, built a small 
 shanty on the place, and there he and James R. 
 Kendall spent the following winter, keeping bache- 
 lor's hall. The settlements in the Territory at that 
 time were confined to the river, while the interior 
 was still owned by the Government. Deer were plen- 
 tiful in this vicinity, as were also prairie chickens, 
 and there were a few wild turkeys. In 1858 our 
 subject worked for a time on the levee in Wyo- 
 ming Precinct, and later was engaged in cutting tim- 
 ber. In the fall of 1858 he built a log cabin on 
 his place, to which he added a frame structure in 
 the spring of 1860, and when married in the month 
 of April, that .year, to Elizabeth Faunce, they com- 
 menced housekeeping in that abode. ]\Irs. Wald- 
 smith was born in Hancock County, 111., and is a 
 daughter of Thomas and Haimah (Dixon) Faunce. 
 The pleasant married life of our subject and his 
 wife has been saddened by the death of four of the 
 six children born to them. Leslie, the first-born, 
 died at twenty-two years of age. He was a prom- 
 ising young man of good habits, and was in part- 
 nership with his father. Of the others, Charles 
 died at the age of eight months; Junietta at the 
 age of a year and a half, and Leoto at the age of 
 fourteen months. The names of the children spared 
 to bless the declining 3'ears of our suliject and his 
 
 wife are: Rena, wife of J. L. Diefendorf, of Ne- 
 braska City, and Amie C. 
 
 Mr. Waldsmith drove the first breaking plough 
 on his land in 1859, and in 1860 reaped his first 
 harvest, a fine crop of corn. In the spring of 1859 
 his cousin came from Pennsylvania and puitjhased 
 a half-interest in his claim, and they bought some 
 stock and farmed together until 1862. Our sub- 
 ject then bought his partner's interest and carried 
 on the place alone until 1865. In that year he sold 
 his property here and moved to Cass County, 
 where he bought a tract of wild prairie and timber 
 land, of which eighteen acres broken constituted 
 the only improvement. He planted that piece, 
 fenced fifty acres of land, built a frame house for 
 his family and sheds for the shelter of his stock. 
 He had to draw the lumber for his buildings fourteen 
 miles, and did nearly all the work himself, not 
 hiring more than $50 worth of labor. He resided 
 there until November, 1869, when he rented his 
 farm and moved to Nebraska City to engage in 
 teaming. In 1872 he traded the farm for Nebraska 
 City property, and then engaged as a baker and 
 confectioner, and from that drifted into the grocery 
 business, to which he has since devoted his entire 
 attention. He has built up quite a large trade and 
 is now in very prosperous circumstances. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Waldsmith are prominently identi- 
 fied with the reorganized church of the Latter-Day 
 Saints. He was the seventh person to join after 
 the organization of the Nebraska District south of 
 the Platte River, and a j'ear and a half later he was 
 elected Elder, which position he has held since that 
 time. He has had charge of the work of the church 
 in this city since the society was organized here, 
 and under his able administration it has flourished, 
 and now owns, free from encumbrance, a substan- 
 tial brick church on Second Corse street, between 
 Sixth and Seventh streets. He is Superintendent 
 of the Sunda^'-school, and is an active worker in 
 it. Jlr. Waldsmith has also borne a conspicuous 
 part in the government of the city, he having 
 served two terms as Alderman, and was President 
 of the City Council last year. Mr. Waldsmith was 
 a Republican from the formation of the party, cast- 
 ing his first vote for J. C. Fremont, imtil 1886, 
 when he joined tiie rank of the Prohibitionists. He is 
 
 •> n^ 
 
 •^t 
 
»► II ^»- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 321 
 
 a mau of great sagacitj* and far-reaching foresiglit, 
 and combines a resolute, uncompromising nature 
 with a just, kind and generous disposition. In him 
 we have the example of a true Christian, an hon- 
 orable and upright man. 
 
 'OTM'^^'' 
 
 
 %-^ ON. THOMAS B. STEVENSON, attorney- 
 W)i\ at-law, Nebraska City, whose portrait is 
 1^^ presented on the opposite page, is a fine 
 (^) representative of the men of brain, unerring 
 judgment, and sound business abilitj', who, coming 
 to Nebraska in Territorial days, became promi- 
 nenth' identified with the pioneers, and has been 
 instrumental in tlie upl)uilding of this State, and 
 has done mucli to further its financial prosperity. 
 Tlie record of his life is indissolubly connected 
 with the history of Nebraska City, with wiiose pub- 
 lic interests he lias l)een identified from its early 
 days. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born near Sack- 
 ctt's Harbor, Jefferson Co.. N. Y., July 28, 1835. 
 His father, Thomas Stevenson, was, from the best 
 information that we have at hand, born in the 
 county of Armagh, Ireland, came to America a 
 young man, and located in Jefferson County, N. Y. 
 He lived there until about 1840, when he moved to 
 Kingston, Province of OnLaria, Canada, where he 
 engaged in milling and resided until his death, 
 about 1847. The maiden name of his vvife, mother 
 of our subject, was Hannah Martin, and her death 
 occurred previous to that of her husband. 
 
 'Iheir son, of whom we write, was left an orphan 
 at a very early age, and thenceforth was thrown on 
 his own resources for a living. He w.as a briglit, active 
 lad, and had no difficulty in securing work, being 
 employed on a farm the following two years, re- 
 ceiving his board and clothes in payment for his 
 labors. He then commenced to learn the trade of 
 cabinet-maker, but onl3' worked at that for one year, 
 and then engaged as a clerk in a shoe store in 
 Kingston, making himself useful in doing errands as 
 well as indoor work. He was of a studious turn 
 of mind, and being ambitious to obtain an edu- 
 
 cation he attended evening school, and .as oppor- 
 tunity offered, day school also. He continued to 
 live in Kingston until he was fifteen years of age, 
 and then went to Belleville, and attended school and 
 clerked in his brother-in-law's store for three years. 
 At the expiration of that time, having carefully 
 saved his curnings, he went to Ohio and entered 
 Antioeh College. He did chores about the college 
 buildings, and in the evening tended in a shoe 
 store to assist in paying his tuition and board in 
 the institution of learning until 1859. Subsequently 
 he taught school and attended college alternately 
 until the winter of 1860-61. His brother-in-law 
 having died, he had to return to Belleville and 
 assist in settling the latter's business. In the spring 
 of 1861 he went back to Ohio, and soon after was 
 taken sick, and was unaole to do anything for 
 nearly' a j'ear. In the spring of 1862 we find him 
 in Chicago, studying law in the office of Lull & 
 Smith, and in the fall of that year he was admitted 
 to the bar at Ottawa. In the following winter he 
 taught a term of school in Rome, Peoria Co.. 111., 
 but his health continuing to be poor, and it being 
 feared that he had inherited consumption from his 
 mother, he was advised to go to the Pacific Coast, 
 and at once started for California. He went to St. 
 Louis, thence embarked on a steamer on the Mis- 
 souri River bound for Hannibal, and from there by 
 rail to St. Joseph. Mo., which was then the western 
 terminus of the railway. There he took passage 
 on a stage coach for Nebraska City, where he had 
 some business to transact which had been intrusted 
 to him by another gentleman. He was delayed 
 there longer than he had intended to stay, partly 
 on account of his business, and partly because of 
 the illness of his traveling companion, and finding 
 th.at even in that short time his health had been 
 benefited by the salubrious, invigorating climate 
 of Nebraska, he determined to locate in this city, 
 and from th.at time has been one of its most promi- 
 nent citizens. 
 
 Even before the full restoration of his healtii Mr. 
 Stevenson entered upon his long and honorable 
 career as a distinguished jurist and civilian, wherein 
 he has achieved many triumphs at the b.ar, and has 
 ably filled some of the highest .State and local offices. 
 He soon made the acquaintance of the leading citi- 
 
 •►^l-4» 
 
4 322 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 zens of the State, among whom was Judge O. P. 
 Mason, one of the most prominent lawyers in the 
 Territory, and he formed a partnership with him 
 for the practice of law. In that day there were but 
 few settlers in the interior of Nebraska away from 
 the river, and Indians still lingered and were fre- 
 quently troublesome, and in 1864 an open outbreak 
 occurred. Mr. Stevenson immediately offered his 
 services to assist in quelling the Indians, enlist- 
 ing in August, 1864, in Company A, 2d Nebraska 
 Militia, and receiving a commission as Captain 
 of his company, he marched to the frontier of 
 Nebraska and Kansas, and there rendered valuable 
 service in putting an end to the troubles with the 
 red men. In January, 1865, he returned to Ne- 
 braska City, ypas discharged witli his regiment, and 
 was then appointed Acting Provost Marshal, serv- 
 ing in that capacity until May, 1865. He ihen re- 
 sumed his law practice with his partner, Mr. Mason, 
 with whom he continued until 1867, when the latter 
 gentleman was elected to the Supreme Bench of 
 this State, and then he carried on the business of 
 the firm alone, and is still conducting it, being one of 
 the leading lawyers not only of the county but of 
 the State. He is a practical man, well learned in 
 law, and witty, forcible and brilliantas an advocate. 
 Notwithstanding the pressing demands of his busi- 
 ness, he has found time to take an active part in 
 public life. He was a member of the first State 
 Senate that met in Lincoln in I86'J. While a mem- 
 ber of the State Senate in that year he formulated 
 the present school law, and especially the system 
 of dividing the school money among the districts. 
 He was again in the State Legislature in 1885. He 
 has taken a great interest in educational matters, 
 and was a member of the City School Board for 
 many ^-ears. For five terms he held the office of 
 Mayor of Nebraska City, and to his able admin- 
 istration of the city affairs its citizens are greatly 
 indebted for their present prosperity. When he 
 was first elected to the office the city was very badly 
 involved financially, but by his skillful and shrewd 
 management the debt was refunded and greatly re- 
 duced. In politics Mr. Stevenson has always been 
 recognized as one of the leaders of the Republican 
 party in the State. He cast bis first vote for Abra- 
 ham Lincoln, and he was a member of the con- 
 
 •►HI-<«" 
 
 vention that nominated Gen. Grant for President, 
 and was one of his firmest supporters. 
 
 Mr. Stevenson was married, in March, 1868, to 
 Miss Annie Nicewander, a native of Virginia, who 
 has filled the perfect measure of wife, mother, 
 friend, and renders their pleasant home attractive 
 not only to her own family but to all who are so 
 fortunate as to share its hospitalities. Nine chil- 
 dren have been born of this marriage. Those liv- 
 ing are: Olla, Thomas, John, Nellie, Harry and 
 Annie. Those deceased are: Thaddeus, Stanton and 
 Frank. 
 
 -«- #-# 5- 
 
 , OBERT DUNLAP, who bears the reputation 
 of an honest man and a good citizen, has 
 carried on farming successfully in Palmyra 
 jt;^ Precinct for the last twenty years. He 
 owns 280 acres of valuable land, l^ing on sections 
 22 and 21, where he has fair improvements, a com- 
 fortable, though not elegant, residence, and ample 
 storage for grain and shelter for his stock. 
 
 Our subject was born in Vermont, Oct. 27, 1843, 
 and is the son of William and Jane (Glenn) Dunlap, 
 the former a native of Scotland, and the Latter born 
 in Ireland, but of Scotch ancestry. A scion thus of 
 a family which traces its ancestry to the best nation- 
 alit}' on the face of the globe, he has abundant rea- 
 son for self congratulation. 
 
 William Dunlap when a young man removed to 
 the North of Ireland, and carried on farming near 
 the city of Belfast. There he was married, and 
 soon after the birth of one child emigrated in the 
 spring of 1843 to the United States. Settling in 
 Vermont, they lived there a year, their son Robert 
 in the meantime being added to the household cir- 
 cle. From the Green Mountain State they removed 
 to Greene County', N. Y., and were subsequently 
 residents of Lewis, Ulster and Oneida Counties in 
 that State, where the father pursued his occupation 
 of farming with fair success. 
 
 The Dunlap family in March of 1869, leaving the 
 Empire State, crossed the Mississippi, the father hav- 
 ing already selected his location in this county, where 
 he was in due time joined by his family. He first 
 pre-empted eighty .acres which was included in the 
 farm now occupied by our subject, and which has 
 
M- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 323 
 
 now been the family homestearl for a period of 
 nearly twenty years. Subsequently he purchased 
 120 acres, and the parents labored with a mutual 
 interest for the building up of a home for them- 
 selves and their children. They are both living to 
 enjoy it, the father being now seventy years of age, 
 and the mother sixty-nine. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were born 
 five children, the eldest of whom, a daughter .lane, 
 is a native of Ireland, and is the wife of E. W. 
 Ross, of Palraj^ra Precinct; Robert, our subject, was 
 the second child; John is in the lumber business in 
 Michigan; James W. died when about twenty-four 
 years old; Sarah E. is the wife of W. A. Hartley, a 
 resident of Bennet, Neb. 
 
 The first recollections of our subject are of his 
 childhood home in Greene County, Vt., where he 
 pursued his first studies in the common schools. 
 His education was completed in the Empire State, 
 and there he grew to manhood. He was a man of 
 twentj'-seven j'ears when he first came to Nebraska, 
 and in the meantime had become thoroughl}^ ac- 
 quainted with the various pursuits of farm life. 
 He had also engaged considerably in the lumber 
 business among the hemlock regions of Lewis and 
 Oneida Counties. At the time of coming to Ne- 
 braska with his father's family he also homesteaded 
 aclaim of eighty acres of laud, and there commenced 
 to lay the foundations of a competency. Two years 
 later, March 6, 1872, he was united in marriage 
 ■with Miss Ellen E. Rockwell, who became the 
 mother of two children, both of whom died in in- 
 fancy. Mrs. Ellen E. Dunlap departed this life at 
 her home in Palmyra Precinct, Feb. 19, 1874. Dur- 
 ing that year Mr. Dunlap was greatly afflicted, not 
 only in the loss of his wife but one of their children 
 and a brother. His crops were also partially de- 
 stroyed by the grasshoppers. He, however, fort- 
 unately had inherited in a marked degree the sturdy' 
 courage of his excellent Scotch ancestry, and out- 
 lived his discouragements, evading no duty, but 
 endeavoring to make the best. of circumstances. 
 Time, the healer, caused him to partially forget his 
 losses. 
 
 The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
 married May 24, 1876. was in her girlhood Miss 
 Ada Ogram, who was born in Yorkshire, England, 
 
 > ► I I 4> 
 
 March 21, 1855. She is the daughter of John and 
 Hannah (Johnson) Ogram, and came to America 
 with her parents when a child three years of age. 
 They settled near Fond du Lac, Wis., where the 
 father engaged in farming, and whence he removed 
 July 5, 1870, to this State. Mrs. Dunlap was then 
 a 3'oung girl of fifteen years. She remained with 
 hei- parents until her marriage ; they are now resid- 
 ing in this county. 
 
 Of this union of our subject there have been born 
 six children, namely: Nellie J., Mary, George W., 
 Robert G., Harvey and Florence M. Mr. Dunlap 
 was formerly a Democrat, but since 1884 his warm 
 sympathies vvith the temperance movement have 
 led him to side with the Prohibitionists. Relig- 
 iously, he is a member of the Presbyterian Church, 
 of Palmyra, while his estimable wife belongs to the 
 United Brethren. Mrs. Dunlap is a very amiable 
 and attractive lady, and fulfills in an admirable 
 manner the duties of wife and mother. Our sub- 
 ject of late years has been considerably interested 
 in live stock, usually keeping on hand about forty 
 head of cattle and a large number of swine. Of the 
 latter he usually ships a carload each fall. He is 
 a man of good education, and has served as a Di- 
 rector in his district. 
 
 EV. GEORGE S. ALEXANDER. This gen- 
 tleman was born in Cumberland, R. I., on 
 the 10th of July, 1832, and is the son of Ira 
 ^^and Frances C. Alexander, natives respect- 
 ively of Rhode Island and Vermont. The family 
 is of Scottish ancestry, and its early representa- 
 tives in this country settled in Boston in early 
 Colonial days, prior to the burning of Deerfield, 
 Conn., at which place some of the family were 
 killed and others carried into captivity. The ma- 
 ternal ancestors, also from Scotland, were among 
 the early colonists in Rhode Island. His maternal 
 grandfather, George Sherman, was a soldier in the 
 War of the Revolution. The parents of our sub- 
 ject were married in Cumberland, R. I., and there 
 resided during the remainder of their lives, his 
 father following the occupation of mechanic, supple- 
 menting it by the working of a small farm. They 
 
 =! 
 
^1^^ 
 
 324 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 were active members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and the family circle included five chil- 
 dren, four of whom are living, viz: David; our sub- 
 ject; Rachel, now Mrs. Thomas C. Wood, and 
 Charlotte. 
 
 The subject of this sketch commenced work in a 
 cotton-mill at the age of fourteen, and afterward in 
 the woolen-mills, where he progressed until he be- 
 came a weaver, which he continued to follow for 
 some years. He found time to attend school suffi- 
 ciently to acquire the groundwork of an education, 
 to which he added by constant reading and thought, 
 until he had attained a general proficiency upon all 
 current topics, and began teaching school when 
 about twenty-one years of age. For a time he was 
 engaged clerking in a store, in which he continued 
 •until the year 1854. 
 
 In the mental makeup of our subject there is a 
 large preponderance of the devout, and his relig- 
 ious experiences, linked with this mental property, 
 produced the conviction that the duty devolving 
 upon him was to take up the work of the ministry 
 in the service of the Great Head of the church. 
 Accordingly, upon the 30th of April, 1854, he en- 
 tered the ministry and preached his first sermon in 
 the town of Sandwich, Mass. From that point 
 on and through the southeastern part of Massa- 
 chusetts' he was engaged in preaching for about 
 twelve years; then for one 3'ear at Westerly, R. I., 
 and Norwich, Conn. In 1868 he came to Nebraska 
 City and became the pastor of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, continuing in that office until 1871. 
 His next charge was at Peru, where he remained 
 for one year; next at Lincoln, where lie was sta- 
 tioned for two and a half years as pastor of St. 
 Paul's Church, and for a like period he served as 
 Chaplain of the Nebraska State Prison. The win- 
 ter of 1875 he served as Chaplain of the House 
 of Representatives of Nebraska, and in 1877 as 
 Cliaplain of the State Senate. In March of that 
 year he resigned his position as Chaplain of the 
 State Prison. The August following he went to 
 Champaign County, 111., and in September joined 
 the Illinois Conference, and preached in the State 
 in Champaign and Piatt Counties for five years. 
 At the end of that period, feeling that his health 
 demanded a change, he came to Syracuse, and for 
 
 four years served the church of his denomination 
 in this cit^'. At the same time he purchased the 
 Syracuse Journal^ and from that on continued as 
 editor. He was the sole proprietor until July of 
 1885, when he associated his son Arthur D. as 
 partner. 
 
 The subject of our sketch has been twice mar- 
 ried, in tlie first instance, on the 11th of March, 
 1856, at Eastham, Mass., to Abby G. Smith, a mem- 
 ber of one of the oldest and most respected fami- 
 lies of Cape Cod, being a daughter of Davis Smith, 
 who was active during the War of 1812 in various 
 enterprises as a privateersman. The family have 
 always been extensively engaged in the deep sea 
 fisheries. This lady died in Lancaster County of 
 this State, on the 12th of September, 1876. By this 
 union our subject became the father of eight chil- 
 dren, whose names are recorded as follows: Arthur 
 D., Alice M., George L., Lottie M., Hartley B., Irvin 
 F., Minnie El., and also a son who died in child- 
 hood. The first-named three of the surviving chil- 
 dren were born in Massachusetts, the remaining 
 ones in this State. 
 
 The second matrimonial alliance was celebrated 
 on the 20th of September, 1877, at Philo, 111., the 
 lady being Susan M. Godding, daughter of Russell 
 and Abigail Godding. This lady was born in Ver- 
 mont, and is possessed of much innate refinement, 
 which has been increased and perfected by educa- 
 tion and culture. For twenty-five years she has 
 been engaged as a teacher of art, the first half of 
 which at the Providence Conference Seminary, East 
 Sandwich, R. I., and the Quaker College, of Provi- 
 dence, R. I. She was finally compelled to retire 
 from the duties of this position, owing to failing 
 health, but still devotes much time to painting and 
 teaching. She has brought to her husband a well- 
 cultivated mind and ripened intelligence, that has 
 been at once a help and source of pleasurable de- 
 light throughout the years of their companionship. 
 
 In the Masonic fraternity Mr. Alexander is very 
 widely and favorably known, both as a member, 
 worker and lecturer. He toolv the first two degrees 
 in the Pilgrim Lodge, Harwich, Mass., the third de- 
 gree in the Marine Lodge, of Falmouth, Mass. The 
 degrees leading up to that of the Royal Arch Ma- 
 son were received in the Orient Chapter, of Ilyaa- 
 
 Hh-^- 
 
 ->-ll- 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 32o 
 
 nis, Mass., liis Council degrees in How.ird Council, 
 AVesterly, R. I., and he was knighted 'in the Mt. 
 Olivet Commandery at Nebraska City. Among 
 brothers, fellows and companions he is regarded 
 with much esteem, and among the Sir Knights as a 
 true soldier of the temple. His historical lectures 
 upon masonry have been well received by the fra- 
 ternity, and those in outer circles who have been 
 privileged to listen to them, and have been the oc- 
 casion of many justly complimentary remarks. 
 
 I'P^EV. CHARLES HEISE, a retired clergyman 
 Ijkir of tiie Lutheran Church, having numbered 
 /4i \y, a little more than his threescore years, is 
 ^p! living quietly at his farm on section 2, Bel- 
 mont Precinct. He here has 240 acres of fine land, 
 tlie operations of which are carried on by himself. 
 He is a cultivated gentleman of excellent education, 
 a quiet, unassuming citizen, who during the years of 
 a well-spent life has full3' establislied himself in the 
 esteem and confidence of all who know him. 
 
 The childhood home of our subject was in the 
 Province of Saxony, Prussia, where his birth took 
 place Sept. 26, 1822. His parents were Samuel and 
 Augusta Heise. who were alsc> of German birth and 
 parentage, and who spent the greater part of their 
 lives in Germany. Their familj' consisted of six 
 children, who are now mostlj' deceased. 
 
 The subject of this sketch completed the details 
 of a very careful education in the g3'mnasium at 
 Magdeburg and the University of Berlin. These 
 institutions were conducted with that thorougliness 
 peculiar to the schools of the Fatherland, and young 
 Heise was thus fairly equipped for a career which 
 has reflected great credit upon his natural talent 
 and his fidelity to duty. 
 
 In December, 1855, Mr. Heise embarked on a 
 sailing-vessel at Bremen for the LTnited States, and 
 soon after landing upon American soil was sta- 
 tioned in Cincinnati, Ohio, as pastor of the German 
 Lutheran Church, where he remained two j'ears. 
 Thence he removed to New Bremen, that State, and 
 had charge of the Lutheran Congregation there for 
 a period of twenty-two years. From there he came 
 to this count3' in March, 1880, and settled upon the 
 
 -l-H- 
 
 +-f— 
 
 tllOMAS A. GILMORE. Upon section 12 
 of Belmont Precinct is a general and stock 
 farm, comprising 160 acres, which, whether 
 notice be taken of the fields or pastures, buildings 
 or residence, usually excites nothing but remarks 
 of admiration and congratulation, and wortliily so, 
 because it is one of the best cultivated and regu- 
 lated properties within a very large section of the 
 country. It is the jjroperty of the gentleman 
 
 ;» 
 
 land which he now owns and occupies, forced to 
 al)andon his pastoral duties on account of a throat 
 trouble, which finally developed into bronchitis. 
 Under his wise supervision many improvements 
 have been brought about upon the place since he 
 assumed ownership, and he is surrounded by all of 
 the comforts of the ideal country home. 
 
 Mr. Heise while a resident of Cincinnati, Oliio, 
 was married, Jan. 10, 1858, to Miss Sophia Weh- 
 nier. This lady was born Sept. 10, 1833, in Ger- 
 many, and is the daughter of Cliristian and Catherine 
 (Schriver) Wehmer, who were natives of Germany; 
 the mother is residing in Cincinnati, Ohio, but the 
 f.ather is deceased. The parental household in- 
 cluded eight children, seven of whom are living, 
 and residing mostly in the United States. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife there have 
 been born eight children, seven of whom are liv- 
 ing, namely: Oscar N., Walter S., Emil P., Otto C, 
 Flora, Martha and Ida. Oscar married Miss Eme- 
 lia Marqua, and is a practicing surgeon dentist of 
 Cincinnati, Ohio; he is the father of one child, a 
 daugliter, Viola. P^lora is the wife of Willis Rob- 
 erts, who is occupied at farming in Rawlins County, 
 Kan.; AValter is traveling on the Pacific Slope as a 
 salesman for the carriage manufacturing firm of 
 Davis & Co., of Cincinnati; Emil is employed at 
 merchandising in Syracuse, this countJ^ The edu- 
 cation of the j'ounger children, who are at home 
 with their parents, is being conducted under the 
 careful supervision of their father. All the family 
 are members of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Heise 
 lias very little to do with public affairs, preferring 
 to devote his attention to his farming interests and 
 his family. 
 
 * ► I I < - 
 
 ♦^h 
 
.J/P^ 
 
 326 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 r 
 
 whose name stands at the head of this biograph- 
 ical epitome. The nativity of our subject occurred 
 on the 17th of October, 18.54, in Morgan County, 
 111. He is the descendant of an honored family not 
 altogetlier unknown in historic annals. He is the 
 son of .John W. and Frances (Wardell) Gilmore. 
 His father, who was a native of County Derry, Ire- 
 land, came to the United States when about eight- 
 een years of age, and became one of New Orleans' 
 successful merchants. He followed also the busi- 
 ness of a pork packer, and at one time was the 
 owner of a line of flatboats on the river, continuing 
 that business relation for some fourteen years. His 
 demise occurred June 19, 1872. 
 
 The mother of our subject was a daughter of 
 Thomas Wardall, of England. His father, Chris- 
 topher Wardall, was a native of England, and was 
 in the service of King "William, and served him as 
 his armor bearer. He 'upon several occasions did 
 his royal master good service, and after a fiercely 
 fought battle saved the life of the king. In honor 
 of the occurrence his name was changed bj^ the 
 king from Wardal to Wardall, seeing that he had 
 by his adroitness and skill in arms warded off the 
 blow that would have been fatal to the royal soldier. 
 
 The family circle of which our subject was a 
 member numbered seven children, three of whom 
 only are now living, namely: Elizabeth, John 
 and the subject of our sketch. Elizabeth is now 
 residing at "The Pines," the name given the home 
 farm of our subject, and .John is one of the rising 
 and successful farmers of Thomas County, Kan.; 
 James, who died after reaching the age of thirty- 
 eight years, was extensively engaged in business at 
 the time of his death as a railroad contractor, and 
 left large business interests which it had been his 
 ambition and hope to finish. His bereaved wife and 
 five daughters mourned his loss as one who had 
 wellnigh perfectly filled the sacred relations of 
 the home. His wife was the daughter of George 
 Robinson, and bore the given name Susannah. The 
 names of his daughters were as follows: Frances, 
 Anna, Mabel, Effle and Catherine. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is yet numbered among 
 the free and untrammelled bachelors, and has been 
 in no hurry to make anj' change. He is chiefly 
 occupied with his farm, and takes just and laud- 
 
 able pride in bringing it to the highest possible 
 state of cultivation, and in the raising of the best 
 possible grades of stock. He and his mother are 
 both members of the Presbyterian Church. He has 
 not taken a prominent part in political affairs, al- 
 though usually voting with the Democratic party, 
 and is not by any means anxious to accept any of- 
 ficial seat, although he has several times been re- 
 quested so to do. 
 
 ICK A. NEliJMANN, the proprietor of a 
 good farm on section 30 in Rock Creek 
 Precinct, besides land elsewhere in this 
 vicinity, located where he now lives in 
 the spring of 1859, while Nebraska was a Terri- 
 tory. He thus bears the honor of being one of the 
 earliest pioneers of this county, and it is hardly 
 necessary to say that the land of which he then 
 took possession had been unbroken by the plow- 
 share. He has labored industriously upon it for a 
 period of nearly thirty years, and it gives ample 
 evidence of the success which has crowned his ef- 
 forts. The land has been brought to a high state 
 of cultivation, and upon it have been erected good 
 farm buildings, while from time to time have 
 been added the conveniences and embellishments 
 which have secured for it the reputation of being 
 one of the most desirable homes in this part of the 
 county. 
 
 Mr. Neemann came to this region a poor man, 
 having little capital save his stout heart and will- 
 ing hands. In this respect, however, he was not 
 different from his neighbors, so there were no ill- 
 feelings on account of his poverty. He made his 
 way to the Territory of Nebraska from Madison 
 County, 111., in the spring of 1859, overland with 
 a team, crossing the Father of Waters on a ferry. 
 He had onlj^ lived in Illinois a few months, having 
 settled there in the previous fall, soon after land- 
 ing upon American soil. His earliest recollections 
 are of a home in what was then the Kingdom of 
 Hanover, Germanj^, where his birth took place on 
 the 3d of December, 1825. His parents were Al- 
 bert and Margaret Neemann, who were of pure 
 German ancestry; the father died in Germany, and 
 
 -•►HK 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 4 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 327 
 
 the mother in Otoe County, Neb. Their family 
 consisted of four sons and three daughters, most of 
 whom are living in Nebraska. 
 
 Our subject w.is reared to manhood in his native 
 Province, and, like most of the children of Ger- 
 many, was placed in school at an earl}' age and 
 given a thorough education in his native tongue. 
 Upon attaining his majority, in accordance with 
 the laws of the Empire, he went into the army and 
 served the Government a period of four years. 
 Afterward, May 15, 1851, he was married to one 
 of the associates of his youth. Miss Christina Wil- 
 helmina, whose birthplace was not far from that 
 of her husband. This lady our subject holds in 
 the most affectionate regard, and acloiowledges 
 with true manliness that she has been his able as- 
 sistant in his efforts at securing a home and a com- 
 petence. Their union h.is been blessed by the birth 
 of four children, the record of whom is as follows: 
 George S. married IMiss Coslia Rodermaker, and 
 they are living on a farm in Mc Williams Precinct; 
 Christina M. is the wife of Herman Jackal, who is 
 in business in Hamburg, Iowa; Albert is the assist- 
 ant of his brother George on the farm; John H. 
 remains with his parents. Mr. Neemann since be- 
 coming a naturalized American citizen has uni- 
 formly supported Democratic principles, and, with 
 his f."imilj% is connected in membership with the 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 \fl — ^ ENRY HE YE, who is pleasantly located on 
 rrjV section 23 in Belmont Precinct, is one of the 
 ■k^^ most intelligent and prosperous German 
 '^) farmers along the eastern line of this county. 
 A native of the then Kingdom of Hanover. Ger- 
 many, he was born March 1 1, 1836, and is the son of 
 John G. and Mary (Schultz) Heye, who were also 
 born and reared in the Fatherland, where they lived 
 until August of 1847. 
 
 That year John G. Heye with his little famil}' 
 emigrated to the United States and settled in 
 Clayton Count}', Iowa, where the father carried on 
 farming, and where his death took place in July, 
 1883, after he had reached an advanced age. The 
 mother had passed away in the spring of 1 850. The 
 
 parental household included six children, only two 
 of whom are living, our subject and his sister 
 Mar3^ Mrs. Kruger, still a resident of Cl.nj'ton 
 County. Iowa. 
 
 The Indians were jnst leaving when the Heye 
 family settled on their land in Iowa, and there were 
 consequently no educational advantages for our 
 subject or his brothers. He is, however, I)}' no 
 means an ignorant man, as all through life he lias 
 kept his eyes and ears open to what was going on 
 around him, and by availing himself of every oppor- 
 tunity for information, will pass for a man with a 
 very good education. He was early made familiar 
 with the various eraploj-ments of pioneer farm life 
 and assisted his father in the development of his 
 land, working from early morn till late at night. He 
 was twenty-one j^ears of age in the spring of 1857, 
 and on the 21st of November following was united 
 in marriage with Miss Mary Oelka, the wedding 
 taking |)lace at the home of our subject's father, in 
 Clayton County, Iowa. This lady vvas also a native 
 of Hanover, and born in August, 1835. Her parents 
 were John and Maggie Oelka, the former of whom 
 died about 18C0, and the latter is still living. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Heje commenced the journey of 
 life together upon a farm in Clayton County, Iowa, 
 where they lived until July of 1861. The}' tlien 
 changed their residence to this county, our subject 
 taking up 160 acres of land on section 23, in Bel- 
 mont Precinct. Their first dwelling here was a 
 small house, and Mr. Heye at once commenced the 
 improvenicnt of his purchase. He was greatly 
 prospered in Ids labors, as the soil yielrled bounti- 
 fully, and he gradually put up the buildings re- 
 quired by the modern and progressive agriculturist. 
 He is now the owner of 320 broad acres, with sub- 
 stantial farm buildings, and his homestead invariably 
 attracts the attention of every intelligent traveler 
 passing through this region. He keeps numbers of 
 cattle, horses and swine, carries on agriculture by 
 means of the most improved machinery, and his 
 barns afford ample storage for grain and stock. The 
 whole premises has that air of i)lenly, comfort and 
 broad hospitality which is so grateful to the eye 
 and so cheering to those who are fortunate enough 
 to be the friends of the family. 
 
 Mr. Heye cast his first Presidential vote for Lin- 
 
 ^1^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 328 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 coin, and has uniforuil}' supported the principles of 
 the Republican party. He is thoroughl}- identified 
 with tlie interests of his adopted count}', and in the 
 development of one of its finest farms has contrib- 
 uted largely to its wealth and importance. He has 
 been quite prominent in local affairs, officiating as 
 Road Supervisor, School Director, Assessor, and is 
 at present County Commissioner. He is a man 
 prompt to meet his obligations, and one whose 
 word is considered as good as hi^ bond. 
 
 To our subject and his wife there have been born 
 nine childi-en, five only of whom are living, namely: 
 Maggie, Mary, Frederick, Henry E., Jr., and George. 
 The eldest daughter, Maggie, is the wife of Charles 
 Braraer, a well-to-do farmer of Rock Creek Pre- 
 cinct, and the mother of three children — Charles, 
 Clara and Minnie. The other children of Mr. 
 Hej'e continue under the home roof, and are being 
 given the educational advantages in keeping with 
 their station in life. 
 
 Mr. Heye is liberal and public-spirited, and no 
 man takes a warmer interest in the welfare and ad- 
 vancement of his community. Although not a 
 member of any religious organization, he believes 
 in the establishment and maintenance of churches, 
 and gives of his means to this object. He is widely 
 and favorably known throughout Belmont Precinct 
 and vicinity as one of its most prosperous farmers, 
 and one of the foremost representatives of the 
 nationality which has done so much toward the de- 
 velo|)ment of the Great West. 
 
 /RANK MEYER. One branch of the inter- 
 ests of the traveling public is receiving 
 good attention by the subject of this sketch, 
 who is conducting a flrst-class livery stable in the 
 village of Talmage. For this purpose he has an 
 excellent outfit, double and single carriages, and 
 fourteen head of horses, which are usuall}- all in de- 
 mand. Besides the property comprising this es- 
 tablishment, Mr. Meyer is the owner of a good 
 farm of 240 acres in Osage Precinct, and which is 
 svip|)lied with all necessary farm I)uildings, ma- 
 chinery and live stock. 
 
 Of this farm Mr. Meyer has been proprietor for 
 
 •^h:^ 
 
 a period of ten years, and upon it has effected many 
 improvements during this time. Providence has 
 blessed hini with a large measure of practical good 
 sense, and this, added to his industry and persever- 
 ance, has resulted in making him comparatively 
 independent. He became a resident of this State 
 in the spring of 1865, coming here in company 
 with his father, Frank H. Mej^er, who is now de- 
 ceased. Frank was then a lad of twelve years, hav- 
 ing been born Jan. 26, 1853. 
 
 The father of our subject was a native of the 
 Kingdom of Bavaria, where he w.is reared and edu- 
 cated, and where he married Miss Elizabeth Kerth- 
 berger, a native of the same section of country. 
 They were of pure German ancestry, and the elder 
 Meyer during his early manhood learned the mil- 
 ler's trade, w^hile at the same time he became fa- 
 miliar with farming pursuits. Upon emigrating to 
 America with their little family of seven children, 
 the parents located in Gasconade County, Mo., 
 where two more children were born, which com- 
 pleted the household circle of six sons and three 
 daughters. After the outbreak of the Rebellion 
 Mr. Me\'er enlisted as a Union soldier in the 4th 
 Missouri Infantry, and did brave and faithful serv- 
 ice for a period of two years. Upon his return 
 home he sold his Missouri land, and coming to this 
 State located in Otoe County. He only lived until 
 the following year, d3dng in 1866, when not quite 
 fifty years of age. It has always been believed by 
 his family that the hardships and privations which 
 he endured in the army undermined his health and 
 cut short his days. The mother is yet living, is 
 now sixty-seven years of age, and makes her home 
 in Talmage. with our subject. Her other sons and 
 daughters are residents mostly of Xebrasloi, and all 
 the family are connected with the German Catholic 
 Church, of Nebraska Cit}-. 
 
 Our subject was little more than an infant when 
 he crossed the Atlantic with his parents, and re- 
 ceived his education mostly in Gasconade County, 
 Mo. He now owns and occupies the old farm 
 which was secured by his father before the death 
 of the latter. To this he brought a bride in the 
 winter of 1887, having been married December 28, 
 that year, to Miss ]\Iary Butsch. This lady was 
 born in Lee County. Iowa, in 1864, and came to 
 
^"' ^ I W lyi 
 
 nr^:. ^^. 
 
 ^OCxU^i^-l^ 
 
OTOK COUNTY. 
 
 331 i^ 
 
 •►Hl-^ 
 
 this State with her parents in girlliood. She re- 
 ceived a common-school education, and remained 
 under tlie home roof until her marriage. Her father, 
 Frederick Butsch, a resident of JlcWilliams Pre- 
 cinct, is one of the most jirosperous German farmers 
 of this county. Mrs. Meyer is a lady of much intelli- 
 gence and goodness of heart, a wife who maintains 
 a common interest in all that pertains to the labors 
 of her husband, rejoicing in his successes and as- 
 sisting him in his worthy ambitions. 
 
 Mr. Meyer cast his first Presidential vote for U. 
 S. Grant. He has served two years as Town Mar- 
 slial, and is also Constable. 
 
 ON. WILLIAM McLENNAN. Tiiis gen- 
 tleman was one of the first lawyers to settle 
 ill Nel)raska, and his name frequently oc- 
 curs in the early annals of the State as one of 
 its most distinguished officials. For several years 
 he bore a conspicuous part in the legislative coun- 
 cils of the Territory, and of the State after its or- 
 ganization. He took a prominent part in the 
 proceedings of the Constitutional Convention in 
 1864; he was at one time District Attorney for the 
 South Platte country, and he was once Speaker of the 
 House in the State Legislature, during the sessions 
 of 1869 and 1871. He has now retired from pub- 
 lic life to his pleasant home in. the suburbs of Ne- 
 braska City, and devotes his attention exclusive!)' 
 to farming. 
 
 Our subject was born Dec. 19, 1821, in Colum- 
 biana County, Ohio. His father, Kenneth Mc- 
 Lennan, was born in Inverness, Scotland, and his 
 grandfather, Donald McLennan, was also a native 
 of that country'. Tiie father of our subject and a 
 brother, Donald, were the on!}' members of the fam- 
 ily wlioever came to America. Donald had served 
 in the P^nglish Army, had lost a leg at the battle 
 of Waterloo, and, being a British pensioner, located 
 at Halifax. The fatJier of our subject preferred to 
 settle in the United States, and took up his resi- 
 dence in Columbiana County, Ohio, for a few years. 
 He rented land of his father-in-law, and was act- 
 ively engaged in farming in that county until 
 
 1826, "when lie souglit the wilds of Jefferson County 
 to huihl up a home for himself and family'. He was 
 an early settler there, and he entered a tract of 
 Government land, heavily timbered, and proceeded 
 to clear it for cultivation. He was very successful 
 in his undertakings, bccomingquite wealthy and an 
 extensive land-owner, having increased the acreage 
 of his original purcliase to GOO acres of land. He 
 died in 1834, having rounded out a useful and 
 busy life, wherein he had won the respect of his 
 fellowmen in the highest degree. The maiden 
 name of his wife was Janet McLaughlin, and she 
 was likewise a native of Inverness, Scotland. Her 
 father, William McLaughlin, was also a Scot by 
 birth, and he came to America about 1819 and lo- 
 cated in Columbiana County. He entered quite a 
 large tiact of land, and resided there until his 
 death in 1833, at the remarkable old age of one 
 hundred and one years. His wife survived him 
 for some years, and died at the advanced age of 
 one hundred and two years. There were eight 
 children born to the parents of our subject, all of 
 whom grew up, namely : Donald, Eliza, Margaret. 
 Janet, Ann, William, Keunett and Eleanor. The 
 three youngest were born in America, and the five 
 eldest in Scotland ; the three eldest are deceased. 
 Ann resides in Kansas, and the others in Ohio. 
 
 The suliject of this sketch received his early edu- 
 cation in the public schools of Steubenville, and 
 subsequently was a student at Grove Academy, in 
 the same town, for three terms. He commenced 
 reading law at the age of twenty, with 0. C. Gray, 
 a Steubenville lawyer. After remaining with him 
 one year, he read under tlie instruction of the Hon. 
 Edwin M. Stanton the succeeding year, and was 
 then admitted to tlie bar. In 1846 he removed to 
 Illinois and located in Carthage, Hancock County, 
 where lie practiced his profession four years with 
 good success. In 1850 he went to Keokuk, Lee 
 Co., Iowa, and resided there until 1854, when he 
 started for the Territory of Nebraska, which was 
 then beginning to attract much notice as a favor- 
 able place for settlement. He proceeded on the 
 Mississippi and Missouri Rivers in the steam ferry- 
 boat that he had had built in Columbiana County, 
 and in which he had voyaged to Iowa four years 
 previously, and when he arrived at Council Bluffs 
 
 - ► ^ ■1 <• 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 332 
 
 OrOK COUNTY. 
 
 he marie bis liefldquaiteis there, and ran Ihe boat 
 during the season of 1854. and then sold it- 
 When going to Council Bluffs in May he had landed 
 atNebraska Cit}% inspected tiie sui-rounding country, 
 and, being much pleased with the pleasant scenery 
 and the charming climate, during that month made 
 a claim, with a view of locating here, to the land 
 that he now occupies. After coming here to live 
 Mr. McLennan built a steam sawmill and a board- 
 ing-house on his land, in 1855, but the place where 
 the mill stood has since been washed away by the 
 river. Our subject has been a continuous resident 
 of Nebraska since 1854, and has therefore witnessed 
 almost its entire development, and has played no 
 unimportant part in promoting its growth and pres- 
 ent prosperity. AVhen he first came here he had 
 nearly the entire Territory of Nebraska from which 
 to select his land, and it was at that time, as far as 
 the Indian titles had been extinguished, owned by 
 the Government. The Indians still made their 
 home here, and it was their favorite hunting-ground 
 for antelope, deer, wild turkeys, and other game that 
 was then very abundant. When he first came here 
 Col. Downs and his family, who occupied the Gov- 
 ernment building, were the only inhabitants of the 
 present site of the city, then called Ft. Kearney. 
 
 Mr. McLennan has been four times married. 
 His first marriage was to Miss Sarah B. Hall, a native 
 of Indiana, and it took place in November, 1857; 
 she died in August, 1858. Our subject was a sec- 
 ond time married, in October, 1859, to Miss Martha 
 J. Hall, a native of Bureau County, 111., and she 
 died in December, 1868, leaving two children — 
 William E. and Mary J. Mr. McLennan's third 
 marriage, which took place Sept. 15. 1870, was to 
 Ella Ewing, a n.ative of Utica, N. Y. ; she died Nov. 
 28, 1871, leaving one child, Ella M. The marriage 
 of our subject to his present wife look place in 
 December, 1876, and they have one child living by 
 this union, Stella. Mrs. McLennan's maiden name 
 was Margaret Frances Brown, and she was born in 
 Mason County, 111., a daughter of Jesse and Hannah 
 (Streeter) Brown. Her father was a graduate of 
 the Military Academy at West Point, and became 
 a resident of Richardson Countj^, Neb., in 1 860, 
 and was one of the pioneers of the Territor3' ; he is 
 now deceased. She has been twice married. Her 
 
 first marriage w.as to .Tohn Siltler. and to them 
 were born three children, namely: Ida, Gussie and 
 Ernest. 
 
 Our subject w.is elected District Attorney for 
 the South Platte country in 1855, and was re-elected 
 in 1857. In 1863 he was sent to the Territorial 
 Legislature, and was a member of the Constitutional 
 Convention in 1864. He was elected to the Legis- 
 lature again in 1868. and was Speaker of the House 
 in the session of 1869-71. He was nominated by 
 Gen. Grant, in 1870, for the position of Assistant 
 Attorney, but was not confirmed by the Senate. 
 Mr. McLennan is a fine man. and he is univers.ally 
 respected by all who know him for his many noble 
 traits of character. He is well grounded in the law, 
 and had he chosen to prosecute his profession would 
 undoubtedly have attained a high position among 
 the leading lawyers of Nebraska. Both in public 
 and private life he has alw.ays boinie the reputation 
 of one whose motives .are pure and whose acts are 
 above reproach. He is now nearing old age. but 
 his active mind still keeps pace with the progress 
 of the world, and he is especially interested in the 
 affairs and political situ.ation of his own country. 
 In this connection we may state that he was in early 
 life a Whig, later became a Democrat, but on the 
 breaking out of the w.ar transferred his allegiance 
 to the Republican party, and has been a firm sup- 
 porter of its policy ever since. The portrait of 
 this highly- esteemed and well-known citizen is 
 given in connection with this brief sketch of his 
 life. 
 
 vREDERICK STAHLHUT, one of the 
 wealthy men of Nebraska City, owns .and 
 occupies a good property in its southwest- 
 ern limits, and is carrying on a thriving dairy 
 business, which he makes both pleasant and profita- 
 ble, on account of the modern equipments and con- 
 veniences connected therewith. He is a man of 
 remarkable energy and perseverance, one who has 
 always put his own shoulder to the wheel, and who 
 lias accumulated a snug property by the exercise 
 of his own industr}' and good judgment. His 
 patronage is largely among the best residents of the 
 city, and he is a man of standing in his community, 
 
 t- 
 
 ■■► ^ ■i ^> 
 
4 
 
 -^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 333 
 
 ^h 
 
 intelligent and well informed, and no unimportant 
 factor in the building up of its business interests. 
 
 Our subject emigrated from the Fatherland in 
 the spring of 1867, when a j'oung man of twenty- 
 one j-ears, and settled near Bloomingdale, 111., 
 where he employed himself at whatever he could 
 find to do, mostly working as a farm laborer by 
 the month. He will be remembered as having 
 later been the employe of .Joel Draper, a farmer of 
 this county. Since old enough to think he liad 
 made up his mind to be a man among men, to have a 
 good home and property, and this resolution closely 
 adhered to, has resulted in what we see around him 
 to-day. He had very little means upon coming to 
 America and nobody to depend upon but himself, 
 but there had been handed down to him from his 
 thrifty German ancestry those qualities of charac- 
 ter by which he was enabled to push his way amidst 
 every discouragement, and finally come out a victor 
 in the struggle. He is now the owner of two farms 
 in Otoe Count}', each embracing a quarter-section 
 of land, and provided with good buildings. He is 
 thus in the enjoyment of a handsome income, with 
 the prospect of ease and comfort in his old age. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born near Sham- 
 burg, in Germany, Jan. 10, 1845, and is the sou 
 of Fred and Arnestenia Stahlhut, who spent their 
 entire lives on their native soil, the father dying 
 about 1872, at the age of sixty-four years, and the 
 mother a few years later, in 1878, when sixty -nine. 
 Fred .Stahlhut was a carpenter by trade, an honest 
 and industrious man, who made a good living for 
 his family and stood well among his neighboi's. 
 The parental household included five children, 
 three sons and two daughters, of whom Frederick 
 was the youngest son born. The others were 
 named respectively: Charlej' W., Whilem, Arnes- 
 tenia and Angeline, and are all now in Germany 
 excijpt our subject and brother, Charley W. 
 
 Mr. Stahlhut was reared in the doctrines of the 
 Lutheran Church, to which he still loj'allj- adheres. 
 After attaining a business foothold with a prospect 
 of something for the future, he was married, March 
 19, 1874, in Xebra.ska City, to Miss Anna Huberle. 
 Mrs. Stahlhut was born in Manitowoc County, Wis.. 
 Oct. 14, 1857, and is the daughter of .Joseph and 
 (Barbara) Huberle, who were n.atives of (Germany. 
 
 and emigrated to the Badger State during its pio- 
 neer days. The father engaged in farming, and, 
 with his estimable wife, is still living, being now 
 sixty years old, while the mother is fifty-eight. 
 They were the parents of three children only : Anna 
 and her brother .Joseph, and Louie, who died at the 
 age of twenty-seven years. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Stahlhut left AViseonsin in 
 the fall of 1865, and coming to this county settled 
 in Rock Creek Precinct, where they now live. To 
 our subject and his estimable wife there have been 
 four children born — Horace, Louis, Minnie and 
 Tillie. The eldest is ten years old and the youngest 
 eight months. Mr. S. is a liepublican, politically, 
 but meddles very little with public affairs, prefer- 
 ring to give his attention to his business concerns. 
 
 ^1 OHN BEY. The subject of this sketch stands 
 prominent among the prosperous German 
 farmers of Nortli Branch Precinct, where he 
 owns 240 acres of prime land, 160 on section 
 14 and eighty on section 11. Thereon he has 
 erected good buildings, and has all the appliances 
 of the model country estate. He is a man well 
 tiiought of b}' his neighbors, and when wes.ay tiiis it 
 is enough. He has served as Assessor of his precinct, 
 to which office he was elected in the spring of 1 886, 
 and the duties of which he discharged with that 
 conscientious care which is one of the distinguish- 
 ing traits of his character. He is a man enterpris- 
 ing and liberal-minded, alwaj's willing to contribute 
 both time and means to the furtherance of those 
 objects tending to the general welfare of his com- 
 munity. The friend of schools and churches, he is 
 especially interested in their establishment and main- 
 tenance. He has for a wife a vci-y amiable and 
 intelligent lad}', one who presides over her depart- 
 ment of the farm in a most creditable and praise- 
 worthj' manner, and contributes her full share in 
 keeping up the reputation of the family and home- 
 stead. 
 
 Our subject was born in the Province of Hol- 
 stuin, German}', Sept. 1, 1S51, where he lived with 
 his parents on the farm and received a thorough 
 common-school education, pursuing his studies un- 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 334 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ^\- 
 
 til a 3'outli of sixteen years. The year following 
 be determined to emigrate to America, and accord- 
 ingly completed bis preparations for the jonrney. 
 March 17, 1869, bidding adieu to the associations 
 of his childhood, be took passage at the city of 
 Hamburg on the steamer '"Saxonia," and two weeks 
 later set foot upon American soil in the city of New 
 York. Thence he came at once to this State, visit- 
 ing first in Cass County, the home of an uncle, 
 where he staid a week, and then made his way to 
 Avoca Township, Cass County, where be entered 
 the employ of a gentleman with whom he made bis 
 home for a period of four years. At the expira- 
 tion of this time he invested a portion of his capi- 
 tal in a team of horses, with which be broke prairie, 
 thrashed, and was similarly employed for two years 
 following. 
 
 About this time our subject, having made a 
 pretty good start, secured for himself a wife and help- 
 mate, and took up his abode in North Branch Pre- 
 cinct, this count3', where he had purchased 1 GO acres 
 of prairie land, and which is included in his present 
 farm. Upon this not a furrow bad been turned 
 and there were neither fences, trees nor buildings. 
 He first provided a shelter for himself and bis 
 young wife, and began gradually to cultivate the soil 
 and set out groves, fruit trees and hedge fence. 
 He was fortunate in selecting a piece of land well 
 watered by a branch of North Branch Creek, but 
 bis building operations involved large expense, he 
 having to haul material from Nebraska City. After 
 getting his farm under full headway he began rais- 
 ing and feeding stock, and now ships annually a 
 carload each of cattle and swine, and has in his 
 stables some fine specimens of draft horses. About 
 1883 be added to bis first purchase eighty acres of 
 improved land on section 11 adjoining. The accu- 
 mulation of his fine property has been the result of 
 years of industry and perseverance, and for which 
 he has been indebted to no one, if we may except 
 his sensible and industrious wife. 
 
 The lady above mentioned, and to whom our 
 subject was married in Plattsmouth, March 30, 
 1876, was in her girlhood Miss A. Sophia Schoe- 
 maker. She, like her husband, is a native of Hol- 
 stein, Germany, and was born Dec. 9, 1846. She 
 came to America with her brother in 1867. Her 
 
 parents, Peter and Anna Schoemaker, were natives 
 of German}'. The father spent bis last years in 
 Germany, and' the mother in Nebraska. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Bej' became the parents of four interesting 
 ciiildren — Annie, Freddie, Mathilda (deceased) and 
 Bertha. 
 
 Mr. Bej', after becoming a naturalized citizen, 
 identified himself with the Republican party, of 
 whose principles be is an ardent supporter. He has 
 done good service for his party in this count}', and 
 has been sent as a delegate to the County Conven- 
 tions. He served as Assessor one year in bis pre- 
 cinct, and has been a member of the district School 
 Board for a period of nine years. He soon became 
 familiar with the English language, and is a constant 
 reader, keeping himself well informed upon topics 
 of general interest. 
 
 Both our subject and his estimable wife are 
 charter members of the German Lutheran Cluirch 
 at North Branch, in which Mr. Bey has been Trus- 
 tee a period of ten years. He has also served as 
 Secretarj' for the past six j'ears. He was instru- 
 mental in the organization of the society, and has 
 given liberally of his means for its support. He lias 
 made an admirable record as an honest man and a 
 valuable member of the community. 
 
 IkM ARIUS BAUMGARTEN, one of the self- 
 '// iW made, prosperous and popular citizens of 
 Nebraska City, is a native of Denmark, 
 and was born on the 24tb of November, 
 1851. His father was Carl Christian Baumgarten. 
 His grandfather. Otto Ludwig Baumgarten, was a 
 native of Prussia, but went to Denmark when a young 
 man, wliere lie followed his business, that of a harness- 
 maker, settling in Assens, where he lived upward of 
 fifty years, and in fact for the remainder of his life. 
 There also his son, the father of our subject, con- 
 tinued to make bis homo and engaged in business. 
 The subject of our sketch was reared in his native 
 village and learned his father's trade, continuing 
 also to work at home until 1 878, when his i^arent was 
 called to his long home. The maiden name of the 
 mother of our subject was Maria Ohlson. She was 
 born in Senderborg, Sleswick, but now resides in 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 3.35 { ^ 
 
 Odeiise Village in Denmark. She was the mother of 
 seven children, only two of whom now live, viz: 
 Amelia, who lives with her mother, and our subject, 
 who was the only member of his family to come to 
 this countr3\ 
 
 All the education our subject received was in the 
 schools of his native country, and prior to his 
 reaching his fourteenth birthday. He came to Amer- 
 ica in 1 878, on board the steamer from Copenha- 
 gen, which landed him in New York after a voyage 
 of three weeks. Spending one week in the metrop- 
 olis, he came on to Chicago, where he remained 
 for about the same length of time, and then went 
 to Sidney, Iowa, where he was engaged working for 
 the railroad company for about six weeks, and then 
 he came on to Nebraska City, where he shortly 
 after started as a harness-maker and repairer, with 
 which he presently linked upholstering. After two 
 years he became a house furnisher and upholsterer, 
 and continued thus engaged with constantly grow- 
 ing success. From that has grown up his present 
 business, which is both extensive and a splendid 
 financial investment. 
 
 In August of 1881 the subject of our sketch was 
 united in holy matrimon}' with Hannah Johnson, a 
 native like himself of Denmark. She was born in 
 that country at Iljoring, in the year 1861. They 
 are both members in good standing of the Lutheran 
 Church, and are both able and liberal supporters of 
 the same. He has learned fully to appreciate the 
 institutions and government of his adopted country 
 and usually votes with the Democratic party. 
 
 Jl'^EV. M. F. CAREY is the founder and Presi- 
 R*^ dent of the Nebraska City Academy, which, 
 although newly established, is one of the 
 ^important educational institutions of Ne- 
 braska. It was opened in January, 1888, with 
 twent3'-three pupils, and before the term closed in 
 June there were eighty-five enrolled. The second 
 term commenced in September under the most 
 favorable auspices. A fine corps of talented and 
 highly educated teachers is employed, comprising 
 such notable instructors as Prof. William Valentine, 
 lato Superintendent of Schools in Otoe County; 
 
 Prof. Charles J. Gedge, a graduate of Cambridge 
 Universit}', England; Miss Emma J. Evans, late 
 Principal of the Third Ward School, Nebraska City ; 
 Edwin F. Warren, a graduate of Yale College, 
 lecturer on Civil Law; Clyde Watson, M. D., lect- 
 urer on physiologj', anatomy and hygiene. 
 
 President Carey was born near the Lakes of 
 Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, Dec. 23, 1846. 
 His father, M. R. Carey, was a native of the same 
 county, and was a descendant of an ancient English 
 family. He owned quite a large and valuable estate, 
 on which he lived in retirement, spending his entire 
 life there. The maiden name of his wife, mother 
 of our subject, was Mary Fleming, and she was 
 also^a lifelong resident of Countj' Kerry. There 
 were six children born to the parents of our subject, 
 three of whom grew to maturity, but our subject is 
 the only one who ever came to America. He was 
 reared amid the beautiful scenerj' of his native land, 
 and was early sent to school, first attending the 
 National school, and later a private college, where 
 he was fitted for Trinit3' College, Dublin. He was 
 graduated from that world-famed institution of 
 learning in the class of '69. He was then selected 
 as Principal of a school in the city of Cork, over 
 which he presided for two years, and then resigned 
 to enter the ministry. He was ordained May 1, 
 1871, as a Deacon in the Church of Ireland, diocese 
 of Kilmore, and located in the parish of Cloone. 
 On the 22d of December, the same j'ear, he was 
 advanced to the priesthood, as curate at Cloone, 
 and while attending to the duties of his eurateship 
 was also private tutor to the grandsons of the Grand 
 Marquis of Head ford. After three years service in 
 that parish, our subject was assigned to the rector- 
 ship of Kilegar, where he remained three years. At 
 the end of that time he returned to Cloone, and was 
 tiiere until 1880, when he came to America and 
 settled in New York City. He was there licensed 
 to preach by Bishop Horatio Potter, and served as 
 a supply in New York pulpits for nearly a year. 
 He then accepted the appointment as rector of 
 St. Thomas' Church, in Falls City, Richardson Co., 
 Neb. At the exp'iration of three j'ears he came 
 to Nebraska City to fill the position of President 
 of Nebraska College. That institution was discon- 
 tinued in 1885, and in the montli of May, that 
 
 •► II <•• 
 
»► II < ■ 
 
 336 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 year, our siiliject was installed as rector of St. 
 Mary's Cburch, and is still acting in that capacity. 
 In 1887 he bought the college property, and in 
 January, 1888, opened his academy, as we have 
 before stated. He aL=o purchased[ iiis pleasant and 
 attractive home on the corner of Fifth street and 
 Second avenue. 
 
 Our subject was married, in 18G7, to Mary Von 
 Stein, a native of Corlvlrelaml. Her father, John 
 Von Stein, was a prominent man in tiiat city, where 
 he spent his entire life. Ilis ancestors were Dutch, 
 and went to Ireland with the Prince of Orange, and 
 became prominent in public affairs. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Carey have two children — Kathleen Alice and Fred 
 Arthur Von Stein. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Carey is one of the foremost 
 scholars of the West, a gentleman of polish and 
 rare culture, and is eminently fitted to move in the 
 highest social, literary and scientitic circles. He is 
 an associate of the Philosophical Society of Great 
 Britain, and Fellow of the Society of Science, 
 Letters and Art of Loudon. As a Christian min- 
 ister, he is pre-eminent; of acknowledged ability in 
 the pulpit, in his relations with the parish he lias 
 not only sustained its character but added to its 
 reputation and influence. It is generally conceded 
 that the institution of learning of which he is the 
 head is of great advantage to the city, the county 
 and the State, as it is conducted under the highest 
 principles, employs the most advanced methods of 
 instruction, and cannot fail to make its mark on the 
 rising generation, and elevate the tone aud literary 
 tastes of the people. 
 
 APT. ANDREW J. KLEPSER is promi- 
 nently identified with the industrial interests 
 of Nebraska City as a harness-maker. He 
 has led an active and busy life, and has had a wide 
 and varied experience, having visited and lived in 
 many places in the western and southern portions 
 of our immense country. He took an active part 
 in the Civil War, and attained distinction and pro- 
 motion as a thoroughly brave, patriotic soldier, and 
 an intelligent, capable officer. 
 
 Our subject was born in Salem, Ohio, July 10, 
 
 1838, being a son of Jacob Klepser, who was born 
 in Wurtemberg, Germany, Oct. 7, 1807. The great- 
 grandparents of our subject were Andrew and Han- 
 nah (Mutzer) Klepser, also native Wurtembergers. 
 The great-grandfather of our sul)jeet wa.s a life- 
 long resident of the Fatherland, and died at the ad- 
 vanced age of ninety -nine years. The grandfather 
 of our subject learned the trade of tailor, and fol- 
 lowed it in Germany until 1817, wlien he came to 
 America with his wife and five children, landing in 
 Philadelphia in October. He located in Hunting- 
 don, Pa., and opened a shop and pursued his trade 
 there a few 3'ears. He then removed with his family 
 to Martinsburg, Bedford Co., Pa., and there contin- 
 ued in the tailoring business until liis death in 1844. 
 His wife survived him many years, dying in the 
 same place in 1872, at a ripe old age. They were 
 the parents of eleven children, five of whom were 
 born in Germanj^ and nine of whom grew to ma- 
 turity: Andrew, Jacob, Jeremiah, Catherine, Fred- 
 eric, Daniel, David; Elizabeth, who died in lier 
 eighteenth year, and Maynard, who died in his 
 twenty-fifth year. 
 
 Jacob Klepser, the father of ovir subject, was ten 
 years of age when he came to America with his 
 parents. He had attended school four years in 
 Germany, and after settling in the new home in 
 Pennsj'lvania he went to the public schools for two 
 }'ears. When he was twelve years old he became 
 a self-supporting member of society, as at that age 
 he went to work on a farm, where he earned at 
 least his board and clothes, although but little 
 more. He continued as a farm laborer until seven- 
 teen years of age, and then commenced to learn the 
 trade of harness and saddle maker, serving three 
 years in Martinsburg for that purpose. He then 
 did journeyman's work there and in Pittsburgh for 
 sometime. In the year 1830 he went to Montgom- 
 ery County, Ohio, and carried on his business in 
 Salem for twelve years. He then located in Del- 
 phi, Ind., removing his family and household goods 
 with teams, as there were no railways in that ])art 
 of the country. He opened a harness-shop in Del- 
 phi, and was actively engaged at his trade there 
 until 1856, when he sold out and started for the 
 Territory of Nebraska, in June, with two wagons 
 and four horses, accompanied by his wife .and three 
 
 *► II <• 
 
 *^i 
 
OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 337 
 
 T 
 
 children. They had cooking utensils, and cooked 
 and camped by the way at night. They made such 
 good progress that on the 25th day of July they 
 crossed the Missouri River at Plattsmouth, Neb. 
 Mr. Klepser selected a suitable site on the prairie 
 twelve miles south of that town, and bought the 
 claim of another individual from the Government, 
 there being forty acres broken, and a log cabin on 
 the place. The family took up their residence in 
 this humljle abode, and he at once commenced to 
 improve the land. This was in the verj' early 
 years of the settlement of Nebraska, and the coun- 
 try was in a wild condition, showing but little signs 
 of its present populous and prosperous condition as 
 a great and wealthy State. The settlements were 
 confined to streams; deers and wolves were plenti- 
 ful on the prairies, and in the interior and western 
 parts of the State, or Territory as it was then, 
 buffaloes still roamed; the Indians had been re- 
 moved the ^-ear before, but used to revisit their old 
 haunts on these prairies. Mr. Klepser entered land 
 from the Government at $1.25 an acre, and con- 
 tinued to reside in that place until 1865, when he 
 sold out and came to Nebraska City. He immedi- 
 ately established himself in his business as a har- 
 ness and saddle maker, and has continuously carried 
 it on ever since, meeting with great success, and 
 building up a verj^ profitable trade, as he is a sharp 
 and prudent business man. Mr. Klepser married, in 
 March, 1833, Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Tunis Van 
 Clefe, botli natives of New Jersey, and of Holland 
 ancestry. Of this marriage four children have been 
 born, namely: Catherine, wife of John D. Simpson, 
 of Plattsmouth; Andrew J.; Letitia, wife of O. F. 
 Johnson, of Plattsmouth; Luella, who was killed 
 by lightning in the sixteenth year of her age. 
 
 C'apt. Klepser was quite young when his par- 
 ents moved to Indiana, and he was eighteen years 
 old when they came to Nebraska City, but although 
 this was over thirty 3rears ago, he can still give a 
 clear and vivid account of that ever memorable 
 journey, and of the hardships and privations of 
 the early years of their life as pioneers. He as- 
 sisted his father on his farm for awhile, and then 
 went to Plattsmouth as a clerk in his brother-in- 
 law's store, remaining with him until 1859. But 
 for his restless, enterprising spirit, an adventurous 
 
 M* 
 
 life in California had great attractions, so on the 
 1st of May, that year, he started with ox-teams, and 
 crossed the plains and mountains to the "Golden 
 State," arriving at Susanville, Cal., on the 1st of 
 September. From there he went to Marysville, and 
 thence to Sonoma to mine gold, remahiing there 
 until the fall of 186'. He then abandoned the hard 
 life of a miner, well satisfied with his gains, and 
 turned his face homeward, starting on his return by 
 the way of the Isthmus and New York, and thence 
 to Indiana. In that State he spent the winter visit- 
 ing friends. It was while there, in the spring of 
 1862, that our subject commenced his military ca- 
 reer, of whicii he has modestly withhold the record, 
 all but the most meager details. We learn that he 
 enlisted in the service, and assisted in raising a com- 
 pany which was designated as Compan}^ A, and was 
 attached to the 72d Indiana Mounted Infantry. He 
 was mustered in as Second Lieutenant, and soon 
 went to the front, where he took part in the battle 
 of Stone River; was with Sherman from Chatta- 
 nooga to Atlanta, taking part in the important bat- 
 tles, and in the siege and capture of Atlanta. After 
 the battle of Stone River he received deserved pro- 
 motion to the rank of Captain for his cool courage 
 and efficiency on the battle-field. In the fall of 1 864, 
 having served his country faithfully for nearly three 
 3'ears, he resigned his commission and retired to 
 private life in Plattsmouth, where he opened a book 
 store. He soon gave up that business, and com- 
 menced freighting from Plattsmouth and Nebraska 
 City to Denver and intervening military posts. He 
 continued in that business until 1867, when the 
 Union Pacific road was built, which of course re- 
 stricted the freighting business, making it less neces- 
 sary and also less profituble. He then turned his 
 attention to farming in Cass County, and was busily 
 engaged in agriculture there two years. At the ex- 
 piration of that time he sold that place and bought 
 another farm in Ashland, upon which he resided a 
 year. We next hear of him in Plattsmouth again, 
 where he engaged in the dairy business for a year 
 and a half. From there he went to Kearney and 
 Lowell, where he spent a few months, and thence 
 proceeded to Texas and engaged in railroading for 
 a short time, but a few months later he again made 
 his appearance in his old home in Nebraska City. 
 
 t 
 
338 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ""r 
 
 4 
 
 He enteieil his fallier's harness-shop, and worked 
 witli him for three years. But the old roaming pro- 
 liensities were not cooled, he was not ready yet to 
 settle down to a quiet, uneventful life, but must be 
 up and off. This time the Territory of Dakota was 
 the chosen scene of his travels, and for awhile he 
 found a home there. He w.as employed a part of 
 the time at his trade in Yankton, a part of the time 
 was mining in the Black Hills, and part of the time 
 was prospecting and railroading in Northern Da- 
 kota. In 1881 he left Dakota and returned to Ne- 
 braska City, where he has ever since resided, and 
 immediately established himself in his present busi- 
 ness. 
 
 Capt. Klepser was married, in 1865, to Miss Ab- 
 bie Buck, a native of Illinois, and theiu pleasant 
 wedded life has been blessed to them by the birth 
 of three children — Theodora, Elizabeth and John 
 .1. The Captain and his wife occupy an honorable 
 position in society in this community, and he is a 
 member of the Western Star Lodge No. 2, A. F. &. 
 A. M. After the stirring and adventurous life of 
 his earlier years, he has now settled down to a quiet 
 life, and pays strict attention to his business, which 
 is in a flourishing condition. During all these years 
 while traveling in different parts of the country he 
 has been a keen and intelligent observer of men 
 and things, and has gained a fund of useful and in- 
 teresting information. 
 
 ERNST GUENZEL is the proprietor of one of 
 the best managed farms in Nebraska City 
 Precinct; its proximity to a good market in 
 a prosperous and growing city, its well-tilled acres, 
 and its substantial .and commodious buildings, ren- 
 der it one of the most valuable estates in Otoe 
 County. A view of his fine place the publishers 
 present on tlie adjoining page. Mr. Guenzel was 
 born in Schleusingen, Prussia, Oct. 11, 1837. His 
 father, Karl Guenzel, and his grandfather, Christo- 
 pher Guenzel, were natives and lifelong residents 
 of the same locality, where they followed the pur- 
 suit of farming. The maiden name of the mother 
 of our subject w.as Christina Frencel, and she was 
 likewise a native of Schleusingen, Prussia, and is 
 
 4i 
 
 still living there at the advanced age of seventy- 
 eight years. There were five children born to her 
 and her husband, namely: Maria, Ernst, Johanna, 
 Christina and Henry. Our subject .and his sister 
 Johanna were the only ones who ever came to Amer- 
 ica, and the latter, the wife of Peter Scharp, lives 
 in Wyoming Precinct. 
 
 Ernst Guenzel obtained a very good education in 
 the excellent schools of his native land, which he 
 attended from the age of six until he was thirteen 
 and a half years old. After leaving school he de- 
 voted three years and three months to learn the 
 trade of shoemaker, and then followed that trade 
 on his own account in his native place for one year. 
 After that he resolved to seek a home in the New 
 World, and in 1855, at the age of eighteen years, 
 set sail from Hamburg in an American bound ves- 
 sel on the 1 8th of October, and, after a weary voy- 
 age of two months, landed in New York on the 20th 
 of the following December. At th.at time he had 
 but $1 1 in his pocket; but he had youth, health and 
 a clear head in his favor, and with high courage he 
 made his way to Dubuque, Iowa, where he worked 
 at his trade in one shop for three years and three 
 months. He subsequently visited Memphis, Tenn., 
 spending two months there, and from there went 
 to Westport, and later to Carrol ton, Mo., working 
 at his trade in both places. In Carrolton he estab- 
 lished a shop and carried on the shoe business for 
 one year. In 1861 we find him in Nebraska, then 
 a Territory, about to open a store in Nebraska City 
 for the sale of groceries, ice cream and confection- 
 ery. He was engaged in that until 1868, when he 
 turned his attention to bottling mineral water. In 
 1871 he sold out that business and bought his pres- 
 ent farm, which comprises forty acres, and has since 
 devoted his attention very successfully to agricult- 
 ure. He has planted a variety of fruit trees, ap|)le 
 and peach, and now has a fine orchard, from which 
 he derives a good income, and lie also has quite a 
 vineyard of choice grapes. Mr. Guenzel has erected 
 a commodious brick house, in which he and his fam- 
 ily have one of the jileasantest and coziest homes in 
 the precinct. 
 
 Our subject has been twice married. He was 
 married to Miss Emma Oekle, July 13. 1865; she 
 was a native of Hanover, Germ.-in}', and came to 
 
 ^1^ 
 
^ Ji^, 
 
 Residence OF Ernst Guenzel,5ec. 15. Nebraska Cur Precinct 
 
 RE51DENCE0F FRITZ D AM M A , 5e:C.33 . Os AGE PRECI NCT. 
 
»► II M- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 341 
 
 America wlien she was seven years old. Eleven 
 children blessed their union, of whom the follow- 
 ing six are living: Carl, Selma. Anna, Edward, Ida 
 and Lulu. The faitliful wife and devoted mother 
 passed to her reward March 23, 1887. 
 
 Our subject was married to his present wife .July 
 29, 1888. Her maiden name was Dora Wendt, and 
 she was born in Mecklenburg, Germany. She came 
 to America with her parents, Henry and Doro- 
 thea Wendt, in 1857, and they settled in Daven- 
 port, Iowa. She was married there to John Ilaac- 
 Jver, a native of German_y, and she had two children 
 by her first marriage, Ida and Julius. 
 
 Mr. Guenzel is classed among the most intelli- 
 gent .agriculturists of this community, and he well 
 understands how to apply the best modes of culti- 
 vation to the soil so as to obtain the richest results. 
 He is a sturdy, sober, industrious man, well endowed 
 mentally and physically, and is regarded as an 
 upright citizen. He and his estimable wife are act- 
 ive members of the Lutheran Church, and contrib- 
 ute generously of their means to the support of the 
 Gospel. In polities he is a Republican. 
 
 'RED DAM MA, who was one of the first 
 settlers of Osage, and also is one of the 
 prominent and worthy representative Ger- 
 man-American citizens, is at tlie same time one of 
 the prosperous and intelligent farmers and stock- 
 raisers of that precinct, and owns 760 acres of thor- 
 oughlj' improved land, 480 on section 35, and the 
 balance in McWilliams Precinct. His parents, Henrj' 
 and Katie Damma, were born in Germany. They 
 came to America in 1843, taking sliip at Bremen. 
 Tiie ocean passage occupied a period of eight weeks. 
 Then they were landed at the citj- of New Orleans 
 after which they pursued their journey up the 
 3Iississippi by steamer to St. Louis. From that 
 city bj- means of wagons they went on to Franklin 
 County, Mo., where land was purchased and a farm 
 improved. This was the home of the family until 
 1856. when the father died, after a sickness of about 
 twentj'-four hours, thus closing a life of sixty 
 years. The cause of death was cholera. His wife 
 had died at the close of 1852, aged fifty-four years. 
 
 The following are the names of their children : 
 William, Minnie (deceased), Henry, Minnie (de- 
 ceased), Frederick, August, Louis and Louisa. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Prussia on 
 the 21st of March, 1837, and was thus quite young 
 wlien his parents emigrated to this country. The 
 scenes furnished by his first recollections are those 
 of the home and its surroundings in Franklin 
 County, Mo. He continued to reside with his par- 
 ents until he was seventeen years of age, during 
 that time imbibing the first principles of an educa- 
 tion, and also beconiing practically acquainted with 
 the farm and farm work. Upon leaving home he 
 went to Illinois and there worked out upon a farm. 
 In 1859 he went to Nebraska City and had so pros- 
 pered as to be able to purchase his present property 
 of 160 acres.' As most purchases of a similar na- 
 ture were at the time, it was entirely witiiout im- 
 provement, and what is to-day seen in the various 
 departments is all the result of his work, intelli- 
 gence, ambition and prosperity. 
 
 In beginning life in this State our subject found 
 that it was not bj' any means a path without obsta- 
 cles, difficulties and hardships. There were many 
 things to be put up with, experienced and over- 
 come entireh' unknown to the farmer of the pres- 
 ent. It is to his credit that he has made the progress 
 he has. His nearest market either for the sale of 
 produce and stock or the purchase of supplies was 
 Nebraska City. Every piece of lumber used upoiv 
 his house and buildings he had to haul from the 
 same place. 
 
 It is patent that Mr. Damma is prosperous in his 
 undertakings and successful in the operation of his 
 farm, for since taking the original 160 acres he has 
 purchased 320 acres in Osage, all of improved land, 
 fenced and hedged ; also 280 acres in McWilliams 
 Precinct, so that the total acreage of his estate is 
 760 acres, all of improved and cultivated land. He 
 still superintends the home farm, the remainder he 
 rents. He is now chiefly engaged in stock-raising, 
 and is the owner of a herd of 150 head of very fine 
 cattle. 
 
 Our subject has been twice married. First in 
 1863, in Franklin County, Mo., to Miss Christine 
 Rhodenier. Her parents were born in Germany, 
 but emigrated to this country, and settled in 
 
 • ► II » 
 
 *^* 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 342 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Missouri, where the\- still reside. Their daughter 
 Christine was the eldest of seven children; she was 
 born in Germany in the j^ear 1843, and died in 
 Osage in the j'ear 18G9, leaving three children, viz: 
 Louisa. George and Charles. Louisa is now mar- 
 ried to August Butts, the well-known blacksmith of 
 Talraage, and has two children, who bear the names 
 Christine and Elsie. 
 
 The second marriage of our subject was cele- 
 brated in McWilliams Precinct, on the 1 7th of 
 September. 1872. He then became the husband of 
 Miss Annie Kaman, who was likewise a native of 
 the Fatherland, where she was born on the 28th of 
 June, 1845. Her parents, John and Minnie (Hou- 
 tels) Naman, emigrated to America in 1873, and 
 are at present living in Hendricks Precinct, where 
 thej' farm eighty acres of land. Their daughter 
 Annie was the eldest of eight children who formed 
 their family circle. To Mr. and Mrs. Dammahave 
 l)een born seven children, whose names we mention 
 as follows: Herman, Minnie, Christine, John, Katie, 
 Caroline and Matilda. 
 
 Our subject and wife are both members of the 
 Lutheran Evangelical Church at Osage, and were 
 in fact charter members of that organization and 
 helped largely in the building of the church. There 
 they are highly respected, as they are also in every 
 other circle in that community. Ever since he has 
 understood the political situation in his adopted 
 country Mr. Damma has been allied with the Re- 
 publican party and voted its ticket. 
 
 A view of Mr. Damma's place is presented on an 
 adjoining page. 
 
 ^ )>.ILLIAM T. SLOAN has been engaged in 
 the sale of farming implements in Nebraska 
 City since 1871, and has established a 
 large and prosperous business in that line. He is a 
 native of Missouri, bom in the town of Otterville, 
 Cooper County, May 11, 1834. His father, Will- 
 iam Sloan, was born in Tennessee, and his father, 
 Alexander Sloan, the grandfather of our subject, 
 was a native of Kanawha County, W. Ya., finally 
 removing from there to Tennessee. He was a gun- 
 
 W 
 
 smith by trade, and during the Revolutionary War 
 was in the employ of the Colonists. About 1800 
 he moved from Tennessee to Barren County, Ky., 
 and in 1819 became an early settler of Cooper 
 County, in the same State. He took up a tract of 
 timber land there, and cleared a farm, on which he 
 made his home the remainder of his life. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in his native 
 State, and went from there to Kentucky with his 
 parents. He subsequently- took uj) a tract of Gov- 
 ernment land in IMissouri, and built a log house to 
 shelter his family, the same in which our subject 
 was born. It had no chimney, and his wife did 
 her cooking b}- a fireplace outside. He kept sheep 
 and raised flax, and his wife used to spin and weave 
 all the cloth used in the family for years. There 
 were then no railroads, no manufactories, nor any 
 markets in that part of the country. Mr. Sloan kent 
 stock, but all that he could sell to get cash was the 
 fat steers, that would bring §12 apiece when driven 
 to the Baltimore (Md.) market. There were very 
 few wagon roads in the country at that early date, 
 and often merchandise was packed on horseback for 
 transportation. Mr. Sloan resided on the farm that 
 lie had developed from a wild state until his death 
 in 1870, at the age of seventy-five. He was greatly 
 respected in the community where he had resided 
 for so many yejirs, as he was a faithful, law-abiding 
 citizen, and did his share in developing the coun- 
 try. The maiden name of his wife, the mother of 
 our subject, was Jane B. Alcorn, and she was born 
 in Kentuckj' about the year 1803. Her father, 
 James A. Alcorn, moved to the Territory of Mis- 
 souri, and was a pioneer of what is now known as 
 Howard County, being one of the earliest settlers 
 there. At that time the Indians made their home 
 there and were very hostile, and as a protection 
 against them the settlers built a fort, in which they 
 resided. Whenever they went to the fields to work, 
 they alwaj's carried their muskets, yet, in spite of 
 this precaution, it was not infrequently the case 
 that a settler would be found massacred. Mr. Al- 
 corn took up a tract of land, on which he located 
 as soon as the Indian troubles ceased. He spent 
 most of his last years with the parents of our 
 subject. He was a man of considerable power, and 
 was influential and prominent in imblic affairs, and 
 
 •► 
 
 ^h^- 
 
 ->-ll 
 
•►Hh-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 343 
 
 at one time represented the Territory in Congress. 
 The mother of our subject died on the homestead 
 in Cooper County, Mo. She had eight children, 
 namely: Elizabeth, Catherine, Mary A., James, 
 William T., Virginia J., Pamelia J\I. and Arclii- 
 bald R. 
 
 He of whom we write was the fifth cliild and sec- 
 ond son of his parents. When he was j^oung there 
 were no free schools in Missouri, but in the winter 
 season a school was kept on the subscription plan, 
 and he obtained his education in such a school, as- 
 sisting on the farm in other seasons of the year as 
 soon as he was large enough to be of use. He lived 
 with his parents until he was nineteen, when he 
 went to Western Missouri, where he worked at the 
 carpenter's trade until 1855. On the 22d of June, 
 that year, he started for Kansas City with a freight 
 train bound for Santa Fe, N. M. The train con- 
 sisted of ten large wagons, each drawn by six pairs 
 of oxen. ^Ir. Sloan went as an extra hand, and re- 
 ceived $25 a month and board during the three 
 months that it took to malte the round trip. From 
 that time until 1868 he frequently made the same 
 trip, after the first j-ear going as wagonmaster. He 
 freighted between Kansas City, Leavenworth and 
 Nebraska City to the various military posts in the 
 West. He first visited Nebraska City in 1858, and 
 was much pleased with its fine location, and in 
 1863 he came here to settle, having resolved to 
 make his permanent home here. He engaged in 
 mercantile business for two years, and then began 
 the sale of farm implements, in which he has been 
 engaged since that time. 
 
 Mr. Sloan was married, in 1862, to Miss Martha 
 Berkley, who has faithfully shared his fortunes 
 ever since. She is a daughter of Joseph Berkle}', 
 and was born and reared in Kentucky. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Sloan have two children — Maud and James R. 
 Our subject and his wife occupy a high position in 
 the social and religious circles of this cit}', and they 
 are active members of the Cumberland Presby- 
 terian Church, of which he is an Elder. Mr. Sloan 
 is a firm believer in the doctrines of the Demo- 
 cratic party, which has no more stanch supporter 
 than he in all Nebraska. He is a man of good 
 understanding, is exceedingly just and honorable 
 in all his transactions, and exerts a good influence 
 
 in his communitj-. He takes a marked interest in 
 the welfare of the city and county, and as County 
 Commissioner for two terms and a member Of the 
 City Council he has contributed to the material 
 
 prosperity of both. 
 
 ^, OIIN R. McKEE. The subject of this biog- 
 raphy is regarded b}' a large majority of 
 his felldw-citizens as one of the most popu- 
 lar men on the western line of Otoe County. 
 He is at inesent engaged in operating a livery sta- 
 ble at Palmyra, but at the same time is active in all 
 those enterprises in which the public are generally 
 interested. A pioneer of this county, and one of 
 its most capable and intelligent men, he has watched 
 with keen interest its growth and development, and 
 has been no unimportant factor in assisting it to its 
 present prosperity. He possesses all the elements of a 
 useful citizen, has been prominent in politics as well 
 as in business circles, is public-spirited and liberal, 
 and has given no small amount of time and money to 
 the various enterprises set on foot having for their 
 object the general welfare of the people. His home 
 is on his farm a short distance south of the village, 
 and forms one of the most attractive spots in the 
 landscape of that region. The residence is built in 
 modern style of architecture, and all the surround- 
 ings are indicative of cultivated tastes and ample 
 means. His family includes his accomplished wife 
 and a number of interesting children, who, in the 
 social circles of their community, enjoy the ac- 
 quaintance of hosts of friends. 
 
 The farm of Mr. McKee embraces 500 broad acres, 
 which have been brought to a high state of cultiva- 
 tion, and which occupy the larger portion of sec- 
 tion 2, Palmyra Precinct. Our sul)ject has been 
 familiar with agricultural pursuits since his boy- 
 hood, having been born and reared amid the quiet 
 scenes of country life. The place of his birth was 
 in Bennington Township, IMorrow Co., Ohio, and 
 the date thereof .June 5, 1839. His father died when 
 he was a lad of fifteen j-ears, and he continued with 
 his mother, assisting in the management of the farm 
 until the summer of 1856. The mother then believ 
 
 • ► II ^- 
 
 irm 
 
 ev- m 
 
344 
 
 ■•►Hlr 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ing that it would be for the best welfare of her boys, 
 sold out her property in the Buckeye State, and 
 moved to Iowa. To tliis step she had been per- 
 suaded by her children. John K. was the eldest 
 boy at home at that time, and still recalls the inci- 
 dents of preparation, and the overland journey. 
 They wintered in the vicinitj- of ]\Iontezuma, Powe- 
 shiek County, and in the spring of 1857, changing 
 their plans, came to Nebraska, landing in the limits 
 of Palmyra Precinct on the 27th of April, unload- 
 ing their goods two miles west of the present site 
 of Syracuse. The mother had pre-empted 160 acres 
 of land, and at first they were sheltered in a log 
 cabin. The boys as soon as possible began break- 
 ing the prairie sod, and in the following fall har- 
 vested a good crop of sod corn. 
 
 During the following winter, John R. McKee go- 
 ing into Cass Count}-, attended school at j\It: Pleas- 
 ant, and the next summer worked out by the month 
 on a farm. He continued a resident of that county 
 eighteen months, and on the 1st of January, 1862, 
 was united in marriage with Miss Sallie, daughter 
 of Jacob and Susan Lowe. Mrs. McKee was born 
 in Pickaway County, Ohio, Oct. 1, 1840, and re- 
 ceived a good education in her native State. Her 
 parents had a family of five sons and five daugh- 
 ters, and when one of her elder sisters, Kate by 
 name, married Rochester Hedges, Miss Sallie ac- 
 companied the young people to the "West. She had 
 expected to return to Ohio after a brief visit, but 
 through the persuasions of young ISIr. McKee, 
 changed her intentions, and with him in due time 
 took up her residence m Nebraska. 
 
 Mrs. McKee, a very intelligent and cai)able lady, 
 had made good use of her time in school when a 
 girl, and employed herself as a teacher. After com- 
 ing to Nebraska she taught the first district school 
 in Syracuse Precinct. At the time of his marriage 
 Mr. McKee was the owner of 120 acres, upon which 
 the eastern portion of the village of Palmyra now 
 stands. He, however, had lived at home with his 
 mother, and in the meantime added to his first pur- 
 chase a like amount adjoining, upon which he set- 
 tled with his young wife. He had for his neighbors 
 tliat first summer John Roberts, E. M. Brown and 
 a Mr. Merwin, with their families. There were no 
 other families within four or five miles. Nebraska 
 
 Citj;^ was the nearest market, from which point 
 they secured their provisions. A post-offlce was 
 established here in 1865, and John Roljertswas the 
 first Postmaster. 
 
 During this period of the early development of 
 the western part of Otoe County the subject of 
 this sketch, although a young man, was among the 
 most prominent of those who were active in its agri- 
 cultural and business interests. His industry and 
 enterprise had a marked effect in their influence 
 upon those around him, and stimulated others to 
 follow his example. He cast his vote and influence 
 toward the adoption of the State Constitution in 
 1867, and no man rejoiced more heartily when Ne- 
 braska emerged from a Territory into a State the 
 following year. He was at an early date a])pointed 
 Postmaster at Palmyra, serving four or five years, 
 and until the i\Iidland Pacific Railroad was com- 
 pleted, and the station and post-oftice transferred 
 to its present site. He then resigned in favor of 
 Miss Dora Harrington. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable lady there were 
 born ten children, six of whom are living, and still 
 continue under the home roof. An infant daugh- 
 ter, Elizabeth, died at the age of eighteen months, 
 and a little son, George, was taken from the house- 
 hold circle when seven years old. The survivors 
 are Florence B., Henry C, Guy B., Stella, Vinnie 
 and Edmund. 
 
 iNIr. McKee is now the owner of 1,000 acres in 
 JPalmj'ra Precinct, all of which he purchased be- 
 tween 1867 and 1888. He assisted in the organiza- 
 tion of the first school district withta its limits, 
 when it included an area of sixtj^ square miles, and 
 hired the first teacher, a Miss Brown. He has been 
 School Director for a period of eighteen years. He 
 has always voted the straight Republican ticket, 
 and during the late campaign (1888) served as 
 Chairman of the County Central Committee. He 
 identified himself with the Masonic fraternity in 
 1869, being at present a member of Western Star 
 Lodge No. 2, of Nebraska City. In his family Mr. 
 McKee is the model husband and father, and gives 
 the larger portion of his time and attention to the 
 interests and happiness of those bound to liim by 
 the ties of nature. 
 
 The parents of our subject were He.iry and Eliza- 
 
 •►HK-^- 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
•^f^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 345 
 
 beth (Kellen) McKee, both natives of Delaware. 
 They emigrated with their parents to tlie Buckeye 
 State, where they were married, and afterward be- 
 came intimately identified with its pioneer element. 
 Henry McKee was greatly prospered in his labors 
 as a tiller of tlie soil, and accumulated a comfort- 
 able property. He was a strong Whig politically, 
 a man of decided views, and one who kept himself 
 well posted uix)n matters of State and National in- 
 terest. His death took place in February, 1854, 
 when he was forty-nine years of age. The mother 
 died at the homestead near the town of Syracuse, in 
 September, 1874, when nearly sixty-five years old. 
 The five sons and three daugliters comprising the 
 parental household, with one exception, all lived to 
 mature j^ears. Clark died when twenty years of 
 age, and Maria when an interesting child of thir- 
 teen. The survivors are James, Sarah, George, 
 John R. (our subject), Belle and "William. 
 
 t 
 
 vlL-^ ERMAN H. FASS, proprietor of the leading 
 If" )|i clothing house of Nebraska City, is a wide- 
 ■^>^ awake and intelligent business man, who is 
 (^J meeting with deserved success in his mercan- 
 tile pursuits. He is a native of Hanover, Germany, 
 born Sept. 11, 1847. His father, Conrad H. Fass, 
 and his grandfather, Johan B. Fass, were born in 
 tlie same locality, and there the latter, who was a 
 merchant, spent his entire life. The great-grand- 
 father of our subject, who was an officer in the 
 French Army, is supposed to have been a native of 
 France. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in the town 
 where he was born, and received his education in 
 the schools of the place. As soon as large enough 
 he commenced to clerk in his father's store, and 
 later engaged in the mercantile business in the vil- 
 lage of Hessel on his own account, and also estab- 
 lished a brewery. He died there in 1883, and his 
 death was regarded as a severe blow to the business 
 interests of the village. The maiden name of his 
 wife was Margaret Falkerts, and she was likewise a 
 native and lifelong resident of Hanover. To her 
 and her husband were born seven children, six of 
 whom grew to maturity, as follows: John Burns, 
 
 Mary, Herman, Falkert, Annie and Christina. Her- 
 man and Falkert are the only ones in America; the 
 others live in their native land. 
 
 The subject of this sketch passed his early 3'ears 
 in his native land, acquiring an excellent education 
 in the public schools, which he attended steadily 
 until he was seventeen years old. He served one 
 year in his father's brewery, and learned all the 
 details of the trade. After leaving school his great 
 desire was to come to America, the goal of so many 
 of his countrymen, to see sometiiing of the country 
 of which he had heard so much, and to establish a 
 home of his own at some future time, if he should 
 be prospered in life. With these ends in view he 
 set sail from Bremen Sept. 11, 18G5, and landed 
 in New York the following November. From 
 there he went directly to Bedford, Ind., where he 
 had no difficulty in securing a clerkship in a general 
 store. At the end of three months he gave up that 
 position and went to Illinois, where he engaged in 
 dealing in live stock in Macoupin Countj-. After 
 spending a j'ear there he went to Missouri, and lo- 
 cated in Carrolton County, where he was engaged 
 in his early occupation of brewer until 1868, when 
 he revisited the Fatherland, and spent four months 
 very pleasantly among his old friends. On his 
 return to America he went l)ack to Carrolton 
 County, Mo., and lived there until 1872, when he 
 came to Nebraska City. Here he was employed as 
 a clerk for a time, and then established himself In 
 business. In 1882 he turned his attention to grain 
 and general merchandise business, and was thus 
 engaged until 1884. On the 2d of January of that 
 year he was burned out, entailing a loss over the 
 insurance of $3,000. He was not, however, dis- 
 heartened \\y this severe blow to his financial Inter- 
 ests, but with characteristic push and enterprise he 
 opened a grocery store in a rented building a few 
 days after the disaster. He carried on the grocery 
 trade very prosperously until April, 1880, when he 
 was obliged to vacate the store. On the 4th of 
 June In the same year he opened his present cloth- 
 ing establishment. This is a first-class store in ever^' 
 respect, and he carries a fine assortment of goods, 
 and gives general satisfaction to his numerous cus- 
 tomers. 
 
 In 1876 Mr. Fass was married to Miss Annie 
 
 =t+^ 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 346 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 t 
 
 Bertha Damme, a native of Missouri, of German 
 parentage, and four chilrlren complete their happy 
 home circle — Annie, Herman, Katie and Bertha. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Fass are members in high standing of 
 the Lutheran Chureh, and in politics he is classed 
 with the ardent Republicans of Nebraska City. Mr. 
 Fass is a lo\'al citizen of this country, having great 
 respect and veneration for its institutions and laws, 
 but his heart still clings fondl}' to the Fatherland; 
 he often thinks of the pleasant years of his youth, 
 and likes to revive the memory of old associations 
 by revisiting the scenes amid which his early years 
 were passed, and in 1883 he a second time had that 
 pleasure, staying among his old friends until April. 
 
 "^ ACOB BEUTLER is the able managing edi- 
 tor of the Nebraska Staats Zeitung, one of 
 ^^^ j the leading German papers of this .State. It 
 ^^/' is devoted to the best interests of the city 
 and county, and is a fine exponent of the policy of 
 the Republican party. Our subject was born in the 
 town of Sembach, in Bavaria, Germany, Dec. IH, 
 1869. His father, Peter Beutler, was a lifelong 
 resident of the same village, and there learned the 
 trade of wagon and carriage maker, which he pur- 
 sued until his death in 1875. The maiden name of 
 his wife, mother of our subject, was Mary Kinsinger, 
 and Sembach was also her birthplace. She came to 
 America in 1874, and settled in Nebraska City, 
 where she still makes her home. She has seven 
 children, namely: Annie, Jacob, Daniel, Lizzie, 
 Christian, Mary and Arthur. All are in America 
 except Daniel. Annie married Adam Schaefer, 
 and lives in Nebraska Cit}'; Lizzie married George 
 Hopp, and lives in Osage Precinct. 
 
 Jacob Beutler attended school quite steadily 
 while he remained in the old country, and obtained 
 an excellent, practical education. He came to 
 America with his mother when he was fifteen years 
 Old, and further supplemented his education by a 
 3'ear's attendance in the schools of this city. After 
 leaving school he entered the office of the Nebraska 
 City Press to work on a German paper published 
 in that office. Six months later the paper was re- 
 moved to Plattsmouth, and he went to vvork on it 
 
 in that city for one year. At the end of that time 
 he returned to Nebraska City, and was employed 
 for awhile in the office of the Chronicle, and later 
 in that of the Press. In 1880 Mr. Beutler thought 
 he would like to trj' the mercantile business, so he 
 went to Malcolm, Lancaster County, and engaged 
 as a clerk in a general store. But to a j'oung man 
 of his thoughtful, intelligent mind journalism held 
 strong attractions, and at the end of a year became 
 back to Nebraska Citj% and once again resumed his 
 work in the printing-office of the Press. In 1881, 
 in company with Charles Young, he bought the 
 office of the Nebraska Staats Zeitung, and they con- 
 ducted the paper together for a year, when Mr. 
 Young sold his interests to Adam Schaeffer and 
 Paul Schminke. Mr. Beutler has now for some 
 time had full charge of the office and the manage- 
 ment of the paper, and we may note in this connec- 
 tion that he has been very successful in this; he has 
 brought the paper to a high standard, and it has a 
 good circulation. 
 
 Mr. Beutler w.as married, in 1885, to Miss Paulina 
 Kuwitzk}', a native of Bohemia. She came to 
 America with her parents when she was quite j'oung. 
 Her husband finds in her a ready sympathizer and 
 counselor, and she is truly devoted to his interests. 
 They are esteemed members of the Evangelical 
 Church, and contribute liberally of their means to 
 the support of the Gospel. Mr. Beutler is one of 
 the most earnest and enthusiastic of the j'oung Re- 
 publicans of Otoe Count}'. 
 
 , ERRIN D. BABCOCK, Freight Agent of the 
 Missouri Pacific Railroad and a resident of 
 Sip^ Nebraska City, is one of the self-made 
 I \ j'Oung men, and has before him' a brilliant 
 future; to-daj', in spite of his age, he holds one of 
 the most responsible positions connected with the 
 above-mentioned compan}'. He is a man of fine 
 presence, large ability, courtly manner and genial 
 disposition, and by all who can appreciate such 
 qualities he is held in highest regard. He was the 
 first regularlj^ appointed agent for this place, and 
 has held the position since October, 1887, and to 
 his credit largely must be placed the fact that in 
 
 -«•• 
 
 i 
 
>► II ^» 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 347 
 
 T 
 
 tlie corresponding month of the present year the 
 freight receipts have more than quadrupled. Pre- 
 vious to his residence in this city his home was in 
 Lincoln. 
 
 The birth of our subject occurred on the 25th 
 of January, 1860, at Alburg Centre, Vt. He is 
 the son of Thomas and Saphronia (Borrow) Bab- 
 cock. The family is of English extraction on both 
 sides. His father served in the Union Army for 
 four years. He was promoted to be First Sergeant, 
 and was accounted a gallant soldier. Fear was 
 with him an unloiown quantity. His devotion to 
 the old flag was unquestionable, and he found many 
 opportunities of manifesting the same. He was 
 taken prisoner at the battle of Welden Railroad, 
 and after suffering the horors of Andersonville he 
 died in that prison. 
 
 The death of the father left his widow with three 
 sons and one daughter, and of these our subject 
 was the third child born. The mother, with the 
 determination that only those possess who are sim- 
 ilarly circumstanced, made it her life work to bring- 
 up her sons so that they should be an honor to the 
 cause for which their father had died, and should 
 be prepared to fill honorable positions as citizens 
 of the Republic. That the task then undertaken 
 has been grandly completed it is unnecessary to re- 
 mark, and is fullj^ substantiated b}' the subsequent 
 history of the family. 
 
 After completing the ordinary course of study 
 the subject of our sketch entered the Vermont State 
 Normal School .it Johnson. Subsequently being 
 graduated from that institution, he entered the 
 profession of the teacher, making his first effort at 
 Cresco, Iowa, continuing in that place for four 
 terms. Besides his jirofessional work he found it 
 congenial and profitable for him to work upon a 
 farm, which he accordingly did. Entertaining a 
 desire about that time to enter the railroad service, 
 he became a student of telegraphy, taking instruc- 
 tions under the operator at Cresco. He learned 
 with comparative ease, and was appointed to a posi- 
 tion at Ramsey Junction, Minn. This he continued 
 to hold with much satisfaction to the company for 
 six months, but having a more advantageous offer 
 from the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, 
 he entered into an engagement with that company. 
 
 -<• — — _.^^_^^_ 
 
 and was stationed at Omaha, whence he went to 
 Fairchild, Wis. After five months he was ap- 
 pointed oper.ator at Augusta, Wis., for the same 
 road, and continued there for two years. Then he 
 became .agent at Neillsville, in the same Stiite, but 
 after six months w.as sent to Ashland, where he 
 w.-us retained for sixteen months as joint .agent for 
 the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western and the 
 C, St. P., M. & O. R. R. The wages being insuffi- 
 cient, he determined to try the West, and choosing 
 the Nebr.aska & Missouri Pacific Railroad, he en- 
 gaged with th.at company on the 25th of August, 
 1886, serving .as cashier and Ticket Agent at Lin- 
 coln. He was appointed by President Clark of the 
 comp.any to his present position on the 2d of Octo- 
 ber. 1887. 
 
 Mr. Babeock entertains very liberal views in re- 
 gard to the religious position of others, and accords 
 them every right to their opinions, if they be but 
 honest in their investigations. The marriage of 
 our subject was celebr.ited on the 15th of October, 
 1884, at Neillsville, Wis., the lady of his choice 
 being Miss Ella Barnes, of Augusta, in that St.ate. 
 She is the daughter of H. S. and Catharine Barnes. 
 To Mr. and 3Irs. Babeock there h.as been born one 
 child, to whom h.as been given the name Bernice. 
 The social circles of Nebr.aska City have cordially 
 welcomed Jlrs. Babeock as a lady of truest worth. 
 
 For several years the subject of our sketch has 
 been an enthnsi.astic and devoted member of the I. 
 O. O. F., and is at present the Noble Grand or 
 Presiding Officer of Frontier Lodge No. 3, of Ne- 
 braska City, in which high office his high personal 
 character and manly qualities make themselves felt 
 among his fellow-members, who entertain for him 
 the warmest sentiments of regard, which is equall3'- 
 true of those outside the lodge room and in the 
 larger circle of life. 
 
 ESLEY SPURLOCK, a citizen widely and 
 // favorably known throughout this county, 
 came hither in its pioneer days, and has 
 contributed his full quota toward its growth and 
 development. He traces his ancestrj- back to P^n- 
 gland, the first representatives in this country being 
 
 ^ 
 
•►-11^^ 
 
 348 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 five brothers who crossed the Atlantic during the 
 Colonial daj-s and settled in Virginia. There they 
 and their descendants disting-uished themselves as 
 active and enterprising citizens and good business 
 men, building up comfortable homes and accumu- 
 lating each a good property. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in the jiart 
 of West Virginia which was then Cabell, but is now 
 Wayne County, Jan. 15, 1813, and is the son of 
 Stephen Spurlock, a native of the same localitjr, and 
 who was born March 19, 1786. The paternal 
 grandfather, Jesse Spurlock, was a well-to-do farmer 
 of that region, a very prosperous man, and promi- 
 nent in public affairs. His estate at the time of his 
 death included a number of slaves. Stephen and 
 another son were strongly opposed to making 
 mereliandise of human flesh, and in the division of 
 the propert^y they took the slaves, setting a part of 
 them free, while the other children were given the 
 real estate. This, of course, was long before the 
 outbreak of the Civil War. Stephen Spurlock also 
 became prominent in his community, and was at 
 one time Chaplain in the House of Representatives. 
 He was fond of agricultural pursuits and spent 
 most of his life in farming, He, however, never 
 lost the spirit of piety which was evinced from his 
 earliest youth, and joining the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, commenced preaching when a young 
 man, and thus labored in the Master's vineyard for 
 a number of years. He spent his entire life upon 
 the soil of his native State, dying there Dec. 31, 
 1870. 
 
 Stephen Spurlock had married in early manhood 
 Miss Nancy Amos, who was born Feb. 8, 1784, 
 and died on the 1st of May, 1872. The parental 
 household included seven children, namely: Cassy, 
 Jesse, Wesley (our subject), Abigail, Milton J., 
 Francis A. and Esther A. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared to manhood 
 in his native county, received a common-school 
 education, and subsequently taught school on the 
 subscription plan. He resided with his parents 
 until the twentieth year of his age, when he was 
 married, and settled on land given him by his father- 
 in-law, and which was a part of the homestead of 
 the latter. He lived there with his young wife 
 until 1837. then sold out and set his face toward 
 
 •► 
 
 r 
 
 the West. He made the journey via the Ohio. 
 Mississippi and Dlinois Rivers on a steamer to 
 Peoria, 111., then with his four-horse team drove to 
 Knox County, and settled on land near which sub- 
 sequently grew up the present flourishing town of 
 Abingdon. A brother-in-law had preceded him to 
 that point, and with him he remained until the 
 spring following. Then going into Whiteside County 
 he purchased a "squ.itter's" claim, near which the 
 town of Albany grew up. He did not enter this 
 land, although he improved about 100 acres of it. 
 He sold his claim in 1840 and returned to Knox 
 County, purchasing wild land south of Abingdon, 
 upon which he m.ade some improvements, but 
 which he finally sold, and crossing the Mississippi 
 with teams, and accompanied by his brother-in-law 
 and family, they both took up land in Wapello 
 County, Iowa, being the very first settlers in that 
 region. 
 
 Wild game of all kinds abounded in that section 
 at the time and Indians still lingered there. The 
 latter received their last payment at the Agency 
 that year, Mr. Sptirlock witnessing the procedure. 
 The pioneer cabins were located in the timber on 
 Rich Creek, but in the spring ]\Ir. Spurlock and his 
 brother-in-law started out and made a claim twelve 
 miles from the present city of Ottumwa, also erect- 
 ing a log cabin there. Here thej^ decided to settle and 
 proceeded in true pioneer style to battle with the 
 difficulties around them. The nearest mill was 
 thirty miles distant;, and not raising any wheat the 
 first j-ear, corn constituted their principal bread- 
 stuff. Mr. Spurlock had a number of sheep, and 
 the wife and mother from the wool of these manu- 
 factured tlie clothing for the family. 
 
 Five years later Mr. Spurlock sold this property 
 and returned to Knox County, 111., lived there two 
 years, and then returned to Iowa, purchasing land 
 this time in Warren County. This property was 
 also wild and uncultivated, but civilization had be- 
 gun to set Westward and our subject made better 
 progress. He put up a set of frame buildings, but 
 two years later changed his residence to JNIadison 
 County, buynig again wild land near Winterset, 
 where he improved a good farm and lived a num- 
 ber of years, carrying on agriculture very success- 
 fully. Then leaving the farm he purchased town 
 
 ■•►HI- 
 
^^ 
 
•►Hl-*^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 351 ik 
 
 ^t 
 
 property in Winterset, where he built a store, but 
 remained tliere only one winter. His next removal 
 was to Glenwood, in jNIills County, and there he 
 rented a tract of laud until 1856. 
 
 In 1857 Mr. Spurlock repeated again his pioneer 
 experience, coming to the vicinitj- of Plattsmouth, 
 this State, where he farmed two seasons, then 
 purchased city proijerty, put up a good house, and 
 lived there until 1 858. Returning to Mills County, 
 he engaged in general merchandising in the tlien 
 flourisliing town of Pacific City. Upon selling out 
 a few months later he rented a farm near Nebraska 
 City, where he lived a few years, then moved into 
 the town limits, where he has since resided. 
 
 Our subject was united in marriage with Miss 
 Mary A. Barton, Aug. 9, 1832. This lady was 
 born in Wayne County. Ya., April 13, 1815, and 
 of their union there are nine children, namelj': 
 Nancy, Burwell, Stephen, AVilliam H. II.; Nina, the 
 wife of Charles W. Shcrfey, a sketch of whom ap- 
 pears on another page; Ezra, Saunders; Mar3' A., 
 the wife of J. D. Gihnan, of Falls Citj^, this State, 
 and AVeslej^ W. j\Ir. and Mrs. Spurlock are mem- 
 bers in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, witli which they have been identified for a 
 period of fifty-five years. Mr. S. was a Whig, po- 
 litically, during the early days, but upon tlie aban- 
 donment of the old party allied himself with the Re- 
 publicans. 
 
 
 l^a^ AMUKL H. MORRISON is a well-known 
 ^^^ and honored resident of Nebraska City, 
 |l\/_Jj) where he lias been engaged in the jewelr3' 
 business since the days of 1867, and although 
 not among the earliest settlers, he may be consid- 
 ered a pioneer of this locality whose growth and 
 development it has been his privilege to witness. 
 He is a fine representative of the citizen soldierj', 
 who fought so nobly to save the Union during the 
 late Civil War, and his military record shows him 
 to have been a brave and loyal soldier and an effi- 
 cient officer, worthy of the confidence placed in 
 his discretion and zeal by his superiors. He was 
 born April 27, 1834, in Washington County, Pa., 
 ■^t 
 
 and is a son of Samuel Morrison, a native of the 
 same State. 
 
 John Morrison, grandfatiier of our subject, was 
 born in Chester County, Pa., and moved from there 
 to Washington County. Pa., in the early days of its 
 settlement. He was accompanied by his brother 
 Henrj', and took up a tract of Government land in 
 what is now Nottingham Township. That was in 
 Colonial times, and Pennsylvania being under the 
 jurisdiction of Virginia, he procured the title of his 
 land from that colony, and the farm which he im- 
 proved from that wild tract of land is still owned 
 by his descendants, he having died there. The 
 maiden name of his wife, grandmother of our sub- 
 ject, was Mary Ilugbey, and she was a native of 
 Ireland. She resided on the old homestead until 
 the death of her husband, and then went to live with 
 a son. Twelve children were born of their marriage, 
 all of whom grew to maturity. 
 
 The father of our subject was reai'ed in the home 
 of his birth, and when young learned the trade of 
 a tailor, which he followed a few years. He mar- 
 ried Rachel Cooper, a native of Nottingham Town- 
 ship, Washington Co., Pa. Her father, Frederick 
 Cooper, was a lifelong resident of that counlj-, of 
 which his parents were among the first settlers. 
 The grandfather of our sul)ject learned the trade of 
 millwright, and built and operated several mills. 
 After marriage Mr. Morrison abandoned the tail- 
 oring business and engaged in milling and fiirming, 
 remaining a resident of Nottingham until iiis death, 
 which closed a high!}- honorable and useful career, 
 and deprived his community of one of its most 
 trustworthy citizens. He served in the War of 
 1812, and his descendants may well, be proud of liis 
 gallant and daring conduct while a soldier under 
 Gen. Harrison, he being one of the four brave men 
 who vohinteeied to cross the Niagara River near 
 Black Rock to spike the enemy's guns, in which feat 
 the^' were successful. He was always a stanch 
 Democrat in his political views, and took a deep 
 interest in public affairs. His estimable wife spent 
 her last years on the old homestead in Nottingham, 
 Pa. To them were born twelve children, eleven of 
 whom grew to maturity. 
 
 Samuel H. Morrison was the ninth child born to 
 his parents. He was reared in his native town and 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 352 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 t Ini 
 
 obtained the foundation of a liberal education in its 
 district schools, subsequently attending a mercantile 
 college, and also spending a term very profitably at 
 an academy in the capital city of Michigan. He 
 resided with his parents until he was sixteen years 
 old, when he went to live with an elder brother in 
 Virginia for a time. He then returned to his old 
 home, and was an inmate of the parental household 
 until he was eighteen years old. At that time he 
 was appointed Deputy Recorder in Washington, Pa., 
 retaining that office for one year. He was ambi- 
 tious to perfect his education, and attended buff's 
 Mercantile College after that for one season. He 
 then adopted the profession of teacher, and taught 
 two years in Washington County with gratifying 
 suc(!ess. After that he went to Huntingdon, Pa., 
 where he taught penmanship and bookkeeping one 
 winter, and then went to Lancaster, Pa., and taught 
 the same branches in the mercantile college there 
 for one summer. He subsequently turned his at- 
 tention to farming, but his health not being good, 
 he was obliged to throw up that pursuit, and he 
 went to Lake Superior, and was engaged as a clerk 
 and accountant for the owners of the Minnesota 
 mines for three months. We next hear of him as a 
 hard-working student in an academy at Lansing, 
 Mich., and as a teacher of penmanship evenings. 
 He continued his studies for six months. Milwau- 
 kee, Wis., was his next destination, and the ensuing 
 year he was engaged in that city as a clerk and in 
 writing cards. 
 
 The breaking out of the Rebellion found our sub- 
 ject engaged in his old employment as instructor 
 in penmanship, and as clerk and bookkeeper for a 
 milling company in Portage, Wis. At the first call 
 for troops to defend the Union he did not hesitate 
 an instant to offer his services to his country, lay- 
 ing aside all personal aims and comforts to enroll 
 his name among the other brave volunteers who 
 went forth to encounter the deadly perils and hard- 
 ships of Southern battle-fields that the3' might pre- 
 serve the honor of the dear old stars and stripes, 
 and to whose valor in the terrible years that fol- 
 lowed we are to-day indebted that our flag waves 
 over a free, glorious, undivided country. He en- 
 listed April 19, 1«61, in Company G, Wisconsin 
 Infantry, and was mustered in as a private. He 
 
 went with his regiment to Washington in May, and 
 joined the Army of the Potomac, and served under 
 McClellan, Burnside and Hooker. Mr. Morrison 
 very soon had an opportunity to witness and take 
 part in a battle, and was present at the battle of 
 Bull Run, the very first engagement of the war. 
 He subsequently fought at Gainesville, Fitz Hugh 
 Crossing, Ciiancellorsville, Gettysburg, and took 
 part in many other important battles. In June, 
 1862, he I'eceived deserved promotion to the posi- 
 tion of Corporal; March 3, 1863, he was appointed 
 Second Lieutenant, and his promotion to the rank 
 of First Lieutenant followed on the 1st of July, his 
 coolness and daring in the heat of battle and his 
 executive ability as an officer having gained him 
 the implicit confidence of his superiors. He was 
 wounded at the battle of Gainesville, an ounce ball 
 piercing his left lung, and he was not recovered 
 sufficiently to join his regiment until four months 
 had elapsed, a part of which time he had spent at 
 home. In the battle of Gettysburg a minie ball 
 passed through both limbs, but fortunately a com- 
 rade wound a bandage around the limbs so as to 
 stop the flow of blood, and thus saved his life. He 
 was taken from the field in an hour and conveyed 
 to a hospital, and thence, two days later, to a pri- 
 vate house, where he lay six weeks. He then re- 
 turned to his old home in Pennsylvania, and on 
 account of his wounds he was discharged Jan. 15, 
 1864. In the month of March, the same year. 
 President Lincoln commissioned him as Second 
 Lieutenant of the veteran reserve troops, and On 
 the 15th of that month he was ordered to report 
 with his command to Maj. Sidell at Louisville, Ky. 
 In the following April Lieut. Morrison was ordered 
 to take command of a detachment of unassigned 
 troops at Camp Joe Holt, Ind., but in Ma3' he wiis 
 relieved there and sent to take command of the 
 83d Company, Veteran Reserve Corps, at Jefferson 
 Gener.al Hospital. Jeffersonville, Ind., and in Au- 
 gust the 84th Company, Veteran Reserve Corps, was 
 added to his command, and he was made military 
 assistant to the surgeon in charge, and commander 
 of the post of four companies on duty there, and he 
 held that position until January, 1866, when he was 
 relieved from duty at that point, and he received 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 f 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ■•►Hlr 
 
 353 
 
 1^ I nal 
 
 his discharge from the army, in wiiich he had 
 served so faithfully, June 30, 18G6. 
 
 The Lieutenant after liis retirement returned to 
 his Pennsylvanian home, and visited his friends 
 there until October, when he sought the then Ter- 
 ritory of Nebraska to begin life anew in its invig- 
 orating climate. He came to Nebraska City, and in 
 ]\Iarch, 1867, established himself in the jewehy 
 business, buying the stock and good-will of the 
 store. He has since adcled the sale of musical in- 
 struments, and is doing a fine business. Our subject 
 is a frank, unassuming man, and well endowed with 
 those qualities that make him an important social 
 factor of this community. He is prominently iden- 
 tified with the following organizations as a member: 
 AVestern Star Lodge No. 2, A. F. & A. M. ; Key- 
 stone Chapter No. 2, Royal Arch Masons; Alt. 
 Olivet Commanderj' No. 2; William Baumer Post 
 No. 24, G. A. R. ; and military order of the Loyal 
 Legion of the U. S. Commander}' of Nebraska. 
 
 Among the portraits of leading and well-known 
 citizens of Otoe County ma}^ be found that of our 
 subject. 
 
 DOLPH ALBRIGHT is recognized in the 
 farming community of Belmont Precinct 
 as one of its best citizens and most success- 
 ful agriculturists. He at one. time owned 
 500 acres of land, but deeded most of it to his 
 son, reserving for himself eighty-five acres, which 
 constitutes his homestead, and a verj' neat and com- 
 fortable one it is. His has been a career filled with 
 industr}", during which, by his excellent manage- 
 ment and perseverance, he has accumulated a com- 
 petence, surrounding himself and his family with 
 all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. 
 The early home of our subject was in the Father- 
 land on the other side of the Atlantic, in the town 
 of Gandersheim, Brunswick, where his birth took 
 place Feb. 16, 1833. His parents, Ludwig and 
 Julia (Finkenstet) Albright, were natives of the 
 same Province, and of pure German ancestry. 
 They are now deceased. Their family consisted of 
 seven children, of whom three are now living. 
 
 Mr. Albright, in common with the children of his 
 native countr}', was given a thorough education, and 
 
 reared to manhood in his native town. In early 
 youth he learned the trade of shoemaker, which he 
 followed for a period of twenty years. At the age 
 of twenty- two, believing he could do better upon 
 the soil of America than in his native pjmpire, he 
 crossed the Atlantic, and was settled for a time in 
 Brooklyn, N. Y.. where he followed his trade until 
 1856. 
 
 At the date above mentioned our subject, turn- 
 ing his face toward the Great West, crossed the 
 Mississ'ippi, and coming to this county located first 
 in Nebraska Citj^, where he followed his trade until 
 the spring of 1870. He had in the meantime, with 
 true German thrift and forethought, saved a snug 
 sum of money, and invested a part of this in eighty- 
 five acres of land in Belmont Precinct. Since that 
 time he has made his liome in this locality', fo low- 
 ing principall}' the pursuits of agriculture. He is 
 accounted one of the most reliable citizens in the 
 county, highly respected wherever known. 
 
 Miss Louisa Schmidt became the wife of oursub- 
 ject on the 26th of September, 1858, the wedding 
 taking place at the home of the bride in Nebraska 
 City. Mrs. Albright was born in the Grand Duchy 
 of Hesse, Germany, Oct. 19, 1837, and came to the 
 United States in September, 1855. Of her union 
 with our subject there have been born seven chil- 
 dren, five of whom are living, namely: Emma, 
 Alex, Lucy, Minnie aiid M.arj'. Emma is the wife 
 of Theodore AVirth, a well-to-do farmer of Belmont 
 Precinct, and the mother of two children — Anna 
 and Olive. Lucy married Mr. Oswald Wirth, a 
 brother of the above-mentioned gentleman, who is 
 residing in Belmont Precinct. The other children 
 are at home with their parents, and being given the 
 education and training in keeping with their posi- 
 tion in life. Mr. Albright has been generous with 
 his property as regards his children, and nothing 
 l)leases him better than to see them prosperous and 
 honored citizens. 
 
 While a resident of Nebraska City Mr. Albright 
 was a member of the Council for two terms, and he 
 has also officiated as Assessor in Belmont Precinct 
 four years. He was the Census Taker of this pre- 
 cinct in 1880, and that same year was also ra.ade 
 the candidate of the Democratic party for their 
 Representative in the State Legislature. He was 
 
 ^U 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 354 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 iplp 
 
 reared in the doctrines of the Lutheran Church, to 
 which lie loyally adheres, and which constituted the 
 religious faith of his honored parents. Socially, he 
 belongs to the I. O. O. F., and has passed all the 
 Chairs in his lodge at Nebraska City. He is a quiet, 
 unassuming man, who invariably commands the re- 
 spect of both friend and stranger. 
 
 .— -f4-^-- 
 
 ANIEL RIEGLE wherever known occu- 
 ■ pies a high place in the estimation of those 
 (i^j^^ by whom he is surrounded, and as one of 
 the younger members of the farming com- 
 munity of Palmyra Precinct, active and industrious, 
 is apparently destined to a successful future. His 
 chief interests are centered in the homestead, com- 
 prising 160 acres on section 28, where he is giving 
 his principal attention to stock-raising, and meeting 
 with flattering success. He has had ample expe- 
 rience among the various emplo3'ments of farm life, 
 and entertains a genuine affection for the sweet- 
 smelling soil, the growing ci'ops and the golden 
 harvests. With his tastes lying in this direction, 
 and tempered by that practical application which 
 must be connected with every enterprise success- 
 fully carried out, it is predicted for him that in the 
 near future he will be a leading light among the 
 business and agricultural interests lying along the 
 western line of Otoe County. 
 
 Winnebago Count}', III., was the early tramping 
 ground of our subject, his birth having taken place 
 one mile southeast of the beautiful little village of 
 Davis, in a prairie region claimed to be the fairest 
 in America. He first opened his eyes to the light 
 Jan. 21,' 1849, and is the son of Jonathan and Eliza- 
 beth (Hartzell) Riegel, who after lives of worth}' 
 industry are enjoying the fruits of their labors in a 
 comfortable home at Davis, 111. They are both 
 natives of Pennsylvania, and of German ancestry. 
 They emigrated from the Keystone State to North- 
 ern Illinois after their marriage, and at a time when 
 the territory comprising the counties of Stephenson 
 and Winnebago had scarcely been disturbed by the 
 plowshare. The father secured a tract of land from 
 \ ' the Government, and with the primitive imple- 
 
 ments at hand proceeded as best he could with the 
 cultivation of the soil, while his family were shel- 
 tered in a small house on the prairie. As years 
 passed by, and the country around him began to 
 be settled up, the pioneer who was in the advance 
 guard, uniformly keeping a little ahead of his 
 neighbors, began to gather around him modern 
 conveniences, and in due time the uncultivated 
 tract of land was transformed into a valuable home- 
 stead. 
 
 Among the other possessions of Jonathan and 
 Elizabeth Riegle eleven children had come to bless 
 their union, six sons and five daughters, of whom 
 the subject of this sketch was the ninth in order of 
 birth. They grew up intelligent and industrious, 
 and following in the footsteps of their parents were 
 "early to bed and early to rise," and if not becom- 
 ing wealthy, became well-to-do and wise. Daniel, 
 like his brothers and sisters, received careful home 
 training, and at an early age imbibed those senti- 
 ments of honor and integrity which have formed 
 the liasis of a most admirable character. 
 
 Our subject received only limited opportunities 
 during his boyhood and youth, but made the most 
 of them, and kept his eyes open to what was going 
 on around him. He remained a member of the 
 parental household, assisting in the development of 
 the homestead until reaching manhood, and then 
 determined to build up for himself a home beyond 
 the Mississippi. In 1875 he had purchased 160 
 acres of land in Palmyra Precinct, this county, and 
 in the spring of 1878 resolved to settle upon it, 
 and begin the establishment of a future home. He 
 still remains a bachelor, his domestic affairs being 
 presided over by himself. His land has been laid 
 out with neat and substantial fences, and he has 
 effected all the improvements naturally suggested 
 to the thorough and skillful agriculturist possessing 
 modern enterprise, and ambitious to keep pace with 
 his neighbors. He has a good residence, while the 
 barns, sheds and corn cribs adjacent provide ample 
 accommodation for the storage of grain and the 
 shelter of stock. To the latter he has given par- 
 ticular attention, feeding and shipping each year 
 numbers of cattle and hogs, and from which he 
 realizes a generous income. He usually keeps a 
 herd of seventy head of cattle and 125 head of 
 
 -^ Ni l a. 
 
*► m ^^ - 
 
 I 
 
 ^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 3o5 
 
 swine, making liis purcliases usually' from liis neigh- 
 bors, anrl his sales at Nebraska City and Omaha. 
 Mr. Riegle in the multiplicity of his agricultural 
 employments wisely takes time to keep himself 
 posteil upon matters of general interest, and al- 
 though never ambitious for office, is public-spirited 
 and liberal to the extent that he believes in 
 '•America for Americans," and protection for every 
 man in the enjoyment of his free and equal rights. 
 The principles of the Republican party appear to 
 him the clearest exponent of these sentiments, and 
 to this he accordingl}' gives his earnest support. He 
 is a man who is genial and companionable in the 
 social circle, and wherever his lot is cast invariably 
 attracts to himself hosts of friends. 
 
 -^-i«^<:S=|-i-4- 
 
 ^i: BSALOM TIPTON. The pleasant home of 
 l@£JIi tiiis gentleman lies on the part of section 
 31 wiiich has recently been attached to 
 Nebraska City Precinct, and which is con- 
 sequentl}' quite valual)le. Here he has 110 acres, 
 the greater part of which he pre-empted from the 
 Government, and to which he subsequently added, 
 bringing the whole to a fine state of cultivation. 
 In addition to general farming be is largely inter- 
 ested in fruit-growing, and has a fine apple orchard 
 of about 500 trees in good bearing condition, and 
 700 cherry trees, besides the smaller fruits, several 
 acres being deVoted to these also. Among his 
 specialties is the raspberrj', of which he has 7,000 
 plants, 4,000 blackberry and 100 blueberry, all of 
 which are in a flourishing and productive condition. 
 Mr. Tipton has been one of the pioneers in fruit- 
 raising in this part of the county, and keeps him- 
 self well posted upon modern methods of culture, 
 and the new varieties which are constantly appear- 
 ing. Prior to his arrival in Nebraska he had lived 
 in Iowa and Missouri. He crossed the Missouri in 
 the fall of 185-1, and located in this county in Sep- 
 tember. He secured a warranty deed of his 
 land as soon as it came into market, being very soon 
 after the treaty between the Government and the 
 Indians had been ratified. A portion of Jiastern 
 Nebraska, however, had been exempt, although In- 
 tlians were numerous at that time, and the settlers 
 
 were obliged to pay tribute to them to keep the 
 peace while waiting for the lands to come into mar- 
 ket, which was accomplished in the early part of 
 1856. 
 
 Mr. Tipton was born in Holmes Countj', Ohio, 
 Dec. 16, 1829, and comes of an old and highly re- 
 spected family. His father, Luke Tipton, was a 
 native of Maryland, and son of Luke, Sr., a New 
 Eoglander, a farmer bj- occupation, and a soldier in 
 the Revolutionary War. The latter was celebrated 
 for his fine physique, and he made a brave and dar- 
 ing soldier, who received the approval of his supe- 
 rior officers for his courage and gallantry. After 
 the war he went South, and died in Tennessee at 
 the advanced age of about one hundred years. A 
 brother who served with him in the American Army 
 afterward settled in Maryland, where he spent the 
 remainder of his life. The Tiptons are of "Welsh 
 descent, and the first representative of the family 
 in this country crossed the Atlantic at an early 
 period in its history. He was a cooper by trade, 
 and left his native soil under threat of being be- 
 headed on account of political disaffection existing 
 during the time of Cromwell, the same as was the 
 great-grandfather of the President-elect, Gen. Har- 
 rison. The original Tipton was placed in a barrel 
 for safe transportation across the Atlantic, and set- 
 tled among the Alleghany Mountains, where he lived 
 partially secluded for a long period. The records 
 indicate that he was one hundred and five j'ears 
 old at the time of his death. 
 
 Luke Tipton, Jr., the father of our subject, spent 
 his boyhood days in his native Maryland, and had 
 hardly got beyond these when his two brothers 
 enlisted in the army and served in the War -of 1812. 
 Before reaching his majority he accompanied his 
 father to Ohio, where he was married a few years 
 later to Miss Mary Young. This lady is a native 
 of Penns3'lvania, and of Dutch ancestry. She re- 
 moved with her parents to Ohio in her girlhood, 
 where her parents died when quite well advanced 
 in years. The young people emigrated to Iowa in 
 1852, and lived in that State and Missouri until the 
 death of the father, which occurred in Mills County, 
 Iowa, in 1871, when he was seventy-three j'ears old. 
 Mrs. Mary Tipton is still living, and makes her 
 home with her son Saul, in Mills Countj-. Al- 
 
 •►Ht-4*- 
 
 -♦Hh 
 
356 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 though eighty-seven years old, she is well preserved 
 and active in mind and body. Both parents united 
 with the Methodist Episcopal Church many years 
 ago, and the father, politically, was first a Whig 
 and then a Republican. 
 
 Absalom Tipton, the subject of this sketch, was 
 the fifth child and third sou of a family of five sons 
 and six daughters. He was reared and educated in 
 Putnam and Lucas Counties, Ohio, and attained his 
 majority in the Buckeye State. He found his bride 
 in the West, being married in the northeastern part 
 of Missouri near the State line, to Miss Martha N. 
 -Norris. This lady was born in LaPorte County. 
 Ind., in 1833, and was the daughter of Thomas and 
 Sarah (Brock) Norris, who spent their last days in 
 Hamburg, Iowa. The father was a farmer by oc- 
 cupation, and the parents were married in Indiana. 
 They were very excellent and worthy people, greatly 
 respected by their community, and making it the 
 rule of their lives to do by others as they would be 
 done by. The mother held to the doctrines of the 
 Baptist Church, but Mr. Norris, although a Christian 
 man, never identified himself with an}- church or- 
 ganization. 
 
 Mrs. Tipton was reared and educated in Indiana, 
 whence she removed with her parents to Missouri, 
 and under the careful training of a Christian mother 
 imbibed those sentiments and principles by which 
 she became possessed of all the womanly virtues. 
 She was rcore than ordinarily intelligent, hospitable 
 and kind among her neighbors, and most faithfully 
 devoted to the interests of her family. By her 
 union with our subject she became the mother of 
 seven children. One of these, a daughter. Flora? 
 died at the age of fourteen months, and twins 
 died in infancy. Of the survivors the record 
 is as follows: Oscar is farming in Logan County, 
 Col., and quite prosperous; William married Mrs. 
 Lizzie Bruner, and lives in Omaha; Cora remains at 
 home with her father, attending to his domestic 
 concerns and devoting herself to his comfort. She 
 is a very intelligent 30ung woman, possessing largely 
 the amiable qualities of her excellent mother. 
 Schuyler is attending school in Nebraska City. 
 Mrs. Martha N. Tipton departed this life at the 
 homestead, Nov. 28, 187.5, deeply mourned by her 
 family and a large circle of friends and acquaint- 
 
 ances. Mr. and Mrs. Tipton identified themselves 
 with the Methodist Protestant Church about 18.58, 
 to which our subject has since given a liberal and 
 cheerful support. Both he and his sons are stanch 
 Republicans, politically, and have done good service 
 for their party in this section. 
 
 J "AMES WILSON. The home of this excel- 
 lent old gentleman and his estimable wife is 
 one to which their host of friends always 
 love to repair, and at whose threshold the 
 stranger is welcomed with equal courtesy. In their 
 lives is illustrated the result of well-spent years, and 
 in their ej'es the clear light of a good conscience 
 and souls at peace with all the world. By years of 
 industrj' and economy they have gathered around 
 them all of the comforts and many of the luxuries 
 of life, including the fine farm of 240 acres, which, 
 witli its buildings and other appurtenances, forms 
 one of the most attractive features of the landscape 
 of Rusiell Precinct. The estate lies on section 12, 
 and is a credit not only to the wise management of 
 the proprietor, but to the county at large. 
 
 The childhood home of Mr. Wilson was many 
 leagues from his present one. his birth having taken 
 [>lace in Norway, Jan. 19, 1835. His boyhood days 
 were spent upon the farm of his father, .and later 
 he learned the trade of ship carpenter, which he 
 followed until a man of twenty-five j-ears. In the 
 meantime he had received a common-school educa- 
 tion, and was well fitted both by habits and train- 
 ing for the battle of life. He had as a boy been 
 bright and thoughtful beyond his years, and at the 
 age of thirty-three years, not being satisfied with 
 the prospects of the future held out to him upon 
 his native soil, he resolved to seek the New World 
 of which he had heard so much, and to which many 
 of his countrymen were hastening. He accordingly 
 set sail from Liverpool on the steamer "Etna," and 
 after a stormy voyage of forty days set foot upon 
 American soil in the city of New York. Thence 
 he proceeded by rail to St. Joseph, Mo., and not 
 long afterward we find him in Nebraska City. 
 Thence he proceeded to the western part of the 
 county, and homesteaded eighty acres of land. He 
 
 > ► I L ^' 
 
» ► II <•• 
 
 ■•►Hh 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 357 
 
 and his little family were sheltered for a brief time 
 in a small room, and he made it his first business to 
 provide for their most urgent necessities. Around 
 him stretehed tlie uncultivated prairie, and in order 
 to put up a dwelling he was obliged to haul lumber 
 from Nebraslia Citj', thirty miles away. His neigh- 
 bors, however, had done the same, and he suffered 
 nothing to discourage him as long as he was in the 
 enjoyment of his health and strength. 
 
 To Mr. AVilson, as to every individual who per- 
 sistently labors and suffers himself to be dismaj'ed 
 by no discouragement, his industry brought its le- 
 gitimate reward. The soil under his careful culti- 
 vation began to yield plenteously, and as time 
 passed on he was en.-ibled to erect the buildings nec- 
 essary for his comfort and convenience. In due 
 time there appeared a comfortable frame dwelling, 
 a barn and all the other necessary outhouses, while 
 Mr. Wilson planted groves and an orchard of 150 
 apple trees, besides the smaller fruits. Later he in- 
 vested a portion of his surplus capital in additional 
 land, adding eighty acres to the home farm and 
 purchasing 160 acres on section 10. It has all been 
 brought to a state of cultivation, and is the source 
 of a handsome income. 
 
 Mr. "Wilson came a bachelor to this county, but 
 on ttie Gth of March, 1880, was united in marriage 
 with Miss Celestia Mills, who was born near the 
 city of Cleveland in Summit County, Ohio, June I, 
 1848. She received an excellent education, being 
 graduated from the Peru Normal School, and 
 taught school two j'ears before her marriage. Her 
 parents, Andrew and Jerusha (Dickinson) Mills, 
 were natives of the Buckeye State and Connecticut 
 respectively, and came here in the fall of 1869. 
 The father purchased a quarter-section of land in 
 Hendricks Precinct, in the southwestern corner of 
 Otoe County, where the parents spent the remainder 
 of their lives. The mother passed away in the fall 
 of 1873, and the father in March, 1887. The latter 
 was sixty-four years old. Their five children were 
 named respectively: Celestia, Emma, Minnie, Rus- 
 sell and Frank. Of tliese all are living, residing 
 mostlj' in Nebraska and Dakota. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Wilson there were born three 
 children, one of whom, a daughter, Laura, died 
 when five months old. Eflie G. and Andrew are 
 
 aged six and four years respectively. Mr. Wilson 
 upon becoming a naturalized citizen allied himself 
 with the Republican party, of which he has since 
 been a uniform supporter. He has served three 
 years in his school district, and socially, belongs to 
 the I. O. O. F., at Weeping Water. He is a man 
 who has been prompt to meet his obligations, made 
 it a point always to live within his income, and one 
 whose word is considered as good as his bond. 
 
 Thomas Wilson, the father of our subject, was, 
 like his son, born in Norway, and married a native 
 of the same place. The elder Wilson was a wealthy 
 ship builder, and he owned a farm of 500 acres in 
 his native district. He died there at the age of 
 sixty years, about 1855. During the invasion of 
 Norway by England, in 1812, he did good service 
 as a soldier in protecting his native land from a 
 foreign foe. The mother, after the death of 
 her husband crossed the Atlantic, and going to 
 Salt Lake Cit\-, made her home with her daughter 
 there until her death, which occurred Jan. 28, 1888, 
 after she had reached the advanced age of eight}'- 
 nine years. 
 
 AVID STALL. This gentleman is widely 
 and favorably known throughout Otoe 
 County, in connection with his extensive 
 business interests as a stock raiser and 
 dealer, and enjoys quite a reputation as a farmer 
 and thresher. His home is upon section 8 of Pal- 
 myra Precinct, where he owns 240 acres of very 
 fine farming land, but also operates 160 acres on 
 section 11. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Knox 
 County, Ohio, on the 14th of March, 1836, to Will- 
 iam and Susannah (Firebaugh) Stall. This family' 
 is of German extraction, and the original settlement 
 was made in Pennsylvania, where the parents of 
 our subject were married and made their first 
 home, but removed to Ohio among the early set- 
 tlers of that section of country. Our subject was 
 the youngest of ten children born to them. 
 
 The early days of David Stall were spent upon 
 the home farm amid surroundings common to agri- 
 cultural life. He began to work with his father 
 when quite a little fellow, and at ten years of age 
 
 "► I I < •• 
 
 ^^h 
 
"yf^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 358 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 received his first lessons in plowing, and began to 
 woik at the thveshing-raachine when but twelve 
 years of age. True, he was large and stout for his 
 age, bright and intelligent, but it was undoubtedly 
 quite an early day for a boy to begin the serious 
 duties of life. 
 
 Until his marriage, June 2, 1861, our[subject 
 made his home with his parents, but at that time 
 he was united in wedlock with Elizabeth Bechtel, 
 and they began their new life on the farm he was 
 born on. She was born in Ohio, in Tuscarawas 
 County, June 14, 1834. Of this union there have 
 been born four children, whose names are as fol- 
 lows: Alonzo I\I., William H., Elizabeth E. and 
 Alfred L. 
 
 Selling the Ohio farm in the year 1803. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Stall settled in Davis County, Ind.. and there 
 Mr. Stall followed the combined occupations of 
 farming and threshing, and owned 200 acres of 
 land. In 1872 they came to Bennet, Neb., and 
 purchase<l 400 acres, but this they sohl after one 
 year, and then came to Palmyra, in iliis county, 
 where they became the owners of 400 acres of 
 land, well situated and calculated to meet his re- 
 quirements as an agriculturist and stock-raiser. 
 He has put up several valuable improvements in 
 the line of farm buildings, and has also erected a 
 very fine stone residence. He is the owner' of 
 seventy head of cattle of the various varieties. 
 The fall of 1888 was his eighteenth consecutive sea- 
 son as a thresher, in which he is quite expert. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stall are members in good standing 
 of the Baptist Church at Palmyra. Our subject is 
 a member of the Anti-Horse Thief Association of 
 Nebraska. Politicall}', he is a Repul)lican, and, 
 although not a leader in political affairs, he is 
 deeply interested in all current questions connected 
 therewith. 
 
 ^p^ EORGE QUIBLE. The broad acres which 
 [II ^— , constitute the estate of the gentleman above 
 ^^^ n.amed present one of the finest bodies of 
 land in South Branch Precinct, being 380 acres in 
 extent, upon which have been effected the modern 
 improvements in kt>o|iing willi the progress of the 
 
 present day and age. A neat and substantial 
 dwelling, with barns, outhouses, shade and fruit 
 trees, orchards, live stock and machiner}', forin a 
 picture of prosperous rural life which is delightful 
 to contemplate. 
 
 The leading spirit in effecting the improvements 
 ujjon a tract of land which was comparatively un- 
 cultivated when he came upon it, is one of the 
 most public-spirited citizens in his community, and 
 while his farm indicates a vast amount of labor, he 
 has yet found time to interest himself in the en- 
 terprises calculated for the good of his community 
 and the building up of its educational, moi-al and 
 religious interests. To these jSIr, Quible has con- 
 tributed liberally of his time &nd means, and many 
 are the struggling but worthy projects which would 
 have failed had he not aided them so generously. 
 It is not to be wondered at then that he is held in 
 the warmest regard by his fellow-citizens, and with 
 one accord is numbered among the most useful 
 members of his community. 
 
 The family of our subject is of English ancestry, 
 his parents being John and Annie Qviible, who were 
 natives of England, and spent their entire lives 
 upon the soil which gave them birth. Their fam- 
 ily consisted of three children, of whom George 
 was the youngest. He was born in England, Sept. 
 10, 1832, and -when a child of five or six 3-ears, 
 being orphaned by the death of his parents, came 
 to America with friends who settled in Will County, 
 111., where he lived with them until a youth of fif- 
 teen years. Thej^ then returned to their native 
 country, but .young Quible resolved to abide in 
 America. He began working out by the month, 
 and was thus occupied in Will Countj^ until the 
 spring of 1859. He then came to Nebraska, while 
 it was a Territory, and sojourned the first year near 
 the then unimportant town of Nebraska City, 
 where he engaged in farming. lie next moved to 
 another tract of land near liy, operating this one 
 year, returned to town again, and in the spring of 
 1866 took possession of the land which he trans- 
 formed into his present homestead. He fii'st pur- 
 chased 160 acres, upon which he effected various 
 improvements, reducing the soil to a productive 
 condition. He has an orchard of 200 trees, con- 
 siderable wire fencing, and in 1880 added to his 
 
 ■ ► IL ^ 
 
 :?^ri--<» 
 
Residence of Edgar Clayton , Sec. 2A. Otoe Precinct. 
 
 Residence of Geo. Qui ble,5ec.29. South Branch Precinct 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 I 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 3G1 
 
 real estate by the purchase of 160 acres. His land 
 is well watered, and the soil has yielded generously 
 under his wise management. 
 
 Mr. Quible was married, April 22, 1857, in Lock- 
 j)ort. Will Co., 111., to Miss P^mma A., daughter 
 of John and Marietta (Bassett) Nichols. The par- 
 ents of Mrs. Q. were natives of New York State, 
 where they spent their entire lives, dying, however, 
 when only middle aged. Their daughter Emma 
 was then taken into the home of an aunt in Canada. 
 She received a common-school education, and of 
 her union with our subject there have been born 
 seven children, one of whom, Ira, died when two 
 years old. The survivors are: Ella M., who was 
 born in Illinois; Etta M., Ernest B., Henry G., 
 Rhoda and Cora E., the others all natives of Ne- 
 braska. Ella is the wife of F. S. Ilazelton, a real- 
 estate dealer of Norton County, Kan., and the 
 mother of one child, a daughter Edna; Etta mar- 
 ried Frank D. Arnot, who has a cattle ranch in 
 Cherry County; they have two children, Pearl, 
 and an infant son Ralf. The other children make 
 their home with their parents. Ella and Etta 
 taught school considerably before their marriage, 
 the former for a period of seven years and the lat- 
 ter five years very successfully. 
 
 For a number of years Mr. Quible was largelj' 
 interested in the cattle business, and engaged in 
 herding at one time from 1,000 to 1,500 head, and 
 had from sixty to 100 of his own. He cast his 
 first vote for John C. Fremont, at the organization 
 of the Republican party, and has since given his 
 earnest support to this part3^ He has always been 
 interested in the maintenance of schools and 
 churches, and given of his means as he was able 
 for their advancement. Mrs. Quible is an active 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at 
 Rockford, of which their daughter Rhoda is the 
 organist, being a young ladj' possessing more than 
 ordinary musical talent. All the children take 
 naturally to music, learn readilj' and sing with 
 taste. Mrs. Q. has been a teacher in the Sunday- 
 school for some time. Our subject, aside from be- 
 ing a member of the School Board for a period of 
 nine years, has invariably declined official honors, 
 and although elected Justice of the Peace and As- 
 sessor several times, he would not consent to serve. 
 
 In the view of the Quible homestead which will 
 be found in this connection, are illustrated the dili- 
 gence and taste which have been exercised in its 
 construction, and which reflect credit upon the pro- 
 prietor in a most admirable manner. The self-ap- 
 pointed surroundings of an individual are usually 
 a safe index to his character. 
 
 <j^DGAR CLAYTON, an early settler of Otoe 
 |fe] County, is one of the most extensive farmers 
 /ijrr^ in Eastern Nebraska, his landed estates com- 
 prising more than 1,000 acres of the richest and 
 most valuable farming land to be found in all the 
 country around; the greater part of it is located in 
 Otoe Precinct, where he has his home, and the re- 
 mainder is in Nemaha County. It is under high 
 cultivation, is amply supplied with substantial, con- 
 veniently arranged farm buildings and all the 
 necessary machinery for conducting agriculture suc- 
 cessfully; is well stocked, and, altogether, is consid- 
 ered one of the best managed and most profitable 
 farms in the vicinity. 
 
 Mr.' Clayton is of English birth and ancestry, 
 Berlvshire, England, being his native place, and Suf- 
 folkshire that of his father and grandfather, both 
 named Robert. The latter was a farmer, and spent 
 his entire life in his native shire. The father of 
 our subject was reared in the home of his birth, but 
 after marriage removed to Berkshire, and there 
 rented land and engaged in agricultural jjursuits 
 until 1868. He then came with his family to Amer- 
 ica, hoping to better liis financial condition. He 
 settled in Otoe Precinct, and in the following year, 
 1869, died in his new home. The maiden name of 
 his wife, mother of our subject, was Sarah Watts, 
 and she was born in Suffolkshire, England, and was 
 a daughter of Isaac Watts. . She survived her hus- 
 band's death but ^ one month, dying on the home 
 farm. To this worthy couple were born six chil- 
 dren, namely: Betsy, Robert, Emma, Edgar, Belle 
 and Ephraim. Bets^' and Robert never came to 
 America; Betsy is still living in England, and Rob- 
 ert was in Australia the last time he was heard from. 
 The rest came to America and are all living. 
 
 pjdgar Clayton was reared until sixteen years of 
 
 "► II 4» 
 
 -^¥^h 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 -•►Hh 
 
 i i 362 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 age in his native county, and was carefully trained 
 by wise parents to a practical, useful life. But lie 
 was a lad of more than ordinary energy and am- 
 bition, and at that youthful age determined to go 
 forth from his old home to see the world and to 
 seek the fortune that often rewards the venturous 
 and the daring. The limited space of this biogra- 
 phy forbids our following him in the long voyages 
 that he made to many strange lands in the ensuing 
 years, or to relate the sights and exciting incidents 
 of his travels; we can but give a brief resume of 
 the countries that he visited. He first set sail from 
 London for Australia, where he engaged in mining 
 in the interior for seventeen months. He then spent 
 a month in 83'dney, and from there went to the isl- 
 and of New Zealand. After a few months' stay 
 there he returned to Australia, and spent a while in 
 the cities of Sydney and ISIel bourne, whence he 
 went to Hadley. We next hear of him in Van Die- 
 men's Land, and then in King George's Sound. He 
 subsequently visited different parts of the Mauri- 
 tius Islands, the Cape of Good Hope, St. Vincent, 
 the Madeira Islands, and from thence returned to 
 his old home and friends in England. Four months 
 later he again started on his travels, this time visit- 
 ing scenes nearer home, going first to Ireland, then 
 to Scotland, from there to France, and then back to 
 England, making the trip in two months. In all 
 his travels he had not visited America, so in 1855 
 he set out for this country, and after landing in 
 New York City made his wa}' to the western part 
 of the State, and spent the ensuing winter in Ilone- 
 oye Falls. Genesee County. In the spring he started 
 for the Great West, coming by rail to Iowa City, 
 then the western terminus of the railway, and from 
 there he crossed the State of Iowa, going all that 
 long distance almost wholly on foot to the city of 
 Council Bluffs, then but a small hamlet. He staid 
 there but a short time, and then continued his 
 journey to Sidney, Neb., where he stopped one 
 week before proceeding to Nebraska City, perform- 
 ing the journey between the two places on the back 
 of a pony that he had purchased in the former city. 
 There he found onlj^ a small collection of houses, 
 there being, perhaps, less than 100 people living 
 there at that early date. The country round about 
 was in a wild state, being sparsely settled, and In- 
 
 dians still lingered about their old haimts. He 
 staid here but a few days, and then began his wan- 
 derings again, starting for Kansas, and riding on his 
 pony over the plains of that State about a month. 
 He, however, found no location that pleased him 
 better than Otoe County, and following an Indian 
 trail he returned to this vicinity-, and being pleased 
 with the advantageous situation of the site of Otoe 
 Precinct, he decided to settle here, and secured a 
 claim on section 24, the southeast quarter, now in- 
 cluded in Otoe Precinct, and when the land came 
 into the market he entered it from the Government 
 at the land-office in Nebraska City. When he first 
 located on it he kept bachelor's establishment in 
 the rude log cabin that he. found on the place. 
 Later Tie erected a frame house, which, in its turn, 
 has given way to the present commodious brick 
 residence in which he and his family make their 
 home. He has also erected a fine frame barn and 
 other necessary buildings. By superior manage- 
 ment and untiring industry Mr. Clayton has accu- 
 mulated a large and valuable property, and he has 
 added to his landed estates until he owns more than 
 1,000 acres of as good land as the sun ever shone 
 upon. 
 
 Mr. Clayton was married, in 1870, to Miss Elea- 
 nor Horn, a native of Kentucky, and a daughter of 
 James and Ellen Horn. Mrs. Clayton died in 1881, 
 and her family was bereaved of a devoted wife and 
 a loving mother, her neighbors of a kind friend. 
 Two children were born of that marriage, Eleanor 
 and Nettie; they are both students at the State 
 Normal School at Peru, Neb. To his present wife, 
 who so pleasantly dispenses the hospitalities of their 
 charming home, Mr. Clayton was married in 1882. 
 Mrs. Clayton's maiden nam(! was Sarah Church. 
 She is a native of Iowa, and a daughter of Reu^ 
 ben and Lydia (Little) Church. For sketch of her 
 parents see history of Reuben Church. 
 
 As will be seen by perusing this sketch, Mr. Clay- 
 ton possesses a full amount of the ability, enter- 
 prise and decision of character that mark the men 
 who have been leaders in the work of developing 
 the marvelous agricultural resources of Nebraska, 
 building up lier towns and extending her commer- 
 cial interests. He is public spirited and takes pride 
 in contributing to tlie various schemes for the iin- 
 
 -^1- 
 
*► II <•• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 363 
 
 provement of Otoe Preeinct and Otoe County. He 
 is open hearted and gives generously of his abun- 
 dance to the needy. He is a man of wide experi- 
 ence and varied information, sturdy and independ- 
 ent in his views of men and things, and is in his 
 political affiliations a strong Republican. A view 
 of Mr. Clayton's homestead is given on an aucom- 
 pauying page. 
 
 <fp»)DWIN MOORE, a well-to-do English farmer 
 fe) of Russell Preeinct, crossed the Atlantic 
 D ' — -< ? when a young man twenty-one years of age. 
 with no capital save his strong hands and resolute 
 nill, determined to carve out for himself a good 
 name among his feilowmen, and a position worthy 
 of tlie efforts of any honest man. He had been 
 thrown upon his own resources early in life, his 
 mother having died when he was a little lad five 
 years of age, and when a lad of twelve j'ears he 
 commenced the struggle of life on his own account. 
 His career has been one so far of which he need not 
 be ashamed. 
 
 Our subject was born in Lincolnshire, England, 
 Jan. 19, 1848, and is the son of William Moore, a 
 native of the same county. The latter married a 
 Miss Gibbons, who was also born in that locality, 
 and they became the parents of five children, 
 namely: Mary A., jGeorge, Joseph, Edwin and 
 William, all of whom are in America. Mary, Joseph 
 and William are residents of Lee County, 111., and 
 George lives in LaSalle County, that State. After 
 the death of the mother, which occurred in 18,53, 
 the father of our subject emigrated to the United 
 States, and for four years thereafter resided in 
 New York State, where he was occupied at farming. 
 Thence he changed his residence to LaSalle County, 
 111., where he purchased eighty acres of land and car- 
 ried on farming until his death, which occurred in 
 January, 1886, wben he was seventy years of age. 
 
 After the death of bis mother our subject was 
 taken into the home of his maternal grandfather, 
 and received a limited education in the common 
 school. He remained in England until reaching 
 bis majority, and in 1869 set sail from Liverpool, 
 and tA'elve days later landed in the city of Quebec, 
 
 Canada. Thence soon afterward he came into the 
 States, and joining bis father in LaSalle County, III., 
 emplo3'ed himself at farm work until the fall of 
 1877. He had in the meantime saved what he 
 could from bis earnings, and purchased a tract of 
 land near his father, upon which he farmed two 
 years. The result of his labors not being entirely 
 satisfactory, be resolved to cross the Mississippi, and 
 coming to this county purchased eighty acres in 
 Russell Precinct, the ownership of which be still 
 retains. He has set out groves and an orc^bard of 
 100 apple trees, besides trees of the smaller fruits. 
 Much of his land is enclosed by neat wire fencing, 
 and it is all well watered by running streams. He 
 has been prospered in his labors as a tiller of the 
 soil, and added 160 acres to his first purchase, hav- 
 ing now a fine farm of 240 acres, all under a good 
 state of cultivation. Tlie residence is a neat and 
 substantial structure, while the barn and other out- 
 buildings reflect credit upon the proprietor. 
 
 Our subject, while a resident of LaSalle County, 
 III., wns married, Dec. 4, 1872, to Miss Sarah A.. 
 daughter of John and Sarah (Young) Cottew, who 
 was born in that county, Oct. lH, 1853. The par- 
 ents of Mrs. Moore were natives of County Kent, 
 England, whence tbey emigrated to America about 
 1845, and settled in LaSalle County, 111. Tbe3' 
 were among the earliest pioneers of that region, 
 and the father, securing a tract of land, carried on 
 farming successfully for a number of years. He 
 became the owner of 240 acres, upon which he 
 erected good buildings, and gathered about him 
 the comforts and conveniences of the modern 
 farmer. He has now retired from active labor, 
 and at the age of seventy years is still living upon 
 the old homestead. The mother died in 1887, aged 
 seventy-three years. Their five children were named 
 respectively: Abram, William, Harriet, Mary A. 
 and Sarah A. William during the late war enlisted 
 in an Illinois regiment, and yielded up his life in 
 the Union cause. The surviving children are resi- 
 dents of the United States. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Moore have been born seven 
 children, namely: John W., James M., Flora M., 
 Charles H., Nettie, Joseph and Harrison. The 
 eldest of these is thirteen years of age and the 
 youngest is a babe. Mrs. Moore is a ver^' well- 
 
 >► I L ^*- 
 
 •►:ll-^ 
 
t 
 
 -^ 
 
 364 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 erliicated and Intelligent lad^', a first-class Iiouse- 
 keeper. and well versed in those little arts which 
 have so much bearing upon the comfort and happi- 
 ness, of a household. The dwelling both within 
 and without is remarkably neat and tidy, and it 
 would seem as if Mr. Moore and his wife were in 
 liarmony upon the question of cleanliness and good 
 order. 
 
 Mr. Moore east his first Presidential vote for 
 Grant, and since becoming a naturalized citizen 
 has uniformly supported Republican principles. 
 He has been a member of tiie School Board in his 
 district for the last five years, and in religious mat- 
 ters belongs to the Episcopal Church. Mrs. Moore 
 is a memljer of the United Brethren Church. 
 
 ^^EORGE W. BOYER, an honored resident of 
 [|[ gj— , Nebraska City, with a pleasant home beauti- 
 ^^^l fullj' located on Kearney Heights, is a suc- 
 cessful and well-to-do farmer, whose farm, lying in 
 Four Mile Precinct, is one of the most valuable in 
 the county. Mr. Boyer was born in Stark County, 
 Ohio, Sept. 9, 1825. His father, Peter Boj'er, was 
 born in Pennsylvania, and was there reared and 
 married, Elizabeth Binkley l)ecoming his devoted 
 companion and helpmate. She was likewise a Penn- 
 sylvanian bj' birth and breeding. Yov some time 
 Mr. Boj-er kept a tavern at Sinking Springs, Berks 
 County', and it being before the era of railroads, all 
 transportation was done with teams, and he used to 
 furnish entertainment for the teamsters and their 
 horses. 
 
 In 1818, accompanied by his family, Mr. Boj'cr 
 went down the Oliio River to Ohio, and settled in 
 Stark County, buying there a tract of land. After 
 a residence there of four years he moved to Knox 
 County', and vi^ent into the nulling business, hav- 
 ing purchased a mill for $1,700, and he operated it 
 to its fullest capacity, night and day, for four 
 years. He found a ready market for the flour that 
 he manufactured near Lake Michigan, shipping it 
 to that point by team. He also established himself 
 in the mercantile business, carrying it on in con- 
 nection vvitli tiie mill until 1837, then, selling the 
 
 latter for 3i4,.500, disposed of his other property^ 
 and again took up his march for the West. 
 
 Mr. Bo3'er next went by way of the Ohio and 
 Mississippi Rivers to St. Louis, his family accom- 
 panying him; thence up the Missouri River to 
 Lidependence, then a small place of about 400 in- 
 habitants. He then proceeded with a team to Platte 
 Purchase, and located in that part now included in 
 Buchanan County. The city of St. Joseph had 
 then no existence, there being simply a trading- 
 post on its present site, kept by a French-Canadian 
 named Rubedeux, who had a family in St. Louis, 
 and a large family of Indians at the trading-post. 
 Mr. Boyer and two partners who were employed in 
 the United States land-office tried to buy Rube- 
 deux's claim, and he at last consented to sell, but 
 backed out and laid out the city himself about 
 1844. 
 
 The father of our subject was one of the first to 
 buy a lot, for which he paid $100, paying for it in 
 wheat at twent^'-flve cents a bushel. After the city 
 was laid out its growth was quite rapid for those 
 daj'S, and it fiuallj' became important as an outfit- 
 ting post for freighters, who were engaged in draw- 
 ing freight to the various military posts and settle- 
 ments in the West. The country was then in a 
 wild state, sparsely settled, and with plenty of wild 
 game, such as deer, turkejs, antelopes, etc. Mr. 
 Boyer made a claim, and soon made arrangements 
 to purchase of the Government 1,600 acres of land, 
 but before he had paid for it he was robbed of his 
 monej'. In the face of this discouraging fact he 
 did not give way to despair, but with characteristic 
 energy he immediate!}' set about making up the 
 deficit by collecting the money owing him in the 
 county. He took cattle in i^ayment, which he drove 
 all the way to Philadelphia, Pa., and there sold 
 them at a good price. His trip occupied six months, 
 and after his return he entered his land, and built a 
 hewed log house on the place, and at once com- 
 menced making improvements. He was extensively 
 engaged in farming there until his death in 1856, 
 at which time Buchanan County, Mo., lost one of 
 its most useful and wide-awake citizens. 
 
 Mr. Boyer was a straightforward man, keen and 
 sharp in his dealings, but always to be found on 
 the side of honesty and right. When he first set- 
 
 4^ 
 
 t 
 
•^^1-4- 
 
 ■t^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 365 
 
 tied in Buchanan Coiintj', Weston, thirty-five miles 
 from St. Joseph, was llie nearest market, and there 
 he sold bacon from one to one and one-half cents 
 a pound, oats at seven cents a bushel, wheat at 
 twenty- five cents a bushel, and good three-year-old 
 steers were sold for i!.3 or $4 apiece, the hide being 
 worth more than the live steer. The mother of our 
 subject died on the old homestead in INIissouri tlirce 
 years after the death of her husband. They were 
 the parents of twelve children, nine of whom grew 
 to maturitj'. 
 
 George Boj'er was a lad of twelve years when he 
 accompanied his parents in their removal to Mis- 
 souri, and he remembers well the incidents of the 
 pioneer life in that State where he grew to man- 
 hood. He attended the schools there, which were 
 conducted on the subscription plan, and in the in- 
 tervals assisted his father on the farm. At the age 
 of twenty-two our subject left the parental roof to 
 establish a home of his own, his father having 
 given him a tract of unimjn-oved land, part timber 
 and part prairie. His first work was to build a 
 double log house, and to this he brought his bride, 
 formerly Miss Sabina Bowcn, a native of Berks 
 County, Pa., and a daughter of Ephraim and Cath- 
 erine (Coucher) Bowen, to whom he had been 
 united in marriage in August, 1847. Our subject 
 improved the greater part of 315 acres of his land, 
 and continued to reside in Missouri until 1866. But 
 the same pioneer spirit that h.ad moved the father was 
 strong in the son, and in that year he sold all of his 
 propert3', and sought under the sunny skies and 
 in the genial climate of Nebraska a new home. He 
 came to Nebraska City and bought his present resi- 
 dence on Kearney Heights, and also purchased a 
 farm of 160 acies in Otoe Precinct, residing in his 
 citj' home, and managing his farm with good re- 
 sults until in 1876, when he sold it, and bought the 
 farm in Four Mile Precinct that he now owns. 
 Since coming to this State he has been very success- 
 ful in his agricultural ventures, and has a well- 
 managed, well-cultivated and well-stocked farm, 
 from which he obtains a good annual income. 
 
 To our subject and his amiable wife have been 
 born six children, all of whom are living, namel}': 
 Catherine Ellen, the wife of Hugh L. Ha|ikins; Ed- 
 winna, who married Stephen Lyon ; Isabella, the 
 
 wife of 0. H. Shaw; James I. married Miss Florence 
 Carrj', and resides in Denver. Col.; Matilda, the 
 wife of Charles Davidson, and Alice. All, with the 
 exception of Alice, who is a teacher in the public 
 schools of Otoe Count}', are residents of Denver, 
 Col. The Boj'ers are gifted with fine physiques, 
 coming of a strong, vigorous and long-lived race, 
 and fourteen grandchildren had been born to our 
 subject and his wife before there was a death in the 
 family. They are all members of the Cumberland 
 Presbyterian Church, and are in high standing in 
 religious and social circles. Mr. Boyer's life record 
 is that of a conscientious, upright Christian, and he 
 is deeply respected by all in the community. He is 
 greatly interested in the political questions of the 
 day, and is, and alwajs has been, a firm Democrat. 
 
 —5 #3- 
 
 <^r- 
 
 ^OBERTC.ELVIN. M. D., a pr.ncticing phy- 
 sician of Nebraska City, was one of the 
 first settlers of Nebraska, having crossed 
 '^j the Missouri River as soon as the Territory 
 was open to settlement. He is one of the leaders 
 in the re-organized Church of Latter-D.ay Saints, 
 which differs radically in its doctrines from the 
 Mormons of Utah, and he w.asatone time President 
 of the Southern Nebraska District, and has been 
 one of the most powerful and popular preachers of 
 the sect. 
 
 Dr. Elvin is a native of Scotland, Renfrew Parish, 
 in the town of Paisley, being his birthplace, and May 
 11, 1823, the date of his birth. His father, John 
 Elvin, and his grandfather, Charles Elvin, were also 
 natives of Scotland. The latter was for many years 
 a soldier in the Brrtish army, and died in the East 
 Indies while in the service. The father of our sub- 
 ject was born while his parents were vvith the army, 
 and he was reared amid military scenes until he was 
 quite a boy, when he was sent to Dublin to be 
 educated. From there he went to Glasgow, Scot- 
 land, to attend school for a time, and he there de- 
 voted his attention to the stud}' of medicine, and 
 after graduation was appointed surgeon in the 
 army. He accompanied his regiment to Spain, and 
 was present at the siege of Cadiz, and also at the 
 battle of Waterloo. Soon after the latter event he 
 
 •►HK-^^ 
 
 •¥^1- 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 366 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 resigned on account of impaired health, and re- 
 turned to his native Scotland, where he settled in 
 Paisley, and spent his last years. Our subject's 
 father spent his last years in the northern part of 
 Scotland, his death occurring in 1849. The maiden 
 name of his wife was Mary A. Barnett, and she was 
 a. native of England and a daughter of John Bar- 
 nett. She died in Paisley in .June, 1823. There 
 were seven children born to her and her husband, 
 three of whom grew to maturity, Robert C. being 
 the only one who ever came to America. 
 
 Our subject was but an infant when his mother 
 died, and at the extremely youthful age of seven 
 3'ears he was thrown on his own resources and be- 
 came self-supporting. At the age of ten he com- 
 menced working in a drug-store, and even at that 
 early age he commenced to' read medicine with a 
 view of preparing himself for the medical profes- 
 sion, for which even then he displayed a decided 
 talent, having inherited in part his father's genius 
 and temperament. He remained in a drug-store 
 until he was twelve 3'ears old, and then, with re- 
 markable enterprise, established himself in the mer- 
 cantile business, keeping a store with a small stock 
 of goods in Glasgow. 
 
 When he was fifteen our subject concluded to try 
 his luck in America, and set sail from Liverpool in 
 January, 1837, and landed in New York after a 
 voyage of seven or eight weeks. There our era- 
 brj'O physician and merchant sought employment in 
 a drug-store, where he was engaged as clerk for 
 eighteen months. He then entered a dry-goods 
 store in the same capacity, and worked there until 
 1840, when he went back to Scotland, and, in part- 
 nership with his brother, carried on the shoe busi- 
 ness in the town of Beath, and later went to Irvine 
 and manufactured shoes there. He continued in 
 that business a year and a half. He then joined 
 the Church of Latter-Day Saints, and was soon 
 called to the priesthood, and preached for that so- 
 cietj- until 1849. In that 3'ear he returned to 
 America and located in St. Louis, where he engaged 
 in the upholsteri' business until the fall of 1851. He 
 then bought land in Council Bluffs, near the city, and 
 engaged in farming, and at the same time practiced 
 medicine. That was in the very earlj' settlement 
 of that section of the country, and there were no 
 
 railwa3-s west of the Mississippi, all travel being b3- 
 boats on the river or overland in teams. 
 
 The Doctor resided in Iowa until 1854, the 3'ear 
 in which the Government made the treaty with the 
 Indians that was signed on the 16th of March, by 
 which the3' agreed to vacate Eastern Nebraska. 
 Then our subject, with others, crossed the Missouri 
 to look at the countr3'. They staid a short time, 
 and then went back to Iowa, and in Ma3' he re- 
 turned to make a claim in Douglas County, Neb. 
 Our subject cut logs to build a cabin, but was soon 
 obliged to return home on account of sickness in 
 his family, and while he was gone his claim was 
 jumped. The Doctor then went to Cass Count3' 
 and made a claim on the bank of the Weeping 
 Water, the land still belonging to the Government, 
 and not an acre of it survej'ed. He built a log 
 house on his land, and in the spring of 1 855 moved 
 his family there. He entered the land from the 
 Government as soon as it came into the market, and 
 lived on it until 1859, when he sold it, and in No- 
 vember of that 3'ear came to Nebraska Cit3'. He 
 immediately established himself in the gener.1l mer- 
 chandising business, which he continued with good 
 success for eighteen 3'ears. In 1869 he was burned 
 out at a loss of about 112,000 above the insurance. 
 But, with his usual energy and courage, he at once 
 re-established himself, and carried on his business 
 until 1874, when he disposed of it ver3' advan- 
 tageously. 
 
 Our subject had severed his relations with the 
 Church of Latter-Day Saints in 1852, because he did 
 not believe in the doctrine as preached and practiced 
 at Salt Lake City, but in 1866 he joined the Reor- 
 ganized Church of Latter-Day Saints, and has been 
 prominentl3' identified with it since. He was made 
 President of the Southern Nebraska District, and 
 after settling up his business affairs he traveled ex- 
 tensively and established churches in different 
 places, and also practiced as a physician. In 1880, 
 desiring to perfect his knowledge of medicine, 
 already considerable, he became a student at the 
 School of Medicine at Omaha, and threw himself 
 into his studies with all the ardor and interest of 
 youth. He attended there one 3'ear, and then, on 
 the organization of the Omaha Medical College, 
 enrolled himself as a pupil in that institution, and 
 
 -•►HI 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ••► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 3C7 
 
 studied there two terrrs. He tluis became thor- 
 ouglily conversant with the most ailvancosl methods 
 of practicing medicine, and to-day ranks high among 
 his professional breliiren. When we consider that 
 this was the step of a man alread3' [last tlie me- 
 ridian of life, for he was flfty-seven years old when 
 he became a student, an age when many men who 
 have been successful in business are thinking of 
 retiring to a life of ease, we liave no words in which 
 to express our admiration of such force of charac- 
 ter and indomitable will. After leaving college our 
 subject opened an office in Omaha, and was busily 
 engaged in practicing his profession there for three 
 years. At the end of that time he returned to 
 Nebraska City, and then for a time with iiis wife 
 he traveled East and West, and saw much of his 
 adopted country. In 1887 he re-opened his office 
 here, and has been in active practice since. 
 
 Dr. Elvin was married, March 16, 1845, to 
 Martha Baird, a native of County Monaghan, Ire- 
 land, and of Scotch and English parentage. Of 
 their marriage eight ciiildren have been born, five 
 of whom are now living, as follows: Robert resides 
 in Lamoni, Iowa, and is a preacher in the Latter- 
 Daj' Saints' Church; Elizabeth is at home with her 
 parents; Jolin lives in St. Paul, Minn. ; Martha is 
 the wife of Fred Borstrara, and lives in Nebraska 
 City ; Walter A. also lives in this city. 
 
 Our subject, in his double capacity of physician 
 and preacher, does all that lies in his power to allay 
 the suffering and sin in this world. In iiim the 
 weak, the unfortunate and the down-trodden find a 
 steadfast friend, and he has done much to elevate 
 such and bring them to a higiier life. The Doctor 
 is identified with the A. F. & A. M., and is a mem- 
 ber of the Western Star Lodge No. 2. 
 
 jENJAMlN F. HAYWARD, who for many 
 years has been identified with the business 
 interests of Nebraska City as a contractor 
 and builder, is the son of David and Lu- 
 cretia (Chapman) Hayward, both of whom were 
 born in the State of New York. Upon their mar- 
 riage his parents settled in Essex County in that 
 State, and there our subject was born Feb. 5, 1819. 
 
 «► II M* 
 
 His father died in the year r834, when forty-five 
 j'ears of age, and his mother in the same year, at 
 the age of thirty-five years. Tlieir family included 
 seven children, four of whom were boys. 
 
 Tiie grandfather of our subject, Ephraim Hay- 
 ward, was born in England. He came to this 
 country and 'served in the Revolutionary Army 
 when about sixteen years of age, and was a drum 
 major in Washington's first regiment, continuing in 
 the service throughout the war. His son David, 
 the father of our subject, took an honorable part in 
 the War of 1812, and afterward enjoyed no lit- 
 tle prosperity in the business which he made liis 
 chosen occupation, viz, that of carpenter and lum- 
 berman. He went to Essex Countj', N. Y., witli 
 his parents at the time they established the pioneer 
 colon3' of the county; 
 
 The subject of our skelcli was .about fifteen years 
 of age when his parents died, leaving him almost en- 
 tirelj- alone to struggle in a world that affords little 
 help to tlie oppressed and helpless, even under the 
 most favorable circumstances. He immediately 
 looked around in a hopeful and self-reliant spirit 
 for some employment, and was engaged to work by 
 the month at farming, at the rate of §6 per month. 
 Up to that time our subject had been attending 
 school, but until he was eighteen he found no 
 opportunity for continuing his education, but at 
 that time he spent eight months in a priv.ite school, 
 and crowded into tliat period all the hard study and 
 faithful work possible. 
 
 The marriage of our subject was celebrated in 
 1842, tlie lady of his choice being Vienna Re^'nolds, 
 of New York State. It was their happiness to en- 
 joy this companionship for but the short period of 
 eighteen months, when the bonds were severed by 
 her death. After this bereavement he determined 
 to go West, and accordingly found his way to John- 
 son County, III., and there followed his business as 
 a carpenter, and also dealing in real estate. 
 
 In the siiring of 1846 Mr. Haj'ward enlisted in the 
 United States Army for the Mexican War, and be- 
 came a member of Companj' F, 2d Illinois Infantry. 
 The enlistment was followed by the necessary prep- 
 aration of drilling at Alton, when they were sent 
 to the front, and went to San Antonio, Tex. The 
 Mexicans were met at Buena Vista in a terrible con- 
 
 f 
 
•^^i=^4i^ 
 
 "•^^ 
 
 368 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Ah^ 
 
 ttict, and there, as on other fiekls, he earned for him- 
 self a name that lias not yet been forgotten, as a 
 true soldier, gallant, intrepid and fearless. 
 
 Receiving an honorable discharge in 1847, our 
 subject returned to Illinois. The following year 
 he entered married life a second time, being united 
 with Miss Elizabeth Chapman, a native of New 
 York State. They made their home in Illinois for 
 about nine years, until 1857. Then with his wife 
 and children he came West, making the entire jour- 
 ney by means of w.igons and teams. The following 
 children have been born to our subject, viz: Will- 
 iam J., who died in infancy; Benjamin F., Jr., 
 George, Sarah L., Samuel J. and Elizabeth. The 
 two latter are now deceased. Benjamin F. is a car- 
 penter and builder, of Nebraska City; George is 
 engaged in business in San Francisco; Sarah L. is 
 at home. In 1S62 the wife and mother departed 
 this life, thus leaving him a second time bereaved. 
 
 Among the first work done by Mr. Hayward in 
 Nebraska City was the erection of the Morton 
 House, and also the residence of Gen. Coe. These 
 were but the beginning of a business success that 
 reflects the greatest possible credit ui)on our sub- 
 ject. In politics he has ever been stanch and true 
 as a Democrat. He has watched the course of thir- 
 teen Presidential campaigns, including two cam- 
 paigns during the time that Nebraska was yet a 
 Territory. It is doubtful if in the county there is 
 any citizen more truly esteemed and respected than 
 the subject of this sketch. His life and character 
 are such as to command such sentiments, and he is 
 generally admired as one whose long life, which has 
 been uniformly honorable and upright, deserves 
 the entire confidence aud regard of the community. 
 
 ^^ HARLES WEATHERHOGG, a man stand- 
 |l( _ ing high in his community, and the subject of 
 ■^^z a very interesting history, owns and occupies 
 one ot the most valuable homesteads in Palmyra 
 Precinct, comprising IGO acres of land on section 
 17. Conspicuous among its improvements is the 
 large and valuable orchard which he set out in the 
 spring of 1873, and which now yields annually hun- 
 dreds of bushels of most luscious fruit. He also 
 
 has the smaller fruits in abundance, and the groves 
 of Cottonwood, maple and other forest trees, planted 
 by the hand of thrift and industry, serve as a shel- 
 ter to man and beast from the heat of summer aud 
 the blasts of winter. The farin of late years has 
 been devoted largely to stock-raising. Mr. W. 
 makes a specialty of Poland-China swine, and in 
 this line exhibits some of the finest animals in the 
 county. All his agricultural operations are car- 
 ried on in that methodical manner which has been 
 the secret of his success and laid the foundations of 
 a competence. 
 
 The eldest child of John and Ann (Coates) 
 We.Ttherhogg, our subject was born in Lincolnshire, 
 England, Nov. 21, 1823. His parents were natives 
 of the same county, and the father, a farmer by oc- 
 cupation, died in 1843, at the age of forty-eight 
 years. The mother survived her husband a period 
 of forty -three years, and died in 1886, aged eighty- 
 five. She was married a second time, to Joshua 
 Gresham. By the first marriage she became the 
 mother of six children, five sons and one daughter. 
 
 Our subject received but a limited education, and 
 remained a resident of his native shire until a man 
 of twenty-seven years. In the spring of 1850 he 
 resolved upon a change of location, and accordingly, 
 accompanied by friends, set sail from Liverpool 
 al)oul the 20th of May. The 4th of July following 
 found him in the city of Albany, N. Y., whence he 
 repaired to Dausville, expecting there to meet rela- 
 tives and remain for a time. The relatives, how- 
 ever, had embraced the Mormon faith, and this not 
 being agreeable to Mr. Weatherhogg, he quickly 
 parted company with them and hastened back to 
 Rochester, in the vicinity of which he was engaged 
 in farming and butchering for two or three years. 
 
 Our subject in the meantime had made the ac- 
 quaintance of Miss Rose Stinson, to whom he was 
 married in October, 1852. This lady was born in 
 Canada, and departed this life at her home in Pal- 
 myra Precinct, May 15, 1881. They had in the 
 meantime removed from the Empire State to Illi- 
 nois, settling near the embryo town of Mendota, 
 where Mr. W. engaged in farming on rented land 
 for a period of ten years. 
 
 In the spring of 1 863 our subject started with 
 his family for Pike's Peak, accompanied by his broth- 
 
CHyL^^U 
 
 d^,aL , yUieo^^toij 
 
•►Hh-*- 
 
 1 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 371 
 
 i= 
 
 ers William and Thomas. From Mendota they 
 made their waj' b^' wagons to the mountains, and 
 arrived in Gilpin County, Col., seven weeks later, 
 where our subject engaged in mining and prospect- 
 ing. From the first he realized very good results, 
 but the latter incurring heavy expenditures rather 
 oflfset his profits. He, however, saved some money, 
 and in 1870, seeking once more the bounds of civil- 
 ization came to this county, and located upon the 
 land which he now occupies. It was then in an un- 
 cultivated state, and two years passed away before 
 he succeeded in raising any crops. In 1874-75 he 
 suffered like his neighbors from grasshoppers, chink 
 bugs and drouth, but the men of those days seemed 
 to possess more than ordinary courage and perseve- 
 rance, and Mr. Weatherhogg was not lacking in any 
 of these qualities. 
 
 Mr. Weatherhogg contracted a second marriage, 
 with Miss Nina Conger, in Bureau County, 111. Her 
 parents, Calvin and Aranda (Horton) Conger, 
 were natives of Syracuse, N. Y., and are now resid- 
 injj in Illinois. 
 
 ON. JAMES HARRIS MASTERS, the pio- 
 neer nurseryman of Nebraska, occupies an 
 honorable place among the able, energetic 
 and enterprising men who reclaimed this 
 jiart of the country from the "Great American 
 Desert," and helped to give it its present proud 
 position among its sister States as a great and pros- 
 perous commonwealth, whose wonderful growth 
 and development have excited the marvel and 
 admiration of the world. Mr. Masters came here 
 in December, 1854, shortly after Nebraska had 
 been organized as a Territory, and since that time 
 he has been closel}- identified with its best interests. 
 He engaged first at his trade as carpenter, and 
 worked on the second brick building ever erected 
 in Nebraska City. The Territory was at that time 
 a reservation of the Indians, and there were but very 
 few white inhabitants in any part of it, it being a 
 wild, unsettled country, the hunting-ground of the 
 red men, where they chased the buffaloes, the deer, 
 antelopes and other wild game. In 1854 he bought a 
 claim which is included in his present farm, the 
 
 northeast quarter of section 21, Four Mile Precinct, 
 three, miles from the court-house in Nebraska City, 
 and as soon as the land came into the market in 
 1857 he entered it at the land-office in Nebraska 
 City. In March, 1855, he commenced to remove 
 his fruit trees from his nursery in Atchison County, 
 Mo., and on the 16th of the month set out the first 
 apple trees ever planted in the South Platte coun- 
 try, and, doubtless, the first in Nebraska. At that 
 time his sales were few and slow, as the settlers 
 were not many in numbers and were scattering, and 
 their financial condition was such that thej' were 
 unable to buy trees; but he gradually established 
 his business on a sure foundation, his trade in- 
 creased and extended further West, and in after 
 years became very profitable, so that he became one 
 of tlie leading nurserymen of the Slate. He is now 
 closing out his nursery' business. He is a prominent 
 member of the State Horticultural Society, which 
 was organized at the first Territorial Fair which 
 was held in Otoe County in 1864. He holds a 
 life membership in the society, and was its first 
 President, serving in that capacity for eight years, 
 and it is largely due to liis zeal, influence and rare 
 judgment that it has proved such a valuable auxil- 
 iarj' to the agricultural interests of Nebraska. His 
 aid and counsel have been sought in the adminis- 
 tration of public affairs, and as a member of the 
 State Legislature in 1872, when he served as a 
 member of the Ways and Means Committee, and of 
 the committee that had charge of the railway and 
 public land interests of the State, the ripe wisdom 
 and sound common sense that characterized his 
 views on important questions favorably impressed 
 his fellow legislators, and bore much weight in their 
 decisions. 
 
 Mr. Masters was born Aug. 15, 1819, in Warren 
 County, K3^, ten miles from Bowling Green, and 
 four miles south of Shakertown. His father, Rich- 
 ard C. Masters, was born in Orange County, N. Y., 
 and his grandfather, Richard Masters, was a native 
 of England, and was there reared and married to a 
 Miss Campbell, a native of Scotland. They came 
 to America in Colonial times, and with them a 
 brother, and settled in New Jersey. The grand- 
 father of our subject lived in that State for a time, 
 and then moved to Orange County, N. Y., and was 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^U 
 
4 37-2 
 
 •► II <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -t 
 
 a pioneer there. At the breaking out of the Eevo- 
 lution he immediately entered into the service of 
 the Colonists, and throughout the entire conflict 
 was an active and efficient soldier. He was a bearer 
 of dispatches, and received for his pay continental 
 script, which depreciated until it was of no value. 
 He was a wagon-maker, and had a shop on his farm 
 in which he did repairs when not engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits. Directly after the war he re- 
 moved to Virginia, but it is not known where he 
 first located in that Slate. He subsequently settled 
 in Greenbrier County, where he had bought a tract 
 of land. In 1808 he left Virginia for Kentucky, 
 the removal being made with teams, and he became 
 a pioneer of Warren County. He was quite well 
 along in j'ears, and made his home in that State 
 with his son Charles until his deatii. 
 
 The father of our subject was aj'oungrnan when 
 his parents went to Virginia, and he accompanied 
 them, and there met and married Agnes Cochran, a 
 native of the State. He learned the trade of 
 wagon-maker from his father, and removed with 
 him to Kentucky in 1 808. He bought a tract of 
 land in Warren County on which was a log cabin, 
 and in that humble dwelling the subject of this 
 sketch was born. There were a few acres of the 
 land broken, and Mr. Masters erected a log build- 
 ing for a shop, and worked at his trade in connection 
 with farming. The life that he and his family led 
 there was the most primitive imaginable, as they 
 were pioneers in a pioneer country. The mother 
 had to do her cooking bj' the fireplace as she had no 
 stove, and she used to spin and weave wool, cotton 
 and flax, carding all the wool and cotton by hand, 
 and for 3'ears she made all the cloth used in the 
 family, to say nothing of making it up into clothes. 
 In 1828 the father of our subject rented his place, 
 and removed to Illinois, his family and liousehold 
 goods being conveyed in two wagons drawn b3' two 
 yokes of oxen and one pair of horses. He settled 
 at Springfield, Sangamon County, which was then 
 only a small village, before the location of the 
 capital there. He entered eighty acres of Govern- 
 ment land, which is now included within the city 
 limits. He built a log bouse, and resided there 
 until 1835, when he sold and moved to Bureau 
 County, 111., and was a pioneer there, settling nine 
 
 miles northeast of Princeton, where he made a claim, 
 and as soon as the Government threw the land on 
 the market, entered it at the land-office in Galena. 
 There were then no railways in the State, and 
 Chicago, 110 miles distant, was the nearest market. 
 Mr. Masters improved a farm, and resided on it 
 until 1853, and then made his home with his son, a 
 few miles distant, until 18G0, when he removed to 
 Minnesota, and died at Waterford in that State, in 
 the fall of 1861, at the home of his son Robert. 
 Thus, at a ripe old age, after an honorable and 
 useful life, he was gathered to his fathers. His 
 amiable and devoted wife had preceded him in 
 death, in 1856, at their home in Princeton, III. 
 There were nine children born of their marriage, 
 of whom the following sis grew to maturity : Rob- 
 ert, John; Elvina, wife of T. J. Cole; our subject; 
 Archer C. and William H. 
 
 James ISIasters, of whom we write, wasnineyears 
 old when his parents moved to Illinois, and remem- 
 bers well the incidents of the journey, and of the 
 pioneer life there. He worked in the shop with 
 his father, and having a natural aptitude for me- 
 chanics became very handy with tools, and at the 
 age of eighteen commenced to learn the carpenter's 
 trade, which he followed in Illinois until 1853. In 
 that j'ear he moved to Atchison County, Mo., his 
 intention being to cross the river to Nebraska 
 (which at that time was an unorganized Territory 
 and an Indian reservation) as soon as the Indian 
 titles to the land should be abrogated by the Gov- 
 ernment, and start a nursery. So during his resi- 
 dence in Atchison County, Mo., he grew seedlings 
 and root grafts for that purpose, and in December, 
 1854, as before stated, came to Nebraska City to 
 make his future home in Otoe County, and we have 
 already noted how he has prospered in his under- 
 takings. 
 
 Mr. Masters has been three times married. First 
 in 1844, April 10, to Miss Ann E. Pierce, who was 
 born in New Hampshire, Sept. 27, 1826, and died 
 Oct. 19, 1846, leaving one child, Abbie E., now the 
 wife of William Harrison Wilson, of Lincoln. The 
 second marriage of our subject was to Elizabeth 
 Keiser, July 4, 1847. She was born May 28, 1825, 
 and died June 9, 1861. Four children were born 
 of that union, three of whom are now living, namely : 
 
 •► 
 
,t-- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 373 
 
 «A» 
 
 Josephine E., wife of Albert Sarnes, of Jefferson 
 County, Neb. ; James William, who lives in Lin- 
 coln; and Alice I., wife of David O. Tait, of Otoe 
 County. Mr. Masters was married to iiis present 
 wife June 3, 1863. Her maiden name was Susan 
 M. Cramer, and she was born in Brown County, 
 Ohio, June 24, 1831. For the historj- of her par- 
 ents, B. D. and Calista (Granger) Cramer, see 
 sketch of B. D. Tait. Mrs. Masters had been pre- 
 viously married before her union with our subject. 
 Her first marriage, which took place Feb. 26, 1852, 
 was to Edward Beyette, a native of Montreal, 
 Canada. He came to the "States" at nineteen years 
 of age, and settled in Ohio in the village of Boston, 
 wliere he was engaged as a painter until his death, 
 May 31. 1860. Mrs. Masters had three cliildren by 
 that marriage, only one of whom is now living, 
 Douglity Cramer, a farmer, who resides near S3'ra- 
 cuse. Neb. After her husband's death Mrs. Masters 
 sold her home in the village of Boston, and in the 
 spring of 1862 came to Nebraska City and located. 
 One child has been born to our subject and his wife, 
 Charles L., who was born April 4. 1864, and died 
 May 3, 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Masters are influential 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of 
 which he has been Trustee and Steward for many 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Masters is a man of great intelligence, is well 
 read, and is considered an authority on horticulture, 
 to which he has devoted j'earsof study. This brief 
 record will show that he is a good citizen, and he 
 is, moreover, thoroughly respected for his high 
 character, and we take pleasure in presenting his 
 portrait in the galaxy of portraits of leading citi- 
 zens of Otoe County given in this Album. 
 
 ERNEST D. GARROW is widely and favor- 
 ably known throughout the eastern part of 
 ' the county for his energ}- and fine business 
 capacities. He has seen much of life on the fron- 
 tier, having come to the West during the early set- 
 tlement of this county, landing in Nebraska Territory 
 on the 3d of April, 1859, when a boy eight years 
 of age. During his youth and earl3' manhood he 
 attained a close acquaintance with farming pursuits, 
 
 -••- 
 
 and entered upon a successful career, which has 
 wound up with a good business as a live-stock com- 
 mission merchant, being connected with the firm of 
 Savage & Green, commission merchants of South 
 Omaha. 
 
 Our subject comes of one of the best nationalities 
 on the face of the earth, his parents, David and 
 Margaret (McDonald) Garrow, having been born 
 in Scotland, where the father was a farmer in good 
 circumstances, and where the family lived until 
 about 1854. Then, selling out, David Garrow emi- 
 grated to Canada, but within the space of sis 
 weeks suffered the loss of his wife and three chil- 
 dren. Not long afterward, turning his back upon 
 the scenes of so much affliction, he came over into 
 the States, locating in LaSalle County, 111., with his 
 remaining motherless children, and farmed there 
 upon a tract of unimproved land for a period of 
 two years. At the expiration of that time he 
 crossed the Mississippi, and spent his last days in 
 Otoe County, Neb. The brothers and sisters of 
 our subject were named respectively: Peter, James, 
 David, Alex, John, Isabel and Elizabeth. Peter, 
 James and John died in Canada. 
 
 Mr. Garrow who, like his parents, also first opened 
 his eyes in the '"land of the thistle," is a native of 
 Aberdeenshire, his birth taking place Feb. 17, 1851, 
 and, although less than three j'ears old when leaving 
 his native hills, he has a distinct recollection of the 
 stone mansion which sheltered his infant head, and 
 the barns adjacent, also built of stone, and the air 
 of plenty which pervaded the whole. He also re- 
 members the sea dogs, whose heads frequently ap- 
 peared above the water during the voyage across 
 tlie Atlantic. His mother's family, the McDonalds, 
 were people of wealth and prominence, as was like- 
 wise the father of our subject, but the latter hoped 
 to still better himself on the soil of America. From 
 the loss of his wife and children he never fully re- 
 covered, and it was an event which shadowed not 
 only the subsequent life of the father, but that of 
 his son, our subject. 
 
 Mr. Garrow, of this sketch, studied his first les- 
 sons, in LaSalle County, 111., but upon coming to 
 Nebraska his education was sadly neglected, as 
 there were no schools near the pre-emption claim 
 upon which the father had settled. He was very 
 • •p^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 f 
 
 ■•►Hlr 
 
 374 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Jh 
 
 ambitious, however, remarkably industrious, and 
 always aspiring to something better in the future. 
 At the early age of thirteen years he left home, and 
 engaged with the firm of Smith & Galbraith to drive 
 an ox-team and wagon, loaded with provisions, 
 principally corn, meats and bacon, to Ft. Smith, 
 on the Big Horn River. They started out in the 
 spring of 1866, and arrived at their destination six 
 months later. Upon returning our subject found 
 that his father was dead, and the family living in 
 Nebraska City. In April of 1866 Mr. Garrow went 
 with a train to Ft. Laramie, and was at that point 
 at the time of the massacre, when, within the space 
 of an hour, ninety soldiers and three citizens were 
 killed by the Indians. Subsequentlj' he engaged in 
 many skirmishes with the Indians in journeying 
 from Ft. Laramie to the Sweetwater mines, near 
 the present site of South Pass City. He thereafter 
 followed teaming through the mountains for a pe- 
 riod of seven years, when for the most time his 
 only shelter was the firmament of heaven, his couch 
 the ground and his covering a blanket. For about 
 two years he traveled in Wyoming, having for his 
 companion during this time Frank Wheeling, who 
 is now with Buffalo Bill as his steward. 
 
 In the winter of 1867 Mr. Garrow engaged with 
 Antoine Eeynolds, a man who had dealt with the 
 Indians for a period of forty-three j'ears, and who 
 was at one time a member of the old American Fur 
 Companj'. He at this time operated the Cold 
 Springs Trading Ranch on the North Platte, twenty- 
 two miles below Ft. Laramie. While in his employ 
 Mr. Garrow became familiar with the Sioux lan- 
 guage, a knowledge of which afterward served to save 
 his life on several occasions. One day he went to Ft. 
 Laramie for the purpose of obtaining provisions, 
 riding a pony. Upon his return, in crossing a deep 
 gully with his pony and provisions, he was suddenly 
 confronted by a band of thirteen bucks, whom he 
 saw at once were bent on plunder, if not murder. 
 They were decorated in their war regalia, and the 
 situation for our subject was alarming, but he soon 
 regained his self-possession, and addressing them in 
 their own language, invited them to go to his own 
 fireplace and share his evening repast. To this 
 they consented, and all rode to the ranch together, 
 a distance of seven miles. After partaking of an 
 
 evening meal they departed in peace. In the fall 
 of 1868 Mr. Garrow made a solemn vow, that, if 
 Providence would pardon him for ever associating 
 with the Sioux, he would forever abandon their 
 country. He consequently set out for the Sweet- 
 water mines in Wyoming, where he spent some 
 time, and was quite successful in his operations 
 there. Afterward be was employed by the Union 
 Pacific Railroad Company in hauling timber for the 
 construction of a branch road, and when this con- 
 tract was ended made his way to Salt Lake City, 
 where he sojourned two months. Thence he went 
 to Montana, where he spent in that Territory and 
 Idaho two or three years, and in the fall of 1871 
 we find him in Pioche, Nev. There he placed his 
 money in the hands of a commission broker to be 
 invested in a silver mine, but the broker absconded, 
 and our subject suffered a loss of $10,000. 
 
 Mr. Garrow continued in Nevada from 1871 
 until 1876, engaged in prospecting and mining in 
 different parts of the Territory, and developed sev- 
 eral paying mines, with results similar to that de- 
 scribed by Tourjee in his " Fool's Errand," spending 
 much time and a large amount of money at almost 
 a total loss. 
 
 After this our subject started out on horseback 
 from Nevada to Washington Territory, and trav- 
 eled in that manner through Oregon and California, 
 and in fact through nearly all of the country on 
 the Pacific Slope. Upon returning eastward he 
 struck Nebraska City on the 29th of October, 1879, 
 not, however, with the intentiou of staying. A few 
 months later he entered the employ of Gen. Coe, 
 as superintendent of his ranch at Humboldt, Nev., 
 where he occupied himself four months. He w.as 
 homesick, however, for a better civilization, and, 
 returning to Nebraska City, prepared to engage in 
 the mercantile and stock business. There was at 
 the same time another attraction which drew him 
 to this point, namely, a most estimable j'oung lady. 
 Miss Addie Lane, to whom he was married Sept. 
 5, 1880. This lady w.as born in Jefferson City, 
 Mo., Dec. 9, 1860, .and is the daughter of J. C. 
 Lane, who with his wife was a native of Virginia: 
 they are now living in Nebraska. They came to 
 Nebraska when their daughter Addie was a 3'oung 
 girl of thirteen years, and she completed her edu- 
 
"yf^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 375 
 
 •► 
 
 
 cation in its schools, remaining with her parents 
 until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. G. have since 
 lived in Nebraska City, and have become the par- 
 ents of two sons and a daughter — Alexander Waj'ne, 
 Wesley Claude and Mamie. 
 
 Our subject, in 1879, entered into partnership 
 with his brother Alex, and they still operate to- 
 gether. The latter is a resident of the city of Lin- 
 coln. Mr. Garrow has always had great faith in 
 the future of both Nebraska City and his adopted 
 State, but his interests naturally center mostly in 
 the former. He has been a man prompt to meet 
 his obligations, and stands high in the business com- 
 munity, his transactions aggregating $100,000 an- 
 nually. He has valuable property on Fourth avenue, 
 consisting of a good residence and grounds, and is 
 interested in other real estate in the city. Politically, 
 he terras himself a "flat-footed " Republican, that is, 
 he allows nothing to swerve him from his support of 
 the principles which preserved the Union. Socially, 
 lie belongs to Frontier Lodge No. 3, I. 0. O. F., 
 where he is prominent among the brethren and in 
 which he has done good service. His excellent 
 wife is a member in good standing of the Baptist 
 Church. 
 
 ' DAM SPRINGMAN, of P.almyra Precinct, 
 is very pleasantly situated in life, having a 
 fine homestead, a competency and a house- 
 hold in which he finds his chief enjoyment. 
 The latter is presided over by a very estimable and 
 capable lady of sterling worth, who looks well to 
 her domestic affairs, and possesses those qualities 
 which go so far toward making up the sum of sat- 
 isfaction and enjoyment within the precincts of 
 home. Although not elegant, the home of the 
 Springraans is replete with all needful comforts, 
 and it has often been noted that in these quiet and 
 unpretentious households more often exists true 
 happiness than in many of those where splendor 
 and luxury abound. 
 
 Mr. Springman, during the earlier years of his 
 life, was a resident of Stephenson County, 111., and 
 identified with its early history. Upon the out- 
 break of the late Civil War he enlisted in Company 
 G, 46th Illinois Infautr}', and during the vicissi- 
 .4m 
 
 tudes of army life marched through the States of 
 Missouri, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana, and was 
 also at Mobile, Ala. After a faithful and patriotic 
 service of two years he was mustered out at Baton 
 Rouge, La., in February, 1866. 
 
 Our subject was the eighth child^jf his parents, 
 and was born in Lycoming County, Pa., Nov. 4, 
 1836. He was reared as a farmer's boy, and at an 
 early period in his life he was trained to those hab- 
 its of industry which he has preserved to tlie pres- 
 ent time, and which have been the secret of his 
 success in life. Upon approaching manhood he 
 learned the trade of carpenter, and remained at 
 home in Pennsylvania until the spring of 1859. 
 Thence he emigrated to Freeport, 111., about the 
 time of the completion of the Illinois Central Rail- 
 road through Central Illinois, where he followed his 
 trade, and in the fall of 1862 was first married, to 
 Miss Sarah A. Lauek, whose home was in the vicinity 
 of Rock Grove, Stephenson County. This lady died 
 while our subject was in the army, in October, 
 1864. Of their union there was born one child, a 
 son, Harvey F., who married Miss Anna Tanner, 
 and is the father of a sou, Edward A. He is living 
 in Otoe County, and engaged in farming. 
 
 Mr. Springman, on the 25th of September, 1866, 
 contracted a second marriage, with Miss Rebecca E. 
 Sidles, who was born in Somerset, Pa., and is the 
 daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Zorn) Sidles, 
 who were natives of Pennsylvania; the father is 
 now deceased, and Mrs. Sidles makes her home with 
 her daughter, wife of our subject. Mrs. Spring- 
 man was the sixth in a family of nine children, 
 four sons and five daughters, and was born July 
 16, 1844. 
 
 Catharine Sidles, wife of Daniel Sidles, deceased, 
 was born Sept. 5, 1805, in Berlin, Somerset Co., Pa. 
 Her father's name was Charles Zorn, who lived to 
 the age of sixty-five years; he was married to Bar- 
 bary Wiant, who lived to the age of sixty-eight. 
 Their union was blessed with eleven children, seven 
 of whom survived their parents. Catharine Sidles was 
 confirmed, and united with the German Reformed 
 Church at the age of fourteen, was converted at a 
 camp meeting in Somerset County, Pa., at the age 
 of thirty, and united with the Evangelical Church, 
 of which she remained a faithful member until the 
 
 ^ 
 
 -<• 
 
>► II ^» 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 year 1875. There being no class of that church in 
 Dalvota, 111., where she then lived, she united with 
 the Metliodist Episcopal Churcli, and has proved a 
 consistent member of that church. She was united 
 in the bonds of matrimonj', March 26, 1828, at the 
 age of twenty-two, to Daniel Sidles. They were 
 blessed with nine children, all of whom survived 
 their father, he being tlie first to break the ties of 
 the family. Daniel Sidles, her husband, was a 
 blacksmith, and worked at his trade in Somerset 
 County until 1854, when they moved to Illinois and 
 settled on a farm of eighty acres two miles south- 
 east of Dakota, where they lived until 1867, when 
 they sold this farm and bought twenty acres ad- 
 joining the village of Dakota. They built a com- 
 fortable dwelling, and lived there happily together 
 until December, 1879, when her husband was re- 
 moved by death, to join the angelic host above. 
 
 " DiKD. — At his home in Dakota, 111., Dec. 19, 
 1879, Daniel Sidles, aged seventy-two years, nine 
 months and twelve days. He was born in Dauphin 
 County, Pa., but mostly reared in Somerset County. 
 He was married to Catharine Zorn in 1828, with 
 whom he lived happily vrntil his death. They have 
 lived in Stephenson County twenty-flve years. Forty 
 years ago he was ' born again,' and has since shown 
 Jesus' power to keep. He was not able to lie down 
 for more than a year, and his sufferings were intense, 
 yet his soul triumphed over pain, and God was ' an 
 ever present help.' He feared the Lord and walked 
 in His wa3'S, and saw ' his children's children and 
 peace upon Israel.' He was buried Sunday, the 23d. 
 George H. Wells, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 his pastor, preached at his request from the 128th 
 Psalm. He leaves a wife, four sons and five daugh- 
 ters, the f.ather being the first to break the family 
 ranks. The old settlers and their families turned 
 out largely, and many wept, as memories past and 
 prospects future passed in visions before them. 
 ' Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord.' " 
 
 Mr. and INIrs. Springman continued residents of 
 Stephenson County, 111., until the spring of 1875, 
 when they came to this county, and Mr. S. soon 
 afterward purchased eighty acres of land, which is 
 now included in his present farm. He had only 
 $800 in money, and in the building up of his home- 
 stead coniiiicuced upon an uncultivated tract with 
 
 few implements or other conveniences. He w.is 
 prospered, however, and in due time added to his 
 real estate, and gradually abandoning his opera- 
 tions as a tiller of the soil, turned his attention to 
 the easier and more lucrative business of a stock- 
 raiser. He usually keeps a herd of sixty-five head 
 of cattle, besides horses and swine. A man honest 
 and fearless in the expression of his opinions, he 
 gives his support to the Democratic party, and has 
 carefully avoided the responsibilities of office, other- 
 wise than serving as Assessor and in the minor 
 positions in his precinct, which it is important 
 should be filled by competent men. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Springman are members in 
 good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 to which Mr. S. has contributed liberallj^, and is a 
 Trustee. Socially, as an ex-soldier, he belongs to 
 the G. A. R., of Palmyra. He is the father of 
 three children by his present wife — John D., Clay- 
 ton 1. and Estella C. 
 
 The parents of our subject, John and Agnes 
 (StuU) Springman. were natives of Pennsylvania, 
 the former of whom died at the age of sixty-one 
 years, in January, 1861, at his home in Pennsylva- 
 nia. The mother survived her husband twelve 
 years, sjiending her last years with her son Fred, 
 in Pennsylvania, and passed away in 1873, at the 
 advanced age of seventy-five. The paternal grand- 
 father, Mesias Springman, was a native of Germany, 
 and crossing the Atlantic during his early manhood, 
 settled in Lycoming County, Pa., where he carried 
 on farming and spent the remainder of his daj'S. 
 The hereditary traits of his character, honesty, in- 
 dustry, and his vuiostentatious manner of living, 
 were transmitted in a marked degree to his descend- 
 ants. 
 
 JOSEPH SAUNDERS, one of the very first 
 settlers of Palmj^ra Precinct, came to the 
 present site of the city of Hendricks as early 
 as 1857, eleven years before the Territorj'^ 
 of Nebraska was admitted to the Union as a State. 
 He took up a homestead claim on the South Branch 
 of the Nemaha, and here he has since lived. He 
 improved a v.aluable farm from the wilderness, and 
 
 • p - I L < * 
 
t^ 
 
 «► II <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 377 
 
 is numbered among the most enterprising men of 
 the county. He avails liimself of the latest im- 
 proved machinery, has a substantial and commodi- 
 ous dwelling, ample barns and other out-buildings, 
 a choice assortment of live stock, and everything 
 indicating the modern and progressive agricult- 
 urist. AVhile uniformly successful in his business 
 and farming transactions he was most fortunate in 
 the selection of a wife and helpmate, Mrs. Saunders 
 being a lady of more than ordinary intelligence, a 
 thorough and careful housekeeper, and fully alive 
 to all those little details which make home the most 
 attractive spot on earth, and conduce to the happi- 
 ness and comfort of the family. The homestead 
 presents one of the pleasantest pictures of rural 
 life, where peace and plenty reign, and upon which 
 Providence has smiled in an unusual manner. 
 
 The family history of our subject is in its main 
 points as follows: His father, Thomas Saunders, 
 was born near Bowling Green, in Virginia, in 1804. 
 The paternal grandfather was of English descent, 
 and served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. 
 He spent his last years in Pennsylvania. The 
 mother of our subject was in her girlhood Miss 
 Leah Hudson, and the parents were married in the 
 Old Dominion. Shortly afterward they emigrated 
 to the vicinity of what is now Etna, Ohio, where 
 he worked as a carpenter, and also by degrees con- 
 verted a tract of timber land into a good farm. A' 
 man of strong anti-slavery principles, he concluded 
 to leave his native State on account of his hatred 
 of that peculiar institution. From Ohio, in 1848, 
 he removed to Jackson County, Iowa, where he 
 purchased a half-section of land, and subsequently 
 added to it forty acres more. He continued there 
 until the death of the mother, which took place in 
 1875, when she was seventy-six years old — the 
 same age as her own mother at the time of her 
 decease. 
 
 After the death of his wife Thomas Saunders re- 
 tired from active labor, and made his home with 
 his sons in Chautauqua County, Kan., where his 
 death took place in 1876. Both parents were 
 members in good standing of the Baptist Church. 
 They had a family of eight children, viz: John; 
 David, deceased; Jacteon, Washington; Joseph, 
 our subject; Isaac and Marj', deceased, and Sam- 
 
 uel. The latter during the late war served as a 
 Union soldier in an Iowa regiment under the com- 
 mand of Gen. Grant. He is now living in Craw- 
 ford County, Kan. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Green- 
 field County, Ohio, Feb. 24, 1835, and remained on 
 the farm of his father until reaching his majority. 
 The second school-house in which he pursued his 
 studies was built of hewn logs and plank, and he 
 attended school mostly in the winter season, assist- 
 ing in the labors of the farm during the summer. 
 He remained at home a year after reaching his ma- 
 jority', and then in the spring of 1857 started for 
 the West with a yoke of oxen, crossing the prin- 
 cipal streams on a flatboat, and a month later 
 found himself in this county. At that day there 
 was not even a steam ferry. He crossed the Mis- 
 souri Eiver at the present site of Nebraska City, 
 on the 10th of March, and a week later selected the 
 land which comprises a part of his j^resent home- 
 stead. He built the first fence in this section of 
 the country, and constructed a dwelling of logs for 
 his first shelter. The fine grove of Cottonwood 
 trees which stands adjacent to the present residence 
 has grown from the sprouts which Mr. Saunders 
 pulled up along the Missouri River bottom with his 
 own hands. Besides these he has a fine orchard of 
 300 trees, and other fruit and shade trees in abun- 
 dance, all planted by himself. It is hardly neces- 
 sary to say that he watched the growth of these 
 with fatherly solicitude, and his retrospection over 
 a period of thirty years has been in the main a very 
 pleasant one. Game at that time was very plenti- 
 ful, elk and deer being abundant within a radius 
 of thirt}' miles. Mr. Saunders was present at the 
 first burial in Hendricks Precinct, and assisted in 
 making the coffin. 
 
 The lady who has been the companion of our 
 subject for a period of over thirty years became 
 his wife July 10, 1856, the wedding taking place 
 at her home in Jackson County, Iowa. Her maiden 
 name was Louisa Hendricks. She was born in 
 Delaware County, Ind., Nov. 16, 1835, and is the 
 daughter of George B. and Sicily (Thompson) 
 Hendricks, who were natives of Kentuck}' and Vir- 
 ginia respectively, and spent their lives in Ne- 
 braska. A sketch of them will be found elsewhere 
 
 r 
 
> ► I I H - 
 
 378 
 
 t 
 
 ••► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 in this volume. To our subject and his estimable 
 wife there have been born thirteen children, two 
 of whom, Melissa and George, died, aged six months 
 and five years respectively'. The others are: 
 Albert, deceased ; Laureta, Arminta C, Marga- 
 retta, Joseph, Charlotte, Mary L.; Janette, deceased; 
 James, Jsorah and Jennie. They are now mostly 
 residents of Nebraska. Mr. Saunders in earlier life 
 supported the Republican party, but his warm in- 
 terest in the temperance cause led him later to array 
 himself on the side of the Prohibitionists. He was 
 three times chosen as a delegate to the Republican 
 conventions, and has always been a busy, wide 
 awake man, giving his support and encouragement 
 to the enterprises calculated for the best good of 
 the people. He was at one time identified with 
 the South Branch Grange, and both he and Mrs. 
 Saunders have for many years been active mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at Hen- 
 dricks, in which Mr. S. officiates as Class-Leader. 
 It is hardly necessary to say that they are known 
 throughout the greater portion of the county, and 
 they open hospitable doors to hosts of friends. 
 
 W. FRENZEL. The thrifty and indus- 
 trious German element has made itself felt 
 largely in the Great West, and in no sec- 
 tion has it accomplished more admirable results 
 than in Southern Nebraska. The subject of this 
 sketch is one of the finest representatives of his 
 nationalitj', and owns a valuable farm of 240 acres 
 on section 19, in Wyoming Precinct, and 193 acres in 
 Berlin Precinct. This he brought up from an un- 
 cultivated condition, has tilled the soil to the best 
 advantage, and effected the improvements naturally 
 suggested to the modern and enterprising agri- 
 culturist. 
 
 Mr. Frenzel has been in possession of the home- 
 stead which he now occupies since the spring of 
 1872. He first purchased eighty acres, and sub- 
 sequently added a quarter-section, and has effected 
 all the improvements which have made it one of 
 the most valuable estates in this part of Otoe 
 Count}'. His family consists of an intelligent and 
 estimable wife and si.x children, namely: Marj^, 
 
 Edwin, Richard, Louisa, Gertrude and Bismark. 
 Three other children died in infancy. The sur- 
 vivors are brigiit and intelligent, the eldest fifteen 
 years of age and the youngest two. 
 
 The Province of Schlesien, Prussia, contained 
 the earlj' home of our subject, where he was born 
 beneath the modest roof of bis parents, Nov. 19, 
 1848. The latter were Tiaugott and Christina 
 (Donad) Frenzel, who were of pure German ances- 
 try, and natives of the same Province as their son. 
 The father carried on farming in a limited manner, 
 but in the spring of 1872 resolved to seek his fortunes 
 in America, having been persuaded to this step by 
 some of his elder children who had already emi- 
 grated. Coming directly to Nebraska, he established 
 himself on eightj' acres of land in Wyoming Pre- 
 cinct, where, with his excellent wife, he is still living. 
 They are aged seventj'-five and fifty-eight re- 
 spectively, and are people generally respected by 
 their neighbors, while they have for many years 
 been devout members of tiie Lutheran Church. 
 
 Our subject was the eldesjt of seven children, 
 three sons and four daughters comprising the pa- 
 rental family, and in common with the youth of 
 Germany was carefully educated, and received that 
 home training which prepared him for the future 
 duties of life. After leaA-ing school he learned the 
 trade of a stonemason. In 1869 he announced to 
 his parents that he was coming to America. They 
 raised little objection to this scheme, which they 
 considered really quite sensible, and he thus pre- 
 ceded them three years, being comfortably estab- 
 lished and ready to welcome them when they joined 
 him here. He followed his trade three years after 
 coming to Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. Frenzel came to the United States a single 
 man, but in March of 1873, a year after the arrival 
 of his parents, was united in marriage, in Wj'O- 
 ming Precinct, with Mrs. Sophia (Karsten) Wehling. 
 The wife of our subject was born in the Grand 
 Duchy of Mecklenburg, German}', Sept. 6, 1849, 
 and emigrated with her parents to America in 1866, 
 when a 3'oung girl of seventeen years. They came 
 at once to Nebraska, the year before it was admitted 
 into the Union as a State, settling among the pio- 
 neers of Berlin Precinct, this count}', 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Frenzel began their wedded life 
 
 »► 1 1^ 
 
 r 
 
 ^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 381 
 
 together at their present home, and have labored 
 with the mutual purpose of building up a com- 
 fortable home for themselves and their children, 
 also securing a good position in their community as 
 people worthy of the highest respect. Their home 
 and its surroundings is one of which they have 
 reason to he proud. 
 
 \JI EREMIAH C. GILMAN, proprietor of one of 
 the largest farms in Nebraska City Precinct, 
 is a gentleman well known throughout this 
 
 section as one of the old settlers of this 
 
 State, coming here as early as 1857. Through a 
 life of industry and wise econom}' lie has acquired 
 a competency, and since his return to this locality 
 twenty years ago, he has built up a comfortable, 
 commodious home, one of the most attractive in the 
 precinct. Mr. Oilman comes of sturdy New En- 
 gland stock, his ancestry being of the hardy, self- 
 reliant, energetic class that has sent so many brave, 
 resolute men to conquer and people the "Western 
 wildernesses and prairies. His forefathers were prob- 
 ably early settlers of New Hampshire, the birth- 
 place of his immediate ancestry. His paternal 
 great-grandfather, Jonathan Oilman, was born in 
 1720, and resided in Carroll County, N. H. 
 
 John Oilman, the grandfather of our subject, was 
 born Sept. 8, 1749, it is supposed in the State of 
 New Hampshire, and among her rocky hills and 
 pastures he passed his life as a farmer, dying at last 
 in Carroll County. His son Andrew, father of our 
 subject, first opened his eyes to the light of d.ay 
 Oct. 5, 1798. on a New Hampshire farm, and after 
 attaining manhood chose the honorable calling to 
 which he had been .reared, and which had been that 
 of his forefathers from generation to generation. 
 He married Dolly Pike, likewise of New Hampshire 
 birth, born in Coos County, April 5, 1802, and they 
 commenced their wedded life in the wilds of Coos 
 County, where he had bought a tract of timber land, 
 which he proceeded to clear and prepare for cul- 
 tivation. The country roundabout was sparsely 
 inhabited, and for some years Portland, Me., 100 
 miles distant, was the nearest market. Mr. Oilman 
 
 improved a farm, and there spent his declining 
 years, dying in 1848. He was a man of sound com- 
 mon sense, a hard worker, just and kind in his re- 
 lations to others, and in his death the community 
 where he had spent so many useful, busy j'ears was 
 deprived of a good citizen. His estimable wife 
 spent her last years with her daughter in Carroll 
 County, N. H., where she died in 1885. There 
 were six sons and one daughter born to her and her 
 husband, namely; Josei)h, John K., Fanny E., our 
 subject and his twin brother Andrew, Oeorge and 
 Pike. Jeremiah and his brother John were the only 
 members of the family who settled in the West. 
 John died in Nebraska City in 1886. 
 
 Jeremiah C. Oilman was born Nov. 8, 1834, at 
 the home of his parents in the beautiful town of 
 Bartlett, and there amid the grand old hills of his 
 native State he was nurtured to a vigorous man- 
 hood. He was educated in the district school, and 
 resided on the old homestead assisting in the farm 
 work until 1854. In that year he and his brother 
 John left the shadow of the White Mountains to 
 seek a home and fortune on the broad prairies of 
 the Far West, more than a thousand miles away. 
 They went by rail to Rock Island, 111., then the 
 western terminus of the railway, and crossing the 
 Mississippi on a ferry boat to Iowa, took passage on 
 a stage for Ft. Des Moines, and from there to 
 Greene County, where they identified themselves 
 with the early settlers. They laid out a town, 
 which they called Kendrick, and erected a steam 
 sawmill and a corn cracker, which they operated 
 there for one year, and then moved it to Warren 
 County, where they managed it until 1857, then 
 sold it, and in December of that year came to Ne- 
 braska. 
 
 Our subject and his brother in coming to the 
 Territorj', located in that part of Nebraska Cit}' 
 called Kearney, and engaged in the livery business 
 together for two years. Then the brothers sold 
 out, and again in 1859 started westward, settling in 
 that part of the Territory now included in Lincoln 
 County. The whole of that entire section of the 
 country was wild prairie; deer, antelopes and buffa- 
 loes roamed across it in large numbers, and there 
 were no settlements nearer than Ft. Kearney. The 
 brothers went there to start a ranch, raise stock, and 
 
 ■•► 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 •►^|7 
 
 382 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 to trade with the Indians, having taken a supply of 
 goods with them. They used to buy their goods 
 in Nebraska City and St. Louis, and had them trans- 
 ported with teams to their post. During the years 
 1861 and 1862 the brothers, who were all these 
 years in partnership, began freighting west of the 
 Missouri River from Nebraska City to Denver, Col. 
 The}' had two trains of tvventy-six wagons each, 
 and consequently had to give emploj'nient to about 
 sixty men. They carried their cooks and camping 
 outfit with tiiem. All the parties were armed, as a 
 protection against maraudering bands of Indians. 
 The freighting business was profitable, the tariff 
 on goods being about six cents per pound. The 
 brothers were engaged in that business about four 
 years, and during several winters they traded with 
 the Indians as far as 200 to 300 miles south of the 
 North Platte. They thus dealt mostly with the 
 Sioux and the Southern Cheyennes. 
 
 Mr. Oilman and his brother took the contract 
 from the Government from Maj. O'Brien, 7th Iowa 
 Cavahy, to build Ft. McPherson, seventy-five miles 
 west of Ft. Kearney. This was in the fall and 
 winter of 18G3. They constructed the main build- 
 ing of hewn logs, also the hospitals and the com- 
 mission buildings. The quarters for the private 
 soldiers were constructed of round logs. The sec- 
 ond j-ear Mr. Oilman and his brother remodeled 
 the forts and quarters. The amount involved was 
 about $150,000, and yielded the brothers a hand- 
 some profit. 
 
 The Oilman brothers continued the operations 
 above mentioned until 1868, and then, having ac- 
 cumulated considerable money, they returned to 
 Nebraska City, where they invested in 640 acres of 
 land, of which 320 acres were on section 7, town- 
 ship 8. range 14, and the remaining 320 acres were 
 on section 1, township 14, range 7, Otoe County. 
 Our subject settled on section 7, Nebraska City, and 
 has resided here continuous!}' ever since. He does 
 general farming, raises a large amount of grain, 
 fruit, etc., and devotes much time to raising cattle 
 and other stock, of which he has manj' fine speci- 
 mens of high grades. 
 
 Mr. Oilman was married, in 1866, to Miss Eliza- 
 beth Alice FItchie, daughter of James and Eliza 
 (Douglas) Fitchie. Mrs. Oilman is a native of 
 
 Allegheny County, Pa., and of her marriage with 
 our subject six children have been born, namely: 
 Larsh, Andrew, Nellie M., Marmaduke, Lee and 
 Charles. 
 
 When Mr. Oilman was living, on the plains of 
 Lincoln Count}' he took an active part in public 
 affairs. There was an attempt made then to organize 
 a county to be called Shorter, and he was elected 
 Sheriff, but as the organization was not perfected 
 he was not called upon to serve. Though past the 
 prime of life, he is active and enterprising as many 
 a younger man, and is always busy looking after his 
 agricultural interests, and carefully manages his 
 property so as to get the best returns from it. He 
 possesses a clear head and a sound intellect, and is 
 a man to be relied upon in any and every case. He 
 is a sturdy advocate of the policy of the Republican 
 party, and is keenly interested in all the questions 
 of the day tliat pertain to the welfare of our coun- 
 try. 
 
 As a man who has been closely connected with 
 the development of Southern Nebraska, it is emi- 
 nently proper that the portrait of Mr. Oilman be 
 given in connection with this sketch, and we here- 
 with present it from the hands of our special artist. 
 There is no doubt it will be regarded with more 
 than ordinary interest. 
 
 EORGE SMITH. There are in Palmyra Pre- 
 cinct many agriculturists who compare fa- 
 vorably with any in the State, and among 
 these must undoubtedly be mentioned the gentle- 
 man whose biography is here outlined. His prop- 
 erty is situated on section 23, where he operates 
 160 acres. As his name would imply, he is of 
 Scottish parentage; his parents, William and Mary 
 H. Smith, were born at Fen wick, Scotland, and 
 shortly after their marriage came to America and 
 settled in Missouri. The chosen occupation of 
 William Smith was that of a stonemason. He was 
 usually employed upon large buildings, and took 
 large contracts for public and other buildings. 
 His life in Missouri began in the year 1838, and the 
 public buildings of St. Louis and neighboring cities 
 bear marks of his handiwork; but his business was 
 
 •►Hl-^- 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
-^•- 
 
 •«► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 383 
 
 not successful, owing to the failure of a company 
 with which he was connected, and he removed to 
 Galena. Here he worked upon the brewery, and 
 put up the first arch of that building. After a few 
 years a removal was made to Elk Grove Township, 
 LaFayette Co., Wis. This was his home until liis 
 death, in 1886, when he was eighty -seven j'ears of 
 age. 
 
 Mrs. Smith is eighty years of age, and is still 
 living, making her home with her eldest daughter 
 in Wisconsin. There were seven children born 
 to her and her husband, five of whom grew to 
 mature years and are still alive. Their names are 
 mentioned as follows: Catlierine, Mary, Elizabeth, 
 George and Robert H. From this it will be seen 
 that the subject of our sketch was the youngest 
 child but one. They have all been educated and 
 trained after the model of Scottish strictness and 
 care in regard to the higher qualities of character 
 and morals. 
 
 The sul)jeet of our sketch was born on the fith 
 of July, 1852, at the Wisconsin home. His advan- 
 tages in the line of education were undoubtedlj'' 
 excellent, and he developed an unusual capacity 
 and liking for his studies, and became quite a good 
 scholar in all the common branches. One trouble 
 the teacher had with him was on account of his be- 
 ing natural!}' left-handed. It was onl}' by persist- 
 ent efforts that he learned to write as others do, 
 but he has this advantage that he can use his pen 
 as well with one hand as with the other. 
 
 Not having a large farm our subject's father 
 gave him and his brothers the privilege of their 
 own time and earnings, in order to get some start 
 in life. When about thirteen he started to work 
 for his brother-in-law by the month. As soon as 
 he had money enough he bought a horse, and from 
 that as a beginning went on to accumulate little by 
 little. During the winter months he still continued 
 his studies, and was more earnest as a student be- 
 cause he began to realize the value of an education. 
 
 The marriage of our subject with Miss ICliza 
 Jane Herron was celebrated on the 18th of March, 
 1879. His wife was the daughter of James and 
 Mary Ann (Nolan) Herron ; her father was born 
 near Dover, in Delaware, while her mother first saw 
 the light in the vicinity of the cit}' of Dublin, Ire- 
 
 land. She was a sister of the Rev. John Nolan, 
 and a lady of large mental capacity, of complete 
 education, possessed of many accomplishments, and 
 this endowment she was only too glad to share 
 with her daughter Eliza, so that she was also pre- 
 pared to take her place in her home, and bring to 
 it all the beauties of refinement and culture. The 
 parents of Mrs. Smith were married in Wisconsin, 
 and there continued to make their home. The 
 business interests of Mr. Herron were at Galena, 
 where he owned extensive lead mines. His death 
 occurred on the 6th of Februar}', 1885, when he 
 was eighty-three years of age. His wife is still 
 living in Wisconsin, and is now sixty-eight years 
 old. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Herron were pioneers of LaFa3^ette 
 County, Wis., and were universally respected wher- 
 ever they were known. They were exceedingly 
 active in religious circles, ajid were pillars of the 
 church to which they were united in membership. 
 They were the parents of ten children, whose names 
 are as follows: Susannah S., William E.; Wesley J., 
 who died when fourteen years of age; Henry J. 
 and Osley F. (twins), Eliza J., Mary A., Olivia V., 
 Carson D. and Elmer E. Mrs. Smith was born on 
 the 20th of December, 1851, in LaFayette County, 
 Wis., and was educated in the common schools of 
 the district. After taking the Norm.al course at 
 Platteville, when seventeen years of age she received 
 a high-class teacher's certificate, after which she 
 followed that profession. For five terms she had 
 charge of the Elm Grove public school. Her par- 
 ents being among the wealthiest in the community 
 this engagement was a matter of choice only. She 
 was very fond of teaching and showed an admir- 
 able tact in the management of her school. 
 
 For two years after the marriage of our subject 
 and wife, AVisconsin continued to be their home, 
 and there their first child was born. The removal 
 to this State was made in 1880, Mr. Smith having 
 spent the fall of the previous year in prospecting, 
 and had then purchased their present farm, com- 
 prising 160 acres, of the Burlington & Missouri 
 River Railroad Company; he also has 160 acres on 
 section 35, within two miles of Douglas. All the 
 improvements made upon the property are those 
 of our subject. Stock-raising seemed to offer a more 
 
 «► ■ <• 
 
 :^^K 
 
.^1^^ 
 
 384 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 profitable as well as more congenial employment, 
 and he has consequently engaged largely therein, 
 breeding chiefly Clydesdale horses, although he has 
 a number of other very high-grade animals. He is 
 the owner of the celebrated stallion "Young Don- 
 ald." In cattle he has not confined himself to any 
 particular breed, but has quite a large herd of ver3' 
 fine creatures. He also owns between 150 and 200 
 hogs of the best grade. 
 
 Mr. Smith has been called upon at various times 
 to fill positions of public trust, and has always done 
 so in the most perfect and happy manner, winning 
 the esteem and respect of the entire community. 
 He has been Road Supervisor, and has also filled 
 other offices, and is one of the energetic members 
 of the Republican party. In the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church Mr. and Mrs. Smith find that which is 
 congenial to them religiously, and there is little 
 proposed or accepted either by the ciiurch, Sunday- 
 school or societies with which they are not con- 
 nected, either as the promoters or supporters. 
 
 There are few who can look back to the names of 
 honored ancestors with more pride than the subject 
 of our sketch, whose forefathers and members of 
 the family have upon several occasions suffered 
 martyrdom, and sealed their religious confessions 
 with their life blood. This has been a treasured 
 memory to the generations, and has undoubtedly 
 been a powerful lever in the sustaining and onward 
 movement of the transmitted high standard of 
 moral power and character. 
 
 -v-v/v-\«jte£/®-^ 
 
 i.@f5i/Zr7TZ'>»~"\/w.- 
 
 OLLIN M. ROLFE, a retired merchant, 
 has been an esteemed resident of Nebraska 
 City since 18G0, having made his advent 
 in this place October 15 of that year. He 
 at once identified himself with the mercantile inter- 
 ests of the city, engaging in the wholesale and 
 retail grocery business, being the first wholesale 
 jobber of groceries in Nebraska south of the Platte 
 River. There were no railways west of the Mis- 
 souri River at the time, and none nearer tiian St. 
 Joseph, and all transportation was done with teams 
 for some years, making freights very high, the 
 average rate paid on freight between Nel)raska City 
 
 ^h^- 
 
 and Salt Lake City being twenty -five cents a pound. 
 The greater portion of the Territory of Nebraska 
 was then in its primitive wildness, and buffaloes, 
 deer and antelopes roamed at will over the prairies. 
 There were military posts en route, but not a city 
 between here and Denver. Our subject was a potent 
 factor in opening up the undeveloped country, and 
 was instrumental in the building of the wagon road 
 to Ft. Kearney, and was afterward one of the orig- 
 inal incorporators and first Secretary of the Mid- 
 land Pacific Railway Company. 
 
 Our subject is a native of New York, born near 
 Bath, Steuben County, Oct. 12, 1830. The Rolfes 
 have figured conspicuous!}^ in English and French 
 history, it having been Count Rolfe, the father of 
 William the Conqueror, to whom Normandy was 
 ceded by Charles the Simple, King of France. 
 Simon Rolfe was known to have been a resident of 
 Sarem, England, in 1660, and he had the power to 
 issue coins, one of which is novv in possession of the 
 subject of this sketch. It bears on one side the 
 name Simon Rolfe, and on the reverse side the fam- 
 ily' coat of arms. From the records of the New 
 England Historical and Genealogical Societj- we 
 learn the following: "John Rolfe, with his wife and 
 two sons, John and Thomas, who were from Mel- 
 chitt Park, Wilts County, England, set sail from 
 London in April, 1638, in the ship "Confidence," 
 and on arriving in this country settled in Massa- 
 chusetts. Later other Rolfes came to America and 
 settled in Salisbury and Haverhill, Mass., and Con- 
 cord, N. H. Descendants of these families are scat- 
 tered about in different parts of the Union, the 
 branch from which our subject sprang settling in 
 Virginia, where Moses Rolfe, the grandfather of our 
 subject, was born. lie removed to Monmouth 
 County, N. J., and thence, about 1805, to Ovid, 
 N. Y., where he was a pioneer, and where he spent 
 the rest of his life. The maiden name of his wife, 
 grandmother of our subject, was Mary Coon. After 
 the death of her husband she removed to Steuben 
 County, N. Y., and spent her last days with her 
 children, who had married and settled there 
 
 Joseph Rolfe, the father of our subject, was born 
 during the residence of his parents in Monmouth 
 County, N. J., May 5, 1800. After his fifth year 
 his early life was passed in New York State, where 
 
 i» 
 
 -4« 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -•»- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 385 
 
 he reeeivert his education and engaged in the lum- 
 ber business, manufacturing his lumber and float- 
 ing it down the Susquehanna River and its various 
 tributaries, where it found a ready sale in the sea- 
 port towns. The last years of his life were spent in 
 the home of a son in Lawrenceville, on the Penn- 
 sylvania State line, his death occurring in January, 
 1878. In politics he was formerly a Whig, but 
 joined the Republican party on its formation, and 
 ■was afterward a Arm supporter of its principles. 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject was 
 Eliza Reed, who was born in Dutchess County, N. 
 Y. Her grandfather, the great-grandfather of our 
 subject, Gilbert Reed, a native of Kinderhook, was 
 connected with the Commissary Dep.artment at 
 Valley Forge during the Revolutionary War, and 
 being a wealthy man, devoted to the interests of 
 his country, did not hesitate to advance $100,000 
 from his private funds, for which he was paid in 
 continental script. 
 
 The subject of this biographical sketch was reared 
 in his native town, and there received his education 
 in the district school. At the .age of fifteen years he 
 commenced his mercantile career, eng.aging .as a clerk 
 iu a general store at Monterey, Steuben County, re- 
 ceiving §4 a month the first year, besides his board. 
 The following year his salary was increased to $10 
 a month, the third year to $20, and the fourth 
 year he received a further increase of $5 a month. 
 He remained in that pl.ace five years, then went to 
 Elraira, where he secured a similar position, and 
 from there to Geneva, where he clerked a short 
 time in a dry-goods store. Subsequently our sub- 
 ject returned to his native t(jwn, where he worked 
 as a clerk for five years. From Bath Mr. Rolfe, 
 who was ambitious of bettering his financial condi- 
 tion, and thinking the Far West offered special 
 inducements, went to Keokuk, Iowa, where he re- 
 mained about a year. Proceeding to Memphis, 
 Tenn., our subject rented a flouring-mill, which he 
 operated six months, then disposed of his property 
 and moved to St. Louis. There he engaged in the 
 auction and commission business, remaining there 
 until Oct. 15, 1860, when he came to Nebraska 
 City. As before mentioned he at once established 
 himself in the grocery business, and was thus em- 
 ployed until 1884. During this time Mr. Rolfe was 
 
 engaged in different branches of business, and was for 
 some years connected with James Sweet and others in 
 the banking business, under the firm name of James 
 Sweet & Co. In 1879 our suliject built a fine resi- 
 dence on the outskirts of the city, famili.arl3' known 
 as Boscobel, and resided there until 1886. when, on 
 account of the ill-health of his wife, he sold it and 
 bought his present residence in the city. 
 
 Mr. Rolfe was married, June 28, 1859, to Miss 
 Harriet Emmons, a native of Springville, Erie 
 Co., N. Y., and a daughter of Hon. Carlos and 
 Harriet (Eaton) Emmons. Mr. Emmons was born 
 in Vermont and rtioved from there to the Empire 
 State, settling in Springville, where he practiced 
 medicine. He identified himself with the best in- 
 terests of the town, count}' and State, and served 
 as State Seu.ator two terms. He was subsequently 
 offered the nomination of the Governorship of the 
 State by his party, but declined the honor, and was 
 also offered a portfolio in the cabinet of Millard 
 Fillmore. 
 
 To our subject and his wife have been born three 
 children, namely: Emmons, Charles and Harry. 
 
 (^^ QUIRE EDWIN H. BALDWIN ranks 
 ^^^ prominently among the honored pioneers 
 lll/y )j) of Otoe County. He came to this section 
 during its earliest settlement, and has been 
 President of almost every Fourth of July celebra- 
 tion ever held in Palmyra. This fact is suggestive 
 not only of his patriotism but of the estimation in 
 which he is held by his fellow-citizens. It is hardly 
 necessary to s.a}' that he is also prominently identi- 
 fied with the Old Settlers' Association of Nebraska. 
 He has never aspired for political preferment, but 
 has e.arnestly sought the best good of the people 
 around him, and labored to the best of his abilit}' 
 to build up the interests of his adopted county. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin, as the consequence of a life of in- 
 dustrj', is now in the enjoyment of a competency, 
 living at his ease in a good home and surrounded 
 by all the comforts of life. He is a self-made man 
 in the truest sense of the word, both educationally 
 and financially. Deprived of his father's care when 
 a lad of twelve years, he was then thrown upon his 
 
 ■ ► II 4» 
 
 •►^l-^ 
 
^ 
 
 -•¥^h 
 
 386 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 f 
 
 own resources. The paramount thought in his 
 mind at that time was the acquirement of a good 
 education. With this end in view he labored and 
 lived economically until reaching the age of twenty 
 years, in the meantime making good use of his 
 limited opportunities at the common school and of 
 the books which came in his way. At the age 
 mentioned he became a student of the Epworlh 
 College, of Iowa, in which he took a six-years 
 course, teaching in the meanwhile and otherwise 
 employing himself to pay his expenses. Having 
 now secured that which could not be taken from 
 him, he entered upon the serious business of life, 
 engaging at first in merchandising at Manchester, 
 Iowa. He was greatlj' prospered, but was finally 
 persuaded to dispose of his business, and in conse- 
 quence suffered a loss of about $7,000 on account 
 of the rascalitj' of the man with whom he dealt. 
 
 This calamity visited our subject the first spring 
 after his marriage, and in consequence was doubly 
 trying. He, however, suffered himself to lose no 
 time in bewailing his misfortunes, but resolved to 
 endeavor to repair them in the Far West. He ac- 
 cordingly made his way to the Territory of Ne- 
 braska, and the result of this determination may 
 be seen in the position to which he has attained, 
 sociall3' and financially. He has become one of the 
 prominent and wealthy men of his county, and by 
 his upright and honorable career is numbered 
 among those who enjoy the esteem and confidence 
 of the people around him. 
 
 The property of Squire Baldwin includes 700 
 acres, laid off into four farms in Palmyra Precinct, 
 while he also has a farm in Eagle Precinct, Cass 
 Count3'. The main points in a history of more 
 than ordinary interest are as. follows: Mr. Baldwin 
 was born June 4, 1837, in Fredonia, N. Y., and is 
 the son of Chester and Mary (Terry) Baldwin, also 
 natives of the Empire State, and whose early home 
 was in the vicinity of Oswego. The family is sup- 
 posed to be of English ancestry ; the paternal grand- 
 father of our subject carried a musket in tiie War 
 of 1812, and later did service during the Indian 
 War of 1841. 
 
 Chester Baldwin was a carpenter and joiner by 
 trade, and after their marriage the parents settled 
 near Fredonia, in Cattaraugus Count}-, N. Y., where 
 
 the father built up a comfortable home and was 
 fairly prospered. He was a man of decided views 
 and prominent in the political circles of his county. 
 He only lived to middle age, however, his death 
 taking place on the 6th of June, 1850, at the age 
 of forty-four years. The mother was married the 
 second time and removed to Minnesota, where her 
 death took place June 26, 1867, at the age of sixty- 
 seven and one-half years. Of her first marriage 
 there were born eleven children, namely: Mary A., 
 Cerilla A., Sarah, William D., Edwin H. (our sub- 
 ject), Chester, Wesley, Charles, Frank, Corydon J. 
 and Emma J. Of these seven are now living, and 
 residents of New York, Tennessee and Dakota. 
 
 Squire Baldwin continued a member of the pa- 
 rental household until a youth of eighteen 3'ears, 
 working on the farm and also away from home un- 
 til he could see his way clear for entering college. 
 In the meantime he frequently served as janitor 
 for his tuition and sawed wood for his board. He 
 was a student at Earlville Academy one year, 
 and attended Ep worth Seminary five years. From 
 the latter institution he was graduated in 1860 
 with the degree of L. B. For a year thereafter he 
 was Principal of Earlville Academy. In the spring 
 of 18C4 he entered upon his mercantile career, and 
 in the fall of 1864 was united in marriage with 
 Miss Sarah Cattron. This lady is the daughter of 
 his former partner, who is now living on a farm in 
 Delaware County, Iowa. The parents of Mrs. 
 Baldwin, John and Elizabeth Cattron, were natives 
 of Indiana, and are now aged respectively sixty- 
 seven and sixty-five years. Their eight children 
 were named William V., Sarah F., John W., Frank, 
 Etta, Ella, Edgar and Effle. 
 
 Mrs. Baldwin was born June 13, 1841, in La- 
 Porte, Ind., and was a little girl nine years old 
 when her parents removed to Iowa. She took 
 kindly to her books, and after securing a good edu- 
 cation commenced teaching, and was a preceptress 
 in the Iowa University for one j'ear. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Baldwin in making their journey from Iowa to 
 Nebraska came overland with a wagon and team of 
 horses, bringing with them their worldly effects and 
 their one child. They arrived in the then unimpor- 
 tant village of Nebraska City on the 8th of June, 
 1867, and Mr. B. at once homesteaded 160 acres in 
 
•►Hl^-^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 387 
 
 t 
 
 the vicinity' of what is now Hendricks. Upon this 
 lie labored until bringina: it to a good state of cul- 
 tivation, and in time added to it another quarter- 
 section. Of tliis property he retained possession 
 until the fall of 1877, when he sold out and pur- 
 chased his farm of 105 acres west of Palmyra. 
 
 During these j'ears our subject has given strict 
 attention to his business as an agriculturist and 
 stock-raiser, in the meantime also buying and sell- 
 ing land. From these several resources he has 
 realized a handsome income. No man has watched 
 with warmer interest the development and growth 
 of Nebraska, and few have given more generously 
 of their time and means to the various enterprises 
 having this end in view. A Republican, "dyed in 
 the wool," Mr. Baldwin has given his vote and in- 
 fluence in support of the principles of his party, 
 but aside from serving in the school offices has re- 
 frained from assuming greater responsibilities. He 
 was elected Justice of the Peace in 1876 and served 
 two terms. Both he and his excellent wife are 
 members in good standing of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, with which they have been identified 
 many years. Our sui)ject was one of the founders 
 of the Old Settlers' Association, and one of the 
 chief workers in keeping it together and maintain- 
 ing an interest among its members. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin there were born seven 
 children, namely: Charles W., who died at the 
 age of two years; Frank Pearl, Rilla May, Cora E., 
 Harry G. C, Carl S. and Addie. Those surviving 
 are at home. Thej' have been carefully trained 
 and educated, and as rising members of the com- 
 munity will do credit to the name of their honored 
 parents. 
 
 ■« j^ILLIAM KOONTZ, the well-known con- 
 \jjj// tractor and builder of Nebraska Cit}', is 
 V7\y the son of Baltzer and Susan (Whistler) 
 Koontz, who are natives respectively of Marj'land 
 and Pennsylvania. Both are of German descent. 
 The paternal grandfather emigrated to and settled 
 in this country when the father of our subject was 
 about seven \'ears old. After ten years they re- 
 moved to Ohio. In that State the parents of our 
 
 subject were married, and continued to reside for 
 several years. The father was bj' occupation a car- 
 penter, and continued at his trade until he was 
 about forty years of age, when he engaged in farm- 
 ing. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was the last child but 
 one of fourteen born to his parents. His birth oc- 
 curred in Stark County, Ohio. His parents re- 
 moved to Indiana when he was about eleven 3-ears of 
 age, and in 1853 finally settled in Whitley County, 
 where they died, the father in November. 1877, the 
 mother on the 12th of July, 1884, being eighty- 
 four and eightjr-five years of age respectively. 
 
 The birth of our subject occurred on the 9th of 
 September, 1842. He was brought up on the home 
 farm in Ohio and Indiana. He was, however, privi- 
 leged to enjoy but very meager educational oppor- 
 tunities. At the time of the outbreak of the Civil 
 War our subject was serving an apprenticeship to 
 the cabinet-making trade, but left his tools and the 
 workshop to enlist in Company H, of the 15th In- 
 diana Infantry. He engaged to serve for three 
 years or during the war; this event transpired upon 
 the 6th of August, 1862. The regiment was at- 
 tached to the Army of the Cumberland, and he was 
 present at some of the hardest fighting of the war. 
 
 Among the battles in which our subject took part 
 may be mentioned those of Chickaraauga, Mission 
 Ridge, Buzzard's Gap, through the Atlanta campaign 
 with Sherman, and on with him in his march to the 
 sea; thence up through the Carolinas, and was at' 
 Raleigh when the news of Lee's surrender reached 
 them. His military experiences closed witii the 
 grand review at Washington, after which he in 
 common with his comrades received an honorable 
 discharge. 
 
 Returning home, our subject remained there until 
 1869, and then came to Nebraska. Arriving in 
 Nebraska City he went to work with the determina- 
 tion to make his fortune. There was no opening in 
 the cabinet-making business, and so he turned his 
 attention to carpentrj', working as a journeyman. 
 He has been unusually successful as a contractor 
 and builder, and has erected many of the large 
 buildings of the cit}-, among them the Odd Fellows' 
 Block au<l the Kee's residence. 
 
 Mr. Koontz is enthusiastic over the prospect of ^ ' 
 
f 
 
 ■► II 4* 
 
 388 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 the future of the city, and bases his judgment, first, 
 on its natural location, second, on the location and 
 enlargement of its stock^'ards, third, on the greatly 
 increased railroad facilities by the way of "Q" 
 bridge and the Union Pacific Railroad. Thus far 
 he has been fully justified, and his expectations Lave 
 been more than realized. His hoijes therefore for 
 the future would seem to be well founded. 
 
 In the year 1872 the subject of our sketch was 
 united in marriage with Emma J. Howe, the daugh- 
 ter of Noah and Sarah M. Howe. She was born 
 in the State of Virginia, Oct. 22, 1832, and was 
 about seven j'ears of age when her parents migrated 
 to Nebraska City just before the war. There have 
 been given to Mr. and Mrs. Koontz five children, 
 whose names we mention as follows: Maggie May, 
 Nellie M., Alfred O., Edgar B. and W. Carl, all of 
 whom are at home with their parents, and in attend- 
 ance at the city schools. 
 
 Feeling the cramping through lack of education 
 in his own life, our suljject is anxious to make the 
 education of his children as complete and thorough 
 as possible. We would not be understood as im- 
 plying that our subject is not a well-informed man, 
 for to recognize the need of study and instruction 
 was for him to bend every energy to the task of 
 obtaining knowledge, so that to-day he is well 
 posted upon the usual topics, and has a clear under- 
 standing and appreciation of current political affairs, 
 and such a grasp of his business affairs as to make 
 him thoroughly successful, and is a citizen of whom 
 the communitj' is proud, exerting an influence 
 among his fellows that is favorably recognized. 
 
 Mr. Koontz is an enthusiastic member of the G. 
 A. R. ; he is Past Commander of the Post, and is at 
 present holding the position of Officer of the Day. 
 He is also a member of the I. O. O. F. In religious 
 associations he is affiliated with the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, of which he is also a Trustee. Politi- 
 cally, he is a Republican, and always takes deep 
 interest in matters relative to the party. On the 
 Board of Education he is recognized as one of the 
 active, clear-thinking, practical working members, 
 and is respected accordingly. In his general ideas 
 and patriotic sentiments he is thoroughly American, 
 and entertains the highest ambitious hopes and 
 laudable pride in view of what he conceives to be 
 
 the future position of his adopted State in the Union. 
 T. D. Babcock, at present Noble Grand of the I. 
 O. O. F., Lodge No. 3, says of our subject : "I ad- 
 mire him as a man; as a worker in our fraternity 
 he is well and favorably known as being one of its 
 most worthy members. In his connection with the 
 fraternity his character shows itself plainly, as being 
 that of an honest and upright man." 
 
 ** *' S * ^ ' m ' ^ * 2" *"" 
 
 \i^'REDERICK DOW. Among the early pio- 
 |p^^ neers of Nebraska Territory the subject of 
 jki this sketch is entitled to occupy a position 
 in the front rank, he having settled in Cass County 
 as early as the fall of 1857. He lived there on a 
 partially cutivated tract of land for a period of 
 seven years, then came to W^'oming Precinct, this 
 county, taking up his abode on section 14, where 
 he purchased eighty acres of land, and where he 
 has since lived. He began to build up his present 
 homestead from first principles, there having been 
 no attempt at cultivation or improvement at the 
 time it came into his possession. 
 
 Mr. Dow is a self-made man, and, when pursuing 
 his journey into Cass County, carried his worldly 
 possessions on his back. He had lost most of 
 his household goods on the journey from Chicago 
 to Nebraska. He was born in the Grand Duchy of 
 Mecklenburg, June 23, 1823, where he was reared 
 to man's estate, and when of age entered the regu- 
 lar army and served a period of seven years in 
 the Grenadier Guards, enduring all the vicissitudes 
 of a soldier's life, and coming out at the close with 
 a clean record and an honorable discharge. He set 
 out a single man for the United States in 1852, 
 landing in the city of Quebec, Canada, and going 
 thence to Chicago, 111., where he employed himself 
 at working on a railroad for a time. There also he 
 was first married to Miss Mary Stahl, a native of 
 his own Province in German}', and born in 1826. 
 She came .alone to the United States about the same 
 time as her husband, and accompanied him to Ne- 
 braska, assisting him in his first struggles at making 
 a living. Of this good wife he was deprived by 
 death Dec. 17, 1866, when she was in her prime 
 and most needed b^" her little family of six children. 
 
 •► 
 
 t- 
 
 •^^^-^ 
 

OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 391 
 
 These all liverl to mature years: Sophia anci Minnie 
 were married, but are now deceased ; Frank is 
 farming in Custer County, this State; John is liv- 
 ing in Stockton, Cal. : William is farming in Wyo- 
 ming Precinct; Frederick, Jr., is living in this 
 county. 
 
 Mr. Dow contracted a second marriage, in Au- 
 gust, 1871, with Mrs. Rebecca J. (Searle) Nail. 
 This lady was born Nov. 4, 1835, in Scioto County, 
 Ohio, and was first married to John Nail, in that 
 county, where he died a j'ear later. Mrs. Nail came 
 to Nebraska City after the death of her husband, 
 and by her union with our subject there have been 
 born three children, two of whom ilied young. The 
 survivor, a son, M. Albert, born in Otoe County in 
 1875, continues at home with his parents. Mr. 
 Dow and his first wife were trained in the doctrines 
 of the Lutheran Church, and our subject, politically^ 
 uniformly votes the Republican ticket. His pres- 
 ent wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 ON. CHARLES WILLIAM SEYMOUR, 
 
 whose portrait graces the opposite page, is 
 a distinguished citizen of Nebraska City, 
 and one of the first lawyers of the State. 
 He has mingled much in public life, and has held 
 many important offices for which his ability and 
 legal attainments have eminently fitted him. He is 
 a native of Ohio, Hartford, Licking County, being 
 the place of his birth, and June 4, 1838, the date 
 thereof. His father, John William Seymour, was 
 born in Salem, Conn., and his grandfather, Medad 
 Seymour, and his great-grandfather. Zachariah Se}'- 
 mour, were both natives of and livelong residents 
 of that New England State, the former having 
 been born in Hartfoid. The Seymour family is of 
 ancient English ancestry, and is descended from 
 the famous Duke of Somerset, which statement is 
 confirmed bj' the Encyclopedia Britannica. The 
 American branch of the family were early settlers 
 of Connecticut, the first ancestor of our suliject 
 coming to this country in 1649. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in his na- 
 tive State, receiving a substantial education, and 
 
 when a j'oung man he went to Eahway. N. J., to 
 teach school. From there he went to Ohio about 
 183G, and located at Hartford, Licking County, 
 where he was prosperously engaged in the mercan- 
 tile l)usiness until 1868. In that year he moved to 
 Mt. Vernon, Knox Co., Ohio, and receiving the ap- 
 pointment as special agent of the Etna Insurance 
 Company, continued in the insurance business in 
 that town until his death in the month of Jul}', 
 1872. He was a man whose ability, intelligence 
 and integrity were of a high order, and he was 
 valued as a loyal and upright citizen. The maiden 
 name of his wife was Sarah J. Clark, and she was 
 born in New York City, of which her father, 
 Thomas Clark, was likewise a native. He spent his 
 entire life there, and was for manj' years engaged 
 in the mercantile business. The mother of our sub- 
 ject died at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, in 1 880. There were 
 eight children born to her and her husband, and he 
 had one child besides by a former marriage. 
 
 Charles W. early showed a taste for scholarly 
 pursuits, which was gratified bj' a liberal education 
 at one of the best universities of the day in the 
 West, the Wesle3an University at Delaware, Ohio. 
 He entered that institution of learning in 1854, and 
 after attending there three years, he left for awhile 
 to take a business course in a commercial college at 
 Cleveland. On receiving his dijjloma there, he re- 
 sumed his studies in the Weslej'an University, and 
 was graduated from there in I860, having attained 
 high standing in his classes, and with the degree of 
 A. ]i. and subsequently A. M. He iinmediatel}' com- 
 menced the study of law in the office of the 
 renowned jurist. Judge Allen G. Thurman, at Co- 
 lumbus, Ohio. Having under the Judge's instruc- 
 tions acquired a good, practical knowledge of the 
 legal profession, in 1861 he came to Nebraska City, 
 and in 1862 was admitted to the bar. He at once 
 opened an office with William H. Taylor, who was 
 his partner for two years. Mr. Taylor then moved 
 away, and our subject continued to practice alone 
 until 1865, and then was with B. M. Davenport un- 
 til 1868. He then carried on an extensive law 
 business alone until 1886, when his son William 
 became his partner. Mr. Seymour was appointed 
 Notary Public in 1863, and has held the office ever 
 since. In 1870 he received his appointment to 
 
 r 
 
31)2 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 i 
 
 liis present position as United States Commis- 
 sioner. In 1862 he was elected to the Territorial 
 Legislature, and was re-elected the following year. 
 He was Master in Chancery for ten years and 
 Land Commissioner for the Midland Pacific when 
 he first located here, and was Prosecuting Attor- 
 ney for one year, appointed liy Judge Streeter. 
 At the time when the removal of the capital of the 
 United States from Washington was agitated, 
 Mr. Seymour was sent as a delegate to the con- 
 vention held at Cincinnati for the purpose of dis- 
 cussing the question. He was a member of the 
 commission that met at Chicago in accordance with 
 an act of Congress to locate the Union Pacific 
 Railway. On two occasions he acted as Chief Clerk 
 of the State Legislature at the ojjening of the session. 
 He is one of the leaders of tiie Republican party, 
 he having always been a Republican since he at- 
 tained his majority, and he has served as Cliairman 
 of the State Central Committee. Our subject also 
 has an honorable military record. When the war 
 liroke out he was in earl^' manhood, and just about 
 to enter upon his brilliant career as a lawyer and 
 a statesman, yet notwitiistanding his bright pros- 
 pects of winning his way to an assured position in 
 his profession, he put aside ail personal aims and 
 ambitions at the first call for troops, and enlisted as 
 a member of the 2d Ohio Infantry, for a term of 
 ninety days. He served with his regiment that 
 length of time, and was present at the first battle 
 of Bull Run. In 1863 a regiment of State Militia 
 was raised, and he was appointed Major b3' Gov. 
 Saunders, of Nebraska, and at the same time he 
 was serving as Captain of the Union Guards. Our 
 subject is identified with the following societies: 
 Western Star Lodge No. 2, A. F. & A. M. ; Key- 
 stone Chapter No. 2; and Mt. Olivet Lodge No. 2. 
 He is also a member of the Alpha Consistor}' — of 
 the Ancient and Accepted Order of Scottish Rite 
 Masons, having attained the thirty-second degree. 
 In St. Mary's Protestant Eipiscopal Church Mr. 
 Seymour is a Vestryman. 
 
 In this brief summary of the many responsible 
 civic positions which he has held, we have not spoken 
 of the conspicuous ability that • Mr. Seymour has 
 brought to bear upon his work, nor the lofty sense 
 of duty that has been the guiding motive of all his 
 
 acts, so that he has never been accused of neglect- 
 ing public trusts for private interests. He has a 
 keen, cultivated intellect, a clear and comprehensive 
 knowledge of the law, and by the force of an in- 
 domitable wdl, has attained his present eminence 
 as one of the most astute and successful lawyers now 
 practicing before the Nebraska bar, although he is 
 not yet much beyond the prime of life. 
 
 The brief limits of this biographical sketch will 
 not permit us to more than glance at the home life 
 of our subject. He was married, July 4, 1863, to 
 Catherine Ella Holly, a native of Savannali, Mo., 
 and a daughter of Judge Charles F. Holly. Her 
 father was born in Stamford. Conn., and went from 
 there to Kenyon College. Ohio, to complete his edu- 
 cation. After graduation he was married, and 
 then went to Savannah, Mo., where he edited a 
 pa[)er a number of j'ears. In 1855 he came to 
 Nebraska City, and was one of the first lawyers 
 ever located in Nebraska. In 1863 he went to 
 Colorado, and was soon after elected to the Terri- 
 torial Legislature, and was made Speaker of that 
 body. In 1864 he enlisted, and was commissioned 
 Captain, and served until the close of the war. 
 Soon after that he was appointed District Judge. 
 He went from Colorado to New Mexico, and was 
 there engaged in a land speculation. He now re- 
 sides in Paskack, N. J. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Seymour have a delightful home, 
 the center of a refined and cultured life, and their 
 pleasant wedded life has been blessed to them by the 
 birth of five children — William F., Catherine Ella, 
 Howard S., Hugh A. and Louisa Maria. 
 
 — h4^- 
 
 ONEAD MULLIS. The agricultural inter- 
 ests of Wyoming Precinct are admirably 
 ^^' represented by the subject of this sketch, 
 who until recently was the owner of 380 acfes of 
 highly cultivated land, which embraced one of the 
 most valuable farms in the county. The home- 
 stead proper is on section 25, and adjacent is quite 
 an extent of land which Mr. Mullis has divided 
 among his children. He ma_y most properly be 
 ranked among the pioneers of Nebraska Territory. 
 
 -<*■ 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 '3'J-o 
 
 He crossed the Mississippi as earlj^ as 1854, lived 
 for a time in Fremont Couut}^, Iowa, and tlience 
 came to Nebraska City when it was but a hamlet. 
 
 Our subject, during his early manhood, had 
 learned blaeksmithing. which trade he pursued in 
 Nebraska City until 18G0, when he was burned out. 
 He then concluded to change his occupation, and 
 accordingly settled on a part of the laud in Wj^o- 
 ming Precinct which he now owns and occupies. 
 His labors as a farmer have been crowned with suc- 
 cess, he now having a competency for his old age, 
 and being surrounded by all the comforts and many 
 of the luxuries of life. 
 
 Mr. MuUis was born on the other side of the 
 Atlantic, in Switzerland, March 22, 1821. His 
 parents were also of Swiss birth and parentage, 
 and spent their entire lives upon their native soil. 
 The father was a laboring man and the family was 
 in modest circumstances. Conrad was the young- 
 est, and was reared and educated in the place of 
 his birth. When twenty-three years of age he set 
 sail in 1844 for America, taking passage on an 
 English vessel, and after a rough voyage of seven 
 weelvs, landed in New Orleans. In addition to the 
 storms which beset them on the passage the pro- 
 visions gave out, and both passengers and crew suf- 
 fered greatly for lack of food. 
 
 Mr. Mullis soon left the Crescent City and made 
 his way to Madison County, 111., where he arrived 
 $14 in debt and without a cent in his pocket. 
 There he learned his trade of blacksmith, his honest 
 face securing him friends and emplo.yment. In due 
 time he had cancelled all his obligations, and is now 
 not only out of debt but may be called a wealth}' 
 man. After taking up his residence in Fremont 
 County, Iowa, he made the acquaintance of a very 
 estimable young woman. Miss Nancy Hill, to whom 
 he was married. This lady died at the birth of her 
 first child, the latter dying also. 
 
 Our subject after coming to this county con- 
 tracted a second marriage, with Miss Magdalena 
 Lohse, who was born in Holstein, Germanj', Oct. 6, 
 1834. Her parents, Henry and Catherine (Hans- 
 child) Lohse, were also natives of Germany, and 
 after their marriage settled in Holstein. where they 
 lived until after the birth of two daughters, Mrs. 
 Mullis and her sister .Vnna. now Mrs. Kausbo\'. of 
 
 Cass County, this State. They then, in 1858, set 
 sail with their little family for the United States, 
 and coming directly to Nebraska located near the 
 present site of Nebraska City. The parents joined 
 their married daughter in Cass County, where the 
 father died seven months after his arrival in the 
 United States. The mother after being a resident 
 of Cass County eight years, joined her husband in 
 the better land. 
 
 The wife of our subject received a good educa- 
 tion in the German tongue, and was about twenty- 
 two years old when she came to America. .She has 
 proved the suitable helpmate of such a man as her 
 husband, encouraging him in his worthy efforts and 
 contributing her full share toward the building up 
 of the homestead. Of their union there have been 
 born four children, the eldest of wiiom, a son Henry, 
 continues at home with his parents. Conrad, Jr., 
 married Miss Josephine Barhurst, and tliey are liv- 
 ing near Dunbar, this county ; John is at home assist- 
 ing his father in the labors around the homestead; 
 Anna is attending school in the convent at Keaimey 
 Heights. Our subject and his estimable wife .have 
 wiselj' retired from active labor, and, surrounded by 
 their children and friends, are spending their de- 
 clining years amid the comforts which they have 
 gathered around them bj' lives of industry and econ- 
 omy. Although not connected witli any religious or- 
 ganization, they have made it the rule of their lives 
 to do unto their neighbors as they would be done by. 
 No family is held in higher respect and none are 
 more deserving of the esteem and confidence of 
 their community. Mr. Mullis in politics is inde- 
 pendent, aiming to support the men whom he con- 
 siders best qualified for office. 
 
 -|-H^-^^«&^-H-4-- 
 
 ^^EORGE OELKE, of Otoe 
 III g-- the most prominent and 
 ^JJ^ within its limits, being 
 
 /^^EORGE OELKE, of Otoe Precinct, is one of 
 prosperous farmers 
 the owner of 340 
 acres of good laud, embracing 160 acres on section 
 5. and 180 acres on section 8. Ilis home is lo- 
 cated on the former section. He is a man who at 
 once commands attention as evidently' possessing 
 more th.an ordinary abilities, and physicall}- is of 
 fine stature and commanding presence. His quaii- 
 
 -^»" 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 394 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 f bis 
 
 ties of mind are in proiJOition to liis plij'sical de- 
 velopment, as is indicated in his sunoiindings, his 
 home being one to which the admiring eye of the 
 passing traveler is at once attracted, and which 
 forms one of the most pleasing features of the land- 
 scape of Otoe Precinct. He has a tasteful and com- 
 modious dwelling, which is one of the handsomest 
 in the precinct, with good barns and outhouses, 
 corn-cribs, sheds, etc., and everything appertaining 
 to the modern rural estate. 
 
 The main points in a most interesting history are 
 substantially as follows: Our subject was born in 
 the town of Sumte, near the city of Nauhaus, Ger- 
 many, Nov. 12, 1842, and is the son of John and 
 Maggie (Myer) Oelke, who were also of German 
 birth and parentage. The father was a farmer and 
 wagon-maker combined, and a man in prosperous 
 circumstances. He came to America with his whole 
 family in the summer of 1857, settling in Clayton 
 County, Iowa, but only lived four j-ears afterward, 
 his decease taking place in 1861, when he was sixty- 
 five years old. The mother is still living, making 
 her home with her son George, and has now arrived 
 at the advanced age of eighty j'ears. 
 
 The parental household included twelve children, 
 of whom John, Henry, William, Minnie. Emma, 
 Bertha, Emma (2d) and Louisa are deceased, the 
 four latter dying when quite young. The sur- 
 vivors are Marj% who is the wife of Henry Heye; 
 tiiey live in Delaware Precinct. Fred; George, 
 Qur subject, and Christ. They are living in Otoe 
 County, Neb. George was carefully educated in 
 his native tongue, and soon after coming to Ne- 
 braska, June 1.5. 1863, purchased his first land in 
 company with his brother Frederick. Prior to this 
 he had operated as a renter. He was marri(?d, Dec. 
 22, 1864, to Miss Lena .Sharp, a native of the 
 Province of Holstein, Germany, and who came to 
 America when a i'oung girl of twelve years, with 
 her parents, thej' settling at once in this countj'. 
 Her father is dead, but her mother is still living. 
 She is the daughter of Timothy and Mattie (Hau- 
 childt) Sharp. 
 
 Our subject purchased first eighty acres on sec- 
 tion 0, Otoe Precinct, and labored earlj' and late in 
 the development of the soil and the building up of 
 his homestead, and continued to add thereto until 
 
 he now owns 340 acres. His farm is six miles south 
 of the court-house in Nebraska City. The household 
 circle has been completed bj' the birth of nine chil- 
 dren, namely: John, George, Mattie, Timm, Will- 
 iam, Jesse, Emma, Eddie and Josie, all living at 
 home and single. The eldest is twenty-three years 
 of age, and the youngest two years. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Oelke. togetlier with their children, are all connected 
 with the German Lutheran Church at Nebraska 
 City. Mr. Oelke votes the straight Eepublican 
 ticket, and is serving his second term as School 
 Treasurer of his district. He is also engaged in buy- 
 ing and shipping hogs. His shipments are mostly 
 made from Paul Station on the Missouri Pacific, to 
 Nebraska City and Omaha. 
 
 -J— 
 
 ^ OHN DUNBAR, an extensive land -owner and 
 retired farmer in good circumstances, and at 
 present a resident of Dunbar Village, is a 
 ^^^ gentleman widely and most favorably known 
 throughout this section for his honesty, integrity 
 and straightforward manner of transacting business, 
 and his thoroughness and skill as an agriculturist. 
 From him the precinct and village of Dunbar are 
 named, though the former has since been changed. 
 
 A native of County Londonderrj', Ireland, our 
 subject was born Oct. 28, 1820, and is the son of 
 Thomas Dunbar, who was born in Count}' Antrim, 
 and came to the United States with his family in 
 the spring of 1829. They settled first near Ogdens- 
 burg, N. y., where our subject lived until the spring 
 of 1 832. He then went over into Canada West, 
 and from there, in 1856, came to the Territory of 
 Nebraska, settling on a tract of land in Delaware 
 Precinct, and has since then been a resident of this 
 county. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to say that the country was 
 wild and new at that period, there being but very 
 few settlers this side of the Mississippi. The father 
 and paternal grandfather, Thomas H Dunbar, had 
 preceded our subject to this section in June of the 
 same year, being joined by John on the 14th of 
 November following. There were then but a few 
 houses between this point and Nebraska City. Deer, 
 wolves and Indians were numerous, and the latter. 
 
 t 
 
iir^ 
 
 OTOE COUNXr. 
 
 395 i] 
 
 *t 
 
 Pawnees, stole a team of horses from our subject, 
 which he never recovered. 
 
 Mr. Dunbar was married, Sept. 11, 1851, to Miss 
 Ann E., daughter of James Watson, now deceased. 
 This union resulted in the birth of twelve children, 
 namely: Emily, Mary, Thomas H., John A., Leona; 
 Sarah J., deceased; William F.. Edwin W., Merritt 
 W., Ann E.. Ella Dora and Alfred. Mary is the 
 wife of Merle D. Smith, of Blount, this State, and 
 the mother of two children — Clarence and Ralph; 
 Leona married Ellas C. Reed, of Sj'racuse Precinct, 
 and has two children — Anna L. and Herbert; Will- 
 iam married Miss Charlotte Latter, and lives on the 
 old homestead. 
 
 Mr. Dunbar has alwaj'S been prominent in the 
 affairs of this countj', and about 18(i9 platted the 
 town named in his honor. His property embraces 
 G40 acres of land, which he has brought to a good 
 state of cultivation, and erected thereon substantial 
 buildings. The first wheat shipped from the pre- 
 cinct was of his raising. He offlciated as Justice 
 of the Peace for a period of twenty years. He then 
 rested for a time, but in 1887 was prevailed upon 
 to resume his official duties, and now holds the 
 office. He has always taken a warm interest in the 
 temperance movement, and in religious matters is a 
 member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, tak- 
 ing the Bible for his rule of faith and practice. He 
 has been an extensive reader of the Scriptures, and 
 possessing a remarkable memory, is able to quote 
 largelj' therefrom. He usually upholds the prin- 
 ciples of the Republican party, but is somewhat in- 
 dependent, aiming to support the men best qualified 
 for office, irrespective of party. 
 
 iROWN BROS. Charles A., Frederick L., 
 George E. and Frank F. have operated 
 together in the cultivation of one of the 
 finest tracts of land in North Branch Pre- 
 cinct, and lived together since they were born until 
 the marriage of George E., since which time the 
 latter and his wife have been in a home of their 
 own, while the three brothers continue with their 
 mother. 
 
 Amos Brown, the father of tiicse brothers, was 
 
 born in Windsor County, Vt., in 1828, and when 
 quite a lad removed with his parents to Illinois, 
 the3' settling on a farm in the vicinity of Peoria, but 
 which was in Tazewell County. They were among 
 the earliest pioneers of that region, and there 
 Amos Brown grew to manhood, assisting his father 
 in the development of his homestead. He married 
 Miss Sarah I. Lackland, who was born in Tazewell 
 County, 111., Feb. 27, 1835, and is the daughter of 
 David and Elizabeth (Hale) Lackland. The latter 
 were natives of Tennessee, where they were reared 
 and married, and whence they emigrated in 1 830 to 
 Illinois. They settled at first in Sangamon County, 
 but shortly afterward changed their residence to 
 Tremout Township, Tazewell County, and were, 
 like the Brown family, among the earliest settlers. 
 Mr. Lackland entered land from the Government, 
 improved the farm, and continued at the homestead 
 which he had thus built up until the time of his 
 death, which occurred about 1856. The wife and 
 mother had died in 1844. They were the parents of 
 eight children, six of whom grew to maturity, 
 namelj': Nancy, now deceased; Louise, Mrs. Da- 
 vidson, of Livingston County, 111. ; Martha, Mrs. 
 Owen, of Tremont, Tazewell County; William R., 
 deceased ; Margaret, who was the first white child 
 born in Tazewell County, and is now the wife of 
 Stephen Stout, of Marshall County, Kan. ; and 
 Sarah, the mother of the Brown brothers. 
 
 Amos Brovrn and Miss Sarah Lackland were mar- 
 ried in 1851, and for seven years afterward lived in 
 the then little village of Pekin, 111., where Mr. 
 Brown followed his trade of carpenter. Later they 
 settled upon a farm in the same county, where the 
 death of the father took place in 1870, he leaving 
 five children, four of whom, Brown Bros., are still 
 living. The mother with her sons continued her 
 residence in Tazewell County until 1877, then at 
 the instance of the latter came to Nebraska, and in- 
 vested a portion of her capital in 160 acres of land 
 in North Branch Precinct, where she and her three 
 sons still live. They were jirospered in their efforts 
 to build up a homestead, and added to their first 
 purchase until their estate now embraces 400 acres 
 of land, with all the buildings and machinery re- 
 quired for the successful prosecution of agriculture 
 A large portion is devoted to stock-raising, and 
 
 md W 
 
• ► i r^- 
 
 •a^ 
 
 3;jc 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 they keep the best gindps, including Morgan horses, 
 PollGfl-Angns cattle, graded stock and pure-bred 
 Poland-China swine. 
 
 George E. Brown was marritd to Miss Nellie E. 
 Cornish, May 18, 1886, at the home of the bride in 
 ]\linnesota. They took up their residence in a snug 
 dwelling in North Branch Precinct. This son and 
 his mother are members in good standing of the 
 Congregational Church. Charles, politically, is a 
 Democrat, while the other brothers are earnest sup- 
 porters of Republican principles. The family are 
 widely and favorably' known throughout this part 
 of the county, and are closely allied to its agri- 
 cultural interests, which, in the building up of one 
 of its finest farms, they have thus greatly facili- 
 tated, adding to their wealth and importance. 
 
 Grandfather Nathaniel Brown was born in New 
 Hampshire, Jan. 3. 1783, and died Oct. 5, 1842. 
 He was married, in May, 1826, to Miss Sally Dens- 
 raore, who was born in Alstead, N. H., Sept. 19, 
 1789, and who died Nov. 7, 1875. The parents of 
 Grandmother Brown removed to Pittsfleid, Vt., 
 when she was a child. The Browns emigrated from 
 Rochester, Vt., to Illinois in the summer of 1838, 
 reaching Enoch Emerson's on the 1st day of August, 
 after having been five weeks on the road. Thej' 
 had journej'ed overland with teams to Buffalo, N. 
 Y., and at that point the horses and wagons, and 
 the family, numbering five persons, were loaded 
 upon a steamboat and taken to Detroit. Thence 
 they resumed their journey by wagon to Illinois. 
 
 These travelers first went np Lake Erie to avoid 
 the Miami swamp in Ohio. It was not safe to travel 
 through Canada on account of the rebellion. The 
 name of the great-grandfather was also Nathaniel, 
 and he married a Miss Groves. They became the 
 parents of seven children, namely : Thomas, Reu- 
 ben, Nathaniel, Amos, Daniel, Amanda and Polly. 
 On the other side of the house the great-grand- 
 father, Zebadiah Densmore, married Miss Elizabeth 
 Todd, and they became the parents of ten children 
 namely: Thomas, Zebadiah, Jr., John, Amos, Joel, 
 Elizabeth, Jemima, Sally, Lucy and P0II3'. Both 
 the great-grandfathers served all through the Rev- 
 olutionary "War. Uncle Joel Densmore was in 
 the army four years during the "War of 1812, enter- 
 ing the ranks as a drummer boy when fourteen 
 
 • ¥ ' i ^' 
 
 years of age. During that war acompanj'of volun- 
 teers, under command of Grandfather Brown as 
 Captain, marched to Plattsburg at the time of the 
 concentration of forces there, but did not succeed 
 in arriving until after the battle. Capt. Brown, as 
 he was afterward familiarly called, was the off- 
 spring of a family noted for their industry and in- 
 tegrity of character, and these traits have descended 
 in a marked manner to the Browns who have come 
 after. 
 
 aHARLP:S B. BICKEL has for more than 
 twenty years been prominently identified 
 ' with the building interests of Nebraska City 
 as contractor and builder, and thus it has been his 
 privilege not only to witness its growth, but to be 
 an energetic factor in promoting it. He was born 
 in Gallia County, Ohio. May 16, 1826. His father, 
 Anthony Bickel,a native of Botetourt County, "Va., 
 was the son of a German who came to America 
 some time during the last century, and settled in 
 Botef.ourt County, which remained his home until 
 his death. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in his native 
 count3', and when a young man went to North 
 Carolina, and there married Diana Chappell, a native 
 of that State. After marriage the parents of our 
 subject removed to Oliio, traversing the long and 
 weary distance over the Alleghany Mountains in a 
 wagon containing their household goods drawn by 
 Indian ponies, for this was before the introduction 
 of railways into that part of the country. They 
 located in Gallia County, and were thus identified 
 witii its early settlers. Mr. Bickel rented land for 
 a time, and later bought a tract, but, being unfort- 
 unate, was unable to pay for it. He continued to 
 be a resident of that county until his death in 18.58, 
 respected and esteemed by his neighbors for his 
 many sterling qualities. He was quite young when 
 the War of 1812 broke out, but during the latter 
 part of it he enlisted and started to join the army 
 on the Virginia coast, but the war, however, closed 
 before he reached his destination, and he was dis- 
 charged with his comrades and walked home. Mrs. 
 Bickel survived her husband onlj' a few years, 
 dying in Gallia County. There were eleven cliil- 
 
 ?^«- 
 
»► m*^ ' 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 397 
 
 (Iren born of that marriage, nine of whom grew to 
 maturity. 
 
 Cliarles Bickel, of this biograpliical notice, was 
 reared amid the pioneer scenes of his native county, 
 where the advantages of an education were very 
 much inferior to those enjoyed by the youth of the 
 present day. The nearest school was two and one- 
 lialf miles distant from his home, and was conducted 
 in a rude log building, with seats or benches made 
 of slabs without backs or desks; a board that rested 
 ou wooden pegs that were driven into the logs 
 served for the scholars to write on. As soon as he 
 was large enough to do so our subject commenced 
 to help his father on the farm. When he was four- 
 teen years old tiie care of the farm devolved upon 
 him entirely, as his father was stricken with rheuma- 
 tism. But he was a bright, active lad, and was 
 fully equal to the occasion, and a manliness and 
 self-reliance bej'ond his 3-ears were thus early de- 
 veloped in him. He lived at home until he was 
 twenty years old, and then hired a man to work in 
 liis place, and went to Virginia, where he com- 
 menced to learn the trade of bricklayer, serving an 
 apprenticeship of three years. His first job as a 
 builder was in Virginia, when he superintended the 
 construction of his brother's house. He formed a 
 partnership with another brother, and they took 
 contracts to erect buildings, always burning their 
 own brick. As an excellent specimen of their 
 work the court-house at Barboursville, the county 
 seat, m.ay be mentioned. Mr. Bickel continued in 
 business as bricklayer and contractor in Virginia 
 and Kentucky until 1857, when he went to Quincy, 
 111., to work at his trade. When he first went there 
 business was good and he earned $4 a day, but in 
 about three months all building ceased, and he was 
 thrown out of work. He then started for Mary- 
 ville. Mo., where a brother lived, going by way 
 of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. His family 
 was with him, and when they arrived at Maryville 
 the boxes containing all their best clothes and most 
 valuable household effects were missing, and they 
 had to start anew. Maryville was then a village 
 of 300 or 400 inhabitants, and the surrounding 
 country was wild and sparsely settled. 
 
 Mr. Bickel found employment at his trade for a 
 few months, and then business was suspended, but 
 
 he was a man of resources, and not easily dis- 
 couraged, and determined upon renting a farm. 
 While attending to that he took up plastering, and 
 finding that he could do well at that, he worked at 
 it as opportunity offered. During the war times 
 were hard, and the state of affairs was so unsettled 
 in Missouri that he could not get work there, so he 
 concluded to go West. He divided his last $30 
 with his wife, and with the small sum of money 
 remaining to him started across the plains for 
 Colorado. Arriving in Denver, then a town of 
 4,000 or 5,000 inhabitants, he found emploj'ment 
 by the day, and was thus engaged for a time, until 
 he formed a partnership with J. B. Lull, and en- 
 gaged in contracting. They built the Governor's 
 residence, a Methodist Church, and other noted 
 buildings of that day. Mr. Bickel remained in the 
 Queen City until the fall of 1864, and then wish- 
 ing to return home, he engaged passage by a mule 
 team, the most convenient mode of carriage before 
 the railways stretched across the plains, and paid 
 $17 fare to Nebraska City. From here he proceeded 
 to Graham Village, Mo., where his family lived. In 
 January, 18G5, he sold his propertj^ there and re- 
 moved with his family to this city, where he at once 
 took a contract to erect an extensive warehouse. 
 Since that time he has been a respected resident of 
 this place, and is still conducting business here, the 
 greater part of the brick buildings in the city being 
 monuments of his handiwork. His four sons are 
 interested in the business with him, and their work 
 is not by any means confined to Otoe County, but 
 extends as far as Omaha. 
 
 Mr. Bickel was married, in 1852, to Miss Isabella 
 Kelly, a native of the Isle of Man, Great Britain, 
 and the following are the six children who have 
 been born to them : Mary, who married Jacob 
 Schulenberger, and died in Nevada; John K., 
 Anthony A., Charles C, Rosa B. and George R. Mrs. 
 Bickel came to America with her mother when she 
 was five years of age, her father, Thomas Kelly, 
 having come here two years before. Her father 
 was born on the Isle of Man, coming of an old 
 family of that isle that can trace its ancestry back 
 several generations. When he first came to America 
 he lived for awhile near Columbus, Ohio, and from 
 there he removed to Lawrence County, in that 
 
 *► II <• 
 
 f 
 
 ■♦--11-^ 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 ••► 
 
 398 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 State, where he spent the remainder of his life. His 
 wife, whose maiden name was Catherine Kirk, was 
 also a native of the Isle of Man, and came of an 
 old and respected family. She likewise died in 
 Lawrence County, Ohio. Mr. Bickel has always 
 shown a spirit of enterprise, and is ever ready to 
 assist in anything to benefit Nebraska Citj' or Otoe 
 County. In 1883 he was one of the company that 
 attempted to start a barbed wire manufactory in 
 this city. In 1872 he bought a half-interest in a 
 tannery at Lincoln, located on the northwest corner 
 of O and Twenty-fourth streets, and retained it 
 until 1887, when he sold it at a good advance. 
 Mr. Bickel is a time-honored resident of Otoe 
 County, and in his useful career has gained the 
 respect of the man}"^ who have had dealings with 
 him, as he is always strictly just and honest in all 
 his transactions, and no blot has ever been cast on 
 his name. He is influential in public affairs, and 
 has served two years as a member of the City 
 Counpil. He affiliates with the Democratic party, 
 although he was in early life a Whig. He is a 
 member of Nebraska City Lodge No. 12, A. F. & 
 A. M., and also of Frontier Lodge No. 3, I. O. O. 
 F. He and his wife are members in high standing 
 of the Southern Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 ■*3 
 
 A A 
 
 "T"~T 
 
 -&- 
 
 H^ 
 
 "ifJOHN FEERICHS. The finely cultivated 
 farm of 210 acres which occupies a portion 
 of section 24, McWilliams Precinct, has for 
 (^^' the last eighteen years been under the man- 
 agement of the subject of this sketch, and indicates 
 in a most forcible manner his characteristic enter- 
 prise and energy. He has built up a fine farm 
 from an uncultivated tract of land, placing thereon 
 neat and substantial buildings, and gradually add- 
 ing the comforts and conveniences which have be- 
 come indispensable to the well-being and satisfaction 
 of the citizen of to-day, with his modernized ideas. 
 A self-made man in the truest sense of the word, 
 Mr. Freriehs has been the architect of his own fort- 
 une, building up his property slowly but surely bj' 
 the labor of his hands. 
 
 Our subject was boin in Madison County, 111., 
 -4* 
 
 Nov. 31, 1857, and when a lad of thirteen years 
 accompanied his parents to this State, which had 
 but just emerged from a Territory. They located on 
 a farm in McWilliams Precinct, tliis county, which 
 is now the property of our subject. The father, 
 Abraham Freriehs, was born and re.ared in Han- 
 over, Germany, and was there married to Miss 
 Gretje Ubben, a native of the same. They re- 
 mained upon their native soil until after the birth 
 of five children, and upon coming to the United 
 States sojourned in Madison County, 111., for a 
 period of thirteen years. John, of our sketch, was 
 the 3'oungest of the family, and the onlj' one born 
 on this side of the Atlantic. The father upon com- 
 ing to Nebraska remained upon the homestead now 
 occupied by our subject until his death, which took 
 place Feb. 15, 1875, when he was sixty-five years 
 old. He was a good man in the broadest sense of 
 the term, honest and industrious, a man prompt to 
 meet his obligations, and a member in good stand- 
 ing of the Lutheran Church. After becoming a 
 naturalized citizen he identified himself witii the 
 Republican part}", of whose principles he was a warm 
 supporter until the day of his death. The mother 
 is still living, and resides with our subject. Their 
 family consisted of five sons and one daughter; the 
 latter is deceased; the sons are residing in this 
 State. 
 
 John Freriehs completed his education in this 
 county, and after the death of his father continued 
 on the homestead with his mother, assisting her in 
 its management. He was married, Oct. 22, 1885, 
 to Miss Mary L. Ritter, who was born in Bureau 
 County, 111., Sept. 20, 1865. The wedding was 
 celebrated at the hom6 of the bride in McWilliams 
 Precinct. The parents of Mrs. P'rerichs v;(ire Rev. 
 Josiah andjjCharlotta Ritter, who are still living on 
 the farm where they settled when first coming to 
 this count3^ The father has been a minister of the 
 Lutheran Church for many years. The parental 
 household included three children, who are all living 
 in Nebraska. 
 
 Mrs. Freriehs was quite joung when her parents 
 came to Nebraska, and com])Ieted her education in 
 the public schools of McWilliams Precinct. She 
 remained with her parents until her marriage, and 
 is now the mother of one child, Ljnlia S., who was 
 
Residence of John rRERicH5,5EC.24. M?WiLLiAtvi5 Precinct. 
 
 Residence OF F Joe Sand, Sec 15 NebraskaCity Precinct 
 
>► m<^ - 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 401 
 
 T 
 
 born Sept. 5. 1886. Like their parents before 
 tliem, Mr. and Mrs. Frerichs are identifled with the 
 Luthei-an Church, and Mr. F., politically, is a stanch 
 Republican. He h.as held various minor offices, and 
 is a man who inspires respect amongall who know 
 him. The handsome lithographic view of his home- 
 stead which will he found on an accomp,anying 
 page illustrates the industry and energy which form 
 the leading elements of his character. 
 
 'RANK JOSEPH SAND occupies a promi- 
 nent place among the young agriculturists 
 of Otoe County who are active in sustaining 
 and still further developing its great agricultural 
 intei-ests. He is second to none in enterprise and 
 practical abilit}', and he has a thorough knowledge 
 of farming in all of its branches. The homestead 
 on section 15, Nebraska City Precinct, that was once 
 his father's, has descended to him ; a goodl}^ heritage, 
 indeed, with its broad, highly cultivated fields, 
 comprising 160 acres of exceedingly fertile land; 
 its farm buildings, neat, substantial and conven- 
 iently arranged ; and its many otlier valuable im- 
 provements, which makes it one of the finest farms 
 for many miles around; 
 
 The father of our subject, Joseph Sand, was a 
 pioneer first of Missouri, and later of Nebraska, in 
 each case doing his share to promote the growth of 
 the county in which he located. He was a German 
 bj' birth and breeding, born in Bavaria, March 9, 
 1811. He early learned the trade of blacksmith in 
 the Fatherland, and coming to America about 1838, 
 worked at his trade in various States. He finally 
 settled in Atchison County, Mo., about 1840, and 
 was a pioneer of that section of the country. He 
 entered a tract of Government land, on which he 
 immediately erected two log cabins, one for a dwell- 
 ing and the other for a smith}', wherein he plied 
 his calling, and, as opportunity offered, worked on 
 his land. In 1860 he rented his place and came to 
 Nebraska, then a Territory, and located in Otoe 
 Countj', where he bought 1 60 acres of land on sec- 
 tion 22 of Four Mile Precinct, of which thirty 
 acres broken and a log house constituted the im- | 
 
 4* 
 
 provements. He lived there one year, and then 
 bought 160 acres on section 15 of Nebraska City 
 Precinct, which is the place now occupied liy our 
 subject. It is beautifully situated two miles from 
 the court-house in Nebraska City. There was a 
 small frame house and a log stable on the place 
 then, and about fifty acres of the land were im- 
 proved. Mr. Sand was much interested in fruit 
 growing, and devoted a great deal of his time to 
 that branch of agriculture, planting quite a large 
 vineyard and fine apple, pear and peach orchards. 
 He erected frame stables, and commenced the erec- 
 tion of a commodious brick house which our sub- 
 ject completed. He was very successful iu his 
 ventures, and accumulated a fine property. His 
 death, June 5, 1882, was a severe blow to the indus- 
 trial interests of the community, as he was a man of 
 rare sagacitj' and sound judgment, a hard worker, 
 and one whose reputation as a good citizen, a kind 
 husband and a wise father was of the best. The 
 maiden name of his wife was Mary Anna Bach, and 
 she was also a native of Bavaria. She died in 1862. 
 The following is the record of the five children 
 born to them : Anthony died at the age of thirteen 
 j-ears; Theresa married Emile Zimmerer, and died 
 in her thirty-fourth year; Frank J., our subject; 
 Fridoline is now a resident of Germany; Philomena 
 married John Zimmerer, and resides at Seward, 
 Neb. 
 
 The subject of this sketch received his early edu- 
 cation in the public schools of OtoeCount^'. When 
 he was twelve years old he went to Germany with 
 his father to complete his education, and after 
 studying there four years he returned to Nebraska 
 and assisted his father on the farm, and when the 
 latter fell sick the entire charge of the homestead 
 fell to him. He now owns and occupies the old 
 place, which under his able management is still kept 
 up to the high standard of cultivation that it had 
 attained under his father's care. 
 
 Mr. Sand was married. May 5, 1884, to Miss 
 Rosina Wirth. She is a native of Atchison County, 
 Mo., and a daughter of Anton and Walburga Wirth 
 natives of Bavaria. The union of our subject and 
 his wife has been blessed to them by the birth of 
 three children — Mary, Johnnie and Helena. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Sand are devoted members of the Bene- 
 
 •r^^ 
 
|i 40-2 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 •► 
 
 1 ' 
 
 dictine Catholic Church, •and they carr^' their relig- 
 ion into their dail}' lives. Mr. Sand is an intelligent, 
 well-informed man, inheriting from his father the 
 highest principles of honesty, industry, sobriety 
 and truthfulness, and he acts well his part as a citi- 
 zen, as a husband, as a father and as a neighbor, and 
 is respected accordingly by all who know him. 
 Politicall}', he is a stanch Democrat. We call the 
 attention of our readers to the fine lithographic view 
 of the handsome residence, surroundings and farm 
 of Mr. Sand on an accompanying page. 
 
 \f OSEPH F. WELCH. Upon the first intro- 
 I ductiou to this gentleman one is impressed 
 j with the fact that he is an Englishman by 
 (^/' birth. He presents all the happy national 
 traits of that people, and yet is so sufHciently and 
 thoroughl}^ American that nothing objectionable 
 can be found bj- the most critical patriot. He is at 
 once popular and respected; his business is that of 
 a manufacturer of store fronts, store and office 
 fittings, moldings, sash, doors and blinds. He 
 is also President of the Nebraska City Chair Manu- 
 facturing Company. He was born on Charlotte 
 street, Fitzroy Square, London. England, Feb. 25, 
 1834. 
 
 Our subject is the son of James and Harriet 
 Welch. His father was b}'' occupation a 'plumber, 
 but it was the misfortune of our subject to lose him 
 by death when a very young child. His mother 
 is also deceased. Our subject was the only child, 
 and was brought up with an aunt, and did not go 
 back to London until he was sixteen years of age. 
 
 The educational advantages afforded Mr. Welch 
 were comparatively few, and he began to work 
 with his uncle, who was a builder; when he re- 
 turned to London he was engaged as an improver 
 and finisher. He continued working in the city for 
 some time as a journe^nnan. and then went into 
 business as a builder with a young man who was 
 also a thorough mechanic, and carried on quite a 
 large business, their pay-roll frequently' amounting 
 to over S500 per week. 
 
 During the period of his life in London our sub- 
 ject was united in marriage with .Miss Elizalieth 
 
 Baker. This \a.dy is the daughter of James and 
 Elizabeth Baker, and was born in Worthing, Essex, 
 England. Of this union five children were born 
 in England prior to their journeying to the New 
 World, which event transpired in 1870. Passing 
 direct from New York to Nebraska City, the fam- 
 il}' resided in that place until the Chicago fire; 
 that event led our subject to that city, and he con- 
 tinued working there and helping to rebuild it for 
 the space of about one year, and then returned to 
 Nebraska City, where he began his work as a 
 builder and contractor. 
 
 Mr. Welch is one who has grown up with the 
 city, and has all the time kept himself to the front. 
 He had about $1,000 when he first came from En- 
 gland, which certainly' was a powerful lever to suc- 
 cess, but there have been many disadvantages to be 
 overcome, and losses to be sustained. He takes 
 great pride in his sons, to whom he claims is 
 largely due the prosperity that has attended him 
 in this country, because they have, as he puts it, 
 "stayed right by him in everything." In 1880 he 
 started with a four-horse power engine in a small 
 planing-mill business in Griggsport, and happily 
 the business outgrew the capacity of the shop. 
 Purchasing the ground upon which his property 
 now stands, he built his present extensive factor^', 
 and put in the plant in 1883. He put up the first 
 building of the Blind Asylum in the Third Ward 
 at Griggsport, that portion of Nebraska City lying 
 on the hill in the northern part of the town. 
 
 In 1880 Mr. Welch went into the lumber busi- 
 ness, and is now engaged quite extensively and 
 prosperously. The Nebraslca City Chair Factory, 
 of which company, as above mentioned, he is Presi- 
 dent, is one of the earliest enterprises of the city, 
 and has from the first been assured of success with 
 such a moving and controlling spirit as our sub- 
 ject. It is now one of the important industries, 
 and its shipments are quite large. 
 
 The family of our subject has included five chil- 
 dren, viz: Elizabeth C, who died in P^ngland; 
 Frederick William, James, Emily J., and Ellen, who 
 died in this State; all were born in England. Mr. 
 AVeleh has from the first been thoroughly American 
 in regard to matters of legislation and political econ- 
 omy. He is not bound liy party lines or prefer- 
 
 ■•►-II- 
 
*► i r <^- 
 
 ii^l-^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •i03 
 
 ences, alwaj-s seeking to deposit his ballot in favor 
 of such candidates as in his judgment will best 
 serve the people. The same liberality marks his 
 approach to religious questions, for he is not con- 
 fined bj' lines of denominational demarkation. He 
 is by no means an unbeliever in the Christian faith, 
 but is large-souled and generous in his thoughts of 
 others. 
 
 <| I^ILLIAM R. GRAHAM, junior member of 
 \\JiJi *'^^ ^'^'^ °^ Catron & Graham, millers at 
 yf/%' AValnut Creek, is, with his partner, doing 
 a lucrative business, and has the general manage- 
 ment of the mill, which is situated in the eastern 
 part of Nebraska City Precinct. It is an old and re- 
 liable institution, well equipped with modern ma- 
 chinery, and h.ns a capacity of 3,000 pounds per 
 twelve hours. The mill under its present manage- 
 ment does a large custom trade, and yields to its 
 proprietors a handsome income. Mr. Graham has 
 been connected with it for a period of four years, 
 and has had a practical experience in the business 
 for twenty-seven years. He was at one time con- 
 nected with the Walnut Creek Roller Mills, which 
 are well known and popular in the county. 
 
 Prior to taking up his residence in Nebraska 
 Mr. Graham was engaged in milling in Mills 
 County, Iowa, for two j^ears, being connected with 
 the Phoenix Mills, of Glenwood, and was for a pe- 
 riod of six years connected with the Factorj^ville 
 ^lills, located on the Little Weeping Water, in Cass 
 Count}'. A native of Amherst County, Va., he 
 was born Jan. 26, 1846, and is the son of Joseph 
 and Frances (Thora;is) Graham, who were also na- 
 tives of the Old Dominion, the father a miller by 
 trade, and the mother a lady of more than ordinary 
 intelligence and good education. About 1883 they 
 removed to East Tennessee, where they are now 
 living, well advanced in years. They celebrated 
 their golden wedding May 24, 1888, an occasion 
 which called together a large number of warm 
 friends and acquaintances. 
 
 The parental famih' consisted of nine children, 
 six of whom are living. William R. learned the 
 miller's trade under the careful instruction of his 
 father, and remained a member of the parental 
 
 household until reaching his majority. He then 
 set out on his own account, following his trade in 
 his native State until coming to the AVest. He 
 understands the business in all its details, and has 
 been largely instrumental in building up the pres- 
 ent business. 
 
 Our subject was married in his native State, 
 March 28, 1867, to Miss Betty A. Austin, who was 
 born in Campbell County, Va., Nov. 16, 1846. The 
 parents of Mrs. Graham were Thomas L. and Martha 
 N. (Ward) Austin, who are still living, and now 
 residents of Rock Creek Precinct, this county. A 
 sketch of them will be found elsewhere in this vol- 
 ume. Mrs. Graham was well reared and carefully 
 educated in her native State, and lived with her 
 parents until her marriage. Of this union there 
 are no children. Mr. and Mrs. G. occup}^ a good 
 position in social circles, and our subject is con- 
 sidered one of the leading business men of the 
 place. Politically, he votes the straight Demo- 
 cratic ticket, and has built up for himself the rec- 
 ord of an honest man and a good citizen. 
 
 ^ .^^ ^ 
 
 <* I^ALLACE STEVENSON. The present bio- 
 \^// graphical epitome presents the more sal- 
 Vt^j lent features in the life of an ex-County 
 Clerk of Otoe County, who, at the same time, was 
 one of the very promising, progressive agricultur- 
 ists of the county, and operates 480 acres of fine 
 land situated in Russell Precinct, section 14. He 
 is the son of Oliver and Maria (Sherwood) Steven- 
 son. His father was born in Wa^'ne County, Pa., 
 in 1808, and his mother in Sullivan County. N. Y. 
 Their marriage was observed in Pennsylvania. 
 
 The forefathers of this family were among the 
 Brst Quakers who settled Burlington, West Jersey; 
 there were three. brothers, Thomas, John and Will- 
 iam, all of whom married the three daughters of Sam- 
 uel Jennings, Governor of the Province, about the 
 j'ear 1 680. The great-grandfather, Joseph Stevenson, 
 a descendant of William Stevenson, moved from 
 New Jersey to Wayne County, Pa., in 1796. The 
 name of his son, the grandfather of our subject, was 
 James Stevenson, and his son Oliver, the father of 
 our subject, who represents the fifth generation of 
 
 •^-ll^ 
 
 *^h 
 
lii 404 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 the family in tliis country, bore worthily a name 
 that had been honorerl in other years. By occu- 
 pation he was a miller, and his work was in Hones- 
 dale. This mill burned in 1858, and the following 
 year he removed to Brownsville, Neb., where they 
 spent the winter. In the spring of 1 860 he went to 
 Nebraska City, and there built a mill at the foot of 
 Main street, and carried on business. As the years 
 passed he grew more prosperous. He owns con- 
 siderable property, chiefly situated in Nebraska 
 City. For three years he filled with ability the 
 office of .Sheriff of Wayne County, Pa., and was 
 State Senator of Nebraska for one term, and three 
 times was elected to fill the office of County Com- 
 missioner. His politics are identical with those of 
 the Democratic part^-, which ticket he accordingly 
 votes. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is one of four children 
 born to his parents, viz: Henry (deceased), Gran- 
 ville, Marietta and Wallace. He was born on the 
 3d of April, 1853, in Wayne County, Pa., and was 
 six years of age when his p.arents removed to Ne- 
 braska. He staid in Nebraska City until he was 
 about eighteen years of age. He was well and care- 
 fully educated, bei ,g graduated from the common 
 school, then taking a thorough course in the Presby- 
 terian High School at Nebraska City. In 1871 he 
 went to the State University at Lincoln, and took the 
 scientific course, being graduated with the degree of 
 B. S. in the class of '74. 
 
 Mr. Stevenson taught school for one year after 
 leaving college, and then began farming in Eussell 
 Precinct on his present farm. The 480 acres which 
 constitute his property, in connection with his father, 
 is well kept and cultivated. Valuable improve- 
 ments are found on every hand, and the value of 
 the property is further enhanced by the flowing of 
 Wolf Creek through it. 
 
 On the 18th of January, 1888, near Burlington, 
 Iowa, our subject was united in wedlock to Lucy 
 Hurlbut, the daughter of of T. K. Hurlbut, who 
 was born in Hartford, Conn. Her mother's maiden 
 name was Jane Tweedy, and she was born in Massa- 
 chusetts. Mrs. Stevenson is the third of nine chil- 
 dren born to her parents. She was born in Des 
 Moines County, Iowa, Jan. 15, 1857. She is a lady 
 well eductated, and has taken a thorough course of 
 
 music at the Oberlin College, Ohio, and from the 
 time of her graduation until her marriage she was 
 busilj' engaged in imparting instruction to others. 
 The political relation of our subject is with the 
 Democratic party, but his ability and character are 
 recognized, and resulted in the election of 1883 
 creating him County Clerk for the term of two 
 years, and for six years he served as Director on 
 the School Board of his school district. He is also 
 one of the order of the Knights of Pythias, and as 
 such is well received and much esteemed. 
 
 ■ 'l^i- 
 
 <ifiOHN A. MILLIKEN is one of the practical, 
 progressive and prosperous farmers of Rus- 
 sell Precinct, where he operates 1 60 acres of 
 (^{^' excellent land on section 16. His parents^ 
 Alexander J. and Fann-y J. (Clark) Milliken, were 
 natives of New York. Upon the paternal side of 
 the family our subject is of Irish descent, while the 
 ancestry of bis mother is Scottish. The father of our 
 subject had a woolen manufacturing establishment 
 in successful operation in Orange County, N. Y., 
 but in the year 1840 he sold his business and plant 
 and began farming. After reaching sixty-five ^^ears 
 of age the father died in the year 1865. He had 
 been an active member of the Republican party 
 and took much interest in questions of public inter- 
 est. The mother died in Orange County in 1876, 
 aged sixty-three years. Both were ardent Episco- 
 palians. They were the parents of five children, 
 viz ; Anna and Margaret, both deceased ; Elizabeth, 
 who resides in New York; James C, deceased, and 
 our subject, John A. Alexander Milliken, the 
 grandfather of our subject, was of Irish descent. 
 He was born in 1760, and died in 1803, in Walden, 
 N. Y. He served as a Captain in the War of 1812. 
 The birthplace of Mr. Milliken was in the vicinity 
 of Walden, Orange Co., N. Y., the event occur- 
 ring on the 18th of Julj', 1842. The common 
 schools supplied him with a foundation of educa- 
 tion and mental training, but he continued his resi- 
 dence at home until he attained his majority. In 
 the year 1861, when the call was made for de- 
 fenders of the Union, he enlisted in the 1 24th New 
 York Infantry, serving in Company H, under Capt. 
 
 .^h^: 
 
 -^^In^ 
 
•►Hl^^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -9^ 
 
 405 
 
 Crist, the regiment being under command of Col. 
 Ellis. He was mustered in at Goshen, N. Y., went 
 to Washington and then into Virginia. At the bat- 
 tle of Abington Heights he was injured by a bayo- 
 net thrust in the right knee, and was laid up in the 
 hospital at Washington for three weeks and was 
 then discharged, owing to disability. Upon fully 
 recovering he went into the woolen-mills, and con- 
 tinued for nine years, and then made a change, go- 
 ing into the manufacturing of knives, which hecon- 
 tinued for about four years. 
 
 In 1873 the subject of our sketch came to Ne- 
 braska, journeying b}' rail to Nebraska Cit}'. He 
 arrived on the 1st of March. He then went on 
 to Russell and rented a farm, where he remained 
 for one year. He then bought eighty acres of land 
 and ran it upon his own account for a time. After- 
 ward, renting his land, he went to Lincoln and sold 
 ice for about a year. Owing to the loss caused bj" 
 the grasshopper plague he was compelled to let his 
 land revert back. He then rented land for about 
 four years. At the end of that time he had re- 
 covered his financial power and purchased his pres- 
 ent property. He came to it when it was yet in an 
 unimproved condition, and in beginning turned the 
 first furrow upon the place. In the fields, farm 
 buildings or dwelling may be seen at every turn 
 improvements, arrangements and conveniences that 
 indicate the enterprise and intelligence of the owner 
 of the place. He is chiefly engaged in raising 
 stock of various kinds, including cattle and hogs. 
 He has also some nine head of horses of high-grade 
 Norman stock. 
 
 In Orange County, N. Y., on the 3d of May, 
 1870, Mr. Milliken celebrated his marriage with 
 Miss Angeline Houston, who is the daughter of 
 Robert and Elena (Vandelyn) Houston. The father 
 was a native of Ireland, and the mother of Dutch 
 and Scotch descent. 'I he former came to America 
 when about fifteen years old, and later became a 
 prosperous farmer in New York, afterward enter- 
 ing into mercantile pursuits, where he was likewise 
 very successful financially. In 1874 he came to 
 Russell Precinct in tliis county, and in 1880 bought 
 eighty acres of land. In 1882 he went to Una- 
 dilla. where he purchased a house, and there lived 
 a retired life until his death, which occurred on the 
 
 16th of June, 1888, he at the time being sixty- 
 eight years of age. His widow is still living at Red 
 Oak, N. Y., and is seventy-one years of age. This 
 lady has been twice married. By her first marriage 
 she is the mother of one child, Louisa Wilkins; by 
 the second union, of six children, viz: Mary A., Sa- 
 rah, Angeline, John, James (deceased) and Jane E. 
 
 The wife of our subject was born in Bradford 
 County, Pa., on the 20th of September, l!-'46. Slie 
 obtained her education in the usual institutions and 
 led an active life until her marriage. She presented 
 her husband with four children, only two of whom 
 survive, viz: Eleanor Frances and John Gerald. 
 The deceased children were named James C. and 
 Charles C. Mrs. Milliken is an earnest member of the 
 United Brethren Church at Pleasant Hill, and has 
 been connected with the society for thirteen years. 
 She is a lady of good family, possessed of those 
 graces and refinements that mark a noble woman. 
 Her home speaks eloquently of her domestic pow- 
 ers, and it is safe to say that she has given zest and 
 tone to the life of our subject since the acquaint- 
 ance began which has so happily resulted. 
 
 If the subject of our sketch has anything outside 
 his home that receives more thought, care and at- 
 tention than another it is horses; using the word in 
 its best sense we could almost say it is his hobbjr. 
 He is the owner of some very fine creatures, and 
 takes the greatest delight in caring for them. He 
 is a man who has made his way in the world largely 
 by his own exertions, energy and thrift, although 
 since his marriage the mutual help of his faithful 
 wife has done very much to this end. Both are 
 highl}' esteemed in the community in which they 
 reside. 
 
 jF_^ G. CASSEL, a native of this county, and 
 f/jij one of the oldest living white residents born 
 /^W^ within its limits, has his home with his 
 (^^ mother on the farm which was taken up by 
 his father from the Government. He was horn 
 Oct. 22, 1856, and is the son of Thomas and Mary 
 (West) Cassel, who were natives of Ohio, the former 
 born in Warren County and the latter in Cham- 
 paign Count}'. 
 
 Thomas Cassel accompanied his parents to In- 
 
 ^ 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 406 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 diana when a boy, where he was reared to manhood, 
 becoming familiar with farm pursuits. There also 
 he was married to Miss AVest, and settled upon a 
 tract of land in AVarren County. Five years later, 
 in May ,1 856, the father oelieving he could do better 
 west of the Mississippi, disposed of his Indiana 
 homestead, and gathering together his family and 
 personal effects set out for the Territory of Ne- 
 braska. They located upon a quarter-section of 
 land on the eastern line of this county, four miles 
 northeast of which later grew up Nebraska City. 
 
 The parents of our subject endured in common 
 with the people around them the hardships and 
 privations of pioneer life. They i)rought with 
 them their two children, Emma and Louisa, the 
 latter of whom died when a child two years of age. 
 H. G., our subject, was born the same j'ear of their 
 arrival here. The father, however, was not per- 
 mitted to carry out the plans which he had cherished 
 in regard to the building up of a homestead, as his 
 death occurred two years later, April 19, 1858, 
 when he was but thirtj' j'ears of age. 
 
 The mother of our subject After the death of her 
 husband moved back to Indiana, where she lived 
 until our subject was a lad of flfteen years. In the 
 meantime she h.ad been married to John Steely, who 
 dieil in Indiana Feb. 11, 1883, leaving three chil- 
 dren. Our subject at the age mentioned set out 
 in life for himself practicall}', and coming back to 
 Nebraska completed his education in the schools of 
 Nebraska City. Since first coming to this State he 
 made ten trips back and forth. In 1 884 he engaged 
 in the hardware and implement business at Palmyra, 
 in partnership with W. M. Thaler, and was thus 
 occupied until January, 1888. He then disposed 
 of his interest in the business to his partner, and in- 
 vested his capital in his present homestead. His 
 widowed mother makes her home with him. His 
 two sisters are married and live in Indiana. The farm 
 of our subject embraces 160 acres of land, occupying 
 the southeast quarter of section 2, Palmyra Precinct. 
 Although his residence here has been brief, it is 
 apparent that he will in the near future be numbered 
 among the skillful agriculturists of Southern Ne- 
 braska. He is a young man of more than ordinary 
 capacities, wide-awake, intelligent, and possessed of 
 excellent judgment. A man prompt to meet his 
 
 obligations, and of the strictest integrity, he has 
 fully established himself in the esteem and confi- 
 dence of his community. He cast his first Presi- 
 dential vote for R. B. Haj'es, and is a stanch sup- 
 porter of Republican principles. He still remains a 
 bachelor, and in him his widowed mother finds her 
 chief support and comfort. He gives his attention 
 principally to general agriculture, although having 
 a fair assortment of live stock, and his farm build- 
 ings are fully adapted to all the purposes of rural 
 life. 
 
 By her second marriage the mother of our sub- 
 ject has three children, namely : Richard H., Will- 
 iam W. and Ella. The boys make their home with 
 their mother, and the daughter is now the wife of 
 W. J. Pierce, of Warren Count}', Ind. 
 
 'jf^MIL REIBER, dealer in dry-goods, gentle- 
 l^ men's furnishing goods and groceries, is 
 iL-^j transacting a thriving business on Central 
 avenue in the business portion of Nebraska City, 
 and is regarded as one of its leading men. He is 
 not only of excellent business capacities and sound 
 judgment, but a man possessing a good education, 
 and of great natural reflnment. A native of the 
 Kingdom of Saxony, he was born near the city of 
 Frankenhausen, Sept. 19, 1842, and in common 
 with the children of his native Empire, began a 
 thorough education, which, however, was interrupted 
 while he was a little lad by the emigration of his 
 parents to America. 
 
 John F. C. and Mary Elizabeth Reiber, the parents 
 of our subject, were of pure German ancestry, and 
 the father a farmer by occupation, which he carried 
 on in a skillful and intelligent manner, and while 
 cultivating the soil allowed neither his own mind 
 nor that of his children to run to waste. The 
 household circle consisted of seven sons and one 
 daughter, who were all born in the Fatherland, and 
 in 1850 they all started for the United States. 
 Soon after landing upon American soil they made 
 their way to Washington County, Ohio, where the 
 father became owner of fort}' acres of land, and 
 wh'jre our subject was reared until a young man of 
 twent}- years. The death of the mother took i)lace 
 
 ■•►-II 
 
»► II <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ••► 
 
 407 
 
 at the homestead in Ohio in October, 1870. The 
 father is also dead, having died in 1885 at our sub- 
 ject's home; the other children are all dead. 
 
 When twenty j-ears old our subject started out 
 on his own account, purchasing a farm in Ohio, 
 and the j-ear following was married, Feb. 1, 1862, 
 to Miss Catherine, a sister of Hon. Paul Schminive, 
 of Nebraska Citj', a sketch of whom will be found 
 elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Reiber, like her 
 husband, is a native of Germany, and was born in 
 1843. She was a little girl eight years of age when 
 her parents came to America, they settling first in 
 the coal regions of Pennsylvania. Later they re- 
 moved to Washington C'ountj', Ohio. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Reiber began life together at their 
 farm, but a year later, our subject not being satis- 
 fied with the outlook, accepted a clerkship in a 
 store at Marietta, Ohio, and was thus occupied two 
 years. He then started in business for himself on a 
 small scale at Marietta, having been left almost 
 without means by the failure of the firm by which 
 he had been emjjloj'ed. Fortunatel}', however, his 
 farm lay within the oil regions spoken of, and in 
 the midst of the great excitement of that time he 
 disposed of it to good advantage before starting in 
 business, and was thus placed upon a substantial 
 footing. He devoted himself assiduouslj' to his 
 business, but as a natural result his health suffered 
 greatly, and he felt compelled to make a change of 
 occupation and location. 
 
 Mr. Reiber according!}', in the spring of 1 874, 
 accompanied b} his wife and family, started on a 
 pleasure trip for the West, with the intention of 
 settling Somewhere in the region of the Mississippi 
 in case he could find a desirable location. He was 
 cordially welcomed to Nebraska City by his brother- 
 in-law. and found after remaining here for a time 
 that his health was perceptibly improving. In the 
 meantime his agents had disposed of his business 
 interests in Ohio, and everj"thing seemed favorable 
 for his settlement in Nebraska Citj'. He was taken 
 into partnership with Mr. Schminke in the milling 
 business, and from that time has been making fine 
 progress, being now numbered among the popular 
 business men of the place, and forming no unim- 
 portant factor in the development of its most im- 
 ^ ' portant interests. He has a beautiful home with 
 
 an amiable wife and two intelligent children, J. W. 
 and Clara M., both of whom remain at home with 
 their parents. One daughter, Dorothea, died when 
 four years and eight months old. 
 
 In the latter part of 1887 Mr. Reiber abandoned 
 milling and invested a portion of his capital in a 
 stock of general merchandise. He has always made 
 it a rule to pay cash for his goods, and can thus 
 afford to dispose of them at a price which has re- 
 sulted in an extended and constantly increasing 
 patronage. He enters upon his second jear of 
 business in Nebraska City with an increased capital, 
 and with the vigor and energy' which can only be 
 experienced by a successful and happily situated 
 man. He was for a period of twelve years the 
 partner of his esteemed brother-in-law, during 
 which time he had charge of the business, while 
 Mr. Schminke filled an important position under 
 the Government. 
 
 Mr. Reiber, politically, is an earnest Republican, 
 has been Acting Mayor of the city and a Council- 
 man for a number of 3'ears. He filled the office of 
 Mayor after the death of Dr. N. B. Larsh, and was 
 nominated for the regular election, but declined 
 on account of his own pressing private interests. 
 He is a [jrominent member of the I. O. O. F., hav- 
 ing been through all the Chairs of his lodge, and is 
 at present Past Commander of Frontier Lodge No. 
 3. lie is also a K. of P., and offlciites as Treasurer. 
 
 W)ILL1AM KUHN. The subject of this rec- 
 ord occupies a leading position in the farm- 
 ing communit}' of McWilliams Precinct, 
 where he owns a fine estate on section 10. Al- 
 though carrying on general agriculture to a consider- 
 able extent, he is mostly interested in stock-raising. 
 His homestead is 200 acres in extent, the larger 
 pait of which has been brought to a good state of cul- 
 tivation. The buildings are in keeping with the 
 spirit of enterprise which is characteristic of the 
 proprietor, being first-class in every respect. 
 
 Mr. Kidin came to this county in the spring of 
 1874, and located upon a tract of wild land from 
 which he has eliminated the farm which to-da}' is 
 the admired of all observers. He moved here from 
 
 ^h^ 
 
 '^^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 408 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 1 ' 
 
 1- 
 
 Page County, in the southwestern part of Iowa, 
 where he had lived two years, and to which place 
 lie had migrated from Martin County, Wis. In the 
 Badger State he liad farmed and worlted in the lum- 
 ber regions, settling there upon his emigration from 
 the Fatherland, about 1853. He was born in Posen, 
 Prussia, Jan. 2, 1828, and is the son of Christian 
 and Mar^' (Ledenan) Kuhn, and his mother died 
 when he was seventeen years of age. He accom- 
 panied his father to the United Stales in 1853, 
 bringing with him also his wife, Mrs. Rose (Krintza) 
 Kuhn, and their two children. One of the latter 
 died a few weeks later at Michigan City, Ind. 
 They were obliged to leave the remains of the little 
 one in the cemetery at that place, and with sore 
 hearts pursued their onward journe3'. They settled 
 in Martin County, Wis., and there the father died 
 in 1869, at the age of seventy-six years. 
 
 To our subject and his wife there were born six 
 more children after they became citizens of the 
 United States, and they now have seven living. 
 The eldest daughter, Augusta, is the wife of Claus 
 Peterson, a well-to-do farmer of Hendricks Precinct, 
 this county ; Charlotte is the widow of Jacob Ha- 
 berue, and lives in the city of Lincoln; John is 
 married and living on a farm in McWilliams Pre- 
 cinct; Frederick, also farming in this precinct, mar- 
 ried Miss Katie Schudler; Bertha, Daniel and Jidia 
 are at home with their parents, and all are members 
 of the Evangelical Church. Mr. Kuhn cast his first 
 Presidential vote for Horatio Seymour, but exer- 
 cises the right of a free American citizen, being 
 independent and supporting the men whom he con- 
 siders best qualified for office. 
 
 ■t£££/tt^^ 
 
 ^1^4— ^^-S<?2r<j»v. 
 
 IjT^OBERT C. FERGUSON has for the last 
 
 Ij^jf fourteen years occupied a snug homestead 
 
 /LW, of eighty acres on section 20, Wyoming 
 
 \^ Precinct, and is the owner of 160 acres in 
 
 its vicinity. He has been a resident of Nebraska 
 
 for a [jcriod of twenty years, having crossed the 
 
 Mississippi in the spring of 1869. In addition to 
 
 general farming he has been very successful as a 
 
 -«• • 
 
 stock-raiser, and, as a prominent man in his com- 
 munity, represents a goodly proportion of its real 
 estate, and has made for himself a good record as a 
 citizen. 
 
 Erie County, N. Y., was the early tramping 
 ground of our subject, where his birth took place 
 Jan. 4, 1851, under the modest roo/ of his parents, 
 William and Agnes (Crystal) Ferguson, who are 
 natives of Scotland, and born near the city of Glas- 
 gow. The}' were of pure Scotch ancestry, which 
 the}' traced back several generations, and which 
 they look upon with pardonable pride. The par- 
 ents each came' to the United States early in life. 
 They were then the parents of four children, and set- 
 tled at once in Erie County, N.Y., where the father 
 established himself upon a tract of land, and made a 
 comfortable living for his family until the spring 
 of 1869. They then all came to Nebraska, locating 
 in Wyoming Precinct, where the death of the father 
 took place in 1876, at the age of sixty-nine 3-ears. 
 William Ferguson was a good man in the broadest 
 sense of the term, being kind, charitable and hos- 
 pitable, and assisting those around him whenever 
 opportunity afforded. He became the center of a 
 large circle of warm friends, and is always spoken 
 of as one of the best citizens ever coming into Otoe 
 County. 
 
 From New York State the famil}' went to Guern- 
 sey County, Ohio, and there the death of the 
 mother took place when she was fifty-two years 
 old. She was a woman remarkal)le in some re- 
 spects, being more than ordinarily attached to her 
 family, and rearing her children in the most careful 
 and conscientious manner. She, with her husband, 
 was a devoted member of the Presbj'terian Church, 
 in the doctrines of which they had been reared in 
 their native Scotland. 
 
 Robert C. Ferguson, our subject, was the first 
 child of his parents born in this country. Of the 
 parental family five children are yet living, four 
 sons and one daughter. Robert continued a mem- 
 ber of the parental household, and soon after reach- 
 ing his majority began farming on his own account, 
 and was quite successful from the start. He has 
 performed creditably all the duties of life with one 
 exception, namely, that he still clings to single 
 blessedness, making his home with his sister Lizzie, 
 
 ^U 
 
1 
 
Hl-*- 
 
 OrOE COUNTY. 
 
 411 '^ 
 
 also unmarried, a very intelligent lafl3' of most es- 
 timable qualities and a good housekeeper. Both 
 are members of the Presbyterian Church, like their 
 honored parents. 
 
 '^OIIN McCarthy, deceased. The Mc- 
 Carthy homestead, which is located in the 
 northeastern part of W3'oming Precinct, 
 and which was built up by the su-bject of 
 this sketch, now deceased, stands prominently among 
 the other farms of note in this count}- as the monu- 
 ment erected bj' the hand of perseverance and in- 
 dustry, the result of the labors of a self-raa<le man. 
 Mr. McCarthy began life dependent upon his own 
 resources, and his labors, continued for a series of 
 years, met with their legitimate reward. He left at 
 his death, which occurred Feb. 3, 1888, a v.Tluable 
 estate, embracing 600 .acres of land in this county, 
 and eight}' acres in Cass County. The ])lace where 
 he made his home is provided with suitable farm 
 buildings, the improved modern niachiner}' neces- 
 sary for successful agriculture, a goodly assortment 
 of live stock, and all the other comforts and con- 
 veniences of the modern countrj' estate. 
 
 Mr. McCarthy came to this county' as earlj- as 
 1857, and iu 18G4 took possession of the land which 
 constituted his homestead, and where he spent the 
 remainder of his life. It was then an unbroken 
 stretch of prairie, upon which there had been no 
 attempt at improvement. Mr. McCarthy worked 
 earl}' an<l late, through storm and sunshine, for many 
 3'ears, keeping steadil}' in view his purpose of 
 acquiring a comfortiible property for his family, 
 combining general farming with stock-raising, and 
 iu due time realized the reward of his labors. He 
 brought the greater portion of his land to a good 
 state of cultivation, and around the dwelling planted 
 shade trees and shrubberj', an apple orchard and 
 trees of the smaller fruits, and gathered together 
 those little comforts which have so much to do with 
 the happiness of a household. 
 
 Our subject was horn in the county of Leeds, 
 Province of Ontario. Canada, Jan. 5, 1831, the home 
 
 -^^ 
 
 of his parents being at that time in Elizalieth Town- 
 ship. He came of pure Irish ancestr}'. His father, 
 Florence McCarthy, was born in the city of Cork, 
 Ireland, in 1798, of a family of high standing, and 
 w.as educated for the priesthood. He possessed 
 more than ordinary intelligence, but declining holy 
 orders, emigrated when a young man to Canada, 
 and for twentj'-six years thereafter was a teacher in 
 the schools of Leeds. There .also he w.as married, 
 March 30, 1830, to Miss Elizabeth Moore, a highly 
 intelligent and religious lady, and spent the re- 
 maider of his days in Canada, having purchased a 
 farm in Kitley Township, where his death occurred 
 March 25, 1862. He departed considerably from 
 his early religious teachings, having united with the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church some 3'ears before his 
 death. 
 
 In 18G7, five years after the death of her hus- 
 band, the mother of our subject came to the United 
 St.ates, joining her children at Ames, Story Co., 
 Iowa, where, twenty j'ears later, her death took 
 place, July 12, 1887. She was a lady of deep piety, 
 active and intelligent, and, like her husband, exer- 
 cised a great influence upon those around her, and 
 one which was always for good. The parental family 
 included nine children, five of whom are living. 
 
 Mr. McCarthy was the second child of his parents, 
 and was reared in his native county, where he re- 
 ceived a common-school education. Before attain- 
 ing his majority he set out to earn his own living, 
 and not long afterward, about 1848, crossed over 
 into the States, and traveled over a considerable 
 part of New England. Finally turning his steps 
 westward, he purchased land near Marshalltown, in 
 Story County', Iowa, but earl}' in the sixties made 
 his wa\' to Nebraska, of which he was afterward a 
 resident until his death. 
 
 Mr. McC.artli}', in 1864, with his own team, 
 started from Nebraska City on a freighting trip 
 across the plains to Denver; that business in those 
 days proved to be vary profitable. He continued 
 to add team after team until he owned a train of 
 seven teams. He made his last trip in 1866, ac- 
 companied by his wife. They started from Ne- 
 braska Citj' May 24, 1866; two wagons were drawn 
 by six mules e.ach, the other teams b}' oxen. On 
 the return trip Mrs. McCarthy drove a team of six 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 412 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 1 ' tW( 
 
 raules, and as she says paid her way coming back. 
 Tlie trip to her was a very pleasant one, and she 
 refers to it as one of the pleasant summers of her 
 life. They returned landing .at home August 13. In 
 these business ventures Mr. McCarthy accumulated 
 what was practically his substantial start in life, 
 which enabled him to purchase the broad acres 
 which he has left to his wife and children. 
 
 Mr. McCarthy not long after coming to this 
 county, and finding himself on the road to pros- 
 perity, evidently able ^to earn a living and more, 
 took unto himself a wife and helpmate, Miss Emma 
 Grosjohn, to whom he was married March 4, 1866. 
 This lady was born on the banks of Wood River, 
 in Madison County, 111., March 22, 1851, and is the 
 daughter of Peter F. and Sophia (Perry) Grosjohn, 
 who were natives of Switzerland, and of French and 
 Swiss ancestry. Both had left their native country 
 quite young in life, and coming to the United States 
 with their parents settled in Madison County, 111., 
 where they were ra.irried. The father first located 
 upon a farm, but later engaged in merchandising at 
 Cave Spring, that county, near Alton, 111. Finally, 
 selling out, he came to Nebraska, and located in 
 what was then the old town of Wyoming on the 
 Missouri River, and which has seen its best days. 
 There also he engaged in trade, and was Post- 
 master for six years. Later he again resumed 
 farming in Wyoming Precinct, and his death took 
 place at the old homestead there, May 17, 1876, 
 when he was sixty-two years old. He was a man 
 of decided views, and politically, a stanch Demo- 
 crat. The wife and mother is still living, making 
 her home with her children, and is now sixty-eight 
 years old. 
 
 Mrs. McCarthy was but six years of age when 
 she came with her parents to Nebraska, and she was 
 educated in the schools of Wyoming Precinct. She 
 is a very intelligent and capable lady, and since the 
 death of her husband has managed the farm and 
 the various interests connected with the estate in a 
 most admirable manner. Of her marriage with our 
 subject there were born ten children, two of whom 
 died in infancy. The survivors are, Lycurgus F., 
 Lola Montez, Annette, John E.,Percentia E., Flor- 
 ence, Charles and Dolly E. The eldest of these is 
 twenty-one years of age, and the youngest four. 
 
 and they all remain with their mother at home, 
 being given a good education and careful training. 
 Mr. McCarthy, politically, was independent. 
 
 In connection with this sketch we present the 
 portraits of Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy. 
 
 III RA P. CONGER. The city of Syracuse has 
 11 come to the front chiefly by reason of its busi- 
 il ness men and its surrounding agriculturists, 
 among the most honored, enterprising and pros- 
 perous of whom is the gentleman whose life is 
 herein briefl}' sketched. Mr. Conger settled in Mc- 
 Williams Precinct, Otoe County, in June, 1865. 
 He is a native of Ohio, and was born in Huron 
 County of that State upon the 10th of August, 1836, 
 and is a son of Christian and Lj'dia (Westfall) 
 Conger, who were natives respectively of Albany 
 County, N. Y., and Essex County, N. J. The 
 Conger family resided in the New England States 
 for several generations, and James Conger, the 
 grandfather of our subject, made his home for the 
 greater part of his life in New York State, and at 
 the time of his death was a resident of Cayuga 
 County, N. Y. The familj' originally was French, 
 and all the members thereof this side of the Atlantic 
 are descendants from two brothers who came to 
 America in an early day. 
 
 The father of our subject followed as his chosen 
 calling in life the pursuit of husbandry. He was 
 married in Cayuga County, N. Y., and there settled, 
 making it his home until 1831, when he removed to 
 Ohio, and became one of the pioneers of Huron 
 County, where he settled upon a tract of heavily 
 timbered land. At that time its echoes had never 
 been awakened by the woodman's ax and agricult- 
 ure was an impossibility. In order to do this, 
 however, he quickly began a clearing. He felled 
 the trees, provided the material for the first house, 
 and it was not long before the family were settled 
 in comparativel3' comfortable quarters. He became 
 the owner of 130 acres, and as soon as the farm was 
 well established he provided a more substantial, 
 commodious and pleasant home for his family, and 
 erected good farm buildings for his stock, etc. In 
 1863 the parents moved to Michigan, our subject 
 
u 
 
 i 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 413 
 
 Jh 
 
 accompanying them. There they settled in Cal- 
 houn County, and there the father died in 1864, at 
 the age of fifty-nine years. The mother of our 
 subject survived her husband, and later removed to 
 Nebraska, where she died on the 14th of November, 
 1866, aged fifty-seven j^ears. She was the mother 
 of two children, our subject and his brother James 
 W., now a resident of Omaha, where he enjoys an 
 extensive and profitable practice as a physician and 
 surgeon. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was reared upon the 
 farm of his fatlier. The educational facilities of 
 his youth were conspicuous by their inadequacy 
 and inefficiency, and he was only able to obtain 
 from such sources the rudiments of learning, but 
 upon that foundation he has been careful to build 
 a substantial and not inelegant superstructure, and 
 takes his place now among the best informed on all 
 practical subjects, and is by no means a stranger to 
 those that are commonly supposed to be for the 
 purposes of polish in education. At an early age 
 his youthful strength was brought into requisi- 
 tion upon the farm, where he first had experience 
 in that department of labor. 
 
 In the year 1859 Mr. Conger was married; the 
 lady upon whom his clioice fell was Henrietta 
 Place, the estimable daughter of Solomon and 
 Abigal (Shiiw) Place. This lady was born in 
 Huron County, Ohio, where her parents had been 
 among the early pioneers. In 1863 Mr. and Mrs. 
 Conger removed to ^Michigan, where our subject 
 purchased a farm from his brother, who had com- 
 menced the study of medicine. Two years later 
 they came to Nebraska, and at first purchased 240 
 acres of land and resided upon the same until 1879. 
 During that time he effected many imi)rovements, 
 and brought the greater part of the land to a very 
 desirable condition from the agriculturist's stand- 
 point. In 1879 this property was sold and his 
 present farm purchased. This was done chiefly 
 that his daughter might enjoy the advantages of 
 the school. 
 
 Mr. Conger now owns 160 acres of land adjoin- 
 ing the city limits of Syracuse. This he has brought 
 to a higli state of cultivation and has provided 
 excellent farm buildings for the various require- 
 ments. He is also the owner of a farm of 160 acres 
 
 in Iowa, and also some property In Syracuse. All 
 that he has been enabled to do in the advancement 
 of the interests of himself and familj- generally has 
 been uiion the same line as that of his education. 
 There was no one to give him a start in life to any 
 extent, and therefore he made his own; there was 
 no one to help him along in life, and therefore he 
 helped himself; and whatever he is to-day in finance, 
 influence or otherwise, is the result of his own con- 
 tinued earnest effort, in which he has ever been sus- 
 tained and encouraged by the faithful companion 
 of Ins life, wlio has at all times and under all cir- 
 cumstances been a source of inspiration and help- 
 fulness. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Conger are the happy parents of 
 one daughter, to whom has been given the name of 
 Eda. In social circles our subject and wife are 
 held in high regard and are always assured of a wel- 
 come as a natural result. Mr. Conger is a member 
 of the Masonic fraternit}', and is a member of both 
 the Blue Lodge and Chapter. He is also one of the 
 Knights of Honor, and is attached to the local assem- 
 bly. In all questions of political economy he is one 
 of the Democratic party, but at the same time at- 
 taches much importance to the question of the 
 candidate and his principles as well as the party to 
 which he is attached, believing that it is but right 
 that such men as will best serve the interests of tlie 
 people should hold office, and consequently lends 
 his influence to that end. 
 
 /^ HARLES D. RICHARDSON and liis estima- 
 [i ble wife, of Paluiyra Precinct, aie the only 
 
 ^^y members of a colony of Eastern people who 
 located here in October, 1872. They had made 
 the journey from M.assachusetts to Nebraska ac- 
 companied b}' five other families, and bringing 
 with them their two children. Tliis part of the 
 county was at that time in an unsettled condition, 
 and all the others becoming discouraged left for 
 other parts. 
 
 Our subject, however, determined to give Ne- 
 braska a very thorough trial before turning his 
 back upon it, and has since had reason to congratu- 
 late himself on his decision. He battled with the 
 
 <»■ 
 
•►HF^ 
 
 414 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 difficulties and hardships of pioneer life, and in the 
 course of a few j-ears began to reap his reward. 
 He is now numbered among the most prosperous 
 farmers and stock-raisers of this region, and his 
 homestead is one of the most valuable in Palmyra 
 Precinct. 
 
 Mr. Eichardson was born in Lowell, Mass., Oct. 
 4, 1841, and is the son of Dana and Emily (Sweet) 
 Richardson, who were also of New England birth 
 and parentage. The father was a farmer and real- 
 estate dealer by occupation, and with his excellent 
 wife sjjent his entire life in his native State, his death 
 taking place about 1871, when he was sixty-two 
 years of age. The mother had died in middle life 
 at the age of forty-two. They were the parents-of 
 seven children, three sons and four daughters, of 
 whom Charles D. was the fourth in order of birth. 
 Those surviving are residents of Massachusetts, 
 New York, Mississippi and Nebraska. 
 
 Our subject, reared upon a farm, was given a 
 very good education, completing his studies in the 
 academy at Andover. He was a young man of 
 nineteen years at the outbreak of the late Civil War, 
 and in November, 1861, enlisted in Company C, 
 30th Massachusetts Infantry, going into Camp 
 Chase for drill, and thence accompanying his regi- 
 ment to the Gulf, being assigned to the Army of 
 the Gulf. He first saw the smoke of battle at Fts. 
 Jackson and St. Phillips, and afterward participated 
 in many of the important battles of the war, namely : 
 Plain Store, La., May 21, 1862; the sieges of Ft. 
 Hudson and Forlorn Hope, and was at Cock's Plan- 
 tation in July, 1863. On the 19th of September, 
 1864, he was at Winchester, Va. ; he was also 
 at Fisher's Hill. On the 19th of October oc- 
 curred the battle of Cedar Creek, and our subject 
 was afterward engaged in many other skirmishes, 
 escaping unharmed. He remained with the army 
 for some time after the close of the war, being ap- 
 pointed Quartermaster Sergeant at Sumter, S. C, 
 on the 1st of March, 1866. 
 
 After receiving his honorable discharge at the 
 close of his first term of enlistment, Mr. Richardson 
 veteranized, Jan. 1, 1863, and remained in the 
 army until July 5, 1860, when he was mustered out 
 with the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant, after 
 having given to his country his service of four 
 
 years and eight months. Id the autumn following, 
 having returned to his native town, he made the 
 acquaintance of a ladj% Miss Sarah T. Whittier, to 
 whom he was married Sept. 11, 1867. Mrs. Rich- 
 ardson was at that time visiting at Lowell, Mass. 
 She was born in Northlield. N. H.,Sept. 23, 1841, 
 and is the daughter of Isaac and Fanny P. (Mc- 
 Questen) Whittier. On the paternal side of the 
 house she is a relative of the poet, John G. Whit- 
 tier. Iler brothers and sisters were : Francis, 
 Isaac N., Daniel B., William P., Lizzie M., Cur- 
 tis C. and M. Woodbury. William P. and Curtis 
 C. served during the late war in a New Hamp- 
 shire regiment, and the former died at his brother's 
 in Massachusetts. Her parents were natives of New 
 Hampshire, and are now dead. The mother was 
 an invalid for raanj- years, and her daughter Sarah 
 was at an early age called upon to assume the man- 
 agement of the household. She, however, acquired 
 an excellent education, completing her studies in 
 the college at Hilton in company with her sister. 
 She also attended New Hampton Seminar}'. Her 
 father, Mr. Whittier, was a merchant of thirty years' 
 standing, carrying on business in Londonderry, 
 Goffstown, Union Biidge and Northlield. In the 
 latter place Mr. and Mrs. Richardson were married. 
 Mr. Whittier was a very capable and intelligent 
 man, and served as Justice of the Peace for many 
 years. He died at Norlhfield in October, 1878, at 
 the age of seventy-eight j'ears. The mother sur- 
 vived her husband six j'ears, her death taking 
 place at Lowell, in 1884, she being also seventj'- 
 ejght years old. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Richardson lived in New England 
 five years after their marriage, and then came di- 
 rectly to Nebraska. They are the parents of three 
 children, Lilla Gertrude, Fannie May and Lizzie, 
 the latter of whom was born in this State, and died 
 when six weeks old. Their eldest daughter is the 
 wife of S. S. English, a merchant at Eagle, and tlie 
 mother of one child, a son, Charles Herbert. Fanny, 
 an interesting girl of eighteen jears, is attending the 
 college at Crete, Neb. 
 
 Mr. Richardson votes the straight Republican 
 ticket, and, with his excellent wife, is a member in 
 good standing of the Congregational Church at 
 Eagle. Both are active workers in the Sunday- 
 
 ■•►H^ 
 
•^f^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 415 
 
 u 
 
 school, anfl Mrs. R. is President of the Ladies' Aid 
 Society. The latter has been especiall}' efficient in 
 church matters, being a practical worker, and aiding 
 greatl^^ in the furnishing of the building, the audi- 
 ence room and the Sunday-school room. 
 
 Mr. Richardson coramencpd at first principles in 
 the building up of his homestead, there having 
 been very little attempt at improvement on his 
 land when he first became owner. Of late years 
 he has given considerable attention to stock-feeding, 
 and ships annually numbers of cattle and hogs. 
 He is Past Commander of the G. A. R. Post, of 
 Palmyra. He is also President of the New England 
 Veteran Soldiers' and Sailors' Association, of Ne- 
 braska. One of the most useful members of his 
 eommunit}', he has naturally gathered about him a 
 large circle of friends and acquaintances, is a man 
 whose integrity- is unquestioned and whose word is 
 considered as good as his bond. 
 
 11-^ OX. WILLIAM P. BIRCIIFIELD is en- 
 I j|] gaged in the grocery business in companj- 
 '■^^ with his son in Nebraska City. He was one 
 (!^ of the pioneers of 1854, and was an im- 
 portant factor in the early development of Otoe 
 County, taking an active part in public affairs, and 
 it was through his wise and vigorous course while 
 serving as Sheriff of the county, that law and order 
 were maintained, and peaceful citizens were pro- 
 tected in their rights in those Territorial days. He 
 was at one time a member of tlie Territorial Legis- 
 lature, and in him his constituency found an able 
 representative, w^ho looked well after the interests 
 of the county and State. 
 
 Our subject was born July 4, 1824. in Franklin 
 County, Mo., to Jolm and Rebecca (Hamilton) 
 Birchfield. His mother was a native of Georgia, 
 and a daughter of William Hamilton. She died in 
 1837, leaving in the minds of her friends the mem- 
 ory of a true woman, a faithful wife and a devoted 
 mother. The father of our subject was, it is sup- 
 posed, a native of Kentucky. He removed from 
 that State to Illinois in its Territorial days, and 
 after the War of 1812, in which he took an honora- 
 ble jjart. he again made a move and penetrated to 
 
 the wilds of Missouri and located in Franklin 
 County. In 1833 he went to another part of the 
 State, and became a pioneer of what is now known 
 as Taney Countj-. He took up some timber land, 
 entered it from the Government, and at the time of 
 his death in 1844 had cleared a large tract. He 
 was a man of enterprise and good judgment, and 
 acquired an extensive propert3-. 
 
 William Birchfield was nine years old when his 
 parents went to Tane}- County to reside, and there 
 he grew to manhood. There were no free schools, 
 as they were conducted under the subscription 
 plan, and in such a one he acquired a very good 
 education, and taught two terms himself. His edu- 
 cation and well-lvuown ability made him influential 
 in public affairs, even before he had attained his 
 majority. When he was twenty -one he was elected 
 Assessor of Taney County, and for four years dis- 
 charged the onerous duties of that office to the 
 satisfaction of his fellow-citizens. He married at 
 nineteen years of age, and his father gave him a 
 tract of land, on which he erected a log house, and 
 in that he and his 3'oung bride commenced house- 
 keeping. The house had a puncheon floor, and as 
 they moved into it before the chimnej^ was built, 
 his wife did the cooldng over an imi)rovised fire- 
 place outside for a time, and even after that he had 
 no stove for some j'ears, as they were almost un- 
 known in that part of the country at that time. 
 His wife was an adept at spinning and weaving, 
 and made all the cloth for herself and husband. 
 In 1850 Mr. Birchfield sold his property in Taney 
 County and moved to Holt County, Mo., where he 
 lived until the spring of 1854, at which time he 
 identified himself with the pioneers of this then 
 Territory of Nebraska. He made a claim one and 
 one-half miles southwest of the present site of Ne- 
 braska City, which at that time contained only the 
 log buildings of the abandoned fort of the Govern- 
 ment, and the ferry house near the river, the first 
 permanent habitation in the cit}'^ or county, built 
 by John Boulware. The land was not then sur- 
 veyed, as the Indian title to it had not been ex- 
 tinguished. Mr. Birchfield built a log house on 
 his claim, and had it read^- for occupancy on the 4th 
 of July, and on the day following our National 
 holiday he returned to Holt County, Mo., for his i r 
 
 t* 
 
•► II ^»' 
 
 41G 
 
 :-i^i- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 familjs and on the 17th of Augiist arrived with 
 them at his cabin, the farthest settlement from the 
 city at the time, the removal being made with an 
 ox-team. Indians were plentiful here then, and 
 he made peace with them by paying the interpreter 
 $10, with the agreement that his stock was to be 
 protected from the raids of the savages, and that 
 they should not beg from liim during the winter. 
 Mr. Birchfield had but twenty-five cents left after 
 his private treatj% but by industr3' and good man- 
 agement he managed to keep the wolf from the 
 door. In the fall of 1854 and the spring of 1855 
 he broke forty acres of his land, and in the latter 
 year sold his claim, as the land had not been 
 thrown on the market, and moved into the city to 
 live, having taken as part payment for his land a 
 house and lot situated on the northwest corner of 
 Eighth and Second Corso streets, and he soon after 
 bought the land now occupied by the Government 
 building. lie was elected Sheriff of the count}' in 
 1855, and was twice re-elected, thus serving three 
 full terms. In the fall of 1861 he was elected a 
 member of the Territorial Council, or Legislature. 
 In 1862 Mr. Birchfield returned to Holt County, 
 Mo., where he spent the succeeding three years. He 
 then returned to this city and opened an auction 
 and commission store, which he managed very 
 profitably until, on account of ill-health, he was 
 obliged to retire from the business in 1880. He 
 went to Burlington ^Medical Springs, in Nodaway 
 Count}', Mo., to recuperate, and while there kept 
 a hotel two years. He subsequently went to Holt 
 County and engaged in the mercantile business 
 for two years. At the expiration of that time we 
 find him once again in Nebraska, this time in Ne- 
 maha County, where he opened a museum of living 
 curiosities, and traveled with that a year and a 
 half. In 1887 he located once more in Nebraska 
 City, and established himself in the grocery busi- 
 ness with his son. The}' have a well-appointed, 
 well-stocked store, and have already built up quite 
 an extensive trade among a good class of customers. 
 Mr. Birchfield has been three times married. In 
 1843 he was united to Mary N. Bledsoe, a native 
 of Indiana. She died Sept. 2, 1865, leaving three 
 children: Sarah, wife of Thomas Dickinson, lives 
 ill riiiladelpliia; .Tames lives in Johnson Countv, 
 
 Neb.; Richard, who is in company with his f.ither. 
 The second marriage of our subject, which took 
 place in 1867, was to Mary J. (George) Cooksey. 
 She died eleven months later. Mr. Birchfield was 
 married to his present wife, formerly Miss Mar- 
 garet McNamara, a native of Indiana, in 1868. Of 
 this marriage one child, Pearlie, is living. 
 
 Mr. Birchfield is a pleasant talker, and can 
 tell many a good story illustrative of life on the 
 frontier in the fifties. He was a great sportsman 
 and keenly enjoyed the hunt, and in November, 
 1855, he was out one day in search of game, and 
 discovered an animal which he thought to be a wolf. 
 He returned to the house for his dog and horse, in- 
 tending to give it the chase. On his return he 
 soon found that he had made a mistake, and had 
 started a bear. He followed it out toward the 
 open prairie, around the hills and bluffs, and back 
 again into the heart of the city. A bear so near 
 to the habitations of man was a novelty, and all 
 the citizens in the. town turned out to join in the 
 chase, and all the dogs in town went .after Mr. 
 Bruin, but after getting one lick from his huge 
 paw were glad to retreat. The animal was finally- 
 treed near the cemetery, and all gathered around, 
 and our subject was delegated to do the shooting. 
 He fired and broke the bear's shoulder, which 
 loosened his hold on the tree and he tumbled to the 
 ground and rolled into a ravine, which was partly 
 filled with water. There the two dogs that had not 
 been frightened away tackled him. He soon got 
 the better of one of the dogs, and was about to 
 squeeze him to death, when the owner of the dog 
 went to his rescue, jumping into the ravine with a 
 spade in his hand. Thereupon the bear turned his 
 attention to his human assailant, who in his ex- 
 citement tried to climb the embankment backwards. 
 Then the remaining dog made a vigorous attack 
 from the rear, and the bear was soon rolled into 
 the water and drowned. A council was then held 
 to know what sliould be done with the bear, and it 
 was decided that Mr. Birchfield should skin the 
 animal and sell it, not letting any one have more 
 than two pounds, so that each one shoiild have a 
 share. He, however, distributed it gratuitously, 
 and that was the last bear seen in this vicinity. 
 
 Mr. l'.irch field relates that in the summer of 1855 
 
-^^ 
 
 -■► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 the surveyors encountered a band of Indians sev- 
 eral miles west of the citv, and deeming them hos- 
 tile, were frightened and returned to the river settle- 
 ments for help. The whites turned out from the 
 various settlements, our subject going with the 
 Nebraska City force, and they wended their way 
 to Salt Creek, where the Indians were encamped. 
 They found the supposed bloodthirsty savages to 
 be peaceably disposed, and the red men shared 
 their provisions with their visitors, and thus the 
 dreaded encounter was turned into a sort of a pic- 
 nic, and the settlers returned without trouble. 
 
 -i-^ 
 
 1-^ 
 
 ^^EORGE LOCKIE, a well-to-do farmer of 
 III g— Russell Precinct, owns 200 acres of land on 
 ^^5! section 4. He is of sturdy Scotch ancestry 
 and parentage, and was himself born among the 
 lowlands of Roxburj-shire, in June, 1829. He 
 received his early education in the schools of Rox- 
 buryshire Parish, and was trained by wise and sen- 
 sible parents to those habits of honesty and industry 
 which have served him well in all his later years. 
 
 Mr. Lockie has seen much of life, and traveled 
 long distances on old ocean, being a seeker of gold 
 in the Australian mines six years. That period of 
 his life was necessarily spent among a rough class 
 of men, but he did not suffer himself to lose sight 
 of the principles which had been taught him in his 
 boyhood. His father was a miller by occupation, 
 and George remained under the parental roof until 
 tweut3--eight years of age, when he was seized with 
 the Australian fever, and set out from Liverpool 
 for Port Philip on the steamer "James Chancellor," 
 in 1851. During a violent storm it was supposed 
 the ship would go down with all on board, but the 
 gallant vessel finally weathered the winds, and 
 landed the crew safely at their destination, 103 
 days from the time of starting. This was on the 
 voyage to America. 
 
 Our subject went at once into the mines, taking 
 a claim for himself, and four years later returned 
 to his native Scotland with quite a little fortune. 
 Two and one-half years later, in 1861, he set sail 
 for America on the same " Chancellor," and after 
 being tossed about on a stormy sea for a period of 
 
 five weeks, landed in New York City. Thence he 
 emigrated to Delaware County, Ohio, where he 
 operated on rented land for a period of seven years. 
 
 In the summer of 1868 Mr. Lockie, accompanied 
 by his family, set out overland with one team for 
 the new State of Nebraska. He crossed the Missouri 
 River on a flatboat, and, coming to Russell Pre- 
 cinct, this county, homesteaded eighty acres of raw 
 prairie. His first business was to put up a shelter 
 for himself and family, and he then commenced 
 breaking the soil and effecting the Jimprovements 
 suggested by his necessities. Indue time he planted 
 forest and fruit trees, and has now two fine groves 
 and seven acres in an orchard of 100 bearing apple 
 trees, besides the smaller fruits. His fields are 
 separated by beautiful hedge fencing, and the land 
 is supplied with running water. As soon as his 
 means justified Mr. Lockie added 140 acres to his 
 first purchase, this latter lying on sections 3 and 4. 
 Of late j'ears he has turned his attention largely to 
 stock-raising, and ships annually one or two car- 
 loads oflcattle and swine. 
 
 Mr. Lockie was married, June 4, 1861, in New 
 York City, to Miss Barbara, daughter of James and 
 Barbara (Oliver) Bast. Mrs. Lockie was born Jan. 
 10, 1830, in Scotland, and, like her husband, is of 
 excellent Scotch ancestry. Her parents were born 
 in Roxburyshire, and her father was shepherd for a 
 firm who did an extensive business in sheep. The 
 father died in his native shire, the mother in Can- 
 ada. There were only two children, both daugh- 
 ters. Agnes, the j'ounger, is in Scotland. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Lockie there have been born 
 six'sons and three daughters, namely : Agnes, James, 
 Mary, George, Thomas; Barbara, who died when 
 four years old ; John, Robert and William. Agnes 
 is the wife of Thomas Burrell, a well-to-do farmer 
 of Russell Precinct, and the mother of three chil- 
 dren. The others are at home with their parents. 
 Mr. and Mrs. L. are members in good standing of 
 the Presbyterian Church, and our subject votes the 
 straight Republican ticket. 
 
 The parents of our subject, James and Mary 
 (Wilkins) Lockie, were natives of Roxburyshire, 
 Scotland, where they were reared and married. 
 They spent their entire lives upon their native soil, 
 and the father, •from the time of his early manhood) 
 
 • > II 4* 
 
 od, Y 
 
•►Hf^^^ 
 
 418 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 followeil milling until his death, which occurred 
 when he was seventj'-seven years of age. The 
 mother died at the age of seventj'-eight. Of 
 their five children the record is as follows: Bettie 
 resides in the city of Edinburgh; Isaballealso con- 
 tinues in her native Scotland ; James, John and 
 Joan came to America about 1880; the former is 
 farming in Cass County, this State, and the latter 
 fills the position of housekeeper. George, our sub- 
 ject, was the j'oungest of the family. He has be- 
 come thoroughly identified with the interests of 
 his adopted country, and is a worthy representative 
 of one of the best nationalities on the face of the 
 globe. 
 
 1 
 
 
 OIIN II. MOHRMAN, of the little village Of 
 Talmage, is prominently identified with its 
 grain trade, having been buying and selling 
 ^^ at this point in the interests of O. T. Hul- 
 burt some j-ears. He came to Talmage during the 
 first inception of the village, six years ago, and 
 first established himself in the farm implement 
 trade, being the pioneer of this business here. He 
 w.is thus occupied a number of years. 
 
 Previous to his settlement in this part of Otoe 
 County Mr. ISIohrman had been a resident of Ne- 
 braska City, to which he had removed from Clay- 
 ton County, Iowa. He had been a resident of the 
 Hawkeye State for a period of twenty-five years. 
 His bo3'hood days were spent in New Bremen, in the 
 State of Ohio, he having been born in Auglaize 
 County, Sept. 17, 1847. His father, John C. Mohr- 
 man, was a native of the Province of Hanover, 
 Germany, from which he emigrated early in life 
 with his parents to the United States. They settled 
 in Ohio, of which they were residents for a number 
 of j^ears. The paternal grandfather, Herman Mohr- 
 man, lived to become a resident of Iowa, and died 
 in Clayton County when over ninet}' j^ears of age. 
 His wife had died in Ohio when rijie in years. 
 
 Tlie father of our subject was reared and married 
 in Auglaize County, Ohio. His wife, who in her 
 girlhood was Miss Rebecca Willenbruch, was also 
 a native of Germany, and was brought by her par- 
 ents to the United States when a little girl seven 
 j-ears of .age. They settled near Ciucinn.ati, Ohio. 
 
 where the}' lived a number of years, and where the 
 father engaged in tlie mercantile business. Later 
 they also removed to Auglaize Count}-, where the 
 parents spent the remainder of their lives. After 
 marriage the parents of our subject took up their 
 residence in New Bremen. Auglaize County, where 
 the father engaged in general merchandising until 
 his removal to Iowa. In the Hawkeye State he 
 commenced farming, and was thus occupied suc- 
 cessfully for a number of years, at the expiration 
 of which he once more changed his residence, this 
 time to Nebraska City, this State, where he died in 
 1879, at the age of sixty-five years. 
 
 The father of our subject was a man of much 
 force of character, a Lutheran in religious matters, 
 and in politics a sound Republican. The mother 
 is still living, and makes her home with her son 
 Fernando, in Nebraska City; she is now fifty -eight 
 j'ears old, and is also connected with the Lutheran 
 Church. John H. was the second of their eight 
 children, the parental household comprising three 
 sons and five daughters. Seven of the children 
 are still living, and with the exception of the 
 youngest daughter are all married and settled in 
 comfortable homes of their own. 
 
 The education of our subject was completed in 
 the common schools of Cla3fton, Iowa, where he 
 arrived at man's estate and cast his first vote for 
 Abraham Lincoln. He came to Nebraska a single 
 man, and made the acquaintance of his future wife, 
 Miss Mary A. Brown, in Nebraska Citj-, where they 
 were married March 6, 1879. Mrs. Mohrman was 
 born in Saline County, Mo., Feb. 28, 1854, whence 
 she came with her father to the above-mentioned 
 city. The latter, Strawther Brown, secured pos- 
 session of a tract of land and established himself 
 as a farmer near the city, where he is still living. His 
 first wife, the mother of INIrs. Mohrman, died in 
 Four Mile Precinct, this county, some years ago. 
 Mr. Brown was subsequently married to Miss Mary 
 Jeflferies, a native of this State, who is yet living. 
 
 The education of Mrs. Mohrman was completed 
 in the schools of Four Mile Precinct, and she re- 
 mained a member of her father's household until 
 her marriage. Of her union with our subject there 
 have been born two children — Ada L. and a babe 
 named Kenneth. The former is an interestinij 
 
 -^1^ 
 
it-^»- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 421 
 
 little girl of eight j'e.irs, attending the village 
 school in Talmage. 
 
 Mr. IMohrman. politically, votes the straight Re- 
 publican ticket. In religious matters he is a de- 
 vout member of the Lutheran Church, and his wife 
 of the Southern Methodist Church. He has been 
 quite prominent in public affairs, serving as a mem- 
 ber of the School Board and the City Council, and 
 making himself useful as opportunity occurs in ad- 
 vancing the social and moral status of the commu- 
 nity. 
 
 'f;'ESSE CAMPBELL. The subject of this 
 I biography came to Nebraska Territory from 
 I Moniteau County, Mo., in the fall of 1861, 
 with his parents. Since that time he has 
 been mostly a resident of this county, and is now 
 proprietor of one of the best farms of Wyoming- 
 Precinct, embracing 160 acres of land on sec- 
 tion 6, while he also owns 120 acres in Liberty 
 Precinct, Cass County. He has fair improvements, 
 including a neat and substantial dwelling, together 
 with a suitable barn and out-buildings, adapted to 
 the storing of grain and the shelter of stock. 
 
 Our subject, a native of Ohio, was born about 
 twelve miles from Mt. Vernon, Knox County, 
 ]\Larch 6, 1848. His father, Robert Campbell, a 
 native of Pennsylvania, was the descendant of an 
 excellent old Scotch and German family, from 
 whom he inherited those qualities of character es- 
 sential to good citizenship and an upright life. He 
 was reared to manhood in his native State, receiv- 
 ing a common-school education and being employed 
 mostly in farming pursuits. He took for his wife 
 a lady of his own county. Miss Mary McClure, 
 who was born and reared in Washington, the 
 county seat of Washington County, Pa., and was 
 of Irish descent. Her birth took place Feb. 1, 1813. 
 Her parents lived and died in Washington County, 
 Pa. Robert Campbell and wife after the birth of 
 a part of their family removed from Pennsj^lva- 
 nia to Ohio, where two more children were added 
 to the household circle, our subject and his brother 
 Robert. 
 
 In August of 1854 the Campbell family, gather- 
 ing together their household effects, the father 
 
 having disposed of his property, started for the 
 farther West, crossing the Mississippi and locating 
 in Moniteau County, Mo., where eventually the 
 father became owner of 220 acres, and where they 
 lived for a period'of seven years. They were not 
 satisfied, however, with their surroundings and the 
 prospect for the future, and accordingly resolved 
 to cast their lot with the people of Nebraska. The 
 father became'possessor of another farm in Wj-o- 
 ming Precinct, located on section 6, where he built 
 up a good home, and where his death took place 
 July 19, 1869, when he was fifty-nine years old. 
 He was a very intelligent man, and a citizen held 
 in high respect in his community. Politically, 
 he had been a member of the Republican party 
 since 1860, having voted for President Lincoln. 
 The wife and mother is still living, making her 
 home with her son Jesse, our subject. Although 
 seventy-five years old she retains her faculties, 
 mentally and physically, in a remarkable degree, 
 and is able to tell many an interesting tale of pio- 
 neer life across the Mississippi, as well as in Ohio. 
 
 Jesse Campbell had only the advantages of a 
 common-school education, but he is a man who has 
 kept his eyes open to what is going on around him 
 in the world, and is more than ordinarily intelligent 
 and well informed. He is a reader and thinker, 
 and keeps himself well posted upon current events 
 by the perusal of instructive books and newspapers. 
 With his excellent mother, he is a member of the 
 Cumberland Presbyterian Church. By his f.ather he 
 was naturally imbued with Republican principles, 
 but his warm interest in the temperance cause has 
 made of him a Prohibitionist. 
 
 In this connection is shown a portrait of Mr. 
 Campbell. 
 
 JONATHAN R. SWALLEY. The subject 
 of this biography is proprietor of one of the 
 most beautiful farms in Otoe County, oc. 
 cupying an elevated situation overlooking 
 the Missouri River. It embraces 200 acres of 
 highly cultivated land, upon which have been 
 erected a handsome residence and other convenient 
 farm buildings. Mr. Swalley settled here in June 
 
 ►:»-<• 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 422 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 of 1868, and there is ample evidence of the industry 
 and perseverance with which he has labored. He, 
 however, settled in Nebraska City in April, 1855. 
 
 Besides the property above mentioned our subject 
 also owns valuable land in Syracuse Precinct. He 
 came to Nebraska ten years before it was trans- 
 formed from a Territory into a State, and when the 
 land which he now occupies was but little removed 
 from its primitive condition. He made the journey 
 overland from his native State of Oiiiu, landing in 
 this county on the 10th of April, 1855, and oper- 
 ated on land in another part of the precinct two 
 years before making his purchase. He was born in 
 Crawford Count3', Ohio, Jan. 2, 1833, and is the 
 second son and fourth child of Solomon and Eliza- 
 beth (Miller) Swalley, both of vvhom were natives 
 of Pennsylvania, and of substantial Dutch ancestry'. 
 The father was a farmer b}' occupation, and after 
 his marriage and the birth of three children, mi- 
 grated with his little family to Crawford County, 
 Ohio, where Jonathan R. was born not long after- 
 ward. In due time eleven more children were 
 added to the family circle, which eventually in- 
 cluded six sons and nine daughters. Of these five 
 sons and seven daughters are still living, and all 
 have been married. 
 
 Our subject was reared to manhood in the Buck- 
 ej'e State, where he became familiar with agri- 
 cultural pursuits and acquired a common-school 
 education. In the meantime he learned the trade 
 of carpenter, and thus, armed with a good trade 
 and a knowledge of farming, crossed the Mississippi, 
 and soon afterward began to carve out his fortune 
 among the pioneers of Nebraska Territory. 
 
 Mr. Swalley, after laj'ing the foundation for a 
 future home and competence, was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Nancy J. Holmes, who was born 
 in Howard County, Mo., Dec. 9, 1844. Mrs. Swalley 
 is the daughter of George and Susan (Ethell) 
 Holmes, natives of Boone County, Mo. Her father 
 died when she was quite young, and she was taken 
 into a good home in Davis County, Iowa, where 
 she was reared to womanhood, and soon afterward 
 came to Nebraska with her mother and stepfather. 
 She is a very intelligent and capable lady. Of her 
 union with our subject there were born three sons, 
 two of whom are deceased, George E. and an infant 
 
 .•-^h 
 
 unnamed. The former was born Aug. 30, 1869, and 
 died April 7, 1874. Herbert B. was born Nov. 29, 
 1873, in Wyoming Precinct, and is now a promis- 
 ing boy, making his home with his parents. 
 
 Mr. Swalley is a Republican, politically, and is 
 esteemed among his neighbors as a man wiiose word 
 is considered as good as his bond. Quiet and un- 
 obtrusive in his habits, he has never sought office, 
 although keeping himself well posted upon current 
 events, and encouraging the enterprises calculated 
 to advance the people socially and financially. The 
 Swalley homestead invariably attracts the attention 
 of the traveler along the northern line of this county, 
 being not only one of the most beautiful, but one 
 of the most valuable in its precinct. Everything 
 that the hand of industry could accomplisli and 
 taste could suggest, has been done to fulfill the 
 idea of the modern country' estate. A portrait of 
 Mr. Swalley accompanies this sketch. 
 
 ^OHN H. TETEN, Sr., one of the most 
 thrifty German farmers of Rock Creek Pre- 
 ^_^^ I cinct, has been for the last twenty-one years 
 (^g/' successfully cultivating 160 acres of land on 
 section 29. Here he established himself in the 
 midst of an unbroken stretch of country, when his 
 neighbors were few and far between, and when 
 what is now a populous district of intelligent and 
 enterprising people was then inhabited principally 
 by wild animals and roamed over by Indians. 
 Not only had Mr. Teten come to the wild West, 
 but had journeyed across the ocean to a strange 
 country, from his native Province of Hanover, in 
 Germany, which was a Kingdom at the time of his 
 birth, which occurred on the 15th of August, 1831. 
 
 The father of our subject, John Henry Teten 
 byname, accompanied the latter hither, and died six 
 months after his arrival at the home of his son in 
 Rock Creek Precinct. The mother, Mrs. Gesche 
 Teten, had died in her native Germany. John 
 H. was one of the younger members of the house- 
 hold, and, like most of the children of Germany, re- 
 ceived a thorough education. Upon reaching man- 
 hood he was married to Miss Sophfe C. Ekhoff, also 
 a native of Hanover, and who was born April 10, 
 
 *^ 
 
•►-11-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 423 
 
 1826. They came to the United States after the 
 birth of five children, and after their arrival here 
 one more child was added to the household 
 circle. These children are all living: J. Henr}', 
 Jr., married Miss Margareta Walken, who was born 
 in Germany and came to the United States when a 
 young woman, three years before her marriage. 
 They have two children — John H. and an infant 
 named Gerhard A. This son and his family live 
 with our subject, and assist in the management of 
 the farm. He is a very promising young man, 
 fully as energetic and industrious as his father. 
 John J. married Miss Barbara Orban, a lady of 
 German birth and parentage, and is in the drug 
 business in Nebraska Citj', and City Clerk; Herman 
 is farming for himself in Otoe County; H.Chris- 
 tina is the wife of Herman J. Neemann, who is en- 
 gaged in farming in Russell Precinct; Talka M. and 
 Anna Z. are at home with their parents. 
 
 Our subject and his farail}' all belong to the Lu- 
 theran Church, to the support of which they con- 
 tribute cheerfully and liberallj% and in which Mr. 
 T. is a leading member and one of its pillars. He 
 is an earnest advocate of the principles of the Dem- 
 ocratic party, and Vice President of the Democratic 
 Club of Rock Creek Precinct. 
 
 j^ APT. H. H. CIIILDS, who represents the 
 
 [l( lumber trade in Talmage and Douglas, deal- 
 
 ^^^ ing largely in every variety required in 
 every department of house building material, has 
 been identified with the business interests of Tal- 
 mage since its foundation in 1882. He is a suc- 
 cessful business man, and a much valued citizen. 
 He first carried on the yards established by W. H. 
 Hassett, of Tecumseh, for seven months, and then 
 continued the same for the successors of tliat gen- 
 tleman, Stewart, Chute & Co., remaining with them 
 until he purchased the yards and became sole pro- 
 prietor. He threw himself into this business with 
 his usual ardor, and consideraljly extended it, open- 
 ing the yards at Douglas in order to meet his grow- 
 ing trade. Latterly his business represents an 
 annual total of $15,000. 
 
 Prior to enafaginn; in the lumber business Mr. 
 
 Childs had followed agricultural pursuits in Spring 
 Creek Precinct, Johnson County, where he took 
 up land in 1870, and until he came to this place 
 continued to operate his farm, which comprised 
 160 acres of fine, arable, fertile land. He first 
 came to Nebraska in 1866, and lived about four- 
 teen miles north of Lincoln, but after three yeai'S 
 moved to Saline County, and ran a saw and grist 
 mill quite close to where Crete now stands. In 
 1869 he sold his interest in this, and moved to the 
 above-mentioned farm. 
 
 LTntil coming to Neijraska Capt. Childs had 
 lived chiefly in AVisconsin since he was about ten 
 years of age, at whicli time his parents removed 
 from the township of Messina, St. Lawrence Co., 
 N. Y., where he was born. He is a son of Elijah 
 and Sabrina Childs, who gave him the best oppor- 
 tunity possible to obtain an education, and were 
 very careful to bring him up so that his life and 
 character might end in a right direction. 
 
 Our subject was living in Juneau County, Wis., 
 upon the farm of his father, when the first call for 
 300,000 troops was made by President Lincoln, in 
 April, 1861. He at once presented himself, and be- 
 came a private in Company A, 6th Wisconsin In- 
 fantry, which became part of the Army of the 
 Potomac, under the command of Gens. McClellan 
 and McDowell. Our subject served at the second 
 battle of Bull Run, but previous to the engage- 
 ment he had been transferred to the 4th United 
 States Light Artillery, and served in Company B. 
 The 2d, 6th and 7th Wisconsin, 19th Indiana and 
 24th Michigan Infantry comprised the "Iron Brig- 
 ade" of the Army of the Potomac. He served in 
 that battery at the battle of Rappahannock Sta- 
 tion, Aug. 20, 22, and 23, 1862, at Warrington 
 Springs on the 26th of August, at Gainesville on 
 the 28th of August, Bull Run on the 29th and 
 30th, and South Mountain on the 14th of Septem- 
 ber; three days later he was wounded at the battle 
 of Antietam, Md., by a gunshot wound through the 
 right shoulder, and was in the hospital at Chester, 
 Pa., after l3'ing upon the battle-field for ten days. 
 He was discharged on the 7th of February, 1863, 
 from the hospital on account of the wound hav- 
 ing disabled him from further service at that time; 
 therefore he returned to his home in Wisconsin. 
 
 •►^1-^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ■•►Hh 
 
 424 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 In the spring of 1864, being completely restored 
 to health, our subject re-entered the army, join- 
 ing Conapany E, 41st Wisconsin Infantry — in fact, 
 he raised the company. He received the commis- 
 sion of Captain at once from the Governor of the 
 State, and then at the head of his company, and, 
 of course, with his regiment, he went to tlie front. 
 They served in the Army of the Cumberland, and 
 were in the engagement at Memphis, Tenn., under 
 General Commander Washburne, who opposed the 
 Confederate forces under Forrest. After six months' 
 fighting here and there, he was discharged on ac- 
 count of the expiration of his term of enlistment, 
 and returned with his company to Wisconsin in 
 September, 1864. Feb. 20, 1865, he and a Mr. C. 
 W. Farrington started to raise another company. 
 This was effected within twenty days, and our sub- 
 ject was commissioned Captain of the same. It was 
 assigned to the 49th Regiment, under Col. Samuel 
 Fellows, now of Chicago. The regiment became 
 part of the Army of the West, and served chiefly 
 on detached service and Provost Marshal duty at 
 RoUa and St. Louis, Mo. Capt. Childs held the 
 position of Assistant Provost Marshal while on 
 duty at the former place, and was retained in St. 
 Louis until February, 1866. During the latter 
 month he was called to do duty on a court-martial 
 and commission, of which Gen. Beverly, of Illi- 
 nois, was the President. A commission was ap- 
 pointed to try the boat burners of the Mississippi 
 River, and was appointed l).y the Secretary of 
 War. 
 
 Shortly after his final severance from military 
 service Capt. Childs came to this State, and has 
 since been a resident almost continuously. He is 
 one of the leading and valued citizens of this dis- 
 trict, and an enthusiastic member of the G. A. R., 
 and was attached to the Talmage Post. He has 
 frequently been called upon to fill different offices, 
 and is at present one of the Village Board of Tal- 
 mage. Politically, he is a Prohibitionist, and is 
 one of the energetic workers in the campaigns 
 where special effort is desirable. 
 
 Capt. Childs was married in St. Lawrence Count}% 
 N. Y., to Miss Luthera Atwood, who was born at 
 Massena, in that county, and was there brought up 
 and educated. Subsequently- she became a teacher 
 
 in the county, and otherwise identified with that 
 place. Her father, Franklin Atwood, is still living 
 there, and has reached an advanced age. Her 
 mother died when Mrs. Childs was a little girl of 
 about two years. Two children have been born to 
 our subject, one of whom, Albert, died when three 
 years of age; the other, Frank L., manages the 
 Douglas department of his father's business, and 
 in doing so evinces an ability most gratifying. He 
 is well educated, having attended the State Uni- 
 versit}', and also the State Normal School at Peru. 
 
 -nnn — tuaC/S^g^ 
 
 ^fsgi^^f^Tr* ** 'w^ 
 
 IhMi ARTIN BROWN. Germany, wiiich has 
 given so many of her sons to the develop- 
 ment of the western portion of this hemi- 
 sphere, holds the birthplace of the subject 
 of tliis sketch, where lie first opened his eyes to the 
 light Sept. 9, 1832. His childhood home was in 
 the little Kingdom of Wurtemberg, of which his 
 parents, Joseph and Barbara (Seubert) Brown, were 
 also natives, and where they spent their entire lives. 
 
 The father of our suliject was twice married, hav- 
 ing seven children b}- each union, and Martin was 
 the third child of the first marriage. He was given 
 good educational advantages, and served a regular 
 apprenticeship as a stone cutter and mason. He was 
 thirteen years old at the time of his mother's death, 
 and shortly afterward was taken to the home of his 
 maternal uncle, Michael Seubert, a contractor and 
 builder, with whom he lived until attaining his 
 majority. 
 
 Young Brown becaiWB an expert in his calling, 
 and as the emploj'e of his uncle -assisted in the erec- 
 tion of many public buildings and important works 
 in his native Empire. Among these was the bridge 
 at Maknilel, and one extraordinarily large culvert 
 in Italy bj' direction of the Italian Government. 
 Soon after becoming his own man, however, our 
 subject resolved to seek his fortune on the other 
 side of the Atlantic. Accordingly, in March, 1853, 
 hh boarded a sailing-vessel at Havre in company 
 with an aunt, and five weeks later landed in New 
 York City. Finding difficulty in procuring work 
 at his trade he wisely accepted whatever else he 
 could find to do, cniplo)'lng himself as a gardener 
 
 ^i- 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
•►-II-4*- 
 
 ••► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 425 
 
 and coaoliman, and thus wisely spending no idle 
 time. 
 
 After about one year thus occupied, Mr. Brown 
 engaged as fireman on an ocean steamship, and 
 during the voyages of two years thereafter, visited 
 the principal ports of England and France, Africa, 
 Cuba and Panama, and finallj- San Francisco, This 
 proved a rich experience, which he has never re- 
 gretted. When again becoming establislied on terra 
 firma he began farming in Lee County, 111., which 
 brought him up to about the time of the breaking 
 out of the Civil War. Having become thoroughly 
 identified with the interests of his adopted countr}-, 
 and understanding the importance of an undivided 
 Union, he enlisted in Company G, 8th Illinois Cav- 
 alry, for three jears, or during the war. He was 
 under the command of Gen. Sherman, and joined 
 in the famous march to the sea. He had the satis- 
 faction of witnessing the surrender of Lee at Ap- 
 pomattox, and bears an honorable scar from a 
 wound received in a sabre charge. He had a horse 
 killed under him by the explosion of a shell, but 
 aside from these hairbreadth escapes came out un- 
 injured. He was present in the grand review at 
 Washington, and mustered out there in July, 18C5. 
 
 After returning from the arm3', Mr. Brown took 
 up his residence in DeKalb County, 111., and engaged 
 in farming. He was married in November, 1859, to 
 Miss Martha Giffln, who was liorn in Pennsylvania 
 in 1834. Her p.arents, Robert and Sarah (Osborn) 
 Giffln, were natives respectively of England and 
 Pennsjivania. The father was a cooper by trade, 
 but met his death by drowning when comparatively 
 a young man. The mother later took up her resi- 
 dence in Perry County, Pa., and spent her last years 
 in Petersburg, Pa. She was a widow at the time of 
 her marriage with Mr. Giffln, liaving been married 
 first to a Mr. Anderson, by whom she became the 
 mother of two children. Of her marriage with Mr. 
 Giffln there were also born two children — Martha 
 L. and her brother Henry, older. 
 
 Mrs. Brown when a young girl went to Illinois 
 with her guardian, and lived in DeKalb County 
 until her marriage with our subject. Of this union 
 there were born six children, namely: Mary C, 
 Sarah A. E., Clara B., Susannah M., Harry M. P. 
 and Sherman. In the year 1867 Mr. and Mrs. 
 
 Brown were visited by a terrible affliction in the 
 loss of their three youngest children of dijjhtheria 
 within a period of two weeks. The light seemed 
 well-nigh shut out of their household, but they re- 
 ceived the sympathies of many kind friends, and 
 their affections have naturally twined closely around 
 those remaining. The elder of these, Mary C, is 
 now the wife of Lloyd Gibbens; Mr. G. is a well- 
 to-do farmer of Nemaha Count3% Kan., and they 
 have five children — Estella May, Henry Otis, Ethel, 
 Charles and Martha. The other daughter, Sarah 
 A. E., is the wife of William S. McCarthy, and 
 they reside in Sandwich, 111.; Mr. McC. is a painter 
 by tr.ade,and the}' are the parents of four children: 
 Clarence B., who died when two years old; Jerdie, 
 Ida and a babe unnamed. 
 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Brown settled 
 on a farm in DeKalb County, 111., where our sub- 
 ject operated as a tenant several years. Subse- 
 quently he purchased land in Lee County, upon 
 which he lived until 1878. then came to Nebraska. 
 Here he has effected great improvements, having his 
 land now under a fine state of cultivation, a tasteful 
 and comfortable residence, a barn with good cattle 
 sheds, and other structures necessary for his profit 
 and convenience. He is a man prompt to meet his 
 obligations, and held in the highest esteem b}' his 
 fellow-citizens. 
 
 Vip^^lCHOLAS A. DUFF, President of the First 
 I /// National Bank, of Syracuse, and holding 
 lV\fZL) the same position in relation to the Bank of 
 Unadilla, is also senior member of the firm of N. A. 
 Duff <fe Co., dealers in grain, and owning eleven 
 elevators in as many different towns, embracing, 
 with one exception, all the elevators in Otoe Count}'. 
 Hi^ connection thus with the most important inter- 
 ests of the county is sufflcient evidence of the 
 enterprising character of the man, and his course 
 has been that which has secured for him the esteem 
 and confidence of all with whom he has had dealings. 
 Mr. Duff is the pioneer grain merchant of Syra- 
 cuse, having been established in business here as 
 early as 1872. He was born near the little town of 
 New Diggings, in LaFayeltc County, Wis., Sept. 9, 
 
 •► II <• 
 
 f 
 
 ^U. 
 
•► 
 
 t 
 
 426 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •^h^ 
 
 1852, and is the son of Christopher and Ann (Mc- 
 Nult3') Duff, who were born and reared in County 
 Dublin, Ireland. The father was a blacksmith b}' 
 trade, and the parents emigrated to America after 
 their marriage, settling in New Jersey about 1835. 
 Thence they removed later to the Territory of Wis- 
 consin, locating at New Diggings, where the father 
 followed his trade until his death, which took place 
 in 1854. The mother is still living, making her 
 home with her son, our subject, in the city of 
 S3'racuse. 
 
 Six children comprised the family of the parents 
 of our subject, three of whom grew to mature 
 years, and are now living, the two besides our sub- 
 ject being Michael E., a grain dealer of Nebraska 
 City, and Christopher J., a stock commission mer- 
 chant of Denver, Col. Nicholas A. was but two 
 years old at the time of his father's death, and was 
 reared by his mother, receiving a good education, 
 and completing his studies in that weil-knovvn insti- 
 tution, the College of Notre Dame, at South Bend, 
 Ind. Upon leaving school, being then eighteen 
 years old, he came to Nebraska City, this State, and 
 engaged in the grain trade in company with W. 
 A. Cotton, continuing here for two years. Mr. 
 Dufif then began operating in Syracuse, putting uj) 
 an elevator, and from time to time built elevators 
 in other towns. The firm of Cotton, Duff & Co. 
 continued for a period of fourteen years and until 
 1886, at which date M. E. Duff succeeded Mr. Cot- 
 ton, and the firm became Duff & Co., and thus 
 continues. In 1882 Messrs. Cotton, Duff & Co. 
 organized the Farmers' Bank, of Syracuse, and in 
 the fall of 1883 reorganized under the National 
 Banking Laws with a capital of $50,000, Mr. Duff 
 being the principal stockholder. He was also at 
 that time chosen President, a position which he has 
 since occupied. 
 
 Mr. Duff, in February, 1888, organized the Bank 
 of Unadilla, with a capitalof ^25,000, of which N. 
 A. Duff & Co. are the principal stockholders. Our 
 subject is also a stockholder in the Farmers' and 
 Merchants' Insurance Company in Lincoln, this 
 State. He came empty-handed to Nebraska City, 
 and his accumulations are the result of his own in- 
 dustry, enterprise and good judgment. The firm of 
 Cotton & Duff commenced operations on a capital 
 
 of less than $1,000. Mr. Duff h.as wisely invested 
 a jiortion of his surplus capital in farming lands 
 and residence property in Syracuse. He has stu- 
 diously avoided meddling in politics, and aside 
 from casting his vote with the Democratic party, 
 and discharging, unpaid, some of the duties of the 
 local offices, takes little interest therein. He has 
 served as President of the Village Board, and so- 
 cially, is a member of the Knights of Honor. Genial 
 and courteous, be is a general favorite in social aud 
 business circles, and is one of those rare characters, 
 a perfect gentleman, both in the home circle and 
 among his business associates. 
 
 Mr. Duff while a resident of Syracuse was united 
 in marriage with Miss Mary, daughter of W. J. 
 Armstrong, the wedding taking place May 21, 
 1878. A sketch of her father will be found else- 
 where in this volume. Of this union there are 
 three children — Nora, Ralph aud Gertrude. 
 
 flZ^ ERMAN NEEMANN. In Rock Creek Pre- 
 iJljl) cinct there are few more thoroughly practi- 
 i^^ cal and prosperous farmers and stock-raisers 
 i^^ than the subject of this sketch. He owns a 
 verj- fine and improved farm of 150 acres on sec- 
 tion 30. This is the home farm; besides it he has 
 one-sixth interest in 160 acres on section 31, that 
 is not at present so well-improved, but is useful for 
 his stock in its present condition. 
 
 The subject of our sketch came to this district 
 with the first settlers in 1859, and since that time 
 has resided almost continuously on his present 
 property, having entered his laud at that time, and 
 progressing with his improvements. His residence 
 is among the finest farm dwellings in the county, 
 being constructed of the best brick obtainable, and 
 not without some pretensions in the way of design. 
 Of the farm proper it is only necessary to add that 
 it is well cared for and highly cultivated, while his 
 pastures and cattle sheds show at a glance the 
 foundation of considerable wealth in prospect if all 
 goes as well as is to be hoped. 
 
 Mr. Neemann came to this place from Madison 
 County, 111., where he had resided about a year; 
 previous to that time his home was in his native 
 
 ■•►4h 
 
•^^hM- 
 
 ^ 
 
 otop: county. 
 
 427 
 
 Fatherland. He was born in Hanover, Nov. 16, 
 1833. His father it was liis misfortune to lose 
 while he was but a lad. The name of this gentle- 
 man was Albert Neemann, and almost until the time 
 of his death, which occurred when he was seventy- 
 two years of age, he continued to support himself 
 and family as a farm laborer. He was a devout 
 member of the German Lutheran Church, as was 
 also his wife. 
 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject 
 was Margret Berns. In the early months of her 
 widowhood she came to the United States with her 
 children, but only lived for about eighteen months 
 after arriving in this county. Slie was then about 
 sixty-two j'ears of age, and had been a lifelong 
 member of the Lutheran Church. .She was in everj' 
 sense of the word a wife and mother, and allowed 
 no opportunity to pass without improving it that 
 promised good for her family. 
 
 Mr. Neemann is one of the younger of seven 
 children who comprised the home circle. He was 
 about twenty-five years of age when he came to the 
 decision that he would come to this free land. AVhen 
 he attained that age he, with his brother, Dick A. 
 Neemann, came to this country to make a perma- 
 neut home, which they did in the above precinct. 
 This was in the year 1859. He was married here to 
 Agdie Bruns. She was born in Hanover, Germany, 
 and was twelve years of age when she came with 
 her parents and settled in the above-mentioned 
 district. Mrs. Neemann from that age was brought 
 up in McWilliams Precinct until she came to 
 womanhood, making her home with her parents. She 
 has presented her husband with nine children, of 
 whom her son Ockie died at the age of eleven years, 
 but the remainder of the family are still living. 
 These bear the following names: Mattie, Fannie R., 
 Albert J., Hannah C, John G., George F., Lena W. 
 and Henry C. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Neemann and family are active 
 members of the Lutheran Church, into which they 
 were brought in early years. Our subject is one 
 of the church Directors, a position he has held for 
 five yeai'S. He has several times been calUed upon 
 to hold several of the school offices, and is much 
 interested in educational work. He has made it his 
 business to understand the institutions of his 
 
 adopted country, and gives no little thought to 
 political matters, usually voting the Republican 
 ticket. He is a man of fine reputation, and one of 
 the capable and worth}' citizens of the district. 
 
 ^ .^^ ^ 
 
 ^^55)EORGE W. HAWKE has been a resident of 
 ill (=, Nebraska City since 1862, and was for sev- 
 ^^^ eral 3'ears prominently identified with its 
 mercantile interests. He is a native of the county 
 of Carroll, Ohio, born one mile from the town of 
 Malvern. He is of Irish ancestry, his grandfather, 
 William Hawke, being a native of Ireland, as was 
 also his father. The former was reared and mar- 
 ried in the old countr}', and about 1811 came to 
 America, with his family. He cast in his lot with 
 the early pioneers of Stark County. Ohio, and there 
 bought a tract of heavilj' timbered land, and cleared 
 a good farm from the wilderness, where he dwelt 
 the remainder of his daj-s. He was a man of re- 
 marlcable vigor of both mind and body, and lived 
 to the extreme old age of one hundred and two 
 years, and up to within two weeks of his death was 
 able to walk to town, two and one-half miles dis- 
 tant. His wife was likewise a native of Ireland, 
 and five of the children of their marriage grew to 
 maturity, namely: William, Jane, Eliza, Robert 
 and James. 
 
 William, the father of our subject, was their 
 eldest child, and he was born in Ireland, May 12, 
 1799. He was twelve years of age when he accom- 
 panied his parents to this countr}-, and he was 
 reared on his father's homestead in Stark County, 
 Ohio, and remained with his parents until his mar- 
 riage with Eliza Jane Farra, who was born of 
 Southern parentage Sept. 25, 1805. After his 
 marriage he settled near the home farm across the 
 line in Carroll County, where he bought a tract of 
 timber land, on which he erected a log house, in 
 which humlile abode the subject of our sketch was 
 born. Mr. Ilawke cleared a farm, felling the tall 
 old trees of the primeval forest which covered his 
 land, and rolling the large logs together, that 
 would now be very valuable, and burning them. 
 The nearest market for grain and produce was at 
 Wellsville, thirty-six miles distant, and Philadel- 
 
 • » II <• 
 
 
428 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 
 phia. Pa., was the market for live stock. There being 
 uo railway at that earlj' day, horses, mules, cattle, 
 hogs and sheep that the Ohio farmers raised were 
 driven all the long way to that city. Mr. Hawke 
 sold that farm in 1842, and moved to Holt County, 
 Mo., going by team to Wellsville, and thence with 
 his team and all on a boat down the Ohio and up the 
 Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to Rubedeux Point, 
 now St. Joseph, and there disembarked with his 
 team, and he and his family proceeded to Holt 
 Count}', of which he became a pioneer. He se- 
 lected a suitable location, and entered the tract 
 from the Government; his land was partly prairie, 
 and the rest timber, bordering on the Missouri 
 River. The nearest store or mill was at Rubedeux 
 Point, which was a mere trading-post kept by a 
 French Canadian for the purpose of bartering with 
 the Indians, there being no white settlers there. 
 In 1844 Mr. Rubedeux laid out the i^resent city of 
 St. Joseph on the site of his post. There being no 
 markets in that part of the country Mr. Hawke 
 found it to be of little use to do much farming, so 
 he left the farm work to his sons, and he turned 
 his attention to his trade of brickmason. He built 
 the first brick house ever erected in Kanesville, 
 now Council Bluffs, Iowa, and was busily employed 
 at his trade in different places. A few days after 
 the arrival of the family in Missouri, and before 
 the^r had scarcely had time to settle in their new 
 home, the shadow of death fell over them, and 
 Sept, 9, 1842, the devoted wife and tender mother, 
 who had sickened on the journey, passed away 
 from the scenes of earth. In 1846 Mr. Hawke es- 
 tablished himself in the mercantile business in 
 Kanesville, becoming one of the early merchants 
 there. He continued as a merchant there, and at 
 Hemmie's Landing until 1850, when he sold out, 
 and started westward with a part}' bound for Cali- 
 fornia. He engaged in the mercantile business at 
 Jacksonville, that State, and continued there until 
 his death, March 1, 1855. The following is the 
 record of the eleven children, nine of whom grew 
 to maturity, who were born to him and his wife: 
 Robert was born Jan. 25, 1826, and died in Ne- 
 braska City, May 2, 1887; Jacob F. was born Feb. 
 16, 1829, and died in Nebraska City, Feb. 14, 1876; 
 John was born Aug. 20, 1830, and died in Califor- 
 
 -^•^ 
 
 nia, Sept. 27, 1867; Hamilton was born Feb. 15, 
 1832, went to California with his father, returned 
 a few years after, went to California again in 1859, 
 and was last heard from in 1862; Whiting was 
 born Nov. 24, 1834, and died in Holt County, Mo., 
 Feb. 14, 1856; Nancy was born July 25, 1835, 
 married John Brusha, and now resides in Clay 
 County, Neb.; George W., our subject, was born 
 April 19, 1837; Mary was born Jan. 11, 1839, 
 married Huston Nuckolls, and now lives in Crete, 
 Neb.; Hannah was born Dec. 22, 1841, married 
 William E. Dillon, and lives in Nebraska City. 
 
 George W. Hawke was five years old when his 
 parents moved to Missouri, and his mother dying 
 a few days later, the care of himself and his young 
 brothers and sisters fell on the older members of 
 the family. In 1848 he and his three sisters were 
 taken to Carroll County, Ohio, and there George 
 and one of his sisters made their home with their 
 uncle, Robert Hawke, and the other sisters with an 
 aunt. He made the best of his opportunities to 
 gain an education, attending the district school, 
 two miles distant. While not in school he assisted 
 on the farm until 1856, when he returned to Mis- 
 souri, and engaged as a clerk in a general store at 
 Hemmie's Landing. At the end of a year he left 
 the store and came to Nebraska, which was then 
 under Territorial Government, and took charge of 
 his brother's store at St. Stephen's, Richardson 
 County. He managed the store successfully for a 
 year, and- in the spring of 1858 entered into part- 
 nership with his brother Jacob, and opened a store 
 at Rockport, Atchison Co., Mo., under the firm 
 name of J. F. & G. W. Hawke. In the fall of 1859 
 thej' moved their business to Glenwood, Mills Co., 
 Iowa, where he resided until March, 1862. He 
 established himself in the mercantile business here, 
 and conducted it with great financial success until 
 the 4th of March, 1872, when he sold out to his 
 brother Robert. He then bought a tract of land 
 in Wyoming Precinct, and turned his attention to 
 the improvement of a farm. He still continued to 
 reside in the city, however, and for the past few 
 years has not been actively engaged in business, 
 aside from looking after his private interests, until 
 his brother Robert's death, when he was selected to 
 settle the estate. 
 
 -^^i-^ 
 
*>HI^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -I -2 9 
 
 Jh 
 
 To the good wife who presides over his liome, 
 our subject was united iu marriage May 24, 1859. 
 She was formerly Miss Susan, daughter of John L. 
 ]3ozier, a native of Kentucky, and a pioneer of 
 Holt County, Mo., where she was born. Six chil- 
 dren survive the union of our subject^ — Leone, 
 Edna, Georgia, Farra, Nellie and Robert. Birdeau 
 became the wife of A. B. Browne, and died Feb. 
 24, 1888, leaving one daughter, Lillian. Mrs. 
 Hawke and three of her daughters are valued mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and are 
 zealous workers in the cause of religion. Mr. 
 Hawke takes a warm interest in everything per- 
 taining to the welfare of his city or county. 
 Politically, he is a Democrat, and is now Deputy 
 Revenue Collector. He is well liked in this com- 
 munity, and his neighbors find in him a true friend. 
 
 ^F_^^ON. GEORGE W. SROAT is distinguished 
 (irjij as a pioneer of Nebraska, he being one of 
 5^^ the early settlers of Nebraska City, of which 
 (^J he is still an honored resident, and wo are 
 pleased to be enabled to represent him in this Al- 
 bum. He was born in Jefferson County. Ky., Aug. 
 3, 1829, his father, Peter Sroat, having been a na- 
 tive of the same county. His grandfather, also 
 named Peter, was born in Pennsylvania, of Ger- 
 man parentage, and removed from there to Ken- 
 tucky previous to 1800, the removal being made by 
 ^ 'ay of the Ohio River on a flatboat. He landed 
 a Louisville, whicli then comprised only three 
 buildings, one of hewed logs and the other two of 
 round logs. He did not tarry there, however, but 
 pushed on into the depths of the primeval forests 
 fourteen miles distant, and settled on Floyd's Fork 
 of the Salt River, where he took up a tract of tim- 
 ber land, adjoining the present site of Fishersville. 
 He built up a log cabin in the woods and lived 
 there with his family, clearing a good farm, and 
 dying there, having rounded out a useful life of 
 seventy-seven years. Bears, deer, and all other 
 kinds of wild animals common to the country 
 abounded in the forests near his home, and the sav- 
 age Indians were numerous and ofttimes trouble- 
 some. There were no markets in those days, and 
 
 they were practically dependent on home supplies, 
 raising all their provisions, generally using rye for 
 coffee. Mr. Sroat raised flax and cotton and kept 
 sheep, and his wife spun, wove, and made all the 
 clothes for the famil3^ She was a woman of un- 
 common energy and force of character, and was 
 endowed with good nerves and a courageous spirit. 
 She was an expert in the use of the rifle, and wlien 
 over eighty years of age shot a wild turkey. She 
 died on the old homestead in Kentucky at the re- 
 markable old age of one hundred and one years. 
 Her maiden name was Catherine Lethermann, and 
 she was a native of Germany. Her father, the 
 great-grandfather of our subject, came to America 
 from Germany and settled in l\Laryland, and his 
 was the first barber-shop opened in Hagerstown, the 
 place where he resided. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in his na- 
 tive county, learned the trade of millwright, and 
 resided there until 1846. He then went to East 
 Tennessee and located in Henry County, where he 
 bought land and engaged in farming and stock- 
 raising. He died in his new home about a year 
 and a half after his removal, to it. He was a man 
 of great worth, industrious in his habits, and was 
 highly thought of by all who knew him. The 
 m.aiden name of his wife was Elizabeth Conn, and 
 she was born in Jefferson County, Ky., where her 
 death afterward occurred about 1833. Her father, 
 the grandfather of our subject, Edward Conn bj' 
 name, was a native of Maryland, and an early set- 
 tler of Jefferson County, Ky., where he improved 
 a farm. 
 
 George W. Sroat was reared in his native county 
 until he was seventeen years old, when he accom- 
 panied his father to Tennessee. He lived there 
 three years, and then returned to his native State to 
 learn the trades of plasterer and brick and stone 
 mason. He resided in Kentuckj' until 1855, when 
 the same bold, enterprising spirit that had made of 
 his father and grandfather pioneers, determined 
 him to seek the broad prairies of the then but little 
 known Territory of Nebraska. Accordingl}', he 
 traveled this way on the waters of the Ohio. Mis- 
 sissippi and Missouri Rivers, there being no railroad 
 west of the Mississippi River, and all transportation 
 was done by water or with teams overland. He 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 430 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -t 
 
 located in Nebraska City, which at that time had a 
 Ijopulation of less than fifty people, and tlie coun- 
 try all around was in a rude, unsettled condition. 
 The old block house built by the Government was 
 still standing and occupied by the settlers, as was 
 the Government Hospital, and there were but a 
 few houses besides, and but one brick building. 
 There were no villages in the interior of Nebraska 
 at that time, although some venturesome settlers 
 had taken up claims a mile and a half west of the 
 city, and all the land was owned bj' the Govern- 
 ment. Indians were much more plentiful than white 
 people; deer, elks and antelopes abounded, and also 
 a fevv bears, wild turkej'S and wolves were to be 
 seen. 
 
 Our subject relates that the first morning after 
 his arrival here he was awakened about daybreak 
 by the howling of wolves, and looking out of the 
 window he counted twenty-eight wolves in front 
 of where the court-house now stands. Mr. Sroat 
 immediately took up a claim of land a mile and 
 a half south of the city, built a log house thereon, 
 and kept a bachelor's establishment throughout the 
 following winter. In the spring he commenced to 
 work at his trade as contractor and builder, and the 
 growth of the city being quite rapid during the 
 next few years, he did an extensive and profitable 
 business; he being a master of his trade, his work 
 was always in demand. In 1860 he abandoned the 
 building business to deal in real estate, which he 
 has conducted ever since, and he has thus in an- 
 other manner contributed to the development of 
 the city and its interests, and is numbered among 
 its prominent citizens. 
 
 Mr. Sroat has built up a commodious and com- 
 fortable home, in which he has been greatly as- 
 sisted by his estimable wife, to whom lie was united 
 in marriage Oct. 21, 1861. Mrs. Sroat was formerly 
 Miss Georgenia North, daughter of George and 
 Maria E. North, natives of Ireland. Tlie marriage 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Sroat has been blessed to them by 
 the birth of nine children, namely: George N., 
 Frederick (who died in infanc}'), Arthur (who died 
 in infancy), Grace E., Paul H., Bertha, Irving, 
 Edith and Alice C. 
 
 Our subject has always been a firm adherent of 
 the Democratic party, and he is influential in polit- 
 
 <■ 
 
 ical and public affairs, and has held some of the 
 highest and most responsible offices in the county 
 and city, discharging their onerous duties in such 
 a manner as to reflect credit on himself and his 
 constituency. In 1860 he was appointed Sheritf to 
 fill a vacanej', aud in 1861 he was elected to that 
 office, to which he was re-elected in 1863. After 
 that he served as Deputy Sheriff for two j'ears. In 
 1866 he was elected Representative to the Territo- 
 rial Legislature, and served with great ability in that 
 capacity for two sessions. His wide experience, 
 trustworthiness and practical sagacity have ren- 
 dered him an invaluable civic officer of tliis munici- 
 pality, and he has been a member of the City Coun- 
 cil, Justice of the Peace and City Marslial. Both 
 Mr. and Mrs. Sroat are influential members of the 
 Baptist Church, in whose organization he zealously 
 assisted, and he has served as Trustee and Deacon. 
 Socially, Mv. Sroat is identified with the Western 
 Star Lodge No. 2, A. F. & A. M. 
 
 lUCEPHALUS WOLPH, a very intelligent 
 and well-educated gentleman, and a gradu- 
 ate from the classical department of Doane 
 College, at Crete, finds his chief pleasure 
 and pride in skillful agriculture, and is proprietor 
 of one of the best stock farms along the banks of 
 the Weeping Water. He is the son of one of the 
 wealthiest men of Cass County, and has been given 
 all the advantages incident to refined and culti- 
 vated life. His home is presided over by a very 
 estimable and amiable lady, who in the adornings 
 of her dwelling and the management of her domestic 
 affairs, has the true perception of those things wliich 
 conduce to the comfort and happiness of the house- 
 hold circle. 
 
 The parental history of our subject is in tlie 
 main as follows: His father, Hon. Henry C. AVolph, 
 was born in Richland County, Ohio, and married 
 Miss Esther Bevier, a native of the same. The pa- 
 ternal grandfather emigrated to Ohio during its 
 pioneer days, locating near Rome, where he carried 
 on farming successfuU}', and spent his last years in 
 Nebraska. The maternal great-grandparents traced 
 their ancestry back to the French Huguenots, and 
 
 ■•►Hl^ 
 

 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 431 
 
 -t 
 
 emigrated from their native P'rance to the United 
 States, settling- in New York State, where they car- 
 ried on agriculture successfully, and where they 
 spent the remainder of their lives. 
 
 The AVolph family is of German descent. The 
 father of our subject left the Bucke^'e State in 1849, 
 and journeyed overland to California, where he 
 worked in the mines three years with good success, 
 and then returned home, mailing the journe}- via 
 the Panama route. Not long afterward he was 
 taken ill, and, in addition to having lost an eye in 
 California, suffered a long time, but finally par- 
 tially regained his health. Air this time he had 
 been unmarried, but after his wedding, which took 
 place in Ohio, he went with his young wife im- 
 mediately to Glenwood, Iowa, where he lived a 
 year, and then removed to the vicinity of Mt. 
 Ple-tsant. There he purchased 160 acres of land, 
 upon which he labored two j'ears, and then took 
 up his line of march to this county. 
 
 In Berlin Precinct the father of our subject pur- 
 chased 360 acres on section 2, which he imju-oved, 
 and where he made his home for a period of twenty 
 years. In the fall of 1874 he removed to Crete; 
 he is now residing in Cass County, and has accu- 
 mulated a fine property. His farm comprises 400 
 acres of valuable land, and he is chiefly engaged in 
 stock-raising. He served one term in the Nebraska 
 Legislature before the Territorj- was made a State, 
 and one afterward. In early manhood he identi- 
 fied himself with the old Whig party, but upon its 
 abandonment cordially endorsed Eepublican jirin- 
 ciples. He is a man enterprising and public-spirited, 
 and a member in good standing of the Congrega- 
 tional Church at Eagle. He is now sixt^-fivej-ears 
 of age, and the mother is the same. The parental 
 family consisted of three children, who were named 
 respectively: Our subject, Bucephalia and Sh.<ista. 
 Our subject, a native of this State, was born in 
 Mt. Peasant Township, Oct. 8, 1856. He was two 
 years old when his parents came to this county, and 
 his first recollections are of the log house on the un- 
 cultivated prairie land. He lived at home with his 
 parents until sixteen years of age, and then en- 
 tered the college at Crete, from which he was 
 graduated six years later, in 1878. He began teach- 
 ing in Cass County, and sulisequently followed tliis 
 
 profession at Nehawka for three years, and at 
 Eagle for one j-ear. This confinement, however, 
 was far from being conducive to his health, and he 
 returned to the farm, working again with his father 
 two years. 
 
 In the spring of 1884 our subject purehaised 160 
 acres of land in Cass County, and fort3' acres in 
 Otoe. In 1886 he bought 320 acres of land, and 
 in the summer of the year 1888 moved to his pres- 
 ent place, in Berlin Precinct, which adjoins the 
 latter. Here he has erected good buildings, and 
 this land is amply watered by Sand Creek and the 
 AVeeping Water. He has 1 70 acres of valuable tim- 
 ber, and has iilanted an apple orchard with trees of 
 the smaller fruits. The fields are enclosed with 
 neat wire fencing, and the live stock comprises ex- 
 cellent grades of cattle, Poland-China swine and 
 good horses. In addition to what he raises 3Ir. 
 Wolph is also engaged in the bujdng and feeding 
 fif cattle, and ships numbers annually. 
 
 The wife of our subject, to whom he was married 
 April 2, 1884, at her home in Cass County, was 
 formerly Miss Gertrude Sheldon. IMrs. AVolph was 
 born in Nehawka, Neb., in July. 1861, and was 
 given a thorough education, completing her studies 
 in the State University, at Lincoln. She has con- 
 siderable musical talent, and is quite proficient in 
 the art. Of this union there have been born two 
 children, daughters, Julia E. and Sl.abel E. ilr. 
 Wolph is a member in good standing of the Con- 
 gregational Church. Politically, he is a stanch Re- 
 publican. Mrs. Wolph is the daughter of Lawson 
 and Julia (Pollard) Sheldon, who were natives of 
 Vermont, and are now residents of Cass County-. 
 Her father is a farmer b}' occupation, and a man 
 who by his thrift and indnstrj' has accumulated a 
 fine property. 
 
 ^TpSDMUND E. WOOLSEY. This gentleman 
 11^ is widelj' and favorably known throughout 
 / I' — ^ Wyoming Precinct and Otoe County, being 
 one of the wealthiest men of this countj^ and one 
 who has taken the lead among its agricultural in- 
 terests. He is the owner of 2,000 acres of land in 
 Otoe Countv. and is an extensive c.ittle raiser. 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 432 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ^TC 
 
 making a specialty of graded Durham stock, while 
 he also is a breeder of Poland-China swine, and his 
 stables contain some remarkably |;fine horses, mainly 
 IIaml)letonians. The homestead lies on section 14, 
 and in all its appointments is indicative of the cul- 
 tivated tastes and ample means of the proprietor 
 and his wife. The land has been brought to a high 
 state of cultivation, and the farm buildings and 
 machinery are of first-class description, erected 
 after the most approved plan, and thoroughly 
 adapted to the requirements of the scientific and 
 progressive agriculturist. The residence, "Prairie 
 Home," is built in modern style of architecture, and 
 commands a fine view of the surrounding country, 
 and a living stream aifords abundant water, being 
 a never-failing branch of the Squaw Creek. Adja- 
 cent to the building is an orchard of 400 bearing 
 apple trees, and there ai-e varieties of. the smaller 
 fruits in abundance, besides shade trees and shrub- 
 bery, which add greatly to the value and beauty 
 of the propertj'. 
 
 Perhaps that in which Mr. Woolsey takes most 
 pride is the stable of fine horses, at the head of which 
 is Black Hawk Harry, who was raised by our sub- 
 ject and is now ten years old. He has acquired a 
 reputation as one of the most valuable roadsters 
 and general purpose horses in this part of the 
 county, and is kefrt at the homestead proper, which 
 embraces 160 acres of choice land, and to which 
 Mr. W. has naturally given the greater part of his 
 time and attention. His lands are in Wyoming, 
 Belmont and Delaware Precincts. He has been a 
 resident of Wj'oming Precinct for a period of 
 thirteen years, and to which he came in Februarj-, 
 1876, from Cass Count}^ 
 
 Edmund E. Woolsey was born in Ulster County, 
 N. Y., March 16, 1834, and is the son of Elijah 
 and Ruth (Hawkins) Woolse}'', who were natives 
 of Orange County, that State. There they were 
 reared and married, and took up their residence in 
 Ulster County, where the father carried on farm- 
 ing until his death, which occurred July 7, 1881, 
 when he was seventy-three 3^ears old. He came 
 from an excellent family, had been taught habits 
 of industry, and was an industrious worker all his 
 life. The mother is still living, and makes her 
 home with a jounger daughter, Ida, INIrs. Dej'O, in 
 
 Poughkeepsie, N. Y. She is now sevent3'-five years 
 of age. Her father, Jonathan Hawkins, was a 
 soldier and a patriot, doing good service in the 
 War of 1812. He spent his last years in Orange 
 County, N. Y. 
 
 Our subject was reared to manhood on his 
 father's farm, and acquired a common-school edu- 
 cation. He came to the West a single man, cross- 
 ing the Missouri in May, 1857, and settling in Cass 
 Count}-, near Mt. Pleasant, in Rock Bluff Precinct, 
 where he operated on rented land a year, harvest- 
 ing his first crop in the summer of 1858. He 
 finally pre-empted 160 acres, and soon bought 160 
 more, it being the north half of section 34, Rock 
 Bluflf, Cass County, upon which he resided until 
 1876, and where he effected such improvements as 
 enabled him to sell for the snug sum of $10,000. 
 He then transferred his interest to this county, of 
 which he has since been a resident. 
 
 Mr. Woolsey after coming to this State made the 
 acquaintance of Miss Helen AI. Tuxburj% to whom 
 he was united in marriage in Nebraska City, Dec. 
 9, 1867. INIrs. Woolsey was born near Windsor, 
 Vt., April 15, 1838, and is thellaughter of Albert 
 and Harriet (Gallup) Tuxbury, who were natives 
 respectively of Vermont and New Hampshire, and 
 who, leaving New England in June, 1854, first 
 settled in Rock Island, 111., and several years later 
 came to the Far West, locating in the eastern part 
 of Otoe County, on the present site of Nebraska 
 City, which was then a hamlet of but a few houses. 
 The father after a time assumed the management 
 of the Morton House, following the calling of 
 '•mine host," to which he had been accustomed 
 from early manhood. He was a very popular land- 
 lord, and naturally made the acquaintance of a 
 large number of travelers passing through the 
 country, who, whenever possible, never failed to 
 put up with him when stopping at this place. The 
 mother died in Nebraska City, Oct. 20, 1875, when 
 about seventy years of age. Mr. Tuxbury sur- 
 vived his wife a few j^ears and died at the home of 
 his daughter, Mrs. Woolsey, in Wyoming Precinct, 
 Oct. 8, 1882. The parental family consisted of 
 four cliildren, and Mrs. Woolsey is the only sur- 
 vivor of the family. 
 
 Mrs. Woolsey received a good education, com- 
 
 -^^ 
 
h 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 433 1 ) 
 
 pleting her studies in the academy at Greenfield, 
 Alass. Under the training of an excellent mother 
 she became familiar with all household duties, and 
 lilce the women of Scripture, looks carefully after 
 the needs of her family. Of. her union with our 
 subject there have been born five children, two of 
 whom, Lewis E. and Charles B., died at the ages 
 of three and ten years respectively. Little Lewis 
 was drowned by falling head foremost into a bar- 
 rel of water, being unable to extricate himself. 
 Their eldest living son, Fred A., is a very intelli- 
 gent and well-educated young man, having com- 
 pleted his studies in Doane College at Crete. The 
 two daughters, Ida and Harriet, bright and interest- 
 ing girls, are at home with their parents. Mrs. 
 AVoolsey is a devout member of the Episcopal 
 Church, while our subject, politically, is a sound 
 Republican. He has carefully avoided the respon- 
 sibilities of office, preferring to give his time and 
 attention to his extensive farming interests. He 
 is a man of decided views, one who keeps himself 
 well posted upon current events, and one whose 
 o|)inion is held in universal respect. 
 
 JOHN W. TANGEMAN. This gentleman is 
 a member of the firm, well-known in busi- 
 ness circles throughout the county, of Becker 
 & Tangeman, doing business at Talmage, 
 Mc Williams Precinct. They are handling all kinds 
 of hard ware, both for farm, household, and other pur- 
 poses, agricultural implements, etc. The firm was 
 established in 1882, and succeeded the business 
 house of T. E. Farnsworth. The trade is quite ex- 
 tensive, and has grown to represent a business of 
 about $60,000 annually. This year promises to go 
 some thousand above that figure, for although their 
 patrons are chiefly local, yet the territory drawn 
 upon is very large. The reputation of the firm and 
 their excellent stock .account for the large business 
 done. 
 
 Previous to engaging in his present business Mr. 
 Tangeman followed agricultiu'al pursuits in Osage 
 Precinct of this county for about one year. His 
 residence in the county dates from the year 1868; 
 the greater part of the time he made his resi- 
 
 dence in that precinct with his father, John G. 
 Tangeman, who was an extensive farmer, and our 
 subject remained until he attained his m.ajority, 
 wlien he started out for himself. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Clayton 
 County, Iowa, Nov. 17, 1851. He is the second 
 child of six born to his parents. His father was a 
 native of Hanover, Germany, when ten years of 
 age accompanying his parents to this country. They 
 located in Auglaize County, Ohio, removing sub- 
 sequently to CLayton County, Iowa. There they 
 continued to live for about thirty years. There 
 also are laid the scenes of youth and early manhood 
 of Mr. Tangeman, Sr., and also that of his marriage ; 
 his wife, like himself, was born in Hanover. She 
 was but five years of age when her mother brought 
 her to America, and their home was made in the city 
 of Cincinnati. Her father died in Germany about 
 three years prior to the emigration of his widow to 
 this country. From Cincinnati the mother removed 
 to Clayton County, her daughter of course accom- 
 panying her. After about one year the mother 
 died at her home, and later the daughter united her 
 fortunes and life with that of our subject, as above 
 mentioned. 
 
 The parents of our subject are now living in Jen- 
 nings, La., having gone South in the spring of 1888. 
 They had been residents of Otoe County for eight- 
 een years. The father had been interested in mill- 
 ing and farming, and still owns an interest in the 
 flouring-mill in McWilliams Precinct. He is, how- 
 ever, retired from active participation in business 
 affairs. In the Lutheran Church the father and 
 mother are active and respected members, and have 
 so continued throughout their lives. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was educated in Blairs- 
 town, Benton Co., Iowa, and received a thorough, 
 serviceable, English education. He came to Ne- 
 braska before he was of age, and married Miss Liz- 
 zie O. Risser in Osage Precinct, Otoe County. This 
 lady was born in Lee County, Iowa, on the 4th of 
 December, 18.58. She is the daughter of David and 
 Christina (Hubach) Risser, both of whom look to 
 the Fatherland as the place of their nativity. 
 There also they were brought ui), educated and 
 married, but came to the United States almost im- 
 mediately after that important and interesting in- 
 
 *► II <• 
 
>► I I ^» 
 
 ••»- 
 
 43-1 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 cirlent. They also at first marie their home in Ohio, 
 but removed thence to Lee County, Iowa, where 
 they lived upon a farm until 1870, from there re- 
 moving as a family to Osage Precinct in this county, 
 where they have since continued to follow hus- 
 bandry. They also are attached to the German Lu- 
 theran Church, in which they were brought up. 
 
 Mrs. Tangeman, the wife of our subject, was edu- 
 cated after she came to this county. She is now 
 the mother of two children, who have received the 
 names of Elmer and P^lla. These are now receiv- 
 ing instruction in the schools of Talmage, and with 
 the additional advantages which are theirs in this 
 direction, doubtless their future will be brightened 
 by the roseate halo of successful life. Our subject 
 and wife are members in good standing of the Lu- 
 theran Church. Mr. T. indeed holds the office of 
 Deacon, which he has filled since 1888. Politically, 
 he is a Republican, and enjoys the confidence and 
 esteem of his fellows and the community at large. 
 
 (5*=^ RANK P. IRELAND. Among the lawyers 
 
 PS> of Nebraska Mr. Ireland has a reputation 
 that places him in the front rank. He is a 
 member of a good family, justly esteemed, and 
 takes laudable pride in the fact. The highest re- 
 gard of which he is capable is given to his family and 
 his profession. Everywhere he is much respected, 
 and as a lawyer enjoys the well-nigh perfect confi- 
 dence of the people. Political honors have no at- 
 tractions for him, and the only office he would ever 
 accept was that connected with the Board of Edu- 
 cation, of which he is Secretary. The duties con- 
 nected with that department are to him a pleasure 
 because he is devoted to children and everything 
 that concerns them, and especially such funda- 
 mental matters as those that look to their education, 
 and among the 3'oung people he is intensely popular, 
 they being quick to recognize in him a true friend. 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Newl)ury- 
 port, Essex Co., Mass. His birth occurred Dec. 
 6, 1851. His father, Jere R. Ireland, engaged in 
 various pursuits, largely as a shipping merchant at 
 Newburyport. The family of which he was a 
 member was (originally of English blood. The first 
 
 representative thereof to come to this country was 
 John Ireland, who was the great-great-grandfather 
 of our subject. He came from England in com- 
 pany with his brother Nathaniel, and settled in New 
 Hampshire about the year 1710. His brother made 
 his home in New Jersey, and his children scattered 
 and settled at various points in the South and 
 West, while those of John Ireland inclined to make 
 their homes in the North and East, and in later 
 years in the West. 
 
 The father of our subject was born at Newbury- 
 port, May 11, 1823, and lived to attain the age of 
 sixty-five years; by his occupation, that of ship- 
 ping merchant, he was enabled to accumulate a 
 competency. His death occurred April 21, 1888, 
 at Newburyport, Mass. The maiden name of his 
 wife, the mother of our subject, was Eliza B. Pick- 
 ett. She is still living on the old homestead. Their 
 family circle included four children, viz: Charles 
 W., Frank P., Ben P. and Jere R. Charles is a resi- 
 dent of Syracuse, in this State; Ben is upon the old 
 h<jmestead, and the j'oungest son is in New York 
 City and occupies the position of agent for the 
 Monumental Mills of Housatonic, Mass. 
 
 The education of our subject was obtained in the 
 common schools, supplemented by a High School 
 course, being graduated from that institution at the 
 close of the course, when he was about fifteen years 
 of age. He then entered the Bowdoin College to 
 take the classical course, but at the close of his 
 junior j'ear he entered upon a course of legal study 
 under Col. E. F. Stone, of Newburj-port. with 
 whom he continued for three years. In the mean- 
 time he also took a course in the law department 
 of the Boston University. He was admitted to the 
 bar of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts after a 
 careful examination, and began the practice of his 
 profession in connection with his former preceptor, 
 and continued the same until he came to Nebraska 
 Cit3', in the spring of 1874. In this place he 
 opened his office on what is now Central avenue, 
 and from the first made a most favorable impres- 
 sion. At the close of the first year he entered into 
 partnership with G. B. Schofield, which continued 
 for about four years. 
 
 On the 14th of November, 1878, the subject of 
 our sketch was united in the bands of wedlock, at 
 
 .>-H:: 
 
 4^ 
 
 !?!^»- 
 
t 
 
 >► II M- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 435 
 
 Nebraska Cit\-, with Miss Eloise Coe, tiie onlj- rlaugli- 
 ter of Gen. Isaac Coe. (Tlie readei\is refeired to tlie 
 sketch of this gentleman to be found on another 
 page). This most excellent lady was born in Mid- 
 dlefield. Conn., July 14, I85"2. There has been born 
 to Mr. and Mrs. Ireland one daughter, who received 
 the name Sarah Coe, and has manifested, as the 
 3'ears have passed, the foundation of a character 
 and a disposition unusually attractive. 
 
 Mr. Ireland was admitted to the Supreme Court 
 of Massachusetts in April, 1872, and to that of 
 Nebraska in 187G; to the Circuit Court of the 
 United States for the district of Nebraska, on the 
 14th day of November, 1876, and to the Supreme 
 Court of the United States on the 8th diiy of 
 May. 1882. He was appointed United States Ex- 
 aminer in Chancer3- b3' the District Court of the 
 United Stales in 1877. In 1876 Mr. Ireland offered 
 himself for District Attorney', and ran far ahead of 
 his ticket, which was Democratic. Upon three dif- 
 ferent occasions Mr. Ireland has presided with 
 much abilit}' over the Democratic State Convention 
 for Nebraska, viz: in 1880,1881 and 1884. Re- 
 ligiously, he is most thoroughly in favor of the 
 teaching of the Unitarian Church, and is an able 
 and generous supporter of the same. He has the 
 greatest possible faith in the future of Nebraska 
 Citv. 
 
 j^^ ACKETT C. CASE, M. D., was one of the 
 ^^^ first physicians to locate at Syracuse. His 
 Iv^Uf) "'^^'^^ place was Binghamton, Broome Co., 
 N. Y., where his birth took place Feb. 2, 
 1842. His parents were Covell and Minerva 
 (Saekett) Case, who were natives of New York. 
 The father died in Philadelphia in 18S6, and the 
 mother resides in Michigan. 
 
 To Covel! and Minerva Case there were l)orn five 
 children, and the family lived on a farm near Bing- 
 hamton, where our subject grew to manhood and 
 received his literary- education. At an early age he 
 had decided upon his future calling in life, and soon 
 after leaving school commenced the stud^' of medi- 
 cine in the office of Dr. Hart at Binghamton. Later 
 he attended lectures at the medical department of 
 the Miclilgan State University at Ann Arbor, and was 
 
 graduated from the Medical University of Iowa Cit\-, 
 and commenced the practice of his profession at 
 Omaha, Neb., about 1866. He sulisequentl^' re- 
 moved to Decatur, Neb., and in 1869 to Nebraska 
 City. In the latter place, abandoning the regular 
 profession for a time, he confined himself mostlj' to 
 the insurance business. 
 
 Dr. Case in the fall of 1874 took up his residence 
 in Sj'racuse, and from that time on gave his close 
 attention to the practice of his profession until his 
 death, which occurred March 27. 1879. At the time 
 of his coming here the country around was thinly 
 settled, and he rode over a large extent of terri- 
 tor}\ His promptness in attending to the calls of 
 duty, and his conscientious methods of treatment, 
 secured for him a large and lucrative patronage. 
 He meddled very little with political affairs, although 
 a strong advocate of Republican principles, and at 
 different times was persuaded to discharge the 
 duties of the local offices. He thus enjoyed a large 
 acquaintance with all classes of men. He was 
 of studious habits and literary tastes, and was a 
 frequent correspondent both of the local and East- 
 ern papers. In this capacity he chronicled the 
 earlj' history of Syracuse, a paper which possessed 
 much interest for those most nearlj' concerned. 
 Socially, Dr. Case belonged to the Masonic frater- 
 nity and the Good Templars. 
 
 Mrs. Mary C. (Warner) Phillips was wedded to 
 Dr. Case Nov. 27, 1870, at Nebraska City. Mrs. 
 Case is a daughter of Seth O. and Sarah (Warner) 
 Warner, although no relative of her husband before 
 marriage. She was born in the town of Clay, 
 Onondaga Co., N. Y., Sept. 11, 1835, and com- 
 pleted her education in the seminar}' at Fulton, 
 Oswego County. In 1858 she was married to 
 Augustus Phillips, a native of LeRoy, N. Y. He, 
 during the Civil War, enlisted, in 1861, in the 24th 
 New York Infantry, served two years, and was 
 mustered out with the rank of Captain. Later he 
 re-enlisted, in the 184th New York Infantry, and 
 met his death at the battle of Cedar Creek, from 
 which Gen. Phil Sheridan accomplished his famous 
 ride to Winchester. 
 
 Mr. Phillips had participated in many of the im- 
 portant battles of the war, being with the Army of 
 the Potomac. Of this marriage tliere was born one ^ ' 
 
 •► 
 
•► 
 
 h- 
 
 ti^ 
 
 43G 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 child, a flaiighter, Mniide A., wbo is now the wife 
 of D. T. Cornell, of Xelson. Nel). To Dr. and Mrs. 
 Case there were born two children : Ernest S., May 
 14, 1872, and Leonora, March 15, 1876. 
 
 Mrs. Case, with tastes similar to those of our sub- 
 ject, had since her oriilliood been interested in 
 medicine, and after her marriage with him spent 
 her leisure time reading and receiving instruction 
 from him. She frequently told him " When the 
 babies are grown up I will assist j"0u in your 
 practice." But alas for human calculations, the 
 father died before this could be accomplished, and 
 she was left with the care of a little family. She 
 persistenll}' clung to her first purpose, however, and 
 continued her reading of medical works under the 
 tutorship of Dr. Littletield, the successor of her 
 husband. In the winter of 1883 she took a course 
 of lectures in the medical department of the State 
 University at Lincoln, Neb., from which she was 
 graduated with the class of '85, and entering upon 
 the regular practice, has been very successful. .She 
 was thus enabled to support and educate her chil- 
 dren in a manner approaching her desires. She be- 
 came a resident of Nebraska City soon after the 
 death of her first husband, removing thence to 
 Syracuse at the time of her marriage with Dr. Case. 
 She is a member in good standing of the Congre- 
 gational Church, and in her practice exercises that 
 conscientious care which has gained her the confi- 
 dence and esteem of the community. 
 
 ,^^\ ARTIN R. WALBRIDGE, deceased.- This 
 gentleman w-as for twenty years one of the 
 esteemed citizens of Wyoming Precinct, 
 and one of the progressive and prosperous 
 farmers who had grown up with the country. He 
 w.TS born in Vermont, on the 27th of April, 1826, 
 and w;is the son of John and Polly (Reynolds) 
 Walbridge; while yet a child our subject was left 
 motherless. Shortl3' after this event the father left 
 Vermont and emigrated to LaPorte County, Ind., 
 where he resided for the remainder of his life, which, 
 however, was not of long duration. Thus in earl3' 
 youth our subject had to face tlie world an orph.in. 
 
 Remembering the innumerable difficulties conse- 
 quent upon the above-mentioned condition, the 
 success that afterward became his reflects to great- 
 est credit upon our subject. He began the strug- 
 gle for existence not only orphaned but poor, and 
 was compelled to work hard for his living. He did 
 not, however, neglect schooling, which happil}^ it 
 was within his power, as it is within the power of 
 ever}' American child, to obtain in the usual insti- 
 tution. When about eighteen years of age he sold 
 all his earthly possessions in order that he might 
 start West. He first purchased a good cow, and 
 then started for Wisconsin, where he located in 
 Iowa County, not far from Madison, at which place 
 he had a brother, who had gone there some time 
 previously, and was engaged in farming and was 
 doing well. 
 
 After a few months our subject returned to La- 
 Porte County, Ind., and there entered into his first 
 matrimonial alliance. This deeply interesting event 
 occurred upon the 17th of Februarj', 1853, the lady 
 being Sarah A. Thurber. She was born in LaPorte 
 County, and there also brought up and educated. 
 The day of her nativity was the 31st of August, 
 1834. She came of good family, and her home 
 training was such as to make her a true help to her 
 husband. She was a lady of great personal worth, 
 prepossessing and of splendid disposition. Of this 
 union five children were born; of these two are now 
 deceased, viz: Ida M. and Ross W^ Those still 
 living bear the following names: Jessie, who is 
 married to Montgomery Robb, of Wj^omiug Pre- 
 cinct; Charles P., who is living in New Mexico, 
 ■was married, in September, 1883, to JMiss Louisa 
 Yard, of Princeton, 111.; Carrie A., who is living in 
 South Bend, Ind., where she is a prominent and 
 •well-established teacher of music, and is a graduate 
 from Central Music Hall Conservatory, Chicago, 
 111. On the 20th of June, 1874, Mrs. Walbridge 
 died at the old homestead in Wyoming Precinct. 
 
 The second marriage of our subject was cele- 
 brated in AVyomiug Precinct, April 27, 1876, the 
 ladj' of his Choice being Mrs. Ellen Cherry, nee 
 Jones, who was born in Seneca Count}', Ohio, Aug. 
 21, 1837. She is the daughter of Filander H. and 
 Lydia A. (Jewett) Jones, who were natives of "\'er- 
 mont, where the}' were lirought up and educated. 
 
 .#-11^ 
 
 ?^h 
 
•^"^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 =4 
 
 437 ( i 
 
 ^ 
 
 They were married at Detroit, Mich., and Mr. Jones 
 there entered the profession of teaching, having 
 been thus engaged in earlj' manliood. lie contin- 
 ued tlius employed in Michigan for many years, 
 and later went to Indiana. He is now seventy-five 
 years of age, is retired from active work, and makes 
 his home in Weir City, Kan. His wife is seventy- 
 one 3-ears of age, and is still the light and bright- 
 ness of their home. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are mem- 
 bers of the Metliodist Church, and he has been a 
 standi Republican in political affairs for more than 
 a quarter of a century. 
 
 The wife of our subject was the first of the chil- 
 dren born to her parents. She was educated in 
 Indiana, and until her marriage with Mr. Cherry 
 made her home with her parents. This important 
 event occurred .Sept. 11, 18.58, the name of her hus- 
 band being R. W. Cherry. This gentleman was 
 born in Marion County, Ohio, April 19, 183.5. He 
 had been carefully trained by his parents and well 
 educated, and was engaged subsequently in mercan- 
 tile pursuits. For two years he served gallantly as 
 a soldier in the late Rebellion, and was finally hon- 
 orably discharged, owing to disability. He served 
 in Company I, 29th Indiana Infantry. His death oc- 
 curred in Rochester, Fulton Co., Ind., Nov. 20, 
 1872. He was a good, honorable and intelligent 
 man and an esteemed citizen. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Cherry were born four children, 
 two of whom, Adelbert and Minnie, are now de- 
 ceased. The living children are: May L., who is 
 a successful teacher in the public schools of Cass 
 County, and a member of the Otoe County Teach- 
 ers' Association'; Nellie D. is happily married to C. 
 M. Fenuo, a successful farmer in Thomas County, 
 Kan.; they have two little ones, named Ellen M. 
 and John R. 
 
 The subject of this sketch attained to the ad- 
 vanced age of sixty-two years before he passed to 
 his place with the sitent majorit3\ He died deeply 
 regretted by all who knew him, at his home in 
 Wyoming Precinct, on the 10th of May, 1888, 
 where he had lived since the year 1867. In his 
 politics he was a sound Republican, and was at all 
 times a truly loyal and upright citizen. Mrs. Wal- 
 bridge is a devout member of the Baptist Church, 
 and attends with tlie congregation meeting at Ne- 
 
 braska City. With her two sons, Frank B. and 
 Eugene M. Walbridge, she resides upon the farm 
 which has so long been her home; it comprises 160 
 acres of fine agricultural land, and is situated on 
 section 15 of the above-mentioned precinct. 
 
 ^ 
 
 WILLIAM II. JOHNSON, a farmer and car- 
 penter combined, cl.aims to have put up one 
 of tlie first dwelling-houses in his neigh- 
 borhood in Russell Precinct, where he now lives. 
 He is the owner of the north half of section 9, 
 and is one of the most prosperous of the earl^^ pio- 
 neers of this county. Much of the time he has 
 operated as builder and contractor, and some of the 
 best structures in his community are the result of 
 his taste and skill. His own residence is more than 
 ordinarily attractive and convenient, and its sur- 
 roundings are indicative of cultivated tastes and 
 abundant means. 
 
 Our subject is the offsjiring of an excellent New 
 England family, Jedediah and Melietabel D. (Clark) 
 Johnson, who were natives respectively of Middle- 
 town and Chester, Conn. Both the grandfathers, 
 Freelove J. Johnson and Girard Clark, were old 
 Revolutionary soldiers, and a book entitled the 
 "History of England," found by Grandfather .John- 
 son many years before his death, is still preserved 
 with great care by some of the members of the 
 family living in Connecticut. 
 
 Later in the history of the Cnited .States, .Jede- 
 diah Johnson, the father of our subject, served in 
 the War of 1812, being present at the battle of 
 New London. After laying down his musket he 
 took up the implements of agriculture, and tilled 
 the soil of his native Connecticut until the final 
 illness which resulted in his death on the 19th 
 of May, 1863. He was then seventy years of age. 
 The mother, who was considerably younger than 
 her husband, survived him a number of years, her 
 death taking place in 1875, when she was seventy- 
 six years old. 
 
 Of the fourteen children comprising the paren- 
 tal family, eight lived to mature years, namely: 
 Hamlin F., Sarah S., L. Janette, Nancy J., Samuel 
 S., William Henry, Edwin R. and Ellen R., the two 
 
 •► I I <• 
 
 H 
 
438 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 latter twins. With the exception of Samuel S. 
 and our subject, William H., the living are resi- 
 dents of New England. E^dwiu R. died in 1873, 
 leaving two children. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born Oct. 1, 1832, 
 on the banlvs of the Connecticut River in Middle- 
 sex County, Conn. He grew up on the farm, and 
 remained a member of the parental household until 
 twenty-six years of age. He then learned the 
 trade of carpenter and joiner, which he followed 
 for a period of twenty years. In his native State 
 he put up the Custom House and State House at 
 Mlddletown, and a large number of other build- 
 ings, including some fine private residences. 
 
 In the spring of 1860 Mr. Johnson, leaving New 
 England, went to Licking Countj^, Ohio, but not 
 being satisfied with this experiment, after nine 
 months returned home. In the meantime he had 
 accumulated considerable property, and in the sum- 
 mer of 1878 again turned his face toward the set- 
 ting sun. Upon coming to this State, the outlook 
 impressing him favorably, he made his way to this 
 county and purchased a tract of railroad land, pay- 
 ing cash down. Russell Precinct since that time 
 has been the scene of his operations, and his fine 
 large farm of 320 acres is one of the most valua- 
 ble in the western part of this county. 
 
 June 6, 1883, our subject was united in marriage 
 with Miss Catherine O. Raymond, who, like him- 
 self, is a native of Connecticut, and born in West 
 Hartford, Aug. 12, 1848. The parents of Mrs. 
 Johnson were Josiah and Fanny A. (Hurlbut) Raj^- 
 mond, natives of Connecticut, where the father 
 spent his last years. The mother makes her home 
 with our subject. The fatlier traced his ancestry 
 back to Richard Raj^mond, who landed at Plj^mouth 
 Rock with his two nephews, William and John, 
 in the j^ear 1622. From these sprang the Ray- 
 mond family in the United States. They were the 
 scions of an energetic and enterprising race of 
 people, and became closely identified with the early 
 history of New England. Grandmother Raymond 
 was a niece of the Hon. James Ilillhouse, who 
 is frequently mentioned in the history' of those 
 times. The father of JMrs. Johnson during the 
 session of 1858 was a member of the Connecticut 
 Legislature, and died in 18(i2, attiie .age of forty- 
 
 seven years. Tlie mother is still living, making 
 her home with her daughter Catherine, Mrs. John- 
 son; she is now sixty-eight years of age. The seven 
 children in the parental family, of whom Mrs. J. 
 was the eldest, were named respectively: Catherine 
 G., Robert O., John F., James H., Fanny E., Char- 
 lotte H. and Henry J. 
 
 Mrs. Johnson received a good education, com- 
 pleting her studies in the High School at Hartford, 
 and was for some time engaged as a teacher there, 
 She came to Nebraska with her mother's family in 
 the spring of 1879. Of her union with our sub- 
 ject there liave been born two children, a babe un- 
 named and Henry Raymond, both of whom died 
 in infancy. They have now an adopted daughter, 
 Emily Catherine, four years old. Mr. Johnson has 
 been identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 a number of 3^ears, and Mrs. J. seefa religious con- 
 solation among the Presbyterians. Our subject 
 votes the straight Democratic ticket, but has steadily 
 refused becoming an office-holder. 
 
 1/, ON. J. O. MOORE, an ex-member of the 
 1)1) Nebraska Legislature and one of the most 
 'Jb^ prominent citizens of Otoe County, is still a 
 •!^ gentleman in the prime of life, and it is to 
 be hoped has 3'et before him many years of useful- 
 ness. He became a resident of Palmyra March 
 4, 1872, and has become closely identiSed with the 
 interests of Southern Nebraska. 
 
 Our subject is the offspring of an excellent fam- 
 ily, being a son of Kimber A. and Nancy J. 
 (Speer) Moore, natives of Pennsylvania, the mother 
 born in Franklin County. The paternal grand- 
 father, also a native of the Keystone State, was a 
 farmer by occupation, and spent his entire life 
 there. The great-grandfather did good service as 
 a Major in the Revolutionari' War. He was a na- 
 tive of Scotland, and crossed the Atlantic during 
 the Colonial days, settling after the war in Pennsyl- 
 vania, Grandfather Speer was a native of Ireland. 
 He was a merchant, and spent his last years in Bed- 
 ford County, Pa. 
 
 The parents of our subject, after their marriage, 
 settled on a farm in Fulton County, Pa., where the 
 
 •►Hh-^*- 
 
 •^1 
 
M^i^ 
 
 ^i^K-* 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 439 
 
 father, in adflition to the successful pursuits of ag- 
 riculture, acliieveil local fame as a politician. He 
 was a Whig until the abandonment of the old party 
 and then cordially endorsed Republican principles. 
 After the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted as 
 a Union soldier, being the eldest of eight brothers, 
 all of whom gave their services in a like mannec to 
 their countr3'. 
 
 Kimber A. Moore emerged safely from the dan- 
 geis of warlare, and leaving his old home in Penn- 
 sylvania in the fall of 1868, crossed the Mississippi 
 to this State, and settled on a tract of land in Gage 
 County. He is still living but now retired from 
 active labor, being seventj' years of age. and mak- 
 ing his home in Adams, Gage County. 
 
 The parental household included eight children, 
 namely : John O., our subject ; Ella, D. H., Augustus, 
 Etta, Gertude Y., Union L. and Ernest. The latter 
 died when a lad of thirteen years. The survivors 
 are mostly residents of Nebraska. John O. was 
 born near New Grenada, Fulton Co., Pa., March 10, 
 18i4, and after emerging from the district school, 
 pursued his studies in a select school in Wells' Val- 
 ley for seveial terms. He then began to work in 
 the coal mines of his native county, and during the 
 eight years in which he was thus occupied filled 
 every position from mule driver and office boj' to 
 that of wa3raaster. He was holding this jjosition 
 upon a good salar}' at the breaking out of the Re- 
 bellion. The j'ear following he was constrained to 
 follow the example of his honored father, and ac- 
 cordingly enlisted as a Union soldier. Aug. 7, 1862, 
 in Company F, 125th Pennsylvania Infantry, going 
 in as a private under the command of Capt. J. J. 
 Lawrence. The latter had been a railroad Super- 
 intendent, and thej' entered the service in response 
 to the nine months' call. 
 
 This regiment was drilled at Ft. Bernard and 
 Arlington Heights. They left the latter place on the 
 6ih of September, 1862, and first saw the smoke of 
 battle at South Mountain. On the 17th of the 
 same month thej' were at Antietam, where their 
 regiment suffered a loss of 162 men within the 
 space of ten minutes. Mr. Moore was wounded by 
 the explosion of a shell, although not seriously. 
 He was, however, rendered insensible, but upon re- 
 gaining consciousness resumed iiis position in the 
 
 ranks. After lying thirty days at Maryland 
 Heights, this regiment with others went to Lou- 
 doun Valley, Va., and thence to Fairfax Court 
 House, engaging in the conflict there. The scene 
 of their next engagement was at Stafford Court 
 House, where they remained in camp thirty days, 
 and in due time met the enemy at Chancellorsville. 
 Thej' moved on to Harrisburg, where our subject, 
 with his comrades, received his honorable discharge 
 on the 23d of M.ay, 1863, having served nine and 
 one-half months. 
 
 Mr. Moore now returned to his native countj', 
 and resumed his former position as vvajmaster un- 
 til the 1st of March, 186.T. He next repaired to 
 AVashington. attended the inauguration of President 
 Lincoln, and was appointed Superintendent of the 
 Government stables at a point in Virginia. He was 
 occupied with the duties of this position until the 
 1st of October, then going back to his native State 
 engaged in farming until the fall of 1867. 
 
 Our subject now began making preparations for 
 settlement in the West, and in the spring following 
 came to Nebraska, arriving in Adams Precinct, 
 Gage County, on the 10th of March, 1868. He at 
 once took up a homestead claim, and while carry- 
 ing on to a limited extent the improvement of his 
 property, also taught school and engaged in break- 
 ing prairie for other parties. In the fall of 1871 
 he look up his residence in the embryo town of 
 Bennet, where he engaged in the lumber and grain 
 trade, at the same time having charge of the freight 
 and express business of the Missouri Paciflc Rail- 
 road and also the post-office. 
 
 In March, 1872, Mr. Moore changed his resi- 
 dence to Palmyra Precinct, of which he has become 
 a resident. Here he also engaged in the lumber 
 and grain business, establishing the first yard in 
 the town of Palmyra and operating with a partner, 
 the style of the firm being Hill & Moore, In 1874 
 they disposed of their lumber business and pur- 
 chased a flouring-mill in Palmyra, which they 
 operated in connection with their grain business 
 successfully until 1883. Mr. Moore then forming a 
 partnership with J. R. McKee, began dealing in live 
 stock, and was engaged in buying and shipping three 
 years. In July, 1884, he became manager for a 
 Chicago lumber company, and still holds the (wsi- 
 
 ?^h 
 
"^ 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 440 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 tion. In 1880 the heavy rainfalls caused a gen- 
 eral washout, doing great damage to mill property 
 by the carrying away of dams, and there also oc- 
 curred great loss of stock by drowning, and depre- 
 ciation in value to the extent of $5,000. The 
 credit of Mr. Moore, however, remained unim- 
 paired, and in due time he recovered from his 
 losses. 
 
 Our subject, on the loth of June, 1873, was 
 united in marriage with Miss Mary R., daughter of 
 William and Catherine Blachart, who at that time 
 were residents of Adams Township, Gage County, 
 where the wedding took place. Mrs. Moore was 
 born in Blairsville, Pa., Aug. 26, 1835, and was a 
 maiden of sixteen years when she came with her 
 parents to Nebraska. In the meantime, however, 
 they had removed from the Keystone State to Mer- 
 cer County, 111., where she lived from a child of 
 five years until the age mentioned. She received 
 a common-school education, completing her studies 
 in Gage County. Her parents were natives of 
 Pennsylvania, and are now living in Gage County, 
 this State. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Moore have been horn four 
 children, the eldest of whom, a daughter, Blanche, 
 died at the age of three and one-half years. Lillie 
 G., Myrtle M. and Darlej' are at home with their 
 parents. Mr. Moore has always taken a warm in- 
 terest in the progress of his adopted count3', and 
 has been identified with many of its leading enter- 
 prises. At the incorporation of Palmyra Village, 
 on the 5th of Ma3', 1882, he was elected President 
 of the Village Board, in which office he served two 
 years. He had been elected to the State Legislature 
 in the fall of 1880, and served through the special 
 session held in May, 1882. He introduced Bill No. 
 71, providing for a license of $1,000 for selling 
 spirituous liquors. By agreement with Hon. Mr. 
 Slocum, he permitted the bill to go bj' default, as 
 one introduced by the latter had practicallj' the 
 same provisions. To Mr. Moore is fully due the 
 honor of introducing the first high license bill in 
 the Nebraska Legislature. 
 
 Mr. Moore was also actively interested in several 
 other bills in connection with his county and con- 
 stituency. He has filled many positions of trust 
 and rcponsibility, and for a number of years has 
 
 been sent as delegate to the various conventions of 
 his part}'. As an ex-soldier, he is naturally inter- 
 ested in the perpetuation of the G. A. R., with 
 which he is prominentl}' connected, being a charter 
 member of Mansfield Post No. 54, at Palmyra. Of 
 this he is now Commander, which office he has oc- 
 cupied three years, and which is in a very prosper- 
 ous condition. He also belongs to Palmyra Lodge 
 No. 45, A. F. & A. M., having passed all the 
 Chairs, and has several times been a representative 
 to the Grand Lodge. In the I. O. O. F., with 
 which he identified himself in 1866, he has been a 
 District Deputy of the Grand Lodge, has passed 
 through all the Chairs in this likewise, and is Treas- 
 urer of the lodge in Palmyra. In religious matters, 
 with his estimable wife, he belongs to the Baptist 
 Church at Palmyra, being Treasurer, and one of the 
 most liberal and cheerful contributors to its sup- 
 port. Mr. Moore and his family occupy a tasteful 
 and comfortable home, their own property, and en- 
 joy the acquaintance of a large circle of friends. 
 
 LIJAII D. MARNELL, a young man of ex- 
 
 Eceptional talent and ability, is the well-known 
 Secretary and General JNIanager of the News 
 Company, and assistant editor of the Nebraska City 
 Daily Neivs. He is a native of the city of Hanni- 
 bal, Mo., March 5, 1855, being the date of his birth. 
 His father, James E. Marnell, was born in Phila- 
 delphia, Pa., where his father, who was a native of 
 Ireland, had settled after coming to America in 
 early manhood. He, the grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, married in the City of Brotherly Love, and 
 seven years later moved with his family to Ken- 
 tucky. He located in Bardstown, and there pur- 
 sued his trade of hatter until his death, which 
 occurred in 1854. 
 
 The father of our subject was an infant when his 
 parents moved to Kentucky, and there he grew to 
 manhood. He learned the trade of tinner, and in 
 1 843 established himself in business in Hannibal, Mo. 
 When the Mexican AVar broke out he sold out and 
 went to Mexico with Shepard's Regiment, 2d Mis- 
 souri Cavahy, and was in quite a number of the 
 most important battles, including that of the City 
 
 •►Hh-^- 
 
»► I I < • 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 441 
 
 of ISIexico. He was discharged with his regiment 
 at the close of the war, and in 1850 made an over- 
 land journey to California, where he engaged in 
 mining until the spring of 1853. He then returned 
 to Missouri, by the Isthmus and New York, and 
 was married there, in December of that year, to 
 Miss Kate Hawkins, a native of Maysville, Ky. 
 After his marriage INIr. IMarnell opened a stove 
 and tinware stor^, at that time the only establish- 
 ment of the kind in the city of Hannibal. He also 
 ran a line of boats to New Orleans in companj- with 
 his brothers-in-law. Soon after the breaking out of 
 the Civil War he closed his business, but continued 
 to be a resident of Hannibal until his death, June 
 14, 1870. He was a man of more than usual in- 
 telligence, and he inherited the genial, frank man- 
 ners and ready tact of the Celtic race from which 
 his paternal ancestry sprang, so that he made friends 
 wherever he went. The mother of our sirbjeet is 
 still spared to bless her children, and makes her 
 home in Nebraska City. To her and her husband 
 were born six children, namely: Elijah, Edward, 
 Mary, Laura, Frank and Eobert. 
 
 The subject of our sketch received his e.arly edu- 
 cation in the city schools of Hannibal. "When he 
 was fifteen years old he began a life of self-depend- 
 ence ill the office of the Watchman in Hannibal. 
 He worked there three months, and then engaged 
 as a clerk in the drug-store of J. B. Brown in his 
 native city. He was emploj'ed there four years, 
 and the following two years was in the same busi- 
 ness with D. B. Barnes. After that he was engaged 
 in the drug business for nearly a year in Illinois 
 on his own account. He then sold out, as his health 
 was not good, and spent eight months among the 
 mountains. In October, 1877, he came to Nebraska 
 City to make his home, that he might enjoy its salu- 
 brious climate and its manj^ business and social 
 advanta^jfes. He immediately engaged in the office 
 of the Daily N^eu-s, and has been connected with 
 that paper ever since in various responsible capaci- 
 ties — was editor until 1882, and has been assist- 
 ant editor and manager ever since. In February, 
 1887, the News Company was formed, and he was 
 elected its Secretarj' and General Manager. He has 
 been very successful in the management of the af- 
 ^ ' fairs of the company, which are in a very prosper- 
 
 ous condition, as he pays strict attention to his 
 business, and is zealous and faithful in looking after 
 the interests of his associates. The Nev^s is a popu- 
 lar sheet, a Democratic organ, and is all that its 
 name implies. 
 
 Mr. Marnell was married, Aug. 5, 1880, to ]\Iiss 
 Ida Ilawley, a native of Nebraska City, and a 
 daugliter of Martin and Elizabeth B. Hawley. Their 
 pleasant home has been brightened by the birth of 
 one child, Frank by name. Mr. Marnell has been 
 an enthusiastic Democrat ever since he was old 
 enough to vote, at which time he cast his first Presi- 
 dential ballot for the Hon. 8. J. Tilden. He oc- 
 cupies a prominent position in many social organi- 
 zations of this city. He is Receiver of Nuckolls 
 Lodge No. 7, A. O. U. W. ; Commander of Nebraska 
 City Legion of Select Knights of the A. O. U. W. 
 of Nebraska City, and he is Past Master Workman 
 and Venerable >Sage of Foster Assembly, K. of L., 
 No. 8,248, and a member of Ramplin Camp No. 
 331, M. W. A. 
 
 OHN MATTES, of Nebraska City, is well 
 known among its most prominent residents, 
 ^ where he occupies a good position socially 
 (^/y and financially. His business is that of a 
 brewer, and he represents a fine amount of property, 
 while at the same time he is public-spirited, liberal, 
 and warmly interested in the welfare of his adopted 
 cit}^ and State. Mr. Mattes came to Nebraska City 
 with his family in July, 1886. He was born in the 
 Kingdom of Wurtemburg, Germany, June 4, 1847, 
 and was the youngest of six children, the offspring 
 of Frank and Frances (Sperry) Mattes, who were 
 also of German birth and ancestry, and the father 
 a large land-owner and farmer in his native Prov- 
 ince. The brothers and sisters were named respect- 
 ively: Rosa, Xavier, Aloes, Alex and Paul. 
 
 Young Mattes was given a thorough education 
 in the common schools, and in addition to becom- 
 ing familiar with farm pursuits, also learned the 
 trade of wagon-maker. Three of his brothers, one 
 in 1853 and two in 1864, emigrated to the United 
 States, settling in Burlington, Iowa, and our sub- 
 ject joined them in 1866, when a little over eighteen 
 
 sen T 
 
•4^ 
 
 ■•►HIr 
 
 442 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 years of age. He worked at wagon-making in that 
 place two years, then, in company with his brothers, 
 began operating a brewery at Des Moines, where he 
 lived until the spring of 1886. 
 
 Mr. Mattes was married in Des Moines, Iowa, in 
 1875, to Miss Mary Hummel, of Monroe, tliat State, 
 and who was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, in January, 
 1853. Her parents, Michel and Josephine Hum- 
 mel, were natives of Germany, and emigrated to 
 Iowa in the spring of 1854, when their daughter 
 Mary was less than a 3-ear old. They are still liv- 
 ing in Iowa. 
 
 Our subject had, in company with his brother 
 Paul, put up a brewery in Des Moines, and they 
 were very successful. In 1880 he sold out his in- 
 terest and rented a brewery in the same city, where 
 he remained until coming to Nebraska City. Here 
 he has since invested a portion of his capital in his 
 brewery, and also has some valuable real estate. 
 Politically, he votes the straight Democratic ticket. 
 He is a man prompt to meet his obligations, and one 
 thoroughly reliable as a business man and citizen. 
 
 To JNIr. and Mrs. Mattes there have been born 
 eight children, three of whom, Josie, Mina and 
 Frank, died in infancy. The survivors are: Josie 
 (2d), Louis, Rosa, Carl Grover C. and Alexander. 
 The eldest is twelve years of age and the youngest 
 two; they are a bright and interesting group, being 
 carefull}' trained and educated, and the parents may 
 be pardoned for looking upon them with pride. 
 Mr. Mattes cast his first Presidential vote for Gree- 
 ley, when a resident of Iowa, and since coming to 
 tliis country has been a conscientious member of 
 the Democratic party. 
 
 I^^i H. MASON. In the career of the subject 
 ^^^ of this biography we find that of a man 
 (ll£_Jl) whose course in life has been such as to 
 commend him in a marked manner to the 
 esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens. Up- 
 right in his dealings, generous and public-spirited, 
 he has been a member of a community exerting a 
 good influence around him and furthering the en- 
 terprises calculated to upbuild the moral and re- 
 ligious elements of society. In this praiseworthj' 
 
 labor he has been encouraged by one of the best of 
 women, a lady possessing rare qualifications, and 
 one who has assisted in drawing around herself and 
 her family the best social elements of the commu- 
 nity. "We timsfind a home, which, without preten- 
 sions to elegance, is encircled bj' an air of culture 
 which makes it a most delightful resort. 
 
 The Mason homestead occupies the southwest 
 quarter of section 7, in Otoe Precinct. Before go- 
 ing any further we give a brief glance at the ances- 
 try of our subject. The family is supposed to have 
 been of English ancestry, and the parents of S. H. 
 were Abraham and Elizabeth (Gartin) Mason, the 
 father a native of Albemarle Count}', Va., and the 
 mother born in what was then Washington County, 
 now Marion County, Ky. Abraham Mason re- 
 ceived careful parental training, and during his 
 early manhood served as a soldier in the War of 
 1812. Afterward he took up his residence in Wash- 
 ington County, Ky., where he was married. Not 
 long afterward he. started for the farther West with 
 his young wife, and they settled on a tract of land 
 in Monroe County, Mo. Ti)e father purchased 160 
 acres which now lie in the vicinity of the flourish- 
 ing city of Paris, which at that time gave no indica- 
 tion of a town. There his death took place in 1849, 
 when he was sixty-one years old. The mother sur- 
 vived her husband twenty years, remaining a widow, 
 and died in 1869, at the age of seventy -seven. 
 
 The parental household included eleven children, 
 namely : Perry L., George G., Uriah G., Martin F., 
 Abraham G., Amanda G., Nathan W., Stephen G., 
 Sylvester H. (our subject). Mary H. and William H. 
 The mother of our subject was a child of one of the 
 first families of Kentucky, and many of her relatives 
 are to-day prominent as politicians and professional 
 men, and almost invariably people of wealth and 
 position. Sylvester H. was born near Paris, Mon- 
 roe County, Mo., on the 28th of September, 1838, 
 Among his first recollections is that of the Presi- 
 dential election of 1848, when Harrison was seated 
 in the National Executive Chair. Even at that 
 early day the educational advantages of that lo- 
 cality were very good, butyoung Mason was unable 
 to avail himself of them to the extent he desired on 
 account of an afl'ection of the eyes. This, however, 
 he overcame in due time, and when a youth of 
 
 <»■ 
 
 -•^1^ 
 
•► 
 
 i 
 
 ■<- 
 
 ••► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 443 
 
 seventeen years went into the office of the Mercury, 
 at Paris, to learn the printer's trade. The close ap- 
 plication required brought on his old trouble, and 
 he was oblijred to abandon his labors in this direc- 
 tion. His brother, Abraham G., also had a taste 
 for newspaper work, and was a man of much liter- 
 ary merit, becoming one of the noted journalists of 
 Missouri. His death took place at Shelbina, Mo., 
 on the 23d of April, 1887. Martin F., another 
 brother, and the only one living besides Sylvester 
 H., is engaged at farming, and continues his resi- 
 dence near his old home in Paris, Mo. 
 
 Young Mason after leaving the printing-office 
 embarked in the livery business, setting up in busi- 
 ness for himself at Paris, Mo. Upon the outbreak 
 of the Rebellion he sold out and removed to Doug- 
 las County, 111., where he engaged in farming a 
 period of four years, and thence removed to Cass 
 County. 111., locating on a farm. Before leaving 
 Missouri he had been married to Miss Laura Bounds, 
 who only survived her wedding about ten months. 
 This was a sore affiiction to Mr. Mason, and for a 
 time thereafter he felt unable to go on with the 
 duties and labors of life. 
 
 After going to Douglas County, 111., Mr. Mason 
 entered the employ of a very excellent man and an 
 extensive farmer, and in due time, on account of 
 his honcstjf and fidelity to duty, was given the su- 
 pervision of a part of the land. After removing 
 from Douglas to Cass Count}', lie made the acquaint- 
 ance of Mrs. Annie Jenkins, whose home at that 
 time was in Peru, Nemaha Co., Neb., but who was 
 visiting her parents in Illinois. This acquaintance 
 ripened into a mutual affection, and on the 8th 
 of October, 1873, Mrs. Jenkins having returned to 
 her home, our subject joined her there, and they 
 were married. 
 
 Mrs. Annie Mason was born in Ohio, in Cosehoe- 
 ton County, Oct. 10, 1839, where she lived until a 
 young girl fifteen years of age, and then accom- 
 panied her parents to Illinois. She was there 
 married, Aug. 11, 1861, to Henry F. Jenkins, a Vir- 
 ginian by birth, and a farmer by occupation. The^"^ 
 came to Nebraska in 1863, settling in Nemaha 
 Count}', subsequently moving to the present farm in 
 Otoe County, Neb., where the death of Mr. Jenkins 
 occurred Oct. 17, 1869. Of this union there have 
 
 been born three children — Mary H., Olive T. and 
 Verda A. Mary H. is now the wife of T. S. Ma- 
 son, agent of the Missouri Pacific Railroad at Hol- 
 liday,Mo. ; they have one child, Henry M. Olive 
 T. is the widow^ of George E. Smith, and the 
 mother of two children, Annie M. and Neola G., 
 and lives in Auburn, Nemaha Co., Neb. ; Verda A. 
 is employed as a typewriter in Kansas City, Mo. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Mason were Elijah and Jane 
 (Hankii.s) Duling, the father a native of Virginia 
 and the mother of Ohio. The Dulings were of 
 Scotch and English ancestry, and were largely rep- 
 resented in the early days in Ohio, being promi- 
 nent in the Methodist Church, and many of them 
 ministers. They, like the Ilankins family, were of 
 English and Scotch ancestry, an admixture of two 
 of the best nationalities on the face of the globe. 
 Mr. Duling was a farmer by occupation, and the 
 parents after their marriage lived in Ohio for a 
 period of twenty-one years. Thence they removed 
 to Cass County, 111. Before his marriage to the 
 mother of Mrs. Mason Mr. Duling had by a previ- 
 ous alliance become the father of three children, two 
 of whom survive — Nathan McKendry and Syvilla. 
 Of his marriage with Miss Hankins there were born 
 the following children: Laban, William, Annie 
 (Mrs. Mason) Anderson, Elijah, Amelia and John. 
 Mrs. Jane Duling died about 1846, in Ohio, and 
 Mr. D. was the third time married, and became the 
 father of three more children. His third wife was 
 also the mother of three children by her former 
 marriage. An older brother of Mrs. Mason died 
 and left a little girl. They all lived together, so at 
 one time the fatiier's roof sheltered fi\e different 
 sets of children. In 1854 they all removed to Cass 
 County, 111., where the father carried on farming 
 successfully, and lived to. be seventy-eight years 
 old, his decease taking place in July, 1876. He 
 w.as a man possessing all the better qualities of char- 
 acter, beloved and resjjected by his neighbors, popu- 
 lar, public-spirited, charitable and kind to all who 
 came within his reach. In early manhood he had 
 identified himself with the old AVhig party, and 
 upon its abandonment cordially endorsed Repub- 
 lican principles. The members of that large family 
 are scattered in different States. 
 
 To our subject and his present wife there have 
 
 .#-^h^^ 
 
 ?^rr-^ 
 
^ 
 
 444 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 been horn two children, daughters, Edna J. and 
 Annie B., whoattend school and constitute the light 
 and joy of the household circle. Both Mr. and 
 Mrs. Mason are members in good standing of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, attending regularly at 
 Harmony. The}' have l)olh been active workers in 
 the Master's vineyard, Mr. Mason offlcialing as Sec- 
 retary and Trustee of his church, and both largely 
 instrumental in the organization of the Zion Sun- 
 da}' -school at Zion, in 1 888, and vehere Mrs. Ma- 
 son officiates as a teacher. She is also prominently 
 identified with the W. C. T. U. at Harmony, which 
 enjoys a membership of fort}' persons. Of this Mrs. 
 M. is the librarian, and a most efficient laborer in 
 tliis good work. Mr. Mason, politically, votes with 
 the Prohibitionists, and has served a period of nine 
 years on tlie School Board of his precinct. 
 
 ^^.A ANNOY HANKS is among those pioneers of 
 '/(^-^ Nebraska who 
 
 111^-^ Nebraska who have give her reputation as 
 ^^f' a great agricultural State, and who now rank 
 among her most extensive farmers and stock-raisers, 
 his claim to this distinction being based upon the 
 fact that he owns one of the largest farms in the 
 county, located in Otoe and Hendricks Precincts, 
 and has large herds of fine graded cattle. 
 
 Mr. Hanks was born in Carroll County, Va., Feb. 
 10. 1830. His father, Thomas Hanks, was a native 
 of the same county, and his grandfather, Joshua 
 Hanks, vvjis for many years a resident of that county, 
 where he was engaged as a farmer, and he died 
 there. 
 
 Thomsis Hanks was roared in his native county, 
 and there married to Jane Moore, a native of Surrey 
 County, N. C, where her father. George Moore, so 
 far as known, spent his entire life. Mr. Hanks 
 bought a tract of land in his native county, and 
 there spent the remainder of his life, dying about 
 1840. His wife, the mother of our subject, died 
 about 1850. They were the parents of eight chil- 
 dren, namely: David, Edward, Hallie, Lee, Can- 
 noy, Hugh, Thompson and Susan. 
 
 Cannoy Hanks, of whom we write, was reared in 
 his Virginian birthplace. He was ten years old 
 when the sad death of his father left his mother with 
 
 a family of small children to care for. Slie nobly 
 performed her task, carefully training them to habits 
 of industry and self-reliance, and as soon as old 
 enough our subject and his brothers and sisters 
 went out to work to assist in the support of the 
 family. The summer after his father's death our 
 subject, then only a small lad of ten years, went to 
 work on a farm, receiving eight cents a day for his 
 services. As he grew larger his wages were in- 
 creased, until when he was man grown he was paid 
 fifty cents a day during haying and harvesting. 
 He was prudent and saved his earnings, until finally 
 he had saved money enough to engage with his 
 brother in trading horses, mules, w.agons and to- 
 bacco, making two trips to Georgia every year for 
 that purpose, between the months of September and 
 April. In the summer seasons they were engaged 
 in farming. In 185.T Mr. Hanks concluded to come 
 West, and in the fall of that year started with a 
 teain from his old home in Virginia, and drove the 
 entire distance across Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkan- 
 sas and Missouri, to his destination in Nebraska. 
 He arrived at Rockport, Mo., after forty-eight days 
 of travel, spent one nigiit there, then came on to 
 Otoe City, and from there to Nebraska City. For 
 awhile he engaged in teaming between the latter 
 point and Hamey Landing and Sioux City. In 
 185G he bought the cUtim to the land where he now 
 resides in Otoe Precinct, built a log cabin thereon, 
 and, when the land came into the market entered it 
 from the Government in the land-office at Omaha. 
 He farmed one year, and then, in 1857, went to the 
 mountains to engage in mining some twenty-six 
 miles northwest of the presentsite of Denver, which 
 was not founded until the following year. At that 
 time there were no railw.ays .across the plains, and 
 all transportation w.as done with teams. Mr. Hanks 
 mined in Colorado until the fall of 1861, when he 
 returned to this State, and resumed farming and 
 stock-raising, in which he has since met with more 
 than ordinary success, having increased his real es- 
 tate to 2,080 acres, and large numbers of cattle of 
 high grades, among the finest in the State, roam 
 over his rich pastures. He hiis all the conveniences 
 for carrying on agriculture after the most approved 
 metiiods, and his farm is provided with neat and 
 substantial buildings. 
 
 -^*- 
 
 i 
 
^S-i^?>i'-^<S'>5-tS'o<l" <?V^— 
 
y^''^<^t'^p0-r^^^y^ /2^-*-^-'<2?^^<:^?^^'e-^;^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ->^l 
 
 449 
 
 J. 
 
 Mr. Hanks was married, in 1864, to Miss Martha 
 Wilkinson, a native of Carroll County. Va., and a 
 daughter of James and Mary (Lyon) Wilkinson, 
 natives of Virginia. Her father was born in the 
 same county as herself, and his father, Thomas Wil- 
 kinson, is supposed to have been a native of Vir- 
 ginia, and to have passed his entire life there. Mrs. 
 Hanks' father was reared and married in his native 
 county, and resided there until 1857, when he 
 moved to Lafayette Countj', Mo., bought a tract 
 of land there, and has made it his place of residence 
 ever since. His wife died in the old home in Vir- 
 ginia in 1847. 
 
 In their marriage Mr. and jNIrs Hanks have been 
 blessed by the birth of eight children, as follows: 
 Mary S. is the wife of Charles Bickle, and they live 
 in Omaha; Lee, Currenner, Huston ; Stella died in 
 1877; Gilbert; Cannoy. Jr., died in 1880, and Lola. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hanks are devoted members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and the3' are foremost 
 in elevating the religious, moral and soci,al status of 
 the community. Mr. Hanks is a man of strong 
 character, possessing superior judgment and fore- 
 sight, and he is, moreover, one in whom his fellow - 
 citizens place absolute confidence. In politics he 
 is and always has been a strong supporter of the 
 principles of the Democratic party. 
 
 Vt'ULIU.S NORMAND. The subject of this 
 biograph}' occupies a leading position among 
 the extensive land-owners of Rock Creek 
 Precinct, being the proprietor of 1,400 broad 
 acres, Ijing on sections 5, 7 and 8, the homestead 
 being on section 7. Mr. Normand came co the Ter- 
 ritory of Nebraska on the 1st of May, 1858, and 
 secured first 160 acres by pre-emption. His present 
 surroundings and the extent of his possessions in- 
 dicate the perseverance and industry with which he 
 has labored. 
 
 There are comparatively few pioneers who have 
 been so noticeably fortunate in their labors amid 
 the difficulties of a new settlement as Julius Nor- 
 mand. Nature endowed him with those qualities 
 most necessaiy to success, and a praiseworth}' ca- 
 reer. Nut only has he been diligent and economi- 
 
 cal, prompt to meet his obligations, conscientious 
 as a man and a citizen, but in building up one of 
 the most valuable estates in Southern Nebraska has 
 thus been no unimportant factor in the develop- 
 ment of its resources. This has not only been an 
 advantage to himself, but has resulted in attracting 
 to this county an intelligent and enterprising class 
 of people, who would not do otherwise than settle 
 in a community promising something for the future, 
 morally, socially and financially. 
 
 Mr. Normand prior to his arrival in Nebr.aska had 
 been a resident of Scott Count3-, Iowa, for a period 
 of three years, having removed there from Blair 
 County, Pa. In the latter he was born Feb. 14, 
 1830, his early home being in the vicinity of the 
 city of Pittsburgh. The Normand family is of 
 French ancesy-y. The parents of our subject, 
 James and Catherine Normand, were natives re- 
 spectively of France and Germany, and spent their 
 last years in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 'Their 
 family consisted of seven children. Our subject 
 was reared and educated in his native city, where 
 he attained his majorit}' and married Miss Mar- 
 garet Kylor. 
 
 Mrs. Normand was born in Huntingdon County, 
 Pa., Jan. 22, 1833, and is the daughter of George 
 and Mary (Carcon) Kylor, who were also natives of 
 the Keystone State, where they spent their entire 
 lives. The mother died when her daughter Mar- 
 garet was a little child five years of age, and the 
 latter as soon as old enough began earning her own 
 living. She thus acquired those habits of industry 
 and self-reliance which have enabled her to be a most 
 worthy and efficient helpmate of her husband, by 
 whose side she has labored early and late, working 
 equally with him in securing their valuable prop- 
 erty. Of their union there have been born ten 
 children, three of whom died in infancy. Of the 
 survivors the record is as follows: James married 
 Miss Mary Hawn, and is occupied as a butcher in 
 Ft. Byron, 111. ; Augustus wedded Miss Hattie 
 Wilcox, of this State, and lives on a farm in Saline 
 County; Catherine Josephine is the wife of H. A. 
 Crandall, who is eng.aged in farming near Unadilla, 
 this county; Belle, Mrs. George Barth, lives on a 
 farm in Mc Williams Precinct; Julia is the wife of 
 Nelson Tary, and they live on a farm in Johnson 
 •^ 
 
 i 
 
4 450 
 
 ,t 
 
 • ►I I -^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 i^ 
 
 County; .Julius .aiul Levi remain at liome with their 
 parents. 
 
 Mr. Norraand cast his first Presidential vote for 
 Franklin Pierce, and is a stanch supporter of Demo- 
 cratic principles. He presents the picture of a man 
 firm in the support of his convictions, and one who 
 is not easily moved after he has once made up his 
 mind. This characteristic has been noticeable all 
 through his career, and has doubtless been the 
 secret of his phenomenal success. His has been a 
 record which his children may look upon with pride, 
 and in the establishment of his homestead and the 
 estate he has built up for himself a lasting monu- 
 ment. Of this latter we are pleased in being able 
 to give an extended view, and also the portraits of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Normand. Otoe County may point 
 to them wi-th pride as being among Ijer best citizens, 
 representing her best interests, and being identified 
 with her wealth and progress. 
 
 NTHONY A. JAMES. The name of 
 this gentleman, who departed this life at 
 ill his home in Wj'oming Precinct, May 10, 
 1870, is held in kindly remembrance by a 
 large circle of friends and acquaintances as that of 
 an honest man and a good citizen. As a farmer 
 he was thorough and skillful, and as a member of 
 the community contributed his full quota toward 
 advancing its general interest. 
 
 Ml'. James was a native of County Donegal, in 
 the North of Ireland, and was born in December, 
 1830. His father, William James, a farmer by oc- 
 cupation, was also of Irish birth and ancestry, and 
 died in middle life in County Donegal. Anthony 
 at the time of his father's decease was a lad of thir- 
 teen years, and a few years later accompanied his 
 mother and the younger members of the family to 
 America, joining some of the elder ones in Butler 
 County, Pa. There they engaged in farming, but 
 a year later changed their residence to Mercer 
 County, Pa., where our subject was reared to man- 
 hood. He received a common-school education, 
 and when ready to establish a home of his own was 
 united in marriage with Miss Eliza Burrows, a na- 
 tive of his own country. They lived for a 3 ear in 
 
 the Keystone State, then concluded to trj- their 
 fortunes in the regions beyond the Mississippi. 
 
 Our subject arrived in this county in the spring 
 of 1 860, and purchased 200 acres of land on section 
 16, in Wyoming Precinct, in the improvement and 
 cultivation of which he was eng.aged until resting 
 from his earthly labors. He was prospered in his 
 labors as a tiller of the soil, but for some time be- 
 fore his decease suffered from a wound which he 
 had received while serving as a cavalry' soldier in 
 the White Rock Hills, D.ak. Soon after the out- 
 l)reak of the Civil War he had enlisted in Company 
 F, 2(1 Nebraska Cavalry, the regiment being chiefly 
 employed on the frontier. In this, as in all other 
 duties in life, Mr. James fulfilled each duty consci- 
 entiously, being always at his post when needed, 
 and upon two occasions received quite serious gun- 
 shot wounds. He participated in considerable hard 
 fighting, and was always spoken of as a brave and 
 faithful soldier, who received the approval of his 
 superior officers and the respect of his comrades. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. James there were born six chil- 
 dren, two of whom, Sarah B. and John N., died at 
 the ages of seventeen months and seven weeks re- 
 spectively. Besides these two infants di«d unnamed. 
 William G., the eldest son living, married Miss 
 Clara A. Swan, who was born in Liberty Precinct, 
 Cass County, June I, 1865, and is a very intelligent 
 lad}', with an excellent education; the younger son 
 is named Robert, and both are very intelligent and 
 enterprising, carrying on the homestead in a man- 
 ner similar to that with which it has always been 
 conducted, and doing honor to their training. The 
 boys are stanch Republicans, politically, as was 
 their honored father 
 
 Mrs. Eliza (Burrows) James was born m County 
 Tyrone, Ireland, Dec. 29, 1830, and is the daughter 
 of George and Mary (Burrows) Burrows, who were 
 of Scotch ancestry, the latter having been among 
 those who fled from Scotland to the North of Ire- 
 laud on account of religious persecution. The par- 
 ents of Mrs. James were also natives of County 
 Tyrone, and Protestants in religion. After mar- 
 riage George Burrows and his wife settled upon a 
 little farm in their native county, where were born 
 a son and daughter. In the spring of 1834, leaving 
 their eldest child, Eliza, with her maternal grand- 
 
 '■► ■ <• 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 ^^^h 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 451 
 
 J. 
 
 parents, they emigrated to America, bringing with 
 them the younger, aurl located first in Trumbull 
 County, Ohio. Later they removed to Mercer 
 County, Pa., settling in New Vernon Township, 
 where the fatiier improved a farm from a tract of 
 uncultivated land, and where he spent the remainder 
 of his days, his decease taking place in February, 
 1883. at the advanced age of seventy-nine years. 
 Both parents had identified themselves vvith the 
 Methodist Church at an early period in life. The 
 mother is now seventy-nine 3'ears old. She still 
 lives on the old homestead in New Vernon Town- 
 ship, Mercer Co., Pa., with her son John N. 
 
 To the parents of Mrs. .James there were born 
 seven cliildren after coming to the United States, 
 and of the nine comprising the parental household 
 all are living but one. These are mostly residents 
 of Pennsylvania. Mrs. James remained with her 
 grandparents in Ireland until a maiden of seven- 
 teen j'ears, then came to America accompanied by^ 
 her aunt and uncle, Hugh Burrows. The meeting 
 with her parents after the long separation wfis most 
 pleasant and gratifying, and siie afterward made 
 her home with them until her marriacfe. 
 
 
 LIVER C. WIGGIN, M. D., is a descendant 
 one of the good old New England fam- 
 whose name is graven upon the very 
 foundation stones of early New England history. 
 The originator of this family in America was 
 Thomas Wiggin, who had emigrated to this coun- 
 try in 1634, returned to England, and finally re- 
 turned with his familj' in 1636, and arrived in the 
 midst of the struggles of the early colonies for an 
 existence and foothold on the Western Continent, 
 lie received from his Sovereign a patent of Gov- 
 ernor of the North Plantations, w^hich comprised 
 the district now embraced in the State of New 
 Ilamijshire. This position, that of Governor, he 
 held for several years, and in that time did much 
 to establish the Colonists and bring to them the 
 position of independence and brightness of pros- 
 perity that fairlj- started the young colony on its 
 way. He was the first Governor. The descend- 
 
 ants of this illustrious gentleman, Thomas AVig- 
 gin, for several generations married into the fam- 
 ilies of the Massachusetts Governors Bradstreet, 
 Dudley and Winthrop, besides others equally well 
 known that might be mentioned, representing men 
 of worth and note in the higher circles of thought 
 arid action in life. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is one of the ninth 
 generation from the above-mentioned gentleman, 
 and is the second son of the Hon. John M. Wig- 
 gin, of Meredith, N. II. He was born in July, 
 1810. In his e.arly life the father of our subject 
 manifested no little ability as a student. From his 
 boyhood he had been devoted to earnest thought 
 and careful study, and this he followed from his 
 youth up, always engrossed in a never satisfied 
 effort to assauge his thirst for knowledge. While 
 yet a young man he became instructor in the 
 public schools near the home of his boyhood. 
 Later he turned his attention to the business of 
 architect and contractor, and while his sons were 
 growing up he lived upon a farm in order that 
 they might have such surroundings as would tend 
 to make them true men, that he might the better 
 instruct them in such a manner as would bring out 
 the very best that was in them as regards character 
 and disposition. 
 
 Mr. Wiggin was elected by the people of his 
 county (where he had well-nigh innumerable friends, 
 for he was much respected and was very jjopular) 
 for three consecutive terms to the New Hampshire 
 State Legislature, where he served, as had been ex- 
 pected, the interests of his constituents in a most 
 self-forgetful spirit and with a single eye to their 
 welfare. When about seventy years of age he went 
 to live with his children in Providence, R. I., and 
 there died three years later. He was a lifelong 
 member of the Baptist Church, and was for some 
 3'ears a Deacon in that communion, as his father 
 had been before him. The family for several gen- 
 erations had held its membership within the same 
 church. His wife, whose maiden name was Polly 
 (Fox) Wadleigh, was' a descendant of another of 
 the old families of position of New Hampshire. 
 She was a brilliant and yet thoughtful woman, true 
 to herself and to all to whom she was rel.ated. She 
 .also reached the good old .age of seventy-three 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 4;j2 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4p 
 
 j^ears, and died about the same time as her hus- 
 band. 
 
 Dr. Oliver C. Wiggin was born May 3, 1839, in 
 Meredith, N. H., spent the first eighteen years of 
 his life upon a farm, and received his education at 
 the school-house. The institutions of learning of 
 that daj- were not of course so complete, either as 
 regards the instruction or appointments, as they 
 are to-day. As soon as he was sufficiently ad- 
 vanced to so do he entered Brown's University, at 
 Providence, where he remained for some time, and 
 then entered the Harvard Medical College, being 
 graduated from that institution in the class of '66. 
 
 Upon receiving his diploma Dr. Wiggin en- 
 gaged in the practice of medicine, locating in 
 Providence, where he remained for about twenty 
 years, becoming long before that term had expired 
 one of the most prominent physicians and surgeons 
 of Rhode Island. He was very largely successful in 
 his practice, and perhaps for the reason that it has 
 always been his custom to enter into every trans- 
 action giving his whole mind and power to the 
 engagement, whatever that might be, that demanded 
 his attention. During that time he vras elected 
 President of the Rhode Island INIedical Society, and 
 was also President of the Providence Medical As- 
 sociation, and also President of the Lying-in Hos- 
 pital of Providence, of which he was the chief 
 promoter and founder. For ten j-ears he continued 
 visiting physician to the Rhode Island Hospital 
 and consulting phj'sician at Dexter Asj^lum and 
 the Home for Aged Men, and also that for Aged 
 Women. 
 
 The marriage of Dr. Wiggin and Mrs. Helen M. 
 Jenckes, eldest daughter of Hon. Charles Nourse, 
 was celebrated Dec. 3, 1878. Her father is now 
 deceased. He was formerly a successful cotton 
 manufacturer in Woonsoeket, R. I., and occupied 
 a high position in the community, being prominent 
 in the social, political, religious and educational 
 circles, as well as the business world. His daughter 
 Helen received the best possible education, and 
 was conversant with all the usual subjects then 
 taught, and was also endowed with several accom- 
 plishments as then • considered, and was fitted by 
 these and her careful liome training for any posi- 
 tion in life. She became connected with most of 
 
 the prominent religious and educational societies, 
 including the widely known Rhode Island Women's 
 Club. It has been a principle of her life to make 
 others happy and to spend herself in helping those 
 who need aid, and she is wortliy of rank among 
 the first ladies of the State. 
 
 From boj-hood Dr. Wiggin has taken the greatest 
 possible interest in fine cattle and graded stock, of 
 which there were several upon the home farm. In 
 1883 he found his failing health would not permit 
 of his continued practice of medicine, and because of 
 the above-mentioned desire and natural liking for 
 stock, he decided to take up the breeding of blooded 
 stock, and determined only to handle the pure Hol- 
 stein stock, and in October, 1882, he imported a 
 choice herd of the most noted strains from Holland. 
 
 Dr. Wiggin found himself well prejiared to keep 
 fully abreast of the times in his new occupation. He 
 began in Providence, but the necessity of seeking 
 broader fields led him to turn his mind to the 
 Western prairies, and in 1886 he transported his 
 cattle and interests to this State, locating in Wyo- 
 ming Precinct of this county, about nine miles 
 north of Nebraska City and three and a half miles 
 from Union, which is his post-office and is a station 
 on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. His property is 
 splendidly located, and admirably adapted for his 
 purpose. It is known as the ''Crown lihiff Stock 
 Farm." Since the transfer to Nebraska the head 
 of the herd has been superseded hy a son, an excep- 
 tionally fine animal, who is named ''Netherland 
 Standard," and the farm is most thoroughly stocked, 
 the herd numbering about fifty. 
 
 Partly associated in the business with Dr. Wig- 
 gin is a younger brother, whose given name is 
 Charles D. Wiggin, M. D. He also is now a resi- 
 dent of Wyoming Precinct, and is connected with 
 his brother in his stock interests, and at the same 
 time is a practicing physician and surgeon. He was 
 born upon the old homestead in New Hampshire. 
 After obtaining the principles of an education he 
 entered Brown University, at Providence, complet- 
 ing the curriculum of study and being graduated in 
 the class of '68, subsequently receiving tlie degree 
 of A. M. He then came West, and spent four years 
 in Nebraska on the present farm, which his father 
 had some time before purchased. At the end of 
 
 ■<*■ 
 
-^•- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ••► 
 
 453 
 
 that period, iu 1872, he decided to return East. 
 This he did, and entered the Yale Medical School, 
 and devoted himself to hard and faitliful study, 
 being graduated with honors in the class of '74, re- 
 ceiving the degree of M. D. 
 
 From Yale Dr. C. D. Wiggin went to Providence, 
 R. I., and began the practice of medicine, continu- 
 ing there until 1886, when he came to this State 
 and joined his brother, our subject. He has since 
 resided on the Wiggin property at "Crown Bluff, 
 continuing, as above mentioned, the practice of his 
 profession. He was united in marriage to Miss 
 Adelaide Buckley, the daughter of John Buckle}', 
 of Providence, R. I. She was well educated, and 
 previous to her marriage had been a most success- 
 ful teaclier in the public schools of Rhode Island. 
 "While }-et in the prime of life she died, leaving 
 two daughters, Marion and Hope. 
 
 A second marrriage was entered into b}- Dr. C. 
 D. Wiggin. The maiden name of the lady who 
 united her life interests with his upon that occa- 
 sion was Lucy D. Bucldin, the daugliter of Samuel 
 Slater Bueklin, of Providence, R. I., where she 
 was liorn. Previous to her marriage she had been 
 engaged for some years as a teacher in the gram- 
 mar schools of Providence, and in her present 
 position in his home gives abundant evidence of 
 her every qualification for that or any other she 
 might be called upon to occupy. 
 
 Our subject and his brother combine the indus- 
 tries of the dairj' with their stock farming, and 
 their goods are such as to command a steady mar- 
 ket at Omaha. They also have choice family pork 
 products. Their cattle are the most perfect dairy 
 stock that could be found, so far as breed is con- 
 cerned, their cows coming of the celebrated fami- 
 lies of Netherland, Aggie, Alexander, Texelaar, 
 Operdoes, and others equally valuable. It is a fre- 
 quent thing for them to obtain as much as eighty- 
 seven pounds of milk per daj- from several of their 
 choicest cows, some of the two-year-olds averaging 
 fifty pounds per day. 
 
 Dr. Oliver Wiggin is an acknowledged expert 
 and authority in matters pertaining to cattle breed- 
 ing, raising and feeding. His arrangements for 
 the sheltering and feeding of his stock are all of a 
 model character. He uses only the best o1)tainable 
 
 feed, supplying them with tlie ordinary forage as 
 long as it remains green; following that with en- 
 silage, for which he has silos with a capacity of 
 160 tons, which enables him to feed at the small 
 expense of fifty-four cents per ton, which is a 
 practical demonstration of the utility of this method. 
 For grain feed he gives corn-meal, bran, oatmeal, 
 ground oats, and cottonseed meal in their proi)er 
 proportions. 
 
 Sufl3cient has been said to portray the position, 
 high character and personal worth of our subject 
 and those associated with him, and we leave the 
 sketch to make its own impression in this regard. 
 Suffice it here to say that the Doctor is most 
 highly esteemed by all who know him. He is a 
 member of the Baptist Church, and as a true and 
 loyal citizen, is a member of the'Repulilican party. 
 
 — a?^>«^»S^ 
 
 <tf5*^««^«eH. 
 
 OA. SEVERE. The gentleman whose name 
 stands at the head of this sketch is one of 
 the most prominent cattle dealers of Palmyra 
 Precinct, and a man who, beginning at the foot of 
 the ladder in life has made his waj' by his own un- 
 aided efforts to a good position socially and finan- 
 cially. His farm of 280 acres is finely located on 
 section 13, and forms one of the mpst desirable 
 homesteads in this region. Upon it is a neat and 
 substantial farm dwelling, and adjacent are the 
 barns, sheds, scales, and all the other appliances 
 adapted to the modern stock-raiser, while for the 
 comfort of the family is a fine orchard and trees of 
 the smaller fruits. A beautiful grove forms another 
 attractive feature of the premises. The household 
 is presided over by an intelligent and accomplished 
 lady, the wife of oursubject, and one child, a bright 
 little boy, Harry, who was born April 8, 1883, 
 completes the happiness of the borne. 
 
 Mr. Severe, a native of Knox County. Ohio, was 
 born in Liberty Township, Jan. 29, 1854, and is 
 consequently still a young man. He was a lad of 
 nine years when he left his native State, and accom- 
 panied his parents to Harrison County, Mo., where 
 they lived on a farm a period of six j'ears. Our 
 subject in September, 1869, came to Nebraska and 
 purchased 120 acres of land, to which he added a 
 
 *► ■ 4" 
 
^F^^ 
 
 454 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 like amount a few months later. While a resiflent 
 of Missouri he was married, .Jan. 18, 1877, to Miss 
 Martha E. Morgan, also a native of Ohio, and who 
 was born Sept. 23. 1858. Her parents, Amos and 
 Jane (McCammon) Morgan, emigrated from the 
 Buckeye State to Harrison County, Mo., when she 
 was a young girl twelve years of age. Her parents 
 were natives of Ohio; the father is living in Mis- 
 souri, and the mother is deceased. Mrs. Severe, a lady 
 who is greatly respected in her community, is a 
 member of the Presbyterian Church at Palmyra. 
 
 Mr. 8. identified himself with the Masonic frater- 
 nity in 1883, and is now a member of Lodge No. 
 64, at Palmyra; he also belongs to the Knights of 
 Workingmen, and politicallj', votes the straight Re- 
 publican ticket. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Bethel and Char- 
 lotte (Conway) Severe, who were natives of Ohio 
 and Virginia, and are now living w\ih our subject. 
 The father was a farmer by occupation, and the pa- 
 rental household included two sons and three daugh- 
 ers, of whom one sister of our subject is living. 
 
 It were hard 
 an<i honorable 
 
 ^^ LEXANDER McIN TYRE. 
 \ .@/lJI to find a more worthy 
 
 /// IS representative of the business world of 
 (^ Palmyra or indeed of Otoe County than 
 the well-known gentleman and much valued citi- 
 zen whose history is here recorded. Mr. Mcln- 
 tyre is in the dry-goods and general mercantile 
 business, and has established a reputation that is be- 
 yond question, and in his daily life manifests a 
 character that is of the highest order. 
 
 Mr. Mclntyre is the son of Duncan and Cather- 
 ine Mclntyre, of Argj^leshire, Scotland. His father 
 was a shepherd all his life. He came to America to 
 join our subject, who had previously settled in this 
 State, and died in Russell Precinct in this county, 
 in 1873, aged seventy-three years. His mother re- 
 sides in Kansas, with her daughters, and has at- 
 tained the advanced age of eightj'-four years. The 
 family circle includes five children, who received 
 the following names: Archibald, Alexander, Mary, 
 Donald and Catherine. 
 
 The suliject of our sketch was born on the 2d of 
 
 October, 1839, in Argyleshire. His experience was 
 common to that of boyhood in Scotland ; his educa- 
 tion obtained in the parish schools was thorough 
 and practical, such as would do him good service in 
 the ordinary affairs of life. At fourteen he was 
 apprenticed as clerk in a dry-goods house in Edin- 
 burgh, where he continued for three years. 'Ihis 
 was his business college, and the practical education 
 and training there received are with him in effect 
 to-day, and his customers in this county may trace 
 his efHciencj' in business back to thtit time. 
 
 In 185G Mr. Mclntyre went to Worcester, En- 
 gland, and there he served for several j'ears in the 
 dry-goods business, thus making, properly speaking, 
 his first start in life, for at Edinburgh, as above men- 
 tioned, he was simply an apprentice. On the 1st of 
 September, 18G3, was celebrated the marriage of 
 Mr. Mclntyre with Sarah, the estimable daughter of 
 Joseph and Ann (Burden) Grainger. The parents 
 of this lady were English, her father being a native 
 of Worcester and her mother of London. Mr. 
 Grainger was in business as a grocer at the above 
 city, and there met our subject. He is still living, 
 and is seventy-five years of age. His wife died in 
 1^75, being sixty-three years of age at the time of 
 her demise. Of thirteen children born to them six 
 grew up, of whom three were girls and three 
 boj's. The wife of our subject, who was born on 
 the 24th of February, 1840, is the eldest of the sur- 
 viving children. Her education w:is received in 
 private seminaries and is complete. 
 
 Four years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Mc- 
 Intj're set sail for America. They left Liverpool 
 on April 3, on the steamship "Louiscana." He took 
 a homestead of 160 acres, and in 1867 purchased 
 an adjoining 160. He now found scope for all his 
 experience, and plenty of work that demanded just 
 such determination and muscle as is usually found 
 in natives of Scotland. He continued prosperously 
 as a farmer for seventeen years. On the 3d of 
 January, 1884, he came to Palmyra and engaged in 
 mercantile pursuits, buying out Mr. R. Oakley, who 
 had formerly carried on business here. 
 
 Mr. Mclntyre is a prominent member of the A. 
 O. U. W., and is at present the Financier of the Lo- 
 cal Assembly, of which he is one of the charter 
 members. In religious circles he also occupies a ' ' 
 
 HI--4*- 
 
 ::?^::¥-^ 
 
■► II <•• 
 
 -a^ 
 
 -* 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 455 
 
 high position. From his youth he has been much 
 attached to the Presbyterian Church, and of that 
 communion his wife and he are members. He is 
 one of the pillars of the church at Palmyra, and 
 serves it both in the otBce of Elder and that of 
 Sunda}'-school Superintendent. In these relations 
 as in every other he is held in the highest possible 
 esteem and regard, sentiments that are accorded 
 in like measure to his wjfe. In his position as a 
 citizen Mr. Mclutyre supports the Republican 
 party, and is now a Councilman of Palmyra, wliere 
 his manliness of character, his shrewd sagacitj'^ 
 and business habits, enable him the better to repre- 
 sent his constituents. 
 
 ■^ OHN KASBOHM. The northeast quarter of 
 section 29, in Wyoming Precinct, has been 
 most effectively utilized by the subject of 
 J this sketch in the building up of one of the 
 best regulated homesteads of this part of the county, 
 to which he came in the spring of 1879. His land 
 at that time had undergone verj'^ little improve- 
 ment, there being upon it at the time of its pur- 
 chase by Mr. K. small buildings and no fences. It 
 is hardly necessary to state in viewing his present 
 surroundings, that he has employed his time in the 
 most industrious manner, and invested his capital 
 where it would do the most good. 
 
 The buildings of the Kasbohm farm are espe- 
 ciallj' noticeable as being tasteful, compact, and 
 erected in that substantial manner which insures 
 the protection of both man and beast. Mr. K., in 
 addition to general farming, has given considerable 
 attention to live stock, having a good assortment 
 of horses, cattle and swine. He has an orchard of 
 flourishing apple trees, besides the smaller fruits, 
 and has gradually gathered about himself and his 
 family those little comforts and conveniences which 
 have so much to do with the happiness of a home. 
 Our subject, a native of the Grand Duchy of 
 Mecklenburg, Germany, was born Aug. 22, 1839, 
 and was the third child in a large familj-, the off- 
 spring of Jacob and Fredricka (Clocksim) Kas- 
 bohm, who were of pure German ancestry, and 
 ■^« 
 
 spent their entire lives upon their native soil. The 
 father earned an honest living as a laborer, and 
 died at the age of sixty years. The mother passed 
 away in middle life. They were members of the 
 Lutheran Church, in the doctrines of which they 
 carefully trained their children. Six of the latter 
 are living, three sons and three daughters, and are 
 residents of the United States. 
 
 Mr. Kasbohm, in common with the children of 
 his native Empire, was placed in school at an early 
 age, and made his home with his parents until 
 twenty-four years old. He then decided to cross 
 the Atlantic and try to accomplish in America 
 what there seemed little hope of his becoming in 
 Germany — a man of property and influence. He 
 realized that he must make his way b}' slow de- 
 grees, but he possessed largelj^ the qualities of per- 
 sistence and resolution, handed down to him from 
 his ancestors, and accordingly, after landing in New- 
 York City, was ready to employ himself at what- 
 ever he could find to do. There and in the city 
 of Brooklyn he lived for the following nine years 
 or more, becoming in the meantime established in 
 a putty and paint house, of which he was a trusted 
 employe. In the spring of 1879, however, he re- 
 solved to cross the Mississippi and see what lay 
 bejrond. 
 
 Mr. Kasbohm has certainly had little reason to 
 regret crossing first the Atlantic and then the 
 Father of Waters. He had little capital upon land- 
 ing in this country, being thrown upon his own re- 
 sources in a strange land, but his inherent integrity 
 and his willingness to employ liimself at anj'thing 
 which would make him an honest living, soon se- 
 cured him friends, which he has never lacked to 
 this day. One of the earliest of these was a most 
 estimable young lady. Miss Catherine Maefort, 
 with whom he became acquainted in New York 
 City, and to whom he was married there in 1866. 
 
 The wife of our subject was, like himself, born 
 in Germany, on the 18th of October, 1841. She 
 came with friends to the United States, and, like 
 her husband, commenced independentlj' to earn her 
 own living. Their wedded life began in New 
 York, and a few months later they bid adieu to the 
 metropolis and came to the young State of Ne- 
 braska. They have been steadily advancing since 
 
 •►:JI-^ 
 
45G 
 
 OTOE COIJNTT. 
 
 4 
 
 <9 
 
 making the experiment of life in a new country, 
 and have contributed their full share to tlie pros- 
 perity of Otoe County. Of their union there was 
 born one child only, a boy, whom they named 
 John, and who to their great sorrow died when 
 tenweelvS old. Mr. and Mrs. K. are both members 
 of the German Lutheran Church, and our subject, 
 politically, is a solid Repulilican. 
 
 ^P-^ 
 
 ORLANDO J. DAVIS is one of the prominent 
 citizens and enterprising stock-raisers and far- 
 mers of North Branch Precinct, and resides 
 on section 35, where he settled in 1880. Mr. Davis 
 was born on the 26th of December, 18-14, in North 
 Carolina, of which State his parents, Ruell R. and 
 Biddy (Hoiison) Davis, were also natives. The fam- 
 ily removed from that State to Nebraska, settling at 
 Mt. Pleasant, in Cass County, in the year 1856. 
 There the father entered land and improved a farm, 
 giving his careful and undivided attention to the 
 cultivation of the same for the remainder of his 
 life, whicli closed in the year 1864. Mrs. Davis is 
 .•itill living in Cass County, and has reached the age 
 of sixty-three years. 
 
 The faniilj' circle of which our subject is a mem- 
 ber included nine children, of whom but seven are 
 living: Stephen, now a grain merchant at Platts- 
 mouth; Orlando J., our subject; Bradley H., a resi- 
 dent of this county; Wesley A., of Weeping Water, 
 this State; William R., who still lives at Mt. Pleas- 
 ant; Julia A., the wife of William Jameson, and 
 John H., both of Weeping Water. Eunice, died 
 in the year 1861, at the age of eighteen years. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was twelve years of 
 age when the family^ settled in this State, and can 
 well remember man}' of the more striking features 
 and incidents of their pioneer life. The journeys 
 his father was compelled to take when any trading 
 or marketing had to be done, either to Plattsmouth 
 or Nebraska Cit}'. His father had an unusually 
 fine advantage in settling, being possessed of over 
 $1,000 in money, besides teams and household goods. 
 
 As a lad, Orlando Davis spent his early days 
 upon the home farm, and his recollections cluster 
 around and are filled with the simple, healthful life 
 
 at the home. He was from his youth acquainted 
 with agricultural pursuits and farm life, so that it 
 was no difficulty for him to take charge of similar 
 work on his own account. The year 1867 wit- 
 nessed his marriage with Elizabeth Howard, the 
 daughter of William 11. and Julia A. Howard, who 
 were natives of Ohio. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Howard were married in Parke 
 County, Ind., and settled in Vermillion County, 
 where their daughter I-llizabeth was born on the 3d 
 of June, 1848. Later the}- went to Hancock County, 
 111., where they lived until 1863, and then came to 
 Cass Countj', where, two 3'ears later, Mrs. Howard 
 died, leaving her husband and six children. Mr. 
 Howard is still living, but is a resident of Lan- 
 caster County, Neb, 
 
 The subject of our sketch and his young wife 
 continued to make their home in Cass Countj- until 
 1870, when thej' migrated to Butler Count}', Kan., 
 and pre-empted 160 acres of the Osage Trust Lands, 
 which he improved by cultivation, setting out a 
 large number of fruit trees, and erecting good 
 buildings. After awhile he purchased an additional 
 eighty acres, making him the owner of a total of 
 240 acres. In the year 1873 he lost his crop by 
 grasshoppers, but did not require aid, as he had 
 provisions in reserve, the result of more prosperous 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Davis continued his residence in Kansas for 
 a little over ten years, but was not infatuated with 
 the State and did not like the climate, consequently 
 he removed and came to Nebraska, where he pur- 
 'jhased his present farm, comprising 160 acres of 
 excellent land, on which he has put up two sets of 
 good buildings for stock and farm purposes. He 
 feeds about fifty head of stock annually, and is the 
 owner of some fine animals. In the vicinity of the 
 house there are two flourishing orchards, filled with 
 fruit trees of diverse kinds of choice variety, and 
 all excellent bearers. 
 
 The family of our subject and his wife numbers 
 eiffht children, whose names are as subjoined: Mary 
 Eva, Frank V., Milton C, Howard O., Winford W., 
 Pearl Ethel, Edward C. and Hannah A. The home 
 is one of the most complete and pleasant that can 
 be found within quite a large distance, and the chil- 
 dren reflect the high moral tone of their parents in 
 
 — ■ ► 
 
•►ii^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 457 
 
 their own lives. In the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 Mr. and Mrs. Davis find that which is congenial 
 from a religious standpoint, and their family have 
 been instructed in the same faith. 
 
 The subject of our slietch is an old member of 
 the 1. O. O. F., and is also affiliated with the 
 Society of Modern Woodmen of America. He 
 thinks stronglj' and independently upon the temper- 
 ance question, and is quite a worker in the cause. 
 lie has been called upon to hold several local offices, 
 and was also appointed to take tlie State census for 
 his district in 1875. He is an active worker for the 
 Republican part3', which he has continued to sup- 
 port from the time he had the privilege of fran- 
 chise. He is a member of the Central Committee, 
 and has frequently been called upon to act as a 
 delegate to conventions. As a man he is highlj' 
 respected, and has tlie confidence of his fellow-citi- 
 zens to a marked degree. 
 
 j^^\ ICHAEL HENG, a very prosperous farmer 
 ll i\\ "-"^ Belmont Precinct, and one of its most 
 il LS extensive land-owners, is the proprietor of 
 * 410 acres of valuable land, all of which 
 
 is under a fair state of cultivation. It is chiefly 
 devoted to stock-raising, his animals including 
 Short-horn cattle of excellent breeds, Berkshire 
 and Poland-China swine and first-class draft horses. 
 These latter, however, he makes use of mostly on his 
 hand. He has operated with that genuine German 
 thrift land prudence which are among the most 
 distinctive characteristics of his nationality, and is 
 not only in the enjoyment of a competence for the 
 present, but will have sufHcient to surround him- 
 self with all the comforts of life in his declining 
 years. 
 
 Our subject was born in the Province of Alsace, 
 which now belongs to Germany, but was at that 
 time a Province of France. He first opened his 
 eyes to the light Sept. 21, 1834, and is the son of 
 George and Mageleud (Saner) Heng, who were na- 
 tives of the same Province. Michael when a youth 
 of twenty years left his native land in April of 
 1855, and thereafter for one j-ear was a resident of 
 Shelb3' Count}-, Ohio. Thence he emigrated to the 
 
 cit}' of Dayton in that State, but from there emi- 
 grated to Greene County, Ohio, where he lived 
 three years. 
 
 Mr. Heng came to Xebraska Aug. 18, 1859, while 
 it was still a Territor}-, and settled upon land which 
 is now included in his present farm. Of this but 
 thirty acres had been disturbed b}^ the plowshare, 
 and there had been built a limited amount of fence. 
 There was no house, and the scene around presented 
 one extremely wild and desolate, with not the habi- 
 tation of a white man in view. Our subject, how- 
 ever, was born with that courageous element which 
 did not allow any ordinary matter to discourage 
 him, and he set to work with a will to build up a 
 home and improve his land. His iirst years were 
 spent in the inanner common to the early pioneers, 
 laboring with limited market facilities, imperfect 
 transportation, and amid all the other difficulties 
 which beset the pioneer farmer. In the course of 
 a few years, however, his labors met with their 
 legitimate reward, his farm began to yield in abun- 
 dance the rich products of Southern Xebraska. and 
 he had gathered around hiim the various modern 
 improvements which become necessary to the in- 
 telligent and progressive farmer. He is now num- 
 bered among the most prosperous men of his pre- 
 cinct, and is one of its most valuable and reliable 
 citizens. 
 
 After laj-ing the foundation of a future home 
 our subject was married, on the 8th of February, 
 1865, to Miss Jane Hoffman, who was born in Jan- 
 uary, 1845, in Germany, and is a daughter of Jo- 
 seph Hoffman, who, with his wife, was a native of 
 Germany. Both parents spent their last j-ears in 
 Illinois. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Heng there were born nine 
 children, namely: George, Mary, Michael, Katj^, 
 Wilhelmina, Phelimina, John, Jennie and Sally. 
 Mary is the wife of Mattis Meyer, of Cass County, 
 this State. The other children are at home. The 
 mother of these departed this life at the homestead 
 in Belmont Precinct, June 17, 1884. 
 
 Our subject in 1885 contracted a second matri- 
 monial alliance, with Miss Theresa Schrider, who 
 was born in 1850, and is the daughter of Joseph 
 and Catrenia Schrider. Her parents were natives of 
 Germany, and the father died about 1874, in Otoe 
 
 oi 
 
 :oe ^ • 
 
A. 
 
 -•►Hl- 
 
 458 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 w 
 
 County; the mother Feb. 2, 1885, also iu Otoe 
 Coimty. Of this union of our subject there are two 
 children, a sou and daughter — Frank and Theresa. 
 The career of Mr. Heug has been signalized as 
 that of a man more than ordinarily industrious 
 and clear sighted. He began life without capital, 
 dependent whollj^ upon his own resources, and 
 from first principles has built up an estate of i 
 which he has reason to be proud. He votes the 
 straight Democratic ticket, but has never sought 
 official honors. He and his wife are members in 
 good standing of the German Catholic Church. In 
 the support and maintenance of this he takes a warm 
 interest and is noted for his charities, giving largely 
 of his means to benevolent objects. He is likewise 
 active in his encouragement of education, believ- 
 ing that the young should receive every advantage 
 in order to fit them for worthy' and useful citizens. 
 In 1864 the Indians became very troublesome, and 
 INIr. Heng joined a company to suppress them. 
 
 WASHINGTON C. "WOLF. South Branch 
 has within its confines many thoroughly 
 practical farmers, enterprising and prosper- 
 ous stock-raisers, men of intelligence and character. 
 Among these and worthily representing the indus- 
 tries is the subject of our sketch, who has 480 acres 
 of splendid land devoted to the above interests, sit- 
 uated on section 30 of that precinct. 
 
 Our subject is the son of Frederick and Sophia 
 (Clark) Wolf. His father was born of German 
 parents, who settled in Maryland, in whicli State he 
 first saw the light. His mother was born in Bowl- 
 ing Green, Ky., where she was mariled to Mr. Wolf 
 in 1827. The grandfather upon the maternal side 
 was of English family, and served in the War of 
 1812 as a private. 
 
 After some time spent iu Kentucky the parents 
 of our subject removed to Ohio, and made their 
 home near Eaton, and at that place all their chil- 
 dren were born. In 1832 they removed to Shelby- 
 ville, 111., where Mr. Wolf continued farming until 
 his death, which occurred on the 12th of June, 1879, 
 at the age of seventy -seven years. His wife died 
 at Athens, 111., on the 1st of October, 1858. There 
 
 -^•^ : 
 
 were thirteen children born to them, the family 
 record giving their names as subjoined: Sarah, 
 Louis, Nancy, Frederick, Daniel, Susan (died when 
 three years of age), Sophia, Rebecca, Cornelius, 
 Jacob, Washington C, Melinda and Oliver. Cor- 
 nelius was in the 73d Illinois Infantry, was mus- 
 tered in at Camp Butler in 1862, was taken with 
 fever, and died at Louisville, Ivy. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Preble 
 County, Ohio, on the 11th of November, 1845. 
 Accompanying his parents to Illinois, he continued 
 to live with them until he was thirteen years of age, 
 attending the classes of the common schools. When 
 his mother died he began working for himself, and 
 at the age of sixteen years he . enlisted in the 2d 
 Illinois Cavalry, in 1861, and became a member of 
 Company B. He was mustered in at Camp Butler 
 and served under Gen. Banks. He took part as an 
 active combatant in the siege of Vicksburg, the 
 raid up the Red River, the battle of Memphis, 
 Jacksonville and Baton Rouge, besides many smaller 
 battles, skirmishes and conflicts, and was mustered 
 out after a service of three years at Camp Butler, 
 and there received his honorable discharge. 
 
 Hanging up his saber and dotting the Union 
 blue, Mr. Wolf returned to the more peaceful avo- 
 cation of husbandry. In beginning he started 
 in Township No. 19, Logan County, continuing 
 there until he came to this county in 1879. At 
 that time he settled on his present property, which 
 was at the time entirely unimproved, and offered an 
 inviting field for intelligent industry, unflagging 
 perseverance and resolute energy. The reward of 
 his labor is his. 
 
 Mr. Wolf has been twice married; first on the 
 8th of August, 1867, while residing in Illinois. The 
 maiden whom he sought for his companion in life 
 was Mathilda Donovan, daughter of David and 
 Sarah (Alartin) Donovan, who were both born in 
 the Buckeye State. She wa,s the youngest of five 
 children, and was born on the 15th of November, 
 1848, in Logan County, 111., and prior to her mar- 
 riage ably filled the position of schoolmistress. She 
 died on the 24th of November, 1865, leaving her 
 husband their son Charles Edward, as a pledge and 
 memorial of their affection. 
 
 The second alliance in matrimony of our subject 
 
 ■•►-IK 
 
>► ir^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4.59 
 
 was with IMrs. !Mary Farrall, relict of Francis Far- 
 rail, and was celebrated on the 11th of November, 
 1885. The first liusband of this lady was born in 
 Ireland, and came to this country when a young 
 man, settling in Illinois in Cass County. He then 
 went to Kearney. After seven years they removed 
 in 1875 to this county, where he died on the 17th 
 of March, 1884. He was the father of three chil- 
 dren, named John, Lucy and Maggie. ]Mrs. Wolf 
 was born in Queens County, Ireland, May 22, 
 1845, and is the daughter of Charles and Bridget 
 (Butler) Flinn. She came to America alone when 
 sixteen years of age. 
 
 The farm of Mr- Wolf, which lies partly on sec- 
 tion 13 and partly on section 31, comprising as 
 above noted 480 acres, is carefully kept and worked. 
 From house to field, barn to orchard, the improve- 
 ments are the work of the proprietor. The fields 
 are fertile and very productive, the cattle sheds and 
 pens are well stocked with high-grade stock, in- 
 cluding cattle, hogs and horses, many of them very 
 valuable creatures and of fine appearance. Mr. 
 "Wolf is Supervisor of roads, and has held other 
 oflices, being popular, intelligent, a man of charac- 
 ter and social j^osition. Our subject and wife are 
 both members of the Catholic Church at Palmyra. 
 Although one in religious faith they differ mater- 
 ially in politics. Mr. Wolf is a stanch Republican; 
 his wife, although Irish by birth, has carefully 
 studied the institutions of her adopted country, and 
 is very intelligent upon this and upon all general 
 topics, and also some of the more erudite. This 
 lady espouses the cause of the Democratic faith. 
 
 'f' UDGE JESSE S. MAPES is one of the most 
 worthy and valued citizens of Nebraska Citj-, 
 and was born July 20, 1838, in Warwick, 
 Orange Co., N. Y., in the same house in 
 which Gov. Seward was born, as was also his 
 father, Sanford Mapes, whose nativity dates the 
 11th of September, 1811, and his father, Jesse 
 Mapes, and also James IMapes, grandfather of San- 
 ford H. Mapes. The family is of German extrac- 
 tion. The first member of the familj' to come to this 
 country was Thomas INIeppes, great-great-grand- 
 
 father of our subject, who was born at Elberfeldt, 
 Germany. (In later generations the name was An- 
 glicized, and is now spelled Mapes.) He settled in 
 Blooming Grove, Orange Co., N. Y., and took up a 
 large tract of land, and clearing a plantation, made 
 for his family a liome. There he resided until his 
 death. 
 
 The great-grandfather of our subject came with 
 his parents from Germany, and was reared upon 
 the above farm. He served in the War of the 
 Revolution under Washington, after which he re- 
 tired to his farm, and there made his home until 
 his death, in 1834, when the property passed into 
 the hands of his son Jesse, and then to Sanford 
 H., the father of our subject, who continued to 
 make it his home. The maiden name of his wife 
 was Hannah Little, a native of Orange County. 
 
 The father of Jesse S. was brought up on a 
 farm, and continued to operate it. In 1838 with 
 his wife he went to Warwick, and for a time re- 
 sided on the Seward homestead; while there the 
 subject of our sketch was born, in the month of 
 July, as above mentioned. Mr. Mapes afterward 
 purchased a farm at Warwick, and was there engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits until his death, March 8, 
 1874. The maiden name of his wife, the mother 
 of our subject, was Ruth Rose Mapes, who was 
 born in Blooming Grove, Orange Co., N. Y. The 
 father of this lady, Rumsey Mapes, of the same 
 count}', was a soldier in the War of 1812. The 
 maiden name of his wife was Mary, daughter of 
 James and Rachael (Miller) Rumsej-. The first hus- 
 band of this lady, Joshua IMiller, was murdered by 
 the Claudius Smith gang during the Revolutionary 
 War. They watched for him, loiowiug him to be 
 home on furlough, and discovering his hiding- 
 place, followed his wife when she took him food, 
 and sprang upon him and assassinated him. 
 
 There were six children born to the parents of 
 our subject, as follows: Jesse S.; Horace was born 
 in 1840, and died in 1862; William served in Com- 
 pany B, 127th New Y'ork Infantry, in the late war; 
 he lost an eye in the battle of Spottsylvania Court 
 House, and in the battle of Deep Bottom lost a leg, 
 and now resides in Orange County. Mortimer and 
 Walter are both residents of the town of Warwick; 
 Eugene is a minister in the Presbj^terian Church, 
 
 >^h 
 
li 460 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ^ 
 
 now stationed at Carlisle, Pa. ; he is a graduate of 
 Union College, N. Y., also of the University at 
 Leipsic, Germany. 
 
 The subject of our sketch received his early 
 education in the district schools of his native place, 
 and afterward i-eceived instruction in the "S. S. 
 Seward" Institute, at Florida, Orange Co., N. Y., 
 an institution endowed bj^ the father of Gov. Sew^- 
 ard. After being graduated he served three years' 
 apprenticeship in order to learn the trade of car- 
 penter. In 1861 he was appointed Deputy United 
 States Marshal for the Eleventh New York District, 
 and served until the close of the war, and was then 
 appointed Deputy County Clerk of Orange County; 
 this office he continued to fill for nine years, during 
 which time he was a student-at-law. In 1877 he 
 came to this State, and bought the farm on which 
 he has resided ever since. This is a vei-y fertile 
 and well-cultivated property, comprising 160 acres 
 on section 29 of Syracuse Precinct. In 1879 he was 
 elected Assessor of Syracuse; in 1880 he became 
 Justice of the Peace, was elected County Judge of 
 Otoe County in 1885, and re-elected in 1887. 
 
 On the 16th of May, 1861, Judge Mapes was 
 united in marriage with Evelyn F. Randall, which 
 union lias resulted in the birth of four children — 
 Jessie Benton, Willie S., Lena and Bernie. Mrs. 
 Mapes was born in New York City, on the 16th of 
 May, 1841. Her father, Culver llandall, was born 
 in 1804, at Goshen, Orange County, while his 
 father, Jesse Randall, was a native of New Jersey; 
 his father, William Randall, the great-grandfather 
 of Mrs. Mapes, was a Welshman, who came to 
 America in the employ of C. C. Seward in the 
 early daj^s of the Colonies. 
 
 The grandfather of Mrs. Mapes was a young 
 man when his parents migrated to York State; 
 there he built a gristmill in Goshen, and con- 
 tinued to do business there, at the same time run- 
 ning his extensive farm, upon which the father of 
 Mrs. Mapes was reared. After he was married he 
 went to New York City, and engaged in business 
 there as a ship's chandler, and afterward returned 
 to Goshen to take charge of his father's mills, 
 which ultimately came into his ownership. There 
 he resided until his death, which occurred in Sep- 
 temlier, 1 888, when he was eighty-five years of age. 
 
 His wife, whose maiden name was Sophia Provost, 
 was born in 1808, in New York Citj^ Her father's 
 name was Daniel Provost. 
 
 Judge Mapes has been a member of the Masonic 
 Lodge for twenty-four years, joining at Goshen, 
 Orange Co., N. Y., of which lodge he was Master 
 six 3'ears, and has been a Royal Arch Chapter Ma- 
 son for, fifteen years. He is much interested in po- 
 litical matters, .-md is a stanch Republican. With 
 his wife, he is a member in good standing of the 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 •►HH^*- 
 
 ERMAN KREIFELS. The comfortable and 
 well-regulated homestead of this gentleman 
 embraces 160 acres of land situated on sec- 
 tion 10 in Rock Creek Precinct, Most of 
 it has been brought to a productive condition, 
 the buildings are comfortable and in good repair, 
 and the entire premises presents a cheerful picture 
 of rural life. 
 
 Mr. Kreifels settled upon eiglity acres of his pres- 
 ent farm in the fall of 1869, and followed the usual 
 routine of the early settler, enduring many hard- 
 ships, and being obliged to labor early and late in 
 order to obtain a foothold. He has been fairly 
 prosperous in his labors and been able to surround 
 himself and his family with many comforts. Prior 
 to his arrival in Nebraska he had been a resident 
 of Stearns County, Minn., for a period of fourteen 
 years. To that place he had migrated from Osage 
 County, Mo., where he first took up his resi- 
 dence wlien coming to the LTnited States in the early 
 summer of 1846, taking up his residence there on 
 the 2d of May. 
 
 ]\Ir. Kreifels was born near the River Rhine, in 
 Prussia, Dec. 30, 1824, and is a son of John and 
 Sibela Kreifels, natives of the same country, where 
 the father followed farming, and where both parents 
 spent their entire lives. The father died when his 
 son Herman was twelve years old, and he was then 
 thrown mostly upon his own resources, earning 
 thereafter his own living. He was twenty-one 
 years of age when he decided to seek liis fortune in 
 the New World. He was married in Osage County, 
 Mo., to Miss Margaret Bloomer, who was born in 
 
 r 
 
ii^h-^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4GI 
 
 
 Prussia. April 20, 1828. and came in the spring of 
 1840 with her father, Matthew Bloomer, to America. 
 They also located in Osage County, Mo., where 
 jMrs. K. was reared to womanhood, remaining un- 
 der the parental roof. After her marriage with our 
 subject her parents removed to Minnesota, and died 
 in Stearns County. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kreifels began their wedded life 
 together on a farm in IMissouri, when later they re- 
 moved to Minnesota, and from there to this county. 
 Of their union there have been born ten children, 
 namely: Peter, Louis, .Sebastian, Frank, Melcher, 
 Joseph, Elizabeth, Marj-, Anna and Helen. Joseph, 
 Elizabeth and Mary are married, and make their 
 homes in Otoe County. Our subject, politically, is 
 independent, and he and his estimable wife are 
 members in good standing of the German Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 TEPIIEN A. HAIL is the oldest native- 
 born citizen of Otoe Count}' now a resident 
 within its limits, his birth occurring in Ne- 
 braska City June 2, 1855, and ever since 
 attaining manhood he has been identified with the 
 best interests of his native city and county, and is 
 now numbered among the leading business men of 
 this part of Nebraska. He is the j'oungest son of 
 William B. Hail, of whom an extended sketch ap- 
 pears elsewhere iu this work. 
 
 Our subject received the preliminaries of his 
 education in tlie early schools of this city, and com- 
 pleted it by attendance at Talbot Hall, an advanced 
 school, under the charge of Prof. Diffendorf. This 
 school was first conducted in a building erected for 
 the purpose thr«e miles southwest of this city. It 
 was afterward moved to the city, and was known for 
 some time as Nebraska College, but is now called 
 the Nebraska City Academy, Prof. Car}' being the 
 proprietor. Our subject was a student of the col- 
 lege after its removal to the city. When he was 
 twenty-four years old he entered upon the mercan- 
 tile business as a clerk in the store of S. B. East- 
 man, and was employed in that establishment for 
 two years. He then went to Omaha and kept books 
 for a lumber firm in that city two j'ears. At the 
 ex])iration of that time he returned to this city and 
 
 went into the insurance office of David Brown, and 
 was a clerk for him until 1885. In September of 
 that year Mr. Hail bought Mr. Brown's insurance 
 business, and has conducted it himself ever since 
 with marked success. He repi-esents ten of the 
 leading insurance companies of the United States, 
 and his business extends over Otoe, Nemaha and 
 Cass Counties. By his close attention to his affairs, 
 and his prompt and systematical business habits, he 
 has not only been exceedingly prosperous, but has 
 won the confidence of the many who have dealings 
 with him. 
 
 Mr. Hail was married, March 4, 1881, to Miss 
 Anna V. Steinhart, a native of St. Louis, and a 
 daughter of John and Anna Steinhart. In their 
 pleasant and attractive home two children, Warren 
 Lee and Irene, complete the family circle. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hail are active members of the 
 Presbyterian Church, and it is through Mr. Hail's 
 efforts as leader of the choir that this church is 
 greatly indebted for its beautiful music, as he is a 
 fine singer and an enthusiast in music. 
 
 Mr. Hail is a fine representative of the young 
 men of the West who have grown up within its 
 borders, he having a full measure of the push and 
 energj' that characterize so many of them, and 
 make them conspicuous in the industrial, commer- 
 cial and other business interests of their native 
 towns. He is earnest and sincei*e in his convic- 
 tions, straightforward .ind manly in all his acts, and 
 one upon whom friend or stranger can place the 
 utmost reliance. He is, of course, interested in all 
 that tends to promote the growth of his native cit}', 
 and as a member of the Buil(iKug and Loan Associa- 
 tion, is an important factor therein. Mr. Hail 
 is an ardent advocate of the policy of the Demo- 
 cratic party in his political views. 
 
 ■vwlOHN NUTZMANN. The subject of this 
 sketch represents a fine pro|>erty in the State 
 ^.„^ I of Nebraska, including 480 acres of hmd in 
 (^^' Berlin Precinct, this eonnty, and eighty acres 
 in Cass County. His homestead is embellished with 
 first-class improvements, including a commodious 
 residence, a good barn and other out-buildings, and 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 462 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 all Ihe appliances requireri for the convenience of 
 the extensive stock-dealer, of which industrj' our 
 subject makes a specialty. For his partner and 
 helpmate Mr. Nutzraann has one of the most in- 
 telligent of wives, a lady with fine tastes, who ex- 
 ercises rare and good judgment in the adornment 
 of her home, and is possessed of tliat genial and 
 hospitable spirit which makes it a most welcome 
 place for friend or stranger. 
 
 The family history of our subject is in its main 
 points as follows: His parents. Christian and Marj- 
 (Brandt) Nutzmann, were natives of the Grand 
 Duchy of Mecklenburg, Germany, and Grandfather 
 Brandt served in the wars against the first Napo- 
 leon. His son Christian followed farming on a 
 small scale in his native Province until 1865, when 
 he emigrated with his family to the United States. 
 Soon after landing in New York City they took up 
 their abode in IMilwaukee, AVis., but six montlis 
 later came to this county, and the father purchased 
 160 acres of improved land in Berlin Precinct, upon 
 which he operated successfully, and to which later 
 he added forty acres. He thus left an estate of 200 
 acres at his death, which took place in December, 
 1 870, when he was sixty-one years old. The mother 
 is still living at the old homestead, being now sixty- 
 seven years old. The five children of the parental 
 family were named as follows: John, Henry, Christ, 
 Ernest and Frederick. They are all residents of this 
 State, and well-to-do. 
 
 Our subject was born not far from the earl}' home 
 of his parents in Mecklenburg, Germany, Oct. 21, 
 1846. He received a limited education, and re- 
 mained under the parental roof until a youth of 
 sixteen 3'ears. He then began an apprenticeship at 
 the blacksmith trade, serving until making up his 
 mind to emigrate to America with his parents. 
 They left the city of Hamburg in October, 1865, 
 and after a voyage of nineteen days on an ocean 
 steamer, landed in New York City, and our subject 
 thereafter leaving his parents in Milwaukee, worked 
 at his trade in Chicago six months, subsequently 
 joining them and accompanying them to this county. 
 This journey was made by rail to St. Joseph, Mo., 
 and thence to Nebraska City by steamer. Here 
 our subject resumed his trade, and was thus occu- 
 pied mostly for two years. In 18G9, having with 
 
 true German thrift and forethought saved what he 
 could of his earnings, he purchased the quarter-sec- 
 tion of land whereon stands his present homestead, 
 and of which he took possession Nov. 14, 1870. 
 
 Mr. Nutzraann in starting out to develop a farm 
 began with the raw prairie, with rude farm imple- 
 ments, a far-away market, and other difficulties in- 
 cident to pioneer life. The provisions which he 
 could not raise and his building material were 
 hauled from Nebraska City. He proceeded with 
 the cultivation of his land, and in due time set out 
 groves of shade trees, 250 apple trees, planted hedge 
 fences, and from year to year added something to 
 the beauty and value of his property. About 1876 
 he turned his attention more exclusively to live 
 stock. He ships annually a carload each of cattle 
 and swine. He keeps sixteen to twentj' head of 
 graded Norman horses, and employs four teams in 
 his farming operations. His land is supplied with 
 running water from Spring Creek, and a fine wind- 
 mill takes it to the places desired. The land is 
 operated bj- modern machinery, and no pains or ex- 
 pense have been spared in making the farm first- 
 class in every particular. 
 
 Our subject, among the other good things found 
 in Nebraska, found here also the estimable lady 
 who in her girlhood was Miss Philipena Opp, and 
 to whom he was married Nov. 13, 1870, in Ne- 
 braska City. Mrs. Nutzmann was born in Prussia, 
 on the 8th of May, 1853, and came to the 
 United States with her parents in April, 1868. Of 
 her union with our subject there have been born 
 eight children, namely: Richard, Christ, Alfred, 
 Ernest, Julia, John, Rosa and Dina. They form a 
 bright and interesting group, none of whom have as 
 yet fled from the home nest. Mr. and Mrs. M. are 
 charter members of the German Lutheran Church at 
 Avoca, to which they tender a cheerful and liberal 
 support. Our subject, politically, is a true Repub- 
 lican, prominent in the councils of his party in this 
 region, and frequently sent as a delegate to the 
 County Conventions. He is a member of the School 
 Board of his district, and was Supervisor two years. 
 Socially, he belongs to W^'ruui Lodge No. 29, I. O. 
 O. F.. in which ha has held the various offices. He 
 has also served on the Grand Jurj'. 
 
 Mrs. Nutzmann is the daughter of John and Cath- 
 
 *► II <• 
 
f 
 
 »► II <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 463 
 
 eriiie (Gruber) Opp, who were boin in Rlienisb 
 Prussia, where the father carried on farming, anrl 
 was also connected with a hotel. Grandfather Joiin 
 Opp was at one time a very prosperous farmer, and 
 the owner of a good property, whicii he lost later. 
 Grandfather Gruber served against the first Napo- 
 leon during the War of 1812 and thereafter. He 
 was of Spanish birth and ancestry, and during the 
 wars of Spain with other powers migrated to Ger- 
 inanj\ where he spent the remainder of his life. 
 Mr. Opp came to America with bis family in 1868, 
 and purchased land in the vicinity of Nehawka, 
 Neb., where his estimable wife spent the re- 
 mainder of her days. She died at the age of six- 
 ty-seven years. Their five children were named 
 respectivel}' : Peter. Jacob, Philipena, Nicholas and 
 Catherine. The fatiier is still living, residing in 
 Cass Conntj'. 
 
 ^ .*>#. ^ 
 
 lURTON DORM AN. The snug homestead 
 of this gentleman comprises eighty acres of 
 thoroughly cultivated land, lying on section 
 34, in Russell Precinct. He possesses all 
 the elements of a substantial and reliable citizen, 
 and as an agriculturist has operated with that skill 
 and good judgment which have resulted in the 
 construction of one of the most desirable home- 
 steads in the western part of the county. Every- 
 thing about the premises is neatl3' kept and in good 
 order, and there have been added from time to 
 time the little comforts and conveniences which have 
 so much to do with the happiness of a home. 
 
 Our subject is the offspring of a good family, his 
 parents being Michael and Ann (Burton) Dorman, 
 the former of whom was a native of Worcester- 
 shire, England, and the latter of Rutland. Michael 
 Dorman was a successful farmer and stock dealer, 
 and spent his entire life upon his native soil, his 
 death taking place in 1853, at the age of fiftj'-seven 
 years. The mother had preceded her husband to 
 the silent land, dyiug in 1850, at the age of forty- 
 seven. The nine children of the parental family 
 were named respectivelj' as follows: Elizabeth, 
 Mary A., Fann3% P^mma and William (deceased), 
 Frederick, Burton, Charles and Thomas. Those 
 
 living are residents mostly of England; Thomas 
 lives in Sioux City, Iowa. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject, also 
 Michael Dorman by name, was born in Lincolnshire, 
 England, and during the time of the first Napoleon 
 served in the P^nglish armj-, and was present at the 
 battle of Waterloo. He spent his last years in En- 
 gland. Burton, our subject, was born in Medborn, 
 Leicestershire, England, April 23, 1836, and lived 
 with his parents attending school until a lad nine 
 years of age. He then commenced an apprentice- 
 ship at the butcher's trade, of which he gained a 
 thorough knowledge in all its details, and which he 
 followed three years in his native town. He was 
 afterward a resident of the city of Birmingham four 
 years, and during the time of the Crimean War- 
 Here he started in business for himself, and was 
 thus occupied a period of twelve 3- ears, at the ex- 
 piration of which time he determined to change his 
 location to the United States. 
 
 Mr. Dorrnan, in pursuance of the above-men- 
 tioned plan, engaged passage on the old ship '-Den- 
 mark," and after a voyage of seventeen da3's landed 
 in New York. Thence he proceeded to Chicago, 
 111., and for a year theieafter was employed in the 
 stockyards adjacent to that citj'. Afterward he 
 was engaged four and two years respectively' in two 
 market houses, and then established in business for 
 himself at No. 1168 State street. In the meantime, 
 in the summer of 1868, he had visited this county, 
 and purchased eighty acres of land in Russell Pre- 
 cinct, and of this, in the fall of 1878, he took pos- 
 session, and upon it has since remained. It was a 
 ti-act of wild prairie at the time he purchased it, 
 and the groves, orchards, fruit trees, and buildings 
 which we now behold, are all the result of the per- 
 severance and industry of the present proprietor. 
 
 While a resident of the city of Birmingham, En- 
 gland, our subject was united in marriage with Jane 
 Cartwright, on the 9th of January, 1865. This 
 lady was born in Birmingham, Dec. 16, 1841, and 
 is the daughter of George and Sarah (Underbill) 
 Cartwright, natives of the same city. The father 
 was a jeweler by trade, and carried on his own 
 factory in Birmingham, where he accumulated a 
 good property. There he spent his entire life, 
 dying in 1876, at the age of sixty years. The 
 
 H^K 
 
.J^ 
 
 464 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 mother had passed away some j'ears previous to the 
 decease of her husband, her death occurring Oct. 
 18, 1851, when she was but forty years of age. 
 Their two eldest sons, John and George, died at 
 the ages of nine and forty-one years respectively, 
 while of their two younger sons Albert is deceased, 
 and George (2d) living in England. It will thus 
 be seen that Mrs. Dorman and George are the only 
 survivors of her family. 
 
 Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Dorman there have 
 been born three children — Elma, Fanny A. and an 
 infant who died unnamed. The two daughters are 
 fourteen and seven years of age respectivel}', and, 
 it is hardly necessaiy to say, constitute the light of 
 the household. Mr. Dorman has become thoroughly 
 identified with the institutions of his adopted coun- 
 try, and uniform!}' votes the Republican ticket. He 
 has served as Assessor in his precinct two years, as 
 School Director nine years, and been otherwise in- 
 trusted with matters of importance. Religiously, 
 he belongs to the United Brethren Church at Una- 
 dilla, in which he has served as Treasurer several 
 years, and also as Superintendent of the Sunda}'- 
 school. He is somewhat prominent in local poli- 
 tics, and has twice been sent as a delegate to the 
 County Conventions at Syracuse. Mrs. Dorman is 
 a very pleasant and intelligent lady, a genuine help- 
 mate to her husband, and their combined efforts 
 have built up one of the most pleasant and desir- 
 able homes which it is the lot of mortals to enjoy. 
 
 -vv/Wv<j2££;©.^/"^ 
 
 »^-a/Zrzr?r»\~-i 
 
 •► 
 
 t 
 
 ATRICK McGUIRE, whose name will be 
 mentioned as one who has both faithfully 
 served his country in her hour of need, 
 and as heartily assisted in the develop- 
 ment and advancement of the interests of a com- 
 paratively new section of the country, is one of 
 the esteemed citizens of Russell Precinct, at once 
 an old settler and successful farmer. He is now 
 operating 160 acres on section 6 of that precinct. 
 Our subject is of Irish descent, his father, Patrick, 
 and his mother, Katharine (McGrath) McGuire, 
 both being natives of Ireland, and born in the same 
 county. In the 3'ear 1838 his father, who had been 
 a small farmer in his native countrj', emigrated to 
 «•- 
 
 America, sailing from Queenstown to New York, 
 where he worked for awhile on the railroad, then 
 removed to Benton Townsliip, LaFayette Co., Wis., 
 where he rented a farm and embarked also in mining, 
 which, however, was not in every regard a success. 
 In 1858 he went to Iowa, and purchased 120 acres 
 of land and improved the same. While in Wis- 
 j consin he was one of the petitioners for its admission 
 as a State. 
 
 When the War of the Rebellion broke out Mr. 
 McGuire, Sr., watched its progress with'much inter- 
 est, and in 1862 he enlisted, and became a member 
 of a regiment of Iowa Infantry, nearly ever\- member 
 of which was over forty-five years of age, to which 
 possibly is due the nickname they afterward ob- 
 tained, which was that of " the Graybeards." 
 The}' were sent South to do garrison duty, after 
 having been mustered in at Dubuque. They were 
 stationed at Nashville and St. Louis, and were at 
 the latter city at the close of the war, but were 
 mustered out at Nashville. Politically, Mr. McG. 
 was a member of the Republican party ; religiously, 
 of the Catholic Church. He attained the advanced 
 age of threescore and ten years, and died in 1876. 
 Mrs. McGuire, who is now eight}' years of age, is 
 still living at Clermont, Iowa. She is the mother of 
 nine children — Peter, Bridget, Patrick, James and 
 Katherine (twins and both deceased), Rosanne, 
 Thomas, Julia E. and Michael. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Benton, 
 LaFayette Co., Wis., on the 16th of March, 1843. 
 He staid at home upon the farm, and attended the 
 common school until he was about fourteen years 
 of age. About that time his parents removed to 
 Iowa, but he elected to remain upon the farm, and 
 remained operating it successfully until he was 
 about twenty-two years of age. Upon reaching 
 that age he determined to go West, and in the year 
 1866 he started overland on foot to Cedar Rapids, 
 where he took the train to Boone, Iowa, and from 
 there walked to Council Bluffs, where he took the 
 steamer for Nebraska City. At that time there 
 were only sixty miles of railroad in the State of 
 Nebraska, and considerable money was made, al- 
 though sometimes at considerable risk, by the car- 
 rying of freight and passengers to different points. 
 He entered into this business, and continued freight- 
 
 ■•►HH 
 
Parm Residence and Tenant Houses ofJui 
 

 .4'^^ 
 
 Vf*^'' 
 
 
 
 ^ ^Ma If II 
 
 ■T^i^c-r r.T-tfX Fr£cinct._: •■■:ji Sec 31. Belmont Prlcinct.:^ 
 
 JSNORMAND, SITUATED IN OtoE C0UNTY,N EB. 
 
OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4(;u 
 
 ing, as it was called, fur four years, and did well 
 from a financial point of view. In December, 1869, 
 he returned to Iowa. 
 
 Mr. McGuire celebrated his marriage with Miss 
 Maj' Fitzgerald on the 18th of April, 1870, at 
 Clermont. This lady is the daughter of IMichael 
 and Joanna Fitzgerald, who were born in Ireland. 
 Mrs. McGuire was born in Pennsj'lvania in April, 
 1849. Her parents were natives of Ireland, and 
 came to America in r830, settling in the Keystone 
 State; they farmed there for several years, but 
 later removed to Clermont, Iowa, and purchased 
 eighty acres of land. The father continued farm- 
 ing until 1886, and then retired to enjoy the com- 
 petencj' acquired. He is eighty years of age; his 
 wife, the mother of Mrs. McGuire, died in the 
 year 1877, being sixty-five years of age. She was 
 the mother of three children — Michael, Katharine 
 and Mary. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. McGuire have seven children in 
 the home circle, viz: John, James, Emmet, Hugh, 
 Frank, Mary and Rosa Ella. They are members of 
 the Catholic Church at Palmyra, and are among 
 the most stanch itdherents. Mr. McGuire is a 
 strict Republican, has been called upon to hold 
 several township offices, and is at present serving 
 on the School Board, where he has been for the 
 past five years. 
 
 m 
 
 LAREXCE L. FRANCE. This young and 
 111 enterprising farmer owns 160 acres of laud 
 
 ^^Jl' on section 9, in S.yracuse Precinct, and has 
 been a resident of this county since the spring of 
 1879. He is a New Yorker by birth, having first 
 opened his eyes to the light in Orange County, Oct. 
 25, 1858. He lived there until twenty years of age, 
 and then, being ambitious and anxious to do some- 
 thing for himself in the world, came to the broader 
 fields of the "West, and certainly, apparently, has no 
 reason to repent of the experiment. He owns one 
 of the best farms in his precinct, where he has a 
 good residence, with the necessary barns and out- 
 buildings, and is apparently on the high road to a 
 competence. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Oliver D. and 
 
 Jlary A. (Crist) France, who were also natives of 
 the Empire State. The father was at one period a 
 manufacturer of sc^'thes, at Pine Bush, Orange 
 County, where he accumulated a fine property, but 
 lost it subsequently on account of undersigning 
 notes for friends. He afterward changed his resi- 
 dence to Ulster County, where he died Oct. 26, 1888, 
 not far from the county line. The mother died in 
 Ulster County in the fall of 1874. Their seven 
 children were named respectively: Elting, a resi- 
 dent of Middletown, N. X. ; Bernice O., Abbie, Clar- 
 ence L.; Maria J., the wife of John Beckwith, of 
 Frankfort, N. X. ; Theresa, teaching in this count}-, 
 and Oliver, residing at home in New York. 
 
 Mr. France acquired a common-school education 
 in the counties of Orange and Ulster, and remained 
 a member of the parental household until the spring 
 of 1879. He then set out for the West, with a very 
 small amount of capital, and crossing the Missis- 
 sippi came to this county, where he secured em- 
 ployment as a farm laborer, and was thus occupied 
 the first year of his residence here. At the expira- 
 tion of this time he purchased a team and rented a 
 tract of land, upon which he labored successfull}^ 
 as a tiller of the soil until the present time. In the 
 meantime he secured for himself a wife and help- 
 mate, being married, Dec. 19, 1883. to Miss Eva- 
 gene Andrews, at the home of the bride in this 
 county. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. France, immediately after their 
 marriage, set out on a wedding tour to the old 
 home of our subject, which he had not visited since 
 leaving, and in the interim of four years had not 
 met a man whom he had formerly known. Being a 
 man of business, the visit was neeessaril}- limited, 
 and the young pair returned to the home which 
 our subject had provided, where Mr. France con- 
 tinued farming, on land belonging to his father-in- 
 law, where he still resides. He has purchased 160 
 acres of land half a mile north of the town of 
 S3'racuse, which is supplied with fairly good build- 
 ings, and upon which he expects to settle on the 1st 
 of March, 1889. 
 
 Mrs. France was born Maj- 6, 1863, in Onondaga 
 County, N. Y., and is the daughter of Edwin and 
 Diana (AV'eller) Andrews, who are natives of New 
 York, and are now residents of this countj^. Their 
 
-IF^ 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 470 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 familj- included eight cliildren, wlio are now resi- 
 dents of Nebraska and Colorado. To our subject 
 and his estimable wife there liave been born three 
 daughters and a son, namel}': Agnes, Mabel, War- 
 ren and Helen. Mr. France, politically, is an un- 
 compromising Democrat, but meddles ver}' little 
 with public affairs, preferring to give his time and 
 attention to his farming interests and liis family. 
 
 EDWARD MITZNKE, Postmaster, and en- 
 gaged in general merchandising at Paul, 
 Rock Creek, located here on the 23d of Jan- 
 uary, 1888, and established the first store in tiie 
 place. He carries a full line of all the articles re- 
 quired in countrj' or village, and is rapidlj' build- 
 ing up a good patronage. He is a man popular in 
 his community, being upright in his business trans- 
 actions and prompt to meet his obligations. His 
 store occupies a corner of section 12, on which 
 section he formerly carried on farming, and of 
 which he still owns eighty acres of good land. 
 
 Mr. Mitzner came to Nebraska in March, 1871, 
 and on the 23d of January, 1873, made his first 
 purchase of land. He instituted good improve- 
 ments, laying off the fields with neat and substan- 
 tial fences, cultivating the soil, and putting up 
 flrst-class buildings. He commenced at first prin- 
 ciples in the development of this farm, there having 
 been no attempt at improvement or cultivation 
 upon it. 
 
 For a period of ten years prior to his removal 
 across the Mississippi Mr. Mitzner had been a resi- 
 dent of Cook Count}', III., employing himself at 
 whatever he could find to do as a general laborer. 
 He was faithful and trustworthy, earning good wages, 
 and saved up a snug sum of money. This fact is 
 not surprising when .we learn that he is of German 
 birth and ancestry, having first opened his eyes to 
 the light in the Prussian Province of Posen, July 
 3, 1848. He came to the United States when 
 but a boy fourteen years of age. He had received 
 a thorough education in his native tongue, and 
 been trained by careful parents to habits of indus- 
 try anil economy. His father. Christian Mitzner, 
 preceded him to America one year, and is now liv- 
 
 ing on section 11, in Rock Creek Precinct, where 
 he owns a good farm of eighty acres, which be also 
 purchased in 1873. 
 
 The marriage of our subject and Miss Caroline 
 Baccard took place at the home of the bride in 
 Rock Creek Precinct, Jan. 29, 1874, Mrs. Mitz» 
 ner is a native of the same Province as her hus- 
 band, and was born May 15, 1850. She came alone 
 to America a short time before her marriage, her 
 mother having died in Germany, and her father 
 married a second time. The latter is still living, 
 and a farmer in prosperous circumstances in Ger- 
 man)'. 
 
 Mrs. Mitzner received a good education, and it 
 was understood between herself and our subject 
 that they were to join their lives and fortunes as 
 soon as the young man could provide a comforta- 
 ble home for his bride. Of this congenial union 
 there have been born seven children, namel}': 
 Moll}', Gusta, August, Edward, Emma, Huldah and 
 a babe, Louie. ■ Both our subject and his estima- 
 ble wife are members in good standing of the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church. Mr. Mitzner is a sound 
 Republican, politically, and was appointed Post- 
 master at Paul, in Rock Creek Precinct, Jan. 23, 
 1888. 
 
 ^ APT. DANIEL M. ANDERSON. The name 
 (if ^. of this gentleman is familiar to most of the 
 ^^^ older residents of Otoe Count}', as that of 
 one, who, while watching its growth and develop- 
 ment, has been largely instrumental in bringing it 
 to its present condition of prosperity. He is a citi- 
 zen whom the people regard with both pride and 
 respect, as he has been an honor and a credit to his 
 community. He owns and occupies a quarter of 
 section 23, Wyoming Precinct, which he secured by 
 pre-emption, and upon which he has lived and 
 labored since the year 1856, a period of thirty-two 
 years. 
 
 Capt. Anderson, upon coming to this county, 
 found a wild and desolate region with the cabins of 
 the settlers few and far between, and was one of the 
 first to locate in this part of it. His first business 
 was to put up a shelter for himself and family, and 
 
 ■-^1^ 
 
•► 
 
 -#^ 
 
 OTOK COUNTY. 
 
 471 
 
 ^y 
 
 tlie next to plant a spot of grounrl with that which 
 woukl yield most readily- for their necessities. The 
 first few years were spent in true pioneer fashion, 
 which has been so often described in this volume, 
 and as time passed on he began to realize the re- 
 wards of toil and sacrifice. He was particularly 
 fortunate in his ciioice of a location, and has been 
 enabled to put up a residence which commands a 
 fine view of the surrounding countr3'. In the dis- 
 tance is seen the Missouri River, and portions of 
 Nebraska City, five miles awa}'. His own fields 
 too, whicii have been brought to a high state of 
 cultivation, and which yield in abundance the rich 
 crops of this section of country, form a feature of 
 the landscape delightful to contemplate. He has 
 good buildings, all the requisite farm machinery' 
 for prosecuting agriculture successfully, and a fine 
 assortment of live stock. For a man who came to 
 this section with little excei)t strong hands and a 
 courageous heart, his career has been one upon 
 wliich he should reflect with satisfaction. He has 
 withdrawn partially from active labor and is in the 
 enjoyment of a competency. 
 
 Our subject was born in Orange Count}', N. Y., 
 Oct. 22, 1807. and one looking upon his well-pre- 
 served frame to-day could scarcel}' realize that be 
 is eight3'-one j'ears old. He has been a man of 
 stricllj' temperate habits, and has implicit faith in 
 this as a means of prolonging his life and health. In 
 addition to this he comes of a long-lived race. His 
 father, William Anderson, also a native of New 
 Y''ork State, was born in .Sullivan County, where he 
 carried on farming, and spent his entire life, dying 
 when middle aged. He had been a man prominent 
 in his community and active in every good work, 
 living honestly, and truly earning his bread by the 
 sweat of his brow. The mother. Mrs. Zilpah (Mar- 
 tine) Anderson, was of French ancestry. Her pa- 
 ternal grandfather emigrated from France to this 
 country during the Revolutionary War, and in lime 
 to particfpate with the Colonists in their struggle for 
 liberty. Like his great countrj-man. Gen. LaFayette, 
 he syrapathizeil entirely with the cause of Amer- 
 can freedom, and ^served valiantlj' to bring this 
 about. His daughter Zilpah lived to be an old 
 lady, and spent hei' last days in the vicinity of 
 Ft. Jarvis, Orange Co., N. Y. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject w.as Will- 
 iam Anderson, a native of the North of Ireland, 
 and of Scotch-Irish ancestry. He married a lady 
 of the same section of country, and of Holland 
 birth and parentage, and also emigrated to Amer- 
 ica in time to serve as a soldier in the Revolution- 
 ary War. The grandmother's maiden name was 
 Isabella Newkirk. After the independence of the 
 Colonists had been established the}' located in Sul- 
 livan County, N. Y., where they spent the remainder 
 of their lives in agricultural pursuits, Grandfather 
 Anderson dying in Sullivan County, and the grand- 
 mother in Tompkins County. He was not con- 
 nected with any religious organization, but Grand- 
 mother Anderson was a .devout member of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 The parents of our subject had a farailj' of six 
 sons and three daughters, of whom Daniel M. was 
 the second child. He lived with his parents both 
 in Orange and Sullivan Counties, N. Y., their home 
 being on the dividing line between the two coun- 
 ties, and near the Chewanda River. At the time 
 of his father's death he was but thirteen years of 
 age, and two years later set about to earn his own 
 living. He was first emplo3'ed with a company' of 
 surveyors, at the time of marking out the line of 
 the Hudson and Delaware Canal, for a length of 
 thirty miles. He was a well-developed lad, and 
 about the time of reaching his majority distin- 
 guished himself in athletic exercises and hunting, 
 and on account of his agility and strength was 
 given the title of Captain, which has clung to him 
 ever since. 
 
 Capt. Anderson subsequent!}' engaged in the 
 butcher business, which he followed in Wurtsboro, 
 N. Y., for a period of eighteen 3'ears. In 1 838 he was 
 m.arried, in Sullivan County, to Miss Mary Thomp- 
 son, who was born there in 1 805, and was of Scotch- 
 Irish aiicestr}'. Her parents were natives of New 
 York State, and her father, Hugh Thompson, with 
 his wife Mary, spent his entire life in Sullivan 
 Count}', engaged in farming. Of this union there 
 was born one child, a son. James N., who married 
 Miss Nancy Hale, aud is farming in Wyoming Pre- 
 cinct. Mrs. Mary (Thompson) Anderson departed 
 this life at the homestead in the year 1839. 
 
 In 1876 Capt. Anderson contracted a second 
 
 ■^^ 
 
t 
 
 t 472 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 marriage, with Mrs. Hannah Rundberg, who was 
 born in Sweden in 1829, where she was reared and 
 first married to John Riindberg. The latter died in 
 his native Sweden after he had become the father 
 of two chiklren, William and Axel. The sons and 
 their mother came to tiie United States, and at once 
 located in this county. They are now assisting 
 Capt. Anderson in tlie management of the farm. 
 
 Our subject cast his first Presidential vote for 
 Gen. Jaciison, and is a lifelong Democrat. He is 
 a man of sound principles, decided views, and one 
 whose opinions are generally respected. He keeps 
 himself well posted upon current events, and has 
 watched with the warmest interest the growth and 
 development of his adopted State, contributing as 
 opportunity has occurred to tiie advancement of the 
 people around him. 
 
 \f;()llN F. MARTIN, whose beautiful and 
 highly cultivated farm of 165 acres is situ- 
 ated on section 26 of Wj'oming Precinct, is 
 one of tlie older citizens, and is widely 
 known and that most favorably throughout the 
 county. He has lived upon his present property 
 ever since he pre-empted it in 1856. He first came 
 to the county when the Otoes were still in full force, 
 and land was in its primitive condition. His ex- 
 periences have therefore been v.iried, and not alto- 
 gether without a spice of danger, nevertheless he has 
 come through them prosperously, and rejoices in 
 the well-nigh unparalleled progress that has been 
 made by the State of his adoption. 
 
 The subject of our sketcii was born in Venango 
 County, Pii., on the 29th of March, 1822. There 
 he grew up to manhood, in its schools was edu- 
 cated, and subsequentl3' engaged in farming as his 
 chosen occupation. His f.ather being a farmer 
 trained him to those habits of industry and honesty 
 thiit are usual in agi-icultural communities. 
 
 The parents of our suliject, John and Polly 
 (Foster) INlartin, were born in Marj-land, and were 
 married in I'ennsylvania. The father was a young 
 man and unmai'ried when he went to that State 
 with his fatiier. John iMartin, Sr.. a native of Mary- 
 land. They settled in Venango County, which 
 
 continued to be the home of his father until his 
 death. The maiden name of his wife, the gr.ind- 
 mother, was Katharine ilumford, who was a native 
 also of Maryland. They were representatives of a 
 good old Christian family, and for very many 
 years held membership in the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. In the Revolutionary "War John IMartin, 
 Sr., showed himself a patriot in every sense of the 
 word, fighting bravely and well under the flag of 
 libertj'. Like many others he exchanged all liis 
 property for Continental money, only to find that 
 he had lost all by the money becoming worthless. 
 He, however, survived, and when his turn came 
 to cross the silent river he was again well-to-do, 
 and was one of the honored and esteemed members 
 of the community wherein he dwelt. 
 
 The father of our subject was a Captain in the 
 War of 1812, .and, like his f.ather before him, from 
 whom doubtless he received the inspiration, was a 
 soldier worthy the country .and cause for which he 
 drew his sword. After his marriage he, with his 
 wife, settled to the peaceful pursuits of agriculture 
 in Venango County, where both continued to make 
 their home until their death, which occurred when 
 they were about seventy years of age. 
 
 When he became of age our subject started life 
 by hiring out as a farm hand, and has worked his 
 way up from that first round of the ladder. ' AVhile 
 yet in the home countj' he was united in marriage 
 with IMiss Maria Reynolds, who was bom there on 
 the 6th of June, 1829. They continued their life 
 in the county for some time after marriage, and 
 then removed to IMercer County, Pa., and lived 
 there nine years, coming thence to this State. 
 
 There were twelve children born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. JMartin. Two of these died in inf.ancy un- 
 named, and a third, Hir.am A., died when about 
 four years of age. The surviving members of the 
 family are as follows: Fantley, who was married to 
 Mary A. Giles, resides in AVashington Territory; 
 Anna, the wife of Robert Delard, and now living 
 in Fillmore County, this State; Mary J. is married 
 to W.ashington Giles, one of the live, wide-.awake 
 farmers of AVyoming Precinct; Lasetta is happily 
 married to James Fort, a prosperous farmer in 
 Thomas County, Kan.; Sarah is the wife of vStuart 
 Heath, a grain dealer in Frontier County: Julia is 
 
 ■•►Ht-^ 
 
*► I I ^> 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 473 ' > 
 
 married to Mr. Jolin Bo\'d, also of AVyoming Pre- 
 cinct; Albert, unmarried, lives in Wasliington Ter- 
 ritory ; George W. L. is at present on his 'homestead 
 in Tliomas County, Kan.; Hiram B. is still .at 
 liome. and is the ''best man'' of our subject in liis 
 fai'ni work. 
 
 Mrs. Martin departed this life at licr home in 
 Wyoming Prec-inct, on the 17th of March, 1881. 
 She impressed all who knew her with the beauties 
 of lier character, and the happiness of her disposi- 
 tion. She was a noble woman and true mother, 
 and in every vray a helpmate to her husband. 
 Throughout all their married life slie was the same 
 in her devotion and true faithfulness to her hus- 
 band and family. She was the daughter of Hiram 
 and Jane H. ( Nickinson ) Reynolds, who were 
 among the worthy citizens of Venango County, Pa., 
 wlierc they commenced life togetlier, and continued 
 to live until tlieir death. Hiram Reynolds was 
 born in Genesee County, X. Y., and went to Penn- 
 sylvania when a young man, There he made the 
 acquaintance of, and was married to his wife, who 
 was a native of the Keystone State. Both were 
 firm and devout members of the jMethodist Church 
 for many years. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is. religiously, a ^leth- 
 odist, and in politics has all las life been a Whig 
 and Republican, taking the greatest possible inter- 
 est in all m.atters pertaining to the welfare of the 
 country-, especially that section of it in which is 
 situated his home. He is a man of large reserve 
 force, determination and energy, in character up- 
 right, and of unimi)eacliable lienor, everywhere 
 respected and by all esteemed. 
 
 -5-<-i'=^^€-^-H- 
 
 1F_^ ENRY A. BUTT, Cashier of the Bank of 
 IIJIJ Unadilla, is one of its most active business 
 [■y^ men, and has been largely instrumental in 
 '^X the building up of the town. He is Clerk 
 of the Village Board, Notary Public, and is always 
 in some cap.icity or other performing the duties of 
 a useful citizen, and one warmlj' interested in the 
 welfare of his community. He lias been particu- 
 larly fortunate in the choice of a wife and helpniale, 
 Mrs. Butt, the presiding genius of the household, 
 
 being a finely cultured lady, of good education, and 
 an ornament to the social circle. Their home is 
 one of the most attractive in the place, and is the 
 frequent resort of a host of warm friends. 
 
 Our subject until the spring of 1878 was a resi- 
 dent of the Province of Hanover, Germanj-, wiiere 
 he liad spent his boyhood and 3'outh, and where liis 
 birth took place -Tan. 13, 1862. His fatlier was a 
 farmer in modest circumstances, and Henry A., in 
 common with the children of Germany, received a 
 thorough education in his native tongue. After 
 completing his studies in the Higli Scliool at Bas- 
 sum, where he attended three years, he studied the 
 English language and tlie classics, and w.as in school 
 most of his time until a lad of sixteen years. He 
 then determined to seek liis fortunes on the other 
 side of the Atlantic. 
 
 On the ■28th of April, 1878, our subject set sail 
 from the port of Bremen, and after a two-weeks 
 voyage landed in New York City. Thence he 
 proceeded to Hoboken, N. J., where he procured 
 emploj-ment in a store of general merchandise as 
 clerk, and where he remained ten months. In 
 Marcl), 1879, he turned his steps westward, and 
 soon afterward we find him engaged as clerk in a 
 grocery store in Nebraska City.. 
 
 Tlie year following, our subject w.as so well 
 pleased with America that he leturned to his home 
 and kindred, resolved to bring his father's family to 
 this country. To this the latter were agreed, and not 
 long afterward set sail, and our snl)ject reached Ne- 
 braska City a second time on the 1 5th of May. The 
 father located on a tract of land in Otoe Precinct, 
 and Henry A. staid with him until the 1st of Sep- 
 tember. Then returning to Nebraska City, he en- 
 tered the employ of H. H. Bartling, witii whom he 
 remained two years, engaged in general raercliandise 
 and the grain business. 
 
 Our sul)ject had always been of studious habits 
 and ambitious to learn, and in the fall of 1882, go- 
 ing to Burlington, Iowa, attended the liusiness 
 college there a term of si.K months, and perfected 
 himself in bookkeeping. He was now prepared to 
 take a good position, and returned to his old em- 
 ployer, with whom lie remained this lime six moiitlis. 
 He next changed his residence to Syr.acuse, lieconi- 
 ing bookkeeper for tlie First National Bank, with 
 
 •►Ht-4^ 
 
 *^l 
 
' ^ 474 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 which he was connected foi- four years following:. 
 In the spring of 1888 he took up his abode in Una- 
 dilla. and assisted in organizing the Bank of Una- 
 dilla, becoming a partner and also cashier. This 
 institution is now in a flourishing condition, and 
 patronized by the leading business men of Russell 
 Precinct and vicinity. 
 
 The evening of the 18th of May. 1887, witnessed 
 the marriage of our subject to Miss Katie I. Woods, 
 who was born in Weston, Mo.. May 12. 1863. Mrs. 
 Butt is the daughter of John S. Woods, the latter a 
 native of Kentucky. He and his wife removed from 
 the Blue Grass regions to Missouri at an early day, 
 where the father, as a builder and contractor, oper- 
 ated successfully in that region, and later put up 
 the first building in the now flourishing city of 
 Council Bluffs, Iowa. He is still a resident of 
 Weston, and in good circumstances. The wife and 
 mother died at her home in Missouri. The six chil- 
 dren of the parental family were named respectively : 
 AVilliam, John, Perry. Lee. Katie and Sadie. They 
 are residents now of Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. 
 Mrs. Butt received a good education, completing 
 her studies in the High School at Weston. Mo. 
 Later she learned dressmaking, which she carried on 
 successfully before her marriage. She is a member 
 in "ood standingof the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 while Mr. Butt, who was reared in the doctrines of 
 the German Lutheran Church, remains loyal to the 
 teachings of his honored parents. Politically, he is 
 a stanch Democrat, and has been quite prominent 
 in local affairs, serving as Clerk of the Village Board, 
 and occupying other positions of trust and respon- 
 sibility. On the 16th of January, 1888, he was ap- 
 pointed Notary Public by Gov. Thayer for a term 
 of six j-ears, and has his office at the bank. In all 
 the leading enterprises of the community, social, 
 moral or religious, he bears a prominent part, and 
 is a citizen respected by all. 
 
 Henry Butt, Sr.. the father of our subject, was 
 born in what was then the Kingdom of Hanover, 
 Germany, in 1826, and there married Miss Anna 
 Borchers, a native of the same Province. He car- 
 ried on farming very successfully upon his native 
 soil until the year 1880, then sold out preparatory 
 to joining the fortunes of our subject in America. 
 Upon arriving in this county he purchased 160 acres 
 
 of good land five miles south of Nebraska Citj-, 
 where he has since carried. on farming, and still lives 
 with his excellent wife, his age being sixty-two 
 years, and that of the mother fifty-five. Their 
 eight children were named respectively : John H., 
 William J., Mary, Henry A., Catherine, Sophia, 
 Frederick W. and Annie. Three are married, and 
 all are living in this county, being numbered among 
 its most substantial and honored citizens. 
 
 St} AMES C. WHITE. This gentleman is one 
 I of the old settlers and' prominent farmers 
 , and stock-raisers of Russell Precinct. He is 
 {^J/ the owner of 560 acres on sections 5, 6 and 
 7. His father, Anderson White, was born in Albe- 
 marle County, Va., on the 4th of Jul^^ 1794. His 
 mother, Lucinda White, was born in Orange County, 
 Ya., in 1802. The family upon the father's side is 
 of English descent. John White, the grandfather 
 of our subject, served as Captain in the Revolution- 
 ary War, and has left quite a good record in that 
 connection. The maternal side of the family is of 
 German ancestry. 
 
 Mr. Anderson White was bj' occupation a far- 
 mer, and also owned a large plantation, upon which 
 he raised chiefly tobacco. The War of 1812 broke 
 out when he was about eighteen years of age, and 
 he served throughout the war as a private. In the 
 late war he lost nearlj' all his property and otherwise 
 suffered. He died in the year 1882, aged eighty- 
 six years, and was survived about two years by 
 his wife; both were for many years members of the 
 Baptist Church. There were nine children in the 
 family circle, all of whom came to mature years. 
 Their names are as follows: Susan, Agnes, John 
 (deceased), Cornelia, James C, William, Newton, 
 Franklin and Lucinda. AVilliam, Newton and Frank- 
 lin were each in the late war and served in the same 
 regiment. F'ranklin died of a fever two weeks after 
 the battle of Bull Run. Newton and our subject 
 served in the same regiment and company. 
 
 Like his father, our subject was born in Albe- 
 marle County, Va., on the 29th of Aug-ust, 1829. 
 His education is good and the foundation of it was 
 laid in the common schools of his native place 
 
 ^Ju 
 
■► II <•• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 475 
 
 After leaving the school-liouse as a scholar he was 
 accredited worthy to return to it as a teacher. Tiiis 
 he continued to do for seven years, and then gave 
 his attention to farming and became an overseer. 
 He bought some land, but shortly after sold it again, 
 retaining his position until he went into the Con- 
 federate Army, enlisting in the year 1861. The 
 first year he served in Wise's Legion; tlie second 
 year he was one of Company F, 10th Virginia Cav- 
 alry, and served under J. S. Davis. He took part 
 in tlie Canawale Valley skirmishes, was at Little 
 Sewell Mountains against Rosecrans; in 1862 he 
 was at the battles of Yorktown and Williamsburg, 
 and took part in all the battles of the Army of the 
 Potomac and '\'irgiuia. He was wounded at tlie 
 battle of .Julesburg, being shot in the upper part 
 of the arm, the shot going completely through it. 
 Although he was only laid up one month he was 
 unfitted for cavalry service, and until the close of 
 the war discharged the duties of Quartermaster. He 
 was fifteen miles from Gen. Lee when the order 
 came to disband, upon wliich he returned to his 
 home and more peaceful employment. 
 
 For three years after the war Mr. White con- 
 tinued in the old home county, and then removed 
 to Nebraska, arriving on the 28th day of Novem- 
 ber, 1868. He remained in Neliraska City for about 
 a year, then went to Russell Precinct and home- 
 steaded eighty acres of prairie land. He found a 
 rich but wild soil that required much lal)or to sub- 
 due. This he supplied, and with the buildmgs and 
 other improvements he put upon the property he 
 soon had a splendid farm. He set out large groves, 
 had an orchard that covered three acres, besides 
 other works in proportion. 
 
 In 1883 our subject eug.aged in the grocer^' busi- 
 ness at Palmyra, in partnership with J. N. F'oster. 
 However, he did not lilve the trade as much as he 
 had supposed he would ; he then went back to farm- 
 ing and took the place he now owns. He is now 
 chiefly engaged in raising stock, which he does upon 
 a very extensive scale, bii^'ing, raising and feeding 
 cattle of all kinds. He is now raising mules ex- 
 tensivelj' and almost exclusivel}'. 
 
 Mr. White was married on the- 22d of October, 
 1850, while still a resident of Virginia. The ladv 
 who came to share his life was Mildred A. Hill, the 
 
 estimable daughter of William H. and Sarah (Tut) 
 Hill, both of whom are now deceased. She was 
 the eldest of the following children: Mildred A., 
 Betty J., Susan, Fannie, Silecia, Eddie J., Robert 
 and William, both deceased, and J. P. 
 
 Mrs. White was born in Culpeper County, Ya., 
 on the 10th of June, 1826, and died on the 21sl of 
 Januarj", 1886. She was the mother of five chil- 
 dren, who are still living, viz.: Alice Susan, James 
 A., William H., Edgar E. and Sarah S. Alice S. is 
 now the wife of W. S. B. Chamberlin, of Grant 
 Count}-, who follows the dual occupation of farm- 
 ing and merchant; they are the parents of four 
 children — Bertie, Abbie, Bessie and Bertha. James 
 A. was married to Miss Mollie Martin; they have 
 three children, who are named Cornelius, Floyd 
 and Glenn. William H. is in Portland, Ore.; Ed- 
 gar resides in Russell, and is married to Miss Jenny 
 Koons; they also have two children, Lena and Ber- 
 tie; Sarah still remains at home. 
 
 For four years Mr. White served upon the School 
 Board. While at Palmyra he served upon the vil- 
 lage board as Councilman, and has been spoken of 
 for several other offices. For many j'ears he has 
 been a member of the Baptist Church, and is affili- 
 ated with the A. F. & A. M., holding his mem- 
 bership in Palmyra Lodge No. 45. Politically, 
 he is with the Democratic party at all times, willing 
 to do what is in his power in the interests of the 
 same. He has seen much of both the ups and downs 
 of life, but is a man of stamina and character, re- 
 spected by all who know him in the various circles 
 and departments of society. 
 
 ON. M. L. HAY WARD is one of the leading 
 lawyers of the State of Nebraska and Ne- 
 br.iska City, and is enterprising and suc- 
 ce^ful. He was born at Willsboro, Essex 
 N. Y., Dec. 22, 1840. His grandfather, David 
 Hayward, was a native of New Jersey, but re- 
 moved to New York State with his parents when 
 quite a little fellow, aud distinctly remembers walk- 
 ing the greater part of the journey to the new 
 I home, carefully carrying a little tree he desired to 
 transplant, and which lias now grown to noble pro- 
 
 »► I I 4* 
 
 ♦^1 
 
476 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 poi'tions. SLibseqiieiitly lie was extensivelj- en- 
 gaged in the lumlier trade and agiieultuie. He 
 died in 1832. The maiden name of the grand- 
 mother of our subject was Lucretia Chapman. She 
 also was a native of Essex County. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared and married 
 in his native county, engaged in the lumber business, 
 and also operated a farm. In 1865 he moved to 
 Wisconsin, and made his home at White Water, 
 continuing there until 1872, when he removed to 
 Kellogg, Iowa, and engaged in the lumber business, 
 removing to Davenport in 1877, where he now re- 
 sides. Tlie maiden name of his wife, the mother of 
 M. L., was Betsey Leland, who was born in Essex 
 County, N. Y., to Thomas and Priscilla Leland, 
 in August, 1820. This is a New England family, 
 and its representatives may be traced for several 
 generations. Of this marriage there were born 
 four children — Henry, M. L., fc^ugene B. and Frank. 
 
 M. L. was i-eared in his native county, and was 
 educated in the district schools, and afterward .at- 
 tended Ft. Edward Collegiate Institute, Ft. Edward, 
 N. Y. In 1861 our subject was among the first to 
 answer the call for defenders of the Union, and en- 
 listed in Company I, of the 22d New York In- 
 fantry. He was subsequently transferred to the 5th 
 New York Cavalry, and served until December, 
 1862, when he was discharged owing to disability. 
 He had seen much service, and took part in the 
 several actions up the Shenandoah Valley under 
 Banks and Pope. In the spring of 1863 he entered 
 the Ft. Edward Institute, being graduated in 1866, 
 when he went to Wisconsin and read law at White 
 Water. Upon being admitted to the bar in^l867 he 
 came to Nebraska City, and formed a partnership 
 withT. B.Stevenson, which was continued until De- 
 cember, 1875, after which he continued his business 
 alone. 
 
 Mr. Hayward celebrated his marriage with Miss 
 Jennie Pelton June 14, 1870. This lady was born 
 at Cold Springs, Putnam Co., N. Y., to E. A. and 
 Almire (Clark) Pelton, who were natives of Con- 
 necticut. She was carefully trained at home and 
 received a good education, and was eminently fitted 
 to take her place either in the home or in society, 
 and is much esteemed by all who know her. There 
 have been born to them three children, whose names 
 
 are subjoined, viz: Edwin P., Mattie and William 
 H. Mrs. Hayward is a member of the Baptist Church, 
 and she is there very highly respected. Politically, 
 Mr. Hayward is a stanch Republican, and has always 
 taken an .active interest in political affairs. He was 
 appointed to fill a vacancy of Judge of the District 
 Court, in the year 1886, and continued the office 
 until 1887. He was a member of the State Con- 
 stitutional Committee of 1875. was sent as a dele- 
 gate to the State Convention on several occasions, 
 and upon three occasions has been Chairman of the 
 Kepublican State Convention. He is a man of fine 
 character, a clear thinker, energetic worker, genial 
 and popular. 
 
 /^^ ARL H. KORFF has been for many years 
 (l(^„^ prominently identified with the leading busi- 
 ^^^' ness interests of Otoe County, he being a 
 pioneer of Nebraska City, where he is engaged as 
 a merchant. He has also dealt largely' in real es- 
 tate, and has improved a number of farms in East- 
 ern Nebraska. He is a native of the principality 
 of Schaumburg-Lippe, Germany, his birth occur- 
 ring there Jan, 29, 1830. His father, Charles F. 
 Korff, was born in the same localitj', and there grew 
 to manhood and married, Sophia Reinne becoming 
 his wife. In 1846, accompanied by his wife and 
 five children, he started for America, setting sail 
 at Bremen in October, and landing at New Orleans 
 in the following December. From there he as- 
 cended the Mississippi River to St. Louis, where he 
 and his family lived until 1852. He then turned 
 his attention to agriculture, at first renting a farm 
 in Sheridan County, Mo., and later buying one, on 
 which he resided until his death, his wife also dying 
 there. They were people of irreproachable charac- 
 ter, whose integrity won the respect and confidence 
 of all about them, and by their industrious persever- 
 ance and prudence they gained a competency, and 
 built up a comfortable home in their adopted coun- 
 try. The record of their children is as follows: 
 Carl H. is our subject; Caroline is the wife of Henry 
 Neemeyer, and they live in Sheridan Countj-, Mo.; 
 Sophia is the wife of Harmon H. Meyer, of Sheridan 
 County, Mo. ; Christine is also married ; Frederic, ^ r 
 
 ••-HI::. 
 
 -^^^i^ 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 477 
 
 ♦At 
 
 tlie third cliild, was a gallant soldier during the late 
 war, and died a few j'ears later In Sheridan County, 
 Mo. 
 
 Carl Korff, of whom we write, attended school 
 quite steadil}' in Germany, and acquired a substan- 
 tial education. Soon after coming to America with 
 his parents, he engaged in a foundry in St. Louis, 
 being emploj'ed as assistant engineer, and later, 
 with other parties there as engineer. From that 
 city he went to Minnesota, and as.sisted in building 
 mills at the mouth of the St. Croix River, remain- 
 ing there two years, ere his return to St. Louis. 
 During that time, with wise economy and fore- 
 thought, he saved his earnings, and with this capi- 
 tal purchased an interest in a grocery store, with 
 which he was connected about eighteen months. 
 He then sold out and engaged as a shipping and 
 delivery clerk with a commission house, continuing 
 In that capacit)' for the same firm until 1859. In 
 that year he caught the gold fever, then so preva- 
 lent, and starteil for Pike's Peak, crossing the wild 
 prairies of Kansas and Colorado. When he arrived 
 there he found that there were but few chances to 
 enter on the road for wealth, and with many other 
 disappointed gold hunters, he started to retrace his 
 steps across the plains, and on the 22d day of June, 
 185"J. he arrived in Nebraska City. Being very 
 favorably impressed with the country and the cli- 
 mate, he decided to locate here, and has ever since 
 been a resident of this city. At that date the set- 
 tlements in Nebraska were few and far between, 
 simply along the streams, and but little attention 
 had been paid to agriculture. Nebraska City, how- 
 ever, was a thriving town, being the headquarters 
 for expeditions and trains going west across the 
 plains, and boats made regular trips up and down 
 the Missouri River, there being no railway commu- 
 nications then in this part of the countrj'. Our 
 subject very judiciously invested his money in real 
 estate, purchasing 160 acres of unimproved land in 
 Nemaha County, a quarter-section in McWilliams 
 Precinct, Otoe County, pre-emjtting a quarter-sec- 
 tion in the same Precinct; and he also purchased 
 city property, comprising one lot on Lower Main 
 street, three on Sixth street, one on Main, near 
 Seventh street, and three on Ferrj' street. Having 
 thus invested all his money, Mr. Korff engaged 
 
 41 
 
 as a clerk in the establishment of Charles Vogt, who 
 kept a full line of groceries, iron and steel, and also 
 dealt in wool, leather and hides. In 18G6 our sub- 
 ject formed a partnership with John H. Arends, 
 and opened a store on the corner of Tenth and Main 
 streets, his present location. The partnership con- 
 tinued until 1877, when Mr. Korff became sole pro- 
 prietor. He has built up a large trade, and is re- 
 garded as one of the moneyed men of Nebraska 
 City. Notwithstanding the care of his mercantile 
 business absorbs much of his attention, our subject 
 has found time to deal in real estate to a consider- 
 able extent, and he has also improved several farms, 
 amongwhichmay.be mentioned the following: a 
 quarter-section in Nemaha County; a quarter-sec- 
 tion in Wyoming Precinct, Otoe County ; a quarter- 
 section in Delaware Precinct, and three-quarters of 
 a section in Russell Precinct. Mr. Korff has like- 
 wise dealt largely in grain. 
 
 Our subject was married, in 1866, to Miss Tolka 
 M.ary Arends, to whom he is greatly indelited for 
 encouragement, and for making home pleasant and 
 comfortable. She was born in Hanover, Germany, 
 and came to America with her parents, Richie and 
 Tolka Arends, when she was six years old. Their 
 marriage has been blessed to them by the birth of 
 five children, namely : Lillie S., Maurice, Annie, 
 Charles R. and Julia. 
 
 Both as a business man and as a private citizen, 
 Mr. Korff is justl3' held in high regard, as he is in 
 every respect an upright. Christian man, and, with 
 his good wife, is a i-taneh member of the Lutheran 
 Church. Politically, our subject favors _,the Re- 
 publican party, firmly believing that its policy, if 
 carried out, would be for the best interests of the 
 country. 
 
 <^1 I^ILLIAM HUNT is a most worthy repre- 
 \pj// seiitative of British-American citizenship 
 '\^^ in that which pertains to character, enter- 
 prise and prosperity. He is the son of John and 
 Mary (Poop) Hunt. They were both born in Dev- 
 onshire, England, as was also their son William. 
 The chosen occupation of Mi". Hunt was that of a 
 bl.icksmith and wagon-builder. After living and 
 working in Torrington for about thirteen years 
 
 f 
 
•h 
 
 478 
 
 U 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 and building up a large trade, he emigrated to 
 Canada in the fall of 1846 with his family, and 
 settled at London, Middlesex County, Ontario. He 
 ■was twice married ; by his first wife he became the 
 parent of five children, and by the second, eleven. 
 These bear the following names: Grace, Thomas, 
 William, Ann, Samuel, Elizabeth, Roliert, Sarah, 
 Henry, Fannie and Mary Jane. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 5th 
 of April, 1836. He lived at Torrington with his 
 parents, where his fatiier had a farm which he ran 
 in connection with his other business. Long before 
 he was nine years of age he had learned to work 
 a span of horses on the farm. He was but ten years 
 of age when he came to Canada with his parents. 
 His father was not rich and was compelled to slight 
 the education of his son, needing so much his help, 
 so that in this part his life preparation was neg- 
 lected. 
 
 The first three years of life in Canada were spent 
 in the employ of Dr. Moore, of London, by whom 
 he was engaged to take charge of his office. After 
 that he worked at home with his father on the farm 
 until he was twenty-one, when he began life for 
 himself, and continued to work at home on and off 
 until he was thirty-two years of age, when he was 
 married, in 1869. The lady with whom he linked 
 his life was Miss Dorotha Young, who was born in 
 Middlesex County, Canada, and is the daughter of 
 Warner and Christina (Mustetto) Young, who were 
 natives of Canada. 
 
 Mrs. Hunt was born on the 7th of May, 1843, at 
 Dorchester, Middlesex County, and made her home 
 with her parents until her marriage. They came to 
 Nebraska shortly after their marriage, and settled in 
 Falmj'ra Precinct, of this county, in 1871, and 
 filed upon a homestead for eighty acres, which is 
 part of the present home farm. The remaining 
 eighty acres he purchased in 1882. He has always 
 been a man active, dUigent and enterprising, ready 
 to make any improvements that are at all practical, 
 and has given much attention to his orchards and 
 groves, as well as to the more regular agricultural 
 duties. He carefully studied the institutions of this 
 country, and just .as speedily as the National Con- 
 stitution would permit became a citizen, tand from 
 that time has I)een even more anxious than liefore 
 
 to meet every responsibility of citizenship. During 
 the years 1865 to 1868 he worked in the lumber 
 trade in Sand Lake County, Mich., and became a 
 thorough expert in the use of the ax. The religious 
 associations of Mr. Hunt and his family are in the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. Politicallj^, he is a 
 Democrat. There is no family more esteemed, and 
 rightly so, in the district than our subject, who is an 
 honor to the community, which is rightfully proud 
 of so good a citizen. 
 
 UILLIAM J. ARMSTRONG became a pio- 
 neer of Nebraska during the early ^^ears of 
 W^ its settlement, when it was under Territorial 
 government, and was sparselj' inhabited, tlie most 
 of the land then belonging to. the LTnited States, and 
 before much was known of its marvelous agricult- 
 ural resources. He has thus witnessed its growth 
 from an insignificant Territory to a powerful State 
 and he may well be proud to be classed among 
 the men who made this possible by their labors and 
 sacrifices in the days gone by. His farm adjoining 
 Nebraska City is one of the most valuable in Otoe 
 County, being unrivaled for location, fertility of 
 soil, state of cultivation, fine and commodious 
 buildings, and the various other things that go to 
 make up a model farm. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong was born in LTnion Township, 
 Warren Co., Ohio, July 26, 1819, and is a son of 
 James Armstrong, a native of Delaware. When his 
 father was a young man he went to Ohio and located 
 in Warren County. He served in the Indian war un- 
 der Gen. Wayne, and later, in the War of 1812 under 
 Gen. Harrison. He was a farmer by occupation, 
 and cleared a farm from the wilderness in Union 
 Township, and resided there until his death in 
 1826. He was ever a loj^al citizen, both in time of 
 war and in time of peace, and his energy, prudence 
 and wisdom made him respected of all men. His 
 wife, whose maiden name was Isabella Liggett, was 
 a native of Mar^'land, and her parents were pio- 
 neers of Warren County, Ohio. She died on the 
 homestead in LTnion Township in 1860. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared in his 
 native county, and lie rememliers well the incidents 
 
 ■^h^- 
 
 ■•►HI— <• 
 
■► ir^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 479 
 
 of pioneer life tliere. His mother had no stove, and 
 for many j'ears did all her cooking before the open 
 fireplace. His father kept sheep and raised flax, 
 and his mother spun both wool and flax and made 
 all the clothes used in the family, and used to make 
 her own thread. He was one of nine children, six 
 of whom grew to maturity, namely: John L., 
 Kebecca, James, Eachel, William and Alexander. 
 John L. and our subject are the only ones now liv- 
 ing. The latter was but seven years old when his 
 father died, but he continued to live on the old 
 homestead with his mother and assisted in tlie farm 
 work until he had grown to manhood. He was a 
 resident of AVarren County until 1856, when he 
 came to this part of the country to seek a suitable 
 location, having determined to try farming under 
 the sunny skies of Nebraska, where were millions 
 of acres of land owned by the Government, and 
 since sold at $1.25 an acre. He journeyed on the 
 waters of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to Bur- 
 lington, Iowa, and thence across the wild prairies 
 of that State to Nebraska City. After buying his 
 laud he retraced his steps to Warren County, Ohio, 
 and in the following spring started on his return 
 to his future home on the prairies of Nebraska, 
 accompanied by his family. They came as far as 
 Hannibal, Mo., on a boat, from there bj' rail to 
 St. Joseph, and thence to Nebraska City on a 
 boat. At that time in the Territory of Nebraska 
 there were no villages in the interior, the settle- 
 ments being confined to the river. Mr. Armstrong 
 resided in the city until 1864, when he settled on 
 the farm that he still owns and occupies. At that 
 time his land was unimproved except that a few 
 acres were broken, and he bought a building in the 
 city and moved it to his farm, remodeled it, and 
 added to it from time to time, and made it his home 
 until 1882. In that year he erected his present 
 residence, a large and handsome brick house, of a 
 modern style of architecture, conveniently arranged 
 and well furnished. 
 
 ]\Ir. Armstrong has been twice married, first in 
 1842, to jNIiss Mary Hall, a native of Deerfield 
 Tpwnship, Warren Co., Ohio. She was a most e^tcel- 
 lent woman, and none knew her but to respect and 
 esteem her, and her death in 1858 was a sad blow 
 to her family and friends. There were five chil- 
 
 dren born of that marriage : Isabella, wife of D. F. 
 Benham, lives in Clarksville, Tex.; Peter lives in 
 Syracuse, Otoe County ; Melville lives in Nebraska 
 City; Albert lives at home with his parents; Mollie 
 is the wife of N. A. Duff, and lives in Syracuse. 
 
 Blr. Armstrong's second marriage, which took 
 place Aug. 22, 1867, was to» Miss Ann E. Stitt, a 
 native of Deerfield, Warren Co., Ohio. She is a 
 woman of much capability and decision of character, 
 and of an amiable disposition, and to her sympath}', 
 encouragement, and active co-operation in his work, 
 her husband gratefully adniowledges his indebted- 
 ness for the comforts and pleasures of a cozy, happy 
 hqme. Mrs. Armstrong's father, Isaac Stitt, was, 
 it is thought, born in Deerfield, Warren Co., Ohio, 
 of which his father, likewise named Isaac, a na- 
 tive of Pennsj'lvania, was an early pioneer. He 
 cleared a farm there and spent the remainder of his 
 life there. Mrs. Armstrong's father was reared 
 and married in his native countj', and farmed there 
 until his death in his sixty-ninth year. The maiden 
 name of his wife was Sarah E3'non, and Cincinnati, 
 Ohio, was her birthplace. Her father, Mrs. Arm- 
 strong's grandfather, Zebulon Eynon, was of Welsh 
 ancestrj', and was a pioneer of Hamilton Count3-, 
 Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong has nearly reached the seven- 
 tieth milestone of life's journey, and he can look 
 back with satisfaction upon long years well s])ent, 
 wherein he has ever been true to his responsibili- 
 ties both as a man and as a citizen. Since his resi- 
 dence here he has identified himself with the best 
 interests of the community, and has liberally 
 seconded every effort to promote the advancement 
 of the city or of the countjf. In his political sym- 
 pathies he is a stanch Democi'at, and cast his first 
 vote for Van Buren. 
 
 OBERT H. BELL takes his place among the 
 enterprising, popular citizens of Delaware 
 \\\ Precinct, and is the owner of a fine and 
 ^©)well-cultivated farm of 160 acres, which he 
 utilizes in the line of general farming and stock- 
 raising. It is situated on section 23 of the above 
 precinct. The subject of our sketch was born in 
 
 •►Hh-^*- 
 
U 480 
 
 •►^Ir 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Muskegon County, Ohio, on the 24th of ]March, 
 1849, and is the son of E. D. S. and Elenor Bell. 
 Mr. Bell, Sr., removed to Marshall County, 111., in 
 the year 1855. Our subject remained a resident of 
 Illinois for about twenty-five years. He received 
 his education in the common schools. He was 
 reared upon a farm, and from his youth has been 
 fully conversant with agricultural employments, so 
 that he is a practical farmer in cverj^ department of 
 such occupation. 
 
 Upon beginning life on his own account the sub- 
 ject of our sketch went to Kansas and followed 
 farming, and came to this county in the spring of 
 1881, settling upon the property he now owns. It 
 was then but slightly improved, if indeed it could 
 be called improved at all. He has, however, made 
 it one of the most productive in the district, and is 
 rising very rapidly in the scale of prosperity. 
 
 In order to make his life the more livable, and 
 that his home life might be the more complete, Mr. 
 Bell was united in wedlock with Ida M. Davidson, 
 the estimable daughter of William F. and Harriet 
 (Dungan) Davidson, upon the 21st of April, 1875. 
 The parents of Mrs. Bell had in their family circle 
 eleven children, of whom seven only survive. 
 Their names areas follows: Earl, James F., Thomas 
 D., Stephen, Hattie, William and Maggie. Both 
 Mr. and Mrs. Davidson are now deceased. 
 
 Next to his home and farm our subject takes a 
 chief interest in religious affairs. He and his wife 
 are consistent and devoted members of the United 
 Presbyterian Church, and both there and in the 
 Sunday-school they are found among the able 
 workers. They are much esteemed in this and 
 in every other circle in which they move, and are 
 worth}^ and valued members of the community. 
 
 -■ ^-f-l^ 
 
 y^ILLlAlNI D. ASHLEY. This gentleman is 
 a member of a family that is of English 
 W%' extraction, but has been identified with the 
 United States since the landing of the Pilgrims at 
 Plymouth, and has filled very important positions 
 in history in other j-ears. The first settlement was 
 effected in Massachusetts. This is also true of the 
 maternal ancestry in every particular. The f.ather 
 
 of our subject was an agriculturist, as had been 
 his father and grandfather before him. He was 
 very successful in life, and accumulated a fortune 
 of over 1250,000. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 15th 
 of May, 1834, at Springfield, Mass., to William and 
 Eliza (Champion) Ashlej'. He is the third of nine 
 children born to them, of whom but three are now 
 living, viz: Eliza J., now Mrs. Nichols; our sub- 
 ject; and an elder brother Homer, who is Superin- 
 tendent of the American Express Company at 
 Boston. Mr. Ashley continued to reside with his 
 parents until he was nineteen years of age, during 
 which time he had been occupied in obtaining an 
 education and becoming a practical farmer, but at 
 that age he left home, and went to Chicopee to learn 
 the trade of a machinist. There he remained work- 
 ing for seven years. At the end of that period 
 he went to Boston for one year, then on to New 
 York City, Bridgeport and Hartford, where he was 
 in charge of a boiler and gasfltting works. At 
 Meriden he had charge of making 50,000 guns for 
 the Government, worldng for the Henry Rifle 
 Company. He also worked in the Smith Rifle shops 
 at the time when the shops were burned during the 
 riot to resist the draft. He continued to follow his 
 trade until 1866. 
 
 When the subject of our sketch w.as about tliirtj-- 
 two years of age his father very much desired that 
 he should take charge of his estate. This our sub- 
 ject did not see his way to do, and accordingly 
 refused, and was at once disinherited ; but as he had 
 about $1,500 in money he brought the same to 
 Nebraska, and went to work on the homestead he 
 now owns, and began to make varied improvements 
 necessary. His success both here and in the culti- 
 vation of the soil has been more than could have 
 been anticipated or hoped for. He is now pos- 
 sessed of a valuable farm on section 31 of Syracuse 
 Precinct, that is operated in the line of general and 
 stock farming. 
 
 The marriage of our subject was celebrated at 
 Springfield, Mass., April 13, 1863. Then he be- 
 came the husband of Addie B. Carpenter, who is the 
 daughter of Samuel and Sarah Carpenter, of Brat- 
 tleboro, Vt. She was born April 22, 1835, was 
 carefidly nurtured and l)rought up by her i)arents. 
 
 ■^h-K- 
 
 -^1^ 
 
•► ll "^ 
 
 ••»» 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 481 
 
 -At 
 
 educated in the common schools of her native place, 
 and finished her education in the Brattleboro Semi- 
 narj', making her home with her parents until the 
 happy daj- above mentioned. Of this union there 
 have been born three children, viz: Dexter U., 
 Luvern F. and Elsie Maud. 
 
 As a general rule ever since he has held the 
 power to vote IMr. Ashley has supported the Repub- 
 lican part}-, but has never done so excepting when 
 he has been convinced that the candidate put for- 
 ward by that body was a capable and worthy man ; 
 otherwise he has acted independently, and in fact 
 has so governed .ill his political connections. He is 
 a man who holds a prominent place in the commu- 
 nity, .and is thoroughly trusted .and respected by all. 
 
 E'lER BERLET. In the present writing 
 is presented an epitome of the history of 
 the gentleman who holds the responsilile 
 and honorable position of President of the 
 Bank of Tahniige, which is a State institution es- 
 tablished by James Sweet & Co. in 1883, and Mr. 
 Berlet succeeded two years later to the business. 
 From that time it has been run on a stock basis of 
 ^20.000, with a surplus capital of S4,000. 
 
 Mr. Berlet and his cashier, Mr. Ferrick, have both 
 been active in the endeavor to make the bank an 
 institution worth}' of the county, and have seen no 
 little success attend their efforts. Our subject has 
 also !in interest in cattle raising, and is the owner 
 of 1,1"20 acres, which is in one ranch, and is situated 
 in Keya Paha County, this State. The ranch is thor- 
 oughl}' stocked, and that only with cattle of the 
 best breeds and of high gi-ade. This enterprise was 
 commenced in the year 188"2, and has since been 
 man.aged by Charles F., the son of our subject, who 
 makes his home at that place. 
 
 Yet another place is owned by Mr. Berlet, and 
 that is situated in Nemaha County, and comprises 
 8-10 .acres. It was here that he settled in the spring 
 of 1865, when the whole State was in a somewhat 
 primitive condition, and contained few settlers. So 
 little was that district known that it was general!}' 
 believed, even at so late a date as that, that little if 
 any rain fell west of the Nemaha River. But our 
 <• 
 
 subject was not the man to be scared at reports and 
 vague rumors. He pushed out, determined to as- 
 certain for himself, and was rewarded in his effort. 
 His farm is one of the best in the county, which is 
 s.a}'iiig a great deal. He h.as a fine residence and 
 good buildings. He has never had a failure in the 
 small grains, and only two slight and partial fail- 
 ures in corn throughout the twent^'-three years of 
 his occupancy. It is not, therefore, surprising that 
 he is entiiusiastically proud of his adopted Slate. 
 
 The subject of our sketch came to this place from 
 Hancock County, 111., where he had resided for the 
 ten j'ears previousl}', during that time being en- 
 gaged successfully in agriculture. He was born in 
 Franche-Comte, in the east of France, on the 15th of 
 September, 1841, to Francis and Catherine (Senoir) 
 Berlet. He was but a l.ad when his parents brought 
 him to this country in the early part of 1857, and 
 his experiences at that time were the reasons for 
 his being willing to send one of his sons, the third, 
 for service in the late war. Accordingly Charles 
 and Frederick offered themselves. Charles was 
 drowned in the Mississippi River while on his w.ay 
 to the front, and was never attached to any regi- 
 ment; Frederick became a member of the 32d Illi- 
 nois Infantry, and served until 18G5, when he died 
 at Orangeburg. S. C, during the progress of Gen. 
 Sherman in his world-famed march. He had seen 
 much active service, and had the record of being a 
 good soldier. 
 
 After the family removed to this State the father 
 m.ade his home with his sons until his death, which 
 occurred in 1886. He was then eight3'-seven years 
 of age. After coming to this country he espoused 
 the principles of the Republican party, and so con- 
 tinued until his death. The mother of our subject, 
 who is still living, is sevent^'-eight j'ears of age. 
 She lives with her son, Emile Berlet, in Nemaha 
 Count}'. Like her husband, she h:is been from youth 
 a member of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is the third child of a 
 family of five, of whom our subject and his brother 
 Emile are the only surviving members. He was 
 first married in Jersey County, III., to Pauline W. 
 Prevot, who was born in Switzerland, and was 
 brought to this country by her parents in child- 
 hood. She died at the Nemaha County homestead 
 
 ?^h 
 
t. 
 
 •►Hl^ 
 
 ■•►HK 
 
 482 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 of our subject in 1876, leaving two children: 
 Charles F., who now manages the Keya Paha ranch ; 
 and Lucille, who is the assistant cashier and book- 
 keeper at the bank. She is a well-educated, intelli- 
 gent and accomplished young lady, and fills her 
 position in a most admirable and complimentary 
 manner. 
 
 The present wife of our subject gave liim her 
 hand at Neuchatel, Kan., Oct. 13. !879. Her 
 maiden name was Laura Jeanuret. She was born in 
 Neufch.itel, Switzerland. She came to this country 
 alone when sixteen years of age. This marriage 
 also has been blessed by the birth of two children, 
 viz: Minnie and Emma, both of whom are at home. 
 
 Before the war Mr. Berlet was numbered among 
 the stanch Abolitionists, but since the rise of the Re- 
 publican party he has been one of the stanchest 
 members of that party. He has taken a lively in- 
 terest in political affairs, and has no little influence 
 in the community, having the esteem and regard of 
 all who know him. He has not been a central fig- 
 ure in political and official circles, altliough fre- 
 quently called upon for that purpose. He has been 
 a member of the Town "Board, and while in that 
 position labored faithfully for the interests of the 
 people. 
 
 ylLLIAM W. ADAMS. The career of this 
 honored pioneer of Otoe County is one of 
 more than ordinary interest. He came to 
 the Territory of Nebraska in the fall of 1857, and 
 secured first a tract of land in the central part of 
 the county, upon which he effected a little improve- 
 ment, but soon sold out and took up his residence 
 in what was then the hamlet of Nebraska City, 
 where he established a boarding-house and carried 
 on farming combined upon land adjacent. In 1865, 
 turning his attention more closely to the pursuit of 
 agriculture, he selected a tract of land in Wyoming 
 Precinct, where he took up his residence, and where 
 he has since lived. His homestead is pleasantly 
 located on section 10, and embr.aces 200 acres of 
 land, which has been brought to a high state of cul- 
 tivation. 
 
 Mr. Adams, feeling that he had contributed 
 his share to the development of Otoe Count3-, has 
 ^0 
 
 retired from active labor. He is the occupant of a 
 most comfortable and attractive home, and is sur- 
 rounded by the good tilings of life, to which he is 
 amply entitled by a long life of labor and sacrifice. 
 His buildings are substantial and kept in good 
 order, and adjacent is a large apple orchard, con- 
 taining nearly a thousand bearing trees, while the 
 smaller fruit trees yield in abundance for the use of 
 the family. A goodly proportion finds its way to 
 market. Mr. Adams, like the majority of the men 
 around him, has been a hard worker, and no man has 
 watched with warmer interest the growth and de- 
 velopment of his adopted State. 
 
 William W. Adams was born in Rockport, South- 
 ern Indiana, Jan. 1, 1820, and is the son of Joseph 
 and Mary (Flemming) Adams, who were natives of 
 Kentucky, and the father a farmer by occupation. 
 The parents were reared and married in the Blue 
 Grass regions, whence they migrated to Indiana, 
 and taking up a tract of land lived in true pioneer 
 style, enduring the privations and hardships of life 
 in a new settlement. After the birth of seven 
 children, Joseph Adams was gathered to his fathers 
 about 1822. The mother with her children then 
 returned to Kentucky, where she resided for a pe- 
 riod of eight or ten years. She finally decided that 
 there would be a better opportunity for her boys 
 upon the soil of the Prairie State, and accordingly 
 moved to Morgan Count}', 111., afterward moving to 
 Hancock County, 111., where thej' all lived upon a 
 farm a number of years. William W. vvas a child 
 eighteen months old at the time of his father's death, 
 and was about three years old when he moved with 
 his mother to Illinois. The mother died in Han- 
 cock Count}' in August, 1845, after attaining her 
 threescore years. Mrs. Mary (Flemming) Adams 
 was a lady of more than ordinary capabilities, very 
 intelligent, a kind and tender mother, a devoted 
 wife and a hospitable neighbor. After the death 
 of her husband she devoted herself to the training 
 of her children, who in remembrance of her affec- 
 tionate care hold her name in the tenderest regard. 
 Of these two are living. Her children all became 
 well-to-do citizens and useful members of their com- 
 munity. 
 
 Our subject was the sixth child of his parents, 
 and was reared to manhood in Hancock Count}-, 
 
 -► II <• 
 
1^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•»- 
 
 483 
 
 111., where he followed farming from his youth up, 
 and when readj- to establish a home of his own was 
 united in marriage with Bliss Mary A. Sparks. 
 This lady was horn in Kentuckj', in 1830, and re- 
 moved with her parents when a child to Hancock 
 County, 111. She was given a common-school edu- 
 cation and subjected to careful parental training, 
 remaining under the home roof until her marriage. 
 Of her union with our subject there were born two 
 children, one of whom died in infancy. The 
 mother passed away at her home in Wyoming Pre- 
 cinct, in May, 1881. 
 
 Nancy M., the 30unger daughter of our subject, 
 grew to womanhood, was married, and became the 
 mother of four children, two of whom, Snowden 
 and Belle, died when young. The mother soon 
 followed her children, her death taking place in Oc- 
 tober, 1881. in Wyoming Precinct. Her two living 
 children, Delia and Luc}', now live with their 
 grandfather, and are bright and interesting young 
 ladies. 
 
 Mr. Adams in earl}' life, politically, was a Dem- 
 ocrat, but about 1859 identified himself with the 
 Republicans. He, however, votes independently, 
 believing it right to support the men best qualified 
 for ortice, irrespective of party. He united with the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church near Augusta, Han- 
 cock Co., 111., in 1835, over fiftj' years ago, and for 
 this long period has adorned his profession by his 
 Christian walk and conversation. He is a man held 
 in high regard by bis entire communilj', a peaceful 
 and law-abiding citizen who has built up for him- 
 self a good record. 
 
 TL^ENRY WATHEN. Among the honored 
 jTjV pioneers of this county the subject of this 
 /iW^ sketch is entitled to a prominent place, being 
 (^) one of the very first settlers of South Branch 
 Precinct, where he homesteaded a tract of land in 
 the spring of 1866, before Nebraska had been trans- 
 formed from a Territory into a Slate. Then there 
 were no neighbors within sight of the place where 
 he erected his first rude dwelling, and the country 
 around bore no evidence of having been trodden by 
 
 the foot of a white man. A period of twenty-two 
 years has worked vast changes, both upon his own 
 property and that of his neighbors. 
 
 Mr, Wathen has now a well-cultivated farm, with 
 good buildings, groves of maple, Cottonwood and 
 boxwood trees, an orchard of 200 bearing apple 
 trees with the smaller fruits, and a comfortable 
 dwelling, with the barns and other outhouses neces- 
 sary for his convenience. He was fortunate in his 
 selection of land, the soil being well watered by 
 running streams, and under his wise management has 
 become highly productive. Mr. Wathen has signal- 
 ized himself .as an honest, hard-working man, of good 
 business capacities, prompt to meet his obligations, 
 and one entirelj' worthy of the esteem and confi- 
 dence in which he is held. In his journey of life 
 he has been a(;companied by one of the most esti- 
 mable and intelligent of ladies, who has been brave 
 in the performance of her duties as the wife of the 
 earl}' pioneer, and borne her full share of the heat 
 and burden of the day. Her father Was one of the 
 first settlers of Southern Nebr.aska, and she, with her 
 husband, has watched the growth and development 
 of this now important State with the interest which 
 can only be felt by those who looked upon it dur- 
 ing primitive dajs, ere the hand of the husband- 
 man, holding the plowshare, had begun to turn its 
 undisturbed soil to the sun. 
 
 Our subject is the son of an old Kentuckian, 
 George W. Wathen, who left the Blue Grass regions 
 when a j'oung man, and settled in Gallatin County, 
 III. He was married in Gallatin to Miss Rebecca 
 Pantier, who was born in Ohio. The paternal 
 grandfather, Thomas Wathen, was a soldier of two 
 wars, assisting the Colonists in their struggle for in- 
 dependence, and later fought during the troubles of 
 1812. He was a native of England, of robust 
 frame and splendid constitution, and lived to the 
 unusual age of one hundred and four .years, spend- 
 ing hjs last days in Dubuque, Iowa. 
 
 The parents of our subject were married in Gal- 
 latin Count}', III., where the father followed his 
 trade of cooper, and also carried on farming. His 
 sister had married unfortunately, having a husband 
 who abused her, and in interfering in behalf of his 
 sister Mr. Wathen was shot by his brother-in-law, 
 with fatal results, in 1852. The mother had died 
 
 =t*-* 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 484 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 two years previously, in 1850. Four children were 
 thus orphaned, namely: Joseph, Henrj', Rebecca 
 and Annie. Joseph, during tiie late Civil War, en- 
 listed in the 114th Illinois Infantry, and was in the 
 midst of many a fight during his army service. At 
 the charges of Vicksburg and Ft. Jackson he was 
 shot four times, but recovered, resumed his place 
 in the ranks, and was mustered out at the close, in 
 Springfield, 111., in 186.5. The sisters of our sub- 
 ject are Rebecca Nelson and Anna Sikes. 
 
 Henry Wathen was born in Gallatin County, 111., 
 Feb. 14, 1841, and was a lad of eleven years at the 
 time of his father's death. He was then thrown 
 upon his own resources, and worked for farmers in 
 his native county until reaching manhood. He was 
 a man twenty-five years of age upon coming to Ne- 
 braska, and the year after his arrival was united in 
 marriage, Aug. 4, 1867, with Miss Angelina, daugh- 
 ter of Stephen and Belle (Mapps) Powell. The 
 wife of our subject was born Dec. 1, 1848, in Ohio. 
 Her parents were natives of Ohio, where they were 
 reared and married. Mr. Powell died in Nebraska 
 about 1864. The mother is a resident of Johnson 
 County, this State, being now seventy years of age. 
 They were the parents of nine children, who are 
 now mostly in Nebraska. To Mr. and Mrs. Wathen 
 tliere have been born ten children, only four of 
 whom survive, namely : Hattie, Jefferson, Thomas 
 and Charles. The eldest is eighteen years of age, 
 and the youngest one, and all except one make 
 their home with their parents. Mr. Wathen is an 
 uncompromising Democrat, politically, but has 
 never sought the responsibilities of office. Aside 
 from serving as a member of the School Board one 
 term, he has given his undivided attention to his 
 farm and his family. 
 
 JOHN W. McCORMICK, whose farm and resi- 
 dence are upon section 7 of Syracuse Pre- 
 cinct, holds a high place among his fellow- 
 citizens, and since his locating, in March, 
 1882, has been prominently identified with such 
 projects and enterprises as have been for the ad- 
 vancement and progress of the district. He is of 
 Scotch-Irish descent, and manifests the character- 
 
 istic traits of those races. The grandfather of our 
 subject, John McCormick, was a native of North 
 Ireland, but while a young man he came with his 
 parents to this country, settled in Pennsylvania, 
 and made husbandry his chosen life occupation. 
 
 The father of our subject, who was born and 
 brought up in the Keystone State, also followed 
 agriculture, in which he was quite successful. The 
 companion of his life was Elizabeth Anderson, a 
 native of the same State and county. They first 
 settled in Pennsylvania, but later migrated to Ohio, 
 locating in Hancock in 1854. Four years later 
 they removed to Peoria County', 111., and in 1866 
 to Montgomery County, Iowa. There they spent 
 the remainder of life. The family circle included 
 five children, viz: James, now a resident of Hitch- 
 cock County: Thomas J., of Montgomery County, 
 Iowa; Benjamin F., of Page County. Iowa, and 
 John Yf. There is one adopted daughter. Lavina 
 Bradley', now living in West Virginia. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Beaver 
 County, Pa., on the 17th of March, 1844; when his 
 parents removed West he accompanied them. His 
 education was obtained in the schools of Pennsyl- 
 vania and Ohio. His marriage occurred in 1873, 
 when he received the hand of Mary Ewalt, the es- 
 timable and accomplished daughter of Clem and 
 Margaret Ewalt. This lady was born in Peoria 
 County, 111., in Maj'. 1842. Her parents were na- 
 tives of Ohio, who had migrated to Peoria County 
 and taken land. Their daughter Mary was brought 
 up and educated in her native place, and continued 
 at home with her parents until the above event. 
 
 Upon their marriage the young couple made 
 their home in Montgomery County, Iowa, until the 
 year 1882, when that property was sold to good 
 advantage, and the present home and farm pur- 
 chased. This includes 120 acres of land, all well 
 improved and highly cultivated, operated along tiie 
 line of mixed farming. The buildings, although 
 perhaps not so fine in appearance as those of more 
 recent erection, are comfortable for the stock and 
 convenient for the miscellaneous purposes incident 
 to the farm. 
 
 The home of our subject is one of the brightest 
 and happiest, and our subject and his true and 
 fathful wife are happy in being the parents of three 
 
 ^U. 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•►HI 
 
 4S7 
 
 •^ 
 
 ^: 
 
 children, who bear the names Earl. Wayne and 
 Lynn. Mr. and Mrs. McCormiek are highly" es- 
 teemed in the community and enjoy the confidence 
 of all. Politically, our subject is affiliated with the 
 Democratic party. He is a true citizen, loyal and 
 patriotic, bearing wliatever responsibilities may 
 come to him as a citizen in a mani}' and most com- 
 mendable spirit. 
 
 RS. MARGARET JESSEN, widow of the 
 late well-known Andreas Jessen, of Ne- 
 braska City Precinct, who was a pioneer 
 of Otoe County, and was for several years 
 one of its successful agriculturists, is a fine repre- 
 sentative of the noble women of refinement and 
 culture who came to Nebraska in the early days of 
 its settlement with their fathers, husbands or broth- 
 ers, and b^' their presence, encouragement and as- 
 sistance did much not only to elevate the social 
 and moral status of the then wild, sparsely settled 
 Territory, but have been important factors in bring- 
 ing about its present proud position as a rich and 
 prosperous State. Mrs. Jessen may well be consid- 
 ered the pioneer educator of Nebraska, as in 
 March, 1855, she commenced to teach for a term 
 of six months in a small frame building, the first 
 school ever taught in this part of the country south 
 of the Platte River, and probably the first in the 
 whole Territor3\ 
 
 Mrs. Jessen is a native of Indiana, lier birthplace 
 being five miles from Madison, the county seat of 
 Jefferson County. Her parents, Solomon and Jen 
 nie (Thompson) Martin, were natives respectively 
 of Pennsylvania and Kentuck3'. Her paternal grand- 
 father was a native and livelong resident of Penn- 
 sylvania. Her father was reared in that State, 
 and when a young man went to Virginia and there 
 married, and in 1826 removed to Indiana. The 
 removal was made on the waters of the Ohio on a 
 raft, constructed for the purpose of the lumber 
 destined to build their new home. He bought a 
 tract of heavily timbered land in Jefferson County, 
 five miles from Ma^lison, the nearest market, and he 
 at once commenced to clear a farm from the dense. 
 
 primeval forest. He succeeded in his undertakirig, 
 and lived in that place until 1852, when he sold out 
 and started West by the way of the Ohio, Missis- 
 sippi and Misouri^Rivers, and after a vo3'age of two 
 weeks landed at El Paso, Mo. He resided in Rock- 
 port until 1854, and in December of that year, on 
 the 27th day of the month, sought "greener fields 
 and pastures new" in the Territory of Nebraska. 
 He located in Nebraska City, and from that time 
 until his death was a resident of Otoe County-, dy- 
 ing Jan. 23, 1873, at a ripe old age. His memory 
 is held in deserved respect as an early pioneer of 
 Nebraska, and also for those traits of character 
 which won him the confidence and respect of his 
 fellowmen. He was a soldier of the War of 1812, 
 and had an honorable discharge from the Govern- 
 ment. His death occurred at the home of his 
 daughter, Mrs. Jessen, at the age of eighty-six 
 years, and his remains were buried in the cemetery 
 at Nebraslia City. His estimable wife had preceded 
 him to the better land many years before, dying 
 June 25, 1849, on the old homestead in Indiana. 
 There were nine children born to them, three of 
 whom are living: Catherine, widow of Henry Cole; 
 Mary, widow of Charles Cole; and our subject. 
 
 Mrs. Jessen was reared in her native county, re- 
 ceiving a careful training in all that was then 
 deemed necessarj' to make a thrifty housewife, and 
 she thus earl}' became an adept in spinning, weav- 
 ing and knitting. Nor was her higher educa- 
 tion neglected, as she was a fine scholar and was 
 given all the advantages afforded by the scliools in 
 her native county, so that she became well qualified 
 for the profession of teacher, which she adopted at 
 the age of twent}--two. In 1854 she taught six 
 months in Fremont Countj', Iowa. It was on the 
 3d of July of that year that she for the first time set 
 foot in Nebraska City, coming with others to cele- 
 brate our National holiday, the first celebration of 
 the kind ever held by the white citizens of Nebraska. 
 The small hamlet that she then saw by the waters 
 of the Missouri bore no resemblance to the busy 
 and populous citj' that has since sprung up on the 
 same site. There were but four white families liv- 
 ing here then, and but two houses besides the Gov- 
 ernment buildings, and Indians were camped all 
 over the village. She visited her brother-in-law 
 
 
488 
 
 ■^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4- 
 
 •► 
 
 I 
 
 Charles Cole, and on the 6th of Jiilj' returned to 
 Iowa to complete the term of school. In Decem- 
 ber of that jear she returned with Judge Bradford 
 and famil3', crossing the river a part of the way on 
 ice, a part of the way on the driftwood, and the 
 rest of the way in a skiff. In March, 1855, she 
 commenced to teach here llie first school ever 
 taught in the Territorj- south of the Platte River, 
 as we have before stated. 
 
 Novembei' 20, 1855, our subject left the educa- 
 tional profession to take upon herself the solemn 
 duties of a wife, as on that date she was united in 
 marriage to Andreas Jessen. He was born in 
 ISlcswick-Holstein, Germany, Nov. 7, 1827. He 
 was reared in his native land, and there learned the 
 trade of shoemaker. He was a man of libeial edu- 
 cation, speaking fluently five languages — French, 
 Swiss, German, English and Danish. In the year 
 1851 he came to America and took up his resi- 
 dence in Davenport, Iowa. On the 3d of July, 
 1854. he crossed the Missouri River to locate in the 
 Tenitorj' of Nebraska, and in the fall of that year 
 made a claim to a tract of land on the banks of 
 Walnut Creek. He soon sold that, however, and 
 bought the claim on which his family now lives, 
 and when the land came into the market entered it 
 at the land-office, paying $1.25 an acre for it. He 
 was from that time until his death, March 20, 1867, 
 actively engaged in farming, and by his industry, 
 sound judgment and able management, improved 
 one of the finest estates iu the county, comprising 
 320 acres of land, mostly under cultivation, with 
 substantial frame buildings, and many other valua- 
 ble improvements. In his death the community 
 suffered a severe loss, as he was a good citizen, and 
 in all the relations in which he was placed he was 
 faithful and trustworthy. He w-as a sincere, manly 
 Christian, always true to the tenets of the Lutheran 
 Church, in which he was reared. His union with 
 our subject was blessed by the birth of six children, 
 namelj': Solomon, Otto, Anna, Jennie, Paul, and 
 Maggie, who died at the age of ten years. The 
 three youngest are teachers in the public schools. 
 
 Mrs. Jessen is dowered with all the attributes 
 that go to make a womanlj' woman. As a wife, she 
 did all that she could to lighten her husband's bur- 
 dens, and he was often guided by her counsel to 
 
 successful issues. As a mother, she is wise and 
 tender, devoting herself to the interests of her 
 children. She is a cheerful worker in the cause of 
 religion. She joined the Presbyterian Church in 
 Indiana in 1848, and she assisted in the organiza- 
 tion of the Presbyterian Church in Nebraska City, 
 of which she is still a communicant. She seeks the 
 good of others, and her strong religious faith has 
 carried her serenely through the bitter tri.als of life. 
 Portraits of Mrs. Jessen and her deceased hus- 
 band are shown in connection with this sketch, and 
 that of the latter will be especially valued I13' his 
 numerous friends in this county. 
 
 ->/>/\, »\i2C£/®-^/«-| 
 
 »^>5i/2>?ra»~-w-,- 
 
 ANIEL T. HILL, D. D. S. This gentleman 
 enjoys the reputation of being one of the 
 most scientific, practical and able dentists 
 in the State of Nebraska, and, as a natural 
 result, his clientage is very large, and his practice 
 quite lucrative. He located in .Syracuse in 1883, and 
 before many months had passed was well and favor- 
 ably known, and his business tirmlj- established. He 
 is a native of C'armel, N. Y., the day of his nativity 
 the 19th of July, 1857, whereon the home of Daniel 
 T. and Sarah J. (Meritl) Hill was gladdened liy his 
 advent. 
 
 The parents of our subject were likewise natives 
 of the Empire State ; his father was a well-known 
 clergyman of the Baptist denomination, who had 
 held charges in New York and New Jersej'. He was 
 pastor of the church at Plainfield in the latter State 
 for twenty-two years, and was accounted one of 
 the most successful pastors and able preachers of 
 the State. He occupied the pulpit for many years, 
 being ordained at the age of nineteen, and continu- 
 ing until he had passed his eightieth birlhd.ay, 
 wielding an influence for good, right and the truth 
 that will go on affecting countless homes and lives, 
 and has been the instrument of turning thousands in 
 the pathway leading to life. The mother of our 
 subject died in New York in 1884, and was buried 
 in Somers. Her husband subsequently came to 
 Syracuse, where he died in March, 1887. They 
 were the parents of five children, viz : Isaac N., 
 Greek and Latin Professor in Bucknell University, 
 
 f 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 OTOK COUNTY. 
 
 489 
 
 Lewisburg, Pa. ; David J., formerly President of 
 tlie above university, now President of the univer- 
 sity at. Rocliester, N. Y. ; this gentleman is the 
 author of the well-known text-book, "HiU's Rheto- 
 ric." Elizabeth, now the wife of Samuel T. Merritt, 
 a grain merchant of Hudson, AVis. ; Lydia, wife of 
 William L. Brown, who is cashier of the bank at 
 "Williamston, Mich.; and our subject, who is the 
 j'oungest of the famil3\ 
 
 Dr. Hill vfas educated at Cliappaqua. N. Y., al- 
 though owing to ill-health he was compelled to leave 
 school before being graduated. Upon recovering his 
 health he determined to study dentislr5\ and accord- 
 ingly entered the New York College of Dentistry in 
 that citj', being graduated from that institution at 
 the age of nineteen years. For the next five years 
 he practiced in Cornwall-on-Hudson, N. Y. Next 
 to the deep interest in his profession our subject 
 was more attracted to the American trotting horse 
 than anything. This has been almost a passion 
 with him from childhood, and when he came to 
 Nebraska he gave not a little attention to the breed- 
 ing of such stock. This occupied all his time the 
 first 3'ear he was in Nebraska, and for that purpose 
 he purchased a stock farm of 320 acres, which was 
 situated about three miles south of the city, and is 
 known as the Hillsdale Stock Farm. 
 
 Life upon the farm to one who, like our subject, 
 had always lived in cities, was very lonelj'and dull, 
 in spite of the fine stock with which he had sur- 
 rounded himself. This resulted in the sale of the 
 property and the removal to Sj'racuse, where he 
 purchased twenty-five acres, upon which he made 
 such arrangements of barns, stabling, etc., as he 
 deemed necessary for indulgence in his favorite 
 hobby. He is the owner of twenty-five standard 
 bred trotters. He is also the owner of the trotting 
 horse "'Young Sentinel," which he brought with him 
 from New York, and who has a record of 2:2ii. 
 He has also other horses of some note and good 
 record, which it is impossible in the space of this 
 sketch to mention in detail. He is one of the 
 organizers of the Nebraska State Association of 
 Trotting Horse Breeders, of which he holds the 
 position of Secretary'. The Doctor is not careless 
 of his profession, and keeps full3' abreast of the 
 times in all matters connected therewith. He has a 
 
 very complete and beautiful library, and in his in- 
 strument case may be found almost ever^' appliance 
 and instrument known or used in his profession. 
 These the Doctor does not keep for show, but 
 understands their use, and perfects himself in the 
 same. 
 
 In 1877 the subject of our sketch was married to 
 Telia H. Capron, the amiable daughter of Joseph 
 and Hester E. Capron. She was born in Westchester 
 County, N. Y., and made her home with her par- 
 ents until her marriage, and brought to her husband 
 all the cheering, brightening influences and inspira- 
 tions that were designed by the Originator of the 
 sacred relationship. The}' are the parents of three 
 children, who bear the names here subjoined, viz: 
 Pearl, Myrtle and Claire. 
 
 Dr. Hill and his family occupj' a high position in 
 society, moving in its most select circles, and he 
 enjojs the high esteem of all who know him. Asa 
 citizen, the Doctor is always happy to respond 
 promptly to everj- duty that is his in that relation, 
 and usually votes the Republican ticket. As a pro- 
 fessional man, as has been already remarked, he is 
 among the first of his fellows. As a man and as a 
 friend, he is honorable, courteous and affable, and 
 one of the much valued citizens of Syracuse. 
 
 #-# 
 
 -5— 
 
 ^h 
 
 LBERT THEIS. The subject of this biog- 
 i(^'£j|i I'aphy occupies a snug homestead of eighty 
 acres l^'ing on section 31 in Nebraska City 
 Precinct, where he settled in the spring of 
 18G7, about the time Nebraska was tr.insformed 
 from a Territory into a State. For a period of 
 twenty-one j'ears he has labored industriously in 
 its cultivation and improvement, and has been 
 amply repaid for his labors, the land now yielding 
 him handsome returns. It is hardly necessary to 
 state that his management has been wise in the ex- 
 treme, and his enterprise a little beyond the ordinary. 
 Our subject was born in Rhenish Prussia, on the 
 2Gth of January, 1835, where he lived until a man 
 of twent3'-eight years. His parents were Philipaud 
 Agnes Theis, natives of the same Province as their 
 son, the father a cabinet-maker bj' trade, which he 
 followed the greater part of his life. Both parents 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 490 
 
 otop: county. 
 
 •► 
 
 ^h-f 
 
 spent their entire lives upon their native soil, the 
 mother passing awaj' at the age of fortj'-nine 3'ears 
 and the father when seventy-six. 
 
 Mr. Theis when a lad of thirteen years began 
 the trade of cabinet-maker under the instructions of 
 his excellent father, and five j'ears later, after a 
 thorough apprenticeship, began working as a "jour," 
 and was thus occupied until emigrating to the 
 United States. Ho worked thereafter four years in 
 New York City, then decided to seek his fortune 
 in the West. After locating in Nebraska City he 
 still followed cabinet-making for a period of nine 
 j'ears, then concluded to invest his capital iu a farm. 
 Since that time he has given his attention closely to 
 agricultural pursuits, and has no reason to regret 
 his change of occupation. 
 
 Our subject found his future wife in America, 
 being married in Nebraska City, Aug. 7, 1859, to 
 Miss Lona Scharp. ' Mrs. Theis is also of German 
 birth and parentage, being a native of Sleswick- 
 Holstein, where she was born Dec. 29, 1838. Her 
 parents, James and Mattie (Hauschildt) Scharp, were 
 natives of the same Grand Duchy as their daughter, 
 where the father carried on farming until the spring 
 of 1857. Then, accompanied by his family, he sailed 
 for America, and after landing proceeded directly 
 westward to this county. He purchased land in 
 Wyoming Precinct and built up a comfortable home- 
 stead, which provided him a shelter until his days 
 on earth were numbered. His death was occasioned 
 by the running away of a team he was driving, he 
 being thrown from the vehicle and instantly killed. 
 The wife and mother is still living at the homestead, 
 and is now seventy-four years old. 
 
 Mrs. Theis was a maiden of eighteen years when 
 her parents came to the United States, and she 
 lived with them until her marriage. Of her union 
 with our subject there have been born ten children, 
 five of whom died at an earlj' age, namely : Agnes, 
 Mattie, Mar}', Amelia and Anna. Of the surviving 
 the record is as follows: Alvina is the wife of Henry 
 Korff, a well-to-do farmer of Wyoming Precinct. 
 Emma married Herm.au Brugmann, who is occupied 
 in general merchandising in Council Bluffs, Iowa; 
 Nellie, John and Lona are at home with their 
 parents. Mr. Theis, as one of the pioneers of Ne- 
 braska, endured manj- hardships and privations 
 
 during the first years of his struggle for existence 
 in the West, and now, in the enjoyment of a com- 
 fortable home, and the prospect of plenty for his 
 old age, is reaping tiie reward of his toil and sacri- 
 fice. He came to this county poor in purse, but 
 with an indomitable energy that admitted no such 
 word as fail. Not only has he accumulated property 
 but has built up the record of an honest man and a 
 good citizen, occupying a worthy position in the 
 community and enjoying the respect and confidence 
 of his neighbors. 
 
 ---^•:N 
 
 '|W| AMES B. NORTHCUTT, who is imminently 
 identified with the mercantile interests of 
 Nebraska City, is proprietor and manager 
 of one of the oldest retail grocerj' houses in 
 the State of Nebraska. He is a Kentuckian by 
 birth, born in Millersburg, Bourbon County, Jan. 
 11, 1832. His father, Benjamin F. Nortbcutt, was 
 born in Scotland. His parents were natives of En- 
 gland, who for several years lived in Scotland. 
 They subsequently came from there to America and 
 settled in Kentucky, and later they moved to Boone 
 County, Mo., and spent their last years there. 
 
 The fatlier of our subject learned the trades of 
 carpenter and millwright when he was young. In 
 the spring of 1836 he moved to Missouri and lo- 
 cated in Boone County, being one of the first set- 
 tlers of that section of country. There were no 
 railways then, and he and his family made the 
 journey to their new home with teams. That part 
 of the country was then heavily timbered, and Mr. 
 Northcutt bought a tr.act of land and erected one 
 of the first saw and grist mills in that section. He 
 operated the mills untd 1842, when a freshet swept 
 them awaj'. He then moved to Nashville, on the 
 Missouri River, but after working at his trade as a 
 carpenter a short time, went to Buchanan County 
 Mo., and there built a steam saw and grist mill, 
 which he managed very successfully until 18G3, 
 when, on accoupt of the war, he suspended business. 
 He is now an esteemed resident of Blue Springs 
 Kan., and at the age of eighty-six 3-ears still retains 
 much of his early vigor. The maiden name of his 
 
 -•►HK 
 
»► I I <•• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 491 
 
 wife was Angeline McGufflii, and she was born in 
 Scotland and came to America with lier parents. 
 .She died in 1869. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was four 3-ears old 
 when his parents moved to Missouri, where he was 
 reared to manhood. There being no free schools, 
 he obtained his education in a school taught on the 
 subscription plan. As soon as he was large enough 
 he commenced to work to earn his own living, his 
 first emploj'ment being to saw wood at twenty-five 
 cents a cord. When he was in his eleventh year he 
 commenced to work in a brickyard at St. .Joseph, 
 Mo., receiving $4 a month for the first two years 
 and 16 a month the next two j'ears, as compensation 
 for his services, working hard from sunrise until 
 sunset. When he was fifteen years old he had his 
 first experience of the mercantile life as a clerk in 
 a general store in St. Joseph, Mo., receiving a suit 
 of clothes in payment for his work. He attended 
 Lexington College during the winter season, and 
 thus completed an excellent business education. 
 When his parents first settled in Buchanan County 
 it was in a very wild condition and was sparsely 
 settled. St. Joseph was a liamlet of but a few log 
 cabins, and the only hotel in the city was a log 
 house. Indians were more plentiful than white peo- 
 ple, and one time when our subject w.as about nine 
 3'ears old he stole awaj' from home and joined the 
 Indians on one of their hunting expeditions and 
 was gone thirty daj's. 
 
 Mr. Northcutt continued to clerk for the same 
 firm until 1862, when he started, in the month of 
 October, from Kansas Citj' with a train of ox-teams 
 loaded with freight bound for Ft. Union, N. M., 
 900 miles distant. He made the round trip, and 
 arrived in Kansas City Feb. 3, 1863. He had not 
 slept in a house during all the long journey. In 
 May, 1863, he bought a pair of mules .and a wagon, 
 and set out from St. Joseph for the gold fields of 
 Idaho. He crossed the Missouri River at Peru in 
 the month of Maj', and from Nebraska City pro- 
 ceeded across the plains, via Salt Lake to Idaho 
 City, which he reached on the 3d of July. On the 
 same day he eng.aged as a miner, at $7 a day. He 
 conti^iued thereuntil October, 1864, and then, after 
 spending a few days in W.alla Walla City, went 
 down the Columbia River to Portland, Ore., and 
 
 >► I I <• 
 
 from there to Victoria, British America, and thence 
 to San Francisco. After staying there a month, he 
 proceeded to his old home in Missouri by way of 
 the Isthmus of Panama and New York Cit3', and 
 finally arrived in St. Joseph in January. 1865. He 
 there engaged with J. E. Barrow & Co., and went 
 with a train to Salt Lake City, crossing the Mis- 
 souri River April 1, and arriving at Salt Lake Sep- 
 tember 25. There was a train of ninety-eighty 
 wagons, all heavily laden, and on the 2d and 3d of 
 August the teamsters had a battle with the Indians, 
 who were then on the warpath, but they escaped 
 without the loss of a man. He acted as a clerk for 
 Barrow & Co. in Salt Lake City until the following 
 December, when he started on his return with a 
 mule train for Atchison City, and thence pro- 
 ceeded to St. Joseph. At one time during the war 
 Mr. Northcutt started from Kansas City to go to 
 Independence to buy cattle for his employers. He 
 had not gone far before he was advised to return, 
 as Quantrell's guerrillas were infesting the country, 
 and were more numerous than he had expected. 
 He did not heed the warning, however, as he was a 
 man of steadj' nerve and cool courage, but kept on 
 until he met a party of soldiers who had been at- 
 tacked l)y the rebel marauders, and were fleeing for 
 their lives. He then concluded that " discretion 
 would indeed be the better part of valor," and 
 wisely returned to Kansas City. He soon after 
 went to Lawrence, Kan., for the same purpose, and 
 in that State he found trading rather unpleasant, 
 as the people were at that time quite suspicious of 
 anj' one coming from the Southwestern States. He, 
 however, satisfied all queries, and finally reached 
 Lawrence all right, and then returned, after buying 
 ^8,000 worth of cattle. 
 
 Mr. Northcutt came to Nebraska City in the 
 spring of 1866, arriving on the 15th of April, and 
 at once established himself in the grocery business, 
 which he has conducted continuously since with 
 marked success. He is now one of the leading 
 grocers here, and is numbered among the men of 
 wealth in the city. 
 
 Mr. Northcutt was married, in March, 1865, to 
 Miss Katie Toole, a native of Weston, Mo., and a 
 daughter of W. C. Toole. They have five children 
 living, namely: Ebbie, Harry, Jesse, Wilbur and V 
 
.^1^ 
 
 *. ^ 492 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 iT" 
 
 James. Our subject is a man of wirle experience, 
 is prompt and wide-awaije in business, and by bis 
 strictly honorable dealings has gained the confidence 
 of his fellow-citizens. The a<lvice and support of 
 such a man are greatly valued in the administration 
 of the civic affairs of a prosperous and growing 
 municipality like Nebraska City, as is evinced by 
 the fact that Mr. Northcutt has served as a mem- 
 ber of the Citj' Council for eight years; and his 
 wisdom is also sought in the guidance of the affairs 
 of the Christian Church, of which he and his wife 
 are devoted members, and he has been its Secretary 
 and Treasurer. Sociall}', he is identified with the 
 A. F. & A. M., belonging to Nebraska City Lodge 
 No. 12. 
 
 ON. WILLIAM B. HAIL, deceased. Otoe 
 County is greatlj' indebted for its wonderful 
 growth and present prosperity to the men of 
 intelligence, enterprise and action who were 
 its pioneers, and who have watched with intense 
 interest its entire development. The subject of 
 this sketch was identified with those early settlers, 
 and took a verj' active part in the public life of 
 the county, and also of the Territory, as he was for 
 several years a prominent member of the Territorial 
 Legislature, and it gives us much pleasure to be 
 able to transcribe to these pages a brief .account of 
 his life and work. 
 
 Mr. Hail was born in Graj'son County, Va., 
 Aug. 4, 1811, and his father, Stephen Hail, was 
 born on the same farm. Lewis Hail, the grand- 
 father of our subject, was a native of Franklin 
 County, Va., and was one of the early settlers of 
 Grayson County. He took up a large tract of tim- 
 ber land there, and made his home in that county 
 ■until his death. He Lad six sons and two daugh- 
 ters, and he gave each of them a farm close by his 
 homestead, and all but one of them spent their 
 entire lives there. The father of our subject in- 
 herited the old homestead where he was born, and 
 there, after a well-spent life as a farmer and stock- 
 raiser, he closed his ej'es to the scenes of earth in 
 tiie month of February, 1854. He \Vas a valiant 
 soldier in the War of 1812, and his record in public 
 and in private life was that of an honest, upright. 
 
 siigacious man. The maiden name of his wife was 
 Frances Bourne, and she was also a native of Grayson 
 County, Va. They were the parents of eleven 
 children, all of whom grew to maturity. 
 
 William B. Hail, of whom we write, was reared 
 in the home of his birth, and received an excellent 
 training in agricultur.al pursuits. He was married 
 in his native county, Jan. 31, 1833, to Miss Matilda 
 Jones, who was also born in Grii3-son County. Aug. 
 13, 1811, being the date of her birth, and she is 
 a daughter of Maj. Abner and Hannah (Forbes) 
 Jones, natives of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Hail 
 have eight children living, of whom the following 
 is the record : C. Currin lives in Omaha ; Silas 
 Friel lives on the homestead with his parents; Laura 
 J. is the wife of L. F. Cornutt, of Nebraska City ; 
 Celia is the wife of James S. Miller, of Nebraska 
 City; Alverda lives at home; Scott, Taylor and 
 Stephen A. are residents of Nebraska Cit}'. 
 
 AVhile our subject remained a resident of his Vir- 
 ginia birthplace he was engaged in farming, and even 
 as a 3'oung man he became identified with the public 
 interests of Grayson County, being elected Sur- 
 veyor of the county in 1838, and served in that capac- 
 ity continuously for sixteen 3'ears, until he resigned 
 to come West. He also served four or five years as 
 Magistrate. In the last of August, 1854, Mr. Hail 
 severeil his connection with his pleasant Southern 
 home, and, accompanied by his wife and nine chil- 
 dren, started for the wilds of the far-off Territory 
 of Nebraska, making the entire journey with a car- 
 riage, two wagons and eight horses, arriving in Ne- 
 braska City sixty days after they set forth. The 
 sight presented to the eyes of those weary travelers 
 as they entered this promised land was far dif- 
 ferent from what one sees to-day. The rolling 
 prairies stretched away to the West a wild sea of 
 grass, with no signs of human habitation, as the set- 
 tlements were then confined to the river. Deer and 
 antelopes were plentiful, and away off toward the 
 western boundary of the Territory buffaloes roamed 
 at will. The land was held by the Government 
 and had not been surveyed, and the Indians still 
 lingered about their old hunting-grounds. Where 
 Nebraska Citj' now stands they found about half 
 a dozen rudely constructed houses and but one 
 store, which was kept in a small frame building, lo- 
 
 -^1^ 
 
*li 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ••► 
 
 493 
 
 ■M9 
 
 i 
 
 cated on the north side of Main street near the 
 corner of Sixth street. There was no railway west 
 of the Mississippi, and all travel and transportation 
 was either by team or by boat, and one ma}' readily 
 judge that the facilities for communicating with 
 their friends in the East were not of the best. In 
 this connection Mr. Hail related that Charles Pierce 
 was the first Postmaster, and that the mail, which 
 was received but once or twice each week, was 
 brought ou horseback from Sidney, Iowa, and when 
 Mr. Hail went for his share Mrs. Pierce would take 
 a box from under the l)ed and select his from the 
 rest. 
 
 Mr. Hail made a claim to a tract of land now in- 
 cluded in the city, and known as Hail & Co.'s 
 Addition. A few days after coming here he and 
 his nepiiew bought a sawmill in Iowa, and he drew 
 it here with his horses and operated it by horse- 
 power for a year, settlers coming in so rapidly that 
 they could sell their lumber as fast as they could 
 manufacture it. Mr. Hail had been a resident here 
 but three weeks when the first election was held, at 
 whicii delegates were elected to the first Territorial 
 Legislature, and he was chosen to represent Otoe 
 Count}-. He proved to be a wise and able states- 
 man, and he was influential in obtaining the passage 
 of many of the most important measures devised 
 for the advancement of Territorial interests, and 
 for the preservation of law and order. So well 
 pleased were his constituents by his course, that he 
 was sent to represent them in the halls of legislation 
 five terms in succession. Mr. Hail also held the 
 office of Justice of the Peace for some years after 
 coming here. He was always a Democrat in poli- 
 tics, and cast his first vote for Gen. Jackson. Mr. 
 Hail met his death by being run over by a railroad 
 train near his home, on the 1st day of October, 
 1888. 
 
 x^^ IIARLES W. STAHLHUT, who is said to be 
 (l( n ''"^ ^^ ^^^ finest looking men in Nebraska 
 ^^^ City, is no less a stirring member of the 
 business community, and is engaged in general mer- 
 chandising on Central avenue, where he occupies a 
 fine new brick block, which was erected by him in 
 ^' the^wino^of 1888. This building at 07ice attracts 
 
 the attention of the stranger passing through the 
 city, it being not only an ornament to the town, but 
 occupied by some of its leading enterprises. Mr. 
 Stahlhut commenced in life dependent upon his own 
 resources, and has climbed up step by step to an 
 enviable position socially and financially. 
 
 A native of Westphalen, Germany, our subject 
 was born Nov. 26, 1841, and is consequentlj' in the 
 prime of life and the midst of his usefulness. His 
 parents, Frederick and Ernestine (Senne) Stahlhut, 
 were also of German birth and ancestry, and the 
 father also followed merchandising, spending with 
 his excellent wife his entire life upon his naUve soil. 
 He died about 1873, aged sixty-five years, and the 
 mother in 1878, when sixty-nine years old. Their 
 five children were named respectively: Frederick, 
 Charles W., Frederick William G., Ernestine and 
 Lena. They are all living, our subject and his 
 brother being the only ones in the United States. 
 
 In common with the youth of his native land, 
 our subject was placed in school at an early age, 
 where he received a practical education, and later 
 learned the carpenter's trade. In the spring of 
 1868 he decided to emigrate to America, and set- 
 tling in DuPage County, 111., emploj'ed himself as 
 a farm laborer for a few months. Not quite satis- 
 fied, however, with the outlook in the Prairie State, 
 he came to Nebraska City with a capital of $20 in 
 his pocket, and resumed his trade of carpenter. 
 Later we find him clerking in a grocery store, which 
 also combined general merchandise. He was simi- 
 larly occupied until 1875, and in the meantime ex- 
 ercising the economy which is a well-known char- 
 acteristic of his jiationality, he saved up a snug 
 sum of mone}', which, with his unlimited credit, 
 enabled him to establish in business, Oct. 13, 
 1875, in comjiany with a partner, under the firm 
 name of Straub & Stahlhut. He operated with Mr. 
 Straub for a period of three years, and then substi- 
 stutcd his brother for Mv. Straub, and the two lat- 
 ter have carried on business two years successfully 
 with a prosperous outlook for the future. 
 
 Mr. Stahlhut, in 1873, purchased the lots whereon 
 his building now stands, which was erected during 
 tlie summer of 1888, and is called the Stalilhut 
 Block; it covers an area of 48x80 feet, is two stories 
 in heiglit, built of brick, .and equipped with all mod- 
 
 ■^•- 
 
 i- 
 
494 
 
 >«► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ern conveniences. The business of C. W. Stahl- 
 liut occupies half of this building, while the other 
 half is rented to other parties. 
 
 Our subject, in Kovember, 1876, was united in 
 marriage with Miss Anna Wille, who was born in 
 Brooklyn, N. Y., in January, 1856, and came to Ne- 
 braska City with her parents in 1870. The latter, 
 August and Emily Wille, were natives of Germany ; 
 the father is now deceased, and the mother resides 
 in Nebraska City. Mr. and Mrs. S. are the parents 
 of five children, namely : Emily, Clara, Elsie, Hilda 
 and Carl. Our subject, politically, is a lively Re- 
 publican, and, with his estimable wife, is a member 
 in good standing of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 ^f_^ ERBERT H. REED. Among the agricult- 
 Wjjj. nrists of Delaware Precinct there are few 
 Ij^^ more enterprising or successful than the gen- 
 ial tleman whose biography is here briefly |)re- 
 sented. There are many his senior in age, and of 
 larger experience, but he possesses in no small me.is- 
 ure the vim and Western push that count for so 
 much in the development of a corapar.'itively new 
 region. His property is situated on section 31, and 
 is well worthy of a more extended notice than can 
 be conveniently given in this volume. 
 
 Our subject was born on the 15th of January, 
 1860, to Cyrus and Anna (Lowe) Reed, at their 
 home in Pickaway County, Ohio, which was the 
 native place also of his father, who is now deceased. 
 The latter was a farmer, and stood in the front rank 
 of successful men similar]}' engaged. With his 
 family he removed to this county in 1865 and set- 
 tled in McWilliams Precinct, where he purchased 
 over 1,600 acres of laud, which, with the exception 
 of fifteen acres that were broken, and a diminutive 
 shanty, w.<is in its virgin state. After a long sick- 
 ness, caused by Briglit's disease, he departed this 
 life in 1872. 
 
 Mr. Reed was reared under the care of his father 
 on the farm, and from his boyhood was given such 
 tasks .as his strength would permit, until he was in 
 every way competent to take full management of a 
 farm. Attending the common schools, he received 
 instructions in the ordinary branches of an English 
 
 education, and b}' careful training his mental powers 
 were developed so that he was in due time prepared 
 to take his place in the more serious engagements 
 of life. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Reed with Catherine Damme 
 was celebrated on the 23d of November, 1884, at 
 Delta. Mrs. Reed was born in Perry County, Mo., 
 and is the daughter of Frederick Damme, of Mis- 
 souri. Their union has been consummated by the 
 birth of one daughter, who bears the name of Car- 
 rie E. 
 
 The homestead of our sul^ject is 320 acres in ex- 
 tent, and although some attention is given to grain 
 farming, he makes a specialty of raising graded 
 stock of fine breed. He has erected a complete set 
 of the needed buildings, stables and cattle pens, and 
 these are above the average in pointof stability .and 
 arrangement, convenience and finish. He is a man 
 who takes an interest in the various enterprises that 
 promise to advance the interest of the community 
 or town. Politically, be is a stanch Republican, and 
 an earnest worker in a modest waj-. 
 
 A view of the home of Mr. Reed is given on an- 
 other page, in which it will be seen that both indus- 
 try and taste have been emplo}'ed to make it both 
 valuable and attractive. It forms no unimportant 
 item in the great whole which distinguishes Otoe 
 County as a section of country peculiarly fortunate 
 in the men who have directed its destinies. 
 
 ^^ HARLES DANN, a native of Lincolnshire, 
 fif England, emigrated to the United States in 
 
 ^9^y 1852, when a j-oung man seventeen 3'ears of 
 age, and is now numbered among the well-to-do 
 farmers of McAVilliams Precinct. He was born 
 Aug. 8, 1 835, and after his bo.yhood days were over, 
 was employed at farming near the place of his birth 
 until reaching manhood. His mother died when he 
 was about eighteen years of age. James Dann, our 
 subject's father, came to this country the following 
 spring, and at Clinton, Iowa, he spent the remain- 
 der of his da3's, psissing awa}' when ripe in years. 
 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject 
 was Mary Ketler. The parental household included 
 eight sons and two daughters, five of whom are now 
 
 ^U 
 
Residence or Charles Dann,5ec.7. ivi£ Williams Precinct. 
 
 Residence of H. H.Reed, Sec.3I. Delaware Precinct 
 
-thM^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 497 
 
 living. Charles, our subject, was a resident of 
 Scott County, Iowa, a period of four years, from 
 1852 until 1856, when lie came to Nebraska, set- 
 tling: at first in the city uf Omaha. For some years 
 afterward he was engaged as a teamster across the 
 plains, being the pioneer of this business, making 
 his first journey in the fall of 1859. For two years 
 he lived in Colorado, and had ample experience 
 ■witu frontier life, and some experience with Indians. 
 Upon coming to this county he purchased, in 1868, 
 331 .acres of land which comprises the fine home- 
 stead in his possession to-day. He has himself 
 effected all the improveraents upon it, laying off the 
 land into convenient fields with neat fences, putting 
 up a residence, barns and out-buildings, gathering 
 together the farm stock and machinery, and has now 
 one of the most desirable estates in the county. 
 Among the numerous views presented in this vol- 
 ume may be found that of the residence and sur- 
 roundings belonging to this gentleman. Our subject, 
 in 1873, was united in m.arriage with Miss .Jane Will- 
 iams, the wedding taking place at the home of the 
 bridegroom in McWdliams Precinct. Mrs. Dann 
 was born in Toronto, Canada, and came to the 
 States with her uncle in 1867 ; her parents were John 
 and Henrietta (Fitzgerald) AVilliams. Her f.ather 
 was a carpenter by occupation, and a native of 
 Closbyshire, England. He crossed the Atlantic in 
 1850, and spent his last years in Palmyra Precinct, 
 on the western line of this county, wliere his death 
 took place about 1883. Mrs. Dann lived for several 
 years before her marriage with her uncle in Nebraska. 
 Of her union with our subject there has been born 
 one child, a daughter, Ettia M., who continues at 
 home with her parents. Mr. Dann has become thor- 
 oughly Americanized, meddles very little with 
 politics, and signifies his sentiments of freedom and 
 equality by voting independently. 
 
 •rsi^l 
 
 <Tt. ENRY BRINKMANN occupies an uncon- 
 WjWj troverted position among the substantial 
 'M^ farmers of Otoe County, and is located 
 ■(^ on section 14 of Syracuse Precinct. He is 
 a native of Hanover, Germany, where he was born 
 on the 9th of .January, 1827. In early life he was 
 
 bound as an apprentice, and learned the trade of a 
 tailor, but did not follow it after attaining his ma- 
 jority. At that time he was united in marriage 
 with Louisa Tagmeyer, who was born in Prussia in 
 the year 1829. 
 
 Our subject and his young wife settled in the 
 village of Neanberg, and their residence being quite 
 large they derived quite an income from the rental 
 of rooms by them unneeded for other purposes. 
 Mr. Brinkraann gave his attention to agricultural 
 pursuits, and being a thorough, practical man. and 
 fully conversant with farming, was enabled to su])- 
 port his family in comfort and comparative afflu- 
 ence, and also accumulated a surplus. 
 
 The first misfortune that befell Mr. Brinkraann 
 came to him in the year 1858, when his wife was 
 removed from his side by the imperious and never 
 to be denied destroyer. Death, leaving him with 
 two little ones who had been born to them. One 
 of these is now deceased ; the other, Lena, now the 
 wife of August Bartling, of Beatrice, this State. 
 
 Some time after the above bereavement our sub- 
 ject became the husband of Christina Bierman. He 
 continued to make his home in Germany until the 
 year 1869, then with his family he took passage at 
 Bremen on the steamship " Baltimore," and after a 
 stormy passage of eighteen days' duration landed 
 in the harbor of the cit^' of the same name. This 
 trip was anything but pleasant, and will always be 
 remembered. Mrs. Brinkmann was sick through- 
 out the passage, and the task of caring for her and 
 their little famil3' devolved upon him. 
 
 Landing at Baltimore Mr. Brinkmann was unable 
 either to speak or understand one word of the 
 English tongue, and unfortunately he fell into the 
 hands of men whose despicable employment it was to 
 fleece him and others similarly situated of their 
 little hard-earned store, rather than lend a hand to 
 smooth the difficulties from his path and assist him 
 on his way. He purchased, as he supposed, a rail- 
 road ticket for Nebraska City, but upon reaching 
 Chicago was called upon for |30 more in order to 
 carry him to Council Bluffs, where another $15 was 
 demanded to take him to Nebr.aska City. The rail- 
 road company left him at Eastford, opposite Ne- 
 braska City, where he was met by a Mr. Stroup, 
 who, instead of telling him that his tickets were 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 498 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 good to the city, took him in and kept him over- 
 night at his hotel, if such a place as he used for 
 that purpose could by anj' stretch of the imagin- 
 ation be deemed fit for such designation, even 
 though a word of such vast latitude as that of 
 " hotel " be used. In the morning he was called 
 upon for $11 hotel bill, and a man was hired to 
 bring him to where he now lives, and for this was 
 charged an additional $10. Looking back over this 
 experience he cannot but contrast it with the fact 
 that he has manj' times since taken a full load of 
 potatoes to Nebraska City, and only realized one- 
 half that amount. 
 
 The troubles of our subject were not over, al- 
 though he had reached Nebraska City. He had 
 come thus far to a half-brother who had been in 
 the country several years, and owned a piece of land 
 in the neighborhood. In all kindness of heart this 
 gentleman sold to our subject forty aci-es of land at 
 $19 per acre, and when subsequently he learned that 
 be could have obtained just as good or better for 
 $5, or which would have been even of greater advan- 
 tage to him, have entered a homestead, he did not 
 appreciate his relative's goodness as he had done at 
 first. Upon his arrival he had $1,346 left, but at 
 the end of one year he was in debt. The land was 
 almost wholly unimproved, his house was but a 
 shanty, and having no team he was compelled to 
 exchange work with his neighbors, in order to effect 
 anything at all. 
 
 The first true friend our subject met upon Amer- 
 ican soil was a gentleman who still occupies a 
 prominent position in Nebraska City, and whose 
 life story will be found presented in compendious 
 form in this volume. This was Carl Korff, who, 
 appreciating the situation, gave him kindly and 
 valuable counsel, trusted him with goods and other 
 things that were needed, and extended to him a 
 helping hand. Our subject worked on the con- 
 struction of the railroad at Belmont, aTid the familj' 
 managed as best they could in very straitened cir- 
 cumstances for over two years, living chiefly upon 
 corn bread, bearing their hardships and trials in a 
 bright and cheerful spirit, although manj' a tear was 
 shed when the situation in all its forcefulness pre- 
 sented itself before them. But this has long since 
 passed awaj'. With the hel|) of tiie good Samari- 
 
 tan friend, slowly but surely he has progressed, and 
 to-day, if lie needed it, could raise an almost un- 
 limited amount in a very few hours. He is one 
 of the largest land-owners of the county, having 
 600 acres of pasture land, which is occupied by a 
 large herd of cattle, and which he has leased. 
 
 The second wife of oursubject died on the 22d 
 of March, 1871. She was the mother of seven chil- 
 dren, three of whom are now living, viz: Minnie, 
 Charley and Freda. The other children died in 
 Germany. On the 30th of June, 1871, he was 
 united in marriage with Sophia Steba. This lady 
 was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, in 1842, and 
 is the daughter of John and Mary Steba. Her 
 father died in his native country, and after that 
 bereavement her mother came to the United .States, 
 and now resides in this county. She has three 
 sisters also living in this State, who bear the names 
 Marj', Minnie and Frederika. She has presented 
 her husband with five children, four of whom now 
 survive, viz: Henry, who was born on the 26th of 
 April, 1872; Anna, on the 10th of February, 1875; 
 Mary, Feb. 25, 1877; Sophia, on the 22d of Janu- 
 ary, 1885. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is one of the sub- 
 stantial and earnest members of the Lutheran 
 Church, as is also his wife. He is a stanch adherent 
 of the Democratic party, and has so been since he 
 has been able to understand and appreciate the in- 
 stitutions and political relations of his adopted 
 countrj*. He is ver}' highly esteemed throughout 
 the community, and has a character that will bear 
 the closest investigation. As a result he holds an 
 unrivalled position in the community as a man of 
 honor and integrity. 
 
 ^^^EORGE K. BOTTCHER is successful as 
 general farmer, and operates 260 acres 
 on section 17, Mc Williams Precinct; the 
 farm usually produces good crops, even when others 
 fail, for the reason that it is watered b}' the Nemaha 
 River, which is a most valuable acquisition. This 
 farm he has owned since 1883, but his connection 
 with the State dates from one 3-ear earlier. Pre- 
 viously he had lived in Gasconade County, Mo., 
 
 ■•►-11^ 
 
-4^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ■•»- 
 
 499 
 
 T 
 
 where he had made his home for twentj'-two years, 
 having been brought up and educated there. He 
 was born on the loth of March, 1857, in Germany, 
 and came to the United States with his parents 
 when be was two years of age. 
 
 The subject of ourskcteli is the son of Henry .ind 
 Ellen (Dricker) Bottcher, who were natives of Ger- 
 many. Upon coming to America they located in 
 Missouri, and there made their home and became 
 identified with the agricultural interests of the State. 
 There the father died in September, 1885, having 
 reached the age of seventj' years. He was for a 
 number of years a member of tiie Methodist Church. 
 He took a great interest in the politics of his coun- 
 try, and usuallj' voted the Republican ticket. His 
 wife is yet living with her oldest son, and has 
 reached the age of sixty -six years. 
 
 Tiie subject of our sketch was the ninth of twelve 
 cliildren born to his parents, the family circle com- 
 ]3rising five sons and seven daughters. Seven mem- 
 bers of the family are still living, and are all now 
 married. Mr. Bottcher was united in wedlock with 
 Anna Renkin, who was born in Germany, on the 
 21st of May, 1857. She came when eight 3'ears of 
 age to this country with her father, Henry Renkin, 
 who located in Rock Creek Precinct, where he still 
 resides and has became a large land-owner, and is 
 numbered also among the successful farmers. The 
 wife of our subject has presented him with three 
 children, viz: Henry G., John F. and William F. 
 She has also one child by a previous marri.age. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bottcher are regular attendants of 
 the Lutheran Church, with which they have been 
 connected for many years. Our subject is not 
 prominent in political circles, but is a stanch Re- 
 publican, and usually votes that ticket. 
 
 OSEPH B. BALLARMAN. In the Grand 
 Duchy of Oldenburg, Germany, on the 14th 
 of September, 1 830, was born a bo}' bab^' who 
 (^^' is now numbered among the most successful 
 farmers and stock-raisers of Rock Creek Precinct. 
 He is a man who has inherited from his substantial 
 German ancestry those qualities of perseverance and 
 resolution which have upheld him through many 
 
 4* 
 
 difficulties, and which are the secret of his present 
 success. For the last twentj'-one j'ears he has oper- 
 ated successfully a farm of 160 acres on section 4, 
 which he eliminated from a tract of raw prairie land 
 into one of the most desirable homesteads, and he 
 also has 100 acres on section 33, Belmont Precinct, 
 Otoe County. He keeps a good assortment of live 
 stock, has a comfortable residence, a good barn and 
 all the other necessary buildings, and is surrounding 
 himself and his family with everything needful for 
 their comfort and enjOyment. 
 
 Our subject is the son of Joseph and Mary Ballar- 
 man, whose family consisted of three children, and 
 of whom Joseph is the only survivor. The father, 
 a farmer by occupation, spent his entire life upon 
 his native soil, and died at the age of sixty-six 
 years. The mother had preceded her husband to 
 the silent land many years before, dying In the 
 prime of life, when her son Joseph was a little lad 
 three years of age. He was reared by his father, 
 and lived with him until attaining his majorit3'. 
 Not long afterward he set sail for the New World, 
 making his way first to Hamilton County, Ohio, 
 whence he migrated three years later to White 
 County, Ind., thence he crossed the Mississippi into 
 Monroe County, Iowa,- employing himself there as 
 a farm laborer two years. 
 
 After the outbreak of the Rebellion our subject 
 enlisted as a soldier in the Union Army in Com- 
 pany D, 22d Iowa Infantry, the company under 
 command of Capt. Wilson, and the regiment under 
 command of Col. Stone. The latter formed a por- 
 tion of the 13th Army Corps, and our subject with 
 his comrades subsequently met the rebels in many 
 of the most important battles of the war, namely: 
 at Gibson, Miss., May 1, 1863; Champion Hills, 
 May 16; Black River Bridge, May 17; and the 
 siege of Vicksburg, ending on the 4th of July, 1864. 
 After fort}' days of almost continual fighting they 
 moved to Jackson, Miss., meeting the enemy there 
 July 17, 1863, and afterward our subject was at 
 Winchester, Va., Sept. 19, 1864; at Fisher's Hill, 
 September 22, and at Cedar Creek October 13 to 
 19 following. 
 
 Mr. Ballarman, although frequently in the thick- 
 est of the fight, escaped unhurt from the dangers of 
 shot and shell, although the hardships and priva- 
 
 T 
 
• ► 1 1 ^^ 
 
 f 
 
 ■*►- 
 
 a 500 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 tions of array life had their natural effect upon his 
 health. He reported for daily duty without fail, 
 and at the close of the war received his honorable 
 discharge at Savannah, Ga., July 25, 1865. Soon af- 
 terward he sought his old haunts in Monroe County, 
 Iowa, where he was most properly welcomed as one 
 of those who had douQ most patriotic service in be- 
 half of their adopted country. 
 
 Leaving Iowa in the fall of 1865, our subject 
 came to this county a single man. It was not verj' 
 long, however, before he met the ladj' who became 
 his wife, Miss Anna Sardnery, to whom he was mar- 
 ried in Otoe County, Aug. 19, 1867. Mrs. Ballar- 
 man was born in the Empire of Austria July 2, 
 1840, and emigrated alone to America when a 
 young lady of twenty -five j'ears. She at once made 
 her way westward t.o this county, and two years 
 later became the wife of our subject. She is now 
 the mother of seven children, two of whom, Anna 
 and Tlieresa, died when very young. The sur- 
 vivors, Lizzie, Joseph G., Katie, Mary and John, 
 are all at home with their parents. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to state that Mr. Ballar- 
 man is a fervent supporter of Republican principles. 
 Both he and his excellent wife attend the Catholic 
 Church at Rock Creek. 
 
 ^^ EORGE S. BOTSFORD. The picture of the 
 
 ( Gw' complete home is amply illustrated in the 
 ^^1 surroundings of the subject of this biog- 
 raphy wlio, with his estimable wife, which com- 
 prises his family, is spending his declining years 
 surrounded by all that makes life desirable. His 
 has been a career eminently praiseworthy, filled in 
 with industry and good deeds, during which he has 
 built up for himself the record of an honest man 
 and a good citizen. Providence hasgreatlj' blessed 
 him in his labors, giving him strength of body and 
 mind, enabling him not only to provide hand- 
 somely for his own necessities, but assist those less 
 fortunate. 
 
 The modest dwelling of ]\lr. Botsford is attract- 
 ive within and conveniently arranged, while with- 
 out are orchards, groves, the smaller fruit trees and 
 shrubbery, barns, cattle sheds, and all the other 
 
 .^h 
 
 buildings necessary for his own convenience, for the 
 domestic animals and for the storage of grain. 
 These are the results of the industry of the proprie- 
 tor, who settled up his present homestead when the 
 land had undergone very little cultivation. Of late 
 years he has given much attention to stock-raising, 
 and it has been remarked by those who have seen 
 them that his swine are as fine as any to be seen in 
 the State of jSebraska. 
 
 Next to a man's own personal record is that of 
 those from whom he drew his origin. The parents 
 of'our subject, Elnathan and Zilpha (Terry) Bots- 
 ford, were natives of Livingston County, N. Y.; the 
 father was born near Livonia and the mother near 
 Lima. Elnathan Botsford was a painter by trade, 
 but died when a j'oung man thirty-two years of age 
 in 1837, in his native town. The family included 
 two sons only, our subject and his elder brother 
 William. The latter, when a little lad six j'ears of 
 age, removed with an uncle to Seneca County, Ohio, 
 and was joined there by the mother and George S. 
 the year following, when the latter was five years 
 old. The mother had been left in limited circum- 
 stances, and two years later contracted a second 
 marriage, the issue of which was three more chil- 
 dren. Two only of these are now living, and in this 
 State. 
 
 George S. Botsford was born Maj' 27, 1835, near 
 Livonia, Livingston Co., N. Y., and after the 
 second marriage of his mother was placed in charge 
 of a guardian, Oliver Crockett, who proved a very 
 kind man, and finding the boy not properly cared 
 for, took him into his own home, where he remained 
 until a youth of seventeen years. Mr. Crockett then 
 gave him his cfioice of remaining with him or going 
 into a store at Green Springs. He chose the latter, 
 but on account of impaired health returned to Mr. 
 Crockett and assisted him as well as he could in the 
 tanner}'. Later, through the influence of his guar- 
 dian, he secured a position as purchasing agent of 
 an Eastern manufacturing company, which handled 
 black walnut lumlier. His duties then lay in 
 Southern Michigan, to which he repaired, and was a 
 resident of that section for one and one-half j'ears. 
 
 In the spring of 1854 Mr. Botsford, then a man 
 of nineteen years, crossed the Mississippi River and 
 purchased 160 acres of land in Faj'ctte County, ^ r 
 
 "^r* 
 
t 
 
 * ► I I <• 
 
 -•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 501 
 
 Iowa. He, however, did not settle upon this, but 
 eng.iged as a stage driver from Dubuque to St. 
 Paul, Minn., and driving four and six horses_ 
 Later, for a period of fifteen months, he drove a 
 stage from West Union to Decorah, Iowa. This 
 contract ended, he began hauling goods for a mer- 
 chant at West Union to and from McGregor, Iowa, 
 and was thus occupied until after the outbreak of 
 t he Civil War, 
 
 Mr. Botsford now sold out his teams and enlisted 
 in the State Militia, expecting to join the first 75,- 
 000 men called for by President Lincoln. On the 
 8th of June, 1861, his regiment was sworn into the 
 National service at Keokuk, Iowa. Mr. B. was a 
 member of Companj^ F, 3d Iowa Infantry, and af- 
 ter drilling awhile at Keokuk, Iowa, they departed 
 first to Hannibal, Mo., and during the summer of 
 1861 his regiment was stationed as guards along 
 the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad in Northern 
 IMissouri. 
 
 Our subject first saw the smoke of battle at Pal- 
 myra, Mo., in June, 1861 ; was at Ft. Henry, and was 
 later at Ft. Doiielson. At the latter place he first 
 looked upon Gen. Grant, and declares that, not- 
 withstanding reports, "the General was not drunk.'' 
 Mr. Botsford subsequently fought at Pittsburg 
 Landing, the siege of Corinth, and later was 
 stationed with his regiment as a guard along the 
 Charleston & Memphis Kailroad. 
 
 The spring of 186.3 saw the Army of the West 
 moving toward Vicksburg, in the siege of wliichour 
 subject participated. The winter of 1863-64 was 
 passed in the vicinity of Natchez, Miss. Tbe term 
 of enlistment of Mr. B. having expired he veteran- 
 ized, and was commissioned Orderly Sergeant. Sub- 
 sequently he was appointed Sergeant Major. In 
 March, 1864, he was given a furlough, and return- 
 ing to Iowa settled up various business matters there, 
 and upon rejoining his regiment marched with the 
 army of Gen. Sherman to the sea. On the way 
 there he fought at Chattanooga and Lookout 
 Mountain, Missionary Ridge. Dalton,Rorae and At- 
 lanta. For valiant service he was made Captain 
 of Company B, and after the death of Lieut. Col. 
 Jacob Abernathy, was placed in regimental com- 
 mand. 
 
 On the 21st and 22d of July, 1864, the regiment 
 
 of our subject lost heavily at the battle of Atlanta, 
 and on account of their reduced numbers were made 
 a p.art of the 2d Iowa, and Mr. Botsford was given 
 a Captain's commission under Gov. Stone, with 
 which rank he was mustered out at the close of the 
 war. The 17th of January, 1865, found them re- 
 turning North through the Carolinas, during which 
 they marched through Goldsboro, and experienced 
 the terrors of the dismal swamp, where the soldiers 
 underwent great sufferings, being exposed to 
 nightly frosts of great severity, and often making 
 their way through mire and water knee deep. This 
 naturally resulted in much sickness and death 
 among the soldiers, and while at Goldsboro they 
 received the news of Lee's surrender. This buoyed 
 up the sinking spirits of the troops and gave them 
 courage to push on to their destination. On ac- 
 count of his bravery and fidelity to duty Capt. 
 Botsford was the recipient of the commission of 
 Lieutenant Colonel, the papers reaching him al- 
 though he was never sworn in. 
 
 Our subject looks upon liiis period of his life as 
 an experience with which he would not willingly 
 part, although it was one fraught with many hard- 
 ships. Although he was remarkably fortunate in 
 escaping wounds, sickness and death, the sufferings 
 of those around him were such as to leave an in- 
 effaceable impression upon his mind for all time to 
 come. He became intimately acquainted with the 
 brave Gen. McPherson during liis boyhood, but 
 with his characteristic modesty he never made 
 his presence known to the General, and it was onlj'^ 
 by accident that the latter learned in the third year 
 of his service that his old boyhood acquaintance 
 was in the same division. Capt. Botsford marched 
 with his comrades to Washington, and had the 
 pleasure of being present at the grand review, and 
 of marching with his com pan}' through the streets 
 of Davenport, Iowa, where they were honorably 
 discharged on the 19th of July, 1865. 
 
 Our subject now returning to Fayette County, 
 went from there in August following to Sandusky 
 County, Ohio, where he occupied himself at farm- 
 ing until March, 1869. At this place he met his 
 future wife. Miss Agnes Scattergood, to whom he 
 was married at Waterloo, Ind., March 24, 1869. 
 Mrs. Botsford was born Aug. 4, 1848, at Elyri.a, 
 
 • ► I I <• 
 
 »^h 
 
502 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ■*^r* 
 
 Ohio, where she attended the common schools; she 
 was deprived by death of her affectionate mother 
 when a 3'oung girl of fifteen years. She then kept 
 house for her father until his second marriage, when 
 she was permitted to resume her studies in the High 
 School at Clyde. 
 
 Mrs. Botsford now also commenced teaching, al- 
 though at the same time pursuing her studies, and 
 thus taught and attended school for five j'ears be- 
 fore her marriage. Our subject and his wife after- 
 ward took up their residence at Waterloo, Ind., 
 where they lived until coming to this State. In the 
 spring of 1873 they settled in a little log house on 
 eighty acres of land which is now included in their 
 present farm. Here they commenced to live in 
 true pioneer style, laboring early and late in the 
 building up of their homestead and the cultivation 
 of the land. The first dwelling in 1874 was re- 
 placed b}' the present tasteful residence, and there 
 gradually grew up around it the buildings adjacent, 
 and fruit and shade trees which add so much to the 
 attractions and the value of the property. 
 
 Mrs. Botsford is the daughter of Charles W. and 
 Lucinda (Reynolds) Scattergood, the former a 
 native of Sheffield, England, and the latter of Essex 
 County, N. Y. Mr. Scattergood crossed tiie At- 
 lantic when a lad twelve years of age with his par- 
 ents, who settled in Ohio. He was married to Miss 
 Reynolds at Elyria, Ohio. They left the Buckeye 
 State about 18G8 and settled on a farm in the vicin- 
 ity of Waterloo, Ind., where he now resides, being 
 seventy-one years of age. The six children of the 
 parental family were named respectively: Irwin, 
 Agnes, Viola, Eva, George and Harrison. Of these 
 four are living, and three reside at Waterloo, Ind. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Botsford have no children, but their 
 home is the frequent resort of the many friends 
 whom they have gathered around them during their 
 long and pleasant lives. 
 
 •»He»- 
 
 ^^EORGE HARTMAN, who has been identi- 
 ijl (=> fied with Syracuse Precinct smce February, 
 ^^ 1880, resides on section 17, within about a 
 half-mile of the town of Syracuse, and is one of the 
 enterprising, intelligent and prosperous farmers and 
 
 stock-raisers of the district. He was born in Sus- 
 ses County, N. J., within forty miles of the city of 
 Philadelphia, on the 1st of November, 1811. The 
 Hartman family is of C4erman extraction, although 
 for many years its members on this side of the At- 
 lantic have been numbered among the substantial 
 and valued citizens of the United States. 
 
 The paternal great-grandfather of our subject, 
 came from Germany and settled . in New Jer- 
 sey more than 150 j-ears ago, and. was the first 
 representative of the family to cross the Atlantic 
 with the view of making his home here. His son, 
 John Hartman, the grandfather of our subject, was 
 born in New Jersey, of which State he was a 
 citizen until his death, which occurred in the year 
 1818. He followed successfully throughout his 
 long life the trade of a blacksmith, and had a large 
 business connection. The home circle was quite 
 large, and all the children attained to from sixty to 
 ninety years of age. 
 
 Tlie father of our subject, Peter Hartman, was 
 born upon the old homestead in Sussex County, 
 and was there brought up, learning the trade of his 
 father and also farming. He became the husband 
 of Betsey Pickle, also of German ancestry, and a 
 true and faithful helpmate. In 1816 this family 
 removed to Lycoming County, Pa., and there set- 
 tled upon a farm in the vicinity of three of his 
 brothers, who were each operating farms there. At 
 that home Peter Hartman passed the remainder of 
 his life, dying at the very advanced age of ninety- 
 four years, his wife having died a few years previ- 
 ously.. She had attained the good old age of eighty- 
 four 3'ears. 
 
 The mother of oursuliject gave birth to eighteen 
 children, two of whom died while quite small, and 
 six sons and four daughters are still living. Our 
 subject is the second eldest child. The first-born 
 was John, who is still living, in Lycoming County, 
 Pa., and was born in the year 1809. With the ex- 
 ception of our subject all are living in the same 
 county. The family record gives the other mem- 
 bers of the family as follows: Katie, Julia A., De- 
 borah (deceased), Hettie, Peter, Polly (deceased), 
 Barbara, Rosella, Mathia, William, Elizal)eth and 
 Amia (both deceased) and Mathias. 
 
 The subject of our sketch grew to manhood in 
 
y 
 
 »► I I <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 503 
 
 Lycoming County, and received wliat scliooling was 
 obtainable in tlie same district. When sixteen j-ears 
 of age he helped to build a school-house, which was 
 the first in the neighborhood, and upon its eom- 
 liletion seized this the first opportunity of attend- 
 ing school. When twenty-two years of age lie 
 entered the married state, and became the husband 
 of Sarah Follmer, who was also born and brought 
 up in the same place as Mr. Hartman. She was the 
 daughter of William and Katie (Scwartz) Follmer. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Hartman has been 
 consummated by the birth of fourteen children, all 
 of whom grew up to mature years. Their names 
 are recorded as follows: Henry ; Sarah J., who mar- 
 ried L. Hayes, and after his death was united with H. 
 Lake, but is now deceased; John F., who died in 
 Nebraska in 1880, leaving nine children; Catherine 
 A., now the wife of Robert Forsman; William, who 
 died during the late war; Margaret A., who died in 
 September, 1888; George, who served during the 
 war, and after spending six months in prison died 
 almost immediately at the close of hostilities; Peter, 
 now deceased ; Mary E., wife of Hiram Wise ; Thomas 
 L. ; Emma R. and Clara L., both deceased ; Ephraim 
 P., and Hattie W., Mrs. S. E. Brown, of Syracuse. 
 
 Mr. Hartman's mother was the daughter of Peter 
 and Mary (Kester) .Scwartz, who was brought from 
 Germany and sold as a slave to pay his passage. 
 Subsequently, however, he became one of the sub- 
 stantial members of the community, and owner of 
 a large distillery and gi'istmill, and had a very fine 
 home in Lycoming County. The P'oUmer family 
 also came from Germany. 
 
 Life in the present decade is more changed from 
 that of the beginning of the century than we can 
 even imagine, and the change can hardlj'be said to 
 have been gradual. Mr. and Mrs. Hartman were 
 in the age and among the people who were not 
 reached by any such conveniences as are presented 
 by the modern dry-goods factories and stores. 
 Whatever material was recjuired for the person or 
 home was woven by the good wife, and it became 
 a matter of worthy ambition and laudable pride to 
 have the reputation among neighbors and friends 
 of being the best spinner and weaver, a reputation 
 that justly came and belonged to Mrs. Hartman. 
 
 Our subject helped to clear the forest from the 
 
 •► II <• 
 
 f 
 
 surface of the land in order that it might become 
 suitable for farming purposes, and all the hardships 
 and toil, incident to what, looking back, seems to be 
 comparatively a primitive order of things, were en- 
 dured, undergone, and triumphed over by the hardy 
 pioneers of that day. There were pleasures, how- 
 ever, that are to us unknown, as, for instance, 
 that of the long winter evenings spent by the old 
 open fireplace, with its huge blazing log, the father 
 repairing or fixing some broken or injured imple- 
 ment, or perchance cleaning his gun ready for the 
 morrow; children variously emploj'ed in childish 
 frolic or tiie discharge of some light duty, and the 
 mother with affectionate, watchful care, busy at the 
 wheel. 
 
 Tlie great-grandfather of Mrs. Hartman. Freder- 
 ick Follmer, came from Germany about the year 
 1776. He was accompanied by a brother. One 
 hundred years later a family reunion was arranged, 
 and the descendants numbered about 800. The 
 grandfather of Mrs. Hartman, Adam Follmer, was 
 born in Penns3-lvania, as was also his son William. 
 
 Fourteen years after the marriage of our subject 
 he purchased a farm in Lycoming Count\\ P.a. 
 Until that time he had rented a farm in that county. 
 In 1880. leaving the home that had become 
 endeared to him by family reminiscences and in- 
 effaceable memories, our subject turned his face to 
 the Far West, came to this State, and took land in 
 this county, where he now resides. After a long 
 season of frontier life and pioneer work, which was 
 in many ways a repetition of previous experiences, 
 the land was cleared and improved, and the regular 
 farm life commenced, but so different in every way 
 as to be almost inconceivable in the greatness of 
 the contrast of farming in a new country and 
 farming in an old, staid and established community. 
 The first railroad ties for the Philadelphia & 
 Reading Railroad, at Williamsport, were cut on 
 the farm of our subject. He is the owner of 320 
 acres, which was their first purchase; 120 was sold 
 to one of the sons. The farm is in every way 
 well ])rovided for, carefully tended, and splen- 
 didly cultivated and highly fertile. All the im- 
 provements made, including the excellent farm 
 buildings, extensive orchard, and really fine dwell- 
 ing, are the work of Mr. Hartman, and he has 
 
 r 
 
•»-4^^ 
 
 504 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 
 given to the place the appearance of property that 
 has been under the domination of a master-hand 
 for at least a score of years, instead of the brief 
 space of time that has really passed since possession 
 was taken. 
 
 Mrs. Hartraan deserves all the generous expres- 
 sions of appreciation freel3' pronounced in her favor 
 as a friend, neighbor and true woman. If her hus- 
 band has accomplished much upon the farm, she has 
 done even more than her full part in the home and 
 in filling the obligations that came to her in the 
 domestic relation. Few members of her sex, per- 
 haps, have done more real hard work than she. Her 
 home has always been her first care, and it has been 
 her pleasure to make it and keep it in the best pos- 
 sible manner. Not only has she taken the raw ma- 
 terial and worked it from one stage to another until 
 it was ready for use as wearing apparel, or for the 
 various requirements of the home, but after it has 
 served these offices she has wrought a transforma- 
 tion that has made it useful as a carpet, and has cut 
 and prepared sufficient material, and from it woven 
 over 500 yards of that both useful and ornamental 
 article, the rag carpet. 
 
 This interesting family occupy a place in the 
 community and countj' that is worthj' of more ex- 
 tended remark, and in religious and social circles its 
 members are well known and received, and enjoy a 
 most desirable reputation and character. 
 
 EUBEN WHITTAKER is one of the ex- 
 tensive and prosperous agriculturists of 
 Belmont Precinct. He was born in Caroline 
 County, Va., on the 'iDth of December, 1831. 
 His father, Reuben Whittaker, was also a Virginian, 
 although of English descent, as was also his wife, 
 whose maiden name was Priscilla Saunders. The 
 occupation of the father was a farmer, and our sub- 
 ject was reared upon the home farm. 
 
 Such education as our subject could obtain as a 
 boy was received in one of the primitive school- 
 houses, where the chief building materials employed 
 were the logs from the neighboring clearing and 
 mud cement from the stream. The internal arrange- 
 ments were equally rough, but then they served 
 4* 
 
 their purpose, and there went from these houses 
 men who have made their mark in every part of 
 the world's great field of battle. 
 
 Mr. Whittaker went to Licking County, Ohio, 
 in the year 1846, and settled at Etna, which is 
 situated upon the National Park. Subsequently he 
 went to Franklin County, in the same State, and 
 worked upon a farm for three years. Then he 
 went South to Louisiana and other Southern States, 
 and also for a time worked on a flatboat on the 
 river. He went to Illinois in 1852, and for two 
 years lived in Winnebago County, near the town of 
 Rockford. From there he went to his uncle in 
 Northeastern Iowa, and in 1856 came to this county 
 and settled on the southeast quarter of section 36, 
 in Delaware Precinct. 
 
 In the fall of 1857 our subject took the place he 
 now farms, built a residence and settled there. It 
 was wild land at that time, and he was compelled 
 to hunt for the line and the corners of his property 
 by the help of a pocket compass, and then stepping 
 the distance. Indians were not at all unusual visi- 
 tors, but bej'ond causing his wife an occasional 
 fright in his absence, gave very little trouble. 
 From that time until the present he has patiently 
 gone on with the good work of improving his 
 property, and building up and solidifying his in- 
 terests. He now owns 400'acres, and uses the same 
 for general farming and stock-raising, giving the 
 chief importance to the latter. His stock are chiefly 
 high-grade Short-horn cattle and Poland-China hogs. 
 
 On the 29th of December, 1857, Mr. Whittaker 
 was married to Jane, daughter of Thomas and Jane 
 (Dunbar) Wilson. The^' came here from Canada 
 in 1856, and she was the eldest of eleven children 
 born to her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker 
 became the parents of eleven children, six living — 
 Thomas R., Priscilla, Nancy E., Merinda, Silas A. and 
 Ada M. One daughter, Rebecca, was married to John 
 St. Clair, and died leaving two children, one of whom, 
 Walter, is still living; the other members of the 
 family were John, Ida, William H. and Elizabeth. 
 The eldest son, Thomas, married Fannie Cooper, 
 and now lives at Delta, in this county, and has two 
 children, Roy and Eugene; Priscilla is the wife of 
 Samuel Lowery, of BlcWilliams Precinct, and the 
 mother of three children — Maj', Myrtle and Ida; 
 •^ 
 
 f- 
 
^2A.^n..^cA_ ^z) (^-^^<yyi-.^A^-^'L — 
 
i 
 
 ■•►^l-^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 507 
 
 i 
 
 Nancy is now Mrs. John Biiekridge, of Rock Creek 
 Precinct; Merinda married Mr. Edward J. Cooper, 
 of Delta, and li.ns one cliild. to wliom is given the 
 name Kate. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wliittaker are members of the 
 Baptist Church, and attend at Delta. The}- liave 
 been connected with the Baptist communion fur 
 twenty J'ears. Our subject has never taken any 
 prominent part in political affairs, although he is 
 a true and lo\'al citizen, and always votes the Re- 
 l)ublican ticket. 
 
 RS. CARRIE DAVENPORT. This lady 
 occupies a comfortable and tasteful home 
 adjacent to the village of Syracuse, and is 
 noted for her superior business qualifica- 
 tions, and as a person of more than ordinary in- 
 telligence. She is the only living representative 
 of her family, her three brothers having died early 
 in life. She was born in Wayne County, N. Y., 
 Oct. 27, 18.38, and is the daughter of Joshua and 
 Adelia (Wilson) Bonney, who were natives of Con- 
 necticut, where the father spent his last j^ears. The 
 mother' still survives, and lives in Cornwall, that 
 vState. When she was a child of eighteen months 
 the parents of Mrs. Davenport returned to Con- 
 necticut, where the father closed his eyes upon the 
 soil of the State which gave him birth. 
 
 The Bonuev family were people who stood high 
 in their community, and Jliss Carrie was given a 
 good education, and continued a member of her 
 father's household until her first marriage, w'ith 
 Lewis Jessup, who was an eminent and popular 
 minister of the Congregational Church, presiding 
 over a parish at Millburj', Mass. Two children 
 were born to Mr. and Mrs. Jessup, one of whom, a 
 son Charles, died when five years old; the other, 
 Mary I., is now the wife of C. W. Beach, of Au- 
 burn, this State. 
 
 The subject of this sketcli at an early age gave 
 evidence of superior mental endowments, and was 
 at different times proffered lucrative and responsi- 
 ble positions, three times with leading insurance 
 companies with a liberal salary, but there being no 
 necessity for thus leaving home and friends, she 
 
 declined. Subsequently', upon the urgent solicita- 
 tion of the publisher of Kitts' Historj^ of the Bible, 
 she consented to a month's trial, and after a vigor- 
 ous can%'ass sold nearly 300 books in territory 
 where a gentleman had met with total failure. 
 
 In the summer of 1871 Mrs. Davenport repaired 
 to New York Cit}"^, and during a period of ten 
 months cleared $2,200 at the business of preserv- 
 ing funeral flowers. Later she invented and se- 
 cured the patent on a compartment kettle for 
 cooking purposes, which she handled with success, 
 both in selling territory and in organizing stock 
 companies for the purpose of its manufacture. In 
 1878 she came to Nebraska as general agent for an 
 oil stove, and soon sold even more than its com- 
 mission houses in Chicago, St. Louis and San Fran- 
 cisco combined. 
 
 During her first visit to Nebraska 3Irs. Daven- 
 port purchased 200 acres of land, of which she re- 
 tained possession until 1880, then sold it and 
 purchased the farm which she now owns and occu- 
 pies, and which is devoted to stock-raising, the 
 stock consisting of road horses and Jersey-Red 
 swine. Besides the 225 acres which she owns, Mrs. 
 Davenport leases 320 acres additional, the whole 
 of which she manages in a remarkably successful 
 manner. Indeed she has been successful at what- 
 ever sbe has undertaken. 
 
 In the spring of 1881 the subject of this sketch 
 returned to Connecticut, and was united in marriage 
 with Joseph Davenport, a gentleman who for many 
 j^ears was variously engaged and amassed a fortune. 
 He was born in Franklin Countj-, Mass., Sept. 25, 
 1806, and is the son of Edward and Betsey (Adams) 
 Davenport, natives of New England. The father 
 was a minister of the Baptist Church, and a de- 
 scendant of the celebrated Adams family, who at 
 an earl}' day were prominent among the aristoc- 
 racj' of Massachusetts and Connecticut. In the 
 boyhood da3's of JMr. Davenport cloth for the fam- 
 il}- use was manufactured in the household, while 
 the tailor and the shoemaker called from house to 
 house, and taking this material made it up for the 
 farail}'. Joseph at an early period in his life saw- 
 the necessity of money as a medium of exchange, 
 and set about earning the same as soon as he was 
 able. He learned the art of grafting fruit trees, 
 
l-i^ 
 
 ^^►^1--^ 
 
 508 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 IX wor 
 
 and in pursuance of this business traveled over con- 
 siderable territory in the East, and at the same time 
 visited many manufacturing establishments, where 
 he obtained all the information he possibly could 
 concerning machinery and its workings. He also 
 at the same time realized the importance of a home 
 market, and proposed to a mone3^ed friend that if 
 tlie latter would build a cotton factory he would 
 furnish the land and water power, and add to the 
 enterprise a foundry. The proposal was accepted, 
 the machinery speedily put in opersition, and from 
 this humble beginning the town of Colerain, Mass., 
 sjirang into existence. Mr. Davenport having ac- 
 complished his object, sold the foundry later for 
 about what it cost him, and in 1837, disposing of 
 other interests in the Bay State, removed to Hart- 
 ford, Conn., and establishing a nursery, began the 
 propagation of a vast number of mulberry trees, 
 the natural food of the silk worm, and which in- 
 dustry he believed might be profitable. He sold 
 a quantity of trees throughout the country, and 
 invested a portion of the proceeds in valuable prop- 
 erty in Connecticut, and land in some of the "West- 
 ern States. 
 
 In 1870 Mr. Davenport found himself a million- 
 aire. He was also numbered among the leading- 
 citizens of Hartford, whose endorsement on paper 
 made it acceptable .it all the banks to any amount. 
 He subsequently met with reve'rses, and in 1888 
 retired from active business. While a resident of 
 Syracuse he devoted 180 acres to the raising of 
 cucumber seeds, which brought him the snug sum 
 of $4,700. Like his wife, he is a man of large in- 
 tellectual endowments, and in earlier years there 
 was scarcely a subject upon which he could not 
 converse intelligently'. Self-educated and well in- 
 formed, he was alike at home in the field of science, 
 politics and religion, and could hold his end of the 
 argument with the most learned professor. He was 
 in the earlier days a member of the old Whig party, 
 but later endorses Republican doctrines. He is 
 now a strong Protectionist, and amply able to give 
 reasons for being so. 
 
 iSIr. Davenport was for many years a leading 
 member of the Baptist Church at Hartford. In ad- 
 dition to his other capacities he h,as given to the 
 Id many useful inventions, possessing this ge- 
 
 nius in a ratio equal to that of his gifted wife. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Davenport are a remarkable pair, and in 
 this respect one has been largely the assistant of 
 the other. We take pleasure in presenting the 
 sketch of Mrs. Davenport, as that of one of the 
 first ladies of Eastern Nebraska. 
 
 [I|_, ON. .JOSEPH W. TALBOT is the proprietor 
 IjjJ of the elegant boot and shoe emporium of 
 /^W^ Syracuse. He is a native of Lockport, N. Y., 
 ^p and was born March 4, 1829. His parents, 
 Joseph and Hannah (Wilson) Talbot, were na- 
 tives of Vermont, but of English ancestry, their 
 parents having come from that country and made 
 their home in the Empire State. The father of our 
 subject was by occupation a farmer, and continued 
 therein until he had passed the prime of life, and 
 then engaged in the hotel business. He died in 
 Batavia, N. Y., in the year 1833. Subsequent to 
 her bereavement the mother of our subject emi- 
 grated with her children to Barry County, Mich., 
 and settled upon a farm, where she eventuall3' died, 
 leaving ten children, all of whom grew to the es- 
 tate of man and womanhood, and their names are 
 recorded as follows: David, Mary, Lucy, Joseph, 
 Hannah, Sarah, Wealthy, George, Zilphia and .John 
 B. The last four are deceased. 
 
 Our subject was but foui- years of age when his 
 father died and thirteen when the ]-emoval w.is 
 made to Michigan, where he grew to manhood. He 
 received a good, practical, English education in the 
 common schools, and was considered capable of 
 exchanging the scholar's desk for the teacher's, and 
 in this occupation he evinced consideraljle aptitude 
 and talent. In 1860 he removed to this State, and 
 two years later settled upon section 2, Syracuse 
 Precinct, where he owns 160 acres of excellent, 
 arable land. He was again occupied as a teacher, 
 devoting his attention to his farm when not thus 
 engaged. Thus he continued until 1882; by that 
 time the children whom he had instructed had grown 
 up and had qualified themselves for teaching, and 
 he retired from the profession. In 1885 ]Mr. Tal- 
 bot established the store which he has since con- 
 tinued with a largely increasing patronage. The 
 
 ~ -•► 
 
t 
 
 •►Hh-^*- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 509 
 
 •4^ 
 
 siK'cess that had been his in previous occupations 
 did not leave him when he tooli up this engage- 
 ment, and he is more tlian ever appreciated b3' those 
 who have made acquaintance with him therein. He, 
 however, still continues to operate liis farm, of 
 which mention was made above. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was married in the year 
 1859 ; the lady of his choice was Evelyn Reeves, who 
 is the daughter of James and Alvira Reeves, natives 
 of New York. She was born in Ohio, and was 
 still an infant when the family removed to LaPorte 
 County, Ind., and subsequently to Pulaski County. 
 The home of Mr. and Mrs. Talbot has been ren- 
 dered more felicitous, and their happiness more 
 complete by the birth of their three children, Selma 
 G., Earl R. and Guy D., who have manifested dis- 
 positions and personal traits that are at once the 
 pleasure and hope of their parents. Our subject 
 has given his children an excellent education; the 
 eldest is a graduate of the State University of Lin- 
 coln, and is engaged in teaching in the Seward High 
 School; EMrl has attended the university, but his 
 education is not 3-et completed. He is preparing 
 to enter the legal profession. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was selected by the 
 people of his district in 1869 to represent them in 
 the Legislature, and he served in the session of 1869- 
 70 in a manner most complimentarj' to himself and 
 gratifying to his constituents. In former years he 
 was an affiliate of the Republican party, but being 
 impressed by the position of the Prohibition party 
 and the issues at stake, he has become a member of 
 the same. He is a man of no small influence in the 
 community, where his high personal character, un- 
 impeachable business honor and courteous affabil- 
 ity' have won for him the highest esteem and regard. 
 
 1ER0ME LATHROP. The farming commu- 
 nity of Belmont Precinct acknowledges in 
 this gentleman one of its most esteemed 
 members and prosperous agriculturists. He 
 
 omfortably located on section 13, where he has 
 160 acres of land, and to which he came in the 
 
 ing of 1861. The offspring of a good famil}-, 
 
 was born in LeRov. Genesee Co.. N.Y., -lune 20, 
 
 1826, and is the son of Abiel and Ordelia (Beckley) 
 Lathrop, the former a native of Vermont, and a 
 millwright and miller by trade. 
 
 The father of our subject jiut up a large luimber 
 of mills in the Empire State, including buildings at 
 LeRoy, Warsaw and Cattaraugus Falls. He changed 
 his residence in 1836 to LaPorte County, Ind., and 
 also at the same time changed his occupation, taking 
 up farming. The country was wild and new at that 
 time, and he experienced all the hardships and dif- 
 ficulties of the early pioneer. After the lapse of 
 twelve months his health became seriously impaired, 
 and he was unfitted for active labor, although he 
 lived several years, and until the advanced age of 
 seventy-six, dying in 1874. The mother passed 
 away at the old homestead in 1888. Of their chil- 
 dren, six in number, five are now living. 
 
 The subject of this sketch completed his educa- 
 tion in the schools of Kinggbury, LaPorte Co., Ind., 
 where he also became intimately acquainted with 
 the employments incident to farm life; with these 
 he has also been since occupied. He came to this 
 county in the fall of 1860, and settled on his pres- 
 ent farm the following year. The first winter west 
 of the Mississippi he spent in the embryo town of 
 Osceola, Clarke Co., Iowa, when the settlements of 
 white men were few and far between. The coun- 
 try around was wild and new in Iowa as well as 
 Nebraska. 
 
 Upon coming to this county our subject shel- 
 tered himself and his family in a small brick house, 
 around which was broken about fortj' acres of land. 
 Indians were numerous and often called at their 
 door upon various pretexts, but otherwise than beg- 
 ging for something to eat or some article of cloth- 
 ing which they fancied, -gave them very little 
 trouble or apprehension. Mr. Lathrop and his wife 
 endeavored to treat them kindly and they were sus- 
 ceptible to this. 
 
 Our subject, while a resident of Indiana, had been 
 married, April 2. 1850, to Miss Marj' Angeline 
 Pratt, who was born in Chautauqua County, N. Y., 
 in 1825. She was the daughter of Lyman and Sal- 
 lie Pratt, who were natives of New York, and are 
 now dead. 
 
 Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Lathrop there were 
 born six children, two only of whom are living — 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ■•►HI: 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Ellen J. and Ida M. The former married John W. 
 Gilmore, a farmer of Thomas County, Kan., and 
 has three daughters — Nettie, Carrie and Elizabeth. 
 Ida is the wife of Frank Forber, of Beatrice, Keb., 
 and the mother of two daughters and a son — Fannj', 
 Mamie and Jerome. Mrs. Mary Angeline Lathrop 
 departed this life at her home in Belmont Precinct, 
 on the 5th of August, 1864. 
 
 Our subject contracted a second marriage, Sept. 
 12, 1865, with Miss Ann Eliza Warren, who was 
 born in 1842, in New York State, and is the daugh- 
 ter of Nathaniel and Etza A. ( Willson) Warren, who 
 were natives of New York; the father is living, but 
 the mother is dead. The wedding took place at 
 the home of the bride in Newark, Rock Co., Wis. 
 Of this union there have been born eight children, 
 seven of whom are living, namely: Warren, Jay W., 
 Agnes E., Orrin J., Mark N., George M. and Carl 
 W. Mr. Lathrop is a member in good standing of 
 the Baptist Church, together with his excellent wife, 
 as also was his first partner. He takes a warm inter- 
 est in the success of the temperance movement, and 
 gives his political support to the Prohibition party. 
 He has served as Assessor three terms in his pre- 
 cinct, and this is the extent of his office-holding, as 
 he has refused all further responsibility in this 
 direction. 
 
 Mr. Lathrop, in 1870, erected one of the finest 
 lirick farm residences in Otoe County. It is hand- 
 somely finished and furnished, and its surroundings 
 are in keeping with the taste and means of the pro- 
 prietor. Mrs. Lathrop, in her own right, is the 
 owner of 160 acres in Thomas County, Kan., and a 
 fine timber claim also belongs to the estate. 
 
 \ENJAM1N S. MOTHERSEAD, proprietor 
 of the Talmage Hotel in the town of that 
 name, and one of the highly respected citi- 
 zens, has resided in the district since the 
 town was platted. He has been one of the active 
 citizens in promoting the interests of the county, 
 and was one of the first members to sit on the Vil- 
 lage Board, and was there at the time it received 
 the charter. He came to the county in 1864, and 
 located upon a farm which he operated for a num- 
 
 ■^*' 
 
 ber of years, afterward renting the place, and in 
 1865 purchased property in Four Mile Precinct. 
 He lived on it for about seventeen years, effected 
 considerable improvement, and was financially suc- 
 cessful. 
 
 The subject of our sketcii was born in Kentucky, 
 near Frankfort, on tiie 15th of March, 1836. His 
 father, Nathaniel Mothersead, was born in England, 
 and came to this country when but a lad, and was 
 brought up in Virginia. There, also, later he was 
 married to Miss Marj' S. Sweard, who was born and 
 brought up in Virginia but of Eng ish descent. The 
 husband and wife started out in life together mak- 
 ing their home in Kentucky, and the father of our 
 subject took land and began to operate it. There 
 were born and brought up eight children, three of 
 whom were sons. Of this family our subject was 
 the youngest child. 
 
 The parents of our subject, with their children, 
 subsequently removed to Missouri, locating in Gen- 
 try County, and there made the home that was 
 theirs for the remainder of life. Both were con- 
 sistent members of the Baptist Church for many 
 years, and were active in its support. The father 
 was a sound Democrat, and represented his county 
 in the State Legislature in 1856, and also in 1858. 
 He was elected to the State Senate in 1858, and 
 represented the district embracing the counties of 
 Buchanan. DeKalb, Harrison, Gentry and Worth. 
 In 1860 he was appointed County Enroller Of the 
 Census for Gentry, but died during that year. He 
 was also prominent in the Masonic fraternity, and 
 highl}' respected among the members of the order, 
 as he was in every other relation. 
 
 The subject of our sketch grew up at home until 
 the year 1852, when he, in companj' with several 
 others, set out from St. Joseph, and went across the 
 plains to California, and after six months' travel 
 landed in Sacramento. Before long our subject 
 went to Virginia City, Nev., and for four years was 
 in the mining district there. He then returned to 
 California and traveled considerably in that State, 
 and afterward went back by the water route. In 
 1858 he made a second trip to California, returning 
 the following year, making his home in Missouri 
 for about twelve months. He then went to Mon- 
 tana, remaining until 1 864, when he returned over- 
 
 4^ 
 
 ^ 
 
*► I I <•• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ••^-^l 
 
 all 
 
 land. He was a true pioneer, and his life is filled 
 with thrilling experiences and amusing incidents. 
 He has been in several rich mines, the richest being 
 owned by a company of which he was a member, 
 and which would "pan out" $30 per daj' to a single 
 '•drifter." 
 
 Mr. Mothersead was united in marriage while a 
 resident in Gentry County, the lady being Hannah 
 Jones, who was born in that district in the year 
 1 842. Her family was of Eastern origin, her father, 
 Jacob Jones, having been a resident of New York 
 State, but for many years has lived in Missouri, 
 where he still resides, and has reached the age of 
 ninetj^-two years. His daughter Hannah was edu- 
 cated and brought up in Gentry County; her 
 mother, also a native of New York, is also living, 
 and is in her seventy-fourth year. 
 
 To our subject and wife there have come seven 
 children: Andrew J., who is married to Miss Mary 
 Staid, of Missouri, but now living in Lincoln 
 County; Fanny E. ; Ida, the wife of George Davis, 
 of Talmage; Lizzie, now Mrs. Fred Scammell, of 
 Atchison; Charles D., who resides at home and is 
 eng.aged in the study of pharmacy; Mary, a suc- 
 cessful teacher in Osage Precinct, and Frank, who 
 is clerking in a general store at Cook. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Mothersead .are members in good 
 standing of the Christian Church; he is one of the 
 active local politicians, espousing the principles of 
 the Democratic party, and during the past four 
 years has served as a member of the School Board. 
 
 UILLIAM H. MOORE, a pioneer of Otoe 
 County, came with his mother and step- 
 WW fiither early in the spring of the year 1854. 
 Plis stepfather had previously viewed the ground 
 in 1853. At that period the place was known as 
 Ft. Kearney, Maj. Downs being the Commandant. 
 Mr. Moore has been associated with the varied 
 interests of the rising State of Nebraska for many 
 years, and was residing in it in the early days of 
 pioneerdom. He was born in Richmond, Ind., on 
 the 18th of May, 1847. His f.ather, Zimri Moore, 
 wtis also born in the Iloosier State, his father, Sam- 
 uel Moore, grandfather of our sulijeet, having set- 
 
 tled in W.ayne County when the State was first 
 opened for settlement. He cleared himself a farm 
 from the dense forests and undergrowth, and con- 
 tinued to reside there until his de.ath. 
 
 It was on the above-mentioned farm that the 
 father of our subject was reared and married, and 
 settled in the vicinity. His home was there until 
 his death, which occurred in 1850. His wife, whose 
 maiden name was Ruth McPherson, died in Ne- 
 braska when her son William H. was eleven j'ears 
 old. After the death of her first husband she mar- 
 ried Daniel Walker, and with him came to Nebraska. 
 By her last husband she had three children. Her 
 father, Joseph McPherson, was one of the pioneers 
 of Wayne County, and of Scottish parentage. 
 The mother of our subject and his stepfather came 
 to the Terrltor^^ of Nebraska in 1854, and located 
 near what is now known as Minersville. The place 
 was then overrun by Indians, and it was necessary 
 to keep on friendly terms. The better to effect this 
 he made them a present of three hogs from his little 
 drove that he had brought along from Fremont 
 County, Iowa. 
 
 Mr. Walker cleared a considerable tract of land, 
 and erected his house on the northeast part of what 
 is now Otoe Precinct. He made a business of 
 making clapboards, which he sold to the settlers 
 and in Nebraska City to shingle their buildings. 
 Thej' sold for 11 per hundred, and he could make 
 several hundred per day, so that it was quite profit- 
 able. He continued to reside in that place a little 
 more than a year, then removed to Camp Creek, 
 where he settled on section 27 of Otoe Precinct, 
 where the mother of our subject died in 1857, after 
 which event Mr. Walker sold the claim, and took a 
 claim on the river bottom. Later he enlisted in 
 the 1st Nebraska Regiment and went South, and 
 there died in the service. 
 
 At the time the Western migration was made our 
 subject was in his sixth year, and his home was 
 with his mother until her de.ath. In Nebraska 
 there were no settlers at the time, and it was "still 
 chiefly occupied by the Indians. After the death 
 of his mother he went to live witli Mr. Absalom 
 Tipton in Wyoming Precinct, working during the 
 summer upon the farm, and attending school dur- 
 ing the winter months. He continued to make his ^ ' 
 

 <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -t 
 
 home there until 1861, and then engaged with 
 Majs. Eussell and Waddell, the Government freight- 
 ers, to drive teams across the plains for them, and 
 continued thus for two years, making four round 
 trips across the plains to Ft. Laramie and Denver 
 and Bitter Cottonwood. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. Moore engaged in mining in Colo- 
 rado, but in 1864 returned to his teaming, which 
 he continued until 1867, when the Union Pacific 
 Railroad was completed as far as Chej'enne, and 
 freighting of covirse ceased. He then returned to 
 mining, and worked at Georgetown,. Col., continu- 
 ing there for seven years, and has continued to hold 
 interests there ever since, but the high altitude 
 affecting his health he was obliged to return East. 
 His mining interests have proved very profitable. 
 
 June 6, 1874, the subject of our sketch became 
 the husband of Emma C. Cowles, who was born to 
 Clmrles H. and Mary (Martin) Cowles (see sketch) 
 at Lindell, Mo., on the 29th of July, 1852. Their 
 union lias been consummated by tlie birth of three 
 children, viz: Jessie, Mark and James. Mrs. Moore 
 is an attractive and educated lady of happy dispo- 
 sition, and faithful to the responsiliilitics devolving 
 upon her in the domestic relation. 
 
 For several j-ears the subject of our sketch owned 
 a fine, well»cultivated farm in Wyoming Precinct, 
 which he recently sold to his brother-in-law, C. C. 
 Cowles. He is the owner of about 400 acres in the 
 bottoms in Wj'oming Precinct. Politically, he is 
 a stanch Republican. 
 
 Jfi AMES E. BROWN. Upon section 14, Wyo- 
 |i ming Precinct, lies the highly productive and 
 I well-cultivated farm of the subject of our 
 '/ sketch. It comprises eighty acres. He 
 owns also a similar number of acres on section 22, 
 which also is thoroughly improved. Our subject 
 was born in Huntingdon Connt3', Pa., on the 21st 
 of March, 1838. He was eight years of age when 
 his parents migrated to Allegheny City, Pa. 
 
 Our subject is the fifth child of James and Sil- 
 vinia (Van Vliett) Brown, both of wliom were na- 
 tives of Huntingdon County. Upon the father's 
 side the family is of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and upon 
 
 that of the mother of Holland Dutch. Mr. Brown, 
 Sr.. was a shoemaker by trade. This he followed 
 with a fair measure of success, and continued to 
 work at it until, in 1881, having become totally 
 blind, he was compelled to give it up. and then 
 went to live with our subject. He departed this life 
 on the 12lh of September, 1887, being then eighty- 
 six years of age. In the War of the Rebellion he 
 served bravely and well, in the 139th Pennsylvania 
 Infantry. He was a life member of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and very strict and conscientious in his 
 everyday life. Politically, he was first a Whig and 
 then a Republican. The mother of our subject is 
 living in Allegheny with her children, and is eighty 
 years of age. Like her husband, she has been a de- 
 vout member of the Presbyterian Church from her 
 youth. 
 
 The first seventeen years of the life of our sub- 
 ject were spent at home, but at that time he was 
 anxious to move westward. Accordingly he started 
 upon his journey in the month of May, 1 855, crossed 
 the Missouri River to Plattsmouth, and then 
 located at Nebraska City. He soon found em- 
 ployment, but later joined the first Government 
 surveying party sent out to this State. While in 
 their company he had abundant opportunity of be- 
 coming acquainted with the Indians, their mode of 
 living, etc., not omitting their dislike of and 
 treachery to the "pale face," and has some experi- 
 ence of both. He was a volunteer under O. P. 
 Mason to suppress the Indian raiders. Upon leav- 
 ing the surveying party he pre-empted a tract of 
 land, and farmed until the wave of excitement con- 
 cerning Pike's Peak swept over the countrj'. He 
 then spent two years in Colorado in the gold mines; 
 afterward he was some time in Idaho. Returning in 
 1865 to this county, he located upon his farm in 
 Wyoming Precinct. 
 
 In Wyoming Precinct, May 24, 1864, Mr. Brown 
 was united in wedlock with Julia E. Bishop, who 
 was born in Portage County, Ohio, Nov. 3. 1838, 
 to the Rev. James and Julia (Allen) Bishop, natives 
 respectivelj- of Connecticut and Vermont. Her 
 mother was a direct descendant of the old Ethan 
 Allen of Revolutionary fame. Her parents were 
 married in Ohio, and began life in agricultural and 
 dairy pursuits; later her father devoted part of 
 
*► II <• 
 
 •«► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 513 1 ' 
 
 liis time to tbe ministrj' of the Methodist Church. 
 In 1839 they moved to DeKalb County, 111., and 
 for some years resided tliere, then went to LaFiiy- 
 ette County, Wis. They ' resided in that State 
 until 18.56, when they came to Nehraslia, and set- 
 tled near Tecumseh in what is now Johnson County, 
 and were the first actual settlers of the county. 
 Some lime afterward they came to Wyoming Pre- 
 cinct in this count3\ where the mother, after a life of 
 sixtj'-one j'ears, went to her last rest in the 3'ear 
 1863. The father subsequentlj- went to Nemaha 
 County, where he died in January, 1883, being 
 eight3'-one years of age. 
 
 Mrs. Brown it will be seen by the above has spent 
 her early years in different places as indicated by 
 the removals of her parents. By the time she was 
 seventeen j'ears of age she had prepared herself for 
 teaching, and this profession she followed until her 
 marriage. She has presented her husband with five 
 children. Their first-born, Fannie, died when nine 
 j-ears of age; the following are the surviving chil- 
 dren : William T. is attending the University at Lin- 
 coln, and is a verj' promising student and is fitting 
 himself for the ministrj' of the Episcopal Church, 
 to which he belongs; the other three children, 
 Cliarles S., Florence M. and Jonathan E.,are still at 
 home. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Brown are regular attendants of the 
 Episcopal Church, and are also interested in the 
 Prohibition movement, and our subject is in political 
 affairs a third party man. He has filled with satis- 
 faction to all the position of Assessor of the precinct. 
 He is a man largely respected for his high character 
 and also by reason of his social position. 
 
 — l-^-i^^^=#^-^ 
 
 ME. DUFF is a member of the firm of Duff, 
 Barlling <fe Co., prominent grain dealers of 
 Nebraska Citj'. He is a man of wide ex- 
 perience, of much practical sagacity, is a 
 sound financier, and, although he has been a resi- 
 dent of this place but a little over two j'ears, he 
 lias alreadj' gained an assured position in its busi- 
 ness circles. He was born in LaFayette County, Wis., 
 of which his father, Christopher Duff, was an earlj- 
 settler. The latter was a native of Ireland, and 
 
 there grew up to manhood. After his marriage 
 with Miss Ann McNulty, likewise a native of Ire- 
 land, he came to America and settled in New Jer- 
 sey, lie there worked at the trade of blacksmith, 
 and about the j'ear 1836 moved to the Territory 
 of Wisconsin, and located in LaFayette County. 
 The countrj' round about was at that time but 
 sparselj' settled; mining was the principal industry, 
 and but little attention had been paid to agricult- 
 ui'e. Mr. Duff was prosperously engaged there at 
 his trade until his death in 1852. He was an hon- 
 orable, intelligent, liard-working man, and highlj' 
 esteemed by Iiis neighbors and friends. His wife 
 now makes her home with her children, who sur- 
 round her with every comfort that thoughtful love 
 can devise to make her declining j-ears pleasant 
 and peaceful. 
 
 The subject of this brief life record was onlj' ten 
 J'ears old when he had the misfortune to lose his 
 father, and he lived with his mother until he was 
 fifteen j-ears old. He was a lad of more than ordi- 
 narj- ambition and enterprise, was gifted with a 
 fine mental capacitj', and at that age started out in 
 life for himself. He went to Elkader, Claj^ton Co., 
 Iowa, and obtained emploj'ment as a clerk in a 
 general store, and was thus engaged until he was 
 twentj' J'ears old. At that j'outhful age he was al- 
 ready influential in public affairs, and in recog- 
 nition of his financial and business abilitj', he was 
 ajjpointed to the office of Deputj- Treasurer and 
 Recorder of Claj'ton Couutj-, whose duties he dis- 
 charged with gratifying success for four years, or 
 until ill-health compelled him to seek the beneficial 
 air of California for healing. He sjient a year and 
 a half in the Golden State, and then returned to 
 the State of Iowa, and was made Deputj' Clerk of 
 Clayton Countj'. He held that office until the office 
 of Countj' Auditor was created, when he was ap- 
 pointed to that position, and later was re-elected 
 to the same office, which he held continuouslj' for 
 three j'ears, acquitting himself in that responsible 
 public charge with distinction. After that he was 
 engaged with Russell & Co., of Massillou, Ohio, .as 
 general collector in the Northwestern States. He 
 traveled in the interests of that companj' for two 
 or three j'ears, and then took charge of the Chi- 
 cago, Milwaukee Sr St. Paul right of w.ij' affairs in 
 
 •► II < •• 
 
 •►^h-* 
 
•► m^ « 
 
 ol4 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Iowa, INIinnesota and Dakota. For five years he 
 was thus emplo3'ed, and subsequently superintended 
 the sale of their lands in jMinnesota, closing them 
 out to a syndicate in a few months. After that he 
 was in an insurance office in Chicago for two years, 
 and in 1886 he came from that city to this, and 
 formed his present partnership with his brother, 
 N. A. Duff, and II. H. Bartling, and has since been 
 actively eng.aged in buying and shipping grain 
 from this point. 
 
 INIr. Duff has established an attractive, cozy home 
 here, and his wife, to whom he was united in mar- 
 riage here in August, 1872, cordially unites with 
 him in extending its pleasant hospitality to the 
 friend or stranger who crosses its threshold. Mrs. 
 Duff was formerlj^ Miss Mary F. Odell, and she is 
 a native of Indiana. Of this union two children 
 have been born — Edwin A. and Reba. Mrs. Duff is a 
 valued member of the Methodist Episcopal Cliurch. 
 Politically-, Mr. Duff is identified with the Repub- 
 lican party, as he firmly believes its policy to be 
 the true one for the safe guidance of National af- 
 
 fairs. 
 
 ^. : ,s^^m^$ 
 
 AVID BRADDOCK is one of the esteemed 
 citizens, prosperous men, and able Justices 
 of the Peace of South Branch Precinct. 
 His home is upon section 24, and stands 
 upon a farm of 160 acres. His father, Marton 
 Braddock, was born in Knox County, Ohio, in the 
 year 1823, .ind was there an extensive land-owner 
 and successful farmer. His wife, Delilah (Lepley) 
 Braddock, was born near the same place in 1828. 
 
 The great-grandfather of our subject came from 
 England, and settled in Virginia in Colonial days, 
 and served under Gen. Washington in the Revolu- 
 tionary War, being one of the first to enter, and 
 continuing until the end of the chapter. His son 
 AVilliam. the grandfather of our subject, was born 
 in Virginia, and continued there throughout his 
 life. 
 
 The father of our subject moved with his family 
 from Ohio to Mahaska, Iowa, in the year 1850, and 
 staid for eighteen months, and was one of the 
 pioneers. At tlie end of that jieriod he removed to 
 Marshall County in the same State, and in the spring 
 
 of .1852 entered 160 acres of land, and is a wealthy 
 citizen, now owning 400 acres of well-stocked and 
 flnelj' improved land. His dwelling cost him 
 18,000, and all the other buildings in proportion. 
 He is a well-informed citizen, and sustains a reputa- 
 tion for liberality. His family circle Includes eleven 
 children, whose names are as follows : David, John, 
 Mary, Martha, William, Anginora, Eizzie, James 
 F., Harvey T., Anna and Edward. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Knox 
 County, Ohio, on the 3d of June, 1850. With his 
 father he went to Iowa upon his removal to that 
 State, and continued to live with his parents until 
 he attained his majority. He attended the cl.asses 
 of his school of the district, and also took a course 
 of instruction at Albion Seminary in 1871 and 
 1872. In 1874 he took a trip across the plains, 
 through Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Colo- 
 rado and Iowa, and then began farming near his old 
 home, continuing the same until 1879. Then he 
 came to tliis county, and located upon the farm he 
 now occupies. The ground was entirely unim- 
 proved, and in a thoroughly native condition. His 
 residence and farm buildings are worthy of men- 
 tion, the groves of shade and forest trees cover 
 seven acres, the orchard comprising about 230 ex- 
 cellent bearing trees, besides numerous other works 
 and improvements. 
 
 While a resident of Marietta, Iowa, Mr. Bi'ad- 
 dock was joined in matrimony with Dora M. Riten- 
 our on the 27th of February, 1879. This lady is 
 the daughter of William and Daphna M. Taft, who 
 were natives of Vermont and Ohio respectively, 
 and were married in tlie latter State. Her father 
 was by occupation a farmer, and at the outbreak of 
 the Civil War he enlisted from Ohio, and died at 
 Murfreesboro, Teun. Her mother is now living in 
 Lincoln County, Neb. Siie is tlje mother of four 
 children — Vestina, Willis, George and Dora. The 
 latter was born on the 28th of April, 1863, in Knox 
 County, Ohio. There have been born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Braddock four children — Jennessie, William 
 H., John and Odessa. 
 
 Mrs. Braddock is a member of the Christian 
 Church, but usually attends that of the Presbyterian 
 persuasion, as being more convenient to her home. 
 Mr. and Mrs. B. are everywhere much esteemed as 
 
 :^^i^ 
 
h^^ /3^^ Q/?^u^ 
 
 '-<^-^>9^^'^^tCi^i>'2^ 
 
^1-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 517 
 
 worthy members of society. Our subject is a mem- 
 ber of tlie K. of P., and usuall^^ attends tlie lodge 
 at Syracuse. He is a Democrat standi and true, 
 heartily supporting the principles and ticket of the 
 jjart}'. For eight years he was a member of the 
 School Board, and since January last has filled the 
 chair of Justice of the Peace. 
 
 ||/_^ OX. AXTOX ZIMMEEER, a well-known and 
 prominent citizen and business man of Ne- 
 braska City, proprietor of the Crj-stal Pal- 
 ace Jewehy, China and Crockery Store, was 
 one of the early pioneers of this State, and has done 
 his share in developing its varied resources and in 
 promoting its commercial intei'ests. His portrait is 
 given in this volume, appearing on the opposite 
 page. He was born Sept. 15, 1832, in the Kingdom 
 of AVurtemberg, Germany. His father, Joseph 
 Zimmerer, was born in the same locality, as were 
 also his parents, Alois and Theresa Zimmerer, and 
 they spent their entire lives there. The father of 
 our subject was a farmer, owning a farm of thirty 
 acres, and he followed agricultural pursuits in his 
 native land until his death, in 1871. He was a 
 man whose honest, straightforward dealings with 
 his fellows gained him the respect and confidence 
 of all with whom he came in contact. The maiden 
 name of his worthy wife was Maria Mauch, and 
 she was likewise a lifelong resident of the Kingdom 
 of AVur.temberg, dying there at the home of her 
 husband, in 1849. She was a daughter of Anton 
 and Theresa (Geiger) Mauch. To her and her 
 husband were born eleven children, seven of whom 
 grew up: Alois, Anton, Elizabeth, Kunigunda, Gen- 
 evieve, Carl and John. Alois lives in France; 
 Elizabeth lives on the old homestead; Kunigunda 
 came to America, married William Bischof, and 
 died in Nebraska City; Carl and John live in Ne- 
 briiska, the former in York and the latter in Seward. 
 Anton Zimmerer was reared in his native land, 
 and received the advantages of its excellent school 
 system until he was fourteen years of age, being at 
 that time prepared to enter college. But his father's 
 limited means obliged our subject to forego his am- 
 
 bitious desire for a university- education, and at the 
 age of sixteen he commenced to learn the tailor's 
 trade, serving an apprenticeship of three years. He 
 subsequently traveled in Switzerland, and worked 
 as a tailor in the larger cities there for a time. 
 When he was twentj'-one he returaed to his birth- 
 place, and at about that time occurred the custo- 
 mary drawing of lots to decide which of the young 
 men of the village should go to serve in the Ger- 
 man Army. Fortunately he drew a lucky number, 
 although he came within one of drawing one that 
 would have indicated that he must become a sol- 
 dier, and being thus freed from militar}' dutj', he 
 was granted leave to come to America, and on the 
 15th of September, 1853, he set sail from Rotter- 
 dam, bound for this land of pi'omise. While still 
 sailing on the North Sea cholera broke out on board 
 the vessel, and it was quarantined for a time in the 
 Marine Hospital of the Netherlands, and did not 
 land in New York until the 24th of the following 
 December. Our subject proceeded directly to Madi- 
 son, Ind., where he arrived not only with empt}- 
 pockets, but had to begin his new life $75 in debt. 
 Nothing daunted by this discouraging fact, he 
 courageously sought work, and was soon employed 
 at his trade. At the end of nine months he left 
 Madison and proceeded to Cincinnati, Ohio, and 
 from there to Springboro, where he worked at tail- 
 oring until 1856. In the fall of that year he went 
 to Des Moines, Iowa, then a place of about 5,000 
 inhabitants. In the spring of 1857 he started on a 
 pedestrian tour for this city, there being no railway 
 at that time, and coming by the way of Council 
 Bluffs, arrived here on the 22d of April, having 
 walked a distance of 300 miles. He found Nebr.iska 
 City a small town, with but a few hundred inhabi- 
 tants; the old block house, built bj' the Govern- 
 ment, was still standing, and that part of the town 
 on the east side of the creek, known as Kearne}-, 
 was the business portion of the city. The whole 
 section of country west was wild prairie owned by 
 the Government, and not yet in the market, and 
 later was sold at $1.25 an acre. Deer, antelopes and 
 wild turkeys were plentiful at that time, and there 
 were no railways west of Eastern Iowa or Missouri, 
 all transportation being done b}' steamers on the 
 river or by teams overland. Nebraska City be- 
 
518 
 
 ■*► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 ! 
 
 came the headquarters for the freigliters across the 
 plains, and after the surrounding country began to 
 be settled it was the market and depot for supjJies 
 for the settlements for some time. 
 
 INIr. Zimmerer easily found emplojment at liis 
 trade, but he soon concluded that he would turn 
 his attention to agriculture on this rich and fertile 
 soil, and he went to Pawnee County and took up a 
 tract of Government land. In the following year 
 (1858) he hired some breaking done, built a log 
 house, and in 1859 took up his residence on his 
 laud. He remained there engaged in farming, with 
 Nebraska City, fifty miles distant, his nearest mar- 
 ket, for three years, making an undoubted success 
 of his agricultural venture. He then sold his farm, 
 returned to Nebraska City, and with the proceeds 
 of the sale established himself as a merchant tailor, 
 opening a custom shop, and continuing in that 
 business until 1868. He then formed a partnership 
 with his brother-in-law, Mr. Bischof, and ojiened a 
 hardware store, which they managed together until 
 1883, when our subject disposed of his interest in 
 the establishment to his partner. He then bought 
 1,000 acres of land in Gage County, intending to 
 engage extensively in farming and stock-raising, 
 but he changed his mind, and in 1886 bought his 
 present store, and is doing a large business. 
 
 Our subject was married, Aug. 30, 1868, to Emma 
 Zepf, and to them nine children have been born, as 
 follows: Carl, Tony, John, Maurice, Alpha, Nettie, 
 Frank, Eddie and Fred. Mr. Zimmerer has two 
 children by a former marriage— Emma and Lizzie. 
 Emma is the wife of F. Daniel Kees, a prominent 
 hardware merchant, of Beatrice; Lizzie is the wife 
 of George Street, a prosperous farmer and stock- 
 raiser, of Obcrlin, Kan. Mrs. Zimmerer is a mem- 
 ber of the Baptist Church, and, with her husband, 
 occupies a high social position in this community. 
 Mrs. Zimmerer was born Jan. 22, 1844, in Frittlin- 
 gen, Wurtemberg, and reared in the same village. 
 She came to this country with her parents when but 
 seven years old. Her father, Mr. Nicolaus Zepf, 
 resided on a farm near Pontiac, 111., where he died 
 in 1872. The mother, Mrs. Francis Zepf^mee Zim- 
 merer, is still living at the old homestead in Liv- 
 ingston County, 111. 
 
 Mr. Zimmerer is pre-eminently a self-made man, 
 
 owing all that he is and has to his own indomitable 
 energy, excellent business talent and persistency, 
 so that he is now numbered among the men of in- 
 fluence and wealth who reside in this cit}'. During 
 the time that he has been in business here his resi- 
 dence has been outside of the city limits, so that he 
 has not talcen an active part in municipal affairs, 
 but he has been a prominent office-holder of Otoe 
 County, being one of the leading councillors of the 
 Eepublican party. He was a candidate at onetime 
 for the county treasure-ship, but was defeated by a 
 very small majority, his opponent being an old and 
 tried incumbent of the office. In 1868 he served 
 with distinction as Representative to the State Legis- 
 lature, which then for the first time met at Lincoln, 
 and was on several imijortant committees, the most 
 important of which was, perhaps, the Committee on 
 Emigration. Mr. Zimmerer is promine'ntly identified 
 with the I. O. O. F., which he first joined in Ohio, 
 and is at present a member of Frontier Lodge No. 
 3; he has served as Grand Master of the State, in 
 1875-76. He is also a member of Ridglej' Encamp- 
 ment No. 1, I. O. O. F., and he has twice been a 
 delegate to the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Odd 
 Fellows of the United States. 
 
 "if OHN W. HOAGLAND, a well-to-do farmer 
 of Belmont Precinct, owns a good property 
 on section 17, upon which he has made great 
 / improvements since it came into his posses- 
 sion. A native of Morgan County, 111., he was 
 born Nov. 16, 1836, and is the son of George W. 
 and Catherine (West) Hoagland, the former of 
 whom was a native of Morristown, N. J., and the 
 latter born near the city of Frankfort, Franklin Co., 
 Kj'. They are now residing at Springfield, 111. 
 
 The parental household consisted of six children, 
 named as follows: Mary L., Mrs. Ruyan ; Jane, 
 Mrs. Easley; Emma, Mrs. Holmes; John W., James 
 and George. John W. Hoagland received a com- 
 mon-school education, and was reared a farmer's 
 boy. He came to this county alone, in the spring 
 of 1870, and the year following settled upon the 
 land included in his present farm. He is now the 
 owner of 480 acres, and makes a specialty of stock- 
 
 ■•► 
 
•%f^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 519 I ^ 
 
 racing, his animals including Short-horn cattle, 
 Percheron horses and Poland-China swine. From 
 these he realizes a handsome iiicomc. 
 
 Mr. Hoagland has fulfilled in an admirable man- 
 ner all the duties of an honest man and a good citi- 
 zen, with one exception, and that is that he has 
 never been married. He is, however, one of the 
 jolliest old bachelors of Otoe County, and in the 
 enjoyment of his single blessedness is surrounded 
 by hosts of friends. His married sister, Mrs. Eas- 
 Icy, i)resides over his domestic concerns, and her 
 two sons, Frederick and George, live with them 
 and serve to make the home circle brightand clieer- 
 ful. They are smart and intelligent lads and at- 
 tend the district school. The farm, with its 
 well-fed animals and all the comforts of the modern 
 rural home, presents a very attractive picture. 
 
 SM^^-'^^ZTtf*^ 
 
 V|/OHN WOLF. There ai'c few homesteads in 
 Otoe County more attractive or valuable 
 than that of the subject of this sketch, a 
 1^^/ self-made man in the truest sense of the word. 
 He came to Nebraska in 1867, comparatively with- 
 out means, and from first principles has built up a 
 fine property. Settling upon a tract of wild prairie 
 land, he began the cultivation of the soil and the 
 improvetaent of his property, and is now enjoying 
 the rich reward of his labors, being surrounded 
 with all the comforts of life and many of its luxu- 
 ries. To his sensible and intelligent wife much 
 credit is also due for the manner in which she has 
 performed her part toward the building up of the 
 homestead, the training of their children, and her 
 studious care in watching over the welfare of their 
 family. In their surroundings we have a picture 
 of the modern home, blessed by comfort and plenty, 
 and those endearing ties which make of the fireside 
 the most sacred place on earth. 
 
 The property of Mr. Wolf embraces 320 acres of 
 highly cultivated land on sections 14 and 23, Berlin 
 Precinct. To commence at the beginning of a most 
 interesting career we learn that he is of German birth 
 and parentage, a native of Mecklenburg, where he 
 first opened his e3'esto the light July 17, 1843. This 
 
 Province was also the native place of his parents, 
 Cliarles and Charlotte (Streu) Wolf, and of hie 
 grandfathers. Jacob Wolf and John Streu. The 
 latter fought in the wars against Napoleon. Grand- 
 father Wolf followed farming all his life, and to this 
 pursuit reared his sou Charles, and both, with the 
 mother of our subject, spent their entire lives in 
 their native German\'. The parents of Mr. AVolf 
 died each at the age of forty-eiglit 3'ears, the mother 
 in 1852, and the father in 18G2. Their six chil- 
 dren were named respectively: Maria, who contin- 
 ues in her native Germany; Sophia, who died when 
 twenty-four years old; Lena, residing in Michi- 
 gan; John, our suljject; George, deceased, and 
 Christian. 
 
 Mr. Wolf was given a thorough education in his 
 native tongue, pursuing his studies from the early 
 age of six years until a lad of fourteen. When 
 leaving the school he began "paddling his own 
 canoe," working at farming mostly until 18G7. He 
 then made up his mind to seek his fortune on the 
 other side of the Atlantic. Bidding adieu to the 
 friends of his childhood, he made his way to the 
 city of Hamburg and engaged passage on the ocean 
 steamer "Almania," which landed him, seventeen 
 days later, in the city of New York. Thence he 
 came directly to the new State of Nebraska, lo- 
 cating first in Cass County for a brief time, and 
 later worked on a railroad in Iowa and Missouri, 
 spending the winter in Nebraska. He was there- 
 after employed alternatel}', on a farm and on a 
 railroad, and finally settled upon a tract of rented 
 land in Berlin Precinct, which he operated two 
 j-ears. He purchased his ju'esent place of eighty 
 acres in the spring of 1870. It was a tract of raw 
 prairie, and in its transformation to the present 
 beautiful farm there have been employed j^ears of 
 labor and thousands of dollars. Mr. Wolf has 
 erected a good set of frame buildings, having to 
 haul his material from Nebraska City. He has set 
 out groves and an orchard of 200 apple trees, be- 
 sides the finer shade and smaller fruit trees. His 
 land is finely located, and amply watered by Sand 
 Creek. In 1875 he purchased 168 acres adjoining 
 the first, and two years later another eighty acres. 
 It has all been brought to a productive condition, 
 and of late years is mostly devoted to live stock, 
 
 > ► II 4« 
 
 •►:ll-^ 
 
'^ 520 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Mr. Wolf feeding large numbers of cattle anrl 
 swine, shipping annuall_v of each a carloart. He 
 also has some fine horses, keeping usually about 
 eight head. The homestead proper lies on sec- 
 tion 14, and his other land is on section 23. 
 
 The marriage of John Wolf and Miss Minnie 
 Tesnow was celebrated at the home of the bride in 
 Berlin Precinct, Sept. 16, 1868. Mrs. Wolf is a 
 native of the same Province in Germany as her 
 husband, and was born March 22, 1844. She came 
 to America with her parents in 1867, and to Ne- 
 braska in the same j'ear as her husband. Of their 
 union there have been born six children, onl}' three 
 of whom are living, namely u Louis, Adolph and 
 Emma. Their eldest-born, Frederick, was killed 
 by lightning in the field in 1880, when twelve 
 j'ears old; John and Emma died when infants. 
 
 Mr. Wolf, after becoming a naturalized citizen, 
 identified himself with tiie Republican part}', of 
 which he is a firm adherent, and is frequently sent 
 as a delegate to the County Conventions. He is an 
 active member of the Lutheran Church, and gives 
 liberally of his means for the support of the church 
 and in the erection of its buildings. No man takes 
 a warmer interest in furthering the public enter- 
 prises which shall tend to the moral and religious 
 welfare of his community. The home of Mr. Wolf 
 and his family is a remarkably pleasant resort, 
 where friend and stranger alike are met with that 
 courtesy indicative of good breeding and genuine 
 hospitality. 
 
 ^ .^3^ ^ 
 
 ^^ IIARLES F. HUNTER. In the career of 
 (|( this gentleman we have that of one who has 
 
 ^^^ traveled extensively in the Great West, and 
 seen much of life on the frontier. He is now the 
 owner of a snug farm on section 8 in Delaware Pre- 
 cinct, and takes special interest in the raising of 
 stock, cattle and swine. In this branch of agricult- 
 ure he is very successful, having the good judg- 
 ment required in the selection of stock and their 
 care and treatment. 
 
 Our subject was born in Delaware County, Pa., 
 Jan. 3, 1828, and is the son of William and Jennie 
 (Davis) Hunter, the former of whom was a native 
 
 of the same county' as his son, and served as a 
 soldier in the War of 1812. He was a farmer by 
 occupation, and departed this life at his home in 
 Pennsylvania in 1855. The mother died about 
 1839. The parental household included ten chil- 
 dren, five of whom are deceased. 
 
 William Hunter, Sr., the paternal grandfather of 
 our subject, was the son of another William Hunter, 
 who was of Scotch ancestry but born in England', 
 and emigrated to the United States, settling in 
 Pennsylvania probably during the Colonial days. 
 On the mother's side the grandfather of our sub- 
 ject was Mordecai Davis, of Welsh ancestry. He 
 spent his last years in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Hunter acquired the rudiments of his edu- 
 cation in his native county, and in the spring of 
 1851, when a young man of twenty-three years, 
 leaving the Keystone State, made his wa}' to Zanes- 
 ville, Ohio. In the fall of that year, 1851, he re- 
 turned home where he remained five years, but in the 
 spring of 1856 turned his face once more toward 
 the farther West. This time he crossed the Father 
 of Waters, and settling in the embryo town of Bur- 
 lington, Iowa, established a candle factory, which he 
 operated a year, then changed his residence to 
 Iowa Cit}'. 
 
 In the fall of 1858 Mr. Hunter came to the Ter- 
 ritory of Nebraska, and occupied himself at freight- 
 ing to Utah until the spring of 1860. He then 
 started out for the Territory of Utah with a team 
 of six yoke of oxen, his destination being Ft. 
 Crittenden. For a year thereafter he was in the 
 employ of the Government, and afterward followed 
 teaming over the Western States and Territories 
 in the interests of a stage company. He went 
 through to Ft. Hall in Washington Territory, then 
 returning to Salt Lake City accepted the position 
 of messenger for a stage company at a salary of $75 
 per month. 
 
 The fall of 1864 found our subject in Nebraska 
 City, where he employed himself until December, 
 1866. Thence he went to Davenport, Iowa, where 
 he concluded to settle and engage in the employ of 
 the Government. With this in view he returned 
 to Pennsylvania the winter following, and in the 
 spring of 1867 took his family to Davenport. 
 They lived tiiere until the spring of 1873, and then 
 
 -^h^- 
 
 *^l 
 
*► II ^ f 
 
 ^.^(-^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 .■)21 
 
 Mr. Hunter changed his residence to Tama County, 
 Iowa, where he occupied himself in farming and 
 raising stocii until April, 1879. 
 
 Mr. Hunter now returned to Nebraska Cit3', and 
 concluded to make this count3' his future home. 
 He purchased eighty acres of land, and began the 
 development of the farm which is now the object 
 of admiration by the passing traveler. He has neat 
 and substantial buildings, and superintends his 
 agricultural operations with that good judgment 
 which has met with its legitimate reward in the 
 building up of a most valuable and attractive home- 
 stead. He keeps about ten head of cattle, and a 
 herd of forty swine, and from the proceeds of these 
 enjoys a handso'me income annnualiy. 
 
 The marriage of Charles F. Hunter and Miss 
 Elizabeth P. Nuzum was celebrated at the home of 
 the bride in Delaware County, Pa., Feb. 21, 1867. 
 Mrs. Hunter is the daughter of William and .Sarah 
 (Epright) Nuzum, who were natives of Pennsyl- 
 vania, and are now deceased. She was born in 
 October, 1829. Of her union with our subject 
 there is one child, a son, William N., who was liorn 
 Nov. 22, 1867, and is a j'oung man gifted by 
 nature with more than ordinary capabilities. He 
 has received a good education, and possesses in a 
 marked degree the business talents of his father, 
 whom he assists in the carrj'ing on of the farm and 
 in his stock operations. The family is widely and 
 favorably known throughout this region, where they 
 enjoy the society of hosts of friends. Mr. Hunter 
 votes the straight Democratic ticket, but has no de- 
 sire for the responsibilities of office. 
 
 
 ■REDERICK H. BRAUER, Coronor of Otoe 
 County, and also engaged as an undertaker 
 in Nebraska City, is one of its most enter- 
 prising young business men, and one who at once 
 attracts attention on account of the superior quali- 
 ties of his mind and character. He is more than 
 ordinarily intelligent, is well educated, refined and 
 intellectual, and, surrounded by hosts of friends, evi- 
 dently has before him a bright and promising career. 
 United with these qualities is sound common sense, 
 
 by which he is enabled to take a practical view of 
 life, and adapt himself to its more serious business. 
 He has been an industrious student and an extensive 
 reader, and there are few men of his age who pos- 
 sess a finer fund uf general information. 
 
 Mr. Brauer came to Nebraska City in April of 
 1870, when a lad twelve 3-ears of age, directly from 
 his native German}'. He was born near the town 
 of Jeber, on the borders of the North Sea in the 
 Duchy of Oldenburg, and is the son of Frederick 
 H., Sr., and Anna Brauer, the former of whom died 
 when a young man, leaving one child, Frederick H. 
 The father was a stone-cutter by trade, and left his 
 little family with moderate means. Our subject 
 was then a little lad five or six j'ears old. The 
 mother continued at her old home a few years after 
 the death of her husband, but in the spring of 1870 
 set sail for America, and, after landing in the city 
 of Baltimore, proceeded directly to Nebraska, ar- 
 riving in this county on the 3d of April. Two 
 J'ears later she contracted a second marriage, with 
 Mr. Henry Burmeister, by whom she became the 
 mother of one child, a daughter, Mary, who is now 
 at home. The mother is still living in this city. 
 
 Mr. Brauer applied himself closely to his books 
 in the schools of Nebraska City, improving ever}' 
 opportunitj' to acquire useful information, and 
 when leaving school by no means al)andoned his 
 education, this being carried on by the perusal of 
 instructive books and the leading periodicals of 
 the da}'. At the same time it was necessary that 
 he should engage in some useful employment, and 
 he began learning the business of undertaker and 
 cabinet-maker with Mr. August Krieger, with whom 
 he remained a period of three years. Subsequently 
 he entered the employ of S J. Faries, now a resi- 
 dent of the city of Omaha, with wiiom he continued 
 seven years, and then formed a partnership with 
 J. W. Butt, at Nebraska City. They, under the 
 firm name of Butt & Brauer, were established on 
 Central avenue the first year, then purchased the busi- 
 ness of Mr. Faries, and operated together another 
 year, when Mr. Brauer sold his interest to his part- 
 ner, and established in business alone, in August of 
 1885. About this time he was elected County 
 Coronor, the duties of which ofHce he has since dis- 
 charged with credit to himself and satisfaction to 
 
 •►Hl-^^ 
 
 ^^t- 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 522 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 all uoncernefl, and which he lias held by re-election 
 since tliat time. 
 
 Our subject i<lentified himself with the Masonic 
 fraternity in 1884, being a member of Western 
 Star Lodge No. 2, and Alpha Consistor3' No. 50. 
 He is also a Knight of Pythias, in which he is 
 Past Chancellor, and belongs to the A. O. U. W. 
 He is also connected with the Building and Loan 
 Association of Nebraska Cit\', and keeps himself 
 well posted in regard to business matters, and those 
 enterprises generallj' tending to the advancement 
 of the city's interests. He cast his first Presi- 
 dential vote for Garfield, and is a stanch supporter 
 of Republican principles. Still unmarried, he makes 
 his home with his mother. 
 
 ERMAN H. BARTLING. It goes without 
 saying that the population of the United 
 States is being recruited, and has been from 
 the beginning by settlers from homes beyond 
 the seas. That there are some more desirable citi- 
 zens than others is an equally patent fact, and yet 
 another equally incontrovertible truth is, that of all 
 from an3' country, district or province, those from 
 the Fatherland, taken as a class, are more to be 
 commended because of their unostentatious, pains- 
 taking, practical and praiseworthj' industry and 
 unceasing loyalty. There are, perhaps, not to be 
 found throughout the length and breadth of the 
 German Empire a more noble people than those of 
 Westphalia, a Province where sobriety, morality, 
 diligent toil, mutual confidence and regard seem to 
 mark the citizen and peasant alike; whether among 
 its hills or traversing its plains, or walking its cities, 
 one is assured of meeting with courtesy, affa- 
 bility and kindness. 
 
 Nebraska Cit}^ has several representatives of the 
 people mentioned in the foregoing paragraph, and 
 of these bj' no means the least worthy is the gen- 
 tleman a sketch of whose life is herein presented 
 in brief form. He was born in Halle, Westphalia, 
 Sept. 16, 1848. His father, C. H. Bartling, was a 
 native of the same place, and followed agriculture 
 as his chosen occupation in life. The maiden name 
 of his wife, the motlier of our subject. wa.s Eliza- 
 
 beth Poetting. She became the mother of seven 
 children, all of whom grew to mature years, but onlj' 
 three of them are in America. They are: the sub- 
 ject of the present sketch, Clamer F. A. and Will- 
 iam H. 
 
 Our subject attended the school steadily until 
 he was about fourteen j-ears of age, and when not 
 thus engaged, and after reaching that age, he as- 
 sisted his father upon the farm, and in such work 
 became quite proficient, and was thus employed 
 with his father until the year 1865. In November 
 of that year he set sail from Bremen, landed at 
 New York the following month, and almost imme- 
 diately pushed on to St. Louis, where he spent one 
 week, and then went to Washington County. There 
 he speedil}^ found employment upon a farm, for 
 which he was remunerated at the rate of S200 per 
 annum, and remained there for about three and a 
 half years. At the end of that period he came to 
 Nebraska City, and was employed as clerk in the 
 general store of F. M. Rottman until the fall of 
 1871. Upon leaving Mr. Rottman our subject 
 formed a partnership with H. Homeyer, and opened 
 a general store. Four 3-ears later he bought this 
 gentleman's interest in the business, and since that 
 time has conducted it alone. The handsome and 
 commodious building, his present headquarters, 
 was erected in 1876, and in its designment special 
 thought and care were given to especially adapt it 
 for his business. It stands upon the corner of 
 Main and Eleventh streets, and. occupies a ground 
 measurement site of 24x120 feet, is constructed of 
 the best Nebraska City brick, and presents an un- 
 usually fine appearence, occupying as it does a very 
 commanding position. 
 
 On the 21st of July, 1874, our subject was united 
 in marriage with Miss Fredericka W. Gaede. This 
 ladj' is the daughter of Dietrich Gaede, who, with 
 his wife, was a native of Saxony, Germany, and is 
 the fourth of five children born to them. This 
 union has proved most auspicious and happy in 
 its outcome, and not the least element in this hap- 
 piness is the presence in the home of the six chil- 
 dren who have been given to them, whose names 
 are as follows: Nellie, Henry, Willie, Eddie, Frank 
 and Arthur. 
 
 In addition to his extensive ))usiness interests 
 
 *t 
 
 ■♦ 
 
*► I I <• 
 
 O'I'OE COUNTY. 
 
 -•^ 
 
 523 
 
 T 
 
 connected with his store, our subject is a large 
 stockholder in the ^Merchants' National Bank, of 
 which he is one of the Directors; a member of the 
 Board of Trade; also a stockholder in the canning 
 factory and Nebraska City Manufacturing Com- 
 pany, and member of the firm of Duff, Bartling & 
 Co., grain buyers, whose connection is perhaps the 
 most extensive in the district. He is President of 
 the Nebraska City Street Railway Company, of 
 which he is also a Director. Mr. Bartling. has 
 been called upon to serve as a member of the Coun- 
 cil of the city. Both our subject and his wife are 
 members of the German Evangelical Church, and 
 are regarded therein as among its most worthy 
 members. They take their place in the best circles 
 of society of the city, and are held in the highest 
 possible esteem by the community. It will have 
 been noticed that in beginning life Mr. Bartling 
 was almost at the lowest round of the ladder, but 
 by energy, untiring industrj', intelligence and good 
 judgment, he has struggled, labored and toiled 
 year after year, and, humanly speaking, whatever 
 he is, whatever he has, and whatever influence or 
 power he may possess in the community or busi- 
 ness world, it is due to his own efforts, svipple- 
 mented since his marriage by tliose of his gifted 
 and accomplished wife and faithful companion. 
 
 o^»»^ 
 
 -^"K- 
 
 ««?<«-» 
 
 \fl ACOB J. HOCHSTETLER. one of the lead- 
 ing citizens of Nebraska City, is a tine rep- 
 resentative of the pioneers of Nebraska who, 
 through 3'ears of toil and self-sacrifiee, have 
 aided in building up the wild, sparsely settled 
 prairie country that they found on first coming here 
 into a great and glorious State, whose inexhaustible 
 resources and uncounted wealtli give it a higli 
 standing among its sister States in the ^Vest. He is 
 extensively engaged in business here as an insur- 
 ance, real-estate and loan agent. 
 
 Mr. lioehstetler is a native of Holmes Count3% 
 Ohio, coming of an old Pennsylvania family, his 
 father and his grandfather both being natives of 
 the Keystone State. The latter, who was a farmer, 
 moved to Ohio, and spent his last daj's in Holmes 
 
 • > m M - 
 
 County. Jacob lioehstetler, Sr., the father of our 
 subject, was reared in Pennsylvania, and wlien a 
 young man still unmarried he started out from the 
 old home afoot to seek his fortune in the West, and 
 in Ohio he found work at twenty-five cents a day. 
 He was careful and prudent, and in time saved 
 money enough to buy fifty-six acres of heavily tim- 
 bered land in Holmes County. Then the pioneer 
 task of felling the tall old trees of the primeval 
 forest that covered his farm, uprooting stumps 
 and breaking the soil began. In doing this he 
 burned large logs that would now be valuable, and 
 soon he had space enough cleared on which to build 
 a log cabin, the same in which our subject was 
 afterward born. He improved a good farm from 
 the surrounding wilderness, and continued to dwell 
 thereon until 1856, when he made another move, 
 having sold his place, and Owen County, Ind., be- 
 came his home for the rest of his days. He bought 
 an improved farm, and until his death in 1861 
 was prosperously engaged in farming. He was a man 
 whose steady habits and indubitable integrity won 
 tlie respect and confidence of all who knew him. 
 The maiden name of his wife was Frances Miller. 
 She was a mitive of Pennsylvania, and a daughter 
 of David Miller, who, with his wife, was also a 
 native of Penjisylvauia. The latter's maiden name 
 was Michler. Mrs. Hochstetler died on the home 
 farm in Owen County, Ind., leaving behind her the 
 record of a life well spent. Six cliildren were born 
 to that worthy couple, as follows: Eli, who gave 
 up his life for his country while serving in an Indi- 
 ana regiment in the late Civil War; John J., who 
 died in February, 1887, at Coles City, Ind.; Jacob 
 J.; Elizabeth, who married Lewis Kerch, and lives in 
 Coles City; Josiah J., who lives in Leadville, Col.; 
 and Sarah, who died wlien ten years of age. 
 
 Jacob Hochstetler was reared in tlie place of his 
 birth, and gained his education in the district 
 school. As soon as large enough lie commenced to 
 assist his father on the farm, and continued to be a 
 member of tlie parental household until his twen- 
 tieth year, when he commenced to learn the trade 
 of carpenter and builder. He worked at that a 3-ear 
 and a half, and then entered the mercantile business 
 as a clerk in a general store in Bedford, Ohio, and 
 later worked in the same capacity in Louisville, re- 
 
 r 
 
•^f^ 
 
 524 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ceiving $5 a month the first year, and the following 
 }'ear ^144 for his j^ear's work. In 1851 Mr. Iloch- 
 stetlcr formed a partnership with G. II. Burgert, 
 and they opened a general store in Bedford, Ohio. 
 In 1852 they sold out, and after settling up his 
 business our subject went to Indiana, and in 1853 
 opened a general store in Worthington, conducting 
 it for one 3'ear, with a branch store in Stockton, 
 Ind. In 1854 he moved to Stockton, and made his 
 home there until 1856, when he sold out, settled up 
 his affairs, and in the spring of 1857 was ready to 
 begin life anew in another part of the country. He 
 selected the Territory of Nebraska as his objective 
 point, and going by private conveyance to Terre 
 Haute, Ind., took the cars for St. Louis, and in that 
 city embarked on a Missouri River steamer for 
 Nebraska City, where he arrived on the 17th of 
 April. It was snowing at the time, and the next 
 daj' there was good sleighing, a rare thing at that 
 season, but the preceding winter had been one of 
 terrible severity, long to be remembered by the 
 early settlers. The country was very S])arsely set- 
 tled at that period, there being only about 1 ,500 peo- 
 ple here at the time, and the small towns were con- 
 fined mostly to the streams. But a few miles west 
 deer and other wild animals still roamed, and In- 
 dians were frequent visitors. On his arrival here Mr. 
 Hochstetler assisted Mr. Burnham to open a stock 
 of goods, and in June started out in search of a 
 suitable location. Twenty-three miles west of the 
 city he made a claim, engaged a man for the sum of 
 $100 to build him a cabin, 12x15 feet, and hired 
 ^ another man, for a like sum of money, to break ten 
 acres of his land. After residing on his claim a few 
 months he returned to the city, and bought a claim 
 one and one-half miles from the city in a southerly 
 direction. lie erected a hewed log house, in which 
 he lived until December, and then moved back to 
 Nebraska Cit}^, and opened a general store in that 
 part of it known as Kearney. At the expiration of 
 a year he sold out that business, built a dwelling- 
 house in Nebraska Citj^, and opened a boot and 
 shoe store on Central avenue. Later Mr. Hoch- 
 stetler formed a partnershii) with his old partner, 
 Mr. G. II. Burgert, and the}' managed two stores 
 until 1861. In that year our subject was appointed 
 Postmaster of Nebraska Cit}-, and selling liis inter- 
 
 r 
 
 est in the business, he assumed his duties as Post- 
 master in May of that year, and for ten years, until 
 Jul}' 1, 1871, was the incumbent of that office, and 
 during that long term his efficiency and fidelity 
 made his services invaluable in that responsible 
 position, and he possessed the full confidence of the 
 citizens of Nebraska City. After giving up the 
 office of Postmaster he engaged in the real-estate 
 business and the sale of farm implements, with J. 
 E. McCoy as partner. In 1874 he bought an inter- 
 est with J. W. Patrick in the agricultural imple- 
 ment manufacturing, and paid his attention to that 
 solely for two 3'ears. At the expiration of that 
 time the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Hochstetler 
 assuming the indebtedness, and taking all the out- 
 standing assets. During the next year he was en- 
 gaged in settling that business, and was also 
 engaged in selling produce and manufactured vine- 
 gar for two years. In 1878 Mr. Hochstetler turned 
 his attention to an entirelj' different industry, that 
 of raising stock in Western Nebraska and Eastern 
 Colorado, grazing the cattle on the wild plains. 
 While he found this quite profitable, he yet pre- 
 ferred a business life in the city, and in 1882 he 
 disposed of his stock interests in order to take 
 charge of the extensive insurance business of N. S. 
 Harding, and is still conducting that in Nebraska 
 City very successfully in connection with real -estate 
 dealings and loans. He is a bright, capable busi- 
 ness man, sj'stematic in his methods, prompt in his 
 habits, and always keeps up with the times, 
 
 Mr. Hochstetler was married, in 1853, to Miss 
 Lucinda Burgert, a native of Ohio, and a daughter 
 of David and Ellen (lluet) Burgert. Of this mar- 
 riage four children have been born, namely: 
 Charles E., Frank B., Clarence, and Elsie (deceased). 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hochstetler are leading members of 
 society in this city, and are active members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, which he joined in 
 1861, and he is a worker in the Sunday-school. 
 
 In politics Mr. Hochstetler is a leader in the 
 Eepublican party, and he is influential in public 
 affairs, and has served two years as County Com- 
 missioner. Mr. Hochstetler is a true gentleman, 
 alwaj's courteous, kindly and dignified in his man- 
 ners, and ever helpful and considerate in his rela- 
 tions with his fellowmen, in whose liearts he 
 
 ■•^i!-^ 
 
^ ^ 
 

 t 
 
 j; 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 527 
 
 occupies a warm place. He early formed good 
 business habits, and in his long and useful career, 
 in all his wide and extensive dealings, he h.as borne 
 an unsullied reputation, and no man is more deserv- 
 ing of trust tb.an he. 
 
 JUDGE T. S. JONES. In the h.inds of this 
 gentleman the balance of justice is held 
 most firmly and adjusted under all circum- 
 stances with extreme nicety — always having 
 regard for truth and equity. He has long been 
 identified with the citizens of this county, and has 
 risen to the heights of his profession, and is receiv- 
 ing on every hand most complete regard as a citi 
 zen, law3-er and judge. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born Nov. 6, 1837, 
 at 8t. C'lairsville, Belmont Co., Ohio, and for the 
 first six years of his life that was his home. He 
 then accompanied his parents when they removed 
 to Virginia, remaining with them until he attained 
 his majority. He is the son of Dr. AVilliam N. 
 and Jemima (Smith) Jones. His father was an 
 army surgeon, and a graduate of the Jefferson Medi- 
 cal College. He died in West Virginia on the old 
 homestead, after having practiced medicine for 
 over forty-five years. 
 
 The great-grandfather of our subject, Thomas 
 Jones, emigrated to this country from Wales, where 
 the family was in good circumstances for that coun- 
 try, and held a good position in societj^. His son 
 Thomas was born in the District of Columbia, 
 within sight of the National Capitol. Grandmother 
 Jones was of Scotch birth, and upon the maternal 
 side Grandfather Smith was English and Grand- 
 mother Smith Irish. 
 
 The mother of our subject was born at Cam- 
 bridge, Ohio, in the year 1819. She is still living, 
 .and makes her home at Hebron, W. Va. The fam- 
 ily circle included seventeen children, thirteen of 
 wliom are still living. Subjoined are the names 
 borne by them; Mar}- E., now of Kansas; Thomas 
 S., our subject; Samuel, now deceased; Eliza died 
 in infancy; Eliza J. died when twenty 3-ears of 
 age; })r. William N. died when thirtj' years old; 
 Virginia, Zaehariah, Dr. A. P., Dr. Lewis H., Kate, 
 
 Emma ; Priseilla w.os married, and died when about 
 twent^'-eight years of age, leaving three children ; 
 Celesta, Sarah, Rachael and Lelia. 
 
 The subject of our sketch upon arriving at a 
 proper age attended school in the usual institution, 
 receiving instruction in both Virginia and Ohio. 
 When sixteen years of age he entered Waynes- 
 boro College, in the State of Penns3'lvania. His 
 mother was a Quaker, and she was brought up after 
 the usual precise methods inculcated by that bod^-, 
 surrounded by the associations and devotional at- 
 mosphere common to that people. To him an edu- 
 cation meant something, and, having no means to 
 depend upon excepting his own effort, and such as 
 he might attain through it, he went to work stead- 
 ily, and despite man\- difficulties that would have 
 daunted a less persevering spirit, he worked his 
 way through college, as have done many others, of 
 whom an illustrious instance is our beloved mar- 
 tyred President, James A. Garfield. To this end he 
 engaged in school teaching under the State system, 
 and was busily employed, while others, apparentlj' 
 more fortunate and better circumstanfced, indulged 
 in all manner of recreation and amusement. 
 
 Some time after leaving college our subject went 
 to Matamoras, Washington Co., Ohio, and there 
 engaged in teaching school, retaining alwaj^s, how- 
 ever, his studious habits, and ever keeping before 
 him the remembrance that there was something yet 
 to be learned. Later he went to White County, 
 Ind., and continued his work there, but found 
 that in some regards it was very different, owing 
 to the difference in his scholars. In Indiana there 
 was far more wielding of the rod, but there was 
 that also which atoned for anything of unpleasant- 
 ness arising from this circumstance, for it was 
 while a resident there that he made the acquaintance 
 of the lady who has through the long j-ears since 
 that time been to him ever the most loving and 
 faithful companion of his life. 
 
 On the 21st of February, 1858, the subject of 
 our sketch was united in marriiige with ISIiss Mary 
 A. Jewett, who was born in Erie, Pa., and went to 
 Indiana with her father when about ten or twelve 
 years of age. She grew to earlj' womanhood in 
 White Countj^, of that State, where she continued 
 I until her marriage. There have been born to ^Ir. 
 
■^^• 
 
 i^^h-^ 
 
 b-2S 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 
 and Mrs. Jones seven children, n.imely: Letitia, 
 who died when three years of age; Minnie; Wil- 
 lie, who died when a year old; Ernest A., Emma 
 J., Thomas O. M. and Fred. Minnie is now the 
 wife of H. Sehanahan, of Nebraska City, and is the 
 mother of three children, who bear the following 
 names: Mamie, Franlv and Nellie. 
 
 After his marriage our subject turned liis atten- 
 tion to farming, teaching the school only during 
 the winter months, continuing the same until the 
 year 1860. During that year and the following he 
 engaged as bookkeeper and salesman in Reynolds, 
 Ind., for his brother-in-law, serving at the same 
 time as Postmaster. When tlie war broke out he 
 deputed to his brother-in-law his duties as Post- 
 master, and enlisted in the 63d Indiana Infantry 
 for a term of three j'ears. After drilling for six 
 months in the city of Indianapolis, he was ready 
 for the front. Shortly after he was promoted to 
 Orderly Sergeant. The regiment did garrison duty 
 in various places in Kentuckj', and until January, 
 1864, when it was ordered to join Sherman at 
 Cleveland, Tenn., and took part in the engage- 
 ments of the Atlanta campaign. 
 
 The first fight in whicli our subject took part was 
 the skirmish of Rocky Face, Ga. His first battle 
 was that at Resaca, where 1 1 2 men of the regi- 
 ment fell in so many seconds. Here the regiment 
 won its first real laurels, and established its name 
 as one of the most valiant, intrepid and soldierlj' of 
 the armj'. Resaca will be remembered by our sub- 
 ject for another reason, because by reason of his 
 gallantry he was promoted to the Lieutenancy, and 
 at Atlanta he did duty as such, and received his 
 commission of First Lieutenant. After Atlanta 
 they went back to "Check" Hood. At Nashville 
 tlie.y succeeded in capturing the bulk of the Con- 
 federate army at that place, grouting Hood, and 
 causing him to flee the district. In January, 1865, 
 they were transferred by steamer, the ice being 
 broken for them by tugs, via Bellaire and Wash- 
 ington City to Alexandria, where they took trans- 
 ports to Ft. Fisher. Despite innumerable vicissi- 
 tudes of fortune and hardsliips, they were at last 
 successful in joining Sherman's army at Goldsboro, 
 and soon after participated in the capture of Fts. 
 Andrews and AVilmington, gaining possession of 
 
 both places witliin a few daj's. The regiment contin- 
 ued with Sherman until the close of the war, and 
 were on the march to Raleigh when they heard of 
 Gen. Lee's surrender, and on the 19th of April 
 received the news of Lincoln's assassination. At 
 the time of Johnston's surrender they were at Dur- 
 ham Station. 
 
 The army career of our subject was quite bril- 
 liant. He fought valiantly and long, never shrink- 
 ing -from duty for any cause, and the fear of 
 danger was unknown to him. He was not home to 
 see his wife and child during the entire term of his 
 service in the Soutli. The last thirteen months he 
 marched more than 3,000 miles. Several offices of 
 trust were given him, aud he was honored by pro- 
 motion. After Johnston's surrender his division was 
 left to take charge of the artillery and ammunition 
 captured from the reliels. His companj- was alw.iys 
 on the sldrmish line of battle, and in spite of this, 
 and the fact that he fought in eighteen of the most 
 desperate conflicts of the war and was under fire 
 over fifty-two times, he came out unscathed and 
 unwounded. Upon one occasion his canteen was . 
 demolished by bullets, and at another the rim of 
 his hat was pierced, and j'et again, seven bullet 
 holes in his coat told how near he had been to 
 death. He was honorably discharged at Greens- 
 boro, N. C, on the 26tli of June, 1865. 
 
 After the war the subject of our sketch returned 
 home, and engaged in mercantile transactions at 
 Re^molds, White Co., Ind., where he remained until 
 1869. In that year he removed to State Line, 
 111., and continued his business there until March, 
 1871, when he came to Nebraska City to fill the 
 position of freight and ticket agent on the Midland 
 Pacific Railroad, which he continued to hold until 
 1875, when he embarked in business again, selling 
 windmills, pumps, etc. In 1881 he purchased a 
 farm two and a half miles southwest of the city, 
 upon which he made his home for about three 
 years, there meeting with no little success until 
 1884, when he sold liis farm, and moved back to the 
 city. 
 
 In 1875 Mr. Jones was elected City Assessor, and 
 served vmtil 1881. In 1884 he was elected to the 
 office of Justice of the Peace, and his discharge 
 of the duties arising in that connection was such 
 
 r^ 
 
•¥^f^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 529 
 
 ••Ah 
 
 as to mark him for other honors. He was admitted 
 to the bar as a lawyer in 1888, and to the District 
 Court of Nebraska in the same year. Success in 
 life has come to him not as a result of chance or 
 some mysterious, unknown cause, but because of 
 liis determination and perseverance in whatever he 
 undertook, frequently wresting success from the 
 liand tliat would have given him only failure. He 
 has built and occupies an excellent, substantially 
 built residence on Fourth avenue, between Eighth 
 and Ninth streets. 
 
 Judge Jones stands in the front rank of active 
 citizens, and holds a prominent position in the va- 
 rious circles of Nebraska City life. He is an hon- 
 ored member of the ilasonic fraternity, and is 
 afHliated with Western Star Lodge No. 2, and with 
 Keystone Chapter of Royal Arch Jlasons No. 2. 
 He is a member of the A. O. U. W., and also of 
 Eamplin Lodge No. 331, of the Society of Modern 
 AVoodmen, meeting in Nebraska City. Religiousl}^ 
 our subject and wife find their home within the 
 communion of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 Politically, he is one of the leaders of the Repub- 
 lican party locally. From 1875 to 1876 he served 
 on the City Council, giving to all excellent and 
 entire satisfaction as a councillor. His connec- 
 tion with the War of the Rebellion was the resiilt 
 of his thorough loyalty and patriotism, and this 
 also makes him an enthusiastic member of the G. 
 A. R. He is allied with the William Baumer Post 
 No. 24, and holds the position of Commander. 
 
 The portrait of Judge Jones is given in connec- 
 tion with this brief sketch of his life. 
 
 fOUN GAHRKA. a prominent and well-to-do 
 German farmer of Russell Precinct, has la- 
 bored with more than ordinar}^ success in 
 developing one of the best tracts of land 
 within its borders. He is a self-made man in. the 
 truest sense of the word, having been thrown upon 
 bis own resources early in life, and forced to make 
 his own way in the world without other assistance 
 than that which his strong hands and resolute will 
 afforded. He was born in what was then the King- 
 dom of Hanover, Germany, May 2, 1843, and is 
 
 the son of John and Anna G.ihrka, wiio were of 
 pure German aneestrj'. 
 
 The father of our subject, who was a laborer by 
 occupation, died in Germany in 1851, when his son 
 John was a lad eight 3'ears of age. The mother 
 two years later came with her children to America, 
 and settled in Wisconsin, where she spent the re- 
 mainder of her days, her death occurring in 1884, 
 when she was seventy-five years old. To the par- 
 ents there were born three sons and three dangii- 
 ters, the latter of whom all died young. Henry 
 and Richard, the elder and younger brothers of 
 our subject, continue to live in Wisconsin. 
 
 Mr. Gahrka was a lad of ten years when he came 
 to America with his mother, and still remembers 
 many of the incidents of preparation and the long 
 voyage across the ocean. They set sail from the 
 port of Bremen, and landed in New York City, 
 whence they proceeded to Minnesota, and spent the 
 first winter in that State. From there they moved to 
 LaFayette County, Wis., and the mother, with the 
 assistance of her sons, farmed on rented land until 
 1870. John then purchased forty acres near by, of 
 which he retained possession until the fall of 1882, 
 when he sold out to come to Nebraska. 
 
 Upon his arrival in this county Mr. Gahrka set- 
 tled upon 160 acres of land in Russell Precinct, 
 which he had previously purchased. This he has 
 transformed from an uncultivated prairie into one 
 of the most desirable homesteads in this region, 
 adding to its extent in 1884eiglit3' acres adjoining 
 on section 12. He has groves of willow and Cot- 
 tonwood, an orchard of fiftj' bearing apple trees, 
 and a spring of running water. Of late years he 
 has been engaged mostly in buying and feeding 
 cattle. He is known all over his precinct as a man 
 prompt to meet his obligations, industrious and en- 
 terprising, a model farmer and a thorouglily leliable 
 citizen. His career has been one abundantl3^ worthy 
 of imitation. 
 
 In LaFayette County, Wis., our subject met the 
 lad3'. Miss Dora Windils, who became his wife on 
 the 9th of October. 1875. Mrs. Gahrka is a native 
 of the same Province as her husband, and is his 
 junior by ten years to the very da\', her birth oc- 
 curring Maj' 2, 1853. Henry and .Alary (Rinkins) 
 AVindils, llie parents of Mrs. Gahrka. were also born 
 ■» 
 
» 1 l l •<• 
 
 530 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 in Hanover, where they were rearerl and married. 
 The}' also died there in middle life, the father in 
 1855, and the mother in 1858. Their eldest child, 
 a son, Henr3', died when abont thirty-five years 
 old; Dora, Mrs. Galirka, was the second born. 
 Her younger brother. August, is a resident of Ne- 
 braska. The three children completed the house- 
 hold circle. 
 
 Mrs. Gahrka in her journej' across the Atlantic in 
 1 872 was accompanied by her brother, and after land- 
 ing in New York proceeded to LaFayette County, 
 AVis., where she lived until her marriage. Mr. and 
 Mrs. G. have no children of their own, butare per- 
 forming the duties of kind parents to an adopted 
 son, .John Windeits. Mr. G. uniforuilj- votes with 
 the Democratic part}', and in religious matters Loth 
 he and his excellent wife are members of the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church at North Branch. He is a 
 citizen of whom Otce Count}' has reason to be 
 proud. 
 
 <^ BRAHAM D. VANTINE. The spring of 
 [@/LI|! 1857 found the subject of this sketch on 
 his way from Illinois to Nebraska Terri- 
 tory, at which time he secured the land 
 which he now owns and occupies. He, however, 
 did not settle upon it until the spring of 1872, he 
 having in the meantime traveled over various por- 
 tions of different States. At the time last men- 
 tioned he returned to this county and began the 
 improvement and cultivation of his purchase, which 
 is now numbered among the most valuable estates 
 of Wyoming Precinct, and which is pleasantly lo- 
 cated on section 5. 
 
 Mr. Vantine makes a specialty of stock-raising, 
 and in the spring of 1888 commenced a neat farm 
 residence which, with its adjacent buildings, forms a 
 very pleasant and attractive home. He has made 
 for himself a good record, and is numbered among 
 the representative men of the count}'. A native of 
 Westmoreland County, Pa., he was born July 18, 
 1830. and is a son of Hezekiah Vantine, a native of 
 Holland, and of substantial Dutch ancestry. It is 
 supposed that he emigrated to the United States 
 early in life, and it is known that he was married in 
 Pennsylvania to the mother of our subject, who 
 
 in her girlhood was Miss Mary Phillips. She was 
 born in Pennsylvania, and was of ancestry similar 
 to that of her husband. 
 
 After marriage the parents of our subject set- 
 tled on a farm in Allegheny Township, Westmore- 
 land Co., Pa., where the father died in middle 
 life, when his son Abraham D. was a little lad of 
 seven years. Eleven children, seven sons and four 
 daughters, were thus left fatherless. Of these five 
 are yet living, and lesidents of Pennsylvania. Heze- 
 kiah Vantine at the time of his death, about 1837, 
 was fifty-six years of age. The wife and mother 
 survived until 1871, passing her last days at the 
 home in Pennsylvania, and reaching the advanced 
 age of fourscore years. Both parents were United 
 Presbyterians from their youth, excellent and wor- 
 thy people, who were highly esteemed by ail who 
 knew them. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was next to the young- 
 est of his fathci's family, received a common-school 
 education, and grew to manhood in his native 
 county. He came to Nebraska a single man, and in 
 March, 1859, was married, in Wyoming Precinct, 
 to Miss Eliza J. Snell. This lady is a native of 
 the same county as her husband, and born also in 
 Allegheny Township, March 29, 1844. Her par- 
 ents, Jacob and Eliza (Walters) Snell, were also 
 natives of the Keystone State, of Dutch ancestry 
 on the father's side and of Scotch on the mother's. 
 
 Mr. Snell was a stonemason by trade, and after 
 the birth of six children in Pennsylvania, of whom 
 Mrs. Vantine was the eldest, the Snell family moved 
 to Hlinois and located in Rock Island City, where 
 Mr. Snell operated as a contractor for the jail that 
 was then in process of construction, and which is 
 yet standing. From Illinois, in 1857, the Snell 
 family proceeded westward across the Mississippi 
 into the Territory of Nebraska, where the father 
 homesteaded 160 acres on section 4, in Wyoming 
 Precinct. Here he occupied himself as a farmer 
 until 1861, then moved to Denver, Col, where, after 
 a residence of twenty years, the mother died April 
 25, 1880, at the age of fifty-four years. Mr. Snell 
 has since made his home with his children, and is 
 now seventy years of age. 
 
 Mrs. Vantine passed her eighteenth birthday in 
 this county, but her education was completed in 
 
 •►^ll-^ 
 
*► I I M > 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 531 
 
 Illinois. Of her union with our subject there have 
 been born eight children, one of whom, a daughter, 
 Elizabeth, died at the age of five years. John W., 
 the eldest child living, assists his father in the man- 
 agement of the farm; Luella is the wife of John 
 W. James, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in 
 this volume; Sara Littitia, James C, Frank H., 
 Nettie and Harry E. are at home with their par- 
 ents. Mr.-and Mrs. Vantine have labored hand in 
 hand in the building up of their homestead, and en- 
 dured together toil and sacrifice, but are now in the 
 enjo3'ment of a good home and a competency. Our 
 subject, politically, is a stanch Republican, and as a 
 man and a member of the community has conducted 
 himself in that praiseworthy manner which has se- 
 cured him the regard of all who know him. 
 
 I'^ICHARD A. WHITE is a prominent busi- 
 P^ir ness man of Nebraska City, where he has 
 
 ♦t 
 
 =j 11, been extensively engaged as real-estate and 
 ^^insurance agent. He is a native of Mis- 
 souri, born about twelve miles from Marshall, the 
 county seat of Saline County, Aug. 28, 1836. He 
 is descended from Virginian ancestr}'. His father, 
 John A. White, was born in Virginia, near the 
 town of Abingdon, and was there reared and mar- 
 ried, Pilizabeth Atkins, also a native of the old Do- 
 minion, and a daughter of Joseph Atkins, becoming 
 his wife. They moved from their native place to 
 Missouri in 1834, and settled in Saline County, the 
 removal being made with teams. Mr. AVhite be- 
 came a man of mark among the pioneers of tliat 
 part of the countrj', as he was a man of great 
 enterprise, possessing keen foresight, and was well 
 gifted both mentally and physically. He bought 
 1,000 acres of wild land, the greater part of it 
 prairie, and resided in Saline County until 1838, 
 when he sold his pi'operty there and moved to 
 Platte County, JIo., where he bought a tract of 
 timber land one and one-half miles from Platte 
 Cit}'. He engaged activelj- in farming, using slave 
 labor, and tobacco and hemp were the chief prod- 
 ucts that he raised. In 1843 he disposed of his 
 farm and made another move, Andrew County, 
 Mo., becoming his place of residence. He purchased 
 
 about 1,500 acres of unimproved land, the greater 
 part of it prairie, and devoted his energies to clear- 
 ing a large farm, and to raising hemp, corn and 
 other products. St. Louis was the nearest market, 
 and there being no railway then, he used to ship 
 his produce down the river to that city. In 1850, 
 with his son, our subject, and three slaves, he 
 journeyed overland to California, and there they 
 all engaged in mining until the fall of 1851, when 
 they returned home, by way of the Isthmus, New 
 Orleans, Mississippi River, and from St. Louis on 
 the stage to Andrew County. In the following' 
 year Mr. White sold his farm in Missouri, and again 
 started for California, accompanied by his family 
 and a colony of his friends and neighbors, with 
 several teams and quite a lot of cattle. He was 
 not destined, however, to reach the land of prom- 
 ise that held such alluring prospects to a man of 
 his temperament and ambition, for when they had 
 traveled over 300 miles from their old home, and 
 were out on the wild, desolate plains, far from any 
 habitation, he was attacked with cholera, and in a 
 few hours the world, with its hopes, its joys and 
 its sorrows, was naught to him, for he had passed 
 from mortality to immortality. Kind and loving 
 hands prepared a burial place for him where he 
 died, and his bereaved familj-, parting from their 
 friends, left the lone grave on the wild prairies, 
 and, in accordance with the departed father's advice, 
 retraced their way to Missouri, thence to Virginia, 
 the home of their forefathers. They resided there 
 about three 3'ears, and then returned to Missouri to 
 settle in Andrew County, and the mother bought a 
 home and lived in Fillmore Village a few years. 
 In 1864 she came to Nebraska City to malie her 
 home with her children her remaining days, and 
 died while visiting her daughter in Fairbury, Neb., 
 in 1880. She had married a second time. Benja- 
 min F. Dillon becoming her husband, and thej' had 
 one child. She had eight children by her first 
 marriage, four of whom grew to maturity. 
 
 Richard AVhite, of whom we write, was reared in 
 his native State until he was fourteen years old. 
 It was at that age that his father took him to Cali- 
 fornia, and to the wide-awake young lad who was 
 naturally fond of change of scene and adventure, 
 this was a great and never-to-be-forgotten event. 
 
 t- 
 
\ ^ 532 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ^ 
 
 He still remembers every incident of- the long 
 journey by teams over the plains and mountains, 
 from the time that they started, in the month of 
 April, until their arrival in Hangtown, 100 days 
 later. He can also give a vivid account of life in 
 the rude mining camps of that period. After his 
 return with his father to INIissouri, he spent the 
 intervening few months in his old home before 
 the}' started again for California. After his father's 
 death he returned with his mother and his brothers 
 and sisters to Blissouri and to Virginia, and con- 
 tinued to live with them for a time after they had 
 again settled in Missouri. He was married in that 
 State, in August, 1857, to Miss Margaret E. Burns, a 
 native of Clay County, Mo., and a daughter of Jere- 
 miah Burns. They have five children living, 
 namely: John B., Eflfle, Charles, Lee and Eliza- 
 beth. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. White, following in tlie footsteps of 
 his father, whose energetic and enterprising char- 
 acter he had inherited to a great degree, also be- 
 came a pioneer. Pushing on to the very frontier 
 of civilization, he located in Colorado, near the 
 present site of Denver, and thus became •one of the 
 earliest settlers of that State, which was then a Ter- 
 ritory with but very few inhabitants, there being 
 no settlements in the intervening country between 
 that and the Missouri River, excepting on the 
 West Branch of that river, where a few people had 
 located. Mr. White first engaged in stock-raising, 
 and later in freighting across the plains. In 1864 
 he removed with his family to Nebraska City, 
 making tliat his headquarters, whence he still con- 
 tinued freighting to the different military posts, 
 and to the mining camps jn the mountains until 
 tha completion of the Union Pacific Railway in 
 1867. He then turned his attention to the auction 
 and loan business, continuing in that about eight 
 years. He then opened an office for the purpose of 
 engaging in his present business as an insurance 
 and real-estate agent. In his busy career Mr. 
 White has accumulated a comfortable property, 
 and with the aid of his good wife, he has built up 
 one of the coziest homes in this vicinity. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. White are stanch members of the 
 Cliristian Church, and none of their fellow-mem- 
 bers arc Viehind them in good works or in the kind- 
 
 ness of heart that prompts them to feel charitably 
 toward others. Mr. White belongs to Frontier 
 Lodge No. 3, I. O. O. F., and in his political affilia- 
 tions he sympathizes with the Democrats, although 
 he was in his earlier years a Whig. 
 
 EKMAN M. FRERICIIS. The agricultural 
 and stock-raising interests of this county are 
 worthily represented by the subject of this 
 sketch, who owns and occupies 160 acres of 
 good land on section 7, Rock Creek Precinct. Dur- 
 ing his five years' residence here he has effected 
 many improvements, and distinguished himself as 
 a farmer of modern ideas, not content with any- 
 thing less than to excel. 
 
 Mr. Frericlis came to this county during liis 
 boyhood daj-s, his father settling in Rock Creek 
 Precinct in the spring of 1869. Herman M. re- 
 ceived his education in the common schools, an 
 education which was begun in his native Hanover, 
 where his birth took place A\n-i\ 25, 1851. He was 
 a little lad six years of age when he crossed the 
 Atlantic with his parents, they first settling in 
 Madison County, 111. Thence they crossed the 
 Mississippi into the young State of Nebraska. 
 
 The father, Abraham Frerichs, was of pure Ger- 
 man birth and parentage, and married Miss Rachel 
 Uben, they becoming the parents of six children. 
 Further mention is made of him and his excellent 
 wife in the sketch of John Frerichs, a brother of 
 our subject, which will be found elsewhere in tliis 
 volume. 
 
 Our subject continued a member of the parental 
 household until reaching his majority, and then 
 began on his own account. One of the most im- 
 portant steps at this time was his marriage witli 
 Miss Rena Bohlken. whicli took place at the home 
 of the bride, in Nemaha County, Neb. Mrs. Fre- 
 richs was born not many miles from Springfield, 
 the capital city of Illinois, Aug. 3, 1859. She came 
 to Nebraska with her parents when two 3'ears 
 old. She completed her studies in the schools of Ne- 
 maha County, this State, and was carefully trained 
 by an excellent mother in those housewifely duties 
 which liave so much to do with the liappiness and 
 
 ^h-^ 
 
•►HI 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 533 1M 
 
 <• 
 
 comfort of a home. Tlie three chiklren of our 
 subject aud his estimable wife comprise two daugh- 
 ters and a son — Lizzie, ]\Iary and Henry. They ai-e 
 all at home with their parents. Mr. aud Mrs. F. 
 were reared in the doctrines of tlie Lutheran Church, 
 to which they still loyally adhere, attending serv- 
 ices now in Rock Creek Precinct. Mr. Frerichs, 
 politically, is a solid Republican. 
 
 \il EWIS F. CORNUTT. Nebraska City owes 
 its importance among the cities of the new 
 West, not so much to any natural advan- 
 tages or special facilities for commerce or travel, as 
 to the wide-awake, far-sightedness and wise con- 
 tinued enterprise and effort of certain of its citi- 
 zens. Among these, and by no means the least of 
 them, is the subject of our sketch, who was born in 
 Grayson County, Va., on the 22d of May, 1833. 
 His father, Alexander Cornutt, was born in the 
 same county, as was his father before him. The 
 family is of Scottish extraction, the great-grand- 
 parents of our subject having come to this country 
 from .Scotland. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject was by chosen 
 occupation a farmer, and followed the same in 
 Grayson County for many years. Later he oper- 
 ated in connection tlierewith a saw and grist mill. 
 The maiden name of his wife was Elizabeth Suther- 
 land. She also was of Scotch parentage. The father 
 of our subject was reared upon a farm, all his early 
 recollections were connected therewith, and event- 
 ually he made it his chosen calling. He died in 
 August of 1886, having arrived at the advanced 
 age of seventy-seven years. His wife, the mother 
 of our subject, was Jemima Rhudy, who was a na- 
 tive of Virginia and of German ancestry. This 
 lady now resides on the old homestead in Grayson 
 County, Va„ where the Cornutt family have for so 
 many years made their home. There were born to 
 ■them eleven children, all of whom it was their 
 pleasure to see grow to years of maturity and enter 
 honorable positions in life. As yet the family cir- 
 cle is unbroken by death, all of them are happily 
 married, and have families of their own. 
 
 The subject of this writing is the second child. 
 
 and was reared in his native county. Recognizing 
 the inestimable value of education, his parents pro- 
 vided for him the very best obtainable at that time. 
 As soon as he was strong enough various tasks 
 were assigned to him in connection with the farm, 
 which were increased in proportion to his strength 
 and enlarged intellectual grasp. When seventeen 
 years of age he was engaged as clerk in a general 
 store at Independence, the county seat of Grayson 
 Countj^, and continued thus employed for three 
 years, when he returned home, and there he re- 
 mained until September, 1854. At that time the 
 vivid descriptions of the Far West, aud the riches 
 promised to those who went there, decided our 
 subject to start thitherward. Accordingly he 
 started with a colony of families similarly minded, 
 who loaded their wagons with everything that 
 might be needed bj^ the way, and in beginning their 
 new life, and by the aid of their teams, set forth 
 upon their journey. The westward way lay through 
 the States of Tennessee, Keutuck3% and after cross- 
 ing the Ohio River on through Illinois until they 
 reached the Father of AVaters opposite St. Louis, to 
 which city they crossed. From there they pro- 
 ceeded through the State of Missouri to Nebraska 
 Territory, reaching Nebraska City on the Cth of 
 Noveml^er, after two months of travel, which, be- 
 yond the incidents common to such experience, was 
 devoid of the more exciting and often tragic scenes 
 that came to some such travelers. 
 
 At that time there were but three families in Ne - 
 braska City, and the surrounding country was still 
 unsurveyed and in the hands of the Government. 
 The city was being surveyed at the time of their 
 arrival. I^ is difficult looking at the Nebraska City 
 of to-day, with its houses of commercial importance, 
 its elegant residences, railroads, broad streets, filled 
 with the usual busy crowd, all intent upon the vari- 
 ous purposes of life, to imagine or picture the city 
 as it was when our subject flrst saw it. There was 
 but one store, which was kept in a diminutive frame 
 building, and carried a stock, all included, perhaps, 
 not of greater value than $300. There was nothing 
 to indicate the future city. After staying a little 
 while here Mr. Cornutt returned to Atchison Citj^ 
 Mo., and there engaged until 1860, engaging in 
 mercantile pursuits. Then he returned to Ne- 
 
 ♦^h 
 
4 534 
 
 >» ■ ^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 braska City, and with others formed a company to 
 develop the mines of Colorado. The company 
 bought a saw and quartz mill, and with them our 
 subject went to Colorado and located at Quartz 
 Valley, near Central City. At that place he oper- 
 ated the sawmill for six months, and then sold his 
 interest and returned to Nebraska City, by way of 
 the overland stiage. 
 
 By that time Nebraska City had grown to be 
 quite a town, although west of it no cities had been 
 established, and in the interior buffaloes were still to 
 be found in large numbers. Upon his return our 
 subject engaged in clerking in a general store until 
 1862, wluiu he went once more to Central City, 
 Col., with his family. There he engaged in mer- 
 cantile pursuits for some time. There were no 
 railroads west of the Missouri River at that time, 
 and all goods were of necessity transferred bj' 
 teams, coming generally bj' way of Nebraska City. 
 Freight was very high, usually about ten to twelve 
 and a half cents per pound. This of course hadtlie 
 effect of making the retail price high in proportion. 
 After two and a half j-ears, a period upon the whole 
 prosperous, and financially satisfactory, our sub- 
 ject returned to Nebraska City and engaged in 
 freighting from that point west to Central City and 
 Other points. He continued thus engaged until 
 1866, and then embarked in the coal, wood and 
 lumber trade, which lie has since been exclusively 
 engaged in. 
 
 On the 8th of January. 1856, the subject of this 
 epitome was united in marriage with Laura J. Hail, 
 who has presented her husband with eight children, 
 "William A. and Wiley S. the only two living, both 
 of whom are residents of C'ulbertson, Neb. The 
 wife of our subject was born in Gra3'son County, 
 Va., and is the daughter of William B. and Ma- 
 thilda Hail, of whom a sketch is presented elsewhere 
 in this volume, and emigrated to the West in com- 
 pany with the subject of this sketch. Mr. and 
 ^Mrs. Cornutt are devout members of the First 
 Presbyterian Church, our subject filling the office 
 of Elder in the church, and is also Superintendent 
 of the Sunday-school. 
 
 Mr. Cornutt has alwa3-s been deeply interested 
 in all matters connected with the advancement of 
 the interests of the young, and evinced the same 
 
 by the manner in which he performed every duty 
 that came to him while serving as a member of the 
 School Board. The citizens expressed their high 
 esteem and confidence by electing him City Treas- 
 urer. His position in regard to affairs of political 
 import is with the Democratic party, of which he 
 is a firm adherent and hearty supporter. The 
 reader of this biograph}^ will have noticed that the 
 early opportunities of our subject were circum- 
 scribed and limited. The opportunities for ad- 
 vancement were not extensive, but he has made the 
 most of each presented, and by careful thrift, in- 
 telligent planning, and indefatigable perseverance 
 and effort, made his way to the front rank of prom- 
 inent and honored citizenship. In all business 
 circles he is regarded as a man of unimpeachable 
 honor and business integrity. His reputation is 
 untarnished, and his character much to be admired. 
 In the community at large both he and his familj' 
 are held in high regard by all. 
 
 /^ H. BROKING, who is a leading farmer 
 (|[ of Rock Creek Precinct, is the owner of 240 
 
 ^^^' acres of land, having his homestead on sec- 
 tion 11, which comprises eighty acres, and 160 acres 
 on section 8. He settled where he now lives in 
 the spring of 1878, having moved from Madison 
 County, 111., of which he had been a resident for a 
 period of ten j'ears. 
 
 The birthplace of our subject was in Hanover, 
 Germany, where he first opened his eyes to the light 
 on the 5th of June, 1848, during the reign of King 
 William. His father, Henrj' Broking, Sr., was a 
 carpenter by trade, which Henrj', Jr., also learned, 
 and which he followed from the time he whs a 
 youth of eighteen years until reaching his majority. 
 Then, not being satisfied with the outlook for the 
 future in his native Germanj', he crossed the Atlan- 
 tic in advance of some of his famih', joining his 
 two brothers, and located in Madison County, 111.* 
 where he occupied himself at farming. In the 
 spring of 1874 he was joined by his parents and the 
 other children, the latter locating in the vicinity of 
 Alton, 111., where they lived until tlie death of the 
 father about thirteen j'ears later, when lie was sixty- 
 
 .>-n^ 
 
 ^1^ 
 

•►-11^ 
 
 •«» 
 
 =lh-H 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 537 
 
 two years old. The mother, Mrs. Sophia (Wpid- 
 niann) Broking, is still living, making her home 
 with her children at Pleasant Ridge, 111., and is now 
 about sixty-four yeais of age. 
 
 Our subject was tlie second in a family of nine 
 children born to his parents, and was the third to 
 land on American soil. He employed himself 
 on a farm for two years thereafter, then crossed 
 the Mississippi into this count}-, and remained a 
 single man for a period of ten years thereafter. He 
 finally met his fate in the person of Miss Ida Weill- 
 sandt, a native of his own Province in German^-, 
 and who was born Jan. 10, 1858. She came when 
 a child of six years with her parents to America, 
 they proceeding directly westward and settling in 
 Rock Creek Precinct, this county, where they now 
 live and where they have built up a good home- 
 stead. 
 
 To JNIr. and Mrs. Broking there have been born 
 six children, one of whom, a son, John, died in 
 infancy. The survivors are Sophia, Emma, Ida, 
 Mary, and a babe named Harry. Mr. Broking is 
 an uncompromising Democrat, and, with Lis excel- 
 lent wife, is a member in good standing of the 
 Lutheran Church. He is regarded among his neigh- 
 bors as one of the most useful members of their 
 community, a man prompt to meet his obligations 
 and straightforward in his business transactions. 
 
 eOL. HENRY CLAY FERGUSON, who 
 served with distinction in the Union Army, 
 making a most commendable war record, and 
 being a well-known and high!}' esteemed citizen of 
 Otoe County, it is fitting that his portrait should 
 appear in this volume. He sought the new State of 
 Nebraska March 25, 1876, and has since been a 
 resident of this county. He is widely and favor- 
 ably known as a gentleman of more than ordinaij^ 
 capabilities, a useful and enterprising citizen, and 
 one enjoying the esteem and confidence of his 
 community. 
 
 The native place of our subject was about twelve 
 miles north of Louisville, Ky., in Clark County, 
 Ind., where his birth took place Nov. 10, 1833. 
 His father, Benjamin Ferguson, had settled there 
 about 181G, and was not only one of the earliest 
 
 pioneers of that region, but one of the leading men 
 of Clark County. He represented the county in 
 the Indiana Legislature four terms, and was other- 
 wise prominently identified with local and political 
 matters. He married Miss Sarah Hay, a native of 
 that county, and a daughter of one of the leading 
 families. She was born in 1801, and was a lineal 
 descendant of the Wood family, which held such an 
 important position during the early history of Clai-k 
 County. She was left a widow by the death of the 
 father in 1839, when he was but forty-nine years 
 of age, and when their son Henry C. was a little 
 lad of six years. The mother survived her hus- 
 band fourteen years, her death taking [ilace at the 
 old homestead in Clark County, in 1852, when she 
 was fifty-one years old. 
 
 The nine children of the parental family are re- 
 corded as follows: Samuel H. and John D. died 
 at the ages of forty-three and thirty-eight respect- 
 ively ; Charles P., a man of fine abilities, is now 
 Judge of the Fourth Judicial District of Indiana, 
 and a resident of Jeffersonville, Ind.; Sarah died 
 when fifty years old; Margaret and Benjamin are 
 also residents of Indiana; Henry C, our subject, 
 was the seventh in order of birth; William F. died 
 at the age of thirty-nine years, at Indianapolis, and 
 Adeline is the wife of Thomas Rej'nolds, and resides 
 in Illinois. 
 
 The first recollections of our subject are of a 
 time when he was a boy strolling along the banks 
 of the Ohio River. He acquired his early educa- 
 tion in the common schools, and was deprived by 
 death of his mother before reaching his majority. 
 Soon after reaching his twenty-first year he engaged 
 in the drug trade in partnership with his brother 
 William, combining also with this general merchan- 
 dise, and was thus occupied until the outbreak of 
 the Civil .War. 
 
 Under the call for 75,000 three-months men, 
 young Ferguson in April, 1861, organized a com- 
 pany, and on the 25th of that month reported with 
 them for orders to Gov. Morton. The quota under 
 this call having already been completed, and his 
 company not needed for this department of the serv- 
 ice, he and his men enlisted for three years in the 
 regular army, being among the first to enter the 
 ranks for this length of time. Our subject was 
 
 vas W 
 
•►Hl^^^ 
 
 i i 538 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 given a Captain's commission, and he assumed the 
 position as commander of Company I, which was 
 made a part of tiie 23d Indiana Infantry. The}- 
 were sent to the front at Padiicah, K}'., arriving 
 there on the 15th of August, and were among the 
 first troops to take possession of that place. They 
 remained there under drill until the opening of the 
 campaign of 1862. when the regiment was assigned 
 to the command of Gen. Lew AV^allace at Ft. Henry, 
 and our subject engaged in regular battle on the 
 second day of the figlit at Shiloh. Later he fought 
 in the engagement at luka, and in the winter follow- 
 ing they retired to Memphis. 
 
 On account of meritorious conduct Capt. Fergu- 
 son on the 19th of Februarj' following was unani- 
 mously elected by the oflScers of his regiment a 
 Major, and thereafter distinguished himself in the 
 siege of Vicksburg, his regiment belonging to the 
 17tli Army Corps under the gallant Gen. McPher- 
 son. In the division of Gen. Logan on the 22d of 
 ftlay, Maj. Ferguson led the grand charge at Ft. 
 Hill, which was attended by heavy loss, and during 
 which he was slightly wounded in the left hand. From 
 that time on he was in every engagement of the 17th 
 Army Corps, and was wounded twice afterward, 
 the second time in the engagement with the rebels 
 at Ft. Hill. In 1864 he accompanied the Armv of 
 the Tennessee under command of Gen. Sherman 
 from Vicksburg to Meridian, which constituted the 
 Mississippi campaign. He also bore an honorable 
 part in the Atlanta campaign. He was at Atlanta 
 in August, 1864, the day before the surrender. 
 
 Maj. Ferguson was tendered the rank of Colonel 
 of the regiment at that time, but thinking that he 
 could be of more service in another direction he 
 declined, and returning home assisted in the recon- 
 struction of the 144th Indiana Infantry', of which 
 he was elected Lieutenant Colonel, and which was 
 subsequently known as the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 
 Army of the .Shenandoah. They operated mostly 
 around Winchester and Harper's P^erry, and at the 
 close of the war were mustered out on the 15th of 
 August, 1865, at Indianapolis. Our subject had 
 thus given four j'ears to the service of his country, 
 and had made for himself a record which he may look 
 upon with pardonable pride. He was imbued with 
 that true spirit of patriotism which w.as willing to 
 
 face danger and even death for the results to be ob- 
 tained. 
 
 We append the following letter, which attests 
 the bravery and courage of Col. Ferguson : 
 
 "Rear of Vicksburg, Miss. ) 
 "May 31, 1863. \ 
 
 "Maj. Henry C. Fkrguson, 23d Indiana Vol- 
 unteers : Sir — I have been delegated to present to 
 you a sword, the gift of the members of Company 
 I. 23d Indiana Volunteers, of which you were for- 
 merli' Captain. It was with feelings of regret that 
 they parted with you as their company commander, 
 only compensated by the fact that you had re- 
 ceived promotion to a higher position, which 3'ou 
 so deservedly merited. This gift, then, is not only 
 made to you b\' them as a mark of that respect 
 and esteem which they hold for you as their for- 
 mer commander, and which they still entertain for 
 you in j'our present position, but as a testimonial 
 to that patriotism and love of country which you 
 have shown by a faithful performance of your du. 
 ties .IS an officer, and to the coolness, courage and 
 bravery which you have evinced 113- so boldly fac- 
 ing danger on tiie battle-fields of Shiloh, Port Gib- 
 son, Ra^-mond, Champion Hills and Vicksburg. 
 
 "In their behalf, then, I tender j'ou this gift of 
 their love, respect and esteem, feeling confident 
 that no act of j-ours will ever allow it to be tar- 
 nished, coming as it does from those with whom 
 you were so long and iutimatel}' associated. 
 "Veiy respectfully j'ours, 
 
 "B. F. Walter." 
 
 At the close of the war Col. Ferguson returned 
 to the quiet pursuits of agriculture in Clark County. 
 While home on a veteran furlough he had been 
 married, April 21, 1864, to Miss Margaret McAfee, 
 who was born near Rockford, Ind , Dec. 22, 1837. 
 Mrs. Ferguson is a highly accomplished lady, and 
 a daughter of the late Dr. Clark McAfee, who was 
 a prominent member of the medical profession of 
 Kentuck}', and a member of the noted family of 
 that name in the Blue Grass regions. The mother 
 was in her girlhood Miss Margaret Huckleberry. 
 Dr. McAfee died in 1838. His widow is now liv- 
 ing with her daughter, the wife of Col. Ferguson. 
 Their famil}' consisted of one daughter only, Mrs. 
 Ferguson. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■^^t 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 539 
 
 Mrs. Ferguson was carefully trained and edu- 
 cated, completing her studies in the Presbyterian 
 Female Seminary at Jacksonville, 111. The Colonel 
 and his wife after their marriage continued resi- 
 dents of Indiana until the year 1869, when they 
 moved across the Mississippi into LaFayetle County, 
 Mo., settling upon a tract of land where our subject 
 engaged in farming seven years. He then came to 
 this county, of which he has since been a resident. 
 He and his little family are surrounded by all the 
 comforts of life. He is loyal as ever to the stars 
 and stripes, a devoted husband and father, and holds 
 liistwo children, Edwin and Ora, as the apple of his 
 eye. The son is one of the enterprising young 
 farmers of Otoe Precinct. He was born Sept. 17, 
 18G6, received a good education, and is a young man 
 of great promise. The daughter is a student of the 
 Nebraska State Normal School, at Peru, Neb., tak- 
 ing the classical course. 
 
 The Colonel as an ex-soldier is a member in good 
 standing of the G. A. R., belonging to William 
 IJaumer Post No. 24, of Nebraska City. He was 
 the first candidate for State Senator on the Prohi- 
 bition ticket, being nominated in the year 188G. 
 Both he and his estimable wife are active in the 
 temperance work, and Mrs. Ferguson is a charter 
 memljcr of the W. C. T. U., of Paul, and its Presi- 
 dent. The Colonel in 1882 was a delegate to the 
 Republican County Convention, and at that time 
 look issue on the temperance question. In religious 
 matters he is a Congregationalist. 
 
 Tlie Ferguson family was prominent in the early 
 history of Southern Indiana, and closely identified 
 with its growth and development. During his army 
 career our subject became intimately acquainted 
 with Gen. Logan, and their intercourse thereafter 
 was particularly close and friendly. He also en- 
 joyed a pleasant acquaintance with Gens. McPher- 
 sou, Thayer, Gresham, John E. Smith, Force and 
 Leggett, all of whom were fuUy susceptible to the 
 merits of a brave and patriotic soldier. 
 
 <jt^ DWARD A. BROWN is a member of the 
 11^] firm Brown <fe Wood, proprietors of the Ne- 
 /§■ — ii) braska City Press, one of the best conducted 
 newspapers in the State. Our subject was born in 
 
 Sterling, 111., on the 26th of December, 1858. He 
 comes of good old New England stock, his parents, 
 William A. and Mary (Greene) Brown, being na- 
 tives respectively of New Hampshire and Jlassa- 
 chusetts. His father grew to be a capable and 
 enterprising young man among the granite hills of 
 his native State, and he then turned his steps to- 
 ward Newark, the great manufacturing city of 
 New Jersey, where he learned the trade of jeweler. 
 About 1850 he left that city for Illinois, .and lo- 
 cated in the town of Rockford at first, but after- 
 ward went thence to Sterling. Early in the fifties he 
 journeyed overhand to California, and there engaged 
 in mining for a few years. He then retraced his 
 way to Sterling, 111., and after staying there a short 
 time, he returned to the Golden State. During the 
 war Mr. Brown returned east as far as Omaha, and 
 opened a livery stable there, and at the .same time 
 was engaged in the sale of general merchandise. He 
 resided in that city and in Council Bluffs until 
 1867, and then came to Nebraska City for the pur- 
 pose of opening a clothing and dr^- -goods store. 
 A few 3-ears later he sold out his stock in that line, 
 and then engaged in the boot and shoe trade until 
 1872. He then entered the editorial arena, purchas- 
 ing the Nebraska City Chronicle, a daily and weekly " 
 publication, and two years later consolidated it with 
 the Nebraska City Press, continuing to manage 
 his paper until 1881, when he sold it to his sons, 
 and returned to Omaha to engage in the collection 
 business. In 1885 he turned his attention to stock- 
 raising, taking up a claim under the provisions of 
 the Homestead Act in Hitchcock County. In 1887 
 he left his son in charge of his farm, and went to 
 the Territory of Wyoming, and now resides there 
 in the town of Manville, having through his fore- 
 thought and enterprise gathered together a com- 
 fortable property. In 1866 the devoted wife who 
 shared his early labors passed away. To them had 
 been born four children, three of whom grew up. 
 His second wife, stepmother of our subject, was 
 Rilla .Selden, a native of Michigan. One child has 
 been born to them. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was nine years old 
 when he came to Nebraska City, and from that 
 time his education was obtained in the city schools. 
 He proved to be a l)right, apt pupil, and stood well 
 
 ■♦■ 
 
 :^U 
 
1 540^ 
 
 - ► 1 1 < • 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •►■ 
 
 in his classes. At tiie age of fourteen bis fatlier 
 eniplo3'efl him to carry newspapers, and at the age 
 of sixteen he entered his father's ofHce as printer's 
 devil, to learn the art preservative in detail. He con- 
 tinued with his father until 1881, and then formed 
 a i)artnorship with his brother Lot, and bought 
 the office, the paper, and the good-will of his father 
 on the 1st day of April. In September his brother 
 seld his interest in the paper to L. Fairbrother, who, 
 in turn, on the 1st of July, lJ-'85, sold his interest 
 to Mr. Wood, the present partner of our sut>ject. 
 The paper is issued both daily and weekly. It is 
 Republican in politics, though not offensively parti- 
 san. It is pure and elevated in its tone, and is an 
 influence for good in this city and county. 
 
 Mr. Brown is a \"oung man of excellent repute, 
 and of considerable talent, and has a fair prospect 
 before him of achieving renown as a journalist. 
 He is possessed of much geniality and true tact, and 
 is prominent in social circles in this city. At the 
 age of seventeen he joined a local amateur minstrel 
 troupe in Neljraska City, which gave excellent per- 
 formances in different towns in the vicinit}'. He 
 was connected with the troupe for three j'ears. 
 
 JOHN HENRY ARENDS, the leading mer- 
 chant of Syracuse, was one of the pioneer 
 settlers of this count}^ arriving upon the 
 soil of Nebraska during its Territorial days, 
 
 in the spring of 18.59. A native of the then King- 
 dom of Hanover, Germany, he was born April 15, 
 1843, and is the son of Rieke and T. M. (Teten) 
 Arends, who were also of German birth and par- 
 entage. The father of our subject was a linen 
 manufacturer by trade, which business he followed 
 in Ids native land after serving several years in tlie 
 German army. 
 
 Our subject was a lad of eleven years wlien he 
 emigrated with his parents to the United States, 
 and they settled on a farm in Madison Count}', 111. 
 Thence, in 1859, the family came to Nebraska, and 
 located on a tract of land near the present site of 
 Talmage in Rock Creek Precinct, on the southern 
 line of this county. The elder Arends became 
 owner of a large tract of land, on whicli he made 
 
 valuable improvements, and at his death, which 
 occurred in 1874, he left an estate valued at nearly 
 $40,000. He met a tragic death, having gone in 
 September of that year to Nebraska Citj- for a load 
 of lumber designed for a church he was about to 
 assist in building. He was accidentally thrown un- 
 der the loaded wagon, and instantly killed. The 
 Lutheran Church Society in his death lost one of 
 its most active members, and he was sincerely 
 mourned by a large circle of friends. He had 
 come to Nebraska a poor man, but by the exercise 
 of close economy and incessant industry he accu- 
 mulated a fortune. 
 
 The mother of our subject is still living, residing 
 on the old homested. Tlie parental family included 
 six children, namely: Anna, the wife of J. H. Beh- 
 rends; John H., our subject; Maggie, Mrs. Rott- 
 mann; Mary, Mrs. C. H. Korfif ; Herman J. and Tena. 
 Tliey are all residents of this county, and in good 
 circumstances financially. 
 
 Our subject attended the common schools in 
 Illinois, and received instructions from a private 
 tutor after coming to Nebraska, thus securing a 
 good practical education, Upon starting out for 
 himself, about 1860, he began freighting between 
 the Missouri River and Pike's Peak. Later, when 
 about twenty years old, he became clerk of a hotel 
 at Nebraska City, remaining thus occupied until 
 reaching his majorit}-. His regular business career 
 commenced as clerk in a store of general mer- 
 chandise in the same city, and later he became 
 associated with C. H. Korff, and engaged in mer- 
 chandising. They carried on an extensive busi- 
 ness until 1877, when Mr. Arends withdrew from 
 the firm, and established himself at Syracuse. 
 
 Mr. Arends in 1883 erected his present store 
 building, a two-story brick structure with base- 
 ment, .and which he now has wholly filled with his 
 stock of goods. It covers an area of 331^x90 feet; 
 within it is a full line of about everything in the 
 way of mercliandise witli the excejition of hard- 
 ware. The family residence, a fine and commo- 
 dious structure, is located on Sixth street, and with 
 its surroundings forms one of the most attractive 
 homes in the city. Mr. Arends also owns a general 
 store at Elmwood, and is a member of the firm of 
 ilulirinan it Arends, carrying on gener.al merchan- 
 
 ■.»-di^ 
 
 I 
 
•►-Hl^ 
 
 S^H 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 541 
 
 dising at Geneva. He was oue of the organizers 
 of the Bank of Syracuse, and continues a member 
 of the Board of Directors. In addition to the 
 jjroperty mentioned he also owns 480 acres of 
 choice land on sections 25 and 26 in Russell Pre- 
 cinct, town 9, range 10. He is a member of the 
 Lutheran Church, and has officiated as Trustee for 
 many years. 
 
 The wife of our subject was in her girlhood 
 Miss Georgia M. Mohrman, and their marriage 
 took place Jan. 29. 1873, in Nebraska City. Mrs. 
 Arends is the daughter of J. H. and Lucy G. (Kuen- 
 ning) Mohrman, of Syracuse, and of this union 
 there have been born six children, namely: Richard, 
 Harve3\ Gertrude, Henry, Walter and Lucy. The 
 eldest is fourteen years of age, the youngest, one; 
 thej' are all at home with their parents. Mr. A. 
 uniformly votes the Republican ticket, and has 
 been quite prominent in local politics. 
 
 "S^; 
 
 '^assemmt^ 
 
 ^rt-J* 
 
 (F_^ ON. WILLIAM CAMPBELL, a member of 
 iTj the Board of County Commissioners, and a 
 1^^ prominent citizen of Nebraska Cit}', is an 
 (^) important factor in sustaining and advanc- 
 ing the immense stock-raising and agricultural in- 
 terests of Otoe County. He is a native of County 
 Down, Ireland, born April 16, 1841, of a renowned 
 Scotch ancestrj', who had left the Kingdom of Scot- 
 land to assist in the colonization of the Irish domain 
 during the reign of Cromwell. His father and his 
 grandfather, both named John, were natives of tlie 
 same count}', and there the latter, who was a rigid 
 Presbyterian in his religious beliefs, of the John 
 Knox type, spent his daj's devoting his life to farm- 
 ing. 
 
 The father of our subject was an only son, and 
 he was reared in the home of his birth, and there 
 married to Catherine McKee, also a native of 
 County Down, and like her husband, of Scotch an- 
 tecedents. In 1849 Mr. Campbell emigrated to 
 America, accompanied by his wife and nine of their 
 ten children. He located in the city of Rock Isl- 
 and, HI., wiiere his death occurred the following 
 year. His family was thus deprived of llie kind- 
 est of husbands and the best of fathers, for he was 
 
 in ever}' sense a good, wise and true man. His 
 wife survived him only seven years, dying in Rock 
 Island in 1857. She was a kind, patient, devoted 
 mother, and her children cherish her memor}' with 
 reverence. They were ten in number, namely: 
 Margaret, Mary. Elizabeth, Hugh, James, John, 
 Jane, William, Samuel and Alexander. They all 
 came to America, and six of them are now living. 
 Hugh, Samuel and Alexander bravely served their 
 adopted country in the late war. The latter was 
 but a boy of fourteen and a half years when he en- 
 listed in the 11th Iowa Infantry, and for fouryears 
 he was as faithful and patriotic a soldier as any in 
 the ranks. He was with Sherman in his march to 
 the sea, and took part in many hard-fought battles. 
 He now lives in Rock Island Count}'. III. Hugii 
 did good service in an Illinois regiment for three 
 years, and is now an honored resident of Keiths- 
 burg, III. Samuel was a youth of sixteen when he 
 enlisted in the 11th Iowa, and three years later he 
 fell while bravely Sghting before Atlanta, "Ga., Aug. 
 19, 1864. 
 
 William Campbell, the subject of this biograph- 
 ical sketch, was nine years old when his father died, 
 and he continued to live with his mother until her 
 death when he was sixteen. He attended the pub- 
 lic schools of Camden, Rock Island Co., 111., whicli 
 was their home, and as soon as he was large enough 
 commenced to woik on the farm. At the age of 
 fifteen he began to learn the harness- maker's trade 
 in Camden, and worked at that for two years. In 
 1858, with his brother John, he started West on 
 the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to Kansas City, 
 then a place of about 2,500 inhabitants. There 
 were no railways beyond the Mississi|)pi at that 
 time, and all transportation was done with team or 
 boats. Our subject at once found employment with 
 the firm of Russell, Majors & Wardell, Government 
 freighters, to drive a team across the plains to New 
 Mexico. This was an exciting period in the life of 
 our subject, as the route that he was obliged to 
 travel lay through a wild, unsettled country, where 
 the buffaloes, deer, antelopes, prairie wolves and 
 other wild animals abounded, and the region was 
 infested by hostile Indians, so that eternal vigilance 
 was the price of life, and none but brave men with 
 strong nerves cared to face tlie dangers of the route. 
 
 •►HK-^^ 
 
 *^h 
 
■ ► i r <i~ 
 
 54-2 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -t 
 
 Ihe only safety was in many teamsters going to- 
 gether in large trains, and that in which our sub- 
 ject went consisted of twentj'-five wagons, with six 
 pairs of'oxen to each wagon, which was laden with 
 supplies for the Government posts in New Mexico. 
 The train started from Kansas City in May, and 
 ninety days were consumed in making the round 
 trip. Our subject immediately started with an- 
 other train, and on the return trip was attacked by 
 Indians, but fortunately none of the party were 
 killed. Mr. Campbell followed the same business 
 over the same route in 1859, and in 1860 he started 
 from Nebraska City with a train, and went as far 
 west as the North Platte. Later in 1860, he com- 
 menced to ride a ponj' express from Cottonwood 
 Springs, subsequently called Ft. McPherson, to Low- 
 ell, seven miles below Ft. Kearney. On one or two 
 occasions he rode as high as 140 miles in fifteen hours, 
 being nearly the rate of ten miles an hour. At each 
 fifteen miles he changed horses at the stations. lie 
 was thus engaged until the winter of 1861-62, when 
 the first telegrai)h line was built in Nebraska. In 
 1862 Mr. Campbell took care of the stage stock at 
 Gilman's ranch, and in 1863 he and his brother 
 bought teams and engaged in freighting from Ne- 
 braska Cit}^ to Denver. They had six wagons with 
 five pairs of oxen to a wagon, and made two trips 
 to the Queen City of the plains that year. The 
 next year they increased the number of their teams, 
 and carried freight to Montana, receiving sixteen 
 cents a pound for all that they carried. In the fall 
 of 1 864 they sold their teams in Montana and re- 
 turned to Nebraska City on horseback. In the 
 spring of 1865 our subject bought mules at a Gov- 
 ernment sale, and again went into the freighting 
 business, carrying freight to Salt Lake City, receiv- 
 ing twenty-five cents a pound for it. He carried on 
 that lucrative business until 1868, when he and his 
 brother, John Campbell, took a contract on the 
 Union Pacific Railroad to build a part of it in 
 Eastern Nevada and Western Utah. In 1869, after 
 having seen the Union Pacific and Central Railroads 
 unite, and the silver spike driven in, the brothers 
 sold their stock and returned to Nebraska City, 
 and bought 320 acres of land each on the wild prai- 
 ries, and at once commenced to improve a farm. 
 Our subject h.as since placed all of his land under a 
 -^•^ 
 
 fine state of cultivation, and has erected substantial, 
 conveniently arranged buildings, has planted three 
 and one-half miles of hedge, and five acres of or- 
 chard, and in fact has one of the most valuable es- 
 tates in Otoe County. He has made a business of 
 buying and feeding stock, and raising fine horses, 
 both for driving and draft purposes, the Hamble- 
 tonian being his favorite horses for speed, and the 
 English shire horse his preference for draft. He is 
 accounted one of the most highly successful horse- 
 breeders in the State. 
 
 Mr. Campbell was married, Aug. 12, 1869, to 
 Miss Jennie L. Fitchie, a native of Pennsylvania, 
 and a daughter of the well-knowfi Hon. James 
 Fitchie, of whom see sketch. Thej' have a very 
 attractive home, rendered pleasant alike to friend 
 or stranger by the charming hospitality of the gra- 
 cious hostess and the genial host. Their pleasant 
 wedded life has been blessed b\' the birth of eight 
 children, as follows: Grace, the first-born, died at 
 the age of twelve; the others arc J03', Margaret, 
 Tcsora, James, John, Bess and Helen. 
 
 Mr. Campbell is a man of fine business talents, 
 prompt and systematic in his habits. He is influen- 
 tial in public affairs, and Otoe County has found in 
 him one of her best civic officers, as he is honest 
 and incorruptible, possessing ready wit and tact, 
 and discharges his duties without regard to fear or 
 favor. He is at present Chairman of the Board of 
 County Commissioners. He was at one time State 
 Senator, having been elected to fill the unexpired 
 term of the Hon. C. H. VanWycke, when the latter 
 was elected to the United States Senate in 1881. 
 
 ^YOSEPH A. WORRALL, founder, proprietor 
 and editor of the Syracuse Herald, and in 
 that connection widely and favorablj^ known 
 throughout the county, was born in the city 
 of Indianapolis, on the 28th of June, 1853. He is 
 the son of Josephus C. and Maria R. (Phillips) 
 AVorrall, who were natives respectivelj' of Penns3'l- 
 vania and New Jersey. The family is of French 
 extraction, the name originally being prefixed by 
 the syllable " De." The parents of our subject 
 were married in Pennsylvania, and settled in Indi- 
 
 
 -^lU^. 
 
* ► II <•• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •«»> 
 
 ■)43 
 
 anapolis about the year 1834, and in that city the 
 father of our subject was engaged in mercantile 
 pursuits until the year 1857. At that time he made 
 up his mind to go West, and started for Nebraska. 
 He first located on the Nemaha River, near the 
 present town of Talmage, whicli at first was called 
 Worrallton. The first bridge across the river was 
 built at his place, and largely at his expense. The 
 last few j'ears of his life were spent in Nebraska 
 City, but his death occurred in Pennsylvania, in 
 the year 1867, while lie was on a visit to his old 
 home. 
 
 The mother of our subject is still living, and 
 makes her home in Syracuse. There are but two 
 children who call her mother, her son Joseph and 
 a daughter, Louisa, now the wife of Jerome Dauchj'. 
 Quite earh^ in life our subject began to work in the 
 office of the Nebraska City Netvs, and rose step by 
 step from the humblest position, gradually becoming 
 more and more intimate with the various intric- 
 acies of the trade, until he was fitted for his pres- 
 ent position. In 1872 he went to Tecumseh and 
 purchased an interest in the J^efiraska Gazette, which 
 was the first paper published at that place. He soon 
 sold out. returned to Nebraska City, and established 
 the Hebron Journal, in the town of that name. 
 Here his practical knowledge, fertile brain and 
 ready pen soon brought him into prominence, and 
 established his paper upon a firm and paying basis. 
 
 Until the year 1885 Mr. Worrall continued his 
 connection with the above paper, residing in Ne- 
 braska City, but early in that year he same to 
 Syi'acuse and founded the Herald. Although of 
 so recent establishment, his long experience has en- 
 abled him to make his paper a perfect success from 
 the very start. It always appears with an air of 
 freshness prevading it. Its editorial work is bright, 
 clear, logical, .and always courteous in manner, while 
 in regard to the matter of workmanship and style 
 it is second to none. It is just such a paper as is 
 always welcomed by the busy man in the full whirl 
 and rush of commercial life, a welcome friend to 
 the advertiser, and always bearing something in- 
 teresting for those who have more leisure to devote 
 to its pages. Like its owner and editor, the Herald 
 is a stanch friend and doughty defender of the 
 Democratic party and principles. 
 
 Our subject is a member of the Central Demo- 
 cratic Committee, and is not without considerable 
 influence among his fellows, who recognize in him 
 a man of careful, intellectual thought, unquestioned 
 loyalty and manly character. In the Masonic fra- 
 ternity, of which our subject is a member, he is re- 
 garded as a true and faithful frater. Both in the 
 lodge room and in society generally he is highly 
 esteemed as a much valued citizen. 
 
 \f„,^ENRY EIBEN. The subject of this biog- 
 llfjii raphy is numbered among the prominent 
 %^ farmers of Rock Creek Precinct, and owns 
 (^) a good property on section 7, comprising 
 160 acres of thoroughly cultivated land, which is 
 well stocked with cattle and swine, and supplied 
 with good buildings. He settled here in the fall of 
 1880, although having lived in the precinct and 
 county since October, 1868. 
 
 Our subject is of German biith and parenUige, 
 having been born in Hanover, March 20, 1836, and 
 left the Fatherland in the fall of 1868. He had 
 been given the education common to the youth of 
 Germany, and his father being-tt farmer. Henry was 
 early in life made acquainted with agricultural pur- 
 suits. His parents, Kiben and Anna (Magrelha) 
 Eliben, also natives of Hanover, spent their entire 
 lives in their own country, the father living to the 
 advanced age of eighty years. The mother pre- 
 ceded her husband to the silent land, she too hav- 
 ing attained a ripe old age. They were most worthy 
 and excellent people, greatly res|)ected bj' their 
 neighbors, and members in good standing of the 
 German Lutheran Church. 
 
 The home circle includcil six children, five sons 
 and one daughter, of whom our subject was the 
 fourth in order of birth. He was the onl}' one of 
 his family coming to the United States. He was 
 married in his native Hanover, in 18P6, to Miss Etta 
 M. Kruse, whose childhood home was not far from 
 that of her husband, and who, like him, received a 
 tliorough education in her native tongue. She 
 proved a true wife and helpmate to him, sharing all 
 his toils and sacrifices, until he was called to mourn 
 
 ■► 
 
•^f*^ 
 
 544 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 
 her death, Nov. 17, 1887. To our subject :incl his 
 estimable wife there was born one child only, a son, 
 Herman, who is now at home. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
 E. early in life identified themselves with the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church. After becoming a natural- 
 ized citizen of the United States Mr. Elben allied 
 himself with the Republican part}*, of which he is 
 a warm supporter. For a period of eleven j^ears he 
 was a regular soldier in the German Army. 
 
 (^^'HOM AS E. THOMPSON. The founder of the 
 (f^^\ Thompson family in America was John 
 ^^^y Thompson, a native of the North of Wales. 
 He came to America with his parents in the third 
 embarkation from England, landing at Plymouth 
 early in May, 1622. He was a carpentei' by trade, 
 and built the first frame church in Plymouth. As 
 a compensation for this the town deeded him a piece 
 of land on what is now called Spring Hill. In 1067 
 he built a frame house in Plymouth, which stood 
 until the year 1838. His demise occurred June 
 16, 1696, he being at that time at the advanced age 
 of eighty j'ears. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Rum- 
 ford, Oxford Co., Me., April 1, 1833. His father, 
 John Thompson, was born in Middleboro, Ply- 
 mouth Co., Mass., on the 26th of March, 1775, where 
 was also born Isaac Thompson, the grandfather of 
 our subject. John Thompson grew to manhood in 
 his native countj', and as a young man with two 
 brothers went to New York State, but not liking it 
 so well as the old home he went to Massachusetts, 
 and afterward went to the State of Maine, where 
 he settled in the town of Rumford, near which he 
 subsequently held a farm, where he resided until his 
 death. His wife, the mother of our subject, Jane 
 (Richardson) Thomi)Son, was born in Scotland, and 
 came to America with her parents when she was 
 about five years of age. She died at the homestead 
 in the year 1843. She was the mother of six 
 children. 
 
 The education of our subject was obtained in the 
 district schools of his native count}-, and afterward 
 he gave his attention to farming, being instructed 
 
 therein by his father, with whom he remained until 
 he was eighteen years of age, when, starting in life 
 for himself, he went to Goshen, Elkhart Co., Ind., 
 where he clerked in a general store, continuing until 
 1854, when he came West. His intention was to 
 go to St. Paul, but he met a companion in travel, 
 and by him was induced to go to Council Bluffs, 
 which he did. He arrived in Nebraska City on 
 the 16th of April, 1854. There was then but 
 one family, that of H. P. Downs, living in the 
 district. He staid with this gentleman for part of 
 one day looking over the country, and then pro- 
 ceeded on his way to Council Bluffs, but not liking 
 it returned almost at once to Nebraska City. With 
 the exception of a few who were holding claims 
 there were no settlers for a large distance around. 
 The Indians had possession, and were inclined to dis- 
 pute the coming of any but their own people. In 
 order to secure their good-will and protection he 
 gave them $10, which perfected the arrangement. 
 
 Our subject had been but a few days in his new 
 location when he was taken sick, and for two j-ears 
 was unable to do a day's work. During that time 
 settlers had been coming in rapidl}', and quite a vil- 
 lage had been started. In company with several 
 others he started the town of Cleveland, in Cass 
 County, which turned out to be a most unhappy 
 venture, for he lost all his money that had taken so 
 long to accumulate. 
 
 In 1859 our subject recommenced working at 
 the carpenter trade in Nebraska City, continuing 
 for two seasons; then he went into the real-estate 
 business, in which he continued until 1877. Then 
 he sold out his interest and went East, spending a 
 few months farming in Delaware Precinct, continu- 
 ing until 1882. In 1884 he sold his farm, which he 
 had left two j'ears previously, in order to make his 
 home in the city to engage in the real-estate and 
 insurance business. He represents the Royal In- 
 surance Companj', of Liverpool, England, the Tra- 
 ders', of Chicago, 111., and others. 
 
 At Nebraska Citj', in 1861, was celebrated the 
 union of our subject with Ladasca Francena Dim- 
 mick. This ladj' was born in St. Lawrence Count}', 
 N. Y., and is the daughter of Samuel and 3Iary 
 Dimmick. They have become the parents of nine 
 children, whose names are recorded as follows: Har 
 
 ■•► 
 
 t 
 
t 
 
 •► 
 
 •►^1 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 545 
 
 J; 
 
 riet M., the wife of Taylor Hail, of Nebraska City; 
 Edwin 1).. Mary, Ester, Grace, Florence and Ruth; 
 and two, Maude and Charles, deceased. 
 
 Mrs. riiomiisou is a devout member of the Pres- 
 byterian Church, and attends the First Presby- 
 terian Church. The political position of our sub- 
 ject leads him to affiliate with the Democratic party. 
 He is also a member of tlie Masonic fraternity, and 
 attached to the Western Star Lodge No. 2, in this 
 city. Our subject and his family fully sustain the 
 family prestige, and are much esteemed by all who 
 know them. 
 
 ARSHALL SILLIMAN CAMPBELL, the 
 Clerk of the Circuit Court, was a veteran of 
 the Mexican War and was one of the 
 earliest pioneers of Nebraska City, where 
 he now resides. His first appearance here was 
 on the 13th daj' of October, in the j'ear 1855, 
 the town at that time, being nothing but a small 
 hamlet, and the land on which it now stands was 
 owned by the Government, and not then surveyed, 
 and the settlements were confined to the river. 
 Maj. Downs' claim two miles west of the town was 
 the farthest western habitation in this region. All 
 the surrounding country was in an exceedingly 
 wild and uncultivated condition; deer, antelopes 
 and elks were plentiful, and at the Blue River buf- 
 faloes were to be found; Indians abounded, and were 
 alwaj's ready to beg and steal, to say nothing of the 
 risk of losing one's scalp when they were on the war 
 path. Our subject was then employed by the Gov- 
 ernment as a surveyor, and in that capacity he 
 gained a thorough knowledge of the topography of 
 the countr}', and he has been a witness of the won- 
 derful development of those wild prairies that once 
 constituted the Territory- of Nebraska into a pow- 
 erful and wealthy State, and it may well be his 
 pride that he has assisted in its growth. 
 
 Mr. Campbell was born in Cornish, N. H., July 
 27, 1820. being of Scottish descent, his grandfather, 
 Dan Campbell, being a native of Scotland, where he 
 was reared. Th.at gentleman learned the trade of 
 edge tool maker in Inverness, and afterward became 
 a soldier in the British service. He came to this coun- 
 
 try with a Highland regiment during the Revolu- 
 tionary War, and with the greater part of his regi- 
 ment he deserted, and joining the Colonists, fought 
 with them until the close of the war. After peace 
 was declared he sent for his wife and child, and 
 located in Litchfield, Conn., whence he afterward 
 removed to Sussex County, N. J. He lived there 
 a few years, and then returned to Litchfield, Conn., 
 where he rounded out a useful life, always proving 
 a loyal and devoted citizen to his adopted country. 
 
 It is not positively known whether the father of 
 our subject, Peter Proctor Campbell, was born in 
 Scotland or Connecticut, but it is thought that he 
 first drew the breath of life in the New England 
 State mentioned. AVhen quiteyounghe was bound 
 out to Deacon Richardson, of Cornish, N. II., and 
 lived with him until he was twenty-one, receiving 
 a good education in the New Hampshire schools. 
 After leaving the home of the good old Deacon 
 he went to New York and taught school for two 
 years. At the expiration of that time he returned 
 to Cornish, to claim as his bride Miss Nancy Jack- 
 son, a native of that town, and a daughter of Elea- 
 zer Jackson, a native of Connecticut, and a pio- 
 neer of Cornish. After marriage Mr. Campbell 
 went to LaFayette, Sussex Co., N. J., accompanied 
 by his bride, and lived there a short time. He 
 subsequently bought the Serepta works, including 
 the foundry, machine-shop, distillery, flouring and 
 sawmill, and operated them all very successfully 
 until about 1843. He sold out his business in that 
 year and moved to Belvidere, where he bought 
 a foundry and machine-shoi), and managed them 
 until his death in 1858, when a valuable citizen was 
 lost to that community, as he was a man of sterling 
 common sense, of much abilitj', and one who was 
 in every respect worthy of the trust and respect of 
 his fellowmen. His estimable wife survived him 
 but a few years, dying in the same town in 1863. 
 They were the parents of six children, all of whom 
 grew to maturity, as follows: Harrison, Eleazer J.. 
 Marshall S., Lydia A. (wife of John Randolph), 
 Mary Emmeline and Edward L. They are all 
 living with the exception of Harrison, who died in 
 the spring of 1888, aged seventy -two years. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was an infant when his 
 parents removed to New Jersey. He attended the 
 
546 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 public schools in that State, and as soon as large 
 enough commenced to learn the machinist's trade in 
 his father's shop. Wlien he was eighteen years old 
 he was seized with the desire to be a sailor, and em- 
 barking on a whaling- vessel, was absent on a long 
 voyage that lasted tliree years and three months. 
 On his return he desired to finish his education, and 
 after attending school at Meriden, N. H., he entered 
 a militar}- academy at Norwich. He was a student 
 in tliat institution at the breaking out of the Mexi- 
 can War, and eagerly and enthusiastically dropped 
 his studies of the science of war to gain a practical 
 knowledge of its grim realities on the bloody battle- 
 fields of Mexico, he with many of his comrades 
 volunteering, and entering the service under Gen. 
 Scott. They fought bravely in the battle of Vera 
 Cruz, and in every other battle from there to the 
 City of Mexico. At the capture of the latter city, 
 our subject was detailed as bodyguard to .accom- 
 pany the remains of the gallant Col. Ransom, who 
 was killed at the battle of Tehuantepec, to his 
 home. Peace having been shortly afterward de- 
 clared. Mr. Campbell was never called upon to 
 enter service again, but was mustered out at Ft. 
 Phillip, La., in the fall of 1847. He returned 
 home, engaged as a civil engineer, and was em- 
 ployed in the survey of different railways in Penn- 
 sylvania, New York and New Jersey until 1855. In 
 that year he went to the Territory of Kansas, and 
 from there to Nebraska in the fall, coming here to 
 assist in the survey of the land, and immediately 
 commenced upon his work. In 1866 he returned 
 to Leavenworth, Kan., and assisted in the survey of 
 the Sac and Fox reservations. In the fall of that 
 year he returned to Nebraska City, passing by the 
 present site of Lincoln, where a house was not then 
 standing. On the first daj- of December was the 
 big snowstorm, which will ever be held in remem- 
 brance by the early pioneers of Nebraska. It con- 
 tinued so long, and was of such unprecedented 
 violence, that our subject and his party spent nine 
 days in the timber unable to get out and make 
 their way to this city. In the spring Mr. Campbell 
 returned to Lincoln to complete the survey begun 
 the year before, and he was employed in surveying 
 for the Government at times until 1859. He then 
 took up his resilience in town and did odd jobs of 
 
 surveying for individuals, and looked up claims 
 until 1861. He then moved to a farm nine miles 
 west of the city, and was engaged in agricultural 
 pursuits until 1871. He wsis then elected to the 
 office of County Surveyor for Otoe Count}', and 
 moved back to Nebraska City, where he has re-, 
 sided continuously ever since. 
 
 In 1850 Mr. Campbell took unto himself a wife 
 in the person of Miss Eliza Bond, and she has since 
 been to him a devoted helpmate. To them five 
 children have been born, namely: Fennimore C, 
 Mervy N.. George, Mary E. and Edward L. 
 
 Our subject has always been a true Democrat in 
 his politics, and he has taken an active part in pub- 
 lic affairs. He has served seven j'ears as Justice of 
 the Peace since coming to this city, and held that 
 office for five years while a resident of Delaware 
 Precinct. He was Deputj" Clerk of the District 
 Court for three years, and was elected to the 
 position of Clerk In the fall of 1887 for a term of 
 four years, and Is serving with much honor and 
 credit to himself. Socially, he is a member of 
 Eureka Lodge No. 7, K. of P. 
 
 —J- 
 
 #-#• 
 
 -{— 
 
 jERI P. DAKAN, a prominent farmer and 
 stock-dealer of Hendricks Piecinct, has a 
 fine tract of land on section 2, where he 
 located in the spring of 1884. He is the offspring 
 of a good family, being the son of William and 
 Jane (Ross) Dakan, the father a native of New 
 York State, and the mother of Pennsylvania. The 
 parents were married in the latter State, whence 
 they removed to Ohio, where the father, who had 
 learned the miller's trade, carried on milling and 
 farming, and accumulated a fine property. In 1853 
 he left Ohio, moving to DeKalb County-, Mo., where 
 he retired from active labor a few years later, and 
 departed this life in 1865, at the age of seventy- 
 four years. The mother also died at the homestead 
 In Missouri In 1853, at the age of fifty-two. The 
 paternal grandfather of our subject, also William 
 Dakan by name, did good service as a soldier, first 
 In the Revolutionary War under Washington, and 
 later In the War of 1S12. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were born 
 
 f 
 
•►Hf^^<i^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 547 
 
 •► 
 
 nine oliildren, six of whom are still living, namely: 
 Melinda, Suzella, Lucinda, Higbram, Neri P. (^our 
 subject) and Caroline. The deceased are John, 
 Elizabeth and Catherine. Neri P. was born in Bel- 
 mont Count}-, Ohio, Dec. 11, 1829, and spent his 
 early life in the Buckeye State near the city of 
 Columbus. He acquired a practical education in 
 the common school, and remained with his parents 
 until after attaining his majority. In 1854 he 
 began farming on his own account in DeKalb 
 County, Mo.; operating on 200 acres of land a 
 period of throe years. Later he engaged in general 
 merchandising in DeKalb Count}' six years. Thence 
 he went to Somerset, 111., where he carried on mer- 
 chandising very successfully, and continued for a 
 period of three years. 
 
 During the summer of 1867 our subject came 
 with his family overland to Nemaha County, this 
 Stale, and there spent the winter. The spring of 
 1860 found him looking around for a location in 
 this county, and he first settled on a tract of land 
 about three miles south of the present site of Ne- 
 braska Cit}'. He there purchased seventy acres of 
 land, upon which he lived and labored until 1883. 
 He built up a good farm from the uncultivated 
 soil, and gave considerable attention to stock-rais- 
 ing, in which he met with success. 
 
 In the spring of 1883 Mr. Dakan changed his 
 residence from the eastern to the western part of 
 this county, having purchased his present farm of 
 320 acres on section 2. Here he has verj' fine im- 
 provements. Comprising a fine dwelling with a good 
 barn and the other necessary out-buildings, an 
 orchard of five acres, and a grove of cottonwood, 
 maple, ash and elm trees. There is also a fine tract 
 of natural timber, and a never-failing stream of 
 water running through the farm. He has fully 
 twenty acres in timber. 
 
 The marriage of our subject took place in De- 
 Kalb County, Mo., Jan. 21, 1858, his bride being 
 Miss Lydia, daughter of F. B. and Mary (Farrer) 
 Titcomb. Mr. Titcorab was born in Portland, Me., 
 and his wife, Mary, near the city of Cleveland, 
 Ohio. They were married in the latter State. The 
 father was an educated man, and a professor in the 
 city schools of Cleveland, Ohio. The family moved 
 ^ ' to Cook County, 111., where the father abandoned 
 
 teaching for the pursuits of agriculture, and from 
 there went to Clinton County, Iowa. In 1854 the}'' 
 moved across the Mississippi into DeKalb County, 
 Mo., where Mr. Titcomb departed this life in the 
 spring of 1872, at the age of fifty-five years. The 
 mother is still living, at the age of eighty-two years, 
 on the old homestead in Missouri. Their children 
 were Edward, Elvina, Lydia (Mrs. Dakan), Stephania 
 and Amria. Mrs. Dakan was born in Lake County, 
 111., Jan. 26, 1840. Of her union with our subject 
 there are five children — Thomas J., Alice, Edwin, 
 Lulu and Archie. They are all at home with their 
 parents. 
 
 Mr. D. was the nominee at last election for County 
 Commissioner on the Democratic ticket, which fact 
 sufficiently indicates his politics. He has served as 
 Moderator in his school district, and is the en- 
 courager of those enterprises calculated to advance 
 the people in morality and inteHigence. Both he 
 and his estimable wife are members in good stand- 
 ing of the Baptist Church at Nebraska City. Mrs. 
 Dakan is a lady of great intelligence and refine- 
 ment, amply fitted to be the companion of such a 
 man as her husband. The stock operations of Mr. 
 Dakan are quite extensive, as he feeds sometimes as 
 many as 500 head of cattle in one year. He 
 became identified with the I. O. O. F. while a resi- 
 dent of Missouri. 
 
 IT/, ENRY BORD, Postmaster at Talmage, was 
 Ifjj] early on the ground at the time of the or- 
 !4W^ ganization of this village, being its pioneer 
 ((£); druggist, and his wife at the same time es- 
 tablishing a millinery store. To their energy and 
 enterprise is due in a great measure the encourage- 
 ment which resulted in the building up of the town 
 and the bringing within its borders a thrifty and 
 business-like class of people. Mr. and Mrs. Bord 
 prevailed against the many discouragements which 
 naturally beset the pioneer in whatever enterprise 
 lie engages, and may be pardoned if they look upon 
 the result of their labors to-day with pride. 
 
 Mr. Bord was given the office of Postmaster in 
 March, 1885, from which fact his politics may be 
 clearly indicated. lie is especially adapted to deal 
 
■<^ 
 
 ^i^l- 
 
 548 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 with the public, being sociable and genial in dis- 
 position, a fluent conversationalist, and a man with 
 whom anyone can pass an hour both pleasurably 
 and profitably. He migrated to this point from 
 Crawford County, Kan., where he had been engaged 
 in farming sucessfully for a number of years. 
 
 To the State of Kansas Mr. Bord had migrated 
 from Illinois in the fall of 1866. at a time when 
 Crawford Count3^ where he settled was an unbroken 
 tract of prairie land. He located with his little 
 family upon a portion of this when there was not a 
 neighbor within seven miles. Later, however, the 
 tracks of the Indian gave place to those of the white 
 man, and in due time the settlers began to gather 
 around him. About 1868 Mr. Bord was called up- 
 on to assist in the organization of the first school 
 district in his part of the county. This, as may be 
 imagined, was a great event for the pioneers, one to 
 which they look back even at the present time with 
 a high degree of satisfaction. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bord have a full knowledge of the 
 difficulties and dangers of life on the frontier, al- 
 thoulig their experience was not unmixed with 
 pleasure. Wild game was plentiful, and whatever 
 else the household larder may have lacked, it was 
 generously supplied with choice wild meats. IMr. 
 Bord secured a farm from Uncle Sam, where he 
 constructed a good homestead, and which he sold 
 in 1882 at a sum sufficient to repay him for his 
 toil and sacrifices. 
 
 The childhood home of our subject was on the 
 other side of the Atlantic, in Somersetshire, En- 
 gland, where his birth took place near the city of 
 Bruton, Nov. 17, 1822. His parents were of pure 
 English ancestr}', his father, William Bord, having 
 been born in Bruton, and his mother in the well- 
 known city of Bath. The latter in her girlhood 
 was Miss Mary Penols. The parents were married 
 in Somersetshire, where the father operated a brew- 
 ery until emigrating to the United States in 1830. 
 They tarried for a time in New York City, and 
 later sojourned in Troj% where the death of the 
 father took place .at the advanced age of eighty- 
 seven years. 
 
 The mother survived her husband several years, 
 and died at the home of her daughter, in 1886, 
 at the age of eighty-five. Both were members of 
 
 t- 
 
 the Church of England, honest and conscientious 
 people, strict and careful in their methods of family 
 government, aiming to make of their offspring good 
 and worthy citizens, who should hand down their 
 name in honor to posterity. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the second son 
 and child in a family of twelve, six sons and six 
 daughters. He attained his majority in the city 
 of Tro3', N. Y., where he learned the business of 
 druggist and its various branches, aud was thus 
 occupied for a number of years. In Troj', also, 
 occurred the important event of his marriage with 
 Miss Sarah E. Ives, which took place at her home 
 Sept 30, 1859. 
 
 Mrs. Bord was born in the romantic region of 
 country along the Mohawk River, and at the point 
 known as Rockwell Falls, on the 1st of December, 
 1831. There she remained and began her early 
 education, completing lier studies, however, in the 
 city of Troy, to which her parents removed dnriug 
 her childhood. These latter were Abraham and 
 Lucinda (Smith) Ives, who were natives of New 
 York, and came to the West several years ago. 
 They are now sojourning for their health in Kansas. 
 
 Mrs. Bord is a very intelligent and capable lady, 
 and h.as been a most worthy and efficient helpmate 
 to her hiisband during his struggle with the ele- 
 ments of pioneer life, standing by his side, and 
 encouraging him not only by her councils, but being 
 of substantial assistance in business matters. They 
 are the parents of one child, a son, Lawrence A., 
 now a promising boy fourteen years of age, who is 
 serving an apprenticeship as printer in the office of 
 the Talmiige Tribune. ■ 
 
 ' Mr. Bord left his native State and migrated to 
 DeKalb County, 111., in the fall of 1849. Thence 
 he removed to Bureau County, of which he was a 
 resident until 1865, and from there across the 
 Mississippi, soon after which began his pioneer 
 experience on the Kansas frontier. He cast his 
 first Presidential vote for Martin V.an Buren, and 
 is a pronounced Jacksonian Democrat, defending 
 his principles with all the fearlessness and strength 
 of his character. He has served as Justice of the 
 Peace at Talmage a number of years, and is also a 
 Notary Public. His name is a household word 
 among the people of his own town, where both he 
 
 9^ 
 
 f 
 
»► II <• 
 
 -•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 549 1^1 
 
 and his excellent wife are favorites in "the social 
 circles, and welcome under their hospitable roof 
 scores of friends who have learned to esteem them 
 for their sterling worth, and as valuable members 
 of the community. 
 
 'S»S^»«-i»!a?« 
 
 >tf5^»>^fe-» 
 
 Ihi.M ICHAEL D. CAMPBELL, owner of one of 
 the most valuable farms in Syracuse Pre- 
 cinct, and which lies just without the limits 
 of the thriving and pleasantly located vil- 
 lage, has of late years devoted his attention mainly 
 to stock-raising, an industry which has netted him 
 a generous Income. Although settling here as late 
 as 1883, he has during the brief period of his resi- 
 dence among the people of this region surrounded 
 himself with many warm friends. He was at once 
 recognized as a valued addition to the community, 
 is a gentleman of taste and culture, prompt in his 
 business transactions, and in all respects a model 
 citizen. 
 
 A native of Indiana, our subject was born in 
 Jefferson Township. Boone County, March 25, 1835. 
 He claims descent from a liberty loving ancestry, 
 who were always ready to shoulder arms in defense 
 of home and country. Allen Campbell, his paternal 
 grandfather, was born in Virginia, and when a lad 
 of fifteen years migrated to the unsettled territory 
 now comprised in the State of Kentucky. There he 
 became the friend and compeer of Daniel Boone, 
 and participated with that illustrious old hero in 
 many of his conflicts with the savage foe. Enlist- 
 ing in the regular service he was given the commis- 
 sion of First Lieutenant under Gen. AVayne, and 
 was present at the battle of Maumee, where he com- 
 manded his compan}', and is recorded in history as 
 Capt. Campbell. He did not see his father from 
 the time he left home until he was a man of thirty 
 years, being absent a period of fifteen years. 
 
 Grandfather Campbell married a Kentucky lady, 
 and from the Blue Grass regions they emigrated to 
 Jennings County, Ind., locating among its early 
 settlers. There they reared a family of sons and 
 daughters, and passed the remainder of their days. 
 Michael D., Sr., was born in Kentucky, and like his 
 y ' father before him, left his native State when a lad 
 
 of fifteen years, going with the family to Jennings 
 Count}', Ind., where he grew to manhood and chose 
 his life companion. 
 
 The parents of our subject soon after their mar- 
 riage settled in Jefferson Township, Boone Co., 
 Ind., where the father erected the second log cabin 
 built In the township, and there passed the remain- 
 ing fifty-three years of his life. He departed hence 
 In July, 1883, at the advanced age of seventj'-nlne 
 years. His aged and excellent partner survived 
 him only four weeks, her death taking place In 
 August following, and her years being seventy-six. 
 The household circle of this excellent pair Included 
 eleven children, of whom the following are living: 
 Joseph A., John F., Michael D. (our subject), Nottly 
 S., David W., and R. Angellne, the wife of Alex 
 A. Young, of Montgomery County, Ind. 
 
 Michael D. Campbell pursued his early studies in 
 the primitive log school-house of Jefferson Town- 
 ship, Ind., and later added to his knowledge by an 
 extended course of reading. This, however, suf- 
 ficed to make him a well-informed man, and one of 
 more than ordinary Intelligence. He, in common 
 with his brothers, during his boyhood and youth, 
 assisted in the development of the new farm in In- 
 diana, and they together cleared up a tract of land 
 600 acres in extent. On the 21st of March, 1860, 
 occurred one of the most interesting and important 
 events in the life of our subject, his marriage, after 
 which he settled near his parents, and followed 
 agricultural pursuits in the Huosler State until the 
 winter of 1882. 
 
 Mr. Campbell now began to cast longing eyes to- 
 ward the farther West, and coming to this State, 
 was for a year a resident of Nebraska City. At 
 the expiration of this time he settled on the farm 
 which he now owns and occupies, and which is such 
 a credit to his good management. Like his father 
 before and like his brothers, he is an ardent sup- 
 porter of Democratic principles. While in Indiana 
 he was for a period of twelve years Director of the 
 Agricultural Society of Boone, Clinton and Mont- 
 gomery Counties. He has carefully refrained from 
 political office, preferring to leave such spoils to 
 those whose time could not be better employed. 
 
 The wife of our subject was in her girlhood Miss 
 Martha A. Harris, and was born in Boone County, 
 
 H^l- 
 
•4^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 550 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Ind., Jan. 12, 1841. Her parents, Matthew F. and 
 Martha (Ferguson) Harris, were natives of Tennes- 
 see and Indiana respective)}'. The father has long 
 since passed to his rest; the mother is still living in 
 Boone County, Ind. Her paternal grandfather, 
 William Harris, served as a soldier under Gen. 
 Andrew Jackson, in the war with the Crete Indians. 
 Her parents, like those of our subject, were pioneer 
 settlers of Indiana. Of her union with our subject 
 there have been born seven children, namely: Ros- 
 sie, the wife of Dr. Charles Sutton, of Syracuse; 
 Allen T., who married Miss Mj-rtle Young, and 
 lives in Hildreth, Neb. ; Alonzo D., Olney L., 
 Charles F., Mintie R. and Orval Ray. 
 
 The mother of Mr. Campbell was a daughter of 
 Joseph Betts, an early settler of Scott Count3',Ky., 
 and a participant in the Indian wars of 1803, 1805 
 and 1812, being under the command of Gen. Wayne 
 at Maumee, with the title of Sergeant. He was 
 in the same company with Allen Campbell, and 
 later carried a musket in the War of 1812, under 
 the command of Gen. Harrison, and vvas at the 
 battle of Tippecanoe when Tecumseh was killed. 
 
 "ifj POLK HILL. In the present sketch arc 
 presented to the reader the more salient 
 
 t features of the life of the popular Postmaster 
 ')/ of Palmyra. His parents, William H. and 
 Sarah A. (Tutt) Hill, were born i-espectively in 
 Madison and Culpeper Counties, Va., and his fam- 
 ily has its representatives among the verj' early 
 colonists of Virginia. Col. Robert Hill, the grand- 
 father of our subject, was in command of militia 
 in the War of 1812, and is reputed to have been 
 one of the most intrepid and gallant of his compeers 
 The parents of our subject settled in Virginia, 
 and his father followed the usual rural occupations. 
 In 1836 he removed with his family to Missouri, 
 where they lived for about ten years, hut, owing to 
 the prevalence of ague and his continued suscepti- 
 bility to its influence, and his consequently debili- 
 tated health, he was compelled to return to his native 
 State, but in 1868 he came to the State of Nebraska, 
 and for three years lived south of Nebraska Citj'. 
 In the spring of 1871 they removed to Palmyra. 
 
 ■► I I 4« 
 
 They were' the parents of eleven children, four of 
 whom were boys. The mother was the first of 
 the parents to depart this life ; her death occurred in 
 1879, when she was seventj'-one j'ears of age. The 
 father died in 1880, aged seventy-seven years. 
 
 Of the above-mentioned family the subject of our 
 sketch was the ninth born. This interesting event oc- 
 curred upon the I'Jth of January, 1845, in Callaway 
 County, Mo., and when his parents removed to Vir- 
 ginia he was eighteen months old. There he grew up 
 upon the farm, and made earlj' acquaintance with 
 farm life, responsibility and work. He received a fair 
 education, his parents giving him every possible 
 advantage. At the time of the secession he was of 
 course too young to vote or have ar.j personal in- 
 fluence, but at an early age gave promise of the 
 powers that have since been developed. As soon 
 as he became old enough to bear arras he enlisted 
 in Company C, 4th Virginia Cavahy. He was in the 
 battles of Gettysburg, Williamsport, Shepherdstown, 
 and through the campaign of the Wilderness, in 
 1 864, but he received his " baptism of fire" at Boones- 
 ville, where he also was slightly wounded in the 
 side, and was ouly saved by his pocket Bible, which 
 received the force of the otherwise fatal blow. He 
 was wounded a second time at Nance's Shop, Va. ; 
 here a rifle ball struck his left arm, shattering the 
 bone and rendering amputation imperative; this 
 was performed on the 24th of June, 1864. The bul- 
 let that did this destructive work is in the posses- 
 sion of our subject until this day. After this event 
 be went back home, being incapacitated for further 
 service, and having fully proved the intense loy- 
 alty and patriotism that were within his breast. 
 Coming to Nebraska in 1868, he was for one year 
 a teacher in this county. 
 
 His parents were directl}' dependent upon our 
 subject for support, at that time having lost their 
 property, and being old and infirm. Their in- 
 firmities were the result of age, their poverty, war. 
 It was the ambition of Mr. Hill to become a man of 
 letters, but, recognizing the position of his parents, 
 he without further debate gave up the project and 
 went to work in other directions, making the first 
 duty of his life his devotion to his parents. 
 
 The subject of our sketch first began by renting 
 a farm, and continued prosperously engaged thereon 
 
 " ■► 
 
 i- 
 
>► 1 1 < • 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 5.51 
 
 i 
 
 until 1873, when, in the month of December, he 
 returnert to Virginia in order that he might claim 
 his bride, Mary Ella Jeffries, who now becomes the 
 companion of his maturer da3^s. Their home has 
 been brightened by the birth of fi%e children, to 
 whom they gave the names appended: William H., 
 Thomas Temple; Edgar T., who died when about 
 one year old ; Mary E. and Dudley J. 
 
 Mrs. Hill was born in Culpeper County, Va., on 
 the 7th of March, 18.50. The birthdays of her 
 mother, herself and daughter May, are all on tlie 
 same day of the month. Her parents were quite 
 well-to-do, her father being a planter and at the 
 same time a slave-holder. He operated a steam 
 sawmill, and was largely interested in the lumber 
 trade. She was one of eleven children born to her 
 parents, and with the exception of herself and two 
 sisters they were all boys. She is a lady of edu- 
 cation and culture, and was graduated from the 
 Culpeper Female Institute in the year 1870. 
 
 Mr. Hill intended to return to Nebraska im- 
 mediately after his marriage, but was detained in 
 Virginia, and finally went into business with his 
 brother-in-law, Mr. J. E. Jeffries. Business pros- 
 pered exceedingly until 1876, when the high water 
 broke the mill dam, greatly damaged the propert}-, 
 and a heavy loss was sustained. They repaired the 
 injurj', however, and all went well for a time. In 
 187y he returned to Nebraska, bringing with him 
 his wife and three children; he then settled in Pal- 
 myra Precinct, purchasing fifteen and a half acres, 
 upon which he erected a thoroughly substantial and 
 commodious dwelling, which represents in its ar- 
 rangement, furnishing, etc., the very harmony of 
 homelike restfulness and domestic comfort. Such 
 is the spirit that seems to pervade and render the 
 more material things capable of leaving the im- 
 pression that it is indeed a home, which is un- 
 doubtedly due to his most excellent wife. 
 
 For one year Mr. Hill served in the ofBce of 
 Constable, resigning the position in 1882. Upon the 
 occasion of T. W. Foster severing his official connec- 
 tion with the Postal Department, Mr. Hill was ap- 
 pointed and accepted the position, and has given 
 every satisfaction to the people ever since that 
 time, rendering the most efficient service in each 
 i r and every dei)artment. Politically, he is a member 
 
 of the Democratic party, and is aetivel3' engaged in 
 its interests. Both he and Mrs. Hill are members 
 in good standing of the Baptist Church, and are 
 respected very highl3' in that direction, and in the 
 communit}' at large there are few families that are 
 more thoroughly esteemed. 
 
 /^EORGE W. WELLS, a native of England, 
 11 ,=n and a farmer in good circumstances, pro- 
 '^^4! prietor of 160 acres of land on section 18, 
 in Russell Precinct, fulfills the idea of the well-bred 
 English gentleman. Over his domestic affairs pre- 
 sides a lady in every way his equal, refined and 
 well educated, and their hospitable doors are ever 
 open both to friends and strangers, who, if of ordi- 
 nary intelligence, are not slow in discerning that 
 the}' are under the roof of those who have made 
 politeness a study, and who were born and reared 
 in an atmosphere of culture and refinement. Their 
 home, pleasant within and without, forms an at- 
 tractive picture of rural life, where peace and con- 
 tentment abide. 
 
 Thomas Wells, the father of our subject, was a 
 native of Buckinghamshire, England, and a shoe- 
 maker b}' trade. In early manhood he married 
 Miss Anna Green, and those of her family who sur- 
 vive are residents of England. The father departed 
 this life in 1856, at the age of sixty-four years. 
 The mother passed away after the decease of her 
 husband, about 1865. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born March 27, 
 1837, in Buckinghamshire, and learned the shoe- 
 making trade under the instruction of bis excellent 
 father. He received the education common to the 
 boys of his time and neighborhood, and was trained 
 in those principles of honesty and sentiments of 
 honor which have left their indelible impress upon 
 his subsequent life. In Jul}', 1866, having become 
 dissatisfied with his condition and his prospects, he 
 determined to seek his fortune on the other side of 
 the Atlantic. Accordingly, bidding adieu to the 
 friends of his childhood and youth, he set sail on 
 the steamer "Hibernian," and ten days afterward 
 landed in the city of Quebec, Canada. Later he 
 
 •►■ 
 
* ► I I < - 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 proceeried to Toronto, and worked at his trade 
 until the spring of 1869. Coining over into the 
 "States" in the month of April, he made his way 
 westward across the Missi.-^sippi, and upon reaching 
 this county homesteaded eight}' acres of land, which 
 tract is included in his present farm. 
 
 Our subject had not only corae to a new section 
 of country with limited means, hut was beset by 
 the difficulties attendant upon imperfect transport- 
 ation and distant markets. He was obliged to 
 haul lumber from Nebraska City before he could 
 put up his house, and the labor required in the 
 transformation of the raw prairie to a cultivated 
 farm may be better imagined th.an described. He 
 set out groves, hedges and an orchard, and in the 
 course of years began to realize the result of his 
 labors. Of late he has given considerable attention 
 to stock-raising, feeding numbers of cattle and hogs 
 each year, from the proceeds of which lie realizes a 
 handsome income. He votes the straight Repub- 
 lican ticket, and has been a member of the School 
 Board in his district for a period of nine years. He 
 has been a useful man in his community. 
 
 Mr. Wells was married in his native shire June 
 1, 1864, to Miss Mary G., daughter of James and 
 Anna (Gregory) Bird, whose birthplace was not far 
 from that of her iiusband. Her father was a baker 
 by occupation, and died in the spring of 1883. at 
 the age of seventy-four years. The mother is still 
 living in England, being in the year 1888 of the 
 same age as her husband when he died. Of the 
 eleven children born to them seven are living and 
 mostly residents of England. Mrs. Wells was born 
 Nov. 27, 1839, and of her union with our subject 
 there are two children only, both daughters, Edith 
 A. and Clara J. B. The former is twenty -years of 
 age and the latter thirteen, and both are at home 
 with their parents. 
 
 R. ALEXANDER M. COWDEN, physi- 
 cian and surgeon at Dunbar, although only 
 a resident of this place since May of the 
 past year (1888) is already building up 
 a large praeiice. His prompt attention to the calls 
 of duty, and his conscientious methods of practice, 
 are meeting with their legitimate reward, and he 
 
 has about all the business he can conveniently at- 
 tend to. As a citizen, he is enterprising and public- 
 spirited, willing to contribute his full share toward 
 the best interests of his community. 
 
 Dr. Cowden was born in Crawfordsville, Iowa, 
 March 31, 1855, and is the son of Alexander Cow- 
 den, who was born in Mercer County, Pa., and re- 
 moved from the Keystone State to Mahoning 
 County, Ohio, and from there to Mercer County, 
 111., in the year 1840, or about that date. He de- 
 parted this life at his home in Washington County, 
 Iowa, April 30, 1855. The mother, Mrs. Margaret 
 M. Cowden, is a native of Pennsylvania, and is 
 now in Crawfordsville, Iowa. The parental family 
 consisted of five children, who are now mostly in 
 Iowa. 
 
 The subject of this sketch pursued liis early 
 studies in the common school, and during his 
 younger 3'ears lived upon a farm. Upon leaving 
 the home roof he engaged as clerk in a drug-store 
 two years, then took up the study of medicine, and 
 later, in 1880. was graduated from the College of 
 Physicians and Surgeons in Keokuk. Iowa. He 
 began the practice of his profession in the village 
 of Ellison. Warren Co., Ill, in the winter of 1881, 
 whence he removed, in 1883, to Elvira, Iowa, and 
 followed his profession there until Ma}', 1888, when 
 he changed his residence to this county. He is now 
 but thirty-four years of age, and has already en- 
 tered upon a career which gives promise of great 
 prosperity in the future. 
 
 Miss Mary A. Crawford, of Crawfordsville, Iowa, 
 became the wife of our subject Sept. 21, 1881. 
 Mrs. Cowden was born Dec. 2, 1862, in Crawfords- 
 ville, and is the daughter of John W. and A. J. 
 (Crawford) Crawford, who were natives of Ohio, 
 and are now in Iowa. Their family included seven 
 children, who are now mostlj' in Iowa. 
 
 To the Doctor and his estimable wife there 
 have been born three children, one daughter and 
 two sons, namely : Maggie L., Bruce C. and Rus- 
 sell G. Dr. Cowden supports the principles of 
 the Republican party, and, with his estimable wife, 
 is a member in good standing of the United Pres- 
 byterian Church. They occup}' a snug home in the 
 northwestern part of town, and are making hosts of 
 friends amid a community of intelligent people. 
 
 *^t 
 
'n ^U^-7- 
 
OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ^ii^K 
 
 555 
 
 , OBERT CURKY. A. M., Pli. 1)., second son 
 of Roliert and Kezia Curry, was born near 
 Murrysville, Westmoreland Co., Pa., on the 
 *g;8th of June, 1821. In his ninth year liis 
 parents removed to AYashington County of tlie 
 same State, where lie was raised, and trained to 
 habits of industry. 
 
 His opportunities for obtaining an early school 
 education were very meager, as his parents, although 
 honest, industrious and intelligent, were in limited 
 circumstances. This want of opportunity, how- 
 ever, was offset to a certain extent by his early 
 home education, as under the guidance of his par- 
 ents, who were Presbyterians of Scotch extraction, 
 he had learned to read and write, and treasured up 
 in memory the Westminster Assembly's shorter 
 catechism, and many psalms and hymns, and other 
 choice selections of prose and poetry, further bade 
 than at his majority he could remember. His in- 
 structions in the Sunday-school, and from the pul- 
 pit also, formed an important part of his early 
 education, and doubtless had much to do in shaping 
 his character and forming his purposes for life. 
 
 He early manifested an ardent desire to obtain a 
 liberal education, and in the meantime, liy his own 
 unaided home efforts, supplemented by a few 
 months' instruction in the public schools of his 
 neighborhood, gained such a Itnowledge of tlie 
 common branches of an English education as en- 
 abled him to pass a satisfactory examination before 
 an intelligent school committee, from which he 
 received such certificates and recommendations as 
 justified him in applj'ing for a position as teacher 
 in the public schools, and hencefoi-ward relied en- 
 tirely on his own efforts for support and success in 
 securing an education. 
 
 After teaching a few terms m the public schools, 
 he became a student in the academy at Frankfort 
 Springs, Beaver Co., Pa., where he made consider- 
 able progress in the study of mathematics and the 
 classics. Su})sequently he attended an academy in 
 Cross Creek Village, Washington Co., Pa., devoting 
 his time while there exclusively to the study of the 
 Latin and Greek languages. In the summer of 1845 
 he entered the Freshman class of Jefferson College, 
 where he graduated in 1848, having taught more 
 or less in the meantime. 
 
 After gr.aduation lie taught one year in the Hays 
 & McNary school, and on Dec. 26, 1849, he and 
 Miss Mary McCloy, youngest daughter of Dr. Al- 
 exander McCloy, of Cannonsburg, Pa., were united 
 in marriage. 
 
 He subsequently held successively the principal- 
 ship of the West Newton Academy, the Cannons- 
 burg graded schools, and that of a private seminary 
 in West Manchester. In the spring of 1855 he or- 
 ganized, at Mansfield, Pa., the first Normal School 
 west of the Alleghany Mountains. In the fall of 
 the same year he became Principal of the New 
 Brighton Female Seminaiy, in which position he 
 remained until his wife died, in the fall of 1859, 
 when he, with his little daughter, an only child, 
 returned to Pittsburgh, where for a time he edited 
 and published an educational journal, known as the 
 National Educator. 
 
 In 1860 he founded the celebrated Curry Insti- 
 tute, of Pittsburgh, Pa., an institution which still 
 bears his name, and which, while comprising three 
 courses — Normal, Classical and Commercial — was 
 nevertheless designed for the special education and 
 training of teachers. It was a private enterprise, 
 which, wliile demanding high prices for tuition, 
 had to compete with the Pittsburgh Central High 
 School, which comprised a Normal Department free 
 to all its pupils. Currj^ Institute opened with only 
 four students, but grew so rapidly that by the end 
 of the first year it numbered over 200 students. 
 Its popularity increased from year to year, until 
 before long there was a constant demand for all its 
 graduates as teachers, and indeed all its other stu- 
 dents who could obtain certificates of any grade. 
 During his thirteen years' connection with the in- 
 stitution as Principal, its average annual attend.ance 
 was over 317 students, while toward the last of that 
 period, some of its catalogues show an annual en- 
 rollment of over 500 students. 
 
 In the spring of 1873 he was appointed Deputy 
 State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Penn- 
 sylvania, and as his thirteen years of unceasing 
 labor in building up and carrying on his school 
 had somewhat imp.aired his health, and as in the 
 meantime his little daughter had died, thus leaving 
 him alone, he disposed of liis interest in the school, 
 accepted the proffered office, and entered upon its du- 
 
 t* 
 
•^^f^^ 
 
 556 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •»> 
 
 I 
 
 ties on the 1st of June, 1873. His estimated fitness for 
 the position, the nature of his work, and the ability 
 with which he discharged the duties of his ofHce, are 
 aptly and briefly expressed in the following ab- 
 stracts taken from leading educational journals and 
 elsewhere. Thus, Dr. J. P. Wickersham, in the 
 Pennsylvania School Journal for June. 1873, in 
 speaking of the suitableness of his appointment, 
 saj's: '"Prof. Robert Curry has all liis life been en- 
 gaged in the work of education. In 1855 he estab- 
 lished the first Normal Scliool west of the mountains, 
 and since that time has lieen constantly engaged 
 in the work of training teachers. His appointment 
 was asked for by an immense number of superin- 
 tendents, teachers, school directors, public men and 
 leading private citizens. He seems to come into 
 office by the universal good-will of his section of 
 the State, and the cause of education is expected to 
 profit much by his appointment." The following 
 resolution, which is taken from the published min- 
 utes of the Teachers' Association, held in tlie city 
 of Pittsburgh April 5, 1873, and which was unani- 
 mouslj^ adopted by tliat body, is a type of the 
 numerous requests above alluded to, and, at the 
 same time, indicates the estimation in which he was 
 held at liome. 
 
 '■'■Resolved^ That this convention nominate Prof. 
 Robert Curry, and earnestly urge his appointment 
 to the position of Deputy State Superintendent of 
 Public Instruction, believing that his natural abil- 
 ity, educational qualifications, extensive experience 
 as an educator, popularity as an institute lecturer 
 and instructor, and his high moral character, are 
 such as to eminently fit him for this important po- 
 sition." The Warren Institute Gem for September, 
 1873, saj's: "Prof Robert Curry entered upon tlie 
 duties of his office last June. The degree of Ph. 
 D. was conferred upon him by Washington and 
 Jefferson College last July. He is now in the prime 
 of life, and endowed with ripe scholarship and rich 
 experience, and his services as State Instructor 
 cannot fail to be of incalculable value to the cause 
 of education throughout the State." The National 
 Journal of Education tor June, 1880, speaking of 
 Dr. Curry's official work in Pennsylvania, saj^s: 
 "As Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruc- 
 tion, he spent nearly four years as State Instructor 
 
 in the city and county institutes of the common- 
 wealth, attending the city and county superintend- 
 ents' conventions, and in visiting the State Normal 
 Schools and examining their graduating classes. 
 His public addresses were very highly and widely- 
 appreciated, having been quoted largely by the 
 National Bureau of J^ducation in its annual reports, 
 the French Centennial Commission, in its report on 
 the state of education in this country, and by the 
 press in Canada, Germany, and other foreign coun- 
 tries, as well as at home." 
 
 During the summer of 1876 he made his head- 
 quarters in Philadelphia, where, having charge of 
 Pennsylvania's Centennial Educational exhibit, he 
 had rai-e opportunities for becoming acquainted 
 with the leading educators and educational systems 
 of the world. In the meantime, he and Miss Jennie 
 B. Boggs, of Allegheny City, were married, and 
 began housekeeping in Philadelphia, exi)ecting to 
 make that place their future home. In December 
 of that year, however, he was unanimouslj^ elected 
 Principal of the Nebraska State Normal School, and 
 although it was not to his pecuniary interest to 
 make the change, he had a desire to see the West, 
 and as the worli was congenial, and would allow 
 him to enjoy more of home life, he at once re- 
 signed his office and repaired to Nebraska. In 
 aclcnowledging the receipt of Dr. Curry's resigna- 
 tion. Dr. Wickersham, in the Pennsylvania School 
 Journal, says: "In parting with Prof. Curiy in 
 Pennsylvania, it is only just to say that the cause 
 of public education loses a warm friend, and the 
 Department of Public Instruction an able and faitli- 
 ful officer." 
 
 In January, 1877, he entered upon the duties of 
 his new position as Principal of the Nebraska 
 State Normal School. Under his management the 
 history of the institution was one of uninterrupted 
 prosperity. The thoroughness and efficienc}' of its 
 work during his administration is fullj' attested bj^ 
 Hon. S. R. Thompson, for several years State Super- 
 intendent of Public Instruction in Nebraska, who, 
 in his annual report for 1880, says: "Nebraska is 
 fortunate in having one of the best Normal Schools 
 in the United States. This statement is made delib- 
 erately, and after a careful study of the scliools of 
 other States. The firm, consistent management, 
 
 :,U 
 
>► II 4»' 
 
 ^^K 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 the liberal course of sUidj% extending through five 
 years, the zeal and abilitj' of the teachers, and the 
 industry and enthusiasm of the pupils, render our 
 Normal School an institution of which every intelli- 
 gent friend of education in the State may well feel 
 proud." 
 
 Dr. Curry has delivered many lectures, and done 
 much institute work in the State. He was Presi- 
 dent of the State Teachers' Association in 1880. 
 He has always been an earnest student, and is a deep 
 thinker and able worker. 
 
 He is the author of the following pamphlets, viz: 
 ••Education — What It is not, and What It is;" "Spe- 
 cial Education," "Prerequisites to Success," '-The 
 Formation of Human Character," "The Relative 
 Importance of the Teacher's Vocation," •'The Phi- 
 losophy of Revelation," "Geometry — Its Nature, 
 Elements, Use, and How to Teach It," "The Earth 
 as a Model School," '"The Earth as a Cosmical Sys- 
 tem," "Man and His Environments," and various 
 other addresses and reports. Several years ago he 
 had partially prepared a series of arithmetics, which, 
 while in manuscript form, were destroyed by fire. 
 He now has several other works in a state of partial 
 preparation. 
 
 In 1883 Dr. Curry resigned his position as Prin- 
 cipal of the Nebraska State Normal School, and re- 
 moved to Palmyra, Neb., where he has since devoted 
 most of his time to phdosophj^ literature and writ- 
 ing, and his leisure hours to the management of his 
 large landed estate in that viciuitj*. 
 
 Although an educator by profession. Dr. Curry 
 has never restricted his reading and study to any 
 single line of investigation, but has rather endeav- 
 ored to widen and enrich his views on all subjects, 
 b}- widening his course of reading and study. After 
 leaving college he read full courses in law, medi- 
 cine and theology, respectively; not with a view 
 to practicing any of them as a profession, but rather 
 for his own improvement in thus extending his 
 range of thought, and rounding out his own edu- 
 cation, believing that an educator should keep 
 abreast of the times in all departments of human 
 progress. And no doubt his great success as an 
 educator, as well as his achievements in other fields 
 of labor, is largely due to his high culture, rich ex- 
 perience, and liberal views thus acquired. 
 
 We have already seen that his experience as an 
 educator has been much and varied, having served 
 as Principal of all grades of schools, from the jniblic, 
 district, primary and graded schools, up through 
 the academy, the female seminary, and the private 
 and St.ate Normal schools, and that he has filled all 
 these positions with marked ability and success. 
 But his experience outside of his profession, and for 
 the most part simultaneous with the performance 
 of its duties, has been scarcely less extensive. He 
 was for many years an active worker in the Sunday- 
 school, part of the time as vSuperintendent, and all 
 the time as teacher of Bible classes. He was for a 
 time editor and proprietor of the National Educator. 
 While carrying on his professional work in Pitts- 
 burgh, he also served a term as Bank Director, and 
 was subsequently Deputy State Superintendent of 
 Public Instruction in Pennsylvania, all of whicii 
 positions he filled with credit to himself, and fidel- 
 ity to the interests of all concerned. His integrity 
 and business tact have been clearly shown in his 
 prudent management of the pecuniary interests of 
 all the institutions, both private and public, com- 
 mitted to his care, as well as by his judicious 
 investments made on his own account. 
 
 This brief sketch atfords an apt illustration of 
 what can be accomplished in this country by talent, 
 pluck and high purpose. The subject of this biog- 
 raphy was l>orn and raised in the country, where, 
 without money, books or influential frieads, he be- 
 gan his public career during his minority, and by 
 his own unaided efforts rose step by step, until he 
 reached the highest plane of scholarship, and now 
 stands in the very front rank of educators. 
 
 Dr. Curr}^ has all his life taken an active part in 
 everything relating to the public good, and the 
 amelioration of mankind. His sympathies have 
 always been with the downtrodden and the poor, 
 both at home and abroad. He has often lent a 
 helping hand to worthy students seeking to better 
 their condition by means of a good education, b^' 
 furnishing them free instruction, and, in some cases, 
 while conducting his own private schools, free 
 boarding. Without being a bigot in religion, a 
 partisan in iX)litics, or an ultra sensationalist on re- 
 forms, he is a Presbyterian in church polity, a 
 Republican in politics, and a teetotaler as regards 
 the use of tobacco and intoxicating drinks. 
 
558 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 RS. JENNIE B. CURRY, daughter of James 
 and Lueinda Boggs, was born in Allegheny 
 City, Pa., Oct. 26, 1845. Her parents be- 
 ing Covenanters, she was not only trained 
 to habits of industry and economy, but thoroughly 
 instructed in all the doctrines, catechisms and cus- 
 toms of the Covenanter Church, of which she early 
 became an active member. Her systematic, con- 
 scientious home training during her infancy and 
 childhood, conditioned on her part such discipline 
 and habits of promptness and self-denial as rendered 
 her performance of duty ever after comparatively 
 easy. 
 
 Miss Boggs received her early school education 
 in the Third Ward public schools of Allegheny 
 City, and her professional education and training 
 in Curry Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa., where she 
 graduated in the Normal course of that institution 
 in the fall of 1864. 
 
 After completing the Normal course, she was, on 
 account of her superior qualifications and high 
 character, chosen an assistant teacher in the insti- 
 tution, where, with marked ability and success, she 
 taught nine consecutive years, during which time 
 she, in addition to her duties as teacher, completed 
 a full college course of studj- in the academic de- 
 partment of that institution. In the meantime she 
 received, on examination by the proper authorities, 
 all the different kinds of legal certificates and di- 
 plomas granted to teachers in the State of Pennsyl- 
 vania, including the Provisional, the Professional, 
 and the Permanent State Certificates and the Slate 
 Normal School Diploma. 
 
 When Currj- Institute passed from under the 
 management of its founder. Miss Boggs took a rest 
 of one j'ear, during which time she was elected 
 Assistant Principal of the Morehead Public Schools 
 of Pittsburgh, Pa., and took charge as teacher of 
 the High School of that institution. After holding 
 this position two years, she resigned at the close of 
 the school J'ear, in June, 1876. 
 
 On July 19, 1876, she was married to Dr. Robert 
 Curry, then Deputy State Superintendent of Public 
 Instruction in Pennsylvania, and spent the remain- 
 der of the summer with him in Philacrelphia, where 
 at the great Centennial, with its immense educational 
 exhibits, she made many acquaintances, and greatly 
 
 ^ 
 
 extended her observations on school appliances, 
 school workers and school systems. 
 
 In December, 1876, she removed with her hus- 
 band to Nebraska. In the summer of 1877 she 
 was elected to the Chair of Language and Methods, 
 in the Nebrjiska State Normal School, which position 
 she filled two years, .at the expiration of which time 
 she was transferred to the Chair of ]\Iethods and 
 Training, which position she continued to fill until 
 the summer of 1883, when, with her husband, she 
 resigned, and removed to Pahnyra, Neb., where she 
 now resides. When she was chosen a member of 
 the State Normal School faculty she was also given 
 charge of the State Normal School Library, which 
 was under her special care and direction during her 
 six j'ears' connection with the insMtution. 
 
 Mrs. Curry was a member of the Allegheny' 
 Count}' Teachers' Association from 1863 until she 
 left the State, in 1876. She was Vice President of 
 the Pennsylvania State Teachers' Association in 
 1868. She has prepared and read papers before a 
 number of Teachers' Associations, and done much 
 Institute work in both Pennsylvania and Nebraska. 
 
 She united with the Covenanter Church in her 
 childhood, but has been a member of the Presby- 
 terian Church for nearly twenty years. She was 
 an active and successful worker in the Sunday- 
 school from the time she was fifteen j-ears of age 
 until she came to Nebraska. 
 
 Mrs. Curry has for man}* j-ears been a great 
 reader, not only of the current literature furnished 
 by the leading magazines and reviews, but also of 
 the most prominent books published in the interest 
 of literature, science and religion. Since removing 
 to Palmyra she has made philosophy a S]3ecial 
 study, and in the meantime h:is read, with her hus- 
 band, the ''History of Philosophj'," as given by 
 Cousin, Schwegler and Ueberweg, respectively; 
 and made a critical study of Kant's "Critique of 
 Pure Reason." and the Philosophies of Schelling, 
 Fichte and Hegel. 
 
 But her accomplishments and efficiency as a 
 scholar and educator are not her only qualifications, 
 nor, perhaps, her most important ones. She is 
 equally at home in the domestic circle. Having 
 been lirought up to habits of industry and neatness, 
 she in childhood learned how to do all kinds of 
 
 ■•► 
 
■^^ n 
 
 TyrT^o-i^cC 
 
 ■U-t^lU/ 
 
-11-^^ 
 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 561 
 
 ^t*: 
 
 housework aud needlework in the most approved 
 iiiauiier, and now well knows how to make her 
 happy home attractive and pleasant. 
 
 ^^ PENCKR h. GANT, M. D., has for several 
 ^^^ years, when the state of his health permitted, 
 lll/\3) practiced medicine in Nebraska City, and 
 
 — his learning, ability and skill jnstly entitle 
 him to a high place among his professional brethren 
 in the West. He is a native of North Carolina, his 
 birthplace being in Orange County, twelve miles 
 south of Hillsboro. and three miles southeast of 
 Chapel Hill, and the date of his birth was April 17, 
 1817. His father, James H. Gant. was born in the 
 same county, but his grandfather, William Gant, 
 was a native of Scotland. He came to America 
 during tlie Revolution, with three brothers and the 
 famous McDonald. After peace was declared he 
 settled in Orange County, where he engaged in 
 farming and made his residence until death. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared on his 
 father's homestead, and until 1838 engaged in farm- 
 ing in Orange Count}'. He served in the AVar of 
 1812, and was Captain of his company under Gen. 
 Jackson at the l^attle of New Orleans. He married 
 in his native State Mary Stewart, likewise a native 
 of North Carolina, born in Wake County, and of 
 English ancestry. In 1838 Mr. Gant moved with 
 his family to Missouri, going with teams across 
 Tennessee and Kentuckj', and cooking and camifing 
 by the way. They started in August, and arrived 
 in Richmond, Ray Co., Mo., October 10. Mr. Gant 
 invested his money in a tract of COO acres of unim- 
 prove<l land, ten miles north of Richmond, and was 
 one of the earlj' settlers of the countj'. He built a 
 hewed log house to shelter his famil}', and then 
 commenced to improve a farm. He became a 
 prominent factor in promoting the educational 
 and religious inierests of the countrj'. He built of 
 hewed logs on his land the first school-house ever 
 erected in that section, and he assisted in the organi- 
 zation of a church, the meetings being held in the 
 school-house. The mother of our subject, who was 
 a very capable housewife, had no stove, and did all 
 her cooking by the open fireplace, and she used to 
 
 spin, weave and make all the clothing of the family. 
 The father of our subject improved a farm, upon 
 which he resided some years, and he then sold it 
 and bought a home in Liberty, where the remaining 
 j-ears of his life were passed, he dying in 1868, at 
 the advanced age of eighty-six. The- mother of 
 our subject died in the same year, at the age of 
 seventy-six. She and her husband were well en- 
 dowed mentally and |)hysically, and their length of 
 life was productive of much good to others, so that 
 they have left behind them a blessed memory that 
 will be fondly cherished by those who knew and 
 loved them. They were the parents of twelve chil- 
 dren, eight sons and four daughters. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the second child 
 born to his parents, and he was reared in his native 
 Stale. He accompanied the family to Missouri, and 
 having made the best of his opportunities to get an 
 education, at the age of nineteen he commenced to 
 teach school in Saline County, Mo. He was thus 
 engaged for some years, and in 1843 commenced 
 the study of medicine. In 1847 he was graduated 
 from the St. Louis Medical College, and immediately 
 entered upon the practice of his profession in Clay 
 County, Mo. In 1852 he went from there to Sa- 
 vannah, in Andrew County, and was the leading 
 physician there until 1863, when he crossed the 
 plains to Denver, and resided there until the close 
 of the war. He then came to Nebraska Citj', and 
 at once opened an office here, and has been in act- 
 ive practice ever since, when his health would per- 
 mit. He has won a fine reputation, and stands 
 second to none in the city as regards a sound, prac- 
 tical knowledge of his profession, and as the pos- 
 sessor of all the requisites that go to make up a 
 good physician. 
 
 Dr. Gant was married, in Ai)ril, 1848, to Frances 
 A. Yance}'. Her father. Col. John F. Yancey, was 
 a native of Virginia, and a cousin of William L. 
 Y'"ancey, of Virginia. He was a Colonel in the War 
 of 1812, and moved from Virginia to Missouri, 
 where he bought a large tract of land in Saline 
 Count}', and was a respected resident there until his 
 death. The pleasant married life of our subject 
 and his amiable wife has been blessed to them by 
 the birth of three children, as follows: John Yancej-, 
 the eldest, is a prosperous farmer in LaFa^-ette 
 ■► 
 
 f 
 
•►HF^ 
 
 t 
 
 ■•►HI 
 
 562 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 County, Mo.; Eugenia K. is tlie wife of W. F. N. 
 Houser, cashier of the Farmers' Bank, Nebraska City ; 
 Thomas S. is a successful physician of Auburn, 
 Nemaha Co., Neb. 
 
 Our subject is a man of true nobility of charac- 
 ter, earnest, digniflefl, and simple in his bearing, 
 and his professional and private life is irreproach- 
 able. His influence for good is strongly felt in the 
 social and religious circles of this community, as he 
 is one of the leading members of the Cumberland 
 Presbyterian Church, and is prominently identified 
 with the State Medical Society. 
 
 ^^A YRUS BAS8ETT. Neliraska remained a 
 '11^-^ Territory for a period of nine years after 
 ^^^J the subject of this sketch settled upon the 
 land which he now owns and occupies in South 
 Branch Precinct. He was thus one of the earliest 
 pioneers of this count3',and, considering the record 
 which he has made for himself, has proved one of 
 its most enterprising and useful men. Upon cross- 
 ing the Mississippi it had been his intention to visit 
 Pike's Peak, which was then the object of great 
 excitement, and to which hundreds were hastening 
 in the hopes of accumulating a fortune without the 
 necessity of labor. 
 
 Our subject, in pursuance of this idea, started 
 out from Lockport, 111., overland with a team and 
 accompanied by A. J. Reynolds. When one week's 
 drive west of the Missouri Kiver his brother-in-law 
 was taken quite ill, and they were obliged to turn 
 about in order to obtain medical aid from Ne- 
 braska City. In the meantime Mr. Bassett, becom- 
 ing further discouraged over his expedition to 
 Pike's Peak, decided to locate nearer the bounds 
 of civilizati(jn, and accordingly laid claim to 160 
 acres of land in this county, upon a warrant which 
 his father had received for services in the War of 
 1812. He considers that this was a most fortunate 
 move for him, when he looks around upon his com- 
 fortable homestead, his well-tilled acres, the modern 
 improvements and all the appliances of rural life, 
 with plenty for the present and a prospect of a com- 
 petenc}' for his old age. He took up his residence 
 here in the spring of 1859, and during his thirty 
 
 -4» 
 
 years' residence in Southern Nebraska has witnessed 
 many more changes than can be mentioned in the 
 course of a brief biography. 
 
 The important events in the life of our subject 
 are mainly as follows: He was born in Allegany- 
 County, N. Y., Feb. 5, 1832, and is the son of 
 David and Lucinda (Coggswell) Bassett, the for- 
 mer a native of Massachusetts and the latter of 
 Connecticut. In early life they became residents 
 of New York State, where their marriage took 
 place. Of the paternal grandfather little is known 
 beyond the fact that he was a native of England, 
 and emigrated to the United States, settling in 
 Massachusetts. He died when his son David was 
 but a boy, and the latter was thrown among stran- 
 gers. Probably about the time of reaching his 
 majority he left New England for the Empire State, 
 and located among the early pioneers of Livingston 
 County. Here he engaged in farming very suc- 
 cessfully, but finally lost his property. His death 
 took place in Portage, on the Genesee River, when 
 he was sixty -seven years of age. 
 
 After the death of her husband the mother of our 
 subject moved to Illinois with her children, and 
 died in Will County in 1861, at the age of fifty- 
 eight years. David Bassett had served as a private 
 in the War of 1812. The parental household in- 
 cluded the following children : Sabina, the wife of 
 Lodelia Speer, of Michigan; Elvira R., Mrs. Ree- 
 ver; Joseph W.; Helena M., Mrs. Reynolds, and 
 Cyrus of our sketch. All of these are j'et liv- 
 ing. Cyrus, in common with his brothers and sis- 
 ters, received a common-school education, and was 
 taught those habits of industry which have been 
 the basis of his success in life. He was fifteen 
 years of age at the time of his father's death, and 
 remained with his mother until twenty-four, work- 
 ing on the home farm. Then starting out for him- 
 self he farmed on rented land one year, and at the 
 expiration of this time left the Empire State and 
 took up his residence in Will County, 111. Two 
 and one-half years later we find him journeying 
 toward Pike's Peak. 
 
 When Mr. Bassett came to Nebraska, it is hardly 
 necessary to say Nebraska City was a hamlet of 
 but a few houses. He worked his land until the out- 
 break of the Civil War, and then in the summer of 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ■•»- 
 
 •<• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ftfiS 
 
 1862 responrled to a call for troops from the Gov- 
 ernor of Nebraska, reporting for enrollment at 
 Sj-racuse. Later, finding the need of men at home, 
 the Governor's call was rescinded, and Mr. Bassett 
 remained at home with others in case of being called 
 upon to protect their own State against the rav- 
 ages of the Indians. These in the fall of 1864 came 
 with threatening aspect, having on their war paint, 
 as far as Little Blue, causing the people to leave 
 their homes and hasten to a jdace of refuge. They 
 finally went back across the Missouri River, but_in 
 the meantime the settlers in that region, one Sun- 
 day at church, appointed a committee to send out 
 scouts and investigate as to the truth of the reports 
 of danger which were coming to their ears day b}' 
 day. Mr. Bassett was one of three men appointed 
 to reconnoiter, and with the two others started out 
 one Sunday night on horseback, reaching Beatrice 
 the night following. They found the people of 
 Little Blue suffering from the various outrages 
 committed b}' the redskins, who had stolen tlieir 
 stock and committed various other depredations. 
 They had, however, apparently done all they had 
 dared to do and were now on the retreat, so the 
 scouting partj' returned home. 
 
 Mr. Bassett now began farming in earnest upon 
 his land, tilling the soil, setting out fruit and shade 
 trees, putting up buildings, and effecting the other 
 improvements naturally suggested to tiie enterpris- 
 ing and progressive agriculturist. He has now a fine 
 orchard of 200 bearing apple trees, a commodious 
 farmhouse, with barns, sheds and maciiiner^', live 
 stock, and all the other appliances of the complete 
 rural home. His land is finely watered by running- 
 streams, and he has plenty of timber. A stone 
 quarry furnishes all this material desired for use 
 on the farm, and many loads annually are supplied 
 to tlie people generally of this locality. 
 
 IMr. Bassett was married first in Danville, N. Y., 
 in 1856, to Miss Elizabeth Phelps, who was born in 
 Allegany County, that State, and is the daughter 
 of Thomas Phelps. His present wife was Miss 
 INIargai-etta L. Kerr, to whom he was married Dec. 
 31, 1872, in Johnson County, Neb. This lady was 
 born in ISS-'J, in Richland Count}-, Ohio, and is the 
 ilaughter of David and Elizabeth Snyder. Her 
 parents wexe natives respectively of Beaver and 
 < • 
 
 Carlisle Counties, Pa., and the father a farmer by 
 occupation. Miss Snyder was first married to Clark 
 Howland. in Ohio. Mr. H. was born in New York 
 State in 1837, and died iti Sterling. Joiinson Co., 
 Neb., in the winter of 1870. Mrs. Bassett received 
 a good education and taught school several terms 
 when a young woman. Of her union with our sub- 
 ject there are two children, Lois and Cyrus Rolla, 
 who continue at home with their parents. Mr. and 
 Mrs. B. are members in good standing of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church at Rockford, in which 
 our subject has officiated as Cl.ass-Le.ader and .Su- 
 perintendent of the Sunday-school. Politically', he 
 is a Republican with prohibition tendencies. He 
 was at one time a member of Rockford Grange, P. 
 of H. He has served as Justice of the Peace in 
 South Branch Precinct for a period of ten or twelve 
 years, and has almost continuously been a member 
 of the .School Board. 
 
 ■viJOriN p. BROWN, contractor and builder, 
 and doing a good business in Nebr.aska City 
 ^_^ and vicinity, is a man of much intelligence 
 l^^// and general information, and one who has 
 seen considerable of life in the Great West. An 
 ardent lover of nature, he, during his younger years, 
 traveled over a considerable portion of the Western 
 country, meeting with many adventures among In- 
 dians and the pioneer white element, and learning 
 largely of life and its various phases, being a keen 
 observer, and keeping his ej-es open to what was 
 going on around him. 
 
 Mr. Brown struck the eastern line of this count}- 
 as early as 1857, coming to Nebraska Citj'- from 
 Davenport, Iowa. A native of Pennsj'lvania, he 
 was born in the town of Carlisle, Cumberland 
 County, Feb. 14, 1829, and is the son of Thomas 
 and jMargaret (Phillips) Brown, who were natives 
 of. the same countj^ as their son, where also the pa- 
 ternal grandfather, Thomas Bi-own, was born. The 
 father was a shoemaker b}- trade, which he followed 
 in his native State during the early part of his life, 
 but migrated West in May, 1857, and spent his last 
 days in Nebraska City, dying at the age of sixty- 
 three years. The familj' firet settled in Nemaha 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 564 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 County, where the father took up a tract of land, 
 upon which he livetl and labored until about 1866. 
 The mother died there at tlie age of sixty years. 
 The household circle included nine children, five 
 of whom grew to mature years, and four of whom 
 are still living. Of these, John P., our subject, is 
 the eldest; Eliza J., Mrs. Cleveland, resides in the 
 vicinity of Rock Island, 111.; of George W. a 
 sketch will be found elsewhere in this volume; 
 Mary, Mrs. Smith, is a resident of Dorchester 
 County, Md. 
 
 Our subject was the eldest child of his parents, 
 and at a verj^ early age developed a peculiar dis- 
 position, being remarkablj' self-reliant and ambi- 
 tious of acquirmg information of all kinds, and at 
 the early age of eight years started out for himself. 
 As soon as old enough to think, he began to wonder 
 if all the world was like the scenes and surround- 
 ings amid which he was born, and where he spent 
 the first years of his life. He had an intense longing 
 to look beyond the mountains which shut in his 
 early home, and determined to go thither and see 
 for himself. His grandfather, John Phillips, held 
 a Government position in the city of Washington, 
 and needing a messenger boy, John P. at once 
 availed himself of this opportunity, and repairing 
 to the capital, assumed the jjosition, while at the 
 same time he attended tlie common schools, and 
 lost no opportunity to inform himself in regard to 
 tlie various strange things he met with in and 
 around the seat of Government, and thus spent the 
 years until a youth of seventeen. It was then nec- 
 essary for him to take up something practicable, 
 and he began an apprenticeship at the carpenter's 
 trade, serving four years. At the same time his 
 spirit of adventure never deserted him, and he 
 started down along the Atlantic Coast, visiting 
 Charleston, ]V. C, and Riciimond, Va., and keeping 
 himself supplied with pocket money by working at 
 his trade. While on his journey he was stricken 
 down with malarial fever, but was able to get to 
 his old home in Pennsylvania, where he was dis- 
 abled for weeks, and at the end of which time 
 there seemed to be no abatement of the disease. 
 
 Young Brown now determined upon a change of 
 climate, and started for the West. He put up for 
 a few months in Wellsville, Ohio, thence made his 
 
 way to Chicago, 111., and from there by the new 
 Rock Island Railroad to the Mississippi River. 
 This he crossed, and landing in D.avenport, Iowa, 
 took up his residence there, and remained two 
 or three years, during which time his health be- 
 came greatly improved. 
 
 Our subject from the city of Washington had 
 been accompanied by his young wife, to whom he 
 had been married in the capital, in September, 
 1851. This lady. Miss Mary McYain, was then 
 but seventeen j-ears old, an orphan, and supporting 
 herself by dressmaking. She was ver}' intelligent, 
 of a most lovable disposition, and her tastes were 
 greatly similar to those of Mr. Brown. Under these 
 circumstances it was very natural that there should 
 spring vip between them the attachment which re- 
 sulted in their early marriage. Their first child 
 was born in Washington City, and upon coming to 
 Nebrasjja Mr. Brown, in looking about for a home 
 for his little family, decided to to take up a tract 
 of land in Nemaha County. The Indians were 
 prevalent in that section of the country, but Mr. 
 Brown, instead of sharing the popular prejudice 
 against the red roan, made friends of them, and 
 was always well treated by them. He lived with 
 his family seven j-ears on the Nemaha County farm, 
 during wliich time they endured mam- hardships 
 and privations in common with the pioneers around 
 them. 
 
 In August, 1868, our subject decided to abandon 
 farming and resume carpentering, and for this pur- 
 pose changed his residence from Nemaha Countj' 
 to Nebraska City. The move proved a fortunate 
 one, and many of the older buildings in the city 
 stand as monuments of his skill and industrj^ He 
 put up manj- store buildings and residences during 
 the early years of building up the city, and was ever 
 found a man prompt and reliable, making friends 
 among its best people. 
 
 In the spring of 1877 Mr. Brown made an ex- 
 tensive tour around and among the Black Hills, 
 and among other sights came across an encamp- 
 ment of 7,000 Sioux Indians. Their tents, horses, 
 wives and children, and all the appurtenances of 
 their wild, nomadic life, presented a picture which 
 has often been described by the traveler to the 
 West, and ever possesses an interest to the intelli- 
 
 -•►Hh 
 
^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 ^ 
 
•►-If-^^ 
 
 i 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 567 
 
 •► 
 
 gent mind. Mr. Brown spent eighteen raontlis on 
 this tour, which practicalh^ wound up his wander- 
 ings. He is now quite well advanced in years, but 
 is briglit and active as ever, and a man with whom 
 it is very pleasurable and profitable to converse. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Brown there have been born 
 eight children, only four of whom are living. 
 Thomas died in Nebraska City, Oct. 20, 1885, aged 
 thirty years; Otis, Ida, Harvey and Arlington are 
 married. Ida is the wife of Frank McCartney, 
 County Clerk of Otoe County; Harvey is working 
 as a carpenter, and makes his home with his par- 
 ents; Arlington married Miss Atwood, of Nebraska 
 City, where he lives. Mr. Brown is a member of 
 the Republican party, although meddling very 
 little with politics. He has probably taken a greater 
 interest in the success and extension of the I. O. 
 O. F., with which he has been connected for the 
 past thirty-five years, and oX which he is Past 
 Grand. 
 
 !f^ ARTIN PARENT, one of the largest land- 
 owners of Rock Greek Precinct, is propri- 
 etor of 320 acres on sections 24 and 26, 
 where he has made his home since April, 
 1868. He came to this count}' in 1856, and pre- 
 empted land in Otoe Precinct the year following. 
 He had made his way across the Mississippi from 
 Douglas County, 111., of which he had been a resi- 
 dent eight years. He is a native of Parke County, 
 Ind., and was born Aug. 26, 1833. 
 
 William Parent, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Tennessee and reared in Kentuckj' ; in the 
 latter .State he married Miss Priscilla Martin, who 
 was born there, in Hardin County. They contin- 
 ued residents of the Blue Grass regions until after 
 the birth of five children, then emigrated to Parke 
 County, Ind.. where five more little ones were 
 added to the household circle. They were among 
 the pioneers of that county, and endured in com- 
 mon with the people about them the vicissitudes 
 of life in a new settlement. The country around 
 them abounded in wild animals, and it is liardly nec- 
 essary lo say their neighbors were few and far be- 
 tween. The labors of the faiher as a tiller of the 
 soil met with their legitimate reward, and he built 
 
 up a comfortable home, where he spent the remain- 
 der of his da3's, his death taking place about 1843, 
 when he was sixtj'-five j'ears old. The mother after 
 the death of her husband went to live with her 
 son Martin, in Coles County, III., where she passed 
 away when about fifty-four years of age. 
 
 Our subject was educated in the schools of Indi- 
 ana and Illinois, his home being in that part of 
 Coles which is now Douglas County. He was married 
 during his early manhood to Miss Mary Ann Moore, 
 who was born there Jan. 7, 1837. She became the 
 mother of three children, and accompanied her 
 family to this county. Her death took place at the 
 homestead in Rock Creek Precinct, Nov. 12, 1880, 
 and her remains were laid to rest four days later in 
 the cemetery on a part of the land owned by her 
 husband. Mrs. Parent was a lady of many estima- 
 ble qualities, greatly beloved by her husband and 
 friends, and her death was mourned by a large cir- 
 cle of acquaintances. Two of the children of this 
 marriage, William and Joseph, died young. The 
 surviving child, a daughter, Mary R., still remains 
 at home with her father, whom she cares for with 
 filial affection, anticipating his wants and striving 
 as far as possible to supply the place of tlie wife 
 and mother, who was for so many years his solace 
 and comfort. 
 
 Mrs. Mar}' Ann P.arent was the daughter of Jo- 
 seph and Amelia (Whitaker) Moore, who were old 
 residents of Coles County, 111. Mr. Moore en- 
 tered a claim and improved a farm, where he and 
 his excellent wife spent the remainder of their 
 da^s. Both Mr. and Mrs. Parent identified them- 
 selves with the Methodist Church many years ago. 
 AVhen the new school-house was built in District No. 
 2, Mr. Parent, being a great admirer of the mar- 
 t3'red President, Abraham Lincoln, insisted that the 
 property should be named Lincoln Grove, which 
 name it now bears. He believed that it would be 
 a fitting and proper reminder to the children in fu- 
 ture years of the career of the great Emancipator, 
 one of the noblest of his kind, who was closely 
 connected with the pioneer history of Illinois, and 
 later arose to the highest position in the gift of the 
 American people. 
 
 Mr. Parent is a quiet and unobtrusive citizen, 
 meddling ver}- little with public affairs, but keeps 
 
 T 
 
t 668 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 himself well posted upon current events, and uni- 
 formly gives his support to Republican principles. 
 He was one of the moving spirits in securing the 
 passage of the Nebraska Herd Law, for which he 
 received the thanks of the right-thinking people of 
 the State. In the fall of 1869, he, with others, 
 went down into Kansas on a buffalo hunt. Several 
 of these animals were killed by the party, and Mr. 
 Parent himself laid low one of the monsters of the 
 plains. 
 
 Martin Parent has been abundantly prospered in 
 his labors as an agriculturist, and has a compe- 
 tency for declining years. He has brought his 
 farm to a good state of cultivation and keeps about 
 enough stock to consume his corn. With the ex- 
 ception of the land immediately about the home 
 place, he rents his farm, receiving therefor a liv- 
 ing income. We take pleasure in presenting to our 
 numerous readers the portrait of this honored pio- 
 neer, together with that of his deceased wife. 
 
 aALYIN CHAPMAN is one of the most active 
 and enterprising citizens of Nebraska City, 
 ' with whose business interests he is identified 
 as a prominent stock dealer, and also as a dealer in 
 coal, wood and hay. He is one of the self-made 
 men of whom this country is so justly' proud, as he 
 came to Nebraska without a dollar, and by a quiet 
 but persistent determination to succeed, through 
 resolution and unceasing industry, has acquired a 
 handsome competence and a large amount of valu- 
 able propert3'. 
 
 Mr. Chapman was born in Winchester, Madison 
 Co., Ohio, May IC, 1843. His father, Thomas 
 Chapman, w.as born in Virginia, and was reared and 
 married in his native State. He then moved from 
 there to Ohio, the removal being m.ade with wagons, 
 as it was before the time of railw.ays.. Mr. Chap- 
 man bought a tract of timber land in Madison 
 County, built a log house, the one in which our 
 subject was born, and resided there until 1845. 
 when he again started westward, removing his fam- 
 ily and household goods with teams to Iowa, and 
 there became one of the early settlers of Louisa 
 ^ ' Countj'. He took up a tract of Government land, 
 
 one and one-half miles northeast of Wapello, the 
 county seat. There were no railways west of Chi- 
 cago at that time, and Muscatine, twenty-five miles 
 distant, was the nearest market and trading point. 
 Indians were plentiful, and deer, wild turkeys, 
 wolves and wildcats were abundant. Mr. Chapman 
 improved the land that he had entered from the 
 Government, and rasided on it about twenty years. 
 He then bought another tract of land, a part of 
 which is now occupied by the village of Harrison, 
 and he has resided there continuously ever since. 
 Mr. Chapman has lived to see that part of Iowa de- 
 veloped from the wild prairie to a well-settled, 
 wealthy country, and by his enterprise and industr3' 
 has done his share in bringing about this prosper- 
 ous condition. He has reached the advanced age 
 of eighty-six years, but still retains his mental 
 faculties to a great degree, and enjoys remarkably 
 good health. In political events Mr. Chapman 
 takes a marked interest, and is a firm believer in 
 the principles expounded by the Republican party. 
 Before the formation of that party he was a Whig. 
 He has been twice married ; his first wife, the 
 mother of our subject, was Mary Binizer, a native 
 of Virginia, and she died in 1845. His second 
 marriage was to Grace Greenwood, a native of En- 
 gland, and she still lives to comfort him in his old 
 age. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was two and a half 
 years old when his father with his family crossed 
 the prairies of the Central Western States to make 
 his home in Iowa, and he has a vivid remembrance 
 of the incidents of the pioneer life, amid whose 
 scenes he was reared to mauhood. He attended the 
 early schools of th.at State, assisted on the farm, and 
 lived with his father until he was sixteen years old, 
 when he started out to seek his own fortune further 
 west, and consequently came to Nebraska, landing 
 in Nebraska City in September, 1860. Here he 
 commenced to learn the cooper's trade, receiving 
 twenty-five cents a day and board for his work. 
 He was industrious, of good habits, attended steail- 
 lly to his work, and even from that meager pay he 
 contrived to save money, as he was very ambitious 
 to make something of himself, to become, per- 
 haps, a rich and influential man of business. 
 
 Our subject worked as a cooper for two years, 
 
 -^^ 
 
•►HI^^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 569 
 
 «4> 
 
 when liis enterprising and adventurous spirit made 
 him seize joyfully a chance to cross the plains with 
 teams, as assistant wagonraaster for Majs. Russell 
 and Wardell, Government freighters. He returned 
 the same season, and, although a youth of but nine- 
 teen years, patriotically offered his services to the 
 country, to help suppress the Civil War that was 
 then raging, enlisting in October, 1862, in Companj' 
 F, •2d Nebraska Cavalry, and being commissioned 
 as Second Lieutenant, gallantly served for one year, 
 and was then honorably discharged on account of 
 the expiration of his term of enlistment. He found 
 that his services were required nearer iiome, and a 
 few daj's later re-enlisted as a member of Company 
 A, Independent Scouts, organized for the purpose 
 of suppressing Indian warfare that had sprung up in 
 Nebraska and adjoining Territories. Company A 
 was composed of men who had explored that sec- 
 tion of tlie country and were perfectly familiar 
 with its topography, and it was joined to Gen. 
 Sully's force, and acted as guides to him in the 
 Northwest. Our subject did efficient service for 
 nine months, and then his regiment was discharged 
 and he returned to Nebraska City. 
 
 Our subject, with the money that he had saved up, 
 formed a drug company, and was also engaged in 
 teaming, and Anally was enabled to buy a liver}' 
 stable and bus line. He continued to carry on that 
 and the drug business very successfully until 1880, 
 when he sold out and engaged in the sale of coal, 
 wood and hay, and has built up an extensive and 
 profitable business, besides mnking considerable 
 money in dealing in horses, cattle and mules, which 
 he has always dealt in more or less. Mr. Chapman 
 occupies an important place in tlie business circles 
 of Nebraska City, and is a stockholder and Di- 
 rector in the Farmers' Bank. He owns the place that 
 he now occupies on First Corso street, besides five 
 lots on First Corso street, between Fourth and 
 Fifth streets; a lot on the corner of Seventh and 
 First Corso streets, one lot, with two buildings, on 
 the corner of Third and Corso streets ; one house 
 and lot on Fifth street; three lots in Anderson's 
 Addition, and 320 .acres of farm land near Nebraska 
 City. 
 
 ]\Ir. Chapman was marrierl, in 1863, to Miss Har- 
 riet .Shallenbarger, a native of Penns3'lvania, and 
 
 "♦- 
 
 three children have been born of their happy mar- 
 ried life — Edna, Harriet and Bota. Mrs. Chapman 
 is a superior woman in many ways, and is greatly 
 esteemed far bej'ond her home circle, as she has 
 endeared herself to many by numerous acts of 
 kindness and friendship. To her devotion to his 
 interests, and to her steady encouragement and 
 cheerful help, her husband gratefully acknowledges 
 himself to be greatly indebted for his present pros- 
 perity. Mr. Chapman is a frank, generous-hearted 
 man, pushing and energetic in his character, and 
 possessing a decided talent for business. Politically, 
 be is a Republican, and socially, is a member of 
 Council of Frontier Lodge No. 3, I. O. O. F. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Chapman are valued members of the 
 
 Baptist Church. 
 
 ■ <xr>o . 
 ' oC>o ' 
 
 'LEXANDER REEVES. The subject of 
 this notice deserves more than passing men- 
 tion, having been the first man to homestead 
 land in Otoe County, if not in the State 
 of Nebraska, settling then in South Branch Pre- 
 cinct. His career has been one reflecting very 
 great credit upon his industry and enterprise, and 
 one in which he has experienced many hardships 
 and difficulties, but fortunately was enabled to sur- 
 mount them, and transform a portion of the wild 
 prairie into a fertile tract, yielding in abundance 
 the rich crops of Southern Nebraska. He has now 
 retired from active labor, having deeded the greater 
 portion of his land to his children, reserving eight}- 
 acres with its comfortable buildings, occupying one 
 of the prettiest locations on the Nemaha River. 
 He and his estimable wife, both well advanced in 
 _years, are spending the evening of their lives quietly 
 and peacefullj^, comfortable in the reflection that 
 they have done what they could as citizens, neigh- 
 bors and parents. iMany are the friends they have 
 gathered around them during their long sojourn in 
 this count}', and many are the scenes which they 
 have witnessed while Nebraska was being trans- 
 formed from a Territory into a wealthy and pros- 
 perous State. 
 
 Mr. Reeves as a Justice of the Peace conducted 
 the first Lawsuit in his precinct, which was a case 
 of assault and liattery — .Tames Knox vs. Augustus 
 
570 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 J. 
 
 Greenwood, in which the latter was fined. lie was 
 early appointed a member of the district School 
 Board, which office he held for years, was Post- 
 master a period of nine years, Assessor one term, 
 and Road Supervisor three terms. He was ap- 
 pointed by Gov. Butler Register of Elections, but 
 resigned the office. He has been foremost in those 
 enterprises having for tlieir object tlie moral and 
 social welfare of tlie people, was one of the early 
 members of the Baptist Church, and since its or- 
 ganization has been an earnest adherent of the Re- 
 publican partj'. In his native State of New Yorli 
 he served as Postmaster in the town of Broolvs 
 Grove, in Livingston County. 
 
 Our subject was born Aug. 2.5, 1818, in Wayne 
 County, N. Y., and lived there with his parents 
 until a lad twelve years of age. He then went 
 with his father to Warren County, Pa., and six 
 years later occurred the death of his father, when 
 the famil}' was broken up, and Alexander, returning 
 to his native State,worked by the month in Chautau- 
 qua County. In 1843 he returned to Livingston 
 County, where he was variously employed until 
 the fall of 1856. Then resolving to seek his fort- 
 iine in the West, he migrated to Will County, 111., 
 where he was employed at various jobs until 1862. 
 
 Our subject now crossed the Mississippi and 
 homesteaded tlie first land in this county, while 
 Nebraska was a Territor^N and before the organiza- 
 tion of South Branch Precinct. He laid claim to 
 it about sunrise on the 1st of January, 1863, when 
 it was designated as claim No. 2. The party tak- 
 ing No. 1 never proved up, so Mr. Reeves was the 
 first bona fide settler. The riglit to the first settle- 
 ment is disputed hy jNIr. Freeman, of Beatrice, who 
 claims he took his immediatel.y after 12 o'clock, 
 January 1. 
 
 The manner in which Mr. Reeves labored from 
 this time on can perhaps better be imagined than 
 described. His first rude plow was drawn by a 
 team of horses in breaking sod, and the pioneer 
 himself and his little family were first sheltered in a 
 log dwelling. There was little of elegance or con- 
 venience in those days, but jNIr. Reeves had abundant 
 faith that his labors would meet with their legiti- 
 mate reward, and battled manfullj' with the diffi- 
 culties which beset his waj-, until after a few sea- 
 
 •4* ^— - 
 
 sons had passed he found himself on the road to 
 prosperity. He enclosed his fields with neat and 
 substantial fences, planted groves and an orchard, 
 in due time put up a stone dwelling (the first in 
 this part of the county) and a barn, and added the 
 conveniences and improvements which have so 
 mucli to do with the comforts of a home. He was 
 particularly fortunate in his choice of a location, 
 his land being well watered and easily brought to 
 a productive condition. 
 
 To the lady who has stood by the side of our 
 subject while he bore the heat and burden of the 
 day, and who in her girlhood was Miss Alvira R. 
 Bassett, he was married in Livingston County, 
 N. Y., Oct. 27, 1846. Mrs. Reeves was born in 
 Allegany Coimty, that State, Feb. 13, 1828, and is 
 the daughter of David and Lucinda (Coggswell) 
 Bassett. David Bassett was born in jNIassachusetts 
 in 1779, and his wife, Lucinda, in Otsego County, 
 N. Y., in 1796. They were married in the Em- 
 pire State, and resided there until the death of the 
 father, which occurred in 1848. He was a farmer 
 by occupation, and during his early manhood 
 served as a soldier in the War of 1812. The mother 
 after the death of her husband went to the home of 
 her children in Will County, 111., where her death 
 took place in 1859. Six children of tlie parental 
 family are living, namely: Sabrina, Lavina L., 
 Joseph W., Elvira, Helena and Cyrus N. Those 
 besides Mrs. Reeves are residents mostly of Michi- 
 gan and Nebraska. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife there have 
 been born two children, both sons, Eugene and 
 Marion Cyrus. Eugene married Miss Eliza J. 
 Chamberlain, and is farming in South Branch Pre- 
 cinct; he is the father of four children — Nellie 
 ]M., Ina Elvira, Frederick and Vernon. Marion 
 married Miss Sarah Whitaker, and is farming in 
 Frontier County. Mr. Reeves cast his first Presi- 
 dential vote for Martin Van Buren, and since its 
 organization has been a stanch supporter of the Re- 
 publican party. Mrs. Reeves is a member in good 
 standing of tlie jNlethodist Rpiscopal Church at 
 Rockford. 
 
 Stacj' Reeves, the father of our subject, a na- 
 tive of New Jersey, was born in 1785, and mar- 
 ried, in New York State, Miss Phebe Clark, who 
 ■» 
 
 f 
 
Residence OF George Adams, SEc.>i6.RocK Creek Preciinct. 
 
 gs^s^ewHs^ftpasss?^ 
 
 Residence of J. M. Jarrett .5ec. 32. Belmont Precinct. 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 -■► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 573 
 
 was born in 1801. He was a farmer by occupation, 
 and carried a musket during the War of 1812. 
 Grandfather Aaron Reeves was born in New Jer- 
 sey, and served in the Revolutionary War as a pri- 
 vate under tlie command of AVasliington. He spent 
 liis last days in Warren County, Pa. The paternal 
 great-grandfather emigrated from Holland and set- 
 tled in New Jersey, where it is supposed his de- 
 cease occurred. Stacy Reeves left New York in 
 1832, and settled in Warren County, Pa., where he 
 engaged in farming, but only lived six years there- 
 after. The mother shortly after the death of the 
 father married James Sears, and became the mother 
 of two children, both deceased. Shortly after the 
 death of Mr. Sears she became the wife of Mr. 
 Opdyke, who died, leaving her a widow. Quite 
 late^in life she came to Nebraska, and died at the 
 home of her son, our subject, in 1883. There were 
 only three children in the parental family, two 
 sons and a daughter,of whom Alexander, our subject, 
 was the eldest. Amos I. and Hannah are in Ne- 
 raska and California. 
 
 ^^^EOUGF. ADAMS, of Rock Creek Precinct, 
 is spoken of by his neighbors as one of the 
 most successful farmers and stock-raisers 
 within its limits. Certain it is that he has one of 
 its most attractive homes, the residence being a sub- 
 stantial frame building, tasteful and well furnished, 
 situated in the midst of pleasant grounds with shade 
 trees and shrubbery, and supplied with everything 
 conducive to the comfort of its inmates. Upon the 
 farm is a fine grove of walnut, cottonwood and 
 elm trees, and an orchard which can scarcely be 
 matched in the county, planted with 600 trees of the 
 choicest fruit. The farm, 200 acres in extent, has 
 been brought to a state of thorough cultivation. It 
 was but a tract of raw prairie when Mr. Adams 
 settled upon it in March, 1870, and its present con- 
 dition is sufficiently indicative of the manner in 
 which the proprietor has employed his time. 
 
 Orleans County, N. Y., was the childhood home 
 of our subject, where his birth took place on the 
 22d of July, 1843. He is of an excellent New En- 
 gland ancestry, his father, Henry Adams, the son 
 
 %a': 
 
 of William and R3b3C3a (Hyda) Adam*, having 
 been a native of Connecticut and of genuine Yankee 
 stock. Henry Adams was reared and educated in his 
 native State, and when a lad of about fourteen 
 years removed with his father, William Adams, to 
 New York State, locating near the city of Roches- 
 ter. He was twice married. To his first wife, 
 Sophia Warren, he was wedded in Monroe County, 
 and to them were born two children, only one of 
 whom is living, Nathaniel, residing in Nebraska 
 Cit}-, this county. Mrs. Adams died about 1838, 
 in Orleans County, N. Y., where she and her hus- 
 band had settled after their marriage. 
 
 About 1840 Henrj' Adams was married the sec- 
 ond time, to Mrs. Mary (Smith) McCrillis, who had 
 by her first husband two children, who are both 
 living, the son a resident of Orleans County, N. Y., 
 and the daughter of Boston, Mass. This lady was 
 born in Peterboro, N. H., and it was there that her 
 marriage with Mr. George AlcCrillis took place. 
 Subsequently they removed to Orleans County, N. 
 Y. She was of Scotch-Irish descent and the daugh- 
 ter of William Smith. The family was noted as 
 possessing all the admirable qualities of that ad- 
 mixture of nationalities. The first representatives 
 crossed the Atlantic, it is supposed, in the Colonial 
 days, settling in New England. Of this union 
 were born two children: George, our subject, and 
 his sister Sophia, who is now the wife of William 
 Kennicutt, of Otoe Precinct, this count3'. A sketch 
 of Mr. K. is given elsewhere in this work. 
 
 After the death of his last wife Henry Adams, 
 with his two cliildren, started in October, 1858, for 
 the farther West. Coming into the Territory of Ne- 
 braska, he purchased land in Otoe Precinct, this 
 county, seven miles southeast of the present site of 
 Nebraska City, where he spent the remainder of his 
 days. These, however, were destined to be but 
 brief, as he lived only about two years, his death 
 taking place in October, 1860. 
 
 Our subject after the death of his father went to 
 Hillsdale, Mich., where he completed his educa- 
 tion by an attendance of three years in the col- 
 lege there. He then came back to Nebraska, and 
 was united in marriage with Miss Emma Horrum, 
 May 5, 1872, the wedding taking place at the 
 home of the bride in Rock Creek Precinct. Mrs. 
 
 »► I I <• 
 
 ^1^ 
 
-' 574 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Emma Adams was the daughter of Sherburn and 
 Eliza (Brunsoii) Horrum, and was born in Dear- 
 born County, Ind., where she was reared and edu- 
 cated. She came to Nebraska with her parents 
 when about eighteen years of age. Three years 
 later she was married, and eight years later, Nov. 
 3, 1880, passed to her long home, leaving two sons, 
 Nat and Edwin, who are now at home. 
 
 Mr. Adams, on the 11th of April, 1883, con- 
 tracted a second marriage, with Miss Mary Horrum, 
 a sister of his first wife, and also a native of Dear- 
 born County, Ind., born Oct. 3, 1848. Of this mar- 
 riage there are no children. Mr. Adams, politi- 
 cally, is an uncompromising Democrat. Both he 
 and his excellent wife are greatly esteemed by their 
 neighbors and fellow-citizens. Their home is a very 
 pleasant resort, they extending that cordial and 
 well-bred hos])itality both to friends and strangers, 
 which at once distinguishes them as people of cult- 
 ure and innate politeness. 
 
 In 1869 Mr. Adams identified himself with the 
 Western Star Lodge No. 2, A. F. & A. M., of Ne- 
 braska City. He subsequently became a Royal 
 Arch Mason, and now belongs to Keystone Chap- 
 ter No. 2. In 1885 he assisted in the organization 
 of the Masonic Lodge at Talmage. and for the last 
 two years has offlciated as Worshipful Master. He 
 is also a charter member of Alpha Consistory No. 
 50, A. & A. S. R. The view of the Adams home- 
 stead, which will be observed on another page, 
 illustrates more forcibly than words can do the 
 hand of industry and the eye of taste which have 
 contributed to its embellishment and its value. We 
 gladly give it a place among the pictured homes of 
 other men to whose labors Nebraska owes her pres- 
 ent condition of wealth and prosperity. 
 
 ^/ AMES M. JARRETT, whose farm is situated 
 on section 32 of Belmont Township, may 
 be justly proud of the success that has at- 
 tended him as an agriculturist; he began 
 without those opportunities and advantages that are 
 usually provided by parental care. He was born 
 in JNIonroe County, Va., on the 4th of December, 
 1838, and is a son of Andrew and Susan .Tarrett, 
 
 natives of Virginia. His parents migrated in 1842 
 to Davis County, Mo., where our subject was reared 
 upon the home farm, and in the schools of that 
 county was educated. 
 
 Seeing' that his life has been practically spent amid 
 the surroundings of an agricultural district and in 
 the midst of farm home life, Mr. Jarrett has had 
 every opportunity of learning all the details of 
 practical husbandry. He came to this county in 
 1865 and settled where he now lives, and at the time 
 of his settlement there were eighty acres broken and 
 a two-board fence around that portion, but tliis w.<is 
 destroyed by a prairie fire shortly afterward. 
 
 There are now 420 acres of good land property 
 belonging to our subject. It is all well improved 
 and yields him abundant harvests, while that por- 
 tion wiiich is devoted to his stock gives him a rich 
 supply of food for their use. A view of the 
 homestead is given in this connection. 
 
 Upon the 29th of January, 1863, Mr. Jarrett 
 was united in wedlock with the lady of his choice, 
 Miss Susan P. Meadows, the daughter of John and 
 Nancy Meadows, natives of Virginia. Mrs. Jarrett 
 was born in Davis County, Mo. There have come 
 to our subject and wife six children, four of 
 whom are living, who bear the following names: 
 Holly M., Stewart G., William W. and Samuel W. 
 Holly is in the State Normal School, at Peru, in 
 this State, and Stewart is attending the classes in 
 Stanberry College, at Stanberry, Mo. 
 
 Mr. Jarrett, his wife and two younger children 
 are devout members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and both in religious circles and the com- 
 munity at large they are held in much esteem. The 
 political opinions and sympathies of our subject are 
 with the Democratic party, and he is an acknowl- 
 edged friend of free trade. 
 
 'tejzfi'©-^^ 
 
 Mi4— >-^'5W^2r2™»- 
 
 ^ IRlLLIAM H. SNYDER. The farm owned 
 \/sJ// '*"'' operated by the subject of this sketch 
 CtW lies on section 31 in Palmyra Precinct, and 
 embraces 160 acres of land, with convenient build- 
 ings well adapted to the various puri)Oses of coun- 
 try life. The chief characteristics of the proprietor 
 
 *► II 4« 
 
 ^^1 
 
••► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 575 i ' 
 
 are sturrly industry and integrity, lie being a man 
 who, during his younger j'ears, earned his bread by 
 the sweat of his brow, and formed the habits which 
 later in life have resulted in surrounding him with 
 everything needful for his comfort and maintenance. 
 These principles conscientiously carried out have 
 also given him a good position among his fellow- 
 citizens, whose confidence and esteem he enjoys in 
 a large measure. 
 
 Mr. Snyder by his own industry has brought 
 about the improvements upon his farm, these includ- 
 ing a commodious and substantial dwelling, good 
 barns, sheds and other outhouses, the machinery 
 necessary for the successful prosecution of agricult- 
 ure, and all the other appliances required by the 
 progressive farmer of to-day. His domestic affairs 
 are presided over l)y a very intelligent and capa- 
 ble lady, who possesses all the womanly virtues, be- 
 ing domestic in her tastes, and esteeming her home 
 the most attractive place in all the world, which has 
 been rendered thus by her labors and refined tastes. 
 Under this pleasant roof-tree are three children, who 
 are being reared and educated in a manner corre- 
 sponding to the means and station of their parents. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born April 22, 
 1850, in Lancaster Township, .Stephenson Co., 111., 
 and spent his boyhood and youth after the manner 
 of most farmers' sons, receiving a district-school 
 education, and becoming familiar with the various 
 employments of country life. He was first married. 
 Feb. 12, 1874, to Miss Emma E. Kenyon, a native 
 of Canada, and they became the parents of two 
 children: Harry Charles (deceased), and Perry B., 
 who is attending school. 
 
 Mr. Snyder was a resident of his native county 
 until 1874, in the spring of which year he moved 
 across the Mississippi, and has since been a resident 
 of Nebraska. His parents. Benjamin and Mary 
 (Styres) Snyder, were natives of Pennsylvania, 
 whence they emigrated after their marriage to 
 Stephenson County, III, where the mother died in 
 1855, when only thirty years of age. Benjamin 
 Snyder w.as subsequently married, and his household 
 was completed by the birth of twelve children in 
 all— three sons and four daughters by the first wife 
 and two sous and three daughters by the second. 
 He accumulated a good property, and died in the 
 
 eightieth 3'ear of his age, at his home in Stephenson, 
 in September, 1886. 
 
 The present wife of our subject, to whom he was 
 married Sept. 27, 1881, was in her girlhood Miss 
 Augusta Grossman. She was born in Germanj-, 
 Jan. 20, 1863, and when a child two years of age 
 was brought by her parents to America, they set- 
 tling in Woodford County, 111. Her parents are 
 of pure German aucestrj% and are now residents of 
 Lancaster County, Neb. Their family consisted of 
 eight children, who are now in Nebraska. 
 
 Mrs. Snyder speaks the English language per- 
 fectly, and is a very intelligent lady, well informed 
 and thoroughly identified with the interests of her 
 adopted country. Of her union with our subject 
 there have been born two children, a daughter and 
 a son, Laura B. and Frank E., who are six years and 
 four years of age respectively. Mr. Snyder cast 
 his first Presidential vote for U. S. Grant, and is the 
 uniform supporter of Republican principles. 
 
 ERMANN TETEN, of Rock Creek Precinct 
 is the owner of 240 acres of finely improved 
 land lying on section 19, and supplied with 
 good buildings. He came to Nebraska in 
 the spring of 1859, during its Territorial days, ac- 
 companied bj' others of his countrymen, and first 
 pre-empted eighty acres. After making a few im- 
 provements he returned east as far as Illinois, where 
 he staid two years, then recrossed the Mississippi, 
 and here has since been contented to remain. He 
 possesses all the best characteristics of his nation- 
 ality, being industrious and persevering, and a man 
 who attends strictly to his own concerns. 
 
 A native of the then Kingdom of Hanover, our 
 subject was born Maj^ 28, 1834, and is the youngest 
 but one of a family of ten children. His parents, 
 Henry and Heska (Tiland) Teten, were natives of 
 the same Province, where they lived until well ad- 
 vanced in life, and until the death of the mother, 
 which took place when she was sixty years of age. 
 After the death of his wife the father of our sub- 
 ject joined his children in the United States, and 
 died at the home of one of his sons in Rock Creek 
 Precinct, this count}', in the fall of 1871, when 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 576 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 about sever.ty-four or seventy-five years old. Both 
 parents were devoted Christian people, and mem- 
 bers in good standing of llie German Lutlioran 
 Church. 
 
 Our subject received a thorough education in his 
 native tongue, and was a youth of nineteen years 
 when he crossed the Atlantic. He attained his ma- 
 jority in Madison County, 111., and was tliere mar- 
 ried in the fall of 1«61, to Miss Anna Frerichs, a 
 native of the same Province as her husband in Ger- 
 many, and born Sept. 20, 1844. Mrs. Teten was a 
 most excellent Christian lady, greatly beloved by 
 her family and friends, from whom she was taken 
 by death in June of 1885, when but forty-four 
 years of age. She had been tlie truest and wisest 
 helpmate of her husband, encouraging him in all 
 his worthy efforts, and standing by his side during 
 the labors and difficulties incident to the building 
 up of a home in a new country. They were pos- 
 sessed of but limited means when coming to Ne- 
 braska, and on account of this walked from Ne- 
 braska City to their present home, a distance of 
 twent}' miles. They were also obliged to carr^- 
 their little child, and a few of the goods which they 
 had found it necessary to bring with them. In 
 addition to the weariness of travel they had scarcely 
 anything to eat during the whole journey, and but 
 a little milk and impure water to drink. They 
 made this memorable journey in one day, and when 
 arriving at their destination took shelter in a small 
 shanty. 
 
 At this time the people around were as poor 
 as Mr. Teten himself, and could render them but 
 little assistance. They experienced very many hard- 
 ships during the first year, and the second winter 
 was unusually cold. On account of exposure Mr. 
 Teten was taken ill, and suffered from the effects 
 many years afterward. The first summer he worked 
 all through the harvest time for fifty cents per 
 day, and with the money thus earned purchased 
 a cow, which was the first stock he ever owned. 
 Time, however, which always brings changes in 
 the journey of life, began to deal more gently 
 with our subject, and after a series of years spent 
 in reducing his land to a state of cultivation and 
 putting up buildings as necessity called for, he 
 found himself surrounded b}' many comforts, not- 
 
 withstanding he and his family have always suffered 
 greatly from sickness. In 1882 he had a stroke of 
 paralysis, and was for several months disabled both 
 physically and mentally. From this, however, he 
 has now recovered. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Teten there were born ten eliil- 
 dren, one of whom. John H., died when a little lad 
 nearly two years old. '1 he survivors are Abraham 
 George, who married Miss Anna Ekhoff, and lives 
 on a farm in Rock Creek Precinct; John H., Jacob 
 M., Mary R., Herman J., Maggie M., Frederick and 
 Anna, at home, and Herman, deceased. They are 
 all connected with the Lutheran Church, and Mr. 
 Teten, politically, votes the straight Republican 
 ticket. He has held some of the minor offices 
 of his precinct, and is considered one of its most 
 worthy and reliable citizens. 
 
 Mr. Teten has a comfortable and substantial 
 dwelling, good barns and outhouses, fruit and shade 
 trees, a stream of running water through his land, 
 and his home is withal very pleasant and desirable. 
 A view of the place is shown on another page. 
 
 ^ #3.^ 
 
 ^ AMES N. ANDERSON, well known through- 
 out Wyoming Precinct and vicinitj', occu- 
 pies a quarter of section 23, where he has a 
 well-developed farm with comfortable build- 
 ings. He settled here a pioneer, coming in the 
 spring of 1856, and here has since lived. He makes 
 a specialty of stock-raising, and in his general farm- 
 ing operations is meeting with fair success. Our 
 subject first came to Nebraska with his father, D. 
 M. Anderson, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere 
 in this volume. They made the journej' from 
 Orange County, N. Y., where were spent the boy- 
 hood and youth of our subject, and where he was 
 born Aug. 26, 1839. His father is a farmer by 
 occupation, and the parental homestead in the Em- 
 pire State was located in Mamakating Township, 
 Sullivan County. There James N. was reared and 
 educated, and lived with his father until their re- 
 moval to Nebraska in 1856. His mother, Mrs. 
 Mary Anderson, had died when he was a little lad 
 three years of age; he was an only child. 
 
 Our subject was united in marriage with Miss 
 
 •► I I 4» 
 
 iss y 
 
G^^/t?..^^^ 
 
 cc^^a/w 
 
>► i r^ 
 
 otop: county. 
 
 -•» 
 
 579 
 
 f 
 
 Nancv L. Hale, who was born in AncJrew County, 
 Mo.. Oct. 19, 1849, and is tiie daughter of William 
 and .lane (Neiley) Hale. Her parents were natives 
 of Kentucky, and the father a farmer by occupa- 
 tion. They moved to Missouri in its pioneer days, 
 making the journey from Kentucky overland with 
 teams. The father was successful in his labors of 
 transforming a tract of wild land into a modern 
 farm, and the parents, both living, still make their 
 home in Missouri. Their famil}' consisted of ten 
 children, two sons and eight daughters, of whom 
 Mrs. Anderson was the youngest born. Only three 
 of the daughters of that large family are now 
 living. 
 
 Mrs. Anderson was educated in her native county, 
 and came with friends to Nebraska when a maiden 
 of sixteen years. She has since that time been a 
 resident of this county. Of her union with our 
 subject there have been born nine children, two of 
 whom, William N. and an infant unnamed, are 
 deceased. The survivors, Mary A.. Isabelle, Maria, 
 George M., Katie M., Nellie C. and Hugh, are all 
 at home with their parents, and comprise a remark- 
 ably intelligent and interesting group. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Anderson began their wedded life 
 on the land which they still occupj', and which our 
 subject has improved from a wild and uncultivated 
 tract into a highlj' productive farm. They endured 
 in common with the jjeople about them the trials 
 and hardships incident to pioneer life, and live to 
 rejoice in the prosperitj' of one of the most impor- 
 tant commonwealths in the Union. Mr. Anderson 
 has been a lifelong Democrat, and has held the 
 minor offices of his precinct, while giving his aid 
 and encouragement to the enterprises calculated to 
 benefit the people around him. He is fully worthy 
 of representation in a work of this kind. 
 
 j^^ RS. MARGARETHA ROTTMANN. In Ne- 
 braska City few names are better known in 
 business and religious circles or more es- 
 teemed than the name Rottmann, which 
 most excellent reputation has been built up and 
 the respect challenged and won by the late husband 
 of the lady whose name is placed at the head of this 
 
 •►Htr^*- 
 
 sketch. Mr. Rottman, whose portrait graces the 
 opposite page, was born in Westphalia, Germanj-, 
 on the 13th of June, 1834. At the age of twenty- 
 one, full of manly ambition, enterprise andenerg}', 
 balanced and directed by no mean intellectual 
 power, he determined to try his fortunes in the New 
 World, and accordingly came to this county. Until 
 that time his life had been spent almost entirely in 
 the rural district in which stood the old home. 
 
 Entirely unendowed or favored by fortune, Mr. 
 Rottmann found that quite a struggle lay before 
 him. He made his way to St. Louis, but after a 
 few months went to Nebraska City, working his 
 way to that place on a boat, serving as cook. Al- 
 most immediately he found emploj'ment on a farm, 
 and continued for several months. Then he en- 
 gaged as clerk with Mr. Kalkiman, who was engaged 
 in business as a general merchant, and speedil}', by 
 his unwearied application and earnest efifort, forged 
 his way to the front as a most efficient help. 
 
 During the four years he remained with Mr. 
 Kalkiman Mr. Rottmann made the acquaintance of 
 the lady who subsequently became his wife, and 
 who now mourns the loss and bereavement of an 
 ever faithful companion and affectionate husband. 
 This lady, Miss Margaretha Arends, was born in 
 Hanover, Germany, Oct. 2, 1844, and is the daugh- 
 ter of Richard and Mary (Teten) Arends, both of 
 whom were natives of the Fatherland. With them 
 she came to America when a little girl. Their home 
 was made in the State of Hlinois, and they lived 
 there for five years. Then, migrating westward, 
 they came to Nebraska, and a settlement was effected 
 in this county. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Arends, in making anew their 
 home, settled upon a farm, which the father of our 
 subject conducted in the line of general agriculture, 
 continuing the same until his death in the year 
 1874. His widow is still living, and makes her 
 home with her son Herman in Rock Creek Precinct, 
 She is the mother of six children; of these four 
 were girls, and Mrs. Rottmann was the third child. 
 Our subject was eight years of age when with her 
 parents she came to Illinois. Her education was 
 received principally in Germany. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Rottmann commenced housekeeping in Nebraska 
 City, at the corner of Laramie and Twelfth streets, 
 
 i» 
 
 r 
 
t. 
 
 580 
 
 t 
 
 »► II < • 
 
 •► 
 
 1 ' 
 
 t 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 and he engaged in business in the city, beginning 
 almost at the lowest round of the ladder. Nothing 
 daunted him, nothing rebuffed him; his business 
 life from the first was marked with an inflexibility 
 of purpose and unremitting, diligent perseverance. 
 It is within the bounds of trutli to say that there is 
 probabl}' no other man who has done so much for 
 Nebraska City as he. lie was by no means a selish 
 man, and always consulted the interests of those 
 with whom he was associated equally with his own. 
 He built all the business houses on the north side 
 of Central avenue, from the Grand Pacific Hotel to 
 Northrup's hardware establishment, and was subse- 
 quentlj- President of the Nebraska City Canning 
 Company. It is somewhat remarkable, but never- 
 theless a fact, that in tlie days when the future of 
 Nebraska City looked most dark, and when those 
 chiefly interested were well-nigh in despair on 
 that account, he entertained the brightest hopes, 
 and emphatically prophesied a turn in fortune's 
 wheel, .and that in the near future. Events have 
 proved him correct in his judgment and fully jus- 
 tified therein. Religiously, he was associated with 
 the German Lutheran C'hurch, and was for many 
 years a member of its diaconate. Politically, he 
 was a Republican, but by all, however they might 
 differ from him in these matters, wherever he was 
 known it was but to be respected and esteemed as a 
 man and citizen. 
 
 The family of Mr. and Mrs. Rottmann included 
 six children, but one of whom only is now living, 
 viz: Frederick William, who was born in Nebraska 
 City, Dec. 3, 1872, and is now attending school, 
 and lives with his mother. Lela died in 1887, 
 when sixteen months old. The other children died 
 when infants unnamed. 
 
 Mrs. Rottmann and her son are members of the 
 Lutheran Church, and are accounted among the 
 most consistent and devout in the communitj-. 
 They hold positions among the first circles of 
 Nebraska society, and are everywhere received with 
 true respect and esteem, although both from nat- 
 ural proclivity and by reason of her bereavement 
 Mrs. R. lives a very quiet and retired life. Her 
 Iiusband departed this life on the 3d of February 
 of tlie past year (1888), after a brief illness of 
 brain fever. In his death not simply his family 
 
 <^ 
 
 but the community recognized that they had lost a 
 true friend, and cherished the desire to emulate the 
 virtues continually exemplified in his daily life. 
 
 J'OHN C. WALKER. The reader in this 
 sketch is introduced to one of the old settlers 
 of South Branch Precinct, a practical and 
 prosperous farmer and stock-raiser, whoSe 
 home is on section 19. This home is also worthy of 
 special note because it is of recent erection so far 
 as the building is concerned, and at the same time 
 one of the best in structure, decoration and finish. It 
 is furthermore the abode of true domesticity, com- 
 fort and hospitality. 
 
 Mr. Walker is the son of -lames and Almira (Car- 
 penter) Walker. The family is of .Southern extrac- 
 tion, the father having been born in Greenbrier 
 County, Kj\, in 1796, the mother in Smith County, 
 Tenn., in 1808. They were married, however. In 
 Chambersburg, 111., where the husband and father 
 followed blacksmithing. and bj' industry and skilled 
 workmanship had an extensive trade and was pros- 
 perous. While in Kentucky he had served as Cap- 
 tain of the militia of that State, a position he held 
 until his removal. He at one time was also Sheriff 
 of Pike County, III., and was one who helped in the 
 decision to locate the capital of that county. 
 Politically, he was a Whig. He departed this life 
 Sept. 4, 1859, in Scotland County, Mo. His wife 
 died in 1871, in Hancock County, III. They were 
 the parents of four children — Martha A., Ellen F., 
 our subject, and Harriet S. (deceased). The founder 
 of this familj' in America was the great-grandfather 
 of our subject, who came from Scotland and settled 
 in Jamestown, Va., one of the early colonists. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 26th 
 of Februarj', 1 843, in Pike County, 111. The years 
 of his boyhood and youth passed swiftly, and were 
 filled with the duties assigned him upon the farm 
 and attendance at the graded school. When seven 
 years of age he moved with his father to Missouri, 
 where the latter died, shortly after which his mother 
 with her children removed back to Chambersburg, 
 111., and our subject began to work for himself. He 
 obtained work at milling. In Keokuk, Iowa, he also 
 
 He I 
 
 ilso X 
 
■► ir^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 581 
 
 served at tlie undertaker's trade. In 1865 he came 
 to this State, and for two summers was engaged 
 in freighting on the plains. At the end of that pe- 
 riod, in the year 1867, lie entered a homestead claim 
 to his present property, upon which he has bestowed 
 miifli labor and wrought many valuable improve- 
 ments. 
 
 At Palmj'ra, on the 30th of vSeptember, 1 866, there 
 occurred a very noteworthy event in the history of 
 that place and of our subject, for then was cele- 
 brated his union with Miss Sarah E. Ellis, the es- 
 timable daughter of Franklin and Mary (Brown) 
 Ellis. This was the first wedding in Palmyra Pre- 
 cinct. The ceremony was performed by John 
 Roberts, Justice of the Peace. The parents of Mrs. 
 Walker were born in Virginia and Missouri respect- 
 ively, and were married in the latter State. Her 
 mother died in 1868, aged forty years; her father 
 is successfully operating a ranch in Oregon. He is 
 the father of ten children, Mrs. Walker being the 
 eldest. Their names are recorded as follows : Sarah, 
 James B., George W., Emily E., Minerva, Owen, 
 Frank F., Marj', Carrie E. and Archie L. 
 
 The wife of our subject was born in Davis 
 County, Mo., on the •22d of September, 1850. 
 When she was three years of age her parents re- 
 moved to California, and settled at Petaluma, So- 
 noma County, where the father kept a dairy and was 
 ver3' prosperous. After about six years he returned 
 to Scotland County, Mo., removing thence to this 
 State in 1 862, and settled on the Big Blue River, 
 near Milford. Subsequently they went to Colorado 
 and made their home near Denver; after the3' had 
 been there about twelve months Indian hostilities 
 commenced, when they returned to Palmyra. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Walker had met in Missouri, and the friend- 
 ship was renewed at Palmyra with the above-men- 
 tioned result. There have been born to them two 
 children: John T., who was born on the 4th of 
 December, 1869, and Oda V., on the ISth of 
 November, 1879. Both are now attending the 
 Peru Normal School, and doing good work. 
 
 Mr. Walker deals largely in farming lands, and is 
 also a member of the School Board. He is a mem- 
 ber of the Grange, and in that fraternity held 
 the offices of Master and County Deputy. He was 
 nominated to the position of Representative to the 
 
 Legislature on the Republican ticket, and received 
 ninety-one of ninety-eight votes cast in the year 
 1884, but resigned. His popularity, sustained char- 
 acter and manly parts are testified to and respected 
 in the community, as shown by the above demon- 
 stration in his favQr. Although not a third party 
 man he is a strong Prohibitionist. Mrs. Walker is 
 a very active member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church at Rockford, and is one of its charter mem- 
 bers. She was largely interested in its organization, 
 and has been one of the inspiring spirits of its on- 
 ward progress and present existence. She is a very 
 competent lady, one eminently respected and es- 
 teemed. Although not a member with her in that 
 society our subject is very liberal, and bore his full 
 share in defraying the cost of the erecting and fur- 
 nishing of the Methodist Church. 
 
 'ft; AMES H. GREGG, deceased. Among the 
 1 I esteemed citizens of Wyoming Precinct, who 
 I played well their part while upon the stage 
 ^&)j of life, was the subject of this sketch, who has 
 left a record behind him of character and ability 
 that is every way worthy. His birth took place on 
 the 20th of April, 1820, near Wheeling, W. Va. 
 His parents were both natives of the same State. 
 When nine years of age he was left fatherless, and 
 his j'outhful training and care were left to the mother, 
 who strove as well as she was able to fill the place 
 of both father and mother to her children. 
 
 The first seventeen years of his life our subject 
 spent in the old home, and then started for Iowa 
 with the thought of beginning life for himself_ 
 There he joined his brother, who had been located 
 about twelve miles from Burlington for many years. 
 There he continued to make his home until he came 
 of age, being engaged in farming, and making con- 
 siderable headway in a financial regard. 
 
 June 10, 1856, six miles west of Burlington, 
 Iowa, our subject was joined in marriage with Miss 
 Elizabeth Bloss, who was born in Preble County, 
 Ohio, on the 18th of November, 1830. Her father, 
 Conrad Bloss, was a native of Virginia, as was also 
 her mother, whose maiden name was Margaret Rine- 
 hart; both were of German extraction. Mr. and 
 
 nd A 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 1 
 
 582 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Mrs. BIoss, shortly after their marriage settled in 
 Preble County, Ohio, where were born to them 
 eleven children, viz., three sons and eight daugh- 
 ters, all of whom are yet living except the young- 
 est son. The father died in F'airfleld, Jefferson 
 Co., Ohio, in 1878, being seventy-six years old, 
 and the mother, who is now eighty-six years old, 
 still resides in that county. 
 
 Mrs. Gregg was educated in the schools of Ohio, 
 and removed to Iowa with her parents when a 
 young woman, and came to Nebraska some two 
 years later with her husband, with whom she came 
 with the firm resolve to make for themselves a 
 home in the inviting, promising, although still un- 
 developed West. There were born to them five 
 children, viz: Charles W., William Y., Edwin S., 
 Mary E. and Ida. Charles is the husband of Cather- 
 ine Sale; their home is in St. Joseph, Mo., where he 
 is in business as a grain dealer. William, whose home 
 is in the same city, is traveling salesman for a dry- 
 goods house there, and was niarried, in 1888, to 
 Miss Emma Ord ; Edwin is at home and manages 
 the farm ; Mary is the wife of E. A. McCartney, 
 one of the prosperous farmers of Wyoming Pre- 
 cinct; Ida is at home. 
 
 The subject of our sketch crossed the Missouri 
 River with his wife and children at Nebraska City 
 in the spring of 1858, and located at what is now 
 known as Greggsport, the northern part of Ne- 
 braska Citj', but then uncultivated prairie. The 
 tract of land taken bj' him at that time he com- 
 menced to cultivate, but later he largely built up 
 that section of the city, and he held the office for 
 some time of Mayor of Greggsport, but since that 
 time it has become incorporated with Nebraska 
 City, although still retaining its original name. He 
 started the first nursery in the district, and was very 
 successful in its operation for several years. Finally, 
 in October, 1868, he sold out his interest in Greggs- 
 port and the nursery, and removed to his pre-emp- 
 tion tract on section 10, being the same he had 
 taken up in 1856, two years before he brought his 
 family West. He began life on his new farm in 
 1868 without the slightest improvement thereon, 
 but it was not long before he had thoroughly trans- 
 formed it and made it one of the best farms in the 
 ^ ' uountj'. The original claim cabin gave place to an 
 
 •► 
 
 ^M-. 
 
 elegant farm dwelling, around which are clus- 
 tered substantial buildings, required for farm pur- 
 poses. The house is finely located, and commands 
 an extensive and pleasing view of the surrounding 
 country. He produced largely of grain, many va- 
 rieties of fruits and of fine graded stock, although 
 his specialty was fruit-growing. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Gregg were devout and consistent 
 members \)f the Methodist p]piscopal Church, and 
 our subject was one of its honored officials for sev- 
 eral years. His political sympathies were with the 
 Republican party. He w.as reputed a most honor- 
 able man and worthy citizen, and was everywhere 
 greatly' respected. His death occurred at his home 
 in Wyoming Precinct, on the 22d of October, 1888. 
 His widow, who through all her trials has exhibited 
 a most Christian spirit, has received the unfeigned 
 sj'mpathy and esteem of the community, which she 
 will always retain. 
 
 |F_^^ERBERT E. STEDMAN, one of the most 
 lITj! enterprising young men of Russell Precinct, 
 /^^^ during his younger years lived mostly upon 
 (^P the farm, and until lately has been operating 
 eighty acres of land on section 32. He has, how- 
 ever, disposed of this propertj', and in partnership 
 with his brother Charles R.. has invested a part of 
 his capital in a stock of groceries, locating at Una- 
 dilla, under the firm name of Stedraan Bros. There 
 is every reason to believe that from their known 
 good standing in the community they will from the 
 start command a good patronage. 
 
 Our subject was born in Whiteside County. III., 
 Aug. 23, 1860, and spent his boyhood and youth 
 sporting along the Rock River, and inattendance at 
 the district school. When a lad of fourteen years 
 his father left the Prairie State, and coming to this 
 county located, on the 4th of March, 1875, in Rus- 
 sell Precinct, of which our suDJect has since been a 
 resident. 
 
 Enos C. Stedman, the father of our subject, and 
 now deceased, was born in New York, and married 
 Miss Malvina Wall, who was born in Tioga County, 
 that State. A further history of the family will be 
 found in the sketch of C. R. Stedman elsewhere in 
 
 •.^^M^ 
 
/ 
 
 
I— 
 
 11-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 585 
 
 bis 
 
 4^ 
 
 this volume. The father departed this life July 31, 
 1885. Herbert E. continued to reside with his 
 mother one year, then removed to his little farm, 
 upon which he built a house, barn and stables, 
 planting hedge fence, and effecting various other 
 improvements, so that he was enabled to dispose of 
 it to good advantage. 
 
 Mr. Stedman was married, Nov. 26, 1885, to Miss 
 Lucy E. Wells, at the home of the bride in South 
 Branch. Mrs. Stedman is the daughter of Gilbert 
 and Mary (Kelley) Wells, further mention of whom 
 is made in the sketch of M. G. Wells, to be found 
 elsewhere in this volume. Her father is a promi- 
 nent resident in this couuty, and a man of good 
 standing. 
 
 Mrs. Stedman was born in Wisconsin, July 20, 
 1863, and received a good education, employing 
 herself as a teacher before her marriage. The 
 family occupy a very attractive home in Russell 
 Precinct, within which is displayed the cultivated 
 tastes of the presiding genius, Mrs. Stedman. They 
 have one little daughter, Etta, who was horn Oct. 
 15, 1886. Mr. Stedman votes independently, but 
 meddles verj' little with political affairs, preferring 
 to give his attention to his business and home 
 Interests. 
 
 |F_^ ENRY PENDLETON was among the ear- 
 ifjli best pioneers of Otoe County, and at the 
 li)^ same time is one of the most wealthy citi- 
 (^) zens, although his life has been checkered 
 with many difficulties and losses. He now owns 160 
 acres on section 32, 320 on section 4, and twenty 
 on section 36, Otoe Precinct; also 600 acres in 
 Hendricks Precinct. He is the son of Isaac and 
 Bridget (Stanton) Pendleton, and is a descendant 
 of the families of that name not unknown to read- 
 ers of the early history of the Eastern States. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject was one of the 
 heroes of the Revolution, and served throughout 
 the war as Captain. The father of our subject was 
 born near Pendleton Hill, Conn., was from his 
 youth a seafaring man, and for many years com- 
 manded an ocean sailing-vessel. He retired from 
 his profession when about forty-five years of age. 
 His religious convictions were those of the Quaker 
 
 eommunit}', and he was more often known by the 
 name of Friend or Uncle Isaac than any other. 
 The mother of our subject died aged forty-five 
 years, when Henry was but two years of age. The 
 father died in the year 1843, after a life of sixtj'- 
 three years. They were the parents of ten children, 
 viz: Amelia, deceased, was the wife of Henry Hull; 
 Lydia became the wife of Daniel Richmond ; Rhoda 
 was the wife of Ormand Richmond, and at his death 
 married Benjamin Hewitt; they are now residents 
 of M3stic Bridge, Conn. Nathan; Jane is the wife 
 of Albert Aj'er. and they are residents of New Lon- 
 don Count3-, Conn. ; Sarah is the wife of Charles 
 Breed, and they live in Chenango County, N. Y. ; 
 Stanton and Henry ; two infants, Isaac and Mary, 
 who died in infancy. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 27th 
 of May, 1830, in Oxford, Chenango Co., N. Y. He 
 was brought up on a farm, but was very weakh' as 
 a child, and even on through the earlier years of 
 his boyhood. He had no schooling after he was 
 fifteen, owing to an attack of St. Vitus' dance, which, 
 however, he outgrew as he came to years of man- 
 hood. He was brought up under the care of his 
 stepmother, who, after the father's death, married 
 Judge Reynolds, of Cortland, N. Y. Until 1852 
 he remained working by the month near the old 
 home, but at that time went to Pennsylvania, where 
 he taught school and worked upon a farm. In be- 
 ginning as a j'outh he received but $3.50 per 
 month; when he finished working by the month he 
 received $26. In 1855 he went to Chemung County, 
 N. Y., and also to Corning, that State. 
 
 Mr. Pendleton left Corning on the 21st of March, 
 1856, and started West, but under more embarrass- 
 ing circumstances than he had reckoned upon, for 
 he had saved some $/i,000, l)ut had loaned it to his 
 employer in Tioga County, Pa. This gentleman 
 becoming financially embarrassed, our subject lost 
 all his savings, so that he had nothing but a clear 
 head, good health, and ready hands to give him a 
 fresh start. He passed on through the beautiful 
 prairies of Illinois, and went by river from St. Louis 
 to Omaha. From Omaha he went to Elkhorn City, 
 a place much talked of as a verj' ElDorado, but 
 which was practically non-existent. On arrival he 
 found nothing but a single squatter cabin, and life 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 586 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 was of the roughest and hardest known to the pio- 
 neers. He and another person agreed to take ad- 
 joining claims, but the companion did not so much 
 as make a settlement. The utter loneliness was too 
 much for one of asocial nature like our subject, and 
 he therefore threw up his claim and returned to 
 Omaha, where he found those who had known him 
 preparing to organize a search party, believing him 
 to have met with more or less serious trouble. 
 
 Recovering from the effects of his previous ex- 
 pedition, Mr. Pendleton started for the home of the 
 "Otoes," who had been removed to the reservation 
 in the spring of 18oC. About the same time he 
 took up the claim which has become the home farm. 
 A squatter had plowed thirt^'-six acres the year 
 before, but when the land was surveyed it was dis- 
 covered that the line practically divided this thirty- 
 six in two equal parts, so that really only eighteen 
 acres of plowed land were on his claim, for which 
 he paid the sum of $225. He planted his fiistcrop 
 on the 27tb of May, 1856, and put in potatoes, 
 which yielded him ultimately a good return. His 
 first cabin had a roof over but one-third of it. and. 
 as he describes it, he had the "soft side of a cotton- 
 wood plank" for a bed, and his boots for a pillow. 
 His first crop of corn, although eaten off by cattle 
 when about a foot high, yielded about forty bushels 
 to the acre, and he realized enough to pay for his 
 claim. 
 
 During the summer our subject never went from 
 his claim, excepting when it was necessary to have 
 his plow sharpened, and having developed into a 
 stout-framed, vigorous, strong man, and being ac- 
 customed to handle wild cattle from his youth, he 
 got along with his breaking in splendid style, and 
 was the champion breaker both for style and speed 
 for many miles around. But this was not to last 
 always, for in 1859, while threshing, his right arm 
 was caught in the machine, with the result that he 
 lost that most necessary member. His brother 
 Stanton, accompanied hy his brother-in-law, Charles 
 Breed, hearing of this accident came to see him, and 
 he took the opportunity to return with them to the 
 old home. 
 
 While making this visit our subject formed the 
 acquaintance of Miss Helen M. Cary, who was born 
 near Richfield, Otsego Co., N. Y., Jan. 24, 1831, 
 
 ^ 
 
 to Ezra and Freelove (Peck) Cary. Their union 
 was celebrated on the 16th of January, 1860, and 
 shortly after he started back to Nebraska accom- 
 panied by his bride. Taking the railroad to St. 
 Joseph, he proceeded by stage, despite the cruel 
 cold, and the depth of the snow of that winter. In 
 crossing the Missouri River at Peru, it became evi- 
 dent that it would be dangerous to cross other than 
 on foot; this they accomplished in safety, but by no 
 means pleasantly, the water on the surface of the 
 ice being more than ankle deep. They then pro- 
 ceeded on their way, and arrived without further 
 accident or special incident at the little 12x14 
 bachelor shanty, which, however, did not from that 
 time appear so gruesome and lonely as before. 
 
 In the years following, until 1863, everything 
 seemed to go against them. Loss followed loss, 
 until he was well-nigh in despair, and but for the 
 companionship of Mrs. Pendleton, would doubtless 
 have succom bed to the depressing effects ; but in that 
 year, aided by his faithful and devoted wife, he put 
 in twenty-three acres of wheat, seven of oats, and 
 thirty-five of corn, at a cost of only $10.50 at har- 
 vest. The good prices of 1864 put him on his 
 feet, and this was the turning point in his life finan- 
 cially. He liegan buying and raising stock, while 
 his wife undertook her share by running the dairy 
 and cheese department. Mr. Pendleton thought it 
 nothing to ride long and hard in the buying of cat- 
 tle, sometimes taking 100 miles in a single day, 
 besides feeding sometimes as high as 500 head of 
 cattle per annum, generally though about 100 to 
 250 head; he also raised quite a large number, and 
 hogs in proportion. Thousands of dollars worth of 
 stock he has shipped to Chicago with gratifying re- 
 sults. 
 
 About the year 1875 the wheel of fortune turn- 
 ing brought him heavy losses, but not such as to 
 injure him, as it would have done in other years. 
 He was in the midst of putting up his splendid 
 brick house, at a cost of several thousand dollars, 
 when the grasshoppers came, and with them a loss 
 in material and labor of $1,200. Not having suffi- 
 cient feed for his cattle, he was compelled to sell at 
 a sacrifice, and ship the remainder to Iowa, where 
 he fed about 250 steers and 600 hogs. Then came 
 the lessened market value in stock, and at the same 
 
 t- 
 
•►-lh-4^ 
 
 ^t^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 587 
 
 ^tS 
 
 time the ravages of hog cholera, resulting in a loss 
 of another $2,000. However, he made a good 
 profit on the cattle fed in Iowa. 
 
 The home circle of Mr. and Mrs. Ptndlet<.n in- 
 cluded six children, whose names aie recorded as 
 follows: May; Freelove H., who died when two 
 and a half years old; Grace, Fannie; Minnie E., 
 who died when five and a half years old, and 
 Carrie, who died when eighteen months old. May is 
 now Mrs. J. T. McKinnon, of Franklin, Neb., and 
 is the mother of two little ones, viz: Anna Clare and 
 Alice Eowena; Grace is the wife of George Over- 
 ton, of this precinct, and they have one child, Mabel 
 A.; Fannie is still at home. 
 
 Mr. Pendleton was a delegate for the first Demo- 
 cratic Countj- Convention of this county, and was 
 introduced as a kind of black horse to harmonize 
 three factions of the party, although really not 
 Democratic. His subsequent action was such that 
 it was his to be called by the ajjpellation Black Re- 
 publican, and to be the first to receive the same in 
 any publication in the county. He was at one time 
 a candidate for the Legislature, but was defeated bj' 
 two votes. He has stood foremost wherever there 
 has been any enterprise for the good of the county 
 or State, and ever been most loyal thereto. He is 
 a stanch Republican, .ind takes the deepest interest 
 in political affairs. His religious principles he sums 
 up in the following words: "Love the Lord thy 
 God with all thy might and thy strength, and thy 
 neighbor as thj'self." 
 
 Among the nu onerous portraits presented in this 
 Album may be found those of Mr. aud Mrs. Pen- 
 dleton, which are given on an accompanying page. 
 
 ^P HARLES E. COTTON. Among the young 
 (l\ ff ™^° ^^ Syracuse who have made their mark 
 ^^/ in the business world must be mentioned 
 the subject of the present sketch, who holds the 
 position of cashier in the First National Bank. Our 
 subject was born in Columbia County, Wis., to 
 Henry D. and Christina H. (Huyck) Cotton, on the 
 17th of February, 1858. His parents were natives 
 of the Mohawk Valley, N. Y. By occupation Mr. 
 Cotton, Sr., was a miller, and continued his resi- 
 
 dence in the East, where he was fairly successful in 
 business, until 1851 ; then he moved to Wisconsin, 
 and became the owner of mills in Wyocena and 
 Fall River. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject, Owen Cotton, 
 was a native of Vermont, but removed to New 
 York State, where he passed the last years of his 
 life, living for the greater part of the time in the 
 city of Utica. He was married several times and 
 reared a large family, and in the early days of settle- 
 ment in Wisconsin sent some of his sons to that 
 Territory. They erected mills near Milwaukee, and 
 put up the first gristmill in the State. The father 
 of our subject continued to follow his trade in Wis- 
 consin until 1868, then went to Mitchell County, 
 Iowa; in June of 1873 he removed to Vinton in 
 the same State, where he died in January, 187G. 
 His wife, the mother of our subject, still continues 
 to reside at that place. She is the mother of seven 
 children, our subject being the third born. 
 
 The subject of our sketch completed his educa- 
 tion at the High School, and a select school at 
 Vinton, and later turned his attention to teaching. 
 In 1878 he came to Nebraska City, and in August 
 of the same year became bookkeeper for Tomlin, 
 Duff & Co. He remained with that firm until it 
 was changed to that of Cotton, Duff & Co., his 
 uncle, W. A. Cotton, becoming the senior partner. 
 In August of 1882 he came to Syracuse, where the 
 firm had just established the Farmers' Bank, and 
 entered upon his duties as cashier. When, in 
 November, 1883, the institution was reorganized, 
 and became a National Bank, he still continued his 
 responsible position, which he holds to-day. He 
 has also become a stockholder in this, and also in 
 the bank at Unadilla. 
 
 Upon the 2d of February, 1881, our subject was 
 united in marriage with Miss Ella, daughter of 
 John and Lucy C. Ballantine. This most estimalile 
 lady was born in Brunswick, Mo., and received her 
 education at Lexington and Shelby ville, Ky. Of 
 this marriage there have been born three chiUb'en, 
 who bear the names Earle, Charles E. and Lucj'. 
 The home of the Cottons is situated in the north- 
 west part of the city, in one of the most pleasant 
 districts, and internallj' bears indications of the 
 education, refinement and esthetic tastes of the 
 
 »^i-M» 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 =4 
 
 588 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 family. Mr. Cotton is the owner of sixty-eight 
 acres of land in the vicinity, and tifty acres moreon 
 tiie same section. All the property he has accu- 
 mulated is the natural result of intelligently di- 
 rected efforts and laudable ambition, in which he 
 has always been uniformly encouraged by the lady 
 whom it was his good fortune to make the com- 
 panion of his life. 
 
 The bank with which our subject is connected is 
 on a firm basis, its deposits ranging from $60,000 
 to $80,000, and transacting a large business in the 
 citj' and surrounding countr3^ Mr. Cotton is Sec- 
 retary and Treasurer of the Otoe County Fair and 
 Driving Park Association, and is otherwise inter- 
 ested therein. In politics he is a Democrat, but is 
 not ambitious for prominence in pglitical circles. 
 He is loyal to ever}^ known duty as a citizen, and it 
 is hardly necessary to remark is, with his pleasant 
 and intelligent wife, held in very high regard. They 
 move in the best circles, and are always sure of re- 
 ceiving a cordial welcome. 
 
 ^-J^ 
 
 •^t 
 
 I ICHARD WEST. The farming community 
 of Rock Creek Precinct numbers among its 
 members no man who is held in higher re- 
 ) spect than the subject of this notice. He 
 owns and occupies eighty acres of the first pre- 
 emption claim which was made in this precinct, 
 having purchased it from its original possessor, 
 AVilliam Knott. He has resided here for a period 
 of twenty years, filthough only assuming the pro- 
 prietorship of his present land in the fall of 1885, 
 upon the death of Mr. Knott. 
 
 Our subject came to Nebraska in May, 1865, and 
 has since been a resident of this county. Three 
 years later he took up his abode upon the land 
 which he now occupies, and where he hiis since 
 lived. Prior to this, for a period of nine years, he 
 had been a resident of Pike County, 111., to which 
 place he had emigrated from Yorkshire, England, 
 where his birth took place on the 14th of May, 
 1845. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family' of seven sons and 
 five daughters, the offspring of Robert and Harriet 
 (Coleman) West, who were natives of Yorkshire, 
 
 England, where thej' were reared and married. The 
 father in early manhood learned the trade of a 
 tailor, which he followed in his native England 
 until after the birth of ten children. The family 
 then, in 1855, set out for America, landing at 
 Quebec, Canada, and shortly afterward proceeded 
 to a point about seven miles south of Pittsfield, 
 Pike Co., 111., where the father purchased a tract of 
 land and built up a homestead, upon which he and 
 his excellent wife lived the remainder of their days. 
 Robert West departed this life jn October, 1879, 
 aged about sixty years. The mother passed away 
 after the decease of her husband, in January, 1883. 
 Thej' were most excellent and worthy people, widely 
 and favorably known throughout their township, 
 and members in good standing of the Methodist 
 Church. Twelve of their children were reared to 
 mature years, and seven are still living. 
 
 Our subject continued a member of the parental 
 household until a youth of nineteen years, then, 
 anxious to commence for himself, made his way 
 across the Mississippi into this county. For two 
 years thereafter he operated as a freighter between 
 Nebraska City and Denver, Col. Many were the 
 trips which he took over the plains, encountering 
 all sorts of men, and becoming intimately acquainted 
 with the vicissitudes and dangers of life on the 
 frontier. 
 
 Mr. West made the acquaintance of Miss Eliza- 
 beth Knott in Rock Creek Precinct, this county, 
 and they were married at the home of the bride, on 
 the 29th of May, 1870. Mrs. West was born in 
 Worcestershire, p:ngland, Oct. 1, 1847, and is the 
 daughter of William and Ann (^Gardner) Knott, 
 natives of the same county as their daughter, 
 whence they emigrated to the United States after 
 the birth of a part of their family. About 1851 they 
 settled in the vicinity of Green Bay, Wis., and six 
 years later came to Nebraska, the father pre-empt- 
 ing a homestead on section 8, in Rock Creek Pre- 
 cinct. Here the jiarents lived and labored, enduring 
 in common with the people around them the toils 
 and vicissitudes of pioneer life, and here spent 
 their last da3's, the mother dying about 1881, when 
 a little past middle age, and the father in 1885, 
 when ripe in j-ears. 
 
 Mrs. West was the mainstay of her parents dur- 
 
 ■•►- 
 
•►Hf-^*- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 591 
 
 ing their later years until her marriage, caring for 
 them with filial affection. Her union with our sub- 
 ject resulted in the birtli ,of four sons and one 
 daughter, of whom Charles died when two years 
 old. The survivors, Annie. William, John and 
 Walter, are at home. Mr. West, politically, sup- 
 ports the principles of the Democratic party, and 
 his estimable wife is a member of the Baptist 
 Church, attending religious services at Delta. 
 
 THOMAS P. MORGAN, of Palmyra, Otoe 
 Co., Neb., was born in Usk, Monmouthshire, 
 Wales, Nov. 1, 1832. In 1H54 he became a 
 citizen of the United States, in 186s came to Ne- 
 braska. To the best of his knowledge he never did 
 anything worthy of remembrance except the ex- 
 traordin.ary folly of trying to run a newspaper, a 
 weekly known as the Palmyra Items, founded in 
 April, 1887, the only merit of which is that it is 
 Republican. 
 
 •► 
 
 •jl/ UZERNE WELLS has been a resident of 
 I (?§■ Otoe County since the days of 1857, when 
 /IL^ ^ he identified himself with its early pioneers. 
 While doing his share toward developing its agri- 
 cultural resources and promoting its material wel- 
 fare, he has accumulated a comfortable property, and 
 is now the owner of a valuable farm on the rich 
 bottom lands of the Missouri River in Otoe Pre- 
 cinct, and he has a herd of well-graded Short-horn 
 cattle that compare favorably with any others in 
 the country. Mr. Wells was born in Hartford 
 County, Conn., five miles from the State capital. 
 May 4. 1 823. His father. Rufus Wells, was born 
 in the same county, and it is also supposed th.at his 
 grandf.ather was a native of the same county, and 
 there he spent his last years. The father of our 
 subject was reared in his n.ative county to the life 
 of a farmer, and he has always lived there. The 
 maiden name of his wife was Thirza Wheeler, and 
 she was also a lifelong resident of Hartford County. 
 She was the mother of eleven children, ten sons and 
 one daughter, ten of whom grew to maturity. 
 -«• 
 
 The subject of our sketch w.as reared in the home 
 of his birth in that New England town, and re- 
 ceived his education in the district schools. He 
 was trained to habits of industry, and inherited a 
 fair share of the thrift and energy that character- 
 ized his ancestry. At the age of eighteen he com- 
 menced to work on the farm b}' the month, and was 
 thus employed for four years by one man. Then 
 becoming desirous to learn a trade, he engaged in a 
 shop where planes and saw handles were made, and 
 the succeeding eight years worked there. After 
 that he resumed the calling to which he had been 
 reared, that of a farmer, and bought a small farm in 
 Litchfield County. But he was not contented with 
 that, and thought that he would seek a home in the 
 West, where land was cheap and he could afford 
 more of it. Accordingly he started in 1857 for 
 Nebraska, then a Territory, coming by rail to Jef- 
 ferson Citv, Mo., then the western terminus of the 
 railway, and from there on the Missouri to Otoe 
 City, near Minersville. He started from there with 
 a horse and buggy to seek a suitable location. He 
 drove to Cass County with a Mr. Steele, and after 
 traversing the wild prairies for several days re- 
 turned, and bought a half-interest in a claim on 
 section 13, Otoe Precinct, and the following year 
 pre-em[)ted the land now included in his present 
 farm. He continued to live on section 13 until 
 1865, when he settled on this place. Besides the 
 125 acres of his land on the river bottom he has 
 160 acres on section 25, all improved and under 
 fine cultivation. He is very successfully engaged 
 in general farming, paying much attcTition to stock- 
 raising. Short-horn cattle being his favorite breed. 
 
 Mr. Wells was married, Aug. 15, 1848, to Miss 
 Sarah J. Strong. She is likewise of New England 
 birth and antecedents, New Hartford, Litchfield Co., 
 Conn., being the place of her birth, and her p.arents 
 were Edward W. and Sally (Shepard) Strong. For 
 history of the Strong family see sketch of G. F. Lee. 
 Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Wells, as follows: Mary Eugenia, wife of James 
 Kowan; Wallace and Edward \\. 
 
 Jlrs. Wells is a resi)ected member of the Congre- 
 gational Church, and she is zealous and helpful in 
 all good works. Mr. Wells is a capable, practical 
 farmer, possessing a good fund of sound common 
 
 ^1 
 
•►Hf^^ 
 
 ■♦ 
 
 4^ 
 
 592 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 sense, and man}' other qualifications that go to make 
 a man a good and useful citizen. In his political 
 views he is strongly Republican, and heartily sup- 
 ports the policy of his party at the polls. 
 
 The portrait of this pioneer is presented on an 
 accompanying page. 
 
 ^I' OHN C. RODDY. One of the most beauti- 
 I ful homesteads on the Missouri River is the 
 property of the subject of this sketch, and is 
 familiarl}' known to the residents of this 
 section as '-Walnut Hill Farm." It is situated in 
 what is now Nebraska City Precinct, and comprises 
 463 acres of finely cultivated land, with handsome 
 modern buildings, and well stocked with good grades 
 of cattle, horses and swine. The estate of our sub- 
 ject includes in all TbO acres, as he owns over .320 
 acres elsewhere. The dwelling is finely situated, 
 commanding a view of the river and surrounding 
 country for several miles along its banks. 
 
 Mr. Roddy has been a resident of this county 
 since June, 1862, at which time he secured 133 
 acres of land included in his present homestead. He 
 was then unmarried and poor in purse, and by his 
 own unaided efforts has built up one of the finest 
 estates in the county. Prior to taking up his resi- 
 dence in Nebraska he lived in Dane County, Wis., 
 having settled in the vicinity of Blue Mound in 
 1856. He had removed to the Badger State from 
 London, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, where 
 he landed in 1851, after having made the voyage 
 across the Atlantic from his native county of Wcst- 
 meath, Ireland, where he was born in February, 
 1831, and where he lived until a young man of 
 twenty years. 
 
 Our subject was the eldest of eight children, four 
 sons and four daughters, the offspring of Michael 
 and Ann (Cormac) Roddy, who were natives of 
 the same county as their son. In the days of his 
 ancestors, on account of religious persecution, the 
 latter were forced to flee fr.mi their native soil and 
 their property was confiscated. They, however, 
 never lost their high character, nor the influence of 
 their early training, and were recognized for gener- 
 
 ations as among the better classes of the Irish 
 gentry. The father of our subject was a farmer 
 by occupation, and the mother died two j'ears after 
 her son John C. came to America, when a little past 
 middle life. Michael Roddy was a second lime 
 married, to Miss Ellen Coffee, a lady of Irish birth 
 and parentage. To them were born five children, 
 two sons and three daughters, and they came to the 
 United States in May, 1864, making their way 
 westward to Nebraska and settling in this county. 
 The father secured 160 acres of land in Wyoming 
 Precinct, from which he improved a good farm, and 
 where he spent his last days in ease and comfort, 
 passing away at the ripe age of seventy-four years, 
 on the 3d of April, 1878. Mrs. Ellen Roddy is 
 still living, having a snug homestead of fortj- 
 acres in W3'oming Precinct, with her j^oungest 
 daughter, Helen A., an interesting young lacly of 
 eighteen years. Mrs. Roddy is now fifty-three 
 years old. 
 
 Our subject, four j'ears after coming to Nebraska 
 Territor}'. was married, Aug. 15, 18C6, in Ne- 
 braska Citj', to Miss Rose O'Donnell, who was born 
 in County Leitrim. Ireland, in the year 1840, and 
 lived there with her parents until reaching woman- 
 hood. Then, accompanied by an elder brother, she 
 emigrated to the United States, and from New 
 York proceeded directly westward to Nebraska City 
 in the year 18G6, where she lived until her mar- 
 riage. Her parents died in Ireland, her father, Abel 
 O'Donnell, April 5, 1878, and the mother, Ann 
 (Bohan) O'Donnell, in 1860. The O'Donnells were 
 among the nobility in the early days in Ireland, as 
 is well known bj' students of Irish history. Their 
 family consisted of six children, five of whom are 
 now living, three residents of Nebraska and two of 
 Ireland. Three of the nine children born to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Roddy died in infancy. The eldest 
 daughter, Anna, completed an excellent education 
 in the convent at Nebraska Citj-, together with her 
 sister Mary. James C. and the younger children, 
 John B., Rose and Michael A., are all at home with 
 their parents. 
 
 Our subject and his estimable wife were reared 
 in the doctrines of the Catholic Church, to which 
 they still loyally adhei-e, and in which they are 
 likewise training their children. Mr. Roddy, after 
 
 ■•► 
 
OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 593 
 
 becoming a naturalized citizen, identified himself 
 with the Republican party, and is one of its warmest 
 supporters. From 186'2 to 1865 he followed the 
 river, being on the steamer "West Wind." which, 
 in the fall of 1864, transported troops to Jefferson 
 City. He fought the I'ebels along the river and at 
 various places. Oct. 16, 1864, the boat was de- 
 stroyed by the troops of the rebel Generals, Shelby 
 and Clark. The prisoners, however, were not con- 
 fined, and later were abandoned by their captors, 
 who were attacked and dispersed b^' Union troops. 
 Among the portraits given in this volume may be 
 found that of Mr. Roddy. 
 
 --i-^ 
 
 1-1- 
 
 •»• 
 
 
 [|J_^OWELL F. ST. JOHN. The man who has 
 ff)ji been content to labor j'ear after year, perhaps 
 i^^^ at first with scarcely perceptible results, but 
 (^) still uiidiscouraged and at last successful, de- 
 serves more than a passing mention. These few 
 words give some idea of the career of the subject 
 of this biography, a farmer and skilled mechanic 
 combined, who has now arrived at the point where 
 he can rest upon his oars, and may be pardoned if 
 he looks around him with pride and satisfaction. 
 In looking thus he has before him one of the finest 
 homesteads in Otoe County, an area of land 240 
 acres in extent, and a set of handsome and substan- 
 tial farm buildings. The fat cattle and horses graz- 
 ing in the rich pastures add to the attractions of the 
 scene, while the grain fields yield abundantly the 
 richest products of Southern Nebraska. Adjacent 
 to the building is a fine orchard, with trees of the 
 smaller fruits, and, in fact, our subject and his 
 family are surrounded by all of the comforts and 
 many of the luxuries of life. 
 
 Mr. St. John took possession of the land n hich 
 he now occupies when it was in a wild and un- 
 broken condition, and its present state is due 
 entirely to his industry and jierseverance. He is an 
 Ohio man by birth, having first opened his eyes to 
 the light in Westfield Township, Medina County, 
 that State, Feb. 14, 1836. Myron aad Philena 
 (Alton) St. John, his worthy parents, were of old 
 New England stock, and traced their ancestors back 
 to the Pilgrims and the Colonial times. They re- i 
 
 <■ 
 
 moved with their parents from New England to 
 New York State, and were reared and married in 
 Onondaga County, N. Y. After marriage the 
 father secured a tract of land in that county, where 
 he lived with his excellent wife until after the birth 
 of a part of tlieir familj'. 
 
 The father of our subject not making the head- 
 way he desired decided to push still further west- 
 ward, and accordingly about 1830 moved from the 
 Empire State, and took up his abode among the 
 pioneers of Medina Countj% Ohio. The regiou 
 thereabouts was then an unbroken wilderness, and 
 the family established themselves in a little cabin 
 in the woods, while the father proceeded to fell 
 the timber around, and bring the soil to a state of 
 cultivation. He thus labored until advancing years 
 compelled him to be less industrious, and died at 
 the age of seventy -six years. He was a kind and 
 indulgent father, a good neighbor, and in religious 
 matters a member of the Baptist Church. During 
 his early manhood he was attached to the old Whig 
 party, but upon its abandonment identified himself 
 with the Republicans. 
 
 The mother of our subject survived her husband 
 a number of years, and passed away at the ripe old 
 age of eighty, in June of 1884, spending her last 
 days in Ohio with her family. She was in all re- 
 spects the suitable helpmate of her husband, and 
 with him was a lifelong member of the Baptist 
 Church. They were the parents of nine children, 
 five sons and four daughters, all of whom lived to 
 mature years and were married. All the daughters 
 and four of the sons are still living, being residents 
 mostly of Ohio and Nebraska. 
 
 Our subject was the sixth child of his parents, 
 with whom he remained until reaching manhood, 
 acquiring a common-school education, and becom- 
 ing familiar with farming as carried on in the pio- 
 neer times. At quite an early age he developed 
 unusual mechanical genius, and, although never 
 serving at a regular trade, could fashion almost 
 anything with a saw or a jack-knife. These quali- 
 ties developed to his advantage later, and after 
 coming to this county he became interested in 
 hydraulic jetting well machiner3'. 
 
 Mr. St. John in about 1862 changed his residence 
 from Medina to Sanduskv County, Ohio, of which 
 
 •*^Im* 
 
T 594 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 he was a resident fourteen j'ears, engaged mostly 
 in farming. He was married in liis native township 
 to Miss Jane Munji, who was born in Wayne 
 County, Ohio, Dec. 10, 1840, and is the daughter 
 of Bethuel and Arvilla (Jones) Munn, who are both 
 now deceased, and who spent their last j^ears in 
 Ohio. They were natives of New York and New 
 Jerse}^ and the father was a farmer by occupation 
 for a number of 3-ears, although having a good 
 knowledge of millwrighting, which he followed 
 considerably in connection with farming. 
 
 Mrs. St. John was reared and educated in her 
 native township, completing her studies at Saville 
 Academy. She has been a true helpmate to her 
 husband, contributing her full share in the accumu- 
 lation of the proi^erty. and exerting herself for the 
 comfort of those dependent upon her. Of the five 
 children born of this union, Arvilla, when thirteen 
 months old, was taken from the household circle in 
 18G3, and in February, 1888, a son, Mortimer, died 
 at the age of twenty-seven years. Both were very 
 promising, and their death was a sore affliction to 
 the devoted parents. The son fell a victim of rheu- 
 matism of the heart and pneumonia, from which he 
 suffered some time before his death, which took 
 place at the home of his parents. The eldest liv- 
 ing child, Clarence, chiefly assists his father on the 
 farm, and the 3-ounger son, Charles, gives his at- 
 tention to the machinery in which his father is 
 interested. Genie D. is attending college at Ne- 
 braska City. Mr. St. John, politically, is a sound 
 Republican, and a man whose opinions are gener- 
 ally respected. 
 
 'ji^GBP:RT L. ELLIS, wLv.^e ,.,.,p^rty and resi- 
 fe) dence is on section 1 of Syracuse Precinct, 
 !*} —^1 where he settled in May of 1885, is one of 
 the capable and much valued citizens of the dis- 
 trict. He was born in Cayuga County, N. Y^., on 
 the "iSth of February, 1834, and is the son of 
 Harvey and Sarah (Woodworth) Ellis, who were 
 natives of New Y'ork. 
 
 The educational advantages of our subject were 
 those of the coinuion school of his native place, 
 which were supplemented by the initiation into' the 
 
 practical duties of farming. He remained upon 
 the home farm until he attained his majority, and 
 then emigrated to Michigan, and located in Eaton 
 County, in the neighborhood of Charlotte. Tliere 
 he associated with his brother Edgar, and they 
 worked together as carpenters and joiners, con- 
 tracting for and putting up many of the best build- 
 ings of Charlotte, and others of minor mention. In 
 the same neighborhood also he purchased, cleared 
 and cultivated about seventy acres of land, put 
 upon it an excellent set of buildings and a farm- 
 house of considerable pretensions, admirably de- 
 signed and constructed, and for some time after 
 bringing it to this desirable condition he continued 
 to follow agricultural pursuits. 
 
 Mr. Ellis sold the above property in 1885 and 
 came to this State, taking up a farm of 12y acres, 
 which he has well improved, and provided with a 
 good house and buildings, giving much more care 
 than he had done upon his previous property. He 
 has since that time been very successful in the rais- 
 ing of cattle and hogs, and usually has about fifty 
 head of each U|ion the farm at one time. 
 
 Our subject was united in marriage with Mary S. 
 Conn., at Charlotte, Mich., Sept. 15, 18G9. This 
 lady is the daughter of Samuel and Orrisa villa 
 (Fowler) Conn. .She was born at North Cohocton, 
 Steuben Co., N. Y., upon the 2d of February, 
 1838. Her father, who was one of the prosperous 
 and enterprising merchants of that place, was born 
 on the 10th of September, 180U, at Bath, N. Y. In 
 1843 he migrated from the Empire State to Michi- 
 gan. The first Ave years in the West were spent at 
 Saline, then he engaged in mercantile pursuits at 
 Lockport, St. Joseph County, where, in February, 
 1851. he was bereaved by the death of his wife. 
 Subsequent!}' he returned to Saline, where he died 
 on the 23d of July, 1869. In politics he was an 
 old-line Whig, and later became a member of the 
 Republican party. He was one of the leading citi- 
 zens wherever he might make his home, and was 
 frequently called upon to fill local offices. 
 
 The paternal grandmother of Mrs. Ellis was the 
 daughter of Abijah Guile, who was born in West 
 Winfield, N. Y., on the 17th of March, 1772. He 
 built the first gristmill ever put up- in North Co- 
 hocton, and was one of the prominent and public 
 
 ••-11^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 595 a 
 
 •^ 
 i 
 
 spirited citizens of tliat place in its early days. He 
 was a lineal descendant of Jolin Guile, who came 
 from England in the j-ear 1736, and settled in 
 Dedham, Mass. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is a stanch adherent 
 and firm supporter of the Republican party. While 
 living in Michigan he was called uj^on to fill various 
 offices, which he always did in a most admirable 
 and tiiorough manner. Although a Arm believer in 
 the Christian religion, he is not attached to any de- 
 nominational system, but is somewhat inclined to 
 favor Congregationalism. He has been a resident 
 of this State for but a short time, yet he has made 
 many friends, and has secured the hearty respect of 
 the people; this is also true of Mrs. Ellis and their 
 two chiltlren, Henr3- C. and Cora M. It is not im- 
 probable that in future 3'ears our subject may have 
 an important place to fill in the historj' of the county 
 should he be spared, as there is apparently every 
 reason to hope he may be. 
 
 JOHN T. P:LLI0T. Among the practical 
 and prosperous general farmers of McWill- 
 iams Precinct the gentleman whose life story 
 is here presented must certainly be named. 
 His farm and home are on section 28, McWilliaras 
 Precinct, and his property is some eighty acres in ex- 
 tent, all of which is under the plow. He has onlj' 
 owned the farm for about four years. Before that 
 he had for twelve years resided in Rock Creek, and 
 came first to Nebraska in 1 870. He has an exten- 
 sive knowledge of the Western country, having spent 
 two years traveling here, there and elsewhere in the 
 Great West. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Connecti- 
 cut, near the city of Hartford, on the 6th of Janu- 
 ary, 1856. He was taken by his parents to Cass 
 County, 111., when about three years of age. There 
 he was brought up and educated, and continued to 
 make his iiome until he came to this State, where 
 as a young man he has made a good reputation, 
 both in regard to character and ability. 
 
 Robert Elliot, his father, was by trade a farmer 
 and miller, and learned both occupations before 
 leaving Scotland, his native country. He was born 
 
 and grew up in the vicinity of tiie city of Glasgow. 
 Thei'e he married Jane Miller,, a native of the Isle 
 McGee. Shortly after the birth of their son James 
 D., now a resident of Cass County, 111., they came 
 to this countr}' and took up their abode in Con- 
 necticut, where the father applied himself to his 
 trade, continuing until after the birth of their six 
 children, of whom our subject was the j'oungest. 
 Then, as mentioned above, a move was made to 
 Cass Countj\ where, in the year 1866, while yet in 
 the prime of life, the wife and mother was removed 
 b3' death. 
 
 Mr. Elliot, .Sr., was married a second time, the 
 lady of his choice being Miss Nancy Davidson, of 
 Cass County, III. Soon after the birth of their first 
 child, and in the year 1870. thej' removed to Ne- 
 braska, and here Mr. Elliot began farming, but 
 about five years later sold out and went to Kansas, 
 locating near Superior, in that State. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was educated in the 
 schools of Illinois and this State, and from his youth 
 has been more or less in daily contact with various 
 farm employments. He was married in Tecum- 
 seh, Sept. 5, 1888, to Miss Jennie McClung, who 
 was born in Fremont Count}', Iowa, in the j'ear 
 1867. She is the daughter of Edward and Nellie 
 (Young) McClung, who are now living at Talmage. 
 Mrs. Elliot is a lady of education and careful home 
 training, an ardent member of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, where she is much esteemed. Our 
 subject, who is yet a young man, has not taken a 
 prominent part in political matters, but will doubt- 
 less figure in future 3'ears. He is a member of the 
 Democratic party, and takes considerable interest in 
 questions of political import. 
 
 m 
 
 %j 
 
 HRISTIAN HUSTED, bookkeeper for J. H. 
 Arends, in the city of Syracuse, and well 
 _ known among the business men of his com- 
 munity, was born near the city of Yeile, Denmark, 
 on the 19th of July, 1844. His parents were Eric 
 C. and Anna (Christensen) Husted, whose family 
 consisted of two children only, our subject and his 
 brother Hans, who still resides in his native countrj'. 
 Young Husted was educated in the schools of 
 
 ^K 
 
t 
 
 •►-11^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 596 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Copenhagen, nnd liverl near tlie place of his l)iith 
 until a man twenty-eight years of age, being 
 mostly engaged in teaching. In the spring of 1872 
 he emigrated to the United States, and after land- 
 ing upon American soil, proceeded directly west- 
 ward to Polk County, Wis., where he engaged in 
 farming. In the fall of 1873 he left the Badger 
 State, and, changing his occupation somewhat, en- 
 gaged in newspaper work, and was for a period of 
 ten years thereafter editor of the Danish Pioneer, 
 the largest Scandinavian journal in the United 
 States. In 1883, coming to Syracuse, he assumed 
 the duties of his present position, and has now be- 
 come one of the indispensable features of the house. 
 Mr. Husted while a resident of Omaha was united 
 in marriage with Miss Louise Jessen, the wedding 
 taking place in the spring of 1877. Mrs. Husted 
 is a native of the same country as her husband, and 
 came to the United States with her parents. Dr. H. 
 C. and Kirstine Jessen, when about sixteen years 
 old. Her father is a well-educated man. a phy- 
 sician by profession, and is now practicing in Sac- 
 ramento, Cal. To Mr. and Mrs. Husted there 
 have been born three children — Anna, Harriet and 
 Ella, who are all at home with their parents. Mr. 
 Husted in religion is a Lutheran, and politically, 
 votes the Democratic ticket. 
 
 ^^^^=m. 
 
 PRANK J. CONKEL. There probably is in 
 Rock Creek Precinct no farm under bet- 
 ter cultivation than the land belonging 
 to the subject of this sketch, and which is pleasantly 
 located on section 25, embracing its southeastern 
 quarter. The buildings are neat and substantial, 
 there are shade and fruit trees, the land is well 
 watered, and produces in abundance the rich crops 
 of Southern Nebraska. The present proprietor 
 came to Nebraska Territory in the fall of 1866, 
 purchased his present land two years later, and in 
 the same year put up his present dwelling. The 
 premises wear that air of thrift and prosperity which 
 it is delightful to contemplate. 
 
 Our subject is an Ohio man by birth, having first 
 opened his eyes to the light in Crawford County, 
 that State, Dec. 9, 1843. His parents, George and 
 
 Beulah A. (Vale) Conkel, were also natives of the 
 Buckeye State, and the father all his life followed 
 the peaceful pursuits of agriculture. The house- 
 hold circle included four sons and four daughters, 
 of whom our subject was the eldest son and third 
 child. Of his brothers and sisters five are living, 
 mostlj' engaged in farming pursuits, and residents of 
 Nebraska and Iowa. Our subject before reaching his 
 majority removed with his parents from the Buck- 
 eye State to Logan County. 111., about 1856, wliere 
 he attained his majority. They finally left Illiin>is, 
 and pushed farther westward to "Fremont County, 
 Iowa, where the father carried on farming success- 
 fully until his death, which occurred in the winter 
 of 1 879, when he was sixty-eight years old. He was a 
 well-read man, of decided views, and a Democrat in 
 polities. The mother is still living, and makes her 
 home with her younger son, William, in Fremont 
 County, Iowa. 
 
 Upon reaching his majority our subject started 
 out on his own account, and soon thereafter oc- 
 curred one of the most interesting and important 
 events in his life, namely, his marriage, Aug. 11, 
 1806. His chosen bride. Miss Elizabeth Duncan, 
 was born in Gibson, Ind., in 1841, and is the daugh- 
 ter of Lloj'd and Rosina (Lucas) Duncan, the for- 
 mer of whom died in Logan County, 111., in 1862. 
 He was a well-to-do farmer during his later )'ears, 
 although spending his early life in mercantile pur- 
 suits. The mother after the death of her husband 
 joined her daughter, Mrs. Conkel, In this county, 
 and subsequently took up her abode with her son 
 Thomas in Delaware Precinct, where her death took 
 place about 1884. Both Mr. and Mrs. Duncan 
 were members in good standing of the Baptist 
 Church. 
 
 Mrs. Conkel was reared and educated chiefly in 
 Southern Illinois, but before her marriage removed 
 with her parents to Logan County. She is a lady 
 of many estimable qualities, and has been the true 
 helpmate of her husband in all his worthy efforts. 
 Their union has been blessed by the birth of seven 
 children, who yet form an unbroken family circle, 
 all at home with their parents. They were named 
 respectively : Rosa, Grayson, Edgar, Willard, Addie, 
 Frederick and Ettie. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Conkel after their marriage took pos- 
 
 •► II ^" 
 
 ^* 
 
•^f^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 597 \ ' 
 
 ^ 
 
 session of a raoilest dwelling in this township, and in 
 all the relations of life have signalized themselves as 
 useful and worthy members of the community. 
 Mr. Conkel's interest in the temperance movement 
 led him, in 1886, to ally himself with the Prohibi- 
 tionists. He came to this county with limited 
 capital, which he was fortunate in investing very 
 judiciously, and has left no stone unturned to sur- 
 round himself and his family with all the comforts 
 of life, and build up a homestead which should 
 compare favorably with that of the enterprising 
 men around him. 
 
 '^AMES LEWIS, who is one of the successful 
 and enterprising agriculturists and stock- 
 feeders of Palmyra Precinct, and operates 
 1 20 acres on section 26, was born in Wilt- 
 shire. England, near the town of Swindon, upon 
 the Great Western Railway, on the 21st of July, 
 1848. He is the son of John and Sarah Lewis, and 
 is the youngest of four children born to them, to 
 whom were given the names subjoined, viz: John, 
 Elizabeth. Joseph and James. His mother died 
 when he was but a small child, and he has no rec- 
 ollection of her. He received his education in the 
 parish schools, attending them until he was thirteen 
 years of age, when he began to serve an apprentice- 
 ship as a carpenter and joiner. 
 
 When nineteen our subject made up his mind to 
 come to the Western World, but being apprenticed 
 until he was twenty-one years of age he had to pay 
 his time from nineteen to twenty-one in order to be 
 released from the articles of indenture. This ar- 
 ranged, he sailed from Liverpool on the 1st of 
 April, 1 868, on board the good ship " France," whose 
 powerful engines carried him swiftly over the At- 
 1,'intic rollers, landing him at New York on the 
 11th of the same month. He came straight through 
 to this State to his uncle, Joseph Green. At first 
 he engaged to work at his trade in Nebraska City. 
 In the fall of 1868 he went to Lincoln and began 
 work on the State House, and afterward on the In- 
 sane Asylum, and the residences of Gov. Butler and 
 Secretary Kennedy. He remained working for two 
 seasons in and around Lincoln. The summer of 
 
 1871 he wont to Syracuse, where he remained until 
 after the Chicago fire. That, however, offered an 
 unusual chance for employment, and he repaired to 
 th.at city, remaining there about two years. He then 
 returned to Syracuse, and was there through the 
 winter of 1873-74. He then bsgan contracting 
 building upon his own account, and siw no little 
 prosperity. 
 
 At Palmyra, on the 9th of August, 187.i, Mr. Lewis 
 was united in marri.age with Mary E. McAleer, 
 the daughter of James and Catherine McAleer, who 
 were both born in Ireland. Mr. McAleer was by 
 trade a marble cutter, and was living in Rhode 
 Island, where his marriage was celebrated, and had 
 continued so to do for many years. His daughter 
 Mary was the eldest of seven children, whose 
 names are here recorded, viz. : Mary, James, Miles, 
 John, Thomas F., Frances and Bernard. Mrs. 
 Lewis was born on the 17th of June, 1854, and was 
 eleven years of age when, with her parents, she 
 came to Princeton, 111., and was nineteen at the 
 time the removal was made to this State. Her 
 father settled on a farm in Russell Precinct in the 
 fall of 1873. He died Sept. 16, 1888, at the ad- 
 vanced age of seventy-eight years. Her mother, 
 who is sixty-three years old, still lives upon the 
 farm. 
 
 For some j-ears after his marriage our subject 
 combined husbandry with carpentry, but since the 
 year 1880 he has given his attention to stock farm- 
 ing. He is feeding from thirty to thirty-six cattle, 
 and has on hand at least two carloads of hogs. In 
 1885 for one year he had an interest in a grocery 
 business in Palmyra, and was successful while re- 
 maining in it, but his cattle business prevented his 
 seeing his way so to do. There have come to the 
 home of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis four children, who 
 bear the following names : Helen, James A., Mary 
 M. and Eugene J. 
 
 As Mr. Lewis at an early date conceived the idea 
 of coming to America, he also realized his duty and 
 privilege of becoming an American citizen, and 
 he took occasion shortly after his arrival to de- 
 clare his intention to enter into that relation with 
 the people of this Republic, and he is to-day one 
 of the most loyal and patriotic. He made good use 
 of his homestead right, and entered eighty acres, 
 
 i^ 
 
•»-#^ 
 
 - k r>9s. 
 
 OTOK COUNTY. 
 
 but iifter improvingr this somewlmt solfl it and piir- 
 ehased his present property, which was but then 
 verj' sliglitli' improved. To-day it is one of the 
 most valii.al)le farms in Palmyra Preuinct, and his 
 beautiful residence, which occupies an elevated site, 
 overlooks the country for sonic distance. His pas- 
 tures and cattle sheds show that he is thorough, 
 practical and prosi)erous. His property is supplied 
 with all the modern necessaries in the line of im- 
 plements, machines and conveniences. 
 
 Mrs. Lewis is a ladj^ of education and refinement, 
 and is a graduate of the Princeton High School of 
 Illinois. Her home reveals the fact that she is in 
 every way a lady of refinement. With her husband 
 she is a member of the Catholic Church, and one of 
 the earnest supporters of the same. Our subject is 
 a Democrat in his political proclivities, and although 
 not an office-holder takes the greatest interest in 
 matters connected therewith. He sustains in the 
 comrannity at large a most euviable reputation as a 
 man and citizen. 
 
 EDWIN ANDREWS. Prominent among the 
 citizens of Otoe County, where he resides 
 on section 34 of North Branch Precinct, 
 and in every way worthy of such a position, is the 
 gentleman of whose life the more salient features 
 are here presented. He is a representative of a very 
 old Eastern family that has occupied a similar high 
 station in other States. He is the son of Bartholo- 
 mew and Amelia (Meriam) Andrews, both natives 
 of Connecticut. The grandfather of our subject 
 was by occupation a farmer. He removed from his 
 home in that State to Onondaga County, N. Y., 
 where he died. The parents of our subject were 
 brought up in their native State and there married. 
 Afterward they removed to the Empire State, and 
 took up land and carried on farming for the re- 
 mainder of their days. They were the parents of 
 twelve children, all of whom grew to mature years. 
 Their names are recorded as follows: Anna, Caro- 
 line, Lavina, Clarrissa, Alemenia and Curtis, all of 
 whom are now deceased. Six are now living, viz.: 
 Thomas, of Otoe County; Guernsey and Noah, 
 both of Onondaga; Edwin, our subject; Titus, of 
 
 Onondaga County, and Solomon, of Keokuk, Iowa. 
 
 The early days of our subject were spent upon 
 the home farm and in attendance at the common 
 schools. From that time until he attained his 
 twenty-first year he continued to assist his father 
 upon the farm. Beginning life for himself, he com- 
 menced work as a carpenter in his native county, 
 and was accounted a skilled workman. In 1852 he 
 was united in marriage with Diana C. Weller. To 
 them there have come nine children: Marsha, and 
 Amelia, who married L. E. Sinsebaugh, are deceased; 
 the surviving members of the family are Charles 
 C, George, Warren, Albert; Eugenie, who is the 
 wife of Clarence Francis; Genevieve and Hannah. 
 
 Our subject purchased fifty acres of land from 
 his father, which he later traded for another farm, 
 and then gave his attention to the work connected 
 therewith. He continued to make his home in his 
 native county until he came to Nebraska. Here he 
 purchased 200 acres of land, which is the property 
 upon which he now lives. At that time it was 
 nothing but raw prairie, entirely unimproved, and 
 so far as the raising of crops was concerned, that 
 was an impossibility. By careful, continued earn- 
 est labor he has made such a success of his work as 
 to be able to purchase from time to time additional 
 property, and now owns about 1,000 acres, all of 
 which is thoroughly improved. 
 
 Mr. Andrews devotes himself to stock-raising, 
 and his reputation as a raiser of thoroughbred cat- 
 tle and hogs is established, while as a breeder of fine 
 horses there are few who surpass him. During 
 the year 1887 he fed over 16,000 bushels of 
 corn. His ranch has two sets of buildings and 
 sheds, which are as good as any in the county, 
 well built, conveniently arranged, and supplied with 
 every modern convenient arrangement. His resi- 
 dence, which is in keeping with his position in the 
 county and the financial world, was built in 1869, 
 and is one of the finest in the county, and it was 
 at that time by far superior to anything in the 
 county. 
 
 When Mr. Andrews came to Nebraska he pur- 
 chased his land at the rate of 19 i)er acre, becoming 
 the owner of 200 acres, and had to go in debt before 
 he had completed his house, but as the years have 
 passed he has been increasingly successful, and is ^ , 
 
 •► 1 1^ 
 
 -t 
 
Residence of C. H. Sharp, 5ec. 3S.(J(3^r//.; Palmyra Precinct. 
 
 RtsiDENCE OF J. H. Davidson ,5ec.1. Hendrics Precinct. 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 601 
 
 now one of the most substantial citizens of Otoe 
 County, and one of the original stockholders of the 
 First National Bank of Syracuse. 
 
 jNIr. Andrews has received repeated assurance of 
 the confidence and esteem in which he is held by 
 his fellow-citizens, and has frequently been called 
 upon to accept some public office, but has always 
 declined to do so. He has, however, filled the 
 chair of Justice of the Peace, and while thus en- 
 gaged evinced his fitness for the office whenever 
 called upon to hear a case and render a decision. 
 He is a stanch friend and supporter of the Repub- 
 lican party and has so continued throughout his 
 life. Our subject is one who justly takes the great- 
 est delight and pride in his family, and is especialh' 
 proud of his sons, his faithful assistants on the 
 farm. 
 
 ^ #-# ^ 
 
 ■AMES H. DAVID.SON. a very intelligent 
 and jirosperous farmer, is numbered among 
 the leading men of Hendricks Precinct, 
 (^^y where he has a fine lionaestead on section 1. 
 The fact that he is a correspondent of six weekly 
 newspapers indicates abilities of more than ordinary 
 capacit}', and few men in this section of country 
 possess a greater fund of general infornnation. He 
 was graduated from Central College in Morrow 
 Count}', Ohio, and takes a warm interest in the 
 maintenance and establishment of educational in- 
 stitutions. His home, presided over by a most 
 amiable and excellent lady, a model wife and 
 mother, is one of the most pleasant and attractive to 
 be met with. 
 
 In reciting the history of any individual it is but 
 natural to revert to those from whom he drew his 
 origin. The parents of our subject were George 
 and Rachel (Brownlee) Davidson, the former a 
 native of Washington County, Pa. George Davidson 
 was born in 1803, and was the son of James David- 
 son, a native of Ireland, and of Scotch-Irish descent. 
 The latter married Miss Jane Holmes, and emigrated 
 to America during his early manhood, settling in 
 Washington County, Pa. They became the parents 
 of three sons, who were all graduated from the 
 Medical College at Philadelphia. George began 
 the practice of medicine, and was married in his 
 
 native State. Thence a few years later he removed 
 to Belleville, Oliio, but throe 3'ears later, the wife 
 becoming homesick they returned to Pennsylvania, 
 settling in Taylorstown, where the father died. In 
 1833 a contagious fever raged in the city of Phila- 
 delphia, and'wasof such a terrible nature that finally 
 the stricken ones were almost deserted both liy 
 friends and physicians. Dr. George Davidson, 
 however, refused to desert his post, was stricken 
 down with the fever and died. His course as a 
 physician had been a remarkably conscientious one, 
 as he was a man of more than ordinary luimane in- 
 stincts. 
 
 After the death of her husband Mrs. Davidson 
 was married in 1838 to Allen McNeal. a farmer by 
 occupation, and Ruling Elder of the United Pres- 
 byterian Church at Iberia, Ohio. She had in early 
 life made a profession of religion, and became a 
 member of the South Buffalo Association Church, 
 in the faith of which she passed away after a life 
 warmly devoted to the Master's work. Of the first 
 marriage there were born two children onl}': James 
 H., our subject, and his sister Georgiana, now Mrs. 
 Francis, and the wife of a well-to-do farmer in 
 Union County, Iowa'. Of her second marriage there 
 were born four children: Lizzie B., a teacher at 
 Medicine Lodge, Kan. ; Joseph, President of the Citi- 
 zens' Natioiuil Bank of the same place; Thomas, a 
 lawj'er, a graduate of Hillsdale College, and editor 
 of the Medicine Lodge Crescent, also an ex-member 
 of the Kansas Legislature; Mary died at the age of 
 sixteen years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Taylors- 
 town, Pa., and was but three years of age at the 
 time of his father's death. He remained with his 
 mother until reaching his majority, and com- 
 pleted his education in Ohio Central College, be- 
 ing graduated from the scientific department at 
 the age of nineteen years. He was for two years 
 afterward engaged in teaching, then established him. 
 self on a farm in Page Count}', Iowa, and in 1865 
 purchased 160 acres of land in that county, and 
 after making some improvements returned to Ohio, 
 and was married to Miss Margaret Dickson, the 
 wedding taking place at the home of the bride in 
 the town of Tully. May 26, 1861. 
 
 Mrs. Davidson was born in Washington Count}', 
 
 «► I L 4>- 
 
 t¥^l-M» 
 
■•►HI- 
 
 602 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Ohio, March 26, 1839, and was the second daughter 
 of Isaac and Mary (Hannali) Dickson, the latter a 
 full cousin of T. S. Arthur, the late well-known 
 author, and founder of "Arthur's Magazine." Mr. 
 Dickson was born in Washington Hounty, Pa., and 
 was a farmer and miller by occupation. He secured 
 a competency, and is still living, being, with hisex- 
 (^ellent wife, eighty-eight years of age. They are at 
 present residents of Marion County, Ohio, where 
 Mr. Dicivson owns a large extent of land. The 
 mother was born in County Down, Ireland, and 
 came with her p.arents to America in her youth. 
 
 During the progress of the Rebellion Mr. David- 
 son enlisted as a Union soldier in the 23d Ohio In- 
 fantry, State Militia, serving as Lieutenant, but the 
 regiment was one year later disbanded by a proclama- 
 tion of tlie Governor, their services not being fur- 
 ther required. Our subject then returning to Iowa 
 labored on his farm a period of five years, but met 
 with great reverses, his buildings being once de- 
 stroyed by prairie fires. In the spring of 1871 he 
 changed his residence to Hendricks Precinct, this 
 county, making the journey overland with two 
 teams, and settled upon the place wliich he now 
 owns. Here be has 160 acres, and by tlie exercise 
 of perseverance and energy soon found liimself upon 
 his feet and on the road to prosperity. At the 
 time of his leaving Iowa tiie following appeared in 
 the Page County Heraldin February, 1871: Sold 
 ODT — Mr. J. H. Davidson, our excellent friend of 
 Lincoln Township, h.as sold his farin and will emi- 
 grate to Nebraska this month. He does not move 
 from Page County because he thinks Nebraska is a 
 better State, on the contrary he regards the glorious 
 kingdom of Page County as standing head and 
 shoulders.above all competitors, but he goes thither 
 on account of the inducements of his uncle, hoping 
 to better his condition. May good fortune attend 
 him." 
 
 Upjn coming to this county- Mr. Davidson im- 
 mediately began the improvement of his land, set- 
 ting out trees and erecting buildings and fences. 
 The following appeared in the Nebraska City News 
 a short time later: "Mr. J. H. Davidson, of Page 
 County, Iowa, moved to his new place eleven miles 
 south of Syracuse in this county on the 3d of last 
 month, bringing his family and stock. B3' the 25th 
 
 he had sowed twenty-five acres of wheat, and in the 
 meantime hauled the lumber for his house thirty 
 miles from Nebraska City, and Messrs. J. Lewis & 
 Bailey, his carpenters, erected and enclosed a four- 
 room cottage for him in nine days, with cellar under 
 it. On his second trip he came in and subscribed 
 for the Neivs, tlie crowning glory of his emigration; 
 Thus in twenty-five days he moved seventy miles, 
 did nearly all the work with one hand, and has be- 
 fore him the prospect of ease, comfort and a com- 
 petence. Why will men grub among the rocks and 
 stumps of old States when there is a garden State 
 so near.''" Mr. Davidson has groves of maple, Cot- 
 tonwood and elm, an orchard of 200 apple trees, 
 and a spring of living water which could scarcely 
 be purchased at any price. He has added to his 
 real estate to the extent of 160 .acres in Palmyra 
 Precinct. 
 
 Mrs. Davidson is a well-educated lady and taught 
 school before her marriage. Of her union with our 
 subject there have been born seven children, the 
 eldest of whom, George A., was born in Oliio, Aug. 
 2, 1862; he completed his education in Peru, Neb. 
 where he attended the Normal School three years, 
 and is at present engaged in teaching. Mary E. was 
 born Feb. 19, 1869, also attended the Normal 
 School at Peru, and is following the same profession 
 as her brother; Isaac, who was born in Boone 
 County, in Iowa, is now pursuing his studie in 
 the Normal School at the same place ; Lizzie M. 
 was born in Amity, Iowa, April 26, 1868, has taught 
 school, but is now a pupil at Peru; Robert F. was 
 born July 23, 1870, and died Aug. 12, 1871 ; Jen- 
 nie was born Feb. 1, 1873, and is attending school 
 at Peru; Jay was born Feb. 15, 1880. 
 
 Ml'. Davidson, politically, is a stanch Republican. 
 He served as Justice of the Peace for a period of 
 six j'ears. In January, 1882, he was appointed 
 Notary Public by Gov. Nance for six j'ears, then 
 re-appointed by Gov. Thayer, May 14, 1888, for a 
 like term. Socially, he belongs to Palmyra Lodge 
 No. 30, L O. O. F., in which he has held all the 
 offices. Both he and his excellent wife are members 
 in good standing of the Presbyterian Church, at- 
 tending services at Hopewell. In this Mr. David- 
 son has been Trustee and Elder six years. He takes 
 a lively interest in church work, and formerly offiei- 
 
 ^x^ 
 
 ••►HI- 
 
»► II ^»- 
 
 ^il^l--* 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 603 
 
 T 
 
 ated as Superintendent of tlie Slin<lay-seh"ool. His 
 career has been tiiat of a useful and iionored citizen, 
 and one wlio will be long remembered after he has 
 passed away. 
 
 A view of the Davi<lson homestead is presented 
 in this connection. 
 
 f^ HRISTIAN H. SHARP, of Palmyra Pre- 
 ll( cinct. came to this county in the spring of 
 
 "^^^J 1882, and purcha.sed a school lease, intend- 
 ing to perfect his title to the property a.s soon as 
 it was possible for him to do so. His land is finely 
 located, and well adajjted by nature to the purposes 
 of agriculture. The improvements upon it have 
 been brought about by Mr. Sharp, who has erected 
 good buildings, planted shade trees, an orchard of 
 100 apple trees, besitles the smaller fruits, plums, 
 cherries, peaches, apricots and grapes. As a mem- 
 ber of the community he has made fully as good a 
 record as in his farming operations, being public- 
 spirited and interested in those projects tending to 
 the general welfare of the people. A view of Mr. 
 Sharp's residence is presented in this Album, among 
 those given of representative places in Otoe County. 
 Our subject is of Swiss ancestry. The first rep- 
 resentatives of his family in the United States 
 crossed the Atlantic during the Colonial days. His 
 parents, Schem and INIartha (Hostetter) Sharp, 
 were natives of Pennsylvania, the father born in 
 IMifHin County and the mother in L,ancaster County. 
 The paternal grandfather, Peter Sharp, was born 
 in Switzerland, whence he emigrated directl3' to 
 Pennsylvania, and from him descended the fami- 
 lies of that name in the United States. The Hos- 
 tetters have also an ancestry equally old and hon- 
 orable. The great-grandfather of our subject, 
 Michael Hostetter, was a little boy at the time of 
 the Revolutionary War, and when seven years of 
 age was captured by the Indians and held by them 
 a period of ^even years. Among the other terri- 
 ble atrocities which the savages committed, he was 
 obliged to witness the death by burning of his par- 
 ents, one brother and two sisters in a pit. It is there- 
 fore not to be wondered at that to this day the 
 Hostetters regard the Indian tribes with both fear 
 
 ■^« 
 
 and hatred. From Michael Hostetter sprang the 
 family of his name in America. They, as well as 
 the Sharps, were residents of Eastern Pennsylvania 
 for more than a century. 
 
 The parents of our subject in the spring of 1832 
 removed from Pennsylvania to Logan County, 
 Ohio, where they spent the remainder of their 
 lives, the father dying in 1863. at the age of sev- 
 enty-seven years, and the mother two weeks later, 
 aged sixty-one. Their six children were named 
 respectively: Susanna, Lydia; Christian H., our 
 subject, and Annie, who were twins; Joseph and 
 Jacob. 
 
 Our subject was liorn in Mifflin County, Pa., 
 March 1.5, 1826, and when we consider the time and 
 locality, it is not to be wondered at that his educa- 
 tional advantages were somewhiit limited. By his 
 own love of learning, and his natural abilities, 
 however, young Sharp acquired more practical in- 
 form.<itiou than is often possessed by those who 
 have spent a term of years in college halls. By a 
 most fortunate marriage his love of learning was 
 encouraged, and he has become possessed of a good 
 fund of general information. He still keeps up the 
 course of retiding which he began years ago, and is 
 a man with whom it is both pleasurable and profita- 
 ble to converse. 
 
 Mr. Sharp accompanied his parents to Logan 
 County, Ohio, where he worked out by the month 
 until the summer of 1853, when he went into 
 Waj'ne County, and changed his occupation from 
 that of farmer to carpenter. Here he met his future 
 wife. Miss Elizabeth A. Plank, to whom he was 
 married Aug. 22, 1853. This lady was born in 
 thcit county, Jan. 4, 1831, and is the seventh in a 
 family of nine children, the offspring of .John and 
 Elizabeth (Schrock) Plank, the father a native of 
 Lancaster County, Pa., and the mother of France. 
 Mrs. Plank came to America with her parents when 
 a small girl, they settling in Pennsjdvania, and she 
 was married in Mifflin County. Soon afterward 
 Mr. and Mrs. P. removed to Waj^ne County, Ohio, 
 where they lived until 1859. Mrs. Sharp's father 
 is still living in Davis County, Iowa, at the age of 
 ninety-six. The mother died there in September, 
 1866. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Sharp after their marriage contin- 
 
 •►JH^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 604 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ued residents of the Buckeye State for a period of 
 six years, our subject first working as a carpenter, 
 and then renting a farm. The failing health of 
 Mrs. Sharp induced them to try a change of cli- 
 mate, and they removed to Davis County, Iowa, 
 where they lived for a period of thirteen years, and 
 during which time the health of Mrs. Sharp per- 
 ceptibly improved. Thence in 1872 they changed 
 their residence to Fremont County, where Mr. 
 Sharp purchased eighty acres of land, and there- 
 after employed his time considerably in fighting 
 grasshoppers, drouth, floods, hail and other storms. 
 The delicate health of his wife still continued, and 
 he thus had many difficulties to contend with. In 
 the spring of 1882 he came to this county, and is 
 now beginning to realize the reward of his labors 
 and his patience. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife there have 
 been born nine children, three in Wayne County, 
 Ohio, four in Davis County, Iowa, one in Fremont 
 County. They were named respectively : John K., 
 Jeptha J., Susanna, Lincoln L., Charles William, 
 Jacob C, Mary E., Matilda and Fanny S. 
 
 Mr. Sharp laid the foundation of his present 
 property in Fremont County, Iowa, where, notwith- 
 standing the various misfortunes we have men- 
 tioned, he made money. During his younger 
 years he was a member of the Mennonite Church, 
 and for six years officiated as a minister, pursuing 
 his studies at night, after the arduous labors of the 
 day were over. lie labored zealoiish' in the Mas- 
 ter's cause, and in Davis County, Iowa, was Super- 
 intendent of the Sunday-school. About 1861 he 
 identified himself with the German Baptist Church, 
 and is now ])eacon, and politically, he votes with 
 the Republican party. He cares very little about 
 politics, however, and aside from officiating as 
 Moderator in his school district, has carefully 
 avoided the responsibilities of office. 
 
 ARVIN J. COVELL is an able and enter- 
 prising citizen of Nebraska City, where 
 he is prosperously engaged in the livery 
 business. He w.-us born Sept. 14, 1839, in 
 Batavia, Genesee Co., N. Y., a son of Richard 
 
 and Sylvia C. (Eldred) Covell, likewise natives of 
 that State, born in Rensselaer Comity. Richard 
 Covell, the grandfather of our subject, was a na- 
 tive of Rensselaer County, of Scotch ancestr}', and 
 was a pioneer of Genesee County, where he located 
 in 1830. He bought of the Holland Purchase Com- 
 pany a tract of land five miles west of Batavia, and 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits thereon until his 
 death. The father of our subject was reared in his 
 native county, and there married the daughter of 
 James I^ldred, who was, it is thought, a native of 
 Vermont, and was a farmer and merchant, spending 
 his last years in Iloosic, Rensselaer County. Mr. 
 Covell moved from liis old home to Genesee County, 
 and bought a farm three miles from Batavia, and 
 was successfully engaged in agriculture in New 
 York until 1855. In that year he disposed of his 
 farm and other property, and moved to Kalamazoo 
 County, Mich., where he purchased a good farm 
 near Galesburg. In 1872 he sold his property in 
 that State, and went to Iowa to live in Cedar Falls. 
 At the expiration of two years he went from there 
 to Minneapolis, Minn., and staid two years. He then 
 settled in Las Vegas, N. M., with his children, but 
 his death finally occurred in the home of our subject 
 in this city in August, 1879, while here on a vi.sit. 
 He was a man of probity, and was much respected 
 by all who knew him, as was also his worthy wife, 
 who departed this life in 1867, in Kalamazoo 
 County, Mich. Nine children were born of their 
 marriage, six of whom grew to maturity. 
 
 Marvin Covell, of this sketch, passed his boy- 
 hood in his native town, receiving the education 
 and training usually accorded to farmers' lads, and 
 he thus grew to a strong and vigorous manhood. 
 He was sixteen years of age when his parents 
 moved to Michigan, and he continued to make his 
 home with them for several years, managing the 
 farm for his father during the last years of his stay 
 under the parental roof in Michigan. In 1869 he 
 left home, and the three succeeding years was es- 
 tablished as a grain dealer in Cedar Falls, Iowa. 
 F'rom there he went to Minneapolis, Minn., and en- 
 gaged in the same business in that city until 1873, 
 when he moved to Indiana, and there dealt in gr.ain 
 extensively, with headquarters at Valparaiso, until 
 1877, when he disposed of his Imsiness interests in 
 
 •► 
 
 Ah^- 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
•►-lt-^«- 
 
 ^i^H* 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 607 
 
 that State. He then proceerled to Chicago, and 
 spent nearly two }'ears on the Board of Trade. In 
 1879 our subject took a new departure, coming; to 
 Otoe County to engage in fai-ming, and was thus 
 very profitably employed until 1884, when became 
 to Nebraska City, and bought a livery stock and 
 hack line, and he is still conducting the business 
 with gratifying success. 
 
 Mr. Covell has not lacked the assistance of a 
 good wife to help him in the upbuilding of a home, 
 which she makes cheery and cozy, as he was united 
 in marriage, in March, 1876, to Miss Nannie R., 
 daughter of William and Sarah McCoy, and a na- 
 tive of Illinois. Their union has been blessed by 
 the birth of four children, namely: Fannie E., 
 Phillip, Mattie and Clara. 
 
 Mr, and Mrs. Covell are valued members of the 
 Baptist Church, and they contribute liberally to 
 its support. Mr. Covell belongs to Nuckolls Lodge 
 No. 13, A. O. U. AV., and was a charter member of 
 Rampkin Encampment No. 331, M. W. 
 
 J' AMES D. CARMICHAEL, a pioneer of Otoe 
 County, has by his zeal, enterprise and busi- 
 ness ability, contributed greatly to its 
 growth and development. His home until 
 recently was very pleasantly located in the town of 
 Minersville, which he himself platted and named in 
 1874. The present site of the town was formerly 
 owned by a company who purchased it of the 
 Government, and then started a paper in its interests, 
 which was printed in New York, and by that 
 means they advertised it extensively, and sold lots, 
 giving bonds for deeds. Finally all but tliree of 
 the old company' left, a new company was formed, 
 and one v^f the three signed all his rights and title 
 to the larid in favor of i\Ir. Carmiehael, who bought 
 the land at public auction when it was sold by the 
 Government at the land-offlee. The city was 
 once quite flourishing, having 200 inhabitants. 
 There is a store here with a small stock of goods, 
 and a few dwelling-houses. The tbwn has a very 
 fine location on a bluff overlooking the Missouri 
 River, commanding an extensive and beautiful pros- 
 pect for a long distance both up and down the 
 
 ^ ^' 
 
 stream. Mr. Carmiehael has upward of 400 acres 
 of land here; the greater part of it is timlier, and he 
 carries on a large business in clearing it and selling 
 the wood and lumber. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Wayne 
 Township, Mifflin Co., Pa., Aug. 7, 1812. He is de- 
 rived from a sturdy, vigorous Scotch ancestry, being 
 a descendant of one of three brothers who emi- 
 grated from Scotland to America in Colonial times. 
 His father, Duncan Carmiehael, and his grandfather- 
 were born in Bordentown, N. J., and the latter, so 
 far as known, spent his entire life there. The father 
 of our subject was married in Pennsylvania, and 
 moved from there to Tennessee about the year 
 1800, becoming an early settler of Grainger County. 
 He first went to that State to seek a location, going 
 to Ft. Pitt Cnow Pittsburgh), Pa., and from there 
 down the Ohio River to Limestone Landing, near 
 Maysville, Ky., and thence overland to Tennessee. 
 He was accompanied by a brother, and they selected 
 a location and then went back to Pennsylvania for 
 their families. They started on their return to the 
 new homes that they had selected in the wilderness 
 with teams, taking their household goods along, and 
 going through Maryland and Virginia to Tennessee. 
 The land that Mr. Carmiehael had bought was 
 heavily timbered, and after building a log house to 
 shelter his family, he vigorously commenced the 
 pioneer task of cutting down the tall old forest 
 trees and jireparing his land for cultivation. He re- 
 sided there ten years, and then returned to Pennsyl- 
 vania to settle on his father-in-law's farm, and 
 there died Feb. 24, 1812. The maiden name of 
 his wife, the mother of our subject, was Elizabeth 
 Cunningham, and she was born in Wayne Town- 
 ship, Mifflin Co., Pa. Iler^ father, John Cunning- 
 ham, was born in Ireland, and came to America in 
 his youth. He was a poor boy, and worked about 
 until he could earn enough money to buy a small 
 tract of land in Wayne Township, of which he was 
 an early settler. Soon after that he entered tiie Con- 
 tinental Armj' during the Revolutionary War, and 
 for three years served his adopted country faith- 
 full3^ W^hile he was away his wife and two small 
 children occupied the cabin that he had erected on 
 his land. The Indians were at that time trouble- 
 some, and .Mrs. Cunningham used to walk to the 
 
 i 
 
 =t*-* 
 
-4*- 
 
 608 
 
 ^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 fort, four miles distant, every night, carrying one 
 eliild in her arms. She would return in the morn- 
 ing to her home, and busy herself all daj' about the 
 farm work, which she did all alone, and through 
 her diligence all of the grain was saved, reaped 
 and threshed. She was indeed a true helpmate, and 
 to her courage and able assistance her husband was 
 greatly beholden for the prosperity that came to 
 him in after years. After his return from the war 
 IMr. Cunningham engaged in farming and stock- 
 raising, and became well off. He planted two good 
 orchards and erected a large stone house on the 
 home farm, in which he and his wife passed their 
 last years. 
 
 In this pleasant home our subject grew to man- 
 hood, and there his mother passed away in May, 
 1848. Of her marriage three children had been 
 born: Abbie, who married William Dysart, is now 
 deceased; John C, who died at the age of twenty, 
 and our subject. He attended the district schools 
 and assisted on the farm until he was nineteen, 
 when the management of the farm fell to him. He 
 resided on the old homestead until 1845, when he 
 went to LaFayette, Ind., where he engaged in bu}^- 
 ing and shipping grain. He had previonsh' visited 
 that place in 1840, and bought a section of im- 
 proved land eight miles from the town, which he 
 rented until 1847, when he sold it. In 1850 he 
 moved to St. Louis, but after four months' resi- 
 dence there he moved to Rock Island, 111., on ac- 
 count of ill-health. He engaged in the latter city 
 as a pilot over the rapids to the river steamers. 
 He became prominently identified with the best in- 
 terests of Rock Island, and at the end of four years 
 gave up his position as pilot to accept the office of 
 Superintendent of Public Works. He built the 
 first levee at Rock Island, and the first macada- 
 mized streets in the citj', and various other improve- 
 ments were the results of his energy and efficiency. 
 In 1857 he started for the Territory' of Nebraska, 
 having sold a small steamer to the Union Colony 
 that was coming here to locate. He delivered the 
 steamer at the point in Otoe County known then as 
 Otoe City, now Minersville, In July of that year 
 Mr. Carraichael bought a steam sawmill in Fremont 
 County, Iowa, on the e.ast bank of the Missouri 
 River. He operated that a year, then sold it, and 
 
 in 1859 started a lumber-yard at the point now 
 known as Minersville, and he ran flatboats from here 
 to Line Island, and did a large business, people 
 coming even from as far west as Beatrice to buy 
 lumber of him. He was actively engaged in the 
 lumber business ten years, and at the same time had a 
 steamboat wood yard to supply the many boats that 
 were constantly plying up and down the river. In 
 1863 Mr. Carmichael became interested in farming, 
 buying a farm on the southwest quarter of section 
 2, Otoe Precinct, and in 1868 he removed there and 
 devoted his time almost exclusively to agricultural 
 pursuits until 1881. In that ypar he sold his farm 
 and returned to Minersville. 
 
 Mr. Carmichael was married, March 27, 1838, to 
 Miss Julia Leyman, and on the 27th of INIarch, 
 1888, they celebrated their golden wedding. This 
 was an occasion of solemn and heartfelt joy to 
 their many warm friends for what the 3'ears had 
 brought them, and that they were still in the enjoy- 
 ment of vigorous bodily and mental health. In 
 the fifty years that they have walked the path of 
 life together, they have not only mutually encour- 
 aged and strengthened each other in the trials that 
 come to all, but their friendly hands have often 
 been extended to help others, and many were the 
 grateful hearts that overflowed with good-will and 
 kind wishes toward them on that anniversary. 
 Theirs has been a happy wedded life, affording to 
 the world a spectacle of true marriage. They have 
 one child, IMyra, who married George Brown, and 
 lives in Otoe Precinct. They have nine grand- 
 children living and two great-grandchildren. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Carmichael reared their granddaughter, 
 Abbie E. Brown, who lived with them from infancy 
 until her marriage to S. J. Thomas. She now re- 
 sides in Nebraska City, and has two children — Min- 
 nie L. and Harry F. 
 
 Mrs. Carmichael was born at Clark's Ferr}-. 
 Dauphin Co., Pa., Aug. 9, 1815. Her father, Henry 
 Le_yman, was born in Reading, Pa., and was reared 
 and married in his native State. He learned 
 the trj-.de of stone-cutter, and became an architect 
 and stone builder. Later he entered the mercan- 
 tile business at Millerstown, Perry Co., Pa., and 
 there died. The maiden name of his wife, Mrs. 
 Carmichael's mother, was Mary Rudy. She was 
 
 ■•►Hh 
 
 I 
 
•►Hi^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 609 < I 
 
 ^ 
 
 born in Ilimtingdon County, Pa., and died in La- 
 Fayette, Ind. 
 
 Mr. Carniiehael is a man of more than average 
 mental capacity and ability, well dowered with firm- 
 ness and strength of character, and still retains much 
 of the enterprise and energy that marked his earlier 
 years. He was at one time one of the leading mem- 
 bers of the Republican party in this vicinity. He 
 cast his first vote for Jackson, and he afterward 
 voted for Polk and Pierce, and when the Repub- 
 lican party was formed he fell into the ranks and 
 voted for Fremont, the first candidate of the party, 
 and he voted for Lincoln and for Grant, and 
 in 1872 voted for Greeley. He then became a 
 Greenbacker, and was elected to meet at the State 
 Constitutional Convention, which was voted down 
 at the same election. He served as Justice of the 
 Peace in Territorial days and married the first couple 
 in Otoe Precinct. Mr. Carmichael at present re- 
 sides in Nebraska City, where he has long been 
 favorably known. His portrait and that of his 
 estimable wife are presented in this connection. 
 
 ON. WILLIAM BUCHANAN. No pioneer 
 of Otoe County is more entitled to honor 
 and respect than the subject of this bio- 
 graphical sketch, who has borne an active 
 part in the advancement not only of the material 
 and iinblic interests of Otoe County, but has done 
 much to promote the cause of education and relig- 
 ion within her borders. AA'hen he came here thirty- 
 three years ago last May (1888) to cast in his lot 
 with the few brave, hardy, adventurous settlers who 
 had preceded him, he found the broad, undulating 
 prairies almost as wild and primeval as if fresh from 
 the hands of Nature. There were but few habita- 
 tions scattered along the water courses; Indians, 
 who were always friendlv, still made their home 
 here, and were frequent visitors at his iiouse. gladly 
 partaking of his hospitality, as, Indian like, thej' 
 were always hungry; deer, antelopes, wild turkeys 
 and other wild game roamed across the plains, 
 wliere now stand the most populous and thriving 
 cities of Nebraska, and the first winter that he was 
 here he shot a deer near his present home. Our 
 
 subject, with courage and persistent endurance, met 
 and surmounted the various sore trials and hard- 
 ships that are peculiar to the life of a pioneer, and 
 has accumulated a good property, improved a fine 
 farm, and has built up one of the most comforta- 
 ble homes in Nebraska City Precinct. 
 
 Our subject was born April 28, 1826, in Monroe 
 County, Ohio, five miles west of Woodsfield. His 
 father, William Buchanan, was a native of Penn- 
 sj'lvania, and his grandfather was born in Ireland, 
 and was of Scotch ancestry. He came to America 
 and settled in the western part of Pennsylvania, 
 where he followed farming, and spent the remain- 
 der of his life. The father of our subject was 
 reared and married in his native State, and moved 
 into Washington County, that State, about 1820, 
 and then to Monroe County, Ohio, the removal be- 
 ing made with teams, and became a pioneer. He 
 bought a tract of timber land, erecting a log house 
 on it, the same in which our subject was afterward 
 born. The surrounding country presented the wild- 
 est aspect, and deer, bears and wolves were plentiful 
 there for some years after liis settlement. They 
 were forced to live in the most primitive wav, and 
 the mother of our subject cooked by the fireplace, 
 and spun and wove the flax and wool out of which 
 siie made all the clothing of tlie family, and the 
 father at the same time made the shoes for the chil- 
 dren. The nearest market and depot of supplies 
 was at Bellaire. fifty miles distant, over rough roads 
 through the primeval forest. Salt was scarce and 
 verj' expensive, and 3Ir. Buchanan relates th.at his 
 father used to go to Pennsylvania on horseb.ick and 
 pack salt back for family use. Ilis father lived to 
 clear a good farm and to see the country well de- 
 veloped, dying in 1882, at the ripe old age of ninety 
 }'ears. The maiden name of his wife was Jlary 
 Stewart, and she was a native of Penusjdvania. Her 
 father was a native of Ireland, and was of Scotcli 
 antecedents. There were eight children born to the 
 parents of our subject, all of whom grew to ma- 
 turity. 
 
 The subject of this sketch resided with his par- 
 ents in his native county until he was twenty-two 
 years old. He then married, and settled in Lewis- 
 ville, Jlonroe Count}', where he was engaged in the 
 mercantile business continuously from that time 
 1» 
 
•>^f^ 
 
 ■•►-llr 
 
 610 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 until the spring of 1855. He tlien sold out and 
 started for the Territory of Nebraska, having re- 
 solved to make his home in the future under these 
 sunny skies. He traveled on the Ohio, Mississippi 
 and Missouri Rivers to Leavenworth, Kan., thence 
 went to St. Joseph and from there to Savannah, Mo., 
 where he made a short visit. He then resumed his 
 journey and proceeded to Omaha and Council Bluffs, 
 the latter being a small village, while Omaha was 
 but a hamlet. There was no hotel there at that 
 time, and the only place of entertainment for 
 strangers was a small building where meals were 
 served to order. Our subject spent two weeks at 
 Council Bluffs, and then went on to Missouri by 
 stage, and he crossed the stream at Brownville, 
 Neb., where he met S. F. Nuckolls and J. S. Mor- 
 ton, who invited him to ride to Nebraska City. He 
 gladly accepted their kind invitation, and thus, 
 early in the mouth of May, made his first entrance 
 into the city with which his interests were to be 
 so strongly identified in the future. The only hotel 
 in the place was pointed out to him, and he saw 
 that it consisted of a small, rude frame building, 
 not completed, and not a room in the house was 
 plastered. The Government buildings that had 
 comprised Ft. Kearney were partlj^ standing then, 
 and there were three stores witli a small supply of 
 goods. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan's object was to seek a location for 
 farming. He had explored the country around 
 Omaha for that purpose but did not like it there. 
 He found these surroundings much more pleasing, 
 and he bought lots in the city, and employed a 
 man to build a house for him while he went back 
 to Ohio for his family; he returned with them early 
 in December. He had started to come by water, 
 but the Missouri was so low that the boats could 
 only go as far as St. Joseph, Mo., and from there 
 they came with a team. Our subject found his 
 house ready for occupancy, and during the winter 
 he traded his home for his present farm, it then be- 
 ing held as a squatter's claim. In the spring of 
 1856 he moved his famil}"^ here, there being a log 
 cabin and a stable on the place, and twenty-five 
 acres of tiie land were broken. He at once set 
 about making more improvements, and has been a 
 continuous resident here since. He now has a valu- 
 
 able, highly cultivated farm, has erected a good set 
 of frame buildings, and has planted a fine orchard 
 of fruit trees of various kinds. 
 
 April 2, 1850, was the wedding day of our sub- 
 ject, when he was united to Miss N. D. Oldham. 
 Ten children have been born to them, six of whom 
 are living, namely: Samuel Ross, John W., Charles 
 Francis, Ella L., Sarah Anna and Nannie. James 
 J., their second child, died at the age of twenty- 
 three, being killed by lightning; the other three 
 died in infancy. 
 
 In nothing more strongly did the pioneers of 
 Otoe County show their wisdom and foresight, and 
 their desire to promote the highest and noblest in- 
 terests of their new homes, than by the early intro- 
 duction of the church and the school-house, so that 
 the religious and educational institutions have kept 
 pace with the material advancement of the county. 
 Our subject has been an important factor in the estab- 
 lishment of both, in which he is warmly interested. 
 He served on the School Board for a number of 
 years, and he and his estimable wife are devoted 
 members of the Presbyterian Church, and they 
 unite in doing good and in helping others. Mr. 
 Buchanan has also served the public as a member 
 of the Territorial Legislature, having been elected 
 to represent his district in that bod}^ in 1861. His 
 political principles are formulated in the platform 
 of the Democratic party, of which he is a faithful 
 adherent. 
 
 JACOB HOPP. This gentleman is a member 
 of the firm of Tangeman & Sons, of Mc- 
 Wiiliains Precinct, engaged in the milling 
 trade, and has been so connected since the fall 
 of the year 1884. He has been directly and profita- 
 bly engaged witii the firm, and is a practical miller, 
 having learned the business in all its details in the 
 mill he now operates. Our subject has been a resi- 
 dent of the county for over ten years, living chiefly 
 in Osage Precinct until he began to learn the mill- 
 ing trade. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Lee 
 County, Iowa, on tlie 29th of July. 1859. He is the 
 fouj'tli child and second son of Plillip Hoi)i), now a 
 
 ■•►Hh 
 
^yi^yvkl!i&ij&k^sjyiii^.^ii^^ 3i 
 
 ■ M- J - fr>->=«.— . ■^ ^_ 
 
 Residence or r J Stooker,Sec5 Belmont Preci nct 
 
 lteTrt.-«.f ^^\kni^T,inf:^'ll-''!^'if'f'Sii'?^fi^'^''^'''i^^^ 
 
 
 Residence of Henry Winkelhake,Sec.15.Rock Creek Precinct. 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 613 
 
 prominent citizen and successful and enterprising 
 farmer in Osage Precinct, wiiere he has lived for 
 over ten j'ears. He is a practical farmer, thrifty 
 and careful. He had previously lived in Lee 
 County, Iowa, where our subject was brought up 
 and received his education in the district schools. 
 
 Mr. Hopp was about nineteen years of age when 
 he came to this State. He attained his majority 
 while living in Osage Precinct, and continued to 
 make his home with his parents until he came to the 
 Tangeman Mills. He celebrated his marriage in 
 McWilliams Precinct, when he was united with 
 Miss Alvina Tangeman. This lady w.as born in 
 Clayton Count}', Iowa, on the 14th of August, 
 1863, and was but a child of six years when her 
 father, John G. Tangeman, settled in this precinct. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Hopp has been born one child, 
 who received the name Lillie. 
 
 The religious home of our subject and his wife 
 is within the German Evangelical Church, with 
 which they have been connected many years. He 
 is the School Treasurer of his precinct, an office he 
 has held since 1886. He is also one of the stanch 
 Democrats of the district, and takes much interest in 
 political work. Although a young man he has made 
 many friends and is highl}' esteemed, and without 
 doubt there is before him a future tiiat will grow 
 brighter as the years pass. 
 
 •► 
 
 "Ji-^ ENRY WINKELHAKE. The career of the 
 jfjV prosperous German citizen is amplj' illus- 
 'ii^^ trated in the subject of this biography, who 
 {^) is proprietor of 440 acres of land in Rock 
 Creek Precinct, and generally well-to-do. He has a 
 substantial set of farm buildings, good stock and ma- 
 chinery, groves, orchards, and all the other appur- 
 tenances of the modern country estate. He came to 
 Nebraska during its Territorial daj-s, and purchased 
 a tract of prairie land, and it is hardly necessary to 
 say that since then his time has not only been indus- 
 triously but profitably occupied. 
 
 The bo.yhood days of our subject were passed in 
 the Prussian Province of Schambure, where bis 
 birth took place April 24, 1843. His father, Gollip 
 Winkelhake. is of pure German ancestry, and is still 
 
 living upon the old homestead in Germany. The 
 mother died when he was an infant. Their family 
 consisted of six children, five of whom are now liv- 
 ing. They all received a good education in their 
 native tongue, and Henry, more ambitious perhaps 
 than the others, when a youth of sixteen years 
 determined to cross the Atlantic, and seek his fort- 
 unes in America. Embarking on a sailing-vessel 
 at the port of Bremen, he landed eighteen weeks 
 later in the city of New York, and proceeding at 
 once to Madison County, 111., soon secured employ- 
 ment as a farm laborer. He remained a resident 
 of the Prairie State for a period of five years, 
 then came to Nebraska, locating in the spring of 
 
 1865 on a part of the land which he now owns and 
 occupies. Later he added to his landed area, and 
 in the course of a few years, as the result of most 
 persistent and industrious labor, found himself on 
 the road to prosperity-, and in the enjoyment of a 
 good income. A view of his place is shown in this 
 connection. 
 
 Our subject has around him a blooming family 
 of seven children, the result of his marriage with 
 Miss Sophie Blumberg, which took place March 10, 
 1869, in Madison County, 111. Mrs. Winkelhake is 
 a native of the same Province as her husband, and 
 was born July 29, 1850. Her father, a bailift' of 
 the court by occupation, and a native also of Ger- 
 many, spent his entire life upon his native soil, 
 dying there when middle-aged. The mother in 
 
 1866 came to America with her children, and lo- 
 cated on a farm in Madison County. 111., where she 
 is still living among them, and is now quite well 
 advanced in years. Her daughter Sophie came to 
 Nebraska with her husband a short time after her 
 marriage. The sons and daughters of her union 
 with our subject are named respectively: Emma, 
 AVilliam, Mary, Anna, Henry. Jr., Frederick and 
 Edward. The eldest is eighteen j'ears of age, and 
 the youngest six months. They are being carefully 
 trained and educated, and there is reason to sup- 
 pose will fill a position in society equal to that of 
 their honored parents. Our subject and his wife 
 are active members of the Lutheran Church, in 
 which Mr. W. is one of the pillars, and to which he 
 o-ives cheerful and liberal support. Politicallj-, he 
 is a solid Republican. 
 
t 614 
 
 ^►^1--^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 among tlie agriculturists of Belmont Pre- 
 cinct worthy of one who has from his j-outh- 
 ful j-ears paid considerable attention to both the 
 theory and practical working of that calling. His 
 property is situated on section 5, Belmont Town- 
 ship, and is 360 acres in extent. When he purchased 
 it in 1867 its appearance was anything but promis- 
 ing to one understanding the difficulties of bringing 
 prairie land into such condition as the farmer re- 
 quires before he can hope to utilize it and receive 
 from it a ripe and due reward in time of harvest. 
 His house and farm buildings are substantial, well 
 built, and admirably suited to the different purposes 
 for which they were designed. His fields are well 
 cultivated, also his orchards and groves, which cover 
 at least from twenty to thirty acres, showing that 
 he has been careful both in the selection and train- 
 ing of these most desirable adjuncts to farm life in 
 Nebraska, or any other State where the summers 
 suggest the necessity of shelter and shade. A view 
 of the i)lace is shown on the accompanying page. 
 
 Our subject is the son of Ambrose Sto<jker, of 
 Stark County, Ohio, but a native of La Belle Fiance, 
 and he was born on the 10th of December, 1835, in 
 Stark County. Ohio. He was reared upon a farm, 
 and received his education in the common schools 
 of Stark and Wayne Counties. AVhen sixteen j-ears 
 of age he began to learn the machinist's trade and 
 followed the same until 1864, and from that year 
 also di<l business in the lumber trade. He came to 
 Nebraska City in June of 1858, when there was 
 very little city and almost no improvement beyond 
 its limits. In that place he established and ran a 
 sawmill from 1865 to 1874. He then removed 
 upon his present pr()i)erty, which he had purchased 
 in 1867, and had improved gradually from that 
 time. 
 
 Mr. Stooker celebrated his marriage in Carroll 
 County, Mo., Oct. 9, 1866, upon which occasion he 
 received the hand of Nannie J. Jackson, the amia- 
 ble daughter of Davie and Nellie Jackson. This 
 union has been blessed bj' the birth of eleven chil- 
 dren, six of whom survive, whose names we men- 
 tion as follows: Nellie G.. Belle A., Frank A., 
 Jlinnie II.. Lulu and Robert H., all of whom are still 
 single and reside at home. 
 
 With the fraternity of the I. O. O. F. Mr. Stooker 
 has been connected since 1 864, and is much esteemed 
 by his fellow members. He and his family are at- 
 tached to the services of the Presbyterian Church, 
 and although not a member of the communion, our 
 subject is a firm believer in the truths taught, and 
 is a liberal supporter of the organization. In po- 
 litical affairs he is b}' no means prominent, and 
 prefers not to hold office, though he has served as 
 member of the Council in Nebraska City, and in that 
 connection did good service. He is a Democrat. 
 
 RANK McCartney by reason of his 
 ^"1 official connection with the affairs of this 
 county needs no introduction to our read- 
 ers, who at the same time, we are assured, will be 
 appreciative of the endeavor here made to set be- 
 fore them in 'succinct form a sketch of the history 
 of this gentleman. He was born in Kent Townshij), 
 Jefferson Co., Ind., on the 12th of December, 1832, 
 where he was brought up, and which supplies the 
 earliest pictures which his memory can recall. He 
 came to Otoe County in 1857 with his father, who 
 settled in Wyoming Precinct. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is the second of five 
 children born to his parents. Recognizing the 
 many advantages derivable from a developed in- 
 tellectual power, his parents provided him with 
 the best education in their power, which was that 
 supplied by the country schools. At the age of 
 twenty-three years he entered the University of 
 Nebraska in order to take the literary course, and 
 studied for two years. 
 
 Leaving the university, our subject engaged in 
 teaching for two years in this county, and was then 
 appointed Deputy County Clerk, serving in that 
 capacity for five years. In 1885, after an excellent 
 run for the office, he was elected to his present po- 
 sition as County Clerk. This he continued to hold, 
 being enthusiastically re-elected in 1887, giving 
 every satisfaction to all concerned by the excellent 
 manner in which he undertook and performed the 
 various matters pertaining thereto. 
 
 In 1884 Mr. McCartney was united in wedlock 
 with Miss Ida P. Brown, daughter of John P. 
 
 ■► 
 
OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 615 
 
 Brown (see sketch). She made her home with her 
 parents until her marriage. She is a graduate of 
 the Nebraska City High Schools, and of the Scho- 
 neuberger Hall, and is eminently fitted to occupy 
 any position in either the social or domestic circles. 
 The subject of our sketch has always taken a 
 livel}' and active interest as a young man in ques- 
 tions of political and governmental interest. He 
 is a member of the Rejiublican party, and usually 
 votes the ticket of the same. In the social societies 
 also he is most favorablj^ known, and holds mem- 
 bership in the I. O. O. F. and A. O. U. W.. He is 
 a man generally respected and esteemed in the 
 county, by his genial affability and uniform cour- 
 tesy winning many friends to his side. 
 
 -•ajzc--®^-- 
 
 %|^4— ,*-^^}/OT-«u. 
 
 -i. 
 
 eHARLES H. KRESSEX is at the head of 
 one of the most important enterprises of 
 Nebraska City, viz, th.at of the manufactur- 
 ing of plows and other agricultural necessaries. 
 He was born in Prussia, on the 6th of February, 
 184.5. His father, George Kressen, followed agri- 
 culture as his chosen occupation, and never left his 
 native countiy. Two brothers and a sister of our 
 subject, viz, Martin, Mike and Susannah, came to 
 America in the year 1881. 
 
 Until he was about fourteen years of age the 
 subject of this writing was allowed the privilege 
 of attending school, after which he was his father's 
 help upon the farm for about a year, and then 
 commenced to learn the trade of a blacksmith, 
 which, having learned, he continued to follow until 
 1865, when he came to this country. He had 
 saved enough of his earnings to bring him over, 
 and also to assist his brother, but that left him 
 without capital to start in the New World. 
 
 In starting in this country our subject had a 
 rugged frame, good health, and a thorough knowl- 
 edge of a good trade, but no finances. Our subject 
 started to work in Chicago, but not meeting with 
 anything in his line, he engaged in a lumber-yard, 
 working for a time until he found an opening in 
 that with which he was more familiar. He worked 
 for one 3-ear, and then came to Nebraska City, .and 
 
 followed his trade, working first by the day until 
 he was able to stai't in businfess for himself. He 
 leased a lot, erected a frame building, and started 
 as a general blacksmith, until his business w.as well 
 established, and then he turned to the manufacture 
 of plows. He was a splendid workman, and speed- 
 ily built up a fine reputation. 
 
 The business of Mr. Kressen constantly extended 
 and grew more and more profitable to him, until it 
 has taken the shape of the present large establish- 
 ment, which is one of the institutions of the city, 
 and is located on Fifteenth street and Central ave- 
 nue, stands 24x80 feet, and is well supplied with all 
 needed machinery for turning out the very best 
 possible work. Adjoining this building is another 
 of the same ground measurement, which is used for 
 the manufacture of the plows used and sold by him. 
 His plows are in large demand throughout Kansas, 
 Nebraska, Dakota, Washington Territory and else- 
 where; he also has a large trade in carriages and 
 wagons. 
 
 In 1872 our subject became the husband of 
 Anna Schrittr, a lady of Australian bii'th, but of 
 German parentage, who was most admirably fitted 
 to fill any place in societ}% as well as the more im- 
 portant though limited circle of home. She has 
 presented her husband with seven children, who 
 bear the following names: Emile, Katie, Frank, 
 Emma, Annie, Ella and Stella. 
 
 The subject of our sketch has become one of the 
 wealthy citizens and much respected members of 
 Nebraska City and society, and one cannot but ad- 
 mire the push and enterprise as well as excellent 
 judgment of this gentleman, who, while building 
 for himself a profitable business, has also brought 
 to the agriculturists of the West an almost perfect 
 implement for their arduous lalior. 
 
 p",:us! 
 
 C 
 
 HARLES B. CHAPMAN, who is so success- 
 a general merchant in Nebraska Cit}', 
 and ill that connection very favorably known 
 throughout a large section of the county, was born 
 in Backer-Box. Gloucestershire, England, Nov. 16, 
 1834. His father, Joseph Chapman, was born in 
 Devonshire, of the same country. When a young 
 
 •^f 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 " ^ ► ~^ l < • 
 
 616 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -t 
 
 man he received the appointment of a revenue 
 officer, and for several years was appointed to serv- 
 ice in Gloucestershire, and filled the position until 
 his death. His wife, whose maiden name was Fe- 
 licia Ham, was a native of Fowey. Cornwall. She 
 came to America in 1872, and spent her last years 
 with her children, in Howard County, Iowa. Her 
 father, the grandfather of our subject, was a ship's 
 chandler, in which business he was obliged to keep 
 in stock almost everything a vessel might need, 
 from theoutfit of the cabin boy. the supplies for the 
 men. Captain or passengers, to the most complete 
 furnishing of everything throughout the vessel. He 
 became largely interested in the shipping trade, and 
 part owner of several vessels. He grew to be 
 wealthy, and at the time of his death, in 1848, was 
 one of the rich men of the community. 
 
 The family of which our subject is a member 
 included nine children, whom we mention as fol- 
 lows: Elizabeth, who became the wife of Joseph 
 Millvvard, now living at Minneapolis; Marj', who is 
 the wife of Benjamin Millward, and who resides 
 in Minneapolis: Jane, who was married to George 
 Hayden, and died in England; Edward, one of the 
 successful merchants of Halifax, N. F. ; John, who 
 died in England; our subject; William, in Wash- 
 ington Territory; Joseph, in Kansas, and James 
 still in England. 
 
 In the matter of education the subject of our 
 sketch was favored in being privileged to attend 
 school quite regularly until his father's death, in the 
 year 1848. He was then apprenticed to the trade 
 of auger-maker, and served the usual term of seven 
 years, and being very steady and quite a lover of 
 work, he made unusually satisfactory progress. He 
 was required to work ten hours per day, and it was 
 not unusual for him after he became better ac- 
 quainted with his business to do considerable over- 
 time work. 
 
 In 1856, accompanied by his wife, Mr. Chapman 
 made his way to this country. Landing at the city 
 of New York by no means wealth}', but ready to 
 do good work, he proceeded to Mauch Chunk, 
 Pa., and there found employment in a mill, and 
 there continued for about a year; then he and 
 his brother received word that they would do bet- 
 ter in the city of Philadelphia, and accordingly 
 
 went there, opening a wire factory for a company, 
 and remained there for a year. There he met with 
 an accident and concluded to leave the mills, and 
 again accompanied by his brother, he went to How- 
 ard County, Iowa, and located at Cresco, the county 
 seat, and then the western terminus of the Milwau- 
 kee & St. Paul Railroad. Shortlj' afterward he 
 purchased 160 acres of unimproved prairie, built a 
 dwelling, and started to improve a farm; but one 
 year of farming in what was then the Far West 
 about satisfied his ambition in that direction, and 
 he wrote to his former employer for his former po- 
 sition, and almost immediately received an earnest 
 request for his return. This he did as soon as he 
 could settle up affairs, and was made foreman of the 
 shops, a position he held for eight years, after which 
 he returned to his farm, where he remained until 
 1882. He then sold his property and came to Ne- 
 braska City, and during two years engaged in farm- 
 ing in the vicinit}'. when he embarked in general 
 mercantile business, which he has continued pros- 
 perously engaged in until the present. 
 
 In 1856 Mr. Chapman was united in marriage 
 with Miss Elizabeth Butler, who was born in the 
 city of Birmingham, England, on the 24th of No- 
 vember, 1834. After a verj' happy wedded life, 
 which, however, was not without its trials and diffi- 
 culties, she died on the 28th of August. 1886, leav- 
 ing two children, who received the names Felicia 
 Mary and George Edward. These were born in 
 England, and are now living with their father. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is an ardent member of 
 the Baptist Church, and has been such since the 
 year 1855. He is a strong temperance man, is 
 identified with temperance work locallv, being quite 
 enthusiastic and held in high esteem throughout 
 the community. 
 
 OLIE N. NELSON, senior partner of the firm 
 of Nelson Bros., boot and shoe dealers of 
 Nebraska City, stands at the head of one of 
 the principal mercantile establishments in the place, 
 and is numbered among its self-made men, who, 
 beginning life dependent upon their own resources 
 have attained to an enviable position sociall}' and 
 
«► I I <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 617 i k 
 
 financiallj'. He was thrown upon his own resources 
 earl}- in life, with a limited education, but lias devel- 
 oped remarkable business abilities, which, combined 
 with his sound common sense and a fund of general 
 infortnation. have placed him upon a substantial 
 footing and given him a leading position among 
 the representative men of Otoe County. 
 
 Mr. Nelson is of Scandinavian birth and parent- 
 age, his early home having been in the city of 
 .Stockholm, Sweden, where his birth took place 
 April 11, 1859. His jjarents, Nicholas P. and Mary 
 (Kalson) Nelson, emigrated to America with their 
 family in the spring of 1865, and coming directly 
 to the West located in Nebraska City, but later 
 removed to Eastport, Iowa, where Olie N. spent a 
 part of his boyhood. His first business engage- 
 ment, when a }'outh sixteen j'ears of age, was 
 with Blum <fe Co., at Nebraska City, with whom he 
 remained for one and one-half years. He has spent 
 no idle days since that time, having been steadily 
 engaged in business in Nebraska City. The stock 
 and trade of Nelson Bros, is surpassed by no firm 
 In the city, and they have received many com- 
 mendations for their excellent management, their 
 promptness in meeting their obligations, and the 
 manner in which they have generally distinguished 
 themselves as business men. In the sketch of the 
 younger brother. J. W., found on another page in 
 this volume, will be noted further mention of the 
 parents, who are now residents of Nebraska City. 
 
 Mr. Nelson identified himself with the Masonic 
 fraternity in 1883, in the Western Star Lodge No. 
 2, in Nebraska City. He takes a warm interest in 
 the success of Masonry, with whose principles he is 
 entirely in S3'mpatliy. Politically, he is a stanch 
 Republican, but has no desire for office, preferring 
 to give his attention to his business concerns. He 
 makes his home with his parents in Nebraska City. 
 
 JOHN T. BEETEM, proprietor of 210 acres 
 of land on section 3 in Hendricks Precinct, 
 the whole of which he operates, is recognized 
 as one of the most enterprising farmers of 
 this locality. This property lies one-quarter of a 
 mile from the town of Hendricks, and is conse- 
 
 quently quite valuable. The buildings are tasteful 
 and substantial, and everything about the premises 
 is indicative of thrift and prosperity. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Van Buren 
 County, Iowa, Nov. 1, 1847. His parents. John 
 D. and Mary (Burnum) Beetem. were natives of 
 Kentuckj% the father born in 1809. His paternal 
 grandfather served under Washington in the Revo- 
 lutionarj' War, and his father later fought in the 
 Black Hawk War. At the close of the latter the 
 father removed across the Mississippi into Mis- 
 souri, where he carried on farming several years, 
 then moved to Van Buren County, Iowa. From 
 the Hawkeye State he went to Wisconsin, locating 
 near Shellsburg. where he was engaged in mining. 
 This venture not proving successful he removed to 
 Dubuque Count3% and carried on farming there five 
 j'ears. 
 
 The father of our subject now decided to try the 
 soil of Allamakee County, Iowa, where he purchased 
 600 acres of land, and there spent the remainder of 
 his life, passing away in 1869, at the age of sixty- 
 three years. The mother is still living, making her 
 home with our subject, and is now sixtj'-nine years 
 old. The household circle included eleven chil- 
 dren, of whom the three elder. Seadford, Adam and 
 Ed ward, are deceased. Those surviving are: John 
 T. (our subject), Joseph, George, Frank, Louisa, 
 Sarah and Rolf. 
 
 Our subject continued at home with his parents 
 until reaching his majority, acquiring a common- 
 school education and becoming familiar with the 
 various employments of farm life. Upon the out- 
 break of the Civil War he enlisted in Company F, 
 6th Iowa Cavalry, and was mustered into service 
 at Davenport, going from there with his regiment 
 to the frontier upon an expedition against the 
 Indians; he participated in the battle of Bad Lands. 
 He gave to his country a service of over three 
 3'ears, being mustered out at Sioux City, Iowa, in 
 1865. 
 
 Upon retiring from the army Mr. Beetem began 
 farming in Allamakee County, Iowa, where he con- 
 tinued until the fall of 1870. Then, coming to this 
 county he located upon the land which he now oc- 
 cupies in Hendricks Precinct, and upon which he 
 has made all the improvements which we now be- 
 
*► 11 ^•' 
 
 61 S 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 hold. He subsequently arlderl eighty acres to his 
 first purchase. The fields are divided by a hand- 
 some hedge fencing, and seven acres have been 
 planted to trees, forming a fine grove. He has an 
 orchard of 100 apple trees, and other choice fruits 
 on the place. The farm is supplied with running 
 water and native timber. 
 
 Mr. Beetem while a resident of Iowa was mar- 
 ried, in Delaware County, that State. May «, 1868, 
 to Miss Catherine, daughter of John and Katie 
 (Boyne) McFherson. The parents of Mrs. B. were 
 natives of Scotland, whence they emigrated to 
 America in 1849. The mother departed this life 
 at her home in 186'.). The father is still living, and 
 a resident of Hendricks Precinct, being now sev- 
 enty-seven years of age. Their family consisted 
 of six children — Jeanette, David, Jane, Robert, 
 Margaret and Catherine. 
 
 The wife of our subject was born in Scotland, in 
 1846. and came to America with her parents. She 
 was given a good education and developed into a 
 schoolmistress, following the profession of a teacher 
 before her marriage. Her union with our subject 
 has resulted in the birth of seven children, who are 
 all at home with their parents. Mr. Beetem, po- 
 litically, is an uncompromising Democrat, and, with 
 his estimable wife, a devoted member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church at Hendricks. He has been 
 Moderator in his district four years, and as an ex- 
 soldier belongs to the G. A. R., Post No. 54, at 
 Palmyra. 
 
 WILLIAM I. McKEE, a resident of tbirty 
 years' standing in this county, came with 
 his mother's family to Syracuse Precinct 
 when a lad nine years of age, and retains owner- 
 ship of the homestead which they then began build- 
 ing up. This comprises 186 acres of good land on 
 section 7, together with a comfortable farmhouse 
 and the adjacent buildings necessary for the success- 
 ful prosecution of agriculture. For the past few 
 years Mr. McKee has given his attention principally 
 to stock-raisnig, which has netted him handsome 
 returns annually. He is ranked among the leading 
 representatives of the farming district, a man in 
 whom his neighbors have confidence, and whose 
 
 career has been such as to gain him the esteem of 
 all who know him. 
 
 Morrow County, Ohio, was the early tramping 
 ground of our subject, where his birth took place 
 June 2, 1848. His parents, Henry and Elizabeth 
 (Kelley) McKee, were natives of Delaware, and the 
 father died in Ohio when his son, William I., was 
 only four years old. The mother live years later 
 came with her family to Nebraska, and passed to 
 her rest at the homestead, in the fall of 1873. The 
 parental household consisted of nine children, of 
 whom five are living. 
 
 Mr. McKee continued under the home roof dur- 
 ing his childhood and youth, acquiring his educa- 
 tion in the common schools. At the age of nineteen 
 years he was united in marriage with Miss Esther 
 E., daughter of Jacob and Mary (Dunlap) Sollen- 
 berger. This lady is also a native of Ohio, and 
 came with her parents to this county in 1858. The 
 family at first located in Nebraska City, but later 
 moved to a farm in Syracuse Precinct, where the 
 father followed agricultural pursuits until 1883. 
 The parents then retired from active labor and 
 took up their residence in the town of York, where 
 they now live. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. McKee after their marriage resided 
 on the homestead until the spring of 1884. Our 
 subject then going into Holt County, purchased 
 480 acres of land, and engaged extensivelj' in stock 
 raising, buying and shipping. In March, 1888, he 
 returned to the old homestead, where he has since 
 lived, although still retaining possession of his 
 Holt Count}' farm. His home circle now includes 
 six interesting children, one son and five daughters, 
 namely : Delia, Mattie, Elizabeth, Mary, Frank and 
 Edna. The eldest is twenty years of age and the 
 youngest ten, and all continue at home with their 
 parents. Mr. McKee votes the straight Republican 
 ticket, and socially, is a Knight of Pythias. 
 ' Jacob SoUenberger, the father of Mrs. McKee, 
 was born in Miami County, Ohio, in 1825, where he 
 grew to manhood and learned the trade of a car- 
 l)enter. He married Miss Mary Dunlap, a native 
 of the same State, and soon afterward they settled 
 in Shelby County. Thence, in 1856, they removed 
 to Richland County, Wis., and fifteen months later 
 came to Nebraska. Mr. S. subsequently home- 
 
 » ► II ^' 
 
 ^^1 
 
«► a T M ^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•»> 
 
 619 
 
 steaded a farm near Si'racuse, where he resided until 
 his removal to liis present home in the town of York, 
 where he now follows his trade. The parental 
 hoiiseiiold consisted of nine cliildren, seven of whom 
 are living, namely: Esther E..the wife of our sub- 
 ject; Ann Belle, Mrs. David Brakeman, of York, 
 Neb. ; Ona, Lincoln, Etta, Grant and Maggie at 
 liome with their parents. 
 
 II^_^^ENRY HUCKINS, editor of the Unadilla 
 [ifjy and Nebraska City Times, established the 
 I^K^ Journal- Times, v/hioh he now conducts with 
 (^ great ability, in the winter of 1884. In its 
 first issue it appeared as a small daily, three-column 
 folio, called the Daily Stock Journal Times, and its 
 modest request for the encouragement of the public 
 met with a most generous response. It is now 
 recognized throughout the State as a fearless and 
 outspoken paper, independent in politics, but lean- 
 ing toward Rei)ubiican principles. Shortly after its 
 first issue It dropped its first title and appeared, 
 greatly enlarged and improved, as the Daily Evening 
 Times. It was the first paper in town to use other 
 than hand power in propelling its presses, and con- 
 nected with It now is one of the most complete job 
 departments in the county. It is always in the lead 
 in any project to advance the interests of the city 
 and county, and is enjoying a steadily increasing 
 circulation. 
 
 The main points in the famil^Miistory of our sub- 
 ject are essentially as follows: He is the son of 
 Daniel and Polly (Bangliart) Huckins, who were 
 natives of the Dominion of Canada, both born in 
 1820. There also they were reared, and were mar- 
 ried in the city of Westminster. The paternal 
 grandfather, a native of New Hampshire, served 
 as a soldier In the War of 1812, and spent his last 
 years in Lexington, Mich. 
 
 The father of our subject, at the age of seventeen 
 starting out for himself, made his way to Port 
 Huron, Mich., in the vicinity of which he purchased 
 eighty acres of laud, which he occupied and culti- 
 vated for a period of thirteen years. His experi- 
 ence as a pioneer was not unlike that of others who 
 settled in a wild country and battled with the pri- 
 
 vations and hardships Incident to that region. From 
 1838 to 1869 the elder Huckins was employed at 
 clearing land and shoemaking in and about Lexing- 
 ton, Mich., then determined to cast his lot with the 
 people of the j'oung and growing State of Nebraska. 
 He made the journej' to this county overland with 
 teams, and settled in tiie embryo town of Nebraska 
 City, where he followed his old trade of shoemak- 
 ing, and-in 1874 established m business for himself. 
 In October, 1888, he took up his residence in Una- 
 dilla, where, with his estimable wife, he is still living, 
 and engaged in stock-raising on a small scale. 
 
 The parental household included six children, 
 namely: Sarah, who died when four years of age; 
 Roy died at the age of four years; Pembroke also 
 died at the age of four; A. B., M. S. and Henry 
 are those who still survive, and all are residents 
 of Otoe County. A. B. is renowned as a pro- 
 hibition singer, and M. S. follows his trade of 
 painter. Henry, our subject, the 3'oungest child, was 
 born in St. Clair County, Mich., Dec. 2G, 1858, and 
 was eleven 3'ears of age when his parents came to 
 Nebraska City. He still recalls many of the Inci- 
 dents preparatory to the removal, and the after ex- 
 perience of pioneer life. He completed his edu- 
 cation in the High School of Nebr.aska City, and 
 began to learn the printer's trade when a boj' of 
 fifteen years, four years later escaping from the 
 confinement of the office, and engaged as agent 
 for the Wheeler & Wilson Sewing Machine Company. 
 His forte, however, seemed to be the newspaper busi- 
 ness, and he soon returned to his legitimate trade, 
 establishing, as we have already indicated, the paper 
 which he has since conducted with such success. In 
 April, 1887, he enlarged it to a five-column folio, 
 and in November following added still another 
 column to its size. On the 14th of July, 1888, he 
 removed to Unadilla. In the meantime, in the 
 month of April, 1886, he had established a weekly 
 in connection with the daily, conducting both for a 
 time, then discontinued the daily and enlarged his 
 weekly. The business office in Nebraska City is 
 on Central avenue. 
 
 Our subject was married, on the 1st of Februar3', 
 1887, to Miss Lovlna Retherford, who was born in 
 Licking County, Ohio, Jan. 29, 1858. Her parents 
 are now deceased. Of this union there Is one cluld. 
 
 -*^^M^ 
 
t 
 
 •►Hl^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 620 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 a son, Clarence Leon, who was liorn Oct. 5, 1884. 
 In addition to his office and material, Mr. Huckins 
 owns twenty-five acres of valuable land adjoining 
 the town of Unadilla, besides a house and lot in 
 Nebraska City. He reflects with pardonable pride 
 upon the headway he has made in his publishing 
 business during the last three years, and which has 
 been the result of great industry and perseverance. 
 
 lUGU.ST BESCH. The Large .and finely 
 improved farm of the subject of this sketch 
 li) forms one of the most attractive featui-es 
 (^' in the landscape of Russell Precinct, being 
 
 conspicuous for its improvements and its general 
 air of thrift and prosperity. The proprietor, who 
 is of German birth and ancestrj', is one of the best 
 representatives in this part of the State of a nation- 
 ality which has done so much toward the develop- 
 ment of the Great West. 
 
 Our subject was born in Prussia, Dec. 25, 1845, 
 and is the sou of Henry and Olrika Besch, who were 
 of pure German ancestry, and the latter of whom 
 died when her son August was a child two years of 
 age. The father was subsequently married to 
 Caroline Schaeffer, a n.ative of his own country, and 
 they are both still living. Of the first marriage 
 there were two sons, our subject and his elder 
 brother, Ferdinand, who is now a resident of East 
 Troy, Wis. Of the second marriage there were also 
 born two sons, Charles and John, who continue 
 upon their native soil. 
 
 Our subject, in common with the children of the 
 Fatherland, was given an excellent education in 
 the parish school, and when fourteen years old com- 
 menced an apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade, 
 at which he worked until the age of twenty-three. 
 He had been a bright and ambitious lad, and now 
 determined to seek his fortunes on the other side of 
 the Atlantic. 
 
 Young Besch embarked on board a sailing-vessel 
 at the port of Bremen in 1868, and seven weeks 
 later landed in the city of Baltimore. Thence he 
 proceeded by rail directly to Jlilwaukee, Wis., and 
 shortly afterward secured employment as a farm 
 laborer in the vicinity of Racine, being engaged 
 
 with one man a period of four years. Upon coming 
 to Nebraska in 1872 he first took up his abode in 
 the vicinity of Grand Island, but not being pleased 
 with that section went into Muscatine County, 
 Iowa. There he worked on a farm five years, then 
 commenced farming on rented land for himself, 
 being thus occupied until the spring of 1883. 
 
 Our subject now returned to Nebraska, and set- 
 tled upon 120 acres of land in Russell Precinct, this 
 county, which he had previously purch.ased, and 
 which he has since occupied. The improvements 
 which the passing traveler views to-day with ad- 
 miring interest are all the result of the industry 
 and perseverance of the present proprietor. He has 
 set out groves .and an orchard of 100 trees, planted 
 hedge fencing, enclosed some of his fields with 
 wire fencing, has put up a house and barn, and the 
 other structures necessary for his convenience. He 
 could now comfortably retire from active labor, 
 and have sufficient to keep him in his old age. The 
 long habit of industry, however, with which he has 
 been imbued and which he has exercised so many 
 years, will probably cling to him as long as he lives, 
 and just so long will he be busily engaged with 
 hands or mind. In the building up of one of the 
 best homesteads in Russell Precinct he has added 
 so much to its real-estate value, and especially to 
 the value of the propert}' around him. 
 
 Mr. Besch was married in Muscatine County, 
 Iowa, March 14, 1878, to Miss Caroline, daughter 
 of August and Fredricka (Herwig) Fricke. Mrs. 
 Besch was born in Muscatine County, Oct. 2, 1856, 
 and was the eldest of seven children comprising the 
 parental household, which included six daughters 
 and one son, of whom we name: Caroline, Lizzie, 
 Annie, Henry, Mary and Emma. Those surviving 
 are residents of low.a. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Besch were natives of Prus- 
 sia, the father born in 1824, and the mother in 
 1829. Mr. Fricke came to America when twenty- 
 two years of age, in time to serve as a soldier in the 
 Mexican War. He participated until the close of 
 that conflict, and then settling in the city of St. 
 Louis, Mo., engaged at his trade of carpenter. 
 Later he recrossed the Atlantic, and spent one year 
 among the friends and associates of his j'outh. 
 Upon returning to the United States he lived for a 
 
 " ► II <• 
 
 *^^ 
 
^(^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ■•»• 
 
 623 
 
 ^ 
 
 few years in Oliio, tlien returned to St. Louis, where 
 he was married, and shortly afterward homesteaded 
 160 .Tcres of land in Muscatine County. Iowa. After 
 farming several years in that county he sold out, 
 and changed his residence to Madison County, but 
 a year later moved back to Muscatine County. This 
 time he purchased eightj' acres of land, where, with 
 his excellent wife, he is still living, and carrying on 
 farming successfully. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Besch there have been boin four 
 children — Frank, Walter. Fredericka and Charles. 
 Our subject votes the straight Repuljlican ticket, 
 and in religious matters adheres to the doctrines of 
 the German Lutheran Church, in which he was care- 
 fully reared by his parents. He has frequently 
 been called upon to serve in the various local offices, 
 not onl}' nominated but elected, but declined to 
 serve. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Besch 
 served in the German Army against Napoleon, and 
 was given a medal for l)rave and gallant services. 
 He spent his last 3'ears in America. 
 
 "jl? AWSON COOK. Among the intelligent 
 I ((§) farmers of Otoe Couiity, who are important 
 jJ'— ^Vi factors in developing and sustaining the 
 extensive and varied agricultural interests of Ne- 
 braska, no one is more worthj^ of consideration 
 than the gentleman of whom we write, and we are 
 glad to be able to present a brief sketch of his life 
 to his fellow-citizens. He is the proprietor of one 
 of the finest farms in the Missouri River Valley, it 
 being pleasantly located in Otoe Precinct, and 
 comprises 180 acres. 
 
 Mr. Cook was born in Cumberland County-, En- 
 gland, July 25, 1818. His father, likewise named 
 Lawson, was born in the same county, but his 
 father. John Cook, was a native of Belfast, Ireland, 
 tradition says of Scotch ancestrj'. He moved to 
 England after he had grown to manhood, and set- 
 tled in Cumberland Count}-. He afterward en- 
 listed in the navy, and fought on the side of the 
 British Crown in the Revolutionary War. He 
 spent his last years in the village of St. Bess, Cum- 
 berland County, dying at the advanced age of 
 eighty-five years, and he and his wife, whose 
 
 maiden name was Ann Lawson, and who was a 
 native of England, are both sleeping their last sleep 
 in the ancient churchyard of St. Bess. The father 
 of our subject spent his entire life in his native 
 county, and he married Jane White, likewise a na- 
 tive of Cumberland County. She was a daughter 
 of James White, a native of Dumfries, Scotland, 
 who, after marriage, settled in Cumberland County, 
 England, and there spent the remainder of his life. 
 Air. Cook was a shoemaker by trade, and pursued 
 his calling until his death, in 18.36. To him and 
 his good wife were born nine children, all of whom 
 grew up. James, William, Richard, Alexander 
 and our subject were the only ones who came to 
 America. James now lives in Nemaha County; 
 William, who settled in St. Louis, is dead, as is also 
 Richard, who first settled in Cleveland, and later 
 removed to Wyandotte County, Kan. Alexander 
 lives in Chicago. 
 
 Lawson Cook was reared in his native county, 
 and as his father's family was large, he was early 
 taught to make himself useful, and at the age of 
 ten years, when most boys are in school, he began 
 to be self-supporting by working in a spinning 
 factory, whereby he earned six cents a day. He 
 soon received injuries in one of his hands which 
 nearly caused him the loss of that useful member. 
 He then abandoned factor}- labor, and went to work 
 on a farm, receiving in payment from eight to 
 twelve or fifteen cents a daj', but as his usefulness 
 increased his wages were raised to £16 a year, and 
 that was the highest wages that he ever received 
 in the old country. Mr. Cook married in his na- 
 tive England, in 1842, Miss Jane Fellowfleld, who 
 was born in the same county as himself. She died 
 in Liverpool, in 1848, leaving two children: Mar- 
 garet, who lives in London, and William, who 
 lives in Hebron, Neb. In 1849, the year following 
 the death of his wife, Mr. Cook decided to try his 
 fortunes in America, hoping to get more money 
 for his work, and thus be able to build up a much 
 more comfortable home than he could hope to do 
 in the old country, under the low wages that pre- 
 vailed there. After an uneventful and tedious 
 ocean voyage, he landed in Boston on the 4th of 
 July, and found the patriotic citizens celebrating 
 our National holiday. He did not. however, tarry 
 
 =r 
 
t. 
 
 •► i r^ 
 
 ^i » ~^ ii < • 
 
 624 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 40U 
 : 
 
 to assist them, proceeding directly to New York 
 City, where he found employment in a machiue- 
 shop. He had a quick, bright mind, and being a 
 natural mechanic, it took him but a short time to 
 learn the new trade, and as he became an expert 
 he commanded good wages. In 1852 he went to 
 St. Louis, and there put in the tubes into the first 
 tubular boiler ever made west of the Mississippi 
 River. He continued to work in that city through- 
 out that season, and then returned to New York 
 City, where, with another Englishman, he took a 
 job to bore holes in the boilers of the steamer 
 "Adriatic." Mr. Cook worked at his trade in New 
 York City until 1856, and then came to the Terri- 
 tory of Nebraska, coming by rail to Alton, 111., 
 and thence by boat to St. Louis, and from there on 
 a boat to Nebraska Cit3\ it taking fourteen days to 
 perform the trip from St. Louis. He started at 
 once to seek a location, and bought a claim of land 
 on section 14, Otoe Precinct. After making his 
 claim, before settling on it, he returned to New 
 York City to ('ast his vote for Gen. Fremont, the 
 first Presidential candidate of the Republican party. 
 In the same fall he erected a frame house on his 
 claim, and when the land came into the market he 
 bought it of the Government. The next j^ear his 
 family joined him, and he resided on that place 
 until 1868, when he sold it and bought his present 
 farm. He first purchased 200 acres, and later 
 bought an additional tract of eighty acres, making 
 280 acres in all. But a part of that the river 
 freshets have taken, leaving him only 180 acres. 
 This is good bottom land, of unsurpassed fertility 
 and productiveness, and all well improved. 
 
 Mr. Cook has been three times married. His 
 second marriage, which took place in New York 
 City, was to Mrs. Agnes Harrison, her maiden 
 name being Jenkinson. She was born in England, 
 and died on the 1st of March, 1866, leaving one 
 child, Jane, who lives in Custer County, Neb. 
 Mr. Cook's third wife was formerly Fanny Smart. 
 She was born near Oxford, England, and died 
 about 1878. There were three children born of this 
 marriage — Eliza. Archibald and Harry. 
 
 Mr. Cook is gifted with a thouglitful and vigor- 
 ous mind. He is a great reader, a lover of good 
 literature, and is well posted on all ]iublic questions. 
 
 He is a strong Republican and is heartily in favor 
 of protection. He has belonged to the party from 
 its very beginning. He says that he heard Fred 
 Douglas lecture in England in 1847. He has been 
 a delegate to many of the County, Territorial and 
 State Conventions of his party. 
 
 'Ju ON. CHARLES H. COWLES. In the death 
 Ifjj of this gentleman, which occurred at his 
 !^^ home in Wyoming Precinct, April 14, 1888 
 (l^ Otoe County lost one of its most honored 
 pioneers, and one who bad distinguished himself as 
 a citizen of more than ordinary worth. A native 
 of Genesee County, N. Y., he was born May 20, 
 1818, and was the son of Harry Cowles, a patriot 
 and a soldier, who did valiant service in theWarof 
 1812. The latter, a man of high character and fine 
 capabilities, w.as also chief of navigation on the 
 brig "Niagara." under command of Capt. Elliott in 
 Perry's fleet of nine vessels which achieved the vic- 
 tory on Lake Erie, which forms no unimportant 
 event in American histor}'. 
 
 The Cowles family is of Scotch-Irish ancestry, 
 being among those persecuted people who fled from 
 Scotland into the North of Ireland on account of 
 their religious belief. The family was first repre- 
 sented in America during the Colonial times, and 
 their history has been one of which their descend- 
 ants may be proud, for among them have been the 
 most eminent men of our times. 
 
 Capt. Harry Cowles, the father of our subject, 
 after leaving the army was made a Captain of the 
 home guards in the State of Ohio, where he had 
 emigr.ated, and met his death while discharging the 
 duties of this position, being run down bj' a fright- 
 ened horse and instantly killed. Nine children, 
 eight sons and one daughter, were thus rendered 
 fatherless. Of these three are living. The daugh- 
 ter is the widow of Judge A. A. Bradford, of Pueblo, 
 Col., and the two sons are residents of Colorado. 
 The mother passed away a year after the decease of 
 her husband, and tiie children were taken into the 
 homes of relatives and friends. Charles H., with 
 the others, was trained to habits of industry, and be- 
 ing of a buoyant and persevering disposition, he 
 
 :5^K 
 
•4^ 
 
 OTOK COUNTY. 
 
 ^*^T^ 
 
 625 
 
 made friends, and w.is seldom at a loss for employ- 
 ment. He was for a time engaged in a clock fac- 
 tory in tlie AVeslern Reserve, Obio. and was a 
 resident of Trumbull County, Ohio, until a youth 
 of eighteen years. He then changed his resi<lence 
 to Jefferson County. Ind., living there from 1841 
 to 1848, and in the latter year, crossing the Missis- 
 sippi, took up his residence on Platts' Purchase in 
 Missouri, but soon afterward removed to Atchison 
 County, and put up the first house at Linden, then 
 the county seat. In the meantime he had been mar- 
 ried in Indiana, Dec. 9, 1841, to Miss Mary Martin, 
 who accompanied him on his journey westward. 
 
 Mrs. Mary (Martin) Cowles was born in Venango 
 County-, Pa., March 15, 1818, and is the daugh- 
 ter of St>lomon and Jane (Thompson) Martin, the 
 former of whom was also a native of Venango 
 County, and likewise a hero in the War of 1812. 
 After the close of that struggle he carried on farm- 
 ing for a time in the Kej'stone State, and when quite 
 well advanced in years crossed the Father of Wa- 
 ters, and spent his last days in this county, dying 
 at the advanced age of eighty-six years. He was a 
 remarkahl}' intelligent and well-informed man, pos- 
 sessing decided views, and one who commanded re- 
 spect wherever known. His wife had died in 
 Jefferson County, Ind., when fifty-three years of 
 age. Both were active members of the First Pres- 
 byterian Church, in which Mr. Martin was a Ruling 
 Elder for a period of fifteen years. Politically, he 
 was in earl}' manhood an old-line Whig, but upon 
 the abandonment of that party identified himself 
 witli the Reijublicans. The parental household in- 
 cluded seven children, three of whom are living. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Cowles began their wedded life at 
 Decatur, Ind., where they lived until the spring of 
 1842, then went to Pktte County, Mo. In the fall 
 of 1853 Mr. Coxfles made his first trip to Nebraska 
 Territory. During the summer of that year it was 
 learned that the Kickapoo, Otoe and Omaha In- 
 dians were not only willing but anxious to sell their 
 lands to the Government in order to facilit.ate trade. 
 Mr. Cowles, with others, determined to call a con- 
 vention to meet at St. Joseph the following winter 
 for the purpose of memorializing the President and 
 Congress in regard to the necessity of taking early 
 steps to treat with the Indians, organize a Terri- 
 
 tory, and open it up for settlement. Mr. Cowles 
 was chosen as one of the delegates to this conven- 
 tion, upon which occasion it was ^'Resolved, That 
 the emigrants to the Territory ought to receive the 
 same protection to property that they enjoyed in 
 the States whence they came." Considerable dis- 
 cussion followed, and ujion motion of Mr. Cowles, 
 it was agreed to report nothing on the subject. 
 One gentleman. Judge Bradford, was deputized to 
 effect a treaty with the Indians, and another, H. P. 
 Downs, appointed to escort the chiefs to Washing- 
 ton, wliere, however, the excitement in Congress 
 over the slaverj' question prevented a treat}' being 
 ratified. 
 
 Notwithstanding this state of affairs, however, 
 Mr. Cowles crossed the river and got out limber 
 for his house, a little later bringing over a stock of 
 goods, and commenced trading early in 1854, be- 
 fore the Indian title was extinct. He next pur- 
 chased what is now termed Greggsport. from a 
 Frenchman, selling afterward to Mr. John Gregg, 
 and in 1856 removed to Wyoming Precinct, where 
 he resided for a period of thirty-two years, and un- 
 til his death. 
 
 Mr. Cowles vvas not only one of the first settlers 
 of this county, but one of its most prominent men 
 both in church and State. He was at once recog- 
 nized as a man of more than ordinary ability, was 
 elected to represent Otoe County in the first as- 
 semblage of the Legislature, and subsequently made 
 a Senator. The cares of otflee, however, had no 
 charm for him, and as soon as possible he quietly 
 withdrew, declining the further honors which his 
 fellow-citizens were anxious to bestow upon him. 
 He was an earnest advocate of Republican princi- 
 ples, having been a member of the party since its 
 organization. He cast his first Presidential vote for 
 Gen. Harrison in 1840, a short time before reach- 
 ing his majority, and while a resident of Indiana. 
 Young as he w.is, he at that time developed admir- 
 able qualities as a stump speaker, and labored in 
 this manner for the General throughout Decatur 
 County. 
 
 While a member of the Nebraska Legislature 
 Mr. Cowles introduced the bill changing the name 
 of this county from Pierce to Otoe, and instituted 
 many other projects both pleasing and beneficial to 
 
 •►Jl-^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 626 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 the people. He had from his boyhood been a lover 
 of liooks and study, and to these devoted Jiis lei- 
 sure hours, so that he became one of the best 
 informed men of his time. Genial and compan- 
 ionable by nature, he was a favorite both in social 
 and business circles, and made friends wherever he 
 went. An active member of the Presbj'terian 
 Church, he officiated as Elder, and was one of its 
 chief pillars. His estimable wife is still living at 
 the old homestead. She was admirably (itted both 
 by nature and training to occupj' a position by the 
 side of such a man as her husband, looking well to 
 the ways of her household, and stimulating both 
 husband and childien to wurth3' efforts and gener- 
 ous deeds. Amiable and kind in disposition, she 
 was ever a most faithful and devoted wife and 
 mother, and although now seventj' years old, is 
 bright, cheerful and active, retaining in a remark- 
 able degree her powers of mind and bodj'. She 
 has been identified with the Presbyterian Church for 
 a period of fifty-two years. The three living chil- 
 dren of the household are: Lauriston M., who 
 resides on a farm in Jefferson County*, and mar- 
 ried Miss Mary Campbell; Charles Clayton, a sketch 
 of whom will be found elsewhere in this work, and 
 who lives on a part of the home farm, and Emma, 
 the wife of W. H. Moore, who is also represented 
 in this Album, lives in Nebraska Citv. 
 
 ^.( LBERT G. ATKINSON. We are often 
 '@VLJi reminded that "what everybody says must 
 be so," and if popularity be any key to 
 character that of our subject is of a very 
 high order. He is at the same time one of the sub- 
 stantial citizens of Belmont Precinct, and is the 
 owner of a splendid, fertile farm of 240 acres, 
 which he operates chiefly as a stock farm. 
 
 Our subject was born on the 1st of April, 1836, 
 in Faj-ette County, Pa., to James and Elizabeth 
 (Miller) Atkinson, both of whom were natives of 
 Westmoreland Count}-, Pa. The mother of our 
 subject departed this life at her home in Iowa, Oct. 
 1, 1872. His father was also born on the 1st of 
 April, but in the year 1811. and is the son of 
 Thomas Atkinson, a native of Scotland. Since the 
 
 •►Hh-^- 
 
 death of his wife Mr. Atkinson, Sr., has been a resi- 
 ident of Rock Creek Precinct, where he still re- 
 sides. 
 
 Our subject came to Belmont Precinct in 1846, 
 but after two years removed to Atchison County,- 
 Mo., and from there in the year 18.51 to Fremont 
 County, Iowa, which is almost opposite to Ne- 
 braska City, but then Nebraska City had no exis- 
 tence and nothing marked the spot except old Ft. 
 Carney and the Government barracks. Our sub- 
 ject has frequently followed the plow and oxen 
 over the place where now stand handsome business 
 blocks, and where the busy, bustling crowds are 
 hurrying to and fro in pursuit of their usual avo- 
 cations or pleasure. 
 
 Prior to the war our subject made several trips 
 to the mountains with ox-tearas loaded with grain 
 for the United States Government, and also for pri- 
 vate parties. In 1861 he enlisted in the 2d Iowa 
 Battery, that afterward gained a distinctive name 
 for especially effective service in action. In this 
 battery he served over three 3'ears. He was present 
 in the foUovving battles: Shiloh, Vicksburg, New 
 Madrid, Island No. 10, Jackson (Miss.), Champion 
 Hills, Raymond, and all the engagements around 
 Corinth. He was once slightlj' wounded, receiving 
 an injury of superficial character from a gunshot, 
 but still such as in nowise disabled him. Very few 
 members of his battery were so fortunate as he, for 
 the reason of the dangerous duty they were called 
 upon to perform, and largely because of their repu- 
 tation as accurate and rapid marksmen, most of his 
 companions were either killed or severely wounded. 
 
 In the year 1865 Mr. Atkinson settled in this 
 county, and upon the 23d of February of the same 
 year celebrated his marriage with Mary Thomp- 
 son, the daughter of Andrew and Catherine (Ben- 
 nett) Thompson, natives of Ohio. Her mother 
 is now deceased, and her father a resident of Ore- 
 gon. This union has been fruitful in the birth of 
 four children, two of whom are living, and bear 
 the names of William and Katie. John and Ed- 
 gar died at the ages of fourteen and nine respect- 
 ively. William was united in marriage with Minnie 
 Shellhorn, of Pawnee County, and lives in DuBois, 
 Pawnee Co.. Neb. 
 
 Our subject and wife are members of the Meth- 
 
 ■•►-II- 
 
>► ir^ r 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ■»» ■ ^ 
 
 629 
 
 odist Episcopal Church, and aie highlj' esteemed 
 raeuibeis of society. He is a member of the G. A. 
 R., and is attached to the post at Nebraska City. 
 Politically, he is affiliated with the Republican p.art}% 
 and is a much valued and esteemed citizen. 
 
 ^JJRANKLIN BALL. The tall and command- 
 ing figure of this gentleman has been famil- 
 iar to the people of Palmyra Precinct for 
 the past eighteen years. He is a carpenter, builder 
 and farmer combined, and the evidences of his skill 
 are discernible in a large number of business l)uild- 
 ings and mills along the western line of this counlj'. 
 He is a typical New Englander, and although past 
 tiie meridian of life, retains an astonishing amount 
 of strength and energy, the result of correct habits 
 and a clear conscience. 
 
 Mr. Ball traces his ancestry on his mother's side 
 as far back as 1 1 20. She was a Lawrence, and the 
 earliest records trace Archbishop Lawrence on his 
 way from Italy to England. Later thej' speak of 
 one of his descendants, Robert Lawrence, of Lanca- 
 shire, who was the occupant of Ashton Hall in 1191. 
 Later, and in the seventeenth generation, one of the 
 first representatives in America settled on land near 
 Dedham, Mass., dbout 1783. Farther on in the famil3- 
 historj' iSamuel Ball, of Alstead, N. H., married and 
 reared a family, and among his sons was Samuel, Jr., 
 the father of our subject, who married Miss Amelia 
 Lawrence, a lineal descendant of Archbishop Law- 
 rence, and the mother of our subject. The Ball 
 family was also of English ancestry, and its repre- 
 sentatives on this side of the water settled in New 
 England prior to the Revolutionary War. The 
 great-grandfather of our subject in that conflict 
 served as a Lieutenant Colonel in a New Hampshire 
 regiment, and }"ielded up his life fighting for his 
 adopted country on the battle-field of Saratoga 
 Springs. His son Samuel later took up the cause 
 in which his father laid down his life, was equally 
 valiant with his honored sire, and was given the 
 commission of First Lieutenant. He at one time, 
 single handed and alone, captured five English 
 soldiers, and marched them trumphantly into camp. 
 ISIrs. Amelia (Lawrence) Ball, the mother of our 
 
 subject, was the daughter of Joseph, who was the 
 son of David Lawrence, Jr. The latter was the son 
 of David- and Betsey Lawrence, who emigrated 
 from England to Massachusetts after their marriage, 
 and settled in what is now known as Norfolk Countj', 
 Conn., in the seventeenth century. Thej' took up 
 land about 1680 or 1690, and their descendants are 
 now heirs to a Large property, which, through a quib- 
 ble now of the law or some break in the direct line, 
 is about to revert to the English Crown. One of the 
 estates granted by the Crown comprised a large ex- 
 tent of land upon wliich stood the famous Lawrence 
 and Ashton Hall, from the sale of which was realized 
 $500,000,000, which vast amount of capital lies in 
 the vaults of the Bank of p]ngland, when it should 
 be distributed to the Lawrence heirs in America. 
 
 The parents of our subject were married in 
 Alstead, N. H., where the father pursued his trades 
 of mason and butcher, and also carried on farming. 
 There also was spent the remainder of their lives, 
 Samuel Ball resting from his earthly labors April 1, 
 1862, when sixtj'-five years old. The mother sur- 
 vived her husband a number of j'ears, and died at 
 the age of sevent3-eight. Their nine children were 
 named respectively: Hardin, Ransom L. and an 
 infant who were twins, the latter d}-ing; Willard. 
 Franklin, Levi, Alonzo, Amelia and Melissa. With 
 the exception of a deceased infant all grew to 
 mature 3'ears, were married, and settled in comfort- 
 able homes of their own. Of these five are now 
 living. 
 
 Franklin Ball was born in Alstead. N. H., June 
 14, 1824, and there his boyhood and youth were 
 mostly spent. He was educated in the common 
 sc-hools, and learned the trades of carpenter and 
 millwright. At the age of twenty-two years he was 
 married, in August, 1846. to Miss Susan Bullock, and 
 they became the parents of five children, of whom 
 Martha, Sarah and Joseph died when less than three 
 years old. The survivors are: Nalhin S., who is in 
 the employ of the Rock Island Railroad, and lives 
 in St. Joseph, Mo., and Rosa A., the wife of Fred 
 Eaglehoff, of Russell Township, Otoe County. The 
 latter is the mother of two children. 
 
 Mr. Ball in the fall of 1853 left New England 
 and migrated across the Mississippi to Davenport, 
 Iowa, was for a time employed in various sawmills 
 
 •^i^r^ 
 
 ?^r+-^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 630 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ^t 
 
 and gristmills, and finally entered the employ of 
 the Rock Island Railroad Company in the con- 
 struction of elevators. He put up one- of these 
 structures at each of the three towns, Downer, 
 Wilton and Fulton, and for a time was employed 
 in the Eagle Works at Ottawa, 111., fulfilling the 
 contract of putting in shafting and other machinery. 
 
 Mr. Ball also assisted in putting in the machinery 
 of the sawmill of Grinnell. Gillett & Co., of Daven- 
 port, Iowa, acting as foreman. Before coming to 
 the West he had put in two years on the machinery 
 of the Lancaster Gingham Works at Clinton, Mass. 
 Upon the outbreak of the Civil War be was living 
 on a farm in Scott County, Iowa, and although pos- 
 sessing sufficient patriotism he was not permitted to 
 enter the ranks on account of impaired health. He 
 was personally acquainted with Gov. Kirkwood and 
 Adjt. Gen. Baker.who were anxious to have him go 
 South as superintendent of a bridge gang, but on 
 account of his health he was obliged to decline. 
 
 Our subject has met with some severe losses since 
 the commencement of his business career. He had 
 taken up 240 acres of land in Scott County, Iowa, 
 but on account of the imperfect title lost it, to- 
 gether with the labor of years. Subsequently he 
 lost $3,500 by the failure of the bank of Cook & 
 Sargeant, at Davenport. He also lost heavily 
 through the failure of a milling company of that 
 same place, and after having been in receipt of a 
 fine income for a number of years was now obliged 
 to go back and commence over again as a journe}'- 
 man carpenter. 
 
 Air. Ball labored thus a period of three 3'ears in 
 Iowa, and in September, 1868, came to this State, 
 the year after its admission into the Union. He had 
 already pre-empted 160 acres of land, and located 
 his family upon it. He then repaired to the em- 
 bryo city of Lincoln, assisted in the completion of 
 the State House, fulfilled his contract for other 
 buildings, and was foreman of the carpenter force 
 employed in the erection of the Insane As3'lum. In 
 1871 he put in the woodwork of the mill of George 
 McKee, at Nursery Hill. Later he worked on the 
 Hill Elevator in Nebraska Cit3', then returned to 
 Lincoln, and was emplo\'ed in the erection of the 
 Cropsey Mill. 
 
 During the exciting period of the German whisky 
 
 riot at Davenport, Iowa, in 1855, Mr. Ball did 
 good service on the police force, having under his 
 charge sixteen men, and through his courage and 
 cool judgment was largely efficient in quelling the 
 disturbance without the loss of blood. He cast his 
 first Presidential vote for Pierce, and has been a 
 stanch supporter of Democratic principles from his 
 youth. Nineteen years of his life have been spent 
 in public service, during which time he has filled the 
 oflices of Deputy Sheriff, School Director, Road 
 Supervisor and Justice of the Peace. In all of 
 these he has acquitted himself in the most creditable 
 manner, giving satisfaction to his constituents, and 
 was re-elected to each office. 
 
 Mr. Ball was united in marriage to Miss Sarah 
 Young, Feb. 24, 1870. This ladj^ was born in Pike 
 County, 111., in 1840. Her parents died when she 
 was quite young and she was reared by strangers. 
 Of her union with our subject there have been born 
 six children, namely: Milly, Gilbert, Ellen, Frank, 
 Ransom L., and an infant unnamed (deceased). 
 The two latter were twins. 
 
 eAPT. JOHN MARTINE. who has hosts of 
 friends in Otoe Precinct, is 'the subject of a 
 verj' interesting histor}', and a man who has 
 fought his way through rnany difficulties to a 
 good position among his fellow-citizens, socially and 
 financially. He owns and operates a good farm of 
 160 acres, comprising the southwest quarter of sec- 
 tion 16. He has distinguished himself as a patriot 
 and a soldier, having ample right to his title as 
 Captain, which was obtained through his military 
 service in the Union Army. 
 
 The Martine (formerly La Martine) family is of 
 French descent, and allied to the nobility of fair 
 France. The father of our subject, Adam Martine, 
 was of French birth and ancestry, a native of Alsace, 
 which was then Lorraine; he married Miss Catherine 
 Glodney, who was born in the same Province. Thej' 
 were the parents of nine children, six of whom died 
 in infancy ; the living are: Our subject, Michael and 
 George. The parents, in the year 1835, emigrated 
 to America, settling in Philadelphia, and later went 
 
 -•►Hh 
 
•> wT^ ' 
 
 -•» 
 
 4 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 631 
 
 to Ohio; there the fatlier was prospered in his labors 
 as an agriculturist, and accumulated a fine property. 
 He rested from his earthly labors in the year 1868, 
 at the age of seventy-six years and five months. 
 The mother survived her husband a period of eight 
 years, her death taking place in 1876, when she was 
 eighty-one years old ; she, like her husband, was of 
 noble birth. Our subject's brothers, Michael and 
 George, are both residents of Coshocton County, 
 Ohio, have large families, and are in good circum- 
 stances. 
 
 C.apt. Martine was born near the city of Stras- 
 burg, in the Province of Alsace Lorraine, France, 
 Nov. 30, 1830, but when brought to America 
 was too young to have retained -an}- recollection of 
 his native place. He grew up on the farm in Ohio, 
 although he had begun his education in the city 
 schools of Philadelphia. After the removal of the 
 family to Ohio, where they were among the early 
 pioneers, young Martine was obliged to travel three 
 miles through the woods, climbing over logs three 
 or four feet in diameter, through bush and bram- 
 ble, to reach the temple of learning. Limited as his 
 opportunities were, however, he appreciated them 
 and kept his place at the head of his class. When 
 not in school his services were utilized around the 
 homestead, where he remained until his marriage, 
 Aug. 30, 1852. The lady who at that time became 
 the wife of our subject was Miss Marj^ Ann Borden- 
 karker, who was also of French birth and parentage, 
 and by whom he became the father of six children. 
 They lived upon a farm in Lyndon Township, Co- 
 shocton Co., Ohio, until the outbreak of the Civil 
 War. Before his enlistment the Captain went to 
 Corinth. Miss., to take care of a brother-in-law wlio 
 was dangerously ill, but who died before lie could 
 reach him. Immediately upon his return home, his 
 sympathies being now doubly enlisted in the cause 
 of the Union, he assisted in the organization of a 
 company made up mostly from the young men and 
 boj'S of his own neighborhood, with whom he had 
 previously drilled. This was Company C, and was 
 a part of the 80th Ohio Infantry. He went with 
 them to the front, 1iut at Corinth was taken seri- 
 ously ill, and obliged to accept his honorable dis- 
 charge. He did not by any means, however, intend 
 to give up the fight, and as soon as his health would 
 -^•-. 
 
 permit he left his sick bed and organized Company 
 K of the 1st Ohio Militia, and of which he was 
 elected Captain, receiving a five-years commission 
 from Gov. Todd, then Governor of Ohio. He par- 
 ticipated in the efforts made to capture IMorgan 
 while on his raid through Ohio, after tliat did guard 
 duty in different parts of the Stale, and the regi- 
 ment was subsequently disbanded. 
 
 After the close of the war Capt. Martine removed 
 with bis family, in September, 1865, to Brown 
 County, 111., but staid there only about two years, 
 next crossing the Mississippi and settling in Ne- 
 braska City. Here our subject was Superintendent 
 of a section of the Council Bluffs <fe St. Joseph Rail- 
 road, which was then in process of construction. 
 Later he had the supervision of a company of men 
 working in the Summit cut on theMidLand Pacific. 
 In the year 1868 he purchased the land which he 
 now owns and occupies, and thereafter gave his at- 
 tention to it. Here the wife and mother died, at the 
 age of forty years, March 8, 1875. The six chil- 
 dren of this marriage were named respectively: 
 John, Jr., George, Maria, Jacob, Maude Lena and 
 Ella. John married Miss Rosa Morgan, is farm- 
 ing in the vicinity of Syracuse, and is the father 
 of two children ; George married Miss L. Ander- 
 son, lives on a farm in Otoe Precinct, and has three 
 children — George, Lena and Joseph; Maria is the 
 wife of Benjamin Griffin, of Buffalo County, and 
 the mother of three children; Maude Lena married 
 James White, of this county, lives on a farm in 
 Russell Precinct, and is the mother of three chil- 
 dren; Ella married Otis Brown, is a resident of Otoe 
 Precinct and the mother of three children — How- 
 ard, Dessie and John; Jacob is married, and farm- 
 ing in Custer County, this State. 
 
 Capt. Martine, on the 12th of May, 1876, con- 
 tracted a second marriage, with Miss Lucy Scherrer, 
 a native of Baden, Germany, and who became the 
 mother of three children, only one of whom is liv- 
 ing, a daughter, Mary, who resides with her father 
 at home. Mrs. Lucy Martine departed this life at 
 her home in Otoe Prednct, Nov. 8, 1880, aged 
 thirtj'-seveu years. Capt. Martine, Aug. 16, 1883, 
 was married to Mrs. Elizabeth High, nee Schuster, 
 who was born in Prussia, Sept. 17, 1836, and came 
 to the United States in 1882. She is the mother of 
 
 =t*-«« 
 
632 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 one child, a daughter, Katie, who is now in school. 
 The Captain also has an adopted son, Frank Fuller, 
 now fourteen 3'ears of age, and living with them. 
 
 The principles of the Democratic party have 
 usually been the exponent of the political opinions 
 of Capt. Martine, although he refuses to be con- 
 trolled by party lines, and votes for the men whom 
 he considers best qualified for office. lie has never 
 desired official honors, and with the exception of 
 serving as School Director one term, has steadily 
 declined holding office in Nebraska. While a resi- 
 dent of Coshocton County, Ohio, he served as Jus- 
 tice of the Peace and Assessor, and was continu- 
 ously in office of some kind until entering the army. 
 He prefers now to relegate its duties and responsi- 
 bilities to other men. Both he and his excellent 
 wife are members in good standing of the Catholic 
 Church at Nebraska City. 
 
 
 \f/ OUIS DAMMA. The subject of this narra- 
 tion became a resident of this county in 
 December, 1864, and has signalized himself 
 as a hard-working and enterprising citizen. This 
 course has not been without its good results, for by 
 it he has become the owner of one of the finest 
 farms in MeWilliams Precinct. This property is 
 pleasantly located on section 31, and comprises 273 
 acres of improved land, with a set of good fa;-m 
 buildings. Mr. Damma located upon his laud in 
 the spring of 1868, with little means save his strong 
 muscle and stout heart, and from that very modest 
 beginning has arisen to an enviable position so- 
 cially and financially. 
 
 Our subject was born April 1, 1843, in Franklin 
 County, Mo., and is of German parentage. His 
 father, Henry Damma, was born in Germany, and 
 married a lady of his own nationality. After the 
 birth of four children they emigrated to the United 
 States, and soon after setting foot upon American 
 soil made their way southwest across the Missis- 
 sippi into Franklin County, INIo. Here the father 
 engaged in farming, and died of the cholera early 
 in the fifties, when about fifty-five years old. The 
 mother had preceded her husband to the silent land, 
 
 •► 
 
 r 
 
 and thus Louis when a lad ten years of age was left 
 an orphan. 
 
 After the death of his parents our subject was 
 taken into the home of his brother, William 
 Damma, who lived in Franklin County, Mo., and 
 with whom he remained until a youth of seventeen. 
 After the outbreak of the late Civil War he enlisted 
 in the 4th Missouri Infantry, Company E, under 
 command of Capt. Montwiler. doing mostly guard 
 duty, and serving a period of eighteen months. 
 Upon leaving the army he returned to his native 
 county, and soon afterward came to Nebraska. In 
 Otoe County he was married, Feb. 17, 1870, to 
 Miss Dora Reimers, a native of Germany, and who 
 came to the United States with her parents when a 
 young woman. They first settled in St. Louis, 
 thence came to this county, and afterward removed 
 to Kansas, settling on a farm in Barton County, 
 where the father, Henry Reimers, is yet living. 
 The mother, Mrs. Mary Reimers, died in the spring 
 of 1888, aged about fifty-five years. 
 
 To our subject and his excellent wife there have 
 been born six children, namely: Anna, Alvina, 
 Julius, Bertha, Amy and Louis. The eldest is sev- 
 enteen years of age and the youngest seventeen 
 months. They all continue under the home roof. 
 Mr. D. votes the straight Republican ticket, and 
 both he and his wife are members in good standing 
 of the German Evangelical Church, of Osage Pre- 
 cinct. He has never sought office, and takes very 
 little interest in political matters. His chief pride 
 is in being a first-class farmer, and in this respect 
 his career has been one of which he may be proud. 
 
 AUL MASON CAMPBELL, probably the 
 youngest man represented in this work, is 
 at present mail clerk on the main line of 
 the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, 
 being stationed between Pacific Junction and Mc- 
 Cook, and having 'his home in Nebraska City. He 
 was born Sept. 21, 1865, in Nebraska City, and is 
 the youngest son of Hon. J. C. Campbell, M. D., a 
 sketch of whom appears elseWhere in this volume. 
 Our subject at an early age gave evidence of 
 more than ordinary capabilities, being a lad fond of 
 
 ■•►Hh 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ^i^h 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 635 
 
 his books and ambitious to excel, lie was gradu- 
 ated from Nebraska College in the class of '83, tak- 
 ing special honors, and being the suliject of much 
 favorable comment at the time. He served as 
 Notar}' I'ublic in Nebraska Citj^ before reaching his 
 majority. He intends in the near future taking up 
 the stud}' of law, which he has chosen for his life 
 profession. He has set out upon a most promising 
 career, one which will be watched with interest by 
 hosts of friends. He is the scion of an excellent 
 family, the members of which have distinguished 
 themselves in many of the public walks of life with 
 credit and fidelity. In the sketch of his brotlier, 
 Ezra T. Campbell, M. D., on another page in this 
 volume, is given a more extended history of the 
 family and its antecedents, which forms a most 
 interesting record. 
 
 kEWIS LEWIS, whose portrait is given on an 
 adjoining page, is one of the earliest pioneers 
 of Nebraska, is numbered among its most 
 honored citizens, and has seen much of life in the 
 Great West. He is a man very highly esteemed by 
 the people around him, one who is a public-spirited 
 citizen, alwa3S willing to lend a helping hand in 
 the carrying out of every project tending to the 
 good of the community. His excellent partner, 
 one who has stood by him through the storms and 
 sunshine of many years, is a lad}- who has proved 
 herself in every way suitable to be the companion 
 of a good man. They have a large family of hand- 
 some and intelligent children, of whom they have 
 reason to be proud. 
 
 The property of Mr. Lewis embraces the soutli- 
 west quarter of section 4, Otoe Precinct, where he 
 has lived and labored since 1862; he first came to 
 the precinct in April, 1855. He comes of excellent 
 Pennsylvania stock, being the son of Enos and 
 Elizabeth (Pinnell) Lewis, who were natives of 
 Delaware County, that State, the father born on the 
 very farm where the English Army was centered 
 when Washington was at Tallej^ Forge. Grand- 
 father Lewis had purchased this from William Penn 
 during the first settlement of Pennsylvania. Thej^ 
 were Quakers in religion, and Enos Lewis traced 
 
 his ancestrj' back to the earlj^ Colonial days, when 
 his ]irogenitors crossed the Atlantic from England 
 and settled in Pennsylvania. 
 
 The father of our subject was a farmer by occu- 
 pation, spent his entire life in his native countj-, 
 and died there in 1833. The mother of our sub- 
 ject had been married first to a Mr. Burns, but of 
 this union there were no children. Of her marriage 
 with Enos Lewis there were born three sons ami three 
 daughters, the eldest of whom, Wa3-ne, was killed b}' 
 being thrown from a gig when one year old. The 
 next son, Henry, is a resident of Cloud County, 
 Kan, ; he married Miss Isabelle Frost, and is the 
 father of seven children, namely: Henry D,, Ida M,, 
 Ernest, Alfred B„ John W.. Edith and Wilbur. 
 Mary, Mrs. Jackson LaTier, is a resident of Tiiylor 
 County, Iowa; Esther, Mrs. John W. White, resides 
 in West Chester, Chester Co., Pa.; Elizabetli, Mrs. 
 Booze, a widow, is a resident of Philadelphia, Pa., 
 and the mother of three children — Henry. Albert 
 and Lilly. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the fifth child of 
 his parents, and was born on the old homestead, 
 the birthplace of his father, in Delaware County, Pa., 
 Sept. 20, 1831. He was but two years of age at 
 the time of his father's death, and resided with his 
 mother two years, then went to live with his aunt, 
 Mrs. Esther Garrett, of East Goshen Township, 
 Chester Co., Pa. He continued with her until 
 a lad of twelve years, but lived under the same roof 
 until sixteen. His education during those j-ears 
 was carried on principall}' three months during the 
 winter season, but later he entered Greenwood Dell 
 Academy, where he studied one year, and after- 
 ward attended L'nionville Academy for eighteen 
 months. In the meantime he worked two and a 
 half years on a farm. 
 
 In the spring of 1853 our subject set out for the 
 West, and traveled extensivel}' through Illinois, 
 Indiana and Ohio. Later he'returned to Philadel- 
 phia, Pa., but could not content himself in that re- 
 gion, and started once more for the West. In the 
 fall of 1853 he went to Jackson County, Mo., and 
 in May, 1854. started East, finally landing in Penn- 
 S3'lvania, in August. Mr. Lewis, no more satisfied 
 than he had been before, after returning home, 
 finally made one desperate effort, starting out the 
 
 ■•►-Ih 
 
♦^K-^ 
 
 636 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 third time from liis native State, and determined 
 now to sta3^ This time he toolv in Louisville, Kj'., 
 St. Louis and Independence, Mo., and remained in 
 this vicinitj- until the spring of 1854. Later, re- 
 turning East, he visited Baltimore, New York Citj^, 
 and in the latter visited the Crystal Palace. He 
 next journeyed to Philadelphia, where he suffered 
 an attack of cholera, but fortunately recovered, and 
 then went to Zauesville. Ohio. From there, a month 
 later, he pushed on westward to Iowa, this time ac- 
 comjianied by his brother Henry. They stopped and 
 worked in Kome, Henry Co., Iowa, mitil the spring 
 of 1855, when our subject started on foot for this 
 county, having for his companion Edward H. 
 Bishop. They had intended to go to California, 
 but changed their minds and stopped in Nebraska 
 City. 
 
 Our subject, who had been born witli the gift of 
 prudence and econom}', occupied himself on the 
 Otoe ferry boat, which made regular trips across the 
 Missouri. On the 11th of July, 1855, accompanied 
 by a party, he started off on the enterprise of re- 
 moving the Otoe Indians to their Blue River Res- 
 ervation, and this accomplished returned to this 
 count}'. In the fall of 1856 he took up a home- 
 stead claim, which he still owns, and has for a 
 period of thirty-two years. 
 
 The marriage of Lewis Lewis and Miss Susan 
 Wright was celebrated at the home of the bride in 
 Otoe Precinct, this county, in September, 1862. Mrs. 
 Lewis was born in 1840, and is a daughter of Michael 
 and Rosina (Atlor) Wright, who were natives of 
 Germany, and came to the United States when their 
 daughter Susan was a child four or five 3'ears of 
 age. In the family there were onl}- besides herself 
 her four older brothers — George and John, Jo- 
 seph now deceased, and Michael, also dead. They 
 lived subsequently at Nauvoo and Alton, 111., New 
 Orleans, La., and St. Louis, Mo., and .«it Nauvoo 
 Mrs. Lewis saw the destruction of the Mormon 
 Temple by fire. Her two brothers came first to 
 Nebraska, and she joined them in May, 1858. The 
 mother died in Illinois; the father served as a sol- 
 dier in the Mexican War, and subsequently visited 
 California, and has never returned. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Lewis there have been born eleven children, 
 eight of whom are living, viz: Mary E., Rosina, 
 
 Anna, Ella, Lewis, Jr., John, Henry and George. 
 Three children died in infancy. Mr. Lewis voted 
 for the State Constitution in 1866, and in politics 
 gives his support to the Democratic' party. 
 
 •-^tf* 
 
 ->^B<- 
 
 <tf«tf^ 
 
 NDERSON L. DAVIS. The live-stock in- 
 terests of Southern Nebraska constitute one 
 of its richest sources of profit, and in this 
 industry a large proportion of its enter- 
 prising and intelligent men are eng.aged. The sub- 
 ject of this sketch, whose portrait we give on a 
 preceding page, for the last few years has made of 
 this a specialty, feeding and shipping in large num- 
 bers, and to this devotes one of the finest farms in 
 Nebraska, com])rising 480 acres of valuable land, 
 including 100 acres of timber. He usually keeps 
 200 head of cattle and several hundred hogs. In 
 the city of Syracuse he superintends a fine trade in 
 farm implements, having directed a portion of his 
 capital in this important channel. He has been a 
 resident of Nebraska a period of thirty-two years, 
 having arrived here in its Territorial days, on the 
 3d of December. 1856. 
 
 Our subject first crossed the Mississippi when a 
 youth of a little over twenty years of age. He was 
 born in Trumbull County, Ohio, Sept. 26, 1836, 
 and is the son of L. A. and Mary L. Thon)pson 
 {nee Charaberlin) Davis. His paternal grandfatlier, 
 Jesse Davis, a native of New York State, was of 
 Welsh ancestry, and a farmer by occupation. He 
 served as a soldier in the War of 1812, and 
 marched with his regiment to Buffalo during the 
 destruction of that city by fire. L. A. Davis, also 
 a native of the J^mpire State, joined his father in 
 the ranks of the soldiery, being then but a youth, 
 and also saw the burning of Buffalo. The mother 
 of our subject was his second wife, he having mar- 
 ried and become the father of five children before 
 his union with Mrs. Thompson. After the death of 
 his first wife and his marriage with the latter he left 
 the Empire State with his little family, and settled 
 in Trumbull County. Ohio, wliere his death took 
 place about 1862. His wife, Mary L., had pre- 
 ceded him to the silent land some years. 
 
Hl-^^ 
 
 •>^lr 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 637 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the onl}' chikl of 
 the second marriage of his father, and continued a 
 I'esident of his native Stale until coming to Ne- 
 brasiva. He had been reared upon the farm, and 
 after crossing the Mississippi was employed at 
 farming near Nebraska Citj', this county. He left 
 the Bucke3'e State in 1850, and, accompanied by his 
 half-brother, Morris T. Thompson, proceeded by 
 rail to Iowa City, thence by stage to Council 
 Bluffs and Sidney, and from there on foot to a 
 ])oint opposite Nebraska City. The time being in 
 December, the river was filled with loose ice, and 
 they were ferried across in a skiff, the trip being a 
 perilous one. Upon arriving at his destination 
 young Davis secured a job at cutting cord wood 
 through the winter, and in the spring secured 
 employment on a farm. Soon afterward he pre- 
 empted a tract of land in this county'. This, how- 
 ever, he did not improve, but worked with his 
 brother five years. 
 
 During this period occurred the panic of 1857. 
 when a man could scarcely obtain fifteen cents for 
 a day's work — in fact there was no money to be had 
 at times — wheat was selling at thirtj' cents per 
 bushel, and corn at eight cents. Mr. Davis, finally, 
 in 1862, began freighting between Nebraska City 
 and Denver, and in the fall of that j'ear located on 
 a ranch fifteen miles west of Camden on the Blue 
 River. Here he passed two winters, then sold out 
 and resumed freighting, making four trips across 
 the plains, each time being accompanied by his 
 brother. They spent the following winter in Colo- 
 rado on the Platte River, and in the S[)ring our sub- 
 ject sold his cattle with the intention of returning to 
 Oliio, but on account of the Indians deemed it the 
 better part of prudence to remain where he was. 
 
 In the spring of 1866 Mr. Davis set out with a 
 train to Nebraska Cit3', and thence made the de- 
 sired trip to his native Stale, where he arrived on 
 the 1st of Julj', after an absence of ten 3"ears. A six- 
 months visit among his old friends satisfied bimi 
 and returning to Nebraska he commenced farming. 
 His health, however, had become greatly impaired, 
 so instead of following the plow he began dealing in 
 live stock, which business he has since followed 
 with the most satisfactory results. In 1870 he took 
 up his residence in Syiacuse, .nnd since that time 
 
 has given his principal attention to his slock opera- 
 tions and the trade in farm implements. 
 
 Mr. Davis was married quite late in life, in June, 
 1880, to Miss Meda, daughter of Henrj' and Mary 
 Phelps. Her parents were natives of Iowa, and are 
 now living in this count}'. Mrs. Davis was born in 
 Iowa, May 4, 1857, acquired a common-school edu- 
 cation, and remained with her parents until her 
 marriage, residing during that time mostly in her 
 native State. The result of her union with our 
 subject is three bright children — Mary L., Arthur 
 and Luelia. The family residence is located in the 
 nortiiern part of the city, and its furnishings and 
 surroundings arc fully in keeping with the means 
 and station of the proprietor. 
 
 A Democrat in principle, Mr. Davis is a reliable 
 supporter of his party, and has served three 3'ears 
 as County Commissioner. He is not, hovvever. in 
 the least ambitious for office, preferring to devote 
 his time to his own concerns. Socially, he belongs 
 to the Knights of Honor. He is a genuine, capable 
 business man, prompt to meet his obligations, and 
 straightforward in all his transactions. 
 
 1^^ TARR COZIER GREGORY. Among the 
 ^^^^ worth}' and honored citizens of Talmage, 
 (^/\3) one whose life is in many regards an ex- 
 ample of good to j'ounger persons, is the 
 gentleman whose life's history is here epitomized. 
 He is one of the well-known and successful men of 
 Talmage, and has been associated with its interests 
 since the first business house was erected. There 
 was at that time a demand for some competent per- 
 son to make his headquarters at that place for the 
 buj-ing and shipping of stock, there being large 
 numbers in the vicinitj-. This place our subject 
 was destined to fill. Being the first to occupy the 
 Held he has made quite a reputation throughout 
 the county and district, and is one of the most ex- 
 tensively engaged in his line of business. The dis- 
 tinction is his of having shipped the first carloads 
 of cattle and hogs sent out from this place. 
 
 Recently our subject has been buying and ship- 
 ping for LaFayette Higgins, of Auburn, in this 
 State, but not until after he had been in business 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 ■•►■ 
 
 638 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 for himself for a period of about sixteen years. For 
 the past four years he has been a resident of Tal- 
 mage, and has won for himself many friends among 
 his fellow-townsmen. As a business man his repu- 
 tation is fully sustained without the tarnish result- 
 ant from dealings of a questionable nature. 
 
 Mr. Gregory is the owner of a fine property in 
 Johnson County, and in this place has one of the 
 pleasantest homes. It is a large, roomy house, 
 planned and arranged with a view to comfort. He 
 has also a large brick business house, the upper 
 story of which is occupied by the G. A. R. hall and 
 Roberts Lodge Ko. 104. After subscriptions for a 
 large part of the expenses toward erecting a hall 
 had been made to the order, IMr. Gregory imt up his 
 building, and leased the hall to the order for ninety- 
 nine years. 
 
 Tlie connection of our subject with this State be- 
 gan in the year 1867. His first property was 160 
 acres of land in Spring Creek Precinct, which was 
 at th'e time simply raw, uncultivated prairie, but 
 under the skillful management and continued ef- 
 forts of our subject became one of the best farms 
 in the district. It is now valued at $40 per acre. 
 He was in the beginning in a thorough pioneer 
 country, for no railroads then had laid their steel 
 bands across the prairie, and there were no markets 
 as at present, nothing nearer than Nebraska City, 
 which was twenty-two miles distant. He is much 
 gratified to see the splendid progress that has been 
 made within the last decade principally, and justly 
 proud of the privilege of having a i art in helping 
 to that end. 
 
 In coming to Nebraska the subject of our sketch 
 came a comparatively poor man from DeKalb 
 County, 111. It was also the scene of his early life, 
 he having been born in Genoa, of that county, on 
 the 21st of August, 1842. His family were pio- 
 neers in Illinois and enjoyed an enviable reputa- 
 tion for those qualities that make a family respected 
 and admired in the community. Previous to mak- 
 ing their home in Illinois the parents of our sub- 
 ject had lived in New York State. 
 
 Mr. E. S. Gregory, father of Starr Cozier, was 
 born about the year 1803, at Johnstown, in the Em- 
 pire State, as were his parents before him. The 
 family has a history' in connection with that State 
 
 that reaches back almost to the early settlements. 
 He was brought up on a farm and also learned the 
 trade of shoemaker. While yet a young man, he 
 went to Maine, where he met and married his wife, 
 whose maiden name was Jane Brown. 
 
 Mrs. Gregory, the mother of our suljject, was 
 born and brought up in the Pine Tree State, in the 
 vicinity of Scarboro. After her marriage with 
 the father of our subject they began life together 
 at the bottom of the ladder, the husband plying his 
 trade for about ten jears, and then came AVest, set- 
 tling in DeKalb County, as .above mentioned. There 
 brighter days began to dawn upon them, and the 
 farm proved a perfect success, and served for their 
 homo during the remainder of life. Mr. Gregory died 
 at a very advanced age, in Januarj', 1887, be- 
 loved and i-espected by the community at large. He 
 was one of the old-time Abolitionists, and was act- 
 ive in behalf of the party, feeling and expressing 
 himself strong!}- in behalf of the cause. From the 
 history of DeKalb County, page 481, we take the 
 following, which may be of interest in this connec- 
 tion: "In 1840, his brother-in-law, Ezra Starr 
 Gregory, cast the first, and that year, the only 
 Abolition vote cast in the county, voting for 
 James G. Birney, for President. Mr. Gregory was 
 the pioneer of that grand political movement in 
 DeKalb County, and his name should be honored 
 as the first to come boldly to the front in an effort 
 to remove the dreadful stain of slavery from our 
 civilization. At the next election Mr. Gregory was 
 joined by others of DeKalb County's worthy citi- 
 zens, who wanted all men under our flag who 
 should obey the laws of the countr3% to be as free 
 as they were. These men were Jeremiah L. Brown, 
 Abner Jackman, Jutus Preston, Gideon King, John 
 Judd and Benjamin P. Brown, the brother of 
 the subject of this sketch. At the next election 
 these parties were joined by a host of others." (Bi- 
 ography of Jeremiah Libbey Brown.) 
 
 Mr. Gregory, our subject, is the first son and 
 second child of three born to his parents, who lived 
 to maturity. He had been very carefully brought 
 up by his pai-ents, and from earliest childhood 
 was taught to abhor everything that verged upon 
 the dishonest and dishonorable. He early be- 
 gan to store his mind with useful information, and 
 
h4^ 
 
 otoh: county. 
 
 f>39 4 
 
 strove liarcl to obtain an education. He is a man 
 of good taste and excellent judgment, the result of 
 a well-balanced and cultivated mind. 
 
 When about nineteen years of age, responding 
 to the patriotic zeal within Inm, the subject of our 
 sketch enlisted, becomiuga member of Company A, 
 105th Illinois Infantry, under Capt. Henry Brown, 
 This regiment formed part of the Army of the 
 Cumberland, and for seven months Mr. Gregory 
 served in the ranks and was found at the post of 
 duty; but his health never had been rugged, and 
 the exposure and hardships proved to be too much 
 for him and lie was taken sick. This resulted in 
 his being honorably discharged on account of disa- 
 bility and iiis return home. 
 
 Upon coming of age our subject started out in 
 life upon his own resources. He was always a hard 
 worker, almost nervously restless in his energies, 
 but at the same time he is thorough in whatever he 
 undertakes, and here must be assigned the cause of 
 the success that has crowned his life. At Genoa, 
 DeKalb County, he was married on the 12th of 
 January, 1865, the lady of his choice being Miss 
 Maria M. Tibbitts, a youug, educated and accom- 
 plished lady of e.xcellent parentage. She was born 
 in the Province of Quebec, Canada, on the 3d of 
 February, 1846, and is the youngest daughter of 
 William and Delila (Cunningham) Tibbitts, both of 
 whom were natives of the United States. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Gregory were married in the 
 Province of Ontario, and the father followed agri- 
 cultural pursuits. There all the children were born 
 with one exception, Ernest, who was born in Illi- 
 nois. In 1854, recrossing the line they came to the 
 United States, and located at Genoa, DeKalb Co., 
 111. There Mr. Tibbitts took land and went to work 
 to improve and cultivate the same. They were 
 reckoned among the better class of citizens, and 
 moved in the best local society of that State. His 
 death occurred in September of 1869, closing a life 
 of sixty -two years. He had been associated very 
 closely with the Republican party for many years, 
 and was active where the interests of the people 
 were concerned. His wife still survives, and has 
 reached the ripe age of seventy-four years, never- 
 theless she retains the full possession of iier facul- 
 ties and enjoys good health. She makes her home 
 
 with her daughter, Mrs. Gregory. She is a lady of in- 
 telligence and sterling religious character. Almost 
 all her life she has been identified with and deeply 
 interested in the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mrs Gregory was but a little girl when her par- 
 ents removed to DeKalb County. Both her father 
 and mother were of the now somewhat old-fashioned 
 sturdy Christian and highly moral, upright life and 
 character, and trained their daughter in accordance 
 with these ideas and principles. So far from hav- 
 ing made religion repellant to her as is sometimes 
 alleged is the result of such training, it has given 
 tone and beauty to her whole life, and made her 
 what she is to husband, family and friends. She is 
 highly esteemed in the community, and by her 
 faithful, affectionate devotion to her family, holds 
 an unassailable place in the hearts of the various 
 members of the family. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Gregory have been born three 
 bright and intelligent children: Grace E., who is 
 now the wife of George W. Gillman, one of the 
 promising young men of Otoe County, at present 
 engaged in the drug business at Talmage, and en- 
 joying an excellent reputation as a business man; 
 the younger child, Roy Starr, is an active boy of 
 six years, who is manifesting a disposition that 
 promises under such care as his parents will doubt- 
 less give him a very bright and prosperous future. 
 Frank C. died when six months old. Mrs. Gregory 
 and her daughter move in the elite circles of Talmage 
 society, and are perhaps acknowledged leaders 
 therein. Both are members of the W. C. T. U. and 
 very active workers in the temperance cause, as is 
 also our subject, who is a member of the Prohibi- 
 tion party. He is a member of the Roberts Post 
 No. 104, G. A. R., of Talmage. 
 
 (Il_^ENRY DAM.VIA. One of the most exten- 
 IfjJ) sive farms of MoWilliams Precinct, and 
 (^^' which is 700 acres in extent, is owned and 
 (^ operated by the subject of this sketch. It 
 is largely devoted to stock-raising, and pleasantly 
 located on section 16. It was but a raw prairie 
 when taken in hand by its present proprietor, who 
 settle! here in the spring of 1869, commenced the 
 
 Ht^^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 •^ 
 
>► II <•• 
 
 640 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 t 
 
 (Jevfl(j|)inent of a farm, and can now look witli sat- 
 isfaction upon the result of iiis labors, which have 
 been crowne<l with success. lie keeps good grades 
 of cattle, horses and swine, and is numbered among 
 the leading agriculturists of Otoe County. 
 
 Mr. Damma came to Southern Nebraska from 
 Franklin County. Mo., in 1861, and entered 200 
 acres of land in Osage Precinct, the larger portion 
 of which comprised all the elements of fertility. 
 He made some imi)rovenients. but after a visit to 
 the part of McWilliams Precinct where he now 
 lives, concluded the latter to he more desirable, and 
 accordingly to this transferred the scene of his 
 operations. He has made all the improvements 
 which have given to his homestead the reputation 
 of being one of the most desirable in .Southern 
 Nebraska. 
 
 A native of Prussia, our subject was born Oct. 
 4, 1833, and was the eldest but one of a large fam- 
 ily of children, the offspring of Henry and Cather- 
 ine Damma, a further account of whom will be 
 found in the sketch of Louis Damma, found on an- 
 other page of this volume. He was a little lad 
 of seven years when he emigrated with his parents 
 to the United States, and upon disembarking from 
 their long voyage across the Atlantic, their journey 
 was still further lengthened out by a tedious ride, 
 partl3' by rail and partly by horse-teams to the 
 southwest, and across the Mississippi into Franklin 
 Count}', Mo. There the father engaged in farming, 
 and both parents spent the remainder of their 
 lives. 
 
 Our subject developed into manhood in Mis- 
 souri, and was married in Gasconade County, that 
 State, to Miss Charlotte Pahde, who was of ances- 
 try similiar to his own. Mrs. Damma was born in 
 Franklin County, Mo.. Aug. 26, 1842, and is the 
 daughter of Frederick and Henrietta Pahde, who 
 were natives of Prussia and are now in Nebr.aska. 
 Mrs. D. was but a small child when her father emi- 
 grated from Prussia to Gasconade County, where 
 she grew to womanhood, receiving careful home 
 training and a common-school education. Of her 
 union with our subject there have been born ten 
 children, one of whom, Minnie, died when eighteen 
 months old. The survivors are F. Louis, L. John, 
 H. Moses, C. Henry, H. Mary, H. William, Anna 
 4* 
 
 C. Lena C. and August W. The parents are 
 members in good standing of the German Evan- 
 gelical Church, and Mr. Damma, politically, uni- 
 formly votes the Republican ticket. 
 
 ■vflACOB W. NELSON, perhaps the youngest 
 business man of note in Nebraska City, is 
 j junior partner of the firm of Nelson Bros.. 
 ,^^J^ who carry on a thriving trade in boots and 
 shoes. Tliey established in business in 1885, and 
 have advanced with a success which has been phe- 
 nomenal, and which could only be attained by the 
 closest application to business and a straightforward 
 manner of dealing with their fellow citizens. J. W. 
 is especially noticeable as being a young man of 
 excellent judgment and sound sense, with more 
 than ordinary business cap.acities. Energetic and 
 prompt to meet his obligations, he has already at- 
 tained an enviable position in business circles, while 
 he is also a favorite in society', and being of a fine 
 personal appearance, is exceedingly popular among 
 the young people of his circle. 
 
 Our subject was born on the other side of the 
 Atlantic, in the city of Stockholm. Sweden, May 
 27. 1864, and when scarcely more than an infant 
 was brought b}' his parents to the United Stiites. 
 He is the son of Nicholas P. and Marj' (Kalson) 
 Nelson, who were also natives of .Scandinavia, and 
 of excellent families. The household circle con- 
 sisted of four children, the eldest being Olie N., 
 senior member of the firm; Jacob, our subject, and 
 Emma and Eddie, who are now at home. T'he 
 father is a shoemaker by occupation, and the par- 
 ents are still living in this city. Mr. Nelson was 
 reared to manhood in Nebraska Cit}', where his 
 parents settled at once upon coming to America. 
 He was given a practical education, and trained in 
 those habits of industry and honesty which form 
 the basis of a true and upright character. He 
 makes his home with his parents, and besides his 
 interest in the store is a member of the Building 
 and Loan Association, which has now established a 
 good foothold, and promises to be of great benefit 
 to those associated with it. 
 
 Nelson Bros, carry a large and finely assorted 
 
 H^l 
 
•►Hl-^*- 
 
 -•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 1)41 
 
 stock of goods, and number their patrons among 
 the best people along tlie eastern line of the county. 
 Mr. Nelson is a stanch supporter of Republican 
 principles. Genial and companionable, he is a gen- 
 tleman of excellent principles, and one with whom 
 it is both pleasurable and profitable to converse. 
 He keeps himself well informed, not only in regard 
 to the details of his especial trade, but to all matters 
 of general interest to the intelligent citizen. 
 
 eUARLES W. PIERCE. The life record of 
 this gentleman is indissolubly linked with 
 the early history of Nebraska Citj', the first 
 settlement in Otoe County, as it was he who sur- 
 veyed and platted the city, and his name often 
 occurs in its annals in after years. In this connec- 
 tion a few items regarding its origin may not be 
 out of place. Prior to 1854 Otoe County belonged 
 exclusively to the Pawnee, Otoe and Omaha tribes 
 of Indians, although occasional itinerant traders 
 found their way to this point from .St. Louis, then 
 the great trading-post of the Northwest. As e.arly 
 as 1841, or some say not until 1844, Col. Stephen 
 W. Kearney (afterward Major General) selected 
 the present site of Nebraska City for a military 
 station on account of its admirable strategical and 
 commercial advantages, and in 1846, on the 22d of 
 April, Company G, 22d United States Dragoons, 
 under command of Capt. Allen, arrived here and 
 proceeded to establish a post, to which they gave 
 the name Ft. Kearney. A block house w.as at once 
 erected between Main and Otoe streets, on Fifth 
 street, and quarters for the officers, hospitals, etc., 
 were built. In 1848 the fort was abandoned by 
 the Government, and the property left in charge 
 of Mr. Harden, and subsequently of Col. John 
 Boulware, and in 1850, of Hiram P. Downs, who 
 retained it until the Government withdrew all 
 claims to the site upon which the fort was built in 
 the spring of 1854. The American Fur Company 
 made this one of its stations soon after the establish- 
 ment of the military post, and continued to occupy 
 it until the United States extinguished the Indian 
 title to the land. The original settlers and claim- 
 ants as squatters were Col. John Boulware, John 
 
 B. Boulware and Col. Hiram P. Downs, the Boul- 
 wares staking off a squatter's claim in the spring of 
 1853 to what afterward became the Kearney divis- 
 ion of Nebraska City, and Col. Downs claiming 
 two quarter-sections of land, 160 acres of which is 
 now included within the corporate limits of Ne- 
 braska City, as soon .as the land was abandoned by 
 the United States. 
 
 When Mr. Pierce came here on the 3d of May, 
 1854, he found these gentlemen and their families 
 the only inhabitants of the future city. Mr. Downs 
 was then living in a log building erected by the 
 soldiers in the rear of the block house, where the 
 Morton House now stands. Mr. Pierce surveyed 
 the claims referred to, and, furthermore, we are 
 told in a recent history of the county, that "in 
 April, 1854, Stephen F. Nuckolls, and in May of 
 the same year Allen A. Bradford, crossed the river 
 and made arrangements with Hiram Downs whereby 
 they became with him joint owners in the claim 
 which he had taken, and they immediately employed 
 Charles W. Pierce to survey and stake off a city, 
 the work being commenced in 1854." The first 
 permanent habitation in the city, however, and 
 indeed in the county, antedated the platting of the 
 city two years, John B. Boulware having built a 
 ferry house in 1852, on the river bank at the foot 
 of Commercial street. Charles H. Cowles erected 
 the first frame house on the town site near the cor- 
 ner of Fifth and Main streets, and the second one 
 was built by our subject on Main street between 
 Fourth and Fifth streets. The first hotel was built 
 in the fall of 1854 by Mr. Downs. The first post- 
 office, called Table Creek post-office, was established 
 at Nebraska City as early as 1854, and Mr. Pierce 
 was appointed Postmaster of Nebraska City. 
 
 Mr. Pierce is still an honored resident of the city 
 in whose foundation he played so important a part 
 thirty-four years ago. He is widely known and is 
 highl}' respected, not only as a pioneer but as a man 
 and a citizen. He is a native of New York City, 
 born in that great metropolis Feb. 21, 1828, com- 
 ing of good old New England stock. His father, 
 Wilder Pierce, was, it is thought, a native of Massa- 
 chusetts, as his father, Araasa Pierce, was born, 
 reared and married in that State. He, the grand- 
 father of our subject, moved from his native State 
 
>► i r ^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 642 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 to New York, and was one of the early pioneers of 
 Cortland Country, where he cleared a farm from 
 the wilderness and made his residence until a few 
 months before his death. He then went to Niagara 
 County, and died at the home of his son. The 
 father of our subject learned the trade of ship 
 carpenter, and in the War of \Sl'2 served in the 
 United States Navy, and was with Coramotlore 
 Lawrence when the latter was killed, and the vessel 
 and crew were captured. In 1831 Mr. Pierce went 
 on a cruise in the United States man-of-war -Hornet" 
 in quest of piratical crafts, and was lost with the 
 crew and vessel. The maiden name of his wife, the 
 mother of our subject, was Catherine Ryder. She 
 was born in the Mohawk Valley, N. Y., and spent 
 her last years in New York City, dying in 1845. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was for the most part 
 reared and educated by his paternal grandparents. 
 He attended the public schools, and at the age of 
 fifteen commenced the study of civil engineering. In 
 1849 he went to Dubuque, Iowa, and there engaged 
 with a party of surveyors who were surveying Gov- 
 ernment land in that State. In December of that 
 year he gave up his profession there and went to 
 Kanesville, now Council Bluffs, which was then a 
 hamlet of a few log buildings, and the twosucceed- 
 inc years he was engaged in superintending a ferry 
 across the Missouri River at Belleville. In the 
 spring of 1852 he went to Sidney. Iowa, but his 
 health being poor he did but little while there. He 
 remained there until May, 1854, and on the 3d of 
 that month he came to the present site of Nebraska 
 City. Charles W. Coles came with him to engage 
 in mercantile business, and was the first merchant 
 of the citj'. As before stated, Mr. Pierce had come 
 here "for the purpose of surveying and laying out 
 the cit3', and before cold weather set in he had a 
 part of the city platted, and ten or twelve families 
 were settled here by that time, and these early set- 
 tlers and about 600 Indians spent the winter here. 
 In July, 1854, the Nebraska City post-ofBce was 
 established, and Mr. Pierce was made the first Post- 
 master. But there was no regular mail carrier for 
 nearl}^ a 3-ear, and the citizens used to employ some 
 person to go to Sidnejs Iowa, fifteen miles distant, 
 for the mail once a week. In 1855 a mail carrier 
 was appointed, who brought the mail twice a week. 
 
 and soon three times a week, until the railway was 
 built on the opposite side of the river, and then 
 daily. In 1855 Mr. Pierce resigned his office and 
 was appointed inspector of survey by the Gov- 
 ernment, which position he held until August, 1857. 
 He then resumed surveying for the Government, 
 anil was a United States surveyor in Nebraska for 
 seven years. When Otoe County was organized 
 he was made County Surveyor, and was re-elected 
 to that office several times, until at the end of 
 twelve years he utterly refused to serve any longer. 
 In 1854 Mr. Pierce took the census in the northern 
 half of the Territory, and during the second session 
 of the Teriitorial Legislature he was Sergeant-at- 
 Arms of the Territorial Council. In April, 1855, 
 he was deputized bj' the Indian agent to remove 
 the Otoe Indians to their reservation. He made 
 the survej' in April, and during the summer re- 
 moved his charges to their new home. 
 
 lARNARD BRADY. Within the confines of 
 Belmont Precinct, and in the southwestern 
 part of section 24, is located the farm of 
 this gentleman, which embraces 160 acres of 
 land, and has been brought to a good state of cul- 
 tivation. One of its most attractive features is the 
 handsome and substantial residence, while a good 
 barn and all the other necessary out-buildings, with 
 fruit and shade trees, form a most attractive back- 
 ground. Mr. Bradj' has been thorough and suc- 
 cessful as an agriculturist, and is a man of good 
 business capacities. As a citizen he is esteemed as 
 one of the most valued members of his eommunit}'. 
 Our subject was born at Port George in British 
 America, Aug. 17, 1830, and is the son of Antwin 
 and Mary (Riley) Brady, who were natives of Ire- 
 land, and the former a British soldier in the War of 
 1812. Later he went to Ireland, and there the sub- 
 ject of this sketch spent a portion of his boyhood. 
 His parents died in Ireland, and Barnard then re- 
 turned to British America with relatives, and came 
 to this count}' in August of 1854, while Nebraska 
 was a Territory. He took up a claim that same 
 3'ear opposite St. Joseph in Kansas, but the border 
 war coming on he was forced to flee, and found 
 
 *► i tj j; 
 
 •^^ 
 

 
^^^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 645 
 
 refujje in Rlacoii Countj', Mo., until the troubles 
 were ovei\ 
 
 Mr. Brady in the spring of 1863 returner! to tiiis 
 county during the progress of the Civil War. but 
 In the meantime had served as a Confederate sol- 
 dier in Company' I. 4th Missouri Infantry. He 
 located permanently on his present farm in Septem- 
 ber, 1870. and is now tiie owner of one of the most 
 desirable estates in this part of tiie county. 
 
 Our subject was married, in May, 1870, to Mrs. 
 Sarah Nestor, widow of George W. Nestor, and 
 daughter of Dudley and Kerby Abbott. Mrs. 
 Brady was born Oct. J), 1843, in Missouri. Her par- 
 ents were natives of Ohio, and their household con- 
 sisted of fourteen children. Of her union with our 
 subject there have been horn five children, four of 
 whom are living, namely: Thomas H.. John D., 
 Edward W. and Andrew J. The eldest is sixteen 
 years of age and the youngest nine. Of the first 
 marriage of Mrs. Brady there had been born two 
 children, both daughters, Caroline and Martha, 
 who are living in Oregon and married. Mr. Brady, 
 politically, is a Democrat, and socially, in 1883 
 identified himself with the Masonic fraternity. 
 
 
 If, ON. FLEMING W. ROBB, ex-member of 
 i'|r)j] the Nebraska Legislature, and one of the 
 J^^ earh' pioneers of this county, first crossed 
 (^) the Missouri on the 23d of June, 1856, at 
 the old town site of Wyoming, and at once pre- 
 empted the quarter of section 3, where he has now 
 a well-developed farm, which yields in abundance 
 the products of Southern Nebraska. Subsequently 
 he added 120 acres to his first purchase, eighty acres 
 of which he has since presented to his son, Mont- 
 gomerj' Robb. He came to Nebraska with moder- 
 ate means, but has now a good property, and 
 socially, occupies a high position among the leading 
 men of his community and county. 
 
 Prior to casting his lot with the pioneers of Ne- 
 braska Territory our subject had spent his years in 
 Lycoming County, Pa., having been born near the 
 town of Muncie, that county, Aug. 31, 1815. His 
 father, William F. Robb, was a native of Carlisle, 
 that State, and of excellent Scotch-Irish stock. 
 When two years of age he removed with his father, 
 
 4« 
 
 Robert Robb, to Lycoming County, when that sec- 
 tion of country w.as peopled principally by Indians 
 and wild animals. Robert Robb settled upon a tract 
 of land where he made some impi'ovements, but 
 was finally driven off by the Indians. He finally 
 located in Muncie Township, where he spent the 
 remainder of his life, and where his death took 
 place at the home of his son William F. 
 
 The father of our subject became intimately ac- 
 quainted with the privations and hardships of life 
 in a new country, such as was Pennsylvania during 
 his boyhood and j'outh, and developed into man- 
 hood in Lycoming County. He was there married 
 in Muncie Township to Miss Marj' Shoemaker, a 
 native of Lycoming County, and of Dutch ances- 
 try. Her family had lived for a time in Berks 
 County, and were people well-to-do and highly re- 
 spected. After marriage the elder Robb and his 
 young wife located on a farm in Muncie Township, 
 where they spent the remainder of their lives, do- 
 ing good to all around them and building up for 
 themselves and their children a comfortable home- 
 stead. Their sons and daughters were given a 
 practical education and trained to habits of industry 
 and principles of honor. The father in religious 
 belief was a Presbyterian, while the mother held to 
 the doctrines of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 Our subject was the fourth son and fifth child of 
 his parents. Of the parental family only he and 
 his brother Charles W., a prominent attorney of 
 Pittsburgh, Pa., are living. Fleming W. was reared 
 to manhood in his native county, where he learned 
 the trade of a tanner, which he followed a number 
 of years in Pennsylvania. In common with the 
 young men of his time, his chief ambition was to 
 have a pleasant and comfortable home of his own, 
 and with this end in view he was married, June 23, 
 1846, to Miss Ellen W.Montgomery. This lady 
 was born in Clinton Township, L3'coming Co., Pa., 
 Feb. 28, 1826, and is the daughter of John and 
 Mary (Hammond) Montgomery, who died in their 
 native State, Pennsylvania, many years ago, the 
 mother while a 3'oung woman and the father at the 
 age of forty-eight years. Their family consisted 
 of seven children, two of whom are living; the 
 sister Elizabeth is the widow of Edward L. Lloyd, 
 of Williamsport, Pa. 
 
 '^^ 
 
t 
 
 646 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Mrs. Robb was onl^' ten years of age at the time 
 of her mother's death. She was carefully educated, 
 first in the common sciiools, and then in the Fe- 
 male Seminary at Muncie, Pa., remaining with her 
 father until her marriage. Of her union with our 
 subject there have been born five children, three of 
 whom are deceased, namely: Mary H., who died 
 when eigiiteen months old ; John, who died at the 
 age of four years, and Lizzie L. The latter was 
 reared to womanhood and became the wife of W. 
 C. Carpenter, with whom she removed to the town 
 <jf Ogden, in Utah Territory, and where she died 
 Oct. 3. l!S88, leaving one child, a daugliter, Elea- 
 nor. Two of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Robb 
 are married and living: AVashington Hammond 
 Montgomery Robb took to wife Miss Jessie Wal- 
 bridge, and is farming in Wyoming Precinct on a 
 part of the old homestead; Amelia B. married M. 
 J. Fenn, and lives at Auburn, Xemaha Co., Neb. 
 Mr. and Mrs. R. are members in good standing of 
 the Episcopal Church; they were the first members 
 here and established tiie church; Bishop Talbot 
 preached the first sermon of the Episcopal Church 
 in this township at the house of Mr. and Mrs. Robb. 
 Our subject cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. 
 Harrison in the year 1836, at Williamsport, Pa., 
 also again in 1840, and since its organization has 
 been a stanch supporter of the Republican party. 
 
 Mr. Robb has been prominent in public aflfairs 
 almost since the time of coming to this county, 
 being a man of more than ordinary intelligence and 
 well informed. In the fall of 1876 he was elected 
 by the Republicans to represent his district in the 
 Nebraska Legislature, and did good service, espe- 
 cially as a member of the Committee of Education. 
 He entertains a genuine interest in the welfare of 
 his adopted county, and has built for himself a 
 worthy record as an honest man and a good citi- 
 zen. 
 
 . , ^ , .^^^ 
 
 ZRA S. HAAVLEY. a pioneer of Nebraska of 
 
 El 859, is among the foremost of the wide- 
 awake business men of Nebraska City, to 
 whose zeal and enterprise she is so largely indebted 
 for her position as the leading metropolis of Otoe 
 
 County. He is a native of New York State, bom 
 in the town of Deposit, Delaware County. His 
 father. William Hawley, was born in Connecticut, 
 April 26, 1 789. He was reared in his native State, 
 and when a young man went to the State of New 
 York and settled in Delaware County, of which he 
 became a pioneer. He bought a tract of timber 
 land, cleared a farm, and was a resident there some 
 time, and then moved to the town of Deposit, and 
 kept a hotel tliere for a number of years. A few 
 j'^ears before his death, which occurred Aug. 29, 
 1871, he moved to Elyria, Ohio, and there passed 
 the remainder of his life. He was twice married. 
 He was united to Esther Benedict June 12, 1812. 
 She died Oct. 16. 1831. His second marriage was 
 May 30, 1832, to Elizabeth (Broade) Childs. She 
 was born in Pennsj'lvania, May 30, 1792. and died 
 Dec. 22, 1862. There were four children by the 
 first marriage. Our subject is the only child by 
 the second marriage. 
 
 Mr. Hawley was but six years old when his parents 
 moved to the village of Deposit, and there he 
 received his education in the public school, and at 
 the academy in the same town. When he was 
 eighteen years- old he entered upon his mercantile 
 career as a clerk in a general store in Deposit. In 
 1857 he started West to seek a home on the broad 
 prairies bej'ond the IMississippi, intending to settle 
 in Kansas, which was then the scene of the great 
 emigration from tlie East and South, and the battle- 
 ground of the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. 
 He traveled by rail to St Louis, and from there by 
 boat to Sibley, a few miles below Kansas City, where 
 he met an old townsman, Wheeler BrowTi. They 
 bought some cattle together and a wagon, and 
 drove to Kansas Citj^ to get a supply of provisions, 
 and then proceeded on tlieir way to Kansas. In the 
 afternoon of the third day of their journey it com- 
 menced to snow and blow, and they thus had their 
 first experience of a Kansas blizzard. At night 
 they reached a vacant shanty that had been erected 
 by Hackaday and Hull, mail-carriers. The sides 
 and roof of the building were covered wdth shakes, 
 rived by hand, and tliere being no chimney, they 
 built a fire on the ground in the middle of the 
 shanty. They then rolled themselves in their 
 blankets on the floor, .and passed the night there. 
 
 •^t:^* 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 647 
 
 The next morning, the 12th of April, they started 
 again, and had 0UI3' proceeded a mile when thej- 
 came to the locality known as Palmyra. There our 
 subject made a claim, and was soon after appointed 
 Postmaster of the town. In May be and Mr. Brown 
 went to Linn County, and made a claim there on 
 land known as the Indian trust land, and soon after, 
 when it came into the market, bought it at Govern- 
 ment price. Mr. Hawley soon sold his land, how- 
 ever, and returned to Palmyra, only to find that in 
 his absence someone had jumped his claim in that 
 place. He then went to Kansas City, and was there 
 appointed agent for the Missouri Express Company. 
 Kansas City was then a small place of about 2,500 
 inhabitants, a frontier town, without any railwaj' 
 connection with the outside world, and with little 
 promise of its present greatness. All the business 
 at that time was done on the levee. The first brick 
 building for business purposes that was built in the 
 city away from the levee was erected in 18.57, by 
 Col. Titus J. Nicaragua, for a billiard hall and 
 saloon, in the fall of 1857 the Missouri Express 
 Company sold to the United States Express Com- 
 pany, .and our subject was employed as their ageui 
 until June, 1858, when he was sent to St Joseph to 
 establisli an express line from that town to Omaha 
 for that company. He remained in charge in St. 
 Joseph until March, 1859, when he came to Nebraska 
 City to take charge of the company's office here. 
 Soon after he was appointed agent for the St Joseph 
 and Hannibal steam packet companj', and the Luck- 
 baugh stage line. A short time after he formed a 
 partnership with a Mr. Wooley, and engaged in the 
 business of receiving and forwarding freight, Ne- 
 braska City then being the headquarters of the 
 freighters, who took supplies to the different mili- 
 tary posts, mining camps and towns further west. 
 Their business assumed enormous proportions, and 
 in 1865 the (irm forwarded 250,000 bushels of corn 
 and 13,000,000 pounds of merchandise and mining 
 machinery. Corn at that time was worth $1.50 
 a bushel in Nebraska City, and $8.50 in the mount- 
 ains. In 1864 the firm, in addition to their other 
 business, concluded to try freighting, and con- 
 sequently bought a lot of cattle and started two 
 trains loaded with corn for Denver; one train 
 of twenty -four wagons, with six pairs of oxen to a 
 
 4» 
 
 wagon, and the other with twelve wagons, with four 
 mules to each wagon. In 1865 potatoes were very 
 scarce in Denver, selling at fifty cents a pound, 
 and our subject and his partner, concluding that it 
 would be a good speculation to send some to that 
 point, early in the spring of 1866 started a train 
 loaded with the tubers. Before their train arrived, 
 however, potatoes had been carried into the city 
 from other sources, and the prices had consequently 
 been greatly reduced. But the trainmaster had 
 been instructed by Mr. Hawley not to sell for less 
 than fifteen cents a pound, but to leave them with 
 a commission dealer, and the latter concluded to 
 take them at the price asked. In 1867 the Union 
 Pacific Railway had extended its lines to the North 
 Platte, and the occupation of the freighter was 
 gone from that time forth. Mr. Hawley and his 
 partner then turned their attention to mercantile 
 pursuits, and opened a general store, having com- 
 menced the sale of farm implements in 1859, and 
 they continued tiiat also. Our subject soon bought 
 his partner's interest in the business, and soon after 
 discontinued all but the sale of farm implements, 
 in which branch of business he is still engaged, 
 selling farm implements great and small, includ- 
 ing wagons and carriages, and doing an exten- 
 sive business. In 1859 he sold the first harvest- 
 ing-machine ever sold in Nebraska south of the 
 Platte River, and probably the first ever sold in the 
 State. 
 
 Mr. Hawley was married, in 1859, to Miss 
 Henrietta Sheldon, and six children have been born 
 to them, three of whom are living — Florence, Fanny 
 and Henrietta. Jay Sheldon, their only son, died 
 when thirteen years of age; Janie died in her eighth 
 j'ear, and Lizzie died in infancj'. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hawley are members of the Pres- 
 bj'terian Church, and are workers in the Sunday- 
 school. In politics Mr. Hawley is one of the leading 
 Democrats of the city, and he has always affiliated 
 with that party. He has been prominently con- 
 nected with various enterprises tending to develop 
 the city and benefit tlie surrounding country. He 
 was one of the incorporators of the Midland Rail- 
 way Company, which was the nucleus of tha various 
 railways that now enter the city. He is a member 
 and director in the Building and Loan Association, 
 
 ♦:^i 
 
4 648 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 and is President of the Board of Trade; he is also 
 President of the City Council. In 1872 he was 
 elected County Commissioner, and served three 
 years. AYhen the State was admitted to the Union 
 in 1867, Mr. Hawlej- was much interested in the 
 location of the capital, favoring and working for 
 Lincoln. In the fall of 1867 he attended the sale 
 of lots in that city, and in company witji his partner, 
 J. M. Burke, erected the second business building 
 ever built in Lincoln. 
 
 Coming to this portion of the country at an early 
 day, and seeing much of the aboriginal owners of 
 the land, becoming conversant with their manners 
 and customs, Mr. Uawley has gained a clear idea of 
 the Indian question, and can tell many interesting 
 things concerning the red man. He relates that in 
 1860, the Indian agent, Maj. Dennison, lived in 
 Nebraska City, and that the last boat that came up 
 the river in the fall of 1859 had brought him 
 $40,000 to pay to the Indians that were living on 
 the reservation at Salt Creek. In March, 1860, 
 five Indian chiefs, with about twenty-flve braves, 
 appeared in the city and complained that the mone3^ 
 had not been paid to them. The citizens called 
 upon the INIajor for an explanation. He coolly re- 
 marked that he made his report to the Government, 
 and not to citizens. The following day the Indians 
 captured Mr. Dennison, bound him with ropes, and 
 took him to the court-house, where a council was 
 held, consisting of five whites and five Indians. 
 The Major finally consented to make a statement of 
 what he had done with the money. It seems that 
 he had made man^' charges against the Indians, of 
 which the following is a sample: For a certain dep- 
 redation of the Indians they were charged $1,500. 
 One of the chiefs explained that the braves had 
 been out hunting, and being unsuccessful, on their 
 return had killed a cow belonging to a white settler, 
 and that they expected and intended to pay for it 
 whatever it might be worth, probably not more 
 than $20. And there were man}' other such charges 
 that took up the greater part of the money. The 
 Indians, however, secured some, and returned to 
 tlieir reservation. There was quite a feeling among 
 the citizens regarding the capture of the agent by 
 the Indians; some declaring whatever he might 
 have done the Indians ought not to liave molested 
 
 U-N ^ 
 
 him, while others were moved to pity by the distress 
 and sufferings endured by the Indians who had 
 depended upon the money for support during the 
 winter. 
 
 Mr. Ilawley is a gentleman of pleasing address, of 
 ripe culture, and of rare energy and stability of 
 character, traits well fitting liim for the responsi- 
 bilities of the important offices that he holds. In 
 him we have the rare example, worthy of being 
 widely followed, of a business man without stain, 
 a wealthy man without selfishness, a charitable man 
 without ostent.ation. 
 
 iyl-^ ERMAX 11. TANGEMAN, member of the 
 Ifjij firm of Tangeman & Sons, who operate the 
 f^^ well-known flouring-mill on the Nemaha 
 (^) River, in the northwest part of McWilliams 
 Precinct, has reason to be proud of this enterprise, 
 with which he became connected in the spring of 
 1882. It is one of the leading institutions of its 
 kind in the county, and is patronized by its best 
 citizenfe far and near. The property is of more 
 than ordinary interest and importance to our sub- 
 ject, the mill having been established by his father , 
 John G. Tangeman. 
 
 The present building was erected in 1884. upon 
 the site of the old mill which had been destroyed 
 by fire. It has been fitted up with all the modern 
 machinerj% including five double-run of rollers, 
 and operating bj' the patent process so much in 
 favor in this latter day. There is a 60-horse power 
 engine, driven by water, transported from the 
 wheel to the mill by a cable in an even, unobstructed 
 stream over a groove wheel nine feet in diameter. 
 The entire machiner}' moves easily and without 
 friction, and in a year's time puts out probably 
 15,000 barrels of flour, besides meal and other com- 
 modities. The firm of Tangeman & Sons are able 
 to compete with the best manufacturers of flour in 
 Southwestern Nebraska, and supplj' a considerable 
 foreign demand, their patronage extending through- 
 out this and adjoining States. A view of the mill 
 with its surroundings is sliown on the accompany- 
 ing page. 
 
 Our subject was the third child of his parents. 
 
Residence OF H enry Wieckhorst ,5ec.7. Wyoming Precinct. 
 
 '^^^mBnJ.T:: 
 
 
 "W//75: 
 
 tflHaEMAN&.50Nj 
 
 M.R. 
 
 ^»«H;;^C^^ ' ^ 
 
 
 "^W^st: 
 
 Central Roller Mills Tangeman&Sons. Sec. 21. m^Williams Precinct, Otoe Co. Neb. 
 
•4^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 651 
 
 whose family comprised six children, and was born 
 in Clayton County, Iowa, July 4, 1853. He was 
 reared and educated in his native township, and 
 was a youth of sixteen years wlien the family came 
 to Nebraska. They settled in Osage Precinct, this 
 county, and the father in 1881 established the 
 present mill business, where Herman H. acquired 
 the practical knowledge which is serving him so 
 well at the present time. Since the retirement of 
 his father he has managed the business in an ad- 
 mirable manner, and without embarrassment. 
 
 One of the most important events in the life of 
 our subject was his marriage, which occurred Dec. 
 11, 1881, the maiden of his choice being Miss 
 ]\Iary Hopp. Mrs. Tangeman is a native of Lee 
 County, Iowa, and was born in Charleston Town- 
 ship, Dec. 11, 1861. Her father, Phillip Hopp, a 
 very successful farmer, is a resident of Osage Pre- 
 cinct, where he has lived for many years. The 
 parental family included nine children. Mrs. 
 Tangeman received a fair education in the com- 
 mon schools, and remained with her parents until 
 her marriage. She is now the mother of one child, 
 a daughter, Leonora L., who was born .4pril 6, 1 887. 
 Our subject, politically, is a sound Republican, and, 
 with his excellent wife, a member of the German 
 Evangelical Church, of Osage Precinct. He has 
 never sought ofiice, but at the solicitation of the 
 people of his school district serves as Director. 
 
 fU^ ENRY W'lECKHORST. The homestead of 
 iTjl) the subject of this sketch, who is one of 
 i^^ the most prominent and well-known far- 
 1^/ mers and stock-raisers of Wyoming Pre- 
 cinct, is finely located on section 7, and embraces 
 160 acres of land, which has been brought to a 
 highly productive condition. His entire landed es- 
 tate embr.aces 480 acres, lying on three different 
 sections, all in first-class condition and provided j 
 with siiitable buildings. Mr. W. is a fine illustra- 
 tion of the self-made man, beginning in life with- 
 out other resources than his own industry. He 
 came to the Territory of Nebraska in the spring of 
 1857, and purchased 160 acres of land from the 
 Government, where he took up his residence, and 
 
 where he still lives. A view of the place is pre- 
 sented in this connection. 
 
 The neighbors of our subject were few and far 
 between at the time of his settlement in this county, 
 when there were little signs of life to be seen ex- 
 cept Indians and wild animals. Not only did he 
 come to a new portion of America, but America 
 itself was new to him, as he had but recently crossed 
 the Atlantic from Holstein, German^-, where he had 
 spent his 3-outh and early manhood, and where 
 he was born Feb. 24, 1828. Thus he had more 
 difflcidties to contend with than the native-born 
 American, having to learn a new language and 
 become familiar with the habits of a strange people. 
 Too much credit cannot be given him and others 
 of his countrymen who crossed the Mississippi under 
 like circumstances at that period. 
 
 The father of our subject was H. Wieckliorst, a 
 well-to-do farmer of pure German ancestry, who 
 spent his entire life in his native Holstein. He, 
 however, only lived to be middle-aged, dying at 
 the early age of forty-two years. He was married 
 in earl3^ manhood to Miss Eldora Harderes, who 
 survived her husband many years, and lived to the 
 age of seventy. The parental household consisted 
 of seven children, four of whom are now living. 
 Of these our subject was the third child and third 
 son of the family, and, together with his brothers 
 and sisters, received a thoroligh education in his 
 native tongue. After leaving school he went into 
 the regular army, where he spent tiie years from 
 1849 to 1852, seeing very little of warfare. In the 
 spring of 1857, after having employed himself at 
 farming with indifferent results, and not being 
 satisfied with his prospects in his native Germany, 
 he resolved to emigrate to the United States. He 
 embarked at Hamburg, and landed in New Or- 
 leans, whence he proceeded directly westward to 
 Nebraska Territory. 
 
 Our subject came to this country a single man. 
 Some years after liis arrival in Wyoming I'recinct 
 he made the acquaintance of a most estimable lady, 
 Mrs. Fredricka (Miller) Laas, to whom lie was 
 married Aug. 17, 1877. Mrs. Wieckliorst is also 
 of German birth and parentage, and was born in 
 the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg, in October, 
 1845. Her parents were Christin and Dora Miller, 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 652 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 who were also natives of German3', and are now 
 deceased. Mrs. W., like her husband, received 
 a good common-school education, and was first 
 married in Nebraska to jMr. Fred Laas, with whom 
 she came to America in the spring of 1871. Of 
 that marriage there were no children. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wieckhorst began their wedded life 
 together on the farm which they now occupy, but 
 which bears little resemblance to its original con- 
 dition. It has taken years of time and thousands 
 of dollars to develop the homestead and effect the 
 improvements which are to-day observed with ad- 
 miration by the passing traveler. Of their union 
 there have been born three sons, the eldest of 
 whom, Peter, died when four weeks old. Henry 
 P. was born July 31, 1882, and Herman, Oct. 17, 
 1886. These are bright and intelligent boys, and 
 are being well educated and carefully trained. Mr. 
 Wieckhorst, politically, is a stanch supporter of Re- 
 publican principles. He and his estimable wife 
 were reared in the doctrines of the Lutheran Church, 
 to which they still loyally adhere. 
 
 The Wieckhorst residence is one of the handsom- 
 est in Wj'oming Precinct, and with its adjacent 
 buildings occupies a gentle elevation, which com- 
 mands a fine view of the surrounding country. In 
 the rear is an apple orchard in bearing condition, 
 and there is an abundance of the smaller fruits, 
 which yield bounteously in their season. The 
 dwelling, with its surroundings, completes the ideal 
 1 icture of the country home of people blessed with 
 cultivated tastes and abundant means. 
 
 J^, NDREW J. REYNOLDS. This gentleman 
 (@/4JI is one of the much valued citizens of South 
 A Branch Precinct, where he owns a very fine 
 farm comprising 200 acres on sections 29 
 and 32. He is prominent as one of the progressive 
 and successful men in his line, and also as a tem- 
 perance worker and in religious circles. His father, 
 Thomas Reynolds, was born in Orange County. N. 
 Y.; his mother, whose maiden name was Sarah Bene- 
 dict, was born near Obed, N. Y. After their mar- 
 riage Mr. Reynolds, Sr., continued farming in his 
 native State. He took much interest in political 
 
 affairs, and was an active worker in that arena; he 
 was numbered among the Democratic party, but 
 later in life became one of the Free-Soil party. Al- 
 though frequently called upon, he never aspired to 
 or would hold office. His life closed in 1856, his 
 death occurring in Yates County, N. Y., after a 
 life of seventy-four years. He had survived his 
 wife about two years, her demise occurring in 1854, 
 she being at the time fifty-seven years of age. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject was in the Revo- 
 lutionary War, serving as a private under George 
 Washington. He was wounded several times; one 
 especially caused him considerable suffering; it was 
 in the right side, and for some reason did not heal 
 well and kept him in confinement longer than had 
 been expected; but finally it healed, and he was en- 
 abled to serve until nearly the close of the war, when 
 he was taken prisoner by the British and placed in 
 a church, and was not further noticed until almost 
 dead from starvation. He is reputed to have been 
 the largest and stoutest man in the regiment, and 
 also the best wrestler. 
 
 The family of which our subject is a member in- 
 cluded twelve children, viz: Phoebe A., Ellen, Pat- 
 tie J. (who died when twelve years of age), Joseph, 
 William, Andrew J., Angeline (deceased), Sarah, 
 Hannah, J. Brooks (who died when three years of 
 age), Daniel and Thomas Benton. Daniel enlisted 
 in the 19th New York Infantry, in 1861, and served 
 for two years. In the battle of Antietam, under 
 Gen. Banks, he was taken from the regiment and 
 made foreman of bridge builders. While busily 
 engaged they had all their clothing, tools and weap- 
 ons taken from them, but managed to effect their 
 escape; they were taken by surprise by a party of 
 Confederates. Thomas B. volunteered at the same 
 time as his brother, but being deaf was rejected. 
 Later, when men were necessary and the need press- 
 ing, he was drafted and served under Gen. Gilmore. 
 He was taken prisoner and .sent to Andersonville, 
 where he was confined seven months, and when re- 
 leased was in a semi-starved condition. Upon re- 
 turning home fever sought to effect what prison 
 had left undone, but he recovered, although his 
 constitutioti could never again be what it was prior 
 to the imprisonment. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Yates 
 
 4^ 
 
I 
 
 lt-^«- 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 653 4 
 
 County, N. Y., near the town of Middlesex, on the 
 30th of November, 1828. Until he was twent_y-one 
 years of age he made his home with his parents, 
 tjie years being filled with the engagements of 
 school and home until lie came to years of discre- 
 tion, when he became his father's assistant. In be- 
 ginning life for himself he, in 1858, concluded to 
 go West; he stopped about twelve months in Cook 
 Count}^, 111., and then went to Pike's Peak. The gold 
 fever was at its height, and he intended to get his 
 share if possible; he had crossed Missouri and was in 
 this Stale when there was a stampede from the gold 
 district back home. The reports from those re- 
 turning were such as to decide him to remain in 
 Nebraska; he staid in this county for one j^ear, and 
 then went on to the mountains, where he worked 
 for about eighteen months. He was beaten out of 
 his wages, and did not find life so agreeable as 
 might have been expected, and therefore returned 
 to South Branch, took up his present property of 
 160 acres, and settled upon it. 
 
 In the beginning of his new lK)nie Mr. Reynolds 
 found everything to do. There was nothing here 
 but the raw, uncultivated prairie, neither bouse, 
 barn, fence nor field. Settlers were very few, his 
 being the third homestead claim that was entered 
 in the count}', but with strong courage and deter- 
 mination to succeed he went to work ; speedily his 
 house was set up, barns and other farm buildings 
 erected, and one by one the various improvejnents 
 were made. About that time he purchased an ad- 
 ditional fort}' acres, and this has shared with the 
 original 160 in being brought to a well-nigh per- 
 fect condition for agricultural purposes. There are 
 few if any farms in the county presenting a better- 
 appearance, or actuallj' more productive than that 
 of our subject. ^ 
 
 On the 6th of April, 1853, in Yates County, N. 
 Y., was celebrated the marriage of ]\Iiss Eleanor M. 
 Bassett and Mr. Re}nolds. His wife is the daugh- 
 ter of David Bassett, of New York, and the reader 
 is referred to the sketch of that gentleman found in 
 this volume for items of interest connected with her 
 family. She was born in Allegany County, N. Y., 
 on the 10th of April, 1830. She is a thoroughly 
 educated and accomplished lady, and has taught 
 ^ r school for about seven terms. They have adopted 
 
 M-^t^ 
 
 two children: Leonora Hughes, who has made her 
 home in Denver, Col., and Edna Re3nolds, who 
 was born on the 7th of September, 1876. and still 
 resides with our subject and his wife. 
 
 Mr. Rej'nolds has I>een Assessor for one year; he 
 has also been on the School Board thi'ee years. lie 
 is, politically, a very strong Prohibitionist, and is 
 very active in that cause. It is not, therefore, sur- 
 prising to learn that he is an enthusiastic member 
 of the I. O. G. T., and is affiliated with the lodge at 
 Rockford. Both Mr. and Mrs. Re3'nolds are active 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
 were, perhaps, the principal instigators of the en- 
 terprise to build a church house. He deeded the 
 land for the purpose, gave largelj- himself and so- 
 licited the greater part of the mone}- required for 
 the building, and helped in many other ways. For 
 manj' years he has been one of the Class-Leaders, 
 and also Superintendent of the Sunday-school; Mrs. 
 Reynolds is a teacher in the Sundaj'-school. There 
 are very few families more esteemed or highly re- 
 spected than this, and the community is favored in 
 having one so interested, earnest and active. 
 
 EZRA T. CAMPBELL, M. D. The medical 
 profession is most worthily represented in 
 i the subject of this sketch, who has been lo- 
 cated in Nebraska City since March of 1888. He 
 is well educated and of a good family, being the 
 son of Hon. J. C. Campbell, M. D.. a sketcli of 
 whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Our sub- 
 ject was born in the city where he now resides, 
 June 24. 1864, and is consequently just entering 
 upon a career which bids fair to bring him success 
 and honor. He completed his regular course of 
 study in the High School and the Nebraska College 
 at the age of sixteen 3'ears, and soon afterward be- 
 gan teaching, which he followed two years in Otoe 
 County and one year in Nemaha County. 
 
 At an early age Dr. Campbell had resolved to 
 enter the medical profession, and after being grad- 
 uated from the college in Nebraska City in 1883, 
 in 1884 he entered the National Medical College, 
 or Medical Department of Columbia University, 
 at Washington, D. C, where he studied until 1888. 
 
 :?^r¥-^ 
 
Hl^ 
 
 654 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 Prior to this, having had rearly access to his father's 
 extensive library, he improved the opportunities to 
 inform himself, and thus became well fitted for the 
 duties which lay before him. He stood at the head 
 of his class during the whole course, and after four 
 j'ears spent in the college at Washington, was 
 graduated in the class of '88. He carried off the 
 onlj' prize in clinics. He had a fine opportunity of 
 becoming acquainted with many of the eminent 
 physicians of the day, and met many more in the 
 National Medical Congress which was held at Wash- 
 ington in June, 1887. In that city also he had 
 the good fortune to meet many prominent political 
 men, and lost no opportunity to inform himself 
 both ill regard to his profession and the stirring 
 National events which were then transpiring at the 
 capital. 
 
 While in Washington Dr. Campbell was one of 
 the attending physicians of the Woman's Dispen- 
 sary. He is a close student and extensive reader, 
 and keeps himself well posted concerning the new 
 theories which are constantly being advanced in 
 connection with the profession. He cast his first 
 Presidential vote for Cleveland, and vigorously 
 upholds the principles of his party, working actively 
 in Its support. In 1888 he was elected Vice Presi- 
 dent of the Young Men's Democratic Club of Ne- 
 braska Cit}% and did especially good service during 
 the campaign. Religiously, he is a member of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 The Campbells of Scotland have been celebrated 
 in poetry and history, and the Campbells of Ne- 
 braska trace their ancestry back to that liranch who, 
 centuries ago, ranged themselves under the standard 
 of McCallum More in the series of struggles which 
 led to the expulsion of the Stuarts from the British 
 throne. The precise date of the arrival of the first 
 Campl)ell in America is not positively known, but 
 it is believed a number of them came over in the 
 three ships "George, Ann and John of Dublin," 
 the vessels leaving Ireland May 20, 1729, and ar- 
 riving on the American coast in August following. 
 
 The Campbells then settled in Pennsylvania, and 
 were the compeers of other noted Scotch and Irish 
 families, with whom they intermarried, and per- 
 petuated the vigorous race of people which, to this 
 day, commands universal admiration on account of 
 
 both its physical and mental qualities. The Camp- 
 bells, after adopting America as their country, were 
 as eager in its defense and perpetuity as had been 
 their ancestors before them in protecting their own 
 native laud from the ravages of the invador; and 
 in the Revolutionary War they were numbered 
 among those who fought most courageousl}' in the 
 struggle for Colonial independence. After laying 
 down the implements of warfare, they entered fully 
 as vigorously into the pursuits of agriculture and 
 the learned professions — became preachers, writers, 
 doctors, lawj'ers, lecturers, statesmen, legislators, 
 congressmen — in fact, have represented all the hon- 
 orable employments for which this country has be- 
 come famous. 
 
 The history of this remarkable family it is hoped 
 will still be preserved with that careful fidelitj' 
 which has always made a record attracting the at- 
 tention of the reflective mind, and has, at the same 
 time, had associated with it the tinge of romance, 
 making it deeply attractive to the story lover. 
 
 LBERT L. YOUNG is the owner of a very 
 valuable and highly productive farm of 
 14' 200 acres on section 35, in North Branch 
 Precinct, and is one of the capable citizens 
 of the county. He was born in Onondaga County, 
 N. Y., on the 7th of March, 1852, and is the son of 
 Josiah H. and Mary (Cook) Young. The father of 
 our subject resides at Berlin. When Albert was a 
 little fellow six years of age his mother died, leav- 
 ing a place in his life that could never be filled 
 by another. 
 
 With the exception of about eighteen months ia 
 the years 1859-60, when our subject's fatlier was 
 on the Pacific Slope, during which period Albert 
 lived with his grandparents and an uncle, he had 
 remained with the familj' at home, and when, in 
 1872, his father came to Nebraska and settled on 
 section 1, Syracuse Precinct, he accompanied him, 
 and continued upon the farm as his father's helper 
 for about four years. 
 
 In 1876 Mr. Young was united in marriage with 
 Lou E. Annabel, the amiable daughter of Isaac and 
 Anna (Crichton) Annabel. This lady was born in 
 •^ 
 
 T 
 

 Residence OF John Peterson, SEc.lS.fA/offfwjRussELLPREciNCT. 
 
 J AH Luff, Sec 3 3 (^/v^/?;^/yy Russell Precinct 
 
•►Hf^^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 657 ik 
 
 Winona County-, Minn., on the 16th of June, 1859. 
 Her education was received in the district school. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Young first settled upon the property 
 where they now reside, the first purchase including 
 160 acres. This was speedily brought into shape 
 and prepared for his purpose, well improved and 
 supplied with a good residence and the needed out- 
 buildings for farming purposes and stock-raising. 
 The latter has been the chief occupation of our sub- 
 ject, and that which has enabled him to make the 
 success in life that he has. 
 
 Isaac Annabel, the father of Mrs. Young, was 
 born in Saratoga, N. Y., on the 5th of November, 
 1810, and was the son of Prince and Ruth (How- 
 land) Annabel. The family is of French extrac- 
 tion, but for several generations have been citizens 
 of New England. Mr. and Mrs. Annabel have 
 four chilcjren living, viz: Lucy Jane, Lorenzo, 
 George, and Lou E., the wife of our subject. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Young are the parents of three children — 
 Nettie Bell, Gu^' Garfield and Ralph Annabel. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Young have made many friends in 
 this district, and are much esteemed for their per- 
 sonal qualities and worth. The3' move in the best 
 local society and are always accorded a cordial 
 welcome. Our subject is thoroughlj' interested in 
 all questions of political importance, and usually 
 votes the Republican ticket, of which party he has 
 always been a firm friend and ardent admirer. 
 
 -»^\/\,«\taC£r©>}@» 
 
 i^.SKZra?r»\~-i 
 
 ^h 
 
 !? LLIAH LUFF. The reader is here intro- 
 duced to a compendious biographical sketch 
 of the largest land-owner and perhaps most 
 prominent farmer of Russell Precinct. This gen- 
 tleman operates 1 ,080 acres of land on sections 33, 
 19 and 4, and is chiefly engaged in the buying, feed- 
 ing and raising of thoroughbred and high-grade 
 stock. He is at the same time one of the early set- 
 tlers of Otoe County, and has been energetic in the 
 various enterprises and undertakings that have ad- 
 vanced its interests. 
 
 Mr. Luff is the son of William and Ann (Wallen) 
 Luff. His father was born in Somersetshire, En- 
 gland, as was also his mother. Both come of good 
 old English families, of what might perhaps there 
 
 <« 
 
 be called the upper middle classes, a distinction hap- 
 pily unknown and largely not understood in our 
 free land. His parents died respectively in the 
 years 1878 and 1880, the father being seventy, and 
 the mother seventy-two years of age. They were 
 the parents of seven children, who received the fol- 
 lowing names: Betsey, William, Joseph (deceased), 
 George, Matilda, Elijah, and Sidney (deceased). 
 
 The native place of the subject of our sketch is 
 in Somersetshire. He was born on Good Frida}' of 
 the year 1 834. Until he was twenty j-ears of age 
 he continued at home. He received no schooling 
 as a child, and has felt the jnjur3' resulting there- 
 from .all his life, and has labored hard to overcome 
 the same. 
 
 In the year 1855 Mr. Luff sailed from Bristol on 
 the good ship '-Trj'," and landed at New York City 
 after a dull and wearying journey of six weeks, ex- 
 periencing for the greater part of the time bad 
 weather, which was by no means helpful to the com- 
 fort or spirits of those who were invading Neptune's 
 realms for the first time. 
 
 In beginning life in the New World, our sub- 
 ject went to Wayne County, Ohio, and worked for 
 one summer at masonry; in the winter he found 
 employment on the railroad. In the spring of 1856 
 he went by rail to Leavenworth, Kan., thence by 
 steamer to Weston. From there he footed it to 
 St. Joseph, a distance of thirty miles, his entire 
 earthly belongings and property packed in an old 
 carpet bag that he carried upon his back in primi- 
 tive style. From St. Joseph he came to Nebraska 
 City, and spent two j'ears here, and in 1 859 he 
 went to Russell Precinct, going from there to Pike's 
 Peak, but being unsuccessful in mining gold, re- 
 turned after four months, and took up the remuner- 
 ative, though sometimes dangerous, employment of 
 freighting from Nebraska City west to Denver. He 
 continued thus engaged during the greater part of 
 the war jieriod. 
 
 On the 1st of January, 1863, our subject made a 
 change; leaving his freighting he homesteaded the 
 present farm whereon stands his residence. It was 
 then in nowise different to the prairie surrounding 
 it, and he had all the work he could do to bring it 
 to an3'thing like a right condition. He had a fine 
 l)ractical knowledge, and is naturallj' a fine business 
 
 — •►- 
 
-11^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 658 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 1 ' J 
 
 manager. From time to time as he was able lie 
 bought land, adding piece by piece until the pres- 
 ent noble estate is the result. All is in Russell 
 Precinct. He has a large herd of cattle and feeds 
 perhaps fifty more, but his chief pleasure on the 
 farm is his horses, of which he has some twenty- 
 five or thirty head, all of standard^breed, and either 
 pure blood or very high grade. He owns the well- 
 known animals Compeer and Coleus. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Luff celebrated their union in wed- 
 lock in Russell, upon the 6th of November, 1863. 
 The wife of our subject was prior to her marriage 
 Miss Charlotte Mills. Her parents, William and 
 Jane Mills, were born in -Somersetshire, England- 
 Her father was a very prosperous farmer in his na- 
 tive country, and died there in 1872, aged sixty- 
 nine, having survived his wife almost twenty years, 
 her demise occurring when she was forty-seven 
 years of age. Mrs. Luff, who is also of English 
 birth, came to this country from Bristol in the year 
 1863, and came into this State with the above-men- 
 tioned result. She is the eldest of three children; 
 her brother George is now deceased, and her sister 
 Harriet is now in Michigan. She is the mother of 
 six children, viz: George, Albert, Annie, Thomas, 
 Charles and Alice, all of whom are still with their 
 parents. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Luff iiold a very high position in 
 society, and are much esteemed, both on account of 
 the sterling qualities of their character and their 
 social position. Their family is among the best in 
 the county, and in all that means true home life 
 they are in the front rank. As a citizen, man and 
 friend, Mr. Luff is universally regarded by those 
 who know him worthy of everj' regard. His politi- 
 cal sympathies are with the Republican party, and 
 have been since he came to understand the [>olitical 
 institutions and principles of his adopted country. 
 
 eHRLSTIAN BISCHOFF', the champion stock- 
 raiser of Otoe County, owns and operates 
 400 acres of finely improved land, occupy- 
 ing a portion of sections 28 and 29 in Rock Creek 
 Precinct. As one of the self-made men of -Southern 
 Nebraska he has built up for himself agood record, 
 
 his career having been marked by great industry 
 and perseverance, and the result of which he cannot 
 fail to look upon with satisfaction. His homestead 
 is noticeable for its handsome and substantial build- 
 ings, the dwelling being roomy and convenient, and 
 the barns and outhouses finel}' adapted to the shel- 
 ter of stock and the storing of grain. His land is 
 well watered by Sand Creek, and the soil has re- 
 sponded bountifully to the labors of the agri- 
 culturist. 
 
 Mr. Bischoff ranks among the pioneer settlers of 
 Nebraska Territory, coming within its limits as earlj' 
 as the spring of 1858. He then pre-empted 160 
 acres in Rock Creek Precinct, and began the labors 
 which have been crowned with such flattering suc- 
 cess. Prior to this he had been living in the vicin- 
 ity of Mendola, 111., where he was employed as a 
 farm laborer eighteen months. To this point he 
 had migrated from Kenosha, Wis., where he settled 
 in the fall of 1854, upon his emigration to the 
 United -States. 
 
 Our subject, a native of the Grand Duchy of. 
 Baden, Germany, was born Sept. 9, 1834, and there 
 he lived until a youth of nineteen years, receiving a 
 thorough education, and upon leaving school was 
 employed at farming. He was accompanied to the 
 United States by his father. Christian Bischoff, Sr., 
 the mother having died when our subject was a 
 little lad four years of age. She in her girlhood 
 was Miss Dorthia Detrich, and died at the birth of 
 her ninth child, leaviug four sons and three daugh- 
 ters. Two children had died before the decease of 
 the mother. The survivors accompanied their 
 father to America, and the latter located in Chicago, 
 111., where his death took place three months later, 
 when he was sixty-six years old. Both parents had 
 been members of the Lutheran Church, and were 
 people of honesty and integrity, and of good stand- 
 ing in their community. 
 
 After the death of their father the children 
 worked out by the month. Christian came to Ne- 
 braska a single man, but not long afterward met his 
 fate in the person of Mrs. Elizabeth (Neolch) Fuchs, 
 to whom he was married in the spring of 1860. 
 Mrs. Bischoff. also a n.itiveof the German Empire, 
 was born in the Kingdom of Wurtemherg, May 7, 
 1832. She crossed the Atlantic with her brothers 
 
OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 659 
 
 •► 
 
 and sisters earl}' in life, and was joined later by her 
 father, John Neolch, wiio had been twice married 
 in Germany, and where both wives died. The first 
 was the mother of Mrs. B., and her maiden name 
 was Godlieber Eslinger. The father was in good 
 circumstances in Germany, and spent his last years 
 with his daughter, Mrs. Bischoff, passing away at a 
 ripe old age at the home of his daughter, Mrs. 
 Seypher, in Holt County, Mo. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Bischoff there have been born 
 eight children, three of whom, Lizzie, Christ and 
 an infant unnamed, are deceased. The survivors 
 are: Johanna, the wife of William Eden, a well-to- 
 do farmer of Rock Creek Precinct; Christian, Jr., 
 Caroline, Henr}' and Anna at home with their par- 
 ents. Mrs. B. by her first marriage is the mother of 
 two children, Joseph and John, who are now mar- 
 ried, and reside in Otoe County. Her husband, 
 Joseph Fuchs, was a native of Germany, and died 
 in Cass County. 111. Mr. and Mrs. B. are active 
 members of the Lutheran Church, and our subject, 
 politically, is a warm adherent of the Republican 
 party. 
 
 ON. J. C. CAMPBELL, M. D., the oldest 
 practicing phjsician not only of this county 
 but the State at large, is the subject of a 
 history more than ordinarily interesting. 
 He has been identified with the interests of Ne- 
 braska since its Territorial days, and figured promi- 
 nently in governmental matters, and all the various 
 enterprises tending to its development and pros- 
 perit}-. Although having nearly attained his four- 
 score years, he is remarkabl}' well preserved, mentally 
 and physically, standing among his compeers like 
 the sturdy oak, scarcely touched bj' the storms and 
 changes of three-quarters of a century. He is a 
 man of fine physique, of noble and commanding 
 presence, and Nature formed within him a heart 
 fully in keeping with his stature. He counts among 
 the people of Otoe Count}' hosts of friends, who 
 have watched a remarkable career with that admira- 
 tion well worthy of its achievements. 
 
 Dr. Campbell was born near the city of Lexing- 
 ton, in Fayette County, Ky., Dec. '12, 1812, and is 
 the only surviving member of his father's family. 
 
 -«9^ 
 
 The latter. Dr. John. P. Campbell, wasborn in Rock- 
 bridge County, Va., and married Miss Isabella Mc- 
 Dowell, a native of the same. He was finely 
 educated, having been graduated from Hampden 
 8iduej' College, and at an early period in his life 
 entered upon a successful career as a medical 
 practitioner, which, however, he abandoned later 
 on to enter the ministry of the Presbyterian Church. 
 Although a slave-holder by inheritance. Providence 
 had created him with a hatred for the peculiar in- 
 stitution, and for the purpose of freeing his slaves 
 he changed his residence from Kentucky to Ohio. 
 l\\ the former State a law required a man who freed 
 his colored people to give security for their sup- 
 port in j'ears to come, so that they should not be- 
 come a burden to the State. 
 
 The father of our subject upon his removal to 
 Ohio located in Chillicothe. He had been born and 
 reared as the son of a wealthy Kentuckian, butsuch 
 were his conscientious scruples that in hislateryears 
 he was willing to forego many of the luxuries by 
 which he had been surrounded in order to labor 
 in the Master's vineyard. tHis career, however, 
 was cut short l)y his untimely death, when he was 
 about forty- seven jears of age. 
 
 Mrs. Campbell, the mother, after the death of her 
 husband returned to Kentucky with her children, 
 and there fell to her inheritance more slaves, but 
 she, following in the footsteps of her lamented hus- 
 band, returned with them to Ohio, setting them 
 free also, and in Chillicothe lived with her children 
 for several years. Finally she returned to her na- 
 tive State, where she spent the remainder of her 
 life, passing away at the age of sixty-five years. 
 She was the motlier of six children, namely : James 
 McD.. Margaret M!, Mary U., Jane I., John Calvin 
 (our subject) and Edward H. All of these lived to 
 mature years, but as we have said, all but our sub- 
 ject are now deceased. 
 
 The earliest recollections of our subject are 
 mostly of Chillicothe. Ohio, to which he was taken 
 by his parents first when scarcely more than an in- 
 fant. He was quite young at the time of his father's 
 death, and, much to his regret, has no recollection of 
 one so closely allied to him, and who so nobly pei- 
 formed his part in life. John C. was given a good 
 education in his youth, attending both the common 
 
 -^1-^ 
 
►►Hl^ 
 
 660 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 X 
 
 and a private school, and at the age of seventeen 
 entered the Miami State University of Ohio, where 
 he took the classical course of four 3'ears, and from 
 which institution he was graduated with honors 
 about the time of reaching his majority'. 
 
 The youngest brother of our subject had crossed 
 the Mississippi, and was engaged in mercantile busi- 
 ness at Burlington. Iowa, and thither John C. now 
 repaired to join him, not even taking a vacation in 
 which to revisit his home. He had always been 
 bright and ambitious, and thoughtful beyond his 
 years, and now began in earnest the more serious 
 business of life. Soon after reaching the Hawkeye 
 State he pre-empted a quarter-section of land in 
 the vicinity of the embryo town of Burlington, and 
 then made arrangements to pursue the study of 
 medicine, under the instruction of Drs. Lowe and 
 Hickock, in whose otBce he remained a number of 
 years. He was thus prepared for entrance into the 
 medical department of Kemper College at St Louis, 
 and which is now the medical department of the 
 State University. Two years later he was graduated 
 from this institution, and returning to Iowa com- 
 menced the practice of his profession, where he re- 
 mained three or four years, and built up a good 
 patronage. 
 
 During his residence at this place Dr. Campbell 
 was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Hender- 
 son, a lady of excellent family, and own cousin to 
 the late Hon. Thomas A. Hendricks, of Indiana. 
 This lady became the mother of one child, and died 
 at Mt. Pleasant, in less than two years after her 
 marriage. The child also soon followed its mother 
 to the silent land. Upon his removal from this 
 place Dr. Campbell established an office in New 
 Purchase, now Agency City, six rgiles. from Ot- 
 tumwa, and in the spring of 1845 contracted a sec- 
 ond marriage, with Miss Martha Rogers. This lady 
 was born in Missouri, and is the daughter of Dr. 
 Rogers, who was a native of Virginia, and his wife 
 of Tennessee ; they spent their lastyearsin Missouri. 
 Of this union there were born three sons — John 
 James, Edward Hugh and William H. The two 
 elder are leading business men of Montana, engaged 
 in the drug trade; William H. is a clerk ot the 
 Morton House of Nebraska City. 
 
 In the fall of 1854 Dr. Campbell once more 
 
 changed his residence, this time choosing Nebraska 
 Citj', and of this he has since been a resident. Thus 
 a pioneer of three Territories, viz: Wisconsin. Iowa 
 and Nebraska, he has had the privilege of witness- 
 ing most remarkable changes, and during the vicis- 
 situdes of a long and useful career has been no 
 unimportant factor in their development, especially 
 of the latter. 
 
 From Agencj' City, Iowa, Dr. Campbell removed 
 to Sidney, in Fremont County, Iowa, where he be- 
 came especially interested in the establishment and 
 maintenance of schools, and was elected and re- 
 elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, dis- 
 charging the duties of this responsible office in a 
 most praiseworthy manner. As soon, however, as 
 the purchase of lands from the Otoe Indians was 
 consummated, he found his preferences greatly drawn 
 toward this section of country, and resolved to iden- 
 tify himself with the people of Nebraska Territory. 
 He was one of the very first to make settlement, 
 and as early as 1855 was elected to the Territorial 
 Legislature. The year following he declined to be 
 a candidate, desiring to give his attention more 
 closely to his profession, but in 1857 he was again 
 persuaded to take upon himself the responsibilities 
 of a Legislator. He then was given a period of 
 rest until 1861, when he was elected to the Terri- 
 torial Council. His cool and temperate judgment 
 and wise foresight were especially useful at that 
 period in the history of Nebraska, and there were 
 few enterprises in which his opinion was not sought 
 and his influence solicited in furthering the interest 
 0/ the Territory struggling to become a State. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to state that Dr. Campbell 
 was a leading meml)er of the convention called for 
 the purpose of drawing up a constitution for the 
 proposed State of Nebraska. Among his coadjutors 
 at that time were Judges Mason, Lake, M.anderson, 
 Wakeley, Woolworth; Butler, etc. The first docu- 
 ment drawn up in this connection was rejected by 
 the vote of the people, on account of the provision 
 for the taxation of church property. 
 
 Mrs. Martha Campbell departed this life at her 
 home in Nebraska City, in 1861. Our subject con- 
 tracted a third matrimonial alliance in Nebraska City 
 in the springof 1 862, witli Miss Sarah P. Childs. who 
 was born in the city of Philadelphia, P.a., in 1829. Her 
 
-•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 661 \^ 
 
 father, Capt. William Cliilfls, was commander of a 
 merchant vessel, a man of high character, remark- 
 able intelligence, of English birth and ancestry, and 
 closely allied to the Rothscliilds of London. Dur- 
 ing a mutiny on board his ship he was foully mur- 
 dered, and his remains east into the sea. He had 
 been married in Philadelphia, Pa., to Mrs. E. Brodt, 
 and their home was in Philadelphia, Broome and 
 Delaware Counties. Mrs. Campbell came to the 
 West with her half-brother, E. S. Hawley. Of 
 her marriage with our subject there were born one 
 daughter and two sons — Henrietta E., Ezra T. 
 and Paul M. Henrietta is the wife of Rev. G. 
 Sumner Baskerville. a minister of the Preshj-terian 
 Church, and at present stationed 'in Tower City, 
 Dak. ; of Ezra T., a popular and prominent physi-" 
 eian of Nebraska City, a sketch will be found else- 
 where in this work; Paul M., who has a taste for 
 the profession of law, of which he purposes soon to 
 become a student, is at present in the United States 
 Railroad Mail Service, from Piicific Junction, Iowa, 
 to McCook, Neb. Mrs. Sarah P. Campbell died at 
 the home of her daughter Henrietta E., in Dakota, 
 Aug. 11, 1888, aged sixty-two years. 
 
 The earlier years of Dr. Campbell were particu- 
 larlj- signalized by his interest in education, and 
 those acquainted with the early history of Nebraska 
 Cii,\' will recollect that in the earl^' days its public 
 school system was far ahead of any in this or adjoin- 
 ing States. He had for his associate in this good work 
 Dr. Parker, and once everj' week they visited every 
 class of this city school, not excepting those of the 
 colored pupils. Dr. Campbell for six years was a 
 working member of the School Board, and even 
 after his withdrawal did not lose the warm interest 
 which he had always felt. As auxiliary to the school 
 he has been the warm defender of religious institu- 
 tions, and an almost lifelong member of the Pres- 
 byterian Church in different places. He "assisted 
 in the organization of the churches at Burling- 
 ton, Mt. Pleasant and Sidney, Iowa, and later in 
 that of Nebraska City. One remarkable f.act in 
 connection with these was that the same minister. 
 Rev. Cole, was at different times stationed at the 
 four places. 
 
 The career of a man who has lived so long and 
 so well presents to the reflective mind a picture am- 
 
 ply worthy- its attention, and one that it is most 
 pleasant to dwell upon. Dr. Campbell has labored 
 faithfully, and learned well all through his life, im- 
 proving the opportunities for the acquirement of 
 knowledge, and for doing good to his fellowmen. 
 He has thus built up for himself a monument more 
 enduring than marble, and one on which his de- 
 scendants may look with pride in after years. 
 The hosts of friends whom he has gathered around 
 him form a source of comfort and of honor to him 
 during the years of his green old age, and trust that 
 he may for years yet be enabled to shed around 
 him that bright and healthy influence which |^has 
 been one of the m.arked features of a most remark- 
 able character. 
 
 C/i^^ HARLES BREHM occupies a position among 
 the general farmers and stock-raisers of Mc . 
 * Williams Precinct; his property and home 
 are upon section 32, the farm comprising 160 acres 
 in an excellent state of cultivation. His farm 
 buildings are complete, substantially built, and of 
 convenient arrangement. When he took up this 
 property in 1874 there was nothing to distinguish 
 this land from the virgin prairie around. 
 
 Prior to coming to Nebraska in 1873 Mr. Brehra 
 had resided in Lee County, Iowa, having from the 
 year 1 869 successfullj' operated a farm in that county, 
 settling there immediately upon coming from his 
 n.ative land. He was born in Bavaria, on the 28th 
 of July, 1804. He is the son of Carl Brehm, and 
 grew to manhood in his native place, was educated 
 in its schools, and afterward learned the trade of a 
 carpenter. 
 
 When twenty -one years of age the father of our 
 subject enlisted in the German Army and went to 
 fight under Napoleon in the French wars. He fought 
 at the battle of Leipsic. and the night of the 1st, of 
 January, 1813, while crossing the River Rhine he was 
 thrown into the stream, but rescued later by his 
 comrades. He was soon after taken sick but soon 
 recovered; this was the only occasion he could re- 
 member that he was ill. He died from old age, 
 having attained seventy-five years. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is the youngest but i f 
 
 t^* 
 
^»-^^ 
 
 662 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 two of eight children who lived to attain their ma- 
 jority. He served in the Bavarian regiment of the 
 German Army for Ave years, was in the War of 
 1866. and participated in some of the minor en- 
 gagements. Shortly after receiving his discharge 
 he came to the United States and located in Frank- 
 lin Township. Lee Co., Iowa, entered land and 
 began fanning. 
 
 In 1871 Mr. Brehni was united in marriage with 
 Jliss Christina Frank, in Lee County. This lady 
 was born in Bavaria on the 2 1st of January, 1849. 
 She came to America with her parents in 1855. and 
 lixed with them upon the farm which they took in 
 Lee County. Both are now quite aged, and are 
 residing in Franklin County of the same State. 
 Her parents were members of the German Evan- 
 gelical Church, and the wife of our subject w.as 
 brought up in that religious faith. She was edu- 
 cated in tiie Iowa schools, and is thoroughly do- 
 mesticated. She is the mother of eight children, 
 whose names are as follows: Vred, Minnie, Charles, 
 William, Phillip. Jr., Mary, Martha and Jacob. 
 
 Our subject and wife are members of the Evan- 
 gelical Church. In politics our subject is independ- 
 ent. He has made the institutions of his adopted 
 county a study, and has learned to understand and 
 appreciate them full}'. 
 
 C4l rrlLLIAM REDFIELD. The main points 
 \/\ll/ '" ^^^ history of the subject of our sketch, 
 \^^ who is now a resident of the city of Syra- 
 cuse, are as follows: He was born in LaHarpe, 
 Hancock Co., 111., Sept. 14, 1845, and is the son of 
 William and Mary (Scott) Redfield. His parents 
 were natives of Livingston County, N. Y., where 
 they were reared and married. They moved to 
 Kirtland, Ohio, where they lived until 1843, then 
 moved to Illinois and settled among the pioneers 
 of Hancock County. There the father improved a 
 farm which now lies adjacent to the flourishing 
 town of LaHarpe. Three years later, however, he 
 pulled up stakes, and crossing the Mississippi lo- 
 cated in Liberty, Mo. Not being pleased with this 
 locality he, in the fall of that same year, went to 
 
 Southwestern Iowa, settling on what is now known 
 as the old Shesher farm. The country was wild 
 and new, and Indians were plentiful. In 1848 the 
 family moved to Silver Creek, Mills County, and 
 the father improved three farms in that locality. 
 In 1856 he changed his residence to Fremont 
 County, Iowa, and opened three more farms. Then 
 going into Page County he took up a tr.act of raw 
 prairie, and there also opened up a farm, which be- 
 came valuable, and of which he retained possession 
 until his death, which occurred in 1878. while on a 
 visit to the home of his nephew in Johnson County, 
 Neb. The mother of our subject survived her lius- 
 band only three years, her death taking place at 
 Shenandoah, Iowa, in 1881. The household circle 
 included seven children, of whom six are living. 
 George Z. Redfield is a well-to-do farmer of Ne- 
 , malia County, Neb. ; Hiram and Frank ai-e in busi- 
 ness at Sheuandoah, Iowa; Tryphena is the wife 
 of D. W. Hall, of Creston, and Rebecca married 
 Sylvester Whiting, of Otter Tail County, Minn., 
 where she now lives, but when married they were 
 residents of Mills Count}', Iowa. 
 
 William Redfield remained a member of the pa- 
 rental household until Jul}', 1871. He had by the 
 exercise of great perseverance acquired a common- 
 school education, and developed into a youth of 
 more than ordinary intelligence on the frontier. Now 
 starting out for himself he made his way to Salt Lake 
 City, Utah, and took charge of a store of general 
 merchandise in the American Fork Mining District, 
 forty miles from Salt Lake. He was thus occupied 
 a period of five years, and until the camp was 
 broken up. Then returning to Shenandoah, Iowa, 
 he dealt in horses until 1876. He was variously 
 occupied thereafter until 1885, when he took up his 
 residence in Blue Springs, Gage Co.. Neb., from 
 there removed to Nebraska City, and thence to 
 Syracuse. He still owns property in Shenandoah. 
 
 Our subject while a resident of Utah made the 
 acquaintance of Miss Sarah E. Browning, and was 
 m.arried to this lady in Shenandoah, Iowa, Dec. 1, 
 1879. Mrs. Redfield was born and reared in Salt 
 Lake City, and is the daughter of James A. and .Sarah 
 (McGera) Browning, the former of whom is an ac- 
 countant and bookkeeper in Salt Lake City, in the 
 employ of one of its leading firms. The mother 
 
 ^^* 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 663 
 
 died about 1882. Of this union there have been 
 born five children, namely: Kthel. Frederiei<, Carl, 
 Cleveland and Clyde. Mr. Redfield is a stanch 
 Democrat, politically, and socially, a member of 
 the Masonic fraternit3'. He was Master of the lodge 
 at Tabor, Iowa, while attending college there. 
 
 — #>^ — 
 
 W EONARDT. SPICKNALL. This gentleman, 
 I ^ who represents the brickmaking industry in 
 /J L^ Talmage, and is in fact an enterprising and 
 prosperous manufacturer of that most necessary 
 article of building material, has in his yards all the 
 modern appliances for the turning out of an almost 
 perfect article, and manufactures over 600,000 per 
 annum. He has been connected with this branch 
 of industry at this place since 1882, and has enjoyed 
 an enviable reputation and a large and extensive 
 patronage throughout the entire surrounding dis- 
 trict, supplying the brick for all of the buildings 
 since erected in the town and neighborhood. Linked 
 with this business he has another, in every way di- 
 verse if not diametrically opposite, but is no less 
 successful on that account from a financial stand- 
 point, viz: that of a restauranteur, carrying on the 
 same in Talmage. 
 
 Previous to coming to this county in April, 
 1883, our subject had lived in Dearborn County, 
 Ind., where he was born on the 17th of December, 
 1829. His father, Leonard Spicknall, was a native 
 of Virginia, and came of one of the old and worth}' 
 Virginian families. He was a lifelong agriculturist. 
 The father of our subject was first married to 
 Amelia Roland, a Virginian lady, with whom he 
 removed to Indiana after the birth of their first 
 child. .She died at the age of twenty-nine years, 
 leaving five children. Subsequently the bereaved 
 husband, who every day felt the pressing need of 
 his little ones for some care other than his own, was 
 married to Emma Horrom, a lady who was born in 
 Vermont, but who had lived in Indiana almost all 
 her life. The family circle came to include ten 
 children, five of whom were sons, and eight of 
 whom attained to years of maturity and are yet 
 living, the subject of this sketch being the eldest. 
 The parents lived in Dearborn County until the 
 
 end of their days, which were not reached, however, 
 until the}' had both passed the allotted threescore 
 years and ten. 
 
 Our subject, on starting in life for himself, in 
 1852 went to Illinois, and passed four years in 
 Grundy County, near Morris. Returning at the 
 end of that time to his native place, he was there 
 married to Mary Whitaker, the daughter of Will- 
 iam and Hannah (Vozy) Whitaker, l)oth of whom 
 were natives of England. Their daughter Mary 
 was born in Dearborn County, in the year 1841. 
 She was reared and educated there upon her father's 
 farm, which had been brought from an unimproved 
 condition to one of the best and most fertile farms 
 in the county. She has presented her husband with 
 six children, all of whom are still at home. Their 
 names are as follows: William B., Charles O., Jean- 
 ette G., Clara L., Olive L. and Evert A. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Spicknall and three of their children 
 are devout members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, of which our subject is a Steward and also 
 Trustee, and has for many years held the office of 
 Class-Leader. He is deeply interested in the tem- 
 perance cause, and is a local Prohibitionist. In gen- 
 eral governmental questions he is numbered with 
 the Republican party. 
 
 <^l IfelLLIAM RAY, senior member of the firm 
 \^/' °^ ^^^ "^ Hicks, is engaged with his part- 
 V7\y ner in general merchandising in Dunbar, 
 and also has an interest in the City Hotel and livery 
 stable at that point, besides owning a large mercan- 
 tile house in Woodbine, Iowa. He was bom in 
 Trumbull County, Ohio, Nov. 1, 1840, and is the 
 son of George Ray, now deceased. 
 
 The father of our subject emigrated from his 
 native State of New York to Grant County in 1847, 
 settling not far from the lead mines of Galena, 111. 
 In that region William received a common-school 
 education, and in the spring of 1863 migrated 
 across the Mississippi into Fayette County, Iowa. 
 During the progress of the late Civil War he en- 
 listed in Company F, 49th Wisconsin Infantry, 
 serving one year, and doing mostly post duty. 
 Our subject upon being transformed from a sol- 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 66 + 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 dier to a civilian returned to Fayette County, 
 Iowa, where he lived until 1876. He then removed 
 to the vicinity of Atlantic, and engaged in stock-rais- 
 ing three years. In the fall of 1879 he came to Ne- 
 braska, and locating in Holt County, carried on 
 farming and stock-raising together with real-estate 
 business until 1888. He still, has a ranch in the 
 vicinity of Stuart. In September of the last-named 
 year our subject came to Dunbar, and in addition 
 to the business already noted, ships large quantities 
 of produce from this county to Omaha. He repre- 
 sents a large amount of real estate, owning besides 
 the property already mentioned 1,920 acres of land 
 in Holt and Brown Counties. His general merchan- 
 dising transactions yield him a handsome income, 
 as the firm enjoys an extensive patronage. They 
 keep a full stock of everything in their line. 
 
 Mr. Ray, on the 4th of July, 1867, was united in 
 marriage with Miss Mary A. Bastedo, who was born 
 in Wyoming County, Pa., Aug. 2. 1843. The 
 ■ parents of Mrs. Ray were George and Diadama 
 Bastedo, the former of whom died in JNIissouri 
 about 1867. To Mr. and Mrs. Ray there have been 
 born four children — George E., Paul L., Mary E. 
 and Beatrice. The eldest is twenty years of age 
 and the youngest ten. Mr. and Mrs. R.ay are mem- 
 bers of the Presbyterian Church, and our subject is 
 identified with the A. O. U. W. and the G. A. E. 
 Politically, he votes the Democratic ticket, and 
 entertains the interest felt by every intelligent citi- 
 zen in the building up of its community, and its 
 advancement socially, morally and financiall}'. The 
 mother of our subject, Mrs. Lucinda Ray, was a 
 native of Ohio and is now deceased. The parental 
 family included nine children, five of whom are 
 living and four deceased. 
 
 « J~^^^^M.<!i«fH * 
 
 APT. PATRICK RODDY, one of the most 
 public-spirited men of Nebraska City Pre- 
 cinct, and a leading land-owner, has a fine 
 farm of 160 acres on section 31, 320 acres in North 
 Branch Precinct, also 1 60 in Russell Precinct, west 
 of Unadilla. a part of which he secured as early as 
 1864. The homestead proper includes 160 acres, a 
 very fine tract, under a high state of cultivation and 
 
 ■► 11^ 
 
 supplied with good buildings. The balance is fairly 
 productive, and is devoted to general farming and 
 stock-raising. 
 
 Our subject w.as born in Count}' AVostmeath, Ire- 
 land, July 12, 1842, where he lived until a young 
 man twent}' years of age, then resolved to seek his 
 fortunes in America. He first settled in Ontario, 
 Canada, where he occupied himself at farming until 
 1803, then came to the States, and making his way 
 westward engaged on a Missouri River boat. The sec- 
 ond year he was promoted to a deck hand, and later 
 became watchman ; the third year was promoted to 
 the position of mate, and later became Captain of 
 the "Kate C. Nutt," continuing on the river until 
 1872. He was for a period of five years in the 
 meantime connected with the Hannibal & St. Joseph 
 Packet Company, and for a like period as Captain 
 was connected with the Missouri River Transfer 
 Company, of Omaha. 
 
 While in the city above mentioned our subject 
 made the acquaintance of Miss Mary Henzie, to 
 whom he was married Jan. 9, 1870. Mrs. Roddy is 
 a native of the same country as her husband, and 
 was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, March 17, 
 1848. She came alone to the United States when 
 a young woman, and lived for a time in New York 
 City. Later she migrated further west, taking up 
 her residence in Omaha, where she met her future 
 husband. Her p'irents were Daniel and Catherine 
 (Delaney) Henzie; the former is deceased, and the 
 latter resides in Queens County, Ireland. The Cap- 
 tain and his family located on their present farm 
 June 20, 1872. The household circle includes six 
 children, three sons and three daughters, namely: 
 Maggie A., John. Thomas, Mary, Kate and James 
 P. The eldest is eighteen years of age, and the 
 youngest three, and all are at home with their par- 
 ents. Mrs. Roddy and her youngest child in 1887 
 made a visit to the old home in Ireland. The Cap- 
 tain is an active Republican, sound on the tariff 
 question, and a fervent advocate of the principles 
 of his part}'. He has never been an oflSce-seeker, 
 although holding positions of trust and responsibil- 
 ity in his school district for a number of 3'ears. He 
 is a man held in high esteem among his neighbors, 
 and during the Presidential campaigns has been of 
 eminent service to his party in this district as a 
 
 r 
 
'^■£&*.~x% 
 
 Residence of Patric Roddy, Sec. 31. Nebraska City Precinct. 
 
 isig^ 
 
 Residence orW-. Kropp, Wyoming Station 
 
:ll^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 667 
 
 stump speaker, of more than orrlinar^y force, logical 
 in his nrgiiinents. and one holding the attention of 
 his audience. He has uniformly given his encour- 
 agement to the enterprises calculated to develop 
 the county, and besides his connection with various 
 other interests, is a stockholder and Director in the 
 Nebraska City Street Railway Companj'. Capt. 
 Roddy and familj' are members of the Catholic 
 Church in Nebraska City. 
 
 A fine lithographic view of the home and sur- 
 roundings of Capt. Roddy appears on an accom- 
 panying page. 
 
 -«-t^<ijf:[:^>iJ(-HH" 
 
 w »:;■ 
 
 
 >,ILLIAIM KROPP. Among the men who 
 assisted in the advancement of Wj'o- 
 Precinct as a farming communitj', 
 the subject of this sketch holds no unimportant posi- 
 tion, being one of its most prominent farmers and 
 stock-raisers. He owns a valuable tract of land 
 embracing 1,14.5 acres. 520 of which are embraced 
 in the homestead, and this latter has been brought to 
 a high state of cultivation and is provided with a 
 fine set of farm buildings, including a substintial 
 dwelling, and the barns and other structures neces- 
 sary for the proper shelter of stock and the storing 
 of grain. A view of the farm is presented in this 
 connection. 
 
 Mr. Kropp came to this county and W3'oming 
 Precinct in December of 1863, although as earlj^ 
 as the year 1 857 he had taken a claim in Mt. Pleasant 
 Precinct, Cass Countj', upon which he settled in the 
 spring of 1858. This he sold five years later in 
 order to change his residence to this county, and 
 first purchased a quarter of section 23, in Wyoming 
 Precinct. He was successful from the start, and 
 added gradually to his possessions, being now num- 
 bered among the most extensive land-owners of the 
 countj'. 
 
 A native of what was then the Kingdom of Han- 
 over, Germany, our subject was born April 25, 
 1 833, and is the descendant of an ancestrj- noted 
 for health and strength both of body and mind. 
 His father. Henry Kropp, also a native of Hanover, 
 was one of its most prosi^erous farmers, to which 
 occupation he was reared from his boyhood up. He 
 
 married there Miss Lota Twick. who was also of a. 
 good family, and a native likewise of Hanover. 
 They settled upon a farm near their childhood 
 home, and there were born to them four sons and 
 four daughters, of whom our subject was the sec- 
 ond son and third child. Four daughters and two 
 sons are yet living, and all are ra.arried. William, 
 however, is the only one who makes his home in 
 this State, the rest of the children being residents 
 of Lake County, 111. With the exception of one 
 daughter, the wife of a minister of the Albright 
 Church, they are engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
 One son, Henry by name, was drowned while at- 
 tempting to cross the Weeping Water, July 4, 
 1864. 
 
 In September of 1853 the parents of our sub- 
 ject left their horn*-, in Germany, and crossing 
 the Atlantic, with their children took up their resi- 
 dence in Lake County, 111. They are both now de- 
 ceased. William was twenty years old at the time 
 of emigrating to America. He had received a 
 good education in his native tongue, and now set 
 out on his own account, employing himself at what- 
 ever he could find to do, frequently working by the 
 day. Upon the advice of Mr. E. Crover, one of 
 the pioneers of Lake Count}', 111., he resolved to 
 push further westward, and coming to this county 
 located a piece of land and prepared to .settle. He 
 only sojourned, however, for a brief time in this 
 region, but returning to Lake County, 111., staid 
 there during the winter, and in the spring of 1858 
 secured to himself a wife and helpmate in the per- 
 son of Miss Dorothea Stoll, who, like himself, was of 
 German birth and ancestry, and born in the Grand 
 Dueh\' of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, Feb. 
 2, 1834. The parents of Mrs. Kropp were Peter and 
 Sophia (Huenemoeder) Stoll, also natives of Meck- 
 lenburg-Schwerin, and the father a farmer by occup.a- 
 tion. They also came of a hardj' race of people, 
 and the father was a farmer by occupation. They 
 were married in Germany, and after the birth of 
 three sons and four daughters, of whom Mrs. 
 Kropp was the third daughter and fourth child, the 
 whole family emigrated to America in August of 
 1854, and located at once in Lake County, 111.- A 
 few j-ears later, in 1858, they moved to Nebraska, 
 locating again upon a farm in Cass Count}', where 
 
 f^*- 
 
•►-Jf^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 668 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 the death of both parents oecurred some years ago. 
 
 Mrs. Kropp was reared and educated in lier na- 
 tive Province, and was twenty years old upon emi- 
 grating to America. She continued a member of 
 the parental household until her marriage, became 
 tlioroughly versed in all home duties, and was 
 trained to habits of industry and economy. After 
 their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Kropp started to Ne- 
 braska on their wedding tour, and soon afterward 
 took up their residence on the new farm in Cass 
 County. When they first moved upon it they im- 
 mediately built a small frame dwelling, and after 
 built a small addition, and that remained their home 
 while they lived in Cass County. They worked to- 
 gether, hand in hand, with the mutual purpose of ac- 
 quiring a competence and a home for themselves 
 and their children. That thej' succeeded admirably 
 is evident in noting their condition and surround- 
 ings to-day. 
 
 Of the family of nine children who were given 
 our subject and his estimable wife, only four are 
 living, namely: George W., who is operating the 
 first store built at the station of Wyoming, and who 
 is now Postmaster; John H., William F. and Louis, 
 who are at home with their parents. The two 
 youngest are students of the college in Nebraska 
 City. One daughter, Minnie, died at the interest- 
 ing age of twenty-seven years. Her death took 
 place April 23, 1887. She was a sweet and intelli- 
 gent young woman, and her death was a severe 
 blow to the affectionate hearts of her parents. 
 Bertie, a little daughter of nineteen months, died 
 in Cass County, Neb., in the spring of 1862. Ed- 
 ward died in October, 1876, when four years old, 
 and Ernest died at the age of seven, in June, 1886. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kropp are consistent members of the 
 German Methodist Church, and our subject, politi- 
 cally, is a sound Republican. 
 
 •► 
 
 (^^HOM AS R. WHITTAKER. Along the lines 
 ((^^ of the great railroads which stretch out into 
 *^^' every part of the fertile and growing West 
 hamlets and villages have sprung up. Many of 
 these have grown into prosperous and bus^' cities, 
 while others are but quiet and ordinary' trading 
 
 -«• 
 
 places for the neighboring farmers. Among the lat- 
 ter is Delta, a small place in McWilliams Precinct, 
 and to this place our subject, who is now Post- 
 master, came in 1882, and embarked in the mer- 
 cantile business. At that time he opened a general 
 store, and for a time conducted the only bu.siness 
 house in the place. In connection with still hand- 
 ling all the goods usually found in a country store, 
 Mr. Whittaker also deals in lumber and coal, and 
 in these lines is very extensive!}' engaged. He can 
 be justi}' classed among the solid business rnen of 
 the county, and although enjoying no schooling in 
 any particular line of mercantile life, having been 
 brought up on a farm, he has displayed no little 
 business tact and genius, and although a young man, 
 has assumed great responsibilities in the business 
 world. 
 
 The biographical writers of this volume met com- 
 paratively few men actively engaged in business 
 life who were natives of this county. Most of 
 them (tame here after they had reaped the advan- 
 tages of experience in the more serious duties of 
 life, but we find in our subject a native of Otoe 
 County, he having been born in Delaware Precinct, 
 Sept. 4, 1859. He was educated in the public 
 schools of that precinct and at the State Normal 
 School, and such knowledge as he acquired in these 
 excellent institutions was supplemented by a thor- 
 ough course in Bryant's Commercial College at St. 
 Joseph, Mo. In early life he had evinced a great 
 liking for business transactions, and we see that he 
 has enjoyed unusual success in this particular line. 
 He is straightforward and upright in ail his deal- 
 ings, enjoys in an unusual degree the confidence and 
 respect of the people throughout the community, 
 and we predict for him a bright future. 
 
 The father of our subject, Reuben AVhittaker, is 
 one of the extensive and well-to-do f.irmers of Dela- 
 ware Precinct. He was a pioneer of this section 
 of the State, having come to this region over thirty- 
 three years ago. His wife was Miss Jane Wilson, 
 to whom he was united in marriage here. She is 
 one of the leading ladies of the precinct in which 
 she i-esides, and the family are not only well known, 
 but highly respected. 
 
 Mr. Whittaker, our subject, was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Fannie Cooper, in Pottawatomie 
 
 f 
 
•► i r^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 669 
 
 i 
 
 4* 
 
 County. Kan. This lady was born in tiie latter- 
 name(i county, in 1863. Tliere she was reared, and 
 received an excellent education in the common 
 schools and at the State Normal School. She is a 
 refined and intelligent lady, and prominent in the 
 enterprises carried on by the ladies of her neighbor- 
 hood. Iler father is a well-to-do farmer of Potta- 
 watomie County. She has become the mother of 
 two children — Roy and Eugene. 
 
 Mr. Whittaker has become a leading member of 
 the communitj' where he resides, and has filled some 
 of its most responsible official positions. He has 
 served as Postmaster for four years, and is at pres- 
 ent Postmaster of Delta, by recent appointment. 
 He was also Justice of the Peace, and politicall}-, is 
 a sound Republican. 
 
 \f OHN WASHINGTON JAMES, one of the 
 most successful general farmers of Wyoming 
 Precinct, has been a resident here for a period 
 fj of twenty-two years, occupying his present 
 homestead, which is pleasantly located on sections 
 1 6 and 9, and now embraces 240 acres of thoroughly 
 cultivated land. The buildings and other improve- 
 ments are creditable to the industry and enterprise 
 of the proprietor, and the homestead with its sur- 
 roundings forms the ideal country place, where are 
 enjoyed all the comforts of life and many of its 
 luxuries. 
 
 Mr. James came to Nebraska in the spring of 
 1867, soon after it had been transformed from a 
 Territory into a State. He at once selected the 
 land from which he intended building up a home- 
 stead, and after providing a shelter for himself and 
 family, proceeded with the cultivation of the soil, 
 and endured in common with the people around 
 him the difficulties and hardships of life in a new 
 settlement. He had learned farming in all its de- 
 tails in Mercer Count}', Pa., where he was reared 
 from a boy to manhood. 
 
 Our subject w.as cradled on the other side of the 
 Atlantic, in County Donegal. Ireland, where his 
 birth took place Nov. 1, 1847. He is of excellent 
 Scotch-Irish ancestry, the latter being of those peo- 
 ple who were driven from their native Scotland to 
 
 the North of Ireland during the time of the religious 
 persecution, when so many homes were made deso- 
 late. His father, William James, was a farmer by 
 occupation, and a native of County Donegal, where 
 he died in middle life. The mother, Mrs. Margret 
 (Buchanan) James, was a native of the same county 
 ns her husband and son. After his death she and her 
 children emigrated to America, locating in Butler 
 County, and then a year later into Mercer County, 
 Pa., where they lived for a number of years, then 
 set out for the farther West. Some of the other 
 members of the family had preceded them to this 
 section, anil joining them here, the mother took up 
 her abode with her two sons, and here her death 
 took place Oct. 15, 1884, when she was seventy-two 
 years old. 
 
 Our subject was next to the 3'oungestchild of his 
 parents, whose family consisted of seven sons and 
 two daughters. He was not quite three years old 
 when he went with his mother to Pennsylvania, and 
 was reared to manhood in Mercer County, Pa. 
 There also he made the acquaintance of his future 
 wife, Miss Mary Luella Van Tine, to whom he was 
 married Feb. 24, 1 881 . This lady was born in Wyo- 
 ming Precinct, Dec. 22, 1862, and is the daughter 
 of Abraham D. and Eliza J. (Snell) Van Tine, who 
 were natives of Pennsylvania, and pioneers of Wyo- 
 ming Precinct, to which they came as early as 1857, 
 while Nebraska was a Territory, and where they 
 still live. Mrs. .Tames was reared and educated in 
 this county, and lived at home with her parents 
 until her marriage. Our subject, politically, is a 
 sound Republican, entertaining decided views, al- 
 though having no desire to hold office. 
 
 (| )|ILLIAM BISCHOF. Few sojourners in 
 \jJlj Nebraska City, taking note of its business 
 W^ interests, fail to observe the hardware es- 
 tablishment which is the outgrowth of the enter- 
 prise of the subject of this sketch. He came to this 
 place in the fall of 1867, and in partnership with 
 Anton Zimmerer purchased his stock, and they 
 conducted the business together until the spring of 
 1883. Mr. Bischof then purchased the interest of 
 his paitner, and has since operated alone. He 
 
 •►Htr^ 
 
670 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 recognized as one of the leading men of the place, 
 and has in the main been the architect of bis own 
 fortune, building up a good business from a very 
 modest beginning. 
 
 The city of Nuremberg, Bavaria, was the native 
 place of our subject, where his birth occurred March 
 14. 1835. In common with the' children of Ger- 
 many, he was placed in school at an early age, and 
 prosecuted his studies until a youth of seventeen, 
 completing them in the Polytechnic Institute at 
 Nuremberg. He had been a lad bright and thought- 
 ful beyond his years, and determined to become a 
 man among men, and secure for himself and tliose 
 who might be connected with him by the ties of 
 nature a good home and a competence. Not being 
 satisfied with his prospects upon his native soil, he 
 determined»toseeiv his fortunes on the other side of 
 the Atlantic. Accordingly, in the month of June, 
 1852, he set sail from the city of Hamburg, and 
 after a safe voyage of six weeks set foot upon 
 American soil in the city of New York. Thence he 
 proceeded southwestward to Atchison County, Mo., 
 by rail to Cincinnati, and thence via the Ohio, 
 Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, which was at that 
 time the most convenient route to that point. He 
 left the steamer at what was then called Woerlens 
 Landing, where a few settlers had collected together, 
 and at a time when the country around bore little 
 evidence of civilization. The now flourishing city 
 of St. Joseph, seventy-five miles south, was then an 
 unpretentious village, but the most important point 
 in that region, and the nearest depot for supplies. 
 Kansas and Nel)raska at that time were unorganized 
 Territories, inhabited almost entirely by Indians. 
 To this place our subject had been accompanied bj' 
 his brother, and they, securing a tract of land, be- 
 gan to till the soil. They were thus occupied a 
 period of four years, but not being satisfied with 
 the results, William laid down the implements of 
 agriculture, and repairing to Sioux Citv, Iowa, en- 
 gaged there as a clerk in an establishment of gen- 
 eral merchandise. This place also was in its first 
 stages of settlement, having only been laid out as 
 a town the year before, but had already six or eight 
 stores. 
 
 After a residence of three years in Sioux City 
 Mr. Bischof, in 1859, having with true German 
 
 thrift and economy saved what he could of his 
 earnings, concluded to become his own man and 
 start in business for himself. Gathering together 
 his personal effects he set out for the farther West, 
 with the intention of starting a ranch and trading- 
 post combined, which should furnish a place of en- 
 tertainment for freighters who traveled with teams 
 over the country, and to whom a resort of this 
 description was indispensable. 
 
 Mr. Bischof selected his location at Cottonwood 
 Springs, near McPherson, in Western Nebraska, at a 
 period when the nearest house was ninety miles 
 east, and nothing l)ut wild Indians and buffaloes 
 were to be seen perhaps for a period of days to- 
 gether. Game of all kinds was abundant, and Mr. 
 Bischof frequently stood in the door of his house, 
 which was built of cedar logs, and brought down 
 with his rifle a buffalo or deer. Elks and antelopes 
 were plentiful, and troops of Indians frequently 
 cast at the new settler and his establishment glances 
 not altogether friendly. 
 
 Mr. Bischof had transported a large stock of 
 merchandise to this point, which he traded mostly 
 to the Indians for buffalo skins and furs. A year 
 later he moved to what was called Fremont's 
 Slough, twenty-five miles further west, and remained 
 there six 3'ears. At the expiration of this time, 
 having a generous supply of solid capital, he decided 
 to invest it within the bounds of civilization, and 
 accordingly' changed his residence to Nebraska Citj', 
 where he has since lived. Many a man having had 
 his experience, cut off as he was from intercourse 
 with the more cultivated part of his fellowmen, 
 would have deteriorated mentally, but Mr. Bischof 
 through it all maintained his love of reading, and by 
 the best means at hand kept himself posted upon 
 the current events. Mail facilities during his resi- 
 dence on the frontier were necessarilj- uncertain, 
 but occasionally he would secure a book, paper or 
 periodical, and of these it is hardly necessary to say 
 he made the best use. Upon coming to Nebraska 
 City he had no difficult}' in being admitted to the 
 intelligent circle of men here, where he has done 
 good service in the encouragement of the institu- 
 tions and enterprises calculated to build up the 
 community socially and financiall}'. He has been 
 President of the Board of Education, and a mem- 
 
 •► 1 1 < ■■ 
 
 r- 
 
 *t 
 
t 
 
 »► II <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 671 f 
 
 <• 
 
 ber of the Cit3' Council, was President of the Board 
 of Trade two j'ears, and is now Vice President of 
 the Merchants' National Bank. He cast his first 
 Presidential vote for John C. Fremont, and has 
 since continued an earnest supporter of Repub- 
 lican principles. Socially, he belongs to the I. O. 
 O. F., being a member of Frontier Lodge No. 3, in 
 Nebraska City. 
 
 Our subject while living on the ranch was mar- 
 ried in Nebraska Citj', Dec. 28, 1865, to Miss Kiny 
 Zimmcrer, a sister of his former partner, A. Zim- 
 merer, and they became the parents of seven chil- 
 dren, namely: AVilliam, Lulu, Otto, Eta, Arthur, 
 Olga and Lillie. All of these are living and reside 
 at Nebraska City, except William, who is at Seward, 
 Nel). The mother of these children departed this 
 life at her home in Nebraska City, in the summer 
 of 1884. In the sketch of A. Zim merer, found on 
 another page in this volume, will be noted further 
 mention of this family. 
 
 On the 7th of August, 1886, Mr. Bischof con- 
 tracted a second marriage, with Miss Matilda Belha, 
 a native of Bohemia, and who came to America 
 alone when twenty-two 3'ears old. The parents of 
 Mrs. Bischof are now residing in Bohemia. Of this 
 union there is one child, a son, Frederick, born in 
 May, 1887. The family residence is pleasantly 
 situated in the northwestern part of the city, and 
 opens its hospitable doors to manj' friends. It is 
 tastefully finished and furnished, and forms an al)ode 
 entirely suitable to the means and tastes of its pro- 
 prietor. Mr. Bischof in 1870 invested a portion 
 of his surplus capital in a fine brick block at the in- 
 tersection of Seventh street and Center avenue, 
 which is occupied mostly by his own business. 
 
 ^REDEKICK PAAP. The career of the self- 
 
 Pi made man is finely illustrated in the subject 
 . . of this sketch, who began life in America 
 
 dependent upon his own resources, without means, 
 a stranger in a strange land. He is now one of the 
 leading farmers and laud-owners of Berlin Precinct, 
 holding a clear title to 1,360 acres, which he has 
 transformed from a tract of wild prairie to a highly 
 productive condition. The homestead occupies the 
 
 •► 
 
 t* 
 
 southwest corner of section 15, and presents one of 
 the most attractive spots in the landscape of that 
 region, being embellished with fine buildings, a 
 commodious and convenient residence, a substan- 
 tial barn, and the pens and sheds required for the 
 shelter of stock, of which the proprietor makes a 
 specialty. Within, the home is presided over by a 
 lady well educated, refined and hospitable, who 
 has done her share toward the building up of the 
 reputation of the family, and assisted in drawing 
 around them hosts of friends. 
 
 Our subject was born in the Grand Duchj- of 
 Mecklenburg, Aug. 31, 1839, and is the son of 
 Frederick, Sr., and Mary (Scholtz) Paap, who were 
 natives of the same place as their son. The pater- 
 nal grandfather, Dedloff Paap, was a cooper by' 
 trade, but served in the German Armj' during the 
 war between France and Russia. On the mother's 
 side. Grandfather John Scholtz inclined more to 
 the peaceful pursuits of agriculture, being for a 
 number of years overseer of a farm. Both spent 
 their entire lives in their native German3^ 
 
 The father of our subject occupied himself as a 
 gardener near his native town until 1857, then re- 
 solved to emigrate to America. He was accom- 
 panied by his wife and children in the voyage 
 across the Atlantic, and for two years thereafter 
 lived in Cleveland, Ohio. In the spring of 1859, 
 coming to this county, he purchased eighty acres 
 of land on section 15, in Berlin Precinct, for which 
 he paid the sum of $70, all the money he had in the 
 world. He commenced in true pioneer fashion the 
 development of the farm, and was prospered in his 
 laliors, building up a good homestead, and sur- 
 rounding himself with all the comforts of life. lie 
 doubled his original purchase, and there spent his 
 last days, passing away Aug. 4, 1879, when sixtj-- 
 nine years old. The mother is still living, making 
 her home with her son William, in Berlin Precinct, 
 and is now seventy-eight years of age. Their three 
 children were named respectively: Frederick, our 
 subject; William and Louisa. The two latter are 
 residents of this precinct. 
 
 Mr. Paap attended the common schools of his 
 native town until a lad of fourteen years, in the 
 meantime learning the art of gardening of his 
 father. After leaving the da}' school he pursued 
 
 ?^^V^ 
 
672 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 his studies at an evening school four years longer. 
 He came with his father to the United States when 
 a youth of eighteen years, in 1857, making the voy- 
 age on a sailing-vessel, the ''St. .John," embarking 
 at Hamburg, and landing at New York six weeks 
 and three daj-s later. In the meantime they en- 
 countered several storms, and at one time the ship 
 took fire, but fortunately this was arrested before 
 verj' much damage was done. 
 
 Young Paap lauded a stranger in a strange land, 
 not being acquainted with a soul in America, and 
 almost penniless. He made his way to Cleveland, 
 Ohio, where for two years he employed himself at 
 whatever he could find to do, sometimes by the 
 month, and sometimes by the day. In 1859 he re- 
 solved to cross the Mississippi, made his way by 
 rail to St. Louis, and thence by steamboat to this 
 county, landing in Nebraska City. He was fortu- 
 nate in securing emplo3'meut on a farm, and >vorked 
 the first 3'ear for Dave Martin, receiving at the 
 close in payment for his services $150. This 
 seemed quite a goodly sum, as he had landed in 
 Nebraska with §5. 
 
 Our subject the second j'ear of his residence in 
 this county was employed at a hotel in Nebraska 
 City. In 1862 he engaged in freighting to Denver, 
 and later worked in John Bennett's mill near 
 Nebraska City. The years 1863 and 1864 found him 
 freighting again, and later he was employed in a 
 wholesale establishment at Nebraska Cit^-. His 
 journej'ings across the plains were invested with 
 the usual dangers and hardships of those times, as 
 the Indians looked upon the whites with very un- 
 friendly eyes, and the traveler at no time felt se- 
 cure either as regarded life or property. Mr. Paap, 
 however, possessed a cool and temperate judgment, 
 which enabled him to keep out of clifHcult}' both 
 with the rough white element of that region and 
 with the Indians. During the early part of 1865 
 he was one of the companj- of home guards organ- 
 ized for mutual protection. 
 
 The eight}' acres of land which our subject oc- 
 cupies as his homestead proper was purchased by 
 him in the spring of 1860, but he did not make 
 any attempt at improvement upon it until after his 
 marriage. Then, fortified bj' the assistance and 
 sympathy of a good wife, he put up a modest 
 
 -^ 
 
 dwelling, and in true pioneer style began the im- 
 provement of his property. In breaking the soil 
 the wife frequeuth'' drove the oxen while Mr. Paap 
 held the plow. After he had put in his first crop 
 he began setting out fruit and shade trees, and has 
 now fine groves and eleven acres planted with apple 
 trees and choice fruits of the smaller varieties. In 
 adding to his landed area he has paid all the way 
 from $7 to 125 jier acre, but for none of it would 
 he to-day take less than $35 per acre. This he has 
 divided into six farms, each being supplied with 
 groves, orchards, houses and barns. For the build- 
 ing of his present fine residence he was obliged to 
 haul all the material from Nebraska City. It is 
 handsomely finished and furnished, and supplied 
 with all modern conveniences. 
 
 Mr. Paap began at an early date his operations 
 as a stock-raiser, and has been remarkably success- 
 ful. He keeps none but good grades of animals, 
 and his horses are especially fine, being draft ani- 
 mals of the Clydesdale stock. Of these he has 
 seventeen head, besides a span of valuable mules. 
 In his stock operations he utilizes 320 acres of his 
 land, over which he has personal supervision, and 
 rents the balance. 
 
 The marriage of Frederick Paap and Jliss Caro- 
 line Sturm was celebrated at the home of the bride 
 in Weeping Water, Feb. 2, 1864. Mrs. Paap was 
 born in wliat was then the Province of Alsace, 
 France. March 24, 1846, and received a careful 
 education, becoming familiar with both the French 
 and German languages. She came with her father's 
 family to America when a young girl of thirteen 
 years, in the spring of 1859. Her parents were 
 Andrew and Madaline (Understock) Sturm, also 
 natives of Alsace, and the father a prosperous far- 
 mer. The mother died in Germany in 1853. 
 The family crossed the Atlantic on the sailing- 
 vessel '"Brogress." and not long after landing in 
 New York proceeded directly westward to Ne- 
 braska, locating in Cass County, where the father 
 purchased 320 acres of land. Upon this he settled 
 with his family, effected good improvements, and 
 there spent tlie remainder of his life, his daath tak- 
 ing place in April. 1874, at the age of seventy -throe 
 years. The children of the paternal household, 
 five in number, were named respectively: Magda- 
 •^ 
 
 r 
 
h 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•»> 
 
 67a 
 
 lene, Andrew. Sarah, Caroline and Mary. The 
 brother and sister of Mrs. Paap are residents of 
 Nebraska. Her maternal grandfather served in the 
 French Armj' during the war between France and 
 Germany, in 1812. Grandfather Sturm during his 
 early manhood was the owner of a fine property, 
 but for thirt^'-six years afterward was bedridden 
 from an incui-able disease which consumed the 
 most of it. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Paap there have been born 
 five children, namel}': Omar, Alexander, Albert, 
 Medora and Lj'dia, the latter twins. The eldest 
 of these is twenty-four years of age, and the 
 younger ones ten. They are being trained and 
 educated in a manner befitting their station in life. 
 Mr. and Mrs. P. are charter members of the Ger- 
 man Methodist Episcopal Church at Berlin, and 
 have always contributed liberally' and cheerfully to 
 its support. Mr. P. gave valuable assistance in 
 erecting the church edifice, has been a Trustee for 
 many j'ears, and is Superintendent of the Sunday- 
 school. Politically, he is a fervent supporter of 
 Republican principles, and has done liis party good 
 service in this count^', frequentl}- being sent as a 
 delegate to the State and County Conventions. He 
 has also served on the Grand and Petit Juries. 
 He is a man who keeps himself posted upon cur- 
 rent events, one with whom it is interesting and 
 profitable to converse. 
 
 OICHOLAS RUSH. Among the prominent 
 citizens of South Branch, and one whose 
 character is such as to commend itself to 
 all, a successful farmer, and an army veteran, is 
 the gentleman whose life story is herein presented 
 in succinct form. He is the son of Antonius and 
 Augusta Rush, and now makes his home on section 
 28, where he operates successfully along the line 
 of general farming and stock-raising, giving chief 
 attention to the former, eighty acres of fine agri- 
 cultural land. 
 
 The father of our subject was born in Naples. 
 Italy, and followed farming. His mother was born 
 at Naples, and married under the sunny skies of that 
 Southern European kingdom. They became the 
 
 p.arents of six children, viz: Joseph, Pasco, Rosa. 
 Caroline, Celestia and Nicholas. The latter was 
 born in Naples on the 8th of May, 1837. His early 
 life was spent in Italy. He continued upon the farm 
 of his father until he was eighteen jenrs of age. 
 Then, in 1855, he went to France, where he studied 
 as a musician, and from there to England in the 
 practice of his chosen profession. In 1861, again 
 taking his journey, he came to "the land of the 
 free," landing in New York City. He traveled at 
 first chiefly through the Southern States, and then 
 went to Illinois. 
 
 Although but so recently come to the country and 
 almost before he was fully able to grasp the mean- 
 ing of the new institutions of the New World, or 
 thoroughly to imbibe the principles of its inde- 
 pendence, Mr. Rush saw that country in the throes 
 of a civil war, and enlisted in the Union Corps, serv- 
 ing in Company S, 2d Illinois Artillery. He was 
 mustered in at Springfield in June, 1864. He <)id 
 not come out of the struggles unscathed. Injuries 
 were first received from being thrown off his horse, 
 which stunned him and left some injury of the 
 head that has rendere<l him permanently deaf. This 
 the thundering cannon so affected as to almost en- 
 tirely destroy the hearing, and he must ever remain 
 in the stillness and comparative solitude that such a 
 condition necessitates. He was mustered out at 
 Chicago in August, 1865, and continued in Illii.ois 
 until 18P6, when he came west to this countj^ 
 
 Life in tlie West has brightened for our subject, 
 both in his farm and hfime, for upon cominc he 
 entered his present |)roperty of 160 acres, improved 
 it, made it his own, and has taken good care of it 
 from that time, until now it is one of the best cid- 
 tivated farms in the district. His home has been 
 ni.ade home to him in Nebraska, for here he was 
 united in wedlock; first in Nebraska City, in the 
 year 1873, to Miss Anna Wood, who died in 1875, 
 aged twenty-five years. The second occasion oc- 
 cured in Johnson County on the 17th of March. 
 1878. The lady of his choice was Miss Jane Pow- 
 ell, the daughter of Stephen and Isabella (Mapps) 
 Powell, who were natives respectively' of New 
 York and Pennsylvania. They came to Johnson 
 County in 1857. Thej- were among the pioneers 
 and founders of the county. Mr. Powell died in 
 
 _;» > ^ ' 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 674 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 18G3, aged forty-seven years, and the mother is 
 still living. They are the parents of seven chil- 
 dren — William, Angeline, Jane, Thomas, John, Jo- 
 seph and Elizabeth. 
 
 The wife of our subject was born in Joliet, 111., 
 Feb. 2, 1850. She was seven 3'ears of age when 
 she came with her parents to this State, and has 
 seen perhaps more than usually falls to the lot 
 of man or woman in these days of advanced civili- 
 zation in the West, of real frontier life. To Mr. 
 and Mrs. Rush there have been given seven chil- 
 dren, and their names are recorded as Mary M., 
 Celestia E., Ida Sybel, Albert Wesley, Rosa A, 
 Edith Pearl and Willis Logan. 
 
 Mr. Nicholas Rush is one of the substantial sup- 
 porters and consistent members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church at Rockford, and one of the 
 prime movers in its organization. His wife also is 
 with him in this relation. She is a lady of educa- 
 tion and cultivation, and is one who has found the 
 art of making home something more than a mere 
 stopping-place; a place to be desired, looked for 
 and prized. The political sentiments of our subject 
 are strictlj' harmonious with those of the Repub- 
 lican party, of which he has always been a firm 
 friend. 
 
 ^ .^^ ^ 
 
 •i^ CLARENCE REED, of Syracuse Precinct, 
 |fe) stands prominent among its prosperous 
 jVr^' farmers and stock-raisers, and operates one 
 of the best farms in this section of country, pleas- 
 antly located on section 25. He came to Nebraska 
 in the spring of 1865, where he completed the rudi- 
 ments of an excellent education, and later entered 
 the State University at Lincoln. Completing his 
 course in this institution he was employed two 
 winters thereafter as a teacher, but aside from this 
 has been most of his life engaged in farming pur- 
 suits. In his labors as a tiller of the soil he has 
 met with more than ordinary' success, having se- 
 cured one of the most comfortable of modern homes, 
 and a competency for his old age. 
 
 The main points in the family histor}^ of our sub- 
 jects are substantiall}^ as follows: His father, Cyrus 
 Reed, was born in the State of Penns3'lvania, and 
 was the son of an old Pennsylvania family, the par- 
 
 ents of which spent their entire lives upon their na- 
 tive soil. Cyrus Reed grew to m.inhood in his native 
 county, where he became familiar with the various 
 emploj^ments of the farm, and remained a member 
 of the parental household until attaining his major- 
 ity. His business career began as a live-stock 
 dealer, buying cattle in Illinois, and driving them 
 to the Eastern markets before the days of railroads. 
 He was highly successful, and became the owner of 
 several valuable farms in Pickaway County, Ohio, 
 which were located near the now important town of 
 Circleville. During the war he lost considerable 
 property. 
 
 In the spring of 1865 the father of our subject 
 sold a portion of his Ohio property', and coming to 
 Nebraska purchased 1,600 acres of land in Otoe 
 County, nearly all of which was raw prairie. Upon 
 this the family settled in a small house, and the 
 father, imbibing a great admiration for the West, 
 finally disposed of all his property in the Buckeye 
 State, and turned his attention to stock-raising on 
 his land in this county. He died at his home in 
 McWilliams Precinct, Dec. 4, 1870, at the age of 
 fifty-two years. He was a Republican in politics, 
 and as a son of one of the earliest settlers in Picka- 
 way County, Ohio, saw much of pioneer life, en- 
 during many of its hardships and privations. He 
 for a time engaged in general merchandising at 
 Nebraska City, but his preferences wer^ for farming 
 and stock-raising. 
 
 Mrs. Anna (Lowe) Reed, the mother of our sub- 
 ject, was born in Ulster County, N. Y., and is the 
 daughter of Jacob and Susan Lowe, who migrated 
 to Pickaway County, Ohio, during the period of its 
 early settlement. There ]\Ir. Lowe carried on farm- 
 ing until his death. Mrs. Reed afterward made the 
 journey from Ohio to Nebraska in a buggy when 
 she was over sixty j'ears old. She was married to 
 Mr. Reed in 1855, and after coming to this county 
 became the wife of Edwin Parsons, and is now liv- 
 ing on a farm in Delaware Precinct. Of her first 
 marriage there were born five children, namely: E. 
 Clarence, our subject; Harry H., Josiah E., Cyrus 
 A. and John W. All of these are living, and resi- 
 dents of Nebraska and Colorado respectively. 
 
 Our subject was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, 
 July 29, 1857, and resided under the parental roof 
 •►- 
 
 t 
 
Y/r. 
 
t 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 677 ,i 
 
 until reaeliiug manhood. A few months after reach- 
 ing his twenty-second year he was married, Dec. 25, 
 1879, to Miss Leona Dunbar, the wedding taking 
 place at the home of the bride in Dunbar. Mrs. 
 Reed was born Nov. 7, 1860, in Dunbar, and is the 
 daughter of John and Anna (Watson) Dunbar, who 
 were natives of Canada, and are now in Nebraska. 
 They came to this county about 1856, settling in 
 Delaware Precinct. Here Mrs. Reed was reared and 
 educated, taldng kindly to her books, and devel- 
 oped into a teacher, which profession she followed 
 some time before her marriage and one term after- 
 ward. Mrs. Reed received her education at the 
 Peru Normal School. Of her union with our sub- 
 ject there have been born two children: Anna 
 Lavina, May 19, 1883, and Clarence Herbert, Feb. 
 17, 1887. 
 
 Mrs. Reed is a very estiuLible lady, and a mem- 
 ber of the Seventh-Day Advent Church. Mr. 
 Reed, politicall}', supports the principles of the Re- 
 publican partj', but is in favor of prohibition. He 
 is well known throughout the county for his enter- 
 prise, being one of its most extensive farmers and 
 stock-raisers, handling large numbers of cattle and 
 hogs, and keeping good horses, these latter mostly 
 for his own use. 
 
 ROF. CHARLE.S W. SHERFEY has been 
 identified with the literary and industrial 
 interests of Nebraska City from its infancj-. 
 He is at present engaged in horticultural 
 pursuits, raising flowers, small fruits, and vegeta- 
 bles, and has the best appointed greenhouse in 
 Otoe County. He is a native of Maryland, born 
 July 6, 1829, a son of Solomon and Catherine (Mc- 
 Neil) Sherfey, natives respectively of Gettj^sburg, 
 Pa., and of Loudoun County, Va. Jacob Sherfey, 
 the grandfather of our subject, lived near Gettys- 
 burg, but it is not known on which side of the State 
 line he was born. His father, Casper Sherfey, was 
 born about the year 1735, in Saxe Coburg Gotha, 
 Giermany, sixty miles northwest of the city of 
 Hanover. At the age of sixteen years he came to 
 America, and at the age of twenty-three years, 
 1758, he married Magd.alena Deardorff. a German 
 
 lad}^, who was born in 1738. They resided in Fred- 
 erick County, Md. To them were bornflfteen chil- 
 dren, six of whom died in childhood. The nine 
 surviving children were five sons and four daugh- 
 ters. Their sons were: John, who removed to 
 Jonesboro, Washington Co., Tenn.; Abraham, re- 
 moved to Virginia; Benjamin, removed to Augusta 
 County, Va.; Jacob lived at Gettysburg, Pa.; 
 Joshua lived in Frederick County, Md., died in 
 Parke County, Ind. Their daughters were: Re- 
 becca, who married Joseph Carey; Mary, who mar- 
 ried Nicholas Oustatt; Catherine, who married John 
 Schriver; Elizabeth, who married .Jacob Carroll. 
 Casper's son, Jacob, married Catherine Bosserman, 
 in 1794. He was born in Frederick County, Md., 
 March 4, 1769, and died Aug. 5, 1842. His wife 
 was born in York County, Pa., Aug. 12, 1773, and 
 died Aug. 4, 1844. To them were born eleven chil- 
 dren, two of whom died in childhood, namely, 
 Maria, aged two years, and Daniel aged four. 
 Eight sons and one daughter grew to mature years. 
 David was born Jan. 13, 1797, died March 31, 1861 ; 
 Solomon, born .Jan. 26, 1799, married Feb. 6, 1827, 
 died May 5, 1876. Next was Jacob. John was 
 born Jan. 23, 1805, married March 21, 1837, died 
 Feb. 12, 1871; Abram, born Aug. 10, 1807; Samuel, 
 .Jan. 17, 1810, married Dec. 29, 1836; Joseph, born 
 June 30, 1812, married Feb. 6, 1840, died Oct. 4. 
 1850. Simeon, born Feb. 7, 1814, married March 
 3, 1836, died Oct. 3, 1850. Hannah Sherfey Farns- 
 worth, born Dec. 2, 1817, married Sept. 29, 1848. 
 The father of our subject was reared in Penn- 
 sylvania, and in 1827 he went to Maryland and 
 lived there until 1854. He married a Virginia 
 lady, a daughter of .John McNeil, who was, it is 
 thought, born in Maryland, of Scotch-Irish ances- 
 try. His father, the great-grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, was born in Ireland and came to America when 
 a young man with an older brother. His brother 
 soon started to return to his native land, and was 
 never heard from afterward. Mr. McNeil settled 
 in this country pernianentl3', married, and it is sup- 
 posed, spent his last years in Perryville, Vermillion 
 Co., Ind. The maternal grandfather of our sub- 
 ject married in Virginia, moved from there to Mary- 
 land, and thence to Vermillion County, Ind., in 
 about 1835. He was numbered among the pioneers 
 
 ■» 
 
t_ 
 
 » ^ l <• 
 
 678 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 f 
 
 of that county, where he improved a farm and 
 spent the remainder of his life. Mr. Sherfe}' re- 
 moved from Marj'land to Tippecanoe Count}-. Ind., 
 accompanied by his wife and four children, the re- 
 moval being made with the old-fashioned covered 
 wagon drawn by a pair of horses. They took with 
 them their household goods, and as their route lay 
 through a sparsely settled country, they often 
 camped by the wayside. Mr. Sherfey became a 
 pioneer of Tippecanoe County, engaging in the 
 mercantile business there, and he also managed a 
 flouring-mill. In the fall of 1837 he sold out 
 there and moved to Burlington, Iowa. At that 
 time Iowa formed a part of the Territory of Wis- 
 consin, and during the winter of 1837-38 the Ter- 
 ritorial Legislature met in Burlington. There were 
 then but few white inhabitants in the Territory, and 
 the greater part of the land was still owned by the 
 Indians. He lived to see it one of the most popu- 
 lous and wealth}' States in the Union, and as one 
 of its pioneers he was instrumental in bringing 
 about the great change. He established himself in 
 the mercantile business, and he got his goods either 
 from Cincinnati or St. Louis, Chicago then being a 
 small, unimportant town, with no communication 
 whatever with the West, except overland by teams. 
 Mr. Sherfey resided in and near Burlington until 
 his death- in 1876, when that town lost one of its 
 most honored pioneers, one who had done much to 
 build up its mercantile interests. He was a man of 
 marked intelligence, strict integrity, and much capa- 
 bility. His wife, a most estimable lady, died at the 
 home of our subject in Nebraska City, Aug. 6, 
 1887, at the age of eighty -one. There were four 
 children born to this worthy couple, all of whom 
 are living, namely: Caroline A., widow of E. D. 
 Rand, lives in Burlington, Iowa; Charles W. ; John 
 M., lives in Burlington; William E. lives in Coun- 
 cil Grove, Kan. 
 
 Charles W. Sherfey was in his fifth year when he 
 accompanied his parents to Indiana, and he was 
 eight years old when the family moved to Burling- 
 ton, lowai. He there attended the early schools and 
 gained the preliminaries of a liberal education. 
 When he was twenty years old he went to Green 
 Castle, Ind., to enroll his name among the students 
 of Asbury University (now DePauw University), 
 
 and was graduated from there with the first honors 
 in the class of '54. He decided to fit himself for 
 the legal profession, and with that end in view he 
 entered tlie law department of Harvard College, 
 Cambridge, Mass. After completing his course 
 there in 1856, he returned to Burlington, and in 
 1857 came to the Territory of Nebraska, bringing 
 with him a printing-press, and locating in Platts- 
 raouth, he established the Platte Valley Times, and 
 published that paper quite successfully for one year. 
 Then came the great financial crisis, which made it 
 very liard to run a paper with any profit in that 
 city, so he came to Nebraska City, where he soon 
 began the publication of a paper called The Peo- 
 ple's Press, the forerunner of the Wef})-aska Press 
 of the present day. A short time before the oflice 
 was burned in 1860, he had severed his connection 
 with the paper, and abandoning the editorial pro- 
 fession, had adopted that of teacher, for which ac- 
 tion he may be considered a public benefactor, as 
 in those early days of the settlement of the State 
 it was very difficult to get instructors for the 
 schools who were themselves well educated. He 
 taught in Nebraska C'ity almost continuously until 
 1879, thus incalculably raising the standard of edu- 
 cation here, and giving this community the benefit 
 of his superior literary attainments for nearly 
 twenty years. In 1863 Mr. Sherfey bought six 
 lots in the northern part of the city and built a 
 small frame house, into which he removed with his 
 wife. He has since bought other lots and now 
 owns forty-four in various parts of the city, and 
 in 1877 he erected his present residence, a commo- 
 dious, comfortable frame house, very pleasantly 
 located on a rise of ground commanding a view of 
 the city. 
 
 Prof. Sherfey was married iu 1862 to Miss Irene, 
 daughter of Wesley and Mary A. (Booton) Spur- 
 lock, of whom see sketch. Mrs. Sherfey was born 
 in Iowa, in February, 1848. The pleasant wedded 
 life of our subject and his amiable wife has been 
 blessed by the birth of four children; the eld- 
 est, Carrie A., died when seven and one-half 
 years old; Charles E., Irene Belle, Eulalia. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Sherfey are valued members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and whenever oppor 
 tunity offers they are among the first to extend a 
 
 ^^ 
 
 I a T 
 
■•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 679 
 
 helping hand to the needy or to sympathize with 
 the sorrowing. Mr. Slierfey is an uncompromising 
 Republican in his political views. 
 
 The portrait of Prof. Sherfey appears in con- 
 nection with this i)ersonal sketch. 
 
 ]r 0NA8 SUGDEN. Among the pioneers of 
 j I 1866 who resolved upon the experiment of 
 I invading the Territory of Nebraska, was the 
 (^^ subject of this sketch, who landed in Nebraska 
 C'it3' in the winter of that j-ear. The early years 
 of his life were spent as a machinist, during which 
 he became an expert as a blacksmith and general 
 mechanic, but upon coming to the West he neces- 
 sarily changed his occupation, taking up the pur- 
 suits of agriculture. For a time, however, before 
 securing a tract of land, he followed freighting 
 across the plains, in the meantime iioiuesteading the 
 northwest quarter of section 33, Syracuse Precinct, 
 which is included in his present homestead. 
 
 Our subject, when taking possession of his 
 property, fashioned a dug-out in which to shelter 
 himself and family, and gradually began making 
 improvements about him. although he was obliged 
 to employ himself elsewhere in order to obtain the 
 wherewithal for the sustenance of himself and 
 family. As time passed on he found himself mak- 
 ing headway, and the dug-out soon gave i^lace to 
 a comfortable frame residence, which later was 
 flanked by a barn and the other out-buildings nec- 
 essary to his comfort and convenience. He has 
 steadil3' progressed since that time, and is now 
 numbered among the well-to-do farmers of this 
 region, who have been tlic architects of their own 
 fortunes, and thus imbibed that spirit of self- 
 reliance which enabled them to hew their pathway 
 to success. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Yorkshire, 
 England, March 7, 1834, and is the son of William 
 and Elizabeth (Sugden) Sugden, who, however, 
 bore no relationship to each other before their mar- 
 riage. The father was a farmer all his life, and the 
 parents are still living, continuing residents ui)on 
 their native soil. They are naturally well advanced 
 in years, and come of a long-lived race. All of 
 
 their childreu, ten in number, are also living and 
 all in England, with the exception of our subject 
 and one brother, who is a resident of Chase County, 
 this State. The others were named respectively: 
 John, Elizabeth. Mary, Robert, William, Ann, 
 Judith and Paul. 
 
 Jonas Sugden, when a Lid of twelve years, com- 
 menced his apprenticeship as a machinist in his na- 
 tive town of Kiefley, at which he served nearly five 
 years, when the firm by whom he was employed 
 went out of business. He then commenced work- 
 ing as a journej'man in Bradford and Birmingham, 
 but about 1853 or 1854, when a young man grown, 
 he sailed for America in company with his brother 
 John. After landing in New Y'ork City they pro- 
 ceeded northwestward to Minnesota, but later re- 
 turned southeastward to Penns3'lvania, where our 
 subject followed his trade for a time at Erie. Later 
 he was employed at his trade in the city of Buffalo. 
 
 During the progress of the late Civil War Mr. 
 Sugden was in the employ of the Pittsburgh & Erie 
 Railroad Company, and identified himself with the 
 Machinist and Blacksmith Union Brotherhood. On 
 coming to Nebraska, in 1866, he followed freight- 
 ing, as we have alreadj' stated. He had been mar- 
 ried while a resident of Canada, in 1862, to Miss 
 Jessie Bulchart, who is a native of Dundee, Scot- 
 land, and the daughter of Andrew and Jessie Bul- 
 chart, who spent their lives in Canada. Mrs. Sugden 
 came to America with her parents when eleven 
 j-ears old, locating in Upper Canada, where she was 
 married. Of this union there have been born ten 
 children, who were named : Elizabeth, William, 
 Jessie, Judith, Daisj', Rudolph, Thomas, Mary, 
 John and Paul. Elizabeth became the wife of AVill- 
 iam H. Hill, and died in Chase County, this State, 
 in 1886; Jessie died when nineteen years old. 
 
 Our subject and his wife have proprietorship in 
 five farms in this county, comprising altogether 
 720 acres of land, besides a tree claim in Colorado. 
 Mr. S. for many years devoted Jiis attention chiefly 
 to stock raising, buying, feeding and shipping. The 
 farm residence is convenient and substantial, flanked 
 by a good orchard covering an area of twenty 
 acres, and including all the choice fruit trees which 
 flourish upon the soil of Nebraska. In 1878 he 
 established himself in the harness business at Sj'ra- 
 
 •^^ 
 
t 680 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 cuse, where he operated successfully for a period of 
 fourteen years. He crossed the Mississippi poor in 
 purse, even obliged to borrow money to get his 
 family to their destination. His possessions to-day 
 are the result of his own resolute industry. He has 
 made it a point to live within his income, has been 
 prompt in meeting his obligations, and thus gained 
 for himself a solid foundation financially and in 
 the opinion of his fellowmen. He was one of the 
 pioneers of his neighborhood. His settlement here 
 was rather the result of accident than intention, as 
 he had started for California. In passing through 
 Nebraska City he saw on exhibition specimens of 
 potatoes, corn and other products grown in this 
 State, and being informed that he could secure a 
 homestead, and in due time produce the same, de- 
 termined at once to make settlement. He has never 
 repented of his decision, and declares that in all his 
 travels he has found no section of country equal 
 to Nebraska. A pleasant, genial and companiona- 
 ble man, he has made hosts of friends wherever it 
 has been his lot to dwell, and none have been 
 warmer or more sincere than those west of the 
 Mississippi. 
 
 Mr. Sugden for a number of years was a sup- 
 porter of Republican principles. During the cam- 
 paign of 1884 he felt that he would be justified in 
 changing his allegiance, and accordingly wheeled 
 over into the ranks of the Democracy. He, how- 
 ever, meddles with public affairs very little, prefer- 
 ring to give his time and attention to his farming 
 interests. 
 
 J. SCHOMERUS is one of the leading 
 boot and shoe dealers in Nebraska City. 
 He has a commodious, well-appointed 
 store in the Grand Pacific Block, carries a 
 large and well-selected stock, and does an extensive 
 business. He was born May 28, 1831, in Hanover, 
 Germany, and is a son of Christian and Famkam 
 Schomerus, both natives of Hanover. The father 
 was a grocer, and spent his entire life in his native 
 land, d3'ing when but fifty years of age. The 
 mother is now spending her declining years with 
 our suljject, and notwithstanding that she is in her 
 
 ninety-seventh year, she is strong and vigorous, 
 both physically and mentally. There were eight 
 children born to her and her husband, seven of whom 
 grew to maturity: John Herman, Henry M., John 
 Conrad, Christian A., Johanna M., our subject and 
 Fredericka. Henry died in Germany, but the re- 
 maining members of the family came to America. 
 Herman located in St. Louis and died there; the 
 others settled in Nebraska City. Johanna was first 
 married to George Strechan ; her second husband 
 was Jacob Atkin, who is still living; she died in 
 this city. Fredericka married Frederick Zuck, and 
 lives in Otoe Count}'. 
 
 The subject of this sketch obtained a good edu- 
 cation in the schools of his native land, which he 
 attended until he was sixteen years old. He then 
 learned the trade of cotton weaver, and was en- 
 gaged at that in the old country until 1858, when 
 he came to America, where he hoped to be able to 
 earn more money in pa3'ment for his labors, and so 
 be able to establish a comfortable home. He landed 
 at New Orleans, and thence proceeded by a 
 steamer up the Mississippi River to St. Louis. He 
 disembarked in that city a stranger in a strange 
 land, without money and without friends, and labor- 
 ing also under the further disadvantage of being 
 unable to understand the language of the i)eople. 
 But with .all these discouragements the heart of the 
 sturdy young man beat high with hope and a firm 
 resolve to make life a success in this to him un- 
 known country. He was endowed with plenty 
 of strength and muscle, and knew well how to use 
 them, so that he did not have great difliculty in se- 
 curing work, finding employment in Columbia, 111., 
 with a farmer, receiving as payment the sum of $9 
 a month and board. His next place of employment 
 was at Alton, 111., for a few weeks. He then took a 
 job uf splitting rails, and as this was entirely new 
 work for him, he could onl}' earn his board that 
 winter. In the spring of 1859 he came to Nebraska 
 Citj', and shortly after hired out to a German 
 farmer who lived twelve miles southwest of the 
 city, and he worked for that man until the fall of 
 the year, for $12.50 a month. Wishing to become 
 more conversant with the English language, he en- 
 gaged with an American that fall, for $9 a month, 
 and worked with him that winter. In the spring of 
 
•^f^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 681 
 
 1860 he crosserl the plains to Pike's Peak with ox- 
 teams, and there he securert work in a sawmill un- 
 til fall, at S25 a month and hoard. In the fall he 
 returned to Omaha, and then came to Nebraska 
 Cit}^ to work on a farm in this vicinity. In the 
 spring of 1861 he came tO Nebraska City, and was 
 employed in a livery stable for a few months prior 
 to his enlistment in the 2d Nebraska Cavalry, with 
 which regiment he went to tlie frontier, and did 
 gallant service in suppressing the Indian outbreak. 
 He was present at the battle of Whitstone Hill, and 
 continued in the army until the fall of 1863, when 
 he was honorably discharged witli his regiment. He 
 was then employed in a restaurant and confectionery 
 store until the spring of 1864. He then went to 
 St. Louis, where he hoped to obtain more profitable 
 work, but being disappointed in that, he enlisted in 
 Compau}' I, 41st Missouri Infantry, and from that 
 time did garrison duty until the close of the war, 
 when he was honorably discharged with his regiment, 
 and once again came to Nebraska City. While he 
 was in the army he had been prudent and economi- 
 cal, and had wisely saved his earnings, so that on 
 his return here he had enough to buy a good break- 
 ing team, consisting of five yokes of oxen, and he 
 then engaged in the profitable work of breaking 
 prairie at $4 an acre. He followed that business 
 two seasons, but in the fall of the year 1866 he' 
 abandoned that to form a partnership with George 
 Burtz, in opening a confectionery store. In 1867 
 Mr. Schomerus left his partner in charge of their 
 business, and went back to his old home in Germany, 
 in very much more prosperous circumstances than 
 when he left there ten years before. Having had 
 a very pleasant visit among his old friends, he re- 
 turned to his adopted country in the fall of that 
 year, accompanied by his betrothed and a brother 
 and his family. In the following year he bought 
 his partner's interest in the business, which they had 
 been conducting together, and carried it on alone 
 for a few years. He then sold out and bought a 
 farm nine miles northwest of the city. He did not 
 move onto his farm, however, but continued his 
 residence in the city, and in 1877 formed a part- 
 nership with John H. Minke, to engage in the boot 
 and shoe trade. They were associated together for 
 about five years, and then divided the stock, our 
 
 subject retaining the old stand, and he is still carry- 
 ing on a flourishing business. 
 
 Mr. Schomerus has been twice married. His first 
 marriage, which took place in New .York City in 
 1867, was to Miss M. E. Wilkan, also a native of 
 Hanover. After a pleasant married life of ten years, 
 she died Oct. 14, 1877. Mr. Schomerus was mar- 
 ried to his present estimable wife, formerly Miss 
 Anna Hobbe, of Oldenburg, Germany, Sept. 19, 
 1878. They are respected members of the Lu- 
 theran Church, and are foremost in its good works. 
 They are kind and charitable toward the poor and 
 unfortunate, who find in them true friends in the 
 hour of need. Mr. Schomerus is a loyal citizen, as 
 was proved by his course during the war and by 
 his conduct since. He was a Republican until 1872, 
 when he went with the liberal party, and he now 
 affiliates with the Democrats. 
 
 -''' -#3-^ <-— 
 
 'RANK C. RICHARDS, junior member of 
 the firm of Dundas & Richards, publishers 
 of the Talmage Tribune, conducts with his 
 partner one of the best local papers in this county, 
 and a journal which is dul^- valued by the people. 
 It is a five-column folio, issued every Friday, and 
 fulfills in a praiseworthy manner the object for 
 which it is intended, as a dispenser of local news. 
 It was established in March, 1882, under the edit- 
 orial management of other parties, later became the 
 property of the Talmage Publishing Company, and 
 came under its present management in July, 1888. 
 Mr. Richards has done his full share in placing it 
 upon a sound basis, financiallj', and it is in the 
 enjoj'ment of a healthy and steadily increasing 
 circulation. 
 
 Mr. Richards began life in Grant County, Wis., 
 Nov. 13, 1861, the home of his parents at that time 
 being in the vicinity of Georgetown. The latter 
 were John S. and Louisa (Daigh) Richards, the 
 father a native of Virginia and the mother of Illi- 
 nois. They became residents of the Badger State 
 at an early period in their lives, and there their 
 marriage took place. The father engaged in farm- 
 ing, and after the birth of a part of their family 
 the parents removed to Christian County, 111., lo- 
 
 •►Hl-^^ 
 
 -►jH» 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 682 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 
 eating near Grove City, where the.y built up a good 
 homcstearl and lived until coming- to Nebraslia in 
 1861. 
 
 The parents of our subject after crossing the 
 Mississippi located first in Nemaha County, this 
 State, and in the f.all removed to a farm in Doug- 
 las Precinct, that county, where tliey still live. 
 John Richards is a man of note in his community, 
 a good citizen, and political!}', a solid Republican. 
 He is about sixty-three years of age. The mother, a 
 most estimable lady, is a devoted member of the 
 Metliodist Episcopal Church. Their famil}' in- 
 cludes eight children, all of whom are living, and 
 are residents of Nebraeiva. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject, also 
 John Richards by name, was a farmer in the Old 
 Dominion. He became imbued with the spirit of 
 emigration, and some time in the forties left Vir- 
 ginia with his famih- and lived for a time in Ohio. 
 Later he removed across the Mississippi to Iowa, 
 and finally to Grant County, Wis., where he spent 
 his last days, yielding up his life at a ripe old age. 
 He had married in early manhood Miss Mary A. 
 Cordell, who died in Greene County, Iowa, about 
 1884, at the home of her daughter, when about 
 eighty-four j'ears old. These excellent old people, 
 who had been careful and conscientious in all their 
 dealings with their fellowmen, were members for a 
 long period of the Methodist Church. 
 
 On his mother's side the grandfather of our sub- 
 ject was John Daigh, a Virginian by birth and a 
 farmer by occupation. He emigrated to Ohio dur- 
 ing its pioneer days when a single man, and there 
 married Miss Sarah Porter. Later they came west 
 to Illinois, and settled among the earliest pioneers 
 of Sangamon Countj', whence they removed to 
 Christian County. There thej' resided until the 
 discovery of the lead mines at Galena. Grandfather 
 Daigh, however, with a desire to see something 
 more of the world, again changed his residence, 
 this time to Grant Count}', Wis., and located in the 
 vicinity of Jamestown, about eighteen miles north 
 of Galena, 111. In 1867, however, he moved back 
 with his family to Christian County, and in 1882, 
 when quite aged, he and his estimable wife crossed 
 the Mississippi into Nemaha County, this State, 
 locating in Douglas Precinct, where his death took 
 
 place Jan. 27, 1886, at the age of seventy-eight 
 years. As the result of a temperate life and good 
 habits he continued hale and iiearty until the final 
 summons came. Grandmother Daigh surviveil her 
 husband but a few months, her death taking place 
 in August following, when she was sixty-nine years 
 old. She was a member of the Methodist Church. 
 Frank C. Richards, our subject, continued a 
 member of the parental household until appi'oach- 
 ing manhood, pursuing his studies first in the com- 
 mon schools of Grove City, 111. Later he became 
 a student of the Normal School at Valparaiso, Ind. 
 He came to Nebraska with his parents, and on the 
 4th of August, 1887, was married, in Douglas Pre- 
 cinct, Nemaha County, to Miss Harriet E. Bishop. 
 This lady was born near Wyoming, this county, April 
 12, 1864, and is the daughter of Rev. James and 
 Mary A. Bishop, the former of whom was a native 
 of Virginia, and died at liis home in Glen Rock 
 in 1884, when past eighty years of age. Mrs. 
 Bishop is still living, and makes her home on her 
 farm at Glen Rock, being now about sixty years 
 ohl. 
 
 ]\Irs. Richards removed with her parents from 
 Otoe to Nemaha County when a little child, .and 
 was educated in the public schools. She is a culti- 
 vated and intelligent lady, and lakes great interest 
 in State and National affairs, coinciding with her 
 husband in his Republican principles. Mr. Rich- 
 ards spent his boyhood and youth under the pa- 
 rental roof, and soon after leaving school began 
 teaching in Douglas Precinct, Nemaha County. 
 Later he embarked in the grain trade at Glen Rock, 
 Neb., where he was occupied successfully a period 
 of three years in the interests of the firm of Spear 
 & Hulburd. Later he resumed teaching, and finally 
 became Principal of the Johnson schools, of which 
 he had charge two 3-ears. He took a warm interest 
 in the educational affairs of that locality', and by the 
 exercise of great perseverance succeeded in estab- 
 lishing the Teachers' Association and Institute. He 
 was urged to accept the Presidency of this, but de- 
 clined in favor of Prof. Charles Fordyce, an old and 
 experienced teacher of many years' standing. 
 
 Mr. Richards, in 1884, identified himself with the 
 Masonic fraternity, and is a charter member of 
 Blue Lodge No. 124, of Auburn, also a member of 
 
 ^lU 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 683 4 
 
 the I. O. O. F. of that place, beino; connected with 
 ]\[ayflower Lodge No. 76. He lias filled the various 
 offices of the order and takes a warm interest in its 
 success. He is rapidly becoming identified with 
 the most important interests of Talmage, wiiere he 
 is recognized as a capable and efficient j(jurnalist, as 
 well as a valued member of society. 
 
 ^^ HARLES G. FISCHER is one of the worthy 
 (if representatives of the G(irman-American 
 
 ^^J citizens of Nebraska City. He was born 
 on the 21st of August, 1843, in Saxon j% Germany, 
 which was the native place of his father, Frederick 
 Fischer, and also indeed of his family so far as it 
 can be traced. His grandfather, Nicholas Fischer, 
 was a small but successful farmer there, while the 
 father of our subject learned and followed the 
 trade of slate-roofing, and later also learned the 
 trade of a tailor. In 1856, accompanied by his 
 wife and five children, he came to America, by way 
 of Hamburg to Hull, England, across that country 
 by rail to Liverpool, and thence by steamer to 
 New York. Leaving that city the little family of 
 Mr. Fischer went to Cincinnati, where he followed 
 tailoring until his death from cholera in 1866. His 
 wife, whose maiden name was Caroline Lehmann, 
 who was, we need hardly add, a native of Saxony, 
 bore bravely the trouble that fell upon her house- 
 hold, and did her best to meet the case. She is still 
 living in Cincinnati. Their family included eleven 
 children, only five of whom, however, now survive. 
 These are Mollie. Charles G., Mary, Clara and 
 Otto. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was thirteen years of 
 age when he came with his parents to this country. 
 He had attended the schools of the Fatherland, and 
 also joined the classes of the public schools of 
 Cincinnati, continuing for about two years, when 
 he went to learn the trade of a machinist in the 
 shops of the Hamilton <fe Dayton Railroad. He re- 
 mained there for four years and then worked in 
 various shops until 1861. 
 
 On the 13th of June, 1861, the subject of our 
 sketch enlisted in Company C, •28th Ohio Infantry, 
 and continued in the service until 1863. Amona: 
 
 the many engagements in which he took part were 
 those of Fredericksburg, Harper's Ferry, on the 
 Galler River, Ya., where he was wounded by a 
 piece of a bursting shell, injuring him in the right 
 arm, thus disabling him from further service. He 
 was therefore honorabl^^ discharged in October, 
 1863, and returned to Cincinnati. 
 
 Our subject returned to his old trade and con- 
 tinued to follow it in Ohio until 1869, when he came 
 to Nebraska City and engaged in a furniture store, 
 where he worked until the 27th of July, 1871, 
 when he entered into business for himself, continu- 
 ing until Jul}', 1875, when his business was de- 
 stroyed by fire, then going to Colorado. After 
 four months in the mountains he returned to Ne- 
 braska City, where he was shortly afterward ap- 
 pointed engineer of the City Fire Department, 
 which he held for one year and a half. 
 
 In 1880 our subject opened his meat-market on 
 Central avenue, which is still his place of business 
 and the center of quite an extensive trade. He is 
 well respected in the community, both as a citizen 
 and business man. He is a worthy member of the 
 William Baumer Post No. 24, G. A. R., and also 
 the Schiller Lodge No. 23. K. of P., and Frontier 
 Lodge No. 3, I. O. O. F. 
 
 On the 14th of April, 1864, Mr. Fischer was 
 united in marriage with Barbara Swan, who was 
 born in Bohemia, and came to America with her 
 parents when about six months old. They have 
 become the parents of five children, who bear the 
 following names: Edward, Hart, Robert, Willie 
 and Lulu. 
 
 - o<r>o . 
 '^ ooo ' 
 
 ^-REDERICK W. SCHROEDER, who has 
 become widely known as the proprietor of 
 the Short System Roller Mill of Syracuse, 
 which he purchased in 1887, is a native of Ger- 
 many, and was born on the 3d of September, 1835. 
 It was his misfortune to be left an orphan quite 
 early in life. When seventeen years of age he 
 commenced working in a mill, at which occupation 
 he continued, employed for various persons' until 
 1869. acquiring in the meantime the trade of a 
 millwright. 
 
 Our subject emigrated to tlie I'nited States in 
 
■i^h^ 
 
 684 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 1869, landing at New York, and proceeded at onc-e 
 to make his way as rapidl_y as possible toward the 
 West, finally stopping in Nebraska Cit}'. He soon 
 obtained work in a mill at Peru, and although, per- 
 haps, in some few minor details the labor connected 
 therewith was different from that to which he had 
 been accustomed in his native country, he proved 
 himself an able workman. The following j^ear he 
 took a homestead in Buda Precinct, Lancaster 
 County, this State, which he proved up, and later 
 ran a mill in Nebraska City for two years. When 
 the mill was burned, at the end of that period, our 
 subject rebuilt and continued business as before. 
 In 1878 he built a mill at Roca, in Lancaster 
 County. This mill had a capacity of forty barrels 
 per diem. It was destroyed by fire on the 6th of 
 JuU', 1887. The companj' in which the property 
 was insured failed, and Mr. Schroeder consequently 
 did not obtain the 13.000 which his policy called 
 for. 
 
 The subject of our sketch finally came to Sj'ra- 
 cuse and purchased his present property, which was 
 then idle and out of repair. He built a dam and 
 has put the whole equipment into splendid work- 
 ing order, expending upon it 84,000. The mill 
 manufactures some of the finest flour of the State, 
 and has a capacitj- of thirty-five barrels daily. IVIr. 
 Schroeder is building up a lucrative patronage, and 
 his customers appi-eciate his high sense of honor 
 and general business integritjr. 
 
 The interesting event of the marriage of our 
 subject was celebrated on the 31st of July, 1868, 
 a short time before he came to this country. The 
 maiden name of the lady who then linked her life 
 and interests with his was Anna Dorethea Damka. 
 They became the parents of three sons: Fred W. 
 C, Gustave H. and Fred William, all of whom, by 
 a kindly Providence, are still spared to the father. 
 Mrs. Schroder departed this life on the 9th of Jan- 
 uary, 1887, sincerel}^ mourned by her family and 
 friends as one who had been in the highest degree 
 faithful to the responsibilities and duties of life, a 
 true wife and mother. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is a devout member 
 and able supporter of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and is deeply interested in every depart- 
 ment of its work. In politics he is a Prohibitionist, 
 
 and in all points connected with the various issues 
 at stake endeavors to advance the interests of his 
 party. 
 
 The view of the homestead and mill pro()erty of 
 Mr. Schroeder will be found on another page. The 
 whole is very neat, pleasant and tasteful — a goodly 
 sight to the e3-e. It not only adds beauty to the 
 landscape, but value to that section of countr3^ 
 
 ■JYl OHN O. FARMER is one of the most promis- 
 ing, enterprising and practical young farmers 
 and stock-raisers of South Branch Precinct, 
 (^// and operates 160 acres of splendidl}- im- 
 proved land on section 24. He is the son of IClias 
 and Mary N. (Wolf) Farmer, who were natives re- 
 spectively of Pennsylvania and Ohio. They were 
 married in the latter State, and there continued to 
 make their home until the husband and father died 
 in the year 1862, after a severe sickness, the cause 
 of death being black erysipelas. After this event 
 the mother of our subject was married to Mr. Will- 
 iam DeVolt, a gentleman of French fam 113-, residing 
 at present in South Branch. Of her union with Mr. 
 Farmer two children were born, our subject and 
 Nathan M. After her marriage with Mr. DeYolt 
 she gave birth to two other children — Elmer E. and 
 Eva E. 
 
 The place of the nativity of our subject is Knox 
 County. Ohio, the date of that interesting event 
 Feb. 6, 1860. His father died when he was about 
 two j'ears of age, and he continued to live with his 
 mother until lie was ten years of age, and then 
 started in life for himself. He began by working 
 out upon a farm, by which he managed to support 
 himself, and being allowed the privilege of attend- 
 ing school during winter, which he did until he was 
 sixteen years of age, he succeeded in obtaining that 
 indispensability of a successful life, a good practi- 
 cal education. 
 
 Mr. Farmer came to Nebraska when eighteen 
 years of age, settling first in Omaha in 1878, and 
 later in Nebraska City, and thence coming out to 
 his present place, which was purchased by the two 
 brothers; later he bought out his brother, and since 
 that time continued it alone. He has made all the 
 ■ ► 
 
 r 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ••► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 esa 
 
 improvements on the place; the grove he set out 
 carefully, the hedges and fences he has planted and 
 trimmed, stretched and kept. The orchard he has 
 been careful to select and put 'out and tend, the 
 house and buildings are also largely his own work. 
 These are substantial, commodious and convenient. 
 The home is in point of fact a bright, cheery place, 
 that can be appreciated no less by the visitor, to 
 whom a cordial hospitality is always shown, than 
 by the owner of the property. 
 
 On the 16th of October, 1884, at Tecuraseh, Mr. 
 Farmer and Emma A., daughter of Frederick and 
 Caroline (Miers) Waternierer, were united in wed- 
 lock with happiest results. They are the parents 
 of two children: Lola M., born Aug. 13, 1885, and 
 Rosa E., Nov. 10, 1887. The parents of Mrs. 
 Farmer were born in Germany, and upon coming to 
 the United States settled first in Wisconsin, and 
 later in Illinois. Her father was a professor of 
 German and English, and was teaching in Cairo, 
 111., when he died in 1874; her mother, who is still 
 living and has reached the advanced age of sixty- 
 seven j'ears, makes her home with our subject. 
 .She is the mother of two children: Emil T., and 
 Emma A., the wife of our subject, who was born on 
 the 10th of March, 1862, at the Wisconsin home. 
 
 The subject of our sketch has served as Constable, 
 and is also now the School Moderator of this dis- 
 trict. Politically, he is Democratic, and lakes a 
 lively interest in politics. With his wife, he attends 
 the Baptist Church, and in that, as in ever}' other re- 
 lation in life, both are held in much esteem. There 
 is evidently a future before Mr. Farmer that will be 
 worthy of his character, power and energy. 
 
 \f^ETER SCHARP. Among the intelligent 
 i Jjj and thrifty German farmers of Wyoming 
 '^ f^ Precinct none held a higher position among 
 ]1\ their fellow-citizens than the subject of 
 this sketch, who departed this life after a long and 
 painful illness, on the 17th of March, 1888. A 
 native of Holstein, Germany, he was born Jan. 24, 
 1841, and emigrated to America with his parents 
 in 1856. The latter were Timm and Mattie Scharp, 
 who were also of German birth and parentage, and 
 
 whose familj' consisted of six children. Soon after 
 setting foot upon American soil thej' made their 
 way directly to the West, settling in W3'oming Pre- 
 cinct, this county, where their son Peter grew to 
 manhood and received a common-school education. 
 The death of the father occurred about 1883. He 
 W.1S accidentally killed, having been thrown from a 
 wagon which was struck by a runaway team. Mr. 
 Scharp was hurled with much violence to the ground, 
 and instantly expired. The mother is still living 
 on the home farm with her son Timm. 
 
 Upon reaching manhood our subject started out 
 for himself, and managed to secure 160 acres of 
 land on section 21, upon which there had been no 
 attempt at improvement. He began in earnest the 
 cultivation of the soil, but feeling the need of a 
 wife and helpmate was in due time united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Johanna Gueneel, the wedding tak- 
 ing place at the home of the bride in Wyoming 
 Precinct, Oct. 29, 1868. The .young people com- 
 menced the journey of life together in a manner 
 suitable to their means and station, and labored 
 with one mutual purpose in the building up of a 
 home and the development of a farm. Their first 
 dwelling was a small frame house, which, in 1883, 
 was replaced by the ])resent fine residence. 
 
 Mrs. Scharp was born in Gorlitz, Prussia, on 
 the 14th of August, 1840, and is the daughter of 
 Carl and Christiana (Frenzel) Gueneel, who were 
 natives of the same, and of pure German ancestry. 
 They were reared and married in their native Prov- 
 ince, the father in the meantime serving three years 
 in the German Army. Later he established himself 
 upon a farm, and spent his entire life upon his na- 
 tive soil, his death occurring in 1874, when he was 
 sixty-five years old. Both parents were reared in 
 the doctrines of the Lutheran Church, of which 
 they became members at an early age. The mother 
 is still living in Germany, being now seventj'-eight 
 years old. 
 
 Mrs. Scharp lived at home with her parents until 
 the spring of 1868, and then came alone to the 
 United States, joining her brother, Ernest Gueneel, 
 in Nebraska City, where she lived until her mar- 
 riage with our subject. Of this union there have 
 been born nine children, two of whom, Mattie and 
 Timm, died at the ages of five and two respectively. 
 
 •►Htr^^ 
 
 t^hM^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 t 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 686 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 The survivors, Mar}^, Peter J., Hannah, Ernest, 
 Emma, John and Carl, are all at home with their 
 mother, and form a very intelligent and interesting 
 little family, being given the training and educa- 
 tion suited to their station in life. 
 
 The Scharp homestead comprises 160 acres of 
 land, and in addition to this property Mr. fScharp 
 owned 180 acres elsewhere, including forty acres of 
 valuable timber. Mrs. Scharp since the death of 
 her husband has managed her affairs in a very in- 
 telligent manner, and kept up the reputation of the 
 estate in a most creditable style. The farm build- 
 ings are first-class in every particular, and Mr. 
 Scharp as a stock-raiser had gained quite an envia- 
 ble reputation. He was a Republican in politics, 
 and with his wife and children a loyal adherent of 
 the Lutheran faith of his forefathers. His name is 
 held in kindly remembrance by all who knew him, 
 as that of a man honorable in his dealings with bis 
 fellow-citizens and one who did good service in the 
 building up of one of the most intelligent communi- 
 ties of the West. 
 
 'S[ ACOB DIENER came to the southwestern 
 I I part of this county in the spring of 1877, 
 ^,,^1 ; and settled upon a tract of rented land which 
 (^/; he cultivated for a period of five years. In 
 the fall of 1881 he purchased his present farm of 
 160 acres on section 6, South Branch Precinct, and 
 the year following took possession. It was then raw 
 prairie, and tlie homestead which the traveler views 
 to-day with admiring interest, with its buildings, 
 groves, orchards, machinery and livestock, has been 
 the result of the persevering industry of the pres- 
 ent proprietor, the gentleman whose name stands at 
 the head of this sketch. He has of late been giv- 
 ing his attention largely to fine draft horses and 
 good breeds of swine. Of these he makes a spe- 
 cialty, and realizes therefrom a handsome income. 
 
 Next in importance to the life and character of 
 an individual is that of those from whom he sprang. 
 The father of our subject, John Diener, was a na- 
 tive of Rhenish Prussia, and married Miss Caroline 
 Reira, who was born and reared in his own neigh- 
 borhood. The paternal grandfather, Phillip Diener, 
 
 ■^f 
 
 a native of the same Province, spent his entire life 
 there. His son John, upon reaching manhood .and 
 being married, settled upon a small farm of sixty 
 acres, the soil of which he tilled until 1835, and not 
 being satisfied with the result, embarked with his 
 little family for America. Here he located first in 
 Carlisle, Pa., and was employed on a railroad. 
 Thence he went to Pottsville, in Schuylkill County, 
 and for a time was employed in coal mining. Later 
 he took up his residence in Northumberland County, 
 where his death occurred in 1874, at the age of 
 sixty-four years. The mother, still continuing a 
 resident of Pennsylvania, died in 1883, at the .ad- 
 vanced age of eighty years. 
 
 The seven children of the parental family were 
 named respectively : Lena, Margaretta and Caroline, 
 who are now deceased ; Jacob, of our sketch ; John, 
 living near Syracuse, in this county, and Doroth}-, 
 a resident of Pennsylvania. Jacob, like his par- 
 ents, was born in Rhenish Prussia. Aug. 29, 1823, 
 and until a lad twelve years of age continued with 
 them on the farm in his native Province. Like 
 most of the children of Germany, he was given a 
 good common-school education, and he remembers 
 the incidents of preparation for the long voyage 
 across the Atlantic, together with their stormy pas- 
 sage over. They set sail from Havre de Grace, 
 France, encountering seven weeks of bad weather, 
 and finally landed in the city of Baltimore. 
 
 Our subject proceeded with his parents to Car- 
 lisle, Pa., and for several years thereafter was en- 
 gaged in coal mining, during which time he met with 
 many hairbreadth escapes incident to this often 
 dangerous occupation. He was a workman of more 
 than ordinary intelligence and abilitj% finally oper- 
 ated bj' contract, and upon several occasions sunk 
 the trial shaft, a diflficult proceeding, requiring great 
 judgment and skill. In the spring of 1877, how- 
 ever, becoming very tired of mining and of the con- 
 stant battle with falling slate and inhalation of gas 
 which often threatened to destro}' him, he resolved 
 to change his occupation to something more pleas- 
 ant and less dangerous. 
 
 Putting his resolve into execution, Mr. Diener 
 made his way across the Mississippi, and the first 
 night spent in Otoe County was in the rapidly de- 
 veloping town of Syracuse. After locating upon 
 
 ^^^l-4« 
 
•^"^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 687 
 
 -^ 
 
 tlie land wliich he rented in Hendricks, he sent for 
 liis family, and subsequently proceeded .is we have 
 already indicated. He was first married, Jan. 6, 
 1844, in Schuylkill County, Pa., to Miss Catherine 
 Diehl, who was horn in Germany, Sept. 5, 1825, and 
 t)nly survived her wedding five years, lier death 
 taking place in the winter of 1849. This lady was 
 the daughter of Phillip and Catherine (.Schound) 
 Diehl, natives of Bavaria, and the father was a coal 
 miner by occupation. Upon coming to America 
 they settled in Schuylkill County, Pa., where the 
 father died at the age of fifty years, in 1842. The 
 mother is still living in Pennsylvania, being now 
 eighty-eight years old. Their children were Lewis, 
 Phillip. Frederick, Caroline, Charlotte, Louisa, Au- 
 gustus and Lizzie. Philip and Jacob are deceased. 
 
 This union of our suliject resulted in the birth of 
 four children, all sons: Phillip Albert <Hed when 
 about three years of age; John Frederick is mail 
 agent on the Burlington ife Missouri River Railroad. 
 He served during the Civil War, in the 7lh Penn 
 sylvania Cavalry, and in the battle at Dallas, Ga., 
 was wounded and captured by the enemy. He ex- 
 perienced the terrors first of Atlanta and then An- 
 dersonville Prison, but his life was spared, and he 
 returned home after being paroled and exchanged. 
 He was mustered out in 1865, with his regiment in 
 Georgia, and is now in Syracuse. Charles is a 
 stationary engineer by profession, and a resident 
 of Schuylkill County, Pa. 
 
 Phillip Diehl during the late war served as a 
 Union soldier, and died at Hatteras Inlet. Caroline 
 became the second wife of our subject in the fall 
 of 1852. She was born Sept. 5, 1829, and was a 
 child two years of age when she came with her par- 
 ents to America. Of this union there have been born 
 nine children, namely: Louis, Ernest A., Laura, 
 Albert, Lizzie, Frederick, Henry, George and Will- 
 iam. Louis and Ernest A. are farmers, one in 
 Palmyra Precinct, this county, and the latter in 
 Lincoln County; Laura is the wife of Harry John- 
 son, a well-to-do farmer of Lincoln County, and the 
 mother of five children. The following are also 
 in that county : Albert; Lizzie, the wife of Peter 
 Lloyd; Frederick and George. The other children 
 are at home with their parents. 
 
 Mr. Diener, politically, is a decided Republican, 
 
 and in religious matters belongs to the German 
 Lutheran Church. His estimable wife is a member 
 of the German Reformed Church. They have one 
 of the pleasantest homes in the county, and their 
 hospitable doors are always open both to friend and 
 stranger, to whom they extend that welcome which 
 is always so grateful to the recipient, and by which 
 means they have gathered around them hosts of 
 warm friends. » 
 
 ^ IKILLIAM M. THALER. The life of this 
 \^/l gentleman is illustrative of the fact that 
 W^ thoroughness is the key to success. As a 
 boj' this marked his life, whether in school or on 
 the play-ground; it was equally true of him as a 
 young man starting in life, as a soldier, and in his 
 business relations of later years. He is a repre- 
 sentative citizen of Palmyra, and has the esteem of 
 his fellows. He is the son of John M. and Mar- 
 garet Thaler, both of whom were natives of Ger- 
 many. The occuiiation of his father was that of a 
 stonemason, and he was considered a skilled vvorker. 
 In the year 1839, when he had reached the advanced 
 age of sixty j-ears, he started with his famil3' for 
 America, and settled in Springfield, there continu- 
 ing to follow his trade. About the time he was 
 eighty-two years of age the samls of the hourglass 
 of his life had run out, and he departed this life at 
 Springfield, in the year 1861. His wife lived to he 
 eighty-four years of age; she died at the residence 
 of our subject in the year 1883. The father of 
 our subject was twice married. By his first union 
 he became the father of one child, and by the sec- 
 ond, that to which reference is made above, of 
 twelve children. Our subject is one of the younger 
 children; he and his brother Charley, who died at 
 New York in 1839, were twins. 
 
 The native place of William Thaler is Honackon, 
 Wurtemberg, Germany. He was born in the year 
 1836, but his residence in that county was of com- 
 paratively short duration, and his earl^' recollec- 
 tions center around the Springfield home. His 
 education was obtained in the Springfield schools, 
 and was supplemented by a course of instruction in 
 the Brooks Seminary. He was all that is meant 
 
 
A. 
 
 •► 
 
 688 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 iT* 
 
 by the expression a thorough l)oy, vivacious, bright, 
 an intense lover of fun, and perhaps at times a little 
 too exuberant for the comfort of some less 3'outh- 
 ful. There was, however, always present with him 
 a certain sturdy sense of manly honor, and his 
 record is not tarnished as it might have been had 
 bis home training been less careful and complete. 
 Upon leaving scliool the question of trade or call- 
 ing was placed before him. and he elected to become 
 a stone-cutter. He served an apprenticeship of 
 two and a half years, working on the stone block 
 representing Illinois in the Washington Monument 
 for about six weeks, t(jward the latter part of his 
 apprenticeship. Difficulty with the boss caused 
 him to leave, and he went to Logan County, 111., 
 and there engaged on a farm. 
 
 While in Logan County our subject met Miss 
 Melinda Lanterman, who was born near Spring- 
 field, 111., in 1834, to Jolin and Elizabeth Lanter- 
 man. The father of this lad}' was a farmer, and 
 prosperous in his occupation, his death occurring 
 when she was about twenty years of age; she 
 shortly afterward went to keep house for her 
 brother, whose home was in Logan County. It was 
 here the acquaintance was formed that resulted in 
 their marriage on the 5th of March, 1857. They 
 lived in Illinois until 1860, and then he came alone 
 to this State, arriving in Nebraska City on the oth 
 of April, 1860, and his family came in March, 1861. 
 The same day he went out to visit a cousin whose 
 home was in the vicinitj", and, upon being asked 
 by bis relative how he liked the Territory', replied : 
 "I like it well enough to live and die in Otoe 
 County." He has not yet changed his opinion. 
 
 His visit to Nebraska City over, Mr. Thaler re- 
 turned to Springfield, III., where he cast his first 
 Presidential ballot for Lincoln, whom he had served 
 in 3'outh as a chore boy. He remained in Illinois 
 over winter, and in the spring of 1861 returned 
 with his wife and child, and rented first a farm in 
 Otoe County, w-hich he held for two years. At the 
 close of that period, his first impression of the 
 count}' being strengthened, he purchased a farm, 
 but did not improve it before the war. 
 
 At the risk of a retrogression, we mention an 
 
 incident in connection with the first vote for Presi- 
 
 ^ ' dent mentioned above, as indicating the principles 
 
 ^H.- 
 
 that underlie the character of our subject. At the 
 time Fremont was spoken of for the Presidency 
 Mr. Thaler sympathized with the Fillmore part}*. 
 A d.ay or two afterward he received from his former 
 employer and benefactor. Lincoln, a sharp letter. 
 Seeing the folly of his conduct, he made a vow that 
 if Lincoln ever ran for office again he would vote 
 for him; consequently, in the fall of 1860, when in 
 Nebraska City, he did not think it too much to 
 return to Illinois to cast his vote. The day after 
 his return home he called on Lincoln, who was well 
 pleased to see him, and filled with strong emotion 
 as he understood the purpose of the journey from 
 Nebraska. With a look that will ever be remem- 
 bered by our subject lie said: "Well, William, you 
 have come a long wa}' to vote for me, will you 
 come that far to defend the principles you are vot- ■ 
 ing for.?" The promise was given that he would 
 do so, and has since been nobly fulfilled. 
 
 In 1861 Mrs. Thaler died at Nebraska City, leav- 
 ing to the care of her husband a little daughter, Mar- 
 garet, and, although the condition was unfavorable 
 to the fulfillment of his promise to Lincoln, and 
 his path in that direction thus rendered ver\' diffi- 
 cult, he was so moved by McClellan's defeat, that, 
 when the call came for 600,000 men, he started 
 once more for Springfield, and enlisted in Company 
 A, 73d Illinois Infantry, for three j'ears, and served 
 during the remainder of the war. Only about one 
 week was allowed for drilling at Camp Butler, be- 
 fore they departed for the front. Everything else 
 was learned under the rebel fire. 
 
 The first battle in which our subject participated 
 was that at Perry ville, fought on the 9th of October, 
 1862. The next was at Chickamauga. He was 
 taken sick with t3'phoid fever at Nashville, and lay 
 between life and death for a long time, in the sum- 
 mer of 1863, in the liospital at that place and Chat- 
 tanooga. After the battle last mentioned he was 
 again taken ill, and upon recovery served in the 
 engagement at Nashville. He was at Greenville, 
 Tenn., when Lincoln's assassination occurred. At 
 that place he served on detached duty. On the 
 Easter Sunda}' he and his comrades were having a 
 splendid time in exercises similar to those of the 
 old-fashioned singing school; all were feeling happy 
 and jubilant, but the news reached them just at 
 
 ■•►HI- 
 
HI-^«- 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 689 
 
 tliat time, and from tlie heights of pleasure they 
 sank to the lowest depths of sorrow, to know that 
 the President was no more. Receiving an honorable 
 discharge at Nashville, on the r2lh of June, 1865, 
 Mr. Thaler returned to his home. 
 
 Arriving in Nebraska City on the 20th of Au- 
 gust, 1865, after an absence of three years and four 
 days, our subject found things more changed than 
 he had anticipated. On the 1st of September he 
 started freighting over the plains to Colorado and 
 to Ft. Laramie, Wyo. He carried on this busi- 
 ness under Government contract for two years, 
 then, coming once more to Nebraska City, on the 
 11th of January, 1867, he went to his farm, 
 started to improve it, and has since gone on with 
 that good work. 
 
 The second marriage of our subject was cele- 
 brated on the 26th of November, 1868, and he then 
 became the husband of Miss Permelia Ann Cassle, 
 the daughter of John and Sarah (Thomas) Cassle. 
 Her father was horn in South Carolina and her 
 mother in Ohio, but removed to Indiana, and finally 
 came to Nebraska, in 1856, and settled near Ne- 
 braska City. They became the parents of nine 
 children, eight of whom are living. Mrs. Thaler is 
 the fourth child, and was born on the 1st of July, 
 1837, in Warren County, Ind. At the time the fam- 
 ily removed to Nebraska she was nineteen years of 
 age. This union has been consummated by the 
 birth of four children, whose names are as follows: 
 Bertha M., who died when about sixteen j'ears of 
 age; Florence A., Willie W., and Milton, who died 
 when but an infant. By his former marriage Mr. 
 Thaler had two children — Margaret A., and John 
 M., who died in Quincy. Margaret is the wife of 
 Ira Gordon, and resides at Wabash, Neb., and is 
 the mother of three children. 
 
 In 1879 our subject sold his property and pur- 
 chased a farm near Palmyra. In 1883 he went 
 into his present business, which is tli.at of ahard- 
 wareman and (lealer in harness and saddlery. He 
 built a brick corner block in 1883, in partnership 
 with C. B. Coswell. This business venture has 
 been most satisfactory in every regard, and he has 
 prospered beyond his most sanguine expectations. 
 He has also built a branch store at Hendricks, in 
 
 which he has a half-interest, and has erected a good 
 residence in the best part of the town. 
 
 Naturally' Mr. Thaler is an enthusiastic member 
 of the G. A. R., and has been the commander of 
 the post. He is an earnest member of the Christian 
 Church, his wife and daughter equally so of the 
 Baptist communion. Our subject feels strongly in 
 the matter of Prohibition, and heartily espouses 
 that cause. He has received many indications of 
 the esteem in which he and his are held in the town, 
 and also of the confidence reposed in him by his 
 fellow-citizens. At present he is serving upon the 
 Village Board his third term, holding the office of 
 President of the same. 
 
 bEMUEL E. SINSABAUGH, of Syracuse, was 
 the first man to locate upon the present site 
 of this city, coming here in August, 1871, 
 and putting up the first building within its limits. 
 He at once established a lumber-yard, and was ac- 
 cordingly the pioneer in this business. He is now 
 engaged in the breeding of fine horses, being the 
 owner of the celebr.ated Bashaw Stock Farm, where 
 he has a fine stable of Cleveland Bays, the better 
 class of road horses and Shetland ponies. 
 
 Bradford County, Pa., was the early tramping 
 ground of our sidjject, where his birth took place 
 Feb. 16, 1839. His parents were David and Susan 
 (Peck) Sinsabaugh, and as they died when he was 
 a small boy, he knows little of the history of his an- 
 cestors farther than tiiat his grandparents were resi- 
 dents of Orange County, N. Y. Of the parental 
 family there were eleven children, ten of whom 
 grew to mature years. These were: Rachel, the wife 
 of Huston Munn: William, Richard, Alpheus, Hec- 
 tor; Elsie, Mrs. Minard DeGroff ; Thomas M., Lem- 
 uel E. ; Miranda, the wife of James L. Patterson, 
 and Lois, Mrs. George T. Hunt. These are resi- 
 dents of Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Illinois and Ne- 
 braska. 
 
 Our subject was left an orphan when a lad of ten 
 years, and resided with his brothers for some time 
 afterward. When a boy in his teens he was em- 
 ployed as a farm laborer, and in 1858 entered a 
 factory where were manufactured agricultural im- 
 
 t^t-M» 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 690 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ••^h 
 
 plements, at Athens. Pa. In 18G0, going to West- 
 ern, Pa., lie engaged in lumbering, and the year 
 following occurred the outbreak of the late Civil 
 "War. Soon after the first call for troops he en- 
 tered the service as a member of Company H, 46th 
 Penns3'lvania Infantry, and operated with his com- 
 rades along the Shenandoah Valley under Gen. 
 Banks, participating in all the battles of that cam- 
 paign. On the 8th of August, 1862, the day pre- 
 ceding the battle at Cedar River, our subject was 
 afflicted with a sunstroke, and during the conflict 
 which followed was captured bj' the rebels, and con- 
 fined at Libby Prison and Belle Isle until in Janu- 
 ary, 1863. He was tlren exchanged, and rejoining 
 his regiment, participated in the battles of Chancel- 
 lorsville and Gettysburg, after which this division of 
 the army was transferred to Chattanooga and to the 
 command of Gen. Sherman. Mr. Sinsabaugh after- 
 ward fought at Lookout Mountain, Resaca and 
 Dallas, receiving at the latter place a gunshot wound, 
 which, in connection with the effects of sunstroke, so 
 disabled him that he was relieved from active duty, 
 and sent to the hospital at New Albany, Ind. Later, 
 at Harrisburg, Pa., he received his honorable dis- 
 charge, after having given a faithful service of three 
 years to his country. 
 
 Upon leaving the army our subject returned to 
 his old haunts in Bradford County, Pa., resuming 
 his work, the manufacture of agricultural imple- 
 ments, until 1865. He then went into the oil re- 
 gions, and was engaged in developing wells until 
 the following year, when he i-eturned to the factory. 
 The summer of 1871 found him west of tlie Missis- 
 sippi, and preparing to locate upon the present site 
 of Syracuse, this county. He continued in the lum- 
 ber business until 1878, and was succeeded by H. 
 N. Carpenter. He now turned his attention to the 
 raising of fancy poultry, and for this purpose erected 
 a set of the finest buildings in the United States. 
 His operations proved highly remunerative, his 
 trade extending to every State in the Union, the 
 Sandwich Islands and England. But, alas for human 
 calculations, a conflagration, supposed to have been 
 started by a firecracker, swept away, the labor of 
 years, entailing a heavj' loss of property upon 
 which there was no insurance. 
 
 As soon as he could recover from his calamity, 
 
 our subject invested his remaining capital in a 
 stock of general merchandise, associating himself 
 with a partner, and the firm of Page <fe Sinsabaugh 
 continued in existence until the fall of 1884. Mr. 
 S. then withdrew and established the Bashaw .Stock 
 Farm, and as a breeder of fine horses now occu- 
 pies a position in the front ranks among the men of 
 that line in Southern Nebraska. His stables are 
 located near the city limits, where, iti addition to 
 his farm, he owns forty acresof land. 
 
 Miss Jennie Bloodgood, daughter of Hiram and 
 Sarah Bloodgood, of New York, became the wife 
 of our subject Sept. 12, 1865, the wedding taking 
 place at the home of the bride in New York. Mrs. 
 Sinsabaugh was born in Tioga County, N. Y.. and 
 departed this life at her home in Syracuse, Neb., 
 May 13, 1873. Of this union there were born four 
 children : Ida M., now the wife of Henr3' "Vose, of 
 Syracuse; Grace is at home with her father, Willie, 
 and one deceased. Our subject, politically, votes 
 the Republican ticket, and is one of the pioneer 
 members of the M.asonic fraternity' in this region, 
 being the first man initiated in Mt. Moriah Lodge 
 No. 57, in S3-racuse. 
 
 ■-^t5»*-^t^ 
 
 v^itf"*)^;^^ 
 
 J' AMES M. RILEY, the well-known and pros- 
 perous liver^ym.an of Si'racuse, is a native of 
 the Buckeye State, and was born in Muskin- 
 gum Count}' on the 16th of June, 1857. His 
 father, John Riley, was a native of that State, and 
 followed the occupation of farming, and in that 
 calling enjoyed even more than usual success. The 
 maiden name of his wife, the mother of our sub- 
 ject, was Christiania McDonald, a native of Vir- 
 ginia, who, throughout the years of her married 
 life, manifested a spirit beautiful in its purity and 
 Christian helpfulness. She was in every sense of the 
 word a true wife and mother. Mr. Rilej', Sr., con- 
 tinued to make his home in his native State until 
 1885, when, owing to the death of his wife and two 
 daughters, each of whom fell a victim to that most 
 fatal of all known diseases, consumption, he deter- 
 mined to seek a climate where the surviving mem- 
 bers of his family might have an opportunity to es- 
 cape the same fell destroyer. Accordingly he sold 
 
 -^-It 
 
>► ir^ 
 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 691 
 
 •f 
 
 Iiis farm and other property in Ohio and migrated 
 to Kansas, where lie purcliased a section of. land in 
 Wabaunsee Count}', which he lias improved and 
 still oi)erates as a stock farm. Of liis family five 
 children are still living, bis son John M. being the 
 eldest. 
 
 The education of our subject was obtained in 
 the usual institution of his native county, and as he 
 made good use of his sciiool daj's and has not been 
 neglectful of self-improvement since, he is a well- 
 informed man and capable citizen. On leaving 
 school he became his father's assistant upon the 
 farm, and continued thus employed until 1877. At 
 that time he went to Kansas, where he took a com- 
 mercial course in a college at Lawrence, and through- 
 out the three subsequent years represented L. K. 
 Hill & Co.. of Kalamazoo, Mich., as their salesman 
 of plow attachments in the Stale of Kansas. Upon 
 resigning this position he engaged in stock-raising, 
 in which his success was even greater than it had 
 been as a salesman. 
 
 The year 1885 is memorable in the history of our 
 subject as that in which he was united in wedlock 
 with Addie Daly, the estimable lady who has since 
 that time been the companion of his life, and has 
 enriched it by the matured intelligence, culture and 
 inspiration of her womanhood. Mrs. Riley is the 
 daughter of George W. Daly, of Kansas, who was 
 born in the State of New York, but as a J'oung 
 man went to Kansas and taught school. While a 
 resident there he met and married his wife, who 
 was the daughter of one of the pioneers of Kaiisas. 
 Mr. Daly is now agent for the Kansas Loan and 
 Trust Company of Topeka, and very prosperous as 
 a business man. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Riley 
 has been the more firmly cemented and its happiness 
 augmented by the birth of a daughter, to whom 
 they have given the name Ethel. 
 
 Kansas continued to be the home of our subject 
 some time after he was married, in fact, until he 
 came to this State in the year 1886, at which time 
 he settled in .Syracuse, and embarked with his usual, 
 thoroughness and enterprise in his present business. 
 The good fortune which .attended his former occu- 
 pation did not leave him when he came hither, and 
 althougii in a new countiy where are many difficul- 
 ties and obstacles unknown in older settled districts. 
 
 these have never turned him from his purpose. He 
 has industriously looked after his business, and has 
 firmly established a reputation in the community. 
 Like his father before him, our subject is a stanch 
 Republican, and when opportunity offers is always 
 ready to manifest his faith by his deeds, hence is 
 esteemed an extremely loyal and patriotic citizen. 
 
 -«/w~<aj2£?©-5@ 
 
 .,*^^-J2Ri>v.-vv%/- 
 
 „ ,,' NDREW STOUT, one of the prosperous 
 ^7ul! farmers of Otoe Precinct, owning forty 
 acres of farming land on section 20, 160 
 acres being the noi-th quarter of the south- 
 east quarter of the same section, the entire north 
 half of section 30, and ten acres on section 23, a 
 total of 530 acres, his residence being upon the 
 first named, is the son of Emley and Elvira (Denney) 
 Stout. His father was born in the State of New 
 Jersey, but was brought up in Ohio, whence he was 
 taken by his parents when about six years of age. 
 This was the native State of the mother of our sub- 
 ject. 
 
 It is believed from fainil}' tradition that the an- 
 cestry of Andrew Stout were subjects of the British 
 Crown, and that the grandfather of Andrew was the 
 first member of the family to come to this country, 
 where he settled in New Jersey after the Revolu- 
 tionary War. In the War of 1812 this gentleman 
 served as a teamster for the army. 
 
 Mr. Emley Stout and Elvira Denney were married 
 in Morgan County, HI., near the city of Jackson- 
 ville, in the year 1835. They are now residing 
 near Ashl.and, Cass Co., 111., and are respectively 
 seventy-nine and seventy years of age. Their 
 family circle includes twelve children, ten of whom 
 grew 10 mature years. Their names are as follows: 
 Andrew, Caroline, Hannah, Theodore, Aaron and 
 Cyrus (deceased), George W., Charles E.; Mary F. 
 died when one year old; Mary E. died aged about 
 thirtj- -three; Lucinda and William. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 1st of 
 February, 1837, in Pike County, 111. He grew up 
 in Cass County from the time he was twelve years 
 of age, previous to which he had lived in Morgan 
 County from the time he was eighteen months old. 
 Being the eldest son he was directed to farm work 
 
 *^ 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 692 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 at a veiy early age, and while still a youth was able 
 to take charge of almost any department of such 
 work. This was the more necessary because his 
 father was by no means a rich man. and needed all 
 the help that could be given. For this reason per- 
 haps more than any other the education of our sub- 
 ject was not given that attention that would have 
 been desirable, and, under other circumstances, 
 possible. AVhat schooling he obtained be received 
 during the winter months onl}', and upon the foun- 
 dation then laid he has never ceased to continue to 
 build. 
 
 After spending the first twenty-two years of his 
 life under the home roof our subject started in life for 
 himself by celebrating his marriage with Mary E., the 
 estimable daughter of Nathan and Catharine (Epler) 
 Blizzard. This lady was born in Clark County, 
 Ind., and there lived until she was six years of age, 
 when, with her parents, she went to Morgan County, 
 111., which afterward continued to be her home 
 until her marriage. The date of the latter event 
 was Nov. 1 8, 1858. Both her parents are deceased. 
 
 The young couple spent the first year of their 
 married life in Illinois, and then sold out their 
 property and came to this State, arriving in the 
 fall of 1859. Their first purchase was the north- 
 east corner of section 30. By care and unremitting 
 labor, judicious]}" carried on, success so far crowned 
 the efforts of our subject that the adjoining quarter 
 of the same section was purchased and incoi'porated 
 with their previous possessions. Mr. Stout followed 
 for many years general or mixed farming, finding 
 it more profitable than a more special line of 
 operations. 
 
 For six 3'ears Mr. Stout held the office of County 
 Commissioner, and for two years he was Chairman 
 of the board. While Mr. Stout was a member of 
 the board many of the leading citizens of Nebraska 
 City and the count}' requested the Board of Com- 
 missioners to submit to the voters the proposition to 
 issue l)onds to aid in the construction of the Mid- 
 land Pacific Railroad, The proposition carried, the 
 bonds were issued and the road built. Subsequent 
 bonds were voted on and issued in aid of the con- 
 struction of the Burlington & Missouri River Rail- 
 road. 
 
 The political faith of our subject is tliat of the 
 
 Democratic party, of which he has for many years 
 continued a stanch advocate and friend. When 
 running for the Commissioner's office he ran far 
 ahead of his ticket. He has been prominent in the 
 councils of his party in this county. In religious 
 belief our subject and his wife are members of the 
 Southern Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a 
 charter member of the church organization at Har- 
 mony, and one of the Trustees. 
 
 Charles E. Stout, the only son of our subject and 
 wife, was born in Otoe Precinct, April 20, 1860. 
 He has attended in addition to the usual institution 
 of instruction the Neln-aska City College, and also 
 the State University at Lincoln. At present he is 
 at home.assisting his father in carrying on the farm. 
 
 Mr. Stout is a man of fine character, manliness 
 and personal worth. He has a high sense of justice 
 and honor, and commands the universal esteem of 
 his fellows. Concerning him as a public officer J. 
 J. Hostettler, his fellow Commissioner, remarked as 
 follows: ''Mr. Stout is an A No. 1 man. In matters 
 pertaining to the public good I found him very 
 active. While we got along very harmoniously, 
 yet when Mr. Stout would take a stand on any 
 point he would do it because he thought it was 
 right, and his natural ability and long experience 
 made him one of the very best Commissioners Otoe 
 County has ever seen." 
 
 (T^-^IRAM HENDRICKS, of Hendricks Pre- 
 Ijljji cinct, was the first white child born in the 
 Z^^;^ southwestern part of Otoe County. This 
 (^) event occurred on the 30th of December, 
 1859. Here he spent his boyhood and youth, and 
 grew to a promising manhood. He is now num- 
 bered among the most enterprising young farmers 
 of this section, and bids fair to reflect honor upon 
 the name which has been familiar in this section of 
 country for a period of over thirtj' j'ears. 
 
 Our subject, although young in j'ears, has seen 
 much hard labor, having been reared as the son 
 of a pioneer, and at an early age commenced to 
 assist his father in the development of a homestead. 
 In the sketch of his brother, George Hendricks, 
 found elsewhere in this volume, is given the pa- 
 
 -•►Hl 
 
 i 
 
•••■ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 093 
 
 rental liistor}-. The first recollections of our sub- 
 ject are of the wild, uncultivated prairie and the 
 primitive manner in which the people of that time 
 were obliged to live. He spent his boyhood and 
 j'outh on the farm, remaining with his parents until 
 reaching his majority, and notwithstanding the many 
 difficulties in the way of education, became master of 
 the common brandies, the study of which he dili- 
 gently pursued, and from which he emerged with a 
 goodly portion of practical knowledge. At the age 
 of twenlj'-two years lie purchased the eighty acres 
 whicli he now owns and occupies from his mother, 
 and began farming on his own account. He has made 
 all the improvements which we see to-day, and which 
 reflect great credit upon his industry and good judg- 
 ment. He has a fine tract of native timber, and 
 streams of living water running through the farm. 
 He has planted an orchard of 150 apple trees and 
 laid off the fields with beautiful hedge. He has 
 added to his landed possessions by the purchase of 
 forty acres on section 17. 
 
 One of the most interesting and important events 
 In the life of our subject was Gis marriage, wliich 
 occurred April 17, 1881, his bride being Miss Jen- 
 nie Fishel. This ladj' was born in Iowa, Aug. 19, 
 18()l.and is the daughter of Charles and Jessie 
 (McPherson) Fishel, the former of whom is a na- 
 tive of Ohio, and the latter was born on the other 
 side of the Atlantic, among the Scottish Highlands. 
 Mr. Fishel, a farmer bj- occupation, removed from 
 Ohio to Iowa, thence in I 876 to this county, locating 
 on a tract of land in Hendricks Precinct, where he 
 labored successfull}', and where his death took place 
 in 1878. The mother is still living, and resides on 
 the old homestead. Their family consisted of eight 
 children, six of whom are living, and mostly resid- 
 ing in Nebraska. Mrs. Hendricks was the second 
 child, and continued under the home roof until her 
 marriage, acquiring her education in the common 
 schools. Of her union with our subject there have 
 been born three children — Charles Edwin, Carrie 
 Winnifred and Mary Elizabeth. Mr. Hendricks is 
 a stanch Republican, politically, and both he and 
 his amiable wife are active members of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church at Solon, in which he h.as 
 been Class-Leader and Superintendent of the Sun- 
 day-school. Like that of his father before him, his 
 
 •► 
 
 house has alw.ays been open for religious meetings 
 and every other good purpose. His energ3' and 
 public-spiritedncsss. his enterprise and intelligence, 
 have commended him highly to the people of this 
 county, who expect of him still further good things 
 in the future. 
 
 WIGHT WAIT. This gentleman is one 
 of the enterprising 3'oung business men 
 of Palmyra, and occupies the position of 
 chief clerk in the hardware store of 3Ir. 
 Thomas P>ell. His father, C3a'us Wait, was born in 
 Vermont, near Woodstock. Upon the father's side 
 the family is of French origin, while upon the 
 mother's the ancestrj' were Irish. Mr. Wait, Sr., 
 was an enthusiastic worker in the great cause of re- 
 ligion, and almo.st as much so in that of abolition. 
 He died at Woodstock, Ohio, in the year 1865, when 
 only thirt3--two years of age. After her bereave- 
 ment Mrs. Wait lived with her sons. She made 
 her home in Nebraska for two years and then re- 
 turned to Indiana. She died there in the year 
 1886, having reached the age of seventy years. 
 She was the mother of six children, viz: Cicero, 
 Addison, Dwlght, Hiuda, Herbert and Fillmore. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 22d of 
 Februarj-, 1849, at the town of Woodstock, and 
 grew up there. He was seventeen years of age 
 when his father died. In common with a large 
 majorit}^ of those gentlemen who occupy our pul- 
 pits, Mr. Wait had not been able to accumulate a 
 competency, so that as a young man his son Dwight 
 had to begin and climb the ladder of life for him- 
 self. One thing was in his favor — his parents had 
 been careful to give him a good English education, 
 and had already given some tone and shape to his 
 character. 
 
 The first employment of our subject was as a 
 farm hand, and he continued thus engaged in his 
 native State until he came to Nebraska. In com- 
 pan}- with his brother Cicero he landed in Nebraska 
 City on the 1st of April, 1872, and soon obtained 
 work under Dr. Converse, in the construction of the 
 Midland Pacific Railroad. He was fortunate in 
 having known this gentleman while a hoy in Indi- 
 ana. Taking his shovel he began to work with the 
 
 ■» 
 
 T 
 
t- 
 
 •► 
 
 M^ 
 
 694 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 I 
 
 other men and endeavored to do his best, and so 
 well did he acquit himself that he was promoted 
 to the position of foreman, and had the supervision 
 of from four to tweaty-five men. He continued 
 in the employ of the Doctor for about six years, 
 prospering financiallj' and otherwise. 
 
 In 1878 our subject came to Palmyra and started 
 business as a hardwareman, and built the store now 
 occupied by Mr. Wells. His business grew in a 
 most gratif^-ing manner and he was very successful. 
 In 1 880 he was joined in matrimon}' to Miss Han- 
 nah Bell, who was born in England in the year 
 1858. (See sketch of Thomas Bell.) She was 
 twelve years of age when she came to this country, 
 and has since lived in Palmj-ra. Mr. Wait has 
 built a two-story frame dwelling that is well located, 
 and provides fully for the comfort of his family. 
 His marriage has been blessed by the birth of four 
 children, who bear the following names: Amy 
 Elizabeth, Lydia, Carrie and Francis H. 
 
 The citizens of Palmyra show their appreciation 
 of the business integrity of Mr. Wait and have 
 continued to patronize 'him, and he has an exten- 
 sive agricultural implement and harness trade of 
 his own in addition to his engagement with Mr. 
 Bell. In the I. O. O. F. our subject is much 
 respected, and he is the Vice Grand of tlie Palmyra 
 Lodge. For three years he has filled the office 
 of Village Treasurer with credit to himself and 
 satisfaction to the people. His political sentiments 
 lead him to participate with the Republican party 
 in the endeavor to bring to the people of the 
 State a capable governing power, according to the 
 principles they believe to be right. Mrs. Wait is a 
 highlj^ esteemed member of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and in that relation, as also in every other, 
 sustains a happy and enviable reputation. 
 
 jkA RS. PHCEBE OSBORN, widow of the late 
 11 111 Lyman Osborn, wlio was a prominent and 
 jl 1^ wealthy farmer of McWilliams Precinct, is 
 * now living quietly in a liandsome home in 
 
 the village of Talmage, where she is surrounded by 
 all of the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. 
 She is the owner of a large extent of Land in Mc- 
 
 «•■ 
 
 AYilliams Precinct, besides land in Nemaha and Sa- 
 line Counties, Neb., and Scott County, Iowa. She 
 is a lady of more tlian ordinary business capacity, 
 managing her farms and controlling her property 
 in a skillful and profitable manner. She has been 
 a resident of the State since Dec. 9, 1869, all of the 
 time in Otoe County and most of the time in Ne- 
 braska City. 
 
 Mrs. Osborn came to this State from Scott County, 
 Iowa, with her husband, and they settled on the farm 
 in McWilliams Precinct, where Mr. Osborn died six 
 months later, on the 1.3th of August, 1870. A na- 
 tive of Seneca Countj% N. Y., Mr. Osborn was born 
 June 19, 1812, and in his native eoimty was reared 
 to manhood on a farm. He was married first in his 
 native county, to Miss Lucretia Sloper, and later 
 they emigrated to Iowa, locating in the vicinity of 
 what was then the unpretentious village of Daven- 
 port, during its early settlement. This lady died 
 some years later, leaving a family of six children, 
 all of whom are living, married, and settled com- 
 fortably, being pros()erous and intelligent citizens. 
 They were named respectively^ : Sylvester; Erena, 
 who is now a widow; Huldah, Josiah, Eli and Ellen. 
 
 After the death of his first wife Mr. Osbom re- 
 turned to his native State, and was married the 
 second time, April 3, 1851, to Miss Phoebe Calder, 
 of Meigs County. ]Mrs. Osborn was born in Wash- 
 ington County, that State, Dec. 29, 1828, and is the 
 eldest child of John and Elsa (Rathburn) Cal- 
 der, who were natives of New York State. They 
 went with their parents to Ohio in their youth, and 
 were married in the latter State, settling there upon 
 a farm in Meigs County, where they lived many 
 years. In their old age tliey crossed the Mississippi 
 and settled in Scott County, Iowa. The father died 
 at Davenport pn the 8th of May, 1877, at the age 
 of seventy-four years, his birth having taken place 
 in 1803. Both he .and his excellent wife were mem- 
 bers of the Christian Church for many years. The 
 latter, after the death of her husband, came to this 
 county, and died at her home in McWilliams Pre- 
 cinct, April 27, 1882. She was born in 1807. 
 
 Mrs. Osborn, our subject, was reared and educated 
 in Ohio, and engaged in teaching some time before 
 her marriage. Slic and her husband soon afterward 
 took up their residence in Scott County, Iowa, 
 
 •►- 
 
iPi-* 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 695 
 
 4 
 
 where the^' became the parents of two sons. The 
 elder. Lyman, Jr., married Miss Anna Puffer, of 
 Scott Count}', Sept. 16, 1876, and they live on a 
 farm in Nemaha County, this State; John is a resi- 
 dent of Talmage. Mrs. Osboi'n, like her parents, 
 is connected with the Christian Church, and keeps 
 herself well posted upon matters of general interest. 
 She has abundant time for reading and recreation 
 and social intercourse with the man}- friends whom 
 she has gathered around her during the 3'ears of a 
 well-spent life. 
 
 <$, li^ILLIAM B. BUXTOX. The farm of this 
 \./iJ// gentleman, which is largely devoted to the 
 W^ culture of fruit, a nursery, and the raising 
 of graded stock, occupies the southeast quarter of 
 section 3, in Syracuse Precinct, which has been his 
 home since the spring of 1 882. It forms a very 
 pleasing picture of rural life, with its comfortable 
 buildings, and all the other appurtenances in keep- 
 ing with the requirements of modern and progres- 
 sive agriculture. 
 
 Our subject was born sixt3--three years ago. in the 
 State of Rhode Island, Dec. 4, 1825, and is the 
 son of William and Phila Buxton, who were of 
 English ancestry, and whose progenitors had been 
 residents of the New England States for several 
 generations. The descendants of the latter are 
 now to be found scattered all over the Western 
 Continent. The mother of our subject died when 
 he was a lad ten years of age, leaving five children, 
 namely: Mary Ann, now the wife of Arnold Gill- 
 son, of Woonsocket, R. I.; Francis, also of that 
 State; Martha, the wife of Caleb Wilson, of Rock- 
 ford, 111.; William, of our sketch, and Horatio, of 
 Riverhead, L. I. 
 
 After the death of his first wife the father of our 
 subject was a second time married, to Miss Ruth 
 Buffum. William B. soon afterward left home, and 
 was employed on a farm in Connecticut for a period 
 of seven years; then in the town of Stafford he 
 commenced learning the trade of shoem.iker, and 
 later engaged in business for himself at Burrillville, 
 in his native State, and a small manufacturing town. 
 About 1856, repairing to the vicinity of Milford. 
 
 Conn., he engaged in carriage painting, and there, 
 Nov. 28, 1850, was married to Miss Mar}- L. God- 
 ding. 
 
 Mrs. Mary L. Buxton was born in Rutland 
 County, Vt., March 1, 1825, and is the daughter 
 of Russell and Abigail (Sherman) Godding, natives 
 of New England. Mr. G. was a farmer by occu- 
 pation, and spent his entire life in the Green 
 Mountain State, his death occurring in Rutland 
 County, April 11, 1833. The family at this time 
 consisted of six children, two of whom died at an 
 early age. Mary L., Mrs. Buxton, is the eldest 
 living; Asa is engaged at farming in S3'racuse, 
 this county; ^usan M. is the wife of George L. 
 Alexander, of S^'racuse; Loney married Rev. Wal- 
 ter Ely, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and they are living in Connecticut. 
 
 After the death of Mr. Godding the mother and 
 children removed to Rhode Island, and the former 
 in 1857 joined her children in Champaign County, 
 111. Her death took place in Monticello, that State, 
 Feb. 2, 1882, after she had attained the ripe age of 
 seventy-nine j'ears. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Buxton after their marriage con- 
 tinued residents of ^Massachusetts, and Mr. B. fol- 
 lowed painting in the towns of Spencer and Mill- 
 bur}-. In the spring of 1857, leaving his native 
 New England, he emigrated to Illinois, and settled 
 on a tract of land in Philo Township, Champaign 
 County. This consisted of eighty acres, which he 
 improved and brought to a good state of cultiva- 
 tion, and which he occupied with his family until 
 the spring of 1882. His next removal was to this 
 county, when he settled upon the farm which he 
 now owns and occupies. He raises large quanti- 
 ties of all kinds of fruit, which find a ready market 
 at Syracuse and Lincoln, and from the proceeds of 
 which he enjoys a handsome income. 
 
 To our subject and his excellent wife there have 
 been born five children, two of whom died in in- 
 fancy. Mary A. became the wife of William En- 
 nis, and died in Champaign County, 111., in the 
 spring of 1881; Lyman E. is farming in Cheyenne 
 County, Kan., and Abbie G. lives at home. Mrs. 
 Buxton has been a member in good standing of the 
 Methodist Episcoi:)al Church for over forty years, 
 and our subject a period of twenty-five years. He 
 
 -^1^ 
 
-4^ 
 
 G96 
 
 f 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 cast his first Presidential vote for Pierce, but was 
 not full^' in accordance with his political views; 
 for a period of thirty-four years lie has continued 
 a stanch supporter of Republican principles.' He 
 has no desire for the responsibilities of office, 
 and has therefore avoided placing himself promi- 
 nently before the public. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Buxton were of Scotch and 
 English ancestry, and she possessed in a marked 
 degree the admirable characteristics of that nation- 
 ality, being conscientious, kind-hearted, pleasant 
 and hospitable, and presiding over her well-ordered 
 household in a most praiseworthy manner. Many 
 are the friends who gather under this inviting 
 roof-tree, and no people are held in higher respect 
 throughout Syracuse Precinct than William B. 
 Buxton and his estimable wife. 
 
 G'^.'; 
 
 ;EN. ISAAC COE, perhaps the most promi- 
 lent citizen of Nebraska City, was born in 
 iddletown. Conn., on the 15th of May, 
 1816. His ancestors were natives of England, and 
 wrote their names Coo. The parents and grand- 
 parents, both paternal and maternal, were residents 
 of the al)Ove-mentioned town of Middletown, and 
 followed agricultural pursuits. Our subject had 
 four brothers and one sister; the latter was united 
 in marriage with George H. Bliss, and died in the 
 city of Chicago, 111., in the year 1852, and had one 
 daughter, who is still living. His brother, Lewis 
 Coe, died in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1887, leaving one 
 son and one daughter, who are still living in that 
 place. The remaining three brothers are living in 
 the State of Connecticut. 
 
 The subject of our sketch received in youth the 
 educational advantages afforded by tlie common 
 schools. In 1846 he was united in marriage with 
 Sarah L. Bacon, the estimable daughter of Ebenezer 
 Bacon, whose parents and grandparents, like those 
 of our subject, were natives and residents of Mid- 
 dletown, and followed farming pursuits. 
 
 After their marriage Gen. and Mrs. Coe lived 
 upon the farm near Middletown for six or seven 
 3'ears, and one child was born to them, Eloise, now 
 Mrs. F. P. Ireland, who with her liusband and one 
 
 ■^^ 
 
 child, Sarah C, now reside in Nebraska City. Mr. 
 Ireland is a practicing lawj'er. Not enjoying suf- 
 flcientl}' robust health to continue farming, our 
 subject sold his property, and with his family re- 
 moved to Butler County, Ala., and there engaged 
 in business for a number of years. On selling his 
 interests there he moved to Nebraska Cit^-, in 1858. 
 There he invested liis funds in Government land 
 sales at the United States Land Office. 
 
 Not long after he had identified himself with 
 Nebraska City our subject was elected by the of- 
 ficers of the several volunteer companies of the 
 division south of Platteville in the Territory of 
 Nebraska to the position of Brigadier General, and 
 was in charge of the division for several years, 
 the territory embraced in that district bordering 
 seventj'-five miles on the -States of Iowa and ^lissouri 
 and over 600 miles on Kansas, Colorado and Wyo- 
 ming, as the present boundaries are defined. The 
 term of service included the whole of the period 
 embraced by the Civil War, and the excitement 
 necessarily incidental thereto. Throughout, the 
 personal liberties and effects of the citizens were 
 guarded without exception, and the happy condition 
 of things was very largely due to the wisdom, 
 judgment, and other qualities of those in command 
 of the forces. For the services thus rendered by 
 the officers and forces at large there was made 
 neither charge nor reward, nor was any compensa- 
 tion whatever given by the Territory, and tliat in 
 order that no war debt might be incurred, with the 
 result that the now State of Nebraska is upon a 
 financially solid foundation and takes front rank 
 among the States in that regard. 
 
 Subsequently our subject was engaged in freight- 
 ing across the plains west of the IMissouri River, 
 and continued the same until the laying of the 
 railroad and opening of the same for traffic pre- 
 cluded the necessity of any continuance in that 
 line. In this he was associated with Levi Carter, 
 a citizen of New Hampshire. They worked in 
 partnership under the n.ame of Coe & Carter. In 
 addition thereto lie invested money in developing 
 the mineral resources of the various Western Terri- 
 tories, and derived therefrom a large interest from 
 the original investment. 
 
 The firm of Coe & Carter assisted largely in the 
 
 ^U 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -•»• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 construction of the Union Pacific, Denver, Pacific 
 <t Oregon Short Line Railroads, and a number of 
 otlier enterprises looking toward the development 
 of the resources of the still wild portions of the 
 district west of the Missouri River. Thej- were 
 also large stock-buyers, and introduced a number 
 of enterprises in the line of stock interests in the 
 various unsettled portions of the western territory, 
 bu3'ing largely of land for tlie feeding of such 
 stock, including also sufficient for the harvesting 
 of hay, etc., for their sustenance. 
 
 The family of Gen. Coe consists of two children: 
 Mrs. Ireland, and a son Frank E.. who owns a ranch 
 well stocked with cattle and horses in Idaho Terri- 
 tory. In politics the General is a stanch Democrat. 
 
 &ON. PAUL 8CIIMINKE, Nebraska City. 
 1 Sketches of the lives of the representative 
 citizens of Otoe County, men who were its 
 _ founders and have since taken a conspicuous 
 part in the administration of its public affairs, are 
 found within this volume, and the subject of this 
 biographical notice occupies a prominent place 
 among them. He was born in Ilesse-Cassel. Ger- 
 many, Aug. 16, 1835, and is a son of Peter and 
 Dora (Doell) Schminke, natives of the same local- 
 ity. His father learned the trade of painter in his 
 younger da3's, and followed it in his native land 
 until 1852, when he emigrated to this country with 
 his wife and five children, setting sail from Bremen 
 in March, and landing in New York in the follow- 
 ing May. He proceeded with his family to Penn- 
 sylvania, and locating in Luzerne Countj-, fol- 
 lowed his trade as a painter there for one year. He 
 then moved to Ohio, and was engaged as a painter 
 in Washington County until 1874, when he came 
 to Nebraska City, whither two of his sons had pre- 
 ceded him, and is now living here in retirement at 
 the age of eighty-two years, honored and respected 
 as one should be who has led a useful, upright life. 
 His faithful wife, who crossed the seas with him to 
 liegin life anew in a strange country that they might 
 better their condition and that of their children, 
 died in this city. The record of the children born 
 to this worthy couple is as follows: Justus gave 
 
 up his life for his adopted country in the late Civil 
 "War, he being a member of the 7th Ohio Cavalry, 
 having been killed in battle in East Tennessee; the 
 Hon. Paul, our subject; Kate is the wife of E. 
 River; John, who lives in Nebraska City, served in 
 the same regiment with his brother Justus, and 
 honorably bears the scars of many battles; .and J. 
 Conrad. 
 
 The subject of our sketch received a liberal edu- 
 cation in the excellent schools of his native land, 
 which he attended quite steadily until he was six- 
 teen years old, when he came to America with his 
 parents. He commenced life in this country liy 
 working in the coal mines of Pennsylvania at sixty- 
 five cents a diiy. He was thus employed for one 
 year, when he went with his parents to Ohio, where 
 his father had a farm, and our subject and his 
 brothers carried it on. During the time of his 
 residence there he learned the trade of plasterer, 
 and was actively and profitably engaged in it for 
 some years in that State. In December, 1858, he 
 was united in marriage to Miss Annie Kuhlmann, 
 to whose encouragement and assistance he owes 
 much for his high social i)6sition in this community. 
 Mrs. Schminke was born near Bremen, Germany, 
 and is a daughter of Deidrich and Margaret Kuhl- 
 mann, natives and lifelong residents of Germany. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Schminke sought the Territory of 
 Nebraska, having determined to cast in his lot with 
 its pioneers, and in the 3^oung and growing town of 
 Nebraska City build up for himself and wife a sub- 
 stantial home. Otoe County was at that time but 
 sparsely settled, and there was no railway nearer 
 than St. Joseph, Mo.; all transportation and travel 
 was either by water or with teams overland. Being 
 a good workman at his trade he had no difficulty 
 in finding emplo3'ment, and was engaged as a plas- 
 terer here for the ensuing ten years. He then 
 fonned a partnership with his brother, and built a 
 steam flouring-mill, known as the "Star Mills," and 
 since then has wholl3' abandoned his trade, devoting 
 what time he had to spare from his official business 
 to the mills. 
 
 Time and again has the wise counsel of our sub- 
 ject been sought in making the laws of his adopted 
 State, and Otoe Count3' may well be proud of his 
 career in public life. None of her citizens, we vent- 
 
 ■► II ^« 
 
608 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ure to assert, can show a more useful or a cleaner 
 record as a civic officer. A leading member of the 
 Republican party (casting his first vote for Alira- 
 ham Lincoln), he has ahvaj^s guarded and defended 
 the dearest interests of the commonwealth of Ne- 
 braska with a single e^e to her advancement. He 
 has been a member of the council, and has been re- 
 peatedl3' a delegate to the county and State con- 
 ventions of the Republican party. He was elected 
 as State Representative in 1872, and was appointed 
 one of the commissioners by the Legislature to lo- 
 cate and build the asylum for the blind. In 1876 
 he was re-elected to represent his district in the 
 Legislature, and in 1886 he was elected to the State 
 Senate. As Senator he served on various impor- 
 tant committees; was Chairman of the Committee on 
 Internal Improvements, was a member of the Com- 
 mittee on Public Buildings and Grounds, of Muni- 
 cipal Affairs, of Labor, was on the Committee of the 
 Hospital of the Insane, and of the Asj-lum for Deaf 
 and Blind Mutes. Mr. Sehminke is a prominent 
 social factor in this communitj', being a member of 
 Schiller Lodge No. 23, K. of P.; of Frontier Lodge 
 No. 3, I. (). O. F., and of Nichols Lodge No. 7, 
 A. O. U. W. Our subject in 1877 w.as appointed 
 Postmaster' by President Haj-es in Nebraska City, 
 and held the office for nine years. 
 
 ^^ RVILLE K. BROWN. Although one of the 
 (( 1) .yung'^*'' farmers and stock-raisers of South 
 ^iJf^ Branch Precinct, this gentleman is by no 
 means the least worthy of full representation in a 
 volume of tliis description. Upon section 5 of that 
 precinct he has 160 acres of fine land, devoted some- 
 what to agricultural pursuits, but chiefly for the 
 jjurposes of stock-raising and horse-breeding. His 
 father was John H. Brown, who was born in Marble- 
 head, Mass., on the 28th of August, 1830. He was 
 the son of Thomas Peter Brown, a Virginian of old 
 and well-reputed family", who served through the 
 AVar of 1812, and was otherwise prominent in the 
 expression of his loyal patriotism. The mother of 
 our subject prior to her marriage bore the name of 
 Sarah A. Thomas, and was born in Pickaway 
 County, Ohio, on the 7th of November, 1830. 
 
 Tiieir marriage was celebrated in Adams County. 
 111., on the 16th of October, 1853. 
 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Brown, vSr., 
 continued to live in Illinois, where they owned a 
 farm of 360 acres, and until March of 1878 he was 
 also engaged as a sliip[ier of stock, but at that time 
 he removed to DuPage County, Iowa, and after 
 four years that were not altogether successful they 
 removed to this State, settling in South Branch, 
 Otoe County, in 1884, where they still reside. They 
 are the parents of ten children, whose names are 
 recorded as follows: Adeline, John F., Milvin, Wil- 
 bur and Franklin, all of whom are deceased; 
 Thomas J., now in Arkansas; Orville K., Olive, 
 Nettie and May. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Hancock 
 County, III., near the town of Augusta, on the 2d 
 of January, 1861. His parents, although needing 
 his help upon the farm, were careful that he should 
 obtain the best education afforded by the common 
 schools. He remained upon the home farm with his 
 faiher until he was twenty-one years of age, and 
 then began farming for himself in Iowa. This he 
 continued until 1885. He then came to this county, 
 and purchased his present place, which comprises 
 160 acres. His journey hither was performed by 
 the aid of six teams, and was filled with the incidents 
 usual to such an experience. 
 
 Although comparatively 3'oung Mr. Brown has 
 had large experience in pioneer life, and has brought 
 his farm from its native wildness and unfitness for 
 agricultural pursuits to a very line condition of 
 cultivation. He has set out groves where will be 
 found the trees most favorable to Nebraska climate, 
 and also a very fine orchard, where may be found 
 the choicest varieties of fruits that may be grown 
 in the State, and every tree a good bearer, seeing that 
 he had the opportunity from time to time to weed 
 out the less desirable and replace them by better. 
 One valuable acquisition is the stream of running 
 water that passes through his farm. His chief at- 
 tention is given to the raising of cattle and hogs, 
 but he is also deeply interested in that of high- 
 grade, thoroughbred draft horses of the Norman 
 breed. 
 
 Life in all its opportunity and possibility is yet 
 before our subject, and it were futile to attempt 
 
 •►—11-4^ 
 
 =t*-«« 
 
•«► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 r.DO > > 
 
 any prophetic utterance, and yet it is safe to say 
 that wiiile the principles tiiat have been his in the 
 l)ast are continued in exercise, the years to corae 
 will not be without a record worthy of one whose 
 character and reputation are such as i)is, anxl whose 
 family historj' is of such high order. He is a firm 
 Prohibitionist, and was selected to act as delegate 
 to the State Convention when it was held at Omaha. 
 
 UILLIAM TASKER NICHOLSON stands in 
 the front rank of citizens of Otoe Count}', 
 WW and is one of the popular and influential 
 men of his district. His admirably cultivated farm 
 of 320 acres is situated on section 27 of Belmont 
 Precinct, and there he is very successful in raising 
 cattle of the Short-horn variety and high-grade 
 Poland-China hogs, though he also raises large 
 crops of grain. He was born in Yorkshire, England, 
 on the 4th of February, 1831, to William and Jane 
 (Tasker) Nicholson, natives of the same shire. The 
 family came to the United States, and settled in this 
 county in 1857, and took up the farm immediate!}' 
 adjoining that of our subject. 
 
 The father of our suliject died about twenty-six 
 years ago. as the result of a paralytic stroke caused by 
 a fall on the ice by which he injured the spine. His 
 wife survived until the year 1886, and then died 
 while visiting in Chicago. She was brought back, 
 and buried in Nebraska City Cemetery by the side 
 of her husband. 
 
 When Mr. Nicholson first came to the county the 
 land billowed away in beautifully rolling prairie 
 mile after mile, without a sign of settlement or civil- 
 ization, but his property is in nowise behind the 
 phenomenal development of the State at large. His 
 orchards cover six acres and his groves ten. All his 
 improvements are substantial, good and valuable, 
 and his property cannot possibly be of less value 
 than ^50 per acre. 
 
 On the 16th of September, 1854, the subject of 
 our sketch was united in wedlock with Miss Ann 
 Houndsley. daughter of John and Maria Houndslej', 
 who were natives of England, where the mother 
 died, and the father is still living. To Mr, .and 
 Mrs. Nicholson there have come nine children, seven 
 
 of whom are living, viz: Emma, Mary.!., Elizabeth 
 A., Hettie, Sallie. William J. and Katie. Emma is 
 the wife of George Hill, of Polk County, Neb., now 
 residing in Oregon, and is the mother of six chil- 
 dren, whose names are mentioned as follows: Al- 
 fred, William, Jessie, Herman, James and George; 
 Mary J. is married to Marion J. Newman, of Green- 
 wood, Neb., and they have two children, named 
 Minnie and I via; Elizabeth is married to Mr. John 
 Baker, of Repul)lic County, Kan.; they have three 
 children, who bear the names of Bertha, Roy and 
 Harrj' Lee. Hettie is the wife of Isaac Crumley, 
 of Colby, Kan. 
 
 In the office of Justice of the Peace Mr. Nichol- 
 son served most creditably' to himself and with 
 satisfaction to the people for several years, and was 
 also Assessor for several terms. He has always 
 been deeplj' interested in educational institutions 
 and matters connected therewith, and was one to 
 organize the school district, and raise the means 
 necessary to have an efficient school established 
 here. He has also been identified with the various 
 projects, plans and enterprises that have been for 
 the advancement, growth and development of the 
 county. 
 
 Religiousl}', Mr. Nicholson is a member of the 
 Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and also his 
 wife and those of their children who are still at 
 home. They are there held in high regard, and are 
 liberal supjsorters of the organization. Politically, 
 our subject is a Republican. 
 
 e 
 
 HARLES Z. SIDLES, who is well and favor- 
 ably loiown as one of the enterprising and 
 prosperous farmers of Palmj-ra Precinct, 
 operates 320 acres of good land on section 22. He 
 was born in Somerset County, Pa., in October. 
 1838, and was the fourth of nine children born to 
 Daniel and Catherine (Zorn) Sidles, both of whom 
 were natives of Penns3dvania. By occupation his 
 father was a blacksmith, but became an extensive 
 land-owner in Pennsylvania. In 1850 he removed 
 to Stephenson County, 111., and continued to work 
 at his trade, and later lived a retired life in Dakota, 
 Stephenson County, where he died in 1879, .at the 
 
 -*- 
 
-•^ 
 
 4- 
 
 run 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 age of seventy years. His wife, the mother of our 
 subject, is still living, and is seventy-four years of 
 age, and is making her home with her daughter, 
 Mrs. fSpringman, of Palmyra Precinct. The family 
 record gives the names of the children of this fam- 
 ily as follows: Emeline M., Henry, Charles Z., Frank 
 A., Sarah, Julia, Rebecca, Mary and Daniel. 
 
 The education of our subject was limited to two 
 terms, when he attended the usual institution in 
 Stephenson County. He early began to help his fa- 
 ther and to work upon the farm, which he continued 
 untd he came of age. He then took and operated 
 a farm on shares in Stephenson County. He re- 
 ceived the hand of Miss Sarah Lowery in marriage 
 in that county on Oct. 25, 1860. This lady is the 
 daughter of Godfred and Mary Ann Lowery, both 
 born in Pennsylvania; they were the parents of five 
 children, their daughter Sarah being the eldest. 
 She received a good English education and a care- 
 ful home training, that has borne fruit since she has 
 had a home of her own. They are the parents of 
 the following children: Emily Alice, Ellen, Jen- 
 nie, Clara A., Laura A., Lillie and Willie. 
 
 The three eldest children of eur subject were 
 born before the war, which broke out while JMr. 
 and Mrs. Sidles were residing upon their farm near 
 Freeport. In 1864 Mr. Sidles enlisted for a term of 
 three 5-ears, or during the war, as required. He be- 
 came a member of Companj' E, 46th Illinois Infan- 
 tr3', and was mustered into service at Baton Rouge, 
 was present at Vicksburg, from which place they 
 went to Shreveport, La. During his term of service 
 he was with his regiment in Mississippi, Louisiana, 
 Texas, Arkansas and Alabama. He was at Alobile 
 at the time of Lee's surrender, and was present at 
 the blowing up of Ft. Fisher, and was mustered out 
 of service at Baton Rouge, in July, 1866. Return- 
 ing home Mr. Sidles sold out his interest in eighty 
 acres of land in Stephenson County, the purchaser 
 being his brother Frank. In 1878 he went to Liv- 
 ingston County, 111., and became the owner of a 
 farm of 120 acres, which he sold in 1884, and in 
 the spring of that year came to this State. 
 
 Of the family of our subject Alice has become 
 the wife of Samuel Tanner, and is the mother of 
 one child, whose name is Charles; Ellen has become 
 Mrs. Arthur Thompson, and she also has a son, 
 
 bearing the name Cliarles; Clara is the wife of Clar- 
 ence Frye, a florist at Lincoln, and Laura is mar- 
 ried to Mr. Berr3^, of Lincoln. Mrs. Sidles is a 
 member in good standing of the Methodist Episco- 
 cal Church, and is held in high regard. The politi- 
 cal sympathies of our subject lead him to affiliate 
 with the Republican party, of which he is an ar- 
 dent supporter. 
 
 -J^^- ■ 
 
 \f)EROME B. PRATT. Among the pioneer 
 settlers of this county the name of Jerome 
 B. Pratt is among the best known and 
 (^^ most honored. He is the son of Thomas 
 and Alma (Woodanl) Pratt; the father was a na- 
 tive of Englanfl. tlie mother of Vermont. His 
 father was in the British Army and fought as a pri- 
 vate in the War of 1812. After the war he settled 
 in Genesee County, N. Y., where he met and mar- 
 rie<l Miss Alma Woodard. He followed agricult- 
 ure in the same countj', and was very successful. 
 In the full of 1836 he removed with his wife and 
 six children to Branch County, Mich., where he 
 became owner of eighty acres of land, and con- 
 tinued to operate the same until 1872, when he 
 died, being seventj--six years of age. and having 
 survived his wife, who died aged sixty-nine j'ears, 
 in 1869. The names of their children were as fol- 
 lows: Jerome B., Nanc3', an infant died unnamed, 
 Ferrendee P.. Ferdinand C. and Urseba A. 
 
 Our subject was born on the 30th of Ma}', 1 838, 
 in Genesee Count}', N. Y., and was eigiit j'ears old 
 when he went with his parents to Michigan. His 
 father took the second farm ever worked in the 
 township of Algansee. He was very ^earl}' initi- 
 ated into farm labor of all kinds, and was but ten 
 years of age when he began to use the ax, and be- 
 came quite an expert before most lads think of 
 leaving school. 
 
 In 1852 our subject prepared to enter the Uni- 
 versity of Michigan by attending an academy in 
 Ann Arbor, but his health failing, he became un- 
 able to enter college. Coming West in 1856, Mr. 
 Pratt crossed the Missouri River at Minersville,and 
 on the 23d of April of the year l!362 engaged 
 with the State Militia of Missouri for two years 
 and seven months. He afterward served three 
 
 ■► IL ^- 
 
 f 
 
 •=•■' 
 
^ 
 
 9 «<f ^•^ 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ro3 
 
 months along llie Platte, opening up tlie roarls be- 
 tween the Missouri River and Denver, wliicli was 
 olistriicted by tlie Indians, doing good service, and 
 only being discharged on account of physical disa- 
 bility that vvas the result of exposure to which he 
 had been subjected during his military service. 
 Leaving the army, he returned to his squatter's 
 claim, that lay to the east of the Pendleton farm 
 in Otoe Precinct, and once more went to work for 
 himself. Subsequently he traded his farm for his 
 present home of 160 acres. 
 
 On the 23d of A|)ril, 1808. our subject was 
 united in wedlock with Miss Elizabeth Stevens, a 
 native of Howard County. Ind., vvhei'e she w.as 
 born Feb. 7, 1843. She came to this Stale with 
 her uncle, and made her home with David Wat- 
 kins and family. They have become the par- 
 ents of four children, viz.: Minnie A.; Emma, who 
 died when eleven months old ; Urseba and Spencer. 
 Minnie is a resident of Nemaha, and is married to 
 Mr. Grant Gates. The other two are at home. 
 
 Mr. Pratt is a believer in the Universalist doc- 
 trine, while his wife is a member of the Christian 
 Church. They are much esteemed members of so- 
 ciety ; the political principles of Mr. Pratt are 
 those that govern the Republican party, of which 
 he has for many years been a stout defender and 
 ardent supi)orter. 
 
 lEUBEN F. BAKER. In this biographical 
 sketch is presented an outline of the history 
 of one of the prominent citizens of Belmont 
 ^p' Precinct, one who stands in the front ranks 
 of the successful farmers and stock-i-aisers of the 
 county. His home farm lies on section 16 and is 
 320 acres in extent. His entire landed estate com- 
 prises 800 acres: 160 acres lying on section 9, 160 
 on section 17, and 160 on section 18. This land 
 Mr. Baker has redeemed acre by acre from the wild 
 waste of prairie presented to his eye during the 
 period of his pioneership, and he has accomplished 
 his Herculean task only by the exercise of the most 
 incessant industry. After bringing his land to a 
 thorough state of cultivation he turned his atten- 
 tion to the feeding and raising of stock, making a 
 
 •►Hl:^ 
 
 specialty of Short-horn cattle and Poland-China 
 swine. The land is splendidly improved and beauti- 
 fied by groves and orchards of the present proprie- 
 tor's own planting. The barn and all the other 
 out-buildings are among the best in the county. 
 The dwelling is pleasantly situiited, and constitutes 
 a home bright and comfortable in the extreme. 
 
 Mr. B.aker was born in Shelby County, Ind., on 
 the 24th of January, 1844. His father, .John L. 
 Baker, a native of Covington, Ky., was born in 
 1803. While quite a young man he crossed the 
 river into Hamilton County, Ohio, and was em- 
 ploj'ed afterward with an older brother, running a 
 flatboat between Cincinnati and New Orleans for 
 a number of years. Later he migrated to Shelby 
 County, Ind., and finally settled upon a tract of 
 land in Sangamon County, 111., in a region which 
 was then but a wild border country. 
 
 The mother of our subject was born in Shelby 
 County, Ind., in the year 1803, and was the daughter 
 of Ephraim Biggs, named after her mother, Rachel. 
 Her parents were pioneers of Indiana, her grand- 
 father having settled there long before it was actu- 
 ally opened for settlement. She became the mother 
 of eight children, of whom our subject was the third. 
 The latter. Reuben F., upon reaching manhood, was 
 married, Sept. 13, 1856, to Miss Mary E., d.aughter 
 of John and Mary K. (Patterson) Mahard, natives 
 of Maryland. She was born in JIaryland and edu- 
 cated in the city of Baltimore. With her parents 
 she afterward lived in Cincinnati, Springfield and 
 in Old Berlin, 111. Mrs. Mahard is still living, 
 making her home with her children in Missouri. 
 
 There have been given to Mr. and Mrs. Baker 
 nine children, of whom seven are living, namely: 
 John M., George L., Horatio S., Mary A., James 
 P., Othello C. and Araminda. John, the eldest son, 
 became the husband of Elizabeth Nicholson, and 
 lives in Republic County, Kan.; they have two 
 children, who bear the names Bertha and R03'. 
 George was married to Ida Wright, of Osawato- 
 mie, Kan.; they reside in Belmont Precinct, and 
 are the parents of three children — Reuben. Frank- 
 lin and Grover. Mary A. is the wife of John 
 Duncan, of Delaware Precinct, and they have one 
 child, a daughter, Mary Lenora. 
 
 Mr. Baker settled on his present property' in 
 
•>^fM» 
 
 ro4 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 1871. When it is remembered that he began life 
 a poor boy, deprived of those aids and comforts 
 usually looked for by children from parents and 
 friends, it is both surprising and gratifying to note 
 the successes which have attended his efforts, and 
 to bear in mind that the same successes await those 
 who will as honestl^y strive to attain them. Mr. 
 and Mrs. B. with three of their children are mem- 
 bers of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at 
 Dunbar, with which chui'ch our subject has been 
 connected about thirty' years. jMrs. Baker has been 
 identified with this church since a maiden of seven- 
 teen j'ears. 
 
 Our subject is a stanch member of the Demo- 
 cratic party, and has been its supporter since it was 
 his right to use the ballot box. The family repre- 
 sents the most solid and reliable elements of this 
 county and it is eminently fitting that the portraits 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Baker should embellish these 
 pages. 
 
 <3= 
 
 =f>- 
 
 •St. R. J. W. CHADDUCK, the leading and 
 oldest dentist not only in Nebraska City, 
 but in the State, was born in the Shenan- 
 doah Valley, Va., Feb. 4, 1831. His an- 
 cestors for several generations back were also na- 
 tives of the Old Dominion. His grandfather, 
 Charles Chadduck, was left an orphan at an early 
 age and obliged to look out for himself. The pat- 
 ronymic was originally' spelled in a different man- 
 ner. The grandfather when a boy was engaged in 
 taking tobacco to market, and one day the weigh- 
 master in writing out the weigh bill append^ed to 
 it the name "Charles Chadduck," and that spelling 
 has since been in general use among his descendf^nts. 
 Grandfather Chadduck in due time married, and 
 became the father of Eli, the father of our subject. 
 The latter obtained a good education, developed 
 into a school teacher, and also carried on farming. 
 He was a man of more than ordinary abilities, and 
 achieved considerable fame as a local politician. 
 He turned his attention later to civil engineering, 
 becoming County Survej'or. He spent his entire 
 life upon his native soil. He married Miss Cather- 
 ine Botts. who, like her huslmnd, was born in the 
 
 James River Yalle3% and whose ancestors crossed 
 the Atlantic in Colonial times. Both Eli Chadduck 
 and his wife, Catherine, lived to be more than 
 threescore years and ten. The latter after Lhe 
 death of her husband came to Nebraska, where she 
 spent her last da3's. 
 
 Of the eight children comprising the parental 
 houshold of our subject, three were sons and five 
 were daughters. The two eldest, Mary C. and 
 Susan v., are deceased; Emily J. and Laura E. are 
 residents of Nebraska City; Caroline C. is the wife 
 of James A. Matthews, of this county; George B. 
 is the Treasurer of Holt County, Mo.; Charles T. 
 follows the profession of a teacher in his native 
 Virginia. James W., our subject, was the youngest 
 born. He grew to manhood on the farm and pur- 
 sued his early studies in the common school. He 
 was married in his native county, June 12, 1855, 
 to Miss Eliza M. Colvin, who was born in Culpeper 
 County, Va., and whose acquaintance he made when 
 she was a young lady of nineteen years. 
 
 Dr. Chadduck taught school about two 3'ears 
 after his marriage, then removed to Holt County, 
 Mo., where he entered upon the study of dentistry, 
 a profession in which he had for several j'ears been 
 interested and which he had decided to make his 
 life occupation. He founil, however, that the 
 American professional man as well as the laborer 
 needs bread, and having no capital while pursuing 
 his studies he worked as a carpenter and brick- 
 maker, also at other pursuits to provide himself 
 and family with the necessaries of life. Leaving 
 Missouri in 1862 he took up his abode in Glen- 
 wood, Iowa, having then one child. Here he was 
 enabled to devote himself to his profession, but the 
 year following he changed his residence to Ne- 
 braska City, and opened the first dental office in the 
 place. Since that time his interests have centered 
 here. He is a member of the Masonic fraternit3-, 
 and a charter member of Lodge No. 12 in Ne- 
 braska Cit3^ He has passed the various chairs of 
 his lodge and served as Master a number of years.' 
 He belongs to the Nebraska Dental Association, of 
 which he is a charter member and of which he has 
 been the presiding officer. He is also connected 
 with the Missouri Valle3- Dental Association. A 
 Democrat, politically, he has been quite prominent 
 
 t¥ 
 
 Ah-H. 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 705 
 
 in politics, having been sent to the State Legisla- 
 ture twice and serving in the Senate one term. His 
 estimable wife is a member in good standing of the 
 Methodist Episcopal C'hurcb. 
 
 "iflAMES HUNT. The traveler passing along 
 the upper line of North Branch Precinct in- 
 variablj' has his attention attracted to the 
 large property of this gentleman, which lies 
 on section 7, and forms one of the finest homesteads 
 in the locality. The farm is 518 acres in extent, and 
 is neatly laid off into i)asture and grain fields; the 
 fences are ke[)t in good shape, while tiie residence, 
 with its adjoining buildings, is of modern style of 
 architecture, and all amply adapted to the purposes 
 for which they are intended. The important feature 
 of the premises is the extreme good order prevail- 
 ing at every point, and the air of thrift and enter- 
 prise which is suggestive of the sui)ervision of one 
 of the most progressive and intelligent farmers of 
 the present day. 
 
 Next in importance to the man himself is the 
 ancestrj^ from which he sprang. Henry Hunt, the 
 father of our subject, was a native of Yorkshire, En- 
 gland, and there married Miss Elizabeth Cleminson, 
 who was born in the same Jocalitj-. They emigrated 
 to America after their marri.age, in 1829, and set- 
 tled on a tract of land in Cambria Count}', Pa., 
 where the father built up a good homestead, and 
 passed away in the month of October, 1850. The 
 mother is still living in Pennsylvania, and is now 
 seventy-eight jears old. They were the parents of 
 seven children : Timothy L. ; Robert, who died when 
 about fift5'-seven jearsold; William H., John I. S. ; 
 Ruth, who died when thirty years old; Susannah 
 and James (our subject). Of these five are living, 
 and those besides James are residents mostly of 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 James Hunt was born at the parental homestead 
 in Cambria County, Pa., Aug. 1, 1830, and contin- 
 ued a member of his father's household until twenty 
 years of age. He received his education in the 
 common schools, and when nineteen years old com- 
 menced an apprenticeship at the carpentry trade, 
 
 •» II ^" 
 
 which he followed in his native State about two 
 and one-half years. In the spring of 1856, desir- 
 ing to see something of the Great AVest, he crossed 
 the Mississippi into Henry Count}', Iowa, but there 
 unfortunately was taken ill with typhoid fever, and 
 could neither proceed any further nor look around 
 him in the Hawkeye State. This naturally induced 
 a fit of homesickness, and soon after his recovery 
 he returned to his mother's home. 
 
 The spring following, however, young Hunt re- 
 turned to the West, making only a brief stay, how- 
 ever, and then went back to Pennsylvania and was 
 married in 1859. He purchaseil a tract of land in 
 Cambria County, and soon afterward began farm- 
 ing. In August. 1864, during the progress of the 
 Civil War he enlisted in Company C, 51st Penn- 
 sylvania Infantrj', being mustered in at Carlisle, 
 and was,' together with his regiment, assigned to the 
 command of Gen. W. H. Bolton. He experienced 
 some hairbrea<lth escapes at the battle of Peters- 
 burg, but aside from that returned home unharmed 
 at the close of the war. Mr. Hunt now resumed 
 his residence in Cambria County, where he contin- 
 ued to carry on agriculture until the spring of 1882. 
 Then, crossing the Father of Waters once more, he 
 came to this State, and was located for one year in 
 Johnson County. In the fall of 1887 he purchased 
 the land which he now owns and occupies. Upon 
 this he has made most of the improvements which 
 we behold to-day. His property lies on sections 
 7,17 and 18, and in addition to the thorough 
 cultivation of the soil he has planted fruit and shade 
 trees, and divided many of his fields with beautiful 
 hedge fences. 
 
 On the 16th of May, 1859, occurred one of the 
 most important events in the life of our subject, 
 namely, his marriage with Miss Christiana B. Keefer. 
 This lady is the daughter of Ernest and Mary M. 
 (Baird) Keefer, both of whom were natives of Ger- 
 many, and upon emigrating to the United States 
 settled at once in Cambria Count}', Pa. The father 
 was a coal miner, and being a very industrious and 
 prudent man, accumulated a good propert}'. He 
 died about 1868, at the homestead which he had 
 built up in the Kej'stone State. The mother is still 
 living, and has novv arrived at the advanced age of 
 eight}' years. Their children, five in number, were 
 
 f 
 
i 
 
 ^^ 
 
 70G 
 
 > ► I I <• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 named respect! vel}' : John, Christiana B., RIaggie, 
 William and Hannah. Those surviving are residents 
 of Pennsylvania and Nebraska. 
 
 Mrs. Hunt was horn in the Grand Duchj' of Ba- 
 den. Germany, in February, 1841. and was a little 
 girl four years of age when she came with her par- 
 ents to America. She received a common-school 
 education, and was carefull}' trained by an excellent 
 niothor in all housewifely duties. Of her union 
 with our subject there have been born nine chil- 
 dren, namely: Henry E.. Harvey M., Mary E., 
 Elizabeth C, Sanford R., Thomas S., Bertha A.. 
 Laura E. and Mabel. Henry married Miss Myrtic 
 Holland, and lives on a farm in South Branch Pre- 
 cinct. The other children are at home with their 
 parents. Mr. and Mrs. .Hunt are members in good 
 standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church at 
 Rockford. and Mr. H., politically, votes the straight 
 Republican ticket. He has been a member of the 
 School Board two terms, and is one of the most 
 highly respected men of his community, one whose 
 word is considered as good as his bond. The Hunt 
 family is one of the most highly respected in this 
 part of the count}', and the homestead, a view of 
 which appears on another p.age, comprises a promi- 
 nent feature in its landscape. 
 
 APT. LOGAN ENYART stands conspicu- 
 ously among the prominent men of Otoe 
 ^ County as one largel}' identified vfith its 
 business and agricultural interests, a man public- 
 spirited and liberal, one who has seen much of 
 life, who distinguished' himself in the army dur- 
 ing the war, who suffered the loss of an eye 
 in fighting for the principles he believed to be 
 right, but who in the battle of life has evidently 
 come out with flying colors. He is widely and 
 favorabl}' known throughout Nebraska, as much for 
 his genial and hospitable disposition and broad and 
 extended views of life as for his practical business 
 talents, his perseverance and his energy. 
 
 In the vicinity of Nebraska City, where he makes 
 his home, Capt. Enyart has been foremost among 
 its leading enterprises, few of which have been car- 
 ried to a successful issue independently of his coun- 
 
 > ► U ^ 
 
 tenance and encouragement. He is President of 
 the Farmers' Bank, one of the wealthiest institu- 
 tions of the State, an extensive land-owner in Otoe 
 County, having the warrantee deed to a number of 
 farms, and largel}' interested in live stock. His 
 homestead proper is located on section 33 in Bel- 
 mont Precinct, and comprises a fine tract of land 
 in a highly cultivated condition, with modern farm 
 buildings, fruit and shade trees, and all the appur- 
 tenances of a modern country estate. He has no 
 family except his amiable and excellent wife, a 
 lady highly respected in her community, and well 
 fitted to be the companion of such a man as her 
 husbiind. 
 
 The Enyart family is of French descent, and was 
 first represented in theL'nited States probably dur- 
 ing Colonial days. Its men were of stalwart frame 
 and noble constitution, traits which our subject has 
 inherited in a remarkable degree. In fact, he may 
 be called a man of iron nerves, and his high cour- 
 age was amply displayed during war times, when, 
 although he sutTered great loss of property, he 
 never iiermitted himself to sink under his misfort- 
 unes, but rallied from the shock, commenced again 
 the battle of life, and became again wealthy. 
 
 A native of Monroe County, Ky., Capt. Enyart 
 was born June 20, 1831, and is the son of Heze- 
 kiah W. and Mary (Kid well) Enyart, who were both 
 natives of Virginia. The paternal grandfather, 
 John Enyart, was born in the city of Paris, France, 
 where he was reared to manhood and married. His 
 last years were spent in Virginia. The father of our 
 subject left Kentucky in 1833, and removed with his 
 family to Clay County, Mo., where they lived two 
 years, and then changed their residence to Davis 
 County, that State. The father was principally 
 interested in live stock and farming, and died ver^' 
 suddenly, at the age of seventy-six years, upon the 
 day of Lee's surrender, April 9, 1865. The mother 
 survived her husband a number of years, her death 
 taking place in Missouri, in the year 1882, at the 
 old homestead, when she was seventy-five years 
 old. The nine children of the parental family were 
 named respectively: Logan, Louisa; Permelia, who 
 died when twenty-five years old; Milton, Amanda; 
 Josephine, who died at the age of twenty j'ears; 
 Albert, Ilezekiah, and Mary Ann, who died when 
 
 -► II <• 
 
*► II <• 
 
 ••► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 707 
 
 thirtj'-three j'ears old. The survivors are mostly 
 residents of Missouri, California, Colorado and 
 Nebraska. 
 
 The first recollections of the Captain are of bis 
 childhood home iu Davis County, Mo., where he 
 commenced going to school in a little log cabin 
 three months eacli year. His education being com- 
 pleted in two winters, it may therefore be called 
 quite limited, and what he has learned he has had 
 to learn himself. By a course of reading and ob- 
 servation he has always kept himself fully posted 
 upon matters of general interest. He was reared a 
 farmer's boy, and taught those habits of industry 
 anil principles of honor which have been the secret 
 of his success in life. The people of that day la- 
 bored early and late, and many a time young En- 
 yart worked by the light of the stars in his IMissouri 
 home, and being willing, active and muscular, ac- 
 complished an astonishing amount. 
 
 Our subject when twenty-three years of age was 
 married, but not long afterward enlisted in the 
 Confederate Army under Gov. Jackson (first call 
 for soldiers to enlist in Missouri), becoming a mem- 
 ber of Company G, 1st Missouri Cavalry. He was 
 at once elected Captain of his company, and this 
 fact indicates his popularity, as he entered the 
 ranks without any military experience. He, how- 
 ever, possessed the natural abilities which secured 
 him the confidence of his superior officers and the 
 respect of his comrades, and that he seems to have 
 held until the last gun was fired, and his subsequent 
 course indicated how correct they were in their 
 judgment. He led his company in his first en- 
 gagement at Blue Mills, ilo., and was later at 
 Lexington, where he distinguished himself and 
 led his troops to victory. Later he was at the on- 
 set in the vicinity of Springfield, covering Price's 
 retreat for ten days and ten nights. He fought at 
 Pea Ridge under Gens. Van Dorn and Price, where 
 he was twice wounded in one engagement, being 
 struck first in the left shoulder and the second time 
 in the forehead, but, notwithstanding, he kept upon 
 his feet by his extraordinary will power, and never 
 deserted his post until the conflict was ended. 
 
 Later Capt. Enj-art was transferred to Corinth, 
 Miss., from the West, where he fought with Gen. 
 Beauregard in all the engagements around Corinth 
 
 in the spring of 1862; at luka. Miss., in the fall 
 of 1862, and later under Gen. Price. In the sec- 
 ond battle of Corinth, under Gen. Van Dorn. 
 while still fighting, he witnessed the defeat of the 
 army under that General, and also at Champion 
 Hills fought in that desperately bloody b.ittle. 
 Capt. Enyart in this latter engagement received a 
 very close call, a musket ball fracturing his nose 
 and putting out his left eye. Although suffering 
 untold agony for days, he never entered a hospital. 
 We next find him at the siege of Vicksburg, where 
 the entire armj' was captured, and our subject was 
 an eye witness of the surrender of Gen. Pemberton's 
 arm}^ to Grant and of the explosion which de- 
 stroyed the Confederate boats. He was soon pa- 
 roled, ■ however, and was among the first to be 
 exchanged at Demopolis, Ala. He was transferred 
 to the army of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, at Dal- 
 ton, Ga., and was with this renowned warrior in 
 the famous retreat from Daltou to Atlanta, when 
 every inch of ground for 110 miles was disputed 
 with Sherman. In this retreat the most noted 
 places at which fighting occurred were Lone Mount- 
 ain. Kenesaw Mountain. Xew Hope Church, Peach 
 Tree Creek, and wound up with the siege of Atlanta. 
 
 Later Capt. Enyart fought at Jonesboro, and 
 subsequently joining the army of Gen. Hood, went 
 back through Georgia and Tennessee, fighting at 
 Altona, and Tilton, Ga. At the latter place the 
 Confederates captured the 1 8th Iowa Regiment. 
 Afterward they engaged in battle with the Union 
 forces at Huntsville, Ala., Columbia and Franklin, 
 Tenn., where blood flowed like a river, and at the 
 latter place Capt. Enyart was again captured, Nov. 
 30, 1864, and taken to Johnson's Island, iu the 
 State of Ohio, where he was confined a prisoner 
 seven months and eleven days, until June 17, 1865, 
 when he took the oath of allegiance to the Union, 
 the war being over, and was released in disgust 
 with mankind, and started for tlie AVest. 
 
 Capt. Enyart during this memorable period trav- 
 eled over all the Southern States with the excej)- 
 tion of Virginia, North Carolina and Marylaud. 
 He is pardonabljf proud of the fact that he was 
 never in a hospital, and notwithstanding his wounds 
 and extraordinary suffering attendant upon the loss 
 of his eye. never quit the arm}', but fought to the 
 
 ♦At^ 
 
 •¥^h 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 708 
 
 OTOE COUNTY, 
 
 •► 
 
 last, and was the Sir Simon Captain of his State, 
 and certainly is amply entitled the balance of his 
 life to the rank of Captain. In the year 1865 he 
 made his way without a dollar in his pocket across 
 the Mississippi to Nebraska, then a Territory. In 
 iiis native State of Missouri before the war he was 
 the owner of 1,000 acres of good land, witli build- 
 ings, live stock, and all the other valuable appur- 
 tenances of a well-developed countrj^ estate. His 
 stock was driven off and confiscated, his buildings 
 burned and his land left waste. In Nebraska the 
 first tiling he did was to buy a yoke of oxen and a 
 wagon on credit, which, be it said to his honor, he 
 had no trouble in obtaining, and loading his wagon 
 witli freight for Denver, he hired a man as driver, 
 and on the first round trip made enough to pay 
 for his team and his expenses, and had $50 left. 
 
 In the spring of 1866 Capt. Enyart eng.iged sev- 
 eral more teams, and forming a partnership with 
 J. "W". Potter and Mont. Tremble, started with a 
 train of thirteen wagons loaded with corn, for 
 which they paid thirty-five cents per bushel, to Ft. 
 Sanders. They sold this at six and a half cents per 
 pound, and then secured a contract from the Gov- 
 ernment to remove Ft. HoUoclv to Ft. Sanders. 
 This employed them a whole season, and yielded 
 them handsome proceeds. In his travels he has 
 been in California, Oregon (in the days of gold- 
 hunting), also over nearl}' all the territory down as 
 far as Mexico, Arizona and Utah. 
 
 Capt. Enyart now returned to Nebraska City, 
 purchased a tract of land in Belmont Precinct, and 
 began farming, together with raising and buying 
 stock. It must not be supposed that these labors 
 and journeyings were effected in an easy manner, 
 on tlie contrary, Capt. Enyart endured the sever- 
 est hardships, going through a wild and savage 
 country, battling witli its storms, and at intervals 
 almost imi;assable roads, being obliged to accept 
 poor fare at times, and surrounded by all the other 
 difficulties of frontier life. 
 
 In the year 1871 Capt. Enyart turned his atten- 
 tion to the cattle business in Colorado, establish- 
 ing his ranch fifteen miles west of Ft. Benton, on 
 the Arkansas River. Later, as time passed on, he 
 acquired a cattle ranch in New Mexico, and land 
 in other sections of the Soutliwest and Otoe Count}-, 
 
 -<• 
 
 Neb. He supplies stock to feeders, and in the lat- 
 ter part of 1888 brought up 1,300 head of cattle 
 from his ranch in Colorado to Nebraska. In the 
 meantime, during these years, he has given due at- 
 tention to tlie building up of his homestead, and in 
 his domestic life is surrounded by comfort and 
 luxury. 
 
 The marriage of Capt. Logan Enyart and Miss 
 Lucy Ann Childs was celebrated at the home of the 
 bride, in Jackson County, Mo., in 1855. Mrs. En- 
 yart was born in Clark County, Ky., but was reared 
 in Jackson County, Mo., to whicli her parents re- 
 moved at an early day. She is the daughter of 
 Christopher and Rachel Cliilds, who were natives 
 of Kentucky, and whose household consisted of 
 nine children. Tlie parents and children are now 
 all dead but three. 
 
 The Captain and Mrs. Envart were separated 
 during the entire period of the Civil War, our sub- 
 ject never being able to visit his home until after 
 the conflict was ended, and Mrs. E. could not go 
 to him. Upon his retirement from the service she 
 joined him in Nebraska City, and has stood by his 
 side now for a period of thirty-three years, one of 
 the inost faithful wives and helpmates which a man 
 could desire. The Captain generously acknowl- 
 edges that his success in life is largely due to the 
 good judgment and wise counsels of this excellent 
 lady. She has stimulated him to every worthy ef- 
 fort, and been his encourager both in storm find 
 sunshine. She is a lady held in higli esteem by all 
 who know her. 
 
 Capt. Enyart, although born and reared a South- 
 erner, has been largely instrumental in extinguish- 
 ing the old prejudices inseparable from the vicissi- 
 tudes of the war, and the fact that he has been a 
 prominent and popular Democratic politician in a 
 Republican county and State speaks well for the 
 inherent traits of his character. After filling other 
 positions of trust and responsibility, he was elected 
 in the year 1872 to represent Otoe County in the 
 Nebraska Legislature, and so faithfully did he dis- 
 charge the duties of his office that he was re-elected 
 in 1874. He has been an important factor in the 
 councils of the Democratic part)' in this section, 
 frequently representing it as a delegate to the vari- 
 ous State conventions. 
 
 T 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 -•»» 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 709 
 
 The Farmers' Bank, of Nebraska City, in which 
 our subject is a Director, and of which he is Presi- 
 dent, was incorporated June 1, 1884, and in Sep- 
 tember, the same year, it opened for business, and 
 is considered one of the solid institutions of the 
 State. Its stockholders are estimated at a sum ap- 
 proaching $1,000,000, and it ' is hardly necessary 
 to state that they are among the wealthiest and 
 most substantial men of the countj^. Capt. Enyart 
 in 1856 identified himself with the Masonic fra- 
 ternity, in Missouri Lodge No. 65, now being a 
 member of Nebraska City Lodge No. 12. This is 
 the onlj^ organization of any society lie ever l)e- 
 longed to. 
 
 ^^ EORGP: a. strong . Among the farming 
 
 %3 
 
 I g— community of South Branch Precinct the 
 
 subject of this sketch occupies a good po- 
 sition socially and financiall3'. He has one of the 
 most attractive homesteads in this region, finely 
 located on section 28, and embracing 160 acres of 
 land. He has acquitted liimself as an enterprising 
 farmer and good business man. one largely devoted 
 to the interests of his home and his family, living 
 quietly and unostentatiously, and preferring the 
 comforts of his own fireside to mingling with the 
 busy world. Although by no means advanced in 
 years, he served in the Union Army during the 
 late war, and preserves a vivid recollection of many 
 of the experiences of that terrible time, in which he 
 endured in common with his brother soldiers the 
 hardships and privations of army life. lie belonged 
 to the home guards. 
 
 The parents of our subject, David B. and Betsey 
 (Kagie) Strong, were natives respectively of New 
 York and Pennsylvania, whence they removed in 
 their youth with their parents to Trumbull County. 
 Ohio, where they were married. . The irfother died 
 many years ago. Both David B. Strong and liis 
 father, the paternal grandfather of our subject, are 
 still living. The parental household included three 
 sons and one daughter; the latter, Mary H., died 
 when about thirteen years old. The other sons, 
 John A. and Ilenrj- A. are living in Ohio and Wis- 
 consin. 
 
 Geoi'ge A. Strong was born in Trumbull Countv. 
 
 •►Ht:^ 
 
 Ohio, May 12, 1846, and soon after the death of 
 his mother, which occurred when he was seven 
 years old, began life for himself. He worked on a 
 farm until the spring of 1862, and then, although 
 but a youth of sixteen years, enlisted in a regiment 
 called the Trumbull Guards, being mustered in at 
 Gallipolis, and at the close of the war was mustered 
 out at the same place. He had participated in 
 several skirmishes. 
 
 After the close of the war young Strong began 
 an apprenticeship at the blacksmith trade, at which 
 he worked three years in the Buckeye State. In 
 tlie spring of 1868 he resolved to seek the farther 
 West, and came to this county, homesteading the 
 quarter-section of land from which he has trans- 
 formed a valuable and productive farm. He has 
 put up most of the buildings which he now occu- 
 pies, and for the last nine or ten years has operated 
 a blacksmitli-shop on his farm, which has not only 
 been the source of a great convenience to himself, 
 but his neighbors also. His fields are divided by 
 beautiful hedge fences, and lie has planted fruit and 
 shade trees, having an apple orchard of 200 trees, 
 besides the smaller fruits. 
 
 ]Mr. Strong after coming to the West was mar- 
 ried in the town of Syracuse, this county, Sept. 12, 
 1877, to Miss Sopha, daughter of T. J. and E. J. 
 (James) iidwards, who were natives respectively 
 of Kentucky and Ohio. The\- removed with tbsir 
 parents to Missouri and were married in that State, 
 where the father for a time followed his trade of 
 mason. In 1873 thej^ came to this county, lived 
 for a time in Nebraslia Cit}^ and then on a farm 
 in P^remont County, Iowa. Finally returning to 
 Syracuse, they lived there a sliort time, then changed 
 their residence to Johnson County, where they still 
 make their home. Of their children, twelve in 
 number, seven are living, namelj^: Amelia. Susan, 
 John, Sopha, Thomas, Josephine and Frank. The 
 brothers and sisters of Mrs. Strong are residents 
 mostly of Nebraska. 
 
 The wife of our subject was born in De Kalb 
 Countj^ Mo., July 28, 1856, received a good edu- 
 cation, and taught scliool four terms before her 
 marriage. She is a very intelligent ladj- and a 
 favorite in the social circles of her neighborhood 
 Of her union with our subject there have been 
 
 f 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 "10 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 born five children, viz: M. Luella, Fred C, Susie B., 
 J. Alta and E. Ruth. They are all at home with 
 their parents. Mr. Strong is a Republican, "dj^ed 
 in the wool," and an uncompromising Harrison and 
 Morton man. He has been a member of the School 
 Board of his district for the past three years, and 
 Road Supervisor six years. 
 
 WILHEI.M WILHELMY. Throughout the 
 Xorthwest perhaps few business men are 
 better known than tlie gentleman whose 
 biography is here presented. He is the senior 
 partner of the firm of Wilhelmy & Overton, tlie 
 popular and reliable liardware firm of Nebraska 
 City. Our subject was born near the city of Bremen, 
 in Germany, to Christian and Mary (Arnds) Wil- 
 helmy, July 26, 1835. 
 
 The parents of our suliject came to this country 
 with their only child in the year 1839, and for one 
 year made their home in Buffalo, but at the end of 
 that time removed to the western part of Ohio, 
 when it was all new and undeveloped country. At 
 the time of his deatli in 1862 the father was en- 
 gaged in the liotel business at New Bremen, Ohio. 
 His mother is still living, and makes her liome with 
 our suliject, and has now reached the advanced age 
 of seventy-nine j^ears. Their family circle included 
 in all three children, tlie two younger being born 
 in this country. Of these Minnie died when eight- 
 een months old, and Frederick F., who was spared 
 to them, has grown up, entered into the affairs of 
 life with an earnest purpose, and is a member of the 
 firm of Rector, Wilhelmy cfe Co., wholesale hard- 
 waremen of Omaha. 
 
 The first recollections of our subject gather 
 around Buffalo, N. Y., but the days of his boy- 
 hood were passed in Western Ohio, where at the time 
 when everything was in a formative condition and 
 pioneer life was the regular order of things, he as 
 a ji-outh had every opportunity to show what was 
 in him. The schools were supported by voluntary 
 contributions given chieflj^ by the German settlers 
 of the district, and there he received initiation into 
 the mysteries of education. 
 
 At the age of twenty-one Mr. Wilhelmy engaged 
 
 •► 
 
 as a clerk in a general store which was located close 
 to the Indiana and Ohio State line. Until this time 
 he had been brought into contact with hardly any 
 but the German settlers, but now acquired the 
 English language, in order to successfully carry on 
 the business he had entered into. From clerking 
 he embarked in hotel-keeping, taking charge of his 
 father's hotel, which he continued after tlie death 
 of that parent. 
 
 In 1864 our subject was united in wedlock with 
 Jliss Margaret Koop, who is a native of Ohio, and 
 the daughter of John F. and Matta (Willembroke) 
 Koop. Her parents were among the number who 
 had emigrated to Western Ohio and purchased their 
 homestead direct from the Government, settling in 
 the year 1833. They are still living, and are eighty- 
 eight and seventy-eight j-ears of age respectively. 
 They were the parents of ten children. Of these 
 their daughter Margaret was the second child and 
 only daugliter. 
 
 The subject of our sketch came to Nebraska in 
 the spring of 1869, and at once engaged in the 
 agricultural implement business, being one of the 
 first in that line in Nebraska City. With an ever- 
 increasing agricultural population around him he 
 did well from the beginning, and it was not long 
 before he was enabled to complete satisfactory ar- 
 rangements for his family to join him. With his 
 brother he continued engaged in the business until 
 1875, when he sold out his interests to his brother, 
 and engaged with Rheindthard Ballard & Co.. as 
 traveling salesman, selling thresliers, engines and 
 other implements. In this he continued for about 
 nine years, and during that time did business in al- 
 most every part of the Nortli and Northwest. At the 
 end of tliat time the two senior members of the firm 
 died, and our subject was retained by those who 
 had charge of affairs, and for two years continued 
 engaged in settling up the business of the firm, 
 making a total of eleven years he served this firm. 
 
 In 1886, in company with a Mr. Draper, Mr. 
 Wilhelmy bought out the Simson hardware business, 
 which is still run by him. Mr. Draper in the spring 
 of 1887 sold his business interests to Mr. Overton, 
 and the firm's name was changed to that above 
 mentioned. The business has grown rapidly and 
 is on a most satisfactor}- basis, and enjoys the rep- 
 
 •► 
 
•►-HH-^^ 
 
 t 
 
 •► 
 
 t 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 utation of being strictly honest in its representa- 
 tions, prompt and faithful in its engagements. It 
 is one of the best houses in the State, and is known 
 favorably to quite a large section of countrj^. 
 
 Tlie family circle of Mr. and Mrs. Wilhelmy 
 comprises five children, viz.: Willie, who died in 
 Ohio when a babe; Eddie, who was born in Mc- 
 Gregor Count}', Iowa; 3ILnnie, born in Nebraska 
 City; and Leon and Lillie, twins. Eddie is en- 
 gaged in business with his iinele at Omaha; the 
 other surviving members of the family are at home. 
 The residence of our subject is one of the finest in 
 the city, and is situated in the western part thereof. 
 It is thoroughly in keeping with his position in the 
 business world, of which he is certainly one of the 
 representative men. 
 
 Religiously, the subject of our sketch and his 
 family are members of the Lutheran Church. In 
 politics ]Mr. Wilhelmy is a Democrat, but has at no 
 time sought to take a prominent part in such matters. 
 He is one of the prominent members of the order 
 of the Royal Arcanum, and holds the position of 
 Grand Regent in the same. There, as in every 
 other circle, he is accorded the unfeigned esteem 
 and regard of those who know him,- and these 
 sentiments extend also to his wife and familv. 
 
 ♦^»t59» 
 
 -^!l>^ 
 
 •<^*^>> 
 
 'SA GODDING. In March of 1882 the gen- 
 tleman a sketch of whose life is here briefly 
 presented purchased 160 acres of land on 
 section 29 of Syracuse Precinct, and set- 
 tled upon it. Tbis commenced iiis history as con- 
 nected with this county. The above property, 
 which he still occupies, is situated on the soutli- 
 west quarter of the section, and was homesteaded 
 by Jacob Sollenberger, who sold to Charles Adanjs, 
 and from tiie latter it was obtained by our subject. 
 The old homestead claim shanty still stands, and 
 was occupied for one year by Mr. Godding during 
 the building of his present residence, which is one 
 of the most commodious and pleasant in the county. 
 September 29, 1826, witnessed the birLli of our 
 subject to Russell and Abigal (Sherman) Godding, in 
 Rutland County, Vt. When he was but six years (jf 
 
 age his father died, and thus he has been deprived 
 of all the help and care that otherwise would have 
 been received, and wiiich is of inestimable value to 
 a young man in starting in life, and on through tiie 
 first few 3'ears at least of his experience. 
 
 Not long after the death of the head of the 
 family, a removal was made to Rhode Island, where 
 the mother did everything possible to keep her 
 family together, and, as she was able, to give them 
 the opportunity of making their wa}' successfully in 
 the world. At the tender age of nine years her son 
 Asa was put to work in a woolen factory. There 
 he continued for a number of years, learning the 
 trade first of spinner, and afterward of wool finisher. 
 His connection with this trade continued until I8.t6, 
 at which time he emigrated to Illinois and purchased 
 land in what is now Philo Township, Champaign 
 County, where he was one of the pioneers. 
 
 At the time aur subject located in the Prairie 
 State there were hardi}' any settlers in his neigh- 
 boihood, and he was prominently identified with 
 the organization of Philo Township, and the first 
 school district. At that time he was operating a 
 half-section of land, but subsequently sold 160 
 acres. In 1874 he rented his farming property, and 
 engaged in mercantile pursuits at Philo, becoming 
 partner in the firm of Van Vleck & Godding. They 
 were largel}- interested in grain, owning and oper- 
 ating an extensive flouring-mill in connection with 
 the elevator which they built, and continued finan- 
 cially successful to an unexpected degree for about 
 five years. 
 
 In 1879 Mr. Godding withdrew from the firm 
 and removed to St. Louis. He there embarked in 
 the manufacture of vinegar, pickles, and articles of 
 a kindred nature. There also he built up an exten- 
 sive business, continuing for nearly three 3'ears, 
 returning at the end of that period to Monticello. 
 111., and coming to this State in 1882. 
 
 While resident at Urbana, 111., in the year 1866, 
 our subject was united in marriage with Sarah A. 
 Driver, of Urbana, who was born in 1840, in North 
 Carolina. After a happy married life of ten years 
 Mrs. Godding died at Philo, in 1876, leaving no 
 child len. 
 
 Upon the 1st of January, 1882, our subject I'e- 
 entered the married stale, becoming the husband 
 
 ■^U 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 "■► I I < • 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 of Delia J. Heislar, daughter of George mid Rebecca 
 Heislar, of Champaign County, 111. This lady was 
 boru in Fredericktown. Ohio, on the 6th of Novem- 
 ber, 1846. Her mother. Mrs. Heislar, died in 
 August, 1849, leaving four children, viz.: Daniel; 
 Mary E., now Mrs. Perry Silver; Delia J. and 
 Theodore. Of the second marriage there is one 
 child living, Delmont, now a resident of Hutchin- 
 son, Kan. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Godding have become the parents 
 of one cliild living. A son, George H., born June 
 2, 1885, died nine days after his birth; they have 
 a daughter, Grace A., born Sept. 23, 1882; and 
 an adopted son. who beais the name Joseph V., who 
 has made his home with them since he was three 
 years of age. 
 
 Among the stanch Republicans of the county 
 must certainly be named our subject, who has sus- 
 t.iined since his ability to take part in political 
 matters a reputation in that regard. AVhile in 
 Philo Township he served as Collector for two 
 years, at a time when wolf scalps were accepted as 
 payment for taxes. Mrs. Godding is an active 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is 
 greatly esteemed therein. Their home, a view of 
 which appears on another page, bears fair compari- 
 son with those of the other intelligent people of 
 Syracuse Precinct and vicinity. 
 
 -►l-«-i'^^*+-^ 
 
 4 
 
 nATHEW H. SHOEMAKER. The farming 
 and stock-raising interests of Wyoming Pre- 
 cinct recognize in the subject of this sketch 
 one of their most energetic and successful 
 representatives. Since the spring of 1882 he has 
 operated successfully IGO acres of fertile land on 
 section 2, bringing about a great improvement in 
 its original condition, and erecting thereon some of 
 the finest buildings in this part of the county. A 
 view of his homestead is. presented in this volume. 
 Mr. Shoemaker has been especially fortunate in 
 Ills live-stock operations, and has also given much 
 attention to the planting of trees on his farrh, hav- 
 ing a fine apple orchard and the smaller fruits in 
 abundance. Besides the home farm, he lias a fine 
 tract of land 240 acres in extent in Liberty Pre- 
 
 cinct, Cass County, which fortunately lies adjacent 
 to the homestead. He has been kept busy in the 
 improvement of his 400 acres, which when coming 
 into his possession was raw prairie upon which there 
 had been no attempt at improvement. He was a 
 resident of Cass County for a period of fifteen years 
 before taking possession in the spring of 1 882 of 
 the homestead which he now occupies. 
 
 Mr. Shoemaker first set foot in Nebraska in the year 
 1857, and is consequently one of its pioneers. He 
 has seen it transformed from a Territory into a 
 State, and commenced at the foot of the ladder to 
 build up the homestead an<l secure a competency. 
 That he has been in a large measure successful is 
 indicated in his present surroundings. He comes 
 of substantial stock, being the son of Samuel G. and 
 Mar3' (Patt) Shoemaker, who were both natives of 
 Pennsylvania, ami the father, like our subject, was 
 born in Lycoming County. After marriage the 
 parents settled in Muncie Creek Township, under 
 the roof where the father was born, and later his 
 son, Matliew H., our subject, the birth of the latter 
 taking place March 31, 1833. In 1857, twenty- 
 four years after the birth of their son Mathew, le- 
 tiring from active labor, the parents moved to the 
 village of Muncie, where the father passed from the 
 scenes of earth in the year 1871, at the advanced 
 age of eighty-two years. He was born in the year 
 1789. The mother survived her husband a few 
 years, her death occurring in the year 1880, and 
 her age being eighty-three. They were married on 
 the 22d of May, 1817, their married life therefore 
 had reached a period of nearly fifty-six years. 
 Tliey had a family of six sons and two daughters, 
 of whom four sons and both daughters are. still liv- 
 ing. Our subject is the only one residing in the 
 State of Nebraska. Jasper and Robert F. live in 
 Penns3*lvania, where also Mary Melissa, who is still 
 single, resides; William P. lives in Bourbon Count3', 
 Kan., near Ft. Scott; and Catherine, wife of Noah 
 Mackey, lives in Missouri, not far from St. Louis. 
 
 This branch of the Shoemaker family were of 
 Dutch ancestry, and people usually of wealth and 
 standing, who exercised a decided influence in the 
 affairs of the community- where they lived. They 
 were principall}' agriculturists by occupation, men 
 prompt to meet their obligations, and whose word 
 
 » ^J l ^> 
 
-4^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ■15 
 
 •► 
 
 t 
 
 was considered as good as tlieirbond. The mother 
 of our subject also cnine from an excellent family, 
 and the town of Pottsville, Pa., was named in honor 
 of her grandfather, by whom it was founded. The 
 Shoemakers originally, in religious matters, held to 
 the doctrines of the Lutheran Church, but later we 
 find them with the Episcopalians. Henry Shoe- 
 maker, the paternal grandfather of our subject, was 
 also a native of Lycoming County, Pa., where he 
 was reared to manhood, and married Miss Susan 
 Dudder, of Dutch ancestr}'. They continued their 
 residence in Lycoming County the balance of their 
 lives, living to be ripe in years, and were also con- 
 nected with the Lutheran Church. 
 
 Mathew H. Shoemaker was the sixth cliild of a 
 family of six sons and two daughters, all of whom 
 received careful home training, and a practical edu- 
 cation in the common schools. Of these six are 
 living. In April, 1860, Mr. Shoemaker and three 
 of his neighbors, viz: Daniel B. Robb, Thomas 
 Lindsey and Amos Weaver, clubbed together and 
 got an outfit consisting of a wagon and three yoke 
 of cattle, and provisions for six months, and started 
 over the plains for Pike's Peak, where, after a pleas- 
 ant trip of forty days, they arrived. Denver was 
 then but a hamlet, and the first thing that attracted 
 their attention on arriving there was to witness the 
 banging of a man by the citizens, for murder. This 
 gave Mr. S. a fair idea of the chariicter of the peo- 
 ple and their methods of administering the laws as 
 tliey made them for the evil doers. He remained 
 in Colorado for two years, and the whole party spent 
 their time diligently employed in different occupa- 
 tions. During his stay in Colorado he was very 
 successful. 
 
 Our subject continued a resident of his native 
 State until a young man twenty-four years old, 
 when he crossed the Mississippi and resolved to cast 
 his lot with the pioneer element of Nebraska. Some 
 years afterward he made the acquaintance of a most 
 estimable young lady of WyoraingJPrecinct, Miss 
 Alice E. Olds, to whom he was married Nov. 16, 
 1874. Mrs. Shoemaker was born in Symcoe, Lower 
 Canada, Oct. 12, 1857, and came to the States with 
 her parents when quite a young child, they settling 
 in this county, where she was reared to womanhood. 
 She is a very estimable lady, and by her marriage 
 
 «••- 
 
 with our subject has become the mother of si.x 
 children, three of whom are deceased, namely: 
 Kate, Mary E. and Clara. The survivors are Ed- 
 ward, Artie and Jessie, who are at home with their 
 parents. Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker attend the Epis- 
 copal Church at Wyoming. Our subject was a 
 member of the Republican party a number of years, 
 but his warm interest in the temperance work led 
 him in 1888 to identify himself with the Prohibi- 
 tionists. 
 
 7=" >-7^K-s — ,,• '-»' '" 
 
 (S^^^HOMAS D. SABIN occupies a prominent 
 place among the farmers of this county, and 
 resides on section 9 of Syracuse Precinct, 
 his home being about one-half mile from the town 
 of that name. He is a native of the Buckeye 
 State, and was born on the 8th of September, 183D, 
 in Knox County. His parents were David and 
 Nancy (Baird) Sabin; the father was a native of 
 Washington County, Pa., the mother of Peny 
 County, Ohio. The latter is deceased. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject, David Sabin, was 
 born in Vermont, which is as far as our subject has 
 been enabled to trace his ancestry. He removed 
 from Vermont and settled in Washington County 
 about the time of his marriage, where he lived for 
 many years and brought up his family, then going 
 to Ohio, where he spent the remainder of his days 
 in Licking County. 
 
 The father of our subject grew to manhood in 
 Pennsylvania, and was about eighteen years of age 
 when he took his place with his father among the 
 pioneer settlers of Licking County. In that place 
 he lived until the year 1856, when he migrated to 
 Illinois and settled upon the farm near Bloomington, 
 where he continued to follow agricultural pursuits 
 until 1872, when he removed to Piper City, where 
 he still resides, and although he has reached the 
 advanced age of eighty years, enjoys the use of his 
 faculties and fairly good health. He has been a 
 successful man and a leading citizen; has been able 
 to educate his children and give them a start in life. 
 
 The mother of our subject was born in Perry 
 County, Ohio, in the year 1812, and died upon the 
 14tli of February, 1871. Her married life extended 
 overa period of forty years, which, from commence- 
 
 «> M 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ■16 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 ment to close, witnessed the same affectionate devo- 
 tion and faitlifulness to the obligations resting upon 
 her as a wife and mother; she filled a place in the 
 hearts of her family that can never be otherwise 
 occupied. She was the mother of ten children, o ily 
 five of whom, however, attained to years of discre- 
 tion, viz: Daniel E., who resides at Albion; Mary 
 J., now Mrs. Fowler, who resides near Piper City, 
 111.; Thomas D., our subject; Jemima AV., of Chi- 
 cago, and Eliza, who was married to Mr. David 
 Hall, and died at her home at Danvers, 111. 
 
 The subject of our sketch attained to years of 
 manhood before leaving his native State. In 1856 
 with his parents he removed to Illinois and began 
 life for himself. In ' 1 864 he went to McLean 
 County, 111., and engaged in farming. The same 
 3-ear he was united in marriage with Eliza V. 
 Wood, the estimable daughter of William and Mary 
 (Campbell) Wood, who were natives of Frederick 
 County, Va., but removed to Clinton, Ohio, where 
 their daughter Eliza was born on the 10th of Jan- 
 uary, 1836. Their home in Clinton County was 
 only made by cutting their way. foot by foot, in 
 the dense forests of that district, and thus redeeming, 
 piece by piece, the land for cultivation. Their resi- 
 dence in Ohio continued until 1853, when they re- 
 moved to Knox County, 111., where the mother died 
 in 1861. The family removed to McLean County. 
 The father died in the year 1869, at his home in 
 Ohio. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wood were the parents of eight 
 children, seven of whom attained their majoritj'. 
 These are: Mary L., who became the wife of Joseph 
 Strickle; William R., of Colorado; James H.. who 
 died at Denison, Tex.; Robert M., of Nebraska; 
 John F., of Bloomington; Eliza V., the wife of 
 our subject, and Dakin D., who resides in Nebr.aska, 
 and is engaged in farming. 
 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Sabin settled 
 on a farm in McLean Count}' and began life in 
 earnest. Our subject gave his attention to the im- 
 provement and cultivation of his land, in the en- 
 deavor to bring his farm to as near a perfect state 
 of cultivation as possible. He put u[) some first- 
 class farm buildings, and gave attention generally 
 to stock-farming, also to the buying and shipping 
 of stock. In this he continued until 1883, when he 
 
 came to Nebraska and purchased his present prop- 
 ertj', which comprises 240 acres of land, and is well 
 provided with the various appliances and buildings 
 needed. They have but one child, a daughter, Cora, 
 born Feb. 8, 1871, who has displayed a character 
 and disposition most happy. The position of our 
 subject and wife religiously is in the Christian 
 Church, of wliich they are highly esteemed mem- 
 bers and active workers. In matters of political im- 
 port Mr. Sabin usuallj' votes the Republican ticket, 
 supporting it in an}' effort that is made when he 
 conscientiously can; but he is not confined within 
 the circumscribed limits of party fence-building, 
 and is guided in tliis as in everything else by the 
 high principles that have characterized the decisions 
 of his life, and is swa3'ed by the condition of the 
 situation to be met, the needs of the constituents, 
 and the power of the candidate to meet those needs, 
 so that he might be called independent. He is a 
 man who stands high in the community in every 
 regard. 
 
 ■ -l^m- 
 
 ai l^lLLiAM J. DOUGALL. The name of 
 \/yJ/! this gentleman is familiar to a large pro- 
 WW portion of the residents of Palmyra Pre- 
 cinct, he being numbered among its leading men. 
 His career has been creditable in the extreme, and 
 one which his children may look upon with pride. 
 During the late Civil War he did good service as 
 a soldier in the Union Army, and upon returning 
 to priv.ate life has been one of the most useful 
 members of an intelligent and prosperous commu- 
 nity. Genial, companionable and conscientious, 
 he is popular among his fellow-citizens, and his 
 personal appearance alone would commend him as 
 a man of more than ordinary capabilities. He is 
 of commanding presence, with fine features, and a 
 remarkabl}' intelligent eye — a man who would lie 
 singled out among a thousand. 
 
 Mr. Dougall has tlic greater part of his life been 
 engaged in farming pursuits, and his property in 
 Palmyra Precinct embraces eighty acres on section 
 14, and forty acres on section 10, besides the home 
 farm on section 15. To the latter he has given 
 especial attention, having gathered around himself 
 and his family those conveniences and comfurts 
 
 f 
 
•►Hl-^*- 
 
 -•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ■► 11 ^ ^- 
 
 naturally sugoested to the kinillj' bushanrl anrl 
 father and tiie self-respecting citizen. He is in the 
 prime of life, having been born Sept. 1, 1842. at 
 the farm of his father in Princeton Township, Sche- 
 nectady Co., N. Y. His parents were John D. and 
 Jennie (Walker) Dougall. The father, a native of 
 Scotland, was born about seven miles from the 
 city of Edinburgh, and was given a fine education, 
 attending school during his youthful days until 
 coming to the United States. After taking up his 
 residence in Schenectady County, N. Y'., he en- 
 gaged in teaching and farming combined, and in 
 the Empire State made the acquaintance of his 
 future wife. 
 
 The mother of our subject was born in the above- 
 named county, and vvas there married to John 
 Dougall. Their union resulted in the birth of five 
 children, namely: Thomas, George, William J. 
 (our subject), Peter and Margaret. The latter was 
 taken from the home circle under the most dis- 
 tressing circumstances, she being burned to death 
 when a child. All of the others grew to mature 
 years, and three are now living. The parents, a 
 brother and a sister, died during the Civil War. 
 
 Mr. Dougall spent his boyhood and youth on the 
 farm, pursuing his first studies in the district school. 
 At the age of sixteen years he became a student of 
 Jonesville Academy. Not long after the first call for 
 troops to assist in putting down the Rebellion, he 
 enlisted in Company E, 44th New Y^ork Infantry, 
 which was styled the " Ellsworth Avengers." His 
 regiment was assigned to the Army of the Potomac, 
 and young Dougall participated in many of the 
 important battles which followed, namely: Big 
 Bethel, Little Bethel, Y'orktown, Williamsburg, and 
 was in the seven-days fight at the second battle of 
 Bull Run. At Antietam he was promoted to Ser- 
 geant, and afterward severely wounded in the left 
 leg. He was conveyed to the hospital at Harris- 
 burg, Pa., where he lay a short time, and was finally 
 obliged to accept his honorable discharge on ac- 
 count of disability. He had, however, given a 
 faithful service of one year, and felt that he had 
 performed his duty. 
 
 During the attack of Lee upon the city of Gettys- 
 burg there were 2,200 disabled and discharged sol- 
 diers waiting at Camp Distribution, not yet having 
 
 been assigned to their respective regiments. Ob- 
 serving that the Union troops were in need of their 
 aid, they at once took up arms, and as if b}' magic, 
 submitted to the orders of the War Department. 
 Our subject at the time assumed command of a 
 squad of men, and through the united efforts of the 
 brave recruits, the plans of the rebel General were 
 materially changed if not absolutely defeated. Mr. 
 Dougall re-enlisted with the 99th Pennsylvania In- 
 fantry, and sis days later was again found in the 
 thickest of the fight at the battles of Fredericks- 
 burg, Kelly's Ford, and the first and second battles 
 of the Wilderness. At the latter he was struck by 
 two balls at about the same time, and about four 
 rods away seventeen color-bearers fell. Corporal 
 Dougall, notwithstanding bis wounds, seized one of 
 the falling banners, and was about bearing it on to 
 victory, when a musket ball struck his breastplate, 
 and although not penetr.ating it, dealt him such a 
 blow that he reeled, and was in the act of falling 
 when another ball struck him in the left heel. He 
 was carried to the rear. At the battle of Spottsyl- 
 vania Court House, when every inch of ground was 
 disputed, the troops first advancing, then retreating, 
 Sergt. Dougall while nearing the third line of the 
 rebel breastworks, cleared them, and seizing the 
 rebel colors, started for his own lines, but before he 
 could reach them fell, severely wounded in the 
 head. The cry went up from his comrades that 
 "brave Dougall was no more." The latter lay un- 
 conscious on the ground nearly all day, while thou- 
 sands of bullets flew thick around him, and when 
 the ground was strewn with the dead and wounded 
 of both armies. At night he crawled into his regi- 
 ment's ranks. 
 
 Sergt. Dougall later recovering from his wounds, 
 was given a thirty-days furlough and returned 
 home. At the expiration of this time he rejoined 
 his regiment and participated in the series of bat- 
 tles along the Chickahominy, prior to laying siege 
 to Petersburg. Here he was promoted to Corporal, 
 and was again wounded several times. During his 
 army service he participated in thirty-two general 
 engagements, besides unnumbered skirmishes and 
 all the other vicissitudes of war, the wearisome 
 marches, hardships and privations, insutticient food, 
 and the various other experiences incident to life 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 •<*> 
 
 •4* 
 
 718 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 
 in the ann^'. lie wns present at the final grand 
 review in Washintrton, and received his honorable 
 discharge in Pliiladeiphia, Pa., after a serviee of 
 four years and thirteen days. 
 
 Our subject, April 9, 18GG, crossed the Missis- 
 sippi, and coming to this county homesteaued 160 
 acres of land in Palmyra Precinct. In November 
 following he was united in marriage witli Miss 
 Emma, adopted daughter of Homer Chamberlain. 
 Tins lady was born in 1848, in Canada. They be- 
 gan their wedded life together under the modest 
 roof provided by our subject on the new farm, 
 which they have since developed into a comfort- 
 able and well-ordered homestead. Their union has 
 been blessed by the birth of five children, the eld- 
 est of whom, Minnie B., died when an interesting 
 young girl of fifteen years. The others. Homer J., 
 William E., Elizabeth A. and Joseph G., are all at 
 home. 
 
 Mr. Dougall voted for the adoption of a .State 
 Constitution in 186(5, and has been an ardent sup- 
 porter of Republican principles. He has served as 
 Justice of the Peace four years, Road Supervisor 
 twelve 3'ears, and Constable for a period of fifteen 
 years. Both be and his estimable wife are members 
 in good standing of the United Brethren Church, at- 
 tending witli the Mt. Zion congregation in Palmyra. 
 Socially, Mr. B. is Adjutant in tlie G. A. R., in 
 whicii he has also served as Officer of the Day, and 
 as a delegate to the National Encampment. 
 
 -WV -\t££ja'©^@» 
 
 A,^-Si^!nnr>^-r 
 
 '^ '^' ASON H. AVILES. whose higlily productive 
 and splendidly kept farm is situated upon 
 .section 14 of Delaware Precinct, was born 
 in Sandusk}^ County, Ohio, on the loth of 
 February-. 1847. He is the son of Mason S. and 
 Helen AYiles, natives of New York State. His 
 father removed to Ohio when a j'oung man, and 
 there followed his trade, that of a carpenter. In 
 1861 he removed with his familj' to Eaton County, 
 Mich., where he pursued carpentering, while his 
 sons attended to the farm. In the fall of 1869 they 
 migrated to Bates Count}', Mo., and the following 
 spring settled in Peru, Nemaha County, this .State. 
 The subject of our sketch was early initiated 
 
 into the various duties of farm life, and in tbe 
 common school of the district received such in- 
 struction as would serve as a basis of operations in 
 business or other engagements to which he might 
 give his attention in after years. He accompanied 
 his parents as they migrated from one place to 
 another, finding such employment upon the farm 
 as was both congenial and helpful. 
 
 Finally, leaving home and beginning life for 
 himself. Mr. Wiles settled about six miles west of 
 Peru, where he lived until 1879, engaged in farm- 
 ing. He came to this countv' in the spring of 1882, 
 and lived for three years near Nebraska City, mov- 
 ing to his present farm in 1885. He owns 160 
 acres of land amply adapted for agricultural pur- 
 suits. He has labored industriously to bring it to 
 its present condition, and is usuallj' rewarded with 
 abundant harvests. In the stock department of 
 his farm he raises chieflj^ cattle and hogs, and upon 
 an average has each season no less than eighty head 
 of graded cattle. 
 
 In no other country in tbe world are there so 
 many of the masses of the people owning their own 
 homes. This is an indication that, deep-rooted in 
 the heart of the American citizen, is the desire for 
 a fireside of his own, and that he finds the atmo- 
 sphere of the domestic circle eminently congenial. 
 A country has therein one of its strongest and 
 stoutest bulwarks. Napoleon the Great is said to 
 have remarked that if he had a nation of mothers 
 he could conquer the world. Our subject, in com- 
 mon with American citizens generally, having the 
 same desire for the home relation, sought and ob- 
 tained the hand of Lenora A. Kent in marriage, 
 that event being celebrated on the 22d of January, 
 1880. Their union has been fruitful in the birth 
 of three children, who bear the names of Wyman 
 S., Hiram L. and Frank S. 
 
 Mr. Wiles is of a retiring disposition, and con- 
 sequently is not prominent in political affairs. He 
 is, however, a loyal and true citizen, careful to do 
 his dutj% usually voting with the Republican party, 
 but reserving to himself the right of the free citi- 
 zen to support such candidates for office as he may 
 deem most worthy and efficient. 
 
 The homestead views of this volume form one 
 of its most attractive features, and the Wiles 
 
 •^l-M» 
 
t. 
 
 *► i r^ 
 
 OTOE COU^;TY. 
 
 19 -' 
 
 residence, with its surroundings herein given, aid 
 greathr in perfecting the illustrative department, 
 as indicative of the tastes and industry of an intel- 
 ligent community. 
 
 ^S!p^^HOMAS WEATHERHOGG is a resident on 
 section .3, Palmyra Precinct. A native of 
 Lincolnshire, England, he was born in 
 1829, and is the son of John and Hannah (Coats) 
 Weatherhogg, of whose children six are living, 
 namely: Charles, Jane, Thoma.s, AVilliam, Henry 
 and George. 
 
 The father of our subject was a farmer by occu- 
 pation, and tlie boyhood of Thomas was spent in 
 his native county, where he became familiar with 
 tlie employments of rural life. Upon leaving liome 
 he was in the employ of one man on a farm for a 
 period of nine years. He was married, in 1853, to 
 Miss Mary, daughter of Thomas and Mary Halford, 
 who was born in 1'828. Mr. H. was also a farmer 
 by occupation, and the parental family consisted of 
 three children — William, Rachel and jNIary. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Weatherhogg lived in England 
 about four years after their marriage, and became 
 the parents of one child. In 1857 they started for 
 America, and after a prosperous voyage landed in 
 Kew York City, whence they proceeded soon after- 
 ward to the vicinity of Mendota, 111. There our 
 subject engaged in farming. Later, with his broth- 
 ers, Charles, William and Henrj', he started to 
 I'ike's Peak, in 1863, and there experienced the 
 truth of the maxim that "all is not gold that glit- 
 ters." After one year spent in fruitlessly pros- 
 jiecting, he turned his attention to something more 
 tangible, and paying an exorbitant price for a team 
 of oxen, began freighting. Later he returned to 
 Illinois, and remained there until coming to Ne- 
 braska in the fall of 1865. 
 
 Mrs. Weatherhogg is deceased. Their only 
 child, a daughter Anna, became the wife of George 
 Hailey, and is now living at Long Pine, in Brown 
 County, 111. Mr. H. is a farmer by occcupation, 
 and they have one child, a daughter Lilly. 
 
 UiKjn coming to Nebraska Mr. Weatherhogg set- 
 tled upon 160 .acres of land in Palmvra Precinct. 
 
 •t 
 
 and put up a small house, paying for the lumber 
 at the rate of $40 i)er thousand. Here he lived by 
 himself, his daughter Anna having taken up her 
 abode with his brother Charles, where she lived 
 until eighteen years of age. She then came home 
 to lier father. Our subject in 1869 contracted a 
 second marriage, with Mrs. Harriet (Smith) Long- 
 street, widow of the late Henry Longstreet. Mrs. 
 Weatherhogg was born in Chautauqua County, N. 
 Y., and went with her parents to Michigan. There 
 she was first married and lived until after the war, 
 when she came to Nebraska with relatives and took 
 up a tract of land in Palmyra Precinct. Of this 
 union there have been born four children, all sons 
 — Frank, John, George and Frederick. 
 
 Mr. Weatherhogg, politically, is independent, and 
 has never had any aspiration for office. He has 
 fought the grasshopper plague successfully, and 
 has now a comfortable homestead in the midst of 
 fruit and shade trees, including an apple orchard 
 and a quantity of grape vines, and has a grove of 
 Cottonwood, ash and honey locust trees. His fields 
 are laid otf with neatly trimmed hedge fences, and 
 his home forms an exceedingl)' pleasant picture of 
 country life. 
 
 ,OBERT T. Mcpherson may be placed 
 among the substantial, well-to-do citizens 
 of Russell Precinct, and operates success- 
 y^fully from a financial standpoint eighty 
 acres of excellent farming land on section 6. Joseph 
 McPherson, the father of our subject, was born in 
 Scotland. He came to this countrj- a j'Oung man 
 and began farming in Pennsylvania, and he was 
 the owner of 200 acres in that State and there died 
 in 1856. The maiden name of his wife, the mother 
 of our subject, whom he met and married in the 
 State of his adoption, was Miss Anna Barr, who 
 was born and brought up in Pennsylvania. The 
 maternal side of the family represents a French 
 ancestry. Grandfather Barr was in the War of 
 1812, and was one of the cliildren born in this 
 country, although of French parents. The mothei- 
 of our subject is still living, and is sixty years of 
 age. She w.is the mother of six children, of 
 
 •¥ 
 
•►Hh-* 
 
 -•► 
 
 720 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 whom the following three survive: Hugh, who re- 
 sides in Pennsylvania; John and Robert T. Eliza- 
 beth, Mary and Jane are deceased. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Indiana 
 County, Pa., on the 28th of August, 1851. He 
 made his home with his parents until fourteen years 
 ■of age, and then went to Illinois, and worked out 
 upon a farm by the month for about six years. He 
 managed to pick up while at home and during the 
 winters of his absence a fairly good practical 
 education, through the instrumentality of the 
 common schools. In the year 1871 he started 
 overland and came to Cass County, in this State. 
 He remained there one year, and then came to Rus- 
 sell Precinct, in this county, where he was enabled 
 to purchase eighty acres of land, his present prop- 
 erty, which he has improved in a most commenda- 
 ble manner. 
 
 IKTRICH SCHINDLER. The. agricultural 
 interests of Otoe Precinct are no better rep- 
 resented than by the subject of this sketch, 
 who owns a large and well-managed farm 
 in this locality, pleasantly situated on section 22, 
 and comprising 360 acres of as rich and fertile farm- 
 ing land as is to be found in Eastern Nebraska. 
 Mr. Schindler is a native of Switzerland, having 
 been born in the Canton of Glarus, July 10, 1843. 
 His father, Jacob Schindler, and his grandfather, 
 Joachim Schindler, were also natives of the same 
 canton, and the latter spent his entire life there. 
 The father of our subject learned the trade of lock- 
 smith in his native land, and pursued it there until 
 1857, wiien he set sail from Havre de Grace in the 
 month of February in an American-bound vessel, 
 accompanied bj' three of his five children. They 
 landed at New Orleans sixty days later, and tiiere 
 took passage on a steamer up the Mississippi and Mis- 
 souri Rivers, and landed at Otoe City, now Miners- 
 ville, Otoe County, and from there Mr. Schindler 
 started out to seek a location. He soon bought a 
 claim in Otoe Precinct, section 22, where our sub- 
 ject now resides. He soon comjjleted his purchase 
 with the Government, and moved into the log 
 cahin that stood on the place nearly finished. He I 
 
 had ten acres broken, and planted that with corn 
 and potatoes, and continued tolive there until 185i), 
 when he rented the land and went to Arkansas, 
 where he bought a tract of land in Dallas Countj', 
 and there the family were reunited by his wife and 
 other two children joining them. He was prosper- 
 ouslj' engaged in farming there until his death in 
 1864, which was brought about in this way. It 
 was during the war, and the country was infested 
 by guerrillas, who, while he was on his way to Little 
 Rock to see Gen. Steele, waylaid and killed him, 
 and at the same time the greater part of his stock 
 and personal property was killed or destroyed by 
 the bushwhackers. Soon after his death the family 
 returned to Otoe Precinct, and settled on the land 
 that he had purchased from the Government. The 
 mother of our subject was a resident of the pre- 
 cinct until her death. The record of the children 
 born to her and her husband is as follows: Ursula, 
 wife of Henrv Vallman; Emilie died soon after the 
 return of the faniil}' from Arkansas ; Dietrich ; Annie 
 E., wife of Jacob Baltensperger; Edward died in 
 Arkansas. 
 
 The subject of this sketch gained a good, practi- 
 cal education in the Swiss schools, which he attended 
 quite regularly as long as he lived in his native 
 land. He was fourteen j'ears old when he accom- 
 panied his father to this country, and he remembers 
 well the incidents of the long voyage, and of his sub- 
 sequent pioneer life here on the farm where he now 
 resides, over which deer, wolves and prairie chick- 
 ens used to roam, and occasionally wild turkeys. 
 He went to Arkansas with his father, and lived with 
 him until 1862, when he was drafted into the Con- 
 federate Army, and was obliged to serve in its ranks 
 as a member of Company G, 21st Arkansas In- 
 fantry, doing duty in Mississippi for one year. 
 While at Vicksburg he obtained a furlough, and 
 after his return home communications were cut off 
 by Gen. Grant, and our subject was detailed to su- 
 perintend the sulphur works at the Hot Springs until 
 the Federals took Little Rock. He then went into 
 the Union camp at that place, and gladly took the 
 oath of allegiance to the United Slates Government. 
 After that he went to Cairo, III., where he worked 
 at the baker's trade for six months, when he re- 
 turned to the old homestead, and in the summer of 
 
 •►HI-4*- 
 
 »^h 
 
Residence OF Dietrich 5chindler ,5ec.22. Otoe Precinct. 
 
 Residence OF Dietrich Misegadis,Sec 16 Rock Creek Precinct 
 
Hl-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 -•»• 
 
 723 
 
 that year teamerl for the frei<rhtprs over the plains, 
 aiifl in tlie fall engaged with Col. Shoorp. of tlie 3(1 
 Colorailo Militia, who was then on tiie frontier to 
 su|)press Inilian tiuubles, as teamster, and he con- 
 tinued witii the command on the frontier' nntil the 
 following February, and he then returned to tiie 
 old homestead to resume tiie calling of farmer, to 
 which lie had been devoted under his father when 
 he first came to live in this country. Ever since 
 he has been actively engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suits, and to reward his persistent labors has as fine 
 a farm as any in the connt\', well supplied with sub- 
 stantial buildings for ever^- purpose, and in 1885 
 he erected a good frame house, in which he and his 
 farnilj' live surrounded by everj' comfort that heart 
 could desire. Mr. Scliindler has paid special atten- 
 tion to raising stock, and derives from that branch 
 of agriculture a good annual income. 
 
 Our subject was married, Nov. 25. 1807, to Mary 
 ■ Anna Tschanz. a native of the Canton of Berne, Swit- 
 .zerland. She came to America with the family of 
 her father, John Tschanz, who settled twenty miles 
 east of St. Joseph, Mo. Nine children were born 
 of the marriage of our subject and his wife, namel3' : 
 Rosa, Edward, Jacob, Lewis, Henry H., Albert H.. 
 Clarence. Emil3' and Madeline. 
 
 On the 29th of February, 1888, this happy house- 
 hold sustained an irreparable loss in the death of 
 the wife and mother, who had been faithful in all 
 the duties of life, and had been devoted to the in- 
 terests of her family. .She has left behind her a 
 memory that will be fondly cherished by her rela- 
 tives, friends and neighbors. Dec. 3, 1888, Mr. 
 Schindler married a second time, the lady of his 
 choice being Miss Lizette Wissler, daughter of 
 Jacob and Eliza (Rufenacht) Wissler, from the Can- 
 ton of Berne, Switzerland, but now of Humboldt, 
 Richardson Co., Neb. 
 
 Mr. Schindler is one of the best citizens. He is 
 a man of more than ordinary enterprise, practical 
 sagacity, and decision of character. His public- 
 spiritednoss and liberality are well known, as he is 
 always among the foremost to encourage and pro- 
 mote any scheme for the advancement of the pre- 
 cinct or county. Otoe Precinct is partly indebted 
 to him for her excellent schools, as he has taken a 
 deep interest in educational matters, and has served 
 
 Ht^^ 
 
 -i- 
 
 ■ ^P - '^f 
 
 -5— 
 
 lEDRICIl MISEGADIS, a large landowner 
 and stock-raiser of Rock Creek Precinct, 
 has his home farm, on section 16, and 
 this embraces 160 acres. On section 9 he 
 owns 160 acres in one body and fift3' acres in 
 another, and on section 17 he has eighty acres. 
 The whole of this is in a good state of cultivation 
 and yields the jaroprietor a comfortable income. A 
 view of the homestead is given on another page. 
 
 Our subject became a resident of this county on 
 the 27th of October, 1873, and his labors as an 
 agriculturist have been crowned with success. 
 Prior to that date he had been a resident of Grant 
 and LaFayette Counties, Wis., a period of thirteen 
 years, having emigrated to the Badger State from 
 his native Hanover, in Germany, in the fall of 
 1860. He was then a young man of twenty-five 
 years, having been born on the 12th of May, 1835. 
 His father, Frederick Misegadis, was a native of 
 the same Province, which at the time of his birth 
 was a kingdom by itself, and where for a period of 
 eleven years he worked on the farm and drove the 
 four-horse team of King Frederick. There also 
 he was married to Miss Adeheida Lofrutian, a 
 native of the same section of country. The mother 
 died after the birth of five children, when a young 
 woman. The father lived to be seventy-eight 
 years old, spending his entire life on his native 
 soil. They were Lutheran in religion, and most 
 excellent people, honest and industrious, .and 
 respected by all who knew them. 
 
 The fourth child of his parents and their second 
 son, our subject had two brothers and two sisters, 
 two of whom are now in Wisconsin, one in Otoe 
 County, Neb., and a sister in the old country. lie 
 remained in his native Province until twenty -five 
 years of age, still unmarried, this interesting event 
 
 I 
 
 several terms as Moilerator. He was Road Super- 
 visor for eight years, and in 1884 was a candidate 
 for the State Legislatuie, but on account of his 
 wife's sickness he was obliged to retire from the 
 canvass. He has always been a Republican, and 
 by voice and vote has worked for the interests of 
 his chosen party. 
 
 ♦ 
 
 r 
 
•► i r^ 
 
 724 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 takino; place in Dodge C'ounty, "Wis. The maiden 
 of his choice was Miss Augusta Chanflsh. a 
 native of Prussia, and who was born April 28, 
 1847. Iter father. Ferdinand Chanfish, died when 
 she was quite young, and she came with her mother 
 and stepfather, William Blancke, to America when a 
 little girl eight years of age. They settled in "Water- 
 town, Wis., where she lived until her marriage. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Misegadis became the parents of 
 ten children, the eldest of whom, Frederick, died 
 at the age of four years. The survivors are all at 
 home with their parents, and form an interesting 
 group, of which the latter may well be proud. 
 'J'hey are named respectively: William F., E. W. 
 Emma, Ida A., Lizzie M., Edwin H., George D., 
 Christina A., Louis R. and Alva A. The eldest 
 was twentj^-one years of age Oct. 29, 1888, and the 
 youngest one year old at that date. They are all 
 members and regular attendants with their parents 
 of the Lutheran Church. Mr. M., politicall}-, is a 
 conscientious Democrat, and has held the minor 
 offices of his precinct. 
 
 !S?SSK5S^i 
 
 *ri?f 
 
 IIL_^ OX. JA:MES FITCHIE. of Nebraska City, 
 If)!' occupies a prominent position among the 
 i^^ intelligent and cultured citizens of this 
 (^) county, who, as pioneers, have witnessed and 
 assisted in its development. He is thoroughly con- 
 versant with its history — indeed, is regarded as an 
 authority on the subject- — and he ha,s written manj' 
 interesting articles concerning its early settlement. 
 He was at one time conspicuously identified with 
 the civic life of the countj^; was early appointed 
 Justice of the Peace, and by his vigorous and im- 
 jjartial administration of the affairs of his office 
 during the four years that he was an incumbent 
 thereof, he contributed greatly to the peaceful set- 
 tlement of the county and to its general prosperity 
 by assisting in tlie maintenance of law and order, 
 winning the commendations of his fellow-citizens. 
 In 1869 he was a member of the State Legislature, 
 and his record at the capitol stamped him as an 
 honorable and enlightened legislator. 
 
 Our subject is a native of Ireland, but descended 
 from a good old Scotch familv. who had settled in 
 
 County Down many years previous to the birth of 
 our subject, which occurred May 3, 1810. in that 
 county. Thomas Fitchie, his father, was a native 
 and lifelong resident of the same localitj', where 
 he carried on farming for many years. The maiden 
 name of the mother of our subject was Elizabeth 
 Hays, and she was likewise of Scotch ancestry and 
 a native of County Down, where she always made 
 her home. There were nine children born to the 
 parents of our subject, eight of whom grew up, 
 namely: John, Samuel, AVilliam, Margaret, James, 
 Jennie, Mary and Thomas. John, Samuel and our 
 subject were the only three who came to America. 
 John settled in Newl)urg. N. Y., and Samuel in 
 Brooklyn, that State. 
 
 James Fitchie, of whom we write, was reared and 
 married in his native county. Miss Eliza Douglss 
 becoming his wife Oct. 29, 1833. She was born in 
 County Down, Ireland, in 1812, a daughter of 
 Samuel and Alice (Wood) Douglas, natives of 
 Ireland, and of Scotch aneestry. James Fitchie 
 learned the carpenter and joiner's trade, and fol- 
 lowed it in Ireland until 1834, when, with his wife 
 he set sail from Belfast for America, coming by the 
 way of Liverpool to New York, where he landed 
 on our National holiday. He first located in New- 
 burg, and worked as a carpenter there until 1837. 
 From there he went to Pittsburgh, Pa., going by 
 the way of Philadelphia to Ilarrisburg, which was 
 then the western terminus of the railway in that 
 State, and thence to his destination. He worked at 
 his trade for awhile, and then engaged in the gro- 
 cery business, continuing his residence in Pitts- 
 burgh until 1852. In that j^ear he cast in his lot 
 with the pioneers of Iowa, still keeping ahead of 
 the railway, as Central Illinois was then its western 
 terminus. 
 
 Mr. Fitchie was employed at carpentering in 
 Muscatine until 1855, when he concluded to explore 
 Nebraska for the purpose of securing a home in 
 that part of Uncle Sam's domain. Accordingly, in 
 the spring of that year, he started in company with 
 a neighbor, Mr. Hays, equipped with a pair of oxen 
 and a wagon, and crossed the river above Omaha, 
 proceeding thence to Tekamah, Burt Countj', where 
 he took up a claim. The '"city" consisted of one 
 log house covered with bark, .and two tents, and his 
 
 -<»■ 
 
■•► 
 
 otop: county. 
 
 claim was one mile distant from its present site. lie 
 spent but two nights on liis land, and then returned 
 to Omaha, which was at that time but an insignifi- 
 cant village, with the post-office in a sod house, 
 and the other buildings of pretty much the same 
 rude description. Mr. Fitchie stopped at that place 
 about a week, and then came to Nebraska City to 
 spend a few days before retracing liis steps to Mus- 
 catine. He walked nearly the entire distance, and 
 slept two nights on the open prairie. 
 
 After settling his affairs in Iowa, Mr. Fitchie 
 started with a team, accompanied by his family, to 
 take up his abode on the wild prairies of Nebraska. 
 He arrived with his wife and children in Nebraska 
 City on the 10th day of October, 18.55, and moved 
 into a vacant log cabin in that part of the town 
 now known as Kearney. There were then probably 
 about 100 families in the city, and but one store 
 to supply all their wants. He had shipped his 
 chest of carpentry tools bj' the river, but they did 
 not arrive until the following spring. So here he 
 was, a stranger in a strange land, without money 
 or the means of obtaining it. But he was not one 
 to sit down and mourn over what could not be 
 helped without stirring himself actively to find a 
 remedy. He immediately went to a store and 
 bought some tools on time, and was thus enabled 
 to obtain plenty of work. After a few weeks he 
 made a claim on Camp Creek, nine miles south of 
 the city, built a house, partly with sod and partly 
 with logs, and in midwinter moved into it with 
 his family. There were no settlers west of him at 
 that time, and no other than log houses anywhere 
 in tlie vicinity. The land was nearly all owned by 
 the Government, and for sale at $1.2.5 an acre. 
 Deer were plentiful and roamed at will over the 
 broad prairies. There was a gristmill two miles 
 distant from where he had located; it was worked by 
 water power, but it took so long to grind the grist 
 that one would get verj' hungry waiting its slow 
 movements. 
 
 , In the fall of that year Mr. Fitchie ingeniously 
 contrived a grater, and picking the corn before it was 
 hard, grated it to make bread. Having cows, milk 
 was plentiful, and mush and milk was the principal 
 food of the family for a time. A few months after 
 coming to Nebraska City Mr. F. bought a house 
 
 •►-^t::^ 
 
 and lot in that part of the city now called Kearney, 
 paying $1 00 for both. lie made a few repairs, and 
 in a short time the boom came and he sold his little 
 property for the snug sum of $775, taking stock in 
 part paj'uient, and he was thus enabled to settle on 
 his land and improve a farm. He resided on it 
 until 1877, and by that time it had greatly increased 
 in value, and he sold it for a sum far above the 
 original cost. Since that time he and his wife have 
 made their home in Nebraska City with their son- 
 in-law, Hon. William Campbell. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Fitchie have six children living: 
 Martha D., widow of .John K. Oilman, resides in 
 Nebraska City; Margaret C, widow of S. B. Davis, 
 in California; Samuel D. resides in Weeping Water; 
 Elizabeth A. is the wife of Jeremiah Oilman, and 
 .Tennie, the wife of William Campbell; Thomas re- 
 sides in Nebraska City. William N.. their fourth 
 child, died at the age of eighteen years; Ella I., 
 the eighth child, died in infancy; John T., the 
 ninth child, died at the age of thirty -three, 
 
 October 29, 1883, marked the golden milestone 
 of the wedded life of our subject and his wife, who 
 for fifty years have walked hand in hand through 
 sunshine and shadow, and in sharing each other's 
 joj'S and griefs have grown nearer and dearer to 
 each other. On the occasion of the golden wed- 
 ding, commemorative of that other wedding da,y 
 that lay back in the past half century, when they 
 united their fresh j^oung lives for better or for 
 worse, a large concourse of friends gathered to con- 
 gratulate them, and showed the warm place they 
 occupied in many hearts bj^ the expression of 
 kind and loving wishes and the presentation of 
 many valuable gifts. 
 
 Mr. Fitchie identified himself with the Demo- 
 ci'atic party when he was a young man, and con- 
 tinued to advocate the policy of that party until 
 1860, when he voted for Lincoln, as his views in 
 regard to the course to be pursued relative to sup- 
 pressing the Rebellion coincided with those of the 
 leaders of the Republican party, and he has been a 
 stanch supporter of that iJarty since that time. At 
 the age of flft3'-three years, when the Indian out- 
 Jbreak occurred in Nebraska, Mr. Fitchie, shoulder- 
 ing his musket and buckling on his armor, went 
 out to defend his county and the firesides of the 
 
 f 
 
■ ► I I <• 
 
 ■•►■ 
 
 726 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 pioneers in tlie western part of tiiis State. He 
 furnished his own horse, served four months, and 
 accepted his paj' in an honorable discharge. As 
 will be observed, he was one of the old pioneers, and 
 from an article which he wrote for the Nebraska 
 City P7-ess in connection with the early remin- 
 iscences of Otoe County, we clip the following: 
 
 "For want of better timber thej^ made a 'Squire 
 of your humble servant, and it was fortunate for 
 both myself and the solemnity of the ceremony, 
 that the first pair I married were so Dutchy they 
 scarcely knew what I said, and it would have been 
 hard to tell who was the worse frightened, they or 
 I. The fees were an item in those days. I have 
 heard of editors being compelled to take pumpkins 
 and saw logs on subscription, but I suppose there 
 are few men who have taken cottonwood rails as a 
 fee for performing the marriage ceremony. Let 
 me tell of one in particular who requested that I 
 should wait for my fee until he could make and 
 haul some posts, and to-day this man is wortli over 
 a cool $100,000, a credit to himself and an honor to 
 old Otoe County, as showing what a thoroughly 
 hard-working man can do in this great country of 
 ours." 
 
 y^'REDERICK ZUCK. The German element 
 (Sj of Rock Creek Precinct, here as elsewhere, 
 has aided largely' in the growth and pros- 
 perity of the community. The subject of this 
 sketch is one of its most successful farmers, and a 
 native of the Fatherland, born in one of the Rhine 
 Provinces, Nov. 6, 1840. He owns a good farm 
 of eighty acres on section 36, and in addition to 
 general agriculture, is interested in live stock, mak- 
 ing a specialty of the popular .Jersej'-Ked swine. 
 
 Mr. Zuck settled upon his present farm sixteen 
 years ago, in the spring of 1873. He took the 
 land in its wild and uncultivated state, and has 
 transformed it into one of tlie most desirable home- 
 steads of his precinct. He has labored early and 
 late, through sunshine and storm, battled against 
 difficulties and hardships, and is now enjoying the 
 fruit of his labors. He came to Nebraska in Octo- 
 ber, 1867, landing in this county on the 30th day 
 of the month, locating first in Nebraska Cit}'. The 
 
 Territory had become a State two months pre- 
 viously. He has watched the growth and prosperity 
 of the people around him, and in the building up 
 of one of the best farms in his precmct has largely 
 contributed to the position which it occupies among 
 the intelligent communities of this section. 
 
 Mr. Zuck crossed the Atlantic when a young 
 man of twent3'-five years, and took up his residence 
 first in Perry County, liid., whence he removed to 
 Rock Island, III., and from the Prairie State came 
 to Nebraska. In his native Empire he had served 
 three years in the German Army, and when at home 
 had been engaged with his father in agricultural 
 pursuits. He had little capital aside from his 
 strong hands when coming to the West, and these 
 have served him well. 
 
 Mr. Zuck was married in Nebraska City, March 
 28, 1873, to Miss Fredricka Scliomeius, who was 
 born in Hanover, Germany, July 6, 1836, and is 
 the sister of D. ,1. Scliomeius, a prosperous boot 
 and shoe merchant of Nebraska City, and a sketch 
 of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. 
 
 The wife of our subject came to America with 
 her mother in 1871, and lived in Nebraska Citj' 
 until her marriage. Of their union there is one 
 child only, a daughter. Mary E., who was born 
 Dec. 20, 1873. Mr. and Mrs. Z. are members in 
 good standing of the German Lutheran Church, 
 and our subject, politically, votes the Democratic 
 ticket. 
 
 A view of Mr. Zuck's homestead is presented in 
 connection with this brief personal sketch of its 
 proprietor. 
 
 ■^Z AMES CARLIN has carried on farming suc- 
 cessfully in Rock Creels Precinct since the 
 spring of 1871, when he purchased on sec- 
 ^^/ tion 16, 160 acres of school land from the 
 State. It was in its wild and uncultivated state, 
 and for two years Mr. C. employed himself at team- 
 ing before settling upon his purchase. In 1872 he 
 put up a dwelling, and gradually added the other 
 buildings necessary for the successful prosecution 
 of his calling, the comfort of his family, the stor- 
 age of grain and the shelter of stock. He was 
 prospered in his labors, and in due time pur- 
 
 •►^1--^- 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
Residence of Friedrick Z uck ,Sec.36.Rock Creek Precinct. 
 
 Residence of James Carlin .Sec.IG. Rock Creck Precinct. 
 
»► I I ^» 
 
 :^K 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 (29 
 
 chased eighty acres more on another section of tlie 
 same precinct, and which he lias also brought to a 
 good state of cultivation. 
 
 The farm of our subject is well stocked with 
 cattle and horses, and from this and the raising of 
 the crops which flourisli best in Southern Nebraska 
 he enjoys a good income. Prior to his arrival in 
 this State he had been a resident of Scott Countj'^, 
 Iowa, to which he removed with his parents when a 
 child. The latter were .James and Mary (Dougherty) 
 Carlin, who were natives of Counties Donegal and 
 Tyrone, Ireland; they were married after coming 
 to America, and settled in Philadelphia, Pa. There 
 James, Jr., was born Nov. lu, 1840. The father 
 was a weaver by occupation, and after coming to 
 this country followed that trade. The parents were 
 married in Philadelphia, where were born their 
 seven sons and three daughters, of whom our sub- 
 ject was the second son and third child. From the 
 Kej'stone State they moved to Illinois, where the 
 father conducted a small store of general merchan- 
 dise, and where the family lived about three years. 
 They next changed their residence to Scott County, 
 Iowa, settling upon a tract of land three miles 
 from the city of Davenport, where the mother died 
 when about fifty j'ears of age. The father survived 
 his partner a number of years, his death taking- 
 place in September of 1877, at the age of seventy. 
 Both were members of the Catholic Church. 
 
 Our subject was reared to manhood in Scott 
 Count}-, Iowa, and was there married, Oct. 7, 1862, 
 to Miss Bridget Moran. This lady was born in the 
 Province of Ontario, Canada, in November, 1843, 
 and came to the States with her parents, Michael and 
 Mary (Egan) Moran. They located in the vicinity of 
 Oswego, N. Y., where they lived a number of years. 
 About 1855 they changed their residence to Rock Isl- 
 and, 111., and later crossed the Mississippi into Da- 
 venport, Iowa. There the mother died in 1879 when 
 little past middle life. The father is yet living there, 
 being now about seventy-five years old. They also 
 were members of the Catholic Church. 
 
 Mrs. Carlin was one of the elder children of her 
 parents, and lived with them until her marriage, 
 acquiring a common-school education. The house- 
 hold circle of our subject and his wife has been 
 completed bj^ the birth of eleven cliildren. They are 
 
 named respectively: Mary, Anna, Elizabeth, Ag- 
 nes, Maggie, James. Jr., John, Michael, Hugh and 
 Leona. William died when an infant. Mrs. Carlin is 
 a very capable and intelligent lady, one who has 
 many friends in her neighborhood and community. 
 Kind and hospitable, she makes her home pleasant 
 for her own family and an attracti"ve resort for all 
 who may take shelter beneath their roof. Both 
 ]Mr. and Mrs. C. are members of the Catholic 
 Cluirch, and o'ur subject, politically, is a stanch 
 Democrat. Mr. Carlin owned a farm in Rock 
 Island County, 111., where he farmed three years 
 before coming to Nebraska, at which time he sold it. 
 A view of his farm property is shown in this 
 connection. 
 
 ETER SIBERT and his estimable wife, Mrs. 
 
 Sarali (Neal) Sibert, have for many years 
 ■^' been favorably known among the people 
 
 of Palmyra Precinct, where they are spend- 
 ing the evening of life, sheltered' in a comfortable 
 home and enjoying the esteem and confidence of 
 hosts of friends. Although quite well advanced in 
 years, they are remarkably well preserved, very in- 
 telligent, kind and hospitable, and possess all the 
 elements of character which endear them alike to 
 young and old. Their property includes a good 
 farm of 160 acres, lying on sections 28 and 29. Al- 
 though making little pretension to elegance or style. 
 they have everything around them comfortable, 
 and their home possesses the added charm of con- 
 tentment, which is the mainspring of happiness in 
 all the relations of life. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Sibert were the children of 
 humble homes in their youth, and both were en- 
 dowed by a kind Providence with those elements 
 of character which enabled them to rise above their 
 early surroundings and educate themselves by a 
 course of reading and communication with intelli- 
 gent minds. The early home of Mr. S. was in 
 Washington County, Pa., where he was born Sept. 
 17, 1817, and where he grew to manhood on a 
 farm. lie was twenty-two years of age when the 
 free-school system was agitated among the voters 
 
 H^^ 
 
 •►:ll-* 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 730 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 ^k 
 
 of the Ke.ystone State, and he was one of those who 
 most urgently labored' and voted for its adoption. 
 
 Our subject began life on his own account as an 
 apprentice to the blacksmith trade, which he fol- 
 lowed a number of years. In 1848 he was married 
 in his native county to Miss Hannah Fleek, and 
 they became the parents of four children, namely: 
 Mary, George, .Tacob, and one who died in infancy. 
 In the fall of 1840 Mr. Sibert, leaving his native 
 State, emigrated to Wyandot County, Ohio, and for 
 a period of eight years thereafter followed his trade 
 at Little Sandusky. He was prospered in his la- 
 bors, and accumulated a good property, including 
 160 acres of farm land and real estate in the vil- 
 lage. 
 
 Our subject, however, was anxious to remove 
 still further westward, and in 1848 left Ohio for 
 Knox County, 111. He invested a part of the pro- 
 ceeds of his Ohio property in 160 acres of land^ 
 but now began casting his eyes beyond the Missis- 
 sippi. Selling out again he moved to Marion 
 County, Iowa, where he became the owner of a 
 farm of forty acres, and leaving there in the spring 
 of 1860, he came to this county and secured the 
 homestead which he now owns and occupies. 
 
 Mrs. Hannah Sibert departed this life at her 
 home in Palmj'ra Precinct, on the 10th of Au- 
 gust, 1859. Our subject in the year 1860 mar- 
 led for his second wife Mrs. Sarah (Neal) Horse- 
 man, the widow of Isah Horseman, and daugliter of 
 William and Mary (Agerhardt) Neal. Her parents 
 were natives of Pennsylvania, and the father was a 
 cooper by trade. He served as a soldier in the 
 War of 1812, and spent his last years in Pennsyl- 
 vania. The mother died in Ohio. The family 
 consisted of thirteen children, namely: Susannah, 
 Sarah, Elias, Joseph, Henry, William, Ellen, Mary 
 A., Margaret, Jane Eliza; James A., who died 
 young, and two infants who died unnamed. 
 
 The wife of our subject was trained to haljits of 
 industry and economy, and at an earl^- age became 
 familiar with household duties. She remained with 
 her parents until twenty-two j^ears of age, and was 
 then married to Isah Horseman, a native of Ohio. 
 They became the parents of eight children, the 
 eldest of whom, William, died in the army during 
 the late Civil War: David and Joseph served each 
 
 respectively three and one years in the army, and 
 are now in Omaha and California; Plena, John, 
 Samuel and Martha are all living. Melissa B. died 
 when four years old. ]Mr. and Mrs. Horseman be- 
 gan their wedded life together in Ohio, and Mr. 
 II. died on the journey from Kansas to Iowa in 
 1859. 
 
 Of the union of our subject and his present wife 
 there has been born one child only, a daughter, 
 Emma Jane, who married John Stewart, a farmer 
 of Palmyra Precinct, and has become the mother 
 of three children — Nancy B., Sarah K. .and Benja- 
 min. 
 
 Mr. and JNIrs. Sibert upon coming to this State 
 in the spring of 1860 looked upon Nebraska City 
 when it was simply a trading-post. They were the 
 only family in what is now Palmyra Precinct, and 
 took up their residence in a little log cabin. In 
 June of the following year Mr. Sibert built a larger 
 dwelling, also of logs, and this was frequently' the 
 rendezvous for traders and other travelers to and 
 from Denver and Nebraska City. Our subject and 
 his wife have had a ripe experience in pioneer life, 
 and have watched with warm interest the develop- 
 ment of Nebraska Territory into one of the most 
 important States of the Union. They labored to- 
 gether with one mutual purpose, the building up 
 of a home fqr themselves and their family, and are 
 now enjoying the rich reward of well-spent lives. 
 The log house where they spent so many happy 
 years is still standing, and although their circum- 
 stances have greatly improved since the time they 
 first occupied that humble dwelling, they look upon 
 it as one of the old landmarks which they would 
 regret to see destroyed. 
 
 Mrs. Sibert is a lady of more than ordinary in- 
 telligence, and has not suffered care or trouble to 
 dampen the natural cheerfulness of her disposition. 
 Her plump figure and pleasant face are suggestive 
 of what she might have been when a maiden of 
 sweet sixteen. The loss of her first husband left 
 her alone with a large family of children, who were 
 entirely dependent upon her for support. To this 
 duty she bent her energies with all the natural 
 strength of her character, doing for them as well 
 as she could, and it is safe to say that they rise up 
 and call her blessed. 
 
 ■^^ 
 
 ->-ll 
 
>► m <• 
 
 -•»» 
 
 •^ 
 
 OTQE COUNTY. 
 
 731 
 
 Mr. Sihert has been a pioneer, as we have seen, 
 in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. He has lived 
 to see the public school system of his native State 
 become one of the most admirable of any in the 
 Union. He voted for Harrison in the time of "Tip- 
 pecanoe and Tyler too." It is hardly necessary to 
 say that he is a stanch supporter of Republican 
 principles. Notwithstanding the long and varied 
 experiences of his life, he is a hale, hearty and well- 
 preserved old gentleman, bright and quick men- 
 tally, and one with whom it is pleasurable and 
 profitable to converse. In speaking of the time 
 when he officiated as '"mine host" in the old log 
 house, he says that the guests were often so numer- 
 ous he was obliged to pack them on the floor like 
 sardines in a box. They accommodated themselves 
 to the situation philosophically, however, and it is 
 hardly necessary to say, often engaged in great 
 hilarity, in which they were joined bj' their whole- 
 liearted host and hostess. The parents of our 
 subject, Isaac and Fanny (Robison) Sibert, were na- 
 tives respectively of Maryland and England, and 
 the father served as a soldier in the War of 1812. 
 The mother emigrated to America with her par- 
 ents when a young girl, they settling in Maryland, 
 where she was afterward married. Isaac Sibert 
 learned the trade of shoemaker, and after marriage 
 the parents removed to AVashington County, Pa., 
 where the father died when a comparatively young 
 man, in 1828 at the age of thirty-nine years. The 
 mother survived her husband only a few months, 
 and passed away, in 1829, in Washington County, 
 Pa. The parental household included five chil- 
 dren, namely: Nancy, Isaac, Hannah, Joseph, and 
 Peter, our subject. Grandfather Sibert was born 
 in Germany, and emigrated to the United States 
 early in life, settling in Maryland, where it is sup- 
 posed he remained until his deatli. 
 
 ^ OUIS B. SMO YKR, a leading farmer of Otoe 
 11 ^ County, homesteaded his first land in 1865, 
 J vN this being located on the southwest quarter 
 of section 2, in Syracuse Precinct. A native of 
 Lehigh County, Pa., he was born Feb. 23, 1842, and 
 is the sou of Jacob and Anna (Biery) Smoyer. who 
 
 were also natives of the Keystone .State. The pa- 
 ternal great-grandfather of our subject, Abraham 
 Smoyer by name, was a native of Baden, Germany, 
 whence he emigrated to the United States early in 
 life, and settled in Pennsylvania. ■ He was accom- 
 panied by his brother, and from these two are sup- 
 posed to have descended the Smoyer families of 
 the United States. 
 
 Great-grandfather Smoyer reared a large family, 
 and his son Abraham retained possession of the old 
 homestead, where he passed his entire life. Jacob, 
 son of the latter, was born there and reared to 
 manhood, where he married, and continued to re- 
 side on the old homestead until 1852. Thence he 
 removed to Ohio, and from the Buckeye State in 
 1861 to Jackson County, Mich., where he carried 
 on farming, and where his death occurred July 4, 
 1875. The mother died while a resident of Trum- 
 bull Count}-, Ohio, April 10, 1854. Their family 
 consisted of eight children, all living, namely: 
 Emeline, the wife of A. C. Gelger; Martha, Mrs. 
 Schuester; Louis B., our subject; Kate, Mrs. Alfred 
 Troxel; Amanda, Mrs. Pells; Mary A., S3'lvanus 
 and James. 
 
 Our subject was eleven years old when the family 
 removed to Ohio, where he pursued his studies in 
 tlie district school. He accompanied the family to 
 Michigan in 1861, and soon after the outbreak of 
 the Civil War enlisted in a regiment of cavalry, 
 but on account of his age was not permitted to serve. 
 He then began farming, which he pursued in the 
 Wolverine State until the suminer of 1865. Then 
 coming to Nebraska he homesteaded 160 acres of 
 land in Syracuse Precinct, and in due time had 
 brought the soil to a good slate of cultivation, 
 erected the buildings necessary for his comfort and 
 convenience, and laid the basis of a future com- 
 petency. Mr. Smoyer, after taking up his residence 
 in this county was married, Oct. 17, 18G6, to Miss 
 Adelaide V. Sawtelle, who was born in Branch 
 County, Mich., July 12, 1842. Her parents were 
 Zera T. and Eliza, A. (Cornell) Sawtelle, who were 
 natives of New York State, whence they emigrated 
 to Michigan during its pioneer days. The father 
 followed farming, and, with his excellent wife, is 
 still living, their residence being in the vicinity of 
 Battle Creek. Their family consisted of three 
 
 •►Ht::* 
 
 t^l-M» 
 
•►■ 
 
 132 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 daughters, there being besides Mrs. Sino.yer, Abi- 
 gail v., a twin sister, who married Caleb Manches- 
 ter, and died in October, 1881, and Etta, the wife 
 of Zera ^Masters, of Otoe County. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Smoyer there have been born 
 seven children, namely: George E., Jesse S., Etta V., 
 Cora M., Gertie P. and Grade P. (twins) and Nel- 
 lie A. Mr. Smoyer, politically, votes the straight 
 Kepublican ticliet, and has steadily declined becom- 
 ing an office-holder. Socially, he belongs to the 
 Knights of Honor. 
 
 \||OSEPH BEETE:\I is one of the promi- 
 '■■ nent and representative citizens of Palmyra 
 
 I 
 
 ^..^1' Precinct, where he is farming eighty acres 
 ^^ll of fine land on section 36. For the family 
 history of this gentleman the reader is referred to 
 the sketch of J. T. Beetem, which will be found 
 upon another page of this volume. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Shullsburg, 
 Wis., on the 14th of August, 1844. AVhen he was 
 about six months old his parents took up their resi- 
 dence in Dubuque County, Iowa; when nine years 
 of age they once more made a change, and he be- 
 came a resident of Allamakee County. He contin- 
 ued with his parents until he was about nineteen, 
 and then entered the arena and began life for 
 hira.self. The first year he rented a farm, and was 
 so successful that he was enabled to buy eighty 
 acres, upon which he continued for five years, in 
 that time making manj' improvements and bringing 
 it to a high state of cultivation. 
 
 lu 1872 our subject sold the above-mentioned 
 farm and moved to Hancock County, Iowa, where 
 he became the owner of 160 acres of wild, unim- 
 proved prairie. This he brought into good condi- 
 tion and put upon it various valuable improvements, 
 when he again sold out, and went to the northern 
 part of the county, purchasing 120 acres of prairie 
 land, and repeated the process so far as it was possi- 
 ble of improvement. He continued there for seven 
 j'ears, but met with failure after failure in his crops, 
 which resulted disastrously. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Beetem came to this county and for 
 three years rented property. He then moved to 
 
 South Russell, where he made his home for about a 
 year, then in 1881 bought his present place of eighty 
 acres. His Iowa experience again took shape, and 
 he had all the work of improving his land, from 
 the turning of the first furrow to the erection and 
 finishing of his buildings. To-day his farm is one 
 of the best cultivated and most valuable, other 
 things being equal, within a large district. 
 
 In Allamakee County, Iowa, on the 24th of Jan- 
 uar3^ 1864, the subject of our sketch became the hus- 
 band of Miss Hester Greenup, the estimable daughter 
 of the Rev. S. II. and Elizabeth (Hoyt) Greenup. 
 Her father was born in Kentucky, her mother in New 
 York. Her father was a minister of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and served in that capacity in 
 the State of Iowa for twenty-five years. He is still 
 engaged in the work of his profession, and holds a 
 charge in Morrison County, Minn. Both parents 
 are now sixty-seven years of age. They are the 
 parents of eleven children, to whom have been 
 given the following names: Hester A., Julia E., 
 Edwin (deceased), Jason S., Wilbur F., Allen, Al- 
 bert, Lucy (deceased), Frank, Edward, and also 
 Elizabeth who is deceased. Edwin, who was in the 
 war fighting in tlie 12th Iowa Infantry, died at 
 Memphis, Tenn., in 1863. 
 
 It will be noticed that Mrs. Beetem is the eldest 
 child of her parents. She was born in Peoria, 111., 
 on the 23d of September, 1843. 'She attended the 
 classes of both the common and High schools, and 
 after passing a very successful examination and 
 being graduated from, the latter institution, was en- 
 gaged in teaching for about five years, revealing the 
 possession of talents of more than ordinary value. 
 She is the mother of ten children, of whom three 
 are dead. The names given to her children are as 
 follows: Mary Elizabeth, Sarah E., George S. (de- 
 ceased), Louisa M., Caroline A., Joseph, Jr. (de- 
 ceased), Charles, Jennie (deceased), Johnnie and 
 Benjamin. Mary is happily married to John Jose, 
 who is successfully engaged in farming in Colorado; 
 they are the parents of two children, named Will- 
 iam and Joseph. The other members of the family 
 are all at home. 
 
 The subject of our sketch has been prominent as 
 a politician; he is an active member of the Demo- 
 cratic party and has served as delegate to the County 
 
 t 
 
■^■^. „ ;^a^».^i«e;i;«MJaefvC7 
 
 .^^.■0>~j%.>rg ^ -.^.fc^T-. 
 
 Residence OF Jos L WEBB,5Ec35C/Vi!7/?7"//^ Palmyra Precinct 
 
 Residence OF Hermann T. Helmers,5ec.17. Rock Creek Precinct. 
 
OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 735 
 
 •► 
 
 Convention. For three years he has held the office 
 of Supervisor of Roads, and is at present School 
 Treasurer. He is a man of sterling worth and en- 
 joys the confidence of the people. For twenty-four 
 o()nsecutive seasons Mr. Beetem was engaged in 
 threshing, which is not a usual record. Nine 
 seasons he was thus engaged in Missouri, fourteen 
 in Iowa and one in Nebraska. 
 
 lf_ ERMAN F. IIELMERS. The snug 80-acre 
 Ifjj] farm, owned and occupied bj- the subject 
 tli^ of this sketch, is fineU'^ located on section 
 i^J 1 7, Rock Creek Precinct. i\Ir. Helmers has 
 been residing here since the fall of 1875, and has 
 in the meantime given his time and attention 
 strictly to the improvement of his property. The 
 results indicate with what industry he has labored, 
 and should be a source of abundant satisfaction to 
 him. A view, illustrating his homestead, is pre- 
 sented in connection with this brief sketch of its 
 owner. 
 
 Mr. Helmers came to this localit3' from Chariton 
 County, Mo., of which he had been a resident four 
 years. Prior to this he had lived in the States of 
 Illinois, "Wisconsin and Iowa, and his earliest home 
 had been on the other side of the Atlantic, in the 
 little Kingdom of Hanover, German}-. There he 
 was born Sept. 4, 1843, being the son of John 
 Frederick and Mary (Alfiie) Helmers, who were 
 also of German birth and ancestry, and the former 
 of whom spent Tiis entire life on his native soil, 
 dying when fifty-six years old. He was a mason 
 by trade, and after his death hio widow and chil- 
 dren, Sept. 3, 1882, joined our subject in America, 
 and have since resided in tht. vicinity of Berlin, 
 this county. The mother is now sixty-seven years 
 old. 
 
 Our subject was the second child of the family, 
 which consisted of two sons and two daughters, all 
 of whom are living and in this county. Herman 
 F. was the first member of the family to cross the 
 Atlantic, a journe}' which he never regretted, and 
 if was through his means that his mother was per- 
 suaded to come with her family. He first settled 
 in Wisconsin in the fall of 1865. He also had 
 
 learned the trades of a mason and plasterer, which 
 he followed until coming to Nebraska ten j-ears 
 later. He was married, near the town of Syracuse, 
 to Miss Sophia Beckefeld, also a native of Hanover, 
 and born April 20, 1 855. She came to America 
 when nineteen j-ears of age with our subject, and 
 by her marriage with him became the mother of six 
 children, only two of whom are living, Alfred and 
 Oscar, who are eight and six years of age, and occu- 
 pied at home. Mrs. Sophia Helmers departed this 
 life at the birth of her last child in Rock Creek 
 Precinct, Nov. 11, 1882. She was a lady g-reatly 
 beloved by her husband and friends, a kind and 
 affectionate wife and mother, a good neighbor, and 
 a devoted member of the Lutheran Chvirch. 
 
 Our subject in the fall of 1885 contracted a sec- 
 ond marriage, with Miss Dora Bueckman, who was 
 born in Hanover, in 1847, and came alone to the 
 United States when thirtj'-three years of age, two 
 years before her marriage. Of this union there is 
 one child, a son William. Mr. and Mrs. Helmers 
 are members in good standing of the Lutheran 
 Church, and our subject, politically, is a straight 
 Republican. 
 
 '\Y OSEPII L. WEIBB, now operating a farm of 
 130 acres on section 35 of Palmyra Pre- 
 cinct, must be mentioned among the list of 
 Ij^/' honored pioneers of Nebraska. He is the 
 son of William and Mary Webb, who were born in 
 New Jersey. The great-grandfather of our subject 
 lived near May's Landing. He was one of the hon- 
 ored and prosperous citizens of his time, and of 
 some pretensions to affluence. He had seven fine, 
 stalwart sons, all of whom, with the exception of 
 the grandfather of our subject, sought their fort- 
 unes in other States. The name of this gentleman 
 was Frederick Webb. Upon the marriage of his 
 son William arrangements were made for the young 
 couple to settle at Bridgeton, in New Jersej', and 
 there they made their home upon a farm. There 
 were born to them eleven childi'en, seven of whom 
 grew up to years of maturity. Our subject is the 
 youngest of this family, and wsis born on the 27th 
 of Februarv. 1833, near Morriston, Burlington Co., 
 
 •^» 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ^i^lr 
 
 i36 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 N. J. Upon tlie migration of William Webb and 
 his family to Greene County, Ohio, our subject was 
 about ten years of age. 
 
 Educational advantages in Ohio at that time were 
 not so good even as those of more eastern localities, 
 but such as they were he was privileged to enjoy. 
 The memory is easilj- revived of the old log school- 
 house that manifested all the signs so common in 
 the days of the pioneers, but from these school- 
 houses have come the men who have made Amer- 
 ica, and have brought it upon its way as a people 
 and Government, until it occupies the first seat in 
 the Hall of Nations. At nineteen years of age he 
 went to Indianapolis and worked in a peg and last 
 manufactory. From that he went back to Ohio 
 and staid one year, and then went to Iowa, locat- 
 ing in Lee County for about twelve months. From 
 there he drove across the plains in companj' with 
 Elias Adsit and his family. They continued their 
 journej'ing until they arrived at Nebraska City, in 
 May, 1857. In beginning life in this State our 
 subject and Mr. Adsit took land and farmed to- 
 gether. There he remained prosperously engaged. 
 
 Our subject was married, in the year 1861, to 
 Miss Amanda AVhite, the estimable daughter of 
 George and Elizabeth (Nesmith) White. Her par- 
 ents were from New Hampshire, but had become 
 pioneers of Indiana. She was born in Jefferson- 
 ville, of that State, on the 9th of February, 1836. 
 She was the youngest of seven children, three of 
 whom came to mature years. She received an ex- 
 cellent education, which, with the careful home 
 training received, has fitted her for almost any posi- 
 tion she might be called upon to occupy. She came 
 with her mother to Nebraska City in 1859, and 
 was shortly after engaged in teaching in a private 
 school. She was also a teacher of music on the 
 piano, and was the first to follow that profession in 
 that place. Her father, who was a well-educated 
 man, and for many years ^a teacher in Pennsylva- 
 nia, died in the year 1852, when she was about 
 sixteen years of age. Her mother died in Seward 
 Ceiinty, of this State, at the advanced age of eighty 
 years. 
 
 Our sul)ject tooU up his liomestead in Palmyra 
 Precinct in 1863, and was among the first home- 
 steaders in the United States. In 1880 he removed 
 
 -^^ 
 
 to his present home, and by the erection of his 
 commodious and comfortable dwelling, with its 
 pleasant surroundings, supplemented by the finan- 
 cial success that has come to him, he has been able 
 to make his family a very fine home. Five children 
 have come to Mr. and Mrs. Webb, whose names are 
 as follows: Mary, Cora, Josephine, Freddj^ and 
 Clara. Cora, .Josephine and Clara are engaged in 
 teaching. 
 
 Mr. Webb is a representative American citizen. 
 In political matters he is one free from the confin- 
 ing bonds of party policy, and votes independently, 
 although at one time he was a Whig, and later a 
 strong Republican. He is a stanch friend of the 
 temperance cause, and an active worker therein. 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Webb are earnest and consist- 
 ent members of the Baptist Church, he he'mg one 
 of the Trustees. He has taken a continued and 
 growing interest in Sunday-school work, and for 
 many years held the office of Sunday-school Super- 
 intendent. In religious circles and throughout the 
 entire community he is eminently res{>ected and 
 esteemed. This is also true of Mrs. Wel)b and the 
 daughters. 
 
 A view of Mr. Weljb's homestead is presented on 
 an adjoining page. 
 
 ■Vf, OUN HERMANN ARENDS, one of the 
 wealthy men of Rock Creek Precinct, is a 
 leading land-owner and agriculturist, being 
 proprietor of nearly a section of land finely' 
 improved and well stocked. His homestead, a view 
 of wiiich we present in this volume, lies on section 
 32, and is a place creditable to the intelligence and 
 industry of the proprietor. The buildings are con- 
 venient and substantial, the dwelling tasteful and 
 commodious, the barnsand out-l)uililings admiralily 
 adapted to the general requirements of farm life. 
 
 Mr. Arends crossed the Mississippi as early as 
 1859, while Nebraska was a Territory, and located 
 in this county, where he has since lived. A native 
 of Madison Countj', 111., he was born Aug. 26, 1855, 
 and is the son of Reka and Talk Mary (Telteii) 
 Areuds, who were natives of Hanover, Germany, 
 where they were reared, educated and married. 
 •► 
 
 r 
 
•^^i^ 
 
 •► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 r37 
 
 The father servert the allotted time in the regular 
 army, but after the birth of six children, not being 
 satisfied with his prospects or his condition in the 
 Fatlierland, resolved to emigrate to the United 
 States. The3' made the voyage across the Atlantic 
 earl}' in the fifties, locating in Madison County, 111., 
 where our subject and his sister Catrenia were born. 
 A few years later the family all came to Nebraska, 
 there being now nine children in the household cir- 
 cle. 'i"he elder Arends pre-empted a quarter of 
 section 30, Rock Creek Precinct, but less than two 
 years later traded it for the same amount on sec- 
 tion 32. Their nfiighbors at this time were few and 
 far between, and the family were first sheltered in 
 a log cabin. The fatlier immediately set himself to 
 work to cultivate the soil and l)uild up a homestead, 
 and was prospered in his labors. His death oc 
 curred on the 19th of September, 1874, when he 
 was sixtj'-four years of age. He was an honest and 
 industrious man, and a lifelong member of the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church. The circumstances of his 
 death were peculiarly sad, it having been occasioned 
 bj' his falling from a wagon-load of lumber, and he 
 was instantly killed. This was during the erection 
 of the First Lutheran Church in Rock Creek Pre- 
 cinct, the building material of which Mr. Arends 
 was hauling from Nebraska City. He was a man 
 greatly respected by all who knew him, and his 
 death cast a gloom over the community. The 
 mother is 3'et living, and makes her home with her 
 son, our subject, being now seventy-one j^ears old. 
 Siie is still active in mind and body, and also a mem- 
 ber of the German Lutheran Church. 
 
 Our subject was a child four years of age when 
 he came with his parents to Nebraska, and acquired 
 his education in the pioneer schools of this county. 
 He was at an early period in his life taught those 
 habits of industry' and economy which have proved 
 the secret of his success. Upon reaching manhood 
 he was married in Rock Creek Precinct. Nov. 4, 
 1880, to Miss Lizzie Kastens, who was born in 
 Hanover, Germany, March 15, 1862. Her parents 
 were Chris and Dora (.Mesegadus) Kastens, also na- 
 tives of Hanover, who came to the United States 
 while their daugiiter Lizzie was an infant. They set- 
 tled first in Wisconsin, but about 1875 moved from 
 ^ • there to Nebraska, settling in Rock Creek Precinct, 
 
 where they now live upon a good farm, and sur- 
 rounded by all the comforts of life. Mrs. Arends 
 received a common-school education, and lived with 
 her parents until her marriage. She is now the 
 mother of four children — Mary T., Dora S. Leta M. 
 and Reka F. They are all at home with their par- 
 ents. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Arends were brought up in the doc- 
 trines of the German Lutheran Church, to which they 
 still loyally adhere, and are numbered among its 
 most cheerful and liberal supporters. Mr. A., politi- 
 cally, is a stanch Re[iublican, and has held the vari- 
 ous minor offices of his precinct. 
 
 -<^ 
 
 "7" 
 
 T 
 
 =E> 
 
 G. BEETEM, the genial and popular land- 
 lord of the Hendricks Hotel in the little 
 t*i\\\ city of this name, is numbered among its 
 pleading men, as one taking a prominent and 
 active part in all worthy public enter[)rises. He 
 commenced at the foot of the ladder in life, and 
 has worked his way up to a good position socially 
 and financiall}'. He put up the house which he 
 now controls in 1888, and in its management has 
 been ably assisted bv one of the most excellent of 
 women, Mrs. Beetcm being an entertaining, intelli- 
 gent hostess, who makes friends of all who have 
 the good fortune to sojourn within her hosjjitable 
 doors. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is the son of John D. 
 and Mary (Burnum) Beetem, who were natives of 
 Kentuck}'. In the sketch of his brother. John 
 Beetem, found elsewhere in this volume, will be 
 noted a more extended history of the parents. 
 Our subject was born in Alainakee County. Iowa, 
 near the then humble village of Lansing, on the 1 llh 
 of June, 1 855. He was reared as a farmer's boy, and 
 attended the common school until fourteen years of 
 age. Death then entered the family circle, remov- 
 ing the father and head of the household, and our 
 subject was thrown mostly upon his ovvn resources. 
 In company with his brother John T., in June, 
 1870, he started overland to Nebraska, and tliej' 
 spent the following six months in Hendricks Pre- 
 cinct, this county. On their journey hither they 
 
 ■^•■ 
 
 -•► 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 Pllr-* 
 
 738 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 p ' am 
 
 came through a stretch of country where wild 
 game was jjlentiful, and saw numhcrs of elk and 
 deer, who had hardly learned to be afraid of the 
 rifleHof^the white man. 
 
 At the expiration of the time spoken of our 
 subject returned to his old home in Lansing, where 
 he remained three weeks, when he took up his resi- 
 dence in Hancock County, where he was employed 
 on a farm about five years. Then returning to 
 Lansing, he began operating an elevator, but not 
 naving recovered from the Western fever, one day 
 took the train for Syracuse, this county, and soon 
 afterward we find bin/again in Hendricks Precinct. 
 Here he began farming, at which he continued for 
 a period of ten years, at the end of which time he 
 put up the Hendricks Hotel, which be has since 
 conducted. 
 
 Our subject was married in Hendricks Precinct, 
 April 2, 1883, to Miss IVL^ry Flinn, a native of 
 Sangamon County, 111. Mrs. Beetem was born 
 March 24, 1SC4, and was the sixth in a family of 
 sixteen children, the offspring of Charles and Ann 
 (Keegan) Flinn, who were natives of Ireland, and 
 came to America in 1866, locating shortly after 
 their arrival in this county. Mr. K. has been very 
 prosperous in his adopted country, and is now the 
 owner of 280 acres of fine land, comprising a good 
 farm with tiie necessary improvements, and located 
 in Hendricks Precinct. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Beetem became the parents of two 
 children. Mary A. and John C. The latter died 
 when one week old. Our subject and his estimable 
 wife are members of the Catholic Chuich at Pal- 
 myra, and Mr. B.. politically, is one of the most 
 reliable adherents of the Democratic party. 
 
 'if i OHN R. STEELE, one of the old citizens 
 of Otoe County, and in fact, also of the 
 State, is widely known and greatly respected, 
 _l)j and carries on a successful business at Tal- 
 mage, where he is connected with fire and life 
 insurance, working for the Commercial Union, 
 North British, Mercantile, the German of Frceport. 
 lid the German of Peoria Companies, and wiili the 
 
 Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association of New 
 York City. His connection with insurance dates 
 from 1 882, wlien Talmage Village was chartered. 
 He has identified himself with almost every enter- 
 prise that is calculated to be a permanent benefit to 
 the place, and has earned a rejjutation accordingly. 
 Mr. Steele was the first Postmaster of the town, 
 and held the position for three years. He is now 
 the Treasurer of the Building and Loan Association 
 of Talmage, wliich has done good work since its 
 organization in February, 1883. Its influence has 
 been felt even beyond the city, and is one of the 
 institutions that has helped to make the town what 
 it is. Three years also he was Director of Public 
 Schools, an office that he filled most creditably. 
 
 Before coming to this county Mr. Steele was 
 succe.'sful as a farmer in Four Mile Precinct, and 
 he now owns a fine property of forty acres near the 
 town limits of Talmage, and also an addition, em- 
 bracing eighteen lots, part of which has been sold 
 and improved. He helped in the erection of the 
 first building in Talmage, and has with much pride 
 and pleasure watched the rapid progress recently 
 made In the extension and welfare generally of the 
 place. 
 
 With the exception of the years 18G8, 18G9 and 
 1870, Mr. Steele has been a resident of Nebraska 
 since 1855. Prior to coming to Talmage his home 
 was in Nebraska City and in the vicinity of that 
 place for twenty-five years. There also he was en- 
 gaged in the pursuit of agriculture, and being a 
 thoroughly practical man, saw much prosperity 
 therein. During tlie three years of his absence 
 above mentioned he was farming in Nodaway 
 County, Mo., but was not sufficiently enamoured of 
 that district to remain longer. 
 
 Tlie subject of our sketch was a resident of Fre- 
 montCount}', Iowa, from Iheyear 1849 until he came 
 to tliis State, and was one of the first settlers and pio- 
 neers of that district. He passed through the then 
 not unusual experiences inseparably connected with 
 such a new order of things, and helped in tlie de- 
 velopment of that recently opened district. 
 
 Virginia is the native State of our subject, and 
 was Lis home until he went to Fremont County, 
 Iowa. He was l)orn in Tazewell County, Va., on 
 the 13lh of June, 1841. The great-grandfather of 
 
•►HK-^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 739 ' » 
 
 our subject was the first member of this family to 
 settle in America, coming from his German home 
 and settling in Wythe County, Va. There was born 
 to him a son, David Steele, whose son William R. 
 is the father of our subject. 
 
 David Steele was a prosperous and extensive Vir- 
 ginia farmer, and married a lady a native of that 
 State, who presented him with nine children. After 
 their children had almost all grown up he removed 
 to Kentucky, and there died in the year 1863, at 
 an advanced age. His wife, whose maiden name 
 was Martha Peery, survived hira, and afterward 
 went to Missouri, where she died at the home of one 
 of her children, having passed the allotted three- 
 score years and ten. 
 
 There were born to Mr. and Mrs. David Steele 
 nine children, the father of our subject being one 
 of the older children. He grew to years of man- 
 hood in Tazewell County, Va., and was married to 
 Nancy Peery, who was born of Virginia parentage, 
 in Tazewell Countj', and was there educated and 
 brought up. The family of which she was a mem- 
 ber was one of the oldest and most respected in 
 Virginia, and was of Scottish extraction. W. Peery 
 became prominent in both religious and political 
 circles. He was for many years a minister of the 
 Methodist Church, and in addition held many of- 
 fices of political connection, receiving on several 
 different occasions marked expressions of confi- 
 dence and esteem from his fellow-citizens. He 
 departed this life at the age of ninety-four years. 
 Mr. Peery is still remembered as the writer of many 
 religious and other songs, and various literary ef- 
 forts on a number of subjects. His son John was 
 the father of Mrs. Nancy (Peery) Steele. 
 
 After his marriage the father of our suljject be- 
 gan farming, but never accumulated a very large 
 competency. In 1849, he, with eight other heads 
 of families, aecom-panied by their wives and chil- 
 dren, left their homes in Tazewell County and 
 started for the Golden State, taking passage at 
 Kenoa, on the Ohio River, and went west to the 
 Mississippi, thence up'the latter river, intending to 
 leave the boat and go bj' laud from St. Joseph, Mo., 
 but after the boat got on its way to St. Joseph, the 
 dread disease cholera attacked those aboard, and be- 
 fore the}' got to St. Joseph six of the original nine 
 
 «► II <- 
 
 promoters of the enterprise had sickened and died, 
 the father of our subject being one of the number. 
 
 The above-mentioned disaster frustrated the in- 
 tentions of the little party, and left the families in 
 almost destitute circumstances. Mrs. Steele with 
 her children, and in compan}' with another family, 
 then went to Fremont County, Iowa, settling in the 
 wilds of that comparative!}' unknown district. The 
 family was poor, the children small, and the circum- 
 stances and surroundings the very reverse of favor- 
 able. Nevertheless, mother love was sufficient to 
 suppl}' spirit, nerve and strength enough to provide 
 for and take care of the five little ones for several 
 years. In the year 1854 Mrs. Steele marrieil her 
 second husband, John W. Bounds. The}' settled in 
 Four Mile Precinct, where they continued to live 
 for several years, and there she died at the age of 
 seventy-seven years. Mr. Bounds had died about 
 two years previously while on a visit to Missouri. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was the first son and 
 second child of five children born to his parents. 
 He was eight years of age when the disastrous river 
 voyage was undertaken. One year after landing 
 in Iowa it was his misfortune to meet with an acci- 
 dent that left him a cripple for life. From the age 
 of nine years until he was sixteen he was unable to 
 do without his crutches and do anything to earn 
 his living. When sixteen years of age, in spite of 
 having had but few educational advantages, he had 
 through the long years of his sickness becom e 
 quite a bookworm, and by that means had become 
 quite a student and a well-educated man. He is 
 a splendid business man, and has a large circle of 
 friends, more especially among the business men 
 of the county. 
 
 The marriage of our subject was celebrated in 
 Four Mile Precinct, this county, the lady of his 
 choice being Miss Jane Biggs, who was born in 
 Weston, Tenn., on the 29th of April, 1844. She is 
 the daughter of Allen and Polly (Flatford) Biggs. 
 Her mother died in Tennessee in the year 1856, and 
 her father, who is a native of Tennessee and a 
 farmer by occupation, is still living, and makes his 
 home in Delta, this county, at the age of sixty- 
 eight years. 
 
 There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Steele 
 eleven children, five of whom are yet living, and ^ ' 
 
-•►' 
 
 740 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 
 whose nnnies are as follows: William A., Frank P.. 
 Lucy B.. Sliilly and Gladjs. The rleceaseri chil- 
 dren bore the subjoined names; Douglas. Nancy 
 A., Mar}'. John R.. Roscoe and Dora. The sur- 
 viving members of this familj' are still at home with 
 their parents. 
 
 Mr. Steele is a niemlier of the Knights of Pythias, 
 and well received among his fellow-members of 
 Eureka Lodge No. 8, of Talmage. He is recog- 
 nized as one of the leaders of the Prohibition party, 
 aiid has the distinguished honor of being the father 
 of the party in this city. He is a liberal contributor 
 to many Prohibition newspapers in a literary way, 
 and the articles from his pen, terse, logical, trench- 
 ant and finished, are proof of his abilities in that 
 direction. His fellow-townsmen manifested their 
 confidence and esteem by nominating Mr. Steele 
 for the State Legislature from this county on the 
 Prohibition ticket. 
 
 AGNUS TAYLOR JOHNSON. In the 
 fall of 1857 the gentleman whose name 
 stands at the head of this biography estab- 
 lished himself in a modest way in his pres- 
 ent business. In time this expanded to important 
 proportions, and Mr. Johnson has now for many 
 years been general agent for the lines of steamers 
 from America to all points of the world. His 
 natural intelligence and faculty of observation 
 have proved qualities amply adapted to his branch 
 of the business, of which he has made a success. 
 By prompt attention to the details thereof, and his 
 courteous manner of dealing with the general pub- 
 lic, he has become widelj' and favorably known, 
 especially among the circles where he has been the 
 most largely called to operate. He is a man now 
 of wealth and prominence, and one amplj' worthj' 
 of representation in a work of this kind, which 
 comprises a record of those who by their enter- 
 prise have been important factors in the building 
 up of Nebraska City. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Anderson and Ellen 
 Johnson, were n.atives of Scandinavia, and are now 
 deceased. Their faniilj- consisted of four children, 
 of whom our subject came to America. Magnus 
 
 4» 
 
 T. was born in the district of Christianstadt, Aug. 
 31, 1829, and attended school quite regularly near 
 the home of his childhood until a lad fourteen 
 years of age. He was then sent by his parents to 
 the city of Berlin, Germanj^ where he prosecuted 
 his studies in the High School until 1851, being 
 then a young man twent3--two years of age, the 
 master of fine acquirements, and having become 
 familiar with several languages. 
 
 Before the close of his last term in the High 
 School young Johnson, who had signalized him- 
 self as a youth of more than ordinary intelligence, 
 was solicited by a Scandinavian colony to accom- 
 pany them to America as interpreter, to which he 
 consented, expecting to return to his own country 
 when his mission had ended. After landing in the 
 city of Quebec, however, he determined to explore 
 a portion of the West, and coming over into the 
 States, proceeded first to Chicago, and from there 
 to Knox County, 111., with teams. He stopped for 
 a short time in the then little hamlet of Knoxville, 
 and later went to Oquawka on the east bank of the 
 Mississippi River, and in Henderson County. At 
 this point Mr. Johnson engaged as clerk in a store, 
 where he staid one year. He then went to Mon- 
 mouth, in Warren County, and opened a clothing 
 store, being engaged in this business there until 
 1866. Having in the meantime sold a considerable 
 proportion of his goods on credit, he was in conse- 
 quence a heavy loser, and was obliged on this 
 account to close up his business, disposing of the 
 remains of it for almost nothing. 
 
 Notwithstanding this experience, however, Mr. 
 Johnson still believed there were opportunities 
 in America not to be found in liis own country, 
 and he determined here to abide. The winter of 
 1856-57 we find him in Nebraska City, to which 
 he had come via the Mississippi and Missouri 
 Rivers, landing with a capital of $70 in his pocket. 
 He at once procured employment, cariying chain 
 for a surveyor, at which he was employed during 
 that summer. In the spring of 1858 he estiblished 
 the business at which he is still engaged, and which 
 has been, especially during late' years, the source 
 of a handsome income. 
 
 The marriage of Magnus Taylor Johnson and 
 Tkliss Charlotte Waterfall was celebrated at the 
 
 ^t 
 
 <• 
 
>► II <•• 
 
 -•► 
 
 OTOE COUKTY. 
 
 r4i ', ^ 
 
 home of the bride in Nebraska City, Oct. 12, 1858. 
 IMrs. Johnson was born in Ilarapshire. England, 
 Aug. 11, 1837, and came to America with her par- 
 ents. Her father was a watchmaker by occupation, 
 and the parents settled first in Cleveland, Ohio. 
 The mother spent the last 3'ears of her life in St. 
 Joseph; the father died in Illinois. Their family 
 consisted of five children. 
 
 Mr. and ISIrs. Johnson commenced the journey 
 of life together in a modest home in accordance with 
 their means, and have now for a period of over 
 thirty years been residents of Nebraska City. They 
 have watched with lively interest the growth and 
 development of one of the most flourishing com- 
 monwealths of the West, and Mr. Johnson, in the 
 building up of one of its most important industries, 
 has thus contributed his quota to the advancement 
 of liis adopted city. Thej' have now a liandsome 
 and comfortable home, and enjo,y the friendsliip of 
 a large number of the best ipeople around them. 
 Their union has been blessed by the birth of six 
 children, namely: Frederick, IIenrj% Crena, Charles, 
 Nellie and Monas. The eldest of these is twenty- 
 nine years of age and the youngest is eight. ]\Ir. 
 Johnson, politically, votes the Republican ticket, 
 and in religious matters he and his estimable wife 
 are members in good standing of the Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 In the spring of 1869 Mr. Johnson opened a 
 hotel on Central avenue, where he officiated as 
 "mine host" for a period of eight years. The 
 house under his management became extremely 
 popular, and was the favorite resort for travelers 
 tliroughout this rearion. 
 
 e 
 
 OL. S. N. STEWART, the well-known in- 
 ventor and builder of the Pontoon bridge. 
 
 which has proved such a boom to Nebraska 
 City, is worthy of more than a passing mention in 
 this work. At the organization of the Pontoon 
 Bridge Company, he was unanimously selected as its 
 President, and still holds the position. He is a na- 
 tive of Ohio, having been born at Marietta, April 27, 
 1845, and there spent the early j'ears of his life. 
 His father was a wholesale boot and shoe merchant. 
 
 •►Hlr^- 
 
 and the family moveil across the Mississippi to 
 Iowa in 1859, wlien our subject was a lad of four- 
 teen years. 
 
 Young Stewart continued a resident of the Hawk- 
 eye State until the outbreak of the Rebellion, and 
 at the early age of sixteen years enlisted as a pri- 
 vate in Company E. 18th Iowa Infantry, which 
 was assigned to dutj' on the frontier. He went in 
 as a private, and by the faithful discharge of his 
 duties was in due time promoted to the rank of 
 Captain. Later his strong Abolition sentiments 
 induced him to resign his captaincy in the 18th 
 Iowa for a First Lieutenantcy in a colored regi- 
 ment — this being the 62d Regiment United States 
 Infantry, serving on the Rio Grande. In the con- 
 flict at Palmetto Ranch, in Texas, on account of 
 his gallant services, he was breveted Lieutenant 
 Colonel. Tills was the last battle of the war. and 
 Lieut. Stewart was the last man wounded. May 13, 
 1866, on the Union side in the late Rebellion. 
 
 After the war was ended our subject devoted 
 himself to Invention, and in 1876 crossed the At- 
 lantic and remained in Europe for a period of five 
 years, during which time he secured letters patent 
 for his River Motor, disposing of the Austrian and 
 Russian patents to a company' in Vienna. In the 
 meantime he traveled extensively in most of the 
 countries of Europe, making the acquaintance of 
 various notable personages, princes and potentates. 
 Upon returning to the United States in 1881, he 
 settled in Philadelphia, and has devoted himself 
 entirely to his inventions for the past six or seven 
 years. About half of this time, however, he has 
 spent abroad. The Deep Sea Sounder, described 
 in the Engineering News of 1883, is his invention, 
 and is now largely in use in the English navy. The 
 Current Motor, described in the same periodical, 
 is also his invention. 
 
 The Pontoon bridge, however, is perhaps one of 
 the most popular and useful inventions of Col. 
 Stewart. He came to Nebraska in the spring of 
 1888. and at once arranged to put in one of these 
 across the Missouri River. It has given universal 
 satisfaction, and Is considered a great advantage to 
 the city. Although Col. Stewart has become widely 
 and favorably known among the business men of 
 this place, he still calls Philadelphia his horns. His 
 
742 
 
 •«^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 i 
 
 <• 
 
 wife was formi'ily Miss Nannie Wilson, the only 
 (laiioliter of Hon. John S. Wilson, the well-known 
 philunthropist of Adams County, Ohio, and whose 
 latest benefaction was 160,000 donated for the jnir- 
 pose of founiling an orphan asylum in Adams 
 County. To JMr and Mrs. Stewart there have been 
 born three children — Lulu, Noble and Donald. Col. 
 Stewart makes his Westf^rn headquarters at Ne- 
 braska City, in whose future he has great faith. 
 He is a lil)eia]-niiiided and public-spirited citizen, 
 and his generosity in assisting to build the street 
 car line will long be remembered by its people. 
 
 [7 EWIS B. RICHARD. Among the agricull- 
 I (?§; urists of Palmyra Precinct few are more 
 
 thoroughly practical, enterprising and truly 
 successful than Mr. Richard, who operates 160 
 acres on section 31. He is the son of Phillip and 
 Sarah (Buchanan) Richanl, who were natives re- 
 spectively of Lycoming and Union Counties, Pa., 
 where their parents settled and continued to reside 
 after their marriage. Tliere the father died in the 
 year 1849, when our subject was about seven years 
 of age, he himself being in the prime of life, and 
 but thirty-five years old. This left liis wife with 
 the care of six children, viz: Elizabeth, Mary, 
 Edward, Louis B., Albert and John Jacob. Edward 
 served in the armj', and fell at the post of duty. 
 Albert served for two p.nd John for five years with 
 the army. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born on the 30th of 
 June, 1842, at Williamsport, Pa. He enjoyed the 
 advantages of a common-school education, in spite 
 of the fact that he began to work out at the 
 early age of eight years. In 1868, In company 
 with his mother be went to Stephenson County, 111., 
 and there remained for about two years. There 
 subsequently he was united in marriage to Miss 
 Mary Ellen Snyder. This ladj- is the daughter of 
 Benjamin and Mary Snyder (the reader is referred 
 to the .sketch of Mr. Snyder, which appears in this 
 volume.) Her mother died while she was quite 
 small, and her father died in 1886, aged eighty 
 years. This is a step they have never had occasion 
 to regret, and their home is one of the bright and 
 
 4> 
 
 cheery places that are at the foundation of the pros- 
 perity of the nation. Their union has been happilj' 
 consummated liy tlie birth of three children, 
 William. Luclla and Jessie, of whom they are justly 
 proud. 
 
 The first few years after their marriage Mr. and 
 Mrs. Richard lived in Stephenson County, where 
 he operated a farm. Tiie same j'ear that Lincoln 
 was located he paid his first visit to Nebraska, and 
 took a great fancj' to the countrj'. The second 
 time that he came to this State was in 1879, and 
 then he was accompanied by his wife and two chil- 
 dren, and located on the northwest quarter of 
 section 31,. which he purchased almost iuimediately 
 on arrival. 
 
 Mr. Richard has not been prominent in civic 
 affairs, but has served one term as Director of 
 Schools. In politics he is strictly independent, being 
 swayed only by principles, and voting only for men 
 of princi|ile. He is a pronounced temperance man, 
 and a worker in that cause. With his wife, he is 
 numbered among the members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church in good standing, and there, as 
 elsewhere in the communit}', they are held in high 
 regard. The propert3' of our subject is thoronglily 
 improved, his residence is a pretentious, jjleasant 
 and comfortable dwelling, and his .'arm buildings 
 are as good as any that can be found in the county. 
 He has recently erected a very fine frame barn, 
 standing 46x50 feet, and designed to meet every 
 requirement incidental to the farm. 
 
 "il?OHN J. CASPERS. The subject of thi.s 
 narrative represents a large amount of i)rop- 
 erty in Rock Creek Precinct, his landed 
 ^^j|/ estate embracing 480 acres on section 32, 
 and a like amount in LaFayette Precinct, Nemaha 
 County. The most of this is in a productive con- 
 dition, and yields to the proprietor a handsome in- 
 come. The homestead is located on section 32, oc- 
 cupying one of the finest situations in the county, 
 and affording an extended view of the surrounding 
 country. Everything that taste and means could 
 suggest has been done to render it attractive, and 
 
 ^1^ 
 
»► II <•• 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 
 r45 
 
 the inmates are surrounded by all of tlie comforts 
 and many of the luxuries of life. 
 
 Mr. C'aspers came to Nebraska while it was a 
 Territory in the fall of 1856, and pre-emjited 120 
 acres of land in Nemaha Count}'. He toolv up his 
 residence in Rock Creek Precinct, this count}-, 
 in 1872. The distinguishing trait of his character 
 has been a resolute perseverance that has kept him 
 steadily at work, and which has enabled him to ac- 
 complish the fine results whicli are apparent to-daj' 
 in his surroundings and his possessions. 
 
 Our subject was born in what was then the 
 Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, Feb. 10, 1831, 
 and is the offspring of a good family, his father 
 being John C'aspers, Sr., who carried on agriculture 
 successfully upon his native soil and there spent 
 his entire life, dying at the ripe old age of eighty 
 years. He had married in early manhood Miss 
 Hilka Zimmermann, a native of the same Province 
 as her husband, and who died several years before 
 his decease, also well advanced in years. They 
 were people greatly respected in their community, 
 members in good standing of the Lutheran Church, 
 and the parents of seven childj-en. Only one 
 brother of our subject emigrated to America, and 
 is now a resident of Nemaha County, Neb. 
 
 Mr. C'aspers received a good practical education 
 in his native tongue, and worked with his father on 
 the farm until reaching manhood. He was then 
 married to ISIiss Margaret Baraus, who was also 
 born in Hanover, Oct. 10, 1827. Her parents, 
 Lawrence .and Ricksta (Johnson) Barans, were also 
 natives of Hanover, and the father a farmer by oc- 
 cupation. They died not far from the place of 
 their birth, when quite aged. Their daughter 
 Margaret remained with them until her marriage. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. CVspers there have been born 
 nine children, with -five of whom they have been 
 called to part, namely: Maggie ( 1st), Thomas, Mag- 
 gie (2d), and two infants unnamed. John, their 
 eldest son living, married Miss Mattie Hillis, and is 
 farming in Benton Precinct, Nemaha County; 
 Lawrence married Miss jMary Hillis, and they are 
 living on a farm in Rock Creek Precinct; Benja- 
 min married Miss Ida Pracht, and lives on a farm 
 in LaFa3ette Precinct, Nemaha County; Ellen is 
 at home with her parents. Both parents and chil- 
 
 dren are members of tlie Lutheran Church, and 
 Mr. Caspers, in polities, is a fervent supporter of 
 Democratic principles. Mr. Caspers upon reaching 
 the United States located in Madison Count}-, HI., 
 where he lived two years, and thence came to Ne- 
 braska. A view of Mr. Caspers' place is shown on 
 an oilier page. 
 
 iEUBEN CHURCH. Both physically and 
 mentally considered, the subject of this 
 slietch would at once attract the attention 
 ' of any intelligent individual, and within 
 the confines of Otoe Precinct there are none held 
 more generally in respect on account of sterling 
 worth of character combined witli more than ordi- 
 nary capabilities. Of noble stature and command- 
 ing presence, he also has a mind in keeping with 
 the ph}sical qualities bestgwed upon him by a 
 kindly Providence. Presiding over his domestic 
 affairs his wife, Mrs. Lydia Church, is a lady in 
 every way suited to her position as the companion 
 of such a man as her husband, and one who in her 
 younger years must have been a lady of uncom- 
 mon beauty. She still retains a large measure of 
 her youthful attractiveness, and is the mother of a 
 blooming family, which the parents may be par- 
 doned for looldng upon with great pride. 
 
 ilr. Church owns and operates 245 acres of val- 
 uable land lying upon sections 13 and 18. Upon 
 this he has labored for the last twenty years, and 
 has very nearly brought it to perfection, the soil 
 being in a highly productive condition, and the 
 farm buildings, live stock and machinery of first- 
 class description. The residence, a tasteful and 
 commodious frame structure, is flanked by good 
 barns and outhouses, an ample orchard, shade and 
 fruit trees, and the usual appliances of the well- 
 regulated country estate. The farm is largely de- 
 voted to the raising of fine stock, Mr. Church 
 making a specialty of the celebrated Clydesdale 
 horses. In this line he exhibits some of the hand- 
 somest specimens of the equine race to be found in 
 Southeastern Nebraska. 
 
 Our subject is the offspring of a good family, 
 being the elder of two children born to Charles 
 and Sally (Button) Church, who were both natives 
 
 •►Hl::^ 
 
 •►^IK-^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -•►Hl- 
 
 74t; 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 of Rutlaml County, Vt., bom near the town of 
 that name. The paternal great-grandfather car- 
 ried a musket in the Revolutionarj' AVar. while 
 Grandfather Church served in the AYar of 181-2. 
 The family is of English ancestry, and tlie first 
 representatives it is supposed settled in the Green 
 Mountain State during the Colonial daj's. The 
 parents of our subject were married in New York 
 State, and settled on a farm in St. Lawrence 
 Count3% where they lived until 1835. Thence they 
 removed to Ohio, and thereafter for a time lived in 
 the vicinity of the Black River, in Lorain County. 
 The father, however, in 1848, not yet satisfied with 
 his surroundings, pushed on still further westward 
 with his family, locating first in DeKalb, County, 
 III. Later he crossed the Mississippi into Iowa, 
 and settled upon a farm in Hancock County, where 
 he was greatly prospered in bis labors as an agri- 
 culturist and accumulated a fine property. He 
 lived to the advanced age of eighty-four years, and 
 died at tlie homestead in Iowa. Dec. 25. 1884. 
 
 Mrs Sally (Button) Church, the mother of our 
 subject, had died when a young woman only twenty- 
 
 •"* three years of age, during the residence of the 
 family in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., leaving two 
 children: Reuben, of our sketch, and his sister 
 Polly. The latter is now the wife of Henry Cun- 
 ningham, of Boone County, 111., and they are the 
 parents of one child. Charles Church after the 
 death of his first wife was married again, in St. 
 Lawrence County, N. Y'., to Miss Calista Smith, 
 and to them were born eleven children. The step- 
 mother and her children are still living in the 
 Hawkeye State. 
 
 Reuben Church was born in St. Lawrence 
 County, N. Y"., Nov. 26, 1826, and was a lad of 
 eiglit years when his father removed to Ohio. He 
 was educated in the common schools, and remained 
 a member of his father's household until reaching 
 his majority. In the fall of 1850 he started out 
 for himself, making his way first to Chippewa 
 County, AVis., where he was employed in the lum- 
 ber regions for a period of four years. During this 
 time he received a salary of $26 per month the 
 year around, saved what he could of his earnings, 
 and thus laid the foundation of a future prosperity. 
 
 I Fp to tliis time Mr. Church, although now nearly 
 
 twenty-nine years of age, had wisely refrained from 
 taking upon himself the responsibilities which too 
 many men and women thoughtlessly assume, but 
 he now judged it proper to begin the establishment 
 of a home and domestic ties of his own. He had 
 in the meanwhile formed the acquaintance of Miss 
 Lydia Little, one of the most attractive and esti- 
 mable young ladies of the Prairie State, as sensible 
 as she was beautiful, and who fully appreciated the 
 manly qualities of her stalwart suitor. Returning 
 to DeKalb County, 111., our subject was united in 
 marriage with this lady at lier home in Belvidere, 
 March 27, 1855, amid the congratulations and best 
 wishes of many friends, who voted them the hand- 
 somest pair seen in tliat region for many a day. 
 
 A few months after their marriage our subject 
 and his young wife moved to Iowa, ajid Mr. Church 
 purchased 160 acres of land in Avery Township, 
 Hancock County. He entered earnestly upon the 
 cultivation and improvement of his purchase and 
 was greatly prospered. AVhile at the same time 
 prosecuting his labors as an agriculturist he be- 
 came prominent in the affairs of Hancock County, 
 his evident talents having obtained ready recogni- 
 tion among the people in that section of the Hawk- 
 eye State. He was instrumental in the organization 
 of the county in 1858, and was elected its first 
 Treasurer. He was twice re-elected to this oflBce, 
 serving a term of six years, and for four years of 
 this time was also the Count}' Recorder, holding 
 both offices, as was frequently done in the new 
 counties. For a number of years he officiated as 
 Justice of the Peace. He was the Postmaster at 
 Upper Grove in the same county during the ad- 
 ministration of three Presidents, Buchanan, Lin- 
 coln and Johnson, resigning the office upon his 
 removal from the State. 
 
 Although having little to complain of in his ex- 
 perience as an Iowa farmer and citizen, the reports 
 reaching Mr. Church from the Territory of Ne- 
 braska induced him to change his location. He 
 certainly has had little reason to regret this change 
 and neither have the people around him. Since 
 that time he has been a resident of Otoe Precinct, 
 this county. He has studiously avoided mixing in 
 public affairs since coming to Nebraska, preferrin 
 to give his .attention to his farm and his family, al- 
 
 •^t* 
 
 f 
 
•►Hf^^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 7-17 
 
 though he keeps himself well posted upon current 
 events aud continues a warm supporter of the 
 principles of the Republican partj'. He has ac- 
 quitted himself in an admirable manner, both as an 
 agriculturist and a citizen. iS'o mrtu stands higher 
 in the community, which he has been no unim- 
 portant factor in bringing to its present position, 
 representing the intelligence and the enterprise of 
 ISouthern Nebraska. The Church homestead is re- 
 garded with unalloyed admiration by every trav- 
 eler passing through this section of the country, 
 and a view of this, which we present in connection 
 with this sketch, serves not only to embellish the 
 Album of Otoe County, but illustrates the labors 
 and successes of one of its most prominent and 
 valued citizens. 
 
 Of the eight children born to Reuben and Lydia 
 (Little) Church the record is as follows: The eldest 
 daughter, Sarah E., is the wife of Edgar Clayton, 
 a well-to-do and highly respected farmer of Otoe 
 Precinct; Reuben D., a youth of great pi-omise, is a 
 student in the State University at Lincoln, expect- 
 ing to be graduated in the class of '89; Frances, a 
 yOung lady of fine attainments, and a graduate of 
 the Peru Normal vSchool, is a popular teacher at 
 Exeter, Neb., having charge of the grammar de- 
 partment; Ella, the third child, died Jan. 18, 1888, 
 at the age of twenty-six years; Andrew died when 
 a babe of fifteen months; Anna, also a graduate of 
 the Peru Normal School, is a teacher in the gram- 
 mar department of the graded school at Stromsburg: 
 John and Katie I., also pupils of the Peru Normal 
 School, give promise of distinguishing themselves 
 in a manner similiar to that of the elder children. 
 Togetlier they form a bright and interesting group, 
 and will in due time take their places in the com- 
 munity as the most worthy representatives of one 
 of the leading families of the "Water Valley." 
 
 ^^EORGE W. ELSER, of Nebraska City, has 
 |( ^=, been successfuUj' operating a meat market 
 ^^41 for the past twenty years, during which time 
 he lias built up a prosperous trade. A native of 
 Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, he was born Jan. 31, 
 1845, and is the son of George G. Eiser, who with 
 his wife was also of German liirth and parentage, 
 and lioth died in their native land. There were two 
 brotliers beside our subject, Casper, who died in 
 Peoria County, 111., and Joim M., who still resides 
 tiiere. 
 
 Our subject remained a resident of his native 
 province until sixteen years of age, in the mean- 
 
 time attending school until fourteen. He then 
 commenced learning the trade of tanner, which he 
 followed until 18C2, in which ye.ar he came to the 
 United States. He set sail from the port of Bre- 
 men and landed in New York City, whence he 
 proceeded directly to Peoria, III., where he arrived 
 with a capital of $l.oO in his pocket. He secured 
 emploj'inent with a butcher at $10 per month and 
 remained one and one-half years. He became 
 familiar with this trade also and flnali^' started for 
 Nebraska, landing in Omaha, where he worked a 
 few months and then migrated to North Platte, 
 where he stayed six months. Thence ho returned to 
 Omaha, from there drifted liack to Peoria, remain- 
 ing until 1868, We next find him in Minonk, 
 Woodford Co., III., with a capital of $150, opening 
 a meat shop on his own account. He soon com- 
 menced bujing and shipping cattle, and in a com- 
 paratively short time accumulated $12,000. He 
 soon parted with this, however, and in 1870 
 concluded to seek his fortunes again in the farther 
 West. He started out with a team of horses and 
 \yagon and traversed the State of Missouri, thence 
 went to Solomon, Kan., and later turned his steps 
 toward Nebraska, locating not long aftervvard in 
 Neliraska City. 
 
 A few weeks later Mr. E. purchased a meat 
 market and has been in business continuously 
 since that time. In 1874 he returned to his old 
 home in Germany and was married to Miss Lena 
 Spengler, like himself a native of Hesse-Darmstadt. 
 Tlie newl3' married pair shortly afterward set out 
 for the United States. They are now the parents 
 of six children. Geo. W., Hattie. John M.. Carl, 
 Carrie and Amelia. Mr. Eiser, politically, supports 
 Democratic principles. In 1882 he was elected 
 Alderman of the second ward and re-elected in 
 1887. Socially, he belongs to Western Star Lodge 
 No. 2. A. F. & A. M., Eureka Lodge No. 3. K. of 
 P., Nuckolls Lodge No. 7. A. O. U. W., and Camp 
 No. 331, Modern Woodmen. 
 
 FRANCIS E. BROWN, Attorney-at-Law of 
 Syracuse, located here in 1878. He was born 
 in Livingston County, N. Y., July 1, 1847, 
 and is the son of Francis and Harriet Brown. He 
 was reared to manhood in his native State and 
 received his education in the common schools. In 
 1859 he went to Darlington. Wis., where he re- 
 mained until 1S64. The Civil War being then in 
 progress he enlisted in Co. E., 142d Illinois Infantry, 
 in which he served until the close of the struggle. 
 In 18G6 .young Brown commenced the study of 
 
 ■•►- 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 r48 
 
 OTOE COUNTY 
 
 niedioine in tbe office of Dis. Hoyte and Johnson, 
 in Hudson, N. T., where he remained one year. 
 Next in Mount Morris he read law with the firm of 
 Wisner & Gamble, and was admitted to the bar at 
 Rochester in 1871. He commenced practice at 
 Mount Morris with Judge Norton, liut subsequently 
 removed to NewMik, in Wayne County. In 1878 
 he started westward and not long afterward located 
 in Syracuse, this county. 
 
 Mr. Brown was married in 1883 to Hattie W.. 
 daughter of Geo. Hartley of Syracuse, and they 
 have two children, Duane and Vida. Politically 
 he is an active Republican, and has ficquently held 
 the local offices. He was one time made the can- 
 didate of his party for State Senator, but was de- 
 feated by sixteen votes. Socially, he belongs to the 
 Masonic Fraternity and is an Adjutant-General in 
 the G. A. R. under Commander-in-Chief Yander- 
 voort. 
 
 R. W. C. CLARY, familiarly known as a 
 competent veterinary surgeon of Nebraska 
 City, was born in wliat was then Sangamon 
 County, III., but is now Menard Count}', 
 at Clary's Grove, Feb. 26, 1823. He was the sev- 
 enth child and sixth son in a family of fourteen 
 children, the offspring of John and Rlioda (Arm- 
 strong) Clary, the former a native of Lincoln 
 County, Ky., and the latter of Tennessee. They 
 were married in the latter State and removed to the 
 Territory of Illinois in the fall of 1817, settling in 
 Sangamon County, and the father thereafter voted 
 on the slavery question and the adoption of the 
 State Constitution. 
 
 John Clary tuade the first entry of land in the 
 Springfield district, carried on farming, took an 
 active part in politics and served as Justice of the 
 Peace and County Commissioner. He and his 
 father in the spring of 1819 settled at what was 
 afterward known as Clary's Grove, when there were 
 no white residents within five miles. Our subject 
 received his education in the primitive schools, 
 the first building in that vicinity devoted to this 
 purpose being a log house on his father's farm. He 
 waded through slough and snow across the prairie 
 in the pursuance of his studies, and from his boy- 
 hood up entertained a remarkable liking for animals. 
 He grew up strong and healthy, and when attaining 
 manhood was mairied Aug. 19, 1847, to Miss 
 Elizal)etli, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Green) 
 Watkins, who was born and reared not far from the 
 early home of her husliand. 
 
 Our subject came to Nebraska witli his family in 
 1868, employing ten days in making a trii) which 
 
 can now be accomplished in nineteen hours. They 
 located on a claim in Ncmeha County, and endured 
 the common lot of pioneers. Our subject improved 
 a farm, which he left in 1877 for Ncbr.aska City, 
 ■where he entered upon the practice of his profession, 
 in which during all these years he had been perfect- 
 ing himself. He has signalized himself as a liberal 
 and public citizen. 
 
 To Dr. and Mrs. Elizabeth Clarj' there were born 
 nine children, namely : Robert M., George, Andrew 
 J., who died in Illinois; Maiy F., John L. also died 
 in Illinois; William M.; Henry L.. an infant, and 
 Anna S. The present wife of our subject was 
 formerly Miss Angeline G., daughter of James and 
 Elizabeth (Wheeler) Hayes, to whom he was mar- 
 ried April 30. 1871. This lad}' was born in At- 
 chison County, Mo., and lived there until eleven 
 years old. Thence she removed with her mother 
 to Iowa, the father having gone to California, where 
 he died. She lived in Iowa until her marriage. Of 
 this union there are five children, the eldest of 
 whom. Cora E., is a successful teacher; Martha E., 
 Charles C. Lula E. and Ralph F. are at home with 
 their parents. 
 
 The Dr. in 1874 lost $6,000 by going security for 
 a friend, which left him bankrupt. He endeavors 
 however, to make the best of circumstances. Po- 
 litically he affiliates with the Democratic parly. 
 During the Mexican War he enlisted June 16, 1846, 
 in the 4th Illinois Infantry and served about six 
 months, being discharged for disability. During 
 the late Civil War he also participated in the con- 
 flict for union and freedom. 
 
 -<3= 
 
 OSIAH ROl^ERTS, a resident of Syracuse 
 Precinct, settled here in February, 1883. 
 He was born in Clinton County, Ohio, Feb. 
 (^)) 14, 1830, .and is the son of James and Mary 
 (Antrim) Roberts, who were natives of Tennessee 
 and of Welsh and P^nglish parentage respectively. 
 The paternal grandfather, John Roberts, settled 
 first in Tennessee, whence he removed to Ohio, 
 where he spent his last day. He married jSIiss 
 Phebe Myers, who was of German extraction. 
 The maternal grandparents were natives of 
 ILngland. 
 
 The parents of our subject were married in 
 Tennessee whence they removed to Ohio, settling 
 in Clinton County during its pioneer days. Later 
 they were residents of Logan County. James Rob- 
 erts served under Gen. Andrew Jackson in the War 
 •► 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 749 1M 
 
 of 1812. Both he and his wife died in Logan 
 County, Oliio, leaving a family of fourteen chil- 
 dren, all of whom grew to mature years and of 
 whom our subject was the ninth in order of birth. 
 He was but two years old when the family tools: up 
 their residence in Logan County', where he lived 
 until eighteen years of age, and in the meantime 
 commenced worlt at tlie blacksmitli trade. 
 
 From Ohio, in 1851, Josiah Roberts removed to 
 Knox County, 111., and from there later to Fre- 
 mont County, Iowa. Still later we find liim at 
 Fort Kearney, Nebraslta, where he operated a 
 blaclvsmith-shop in the employ of the Government 
 eighteen months. He next migrated to Atchison 
 County, Mo., where, in 1854, he was married to 
 Elizabeth H. Wilson. Mrs. Roberts was born in 
 Indiana. After marriage they came to Nebraska 
 and our subject pre-empted land in Nemeha County 
 upon which lie made some improvements, then 
 returned to Fremont County, Iowa, where he fol- 
 lowed farming and blaclismithing until 18()2, 
 
 The next removal of Mr. Roberts was to Mills 
 County, Iowa, and at Glenwood he conducted a 
 blaclismith-sliop until after the war. He them set- 
 tled on a farm in that county where he prosecuted 
 agriculture until 1883, tlie year of his removal to 
 this State, when he settled where he now lives. He 
 owns 320 acres of good land here, besides two 
 tracts, 320 and 160 acres respectively, in Russell 
 Precinct. He makes a specialty of stock-raising, 
 keeping about 150 head of cattle. His success has 
 been largely due to tlie increasing value of his 
 land. In Iowa lie owned a whole section. He paid 
 for his present farm 18,000, for the 320 acres in 
 Russell precinct $5,000, and for the 160 acres 
 $2,500. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Roberts iiave ten children living, 
 namely; Lucinda. James N., Isaac M., Jasper M., 
 F^mmett, Bartley, Fanny, Edward, Luke and Alvira, 
 Mr. Roberts, politically, is Independent, support- 
 ing such men as he believes are qualified for office. 
 His estimable wife is a member of tlie Christian 
 Church. 
 
 lyL^ ON. SAMUEL HOWARD CALHOUN, a 
 ifji] pr<jrainent resident of this county, was born 
 l^^ in Boston, Mass., May 27, 1836. His father, 
 (^) Charles Calhoun, was also a native of Bos- 
 ton, and liis paternal grandfather, Andrew Cal- 
 houn, was born in Ireland. The latter came to 
 America when a young man, locating fiist in Bos- 
 ton, and from there removed to New Hampshire, 
 where he purchased laud and engaged in fanning. 
 He spent his last days in the city of Concord. He 
 
 was a Presbyterian in liis belief, and in this faith 
 reared his children. Of these there were nine who 
 grew to mature years. Their mother in her girl- 
 hood was Martha Chamberlain. Charles Calhoun, 
 the father of oar subject, was reared in his native 
 city, and took to mercantile pursuits, which lie 
 carried on in Boston. About 1830 he was elected 
 Secretary of the Massachusetts State Senate, and, 
 with the exception of two years, when the Know 
 Nothing party was in power, served continuously 
 nearly thirty years. He accumulated property and 
 became owner of a country seat at Woburn, where 
 he spent a part of each year. In 1866 he came to 
 Nebraska, and died at the home of his son, our 
 subject, in September, 1869. 
 
 The father of our subject, politically, was aii 
 old line Whig. He married Miss Alinira Stevens. 
 who was born in Burlington, Mass., and who sur- 
 vived her husband until February, 1874, having 
 also spent her last da^'s with her son, Samuel H. 
 There were in the family, besides the latter two 
 daughters. Martha, who died at the age of twenty 
 years, and Mar}', who died when twelve years old. 
 Samuel H. attended the city schools during his 
 boyhood, and later was graduated from'the Latin 
 School of Boston, under Prof. Francis Gardner. 
 He next entered Williams College, and was gradu- 
 ated in the class of '57. 
 
 In the fall of the year above mentioned Mr. 
 Calhoun came to Kansas to accept a position in the 
 otlice of an uncle, who was Surveyor-General, with 
 headquarters at Lecompton. The year following 
 the oflice was removed to Nebraska City, and in the 
 month of August, that year, our subject made his 
 advent in this place. There was no railroad nearer 
 than Jefferson City, and transportation was effected 
 by water and stage. The town comprised an out- 
 fitting point for freighters going with Government 
 stores to Utah. When the gold excitement broke 
 out the Pike's Peak emigrants caine this w.ay. busi- 
 ness was lively and money plenty. Nebraska was 
 a Territory, much of the land belonging to the 
 Government, and unsurveyed. Indians of various 
 tribes frequented this localit}-. 
 
 Mr. Calhoun remained in the office of the Sur- 
 veyor-General until the beginning of the year 
 1860. In the meantime he had been reading law, 
 and in December of that year was admitted to the 
 bar. He commenced practice in Nebraska City, 
 continuing until 1886, when he was appointed Col- 
 lector of Internal Revenue for the district of Ne- 
 br.aska, comprising this Territory and Dakota, with 
 headquarters at Omaha. Politically, he has always 
 been a Democrat, and prominent in the party here. 
 He served several terms as Mayor of Nebraska 
 City, and Prosecuting Attorney for Otoe County. 
 
 •►Ht:^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 •«► 
 
 OTOK COUNTY. 
 
 He represented llie county in the State Senate, nnd 
 has been a deh^jrnte to the various conventions. 
 In I 87.T he jiaiticipated in the revision of the State 
 Constitution, being Chairman of the committee ap- 
 pointed tlierefor. He was married, in 1864, to Miss 
 Matihla McMeclian, and tliey have four childeren 
 — Joliii C, Annie, S. Howard nnd Alexander. 
 Mrs. Howard was born ntGhisgow. Mo., and is tlie 
 daugliter of .John -and Matiid.i McMechan. a sketch 
 of wliora apjiears elsewhere in this volurao. 
 
 _J #«# 5- 
 
 ••-Hl:: 
 
 ON. J. STERLING MORTON. This is one 
 of the names inseparably associated with the 
 early history of Otoe County. Coming to 
 Nebraska when it was a wilderness, he lo- 
 cated on a tract of unbroken prairie, adjacent to 
 which Nebraska City afterward grew, and his ca- 
 reer has been marked more by the desire to estab- 
 lish a home, in the truest significance of the word, 
 than the acquisition of wealth or political fame. 
 Arbor Lodge forms one of the rarest s[)ots in the 
 landscape of this county — the ideal country home 
 blessed by happiness and content, a home of culture 
 and refinement, but from which one of the lights 
 went out on the 29th of June, 1881, when the wife 
 and mother, to whose efforts had been largely due the 
 building up of this home, departed hence. There 
 were left four children — Joy, Paul, Mark and 
 Carl. 
 
 A native of the town of Adams, Jefferson Co., 
 N. y., Mr. Morton was born April 22, 1832. The 
 first representative of the family of whom there 
 has been preserved any authentic record was Rich- 
 ard Morton, a Scotchman by birth, a Puritan in 
 religion, and a blacksmith by trade. He removed 
 at an early day from Hartford, Conn., to Iladley, 
 Mass., and thence to Hatfield, about 1668. One of 
 his immediate descendants was Abner Morton, the 
 paternal grandfather of our subject, who was grad- 
 uated from Dartmouth College in 1799. After his 
 marriage he settled in St. Albans, Vt., and became 
 the father of a son, Julius Dewen, the father of our 
 subject. 
 
 Julius Dewen Morton was a man of marked 
 ability, and made for himself an honorable record, 
 both as a business man and a citizen, and at the 
 time of his death was President of the Farmers' and 
 Mechanics' Bank, of Detroit. He married Emeline 
 Sterling, Sept. 30, 1830, and they removed from 
 New York State to Michigan when their son J. 
 Sterling was but a lad. He subsequently attended 
 school at Albion, was then admitted to the State 
 University at Ann Arbor, and finally entered Union 
 
 College, N. Y., then under charge of Dr. Eliphalet 
 Nott, from whom he received his diploma in 1854. 
 Prior to this he had shown strong |)redilections 
 toward journalism, being a frequent contributor to 
 the Detroit Press, and other jjapers of reputation. 
 On the 30th of October, 1854, occurred the mar- 
 riage of J. Sterling Morton with Miss Caroline Ion 
 French, of Detroit, with whom he had attended 
 school from childliood, and to whom he had been 
 l)etrothed at the age of sixteen. On the wedding 
 day, accomjianied by his wife, he started for Ne- 
 braska, and a few weeks later became owner of f^ve 
 town shares and seventy lots included in the pres- 
 ent site of Nebraska City. He also became editor 
 of the Nebraska C'ity Nevs, and was engaged in 
 editorial work at intervals until 1877. In the 
 meantime, the year after his arrival, he was 
 elected to the Territorial Legislature, and was 
 made a (candidate the second term, but defeated by 
 eighteen votes, in consequence of his opposition to 
 the chartering of "wildcat" banks. He was re- 
 instated as a member in 1857, and took an active 
 part in the adjournment of the Legislature to Flor- 
 ence, a struggle as bitter perhaps as any in which 
 Nebraska has been interested. 
 
 Mr. Sterling succeeded Thomas B. Cuming as Sec- 
 retary of the Territory, in the spring of 1858, and 
 a few months later, following the resignation of 
 Gov. Richardson, became acting Governor. In the 
 fall of 1860 he was nominated by the Democracy 
 as a delegate to Congress, and was elected by a 
 majority of fourteen votes. Secession coming on, 
 and his jiarty being in the minority, his seat was 
 contested, and the questioii finally decided in favor 
 of his opponent. He was at this time but twenty- 
 nine years old, and on account of his moi-e than 
 ordinary capabilities there were enlisted in his be- 
 half tlie strongest intellects on the Democratic side 
 of tiie House. An able argument was made by 
 Pendleton, sustained by speeches from Richardson, 
 of Illinois; Vallandigham, Voorhees and John J. 
 Crittenden, the last mentioned having moved and 
 successfullj' insisted upon the passage of a resolu- 
 tion granting the defeated contestant mileage and 
 pay for the time he was in Washington. 
 
 Upon returning home Mr. Morton took no active 
 part in politics until the spring of 1866, when he 
 received the gubernatorial nomination, contesting 
 with David Butler the honor of being the first 
 Governor of Nebraska as a State. In consequence 
 of alleged irregularities in Rock Bluff Precinct, 
 Cass County, by wliich about 160 ballots were 
 thrown out, Butler was declared elected. Later, 
 without a caucus being held, Mr. Morton received 
 the entire strength of his party for United States 
 Senator, but since that time he has withdrawn from 
 political life, declining all nominations. He was 
 
 )m A 
 ,'as V 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 751 
 
 appointed to represent Xebraska at the Paris P^x- 
 position, and was one of the Commissioners at the 
 National Centennial in 1876. He has served as 
 President of the State Board of Agriculture and 
 Horticulture, and is tlie originator of "Arbor Day," 
 a festival adopted liy many of the Western .States. 
 
 -J»»;^»»-i»!^ 
 
 »tf5«f-»<tf5^ 
 
 M 
 
 HARLES M. nUBNEU. editor of the Daily 
 and Weekly News, Nebraslva City, is one of 
 '^^^ tlie leading journalists of Otoe County. He 
 has traveled much in tlie United States, is a man 
 of varied information, is fluent in conversation, 
 and wields a ready pen. He was born in Louis- 
 ville. Ky., Sept. 24. 1855, and is a son of Dr. George 
 Alfred Hubner, a learned physician, a native of 
 Mulhausen. Alsace, whicli at the time of Ins birth 
 was a Province of France. His fatlier. grandfather 
 of our subject, belonged to one of the old Alsacian 
 families of that place, and was a lifelong resident 
 tliere. 
 
 Dr. Ilulmer was reared in his native town, and 
 attended school qidte regularly until l\e had at- 
 tained manhood. He then commenced the study 
 of medicine, going to Germany to take a course in 
 one of the noted medical scliools of that Empire. 
 He afterward pursued his studies in one of the 
 famous liospitils of Paris, and was graduated from 
 there at the conclusion of seven years' study and 
 practice, having attained high rank, and was thus 
 well fitted for a career in which he gained consid- 
 erable eminence as a ph3'sician of more th.in ordinary 
 sldll and learning. He traveled in different parts 
 of Europe, and in about 1840 set liis f.ace toward 
 America. After his arrival liere lie located in New 
 Orleans, and practiced there ior a time. He then 
 bought a plantation in the Ouaoh'ta parish, and 
 also became quite an extensive slavc-owner, and 
 for a number of years he spent only his winters in 
 New Orleans, and the rest of the year on his plan- 
 tation. He died in New Orleans in 1858, and a 
 valued citizen was lost to that State, as he was a 
 man enterprising and liberal, witli shrewd busi- 
 ness talents, and of well-balanced mind. His amia- 
 ble wife, who was a fitting companion for sucli 
 a man, now makes her home in Columbus, Ohio. 
 Her maiden name was Ann Morton, .and she was a 
 native of Wales. Her fjitlier, William Morton, was 
 also a native of that country, and lie was a manu- 
 facturer of cloth. He came to America iu 1839, 
 located in Franklin County, Ohio, being quite an 
 early settler there, .and took a Government con- 
 tract to build a bridge in that county, of wliich he 
 was a resident until his death. 
 
 Charles Hubner, of whom we write, may be said 
 
 to have grown up with Nebraska City, as he was 
 brought liere when an infant, on account of ill- 
 health, and in tliis fine climate grew to a vigor- 
 ous manliood, receiving his education in tlie city 
 selrools. AVlien lie w.as fourteen years of age he 
 commenced life for himself as a printer's devil in the 
 Nebraska City News ofBce, and in the course of time 
 tlioroughly mastered every detail of the art pre- 
 servative. He then started out to see something 
 of tlie world, .ind worked at his trade in several 
 different cities in the United States. In 1879 Mr. 
 Hubner took charge of the city department of the 
 Lincoln Globe, and in 1881, in company with J. K. 
 Dietrich, started a paper at Red Oak. Iowa, the 
 paper being called the WeeJcly Democrat. The 
 name may have been significant of the fact that the 
 paper did not have a very strong hold on life, as 
 after a few months its publication ceased, the vent- 
 ure not proving a success. Our subject, however, 
 rose superior to this failure, .and returning to Ne- 
 braska City in 1882, took charge of the iVews, with 
 which he has been connected ever since, and by 
 his energy and ability he has made it one of the 
 best, newsiest, and most reliable papers in this sec- 
 tion of the countrj'', with a Large circulation. On 
 the 27th of February, 1887, the paper became the 
 property of a stock company which was then formed, 
 of which he is a memljer, his associates being E. D. 
 Marnell and Thomas Morton. This company pub- 
 lishes the Nebraska Citj' Daily and Weekly News, 
 besides doing a large business in job printing. 
 
 Politically. Mr. Hubner is a Democrat; socially, 
 he is a member of the Western Star Lodge No. 2, 
 A. F. & A. M., and a thirty-second degree member 
 of Alpha Consistory, A. & A. S. R. 
 
 •»Htr»^ 
 
 LEX. S. McCartney, of Belmont Town- 
 ship, has a farm of 400 acres on section 18, 
 with a tine brick residence, a good barn and 
 (g« all the other outbuildings required for the 
 
 successful prosecution of agriculture. He makes a 
 specialty of stock-raising, keeping Poland-China 
 swine, and good grades of Short-horn cattle. The 
 land is in a good state of cultivation and the whole 
 premises indicate comfort and plenty. 
 
 Our subject was born in County Antrim, Ireland, 
 April 21, 1835, .and is the son of James McCartney, 
 a native of the same locality, and who is now 
 deceased. The family emigrated to tlie I'nited 
 States in 1838, and sojourned for a time in New 
 York City. Afterward they lived in Orange and 
 Oneida Counties, N. Y., until 1845, when they 
 changed their residence to Guernsey County, Ohio, 
 
 I 
 
 <• 
 
t 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 where Alex. S. completed his education in Madison 
 College. For five years thereafter he taught school 
 in (Tiiernsev Countj-. 
 
 Mr. McCartney came to Kansas in 1856, settling 
 in Johnson County, and as a soldier under Gen. 
 Jim Lane and John Brown participated in the 
 border troubles. He returned to Oliio in 1858, and 
 thence in 1863 came to Nebraska with five car loads 
 of sheep. He visited the State in 1864, bringing 
 four car loads of sheep, Spanish Merinos, and very 
 valuable, and the year following superintended the 
 transportation of a car load of horses to Iowa and 
 Nebraska. 
 
 Our subject located on his present farm in June, 
 1866, at the time when it had undergone very lit- 
 tle improvement. He worked diligently early and 
 and late for a number of years, and is now enjoy- 
 ing the reward of perseverance and industry. He 
 was married to ISIiss Mary P.. daughter of Thomas 
 Milligan, and of this union there have been born 
 eight children, six of whom are living, namely; 
 Thomas B., Maggie, Martha A.. Andrew, William 
 and Robert. The two daughters are attending college 
 in Tarkio, Mo. Mr. McCartney, politically, is 
 identified with the prohibition party and was one 
 of four men and three women who attended the 
 first Prohibition convention in the county. Hurl- 
 ing the late war he proffered his services as a sol- 
 dier of the Union army but was rejected by the 
 examining surgeon. In religious matters- he is a 
 member of the United Presbyterian Churcli, 
 
 ,UFUSA. LITTLEFIELD, engaged in the 
 practice of dentistry at Syracuse, was born 
 in East Bridgewater, Plj'mouth Co., Mass., 
 ^)Dec. 17, 1850. His parents were Rufus A. 
 and Abigail R. (Whitman-) Littlefield. He was 
 reared on a farm and received his education in the 
 common schools, and made iiis home under the 
 parental roof until twenty-seven years of age. 
 
 At this period of his life Mr. Littlefield went 
 into the State of New Ham|)shire at Enfield, Grafton 
 County, engaging in the manufacture of shoes. 
 This place was located on the west shore of Mas- 
 coma Lake, and on the east side was a settlement 
 of Shakers. Our subject sojourned here until the 
 fail of 1880, when he returned home, and the year 
 following came to Nebraska, joining his brother 
 George H., who had previously settled here and 
 become a prominent ph^^sician of Syracuse. In May, 
 1881, our subject commenced the study of dentistry 
 
 in Tecumseli with Charles H. Philpot, D. D. S.. as 
 preceptor, with wlioni he remained nearly three 
 years. He practiced his profession in that place 
 until December, 1884, when his office and dwelling 
 were destroyed by fire. After this calamity' he re- 
 moved to Syracuse, of which he has since been a 
 resident. 
 
 Dr. Littlefield was married. Oct. 24, 1884, to 
 Miss Anna E. B. Emmons, daughter of James A. 
 and Nancy Emmons, who was horn in Brownville, 
 this State. Her parents were among the first set- 
 tlers of that region. The Doctor and his wife have 
 two bright children, both sons — Rufus A. and James 
 A. Politically, he is a Republican, religiously, a 
 Congregationalist, and socially, a K. of P. 
 
 !^f UGUST CLAIR, the successful manager of 
 (^Oj the Planters' Stock Company of Delta, es- 
 
 ]/| li\ tablished in April, 1888, and now in a 
 ^w prosperous condition, and also the owner 
 
 of a well-improved farm of eighty acres near Delta 
 Station, and in these connections widely and fa- 
 vorably known throughout Otoe County, is the 
 j-oungest of three children born to his |)arents. 
 This interesting event occurred on the 18th of 
 December, 1848, in Burgoyne. France. There he 
 spent the first nine years of his life, coming with his 
 parents to the United States in 1857. Their home 
 was made in Nemaha County, this State, upon a 
 pre-emption claim in Glenn Rock Precinct, where 
 the father spent the remainder of his days, and also 
 his mother, wlio survived him about twenty-three 
 years; both had reached a very advanced age. 
 
 Miss Emily Carlin and the subject of our sketch 
 celebrated their union in marriage in the above 
 county, in September, 1879. His wife was born in 
 France, which she left with her parents when she 
 was about eleven years of age, and subsequently 
 spent two years in Ohio, and then came to this 
 State, growing to womanhood in Nemaha County ; 
 her parents are yet living upon a very productive 
 and well-cultivated farm in Otoe County. Of this 
 marriage there have been born four children, two 
 of whom are deceased, viz: Julie and Nora. The 
 two surviving children bear the same names, and 
 are still with their parents. 
 
 Mr. Clair came to this place from Nemaha County 
 in 1882. Prior to that date, until the year 1858, 
 he had successfully operated a farm in Glenn Rock 
 Precinct, comprising 160 acres, which had been 
 originally entered by the father. He is energetic 
 in business, and by no means short-sighted. He is 
 one of the promoters, if not indeed the chief, of the 
 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 •«► 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 753 
 
 oigaiiization of tlie Planters' Stock Company, which 
 he, now represents as grain bnj'er, and was instru- 
 mental in the erection of the splendid elevator at 
 Delta, which is their property, and has a capacity 
 of 6,000 bushels, with an annual shipment of about 
 200,000. - 
 
 Our subject was reaied and has continued his 
 allegiance as a Catholic, while his wife, for similar 
 reasons, is a member of the Lutheran Church. Mr. 
 Clair is a firm supporter of the Democratic part}% 
 and is also an affiliate of the Kniijhts of Pvthias. 
 
 -f 
 
 ^^*^ HARLES JAME.S. There came from Mercer 
 /((^l County, Pa., in the spring of 1867, one who 
 ^^(7 has since been numbered among the most 
 successful and enterprising men of this county, the 
 subject of this sketch. Nebraska had then but 
 recently been transformed from a Territory into a 
 State, and Rlr. James, taking up 160 acres of the first 
 school land that w.as put up on the market, applied 
 liimself at once to its improvement and cultivation, 
 and in his labors met with most gratifying success. 
 He is now notable as a land-owner and stock-raiser, 
 and has his homestead on section 16. in Wyomrng 
 Precinct, embracing a tract of 160 acres. On sec- 
 tion 8 he has 160 acres, which, like the other, has 
 been brought to a good state of cultivation, and 
 is considered one of the finest tracts of land in 
 the precinct. The home farm is supplied with first- 
 class buildings, including a comfortable residence 
 and a fine large barn, the latter occupying an area 
 of 32x64 feet, and underneath is a warm stone 
 basement for the shelter of stock. 
 
 Our subject was born in Count}- Donegal. Ire- 
 land, in 1845. and is consequently in the prime of 
 life. He was one of a large family of children, the 
 offspring of William and Margaret (Buchanan) 
 James, the former of whom, a farmer by occupa- 
 tion, was of Irish birth and ancestry, and died when 
 his son Charles was a little lad five years of age. 
 The widow with her seven children emigrated to 
 America in 1850, and settled in Mercer County, 
 Pa., where she took u|) a tract of land, and where 
 our subject developed into manhood. He was em- 
 ployed for a number of years in the oil regions of 
 the Kej'stone .State, which he left in 1867 to seek 
 his fortune across the Mississippi. Upon first coming 
 to Nebraska he employed himself at farming six 
 years in Otoe County, then returned to Pennsyl- 
 vania, and was married, in Venango County, to 
 Miss Maria S. Strawbridge. Aug. 23. 1863. This 
 lady was born in the latter county in 1845, where 
 
 she was reared to womanhood and received her 
 education in the common schools. Her parents, 
 Benjamin and Alvira (.Sheffield) Strawbridge, were 
 natives of Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, and the 
 father was a farmer b}' occupation. They spent 
 their last years in Venango County, Pa., dying at 
 an advanced .age. Their family included three 
 sons and six daughters, all of whom are living. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. James soon after their marriage 
 returned to Nebraska, and took up their abode in 
 an humble dwelling on the land which our subject 
 had secured from the State, and here the}' have 
 since made their Lome. The household circle was 
 completed by the birth of four children, one of 
 whom, a son, George W., died when seven weeks 
 old. The survivors are Mary E., Charles S. and 
 Hattie F. The eldest is thirteen years of age and 
 the }'oungest eight, and all are at home with their 
 parents. Mr. James, politicall}-. is a sound Repub- 
 lican, and both he and his estimable wife hold a 
 good position in the social circles of their com- 
 munity, enjoying the friendship of its best people. 
 
 ^—^^ 
 
 (« )>:ILLIAM SCHACHT. The name which 
 \/iJ// ''''^"^1® ^^ ^^^ head of this sketch is a fami!- 
 \^/^ iar one to a large majority of the people of 
 Os.age Precinct, of which he was one of the very 
 first settlers, and is now one of its most extensive 
 land-owners. His broad fields, embracing an area 
 of 1.200 acres, includes some of tlie finest farming 
 land along the southern line of the count}'. Situa- 
 ted in a beautiful and level valley, its soil, under 
 careful cultivation, yields abundantly the lichest 
 products of Nebraska. The farm buildings of Mr. 
 Schacht invariably attract the attention of the trav- 
 eler through this region, as comprising all that is 
 convenient for use and handsome in architecture. 
 The dwelling, a fine qnd imposing structure, is 
 commodious and well arranged, and, within, pre- 
 sided over by a lady of great amiability and good 
 taste, illustrates the modern idea of the complete 
 home. The family move in the highest social cir- 
 cles of Osage Precinct, and have everything about 
 them to make life pleasant and desirable. 
 
 The subject of this sketch w.as born in the Prus- 
 sian Province of Westphalia, March 25, 1832. and 
 is the son of Christof and Wilhelmina (Brine) 
 Schacht, who were also natives of Prussia, and of 
 pure German ancestry. The father w.as born in 
 1797. and was an extensive farmer and land- 
 owner in his native Province. When a youth of 
 eighteen years he entered the German Army, and 
 fought under Frederick William III. against the 
 
 nd ,> 
 
754 
 
 OTOE COUNTY. 
 
 4agi 
 est; 
 
 fii-st Napoleon. He continueil in the arm}- until 
 the close of the war, then returned to the occupa- 
 tions of rural life, to wiiich he had been familiar 
 from his bo^'hood. He spent his entire life upon 
 his native soil, dying at the advanced age of eighty- 
 five years, in the svinter of 1882.- The mother had 
 preceded her husband to the silent land fourteen 
 years, her death having taken place in 1868, when 
 she was fifty-five years old. 
 
 The ten children of the parental family all lived 
 to mature years. They were named respective!}' : 
 Francis, August, William, our subject, Charlotte, 
 Katherine, Herman, Wilhelmiua, Henry, Louis and 
 Frederick. Of these six are now living, making 
 their homes mostly in Nebr.aska. 
 
 William staid with his father until a youth of six- 
 teen years, and then determined to seek his fort- 
 une on another continent. Embarking on the 
 '■Edmund," at the port of Bremen, he was tossed 
 about on the waves of the Atlantic for a period of 
 ten weeks and three days, finally landing in the 
 (Mty of New Orleans. Thence he went up the river 
 by steamer to St. Louis, and from there to Frank- 
 lin Count}', Mo., where he was engaged one and 
 one-half years at his uncle's in farming. 
 
 We next find our subject in ftLicoupin County, 
 111., where he w.as engaged in farming four years. 
 Thence he returned to Missouri, and was in the 
 employ of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company 
 two years. The spring of 1857 finds him first in 
 Nebraska City, where he was occupied in draying 
 three years. Next he rented a tract of land near 
 the city, upon which he farmed two years. In the 
 fall of 1859, when the first land sale was opened in 
 Nebraska, he purchased 160 acres of land in Osage 
 Precinct, ami settled in a log house, in April, 1862, 
 being one of the earliest pioneers of that place. 
 
 The neighbors of Mr. Schacht were at this time 
 few and far between. xVs soon as possble he pro- 
 vided a shelter for his family, and set about the 
 improvement of his property. It is hardly neces- 
 sary to recapitulate the story of the early settler 
 and the difficulties which beset him on either hand, 
 the far-away market, the lack of railroad facilities, 
 the indifferent machiner}' for farm purposes, and 
 the numberless other difficulties with which he had 
 to contend. Our subject, however, had inherited 
 too largely of the traits of his substantial German 
 ancestry to permit him to give way to discourage- 
 ments. He fought his way successfully, and in 
 due time found himself surrounded by the results 
 of his labor, in the shape of a good area of culti- 
 vated soil, convenient and comfortable farm build- 
 ings, and all other accessories of the progressive 
 agriculturist. In due time he added to his real 
 estate, purchasing at different periods 160 acres in 
 
 Johnson County. 520 acres in McWilliams Pre- 
 cinct, Otoe County, and enough in Osage Precinct 
 to make up the sum of 1240 seres. The most of 
 this is now urder a state of cultivation, and repre- 
 sents a value approaching §100,000. In 1884 he 
 helped start the Bank -^f Talmage, of which he is 
 now a stockholder. When we consider that the 
 proprietor began at first principles, having no 
 capital save his courageous heart and willing hands, 
 it must be admitted that he has done well. 
 
 To Miss Caroline Bock, of Missouri, our subject 
 was married, at Nebraska City, on the 14th of 
 April, 1859. Mrs. .Schacht, like her husband, is 
 also a native of Prussia, and was born Oct. 18, 
 1836. Her parents were Christof and Caroline 
 (Krappig) Bock, also of German birth and parent- 
 age, and the father a farmer in good circumstances. 
 He died in his native Germany in 1843. when but 
 forty-three years old. The mother subsequently came 
 to America, and died at the home of her daughter, 
 Mrs. M. Hofman, in Leavenworth, Kiin., Feb. 22, 
 1879, at the advanced age of eighty-one years. 
 The parental family included four children — 
 Minnie, Dora. Caroline and Hannah. 
 
 The mother of Mrs. Schacht, when the latter was 
 a young girl eighteen years of age. came with her 
 family to America, settling in Gasconade County, 
 Mo., where Miss Caroline made the acquaintance 
 of her future husband. Of their union there have 
 been born ten children, two of whom, .lohanna and 
 Henry, died when fifteen years and several hours 
 old respectively. The others are Charlotte. Min- 
 nie, Emma, Herman. Caroline. William. IMatilda 
 and Christof. Charlotte is the wife of Charles 
 Brandt, a traveling salesman for an agricultural im- 
 plement firm of Omaha: they reside at Nebraska 
 City. They h;\ve two children — Martha and Otto. 
 Minnie married Henry Arniknecht. and they are 
 living on a farm in Arapahoe County, Col.; they 
 have three cluldren — Bertha, Martha and Ellen. 
 The younger children of our subject continue under 
 the home roof. Herman is an especially bright 
 boy, and was for a time a student in the Business 
 College at Burlington, Iowa. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Schacht are members in good 
 standing of the Evangelical Lutheran Church at 
 OsHge. Mr. S. was one of the charter members, 
 assisting in its organization, and has been uniformly 
 a most liberal an<l cheerful contributor to its sup- 
 port. Politically, he votes the straight Republican 
 ticket, has been a member of the .School Board in 
 his district for a period of eighteen years, and Road 
 Supervisor fur several years. He is a man whose 
 influence has been most sensibly felt in this region, 
 and one the very force of ^<'hose example has 
 worked good to the entire precinct. 
 
Jf^ 
 
 ^TT* 
 
 ^^■) 
 
 
 
 CASS COUNTY, 
 
 NEBRASKA. 
 
 j^s 
 
 4^ 
 
 •►^t^ 
 
 -f 
 
 •^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
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 91^ ^■'^t- 
 
 •► II <• 
 
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 WiM^ cJj^ 
 
 J4^^<^^''^^.^ 0^ii^^6^t<^^^^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 
 . JAMES M. PATTER- 
 SON, Cashier of the Bank 
 of Cass Countj% is one of 
 lattsmouth's most influ- 
 ential and liig-hly re- 
 peeted citizens, and as 
 ives us much pleasure to 
 ^|yy^ record a sketch of his life on the 
 exP^y^/O pages of this volume. He was born 
 ^v^i^ in Cross Creek Township, "Washing- 
 ton Co., Pa., Sept 28, 1836, of 
 Scotch-Irish ancestry, and his name 
 and lineage are closely interwoven 
 in the annals of the Kejstone State 
 from an early date in its colonial 
 history. His father, James Patterson, was born in 
 the same township as himself, April 24, 1798. and 
 his grandfather, the Hon. Thomas Patterson, was 
 born in Lancaster County, Pa., Oct. 1, 1764. The 
 father of Thomas, who was named AVilliam, was 
 born in the same county in 1733, and his father, 
 James Patterson, the great-great-grandfather of our 
 subject, was born in County Tj^i-one, Ireland, in 
 1708, of Scotch-Irish parentage. He came to 
 America when a young man, in 1728, settled in 
 Lancaster C'ount3', Pa., and eventually married 
 there. He was a farmer, and followed that occu- 
 pation in that countj^ until his death. He and his 
 wife reared a family of ten children. The great- 
 grandfather of our subject was reared and married 
 in his native county, and moved from there to Wash- 
 
 ington County about 1779. He crossed the Alle- 
 ghanj^ ]\Iountains with pack horses, accompanied by 
 his family, and settled on a tract of heavily tim- 
 bered land in the midst of the primeval forest that 
 covered that part of the countrj', which was then 
 considered in the "Far West." He made the 
 journey to I'hiladelphia on horseback to secure a 
 patent to his land from the State, the patent that 
 he obtained bearing the signature of Benjamin 
 Franklin. He cleared and highly improved a good 
 farm from the wilderness there, whereon he made his 
 home until death called him to a better life, June 
 29, 1818, and his body now rests in Cross Creek 
 Cemetery. In 1794 he erected a substantial stone 
 house that is still standing, and is occupied by his 
 great-grandson. Robert M. Patterson. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject was reared in his 
 native county, and when a youth of fifteen accom- 
 panied his parents to their new home in the wilder- 
 ness in Washington County. He was married, in 
 Westmoreland County, Oct. 6, 1795, to Miss Eliza- 
 beth Findley. Her father, great-grandfather of our 
 subject, the Hon. William Findley, was for many 
 years a prominent IMemlier of Congress from Penn- 
 sylvania. The grandfather of our subject, Thomas 
 Patterson, settled in Washington County, and 
 erected saw and flouring mills on Cross Creek, which 
 are still owned by his descendants. The locality 
 became known as Patterson's Mills, and his death 
 occurred there in November, 1841. Politically, lie 
 was a Democrat, and one of the leaders of his 
 
 •> I I < • 
 
 •►:il-^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 758 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 40tt 
 
 parly. He served four terms in Congress, and won 
 an honorable record as a statesman. He held a 
 commission in the State Militia, and was known as 
 Gen. Patterson. His wife died Jan. 8, 1837. 
 Twelve children liad been born to them, of whom 
 three died in infancy, and seven sons and two 
 daughters grew to maturity. 
 
 The father of our subject passed tlie early years 
 of his life in the home of his birth, and when a 
 young man engaged in milling, but later he 
 turned his attention to the mercantile business at 
 Patterson's jNIills, where he was Postmaster, also, 
 for a number of years. The last few years of his 
 life he lived retired, enjojdng a handsome compe- 
 tence, and died Aug. 17, 1861. The maiden name 
 of his wife was Eliza Walker, and she was born in 
 Cross Creek Township. Feb. 22, 1802. Her father, 
 Alexander Walker, grandfather of James M., was 
 born in Bedford County, Pa., and there began life 
 as a farmer. He subsequently moved to Washing- 
 ton County, where he bought a tract of land, and 
 there he carried on agricultural pursuits until his 
 death. The mother of our subject died at Patter- 
 son Mills, Dec. 9, 1886, having rounded out the 
 venerable age of eighty-four years. There were 
 eleven children born to her and her husband, nine 
 of whom grew to maturity, as follows: Elizabeth, 
 Marjr A., Thomas M., Alexander W., Jane, Am- 
 brose, James M., David F. and Emily A. 
 
 James M. Patterson, the subject of this sketch, re- 
 ceived his education in the public schools, and 
 when quite young commenced clerking in his 
 father's store, and later, in company with his 
 brother Thomas M., succeeded to his father's busi- 
 ness. In 1860 he sold out, and in March, 1861, 
 came to Nebraska, then a Territory, and located at 
 Rock Bluff. That place was then a small but flour- 
 ishing town, nearly as large as Plattsmouth at that 
 time. In comp.nm- with his brother Ambrose he es- 
 tablished himself in the mercantile business there, 
 and the}' carried it on together for three years. At 
 the expiration of that time they sold out. and the 
 subject of this sketch returned to Pennsylvania to 
 buy sheep, purchasing 1,000, and shipping, them by 
 rail to the western terminus of the railway at 
 Ottumwa, Iowa. From there he drove them to Cass 
 County to graze on the large tracts of wild prairie. 
 
 Three years later he sold the sheep, and again en- 
 gaged in the mercantile business at Rock Bluff, in 
 company with his cousin, James A. Walker, under 
 the firm name of Patterson & Walker, continuing 
 until 1873, when they disposed of their stock and 
 business at a good profit. In 1874 Mr. Patterson 
 came to Plattsmouth to take up his residence. He 
 soon became influential in public affairs, and in 
 1877 was elected Citj^ Treasurer. His administra- 
 tion of that office was marked by a faithful devo- 
 tion to its responsibilities, and it added to his 
 reputation as a financier of more tlian ordinary 
 ability, and it was indeed so satisfactory that he held 
 it for five consecutive years. In the fall of 1877 he 
 was elected County Treasurer, and was re-elected in 
 the fall of 1879, his experience amply qualiying 
 him for that important office. Wlien the Bank of 
 Cass County was organized, in 1881, its Directors 
 gladly availed themselves of his valuable services 
 as a financier, and elected him to be casliier, which 
 position he still holds. His invariable courtesy 
 and kindly manners make him popular with the 
 pati'ons of the bank, as well as generally liked by 
 many others in the community. He is influential 
 in politics, standing high in the Democratic party, 
 with which he has always affiliated. In 1884 he 
 was candidate of his party for Presidential Elector, 
 and in 1888 was candidate for State Treasurer. In 
 him this count}' has found an able representative of 
 her interests in the halls of legislation. In 1862, in 
 Territorial days, and again in 1870 he was elected 
 a member of the House, and served on a number 
 of important committees, and in 1882 he was 
 elected to the Senate, and represented his constit- 
 uency with ability and honor. 
 
 Mr. Patterson was married. Aug. 17, 1858, to 
 Ellen H. Campbell, a native of Cross Creek Town- 
 ship, AVashington Co., Pa., where she was born Oct. 
 31, 1838. Her father, Samuel Campbell, was born 
 in Belmont County, Ohio, and his father. David 
 Campbell, was born in Washington County, Pa. 
 He was a farmer, and spent his last years in Wash- 
 ington County. His wife, Mrs. Patterson's grand- 
 mother, whose maiden name was Ann Rea, a daugh- 
 ter of William Rea, was a native of that county, 
 and there spent her last years. Samuel Campbell is 
 a farmer, and is still a resident of Washington 
 
•►Hl^^^ 
 
 ■^"T 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 759 
 
 Countj, bis home being in Independence Town- 
 ship. The maiden name of his wife was Jane 
 McGugin, and she was a native of Washington 
 County, Pa. Her parents, who were the grand- 
 parents of JMrs. Patterson, were David and Jane 
 (Vincent) McCiugin, natives and lifelong residents 
 of Pennsj'lvania, the former dying at the age of 
 eighty-seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Patterson's mar- 
 ried life has been blessed to tliera b}^ the birth of 
 ten 'children, two of whom are deceased: Kate 
 Florence, w^ho was born in Pennsj'lvania, and died 
 in the second year of her age; and Ella, who was 
 born in Rock Rluff, and died in Plattsmouth at the 
 age of ten years. The names of the other children 
 are Jennie C, James, Thomas M., Samuel, Eliza AV., 
 Edith, Charles A. and Rea. Jennie married the 
 Hon. R. B. Windham; James married Grace A. 
 Anderson, and he is assistant casliier in the bank; 
 Thomas M. married Nettie M\'ers, and is book- 
 keeper in the bank. The other children are single 
 and at home. James, although only a little over his 
 majority, was elected City Treasurer of Platts- 
 mouth in the spring of 1888, which position he 
 still holds, and fills to the entire satisfaction of his 
 constituency. 
 
 On an adjoining page we print an admirable 
 portrait of this honored citizen of Cass County. 
 Standing as he does in the front ranks of her best 
 citizens, it is fitting that it should appear as a' 
 frontispiece to the biographies of her leading 
 people. 
 
 REDERIC F. REXFORD, a stalwart and 
 sturdy representative of the pioneer agri- 
 culturists who came to Cass County wliile 
 it was yet in its infancy, and iiave watched witii es- 
 pecial interest its rapid growth, is an influential and 
 leading citizen of Centre Precinct, where he settled 
 in 1866, on iiis present homestead. He is well and 
 favorably known throughout the county as a man 
 of unusual aljilit}', great energy, and of unswerving 
 integrity. He fought valiantly in the late war for 
 the defence of his Nation's honor, and of his war 
 record he has reason to be proud, for few men 
 served longer, took part in more severe engiige- 
 
 ments, endured more hardships, or exhibited more 
 personal bravery. He Jwas born in Chateaugay, 
 Franklin Co., N. Y., Sept. 14, 1839, and lived there 
 until seven years of age, then moved to Malone in 
 the same county, where he grew to man's estate, 
 receiving a good common-school education. His 
 father, Isaac Rexford, was born Oct. 28, 1807, in 
 Vermont, and there passed his early life, and there 
 learned the cooper's trade. He married Miss Louisa, 
 daughter of Frederic Fuller, who was a blacksmith 
 of Keeseville, Essex Co., N. Y. After marriage 
 tliey moved to Canada, wiiere Mr. Rexford worked 
 at his trade for awhile, then returned to New York 
 and located in Franklin County. Mr. Rexford also 
 served two years during^tlie late Rebellion, liut was 
 finally discharged on account of disability. He 
 afterward moved to Dayton, Ohio, wiiere he spent 
 his last years, dying there in November. 1886. He 
 was a member of the Baptist Cburch. and a worth}- 
 man and citizen, His widow is still living, and 
 makes lier home with our suliject. 
 
 F. F. Rexford, of whom we write, moved from 
 his native countj- to Ohio, and soon after the break- 
 ing out of the late civil strife enlisted, Aug. 16, 
 1861. in Compan}' A, 2d Oliio Cavalry. After 
 sufficient drill the company was sent to St. Louis, 
 Mo., and was at Camp Benton Barracks a w«ek, then 
 went to St. Joseph and Ft. Leavenworth, thence to 
 Kansas City, and had its first engagement at a town 
 (Independence) twenty miles east, where the first 
 man in the company was killed ; then proceeded 
 to Ft. Scott. Kan., and had that place as headquar- 
 ters. In the summer of 1862 the company made 
 different raids in Missouri, Arkansas and Indian 
 Territory, having a number of small engagements, 
 and in the fall of 1862 was ordered back to Co- 
 lumbus, Ohio. There the members were remounted 
 and re-equipped, and sent into the Army of the 
 Ohio, under command of Gen. Burnside. In April 
 they were ordered to Kentucky, having Somer- 
 set as headquarters, and in the middle of June five 
 companies maiie a raid into Eastern Tennessee over 
 the Cumberland Mountains, our subject being 
 among the number. Thej' had a hard lime to get 
 back, having to fight their waj- through, losing 
 most of their horses, some of the soldiers being two 
 weeks without horses, and in a starving and ragged 
 
 i- 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 reo 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 ^^ 
 
 coiifHtion. While they were away the balance of 
 the division went for Morgan, and helped to capture 
 him at the Ohio River. The3- then went into camp 
 at Crab Orchard. Ky., where the3' were again re- 
 fitted, and sent with Burnside to East Tennessee to 
 keep possession of it, and there took an active part 
 it; the siege of Knoxville. They staid there until 
 January, when provisions and provender for the 
 horses gave out. They were in a good many en- 
 gagements in the valley during the fall and winter, 
 antl our suliject lost his tent mate, many of his com- 
 pany being killed or dying from exposure. In 
 Jaiuiar}' his company veteranized, and was sent home 
 on a thirty-days furlough. The sufferings of tlie 
 men had been so great that they were willing to do 
 anything for a few da3's at home. The soldiers 
 afterward met at Cleveland, and were transported 
 to Cincinnati, and from there ordered to the Poto- 
 mac. They went to Annapolis. Md., and staid there 
 until ordered to Washington, where they were 
 again re-cquipped. On May 1 the compafiy of 
 which our subject was a member was ordered to the 
 front to take part in the Wilderness campaign, 
 being in the thick of those hardly fought engage- 
 ments, forcing Lee back to Richmond. The arm^' 
 then crossed the river on pontoons, moved on to 
 the south side of Petersburg, then up on to the 
 Weldon Railway. A raid was organized, and our 
 subject and his comrades were sent into Virginia, 
 destroj'ing rebel railways and supplies for eight}' 
 miles. The}' had more or less engagements all of 
 the time, captured many trains, tore up rails, and 
 burned trains. On their return the enemy got in 
 front of the cavalrj', and harassed and divided the 
 company, so that they were forced to cut their way 
 through, some riding hard for three days and nights 
 oil circuitous routes, finally bringing up in Union 
 quarters. 
 
 Our subject was disabled, not being able to wear 
 his boots for two months, but not a day of rest did 
 he have, and for two weeks did not unsaddle but 
 once, and then for fifteen minutes only. After get- 
 ting back to Sandy Point on the James River, they 
 left their worn out horses there, and took transports 
 for Baltimore, with hardly enough clothes to be 
 decent. They had neither hats nor shoes, manj' 
 with simpi}' underclothing. Thej" got off at Balti- 
 
 more, and lay on the pavement the rest of the 
 night. The sanitary commission clothed them as 
 best the}' could, and proceeding to Washington, our 
 subject's regiment arrived there just in time to head 
 off Gen. Early, who was within four miles of the 
 city. The rebels retreated up the Shenandoah, and 
 Mr. Rexford was one of the number who was des- 
 patched in pursuit. The Arraj' of the Shenandoah 
 was then formed, Sheridan taking command. Gen. 
 Custer commanded the 3d Division of cavaby, 
 to which our subject behjnged, and in that valley 
 they were in many hard battles, naniel}' : Winchester, 
 Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, and so on up the vallej', 
 drawing the enemy clear m) be3'ond Danville. They 
 went into winter quarters near Winchester, staying 
 there until the latter part of February, 1865. 
 The}' were then ordered up the valley to ji>in 
 Grant at the south side of Petersburg. The 
 regiment was engaged in the battle of Five Forks, 
 where it lost very heavily. Our subject was also 
 present at the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. 
 The war closing his regiment w.as ordered to Wash- 
 ington to take part in the grand review, and was 
 thence ordered to Missouri, gciingtothe Ohio River 
 by railway, and then on transports to St. Louis, 
 thence to Raleigh and S|)ringfiold, where the mem- 
 bers did duty in fort, guarding ammunition until 
 September 1. They were then sent to St. Louis, 
 where they were mustered out, and thence trans- 
 ported to Columbus, Ohio, and discharged after a 
 continuous service of four years and one month, 
 with but two furloughs, one of five days and one of 
 thirty days. 
 
 In the spring of 18CG our subject concluded to try 
 his fortunes in the Great West. The broad prairie 
 land of Nebraska, with its rich soil and genial cli- 
 m.ate, seemed a great inducement to him to settle. 
 He then bought the farm which he now owns, 
 a part of it lying on section 2.5, and a i)art on 
 section 3G. his residence being on the former section. 
 The land was in its normal condition, not a furrow 
 having been turned, and not a tree of any descrip- 
 tion in sight. Nothing daunted by its appearance 
 Mr. Rexford immediately began its improvement. 
 He put up a small house, set out five acres of forest 
 trees, planted an orchard and plenty of small fruits 
 which have borne much and good fruit the past fi''- 
 
)c/W}>>m/7if) 
 
-€*■ 
 
 ^l 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 teen j'ears. The land is under good cultivation, 
 and suriounded by either fence or hedge. He does 
 an extensive business in general fanning, raising 
 grain, horses, hogs and cattle. Besides attending 
 to that business, which is as much as an}' farmer 
 usually has time for, our subject is interested in the 
 manufacture of sorghum, having been working up 
 the enterprise for several years. He is now using 
 an evaporator and crusher sent him from Buffalo, 
 which is one of the most complete machines of the 
 kind, and is putting in steam power. He has al- 
 ready' given much time and thought, and invested 
 a good deal of money in his efforts to place the 
 business on a paying basis, and he now thinks he 
 sees his wa}' to a profitable end. Our subject has 
 also discovered a fine bank of potter's clay on his 
 farm, and is now tr^'ing to utilize that in some 
 manner. His ability and judgment are recognized 
 by all, and he is as anxious to benefit his town and 
 his townspeople as himself, and works for their in- 
 terests as unselfishly as his own. Having held the 
 various precinct offices he lias materially advanced 
 the cause of good government within its limits. 
 
 Mr. Rexford was united in marriage to Miss 
 Susan Torrence, in Percival, Iowa, March 16, 1868. 
 (For her parental history see sketch of Sylvester 
 Torrence.) Of this union four children have been 
 born, of whom three are still living, namely : Willis, 
 Ada and Charles. Both Mr. and Mrs. Rexford are 
 valued members of the Congregational Church and 
 of the Sunday-school, he having been Deacon for 
 more than twenty yeais. He is also a prominent 
 member of the G. A. R., LaFayette Post No. 61, 
 of Weeping Water. 
 
 ^^EN. ROBERT RAMSEY LIVINGSTON, 
 
 (ll ^/ ^^' '^'' "^* '^°'" '" ^Io"*^''eaU Canada, Aug. 
 ^\^S! 10, 1827. and his father, also named Robert 
 Ramsey Livingston, was a native of Scotland. 
 Gen. Livingston was reared in his native cit}', and 
 received his preliminary education in the Royal 
 Grammar School, which was then under the charge 
 -^» — 
 
 of Alexander Skakel, LL. D. He afterward pur- 
 sued the study of medicine'at Magill University, 
 in the same city, from which institution he was 
 graduated with honors. Subsequently he attended 
 medical lectures at the College of Physicians and 
 Surgeons in New York City. A few years later he 
 became interested in the copper mines of Lake 
 Superior, and was appointed Secretary of a cora- 
 l^any formed for working those mines, spending a 
 part of his time at the mines, and a part at the of- 
 fice of the company- in Boston. In 1857 mining, 
 in common with many other branches of industry, 
 suffered a collapse, and oursubject resumed his pro- 
 fession as a ph^'sician. In 1859 Dr. Livingston 
 came to Plattsmouth, then a small town, and here 
 opened an office and established himself in his pro- 
 fession in this city. 
 
 In 1861, during the absence of the proprietor. 
 Dr. Livingston assumed the charge of the Platts- 
 mouth Herald. While he was filling the editor's 
 chair the Civil War broke out, and he, with pa- 
 triotic zeal and ardor, took a prominent and active 
 part in sustaining the Union cause. At the time of 
 the arrival of the news of the firing on the '-Star of 
 the West," the weekly issue of the Herald was in 
 the press; work on it was at once suspended, and 
 the Doctor immediately had a large number of pos- 
 ters struck off, calling on all loyal men of Cass 
 County to meet that evening in the hall over the 
 printing-office. The call was promptly responded 
 to, and a full company of infantry was organized 
 that night. Dr. Livingston's name heading the list 
 of privates. He was immediately and unanimously 
 elected Captain of the company. To him is due 
 the credit of having raised and organized the first 
 military company in the Territory of Nebraska for 
 the suppression of the Rebellion. This was before 
 there had been any call for troops, but he held his 
 company in readiness, and June 11, 1861, it was 
 mustered into service as Company A of the 1st 
 Nebraska Infantry, and w.as sent South. In Decem- 
 ber of that year Capt. Livingston w.as promoted to 
 the rank of Major, and in June, 1862. another pro- 
 motion gave him the rank of Lieuten.ant Colonel. 
 A few months afterward he vvas m.ade Colonel of 
 his regiment. He was a brave and gallant officer, 
 and took an .active part in the battles of Ft. Henry, 
 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 764 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 Ft. Doiielson, Shiloh, Corinth and many others. 
 In the summer of 1863 Col. Livingston was ap- 
 pointed fommandino; oflicer of the post at St. Louis, 
 and a few months Inter received the appointment 
 of commanding officer of the District of St. Louis. 
 He served with distinction in Arkansas, and re- 
 ceived the thanks of the Legislature of that State 
 for ridding it of the roving bands of guerrillas and 
 bushwhackers that infested that region. The fol- 
 lowirfg is a copy of the resolution of thanks passed 
 at that time by the Arkansas House of Repre- 
 sentatives: 
 
 '■Whereas. Col. R. R. Livingston, Commandant 
 of the Northeastern Division of the State of Arkan- 
 sas, has manifested on all proper occasions an ear- 
 nest and patriotic desire to ameliorate the suffering 
 condition of the numerous loyal refugees that have 
 been driven from their comfortable homes and fire- 
 sides hy the ruthless, wanton and traitorous bands; 
 " Therefore, Be it resolved by the General Assembly 
 of the State of Arkansas, that, in consideration of 
 the sterling worth exhibited in the chivalric and 
 generous character of Col. R. R. Livingston, 1st 
 Nebraska Regiment, Commandant of the North- 
 eai5tern Division of Arkansas, we feel it to be our 
 duty to, and hereby do express in our own behalf, 
 and in behalf of those who have been relieved by 
 many repeated acts of disinterested humanity, the 
 thanks of this Legislature, and sincerely hope that 
 he will be preserved to humanity, to whom he has 
 rendered such valuable service." 
 
 In the latter part of the year 18G3 the regiment 
 commanded by Col. Livingston veteranized, and 
 while at home on furlough he was assigned to duty 
 on the northwestern frontier, to take care of hostile 
 Indians. With his command he soon rid the ter- 
 ritory of the savages, and restored peace and quiet 
 to the settlers. In the spring of 1 865 our subject 
 was breveted Brigadier General. In July of that 
 year his regiment was mustered out of service, and 
 Gen. Livingston laid down the sword for the scal- 
 pel, and resumed his professional duties in Platts- 
 mouth. In 1869 he was appointed Surveyor Gen- 
 eral of Iowa and Nebraska by President Grant, 
 serving in that capacity two years. Meanwliile he 
 became interested in the building of the Burlington 
 & Missouri River Railway in Nebraska, and in 1870' 
 
 -^*' 
 
 he was appointed surgeon of that road, and held 
 that position until his death, which occurred Sept. 
 28, 1888, at his home in Plattsmouth. He was a 
 public-spirited citizen, and materially aided the 
 improvement and growth of the State, mnch credit 
 having been due him for organizing the Nebraska 
 State Medical Society, of which he was the first 
 President one j'ear, and Corresponding Secretary 
 several 3'ears. He was also devoted to the best in- 
 terests of his adopted city, and actively promoted 
 various beneficial schemes for its advancement dur- 
 ing the several terms that he officiated as Mayor- 
 He was, from the time of its organization to his 
 death, a member of the State Board of Fish Com- 
 missioners, having been President of the same for 
 a time, and at the time of his death was Chairman 
 of the city Board of Health. 
 
 Gen. Livingston was a thoroughly bus}' man, 
 and, in addition to attending to his public and 
 private business, he served for a number of years as 
 President of the faculty of the Omaha Medical 
 College, and gave lectures on the principles and 
 practice of surgery in that institution, and also in 
 the State University at Lincoln. Socially, he was a 
 prominent member of the Masonic fraternitj", and 
 was Master of Plattsmouth Lodge No. 6, A. F. & 
 A. M., for four years, and High Priest of Nebraska 
 Chapter three years, and Grand High Priest of tiie 
 R. A. M. of the State eighteen months. At the 
 time of the organization of the Mt. Zion Cora- 
 mandery No. 5, K. T.. in 1873, he was made Emi- 
 nent Commander, and served acceptably for several 
 i years. Politically, Gen. Livingston was a Repub- 
 lican until 1872, when he supported Horace Gree- 
 ley, and after that time he afHliated witii the 
 Democratic party. A portrait of Gen Livingston, 
 M. D., is shown in this volume. 
 
 Theodore P. and Robert Livingston, physicians, 
 Plattsmouth, Cass Co., Neb., are worth}' successors 
 to the practice of their father, the late Gen. R. R. 
 Livingston. The former was born at Dingman's 
 Ferry, Pike Co., Pa., Feb. 6, 1864, and the latter 
 in Plattsmouth, Neb., Sept. 23, 1866. 'i hey are 
 both graduates of the Omaha Medical College, 
 Theodore having received his diploma in March, 
 188.5, and Robert his March 22, 1888. They 
 are bright, talented young men, and have a promis- 
 
 _ •►- 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 765 
 
 ing future before them, their practice gradually 
 increasing in this city, where they arc well known, 
 and are rapidly gaining the coiifldence of their 
 patrons. 
 
 «Ai- 
 
 "il/ OHN T. MARSHALL is a man of more than 
 average enterprise and force of character, and 
 well represents the agricultural interests of 
 Cass County, owning and managing a farm 
 on section 25, Weeping Water Precinct, on which 
 he has one of the finest residences in the southern 
 part of Cass Count}'. Mr. Marshall devotes his 
 time mostly to raising stock, paying especial atten- 
 tion to raising thoroughbred horses of the Hanible- 
 tonian race. 
 
 Our subject was born in England, Dec. 8, 1857, 
 and is a son of John Marshall. (For parental his- 
 tory see sketch of Wiljiam Marshall.) He lived in 
 his native land until fourteen j'ears ol age, working 
 the last two years at the shoemaker's trade, which 
 he learned of his father. At the age mentioned he 
 accompanied his parents to this country, coming 
 directly to Nebraska as soon as they landed. His 
 father took up the land now included in the farm 
 of our subject, and he and his family lived here one 
 summer. They then moved into the city of Weep- 
 ing Water, where Mr. Marshall, Sr., went into busi- 
 ness, at first manufacturing and repairing boots and 
 shoes, continuing thus engaged until 1876, when he 
 and his son, our subject, opened a store under the 
 firm name of John Marshall & Son. The store is 
 still standing, being the first, and is still the only 
 exclusive bo(jt and shoe store in Weeping Water. 
 The firm continued business under its original name 
 for five years, and built up a large trade in that 
 time. John Marshall then sold out to his son Will- 
 iam, and the firm name was changed to Marshall 
 Bros. The father still continues to work for the 
 firm in the repairing department. Three years later 
 our sul)ject, wishing to devote his time more ex- 
 clusively to agriculture, sold his interest to his 
 brother Arthur U., and the business is still carried 
 on under the old style, Marshall Bros., although, 
 there has been another change, their brother Charles 
 being a<lmitted into partnership, William and Arthur 
 retaining the management of affairs. The farm on 
 
 which our subject lives was when his father took it 
 up wild prairie land owned by the railway company, 
 and he paid $10 an acre for it. It now presents a 
 very different appearance with its many valuable 
 improvements, and indeed is considered one of the 
 best farms in the precinct. There is a good grove of 
 forest trees, an orchard of choice fruit trees already 
 in bearing order, and a variety of small fruits, our 
 subject raising all that he needs. There is a good 
 hedge around the farm, and a substantial set 
 of buildings is provided for every possible use, 
 even the stock being housed, Mr. Marshall not lik- 
 ing to have bis anim.als suffer when he is cofnfort- 
 able, reminding one of the saj'ing, "a merciful man 
 is merciful to his beast." He has expended $1,500 
 on his buildings alone. Mr. Marshall devotes his 
 farm principally to raising horses, cattle and hogs, 
 and carries on a very lucrative business in that line. 
 He is raising a high class of thoroughbred horses, 
 and h.as a fine Hambletonian mare and stallion. 
 
 The marriage of our subject with MissL. Medella 
 Smith was solemnized in the month of iNLay, 1880. 
 In the 3'ears that have followed two children have 
 been born to them — Clara C. and T. Walter. The 
 elder stays with her grandparents during the school 
 year. Mrs. Marshall is a twin daughter of C. P. 
 Smith, formerly of Plattsmouth, but now a resident 
 of Lincoln. He is a native of the State of Vermont, 
 as was his wife, whose maiden name was Callista 
 Felch. He went to Mississippi to teach before the 
 war, and there his daughter, of whom we write, w.as 
 born. Soon after the war he moved to Nebraska, 
 and is now living in retirement in Lincoln. His 
 wife is a member of the Presbyterian Church at 
 Lincoln. 
 
 Mr. Marshall is a man whose character is above 
 reproach, and his generosity and liberality are well 
 known, every appeal from the suffering and needy 
 sounding a responsive chord in his large, warm 
 heart. He is faithful in his discharge of his duties 
 as a citizen and as a man, and while a resident of 
 the village of Weeping Water his fellow-citizens 
 honored him by entrusting to him the otfice of 
 Trustee, which position he held for three years. He 
 is prominently identified with the K. of P.. the I. 
 O. O. F., and the Masonic fraternity, serving three 
 years as Secretary of the latter, and he has held the of- 
 
t 
 
 >^f^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 X 
 
 fices in the Odd Fellows' Lodge up to Representative 
 to the Grand Lodjje and District Deputy'. He and 
 his wife are among the most active members of the 
 Congregational Church at Weeping Water, and in 
 the Sunday-scliool. Mrs. Marshall, socially, is a 
 Daughter of Rebecca, a lodge connected with the I. 
 O. O. F.. located at Weeping Water. Mr. Marshall is 
 also manufacturing boots and shoes at the village of 
 Avoca in connnection with his farming. 
 
 \T^ DGAR A. STOPHER. As an enteriirising 
 fej and wide-awake business man of Cass 
 jf' — <^ County, and one who, through his o.wn 
 efforts, has established himself among the promi- 
 nent and wealthy men of his community, we take 
 great pleasure in placing a brief sketch of the varied 
 life experience of this gentleman before the public. 
 He is a native of Iowa, born in Princeton, Feb. 27, 
 1842. His father, Samuel Stopher, was of German 
 descent, and was born in Lancaster County, Pa., 
 but removed from there with his parents when 
 quite young to the Western Reserve in Ohio. He 
 afterward learned the carpenter's trade, in Portage 
 County, and subsequently removed to Kalamazoo, 
 Mich., where he married Miss Wealthy French, a 
 native of New York. In 1838, accompanied by 
 his family, Mr. Stopher went to Scott County, 
 Iowa, traveling with teams, there being no rail- 
 ways, and not even a stage route across Illinois, 
 and located seven miles below the mouth of the 
 Wapoo River. He was one of the first settlers of 
 that State, and entering 160 acres of land from the 
 Government, improved a fine farm. In 1860, be- 
 ing seized with the mining fever, he went to the 
 Rocky Mountains and engaged in mining and hotel- 
 keeping, then for a year freighted on the plains. 
 In 1863 he enlisted for one year in the 2d 
 Nebraska Cavalry to fight against the Indians. 
 When his time had expired he returned to Iowa, 
 and engaged in agricultural pursuits on his own 
 farm. In 1874 Mr. Stopher disposed of that farm, 
 and coming to Nebraska, bought eight}' acres of 
 land, where he resided until his death, in 1881. 
 His widow is still living on the home farm, in Ne- 
 braska, at the age of sixtv-nine years. She is a 
 
 woman of rare Christian character, and a member 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. To her and 
 her husband were born three children — Edward 
 and Ellen, both of whom are dead, and Edgar A. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm, 
 and his schooling consisted of an attendance of 
 three months each winter in the district schools of 
 Iowa until he was eighteen years of .age. Educa- 
 tional advantages were not as good then as at pres- 
 ent, and he can remember when the first High School 
 of his native State was established at Mt. Vernon. 
 In 1860 he went with his father to the Rocky 
 jNIountains, and engaged in mining. He also had 
 several claims, but was not successful in his vent- 
 ures. He continued there two years, and then 
 went back to the farm in Iowa with his mother and 
 sister. In the fall of 1863 he went to Omaha, where 
 he enlisted in the same company with his father, 
 Company K, 2d Nebraska Cavalry, and was sent, 
 under command of Gen. Sully, into Dakota, skir- 
 mishing and scouting. At the battle of AVhite Stone 
 Hill they routed the Indians, and his father es- 
 caped death only by the fleetness of his horse. He 
 served his time, and was mustered out of service at 
 Omaha, in December, 1863, and honorably dis- 
 charged. Mr. Stopher then engaged in rafting on 
 the Mississippi River, and continued until June, 
 when he returned to the home farm. Sept. 20, 
 1864, he was drafted into the army, and mustered 
 in as a private, in Company- C, 14th Iowa Volunteer 
 Infantrj-,at Davenport. He did garrison duty for 
 awhile, and was twice sent to Louisville, Ky., serving 
 until the end of the war, when he was honorably 
 discharged at Davenport, in Julj% 1865. 
 
 Our subject then farmed in Iowa until 1868, 
 when he again came to Nebraska. He came by rail 
 to Pacific Junction, then walked to Cass County, 
 and took up a homestead claim of eighty acres on 
 section 30, Stove Creek Precinct. Having secured 
 his land, Mr. Stopher returned to Iowa for his 
 family, and in the fall came back with them across 
 the countrj' with teams, and settled on his land. It 
 was unbroken, but by incessant toil and skill he 
 has evolved a fine farm from the wild prairie, on 
 which he has ere<-ted a handsome residence, a com- 
 modious barn, and other necessary farm buildings. 
 He has set out groves of trees, an orchard, built 
 
 <^ 
 
 -^U. 
 
«► II <• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 r 
 
 windmills, and made more thorough improvements 
 than are to be found on many Western farms. As his 
 means have allowed he has purchased ^other land, 
 until his home farm comprises 320 acres, and he 
 has besides two farms in Tipton Precinct, Cass Co., 
 Neb., one of 120 acres and another of 160 acres. 
 Besides carr_yirig on farming on an extensive scale, 
 Ml. Stopher deals largely in stock, buying and 
 feeding cattle, and shipping them to Omaha, 
 where he always finds a ready market. He also 
 raises hogs of a fine breed, having as many as 200 
 at the present time. On his home farm may be 
 seen many fine cattle of the I^urham stock, and also 
 a large number of 'horses of fine grades. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Stopher and Miss Hannah 
 Hogan was solemnized in Princeton, Iowa, Jan. 17, 
 1867. Her parents, Hiram and Susan (Reynolds) 
 Hogan, were born respectivelj^ in Cambridge, 
 AVashington Co., N. Y.,in 1800, and in Hayhridge, 
 Adams Co., Vt., in 1807, being of Irish and Scotch 
 origin. Both her paternal and maternal grand- 
 fathers served in the Revolutionary War seven 
 years, her grandfather Hogan having been cut 
 down with a sabre and left for dead, but subse- 
 quently recovered. Mr. and Mrs. Hogan were 
 married in the State of New York, but shortly 
 afterward removed to Ijidiana, where he worked at 
 carpentering one year. In 1845 the}' removed to 
 Canada, and he worked at his trade there for sev- 
 eral years. In 1865 he emigrated with his familj- 
 to Scott County, Iowa, wiiere he remained until the 
 spring of 1871. Desiring then to establish himself 
 in a permanent home he came to Nebraska and 
 pre-empted a claim of eighty acres in Cass County, 
 whicli he proved up and converted into a fine 
 farm, remaining here until his death, in Septem- 
 ber, 1878. Mrs. Hogan died during their residence 
 in Canada, July 16, 1851. To them had been born 
 eight children, as follows: Janet, Solomon, Me- 
 lancton S., Leonard, Harve^' and Levi, all deceased; 
 Hannah and Ozial. The wife of our subject was 
 born in Ontario County, N. Y., Aug. 25, 1840. She 
 received a good education, and taught school with 
 success previous to her marriage. Of her union 
 with Mr. Stopher seven children have been born, 
 namely: Edward, Frank, Belle, Hattie, Walter, 
 John and Minnie. Belle is attending school at 
 
 *t 
 
 Crete, Neb., and Frank is on a ranch in Lamar, 
 Wyo. 
 
 Mr. Stopher is well and favorably' known 
 throughout the county, being one of its most influ- 
 ential and prominent citizens. He has a fine 
 physique, is tall and well formed, has a command- 
 ing figure, and with an intellect equally well de- 
 veloped, he is a wortly representative of the 
 highest class of manhood, and a man ,of whom his 
 fellow-citizens are justly proud. Mrs. Stopher is 
 a refined, well-educated matron, having all the 
 attributes of a noble woman, and presides with 
 much grace over the hospitable home of herself 
 and husband. Our subject takes a warm interest 
 in educational matters, and has served for twelve 
 years on the School Boai'd. He is a member of 
 the G. A. R., Kenesaw Post No. 123, at Elmwood, 
 being a charter member, and is at present Com- 
 mander. He is likewise a member of the A. O. 
 U. W. at Elmwood. In politics he is a straight 
 Republican, fearlessly expressing his opinions at 
 all times, and has been a delegate to county and 
 State conventions. Religiously, Mrs. Stopher is a 
 communicant at the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 ^,^ prrER COON was one of the very ear- 
 liest settlers of Centre Precinct, as when 
 he settled here in 1867, he and his brother 
 were the onlj' residents of this part 
 of the county for awhile. Our subject early 
 identifled himself with the agricultural interests of 
 Cass Count}', and is now a prosperous grain and 
 stock raiser, with a fine farm on section 20, town- 
 ship 11. range 11. When he first became the pos- 
 sessor of this place it was in a state of nature, form- 
 ing part of an extensive, wild prairie, and on this 
 prairie, where since have sprung up valuable farms, 
 he broke the first furrow and set out the first tree. 
 Peter Coon, Sr., the father of our subject, was born 
 in New York, either in Columbia or Dutchess 
 County. He received a good practical education 
 in his native State, and was there married to Miss 
 Elizabetii Wheeler, and there, in their home in 
 Columbia County, a family of nine children, all of 
 whom grew to raatnrit}', was born to them. In 
 
••► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1837 Mr. Coon disposed of liis farming interests in 
 iS'evv York, and moved with his family to Luzerne 
 County, Pa., and there lived on a farm until his 
 death in 1843, when scarcely past the prime of life, 
 at the age of forty-five years, five months and 
 eleven days, he having been born In 1798. His 
 widow survived him and married again, living 
 until about 1878, in Nebraska. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was boin in Columbia 
 County, N. Y.. Aug. 31, 1833, and lived in the 
 place of his birth until he was four years of age, 
 when his parents moved to Pennsylvania. He ac- 
 quired a sound education in the common schools, 
 and at the age of twenty-two left home and made 
 his way to LaSalle County, 111., and was there en- 
 gaged in farming for twelve years. April 6, 1865, 
 he enlisted in defense of bis countrj', and served 
 until the close of the war as a member of Company 
 C, 104tli Illinois Infantry. He vvas in the Army 
 of the Cumberland under Gen. Sherman, and was 
 honorably discharged July 12, 1865. In 1867 
 Mr. Coon concluded to invest the money that 
 he had made in farming in Illinois in Nebraska 
 land, and came here with his family for that pur- 
 pose. He lived for a 3'ear in Weeping Water, and 
 in the meantime looked about for a suitable loca- 
 tion, and finally selected a tract of eight}' acres of 
 land now included in the present homestead. He 
 also owned an 80-acre farm a mile to the east, and 
 a farm in Clay County, but he has since sold them 
 to use the funds in other ways. His present farm 
 was at the time that he took possession unculti- 
 vated prairie, but by hard labor and wise manage- 
 ment he has improved it into one of the best places 
 for miles around. It is ornamented by a beautiful 
 grove of five acres of forest trees, and a good or- 
 chard, and he has 'built a fine house, that would 
 grace any Eastern village, it being a model of taste 
 and convenience, 22x28 feet in demensions, two 
 stories in height and an L. It was one of the 
 first good houses erected in this locality. The farm 
 is highly cultivated, and our suliject raises a large 
 amount of grain and a good deal of stock of high 
 grades. 
 
 Mr. Coon in earl}' manhood, while still living in 
 Pennsylvania, took unto himself a wife in the per- 
 son of Phcebe A. Bennett, their union being con- 
 
 summated in December, 1854. To them the fol- 
 lowing children have been born: Sarah Alice, 
 Mary Rosella, George Edwin, Katie Belle, Henr}' 
 Everton, P~rederick Eugene. Sarah Alice married 
 Aaron Jenkins, of Cass Count}-, and they have two 
 children, Walter and Charles; Mary married Cliarles 
 Bouton, and now lives in Cheyenne County; they 
 have one chilil, Lloj'd E. The remainder of the 
 children are at home, and have been given good 
 educational advantages. Mrs. Coon was born in 
 New York, May 27, 1833, and lived there until 
 about fifteen years of age, when she accompanied 
 her parents, Hezekiah and Sally (Flint) Bennett, 
 to Pennsylvania. Her father was a shoemaker by 
 trade, and he died in his Pennsylvania home. His 
 widow is still living in Dundaff, Susquehanna 
 County. She reared a family of six children. Mrs. 
 Coon has been a faithful wife and a loving mother. 
 She looks vvell to the ways of her household, and to 
 her co-operation our subject is undoubtedlj- greatly 
 indebted for his prosperity. 
 
 Mr. Coon is a man of sterling common sense and 
 a good capacity for business. He has always been 
 deeply interested in the welfare of his adopted 
 county and township, and has done what he could 
 to further their advancment. He has not taken 
 part in public affairs, excepting as a member of a 
 local school board. He is a firm believer in the 
 policy of the Reimlilican party, and always casts 
 his vote in its favor. 
 
 El LIAS SAGE. Adjacent to the city of Platts- 
 mouth is one of the pleasantest homes in the 
 ^ northeastern part of this county, situated on 
 a rise of ground overlooking a goodly portion of 
 the surrounding countrj' and especially of the town. 
 This has been the abiding-place of the subject of 
 this sketch for the last nineteen years, who became 
 a resident of Nebraska in the fall of 1858. A native 
 of the Empire State, he was born in Lewis County, 
 April 17, 1820, and is the son of Harvey Sage, who, 
 it is believed, was born near Copenhagen, N. Y., in 
 1794. 
 
 Our subject was named after his paternal grand- 
 father, EliasSage, Sr.,a native of Sandisfleld, Mass., 
 
 •► II 4 »- 
 
 •►^ll-^ 
 
•►Hl-^*- 
 
 ••► 
 
 •^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 7G9 
 
 and Iioni in ITriO. The latter was the son of Sam- 
 uel Sage, who was the son of Nathaniel Sage, the 
 latter born in Connecticut, in 1707, and a son of 
 John Sage. The last-named gentleman was the son 
 of David Sage, a native of Wales, who crossed the 
 Atlantic about 1G52, thirty years after the landing 
 of the Pilgrim Fathers. He settled in Middletown, 
 Conn., where he spent the remainder of his days, 
 and the stone marking his grave is still standing in 
 Riverside Cemetery, on the banks of the Connecti- 
 cut River. 
 
 This David Sage was married in February, 16G4, 
 to INIiss Elizabeth, daughter of John Kirliy. His 
 great-greatgrandson, Elias, the grandfather of our 
 subject, left New England probably when a young 
 man, and settled in New York State (biriiig the 
 pioneer days of Lewis County. His occupation as 
 an agriculturist was interrupted by the War of 1812, 
 during which he shouldered his musket and hastened 
 to the defense of his country. After the British 
 had been again driven from American soil he re- 
 sumed farming in Lewis County, and there spent 
 the remainder of his days. 
 
 Harvey Sage, the father of our subject, served by 
 the side of his honored sire in the War of 1812 
 when quite a youth, and for his services was given 
 a land warrant, which Elias purchased after his re- 
 moval to Nebraska. He was reared a farmer like 
 his forefathers, and upon reaching manhood pur- 
 chased land in the vicinity of Denmark, Lewis Co., 
 N. Y., upon which he operated until 1844. That 
 year, leaving the Empire State, he emigrated to the 
 vicinity of Fulton, Whiteside Co.. 111., making the 
 journej' overland with teams. He purchased a farm 
 four miles northeast of the town of Fulton, when 
 the small village of Chicago, 170 miles distant, was 
 the nearest market for grain. The round trip oc- 
 cupied about ten days, and the present flourishing 
 city of the AVest contained only a few thousand 
 souls. In 1856 Harvey Sage sold out his farm 
 property and retired from active labor, taking up 
 his abode at a snug home in Pekin, 111., where he 
 resided with his children until his death, which oc- 
 curred Jan. 7, 1882. 
 
 The mother of our subject was in her girlhood 
 Miss Elizabeth Hager and was born in Schoharie 
 County, N. Y., where she spent her childhood and 
 
 youth. She passed aw.a^- at the home of her hus- 
 band at the farm near Fulton, III., about 1848. The 
 parental family consisted of five children, who are 
 recordad as follows: Warren was born June 14, 
 1814, and came to Plattsmouth, Neb., from Illinois 
 about 1865, where he engaged in farming, and died 
 about 1872; Bernard was born April 5, 1816, and 
 died at Ypsilanti, Mich., about 1884; Henry was 
 born March 22, 1818, and resides in Auburn, this 
 State; Sarah Maria became the wife of Orvilla Cut- 
 ler, and died at Carthage, N. Y.,sorae j^ears ago. 
 
 Our subject was the 3'oungest son of his parents, 
 and was reared to man's estate in his native county. 
 He acquired his education in the common schools, 
 and began teaching when nineteen years old, fol- 
 lowing this profession during the winter season, 
 while in summer he was occupied on the farm. In 
 Maj", 1843, he made his wa^' to Whiteside County, 
 111., and purchased a quarter-section of land near 
 the town of Fulton. There had been brought to a 
 very good state of cultivation about 100 acres of 
 this land, and upon it were log buildings which he 
 was enabled to utilize for a fewj'ears until he could 
 substitute better. He still continued teaching and 
 farming alternatel3', and continued a resident of 
 that county until the fall of 1858. Then, selling 
 out, he removed to Pekin and changed his occupa- 
 tion to that of milling. 
 
 Subsequentlj', desiring to see the country west 
 of the Mississippi, Mr. Sage made his waj' to 
 Nebraska Territory via the Illinois and Missis- 
 sippi Rivers to St. Louis, thence by steamer to St. 
 Mary's, and landed in Plattsmouth twenty-one days 
 after starting from St. Louis. Plattsmouth was then 
 a hamlet of perhaps 100 souls, with two stores. The 
 settlements in the Territory were confined princi- 
 pally to the neighborhood of the river, the land a 
 few miles back being still owned by the Govern- 
 ment and occupied by Indians. Deer were plenti- 
 ful, and a few miles west, in the southwestern part 
 of the Territory, buffaloes were frequentlj'seen roam- 
 ing over the country. 
 
 Mr. Sage first rented a tract of land near the pres- 
 ent city limits, upon which he operated one year, 
 and in 1860 started out with a company to cross 
 the plains, and twenty-eight daj's later, on the 1st 
 of May, they arrived upon the present site of Den- 
 
 *► 1 1 < •• 
 
 ■<• 
 
u 
 
 -•► 
 
 <9 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ver, Col., there being then little indication of the 
 present important arid flourishing city. Mr. S.nge, 
 in company with others, went into the monntains 
 and prospected for a time, but not finding gold, re- 
 tnrned to Plattsmoulh in September following, and 
 has since been a resident of this city. 
 
 Our subject, while iiaving his residence within the 
 city, improved a tract of school land three miles 
 out, and was principally' occupied at this for four 
 years. Tiie outbreak of the Rebellion then fur- 
 nished unlooked-for employment, as in October, 
 1862, he enlisted in Company H. 2d Nebraska Cav- 
 alr3',and repaired to the frontier in quest of Indians, 
 and serve<l fourteen months and twenty days in the 
 West and Northwest. At the expiration of his term 
 of enlistment he received his honorable discharge 
 and returned home. 
 
 After resuming the peaceful pursuits of a civilian 
 our subject put up a house on his farm, but other- 
 wise turned his attention in a different direction, 
 and became agent for the Haines Harvester, in the 
 interest of which he traveled over a large part of 
 Nebraska and Western Iowa. He was tlius employed 
 until the fall of 1 883, but in the meantime, in March, 
 1 870. purchased his present home, which comprises 
 a tract of land twentj'-nine acres in extent, and 
 which is mostly devoted to the raising of .small 
 fruits, which find a ready market at Omaha. His 
 land joins the corporation and is consequently quite 
 valuable. 
 
 While a resident of New York Mr. Sage was mar- 
 ried, Oct. 14, 1841, to Miss Eliza A. Wright, who 
 was born in Vermont, and died at Fulton. 111., Sept. 
 8, 1853. Of this union there were born three chil- 
 dren, who are still living: Eugene H. is a resident 
 of May wood. Frontier County, this State; Harvey 
 W. is occupied at the tinning business in Platts- 
 mouth, and Amelia, the wife of- E. T. Duke, lives 
 at Omaha. Mr. Sage contracted a second marriage, 
 April 21, 1855, with Mrs. Carrie Potter. She is 
 the daughter of William Chambers. This lady was 
 born in Troy, N. Y., May 9, 1828. Her father was 
 a native of the city of Tro3', and the paternal 
 grandfather, Leonard Chambers, wasanative of Ire- 
 land, whence he emigrated to America early in life, 
 settling in Troj', N. Y., where he spent his last days. 
 
 AVilliam Chambers was reared in his native State, 
 
 New York, and married Miss Elizabeth Sage, who 
 was born in Connecticut, and traced her forefathers 
 direct to David Sage, who was prominent in the 
 early history of New England. Both parents died 
 in New York State. The present wife of our subject 
 was first married in Jefferson County, N. Y.. in 
 1851, to Samuel E. Potter. The latter was born in 
 Steuben County, and was the son of John S. and 
 Lydia M. Potter. He died in Champion, that county, 
 March 25, 1853. Of this marriage there was born 
 one child, a daughter. Nellje, who became the wife 
 of J. S. Burnett, and they are now residents of 
 Maywood, Frontier County, this State. In politics 
 Mr. Sage is a good Republican. 
 
 — , ^^ ^ 
 
 j^_^ON. FRANCIS M. RICHEY, formerly a 
 [ifjij prominent resident of Union Count}', Iowa, 
 iAW^ is now one of the leading citizens of the 
 i^) city of Plattsmoutb, where he is extensively 
 engaged in the lumber business, and he is also at the 
 head of public affairs as Mayor of this municipalit}'. 
 He was born in Franklin Count}', Ohio, ten miles 
 west of Columbus, the State capital. May 1 1, 1841 
 On his father's side of the house he is derived 
 from an honorable Irish ancestry, his grandfather, 
 John Riche}-, having been born in Eastern Penn- 
 sj'lvania. His parents came to America in Colonial 
 times, and fought with the Colonists in their strug- 
 gle for independence during the Revolutionary 
 War. He subsequently settled in Erie County, Pa., 
 but he afterward moved from there to Muskingum 
 County, Ohio, where he spent his last years. 
 
 His son, Welsh Richey, the father of our subject, 
 was born in Erie County, Pa., and was there reared. 
 He removed from his n.ative State to Ohio, and first 
 lived in Muskingum County, and later made his 
 home in Franklin County. He erected a woolen- 
 mill and operated a carding-machine, but th.at vent- 
 ure prove<l a finanial failure, and he lost all his 
 property. He then returned to Muskingum County 
 with his family, and resided there until 1854. He 
 was an ambitious man, and hoping to improve his 
 fortunes, in that year he started westward to locate 
 in Iowa, the removal being made overland with 
 teams. He became a prominent pioneer of Union 
 
 Ht^ 
 
 •►^K-^ 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 
 County, where lie pre-empted a tract of Government 
 land in April. lSo5. lying three miles from the 
 l)rcfent site of Afton. the greater part of the land 
 in that part of tlie country being owned by the 
 United States, and for sale at the price of $1.25 an 
 acre. The first house was built in Afton the spring 
 that he bought his land, there not being many white 
 settlers in that vicinity, Init there were 2.000 Indians 
 making their home there. Deer and other wild 
 game roamed at will over tlie wild, uncultivated 
 prairies. There being no railways west of the 
 Mississippi at that time, all the stock, hogs and cattle 
 had to be (biven to Burlington for shipment. Mr. 
 Ridley commenced to improve his farm, first. erect- 
 ing a log cabin to shelter his family. In 1857 
 death crossed the threshold of that humble abode, 
 and the father and husband was no more. The 
 mother of our subject was his fourth wife, and to 
 them were born three children. Her maiden name 
 was Sarah McClurg, and she was a native of Penn- 
 sylvania. She survived her husband many j'ears, 
 dying in Afton in 1880. 
 
 The suliject of this sketch was thirteen years old 
 when he accompanied his p.arents to Iowa, and he 
 remembers well tlie incidents of the journey and of 
 pioneer life after settlement. He had attended the 
 |)ublic schools in his native place in Ohio, and after 
 the removal to Iowa he became a pupil in the prim- 
 itive pioneer schools of that period. After his 
 father's death he assisted his elder brother in the 
 improvement of the old homestead, and continued 
 to reside with his mother until he was twenty-one. 
 He then started out in the world to see what he 
 could make of life on his own account. He secured 
 a situation with the Western Stage Company to 
 drive a stage from Afton to Chariton, a distance of 
 sixty miles. He continued thus engaged for a year, 
 and then commenced teaming from Eddyville (then 
 the western terminus of the railway) to Afton. In 
 the spring of 1863 he came to the Territory of Ne- 
 braska, and starting from Plattsmouth with a load 
 of freight, drove across the plains to Denver and 
 returned to his starting point, making the round 
 trip in seventy days. He then went back to Afton 
 and resumed his business of freighting. He was 
 wideljr and favorably known throughout that part 
 of the State where he had made his home since bov- 
 
 ■^*- 
 
 hood, his frank and geni.al manners making him' 
 popular with all classes of men, and his keenness, 
 promptitude, and decision of character, securing 
 their respect, so that when he was proposed for the 
 responsible office of Sheriff of Union Count}', in 
 1868, he received tlie hearty support of his fellow- 
 citizens, and was elected; and so well were his con- 
 stituents satisfied with his alile and vigorous inanag- 
 ment of the duties devolving upon him that he was 
 three times re-elected, serving four terms. In 1879 
 he settled on a farm in Dodge Township, Union 
 County, and engaged in agricultural pursuits for a 
 few years. In 1880 he was again called from his 
 seclusion to enter public life, his fellowrcitizens 
 having elected him to represent Union County in 
 the State Legislature. His course as a member of 
 that honorable boily marked him as a wise and sen- 
 sible legislator, who had the best interests of his 
 country at heart. Among the more important com- 
 mittees on which he served we may mention the 
 Railway Committee and that of Compensation for 
 Public Officers. In 1882 Mr. Richey settled up his 
 affairs in Iowa preparatory to taking up his resi- 
 dence in this State. ICver since then he has been 
 engaged in the lumber business in the city of Platts- 
 mouth, and has built upan extensive and flourishing 
 trade. His large business interests have brought 
 him in contact with many people, and he is well 
 known throughout the county, and none know him 
 but to respect and esteem him, alike for his social 
 and manly qualities. 
 
 Mr. Richey was married, in 1865, to Miss Paulina 
 Dickinson, a native of Will County, 111. Seven 
 children were born to them — May, Lou, Frank, 
 Charles, Fannie, Emma and Bertha. In Septem- 
 ber, 1885, the pleasant household of our subject sus- 
 tained a sad loss in the death of the beloved wife 
 and mother, a lady of rare merit, whose admirable 
 traits of character had gained her many warm friends 
 in this city. 
 
 Mr. Richey has always been a stanch Republican 
 in his political sentiments, having cast his first 
 vote for Abraham Lincoln. During his residence 
 here he has been a conspicuous figure in the 
 public life of the city, his fellow-citizens gladly 
 availing themselves of his sagacity, knowledge of 
 affairs and wide experience, to assist them in the 
 
 •^¥:i^ 
 
.>-ll^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 government of the nuinieipalily. Twice he has been 
 electe(] to the important office of Maj'or, first in 
 I880 and again in 1888, so that lie is the present 
 incumbent of the mayoralty. All agree that under 
 his able administration the eit}' has never been bet- 
 ter governed, was never more prosperous, or never 
 had more encouraging prospects for future develop- 
 ment. Our subject is prominent!}' identified with 
 the I. O. 0. F., having joined the order in Afton, 
 in 1873. 
 
 •#-w 
 
 ^=^ARRY TREAT, well known throughout Cass 
 III I--, County as one of its early settlers, is a rep- 
 ^^^Jj resentative farmer and prominent citizen 
 of Centre Precinct, living just outside the city limits 
 of Weeping Water, where he settled in June, 1860. 
 He is well informed on all matters pertaining to the 
 township, and from him we learn the source of its 
 poetic name. The legend runs as follows: A beauti- 
 ful Indian maiden was captured, heart and bod}', by 
 the brave chief of a hostile tribe. Tiie Pawnees, 
 to which tribe she belonged, hurried in ])ursuit, and 
 a battle took place on the banks of the stream, in 
 which all the braves of that tribe were killed. The 
 tears shed b}' the maids and widows, thus bereft 
 of lovers and husbands, caused the stream to break 
 forth, which was named Nehr.awka, meaning in our 
 language Weeping Water. 
 
 Garry Treat, Sr., father of our subject, was born 
 June 19, 1799, in Orange, Conn., where he was 
 reared and educated. He was married in Tallmadge, 
 Summit Co., Ohio, to Mary T. Woodruff. She 
 was also a native of Connecticut, where her birth 
 occurred in 1805. The farming country of the 
 undeveloped West seemed to offer especial advant- 
 ages to the father of our subject, and he accord- 
 ingly changed his location to Tallmadge, Ohio, where 
 he was married as above stated, and where he died 
 in April, 1847, while yet in the prime of life. His 
 widow and her family of little ones continued to 
 live on the farm several years. 
 
 In the spring of 1860 Garrj' Treat, Jr., the sub- 
 ject of our sketch, following in the footsteps of his 
 father, pushed on farther West to look for a new 
 and better location. AVith a horse and carriage, 
 and a little dog for company, he left the Ohio 
 
 homestead, and after traveling one month came to 
 Weeping Water, tiien a small hamlet of less than 
 half a dozen log houses. The whole population 
 consisted of the families of Messrs. Reed, Wolcott, 
 Taylor, and two other men who have since gone to 
 their long rest. Mr. Treat took up 240 acres of un- 
 improved land on section 35, township 11, range 
 11, on which were a small log house and a well of 
 water. He at once commenced the improvement 
 of his land. 
 
 After securing his land Mr. Treat went to Tabor, 
 Iowa, where he enlisted in defense of the Union in 
 August, 1863, becoming a member of Company 
 B, 29th Iowa InfanUy. He served in the Western 
 Department, and took an active part in several en- 
 gagements. At the battle of Spoouville, Kan., he 
 was wounded in the leg, which soon swelled to twice 
 its original size, and being overlooked by the sur- 
 geons of the Union Army, he wasca[)tured by the 
 rebels, and held several days on the field near Jen- 
 kins' Ferry. He was then taken to a rebel prison 
 in Princeton, Ark., and for a month was in the 
 rebel hospital there ; thence with 100 other prisoners 
 he was removed to Camden, and confined in a com- 
 mon prison, a building that had formerly been used 
 as an auction prison for slaves. There he remained 
 five months, barely subsisting on the maggotty 
 pork, stale meat, and crusts of moldy bread doled 
 out to him. From there he was. taken to Tyler, 
 Tex., and was kept in a small stockade for four 
 months with 3,000 other prisoners. Mr. Treat was 
 paroled after an imprisonment aggregating ten 
 months of suffering, Feb. 15, 1864, and ten days 
 later was delivered at the mouth of the Red River 
 to Union officials. The moment that his ej'es be- 
 held the stars and stripes on that occasion will ever 
 be remembered as the happiest one of his life. Our 
 subject next went to New Orleans as a paroled 
 prisoner, and three or four weeks later, his time 
 having nearly expired, he was given a furlough and 
 sent up the river to St. Louis, whence he proceeded 
 to Clinton, Iowa, where he received an honorable 
 discharge June 5, 1865. 
 
 Before returning to his home Mr. Treat visited 
 Tabor, Iowa, to fulfill a previous engagement, that 
 of marriage with Miss Catherine Hanley, a success- 
 ful teacher in some of the public schools in the 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 773 
 
 neiglihorliood. She is a native of Hector, N. Y., 
 and eanie to Iowa with her brother. Her parents, 
 Aaron H. and Caroline (Smith) Hanley, lived and 
 died in the Empire State, hohling an honorable 
 position among the farmers of their community. 
 Our subject brought his bride to his homestead in 
 Centre Precinct, which is just outside of the city 
 limits, in precinct 3, and commenced the develop- 
 ment of his farm in earnest. He has made all the 
 improvements himself, turning the first furrow, set- 
 ting out trees, planting an orchard. shrubber3-, and 
 many small fruits. In 1870 Mr. Treat built a sub- 
 stantial stone house which is a model of neatness 
 and taste, and will be a monument of iiis industry 
 and prosperitj' for years to come. In all of 
 his labors he has had the cordial assistance of Mrs. 
 Treat, who has been a devoted wife and faithful 
 mother. To them have been born two children — 
 Charles H. and Anna May. The former is a ma- 
 chinist in Syracuse, N. Y., and the latter is attend- 
 ing the academy at Weeping Water. Our subject 
 has always taken an active interest in the advance- 
 ment of the city, and helped forward all commend- 
 able enter|)rises for its benefit, having proved 
 himself so true a benefactor that he is often spoken 
 of as one of the real city fathers. He has steadil}' 
 avoided all public office, though he has served 
 acceptably to all as Supervisor of the precinct. In 
 politics he is a Republican, and supports the prin- 
 ciples of that part}'. Mr. Treat is an esteemed 
 member of the Congregational Church, while Mrs. 
 Treat commnnes at tiie Baptist Church, of which 
 she became a member in early life. 
 
 \f ACOB RUSTERHOLZ, an honored citizen of 
 
 I Cass County, is connected with its stock- 
 
 ^..^ I, raising and farming interests as one of the 
 (^^ most intelligent and progressive agricultur- 
 ists of Stove Creek Precinct, and his farm on section 
 20 is one of the most highly im|)roved and best 
 managed estates in this localitj'. 
 
 Our subject was born Aug. 15, 1836, on the 
 shores of Lake Zurich, Switzerland, which was also 
 the birthplace of his parents, Jacob and Elizabeth 
 (Gunthardt) Rusterholz. His father was a mason 
 
 and also a small farmer, and was a lifelong resident 
 of his native place, dying there in 1881. at the age 
 of seventj'-two. His wife died in 1849, at the .age 
 of thirty-nine years. They had five children, of 
 whom our subject, the second ciiild in order of 
 birth, was the only one vvho ever came to the 
 United States. 
 
 Our subject was reared amid the beautiful scenes 
 of his birthplace, and received a liberal education 
 in the schools of that vicinity, gaining a good 
 knowledge of both the French and German lan- 
 guages. After leaving school he went to work in a 
 cloth mill to learn how to manufacture cloth, and 
 in 1861, after he had become thoroughl}' conver- 
 sant with every detail of cloth-making, he opened a 
 manufacturing establishmentof his own in his native 
 land. He married, in 1862, Miss Saline Ryffel, a 
 native of Switzerland, and established a pleasant 
 home. For a few years everything went well, he 
 was prosperous in his business and happj' in his 
 domestic relations, and had prospects of a brilliant 
 future before him. Suddenly ail was changed b^- 
 the shadow of death falling over his peaceful home 
 in 1865, when his beloved wife was taken from him. 
 She left a son .Jacob, who is still living in Switzer- 
 land, where he is engaged as a butcher. After that 
 sad affliction his native land became distasteful to 
 him, and on account of failing health he sold his 
 business, wound up his affairs, and started to travel 
 to seek distraction. He sailed from Antwerp in 
 the steamer " Queen," and fourteen days later 
 landed in New York. He journeyed extensively 
 over the country, and finally coming to Nebraska 
 in 1868, decided to invest his capital in the rich 
 farming lands of this State and turn his attention to 
 agricultural pursuits, hoping thus far from the 
 scenes of his early days to soften the memories con- 
 nected with them, and in this salubrious climate re- 
 establish his health. He spent the first year in Ne- 
 braska City, and in the spring of 1869 be took up 
 his present homestead, then comprising but eighty 
 acres, and cast in his lot with the few settlers who 
 had preceded him in Stove Creek Precinct, and 
 thus became a pioneer of the place. He has proved 
 to be both a practical and skillful farmer, and has 
 met with unqualified success, having brought his 
 land to a good state of cultivation, and provided it 
 
 .>Ht^ 
 
 ?^:#-^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 with a neat arirl substantilal set of buildings, anrl 
 llie appliances for carrying on agriculture success- 
 fully, so that it is as a wiiole one of the best 
 equipped and most valuable farms in the precinct. 
 He has fenced it and planted groves, and an orchard 
 of 100 trees, and it is well sup|)lied with running 
 water from Stove Creek. He has added forty acres 
 of land, .adjacent to his homestead, to his original 
 purchase, and also has that improved. He does 
 general farming, and has some fine stock of good 
 grades, including fifteen horses of good blood. 
 
 Our subject was married a second time in 1876, 
 ill Stove Creek Precinct, to Miss Sophia Seiker, a 
 native of Germany. By her death in 1883 he was 
 a second time bereaved of a good wife. 
 
 Mr. Rusterholz is a man of fine mental capaeitj', 
 and is well informed on all topics of general interest. 
 His straightforn-ard, manly character and unblem- 
 islied reputation have won for him a high place in 
 the regard of his fellovr-citizens. In religion he 
 adheres to the German Reformed Church ; in politics 
 he is an earnest Republican. 
 
 ®S.SUOTT7r> — (jTv-, 
 
 •^ 
 
 i; 
 
 '•--•iiac.'5>^^ 
 
 ' ARON JENKINS, stock dealer, is one of 
 the foremost citizens of Manley Village, 
 Centre Township, where he owns some val- 
 uable property. He is erecting a commo- 
 dious residence here for his own use. He is the 
 proprietor of the only hotel here, which he has put 
 in charge of another man, and devotes his time 
 mainly to dealing in stock, in which he is quite 
 extensively engaged. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Ohio, Feb. 
 6, 1844, coming of good New England stock. His 
 father, Calvin Jenkins, was born in Massachusetts 
 about 1810, and there made his home the first few 
 years of his life. He then accompanied his parents 
 to Ohio, who at that early date must have been 
 pioneers of that State. He remained an inmate of 
 the parental household until he attained manhood. 
 He married Martha Barnes, and to them were born 
 five children, of whom all lived to maturity, two 
 afterward dj-ing in the army — Charles and Chaun- 
 cey. Those living are: Aaron, Edmund and Al- 
 bert, now in Ohio. Mr. Jenkins has been a farmer 
 
 -•*■ 
 
 all his life, and is now enjoying the fruit of his la- 
 bors on his well-ordered farm in Ohio. His esti- 
 mable wife, mother of our subject, died in 1853, 
 and he married again. His first wife was a native 
 of Connecticut, and with her parents went to the 
 Western Reserve in Ohio, where she married. 
 
 Our subject received an excellent education, and 
 after leaving school engaged in various occupa- 
 tions, and finally began to deal in stock. Leaving 
 his early home in Ohio he went to McHenr}' County, 
 111., and was there three j'ears prior to coming to 
 Nebraska. Before leaving his birthplace he had, 
 when a youth of eighteen, enlisted, Aug. 12, 1862, 
 in Company K, 105th Ohio, Infantry, and went 
 forth to fight for the stars and stripes, serving in 
 the Army of the Cumberland. He took part in 
 many active engagements, and at the battle of Per- 
 ryville he was wounded in the left thigh, and was 
 laid up for six months in a hospital at Louisville, 
 Ky. Returning to his regiment he was with it all 
 through the march to the sea, and continued under 
 Sherman until his honorable discharge at Washing- 
 ton, in June, 1865. he having won a good record 
 for bravery on the battle-field. In 1870 our subject 
 left Illinois and came to Nebraska to try farming 
 on this rich soil. He first settled in Clay County, 
 taking up a homestead on the wild prairie, and im- 
 mediatel3' set about its improvement, putting out 
 a grove and orchard, and also building a house. 
 He lived there twelve years, busily engaged in cul- 
 tivating the land, and then sold his property at a 
 good profit, and came to this place to take vip his 
 residence. This village had just been laid out, and 
 Mr. H. W. Gleason kept the only store in town, 
 and he and Mr. Williams, who kept a lumber-yard, 
 were the onlj- business men. Mr. Jenkins soon 
 erected a hotel, of which he is still the owner. It 
 is a good-sized, conveniently arranged house, two 
 stories in height, 26x28 feet in dimensions, and a 
 one-story L, 24x26 feet, making it a good, roomy 
 hotel, the first in the village, and the only one now. 
 Mr. Jenkins managed his hotel himself for some 
 time, until his duties as "mine host" conflicted with 
 his increasing business as a stock dealer, and he now 
 hires another man to look after the house. 
 
 Our subject was married, Dec. 24, 1875, to Miss 
 Alice Coon, and to them have been born two chil- 
 
t. 
 
 »► ni <t 
 
 ■•»- 
 
 -^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 dren, Walter T. and Charles F., both of whom are 
 receiving the benefit of good educations. His wife 
 was born in Illinois, Aug. 8, 1858, and when a child 
 came to Nebraska with her parents, Peter and 
 Phoebe (Bennett) Coon, of whom see sketch on 
 another page. 
 
 Mr. Jenkins having been reared in Trumbull and 
 Ashtabula Counties, the Western Reserve of Ohio, 
 settled mostly by New England people, inher- 
 ited those sturdy traits of character for which his 
 .incestry are noted, and his success in life was there- 
 fore assured almost from the start, as the}' marked 
 him as a man of practical ability, common sense, 
 and good habits. His fellow-citizens have shown 
 tlieir confidence in his judgment and integrity by 
 frequently soliciting him to hold office, and elect- 
 ing him to responsible positions, but he would never 
 qualify. However, he does his duty at the polls, 
 where he supports the Republican party. 
 
 THOMAS RANKIN. The Rankin family is 
 favorably known throughout Rock Bluff Pre- 
 cinct, and represents a good farm property 
 on section 16. It originated in Ii-eland. Thomas 
 Rankin, Sr., the paternal grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, having been born in Count}- Derry, where he 
 was reared to manhood and married. Later, in 
 compan}' with his brothers, AVilliam and Samuel, 
 and their families, he came to the United States. 
 Thomas and Samuel located in AVashington County, 
 Pa., and William in Fayette County. They en- 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits and spent the re- 
 mainder of their lives in the counties where they 
 first settled. 
 
 James Rankin, the father of our subject, was born 
 in County Derry, Ireland, and at about the age of 
 twelve came to America with his parents, and mar- 
 ried in Washington Count}', Pa. He served as a 
 soldier in the Revolutionary War from the begin- 
 ning to the close, entering the ranks when a youth 
 of eighteen 3-ears. In 1788, as he was crossing the 
 Alleghany Mountains, en route to Pliiladelphia after 
 a load-of salt, he stopped at a hotel on the mount- 
 ains to stay over night, and there met Samuel 
 Stejjhens and his faniilv, who were en route for 
 
 *t= 
 
 Western Pennsylvania for the purpose of locating 
 on a farm there. This chance acquaintanceship ri- 
 pened into a mutual friendship, which was further 
 cemented by the fact that Mr. Stephens became the 
 neighbor of the grandfather Rankin, and James 
 Rankin in 1 790 married IMiss Slartha, the eldest 
 daughter of Mr. Stephens. 
 
 The parents of our subject after their marriage 
 located on a tract of wild land in the woods, where 
 the father carried on agriculture, and where there 
 were born to them a familj' of nine children, 
 Thomas of our sketch being the sixth child. He 
 first opened his eyes to the light Jul}' 11, 1804, 
 and lived upon the homestead until a man of thirty- 
 five years. In the meantime the father died, about 
 1812, at the age of fifty years, after suffering 
 greatly from impaired health brought on by the 
 hardships which he endured in the army. The 
 mother survived her husband a long period, dying 
 about 1863, at the advanced age of ninety-three. 
 
 Thomas Rankin was married, in Washington 
 County, Oct. 27, 1840, to Miss Catherine, daughter 
 of Joseph and Catherine (Hopkins) Wright. Enoch 
 Wright, the paternal grandfather of Mrs. R.ankin, 
 served in the army during the Indian War in Penn- 
 sylvania, about 1814. He married Miss Rachel 
 James, and Joseph Wright, the father of INIrs. 
 Rankin, was their only child. Joseph was subse- 
 quently educated at Jefferson College, and became 
 a Methodist preacher. His death took place at his 
 home in Washington County, Pa., about 1852. 
 
 Mr. Rankin, our subject, left the Keystone State 
 in the year 1871, and then determined to seek his 
 fortunes on the other side of the Mississippi. Dis- 
 posing of his property interests at the old home, he 
 came to this county and purchased the land which 
 he now owns and occupies; it comprises in this 
 township 400 acres, and he also later became owner 
 of 160 acres in Pottawatomie County, Iowa, and a 
 ranch near Broken Bow, in Blaine County, this 
 State. His homestead embraces 400 acres of val- 
 uable land under a high state of cultivation, and is 
 situated on sections 21 and 15. He has comforta- 
 ble buildings, a goodly assortment of live stock, and 
 the farm machinery necessary for the carrying on 
 of agriculture after modern methods. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Rankin there have been born 
 •»> 
 
 
M- 
 
 776 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 twelve children, all of whom lived to mature years. 
 The\' were named respectiveh": Lucinda E. is the 
 wife of Jesse Merrill; thej^ live in Buchanan Count}', 
 Iowa. Rachel C, wife of Rev. James Imbrie, of 
 the United Presbyterian Church; they reside in 
 Armstrong County. Pa. Martha B., wife of R. R. 
 Yersou, of Broken Bow, Neb.; Mary L., wife of 
 W. F. Rankin; they reside on the ranch in Blaine 
 Count}', Xeb. D. Millie, wife of Robert Mout- 
 gomery; they reside in Butler County, Pa. James 
 S., who died Nov. 13, 1878; Joseph A., single; 
 Thomas S., who died in 1876; Sarah A., single; 
 ILnoch W., single; Anna F., single, and Charity J., 
 who died in 1880. The eldest son, James 8., dur- 
 ing the late Civil War enlisted in Company G, 140th 
 Pennsylvania Infantry, and served three years, 
 during which time his health was greatly injured 
 on account of privation and hardships. On his re- 
 turn from tlie army he was gi-aduated from West- 
 minster College, and after leaving the army devoted 
 tlie remainder cf his life to preaching the Gospel 
 as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 He died at his brother's in Rock Bluff Precinct, 
 Nov. 13, 1878. He was married, in September, 1867, 
 to Miss Nancy J. Jones, of Washington County) 
 Pa., and they became the parents of three children 
 — Lilly, Jessie and Joseph. The mother of these 
 died in August, 1873, five years before the decease 
 of her husband. Since his death Lilly and .Jessie 
 have made their home with their grandparents, our 
 subject and his wife. Little Joseph died soon after 
 the death of his mother. James Rankin partici- 
 pated in man}' of the important battles of the war 
 and was captured by the rebels at Gettysburg. He 
 was incarcerated in Belle Isle Prison a period of 
 three months, during which time he lost fifty pounds 
 of flesh. The history of that rebel bastile is too 
 well known to need repetition here. 
 
 Our subject and his estimable wife are members 
 in good standing of the United Presbyterian Church, 
 attending services at Murray. In the church Mr. 
 Rankin has been a Ruling Elder a period of nearly 
 forty years. He cast his first Presidential vote 
 for Jackson, and afterward became a Whig, then a 
 Republican, and voted for Lincoln and Grant, for 
 many years supporting the principles of that party. 
 He has always had a warm interest in the temperance 
 
 <■ 
 
 movement, which led him to identifly himself with 
 the Prohibitionists about 1872, with whom he now 
 votes and labors. During the agitation of the 
 slavery question he was a strong Abolitionist. 
 
 'Til— 5) BERGER. The family history of this sub- 
 fe) stantial and well-to-do resident of Rock 
 •V -^ ' Bluff Precinct is substantially as follows: He 
 w.is born in 181,5, and is the son of John Berger, 
 whose parents, Jacob and Catherine Berger, were 
 natives of Germany, where the}' were reared and 
 married. They emigrated to the United States at 
 an early date, about 1770 it is believed, and lo- 
 cated in Penns}lvania, where their son John was 
 born about 1775. 
 
 The grandparents left the Keystone State a few 
 years later, settling in Pittsylvania County, Va., 
 where, engaged -in agricultural pursuits, they spent 
 the remainder of their days. John Berger was 
 married in the Old Dominion to Miss Margaret, 
 daughter of Jacob Hedrick, the latter of whom was 
 also a native of Germany, and whose daughter 
 RLirgaret was born on the ocean during the voyage 
 of her parents to America. John Berger lived in 
 Virginia until 1830, then removed with his family 
 to Henry County, Ind., settling in the midst of a 
 heavy timber tract, from vvhicli he proceeded to build 
 up a farm. The first dwelling was a hewn log house, 
 in the building of which our subject took an active 
 part. They dressed the logs with their Itroadaxes, 
 rived boards for the shingles, and split the lath out 
 of the timber, all by hand of course, as there was 
 nothing else, not even a plane or turning lathe. The 
 dwelling, 18x36 feet in area, was one and one-half 
 stories in height, and when completed made a very 
 pretentious residence for those days. 
 
 Under this primitive roof-tree the parents of our 
 subject spent the remainder of their days, the 
 father dying in 1855 and the mother the year fol- 
 lowing, at the ages of ninety-one and seventy -eight 
 respectively. There had been born to them a fam- 
 ily of eleven children, ten of whom lived to mature 
 years, and all natives of Virginia. Enos was mar- 
 ried, in Indiana, to Miss Elizabeth Wallace, May 
 1 8, 1839. This lady was the daughter of Joshua and 
 
•►Hl-^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •►Ht^ 
 
 
 Sophia (Scott) Wallace, tben lesiflents of Fayette 
 County. Tlie young people began housekeeping in 
 W.iyne Cnunty, where our suliject had contracted 
 for the building of a part of the AViiite River Canal, 
 and they lived there until the contract was annulled 
 b}' the State. 
 
 In the j-ear 1843 Mr. Berger crossed the Mis- 
 sissippi with his little family, and made his way to 
 Andrew County', Mo., where they lived on a farm un- 
 til 1848, Mr. Berger in the meantime occupying him- 
 self mostly at stone cutting and masonry. He got out 
 the stone work of the court-house at Savannah, and 
 performed other important work in the construction 
 of some of the best buildings of that region. Upon 
 leaving Missouri the family took up their residence 
 in Warren County, Iowa, whence the\' removed in 
 the fall of 1849 to the present site of Winterset, in 
 Madison County. The following summer Mr. Ber- 
 ger put up the first house in that embr3'0 town. 
 That same summer this was selected as the county 
 seat. Mr. Berger was appointed Postmaster about 
 that time, serving two years, and was then elected 
 Treasurer and Recorder of the county, which joint 
 offices he held until leaving the Ilawkeye State in 
 1856. 
 
 In January, 1857, Mr. Berger erected a sawmill 
 in the vicinity of the present town of Rock Bluff, 
 and made preparations to remove his family to this 
 county, in which they took up their residence in 
 July following. Mr. B. and his eldest son, James 
 W., worked in the miH, and put np their house at a 
 time when the greater part of Rock Bluff Precinct 
 was an uncultivated prairie. The first dwelling of 
 the family was a small plank house, into which they 
 removed about 1865. In 1868 they completed the 
 commodious brick residence which the family now 
 occupy, and which is noticeable among the other 
 fine buildings of that region. In due time there 
 were added a frame barn, fences and orciiard, forest 
 trees and the smaller fruits, and all the other things 
 which conduce to make country life pleasant and 
 desirable. The Berger residence at the time of its 
 completion was considered the best farm house in 
 the county. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife there were 
 born seven children, namely : Josephine A., Mary 
 r E., James W., George T.. M. Francenia, John P. and 
 
 Luella M. Miss Josephine, the elilest daughter of 
 our subject, is the wife of A. S. Alley, an attorney 
 of Wilber. this State; Mary, Mrs. G. L. Seybolt. is 
 a resident of Jan Jose, C'al. ; her husband was special 
 postal agent and detective several years ago, until 
 tlie incoming of the Democratic administration, 
 when he was removed. He now o{)erates a fruit 
 farm. M. Francenia married A. R. Johnson. Presi- 
 dent of the Cable Railway Company of Omaha, and 
 who also has a large fruit faim in California; James, 
 who is still living at the home farm, was married, 
 Nov. 26. 1874, to Miss Susan C, daughter of John 
 and Jemima (Thornhill) Johnson, a sketch of whom 
 appears elsewhere in this volume. The family is 
 favorably and widely known along the eastern line 
 of this county, having been no unimportant factor 
 in its growth and development. 
 
 Mr. Berger and his son James were formerly 
 members of Rock Bluff Lodge No. 6, I. O. O. F., 
 which lodge surrendered its charter later anil dis- 
 banded. George belongs to the Masonic fraternity 
 at Wilber. Tue father and sons are solid Repub- 
 licans, politically. Mr. Berger voted for William 
 Henry Harrison in 1836 and 1810, and for his 
 grandson in 1888. 
 
 l^^VRAY S. VOSBURGII. The subject of this 
 ^ sketch was born near the city of Scranton, 
 /JLii ) Pa., over forty -six years ago, on the 5 th of 
 May, 1842. He came to Nebraska in 1878, and is 
 the proprietor of one of the best farms of Center 
 Precinct, comprising 160 acres of land on section 
 9.' Soon after coming here he took up a tract of 
 uncultivated prairie, and bj^ j-ears of unflagging 
 toil and the outl.-iy of hundreds of dollars has built 
 up a homestead which is now one of the noticeable 
 features in the landscape of this region. He has a 
 grove of forest trees which comprises the finest 
 windbreak in this county, and which, it is said, can- 
 not be beaten even in the State of Illinois, famous 
 for these institutions. His hedge was |)lanted by 
 surve3"ed lines, and the farm is all enclosed by this 
 system of fencing. The residence is a neat and 
 substantial structure, and with its adjacent build- 
 ings, and the abundance of fruit and shade trees. 
 
 ^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 778 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 
 fulfills the modern idea of the complete home. The 
 land is reraarkalily fertile. 
 
 In addition to the ordinary barns and stables, 
 there is an exceptionally fine corn-crib 24x32 feet, 
 with a foundation of solid masonry'. Every acre 
 of the farm can be utilized, there being no waste 
 land. The past jear (1888) Mr. Vosburgh har- 
 vested 4.200 bushels of corn from less than eighty 
 acres, while his wheat and oat crops were in pro- 
 portion. The ten years' labor of our subject on 
 this farm in its results should be amplj' satisfactory, 
 and is the best indication of the ability, energy and 
 good judgment which liave been exercised in con- 
 nection therewith. 
 
 Our subject spent his boyhood and youth in the 
 Keystone State, remaining at home on the farm un- 
 til eighteen years of age. He then conceived the 
 idea that he would like to enter the legal profession, 
 and accordingly repaired to Wilkesbarre, and en- 
 tered upon the study of law under the instruction 
 of Charles Denison. Not long afterward, however, 
 be abandoned this, and became a traveling salesman 
 for the firm of Spaulding & Place, of Gloversville, 
 N. Y. Subsequently we find him at Scranton City, 
 Pa., as clerk of the Wyoming House, where he con- 
 tinued a period of eight years, never being absent 
 from his post a day. After the outbreak of the 
 Rebellion, Mr. Vosburgh entered the Commissary 
 Department with the sharpshooters of the 203d 
 Pennsylvania Regiment, and was in the armj' a 
 period of eighteen months, being mustered out at 
 the close of the war. 
 
 Our subject now returning home for a few d.ays, 
 visited Iniefly with iiis friends, then once more be- 
 came the employe of the Wyoming House, remain- 
 ing there until tiie spring of 18G8. He then resolved 
 to seek the West, and started for Chicago, 111., ar- 
 riving there on the 1.5tli of April. Thence he went 
 into Lee County, to which his father had in the 
 meantime removed, and lived with him there on a 
 farm one year. He was married in LaSalle County, 
 111., Feb. 22, 1871, to Miss Emma Briggs, who was 
 born in Luzerne County, Pa., May 10, 1850. This 
 lady became the mother of two children, Clyde 
 and Frank, who make their home with their father. 
 Clj'de is attending the High School at Plattsniouth. 
 Mrs. Emma Vosburgh departed this life at the home 
 
 -♦ 
 
 of the family Feb. 5, 1 879, after an illness of ten days, 
 aged twenty-eight years, eight months and five days. 
 Our subject, June 20, 1881, contracted a second 
 matrimonial alliance, with Mrs. Mary A. (Short) 
 Elster. This lady was born Aug. 17, 1842, in En- 
 gland, and is the daughter of Edward and Mary 
 (Booth) Short, who were born in England, and 
 lived there until their daughter Mai-y was twelve 
 years old. They then emigrated to America, set- 
 tling in Ann Arbor, Mich., where the father fol- 
 lowed his trade of tailor, and where Miss Mary 
 completed her education. She made her hon)e with 
 her parents until her marriage, but in the meantime, 
 while on a visit to an aunt in Whiteside Count}-, 
 111., formed the acquaintance of Mr. F. Elster, with 
 whom she came to Nebraska in the winter of 1870, 
 the year after their marriage, which occurred Jan. 
 5. 1869. Of their union there were born two chil- 
 dren — Nellie May and William B. The daughter 
 became the wife of Dr. O. Waters, of Gretna, this 
 State. The son makes his home with our subject, 
 and is attending Weeping Water Academy. 
 
 Mrs. Elster during her widowhood made her home 
 in Plattsmouth, where she was married the second 
 time, June 20, 1881. Her father, Edward Short, 
 and his estimable wife, are still living in Ann Arbor, 
 IMich. The parental household includeil four chil- 
 dren, who are now in Nebraska. 
 
 Charles Vosburgh, the father of our subject, was 
 born near the Hudson River, N. Y., whence he re- 
 moved with his father to Pennsylvania when a boy. 
 Grandfather Vosburgh took up land in the midst of 
 a heavy timber tract which he cleared, and where 
 he built up a comfortable homestead. Later he 
 sold out, and purchased another farm. He retired 
 from this later, although still retaining ownership 
 of it, and is now the proprietor of a hotel at Abing- 
 ton, Pa. He married in early manhood Miss Milli- 
 cent Van Luvener, and thej' became the parents of 
 thirteen children, all of whom are living, and lo- 
 cated mostly in Pennsylvania. 
 
 The wife and mother departed this life June 29, 
 1886, in Pennsylvania. The paternal grandfather, 
 Cornelius Vosburgh, was also a native of the Empire 
 .State, and married a Miss Pulver. He also re- 
 moved to Pennsylvania, where he Itved a number 
 of years, and from which he removed when an old 
 
 i^ J I ^» 
 
•►Hil-^^ 
 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 FBI 
 
 rain to Eirlville, III., where his death took place 
 when he was seventy -eight yeais old. Grandmother 
 Vosburgli later made her home with our subject in 
 Illinois, and died at the advanced age of ninety-one 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Vosburgli stands well among the men of his 
 community, where his well-known qualities as a thor- 
 ough and skillful farmer are thoroughly recognized, 
 and where his sterling worth of character is fully 
 appreciated. He has been too bus3' to give any 
 time to office-seeking, although he is a reader and 
 keeps himself posteil upon current events. He 
 gives his uniform support to the Republican party, 
 and in religious matters to the Congregational 
 Church. He is identified vviili the Masonic fra- 
 ternity. 
 
 JUDGK SAMUEL M. CHAPMAN. This gen- 
 tleman occupies a prominent position among 
 the citizens of Cass County, and was born in 
 ^^ Blairsville, Indiana Co., Pa., Oct. 28, 1839. 
 His father, Joseph Chapman, was born in Derry 
 Township, Westmoreland Co., Pa., in the year 
 1799, and was brought up to agricultural pursuits. 
 There being few schools of any kind, and none after 
 tiie order of the present common schools, he was 
 self-educated, and was so diligent as to be enabled 
 to master even the higher branches of mathematics, 
 including trigonoaietr3- and geometiy. He was in 
 fact a prodigy in the science of mathematics. His 
 migration to Indiana County was made in the year 
 183C, when he established a tannery at Blairsville, 
 continuing the same until 1843, when he sold the 
 business, and went to the then Territory of Iowa, 
 making his home about six miles west of Burlington 
 in Des Moines Count}-, and gave his attention to 
 agriculture. He purchased a large tract of land at 
 Kossuth. Des Moines County, and engaged in gen- 
 eral farming until his death, which occurred in 
 September, 18G1. He was in politics an enthusiastic 
 Whig, and stumped the State of Pennsylvania in the 
 interests of Gen. Harrison in the j^ear 1840. and 
 subsequently became a Republican at the birth of 
 that [)arty. The maiden name of the mother of 
 Judge Chapman was Eliza Pollock. Her father, 
 ThouKis Pollock, a descendant of one of the good 
 
 old Colonial families, was born in Ligonier Valley, 
 Westmoreland Co., Pa., on. the 25th of November, 
 1782, and his father, James Pollock, was born in 
 Coleraine, the North of Ireland, in the year 1728. 
 James Pollock came to America with several 
 brothers in 1750, and settled in Columbia County, 
 Pa. Going to Westmoreland County about thir- 
 teen years later he was there married to Mary 
 Heron, of that place. He was the first Justice of 
 the Peace in that section of the country, and took 
 his commission with him when he went to Ligonier 
 Valley. He died there in the year 1812, sincerely 
 mourned b}' the community where he was well 
 known. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject was reared to 
 farming i>ursuits, and from the lime he was able to 
 manage it ha(i been proprietor of a farm. His first 
 wife, the grandmother of our subject, was Rachel 
 Hendricks, a sister of Gen. William Hendricks, of 
 Indiana, and daughter of Abraham Hendricks. She 
 died in Westmoreland County in the year 1807. 
 Later he vvas married to Susan, daughter of the Rev. 
 Joseph W. Henderson, of Indiana County. He was a 
 loyal citizen, and active in the interests of the people. 
 He was one of the Commissioners of Westmoreland 
 County, and served for several terms as Represent- 
 ative in the State Legislature. For quite a num- 
 ber of years he was Associate Justice of the Common 
 Pleas Court, and in every instance showed himself 
 worthy of the confidence of the people. He was a 
 man of deep religious convictions and consistent 
 life, and held membership in the Presbyterian 
 Church, in which he served in an official capacity 
 for a number of years. 
 
 To Joseph and Eliza Chapman were born eight 
 children — Thomas P., James P., John W., Jane, 
 Samuel M., .losepli M., Mai'y H. and Washington 
 H. The eldest son, Thomas P., resided in S.iunders 
 County, Neb., where he died in the year 1875, at 
 which time he was a member of the State Leg- 
 islature; James P. died in Des Moines, Iowa, in 
 1862; Washington H. died in infancy; John W. 
 died in Council Bluffs in June, 188G; Jane is the 
 wife of the Rev. A. H. Barclay, and resides in 
 Colorado; Samuel M. and Joseph M. are twins; the 
 latter is engaged in banking and general mercantile 
 business at Weston, Saunders Co , Neb. Mary H. 
 
 •► 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 782 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 is the wife of Daniel Matson. and residts atKossntb, 
 Iowa. 
 
 Tlie subject of this slietch was about three years 
 of age when lie was first ushered into pioneer life in 
 Iowa Territory, and from his early daj's was ac- 
 customed to very few if any of the conveniences 
 that are by many looked upon as the indispensables 
 of life. His earl3' education was obtained iu the 
 log school-house, that even as it is mentioned again 
 takes form in the mind, standing out clearly with 
 its rough-hewn benches, rude desk, unplastered walls 
 and puncheon floor. As soon as he was sufficieutl}- 
 prepared to do so he entered the Yellow Springs 
 College at Kossuth, Iowa, and was still pursuing 
 his studies when the late war broke out. He enlisted 
 at the very first call for troops, and Ix-cameamem- 
 oer of Company E of the 1st Iowa Infantry. The 
 regiment was organized at Keokuk, and was there 
 prepared for the front. 
 
 The 1st Iowa Volunteers were sent first to Hanni- 
 bal, Mo., and opened the railroad from that place to 
 Macon, Mo.; from there thej- went on a forced 
 march to Booneville, where they joined Gen. Lyon, 
 who was Commander of the Department of Missouri, 
 and on the oth of July, 18G1, they started for 
 Springfield, in the same State. Not long after they 
 arrived a portion of the regiment, including Com- 
 panj' E, went down to the White Kiver, where they 
 met the enemy, and engaged them at Forsyth. The 
 conflict was continued a few days later at Dug 
 Springs; from there they returned to Springfield. 
 Shortly after this they fought the battle of Wilson's 
 Creek, where the brave and gallant Lyon fell. 
 
 After the above-mentioned battle the regiment 
 retreated to Rolla and thence to St. Louis, where, 
 his time having expired, our subject was honorablj' 
 discharged. He re-enlisted on the 14lh of August 
 of the same year, a few da3-s after receiving his dis- 
 charge. This time he was attached to Company K, 
 of the 14th Iowa Infantry, and participated in all 
 the battles in which that regiment was engaged 
 during its service. It will be remembered as one 
 of the most dashing and intrepid bodies of men in 
 the service, always ready for service, and knowing 
 no fear and daunted by no danger. The most im- 
 portant battles, perhaps, in which the regiment 
 engaged were those of Ft. Henrv. Ft. Donelson, 
 
 Shiloh, and both battles of Corinth. They also 
 served under Gen. Banks' command in the Meridian 
 raid and Red River expedition, and in the latter 
 were under fire fil'ty-two days. In this connection 
 they fought at the battles at Ft. De Russey and 
 Pleasant Hill, which were followed by the engage- 
 ments at Yellow Bayou and Chicot Lake. From 
 the latter pl.ice the regiment went to Memphis, 
 where it was under Gen. A. J. Smith, and partici- 
 pated in the battles of Forsyth and Tupelo, Miss. 
 Shortly afterward they went to Missouri to look 
 after Price, who was committing serious depreda- 
 tions in that State. Then followed the conflict at 
 Iron Mountain, after which they went, via Rolla, 
 Jefferson Citj' and Sedalia, to St. Louis, and from 
 that city to Davenport, Iowa, where he received an 
 honorable discharge Dec. 8, 1864. 
 
 On the 1st of January following our subject 
 landed in Plattsmouth, Neb., and at once began 
 reading law with the Hon. T. M. Marquett, and was 
 admitted to tiie bar in open court. Judge Elmer S. 
 Dund^' presiding, iu 187G, almost immediately after 
 which a partnership was formed with the Hon. 
 Samuel Maxwell, now one of the Justices of the 
 Supreme Court of Xel)raska, their parLnersiiip con- 
 tinuing until Mr. Maxwell was elected to the above- 
 mentioned oflftce in 1873. Our subject continued in 
 practice until in November, 188G, when he was 
 elected to fill the vacancy occasioned bj- the death 
 of Judge Mitchell, one.of the District Judges of 
 the Second District, and was re-elected in 1 8fs7 for 
 the full term. 
 
 The marriage of Judge Chapman with Miss S. E. 
 Putram, of Ludlow. Vt., was celebrated in October, 
 18G9. They became the parents of four children, 
 viz: Harriet Elizabeth; Emeline, who died in in- 
 fancy'; Thomas P. and Sarah. On the 1 1th of Feb- 
 ruar3', 1880, Mr. Chapman was left a widower. In 
 June, 1883, a second marriage was contracted, the 
 name of the lad3' being Agres D. Samson, who is 
 the daughter of David and Margaret Samson (see 
 sketch elsewhere in this volume). Of this union 
 two chililren were born — Samuel Maxwell and 
 Helen Hope. 
 
 Judge Chapman has always taken considerable 
 interest in pulilic afl'airs, and cast his first Piesiden- 
 tial liallot ill favor of Abraham Lincoln, from which 
 
 •►Hh:^ 
 
f 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 7S3 
 
 time lie has been a stanch Republican. He was 
 elected to the State Senate in 1875. and re-elected 
 with a largel}' increased majority in 1877. lie has 
 frequently been called upon to serve on various 
 committees of importance. He was Chairman of 
 the .Judiciaiy Committee through both terms of 
 office. His service was most acceptable to his con- 
 stituents, who recognized his constant interest in 
 their welfare. Among the fraternities, as elsewhere, 
 the stable character, high principle, clear intellect 
 and untiring energj' of Judge Chapman are recog- 
 nized and acknowledged. He is a member of the 
 Plattsmouth Lodge No. 7, of the 1. O. O. F. ; Platts- 
 raouth Lodge No. 6, of the A. F. & A. M. ; Ne- 
 braska Chapter No. 3, R. A. M.. and Jit. Zion 
 Comraandery No. 5, of Knights Templars. 
 
 The portrait of this able jurist and well-known 
 citizen of Cass Count3- adorns a page of this vol- 
 ume — a fitting tribute to the worth of the man. as 
 well as an indication of his deserved prominence in 
 the community. 
 
 'Ip^ 0I3KRT TROOP is a member of the firm of 
 Ibs^ P-genberger <k Troop, who conduct one of 
 <lii\V, the best appointed and best managed gro- 
 ^^ceriesin Plattsmouth, and although the\- have 
 been established but little more than a 3'ear they 
 ahead}- command a good pajMng trade, which ex- 
 tends even beyond the city limits. 
 
 Mr. Troop was born in Ireland, Feb. 23, 1843, 
 and his father, likewise named Robert, was also a 
 native of that country, and was of Scotch ancestry. 
 He received a good education in his younger d.iys, 
 and then learned the trade of a machinist, serving 
 an apprenticeship of five years. He did not con- 
 tinue to follow that trade, however, after his term 
 of service expired, accepting instead the steward- 
 ship of one of the large estates in his native island. 
 In the year 1844 he emigrated to America with his 
 family, and located at Davenport, Iowa, which was 
 then but a village. Iowa was then a Territory, the 
 settlements being confined to the region adjacent 
 to the Mississippi River, and the greater part of the 
 land was owned by the Government, and for sale 
 at SI. 25 an acre. Mr. Troop continued to resiilc 
 
 •► 
 
 in Davenport from 1844 until his death, Feb. 3, 
 1873, and during that time witnessed its growth 
 from an insignificant town to a large and important 
 city of 20,000 inhabitants. He was for some time 
 engaged as an accountant in a bank, and he subse- 
 quently became a salesman in a lumber-yard. He 
 was a man whose integrity and raanj' good traits of 
 character commanded the rpspect of those with 
 whom he was associated, and his kindly disposition 
 won their regard. The maiden name of his good 
 wife was Jane Agnew. and she was also a native of 
 Ireland. They had quite a family of children, eight 
 of whom grew to maturity : Miza married Murt 
 Connor, and lives in Coal Valley, 111.; William, 
 James, John, Samuel and James are all deceased : 
 Thomas lives in Cass County, Neb.; and Mary 
 lives in Plattsmouth. 
 
 Our subject vvas but a year old when his parents 
 came to the United States, so he can recollect no 
 other home than this, his adopted country, and 
 -when the great Civil AVar broke out, and our flag 
 was threatened with dishonor and these United 
 States with disunion, he patriotically sprang to their 
 defense, and fought with the zeal and bravery of a 
 native-born citizen. Amid the pioneer influences 
 of his earlj' home his character was molded in 
 strength and vigor. He received a ver}- good rudi- 
 mentary education in the early, primitive schools 
 of Davenport, which has since been supplemented 
 bj- observation, experience and reading. At the 
 youthful age of twelve years he began to depend 
 upi>n his own resources for a living, and found 
 employment as a cabin boy and assistant cook on a 
 Mississippi River boat. He followed boating on 
 the river in different capacities until August. 1862. 
 In that month he enlisted in Company E, 20lh 
 Iowa Infantry, and went to the front to assist in 
 fighting the battles of his adopted country. Among 
 the more important battles in which he took an 
 active part were those of Prairie Grove and the 
 siege and capture of Vicksburg. He was taken 
 prisoner at Morganzie Bend, La., in November. 
 1863, and was confined in the rebel prison at Tyler, 
 Tex., until September, 1864. He was then ex- 
 changed and joined his regiment, and fought with 
 it at Ft. Blakely, and also al. the fort at the mouth 
 of Mobile B:iy. .Vfter that lie and his comrades l 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 784 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 were stationed at Mobile until their discharge, in 
 July, 1865. Our subject returned to Davenportat 
 the close of his military career, and there engaged 
 as mate of a steamer owned by Smith & Howlett. 
 He continued in their eujploy sixteen months, and 
 then turned his footsteps toward Nebraska. Here 
 he found employment in the construction depart- 
 ment of the Union Pacific Railwaj- the ensuing two 
 j'ears. He then returned to Davenport to take 
 charge of the street car stables. At the end of two 
 years he left that place to take a similar one in 
 Milwaukee. He had charge of tlie street ear barns 
 there until the spring of 1876, when he again took 
 u[) his residence in Nebraska. He bought a farm 
 in Eight Mile Grove Precinct. Cass County, and 
 managed it with good results until the fall of 1887. 
 He then formed a partnership with J. V. Egenberger 
 to engage in the grocery business. Thej* have 
 been much prospered in this venture, their credit 
 stands high in financial circles, and they bid fair to 
 place themselves among the foremost representa- 
 tives of the mercantile interests of Cass County. 
 
 Mr. Troup and Miss Lou Moore were united in 
 marriage Dec. 18, 1870. She is a native of Mis- 
 souri, and a daughter of George Moore. Mr. Troop 
 bears a high reputation for honest dealings, and the 
 cheerfulness, cordiality and urbanity that distin- 
 guish his manners gain the good-will and liking of 
 all who come in contact witli him. He is promi- 
 nently identified with the G. A. R., as a member of 
 McConihie Post No. 45, and he also belongs to 
 Cass Camp No. 32, U. W. To the many friends 
 whom they have gathered around them he and his 
 wife often extend the generous hospitality of a 
 home made attractive bj' Its coziness, and the true 
 courtesy of the host and hostess. Polilicall}', he is 
 a Republican. 
 
 •^^^- 
 
 ORNELKuS VOSBURGII is a successful, well- 
 to-do farmer, who occupies a place of prom- 
 inence among the agriculturists of Centre 
 Precinct, where he has a highly productive farm 
 on section 9, admirably adapted to the cultivation 
 of grain, in which he is extensivelj' engaged. 
 
 Our subject was born in Lackawanna Township, 
 Luzerne Co., Pa., Oct. 30, 1834. His father, Charles 
 
 Yosburgh, was a native of New York, born near the 
 Hudson River, in the town of Hudson, Nov. 10. 
 1809. In early manhood he removed to Luzerne 
 Countj-, Pa., and w.as there united in marriage to 
 Miss Milicent Van Luvener, and with her he lived 
 in happy wedlock for the unusual length of fifty- 
 two years. Of their union thirteen children were 
 born, all of whom are still living. The mother of 
 our subject passed away on the 29th of January, 
 1886, thus closing a life well rounded in years, 
 well spent, and full of all things that go to make 
 a good woman. The father of our subject is 
 now passing his declining years in Lackawanna, 
 where he is well known and honored, and is there 
 tranquill}^ awaiting life's great end. His f.ather, Cor- 
 nelius Vosburgh, was born on the 19th of March, 
 1786, and spent the early part of his life at Hud- 
 son. From New York he went to Pennsj'lvania, 
 and from there removed to Illinois, where his death 
 occurred March 24, 1864, at the age of seventj'- 
 eight years and five days. He was a farmer and 
 blacksmith, and followed those pursuits nearly all 
 his life. His wife was born Sept. 23, 1786, and 
 died Nov. 29, 1877, her life being prolonged to 
 the advanced age of ninety-one years, two months 
 and six days. The following children were born 
 to her and her husband: Seymour V., Phoebe, 
 Charles (father of our subject), Eliza, Samuel, 
 William, Samuel, Fidelia, Clarissa, Paraelia and 
 James. 
 
 Cornelius Vosburgh remained with his father until 
 he had attained manhood, then started forth to see 
 something of the world, turning his footsteps west- 
 ward, and in 1855 we find him located in Rock 
 Creek Township. But after trying farming there 
 a year, he retraced his steps toward his East- 
 ern home, going as far as DeKalb County, 111., 
 where he engaged in agricultural pursuits until 
 the j^ear of the Chicago fire, 1871, when he ag.ain 
 came westward, and in Floyd County, Iowa, fol- 
 lowed his calling for awhile. But California held 
 strong attractions for him, and he was soon on the 
 way to the Pacific Coast. He spent a few years in 
 the Golden State and in W.ashington Territorj'^ 
 prospecting, but not liking that region for a farm- 
 ing country, in 1876 we again find him in DeKalb 
 County, 111., where he resided until October, 1881, 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^JU 
 
*► II <•• 
 
 :-=)»- 
 
 <* 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 when he came to make his home in this State, settling 
 on land that he had previously purchased, whereon 
 he still abides. From the wild prairie, by incessant 
 and well-directed labor, he has built up a comfort- 
 able home, and has a farm under good tillage, has 
 set out a good grove of trees, an orchard of apple 
 trees of four acres, and all kinds of small fruits; 
 he has also planted pear trees, but has had no suc- 
 cess with them. He is continually making improve- 
 ments, and his place already compares favorably 
 with other farms owned by men who have been 
 here much longer. 
 
 Cornelius Vosburgh and Cornelia C. llowlet were 
 united in marriage May 23, 1859, and their wedded 
 life has been blessed to them by the birth of four 
 children, three of whom are still living — Alfred 
 H., George W. and Gertrude J. George married 
 Miss Barbara Angel, and they have one child- 
 Lewis Edward; Gertrude married Charles B. An- 
 drews, son of I). D. Andrews, of whom see sketch 
 on another page of this work. Mrs. Vosburgh was 
 born in Lee County, 111., Jan. 29, 1842, and the 
 fii'st eight years of her life were passed in her na- 
 tive place. She then went to Syracuse, X. Y., and 
 staid with an uncle until she was sixteen years 
 of age, and in 1855 returned to Illinois. She is 
 a daughter of H. G. and Amanda M. (Canfield) 
 Howlet, natives of Syracuse, X. Y.. where they lived 
 until after their marriage and the birth of three 
 children, when they moved to Niles, Mich., and 
 thence to where Chicago now stands in the year 
 1835, and were thus numbered among its early pio- 
 neers. There were then only three houses there, 
 and a butcher shop. Mr. Howlet owned the land on 
 which the old Board of Trade liuilding afterward 
 stood. He subsequently sold his property there, 
 and took up his residence in Dixon, 111., and later 
 removed to a place three miles northwest of Paw 
 Paw Village. He was one of the Deputy Sheriffs 
 who helped to break up the "Dick Allen Prairie 
 Banditti," he arresting Allen himself. He was in 
 other ways prominent in public affairs, was Justice 
 of the Peace, and held various other oftices. He died 
 Jan. 7, 1888, his wife having preceded him many 
 years, dying in the year 1852. They were the par- 
 ents of nine children, five of whom lived to ma- 
 turitv. Parley Howlet. the grandfather of Mrs. 
 
 Vosburgh, was a native of ^'ermont. He moved 
 from there to Xew York, and died on his large 
 farm near Syracuse. The maiden name of his wife 
 was Phebe Dodge. 
 
 Mr. Vosburgh is thoroughly respected for those 
 characteristics that mark the true man and the hon- 
 orable citizen. He has avoided public office, except- 
 ing to act as Roadmaster, preferring the quiet of 
 his cheerful fireside to the cares of public life. Yet 
 in every other vr&y he is ready to do aught that 
 will promote the welfare of the township. He has 
 ever stood by the Republican partj- since its forma- 
 tion, and has not lost an opportunity to cast his 
 vote in its favor since he attained his majority. 
 
 ("fi_^^IMEXUS ADAMS, son of the well-known 
 rj)V George W. Adams, of Avoca, has charge of 
 i^^ his father's farm in this precinct, and is evi- 
 (^ dently, in point of industry, enterprise and 
 intelligence, a "chip of the old block." Of the 
 Adams family of this county a sketch will be found 
 elsewhere in this work, having for its subject the 
 father, George AV. The Adams farm is devoted 
 mainlj- to the raising of fine stock, a specialty being 
 thoroughbred horses and Short-horn cattle. The 
 farm is beautifully located on section 3, and com- 
 prises 520 broad acres with substantial and con- 
 venient buildings, the whole, fnlfllling the popular 
 idea of the model countr3' estate. Of this our sub- 
 ject has had the charge for the last five 3'ears. and 
 in the management of its various interests is evi- 
 dently proving himself a success. 
 
 Mr. Adams was born at the farm which he now 
 occupies, Sept. 15, 1862, and was reared amid the 
 quiet pursuits of country life, acquiring a practical 
 education in the district school and remaining at 
 home until his marriage. This interesting event 
 in his life occurred Dee. 5, 1883, at the home of the 
 bride, Miss Louise Gruber, in Libertj' Precinct. 
 Mrs. Adams was born in tiiat precinct, March 19, 
 1863, and is the daughter of the well-known Peter 
 Gruber, one of the most prominent farmers in the 
 southea-stern portion of this county. Mr. G. is a 
 native of Germany, born and reared in one of the 
 Rhine Provinces, where also he was married to Miss 
 
 •►:ll-^ 
 
hJ^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 Jacobina Opp, a native of the same locality. After 
 the birth of three children they emigrated to the 
 United States, settling first in the city of St. Louis, 
 Mo. A few years later they came to this couaty, 
 and Mr. Gruber secured land in Liberty Precinct 
 during its early settlement. True to the instincts of 
 his substantial German ancestry, he labored dili- 
 gently, and is now the owner of a fine property, 
 including a large and valuable farm of over 600 
 acres, which, with its buildings, live stock and ma- 
 chinery, forms one of the attractive points of inter- 
 est along the soutiiern line of the county. 
 
 Mrs. Adams was reared under the parental roof- 
 tree, where she lived until her marriage, and is a 
 lady in every way fitted for her position in life as 
 the wife of a prominent and enterprising citizen. 
 The young people have started out with the fairest 
 prospects, and enjoy the good wishes of hosts of 
 friends. 
 
 'it; OHN V. EGEXBERGEK. This gentleman is 
 the senior member of the well-known firm of 
 Egenberger & Troop, grocers, of Platts- 
 ^_ mouth. He was born in the village of Wald- 
 liausen, which lies about five miles from Buchen, the 
 capital of Grossherzogthum Baden, Germany-, on tlie 
 24th of October, 1854. His family had been resi- 
 dents of that village for several generations, and 
 seldom had any member of the family gone far 
 from it to live. He is the son of John V. and 
 Halena Egenberger. His fathiu- was a farmer, and 
 reared his son to agricultural pursuits. He died in 
 the year 1869, when about forty-five years of age. 
 The mother of our subject previous to her mar- 
 riage bore the name of Helen Guthmann and is the 
 sister of F. R. Guthmann (see sketch of that gen- 
 tleman elsewhere in this volume). She came to 
 America in September, 1872, and now resides in 
 Plattsmouth. She is the mother of ten children, 
 six of whom are living. These are: Mary, the wife 
 of Henry Weckbeek; Veronica, the wife of William 
 AVeber; Louisa, who is married to ILnmmond Spies; 
 Fred and Ludwig, single, all of whom are resi- 
 dents of Plattsmouth. 
 
 Tiie subject of our sketch attended the schools 
 
 of his native village until the spring of 1872. 
 when, with his parents and relatives, he came to 
 this country, and with them made his home in 
 Plattsmouth. He commenced life in the Xew 
 "World In- working on a farm in Cass County, and 
 after the first year .spent twelve months in Lancas- 
 ter County, where he was engaged as a clerk in the 
 store of his uncle, .T. V. Weckbeek. There he re- 
 mained for nine years, after which he was in a 
 hardware store for two years, and then engaged in 
 mercantile pursuits in his own interest. In 1887 he 
 formed a partnership with Robert Troop, and be- 
 gan his present business, which has succeeded f;ir 
 bej'ond their expetations. 
 
 On the 16th of September, 1876, our subject was 
 united in wedlock with Miss Mary Halschuh. She 
 was born in Plattsmouth to John and Mary E. 
 Halschuh, in June, 1859. Her parents were natives 
 of Hesse-Darmstadt, in the village of Erbueh, and 
 came to this countrj- in the j'ear 1853. There have 
 come to Mr. and Mrs. Egenberger five little ones, 
 to whom they gave the names here appended: Ed- 
 die, Albert, Freddie, Annie and Mena. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is a thoroughly capa- 
 ble business man and a much respected citizen, 
 understanding and appre.'iating the principles of 
 government and the institutions of liberty of the 
 country. He is a member of the Board of Trade, 
 and holds a leading position among the business 
 men of Plattsmouth. He is a member of the A. 
 O. U. W., and meets with Trio Lodge No. 81, and 
 is also identified with the Liederkrantz. 
 
 (iPg^JlJEODORE JOHN, a well-to-do gener.-d far- 
 mer and stock- raiser of Stove Creek Pre- 
 cinct, has a farm which in all its appoint- 
 ments ranks among the best in this localit}', and is 
 one of which tiie owner maj' well be proud. Eighty 
 acres of his land, forming the original homestead, 
 with its substantial house, barns and other build- 
 ings, are located on the northeast quarter of section 
 20, and the remaining 160 acres of his land are on 
 the opposite side of the street on section 21, the 
 farm comprising in all 240 acres of improved hind. 
 It has good fences of hedge and wire, beautiful 
 
 -It:* 
 
 ♦^ 
 
»► I I 4* 
 
 -•► 
 
 CA.SS COUKTY. 
 
 JLz 
 
 groves planted by bis' own Imiids, three af;res of 
 orchard, contaiiiino; 200 trees, and well supplied 
 with water. Stove Creek running through it, and it 
 is adniiraljly adapted for a stock farm, to which 
 purpose he devotes it largely, raising well graded 
 cattle, hogs and horses, having eight of the latter. 
 Our subject is a veteran of the late Civil War, 
 wherein he fought with valor for the country of his 
 adoption, and has as fine a military record as any 
 soldier, his experiences as an officer in the German 
 Army, in the Fatherland, doubtless proving benefi- 
 cial to him on Southern battle-fields. - 
 
 Mr. John was born in Prussia, Aug. 16. 1831, to 
 Benhart and Johanna (IIuss) John, also natives of 
 Germany. His father was a farmer of some means, 
 and owned a farm of 240 acres in his native country, 
 of which he was a lifelong resident, his death oc- 
 curring there in 1842. His widow departed this 
 life in 1860, To that estimable couple were born 
 five children, as follows: Theodore, Oswald, Her- 
 man (deceased). Olio and August.a. 
 
 Their son Theodore, of whom wo write, passed 
 his boyhood in the place of his nativity, spending 
 most of the time, as soon as old enough, in school, 
 until he w.as fourteen years old. After his edu- 
 cation was completed he went into a brewery, and 
 there worked until he was eighteen, when he entered 
 the German Army, serving in the cavaby as orderly 
 under the King. He entered as a private, and 
 served in that capacity three years, and was then 
 promoted to be Sergeant, and was a commissioned 
 officer the remainder of the twelve years that he 
 was in the array. His life there finally proved too 
 irksome, and longing for greater freedom, he re- 
 tired from the service, and went back to his old 
 employment in the brewery. In 1860 he set out 
 for the United States, sailing from Hamburg in the 
 steamer "Bavaria," and after a rapid passage of eight 
 days landed at New York. He went from there to 
 Albany, where he found work in a brewer}'. In 
 18C1 he went to LaCrosse, and was for a time en- 
 gaged in the same work. The same summer he 
 went to Clinton County, 111., and was employed on 
 a farm there until the fall of 1861. At that time 
 he enlisted in the 3d Missouri Cavalry, and after 
 staying in camp three months under Gov. Stewart, 
 wag mustered out. In .Janunrv he re-enlisted, and 
 
 became a member of the 12th Illinois Cavalry, 
 Compau}' B, and was mustered in at Chicago, and 
 in the spring of 1802 his regiment was sent to Vir- 
 ginia to join the Army of the Potomac. It took 
 an active part in several skirmishes, and in the fol- 
 lowing battles: Culpeper, Shaftsbury (three daj's), 
 battles of Gett3'sburg, Pamunkey, etc. In Rich- 
 mond the Union soldiers burned the stores of the 
 rebel arm}-, and otherwise created great havoc in- 
 side the fortifications, the regiment in which our 
 subject was engaged taking an active part in that 
 siege. It was then ordered back to West Point, 
 and thence to Chicago to recruit, it being but 
 twenty-five strong after the hard fighting through 
 which it had passed. Three mouths later it was 
 ordered from that city to New Orleans, and after 
 being transported to that city, was sent on the raid 
 up the Red River. After that our subject and his 
 fellow-soldiers were sent back to Memphis, and in 
 the spring of 1865 he was honorably discharged in 
 Springfield, 111., after having served his adopted 
 country three years and six months, in the front 
 ranks of his regiment all the time, but was never 
 wounded, and his vigorous constitution repelled all 
 sickness. 
 
 After the close of the war Mr. John went to 
 Clinton County, Iowa, and worked on a farm for 
 six months, and then his system for the first time 
 began to give way to the effects of his hardships on 
 Southern battle-fields, and he was ill until the next 
 spring (1866), when he sought the healthful climate 
 of Nebraska to restore his physique to its wonted 
 vigor, coming by steamer to Nebraska City. He 
 there entered into business as a freighter, teaming 
 goods or supi)lies vvith six yokes of bulls to Fts. 
 Laramie and Smith, making four trips in the next 
 two years. In the fall of 1867 he went back to 
 Nebraska City, and in the spring of 1868 came to 
 Cass County, having decided to try farming, and 
 took up his present homestead of eighty acres on 
 section 20. This part of the county was com- 
 paratively unsettled at that time, there being but 
 two or three settlers ahead of him, and he had to 
 start from the very beginning and evolve his farm 
 from the wild, uncultivated prairie. We have seen 
 how he has prospered since then, and has added to 
 his original purchase in spite of the discour.age 
 
 ige- w 
 
* ► II ^» 
 
 ibs 
 
 -•^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^v 
 
 ments offeiTrl by grnsshoppcr inids, in which that 
 insect made wny vvilh his entire crops one or two 
 seasons, and the destructive powers of high winds 
 and drouths. 
 
 Mr. Joiin was marrieil in St. Louis, in March, 
 1868, to Miss Ro-a Fullemer. a native of Germany, 
 and she has made his home pleasant and attractive 
 to her family, and also to tlieir many friends. The 
 household circle is completed liy the three children 
 who have been born of their marriage- — Minnie, 
 Annie and "Willie. 
 
 Our subject is possessed (-f sagacity, forethought 
 and energy, so combined with those useful qualities 
 of prudence, thrift and steadiness of purpose, that 
 he cannot fail to accomplish what he attempts, and 
 tiius his success was assured from the start. He and 
 his wife are among the leading members of the 
 Catholic Church of Elmwood. and were active as- 
 sistants in building it. In his political opinions 
 Mr. John is strongly Republican. 
 
 'if OHN JOHNSON, of English ancestry, and 
 who is numbered among the well-to-do resi- 
 dents of Rock Bluff Precinct, is the sub- 
 ject of an interesting history. His parents, 
 William and Jane (Talifairo) Johnson, were na- 
 tives respectively of England and Virginia. The 
 paternal grandfather, John Johnson, Sr., also of 
 English birth and ancestry, spent his entire life 
 upon the soil of his native country. His son Will- 
 iam emigrated to the United States when a j'oung 
 man and settled in the Old Dominion, where he 
 was married to ISliss Talifairo. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of our subject met 
 his death while serving as a soldier in the Revolu- 
 tionary War under the immediate command of 
 Gen. George Washington. It was while he was at 
 home on a furlough that he was killed at a mill near 
 his home by the Tories. William Johnson after his 
 marriage, leaving the Old Dominion, migrated to 
 Alabama, when his son John was a mere child, he 
 having been born in Buckingham County, Ya., 
 Dec. 15, 1813. They located among the pioneers 
 of ^Montgomery County, Ala., during its early set- 
 tlement, where our subject lived until about 1840; 
 
 ^^:^ 
 
 then turning his steps westward, he crossed the Mis- 
 sissippi, and located in Montgomery County, Mo., 
 where he engaged in farming, and was married six 
 years later, Jan. 27, 1846, to Miss Jemima C. Thorn- 
 hill. This lady was the daughter of Thomas L. 
 and Lucy (Strange) Thornhill. Iler paternal grand- 
 father, AVilliam Strange, married INIiss Sarah Lee 
 and both were natives of Yirginia. The father of 
 INIrs. Johnson was own cousin to Jefferson Davis, 
 and her mother also was own cousin to the first 
 wife (the daughter of ex-President Ta^'lor) of the 
 President of the Confederacj'. To John and Je- 
 mima Johnson there was boi'n a family of eighteen 
 children, fifteen sons and three daughters. Of these 
 five are living, namely: AYilliam T., Thomas R., 
 Austin; Catherine S., now Mrs. J. M. BergOr, a 
 resident of Rock Bluff Township, and Andrew .J. 
 
 Mr. Johnson left Missouri in January. 1865, 
 coming to Nebraska Territorj-, and locating in 
 Rock Bluff Precinct on the land, from which he 
 made a good farm, and where he now lives. He is 
 the proprietor of 400 broad acres, comprising the 
 homestead, on sections I and 2, and has also 160 
 acres on section 16 and fiftj' acres of timber south 
 of the city, besides ten acres of timber on the 
 Island below Plattsmouth. The home farm is 
 well improved, with good buildings, and the land 
 is in a high state of cultivation, as is .also the 
 land on section 16. 
 
 Mr. Johnson, politically, has been a lifelong 
 Democrat. During the war, and while a resident 
 of Missouri, his horses, wagon, and a yoke of cattle 
 were stolen by thieves, who sold the property. 
 There was then an organized band of these ma- 
 rauders, who made it their business to drive away 
 stock and carry off everything which they could 
 secure, including meat, groceries, and everything 
 that could be turned into money or that they could 
 make use of in any way. One night after Mr. John- 
 son had slaughtered thirty hogs, the thieves came 
 and stole all the backbones with the exception of 
 five, and upon those they put poison. This was 
 discovered by the fact that they left the cellar door 
 open, and the cats who got in and ate of the meat 
 died of the poison which was intended to kill the 
 family. 5Ir. Johnson soon after left the country 
 with his family, also leaving undisturbed the pois- 
 
 r 
 
•► II <•• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 791 k 
 
 oned meat in the cellar. Having been a resident of 
 Alabama, he remained neutral, and subsequently he 
 was compelled to leave Missouri for safet3'. 
 
 Andrew J. Johnson, the son of our subject, re- 
 mains at home with his parents, their solace and 
 support, and like his father before him, has devel- 
 oped into a capable and intelligent man, one who, 
 on account of his sterling worth of character, occu- 
 pies a good position in his community, is carrying 
 on the farm in the able and judicious manner in 
 which it was educted and has been built up, com- 
 prising one of the most valuable estates in the 
 county. 
 
 OTIS II. BALLOU. a distinguished citizen of 
 Piattsmouth, and one of the most brilliant and 
 successful lawyers of the Nebraska bar. is a 
 man of rare discernment and culture, and since tak- 
 ing up his residence in this city has exerted a bene- 
 ficial influence in |)romoting its prosperity and 
 development. He is closely identified with the bus- 
 iness interests of Cass County, and is manager of 
 the Piattsmouth street railway, whicli he was instru- 
 mental in organizing. 
 
 Mr. Ballon was born in Greenfield, Saratoga Co., 
 N. Y., Oct. 23, 1842. His father, Moses Ballou, was 
 born on the same farm, of sturdy New England pa- 
 rentage. Otis Ballou. grandfather of our subject, was 
 born at Smithfield, R. I., and there grew to man- 
 hood and married at the youthful age of nineteen 
 years. After marriage he started with his young 
 wife with an ox-team for the wilds of New York, and 
 became a pioneer of Greenfield, Saratoga County. 
 He bought a tract of timber land, erected thereon a 
 substantial frame house, and at once set about clear- 
 ing a farm. Schenectady, twenty-five miles distant, 
 was the nearest market for some ^-ears. the way to 
 it lying over a rough road, through the woods much 
 of the distance. He and his wife spent the remain- 
 der of their married lives there, dying on the home- 
 stead which they had there erected. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared and married 
 in that pioneer home, and he be^^ame a prominent 
 paper manufacturer, owning and managing two 
 mills in the town of Jamesville, N. Y. He subse- 
 quentlj- disposed of his property in that town, and 
 
 moving to Union Village, Washington County, 
 built a paper-mill, which he operated with signal 
 success until 1865. In that year lie sold out his 
 business, and in 1 870 left his native State to take up 
 his residence in Omaha. He lived there one year, 
 and then came to Valley Station, and buying a tract 
 of land of the Platte Valley Company, engaged in 
 farming and stock-raising until his death. Feb. IG, 
 ]"882. The maiden name of his wife was Fanny 
 Peacock, and she was also a native of Greenfield. 
 Her father, Henry Peacock, was likewise born in 
 that town, of which his parents were early pioneers. 
 There were but two chihlren in the family of the 
 parents of our subject, himself and his brotlier Ev- 
 erett G.. a real-estate dealer in Omaha. 
 
 Otis Ballou received, his early education in the 
 district schools, and subsequently took a good course 
 of study in the academy at Jonesville. N. Y. After 
 leaving school he taught one term in Saratoga 
 County. When he was twenty-one years of age he 
 began his career as a man of business by opening 
 a wholesale paper store in Philadelphia. In that 
 venture he was entirely successful during the three 
 years that he carried it on. On account of impaired 
 health he was obliged to dispose of his business, and 
 received a $2,000 bonus for it. He then turned 
 his attention to the more healthful ^mploj'ment of 
 raising fruit, going to Burlington, N. J., where he 
 bought a fruit farm, which he operated until 1871, 
 when he came to Omaha. During his residence in 
 New Jersey he had studied law with the firm of 
 Earl & White, and after removing to Omaha he 
 continued to prosecute his studies. He was admit- 
 ted to the bar in 1 873, and the following 3'ear opened 
 an office in Omaha, and in the years that followed 
 built up a good pi'actice. In 1881 he became in- 
 terested in the lumber business, but w.as not suc- 
 cessful in that undertaking, losing the capital that 
 he had invested during the year that he carried it 
 on. After that he and his brother formed a part- 
 nership to conduct the real-estate business. The 
 time and place for their embarkation in that busi- 
 ness proved very propitious, as it was in season to 
 take advantage of the great " boom " that soon 
 struck that city and caused a rapid rise in the value 
 of propert3^ and stimulated business to an unpre- 
 cedented extent. The brothers made money very 
 
 •t 
 
 4^ 
 
 :?^rf-^ 
 
i i 792 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 fast by their shrewd investments, and were soon 
 counted among the weaitli3' citizens of Omaha. In 
 1884 ]\Ir. Ballou resumed tlie iiractiee of law in 
 connection with his other business, and continued 
 practicing and selling real estate until 1887, when 
 he came to Pltittsmouth. Here he bought 1,200 
 acres of land, a part of which was included in the 
 corporation of the city, and the remainder joining 
 it. Subsequently he laid out two additions to the 
 city from a part of the investment, which already 
 have been considerably improved. He at once com- 
 menced the erection of his present home, which 
 was completed in the summer of 1888. This is the 
 finest residence in Cass County and probably' the 
 finest country seat in the State. It is of a strikingly 
 beautiful style of architecture, and the rare taste 
 displayed in its ornamentation and furnishings, to- 
 gether with its surroundings, makes it a lovely 
 dwelling-place. 
 
 Mr. Ballou was married, March 25, 1868, to Miss 
 Isabel Glasgow, a native of Philadelphia. Her par- 
 ents, William and Mary Glasgow, both natives of 
 Pennsylvania, were of Scotch ancestry. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Ballou have two children living, Robert and 
 Isabel. William, their first-born, died at the age of 
 two and one-half ^-ears. Fanny and Arthur were 
 twins; the former died at the age of four years, and 
 the latter died in infancy. 
 
 Mr. Ballou has always been a stanch Republican, 
 and a leader and counselor in the part}'. He has 
 been a delegate to State and County Conventions 
 many times, and in 1887 was one of the candidates 
 of his part}' for the position of District Judge for 
 the Third Judicial District of Nebraska. There was, 
 however, a non-partisan ticket put into the field by 
 the Democratic party, and an exciting contest fol- 
 lowed, which resulted in the defeat of the entire 
 Republican ticket. The contest brought forth the 
 following tribute to our subject from Judge Cobb 
 of the Supreme Bench, which we copy verbatim, as 
 it expresses so well his character and ability, and is 
 an echo of the estimate in which he is held by those 
 familiar with him: Omaha Republican, Nov. 5, 
 1887 — Query: "Judge Cobb, what is your opinion 
 of the qualifications of Mr. Ballou for the position 
 of District Judge.'" Judge Cobb: "My jjcrsonal 
 opinion is this: Mr. Ballou stands very nearly at 
 
 the top of the profession in this State, and I think 
 if he were elected to the position of District Judge 
 in Omaha, he would by his conduct and knowledge 
 of the law meet the approbation of the bar as well 
 as the citizens at large. 1 have heard him in many 
 cases before the Supreme Court, and he invariably 
 handled them with a very high degree of judgment, 
 and evinced in the plainest manner close research 
 and careful study in tiieir preparatit)n. His work 
 was never faulty nor neglected, and always com- 
 pared favorably with the best efforts of the at- 
 torneys of the State. Mr. Ballou is an active Re- 
 publican; he has been actively identified with the 
 party's interest, and is as enthusiastic in the success 
 of those principles he so earnestly espouses. I think 
 that the material for Judges can be selected from 
 no more trustworthy source than from the Repub- 
 lican party, I have been a partj'imian all my life, 
 and sincerel}' believe in it. The fact that a man 
 has been an active Republican during his life is no 
 good or valid reason wh_y he caunot do justice upon 
 the bench to his most implacable enemy. To char- 
 acterize Mr. Ballou as unqualified is unjust and un- 
 fair; he is perfectly capable and would make a good 
 and fair Judge." 
 
 It gives us pleasure to print on another page the 
 portrait of Mr. Ballon", than whom no other citi- 
 zen of Cass Count}' more deserves the honor. 
 
 ^^ BRAM M. ROCKWELL, one of the promi- 
 (@/u| i nent farmers of Centre Precinct, owning a 
 fine farm of 160 acres on section 26, town^i 
 ship 11, range 11 north, of the city of 
 Weeping Water, is also one of Nebraska's pioneers. 
 He was born in Saratoga Count}-. N. Y., Nov. 5, 
 1849, coming of good stock and a family that had 
 long been residents of the State. Jonah Rockwell, 
 his grandfather, was a native and lifelong resident 
 of New York. 
 
 Seth B. Rockwell, the father of our subject, was 
 .also born in Saratoga County, Feb. 14, 1808, being 
 the date of his birth in that beautiful locality. He 
 married Miss Elizabeth Tabor, and to them came 
 five children, all of whom grew to maturity, and 
 four of them are living in this precint. Mr. Rock- 
 
 •Mh^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■<• 
 
it^ 
 
 CASS COUKTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 793 
 
 f 
 
 well contimierl to resiile in his Daiive State until 
 l!Sd4, when he moved with his family to Illinois, 
 In the fall of tlie j'eav of 1SG8 he eaine still fur- 
 ther West, and passed the remainder of his daj's in 
 the home of our subject, dying here in 1883. His 
 wife had preceded him in death two or three years 
 before. They were people of sober, blameless lives, 
 who were justly held in respect and esteem. 
 
 Our subject was a child of five years when his 
 parents took him to their new home in Jllinois, and 
 he grew to a stalwart manhood, his parents care- 
 fully training him in liabits of industry, and instill- 
 ing into his mind principles of honesty and virtue. 
 He completed his education in that State, and in 
 18U8 came with his parents to Dodge County, and 
 took up land, but continued to make his home with 
 his father and mpther until his maniage, and then 
 they lived with him. The}' staid in Dodge County 
 nine years, and in 1877 came to the place where 
 our subject now lives. This the}' bought when it 
 was wild prairie land, and have put on it every im- 
 provement of which it can boast, and the}- are 
 many and valuable. Our subject has a good or- 
 chard, comprising three acres of choice fruit trees, 
 besides siflall fruits. A good house was erected and 
 substantial out-buildings the first yearof possession. 
 The farm is well stocked, and is cultivated to a 
 high degree, rendering it very productive, and our 
 subject raises a large quantity of grain. 
 
 Our subject has a pleasant home, his wife being a 
 good housewife, who knows well how to make ever^'- 
 thing comfortable and C0Z3'. Mr. and Mrs. Rock- 
 well were united in marriage Sept. 11, 1881, and 
 three children, Walter Calvin, AVilliam O., and 
 Abiam M., deceased, have blessed their wedded 
 life. Mrs. Rockwell was formerly Miss Mary Maple, 
 of Centre Precinct, where she had lived for some 
 years prior to her marriage. She was born Feb. 22, 
 1862, in Iowa, and is a daughter of William and Mar- 
 tha A. (Jenkins) Maple. They were natives of Ohio, 
 who became pioneers of Iowa, and subsequently of 
 Nebraska. Mrs. Rockwell lived with her parents 
 until her marriage, and they are now living in Elm- 
 wood Precinct, where her father is engaged in farm- 
 ing. 
 
 Mr. Rockwell is worthy of respect and esteem, 
 inasmuch as his conduct in life is guided by prin- 
 
 ciples of right and true piety, and by all his towns- 
 people he is spoken of as a man of ability and in- 
 tegrity of purpose. His busy life gives him no 
 time to mingle in public life or to attend to politics, 
 but on election days he is always found at the i)oIls, 
 supporting the ticket of the good old Democratic 
 parly by voice ami vote. He is an earnest mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and does 
 what he can to extend its influence. 
 
 ■vf^ DWARD WILLIAMS, one of the prominent 
 l^ and leading farmers of Tipton Precinct, set- 
 (JL^ tied on liis present homestead in 1869, where 
 he arrived after a tedious and wearisome journey 
 overland with teams, and settled down to the im- 
 provement of his eightj- acres of raw land. He 
 built a sod house in which they lived nine months. 
 In the spring of 1870 he built a small frame house, 
 hauling the lumber from Plattsmouth; he broke 
 some prairie laud s-.nd raised a few potatoes the first 
 year, one of which weighed a pound. He set out 
 trees from time to time until he now has a grove of 
 eight or ten acres and a small orchard. He began 
 raising strawberries for market, but has now quit, 
 it not proving sufficiently remunerative. The en- 
 tire farm is divided into 15-acre lots b}' cross 
 fences of wire; the entire tract is well watered bj' a 
 branch of Camp Creek, and is in all respects a well- 
 located and admirably conducted homestead. 
 
 In 1884: the present beautiful residence was 
 built, 14x26 feet, two stories high, with a wing 
 14x1 6 feet, with porch and cellar, and is surrounded 
 by a neat picket fence, new barn, and other con- 
 venient out-buildings. His attention is devoted to 
 gardening, general farming. Short-horn, graded 
 Jersey and Angus cattle, and thoroughbred Poland- 
 China hogs. The cattle and hogs show the care 
 that has been given them b}' their owner, and most 
 certainly do him full credit. 
 
 Mr. Williams was born near New Diggings, 
 LaFayette Co., Wis., Oct. 12, 1845, and was one of 
 a family of six children: Melvina, Mary and Will- 
 iam are older, and Lucy and Emma are younger 
 than our subject. The sister Melvina and brother 
 William are dead. The father died when our subject 
 
 ♦r^^ 
 
Hl^ 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 794 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 r 
 
 was a child. After his death our subject went to live 
 with Ml-. W. Thompson, where he remained several 
 years. A\'hen he began to work out by the month 
 all his wages went to help support his mother and 
 her family. He continued working until eighteen 
 years of age, when, Dec. 29, 1863, he enlisted 
 in the 46th Illinois Infantry, Company D, and was 
 mustered into service at Camp Butler, under Capt. 
 Miller, Col. Jones Regimental Commander. He 
 participated in the skirmish at Benton, Miss., 
 May 13, 1864. and the engagement at Jackson. 
 Miss., July 6 and 7; in the skirmish at Spanish 
 Fort, Ala., March 28, 1865; in the charge on and 
 capture of Ft. Blakeslee, April 9; at Mobile, April 
 12, and many other minor engagements and skir- 
 mishes. He was mustered out and honorably dis- 
 charged from the service at Baton Rouge, La., 
 June 20, 1866, when he returned North and rented 
 various farms until 1869, when we find him located 
 at his present homestead in Tipton Precinct. 
 
 The subject of this sketch and Miss Caroline E. 
 Krieger were married at Cadiz, Green Co., Wis., 
 Jan. 3, 1869. This lady is the daughter of 
 Albert and Mary Magdalene (Humell) Krieger. 
 Jesse Williams, the father of our subject, was a 
 miner, and was engaged in mining at Galena, 111., 
 where he continued working up to a year or two 
 before his death, when he removed to McConnell's 
 Grove, near Freeport, on the Pecatonica River, 
 where his decease occurred when he wa.* forty years 
 of age. 
 
 Our subject's mother was married the second 
 time, to Mr. David D. Young. Mr. Young served 
 in the 46th Illinois Infantry during the late Civil 
 War, from which he was honorably discharged at 
 the expiration of his three years' term of service, 
 this being the same regiment of which our subject 
 was a member. The mother died in 1871, aged 
 fifty-seven years. The father of the wife of our 
 subject came to America when he was seventeen 
 years old, settling in Pennsylvania. He was a black- 
 smith, and continued his trade in Philadelphia after 
 his marriage. He was a fine musician, highly edu- 
 cated in the art, and was unusually expert in hand- 
 ling the violin, and was a member of one of the 
 leading bands of Germany. In 1859 he removed 
 with his family to Milwaukee. AVis., where he farmed 
 
 for two j-ears. In 1861 he removed to Stephenson 
 County, 111., where he bought and improved fifty 
 acres of land. He lived on this farm for seven 
 years, when he removed to Nebraska, where he 
 bought a tract of land, which he held only three 
 months when he sold it, and went back to McCon- 
 nell's Grove, 111., where he rented land and lived 
 until 1880, when he died, aged fifty-seven years. 
 
 The lady's mother is living with one of her 
 daughters in Freeport, 111., and is now seventy-two 
 years old. She has been married three times; four 
 children were born to her as the result of the first 
 marriage, they being Arnold, Ellis, Sarah and 
 Mary. Arnold and Ellis were in the late Civil 
 War; Arnold died of the typhoid fever at AVin- 
 chester, \^a.; Ellis was wounded but recovered, and 
 is now living in Pennsylvania. Two children, 
 twins, were born as the result of the second mar- 
 riage, Moses and Aaron Heise. They were both 
 in the arm}-. Moses died four weeks after he en- 
 listed, from the black measles; Aaron served to the 
 close of the war, and was honorably discharged. 
 The wife of our subject, Caroline, was born in 
 Clearfield County, Pa., Dec. 19, 1855. When she 
 was four 3'ears old the family removed to AViscon- 
 sin, and from there to Illinois when she was six 
 years old, wliere they lived until she was married 
 to our subject. She was the eldest of three chil- 
 dren of her mother's third and last marriage, her 
 sister Sophia J. and brother Josepli being younger. 
 
 During the period in which our subject was in 
 the arinj' he lost his health by exposure and the 
 viscissitudes of war, and returned home with his 
 constitution broken and health shattered, so much 
 so that at this time he finds himself the large 
 portion of the time unable to look after the opera- 
 tions of the farm. At such times the work is not 
 neglected, for in the person of his estimable 
 wife he finds a good manager and a veritable 
 helpmate. AA'hen he is unable to work she takes 
 the burden from his shoulders, and if need be 
 will go out into the field and help assist in 
 stacking the grain, breaking ground, and partici- 
 pating in any other necessary labor to make their 
 farm a success, and it is only due to her to say 
 that the competency and comfort which they now 
 enjoy are largely due to iier ability and willing- 
 
 -•►41- 
 
•► i r^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 TS),') 
 
 ness to assume the management of the place when 
 needed. During her leisure hours she has acquired 
 great skill in making wax flowers and other wax- 
 work, and she has lovely' specimens in her parlor, 
 which is the most costly furnished room in the pre- 
 cinct, many of the articles contained there being 
 the direct result of her exquisite taste and skill. 
 
 Two 'children have been born to this couple, 
 William J. and James A.; both died with the dread 
 disease diphtheria. Both husband and wife are 
 conscientious members of the United Brethren 
 Church. Mr. Williams is a straight Republican in 
 politics. 
 
 ^pfl TYSON. The subject of this personal nar- 
 @/lJ Ii rative was an early settler of Stove Creek 
 
 /// I4l Precinct, and has contributed his full quota 
 (^J' toward iis development and progress. He 
 
 is a native of Canada, born in Ontario, A|)ril 27, 
 1821. His father, John Tj'son. was born in Ger- 
 many, near Hamburg, where he grew to man's es- 
 tate. He learned the cooper's trade there, and was 
 also a sailor, having charge of a private vessel for 
 several years. He subsequently emigrated to 
 America and settled in Canada, where he married 
 Malin<la Waldron, a native of Chittenden County, 
 Vt. He afterward moved to Prescott, on the St. 
 Lawrence River, but after sojourning there a few 
 years he moved across the river into New York 
 State. Six years later he moved to Genesee County, 
 where he worked at coopering until 1842. Mr. 
 Tyson then moved with his family to Hancock 
 County, 111., where he engaged at his trade. An- 
 other removal found him in St. Louis, where he 
 remained but a short time before returning to Illi- 
 nois, wiien he settled in DeKaib Countj', and con- 
 tinued his former occupation. Besides working at 
 his trade Mr. Tyson was a local preacher in the 
 Universalist denomination for some years, and 
 preached occasionally until his deatii, wliich oc- 
 curred in DeKaib County in 18G2, at the venerable 
 age of ninety years. His wife survived him, dj'ing 
 in 1873, at eighty-six years of age. They had a 
 family of six children, as follows: William H.. a 
 soldier of the Mexican War, who, after being dis- 
 charged from the army, returned as far as St. Louis, 
 
 and there fell a victim of cholera; Abiathar; Sarah, 
 deceased; Harriet, of Columbus, Neb.; Silas and 
 Louisa, deceased. Abiathar Waldron, the maternal 
 grandfather of our subject, at the time of the 
 Revolution, being too young to enlist, went into 
 the army as a servant, but was mustered into the 
 ranks. After the war he went to Vermont, and in 
 171)8 married a daughter of Mr. Evarts, and settled 
 on a farm in AVilliston. He subsequently sold his 
 laud there and moved to Quebec, Canada, becoming 
 one of the pioneer farmers of that section of the 
 country. When the Canadian Rebellion broke out 
 in 1838, he solil his Canadian possessions, and moved 
 to St. Lawrence County, N. Y. In 1840 he bought 
 a farm there, on which he lived until his death in 
 April, 1841. Mrs. Waldron survived her husband, 
 djing in 1846. 
 
 Abiathar Tyson, of this sketch, can remember 
 moving with his parents from Canada to the States, 
 first locating in St. Lawrence County, and then in 
 Erie County, N. Y. ; when twenty-one j-ears of age 
 he moved to Illinois and followed the cooper's trade, 
 and also worked at carpentering somewhat. He 
 afterward removed to DeKaib County, III., in 
 1848, but the cholera breaking out soon after, he 
 took a trip back to New York, and remained there 
 a year. Our subject then returned to DeKaib 
 County, III., and worked at coopering there until 
 his marriage, June 22, 1857, to Miss Ellen W. 
 Boughen, daughter of James and Maria (Worf) 
 Boughen. Her maternal grandfather, William AYorf, 
 was a farmer in England, and her paternal grand- 
 father, James Boughen, was a huckster in the same 
 country. James Boughen, Jr.. the father of Mrs. 
 Tyson, was born in England, and there spent his 
 entire life. When young he worked out as a gen- 
 tleman's servant, but after marriage engaged in mill- 
 ing until his accidental death by scalding in 1849, 
 while at work in a brewery. His widow afterward 
 emigrated to the United States, and located first in 
 New York State, then moved to Illinois, but is at 
 the present time living in Clay Countj% Kan., at 
 the advanced age of seventy-one. She is the mother 
 of four children, namely : Ellen, Charles (deceased), 
 and Ambrose and John, of Clay County, Kan. 
 Ambrose enlisted in an Illinois regiment in 1864, 
 and served until the close of the war. Ellen, the 
 
 »► I I <• 
 
 he Y 
 
-^•- 
 
 7d6 
 
 ■•►^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ih 
 
 wife of our subject, was born in Walton. Norfolli 
 County, England, Dec. 23, 1838, and carae to 
 America with her mother when fifteen years old. 
 She sailed from Liverpool on the sailing-vessel 
 '•Van Gerard," and after a voyage of seven weeks 
 disembarked in New York City. She remained 
 with her mother until her marriage with onr subject, 
 in Belvidere, Boone Co., 111. 
 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. TySon re- 
 mained in Illinois until the fall of 1865, when they 
 came with two teams to Nebraska, crossing the 
 Mississippi River at Ft. Madison, Iowa, and the 
 Missouri River at Nebraska City. Five weeks 
 after leaving home they reached Nemaha County, 
 thence came to Cass County, and took up a home- 
 stead claim of IGO acres in Stove Creek Precinct, 
 section 10. township 10, range 10. It was raw 
 prairie land, and our subject broke it with oxen. 
 He raised a small crop the first year, and hauled 
 the lumber to build his house, having to ford a 
 stream with it. He continued improving his land, 
 set out trees and orchards, but the grasshopper raid 
 came soon after, and for four successive years Mr. 
 Tyson lost his crops. He had a hard struggle then, 
 having to subsist one year on buckwheat and had 
 to mortgage his farm to live. A few years of good 
 harvests after that enabled him to retrieve his losses, 
 and soon placed him in an independent position. 
 He has since then built a fine house, a large barn, 
 and other buildings on his farm, and bought forty 
 acres of land in Elmwood, on which he has erected 
 a commodious dwelling, where lie now lives and 
 carries on farming on a small scale, having given 
 up the management of his homestead farm toone of 
 his sons. 
 
 To our subject and his wife the following family 
 has been born: Lester R. is a mail agent from Coun- 
 cil Bluflfs to Ogden; William Henry, deceased; 
 Horace manages the homestead farm ; Louis A. is a 
 farmer in Stove Creek Precinct; Florilla is the wife 
 of .1. Breedon. a farmer of Dundee County, Neb., 
 and they have one child; Arvilla.at home; Moroni 
 is at school at Council Bluffs; Delbert is at home; 
 Ilattie. deceased; Pollen M., at home; Edith and an 
 infant both deceased. 
 
 Mr. Tyson, politicall}', votes the straight Re|)nb- 
 lican ticket, and has served as Constable four years 
 
 and on the School Board several terms. Relig- 
 iously, he and his estimable wife worshi|) with the 
 Latter-Day Saints, who hold their meetings in the 
 district school- house. They are both kind, hospit- 
 able people, who, by their genial, pleasant ways 
 have endeared themselves to their entire neighbor- 
 hood. Mr. Tyson has amassed a comfortable 
 property-, but is still expecting more, a dowry set- 
 tlement of an estate that was given to some of his 
 ancestors by Col. Dondow in 166G. They emi- 
 grated from England to New York, and were 
 granted a tract of land on the Harlem River by the 
 common syndicate that controlled it, and the heirs 
 are now trying to prove their claims. 
 
 <^ ItelLLIAM WESTLAKE. By a happy dis- 
 
 ypensation of Providence men are led into a 
 „ ^ thousand channels, some delighting in the 
 pursuit of agriculture, others inclining to a pro- 
 fessional life, while others are born with mechanical 
 genius, and so on we might enumerate a long cate- 
 gory. All these worked out properly are important 
 in completing the sum of human acquirements and 
 happiness. The subject of this sketch, a success in 
 his line, is not onl}' a skillful farmer, but a stock- 
 raiser of no little importance in Southern Nebraska. 
 In carrying on his operations he utilizes a fine tract 
 of land in Avoca Precinct, pleasantly located on 
 sections 18 and 19, and 400 acres in extent. 
 
 As an especial lover of the equine race Mr. West- 
 lake has in his stables and fields some of the 
 finest specimens of horseflesh to be found in Cass 
 County. At the head is '-Bonnie Boy," an animal 
 registered No. 2,965, sired in France in 1882, and 
 imported by Mr. Perry, of River View, 111. He was 
 purchased by Mr. Westlake in February, 1883, and 
 weighs about 2,000 pounds. In color he is that of 
 almost indescribable brown, which is universally 
 admired. The next two animals most valuable in 
 the estimation of their owner were purchased by 
 him of William L. Elwood, of DeKalb County, 111., 
 in 1887. They are named respectively "Soubise" 
 and "Ilouri," the former No. 6,795 (5280), and 
 the latter No. 5,878 (8224). Soubise was foaled 
 in France in 1884. He is a dark gray stallion of 
 
 r 
 
4 
 
 -4^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 J91 
 
 magnificent proportions, and was imported a few 
 months prior to his purchase by Mr. Westlake. He 
 weiglis 1 ,900 pounds, and is of proportionate value. 
 "Houri" is a fine black horse, foaled also in France, 
 in 1885, imported the year following, and [mr- 
 chased by our subject in 1887. He weighs 1,800 
 pounds, and is much admired. 
 
 Mr. Westlake has obtained a fine reputation as a 
 breeder throughout Nebraska and the States adjoin- 
 ing. He has exhibited at both the State and local 
 fairs, and frequently carries off the blue ribbons. 
 His experience in this business is quite extended, 
 he having given to it much attention since 
 coming to the 3'oung State of Nebraska in the 
 June of 1867. He at that time settled in Avoca 
 Precinct, of which he has since been a resident, and 
 is the owner of one of the finest farms within its 
 limits. His land is all improved and embellished 
 with a handsome and substantial set of frame build- 
 ings. The village of Avoca is two miles distant, 
 and forms his post-office and the nearest station of 
 the Missouri Pacific Railroad, four miles from 
 Weeping Water. 
 
 The Westlake farm, when purcliased by its pres- 
 ent proprietor, was a tract of raw prairie, of which 
 he first secured only eighty acres. He is now a 
 land-owner to the extent of 400 acres, which com- 
 prises an exceedingly valuable property, and upon 
 which he has expended years of labor and thousands 
 of dollars. Adjacent to the buildings is a spring of 
 never-failing water, which can only be appreciated at 
 its TuU value by those who have suffered the incon- 
 venience of drouth in a somewhat capricious cli- 
 mate. In addition to the breeding of horses Mr. 
 Westlake has also a herd of fine cattle and swine. 
 
 A native of Devonshire, England, Mr. Westlake 
 was born Oct. 30, 1836, and came with his parents 
 to America when a little lad ten years of age. They 
 settled in Canada, where he was I'eared to man's 
 estate with a limited education. He was married 
 in the Dominion, Nov. 11, 1858, to i\Iiss Ann Gra- 
 ham, who was born in Simeoe County, Canada, 
 about 1838. Her parents were natives of Ireland. 
 Her father died when she was a little child one 
 year old, and the mother died Jan. 1, 1881. Like 
 her husband her school days were lirief in duration, 
 and she earh' became acquainted with the cares and 
 
 responsibilities of life. These experiences, how- 
 ever, usually result in a self-reliant and independ- 
 ent disposition, and are in manj' cases of more 
 value than college learning. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Westlake there were born six 
 children, of whom the record is as follows: The eld- 
 est son, William H., married Miss Mary E. McKay, 
 and they are living on a farm in Avoca Precinct; 
 John and Samuel are at home with their parents; 
 Hannah is the wife of George Hebner, and they are 
 also residents of Avoca Precinct; George and 
 Frederick continue under the home roof. Mr. W., 
 politically, is independent, aiming to support the 
 men wliom he considers best qualified for office, 
 and carefully refrains from taking upon himself 
 the cares and responsibilities incident to a phblic 
 position. The stock-raising interests of Cass 
 County, and in fact Southern Nebraska, have 
 found in him one of their most useful and eflieient 
 factors. 
 
 — 7— f^{^ 
 
 ■¥ OSHUA W. BULLIS occupies a in-ominent 
 I position in tiie farming community of Weej)- 
 ing Water Precinct, where lie is quite ex- 
 tensively engaged in raising grain and stock. 
 His farm, embracing the northwest quarter and 
 forty acres of tlie southwest quarter of section 9, 
 contains 200 acres of as fertile and productive land 
 as is to be found under the sunny skies of Ne- 
 braska. 
 
 Our subject was born in Canada, Nov. 20, 1853, 
 received his education in the excellent sehciols of 
 his native town, and lived there until he was twenty 
 years of age. His father, Josliua Bullis, is like- 
 wise a Canadian by birth, and he is still living there 
 at an advanced age. he liaving been liorn in 1809. 
 He has always lived on the same farm, although he 
 has now practically' retired from work, having won 
 a comfortable competence by hard labor in earlier 
 life, so that lie can now jjass his declining years in 
 ease. He has been a prominent man in his day, 
 having served in public capacities, and he is still an 
 influential member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church with his famil3\ He married Mary An- 
 drews, of Leeds, England, who crossed the waters to 
 Canada when a young lady, with her mother. She 
 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 798 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 died in 1800, when oursul)jeet was seven j'ears old. 
 Her father, Capt. William Andrews, was a soldier 
 and officer in the Englisli service most of his 
 life. At the age mentioned Joshua BuUis left his 
 father's home, and crossing tlie border to the 
 "States," made his way to Wisconsin, where he be- 
 gan life as a clerk in a store in Menasha. Seven 
 years later he came to Nebrasl^a, in June, 1879. 
 He first located in Elmwood Precinct, and was 
 there engaged in farming for several years. At 
 one time he owned an improved farm on section 
 10, which he afterward disposed of, and bought aa- 
 other on section 13, which was also well improved. 
 He subsequently disposed of that also, at an advance 
 on the original cost, and coming to Weeping Water, 
 was activelj' engaged in the mercantile business for 
 two years. He was very successful in that venture, 
 but thought that a stirring, out-of-door life would 
 agree with his health better, and would also suit 
 his tastes. Therefore he bought his present farm in 
 1885. lu the tliree short years that have elapsed 
 since that time, by his energetic and vvell-rlirected 
 toil he has brought about a great change, convert- 
 ing the tract of wild prairie land into a well-culti- 
 vated farm, replete with all the improvements of a 
 model farm. He has it all neatly fenced and under 
 good tillage, and has erected a substantial dwelling 
 and other necessary buildings. In this, the third 
 3'ear of his occupancy, he has raised 4,000 bushels 
 of corn, 700 bushels of oats, 500 bushels of barley, 
 200 bushels of wheat, besides potatoes and otiier 
 vegetal)les, and he has put up ten tons of hay and a 
 like amount of millet. He raises fine stock, and has 
 twenty head of cattle on his place all of the time. 
 
 Mr. Hullis and Miss Mary I. Chapman, of Me- 
 nasha, Wis., united their fortunes Oct. 9, 1878, and 
 together tliey have built up one of the coziest homes 
 in all Weeping Water Precinct. Mrs. Bullis was 
 born in Sheboygan. Wis., a daughter of John Chap- 
 man, a woolen manufacturer of Menasha. He died 
 in January, 1885. His widow, a woman of great 
 business tact and ability, is still living, and man- 
 ages the mill at Watertown, Wis. 
 
 Our subject is a man of more tiian ordinary 
 ability, and although still young, has, \>y his own 
 exertions, gained a competi'ucj-. His fellow-citi- 
 zens have conlidence in him, and would gladly en- 
 
 trust some responsible office to his care, but he is 
 too bus\' with his own private affairs to mingle in 
 public life, and has refused to be nominated to any 
 position. He is a Republican in liis political views, 
 and his part}' has no more stanch supporter in this 
 precinct. 
 
 EMIL SCHRIDER. The neat homestead oc- 
 cupying IGO acres on sections 4 and 5, Avoca 
 _' Precinct, is owned and operated by the gen- 
 tleman whose name stands at the head of this sketch, 
 and who is still in the enjoyment of single blessed- 
 ness. Witli the exception of this he has i>erformed 
 his duties creditably as a member of the commu- 
 nity, and it is supposed that in the thorough and 
 skillful cultivation of his land he has found liimself 
 too busy to take upon liimself the further responsi- 
 bilities of a family. 
 
 In the Duchy of Sleswick-Holstein, which has 
 furnished so many of the best citizens of America, 
 w.as located the boyhood home of our subject, and 
 where his birth took place July 16, 1840. He was 
 there reared and educated, and for a period of 
 eleven months during his early manhood belonged 
 to the standing array of Denmark. He lived in his 
 native country until twentj'-four years of age, then, 
 not satisfied with liis surroundings or his prospects, 
 started for America, taking passage on the ship 
 "Sembrio," and landing ten days later in the city 
 of New York. His destination w.as the Far West, 
 and he accordingly proceeded straight toward the 
 Mississippi, landing in this county, and settling at 
 once in Avoca Precinct. He purchased 160 acres 
 of land on sections 4 and 5, wiiich constitutes liis 
 home farm, while he has 160 acres on section 8, in 
 Weeping Water Precinct. He has always made it 
 a rule to live within his income, and avoid placing 
 an incumbrance upon his property. His land is 
 mostly under a state of cultivation, and each j'ear 
 is adding something to its value. Upon becoming 
 a naturalized citizen he identified himself with the 
 Republican part}', and is a man of prominence in 
 his precinct, holding many of the local otfices, and 
 generally respected in his community. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Claus and Anna 
 (Johanson) Sclirider; the father lives in his native 
 
 •►^ 
 
 -•►HI 
 

•►■ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 801 
 
 CTermaiij'. and the mother died in 1887. Tliey were 
 honest and iiidustrions people, and the fatiier was 
 eniplu^'ed as a nieclianic inosti3' in connection with 
 an iron manufactory. Tiie parental household in- 
 cluded six children, five of whom are living, three 
 in this countrj', and two in Germany. 
 
 V¥| OHN BLACK, M. D.. is among the foremost 
 I I men of enterprise and abilitj' who have been 
 ^,^1 ] instrumental in raising Plattsmouth from a 
 (^^J// small town to its present condition as a 
 wealth}' and important metropolis, with great com- 
 mercial interests, and the center of a rich agricult- 
 ural region. His influence has indeed extended 
 far beyond the limits of this municipalitj', as he, 
 with other men of high standing, has given the 
 financial interests of Cass County a great impetus, 
 he having been instrumental in the establishment 
 of no less than three banks within its borders. 
 
 The Doctor was born in Northumberland County, 
 England, Nov. 14, 1821, and is a son of William 
 and Cicely (Lilley) Black, both natives of that 
 county. The father of our subject was reared and 
 married in the home of his birth, and having been 
 reared to the life of a farmer, followed that pursuit 
 there for some j'ears. In 1838 became to America, 
 accompanied bj' his wife and seven children. They 
 landed in New York after an exceedingly long voy- 
 age of sixty-seven days, and Ohio being their desti- 
 mition, they proceeded on their journey by the 
 modes of travel common in those days, almost be- 
 fore the era of railway's, and at length found them- 
 selves in the wilds of Knox County, in the Buckeye 
 Stale. They .lived there until 1852, when JMr. Black 
 and his family, once again taking up the westward 
 route, traveling with teams, taking a part of their 
 househohl goods, cooking and camping b}- the waj'- 
 side wherever night overtook them, at length ar- 
 rived in DeKalb County, Mo. Several families 
 were with them, and the six weeks consumed in 
 traveling passed awaj' very pleasantly. Mr. Black 
 bought a tract of wild land one-half mile from the 
 village of Maysville.and there imjjroved an excellent 
 farm, which he made his home until his death, in 
 January, 1862. His wife survived him some years. 
 
 •^» 
 
 dying at the home of her son in Maj'sville, in 1873. 
 They were the parents of seven children, all born 
 in England, as follows: Isabelle, John, Robert. 
 P>lizabetli. Alexander, William and Margaret, and 
 all of whom came to the United States. 
 
 Our subject was reared in his native county until 
 he was sixteen. He attended the parish school and 
 assisted on his father's farm, and at the age men- 
 tioned accompanied his parents to this country, and 
 has since known no other home. He was ambitious 
 to improve his education, and commenced attend- 
 ance at the district schools of Knox County, Ohio. 
 He advanced rapidly in his studies, and subse- 
 quently pursued a good course at Fredericktown 
 Academy, in the same count)'. He entered upon 
 the study of medicine in that town at the age of 
 twenty-two years, and afterward became a student 
 at Cleveland, attending lectures at the Cleveland 
 Medical College, from which he was graduated with 
 honor in the spring of 1847, being finely prepared 
 for his profession. He opened an office in Clari- 
 don, Ohio, and in the few years that he remained 
 there secured an excellent practice. During his 
 residence there he was united in marriage with Miss 
 Martha Wiley, June 29,1848. being the date of 
 their wedding. She was born in Knox Countj', 
 Ohio, Dec. 13, 1825. Hugh Wiley, her father, w.as 
 born in Pennsylvania, and his father, John Wiley, 
 who was a farmer, spent his last years in Franklin 
 County, that State. Mrs. Black's father was reared 
 and married in Pennsylvania, and Elizabeth Mor- 
 row, who was born anil reared in Chambersburg. 
 Pa., and was a daughter of Wilson Morrow, became 
 his wife. They moved to Ohio about 1824, the re- 
 moval across the mountains being made with teams. 
 They located in Knox County, and were pioneers 
 there. He bought a tract of timber land, on which 
 was a log cabin, in which the family found shelter 
 for a few months, and then Mr. Wiley replaced it 
 by a more commodious hewed log house, the same 
 in which Mrs. Black was born. Tiie surrounding 
 country was in a very wild condition, deer, bears 
 and wolves being plentiful for some j'ears after the 
 family first settled there. The nearest markets for 
 grain were the lake (lorts, seventy miles distant. 
 Mrs. Black's mother, h.aving no stove, did her cook- 
 ing by the fireplace for some j'eais. She was an 
 
 -•►HI- 
 
4^ 
 
 802 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 expert both in spinning and weaving wool and flax, 
 and Ijer skillful hands supplied her hnsliand and 
 children with clothing. INIrs. Black's father cleared 
 a farm, oh which he resided nntil shortly before his 
 death, when he sold it, and purchasing another place 
 near by, made his home on it until his death, in 
 1855. 
 
 In 1854 Dr. Black moved to Missouri with his 
 family, going via rail to Rock Island, 111., then the 
 western terminus of the railway, thence down the 
 Mississippi to Burlington, where they took the stage 
 to Mt. Pleasant, the end of the stage route; there 
 the D(jctor hired a hack to take them to Centrevllle, 
 and from there they proceeded to the end of their 
 journey in a two-horse wagon. Our subject estab- 
 lished himself in Maysville, Mo., and practiced med- 
 icine there until I860. In that year he came to 
 Nebraska and opened an office in Plattsmoulh, 
 where he was actively engaged in his profession for 
 some j'cars. He soon became identified with the 
 financial interests of the city and count}-, and was 
 active in obtaining the establishment of the Bank 
 of Cass Countj', of which institution he was Presi- 
 dent until he sold out his share of stock. He then 
 assisted in foun<ling the Citizens' Bank, and was its 
 President for three years. To his influence, also, 
 does the Commercial Bank at Weeping Water owe 
 its existence. One of the enteiprises of our suiiject 
 was the erection of a fine large block in this city, 
 known as the Union Block. He has abandoned the 
 practice of his profession, having won a good repu- 
 tation for skill and learning, and is now living in 
 retirement in the enjoj'ment of an ample income, 
 for he has acquired an extensive propertj' by judi- 
 cious investment. lie and bis familj- occupy- a 
 prominent position in the societj- of this commu- 
 nit3', and are held in highest estimation by a large 
 circle of friends, who often share with them the 
 hospitalities of a refined and cultured home. Dr. 
 and Mrs. Black have six children, namely: Erasmus 
 W., Junius N.; Josephine A., wife of P. K. Rufner, 
 of Plattsmouth; Oella D., wife of E. A. Kirkpat- 
 rick. of Cass County' ; Robert W. .and Martha Celestia, 
 who lives at home with her parents. Mrs. Black, a 
 lady who is admired and esteemed for her many 
 amiable qualities, is a devoted member of the Pres- 
 bj-lerian Church, and quietly lends her influence to 
 
 promote its good works. Politically, Dr. Black has 
 always been identified with the Democratic party. 
 We present herewith the portrait of this well- 
 known, wide-awake and enterprising citizen of 
 Plattsmouth. one who has done much to raise the 
 city from its former condition as a small village, 
 and to whom she owes in no small degree her pres- 
 ent prosperity. 
 
 |T^_^ ARRY C. RITCHIE has been identified with 
 Kjl the commercial interests of Plattsmouth 
 (^^^ since 1884, buying a honie here and estab- 
 i^J) lishing himself in his present business as a 
 member of the firm of J. W. Jennings & Co. He 
 has since formed a partnership with L. E. .Skinne', 
 and they make .abstract business a specialty, nl- 
 tlrough they do an extensive real-estate, loan and 
 insurance business besides. 
 
 Mr. Ritchie was born in Madison. Jefferson Co., 
 Ind., Oct. 30, 1849. His father. John Ritchie, w.as 
 a native of the same county, while his grandfather, 
 Silas Ritchie, is supiiosed to have been a native of 
 Virginia. The paternal great-grandfather of our 
 subject was born in the North of Ireland, and com- 
 ing to America, landed in Virginia, and there made 
 his home the rest of his days, being actively en- 
 gaged as a farmer. The grandfather of our sul]ject 
 was reared and married in his Virginian home, and 
 moved from there about 1820 to Indiana, becoming 
 an early settler of that State. He bought a tract 
 of timber land, a part of which is now included in 
 the town of Madison, and was a resident there until 
 his death. 
 
 The father of oui' subject w.as reared to manhood 
 in his native State, and was there married to Mel- 
 vina Kyle. Three children were born of their mar- 
 ri.age — Ilarr^' C, Genevieve and Lucy M. Mr. 
 Ritchie engaged in the mercantile business with his 
 father for a time, and later engaged in the manu- 
 facture of brick, and also superintended a large 
 pork packing house in Indiana. He is still a resi- 
 dent of his native State, but has retired from busi- 
 ness, having .accumulated considerable property. 
 
 Harry Ritchie was leared and educated in Madi- 
 son, and at the age of eighteen entered the mercan- 
 
 •^^ 
 
•►-Hf^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 «03 
 
 t 
 
 tile world as a clerk in a dry -goods store, remaining 
 in the same establishment three years. He desired, 
 however, to try life beyond the aiississii)pi. and 
 went to St. Joseph, Mo., where he secured a hicra- 
 tive position as clerk in a wholesale dry -goods 
 house. He remained with that firm until 1875, 
 wlien he went to Hamburg, Iowa, to establish him- 
 self in business as proprietor of a general store. He 
 managed his interests thera very well for some 
 3'ears, but in 1879 he closed out his business and 
 returned to St. Josepli, where he again entered the 
 employ of a wholesale house, and, as a drummer, 
 traveled over Kansas and Nebraska. He won 
 golden opinions from his emploj'ers, as he made 
 large and i)roStable sales, his geniality, frankness, 
 and read}' conversational powers, making liim popu- 
 lar with all with whom he had dealings. In 1884 
 he came to Plattsmouth and bought a home, wish- 
 ing to settle down quietly in a pleasant locality 
 with his famil}'. As before mentioned, he became 
 a member of the firm of J. W. Jennings & Co. He 
 became associated with his present partner in 1886, 
 and they are conducting a good business. 
 
 Mr. Ritchie was married, July 17, 1879, to Miss 
 Josephine M. Fegan. She was born in Fairfield, 
 Iowa, a daughter of James and Mary Fegan, natives 
 of Pennsylvania. Two children, Jennie M. and 
 Mary L., complete the household circle. 
 
 Although Mr. Ritchie has been a resident of this 
 city but a few years, he shows the interest of an old 
 settler in its development, and encourages the vari- 
 ous schemes for its improvement. He and his 
 estimable wife have attained social prominence in 
 this community, where the}' are cordially liked by- 
 all who have had the pleasure of meeting them. Mr. 
 Ritchie is an ardent Republican in his political 
 views. 
 
 ^j. APT. J. M. CREMER, an old veteran of the 
 (l\ n U"'*'" Arin\' during the Civil War, has for 
 ^^7 years been recognized as one of the most 
 prominent and public-spirited citizens of Tipton 
 Precinct. He was shot six times while in the serv- 
 ice of his country-, the first and second grazing his 
 scal|), the third entering his neck, and the fourth, a 
 ball, struck him in the left breast, and went clear 
 
 tlirough his body nine inches; the fifth struck his 
 left forearm, mutilating it, and breaking the bone 
 so that it was useless. The sixth shot struck him 
 in the left breast bone, and three-fourth inches be- 
 low the fourth wound, and lodged within his ribs, 
 where it at present lies, although it keeps changing 
 about, and at times gives the Captain much pain. 
 
 Capt. Cremer is the offspring of a substantial old 
 family, and the son of David Cremer, who was 
 born in Somerset County, Pa., in 1798. The lat- 
 ter married Miss Elizabeth Stull, also a native of 
 Somerset County, and born the same year as her 
 husband. The paternal grandfather, Adam Cremer, 
 was born in Westmoreland Count}', Pa., and served 
 through the Revolutionar}' War .as a non-commis- 
 sioned officer. Afterward he established a black- 
 smith-shop in connection with a farm in his native 
 county, and was quite prominent in public affairs, 
 officiating as Justice of the Peace, and occupying 
 other local offices. He lived to the advanced age 
 of eighty-six years. The great-grandfather, Adam 
 Cremer, Sr., was a native of Germany, and upon 
 emigrating to America settled in V'irginia, where 
 he carried on farming. Upon the outbreak of the 
 Revolutionary War he shouldered his musket and 
 rusheil to the defense of the Colonists. He spent 
 his last years in Virginia. 
 
 On the mother's side John Stnll, the grandfather 
 of our subject, also a native of Pennsylvania, took 
 part in the War of 1812. He had in the meantime, 
 in 1800, emigrated to Ohio, and in the Buckeye 
 State spent the closing years of his life. He was a 
 son of one of the earliest settlers of Pennsylvania, 
 who was of German descent. He married a lady of 
 Swedish ancestr}', who was the daughter of a Capt. 
 Allbright, and she lived to be one hundred and 
 thirteen }'ears old. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in his na- 
 tive State, and in his young manhood was a mem- 
 ber of the Penns3'lvania Home Guards. He was 
 there married, and in 1 833 emigrated to Tuscarawas 
 County, Ohio, where he purchased from the Gov- 
 ernment a tract of timber land. He cleared two 
 farms in the Buckeye State, but in 18.52, pushing 
 farther westward, i)urchased eighty .acres in Kanka- 
 kee County, III., and from the tvilderness built up 
 a good homestead, where he spent the remainder of 
 
 •P^ 
 
•►-Hl^ 
 
 ^^h 
 
 804 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ! 
 
 his life, passing away in 1866. He was a Wliigr. 
 politieallj'. a man of decirled views, and a good 
 citizen. Tlie mother survived her husband until 
 1874. and died at the old home in Illinois. Both 
 were active nieralieis of the Church of the United 
 Brethren a period of fortj- years or more, in which 
 the father was a chief pillar, and officiated as Class 
 Steward. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were born 
 twelve children, namely: Margaret, Hannah, Sarah 
 and Johanna, all deceased; J. M., our sul>ject; 
 Isesa, Jesse, Silas .and Rachel (deceased); David, 
 Joseph and Klizabeth, residents respectively of Ne- 
 braska and Indiana. Jesse during the Civil War 
 enlisted as a Union soldier, in 1861, in the 64lh 
 Illinois Infantry, which was assigned to the Army 
 of the Cumberland, and was with Slierraan at the 
 siege of Atlanta. On the iid of July, I 864, he was 
 shot dead while in the performance of his duty. 
 
 Capt. Cremer was born in Turkey foot Township, 
 Somerset Co., Pa.. April 27, 1825, and grew up on 
 a farm. When a little lad eight years of age, his 
 parents removed to Ohio, and he remained with 
 them until a youth of seventeen. He then began 
 an apprenticeship at the tanner's trade at Canal 
 Dover, Ohio, remaining there two years, when on 
 account of failing health he returned to the farm. 
 He woiked with his father two years thereafter, and 
 then began learning the cariienter's trade. A year 
 later he returned to his old home in Pennsylvania 
 to visit friends and settle up his gr.and father's es- 
 tate. Upon going back to Ohio he employed him- 
 self as a carpenter, and was married in Canal Dover, 
 Oct. 12. 1848, to Miss Martha, daughter of John 
 and Hannah (Riggle) Gamble. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Cremer were natives of Ohio. 
 The palcinal grandfather, AVilliam Gamble, was born 
 in Ireland, and settled in Ohio upon emigrating to 
 the United States, where he spent his last days. 
 Grandfather Riggle was a native of Virginia, of 
 German descent, a blacksmith by trade, and lived 
 to be very old. John Gamble, in 1851, removed 
 to Illinois, settling near Pontiac iu Livingston 
 County, where his death took place at the age of 
 fortj' years, in 1852. The mother also died that 
 year, at the age of forty -three. Their children com- 
 piised seven sons and four daughters, the eldest of 
 
 whom, Elizabeth, died when quite small; Martha 
 J., Mis. Cremer, was the second child; Adam and 
 William W., are deceased; Harvej- and John are 
 residents of Wisconsin ; Asbury died in 1852. The 
 others are Rohert. of Champaign. III. ; Cook, of Wyo- 
 ming Territory; Louisa is living in Wisconsin, and 
 Ellen S., who died when three years old; Adam, 
 Harvej', John, Robert and Cook all served as sol- 
 diers in the Union Army. Adam died at LaGrange, 
 Tenn., in 18G3. 
 
 Mis. Cremer was born in Tuscarawas County, 
 Ohio, Jan. 10. 1829, and remained a resident of her 
 native State until the fall of 1851. The family then 
 journeyed overland with teams to what was then 
 Will, but is now Kankakee County, III., and settled 
 near the present town of Momence, when there were 
 only two house s between them and Chicago. Father 
 Gamble purchased 240 acres of prairie land, but for 
 two j'ears thereafter occupied himself mostly at his 
 trade of carpenter. Subsequentlj' he paid his whole 
 atteni.iou to farming. In 1860 lie moved to Coles 
 County, Mo., and was one of the earliest settlers of 
 that region. He purchased 320 acres of land, but 
 there being loo many rebels abc ut, went back to 
 Illinois, and this time located near Fairfield, in 
 Wayne County, where he purchased a farm of 120 
 acres. 
 
 The }car following, 1861, our subject entered 
 the service of the Government, and assisted in re- 
 cruiting the 18th, 40lh and 63d Illinois Regiments. 
 This effected, he raised a company for the 87th 
 Illinois Infantry, and himself became a member of 
 Company D, in that regiment, enlisting as a private 
 in August, 1862, at Shawneetown. He thereafter 
 participated in many of the important battles of 
 the war, being at Uniontown and Casej'ville, Kj\, 
 Island No. 10. Ft. Pillow. Hernando, Tenn., Cold- 
 water, Young's Point, Milliken's Bend, Grand Gulf, 
 Port Gibson, Jackson, Miss., and Champion Hills. 
 At Champion Hills 1.600 men of his division were 
 kdled outright. Later they met the enemy at Black 
 River, and the Captain participateil in the siege and 
 capture of Vieksburg. He was with the corps 
 which made the famous charge on the 22d of Maj', 
 1863. Jul}- 4 was another memorable daj'. and 
 later our subject with iiJs regiment was transferred 
 to the Deparlnicnt of the Gulf, after whicli he was 
 
 ■•►J I- 
 
»► II M* 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ■•► 
 
 805 
 
 protnoterl to the rank of Captain of Company I. 
 Soon afterward lie went to New Orleans to recruit, 
 remaining tliere until September 9, when they were 
 transferred to the command of Gen. Banks. Sub- 
 sequently occurred the battles of Franklin, New 
 Iberia, Vermilion, and other hand-to-hand engage- 
 ments with the Confederates. 
 
 In February, 1SG4. the company of Ca|)t. Creiner 
 was maile a part of the Red River expedition, and 
 fought in a number of l)attles. Among tliese was 
 that at Wilson's Hill, where our subject was under 
 fire four hours, and where he received his most seri- 
 ous wounds above spoken of. lie w.as left on tiie 
 field three days an<l tliree niglits, suppi)se<l to have 
 been mortally wounded. Upon being discovered 
 he was loaded into an ambulance, hauled forty 
 miles to the Red River, then taken. on a boat 640 
 miles to New Orleans, and placed in the St. James' 
 Hospital. The sufferings wliich he thereafter en- 
 dured can better be imagined tlian described, in 
 fact he was iu a condition wiiich it would hardly be 
 proper to mention here. Nothing but his splen- 
 did constitution enabled him to survive. When 
 wounded he weighed 214 pounds, and fourteen 
 days later had been reduced to l;jl pounds. 
 
 Capt. Creraer remained in the iiospital until .June 
 10, 18(J4, and then received a passport to return 
 home. He was given transportation across the 
 Gulf to New York, was provided with an artificial 
 arm, and arrived at his home in Wayne County, 111., 
 July 14, 1864. In August following Gov. Yates 
 forwarded to him his honorable discharge. Dur- 
 ing his absence the wife of Capt. Cremer, in addi- 
 tion to her natural anxiety concerning her husband, 
 had had her own conflicts with the rebels of South- 
 ern Illinois, who came very near making away with 
 everything they could destroy, so that the Captain 
 jind his wife were in effect quite destitute, with the 
 excepti(jn of twenty acres of land. In December 
 of that year they removed to Kankakee County, on 
 a farm, and with the helj* of his boys the Captain 
 soon recovered his losses, remaining there until 
 1870. 
 
 During the above-mentioned year Capt. Cremer 
 operated as a contractor with the Plymouth, Kan- 
 kakee & PaciQc Riilroad Company, and for two 
 3'ears tliereafter was fortunate in making consider- 
 
 able money. He finally rented a large ranch in 
 Lake County, Ind., and embarked in the cattle busi- 
 ness, which he continued until 1878, operating 
 largely with full-blooded Hereford stock. In the 
 fall of 1878 he ventured wejt of the Mississippi 
 into Cass County, this State, and purchased 400 
 acres of land, intending to establish a Hereford 
 stock farm, but afterward changed his mind and 
 went to general fanning. 
 
 The journey to Nebraska was made overland with 
 teams, the Captain bringing with him sixteen head 
 of horses, and taking up his abode on a tract of raw 
 jirairie purchased from the Burlington & Missouri 
 River Railroad Company. As soon as possible he 
 put up a house with lumber shipped from Chicago, 
 and set out some trees. In 1882 he began planting 
 the grove which is now the object of admiration by 
 the traveler through this section of the county. 
 Later he established an orchard of 450 apple trees 
 and 300 peach trees, and in all set out probably 
 45,000 trees, his grove alone covering an area of 
 ten acres. 
 
 In 1882 the Captain sold off a quarter-section of 
 his laud, and to the balance has given his close at- 
 tention, effecting first-class improvements, putting 
 up a neat and substantial residence with a barn 
 and out-buildings, corn-cribs, hog houses, etc. His 
 fences are largely of hedge, and the land has been 
 brought to a good state of cultivation. The house- 
 hold circle was completed by the birth of ten chil- 
 dren, namely: Elizabeth E., Isasa L., John W., 
 Sarah M., Clarissa A., Franklin W., Ulysses S. 
 Grant; Lilly M., who died in 1888, when twenty- 
 two years old; Emma H. and Lettie J. The eldest 
 daugh.ter is the wife of Claus Ohm, and they live on 
 a farm in Stove Creek Precinct; I. L. is married 
 and farming in Tipton Precinct; John W. is en- 
 gaged in the agricultural irai)lement trade ia Kan- 
 kakee. 111.; Sarah M., Mrs. Wallace Hess, is the 
 wife of a well-to-do farmer of Kankakee, III.; 
 Clarissa, Mrs. Joseph D. Skiles, lives on a farm iu 
 Butler County, this State; Franklin W. contin- 
 ues on the home farm; hi was united to Miss 
 Mary J. McCartcr, Dec. 25, 1887. She died Oct. 
 21, 1888, leaving one child, named Thomas J., who 
 is living with his grandparents McCarter, of Fron- 
 tier County, Neb. U. S. Grant is married and 
 
 »► II ^- 
 
 ?^»- 
 
••► 
 
 806 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 fniniing in Tiiiton Precinct; Lilly M. became the 
 nil'e of R. D. Shny. and died in Tipton Precinct, 
 Oct. 26. 1888, leaving one ciiild, Coia L., who 
 makes her home with her gvand|)arents. The other 
 children of our subject remain nniler the parental 
 roof. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to say that Capt. Cremer 
 is a Republican, "dyed in the wool." Few men 
 have attained to more prominence in county affairs 
 than he. He served twenty-two terms as a jury- 
 man, has been sent times without number as a dele- 
 gate to the various conventions of his party, offl- 
 ciated as Sheriff two years, and Justice of the Peace 
 two terms, and has otherwise been connected with 
 the important interest* of Cass County. Socially, 
 he belongs to Kenesaw Post No. 123, in which he 
 is Senior Commander. Both he and his estimable 
 wife have been active members of the United Breth- 
 ren Church a period of forty-five years, in which 
 the Captain has made himself useful as elsewhere, 
 officiating not only as Class-Leader, Steward and 
 Secretary, but also as a minister in the pulpit. He is 
 at present the local preacher of this church in Stove 
 Creek Circuit. He realizes the impoitance of re- 
 ligious instruction to the young, and has given no 
 little time to Sunday-school work, officiated as Su- 
 l)erintendent, and otherwise furthered the cause as 
 he has had opportunity. It will thus be seen that 
 he has built up a good record as a useful and self- 
 sacrificing citizen, and he is amply worthy of repre- 
 sentation in ii work designed to commemorate the 
 life of the pioneers of Cass County. 
 
 _ .^.^ ^ 
 
 (F_^ ENRY RAUSCH. There are few sections 
 Ib)^, in Cass County, as elsewhere, in which we do 
 '^^ not find the persevering and thrifty German 
 (®) farmer. The subject of this sketch is one 
 of the most worthy representatives of this class of 
 citizens who have been closely identified with the 
 development of the Great West. He owns a good 
 farm of IGO acres, comprising the northeast quarter 
 of section 8 in Tipton Precinct, and in addition to 
 o-eneral agriculture makes a specialty of the raising 
 of swine, producing each year of these animals 
 of unusual fine quality. His operations are carried 
 
 on in a thorougli and skillful manner, and his prompt- 
 ness in meeting his obligations has placed him in 
 a good position in his comniunily. 
 
 Before proceeding further in noting the career 
 of ]Mr. Rausch we will revert to those from whom 
 he drew his origin. His father, Conrad Rausch, was 
 born in Eisenach, Saxony, in the town of Farn- 
 roda. In early manhood he was married, the lady 
 being a native of his own Province, and settled 
 down to his trade of blacksmith in the village of Farn- 
 roda, neqr the well-known village of P^isenach. He 
 also carried on farming in connection with black- 
 smithing, and there spent the remainder of his days, 
 dj'ing in February-, 18CG, at the age of sixty-eight 
 years. He had served for a time in the German 
 Arn)y against the great Napoleon. The mother 
 also died in her native land, about 1864. Their 
 children, four in number, were named respectively: 
 Henr3', our subject; Ansophine, Lizzie and Chris- 
 tine, the three latter all deceased. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, like his parents before 
 him, is a native of Saxonj', born under the little 
 roof-tree in Farnroda, .June 24, 1820. He was 
 placed in school at the tender age of five years and 
 continued his stu<lies until a lad of fourteen. He 
 then began an apprenticeship at the stonemason's 
 trade, serving three years, then worked as a jour- 
 neyman until 1843. He had in the meantime trav- 
 eled all over, not only the German Empire but 
 many of the other outlying countries of Europe. 
 He finally decided to seek his fortunes in the West- 
 tern Hemisphere, and on the 20th of December, 
 1843, embarked from Bremerhaven on the sailing- 
 vessel " Emma," and after a voyage of sixty days 
 landed in New York City on the 14th of February. 
 He at once went to work for a farmer for his board, 
 where lie worked three months. He then went into 
 the city of New Y^ork, where he worked at his 
 trade until August, and then went to Waterbury, 
 Conn., where he sojourned until October. We 
 next find him in Virginia on the James River Canal 
 at stone cutting, where he staid one year. We next 
 find him in Campbell County, Va., in company 
 with John Robinson, burning lime, where he staid 
 eighteen months. 
 
 While a resident of the Old Dominion Mr. 
 Rausch met his fate in Appomattox County, in the 
 
 »► 11^ 
 
 '^^ 
 
•►Hh-^*- 
 
 4 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 .so: 
 
 >► I I ^» 
 
 person of Mrs. JIary J. (Lee) Wilson, to whom he 
 was married in November, 1850. Tliis lady is a 
 second cousin of Gen. Robert E. Lee, and was born 
 in November, 1819, in Appomattox County, where 
 slie was reared to womanhood. The \ pnng people set- 
 tled down together on a farm, where Mr. Rausch in 
 connection with his trade also prosecuteil agriculture 
 in a small way, and was thus occupied until after the 
 outbreak of the Reljelliou. In March, 18G2, he en- 
 listed in the Confederate service, 44th Virginia In- 
 fantry, under the command of Gen. Lee, but not 
 long afterward was transferred to the arti.lerj' and 
 assisted in the defense of Richmond. Another six 
 months found him a member of the engineer corps, 
 laying out roads and building bridges. After the 
 surrender at Appomattox Court House Mr. Rausch 
 received his honorable discharge, and returned to his 
 farm, resuming the labors of a civilian in the Old 
 Dominion until the fall of 18(i5. He then changed 
 his residence to Culpeper County, in Old Virginia, 
 where he and his famil3' lived three j'ears, and Mr. 
 R. occupied himself mostly' at his trade. 
 
 Mr. Rausch had for some time previous to this 
 had his eye on the country west of the Mississippi, 
 and in February, 1868, perfected his arrangements 
 for the removal hither. Making his way to the 
 southvvestern corner of this county he homesteaded 
 eighty acres of land in Tii)ton Precinct, of which 
 he still retains possession. It was then an unbroken 
 prairie, upon which no improvement had been at- 
 tempted. After putting up a shelter for his family, 
 they in the meantime living in their wagon, he 
 commenced breaking the sod with the oxen which 
 had conveyed them hither. After the first season's 
 crops were put in he began making such improve- 
 ments as he could with the material at hand, having 
 to haul his lumber from Nebraska City. He also 
 began setting out trees, both fruit and forest, and 
 has now a fine grove and a small apple orchard. 
 
 The land of Mr. Rausch is amply watered by 
 Camp Creek, and the whole has now been brought 
 to a good stnte of cultivation. He afterward added 
 eighty acres to his first purchase, and in 1871 con- 
 structed a dam across Rock Creek for the purpose 
 of a mill dam. He has a neat and substantial resi- 
 dence, with a barn 24x64 feet in area, hay-scales, 
 and all the other farm machinery necessary for the 
 
 successful prosecution of his calling. His swine are 
 of the full-blooded Poland-China and Jersey; he 
 also has graded cattle, with about eleven or twelve 
 head of handsome and powerful Percheron horses. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Rauseli there were born six 
 (children, three of whom, the two eldest and tlie 
 youngest, Herman, Emma and Kendall R., are de- 
 ceased, the first-named dj'ing in infancy. Conrad 
 is at iiome with his father; Cornelia is the wife tjf 
 Mr. J. W. Butts, a plumber by trade; Norah eom- 
 pleteii. her studies in the High School at Lynchburg, 
 and is prosecuting her trade of milliner in Lynch- 
 burg, Va. Mrs. Mary J. Rausch died at the home- 
 stead in Tipton Precinct, in March, 188.3. Mr. 
 Rausch, politically, is a solid Democrat, and in re- 
 ligious matters belongs to the Luther, m Protestant 
 Church. Socially, he is a member of the E. A. U., 
 at Lincoln. 
 
 il|U,,^ENRY BEHRNS. The intelligent traveler 
 l|f~ jj is always gratified in noticing the evidences 
 '!y^^ of tlirift and enterprise in a new countr3', 
 (^J and involuntarily regards with admiration 
 the labors of a man who has by his industry and 
 perseverance placed himself in a good position 
 flnaucially, and who as a natural result is looked 
 upon by his neighbors as a leader in the community. 
 These thoughts involuntarily occur in noting the 
 career of the subject of this sketch. He represents 
 a fine property in Avoca Precinct, a property in- 
 cluding 395 acres of valuable land, which, with the 
 high culture to which it has been subjected, and 
 the fine farm buildings with which it is embellished, 
 forms one of the most desirable estates along the 
 southern limits of Cass County. The Behrns farm 
 is pleasantly located on section 22, and stock-raising 
 forms the leading enterprise now engrossing the 
 attention of the proprietor. 
 
 This farm has for its owner a more than ordinary 
 value and interest, having been land purchased by 
 his father as early as 1862, five years before the 
 transformation of Nebraska from a Territory' into 
 a State. Six years later Henry assumed its man- 
 agement, and has considerably increased its acreage. 
 
 ♦^h 
 
••► 
 
 808 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 He possesses all the thrift and prudence of bis sub- 
 stantial German ancestrj', a nationality ■which has 
 figured largely in the development of the Great 
 West. He has been willing to labor and to wait 
 for results, and a looker-on cannot see any reason 
 why he should not be satisfied with his possessions 
 or his surroundings. 
 
 Our subject, who is a native of the Empire 
 of Germany, was born Oct. 10, 1845, and is the 
 eldest son and child of James and Sophia (Got- 
 john) Jielirns, who were born and reared not far 
 from their own home. Their household includes 
 two sons and two daughters, and the father on his 
 native soil followed the occupation of a briekmaker. 
 Being a man ambitious for the welfare of his fam- 
 ily, he determined to seek his fortune on the other 
 side of the Atl.antlc. In the year 1862 the par- 
 ents and all the children came to America, and 
 from New York City proceeded directly westward 
 be3'ond the Mississippi, taking up their home at 
 once in Avoca Precinct, this counts'. The father 
 secured b}'^ pre-emption eighty-flve acres on section 
 22, and proceeded to build up a homestead, labor- 
 ing early and late a number of j'ears, and until his 
 sons were enabled to relieve him of further care. 
 He and his estimable wife still continue at the home- 
 stead, now retired from active labor, the father 
 seventy-two years old and the mother seventy- 
 seven. They were trained in the doctrines of the 
 Lutheran Church, to which they still loj'ally ad- 
 here. 
 
 Mr. Behrns received his early education in the 
 excellent schools of his native land, and was 
 about seventeen years of age when emigrating to the 
 United States with his father's family. He attained 
 his majority in Avoca Precinct, but found his 
 bride over the line eastward, being married in Lib- 
 erty Precinct, Oct. 29. 1868. to Miss Mary Sturm. 
 This lady, also a native of Germany, was born in 
 the Province of Alsace, June 8, 1850, and came to 
 the United States with her father, Andrew Sturm, in 
 her girlhood. The mother had died in her native 
 Germany when her daughter Mary was but a child. 
 jMr. Sturm secured a tract of good land in Liberty 
 Precinct, tliis county, and surrounded himself with 
 all the comforts of life, building up a good farm, 
 where he spent his last days and where his death 
 
 took place in A])ril, 1874, when he was sevent3^- 
 four j-ears old. He also was in religion a Lutheran. 
 Mrs. Behrns was the j'oungest of the five chil- 
 dren born to her parents, and remained with her 
 father until her marriage. Of lier union with our 
 subject there have been born five children, namely: 
 Henrj' J., Mary, Jlinnie, Joseph and Sophia. They 
 are alKat home with tlieir parents. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Behrns, like their ancestors, are Lutherans in relig- 
 ion, while our subject, politically, gives his support 
 to the Repulilican party. 
 
 \T OHN MAGNEY, one of the earliest pioneers 
 " of this State, resides on a well-improved 
 
 J farm of 160 acres on section 36, in Mt. 
 Pleasant Precinct. He was bom in Hamil- 
 ton Count3-, Ohio, Jan. 25, 1835, where he lived 
 until he was eleven years of age, then removed 
 with the family to Scioto County, same State. His 
 education was received in the subscription and 
 later in the public schools of his native county, at- 
 tending the latter in the primitive log school-house, 
 of which so much has loeen said and written, which, 
 although often rough on the exterior and plainly 
 furnished inside, has produced many of the bright- 
 est scholars the world has ever known. To the 
 rudimentary knowledge thus obtained he has added 
 the education acquired by years of experience and 
 oliservation, and now, by a careful perusal of the 
 prints of the day, he is a well-informed man. 
 
 The attention of the gentleman has been given 
 especiallj' to farming all his life, but in his early 
 years of pioneership he would work as carpenter 
 and joiner when occasion offered, which enabled 
 him to inaugvirate the present system of improve- 
 ment exhibited on his home farm. He was married 
 in Ohio to Mary E. Searl, on the 8th of January, 
 1857. This lady is a native of Ohio and was born 
 in Scioto Countj-, Julj' 22, 1837. She is a daughter 
 of Wyatt and Mercy (White) Searl. Her paternal 
 ancestors ai-e supposed to have been of Swedish 
 origin; her grandfather White was reputed to have 
 been a soldier in the War of 1812. Her parents 
 had the following-named family: Jane, now the wife 
 
 ♦rJ*- 
 
Residence OF Frank Dobney, Sec. 25. Tipton Precinct, Cass Co. 
 
 ■'rr^K ^ tt . ' *^ f '.^y^ -^^ 
 
 
 Residence OF John M agney.Sec. 36. M^. Pleas ant Prect. Cass Co 
 
«► I I <•• 
 
 t 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 811 
 
 of Frederick Dow, of Otoe County, Neb.; Mary 
 E., the wife of our subject; Celia, tlie wife of Jo- 
 seph Kronk, and resides in Scioto County, Ohio; 
 Josie, the wife of William Curtis, resides in Wayne 
 County, Mich.; Matthias resides in Gosper Countj', 
 Neb.; Caroline, the wife of Henry Pepper, resides 
 in Lincoln County, Kan.; Madora, the wife of 
 Charles Flick, resides in Omaha; Albert resides in 
 Gosper County, Neb.; the deceased members of the 
 family were jMildred, Fernando, Oscar and Royal. 
 
 In the autumn of 1865 our subject with his wife 
 and three children left Ohio for Cass County, Neb., 
 traveling tlie entire distance with a team and cov- 
 ered wagon, camping out where night overtook 
 them. They were en route for seven weeks. For 
 fifteen months after their arrival in the State they 
 lived at Eight Mile Grove, Cass County. In the 
 spring of 1867 he settled on his present farm, and 
 has devoted his entire time and energy fi'om that 
 time to the present to the improvement of his 
 home, and the success that has attended his efforts 
 has been almost phenomenal. 
 
 'Our subject is the son of John and Catherine 
 (Glarden) Maguey. They were both natives of 
 France, and emigrated to America and settled in 
 Hamilton County, Ohio, at an early date. Of all 
 the children born to them, the following only sur- 
 vive: Jane, now the wife of Charles Mouglj', re- 
 sides in Scioto County; John Eli resides in the 
 same county; Matilda, now the wife of Louis 
 Jaques, resides in Dearborn County, Ind.; Peter is 
 in Ohio. The deceased members of the family are 
 Ezra, Phj^lissa and Charles. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Maguey a family of six children has been born, 
 named as follows: The son George is in Omaha, en- 
 gaged in the practice of law; Wesley; PernetM. ; 
 Elizabeth, the wife of Creed Harris, who resides in 
 Cass County; and Reno A. A son, Cortes, is dead. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is a truly self-made 
 man. Coming to the West at an early day, having 
 but slender resources and nothing to depend on 
 but his own efforts and exertions, he has succeeded 
 in accumulating a splendid property, represented 
 by the 160 acres of highly cultivated land, with 
 his handsome residence and its elegant surround- 
 ings. In his wife he has found a most earnest 
 counselor and thorough helpmate. She has borne 
 
 her share of the privations and toils always ex- 
 perienced by the wife of a pioneer with 7nuch brav- 
 ery and fortitude. In addition to her household 
 cares she has devoted much time to the rearing and 
 education of her children, until she now can refer 
 to them with feelings of the greatest pride, and 
 they certainly do her justice. Herself and husband 
 are members of the United Brethren Church, and 
 both take a lively interest in all matters pertaining 
 to the religious, educational and social advance- 
 ment of their friends and neighbors. In politics 
 Mr. Maguey is a Democrat, has served on the School 
 Board of the district in which he lives several 
 times, and in all things is a friend of progress. 
 
 A view of the Maguey homestead is presented on 
 an accompanying page. 
 
 interests of Tipton Precinct find a 
 most energetic and successful representa- 
 tive in tlie person of the subject of this sketch, who 
 states that he "came to Nebraska with nothing but 
 an old plug team." He is now the Supervisor of 
 Tipton, and is numbered among the leading fanners 
 of Southern Nebraska. He is the owner of 320 
 acres of Dnely improved land, with a handsome new 
 residence, substantinl barns and out-buildings, shown 
 elsewhere, a goodly assortment of live stock, and 
 all the other appurtenances which the progressive 
 agriculturist naturally gathers around him. He 
 makes a specialty of stock feeding, having about 
 150 head of cattle each year, besides horses and 
 swine. 
 
 In connection with his farm buildings Mr. Dob- 
 ney has a new Perkins-Geared mill, with a 16-foot 
 wheel, six-horse power, feed grinder, besides watei 
 tanks in all his yards, which not only sui)ply this 
 indispensable article to the farm animals wherever 
 needed, but by this means water is also conveyed 
 to the house by a force pump. Not far from the 
 buildings is a fine apple orchard of 600 trees, and 
 there is upon the farm the regulation grove and 
 windbrake, covermg probably six acres of ground. 
 The farm machinery is of the latest improved put- 
 
 •^l::- 
 
 '^* 
 
•►Hl^^^ 
 
 812 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 tern, and the cattle are given tlieir rations by means 
 of a patent feeder. Tlie farm is mostly enclosed 
 with hedge and wire fencing. As a stock-raiser 
 Mr. Dobney is especially a success, this industry 
 appearing to be one to which he is naturally adapted. 
 He ships annually about seven carloads of graded 
 cattle directly to the market at Omaha, and 200 
 head of hogs. His horses are mostly of the Nor- 
 man breed, of which he usually keeps from seven- 
 teen to twentj' head, making a display of equines 
 scarcely equaled, and certainly not excelled, along 
 the southern line of the county. Mr. Dobney is 
 conceiled to be the heaviest stock-breeder in this 
 region. 
 
 Next in importance to the subject of a biographi- 
 cal record is the source from which he drew his 
 origin. The Dolmey family- is of English descent, 
 and the parents of our subject, Richard and Eliza- 
 beth (Bell) Dobney, were natives of Staffordshire, 
 whence the}' emigrated to America in 1854. The 
 paternal grandfather, William Dobney, spent his 
 entire life in his native Englan<l, prosecuting agri- 
 culture, and lived to the advanced age of ninety- 
 three years. On the mother's side Grandfather 
 Bell, also a well-to-do English farmer, died at the 
 age of over eighty j'cars. 
 
 The father of our subject, like most of his an- 
 cestors, was reared to farming pursuits, which he 
 followed before emigrating to America. Soon after 
 landing he made his way to Northeastern Ohio, 
 settling on a tract of land near the city of Cleve- 
 land, where he lived one year. Then, pushing fur- 
 ther westward, he rented a farm in Adams County, 
 III., near Quincy, where he sojourned for a period 
 of eight years. Thence, in the spring of 1863, he 
 crossed the Mississippi, and purchased land in the 
 vicinity of Tabor, Mills Co., Iowa. There he im- 
 proved a farm of 1 20 acres, and labored success- 
 fully as a tiller of the soil, adding to his real estate 
 until he is now the owner of 280 acres, all improved, 
 provided with good buildings, and forming a com- 
 fortable modern homestead. The dwelling is noticea- 
 ble as being more than ordinarily' fine for a farm 
 house, and was erected at a cost of $5,000. He 
 also is largely interested in the buving and feeding 
 of cattle, having all the necessary conveniences. 
 The elder Dobne}' also owns 320 acres near Su[)e- 
 
 -^» 
 
 rior, Nnekolls Co., Neb. He is now sixty-one 
 years old, and his estimable partner is sixt^'-four. 
 They are active members of tlie Congregational 
 Church, and people higlily respected in their com- 
 munit3-. The father during the progress of the 
 late Civil War |)roffercd his services as a soldier of 
 the Uniou Army, but on account of a defective leg 
 was pronounce<l ineligible. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were l)orn 
 five children, namely: Frank, our subject; Mary 
 E. and Sarah, resiilents of Iowa; .John, who died 
 when young, and George, who is living with 
 his parents. Frank was born in Lincolnshire, En- 
 gland, July 19, 1819, and was a lad five years of 
 age when he accompanied his parents to America. 
 They emiiarked on a sailing-vessel at Liverpool, 
 and after a voyage of six weeks and three days 
 landed in New York Cit^'. Tlience they proceeded 
 at once to Oliio, where they lived one year, and 
 then to Adams County, 111., where the father pur- 
 chased a tract of land, and pursued his occupation 
 of farming. 
 
 Our subject, in common witii his brothers ahd 
 sisters, studied his first lessons in the district schools, 
 and was fourteen years old when the family, leav- 
 ing the Prairie State, migrated to Mills County, 
 Iowa. He assisted his father in the various em- 
 ployments around the homestead until twenty-two 
 j'ears of age. In 1870 he started out for himself 
 for the young State of Nebraska, making the jour- 
 ney overland with a team. Crossing the Missouri 
 at Plattsmouth, he made his way southwestward to 
 the vicinity of Weeping Water, and in that precinct 
 purchased eighty .acres of land from tiie Burlington 
 & Missouri River Railroad, contracting to pa^- 
 therefor$ll per aeiv. He was without capital, and 
 ran in debt for the whole of it. 
 
 Mr. Dobney began the improvement of his pur- 
 chase by breaking a portion of the prairie land, 
 but remained here only a short time that year. The 
 first year of his residence he harvested good crops, 
 but the two years following the grasshoppers ate 
 him out. He, however, held on to his little farm, 
 although he naturally fell behind in his payments. 
 He was given a continuance, and in due time found 
 himself upon his feet. For six years his crops 
 were remarkably bounteous, and in due lime he 
 
A 
 
 -^•■ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ■*^ 
 
 813 
 
 rliscovercii that tlie stock business would prohably 
 lie fully as profitable, if not easier, than the tilling 
 of the soil. He commenced the feedinj; of cattle 
 nith excellent results, and in 1877 added to his 
 real estate by the purchase of another eighty acres. 
 He brought his quarter-section of land to a good 
 state of cultivation, provided it with neat and sub- 
 stantial buildings, the regulation grove and orchard, 
 and the smaller fruits in their season. He sold this 
 property in the fall of 1882 at |40 per acre, ivbich 
 all must admit was at a very reasonal)le profit. 
 Later he invested a part of his capital in his pres- 
 ent homestead in Tipton Precinct, making the 
 purchase on the 25111 of December of the above 
 year. This then was but a raw prairie, and he 
 repeated the experiment of constructing a farm. 
 He has now all but forty acres under cultivation, 
 has put up a residence and made other improve- 
 ments. A few years will serve to make this one of 
 the most complete homesteads in this part of the 
 county. 
 
 The vvife of our sulijcct. in her girlhood Miss 
 Ellen Stocpforth, was born in England, Feb. 8, 
 1851, and they were married in Plattsmouth, Neb., 
 Oct. 15, 1875. Mrs. Dobney was reared to woman- 
 hood in her native land, and came to America 
 with her parents in 1874. The latter, William and 
 Eliza Stoepforlh, are now residents of Cass County, 
 Neb. The six children born of this marriage were 
 named respectively: Alice, George, Richard, Fred- 
 erick, Frank and Charles. They are all at home 
 with their parents, and form a very interesting and 
 intelligent group, the eldest being thirteen years of 
 age, and the youngest two. 
 
 Mr. Dobney grew up, as it were, under the wing 
 of the Republican party, of who.se principles he is 
 an earnest supporter. He has been quite prominent 
 in the political affairs of Cass County, being sent 
 as a delegate for a number of j'ears to the County 
 and Slate Conventions, and was a delegate ty the 
 Congressional Convention in the fall of 1888. He 
 has represented his precinct in the County Board of 
 Supervisors for the past eight years, a record which 
 does him much credit. He has been nearly since 
 the time of his first residence here a member of the 
 School Board of his district, and is also at present 
 holding the office of Constable. Sociallj', he be- 
 
 longs to Lodge No. IC.O. I. O. O. F., at Elm wood, 
 and is also a Knight of P} thins. It will thus be 
 seen that he is eminently woithy of mention in a 
 work of this kjnd, and his whole career has been 
 one to which his children may revert with pride in 
 3'ears to come. 
 
 I )>;ILLIAM JAMES. The history of this 
 \iij// gentleni.an, who was one of the first set. 
 WW tiers of Stove Creek Precinct, is a forcible 
 illustration of what may be accomplished by per- 
 severance and resolution, under the most adverse 
 circumstances and financial discouragements. His 
 farm of eighty acres of land lies on section 26, 
 township 10, range 10, and his homestead, with its 
 fine yard of ornamental trees and shrubbery, forms 
 an attractive feature of the landscape. He was born 
 at Ilighbridge, Somerset County, England, March 
 1, 1837. His grandfather, Joseph James, spent 
 his early life in England, but later emigrated to 
 Canada, and built a brewerj' in Toronto, where be 
 succeeded well financially, remaintng there until 
 his death. 
 
 John James, father of our subject, was born 
 and still lives in Highbridge, England, at the ad- 
 vanced age of seventy-eight years. He learned the 
 cooper's trade, and at one time owned a small 
 piece of property there, which he disposed of be- 
 fore it had increased in value by the rise of the 
 price of real estate in that town. He married Miss 
 Anna Tidball, who died in 1839, when only twenty- 
 two years of age, leaving three children, namely: 
 William, Henry and Frederic, of whom the latter 
 two are deceased. 
 
 William, of our sketch, was early deprived of a 
 mother's care, and when only eight years of age 
 went into service for a gentleman farmer, for 
 whom he worked eight years. He had no schooling 
 excepting such as he received by attending Sunday- 
 school twice every Sunday. He subsequently 
 worked for another farmer a year, then decided to 
 seek his fortune in America. Accordingly, in 1855, 
 he sailed from Bristol on the ship "Osprey," dis- 
 embarking in New York City after a vo3'age of five 
 weeks. He then proceeded to ^larccllus, Onondaga 
 
 ■ ► I I < • 
 
 '^^ 
 
^l^^ 
 
 814 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 A ha 
 
 r 
 
 Co., N. Y., where he lived two years, working at 
 various occupations, and attended school a part of 
 the time. In 1857 Mr. James moved still fartlier 
 West, and located near Henry, in Marshall County, 
 ' 111., where he worked on a farm for several years. 
 In 1863, having accumulated sufficient property to 
 warrant him in taking a life companion, our sub- 
 ject was married, and, purchasing a farm of eightj- 
 acres, commenced to work for himself and bride. 
 He toiled hard, and had the cheerful assistance of 
 his good wife in all his labors, but for three succes- 
 sive seasons his crops were a failure. Determining to 
 try his luck in a better farming country, Mr. James 
 moved with his family, in 1870, to this State. He 
 came overland with three teams and a wagon, per- 
 forming the journey in three weeks. He crossed 
 the Missouri River at Nebraska City, thence came 
 to Stove Creek Precinct, where he had previousl}- 
 bought his present homestead. Scarcely any im- 
 provements had been made, and not a tree was to 
 be found on the place. With willing hands and 
 courageous heart he set to work to establish a 
 home, first putting up a small house, the lumber 
 for which lie had to bring from an island in the 
 Platte River. Again was our subject unfortunate 
 in his business labors, and for three continuous years 
 his crops were gathered by the grashoi^pers, and he 
 had to mortgage his place to-tide him through the 
 hard times, it taking him six or seven years to re- 
 gain his losses. Since that time, however, fortune 
 has smiled upon him, and prosperity greeted him 
 at every turn. In 1880 he built a new barn, and 
 four years later erected his present dwelling, a com- 
 modious and convenient house, neatly' and tastily 
 arranged and furnished. He has now a large grove 
 of forest trees, a fine orchard, and has his front 
 j-ard ornamented with cedar trees, taken from Gov- 
 ernment land on an island in the Platte River, 
 which are kept neatl}- trimmed. Besides general 
 farming and stock-raising, Mr. James pays special 
 attention to horse-raising, having eight head of fine 
 grade, one of which is one and one-half Clyde 
 and three-fourths Norman breed. 
 
 The maiden name of Mrs. Janves, to whom Mr. 
 J, was married in ^Marshall County, 111., May 29. 
 1864, was Sarah J. Smith. She was born in Dur- 
 ham. England, and came to America with her par- 
 
 ents when a young child. To her and her husband 
 have been born seven children, namelj': John F., 
 William H. (deceased), Frederic W., Etta May and 
 Eddie L. (twins), Charles L. and Sydney R., all of 
 whom are at home. Mr. James is a man having 
 the universal respect and esteem of his fellow- 
 townsmen. He is well informed on all general sub- 
 jects, and takes much interest in township affairs, 
 and has served for several years as a member of the 
 School Board. He is a Democrat in his political 
 views, and an earnest worker for that party. He 
 has served as a member of the petit jury. Mr. 
 James is a charter member of the Baptist Church, 
 of Wabash, Cass County, and assisted in building it. 
 
 ^W. , ENRY UMLAND, one of the most prosper- 
 
 ,i|)l] ous German farmers of Tipton Precinct, has 
 i^^ hy his industr3^ and perseverance built up 
 v^) from a modest l)eginning a fine properly, and 
 is now in the enjoyment of the good things of life. 
 Of German birth and ancestry, he first opened his 
 eyes to the light in Prussia, Oct. 1, 1827, and was 
 left an orphan when a little lad eight years of age. 
 He made his home with his stepraotlier five years 
 thereafter, then started out in life ou his own ac- 
 count. He had only three years' schooling. He 
 began learning the carpenter's trade at the age of 
 thirteen, at which he worked until twenty years of 
 age. About this lime he entered the Prussian Army 
 with others to guard against the invasion of the 
 French in the Duchies of Holstein, Baden, etc. 
 AVhen his services were no longer needed in this 
 direction he returned to civil life and resumed \york 
 at his trade. 
 
 Young Umland, however, was ambitious of being 
 and accomplishing something further than it seemed 
 possible he could do on his native soil. He kept 
 his eyes open to what was going on around him in 
 the world, and from re.idiug and hearsay had gained 
 something of what an enterprising young man might 
 accomplish in the United .States. Accordingly in 
 the spring of 1851 he took passage on a sailing-ves- 
 sel, and after a tedious voyage of ninety days 
 landed in New York City. 
 
 From the metropolis our subject proceeded di- 
 
■► II <• 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 815 
 
 recUy wrslward, first to Chicago, 111., tlience to 
 Milwaukee. Wis. ; finfliiig motliing desirable in the 
 latter place he returned to tlie Garden City and 
 entered the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad 
 Company. That same fall he migrated sonthwest- 
 ward to St. Louis. Mo., where he emplojed himself 
 in farming and carpentering, and finally purchased 
 land across the river in St. Clair C'ounlj-. 111. Upon 
 this he farmed a fi.-w years, then sold out and turned 
 his attention for a time once more to his trade, 
 operating as a contractor until his removal to this 
 State. 
 
 Our suliject was married, in St. Clair County. 111., 
 Sept. 20, 1855, to Miss Anna, daughter of Rudolph 
 and Margaret (Huher) Herder. The parents of 
 Mrs. Uniland were natives of Switzerland, and the 
 father a farmer by occupation. The}' emigrated to 
 America in 1854. settling in St. Clair County. III., 
 where the father died in I 856 at the age of fifty- 
 nine years. The mother only survived herhusliand 
 seven years, her dcalli faking place also in St. Clair 
 County, when she was sixty-two years old. The 
 four children of the parental family were named re- 
 spectivelj': Jacob and Rudolph, who died j-oung; 
 Abraham, a resident of Lancaster County, Neb., and 
 Anna, the wife of our subject. 
 
 Mrs. Umland was born in the Canton of Zurich, 
 Switzerland, Aug. 25, 1833, near the foot of the 
 Alps. She lived there until a j'oung lady of twenty- 
 one years old, her childhood days being passed 
 amid the most beautiful scenery in the world. In 
 setting sail for America she embarked with her par- 
 ents at Havre, France, on the sailing-vessel "Hor- 
 tensia," which five weeks later landed them in the 
 city of New Orleans. Thence thej- made their way 
 to St. Clair County, 111. 
 
 The parents of our subject were natives of Prus- 
 sia, and the father a gardener by occupation. lie was 
 an honest, hard-woiking man, and spent his entire 
 life in his native country, dying in 1835 at the age 
 of sixty-two years. The mother had passed away 
 eight years before, in 1 827. The family included 
 three children: Hannah, who died when small; 
 Ernestina, a resident of Wisconsin, and Henry, of 
 our sketch. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Unilnnd there have been born 
 three sons and three daughters, namely: Eliza, 
 
 Jacob. Rudolph. William, Annie and Sophia. The 
 five j-ounger children are living at home with their 
 parents, and are being carefullj- trained and edu- 
 cated. Kliza is the wife of Allen Crabtree, a well- 
 to-do fainier of Tipton Precinct, a sketch of wliom 
 appears elsewhere in this volume. Our subject and 
 his wife are members in good standing of the Ger- 
 man Evangelical Church, and Mr. Umland is a very 
 strong Republican. 
 
 The Umland estate includes in all 500 acres of 
 land, mostly on section 19. Mr. Uniland had origi- 
 nally twenty more, which he sold some time since. 
 The home farm embraces eighty acres on section 
 30, and to it there has been given very careful cul- 
 tivation, so that it is in a highl}^ productive condi- 
 tion. The buildings are neat and substantial, and 
 include a very attractive residence, which with its 
 surroundings fulfills the modern idea of a country 
 home. A stream of living water runs through the 
 farm, and there are groves, orchards, and trees of 
 the smaller fruits. Mr. Umland makes a specialty 
 of stock-raising, keeping usually fourteen head oi 
 horses besides the teams operating on the farm, and 
 has full-blooded Durham and graded cattle. 
 
 JWl OHN W. McDERMED. The subject of this 
 I sketch, one of the younger citizens of Avoca 
 I Precinct, presents an example of enterprise 
 I and industry which it would be well for 
 man}' others to follow. He is the son of an excel- 
 lent family, and has succeeded to the homestead 
 which was land taken up from the Government and 
 improved by his father. This property consists of 
 160 acres, which was secured by the elder McDer- 
 raecl when in a state of comparative wildness. It is 
 pleasantly located on section 20, and remains the 
 home of the mother and part of the famil}-, whose 
 interests are carefully looked after by the subject 
 of this sketch. Alfred McDermed departed this 
 life Sept. 2, 1885, at the age of fifty-seven years. 
 
 Our subject was born in Peoria County, 111., 
 Oct. 9, 1857. He was a lad of nine years when his 
 father came with the family to Nebraska in the fall 
 of 1866. They located first in Mt. Pleasant Pre- 
 cinct, this county, lyhere the father began operat- 
 
 «► 11 <• 
 
 ?^h 
 
•►HI^ 
 
 810 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ing oil rented land, and by patient industry and 
 close economy saved sufflcient money so that he 
 was enabled to make a pureliase in 1870. His life 
 thereafter was that of a peaceable and law-abiding- 
 citizen, a man careful and conscientious in his deal- 
 ings with his neighbors, indulgent and liberal with 
 his family, and in all respects a praisewortlij^ citizen. 
 
 Alfred JMcDermed was born in Maysville, Ky., 
 of a respectable family' of Scotch .ancestry, and 
 leaving the blue grass regions settled in Illinois 
 when a single man. He emplojed himself in the 
 Prairie State as a farm Laborer, and in due time was 
 married in Peoria County to Miss Elizabeth Mc- 
 Farland. The mother of our subject was a native 
 of Ireland, and was born May 1, 1830. She lived 
 in the -'land of the shamrock" until a young girl of 
 fourteen j'ears, when she came to America with her 
 sister. Her father came with his famil}^ to the 
 United States later, and they lived for a time in the 
 eit^' of Philadelphia, Pa. Later the parents re- 
 moved to Illinois, after which Elizabeth joined 
 them, where slie grew to womanhood and lived witJi 
 them until her marriage. 
 
 To Mr. and ]Mrs. McDermed tliere were born 
 eight children. The eldest daughter, Maggie, is the 
 wife of J. W. Sperry, a well-to-do citizen of Avoca 
 Precinct, and whose biographj^ appears elsewhere 
 in tills volume; Orlestcr m.arried Miss Ida Davis, 
 of this county, and is engaged at labor in Weeping 
 Water; John W., of our sketch, was the third 
 child and is still unmarried; Hester died when 
 about twenty-two years old; JIattie is the wife of 
 Joseph Malcolm, a miller by trade, and they live 
 in Ashland, Saunders Count}'; George is a skillful 
 barber, and is operating successfully at Union, this 
 County; Mary L. died in September, 1886, aged 
 twenty years; Frank remains at home. Mrs. Mc- 
 Dermed is a very estimable lady, and was ever the 
 faithful and efficient helpmate of her husband in his 
 best labors and ambitions. She is held in the most 
 tender respect by all her children, and universally 
 spoken well of by her neighbors. 
 
 John W. McDermed has been familiar with farm- 
 ing pursuits from his boyhood up, and is manag- 
 ing the homestead successfully and with excellent 
 results. Like his father before him, politicallj-. he 
 is a stanch Democrat, as are all the sons. The 
 
 parents formerly belonged to the Methodist Church, 
 but there being no society of that denomination in 
 this part of the county they identified themselves 
 with the Baptists. The family occupy a good 
 position socially in their community, and the home- 
 stead is numbered among the other well-regulated 
 estates of Cass County. 
 
 JULIUS SACKS is operating successfully on a 
 good farm located on the northeast corner 
 of section 18 in Tipton Precinct. He may 
 most properly be ranked among the early 
 pioneers, iiaving been one of the first to take up a 
 homestead in tliis region. AltJiough of German 
 birth and parent.age. and Iiaving only six montiis' 
 sciiooling in America, he speaks tlie English language 
 fluently, and is at once recognized as a man more 
 than ordinarily intelligent. He is held in high es- 
 teem by the |)eople of his neighborhood, and gives 
 his aid and influence to those enterprises calculated 
 for the educational and moral advancement of the 
 community. 
 
 Our subject is the son of Carl G. and Christiana 
 Sacks, who like him were born in the Prussian Prov- 
 ince of Saxony, and spent their entire lives in the 
 Fatherland. Carl .Sacks was a finely educated man 
 and a teacher by profession. He followed this 
 from the age of twenty years until he was fifty, 
 then purchased 100 acres of land, and thereafter oc- 
 cupied himself in agriuultural pursuits until his 
 death, which took place in September, 1882, after 
 he had .nrrived at the advanced age of eightj'-one 
 years. The mother had preceded her husband to 
 the silent land twenty-seven years, her death taking 
 place in 1856. Both were members of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were born 
 ten children, eight of whom lived to mature j'ears. 
 They were named respectively : Emily, Pauline; Ida, 
 who died when twent3'-lwo years ohl ; Gustave, who 
 died at the age of thirty; Antonia, Albert, Carl, 
 Francis, Emma and Julius. 
 
 It will thus he seen that our subject was the 
 youngest of the 'parental family. His brother 
 Albert entered the army upon reaching manhood. 
 
 -^h^ 
 
 ■•►Ht 
 
•►Hl-^^ 
 
 •t^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 817 
 
 fliiiing the war between Fiance and German}-, 
 serving until tiie close of the struggle. Julius was 
 placed in school .it tlie early age of five years and 
 gave his attention quite closely to his studies until 
 a 3'outh of fourteen. He remained a member of 
 the parental household until twenty 3'ears of age, 
 then, having learned much from reading and hear- 
 sa}' of the opportunities for the enterprising young 
 man in America, he determined to come hither. 
 Accordingly, bidding adieu to his old friends and 
 associations, he embarked at Hamburg on the 
 steamer " Germania,"and after being tossed about 
 the Atlantic two weeks, landed in Jsew Yotk City. 
 His destination, however, was the Western countrj'. 
 and he soon placed himself this side of the Missis- 
 sippi, working on a farm in Stevens Creek Precinct, 
 Lancaster County, tiiis State. 
 
 After a sojourn there of one _vear, during which 
 he h.id attended a district school six months, Mr. 
 Sacks pre-empted his present homestead in order to 
 hold it, not being of tlie required age to settle on 
 it. He commenced finall}- its imjjrovement by put- 
 ting up a sod house with a bo.ird roof, the latter 
 material being hauled from Nebraska Cit}'. He then 
 set about breaking the prairie, and after getting in 
 his first crops began planting trees, both of fruit and 
 forest, and has now two acres in a good orchard 
 and that indispensable institution — a wind-break. 
 
 The crops of IS74 were destroyed bj' grasshop- 
 pers; those of 1875 by hail; and in 1876 the farmers 
 of JSouthern Nebraska suffered from drouth. .Since 
 that time crops have been uniforml}- good and Mr. 
 Sacks has had little reason to complain. In the 
 spring of 1871 he purchased fort}' acres adjoining, 
 which, like the balance, is now improved, laiil off 
 with substantial fencing, and j-ields bountifull}- the 
 rich crops of this region. The land is watered by the 
 south branch of Camp Creek. Our subject in ad- 
 dition to general farming makes a specialty' of fine 
 stock, Clydesdale and Norman horses, Durham 
 cattle and Poland swine. 
 
 Mr. Sacks was married in the city of Lincoln, 
 July 22, 1874, to Miss Caroline Drees. This lady 
 was born in April, 1856. in what was then the King- 
 dom of Hanover; German}', and came to America 
 with her parents in liS68. Of this union there 
 have been horn five children, namely: Albert, who 
 
 mJ/l sturdy pio 
 W^ L5, and ca; 
 
 died when sixteen months old ; Julius, Jr.. deceased ; 
 Stevens, Julius, Jr., (2d) and Walter. Thceldestof 
 these is ten years old and the youngest six. 
 
 Mr. Sacks has become thoroughly identifier! with 
 American institutions, and in meeting him and con- 
 versing with him there is little to indicate that he 
 is otherwise than a native-born American. He keeps 
 himself well posted in regard to current events, 
 and is entirely in sympathy with the Republican 
 party, with which he became identified on com- 
 ing to this country. A self-made man in every 
 respect, his 'has been a career marked with indus- 
 try, perseverance, and all the qualities which go 
 to make up a complete manhood and a worthy 
 citizenship. 
 
 ILLL\M EHvENRARV, who is one of the 
 pioneers of 1856, landed here May 
 ast his lot with the early settlers 
 of Cass County when it was taking its first onward 
 steps toward the important position it now occu- 
 pies as one of the leading .and most influential 
 counties of the State. He is a native of Indiana, 
 born in L'nion County, Feb. 26. 1833. He is of 
 German descent, his patei-nal grandfather, William 
 Eikenbary, a German, having married a lady of 
 the same nationality as himself. After residing in 
 Germany several years, they emigrated to America, 
 and settled in Virginia, thence went to Indiana, and 
 there spent the remainder of their lives. They had 
 a large family of children, consisting of fourteen 
 sons and one daughter. 
 
 Samuel Eikenbary, father of our subject, was 
 one of the younger sons, and was born during the 
 residence of his parents in Virginia. He was reared 
 on his father's farm in Indiana, and after attaining 
 his majority was married in Union County to 
 Martha Crawford. She was of Scotch ancestry, 
 and was born in Indiana. Her parents were early 
 settlers of Union County, where they carried on 
 farming, and both died, respected and honored, at 
 a ripe old age. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Eikenbary 
 settled on a farm in Union County at the time of 
 their marriage, and continued to live there until 
 after the birth of five of their children. In 1837 
 
 •►Hl^ 
 
 i^t-M* 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 818 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 they removed to Des Moines Countj', Iowa, and 
 established themselves on a farm eleven miles west 
 of Burlington, and there the remaining four of 
 their children were born. In the fall of 1856 they 
 pushed on still farther west, and coming to Ne- 
 braska located two miles south of Flattsmouth, 
 where the father of our subject pre-empted a home- 
 stead and lived until his death, in 1869, at the age 
 of threescore and six years. His wife survived 
 him, dying in 1871, at the age of sixty-five years. 
 Religiously, they were associated with the Dunk- 
 ards until their removal to Nebraska, when they 
 became communicants of the Christian Church, 
 and died in that faith. They were worthy people, 
 held in high respect by the community for their 
 manj' good qualities. In politics he was a firm Re- 
 publican, and had the courage of his opinions. 
 
 The subject of this personal narrative was only 
 four years old when he went with his parents to 
 Iowa, therefore his earliest recollections are of his 
 home in that State. He received an excellent edu- 
 cation, attending school in the town in which his 
 father settled, and later at Mt. Pleasant, in the 
 same State. He was still a single man when he 
 came with his parents to Nebraska in 1856, and 
 the ensuing year he took up a claim of 160 acres 
 on section 1, Liberty Precinct. When he had 
 proved up on his homestead, he and his brother 
 Henry went to farming near the city, remaining 
 thus engaged until 1871, when our subject sold 
 out his interest there to his brother, and took pos- 
 session of his homestead. At the same time he 
 bought 160 acres on section 2, and a tract of eighty 
 acres in Liberty Precinct; his farm thus aggre- 
 gates 400 acres. Scarcely any improvements had 
 been made on any of his property, but by judicious 
 labor, skill in management, and perseverance, he 
 has now one of the best farms in point of improve- 
 ment in Liberty Precinct. Mr. liikenbary has 
 erected a commodious house on section 2, which 
 is a model of comfort and convenience, and with 
 the fine barn and out-buildings, adds materially to 
 the attractiveness of the place and to its value 
 from a financial point of view. Our subject pays 
 special attention to stock breeding and raising, 
 having horses and cattle of a superior grade. At 
 tlie head of his herd of tine Durham cattle, which 
 
 he has raised for seventeen j'ears, is a fine speci- 
 men of that breed, the registered bull "Ashland." 
 His horses are thoroughbred English draft horses, 
 coming from the best imported stock of that breed, 
 to the raising of which he has paid especial at- 
 tention for the last four years. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. P]ikenbary to Miss IMary 
 E. McCord was celebrated in Rock Bluff Precinct 
 in 1861. She was born in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, in 
 1840, and came with her parents to Nebraska in 
 the spring of 1857. They, Donaldson and Anna 
 (Pascall) McCord, on coming to this State settled 
 in Rock Bluff Precinct, where they improved a 
 farm, moving thence to Nodaway County, Mo., 
 where they both died in the sunset of life. Their 
 daughter Mary was reared in Keokuk County, Iowa, 
 and remained with her parents until the time of 
 her marriage with our subject. She was a woman 
 of energy, intelligence and ability, and proved her- 
 self a most companionable, devoted wife and ten- 
 der mother, and her death, in 1876, was mourned 
 b^' the whole community, by whom she was es- 
 teemed and loved. Siie was the mother of five 
 children, namely: Albert R., who is attending the 
 Commercial College at Lincoln; Cora M., the wife 
 of T. W. Swan, a farmer of Liberty Precinct; Mag- 
 gie and MoUie (twins), and Francis J. are at home. 
 They are a bright, active, capable familj' of chil- 
 dren, with promises of a bright future before 
 them. 
 
 Mr. Eikenbar^' was a second time married, Aug. 
 29, 1883, the maiden name of his wife being Fan- 
 nie P. Davis. She was born in Libertj- Precinct, 
 Jan. 25, 1863, and was reared and educated there, 
 and for some time previous to her marriage taught 
 school with much success. Her parents, William 
 and Sarah J. (Simmons) Davis, came from Mis- 
 souri to this count}' and located on a farm in 
 Liberty Precinct, which they have improved and 
 still occupy. In politics Mr. E. is a steadfast ad- 
 herent of the principles formulated by the Repub- 
 lican party, and has served his district several 
 years as Sciiool Officer. He has been very success- 
 ful in his life work, and is one of the most pros- 
 perous and influential citizens of Cass County, 
 whei'e he is highly esteemed for his unswerving in- 
 tegrity, force of character, and excellent business 
 
 -^h^ 
 
 ■•►Hh 
 
-♦- 
 
 -t 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 HI 9 iL 
 
 capacity. Both he and his wife are eminently lios- 
 pitable, and not only entertain their friends most 
 delightfulh', but extend such a cordial welcome to 
 the stranger who comes within their gates that it 
 is ever appreciated and gratefully acknowledged. 
 
 -i-»-i-^^>^=€-'-§- 
 
 >* J:ILLIAM O. TODD is the editor ami pro- 
 \jjJ// prietor of the Union Ledger, wliicli he es- 
 Wi tablished in Union Village, Nov. 3, 1888. 
 This paper starts out as a five-column folio slieet. 
 which will soon he enlarged to meet the demands 
 of the reading public. Although it has so recently 
 entered upon life, it has obtained a vigorous hold 
 upon it, and has already secured a fair and profit- 
 able circulation. As a well-edited paper it will un- 
 doubtedly advance the interests of Cass Coant3', 
 and more especially of this village, and it has a 
 promising future before it. 
 
 Mr. Todd was born Sept. 1 1, 1863, in Des Moines 
 County. Iowa. His father. Alvin Todd, was a na- 
 tive of Ohio. He was in early life a mechanic, and 
 later became a farmer. In 1837 he accompanied 
 his parents from his native State to Iowa, and they 
 located near where the city of Burlington now is, 
 it being at tliat time an insignificant hamlet. He 
 grew up and was educated in Dos Moines Count}', 
 and was there married to Phoebe Penny, a native 
 of Pennsylvania. In her childhood she had ac- 
 companied her parents from the place of her birth 
 to their new home in Dps Moines Country, Iowa, 
 and there she was reared to womanhood. After 
 marriage Alvin Todd gave his attention to farm- 
 ing for several years, and later established a cooper 
 shop at Fairfield, Iowa. From there he moved to 
 a place in Des Moines County, and afterward lived 
 in Monmoutii, III., for two years. He then re- 
 turned with his family to Des Moines County, and 
 made his home there until 1880, when he and his 
 family removed to Mills County, Iowa, where he 
 followed farming until he and his wife came to Cass 
 Count}' in 1882, and he has since been an honored 
 resident of this county, owning-and managlnof afine 
 farm near Ashland. He and his wife are Baptist 
 in religion, and he is a Prohibitionist in politics. 
 Since their residence here they have won respect 
 
 ^a ■ 
 
 and esteem from all who have the pleasure of their 
 acquaintance for their unblemished characters and 
 strictly upright conduct. 
 
 Their son William, of whom we write, was tiie 
 fourth iu order of l)irth of the eight children born 
 to them. He was well educated in the schools of 
 Iowa, chiefly in Des Moines County, but is very 
 properlj' considered a self-made young man, as he 
 has thus earl}' in life made his own way to the hon- 
 orable position that he occupies as a member of one 
 of the most useful of the professions. He is also 
 in part self-educated, as he h.as picked up a great 
 deal of valuable information by careful study when- 
 ever opportunity offered since leaving school, at a 
 time when most young men consider their educa- 
 tion completed. He came with his parents to this 
 State in 1882, and for three years was clerk in a 
 drug-store in Ashland, and later in a hardware store. 
 He subsequent!}' learned the trade of printing in 
 the same town, p.nd became thoroughly conversant 
 with the art in all its details. He first ventured 
 into journalism as the editor of the Ashland Herald, 
 which paper he established himself, and ran success- 
 fully for one year. He has also worked on the 
 State Journal and other papers, so that he does not 
 solicit the patronage of the public as an inexperi- 
 enced editor. He is a bright, quick-witted young 
 man, whose ambition and enterprise will undoubt- 
 edly win his success. 
 
 Mr. Todd was married in Ashland. Jan. 6. 1887, 
 to Miss Kate Borland. She was born near Iowa 
 City, Iowa, jn 1870. Marcii 5, and is a daughter of 
 William and Mary (Mugett) Borland. Her father 
 is deceased, his death having occurred in Essex, 
 Page Co., Iowa, in 1879. when he was in the very 
 prime of life, being scarcely forty years of age. 
 He was a native of Vermont, and when a youno- 
 man went to Iowa, and in the town of Comanche, 
 Clinton County, was married. During the remain- 
 der of his life he was engaged in farming. After 
 his death his wife married again, and lives with her 
 second husband, Dwight Davis, at Chatsworth, 111. 
 Mrs. Todd was reared in Iowa, and being a bright, 
 apt scholar, received a good education, and was 
 well fitted for the profession of teacher, which she 
 adopted on leaving, and taught a private school 
 successfully at home. Her and lier husliand's home 
 
 ■•►Hh 
 
 i 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 t. 
 
 ■•►HIr 
 
 820 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 is one of true leBnenient, and it lias been blessed 
 liy tlie birtli of a little daughter. Laura Marie. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Todd are Baptists in their religious views, 
 and politically, he is an ardent Proliibitionist. al- 
 though he conducts his paper as a strictly inde- 
 pendent organ, and impartially opens his columns 
 to all parties. 
 
 ^/ ON. 8. M. KIEKPATRICK, late a member 
 of the State Legislature, and one of the 
 most prominent men of Cass County, has 
 ) for years been intimately connected with the 
 most important interests of Southern Nebraska. 
 Lie came within its precincts when it was but a Ter- 
 ritory, making a claim on the 18th of June, 1855, 
 the first Land pre-empted on section 18, in Liberty 
 Precinct, and wa-s the very first settler in the val- 
 ley of the Weeping Water at this point. He came 
 here when around him was an unbroken waste, be- 
 fore the county could boast of but one log house and 
 a cabin, of sufficient importance to be designated as 
 a village, and when the flourishing city of Platts- 
 mouth was the site of a few little huts, put up by 
 adventurous but impecunious people, who were 
 struggling to delve from the soil enough to keep 
 soul and body together. Indians still roamed over 
 the country, and wild animals also. The outlook 
 was anything but promising, but the subject of this 
 sketch was a man of more than ordinary determina- 
 tion. He had come to stay, and was not to be 
 driven from his purpose by any ordinary circum- 
 stances. He clung steadfastly to his resolution to 
 continue and "grow up with the country." at a time 
 when white settlers were frequentlj' making a stam- 
 pede from the depredations of the Indians, although 
 to tell the truth ]Mr. Kirkpatrick saj'S that there 
 was a great deal more smoke than fire during those 
 times, and many of the people were unnecessarily 
 alarmed. 
 
 Our subject secured his Land liefore the (lovern- 
 ment survey had been completed. It included one 
 of the finest mill sites along the Weeping W.iter, 
 which he utilized as soon as possible, erecting a 
 sawmill, from which he began dressing lumber in 
 September, the same year of his arrival. It is 
 
 hardly necessary to state that the equipments of 
 that mill were somewhat inferior to those of the 
 present time. The year following, however, Mr. 
 K. introduced some new improvements, including 
 a set of burrs, with which he intended to grind 
 wheat, but afterward transferred the property to 
 other parties, before beginning operations as a 
 flour miller. This was the first mill Iniilding erected 
 on the Weeping AVater. in fact the first mill of any 
 kind built in the county. For some years it ac- 
 commodated the people for miles around. 
 
 At the time of the settlement of Mr. Kirkpatrick 
 there were onl}- about 180 voters in the county. 
 He was readily recognized as a man of more than 
 ordinary ability, and was soon selected to represent 
 the county in the Territorial Legislature at Omaha, 
 being a member of the Senate, and re-elected three 
 times by the Republicans of his district. He was 
 in the Constitutional Conventions of 1871 and 1875, 
 in the latter of which were adopted the existing laws 
 of Nebraska. Prior to this he had represented the 
 people of Cass County in the Territorial Legisla- 
 ture, and afterward was Speaker of the House. 
 Since 1874 he has withdrawn from politics, although 
 often being solicited to return to the field. During 
 his public life it was conceded, even by his enemies, 
 that in his day he was one of the most able parlia- 
 mentarians of the State. 
 
 The public duties of Mr. Kirkpatrick brought 
 him into contact with many eminent men, while his 
 own habit of observation resulted in yielding him 
 a large fund of useful information. He is inti- 
 mately acquainted, not only with the history of 
 Nebraska, but the general development of the 
 Great West, which has been a subject uppermost 
 in his mind for a long ppriod. A close student 
 and an extensive reader, and a man of decided 
 views, he is one also whose opinions are generally 
 respected, and who has borne no unimportant part 
 in the building up of Cass County, and introducing 
 those measures best calculated for its advancement. 
 The village of Nehawka was platted on his land, 
 and to it he has extended his fostering care. It is 
 evidently destined in the near future to be a busi- 
 ness point of no small importance. 
 
 The farm of Mr. Kirkimtrick embraces about 300 
 acres of finely improved land, and upon it are the 
 
 •^e 
 
 <»■ 
 
 T 
 
•►-Hh^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 821 
 
 ►^K 
 
 l)uil(liugs naturallj' suggested by the means and 
 requirements of its proprietor — a substantial dwell- 
 ing with pleasant surroundings, an abundance of 
 fruit and shade trees, which, together with the live 
 stock and farm machinery, fulfill tlie modern idea 
 of the well-regulated rural estate. 
 
 A native of Adams County, Ohio, Mr. Kirltpat- 
 rick was born Aug. 31, 1815, and is the scion of an 
 excellent family, being the son of Absalom Kirk- 
 patrick, wlio was the son of Andrew, the son of 
 William. The latter was the first representative of 
 tlie family in the United States, crossing from Lon- 
 donderry, in the North of Ireland, probably dur- 
 ing the Colonial days, and settling in Maryland- 
 They were of Scotch ancestry, and like the fore- 
 fathers of hundreds of other people in this countr}', 
 were driven from their native land during the re- 
 ligious wars of three centuries ago. William Kirk- 
 patrick must have made his home in Maryland the 
 remainder of his life. His son Andrew enlisted in 
 the Revolutionary War, and participated in the bat- 
 tle of Brandywine, at which he had a brother killed, 
 and also in other important engagements. He mar- 
 ried a lad^- of Welsh descent, Miss Elizabeth Bowen, 
 who was born on the Eastern Sliore of Maryland. 
 They subsequently moved to Virginia, and later to 
 Ohio, locating a few miles east of the present city 
 of Cincinnati, where they spent the remainder of 
 their lives, dj'ing when quite aged. 
 
 Absalom Kirkpatrick, the father of our subject, 
 was one of the seven sons of Andrew and Elizabeth 
 Kirkpatrick, which completed their family, they 
 having no daughters. The sons all lived to man's 
 estate, were married and became the fathers of fam- 
 ilies. Absalom, with four other brothers, was sub- 
 jected to the general call for soldiers in the AVar 
 of 1812, in which, however, they were not called 
 upon to engage in any active battles, probably be- 
 ing lield in the Reserve Corps. Absalom must have 
 attained his majority in the Old Dominion, as he 
 was not married until the removal to Ohio. He 
 was ttiere wedded to Miss Elizabeth Van Pelt, who 
 was born in St. John's, Nova Scotia, where her 
 father had settled about the time of the beginning 
 of the Revolutionary' War. Prior to this he had 
 lived on Staten Island. Upou removing from Nova 
 Scotia to tlie States they settled first on the Nola- 
 
 ■^^ 
 
 chucky, a braneli of the Tennessee River, in Ten- 
 nessee, whence they removed to Ohio, where the 
 father, Tunis Van Pelt, died soon afterward. 
 
 Absalom Kirkpatrick and his wife began their 
 wedded life together on a farm in Ohio, where they 
 lived until after the birth of all their children. 
 They then changed their residence to Montgomery 
 County, Ind., where they spent the remainder of 
 their days, not far from the town of Crawfords- 
 ville. The fatlier died in 1855, at the age of sixty- 
 eight years. He was a man of strong character and 
 fine intelligence, and was prominent in public af- 
 fairs. The mother after tlie death of her husband 
 made her home with her son A. F.,at the old home- 
 stead, and passed away in 1863, at the advanced 
 age of eiglity years. She was in all respects the 
 suitable companion of her husband, being a lady of 
 more than ordinary intelligence, high minded, with 
 cultivated tastes, and was a beautiful singer. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the fourth child 
 and second son of his parents, whose familj- included 
 five sons and three daughters. Of this large fam- 
 ily only two sons are surviving, S. M. and his 
 brother C. Q., of Lafayette, Ind. Our subject 
 lived in Ohio until a lad of fourteen years, where 
 he began the rudiments of a practical education. 
 He removed with his parents to Indiana, and from 
 his youth up has been a lover of books, and by this 
 means added to his store of knowledge when he 
 could no longer attend school. He has always en- 
 tertained an especial interest in matters of history, 
 and there are few men of the present day possessing 
 a more complete store of general information. 
 
 The marriage of Hon. S. M. Kirkpatrick and 
 Miss Elizabeth C. McMillin was celebrated at the 
 home of the bride in Crawfordsville, Ind., Oct. 11, 
 1836. Mrs. K. was born in 1816, in Campbell 
 County, Tenn., and brought up in Tazewell County, 
 Va., and accompanied her mother to Indiana when 
 fifteen years old, in the fall of 1830. Later she spent 
 one and one-half years in Louisa County, Iowa, 
 where Mr. K. was engaged in merchandising, and 
 where Mrs. Kirkpatrick died, together with their 
 only child, in September, 1839. 
 
 Mr. Kirkpatrick contracted a second marriage, 
 in Thornton, Ind., April 1, 1841, with Miss Eliza- 
 beth Craig. This lady was born in Adams County, 
 
 r 
 
9 822 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 Ohio. May 6, 1823, and is tlie daughter of Robert 
 Craig, a native of County Down, Ireland. Robert 
 Craig, the father of Mrs. K., was of Scotch ances- 
 try, and her motlier, Sarah Kerr, tlie daughter of 
 Paul Kerr and Jane Weir, who were married on the 
 Atlantic Ocean while coming to America. Many of 
 tiieir descendants became prominent people, and are 
 now scattered in various parts of the Union. One 
 cousin has for forty j'ears been a resident of Can- 
 ton, China, belonging to the American Foreign 
 Mission. 
 
 Mr. Craig emigrated to tlie United States w1ien a 
 child, and was reared by an uncle in Pennsylvania. 
 There also he was married, later moved to Ohio, 
 and thence to Indiana. He died in Boone County, 
 tliat State, when a very old man, aged ninety- 
 tliree years. Mrs. Kirkpatrick was well reared and 
 educated, and is a very intelligent lad}-, possessing 
 all the womanly virtues. Of her union with our 
 subject there have been liorn ten children, two of 
 whom are deceased: Sarah V., who died wlicn three 
 years old, and Julia F., wjio died in infancj'. The 
 survivors are recorded as follows: Edwin A. mar- 
 ried Miss Oella D. Black, daughter of Dr. John 
 Black, of Plattsmouth, and is engaged in the grain 
 tr.ide at Xehawka; John M. married Miss Cornelia 
 F. Goodrich, and is carrying on farming exten- 
 siveh' in Wheeler County, this State, where he 
 owns a large amount of land; Elizzie H. is the wife 
 of Orlando Tetft, a sketch of whom appears else- 
 where in this volume; Lee C. is residing at the 
 home of his parents; William W. married Miss 
 INIaggie Gaffney, and is farming in Wheeler County; 
 Robert C, Mary S. and Kate L. are at home with 
 their parents. Jlary is a student of Lincoln I'ni- 
 versitv. 
 
 -4-^J-=^^4^-4- 
 
 (^\ALEX'T1NE HAY, a well-to-do farmer and 
 ' ^ stock-raiser, operating 160 acres of land on 
 
 f 
 
 •► 
 
 section 1 of Stove Creek Precinct, is one of 
 the prosperous and reliable citizens of the com- 
 munity, and a successful agriculturist. He was born 
 in Hes.se-Darmstadt, Germany, July 28, 1814. His 
 parents, Andrew and Mary (Barrer) Hay, were 
 horn in Germany, and spent their entire lives tliere. 
 
 His father was a blacksmith and farmer, and lost 
 his life by accident while working at his former 
 occupation, in the year 183G, when fifty-three years 
 of age. His mother survived until 1870, dying at 
 the ripe old age of eighty -one years. Both were 
 members of the Catholic Church, and lived con- 
 sistent Christian lives. They were the parents of 
 eleven children, namely: Anthon, and Peter, dead; 
 Valentine; Mary, dead; Catherine; Andrew, dead; 
 Barbara, Cnleorge, Theresa, Mary and John. Valen- 
 tine Hay, an uncle of our subject, was Colonel in 
 Napoleon Bonapart's army for seven years. 
 
 Tlie subject of our sketch was educated in his 
 native country, and at the age of twei\'e ^-ears 
 was apprenticed to learn the blacksmith's trade. 
 Eight years later he began as journeyman black- 
 smith, traveling the first year in German}', and the 
 three ensuing years in France and Switzerland. In 
 1840 he emigrated to the United States, sailing from 
 Havre de Grace on the ship "Louis Phillippe," and 
 after a voyage of twenty-one daj'S landed at New 
 York City. F^ngaging in blacksmitliing there, he 
 continued until 1847, when he started a smithy of 
 his own in Sodus, Wayne County, that State, where 
 he remained until 1855. Mr. Hay then bought a 
 farm of sixty acres and worked on it two years. 
 In 1857 he bought seventy acres of land situ- 
 ated nine miles from Milwaukee, Wis., and there 
 staid two years, engaged in farming and black- 
 smithing. ]\Ioving from there to Pekin, 111., our 
 subject built a shop and worked at his trade 
 two years, then bought a farm in Tazewell 
 Count}', the same $tate, where he remained until 
 1872. Desiring to try farming in a country pe- 
 culiarl}' adapted to it, our subject came to Nebraska 
 with a team (his wife coming by rail), crossed the 
 Missouri River at Plattsmouth, then kept on to 
 Wee|)ing Water, where he rented land for two years. 
 He liad previously bought 160 acres of the 
 Burlington <fe Missouri River Railroad, in Stove 
 Creek Precinct, and in 1874 he moved onto it. 
 It was in its primitive condition, but with the help 
 of his sons, he has eliminated a fine productive 
 farm from the raw prairie, set out six acres 
 of forest trees, fenced the land, and Iiuilt a good 
 house, barn and other out-buildings, hauling the 
 lumber from Nebraska City. He carries on general 
 
 ■•►^l- 
 
^V-M^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 
 farming and stock-raising, having a liercl of fine 
 Polled-Angus cattle, liogs of the Poland-China 
 breed, and several head of magnificent Norman 
 horses. 
 
 The marriage of our subject with Miss Saloma 
 Foulstick took place in Lyons, N. Y., June 22, 1846. 
 Mrs. Ha^' was born in Alsace, Germany, Nov. 9, 
 1826, and came to America with her parents when 
 three years of age. Her death occurred at the home- 
 stead in Stove Creek Precinct, Aug. 24, 1888. To 
 her and her husband were born ten children, namely: 
 AV. H., Mary, D. E., George A., C. V., P. E., J. T., 
 Luc}-, E. B. and L. A. The eldest son of our sub- 
 ject, William H. Hay, was born in Wayne Countj-. 
 N. Y., Jan. 31, 1847, and was ten years old when his 
 parents moved to Wisconsin. He attended school 
 in New York and afterward in AVisconsin. He then 
 went with his parents to Illinois, where he managed 
 the farm while his father worked at blaeksmi thing. 
 .\fter the war bi-oke out AVilliam enlisted regularly 
 ever year, but each time was rejected on account 
 of his small stature. When finally accepted he en- 
 listed in the 11th Illinois Cavahy, but was trans- 
 ferred to the 5th Illinois Cavalry, was mustered 
 into service at Peoria, and sent to Camp Butler 
 under A. J. Smith, and was then ordered to 
 Memphis. It being near the close of the war he 
 was out skirmishing most of the time. He took 
 part in a raid into Arkansas, and was then on de- 
 tached dutj^ until honorably discharged in Jul}-, 
 1865. He has since then remained with his father 
 and been his mainstay, he having set out the groves 
 and orchard, and lent great assistance in all the im- 
 provements that have been made. The personal 
 property on the place he owns in partnership with 
 him. He is a broom manufacturer by trade, has a 
 machine, and turns out his own brooms. He is 
 liighly esteemed for his ability, industry and 
 genuine worth, and is a prominent and influential 
 citizen, and is now serving his fourth year as School 
 Treasurer. He is a mamber of the G. A. R., and 
 Past Senior Vice Commander of LaFayette Post 
 No. 61, at Weeping Water. In polities he is a 
 strong Rspublican, and has b33n delegate to State 
 and County Conventions. He was never married. 
 Mr. George A. Hay, a merchandise clerk of 
 Wabish. Neb., mirried Miss Eliza Cowel; they 
 
 have five children, namely: Adele, Nellie, Hurbert, 
 Leo and an infant. C. V. Hay, who clerks for E. 
 Da}', in Weeping Water, married Miss Maud 
 Church; they have one child, an infant. P. E. H.ay, 
 a farmer in Weeiiing Water Precinct, married Mary 
 Philpott; they have two children, Frank and Joe. 
 Lucy Hay married Ernest Zimmerman, a druggist 
 of Morton, 111.; they have three children — Ernest, 
 Dora and an infant. J. T. Hay is a grocer in 
 Broken Bow, Neb.; E. B. Hav is a farmer in 
 Weeping AVater Precinct. The others are at home. 
 Our subject is an industrious man who satisfact- 
 orily performs the duties falling on him as a law- 
 abiding citizen. In political views he coincides 
 with the principles promulgated b}' the Republican 
 party, and firmly upholds them by voice and vote. 
 He has served as Road Supervisor, and takes a 
 general interest in precinct affairs. He is a devout 
 member of the German Evangelical Church, where 
 his wife was also a communicant, and generously 
 assists in supporting it. 
 
 ^fJACOB VALLERY, Sit., is a prominent and 
 influential citizen of Cass County, and it is 
 with gi-eat pleasure that we present a review 
 _ of his life to the patrons of this work. He 
 is e-Ktensively engaged in stock-raising, and in 
 other agricultural pursuits in Plattsmouth Town- 
 ship, where he has a large and valuable farm of 
 1,000 acres. 
 
 Mr. Yallery was born in Bavaria, Germany, in a 
 place known as Rhine Falls, Aug. 8, 1813. He was 
 well educated in the German and English branches 
 under the compulsory educational laws of his na- 
 tive land. After leaving school he was appren- 
 tice:! to a tailor, and engaged in that trade in his 
 native country until he cams to the United Siates 
 in 1833 for the laudable purpose to make more of 
 his life than he could have done in the Fatherland. 
 He lojatecl in Pik3 County, Ohio, and in 1810 was 
 there married to Mary Vallery. She has indeed 
 bean to him a true helpmate, and of their happy 
 wadlad life eight children have baen born, seven 
 of w'.iom S'.irvivj, n\i the following is recorded of 
 
 t- 
 
rlf^ 
 
 ••► 
 
 824 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 them: John R. died Nov. 17, 1888; he was a resi- 
 dent of this county. Christina is the widow of 
 Peter Rummell; Mary is the widow of Charles 
 Guthman; Charlotte, who was the wife of Pliilip 
 Tritch, died in March, 1875; Louisa is the widow 
 of Lewis Baher, her husband dying June 28, 1882; 
 she has since married. Dee. 8, 1888, Solomon 
 Pitcher; her husband is County Clerk at Sharon, 
 Neb. Jacob W.. Peter F. and Conrad are the re- 
 maining children. Conrad, Dec. 15, 1888, married 
 Louisa Nieman, of Plattsmouth. 
 
 After marriage JSIr. Yallery continued to reside 
 in Pike County for sevei'al years, and for a long 
 time was engaged in the mercantile business in 
 Piketou and Waverly. He was prominent in pub- 
 lic life, his well-known abilit}', integrity and lionor- 
 able character gaining him the full confidence of 
 the people. He was elected Sheriff of Pike County, 
 and served until 1844. He was re-elected to that 
 responsible position in 1846, and held the office un- 
 til 1850. In 1852 he was again elected to the same 
 position, and served for two years. He was ap- 
 pointed Deputy United States Marshal in the South- 
 ern District of Ohio under President Buchanan's 
 administration, and was incumbent of that office 
 for four years. In the meantime he was County 
 Assessor for several terms, and also held minor 
 offices. In 1 856 he came to Cass County, Neb., and 
 bought some land, and then returned to his home 
 in Ohio. He also bought some land here in 1857. 
 Notwithstanding the wildness of the surrounding 
 country and the thoroughly uncivilized aspect of 
 its environments, Jlr. Vallery slirewdly foresaw its 
 ultimate destiny as a great and wealthy State, and 
 determined to cast in his lot with its early pioneers. 
 With that end in view he came here with his fam- 
 ily in 1865, to locate permanently, and settled on 
 his present farm, which was then an unbroken prai- 
 rie. In the years that have followed he has con- 
 tributed his full share in developing the great 
 agricultural resources of Cass County, and has 
 added much to its material prosperity. He built a 
 house for the shelter of liis family that season and 
 began to break the sod. He has replaced that hum- 
 ble dwelling in which he and his family passed 
 the first few j-ears of their life here by a most 
 substantial structure in the shape of a fine large 
 
 brick house, and be has also built a good barn and 
 other needed farm buildings. He has 1,000 acres 
 in the home farm, all of which is neatly fenced and 
 under excellent tillage, excepting about 300 acres 
 which he devotes to pasturage, as he pays much at- 
 tention to raising fine stock of good grades, horses, 
 hogs and Short-horn cattle, taking particular care 
 to have only such as be considers the best. He has 
 a good orchard of about 300 trees and also a fine 
 vineyard. 
 
 Since taking up his residence in this part of the 
 country Mr. Vallery has taken a conspicuous part 
 in the management of public affairs. He was a 
 member of tiie Constitutional Convention of Ne- 
 braska, and has held several responsible county 
 offices. His official career, both in this State and 
 in Ohio, has been marked by tlie faithful and wise 
 discharge of the duties and responsibilities resting 
 upon him, with the sole view of furthering the in- 
 terests of his adopted country. In politics he has 
 been a lifelong Democrat, and has been influential 
 in part}' councils. He has served as a delegate to 
 National Conventions for perhaps forty consecu- 
 tive years. He was present at the one which nomi- 
 nated JlcClellan for the Presidency, and he helped 
 to nominate G rover Cleveland, and also to elect 
 him. Mr. Vallery and his amiable wife are devoted 
 members of the German Lutheran Cliurcii, in which 
 faith they were reared. 
 
 m ACOB VALLERY, Jr., of Plattsmouth Pre- 
 I I cinct, represents a valuable homestead of 320 
 I 1 acres, pleasantly located on section 21. of 
 ^^^ which he took possession in the spring of 1 880. 
 He has been a prominent man in this county, to 
 which he came several years before Nebraska was 
 admitted into ihe Union as a State, and as early as 
 1856 served three terms as County Commis- 
 sioner. He has also served six terms as Assessor of 
 Plattsmouth Precinct, and has frequently held other 
 positions of trust and responsiliility. His family 
 history is substantially as follows: 
 
 Our subject is the son of Peter and Charlotte 
 (Acker) Vallery, and the paternal grandparents 
 
 ^1^ 
 
it^ 
 
 -•»> 
 
 Hh-^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 were Valentine and Elizabeth (Kroeliler) V;illeiT. 
 These were all natives of the little Kingrlora of 
 Bavaria, where the j^randparents spent their entire 
 lives. They traced their ancestr3' to Italy. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born June 12, 
 1824, ill the Kingdom of Bavaria, and came to 
 the United States with his parents in the year 1833. 
 with the three other surviving childrpn of tiie fam- 
 ily. They settled in Pike County, Ohio, where the 
 father engaged in farming on new land, and where 
 he lived a period of twenty-two years, his death 
 taking place in April, 1855. The mother remained 
 a resident of the Buckeye State nearly ten years after 
 the death of her husband, then in February, 1865, 
 joined her son in Nebraska, and died at the home 
 of her daughter, Mrs. Jacob Vallery, in Platts- 
 raouth Precinct, Dee. 19, 1882, aged ninety years. 
 
 Two of the children born to Peter V.allery and 
 Lis wife, namely: Peter (1st) and Elizabeth, died in 
 their native Germany. Those coming to America 
 were: Conrad, Mary, Jacob and Peter (2d). Jacob, 
 like his brothers and sisters, was reared in Pike 
 County. Ohio, where he lived until the fall of 
 
 1855, then turning his face toward the farther 
 West, he crossed the Mississippi and located in 
 Glenwood, Iowa, where he engaged in general 
 merchandising. In the fall of that same year, go- 
 ing to St. Louis, he purchased a stock of goods, 
 which he shippecf to Glenwood, then returning to 
 Pike County, Ohio, secured unto himself a wife 
 and helpmate, being married, Oct. 9, 1885, to Miss 
 Magdalena Fcucht. 
 
 Mrs. Vallery is the daughter of Frederick and 
 Julia A. (Sohu) Feucht, who, like their daughter, 
 were also natives of Germany, born in the Kingdom 
 of Wurtemberg, and where they spent their entire 
 lives. Mr. and Mrs. Vallery after their marriage 
 proceeded at once to Iowa, but a few weeks later 
 our subject removed his stock of goods to Platts- 
 mouth, and carried on business until the summer of 
 
 1856. He then sold his store and purchased a 
 flouring-raill, which he operated for a few j'ears. 
 Then resuming merchandising, he thus occupied 
 himself until the" year 1877. His career has been 
 steadily onward and that of a self-made man, as he 
 had no capital to begin with except his persever- 
 ing disposition and natural energy of character. 
 
 His huge farm witii its improvements indicntes in an 
 admirable manner the success vvith which he has 
 labored. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Vallery there were born twelve 
 children, the record of whom is .as follows: Char- 
 lotte E. became the wife of F. E. White, of Platts- 
 mouth; and Anna J. married Prof. W. W. Drum- 
 mond; they all live in Plattsmouth. Louisa M. 
 died when about thirteen and a half years old; 
 George W. lives in Wyoming Territory; Ida M., 
 Mrs. D. T. Higginson, is residing in Elmhurst, 111.; 
 John F. lives in Denver, Col.; Katie, Amelia, 
 Charles A., Maggie, Louis and Tillie are at home 
 with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Vallery are 
 members in good standing of the German Presby- 
 terian Church, and our subject, socially, is identi- 
 fied with the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the 
 lodge at Plattsmouth. P.jlitieally, he gives his 
 support to the Democratic party. 
 
 -^ €-*-^ ^— 
 
 j^^ ILAS E. CLEMMONS is a son of one of the 
 ^^^ early pioneers of Cass County, who came 
 Iti/^ to Nebraska Territory in the fall of 1854i 
 and located on a tract of wild land three 
 miles west of the present city of Rock Bluff. This 
 was prior to the treatj' with the Indians, which 
 gave to white men the right to locate claims of 
 160 acres of land.- His father, who secured his 
 first land from a warrant as a soldier of the Mexi- 
 can War, took possession of his property and hired 
 a man to settle on another half-section adjoining. 
 He thus secured by pre-emption 320 acres as soon 
 as it came into market, .and as soon as possible be- 
 gan in earnest the struggle with the primitive soil. 
 Our subject was then a lad nine years of age, hav- 
 ing been born April 18, 1845, in Ohio. He remem- 
 bers distinctly the first humble dwelling occupied 
 by the family in Nebraska, and which was a cabin 
 of round logs with clapboard roof and a puncheon 
 floor, and a chimney built outside of sticks and 
 clay. 
 
 This cabin was occupied by the pioneers per- 
 haps a year, when a more pretentious dwelling was 
 constructed of hewn logs and divided into two 
 rooms, making quite a stylish residence for those 
 
 •►HI::* 
 
 "•►Hh 
 
H-i^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 <• 
 
 8 20 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 daj'S. Amid these surroundings Silas E. Clem- 
 mons was reared to manliood, and there tlie jjarents 
 spent the remainder of their days, each dying when 
 about seventy-seven years of age. During the first 
 years of their settlement in Nebraska there were 
 few white people within the Territory, but Indians 
 were plentiful, and uj on one occasion 500 of them 
 camped near the house. They offered no violence 
 however, and no annoyance except to steal and 
 beg. Timber wolves and wildcats were abvtndant. 
 Father Clemmons, as he was affectionately called by 
 the people around, became one of the most promi- 
 ment men in this community, and was greatly re- 
 spected and beloved, as was also his estimable wife, 
 who for many years was an exemplary member of 
 the Christian Church. 
 
 To John and Rutherford ( Peterson ) Clemmons, 
 the parents of our subject, there were born thirteen 
 children, twelve of whom lived to mature years. 
 Of these Silas E. was the twelfth in order of birth, 
 and eight of the family are still living. The pa- 
 ternal grandfather, John Clemmons, Sr., died at 
 the home of his son John, Jr., and there being no 
 burying-ground in that vicinity, his remains were 
 laid to rest in a quiet spot on the home farm, which 
 has since been \ised and kept up as a public ceme- 
 tery. John, Jr., and his estimable wife were laid 
 by the side of Grandfather Clemmons, whom it is 
 believed was the first white citizen of Cass County 
 to receive sepulture within its borders. 
 
 Our subject thus spent his boyhood and youth 
 amid the wild scenes of pioneer life on the fron- 
 tier, and when reaching man's estate began to make 
 preparations for the establishment of a home of his 
 own. One of the most important steps to this end 
 was his marriage with Miss Caroline Gapen, which 
 was celebrated at the home of the bride in Rock 
 Bluff Township, May 3, 1870. This lady is the 
 daughter of John and Matilda (Garlo) Gapen, and 
 was born June 12, 1843, in Virginia. The parents 
 of Mrs. Clemmons were natives of Pennsylvania 
 and are now dead. Their household consisted of 
 thirteen children. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Clemmons there have been 
 born two children, one of whom died unnamed in 
 infancy. Their only child and daughter, Cora A., 
 was born on the 7th of March, 1872, and is now at 
 
 home. Mr. Clemmons before his marriage pur- 
 chased eighty acres of land on section 27, upon 
 which he settled. He has the whole enclosed with 
 good fencing, has erected a comfortable set of 
 frame buildings, and has brought the land to a 
 productive condition, a part being devoted to gen- 
 eral farming and quite a large area to pasturage. 
 He keeps good grades of cattle and swine and the 
 horses necessary for the farm work. Belonging to 
 one of the best and most substantial families of 
 the countj^, he occupies a good position socially as 
 well as on account of his sterling worth of charac- 
 ter. Like his father before him, he is an uncom- 
 promising Democrat politically, a man decided in 
 his views and one whose opinions are generally re- 
 spected. 
 
 &h;NRY ROELOFSZ is recognized among the 
 ) people in the southwestern part of this 
 county as one of its most enterprising mer- 
 _ chants, and he is one of the \ery first set- 
 tlers of Tipton Precinct. He was the second man 
 to take up land within its borders, and wiselj' re- 
 tains possession of a goodly amount, being now the 
 owner of SCO acres, the operations of wliich he su- 
 perintends in connection with his mercantile busi- 
 ness. 
 
 Of Holland-Dutch ancestrj' and parentage, our 
 subject was born near the famous city of Amster- 
 dam, June 18, 1844. Of his j)arents, Peter and 
 Emley (Phillips) Roelofsz, a sketch will be found 
 elsewhere in this volume. The father was a man 
 of consequence in his native town, which was llie 
 same as that in which his son Henry was born, and 
 the owner of a castle surrounded by the traditional 
 moat and the other relics of feudal days, many of 
 which are still remembered by our sul)ject. 
 
 In the fall of 1859 the Roelofsz family, parents 
 and children, emigrated to tlie United States, Henry 
 being then a lad fifteen years of age. Thej' embarked 
 at Liverpool on a sailing-vessel, and after a voyage 
 of six weeks landed in New York Cit}'. Thence they 
 proceeded directly westward to Iowa, and the father 
 later took up land in Marion County, which in due 
 time he transformed into a good homestead, and 
 which was familarly known as the Crab Apple Farm. 
 
 I!! ^ <• 
 
-yf^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 827 < i 
 
 They sojourned there a period of five years. In 
 the summer of 1862 the family met its first great 
 affliction in the ileath of the mother, and the liouse- 
 hold was l)rol<en up. 
 
 Mr. R., after tiie deatli of his mother, started out 
 for himself, worliiiig (^n a farm I13' the month. He 
 hart only attended school about sis months after 
 coming to America. After occupying himself as 
 we have stated for three months he purchased a 
 yoke of oxen and employed himself in teaming four 
 months. lie then changed his occupation aiid be- 
 gan his initial experience in mercantile business bj' 
 engaging as clerk in a ilry -goods store in Pella, 
 lona, where he w'asemplo3'ed until the spring of 
 1S61. 
 
 Young Roelofsz, a lad thoughtful and ainl)itious 
 be3oud his years, desirous of seeing something 
 more of the Western country, started out in the 
 spring of the 3'ear mentioned, a youth of twenty. 
 I'ilh three others, for the Pacific Slope. Their out- 
 fit consisteJ of a four-horse team and the various 
 accoutrements they would require on an overland 
 journey*. After reaching Ft. Laramie the}' "fell 
 out," and our subject engaged to drive a team of 
 oxen for other parties through to Virginia City, 
 Mont. After much labor he finally landed safely at 
 liis destination, and subsequently employed himself 
 in the hotels there and at various other occupations 
 until the spring of 1867. He had in the meantime 
 learned the baker's trade, and his western expedi- 
 tion had resulted quite satisfactorily- financially. 
 
 In the fall of the year mentioned Mr. Roelofsz 
 returned to Marion County, Iowa, where he spent 
 the winter following, and in the spring of 1868, a 
 youth of twenty-four years, started out once more 
 overland with a team, but this time for the young 
 Slate of Nebraska. Coming to Tipton Precinct, this 
 count}', he pre-empted eighty acres of land on sec- 
 tion 14, and kept bachelor's hall one year. In the 
 meantime he had begun to make provision for the 
 maintenance of a wife and helpmate, and the mar- 
 riage of himself an<l MissNnnc}- E. Grove was cele- 
 lirated April 24, 1869. Mrs. Roelofsz w.as born in 
 Mahaska County, Iowa, in 1851, and is the daugh- 
 ter of James and Nancy (Price) Grove, the former 
 a native of Pennsylvania and the latter born in 
 Virginia, near the Blue Ridge Mountains. The 
 
 Grove family' is of German descent, and the father 
 of Mrs. R. was a farmer and teamster combined, 
 and while pursuing this latter occupation frequently 
 drove six horses. 
 
 The Grove familj' subsequently changed their 
 residence from Pennsylvania to Illinois, and located 
 in Champaign County. Here the father engaged 
 in farming and teaming .as before, but later removed 
 to Tazewell County. III., settling near the present 
 flourishing city of Peoria. Still not satisfied with 
 his surroundings, he pushed on westward across the 
 Mississippi, and took up his residence among the 
 pioneers of Mahaska County. Iowa. He was one of 
 the first settlers of that region, and securing 160 
 acres of Government land, battled with the ele- 
 ments of a new soil in the Hawkeye State until the 
 spring of 1869, when he started on another pilgrim- 
 age, coming this time overland with teams to this 
 county. He has since been a resident of Tipton 
 Precinct, where he has a good homestead of eighty 
 acres. A man of more than ordinary' .activity and 
 industry, he has effecteil all the improvements which 
 we see around him to-;la}', and with his aged part- 
 ner, is passing his declining years in ease and com- 
 fort. Father Grove is seventy- two years of age, 
 and his estimable wife has just rounded up her 
 threescore years and ten. Both are members of 
 the German Baptist Church. Their children were 
 named respectively: Dicie H., John IL, Ollie C, 
 Maria, James E., Susan and Nancy E. J. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Roelofsz began their wedded life 
 at the homestead which they now occupy, in a style 
 corresponding to their means and surroundings, 
 which were widely different from those of to-day. 
 Mr. R. has made good improvements, setting out 
 forest and fruit trees, having in groves and his or- 
 chard about six acres. The present residence was 
 completed in the spring of 1878. The barns and 
 out-buildings compare favorably with those of the 
 intelligent men around him. In 1882 he added 200 
 acres to his first purchase, this latter lying on sec- 
 tion 11, and also in a good state of cultivation. 
 Later he purchased eighty acres on section 24. 
 This also is improved and is operated by a renter. 
 
 Our subject, in the spring of 1880, established a 
 store of general merchandise at Sun Light in con- 
 nection with the post-office. He put u)) the build- 
 
 »► I L ^- 
 
 r^*- 
 
U 828 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 iiig and still owns the properly; he carried there a 
 stock of about $1,000. In the spring of 1887 he 
 moved his goods to the young and enterprising 
 little town of Eagle, where he also owns his build- 
 ing and lot, besides his residence and three other 
 lots. He also has a lumber office and lot on Main 
 street, lie has increased his stock considerably, 
 and enjoys a good patronage from the people of 
 this section. 
 
 Among the prominent men of the Republican 
 party of this locality Mr. Roelofsz occupies no un- 
 important position. He is frequently chosen as a 
 delegate to the various conventions, and is an earn- 
 est worker for the principles in which he believes. 
 Both he and his estimable wife are members of the 
 Congregational Church. Mr. R. is no sectarian, hut 
 believes in the general establishment of churches, 
 and assists others besides his own. He is usually 
 connected with the School Board of his district, and 
 was Postmaster at Sun Light for a period of seven 
 years. 
 
 The household circle of Mr. and Mrs. Roelofsz 
 was completed by the birth of six children, who 
 were named respectively: Minnie M., James P., 
 Cora, Nettie B.. Amanda and Eltie. The eldest 
 daughter, a bright and interesting j'oung lady, offi- 
 ciates as clerk in her father's store. The others 
 make their home with their parents, the younger 
 ones attending school. Mr. R. received very little 
 schooling in his youthful days, but has been a 
 reader and an observer, and has thus secured a use- 
 ful fund of information. There are few men with 
 whom it is more pleasurable or profitable to con- 
 verse. 
 
 Z '.^^ 
 
 "SJOSEPH W. COX. Emerson justly says 
 I I that "all history is only the biography of 
 men." The troubles, trials and labors of 
 one individual are but a specimen of the ef- 
 forts of many who have to fight the battle of life 
 and go down to their graves unchronicled. In lis- 
 tening to the life story of this honored resident of 
 Avoca Precinct, the truth of this statement ap- 
 pears most forcible, as teaching the discouraged 
 hope under the most untoward circumstances, and 
 
 how perseverance under the greatest difficulties 
 eventually conquers. 
 
 Mr. Cox came to the Territory of Nebraska as 
 earlj' as 1867, and began life as a farmer on rented 
 land, which he operated a few years, and was then 
 es>.ten out by grasshoppers. He then again worked 
 as a renter until he could secure land of his own, 
 first selecting 160 acres, upon which he operated a 
 term of years, and began to gain a substantial foot- 
 ing. Later he added eighty acres to his possessions, 
 and has one of the finest farms along the southern 
 line of the county. 240 acres in extent, and located 
 on sections o and 6. During his operations of nine- 
 teen 3-ears upon this farm he has labored early and 
 late for its improvement and cultivation, with re- 
 sults which should be amply satisfactory. He has 
 planted fruit and shade trees, put up substantial 
 buildings, and has a fine apple orchard and a 
 goodly assortment of live stock. His ideas of prog- 
 ress have led him to secure the latest improved 
 farm machinery, and his land under careful and 
 judicious management is the source of a handsome 
 income. 
 
 A native of the Buckeye State, our subject was 
 born in Bristol Township, Trumbull County, Sept. 
 14, 1838. There he spent his boyhood and youth, 
 becoming familiar with farm pursuits and acquir- 
 ing a practical education in the common schools. 
 He lived there until coming to Nebraska. He is 
 the sou of Japheth Cox, a native of the same 
 county in Ohio and born in Bristol Township, 
 where he spent his entire life on the farm of his 
 father, John Cox. The latter settled there in 1805, 
 three years after Ohio had been admitted into the 
 Union as a State. 
 
 John Cox, the paternal grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, was a native of York County, Pa., and of 
 English and German ancestry, who were first repre- 
 sented in this country during the Colonial times, , 
 when John Cox, Sr., crossed the Atlantic and set- 
 tled in North Carolina, removing thence to York 
 County, Pa., at an earl}^ period in its history. He 
 
 located in York County, and it will be seen that 
 
 * 
 the name has been familiar in that section of Penn- 
 sylvania for several generations. 
 
 Grandfather John Cox was reared to manhood 
 in his native county, where he began life as a far- 
 
 •►Hl:^- 
 
 .^h 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 829 
 
 mer. and in early manhood, laying aside for a brief 
 time the implements of agriculture, shouldered the 
 musket and did good service as a soldier in the 
 War of 1812. Prior to the close of this conflict he 
 returned to his farm and his famil^y. He married 
 Miss Catherine Bower, of York County, who was 
 also born and reared there, and was of German 
 ancestry. Thej' took up their residence in Bristol 
 Township, Trumbull Co., Ohio, in 1805, and con- 
 structed a homestead from the unbroken wilderness, 
 John Cox felling the timber around his cabin home, 
 and his good wife assisting him after the manner 
 of the pioneer women of those times. They remained 
 in Truiiibull County. Ohio, until they were gath- 
 ered to their fathers. Grandfather Cox in 18.57, 
 at tlie advanced age of eighty-five j'ears, came to 
 his death by being burned, his clothes taking fire 
 one night when he had arisen from his bed to pro- 
 cure medicine for a slight ailment. Although so 
 old he was still hale and hearty, the result of a 
 temperate life and correct habits. His aged part- 
 ner survived him two years, dying at the age of 
 eightj'-seven. She was a very bright and intelli- 
 gent old lady, beloved and admired by all wtio 
 knew her. 
 
 Japheth Cox, the father of our subject, was one 
 of the younger members of a family of ten chil- 
 dren, all of whom lived to mature years, were mar- 
 ried and reared families of their own. Japheth 
 attained to man's estate with well-developed muscles 
 and a healthy mind, and continued at the old 
 homestead, earing for his parents until his death, 
 which occurred in February, 1855. Although the 
 child of a long-lived pair, he was cut down in his 
 prime, being only forty -one years old. He was a 
 skillful farmer and a capable business man, popular 
 among his neighbors, and in all respects a worthy 
 citizen. 
 
 Mrs. Angeline (Webster) Cox, the mother of 
 our subject, was born in March, 1815, in New 
 York, and came from old New England stock, 
 being the daughter of Joseph Webster, who mar- 
 ried a Miss Ackley, the daughter of a Revolution- 
 arj' soldier of considerable consequence on account 
 of his sturdy patriotism and fidelitj' to duty. The 
 Ackleys were of English descent. Joseph Webster 
 and his wife spent their last days in Trumbull 
 
 County, Ohio. They were natives of Connecticut, 
 whence they emigrated to Chautauqua County, 
 N. Y.. at an earl3' day, and from the Empire State 
 changed their residence to Ohio. 
 
 Mrs. Cox at the death of her husband was left 
 with four children, whom she kept together until 
 they had nearly reached years of maturitj'. She 
 was then married to E. D. Hiekley, who died twenty 
 J'ears later, in 1886, at their home in Ohio, and was 
 seventy-six years old. Mrs. Hiekley is still living, 
 making her home with one of her younger sons, 
 Emerj- F., in Trumbull County, Ohio, and is now 
 seventj'-four j'ears old. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the eldest of the 
 four children born to his parents, all sons, and was 
 about sixteen years old at the time of his father's 
 death. It naturallj- fell to his portion to become the 
 support and assistance of his widowed mother, and 
 for some jears he discharged these duties in a man- 
 ner reflecting great credit upon himself. At the 
 age of twentj'-four years, desirous of establishing 
 domestic ties of his own, he was united in marriage 
 with Miss Ellen L. Gleason, at the home of the 
 bride, in Ashtabula Countj', Ohio, April 16, 1862. 
 
 Mrs. Cox was born in Berkshire, Mass., Nov. 16, 
 1838, and is, like her husband, the offspring of 
 substantial New England ancestry, who made their 
 waj' to the j'oung State of Ohio when a large pro- 
 portion of its territory was a wilderness. Her par- 
 ents, John and Alvira (Hunter) Gleason, were 
 natives respectively of Connecticut and Massachu- 
 setts. The Gleasons came originallj' from Scotland, 
 whence the familj' was driven to the North of Ire- 
 land in the general hegira of that period conse- 
 quent upon religious persecution. They were a 
 people unusuallj' intelligent and enterprising as 
 citizens, reliable, honest and industrious, and wher- 
 ever thej' settled formed the bone and sinew of 
 their community. 
 
 John Gleason, the father of Mrs. Cox, was a 
 carpenter bj' trade, and leaving his native State 
 when a young man, he went to Massachusetts* 
 where he found his bride. In 1854 thej' migrated 
 from the Bay State to Ohio, locating in Ashta- 
 bula Countj', where his death took place in 1879, 
 at the advanced age of seventy-eight j-ears. The 
 wife and mother survived her husband until 1882, 
 
 •►Ht-^ 
 
 *=»-*• 
 
-•►HI 
 
 830 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 being then sevents'-four j'ears old. Both were for 
 many years members in good standing of the Con- 
 gregational Church. The father of John Gleason 
 did good service as a soldier iu the Revolutionary 
 War. 
 
 The wife of our subject was carefully reared by 
 her excellent parents, and was quite young when 
 tbey made the removal from her native State to 
 Ohio. She is the mother now of three children, all 
 sons — Hardwood J., Ricliard R. and Frank A. The 
 eldest is a .young man of good education, and has 
 followed the profession of a teacher considerably. 
 Mr. Cox has never entertained any desire for of- 
 ficial honors, although he keeps himself well posted 
 upon the various questions of the day, and uni- 
 forml}' gives his support to the Republican party. 
 He has served as Assessor in his precinct, and is a 
 man liberal and public-spirited, always to be found 
 on the side of those enterprises calculated to ad- 
 vance the interests of his community. The family 
 comprises a portion of the best element of Cass 
 County, and the homestead is one of the most at- 
 tractive features iu its landscape. In addition to 
 its fertile soil there is a fine rock quarry, the stone 
 from which is utilized not only by the proprietor, 
 but by the people around to excellent advantage. 
 
 (SI /i^ILLIAM E. LATTA is familiarly known 
 
 \jiJ// ''''0'"0"gliout Rock Bluff Precinct and 
 \^/s!i vicinity' as one of its pioneers, and was 
 engaged in general merchandising at Mutray until 
 recently. He had the monopoly of trade, being the 
 sole merchant of tlie village, is a man remarkably 
 upriglit in his transactions, and as a natural result 
 enjoyed the esteem and confidence of the commun- 
 ity. He sold his store to Mr. John Edmonds, and 
 gave possession Feb. 1 , 1 889. 
 
 The Latta family is of Scotch ancestry, and 
 formed one of the colony of those who were driven 
 from their native soil to the North of Ireland on 
 account of religious persecution. William Latta, 
 the paternal grandfather of our subject, was born 
 in the latter country, and when a mere boy emi- 
 grated with his parents to the United States, they 
 locating in Crawford County, Pa. He was there 
 
 reared to man's estate, married a lady of that re- 
 gion. Miss Jane McConnaha, and reared a fine fam- 
 ily of sons ami daughters. Among their sons was 
 Robert, the father of our subject, who was born in 
 Crawford County', Pa., about 1821. Rohert Latta 
 was reared to manhood in Cra»vfonl County, and 
 after his marriage settled in the vicinity of Cincin- 
 nati, Ohio, about 1853, where occurred the birth of 
 our subject, William E., July 22, 1854. 
 
 The parents of our subject sojourned in the 
 Queen City until about 1«58, then started for the 
 West, and crossing the Mississipi)i went down into 
 the soutliwestern corner of lovva, and settled in Page 
 County. From there tiiey removed to Mills County 
 in the same State, and th^noe in 1861 to the Terri- 
 tory of Nebraska, locating not long afterward on 
 160 acres of new land on section 27 in Rock Bluff 
 Precinct. There the niuther, Mrs. Lellitia Latta, 
 died Feb. 17, 1870. In the year 1871, Robert Latta 
 rented his farm, and afterward proceeded to Chi- 
 cago and engaged at his trade of carpenter, which he 
 had learned during iiis early manhood. He only 
 lived ashort time afterward. <lying in April of that 
 same year. The (larental liousehold included seven 
 children, six of whom are living. Callsta married 
 Sidney Miner, and the}' are residing on their farm 
 iu Rock Bluff Precinct, George A. is a resident 
 of Webster County, Neb. ; William E.. of our 
 sketcli, was the tiiird child ; Lizzie died when a 
 little child two years of age; James resides in 
 Lincoln, Neb.; Samuel and Elbert are residents of 
 Cass County. In the year 1875 our subject 
 purchased the interests of the heirs in the home 
 farm, and resided upon it until the spring of 1888. 
 Then, leaving it in the hands of a tenant he invested 
 a part of his capital in a stock of merchandise, and 
 established himself in business at Murray. He had 
 a good trade among the people surrounding him, 
 and being courteous and accommodating, was popu- 
 lar among his fellow-citizens. The business was 
 first established in 1884 b}' his brother Samuel, and 
 his uncle, Samuel G. Latta, of whom he purchased 
 stock and property. 
 
 The marriage of William E. Latta and Miss 
 Sarah Current was celebrated at the home of the 
 bride in Liberty Precinct, Cass Co., Neb., Oct. 1, 
 1873. Mrs. Ivatta is the daughter of James A. and ^ 
 
*► II ^« 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 831 
 
 '■^ 
 
 Caroline (Colburn) Ciinent.who are natives of Vir- 
 ginia anrl Indiana lespeclively. and are now living in 
 Elmwood, this countj-." Of this union there have 
 been born three children — Letta O., James Oscar 
 and Robert Bruce. The latter died Feb. 18. 1885, 
 when twenty-two months old. Mr. Latta, politi- 
 cally, is an earnest Republican, and his estimable 
 wife is a member in good standing of the Methodist 
 Eiiiseopal Church. 
 
 ^^ ONRAD H. VALLERY was one of the Hrst 
 (l[ „ white children born in Cass County, his 
 ^^{' birth having taken j'lace in Plattsmoutli 
 Precinct, April ifi, 1858, his parents having been 
 early settlers of this part of Nebraska. lie was 
 reared amid the pioneer scenes of the early years of 
 the settlement of the State, and in due time look 
 his |)lace among those who were developing and 
 sustaining its wonderful agricultunil resources. He 
 is now the proud possessor of one of the best tilled 
 and most productive farms to be found in his na- 
 tive town. 
 
 The parents of Conrad V'allerj-, Theobait and 
 Wilhcjmina (Mutz) Yallerj'. were born in German}', 
 and coming to the United States when j'oung lo- 
 cated in Pike County. Ohio. They remained resi- 
 dents of that count}' until 1855. and in that 3'car 
 sought a new home in the wilds of the Territory of 
 Nebraska, and thus became pioneers of Cass County. 
 Tbej' continued living liere until death, the father 
 dying Oct. 29, 1864, in the prime of life, being but 
 forty-two years of age, and the mother following 
 him a few 3'ears later, her death occurring Oct. 22, 
 J 877, at the age of fifty-eight. Mr. Vallery was 
 identified with the agricultural interests of Cass 
 Count}' during his few years' residence here, and 
 but for his untimely death would j^robably have 
 placed himself among the leading farmers of his 
 neighborhood, by whom he was greatly respected 
 for his many good qualities. The following is the 
 record of the eight children born to himself and 
 wife: Mary mariied Harry Wright, and is living in 
 the Black Hills; Jacob R. is living in this county; 
 Catherine, who married Hiram Adams, died April 
 16, 1875, aged twenty-flve years and eleven months, 
 
 4 < 
 
 leaving one child; Henry lives in Saunders County, 
 Nel). ; Christina married George Sigler, and lives in 
 Custer County, Neb. ; Peter is in the Black Hills; 
 our subject and Theobait. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was married, Oct. 29. 
 1 877, to Miss 1^ ranees Sprague, daughter of Howard 
 and Catherine (Spicer) Sprague. This marriage 
 has been blessed to them by the birth of five chil- 
 dren, all of whoin are living, namely: Myrtle B., 
 Alfa M., Jessie H., Albert W. and Blanche. Mrs. 
 Vallery's parents were natives of New York and 
 Pennsylvania respectively. The father is now liv- 
 ing in Montana. The mother died when Mrs. Val- 
 lery was a little girl, and she then went to live with 
 her elder sister, Martha Barr, in Montana. Iler sis- 
 ter's family sofin after returned to Cass County, 
 where they still live. an<l where Mrs. V. was mar- 
 ried. The mother died in Iowa where Mrs. Val- 
 lery was born. 
 
 Mr. Vallery has a farm of 120 acres of exceed- 
 ingly fertile land, which, by his own skill and lalior, 
 he has improved into a valuable piece of property. 
 Our subject having been born during the first dec- 
 ade of the settlement of Nebraska, its pioneer days 
 had not [jassed away during the years of his boy- 
 hood, and he has a distinct remerabranee of the 
 times and scenes of those days, and converses very 
 interestingly upon them. He has a vivid recollec- 
 tion of the Indians, who were then numerous in ihis 
 part of the country, coming out in war paint and 
 frightening the white settlers from their homes to 
 flee to the town of Platlsmouth for protection. He 
 remembers well when deer, antelopes and other wild 
 animals roamed over the wild, sparsely settled 
 country. He says that in those primitive da}s, when 
 the necessaries of life were hard to obtain and the 
 luxuries were unattainable, the people living so far 
 from tlie great centers of civilization cheerfully 
 wore the coarsest and plainest ck)thing. The men 
 and boys wore coarse cotton jeans, and the boys 
 wonld go barefooted excepting in the winter season, 
 when they wore shoes of the coarsest material. The 
 incongruities of bare feet and paper collars were 
 often observed .as features of the Sunday costumes 
 of the youngsters in pioneer days. The girls of that 
 period wore on Sundays dresses made of coarse 
 brown drilling. Our subject has witnessed the evo- 
 
 i 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 832 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 liition of soeiet}' in this part of tlie countiy from 
 its primitive condition to its present liigh status, 
 and be is contriljuting to tiie material welfare of 
 Cass Count}'. His lionorable course thus far in life 
 has won for him the respect and friendship of his 
 neighbors. Politically, he affiliates with the Demo- 
 crats, being an earnest supporter of that iiarty. 
 
 •► 
 
 J'^OIIN E. ANDRUS. The subject of this 
 sketch, and one of the substantial citizens of 
 Tipton Precinct, was born near Canton 
 Bradford Co., Pa., Nov. 20, 1847. His 
 mother died when he was five years old, and he 
 then went to live with his sister, Hulda L. Willhelm 
 on the farm until he was nine years old. Leaving 
 her lie went to live with a gentleman by the name 
 of Aaron Barns, and remained with liim until he 
 was twelve years old, and then went to Bradford, 
 in Pennsylvania, and made liis home with an 
 uncle until he was seventeen years old. Then he 
 began life for himself by working for others. He 
 began by chopping wood for his board and going 
 to school. The next spring, in April, he began 
 working for Dwight Freeman, wiiere he remained 
 for three years. In the spring of 1859 he went to 
 Marengo, Iowa Co., Iowa, where he worked on a 
 farm, but at the expiration of three 3-ears he de- 
 termined to try his luck in this State and secure a 
 home of his own. He started by rail to Plattsmouth 
 in the fall of 1870. He went on to Tipton Precinct, 
 ■where he remained over winter with his sister. In 
 the spring he purchased a claim of eighty acres of 
 land, his present place of residence, for which he 
 paid $600. There were no improvements on this 
 claim, but he set to work at once with a will to make 
 his claim second to none in value in the county; a 
 glance over his well-improved acres will attest his 
 success in this undertaking. He has three acres of 
 grove and an orchard of 200 fine trees. He has the 
 advantage of running water on his place, a branch 
 of the Nemaha River. He has paid his whole at- 
 tention to his farm, improving it in every possible 
 direction, so that it is now in a very high state of 
 cultivation, and is a continual compliment to the 
 energy and skill of its owner. In 1874 he rented 
 
 ■^t 
 
 his place and went back to Iowa, where he worked 
 during the year 1875, then came back, and in 
 November, 1884, purchased 160 acres in Red Wil- 
 low County, which he has sold. He improved his 
 farm in 1887 by putting up a nice new house, barns 
 and other necessary buildings. 
 
 There is a new grove of ash timber which has 
 sprung up spontaneously on the place of our sub- 
 ject. He takes great pride in his fine herd of 
 graded Short-horn cattle and Poland-China hogs, 
 which is certainly testified by their appearance, 
 which shows the care lavished upon them, and he 
 has also seven head of graded horses. 
 
 Our subject was married in Pilot Township, Iowa 
 County, .Ian. 28, 1873, to Miss Exona Harbour, 
 who was born in Ohio. They are blessed with three 
 children: Charles, who is deceased; Norah D., nine 
 years old, and Arthur W., four months old. In the 
 largeness of their hearts they have taken a child 
 from the Home of the Friendless, at Lincoln, and 
 named him Charles Andrus; he is five years old. 
 Our subject was a member of the School Board for 
 five years, has been Superintendent of the Sunday- 
 school at Union and Eagle for nine years. He takes 
 a lively interest in politics and is an active Repub- 
 lican. He is a gentleman who believes in farming 
 a little land and farming it well. He owns onl}- 
 eighty acres at present, provided with all the 
 modern improved implements for properly cultivat- 
 ing and caring for the various crops to the best 
 advantage. He is a nian who deserves and has the 
 respect and confidence of all his neighbors, and 
 strict and unswerving integrity- marks all his trans- 
 actions. A view of his neat and well-kept home 
 appears on another page. 
 
 ACOB J. BAHR. Few men along the south- 
 
 ern line of Cass County are more widely or 
 
 1 
 
 I, favorably known than the subject of this 
 ^^J/ sketch. During his nine years' residence in 
 Tipton Precinct he has been closely identified with 
 its growth and prosperity. He represents real es- 
 tate to the amount of 320 acres of improved land. 
 It is acknowledged by every intelligent individual 
 that a good wife exercises a vast influence in the 
 
 -•►Hh 
 
«► II <• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 building up of a home and its general appearance. 
 Mrs. Bahr in this respect lias been the most efficient 
 helpmate of her husband, and being a lady of fine 
 tastes, and believing with St. Paul that •'cleanliness 
 is next to godliness," there are few more pleasant 
 places as a resort for both friends and neighbors 
 than the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bahr, while the 
 stranger is treated with the courtesy inseparable 
 from good breeding. 
 
 Our subject was born in what was then the Prov- 
 ince of Lorraine, France, near the city of Salzburg, 
 April 30, 1830, and in that beautiful stretch of coun- 
 try of which his parents. Jacob and Sophia (Young) 
 Bahr. were also natives. The paternal grandfather, 
 Jacob Bahr, Sr.. a native of the same Province, was 
 of German ancestry, and a farmer by occupation. 
 He was a man highly respected in his communitj', 
 active and industrious, of the strictest integritj-, 
 and lived to the advanced age of ninety- years. 
 Grandfather Nicholas Young, also a native of Lor- 
 raine, was a well-to-do farmer, and emigrated to 
 America in 1831, locating on a tract of land not far 
 from that of the Bahr family, in Jefferson County, 
 N. Y. He there spent the remainder of his life, 
 dj-ing in 1849, at the advanced age of eighty-three 
 jears. His estimable wife. Mrs. Caroline (Marts- 
 loff) Young, a native of .Salzburg, died in 18C0, 
 aged ninety -three jears. 
 
 The father of our subject carried on farming in 
 a modest waj' until 1831, and when his sou Jacob 
 J. was an infant of a few months, resolved to seek 
 his fortunes in the United States. Gathering to- 
 gether his family and personal effects he embarked 
 on the long voyage, and arrived safel}' upon ^Vmer- 
 ican soil, locating not long afterward upon a farm 
 in the vicinity of Lora, Jefferson Co., N. Y. He 
 was successful in his labors as a tiller of the soil, and 
 moved from there to Fayette County, Iowa, but 
 only lived six months after going to Iowa, where 
 he died in 1849, at the adv.anced age of seventy- 
 three years. He had been a man of large and ripe 
 experience, and during his sojourn in his native 
 countrj' served as a soldier in the PVench Army un- 
 der Xapoleon Bonaparte, being present .at the 
 surrender of his army at the close of his last disas- 
 trous campaign. His superior officers would gladly- 
 have promoted him. but on account of the respon- 
 
 ^h-^ 
 
 sibilities in connection therewith he declined the 
 proffered honor. He was under fire in many a 
 liard-fought battle and upon one occasion was 
 saved from being killed by the ball passing through 
 his knapsack. He was thrown down by the con- 
 cussion, but escaped uninjured. It was not long 
 after the close of the war that Jacob Bahr, the 
 father of our subject, decided to cross the At- 
 lantic. In the meantime he had engaged quite 
 extensivelj' in the distillation of oils from vari- 
 ous herbs, having his own apparatus. The fam- 
 ily after coming to the United States sojourned in 
 Jefferson County, N. Y., and the father carried on 
 farming and stock-raising, building up a good 
 homestead from a tract of indifferently cultivated 
 land, and instituting many good iinprovements. In 
 the course of years his children all left home to 
 start out for themselves, and the father was finally 
 persuaded to join his son, our subject, in Iowa, 
 selling out his property interests in the Empire 
 State. He died in Iowa in the fall of 1849, after 
 he had reached liis fourscore years and two. The 
 motlier had died in 1842 at the age of forty-four 
 years. 
 
 The six children of the parental family of our 
 subject were named respectively: Caroline, who died 
 when about fortv-four years old; Sophia, Catherine, 
 Jacob J., our subject; Julia and Frederick. The lat- 
 ter, during tlie Late Civil War, enlisted in the 92d 
 Xew York Infantry', which was assigned to the 
 Armj^ of the Potomac, was captured by the rebels, 
 and finally sent home on parole. He is now living 
 in Minnesota. The other surviving children are 
 located in various States. 
 
 Jacob J. Bahr, our subject, was reared to man's 
 estate in Jefferson County, N. Y., pursuing his first 
 studies in tlie district school, and later attending 
 the seminary at Grosvenor. He completed his 
 studies when about eighteen years old, and then 
 began learning the carpenter trade, serving his ap- 
 prenticeship and later operating as a journeyman. 
 At the age of twent3'-two he started out for himself 
 by purchasing a tract of land in New York State, 
 the improvement of which he carried on in con- 
 nection with his trade, and remained a resident of 
 the Empire State until the spring of 1865. 
 
 Mr. Bahr now decided to see what la\- beyond 
 
 f 
 
*7^ 
 
 4 834 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 the Mississippi, and migrated to Fayette County, 
 Iowa. For two j^ears afterward lie worked at his 
 trade in Fayette, but in the meantime secured 380 
 acres of raw land in that county. He moved upon 
 this and began farming and stock-raising, laboring 
 there for a period of fifteen years and effecting good 
 improvements. He was, however, not quite satis- 
 fied with his condition in the Hawkeye State, and 
 in the spring of 1880 disposed of his interest there 
 and came to tliis county, locating on section 17, 
 which wa^ then a wild and uncultivated tract. The 
 first few years of his residence here he experienced 
 the hardships and difficulties common to pioneer 
 life, but happily possessed unbounded perseverance, 
 and being blessed with good health, has come out 
 of it all with flying colors. It is difficult to believe 
 that the beautiful farm, with its appurtenances, is 
 the work of nine years. 
 
 Mr. Bahr completed his present residence in 1880, 
 and has set out three acres of forest trees and 300 
 apple trees, besides erecting the barn and other out- 
 buildings necessary for the storage of grain and the 
 shelter of stock. The land is supplied with running 
 water — a branch of Camp Creek. Tlie farm is de- 
 voted largely to the raising of fine stock, including 
 cattle, horses and swine. Three teams are required 
 to operate it, and besides tliese Mr. Bahr has ten 
 fine horses. His sons labor on the farm while he 
 works considerably as a carpenter and builder. 
 His mechanical skill has been of good service in the 
 construction of his homestead, saving him hundreds 
 of dollars, while at the same time he has placed 
 around him the various little conveniences whicli 
 have so much to do with the liappiness and comfort 
 of a home. 
 
 The marriage of our subject with Miss Lucy A. 
 Timmerman was celebrated June 9, 1859, at the 
 home of the bride in Lora, N. Y. Tliis lady is the 
 daughter of Lawrence and Polly [Conle}') Timmer- 
 man, and comes of a family thoroughly American- 
 ized, her paternal grandfatlier, Henry Timmerman, 
 having served in the Revolutionary War. He died 
 in New York State about 1834. Grandfather Solo- 
 mon Conley was a native of Canada, whence he re- 
 moved earlj- in life to New York State, settling in 
 Jefferson County, where lie spent the remainder of 
 his daj's. Grandmother Margaret (Sheldon) Tim- 
 
 -4« 
 
 merman was a native of Herkimer County, N. Y., 
 and died in 1831. The maternal grandmother, 
 Elizabeth (Howe) Conley, was of English descent, 
 and a native of Brockville. Pi'ovince of Ontario, 
 Canada. She was left an orphan at an early age, and 
 was reared by Shakers. She also spent her last 
 days in Jefferson County, N. Y. 
 
 The father of Mrs. Bahr was born in Herkimer 
 County, N. Y., in 1791, and when a youth of nine- 
 teen years enlisted in the American Army, serving 
 all through tlie War of 1812. He had lived in Jef- 
 ferson County from a lad of seven years, at which 
 time his parents changed their residence to that 
 county. They were among the earliest settlers there, 
 locating in tlie forest when there were no signs of 
 a white man, but lying around were various Indian 
 relics, arrow heads and other implements of savage 
 warfare. The father cleared a farm from the wil- 
 derness, and after bringing the land to a state of 
 cultivation made a specialty of stock-raising. He 
 passed away in October, 1883, at a rips old age. 
 
 The mother of Mrs. Bahr was born in the Prov- 
 ince of Ontario, Canada, in 1801; she died in May, 
 1875, some years prior to the decease of her hus- 
 band. They were good people in the strictest sense 
 of the word, and members of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church. The seven children of the household 
 were named respectively: Mary A.; Abigail, who 
 died when about fifty-nine years old; Caroline, Jane 
 and Frederick; Lucy A. and Melissa M. 
 
 Mrs. Lucy A. Bahr was born in Jefferson County, 
 N. Y., July 30, 1833, and received a good educa- 
 tion, completing her studies in the High School 
 at Evans' Mills. She remained a member of her 
 father's household until her marriage. Of this union 
 there have been born seven children: EvaM. is the 
 wife of Mory Alexander, a well-to-do farmer of 
 Lincoln County, this State; they have two children 
 — Frankie and Freddie. William A. is farming in 
 Tipton Precinct, this county; Polly S. married Mr. 
 William Selicorp, a grain buyer of Eagle; Ada M., 
 Mrs. J. D. Freeman, lives with her husband on a 
 farm in Banner County, Neb.; they have one child, 
 Orval V. Fred J., Orson K. and Thomas J. are at 
 home with their parents. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. B. are members in good standing 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, attending serv- 
 
/I**' ■" 'Sts-fl 
 
•►Hf^^ 
 
 837 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •*At 
 
 ices at Eagle, and contributing liberally and cheer- 
 fully to the upbuilding of the Master's cause. Mr. 
 Bahr was originally a Whig, and later affiliated 
 with the Republicans, identified himself for a long 
 time with the Greenbaekers. but finally wheeled back 
 into the ranks of the old Republican party, which 
 he thinks is about the only place of political safety. 
 He has been quite prominent in local affairs, offici- 
 ated as Justice of the Peace, Postmaster and Super- 
 visor, and is usually connected with the School 
 Board of his district. Socially, he belongs to the 
 Masonic fraternity, being a member of the lodge at 
 Greenwood. A man upright and correct in his 
 business methods, hospitable and kind in his inter- 
 course with his neighbors, he is held in high esteem, 
 and amply worthy of representation in a work de- 
 signed to commemorate the earh' settlers and 
 prominent citizens of Cass County. 
 
 "if? AMES G. ROMINE. The main points in 
 the history of this highlj' respected resident 
 of South Bend Precinct, whose portrait is 
 ^ presented on the opposite page, are substan- 
 tially as follows: The second son of John and Maria 
 (Romine) Romine, he was born in Rappahannock 
 County, Va., April 30, 1825, and was one of a 
 family of ten children, six sons and four daugh- 
 ters, of whom three brothers, one elder and two 
 younger than our subject, are deceased. The 
 others are residents mostly of Virginia. 
 
 Mr. Romine remained with his father on the 
 farm until twenty-five j'ears of age, then entered the 
 employ of one Crittendon as an overseer of slaves, 
 and with whom he remained two years, at a salary 
 of $1.50 per annum. At the expiration of this time 
 he returned to his father, with whom he remained 
 until the spring of 1852. tie now decided upon a 
 change of location, and securing transportation for 
 his trunk he started, in company' with others, on 
 foot, over the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mount- 
 ains to Wheeling, before the days of railroads, and 
 at that point embarked on the steamboat •■Rein- 
 deer," bound down the Ohio River to Cairo, tiience 
 up the Mississippi and Missouri to St. Joseph, Mo., 
 where they arrived in the latter part of May. 
 
 From that point Mr. Romine proceeded to Sa- 
 vannah, about seventeen miles from St. Joseph, and 
 engaged to work with a farmer by the name of 
 Kleiser, an old Virginian, with whom he sojourned 
 one month for the consideration of $12. Mr. R. 
 then formed a partnership with one G. 1). Con- 
 nelly, whose acquaintance he had formed on the 
 way up the river from St. Louis, and who was en- 
 gaged in the leather business. Purchasing a tan- 
 nery in Andrew County, Mo., they started in busi- 
 ness, also selling boots and shoes, and continued 
 together about eighteen months at that point. Then 
 selling out they proceeded to the vicinity of Sciola, 
 Montgomery Co., Iowa, where they engaged in 
 farming and stock-raising, and also carried on a 
 grocery and provision store about two years, and 
 until the fall of 1856. 
 
 Our subject and his partner now sold out again, 
 and still in company came to this countj- and en- 
 gaged in farming and stock-raising near the then 
 unimportant town of Rock Bluff. In the latter 
 part of November, 1856, they crossed the Missouri 
 River at Plattsmouth with the last of their cattle, 
 meeting with great difficulty both in getting them- 
 selves and their animals over the river, and land- 
 ing about one mile below the regular landing place, 
 the river being full of mush ice and exceedingly 
 diflScult to cross. Messrs. Romine and Connellj' 
 had already purchased of one Abraham Towner a 
 claim of 320 acres of land for $2,000, and which 
 lay just south of Rock Bluff. This they afterward 
 secured by pre-empting each a quarter-section, and 
 paying the Government therefor $1.25 per acre. 
 The winter which followed was exceedingly severe, 
 with deep snows, and in consequence the greater 
 portion of their stock perished. In 1859 the part- 
 nership was dissolved, and each engaged in busi- 
 ness for himself. 
 
 In the spring of 1861 Mr. Romine began freight- 
 ing from the Missouri River to the Rocky Mount- 
 ains, making his headquarters at Nebraska City, 
 and was thus engaged until the fall of 1865. In 
 the meantime he had resumed partnership with his 
 old friend Mr. Connelly, which now continued un- 
 til they were "cleaned out" by the Indians in the 
 vicinity of Julesburg, with a loss of about $27,000, 
 which claim will probably be paid by the Govern- 
 
 •^' 
 
•►Hil^-^ 
 
 ^Ir 
 
 838 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 ment during the present year ( 1 889). The savages 
 made their raid about Jan. 7, 1865, running off a por- 
 tion of the stock, and in the meantime Mr. Homiue 
 and his men engaged in quite a skirmish with them. 
 The night before the overland stage had arrived, 
 and reported tiiat they had been attacked by In- 
 dians about two miles east. There was a train of 
 about fifty wagons owned by Keith & Cook, whose 
 men were all well armed, and on the arrival of the 
 coach all hands prepared for an attack at early 
 dawn. Mr. Komine iunnediatel}' sent two men to 
 the post at Ft. Sedgwick, informing the command- 
 ing officer of the alarming reports, and received the 
 following reply: "We have heard enough of these 
 d — d Indian scares, and don't believe anything of 
 it." By the time the messengers returned day was 
 dawning. Four men volunteered their services, 
 and taking some of the best horses went to the point 
 where the coach was attacked, where they found 
 several hundred Indians, who killed two of the 
 brave volunteers outright, and mortally wounded 
 the third, who died soon after returning to the 
 post. By daylight Romine and company discov- 
 ered Indians all around them, and started off 
 another messsenger to Ft. Sedgwick, two miles 
 west. 
 
 The commanding officer .at this post called out 
 the trooi)s, and attacking tlie Indians, followed 
 them some three miles, the latter making a grand 
 display just out of range of shots until Ihcy de- 
 coyed the troops into the bluffs, then turning on 
 them, forced them to retreat, witli a loss of twenty- 
 three soldiers and citizens, the principal fight oc- 
 curring very near the ranch. The wagonmaster of 
 the train spoken of went into the fight, leaving or- 
 ders that the teams be got in readiness to move at 
 once. A portion of them being ready when the 
 stampede occurred, the men took the ready teams 
 and struck for tlie fort, leaving a portion of their 
 train to the mercy of the Indians. Mr. Romine 
 and four men remained at the ranch. The Indians 
 took possession of the stage station and a large 
 amount of provisions. The commanding officer at 
 the post rallied his men and opened fire witii two 
 mountain howitzers, and succeeded in driving tlie 
 savages off for tliat day. 
 
 The Indians troubled tiic ranchmen luwe or less 
 
 for several d.i3's, l)ut the latter finally succeeded in 
 getting to the fort, wliere they remained about one 
 month, then returned to Nebraska City. The In- 
 dians drove off all the stock of Romine <fe Co. on 
 tlie south side of the river, about 150 head, and 
 near the last of February set fire to the ranch. 
 That morning a squad of soldiers volunteered to 
 go out as scouts, and about fifteen of Mr. Rotnine's 
 men, with himself, repaired to the ranch after some 
 hay. Thej' had placed sentinels around, and hear- 
 ing a brisk firing up the road w^st, Mr. R. being 
 posti'd as a picket, while the men were loading the 
 hay, espied a band of Indians coming from the 
 southwest, vvith the evident intention to cut off the 
 retreat to the post. Both horses, men and foot- 
 men now made preparations for flight with tlieir 
 horses and ponies, leaving the oxen with the wagons 
 partially loaded. By means of a flanking party from 
 the post, tliej" managed to save the men on foot 
 from death or captnre. The Indians then took pos- 
 session of the ranch, taking away with them what- 
 ever they desired, driving off the slock and setting 
 fire to what was left. 
 
 In the retreat there was one Lieutenant and six 
 men who were cut off from the rest, and sought the 
 ranch for protection, where the seven men there, by 
 careful work and watching, managed to save their 
 scalps, Mr. Romine among the rest. After the In- 
 dians had taken the provisions from the stage sta- 
 tion tliej' tried to burn the ranch, ha}-, and otiier 
 material by firing the grass. In the spring of 1 8G5 
 Messrs. Romine and Connelly, with some of their 
 men and effects, returned to Nebraska City, and re- 
 cruiting a few teams, resumed freighting until in 
 1807, when the completion of the Union Pacific 
 Railroad destroyed the business. Mr. Romine then 
 began buying grain and shipping it from Nebraska 
 Citv, and was tlius occupied until 1871. Mr. Ro- 
 mine tlien established himself at Platlsmoutii, still 
 continuing in the grain trade, and following the line 
 of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad until 
 it was completed to Ashland. He was the first man 
 shipping a load from that point, this being a car- 
 load of corn. In the fall of 1870 he erected a 
 warehouse on the line of this road at Ashland, in 
 partnership with S. P. Decker, and which was the 
 first grain warehouse put up in the town. They 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 839 ^ k 
 
 ^1- 
 
 operated together until 1874, vvlien Mr. R. disposed 
 of liis interests in the business to his p.artner, who 
 Is still operating at Ashland, and li.as become very 
 wealthy. 
 
 Our subject now coininenced feeding cattle, but 
 in the winter of 1874-75 resumed business as a 
 grain dealer, also adding swine, in company with 
 Mr. Mable, of Ashland, with whom he remained one 
 year. In the fall of 187G he moved to the farm 
 which he now occupies, one mile and a half south 
 of the town of South Bend. Me put up his residence 
 and some of the other buildings soon afterward. 
 There being a fine spring upon the place, Mr. Ro- 
 raine conceived the idea of starting a fish pond, 
 built a dam, and secured a quantity of brook trout 
 shipped from Wisconsin. He was successful in this 
 enterprise from the start, and in the year 1879, find- 
 ing in Sarpy County a splendid location for this 
 business, purchased a tract of IGO acres of land 
 about three miles from his other farm, and on the 
 north side of the Platte River. 
 
 In partnership with Ransom Decker, Mr. Romine 
 established ponds on a portion of this land, which 
 they jointly' owned, stocking these also with brook 
 trout, and in the meantime also established a drug 
 business at South Bend. Three years later they 
 sold their fish interest to the State of Nebraska, to- 
 gether with fifty-two acres of land containing the 
 ponds. This enterprise, now known as the Nebraska 
 State Fishery, is considered one of the best in the 
 United States. The ponds are now supplied with 
 German carp bj' the Government. The first of 
 these Mr. Romine brought from St. Louis about 
 1881, together with spawn of the California sal- 
 mon to the amount of about 1,000,000, which were 
 hatched and distributed in streams and lakes througii- 
 out the State. The salmon, however, proved of lit- 
 tle or no value. The carp and trout seem to have 
 been a success. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Romine visited Washington City as 
 Superintendent of the State Fishery, and secured 
 about 5,000 3-oung German carp, which were planted 
 in the State ponds. Soon afterward, returning to 
 iiis fiirm, he turned his attention largely to stock- 
 raising, and for three or four years was highly suc- 
 cessful. The hog cholera then m;ide its appearance, 
 during which he suffered a loss of about 11,500. 
 
 He tlien returned to his farm in this county, and 
 resumed the culture of the German carp in the 
 home ponds, which he enlarged to cover about six 
 acres, and now has probably about 5,000, which 
 vary in size from spring hatchings to eight-pound 
 fish, the oldest being three years, and all doing well. 
 After giving the particulars of his life to the 
 biographer, Mr. Romine says to the rising genera- 
 tion : "Now, having lived a bachelor life, and en- 
 during all the hardships of such a miserable exist- 
 ence for more than forty years, and being now 
 sixt3'-three years old. and seeing my folly perhaps 
 too late, I advise all young men to seek the com- 
 panionship of some worthy member of the gentler 
 sex, and strive to live according to the design of 
 the Creator, and not wholly for self." Mr. Ro- 
 mine is at present living alone on his farm in South 
 Bend Precinct, where he is often visited by his old 
 friends, and expresses himself as always willing to 
 form new ones. He is genial and companionable, 
 and a man possessing a large fund of general in- 
 formation, the result of an ample experience and 
 of keeping his eyes open to what has been going on 
 around him in the worhl. 
 
 WjILLIAM murphy, deceased, formerly a 
 resident of Mt. Pleasant Precinct, was a 
 gentleman held in the highest respect by 
 all who knew him. He was born on Staten Island, 
 N. Y.. in 1 849, and was the son of John anil Johanna 
 . (Demsey) Murphy, who were natives of Ireland. 
 The latter, when William was a small boy, emigrated 
 to the vicinity of Madison, Wis., where the father 
 engaged in farming, and where his death took place 
 when his son, the subject of this sketch, was in the 
 sixteenth year of his age. The mother died in 188G. 
 Mr. Murphy received a fair education, and being 
 a youth of more than ordinary intelligence and fore- 
 thought, he made good books his companions, and 
 thus became well informed upon matters of general 
 interest. He was reared to farming pursuits, and 
 until a man nearly thirty years of age continued a 
 resident of the Hawkeye State. At this period of 
 his life he was married at Storm Lake, Iowa, July 
 1.3, 1879, to .Miss Ellen Nagle. Mrs. Murphy was 
 
 •^ 
 
t 
 
 f 840 
 
 ■•►Hl--^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 a native of the State of Maine, and born April 24, 
 ^1856. Her parents, Richard and Maggie (Golden) 
 Nagle, were natives of Ireland, and are still living, 
 being residents of Storm Lake, Iowa. 
 
 Riehard Nagle emigrated to America when a lad 
 of about fourteen 3ears, settling first in the Pine 
 Tree State, where he made his own living by the 
 honest labor of his hands, and being dependent 
 upon his own resources attained to a vigorous and 
 healthful manhood. The parents were married in 
 Maine, and lived there until after the birth of one 
 child. In due time the househijld circle ineludea 
 five sons anil four daughters. The survivors, of 
 whom Mrs. Murphy is the eldest, are located as 
 follows: James, David and Maggie are residents of 
 Rock Valley, Iowa; Richard, Mary, Patrick and Gar- 
 rett live at Storm Lake. 
 
 Mrs. Murphy was an infant of eight months when 
 her parents emigrated to the wilds of Madison 
 County, Wis., and she was there reared to woman- 
 hood, received a common-school education, and was 
 trained by a careful mother to all useful housewifely 
 duties. Of her union with our suliject there were 
 born two daughters: Maggie J., April 25,1880, 
 and Mary K., March 26, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Mur- 
 .phy located in Mt. Pleasant Precinct soon after 
 their marriage, where Mr. Murphy engaged in farm- 
 ing. His sudden death from heart disease occurred 
 at Weeping Water, Aug. 9, 1882. Although not a 
 long-time resident of this county he had made 
 many friends, being recognized as a man of worth, 
 intelligence and of the strictest integrit3\ In the 
 home circle he was kind and indulgent. He was a 
 devout member of the Catholic Church, and, politi- 
 cally, voted tiie straight Democratic ticket. 
 
 The Murphy homestead is finely' situated on sec- 
 tion 2, and comprises 160 acres of land, with build- 
 ings comfortable and convenient, and which compare 
 favorabl}' with those of the other intelligent people 
 of this section. Mrs. Murph^', since the death of 
 her husband, has managed the farm with good 
 judgment and ability, and is spoken of highly by 
 her neighbors. She also is a member in good stand- 
 ing of the Catholic Church. 
 
 The mother of Mr. Murphy was the second wife 
 of his father, her first husband having been AVilliam 
 Ford, by whom she had two children; Margaret, 
 
 the wife of Martin Omalia, residing near Ma<lison, 
 Wis., and one deceased. Of her marriage with John 
 Murphy there were born six children; Hannah, the 
 wife of Patrick Downey, of Wisconsin; John, who 
 died when forty-five years old ; Cornelius, a resident 
 of Seward County, this State; Mary, Mrs. Hart, 
 living near Madison, Wis.; Elizabeth, Mrs. AVhalen, 
 of Seward County, and William, deceased. 
 
 Cass County has 
 fffi within its limits numerous enterprising 
 young men who have come in ''to lengthen 
 her cords and strengthen her stakes," and promi- 
 nent among them is the subject of our sketch, who 
 is a farmer, leasing and operating a tract of 160 
 acres of well-selected land in Sonth Bend Precinct. 
 He is the only child of John and Sarah Cremer, and 
 was born in Kankakee County, III., at Grant Park. 
 He was a boy of ten years of age when his father 
 died. At the .age of eighteen his mother died. 
 
 After the death of his father our subject and his 
 mother moved to the house of his uncle, Joseph 
 Cremer, where he lived until his uncle, with the 
 entire family, including our subject, moved to 
 Nebraska in 1876, settling in Cass Count}'. Mr. 
 Cremer and Miss Sarah Lee were married in 1882. 
 This lady is the daughter of John W. and Emma J. 
 (White) Lee; both parents wevo born in Maryland, 
 (i rand father Frederick Lee was also a native of 
 Maryland. Grandfather Dudley was a private in 
 the Revolutionary War. The parents of Mrs. 
 Cremer moved to Washington Count}', Iowa, in 
 1852. She is the second eldest in a family of 
 eleven children. The other members of the family 
 are named as follows: Martha A., Guavara, LeRoy, 
 William, Victor, Charles, Kingsley, Webb, Harry 
 aiid Etta. Her parents moved to Maryhind in 
 1860, and still reside there. 
 
 The parents of our subject were exceedingly 
 fond of their only child, and the father up to the 
 time of his death, which occurred in Illinois when 
 he was sixty years old, had anticipated a brilliant 
 future for his boy; but death intervening, a change 
 was necessary, and ho was not able to obtain the 
 position ill life which doubtless would have been 
 
•►Hl-^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 .S4I 
 
 his iiad his father lived. Mr. and Mrs. Cremer arc 
 tlie i)arents of two children — Etta E. and an infant, 
 John Wesley, now deceased. His neighbors have 
 called upon him to serve them in an official capac- 
 ity, havingelected him Constable, in which position 
 he has served for one term. He is an active mem- 
 ber of the Knights of Pythias, of which he is a Prel- 
 ate. Both himself and vvife are members of tlie 
 Calahan Methodist Episcopal Cluircb, in which 
 society they take an important and leading part 
 in all works of charity and benevolence. 
 
 The politics of onr subject arc Republican to the 
 heart's core. He takes a lively interest in his party, 
 and attracts considerable attention as a local poli- 
 tician. He is ambitious and aspiring, shrewd and 
 intelligent, and it would be a matter of surprise if, at 
 some time in the not far distant future, he does 
 not reach a higldy honorable position in the coun- 
 cils of his party. His wife is one of the fair 
 daughters of Maryland, that home of beauty, and 
 a lady of intelligence. She is kiml, hospitable and 
 entertaining, and endeavors to make the stranger in 
 their home feel at ease, extending to them a heart}' 
 welcome. 
 
 v 
 
 ^;ILLIAM M. ROWLAND, a practical far- 
 mer of Avoea Precinct, is pleasantl}"^ lo- 
 cated on section 30, where he owns a finely 
 improved tract of land, nearly a quarter-section in 
 length. -and situated about one mile north of the 
 village. Although not a long time resident of this 
 section of country, coming here in the spring of 
 1886, he has fully identified himself with the inter- 
 ests of his community, and is numbered among its 
 enterprising and public-spirited, liberal citizens. 
 He has effected considerable improvement in his 
 property since taking possession, and his homestead 
 is numbered among those noticeable for the air of 
 comfort and plenty which surrounds them. 
 
 Prior to his arrival in Nebraska Mr. Rowland 
 had been a resident of Page County, Iowa, for a 
 period of sixteen years, and in the meantime had 
 improved two farms in Fremont Township. He 
 was uniformly successful in his labors in the Hawk- 
 eye State, but Nebraska seemed to him the more 
 desirable conntrv. A native of Guernse}' Count}', 
 
 ■^ ^ <■ 
 
 Ohio, he was born Djc. 14, 18.38. and is the son of 
 a very respectable family, IlIs father being .John 
 Rowlaml, who married Miss Mary Blazer, a native 
 of Ohio. The}' continued residents of the Buckeye 
 State until after the birth of most of their family, 
 then migrated to Wasiiington County, Iowa, where 
 the subject of this sketch spent his boyhood days. 
 There also he acquired a practical education and 
 attained his majority. The parents died in Iowa in 
 middle life. 
 
 Our subject was the eldest son and second child 
 of his parents, and is the only survivor of five chil- 
 dren. He grew up a practical mechanic, having 
 learned the carpenter's trade, at which he worked 
 considerably until the outbreak of the Rebellion. 
 He was among the first to enter the Union Army, 
 enlisting in the fall of 1861 in Company K, 13th 
 Iowa Infantry, under command of Capt. Woodford 
 and Col. Crocker. They were assigned to the 
 Army of the Tennessee, and Mr. Rowland endured 
 the vicissitudes and hardships of life in the army a 
 period of three years. He participated with his 
 comrades at the battle of Pittsburg Landing, was 
 at the siege and capture of Vicksburg, and through 
 all the Atlanta campaign. He was wounded the 
 same time that McPherson fell, but only slightly, 
 and was one among the nine remaining men of his 
 company who reported after the battle, the others 
 being either captured or killed. 
 
 At the expiration of his term of enlistment Mr. 
 Rowland received his honorable discharge at Chat- 
 tanooga, Tenn., and not long afterward returned to 
 his old haunts in Iowa. He took up the business 
 of farming, and was married, July 31, 1866, to Miss 
 Sarah Shearer. This lady was born March 29, 
 1835, in Ohio, and emigrated to Iowa with her par- 
 ents, Valentine and Mary (Kellenberger) Shearer, 
 about 1845. They located in Jefferson County, 
 but a few years later left the Hawkeye State, and 
 coming to Nebraska, located on land in Weeping 
 Water Precinct. The father built up a good farm 
 and lived to the ripe old age of eighty years, dying 
 at the homestead in 1866. The mother is still liv- 
 ing, making her home with her son, Valentine 
 Shearer, Jr., and is now ninety-three years old. 
 
 Mrs. Rowland received her education in the com- 
 mon schools and lived at home with her parents 
 
 *^h 
 
-<•- 
 
 ■♦H 
 
 ' ^ 842 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 until her inani;ige. Of licr union with our sul'jet-t 
 there were born five children, one of whom, an in- 
 fant, flieil unnamed. The survivors are George S., 
 John O., Marj' M. and Calvin. The eldest of these 
 is twent}'-one years old and the youngest eleven. 
 They are all at home with their parents, and form 
 an interesting and intelligent family. Mr. Rowland 
 since becoming a voter has been a supporter of 
 Republican principles. He was the Assessor of his 
 township while a resident of Iowa, and is a man of 
 sound practical sense and good principles, who is 
 held in esteem by his neighbors, and whose opinions 
 are generally respected. 
 
 i, I>1LLIAM B. SHRYGCK. In every town 
 \rJ/! there are a few active and energetic men 
 VtxP who have been instrumental in placing it 
 upon its feet and attracting to it an industrious and 
 intelligent class of people. One of the most prom- 
 inent and influential of these is the subject of this 
 sketch, a dealer in drugs and medicines, and the 
 successor of Dr. J. A. Hassemeier, who established 
 the business in 1878 and withdrew from it in 1882. 
 Mr. Shryock carries a full stock of all the merchan- 
 dise included in this branch of trade, besides books, 
 stationery and jewehy, and enjoj's a generous i)at- 
 ronage from tlie intelligent people of this region. 
 His upright business methoils and generally reliable 
 qualities as a man and a citizen have commended 
 him to the confidence and esteem of all who know 
 him. 
 
 A native of AVinchester, Va., our subject was 
 born Sept. 7, 1851, and is the eldest of five living 
 children, the offspring of Thomas and Rachel (Mey- 
 ers) Shryock, the latter also a native of the Old l)o- 
 minion. The parents were married in their native 
 State in 1850, and came to the West in 1864. The 
 father is now officiating as Postmaster of Louis- 
 ville. The maternal grandparents were Stephen 
 and Joanna G. Meyers. After mairiagc the parents 
 of our subject lived in the city of Baltimore, Md., 
 a number of years, where the father was engaged 
 as a cabinet-maker and also dealt in furniture. 
 
 The paternal grandparents of our subject were 
 Frederick S. and Anna E. (Sheppard) Shryock, and 
 
 Thomas was their third son. He remained a resi- 
 dent of his native .State until reaching maidiood. in 
 the meantime learning bis trade of cabinet-maker. 
 To him and his excellent wife there were born 
 eight children, five of whom are living, namely: 
 William B., the subject of this sketch; Louita A., 
 Mrs. K. D. Siever; Edith F., Mary L. and Susan. 
 The last three are at home with their ])arents. 
 Three died in infancy. The famil3' came to the 
 West in 1864, settling at Plaltsmouth, where they 
 lived a period of twent}' j'ears, then changed their 
 residence to Louisville in 1885, where the father, 
 in October of that year, entered upon his duties as 
 Postmaster, being the successor of Mrs. Alma C. 
 Glover, and a supporter of Mr. Cleveland's admin- 
 istration. 
 
 William B. Shryock spent his boyhood years 
 mostly in the city of Baltimore, but completed his 
 education in the schools of Plattsmouth. this county. 
 He commenced his apprenticeship at the printer's 
 trade in tiie office of the Plattsmouth Herald, which 
 was then under the management of H. D. Hathaway, 
 with whom he remained a period of seven years. 
 Subsequently he traveled considerably over the 
 Western country through most of the Stales and 
 Territories. After returning to Plattsmouth he 
 became quite prominent in local affairs, and in 1880 
 was appointed Deputy County Treasurer, a position 
 which he held until 1882. He had before this served 
 two years, from 1876 to 1878, as Deputj' County 
 Treasurer. He then took a business trip to Lead- 
 ville. Col., and in the spring of that year was mar- 
 ried to Mrs. C. V. Irwin, an amiable and accom- 
 plished lady, by whom he became the father of two 
 interesting children, a son and daughter — Albert 
 W. and Lillian J. They occupy a snug home in 
 the southern part of the town, and enjoy the friend- 
 ship of the best people. 
 
 Mr. Shryock, politicallj', is a stanch Democrat, 
 and has served as City Treasurer since his residence 
 in Louisville. He was a member of the School 
 Board four j'ears and of the City Council fivej'ears. 
 He is Secretary of the Cass County Central Com- 
 mittee, and a member of the Slate Democratic Cen- 
 tral Committee. He is a man highly respected in 
 business circles, being President of the Nebraska 
 State Pharmaceutical Association, and otherwise 
 
 •►^h-^ 
 
iT^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 
 ideiilitied with the pioiiiineiit druggists of this sec- 
 tion of couiiti'}'. Socially, ho belongs to Platts- 
 inoiith Lodge, I. O. O. F., and in Masonry is a 
 ineuiljer of Plattsuiouth Lodge No. C, als<j Jit. Zion 
 Comniandeiy No. 5, K. T. 
 
 \f: OHN McCONNAIIA, M. D., is one of those 
 men endowed by nature with reBned and 
 cultivated tastes, and having an ardent love 
 ^0fj for the quiet of countr}' life. Consequently 
 we find iiim, although a practicing [)h3'sician, in the 
 possession of a good farm lying on section 20, in 
 Rocli Bluff Precinct, of which he has been a resi- 
 dent for man}' years. He comes of excellent an- 
 cestr}', the main points of his family history being 
 as follows: 
 
 Robert McConnaha, the father of our subject, 
 was a native of Pennsylvania, and the son of Rob- 
 ert McConnaha, Sr., who was born among the Scot- 
 tish Highlands. The name in the early days was 
 spelled McConaughey. The paternal great-grand- 
 father, wliose name cannot be recalled by our sub- 
 ject, served with his five brothers under King 
 William in the war between the Protestants and 
 Catht)lics of Scotland and Knglaud. and probably 
 spent his last years in Scotland. His son, Robert, 
 Sr., emigrated to the United States soon after the 
 independence of the Colonists had been established, 
 and located on a farm in Crawford County, Pa., 
 which is still owned by his son, Robert, Jr. There 
 the latter and his son John, our subject, were born. 
 Grandfather McConnaha married Miss Margaret 
 Story, and they became the parents of eight chil- 
 dren, seven of whom lived to mature years and 
 were married. Hut three of these now survive. 
 Robert, the father of our subject, chose for his life 
 companion Miss Margaret Lackey, a native of his 
 own county, and the daughter of Robert and Mary 
 (Kelley) Lackej'. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were born 
 three children — John, Mary and Margaret. Mary 
 became tlie wife of R. E. Countryman, a resident of 
 Rock Bluff Precinct, this county; Margaret vvas 
 married to G. C. Edson, of this township, and she 
 died in 1873, leaving three children; John, of our 
 
 sketch was reared in his native county, andjafter 
 leaving the district school attended college in New 
 Wilmington. After being graduated with honors 
 he taught one term of school near Georgetown. Pa., 
 and thus earned money enough to bring him to Ne- 
 braska. Of this he became a resident in Novem- 
 ber, 18.59. while it was still a Territory, landing 
 this side of the Missouri Iliver with a capital of ten 
 cents. 
 
 Our subject possessed all the courage of his sub- 
 stantial .Scotch ancestry, and was not disma\ed by 
 the circumstances surrounding him as long as he 
 |)ossessed his health and strength. He at once se- 
 cured employment with Mr. Joseph P. Moore, at 
 $13 per month, and was occupied at farming until 
 the spring following. He then joined a wagon train 
 being fitted out to cross the plains with provisions 
 for the various posts of the frontier, and in this 
 wild sort of life spent the time until December, 
 1861. In the spring of 1862 he returned to his 
 native State to settle up the business of his uncle, 
 William Story, and, this accomplished, came back 
 to this county. On the 2oth of September, 1862, 
 he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Latta, 
 and journeyed to Penns\'lvania on a wedding tour, 
 remaining in the Keystone State until the year 
 1866. The Doctor and his wife then returned to 
 this county for permanent settlement. 
 
 The household circle of Dr. and Mrs. McConnaha 
 was completed by the birth of ten children, namely : 
 Elmer; Jennie and Jessie (twins), who died when 
 twenty-two months old; Ernest, Mabel, Robert; 
 Evert, who died at the age of ten years; Lulu, 
 Mary and Earl. The parents of Mrs. McConnaha, 
 John and Mary (McConnaha) Latta, were also na- 
 tives of Crawford County, Pa., and the parents of 
 seven children: The Doctor during his excursions 
 across the plains deteriorated somewhat in his medi- 
 cal knowledge, and consequently afterward took a 
 course of lectures in Oakland, Cal. After these 
 were completed he entered upon the regular prac- 
 tice of his profession in this township. He cnjojs 
 a fine patronage throughout Rock Bluff Precinct and 
 the country adjoining, and has been remarkably 
 successful. He has also frequently been called into 
 Iowa for consultation in important cases. He has 
 not only made money, but hosts of friends. He 
 
 •► II <• 
 
844 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 *Hh 
 
 ^ 
 
 puifliiised liis piefcnt farm of IGO ncres in 1869. 
 It is pk-asniitiy Ideated on section 20. and bears all 
 the evidences of tjirift and judicious manajiement. 
 Ulrs. McConnalia and two of her children are 
 members in good standing of tiie United Brethren 
 Church, while the Doctor is partial to the Presby- 
 terian doctrines in which he was reared. Politi- 
 cally, he is a sound Republican, maintaining the 
 l)rinci|iles handed down to him from his sturdy 
 Scotch ancestrj-. 
 
 <S^ DMUND E. WILLIAMS. The agricultural 
 |IU) and business interests of Cass County are 
 ylLl^ worthily represented by the subject of this 
 biography, who was one of the earliest settlers of 
 Southern Nebraska, and who is now the owner of 
 a beautiful and valuable farm property lying on 
 section G of Weeping Water Precunei. Coming to 
 Nebraska in the Aiiril of 1860, seven years before 
 it had l)een transformed from a Territory into a 
 Slate. Mr. Williams has been a privileged witness 
 of its remarkable growth and development, and has 
 conlribuled no small share in bringing it to the po- 
 sition of one of the most important commonwealths 
 west of the Mississippi. A view of his place is 
 shown on another page of this work. 
 
 Mr. Williams first made his stopping place on 
 Nebraska soil near the site of the present city of 
 Lincoln, which was then unmarked by a single 
 building, and settled on a tract of land in the basin 
 of Salt Creek. His principal mail station and Irad- 
 ing-posl was Wallingford, a ranch located upon the 
 present site of Ashland, and his neighbors were few 
 and far between. His first shelter was a dugout, 
 and after staying here a few months he proceeded 
 to Denver, Col., spending there the following year 
 at the time of the gold excitement, and engaged 
 mostly in freighting. In the spring of 1861, re- 
 turning to Nebraska, he began freighting with teams 
 from Nebraska City to Denver and other points, a 
 business which he followed successfully for a period 
 of six years, employing three months in making the 
 round trip. He thus made four trips a year, two 
 with oxen and two with mules. 
 
 The plains at that period were little more than a 
 
 barren desert, for which our subject would not have 
 paid ten cents per acre for all he could see. After 
 a time there was visible a ranch here and there, but 
 it was not until al>out 1864 that the country began 
 to settle up. With Edmund E. there came his two 
 brothers, Charles and George Williams, but the two 
 latter were so disgusted with the outlook that they 
 soon sought tiieir ohl haunts in Iowa. Edmund E., 
 however, resolved not to he beaten, persevered in 
 his reolution to carry out what was meant in the 
 advice of Horace Greeley, " Go West, young man, 
 go West," and having come here <letermined to 
 staj". Although the first few j-ears formed a period 
 of many hardships and much toil, in looking upon 
 his surroundings to-day it would seem that he must 
 have reason to feel satisfied with the result. 
 
 In the April of 1869 Mr. Williams homesteaded 
 •eight}' acres of wild land on section 6, in Weeping 
 AVater Precinct, which is included in his piesent 
 homestead, and after his freigiiting business had 
 been abandoned he entered industriously upon its 
 cultivation. Beginning from first principles he 
 broke the sod and put in bis first crops before fenc- 
 ing. Soon afterward he began the planting of trees, 
 both forest and fruit, and one by one erected the 
 buildings necessarj' for his convenience and com- 
 fort. The residence is a substantial two-story frame 
 structure, which was completed in 1879. Theyeai- 
 following he put up the first large barn, which was 
 then the best structure of its kind within a radius 
 of ten miles, and is still capable of many years' serv- 
 ice. He has always kept good live stock, and 
 gradually gathered the machinery necessary for the 
 thorough cultivation of the soil. A fine windmill 
 pumps water from a a living spring, which is con- 
 veyed wherever needed, and all about the premises 
 are the numberless little contrivances which have so 
 much to do with the comfort and enjoyment of the 
 modern farmer and his family. 
 
 Mr. Williams avers that he has been " too 
 busy to dabble in politics," although he has kept 
 himself fully informed as to the course of National 
 events, and uniformly casts his vote with the 
 " grand old Republican party." He has, however, 
 consented to serve as an oflBcer of the School Board, 
 being Treasurer in his school district a period of 
 nine years, and holding other unsalaried positions 
 
 Ht^4^ 
 
 •^l-^^ 
 
•►Hl-^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 845 
 
 of trust. Witli his estimable wife .and his son he 
 is a member in goo(1 standing of the Free-Will 
 liaptist Church, in which lie has officiated as Deacon 
 a number of years. 
 
 Tlie subject of this skelch was born in Hancock 
 County, Ohio, Aug. 5; 1839, and when a lad of 
 thirteen years his parents removed to Jackson 
 County, Iowa. There the father died three years 
 later, in 1855. Edmund K. being the second eldest 
 son assumed charge of the homestead until his 
 younger brothers were old enough to take his place. 
 In the meantime his mother was married a second 
 lime, and lived in Iowa until 1860. She is now in 
 California. 
 
 Mr. Williams after abandoning his freighting 
 enterprise was united in marriage with Mrs. Mary 
 (Davidson) West, Jan. 18, 18(35, in Iowa. Mrs. 
 Williams was born in Washington Count}', Ohio, 
 Nov. II, 1837, and is the daughter of Lucius and 
 Catharine West, the former born in New York and 
 the latter in Ohio. Leaving the Buckeye State 
 al)ont 1852 tliey emigrated to Iowa, settling in 
 Jackson County, where the father carried on farm- 
 ing a few seasons, then going to California remained 
 on the Pacific Slope until his death about 1880. 
 The mother died in Ohio, in 1850. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Williams there have been born eight children, six 
 of whom are living, namely: Thomas A., Willard, 
 Nellie, Wesley, Emma and FIddie. The deceased 
 children were two little sons, Charley and Ray, who 
 each died about the age of one and one-half years. 
 The survivors are all at home with their parents, 
 and are being given first-class educational advan- 
 tages. The eldest, Thomas A., has already been 
 graduated from the Lincoln State University as B. 
 S. Mr. Williams was enabled to acquire' only a 
 limited education, and is determined that his chil- 
 dren shall not be called upon to undergo the dis- 
 advantages with which he has battled on a like ac- 
 count. 
 
 Thomas Williams, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Virginia, in 1810, and there lived until 
 reaching manhood. He then emigrated to Ohio, 
 and settled among the earliest pioneers of Hancock 
 County. Taking up a tract of timber land he 
 constiucted a home in the wilderness. He sold 
 his first purchase a few j-ears later and performed 
 
 -4^ 
 
 as before upon another piece of wild laud, then, 
 finally selling out. left the Buckeye State alto- 
 gether, aid moved to Iowa with his family. Settling 
 there in Jackson County he battled again with the 
 elements of a new soil, and died at this latter home- 
 stead about 1 850. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Mrs. Margaret (Shur- 
 Icy) Williams, was born, reared, and married to Mr. 
 AVilliams in Ohio. Her union with the father of 
 our subject resulted in the birth of tight children, 
 all of whom lived to mature j'ears, and seven are 
 still living. The deceased son, Charley, died at 
 Pittsburg Landing, just after the battle at that 
 place. 
 
 At the time of the Indian outbreak of 1863 .Mr. 
 Williams, in i)ursuance of his freighting business, 
 was encamped about sixty miles southeast of Denver 
 with a herd of nearly 600 head of work cattle for 
 Majors & Russell, of Nebraska City, having with 
 him three men. The outbreak occurred only three 
 miles from them, and two of the men atanother camp 
 were killed. Mr. Williams with his men succeeded 
 in "rounding up" his cattle, and started on the 
 forced march toward Denver, reaching there by 2 
 o'clock next morning. At sunrise the next morn- 
 ing he was back with sixty cavalry men and four 
 guns. They started on the trail of the savages, ran 
 a portion of them across the Platte River, and dis- 
 covered their encampment opposite Rising Sun 
 Ranch. Crossing in the darkness seven miles below 
 the}- came up to within three-fourths of a mile of 
 them, and lying in Sand Gulch until dawn, com- 
 menced work, cleaning them out and recovering 
 eighty he.ad of horses and mules, together with all 
 except eighty head of their cattle which the red- 
 skins had taken. In this skirmish seven men were 
 killed, five soldiers and two herders, and a number 
 of others wounded. Mr. Williams during his 
 freighting experience often met with the Indians, 
 frequently engaging in skirmishes with them. " Old 
 Bob Williams' " ranch, about 400 miles west of 
 Nebraska City, was the scene of one of his live- 
 liest encounters. The Indians had made a raid 
 on a train of nine emigrant wagons, killing all of 
 the people with the exception of one man, this 
 being done only two hours before our subject and 
 his men overtook them. Mr. Williams and his men 
 
 f 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 846 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 formed a corral of the wagons, putting tlieir cattle 
 therein, and thus made a lireastwork. from which 
 the3' fired at the Indians, and after a long and hard- 
 fought battle and killing many, finally drove them 
 aw.a^'. His adventures during his travels on the 
 frontier would make a good sized volume, highly 
 interesting to peruse. 
 
 H3- 
 
 R. ANSON I.. HOOT. Prominent among 
 the medical fraternity and business men of 
 Cass County stands the gentleman whose 
 name appears at the head of this sketch. 
 He lias been a resident of, and practitioner in 
 Weeping Water since 1873, and in that time has 
 built up an extensive practice, and won hosts of 
 friends among all classes of people. He is a native 
 of Trumbull C'ount3% Ohio, born Feb. 5, 1831. His 
 father, Dr. Anson Root, was the son of a physician, 
 with whom he read medicine, afterward attending 
 lectures, and then practicing in Ohio and Indiana 
 the forty j'ears before his death. The maiden name 
 of his wife, the mother of our subject, was Sally 
 Brooks, who was the daughter of an officer in the 
 Continental Army during the Revolution. To her 
 and her husband were born thirteen children, six 
 of whom grew to maturity. One of them gave his 
 life to his country', having died while in service 
 during the late Rebellion. The subject of our 
 sketch went South to nurse and care for him, but 
 found on his arrival that he had died nine daj^s 
 previously. 
 
 Ur. Root, of whom we write, remained at home 
 until twent3'-one j-ears of age, receiving a good 
 education in his native town, and studying medi- 
 cine with his father, thus having superior advan- 
 tages over most bo\-s in those days. The death 
 of his father occurred when our subject was sev- 
 enteen years of age, and he afterward read medi- 
 cine with Dr. Bradley, of Johnstown, Ohio, for 
 a period of two years, taking also a course of 
 lectures at Cincinnati, and in 1851 commenced the 
 practii-e of medicine. He first located in Ohio, then 
 established himself in Indiana, but desiring still 
 newer country for practice, went to Galien, Ber- 
 rien Co.. Jlich.. thence to Newaygo, in the same 
 
 State, where he remained several j-ears. having set- 
 tled there before the war, and staying there until 
 coming to Nebraska. He had an extensive prac- 
 tice there, and now has man^^ applications for pen- 
 sion certificates from that State. Associated with 
 him in his profession while in Newaj'go'was his 
 nephew, Dr. H. D. Root, now of Lincoln, Neb., and 
 the amount of business done bj' them may be in- 
 ferred from the fact that besides the cash practice 
 in the oflSce the3' averaged a book practice of 
 $4,200 a year, this showing the large territory' 
 over which the3^ must have ridden. 
 
 In March, 1873, Dr. Root came to Nebraska, and 
 settled at Eight Mile Grove, where he was soon 
 appointed Postmaster 133' Postmaster-GeneralJames, 
 and held that office until forced to resign on ac- 
 count of sickness. His official duties, in connection 
 with his professional ones, were too great for his 
 pli3'sical strength, his medical practice having grown 
 rapidl3-. He had the majority of cases of sickness 
 in the settled countrv southwest of his place, but 
 was obliged for a time to give up all work. At the 
 end of eight 3'ears the Doctor came to Weeping 
 Water, and lived on a farm four miles west of the 
 city limits for a 3'ear. He then bought out the 
 two drug-stores at South Bend, and consolidating 
 them, took in as partner C. L. Bates, who the fol- 
 lowing 3'ear disposed of his interest to the son-in- 
 law of our subject, Edward Parish. They moved 
 the store to Weeping Water, and it is now doing a 
 successful business under the firm name of Root 
 & Parish. Besides this store. Dr. Root is the owner 
 of another store and lot on I street, Weeping Water, 
 and of two building lots and two residences, and 
 also of land in Julesburg, Col. The drug building 
 and two residences in the cit3' are owned jointly 
 by Dr. Root jind his son-in-law, Edward Parish. 
 The Doctor has been very successful in all his 
 undertakings, and has ample wealth for his re- 
 maining vears, which we sincerel3' hope may be 
 man3", and is graduall3' giving up his practice to 
 younger and stronger hands, attending only to a 
 few of his old patrons who hesitate to place them- 
 selves under the care of a strange doctor. His 
 reputation as a skillful ph3'sician is well known 
 throughout the State, and is recognized by his pro- 
 fessional brethren evervwljere. and he is a valued 
 
 •►H»-«f 
 
>► I I <• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 847 
 
 member of the State Medical Association. During 
 his bus3' career he has seen many of the hard sides 
 of a practitioner's life, but he can look back upon 
 his past with genuine satisfaction, feeling that he 
 has well earned the right to a few years of free- 
 dom from care and hard lalior. 
 
 The maiden name of Dr. Root's wife was Eliza- 
 beth Robe, .and she is a native of Ohio. She became 
 acquainted with the Doctor when quite a 3'oung 
 lad\', in ludiana, while nursing him through a fit 
 of sickness, and thej' became mutually attached. 
 The friendship thus formed ripened into love, and 
 a most happy marriage was the result. To them 
 were born five children, four of whom are still 
 living: Bj'ron A., Russell D., Ella, Dora P. and 
 Ida. Byron has charge of a farm comprising 
 1,200 acres of land in Cheyenne County (recently 
 changed to Deuel Countj-), Neb., and also owns 
 320 acres there; he married Miss Eliza Alton, of 
 Michigan, who died in Nebr.aska, in February, 
 1887, leaving one child, Benjamin. Russell is a 
 successful physician in Big Springs, Deuel Co., 
 Neb.; he married Miss Ella Cone, and to them 
 have been born five children — Allie, Loren. Albert, 
 Madge and Ida F. Ella, formerly a teacher of 
 much note, married Rev. Charles Cary; siie died 
 at Eight Mile C^rove, leaving a daughter, a bright, 
 interesting child, now twelve years old, iind who is 
 living with a sister of Dr. Root, Mrs. Peck, of 
 Weeping Water Precinct. Dora is the wife of 
 George Shirley, of Deuel County; they are the 
 parents of one child, R.alph. Ida is the wife of 
 Edward Parish, the partner of our subject. 
 
 l|L_^ON. JAMES W. THOMAS, M. D. This 
 ,i[jj] gentleman, who is widely known throughout 
 (■y^ Cass CoHnt3-, 'oears the distinction of being 
 i^) the oldest practicing plysician and surgeon 
 of Weeping Water, being the first to locate here of 
 those now remaining. He took up his al)ode within 
 its precincts in December, 1867, within a year after 
 Nebraska had been admitted into the Union as a 
 State. It is hardl3' necessar3' to state that during 
 his long residence, which has been marked by an 
 honorable and upright course, he hiis drawn around 
 
 him hosts of friends and is numbered among tlie 
 most prominent and reliai)le men of the count3'. 
 
 Belmont Count3', Ohio, w.as the earl3' tramping 
 ground of our subject, and where his birth took 
 place Aug. G. 1842. Five 3-ears later his parents 
 removed to Monroe County, where they lived until 
 the outbreak of the Rebellion, and in the meantime 
 young Tliomas completed iiis education in the Higli 
 School at WoodsBeld. the count3' seat. He enlisted 
 .as a Union soldier when a youth of nineteen years, 
 in Company I, 77th Ohio Infantr3', on the 2;Hh of 
 November, I 861. entering the ranks as a private. 
 His regitnent vv.as assigned to the Arm3' of llie 
 Tennessee, and was under the command of both 
 Gens. Grant and Sherman, participating in many 
 of the important battles of tiie war. Young Thomas 
 during the fierce conflict at Shiioh was shot twice, 
 one hall nearl3' paralyzing his left arm, and this he 
 still carries in his shoulder. The other wound was 
 in the right hip. He .also received two saber cuts, 
 one on his he.ad and one in the left hip, the former 
 leaving a scar four inches long. He w.as confined 
 in the Fourtli .Street Hospital, St. Louis, where by 
 careful nursing he managed to recover enough to 
 return home with his father, who came after him. 
 
 Gov. Todd, of Ohio, about that time issued an 
 order for all piroled and convalescent soldiers to 
 report at Camp Chase, and our subject accordingl3' 
 repaired thither, reaching camp on the Gth of Au- 
 gust. On the 16th of September following he re- 
 ceived an honorable discharge, and returned home. 
 Although quite feeble he taught sciiool that winter 
 and every winter succeeding, until entering upon 
 the practice of his profession, with the exception of 
 the time when he attended medical lectures. He 
 began reading medicine under the instruction of 
 Dr. William Martin, one of the most promising 
 physicians and surgeons of Harriettsville, Ohio. 
 He remained with him three years, in the meantime 
 employing his winters in te.aching and taking lec- 
 tures at Miami College. Cincinnati. On coming to 
 Nebraska he entered upon the pr.actice of his profes- 
 sion at Weeping Water, which then bore little in- 
 dication of its present importance, the town property 
 being not even laid out, although the ground had 
 been platted by E. L. Reed. The 3'ear following a 
 few more buildings were added to the six or seven 
 
 ••-nr 
 
 «^ 
 

 "•►Hh 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 originally occupying the present town site, and Dr. 
 Tliornas enjoyed a monopoly of tlie business, being 
 the only i)hysician here for a period of seven or 
 eight years. The profession then received an ad- 
 ditional representative in the person of Dr. Gibbon, 
 and later came Dr. Butler. 
 
 During this time our subject rode long distances, 
 and when needing counsel he was obliged to seek it 
 at Plittsin )uth or Nehr.uk i City. Hi has always 
 paid especial attention to surgery, in which he is 
 particularly skillful. H^ enjoys the reputation of 
 a faithful and conscientious practitioner, and al- 
 thougli practically retired from active service is 
 frequently called upon by his old patrons, who dis- 
 like to tru-it thiiir cases to strangers' hands. He 
 has a finely equipped office on I street, and a 
 good residence on Eldora avenue. Since with- 
 drawing from his regular practice Dr. Thomas has 
 become consider.ibly interested in the loaning of 
 money, opsrating largely as an agent for an Eastern 
 capitalist. 
 
 The p3ople of this county were not slow in rec- 
 ognizing the more than ordinary abilities of Dr. 
 Thomas, and he has alw.ays been prominent in the 
 councils of his fellow-citizens in regard to the 
 matters affecting the general welfare of the com- 
 munity. In 1884 he was elected by the Repub- 
 licans of the Seventh District to represent them in 
 the Nineteenth Legislative Assembly, ami in the 
 pursuance of the duties of this office was connected 
 with many of the important committees, including 
 that of Ways and Means, Schools, and other subjects 
 requiring unremitting attention. In his school dis- 
 trict he has been a Director for a number of years, 
 has also otfljiated as Treasurer, and was a member 
 of the Village Bjard eight years. Socially, he be- 
 longs to tlie I. O. O. F. and the G. A. R. During 
 the campaign of 1880 he was Chairman of the Re- 
 publican County Committee, later, in 1888, operated 
 offijiently at various points as a stump speaker. 
 
 For the last twenty years the question of remov- 
 ing the county seat to Weeping Water has been 
 agitated, an 1 Dr. Tliomis has always favored the 
 scheme, believing that for the capital of the county 
 this is the proper place in point of location, sur- 
 roundings, and the character of the people. He is 
 one of those men who seldom relinquish an idea' 
 
 and who has in his whole career illustrated the re- 
 sults of perseverance. Whether this trait of char- 
 acter applied in this cliannel will result as favorably 
 as it has in connection with his private interests 
 remains to be seen. 
 
 Miss Rachel McVea, a native of Washington 
 County, Ohio, became the wife of our subject Nov. 
 9, 1864. This lady was born July 6, 1844, and was 
 the daughter of Samuel and Mary (Martin) McVea, 
 who were natives of Ohio, and the father a farmer 
 by occupation. The latter moved to Kansas about 
 1871, where he died. The mother had preceded 
 her husband to the silent land, her death taking 
 place about 1856, in Ohio. They were the parents 
 of six children, four of whom are living. 
 
 Four children completed the household circle of 
 our subject and his estimable wife, all of whom are 
 living. The wife and mother departed the life at 
 her home in Weeping Water, March 21. 1884. She 
 was an affectionate wife, loving mother and kind 
 neiglibor, and in her death the community lost one 
 of its most valued members. The children are 
 named respectively: Marion U., William M., Leola 
 and Winnifred. The three youngest are at home 
 with their father, where they are subjected to care- 
 ful training, and are being given an education in 
 keeping with their means and station in life. The 
 eldest son married Miss Edna Upton, a resident of 
 Dana, Kan., and is the father of one child, a son 
 James. 
 
 The father of our subject was Abram Thomas, a 
 native of Pennsylvania, and born Nov. 9, 1814. 
 When but a boy he removed with his father's fam- 
 ily to Ohio, they settling among the pioneers of 
 Guernsey County. Upon reaching man's estate he 
 was married to Miss Plioebe Lindcr. and they be- 
 came the parents of eight children, seven sons and 
 one daughter, who are all living and all making their 
 homes in the West. Abram Thomas cleared a farm 
 in the wilderness of Monroe County, Ohio, upon 
 which he lived until 186G, then turning his face 
 westward to Nebraska Territory, crossed the Mis- 
 sissippi, and coming into this county, settled on 
 what was known as Livingston Ranch, a few miles 
 west of Plattsmouth. This property he purchased, 
 but only lived there a short time after the death of 
 the wife and mother, which occurred in the fall of 
 
 •► 
 
 *t 
 
*► I I <•• 
 
 -^ 
 
 4 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 849 
 
 1 867. Subsequently he removed to Hillsdale, Iowa, 
 where he is now engaged in mercantile business, al- 
 though having attained to the advanced age of 
 seventy-four years. He is the owner of a good 
 property embracing three farms, and has therefore 
 sufficient of this world's goods for his declining 
 years. The paternal grandfather. Thomas Thomas, 
 cleared quite an extent of land in the Buckeye 
 State during the pioneer days, and there spent bis 
 last years. 
 
 ^3= 
 
 =E>- 
 
 (^s^ YLVESTER TORllENCE. Ovcrseventy- 
 ^^^ nine years ago the subject of this sketch 
 (Vj/iJl Ijegan life, March 2, 1810, six miles from 
 the town of Penn Yan, in Yates Countj', N. 
 Y. Forty years later he started out to explore the 
 West, and in the fall of 1857 found himself the 
 other side of the Mississipi)i, and on the soil of 
 Nebraska Territory. Later he took up his resi- 
 dence in this county, and is now living retired 
 from active labor at a pleasant home in Weeping 
 Water. He has a good farm on section 27 in the 
 same precinct, and has been the owner of other 
 land which he has given to one of his sons. 
 
 Mr. Torrence spent the first fortj' years of his 
 life in his native State, engaged mostly in agri- 
 cultural pursuits. He received careful home train- 
 ing, and a practical education in the district schools. 
 Upon leaving the county which gave him l)irtli ho 
 migrated to Lake County, 111., settled upon a tract 
 of new land, and farmed in that locality aI)out 
 tlii-ee years. Thence he removed to Marquette 
 County, in the northern part of Wisconsin, which 
 had but recently been transformed from a Ter- 
 ritory into a State, and while Indians were still 
 plentiful in that region. 
 
 Mr. Torrence took up new land in Marquette 
 Countj-, upon which he operated five years, and 
 then sold out to good advantage. He now de- 
 termined to find out what lay on the other side of 
 the Father of Waters, and starting out on the 26th of 
 April, 1857, arrived in Nebraska City, Otoe Count}', 
 later. It being a hard matter to find emplo^'ment, 
 he returned to Iowa, and was occupied the follow- 
 ing summer as a farm laborer. In the fall of 1857 
 4 » 
 
 we find him again in Nebraska City, but he soon 
 traced his steps eastward again as far as South Bend, 
 Iowa, where he took up a tract of new land, im- 
 proved .another farm, and put up good buildings. 
 He was not destined to be contented, however, 
 until he had given Nebraska another trial, so com- 
 ing to this count}' once more, in the spring of 1871, 
 j he purchased a tract of wild land on section 27, 
 in Centre Precinct. Upon this tliere was not even 
 a bush to be seen, and not a furrow had been 
 turned toward its cultivation. He sheltered him- 
 self for a time with his son, and as soon as possible 
 gathered together the necessary implements, and 
 began again the construction of a homestead. He 
 was content to remain and labor a series of years. 
 He in the meantime effected a vast change in the 
 condition of the property, putting out a large grove 
 of forest trees, a good apple orchard and the smaller 
 fruits, besides erecting the buildings necessary for 
 the successful prosecution of agriculture. As far 
 as anything can be created from nothing by mortal 
 man, Mr. Torrence brought into existence a valua- 
 ble farm from it. In the fall of 1888, feeling 
 that he had performed his duty among the active 
 labors of life, he moved into Weeping Water, and 
 is now living in the ease and comfort which he has so 
 justly earned by years of early iudustr}'. 
 
 Our subject was married in his native State, Jan. 
 12, 1836, to Miss Jane Smith, and they have now 
 lived together for a period of fifty-three years. 
 Four of the six children born to them arc still liv- 
 ing. One son, George, a promising young man. 
 enlisted as a soldier in the Union Army during 
 the late war, received a fatal wound at the bat- 
 tle of Resaca, and died there in 1863. Another 
 child died when nineteen years old. Their eldest 
 daughter, Eugenia, became the wife of Charles 
 Thorngate, of New York, who departed this life at 
 his home in Nebraska about 1884; they were the 
 parents of four children — Ida, Ella, Jennie and 
 Ethel. They are all living with their mother in 
 Weeping Water. Barnum S. married Miss Harriet 
 Smith, and they have five children, namel}': Louise, 
 James, Roy, Laura and Berenice; they are resi- 
 dents of this county. Susan, Mrs. Rexford, is the 
 mother of four chililren — Herbert (now deceased), 
 Willis, Ada and Charles; she lives in Centre Pre- 
 
 •^K 
 
■*►^l- 
 
 850 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 cinct. Oscar married Miss Marcia Speer. is a resi- 
 dent of Centre Precinct, and the fatlier of five 
 cbildren — William, George, Eugenia, Walter and 
 Bessie. 
 
 Mrs. Jane (Smith) Torrence was born in New 
 Jerse3', Feb. 20, 1810, being consequently ten days 
 ol<ler than her husband. When she was a little girl 
 of seven years her parents removed to Ontario 
 County, N. Y., wnere she was reared to woman- 
 hood and married to our subject. Her father, John 
 Smith, was also a native of New Jersey, and married 
 Miss Catherine Benson, of the same State. He was 
 a boy during the progress of the Revoliitionarj' 
 War, and rememliers man}' of the incidents in con- 
 nection therewith, which transpired during that 
 period of his life, especially the first anniversary of 
 July 4. He spent his last years in New York, 
 d^'ing about 1845. He had been occupied most of 
 his life as a farmer. The parental household in- 
 cluiled nine chihlren. 
 
 William Torrence, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Massachusetts in 1 773, and when approaching 
 manliood migrated to Ontario County, N. Y. He oc- 
 cupied himself in agricultural pursuits, and was mar- 
 ried to Miss Salome Danes. The}' settled in Ontario 
 County, N. Y., where the}- spent the remainder of 
 their days, and became the parenlsof nine children, 
 all of whom lived to mature j'ears. William Torrence 
 was drafted into the army during the War of 1812, 
 and repaired with his regiment to the front, but 
 whether he engaged in any active fighting the rec- 
 ords do not indicate. He only lived a few years 
 thereafter, his death taking place in 1818, when he was 
 corai)aratively a young man. The wife and mother 
 survived her husband a period of fifty-six j'ears, 
 remaining a widow, and died at her home in Nevv 
 Y'ork, in February, 1874. Mr. Torrence cast his 
 first Presidential vote for a Whig can<lidate, being 
 first a niember of the old Whig part}-, but upon its 
 disbandment identified himself with the Repub- 
 licans, the [)rinciples of which party he has uni- 
 formly supported. He has been a member in good 
 standing of the Congregational Church for a period 
 of more than fort}' years. Many and great have 
 been the changes which he has witnessed in the 
 land of his birth, and especially in the Great West. 
 He has done his part in developing a portion of its 
 
 •► 
 
 -4»- 
 
 territory, and has acquitteil himself as a peaceable 
 and law-abiding citizen, a kind and indulgent father 
 and husband, and a hospita'ble neighbor. There 
 will be quite a number to perpetuate his name, he 
 being the grandfather of seventeen children, and 
 the great-grandfather of four. 
 
 Ti_^ORACE W. GLEASOX, Postmaster of Man- 
 [1)1) ley Village, is looked upon as the father of 
 ^1^ the place, he having ably promoted every 
 (^)) public enterprise undertaken for its advance- 
 ment. He was the pioneer merchant of the village, 
 as well as the first grain dealer, and still carries the 
 best and largest assortment of goods to be found in 
 any general and grocery store in this vicinity. He 
 came to Nebraska in 1883, and settled in Manley, 
 which was then a place of ilo importance, being 
 merely a side track on the Missouri Pacific Railroad, 
 with a few shanties for the workmen. He was then 
 acting in the capacity of man.iger of Spear & Hurl- 
 burt's grain business, and he attended to the eleva- 
 tor here for four years. He soon established- him- 
 self in business on his own account, and was nearly 
 the first merchant here, only one before him, who 
 staid only a few weeks, so that our subject was 
 practically the pioneer merchant of Manley. He 
 established his first store near where the elevator 
 now is, and as the demands of his trade increased, 
 and his need of a more commodious building was 
 apparent, he erected his present store, with residence 
 above it, and moved into it in 1884, it then being 
 one of the two largest buildings in the village, the 
 hotel being the other one, the inhabitants for the 
 most part still being housed in rude shanties. With 
 increaseil facilities for doing business, Mr. Gleason 
 enlarged his slock, and has since built up an exten- 
 sive trade. He was appointed Postmaster in Janu- 
 ary, 1884, he being the second Postmaster here, 
 and the only one in fact to hold the office any length 
 of time, his predecessor having been an incumbent 
 but a short time. He and his family have a charm- 
 ing home, as he built and added to a pleasant cot- 
 tage house, a few rods north of his store, in 1887, 
 and the same year moved into it. 
 
 Our subject derives his ability and force of char- 
 ■> 
 
•► II <• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•»* 
 
 851 
 
 acter in a great degree from a sliirriy New England 
 ancestry. His father, H. N. Gleason, was l-.orn in 
 Ilartforrl Connty. Conn., April 17, 1800, and was a 
 resident of that State nntil about twenty-five years 
 of age. Then, after first marrying Miss Sarali L. 
 Root, he moved to Chautauqna County, N. Y.. of 
 which he became a prominent pioneer, being an 
 early settler of the town of Sherman, wlien it was a 
 little settlement in the deptiis of the great wilder- 
 ness, with only five persons. He was one of tlie 
 leading citizens of the town for forty 3'ears, and 
 lived to see it change from dense forest to a fine 
 farming community, well settled. He was a leader 
 in the Presbyterian Cliurch, of which his wife was 
 also a valued member. A man of his high stand- 
 ing and ehiiracter, he was not permitted by his ad- 
 miring fellow-townsmen to live in retirement, but 
 his counsel was needed in public affairs, and he 
 nearly always held some office or offices. He im- 
 proved a fine farm, and became comfortably well 
 off, and he and his wife continued to live in Sher- 
 man until death called them hence, he dying at tiie 
 age of seventy-two, and she at the age of sixty. 
 They were the parents of seven children, all of whom 
 died unmarried, excepting our subject. 
 
 Horace Gleason was born in Sherman, Chaulau- 
 qua Co., N. Y., Feb. .5, 1829, and there lived until 
 1857, and in the meantime was the recii)ient of a 
 good education, which was completed by an excel- 
 lent course of study at the Westville Academy. 
 After leaving school he continued on the home 
 place until his marriage with Miss Anna Whitehill, 
 in February, 1855. She was born June 23, 1830, 
 in Erie Count}', Pa., of which her father, James 
 Whitehill, was a pioneer. She lived at home until 
 the time of her marriage. In the winter of 1857 
 our subject moved with his family to Missouri, and 
 made that his home until coming here. There the 
 shadow of a great grief fell upon him in the loss of 
 his devoted wife, and the children who had been 
 born to them, with the exception of an infant son 
 named Hubert W., who is now ten years of age, 
 and has made his home with his aunt, Mrs. E. W. 
 Butt, of Hiawatha. Kan. Through the tryingtimes 
 of their life in that State, during the Rebellion, she 
 had assisted and encouraged him as onl}' a true 
 '' woman and a loving companion could, as she was 
 
 ♦iit^ 
 
 possessed of an elevated character and a (lositive 
 nature. Mrs. G. departed this life Feb. 28, 1879, 
 the children having preceded her to the better land. 
 
 The present wife of our subject was formerl}' 
 Mrs. Whitely, who was living in Penns^'lvania at 
 the time of their marriage. She is a native of Tioga 
 County, N. Y., and a daughter of William Brecse. 
 This union has resulted in the birth of one child, a 
 son Eugene H., a bright chdd of one and a half 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Gle.ason enjoys the reputation of being a 
 first-class business man. systematic in his methods. 
 promi)t and fair in his dealings, and of good finan- 
 cial ability and standing. His public spirit and 
 liberality are too well known to need comment; he 
 has ever been active in furthering the interes".s of 
 the village, and no scheme for its improvement is 
 completed without his counsel and aid. He is 
 prominent in church, in societ}-, and in business cir- 
 cles. He was formerly a member of the Presb}"- 
 terian Church, and still clings to that faith, but 
 with true religious zeal, there being no church of 
 that denomination here, he has identified himself 
 with the Methodist Church, helped to organize a 
 society in this town, and with his family worships 
 at that sanctuary. He takes an active interest in 
 the Sunday-school, and is the present Superintend- 
 ent. Mr. Gleason is a member of the Masonic 
 fraternity. In politics he is a stalwart Republican. 
 
 R. NOAH R. IIOBBS, physician and sur- 
 1 geon, of Elm wood, who is one of the most 
 fi^^ prominent and widely known citizens in 
 ■ — the western jiart of Cass County, came to 
 
 Nebraska with his parents in 1860, when he was 
 but eight years old, and is essentiall}' and in all re- 
 spects a true native of the State. He was born in 
 Livingston County, Mo., Feb. 16, 1852, and lived on 
 the farm with his parents during his youth, attend- 
 ing the common schools of the neighborhood, fit- 
 ting himself for college and ultimately for the 
 profession he adopted for a life calling. 
 
 After a two-years course of study at Naomi In- 
 stitute at Rock Bluff, our subject went to Missouri 
 Valley, Iowa, and began the study of medicine un- 
 
 •^h 
 
•^f* 
 
 '►^'r* 
 
 852 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -t 
 
 der the tutelage of E. J. Chapman, M. D., where 
 he remained three .years. In the fall of 1873 he 
 went to Chicago, and entered the Rush Medical Col- 
 lege for a thorough professional training. During 
 the summer he studied with his preceptor, Dr. Chap- 
 man, attending college in the winter, until he was 
 graduated with full honors from Rush Medical Col- 
 lege, in the class of '75-76, Februarj' 16. In August, 
 1875, he located in Elmwood, the field chosen for 
 his professional labors. "By close attention to busi- 
 ness, strictl}' upright dealings and fair treatment to 
 all, he has acquired a large and lucrative practice 
 in three counties, Lancaster, Cass and Otoe. In the 
 autumn of 1876 he bought 200 acres of excellently 
 located and well-watered land adjoining sections 
 15 and 16, which was partly improved. He has 
 also made further great improvements, setting out 
 groves, planting orchards, building new houses and 
 other improvements. He superintends the opera- 
 tion of the farm himself, looking after all details. 
 
 The Doctor is largely interested in real estate in 
 Lincoln, and has laid out an addition of twenty 
 acres to the town of Elmwood, reserving a block 
 of lots for his own use. He is one of the five pub- 
 lic-spirited citizens who gave the undivided half of 
 160 acres to the Missouri Pacific Railway to locate 
 their railway through Elmwood. The other four 
 men who joined him in that enterprise were C. D. 
 Clapp, John Clements, John Hart and Cyrus Alton. 
 They were successful in their undertaking, the 
 route was changed, and the road completed through 
 Elmwood in 1886, thus crowning their united efforts 
 with deserved success, and bringing prosperity to 
 the entire communit\\ 
 
 Our subject is the second born in a family of 
 eight children, John being older, and Joseph, Kate, 
 Flora, Emma, Gilbert and William, being younger. 
 His brother John served in the army against the 
 Indians, and was also in the volunteer service and 
 passed through the late Civil War, at the close of 
 which he was honorably discharged. His father, 
 William L.. was a farmer in Indiana, and removed 
 to Missouri with his parents, who were among the 
 pioneers of that State, where they bought and im- 
 proved land. In 1860 he moved to near Plattsmouth, 
 Neb., where he owned a large tract of land, which 
 he improved and leased to a number of tenants. 
 
 living on a farm himself until he was elected to 
 the office of County Treasurer, wliich he held for 
 four years, during which period he made his home 
 in Plattsmouth. 
 
 In the spring of 1876 Mr. Ilobbs removed to Wy- 
 oming Territory, having sold all his property in 
 Plattsmouth, making his home in Rapids Citj-, where 
 he was one of the first settlers. Here he began min- 
 ing and prospecting, and has continued in that busi- 
 ness ever since, and is now secretary for a stock 
 and mining company in Wyoming. He is now the 
 owner of several mines and a large ranch devoted 
 to stock-raising near Lusk, in Wyoming Territory. 
 He was born in Indiana and is now sixty-two years 
 of age. His wife was Catherine Foreman, who was 
 born in Virginia and is now sixty years of age. 
 
 Grandfather Noah R. Hobbs was born in Vir- 
 ginia. During his later 3rears he lived with our 
 subject in Elmwood, and was eighty-one years old 
 when he died. His wife. Grandmother Hobbs, is 
 now living with our subject in Elmwood. Grand- 
 father Joseph Foreman was born in Virginia, and 
 moved to Missouri in 1850. where he remained until 
 his death. 
 
 Dr. Hobbs was married in Lincoln, Neb., to Misa 
 Anna E. Stacey, May 28, 1878. This lady was 
 born in New York, in Onondaga County, and she 
 attended the Normal School at Peru. One child, 
 Grace, has been born to them. His wife is an ac- 
 complished and lovable lady; the Doctor is proud 
 of her and adores her. She studies his interests in 
 all respects, and without doubt his success in life 
 may be attributed largely to her. 
 
 Our subject is truly a representative man among 
 his fellows; educated, refined and ambitious, he pos- 
 sesses all the elements necessary to make an emi- 
 nentl3f successful career; thoroughly posted in all 
 that pertains to his chosen profession, and possessing 
 a business ability of no common order, he ranks 
 first among men. Professionally, he is Medical Ex- 
 aminer of the New York Life Insurance Compan}', 
 Local Surgeon for the Missouri Pacific Railway, at 
 Elmwood. Countj' Physician at Elmwood, also Sur- 
 geon for the A. O. U. W. He is a leading member of 
 the I. O. O. F., of Elmwood Lodge, is high in the 
 councils of Elmwood Lodge, Knights of Pythias, 
 as well as those of the A. O. L'. W., of Elmwood, 
 
 -•►HI- 
 
 i 
 
' (7 
 
 1//. JC ^d-,. 
 
•^f^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ■*^l 
 
 855 
 
 and is also an active and influential member of the 
 Cit\- Council. In politics lie is a strong Republican, 
 representing his district in the conventions of that 
 party. 
 
 !| ji> H. SCHILDKNKCirr, M. U., a piactic- 
 \sJ/' ''^§' pliysic'aii of good standing in the city 
 
 W'^ of Piattsiiiouth, Neb., was bom twelve 
 miles from Dayton, Montgoraei'3' Co., Ohio. May 
 28, 1836. His father, John Schildknecht, was a 
 native of Mar3land, while tlie paternal grandfather 
 was born in Germany, whence he emigrated with 
 his family to America, and locating in Mar}dand, 
 resided there until his death. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared to niauhooil 
 in Maryland, where he lived until about 1835, and 
 then changed his residence to the Buckeye State, 
 taking with him his family, and making the journej- 
 overland with teams. He purchased an improved 
 farm, upon which he operated a period of fifteen 
 3'eais, selling out in 1850, and removing to Henry 
 Count}', Ind. There also he purchased land and 
 labored a number of years, making it his home until 
 his death, which occurred in tlie spring of 1883. 
 He had married, in Maryland, Miss Susan Durr, 
 who was a native of that State, and who died in 
 Ohio about 1858. The parental family included 
 four children. 
 
 The subject of this sketch pursued his earl}- stud- 
 ies in the district school, and commenced reading 
 medicine at the age of eighteen, under the instruc- 
 tion of Dr. Brewster, a well-known physician of 
 Dayton, Ohio, and began the practice of his pro- 
 fession in Henry County. Ind., where iie continued 
 until the spring of 1861. In the spring of that 
 year he resolved to cast his lot among the people of 
 Nebraska Territory, and, making his way hither, 
 established himself in the city of Plattsraouth, of 
 which he has since been a resident. He is now the 
 oldest estahlisheil physician in the place, and one of 
 the oldest in tlie State. He has been uniformly 
 successful, enjoying in a marked degree the esteem 
 and confidence of his pitrons, and accumulating a 
 comfortable propert}'. 
 
 Dr. Schildknecht, vvhile a resident of Henry 
 County. Ind., was united in marriage with Miss Mary 
 
 *^ 
 
 4l^ 
 
 Adams, in the spring of 1850. This lady was born in 
 North Carolina, and was the daughterof William and 
 Rachel .4.dams, natives of that State. Slie became 
 the mother of three children, and departed this life 
 at her home in Plattsmouth, Feb. 12, 1865. Their 
 eldest daughter, Annie, is the wife of Stephen 
 Smith, a resident of Andrew County, Mo.; Eliza- 
 beth married Frank Davis, and lives in Beaver 
 City, this State; Etta is at home with her father. 
 
 The Doctor contracted a second matrimonial 
 alliance in October, 1873, with Mrs. Jennie (Mc- 
 Cormack) F'ox, who was born in the State of Ken- 
 tuck}'. To Mr. and Mrs. Fox there was born one 
 child, a son, William Kelley Fox, who is now re- 
 siding in Plittsmouth. Mrs. S. is a very estima- 
 ble lady, and is a member in good standing of the 
 Christian Cliurch. The family occupy a snug 
 home on the corner of Main and Seventh streets in 
 the city, and the Doctor has his ofBce in the same 
 place. Socially, he is identified witli the Masonic 
 fraternity, belonging to Plattsmouth Lodge No. 6, 
 A. F. & A. M. Politically, he is a stanch Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 The portrait of this old resident of Plattsmouth, 
 and well-known physician, which we present here- 
 with, will be viewed with pleasure, especially by 
 the large number to whom his kind and skillful 
 ministrations have brought restored health. 
 
 ^^EORGE TRAVER. Among the well-to-do 
 (|[ ,^=7 f*"*^ successful farmers of Cass County, who 
 ^^5) have accumulated a competency through 
 their own efforts, economy and energy, is the gen- 
 tleman of whom we write. He resides on the north- 
 east half of section 13, Greenwood Precinct, where 
 he has a highly improved farm of 240 acres, which 
 he devotes to the business of general farming and 
 dairying. He is a son of William Traver, who was 
 born in Defiance, N. .!., where he followed tlie 
 occupation of a "bloomer" in one of the many iron 
 furnaces in that State. During the AV^ar of 1812 he 
 was a drummer boy, and recalls many of the 
 adventures and dangers of that time, which he 
 describes in a very graphic manner. When he was 
 twenty-one years old he married Miss Marah Oliver, 
 
 ■•►■ 
 
^1^ 
 
 ■•►Hlr 
 
 S.iG 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^t. 
 
 wlio flieri Ht the ripe old age of ninety-one j'ears. in 
 F'alls C'itj', Neb. The father of our subject died in 
 187C. aged sevenl3'-two jcars. leaving a family of 
 tliree children: CaroJine, Jane, and George, our 
 subject. Caroline was born at Fullerville, Jefferson 
 Co., N. Y.. in 1821 ; George was liorn in the game 
 place May 3, 1836. When he was three years old 
 his maternal grandfather removed to Michigan, 
 and look our subject wiih him, wiiere he settled on 
 a farm. 
 
 When Mr. Traver had reached the age of seven- 
 teen years he had earned sufficient money to pur- 
 chase an outfit, which he did, and started for Cali- 
 fornia, embarking at a port in New Jersey on board 
 the "Get>rge Law," and sailed for Aspinwall. He 
 arrived there in due time. Leaving the vessel he 
 took i)asfage on tiie railroad, then completed, a dis- 
 tance of twelve miles. The fare on this road was 
 §1 per mile; reaching the end of the railroad, on tiie 
 banks of the Chagres River, he purchased a boat, 
 and procecdeil up the river for a distance of eight 
 miles, and landed at CrnyuaNov. 1, 18o2, where he 
 secured a j)ack mule, and joining a train lie went on 
 to Panama, wiiere lie staid for seventeen d.ays, 
 working in a iiotel at S4 per day, $3 of which he 
 paid for bpard. 
 
 When the steamer was ready to sail our subject 
 had secured his passage, and the '-Uncle Sam" 
 sailed for San Francisco, where thej- landed on the 
 3d of December, 1852. He proceeded up the Sac- 
 ramento River to the city of that name, on the 
 steamer '-New World." He secured emplo3-ment on 
 a farm with an old friend whom he found, for $30 
 per month. He remained here but a short time 
 when he went d(iwn to Petaluma City, in Sonoma 
 Count3', where he contracted to work for a farmer 
 for three years. At the expiration of four months 
 of this time tlie firm was discovered to he insolvent, 
 when he left their service. He then engaged with 
 the Pacific Dairy and Cheese Factor}-, where he 
 worked for three j-ears, beginning on a salary of 
 850 per month, which was advanced to $100, which 
 sura he was receiving at the time he left their em- 
 ploj-ment. He engaged in the same business on his 
 own account, and followed it successfully for three 
 _vears. He renteil cows at $2 per mouth per cow, 
 and hired two men and an Indian to assist liim. He 
 
 made cheese twice a da}-, the capacit}- of his factory 
 being 100 pounds per daj'. He marketed his prod- 
 uct in San Francisco at thirty cents per pound. 
 
 Mr. Traver purchased a section of land under the 
 "Rabolie" title, which proved valueless. The "Me- 
 randa" title overshadowed that under which he 
 bought, and he consequently lost what he had paid. 
 He operated the factory for two years after this, when 
 he gave it up, and went to Grand Island, and en- 
 gaged in the stock business. He took the Indian, 
 "Hell-go-Rocky," who had been with him in the 
 dairj', and employed him as a herder. He left the 
 cattle in charge of the Indian, and went back to 
 Sacramento, where he entered the Monongahela 
 House as steward, receiving a salary of |15 per 
 week. Here he remained for five weeks, when the 
 rainy season began, and fearing tiiat Grand Island 
 would be flooded, he returned there to look after 
 his cattle interests. When he arrived there he 
 found the water rising rapidl}-; he rescued his cat- 
 tle, and started for the foothills and the Beckwith 
 Vallej'. U|>on the subsidence of the flood. Grand 
 Island was found to be destro^-ed. 
 
 While in the Beckwith Vallej' our subject's funds 
 became exhausted, and he secured eraploj'ment in 
 a quartz mill at Virginia City, receiving a salary of 
 $8 per day. After he had been working here but 
 a short time he was attacked with erysipelas. It 
 required all the money he had saved to pay his 
 doctor bill, and when he recovered he had $14.75 
 left. He walked back, and went to work in the 
 valley with a Dr. AVeber. in the dairy business, which 
 he followed for three years. Virginia City, Nev., 
 was the market for their product, which brought 
 them fiftj' cents per pound for butter and thirty-five 
 cents for cheese. Severing his business relations 
 with Dr. Weber, he closed up his affairs and re- 
 turned to the States, landing in Fullerville, N. Y., 
 where he remained but a few days when he went to 
 Kankakee. 111., arriving there in March, 18G2. 
 Shortly after his ai-rival in Kankakee he returned to 
 California the second time, and landed in the Beck- 
 with Valley in April of the same year. There he 
 engaged in business for three years, when he came 
 back a second time to the States, visiting his mother 
 in Wisconsin, from which place he went to Red Oak, 
 Iowa. 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 857 
 
 •► 
 
 
 Duiing his sta}- in Red Oak our subject was mar- 
 ried to Miss Maggie W. Lownes, May 9, 1867. Siie 
 is a daughter of Isaac C. Lovvnes. a car[)enter and 
 builder, and a resident of Red Oal<, Iowa. This 
 lady's father was born Sept. 13, 1810, and died 
 March 14. 1870, at the residence of his daughter, 
 the wife of our subject, in I'liiladeliihia. Pa. Her 
 mother was Ann Elizabeth (Williamson) Lownes. 
 She died March 16, 1853, leaving a family of seven 
 children, named: Maggie W., Robert W., Isaac 
 C, Jr., Elizabeth K., Elenor F., Thomas AV. and 
 David. 
 
 Mr. Travcr settled in Montgomery County, Iowa, 
 where he operated farms varying from eighty to 
 200 acres. Leaving Iowa he came to Neljraska on 
 the 19th of April, 1880, where lie settled on section 
 2, and engaged in farming and dairying on eight}- 
 acres, which he sold in 1885, and then purchased 
 160 on section 13, where lie now has iiis home. Mr. 
 and Sirs. Traver are the parents of a large number 
 of children, the surviving members of whom are all 
 at home. Their names are as follows: Lee A., 
 Charles P., William J., Edward P. and Elizalieth 
 E. The deceased children were named : Warren 
 O., Ines J., Herbert and Lucie A. 
 
 This gentleman takes a great pride in his Cali- 
 fornia experiences, and saj's, that in all his wander- 
 ings he has never found a country that can compare 
 in natural advantages with the State of Nebraska. 
 He has improved his farm in a very sulistantial 
 manner, the various barns and other buildings are 
 convenientl}- located, and are in good condition and 
 admiral)ly adapted to the purposes for which they 
 were built. His residence is a new house, and is as 
 neatl}^ and tastefully designed asanj' in the precinct, 
 and contains all available improved domestic appli- 
 ances. He has a splendid orchard, which contains 
 the best varieties of fruit adapted to the soil and 
 climate. 
 
 Our suliject believes in feeding the grain raised 
 on the farm to the best advantage, and his idea is 
 to feed it to stock for the general market. In pur- 
 suance of this plan he has a large number of cattle 
 and hogs. The prosperity which has come to him 
 in his farming life certainly justifies the corn ctncss 
 of his position. Both himself and wife arc ad- 
 vanced thinkers, and are extremely liljeral in their 
 
 views; they are well informed on all general sub- 
 jects of the da}'; she is a lady of good culture and 
 refinement, and is the light of the home circle. The 
 children are bright and intelligent in every respect. 
 Mr. Traver has served his friends and neighbors as 
 School Treasurer for eight j'ears, and has been 
 Supervisor of the town, the duties of which he dis- 
 charged acceptal)ly to his friends, and with credit to 
 himself. He has been Assessor, was School Director 
 for four years, and Judge of Election at different 
 times. He is an earnest and consistent member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. His politics arc 
 unswervingly Prohibitionist. 
 
 ■S) AMES O. McCLAIN is one of the thriving. 
 I energetic farmers who have contributed so 
 ^.^ I largely to the present prosjierous condition 
 (^^7/ of the young State of Nebraska. Helms by 
 his industry and application brought to a high 
 state of cultivation a valuable farm located on sec- 
 tion 30, Eight Mile Grove Precinct. He is a na- 
 tive of Illinois, where he was born May 14, 1854. 
 At the earl}- age of ten years he lost his father by 
 death, and when fifteen years old he assumed tiie 
 entire responsibility of the liome farm, contributing 
 materially to the support of his mother and the re- 
 maining children of the family. 
 
 The |)resent splendid free public school system 
 of that State had not then been introduced, hence 
 the educational o|)i>ortunities of our subject were 
 verj' meagre and limited in extent, and he did not 
 have the advantages possessed b}' the rising genera- 
 tion of to-day, but being naturall}' studious and ob- 
 serving, he is novv one of the best informed men in 
 the precinct, having a general practical knowledge, 
 which can only come from experience All his life 
 has been devoted to the busiiiess of farming, which 
 he has made very successful. 
 
 Our subject w.as married to Miss Elizabeth Sykes, 
 April 11, 1876. The lady was born in Adams 
 County, III., Oct. 28, 1851. She is a daughter of 
 James and Mary Sykes. Her father was a native 
 of JIngland, and emigrated to America with his 
 parL-nts when about two years old. He is now liv- 
 ing in Pike County, III., at the advanced age of 
 
•►Hl^^^ 
 
 858 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -W 
 
 seventj' j'eavs. Her mother was a native of New 
 Jersey, and died April 1, 1872. Her parents reared 
 a family of eleven children, five of whom are liv- 
 ing, named : Hannah ; Elizabeth, wife of onr sub- 
 ject; Joseph, Emma and Frank. Hannah is the 
 wife of Wilson Cunningham, and resides in Green- 
 wood; Joseph resides in Colorado; Emma is the 
 wife of Mark Huffman, and resides in Adams 
 County, III.; Frank also resides in that county. 
 Mr. and Mrs. McClain are the parents of five chil- 
 dren, one of whom is deceased. Those living are 
 named: Clyde, born Nov. 1 1. 1879; Harry O., Dee. 
 25, 1881 ; Fred, April 26, 1881; Hattie, March 18. 
 1886; and Ralph C. was born April 11, 1878, and 
 died Jan. 4, 187 'J. 
 
 Mr. McClain is a son of David H. and Marj- E. 
 IMcClain. Both parents were natives of Tennessee. 
 His father's family were early settlers in Adams 
 County, 111., having located there about 1840. His 
 paternal ancestors were Scotch, and his maternal 
 grandfather was a l\[r. Lane, a native of Tennessee. 
 Our subject is the third son in his family. He 
 came to Nebraska ami settled in Cass County, in 
 the fall of 1876, purchasing the quarter-section of 
 land on which he now resides. At the time he ac- 
 quired the land it was in an absolutely wild con- 
 dition; all of' the substantial improvements and 
 conveniences now on the place have been put there 
 by the efforts of our subject. The years in which 
 he has been the owner of tliis property have been 
 devoted to hard and persistent labor, to such an 
 extent as to make it one of the best cultivated and 
 most productive farms in the neighborhood. He 
 has been pros|)ered in his undertakings, and he has 
 added to his original purchase at different times, 
 until lie is now the owner of 320 acres of good 
 land. 
 
 Taking into consideration the fact that when our 
 subject came to Nebraska he possessed but little 
 means, having but slender resources, aside from 
 strong hands and a willing heart, backed by a de- 
 termination to win, he may be considered in all re- 
 spects a truly self-made man. and has richlj' earned 
 the prosperity and comfort he now enjoys. In the 
 accumulation of this splendid property his wife has 
 borne no unimportant part; all her efforts and life 
 in Nebraska have been devoted to lier husband's 
 
 interests, and the acquirement of a home. The 
 stranger visiting their home is most hos|)ilably re- 
 ceived anil cared for. The house is large, roomy 
 and nicely furnished, a fit reward for the wife .ind 
 molher's devotion. The barns, sheds and other 
 out-buildings are conveniently located, and admir- 
 abl3' designed for the purposes for which they were 
 intended. Our subject and his wife are both mem- 
 bers of the Baptist Church. He has persistently 
 refused [lolitical iirefermeut, accepting onlj' a place 
 on the School Board where he felt his services 
 would be of iiermanent value. In politics he is 
 a Republican, large-hearted and public-spirited. He 
 is an earnest supporter of any measure tending to 
 the general good and welfare of the comniunily in 
 which he lives. 
 
 '^AMES CHRISTENSON. Here and there, 
 in the farming region of Nebraska, may be 
 found neat, well-tilled and well-stocked 
 farms, vvilh fine groves of trees, good bear- 
 ing orchards, commodious dwellings, with large 
 barns and the necessaiy buildings, which have been 
 brought to their present productive condition under 
 the supervision of skilled agriculturists, who came 
 here from a foreign countr}' — men wiio have left 
 their native soil, and. coming to the United States, 
 have in a few 3ears. by their industry, thrift, and 
 good business princi|)lcs, placed themselves among 
 the representative farmers of this county. On such 
 a farm is the subject of our sketch, who resides on 
 section 24, Stove Creek Precinct. 
 
 Mr. Christcnson is a native of Denmark, born 
 in Jutland. March 3, 1854. His father. Christian 
 Anderson, was a native of the same place, and 
 there spent his entire life, dying in 1871, at the 
 age of sixty years. He owned an extensive farm, 
 and was always engaged in agricultural pursuits, 
 accumulating a good property. He was well edu- 
 cated, and a prominent man, who took much in- 
 terest in public affairs, serving as collector and 
 secretary for many years. The maiden name of 
 his wife, the mother of our subject, was Mary Ann 
 Walsted. who was also born in Jutland, and died 
 •^ 
 
•►Hh-^- 
 
 >•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 85!) 
 
 there in 186-1. at tlie age of fort\--eiglit 3'ears. Slie 
 wasa member of tlie Lutheran Church. Her father, 
 Nelse Walsted, fought with tlie Frencli in the war 
 against the English, from 1808 until 1812. To her 
 anrl her husband were born nine children, six of 
 whom grew to maturity, namely: Andrew, who 
 served about two years against the Germans, hav- 
 ing enlisted in 1864; Hannah, deceased; Mona; 
 Nelse, deceased ; Christian and James. 
 
 The subject of our sketch received good edu- 
 cational advantages, and at the age of fourteen 
 years was confirmed. He remained at home until 
 sixteen years of age, assisting his father when he 
 concluded to try life in the New World. Accord- 
 ingly, in corapan}' with a brother and a sister, he 
 left Copenhagen in the steamer "Racing," and after 
 a voj'age of eighteen days landed in New York 
 City. He then went bj- rail to Council Bluffs, 
 thence to Ashland, which was the terminus of the 
 railroad. The following two years our subject was 
 engaged in herding cattle. He then leased a farm 
 near Greenwood, Neb., for three years, and suc- 
 ceeded well. From 1875 until the spring of 1877 
 Mr. Christenson worked out, and then bought the 
 farm which he now occupies. It contains eighty 
 acres, a part of which was improved at the time he 
 purchased it. He has spent much time and money 
 on the remainder, has set out forest trees and an 
 orchard of sevent^'-five fruit trees, and erected a 
 windmill and tank. In 1884 our subject buiit his 
 present residence, a convenient house, well adapted 
 to his needs, and his barns and other buildings. He 
 raises hay and the usual cereal products of the 
 countrj', feeding out most of it to the cattle and hogs, 
 of which he has large numbei's. His fine graded 
 horses are of much value, and he takes pride in 
 caring for them. 
 
 August 28, 1879, Mr. Christenson was united 
 in marriage to Miss .Susan Uranscom, a native of 
 Tennessee, born in Jonesboro, Greene Count3', 
 Aug. 13, 1859. She received a fine education, and 
 previous to her marriage taught school in North 
 Carolina. Her parents, Reuben and Hannah (Cog- 
 gins) Branscom, were natives of Virginia and Ten- 
 nessee respectively. Her paternal grandfather, 
 Edmund Branscom, who was born in Ireland, emi- 
 grated to America, and located on a farm in Vir- 
 
 ginia, where he remained several ^'ears, afterward 
 removing to his present residence in Washington 
 Count}', Tenn. Reuben Branscom, her father, came 
 to Tennessee with his parents when a young man. 
 He married and established himself on a farm there, 
 but subsequently sold that property, and, removing 
 to North Carolina, remained there nine years, 
 engaged in farming and milling. In 1878 he emi- 
 grated with his family to Nebraska, and the ensu- 
 ing years worked at carpentering in Syracuse. In 
 1866 he took up a homestead claim of 160 acres in 
 Frontier County, where he now resides. He has 
 bought more land since then, and is now busily at 
 work improving the farm. He is fifty years of 
 age, and his wife fifty-five years old. Joshua Cog- 
 gins, the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Christen- 
 son. was of Irish descent, and formerly owned a 
 plantation in Tennessee. Mr. aud Mrs. Branscom 
 were the parents of eight children, namely: Mar- 
 garet (deceased), Susan, Sarah, Hannah, Ida, Lu- 
 cius, Edmond and Alice. 
 
 Our subject and his wife have a pleasant, well- 
 kept home, which li.as been brightened by the birth 
 of three children — Mary, Maud and Andrew. Both 
 Mr. and Mrs. Christenson are members of the 
 Methodist Episcoiial Church, and contribute largely 
 toward its support. In politics he is a stanch 
 Republican, and a strong advocate of the principles 
 promulgated bj' that party. 
 
 ^^s^ TEPIIEN W. ORTON. The Empire State 
 ^^^ parted with one of her most worthy sons 
 1|[/^ when the subject of this sketch, withdraw- 
 ing from her borders, turned his steps 
 toward the newly-made State of Nebraska. He 
 arrived in this county in July, 1867, and soon 
 thereafter took up a tract of wild land on ssation 
 28, in Elmwood Precinct. After several years 
 spent in farming he decided to retire from its 
 arduous labors, and accordingly invested a portion 
 of his capital in the drug business, changed his 
 residence to Weeping Water, and is now one of 
 the leading men in this branch of trade in the 
 southern part of the county. He possesses first-class 
 ba5ln33? tilent, hi, a-3q[iiitte1 himsslf uniformly as a 
 
 •►-n^ 
 
 •►:li-^ 
 
t. 
 
 t 
 
 *► . 1 1 ^ « 
 
 8U0 
 
 CAf^S COUNTY. 
 
 I' 
 
 liberal-minded and public-spirited citizen and forms 
 no unimportant factor among the leading interests 
 of Cass County. 
 
 Our subject was born in AVasliington County, 
 N. Y., June 2, 1844, and five years later his par- 
 ents removed to Fulton County, where they 
 spent the remainder of their lives, our subject 
 being orphaned by their death -when a lad of fifteen 
 years. He was ambitious to obtain an education, 
 and managed to pursue his studies in the Hudson 
 River Institute at Claverack three years, employing 
 himself in the meantime also as a teacher in order 
 to augment his income, and at tlie expiration of 
 this time the progress of the Civil War arrested his 
 pliins. and he was induced to enlist as a Union sol- 
 dier in Company F, 13th Xew Yorlt Artillery. His 
 regiment was assigned first to the 18th Army 
 Corps, and subsequently to the 24th Corps, in the 
 Army of the Potomac and the Army of the 
 James, and he participated in many active engage- 
 ments, being at the siege of Suffolk in March and 
 April, in 1863, and overhauling guerrillas in South- 
 eastern Virginia. In the spring of 1864 he served 
 under Gen. Butler in the several engagements in 
 front of Richmond, and later joined Grant's army 
 in time to be present at the battle of Cold Harbor. 
 After this he went with the 18th Corps, under 
 command of Gen. Baldy Smith, to Petersburg, and 
 thereafter remained with the Army of the Potomac 
 until the close of the war. In the meantime he par- 
 ticipated in the various engagements which fol- 
 lowed during that campaign. He was at the front 
 in the fight at Petersburg most of tlie time, and 
 was wounded later at the taking of Ft. Harrison. 
 In consequence of this he was confined in the hos- 
 pital at Portsmouth, Ya., a period of six weeks, 
 after which he rejoined his comr.ides. He was with 
 the Ft. Fisher expedition, and remained in South- 
 eastern Virginia until the final surrender. His 
 command was then sent to Norfolk, Va., after the 
 war. and Mr. Orton became a member of the police 
 force, with which he remained until receiving his 
 honorable discharge. Sept. 4, 1865. 
 
 Upon leaving the army Mr. Orton returned to 
 his old haunts in Fulton County, N. Y., where he 
 emploved himself as a teacher and otherwise until 
 April, 1867, and then started for the West. He 
 
 stopped in Bureau County, 111., until July of that 
 year, then pushed on further westward, crossed the 
 Missouri River at Omaha, July 28, and later made 
 his way to Elmwood Precinct, this county, and se- 
 lected his claim. He then entered the emplov of 
 the Union Pacific Railroad Company, for which he 
 worked a few months, then engaged on a farm in 
 the vicinity of Bellevue until March, 1869. 
 
 Mr. Orton now located on his own land, which 
 was a raw prairie, being sheltered for a time in a 
 plank house. AVhen he assumed ownership of this 
 property there had been only three men before him 
 to take up land in Elmwood Precinct. The only 
 settlers here were ISIcCaig brothers, John Gyger, 
 Carter Aiken and his father. Our subject expe- 
 rienced the usual hardships and difficulties of life 
 in a new settlement, with a far-away market and 
 trading-post. He had come to stay, however, and 
 persevered in this resolution, and after a few sea- 
 sons began to realize the reward of his labors. 
 After fencing his land and erecting the buildings 
 most needed he put out fifteen acres of forest trees, 
 with a fine apple orchard and trees of the smaller 
 fruits, and gradually gathered around himself and 
 family those conveniences which would insure tlieir 
 comfort and welfare. In due time he found him- 
 self possessor of one of the most valuable farms in 
 the precinct, which during these 3-ears has been 
 settled up with a class of enterprising and intelli- 
 gent people. After his land had been subjected to 
 a thorough course of cidture he turned his atten- 
 tion largely to stock-raising, and was very success- 
 ful. In looking upon his possessions to-day it 
 must be remembered that he came to this region 
 without means, and with no resources but his own 
 indomitable will and his strong hands. He now 
 represents one of the finest estates in the county. 
 
 Mr. Orton, in the fall of 1881, leaving his farm 
 moved to Weeping Water, and engaged in the 
 drug business with Dr. J. \V. Thomas. They 
 started out with a fine stock, and operated together 
 five j^ears. Mr. Orton then purchased the interest of 
 his partner, and has since controlled the business. 
 He has a good trade, which is steadilj' increasing. 
 He was a school teacher for twenty-one years of his 
 life, and after coming to this county followed this 
 profession in Elmwood for a period of nine years. 
 
 -f 
 
 :^Mi^ 
 
•►- 
 
 -^•- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 80 1 
 
 1^ 
 
 He has watched over the eihuational interests of 
 the county with fatherly care, and given liis influ- 
 ence toward the enterprises calculated gsnerally 
 for the best good of his community. 
 
 Mr. Orton, politically, is a stanch Rapublican. 
 He has served as Sshool Director in District No. 
 44 for some time, and was Assessor of Elmwood 
 Precinct for a psriod of four years, and has offi- 
 ciated in the same office in Weeping Water Precinct 
 two years. For two years also he officiated as 
 Chairman of the Republican Central Committee of 
 Cass County, and has had no small influence among 
 the councils of his part}^ in this section. 
 
 Miss Sarah Burrows becam3 the wife of our sub- 
 ject Dec. 31, 1868, the wedding taking place at the 
 home of the bride in Bsllevue, Neb. This lady was 
 born in the Province of Ontario, Canada, Feb. 17, 
 1847, and when an infant of six months was taken 
 by her parents to Kalamazoo County, Mich. She was 
 there reared to womanhood, and the family, in the 
 spring of 1867, came to the new State of Nebraska, 
 settling in the vicinity of Bellevue, where Mrs. Or- 
 ton lived until her marriage. Her parents, Zacha- 
 riah and Hannah M. (Wood?.rd) Burrows, were 
 natives respectivel}' of Norfolk County, England, 
 and New York. Mr. Burrows was born in 1817, 
 and emigrated to America in 1836, settling in 
 Canada, where he lived until 1847. He then re- 
 moved to Kalamazoo, Mich., and sojourned there 
 a period of twenty years. He spent his last days 
 in the vicinity of Plattsmauth, Neb., parsing awa^- 
 in November, 1871, at the age of fifty-four j'ears. 
 Mrs. Burrows later was married to T. W. Warrant, 
 of Ashland, Wis., where she is now living. 
 
 Luther M. Orton, the father of our subject, was 
 born at Luzerne, Warren Co., N. Y., March 31, 
 1820, and lived there until a young man of twenty 
 years. In 1839 he was married to Miss Sarah A. 
 Ward, and the j'ear following they removed to 
 Fair Haven, Vt., where they resided until 1844, 
 and thence migrated to New York State, settling in 
 AVashington County. From there, in 1850, the}' 
 changed their residence to Fulton County, where 
 the death of the father took place Jan. 18, 1859. 
 During his earl}' manhood Mr. Orton had been en- 
 gaged in the lumber business considerabl}', while 
 he always operated more or less as a farmer. The 
 
 parental family included six children, four of whom 
 lived to mature years. The others are residents 
 of New York and Michigan. Mr. O. and his esti- 
 mable wife were both members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, in which the father officiated as 
 Class-Leader from the earliest recollection of his 
 son Stephen W. The mother was an invalid for 
 many years, but survived her husband some time, 
 and passed away at her home in New York, July 
 21, 1865. 
 
 Samuel Orton, the paternal grandfather of our 
 subject, was, it is supposed, a native of Wales. He 
 spent the last years of his life in Warren County, 
 N. Y., dying in 1 853, at the advanced age of eighty- 
 live years. He was a farmer by occupation, and 
 the father of ten children. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Orton there were born three 
 children, one of whom, a daughter, AUie, died 
 Feb. 26, 1886, at the age of thirteen years. The 
 survivors are: Mary A., who was born Jan. 29, 
 1871, and Chauncey, July 9, 1880. These children 
 are being given good educational advantages. 
 When Mr. Orton came to Weeping Water it had 
 just begun to assume the semblance of a village. 
 He has been a useful factor in its growth and de- 
 velopment, and is a man in whom his fellow-citi- 
 zens repose entire confidence. Socially, he belongs 
 to the G. A. R., holding the post of Quartermaster; 
 he is also connected with the I. O. O. F. as a Past 
 Grand, and hi the A. F. & A. M. is Senior Warden. 
 He is also a Knight of Pythias, P. C, and has 
 represented the fraternity in the Grand Lodge. 
 
 |t/ INWOOD E. SKINNER, of the firm of 
 11 (^ Skinner & Ritchie, is, with his partner, doing 
 Jl!;;^ a good business in loans and abstracts of 
 titles, making of the latter a specialtj'. They also 
 are the agents for some of the best fire insurance 
 companies. He has alreadj- a thorough business 
 experience, although still a young man, having been 
 born Jan. 12, 1860. His native place was Susque- 
 hanna County, Pa., his childhood home being in 
 the town of Jackson. His father. Nelson Skinner, 
 was also a native of the Keystone State. He was 
 
 ■» J P 
 
•►-11-^- 
 
 ■» ■ » 
 
 862 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 engaged for a number of j-ears in mercantile pur- 
 suits in Susquehanna C'ountj-, but died when his 
 son, our" subject, was but a 3'ear old. 
 
 Mrs. Louisa (Br\'ant) Skinner, the mother of 
 Linwood E., also a native of Susquehanna County, 
 Pa., was born in Jackson Township, and was the 
 daughter of David Br3-ant, a native of A'ermont, 
 who left New England and settled in Susquehanna 
 County, Pa., in the early times. He purchased 
 largely of timber land in different parts of the 
 county, and felling the forest trees opened up a 
 good farm, where he carried on agriculture success- 
 fully and attained to the ripe old age of eighty- 
 four years, passing away at the homestead which 
 he had built up, and where from his sterling worth 
 of character he had gathered around him hosts of 
 friends. 
 
 After the death of her husband Mrs. Skinner 
 with her onl^y child went to live with her parents, 
 with whom she remained until her second marriage, 
 with A. J. Price, of that county. The3^ continued 
 residents of Pennsylvania until the spring of 1880, 
 then bidding adieu to the associations of years, 
 crossed the Mississippi and settled in Juniata, Neb., 
 and in 1881 moved to Plattsmouth, where they 
 still I'eside. They have two children — Abbie and 
 Roland M. Linwood E. pursued his early studies 
 in his native county, and later spent a year in a 
 school at Scran ton, Pa. Afterward he was placed in 
 school in Boston, Mass., and upon completing his 
 studies was employed as clerk in a store of general 
 merchandise in his native county and other places 
 about four years. 
 
 In the spring of 1878 \'Oung Skinner, leaving 
 his native State once more, this time started to the 
 "West, aud spent one year in Boone, Iowa. In 
 March of 1879 he came to Nebraska, and estab- 
 lishing himself at Plattsmouth, began learning the 
 trade of brickmaker, at which he worked three 
 seasons. This, however, not being entirely con- 
 genial to his tastes, he in the fall of 1882 secured a 
 position in the County Clerk's office, where he re- 
 mained until the spring of 1883, and the summer 
 following was one of a Government surveying 
 party operating in the northwestern part of the 
 State. This contract ended he resumed his clerk- 
 ship in the court-house, operating mostly as Deputj' 
 
 Clerk until January. 1886. Then forming a part- 
 nership with J. AV. Jennings and H. C. Ritchie, lie 
 began operating in real estate, the tirm name being 
 J. AV. Jennings & Co. They continued in partner- 
 ship until December, 1886, when our subject and 
 Mr. Ritchie purchased the interest of Mr. Jennings, 
 and the firm assumed the title of Skinner & Ritchie, 
 as at present. 
 
 Mr. Skinner was married, in November, 1881, to 
 Miss Susan, daughter of Christian Mockenhaupt. 
 Mrs. Skinner was born in Plattsmouth, Neb., where 
 she was reared and educated. Her parents were 
 among the earliest pioneers of Nebraska, settling 
 in Plattsmouth when it was a mere hamlet. The 
 mother died in 1878. The father is still a resident 
 of Plattsmouth. Of this union there have been 
 born three children — Nelson C, Maggie ^lay and 
 Bernice J. ^Ir. Skinner, politieall}', is a stanch 
 Republican. 
 
 -i^t^ • ^ji ^ 
 
 •<5tf^. 
 
 NT^i'LI J. PITTISIAN. Among the substantial 
 lp«j and enterprising agriculturists of Cass Coun- 
 IV — ^ ty, of whom lirief biographical notices are 
 given in this volume, no one is more worthy of 
 mention than the subject of this biographical sketch. 
 He has an extensive farm, consisting of 200 acres 
 on section 9, and 160 acres more on section 16, 
 Liberty Precinct, which he bought in 1872, and 
 moved onto November 28 of that year. It was 
 then but slightly improved, but by hard labor and 
 skillful management it has been transformed from 
 the wild, unbroken prairie to a veritable garden 
 spot, blossoming and yielding abundantly of the 
 numerous cereals entrusted to its soil. On his 
 homestead, which lies on section 9, Mr. Pittman 
 has erected a handsome dwelling, which is one of 
 the most commodious and convenientlj^ arranged in 
 the precinct, it being well heated and ventilated, 
 and with water carried throughout the house. The 
 barn and other farm buildings are also of modern 
 construction and in keeping with the dwelling, 
 water for the stock being carried by means of pipes 
 and a windmill pump to the barn and feed lots. 
 The house is situated on a rising knoll, and com- 
 
 ■► Hj» 
 
 •^t-M* 
 
Residence or Peter Vallery,5ec.28.Plattsmouth Prect.Cass Co. 
 
 Residence of E.J. Pittman,Sec.9.(io,13) Liberty Prect.Cass Co. 
 
t 
 
 •►-11-^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 865 
 
 h 
 
 mands an extensive view of the surrounding coun- 
 try, Nebraska Cit^-, seventeen miles distant, being 
 often clearly perceptible. Hardly such another 
 fine natural location can be found in Cass County, 
 and Mr. Pittnian has taken advantage of all the 
 facilities for improving and beautifying his home- 
 stead. Besides general farming our subject is much 
 interested in stock-raising, and has large herds of 
 fine cattle and many good horses, lie is a mem- 
 ber of the Factoryville Stock Company, which 
 was formed in 1887, with ten charter members, for 
 the purpose of introducing the English Shire 
 draught horses into the country, making a specialty 
 of that breed. The head of that herd. Young Sam- 
 son, was sired in England, and imported by O. O. 
 Heffner. of Nebraska City. He is a fine specimen 
 of that stock, being coal black in color, about five 
 years of age, and weighs upward of 1,700 pounds. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in Harrison 
 County, Ind., March 9, 1845, and is the j-oungest 
 child of the second marriage of David Pittman. 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject was 
 Mary E. Young. She was a native of North Caro- 
 lina, and her husband of Virginia. After their 
 marriage they lived many years in Indiana, but 
 subsequently moved to Nebraska, and died at the 
 home of our subject in Liberty Precinct, the father 
 dying June 23, 1881, aged seventy-four years, one 
 mouth and seventeen days, and the motlier Dec. 26, 
 188r, at the age of seventy-four years. He was a 
 Democrat in his political views, and a communi- 
 cant of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, while 
 Mrs. Pittman held to the faith of the United Breth- 
 ren Church. 
 
 E. J. Pittman, of our sketch, was reared in his 
 native county, and in early life became familiarly 
 acquainted with the duties devolving upon the son 
 of a farmer. When the time came for him to decide 
 upon the way in which he should earn his liveli- 
 hood, he concluded to become a tiller of the soil, 
 and therefore purchased a farm in his native State. 
 Before settling on it he was united in marriage, in 
 Harrison County, Ind., Oct. 30, 1866, to Miss Anna 
 McBride. She was also a native of Harrison 
 County, born April 12, 1849, and is the second 
 daughter and third child born to George W. and 
 Eliza (McCoy) McBride, who were natives respect- 
 
 ively of Tennessee and Indiana. Mr. and Sirs. 
 IMcBride began their wedded life on his farm in 
 Harrison County, and there she died while yet in 
 the prime of life, leaving three sons and two daugh- 
 ters, Mrs. Pittman being at that time five j'ears old. 
 Her father married for his second wife Adeline 
 Neel}', of Indiana, and they continued living in 
 that State until the spring of 1888, when they came 
 to Nebraska and settled on the farm in Liberty 
 Precinct which they still occupy. Mr. McBride 
 is an active man of fifty-six years, while his wife 
 is twelve years younger. Both are consistent mem- 
 bers of the United Brethren Church. The pater- 
 nal grandfather of Mrs. Pittman, Edward McBride, 
 was a native of North Carolina, of Scotch descent, 
 as is indicated by the name. He died in Indiana, 
 past fourscore years of age. The maternal grand- 
 father of Mrs. Pittman, John McCoy, was born and 
 reared in Pennsjlvania, but after his marriage lo- 
 cated on a farm in Indiana, where he spent his last 
 years. Jlrs. Pittman was reared on a farm, receiv- 
 ing a good common-school education, and instruc- 
 tions in domestic duties that have rendered her an 
 invaluable help to her husband in the building up 
 of their beautiful home. She is one of those women 
 of whom \Ye can truly say the heart of her husband 
 doth safely trust in her, and her children rise up 
 and call her blessed. To our subject and his wife 
 have been born two children — Benjamin Wallace 
 and John W. The former, who has attained his 
 majority^ was well educated in Nebraska City Col- 
 lege, and is now at home. John W. also attended 
 school at Nebraska City. Mrs. Pittman is a mem- 
 ber of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Mr. 
 Pittman affiliates with the Democratic party, which 
 finds in him one of its most earnest and intelligent 
 supporters. A view of their elegant residence and 
 fine surroundings is shown on an accompanying 
 page in tliis volume. 
 
 ETER VALLERY, whose farm on sec- 
 tion 28, Plattsmouth Township, is consid- 
 ered one of the best managed estates in this 
 vicinity, is a young man who has a good, 
 practical knowledge of agriculture, and an intelli- 
 
 ••Hit^^ 
 
 :?^rf^ 
 
A 866 
 
 i 
 
 ■•►-11- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 gent compreheusioii of the most approved methods 
 of cultivating the land and maliiug it yield to the 
 uttermost. He is a son of the well-known Jacob 
 Vallerj', Sr., a sketch of whose life al.<o appears in 
 this biographical work. 
 
 Our subject was born in Pike County, Ohio, 
 Oct. 16, 1857, and there the first years of liis life 
 were spent. He was eight j-ears of age when his 
 parents brought him to Nebraska, and he received 
 his education in this district, the first school that 
 he attended here being of the most primitive style 
 of architecture, consisting of a dug-out surmounted 
 by a frame shanty. He received a sound, practical 
 training from his parents, that well fitted him to 
 battle with life, and he grew to an energetic and 
 self-reliant manhood under the pioneer influences 
 that obtained in his youth. He- had a natural 
 aptitude for agricultural pursuits, for which his 
 life on his father's farm had well fitted him, and he 
 chose to become a farmer. His father set apart for 
 liim 160 acres of land from his large estate, and it 
 has been his pleasure to improve it. It is now 
 under an admirable state of cultivation, and yields 
 a good income in repayment of his care. It is pro- 
 vided with a neat and well-appointed set of farm 
 buildings, including a substantial and comfortable 
 brick house, a commodious fr.<ime barn, corn cribs, 
 etc. 
 
 Mr. ^'allery was married to Miss Eva Schlander 
 March 6, 1878. In her he finds a companion and 
 helper who is devoted to the interests of her fam- 
 ily'. iShe is an earnest aud consistent member of 
 the Lutheran Church. Mrs. Vallery is a daughter 
 of Jacob and Mary (Horn) Schlander, Our sub- 
 ject and his wife have one of the brightest and 
 coziest homes in this community, whose generous 
 hospitality is well known to hosts of friends. Willie 
 and Lottie are the names of the two children who 
 have blessed their wedded life. 
 
 Our subject is a man of prompt and decisive 
 action, and is well endowed with the keenness and 
 foresight essential to complete success in any pur- 
 suit. He is exemplary in his conduct, being guided 
 by honest and truthful principles, and he exerts 
 his influence to promote the moral, as well as the 
 material, interests of this precinct. As Road Over- 
 seer, which position he has held for two years. 
 
 he is doing his share toward providing good high- 
 ways for the convenience of the people.^ He strongly 
 sympathizes with the Democratic party, and sup- 
 ports its men and measures whenever the occasion 
 offers. 
 
 The comfortable home of Mr. Vallery is well 
 illustrated in a view printed on another page. 
 
 LMON BOLIVER JL DKIN.S, of Engle, is 
 numbered among its substantial citizens, 
 who, after a life of active industry, is now 
 relieved from its sterner labors, and is en- 
 joying his declining j'cars amid the comforts of a 
 pleasant home, located aliout a quarter of a mile 
 from Eagle. A goodly portion of his life has been 
 spent in Dane County, Wis., where he ranked among 
 the leading farmers of that section. His children 
 having come to Nebraska, lie disposed of his inter- 
 ests in the Badger State in the spring of 1884, and 
 joined them in this county. His propertj^ here con- 
 sists of four acres of ground and a fine residence 
 handsomely furnished, and wliich, with its surround- 
 ings, forms one of the attractive homes of Eagle and 
 its environs. Within it presides one of the most 
 estimable of ladies, wiio is intelligent and accom- 
 plisheil, and like her husband, extends a hospitality 
 both to friend and stranger which is agreeable in 
 tiie extreme, and is indicative of birth and breeding. 
 Of New England ancestry and parentage, our sub- 
 ject was born in Palmyra, in Somerset County, Mo., 
 Aug. 6, 1828, and is the son of Benjamin F. and 
 Suljmit (Taj'lor) Judkins, who were natives of the 
 same county' as their son. The paternal grand- 
 father, Hills Judkins, a native of New Hampshire, 
 moved into the Maine forests when a young man, 
 where he cleared a farm, and worked at his trade of 
 carpenter as he had opportunity'. He traced his 
 forefathers to England, the records showing that 
 they came over in the "Mayflower," and were there- 
 after among the prominent members of the Ply- 
 mouth community. Later some of them fought in 
 the War of 1812, as did also Grandfather Taylor. 
 Both grandfatiiers spent their last years in the 
 Pine Tree State. 
 
 Benjamin F. Judkins also learned the carpenter 
 
 :^iU 
 
t 
 
 •► I I < • 
 
 .>-Ht^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 867 4 
 
 Iraiie, and was a resident for some j^ears of botli 
 Oldtown and Bangor, where he was prominent in 
 public affairs, and hehl the various offices. He also 
 erected many of the public buildings, including 
 court-houses and academies. In the springof 1849 
 he resolved to seek the P"ar West, and after a long 
 and tedious journey after the manner of that time, 
 established himself in Milwaukee, Wis. He contin- 
 ued his business as a carpenter, putting u)) in the 
 Cream City many of its first important buildings. 
 In 1852 he purchased land in Dane County, and 
 later became owner of valuable city property-. He 
 built the old water course on the Assembly grounds 
 and the first Baptist Church, and continued a resi- 
 dent there until after the close of the Civil War. 
 Later he took up his residence on the farm in Madi- 
 son Township, where he spent his last days, passing 
 away in 1883. at the advanced age of eighty years. 
 The mother survived her husband about four years, 
 dying Oct. 10, 1887. in Van Buren County. Ark., 
 at the age of eighty- nine years. Both were mem- 
 bers of tlie Baptist Churcii. Their six children 
 were named respectively: Louisa, who died when 
 young; Christian; S. Boliver. our subject; Elisha 
 and Emily (twins), and Martha, deceased. 
 
 The early education of Mr. Judkins was exceed- 
 ingly limited, he having to make iiimself useful 
 around the homestead as soon as his age and 
 strength would permit. When fifteen ^ears old he 
 commenced his apprenticeship at the carpenter trade, 
 which be followed continuously a period of twelve 
 3-ears. In 1848. at the age of twenty, he accom|)a- 
 uied the family from his native Maine to Milwaukee, 
 Wis., where he soon began operating as a contractor, 
 and resided three years. In the s|)ring of 1851 he 
 changed the scene of his operations to the growing 
 town of Madison, purchasing property there, and 
 living there until the spring of 1854. He now 
 thought best to invest in farm property, and pur- 
 chased eighty acres of land in Fitchburg Township, 
 Dane County', upon which he moved, and began in 
 earnest its cultivati<m and improvement. Not long 
 afterward, however, he sold out, and after return- 
 ing East on a visit, purchased, in the fall of 1863, a 
 farm of 160 acres on the Waterloo Creek, in Me- 
 dina Township, Dane County. This he devoted 
 } r mostly to stock-raising, with excellent results. In 
 
 the meantime he had been married and become the 
 father of a family, and his boys were desirous of 
 locating further West. His first visit to Nebraska 
 was made overland with teams, when the boys 
 selected their location in this county, and Mr. Jud- 
 kins in due time disposed of his interests in the 
 Badger .State, joining them here in the fall of 1884. 
 He lived ujjon the place which they had purchased 
 four 3ears. then secured his present snug property. 
 He has already effected man\' improvements, put- 
 ting up a good residence and barn, with other build- 
 ings, and planting an ap|)le orchard with trees, and 
 the smaller fruits and shrubbery. 
 
 Mr. Judkins was married in his native Maine on 
 Thursday, Oct. 15, 1848, to JHss Martha O., daugh- 
 ter of Thomas and Abigail (Norton) Butler. Mr. 
 and Mis. Butler were both natives of Maine, the 
 former born in Franklin County, and the latter in 
 Kennebec Couiitj'. The paternal grandfather of 
 Mrs. Judkins was also a native of Maine, and the 
 records show that his ancestry, like that of the Jud- 
 kins, crossed the Atlantic in the •'Mayflower." land- 
 ing with the Puritans at Plymouth Rock. Later he 
 served in the Revolutionary War. Grandfather 
 Zachariah Norton was also a native of Maine. 
 Sturdy Ben Butler, of Massachusetts, and so closely 
 connected with the history of the late war, is an 
 offspring of one of the branches of this family. The 
 father of Mrs. Judkins was a shoemaker by trade, 
 which he followed all his life in his native State. 
 Both parents spent their last years in Farniington, 
 the father dying in 1861, at the age of sixty years, 
 and the mother in 1865, at the same age as her hus- 
 band. Both were members of the Regular Baptist 
 Church. 
 
 To the parents of Mrs. Judkins there were born 
 eight children, namely: The eldest, who died in 
 infancy; Martha J., the wife of our subject; Han- 
 nah, deceased; Sophronia, a resident of Massachu- 
 setts; Abbie and William, deceased; and Irene and 
 Edwin. The latter died after marriage. Mrs. Jud- 
 kins vvas born in .Strong, Franklin Co., Me., May 
 25, 1826, and received a good education, being 
 graduated from the Phillips High School, and after- 
 ward was employed as a teacher. She left New 
 England in 1849, joining her husband in Milwaukee, 
 Wis., whither he had migrated to prepare their home. 
 
 f 
 
Hl^^ 
 
 868 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^ 
 
 She is one of the heirs of tlie Spoliiilion claim lost 
 by lehabod Norton during the time of the French 
 and Indian War. and although a bill to restore the 
 pro|)erty was passed bj' Congress, the restoration 
 iiever occurred. 
 
 To JMr. and Mrs. Judkins tiiere have been born 
 five children, the eldest of whom, a daughter, Julia 
 A., is the wife of Henr^' Clark; they are residents 
 of Grant County, Neb., and the parents of seven 
 children. Earl B. is occupied at faru)ing in Eagle 
 Precinct, this county; Benjamin F. lives on a farm 
 in Tipton Precinct; Abbie L. is the wife of H. J. 
 Edson, of Eagle, a;nd they are the parents of two 
 children — Howard J. and Mollie E. ; Loantha, a 
 dressmaker by trade, is at home with her parents. 
 The family attend the Congregational Church. Mr. 
 J., politically, is a sound Republican, and has been 
 quite prominent in local politics, having been sent 
 frequently as a delegate to the various conventions. 
 Me has held the various township offices, and while 
 a resident of Marshall, Wis., identified himself with 
 the 1. O. O. F. He is also a member of the A. F. 
 & A. M. 
 
 ON. ORLANDO TEFFT. The Album of 
 Cass County would in nowise be complete 
 i^ without a sketch of the life of this gentle- 
 man, who has been one of its most promi- 
 nent and useful citizens. He was one of the earliest 
 settlers of Avoca Precinct, and many years ago be- 
 came intimately identified with its agricultural and 
 business interests. He performed his part in the 
 development of a portion of its land, and has uni- 
 forml}- lent his aid to the enterprises calculated for 
 the best good of its people. He is now a resident 
 of Avoca Village, which was platted by himself 
 and his father, Amos Tefft, in February, 1882, and 
 who are the possessors of a large amount of real 
 estate in the precinct. 
 
 Mr. Tefft is now engaged in the lo.aning of 
 money, and the various real-estate interests con- 
 nected with the development and building up of 
 the village. He owns projierty also in the city of 
 Omaha, and has invested considerably in land 
 
 further west, mostly in Cheyenne County, where 
 he originally purchased twenty sections of land. 
 About 1885 he made a large addition to the town 
 of Potter, now one of the most thriving villages in 
 that count}-, and laying on the main line of the 
 Union Pacific Railroad. The town of Avoca com- 
 prises now about 250 population, and the plant 
 includes about 100 acres of land. The school build- 
 ing is one of the finest of tlie kind in the county, 
 and evinces the interest of the projectors of the 
 town in that most important item, education. 
 
 Up to sixteen years ago our subject, from 1866, 
 operated a large farm on section 33, in Avoca Pi-e- 
 cinct, and during those years developed more than 
 ordinary capacities as a business man and citizen, 
 and was chosen, after having occupied minor posi- 
 tions of trust and responsibility, to represent the 
 people of this county in the State Legislature, be- 
 ing elected on the Republican ticket in the fall of 
 1879. So well did he acquit himself that he was 
 re-elected to a second term, being a member of the 
 Senate, and interested himself largely in the Slo- 
 cum Bill, a measure having for its object the regu- 
 lation and sale of liquor, and which was passed in 
 1881. Mr. Tefft was appointed Chairman of the 
 Finance Committee, and in fact there were few 
 questions of local interest to his county in which 
 he did not have a leading voice. Mr. Tefft, in the 
 Senate as elsewhere, was an incessant worker, and 
 exhibited the same qualities of resolution and en- 
 ergy which have characterized him all through life. 
 
 The subject of this sketch crossed the Missouri 
 as early as 1857, eleven years before Nebraska be- 
 came a State. Since that time he has been a resident 
 of Avoca Precinct. He is essentially a Western 
 man, having been born in Elgin, 111., Dec. 26, 1843. 
 He comes of a highly respected familj', of English 
 descent, and which was probably first represented 
 in America during the Colonial days. His father, 
 Amos Tefft, a native of New York State, was born 
 and reared to manhood in Madison County, and 
 came of Rhode Island parentage, his parents hav- 
 ing settled in that State in the latter part of the 
 eighteenth century. Later they removed to the 
 Empire State. The Teffts are quite numerous 
 throughout New England, and people generally 
 well-to-do. Jonathan Tefft, the paternal grand- ^ 
 
 -f 
 
 M* 
 
I 
 
 •►Hl-^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -afri 
 
 8G9 
 
 father of our subject, married jNIiss Elizabetli Col- 
 lins, of an old New England fainil3\ and thej' in 
 due time migrated to New York State, locating on 
 a farm in Madison County. Grandfather Tefft in 
 middle life changed his residence from New York 
 State to Illinois, settling near the present site of 
 Elgin as early as 1835. at a time when that town 
 gave little indication of its present importance, 
 where they spent their last days, and passed away 
 when nearly fourscore years of age. Grandmother 
 Tefft came of Orthodox Quaker stock, and adhered 
 closely to the religious faith in which she had been 
 reared. 
 
 Amos Tefft, the father of our subject, was the 
 third in order of birth of a familj' of seven sons 
 and live daughters. Two of the sons became promi- 
 nent and successful physicians, and most. of them 
 being men of more than ordinary intelligence, 
 turned their attention to the professions. Amos 
 Tefft was born in Madison County, N. Y., Aug. 
 29, 1815, and spent his childhood and youth at his 
 father's farm, receiving his education in the com- 
 mon school. He was yet a single man when his 
 family removed to Kane County. 111. He was mar- 
 ried in the Prairie .State to Miss Margaret Calvert. 
 This lady was born on the other side of the Atlan- 
 tic, in the well-known city of Greenock, Scotland, 
 and was of pure Scotch ancestry. Her father, 
 Thomas Calvert, emigrated to the United States, 
 and settled in the vicinit}- of Ithaca, N. Y., but 
 later removed to Illinois, locating in Elgin, where 
 he and his estimable wife spent the remainder of 
 their days, both passing awa\' wlien about seventy- 
 seven years old. 
 
 In the spring of 1850 Amos Tefft, with a com- 
 pany of other men, left Elgin, 111., and set out 
 •across tlie plains for the gold fields of California. 
 They made the journe}' overland, and a few weeks 
 later landed in Hangtown, where they began the 
 search for the yellow ore with varied success, so- 
 journing in that region about one year. The re- 
 turn trip was made via the Isthmus to New York 
 Citj', and thence to Illinois. Although it did not 
 result in a fortune to Mr. T., he traveled over a 
 country which he had never seen before, and ob- 
 tained much useful information in regard to the 
 regions lying west of the Mississippi. In passing 
 
 through Nebraska Territory he was greatly pleased 
 with the face of the country, and from that time 
 never gave up the idea of making it his home. 
 
 The father of our subject is still living, and has 
 arrived at the advanced age of seventy -three years. 
 He is still the bright and kindly man which he has 
 always been during the years of a long and useful 
 life. He identified himself entirelj' with the inter- 
 ests of his adopted State, and after filling other po- 
 sitions of trust was, in 1862, elected by the 
 Republicans of Cass County to represent them in 
 the Territorial Legislature. He has been a sound 
 Republican since the organization of the partv, and 
 cast his vote for old Tippecanoe in the election of 
 1840. It is hardly' necessary to say that he sup- 
 ported the grandson, Benjamin Harrison, with 
 equal enthusiasm in the late election (1888). Mrs. 
 Margaret Tefft, the wife and mother, accompanied 
 her family to Nebraska, and with true devotedness 
 did her full share in the building up of a home. 
 Her death took place in Avoca Village, at the age 
 of sixty-seven years. She was a descendant of old 
 Presbyterian stock, and united with the Congrega- 
 tional Church in early life, remaining under its 
 wing until the end. Orlando, our subject, is the 
 only survivor of the two children of the parental 
 family, his brother Randolph having died in in- 
 fancy. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared in his na- 
 tive town of Elgin, 111., and received a good prac- 
 tical education, completing his studies in the acad- 
 emy at that place. He has always been a reader, 
 and like iiis father before him keeps himself well 
 posted upon matters of general interest. After a 
 residence of a few years in Avoca Precinct, during 
 whicli lie assisted liis parents in the building of the 
 homestead, lie was married, July 4, 1867, to Miss 
 E. H. Kirkpatrick. This lady was born Jan. 3, 
 .1850, in Wapello County, Iowa, and was quite 
 young when her parents came to Nebraska. 
 Thereafter she returned to the Hawkeye State and 
 completed her studies in the college at Tabor. She 
 made her home with her parents imtil her mar- 
 riage. Her father, S. ^I. Kirkpatrick, whose sketch 
 appears elsewhere in this volume, is one of the 
 most prominent men in this county, and a resident 
 of Liberty Precinct. 
 
 •> II <• 
 
 *^h 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 87 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Tefift there have been born two 
 children, one of whom, Roland, died in infancy; 
 Clarence E. is pursuing his studies in the State 
 University at Lincoln, being now a piomising lad 
 of seventeen years. Mr. Tefift, politically, is a 
 stanch Repiiblican, and both he and iiis excellent 
 wife are members in good standing of the Congre- 
 gational Church. Socially, Mr. T. belongs to the 
 1. O. O. F., Lodge No. 29, of Avoca. He takes a 
 genuine interest in everything pertaining to the 
 welfare of Cass County, is a man of decided views, 
 and one whose opinions are generally- respected. 
 
 /^EORGE W. NORTON, Mayor of Weeping 
 III g— , Water, has been closely identified with its 
 ^^1 most important interests for a period of 
 eight years, and is consequently well qualified to 
 discharge the duties of his responsible position. A 
 native of the Empire State, he was born in the vi- 
 cinity of Richfield Springs, Otsego County, Nov. 
 29, 1831, and there spent the opening years of his 
 life, removing thence with his parents when a lad 
 nine j-ears of age. They at that time took u|) their 
 residence on a farm in Springville Townsliip, Erie 
 County, where they lived until 1844, and where 
 George W. entered upon the rudiments of a practi- 
 cal education. 
 
 Young Norton began his business career as an 
 apprentice to the cabinet-maker's tr.ade, and contin- 
 ued a resident of his native State until the fall of 
 1852. Then desiring to see something of the Great 
 AVest, he migrated to Northern Illinois, and for a 
 period of six years was a resident of Chicago. Two 
 years of this time he conducted a grocery at the 
 corner of Clark and Adams streets, in a building 
 widely dissimilar from the handsome blocks which 
 now occupy tiiat site and of which the post-oinee is 
 a conspicuous feature. The city fathers were at 
 that time raisiug the grade, and Mr. Norton finally 
 abandoned the grocery trade and resumed his work 
 as a cabinet-maker. 
 
 In Chicago our subject made the acquaintance of 
 Miss Alibie Sawyer, to whom he was marries! Oct. 
 IG, 1850. Providence blessed this union vvith a 
 
 famil3' of six children, two sons and four daughters, 
 five of whom are living; .Jennie M. is the wife of 
 E. E. Day, of Weeping Water, a sketch of whom 
 appears elsewhere in this work, and they have two 
 children; Luella I. married Walter Cole, a mer- 
 chant of Weeping Water; Elizabeth A., Edwin K. 
 and Robert R., are at home with their parents. 
 They are a bright and intelligent group, and have 
 been given the educational advantages in keeping 
 with their station in life. 
 
 Mr. Norton upon leaving Chicago in 1858 went 
 to Lal^Xvette, Ind., and was employed by the New 
 Albanj' Railroad Company, to superintend the build- 
 ing of their roundhouse and other structures along 
 the line of their road. This occupied most of his 
 time until 1862. In the meantime, the Civil War 
 being in progress, he entered the ranks of the State 
 Militia, and finally became a member of Wilson's 
 Cavalry at Chicago, where, with his comrades, he en- 
 camped and drilled a year, in the meantime fur- 
 nishing their own horses and equipments. They 
 desired to enter the regular service, but not being 
 needed, disbanded and returned home. 
 
 We nest find Mr. Norton a member of Companj- D 
 in the 3d Wisconsin Infantry, which was assigned 
 to the Department of the West, being first a portion 
 of the 12th Army Corps and afterward with the 
 20th. Mr. Norton had the satisfaction of partici- 
 pating in the Atlanta campaign under Gen. Sher- 
 man, and met the enemy in the battles of Dalton, 
 Resaua, Peachtree* Creek, and the siege of Atlanta. 
 At this latter place he was wounded, July 22, and 
 sent to Kingston, Ga., where he was confined in the 
 hospital until November. He then joineil his regi- 
 ment at Atlanta and marched to the sea. Upon 
 entering the ranks of the regular army he was 
 made First Sergeant. At Savannah he w.as pro-' 
 moted to .Second Lietenant. On the 14th of March, 
 18G5, near Averasboro, N. C, he was again 
 wounded, and obliged to ride six days before he 
 could be relieved, and when reaching Gohlsboro, N. 
 C, was in such bad shape that it was impossible to 
 give him proper treatment. He still carries the 
 ball in his limb. 
 
 From Goldsboro our subject, with his regiment, 
 was taken to New York by boat, where he was con- 
 fined in the hospital until the close of the war. when 
 
 ■•►Hi 
 
»► I I <• 
 
 -•»- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 871 
 
 he was mustered put and received his honorable 
 discharge, after two years of hard service. In tlie 
 meantime liis family iiad been left in Marquette 
 County, AVis., and after a brief sojourn there Mr. 
 Norton made arrangements to settle at Atlantic, 
 Iowa, and engage in the grain business. He put up 
 an elevator and a mill, and was one of the first set- 
 tlers in the town, being ahead of the railroad. This 
 enterprise of Mr. Norton proved at lirst very re- 
 munerative. Later botii mill and elevator were 
 destroyed by fire, and he thus lost the greater part 
 of his property. He. however, did not '"desert the 
 ship," but remained at Atlantic, and was one of the 
 leading men in the various enterprises wiiich resulted 
 in the building up of a flourishing and important 
 citj'. He officiated on the School Boards, and was 
 a member continuously of the City Council and 
 finally elected Mayor, serving two terms. He as- 
 sisted in the erection of the school buildings and 
 the establishment of the Congregational Church, 
 being one of the seven who assisted in the organi- 
 zation of the society and the erection of the church 
 edifice, at a cost of $2,500. 
 
 Mr. Norton remained a resident of the city of 
 his fostering care and of which he vvas practically 
 the founder, until 1880. His attention then became 
 attracted to this county and especially South Bend 
 Precinct, where he established himself in the grain 
 business, and the following year came to Weeping 
 Water. His fine business capacities were at once 
 recognized, and he was welcomed to the community 
 as a man very likelj' to be of value to its best inter- 
 ests. Upon the organization of the town as a city 
 he was elected its first Mayor. He has always voted 
 the Re|)ublican ticket, becoming a member of the 
 party upon its organization, and casting his first 
 Presidential vote for John C. Fremont, its first nomi- 
 nee, in 1856. He is treasurer of the Building Com- 
 mittee of the new Congregational Church, and is 
 connected with various other enterprises having for 
 their object the general progress of the town. He 
 is prominent in the G. A. 11., being a member of 
 the Lafayette Post No. 61, at Weeping Water, 
 and still maintains the patriotic principles which 
 have actuated him since his early manhood. 
 
 Mrs. Norton was born in Portland, Me., Nov. 6, 
 1838, and came West with her parents in 1854, when 
 
 a maiden of sixteen years, the}' locating in Waupon, 
 Wis., where she was married subsequently to our 
 subject. Her parents were Josiah B. and Elizabeth 
 S. (Barnes) Sawyer, who were natives of Maine, and 
 the father a farmer by occupation. Thej- lived in 
 Wisconsin about two years, then removed to At- 
 lantic. Iowa. They are still living, and make their 
 home with their daughter, Mrs. Norton. 
 
 Burroughs Norton, the father of our subject, was 
 born in AVorcester, Mass., in June. 1800, and re- 
 moved with his parents when a little lad of eight 
 3"ears to Richfiehi Springs, N. Y., where soon after- 
 ward he was left an orphan by the death of both 
 parents, He became the apprentice of a tanner and 
 currier, a trade which he learned in all its details, 
 and subsequently established in business for himself 
 at Richfield Springs. He married Miss Margaret 
 Weber, and they became the parents of sixteen 
 children, eleven of whom lived to mature j'ears. 
 
 About 11S42 the Norton family changed their 
 residence to Erie Connty, N. Y., whence they re- 
 moved about 1852 to Marquette County, AVis. The 
 death of the mother took place at Kewanee, 111., in 
 1864. The father later removed to St. Joseph, 
 Mo., and now makes his home with his youngest 
 daughter at that place. He was a very active and 
 industrious man during his prime and a strong Abo- 
 litionist. Being a man of fine capabilities he was 
 at one time quite prominent in public affairs, and 
 was sent as a delegate to the National Convention 
 at the cit}' of Buffalo, which nominated John Van 
 Buren for President on the Free-Soil ticket in 1844. 
 He is a member of the Congregational Church, and 
 although quite well advanced in years, enjoys good 
 health and is quite active. 
 
 <jf}OHN iAI. NEELY, M. D. Too few men in 
 I I the medical profession have a proper sense of 
 the responsibilities connected therewith; too 
 few realize the magnitude of the trusts com- 
 mitted to their care. AA'hen therefore there comes 
 into a community a man of thorough intelligence 
 as connected with his calling, one who has made a 
 deep and patient study of his art, he obtains that 
 recognition of his services which can only be 
 
 l)e ' ' 
 
t 
 
 •^i^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 gained by fidelity to duty and knowledge of the 
 important things connected therewith. These 
 thoughts aie suggested in reviewing tlie career of 
 the suhjeet of this sketch. A man of tliorough edu- 
 cation and an extensive experience as army sur- 
 geon in the late war, Dr. Neely occupies a position 
 in tlie front ranks of the medical profession in 
 Southeastern Nebraska. 
 
 Our subji'ct in the autumn of 1884 came to Busli- 
 bury, this county, and after practicing there two 
 j'ears changed his residence to Wabash, soon after 
 it had been laid out as a town. lie has thus prac- 
 tically grown up with the village and become fully 
 identified with the various interests jjertaining to 
 its growth and prosperity. The only son of Dr. 
 Josepli and Lydia (Montgomery) Neely, he was 
 born at Newbnrg, Warrick Co.. Ind., Feb. 20, 1836, 
 the home of his parents at that time being near the 
 banks of the Ohio River. When an infant of six 
 weeks old, his i)arents changed their location to 
 Cynthiana, Posey County, that State, where the 
 father thereafter practiced his profession for a period 
 of twenty years. The family, besides our subject, in- 
 cluded six daughters, one of whom is living, and 
 making her home in Mississi|)pi. 
 
 Young Neely began his education in the district 
 school, and at an early age had decided to adopt 
 the practice of medicine as his life calling. When 
 a youth of sixteen years he entered the Baptist 
 College at Franklin, Ind.. of which ho was a student 
 one year, then he attended the academy at New- 
 burg one and one-half years, completing the aca- 
 demic course. He entered upon the study of medi- 
 cine at the age of nilieteen. under the instruction of 
 his father, who enjoyed a very extensive practice 
 and was eminently successful. After three years 
 of close attention to the best medical works pub- 
 lished, he entered the Eclectic College of Medicine 
 at Cincinnati, Ohio, from which he was graduated 
 with honors in Februar}', 18.i8. 
 
 Young Dr. Neely began the practice of his pro- 
 fession in his native town, but a little over two 
 years later removed, Jan. 1, 1862, to Owensville, 
 Ind., becoming one of the many [)hysicians and 
 surgeons giving their attention to the sick and 
 wounded Union soldiers after the battle of Pitts- 
 burg Landing, leceiving his commission from 
 
 Gov. Morton. Dr. Neely vvas assigned to the 
 7th Illinois Cavalry, and attended upon his pa- 
 tients during their sojourn at the hospital in the 
 field. In September. 1863, he received the regu- 
 lar commission of Assistant Surgeon of the 120th 
 Indiana Infantry, and was soon promoted to Sur- 
 geon, Sept. 1, 18G4. In January, 186.5. after 
 the battle of Nashville, he was sent to North Caro- 
 lina, where he became Medical Director of the gen- 
 eral hospital at Rileigh, and was retained in the 
 Government service until January, 1866. During 
 this [leriod he gathered valuable knowledge from a 
 varied experience, which has done him gtjod service 
 for more than twenty years. 
 
 In April, 1866. Dr. Neely returned to Owens- 
 ville, Ind., aijd oti the 17th day of that month was 
 united in marriage with Miss Ellen Smith. This 
 lady was born near Vincennes, Ind., Nov. 6, 1844, 
 and was finely eilucated, following the profession 
 of a teacher three or four years before her marriage. 
 Dr. Neely, at Owensville, entered upon a very 
 large and lucrative practice, receiving the bulk of 
 the patronage in his county, where his conscien- 
 tious attention to dutj* served to gather around 
 him hosts of friemls. With the natural desire of 
 mankind, however, for ciiange, he finally decide! to 
 cast his lot with the people of the farther West, and 
 accordingl}' pitched his tent in the young and 
 growing State of Nebraska. He met with a severe 
 affliction in the death of his wife, in October, 1882, 
 when she was but thirty-eight years old. There 
 had been born to them six interesting children, 
 namely: Mary, who died in infancy; Joseph, John 
 M., Charles, William S. and Otis. Joseph is an ex- 
 pert, telegraph operator, and makes his home in 
 Wabash. The other children are with their father. 
 The parents of Dr. Neely were natives of Ken- 
 tucky, ami are now deceased. He comes of hon- 
 orable ancestry, and his paternal great-grandfather 
 distinguished himself as a soldier in the Revolu- 
 tionary War, invested with the rank of Major. His 
 uncle. Gen. John I. Neely, was an aid-de-camp, 
 under Gen. Harrison, in the War of 1812. Spring- 
 ing thus from a patriotic source and in sympathy 
 with the Union and freedom, it is hardly necessary 
 to saj' that our subject is one of the stanchest sup- 
 porters of the Republican party. Socially, he be- 
 
 <»■ 
 
 ^ 
 
 <• 
 
h 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 longs to Kenesaw Post, G. A. R., atEImwood. He 
 has Iteen a close stmlent and an extensive reader, 
 and in the ranits of his profession has aimed to ex- 
 cel. The fact that his practice is constantly 
 increasing, being a third more the ]>ast year 
 (1888) than heretofore, gives sutflcient indication 
 of his standing among tlie people of this county. 
 
 ^l^'RANXIS R. GUTHMANN, a capitalist of 
 jlMfei Flattsmouth, is numbered among the wealthy 
 U^ and substantial citizens of Cass County. He 
 has now practically retired from business, although 
 he still supervises his extensive interests. He has 
 contributed largely to the upbuilding of the city, 
 and has a great deal of property here, including a 
 handsome residence, the best hotel of the place, and 
 two smaller ones, besides stores and other buildings. 
 Mr. Guthmann was born in the village of Wald- 
 hausen, near Buchen, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, 
 Germany. July 2, 1841. His parents. Francis and 
 Anna Maria (Gramlich) Guthmann, were natives of 
 the same place, as were also their parents. The 
 paternal grandfather of our subject owned a farm 
 there and was a lifelong resident of that place. His 
 father, Francis Guthaiann, was reared to agricult- 
 ure, which he pursued in his native land until his 
 death, Nov. 2o, 1875. His wife, Anna Maria, was 
 born in a village near her husband's birthplace, and 
 spent her last years in the home where all of her 
 married life was passed. She died Dec. 11, 1860. 
 There were fourteen children born to her and her 
 husband, and ten of them grew to maturity. Caro- 
 line married Peter Rauen; Helen married Valentine 
 Egenberger; Charles, wboserved in the 3d Missouri 
 Regiment under Gen. Sigel for four years, and 
 afterward settled in Lancaster County, Neb., died 
 at the home of our subject in 1882; Maria L. 
 married Benjamin Hempel; William, who served in 
 the German Armj', died in Plattsmouth in 1884; 
 our subject was the next in order of birth ; then 
 Maria Catherine, who married J. V. Weckbach, of 
 whom see sketch on another page of this book; 
 John F. M. died in his native village; Fred and 
 Oswald are the youngest members of the family. 
 Seven of these are living in Nebraska, and all in 
 
 Cass County, with the exception of Fred, who is a 
 resident of Seward County. 
 
 Francis R. received an excellent education in the 
 Fatherland, attending school prettj' steadily in his 
 boyhood until he was fourteen years of age. He 
 then assisted his father in the labors of the farm 
 until the month of December, 1856, when he and 
 one of his sisters set sail from London, and landed 
 in New York F'eb. 9, 1857. Another brother and 
 sister had preceded them, and they joined them in 
 Davenport, Iowa, where they had settled. Our sub- 
 ject had come to America with but little means, 
 and he immediately set about procuring work that 
 he might better his financial condition. The first 
 3'ear of his stay in this country he was emplo3'cd 
 at the saddler's traile. In 1859 be started with a 
 party bound for Pike's Peak in search of gold. 
 Going from Davenport with teams, they traversed 
 the wild prairies of Iowa, and crossing the Missouri 
 Kiver at Plattsmouth, then an insignificant hamlet, 
 they pusheil on across the plains through the Ter- 
 ritory' of Nebraska to near Ft. Kearney, where they 
 were stayed in their course by meeting man3' weary 
 and disappointed emigrants returning from Pike's 
 Peak with very discouraging reports, so the party 
 concluded to abandon their purpose. Our subject's 
 brother decided to take up a claim in Nehr.aska, and 
 selected a tract of land in Lancaster County, about 
 ten miles east of the present site of Lincoln, which 
 was then a wild, open prairie, owned by the Gov- 
 ernment, and for sale at 81.25 an acre. Indians 
 still lingered in that part of the country, and deer, 
 elks and wolves roamed at will over the plains. Our 
 subject was then too young to make a claim to some 
 land, so he returned to civilization. He spent two 
 months in St. Louis, and then went to St. Joseph 
 and worked in a bakery. After thoroughly mas- 
 tering that trade, he eng.aged in pantry work in the 
 Pacific House in tliat city, remaining there until 
 1863. He then crossed the plains to Denver, and 
 there engaged as pastry' cook in the Planters' 
 Hotel, then the leading hotel in Denver. Ten 
 months later he left that place, in Februarj-, 1864, 
 and, with others, started with six wagons for that 
 part of Idaho now included in the Territory of 
 Montana. While traveling in the mountains the 
 parly encountered severe storms and nearly perished. 
 
 -^lU 
 
.>■ ir <r 
 
 t 
 
 876 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 i= 
 
 In one place they were five clays niaking seven 
 miles, and one night the wolves iiillerl' and de- 
 voured one of the mules. On the 1.5th of INIay the 
 p.arty arrived at Virginia City, and there learned 
 that it had been reported that they had all perished 
 in the mountains. Mr. Guthuiann opened a bake 
 shop and boarding-house in that city, but his resi- 
 dence in that part of the country' was of short du- 
 ration, as in the fall of 1864 he came to Platts- 
 mouth to invest his money in city property, and 
 made arrangements to erect a store building. In 
 1865 be returned to the mountains and established 
 a bakery and boarding-house in Blackfoot City, 
 Deer Lodge Co., Mont., conducting both with good 
 financial success until 1868, when he again came to 
 Plattsmouth. He engaged in the bakery business 
 here, and the following year added packing pork. 
 In 1870 he opened a billiard hall, and in 1871 a 
 grocery store, giving bis personal attention to these 
 varied enterprises until 1874, all the while carrying 
 on bis bakery. He then sold the grocery store, 
 but continued to manage the billiard hall until 
 1881. Since that time he has not lieen engaged in 
 any actual business, but devotes himself to the 
 supervision of iiis mnltipMcity of interests, from 
 wiiich he derives an ample income. Mr. Guthmann 
 is a man of great enterprise ; he has a clear head 
 for business, and display's much tact and shrewd- 
 ness in his various undertakings. He has done 
 much toward building up Plattsmouth, having 
 erected two dwelling-houses and three stores, be- 
 sides other buildings. The brick house which he 
 occupies with his famil}' is one of the finest in the 
 city, and was erected in 1886. Mr. Guthmann is a 
 stockholder in the Citizens' Bank, also in the Bank 
 of Cass County, and also in the Plattsmouth Can- 
 ning Factory, of which he is President. He has 
 taken an honorable part in public affairs, having 
 been a member of the City Council. He has al- 
 wa3's been identified with the Democrats in his po- 
 litical affiliations. 
 
 Mr. Guthmann was united in marriage to Anna 
 M. Pankratz, Jan. 10, 1878, and to them have been 
 born four children — Nellie, Charles F. M.. Henry 
 A. J. and Minnie T. They have also an adopted 
 daughter, Annie. Mrs. Guthmann was born in Mani- 
 towoc County. \Vi.«.. Nov. '24. 1 860. and isa daughter 
 
 of Joseph and Katrina (Bruner) Pankratz. natives of 
 Bavaria. Thej' were reared and married in that 
 country, and resided there until 1853. In that 
 year they crossed the water to the United States, 
 and located in Manitowoc Countj', Wis., being early 
 settlers of that part of the country. Mr. Pankratz 
 bought a tract of timber land, and first erected a 
 round log house to shelter his family, and then 
 commenced to clear a farm from the wilderness. 
 Later he erected a substantial, two-story, hewed log 
 house, and other necessary farm buildings, and re- 
 sided there until his death in 1863. His widow is 
 still living on the old homestead. There were 
 eight children in their familj\ as follows: Anton, 
 who died at the old home in 1888; Mary, who 
 married Joseph Lemberger, is now deceased ; Kat- 
 rina, who married John Steiner, and lives in Mani- 
 towoc Countj', Wis. ; Theresa, who married Henry 
 Fetzer, and lives in Lancaster County, Neb.: Fran- 
 ces, who mah-ied Fabian Heitzmann, and lives in 
 Gage County, Neb. : Joseph, who lives in Manito- 
 woc County; Mrs. Guthmann; MaggTe, who married 
 John Smith, and lives in Manitowoc County, Wis. 
 The life of Mr. Guthmann has been an active one, 
 full of enterprise and stirring incident, and through 
 all he preserved the cool headedness and good 
 judgment which enabled him to acquire the fortune 
 he is now enjoying. On an adjoining page appears 
 an excellent portrait of this nell-known*iesideut. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 <^^' MSDEL SHELDON, a practical and well- 
 ( jPytj| to-do farmer of Avoca Precinct, owns a 
 
 ■'fnii good homestead property on section 19, 
 f^l and has within the precinct, all told, 480 
 
 acres. The land is fertile and valuable, and in ad- 
 dition to this Mr. Sheldon has 279 acres in Berlin 
 Precinct, Otoe County. The whole is well devel- 
 oped and supplied with good improvements. The 
 homestead buildings are more than ordinarily taste- 
 ful and substantial, and the Sheldon family occupies 
 no unimportant position among the intelligent 
 people in good circumstances along the southern 
 line of the countj'. 
 
 Mr. Sheldon has been a resident of Avoca only 
 since 1884, removing to this place from Berlin Pre- 
 
 *^ 
 
^T^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 cinct, Otoe County, where he had resided a period 
 of flfleen years. He settled in that countj' in the 
 spring of 186D, and built up a good homestead 
 from the uncultivated prairie. His arrival in Ne- 
 braska was the completion of a long journey fioui 
 New England and the Green Mountain State, where 
 he was born in Windsor County, Sept. 27, 1839. 
 His father, Joel Sheldon, was a rt-ell-to-do Windsor 
 County farmer, who later migrated to Michigan in 
 1830, where he spent a few )-ears, then returned to 
 Ills native haunts, and in 1869 came to Nebraska 
 with his two sons, and died here in March, 1875, 
 at the age of seventy-four years. He was born in 
 February, 1801, and was the son of Jacob Sheldon, 
 a native of either Vermont or New Hampshire, and 
 who married a Miss Lovejoy. They afterward 
 lived in both Windham and Rutland Counties, Vt., 
 and passed their last daj's in the latter county. 
 Joel Sheldon, the fathei' of our subject, upon reach- 
 ing manhood was married in Windsor Count}-, Vt., 
 to Miss Fidelia Peltigrew, who was born and reared 
 there. She is yet living, and makes her home with 
 her son, Lawson Sheldon, in Nehawka Village, this 
 counlj', and is now arrived at the advanced age of 
 eightj'-three years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is one of twins, 
 the two 3-oungest of six children born to his parents, 
 and he lived with them until reaching his majorit}-. 
 He was a single man upon coming to Nebraska, 
 but found a bride in Otoe County, being married 
 Sept. 3, ] 874, to Miss Celia Ellis. This lady was 
 born in Fond du Lac, Wis., Sept. 5, 1852, and came 
 to Nebraska with her parents in her girlhood. The 
 latter were Lathrop and Elmeria (Ward) Ellis, who 
 settled in Otoe County about 186C. The father is 
 still living on a farm there, and is now past his 
 threescore years and ten. The mother died in 
 middle life in 1862. 
 
 Mrs. Sheldon received a very good education in 
 the schools of her native county, pursuing her 
 studies for a time in Oshkosh, Wis. Later she de- 
 veloped into a teacher, and followed this profession 
 in Wisconsin and Nebraska City before her mar- 
 riage. Of her union with our subject there are three 
 children— Carrie 1., Esther C. and Lucian A. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Sheldon are favorites in the social circles 
 of their community, and their home forms one of 
 
 its most pleasant places of resort. Mrs. Sheldon is 
 a member in good standing of the Congregational 
 Church, attending services at Avoca. Mr. Sheldon, 
 politically, is a solid Republican, giving his undi- 
 vided support to the princiijles of his p.irty. He 
 has officiated as Assessor of Avoca Precinct, and 
 socially, belongs to Lodge No. 29, I. O. O. F. 
 
 ^ ANIEL D. ANDRUS isextensively iden- 
 tified vvith the agricultural interests of 
 Cass Count}-, owning one of the largest 
 and best managed farms in Centre Pre- 
 cinct. Its 600 broad and fertile acres, lying on 
 sections 15, 16, 21 and 22, are all under good 
 tillage, yielding abundant harvests, and the fine 
 l)astures support large henis of well-graded stock. 
 The subject of this biographical notice was born 
 in Orleans County. N. Y.. Nov. 13, 1835. His 
 father, A. B. Andrus, was born in the same State 
 in 1811, and lived there until 1852, when he went to 
 California by steamer, and staid there until 1856. 
 During his sojourn in that Eldorado he made good 
 use of his time and secured a good share of gold dust. 
 After his return to his old home he went to Iowa 
 and lived for several years. He subsequently came 
 to the home of our subject, and died here in 1885. 
 His widow is still living in Iowa. Her maiden 
 name was Olive Brad way, and to her and her hus- 
 band were born five children, two of whom are 
 living. 
 
 Daniel Andrus was reared in his native county 
 to a stalwart and vigorous manhood, remaining an 
 inmate of his old home until he was twenty years 
 old. At that age he went to'^'Jones County, Iowa, 
 arriving there in January. 185(j. He there engaged 
 in farming anil stock dealing quite extensively. 
 While a resident of Iowa Mr. Andrus met and 
 married Miss Louisa Ewing, and to them have come 
 six children, five of whom are still living, namely: 
 Charles B., Clifton M., Daniel D., Jr., Fred W. and 
 Olive E. All are at home. They have been given 
 excellent opportunities to secure an education, and 
 have been trained to good and honorable lives. 
 Mrs. Andrus was bor i in Pennsylvania, June 1, 
 1840, and lived there until about 1859, when she 
 
 .ne 
 
•►-Hl^-* 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 accompanied her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel 
 Evving, to Jackson Connij-, Iowa, and from there to 
 Bowen's Prairie, Jones Co., Iowa, where she lived 
 until her marriage. 
 
 Mr. Andriis came to Nebraska in 1864, and 
 spent the ensuing years in Omaha and Grand Island. 
 In 18C8 he came to Cass County and bought a farm 
 in Eight Mile Grove Precinct, and made his home 
 on that for a short time. Finally, after several 
 changes, he came here in 1875, and bought the land 
 included in his present place, which was then mostly 
 wild prairie. He has since added to it until he 
 now owns one of the largest farms in the county. 
 He has set out a fine grove, embracing about eight 
 acres, including a good orchard. In 1876-77 he 
 erected a substantial residence, and has made many 
 other valuable improvements. The farm is well 
 cultivated and is devoted to raising stock and 
 grain. 
 
 As Mr. Andrus has been a powerful factor in 
 developing the agricultural resources of this pre- 
 cinct, he is naturally a man of weight and influence 
 in its public affairs, and he has often lieen called 
 upon to hold both precinct and school offices, his 
 fellow-citizens gladly availing themselves of his 
 counsel and wisdom in carrying out schemes for the 
 improvement of the township, or for the advance- 
 ment of education within its limits. He is a n)an 
 of far-reaching foresight, with business talents of a 
 high order, and superior powers of judgment. He 
 is independent in his political views, but generally 
 casts his vote with the Republicans. 
 
 (^^HOMAS MITCHELL, who worthily repre- 
 m^^ seiits the industrial interests of Plattsmouth 
 ^^^ as a carpenter, was a pioneer of this city and 
 county, and has contributed his share in develop- 
 ing them from the wild, sparsely settled prairie 
 that he found on his arrival here in the days of 
 1 857. He was born near Xenia, Greene Co., Ohio, 
 Aug. 27, 1811. His father, .James Mitchell, was a 
 native of Pennsylvania, but it is not known where 
 his grandfather, David Mitchell, was born, only 
 that he was of foreign parentage. He was for sev- 
 eral years engaged in his occupation of farmer in 
 
 Penns3ivania, but in 1792 he removed from there 
 to Kentucky, and was one of the pioneers of Fay- 
 ette County in the time of Daniel Boone's resi- 
 dence there. The Indians were then numerous and 
 hostile, and at one time, while Mr. Mitchell was out 
 with a scouting party, in quest of a party of sav- 
 ages who had stolen some horses, the latter lay in 
 ambush, surprised the white men, and killed some 
 of them. Mr. Mitchell was severely wounded, but 
 managed to escape alive. He moved with his fam- 
 ilj' to Ohio in 1802, and was an early settler there. 
 He took up a tract of timber land, from which 
 he commenced to develop a farm, and continued to 
 reside there until his death, June 10, 1817, in his 
 eightieth j-ear. jMargaret JMitchell, his wife, died 
 Feb. 4, 1825, and they now lie peacefully sleeping 
 in Massie's Creek Cemetery, near Xenia. 
 
 The father of our subject went to Kentucky at 
 the same time that his parents did, and also accom- 
 panied them to Ohio a few years later. He bought 
 a tract of timber land near Xenia, and built a 
 log house thereon for the shelter of his familj', 
 and in that humble dwelling our subject was after- 
 ward born. Mr. Mitchell cleared a farm and lived 
 on it some years, when he had an opportunity to 
 trade it for one nearer to his father's land, and 
 there he made his home until his death in 1 850. He 
 had gone to Greene County as a pioneer in the 
 early days of its settlement, and in the forty -eight 
 years that he passed there, years fraught w-itli labor 
 and hardships at first, wherein he had won a com- 
 fortable competence, he witnessed great changes, 
 and was himself one of the factors in bringing 
 them about. In the early days there were no mar- 
 kets anywhere in that section, and after the com- 
 pletion of the canal Daj'ton was the nearest market 
 for some j'ears. The maiden name of the mother 
 of our subject was Martha Espy, and she was born 
 in Pennsylvania. Her father, Josiah Espy, was, it 
 is thought, a native of Pennsylvania. He moved 
 from there at the same time the Mitchell family 
 did to Kentucky, and there died in November, 
 1801. His wife, Elizabeth Epsy,.died in Ohio, 
 Nov. 19, 1809. The mother of our subject resided 
 with her parents until her marriage, and was care- 
 fully trained in the art of spinning flax and wool. 
 She was an excellent housewife, and in the days 
 
 
«► 11 M» 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 879 
 
 when stoves were almost unknown did her cooking 
 b^' the fire in the huge, okl-fasliioned fireplace. She 
 died at the horns of a daughter in Xenia, Ohio, in 
 1863, at the venerable age of eighty-six years. 
 There were thirteen children born to her and her 
 husband, all of whom grew up and eleven of them 
 are married. Their names are Margaret, David, 
 Eliza. Ann, Maria, James E., Josiah, Martha, 
 Thomas, Sarah, Robert A., Francis P. and Samuel K. 
 
 Thomas Mitchell was reared in his native county, 
 and there learned the trade of carpenter and joiner, 
 following it in different parts of Ohio, Kentucky, 
 Louisiana, Mississippi and New York. In 1839 he 
 located in AVarren County, Ohio, and resided there 
 until 1850. From there he went to Loveland, 
 Clermont Co., Ohio, and at the expiration of 
 four j'ears' residence there went to Cincinnati, 
 where he was activelj^ engaged at his trade until 
 1857. Shrewdly foreseeing that in a newly settled 
 Territory like Nebraska his work as a carpenter 
 would be in great demand, he resolved to locate 
 here, and in the month of May came to Platts- 
 mouth, with his family, by way of the Ohio, 
 Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. The land here 
 was at that time nearly all owned by the Govern- 
 ment and for sale at 11.25 an acre. There were but 
 few inhabitants here, and only a short distance to 
 the westward deer, antelopes and other wild game 
 roamed the prairies. He immediately entered land 
 from the Government, but he never resided on it, 
 as he commenced to work at carpentering that 
 summer in Plattsmouth, and has been a continuous 
 resident here since; and thus he has witnessed the 
 entire growth of the city, and has aided it not a 
 little, as he was considered a verj- skillful and 
 faithful workman, and his services were in con- 
 stant demand as a builder. By his industrj- and 
 the judicious management of his monetary af- 
 fairs he has been enabled to lay up a competence, 
 so that his declining years may be spent free from 
 care. 
 
 Mr. Mitchell was united in marriage to Jane 
 Clendenin, Aug. 12, 1841, and for twenty years 
 they faithfully shared life's burdens, and were then 
 called to part, she dying in 1861. She was a native 
 of Warren County, Ohio, and was a daughter of 
 Samuel and Cvnthia Clendenin. She was an exem- 
 
 plary woman, and her death was felt far beyond the 
 family circle by the many friends who had been at- 
 tracted to her by her genial disposition. Ten chil- 
 dren blessed her union with her husband, seven of 
 whom grew to maturity, three dying in infancy. 
 The names of the former are Cordelia, James, Mar- 
 tha, Francis L., Cynthia, George W. and Charles. 
 Mr. Mitchell is a straightforward man, whose 
 word is considered as good as a bond, and in him 
 the Presbyterian Church finds a valued member, 
 who cheerfully aids all schemes for the moral ele- 
 vation of society. He is a thorough believer in the 
 policy of the Republican party, of which he has 
 been a member since its formation. Before that 
 time he was a AA'hig, and cast his first vote for 
 Gen. Harrison, of Tippecanoe fame, in 1840, and 
 after a lapse of forty-eight years voted for that 
 illustrious President's grandson, the Gen. Harrison 
 of the present day. 
 
 _ .^^ ^ 
 
 ^TnVENJAMIN F. LANG, M. D.. the only 
 '^i homeopathic physician in Weeping Water< 
 enjoys an extensive and lucrative business, 
 and bears the reputation of being a consci- 
 entious practitioner and valuable as a memher of 
 the community. He was born thirty-three years 
 ago on the rugged New England Coast in Somerset 
 County. Me., Dec. 12, 1855, and lived there until 
 reaching man's estate. Upon leaving the primary 
 schools he entered tlie Friends' Classical School in 
 Providence, R. L, where he was a student four 
 years, taking the full course, and acquitting himself 
 with great honor. Suon after leaving school he be- 
 came private tutor in the family of Moses Bailey, 
 of Winthrop, Me., and a 3-ear later entered upon 
 the study of medicine under the instruction of Dr. 
 Byron Porter, one of the most prominent and suc- 
 cessful physicians of Newport, Me. He remained a 
 resident of his native State some time thereafter, 
 and took lectures in Bowdoin Medical Institute and 
 the Cincinnati Medical College, from which latter 
 institution he was graduated in 1883. 
 
 Dr. Lang, when leaving New England and after 
 completing his medical studies, began the regidar 
 practice of his profession in Bainbridge, Ross Co., 
 
 .^l-<^ 
 
 i^hM* 
 
•^--it^ 
 
 ••► 
 
 880 
 
 CA8S COUNTY. 
 
 Oliio. of which he remainerl a resirlenl until coming 
 to Nebraska in Sejiternber of 1H86. In his intro- 
 duction of tiie homcopalliic system of practice, lie 
 finils many adiierents and a generally favorable 
 feeling toward the simple methoils of this school. 
 His success has naturally been largely influential in 
 building up this feeling among the people in the 
 central and southern portions of the county, where 
 he numbers a large list of patrons. Although his 
 jesidence here lias been comparatively brief, his 
 labors have met with a most generous respon.se. 
 His main office is located in the new Gibson Block, 
 on 1 street, and he has an elegant home, a very 
 large two-story residence, wliieh he has built since 
 coming here, and which is the result of his two 
 j-ears' work — a showing which he may justly look 
 ui)on with pride. 
 
 Dr. Laug was married in Shreve, Wayne Co.. 
 Ohio, Dee. 6, 1883, to Miss Clara Hughes, who was 
 horn at Morel.and, Oiiio. Dec. 6, 185.5, being mar- 
 ried on her birthday. They have had two children, 
 but only one is living, Edith May, wiio was born 
 Nov. 13, 1885. Mrs. Lang received a good educa- 
 tion, being graduated from the High School in iier 
 native town, and thereafter followed the profession 
 of a teacher for a period of thirteen years. Her 
 parents were John and Susan (Caveny) Hughes, 
 the former a native of Wayne County. Ohio. They 
 are both living, making their home in Shreve, of 
 which place the father is at present the Mayor. He 
 was for many years engaged as a merciiant, but is 
 now retired from active labor. Both parents are 
 members in good standing of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. Their son James is Judge of the Cir- 
 cuit Court at Mattoon, 111., and another son is a 
 successful practicing attorney of David Cit}', this 
 State. 
 
 Dr. Lang and his estimable wife are members of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church in Weeping Water, 
 in which the Doctor officiates as chorister of the 
 church and Sunday-school. He is a solid Repub- 
 lican politically, although carefully avoiding the 
 cares and responsibilities of official honors, prefer- 
 ring to give his time and attention to his profession. 
 He is prominently connected with the Homeopathic 
 State Medical Society of Nebraska. 
 
 Hon. Peter H. Lang, the father of our subject, 
 
 was born in Palmyra, Me., March 4, 1828, and has 
 lived there all iiis life, engaged mostly in farming 
 and stock-raising and also in general merchandising. 
 He was married to Miss Nancy E. Earnham, in 1852. 
 and they became the parents of five children. The 
 parents in religious matters belong to the Society 
 of Friends. Peter Lang was elected to the Maine 
 Legislature in 1881, serving his term acceptabl3', 
 and has held various offices in his county, officiat- 
 ing as Sheriff, Justice of the Peace, and in other po- 
 sitions of trust. Samuel S. Lang, tiie grandfather 
 of our subject, was a native of Bath, N. IL, and 
 spent his life from the age of twenty in Maine. 
 
 #^ 
 
 In the career of 
 this gentleman we find an excellent example 
 for j'oung men just embarking in the field 
 of active life, of what maj' be accomplished 
 by a man beginning with modest means, but hon- 
 est, prudent and industrious. He came to Ne- 
 braska in June, 1869, two years after it had been 
 admitted into the Union as a State, and settling on 
 section 12, Weeping Water Precinct, proceeded to 
 construct a farm from the elements of the primi- 
 tive soil. It required no small amount of energy 
 and perseverance during the first years of his resi- 
 dence here to combat the various difficulties which 
 beset him, in common with his neighbors, but he 
 has come out of the strife with flying colors. He 
 now has one of the best regulated farms in the pre- 
 cinct, the improvements of which he has brought 
 about niostl3' through his own jiersonal efforts, and 
 which consist of a good set of buildings, a flourish- 
 ing apple orchard four acres in extent, a grove of 
 forest trees of his own planting, substantial fenc- 
 ing, a goodly assortment of live stock, and the farm 
 machinery indispensable to the progressive agri- 
 culturist. The present residence was completed 
 in the summer of 1888, and is in modern style of 
 architecture, forming, with its surroundings, one of 
 the attractive homes along the southern line of the 
 county. His farming operations include the breed- 
 ing of cattle, including blooded Holsteins and 
 Short-horns, and he also h.as some first-class horses, 
 both roadsters and for farm purposes. The prera- 
 
 >► I t^ 
 
 H^l-^ 
 
•►HH-^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 
 ^t^ 
 
 ises form a scene delightful to the eye, and as au 
 illustration of industry and perseverance most pleas- 
 ing to contemplate. 
 
 William Asliraun, the father of our subject, lived 
 for raanj- j-ears on a farm northeast of what was 
 called Talmage Center, Talniage Township, Sum- 
 rait Co., Ohio, and at this homestead the subject of 
 our sketch was born, Sept. 25, 1847. He pursued 
 his first studies in the little school-house at the 
 "Four Corners," and later attended the academy 
 at the '"Center," coinpleting a practical education. 
 He remained at the homestead until a young man 
 twenty -two j'ears of age, then turned his face to- 
 ward the farther West, and .across the Father of 
 Waters, resolving to cast his lot among the pioneers 
 of Nebraska. Here also he found his bride, being 
 married, Nov. 20, 1872, to Miss Ella Weaver. Mrs. 
 Ashmun is also a native of Ohio, and was born 
 Feb. 5, 1853. in Tuscarawas County'. She lived 
 there until about tliree years old, and then refnoved 
 with her adopted parents to Missouri, from there to 
 Iowa, where she lived until the fall of 1870, when 
 they took up their residence in Weeping Water 
 Precinct, this county'. Her adopted parents are 
 .lacob and Emily (Weaver) Walter, natives of 
 Ohio, and the father a harness-maker by occupa- 
 tion. They are residents of Denver, Colo. Of this 
 union there have been born eight children, six of 
 whom arc living, namely: Edward. Frank, Charles, 
 Royal, Walter and Sterling H.; In the sketch of 
 Henry Ashmun, a brother of our subject, and which 
 will be found (jii another page, is noted the parental 
 history. The Ashmun family is widely and favor- 
 ably known throughout the northeastern part of 
 Ohio as belonging to the best element of that sec- 
 tion, being generally people well-to-do, highly in- 
 telligent, and prominent in theii' community. 
 
 J/OHN M. FOWLER. Tht subject of this 
 biography, as a son of one of the earliest 
 I pioneers of Cass County, and one who has 
 borne worthily the mantle of his honored 
 sire, deserves more than passing mention. , He is 
 pleasantly located on a good farm of 160 acres on 
 .section 6, one .and one-half miles east of Weeping 
 
 Water. This land was secured by his father as a 
 pre-emption claim in 1858, nine years before Ne- 
 braska was admitted into the Union as a State. 
 
 Charles Fowler, the father of our subject, here 
 began life as a pioneer, giving to his homestead his 
 best efforts, and remaining upon it until his death, 
 which took place April 21, 1884. He was born in 
 Cattaraugus County, N. Y., in 1825, and traced his 
 ancestry to the Empire of Germany. When he 
 was a mere boy his parents removed from New Y'ork 
 State to Pennsylvania, settling in Mercer County, 
 where Charles was reared to manhood and married 
 Miss Esther A. Brsikeman. This lady, the mother 
 of our subject, was a native of Pennsylvania, and 
 of Holland-Dutch descent. 
 
 After their marriage Charles Fowler and his 
 young wife began life together on a farm in the 
 Keystone State, having little besides their coura- 
 geous hearts and strong hands with which to labor. 
 After the birth of three children, the father, desir- 
 ous of bettering his financial condition, resolved 
 upon seeking the Far West. Disposing of his in- 
 terests in Mercer County, Pa., he started overland 
 with his little family to Nebraska, which became 
 the field of his future operations through life. He 
 w.as prospered in his labors as a pioneer and an 
 agriculturist, securing a competency for his old age, 
 and retired from active labor about six 3'ears before 
 his death, leaving the farm and taking up his abode 
 in Weeping Water. There the mother is still liv- 
 ing, occupying a comfortable home in Park addi- 
 tion, and is now fifty-nine years old. She is a lady 
 widely respected, and a member in good standing 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Charles Fow- 
 ler, politically, was a lifelong Democrat, a man of 
 decided views, and one who kept himself well in- 
 formed upon matters of interest to the intelligent 
 citizen. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, the third child of the 
 parental family, was born in Mercer Count}-, Pa., 
 June 14, 1856. He came with his parents to Ne- 
 braska Territory when but a lad, and was reared to 
 manhood in this county. He became at an early 
 age familiar with the various employments of farm 
 life, and has been content to make of agriculture 
 his independent vocation. He found his wife in 
 Avo?a Precinct, beinir married Dee. 10. 1877. t 
 
 
•►Hl-^*' 
 
 -•► 
 
 <t 
 
 882 
 
 CA88 COUNTY. 
 
 Miss Laura J. Compton. one of its most estimable 
 j-oung ladies. Mrs. Fowler is a native of Tama 
 County', Iowa, where her birth took place March 
 15, 1858. She came with her parents to Nebraska 
 in the spring of 1875. The latter, Elias and Nancy 
 A. (Jenkins) Compton, are now living on a farm 
 in Avoca Precinct, of which they have been resi- 
 dents for the last thirteen years. They are natives 
 of Ohio, and are numbered among the highly re- 
 spected citizens of this county. 
 
 Mrs. Fowler was educated in the Hawkeye State, 
 and received careful home training from an excel- 
 lent mother. She remained under the parental roof 
 until her marriage. The household circle of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Fowler was completed by the birth of six 
 children, namely: George L., Alice M., Eddie L., 
 Mabel A., Myrtle M. and Charles. The home- 
 stead with its appurtenances suggests the idea of 
 plenty and comfort, and is noticeable among the 
 other well-regulated farms along the southern line 
 of the county. Mr. Fowler uniformly votes the 
 straight Democratic ticket, but further from this 
 takes no part in politics, preferring to give his un- 
 divided attention to his farming interests. 
 
 J JOHN B. HOLMES. Tlie snhject of this 
 I sketch has built up one of the finest estates 
 [ in Rock Bluff Precinct, which comprises one 
 / of the most valuable farms within its borders, 
 embellished with substantial buildings, including a 
 very handsome and commodious two-story brick 
 residence, constructed in modern style of architect- 
 ure. There is probably not a more attractive home 
 along the eastern line of the county, and its inmates 
 are people of more than ordinary intelligence. 
 There are four children at present under the home 
 roof, namely: Willie A., John H., Alvin A, and 
 E;iizabeth. The eldest daughter, Christina, is the 
 wife of C. W. Nix, and lives in Custer County, this 
 State. 
 
 Our subject traces his ancestry to Scotland, of 
 which his paternal grandfather, John Holmes, was 
 a native, and was born near the city of Glasgow. 
 When reaching man's estate he married a lady of 
 that city, and they emigrated to the United States 
 
 about 1805, locating in Delaware County. N.Y.. in 
 the midst of a timber tract, from which the hardy 
 Scotch pioneer built up a good liomesiead, and 
 there with his estimable wife spent the remainder of 
 his days. They were the parents of five children, 
 of whom the eldest, a daughter, Marv, remained in 
 Scotland, and as far as known is still living. When 
 quite young she was adopted by a wealthy aunt, a 
 Mrs. Jliller, from whom she inherited a large prop- 
 erty. One of the sons, Robert, lived in Scotland 
 until he became the father of grown sons, Ilnrr}' and 
 Robert, Jr., whom he subsequently accompanied to 
 the United States. They are living in New York, 
 but the father returned to Scotland, looking his 
 last upon tlie scenes of earth in his native countrj-, 
 where his bones were laid to rest. The other son, 
 Walter, the father of our subject, was a lad six 
 years of age when he came with his parents to 
 America. He was reared to manhood on the farm 
 in Delaware County', N. Y., and married Miss 
 Elizabeth Blair. He took his bride to the old home- 
 stead, where they lived until after the death of the 
 wife and mother. Of their children, thirteen in 
 number. John B. was the fourth in order of birth, 
 and of that large family only five survive. Three 
 brothers, Thomas, Archibald M. and John B., reside 
 in this county. The two sisters still live in Dela- 
 ware County, N. Y. R. Elizabeth is the wife of 
 William Blair, and lives inHamden; and Agnes is 
 the wife of Samuel Terry, living in Walton. 
 
 A few j'ears after the settlement of the Holmes 
 family in New York State our subject began to 
 assist his father in the various employments of the 
 pioneer farm, and upon reaching man's estate was 
 married, Jan. 3, 1855, to Miss Mary A., daughter 
 of Samuel and Pauline (Holmes) Law. Mrs. Holmes 
 was born Dec. 18, 1830, in Greene Connty, N. Y., 
 and spent the years of her childhood and youth 
 under the parental roof, acquiring her education in 
 the district schools. Her parents were natives of 
 New York. Her father died in 1888. Her mother 
 is still living. Their family consisted of nine chil- 
 dren, five of whom are j'et living, three in Nebraska 
 and two in New York State. 
 
 Mr. Holmes in the spring of 1865, leaving the 
 Empire State, came to Nebraska Territory, and the 
 year following purchased 160 acres of land on 
 
 *¥^y^ 
 
 ^►^•-^ 
 
Residenceof Louis Poltz^SecsS. M^. Pleasant Prect. Ca55 Co. 
 
 Residence of J. B. Holme5,Sec.18.(ii.= i4.) Rock Bluff Prect. Cass Co. 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ••»■ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 885 
 
 secliun 18, in Uot-k Bluff Pi-et-iiict, whicli lie has 
 since ad'led to his e.-tate, and it now c-ompiises 510 
 acres, and there, he has since been a resi<lent. His 
 father joined him in tiie spring of I8G7, remaining 
 with him two years, then returned to the old home 
 in New York State, where his death look |)laee in 
 the year 1871, when he was sixtj'-lhree years old. 
 For a period of fifteen 3'ears he had voted with the 
 llepublican part3', of which our subject is also a 
 most decided adherent. The family, except John 
 B., as far back as is known, belonged to the Presby- 
 terian Churcli. The Holmes family comprise a por- 
 tion of the solid element of Cass County, an<l have 
 contributed their full quota in building up its 
 present enviable reputation and advancing its pros- 
 perity and welfare. On his extensive farm Mr. 
 Holmes usually feeds from 200 to 300 head of 
 cattle. He is also engaged in breeding high-grade 
 Norman and Clydesdale horses, some of which are 
 full blood, and eligible to be registered in the 
 American herd book. His cattle run from thorough- 
 bred Short-horns down to grades. 
 
 We invite the reader's attention to a fine view of 
 tlie elegant home of Mr. Holmes on an accompa- 
 nying |)age of this work. 
 
 OUIS FOLTZ, a representative citizen and 
 thorough-going farmer, resides on his highly 
 improved farm on section 33 of Mt. Pleas- 
 ant Pret-'inct. He was born Feb. 23, 1840, in Holmes 
 County, Ohio, where he lived, dividing his time be- 
 tween labor on the farm and attending public school, 
 until he enlisted in the Union Army, May 2, 1861 , in 
 Company G, 16th Ohio Infantry, as a private sol- 
 dier. The regiment of which he was a member 
 formed a part of the corps commanded by Gen. 
 Morrison. Their field of operation was in Virginia 
 and West Virginia. He took an active part in 
 many skirmishes and engagements, but the largest 
 portion of his duty was confined to the garrison 
 and guarding property. He was honorably dis- 
 charged in September, 1861. when he returned to 
 Holmes County, Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Foltz was married, on the 4th of December, 
 1862, to Miss Susan Stucker, a native of Holmes 
 
 County, where she was born April 3, 1838. She is 
 a daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth Stucker, who 
 were natives of Pennsylvania. Her parental an- 
 cestors were of German descent. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Foltz have an interesting famil}' of four children, 
 namely: William J.; Mary R., now the wife of 
 H. Munson, residing in Mt. Pleasant Precinct; 
 Andrew J., deceased, and David. After his mar- 
 riage, our subject with his family resided in 
 Holmes County until the spring of 1876, when he 
 removed to Cass County, Neb. In the fall of the 
 same year he settled on his present farm, which now 
 embraces 440 acres of land, a large portion of which 
 is under a high state of cultivation. He also owns 
 160 acres in Stove Creek Precinct, in all, 600 
 acres of valuable land. 
 
 Mr. Foltz is a son of Solomon and Rebecca 
 Foltz. Both parents were natives of Pennsylvania, 
 who removed from their native State and settled 
 in Holmes County, Ohio, at a very early date, 
 nearlj' a half-century ago. They resided tliere until 
 1862, when they migrated to Cass County, Neb., 
 and settled in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, where the 
 mother died in 1882. The father now resides with 
 our subject, and is past seventy years of age, in 
 splendid health, bidding fair to live for many 
 years. His paternal ancestors were German; his 
 grandfather, David Foltz, served as a soldier in the 
 American Army during the War of 1812. 
 
 A large family of children, ten in number, were 
 born to the parents of our subject, nine of whom 
 are living, namely: Louis, who was the eldest; 
 Louisa, now the wife of Mr. Jolm Shelton, residing 
 in Weeping Water; David resides in Cheyenne 
 County; Frederick resides in Elmwood Precinct; 
 Barbara E. is the wife of Samuel Bergen, and re- 
 sides in Kansas; Catherine is the wife of Robert 
 Lockston, and resides in Fillmore County, Neb.; 
 Susan, now Mrs. Brant, resides in Nebraska; Mary 
 is the wife of Caye Wright, and resides in Nebraska; 
 Joseph resides in Stove Creek Precinct, this count}', 
 and Rose A. is deceased. The parents of Mrs. Foltz 
 had a family of six children, namelj': Catherine, 
 who resides in Wayne County, Ohio; Mary A. is 
 the wife of George McElroy, and resides in Greene 
 Count}', Ind.; Christina is the wife of S. J. Cutter, 
 and resides in Holmes County, Ohio; Susan is the 
 
 >► I L ^ 
 
 *r^»- 
 

 »► II <• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 wife of our subject; George resides in Clinton 
 County, Mo., and Ohio Stucker resides in Mt. 
 Pleasant Precinct. 
 
 Mr. Foltz is a level-headed, clear-thinking man, 
 thoroughl_y well posted in all matters pertaining to 
 successful farming, and is a self-made man "in all 
 respects. The elegant property which he has ac- 
 cumulated is the direct result of his own applica- 
 tion and energy. Coming to Nebraska at an early 
 day, with means very limited in amount, he has 
 applied himself so closely to the business in which 
 he is engaged that he has acquired the fine property 
 with which he is now surrounded. He is in politics 
 a thorough-going Democrat, and has served his 
 friends and neighbors in various official capacities. 
 In 1884 he was elected as one of the County Com- 
 missioners of Cass County, and was re-elected to 
 the same office in the fall of 1887, from a district 
 which usually gave a handsome Republican major- 
 ity. He is a member of LaFa^^ette Post No. 60, 
 G. A. R., at Weeping Water, and takes an active 
 interest in all that pertains to the educational, 
 political or religious benefit of the precinct. Both 
 himself and wife are active members of society, in 
 which they fill a conspicuous place. They are both 
 open hearted and generous, and their home is the 
 abode of peace and comfort. They are both well 
 known throughout Cass County, and they take 
 rank among its foremost citizens. 
 
 The home of Mr. Foltz and family, one of the 
 most comfortable in Mt. Pleasant, is shown on 
 another page of this Album. 
 
 \f, ENRY L. ME8SNER. Those who suppose 
 |l|jlj that there is required in the prosecution of 
 ~^^ farming little skill and no education, are 
 (^J vastly mistaken, as they will find upon ex- 
 ])erience and observation. The biographer in ob- 
 taining a record of the events which have trans- 
 pired during the early settlement of Cass County, 
 finds among its successful agriculturists the most 
 intelligent element of this region. Among these 
 the subject of this sketch occupies no secondary 
 position. His industry and enterprise are prover- 
 bial in the community where he has operated with 
 
 results of which he has reason to be proud. His 
 property lies on section 25, South Bend Precinct, 
 and comprises 800 acres of land, which produce in 
 abundance the rich crops of Nebraska. He com- 
 menced in a modest manner his operations as an 
 agriculturist in this section of country, and battled 
 with the difficulties experienced by the pioneer of 
 I twenty years ago, suffering from the ravages of 
 grasshoppers two years in succession, and fighting 
 his way through the other disadvantages common 
 to that time. Besides the home farm, he purchased 
 land in Louisville and Elmwood Precincts, his 
 whole estate at one time comprising 1,280 acres. 
 This was largely devoted to stock-raising, Mr. 
 Messner finding this industry the most profitable, 
 and perhaps carried on with less of labor than the 
 tilling of the soil, although he raises grain in suf- 
 ficient quantities to feed his stock. 
 
 We find in the career of Mr. Messner a man es- 
 sentially the architect of his own fortune. Upon 
 coming to Cass County, in the fall of 1869, he set- 
 tled at a point on Cedar Creek, and employed him- 
 self by the day or month as he could secure work,_ 
 while his winters were occupied in teaching school. 
 He was the first pedagogue in Cedar Creek district, 
 and a favorite alike with pupils and parents. He 
 was born in Monroe County, Ohio, near the little 
 village of Lebanon, Feb. 6, 1849, and was the 
 fourth in a family of five children, two sons and 
 three daughters, comprising the offspring of Adam 
 and Elizabeth (Smith) Messner. The parents were 
 both natives of the Province of Alsace, now in 
 Germany, whence they emigrated to the United 
 States after their marriage, settling first in Wash- 
 ington County, Pa., where the father carried on 
 farming for a time, and tlien changed his residence 
 to Monroe County, Ohio. In the latter he built 
 up a good homestead, where, with his excellent 
 wife, he still resides. They took up their residence 
 in the Buckeye State in 1847, and are now quite 
 aged, the fatlier being in his seventy^second year 
 and the mother nearing her sixty-eighth birthday. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of our subject was 
 Philip Smith, also a native of the Fatherland, who 
 served under Napoleon Bonaparte, and was taken a " 
 prisoner at the battle of Waterloo. He li ved to attain 
 the advanced age of one hundred and eight years. 
 
 -•►Hl-^ 
 
* ► 1 1 < •' 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 887 
 
 His wife was. in her girlhood, Elizabeth Rodhon. 
 Our subject was reared at the farm in jMoiiroe 
 County, Ohio, and acquired a practical education in 
 the common schools. He was bright and ambitious 
 beyond his years, and when a lad of fouri.een 
 started out for himself, entering the employ of the 
 Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad Company, which 
 was then operating between Parkersburg and Cin- 
 cinnati. A year later he returned to the old roof- 
 tree, and fortified himself for life's future duties by 
 a further attendance at school, finally developing 
 into a teacher, which profession he followed in the 
 Buckeye State for several terms. 
 
 Before his departure for the West Mr. Messner 
 provided himself with a wife and heli^mate, being 
 married in 1869, to Miss Lydia Hane3', a native of 
 his own county, and the daughter of Evan Ilaney. 
 He arrived upon the soil of Nebraska with two 
 suits of clothes and $51 in money, and spent the 
 winter following with his wife's brother, Mr. 
 Nicholas Haney, who had settled on Cedar Creek. 
 The following spring he homesteaded forty acres 
 of land, upon which he made some improvements, 
 and sold four years later for the snug sum of $750. 
 This seemed quite a bonanza in those days, and he 
 iuvested the proceeds in 160 acres in the same pre- 
 cinct, which he occupied two years, at the expira- 
 tion of which time he received a visitation from 
 the grasshoppers two years in succession. The 
 siege being more than he could cheerfully with- 
 stand, he sold out, and purchased eighty acres in 
 Elmwood Precinct, upon which he lived nine years, 
 having good crops almost every year. He invested 
 his surplus capital in additional land from time to 
 time, and his large property is mostly included in 
 South Bend Precinct. A part of this, however, 
 heafterward disposed of, and has now 800 acres, all 
 in one bod3^ In his live-stock operations he makes 
 a specialty of cattle and swine, having usually of 
 the former 270 head, and ships frequently three 
 carloads of the latter a 3'ear. 
 
 Our subject and his estimable wife are the par- 
 ents of the following living children: Eliza, Nancy 
 B.; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Albert Keller, of this 
 county; Henry, .James and Charles, all at home with 
 their parents. Two are deceased. Mr. Messner, 
 politically, is a solid Democrat, but otherwise than 
 
 -4^ 
 
 ■— -!^;^-- 
 
 i 
 
 serving as a member of the School Board for the 
 last six years, has declined becoming an office- 
 holder. He maintains that to make a success of anj' 
 business a man must give to it his whole attention, 
 and not be meddling too much with outside mat- 
 ters. The theory adhered to has doubtless been the 
 secret of his success. 
 
 OHN TURNER, an enterprising farmer anil 
 slock-raiser on section 20. Stove Creek Pre- 
 cinct, where he has 120 acres of well-im- 
 proved, arable land, is of Virginian birth, 
 born in Randolph County, Dec. 26, 1841. William 
 Turner, his paternal grandfather, a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, was of German descent. He 'noved from 
 his native State to Virginia, and there purchased a 
 farm, on which he spent- his last years. 
 
 James Turner, father of our subject, was born in 
 Randolph County, Va.. in 1H16, and married Miss 
 INIartiia Abernathy, in Hampshire County, the same 
 State, where she was born in 1819. He was a 
 farmer, and after his marriage returned to Randolph 
 County, where he worked at farming during the 
 summers, and at shoemaking in the winter seasons. 
 In 1844 he solil his farm of 190 acres in that .State. 
 and moved to Alleglianj' Count}', Md., but nine 
 years later returned to Virginia and bought a farm 
 of 200 acres in Barbour County. He improved it 
 well, and in 1865 sold out and moved to Iowa, 
 wliere he bought 230 acres of land, lying nearGijin- 
 ville, Mahaska County, where he remained until his 
 death in October, 1882. Mrs. Turner preceded 
 him to tlie better land, liaving died in Iowa some 
 }ears before. Both were active members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, where he had been 
 Class-Leader for .several years. Of their union 
 twelve children were born, as follows: E. S., Aaron 
 (deceased). John, James, Mary M., Sarah E. (de- 
 ceased, Lucy A., Daniel (deceased), an infant (de- 
 ceased), Theodore, Laura B. and LaFayette S. John 
 Abernath}', maternal grandfather of our subject, 
 was born in Ireland. In earlj' life he emigrated to 
 the United States, and settled in Hampshire County 
 Va., where he bought a large farm. His eyesight 
 
 <• 
 
 »^l-M» 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 888 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 failed rliiiing the last part of liis life, and before his 
 death he became entire!}' blind. He was a man of 
 great statnre and vigorons intellect. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was only three years 
 old when his parents moved to Maryland, and there 
 he received the greater part of his education, at- 
 tending a pay school during the time he was there. 
 After the removal of his parents to Barbour Countyi 
 "Va., he had only one term's schooling, being obliged 
 to assist his father on the farm from that time 
 until twenty years of age. In 18G1 our subject 
 went into the war as teamster, continuing thus en- 
 gaged f<jr some months. He then returned home 
 and worked on the farm six months, and in 1863 
 started a lumber business in Maryland. The fol- 
 lowing year Mr. Turner went to Ohio, and that 
 summer pushed on further West, and in Mahaska 
 County, Iowa, rented a farm on which he lived six 
 }-ears. Then, deciding that it was time that he was 
 establishing a home of his own. our subject went to 
 Lancaster Countj', Neb., where he took up a home- 
 stead claijn in Rjck Creek. Three years later he 
 sold out his improvements and claim, and in 1874 
 moved to Stove Creek Precinct, and bought his 
 present farm of eighty acres. There were no trees 
 on the place, and only thirty-six acres had been 
 broken. He has toiled unceasingly for its improve- 
 ment, and has novv over forty acres iu grain, the 
 farm fenced and cross-fenced, and a good bearing 
 orchard. He has also purchased forty acres in ad- 
 dition, which he has under cultivation, and he car- 
 ries on general farming and stock-raising, having 
 fine cattle, good graded horses, and twelve or fifteen 
 head of ponies. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Turner with Miss Ann M. 
 Squires was solemnized in Granville, Mahaska Co., 
 Iowa, Nov. 22, 1866. She is a daughter of Nehe- 
 raiah and Olive (Fortney) Squires, natives of 
 Preston County, Va., born in 1815 and 1820 re- 
 spectively. Thomas Squires, Nehemiah's father, 
 was a native of Virginia, of German descent. By 
 trade he was a blacksmith. Henry Fortney, maternal 
 grandfather of Mrs. Turner, was a native of Vir- 
 ginia, engaged in agricultural pursuits. The father 
 of Mrs. Turner was a blacksmith in his native State, 
 and carried on a good business. In 1856 he re- 
 moved to Davis County, Iowa, where he put up a 
 
 blacksmith-shop, and also rented the adjoining farm, 
 continuing there until 1863, when he removed to 
 Lineville, the same State, and engaged in black- 
 smithing. In 1864 he removed to Schuyler County, 
 Mo., where he purchased a farm of 120 acres, and 
 there he still lives, engaged in farming and black- 
 smithing. He is a member of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, and is a devout Christian. His 
 worthy wife de[)arted this life in 1861. To them 
 had been born eight children, namely : Cornelius, 
 Ann Matihla, Ellen, Hatlie, Henry, .lerome, Georgi, 
 Olive. Jerome is deceased ; Corneliusserved in de- 
 fense of his country during the late Civil War, en- 
 listing in Company E, 3d Iowa Cavalry, and joined 
 the army in 1861. He was mustered out at Ar- 
 kansas, and honorably discharged in 1864. Mrs. 
 Turner was born during the residence of her parents 
 in Birbuur County, Va., Jan. 17, 1843. She at- 
 tended a pay school there until twelve years of age, 
 and then a free school. She afterward moved with 
 her parents to lovva, remaining in her home until 
 her marriage. Of her union with our subject there 
 have been four children, namely; Oscar S., Melvin 
 T., James L., and an infant deceased. 
 
 Mr. Turner is an industrious man, highly re- 
 spected throughout the communitj" for his many ad- 
 mirable traits of character. In all local affairs he 
 takes an intelligent interest, and has served with 
 ability as Supervisor and School Trustee. Sjcially, 
 he is a member of the A. O. U. W., and in politics 
 is a stanch Republican. Mrs. Turner is a pleasant, 
 hospitable woman, and a sincere member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 LBERT U. MAYFIELD, of Elmwood, ed- 
 
 a -i^ v itor of the Elmwood Echo, is a native of 
 II Hi this State, being born near Louisville, Neb., 
 ^ March 14, 1865. He prepared himself for 
 
 future usefulness by attending the common schools 
 where he lived, and a course in the High School at 
 Plattsmouth, which latter he completed in 1881, 
 shortly after which he went into the newspaper 
 business as assistant in the office of the Louisville 
 Observer. In 1885, in companj' with his brother, 
 he edited the Hnwkeye in Greenwood. This part- 
 
*► I I M* 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•»* 
 
 889 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 nership was dissolved in 1886, when our sub- 
 ject settled in Elmwood and began the publication 
 of the Echo, which was a six-coluniu folio. In the 
 fall of 1887 the paper was enlarged to a six-column 
 quarto. The success of the paper was assured from 
 the start, having an ever-increasing subscription 
 list, and a handsome advertising patronage. This 
 success is due exclusively to the energy and knowl- 
 edge of the business possessed by its able editor. 
 The prospects are very bright that in a short time 
 the Echo will be one of, if not the, leading paper 
 of the county. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is one of a family of 
 eight children, Clarence G., Eugene O. and Win- 
 nefred being older, and Leroy J., Kosa M., George 
 A. and Olin M., being younger. He was married, 
 in Burlington, Iowa, to Miss Milly Volkmer, Feb. 
 13, 1887. His wife was born in Berlin, Ger- 
 many; she is highly educated and refined, and 
 is at heart a thorough American. They have one 
 child, Moyne. 
 
 Mr. Mayfield is identified with the order of the 
 Knights of Pythias, Master of Exchequer; at pres- 
 ent Warden of the I. O. O. F.; Inside Guard of 
 the A. O. U. W.; and a member of the Christian 
 Church. 
 
 The father of our subject, George W. Ma}'- 
 fleld, was born in Indiana, and is a minister in the 
 Christian Church. In 1857 he removed from In- 
 diana to Plattsmouth, Neb. During the war he 
 freighted between Plattsmouth and Denver with an 
 ox-team. He entered a homestead claim near 
 Louisville, which he improved. He sold it and re- 
 moved to Salt Creek, being one of the first settlers 
 in that section, acquiring 160 acres of wild land, 
 which he fully improved. During this time he 
 served in the Christian ministry, having a charge to 
 which he preached every Sunda}-, at Loader school- 
 house. In 1875 he sold his land and went into the 
 mercantile business, opening the second store in 
 Greenwood, where he did a successful business. He 
 continued this four years, then removed to Platts- 
 mouth, and formed a connection with the Herald in 
 that city. 
 
 In 1882 the father of our subject removed to 
 Louisville, where he establislied the Weekly Observer 
 in companj' with his son Eugene O. At the end of 
 
 two j'ears the son went to Greenwood, and is now 
 in Omaha, Neb., in the job printing business. The 
 father continues editing the Observer, and preach- 
 ing in the Christian Church at Louisville. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Emeline E. Todd, 
 was born in Jamestown, N. Y. Grandfather Thomas 
 J. Todd was a contractor and builder in New York, 
 and removed to Plattsmouth in 1857, and entered a 
 homestead on Four ]\Iile Creek, near that town. 
 In 1880 he retired to Plattsmouth, where he had 
 built one of the handsomest residences on Chicago 
 avenue. He died there in 1881. 
 
 Grandfather George W. Mayfield served in the 
 "War of 1812 against England. He was of English 
 descent, and could trace his ancestry back to the 
 landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. 
 
 ENRY ASHMUN, senior member of the firm 
 of Henry Ashinun & Co.. is, with his part- 
 ners, conducting one of the most flourishing 
 hardware establishments in the city of 
 Weeping Water. They built and now occupy the 
 fine brick structure on the corner of I and Elm 
 streets, known as the Ashnuin Block, and which is 
 one of the most attractive features of the business 
 portion of the city. It is constructed of fine 
 pressed brick, the building being 22x100 feet in 
 dimensions, with plnte-glass front, and in height 
 two stories, with basement. In the near future the 
 whole of it will be occupied by the firm, and when 
 completed it will be the finest hardware store along 
 the southern line of Cass County. Mr. Ashraun oc- 
 cupies with his family a beautiful residence in the 
 northeastern part of town. 
 
 Our subject first crossed the Mississippi in May 
 of 1869, coming direct to Weeping Water Precinct, 
 and purchasing a quarter of section 36, school 
 land, in Centre I'recinet. There had then been no 
 attempt at improvement, the land having just 
 come into the market that year, and was then val- 
 ued at $8.50 per acre. Mr. Ashmun enclosed it wiih 
 a substantial fence, set out a grove of forest trees, 
 together with an apple oichard and the smaller 
 fruits, besides putting up a good house and barn 
 In the meantime he proceeded with the cultivation 
 
 >► 1 1^ 
 
 on A 
 
9 890 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •►Hh-«»- 
 
 of the land, flevoting it at first almost entirely to 
 the raising of grain; later he discovered that stock 
 growing would prove remunerative, and accord- 
 ingly turned his attention to this industry, keeping 
 good grades of cattle, horses and swine. He con- 
 structed thus out of a wild tract of uncultivated 
 land a fine farm, which he sold at a goodprice in 
 April of 1888. 
 
 Mr. Ashmun has been interested in the hardware 
 business for the past eight years, being first asso- 
 ciated with the firm of Schermerhorn & Asiimun, 
 at Weeping Water, which partnership continued one 
 year. He then became junior member of the firm 
 of Kitciiie & Ashmun, which conducted the luisiness 
 at Weeping AVater three years. Mr. Fitchie then 
 withdrew, and G. A. Ashmun assumed proprietor- 
 ship of his interest in the business. The firm then 
 became Ashmun Bros., and later, upon the admis- 
 sion of other partners, Henry Ashmun & Co. Mr. 
 Ashmun, although a thorough young business man, 
 and popular in his community, has avoided politics, 
 excepting attending to his duty as a voter upon 
 occasions of election, when lie gives his support to 
 the Republican party. Socially, he belongs to the 
 Modern Woodmen of America, and in religious 
 matters is, with hisfamil}'. prominently connected 
 with the Congregational Church. He takes a warm 
 interest in Sunday-school work, and has held dif- 
 ferent official positions in the church. 
 
 Mr. Ashmun was born in Tallmadge, Summit Co., 
 Ohio, Nov. 29, 1843, and lived there until a young 
 man twenty-six years of age. He completed his 
 education in Tallmadge Academy, and employed 
 himself on his father's farm, and as a civil engi- 
 neer, until 18G9, with the exception of the time 
 spent in the army. At Tallmadge. in 1864. be en- 
 listed in Companj' H, 164th Ohio Infantry, serving 
 out bis time and receiving his honorable discharge. 
 After leaving the army he returned to the home of his 
 boyhood, remaining there engaged in engineering 
 until coming to Nebraska, as we have already 
 stated. 
 
 Our subject was married at LaGrange. Sept. 13, 
 1870, to Miss Ida Burton. This lady was born in 
 Collanier, Ohio, Dec. 14, 1847. Her parents were 
 natives of Ohio, and are now deceased. Mrs. 
 Ashmun received a liberal education, completing her 
 
 studies in Lake Erie Seminary, in Painesville, Ohio. 
 Her father died when she was quite young, and her 
 mother was married the second lime, and removed 
 to Lagrange County, Ind, Miss Ida accompanying 
 them and engaging as a teacher until her marriage. 
 Mrs. Burton died in Indiana. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ashmun there have been born four children, namely : 
 Louis, Ernest, Flora and Beth. They are all at 
 home with their parents, and are being given first- 
 class educational advantages. 
 
 William B. Ashmun, the father of our subject, 
 was born in Russell Township, St. Lawrence Co., 
 N. Y., July 5, 181.5, and lived there until the 
 eighteenth j'ear of his age. He received a gond 
 practical education, and in 1833 removed with his 
 parents to Ohio, settling in what was then Portage, 
 but what afterward became Summit County, seven 
 miles from Akron. The family had been preceded 
 to this place by one of the elder sons. William B. 
 removed, in 1837, from the Bucke^'e State to White- 
 side County, III., where he lived one year, then 
 returned to Ohio. In 1842, April 27, he was united 
 in marriage with Miss Sarah E. Fenn, and they be- 
 came the parents of six children, all of whom are 
 living, and of whom Henry, the subject of this 
 sketch, is the eldest. The others were: Julia, now 
 Mrs. A. O. Asblej-, of Weeping Water; George, 
 who also lives here; Russell A., located on a farm 
 south of town; Edward, a Luinister of the Con- 
 gregational Church, of Denver, Col.; and Helen, 
 of Weeping Water. 
 
 The father is still living, and is now retired from 
 active business. He makes his home in Weeping 
 AYater. He has held the various township offices, 
 serving as School Director and Justice of the Peace, 
 and with his wife and family, belongs to the Con- 
 gregational Church. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah E. (Fenn) Ashmun was born in Mil- 
 ford, New Haven Co.. Conn., Jan. 3, 1815. and 
 when three years old emigrated with her parents to 
 Ohio. She is the daughter of Richard and Mabel 
 (Piatt) Fenn, and lived at home until her marriage. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ashmun afterward lived with the par- 
 ents of the latter, and took care of them for twenty- 
 five years. Richard Fenn and his wife were na- 
 tives of Connecticut, the former born in 1818. 
 He emigrated to Ohio in the pioneer days, taking 
 
 -•►HI 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 up a tract of land in Summit County, and building 
 uj) a homestead from tiie wilderness. There he 
 spent the remainder of his life, passing away ahout 
 1867. Tlie mother had died several years before. 
 Keuiien Ashraun, the paternal grandfather of our 
 subject, was born in Massachusetts, IMay 23, 1780. 
 He lived there until after his marriage with Miss 
 Hulda Upson, then emigrating to St. Lawrence 
 County, N. Y., settled on a farm there, where he 
 lived until pushing farther westward, in 1833, to 
 Summit County, Ohio. In the latter his death 
 took place in 1848. He was one of the earliest 
 settlers in that region, a prominent man in his com- 
 munitj% a successful farmer, and formanj' years a 
 Justice of the Peace. His wife died about 1841. 
 Bolli were members of the Kpiscopnl Church, in Con- 
 necticut. During his early manhood Mr. Ashmun 
 had learned the trade of hatter. 
 
 -€-^B-- 
 
 (m 
 
 %j 
 
 HRIST STOEHR. Among the reliable Ger- 
 man citizens of Eight Mile Grove Precinct 
 none are held in kindlier regard than the 
 subject of this sketch. He was born in the Prov- 
 ince of Hesse-Darmstadt, Aug. 6, 1S28, and is the 
 son of Nicholas and Elizalieth Stoehr. who were also 
 of German biith and ancestry. The mother passed 
 from earth when herson Christ w.is a boy of twelve or 
 thirteen years. He lived with his father until reach- 
 ing his majority, and then the two, believing there 
 were better opportunities for them in America, de- 
 cided to emigrate hither. Making their way to the 
 city of Bremen they engaged passage on a sailing- 
 vessel bound for New York City, and after an ocean 
 voyage of forty-seven days arrived at their destina- 
 tion. 
 
 Our travelers sojourned onl^- a very brief time in 
 the metropolis but proceeded at once to Tazewell 
 County, 111., where Christ employed himself as a 
 farm laborer, and the father also farmed. The lat- 
 ter spent his last 3'ears in Tazewell County. Our 
 subject the j-ear following his arrival in the Prairie 
 State, having foimed the acquaintance of one of the 
 most estimable of his 30ung country-women. Miss 
 Elizabeth Ehrhart, was married to that lady in Taze- 
 well Count}-; III., in April, 1850. Mrs. Stoehr was 
 
 891 f 
 
 •4« 
 
 born in German^', May 6, 1831, and was the daughter 
 of Leonard and Margaret Ehrhart, who all came 
 to America in the same ship with j'oung Stoehr. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stoehr began their wedded life to- 
 gether in T-izewell County, III., coming to Ne- 
 braska in the spring of 1882. In due time there 
 were born to them a family of eight children, 
 namely: George, Oct. 28, 1854; Philip, Sept. 30, 
 185C; Conrad, Oct. 25, 1862; Maggie, Feb. 5, 1866 
 (this daughter is the wife of George P. Heil) ; Alice, 
 March 19, 1870; Catherine, Feb. 3, 1872; Louisa, 
 July 28, 1874, and Adam, June 11, 1877. Mr. 
 Stoehr operated for a time on rented land in Illi- 
 nois, then became the owner of a farm. His pro])- 
 erty in this county consisted of 160 acres, which 
 has been finely developed and is supplied with good 
 buildings. In his labors and successes be acknowl- 
 edges that he has had in his wife a most efficient 
 helpmate, one who has stood bravelj' by his side 
 and borne with him the heat and burden of the day. 
 To her efforts as much as his own belongs the credit 
 of accumulating a property and establisliing the 
 reputation of the family in a good social as well as 
 financial position. Mr. S.. politically, votes the 
 Democratic ticket, and both he and his wife belong 
 to the German Lutheran Church. Our subject served 
 as Commissioner in Tazewell County. III., for a pe- 
 riod of nine years, being three years of this time 
 Treasurer of the board. He was also for a number 
 of years a member of the School Board of his dis- 
 trict. 
 
 ''^^' 
 
 AVID S. HALVERSTADT. Few mem- 
 bers of the farming community of Cass 
 County have been more successful in their 
 vocations, or secured better results by the 
 expenditure of energetic and persistent labor, than 
 has the suliject of this notice, who is one of the 
 leading agriculturists of Weeping Water Precinct. 
 His farm on section 14, with its carefully tilled 
 acres, neatl}' hedged and fenced, its beautiful grove 
 and orchard, its tasty and comfortable buildings, 
 and the tine and well-kept specimens of cattle and 
 horses roaming over the fields, is considered one of 
 the most desirable and best managed farms in the 
 whole precinct, and with all its various improve- 
 
 •► 1 ^^ 
 
 ve- Y 
 
 -4U 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 892 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ments, indicates the presence of an intelligent mind 
 and a skillful hand. 
 
 Mr. Ilalverstadt inherited from a good old Ger- 
 man stock the traits of sobriety, honesty and in- 
 dustry that have made him successful in life. He 
 was born in Columbiana County. Ohio, Dec. 6, 
 1848, to Henry and Mary (Supers) Halverstadt. 
 His father was born in Maryland, Jan. 26, 1808, a 
 son of David Halverstadt. The latter was a na- 
 tive of Germany, who, coming to this countr}' when 
 six years of age, was bound out until he was twenty- 
 five years of age to pay for his passage over, and 
 in the same manner his parents were sold for a 
 number of years to p.\y for their passage, and from 
 this humble beginning have the Halverstadts in 
 America risen to their present prominence. The 
 grandfather settled in Maryland, and there married. 
 He afterward moved to Ohio with his wife and 
 children, and in the primeval forests of Colum- 
 biana County took up a homestead, and with the 
 aid of his boys cleared a farm. He be?ame pros- 
 perous, and accumulated quite a large property, and 
 when his four sons were ready to start in life for 
 themselves, he gave them each over a hundred 
 acres of land. 
 
 The father of our subject was a boy when his 
 parents moved to Ohio, and he there assisted his 
 father in the pioneer task of hewing trees and up- 
 rooting stumps, to prepare the land for cultivation. 
 He remained on the homestead until his marriage, 
 at twenty-eight j^ears of age, and then took his 
 share of his father's land. He was more than ordi- 
 narily successful in his vocation, and from time to 
 time added more land to his homestead, and be- 
 came quite wealthy. Of his happj- wedded life 
 with the mother of our subject eleven children 
 were born, two d^ing in infancy. When his chil- 
 dren were ready to go out into the world, he sold 
 off his land and gave them each a good start, it 
 having baen his intention to give them each a home 
 near him, but they chose to go West, so he unself- 
 ishly gave up his own wishes, and furthered theirs, 
 by giving them money instead of the land. He 
 continued to live on the old homestead until he 
 passed away from the scenes of earth, in Ma^^, 1888, 
 at the ripe old age of eighty years. He was held 
 in reverence and honor by his townspeople for 
 
 his noble and manl}' qualities. He was a man of 
 unquestioned integrity, whose word was equal to 
 his bond. He was a stanch member of the Lu- 
 theran Church, and was liberal in his contributions 
 toward its support. His widow survives him, and 
 is still vigorous in mind and body, and has just re- 
 turned to the old home from a visit to her son. 
 
 David S. Halverstadt lived in the home of his 
 birth until he was of age, obtaining in the mean- 
 time a substantial education, and a practical train- 
 ing in all kinds of farm work under his father's 
 tuition. He came to Nebraska in 1869 and located 
 on Elk Creek, in Johnson County, where he lived 
 until 1870. In the spring of that year he purchased 
 his present place, which was then but slightly im- 
 proved, a few acres having been broken, and a small 
 house erected. From that wild state our subject 
 has brought it up to its present high condition. He 
 has fenced the laud and set out five acres of forest, 
 and a large orchard, three acres of which are in 
 bearing. The land is very productive, and nearly 
 every pasture has been sowed to tame grass. Mr. 
 Halverstadt has also built himself a house, which is 
 a good, comfortable, convenient home. He feeds 
 the most of his grain, as he pays especial attention 
 to raising draft horses, high-graded Short-horn 
 cattle, and full-blooded Poland-China hogs. 
 
 After coming to this place our subject was mar- 
 ried, Nov. 15, 1875, to Miss Lucy Failor, and to 
 them have come seven children, of whom the fol- 
 lowing six are living: Florence, Birdena, Clinton, 
 Lilly, Clara and Hattie. Their daughter Clemen- 
 tine died Oct. 2. 1888, aged ten years. Mrs. Hal- 
 verstadt was born at Lebanon, Ohio, in 1852. Her 
 parents. Christian and Sarah (Misseldine) Failor, 
 moved to Centreville, Ind., about 1869, and there 
 she lived with them until her marriage. She has 
 proved an efficient helpm.ate and a wise mother. 
 Her father was a native of Ohio, and was there en- 
 gaged in the milling business, but when he removed 
 to Indiana he entered into business as a grocer, and 
 was carrying on that trade at the time of his death 
 in 1886, aged eighty years. 
 
 In our subject are found all the characteristics of 
 a good citizen, such as loyalty to his country, 
 straightforward .and manly conduct in the everj-- 
 day affairs of life, and kindness and helpfulness 
 
Ca^-'Z^^^ 
 
 ^ > ^ ^^^/^^'W 
 
^ 
 
 6r2yi4^ 
 
 
 — ^Ot-tj?^^,. 3^ ^V^^^-^ 
 

 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 895 i^ 
 
 where his neighbors are concerned. He is one of the 
 msmbers of the Congregational Church of Weeping 
 AVater, and is also connected with the Sunday-school 
 held in the Cascade school-house on the opposite 
 corner, and in his capacity as Superintendent of 
 said Sunday-school he has been instrumental in 
 building it up and making it a success. He is 
 identified with the Royal Arcanum and Farmers' 
 Alliance. He has served as School Director and as 
 Constable, but does not care for office, preferring 
 the quiets and comforts of home. He is in sympa- 
 thy with the Republican party in his political views, 
 but exercises his judgment in voting for men and 
 measures. 
 
 -f3= 
 
 A A 
 
 €>- 
 
 J^ DDISON P. WESTON is one of the most 
 * !p/'-J| i prosperous and progressive citizens of Lib- 
 
 /// I!) erty, and for many years was closelj' iden- 
 (^ tified with the farming and stock-raising 
 
 interests of Cass County, owning an extensive farm 
 on section 21, this precinct. By hard labor and 
 thrift he has amassed a handsome fortune, and soon 
 . intends to leave the farm and retire from the active 
 duties of a busy life to spend his declining years 
 with Ills good wife in one of the most comfortable 
 and well-appointed homes in the village of Ne- 
 hawka. 
 
 Mr. Weston is a native of Vermont, his birth- 
 place being tiie town of Plymouth, among the beau- 
 tiful hills of Windsor County, where he first opened 
 his eyes to the light of day Aug. 13, 1825. Both 
 oahis mother's and his father's side be is descended 
 from respectable old New England families. His 
 father, Stephen Weston, was born either in Massa- 
 chusetts or New Hampshire, and went to Win<lsor 
 County, Vt., most likely a single man, in 1802. 
 He was married to Lydia Boynton, wlio came of 
 hardy, long-lived stock. After marriage Mr. Wes- 
 ton begun farming in a small way among the bills 
 of Plymouth, Windsor County, and there his wife 
 died when our subject was little less than six years 
 old. The father afterward married Mrs. Burnap, 
 who subsequently died without issue by her second 
 marriage. The father spent his last days with his 
 
 children, our subject, with the others, contributing 
 liberally to his support and comfort after he became 
 enfeebled by age. His life was prolonged to the 
 unusual length of ninety-two years. 
 
 He of whom we write, after the death of his 
 mother lived with an aunt and uncle for three years, 
 after which he lived with an elder brother until 
 seventeen years old. In the vigorous air of his na- 
 tive hills he grew to be a sturdy youth, and at seven- 
 teen years of age was allowed to go foi'th to earn 
 his own living. For four years he worked for the 
 sum of $100 and his board and clothes, and thus 
 got his first start in life, which he later added 
 to by working out by the day. He was ambitious 
 to obtain an education, and attended school when- 
 ever opportunity offered. In 1852 lie struck out 
 into the world with characteristic enterprise and 
 pluck, and with a flock of sheep, which he drove 
 and shipped from point to |)oint, he made his way to 
 Racine Cininty, Wis., finally stopping at Waterfcnd. 
 Those were among the first fine wool Spanish and 
 French Merinos ever intro<luced into that part of 
 Wisconsin, and his venture proved very successful. 
 In 1864 he came to Nebraska, biinging with him 
 225 fine wool sheep, and embarked in the busi- 
 ness of sheep-raising here. He carried it on until 
 the spring of 1860, when he abandoned it to pay 
 attention more exclusively to general stock crowin" 
 and feeding, in which he was extensivel3' enwao-ed 
 until his recent I'etirement. His farm, beautifully 
 located on section 21, on either side of Weepinu- 
 Water Creek, embraces one of the best and most 
 valuable strips of land in Libert}- Precinct. Mr. 
 Weston bought his first land in Cass County in 
 18C3, it being located in Avoca Precinct, and he 
 resided on it two years, owning 240 acres, and 
 making considerable improvements. In 1866 he 
 purchased his homestead on section 21, Liberty 
 Precinct, with a view of getting stone, wood and 
 water, with which it is well supplied, and it has 
 proved a very valuable farm for making money. It 
 embraces 320 acres of land, most of which is 
 under cultivation, and has been improved to a very 
 high point l)y a judicious espemliture of labor and 
 money. It has a fine bearing orchard of 1,200 fruit 
 trees. He has erected on it a fine set of the most 
 modern farm buildings; one barn is 66x60 feet in 
 
 «» 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 896 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 dimensions, with a lean-to and an L attached, mak- 
 ing it very commodious; and another large stock 
 and grain harn, 24x64 feet, is also a fine structure. 
 These buildings are well constructed, and after the 
 most approved and convenientlj' arranged plans. 
 The house that Mr. Weston formcrlj' occupied is a 
 pleasant frame dwelling, but the home to which 
 he will soon retire, in Nehawka, is a fine brick edi- 
 fice, two stories in height, with basement, all the 
 modern appliances for comfort and conveniencei 
 and in its exterior is an ornament to the village. 
 
 During his residence in Racine County, Wis., INIr. 
 Weston was married, Aug. 24, 1856, to Miss Ame- 
 lia BCTit, who was born in the town of Wendell, 
 Franklin Co.. Mass., March 24, 1839. She is a 
 daughter of William L. and Lucinda (Armstrong) 
 Bent, both of whom are deceased, the mother dying 
 in Wendell when her daughter of whom we write 
 was only three years old. She was a native of Mas- 
 sachusetts, and was a daughter of Timothy Arm- 
 strong, likewise a native of the old Bay State, and 
 a farmer of Franklin County. William Bent sur- 
 vived his first wife twelve years, and was a second 
 time wedded, Maria Woodbury liecoming his wife, 
 and she survived him. Mr. Bent was a farmer, 
 and prosecuted his calling in Franklin County. He 
 subsequently removed to Wisconsin, and died in 
 Racine Couuty. He was a son of Joel Bent, a native 
 of Barry, M."iss. Mrs. Weston was reared b}' her 
 father until his death, and then her step-mother 
 had charge of her until she attained womanhood, 
 and she continued to live with her until her 
 marriage, having accompanied her parents to Ra- 
 cine County, Wis., when a child of ten years. She 
 is broad and liberal minded, a woman whose large 
 heart is full of womanly love and neighborly kind- 
 ness. 
 
 Mr. AVeston has acquired his entire fortune since 
 leaving his native hills, and by the exercise of 
 habits of indefatigable industry, prudence and 
 economy. He inherited a full share of those fine 
 traits of character that maik the New ICngland 
 stock and make them valuable citizens wherever 
 they may settle, lie has not only been a hard- 
 working man all his life until recent!}', but his labors 
 have been directed by a mind of more than ordi- 
 nary acutenoss, and he has always displayed an in- 
 
 telligent enterprise, and has been quick to seize 
 every opportunity or advantage that would conduce 
 to his material prosperity. He is a Republican in 
 his politics, and gives his party earnest sup[)ort. He 
 has borne an honorable part in public affairs as As- 
 sessor of the precinct, which office he has twice held. 
 The portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Weston adjoining, 
 are a valuable acquisition to this Album, and will 
 be regarded with much pleasure by their many 
 friends. 
 
 |TniF:NJAMIN F. LAUGHLIN. Both the per- 
 l^^ sonal and ancestral history of the subject of 
 (^fenjlj this sketch, an enterprising business man of 
 %sf' Greenwood, \,s worth}' of more than a pass- 
 ing mention. A son of one of the earliest pioneers 
 of AVashington County, Iowa, he was born there 
 Aug. 25, 1841, and grew up amid its primitive 
 scenes, at the lime when the Indians had not long 
 been removed from the western limits of the State. 
 John Laughlin, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Randolph County, N. C.,and married Miss 
 Marj- Tucker, a native of the same State. Both 
 were the offspring of prominent old families, who 
 had emigrated to America during the Colonial 
 days. John Laughlin after his marriage migrated 
 across the Mississippi about 1S35, and was one of 
 the earliest settlers of Henry County, Iowa. A 
 man of great energy and more than ordinary abili- 
 ties, he by his own labors furnished an incentive to 
 the men around him, and that part of Henry 
 County in which he settled sensibly outgrew its 
 neighbors. He was held by his fellow-citizens in 
 high esteem, occupied the various local offices, 
 and accumulated a good property. He personally 
 assisted in removing the Indians from Henry 
 County to their reservation in Iowa, and was fore- 
 most in inaugurating the various enterprises which 
 gradually grow up witliin the preciftcts of a new set- 
 tlement. His death took place June 10, 1865,atthe 
 old homestead, and that of the mother, December 7 
 of the same year. The latter was six years younger 
 than her husband, and he was about fifty-two years 
 old at the time of his decease. To John and Mary 
 Laughlin there were born eleven children, namely 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 897 
 
 William J., McKenzie G., Louisa, Cbaiity, John RI., 
 Nancj', Benjamin F. (our subject), Ephiaim D., 
 Jesse Payne. Alvin Tliomas and Mary Lizzie. 
 
 Benjamin F. Laiiglilin was reared to manhood in 
 Washington County, Iowa, acquiring a practical 
 education in the common .schools. His bo3'hood 
 and youth were spent after the manner of the sons 
 of pioneer farmers, he also receiving careful home 
 training, and being taught those liabits of industry 
 and principles of honor wliich have made liim a 
 worthy and reliable member of the communitj-. 
 At tlie death of his father, being among the eldest 
 of the bo3-s, he naturally assumed much of the re- 
 sponsibility of carrying on the homestead, until the 
 outbreak of the Civil War. A year later, when onh' 
 twenty-one years old, he proffered his services in 
 behalf of the Union b}' enlisting in Company B, 
 25th Iowa Infantry, for three years or during the 
 war, in response to the call of President Lincoln for 
 300,000 troops. 
 
 Company B spent some time drilling at Jit. 
 Pleasant, Iowa, in which they made good progress, 
 and were also well equipped with the necessary 
 arms when starting for the South on the 1st of 
 November, 1862. Their destination was Helena, 
 Ark., to which they journeyed via Burlington, St. 
 Louis and Memphis, by steamer. They first saw 
 the smoke of battle at Chickasaw Baj-ou, and soon 
 afterward followed the first attack of Vicksburg, 
 the day before Christmas, 1 8C2. Being repulsed 
 there they took boats up the river to Arkansas Post, 
 surrounding the rebel works and capturing tlie 
 place Jan. 11, 1863, after a lengthy and hotly con- 
 tested engagement. Retiring to Young's Point, 
 they sojourned there until the middle of April, and 
 then began the campaign which included the bat- 
 tles of Raymond, Canton. Miss., and Champion 
 Hills. They drove the enemy into their works at 
 Vicksburg, then surrounded the city, and on the 
 22d of May commenced an assault in which the 
 2oth Iowa lost heavily. 
 
 Soon afterward began the actual siege of Vicks- 
 burg, which finally ended in glorious victory for the 
 Union troops, the Confederates surrendering July 
 4, 1863. On the morning of the 5th they were 
 ordered to Jackson, Miss., to follow up Joe John- 
 ston's army, fighting at Clinton and then returning 
 
 to Vicksburg. At the latter place they remained in 
 camp until October, when they were ordered to assist 
 the Army of the Cumberland. Later they fought 
 at Cherokee Station, driving the rebels to Tuscum- 
 bia on the Tuscumbia River. Afterward returning 
 to Cherokee Station, the^' encamped there one 
 week, then started for Chattanooga. At that place, 
 under command of Gen. Hooker, they soon moved 
 upon Lookout Mountain. Mission Ridge and Ring- 
 gold, and after dislodging the enemy from these 
 places went into camp at WoodviUe, Ala. They 
 remained there the greater portion of the winter. 
 
 The campaign of 1864 found our subject and his 
 comrades opening up the campaign in Georgia, un- 
 der the command of Gen. Sherman, 1st Division, 
 15th Army Corps. The princi|)al battles which 
 followed in this region were Big Shanty, Kenesaw 
 Mountain, Marietta, the siege of Atlanta Juh- 22 
 and 28, and afterward Jonesboro. Then followed 
 the famous march to sea. Their business ended in 
 this section of country, they returned up through 
 the Carolinas, being at Raleigh, N. C, when news 
 was received of the surrender of Lee. A few days 
 later found them in AVashington at the grand review, 
 when our subject, with his comrades, was mustered 
 out, and repairing to Davenport. Iowa, received his 
 honorable discharge June 14. 1865. 
 
 After returning home Mr. Laughlin began to real- 
 ize the fact that whether in time of peace or time of 
 war it was not well for man to live alone. It is 
 probable that his heart had already been captured 
 by the young lady, Miss Susan Reeves, to whom he 
 was married in Washington County, Iowa, Jan. 25, 
 1866. Mrs. Laughlin was also the daughter of a 
 pioneer of the Hawkeye State, who settled there as 
 early as 1836. There later Miss Susan was born, 
 Sept. 20, 1846. The young people commenced 
 their wedded life together on a farm in Washington 
 County, and resided there until the spring of 1883, 
 when they changed their residence to this county. 
 
 Mr. Laughlin is now conducting a thriving livery 
 stable in the suburbs of Greenwood, in connection 
 with which he also operates a farm. He is recog- 
 nized as a useful and worthy citizen, having in- 
 herited in a marked degree the enterjjrise and 
 industry of his honored father, which were among 
 the notable characteristics of their substantial Ger- 
 
 -^1^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 ■♦■ 
 
 898 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 man ancestry. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Laugh- 
 lin is pleasant in the extreme, and has been briglitened 
 bj- the birth of seven ciiiidren. These were named 
 respectively: Anna L., Alvah Thomas, William F. 
 and Kpiiraim (twins), Katie deceased, Cliarita. and 
 E. D. deceased. The survivors are all at home 
 with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. L. are members 
 in good standing of the Ciiristian Church, and our 
 subject, politically, is an uncompromising Democrat. 
 Socially, he belongs to the Masonic fraternity, and 
 offlciates as Junior Deacon of Unit}' Lodge No. 
 103, at Greenwood. He is also a member of the G. 
 A. R., belonging to Mission Ridge Post No. 149, at 
 Greenwood. 
 
 Mr. Laughlin purchased his liverj' business in 
 1888. and is gradually gathering together the 
 equipments which will in due time make it one of 
 the most complete establishments of the kind in this 
 part of the county. He is a man prompt to meet 
 his obligations, is courteous and obliging, and one 
 who naturally gathers around him many friends. 
 
 D 
 
 ELSON McREYNOLDS, a retired farmer, is 
 1/ an old settler and a representative citizen of 
 
 \,^ Cass County. His large farm of 240 acres, 
 pleasantly located on section 8 of Liberty Precinct, 
 is finely improved and well adapted to the raising 
 of cereals or to stock-raising, to which lie has al- 
 ways paid much ailention. He is a native of Vir- 
 ginia, born in Abingdon, Washington County, June 
 G, 1808, of Scotch-Irish parentage. His parents, 
 John and Sarah (Scott) McReynolds, were born and 
 reared in the same country. After establishing them- 
 selves in a home oftheirown in their native county, 
 they remained there until after the birth of two of 
 their children, and then they removed to Warren 
 County. Tenn. Mr. McReynoMs there purch.ased 
 300 acres of land, on which he farmed and carried 
 on blacksmithing until his death, when about fifty 
 years of age. Mrs. McReynolds survived her hus- 
 band and married again, finally dying in Tennessee 
 of cholera. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was veiy young when 
 his parents moved to Tennessee, where he was edu- 
 cated and grew to manhood. Being nearlj- nine- 
 
 teen years of age when his father died, our subject 
 soon after set out to seek his fortune, going first to 
 Saline County, Mo., wliere he secured work by the 
 da}'. He sul)sequently purchased a piece of land in 
 that county, but later bought 500 acres in Carroll 
 County, the same State, which he afterward dis- 
 posed of at $5 an acre, it having been flooded by 
 the high water of 1844. Mr. McReynolds then went 
 to Holt County, where he farmed for some years. 
 In 18G.T he came to this State, and for a few months 
 lived in Nebraska City, when, desiring to establish 
 himself permanently in a home, he purchased 200 
 acres of land, to which he later added another 200 
 acres, and began the improvement of his farm. He 
 labored judiciouslj' and succeeded in eliminating a 
 fine farm from the unbroken prairie, and has now 
 as comfortable a home as one could wish for. He 
 has given 160 acres of land to his sons, thus reduc- 
 ing the number of acres in his original homestead, 
 but it is still large enough to suppl}' all of his wants. 
 
 Mr. McReynolds has been twice married. His 
 first wife, Anna Ciegg, to whom he was united in 
 Saline County, Mo., was born in Virginia, and 
 moved to Missouri when quite young with her par- 
 ents, making her home with them until her mar- 
 riage. She remained in Carroll County until her 
 death, which occurred while she was in the prime of 
 life. She left four children, of whom only one, 
 William, now living with his father, survives. One 
 daughter, Mollie, and a son Hugh died after mar- 
 riage, the former leaving one child and the latter 
 two. The second marri.age of our subject took place 
 in Carroll County, Mo., where he married Martha 
 Henderson ; her Srst husband's name was Grover 
 Brinker. Mrs. McRej'nolds was the daughter of 
 George Washington and Mary (Miller) Henderson, 
 who silent their lives in Kentucky, both dying at a 
 ripe old age. Their daughter Martha was reared 
 and educated in that State, and there married her 
 first husband, who, after a few j-ears of happy mar- 
 ried life, died, leaving her with one child, now de- 
 ceased. She subsequently went to Missouri and 
 met our subject, whom she afterward married, as 
 before mentioned. 
 
 The household circle of Mr. and Mi's. McRey- 
 nolds has been brightened bj' the birth of four chil- 
 dren, of whom one, Robert, is dead. Of the others 
 
 ■•►Hi 
 
-Il-^*- 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 8!)9 
 
 the following is vecorded: George, a farmer of Lib- 
 erty, inarriert Miss Nanna Alforrl; Charles is living 
 in the AVest; RloUie is the wife of John Berger, a 
 farmer and merchant of Fleming. Butte Co., Neb. 
 Mr. McReynolds has always lived an honorable life, 
 and is respected every where for his upright dealings 
 and fair business transactions. In politics he is an 
 uncompromising Democrat, ami never fails to vote 
 with that party when opportunit}' offers. 
 
 -I-+ 
 
 ^-^ 
 
 THOMAS THOMAS, deceased. Among the 
 pioneers of this county none have been held 
 in greater respect than |he subject of this 
 sketch, who rested from his earthly labors Xov. 
 22, 1884. He was born in Monongahela, Pa., Oct. 
 20, 1812, and was the son of Samuel Thomas, a 
 native of Xew Jersey. His paternal grandfather, 
 also Thomas Thomas, was likewise born in New 
 Jerse}', and was the son of a native-born Welsli- 
 m,an, who crossed the Atlantic about 1750. in com- 
 pany with two brothers, lauding in New Jersey. 
 One brother settled in Virginia, and the other in 
 South Carolina. The great-grandfather of our 
 subject remained in New Jersey, and it is supposed 
 spent the remainder of his life there. 
 
 Grandfather Thomas enlisted in the Kevolution- 
 arj' Army under the direct command of Gen. 
 Washington, at the age of fifteen years, and for a 
 time was emplo^'ed in cutting out sheets of Conti- 
 nental currency. Later, greatly to his delight he 
 was mustered into a light horse company, in which 
 he served valiantly until the close of the war. 
 Afterward he was married to Miss Mar}- N. Grimes, 
 who was of American birth but Irish descent, and 
 after becoming the parents of two sons, Benjamin 
 and Samuel, and one daughter, they migrated west 
 of the Alleghany Mountains with pack horses, 
 there being then no wagon roads. They carried 
 with them what few goods they could load upon 
 their horses, and the grandmother with her daugh- 
 ter in her arms rode one horse, the two boys rode 
 another, and the grandfather led the waj' on foot 
 with his gun on his shoulder. 
 
 Arriving in Pennsylvania Grandfather Thomas 
 took up a tract of timber land in the valley of 
 
 the Monongahela. where he improved a large area, 
 and there spent the remainder of his life, becoming 
 quite wealthy for those days. Of this family- 
 Samuel Thomas, the father of our subject, prolia- 
 bly remained a resident of Painsylvania until his 
 marriage. His bride. Miss Elizabeth LaRue, was 
 of American birth, init French ancestry. Her 
 father, Abraham LaRue, was .also a soldier in the 
 Revolutionary War. In 1817 thej- started west- 
 ward to Guernsey County, Ohio, and located upon 
 a tract of timber land near the embryo village 
 of Fairview. This land had been given Mr. 
 Thomas by his father, ."lild he remained upon it 
 until his death in 1830, a period of thirteen years. 
 In the year 1830 our subject purchased the in- 
 terest of the other heirs in the propert}-. Of this he 
 retained possession until 1837, then selling out he 
 started for Indiana, accompanied by his wife and 
 son Samuel, making the journey overland with a 
 one-horse wagon, and taking such goods as could be 
 transported by this limited means of conveyance. 
 
 Mr. Thomas, selecting his location in Grant 
 Countj', Ind., purchased 160 acres of timber land 
 five miles from Macon, the count}' seat, which 
 w.as then but a village of a few houses. It was 
 several years before a railroad was built to the 
 place. Mr. T. put up a log house 16x14 feet in 
 area, the floor being of puncheon and the roof cov- 
 ered with rived boards. The chimney was con- 
 structed of earth and sticks on the outside, and 
 the fireplace occupied nearly one side of the 
 building, Mrs. Thomas had no stove for some 
 years, doing her cooking by the fireplace. She also 
 manufactured the clothing for the family, spinning 
 and weaving wool and fltix. She, like her husband, 
 was verj' industrious .and energetic, and one year 
 spun enough yarn fo)' 100 yards of cloth. 
 
 Mr. Thomas improved quite a tract of his land, 
 and this it must be remembered, covered with tim- 
 ber, was no small task. After felling the trees he 
 was assisted by his good wife in rolling the logs 
 together, so they could be burned and thus got 
 out of the way, then before the crops could be put 
 in the stumps must be dug out of the ground and 
 likewise piled and burned. He thus labored on this 
 land a period of ten j-ears, then selling out re- 
 moved with his f.amily to Wabash County, purehas- 
 
 *► 1 1^ 
 
 t^t-M» 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 •<• 
 
 900 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ing there also 160 acres of timber land, and 
 repeating the labors of clearing and bringing the 
 soil to a state of cultivation. 
 
 On the 6th of April, 1856, Mr. Tliomas, leaving 
 Indiana started on another migratory tour, this 
 time landing in Nebraska Territorj'. The entire 
 journe}% as bad been his other peregrinations, was 
 made overland with teams, but on his arrival in 
 the vicinity of what is now Glenwood, Iowa, he 
 halted and purchased a house and four acres of 
 land, where he ensconced his family, and then dur- 
 ing the summer following took up his line of 
 march for Nebraska. Arriving in this county he 
 purchased a claim four miles northwest of the pres- 
 ent city of Plattsmouth, and in September of that 
 year removed to it with his family. Their first 
 shelter was a frame shanty 10x22 feet in area, and 
 their nearest neighbor on the west was ten miles 
 away, on the east settlers joined their farm. The 
 consequence was many travelers called to stop over 
 night, and they were never turned away. Deer 
 were plentiful at that time, but the winter of 
 1856-57 was very severe, and it is supposed that 
 many of them must have perished, as they were 
 never seen in such numbers afterward. 
 
 Among other visitors to the home of this pioneer 
 family were Indians, who frequently called at the 
 house, but further than creating a natural feeling of 
 distrust did not molest the inmates, except to beg 
 for something to eat, or some article which attracted 
 their fancy. At one time the Thomas family were 
 visited by a delegation of 200 Indians. Life thus 
 passed with the Thomas famih^ until the settlers 
 began to take up land around them, which greatly 
 relieved the solitude of their existence. Our sub- 
 ject proceeded with the improvement of his purchase 
 while his children grew up around him. and in 1874, 
 retiring from active labor he left his two youngest 
 sons in charge of the farm, and moved with his 
 wife to Plattsmouth. 
 
 Prior to this Mr. Thornas had purchased the 
 place where liis widow now resides, on Wintersteen 
 Hill. Thereafter he devoted his time to the beauti- 
 fying of his home and gathering together the little 
 conveniences and comforts which he loved. His 
 death took place here Nov. 22, 1884. He and his 
 estimable wife had li^ed together for a period of 
 
 nearly fifty years, having been married Oct. 15, 
 1835. The bride was Miss Susannah Carrothers, 
 and she was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland, 
 Feb. 15, 1815. Her father, James Carrothers, was 
 a native of Scotland and of pure Scotch ancestry.. 
 He emigrated to America at an early day, settling 
 first in Guernsey County, Ohio, whence he removed 
 later to Morrow County, where he lived many 
 years, passing away at the advanced age of eighty- 
 seven. He had married in early manhood Miss 
 Ann Blakcly, also a native of County Fermanagh, 
 and the daughter of Robert and Ellen Blakely, 
 who, it is supposed, were natives of Scotland. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of Jlrs. Thomas, James 
 Carrothers by name, was a farmer by occupation, 
 and spent his last years in County Fermanagh, Ire- 
 land. He married Miss Margaret Beatty. To Mr. 
 and Mrs. Thomas there were born nine children, 
 viz: Samuel L.; Ann Eliza, who died when five 
 years old; James W., a resident of Plattsmouth 
 Precinct, this county; Margaret Ann, who died at 
 the age of seven years; Mary E., the wife of E. R. 
 Todd, whose biography appears on another page; 
 Eliza Ann, who died when five years old; Cin- 
 derella, the wife of O. M. Carter, of Omaha; 
 Thomas J., living in Plattsmouth Precinct, residing 
 on the old homestead, and George W., living in the 
 city. 
 
 Prior to the war Mr. Thomas was a Democrat, 
 after that he became a Republican. At the age of 
 twenty-two lie became a member of the Methodist 
 Church, and Mrs. Thomas, at the age of sixteen, 
 became a member of the same church. 
 
 •^^s^ 
 
 -^K* 
 
 >«f»«f- 
 
 ^.ElIEMIAH LIVINGSTON. At lliis day 
 
 I 
 
 and age the pioneer settlers are looked upon 
 with more than ordinary- respectand venera- 
 tion, for they are passing away. Their works, how- 
 ever, in the language of Scripture, '-do follow 
 them," and their descendants fur generations will 
 '•rise up to call them blessed." Under the present 
 sj'stem of preserving the records of the lives of 
 those men, it is becoming a matter held in great 
 consideration as years advance, for the iiistory of 
 
 •►^h-^ 
 
-•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 men's lives is ;i history of the couiurv. The Ameri- 
 can people are learning to hold in greater estima- 
 tion the resources of their native land, which re- 
 sources could only have lieen developed b3' those 
 who pushed their way into the wilderness in the 
 face of what seemed almost insurmountable ob- 
 stacles, but whose perseverance enabled them to 
 come off victors in the struggle. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, a pioneer of Cass 
 County, came to Nebraska Territory in 1857, and 
 tiled a tract of Government land on section 6, Mt. 
 Pleasant Precinct. This land did not come into 
 the market until the fall following, and then, not 
 having the means to purchase, it reverted again to 
 Uncle Sam. Mr. Livingston, however, a short time 
 later was enabled to buy a small tract of fortj' 
 acres from George W. Mayfield, which he was suc- 
 cessful in improving, and in adding to later by a 
 like amount. Upon he this labored until the spring 
 of 1H74, when he wisely determined to retire, and 
 is now taking life easy in the comfortable home of 
 bis own building. 
 
 Our subject was born in Renssehier County, N. 
 Y., April 22, 1809, and is the son of Nehemiah, 
 !Sr., and Elizabeth (McMillen) Livingston, the 
 father a native of New Yoik, and the mother of 
 Bennington, Vt. The latter left her native State 
 wlien a little girl of nine years, settling with her 
 parents in Washington County, N. Y. Here, upon 
 reaching womanhood, she made the acquaintance 
 of her future husband, who was stricken down in 
 his prime, d3-ing before the birth of our suliject. 
 He was a skilled mechanic .'ind millwright, an hon- 
 est, hard-working man, who enjoj'ed the esteem 
 and respect of all who knew him. 
 
 After the death of her husband the mother of 
 our subject took up her residence in Washington 
 County, N. Y., wiiere Nehemiah. Jr., attended the 
 common school, and assisted his mother until her 
 second marriage. He then left home, and began in 
 earnest the struggle of life on his own account. 
 He worked at farming and carpentering, and con- 
 tinued a resident of his native State until 1856. 
 when he migrated to Ohio, and sojourned a brief 
 season in Sandusky County. Next we find hira in 
 Henry County, 111., and later in Fremont County, 
 Iowa. In the spring of 1857 he first set foot upon 
 
 the soil of Nebraska, and his subsequent oi)erations 
 we have already indicated. 
 
 In the year 1857 Mr. Livingston met witii an 
 accident which destro3'ed the sight of one eye. He 
 was prying a glass from a window sash, which, 
 breaking, threw a piece of glass into his eye, and 
 from which he suffered greatlj' for some time. 
 Later he also met with additional misfortune by the 
 loss of a good ox, which was killed by the Indians, 
 which left him without a team. His neighbors 
 were few and far between, there being for some 
 time after his settlement in this countj' onl}' two 
 hous.es between his property and Plattsmouth. Kis 
 first dwelling was formed by sticking poles in 
 the ground, and tlien weatherboard ing these, and 
 he succeeded in making quite a comfortable habi- 
 tation. 
 
 There had accompanied our subject to the Far 
 West his faithful wife and companion, who in her 
 girlhood was Miss Indiana Foster, and to whom he 
 had been married, in 1 8.32. in New York. This ladj' 
 was born in Caj-iiga County, N. Y., and was the third 
 daugiiterofS.imueland Elizabeth (Patterson) Foster. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Livingston are the parents of five sons 
 and six daughters ; three of these are deceased. James 
 A., the second sou, during the late Civil War, en- 
 listed in Company A, 4th Iowa Cavalry, was 
 wounded and taken prisoner, and after great suf- 
 fering died iu the hospital at Jackson, Miss. The 
 others were named respectivel3^: Samuel V., Charles 
 E., Levi H., Lewis H. L. ; Eliza, deceased; Frances, 
 the wife of Jackson Barker; Mary M., Mrs. Isaac 
 M. Goodspeed ; and Sarah E., the wife of Benon 
 Teodorski. 
 
 Mr. Livingston has served his township in var- 
 ious capacities, officiating as School Director many 
 years; he operated as lioad .Supervisor four years, 
 and as Judge of Elections four3'ears. He uniformly 
 votes the Democratic ticket, and is a member 
 of the Knights of Labor. Upon reaching his ma- 
 jority he cast his first Presidential vote for Andrew 
 Jackson. He is now in the eightieth year of his 
 age, hale and heart3', the result of temperance and 
 correct habits. In religious matters he is liberal, 
 but has sought throughout a long career to do good 
 as he has had opportunit3-, never turning a hungry 
 man from liis door, and giving his intiuence to the 
 
 ■► II ^" 
 
 ♦r^"- 
 
•►Hh-^*- 
 
 ■•► 
 
 902 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ])rojec-ts cnlculatcil for the nioial Tvplfaic of s<:cie1j-. 
 Ill his native State, riiiiing his ( aily maiilic< d. he 
 belonoed to ilic mililia. holding the rank of Sicond 
 Lieutenant. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject was a 
 native of Scotland, whence he emigrated to En- 
 gland early in life, serving as a soldier, and being 
 under the command of Gen. Wool in the battle of 
 Quebec, in which he received an honorable wound. 
 
 \T?AMES JOHNSON, The subject of this 
 sketch was the fourth of five children born 
 in Seilkeborg, Denmark, Feb. 10, 1853. He 
 remained at home twenty years, attending the 
 common schools until fourteen, then attended the 
 High School at the city of Hammel one year, thor- 
 oughly mastering his mother tongue. He remained 
 with his father until 1873. in which year he took 
 an extended tour through Germany, England, Scot- 
 land and Ireland, after which he concluded to come 
 to America, leaving Londonderry on the steamer 
 "Atlantic," and landing in Portland, Me., after a 
 twelve days' voyage, There he remaine'd but a 
 short time, leaving there for Union Cit}^, Branch 
 Co., Mich., where he began working ou a farm, and 
 continued to remain there five years, when became 
 to Nebraska to buy laud, going by rail to Platts- 
 mouth, thence to Weeping Water, where he rented 
 his present place for a period of two years, when 
 in 1880 he bought it. There were no improvements, 
 and only 100 acres were broken. He at once pro- 
 ceeded to build up a home and the necessary out- 
 buildings, continued breaking the soil until the 
 whole tract was under plow, and set out a grove of 
 eight acres, an orchard of 400 trees, and a vineyard 
 of 200 vines. The farm is well fenced with wire 
 fence, and is watered by the Cascade Creek, which 
 gives the farm its name as the Cascade Stock Farm. 
 It is admirably adapted to the raising and feed- 
 ing of stock, and is situated within less than one 
 mile from the stockyards of Weeping AVater. He 
 devotes his attention to the raising of thorough- 
 bred Herefords, of which he has now a herd of four- 
 teen choice head, also a fine herd of thoroughbred 
 Poland-China and Chester-White hogs, and twenty- 
 
 four head of horses, including three thoroughbred 
 Hambletohians. One is "Lamont," a famous trot- 
 ter, and he has likewise a number of Normans. 
 This branch of the business is the especial pride of 
 the gentleman, and he is certainly justified in exer- 
 cising it in the way he has. All his animals show 
 the great care expended on them. There are herds 
 having a larger number, but few, if siny, present a 
 finer appearance. In addition to stock-raising he 
 buys and feeds from 100 to 125 head of cattle each 
 year, and buys and ships stock of all kinds to Omaha, 
 and also raises 150 to 200 head of hogs per yeair 
 for the general market, which he ships to the best 
 market available. 
 
 Our subject's father was Jens J., born in Seilke- 
 borg, Denmark. His mother, Mattie M. Juergen- 
 sen, was born in the same Province, where they 
 were married. Grandfather Nils J. Johnson served 
 in the army during the war against Germany in 
 1848, was a farmer, and died at the ripe old age of 
 ninety-six years. The father of our subject was 
 a farmer in his native Province, and also served 
 in the war of 1864 against Germany. He owned 
 200 acres of land, and was considered quite wealth}' ; 
 be died in 1880, fift\'-nine years old. The mother 
 is still living in Denmark, and is seventy-four years 
 old. Of their children, of whom James is the 
 fourth, Carl and Nils are in Denmark, and Elsie is 
 in America. 
 
 Mr. Johnson superintends all the labor and man- 
 agement of the farm himself, and is an example of 
 what thrift and intelligently directed labor can ac- 
 complish. He was married, March 17, 1880, to 
 Miss Eliza Murfin, daughter of Henry and Jane 
 (Windt) Murfln, both born in Carroll County, Ohio. 
 Grandfather ^lurfin came from England and set- 
 tled and farmed in Ohio, and was in easy circum- 
 stances. Grandfather Windt was a German, who 
 came to America and settled in Ohio, where he was 
 a shoemaker and farmer. The father and mother 
 of Mrs. Johnson were married in Carroll County, 
 Ohio. Her father was a farmer, and enlisted in the 
 Ohio Infantr}' with his two brothers. The father 
 went South and served until the close of the war, 
 when he was honorably discharged, and returned to 
 his home in Ohio and farmed there for several 
 years, removing thence to Branch County, Mich., 
 
 »► 1 1^ 
 
Residence OF R. K. Leyda,5ec.29.MTPlea3antPrect.Cass Co 
 
 Residence OF James Johnson, 5Ec.n., weeping Water Precinct.Cass Co. 
 
•►HF^ 
 
 •>-H::4 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •«»> 
 
 905 
 
 where he bought forty acres of land, and continued 
 farming and raising fruit until 1873, when he sold 
 out and removed to Wabash, Neb., where he now 
 liasj an elogant farm of 160 acres, well improved 
 and thoroughly equipped with modern appliances, 
 which make farming a source of pleasure, as well 
 as- of profit. He is a strong Republican in politics, 
 and takes a great interest in the success of his party. 
 He is fifty-seven years of age, and the mother the 
 same. The lady is the eldest of five children, was 
 horn in Carroll County, Ohio, Jan. 26, 1860, emi- 
 grated to ilichigan with her parents, and was there 
 married. They have one child, Leo, born March 
 a, 1882. She is a very kind, companionable lady, 
 devoting herself to the comfort and pleasure of her 
 family and friends. Our subject is a member of 
 the A. F. & A. M. at AVeeping AV^ater, Lodge No. 
 97, has been through all the Chairs, and Master for 
 two years. He served one term on the School 
 Board, and at present is Assessor. 
 
 During his spare hours Mr. Johnson has studied 
 the English language, until he has mastered it so 
 well that he would not be taken for a foreigner, 
 judging from his language. He says that America 
 has given him chances he would not have had in 
 his mother country, consequently he is an Ameri- 
 can through and through. On another page is 
 shown a view of Mr. Johnson's comfortable resi- 
 dence. 
 
 - OOP - 
 
 Ip^EUBEN K. LEYDA and liis excellent wife, 
 'It^ir who in her girlhood was Miss Catherine 
 '*\ \\\ Shoup. are numbered among the well-known 
 ^P" people of Mt. Pleasant Precinct who have 
 built up for themselves a good homestead, and 
 whose course has been such as to coiijmend them to 
 their neighbors. Their property is pleasantly situ- 
 ated on section 29, and fulfills, in the air of plenty 
 and comfort which surrounds it, the modern idea 
 of the well-regulated rural home, where peace and 
 plenty abound. The farm is 160 acres in extent, 
 and since settling upon it in March of 1881 many 
 improvements have been effected by Mr. Leyda, 
 who has gradually gathered together the litttle 
 comforts and conveniences which have so much to 
 do with the happiness of a household. Mr. and 
 
 Mrs. Leyda are people in the prime of life, and 
 after years of arduous labor are now enabled to 
 rest upon their oars, taking satisfaction in watching 
 the growth and development of the country around 
 them, looking after the comfort and well-being of 
 their children, and doing good unto their neighbors 
 as they have opportunity. 
 
 The birth of our subject took place in Clinton 
 'J'ownsliip, Wayne Co., Oiiio, March 6, 1834. His 
 father, James Leyda, was a native of Washington 
 County', Pa., and in earl}' manhood married Miss 
 Ilulda vSanford, who was born on Long Island. The 
 Leyda family trace their ancestry to Ireland, while 
 from his mother our subject has inherited some of 
 the best qualities of New England stock. James 
 Leyda was occupied mostly in farming during his 
 lifetime, and spent his last years in Ohio, departing 
 tills life in March, 1880. He was one of the earliest 
 settlers of Wayne County, Ohio, locating in a log 
 cabin in the wilderness, and in common with the 
 pioneers around him experiencing the hnrdships 
 and privations incident to the time and place. The 
 mother is still living in Wayne Count}', Ohio. 
 
 Our subject was the second son and third child 
 in a family of nine children, and was reared to 
 man's estate in his native county, assisting in the 
 development of the pioneer farm, and receiving a 
 limited education in the |)riniitive school. His par- 
 ents realized the advantage of a good education, 
 and did what they could for their children in this 
 direction. Reuben, after leaving the district school, 
 was given instruction by a teacher of a select 
 school, and made such good progress that he him- 
 self developed in lime into a pedagogue. He fol- 
 lowed teaching briefly in his native county. 
 
 Mr. Leyda in leaving his native State was accom- 
 panied by the estimable lady who now bears his 
 name, and to whom he was married March 25, 
 1858. Mrs. Catherine (Shouj)) Leyda was born 
 in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, May 2, 1836, and is 
 the daughter of John and Nancy (Foreman) 
 Shoup, the former a native of Ohio, and the latter 
 of Pennsylvania. The paternal ancestors originated 
 •in Germany, and the family was represented in the 
 United States probably 150 j'ears ago. When Cath- 
 erine was a little girl of seven years her parents 
 removed from Tuscarawas to Holmes Countj", dur- 
 
 ur- w 
 
 •<• 
 
t. 
 
 •►Hl^ 
 
 906 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •►Hi::^ 
 
 ing the earlj' settlement of the latter, where they 
 spent the remainder of their lives. The father was 
 a farmer by occupation, and looked his last upon 
 the scenes of earth Jan. 14, 1885. The mother sur- 
 vived her husband a little over two years, dying in 
 August, 1887.. 
 
 Mrs. Ley da was the eldest daughter of her par- 
 ents, and was reared and married in Holmes County, 
 Ohio. Of her union with our subject there have 
 been born five children, four of whom are living: 
 The eldest son, James E., a young man of more 
 than ordinary abilities, occupies himself as a teacher 
 in the public schools of this county; John M., also 
 making his mark in the world, is Deputy Recorder 
 of this county ; Wilbur S. is engaged in the real- 
 estate business at Weeping Water ; Otis T. remains 
 at home with his parents. Albert died in infancy. 
 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Leyda resided 
 in various parts of Ohio until March of 1881, 
 when they crossed the Mississippi, and sought a 
 home in the farther West. Providence has kindly 
 smiled upon their labors, and they have had little 
 reason to regret their decision. Both were care- 
 full3' trained morally anil religiously, and are mem- 
 bers in good standing of the Regular Baptist Church, 
 in which Mr. Leyda officiates as Deacon and 
 Trustee, attending services at Weeping Water. 
 They have uniformly been the supporters and en- 
 couragers of those worthy enterprises having for 
 their object the best good of the community, and 
 tending to elevate society. The spacious and com- 
 fortable iiorae is well illustrated by a view on an- 
 other page. 
 
 -J^^- 
 
 /^^ HARLES H. KING, of Weeping AVater, is 
 (If known far and wide as one of the earliest 
 
 ^^^' pioneers of Cass County, and a man closely 
 identified with its early history. His has been a 
 career at once busy and honorable, and in which 
 he has been accorded b}' his fellow-citizens all the 
 positions of trust and responsibility within their 
 gift. He is at present Police Judge and Justice of 
 the Peace, and is also carrying on a lucrative in- 
 surance business. He owns and occupies a good 
 home at the corner of I and Commercial streets. 
 Mr. King first settled upon the soil of Nebraska 
 
 Territory in 18,09, eight years before it was admit- 
 ted iiito the" I'nion as a State. He took up his 
 abode in Plattsmovith, on the eastern line of the 
 county, when it had a population of about 250. He 
 sojourned with the people of that region a number 
 of j'ears, operating as a contractor and builder, and 
 putting up some of its earliest business houses .and 
 better class of residences. In the meantime lie in- 
 terested himself in its improvement generally, and 
 gave indications of more th.an ordinary business 
 ability. In the year 1860 he was elected Sheriff of 
 Cass County by the Democratic party, and bears 
 the honor of having been the onl3' Democratic 
 Sheriff elected in this county. He served two years 
 with credit to himself and satisfaction to his con- 
 stituents, and at the expiration of this time the 
 Civil War directed his thoughts and interests in 
 another channel. 
 
 On tlie 17th of October, 1862, Mr. King prof- 
 fered his services as a L^nion soldier, enlisting in 
 Company H, 2d Nebraska Cavalry, and was given 
 the post of Commissary Sergeant, in which capac- 
 ity he served until the 1st of December, 1863. 
 Tliis being the expiration of his terra of enlist- 
 ment, he was honorably discharged. His regiment 
 had operated mostly with tlie Northern Indiana 
 army in the vicinit3- of the Whitestone Hills in 
 the State of Dakota. 
 
 L^pon retiring from the service Mr. King re- 
 turned to Plattsmouth, and resumed his business as 
 a contractor and builder. Not long afterward he 
 was elected a City Councilman, a post which he 
 held for a number of years. At Plattsmouth he 
 was one of the pillars of the Christian Church, was 
 Deacon, and filled other positions of trust. He 
 was especiall}' interested in the religious training 
 of the young and the establishment and mainten- 
 ance of Sunday-schools. In the spring of 1868, 
 deciding upon a change of occupation, he removed 
 with his family to a farm in the vicinity of Eight 
 Mile Grove, and which he had partially improved 
 from a wild and uncultivated tract of land. He 
 now vigorously entered upon the pursuit of agri- 
 culture and carrying on the improvement of his 
 farm, setting out trees, putting up the necessary 
 buildings, and gathering together the machinery 
 and live stock which complete the details of a coun- 
 
» ► II M* 
 
 ^*^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 try homestead. In the meantime he Vas appointed 
 the Postmaster of the town. In the winter of 1871 
 he left his farm and put up a dwelling near the 
 church building and school-house, which he occu- 
 pied until coming to Weeping Water. He was in 
 effect the first Postmaster of Eight Mile Grove, 
 and held the office for a period of more than eleven 
 years, receiving his appointment from Postmaster- 
 General David M. Ke3's. After his removal to the 
 town he established a grocery and drug business, 
 the first in that neighborhood. He was during his 
 entire residence at Eight Mile Grove a member of 
 the School Board, serving as Secretarj', and also 
 held the various other township offices. Upon the 
 incorporation of the town lie was Magistrate for a 
 peried of eight years. 
 
 When Mr. King entered upon his duties as Post- 
 master of Eight Mile Grove, the office was pay- 
 ing the muniflcent salar3' of ^12 a year. When 
 he left it in 1831 it was worth $75. His main busi- 
 ness as magistrate was in the matrimonial line, he 
 frequently joining several couples in a day. Upon 
 coming to AVeeping Water in the spring of 1881, 
 having sold his interests at Eight Mile Grove, Mr. 
 King resumed business as a builder and contractor, 
 and also operated as mine Irost of the King's Hotel 
 until 1885. In the fall of that year he was elected 
 Justice of the Peace, and controlled the bulk of the 
 business in this line, doing also considerable in the 
 way of conveyancing, collecting and other legal 
 business. 
 
 Mr. King assisted in the organization of the 
 Baptist Church at Weeping W.ater, of which he has 
 been twice elected as Deacon and still serves in 
 this capacity. He is usually the man selected by 
 the brethren as a. delegate to the various church 
 assemblies in the county and State. In 1860 he 
 was elected Sheriff of Cass County, being the third 
 man to hold this position. At that time the county- 
 had only 400 voters. 
 
 Charles H. King is a native of Montgomer}^ 
 County, X. Y., born March 3, 1818, and lived 
 there until reaching his majority, completing his 
 studies at Watertown Academy. Upon leaving 
 school he was engaged several terms as a teacher. 
 Upon leaving the Empire State, about 1839, he mi- 
 grated to Quincy. 111., where he lived six months, 
 
 and then moved on across the Mississippi into Van 
 Buren Counfy, Iowa, where he followed the profes- 
 sion of a teacher for a number of 3^ears. His rare 
 courage and good business capacities commended 
 him to the people of that county as suitable ma- 
 terial for Sheriff, which office he first held by ap- 
 pointment. At the close of the term he was regu- 
 larh' elected, and held the office b^- re-election for 
 a period of eleven years. He also olflciated con- 
 siderably' as County Collector. In the meantime he 
 still pursued teaching during the winter season, 
 and in summer operated likewise as a contractor 
 and builder. 
 
 Mr. King cast his first Presidential vote in the 
 Hawkeye State, in 1840, for Martin Van Buren. 
 Here also his first experience as a magistrate began. 
 He likewise found in that county one of the most 
 estimable of young ladies. Miss Almira King (no 
 connection), to whom he was married in Iowa. 
 July 12, 1844. This lady became the mother of 
 two children, and died in July, 1849, five short 
 years after their marriage. Their elder' son, Omer 
 J., is married and living on a farm in Rock Bluff 
 Precinct, this county ; he is the father of one child. 
 The other child, Orson D., died when quite young. 
 
 Mr. King remained in Iowa until 1859. in the 
 meantime having contracted a second marriage, 
 with Miss Janetta K. Root, then of Orleans Count}-, 
 N. Y. Mrs. King was born in Madison Count}-, 
 N. Y., and was the daughter of E. K. Root, a well- 
 to-do farmer of Orleans County. Mrs. Janetta 
 King died in Iowa, April 11, 1865. Our subject 
 was the third time married, March 25, 1878, to 
 Mrs. Frances J. Greenfield. The latter was born 
 Aug. 7, 1833, in Connecticut, and is the daughter 
 of Stodard and Sarah J. Leech, who were natives 
 of England, and are now deceased. 
 
 Sylvester King, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Hartford, Conn., in 1 793. He lived there 
 until reaching man's estate, and then migrated to 
 Montgomery County, N. Y., during tlie pioneer 
 days. He was there married to Miss Lydia Stew- 
 art, of Balston Springs, Saratoga County, and who 
 was born Oct. 31, 1800. The}- became the parents 
 of eight children, four of whom lived to mature 
 years, Ciiarles II. being the eldest. 
 
 After his marriage the father of our subject en- 
 
 •►Ht:^ 
 
 I 
 
t 
 
 11^ 
 
 908 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 gaged in mercantile business in Johnstown, N. Y. 
 A few j'ears later be removed to Adams, Jefferson 
 Count3r, and taking up a tract of new land, con- 
 structed a homestead, where he remained until 
 about 1841. His father died about that time, and 
 he then removed to the old homestead in Orleans 
 C'ountj', where his death occurred about 1867. He 
 had been a prominent man in his community, hold- 
 ing the offices of Township Supervisor and Justice 
 of the Peace, and taking a lively interest in poli- 
 tics. He voted for Martin Van Buren, and worked 
 for his election. He and his family were identified 
 with the Christian Church. The mother is still 
 living in Orleans County, N. Y., continuing on the 
 old homestead. The paternal grandfather was Paul 
 King, a farmer bj^ occupation, who spent his last 
 years in New York State. 
 
 1F__^ ON. EUGENE L. REED. The subject of 
 Ijjl', this sketch occupies a prominent position 
 s^^ in the history of this county, being the 
 (^) oldest surviving settler of importance now 
 living here, and of which he has been a resident 
 since the spring of 1857. The chief events in a 
 career of more tlian ordinary interest are substan- 
 tially as follows: A native of Trumbull County. 
 Ohio, Mr. Reed wa^ born May 23, 1841, living 
 there with his parents until a little lad five j-ears 
 of age. His father then decided to try the experi- 
 ment of life in the Far West, and accordingly made 
 his way with his little family across the Mississippi 
 to AVashington County, Iowa, settling in Clay 
 Township, where Eugene L. pursued his early 
 studies in the common schools. Afterward he re- 
 mained with his father on the farm, and working 
 in the sawmill thereon until coming to Weeping 
 Water, this count}-. 
 
 Eugene L. is the son of William H. Reed, who 
 was born in Hartland, Conn., in 1808, and in his 
 boyhood removed to New Connecticut on the 
 Western Reserve in Ohio. William Reed, Sr., the 
 grandfather of our subject, was one of the earliest 
 pioneers in that section of country. He settled in 
 the wilderness and felled a portion of the heavy 
 timber around him. building up a comfortalile 
 
 homestead, where he lived to be an old man. 
 Later he went to Iowa, to his son AYilliam H., Jr. 
 He had married in early manhood Miss Lucy Hyde, 
 of Connecticut. They became the parents of six 
 children, all of whom lived to mature years. One 
 died at the age of twenty-two, in Mississippi. The 
 others lived to a ripe old age. AYilliam H. Reed, 
 Sr., and his wife, spent their last years in Iowa. 
 The grandmother for the last twelve years of her 
 life was an invalid, but most tenderly cared for by 
 her husband, who gave to her his whole attention 
 until her death, after which he came to AA^eeping 
 Water. Each traced their ancestry to the Puritans 
 who came over in the "Ma^'tlower" in 1620, and 
 were, like their forefathers, Congregationalists in re- 
 ligious belief. Politically, grandfather Reed was a 
 AA^hig and Abolitionist, and one of the first members 
 of the Free-Soil party. In Iowa their' farm was a 
 station ol the "underground railroad," and Eugene 
 L. remembers that when a little lad of eight years 
 lie assisted in the rescue of a fugitive slave, get- 
 ting him to a place of safetj' only fifteen minutes 
 ahead of his pursuers. 
 
 AA'"illiam H. Rs?:!. Jr., the faUier of our subject, 
 in earlj' manhood married Miss Sophronia Clinton, 
 who bscams the mother of one son and died. He 
 was a second time married, to Miss Adelia Fuller, 
 who. like the first wife, was at the time a resident of 
 Ohio. Of this union there were born three chil- 
 dren: Eugene L., of our sketch; Lucius F., who 
 was his partner in business, and Ellen, the wife of 
 P. E. Beardsley, of Lincoln, this State. 
 
 After his marriage and the birth of his sons Mr. 
 Reed moved to Washington County, Iowa, where 
 he took up a tract of raw land, and later built a 
 mill on the Skunk River Bottoms. He remained 
 in that locality a period of twelve years, and in the 
 fall of 1856 changed his operations to Nebraska 
 Territory, coming to the present site of AYeeping 
 AA^ater, and obtained an interest in a mill and land 
 which comprises the present town site of AV^eeping 
 AYater. Then, returning to lowa.'he settled up his 
 interests in that section with the intention of trans- 
 ferring them to this count}'. 
 
 Mr. Reed, the owner of two sections of land and 
 a good mill in Iowa, had unfortunately placed his 
 name to a note for $2,700 with the usual result. 
 
 *f 
 
 -^ 
 
•►-Hl-^^ 
 
 -•»- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 909 
 
 and to meet this was obliged to turn over most 
 of liis property, having left only a team and his 
 household furniture. This necessitated a beginning 
 again at the foot of the ladder. In company with 
 his son Eugene he put up a small mill in what was 
 then the Far West, the (irst of its kind in that lo- 
 cality, and the farthest mill toward the setting 
 sun until reaching the coast. It was completed 
 and opened up for business in the fall of 1861. 
 Father and son operated this until their construc- 
 tion of what was afterward long familiarly known 
 as Reed's Mill, in 186.5, and which is still standing. 
 After the completion of this mill our subject re- 
 mained here until 1866. He then moved to Mil- 
 ford, having become interested in a mill site stt 
 that place. In the meantime, however, at the 
 outbreak of the Civil War, Mr. Burt felt that he 
 could not do otherwise than hasten to the defense 
 of the Union, and in June, 1861, he enlisted 
 in Company A, 1st Nebraska Infantry, which was 
 called Thayer's Regiment, and which afterward was 
 under comm.ind of Gen. Livingston. Mr. Reed 
 went in as a private and came out a non-commis- 
 sioned officer. This regiment operated mostly with 
 the Western Division of the arm}-, and participated 
 in the battles of Independence, Mo., Springfield 
 and Ft. Donelson, and went with the campaign of 
 Gen. Fremont throughout the Southwest. Those 
 acquainted with the history of that time will recall 
 the fact that Missouri was no unimportant battle- 
 ground during the war, the guerrillas and bush- 
 whackers being peculiarly destructive in their 
 operations. At the hard-fought battle of Ft. Don- 
 elson, where Floj'd sought to escape with 10,000 
 troops, the regiment was in Gen. Lew AVallace's di- 
 vision, and stood the brunt of Floyd's charge alone. 
 Mr. Reed about this time was seized with pneu- 
 monia and confined in the hospital at Cincinnati, 
 Ohio. At the expiration of his terra of enlistment 
 he received his honorable discharge, in October, 
 1862, and returning to this county resumed, as soon 
 as able, his former operations in Weeping Water. 
 He had in the spring of 1859 purchased an interest 
 in the original town site, and later owned all the 
 ground upon which it now stands. He has since 
 made three additions, one being East Riverside and 
 another Park Addition, which embraces about 1 40 
 
 acres. He conducted his milling business until 
 1868, then sold out and became one of the firm of 
 Reed Bros., who opened one of the first general 
 stores to be established in Weeping Water. It is 
 now Reed Bros. & Co. Lucius ¥. died in January, 
 1880. The firm comprised Eugene L. and Lu- 
 cius F. 
 
 The father of our subject sold his mill in 1872, 
 and the year following returned to Weeping Water, 
 where he lived retired from active business until 
 passing away about 188.5. His second wife had 
 died in 1854. He was subsequently married, and 
 his last wife is still living. William H. Reed was 
 the first man to make any move toward establish- 
 ing the town of Weeping Water, securing the land 
 before it had come into market, his claim being 
 "jumped." He lived to see a fine and flourishing 
 city built up from the spot which, when he first 
 looked upon it, was little more than a wilderness. 
 He purchased the land, a quarter-section, of Elam 
 Flower, and attended personally to laying out a 
 large portion of the town. It naturally followed 
 that he was thereafter chosen by the people who 
 came in and settled to fill the various offices, which 
 became necessary as the community^ enlarged. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, like his father before 
 him, developed at an early age more than ordinary 
 abilities, and after having served in various other 
 positions of trust and responsibility, was elected in 
 1868 to the State Senate on the Republican ticket. 
 While in the Legislature he was associated with 
 many of the important committees, and distin- 
 guished himself as a safe adviser and temperate 
 counselor in matters of moment. He believes in 
 compulsory education, and has taken a warm inter- 
 est in the establishment and maintenance of schools, 
 being usually connected with the School Board of 
 his district. Although no office-seeker, he has been 
 active in the councils of his party, and keeps him- 
 self well informed upon current events. 
 
 Mr. Reed was the first Republican Postmaster 
 appointed by President Lincoln. He assumed charge 
 of the office in 1862, discharging its duties con- 
 scientiously until the incoming of the Democr.atic 
 administration in the spring of 1885. He was sent 
 from Nebraska to the National Republican Con- 
 vention which nominated Blaine, although he had 
 
 » ► 1 1^ 
 
 ad Y 
 
910 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 been strongly in favor of renominating Arthur. 
 He was frequentlj^ appointed a delegate to tlie 
 County and State Conventions, being uniformly 
 active and efficient in connection therewith. 
 
 Mr. Reed reserved one block of the original 
 town site for the establishment of Weeping Water 
 Academy, which, in addition to this gift of land, 
 he has also endowed, and has been largely instru- 
 mental in bringing it to its present prosperous con- 
 dition. It is now the favorite institution of learn- 
 ing in Southern Nebraska. He also holds in reserve 
 two blocks for the campus when the new building 
 is erected. He was the founder of the Weeping 
 Water Bank, the first institution of the kind in the 
 place, and was elected its first President. He is 
 also President of the Weeping Water Lime and 
 Stone Company, who have their headquarters south 
 of town, and which ship a hundred cars per day of 
 crushed rock and 250 barrels of lime, besides rub- 
 ble stones of all dimensions. This latter enterprise 
 was established in 1885, and now gives employment 
 to 200 men. Mr. Reed has an interest in the Pressed 
 Brick Company of Weeping Water, of wtiicb he is 
 also a Director, and which was established in 1888. 
 He was one of the founders of the Weeping Water 
 Creamer3% and is President of the Town Company, 
 in fact there have been few enterprises in which he 
 has not been interested and in which he has not 
 been called upon to exercise his uniform good 
 judgment in their conduct and establishment. 
 
 The marriage of Hon. Eugene L. Reed and Miss 
 Anna Bellows, of Weeping Water, was celebrated 
 at the home of the bride in this place, Nov. 11, 
 1865. This union resulted in the birth of two sons 
 and two daughters, the eldest of whom, Will E., 
 is a student of Dartmouth College, in his junior 
 year. Estella, Clinton and Lucile are at home with 
 their parents, wlio purpose to give them also the 
 advantages of a first-class education. 
 
 Mrs. Reed was liorn in Ashtabula County, Ohio, 
 in 1849, and is the daughter of Josiah Bellows, a na- 
 tive also of the Buckeye State, where he lived until 
 1857, then coming to Nebraska Territory he settled 
 on a tract of new land west of the present site of 
 AVeeping Water, before it had assumed even the 
 dignity of a village. He there commenced farm- 
 ing in true pioneer style, but was permitted to labor 
 
 a brief time onl^', dying the j^ear after his arrival, 
 and leaving a widow who was the mother of three 
 children, and who gave birth to a fourth child after 
 the death of her husband. The eldest, a son, B. 
 F. Bellows, is now in business in the city of Cleve- 
 land, Ohio. The others are True and J. H. Bellows. 
 The maiden name of the mother of Mrs. Reed was 
 Celestia Mills. She died in. 1862. 
 
 Mr. Reed was the first merchant in Weeping 
 Water to have a cash carrier placed in his store, 
 and which for some time was regarded with a great 
 deal of curiosity, being quite an innovation upon 
 the old system. The store building is located at 
 the corner of I and Randolph streets, and was 
 erected in 1868. 
 
 ji^JREDERICK D. LEHNHOFF, of wide repu- 
 F^© Nation in connection with the brick and tile 
 ^ " manufactories of Plattsmoulh, was born 
 near the city of Hanover, in the Province of that 
 name in German3', on the 11th of August, 1831. 
 Tiiat was the home of the Lehnlioff family for many 
 generations. He is the son of Frederick and Caro- 
 line (Ahlswede) Lelinlioff. His father, like his grand- 
 father, Christopher Lehniioff, followed agricultural 
 I)ursuits and trained our subject in the same. 
 
 Accompanied b\- his wife and seven children, the 
 father of our subject emigrated to America in the 
 year 1847, taking jiass.ige at Bremen, and landing in 
 the city of New York on the 3d of July. From New 
 York they journeyed up the Hudson River and the 
 canal to Buffalo. From there they went via the lakes 
 t« Milwaukee, then a small and comparatively 
 unimportant place. After making all necessary 
 provision for their comfort, he left his wife and 
 family for a time, and with four others hired a team 
 the belter to explore the wilderness. Each took a 
 tract of land, Mr. Lehnhoff selecting his in Jeffer- 
 son County, about thirt^y-two miles almost due west 
 from Milwaukee. There was about five acres of 
 land cleared and a fair log cabin on the place, and 
 the family took immediate possession. There was 
 no railroad in the district, and Milwaukee was their 
 nearest market. The region abounded in all kinds 
 of wild game, of which he was not slow to take full 
 
 ■•►HI 
 
*► II M» 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 911 
 
 advantage. A fine farm speed i I j- became an ac- 
 complished fact, and there the family continued to 
 live until 1879; then removal was made to Plafts- 
 mouth, where the father spent liis last days with his 
 children, dying in the year 1 882. aged eighty j-ears. 
 
 There were nine children born to the parents of 
 our subject. Tiieir names are as follows: Freder- 
 ick D., Henry; Dorothj', who is the wife of G. 
 Schnasse, of Rapid City, Dak.; Caroline, who is 
 married to A. Tartsch ; Minnie, now Mrs. Chares 
 Buskirke; Louise, the wife of G. Bonty; August, 
 William and Charles. William and Charles were 
 born in the United States, the others in the old 
 country. 
 
 Our subject attended school quite regularl^^ in 
 his native land, and was sixteen years of age when 
 he came to America with his parents, and continued 
 to reside wit!) his father until 1859, when, with a 
 number of others, his companions, he started with a 
 four-horse team and wagon for Pike's Peak. The 
 time occupied en route was five weeks; they crossed 
 the Missouri River at Plattsmouth on the 8th of 
 May, 1859. They verj' soon met large numbers 
 returning from the mountains, by very far the 
 large majority being without means, discouraged, 
 and so far as that venture was conccrneil broken- 
 spirited. The effect upon our subject and his com- 
 panions was such as to deter Ihera from their orig- 
 inal purpose, and they determined to return. 
 
 The subject of our sketch and brother Henry 
 took up a claim of ItJO acres in Centre Precinct, 
 Cass County, and at once built a small house and 
 took possession. Tliey traded their horses for a 
 land warrant and entered the land from the Govern- 
 ment at the Nebraska City office. This was truly 
 frontier life, and provided them with an interesting 
 and by no means unprofitable experience. Our 
 subject continued farming there until 18G4, and 
 then sold his interest in the farm to his brotlier, and 
 came to Platlsmouth. 
 
 Since his settlement in Plattsmouth our subject 
 has been engaged in various branches of business, 
 including general mercantile, grain, wood and coal. 
 When the Plattsmouth Brick and Tile Manufactur- 
 ing Company- was started he became a- large stock- 
 holder, and indeed was one of the prime movers in 
 the enterprise. For the past three years he has 
 
 •►HK-^*- 
 
 been manager of the company. The com pan}' has 
 a kiln with a capacity of 10,000 per day, and it is 
 of the pattern known as the continuous kiln, built 
 under the Bochnke patent, and was the second 
 of the kind constructed in the United States. 
 
 On Oct. 27, 18G1, our subject was united in mar- 
 riage with Katie Reichert, a native of Bavaria, wiio 
 came to America with her parents, George and 
 Katie Reichert, when about seven years of age, to 
 Ohio, and on the death of her parents lived with 
 her uncle, and subsequently removed with his 
 farail}' to Nebraska. There have been born of this 
 union three children, viz.: Matilda, George and 
 Frederick. Our subject and family are held in high 
 regard in the town, and are worthy members of 
 society. Politically, Mr. Lehnhoff is a Democrat, 
 and fully appreciates the liberty of franchise and 
 Republican government, and is thoroughlj' imbued 
 with the American spirit. 
 
 /^ HARLKS PHILPO 
 ill n I'esentative farmer 
 ^^iJ(^ ant Precinct, and i 
 
 ^\ HARLKS PHIL POT is a prosperous and rep- 
 and citizen of Mt. Pleas- 
 resides on his magnificent 
 farm located on section-23. He is a native of Jo 
 Daviess Countj'. 111., where he was born Feb. 10, 
 1847. He is a son of John and Sarah (May) Phil- 
 pot. Our subject from his earliest years was ac- 
 customed to the privations and toils of pioneer life, 
 both in his native county and his present home. 
 His means of acquiring an education was confined 
 to the (lublic schools of tlie neighborhood, which 
 had not then acquired the perfection they have to- 
 day ; but having naturally a studious mind, he con- 
 tinued his course of study, reading all available 
 books and pa|)er.s, and stud3Mng bj' observation the 
 events of the times as they transpired about him, 
 he now [vossesses a well-stored mind and an emi- 
 nenll}' practical education. 
 
 The father of our subject, John Pliilpot, was a 
 native of Kent Count}', England, and his mother a 
 native of Illinois. He emigrated to America when 
 quite a young man, and after extended tours through 
 the country, both North and South, he finally located 
 in Jo Daviess County. 111., where he lived for many 
 years. He was married twice; the first wife bore 
 
 <0 
 
 ♦^1 
 
 I 
 
912 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •»-^ 
 
 him no chiklren, but his second anfl present wife 
 lias Ijoi'ne him eigiit, five of whom are living: 
 Charles, our sniiject; John and James live in Mt. 
 Pleasant Preeinet; Alfred is in Jo Daviess County, 
 111., and Mary is the wife of E. P. Ilaj', and resides 
 in Cass County, Neh. In 1872 the father removed 
 from his home in Illinois to Carroll County', Mo., 
 where he resided hut a short time, when became to 
 Nebraska, and located in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, 
 where he has resided ever since. He is well .along 
 in yeiirs, and is enjoying the comforts which he has 
 so richly earned. A cousin of the mother of our 
 subject, named James Drousdie, look an active part 
 in the Black Hawk War. 
 
 Our subject and Miss Cerelia L. Barrett were 
 married Nov. 19, 1868. The lad}' was born in Jo 
 Daviess County. III., May 30, 1852, and is a daugh- 
 ter of Lockhart and Nancy J. (Carter) Barrett. 
 Her father was born in York Stale, and her mother 
 is supposed to be a native of Rock Island County', 
 111., but it is not positively known to be true, as the 
 records of her family were lost. Her parents were 
 early settlers in Jo Daviess County, and reared a 
 faniilj' of eight children, four of whom are living: 
 Cerelia L., the wife of our subject; William L., 
 a resident of Cass County; Prince A. resides in 
 South Omaha. Neb., and Benj:unin F., a resident of 
 Valparaiso, Neb. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Philpot with two children emi- 
 grated to Cass Count}', Neb., in 1872. coming over- 
 land in a wagon. They had one team of horses and 
 a few cattle. They camped out wherever night 
 overtook tiiem, and after a wearisome journey of 
 five weeks, they arrived atan<l settled on their pres- 
 ent farm, which was in a wild condition, but by 
 dint of energj', perseverance and good management, 
 by both himself and wife, they have improved it, 
 and gathered about them so many conveniences that 
 they now possess one of the most valuable farms in 
 the county. These good people have become the 
 parents of a family of eleven children; eight are liv- 
 ing, namely: James W., Wallace M., John W., 
 Charles K., May E., Bertie L., Lottie E. anil Cyn- 
 thia J. The three who are deail were named: Julia 
 L., Albert W. and Benjamin E. 
 
 In the accumulation of the estate of which he is 
 the owner our subject has been ably assisted b}' the 
 
 counsels and good offices of his wife. Coming as 
 she did to a new and wild country, she accepted 
 the condition, and has left nothing undone to make 
 their venture a permanent success, which they have 
 admirably accomplished, as is evidenced by the 
 snug and comfortably arranged home, and the well 
 designed and located buildings, necessary to shelter 
 the stock and care for the crops raised on their 
 farm. 
 
 Mr. Philpot has been repeatedly solicited to ac- 
 cept public office from the hands of his neighbors, 
 which he has steadily refused, only accepting some 
 position connected with the advancement of the 
 educational interests of the precinct, in which he 
 takes an especial pride. He is now serving as Treas- 
 urer of the district, and has been connecteil with 
 the School Board for a number of years. He is 
 public-spirited, and is an ardent supporter of any 
 plan having for its object the general good. Him- 
 self and wife are active members of society, and 
 they fill a prominent position in a highly creditable 
 manner. In politics he is strictly Republican. 
 
 iILLIAM R. LEWIS, a wide-awake farmer, 
 rhty acres of choice land on 
 Elmwood Precinct, was born in 
 LaSalle County, 111., Aug. 31, 1847. He enlisted in 
 the Union Army in 1862, but was rejected on ac- 
 count of his age, being considered too j^oung, as he 
 was then but sixteen years of age. As soon as he 
 was old enough to handle a plow he was obliged to 
 earn his own living. As a result his facilities for 
 obtaining an education by attending school were of 
 the most limited extent, but being possessed of a nat- 
 urally quick, observing turn of mind, he has over- 
 come that deficiency to such an extent that he is now 
 a well-informed man. 
 
 Mr. Lewis was married, Jan. 16, 1877, to Miss 
 Flora B. Hite, the daughter of David Hite, whose 
 biography will be found on another page in this 
 volume. In 1880 they came to Nebraska. They 
 are the parents of two children: Viola Maude was 
 born in Illinois, and AUie E. was born on their 
 *►- 
 
 1^ living on eigl 
 W section 31, Elr 
 

•^f^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 present homestead. The}' are verj' intelligent, fine 
 appearing children, obedient and lovable. 
 
 The mother of our subject, Eliza Ann Lewis, 
 and his father, William, settled in Illinois in 1838. 
 The mother's parents were killed bj' the Indians in 
 tlie Black Hawk War, thus leaving her an orphan. 
 She was taken into the family and raised to woman- 
 hood by Mr. Holman. For further information 
 relative to the parents see the biography of Albert 
 J>. Lewis, given elsewhere in this work. 
 
 Mr. Lewis has a nice, comfortable home, contain- 
 ing man}' of the comforts and conveniences of 
 life. He has a handsome and affectionate wife and 
 is the father of two intelligent children. His po- 
 litical affiliations are with the Democratic party. 
 
 ^L^ON. EVANDER W. BARNUM. Promi- 
 (Ifjl) nent among the early settlers of Cass County 
 JW^ stands the gentleman whose name appears 
 C^J at the head of this sketch, and few men are 
 better or more favorably known throughout the 
 county than he. Coming here witii a younger 
 brother. Tliomas J., in the spring of 1857, each pre- 
 empted 160 acres of land, he on section 27, and his 
 brother on section 22, of Liberty Precinct, both 
 quarters being no<v owned and occupied by our 
 subject. It was then raw prairie land, but with 
 untiring diligence Mr. Barnum labored with much 
 skill and wisdom in his management, and he now 
 has a magnificent farm, nearly all under cultivation, 
 well watered, and to the original homestead he has 
 added by purchase until his realty consists of 640 
 acres of land, well adapted for tillage or stock-rais- 
 ing. He has erected a comfortable house, and has 
 a fine set of farm buildings, with all the modern 
 conveniences for the prosecution of his chosen vo- 
 cation. He takes especial pride in his superior 
 grades of stock, and is the President and Treasurer 
 of a live-stock association, consisting of ten mem- 
 bers, of Factoryville. The head of their fine herd 
 of horses is Young Samson, a black, imported En- 
 glish Shire horse, six years of age. 
 
 Thomas J. Barnum, who came here witli our sub- 
 ject, remained on his claim until the fall of 1859, 
 when he went to New Mexico, where he remained 
 
 •►4H^ 
 
 for a few years. He was afterward connected with 
 the Kansas City and Santa Fe stage route, but sub- 
 sequently disposed of his interest in that, and lo- 
 cated in St. Louis, where he died after a residence 
 of two j'ears. He was a man of wide experience 
 in the vicissitudes of frontier life, and his deatii in 
 1880, while yet in the prime of life, was the sud- 
 den ending of vvhat promised to be a brilliant career, 
 he having been a man of excellent business capac- 
 ity and sound judgment. 
 
 Our subject was born in Middlefield, Otsego Co., 
 N. Y., Sept. 28, 1826. He came of substatitial 
 New England stock, his grandfather, Ahijah Bar- 
 num, having been a native of Connecticut. In 
 earl}' life he moved from there to Otsego Count}', 
 N. Y., and subsequently married tliere. Some years 
 afterward he moved to Seneca County, where he 
 spent his last years, dying at a ripe old age. He 
 was twice married, Lewis Barnum, father of our 
 subject, having been a son by his first wife. He 
 was born Oct. 22, 1790, in Otsego County, where 
 he spent his entire life. He was also twice married. 
 The maiden name of his first wife was Lucy Jones, 
 and she was a native of New York State, born Feb. 
 12, 1790. She was a daughter of Thomas Jones, a 
 farmer of Otsego County, who died there after a 
 long and useful life. She died Oct. 26, 1830, and 
 Mr. Barnum married a second time, taking for a 
 wife Catherine Huff, of Seneca County, who sur- 
 vived him some years. Both died at an advanced 
 age in Otsego County, Mr. Barnum's death occur- 
 ring Feb. 7, 1 843. Of the first marriage seven chil- 
 dren were born, and of the second marriage five 
 children were born. 
 
 Evander W. Barnum, of our sketch, was the fifth 
 child and third son of the first marriage. He was 
 reared and educated in his native county, and after 
 arriving at man's estate was married, in .Springfield, 
 to Miss Eliza Gilchrist, who was born in Otsego 
 County, Feb. 28. 1832. William Gilchrist, the pa- 
 ternal grandfatiier of l\[rs. Barnum, was born in 
 Lanarkshire. Scotland, and when a young man emi- 
 grated to America, and settled in Dutchess County, 
 N. Y. He subsequently married Miss Mary Frazer, 
 a native of the parish, of Cromdell. Inverness, Scot- 
 land, and a lineal descendant of the family of Lord 
 Lovell, a family of whom Scotch i)eople have been 
 
•►Hl^^^ 
 
 yiG 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 very proud. After their inarriage they lived on a 
 farm in Dutchess Count}', then moved to Schoharie 
 Count}', and finally settled in Springfield. Otsego 
 County, where they died April 9, 1819, and Sept. 
 11, 1S29, respective!}'. Tliey had nine children, 
 six sons and three daughters. The parents of Mrs. 
 Barnum, Peter and Sylvia (Dutcher) Gilchrist, 
 were born respectively in DuanesLurg, N. Y., Sept. 
 30, 1788, and in Springfield, June 3, 1804. They 
 were married in the latter place March 14, 1822, 
 and settled on the farm, where they passed the re- 
 mainder of their lives, Mr. Gilchrist dying March 
 2. 1838, and Mrs. Gilchrist April 26. 1884. They 
 were intelligent, worth}' people, highly respected 
 1)}' all who know Ijiem. Peter Gilchrist was a far- 
 mer and leading stockman of his day in that sec- 
 tion of the State. They were the parents of seven 
 children, of vvi)om the following is a record : Martha, 
 the eldest child, who married Mr. G. Shaw, died 
 leaving a family of four cliilJren; Mary, widow of 
 the late Philip Rice, lives in Springfield, N. Y., 
 aged sixty-four years; Christopher, a dealer in 
 lailies' hair goods, in Ft. Wayne. Ind., married 
 Melissa Harwick; Jane is the wife of John ScoUard, 
 a farmer of Springfield, N. Y. ; Daniel, a farmer in 
 S[)ringfield, N. Y., married Hannah "Walradt; Eliza 
 is tlie wife of our subject; Margaret is the wife of 
 Dexter Matison, of Newark, N. J. 
 
 After their marriage our subject and his wife 
 started immediately for their new home in Ne- 
 braska, becoming pioneers of Cass County. They 
 set to work energetically to build a home for them- 
 selves, and in doing that have contributed largely 
 to the growth of the precinct and county, and have 
 added their full quota to its progress, aiding by 
 every possible means all things calculated for its 
 moral, social or intellectual development. To peo- 
 ple of like calibre is Cass County indebted for its 
 high rank among the adjacent counties of Nebraska. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Barnum are social and hospitable peo- 
 ple in every sense implied by the words, held in the 
 highest respect, and are esteemed members of the 
 Episcopal Church, of Wyoming. In his political 
 views Mr. Barnum is a Republican, and in 1860 
 and 1862 represented his county in the Territorial 
 Legislature, and in 1873 was a member of the State 
 Senate. He is now an incumbent of the office of 
 
 Justice of the Peace. Mr. and Mrs. Barnum are 
 the parents of one child, Thomas G., who still lives 
 on the old homestead. He married Miss Ilatlie, 
 daughter of Isaac Pollardvan extensive farmer of 
 Liberty Precinct. They have one child, Vernie. A 
 portrait of Mr. Barnum appears on another page. 
 
 ■^^ 
 
 % OHN D. SIMPSON, who has often been a 
 prominent figure in the civic life of Platts- 
 mouth. his present place of residence, was an 
 early pioneer of Cass County. He holds a 
 responsible position in the office of the Burlington 
 & Missouri River Railroad Company in this city, 
 as clerk in the supply department. He was born in 
 Huntingdon, Huntingdon Co., Pa., Sept. 12. 1826. 
 His grandfather was JMatthew Simpson, a Scotchman 
 by birth, living on an estate in the iSorth of Ireland, 
 which had come into the possession of the family at 
 the time of the Conquest by William of Orange. 
 In 1783 he was married to Catherine Moore, a na- 
 tive of Ireland, born in 1757. On Oct. 19, 1784, 
 their only child was born; this was William, father 
 of our subject. When he was in his fourth year his 
 parents came to America, landing May 8. 1788. 
 Directly after landing they went to Huntingdon 
 County, Pa., where Matthew Simpson died, in July 
 1810, at the age of seventy-three, leaving a large 
 fortune to his son William, who became a leading 
 man in the community, and was subsequently con- 
 nected with a large iron foundry in that county. 
 His connection with this enterprise was a costly 
 one, as he lost $50,000 in it directly, and in a finan- 
 cial panic shortly after lost another ^50,000 by the 
 failure of the "Citizens' Bank" of that place. He 
 was yet in comfortable circumstances, however, but 
 by becoming security for friends he lost heavily, 
 and became quite reduced in circumstances. He 
 had held many positions of trust and responsibility. 
 In 1827 he was elected Sherifi! of Huntingdon 
 County, serving four years with much credit to 
 himself and greatly to the satisfaction of the citi- 
 zens of the county. In 1836 he removed to Delphi. 
 Ind.. where he also became a conspicuous figure in 
 public life. In 1839 he was api)oiiited Postmas- 
 ter uf that place, and in 1841 was elected Treasurer 
 of the county (Carrull), serving two terms in that 
 
 '-i^^ 
 

 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 9i; 
 
 4 
 
 office. After retiring to private life he did not en- 
 gage in any private business. In 1850 he died tliere, 
 at the age of sixty-five, leaving behind an unsullied 
 name and the pleasant memory of one who in life 
 was an eminent]3" kind and companionable man, who 
 was widelj' re.spected not only for his abilit}', but 
 for his virtues. His wife, whose maiden name was 
 Jane Dean, was born in Pliiladelphia, and died in 
 Delphi also. Aug. 20, 1838. She was a true wife 
 and mother, and had borne beside her husband 
 the vicissitudes of life with uncomplaining fortitude. 
 They were married May 1, 1810. Their cliildren 
 were: Catlierine, born March 23, 181 1 ; Maria, May 
 
 23, 1813; Matthew, July 1, 1816; Jane Dean, Feb. 
 
 24, 1819; Debora, April 27, 1821 ; Eliza Ann.Nov. 
 5, 1823, and John Dean, Sept. 12, 1826. Two of 
 these are now deceased : Maria died in November, 
 1857, and Jane Dean in April, 184.S. 
 
 On the maternal side Mr. Simpson's ancestors 
 came from Holland, and were settled in Philadel- 
 phia, Pa. His grandmother's maiden name was 
 Debora Johnston, who was married to John Dean, 
 after whom our subject was named. He came from 
 England, but about the time of the Indian depre- 
 dations there moved to Huntingdon County, Pa., 
 where he became a leatler in the warfare with the 
 savages. He died comparatively young, leaving 
 two children, Jane and William, the former the 
 mother of our subject. William became a soldier 
 in the War of 1812, and died soon after its close. 
 John Dean liad one brother, named Alexander, who 
 became administrator of his estate, and soon became 
 its owner. Debora, widow of John Dean, removed 
 to Delphi, Ind., where she died in 1838. Her 
 mother, who had removed from Pennsylvania to 
 the Western Reserve, died in Mansfield, Ohio, at 
 the extreme age of one hundred and ten years. 
 
 The subject of this biographical notice was the 
 youngest child of his parents, and was twelve years 
 old when they moved to Indiana. Two years later, 
 in 1840, he became self-supporting, being a lad of 
 great self-reliance, and blessed with health and a 
 vigorous mind. He went to Galena, 111., to reside 
 with Richard Crocker, and clerked in his store. He 
 acted in that capacitj' until 1843, when he went to 
 Belvidere, in the same State, to take advantage of 
 the excellent school in that town to complete his 
 
 education, and he had as classmate there Bishop 
 Nealej'. In the spring of 1844 our subject returned 
 to Indiana, and was a clerk in a general store until 
 1856. During that time his fine business qualifica- 
 tions brought him into public notice, and he was 
 made Deputy' Treasurer, and subsequently Clerk 
 of the county. While acting in the latter capacity 
 he made a numerical index of the records of deeds 
 for tlie county. In September, 1856. he decided to 
 try life on the wild Western plains, and started by 
 rail for Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, then the western ter- 
 minus of the railway, and from there took the stage 
 to Plattsmouth. This was quite a small place at 
 the time, with but three stores and not many dwell- 
 ing-houses. Mr. Simpson commenced clerking in a 
 general store, the trade being mostlj' confined to 
 the emigrants who had come in and taken up claims. 
 When emigration across the plains set in tlie mer- 
 chants did a large business. In a newly settled 
 country the men of brains come to the front, as 
 their assistance is needed to carry out the affairs of 
 State, and the fellow-citizens of our subject were 
 not long in selecting him as worlhy of their suffrage, 
 and in the fall of 1857 they elected him to the posi- 
 tion of County Treasurer. His discharge of the 
 onerous duties of that office was so pleasing to his 
 constituenc3' that they re-elected him to the same 
 position in 1H59, and he thus served two full terms 
 with great honor. 
 
 In 1861 our subject crossed the plains to Denver, 
 and there kept books for the Rocky Mountain News 
 Companj' for one year. He then accepted a posi- 
 tion in the Quartermaster's department, having 
 charge of mustering the soldiers in and out of the 
 service of the Territory of Colorado. He returned 
 to Plattsmouth in 1S64, and the following year was 
 engaged in keeping books for a mercantile house 
 there. In 1866 he formed a partnership with Sharp 
 & Micelwait to carry on the lumber and grocery 
 business. He remained a member of that company 
 until 1869, and also acted during that time as agent 
 for the American Express Company. In 1869 he 
 was appointed agent for the Burlington & Missouri 
 River Railroad, which in that yeai' had put its line 
 through this city, the first shovel-full of dirt having 
 been thrown up in the month of July, and in the 
 fall of that year the railroad was in operation, Mr. 
 
J. 
 
 "^ 
 
 918 
 
 ■•►Hl--^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 Simpson lieing its first agent liere. He acted in 
 that capacity six montlis, but continiierl bis agency 
 for tiie American Express Company until 1873. He 
 then went to Omaha as Secretary for the Brewer & 
 Berais Brewing Company, staying with them until 
 1874. In tlie spring of that year he visiter] Chey- 
 enne, but spent only a few months there, and in the 
 fall of that year we again find hin) in Plattsmouth, 
 he having accepted the position of express messen- 
 ger for the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, 
 holding it until 1880. From that time until 1886 
 the American and Wells-Fargo Kxpress Companies 
 claimed his services as their agent in Plattsmouth. 
 He resigned in the latter year to become clerk in 
 the supply department of the Burlington & Missouri 
 River Railroad Company, the duties of whicii posi- 
 tion he discharges with characteristic fidclit3^ look- 
 ing carefully after the interests of his employers. 
 
 Mr. Simpson was married, .July 6, 1853, to Cathe- 
 rine Klepser, a native of Salem, Ohio, and a daugh- 
 ter of Jacob and Elizabeth Klepser. of whom see 
 sketch on another page of this volume. She fills 
 the perfect measure of wife, mother, friend, and her 
 many noble qualities of mind and heart endear her 
 to a large circle of friends. Two amiable and ac- 
 complished daughters, Lelia and ICdith Luella, com- 
 plete the happy household grou[)of our subject and 
 his wife. Mrs. Simpson has acquired an enviable 
 reput.ation as a music teacher of rare merit. She 
 first gave music lessons in Delphi, Ind., and com- 
 menced teaching in Plattsmouth in 1858, and was 
 one of the first music teachers in the Territory of 
 Nebraska. Her children have inherited her talent 
 in a marked degree, and her d.aughter Lelia was 
 considered a musical prodig}' at tvvelve 3'ears of 
 age. 
 
 Mrs. Simpson on her mother's side is a grand- 
 daughter of Tunis William Yancleve, a pioneei- of 
 Ohio, who died in South Arlington in that State, 
 Oct. 18, 187'J, in his ninetieth j'ear. He was born 
 in New Jersey, in 1790, and emigrated to Warren 
 County, Ohio, in 1818, shortly afterward removing 
 to Montgomery County, Ohio, where the rest of 
 his life was passed. His ancestors were Holland- 
 Dutch, and both his father and grandfather had 
 fought in the Revolutionary War, on the patriot 
 side. T. AV. Yancleve was a soldier in the War of 
 
 1812, for which he received a pension. A brother 
 served in the .navy in the same war. One of his 
 uncles was killed by Indians in the forest where 
 Cincinnati now stands, and the first white child 
 born in Dayton, Ohio, was his cousin, John Van- 
 cleve, a lifelong resident of that place. 
 
 Tunis W. Vancleve was a blacksmith by trade, 
 working at it both in New Jersey and Ohio, and 
 until advancing age warned him Ih.at his days of 
 active labor were drawing to a close. During his 
 long life he had witnessed many changes — States 
 and Empires had risen and fallen, confedeiacies or- 
 ganized and overthrown, ocean steamships, railways, 
 telegraphs and telephones had sprung into existence, 
 and the face of the map of the world had been 
 changed by recent discoveries. His first vote had 
 been cast for President Monroe, and he subsequently 
 voted for all the AVhig candidates until the formar 
 tion of the Republican partj-, with which he acted 
 until his death. He w.as four times married, his last 
 wife surviving him. He left four children, several 
 grandchildren, thirty-two great-grandchildren and 
 six great-great-giandchildren, all of whom attended 
 a family re-union, at which he presided a short time 
 before his death. 
 
 Mr. Simpson's wise counsel and clear, candid 
 judgment have been used effectually in the guid- 
 ance of municipal affairs, and while holding office 
 he always made his private interests subservient 
 to those of the public. Under his administra- 
 tion ES Maj'or of Plattsmouth, in which office he 
 served two 3'ears, the city was well governed, and 
 prospered accordingly. He was Cit3' Clerk from 
 1875 to 1883, and retired from that office with an 
 honorable record for cHiciency and fidelit3-. 
 
 .:.^^>^ 
 
 ^^. 
 
 OIIN M. LEIS, a thrift3r German-American 
 citizen, who operates a splendid farm of 160 
 acres in Elmwood Precinct, was born in Hox- 
 '^^li el, Prussia, where he lived and worked with 
 his father, who was a farmer and merch.ant. He 
 educated himself by attending the splendid schools 
 of his native town. At the age of nineteen he 
 undertook to learn the trade of cabinet-maker. 
 
 ■<• 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 919 
 
 which, proving uncongenial to his taste, he and his 
 brother JIatthew sailed for America from Bremen, 
 March 27, 1851, landing in New York Ma}^ 11, 
 
 1 85 1. The first _years of their life in the New World 
 was passed in various employments in different 
 places. Mr. L. spent two years at labor in a 
 sugar refinery in New York City. He then 
 journe3'ed in Pennsj^lvania and Maryland for two 
 or three years, where he worked at farming and in 
 an iron foundry until 1859, when he migrated to 
 Canton, Fulton Co., 111. 
 
 It was in this year, 1859, our .subject met and 
 married Miss Kate Vogt, a native of Baden, 
 Germany, born near the Black Forest, where 
 she lived until she was fourteen years old, when, in 
 companj^ with her mother and three brothers and 
 sisters, she came to America, landing in New York in 
 
 1852, where she went immediatelj' to work by the 
 week. After his marriage with this lady Mr. L. 
 worked as a stonemason, they living in Illinois for 
 the ensuing twenty years, when in 1876 they came 
 to Nebraska. By hard labor and strict economy 
 the}' had saved the sum of $900, and with this monej' 
 and their family they settled on and proceeded to 
 improve their home farm. Their children are: 
 Fannie Louisa, now the wife of Mr. Horn, residing 
 in Wabash, Neb.; John Z., residing in Holt County, 
 Neb.; .Stephen, Peter and Charles are living in 
 Holt County, near their brother John; Calvin and 
 the twins, George and Henry, are at home with their 
 parents. 
 
 By the thrift and industry peculiar to the people 
 of which our subject is one, he has accumulated a 
 handsome property. In addition to the home farm 
 he owns 160 acres in Holt County, Neb., and in 
 company with his three sons has an ownership of 
 1,100 acres of land in that count}'. The improve- 
 ments on the home farm are not at this date exten- 
 sive, but those which are made are of the most solid 
 and substantial character, designed with the view of 
 ultimatel}' extending them largely; but the condi- 
 tion and appearance of his farm are not excelled by 
 any in the precinct. 
 
 The father of Mr. Leis, John B. Leis, was a farmer 
 and merchant and also hotel-keeper in the mother 
 country ; his mother was Anna Mary Proesch. Both 
 parents are dead. They were the parents of five 
 
 children: Stephen and Catherine are dead ; Susannah ; 
 John M., our subject, and Mathew. Susannah is in 
 Germany; Mathew is a tailor in Brooklyn, N. Y., 
 where he is conducting a prosperous and lucrative 
 business. 
 
 The scholastic education of our subject was en- 
 tirely in the German language. Upon his arrival 
 in America he applied himself assiduously' to the 
 stud}' of the English language, until he has attained 
 a considerable efficiency. He is a student and close 
 observer of events, and as a means of assisting him- 
 self he has kept a complete, careful record of events 
 as they have transpired since 1863, adopting a sys- 
 tem of making a note dail}' of the occurrences of 
 that da}', and he now possesses a record which is 
 particularly valuable, as it relates in a great meas- 
 ure to local occurrences. 
 
 The wife of our subject is a large, portly, good- 
 natured lady, an excellent housekeeper, and a lady 
 •who is worthy the respect of all her neighbors. She 
 is a consistent member of the Lutheran Church, and 
 her husband is a member of the Catholic Church. In 
 politics the gentleman is a Republican; he has held 
 no public office except that of Road Supervisor. As 
 an indication of the bent of his mind it will suffice 
 to say that he regularly receives eight newspapers 
 and periodicals, and studies them all very carefully. 
 
 <S^LIAS M. COMPTON. Nebraska has drawn 
 !«] within her borders men from all sections of 
 / I — ^ the United States, and among her citizens 
 the "Ohio man" has acquitted himself in a manner 
 wortliy the reputation of the Buckeye State. The 
 subject of this sketch, a native of that State, and at 
 present a resident of Avoca Precinct, was born in 
 Montgomery County. Sept. 23, 1830, and is conse- 
 quently fast approaching his threescore years. 
 
 The Compton family is essentially a good one, 
 and William, the father of our subject, was one of 
 its most honored representatives, who, settling in 
 Montgomery County, Ohio, when beginning his 
 career as a farmer on his own account, there spent 
 the remainder of his life, making for himself a rec- 
 ord which his children may look upon with reason- 
 able pride. William Compton was born Feb. 18, 
 
 ■► n^ 
 
 •^^i^ 
 
4 
 
 -<•- 
 
 920 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1798. in South Carolina, and after becoming a resi- 
 dent of Ohio, was mairied to Mi.*s Snsaniia Frost, 
 of Miami County, that Slate. The mother of our 
 subject, a most excellent and worthy lady, traces 
 her ancestry to Wales. She was not permitted to 
 spend a long and useful life by the side of her hon- 
 ored husband, she passing away in the prime of life, 
 he living to a ripe old age. They were the patents 
 of seven children, four of whom are living and 
 making their homes mostly in the United States. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared and edu- 
 cated in his native county, which he left when a little 
 past twenty years of age, going into Miami County, 
 in the same State, where he labored as a carpenter 
 for some years. In Miami County also he was 
 united in marriage with Bliss Nancy Jenkins, who 
 was born and reared there, and who was the daugh- 
 ter of Isaac and Mary (.lay) Jenkins. The Jenkins 
 family were Quakers in leligious belief, and pos- 
 sessed all the peculiar and praiseworthy cliaracter- 
 istics of that pcaeealile sect. The parents of Mrs. 
 Comiiton spent the greater part of their lives in 
 Ohio, dying there at an advanced age. Such had 
 been tiieir lives among the people of their com- 
 munity that their names are held in kindly rcmem- 
 l)rance by a large number of friends and acquaint- 
 ances. 
 
 Mrs. Corapton vvas carefully reared, and received 
 a common-school education, remaining under tiie 
 pai'ental roof until her marri.age. As the wife of 
 oursuliject she became the mother of nine children, 
 two of whom, a little daughter Ellen, and an infant 
 unnamed, are deceased. Of the survivors the rec- 
 ord is as follows: Samuel married Miss Jerusha 
 Grubbs, and is living in Weeping Water, engaged 
 as a brick and stone mason; William is farming in 
 Colorado; Frank and KoUin I. are at home with 
 their parents; Lora J. is the wife of John Fowler, an 
 esteemed citizen of Cass County, whose biography 
 appears elsewhere in this work; Minnie K. is the 
 wife of Frank P. Parker, a farmer of Sarpy County, 
 this State; Ida M. is at home. 
 
 Mr. Compton, politically, is a sound Republican, 
 and in religious matters, with his estimable wife, 
 adheres to the doctrines of the United Brethren 
 Church. Upon leaving his native State he was 
 thereafter a resident of Tama County, Iowa, for a 
 
 period of eighteen years, a part of the time living 
 in Benton County. He came to Avoca Precinct in 
 the spring of 1875, purchasing his present home- 
 stead of 160 acres on section 17. His buildings 
 compare favorablj' with those of the industrious 
 men around him, and he has made for himself the 
 reputation of a peacealde and law-abiding citizen, 
 one who is creditably filling his niche in a com- 
 munity of intelligent people. 
 
 |IL_. ENRY C. CUTLER. Among the promi- 
 If )) fPot fill'' successful farmers and enterpris- 
 /^^' ing men within the limits of Cass County, 
 (^) the name of our subject holds a proud 
 place. His handsome home is situated on the west 
 half of section 16, in Greenwood Precinct, and con- 
 sists of 320 acres, all under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion. He is a husbandman of no small ability, 
 keeps his home in the best condition, and makes 
 agriculture a science. This gentleman was born in 
 Cass County, Neb., Aug. 16, 1864, and as a speci- 
 men of a native-born Nebraskian, he does his native 
 State full honor. He is the son of Martin B. Cut- 
 ler, who was born in Cayuga County, N. Y., Dec. 
 2, 1835. He came to Nebraska thirty-three years 
 ago, when he was twenty years old, and settled on 
 a farm in Greenwood Precinct. He 25'i'chased 
 one-half of section 16 from the State ten j'ears ago, 
 when he moved onto it. 
 
 The father of our subject was married to Miss 
 Caroline McIIerron, April 12, 1858. This lady was 
 born in Keokuk County, Iowa, in 1841. They 
 were the p.arents of two children — George H. and 
 Henry C. George H. was born June 24, 1860, in 
 Cass Count3', Neb. The father died at the age of 
 fifty-three. Henry C. Cutler was married, Nov. 14, 
 1888, to Miss Lillian Walker, a daughter of George 
 Walker, residing on section 8, in Greenwood Pre- 
 cinct. Her father came to Nebraska in 1887, from 
 Sidney, P^remont Co., Iowa, where Miss Lillian 
 was born, and settled on their present homeetead. 
 The grandmother of our subject, Mrs. Axenia Cut- 
 ler, was born Dec. 17, 1810, in Cayuga County, N. 
 Y., and was the wife of L. H. Cutler, who was born 
 in Guilford, Vt., Aug. 20, 1805, where he was en- 
 
 ■► It^ 
 
 -^1^ 
 
"► 11 <•• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 921 
 
 gageil in tlie mercantile business until tlie time of 
 his death. She was the mother of six children, 
 named: Martha R., Axenia; Martin B., the father 
 of our subject; Elizabeth R., Charles J. and Frank L. 
 
 The father of our subject, Martin B. Cutler, was 
 married to Miss Gertrude Border in 1877. She 
 now survives him, and lives in the village of Green- 
 wood. Our subject's father enlisted for a period of 
 nine months for service against the Indians in the 
 West. At the expiration of this term of service he 
 organized a company of scouts, of which he was 
 elected First Lieutenant. After his discharge from 
 this service, and on his return home, he was elected 
 to the office of Sheriff of Cass County, which he 
 filled most acceptably for a period of four years. 
 After this he retired to his farm, where he died 
 March 29, 18S;j. Our subject and brother George 
 H. went into the business of raising thoroughbred 
 cattle, horses and hogs, on what is well known 
 throughout the northwestern part of the count}' 
 as the "Highland Stock Farm." 
 
 A tour of inspection of the farm of our subject 
 and his brother, cannot fail to be of interest to the 
 admirer of thoroughbred stock, of the differ- 
 ent species handled by these gentlemen. The 
 horses in comfortably designed and roomy box- 
 stalls, the cattle sleek and contented in their quar- 
 ters, and the hogs with their various fine points 
 displayed to the best advantage, in their clean, 
 well-lighted pens, convey an idea of comfort and 
 animal contentment seldom witnessed. These same 
 animals, when roaming over tbe pastures, present a 
 scene calculated to inspire the brush of a Rosa Bou- 
 heur. The owners of these fine animals possess a 
 complete knowledge of the business in which they 
 are engaged ; they bring to it science and the skill 
 derived from their own experience, as well as avail- 
 ing themselves of the knowledge gained by years 
 of patient study and practice by men who have 
 grown old and gray in its pursuit. The result is 
 they have a stock farm second to none in value 
 in the West. 
 
 Our subject and his brother George received a 
 first-class education, first in the common schools in 
 the neighborhood, and afterward attending the High 
 School in Plattsmouth, where they were graduated 
 with honors, since which time they have been en- 
 
 gaged in active business. George is in the employ 
 of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, as 
 locomotive engineer, having entered their service 
 since the time of the great strike, which occurred 
 Feb. 22, 1888. 
 
 In his domestic relations our subject is an excep- 
 tionally well-favored man. He has just brought to 
 his home a handsome young wife, n splendidly 
 formed, handsome, blonde lady, of medium height. 
 She is well educated and refined, and is capable of 
 adorning any position in life in which she may be 
 placed. In securing this lady for a life partner- 
 ship our subject has undoubtedly made the most 
 successful venture of his life, an'l in the coming 
 years, when time has tried their affection, as fire 
 tries pure gold, he can turn his thoughts backward, 
 and say that the 14th of November, 1888, was the 
 most fortunate day of his life. His grandmother, 
 who is still living, hale and hearty, is one of the 
 representative ladies of the old school. No one 
 can be in her presence without feeling the Ijenefi- 
 cent influence of her kindly and happy disposition. 
 The father partook largely of the characteristics of 
 his mother, and during his lifetime intercourse with 
 him was a benefit to all his friends. George H. 
 Cutler was married to ]Miss Annie Hansen, of Cass 
 County, Dec;. 25, 1880. 
 
 ^^ R. URBAN II. NORRIS, phjsician and sur- 
 geon, ami an esteemed resident of Green- 
 wood, was born near Findlay, Ohio, and 
 grew up on a farm on which his father had 
 settled in 1832. His early life, in common with 
 other farmers' sons of that time, was spent alter- 
 nately working and' attending the common schools 
 in the town of Findlaj', which were unusually- good. 
 His parents had a proper conception of the value of 
 a good education, and as a consequence insisted 
 that our subject should have every facility within 
 their reach for acquiring complete and through- 
 going instruction. At the age of fourteen he en- 
 tered the High School in Findlay, from which he 
 was graduated with honors. At a very early period 
 in life he conceived the idea of becoming a physi- 
 cian and surgeon, and devoted all his energies to 
 
 • > II <•• 
 
 >^h 
 
••► 
 
 922 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 .>-Hl::4 
 
 acquiring a knowledge which would facilitate his 
 attaining to the object of his ambition. 
 
 The mother of our subject died, and it almost 
 broke the hearts of her children and husband; the 
 latter was getting well along in _v ears and thought 
 a change to the golden South would be beneficial 
 to his health. In pursuance of this decision, he re- 
 moved with his entire family soon after the 
 mother's death to Southwestern Kansas. After 
 living there several months he went to Oskaloosa, 
 . Iowa, where our subject began studj'ing for the 
 medical profession under the censorship of ])r. 
 Crowder. After studying with the Doctor for 
 three years, at the age of twenty he entered the 
 University of Iowa, at Iowa City, attending one 
 course of lectures. He began the practice of medi- 
 cine with his former preceptor, where he remained 
 a period of two years. At the expiration of this 
 time he removed to Ashland, Neb., and completed 
 his studies under the direction of Dr. Mansfield, 
 and finally, as a completion and rounding out of a 
 full course, he attended the Medical College at 
 Omaha, where he attained a high position in his 
 class, and was graduated in the spring of 1882. 
 
 Tlie long practical experience of our subject, 
 capped by the thorough course of his study at 
 Western medical colleges, insured his immediate 
 success upon coming to Greenwood in 1880. He 
 is as well and favorably known as any ph_ysician in 
 Southeastern Nebraska, and his practice has been 
 crowned with unusually successful results. He is 
 a self-made man, having paid his own way through 
 the various colleges, and his whole expenses while 
 studj^ng under his preceptors, by the fruits of his 
 own labor. His practice engages his entire atten- 
 tion, and he devotes himself most assiduously to 
 his loved profession, studying all the latest litera- 
 ture pertaining to his chosen walk in life, losing no 
 opportunity of informing himself of the best meth- 
 ods and remedies, and in all ways keeping thor- 
 oughly abreast of the times. 
 
 The Doctor w.is married in Kansas to Miss 
 Angeline Bell, in 1882. This ladj^ was born in 
 Knox County', Ohio, and is the daughter of Albert 
 and Areboa Bell. Her home in Ohio was near that 
 of our subject in his early days, and in his youth 
 the Doctor was smitten with one of Cupid's darts. 
 
 and after preparing himself for a life of useful- 
 ness, he took to his heart his first love, and now 
 the Doctor and his lovable wife are happy and con- 
 tent in their new and elegant home, and the}-, in 
 comp.iny with their two children, Ethel M. and 
 Ralph W., present a picture of contentment that is 
 seldom beheld. During the summer of 1885 the 
 Doctor built a commodious residence, two full 
 stories high, located on one of the most beautiful 
 building sites in Greenwood. The whole house is 
 most conveniently arranged, possessing all the mod- 
 ern improvements which can add to the comfort 
 and well-being of his little family. His office and 
 laborator}', complete in all the equipments for the 
 successful practice of his profession, is in a wing of 
 his residence. His practice is verj' satisfactory, and 
 is extending daily. 
 
 Our subject's father was John Norris, born in 
 AVayne Count}'. Ohio; his mother was Marj- Lavina 
 Hartman, born in Richland County, in the same 
 State. The father is now residing in Dallas, Tex., 
 and is the proprietoi- of a large cattle ranch in Den- 
 ton County, that State. He has attained the rijje old 
 age of eighty-six years, and is still active and 
 hearty. The mother died Sept. 2, 1875, aged fifty- 
 one years. The Doctor is the youngest of three 
 children. The other two children were Ambrose 
 and Semilda. His brother Ambrose resides in 
 Dallas, Tex., as does also his sister Semilda, now 
 Mrs. Alfred Alerd, and is the mother of two chil- 
 dren. Grandfather Norris was born in England, as 
 was his wife. The maternal grandfather and grand- 
 mother of our subject wei'e born in Germany. 
 Prof. Norris, of the University of Pennsylvania, 
 is a distant relative of the Doctor. 
 
 The neighbors of the Doctor have succeeded in 
 inducing him to serve them as a member of the 
 Board of Education of Greenwood, for a period of 
 three j-ears. He is also a member of the Nebraska 
 State Medical Association, and is a very prominent 
 member of the Masonic fraternity, being connected 
 with the local lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Greenwood. 
 He is also a member of Greenwood Lodge, I. O. O. 
 F. In politics he is a thorough-going Republican. 
 
 V7hile the Doctor has succeeded in working his 
 way up to the position he now holds, it is due to 
 his great force of character and his disposition to 
 
 =?=f- 
 

•^^f^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 925 
 
 •^t: 
 
 attain to the highest in the profession to which he 
 is giving his tima, life and might to attain. He is a 
 gentleman of more than ordinar}- ability, and his 
 snccess professionally and socially may be attrib- 
 uted to his strictly straightforward, upright life. 
 He is genial, generous and public spirited, the poor 
 among his patients being treated as efficiently and 
 with as much courtesy as the rich. He is a citizen 
 that Greenwood vasLV well be proud to own. 
 
 ||7^EV. T. J. CARNEY, the Pastor in charge 
 Ip;^ of St. John the Baptist's Catholic Church of 
 /fc \y, Plattsmouth, is too widely and favorably 
 ^^known to need an introduction to the readers 
 of this volume, nevertheless, tiiey may appreciate 
 tlie elfoit to present succincti3' the chief points of 
 interest in his life. He was Itorn in County Ros- 
 common, Ireland. Dec. 25, 1851, and was brought 
 up principally in New York State. He came to the 
 United States when quite j'oung with his parents, 
 Patrick and Bridget (IMcDonongh) Carney. They 
 are both living, and still residents of the State of 
 New York. His education was received in the 
 Seminarj- of Our Lady of Angels at Niagara, N. \ ., 
 from which he was graduated in the year 1880, and 
 was ordained to tiie priesthood. 
 
 The first vvork of our subject after taking holy 
 orders was the mission at West Point, Neb., where he 
 remained as an assistant for about one month, after 
 which lie was transferred to Norfolk, Madison Co., 
 Neb., to take charge of the mission there, having 
 five churches in his care, which he continued to hold 
 until 1884, when he went to Plattsmouth, since 
 which time he has had full charge here, also having 
 charge of the church near Louisville, Neb. 
 
 The Plattsmouth Mission was established in 1861, 
 and during the war perioil a small brick church 
 was erected on South Hill. This building, although 
 quite small, was nevertheless large enough for all 
 requirements for several years, but under the con- 
 stant, vigilant care of its several pastors, the society 
 has grown and flourislied in a most gratifying man- 
 ner. In 1875 the present handsome structure was 
 
 4* 
 
 erected upon a commanding site on Oak street, be- 
 tween Fifth and Sixth. 
 
 An important feature of the work as it has grown 
 under the care of Father Carney is that connected 
 with the schools. In the year 1887 a fine brick 
 school building was put up; this stands 50x55 feet, 
 and is two stories in height. It was opened in Sep- 
 tember, 1888, and given in charge of tiie Dominican 
 Sisters, with 200 children enrolled. There are in 
 all about eighty families connected with the church, 
 and under the pastoral care of our subject. 
 
 Father Carney is a man of culture and education, 
 an able and popular clergyman, enthusiastic to a 
 degree, and very popular. He is vcr3' highly es- 
 teemed l)y the members of liis flock and in the com- 
 munity at large, taking an active interest in all 
 matters that look to the advancement of the relig- 
 ious, as well as general interests of the people. 
 
 As showing what has been accomplished by this 
 zealous priest during his comparatively short resi- 
 dence in Plattsmouth, we give in tliis connection an 
 excellent view of the church and the fine brick 
 school-house, erected through his efforts, and also 
 the parsonage. 
 
 ''-•'^JULC.'^i-^" 
 
 t^^^)/^nyfft^'\/^.'v 
 
 f ACOB TRITSCH. There was added to the 
 I 
 I population of Nebraska Territory, in 1866, 
 
 ^.^^ I the subject of this sketch, with his brother, 
 (^// his stepfather, iiis mother, and besides other 
 members of the family, one Frederick Guentlier, the 
 whole making quite a company with their outfit of 
 two wagons and seven horses. It was the month 
 of January, and they were eighteen days on the 
 journey from Pekin, 111. They had been delayed 
 two days by a snowstorm. They generally were 
 fortunate enough to be in the vicinity' of a town 
 when night overtook them, but otherwise when not 
 able to put up at a hotel, were given shelter over- 
 night in a primitive dwelling of some settler who 
 had preceded them to this region. Thej' brought 
 witli them tiieir household goods, a stock of provis- 
 ions, and a limited number of farming implements. 
 The Tritsch family took up their residence on a 
 tract of land in Plattsmouth Precinct, and our sub- 
 ject, who was then a youth of seventeen years, amid 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 926 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 pioneer scenes was rearerl to sturdy miinhoofl, ami 
 there were (leveloi)ed in bim those qualities which 
 have resulted in making him one of the most indus- 
 trious and reliable men of his county. His indus- 
 tr3' and eeonorai' have also served to gather about 
 bim a snug propcrt}', together with all the comforts 
 of life. He is now the owner of a good farm in 
 Eight Mile Grove Precinct, embracing 240 acres of 
 land on section 24. This be built up from the un- 
 cultivated soil, fenced the fields, planted groves 
 and fruit trees, erected the necessary buildings, and 
 is now quite largely engaged in stock-raising. 
 
 The early home of our subject was in Germany, 
 and bis birth took place June 17, 1849. His father, 
 Philip Tritsch, died in his native Germany, and the 
 mother two years later emigrated with her little fam- 
 ily of two sons and a daughter to America. Jacob 
 was tlien a lad nine years of age. He still remembers 
 many of the incidents of preparation and the two 
 weeks' voyage across the Atlantic, at tlie expiration 
 of which they arrived safely in New York City. 
 Thence they proceeded at once to Tazewell County, 
 111., settling on land in the vicinity of Pekin, where 
 the mother labored industriously to keep her chil- 
 dren together; in due time she married again, and 
 became the wife of Philip Horn, of that county. 
 
 Mr. Tritscb bad attended school considerably in 
 his native Germany, but after coming to America 
 his education was mostly confined to a few weeks 
 during the winter season. He attained bis majority 
 in Plattsmouth Precinct, then, having a desire to re- 
 visit the scenes of his younger years in Illinois, 
 returned to Tazewell County, and remained there 
 one season. Upon coming back to Nebraska, be 
 concb'dcd to locate in this county, and of this has 
 accordingl}' been a resident since 1872. At the 
 age of twenty-three years be was married, in Illinois, 
 Jan. 18, 1872, to Miss lilizabeth, daughter of Nich- 
 olas and Margaret (Urich) Volk, of Tazewell 
 County, 111. Mr. and Mrs. Volk were natives of 
 Germany, whence they emigrated to America early 
 in life, settling in Illinois, where they still live. 
 
 Mrs. Tritsch was born Feb. 2, 1852, and remained 
 under the parental roof until her marriage, receiv- 
 ing a fair education in the common schools. The 
 young people began life together on a tract of 
 rented land in Plattsmouth Precinct, whence the}- 
 
 ■^•- 
 
 removed to their present home about 1875. Tiiis 
 bad undergone but little improvement at the time 
 of their taking possession, artd the fact that the sub- 
 stantial buildings with their appurtenances have been 
 the result of the labors and industry of our subject, is 
 sufficient proof that he has spent few idle hours 
 since coming here. When we reflect that he was 
 dependent ujion his own resources from the start, 
 too much credit cannot be given bim for the good 
 judgment which has marked his operations, be hav- 
 ing been wise in his investments. and in bis farming 
 operations seeming to have the faculty of utilizing 
 ever^' acre, so that none have been allowed to run 
 to waste. 
 
 Upon becoming a naturalized citizen and a voter 
 Mr. Tritscb allied himself with the Democratic party, 
 to which he has since given his undivided support. 
 He has been no unimportant factor among the 
 counsels of bis fellow-citizens, and has served with 
 credit in various positions of trust and responsi- 
 bility. He is now closing his fifth term as Assessor 
 of Eight Mile Grove Precinct. Both be and bis 
 estimable wife are members in good standing of the 
 German Lutheran Church. They have three chil- 
 dren, all sons: Michael, Jacob and Philip, the eldest 
 sixteen years of age and the youngest eleven. 
 
 #-# 
 
 -5— 
 
 ICHARD LEWIS is an old settler and pros- 
 perous farmer, owning and operating over 
 480 acres of land in Eight Mile Grove Pre- 
 cinct. His residence is located on section 
 32. He was born in Pennsylvania, Dec. 24, 1818. 
 When be was five years old his parents migrated 
 with their familj- to Monongalia County, W. Va., 
 which was at that time a comparatively new country, 
 and as a consequence the familj' encountered all the 
 troubles and privations incident to the life of the 
 pioneer. His opportunities for securing an edu- 
 cation were limited to the subscription schools of 
 the time, and having a natural inclination to study, 
 he improved bis opportunities to the fullest extent, 
 and, since he has attained to years of manhood, be 
 has lost no opportunity of adding to bis store of 
 knowledge. 
 
 Our subject is the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth 
 
h 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 927 
 
 I 
 
 Lewis; both parents were born in Marylan<i. flis 
 paternal ancestors were English, and those on tiie 
 motlier's side were of German descent. His parents 
 had a large number of children, of wliom only four 
 survive, named as follows: Richard ; Abraiiani. who 
 resides in West Virginia; John, who lives in Tipton 
 Precinct. Cass County, and Elizabeth, now Mrs. 
 Cline, who resides in Ohio. Our subject was married, 
 April 7, 1846, to Margaret Wells, a native of West 
 Virginia. She is the daughter of Richard an<l 
 Xancy Wells. Bj' this union there has been a 
 family of eight children, four sons and four daugh- 
 ters, six of vvhom are living, namely : Simon, San- 
 ford C Gilly, Adeline. Gertrude an<l George. 
 Those deceased are Rebecca and John. Simon re- 
 sides in Lincoln; Sanford C. resides in Hayes 
 County, this State; Gilly is now the wife of Ben- 
 jamin Ward, and resides in Colorado; Adeline is 
 the wife of M. L. Thomas, the editor of the Dundy 
 County Pioneer, at Benkleman, Neb. ; Gertrude is 
 the wife of George Laverty, and resides in Mc- 
 Cook, Neb. : George also resides in McCook. 
 
 After the marriage of our subject he settled in 
 Virginia, where he farmed for many years. In 1868 
 he migrated to Cass County with his family, tak- 
 ing a steamer at Wheeling, coming down the Ohio 
 to its confluence with the Mississippi, thence up the 
 Mississippi and Missouri Rivers as far as Platts- 
 mouth. The first year he was in Nebraska he 
 rented land. He then purchased eightj' acres in 
 Eight Mile Grove Precinct, settled on it, and began 
 its improvement, in regular pioneer st^de. The 
 land had twenty-seven .acres plowed, which was all 
 the improvement he had to begin on. By energy, 
 perseverance and good management, he has brought 
 it up to a good slate of cultivation. He now 
 owns 480 acres of good land, which he has pro- 
 cured by purchase from time to time, and which is 
 second to none in value in the county. 
 
 The improvements which our subject has made 
 on his farm are very substantial in their character, 
 and are in accordance with a well-defined plan. The 
 barns and various other buildings are well located 
 and conveniently arranged for the purposes for 
 which they were intended. His dwelling-house is 
 finely located, and contains all the conveniences 
 obtainable. It is roomy and nicely furnished. He 
 
 ^ 
 
 has planted a good orchard, which is a source of 
 handsome (jrofit, and presents a fine appearance. 
 
 The wife of our subject during her life was an 
 able coadjutor to her husband in all his efforts and 
 plans, and studied his interests carefully, and much 
 of his success is due to her wise counsels and valu- 
 able assistance, which she cheerfully rendered to 
 the day of her death, which occurred .Sept. 7, 1873. 
 .She left behind her a wealth of love and affection, 
 and a large circle of loving friends and acquaint- 
 ances. The place she filled in the home circle can 
 never be fully supplied. Her memory will ever be 
 a green spot in the lives of her husband and chil- 
 dren. She w.as identified with the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, and endeavored to live what she 
 thought to be the earnest, consistent life of a Chris- 
 tian. 
 
 When Mr. Lewis settled in Nebr.aska he w.as with- 
 out means or any influential friends. He could 
 look to no one for assistance, and depended entirely 
 on his own energy and perseverance for success. 
 How well he has accomplished his purpose is mani- 
 fested by the present condition in which he finds 
 himself. He is kind-hearted and generous to a 
 fault. He is public-spiritel. thinking that the 
 greatest good for the greatest number should 
 be the prevailing sentiment among the people. He 
 is always found heartly supporting any measure 
 that may be proposed which will have that result, 
 oftentimes to his serious inconvenience. In politics 
 he is a Democrat, but has filled no public office ex- 
 cept a position on the School Board, where he felt 
 that his services would be of permanent value. 
 
 ENRY D. BARR is a valued citizen of Weep- 
 ijj ing Water (a resident of the First Ward), 
 where he is engaged in business as a fire 
 insurance and real-estate agent, and as col- 
 lector and conveyancer, and holds the offices of 
 Justice of the Peace and Notary Public. 
 
 Mr. Barr WHS born in Greene County, Ohio, July 
 15, 1849. His father, John W. Barr, was born in Vir- 
 ginia or Pennsylvania, and went to Ohio when a 
 young man, and as a pioneer of Allen Count}-, 
 
•►Hlr^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 928 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 hewed out a farm for himself in the wililerness. He 
 alwaj-s lived in that part of the eoiintry after his 
 removal to it until deatli called him hence, in 1875. 
 He was an upright, conscientious man, and a con- 
 sistent member of the Baptist Church, as was also 
 his good wife, whose maiden name was Phoebe 
 Snodgrass. She was the mother of eight children, 
 all of whom lived to maturity, namely: John C, 
 Joseph M., James V. B., Robert H., Henry D., 
 Elizabeth, Minerva J. and Sally A. The four old- 
 est boys served in the array, and two of them never 
 came back alive. Robert 11. was killed while gallan- 
 tly" fighting at Atlanta, Cxa. ; .Joseph was wounded 
 at Harper's Ferry. Va., and was transferred to the 
 invalid corps at Columbus, Ohio, in Camp Chase, 
 and there died from the effects of his wound April 
 5, 1864, Sally married C. C. Hadsell, of Waterloo, 
 Ind., and they are now living there; Minerva is in 
 Waterloo, Ind.; John C. is in Ottawa, Ohio; James 
 lives atCreston, Iowa, where he is engaged in the 
 mercantile business; Elizabeth died in Allen County', 
 Ohio. The mother of this family was born in Vir- 
 ginia in 1812, and accompanied her father, Daniel 
 S. Snodgrass, to Ohio when young, and there lived 
 until her marriage. She died in Weeping Water, 
 Jan. 23, 1883. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was but a babe when 
 his parents moved to Allen County, and he was 
 there reared amid pioneer influences. In 1861 he 
 left the parental home and entered the printing- 
 office of the Auglaize County Democrat, serving an 
 apprenticeship of one year; from there he went to 
 Lima, Ohio, and again entered a printing office, 
 that of the Gazette, and was employed there a year 
 and a half. In 1863 he was called home to stay 
 with his parents, his older brothers having joined 
 the array. He assisted in the management of the 
 old homestead until 1865, when, the war being 
 over, two of his brothers came back and relieved 
 him from further dutj'. Thus gaining a thorough, 
 practical knowledge of the art preservative, he next 
 went into the office of the Allen County Democrat. 
 Eighteen months later he was elected Assessor of 
 his home ward, being then but twenty-five or 
 twent3'-six years of age. He discharged the oner- 
 ous duties of that responsible office in a manner to 
 call forth the warm praise of his fellow-citizens. 
 
 He subsequently engaged in teaching, a vocation 
 to which he was well adapted both by temperament 
 and education. At one time he was appointed de- 
 linquent tax collector for the city of Lima, which 
 office he filled satisfactorily. After his term of 
 office expired he came West, abandoning the pro- 
 fession of teacher, he having taught nine terms. He 
 also read law one year with Judge McBride. When 
 he first came to Cass County he stopped in Centre 
 Precinct for a few months, and then spent the fol- 
 lowing winter in Iowa. He came back in the fall 
 of 1880, and engaged on various papers, and was 
 local writer and editor of the Republican, of Weep- 
 ing Water, for a year, and he was also on the staff 
 of the Cass County Eagle for two or three years. 
 He subsequently went to Talmage and purchased 
 the Tribune, of which paper he was editor and pub- 
 isher until the spring of 1885. He then returned 
 to this place, and was engaged on the Republican 
 for a year. He was thus engaged when he received 
 the appointment of Justice of the Peace, and re- 
 signed his connection with the paper to accept it, 
 having been appointed to fill an unexpired term. 
 In the fall of 1887, so satisfactory was his adminis- 
 tration of the affairs of his office, he was elected for 
 a full term, and qualified Jan. 1, 1888. 
 
 Mr. Barr is a candid, sincere man. of unblemished 
 character, whose intelligent, well-informed mind 
 amply fits him for any station to which he may be 
 called. He is influential in local politics and a 
 standard bearer of the Republican party of Cass 
 County. Socially, Mr. Barr belongs to the I. O. 
 O.F., Prairie Lodge No. 25, also the Daughters of 
 Rebecca, Woodland Lodge, at Weeping Water. 
 
 ^Wt DAM HILD. of Eight Mile Grove Precinct, 
 @//j | presents a picture of the typical well-to-do 
 /// is German farmer and slock-raiser, with his 
 1^ comfortable home and fat cattle and horses, 
 
 and all the other substantial surroundings brought 
 about by his thrift and industry. His property 
 comprises 240 acres on section 35, and eighty acres 
 on section 36, with good buildings, fruit and shade 
 trees, the necessary- farm machinery, and the vari- 
 ous comforts and conveniences which he hasgradu- 
 
 ♦^1 
 
■► II <• 
 
 -•»- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ally arUlefl to the estate from year to yenr. A man 
 peaceable an(i law-abi<liiig, lie is one who attends 
 stiiftly to his own concerns, and one in whom his 
 neighbors iiave entire confidence. 
 
 Hesse- Darmstadt, German}', was the native place 
 of our subject, where his birth occurred July 6, 
 1844. AV hen a little lad six years of age his par- 
 ents, George and Margaret (SchafFer) Hild, who 
 were also of pure German birth and ancestry, de- 
 cided to emigrate with their little family to the 
 United States. Taking passage on a sailing-vessel 
 at Ilavie, they landed safel}' in New York City after 
 a long ocean voj'age of sixty-seven days. Thence 
 they repaired to the vicinity of Rochester, where 
 they lived about one 3'ear, and at the expiration of 
 that time set their faces westward, resolving to cast 
 tlieir lot among the pioneer settlers of Tazewell 
 County. 111. The father rented a tract of land in 
 that county, whei'e he lived and labored until his 
 death, which occurred in March, 1881, when he 
 was al)out eighty-three j'ears of age. The mother 
 survived her husband sis years, her death taking 
 place Jan. 27, 1887, in Tazewell County, 111. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were born si.x 
 children; George and Philip remain residents of 
 Tazewell County, 111.; Elizabeth died when thirty- 
 five years old; Adam, our subject, was the fourth 
 of the family; Michael lives in Tazewell County, 
 and Charlotte is dead. Adam, like his brothersand 
 sisters, received but a limited education, and at an 
 earl}' age was trained to habits of industr}' and 
 econora}'^ He was fond of reading, and thus era- 
 ployed his leisure hours, keeping himself well 
 informed upon topics of general interest. Nothing 
 delighted him better than to watch the growing 
 crops, and no occupation pleased him better than 
 that of the husbandman. His ambition was to have 
 a farm of his own, and to this end he labored from 
 earl}' manhood. While a resilient of Tazewell 
 County, III., he was married, F'eb. 25, 1869, to Miss 
 Elizabeth C. Reeg, a native of his own country, 
 born also in Hesse-Darmstadt, Feb. 2, 1850. The 
 parents of Mrs. Hild were Jacob John and Mary M. 
 (Kllinger) Reeg, who were natives of Germany, 
 and died in that countiy. Mrs. Hild was only 
 fourteen days crossing the Atlantic, which at that 
 time was considered quite rapid transit. She was 
 
 the third child of her parents, whose family con- 
 sisted of five children, namely : Maggie Elizabeth, 
 now deceased ; Anna M, the wife of Leonard 
 Trautman, of Germany; Mrs. Hild; Sophia, de- 
 ceased; and Elizabeth, the wife of Michael Schwarz- 
 fisher, of this county. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife there have 
 been born nine children, namely : Michael, at home; 
 Elizabeth and Adam, deceased; Ferdinand J., 
 George M., Philip A., Frederick L., Anna C. and 
 Emma L. After his marriage Mr. Hild continued 
 farming in Tazewell County, 111., until the spring of 
 I8»3, when he decided to seek the farther West. 
 He is the owner of 320 acres of land, which com- 
 prises one of the finest farms in Eight Mile Grove 
 Precinct. He has been the architect of his own 
 fortune, and was fortunate in the selection of a wife 
 and helpmate, Mrs. Hild having proved herself 
 fully as industrious and energetic as he. Politically, 
 our subject votes the Democratic ticket. 
 
 Tl ACOB KUNZMAXN. now the owner of 400 
 broad acres of land in Eight Mile Grove 
 Precinct, landed in Plattsmouth, this county, 
 in July, 1867, with a capital of ten cents in 
 his pocket. From that modest beginning and by 
 years of plodding industry, with the exercise of 
 the most careful economy, he has accumulated a 
 snug fortune, and presents an admirable illustra- 
 tion of the results of energy and perseverance. He 
 is numbered among the leading stock-raisers in 
 this part of the county, and has his homestead on 
 section 8, a place which, with all its appurtenances, 
 invariably attracts the admiring attention of the 
 passing traveler. It has taken years of labor and 
 thousands of dollars to bring the property to its 
 present condition, but the owner and projector of 
 this fine estate must certainly feel that his labors 
 have been richly rewarded. 
 
 The enterprising German citizen is found all 
 over the I'nited States where thrift and prosperity 
 abound, and to him is tbis great commonwealth 
 largely indebted for the development of her best 
 resources. The subject of this sketch has been 
 in nowise behind his countrymen, and has con- 
 
 m 
 
 •►HI-4»- 
 
 ^^h 
 
T 930 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 tributed his full quota to their labors and their 
 fame. A native of the Grand Duchy of Baden, he 
 was born on the 2-2d of August, 1833, and is the son 
 of Christian and Eve Kunzmann, who spent their 
 lives in Germauy; their familj- consisted of five 
 children. Jacob spent his boyhood and youth like 
 the others, a portion of the time in school, receiv- 
 ing a practical education in his native tongue. 
 Later he served an apprenticeship at the trade of 
 shoemaker, at which he worked for a period of 
 seven years. After that he was variously occupied 
 until coming to the United Slates. 
 
 Mr. Kunzmann remained a single man until twen- 
 ty-eiglit years of age, and was then married, Sept. 1, 
 1861, to Miss Madalena Gebhart, a native of his own 
 Province, and who was born Feb. 2, 1837. Mrs. 
 Kunzmann was orphaned bj' the death of both par- 
 ents when a young child, and was reared by her 
 maternal aunt. Our subject and his wife continued 
 to live in the Fatherland until the spring of 1867, 
 then decided to emigrate to America. Securing 
 passage on an ocean steanier at Bremen, they 
 landed in New York City after a voyage of thir- 
 teen days, and making their way directly across the 
 Mississippi, came to this county, within whose limits 
 the}' have since lived. 
 
 Mr. Kunzmann was a resident of Plattsmouth 
 the first four j'ears after coming to America, and 
 employed himself at whatever he could find to do. 
 By the most rigid economy and self-denial on the 
 part of both himself and his estimable wife, they 
 were in the fall of 1877 enabled to settle upon their 
 present farm. This was but little removed from 
 its primitive condition, and our subject worked 
 early and late to develop his land and bring the 
 estate to its present condition. He has been re- 
 markably prosperous, and is now enabled to rest 
 upon his oars and view with satisfaction the result 
 of his arduous labors. 
 
 Four children came to bless the union of our 
 subject and his estimable wife, the eldest of whom, 
 a son, William, is living at home; Emma became 
 the wife of Edward Herman, and they live in Fron- 
 tier Count}', this State; Joseph and Cliarles con- 
 tinue under the home roof. ^Ir. and Mrs. K. are 
 members in good standing of the German Lu- 
 theran Church, and are held in the highest respect by 
 
 -«*■ 
 
 their neighbors and fellow-citizens. Mr. K., polit- 
 ically, exercises the right of an independent Amer- 
 can citizen, aiming to support the men whom he 
 considers best qualified for office, irrespective of 
 party. 
 
 -^^m- 
 
 'W AV. PITTMAN, who stands prominently 
 among the solid men of Cass County, can 
 justly be classed with the pioneers of the 
 I State, having spent thirty years of his life 
 west of the Missouri River. In 1859 he pre-empted 
 a tract of land in Rock Bluff Precinct, but did not 
 undertake its improvement, preferring to go to Ne- 
 braska City, where he engaged in freighting across 
 the plains on his own account, continuing thus en- 
 gaged for nine years. His route was from the Mis- 
 souri River to Denver, and he visited at different 
 times all the places of note between tlie river and 
 the mountains. He also went into Montana Terri- 
 tory, and in 1862 and 1863 visited Virginia City, 
 when the greatest excitement prevailed in the min- 
 ing regions of that part of the country on account 
 of the discovery of gold. Mr. Pittman invested in 
 mines and operated two at that lime, but his vent- 
 ures were not successful, though he lost nothing pe- 
 cuniarily. His experiences of frontier life have been 
 many and startling, and had we space to rehearse 
 them they would prove most entertaining reading. 
 Mr. Pittman is well acquainted throughout this 
 part of the United States, having always been tiie 
 same, genial, open-hearted gentleman he now is, 
 making friends of all chance acquaintances, and al- 
 ways retaining their regard and esteem. In 1867, 
 deciding to permanently establish himself in a home 
 of his own, our subject located on a new farm of 
 160 acres on section 15, Liberty Precinct, which he 
 now occupies. He has since then added to his 
 landed possessions, and is now the proprietor of 
 560 acres on section 15, eighty acres on sec- 
 tion 10, and lias a six-acre tract of timber on sec- 
 tion 4. His farm is well watered, having running 
 water on every eighty acres, and it is under good 
 improvement. He has it heavily stocked, and pays 
 especial attention to slock raising and feeding, that 
 branch of his business being very lucrative. He is 
 considered one of the founders of Cass County's 
 
>► l t^ 4i^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•fe- 
 
 es 1 
 
 ^ 
 
 « 
 
 present prosperity, as since settling liere tie has 
 been intimately connected with its growth and de- 
 velopment, having contributed liberally toward the 
 advancement of its interests. lie has attained his 
 present position by the exercise of his many nat- 
 ural gifts, among which are energy, perseverance, 
 and good financial judgment. On his arrival in 
 Nebraska he was not only a poor man, but was 
 heavily in debt, having met with reverses while in 
 the mercantile business in Iowa. He has since paid 
 up his indebtedness, dollar for dollar, and has a 
 large balance in his exchequer. Meanwhile, be- 
 sides building up a fine property, he has built up a 
 good name for himself, which, as Scripture saith, 
 •'is better to be chosen than great riches." 
 
 We will now turn back in the history of our 
 subject, and give a brief review of his early life. 
 He was born on the 25th of March, 1834, in Harri- 
 son County, Ind. (For parental history see sketch 
 of Andrew Pittman.) Our subject is the third son 
 and fourth child born of the first marriage of his 
 father. He was reared in his native count}-, and 
 after attending its common school for awhile, was 
 sent to the university at Hartsville, where he was 
 a student for several years. After attaining his 
 majority our subject went to Iowa, and supported 
 himself by teaching school and selling dry-goods 
 in "Weston, a small town in Marion Count}'. He 
 remained there until he became insolvent, then 
 came to Nebraska to recruit, and finally liquidated 
 all debts, as before mentioned. 
 
 Mr. Pittman was united in marriage, in Marion 
 County, Iowa, to Miss Lydia A. Goodwin. She 
 was born in Madison County, Ind., March 15, 1840. 
 Her parents, Samuel and Susan (Beange) Goodwin, 
 were natives of South Carolina, but moved to In- 
 diana when quite young, and were afterward mar- 
 ried in that State. Mr. Goodwin was a farmer and 
 school teacher by occupation, and followed that 
 business in Indiana until his death, which occurred 
 in 1850. Mrs. Goodwin subsequently married 
 again, becoming the wife of 3Ir. James Baley. 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Baley removed 
 to Iowa, then to Nebraska, locating first in Cass 
 County, removing thence to Nebrsska City, where 
 Mrs. Baley died in November, 1883, in the sixty- 
 fourth 3'ear of her age. Mrs. Pittman remained 
 
 with her mother until her marriage with our sub- 
 ject, receiving a good common-scliool education 
 and thorougli instruction in household duties. To 
 our subject and his wife have been born nine chil- 
 dren, two of whom, David J. and Stella, died when 
 about two years of age. Of the seven living children, 
 Arelia A. is the wife of J. D. Bramblet, a farmer 
 of Gage County; Melissa J., a talented artist, lives 
 at home; Hattie J. married George L. Schryder, of 
 Weeping Water Precinct; Charles L., James S., 
 Edward A. and Berdie D. are at home. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Pittman is a sound Democrat, 
 believing that within that party lie the principles 
 that are the safest guides for our National Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 <| jt ALTEK MUTZ may successfully lay claim 
 \&Ji to the honor of being one of the pioneers 
 W^ of Cass County, where he came with bis 
 parents in 1 856. He now resides on a well-cultN 
 vated farm of 120 acres, located on section 14, Mt. 
 Pleasant Precinct. He was born in Indiana, Jan. 
 24, 1852. His parents lived in that State until he 
 was about threes-ears old, when the family removed 
 to Mills County. Iowa, where tliey resided for one 
 year, when tbey continued tlieir journey to Cass 
 County, Neb., where they settled on a tract of wild 
 land in what is now known as Ri^ck Bluff Precinct, 
 in Eight Mile Grove. At that day neighbors were 
 few and widely scattered, and in common with the 
 other earl}' settlers of the county, the}' had their 
 full share of the troubles and trials incident to the 
 life of a Neliraska pioneer. The father, John 
 Mutz. now lives in Nemaha County, Nel)., with his 
 aged wife, Phoebe, where they removed from 
 Rock Bluff Precinct several years ago. The parents 
 of Mr Mutz were natives of Pennsylvania; his 
 paternal ancestors were German. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family of eight cliildien; 
 George W., Austin C; Walter, our subject; William, 
 Otto, Albert, Nettie and Hattie. George W. re- 
 sides at Plattsmouth, Neb.; Austin C. resides in 
 Nemaha County, near his parents; William resides 
 in Dakota County. Neb. ; Otto resides in Keya Paha 
 County, Neb.; Albert resides in Otoe C(junty ; 
 Nettie is the wife of John Majors, and now living at 
 
 ^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 932 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 McCook, Neb.; Hatlie is the wife of A. T. Stewnrt, 
 and resides at Omaha.. The entire family are 
 classed among the very first and representative 
 pioneers of the State. 
 
 Our subject having been a resident of Cass 
 County since lie was three years old, has seen the 
 country develop from a wihi, cheerless waste to its 
 present prosperous condition, and without drawing 
 too heavily on imagination, he may be considered 
 to all intents and purposes a native to the manner 
 born. Possessing a fair education, he was en^ 
 gaged as a teacher for three terms. With this ex- 
 cei)tion his entire life has been devoted to farming, 
 in which he has proved eminently successful, bring- 
 ing a rare degree of skill and intelligence to the 
 business, and ingeniously bringing everything to 
 bear th'it could in any manner contribute to bis 
 ad vantage- and success. 
 
 Mr. Mutz was married, Dec. 29, 1876, to Martha 
 Hall, the daughter of the Hon. James Hall, a 
 resident of Mt. Pleasant Precinct. This couple 
 have become the parents of six verj' intelligent and 
 interesting children. They are named: Jessie F., 
 Guj- R., Katie E., Jay D., John G., and an infant 
 son. Harrison H. He has a large conception of the 
 value of a thorough education, and he is sparing no 
 effort to afford his children such advantages as the 
 country affords, to fit themselves to fill exalted 
 positions in life, with honorand pro8t,and by giving 
 them these facilities he gives them that which will 
 always be of value, and in the various mutations of 
 life cannot be lost. 
 
 The improvements our subject has put upon his 
 home farm are composed of very substantial 
 buildings, especially designed for the care and 
 economical handling of the stock and the various 
 crops grown on the farm. His residence is neatly 
 an<l tastefully designed, .and is fitted with the latest 
 appliances to reduce the household cares to the 
 minimum, as he feels that it is but due to his good 
 wife that she should have everything obtainable 
 to make her household work, which at best is al- 
 ways heavy, as light <as possible. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is a good conversa- 
 tionalist, and one who has not experienced the ad- 
 ventures incident to pioneer life cannot spend an 
 hour to better advantage than to engage Mr. Mutz 
 -^» 
 
 in conversation, and listen to his narration of the 
 many perils experienced by him in his early years, 
 which are related in such a graphic manner as to 
 carry the listener with him back to those perilous 
 days. In politics this gentleman is a Democrat. 
 He has served on the School Board of his district 
 for a number of years. Both himself and wife are 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, are 
 very sociable and hospitable, and take a lively in- 
 terest in all matters, either social, educational or re- 
 ligious, relating to the general good of their neigh- 
 borhood. 
 
 ^, RS. CHRISTINA RUMMEL, a lady highly 
 esteemed in the community, and the owner 
 of a good farm property on section 21 in 
 Plattsmouth Precinct, is the widow of the 
 late Peter Rummel, who departed this life at their 
 homestead April 24, 1885. They were married in 
 Pike County, Ohio, March 22, 1864. and in Novem- 
 ber of the following year came to Nebraska Terri- 
 tor3', locating in the pioneer days upon tiie land 
 which Mrs. Rummel novv occupies, and from which 
 has been constructed a valuable homestead. 
 
 Peter Rummel vvas born in Pike County, Ohio, 
 Nov. 8, 1841. was a man of industrious habits, per- 
 severing and enterprising, and occupied a good po- 
 sition among the early settlers of Cass County. His 
 parents, Fi'ederick and Angelina (Gloup) Rummel, 
 were natives of Germany, whence they emigrated 
 to America early in life, and settled in Pike County, 
 Ohio, where they still reside. Mr. Rummel was a 
 member in good standing of the United Brethren 
 Church, and belonged to the I. 0. O. F., of Platts- 
 mouth, at the time of his decease. 
 
 Mrs. Rummel was born in Pike County, Ohio, 
 June 29, lf<42, and is the daughter of Jacob and 
 Mary (Vallery) Vallery, who were natives of Ger- 
 man3\ and are residents of this township. The 
 father was a farmer bj' occupation, and the parental 
 household consisted of eight children; six are now 
 living, 'lo Mr. and Mrs. Rummel there were born 
 four children, all sons, namely ; George F., .Jacob, 
 William and Edward; the eldest twenty-four 3'ears 
 of age and the youngest sixteen. Three of the sons 
 are occui)ied at farming. The eldest, George F., is 
 •^ 
 
 r 
 

 
 //tr^i-7^ ^. /^4,^&Jz. 
 
h 
 
 CA.SS COUNTY. , 
 
 ^a^ 
 
 93.5 
 
 in tlie employ of the Cliicago, Burlington <fe Qnincy 
 Railroad, making his headquarters at Pacific Junc- 
 tion. Mr. Ruminel during his lifetime was a Demo- 
 crat, and a man of pure principles and integrity. 
 
 ^!i)EORGE W. LAMBING is one of the lead- 
 if ,— , ing merchants of AVeeping Water, and is the 
 '^^4 O'l'j' implement dealer in the city, except- 
 ing a small branch of a Plattsmouth house. Mr. 
 Lambing established his present prosperous business 
 about six years ago, in 1882, wlien the railway 
 came through, and although at one time there were 
 two opposition dealers in implements, by his fair 
 and square dealings with his farmer customers, he 
 has maintained his trade, and is now the only dealer 
 remaining that was established at that time. Mr. 
 Lambing has a large trade in w.agons, buggies, and 
 all kinds of farming implements, and always keeps 
 on hand a good class of goods. 
 
 Our subject was born in.. Jefferson Count}', Pa., 
 June 9, 184-4, to John and Margaret (Shirley) Lam- 
 bing, n.'itives and lifelong residents of Penns3'l- 
 vania. The father died in 1876, and tlie mother in 
 1883. They were the parents of eleven children, 
 eight of whom grew to maturity. Our subject re- 
 ceived a substantial education in the schools of his 
 native countv, and continued to live there until 
 
 1869. In that year he came to Plattsmouth, this 
 State, where he engaged in his trade of blacksmith, 
 which he had learned and practiced in his native 
 home. Nineteen months later he opened a smithy 
 in Weeping Water,, arriving here in September, 
 
 1870, and he is now the only blacksmith that was 
 liere at that early date, and he still has a shop in 
 connection with his business. He continued to ply 
 his trade until he opened his store for the sale of 
 implements. 
 
 Mr. Lambing has a substantial residence on Ran- 
 dolph .street, near the Congregational Church, and 
 to the lady who makes his home pleasant and at- 
 tractive he was married in this city, Nov. 14, 1871. 
 Of the six children born to them, five are still liv- 
 ing, as follows: Charles O.. George E., John II., 
 Wdliam and Clara B. All are at home and enjoy- 
 ing the benefit of good educations. Mrs. Lambinuf, 
 
 whose maiden name was Sarah F. Potter, was 
 born in Maryland. Her parents moved to Indiana 
 when she was a small girl, and there she lived until 
 she had grown to womanhood, and then accompanied 
 her parents to Illinois. Her father died in that 
 State, and her mother came here with her son, T. 
 L. Potter, who was the first jeweler in town. He 
 did not remain here long, but went to Springfield. 
 While here our subject mot and made the acquaint- 
 ance of his wife. Her mother makes her home 
 with our subject and her daughter the most of the 
 time. 
 
 Mr. Lambing takes an active part in promoting 
 the material prosperity' of his adopted city, and the 
 furtherance of any and all schemes for its improve- 
 ment is sure to meet with bis cordial approbation 
 and substantial aid. He has Iiorne an honoraljle 
 part in the public life of this place, and was a 
 Trustee of the village the first year of its incorpor- 
 ation. He and his wife are esteemed members of 
 the Methodist Episcopal church, and in their daily 
 walk show themselves to be sincere Christians, 
 guided by the highest principles, and they are there- 
 fore eminently worthy of the respect accorded to 
 them. Mr. Lambing is identified with the I. O. O. 
 F., and is also a member of the Modern Woodmen 
 of America. 
 
 ^TL_^ON. JOHN F. BUCK. Of all the honored 
 llTjij pioneers of Cass County who came here at 
 ~\^ an early day, and who have witnessed and 
 (^ aided its steady development and growth, 
 the gentleman whose name appears at the head of 
 this sketch is a worth}' representative, and his sil- 
 vered hairs and venerable form are everywhere 
 greeted with the respect and reverence due to an 
 honest and upright man. 
 
 Mr. Buck was born in Metz Township, Cayuga 
 Co., N. Y.. May 31, 1815. His i)aternal grand- 
 father, Elijah Buck, was a native of Pennsj'lvania, 
 and came of a good old English family, who had 
 settled in that State many j'ears before. After his 
 marriage he removed to Wyoming County, Pa., and 
 during the Revolutionar}' War, wlien his son, the 
 father of our subject, was an infant, he enlisted 
 
 the I 
 in i 
 
t 
 
 X 936 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 the home militia, and was mustereri in as Lieuten- 
 ant. He was a brave soldier, and fought gallantly 
 for his country. While he was away the Indians 
 attempted to massacre the people of Wyonjing, and 
 liis wife escaped from the house witli the baby in 
 her arms, saving none of her household goods ex- 
 cept the silver spoon with which she was feeding 
 him. In 1781 Lieut. Buck moved with his family 
 to what is now Chemung Count}', N. Y., and set- 
 tled on the banks of the Ciiemung River, where he 
 cleared a farm and spent his last years, dying in 
 1829, of paralysis, after a long and useful life of 
 more than fourscore years. His wife, wiio liad died 
 some years before, was of Irish parentage. 
 
 Tlie father of our subject. Aholinb Buck, was 
 born in Wyoming, Pa., in 1776, and wlien five 
 years of age acconipanied his parents to Chemung 
 County, where he grew to manhood. He wastliere 
 married, in 1781, to Miss Annis Drake, who was a 
 descendant of one of the first settlers of Manhattan 
 Island. She was a liaeal descendant of the Prince 
 of Orange. A large part of the land now owned 
 by Trinity Church corporation. New York City, 
 originally belonged to that family. Her father, 
 Benjamin Drake, spent his entire life in New York 
 State. After marriage Mr. Buck and his wife be- 
 gan their wedded life in Cayuga Count}'. N. Y.. 
 where they cleared a farm from the wilderness, 
 seven miles from the present site of Auburn, living 
 there until 1831, when they removed with their 
 family of five sons and two daughters to Peoria 
 County, 111. Mr. Buck had accumulated consider- 
 able property while in New York, but lost it through 
 the dislionesty of others, and was a comparatively 
 poor man when he smigrated to the Prairie State. 
 With characteristic energ}' he set to work to estab- 
 lish a new home for himself and family, and lived 
 tiierc, happy and prosperous, until his death from 
 paralysis, Nov. 21. 1855. His wife survived him 
 five years, dying in 1860, at the venerable age of 
 eighty-four years. Both were earnest members of 
 the Preslo'lerian Church, and lived honest, Chris- 
 tian lives. 
 
 John F. Buck, of whom we write, was the sixth 
 child born to his parents. lie w.is reared and edu- 
 cated in New York, and, being naturally studious 
 and ambitious, with a keen intellect, acquired a 
 
 good education, which he has further extended by 
 constant study and reading. He was married in 
 Peoria County, 111., Nov. 5, 1839. to Miss Mary 
 Schryder, daughter of Ernest C. and Sarah Schry- 
 der. (For full parental history see sketch of her 
 brother, George F. Schryder.) Mrs Buck was born 
 in Cayuga County, N. Y., near Lake Ontario, May 
 23, 1820, being next to the youngest of the family 
 of three daughters and two sons born to her par- 
 ents. When seventeen years of age she accompan- 
 ied her parents to Peoria County, 111., and remained 
 an inmate of their home until her marriage with our 
 subject. She received a good education in the 
 schools of her native State, and a supei'ior training 
 in domestic duties from her excellent mother, which 
 well fitted her for her position as companion, help- 
 mate, counselor, and all that makes a true wife and 
 faithful mother. To her and lier husband there 
 have been born ten childi'en. The names of the de- 
 ceased are Charles D., James R., George N., Willie 
 E. and Daniel W., all of whom died when quite 
 j'oung, and some of them of diphtiieria. The record 
 of the living is as follows: John S., a farmer and 
 stock-raiser of Whitman. W. T. ; he married Huldali 
 Wolph. and they have six children; Theodore D.. a 
 farmer of Liberty Precinct, married Florence R. 
 Barber, and the}' have four children; Abigail J. 
 married Andrew Klepser, and is a resident of Belle- 
 vue; Sartih A. married AV. B. Gates, a farmer of 
 Ottawa, Kan. ; Maria A. is a well educated )'Oung 
 lady, and is residing at home with her parents. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Buck remained in- Peoria County 
 several years after tiieir marri.age, but in 1855 con- 
 cluded to start with their family for the new farm- 
 ing regions of the West. May 19th of that year 
 they crossed the Missouri River, and coming to 
 Liberty, Mr. Buck pre-empted 160 acres of land, 
 and later, after the Government had disposed of its 
 domain to this county, he became possessor of an- 
 other quarter-section in Liberty Precinct, which 
 had really been secured by another man in Mr. 
 Buck's name, and thus fell to him by deed and 
 title. 
 
 A short time after our subject purchased another 
 tract of 160 acres, thus becoming owner of three- 
 quarters of a section before 1860. As soon as he 
 hail eslal)lishcd himself iicre, Mr. Buck identified 
 
t 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 937 
 
 -Ir 
 
 himself with the interests of his adopted towu and 
 countj', and soon occupied a prominent place among 
 its valued and influential citizens. He is a man of 
 great intelligence and sound judgment, and his 
 counsel and advice have been sought on all im- 
 portant questions. He was one of the foremost in 
 having the old pre-emption law of 1842 so modi- 
 fied and arranged that a person could pre-empt 
 land in Nebraska, even though he had filed a 
 claim elsewhere. He has watched with pride the 
 many changes and improvements of the county, 
 and facilitated by every means in bis power its 
 rapid advancement. Mr. Buck has worked with 
 unflagging industry on his own farm, and. although 
 deprived of the use of one arm, has by his per- 
 severance, sagacious judgment, thrift, and wise 
 economy, improved one of the best farms in the 
 county, and has accumulated sufficient property to 
 enable him and his wortlij' wife to spend their de- 
 clining years in comfort and ease. He has erected 
 a commodious dwelling, replete with all the modern 
 conveniences, and has a good set of farm buildings. 
 His realty consists of 320 acres in Liberty Precinct, 
 and 160 acres in Rock Bluff Precinct, all of whicli 
 is suitable for tillage or grazing, being well watered 
 by branches of the Weeping Water Creek. 
 
 Our subject has done his part in making the gov- 
 ernment of Nebr.iska what it is, having been sent 
 in 1855 to represent his county in the Territorial 
 Legislature, and he was chairman of two commit- 
 tees while a member of the house. He was an ex- 
 cellent man for those positions, and worked for the 
 highest good of his constituents, without prejudice 
 to his opponents, being ,'i broad and liberal minded 
 man of the highest integrity. In politics he was 
 formerly an old-line Whig, and voted for William 
 H. Harrison in 183G, and again in 1840. On the 
 formation of the Republican party he became one 
 of its members, and has since been a firm supporter 
 of its principles, and voied at the last presidential 
 election for Benjamin Harrison. Until within the 
 last few years Mr. Buck was an attendant at nearly 
 every State and county convention of his party as 
 a delegate, and the people of Cass County would 
 have honored him with any office within their gift, 
 had he been willing to accept, but his home duties 
 were such that he could not conveniently leave 
 
 them for an^' protracted term, and he was always 
 obliged to decline official honors. He has, how- 
 ever, served as Justice of the Peace for about 
 forty 3'ears, and is still an incumbent of that office. 
 In 1855 Three Grove post-office was established, tiie 
 first one in this part of the county, and Mr. Buck 
 was appointed Postmaster, and served until 1802. 
 Both he and his good wife are people of sterling 
 worth, and possess in a marked degree those hon- 
 est, substantial qualities which have made them 
 loved and revered by all who know them, and will 
 keep their niemoiy green in the community where 
 the3' have lived so many years, long after they have 
 p.assed away. 
 
 A portrait of this venerable pioneer and honored 
 citizen adorns a page of this Albu.ii, and will be 
 justly regarded as one most worthy of a pliue 
 here. 
 
 >^S^-:;»»^ 
 
 «<?«f-«ff»tf-» 
 
 Ij^^ ATTES AKESON may be taken as a typi- 
 II \V cal representative of the hardy, industri- 
 ''! ous Swedish- American citizen, who has hy 
 his industry and perseverance brought his 
 home farm, located on section 7, JMt. Pleasant 
 Precinct, to its present high state of cultivation. 
 He was born in Sweden, Nov. 29; 1825, where he 
 resided and fo.llowed the occupation of a farmer 
 until he emigrated to America in 1854, in which 
 year he took passage in a sailing-vessel, and after 
 a comparatively uneventful voyage of seven weeks, 
 he landed in New York City, whence he came 
 directly west to Illinois, residing in Henderson and 
 Knox Counties in that State for about ten years, 
 the most of the time working at farming b3r the 
 month. 
 
 Feeling an intense love for his adopted country, 
 our subject enlisted for service in the Union Army, 
 on Aug. 10, 1862, in Company H, 102d Illinois 
 Infantry. The first part of his term of service was 
 in Kentucky and Tennessee. The regiment of which 
 he w:« a member was made a part of Sherman's 
 grand army, that cut the Confederacy in twain, 
 and contributed so largely to the ending of the war. 
 He participated in the battles of Snake Gap, Burnt 
 Hickory, siege of Atlanta, and in a large number of 
 skirmishes and battles in which Sherman's army 
 
 "V J 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ^^^H^ 
 
 938 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^. 
 
 was engaged in his memorable march to the sea. 
 He took part in the grand review at AVashington 
 at the close of the war, and was honorably dis- 
 charged in June, 1865. He served as a private dur- 
 ing the entire term. 
 
 Upon his return northward Mr. Akeson went to 
 Mills County, Iowa. He remained there but a short 
 time, when he married Mrs. Rebecca Gentry, which 
 happy event occurred July 3, 1866. This ladj' 
 was the widow of William Gentry, and was a resi- 
 dent of Mills County. By her first marriage the 
 lady became the mother of three children. ]\Iilton, 
 Katie and Benjamin, and by her marriage to our 
 subject she became the mother of three children, 
 Thomas, Emma, and Ella E., wlio is now dead. 
 This lady was born in Henry County, Ind., Jan. 
 12, 1832, and is the daughter of Thomas and 
 Elizabeth Wiles. Her parents came from North 
 Carolina. Her paternal ancestors were of English 
 origin. When- she was about seven or eight years 
 of age her parents removed with their family to 
 Andrew County, Mo., where she lived until her 
 marriage with Mr. Gentry, who died in Missouri 
 in 1861. 
 
 Our subject is the son of Akey and Ellen Ake- 
 son. He is the youngest child in the family. His 
 education was received in his native country, 
 where all children are required to have certain 
 educational facilities, which has served more than 
 any other one thing to make those people fill the 
 l)roud position among the educated nations of the 
 world they occupy. Upon his arrival in America 
 Mr. Akeson applied himself industriously to the task 
 of acquiring a knowledge of the English language, 
 and he has succeeded most admirably. 
 
 After his marriage our subject left Iowa for 
 Nebraska, and settled ujon his present farm in 
 Februarj', 1873, where he has lived ever since. 
 When he began life in this country it was without a 
 dollar in money, and he was deeply in debt, but by 
 his close application and unflagging industry, he has 
 become the owner of a farm of 480 acres of choice 
 land, improved with good buildings and fences. 
 His home, under the rule of his intelligent wife, is 
 the abode of comfort and peace, and it would be 
 difficult to find a family wherein social qualities 
 and fraternal feeling, and general affection and 
 
 goodwill one toward the other, are more harmoni- 
 ously blended, than they ai-e in this family circle. 
 Both himself and wife are in the prime of life, and 
 are enjoying that felicity and prosperity for wiiich 
 they have so diligently wrought so many long 
 weary years, and they have at least formed an 
 ideal home. 
 
 Mr. Akeson has adojjted a systematic plan for the 
 improvement of his farm, which he is perfecting 
 from year to year. His dwelling is neatl}' and con- 
 veniently arranged and furnished, the barns and 
 other out-buildings are located in accordance with 
 the general plan, his orchards contain the choicest 
 varieties of fruit, and the lawn surrounding his 
 house is beautified with shrubbery, flowering plants 
 and ornamental trees. He is a member of the Lu- 
 theran Church, his wife is identified with the Baptist 
 denomination. The entire famil^^ take an active 
 interest in the social matters of their locality. He 
 is a Republican in politics, and loses no opportunity 
 to secure the advancement of the success of that 
 party. Jlr. Akeson is noted for his uprightness and 
 manly qualities, and in all matters of business his 
 word is considered as good as his bond. 
 
 ^ ^^ ^ 
 
 ^^ QUIRE MARSHALL U. ABBOTT. It is 
 ^^;^ refreshing to meet with such a gentleman as 
 Iv^UrJ tlie subject of the following biography. He 
 is one for whom nature has done much, who 
 has been given a good constitution and a coura- 
 geous spirit, and been able to surihount the difficul- 
 ties common to the lot of m.in. He calls Nebraska 
 "(Tod's country," having a fine appreciation of its 
 natural resources, and believing that the man who 
 cannot delve out a comfortable fortune from its soil 
 is of little account. 
 
 Mr. Abbott is essentially a self-made man, and has 
 been able to turn to good account his fine natural 
 abilities. He is of bright and sharp intellect, has 
 good command of language, and is always entertain- 
 ing on account of his humor and witticisms. Perhaps 
 rather below the medium height, he is stout of 
 muscle and very active, and there are few men who 
 can accomplish more either mentally or physically 
 than he. He has watched with more than ordi- 
 »» 
 
 h 
 
•►^1^ 
 
 CASS COU^•TY. 
 
 939 {^ 
 
 nary interest; the growth and development of his 
 adopted State, and has been largely instrumental iu 
 the building up of his particular corner of Cass 
 County. He owns and operates a fine farm of 190 
 acres, pleasantly situated on sections 28 and 29 in 
 Salt Creek Precinct, which is devoted largely to 
 the feeding of stock. Mr. Abbott ships annually 
 large numbers of cattle and swine to the Omaha 
 market, and is at present (the winter of 1888-S9) pre- 
 paring two carloads of cattle and one of swine for 
 this purpose. His homestead has around it the air 
 of plenty and comfort which distinguishes so many 
 of the homes of Southern Nebraska, which have 
 been built up from first principles and illustrate the 
 labor of man within the space of a few years. Per- 
 haps there is no region in the Great West more 
 fortunate in the man who have opened it up for 
 settlement than Cass County and its environ- 
 ments, and Squire Abbott has been by no means 
 behind the diligent and progressive men who have 
 augmented its reputation and standing. 
 
 Our subject traces his immediate ancestry to 
 New England, being the son of Stephen and Lydia 
 ( Deveraux ) Abbott, who were natives of Connecti- 
 cut but married in Oneida County, N. Y. The pa- 
 ternal grandfather came from good old English 
 stock, and spent his last years in New York. Stephen 
 Abbott, upon leaving New England, migrated to 
 New York State, and was a member of the militia 
 during the War of 1812, serving under Capt. 
 Haskell. The parents resided a number of years in 
 Chautauqua County, N. Y., where the father 
 planted the first nursery within its limits. About 
 1856 the parents, leaving the Empire State, joined 
 their son Marshall in Henry County, Iowa, and 
 spent their last days at his home five miles from 
 Mt. Pleasant, the father dying about 1863 and the 
 mother in 1860. Their family consisted of twelve 
 children, of whom Marshall was the youngest born. 
 Mr. Abbott was born April 11, 1829, in the town 
 of Busti, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., and the scenes of 
 his earliest ret'oUeotious lay along the beautiful Lake 
 Chautauqua. He was taught at an early age habits 
 of industry, learning to swing the ax, to plow and 
 sow, and to do the various work pertaining to the 
 farm. His early education was acquired in the old 
 log school-house, with its floor of puncheon and 
 
 benches of slabs, the huge flreiilaee occupying nearly 
 one side of the room, and the chimney built out- 
 side, of eartii and sticks. The system of instruction 
 was fully in keeping with the suroundings of- the 
 pupil. The boys of that day, however, although 
 perhaps lacking polish and culture, grew up strong 
 of muscle and self-reliant, and of them were made 
 the men wlio have left their footprints on the sands 
 of time. 
 
 Our subject remained under the home roof un- 
 til reaching his majority, and the day after he was 
 twenty-one years old he started for California. He 
 had in the meantime learned the trade of wagon- 
 maker, but he was not satisfied with his condition 
 or his prospeets. and believed that the Far West 
 would furnish something more in consonance with 
 his ambitions and desires. He proceeded to the city 
 of Buffalo by stage, thence took a steamer to De- 
 troit, and from there- journeyed by rail to the 
 young city of Chicago. He had for his traveling 
 companion one L. F. Thompson, and at this point 
 they purchased a wagon and horses, with sufficient 
 provisions for a long journe3', and started with 
 high hopes over the plains. They crossed the Mis- 
 souri River at Council Bluffs, and passed by the 
 present site of the city of Omaha, seeing nothing 
 whatever to indicate that a white man had ever 
 been in that region. Sixty miles west of the 
 muddy Missouri they came across large herd's of 
 buffaloes. The r2th of August, 1850, saw our trav- 
 elers at Placerville or Hangtown as it was then 
 called, and there they made a halt and took up a 
 claim on Weaver Creek. They had come hither in 
 search of gold, but knew nothing about the meth- 
 ods of mining, and consequently realized no profits 
 from this first venture. They did not allow this 
 fact to discourage tliem, however, but moved to 
 another locality near Diamond Springs, where they 
 remained over winter with the same results as 
 before. 
 
 Our adventurers now went back to San Francisco, 
 and soon afterward set out for the headwaters of the- 
 Feather and Yuba Rivers. There they struck a rich 
 gulch, and within a space of twenty square feet took 
 out ore to the value of $5,000. They divided this 
 equally between them and concluded they would 
 return home. They made this trip via the Isthmus 
 
 >► II < - 
 
- k 910 
 
 ••► 
 
 CASS COUNTY, 
 
 of Panama, Kingston and New York City. Upon 
 their arrival in New York State they purchased a 
 farm, of which they retained possession four years, 
 selling out in 1856. Mr. Abbott again crossed 
 the Mississippi, and took up his abode in Henry 
 County, Iowa. 
 
 Our subject purchased a farm in the Ilawkeye 
 State, upon which he settled with his famil}', and in 
 his efforts as an agriculturist met with reasonable 
 success. In the fall of 1869, however, his attention 
 was attracted to the advantages of the j'oung State 
 of Nebraska, and coming to this county he pur- 
 chased his father's war claim from the balance of 
 the heirs, and settled upon the land which he has 
 since occupied. In the construction of this home- 
 stead he began at first principles, and the improve- 
 ments which the passing traveler observes with an 
 admiring ej'e are the result of tlie diligence and 
 perseverance of Mr. Abbott. The farm is all 
 enclosed with neat and substantial fencing, the 
 buildings are convenient and well arranged, there 
 is a grove of cottonwood, maple, ash and walnut 
 trees, and an orchard of 200 bearing apple trees. 
 In addition to these there are trees of the smaller 
 fruits, and each year adds something by the way of 
 convenience and embellishment for the happiness 
 and comfort of the family. 
 
 Miss Mary Andrews, of Chautauqua County, N. 
 Y., became the wedded wife of our subject May 
 6, 1852. This most excellent lady was the play- 
 mate of Mr. Abbott in his boyhood days, indeed 
 thej^ ]3ractically grew up together from childhood, 
 attending the same school and interested in the 
 same pleasures and recreations. Of this congenial 
 union there have been born two children in New 
 York State, and three in Iowa, namely: Edna M., 
 Estella May, Mary B., an infant who died unnamed, 
 and Dwight Marion. The eldest of these is thirty- 
 five and the youngest twenty. They grew up bright 
 and intelligent, and were given careful home train- 
 ing, which makes useful and respected members of 
 the community. Mr. Abbott, politically, votes the 
 .straight Republican ticket, and has been always 
 interested in the projects calculated to advance the 
 people, socially, morally and financially. He has 
 for years been a member of the School Board of 
 his district, and has served as Supervisor. He was 
 
 •> n^ 
 
 for three years Justice of the Peace in his county, 
 and has filled many other positions .of trust and 
 responsibility. No ordinary circumstance could 
 move him from his marked-out course of honestj' 
 and uprightness which was taiight him in boyhood 
 by his parents and which he proposes to follow the 
 remainder of his life. It is hardly necessarj' to say 
 that he is held in high respect by the people of his 
 community, and is a man whose opinions exert no 
 small influence amona: their councils. 
 
 If^^EY. EDWARD ROOT, of Weeping Water. 
 I|W^ hi-.s occupied the pulpit of the Free Will 
 tii \V Baptist Church about forty-five j^ears, fif- 
 ^^teen of which have been spent in this 
 county-. Of New England ancestry, he was born 
 in Connecticut Feb. 4, 1 822, and is the son of Dr. 
 Anson L. and Sally (Brooks) Root. The father spent 
 the latter part of his life in Trumbull County, Ohio, 
 where his death took place about May 6, 1846. In 
 pursuance of his duties as a practicing physician he 
 rode all through the counties of Trumliull, Cuya- 
 hoga and Ashtabula, becoming widely and favorably 
 known throughout that region. He also was a native 
 of Connecticut, born about Jan. 4, 1793, in Litch- 
 field, and in the Nutmeg State received his medical 
 education. He practiced in the East a number of 
 years before his removal to Ohio, which occurred 
 in 1827. The country was then wild and new and 
 the journeyings of Dr. Root were performed mostly 
 on horseback, he frequentlj' riding many miles to 
 see a single patient. After the death of her hus- 
 band, Mrs. Root removed to Berrien County, Mich., 
 where she died Dec. 16, 1857. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject. Dr. 
 Anson Root, also a phj'sician, was eminent in his 
 profession, having a very extensive practice in 
 Connecticut, where he spent his entire life. 
 
 Edward Root, our subject, was a lad five years 
 of age when his parents removed to Ohio, and 
 he received a practical education in the district 
 schools of his day. He commenced reading the- 
 ology at home and began preaching when a j^outh 
 of seventeen years. His first charge, two or three 
 years later, was in Clarksfield Hollow, Huron Co., 
 
 ■*►■ 
 
•►Hl^^^ 
 
 S^H 
 
 4» 
 
 CAS.S COUNTY. 
 
 -j41 
 
 Ohio, where he was stationed one year. Thence lie 
 removed to A'ermillion, in Erie County, where he 
 organized a church, over which he was pastor three 
 years. The climate of that region inducing malaria, 
 he removed to Greenfield, Huron County, taking 
 charge of the Greenfield and New Haven Churches, 
 and there he resided a period of over ten years. 
 At that point he did remarkably efficient service as 
 a pastor and evangelist. From Ohio, about 1856, 
 Mr. Root I'emoved to Cass County, Mich., of which 
 he was a resident sixteen years, having in charge 
 one congregation at Porter, ^'an Buren Couiity, 
 fifteen years of this time, besides doing much out- 
 side work. At the expiration of this time, return- 
 ing to Ohio, he spent one and one-half years with 
 the New Haven and Greenfield Churches at the 
 earnest solicitation of the people, and which was as 
 long as his health would permit. In the year 1873 
 lie came to this county and did miscellaneous 
 church work in different localities, until the organi- 
 zation of the Free Will Baptist Church at Centre- 
 villa. The church edifice of this society stands on 
 the line between Centre and Elmwood Precincts. 
 
 Our subject purchased a farm in Stove Creek 
 Precinct where he lived twelve 3'ears, still having 
 the same church in charge, and resigned his pastor- 
 ate in October, 1887. He sold his farm and moved 
 into "Weeping Water, about 1884, where he secured 
 a plea-sant home. Since withdrawing from the 
 church above mentioned, Mr. Root has had charge 
 of two societies, one at Long Branch, in Todd 
 Creek Precinct, Johnson County, and the other at 
 Grand View, in Gage County, six miles south of 
 Firth. In connection with these he officiates altern- 
 ately. 
 
 Mr. Root was married in Medina County, Ohio, 
 May 15, 1842, to Miss Lufy S. Palmer, who was 
 born in Tolland, Mass., April 19. 1824. Her father, 
 Henrj' Palmer, was a descendant of one of three 
 brothers who came on the Ma^'flower from England, 
 and located at Stonington, Conn. He was the owner 
 of a vessel and was its captain. His vessel being 
 lost, his wife, Sophia Palmer, was left at an early 
 day a widow with two children, Lucy S. and Henry 
 F. Palmer. In 1831 the widow Palmer moved to 
 Medina County, Ohio, and resided there until her 
 death in 1864. Her son, Henrv F. Palmer, when 
 
 quite young went into the clothing and milling 
 business, which he has followed up to the present 
 time; he now resides in Fremont, Ohio, and is si.xt}'- 
 six years of age. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Root there were born ten chil- 
 dren, of whom only five are living. The eldest, 
 Henry D., is a practicing physician and druggist of 
 Lincoln; he served one term in the Legislature and 
 was receiver in the United States Land Office for 
 four years. He married Miss Emma Ilaggerty, 
 and is the father of two children; Jennie, Mrs. Jefif- 
 ers, resides in Dunbar, Otoe County, and is the 
 mother of three children; her husband is a grain 
 merchant. Nellie, Mrs. Fought, of Plattsmouth, 
 is the mother of one child. The husband is book- 
 keeper in the B. & M. lumber-3^ard at that place. 
 Delia and Frank are at home with their parents. 
 The children of Mr. Root have all been given a 
 good education, and all but the youngest boy are 
 members of the Baptist Church. 
 
 Besides his regular pastoral duties Mr. Root for 
 a period of twenty years conducted revival meet- 
 ings nearly every winter. He has been active and 
 earnest as a laborer in the Master's vineyard and 
 looks for his reward in the Great Hereafter. 
 
 ,}y\\ RS. WILHELMINA NOLTING owns a 
 fine farm on section 17, Plattsmouth Pre- 
 cinct, which, since her husband's death, she 
 has managed with great skill, and derives 
 therefrom a comfortable income. She is the widow 
 of the late Willielm Nolling, at whose decease, 
 April 14, 1882. this precinct was deprived of a 
 good citizen, who had materially aided in develop- 
 ing tiie agricultural interests of Cass Count}'. 
 
 Mrs. Noltiiig was born in Lippe-Detraold. Ger- 
 many. Sept. 14, 1825, and is a daughter of Courad 
 and Rebecca (Dorath) Gadka, likewise natives of 
 that Province. They were lifelong residents of 
 their place of birth, and there reared a family of 
 four sons and four daughters, of whom our subject 
 was the seventh in order of birth. Her parents 
 were of pure German ancestry, and were held in 
 great respect by their neighbors. In 1854 our sul)- 
 ject left the Fatherland to make her home in the 
 
 >► Hj j« 
 
 •►:ll-4» 
 
942 
 
 ••► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 future in this country. After landing she proceeded 
 to Waterlown, Wis., where she was soon after 
 united in marriage with Wilhelm Nolting. He 
 came of an ancient German faniilj', and Lippe-Det- 
 mold was also his place of hirth. 
 
 In August, 1 805, they came to Cass County, Js'eh., 
 with tiieir family, and bought the farm where Mrs. 
 Nolting now lives. There was a small house on 
 the place, and some plowing had been done, con- 
 stituting the only improvements. Mr. Nolting at 
 once entered upon the work before him, and in the 
 laborious years tiiat followed brought about a great 
 change, placing the land under a high state of til- 
 lage, and erecting a good house, barn, corn cribs 
 and all other necessary buildings, everything about 
 tiie place indicating that he was a practical, skillful 
 farmer. In the midst of his prosperous career, 
 when he was sixty-three j-eais of age, death closed 
 his useful life. He was a truly good man, and led 
 an exemplary Christian life, dying, as he had lived, 
 a firm believer in the faith of the Evangelical 
 Lutheran Church, within whose fold he had been 
 reared. To him and his excellent wife were born 
 eight children, five of whom survive, namely: 
 Minnie, now Mrs. Adam Kaffenberger; Anna, now 
 Mrs. Henry Jasper ; Bertha, August and Frederic; 
 the three latter live with their mother. The names 
 of the children deceased are Wilhelm, Helena and 
 Sophia. Mrs. Nolting is a devoted member of the 
 Lutheran Evangelical Church, and is deservedly' held 
 in high respect by all in the community. She is a 
 very capable, industrious woman, a good manager, 
 and under her careful supervision her farming in- 
 terests are in a very satisfactory condition. 
 
 ) EORGE W. YOUNG, a representative farmer 
 and one of the earliest settlers of Cass 
 Count}-, resides on section 26 of Mt. Pleas- 
 ant Precinct, where he settled in 1867, coming 
 from Scioto County, Ohio. He was born in Smith 
 County, Va., July 14, 1846, where he lived until 
 the fall of 1864, when, in company with his parents, 
 he removed to Scioto County, Ohio, where he lived 
 until he came to Nebraska, and settled on his pres- 
 ent home farm. He is a son of Lewis N. and 
 
 Levniah (Patrick) Young. The jiarents were both 
 natives of Virginia. A family of seven children 
 were born to them, namely: Mary, now the wife of 
 Aslier Tanner, who resides in Mt. Pleasant Precinct; 
 George W., our subject; Robert A. and Lewis H., 
 both residing in Mt. Pleasant Precinct; Causby is 
 now the wife of George W. Carroll, and residing in 
 Keya Paha County, Neb. ; Julia is the wife of Charles 
 Troop, and resides in Rock Bluff Precinct; and 
 Vicey J., who is deceased. The paternal grand- 
 father was a native of Scotland. 
 
 Our subjeta was married, Feb. 0, 1868, to Miss 
 Mary Barrj-, who was born in Noble C'ounty. Ohio, 
 Oct. 7, 1848. She is a daughter of Thomas L and 
 Sarah (Headly) Barry. Her father was a native of 
 Pennsylvania, and the mother was a resident of 
 Noble County, Ohio. Her father was of Irish de- 
 scent; her mother came with her grandparents to 
 Nebraska in 1867, and settled in Cass County. In 
 1885 her parents removed to New Mexico, where 
 they at present reside. The Barry family were 
 among the early settlers of Noble County-, Ohio, 
 where they occupied a inominent position in the 
 affairs of the county. 
 
 An interesting family of six children have been 
 born to our suljject and his good wife, namel}': 
 Hattie J., born May 27, 1877; Eunavista, Feb. 
 5, 1880; and four are dead, named James A., Will- 
 lam, Sarah E. and Thomas L. 
 
 Mr. Young owns a tract of 240 acres of eligibly 
 located and highly cultivated land. His improve- 
 ments are of the highest class. His elegant resi- 
 dence, handsomely furnished and conveniently 
 arranged, is supplied with all the comforts and 
 many of the luxuries known to but few people out- 
 side our larger cities. His home is surrrounded by 
 an elegantly designed lawn, ornamented with ever- 
 greens and shrubbery, which present a pleasing pic- 
 ture. The barns are largeand commodious, designed 
 with a view to accommodating the stock and hand- 
 ling the various products of the farm in the most 
 economical manner. He has a large and fine orchard 
 and numerous groves. The farm is divided by 
 substantial and well-kept hedges and wire fences 
 into fields of convenient size. The whole tract is 
 well supplied with large quantities of pure water. 
 
 In accumulating this beautiful property our sub- 
 
 •►Ht:* 
 
 •►;ll-^ 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 945 
 
 jfct has been ably assisted by his devoted wife, who 
 has been ever ready to render liim all assistance by 
 her counsel and presence. She is a refined, intelli- 
 gent lady, and holds the interests of her hnsband 
 and family dear to her heart. Both husband and 
 wife are consistent members of the United Hretliren 
 Church. He is at present President of the Board 
 of Trustees of tiie Otterbein Chapel, of Rock Bluff 
 Precinct. He was one of the organizers of the 
 school district iu which he lives, and has been for a 
 long time connected with its Board of Directors. 
 Jle is Republican in politics. In the fall of 1887 he 
 was a candidate for the office of County Commis- 
 sioner, but was defeated by Louis Foltz, the pres- 
 ent incumbent. He has served as Judge of Election 
 in his precinct, and was Constable for two years. 
 Himself and wife take an active part in the social 
 life of the precinct, and are classed among the rep- 
 resentative families of the county. They have had 
 their share of the troubles and cares incident to 
 pioneer life, and are now enjoying the fruits of 
 their industry and enterprise. Mr. Young is one of 
 the organizers and a Director of the Is'ehawka Bank, 
 and is one of the Trustees of the Nehawka United 
 Brethren Church. A view of his beautiful resi- 
 dence, with its surroundings, is given in this con- 
 nection. 
 
 --S-^ 
 
 1-f- 
 
 eALVIN G. T^ABER occupies an honorable 
 place among the pioneers who were active 
 in opening up the agricultural resources of 
 Centre Precinct, and he is now one of its prominent 
 and successful farmers. His farm of 200 acres, 1 20 
 of which is on section 22, and the remaining eighty 
 acres on section 23, is considered one of the best 
 kept farms in Cass County, and is admirably adapted 
 to raising stock, to which he devotes it principally. 
 He has a beautiful home on section 22 ; the commodi- 
 ous, substantial residence, of a pleasing architectural 
 design, is said to be one of the finest in all Cass 
 County. It is nicely finished on the inside, to cor- 
 respond with its external appearance, and is well 
 and tastefully furnished. 
 
 Mr. Taber was born in Saratoga County, N. Y., 
 Oct. 29, 1831. Durphy Taber, his father, was also 
 
 a native of New York, born in 179., and spent his 
 entire life in Saratoga County. He was a shoe- 
 maker by trade, and also a tanner and currier, be- 
 ing quite an extensive business man. He married 
 Miss Sall3' Woodard, and to them were born six 
 children, all of whom lived to maturity, their 
 names being, Eliza, Susan, Orris (who lives next 
 door north of our subject's residence), Calvin, 
 Margaret, Laura and Melinda. The father died in 
 1835, while yet in the prime of life, being only 
 lorty-four years of age, in the midst of a career of 
 usefulness, and his death was regarded as a se- 
 vere blow to the industrial and financial interests of 
 his town. His widow survived him until 1864, dy- 
 ing in the home of our subject, at the ripe age of 
 seventy-eight years. Peleg Taber, the grandfather 
 of our subject, was a native of Rhode Island, and 
 the next spring after his marriage he went to Sara- 
 toga Count}', N. Y., which was then mostly covered 
 by the primeval forest, and there he built up a 
 home for himself and family, with pioneer labor, 
 drawing the logs for the erection of a cabin with- 
 out the help of a team. He eliminated a good farm 
 from the forest depths during the latter part of the 
 eighteenth century, and there spent the remainder 
 of his life. He was twice married and reai'ed a large 
 family of children. He was a Quaker, or Friend, iu 
 his religious belief. 
 
 Our subject lived in his native county until he 
 was twenty-four years old, receiving in the mean- 
 time the benefit of an education at the common 
 schools. At the age mentioned he went to Stark 
 Countj', 111., and remained there several years, 
 prosperously engaged in farming. In 1865 he 
 visited Nebraska for the purpose of taking up a 
 homestead claim on eighty acres of land that forms 
 a part of his present farm. He erected a small 
 house, and the same fall returned to Illinois and 
 spent the winter, closing up his affairs there prepar- 
 atory to the removal to this State. In the spring 
 of 1866 he came here with his family to locate per- 
 manently, airiviug here on the 29th day of Ma}', 
 having driven all the way from Stark County, 111., 
 a distance of 420 miles. He still has the team 
 with which he drove through, a bay team that was 
 at that time four years old. He thinks a great deal 
 of them, and they are now having the best of care, 
 
 '^^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 ■•►Hlr 
 
 946 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 having good shelter even in inihl weather, and 
 from one of them he lias reared nine colts, of whicii 
 he has three left. With characteristic energy. Air. 
 Taber immediately set to work to improve his 
 land, planting a grove, also 200 good fruit trees, 
 besides a vai-iety of small fruits, put out one and 
 one-half miles of hedge, and put the land under good 
 tillage. In a few years he had his first 80-acre 
 tract under good improvements, and all under cul- 
 tivation but seventeen acres, and that is in tame 
 grass. As he became more prosperous he bought 
 another eighty, improved that, and has since added 
 forty acres more to his land, making it a fine farm 
 in every respect. He has erected ample and com- 
 modious farm buildings; one tine barn is 36x50, 
 wiih 16-feet ()OSts, and a stone basement. He h.as 
 a large granary, 18x32x16 feet, with 16-feet posts, 
 and large double cribs; also has a hog house, 
 20x30x12 feet, to protect his hogs, as he carefully 
 cares for all of his animals. In 1887 he erected his 
 fine residence, with a frontage of fifty-six feet, 
 Iwentj'-six feet in depth, and two stories in height, 
 with an L in the rear. Mr. Taber has been ex- 
 ceedinglj^ successful in raising stock. He has a fine 
 herd of fifty-three head of cattle, mainly Short- 
 horns of a high grade. He has a number of hogs, of 
 a mixed breed of Poland-China and Berkshire. 
 He devotes most of his time, however, to horse 
 breeding, and has several fine roadsters, besides ten 
 work-horses of good grades, which he keeps busily 
 employed on his farm. 
 
 Mr. Taber and Miss Sarah Harris were united in 
 marriage in Saratoga County, N. Y., April 26, 1855, 
 and to them have been born six children, all of 
 whom are living, and of them the following is re- 
 corded : Sophronia, born .June 24, 1856, is now 
 Mrs. George Michael, of Webster County, Neb.; 
 Lydia Malvina is Mrs. Orin Pitney; Wyan married 
 Miss Susan Fairfield, and they have one child, 
 George, and reside in Cheyenne County, Neb. ; Eliza 
 is now Mrs. Zade; Orin, William, at home. All of 
 the daughters live in Webster Count3', this State. 
 Mrs. Michael has three children — Sarah, Laura and 
 Milton; Mrs. Pitney has two children— Clyde and 
 Floyd; Mrs. Zade has three children — Clara, Sarah 
 and Ertle. 
 
 Mis. Taber was born Feb. 6, 1833, in Warren 
 
 County, N. Y. Her fatlier, William Harris, was 
 a physician and surgeon of Athol. that county, 
 where he always lived, with the exception of two 
 j'ears that he spent in Illinois. He died in 1883, 
 aged seventy-two years. His wife, whose maiden 
 name was Sophronia Flanders, survived him until 
 1885. when she, too, passed to the great beyond, at 
 the age of seventy years. They were prominent 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mr. Taber is a man of more than average capac- 
 ity and decision of character, and it is to such men 
 tliat Cass County is indebted for her rapid prog- 
 ress during the last two decades to a position of 
 prominence among her sister counties. Our sub- 
 ject may well be proud of the part he has taken in 
 developing her resources, as well as of the fact that, 
 by his own exertions, he has placed himself in the 
 front rank among hersuccessful farmers. His fellow- 
 townsi)eople regard him with feelings of the highest 
 respect and esteem, as he is frank and warm-hearted, 
 is a model of honest integrity, and is the soul of 
 honor. As a good cii.izen should, he is interested 
 in political aff;iirs of the country, and is sincerely 
 convinced that the principles promulgated l)y the 
 Republican party are the safest in dealing with 
 public interests. 
 
 A view of Mr. Tabor's fine residence, with its 
 surroundings, is given on another page. 
 
 _ .^^ ^ 
 
 ELIC CHALKER COLEMAN, an honored 
 citizen, and an enterprising lumber and coal 
 merchant of Greenwood, was born in Miller 
 Township, Knox Co., Ohio, on the 23d of April, 
 1843. His first recollections are of Ohio, where he 
 entered the public schools when only four years of 
 age; when he was seven years old he went with his 
 parents to Iowa, where he lived with them and at- 
 tended school until he was nineteen years old. In 
 1862 he joined his parents, who had preceded him 
 two years, in Nebraska. In the autumn of 1861 he 
 enlisted in Company F', 17th Iowa Infantry, to take 
 part in the Civil War, which had just begun at that 
 time. The regiment went into camp at Keokuk, 
 from which city they went to Benton Barracks, St. 
 Louis, Mo. In 1862 they started down the Missis- 
 
 •► 
 
■^- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 947 
 
 sippi River, and participated in tlie battles of Pitts- 
 liiirg Landing- and (Sliiloli. and took part in the 
 many engagements vvhieli led to the evacuation of 
 Corinth and luka. 
 
 At the camp at Clear Creek our subject was at- 
 tacked with the intermittent fever. He was re- 
 moved to St. Louis, Mo., and placed in the Good 
 Samaritan Hospital, remaining there for some time, 
 and was finally- honornbly discharged on account of 
 ph^'sical disability. At the time of his discharge 
 he was so reduced in flesh that lie was merely a 
 skeleton, with an epidermis stretched over it. lie 
 rejoined his people in Nebraska, and remained un- 
 der the paternal roof for two years, where the won- 
 derful climate of Nebraska, coupled with strong 
 recuperative powers of our subject, restored him 
 to his former .--tate of health. In 1866 he engaged 
 in freighting from Plattsmouth across the |)lains. 
 He would occasionally meet armed bands of In- 
 dians, but they never interfered with him in any 
 serious manner, although they would beg and steal 
 any small articles they could secure. Exposure be- 
 came so common to him, it was merely a continua- 
 tion of his arm}' life. 
 
 In 1867 our subject homesteaded a farm of 160 
 acres in Salt Creek Precinct, near the stream of 
 that name. He was very successful in his farming 
 operations, so that soon afterward he purchased 
 another tract of 160 acres. Dec. 26, 1867, he 
 was married to Miss N.anc}' Jane Loder. who was 
 born in Cohocton Countj', Ohio. She came to Ne- 
 braska with her parents when she was a child, in 
 1863. The children born to thera are as follows: 
 Cassie M., Hettie G., Ella M., Loy L., Ada 
 F., Isa Lola, Mattie, Lula; AVilliam E., deceased; 
 Myron and Elmer Chalker. 
 
 Our subject's father, Elic Chalker Coleman, Sr., 
 was a farmer, and born in Connecticut; his mother 
 was Catherine (Beiler) Coleman, and was a native 
 of Maryland. The Coleman familj- were among 
 the earliest settlers in Connecticut, and the father 
 of our subject went to Ohio when he was a boy, in 
 the neighborhood of 1812. He attained to years 
 of manhood, and was married there, and removed 
 to Iowa in 1850, settling in Henry County, near 
 Mt. Pleasant. In 1860 the family came to Ne- 
 braska and settled in Salt Creek Precinct, and were 
 
 among the earliest settlers in that precinct. Here 
 the father entered a homestead in the year 1863. He 
 prospered, and lived on the farm until he died in 
 1878, at the age of sixty-nine years. The mother 
 died in 1885, aged seventj'-nine years. They were 
 the parents of eleven children, namely : Jane, de- 
 ceased ; Matild.a, Ebenezer, Mary, Lucy, William, 
 John II., Amy: P^lic Chalker, our subject; Amanda 
 and Martin Luther. Henry resides in Colora<lo; 
 the remainder of the children live in Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. Coleman continued operating his farm until 
 in 1887, when he moved into Green vvood. During 
 this year he traveled through Eastern Colorado. 
 In 1888 he entered into his present business, as the 
 senior partner in the firm of Coleman & McPher- 
 son, dealing in lumber and coal, in which they trans- 
 act an extensive business. Our subject has dis- 
 posed of a portion of his holdings, but he still owns 
 a well-improved and valuable farm of 120 acres in 
 Salt Creek Precinct. He and his family reside in 
 a ple.asant and comfortable home in the northwest- 
 ern part of the village. 
 
 It is to such men .as Mr. Coleman that the lasting 
 prosperity of our nation is due. It is they who 
 open the wild, unsettled plains of the country, and 
 make way for the advancement and progress of 
 civilization and the fine arts. It is to the patriotism 
 of such men that we owe our existence as a nation 
 to-day. In no other country under the sun do we 
 witness the spectacle of beardless youths eager to 
 enter the service of their native land in times of 
 need and peril, j'et he, with thousands of others, did 
 this, and endured without a complaint the terrible 
 experiences had on the flelds of Shiloh, Pittsburg 
 Landing and luka. Returning home he suffered 
 for j'ears, broken in health, but not in courage or 
 spirit, and we find him entering on the perilous 
 tasks of the freighter across the trackless plains of 
 the West, facing new and unseen dangers from the 
 hand of the treacherous Indian. But those times 
 have passed, taking with them their dangers, and 
 what wfis then to be dreaded is as safe and pleasant 
 as the walks in our thickly populated cities. 
 
 When that organization of old soldiers, theG. A. 
 R., was organized, we find our subject entering zeal- 
 ously and whole souled into the project, and he is 
 now Commander of Mission Ridge Post No. 149, 
 
 •►-Hr^" 
 
 '^^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 948 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ?lr 
 
 w 
 
 composed of tweul^'-two raeinburs, all old vetenins. 
 lie is also a protiiinent mcmlier and Chancellor 
 Commander of the Knights of Pythias of Green- 
 wood. In politics he is a Republican, and takes a 
 lively interest in the success of his parly. He has 
 lieen delegate raanj' times to the different Coiiuly 
 Conventions of that party, and was delegate to the 
 .State Convention in 1886, and assisted in the nom- 
 ination of Gov. Th.ayer. Himself and wife are es- 
 teemed members of the Christian Cliurcii. 
 
 J.1LLIAM SHEFFER, deceased. The name 
 of this honored pioneer of Cass County is 
 familiarly known to the people of Salt 
 Creek Precinct and vicinity as that of the very- 
 first man to locate on the creek, which was then 
 called the Saline River on account of the quality^ of 
 its waters. Mr. Sheffer landed here on the 18th of 
 July, 1856, while Indians were still roaming over 
 the country and wild game was abundant. It was 
 nearly eleven 3'ears thereafter before Nebraska was 
 admitted to the Union as a State. 
 
 The subject of this sketch living here from that 
 time until his death, Jan. 26, 1889, had thus had an 
 experience rich in variety, as the country around 
 him slowly developed from an uncixltivated waste 
 into the abiding-place of a prosperous and civil- 
 ized-community. A native of Lycoming County, 
 Pa., he was born near the city of Williamsport, July 
 10, 1804, and at the time of his death was over 
 eighty'-four j^ears of age. His father, John Sheffer, 
 was born in Lancaster County, Pa., and married 
 Miss Susan Reynolds, a native of the same county. 
 
 The paternal grandfather, John Sheffer, Sr., carried 
 
 » 
 a musket during the Revolutionary War, under the 
 
 direct command of Gen. Washington. He was a 
 native of Georgia and after the war settled in 
 Lancaster County, Pa., where he spent the remain- 
 der of his life. 
 
 On the mother's side grandfather William Re_v- 
 nolds came over from England at an earl3' period 
 in his life and also entered the ranks of the army 
 as a Revolutionary soldier. After the war was over 
 he turned his attention to farming, and spent his 
 last jears in Tioga County, Pa. His son John, the 
 
 father of our subject, upon approaching manhood 
 learned the trade of a tailor, and after his marriage 
 settled in Lycoming County, Pa. Later he removed 
 with his famil}^ to Tioga County, and changing his 
 occupation took up agricultural pursuits and be- 
 came the owner of a farm of 100 acres. Upon this he 
 spent the last years of his life, passing away in 1830 
 at the age of sixty-one years. The mother survived 
 her husband until about 1862, her death taking 
 place when she was seventy-five years old. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were born 
 twelve children, seven sons and five daughters, of 
 whom four survive. William, the subject of our 
 sketch, was the second born and spent his child- 
 hood and youth on the farm in the Keystone State. 
 In common with the young people of that time and 
 place his educational advantages were limited to 
 the evening fireside and the New Testament, and 
 such was his application to his only text book that 
 he in time became a theologian of no mean abili- 
 ties. He possessed a good memory and was able to 
 quote profusely, being often able to jog the mem- 
 ory of the preacher in this respect. Upon the ne- 
 cessity arising for him to make himself useful, he 
 began learning the tailor trade of his father, which, 
 however, he was forced to abandon ere long, on 
 account of the confinement, which threatened to 
 throw him into consumption. He then began 
 working on a farm, and when twenty -six years old 
 set about the establishment of domestic ties of his 
 own, being married Dec. 28, 1828, to Miss Elizabeth 
 Kehler, who was also a native of Pennsj'lvania and 
 born in Northampton County, Nov. 30, 1801. Her 
 parents were Abraham and Elizabeth (Shelley) 
 Kehler, who were born near the city of Philadel- 
 phia. Their family consisted of eight children, 
 four sons and four daughters, of whom Mrs. S. 
 was next to the eldest. The paternal great-grand- 
 father of Mrs. Sheffer was of German birth and 
 ancestry, and upon coming to the United States set- 
 tled near Philadelphia, where he engaged in farm- 
 ing, and there he spent the remainder of his life. 
 
 AVhen Mrs. Sheffer was eight years of age her 
 parents removed to Lycoming County, Pa., where 
 she received careful home and religious training, 
 her parents being devoted members of the Presby- 
 terian Church. She remained a member of her 
 
 •► 
 
 - ► I I ^» 
 
*► I I <• 
 
 IK-4S 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 949 
 
 father's household until her marriage. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Sheffer continued residents of their native 
 State until coming to Nebraska Territory in July, 
 1856. The intention of Mr. Sheffer had been to 
 settle in Illinois and secure land for his boys, who 
 were fast approaching manliood. In the spring of 
 1856 he began making his preparations for removal, 
 gathering together his household effects, loading 
 them upon a wagon, and on the 28th of April he 
 started with his family overland for the prairies. 
 His destination was Freeport, 111., where he pro- 
 posed having his sons and son-in-law settle on 
 rented farms in the vicinity of that then small 
 hamlet. The boys, however, wished to take up 
 land from the Government, so they departed from 
 the first plan and moved onward through Illinois 
 toward the farther West. 
 
 Upon arriving in Dubuque, Iowa, Mr. Sheffer 
 visited the land office and found he could not 
 locate land in that State without running a risk of 
 settling on what might become railroad propertj^ 
 He therefore resolved that Iowa was not the place 
 for him and decided to hunt until he found it. 
 Crossing the Missouri at the present site of Platts- 
 mouth, which was then marked by a few cabins, he 
 moved on with courage until finding a place suita- 
 ble in all respects, this being on the Saline River. 
 There he took up a "squatter's" claim and for seven 
 years lived on the east side of the creek. The land at 
 that time had not been surve^'ed by the Govern- 
 ment, but in 1857-58 it was marked off in sections. 
 Mr. Sheffer turned the first furrow along the wat- 
 ers of Salt Creek, breaking five acres in the month 
 of September, 1856. It is hardly necessary to state 
 that he also built the first cabin, this being put up 
 in August of that year. 
 
 As time passed on and other adventurous men 
 followed in the footsteps of our subject, the latter 
 with his natural benevolence of character, began 
 looking around in search of some good he might do 
 among his neighbors. He had always been of a re- 
 ligious turn of mind and began as soon as he could 
 gather together an audience to hold praj^er meet- 
 ings in his cabin. The worshipers were few in 
 number, but they remembered the Scripture prom- 
 ise and were strong in faith. The first sermon lis- 
 tened to by the people of that region was preached 
 
 by a missionary, Mr. Turman, who was sent into 
 the Territory to "preach to the heathens" as he ex- 
 pressed it. Mr. Sheffer informed him that if it 
 were heathens to whom he wished to . preach he 
 woifld have to go farther West, but if he would 
 like to discourse to people from Pennsylvania his 
 cabin should be thrown open to all who might wish 
 to listen to the first sermon on Salt Cretk. 
 
 The first election in this country was held on the 
 wood pile of Mr. Sheffer. The authorities at Platts- 
 mouth appointed him the .ludge, in which capacity 
 he served thereafter a period of nine years. The 
 ballots were written w'ith pen and ink and the 
 pieces of paper deposited in the hat of Mr. Shef- 
 fer, which answered the purpose of the first ballot 
 box in Salt Creek Precinct. There was very little 
 trouble about the election returns, for the five votes 
 cast were unanimously in favor of the same meas- 
 ures and the same officials. 
 
 Mr. Sheffer planted the first cottonwood trees on 
 Salt Creek and one of them is still living. This 
 stood in front of his cabin, long since demolished, 
 and has grown to be a monarch of its kind. He 
 set out the first apple trees in the spring of 1860, 
 the sprouts having been shipped from New York 
 State. The first child born in the precinct was a 
 son to Mrs. Elizabeth Farmer, the daughter of our 
 subject. The mother is now deceased, but Mr. 
 Farmer is living on the creek. The first school 
 was taught by Mrs. Laughlin on the creek, in the 
 house of a Mr. Callahan, not far from the Sheffer 
 cabin. The first Fourth of July celebration in the 
 western part of Cass County was held near Green- 
 wood in 1858. This was made the occasion of much 
 hilarity in pioneer fashion, and Mr. John Loder 
 mounting a rude stand i-ead with great dignity the 
 Declaration of Independence. All present entered 
 into the spirit of the occasion, and everybody re- 
 tired from the scene of the festivities feeling that 
 he had done his full duty as an American patriot. 
 
 Those years to our subject and his estimable 
 wife, although not devoid of pleasure, were plenti- 
 fully besprinkled with hardships and privation. 
 They had come to stay, however, and kept up their 
 courage amid scenes and surroundings which would 
 probabl}' have dismayed the people of to-day. They 
 lived not only to see their children grown and set- 
 
 •►Ht:^ 
 
f 950 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 t-^t 
 
 tied ill comfortable homes, but their grandchildren 
 finally began to play around their door and in due 
 time another generation ; before Mr. Sheffer's death 
 he and his wife had six great-grandchildren. Their 
 own household included nine children, namely: 
 Katie A., now Mrs. Ellis Calahan; Elizabeth al- 
 ready spoken of; Frances, now Mrs. L. K. Bell; 
 John, Curtiss, Nelson, Abraham and Aaron. An 
 unnamed infant is also deceased. These two 
 latter, the eldest born, were twins and died in 
 infancy. Mr. Sheffer was prospered in his labors 
 as a farmer and in the building up of a comforta- 
 ble homestead, which at his death became the heri- 
 tage of his family and his faithful and devoted 
 wife, who had lived by his side for more than sixtj' 
 years. They were numbered among the oldest liv- 
 ing residents along the western line of the count}'. 
 
 Oui subject hurrahed enthusiasticallj' for Gen. 
 William Henry Harrison in 1840 and cast his last 
 vote with no less satisfaction for his grandson in 
 the election of November, 1888. He had been a 
 supporter of the Republican party since its organi- 
 zation. Both he and his estimable wife were mem- 
 bers of the Christian Church, in which he had 
 officiated as Elder for more than forty years, and 
 up to the time of his death. , He organized the first 
 Sabbath School on Salt Creek and the first Chris- 
 tian Church in the Territory of Nebraska outside 
 of Plattsmouth. Prior to coming West he had 
 been Superintendent of a Sabbath School in Penn- 
 sylvania for a period of nine years. 
 
 In the fall of 1856, a company of 500 Pawnee 
 Indians came along and drove Mr. Sheffer and his 
 family from their home, taking with them a horse 
 and threatening to do violence if there was any re- 
 sistance. The Sheffers sought refuge in Plattsmouth, 
 where they remained during the winter. In the 
 spring Mr. S. returned to his claim accompanied by 
 about thirty men, fortified the house, and during 
 the siege which followed captured one of the Paw- 
 nees, holding him until Gen. Thayer and his agents 
 could come to their assistance. After the Indians had 
 been driven off Mr. Sheffer went to Plattsmouth 
 after his farailj', and thereafter they lived in com- 
 parative peace and safety. 
 
 The first bridge across Salt Creek was built b}' 
 
 Mr. Sheffer in the spring of 1857. This was after- 
 
 ^f 
 
 ward used as a crossing place for emigrants and 
 freighters West, instead of the old Mormon and 
 California trail. It was run on the toll system and 
 proved a fine source of revenue to its architect. 
 Mr. Sheffer came to Nebraska with considerable 
 means, and possessing a strong constitution and an 
 abundance of energy and perseverance, was one of 
 the men most needed at that time in the development 
 of the country. During his residence of over thirty 
 years he had become known to most of the promi- 
 nent people in the county, and his services as a pio- 
 neer and a citizen were fully recognized by those 
 who have watched with intense satisfaction the 
 rapid growth of this now great commonwealth. 
 The death of this honored pioneer, when full of 
 years and honors, tliougli in the course of nature 
 not unexpected, j'et evoked much sorrow and sym- 
 pathy from those who had known him so long and 
 well. 
 
 ilfcSff solid ana su 
 
 'IvW Precinct, nc 
 
 ^^ or have a i 
 
 EUBEN A. CHAPIN. Among the many 
 solid and substantial citizens of Salt Creek 
 lone are more favorablj' known 
 more enviable reputation than 
 our subject, who is a carpenter and budder, as well 
 as farmer, owning and operating a higlily improved 
 farm of eighty acres on section 33, town 12, range 
 9. Tliis gentleman is a son of Ashur M. and Mary 
 (Look) Chapin. The father was born in Hartford, 
 Conn., where he was a prominent man. dealing in 
 livestock: horses, cattle, hogs, etc. He died in 
 Monmouth, 111., aged seventy-six. His grandfather, 
 Asa Ciiapin, was of Welsh descent. His grand- 
 mother's maiden name was Franklin, a direct de- 
 scendant of the renowned pliilosopher, Benjamin 
 Franklin. 
 
 Our subject is the flftli cliild and fourth son in a 
 famil}' of twelve cliildren. He was born Nov. 
 12. 1830, at Bath. Steuben Co., N. Y. When he 
 was yet a boy his parents moved with their 
 family into the heavy forests of Oliio. Tlic place 
 tiiey selected for settlement was six miles from tiie 
 nearest white man. Wlien he was five years of 
 age his parents removed to Knox Count}-, Ohio, 
 where he attended the public and subscri|)tion 
 scliools of tlie neighborhood, and the High School 
 
 *> J l ^» 
 
»► II <• 
 
 -■► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 951 
 
 at Mt. Vernon, acquiring a great desire for knowl- 
 edge, whioli he has never lost an opportnnitj- to 
 gratify. 
 
 After obtaining his education our subject thought 
 it would be well to have a prpctical knowledge of 
 son)e mechanical trade. He therefore entered an 
 apprenticeship as a carpenter and builder in Mt. 
 Vernon, Ohio, which trade he completely mastered 
 in ail its details. He resided there until he was 
 married to Miss Larin<la Chevront. This lady was of 
 French descent, the daughter of Lemuel Chevront, 
 of Greenwood, Neb. After his marriage he moved 
 to Lima, Allen Co., Ohio, whe^-e in company with 
 his two brothers he erected a planing-mill, manu- 
 facturing everything connected with the building 
 business. This he followed successfully for three 
 years, when he went t > Saline Count}', Mo. There 
 he engaged in business as a builder and contractor, 
 employing steadily from fifteen to twenty men. 
 
 About this time the war broke out and our sub- 
 ject, for his own safet}' and the safety of his wife, 
 moved to Monmouth, Wanen Co., 111., where his 
 father was living. At this place he entered the 
 service of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail- 
 way Company as bridge-builder, where he remained 
 for several years, when, feeling that the West of- 
 fered better possibilities than he was able to secure 
 where he then was, he came to Plattsmouth, Neb., 
 with $ij in cash, which sura represented his entire 
 fortune. In December of the same year he came 
 to Salt Creek Precinct, where he built the flouring 
 mill for Messrs. Reed Bros., of Weei)ing Water. In 
 1864 he took up a homestead claim of 160 acres. 
 He hired a man to work the farm until his boys be- 
 came old enough to take charge of it. 
 
 Our subject is the father of four children — Eva, 
 Kate, Milton and Edward E. Eva died in Mt. 
 Vernon, Ohio; Milton died in Missouri; Kate mar- 
 ried John Beiler, a merchant in Greeley County, 
 Kan., and is the mother of five children living. 
 They are named as follows: Ethel, Bert, Pearl, 
 Verned and Raymond. Edward is a noted opera- 
 tor now at Bradshaw, York Co., Neb., is mar- 
 ried to Miss Jessie McKibbon, and the}' liave one 
 child, Fred. Mrs. Chapin died in 1869. After a 
 season he married a Miss Teresa Meffoi-d. a resident 
 of Iowa; she is the daugliter of James P. Mefford, 
 
 now a resident of Salt Creek Precinct. By Ibis 
 union he is the father of six children, three of 
 whom, Jesse O., Ira F. and Tacy A., are living. 
 Lillie, William P., Charles and Sallie are deceased. 
 
 There are very few men engaged in the business 
 followed by our subject that have a better or more 
 complete knowledge of it than he. By a systematic 
 course of study and reading, as well as a close ob- 
 servation of the work of other matters in the same 
 line of business, he keeps fully abreast of the times, 
 and is thoroughly informed of all the improvements 
 and details made in his favorite profession. Among 
 all the many fine iron buildings that do credit to the 
 city of Omaha, our subject can lay claim to the honor 
 of erecting the first iron building in the citj', which 
 has been followed by so many magnificent specimens 
 of the builder's art, but none are more substantially' 
 built or better designed than the first one. 
 
 Mr. Chapin recalls many incidents and episodes 
 relating to the old "hard cider" Harrison campaign 
 of 1840, in which he played the role of drummer 
 boy. In his later years he has not forgotten the 
 precepts inculcated by the orators during that cam- 
 paign, and has ever since been true to the disci- 
 pline of that party. He has been a Deacon of 
 the Christian Church at Greenwood for six years, 
 and has held the office of Justice of the Peace, be- 
 ing the only public office he has ever filled, pre- 
 ferring to devote his time exclusively to the prose- 
 cution of his business. 
 
 »rW€ 
 
 
 •►Hi::^ 
 
 ■^OHN II. HASEMEIER is a representative 
 Gei'man-American citizen, residing on a 
 valuable farm of 260 acres on section 29, 
 ((^/' in Eight JMIlo Grove Precinct, where he set- 
 tled in 1867. at which time the land was in a per- 
 fectly natural condition. He is a native of Hanover. 
 Germany, where he was born J.an. 15, 1815. He is 
 the son of John and Catherine Hasemeier, both na- 
 tives of Germany. When our subject was about 
 eight or nine years of age he lost his mother by 
 death; he resided in the old country until he was 
 about seventeen 3'ears old, when, with his father, one 
 brother and two sisters, he emigrateil to America, 
 taking passage at Havre in a sailing-ship. After a 
 
 f 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 '•> II < • 
 
 952 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4ci: 
 
 comparatively uneventful voyage of nearly nine 
 vreeics tlie_y landed at Baltimore. Md. 
 
 From Baltimore our subject went to Franklin 
 County, Pa., where he worked on a farm for $5 
 per month and board. He also performed a large 
 amount of labor for daily wages, for wliioli he re- 
 ceived forty cents per day. He lived in Franklin 
 County for a number of. years. After he left his 
 parents and brother and sisters in Baltimore, they 
 are supposed to have gone westward to Missouri, 
 where all traces of them are lost, although he has 
 made strong efforts to ascertain their whereabouts, 
 feeling that it would be a great source of consola- 
 tion and gratification to know the results of their 
 life in the country of tlieir adoption. 
 
 During the residence of our subject in Pennsyl- 
 vania he was married to Mary Potter, Feb. 9, 1848. 
 This lady was born in Washington Count\-, Md., 
 May 12, 1827. Her parents were Daniel and 
 Catherine (Stewart) Potter, and were natives of 
 Germany, settling in Maryland, where their decease 
 occurred. She is one of a family of four children; 
 the following named are supposed to be alive: Bar- 
 'bara, John, Mar^' and Lewis. Barbara is the wife 
 of John Ray, and lives in Jefferson County, W. Va. ; 
 John resi<les in Noblesville, Ind., and Lewis is sup- 
 posed to be dead. 
 
 In the autumn of 1853 our subject witli his wife 
 and two cliildren migrated to Henry County, Ind., 
 where they resided until the fall of 1S67, when he 
 removed to Cass County. Neb., purchasing the ) GO 
 acres of land on which he now lives. At the time 
 he acquired possession of the land tliere were no 
 improvements of any kind upon it, but by persever- 
 ance and good management our subject has one of 
 the best farms in tiie precinct. Ashe has ])rospered 
 in his adventures, he added to the original purchase 
 at different times, until he now owns 260 acres. At 
 the time of his marriage his entire worldly posses- 
 sions consisted of $25 in cash, but with this slender 
 start, and by the assistance and advice of his good 
 ■wife, he has accumulated his present fine propertj'. 
 
 The family circle of our subject and his wife 
 has t)een enlivened b3' the birth of eight children, 
 four of whom are living, namel}': Jacob A., Mary 
 C, Benjamin S. and Charles D. Jacob is a physi- 
 cian in Louisville, Neb.; Mary C. is the wife of 
 
 James Robertson, Superintendent of the Colorado 
 & Nebraska Stone Quarry, at Weeping AVater, Neb. ; 
 Benjamin S., resides in Louisville, this State, and 
 Charles D. is at home. The deceased children 
 were named Clara C, John F., William and Julia. 
 Mr. Hasemeier has lived continuously on hisorig- 
 in.al purchase of land, to the improvement and 
 cultivation of which he has devoted his entire time 
 and energies. The buildings are of the most sub- 
 stantial and solid character. The b.arns and other 
 necessary out-buildings are well located, and very 
 conveniently arranged for the purposes for which 
 they are designed. His residence is finely located, 
 large and roomy, neatly and tastefully furnished 
 throughout, and is a place in which his good wife can 
 take great comfort and satisfaction, which she h.as 
 most certainly earned. For the past forty years 
 she has been an able adviser and companion to her 
 husband, cheerfully bearing her share of the bur- 
 dens of life, and contributing largely to his success, 
 besides devoting her motherly attention to her 
 family, the surviving members of which do iier 
 great credit, and of whom she may well be proud. 
 Mr. and Mrs. H. are members of the United Brethren 
 Church, in which society they take an active and 
 substantial interest. In politics he is thoroughly 
 Re|)ublican. Public-spirited, he is a hearty sup- 
 porter of every proposition designed to advance the 
 prosperity of the people. 
 
 W EONARD C. W. MURRY is a pioneer of Cass 
 I (^ County of 1855. The pioneer element of 
 jIL-S^ Cass County has no more worthy factor than 
 the subject of this biography, who, with his estima- 
 ble wife, began housekeeping on an 80-acre farm 
 four miles south of the present city of Plattsmouth 
 in the spring of 1870. They lived there until 1882. 
 then moved to a farm on section 30, in Plattsmouth 
 Precinct, where they have since resided. This em- 
 braces 160 acres of good Land, which, with the ex- 
 ception of having been plowed, was at the time of 
 purchase destitute of improvement, there being no 
 buildings. Mr. M. has put up a comfortable resi- 
 dence, a barn and other out-buildings, planted an 
 orchard, fenced the fields, and by degrees added the 
 
 » ► II ^» 
 
^A^^4/ q/-^--^^^^^ 
 
 ^£^i>ty^ Qp^,^>^^ 
 
t 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 055 
 
 n 
 
 other conveniences necessary for the successful 
 prosecution of agriculture. Besides a large amount 
 of labor involved he has expended over $4,000 in 
 money, and lias a homestead at once desirable and 
 attractive. 
 
 Mr. Murry is essentially a Western man, iiaving 
 lieen born in Moniteau County, Mo., June G, 1848. 
 His parents were Jonathan and Elizabetli (Berger) 
 Murry (see sketch of his brother Josiuia),and were 
 among the verj' earliest settlers of that part of Mis- 
 souri, going there with llieir parents from Tennes- 
 see when small children. They were reared and 
 married in Moniteau Count}', where they lived un- 
 til 1851, then removed to Mills Count}', Iowa, 
 wliere they lived two yeai's, and thence came to 
 Nebr.iska Territory in 1855. The father selected a 
 tract qf land north of the present city of Rock Binfif, 
 where llie family lived a number of 3' ears, and where 
 their thirteen children were reared to maturity. 
 
 The father of our subject died at the home farm 
 in this precinct. He had been a pioneer of three 
 Territories, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, in fact 
 his entire life was spent on the frontier. The 
 motlier is still living, making her home with her sun 
 Alvars. in Smith County, Kan. Leonard was the 
 tentii cliild of the famil}'. and was a little lad of five 
 years when lie came with his parents to Nebraska. 
 There were then many Indians in the vicinity of the 
 present site of Rock Bluff, and probabi}' about six 
 white families. Our subject labored with his father 
 in the development of the Nebraska homestead, and 
 early in life began to form his own plans for the 
 future. A few months after reaching his majoiit}' 
 he was married, Sept. 2, 1869, to Miss Relteeea A., 
 daughter of Stephen and Elizabeth Wiles, of Plaits- 
 mouth Precinct. This ladj' was born Feb. 1, 1857, 
 in Missouri, and of their union there are eleven 
 children living: Charles A., Clarence, John, Isa- 
 bell, Laura J., Ida May, Leonard C. W., Jr., David, 
 Florence, Eddie and Christopher C. Cordelia, the 
 second child, died at the age of eighteen months. 
 
 When the father of our subject began life in Ne- 
 braska he was without means, and got his first cow 
 and their limited stock of household furniture with 
 money earned b}^ mauling rails at fifty cents per 
 hundred. The mother added to the family income 
 liy weaving and spinning. Thus commenced the 
 
 <• 
 
 married life of the 3'oung people, in wide contrast 
 to the condition of most of the newly wedded peo- 
 ple of to-day, who would consider themselves 
 greath' abused by fate or Providence were thej' 
 compelled to make the shifts and turns which 
 pioneers cheerfully underwent together. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Muri-}' have gathered around them scores of 
 friends during their long residence in this county. 
 They are both members in good standing of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. M.. politi- 
 cally, is a stanch Republican. 
 
 ^ EWIS BIRD. The farming interests of Lib- 
 I (^ crty Precinct and of this part of Cass Count}' 
 J' -^\\ are no belter represented than by our sub- 
 ject. He came to this county and precinct in 18G3, 
 being then in the prime of a vigorous .and self-re- 
 liant manhood, and casting his lot with the pioneers 
 of the county who had preceded him, he purchased 
 most of tlie land he now owns, which was then 
 but slightly improved. The years that have fol- 
 lowed have been for him years of busy, patient 
 toil, and although, in common with other settlers of 
 this section of the West, he has met with various 
 hardships and discouragements, which he has faced 
 bravely, he has kept steadily onward until to-day 
 he may be classed among the most fortunate and 
 successful farmers of this precinct. His farm is 
 provided with neat and substantial buildings, is well 
 improved and well stocked, has a g<jod supply of 
 running water, and with its 280 acres finely located 
 on sections 9, 10 and 4, is justly considered a first- 
 class farm in its appointments. 
 
 Mr. Bird was born in Sussex County. X. J., June 
 14. 1833, and came of good old New Jersey and 
 New England stock, and was well reared bv his 
 parents. His father, Joseph Bird, was also a native 
 of New Jersey, and during his residence there, after 
 he was old enough to learn a trade, he became a 
 shoemaker. He was married in his native State to 
 Jliss Rachel Young, who was of Jersey birth and 
 New England parentage, coming of a good family. 
 In 183G Joseph Bird and his family started on a 
 pilgrimage to the State of Indiana, which was then 
 considered to lie in the Far West, although some 
 
 *^r#-^ 
 
T 956 
 
 ■•►■ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 of tlie coiintiy beyond the Mississippi, particulnrly 
 Missouri, imd been partly settled for several years, 
 and Iowa was beginning to attract the attention of 
 settlers, and a few had already made their homes 
 there. After arriving at his destination in Indiana 
 Mr. Bird located in the wilds of Delaware County, 
 becoming one of its pioneers, and turned his atten- 
 tion to farming. He met with unqualified success 
 in his new vocation, and improved a fine, large es- 
 tate, upon which he made his home until death 
 claimed him at the age of sixty-four years, in 1867. 
 His wife survived him ten years, dying at the age 
 of threescore years and ten. They were honest, 
 hard-working people, and richly deserved the good 
 fortune that followed their labors. They were act- 
 ive members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 in which the father was Class-Leader for years. 
 
 Lewis Bird was the fifth son and child in the 
 family of eight sons and two daughters born to his 
 parents. He was reared to manhood on the old 
 homestead that his father had reelaiincd from the 
 primeval forests of Indiana, he having been but a 
 child of three years when his parents moved to that 
 State. He received a good common-school educa- 
 tion, and a thorough, practical drill in the calling 
 that he has since pursued with such success, and he 
 remained an inmate of the parental household, afford- 
 in"' his father active assistance in the management 
 of the farm until his marriage, which occurred in 
 Jay County, Ind. The maiden name of his wife 
 was Emeline R. Current, and she was horn in West 
 Virginia, Dec. 27, 1830. She was a daughter of 
 Peter and Rebecca (Jones) Current, natives of West 
 Virginia. They were there reared, and after mar-^ 
 riage and the birth of most of their children, they 
 moved to Jay County, Ind., in 1855, having first 
 come to that State in 1832, and settled in Henry 
 County in its pioneer days. They moved onto a 
 farm in Jay County, and there the mother died in 
 1866, when past threescore years. The father later 
 came to Nebraska and lived with his daughter, Mrs. 
 Norris, in Rock Bluff Precinct, until his death in 
 1870, at the age of sevent3'-three years. He and his 
 wife were people of great respectability, and were 
 sound Methodists in their religious belief. Mrs. Bird 
 was well educated iiiHenry County, Ind., and taught 
 school for a time before her marriage. Ilcr pleas- 
 
 ant wedded life has been blessed to her and her 
 husband by the birth of six children, all of whom 
 are living, and the following is recorded of them: 
 Rachel J. and Rebecca A. are twins, and the former 
 is the wife of W. P. Webster, a jeweler in Lander, 
 Wyo. ; Rebecca is the wife of Aaron Porter, a far- 
 mer of Custer County, Neb. ; Olive is the wife of 
 Albert Searl, who is Deputy Clerk in the Treasurer's 
 ofHce in Gosper County, this State; Florence is the 
 wife of Charles Mougey, a farmer in Custer County, 
 Neb.; Maggie is the wife of Eldward Mougey, and 
 they live on Mr. Bird's farm in this precinct; Ost;i 
 lives with her parents. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bird have a very attractive home 
 on section 10, and all who come beneath its hos- 
 pitable roof are sure of a genial and cordial wel- 
 come from the pleasant and social host and hostess. 
 They are bright and intelligent peojjle, and have 
 many warm friends in this community. They are 
 influential members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, of which he is an official. Mr. Bird is a 
 strong advocate of temperance, both in word and 
 deed, and votes with the Prohibition part3'. 
 
 As one of the best representative farmers of the 
 count}', the portrait of JMr. Bird, on an adjoining 
 page, is peculiarly apjiropriate in this work. 
 
 ^^EORGE W. MAYFIELD. The Louisville 
 III g_ Observer was established b}' the subject of 
 ^^^1 this sketch in 1883, and he is still its editor 
 and proprietor. He h.as made of it a newsy local 
 sheet, and impregnated it with his own uncompro- 
 mising Republican principles. It is issued every 
 Friday, and has become an institution quite indis- 
 pensable to the people along the northern line of the 
 count}'. 
 
 The city of Bloomington, Ind., claims Mr. May- 
 field as one of its natives, his birth taking place 
 Aug. 22, 1827. His father, Leroy Mayfield, was a 
 native of Kentuck}', and m.irried Miss Martha Bas- 
 ket, of South Carolina. The maternal grandfather, 
 William Basket, was a native of the same State, and 
 spent his last years in Indiana. Leroy May field 
 removed from the Blue Glass regions to Indiana 
 during its pioneer days, locating near the present 
 
CASS COUNT r. 
 
 957 
 
 city of Blooniington when it was a small village. 
 Here our subject was reared, and received liis edu- 
 cation in the common schools. In 1855 he drifted 
 westward to Nebraska Territory, a single man, and 
 taking up his abode near the present city of Platts- 
 moutli when it was a hamlet of a few houses, em- 
 ploj'ed himself working on a farm. 
 
 The same year of his arrival here young Mayfield 
 engaged in border warfare with the Indians, under 
 the command of Gov. Thayer, proceeding up the 
 Loup and Elkhorn Rivers to protect the settlers 
 from the threatened outbreak of the savages. He 
 was thus occupied three months, during whicli time 
 he took part in two or three skirmishes with no very 
 serious results. Upon returning to this county he 
 stationed himself at Plattsmouth, and later assisted 
 in the establishment of the Bepublicaii. of Weeping 
 Water, with which he was connected about one year. 
 From tiiat time until 188.3 he was occuiiied at 
 Weeping AVater as above stated, then coming to 
 Louisville he started the Observer, of which he is 
 making a success. 
 
 Our subject found his bride in this county, being 
 married, in 1858, to Miss Emeline Todd, a native 
 of Nebraska, and the daughter of Jefferson and 
 Mar3' E. Todd. This union resulted in the birth of 
 eight children, who are located as follows: Clarence 
 G. is engaged in farming in Louisville Precinct; 
 Eugene is editor of the South Omaha Times; Win- 
 nie is the wife of Frank Secord. agent of the Union 
 Pacific Railroad at Omaha; Albert U. is pulilisher 
 of the Elm wood Echo; Leroy J. assists his fatiier in 
 the publication of the Louisville Observer; Valen- 
 tine. Georgia and Oland are at home with their 
 jjarents. 
 
 •► 
 
 lEORGE T. CUTLER. The industrial in- 
 terests of the western part of this county 
 find an admirable representative in the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, who, in addition to being the 
 manufacturer • of bee-hives, is a dealer in bee- 
 keepers' supplies, and also the proprietor of a grist- 
 mill and carriage-shops at Greenwood. He came 
 to this place in March, 1879, and settled first on a 
 farm in the vicinity of the village. Four and one- 
 half years later he practically abandoned the pur- 
 
 <■ 
 
 suits of agriculture, and bj' degrees turned his 
 attention to bis present enterprises. He is a gen- 
 tleman of remarkable industry and forethought, of 
 an inventive turn of mind and more than ordinary 
 business abilities. Personally, he is of command- 
 ing stature and fine intelligence, and with all these 
 qualities combined it is but natural that he should 
 be a leader of his community. 
 
 The origin of family names is a question which is 
 frequently discussed, and the name of Cutler cent- 
 uries ago was applied to an English family of 
 l)rominence in the Old World, who evinced par- 
 ticular adaptation for the manufacture of that ar- 
 ticle of commerce suggested by the patronj^nic. The 
 branch from which our subject sprang, the records 
 indicate, were from the beginning notable for their 
 fine proportions physically, and no less for their in- 
 telligence and moral worth. While they performed 
 feats of extraordinary strength and daring, thej' 
 were alike high-minded, and possessed great integ- 
 rity of character, scorning a mean action. These 
 qualities, handed down from father to son, seem to 
 be in nowise dying out, for the present generation 
 is jirobably as noted as were those of ages gone, 
 both in this respect and as regards mechanical 
 genius. 
 
 Of New England ancestry and a native of the 
 Bay State, our subject was born in Bernardston, 
 Franklin County, Aug. 18, 1844, and is the son of 
 Zenas and Lucy (Wood) Cutler, the former a na- 
 tive of Vermont. The paternal grandparents dur- 
 ing the early years of their married life lived in 
 Guilford, that State, but later removed to Wil- 
 mington. Grandfather Thomas Cutler was a typical 
 Green Mountain boy, and one of nine brothers, all of 
 whom were of unusual stature, strong of muscle 
 and brave in disposition, None of them were less 
 than six feet in height, and none weighed less than 
 200 pounds. Thomas Cutler traced his forefathers 
 to one of three brothers who emigrated to America 
 from England during the Colonial times. Zenas 
 Cutler died at Greenfield, Mass.. in January, 1881, 
 at the age of seventy-six years. In early manhood 
 he had operated a saw and grist mill at Northfleld, 
 Mass., but later purchased and lived upon a farm. 
 The mother passed away after the decease of her 
 husband that same 3'ear, in March, at the age of 
 
 iJL 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 f 
 
 958 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 i; 
 
 seventy -three, and the remains of both were laid to 
 rest in the same grave at Bernardston, Mass. Their 
 liousehold included seven children, namelj-: Lucy 
 .J., George T., Leroy Z., Nhum S., Laura S., George 
 T., our subject, and Ella B. Of these four are liv- 
 ing, and located mostly in Massachusetts. 
 
 Mr. Cutler spent his boyhood and youth at the 
 homestead farm in his native county, a period of 
 his life which was more tlmn ordinarily frolicsome 
 and overflowing with good spirits. Much to the re- 
 gret of his excellent parents, he was a boy who did 
 not take remarkably kindly to his books, prefer- 
 ring to be abroad in the fields or engaged in atli- 
 letic sports. He assisted his parents around the 
 homestead until a youth of twenty years, and then 
 began an .apprenticeship at carriage-snaking. It was 
 not long before he developed unusual mechan- 
 ical genius, and he did not by an_y means confine 
 himself to the one department of labor. He re- 
 members hearing his mother tell of the time before 
 he could speak plainly, wlien he used to hang to 
 her skirts and point to the hammer, which in Jsew 
 England style had its separate place on the kitchen 
 wall. He would not be appeased until she took it 
 down from its place and gave it to him. He would 
 then amuse himself for hours by driving nails into 
 the walk. A little later he began using other tools, 
 and has kept up the habit to this day. When six- 
 teen j'ears of age he was considered a master me- 
 chanic. 
 
 A few years later young Cutler took a position 
 with the Wauseon Car Company, at Springfield, 
 Mass., where he distinguished himself as a compe- 
 tent artisan, receiving many compliments for the 
 beauty and correctness of his work. His father's 
 declining years finally necessitated his presence at 
 home, and about 1865 he returned to the farm and 
 assumed its responsibilities. In the meantime, liow- 
 ever, he did not abandon the use of tools, and put 
 up his first wagon-shop in his native village. This 
 structure occupied an area 22x34 feet, and had 
 in connection with it a blacksmith-shop. Jn the 
 year 1867, having in view the establishment of a 
 home of his own, Mr. Cutler was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Nancy Goodenough, and soon 
 afterward they removed to Montague. Mass.. where 
 Mr. Cutler was tendered a position in the Goss' 
 
 piano case factory, where he continued a period of 
 five years. Here his skill and industry obtained 
 ready recognition, and in due time he was given 
 the position of general foreman in the veneering 
 department. 
 
 After occupying the above-named position a pe- 
 riod of one and one-half years, Mr. Cutler was so- 
 licited bj' his brother Xhum S. to become a partner 
 with him in a boot and shoe manufacturing enter- 
 prise. George T. was to have charge of the ma- 
 chinery of the establishment, and his brother was 
 to assume the business management of the concern, 
 which was located at Burriston. They operated 
 very successfulh' together until the panic of 187.3, 
 when collections were extremelj' difficult to m.ake, 
 and the business suffered greatly thereb}'. In ad- 
 dition to this, the confinement of the shop had its 
 effect upon our subject, and resolving upon a 
 change of scene and occupation, he turned his eyes 
 toward the young and rapidly growing State of 
 Nebraska. 
 
 Not long after Mr. Cutler was stricken with the 
 Western fever we find him snugly located upon a 
 tract of land in Greenwood Precinct, this county, 
 which, he states, proved a great conti-ast to life in 
 New England. In most respects it was for the 
 better, and he remained upon the farm a numlier 
 of years. The habits of his youth, however, still 
 controlled him, and he longed to again exercise his 
 mechanical skill, which j^ears of experience and 
 observation convinced him would enable him to 
 outstrip his former efforts. Accordingly, in the 
 spring of 1884, he selected a building site in the 
 village of Greenwood and put up his present shop. 
 This is a substantial frame structure of commodi- 
 ous dimensions, and is equipped with the various 
 appliances necessary for the several departments of 
 the industry in which he is engaged. There is a 
 steam engine and an abundance of wood-working 
 machinery, and in addition to the manufacture of 
 bee-hives and carriage-making, there is a feed- 
 grinder and corn-sheller, and the manner in which 
 they are patronized by the people along the west- 
 ern line of the county indicates their importance 
 and usefulness. 
 
 In addition to the manufacture of road and farm 
 vehicles, Mr. Cutler is the agent of outside parties. 
 
 ^^ 
 
•►Hl-^*- 
 
 -•► 
 
 Cass county. 
 
 d.VJ 
 
 carriage and wagou manufacturers of the East. 
 Greenwood only needs a few more such men as 
 JNIr. Cutler to quicklj' raise it to the standard of a 
 first-class city. Progressive and liberal-minded, he 
 takes a genuine interest in ever3-thing pertaining 
 to the welfare of his adopted State, and has borne 
 no unimportant part in developing the best inter- 
 ests of Greenwood Precinct. He votes the straight 
 Republican ticket, and is a man of progressive 
 views, one who keeps himself well posted upon cur- 
 rent events and possesses an admirable fund of in- 
 formation. 
 
 Mrs. Nanc3' (Goodenough) Cutler was born at 
 Brattleboro, Vt.. .Jul}- 5, 1844, and is a lady of fine 
 culture and accomplishments. In fact, we are as- 
 sured that her husband has found in her the quali- 
 ties suggested by her maiden name. She is the off- 
 spring of an excellent famil}-, the daughter of Simon 
 F. and Emily F. (Chase) Goodenough, who were 
 natives of Vermont. Mr. G. was a farmer b}' occu- 
 pation, and, with his excellent wife, is now de- 
 ceased. Their family consisted of six children, 
 four of whom are living, and located mostly in 
 Vermont. 
 
 The family represents all that is intelligent and 
 praisewortliy, people who, as far as the record goes 
 back, have been celebrated — the women for tlieir 
 virtues, and the men for their fine business quali- 
 fications and usefulness as citizens and members of 
 society. Mr. and Mrs. Cutler occupy a pleasant 
 home, whicli is the frequent resort of hosts of 
 friends. They liave no children. 
 
 ^^EORGE PHILLIP NICKEL, a prosperous 
 if (==f farmer, located on section 32 of Elmwood 
 ^yj) Precinct, where he owns and operates 160 
 acres of land, in addition to which he leases forty 
 acres, is tlie oldest son and second child in a family 
 of seven children born to his parents. He was 
 born Sept. 25, 1838. in German j-, where he lived 
 with his parents until he was fourteen years of age, 
 when he came to America, being induced to make 
 the change by his uncle, George P., who resided 
 in Pekin, 111., but is now deceased. After his 
 arrival in this country he worked at the black- 
 
 smithing trade, but this proving injurious to his 
 health he abandoned it, and at the age of seventeen 
 began farming for himself. In 1867 he was mar- 
 ried to Catherine Eidenmiller, who was born in 
 Hesse-Darmstadt, Germanj-. Her parents, with 
 tlieir family, came to America when she was but 
 six 3ears old, and settled at Little York. Pa. Re- 
 moving from there they went to Illinois in 1865. 
 
 Mr. Nickel came to Nebraska on a prospecting 
 tour in 1873, where he purchased land from the 
 Burlington & Missouri River Railway Company, 
 and came out with his family in 1875, which at 
 that time consisted of his wife and five children. 
 The}^ endured many hardships and privations, were 
 eaten out by grasshoppers, but did not become dis- 
 couraged, but kept at work on their home, feeling 
 sure that tlieir perseverance would be ultimately' 
 rewarded. On account of his inabilit}' to raise 
 any crops for two or three successive years, lie was 
 not able to meet the demands of the railroad com- 
 p.any for the payment of their land, so he was 
 obliged to surrender his home to them. 
 
 A familjr of ten children have been born to our 
 subject and his wife, named respectivel}': Mary E., 
 now dead; AnnaC-; George P., Jr.; Martin and 
 Emma L. were born in Illinois; William, Edward 
 H., Charles C. (deceased), Irene Mabel and Nellie 
 May, were born in Nebraska. The father of our 
 subject, John, and mother, Christine, were born in 
 Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany. His father died in 
 1856, fifty-three years of age, and his mother still 
 lives in the old home in Germany, and is now 
 seventy-seven years old. 
 
 In the face of many discouragements and trials 
 Mr. Nickel has succeeded in securing for himself 
 and family one of the most eligiblj' located and 
 well-improved farms in the precinct. To bring the 
 land to its present high state of cultivation has re- 
 quired, at the hands of the owner, the most strict 
 economy and thorough application. His well-kept 
 fences, and comfortable and conveniently arranged 
 buildings, bespeak a man thoroughly informed in 
 the business in which he is engaged. It is not in- 
 tended to give Mr. Nickel individually the full 
 credit for this most desirable state of affairs, for 
 bis good wife lias borne an equal amount of the 
 privations and labor required to bring it about. 
 
 • > 1 1 ^- 
 
 >^h 
 
*► I I ^ - 
 
 960 
 
 -•► 
 
 ="r» 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 She is a lady who has alwa3's been found by her 
 husband's side, sharing equally with him the bur- 
 dens of a pioneer's life, and she has contributed 
 her portion of labor which is required to make the 
 desert blossom as the rose. Her husband recog- 
 nizes this fact, and it is only one of the many illus- 
 trations we have before us of the truism that " 'tis 
 the hand that rocks the cradle that moves the 
 world." Mr. N. has served his neighbors as School 
 Treasurer, that being the extent of his public serv- 
 ices to date. In politics he is a straight Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 >'DRKW PITTMAN. The southeastern 
 portion of this county contains many 
 (4i fine farms, but none probably more at- 
 15^ tractive or valuable than that belonging 
 
 to the subject of this sketch. He is a man of 
 energy and enterprise, and in addition to general 
 agriculture, has built up quite a reputation as a 
 stock-raiser. His land comprises 250 acres, lying 
 on sections 4 and 5, Liberty Precinct, and most of 
 which is under a fine state of cultivation, fertile, 
 and well adapted to general farm purposes. The 
 buildings comiiare favorably with those of the 
 neighboring agriculturists, while the fat' cattle of 
 the Holstein breed, together with the horses and 
 swine, the ample stabling room, the farm machinery, 
 and last but not least, the comfortable and com- 
 modious residence, form a picture of country life 
 delightful to contemplate. 
 
 The improvements which are noticeable upon the 
 farm of "Sir. Pittraan have been brought about by 
 his own efforts, he having come to the place when 
 it was little removed from its primitive condition. 
 He had prior to his arrival in Nebraska been a 
 resident of Harrison County, Ind., whence he re- 
 moved in 1876. In Heth Township, that county, 
 occurred his birth, Sept. 1, 1831. His father, 
 David Pittman, also a farmer by occupation, was a 
 native of Shenandoah County, Va., and the son of 
 John Pittman, who was also born in the Old Do- 
 minion. The latter married a Virginia lady, and 
 they lived in Shenandoah County until after the 
 birth of all their children. Thence thej^ migrated 
 to Harrison County, Ind., settling among the earliest 
 
 pioneers of Heth Township, about 1820, before 
 Indiana had become a State. There John Pittman 
 and his estimable wife spent the remainder of tlieir 
 days, and passed peacefully away at the homestead 
 which they had built up from the wilderness, dying 
 at a ripe old age. 
 
 The Pittman family is of Holland-Dutch descent, 
 and the grandparents of our subject spoke mostly 
 in the language of their native country. Their 
 son David in his bo^'hood attended the pioneer 
 schools of Harrison Coimty, Ind., where he was 
 reared to man's estate. He married Miss Cather- 
 ine Eddleman, who was of Pennsylvania birth and 
 parentage, her progenitors having been residents 
 of the Keystone State through many generations. 
 Her parents removed to Indiana when she was a 
 j'oung lady, and there she met her fviture husband. 
 
 After marriage the parents of our subject began 
 life together on a new farm, and in due time the 
 household circle was completed b}- the birth of five 
 children, of whom Andrew was the third. The 
 wife and mother departed this life at the birth of 
 her last child, about 1834, when in the prime of 
 life. She was a lad}' possessing all the Christian 
 virtues, and her name is held by her children in 
 most affectionate remembrance. David Pittman 
 was in due time married the second time, his wife 
 being !Miss Mary Young, and they are both now 
 deceased. In 1873, leaving Indiana, they came to 
 this State, settling in Liberty Precinct, and here 
 spent their last days, both dying in the same year, 
 1881. The father, politically, was a strong adher- 
 ent of the Democratic parry, and a member in good 
 standing of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Our subject grew to man's estate in his native 
 county, and was there married to Miss Elizabeth 
 Conrad, who was born not far from the home of 
 her husband, in Harrison County, Ind., May 19, 
 1831. Her parents, George and Nancy (Wiseman) 
 Conrad, were natives of Pennsj'lvania, and like the 
 Pittmans, of Holland-Dutch stock. They came to 
 Indiana in their youth, and were married in Har- 
 rison County, where the husband took up land, and 
 where both parents spent the remainder of their 
 lives, dying well advanced in 3-ears. Mrs. Pittman 
 was one of the younger members of a large family. 
 Two brothers and two sisters are yet living. She \ r 
 
 •►Hl::^ 
 
 =1 
 
*► II ^« 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 OGl t^ 
 
 'V* 
 
 was educated in the district school, and remained 
 under the home roof until her marriage. 
 
 To Andrew Pittman and wife there were horn 
 six children, two of whom are now deceased. 
 George married Miss Nevie Koontz, and became 
 the fatlier of two children, Glenn and Jessie, and 
 died at the age of tliirty-three years. The other 
 child deceased was a daughter named Emma A., 
 who passed away at the tender age of three j-ears. 
 Of the survivors the record is as follows: Thomas 
 married Miss Sarah M. Smoots, and they live on a 
 farm in York County, this State; Charles W. mar- 
 ried Miss Fannie Haas, and is engaged in the livery 
 business at Waco, this State ; Jacob H. took to wife 
 Miss Anna Mauck, of Harrison County, Ind.; they 
 have one daughter, Gertie, and he is operating the 
 farm of his father; this son is also owner of eighty 
 acres elsewhere in tlie precinct. Hattie M. is }'et at 
 home. 
 
 Mr. Pittman, politically, is a Democrat. While 
 in Indiana he and his wife joined the German Re- 
 formed Church, of which they continue to be 
 members. A view of the homestead of Mr. Pitt- 
 man is shown on another page of this work. 
 
 JOHN A. HENNINGS. Not a furrow had 
 been turned upon the present farm of our 
 subject when he settled upon it In the spring 
 of 1 874, and no buildings. He realized that 
 there was before him an Herculean task, but he was 
 possessed of that sturdy and persistent courage 
 which led him to believe that from it he could con- 
 struct a homestead in due time which would serve 
 to shelter him in his later years, and prove the 
 source of a comfortable income. Happily his an- 
 ticipations have been realized, and he is now tlie 
 owner of one of the best farms in the northeastern 
 part of the county. He has the manliness to ac- 
 knowledge that his labors in their results might 
 have been far different had he been possessed of a 
 companion and helpmate less capable and efficient 
 than the lady who has borne his name and stood 
 by his side for a period of fifteen years. Mrs. 
 Hennings has been in all respects the equal of her 
 husband in diligence and industry, while her care- 
 
 ful management has had a vast influence over the 
 happiness of the home and the success uf her hus- 
 band. 
 
 The Hennings homestead comprises 280 acres 
 of land, and is finely situated on section 21, 
 Eight Mile Grove Precinct. The proprietor, a 
 native of Germany, w.as born near the famous 
 old city of Hamburg, March 21, 1848, and is 
 the son of John and Sophia Hennings, who emi- 
 grated to America fifty-one years ago. and are now 
 living not far from the homestead of their son. 
 Both have passed their threescore years and ten. 
 Of the children born to them there are living, 
 John A., our subject; Charles, Henry and Ferdi- 
 nand, all living in the same precinct. John A. was 
 in the sixth year of his age when he crossed the 
 Atlantic, and the family first settled in Washington 
 County, Wis. He was there reared to man's estate 
 amid the wild scenes of pioneer life, when Indians 
 were their neighbors for a number of years. He 
 thus received only a limited education, but he grew 
 up strong of muscle and stout of heart, and was 
 well fitted for life's future duties. He was at an 
 early age taught to make himself useful, and ac- 
 quired those habits of industry and economy which 
 in later life proved the key to his success. 
 
 Mr. Hennings came to this county in the fall of 
 1871, and purchased eighty acres of laud on section 
 21, paying therefor the sum of $580. It was con- 
 sidered very good land, but had never been culti- 
 vated. Our subject, still in the enjoyment of single 
 blessedness, proceeded with the improvement of his 
 purchase, and in due time found himself in a con- 
 dition to establish domestic ties. He had made the 
 acquaintance of Miss Margaret Jerdine in this 
 county, and they were married at her home, Feb. 
 10, 1874. Mrs. Hennings was born in Hartford, 
 Conn., Sept. 2, 1855, and is the daughter of David 
 and Margaret Jerdine, the former of whom died in 
 this county about 1 864. The mother is still living, 
 making her home with her sons in this county. The 
 Jerdine family originated in Scotland, and there 
 the parents of Mrs. Hennings were born. The 
 father emigrated to America when a boy, and the 
 mother when a young girl fifteen years old. They 
 lived in Connecticut some years after their mar- 
 riage, but came West in 1856, taking up their, 
 
 >► II <- 
 
•►-IH 
 
 9C2 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^r 
 
 4 
 
 abode in this county among its earliest pioneers, and 
 eleven y<'»''S before Nelnaska was admitted into 
 the Union as a State. The father secured a tract of 
 land in the vici.ily of the present flourishing city 
 of Plattsmontli, when there was probably upon its 
 site not a solitary building. He was only permitted 
 to live eight years iherearter, his death taking place 
 Dec. 20. 1804. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Jerdine were the parents of five 
 children, of whom Mrs. Hennings was the eldest 
 born. Her sister Mary is the wife of August 
 Bomahk, of Centre Precinct, this county; Ellen 
 married Henry Kahne. and lives in Centre Pre- 
 cinct; David and Alexander are residents of this 
 county. To our subject and his estimable wife 
 there have been born eight children, namely: 
 Henry J. and John W.. deceased ; Charles H., Emma 
 M., Maggie J., William C, John E. and Louis. 
 
 Mr. Hennings cast bis first Presidential vote for 
 Hayes, and has since been a stanch sujiporter of 
 Republican principles. He has served as Moderator 
 in his school district, and is in favor of every meas- 
 ure to improve the county and elevate society. 
 Mrs. Hennings is a member of the Methodist p]pis- 
 copal Church, attending services at Eight Mile 
 G rove. 
 
 ^ I^ILLIAM SNYDER, one of the honored 
 \pj// pioneers of Nebraska, settled in this county 
 ^^ in May of 1850, improved a tract of land, 
 and battled successfully with the difficulties of 
 life in a new settlement. He is now in posse.^- 
 sion of a comfortable property, and has contributed 
 his full quota to the growth and development of 
 Southern Nebraska. 
 
 A native of the Old Dominion, our subject was 
 born in Highland County, Jan. 1, 1830, and lived 
 there until September, 1857, being then a young 
 man of twenty-seven years. His parents, Abraham 
 and Susan (Heavener) Snyder, were also natives of 
 Viroinia, to which the paternal grandparents bad 
 removed from their native State of Pennsylvania, 
 beiuc among the earliest settlers locating at the 
 head of the Potomac River. 
 
 Mr. Snyder acquired a common-school education 
 in his native township, and before leaving the Old 
 
 Dominion foitified himself for ihe further struggle 
 of life by taking to himself a wife and helpmate, 
 being married, Dec. 20, 1855, to Miss Elizabeth 
 Beverage. This lady was the daughter of George 
 and Hannah (Heavener) Beverage, also natives of 
 Virginia, where they were reared and married and 
 became the parents of ten children. Of these Sirs. 
 Snyder was the third in order of birth, and besides 
 herself six others are living, being residents mostly 
 of Nebraska and Virginia. 
 
 About two 3'ears after bis marriage, Mr. Snyder, ac- 
 companied by his young wife and his parents, started 
 for Scott County, Iowa, Sept. 15, 1857, making the 
 journey overland, and being five weeks and three 
 days upon the road. They settled upon a tract of 
 wild land, upon which they labored two years, and 
 then in April, 1859, set out for Nebraska Territory, 
 making the journey by teams, as before, and arriv- 
 ing at the embryo town of Plattsmouth May 13 
 following. There were then but a few houses to 
 mark the site of the present flourishing city. The 
 Snyder family rented a house on the farm of Mr. A. 
 B. Taylor, about two miles west of town, and our 
 subject commenced working b\' the day, laboring 
 thus for a period of two years. 
 
 At the expiration of this time Jlr. Snyder pur- 
 chased eighty acres of land on section 27, in Platts- 
 mouth Precinct, where he has since resided. Upon 
 this no attempt whatever has been made at im- 
 provement. Mr. S. and his father put up a small 
 frame house, and began in earnest the cultivation 
 of the soil. Thej' had brought with them one 
 horse and an old carriage, which our subject traded 
 as part pay for his farm. Their dwelling was built 
 of Cottonwood lumber, Mr. S. cutting the trees and 
 hauling the logs with his father's team. He and 
 the latter worked together in the improvement of 
 a farm until the death of the father, which occurred 
 April 2, 1872, when he was seventy-three years old. 
 The mother is still living, having now arrived at 
 the advanced age of eighty-two years, and makes 
 her home with her children. 
 
 The Snyder homestead embraces now 200 acres 
 of finely cultivated land, with good improvements, 
 including a substantial dwelling, barns, and the va- 
 rious other structures for the shelter of stock and 
 I the storage of grain. The estate is one of the 
 
 the « 
 
.^'UJv'. ^, - >T^»3»^^-g^jCa;;a;^cAfti6gr-',,jv»%^^t.aio--^-»--ia.te^ 
 
 -- ^^4<feaa!ga;i;g^BaU^ 
 
 Residence of J. E. Andru3 , 5ec.34. Ti pton Precinct,Cas5 Co. 
 
 Residenceof Andrew Pitt!vian^5ec.4.(io=i3.) Liberty Precinct.Ca5s Co. 
 
 "-A^ 
 
 ^t 
 
 
 Residence of E.E.Wi lliams ^ 5ec. 6. WeepingWater Precinct, Cass Co. 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 9G5 < ^ 
 
 most iinpoitant landmarks in the histon' of Cass 
 County. A windmill carries water from a never- 
 failing well to whatever place it is reqnired, and 
 Mr. Snyder is supplied with all the modern ma- 
 chinery necessary for the successful prosecution of 
 agriculture. He has a goodly assortment of live 
 stock, including horses, cattle and swine, and is 
 rated as one of the most thorough and skillful 
 farmers of iiis precinct. The family occupy a fine 
 position socially, being widely and favorably known 
 throughout this part of the countj'. 
 
 Mr. Snyder was accompanied to Nebraska by two 
 brothers and one of his wife's brothers, in aildition 
 to his father's familj". Andrew and .Tohn Snyder 
 for a number of years carried on a successful freight- 
 ing business from Plattsinouth to Denver and other 
 im|)ortant points. The brothers also broke prairie 
 for the settlers around. Andrew died of consump- 
 tion in San Francisco, Cal., July 15, 1872. John 
 died in Omaha in September, 1884. John Bever- 
 age, the brother of Mrs. Sn^-der, is a resident of 
 Omaha. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Snyder have had born to them 
 three children, viz. : Peter died when nearly two 
 years of age; Amanda is the wife of Charles Jean. 
 They are engaged in farming in this township. 
 George W. is single and at home. In politics Mr. 
 Snyder is a stanch Democrat. 
 
 -it^ 
 
 
 "tffe^ 
 
 J^I^AM IIP;]L. To the German Fatherland 
 Nebraska is largely indebted for the 
 development of her rich resources. The 
 ^J' subject of this sketch, now a man of 
 
 seventy-four years, and who has since the spring of 
 1870 been a resident of Eight Mile Grove Pre- 
 cinct, first opened his eyes to the light in the 
 Province of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, May 8, 
 1814. He was reared to manhood amid the scenes 
 and surroundings of his birthplace, and received a 
 good education in his native tongue. When a youth 
 of fifteen years he began his apprenticeship at the 
 trade of weaver, which he followed until emigrat- 
 ing to America in the summer of 1851. 
 
 Our subject had in the meantime been married 
 
 in Germany, in 1846, to Miss Magdalena Schafer, 
 and there were born to them in their native Empire 
 two children, Wendel and AVilliam. 
 
 Not satisfied with his condition or his prospects 
 upon the soil of Germany Mr. Heil finally decided 
 to seek his fortunes in America. Gathering together 
 his ijersonal eflfects and his little famil}', he secured 
 passage at Antwerp on a sailing-vessel, and after an 
 ocean voyage of forty-two days they landed 
 safely at New York City. Thence the}^ journe3'ed 
 to Tazewell County, 111., and Mr. Heil entered 
 upon the pursuit of agriculture, which he followed 
 in the Prairie State until coming to this county, in 
 the spring of 1870. 
 
 The fine large farm of our subject, the property 
 which he has accumulated by his own perseverance 
 and industry, embraces 320 acres of improved land, 
 whereon he has erected substantial buildings. 
 There are few who can tell him anything new 
 about pioneer life, for he has experienced its hard- 
 ships both in Illinois and Nebraska. In addition 
 to this, soon after his arrival in America he met 
 with a dire affliction in the death of his wife, which 
 occurred July 14, 1851, the day after the3^ arrived 
 in Tazewell County, 111. He was thus obliged to 
 suffer a season of inconvenience and trouble 
 incident to the care of his motherless children, but 
 in October, 1852, was the second time married, to 
 Miss IMary Lautenschlager, then a resident of 
 Illinois. 
 
 This second marriage of our subject resulted in 
 the birth of six children, only three of whom are 
 living, namely: George, Henry and Elizabeth. 
 They make their homes in this county. The eldest 
 son, William H., is one of the most enterprising 
 young farmers of Eight Mile Grove Precinct, and 
 remains with his father, assisting in the manage- 
 ment of the homestead. He was born in Tazewell 
 County, 111., and since coming to the State of 
 Nebraska, in the spring of 1870, has given his 
 attention mainly to the development of the 
 property which his father then secured. He is 
 intelligent and industrious, and has received a 
 practical education. There are few among the 
 younger men along the northern line of the county 
 who occupy a more enviable position, or whose tal- 
 ents have better fitted them for a worthy and 
 
 •►Ht:* 
 
•► 
 
 966 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 honorable career. As the father is gradually lad- 
 ing off the mantle of care and labor it is being 
 shiftei to the worthy shoaklar^s of the son, who, as 
 the elder representative of the family, is naturally 
 looked up to by the other members with that 
 respect and cansideration which are his due, on 
 account of the fidelity to duty and reliability of 
 character which are especially his own. 
 
 William H. Heil voies the Democratic ticket, 
 and although having large property interests to 
 loak after, still keeps in mind the welfare of the 
 people around him, and especially the rising gen- 
 eration, lie believes in the establishment and main- 
 tenance of schools, and serves as a Director in his 
 district. He has been quite prominent in local 
 politicks, serving frequently as Chairman of the 
 Democratic Committee. He continues in the enjoy- 
 ment of single blessedness, and it is predicted by 
 those who know him best that he is carefully i)av- 
 ing the way to a successful future. 
 
 =E>- 
 
 ^ SALTER CUTFORTH. The business ele- 
 \/iJ// '"^"'' *^^ Louisville recognizes in tiie suh- 
 W^ ject of this sketch one of its most capable 
 and enterprising men. He represents the hardware 
 and farm implement trade, carrying also stoves, 
 tinware, and the other commodities included in this 
 branch of merchandising. He came to this county 
 in the fall of 1873, having in view agricultural 
 pursuits, and settling upon a farm soutii of Louis- 
 ville. A year later, however, he sold out, having 
 resolved to invest his capital in town. He first es- 
 tablished a livery business, which he conducted suc- 
 cessfully a term of six years, then, selling out, he 
 became interested in grain and coal. A year later 
 we find him established as a hardware merchant. 
 He has a choice and well-selected stock of goods 
 in all departments, and is a man occupying a good 
 position both in social and business circles. 
 
 A native of Adams County, 111., Mr. Cutforth 
 was born July 30, 1847, and comes of excellent 
 ancestry, his parents being of Scotch and English 
 descent. Upon emigrating to this country both fami- 
 lies settled in New England, and later George Cut- 
 
 forth, the father of our subject, married Miss Jane 
 Marston. The latter was born in Maine, and was the 
 daughter of James Marston, the father a sea cap- 
 tain, who, upon retiring from ocean life, migrated 
 to Adams County, 111. He was married in Maine, 
 and later occupied himself at farming. He and his 
 estimable wife spent their last years in Adams 
 County, III. 
 
 George Cutforth, the fatiier of our subject, was 
 a native of England, and in 1835 emigrated to 
 America. Two years later we find him in Adams 
 County, 111., of which he remained a resident until 
 his death, Oct. II, 1888. His last j-ears had been 
 spent in the town of Barnard, Adams County. 
 The wife and mother preceded her husband to the 
 silent land, in 1871. Their family consisted of 
 twelve children, nine sons ami three daughters, six 
 of whom are deceased; the others are living mostly 
 in Illinois. 
 
 The subject of this biography acquired a common- 
 school education, and remained on the farm with 
 his parents until reaching his majority. Then, 
 setting out in life for himself, he emigrated west- 
 ward, coming to this county, and entering upon the 
 career which has proved so successful. With liim 
 came his young wife, formerly Miss Sarah J. Mer- 
 rill, of Adams County, 111., to whom he had been 
 married Oct. 3, 1871. Mrs. Cutforth was born 
 Nov. 25, 1845, and is the daughter of Abijas and 
 Percilla (Cunningham) Merrill, who were natives 
 of Pennsylvania, and are now deceased. Of this 
 union there are no children. 
 
 Mr. Cutforth, politically, is a sound Republican, 
 and has been quite prominent in the afi'airs of 
 Louisville. He officiated as a member of the School 
 Board for a period of twelve years, and as a mem- 
 ber of the City Council five years. He has fre- 
 quently served as Chairman of the same, an<l in so- 
 ciety matters belongs to Cass Lodge No. 1 46, 1. O. O. 
 F.,at Plattsmouth. He looks back upon a career in 
 which he may reasonabl3- consider himself uniformly 
 fortunate, the result of the sound common sense 
 with which nature endowed him, and the impulse 
 to honesty and uprightness, which have proved to 
 him better friends than silver or gold. He began 
 in life without means, and the necessity for self- 
 reliance bred within him those traits of character 
 
 >^¥^ 
 
■<- 
 
 ••► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 wliich have yielileil liim success. Mr. Cutfortli has 
 among his household relics a copy of ilie history of 
 Kngiand by counties, wliich was printed in 1771, 
 and which was originally' the property of his pater- 
 nal great-grandfather. This ancient volume is still 
 in a good state of preservation, and it is scnrcel3- 
 necessary to add becomes more valuable each year, 
 as one among the relics of the past, which, if lost, 
 could scarcely' be replaced. 
 
 (jp^ IMEON I. LONG. Among the thrifty and 
 ^^^ successful famers of Cass County who are 
 ^\J_Jf) represented in this biographical work 
 no one is more worthy of notice than the 
 gentleman whose name heads this sketch. His 
 home is in Plattsmouth Precinct, where he owns 
 two valuable, highly improved farms, residing on 
 the one on section .33, and renting the other on sec- 
 tion 32. 
 
 Our subject was born in Jefferson County, Ind., 
 July 28, 1818, to Abraham and Ruth (House) 
 Long, natives of Virginia. The maternal and pa- 
 ternal grandparents of our subject i-emoved from 
 the Okl Dominion to Kentucky at a ver}' early date 
 of its settlement, thus becoming pioneers of that 
 State, and there the parents of our subject were 
 united in marriage. They continued to live 
 there a few years after marriage, Mr. Long occu- 
 pying himself in agricultural pursuits. In about 
 1800 they removed to Indiana, then a wild, sparsely 
 settled Territory, and located in the primeval for- 
 ests of Jefferson County, where among other perils 
 they had to contend with bears, wolves, wildcats, 
 and the still more formidable foe, hostile Indians. 
 They immediately began the tedious task of mak- 
 ing a home in that heavily timbered country, first 
 erecting a log cabin, in which they cooked and ate 
 their meals, but when night came they would be- 
 take themselves to the block-house, which they had 
 jointly built with the few other settlers as a pro- 
 tection against the Indians. AVhen the red men 
 were on the war path the father volunteered to 
 assist the inhabitants of a British settlement in that 
 part of Indiana to suppress hostilities; this was in 
 
 Wayne's campaign. That was before his marriage, 
 and after the close of the war he returned to Ken- 
 tucky and was married. He and his wife reared a 
 family of nine children in their pioneer home in 
 Indiana, and in the year 1828 the faithful help- 
 mate and devoted mother closed her eyes in death. 
 Mr. Long returned again to Kentucky, selling the 
 old homestead in Indiana, and remained a resident 
 of the former State four years, marrying, in the 
 meantime, Sarah Taigue. In 1854 Mr. Long once 
 more became a pioneer, moving still further west, 
 and settling in Monmouth. Warren Co., 111. He 
 staid there four years, when he again took up the 
 westward march, and did not stay his course until 
 he had crossed the Mississippi and taken up his 
 abode in Henry County, Iowa, becoming an early 
 settler there, and there his pilgrimage on earth was 
 brought to a close by his death. He had been a 
 pioneer in three States, and his life was spent on 
 the frontier. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was but a lad ten 
 years of age when he had the sad misfortune to 
 lose a good mother, and he then returned to Ken- 
 tucky with his father. He staid there with him 
 three years,, and then returned to his birthplace in 
 Indiana and made his home with his brothers, 
 Louis, Scrawder, Clay and Samuel, who had staid 
 in Indiana. There he went to school one winter, 
 and thence went to South Bend, Ind. From there 
 he returned to Jefferson County, and lived with his 
 sister, Lucinda Long, the three ensuing years. In 
 1839 he joined his father in Iowa, and resided in 
 that State until 1866, returning, however, to 
 Indiana in 1844, where he was soon after married 
 to Miss Elizabeth Shafer, July 18 being the date 
 of their wedding. He immediately proceeded to 
 Iowa with his bride, he having previouslj' bought 
 a farm in that State, and there his family of seven 
 cliildren were born, namely: John S., who died at 
 the age of two years; Malinda, now Mrs. William 
 Wetenkamp, who lives in Plattsmouth Township; 
 Abraham, who lives in this county; Silas and Rowen 
 W., who also live in this county; Samuel, who died 
 in Iowa when quite j'oung; and William T., who 
 lives here. 
 
 Mr. Long came to Cass County with his family 
 in 1866, and purchased his present farm of 160 
 
 '^i^ 
 
 •►^l-^ 
 
t. 
 
 •►Hl^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 968 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 acres on section 33. There were then only a small 
 house and about sixt^^-five acres of the land plowed 
 as improvements. Now he has a fine set of commo- 
 dious buildings, and has the land under the best of 
 cultivation. He also owns another 160-acre farm on 
 section 32, all under improvement, and from its 
 rental he derives a good income. 
 
 Our subject has always been strictly honest and 
 honoral)le in all his dealings, and his conduct in 
 all the relations of life has been such as to com- 
 mand the warm friendship of the many with whom 
 he has associated. His success in life has been 
 brought about by incessant industry, shrewd man- 
 agement, and the wise economy that knows how to 
 spend judiciously as well as how to save. He is a 
 man of sturdy, independent views, and politically, 
 generally casts his vote with the Democrats. When 
 a resident of Iowa he was actively interested in 
 public affairs, and served one term as Justice of 
 the Peace. In his wife our subject was fortunate in 
 selecting one who has been to him a true helpmate, 
 and is devoted to the interests of her family. She 
 is a sincere Christian, and a valued memlier of the 
 United Brethren Church. 
 
 OSIIUA MURRAY. The family of this name 
 
 J is widely and favorably known throughout 
 the eastern part of Cass County, being 
 closely connected with its pioneer element. 
 The subject of this sketch, a resident of Platts- 
 mouth Precinct, and having a good farm on sec- 
 tion 30, was born June 12, 1833, in Moniteau 
 County, Mo., and is the son of Jonathan and 
 Elizabeth (Berger) Murray, natives of Tennessee. 
 The parents became residents of Missouri when 
 mere children, and there were reared and married. 
 
 The paternal grandparents of our subject, Joshua 
 and Polly Murray ,natives of Kentuckj^ moved from 
 the blue grass region to Tennessee when young 
 people, probably after their marriage. They were 
 of English and Irish ancestry respectively, and 
 possibly natives of England and Ireland. The 
 grandfather, if emigrating at all, did so at a very 
 early date, and in time to enter the Revolutionary 
 Ai my, being then but a youth of eighteen years. 
 
 On his mother's side the grandparents of our sub- 
 ject, Michael and Margaret (Ledgerwood) Berger, 
 were of German ancestry, and early settlers of 
 Tennessee. Thence they removed across the Missis- 
 sippi into jMissouri, locating among the pioneers of 
 Moniteau County, where all of the grandparents 
 of our subject spent their last daj's. Jonathan 
 Murry, leaving Missouri in the fall of 1852, moved 
 to Mills Countj', Iowa, where the family lived un- 
 til the spring of 18.5.5; thence they changed their 
 residence to this county, locating in the vicinity of 
 Rock Bluff. There the father spent his last days, 
 his death occurring in Julj^, 1860. 
 
 Joshua Murray came to this county on the 1st of 
 October, 1854, with his famil}', this being his 
 second visit to Nebraska, as he had the spring be- 
 fore selected his land and built a house adjoining 
 the present limits of Rock Bluff. He purchased 
 the right to build from the Otoe Indians, this being 
 prior to the consummation of the treaty between 
 them and the Government. The humble dwelling 
 was constructed of round logs, and covered an area 
 of 16x18 feet. The floor was laid with puncheon, 
 the chimney built outside, of earth and sticks, and 
 the fireplace occupied nearly one side of the struc- 
 ture. When the |)arents and familjr of nine chil- 
 dren came in the spring of 1855, father and son 
 united their interests. The father had a team, 
 with which he plowed for his son, and the latter 
 paid his father by maldng rails for him. Of the 
 parental family, finally embracing thirteen children, 
 twelve were born in jMissouri and one in Nebraska. 
 One child died and two were married before the 
 family removed to Nebraska. 
 
 Our subject was the second child of his parents, 
 and was married in Moniteau County, Mo., in Octo- 
 ber, 1852, to Miss Rachael Williams. This lady 
 was born in 1833, in Indiana, and of her union with 
 our subject there were born three children, all 
 now deceased. She only survived her marriage 
 five years, dying at her home in this county in 
 July, 1857. 
 
 Our subject, on July 4, 1859, was married the 
 second time to Miss Lucina Walker, in Mills Count}', 
 Iowa. Mrs. Murra}' was born Nov. 25, 1835, in Hen- 
 dricks, County, Ind., and is the daughter of Robert 
 and Sallie (C'anipl)ell) Walker, who were natives of 
 
 ■•►Hh 
 
t. 
 
 >► II <• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 069 
 
 North Carolina, wlieiice they removerl to Morgan 
 County, Ind., about 1825, and a year later changed 
 their residence to Hendricks County, where Mr. 
 Walker put up a little rail pen, the cracks of which 
 were stopped up with spice brush, and in which the 
 family lived until he could build a log cabin. He 
 cleared a portion of the heavil}' timbered land at a 
 time in the historj^ of that section of country when 
 they were obliged to keep a fire all night in front 
 of the cabin to protect themselves from the wolves. 
 There the mother died in the 3'ear 1 852. 
 
 In 1854 Mr. Walker with his six motherless 
 children started for Kansas, but on the way there 
 stopped in Jackson County, Mo., where they so- 
 journed from October until February of the year 
 following. They then resumed their journey to 
 Iowa, and thereafter lived in Alills County, wliere 
 the father rested from his earthly labors in June, 
 1878, at the advanced age of eighty-one years. He 
 was a true type of the pioneer and frontiersman, 
 of sturdy frame, industrious and persevering, a 
 man of limited education but reliable qualities of 
 character, who, though living a quiet and unostenta- 
 tious life, performed faithfully his part, and is held 
 in kindl^^ remembrance. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, like his father before 
 him. is intimatelj' acquainted with all the phases of 
 pioneer life, having been an early settler of three 
 States, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. By a course 
 of regular reading he keeps himself thoroughlj' 
 posted upon current events, and while making no 
 pretenses to be a politician, is a stanch supijorter of 
 the principles of the Democratic party. He occupies 
 a good standing in that party in this section, and in 
 the fall of 1886 was its nominee for the Nebraska 
 Legislature, in place of the regular nominee, who 
 had been withdrawn about two weeks before the 
 election. So little did he care for the office that lie 
 declined to spend one cent to secure his election, 
 and being in a Republican county was defeated, as 
 he expected, although b}' only twenty votes. This 
 indicates in a forcible manner the estimation in 
 which he is held by the people of this section. He 
 was Assessor of Rock Bluff Precinct while a resi- 
 dent there, and has filled many positions of trust. 
 
 Of the second marriage of our subject there have 
 r beeu born seven children, namely: Alvis C; 
 
 Estella M., the wife of William Mutz, of Cuming 
 County, Neb.; Sarah E. and Robert G., deceased; 
 Charles E., Emma E. and Joshua L. The home 
 farm includes 320 acres of valuable land, finely im- 
 proved, and occupying a part of sections 30 and 31. 
 Besides the homestead Mr. Murray owns 160 acres of 
 improved land in Holt County, in addition to a 
 timber claim there. He makes a specialty of stock- 
 raising, feeding about seventy-five head of cattle 
 and from seventy-five to 100 hogs annually. It 
 will thus be seen that he has borne no important 
 part in stimulating the agricultural interests of this 
 portion of the county. 
 
 W YCURGUS RUSSELL. The precinct of 
 ll (@ ^'■'^^ Creek recognizes the subject of this 
 jl^Vi sketch as one of its most prominent men 
 and useful citizens. He owns and operates 200 
 acres of good land on section 18, and has signalized 
 himself as a gentleman of more than ordinary en- 
 terprise and ability. His home is that of the 
 tj'pical American, attractive, orderly and well- 
 regulated, and is presided over by one of the most 
 estimable ladies, Mrs. Russell being in all respects 
 the suitable companion for such a man as her hus- 
 band. Their children are being carefully trained 
 and educated, and under these circumstances it is 
 hardlj' necessary to say that the Russells are sur- 
 rounded by hosts of friends. 
 
 Wapello County, Iowa, was the early tramping 
 ground of our subject, and where his birth took 
 place Oct. 14, 1849, in the little village of Uahlo- 
 nega, two and one-half miles from Ottumwa. His 
 father, Owens Russell, was born in Pennsylvania, 
 and the mother, in her girlhood Miss Mary Kight, 
 was a native of Ohio. The paternal grandfather 
 first opened his eyes to the light among the Scot- 
 tish Highlands, and upon emigrating to America 
 settled in Pennsylvania, among its earliest pioneers. 
 
 The Rights were of English origin, and the first 
 representatives of the family in America settled in 
 Pennsylvania during the Colonial days. Owens 
 Russell upon leaving his native State migrated 
 first to Ohio, where he was married, and a few years 
 
 •►Hl::^ 
 
 f 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 970 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •^t 
 
 later pushed on further westward to Wapello 
 County, Iowa. In the Ilawke^-e State he was 
 abundantly prospered as a tiller of the soil, and 
 accumulated a good property. He rested from his 
 earthly labors in April, 1868, at the age of fifty-six 
 years. The mother had died in 1861, when forty- 
 seven years old. The seven children of the pa- 
 rental household were named respectively : Harriet, 
 Rhoda, Elizabeth, Lj'cnrgus, our subject; Hamilton, 
 Franklin and Monroe. ^ Five of these are living, 
 and located mostly in Nebraska, Iowa and Jlis- 
 souri. 
 
 After leaving the district school our subject en- 
 tered the graded school at Ottumwa, where he 
 completed his education. He was a little lad eight 
 j'ears of age at the time of his mother's death, and 
 about fifteen years when dejirived of his father's 
 care. Although so young he then assumed mainly 
 the charge of the homestead, assisted by his two 
 elder sisters, who presided over their dopaestic 
 affairs. After the marriage of Rhoda the family 
 was practicalljf broken up. and the j'ear following, 
 in April, 1869, at the age of sixteen, young Rus- 
 sell came to Nebraska. He was a resident of 
 Plattsmouth four or five years, employed at work- 
 ing on a farm. His first intention had been to go 
 to Denver, but meeting Mr. T. Martin Marquette, 
 of Plattsmouth, he was advised to remain at Platts- 
 mouth. His farming experience now served him 
 well, and he entered the employ of Mr. E. Sage, of 
 Plattsmouth, as foreman of his ranch at Platts- 
 mouth. He occupied this position a period of four 
 years, then coming to Greenwood Precinct, pur- 
 chased a homestead claim of eighty acres, compris- 
 ing a part of the southwest quarter of section 18. 
 This purchase was made in the spring of 1874, and 
 it was then an uncultivated tract of prairie. He took 
 up his abode upon it alone in a frame house, and 
 his labors that year came to naught on account of 
 the grasshoppers. In the spring of 1875 Mr. Rus- 
 sell added forty acres to his real estate, and two 
 years later purchased another forty acres, thus be- 
 coming owner of a quarter section. 
 
 The marriage of Lycurgus Russell and Miss 
 Mar3r E. Robbins was celebrated at the home of 
 the bride in Saunders County, Neb., Feb. 18, 1876, 
 and they soon thereafter took up their abode at 
 
 the new farm. They are now the parents of seven 
 children, one of whom, the eldest, a son, Bertie, 
 died when four years old. The survivors are: 
 Maude. Etta E., Goldie, Leonard J., and an infant, 
 Lonie. Mrs. Russell was born Jan. 10, 1857, in Da- 
 vis County, Iowa, and is the daughter of Charles 
 and Nancy (Pollard) Robbins, who were natives 
 of New York State and Iowa. They came to Ne- 
 braska when their daughter Mary was a little child 
 three years of age, and settled in Ashland, where 
 they are still residing. 
 
 Mr. Russell in common with the men around 
 him has embellished his farm with groves of Cot- 
 tonwood, ash, maple and walnut trees, and the 
 much admired Catawba flourishes adjacent. 
 
 The buildings are neat and substantial structures, 
 and Mr. Russell has the farm machinery necessary 
 for the successful prosecution of agriculture. 
 Although having little time to meddle with politi- 
 cal affairs, he is a uniform supporter of Democratic 
 principles, and has been quite prominent in local 
 affairs, serving as a member of the Board of Edu- 
 cation five terms, officiating as a Grand Juror, and 
 otherwise identifying himself with the interests of 
 the community. Socially, he belongs to the 
 Knights of Pythias at Ashland. 
 
 SAAC STONE, a model citizen, conscientious 
 Christian and prosperous farmer, owns and re- 
 
 I sides on a fine farm embracing 240 acres on 
 section 24 of Greenwood Precmct. He was born 
 in Indiana, Oct. 18, 1817. the son of Benjamin 
 Stone, wlio was born and reared iti Pennsylvania, 
 and in his early life moved to Indiana. He was a 
 school teacher, and engaged in educational piu-- 
 suits all liis life. He died in 1833. aged fifty years. 
 The mother died in 1871, aged eightj'-seven years. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family of ten children, 
 who are named : Abigail, Poll}', Ann, Elijah, Re- 
 becca, Benjamin, Abraham, Sarah J., Isaac, Jere- 
 miali and Lovisas. Ann was born In Penns^'lvania ; 
 Ebj;di, Rebecca and Benjamin were born in Ohio; 
 Abraham and Isaac are twins. 
 
 Our subject resided a short time in Kansas, where 
 he settled in March, 1871. About one year from 
 
>► t j T Mt 
 
 ••»* 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 971 
 
 this date he moved to Cass County, Neb., and set- 
 tled on the farm where he now resides. He was 
 married, Nov. 7. 1841, to Miss Nancy Milner, a 
 resident of Indiana. She departed this life in Sep- 
 tember, 1861. She was the mother of a family of 
 five children — Zerelda D., Minerva D., Richard K , 
 David M. and Mary M. Richard resides on a farm 
 located on section 24, this precinct; Minerva is 
 married, and the other three children are deceased. 
 
 After a season Mr. Stone married Miss Malisinth 
 P. Wygall, a resident of Ohio County, Ind. By 
 this marriage he became the father of five children : 
 Edgar Mc, I. Dean, Roland A., Adelea H. and Jose- 
 phine W., all of whom are at home at this writing, 
 assisting in the various duties of the farm, attend- 
 ing school, acquiring an education, and thus lay- 
 ing the foundation for a life of usefulness and 
 benefit to themselves and the world. 
 
 Mr. Stone is a pleasant, agreeable gentleman to 
 meet, highly educated, and thoroughly informed on 
 the general topics of the day. He has a good 
 farm, well improved, and the land is divided into 
 fields by fences of wire and hedges, good barns 
 and commodious sheds for the accommodation of 
 cattle, of which he has a large number, all high- 
 grade animals, which he keeps in fine condition, and 
 gives the best care possible. They area goodly 
 source of profit to tlieir owner. 
 
 The residence of Mr. Stone is neat and tasty in 
 appearance, and is well kept both inside and out. 
 It stands in the midst of a fine grove of trees, min- 
 gled with shrubberj' and flowering plants, the whole 
 presenting a very attractive and beautiful appear- 
 ance. All the improvements are arranged in order, 
 indicating the owner to be a man thoroughly well 
 posted in his business. 
 
 Mr. Stone was elected to the Legislature of the 
 State in 1878, where he served one term. He has 
 been Postmaster ten years, and Mrs. Stone lias 
 served four years. He has been School Director 
 for some time, and has been connected with the 
 School Board in some capacity the greater portion 
 of the time he has resided in Nebraska. He is now, 
 and has been for the last twenty years, a minister 
 of the Gospel in the Froe-AVill Baiitist Church. Ills 
 daily life is a living example of what the love of 
 God will accomplish, when the heart of a man is 
 
 devoted to His service. His good wife joins her 
 husband in his plans and labors, is a conscientious 
 unostentatious. Christian woman, a joj', blessing 
 and comfort to all with whom she comes in con- 
 tact. She is several ye.ars younger than her hus- 
 band. In politics Mr. Stone is a Republican. 
 
 TEPHEN HULFI.SH. The best interests 
 of a town in its incijiiency depend largeij' 
 upon the men instrumental in its establish- 
 ment and after tliem those who seek to 
 identify themselves with it. The subject of this 
 sketch is numbered among the men of prominence 
 and influence who are bringing Wabash into a posi- 
 tion worth}' of more than a passing notice. Here 
 he has invested a large portion of his capital, while 
 his enterprise and intelligence have been the means 
 of others of like character locating here. He oflSci- 
 ates as Postmaster and Notarj' Public; and conducts 
 a flourishing trade in drugs, medicines, paints and 
 tlie other articles pertaining to this department of 
 trade. He came to Nebraska in the spring of 1880, 
 settling first in Bushberry, where he engaged in 
 mercantile pursuits until Wabash was laid out, when 
 he ciianged the scene of bis operations to this place, 
 a very fortunate thing for Wabash. He brought 
 to it the first stock of commodities in which he is 
 now dealing, and is looked upon as a leading man of 
 bis community. 
 
 A native of the Keystone State, our sulijeit 
 was born in the city of Philadelphia, April 24, 
 1840. His parents were David and Reliecca (Car- 
 penter) Hulfish, the fatlier a native of New Jerse}-, 
 and tiie mother of Philadel|)liia, Pa. The paternal 
 grandfather was a native of Germany, and emigrated 
 to America in time to shoulder a musket effectively 
 during tlie Revolutionary War. Later he served 
 in the War of 1812. David llulfish, his son, upon 
 a|)proaching manhood, learned the trade of a shoe- 
 maker, and afterward became a large dealer in 
 boots and shoes in Philadelphia. He lived theie 
 after his marriage until 185.3, and then removed to 
 Owensville, Ind., where he a!so established a trade 
 in boots and shoes, and where he still lives, being 
 now sevent}- years old. The mother is likewise 
 
 ■► I I ^* 
 
 «=*-<• 
 
.>-ll^^ 
 
 972 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 living, and is five years younger than her husband. 
 They were the parents of two children onl}-, 
 Stephen, our subject, and P^win D. a newspaper man 
 and editor, of Owensville, Iiid. 
 
 The first recollections of our subject are of a 
 modest home in his native city, where he com- 
 menced a practical education in the public schools. 
 Being necessarily much of his time in tiie shop and 
 store of his father, he learned the rudimentary de- 
 tails of the business at an early age, and when a lad 
 of thirteen years, being unusually bright and apt, 
 was given a position with a large wholesale estab- 
 lishment in Philadelphia, where he remained until 
 IS.jS. He was reared to man's estate in bis native 
 cit3', but in 1859 joined his parents in Owensville, 
 Ind.. where he met his future wife, then Miss Kate 
 Storton, to whom he was married March 31, 18G3. 
 In the spring of 1865 he began on his own ac- 
 count in the lioot and shoe trade at Owensville, 
 being then twenty-five years of age. His good 
 business capacities and his progressive ideas as a 
 citizen, and member of the community brought 
 him into prominence among his townsmen, and in 
 the year above mentioned he was appointed, by 
 President Johnson, Postmaster of Owensville. 
 
 Mrs. Kate (.Storton) Uulfisb was born in England, 
 and came to America with her parents when joung. 
 Of her union with our subject were born two chil- 
 dren, the elder of whom, a son, Willie, married 
 Miss Henrietta Gordcn, of Wabash, this county, 
 and is now living in Wabash. The daughter, Re- 
 becca, is the wife of Charles Hite, a well-to-do far- 
 mer, of Elmwood Precinct. They have two chil- 
 dren — George and Letta. Mrs. Kate Ilulfisli died 
 at Owensville, Ind., in December, 1874. 
 
 Mr. Ilulflsh contracted a second marriage in 
 December, 1875, with Miss Anna Worrell, daughter 
 of Charles and Catherine (Templeton) Worrell, of 
 Wayne County, III. This mariiagc has resulted 
 in the birth of three children, a daughter and two 
 sons — Myrtle. Charles and Frank. They are a 
 bright trio, and the daughter is completing her edu- 
 cation in St. Francis' Academy at Council Bluffs, 
 Iowa. She has evinced considerable musical talent, 
 awl is a young lady greatly liked in the social cir- 
 cles of her community. 
 
 In 1880, the iircsenl wife of our subject having 
 
 been in ill-he.alth for some time, Mr. Hulfish de- 
 cided upon a change of climate, and accordingly 
 left Indiana for Nebraska. He started the first store 
 in Bushberry, this county, and was soon thereafter 
 appointed Postmaster. During the building of the 
 Missouri Pacific Railroad he came to Wabash, and 
 after assisting in platting the town, built a store and 
 post-office. His residence is a neat and substantial 
 structure, and both himself and family are highl3' 
 esteemed by the people of this locality. Mr. H. in 
 1882 was first appointed Notary Public, and re- 
 appointed in 1888 for another term of six years. 
 Politicall3', he affiliates with the Democratic party, 
 and is an active member of tlie I. O. 0. F. He 
 believes in the establishment of schools and churches, 
 and as he has opportunity gives his aid to every 
 enterprise calculated to advance the interests of the 
 people, morally and financiall}'. 
 
 .-^tiZijZ/S'^^' 
 
 ®|~g!/OT^y*V. -VVr,- 
 
 JOHN PHILPOT, Sk., an enterprising farmer, 
 lives on a highly cultivated and improved 
 farm, located on section 27 in Mt. Pleasant 
 Precinct. He was born in Kent County, 
 England, March 10, 1815. He is the son of George 
 and Abigail Philpot, and lived at home in England 
 with his parents until ho was twenty years old. 
 Recognizing the fact that for a young man in his 
 position in life there was no oi)portu:iity for .ad- 
 vancement or procuring a home for himself, he 
 decided to emigrate to America. In pursuance of 
 this decision he took passage from London in the 
 sailing-ship '-St. James." After a stormy passage 
 of eight weeks he arrived in New York City. His 
 means being very limited he found it necessary to 
 seek emi)loyment, which he procured on a farm in 
 New Jersej', where he worked for two years. 
 
 Wishing to see more of the country and learn the 
 ways of the people, our subject went to New 
 Orleans, where for a time he worked at various 
 occupations. He then worked his wa3' northward, 
 and finally settled in Jo Daviess County, 111., which 
 was then an unsettled wild country'. He secured a 
 tract of finely located land, which he proceeded to 
 improve, and in later jears, vvhcn the railroad was 
 built, and a market was made for the varied prod- 
 
 •^1^ 
 

«► . I T^ - 
 
 CASS COUKTY. 
 
 975 Ai 
 
 nets of the farm, and other settlers coming to the 
 neighborhoon, he found liimself by the natural 
 increase bestowed by these advantages to be the 
 owner of an extremely valuable farm. He resided 
 on this farm for thirty years, and he still owns it. 
 While Mr. Fhilpot was living there he married 
 Miss Sarah Dugan, who survived her marriage but 
 about a year. After a season he married a second 
 time, and to him and his wife were born a family 
 of eight chihlren, five of whom are living, namely: 
 Charles. John, Alfred, James and Mar}'. John is a 
 resident of Nebraska (for a sketch of his life see 
 another page in this work). Shortlj' after the close 
 of the Civil War our subject went to Carroll 
 Count3\ Mo., where he remained a short time. 
 From there he came to Cass County and secured a 
 fine tract of land, which he has thoroughly im- 
 proved, and he has become an honored and respected 
 citizen of the precinct. 
 
 Our subject is in all respects a self-made man. 
 Since his arrival in America he has applied himself 
 so diligently to the observation of men and events 
 as they transpired about him, that he now possesses 
 a good, practical knowledge, which is available in 
 the everyday affairs of life. He is widely and 
 favorably known in his locality, and enjoys the es- 
 teem and confidence of all who know him. In 
 politics he is a thorough Republican. He cast his 
 vote for William Henry Harrison, in the ever mem- 
 orable "hard cider" campaign of 1840, and cast his 
 last vote, in 1888, for the grandson, Benjamin 
 Harrison. 
 
 -i^^l- ■ 
 
 ■JSIOHN STINE, a pioneer farmer of tiiis State, 
 11 is as 
 
 dl|| is as closely connected with its growth and 
 I development, and has lent as much assist- 
 V ancc toward placing Nebraska in the front 
 rank among the western commonwealths, as any one 
 individual residing within its limits. His first ad- 
 vent in the State was April 8, 1855, when he 
 crossed the river at Omaha, then a mere hamlet of 
 three shanties. He bougiit a claim two and a half 
 miles west of that place, on which he lived one 
 year, and during that time took an active part in 
 local affairs, being an influential member of the well- 
 known Claim Club of that day, which had a branch 
 
 in Omaha consisting of 160 members. They exe- 
 cuted whatever they undertook, and protected the 
 pioneer against the encroachments of the claim 
 jumper. Mr. Stine recollects very clearly the in- 
 cidents and scenes of his early life in Omaha, and 
 can recall the time, when, in the fall of 1855, the 
 first treaty with the Indians was made. The Gov- 
 ernment agreed to pay annually for a term of years 
 to the different tribes, Omahas, Otoes, Pawnees 
 and Sioux, a large revenue, some of the payments 
 of which are already completed, and in no case was 
 a tribe to receive indemnity for more than forty 
 years. He also remembers when John Brown was 
 granted a charter to run a ferry across the Missouri 
 River at Omaha. Times were then perilous, the 
 people being largely a lawless set, struggling for 
 supremacy as well as for existence, and it was de- 
 cidedly unsafe for a man to make any encroach- 
 ment on another man's properly. Soon after com- 
 ing to Nebraska our subject was employed by the 
 present Governor of the State to break 105 acres 
 of the land now embraced within the limits of 
 Omaha, receiving $6 an acre for his labors, this be- 
 ing before the original Government survey was 
 made. He also broke the same year fifty acres not 
 far from Omaha. This was practically the first 
 breaking of prairie in the State. In 1856 Mr. 
 Stine concluded to locate south of the Platte River, 
 thinking the soil there better adapted to farming. 
 He therefore sold for $1,000 the squatter's claim 
 that he had taken up in Omaha before the Govern- 
 ment had set a compass in the State, and moving 
 to Otoe County, he pre-empted a, quarter-section in 
 what is now Wyoming Precinct, but was then the 
 enterprising and lively town of Wyoming, having 
 the appearance of a city with a boom on, but is 
 now defunct. The land had, however, more tim- 
 ber on than our subject desired for farming pur- 
 poses, so, after making considerable improvements, 
 he exchanged it for 160 acres four miles west, on 
 what is now section 7, Wyoming Precinct. He 
 partly improved that farm, and in 1866 purchased 
 his present homestead of 160 acres on section 22, 
 Liberty Precinct. It w.as then in its primitive wild- 
 ness, with not a furrow turned, but as its natural 
 advantages were good, oui' subject set to work with 
 enthusiastic zeal to improve it, and by indomitable 
 
•►Hf^^ 
 
 076 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 '1 
 
 perseverance and inrliistry he 1ms snceeedefl in his 
 efforts, and has now a good productive farm, well 
 stocked with choice breeds of animals, and is in 
 receipt of a comfortable income therefrom. 
 
 Our subject was born in Berks County. Pa., 
 Aug. 6, 1829. He is of the old Pennsylvania Dutch 
 stock, his father, Philip Stine, having been a farmer 
 in Berks Countj% where he was reared and subse- 
 quently married to Sarah Dundore. After their 
 marriage they lemained in the Keystone State until 
 1 840, when they removed with their family of seven 
 children to Fairfield County. Ohio. There Mr. 
 Stine purchased a good farm, and there remained 
 until his death in 1 847, being then forty-seven years 
 old. His wife survived him manj' years, dying in 
 Fremont, Sandusky Co., Ohio, in September, 1887, 
 at the venerable age of eighty-one years. Both 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stine were members of the Lutheran 
 Church, and lived upright Christian lives. They 
 had eleven children, ten sous and one daughter. 
 John, of whom we write, having been the fourth 
 child and third son. 
 
 The latter remained at home until twenty-two 
 years of age, and then commenced life for himself. 
 He was married in Liberty Precinct to Catherine 
 D. Tyson, who was born in Adams County, III., 
 Dec. 8, 1845. Her parents, Mathias and Katie 
 (Bailey) Tyson, were natives of Virginia, but were 
 both reared in Ohio, and moved with their parents 
 to Indiana, where they were married. They began 
 their wedded life on a farm in Central Indiana, liv- 
 ing there until after the birth of three children, then 
 moved to Adams County, 111., going thence in 
 1851 to Texas. They were not pleased, however, 
 with the Lone Star State, and returning North, 
 spent a j'ear in Missouri, then came to Nebraska, 
 crossing the Missouri River March o, 1855. They 
 took up 160 acres of land on what is now section 
 22, Liberty Precinct, that being one of the first pre- 
 emptions in this part of the county. They were 
 very successful in their labors, and improved a fine 
 farm, on which they spent the remainder of their 
 lives, Mrs. Tyson dying in 1874, when sixty-five 
 years of age, and Mr. Tyson in 1877, at the ad- 
 vanced age of seventy-eight years. They were 
 worthy types of tlie pioneer, and exercised the gen- 
 erosity and hospitality characteristic of the ear!}' 
 
 settlers of that time, and always helped the needy 
 and the afflicted. 
 
 To our subject and his wife have been born five 
 children, one of whom, George A., died ininfanc}'. 
 The living ones are: Reuben B., William L., Sarah 
 E. and John R. In his political views Mr. Stine is 
 a Republican, and is fearless in his endoi'sement of 
 those principles which he believes to be for the 
 general good of his community and the country at 
 large. Both he and his worthy wife are held in the 
 highest respect in the community which has known 
 them so long and so well, and their pleasant home 
 is the resort of a large circle of friends. 
 
 We are pleased to present herewith a fine portrait 
 of this worth}' pioneer farmer, who has done much 
 to develop the agricultural interests of the county. 
 
 j AMES K. KEITHLEY, editor and pul)lisher 
 of the Weeping Water Republican, came 
 first to Nebraska in 1875, and to Weeping 
 '^Ml Water in 1878. In the year 1882. in com- 
 pany with his brother, W. A. Keithley, he estab- 
 lished the journal which has now become an 
 indispensable institution of this county. Three 
 j-ears later James K. purchased the interest of his 
 brother, and has since conducted the liusinesssingl}' 
 and alone. The Republican has a large circulation, 
 and is a stanch advocate of the principles of its 
 party. In connection therewith is a fine job otHee, 
 the presses operated by the only steam printing 
 power in the count}'. The office is equipped with 
 a select assortment of type and other material, and 
 turns out some of the prettiest job work done in 
 this part of the Stale. This department gives 
 employment to four men the year round. Mr. 
 Keithley, although a warm advocate of his party 
 principles, has never made any effort to become an 
 ofHce-holder, preferring that some other man should 
 assume its cares and responsibilities. In business 
 circles he is a member of the Board of Trade, and 
 a financier of good abilities. He is well spoken of 
 by the people of his community, which indicates at 
 once the true character of the man. 
 
 Mr. Keithley was born in Louisville, K}'., April 
 21. 1852, and in 1855 his parents removed to Min- 
 ■» 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ■•►41 
 
 977 
 
 •► 
 
 nesota, vvliere the father took up a tract of land. 
 The boyhood and youth of our subject were em- 
 ploj'ed mostl3' in securing his education, and after 
 a brief period spent in tlie district school he was 
 sent to the Academy of Salem, Ind. After spend- 
 ing two years at this institution he taught school a 
 period of six years in the States of Indiana, Minne- 
 sota and Nebraska, coming to the latter in the 
 spring of 1875. His father in tiie meantime had 
 died when he was a youth of sixteen years, and he 
 aided in the support of his mother. The latter is 
 now dead, and her remains are interred at Nebraska 
 City. 
 
 Mr. Keithley upon coming to Nebraska was lo- 
 cated for a time in Nebr.aska City, and was there 
 married, Oct. 22, 1878, to Miss Agnes E. Ka}'. 
 This lady was born May 15, 1859, in Nebraska 
 Cit3', Otoe County, and received a good education, 
 completing her studies in the Nebraska Cit}' High 
 School. She made her home with her parents until 
 her marriage. She is the daughter of Dr. M. K. 
 and Demaris (Seaton) Kay, the former a prominent 
 physician of Nebraska City and one of its earliest 
 settlers. He comes of excellent ancestry, and was 
 born in Inverness, .Scotland, in 1818. He came to 
 America about 1848, settling first in Illinois, and 
 removing in the j'ear 1855 to Nebraska Cit}-. Mrs. 
 Demaris Kay, the wife and mother, was born in 
 Louisville, K3-., and married in Hennepin, 111. Of 
 this union there were born four children, two only 
 of whom lived to mature jears. Dr. Kay obtained 
 his medical education in Glasgow, Scotland, being 
 graduated from one of the colleges there. Both he 
 and his estimable wife are still living, making their 
 home in Nebraska City, and both are members of 
 the Episcopal Church. 
 
 Samuel T. Keithley, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Harrison County, Ind., Dec. 23. 1818, and 
 lived there until reaching man's estate. He was 
 married, in 1839, to Miss Sarah J. Catlin, of Wash- 
 ington County, and they became the parents of 
 seven children, four of whom are living, namely: 
 James K., our subject; Nancy C, Mrs. J. S. Bean, of 
 St. Paul, Minn.; Tlieo W., a resident of Jlonte- 
 video, Minn., and William A., publisher of the 
 Sauiiders County Leader, in Ashland, this State. 
 
 Samuel Keitliley was a ship carpenter by trade. 
 
 which he followed for a time in Louisville, Ky., and 
 until 1855, then migrating to Minnesota, he took up 
 land in LeSueur County, and improved a farm, upon 
 which he lived until 1862. The progress of the Civil 
 War called him from his farm and familj'. and he 
 enlisted in Company K, 7th Minnesota Infantry. 
 During his absence there occurred the Indian out- 
 break in which the family fled to the city, leaving 
 the farm to the mercy of both Indians and white 
 outlaws, who stole everything they could carr3' oflf. 
 
 In the meantime the father of the family, after 
 serving as a Union soldier two years and ten months, 
 suffered greatly in health, and was obliged to accept 
 his honorable discharge two months before the expi- 
 ration of his term of enlistment. He then returned 
 to Cleveland, where the family lived until 1867, 
 when the}' removed to Fredericksburg, Ind., where in 
 December, 1868, his death occurred. The mother was 
 left with four children, and returned to Minnesota, 
 where she resided until the spring of 1876, when she 
 went to the home of her son James K., in Nebraska 
 Cit3', and died there in 1877. Both parents were 
 lifelong members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, in wliich the father officiated .as Class- Leader 
 and was otherwise prominent in its councils. 
 
 James Keithley, the paternal grandfather of our 
 subject, it is supposed was a native of Pennsylvania, 
 an'l for man}' 3'ears filled the pulpit of the Meth- 
 odist Episcojial Church, as an itinerant, and rode the 
 circuit a number of 3'ears in the fashion of the 
 Methodist preachers of that day. He settled in 
 Harrison Count3', Ind., and married a Miss Kendall, 
 b3' whom he became the father of two sons, who 
 lived to mature years. This lady died, and he mar- 
 ried a second time. He passed awav some time 
 between 1840 and 1850. 
 
 /^ HARLES C. HENNINGS and the estimable 
 111 r ^^^y ^'"^ '"** borne his name for the last 
 ^^7 seventeen 3'ears settled on their farm in Eight 
 Mile Grove Precinct about 1874. The land was 
 then as the Indians had left it, not a furrow having 
 been turned and no attempt whatever having been 
 made at improvement. After putting in the first 
 
' ' 978 
 
 ^^ n il <» 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 season's crops, the area devoted to this being 
 necessarily contracted, Mr. H. began to fence the 
 remainder of his purchase, and in due time to plant 
 fruit and forest trees and gather about him the 
 comforts of life. He has now one of the most pro- 
 ductive farms on the northern line of the county. 
 He has not been slow to avail himself of modern 
 methods and machinery, and is consequently num- 
 bered among the progressive agriculturists of his 
 time. 
 
 Mr. Hennings came to this section in time to as- 
 sist in the organization of his school district and 
 the various other enterprises gradually developing 
 as the country settled up. He has been liberal and 
 public-spirited, aiding by his influence and more 
 substantial means the enterprises set on foot for the 
 good of the people. By his own thrift and indus- 
 tr}' he was the means of attracting to his neighbor- 
 hood a class of intelligent people who were not 
 slow in imitating his example. The Hennings farm 
 is largely devoted to stock-raising, which yields the 
 proprietor a handsome income. 
 
 The infant j-ears of our subject were spent on the 
 other side of the Atlantic, in Germany, where he 
 was born Nov. 13. 1847. His parents, John C. and 
 Sophia Hennings, were of pure German stock, and 
 natives of the same Province as their son. The 
 father on his native soil occupied himself as a shoe- 
 maker, but had ambitions which were not satisfied 
 in the Fatherland. About 1851 he decided that it 
 would be best for himself and family to emigrate 
 to the United States. After a safe voyage they took 
 up their abode on a tract of land in Washington 
 Count}-, Wis., where they were numbered among 
 the earliest pioneers. They lived there a number 
 of years, the father carrying on agriculture, but in 
 the spring of 1872 he sold out his interests in the 
 Badger State and came to this county. Both par- 
 ents are now living in Eight Mile Grove Precinct, 
 each being past seventy years of age. They have 
 good property, and while passing down the hill of 
 life are surrounded by those things conducive to 
 their comfort and enjoyment, and which they so 
 richly deserve as the reward of their toils and 
 sacrifices. 
 
 To the parents of Jlr. Hennings there was born 
 a large family of children, of whom but five sur- 
 
 ^»" 
 
 vive, namely: John A., Henry H,, Ferdinand, 
 Emma, the wife of Lorenzo Brou. and Charles 
 C, our subject. The latter, the youngest born, 
 lived in Washington Countj-, Wis., until a youth 
 of nineteen years, then left the parental roof to 
 seek his own fortune. He first emigrated to Illi- 
 nois, then to Iowa, and finally came to this county 
 in 1871. Later that same year he, in company 
 with his brother John A., purchased a part of 
 the land which he now owns and occupies. Be- 
 fore settling upon this our subject farmed on 
 rented land in tlie vicinity of Plattsmouth two 
 3'ears. At the expiration of this time he took pos- 
 session of his own propeity. 
 
 The marriage of Charles C. Hennings and Miss 
 Mary Volk was celebrated at the home of the bride 
 in Illinois, Feb. 18, 1872. Mrs. Hennings was born 
 in Tazewell County. 111., Feb. 1, 1849, and is the 
 daughter of Nicholas and Maggie Volk, natives 
 of Germany and pioneers of Tazewell Count}', 111., 
 where they still reside. This union has resulted in 
 the birth of nine children : Elizabeth, Oct. 24, 1872; 
 John F., Jan. 26, 1874; Nicholas F., Jan. 5, 1876; 
 Jacob C, Nov. 28, 1877; Charles F., Nov. 25, 1879; 
 Mary E., Dec. G, 1881; Annie E., Dec. 18, 1883; 
 Maggie M., Dec. 6, 1885, and Ferdinand J.. Feb. 1, 
 1888. Thej' form a lively little companj', and are 
 a perpetual source of interest to their devoted 
 parents. 
 
 ■S/ OIIN K. BAIRD, a self-made man. and a far- 
 I nier operating a farm of 200 acres, 1 60 of 
 I i which he owns, is a native of Canada, where 
 '^^Jj he lost his mother by ileath when only seven 
 years old, and as in many similar cases, lie was, by 
 the second marriage of his father, practically left 
 homeless. For years he drudged and worked for a 
 Canadian farmer for his board and (old) clothes. 
 When he had reached the age of eighteen years, 
 having a desire to improve his interests he went to 
 Saginaw, Mich., where he engaged as a sawj'er for 
 two years. While there he conceived the idea of 
 going to the West, and securing a home for himself. 
 Accordingly he left Michigan for this purpose. 
 When he reached Cook County, 111., he found his 
 monej- exhausted, and he was obliged to go to , 
 ■ ► Ih 
 
•►-HI-4*- 
 
 ••► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 979 
 
 work on a farm in that county. This he continued 
 until he resumerl his journey toward Nebraska in 
 1875. Arriving in this State lie purchased eighty' 
 acres of land on section 32 of the Burlington <fe 
 Missouri River Railroad Company, which he imme- 
 diately began to improve. Prospering iu his new 
 location he purciiased in 1879 another eighty acres 
 on section 29, Elm wood- Precinct. 
 
 While working on the farm in Cook Countj' our 
 subject met Miss Mary L. Grant, to whom he was 
 married on the 14th of December, 1871. This lady 
 was born in Kankakee County, III., and is the 
 daughter of Thomas W. and Margaret Jane (Ged- 
 dis) Grant, who came to Illinois from Battle Creek. 
 Mich. After their marriage they lived in Illinois on 
 rented land for two3'ears. Three children have been 
 born to this couple: Elsie I., now deceased; Jessie 
 M. and Walter P. Bright and intelligent as the}- 
 are, the parents are proud of them. 
 
 The father of our subject, George Baird, was a 
 cooper in Prince Edwards County, at Solomon's 
 Point. He found a market for the product of his 
 labor among the fishermen. His mother, Grace, was 
 born in Canada, of Scotch parents. She died in 
 1856, forty-eight years of age, leaving five children, 
 namely: Nancj'; Maggie, now deceased ; Mary E.: 
 John R.. our subject; and George R., now deceased. 
 The father married a second time, and had four 
 children by the last union. He died in 1884 in 
 Canada, sixty-eight or seventy j'ears of age. Our 
 subject was bora in Prince Edwards County, 
 Canada. Aug. 12, 1849. 
 
 Mr. Baird is a man who began life under ver}' 
 marked disadvantages and adverse circumstances, 
 but by the inherent force of will and determination 
 he has progressed and conquered all obstacles, until 
 to-day he is recognized as one of the leading men 
 in Elmwood Precinct. He and his faithful wife 
 have fought life's battle bravely, and they now find 
 themselves well remunerated for all the straggles 
 an<l privations tiiey have endured in former 3'ears, 
 while making their home what it is to-<iay; and 
 they can look out over their broad fields with a 
 degree of complacency and satisfaction that is justi- 
 fiable to the fullest extent. An orchard of choicest 
 varieties of fruits annually yields its golden stores, 
 and the fields their rich harvests of grain, and plenty 
 
 is indicated all over the farm, while inside their 
 nice new dwelling peace aud pleasure reign su- 
 preme. 
 
 Mr. Baird is a charter member of the Order of 
 Modern Woodmen of America, in the Wabash 
 Lodge. He has served several terms as School 
 Director, also as Constable, and assisted in building 
 the school-house in District No. 44. He became a 
 naturalized citizen of the United States during his 
 first year of residence in Nebraska. He holds politi- 
 cal allegianx;e with the Re|)ublican party. 
 
 JOHN HESS, an estimable farmer of Elm vvood 
 Precinct, was born in Holstein twelve or fif- 
 teen miles from Hamburg, German}', where 
 his father, Hans Yocum, was a farmer. His 
 father died in the old country when our sub- 
 ject was nine years of age. To escape military 
 service in the German Army our subject sailed 
 with his brother for America, arriving in New 
 York Citj' April 5, 1853, their final destination 
 being Davenport, Iowa, where he resided until- 
 1856. He removed from Davenport to Platts- 
 mouth, Neb., intending to go down into Kan- 
 sas, but on account of the Kansas and Nebraska 
 troubles he stopped at Plattsmouth, where he 
 worked until the breaking out of the late Civil War, 
 when he enlisted, June 11, 1861, in Company A, 
 1st Nebraska Infantry, under Dr. R. R. Living- 
 ston. They went into camp at Omaha, where 
 they were drilled and instructed in military tactics, 
 and from there the}' went dovvn the river to Ft. 
 Leavenworth, Kan.; from there to St. Louis, thence 
 in turn to Pilot Knob, Syracuse, Georgetown and 
 Sed:ilia, participating in the various battles and 
 skirmishes in that section. In the spring of 1862 
 the regiment of which he was a member was un<ler 
 the command of Gen. Grant, and participated in 
 the battles of Ft. Donelson and Shiloh. From the 
 latter battle-field they went to Corinth, Miss., and 
 were attached to the command of Gen. Lew Wal- 
 lace. After the evacuation of Corinth they went 
 to Memphis, Tenn.,and Helena, Ark. From Helena 
 they were sent to Missouri under the command 
 of Gen. Steele, stopping on their old camping 
 
 >► II M- 
 
 ■► J l ^> 
 
*► . 11 ^» 
 
 980 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ground at Pilot Knob. From there tliey were dis- 
 patched to Cape Girardeau, Mo., then to St. Louis, 
 where tiie 1st Nebraska Infantry was merged into 
 the 1st Nebraska Cavalry. He, with the consoli- 
 dated regiment, look an active part in the Arkansas 
 campaign. 
 
 Before leaving Omaha our suhject was made a 
 Corporal, and when the 1st Regiment was merged 
 into the new cavalry he was made a Sergeant, at 
 some point in Missouri. AVhile in the Arkansas 
 campaign his term of enlistment expired, he was 
 returned to Omaha, and there honorably discharged 
 on the 12lh of August, 1864. He was so attentive 
 to his duties as a soldier and so prompt that he 
 never missed a roll call during his entire term of 
 service. His record as a soldier is unexceptionable 
 in every particular, and is a matter in which he can 
 justly feel the greatest pride. 
 
 In 1856 Mr. Hess married Miss Emily Graves, 
 wlio bore him four children — Frederick A., George 
 D., J. Johnson and Emily. He lost his wife by 
 death. He came to Elm wood Precinct, and home- 
 steaded on eighty acres of land, to the improve- 
 ment of which he devoted his entire time and 
 attention. In 1885 he contracted a second inar^ 
 riage, with Miss Lois Gordon, daughter of Ran- 
 som and Rachel Gordon. At the time of her birth 
 her parents were residents in Canada, where they 
 lived until she was three years old, when the en- 
 tire family came to Iowa, where she lived with 
 them up to the time of her marriage with Mr. Hess. 
 Being naturally of a sharp, intelligent disposition, 
 she availed herself of all the educational facilities of 
 her home, and profiting by the experience of others, 
 she is one of the brightest ladies in Elmwood Pre- 
 cinct. Possessing a keen sense of the beautiful, her 
 home is arranged in an exceedingly neat and tasty 
 manner. She is a good manager, and is in every 
 way a true helpmate to her husbanci, which he fully 
 appreciates and values accordingly. No children 
 have been born to them. The children by the 
 former wife find in their stepmother a fitting suc- 
 cessor to their mother who has gone. 
 
 Mr. Iless purchased his present home farm in 
 1879, which he has thoroughly improved by the 
 erection of his comfortable home, and the necessary 
 barns and granaries calculated to handle the various 
 
 farm products to the best advantage and in the 
 most economical manner. Tlie tract of land is well 
 supplied with pure water, and is well fenced and 
 cared for. He prides himself on the fact that he 
 is one of the earliest Nebraska pioneers, and he well 
 may be, for he has certainly borne his share of the 
 toils and struggles incident to the opening of a new 
 and wild country. 
 
 Our subject is the youngest of a family of six 
 children. His brothers, Amos, Frederick and Henry, 
 and sisters Anna and Catherine, are older; he was 
 born in August, 183-2. He was twenty years old 
 when his mother died. The latter's name was 
 Pelonia Cathrena. His parents as well as himself 
 were consistent members of the Lutheran Church. In 
 politics he has always been a stanch Republican, but 
 has never .sought or held any public office, prefer- 
 ring the quietude and enjoyment of his own home. 
 
 ^ .^.^ ^ 
 
 %HILIP J. SCHAFER. In the career of this 
 estimable citizen of Mt. Pleasant Precinct 
 
 Tand his worthy' wife are presented some of 
 the phases of early life in Southern Ne- 
 braska. They took up their abode in this section 
 of country before it was converted from a Terri- 
 tory into a State, and when the long prairie grass 
 as high as their heads waved over the now beauti- 
 fully cultivated fields. In those primitive days one 
 of the duties of Mrs. Schafer was to hunt for the 
 family cow early in the morning when the dew lay 
 heavily on this long grass, and which task, as may 
 be imagined, was far from being pleasant. Those 
 da3'S are long past and gone, and now the sturdy 
 old pioneer and his no less courageous wife are 
 sitting comfortably under their own vine and fig 
 tree. In reviewing the scenes through which they 
 have passed they feel that they now have little 
 reason to complain of the manner in which their 
 toils and sacrifices have been rewarded. 
 
 The Schafer homestead, one of the distinctive 
 features in the landscape of the central part of the 
 county, is pleasantly located on section 15, and with 
 its substantial buildings has about it the air of 
 comfort and plentj' which is extremely pleasant to 
 contemplate. The proprietor, a native of the Prov- 
 
 ^^ 
 
^f 
 
 "^•■ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 981 i^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 ince of Bairen in the German Empire, was born 
 Aug. 19, 1842, and is the son of Adam and Bar- 
 bara (Yung) Schafer, the latter of whom died in 
 Ohio in 1886. When Philip J. was a lad twelve 
 years of age the parents, in May, 1854, emigrated 
 to America, setting sail from Havre, France, and 
 after an ocean voyage of sixty-five days landed in 
 New York City. Thence they proceeded directly 
 to Pike County. Ohio, where the father secured a 
 tract of land and prosecuted agriculture from that 
 time on. lie is still living there, and is now over 
 seventy years of age. The parental family in- 
 cluded eight children, six of whom are surviving, 
 and making their homes mostly in Nebraska and 
 Ohio. 
 
 Our subject spent his bo3'hood and youth in the 
 Buckeye State, and there attained to his majority. 
 He had gained the rudiments of a good education 
 in his native Germany, and being fond of his 
 books he, after coming to America, learned to read 
 and write in English. Keeping his eyes open to 
 wliat was going on around liim, he acquired a good 
 fund of general information, and upon reaching 
 manhood was reasonably well equipped for the more 
 serious business of life. Deciding finally to seek 
 his fortunes in the farther West he set out in Feb- 
 ruar}', 1865, coming directly to this county, and for 
 three years thereafter was employed as a farm la- 
 borer. In 1867 he purchased the wild tract of 
 land on section 15 in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, which 
 he has since transformed into one of its most de- 
 sirable homesteads. Upon this not a furrow had 
 been turned, and his first business was to put up a 
 temporary shelter for himself and wife. There now 
 came into play the qualities of character which he 
 had inherited from his substantial German ances- 
 try, and in due time they yielded their legitimate 
 reward. Believing that it wa,s proper to secure a 
 cage before he brought to it a bird, when married, 
 the 24th day of December, 1869, he was quite well 
 prepared to invite the lady of his choice, Miss Mary 
 Egger, to share his home and fortunes. This lady 
 has been equal in all respects to the confidence 
 which her husband first reposed in her, proving a 
 most efficient wife and helpmate during the years 
 of their early struggles and labors, and later as- 
 sisting in maintaining the dignity and reputation 
 
 of the family and the homestead. Mrs. Schafer was 
 born in November, 1848, in the Canton Bern, in 
 Switzerland, and is tlie daughter of John and Mary 
 (G3'gli) Egger, who were natives of the same ro- 
 mantic country, and who emigrated to America 
 when Miss Mary was a young lady of eighteen 
 years. They settled first in Tazewell County. 111., 
 thence came into Nebraska in September, 1868. 
 The father purchased a tract of land in Lancaster 
 County, from which he constructed a good home- 
 stead, and where he and his estimable wife are now 
 living. Mrs. Schafer remained under the home 
 roof until her marriage. Of her union with our 
 subject there have been born twelve children, four 
 of whom are deceased, namely: Andrew, Annie, 
 Jacob, and a babe who died unnamed. The sur- 
 vivors are George, Frederic, Adam, Albert, Mary, 
 John, Christina and Otto. The eldest of these is 
 sixteen years old and the youngest two, and they 
 are all at home with their parents. 
 
 Mr. Schafer, politically, is a stanch adherent of 
 the Democratic party. Coming from a country 
 believing in compulsory education, he is naturally 
 interested in the establishment and maintenance of 
 schools, and has frequently served as a director in 
 his district. Both he and his estimable wife are 
 members in good standing of the Lutheran Church, 
 and are held b3' their neighbors in the highest re- 
 spect. Their home and their surroundings at once 
 indicate their substantial and reliable qualities of 
 character, and tliej' naturally have made hosts of 
 friends in a community of people more than or- 
 dinarily intelligent. 
 
 ^?^EORGE ALEXANDER STEWART. As 
 III f=^ the town of Louisville gradualh' settled up 
 ■^^5) there came a demand for artisans in various 
 trades and occupations, and among them was the 
 subject of this sketch, one of the most intelligent 
 and skillful machinists now numbered among its 
 citizens. He is still comparatively' j'oung in years, 
 having been born July 20, 1851, in the city of Og- 
 densburg, N. Y. There his boyhood was spent, 
 and he was carefully educated in a private school. 
 He at an early age develo|)ed more than ordinary 
 
 •► II <•• 
 
 ary I 
 
•►-11-^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^ii^K-* 
 
 genius and skill as Cdnneiterl willi irneliiiiciy. and 
 in the exercise of this talent he lias been enabled to 
 make a comfortable living. 
 
 This branch of the Stewart faniih' is of excellent 
 ancestry, the father of our subject, George Stand- 
 ley Stewart, having been the scion of an ol<l P'rench 
 stock, and a man possessed of large means. lie was 
 born in fair Prance, and after becoming a citizen 
 of the United States, being provided with ample 
 means, lived mostly at iiis leisure. He married a 
 lady of his own country-. Miss Mary DeClivros, 
 and after emigrating to America they settled in 
 Ogdensburg, N. Y.. about 1812, where they spent 
 the most of their days thereafter. In 1869 the 
 father made a Visit to his native land, and while 
 there was taken ill, died very suddenly and was 
 laid to rest Upon his native soil. The wife and 
 mother is still living, and makes her home in Lon- 
 don. England. The household included eight chil- 
 dren, four sons and four daughters, all of whom 
 are living, our subject being the sixth in order of 
 birth. Thej' are all in the United States. 
 
 Our subject when a lad of nine years accom- 
 panied his mother to France, and spent some time 
 there with his brother William, in the meantime 
 serving an apprenticeship at the trade of machinist. 
 Seven j-ears later he returned to the United Stales, 
 then went to Montreal, Canada, and for five years 
 following was in the employ of the Grand Trunk 
 Railway Company. Two years of this time he was 
 foreman of their foundrj'. Later he acted in the 
 capacity of fireman on the Great Western branch 
 of the same railway system. 
 
 In 1884 Mr. Stewart resolved upon seeking a 
 permanent location in the Great West, and coming 
 to this countj' entered the employ of the Burling- 
 ton & Missouri River Railway Company, with 
 whom he continued three years, making his head- 
 quarters at Louisville. Later he became associated 
 with Mr. Walter Cutforth as a master mechanic, 
 which position he still holds. In the settlement of 
 his father's estate a large portion of it was wasted 
 in litigation, the family deriving little benefit there- 
 from. Our subject has therefore been mainly the 
 architect of his own fortune, but his natural abili- 
 ties form an inexhaustible capital, which will serve 
 him in some oases perhaps better than money, being 
 
 that which no man can steal from him. Although 
 nearly thirty-eight years of age he is still unmar- 
 ried, but with this exception has performed all his 
 duties faithfully as an honest man and a good citi- 
 zen. Politically, he is a stanch Republican. 
 
 jf/ GUIS C. EICKHOPP. One of the finest 
 I (^ farms in Louisville Precinct belongs to the 
 /i^^ subject of this sketch, who settled in Cass 
 County in 1859, during the Territorial daj's of 
 Nebraska. He began life without other resources 
 than his own muscle and his persevering disposi- 
 tion, which have resulted in making him independ- 
 ent — the owner of 800 acres of land, which comprises 
 one of the most valuable estates along the northern 
 line of the count}'. This he built up from an un- 
 cultivated tract of land, and has erected a good 
 residence and all the out-buildings necessary for tlie 
 storage of crops and the shelter of stock. The 
 place is abundantly supplied witli fruit, and all the 
 other appliances calculated to make a pleasant and 
 attractive home. 
 
 Upon coming to this county our subject stopped 
 first at Plattsmouth, where he occupied himself a year 
 at whatever he could find to do. He then rented a 
 tract of land two miles west of Plattsmouth, upon 
 which he operated two 3'ears, and at the expiration 
 of this time purchased 400 acres of his present 
 property. This lies on section 32, and years of 
 arduous labor and close economy have been re- 
 quired to bring it to its present condition. It now 
 yields to the owner a handsome income. 
 
 The Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, was the na- 
 tive place of our subject, his birth occurring April 
 16, 1847. He was the youngest of a family of six 
 children, four sons and two daughters, the offspring 
 of Frederick and Marj* (Schweitzer) Eickhoff, who 
 were also of German birth and ancestry. The 
 father was a tailor by trade, which occupation he 
 pursued during his early manhood, but later en- 
 gaged in agriculture. He, however, w.as not satis- 
 fied with the outlook in the Fatherland, and in 
 1855 started with his little family for America. 
 They sojourned for a very brief space in the cit}' of 
 New York, then proceeded westward, and for a 
 
 ■► it^ 
 
 :*^i^ 
 
Residence OF HoraceT Richards, SEC.2-JhELMWooD Precinct, Ca55 Co. 
 
 i^t:,',. 
 
 fJ^.,.""' ,^<t.U''U,^,^:>:^":d^^h^^ \^ ^i^'^^^.i^' ''tr. 
 
 'k^^' '^^'^'^imu^^.-'uk. 
 
 Residence of L.C. Eickh off, Sec.32. Louisville Prect, Cass Co 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 '^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 985 
 
 ••-H^r 
 
 time made their home in Chicngo. In 1859 they 
 sought the farther West, coming to this countj'. 
 In tlie meantime three of tlie sons of the family 
 had died in Cliicago. and of the six chihlren only 
 two are now living. The father spent his last years 
 with his son, our subject, his death taking place in 
 1874, in the sixty-third year of his age. The 
 mother died Feb. 5, 1889, at the home of her daugh- 
 ter, aged seventi'-eigiit j'ears, having been born in 
 May, 1810. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was a lad seven years 
 of age when he landed in the United States with 
 his parents, and he completed his education in the 
 common schools of this country, attending raostl}' 
 iu the winter season, while in the summer he as- 
 sisted his parents around the homestead. Of this 
 he took charge after the death of his father. To 
 this he brought a bride in 1867, having been mar- 
 ried that year to Miss Sophia Brunko, a native of 
 his own country, and the daughter of Frederick 
 Brunko and wife, who were also natives of Ger- 
 manj'; the mother is dead, but thie father is still 
 living in Nebraska. This union resulted in the 
 birth of nine children, five sons and four daughters. 
 
 One of the noticeable features on the farm is the 
 fine barn which was erected by Mr. Eickhoff in 
 1884, and covers an area of 40x66 feet. It has a 
 solid stone foundation, forming a good basement, 
 and is considered the best structure of the kind in 
 Louisville Precinct. It is nearly surrounded with 
 cattle sheds, and within it are all the conveniences 
 required by the progressive agriculturist. There is 
 also a model corn crib, with numerous other build- 
 ings, all indicative of the thorougliness and skill 
 with which the estate has been conducted. 
 
 Mr. Eickhoff has been prominent in local affairs, 
 and is a man of decided views. He votes the 
 straight Republican ticket, has officiated as Town- 
 ship Supervisor four years, as Assessor a period of 
 seven years, and as a member of the School Board 
 fifteen years. In religious belief lie espouses the 
 doctrines of the Evangelical association. His good 
 management is indicative of the fact that he has 
 inherited from his German ancestry the admirable, 
 thrifty qualities which distinguish that nationality. 
 A man prompt to meet his obligations, and sys- 
 tematic in the oversightof his finances, heoccui^ies a 
 
 4« 
 
 position second to none among the leading men of 
 this part of the county. His property has been the 
 result mainly of his own industry. The family, 
 upon landing in Chicago from their ocean trip, owed 
 $50, and upon coming to Nebraska were obliged to 
 economize in the closest manner for years, in order 
 to make both ends meet. That early experience, 
 Mr. Eickhoff acknowledges, instead of beingadetri- 
 ment, has been a benefit to him, imbuing him with 
 th(jse habits of industry and economy which have 
 enabled him to gather an ample competence for his 
 declining years. 
 
 The view of Mr. Eickhofif's premises, on another 
 page of this Alblm, shows what a fine propertj' the 
 one-time poor German emigrant has acquired by 
 his own unaided efforts. 
 
 lu-^ORACE T. RICHARDS, one of the most 
 IjijJ prosperous and enterprising men of Elm- 
 '^^ wood Precinct, Cass Co., Neb., was born in 
 
 (l^ Gofifstown, N. H., Oct. 5, 1848. He was a 
 member of a family of seven children — Emma C, 
 Mary A., George W., Ephraim W., Edwin F., 
 Charles A. and George W. Two are deceased, 
 Ephraim W. and Charles A. The earlj' life of our 
 subject was spent on the farm in New Hampshire. 
 In 1871 he migrated to Illinois, where he joined 
 his younger brother, Edwin F., who had preceded 
 him, and they determineil to try their luck together 
 in the then Far West. They each had a team, and 
 they started across the prairies of Illinois and Iowa 
 for Nebraska, crossing the Missouri River at Platts- 
 mouth, where they purchased 160 acres of land from 
 the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company. 
 The}' experienced very hard times at first, and this 
 purchase of land was let go by default. Time has 
 righted matters, however, and Mr. Richards is now 
 a large land-owner. For man}- years past he has 
 been a shipper of cattle and hogs. He also feeds a 
 large number of cattle on his own account. 
 
 In 1883 Mr. Richards filed a homestead and tim- 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 f 
 
 986 
 
 CASiS COUNTY. 
 
 ber claim in Antelope County, Neb. He has had a 
 long and varied experience in this State, endured 
 privations and hard work, but through it all he has 
 maintained his usual good cheer and has come out 
 unscathed. He was married, Feb. 1, 1882. to Miss 
 Edith M. Foote, daughter of James Foote, one of 
 Otoe County's earliest settlers, and who is now com- 
 fortably located on his large farm in Otoe Pre- 
 cinct, Otoe County. Mr. Richards has not only 
 strong and willing hands for work, but has also a 
 bright and active intelligence to direct his efforts 
 into the best channels, and in the course of his 
 business of farming and cattle dealing he has accu- 
 mulated a handsome propertj'. In addition to the 
 lands that he owns in Elm wood Precinct he has 160 
 acres in Stove Creek Precinct, in this county. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Richards have two children: Warren T. 
 and Mary E., bright and intelligent, partaking of 
 their father's energetic disposition and their 
 mother's sweetness of temper. Mr. Richards is 
 generous, and no application for aid for any cause 
 possessing merit is turned away unsatisfied. Mrs. 
 Richards is an active and consistent member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church at Wabash. 
 
 Our subject has a tine two-stor3' frame dwelling, 
 very conveniently arranged and nicely furnished, 
 with good orchard and groves. The lawn surround- 
 ing his home is well kept and presents a very pleas- 
 ing appearance. His home farm has a never-failing 
 and abundant supply of the purest water; he has 
 commodious barns for his cattle and hogs, and all 
 the latest improved machinery for making his busi- 
 ness a success. Taken as a whole the farm of our 
 subject presents a pleasing scene, and everything 
 connected therewith denotes a thrifty and prosper- 
 ous condition, the result of intelligently directed 
 labor, close application, and a thorough knowledge 
 of the business. The hardships and privations en- 
 dured by Mr. Richards upon first entering the State 
 certainly justify some recompense, and if the pres- 
 ent indications are realized the gentleman will cer- 
 tainl}' have no reason to complain. 
 
 For further and complete histor3' of the gentle- 
 man's parentage see biography of his brother, Ed- 
 win F. Richards, upon another page, and elsewhere 
 in this volume we give a view of his fine home and 
 its comfortable surroundings. 
 
 ^OHNP. McPHERSON. This old-time popu- 
 lar pilot of Missouri River fame has been 
 the hero of many a thrilling experience and 
 witnessed scenes which, were there time and 
 space to detail them, would comprise a much longer 
 biography than is proposed within the compass of 
 the present work. Naturallj' of an adventurous 
 and courageous disposition, he may be termed a 
 self-made man, one who has kept his e3'es open to 
 what was g(>ing on around him in the world, and 
 who from experience has gathered wisdom, possibly 
 of more value to him than that which he might have 
 acquired in college halls. He is now numbered 
 among the leading citizens of Greenwood Village. 
 
 Mr. McPherson was born in Canada, and when a 
 little child two years of age was taken by his 
 mother to Schenectady, N. Y. The mother not 
 long afterward was taken seriously ill with a fever, 
 and her physicians being of the opinion that she 
 would not recover, she was induced to relate a few 
 incidents connected with her histor}' which might 
 in time be of service to her onlj' child. 
 
 It was learned that the mother of Mr. McPherson 
 was the daughter of an English gentleman, and 
 from her apparel and other circumstances there was 
 little doubt that slie was the offspring of a wealthy 
 family, and had been accustomed to the surround- 
 ings of refined life. She was married to Capt. 
 Parmer McPherson of the English Navy, against the 
 wishes of her parents, and with whom she came to 
 Canada. She soon passed away, and our subject 
 was too young to have any recollection of her. A 
 scene which appears almost like a dream is thus re- 
 lated by Mr. McPherson in connection with his in- 
 fantile days. He remembers sitting in the lap of a 
 lady, presumablj' his mother. He looked out 
 through the window and saw an orchard and a 
 bridge, beneath which ran a river, upon which was 
 a boat containing a man. On the opposite side was 
 a little rude dwelling, and the man in the boat in 
 making efforts to land capsized the little craft. The 
 mother upon seeing this arose to ber feet undoubt- 
 edly much moved, and placing the child on the 
 floor the panorama to him thus ended. This view 
 stands out prominently before the ej'es of Mr. 
 McPherson, being about the only one in a space 
 of time which is mostlv a blank. But he still clings 
 
 •►■ 
 
 *^t 
 
 i 
 
Jf^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 987 
 
 ^ 
 
 to the lialf-foniied hope that it may some day serve 
 to unlock tlie iu3stery of his liiithplacc. 
 
 The orphan ehihl, after the death of his mother, 
 was legally adopted by a family of the same name, 
 who had afterwanl one daughter. Frances Grace, 
 who is now Mrs. Sanson, of East Orange, N. J., the 
 wife of a lawyer of New i'ork City. When our 
 subject was ten 3'ears old the McPhersons removeil 
 to Saratoga County, that State, settling in Galloway 
 Township, where Mr. McPherson, the elder, oper- 
 ated a hotel. Later, however, the family returned 
 to Schenectady, where Mrs. McPherson dieil first, 
 and Mr. McPherson a few j'ears later. John, who 
 had been taught to call them father and mother, 
 left the roof of his foster parents when a youth of 
 eighteen, in the fall of 1855. Joining one of his 
 young acquaintances in Bellevue, this State, they 
 wintered in a tent at St. Mary's, Iowa, and waited 
 there until the snow should disappear, so they could 
 locate in Nebraska. 
 
 Our subject, as soon as winter broke, repaired on 
 the 1st of April, 1856, to Omaha, and began run- 
 ning on a ferry boat, which was the initiation of a 
 long and successful career as a pilot on the Missouri 
 River. His first experience was as a common deck 
 hand, but liy faithful attention to his duties he 
 worked his way upward, and in a few months was 
 made master of the ferry boat "Nebraska, No. 1." 
 lie continued in the employ of the Nebraska Ferry 
 Company until the spring of 1858, when he made 
 his first trip down the river as a watchman on the 
 " VVatasa," plying between St. Joseph and Omaha. 
 He oper.ated as a pilot up and down the Missouri 
 for a number of years, and about 1865 built the 
 boat " P. F. Geise," designed to run on the Missouri 
 River, fitting it up with machinery at Wellsville, 
 Ohio. Later Mr. McPherson bought the transfer 
 boat "H. C. Nutt," the Qrst of its kind at Omaha, 
 to which he brought it from St. Louis. He operated 
 on various transfers, steamboats and ferry boats on 
 the Missouri thereafter until about 1888, making 
 his home in the meantime at Omaha, Plattsmouth 
 and Nebraska City, becoming the employe of the 
 Union Pacific Companj', running the old " Mata- 
 moras," which conveyed the first locomotive into 
 Nebraska at Omaha. He continued in the employ of 
 the Union Pacific about two years, and until the 
 
 railroad bridge across the Missouri was completed 
 at Omaha. Afterward he plied from Omaha to 
 Sioux City. 
 
 Becoming aware of the fact that the trai;sferand 
 steamboat business would eventually give place to 
 more expe<iitious methods of travel and transpor- 
 tation, Mr. McPherson turned his attention to a 
 totally different occupation, embarking in the 
 grocery business at Omaha. This venture, how- 
 ever, not proving successful, in fact, being attended 
 by severe loss, he returned to river life, and re- 
 sumed his occupation of pilot for the " Vice Presi- 
 dent," a transfer boat conveying merchandise and 
 cars from Omaha to Plattsmouth. Upon the com- 
 pletion of the railroad bridge at Plattsmouth they 
 took the " Vice President" to Nebraska City, and 
 Mr. McPherson continued pilot until March, 1888. 
 He then engaged in the lumber business with his 
 present partner, Mr. E. C. Coleman. 
 
 Mr. McPherson has piloted thousands of cars 
 across the Big Muddy, as many as 300 in one day. 
 In company with Capt. Butts he built the steam 
 ferr^- " Capilola Butts," and later sold out his in- 
 terest to the son of Mr. Butts. Both the -Vice 
 President "and •• Capitola Butts " are now (Novem- 
 ber, 1888) lying dormant at Nebraska City. Mr. 
 McPherson during his thirty-two years' experience 
 as a Missouri River pilot was uncommonly fortunate, 
 never having lost more than two boats, and strange 
 to say, without loss of life or limb. He, himself, 
 however, sustained quite serious injuries one day 
 on the •' Vice President," having both legs broken. 
 By skillful treatment, however, he recovered. 
 
 Upon the building of the '• Q " bridge at Ne- 
 braska City Mr. McPherson spent the greater part 
 of the winter of 1887-88 in looking up another 
 point at which he might carry on his business. 
 Greatly to his disappointment and regret, however, 
 he was forced to abandon his purpose, and the em- 
 ployment which notwithstanding its dangers and 
 responsibilities possessed for him a strange fascin- 
 ation. He has been enabled to save a snug sum of 
 money, and the prospect is that his venture in the 
 lumber business will be successful. He is a man 
 genial and companionable, and one who naturally 
 makes friends wherever he goes. 
 
 Our subject was first married at Omaha in 1861, 
 
 ^t*: 
 
 r^U 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 •► 
 
 988 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 to Miss Susanna Sliiill, and tliey became the parents 
 of one child, whom died at the age of six months. 
 The wife and mother died soon afterward, a few 
 weeiis prior to the accident which l)efell Mr. Mc- 
 Pherson. and by which his legs were broken, prov- 
 ing in his case the maxim •• tliat misfortunes never 
 come singly." He contracted a second matimonial 
 alliance in tlie fall of 1S80, with Miss Lottie, daugh- 
 ter of Jacob and Charlotte Leesley. This lady was 
 born in Canada. Her parents were natives of Eng- 
 land, and are now dead. Of this union there were 
 born three children, one son and two daughters, 
 Charles, Frances and Edna. The second wife of 
 McPherson died in March, 1887, at their home in 
 Nebraska City. Our subject now makes his home 
 with his children at Greenwood. 
 
 In the fall of 1858 Mr. McPherson, while watch- 
 man on the '• Watasa," received news of the dis- 
 covery of gold on Cherry Creek in Colorado. His 
 former chum, Will Preston, had a severe attack of 
 the gold fever and urged Mr. McPherson to accom- 
 pany him to that region. The latter very reluct- 
 antly consented, and they equipped themselves for 
 the journey, gathered together three yoke of cattle, 
 a wagon and a year's provisions, and started for the 
 Eldorado. There journeyed with them two others, 
 Ben. Bittis and Fred. Cruise. They crossed the 
 Platte River at Ft. Kearney, and journeyed west- 
 ward over the plains, reaching Cherry Creek the 
 last day of October, 1858. They rolled up snugly 
 in their blankets at night under a moonlit sky, clear 
 and cloudless, and awakened in the morning to find 
 themselves under a foot of snow, which bad fallen 
 during the night. The weather, however, in due 
 time enabled them to proceed with their oper- 
 ations, and they employed themselves in lumbering 
 and prospecting (in the meantime building them- 
 selves a log house) until February, 1859. Will 
 Preston .and our subject also put up a huge log 
 house for Messrs. Curtis & Cartwright on the 
 present site of the business part of Denver, for 
 which they received fourteen lots there. 
 
 It is hardly necessary to say that at that time 
 Denver gave little indication of its present impor- 
 tance. Our subject had his mind on the river 
 much more than on the gold mines. It was other- 
 y > wise with his companion, Will Preston. Mr. Mc- 
 
 Pherson desired to return to Omaha, but this scheme 
 did not meet with the approval of Will. Plach was 
 bent on persuading the other to accede to his par- 
 ticular wish. The arguments grew urgent, and 
 began to develop traces of anger on both sides 
 when Fred. Cruise stepped in and asked our subject 
 what he would take for his Denver property. 
 
 In the space of a few minutes Mr. McPherson had 
 sold out his interest in lots for Cruise's navy re- 
 volver, which subsequently served him well in ex- 
 pounding and maintaining the dignity of " unwrit- 
 ten law," as alone and on foot he made his way 
 back over the plains to Omaha. In this journey he 
 encountered various tribes of Indians, among whom 
 were the Arrapahoes, who for several weeks during 
 the winter had besieged and threatened the whites 
 on Cherry Creek. Arriving at Omaha our traveler 
 began his river experience, and during the j'ears 
 which followed became immensely popular among 
 the people of the three cities of Omaha, Plattsmouth 
 and Nebraska Cit3'. Few people along the western 
 line of Cass County are not familiar with the name 
 and fame of John P. McPherson. 
 
 WENDEL HEIL. The well-regulated farm of 
 our subject which he purchased in the spring 
 of 1869, occupies the southwest quarter of 
 section 22 and 160 acres in the northwest part of 
 section 27, in Eight Mile Grove Precinct, and with 
 its appurtenances comprises one of the most valuable 
 estates within its limits. For this land Mr. Heil 
 paid the consideration of $35 per acre, about half 
 of it being in an uncultivated condition. He at 
 once began its improvementand cultivation, and the 
 erection of the necessary buildings, the planting of 
 trees, the laying of fences, and the other miscel- 
 laneous labor necessary in the construction of the 
 comi)lete homestead. No one can deny that his 
 industry has met with its reward, for the farm is 
 now numbered among the best along the northern 
 line of the countj', and its owner as one of the rep- 
 resentative agriculturists and stock-raisers. To the 
 latter industry he has given his especial attention. 
 
 The birth of our subject occurred March 12, 
 1848, in the Province of Hesse-Darmstadt, Ger- 
 
>► i r^ 
 
 ■•»> 
 
 ■<• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 989 
 
 many, his parents being Adam anrl Magdalena Heil, 
 tlie latter of whom died about July 14, 1851. The 
 father came to America with his wife in 1831, and 
 is now a resident of Eight Mile Grove Precinct. 
 The parental household incUided five children. 
 Wendel was a little lad three years of age when his 
 parents emigrated to the United States and settled 
 in Tazewell County, 111. There our subject devel- 
 oped into manhood, becoming familiar with farm 
 j)ursuits, and resided there until coming to this 
 count}-. He received a linnited education in its 
 primitive schools, which were carried on in a man- 
 ner far different from those of the present day, but 
 Iiis native intelligence sufficed to provide him 
 with a good store of general information, and he 
 launched out upon the more serious business of life 
 with a fair idea of its requirements and the health 
 and strength which were the natural results of tem- 
 perance and correct habits. 
 
 To the mother of our subject there were born 
 twosonsonl}', Wendel and his Itrotlier William. The 
 latter is now living in Eight Mile Grove Precinct. 
 The father was subsequently married a second time, 
 and six children more were added to the parental 
 household, three of whom survive, namely : George, 
 Henry and Elizabeth. These are now residents of 
 Eight Mile Grove Precinct, and settled in comforta- 
 ble homes of their own. Adam Heil is now in the sev- 
 enty-fifth year of his age. He has been a man who 
 has done a large amount of hard labor, and is now 
 tlie owner of a good property, able in his declining 
 years to surround himself with all the comforts of 
 life. A man careful and conscientious in his daily 
 walk, he is a member in good standing of the Lu- 
 theran Church. His property embraces a fine farm 
 320 acres in extent, upon which he settled in 1870, 
 being among the le.iding German pioneers in his 
 neighborhood. 
 
 Wendel Heil, our subject, was united in marriage 
 with Miss Elizabeth Jleisinger at the home of tbe 
 bride in Cass County, Neb., March 26, 1873. 
 This lady was born in Tazewell County, Sept. 10, 
 1855, and is the daughter of Mich.ael and Cath- 
 erine Meisinger, the latter of whom died April 21, 
 1884. at their home in this county. Mr. M. came 
 to Nebraska with his family about 1869, and settled 
 among the pioneers of Eight Mile Grove Precinct. 
 
 He is still living and a resident of the city. To 
 tbe parents of Mrs. Heil there was born a familj' 
 of seven children, of whom five survive. Lena, the 
 eldest, is the wife of John Wallinger, and with her 
 brother Henry is a resident of Eight Mile Grove 
 Precinct; Anna married Charles Reifenstahl, of 
 Pekin, 111.; Emma, Mrs. George Weitman, lives in 
 Plattsmouth, this county; Mrs. Heil is the youngest 
 living of the children. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Heil there have been born eight 
 children, seven of whom are living, namely: John. 
 George, Henry, Carrie, Eddie, Ida, Philip and Will- 
 iam, the latter of whom died when eighteen months 
 old. Our subject, politically', is an uncompromising 
 Democrat, and with his estimable wife a member of 
 the Lutheran Church, attending services at Eight 
 Mile Grove, and taking an active interest in its 
 prosperity. Considering his nationality he could 
 not be otherwise than in favor of the estaljlishment 
 and maintenance of schools, and serves at present 
 as Moderator of the district. The family repre- 
 sents the substantial element of citizens along the 
 northern line of Cass Count}-. 
 
 ^^ EORGE L. BERGER. There came to Louis- 
 (1/ (-— , ville Precinct during its pioneer days the 
 '^Jj subject of this sketch, casting his lot among 
 the other adventurous spirits bent upon investi- 
 gating the resources of Nebraska Territory. He 
 was amply fitted for the task before him, being the 
 offspring of a hardy race, and possessing the ele- 
 ments of character most needed in subduing the 
 soil of a new section of country. Coming here in 
 his boyhood he completed his education in the 
 primitive schools, rounding up with two terms at 
 Plattsmouth, and then, with the spirit of adventure 
 strong within him, engaged first as a freighter 
 across the plains. This occupied his attention, 
 however, only a year, when he resumed the farm 
 pursuits to which he had been accustomed, operat- 
 ing first on rented land, and the year following 
 purchased that which he now owns and occupies. 
 
 A native of Mei-cer County, Pa., our subject was 
 born at the farm of his father near Greenville, 
 Sept. 4, 1849. The latter, Jacob T. Berger, was a 
 
 *► 11^ 
 
 •►^ll-^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 990 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •►■ 
 
 native of Gennanj', and married Miss Margaret 
 AValtenbugli, after coming to the United States. 
 The mother of our subject was born in Mercer 
 County, Pa., and departed this life at her home in 
 Louisville Precinct, in August, 1886. She had 
 survived her husband some years, Jacob Ber- 
 ger having died in 1872, at the age of sixty-eight. 
 They were the parents of three sons and two 
 daughters, and onlj' three of the family sur- 
 vive. The family came to Nebraska in 1857, and 
 settled one-half mile south of the farm now oc- 
 cupied by our subject. Here the latter was reared 
 to man's estate, and may properly be termed as one 
 having grown up with the country. 
 
 ]Mr. Berger labored many 3'ears in the opening 
 up of his farm, bringing the soil to a state of culti- 
 vation, and erecting the buildings needed for his 
 convenience and success. His residence, a sub- 
 stantial stone structure, was built in 1886, and be 
 has also a stone barn flanked by stables, a corn 
 house, and the other requisite buildings for his con- 
 venience. The farm with its appurtenances pre- 
 sents a picture of plenty and content, which is most 
 delightful to look upon. 
 
 When twenty-one years of age Mr. Berger took 
 to himself a wife and helpmate, being married, 
 Nov. 3, 1870, to Miss Floriiida Kilgore, who was 
 born in Indiana, and is the third child of six chil- 
 dren comprising the household of Jesse and Ann 
 (Smith) Kilgore. Her parents were natives of 
 Kentucky and Maryland; the father is now living in 
 Nebraska, but the mother is deceased. Our sub- 
 ject and his estimable wife took up their abode in 
 Louisville Precinct, of which they have since been 
 residents, and they are now the parents of seven 
 children, namely: Ella J., William H., Anna May, 
 Harry E., Flora J., Jesse T. and Bertha M. 
 
 Mr. Berger cast his first Presidential vote for 
 U. S. Grant, and since attaining his majority has 
 been an active supporter of Republican principles. 
 He has been an active member of his community, 
 serving as School Director for the last nine j'^ears, 
 and representing his precinct in the County Board 
 of Supervisors. Of late years he has given his at- 
 tention to the breeding of swine, which has been 
 the source of a snug sum of money. He commenced 
 for himself at first principles, without other re- 
 <> 
 
 sources than his own industr}' and perseverance, 
 his worldly goods a suit of clothes costing $6, and 
 thereafter employed himself by the month until he 
 could gather together sufficient capital to begin 
 operations for himself. 
 
 The paternal grandfather of our subject. Chris- 
 tian Berger by name, was a native-born German, 
 and emigrated to the United States late in life, 
 coming to the West and making his home with our 
 subject until his death. Jacob T., his son, and the 
 father of our subject, met his death, it is supposed, 
 by the hand of an assassin, in the fall of 1872, while 
 on a trip to the mountains, via the Bear River Val- 
 ley. He took with him upon leaving home be- 
 tween 14,000 and 15,000 for the purpose of estab- 
 lishing a cattle ranch in Colorado, and was accom- 
 panied by a young man. They were last seen 
 following a path leading up the valley in a remote 
 section among the mountains, and a few days later 
 the young man was seen with the pony, saddle and 
 outfit owned by Mr. Berger. Upon being ques- 
 tioned as to the whereabouts of the latter he replied 
 he had bought him out, and that was the last ever 
 heard. 
 
 The Berger family made the trip from Pennsyl- 
 vania to the AVest overland by wagon to Rochester, 
 which was a small town on the Ohio River, whence 
 they made their way by boat to St. Louis, and from 
 that point up the Missouri River to Plattsraouth. 
 The latter place was then a settlement of one frame 
 house, three log cabins and three or four tents. 
 
 -^ 
 
 THEODORE STARKJOHANN stands among 
 the foremost of the successful and enter- 
 prising farmers of Plattsmouth Precinct, 
 and his farm on section 4 has been developed by 
 his energetic and able management into one of the 
 finest estates in this locality. Our subject was born 
 in Hamburg, Germany, Aug. 10, 1852. His pa- 
 rents, Thies and Maggie (Tiram) Starkjohann, were 
 natives of Holstein, German3-.and were there reared 
 and married. In 1850 they removed to the city of 
 Hambuig, where the^' lived until 1866. In that 
 j'ear they came to America with their family of 
 four children, making the voy.age on the steamsliip 
 
 hip f 
 
.^1^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•^ 
 
 991 
 
 i 
 
 <• 
 
 '•Borussia," in ten daj-s. Tliey landed at New York 
 City and immediatelj" came to this State, and made 
 their home in Weeping Water, Cass Connty, until 
 the spring of 1869, when Mr. Starkjohann bonglit 
 160 acres of land, comprising the farm on which 
 our subject now lives. There was a small frame 
 house on the place, and about seventy acres of the 
 land had been plowed, and the father Immediately 
 set about its furtlier improvement, and by his well 
 directed toil greatly increasing the value of the 
 farm in the few years that were spared to him in 
 his new home in his adopted country-. He had not 
 reached old age, but fifty five years having passed 
 over his head, when, Feb. 17, 1872, he was called 
 to a better world, leaving his family to mourn the 
 loss of a good husband and kind father. The 
 mother of our subject, a most estimable lady, still 
 lives on the homestead, a welcome inmate of her 
 son's home. She has three children besides our 
 subject, namelj' : Mary (now Mrs. Philip Tritsch, 
 of this countj'), William and August. The latter 
 is dead. 
 
 Theodore Starkjohann w.as married in February, 
 1881, to Miss Mary, daugliter of Philip Horn, of 
 whom see sketch on another page. Two children 
 complete the pleasant household circle of our subject 
 and his wife: Lula, born March 10. 1883, and Henr3', 
 born Julj' 1, 1885. Mr. Starkjohann, with char- 
 acteristic energy has continued the improvements 
 begun bj' his father, until his farm is numbered 
 among the finest places in the township. He has 
 erected a splendidly built and commodious frame 
 house, a good barn, corn cribs and granary ; has 
 planted an orchard of about 150 fruit trees of choice 
 varieties, and has at least 1,000 forest trees. This 
 well fenced farm, with its neatly painted buildings, 
 beautiful trees, and well kept surroundings, is one 
 of the most attractive places in the vicinity — is, 
 indeed, a pleasant feature in the landscape, and is 
 indicative of the taste, thrift, and wise management 
 of the owner. 
 
 A perusal of this brief outline of the life of our 
 subject shows that he is a man of more than ordi- 
 nary foresight, shrewdness and capacity, and that 
 an indomitable will and incessant industry have 
 been prominent factors in the success that he has 
 achieved in his life work thus far, for, although he 
 
 is yet a j'oung man, his position among the leading 
 farmers of his neighborhood is assured. His per- 
 sonal integrity is of a high order, and ho is a de- 
 voted member of the Evangelical Lutheran church, 
 which embodies the religious belief of his ances- 
 tors, that has descended from father to son for many 
 generations. ' His political faith is that of the Dem- 
 ocratic party, of which he is a stanch supporter. 
 
 ETER W. MARCELLUS, one of the lead- 
 ing photographers of Cass County, is the 
 proprietor of the Weejiing Water Art Stu- 
 dio. He is a 3oung man of excellent busi- 
 ness principles, with a thorough knowledge of his 
 work, and displays much taste and ability in his 
 chosen calling. He is a native of New York City, 
 born Oct. 3, 1859, and remained there until he had 
 attained his majority. He was educated in the pub- 
 lic schools of that city, and after finishing his school 
 life he worked at various occupations during his 
 residence in the city of his nativity. Deciding to 
 establish himself in some Western city he came to 
 Nebraska, and engaged in farming in Brock, Ne- 
 maha County, remaining there three years. Hav- 
 ing no special taste for agriculture, Mr. Marcellus 
 turned his attention to photography, and in South- 
 ern Kansas learned the business he has since fol- 
 lowed. From Kansas our subject came to Nebraska, 
 and opened a gallery in Stella, where he met with 
 much success. Desiring a larger field for his opera- 
 tions, our subject next moved to Fairbury, where 
 he carried on the same business. In December, 
 1887, deeming Weeping Water an excellent place 
 for his branch of business, he established himself 
 here, his being the oldest establishment of the kind 
 in the place, and he is now doing a thriving busi- 
 ness. During his short sta)' here he has earned the 
 reputation of being a first-class artist, S'jnding out 
 none but work of the first quality, done after the 
 most approved methods of the times. 
 
 .John Marcellus, the father of our subject, was 
 born in New York May 25, 1807, and lived there 
 until his death. May 16, 1868. He was three times 
 married. Of his union with the mother of our sub- 
 ject, who was his second wife, there were born six 
 
 H^h 
 
"^^ 
 
 992 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 t= 
 
 children, four of whom are still living, namely: 
 Thomas J., of Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Martin L., of New 
 York Cit3'; Edward, of Lancaster, Wis., and Peter 
 W. Mrs. Marcellus, whose maiden name was Eliza 
 Waldron Byrne, died in December, 1863, aged 
 about forty years. Our subject was then four 
 j'cars of age, and some time after his father married 
 again, and his widow is still living in New York 
 City. Mr. Marcellus was a cabinet-maker by trade, 
 and lived an honest and honorable life, respected 
 and esteemed hj' all who knew him. He was a 
 member of the Methodist Episco[)al Church, and 
 faithfully lived up to his belief. The subject of 
 our sketch is also a communicant in the church to 
 which his father belonged, and in his daily walk 
 exemplifies its teachings. He is a strictly temperate 
 man in all his habits, and a Good Temjilar. 
 
 ^^EORGE HEIL. In the subject of this biog- 
 jll g-, raphy we find one of the most prominent 
 ^^j) and successful farmers of Eight Mile Grove 
 Precinct. His property is finely located on section 
 21, and embraces 160 acres of good land, which, 
 under careful cultivation, produces abundantly, and 
 is amply adapted to the purposes of general farm- 
 ing. Mr. Heil came to this region in the spring of 
 1870, accompanied by his parents, and has since 
 made his home within the limits of this count}', 
 identifying himself with its interests, morally, so- 
 cially and financially. He bears the reputation of 
 an honest man and a good citizen, one who has 
 contributed his quota to the development of the 
 general resources of Southern Nebraska. 
 
 A native of Illinois, our subject was born near 
 the town of Pekin, in Tazewell County, May 31, 
 1856. His parents were Adam and Mary (Lauten- 
 schlag) Ueil, who were natives of Germany, and are 
 now numbered among the well-to-do residents of 
 Eight Mile Grove Precinct. George was a lad of 
 fourteen years when they crossed the Mississippi, 
 and in the meantime had received the greater part 
 of his education in the district schools of his native 
 county. His boyhood and youth were sjient after 
 the manner of most farmers' sons, making himself 
 useful as he had oi)portunity, and becoming imbued 
 
 with those principles which form the foundation of 
 all manly character. He was nearly twenty-eight 
 years old at the time of his marriage, which oc- 
 curred in Eight Mile Grove Precinct, Feb. 28, 1884, 
 Miss Maggie Stoher being the bride-elect. Mrs. 
 Heil was born Feb. 5, 186.5, and is the daughter of 
 Christian and Lizzie vStoher. who were natives of 
 Germany, and are now living in this county not 
 far from the home of our subject. A sketch of 
 them will be found on another page in this volume. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Heil commenced their wedded life 
 at their present homestead, and here have been 
 born two children: Henry E., May 18, 1886, and 
 Mary L., March 1, 1887. Mr. and Mrs. H. were 
 reared in the doctrines of the Lutheran Church, of 
 which they are devout members, and our subject, 
 politically, gives his support to the Democratic 
 party. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stoher, the parents of Mrs. Heil, 
 upon leaving their native land and coming to the 
 United States settled in Tazewell County, III, where 
 the father carried on farming, and where they lived 
 until the spring of 18H2. They then came to Ne- 
 braska, settling in Eight Mile Grove Precinct, where 
 they still live and are prospering. They are the 
 parents of a large family of children, eight of whom 
 are living. George and Philip continue residents 
 of Tazewell County, 111., near Pekin; Conrad is 
 carrying on his own farm in Eight Mile Grove Pre- 
 cinct, this county; Alice. Katie, Louisa and Adam 
 continue under the home roof. 
 
 "fw) OHN PHILPOT, Jr., a pioneer farmer, rc- 
 I I siding on section 33, Mt. Pleasant Precinct, 
 I was born in Jo Daviess County, III., April 
 (^|i 19, 1851. He is a son of John and Sarah 
 Philpot. (See sketch of John Philpot, Sr., else- 
 where in this work.) Our subject attained man's 
 estate in his native county, and from his early bo3'- 
 hood has been inured to farm labor. He received 
 his education in the district schools of the day, 
 which he attended during the winter months, when 
 he could do nothing else. The summer was de- 
 voted to the various duties pertaining to farm life. 
 He possesses a studious and observing disposition, 
 
 » ► ■ <• 
 
yk^^i^-i^-t^^n^ j^ 
 
 o-ti 
 
^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 995 
 
 <^ 
 
 ^l 
 
 and has by the close study of events added largelj"^ 
 to his fund of practical knowledge. 
 
 Ill the summer of 1872 our subject carae to Ne- 
 braska, where he purchased the eighty acres of land 
 on which he now lives, and returned to Illinois. In 
 the autumn of 1873 he settled on his present farm, 
 where he has lived ever since. His land was wild 
 and uncultivated when he bought it, and when he 
 settled on it he devoted his energy to its cultiv.a- 
 tion and improvement. His efforts have been very 
 successful, and he has from time to time added to 
 his original purchase until he now owns 280 acres, 
 which he has brought to a high state of cultivation, 
 and rendered very valuable by his energy and in- 
 dustrj'. 
 
 After onr subject had visited Nebraska and pur- 
 chased his land he returned to Illinois, and was mar- 
 ried to Miss Mary Mosley, Feb. 20, 1873. This 
 lady is a native of England, was born Jan. 7. 1855, 
 and is the daughter of James and Ellen Mosley, 
 who came to America from England, and now re- 
 side in Mt. Pleasant Precinct. They first located in 
 Jo Daviess Count3-. HI., when this lady was a child 
 about three j'ears old. They resided there a num- 
 ber of J'ears, when thej' came to Cass County, Neb. 
 Her parents have a family of seven children, five 
 of whom are living, namely : Marj-, Sarah E. ; Hattie 
 L., the wife of J. E. Leyda, residing in Avoea Pre- 
 cinct; Annie L., the wife of Abram Cutter, resides 
 in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, and Ella 8. The two de- 
 ceased children were James and William. Both her 
 parents are members of the Christian Church; the}' 
 are in the prime of life, surrounded bj' their friends 
 and relatives, and are enjoying the fruits of a life 
 of usefulness and well-doing. 
 
 A family of five children have been horn to Mr. 
 Philpot and his wife, named as follows: James II. 
 was born Feb. 16, 1874; Sarah E., Aug. 11, 1876; 
 Laura E.. Sept. 13, 1878; Alice L., Nov. 11, 1880, 
 and an infant daughter, not yet named, June 17, 
 1888. In his efforts to secure a competency his 
 wife has proved an able counselor for many years. 
 No task was too hard for her to undertake, no 
 duty too unpleasant for her to perform, if she felt 
 that the interests of her husband and family would 
 be subserved. It is to this self-sacrificing spirit 
 manifested by her that their present competency 
 
 may be largely attributed. She is a consistent and 
 active member of the Christian Church, taking a 
 special interest in all matters connected therewith. 
 Our subject and his wife find time to share in any 
 and all plans having for their object the ultimate 
 good of the community in which they live, in a 
 social, educational or religious manner. 
 
 In politics ]\Ir. Philpot is a Republican, is serving 
 the second term as President of the Mt. Pleasant 
 Precinct Central Republican Committee, also a 
 second term as .School Director, and has served as 
 Judge of Elections in his precinct. In addition to 
 his general farming he is just entering into the busi- 
 ness of thoroughbred stock-raising, and in a few 
 3'ears from now will have made his mark in that 
 branch of the business. 
 
 "ji^^OAH CLEMMONS. Perhaps one of the 
 II I/I ™*5®'' distinguished traits in the character of 
 !l\Mi the subject of this biography, who is an ex- 
 member of the Wisconsin Legislature, is his un- 
 compromising advocacy of temperance, and his 
 decided prohibition principles. His peculiar ex- 
 perience in life, and the opportunities which he has 
 had to observe the evils of strong drink, have led 
 him to set his face in opposition to both the manu- 
 facture and the sale of liquor in any form. He has 
 for the last forty -two years devoted himself to the 
 temperance work, and given his aid in every way 
 possible to prohibition, first, last, and gll the time. 
 
 Our Subject traces his ancestry to Ireland, of 
 which his grandfather, Zachariah Clemnions, is 
 thought to have been a native. If he were born 
 there, however, he emigrated to .America in time 
 to do good service in the Revolutionary War, be- 
 ing in the army the whole seven years, and becom- 
 ing closely acquainted with Gen. Washington. 
 After the independence of the Colonies had been 
 •established, he migrated to Jackson County, Ohio, 
 during the period of its early settlement, and there 
 spent the remainder of his days, passing away at 
 the advanced age of one hundred and fifteen ye.ars. 
 A year prior to his decease lie was quite active on 
 his feet. 
 
 John Clemmons, the father of our subject, was 
 •^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 t 
 
 096 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 born in Tazewell County, Va., in 1771. where be 
 lived until reaching man's estate, then made his 
 way to Tennessee. During his sojourn there he 
 made the acquaintance of Andrew .Tackson, later 
 President of the United States, with whom he played 
 ball and engaged in other youthful sports. While 
 a resident of Tennessee he was married to Miss 
 Phoebe Travis, and later they removed to Jackson 
 County, Ohio, where Noah, the subject of this 
 sketch, was born Feb. 8, 1814. John Clemmons 
 was a resident of the Buckeye State thirty years 
 thereafter, and tlien in his old age came west of the 
 Mississippi, and died at the home of his son John, 
 in Cass County, Neb., March 20, 1855, when eighty- 
 seven 3'ears old. The mother had passed away 
 fifteen years before, about 1840, in Scioto County, 
 Ohio. 
 
 Our subject was reared in J.acksou and Scioto 
 Counties, of the Buckeye State, receiving a very 
 limited education, as there were then no schools 
 except those carried on by subscription. The father 
 was in limited circumstances, and the children, as 
 soon as old enough, were obliged to render assist- 
 ance in working the farm. Noah soon began to 
 "paddle his own canoe," working for the farmers 
 of his neighborhood, mornings, evenings and Sat- 
 urdays, for his board, and the balance of the time 
 attending school in the town of AYheelersburg, 
 where he learned bookkeeping and the other de- 
 tails of a business education. 
 
 March 28, 1842, when a man of twent3--eight 
 years, Mr.. Clemmons left his native State, and 
 making his way to the Territory of Wisconsin 
 worked four years in the lead mines of Grant 
 County, and at the expiration of this time was 
 given a situation as clerk in a store of general mer- 
 chandise in Piatt eville. Later, in the spring of 
 1853, in company with a friend he embarked in the 
 mercantile business, which he carried on for the 
 sjjace of five years. He had in the meantime dis- 
 tinguished himself as a public-spirited and intelli- 
 gent citizen, and was esteemed worthy by the people 
 of that county to represent them in the Wisconsin 
 Legislature, being elected in 1851 on the Independ- 
 ent ticket. He received all but five out of over 
 500 votes in the township where he lived, and 
 the solid vote of the township adjoining, being 
 
 elected by perhaps the largest majority ever given 
 a man in the State. He served his term acceptably, 
 and in 1855 removed to Madison, of which he was 
 a resident until July, 1869. 
 
 In the year above mentioned Mr. Clemmons, 
 crossing the Mississippi, came to Southern Nebraska 
 and purchased the farm of 200 acres on section 13, 
 in Rock Bluff Precinct, where he has since lived. 
 In this community-, as heretofore, he was recog- 
 nized as a valued addition to the ranks of its en- 
 terprising and able men, and has occupied various 
 positions of trust. While in Wisconsin he served 
 as Assessor, and has also held the same office two 
 years in Rock Bluff Precinct. 
 
 Liquor, during the pioneer days of Ohio, as in 
 other places, was freely dispensed both in the stores 
 and the harvest fields, and Mr. Clemmons at an 
 early period in his life was brought face to face 
 with the evils resulting therefrom. In several 
 stores where he was employed as clerk, lie, by per- 
 severing argument, induced the proprietors to 
 abandon the sale of liquor, and in Madison, Wis., 
 was instrumental in organizing a lodge of the Sons 
 of Temperance, its two first members being Albert 
 Maine and Daniel Johnson, inebriates whom Mr. 
 Clemmons induced to sign the pledge with him. 
 From this trio started the lodge which afterward 
 became one of the important factors of the work 
 in that section, they in the course of six weeks 
 having secured about sixty members. Mr. ]\Iaine 
 was a man of means, and prominent in his commu- 
 nity, and happily listened to the arguments of Mr. 
 Clemmons against the use of liquor in time to save 
 himself from ruin. He finally became one of the 
 most earnest workers in the temperance cause. Mr. 
 Maine served as Sheriff of Dane County, Wis., 
 several years, and was succeeded to the office by 
 his son. The father passed away some time ago. 
 and the son is now one of the prominent men of 
 Madison. 
 
 At one period of his early life Mr. Clemmons was 
 a bartender on the steamboat "•Brownville," plying 
 the Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee and Cumberland 
 Rivers. During this time wh.at he saw around him 
 completed his disgust for whiskj-. and strengthened 
 him in his resolve to fight it to the bitter end. He 
 saw around him men of fine talents being ruined 
 
 ■^^ 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ipip* 
 
 •► 
 
 
 b}' its use, happy homes made desolate, and the 
 standard sometimes of an entire community laid in 
 the dust. That lie has been enabled to contribute 
 toward the demolition of this monster should be a 
 source of deep satisfaction, and confer upon him 
 the consciousness that he has not lived iQ vain. 
 Of this prominent and popular citizen a fine por- 
 trait appears on an adjoining page. 
 
 ■SI I^ILLI AM T. COLE, of Plattsmouth Precinct. 
 \/iJ// '" common with most of the men around 
 W^ him, built up the homestead vviiich he now 
 owns and occupies nearly from first principles, it 
 being but slightly improved when he took posses- 
 sion of it in 1875. In addition tocarryingon agri- 
 culture, he has put up a good house, barn, stable, 
 corn-cribs, and tlie other structures necessar}' for 
 his convenience, besides fencing his fields and plant- 
 ing fruit and shade trees. His farm ranks in value 
 among the best in his localit3'. He has a fairassort- 
 meut of live stock, and is each year adding some- 
 thing to the beaut}' and value of his properly. 
 
 Our subject was born in Shelby County, Ohio, 
 Nov. 18, 1838, and is the son of DeMitt and Eliza- 
 beth (McV^y) Cole, who were also natives of the 
 Buckej-e State, and born respectivel}' in Pickaway 
 and Shelby Counties. Their mother died in her 
 native county in 1842, when her son AVilliam T., 
 was a little lad of four j-ears. The father subse- 
 quently removed, about 1844, to Pickaway Count}', 
 where he lived a period of twenty }ears, then set 
 his face toward the farther West, coming to Ne- 
 braska Territory in the year 1864. He located on 
 land eight miles south of the present city of Platts- 
 mouth, and there followed agriculture until his 
 death, which occurred in December, 1883, after 
 arriving at the ripe old age of seventy-eight years. 
 
 William T. Cole upon the outbreak of the Civil 
 War was a resident of Ohio, and enlisted as a Union 
 soldier in Company B, 88th Ohio Infantry, serving 
 a period of thirty-three months, and being in the 
 meantime promoted to Corporal. Although only 
 a member of the State Militia, he was sent outside 
 with his regiment several times, and his squad cap- 
 tured John Morgan, while making his raid through 
 
 ♦ 
 
 Southern Ohio. At the expiration of his terra of 
 enlistment, Mr. Cole received his honorable dis- 
 charge, anrl returning to Pickaway County, Ohio, 
 eng.aged there in farming until the year 1867. Then 
 joining las father in the new State of Nebraska, he 
 located on the farm of the latter, which occupied a 
 part of section 25. Rock Bluff Precinct. He was a 
 resident there five 3'ears, then removing to town, 
 was engaged in the sale of sewing machines two 
 years. At the expiration of this time he purchased 
 the land which he now owns, and began in earnest 
 its development and improvement. 
 
 Our subject was married in Pickaway County, 
 Ohio, Dec. 7, 1865, to Miss Harriot A., daughter 
 of William and Susan (Hoffhine) Peters. Mrs. 
 Cole was horn in Pickaway County, Ohio, Oct. 6, 
 1844. and lived there with her parents until her 
 marriage. The family of the latter consisted of six 
 children. The parents were natives of Ohio and 
 Maryland. The father was a Universalist in re- 
 ligious belief, and is now deceased. The mother is 
 still living, and belongs to the Lutheran Church. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Cole there were born four chil- 
 dren, the eldest of whom a daughter Ella, is now 
 the wife of William T. Adams, a sketch of whom 
 appears elsewhere in this volume; Elmer E., Verna 
 E. and Lily are at home with their i)arents. In 
 politics Mr. Colo is a Democrat. 
 
 ^ .#3^ ^ 
 
 h-^ AYNARD SPINK is County Superintend- 
 ent of Public Instruction, and serving his 
 second term, which is ample indication of 
 the estimation in which he is held by the 
 people interested in educational matters. He has 
 had a thorough experience in connection with his 
 calling, and has always been warmly interested in 
 the most important matter of training the young, 
 making it a life study to adopt that system which 
 shall effect the best results. He came to Nebraska 
 first in April of 1880, taking up his residence in 
 Elmwood Precinct. Later he purchased land, and 
 in connection with the cultivation of this also pur- 
 sued his calling as a teacher. His land, however, 
 was located in South Bend Precinct, and comprised 
 160 acres in an uncultivated condition. He moved 
 
 .^1^ 
 
•►Hi^ 
 
 998 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 upon it in the spring of 1881, and commenced in 
 earnest the battle with the primitive soil, fencing 
 the land, putting out an orchard and forest trees, 
 and erecting the necessary buildings. Upon this 
 he lived until the spring of 1886, engaged mostly 
 in teaching, wliile at the same time superintending 
 the operations of his farm. He has always taken 
 an active interest in the educational affairs of the 
 county and State, and in the fall of 1 885 was 
 elected to his present position. The spring follow- 
 ing he removed from the farm to Weeping Water, 
 where he has since resided. At the expiration of 
 the first term of his office he was re-elected by a 
 very gi-eatly increased majority, and the people 
 have indicated in many other directions the esteem 
 and confidence in which they hold him, not only 
 as an instructor and official, but as a man and citi- 
 zen. Politically, he affiliates with the Republican 
 party. 
 
 Our subject was born in Wayne, Wayne Co., 
 Mich., Dec. 27, 1856, and completed his education 
 in the schools of Belleville, th.at State. His experi- 
 ence as a teacher commenced when he was a youth 
 of seventeen years, and he has been continuously 
 engaged in the duties pertaining to his calling 
 until the present. In his native State he was first 
 elected, in 1879, Superintendent of the schools of 
 Sumpter Townshi)), Wayne County, and served in 
 that capacity until coming to Nebraska. He was 
 married in Cass County, Neb., Sept. 28, 1881, to 
 Miss Kate Magee, who was born in Peoria County, 
 111., Jan. 5, 1860. Mrs. Spink came to this county 
 with her parents when a j'oung girl of fifteen 
 j-ears, they settling in South Bend Precinct, where 
 she lived until her marriage. She is the daughter 
 of George and Pllizabeth Magee, who were natives 
 of Ohio and Kentucky, and the father for many 
 years carried on farming in Peoria County, 111. He 
 is living in Aston, Saunders Co., Neb. To Mr. 
 and Mrs. Spink there has been born one child only, 
 a daughter, Lefie Claire, born July 19, 1886. 
 
 Solomon Spink, the father of our subject, was 
 born near Whitehall, Vt., and left New England 
 with his parents when a small boj', they settling 
 in Western New York. He was there reared to 
 man's estate, and married Miss Jane C. Heath. In 
 due time they became the parents of four children, 
 
 three sons and one daughter, and all are now liv- 
 ing, and residents of Nebraska, Colorado and Michi- 
 gan. After their marriage the parents emigrated 
 to Wayne County, Mich., where the father followed 
 his trade of carpenter until after the outbreak of 
 the Rebellion. He watched the conflict until 1863, 
 and then, unable further to restrain his patriotic im- 
 pulses, left his little family and enlisted in a Michi- 
 gan regiment. He returned to them again, dying 
 at his home in Michigan. His widow is still living, 
 making her home with her children in Eastern 
 Colorado. She was born at Olean, Cattaraugus 
 Co., N. Y., in 1831, and both parents were mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Cliurch. 
 
 
 
 ^JT-rt 
 
 DAM KRAEGER. Tiie pioneer element of 
 Cass County numbers the subject of this 
 * sketch as one of its most enterprising and 
 succesful men. He came to Eight Mile 
 Grove Precinct in the spring of 1871, and pur- 
 chased 1 60 acres of uncultivated prairie land, for 
 which he paid the munificent sum of $1.50 per 
 acre. He was without means for its development, 
 and for two years thereafter emploj'ed himself as 
 a farm laborer by the month to secure that by 
 which he could proceed with the cultivation of his 
 property. Upon it not a furrow had been turned, 
 neither was there a building nor a fence. He thus 
 began from the first principles in the construction 
 of a homestead, and looking ujwn his possessions 
 to-day — a finely improved estate of 320 acres — we 
 must acknowledge that the industry and persever- 
 ance with which he has labored are worthy of more 
 than a passing mention. 
 
 One of the finest representatives of the substan- 
 tial German element of this county, our subject 
 was born May 5, 1840. His parents, John and Eve 
 Kraeger, were natives of the same locality as their 
 son, and there the father died. Tlie mother later, 
 in company with her two sons, Adam and John, 
 emigrated to America, taking passage on a sailing- 
 vessel at the port of Bremen, and after an ocean voy- 
 age of about one month landed at New York Cit}'. 
 Tliey had embarked about the 1st of December, 
 1865. and first set foot upon American soil in Jan 
 
 ••-11^ 
 
••► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 uary foUowLng. They made their way at once to 
 Tazewell County, 111., where the sons provided 
 comfortably for their mother until her death, which 
 occurred about 1871. The brother John thereafter 
 took up his residence in Illinois. He is now living 
 in Eight Mile Grove. 
 
 Mr. Kraeger after coming to this country- turned 
 his attention to agricultural pursuits, and believing 
 that it was not good for man to be alone, he was 
 married, Feb. 15, 1881, to Miss Louisa Wagner. 
 This lady is a native of the same Province as her 
 husband in German}', and was born Jan. 12, 1857. 
 Her parents were William and Wilhelmina Wag- 
 ner, also natives of the Fatherland, and the former 
 of whom died in his native Germany about 1868. 
 The mother in 1875 came with her two daughters 
 to America, making the passage in eleven days on 
 a steamer, and like the future husband of Miss 
 Louisa, coming directly to this county. It was not 
 long thereafter until the young people met and de- 
 cided to unite their fortunes for life. 
 
 To our subject and his excellent wife there have 
 been born Ave children, namely: Caroline, Feb. 
 25, 1882; DoUie, Jan. 25, 1884; Wilhelmin.a, July 
 21, 1885, and John, April 8, 1886. Mr. Kraeger. 
 politically, affiliates with the Democratic part}', 
 and has distinguished himself as a peaceable and 
 law-abiding citizen, attending strictly to his own 
 concerns, but always willing to aid and encourage 
 the projects calculated for the general welfare of 
 the communitj'. 
 
 •»J!^>«.5>J;^ 
 
 <*?*tf-»<tfitf— 
 
 ^HILIP C, ENGELL. a prominent pioneer 
 of Cass County, is now a prominent mem- 
 ber of its farming community. He owns 
 and manages a large farm comprising one- 
 half of section 14, Liberty Precinct, and here he 
 and his family have a very pleasant home. He is 
 a native of New York. Schoharie County his 
 birthplace, and Sept. 25, 1831, was the date of his 
 birth. His parents, Peter and Catherine (Crounze) 
 Engell, natives of the State of New York, were 
 early settlers of St. Joseph County, Mich., going 
 there when our subject was an infant, and settling 
 in the woods when the surrounding country was 
 
 in its primitive wildness, inhabited by the In- 
 dians, as is indicated by the date of their arrival 
 there early in 1832. There liy hard labor they 
 reared a comfortable home, and bore an honorable 
 part in the development of the county, and there the 
 father rounded out and completed a useful life, dy- 
 ing in the sixties on his homestead in White Pigeon 
 Township, he then being past middle age. His 
 wife is yet living there with her youngest son, 
 Henry, by her second husband, Lorenzo Jones, and 
 she is now seventy -nine years old. She is a de- 
 voted member of the Methodist Church, as was 
 her husband, and she shared with him the respect 
 of the entire community. 
 
 Their son of whom we write grew to man's 
 estate amid the pioneer scenes of his parental home, 
 remaining an inmate of the household until he was 
 twenty-five years old, never until that time, since 
 his entrance into the county when an infant, going 
 bej'ond its boundaries, his first journey into the 
 great world at that time being to Pike's Peak and 
 Denver City. This was during the great excite- 
 ment caused by the discovery of gold in 1859. 
 Our subject prospected for some six weeks with 
 others who went with him, but they found that the 
 precious metal was not to be picked up on the sur- 
 face as many seemed to think when they started 
 for that region, and that, in fact, its hidden sources 
 were undiscoverable, so our subject and his com- 
 panions retraced their way across the great plains 
 that they had traversed so recently with such ex- 
 ultant feelings and strong hopes of securing a fort- 
 une. Mr. Engle determined not to return to his 
 old home only to confess the failure of his schemes, 
 but decided instead to locate somewhere on the 
 rich farming lands of the Missouri River basin, and 
 in a surer, if slower way, build up the fortune that 
 he had vainly sought in the Rocky IMountains. He 
 soon decided on Cass County as the most desirable 
 place for location, as he was favorably impressed 
 with its many advantages of climate, fertility of 
 soil, etc. With characteristic energy he went to 
 work at breaking land for other settlers in order to 
 pay for land of his own, and in that way secured a 
 part of his present farm, and doubtless broke a 
 section or more of land. In the spring of 1862 he 
 completed the purchase of his land, which was 
 
 >► ■ <•• 
 
 •►:il-^ 
 
f 
 
 •►Hl-^^ 
 
 1000 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^t^4^ 
 
 then in a primitive state. It now forms one of the 
 finest and best improved farms in this part of the 
 county, and witli its neat and comfortable build- 
 ings, of a modern style of architecture, attracts the 
 eye of the stranger, who singles it out as one of the 
 most desirable places for a liome to be seen in the 
 precinct. At one time in the earlv years of his 
 settlement here Mr. Engell was actively and profit, 
 ably engaged in freighting across the plains to 
 Denver and even beyond. While thus engaged he 
 hunted some, and has killed as many as fourteen 
 buffaloes, besides a large number of antelopes. 
 
 When our subject first located here he was a 
 single man, and for a few years kept bachelor's hall^ 
 but April 16, 1863, he became a benedict, as on 
 that daj' his marriage was solemnized in Libert}- 
 with Miss Luticia Brinson, a native of Madison 
 County, Ind. She was born Oct. 12, 1843, to David 
 and Margaret (Saylor) Brinson, natives of Indiana. 
 The}' were there reared and married, and after the 
 birth of two children, Lydia A. and Mrs. Engell, 
 they moved westward in 1844, and lived in Mis- 
 souri five years. Later they removed to Madison 
 County, Iowa, and there the mother died in 1851, 
 leaving six small children. Two years after her 
 death Mr. Brinson married Sarah Evans, and in 
 1854 the family moved to Nebraska City, when that 
 place was in its infancy. Mr. Brinson took up a 
 claim and lived on it two years, and then sold it 
 and purchased another in Liberty. He lived here 
 for some years with his family, and finallj' went to 
 Broken Bow, Custer County, this State, with his 
 family, and still resides there, he at the age of 
 seventy years, and his wife at the age of sixty- 
 five years. Mrs. Engell remained an inmate of the 
 parental household until she was married. She is 
 the mother of seven children, of whom three are 
 dead — an infant, Anna E. and Emer}'. Those liv- 
 ing are all at home, and their names are Frederic 
 E., Charles E., Theresa A. and .John B. 
 
 Mr. Engell has seen much of pioneer life, having 
 been reared in a pioneer home in a newly settled 
 country, and then, in the vigor of early manhood, 
 becoming in turn an important factor in the de- 
 velopment of a frontier Territory. He was well 
 endowed with a courageous, self-sacrificing spirit, 
 powers of endurance, energj- and capacity, neces- 
 
 sary to encounter the difficulties that lay before 
 him in the wild, undeveloped West when he first 
 cast in his lot with the earlj' settlers of this region. 
 The probity of his character and his unblemished 
 life record cause him to be greatly respected by all 
 in this community, of which he has been a member 
 for so many years. He and his estimable wife are 
 active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and Mr. Engell is Trustee and Steward of that 
 church. In politics he is a solid Republican. 
 
 —J- 
 
 #-# 
 
 -^■ 
 
 ^?=^P:0RGE F. SHRYDER. Sr., retired farmer, 
 (|[ g— , is a genuine pioneer of Cass County, iiaving 
 ^^1 been here since 1856, arriving on the day 
 that James Buchanan was elected President of tlie 
 United States. He first located in Three Grove, 
 twelve miles east of Weeping Water, wliere he 
 bought a claim for $1,600, and settled on it before 
 there were any improvements, excepting that there 
 was a small house on it. When Mr. Shryder 
 came to this county there were only two houses in 
 Plattsmouth, and none between there and Three 
 Grove, which received its cognomen from tlie fact 
 that there were three houses there, thiee settlers in 
 a grove. In 1857 there was quite an Indian scare 
 in that region, and all in the vicinity- of Tliree Grove 
 were out scouting, and camped one night on the 
 site of the present city of Weeping Water. They 
 captured one Indian and a pony ; the former was 
 tied and a guard placed over him, but he escaped 
 in spite of their precaution. Some of the people 
 who took part in that affair are still living .lere. 
 The alarm was all caused l>y the shooting of an 
 Indian on Salt Creek near Lincoln. Nothing more 
 was heard of the Indians for some time after that. 
 Indian scares were often aroused bj' maliciously 
 disposed people, who would don red blankets and 
 show themselves to the settlers for the purpose of 
 frightening them. 
 
 Our subject was born Sept. 10, 1822, in Cayuga 
 County, N. Y., where he was reared and educated. 
 His father, Ernest C. Shryder, was born in Hamburg, 
 Germany, and when six years of age emigrated 
 with his mother to New York. In that State he 
 grew to manhood and was married, S;>rah Cooper 
 
 *f 
 
-•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1001 
 
 becoming his wife. She bore him Ave chikheii, 
 three girls and two boys, all of whom grew to ma- 
 turity, and three are still living, our subject being 
 the youngest. Mr. and Mrs. Shryder spent their last 
 years in Nebr.aska. Both were members of the 
 United Presbyterian Church, and lived consistent 
 Christian lives. 
 
 George F. Shryder, of tiiis sketch, remained in his 
 native town until the age of sixteen, when he re- 
 moved with his parents to Illinois, settling in Peoria 
 County. He worked at various occupations, and 
 continued a resident of the Prairie .State until tak- 
 ing up his abode here, as previously mentioned. 
 The claim which he bought consisted of 220 acres 
 of land in its primitive wildness, and from this, by 
 dint of hard labor, ambitious energy and jiractical 
 judgment, he has eliminated a fine, productive farm. 
 During tlie twenty-eight years that he resided on it 
 he fenced it, set out an orchard, small fruits and 
 vines, and from it gained a good subsistence, and 
 amassed a handsome competency by raising stock 
 ami grain, aiid expending the proceeds judiciousl\'. 
 In 1884 Mr. Shryder sold his farm for the modest 
 sum of $8,000, and moved into town, where he 
 lived fourteen months. He then bought 1 60 acres 
 of land on section 36, Centre Precinct, where he 
 has since lived. He also owns a good house on the 
 edge of the city of Weeping Water, where he now 
 resifles. 
 
 The union of our subject with Miss Margaret A. 
 Parr was solemnized .Ian. 4, 1852, in Illinois. Her 
 parents, Joseph and Margaret (Bloomer) Parr, were 
 natives of Ireland, and lived there several years 
 after their marriage, finally' coming to America, and 
 settling in Peoria County, III., where he pursued his 
 occupation of farming. Of their union six children 
 were born, three during their residence in Ireland, 
 and three after they came to Illinois. Of these 
 five grew to maturity, of whom the following is the 
 record: Nancy, born Feb. 10, 1828; Margaret, Oct. 
 1, 1833; Thomas, April 12, 1839; James, born Jure 
 6, 1841, died Feb. 4, 1887; Sarah M., born Dec. 19, 
 1844. Mr. Parr remained in Illinois until his death, 
 which occurred Nov. 15, 1852, in the fifty-third 
 year of his age. His wife survived him and mar- 
 ried again, living until Feb. 11, 1881, when she too 
 quietly passed on to the silent world beyond. 
 
 Of the union of our subject and his wife six chil- 
 dren have been born, three of whom died in early 
 childhood, namely: James, John and Theodore. 
 Of the three now living the following is recorded: 
 Sarah Margaret married L. A. Young, and they 
 have two children (see sketch of L. A. Young); Ida 
 May married Robert Y'oung, and they have three 
 children; George L. Shryder married Miss Hattie 
 J. Pitman, a native of Nebraska, born in Nebraska 
 City, Sept. 30, 1866. Her father, Wesley Pitman, 
 is a native of Indiana, and removed with his fam- 
 ily to Liberty Precinct in the earl}' days of its set- 
 tlement. 
 
 Our subject takes a dee)) interest in the welfare 
 of his town, and is at all times ready and willing to 
 aid all practical schemes for its moral, social or 
 intellectual improvement, and though not a poli- 
 tician, he has held various town offices, alw'ays per- 
 forming the duties devolving u[)on him with care 
 and fidelity. He is a stanch Republican, voted for 
 William H. Harrison, and also for Benjamin Harri- 
 son. Both he and his estimable wife are valued 
 members of the Presbyterian Church, and are sin- 
 cere and conscientious Christians. 
 
 RANK STANDER. The Great West is per- 
 
 Pmeated with the thrifty German element 
 which has found its way into every channel 
 of trade and business, and comprises a large propor- 
 tion of the bone and sinew and the wealth of the 
 United States. The sons of the Fatherland were 
 not slow to avail themselves of the inducements 
 held out for settlement bej'ond the Mississippi, and 
 among them in the earlier days came the subject of 
 this sketch, who is now one of the most prominent 
 farmers of Louisville Precinct, and President of 
 the Louisville Bank. This institution was pur- 
 chased by himself and his son James in 1884, hav- 
 ing been established the year previously by J. J. 
 Manker and his brothers. James Slander operated 
 as cashier, and the bank is conducted upon those 
 principles which are calculated to insure its per- 
 petuation and success. 
 
 Our subject was born in the small village of Val- 
 karota, in Prussia, on the 26th of May, 1835, and is 
 
 *► II < •• 
 
 ♦-Ih 
 
•►Hl-^*- 
 
 -•► 
 
 100-2 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 the son of George and Maij- (IJaitnian) Stander, 
 nalivrs of the same section of countiy. Their fam- 
 ily comprised four sons and four daughters, all of 
 whom are living, and of whom Frank was the sixth 
 in order of birlh. In accordance with the laws and 
 customs of his native country he was placed in 
 school wlien a little lad six years of age, and gave 
 close attention to his studies until fourteen years 
 old. He then served an apprenticeship of three 
 years at the trade of shoemaker, and thereafter was 
 engaged as a journeyman until a youth of nineteen, 
 when he set sail for America. 
 
 From tlie city of New York young Stander made 
 his way to Milwaukee, Wis., where he was employed 
 two years at his trade and other pursuits. Later 
 we find him working on a farm for about live years, 
 and in the fall of 1868 he turned his steps toward 
 the fartliier West. C(iming to this county he stopped 
 for a brief time at Plattsmouth,and later visited the 
 land-office in Nebraska City, where he entered 120 
 acres on section 36, Louisville Precinct. From this he 
 opened up a good farm, occupying it eight years, 
 then selling out, purchased 160 acres on section 34. 
 To this he added from time to time until he is now 
 the owner of 480 acres in one body. He has car- 
 ried on mixed farming successfully, making a spe- 
 cially of grain and stock raising, breeding horses, 
 cattle and swine, his favorite equines being the 
 Norman and Clydesdale stock. 
 
 lu 1882 Mr. Stander erected a large store build- 
 ing in Louisville, wherein he put a good stock of gen- 
 eral merchandise, and three years later the bank was 
 established in the same place. In addition to the 
 property already mentioned, Mr. Stander has two 
 sections of land in Keith County, which is mostly 
 under a state of cultivation. He has been a man 
 prominent in his community, serving as a member 
 of the School Board for the last fifteen years, offi- 
 ciating as Assessor six years, and occupying the 
 various other local offices. He votes the straight 
 Democratic ticket, and in religious matters is a de- 
 vout member of the Catholic Church. For a man 
 who crossed the Missouri River without capital, 
 borrowing $1.50 to get across, it must be admitted 
 that his industr}- and perseverance have been am- 
 ply rewarded. 
 
 Our subject was married, in the spring of 1859, 
 
 to Miss Kliza, daughter of Jacob and Fillapena Ke- 
 gula, who was a native of Wisconsin. They began 
 their wedded life together at the farm in Louisville 
 Precinct, and in due time the household circle was 
 completed by the birth of twelve children, nine 
 sous and three (laughters. The eldest, James, has 
 already been mentioned ; George is occupied at 
 farming on his own account; Helen, the eldest 
 daughter, and her brother Peter, are the assistants 
 of their father in the store and bank; Henry, Will- 
 iam, Lizzie, Louie, Leslie, Arthur, Olivie and Ralph 
 are at home with their parents. 
 
 IRAiM G. HAWLEY is one of the kind of 
 l! men to whom the thriving State of Nebraska 
 is deeply indebted for the present proud 
 position she holds in the galaxy of the 
 States of the nation. It is by the skill, knowledge 
 and energy he exerted that he has made his home 
 farm, which is located on section 31 in Mt. Pleas- 
 ant Precinct, to blossom as the rose, and to bring 
 forth abundant fruits. 
 
 This gentleman is a native of Ohio, having been 
 born in Lorain County, Aug. 8, 1834. There he 
 resided and attained to years of manhood, becom- 
 ing, from the earliest days of his life, accustomed to 
 the trials and cares incident to a life in a new coun- 
 try, as at that time his native county was in a com- 
 paratively wild and sparsely settled condition. 
 During his youth he received a fair common-school 
 education, and since that time he has lost no oppor- 
 tunity for adding in a practical way to his store of 
 knowledge. In the autumn of 1865 Mr. Hawley 
 went to Scott County, Iowa, and remained there 
 about a year. From there he went to Cedar County, 
 same State, where he lived for thirteen years. In 
 the spring of 1869, having heard so much about 
 the advantages held out by Nebraska, and the 
 opportunity that it offered for securing a home and 
 a competence, he decided to test the truth of the 
 reports for himself. Accordingly, in the spring of 
 1869 he migrated to this State, and at once set- 
 tled upcm his present farm of eighty acres, which 
 he purchased for $460. The land was void of all 
 
 »► n^ 
 
 »^h 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 
 ♦ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1003 
 
 improvement, and the present high state of its 
 cultivation is due in every respect to the applica- 
 tion and perseverance of the owner. 
 
 The subject of our sketch vvas married in Lorain 
 County, Ohio, Aug. 15. 1855, to Emily B. Bunker. 
 She is a daugliter of James and Julia Bunker, 
 both of whom are dead. Nine children have l)een 
 horn to the couple, six of whom survive: Archie 
 L. resides in Chase County, Neh. ; Dwight H. in 
 Che3-enue Connty ; Frederick in Chase County ; Ada 
 is a teacher in the district school, and Harry and 
 Frank are at home with their parents. 
 
 Mr. llawley is a son of I'riah and F.lizabelii 
 llawley, both natives of New Kngland. The father 
 was supposed to have settled in Lorain County, 
 Ohio, as early as 1824 or 1825. His paternal an- 
 cestors are believed to have been of English 
 descent, but no record in existence will verify the 
 belief. A family of seven children was born to 
 his parents, of which number the following survive: 
 Elizabeth, now the widow of Josiah Jenney, resides 
 in Ottumwa, Iowa; Newton J. resides in Missouri; 
 Sarah is the wife of Henry Boswith, and resides in 
 Henry County, Iowa; and Hiram G., our subject. 
 Maria was the wife of Quincy Boswith, and is now 
 deceased. 
 
 For a few months after settling on his new land 
 Hiram G. Hawlej' lived in a shanty until he could 
 build a home sufficiently comfortable for his family. 
 He began his work with a will and determination 
 to have a home second to none in the county, and 
 it needs but a glance to be convinced of what suc- 
 cess he has had in his undertaking. In the course 
 of his life in Nebraska he escaped many of the hard- 
 ships which came to his fellovv settlers, yet he 
 saw sufficient trouble, and endured self-denials to 
 an extent that has taught him what a pioneer in 
 Nebraska should expect. When he settled here 
 Weeping Water contained only a few buildings, 
 one a blacksmith-shop, and one building used 
 jointly for religious and educational pur[)oses, and 
 from this wild and desolate condition he has seen 
 the entire country develop into its present perfected 
 state. 
 
 Our subject has bj' a life of rectitude and honor 
 gained the entire confidence and good-will of the 
 entire neighborhood, and has been called by the 
 
 people of his precinct to fill a position of credit and 
 trust. For three j'ears he has been the Assessor of 
 Mt. Pleasant Precinct, and in 1888 he was re-elected 
 his own successor. His political affiliations are 
 with the Republican part^', in the success of which 
 he takes an active and lively interest. His wife and 
 daughter are members of the Congregational 
 Church. The entire familj' hold a prominent po- 
 sition in the society of the precinct. 
 
 vi^DWIN F. RICHARDS, a prosperous young 
 fe) farmer, a resident of Elm wood Precinct, was 
 It — if ' born in Goffstown Village, Hillsboro Co., 
 N. 11., July 13, 1852. His early life was spent 
 in that Switzerland of America, living upon a farm. 
 When he was three years of age his mother died, 
 and he was cared for by his sister Mary A., then 
 only eleven years of age, and who is now a resident 
 of Illinois. At the age of fourteen he went to 
 Illinois, where he joined his sister, who had married 
 Mr. Harrison Stinson, and removed to that State, 
 settling in Ogle Countj', where Mr. Richards lived 
 until 1872. Edwin's educational advantages in 
 New Hampshire as well as in Illinois consisted 
 onl\- of the good common schools, which he im- 
 proved to the fullest extent. He began work at an 
 early day, and vvas taught to be industrious and to 
 rely solely upon his own efforts, which early train- 
 ing has been of the utmost value to him in his life 
 in the West. In the spring of 1871 his brother 
 Horace came West and joined him in Illinois, and 
 in the following year they determined to seek their 
 fortunes in the at that time Far West. In pursu- 
 ance of this determination the^' started with teams 
 overland for Nebraska. They crossed the Missouri 
 River at Plattsmouth, where they purchased a 
 quarter-section of land from the railway company, 
 but which they were not able to retain. 
 
 After the grasshopper scourge had abated, our 
 subject and his brother thouglit they would again 
 make the venture, as their faith in the ultimate pros- 
 perity of the State was unshaken, so they repur- 
 chased their first selection. In 1879 Mr. Richards 
 purchased his present eighty acres of land, and has 
 since added to it, until he is now the owner of 200 
 
 >► I L ^' 
 
 •►:Ih-^ 
 
•^^fMi- 
 
 H ' 1004 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 acres, 120 of which is located on section 24 and 
 eight}- on section 25, which is improved by a snug 
 and conveniently arranged one and one-half story 
 frame house, good bains, very extensive cattle sheds 
 and corn cribs, a fine orchard and thrifty groves. 
 His entire tr.act of land has a never-failing supply 
 of the purest water. 
 
 Our subject was married, in 1881, to Miss Alvira 
 H. Colbert, the eldest daughter of James Colbert, 
 a resident of Klmwood Precinct. Three children 
 have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Richards: Ralph 
 E., born June 15, 1882, died while an infant; MarN' 
 A., born Ma^' 15, 1884, still living, is a brilliant, 
 lovable child : and another son, Henry C, born 
 July 18, 1887, died while an infant. 
 
 At the time of her death the mother of our sub- 
 ject was but thirty-six years of age. She possessed 
 one of those fine, high-strung natures which enabled 
 lier to see all that was beautiful and grand in 
 nature, which she has transmitted fully to her 
 sons. A fine poetical vein threaded her nature, 
 which often showed itself during life, and especially 
 at the time of her last illness, when she wrote many 
 fine poems, one of which we give: 
 
 Farewell, farewell, now husband dear. 
 
 Ami j'ou six little ones. 
 For I am going to my long home 
 
 Never more to return. 
 
 Death soon will break the tie 
 
 That has bound us heart and hand. 
 
 But soon we all shall meet again 
 In that holj', happy land. 
 
 1 leave j-ou with these little ones, 
 Watch them with a parent's eye. 
 
 For they will have no mother near 
 To hear them when they cry. 
 
 When pain and sickness rack your frame 
 
 And make j'our flesh decay, 
 Then may you be provided for 
 
 As I have all my days. 
 
 And when your daj's are past. 
 
 And the Saviour calls you to rest. 
 
 Then shall we all meet in that holy land 
 Where we may all be blessed. 
 
 She died as she had lived, having a deep and 
 abiding faith in the promises of the Creator, and 
 having a Christian's hope. 
 
 The father of Mr. Richards is still living in New 
 
 •► 
 
 ■^h^ 
 
 Hampshire, and is a man of considerable wealth. 
 In 1887 lie visited his sons and was very highl}' 
 pleased with the progress they were making and the 
 prospects that lay before them. He has attained 
 the ripe old age of seventy-four j-ears. He. and 
 his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Warren, 
 were born in New Hampshire, and were among the 
 early settlers of Oofifstown. The mother was a 
 granddaughter of the Gen. Warren who fell in de- 
 fense of his country at the battle of Bunker Hill, at 
 the beginning of the War for Independence. The 
 paternal grandfather died when the father of our 
 subject was a j'oung boy, so the family histoiy on 
 that side is lost. Our subject's father remarried 
 after his first wife's death, and four children were 
 the result of that union; only one, Arthur, is now 
 living. He resides on the old homestead in New 
 Hampshire. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is one of a family of 
 seven children, namely: Heniy C, Mary A.; George 
 W.. now dead; Horace T., and Ephraim W., de- 
 ceased, were older, and Charles A., who died when 
 an infant, was younger. For several years Mr. Rich- 
 ards has been widely and favorably known as a well- 
 informed stock-raiser, bringing a great degree of in- 
 telligence to the prosecution and successful conduct 
 of that business. He is a liberal, large-hearted, kind 
 man, who almost idolizes his wife and little daughter. 
 He has contributed liberally toward the erection of 
 all the churches in his vicinity, and is found in the 
 front in all charitable enterprises, doing his part. 
 In politics Mr. Richards is a Democrat. His serv- 
 ices as public offlcer have up to this time been 
 limited to membersliip in the School Board. 
 
 \¥; OHN H. BECKER. The precinct of Eight 
 Mile Grove finds no more substantial or re- 
 liable citizen than the subject of this biog- 
 (^^7/ raphj^, who is the owner of over 1,000 acres 
 of land. His property lies on section 13, the 
 home farm comprising 1,000 acres, which his native 
 thrift and industry have transformed from a raw 
 prairie to one of the most thoroughly cultivated 
 tracts of land along the northern line of the county. 
 Like a large proportion of the solid men of this 
 
 ^ 
 
 ■<• 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1005 
 
 pi-ecinct. Mr. Becker is of German birtii and parent- 
 age, first opening his eyes to the light Nov. 3, 
 1840. AVhen a youth of seventeen years he emi- 
 grated to America, making the long voyage across 
 the Atlantic from Havre, Fnmce, to New York 
 Citj^, being on tlie ocean forty-two days. 
 
 From the great metropolis our subject, a stranger 
 in a strange land, and with ver}- little money in liis 
 pocket, made his way directly to Tazewell County, 
 111., where he set about earning his own living by the 
 sweat of his brow. Engaging as a farm hand in 
 that county, he sojourned in that region a period 
 of seven years. There also he met his fate in the 
 person of Miss Harriet E. Fuller, to whom he was 
 married May 12, 1864. The young couple began 
 the journey of life together in the modest home in 
 that county, and lived in Illinois until the spring 
 of 1878. Then, deciding to cast his lot with the 
 people of Nebraska, Mr. Becker gathered together 
 his personal effects and his little family, and cross- 
 ing the Father of Waters came to this county. 
 He had previously purchased 160 acres of land 
 which is included in his present farm. From that 
 time on he labored diligently, early and late, and 
 was more than ordinarily wise in his investments, 
 while his careful cultivation of the soil soon 
 placed him upon an independent footing. Aside 
 from a small amount received from his father's es- 
 tate, he has had no assistance, being the architect 
 of his own fortune. 
 
 Mr. Becker, who struggled under many difficul- 
 ties for a number of years after coming to Nebraska, 
 is now numbered among the leading land-owners of 
 this county. In proportion to his property there 
 also increased his position and standing among his 
 fellow-citizens, who would have gladly raised him 
 to the most important offices within their gift. 
 AVhile in Illinois he had held the minor offices of 
 his township, and in 1884 he was the candidate of 
 the Republican party of Cass County for Commis- 
 sioner, but owing to his position on the county seat 
 fight, he was defeated. He is a member of the 
 Cxerman Lutheran Church, while liis estimable wife 
 belongs to the Baptist. 
 
 Mr. Becker received a good education in his na- 
 tive tongue, and by a course of reading keeps him- 
 self well posted upon topics of general interest. His 
 
 land of late years has been largelj' devoted to stock- 
 raising, with results eminently satisfactory. The 
 homestead proper lies on section 13, and with its 
 substantial and commodious buildings fulfills the 
 modern idea of rural life with all its comforts. 
 Seven children completed the household circle, who 
 were named respectively: George H., William A.^ 
 Mary E., Henry E., Philip T., Dora A. and 
 Carrie O. 
 
 Fliilip and Catherine (Scheneider) Becker, the 
 parents of our subject, were also natives of Ger- 
 many, and spent their last years there. The family 
 consisted of six children. 
 
 t 
 
 40 
 
 <Sp^ BENEZER G.LAUGHLIN, senior member of 
 fe) the firm of Laughlin & Laughlin, is, with his 
 I*' — ^ uncle, Benjamin F., conducting a very suc- 
 cessful livery business at Greenwood. He is a man 
 who at once attracts universal attention on account 
 of his fine physique, being of commanding pres- 
 ence, upright, and of handsome proportions. In ad- 
 dition to a fine physical frame he has been endowed 
 by nature with more than ordinary good business 
 capacities. In a business requiring much tact and 
 good management, he is extremely popular in his 
 community, being courteous and obliging, and 
 prompt to meet his obligations. 
 
 Our subject is a son of one of the first three pio- 
 neers of this county, William J. Laughlin, a sketch 
 of whom will be found elsewhere in this work. He 
 was born in Mt. Pleasant, Henry Co., Iowa, May 
 12, 1859. He was an infant of five months when 
 his parents moved to Nebraska, settling in Salt 
 Creek Precinct. The countrj' in that vicinitj' had 
 at that time received but little attention from 
 white settlers, and the first school in Salt Creek Pre- 
 cinct was conducted in the house of William Laugh- 
 lin by the mother, who in her girlhood was Miss 
 Mary Coleman. Later, a school building was erected 
 on Salt Creek, where our subject attended princi- 
 pally in the winter season. 
 
 Our subject spent his boyhood and youth amid 
 the scenes of frontier life, his mind and muscles 
 developing in a healthy atmosphere. He assisted 
 his parents around the homestead and continued 
 
 ^ 
 
 ?^k 
 
•>-#-<*" 
 
 -•►HI-4* 
 
 1006 
 
 CASS COUNTY, 
 
 I 
 
 with them until his marriage, which occurred Oct. 
 2, 1882, the bride being Miss Alice L., daughter of 
 S. L. Anderson, of Kentucky. Mrs. Laughlin was 
 born in Marion County, Iowa, Nov. 25, 1862, and 
 was a maiden of seventeen years when her parents 
 came to this county. They are now residing in 
 Salt Creek. Their family consists of five children, 
 all of whom are surviving and making their homes 
 in this State except one, who lives in Kansas. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Laughlin commenced their wedded 
 life together at a modest home in Salt Creek Pre- 
 cinct, and of their union there have been born four 
 children, namely: Mary L., Pearl, William G. 
 and Earl, the latter of whom died in infancy. Mrs. 
 L. is a member in good standing of the Christian 
 Churcli, and our subject uniformly votes the 
 straight Democratic ticket. The family residence 
 is pleasantly located in the southwestern part of the 
 city, and is the resort of hosts of friends. 
 
 The liverj' business of Laughlins' was established 
 at Greenwood in 1887. They have commodious 
 quarters, located on Third street, and their horses 
 and equipments will compare favorably with any- 
 thing of the kind along the western line of the 
 county. They enjoy a good patronage from the 
 people of this locality. 
 
 AVID SAMSON. This gentleman played 
 no unimportant part among the men of 
 intelligence, thrift and foresight, who as 
 pioneers of Cass County have been factors 
 in its growth. He was an early settler of Platts- 
 mouth, and has now been a permanent resident 
 here for several years. He was at one time inter- 
 ested in agriculture quite extensively, but the 
 state of his health does not permit him to carry on 
 any active business, and he employs his time solelj' 
 in looking after his property. 
 
 Mr. Samson was born in Pike Counl3% Ohio, 
 May 11, 1823. His father, James B. Samson, was 
 a native of Virginia, and his father. David Samson, 
 is also supposed to have been born in that State, 
 He removed to Ohio about 1800, the removal 
 being made in wagons, and he became a pioneer of 
 
 Scioto County, where he bought quite a tract of 
 timbered land, from which he evolved a farm. 
 Twenty years later he sold that homestead, and 
 entered a large tract of Government land in Pike 
 County, where he resided until death. He had in 
 the meantime labored hard at the pioneer task of 
 clearing and improving a farm, which ranked 
 among the best in that locality, and was provided 
 with good buildings. He married a Miss Brouse, 
 a native of Pennsylvania, of German ancestry. 
 
 The father of our subject was about six years old 
 when his parents removed from the old Virginian 
 home, and the place of his birth, to the wilderness 
 in the Territory of Ohio. He there grew to a vig- 
 orous manhood, and soon established a home, hav- 
 ing married Margaret Bradford, a native of Vir- 
 ginia, and daughter of Ezra Bradford, an early 
 settler of Scioto County. Mr. Samson had learned 
 the stonemason's trade, and also picked up a knowl- 
 edge of blacksmithing. At the time of his mar- 
 riage he settled in Scioto Count3% but after living 
 there one year he took up his abode in Pike County. 
 He bought a tract of timbered land there, and built 
 a log house, the same in which our subject was 
 born. He worked at his trade of stonemason on 
 the Ohio Canal, receiving $1 a day, and in 
 tiiat way earned enough to pay for his land, and 
 when he did not have work at his trade, he cleared 
 away the timber that covered it. He continued to 
 reside on it until 1835, and then traded it for a 
 farm in Scioto County, to which he immediately 
 moved his family. In 1845 he disposed of that 
 place, having decided to seek a location beyond 
 the Mississippi River. Accompanied b}' his wife 
 and children, he started for his new home, travel- 
 ing by the way of the Ohio, Mississippi and Mis- 
 souri Rivers to Missouri, disembarking at Savannah 
 Landing, Andrew County. He soon bought a 
 tract of land four miles from that place, in the 
 same county; a log cabin on the place and twelve 
 acres of the land broken, the rest being timbered, 
 constituted the improvements. He cleared quite a 
 tract of the land, and resided on it about ten 3-ears, 
 when he sold out and moved to the village of Fill- 
 more, where he bouglit a home. Soon after his 
 removal there he was elected Justice of the Peace, 
 and he also became a local preacher of much repute. 
 
 •>-*-^' 
 
 -•►Hl-^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1007 
 
 having joined the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 when he first took up his residence in Missouri. 
 He died there about 1873, but his memory is cher- 
 ished by those who knew him as a man of large 
 heart, kindly impulses, whose life was blameless, 
 and who sought to do good. 
 
 Our subject was the third of the nine children 
 born to his worthy parents, who trained him to a 
 useful manhood. He was reared amid pioneer 
 scenes, and he well remembers when his mother, 
 having no stove, was obliged to cook their meals 
 by the heat of the fire in the rude fireplace, and 
 when the clothing that he wore was spun and woven 
 by her hands. He resided with his parents un- 
 til he was twenty-two, and then bought a claim to 
 some Government land in Andrew County, in com- 
 pany with his brother-in-law, and commenced to 
 improve it. One year later he sold it and returned 
 home, and lived with his parents two years. We 
 next hear of him in Ohio, where he was variously 
 emploj'ed for a year. He then went back to 
 Andrew County and farmed on shares for a year. 
 He traded his share of the crops for lumber, and 
 bujing a lot in Fillmore, built a house. He sold 
 that residence in 1853, and moved to Coonville, 
 now Glenwood, Mills Co., Iowa. That place 
 was then only a small hamlet, and a great deal of 
 the land thereabout was owned by the Govern- 
 ment. He bought an interest in a sawmill which 
 he operated for six months, and then disposed of 
 his share, and turned his attention to building up 
 tlie town, and erected three houses in Glenwood. 
 His health was not good, and he was obliged to 
 give up his business almost entirely. In 1856 he 
 sold his property there, and made ready to move to 
 Oregon. But before the time set for him to start, he 
 made arrangements that entirely changed his plans, 
 .agreeing with some gentlemen who h.ad claims in 
 Cass County to come here and hold those claims 
 for them, one of the claims joining tlie city, and 
 the other on the prairie a short distance west. He 
 found that he could not bold both claims, so he 
 bought the one on the prairie, and entered it from 
 the Government. At that time the whole of Ne- 
 braska was a wild, undeveloped prairie, with but 
 one or two permanent settlements, and deer, wild 
 turkeys and other game very plentiful. Mr. Samson 
 
 spent a few daj's on his claim, and tiien settled in 
 Plattsmouth, and buying a lot here, he erected a 
 frame building, and rented the upper stories to the 
 county for public offices. Four years later Mr. 
 Samson moved to his land to cultivate it and im- 
 prove it into a farm. He staid there four years, 
 and then once again made Plattsmouth his home. 
 He soon after bought the improvements on a tract 
 of school land that belonged to the State, and farmed 
 that three years, when he traded it for land in 
 Mills County, Iowa. Five years subsequently he 
 sold that place and tried life in Southeastern Kan- 
 sas. He did not like it there, and four months later 
 found him once more a resident of Plattsmouth, 
 and ever since that time he has made his home here. 
 Mr. Samson and Miss Margaret F. Clement were 
 united in marriage in 1858, and of their happy 
 union five children have been born, as follows: 
 Wilbur C; Agnes, the wife of Hon. Samuel M. 
 Chapman; Susan and Margaret N., both teachers ; 
 and Edwin Stanton. They have been given good 
 advantages for education, and have been care- 
 fully trained in all that makes good and helpful 
 lives. Mrs. Samson was born in the Province of 
 Lorraine, France, May 28, 1825. Her father, John 
 Francis Clement, was a native of the same place, as 
 was also his wife, whose maiden name was Mary 
 Catherine Puloung. Mr. Clement learned the 
 trade of cabinet-maker, and followed that trade in 
 France until 1831. In that year he first located in 
 America, settling in Maryland, and carrying on 
 cabinet-making there. St. Louis subsequently be- 
 came his home for a time, and he still continued to 
 work at his trade. From that city he went to Illi- 
 nois and pre-empted Government land near Pekin, 
 Tazewell County, of which he thus became a pioneer. 
 He was the first man in that county to bre.ak the 
 land and engage in farming. He resided there un- 
 til his death, July 15, 1844. His widow died on 
 the horns farm four years later. After the death 
 of her parents Mrs. Samson lived with a sister at 
 Tremont until 1857, and then left Illinois for the 
 Territory of Nebraska, coming by water. They 
 found this city only an insignificant hamlet, with 
 scarcely any indications of its present size and im- 
 portance. In Mrs. Samson we have a fine repre 
 sentative of the pioneier women of Nebraska who 
 
 «► II < • 
 
 ho f 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 1008 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 have been such important factors in the settlement 
 of this commonwealth. She possesses a remark- 
 ably clear mind, and is well endowed with firmness 
 and judgment, and her many pleasing attributes 
 have gained her many warm friends. 
 
 Mr. Samson is, as his fellow-citizens long since 
 found, an eminently trustworthy man, of high 
 principles and right conduct, and he is regarded 
 with sincere respect and esteem. He has borne an 
 honorable part in developing Cass County, and his 
 share in building up Plattsmouth will not be 
 forgotten. 
 
 (I[_^ ON. ANDERSON ROOT, an ex-member of 
 ffji) the Nebraska Legislature, and one of the 
 /^^ solid citizens of Cass Count}', is a gentle- 
 (^) man of more than ordinary capabilities, 
 kind-hearted, public-spirited and benevolent, pos- 
 sessing hosts of friends, and of that uniform and 
 kindly temperament which carries a happy influence 
 with him wherever he goes. He owns and occu- 
 pies a fine farm on section 34, in Rock Bluff Pre- 
 cinct, comprising 220 acres, and gives his support 
 to all enterprises having for their object the gen- 
 eral welfare of his community. His family com- 
 prises an amiable and intelligent wife, and a group 
 of bright and interesting children, the latter named 
 respectively: Charles T., who is a student at the 
 school of telegraphy, Janesville, AVis.; Roberts., 
 Eliza J. and Ralph Roy are at home. . Mr. Root is 
 a lifelong Republican politically, and he and his 
 estimable wife are members in good standing of the 
 United Presbyterian Church at Murra}-. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is a great-grandson 
 of Dr. Anson Root, an eminent physician in the 
 State of Connecticut, where his entire life was 
 passed. His son, Anson L. Root, grandfather of 
 Anderson, was also a native of Connecticut, where 
 he was reared, and where he married Miss Sally 
 Brooks, also a native of that State. They remained 
 in New England until after the birth of their son 
 Charles T., father of our subject, then emigrated 
 to Trumbull County, Ohio, during the earliest set- 
 tlement of the Buckeye State. There Grandfather 
 Root battled successfully with the elements of the 
 soil, and from the wilderness built up a good 
 
 homestead, where he spent his last days. The 
 grandmother later removed to Michigan, and spent 
 the remainder of her life with her son Nelson, in 
 Berrien County, where her death took place Dec. 16, 
 1857. 
 
 The father of the subject of this sketch was born 
 in Connecticut, and went with his parents when 
 they removed to Ohio. He staid in that State but 
 three years, however, and then removed to Ne- 
 waygo County, Mich, where he made his home 
 until 1870, when he resolved to try his fortune in 
 the new State of Nebraska, and came to Cass 
 •County. He has been twice married, his first wife 
 being Miss Sarah A. Laughlin, mother of our sub- 
 ject, who died in 1849. Mr. Root again married, 
 but is again a widower, and is now engaged f n farm- 
 ing in Cheyenne County, Neb. 
 
 The mother of our subject was a daughter of 
 James Laughlin and his wife, whose maiden name 
 was Rachel Jlatthews. The father of James, and 
 maternal great-grandfather of Anderson Root, was 
 Alexander Laughlin, a native of County Down, 
 Ireland, where he was united in marriage with 
 Sarah Gordon, of the same county. Prior to the 
 War of the Revolution he emigrated to America, 
 and settled in Western Pennsylvania, where he en- 
 gaged in farming, and there reared a large family. 
 Tradition has it that he served in the Patriot Army 
 for three years in the latter part of the Revolution- 
 ary War. He died June 25, 1822, at the age of 
 fifty-nine years, and is buried in the Kinsman 
 Cemetery, in Trumbull County, Ohio. Of the time 
 of his wife's death we have no record. 
 
 James Laughlin, son of Alexander, and grand- 
 father of Anderson Root, was born in Beaver 
 County, Pa., Aug. 10, 1791. He became a far- 
 mer, and while yet a j-oung man removed to Trum- 
 bull County, Ohio, where he was married to 
 Rachel Matthews, and reared a large family. A 
 man of unbounded enterprise and energy, he hewed 
 out of the wilderness a good home, and acquired 
 an ample competence for his declining years. On 
 the breaking out of the AV.ar of 1812, imbued with 
 the patriotic impulses of his sire, he enlisted as a 
 private in the United States Army, and served until 
 the close of the war. Receiving an honorable dis- 
 charge he returned to the pursuits of peace, and 
 
 ■•►hj 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 1009 
 
 died July 10, 1868, aged seventy -six j'ears, eleven 
 months and eighteen days. In politics ^Ir. Langh- 
 lin was originally a Whig, but on its formation 
 joined the ranks of the Republican party, with 
 which he ever after afliliated. He and his wife were 
 lioth members of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Rachel Matthews, wife of James Laughlin, and 
 grandmother of Anderson Root, was also a native 
 of Beaver Countj', Pa., and was a daughter of 
 Deacon AVilliam Matthews, who was born iu Count}' 
 Down, Ireland, and emigrated to America while a 
 young man. With the innate love of liberty char- 
 acteristic of the sturdy race from which he sprang, 
 he entered the Continental Army, and for three 
 years battled for the freedom of his adopted coun- 
 trj'. He fought until the close of the war, and with 
 the return of peace and the assumed liberty of the 
 Colonies, left the army, receiving an honorable dis- 
 charge, and in the latter years of his life drew a 
 pension. He had settled at Georgetown, near the 
 mouth of the Little Beaver River, in Beaver 
 County, Pa., to which he returned, and there he 
 was married and reared a numerous family. In 
 1804 the patriot soldier decided to go farther 
 West, and removed to a farm on what was then 
 known as the "Center Road," in Trumbull County, 
 Ohio, where he lived until he had attained the ripe 
 old age of eighty-three, dying in 1834, full of years 
 and honor. For man}- years in Ohio he had been 
 Justice of the Peace, an important ofHce in that 
 daj' and country. In regard to this venerable old 
 pioneer we extract the following from "Historical 
 Collections of the Mahoning Valley, Ohio," pub- 
 lished in 1876: 
 
 "The name of Deacon Matthews should be remem- 
 bered and cherished, not only by his descendants, 
 but by all the inhabitants of the township of Kins- 
 man, TrurnbuU Co., Ohio, especially all those who 
 are interested in its moral and religious improve- 
 ment. In this regard his influence was greater 
 and entered more deeplj- into the structure of 
 society than that of any other of the first set- 
 tlers of the town. He early established religious 
 meetings and assemblies of worship on the Sabbath, 
 where there were no clergymen present, as there 
 was not except occasionally until 1813, and he 
 alwavs conducted the meetings. His attendance 
 
 was a fixed habit, no matter what the state of the 
 weater or roads. Whether hot or cold, wet or 
 dry, mud or snow, he was in his place promptly at 
 the hour of service. His venerable appearance 
 always commanded respect, and his meek and un- 
 ostentatious manner and fervency of spirit gave all 
 who knew him confidence in the sincerity of the 
 religion he professed." 
 
 From such stock on both sides our subject drew 
 those inspirations which have been his guide 
 through life; of sterling worth, these hardy pio- 
 neers were well fitted to become the progenitors of 
 a race embracing all those attributes which go to 
 make up the best type of American manhood and 
 womanhood. Prominent among their chai-acteristics 
 were deep religious convictions, and an unflinch- 
 ing loyalty and patriotism shown by them and their 
 descendants in three wars — the Revolution, 1812, 
 and the great Rebellion. 
 
 Anderson Root was born Aug. 14, 1842, in 
 Trumbull County, Ohio, where he pursued his first 
 studies" in the district school, and became familiar 
 with farming as carried on in the pioneer days. 
 His education was completed by an attendance of 
 one term at Jamestown (Pa.) Seminary. On the 
 7th of December, 1864, he was united in marriage 
 with Aliss Margaret L., daughter of Robert and 
 Eliza J. (Thompson) Snodgrass. William Snod- 
 grass, the paternal grandfather of Mrs. Root, was a 
 native of Ireland, whence he emigrated to America 
 when a small boy. He married Miss Margaret Mc- 
 Master, and about 1800 located in Crawford 
 County, Pa., when that portion of the Keystone 
 State bore little evidence of civilization. He built 
 the first farmhouse in his neighborhood, at a time 
 when his nearest market was at Meadville, a dis- 
 tance of twenty miles away. 
 
 Upon the Crawford County farm there was 
 reared a family of five children, and there the 
 grandparents looked their last upon the scenes of 
 earth. Their son Robert was the eldest born, and 
 spent all his life at the old homestead, dying there 
 in November, 1 887. His wife, the mother of Mrs. 
 Root, still lives there, and has now arrived at the 
 age of seventy-four years. They were the parents 
 of four daughters, Margaret L. being the second 
 born. William and Mary (Latta) Thompson, the \ 
 
 ^i^ 
 
•►Hf^^^ 
 
 1010 
 
 CA8S COUNTY. 
 
 maternal grandparents of Mrs. Root, were natives 
 of Ireland, and of Scotch ancestry'. They came to 
 the United States with their respected parents when 
 mere children, and spent the remainder of their 
 lives in Crawford Count}', Pa. They trace their 
 progenitors to the Erskines, one of the best families 
 of Scotland. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Root were married at the old Snod- 
 grass homestead in Crawford County, Pa., and 
 lived there until September, 1 865. Then deciding 
 to cast their lot with the pioneers of Nebraska Ter- 
 ritory they came to this county, and were residents 
 of Rock Bluff Precinct seven 3-ears. Next they re- 
 moved to the farm of the State Agricultural So- 
 ciety of Lincoln, over which Mr. Root had been 
 appointed Superintendent, and there they lived 
 three j'ears. Mr. Root had in the meantime pur- 
 chased 320 acres of land in Rock Bluff Precinct, to 
 which he returned. Later he sold 100 acres of 
 this, having now 220 acres, and is largely inter- 
 ested in the raising of cattle and horses. 
 
 The Root farm and its appurtenances indicates 
 on all sides the thoroughness and skill with which 
 the land has been cultivated, and the good man- 
 agement of the proprietor. A large portion of the 
 land is necessarily devoted to pasture, and the 
 barns and outhouses are furnished with all modern 
 conveniences for the shelter and care of stock. The 
 residence is in keeping with the taste and means of 
 the proprietor. 
 
 During the late Civil War Mr. Root, in August, 
 1861, enlisted in the 2d Ohio Cavalry, and jour- 
 neyed with his comrades through Missouri, Kansas 
 and the Indian Territory, under command of Gen. 
 Blunt. In 1862 he was in the Indian expedition 
 under Gen. Weir. He met the rebels in several 
 hand-to-hand conflicts, but escaped wounds and 
 capture. He was, however, injured by the acci- 
 dental falling of his horse upon him while at 
 Columbus, Ohio, recruiting his regiment both with 
 men and horses, and was obliged to accept an hon- 
 orable discharge March 11, 1863. 
 
 Mr, Root upon coming to this section of country 
 was at once recognized as a valued addition to the 
 community, and after filling many positions of 
 trust, and otherwise indicating his ability for busi- 
 ness and his integrity of character, was selected by 
 
 the Republican party as their candidate for the 
 State Legislature, and being elected, discharged 
 his duties in a manner creditable to himself and 
 satisfactory to his constituents. He has never indi- 
 cated a desire for office, preferring the quiet of his 
 farm and family. He cast his first Presidential 
 vote for Abraham Lincoln, and lias ever been a 
 uniform supporter of Republican principles. 
 
 iK^xICHOLAS THEIS for the last seven years 
 I jjj has been industriously engaged in the cul- 
 [l\f^ tivation of a good farm on section 16, in 
 Plattsmouth Precinct, where he settled in the year 
 of 1883. His career has been one of persevering 
 industry, and he has ranked among the most tlior- 
 ough and skillful farmers along the northern line 
 of Cass County. In addition to general agriculture 
 he makes a specialty of stock-raising, keeping 
 good grades of cattle, Jiorses and swine. He first 
 settled in the county in 1878. 
 
 Our subject traces his ancestry to Germany, 
 which was the birthplace of his paternal grand- 
 father, Adam Theis, who, upon reaching manhood, 
 married Miss Susan Newell, and became the father 
 of one child, a son Matthew. The latter, also born 
 in Germany, married Miss Lucy Reicharth, and they 
 became the parents of seven children, namely: 
 Adam, John, Josepli, Nicholas, Susan (Mrs. James 
 Miller, of Shebo3'gan County, Wis.), Theodore, and 
 Anna (Mrs. Theodore Baker, of Ozaukee County, 
 Wis.) 
 
 IMatthew Theis, after liis marriage and the birth 
 of two children, set sail with his little family and 
 his parents for the LTnited States, arriving upon 
 American soil in the 3-ear 1851, and making their 
 way to AYashington County, Wis. There thej' took 
 up land and followed the peaceful pursuits of ag- 
 riculture. The grandparents passed away a few 
 years later. The parents of Mr. Theis are still 
 living and continue residents of the Badger State. 
 Their family consisted of seven children, six of 
 whom are living, and residents of Wisconsin, Illi- 
 nois and Nebraska. 
 
 . The subject of this sketch was born in Washing- 
 ton County, Wis., at the modest home of his par- 
 

••-^> 
 
 ^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1013 
 
 ents near Fillmore, Nov. 5, 1856. He acquired his 
 education in the district school and assisted his 
 father on the homestead, remaining with his par- 
 ents until reaching man's estate. AV'hen twenty- 
 two j^ears of age, starting out for himself, he made 
 his way to this county, and began farming on rented 
 laud in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, in the year 1878. 
 Three years later he was married, Jan. 13, 1881, 
 to Miss Marj^, daughter of Nicholas and Hen- 
 rietta Holmes, a sketch of whom will be found else- 
 where in this work. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Theis commenced the journey of 
 life together in this county. Mr. T. purchased his 
 present farm in the year 1888, and besides this 
 property has 160 acres of improved land with 
 buildings in Pierce County. For a man coming to 
 Nebraska comparatively without means it must be 
 conceded th.at he has made good headway. He has 
 an interesting little family, including three children, 
 two daughters and a son — Mar};- A., John W. and 
 Susan. Politicallv, he is a Democr.at. 
 
 ON. BRAUD COLE. Residing within the 
 borders of Cass County there are many citi- 
 zens whose names are an honor and credit 
 to her records, and prominent among them 
 will be found the nameof the subject of this sketch. 
 He is a well-known and widely respected gentle- 
 man, and is noted not only for his straightforward 
 and honorable characteristics, but for that prosper- 
 ity and success which gild their possessor with the 
 light of popular admiration. He is one of the old- 
 est residents of Cass Count}^ and lives in South 
 Bend Precinct, where he devotes his time and at- 
 tention to the prosecution of the business of gen- 
 eral farming. He was born in Pickaway County, 
 Ohio, Sept. 20, 1824, the youngest child in a fam- 
 ily' of eleven. His father. Shadrach Cole, was born 
 in Baltimore County, Md., and his mother was 
 Mary (Mathena) Cole. Grandfather Brand Cole 
 was also born in Baltimore County, Md., and when 
 a young man removed to Pennsylvania. During 
 the Revolutionary War he returned to Maryland, 
 on account of the Indian troubles in Pennsylvania. 
 The great-grandfather was a resident of Maryland, 
 
 and was a highly educated and refined man. He was 
 one of the progenitors of the Braud family, and held 
 large possessions in Marjdand. In all the ancestry 
 gre.at mental vigor and bodily strength are exhib- 
 ited. Our subject's grandfather was on the frontier, 
 assisting in the protection of the settlers from the 
 depredations of the Indians during the war of the 
 Revolution. He was not an enlisted soldier, but 
 being a strong, earnest patriot, he felt that his first 
 duty was due to his eountrj'^, and that he should 
 render it all the aid in his power. After the Revo- 
 lutionar}^ War he removed to Bourbon County, 
 K}^, where he was one of the first settlers. He was 
 very influential, and took an important part in the 
 development of that State. In later }'ears he re- 
 moved to Ohio, where he joined the great-grand- 
 father in Fairfield County, Sept. 14, 1805. The 
 former settled in that county, removing from Penn- 
 sjdvania in 1801. The great-grandfather died 
 there when quite old. The grandfather died in 
 Pickaway County, Ohio. The father of our sub- 
 ject also died in Pickaway County, Sept. 24, 1845, 
 aged sixty-seven years. His mother died when our 
 subject was only ten years of age, leaving the fol- 
 lowing-named children: Elizabeth, Demitt, Sarah, 
 Wesley-, Rebecca, Polly, Ann, Shadrach, Ivah, and 
 Braud, our subiect. 
 
 The earlier years in the life of Mr. Cole were 
 passed on a farm. Possessing a great desire to ob- 
 tain an education he said to his father: "Give me 
 a chance to educate myself." The father, having 
 a full knowledge of the value of education, gave 
 his consent. Our subject then entered the Blen- 
 don Young Men's Seminary, now Otterbein Uni- 
 versity. There he studied the more advanced 
 branches. He taught schpol the winter after he 
 entered the university, for which he received SI 4 
 per month and boarded liimself. He occasionally 
 taught school during the winters following. In 
 1853 he was married to Miss Harriet Bruner. This 
 ladj- was an orphan, brought up b}^ our subject's 
 brother Wesley. She was born in Greene Coimt3% 
 Ohio, and was the daughter of Joseph Bruner and 
 wife, who had been a Miss Cummins. Her ancestors 
 on both the maternal and paternal side were distin- 
 guished, educated people. She studied and im- 
 proved all her educational advantages, and at the 
 
 ■•►-If 
 
•►Hl^^^ 
 
 ^ ► ~1l <• 
 
 1014 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •►■ 
 
 age of eighteen she engaged in teaching. Her 
 salary was $1.25 per week, "boarding 'round." She 
 was in all respects a splendid girl and a noble 
 woman. 
 
 Mr. Cole removed to Lee County, Iowa, in 1851, 
 where he had gone and secured a home before he 
 returned to Ohio to claim his wife. He lived in 
 his Iowa home until 1854, when early in the j'ear 
 he sold his propert}' and moved to the Territory 
 of Xeljraska. He stopped at Council Bluffs, Iowa, 
 during the summer of that year, entering Nebraska 
 in the autumn, settling on tlie now celebrated 
 "Wiilker farm, two miles southwest of Plattsmouth, 
 where, in 1857, he set out the first extensive or- 
 chard in the State, containing 2,000 trees. In the 
 same year he pre-empted an additional 160 acres of 
 land. About this time serious trouble began grow- 
 ing out of tiie conflicting claims of the settlers. 
 To facilitate the amicable settlement of such dis- 
 putes, ISIr. Cole suggested the formation of a -'Claim 
 Club," which was accepted and acted upon, a club 
 organized, and he was elected Secretary of the or- 
 ganization. During its existence it formed an im- 
 portant factor in the peaceful settlement of disputes 
 and difficulties, caused principally by the new 
 Government surve_y of the land. 
 
 After INIr. Cole had settled on the AValker farm 
 he recognized the possibilities of the site now oc- 
 cupied by the citj- of Plattsmouth, intended to 
 purchase it, but failed to carry out his plans, and 
 other parties secured it. He suggested the present 
 name for the proposed city. He was elected a 
 member of the Third Territorial Legislature, where 
 he at once took a prominent place, and was instru- 
 mental in securing much important legislation; one 
 of his acts was securing the passage of the law pro- 
 hibiting cattle and hogs from running at large, 
 which law has been of incalculable benefit to the 
 State, as it made the opening up of the broad 
 prairie lands and their conversion into valuable 
 farms possible, which could not otherwise have 
 been done, by reason of the scarcity' and high price 
 of lumber, that would necessarily be required for 
 fencing. 
 
 Mr. Cole sold his farm in 1864 and removed to 
 Grand Traverse Countj'. Mich., where he expected 
 to engage in the fruit business, but afterward 
 
 changed his mind and came back to Nebraska. In 
 order to give his children better educational ad- 
 vantages he removed with his family to Baldwin 
 City, Kan., the seat of Baker University, in 1872. 
 He remained there for two years, and in 1874 he 
 came back to Nebraska and settled in South Bend 
 Precinct, where he has lived ever since. 
 
 Our subject and his good wife became the par- 
 ents of the following-named children: Lester O., 
 Ivah A., Almeda, Sylvia, Mja-a, Oran, Harland, 
 Emery and an unnamed infant. Of this number 
 Lester, Oran and Harland are deceased. Almeda 
 is now the wife of Rev. T. H. "Whorley; she and 
 her husband were missionaries in China for two 
 years. At this time thej^ reside at Exeter, Fill- 
 more Co., Neb. Sylvia is the wife of Rev. T. 
 H. Hull, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, now residing at Wahoo, Neb.; Myraisthe 
 wife of Prof. Andruss, and resides at Baltley, the 
 seat of Mallalieu I'uiversity, where she is at the 
 head of the department of oratory and elocution; 
 Emery, now eighteen years old, is attending a 
 course in Mallalieu University. The mother of 
 this family- passed from this to a higher life June 
 2, 1886, while on a visit to her brother in Ohio. A 
 woman of most estimable character and of many 
 lovable qualities, her death was a severe blow to 
 her sorrowing husband and children, and she was 
 sincerely mourned h\ everyone who knew her. 
 
 All the children of our subject who have reached 
 the age of maturity hold high positions in life among 
 the refined and educated classes, and reflect great 
 honor on their parents. Their lives show that no 
 pains were spared to instruct them in the paths of 
 virtue and honor, and they are counterparts of the 
 devout, earnest. Christian lives which have been 
 and are now the attributes of the parents. The 
 farm now occupied by our subject contains 550 
 acres, located in South Bend Precinct. It is all 
 under the highest state of cultivation, the larger 
 portion enclosed by substantial hedge and wire 
 fences. The buildings are second to none in size 
 in the precinct, and are built very solidly and sub- 
 stantially. The family residence is nicely located, 
 is very large, and is complete in all its appoint- 
 ments, and is a topical home, where love and fra- 
 ternal affection reign supreme. 
 
 ■^» 
 
t 
 
 •►Hf^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1015 ii 
 
 Mr. Cole has experienced many of the vicissi- 
 tudes and changes of life, but he has been in the 
 main very successful, and has prospered until he 
 is now not only one of the wealthiest men, but one 
 of the most highly respected citizens of the south- 
 eastern part of the State — in fact wherever he is 
 known he holds the perfect confidence and esteem 
 of all with whom he comes in contact. He is in- 
 terested to the extent of 200 shares in the Mexican 
 Iron Manufacturing Company, of jMurango, Mex. 
 He is deeply interested in the religious affairs 
 of his neighborhood, and has always led an upright, 
 consistent Christian life. He was the first Sundaj^- 
 school Superintendent, and organized the first 
 Sunday-school in Plattsmouth. He is a member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church at Ashland; in 
 jjolitics he is a straight Republican. 
 
 A good portrait of this pioneer of Nebraska in 
 its Territorial days is given on another page in 
 this Album. 
 
 \f) ESSE E. McVAY, of Rock Bluff Precinct, is 
 perhaps as fine an illustration of the self- 
 made man as will often be found. He started 
 ^7/ out in life for himself with a capital of $5, 
 which he was obliged to spend not long afterward 
 for clothing. He made a practice thereafter of sav- 
 ing $100 a j'ear. and at the time of his marriage 
 had accumulated in this manner the snug sum of 
 $1,850 in cash. This he was enabled to invest ju- 
 diciously, and he is now numbered among the solid 
 men along the eastern line of this county, who have 
 developed its resources and brought it to its pres- 
 ent position. 
 
 The parents of our subject were James and Han- 
 nah (Lemasters) McVay. The paternal grand- 
 father, John McYay, is supposed to have been a 
 native of Pennsylvania, and married a lady who was 
 probably, as indicated b}' the records, born in Pick- 
 away County, Ohio. They were residents the most 
 of their lives in Shelby County, that State, where 
 their remains were laid to rest. Of their thirteen 
 cliildren the record is as follows: Betsev became 
 the wife of Dimitt Cole, of whom mention is made 
 in the sketch of W. P. Cole, elsewhere in this vol- 
 
 ume; Polly, Martha, Minerva, Hannah, Thomas, 
 John, James, Jason, Aaron, Miller and Henr}^ com- 
 prise the remainder of the household circle. James 
 McVajr and his estimable wife are still living, and 
 have for many years resided on the old home farm 
 in Shelby County, Ohio, where they settled soon 
 after their marriage. 
 
 After their marriage the parents of our subject 
 took up their abode in the woods of Shelby County, 
 Ohio, where the father cleared about forty acres, 
 then sold out and purchased another farm of 
 eighty -five acres, which was mostly in a state of 
 cultivation. Upon this he erected good buildings 
 and has since made it his home. Upon that farm 
 the subject of this sketch was born Nov. 10. 1836, 
 and lived there with his parents until a youth of 
 eighteen years; then, desirous of beginning for 
 himself in life, he began working for the farmers 
 of his neighborhood, and was thus employed two 
 years for the consideration of $12.75 per month. 
 In the year 1856, leaving the Buckeye State he 
 made his way to Shelby County, 111., where he still 
 pursued agriculture at an increased salary, working 
 now for 814 per month about two and a half j'ears. 
 
 At the expiration of this time Mr. McVay 
 started on horseback for a visit to his native State, 
 and upon his arrival there commenced worldng on 
 a farm in Clarke County, being the employe of 
 Mr. William Foreman. He continued with him one 
 year and ten days, then in t\ie spring of 1861 go- 
 ing into Clinton County, operated there, still as a 
 farm laborer, until the fall of 1862. Returning 
 then to Illinois he worked on a farm in iShelby 
 County until the fall of 1864. The Civil War be- 
 ing then in progress he entered the ranks as a 
 member of Company D, 12th Illinois Infantr3% 
 and going to the front participated in the battle of 
 Kingston, N. C, where he was wounded bj' a mus- 
 ket ball in the left cheek. He was confined in the 
 hospital a short time, and upon recovering from his 
 wound contracted typhoid fever and another dis- 
 ease, which kept him in the hospital until the close 
 of the war. 
 
 Mr. McYav received his honorable discbarge 
 July 4, 1865, and returning to the old homestead 
 in Ohio visited with his parents two weeks, then 
 setting out once more for the Prair'-^ State engaged 
 
 •► 
 
 ->^t 
 
t 
 
 •►Hf^ 
 
 1016 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 to work on a farm in Shelby County for the sum 
 of 130 per month. In the spring of 1866 he 
 rented a farm of his uncle, Caldwell Kussell, and 
 the fall following purchased a half interest in a 
 threshing-machine. A year later he sold the ma- 
 chine and commenced working by the month again 
 in Illinois until July 16, 1867. Then going back 
 to Ohio, he was employed in a gristmill until the 
 spring of 1868, when he again set his face west- 
 ward, sojourning a brief time in Shelby County, 
 111., and proceeding thence to Iowa City, Iowa. 
 
 The spring of 1869 found our subject again on 
 the soil of Illinois, working on a farm in Tazewell 
 County for Alexander Moo berry, where he re- 
 mained until completing his preparations for his 
 marriage. This most interesting event of his life 
 occurred on the 9th of November, 1871, themaiden 
 of his (jhoice being Miss Lucy A. Mooberry, a 
 sister of his emploj-er. They remained in Illinois 
 until September, 1872, then came to this county 
 with a view of locating. Being pleased with the 
 outlook, Mr. McVay purchased eighty acres of his 
 present homestead, to which he moved with his 
 young wife on the 11th of Februarj^ 1873. Here 
 they have since lived. Two years later Mr. McVay 
 purchased another eighty acres, and has now 160 
 acres of good land, in productive condition with a 
 neat and substantial dwelling, an ample barn, 
 granaries, corn cribs, an apple orchard and the 
 smaller fruit trees, and in short all the accessories 
 of a modern farm. The fences are mostly of wire, 
 and the land which is not devoted to grain fur- 
 nishes excellent pasture for the live stock to which 
 Mr. McVay has given considerable attention. He 
 at one time bought and sold land to a considerable 
 extept, realizing good profits. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife there 
 have been born two children, a daughter and a son, 
 Jessie M. and Lintie M. The elder was born Aug. 
 20, 1872, in Tazewell County, 111., and the younger 
 April 30, 1874, in Cass County, Neb. The parents 
 of jNIrs. McVay were John and Lydia (Marion) 
 Mooberry. The father was born in York County, 
 Pa., and was the son of William Mooberry, who 
 was also a native of Pennsylvania, whence he emi- 
 grated to Franklin County, Ohio, during its early 
 settlement, and where his family was reared. The 
 
 mother of Mrs. Mc'\^. was a native of Norfolk, 
 Mass., and born in 1805. She came with her par- 
 ents, Elijah and Ljdia Marion, to Ohio about 1815, 
 they settling in Franklin County, where they spent 
 the remainder of their lives. Our subject, politi- 
 cally, is a solid Republican, and as a business man 
 and citizen, ranks among the reliable and substan- 
 tial men of Cass Countj-. 
 
 ^^^EORGE HAIN, a prosperous farmer, is a 
 (li (^^ resident of Mt. Pleasant Precinct, where he 
 ^^J owns a valuable farm of 1 60 acres on sec- 
 tion 23. He was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, 
 in December, 1850. His parents were natives of 
 Scotland and came to America in 1849, and located 
 in Trumbull County, Ohio, where they still reside. 
 Mr. Hain is a purely self-made man, being obliged 
 from his early youth to support himself by the 
 labor of his own hands. His first emploj'ment was 
 milling, which he followed successfully; having a 
 strong taste for mechanical pursuits, he obtained 
 employment as a sawyer in a sawmill, which he 
 followed for a season, and later he was employed 
 as stationary engineer, which pursuit was especially 
 congenial to him. and which he followed for a long 
 time. He has received a fair school education, to 
 which he has added the knowledge derived by a 
 wide experience and varied observation. 
 
 In the autumn of 1877 Mr. Hain came to Cass 
 County, Neb., and for the following two years he 
 worked at farming and operated a threshing-ma- 
 chine. In 1879 he bought eighty acres of wild 
 prairie land, which he proceeded to improve by 
 plowing his land and erecting the necessary build- 
 ings for residence and protection of his stock, which 
 he still owns. He has been very prosperous in his 
 venture, and has jiurchased an additional eighty 
 acres, which, with the original eighty, he has brought 
 to a very high state of cultivation. It has taken 
 years of hard, steady work for him to accomplish 
 this result, and now, after he has attained it, it is 
 exceedingly gratifying to him, as it is the result 
 exclusively of his own energj' and ability. 
 
 Our subject and Jenna McCool were married 
 
 4^ 
 
■ ► I I <• 
 
 ••► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1017 
 
 March 1, 1882. Tlie lady is a native of Pennsyl- 
 vania, and was born in Venango County, Maj^ 25, 
 1858. She is a daughter of Robert and Fietta 
 (Shurtz) MeCooI. Her father died when she was 
 about five years of age. Shortly after his death 
 the mother removed with her children to Trumbull 
 County, Ohio, where they settled, and where her 
 mother still lives. One son has been born to this 
 couple, James, Jul}^ 24, 1886. 
 
 Mr. Hain is one of those live, progressive men 
 who are not content with living in yesterday, and 
 following up the old routine in vogue many years 
 ago, but on the contrary he believes in the ad- 
 vancement of modern ideas and modern methods. 
 The late improved machiner}^ for agricultural pur- 
 poses is found on liis farm, and all the laboi--saving 
 inventions that will assist in the household are 
 provided for his wife, by means of whicli their life 
 is not now one continual round of toil and labor, 
 but they have many hours which thej' can and do 
 devote to recreation and the advancement of social 
 life of the neighborhood. Both himself and wife 
 are rery sociable and take a leading position in the 
 society where they live. They are attendants of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. His political al- 
 legiance is held by the Republican partj-. 
 
 R. MILTON M. BUTLER, a prominent 
 physician and surgeon of Weeping Water, 
 is one of the ohlest settlers of this county, 
 arriving in this Stale in the year 1870, and 
 becoming a resident of the village three years later. 
 A man of fine capabilities, excellent judgment and 
 good education, he has been an important factor in 
 tbe building up of the town, and has uniformly 
 entertained a lively interest in everything con- 
 nected with its welfare. He has. a fine residence at 
 the corner of Elm and G streets, and is numbered 
 among the leading men of the place. 
 
 Dr. Butler, a gentleman in the prime of life, was 
 born near Greenfield, Hancock Co., Ind., Nov. 15, 
 1845. He there received the rudiments of his 
 early education, and later entered Earlham College, 
 at Richmond, where be studied for some months. 
 Upon leaving this institution he engaged in the 
 
 reading of medicine with his brother. Dr. D. W. 
 Butler, who was then located in Dunreith, and with 
 whom he continued a period of ten years. In the 
 meantime he had begun the practice of his pro- 
 fession, but later entered upon a course of lectures 
 at Miami College, in Ohio, and became the regular 
 partner of his brother, with whom he practiced a 
 number of j'ears. On coming to Nebraska, in the 
 fall of 1870, Dr. Butler established himself first in 
 Plattsmouth, on the eastern line of this county, 
 where he remained until 1873. In the month of 
 August of that year he changed his field of opera- 
 tions to Weeping Water, coming to the town at a 
 time when he had only been preceded by one other 
 physician. There were then probably not to ex- 
 ceed 250 people in the place. The town now numbers 
 probably 3,000 souls. Dr. Butler has thus watched 
 the growth and development of one of the most en- 
 terprising cities in Southern Nebraska, and has been 
 one of the most generous contributors to its pros- 
 perity. 
 
 A Re[)ublican in polities. Dr. Butler, while keep- 
 ing himself well posted upon current events, has 
 been no office-seeker, although his natural capabili- 
 ties have always obtained ready recognition at the 
 hands of his fellow-citizens. He has frequently 
 been pressed into service upon important occasions, 
 serving as Chairman of the County Central Com- 
 mittee, and occupying other positions of trust. 
 During the late election (1888) he served as a 
 Republican elector, and takes satisfaction in the 
 reflection that he was instrumental in the selection 
 of the grandson of Old Tippecanoe for the future 
 President. He was chosen President of the Elec- 
 toral College of the State at the meeting of that 
 college. He has almost uniformly been a delegate 
 to all the conventions, Countj', State and National, 
 and is always willing to serve in any capacity where 
 he can do anything which shall result in the fur- 
 therance of the principles of which he has been an 
 earnest adherent since old enough to reflect upon 
 men and things and life in its various places. 
 
 Dr. Butler became identified with the 1. O. O. F. 
 about 1872, while a resident of Plattsmouth, and is 
 one of the warmest advocates of the principles of 
 the order. He has filled every office in Prairie 
 Lodge No. 25, serving as its first Presiding Officer, 
 
 • ► 11^ 
 
 ?^»- 
 
•►-JH 
 
 1018 
 
 -•► 
 
 •^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 and has represented it in the Grand Lodge. He is 
 also a member of the Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
 ica. The local camp in this city was named in his 
 honor, Butler Camp No. 748. 
 
 At Weeping AVater, Neb., on the 19th of Au- 
 gust, 1874, occurred tlie marriage of our subject 
 with Miss Stella A. Paine. This lady was born at 
 Painesville, Ohio, July It), 1863, and is the daugh- 
 ter of Hon. Henry Paine, of Laite County, Ohio. 
 Mr. Paine was at one time a member of the State 
 Legislature, and was otherwise jirominent in public 
 affairs, serving as County Commissioner, Justice of 
 the Peace, and in various other ofHcial capacities. 
 He married Miss Harriet N. Tuttle, and they be- 
 came the parents of ten children, all of whom are 
 living. Of these Mrs. Butler was next to the young- 
 est. Her brothers and sisters are located mostly in 
 Nebraska. . Mr. Paine met his death by accident, 
 falling from a wagon in 1868, a few days before 
 the first election of Gen. Grant. His widow con- 
 tinued her residence at the old homestead in Paines- 
 ville, and survived her husband a period of twenty 
 years, her death taking place Jan. 17, 1888. 
 
 As may be surmised, the paternal grandfather of 
 Mrs. Butler was one of the earliest settlers of Lake 
 County, Ohio, and the founder of Painesville. He 
 emigrated there in the pioneer days, carried on 
 agriculture a number of years, and built up a home 
 for himself in the wilderness, which remained the 
 property' of the Paine family for years. The town 
 is located upon a part of the land which he took up 
 from the Government. To Dr. and Mrs. Butler there 
 were born four children, one of whom, Mattie R., 
 the second child, died at the age of two years and 
 nine months. The survivors are ! Charie A., Agnes 
 E. and Mildred Mary. These children are being 
 given first-class advantages. The eldest, though 
 only thirteen years of age, is very proficient in 
 music, and they are remarkably promising. 
 
 George W. Butler, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Virginia, April 11, 1818, and a week later 
 his mother died. Not long after he was doubly 
 orphaned by the death of his father, and was as- 
 signed to a guardian, who bound him out to a 
 farmer in Virginia. Soon after his guardian moved 
 to Ohio. He was reared Lo manhood in the Buck- 
 eye State, whence he migrated to Hancock County, 
 
 Ind., and was there married .to Miss Martha Rawls. 
 They became the parents of ten children, eight of 
 whom are living, and most of whom are located in 
 Indiana. Two of the sons are ph3'sicians of note, 
 and one is a professor in one of the public schools 
 of Rushville. Ind. The father belongs to the So- 
 ciety' of Friencis, and is one of the prominent men 
 among this peaceable sect. He makes his home in 
 Fairraount, Ind. Mrs. IMartha (Rawls) Butler, the 
 mother, was born Sept. 21, 1814, and departed this 
 life at her home in Fairmount, Ind., May 13, 1880. 
 She was the daughter of John Rawls, a substantial 
 farmer of the Old Dominion. 
 
 Dr. Butler and his estimable wife, together with 
 his eldest daughter, are members in good standing 
 of the Congregational Church at Weeping Water. 
 The Doctor has always cherished a warm interest 
 in Sunday-school work, and has always been one of 
 the liberal supporters and pillars of the ciiurch. 
 As a business man and citizen he is well spoken of 
 bj- his fellow-townsmen. 
 
 
 "it^ DWARD A. SACKETT, a product of the 
 l^ Buckeye State, and junior member of the 
 jL^^' firm of Sackett & Amerman, stands at the 
 head of a flourishing hardware trade in Weeping 
 Water, the house handling a heavy stock of goods 
 in this line, and having a wide and steadily increas- 
 ing patronage. Mr. Sackett is one of the leading 
 men of the town in business as well as in social circles, 
 and is the owner of valuable property including a fine 
 home on Commercial street, and besides the store 
 he occupies owns another one utilized by Flower 
 Bros, as the city drug-store. Mr. Sackett put up a 
 handsome residence in the summer of 1888, which, 
 with its surroundings, is not only an ornament to 
 the city, but combines all the comforts and con- 
 veniences of modern life. 
 
 Edward Sackett was born July 28, 1859, at the 
 homestead of his father, Hiram Sackett, in Tallmadge 
 Township, Summit Co., Ohio, a homestead which 
 comprised a tract of valuable land lying among 
 rolling hills and fertile fields, and there spent his 
 
 •► It^ 
 
 •►^II-^ 
 
*► 1 1 <•' 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1019 
 
 boyhood and youth. His first studies were con- 
 ducted in the little scliool-house at the "Six Cor- 
 ners," to which lie traveled a distance of about a 
 mile up and down the hills, and when further ad- 
 vanced he entered the High School at Kent, three 
 or four miles from his home, where he completed 
 his education. Then returning to the farm he re- 
 mained there with his father until a young man 
 of twenty-three years. Leaving Tallmadge in the 
 spring of 1882, he turned his steps westward, and 
 coming to Nebraska, purchased land on section 9, 
 Weeping Water Precinct, this county, from which 
 in its raw state he constructed a good farm. Upon 
 this he turned the first furrow, put out trees, built 
 fences, and during the first three years of his labors 
 here harvested 4,000 bushels of wheat. The only 
 year in which he put in a corn crop, the sixty acres 
 which he devoted to this cereal yielded him 3,600 
 bushels. He thus secured the capital which laid 
 the foundation of his present business. 
 
 In the fall of 1886 Mr. Sackett sold his farm and 
 became a member of the firm of Cole & Sackett, en- 
 gaging in general merchandising on a large scale. 
 This business was located on I street, and was con- 
 ducted by our subject and his partner two and one- 
 half years very successfully. In October, 1888, 
 they sold out and dissolved partnership, and less 
 than two weeks later the present firm was organized, 
 and purchased the hardware department of Chase & 
 Churchill's store, opening up with a fine large stock 
 and the promise of future prosperity. Mr. Sackett 
 was reared as it were under the wing of the Repub- 
 lican part3', to which he still loyally adheres. He 
 was also trained in the doctrines of the Congrega- 
 tional Church, of which his honored father has been 
 for 3'ears a Deacon at Tallmadge, and upon coming 
 to the West identified himself with the same, to 
 which he still belongs, with his estimable wife. He 
 is warmly interested in the religious training of the 
 young, and has been interested in Sunday-school 
 work for many years. 
 
 Mr. Sackett found his bride in the West, being 
 married, Oct. 6, 1887, to Miss Nellie Monroe, of 
 Weeping Water, and they have one child, a son, 
 William M., born Aug. 19, 1888. Mrs. Sackett is 
 the daughter of William J. Monroe, and was born 
 Aug. a, 1865, in Indiana. Of Mr. Monroe and liis 
 
 estimable wife a sketch will be found elsewhere in 
 this volume. 
 
 Hiram Sackett, the father of our subject, was also 
 born in Tallmadge, Ohio, March 28, 1824, and up 
 to this time lias spent his entire life there. He is 
 the son of Deacon Clark Sackett, a native of Con- 
 necticut, and one of the pioneers of Tallmadge, a 
 man held in the highest respect b^' the people of 
 Summit Count}', and who for many years was one 
 of the pillars of the Congregational Church. Dea- 
 con Sackett lived to be quite aged, reared a large 
 family, and died full of years and honors, about 
 1862. Hiram Sackett is still living a few miles 
 from the farm where he was born and reared, and 
 is worthily bearing the mantle which descended to 
 him from his honored father, being an active mem- 
 ber and Deacon of the same Congregational Church, 
 ofHcialing as Clerk, and from his youth up being 
 otherwise foremost among its councils and delibera- 
 tions. Politically, he still abides with the Repub- 
 lican party. 
 
 The mother of our subject. Mrs. Eliza (Treat) 
 Sackett, was the daughter of Richard and Amorett 
 (Hutchins) Treat, and was also born in Tallmadge 
 Township, a few miles from the boyhood home of 
 her husband. Thej' were reared in the same town- 
 ship, becoming members of the same church at an 
 early period in their lives. Grandfather Treat, like 
 Deacon Sackett. was also one of the prominent men 
 of Tallmadge, the owner of a good property, and 
 the father of a large and highly respected family of 
 children. He suffered many years from inflammatorj' 
 rheumatism, and passed aw.ay about 1872. His 
 excellent wife survived him several j'ears, and 
 died about 1875, being found one morning in a 
 sleep from which she never awakened. To Hiram 
 and Eliza Sackett there were born nine children, 
 five sons and four daughters, all of whom are liv- 
 ing, some of them not far from the homestead, 
 where the mother and father still reside. 
 
 Clark Sackett, Jr., an uncle of our subject, owns 
 and occupies the old Deacon Sackett homestead, 
 two and one-half miles west of Tallmadge Center, 
 and which is one of the finest farms in that region. 
 Edward Sackett, our subject, is one of the most 
 worth}' representatives of this large family, who for 
 three generations have been landmarks in the his- 
 
 • ► II <•• 
 
 '^^ 
 
••► 
 
 1020 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 tciry of ll)e Buckeye State; and coming to Nebraska 
 a young man. if life and health he spared, and he 
 eontiniies here, there is no doubt that he will leave 
 his mark in this section of Nebraska as thoroughly 
 as his progenitors impressed themselves upon the 
 soil of Ohio. 
 
 •>;»;^- 
 
 -i^fitf-* 
 
 ^ I^ILLIAM TIGHE. The pioneer element of 
 \cj// Mt. Pleasant Precinct is admirably rep- 
 W^ resented hy the gentleman whose name 
 stands at the head of this sketch, and who is the 
 owner of a pleasant countrj^ home on section 7. 
 His has been a career filled with industry, and in 
 which the exercise of diligence and perseverance 
 has met with its natural reward. Upon coming 
 to Nebraska he battled for many years with the 
 difHcultieg of life in a new settlement, but from 
 the struggle has emerged with flying colors. He 
 is regarded by the people of his community as an 
 honest man, a good citizen, and one amply worthy 
 of representation in a work of this kind. 
 
 The place of the birth of our subject is recorded 
 as near the town of Toronto, Province of Ontario, 
 Canada, and the date March 31, 1840. He is of pure 
 Irish ancestry, being the son of John and Mary A. 
 Tighe, who were both natives of Ireland. They 
 emigrated to the United States after their mar- 
 riage, and are now residents of this precinct. 
 Their household consisted of seven sons and three 
 daughters, making a large and interesting family, 
 of whom the survivors are recorded as follows: 
 James is married, and numbered among the well-to- 
 do farmers of Centre Precinct, this county; Jane, 
 the wife of Michael Kennedy, together with 
 AVilliam and Edward, also resides there; Margaret 
 married John Case}', and they are residents of 
 Richardson County; John lives in Grand Island, 
 this State; Charles and Joseph are residents of this 
 State, the former in Centre Precinct, this county, 
 and the latter in Bradshaw; Mary A., Mrs. James 
 Carper, and Josiah S., live in Mt. Pleasant Precinct. 
 The subject of this sketch was reared to man's 
 estate in the Dominion, receiving a common-school 
 education. He has always been a reader and has 
 
 thus kept himself well posted upon passing events. 
 He came over into the States after the close of the 
 late Civil War, locating first in Clinton Countj', 
 Iowa, where he resided a number of years and car- 
 ried on farming. In the spring of 1873, leaving 
 the Ilawke^'e State, he came to this county, and 
 traded a portion of his Iowa land for the quarter- 
 section in Mt. Pleasant Precinct which he now 
 lives upon. He has watched the raw prairie develop- 
 ing from its primitive condition into beautiful 
 homesteads and valuable farms, the erection of 
 school buildings, and all the other indications of the 
 advance of civilization, with that satisfaction 
 only felt by the intelligent and progressive citizen. 
 A man who has spent most of his time attend- 
 ing to his own concerns, he is nevertheless public 
 spirited and liberal-minded, and has ever been ready 
 to give his substantial aid to the projects cal- 
 culated for the advancement of tlie people around 
 him. His course has been that of a peaceable and 
 law-abiding citizen, who has done good as he has 
 had opportunit}', and who will leave a record of 
 which his children need never be ashamed. 
 
 The 16th of November, 1879, witnessed the mar- 
 riage of our subject with Miss Mary Quinn, who 
 was born in Clinton County, Iowa, Sept. 22, 1856. 
 Mrs. Tighe is the daughter of Thomas and Mary 
 (Crowly) tjuinn, who were natives of Ireland; the 
 mother is now deceased. They emigrated to America 
 prior to their marriage, indeed when quite young, 
 and the parents of each settled in the Province of 
 Ontario. Canada. Later the family emigrated first 
 to Illinois and then to Iowa. Mrs. Tighe came to 
 this county on a visit in the fall of 1877. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Quinn settled in Linn County, Kan., where they 
 lived for a number of years. The father is now in 
 Cass Count3^ The parental household included eight 
 children, six of whom are living: Ann, Mrs. Will- 
 iam Wells; Ellen, Mrs. Thomas Murphy, and Kate, 
 Mrs. Micliael Murphy, are residents of Richardson 
 Cortnty, Neb.; Hannah lives in Anderson County, 
 Kan., being the wife of Thomas Hunt, who is carry- 
 ing on farming; John is a resident of Mt, Pleasant 
 Precinct, this county. Mrs. Tighe is according to 
 age in about the middle of the group. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Tighe commenced their wedded 
 life together at the modest farm homestead in Cass 
 
 •►Ht::^ 
 
 ^^h 
 
Co 
 
 o 
 
>► i r^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1023 
 
 County, Neb., and they have labored side b}' side 
 since tliat time to accumulate their snug property 
 and rear their family. Of their childreii, five in 
 number, the record is as follows: John Q. was born 
 Jan. 12, 1881; Mary M., Aug. 1, 1882; Thomas J., 
 in 1883; Maggie, Dec. 15, 1884, and Edward 
 J., June 13, 1886. Mr. Tighe, politically, is an 
 uncompromising Democrat. Both he and his esti- 
 mable wife were reared in the doctrines of the 
 Catholic Church, to which they still loyally adhere. 
 
 yp>ILLIAM J. LAUGHLIN. Among the 
 goodly land-holders of this county, and a 
 ^^' gentleman respected for his sterling worth 
 and integrity, is the subject of tliis sketch, who re- 
 sides on and operates a valuable farm of 360 acres 
 on section 22, Salt Creek Precinct. He w.as born in 
 North Carolina, March 13, 1830. His earliest 
 recollections are of his home in Randolph County, 
 in that State, followed by the memories of early 
 days in the heavy limber regions of Indiana. He 
 was early in life harnessed to hard work, and for 
 many long weary days he has driven four, five and 
 six yoke of oxen, breaking new land and cultivating 
 it in after years. The subscription schools of those 
 (lays were his only source for acquiring an educa- 
 tion, every opportunity for which he eagerly im- 
 proved. At the age of twenty he was attacked 
 with the gold fever, and in 1850 he formed a com- 
 pany of several of his neighbors, and they went 
 across the plains to California, their journey end- 
 ing at Placerville, that State, August 6, they having 
 been a little over four months on the waj'. This 
 trip was made by the way of Salt Lake, where Mr. 
 Laughlin spent several days among the Mormons. 
 On their arrival in California, our subject with his 
 companions, Winthrop Cheney and James Mc- 
 Cauley, took up a placer claim, and worked in the 
 mines for a year, when the former went to Nevada 
 and worked on Gold Run until Oct. 1, 1851, and 
 then started for home. Having had enough of min- 
 ing life, Mr. Laughlin took passage on the steamer 
 " Oregon " for the Isthmus of Panama, which he 
 crossed, took steamer again for New Orleans, from 
 
 whicli city he came up the Mississippi River to 
 Keokuk, Iowa, thence by stage to the home of his 
 parents, which at that time was near Mt. Pleasant, 
 Henry Co., Iowa. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is a son of Jolin and 
 Marj' (Tucker) Laughlin. The father was born in 
 Randolph County, N. C, in 1808. Grandfather 
 James Laughlin was born in Ireland. Grandfather 
 Amos Tucker was a noted stockman in North 
 Carolina, where he was born. Great-grandfather 
 Tucker was a native of England. The parents of 
 our subject were married in North Carolina, where 
 the father was a prosperous farmer. Becoming 
 dissatisfied with his native State, he sold his posses- 
 sions and removed to Putnam County, Ind. There 
 he resided for about eighteen months, when he re- 
 moved to the prairies of Henry County, Iowa, set- 
 tling near Mt. Pleasant before the land had been 
 surveyed by the Government or put on the market. 
 During his later years he removed to Washington 
 Count}', Iowa, where he died in 1865, aged flft}-- 
 seven years. The mother died in December of 
 the same year, aged fifty-five years. Our subject 
 is the eldest of the family of eleven children, who 
 were named as follows: William J., our subject; 
 McKenzie G., Louisa, Nancj', Charity, John M., 
 Benjamin F., Ephraim D., Jesse, Thomas and Mary, 
 of which number the following only survive: Will- 
 iam J., Louisa, Benjamin F. and Ephraim D. 
 
 After his return from California, William J. 
 Laughlin remained on the farm with his father until 
 he was married to Miss Mary Coleman, Dec. 8, 1853. 
 This lady was born in Knox County, Ohio, where 
 she lived at home with her parents until she was a 
 young lady of seventeen, when, in the fall of 1850, 
 her parents removed with their entire family to 
 Iowa, settling near the town of Mt. Pleasant. Her 
 parents were Elic and Catherine (Beiler) Coleman. 
 The father was born in Connecticut, and the mother 
 in Maryland. Her mother was reared to woman- 
 hood in Knox County, Ohio, where she lived with 
 her parents, who were married in Ohio, and had a 
 family of two children when they removed to Knox 
 County. From there in 1850 they removed to 
 Henry County, Iowa, where they resided until 
 1861, when they joined our subject and his wife. 
 Her father died in 1873, aged sixty-nine }'ears,and 
 
 •►-it^ 
 
 H^h 
 
t. 
 
 •► i r^ 
 
 -•►HI 
 
 10-24 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 her mother died at Greeiirt'ood in 188i, seventy- 
 eight years old. 
 
 Tlie wife of our subject is one of a family of 
 eleven children, who are named as follows: Jane, 
 Matilda, Ebenezer, Mary, Lucy, William, John H., 
 Amy, Chalker, Amanda and Luther. The Cole- 
 man family originally came from England. The 
 great-grandparents settled in Connecticut in the 
 early Colonial days, and the great-grandfather, 
 Ebenezer, was a soldier in the War for Independ- 
 ence, in which he took no insignificant part. On 
 the maternal side, the Beilers were of German 
 blood, and came to America in Colonial times, set- 
 tling in Maryland. Grandfather Beiier died a 
 comparatively young man, and the lineage cannot 
 be traced any further. The wife of our subject re- 
 ceived her education in the common schools of 
 Ohio, and in the High School at Mt. Pleasant. Iowa. 
 After being graduated from the High School, she was 
 employed as a teacher in Henry County, Iowa, for 
 three years, and she was the first teacher in charge 
 of a public school in the western portion of Cass 
 County, IS'eb. 
 
 After his marriage our subject continued farming 
 in Henry County until 1 859, when he was again seized 
 with the gold fever, this time his destination being 
 Pike's Peak, Col. He, in companj' with several of 
 the leading citizens of Mt. Pleasant, among whom 
 was William Coleman, made preparations for and 
 began their journey to the land of gold. When 
 they had gone as far on their way as Salt Creek, 
 they met large numbers of disheartened men, who 
 were returning from the gold regions, and the re- 
 ports which these men gave were so discouraging 
 that the party westward bound determined to dis- 
 continue their journey. Mr. Laughlin became so 
 infatuated with the location and appearance of the 
 country in which they then were, that he laid claim 
 to 160 acres of land through a "squatter's right." 
 He dug a cellar and hewed his logs ready to be 
 built into a house. He also plowed sixteen acres 
 of the ground before he returned to his family in 
 Iowa. In the fall of 1859 he came back to his 
 claim with his family, with the avowed purpose of 
 making it his future home, and he has since made 
 it so. 
 
 The following spring Mr. Laughlin began the 
 
 improvements which have now reached such a per- 
 fect state, by setting out an extensive grove and 
 plowing the balance of his land. The house that 
 he built of logs has long since given way to a more 
 convenient and roomy residence. To enter into 
 all the details of the history pertaining to their 
 first year jn Nebraska would require a volume, and 
 would be but a repetition of thousands of other his- 
 tories, as contemporaneous with that of our sub- 
 ject. At that time their nearest post-office was 
 Plattsmouth, thirtj'-four miles away, and the near- 
 est railroad was at Ottumwa, Iowa. He has hunted 
 deer and antelope on the site occupied by the now 
 flourishing city of Lincoln. 
 
 Our subject, profiting by the experience of his 
 life with his father in the new country', worked 
 hard and with unbounded energi", having an abid- 
 ing faith in the future possibilities of his adopted 
 State. He devoted himself to the task of doing his 
 share toward the development of the country of bis 
 choice. He is always found to be generous, and 
 ready to lend substantial assistance to those who 
 stand in need. He is large-hearted and public- 
 spirited, and holds the welfare of the people in his 
 locality near to his heart. Himself and wife are 
 the parents of seven children: Oscar W., Mary 
 Catherine and Ebenezer G. were born in Iowa; 
 John C, Lucy Matilda, Benjamin F. and Nellie A. 
 were born in Nebraska. Lucy M. is deceased. The 
 entire family form an important factor in the social 
 life of the precinct. 
 
 Mr. Laughlin has filled many positions of trust 
 received at the hands of his neighbors, devoting a 
 good share of his public life to the educational in- 
 terests of the community. He has been a member 
 of the School Board for sixteen years, and assisted 
 in the organization of the first public school in Salt 
 Creek Precinct. The district embraced at that 
 time all of the precinct, the northern half of Green- 
 wood, and the western half of South Bend. He is 
 a member of Mt. Moriah Commander}' No. 4, K. T., 
 of Lincoln, Neb., and holds a prominent position in 
 Unity Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Greenwood. In 
 politics he is a Democrat, and was delegate to the 
 State Democratic Convention in 1884. He has 
 been a delegate to the various County Conventions 
 of his party, and has served as a member of the 
 
 •Mt^ 
 
>► I I <• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1025 ' * 
 
 4 
 
 County Central Committee, has been nominated 
 twice by liis party for the office of Representative, 
 once from Cass County and tlie second time from 
 Cass and Saunders Counties. Himself and wife are 
 consistent members of the Christian Church at 
 Greenwood. 
 
 The flue residence and buildings of Mr. Laughlin 
 are shown in a view on another page of tliis volume. 
 
 "rnV) '^'^^"^'^LL SPIRLOCK came to Cass 
 liJ// County in the opening 3' ears of his man- 
 hood, and cast in his lot with the early pio- 
 neers of Nebraska, and he has ever since 
 been a resident of Plattsmouth. He lias figured in 
 the civic life of the county, and has been identified 
 with its business interests. He now holds a clerk- 
 ship in the store of E. G. Dovey & Sons, where he 
 has been for over eleven years, which alone is suf- 
 ficient evidence of unusual faithfulness. His honor- 
 able and upright life has been an influence for 
 good in this community^ where he is held in the 
 highest respect and consideration. 
 
 Our subject was born in that part of Cabal 
 County now AVayne County, W. Va., June 28, 1835, 
 and is the eldest son of Weslej' and Mary A. 
 (Booton) Spurlock, of whom see sketch. He was 
 in his third 3'ear when his parents moved to Illinois, 
 and therefore has no recollection of the scenes of 
 his birth. He first attended school near Abingdon, 
 111., and later, when about twelve j-ears old, entered 
 the Cherrj^ Grove Presbyterian Seminary, and re- 
 mained a student for about two years. His faithful 
 parents carefully trained him to a useful and indus- 
 trious life, and earlj' instilled into his mind those 
 high principles of honor, justice and truth, which 
 have been the guides to a pure and conscientious life. 
 He made his home with his father until the removal 
 to Iowa, assisting in the improvement of the farm, 
 and doing all kinds of farm work in the days when 
 machinery did not play so important a part in 
 lightening the labors of the farmer, the cradle be- 
 ing then the most improved method of harvesting 
 the grain; splitting rails being his work in the 
 winter season. Soon after the family moved to 
 
 4* 
 
 Greenwood, he engaged as clerk for Sarpy & En- 
 glish, the former being a pioneer of Nebraska, for 
 whom Sarpy County (where he had charge of a sta- 
 tion of the American Fur Company, and was 
 engaged as an Indian trader) had been named. 
 He first agreed to work for the firm for a month. 
 All stores in those days had liquor for sale, and 
 the store in which he was employed was no ex- 
 ception. At the end of a month his employers 
 were so satisfied with his services that they wished 
 to engage him for a year. But, mindful of the in- 
 structions of his parents, who had taught him to ab- 
 hor the liquor traffic, he told them that he could 
 not work for them and sell liquor, and they readily 
 excused him from that duty. There was in that 
 vicinit}-, as in all new countries, the usual percent- 
 age of men only a step removed from barbarism, 
 who on the slightest pretext were read3' to reek 
 vengeance on the unfortunate offender. One of those 
 men of Belial came into the store one day where 
 3'oung Spurlock was clerk and called for whisky. 
 He took the man one side and told him he could 
 not sell him liquor, and the reason why. The man 
 said that was all right, and went awa3' expressing 
 his approval. A few da3-s later the same man came 
 in again and called for whisky, and when our sub- 
 ject refused to sell him an3', he cursed him and 
 said that he would cut his heart out. Mr. Spurlock 
 grabbed an ax that stood near him, as a means of 
 self defense, and emphatically told him that he 
 would chop him into mincemeat before he would 
 sell him a drop of whisky. Seeing that the 3'oung 
 clerk was not frightened b3' his threats he laughed 
 and said it was all a joke. In the fall of 1855 our 
 subject, wishing to improve his education, entered 
 the Iowa Wesle3-au Universit3'. There were no rail- 
 roads in Iowa at that time, and he was obliged to 
 go to his destination on the old stage coach, and 
 while on the road a terrific storm struck them, and 
 on account of the excessive rain and unusual flood 
 of the streams, a bridge gave way under the weight 
 of the stage coach, and he narrowl3^ escaped drown- 
 ing, but he managed to get out of the water and 
 the wreck, and assisted the driver in rescuing the 
 horses. After attending the university but a few 
 terms, he then came to the Territor3' of Nebraska, 
 arriving in Plattsmouth April 1, 1856. The city 
 
 ?^h 
 
•► ■ M» 
 
 a 
 
 1026 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 4 PI 
 
 had been platted previous to that time, and a specu- 
 lation in house lots ran high. There was then one 
 store here, kept in a log building by Messrs. 
 Slaughter & Vallerj% and they engaged the services 
 of our subject as clerk. He continued with them 
 until 1858, and during that time was Deputy Post- 
 master. The store then changed hands, and young 
 Spurlock was retained in the employ of his first 
 employers' successor for a time. He subsequently 
 engaged with Tuttle & Ilanna, who kept a large es- 
 tablishment, and did a large business during the 
 Pike's Peak excitement, selling supplies and mining 
 appliances to the emigrants. Those emigrants who 
 were eagerly pressing forward across the vast plains, 
 then known, as the "Great American Desert," in 
 search of gold in the rockj' barriers that rise on the 
 A¥estern horizon, were many of them a novel study 
 to the lover of liuman nature, and displaying as 
 they did so many varieties of it, ranging from 
 grave to gay; men of decision and determination, 
 men of weak and careless natures, and men of noble 
 characters, with those of vicious tendencies, travel- 
 ing side by side, all aiming for the same goal. On 
 many of the wagons was inscribed in large letters, 
 '■Pike's Peak or Bust." Alas! for the hopes of man. 
 It is unnecessary to say here that most of them 
 came back in a condition expressed bj' the last word 
 of the legend just referred to. 
 
 In 1861 Mr. Spurlock was elected County Clerk, 
 running as an independent candidate. His admin- 
 istration of the affairs pertaining to that office was 
 so eminent!}' satisfatory that he was afterward three 
 successive times unanimously nominated for the 
 position by Republican Conventions, and was three 
 times re-elected. After his fourth term expired he 
 refused to be a candidate again. Retiring from of- 
 fice, he engaged in the real-estate business with R. 
 B. Windham, for awhile, and then accepted a posi- 
 tion as clerk in the Burlington <fe Missouri River 
 land-offlce, and acted in that capacity until the office 
 was removed to Lincoln, a few montlis later. Clark 
 & Pluramer then secured his services as salesman 
 and book-keeper, and lie remained with them until 
 they sold out five years afterward. Our subject then 
 made a new move, and going to Falls City, en- 
 gaged in the real-estate business for one year. Then 
 Plattsmouth .again became his home, and he ob- 
 
 tained a situation as clerk in Dovey's establish- 
 ment, and has remained there ever since. 
 
 Mr. Spurlock was married, Nov. 1. 1860, to Miss 
 Isabella Smiley Davis, and their union has been 
 blessed by the birth of one son, George M., to 
 whom they are giving every advantage to obtain a 
 good education, and he is now a student at the De- 
 Pauw University. Mrs. Spurlock was born in An- 
 drew Count}^, Mo., and is a daughter of the late 
 William H. Davis, a well-known pioneer of Cass 
 County, who was prominent in public life here in 
 the early days of the settlement of the county. He 
 was born in Tennessee, and was a son of Wade II. 
 Davis, a native of South Carolina. The latter went 
 to Tennessee when he was a young man, and from 
 there to Missouri, and was a pioneer of Andrew 
 County, where he entered a tract of Government 
 land and carried on farming there until he died. 
 The father of Mrs. Spurlock moved from Ten- 
 nessee to Illinois when a young man, and married, 
 in Fulton Couuty, tliat State, Sarah Elizabeth Wind- 
 ham, a native of Virginia, and a daughter of Kin- 
 chen and Betsy (Barnes) Windham. Mr. Davis 
 moved from Illinois to Andrew County, Mo., and 
 he being quite well educated for these times, taught 
 scliool there and served as Justice of the Peace. He 
 was opposed to slaverv and was in favor of the free- 
 soil system, consequentl_y Missouri became rather 
 too warm a place for him, and he returned to Illi- 
 nois about 1848. He bought a farm in Vermont 
 Township, Fulton County, and lived there until 
 18.52, when he sold the farm and once .again crossed 
 the Mississippi to find a home in the West. He 
 went up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to St. 
 Joseph, Mo., and from there with teams to Glen- 
 wood, Iowa. .Soon after settling there he was ap- 
 pointed Sheriff, and when the term expired, was re- 
 elected to that position. He built a home in the 
 village for himself and family. In 18.53 he visited 
 Nebraska with others, while it was still held by the 
 Indians, their titles not having been abrogated, and 
 he and his friends paid the savages $100 to let them 
 select lands for themselves. In 1824 Mr. Davis and 
 his family crossed the border and spent a few months 
 on his claim in Rock Creek, five miles west of the 
 present site of Plattsmoutli. In order to secure a 
 good title to tlie land, he had built a log cabin 
 
t. 
 
 •►-II-4*- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ■•»» 
 
 1027 
 
 on the place, in which his family lived. During 
 that year the stage line was established by his 
 place, and he was appointed Postmaster of the post- 
 office, that was established at that time in his house. 
 The land had not been surveyed when he settled on 
 it, and he joined the Claim Club Association, and 
 was made Secretary of it. He assisted in the or- 
 ganization of the county, and was the first County 
 Clerk. In 1862 he moved to Marysville, Mo., and 
 resided there until his death, July 12, 1875, his wife 
 dying two years later, Aug. 4, 1877. They were 
 both prominent members of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church for many j^ears. Mr. and Mrs. Spur- 
 lock are also identified with that church, being 
 among the leading members of that denomination 
 in Plattsmouth, Mr. Spurlock having assisted in 
 organizing the society, and been active in building 
 up the church, and has for over twenty-five years 
 been Recording Steward. In politics he was one of 
 the organizers of the Republican party in Cass 
 County and the State, and has ever since been a 
 stanch supporter of the same. 
 
 <| l|feESLEY A. DAVIS is a level-headed, elear- 
 \/jJ// thinking farmer, one of the first settlers of 
 \y^ Cass County, residing on a well-improved 
 farm on section 31, Mt. Pleasant Precinct. He may 
 well lay claim to the appellation of pioneer, for he 
 has been a resident of the State since 1856, when he 
 came with his parents and settled in what is now 
 known as Liberty Precinct, where his father had 
 purchased 160 acres of wild land. At that time it 
 contained a rude log cabin and a small field of 
 plowed land, which amounted to but little value. 
 At that time neighbors were so few that there was 
 but one house between their home and Platts- 
 mouth. 
 
 Our subject was born in Yadkin County, N. C, 
 June 16, 1851. He is the son of Ruel R. and 
 Biddy Davis. The parents were both natives of 
 North Carolina. The father died in 1861; the 
 mother is still living in Weeping Water Precinct. 
 Mr. Davis is one of a family of nine children: 
 Stephen A., who resides in Plattsmouth; Or- 
 lando J., who resides in Otoe County, as does 
 
 ■» I I <• 
 
 Brantley II., Wesley A.; William R. resides in 
 Avoca Pi-ecinct; Julia A. is now the wife of 
 William Jamison, and resides in Weeping Water; 
 John H. was born Nov. 3, 1857, and now resides 
 in Mt. Pleasant Precinct. It is claimed that lie 
 was one of the first white children born within the 
 limits of Cass County. The children deceased 
 were named Eunice and Joseph. 
 
 The subject of this sketch has always lived on 
 a farm, amid the stirring scenes incident to the de- 
 velopment of a new country, and by the death of 
 his father, when he was but thirteen years of age, 
 he was thrown upon his own resources, and was 
 obliged to render all the assistance possible to the 
 other members of the family. He assisted one 
 of his brothers in working a farm which he had 
 rented, and also worked for neighboring farmers 
 whenever occasion offered. It was owing to this 
 mode of life that he was deprived of the oppor- 
 tunity for acquiring an education by attending 
 school. But he has studied and read all available 
 books and papers, and closely observed events as 
 they occurred, until he now possesses a large fund 
 of practical knowledge, the greater portion of 
 which has been learned in that best of all schools — 
 experience. 
 
 The subject of our sketch and Alice Harmon 
 were married Dec. 19, 1876, in Mills County, 
 Iowa, where the lady was born Sept. 18, 1859. She 
 is the daughter of Francis M. and INIinerva Har- 
 mon. Both parents were natives of Indiana, and 
 settled in Mills County in 1856. Her fatiier was in 
 the army during the late war; he was wounded at 
 the battle of Shiloh, and which resulted in his death. 
 Her mother is now the wife of Joshua Boyd; 
 she resides in Washington Territory. The parents 
 of the Lady had a family of three children; her 
 brother Fielding resides in Washington Territory; 
 Alice is the wife of our subject, and Mary E., now 
 the wife of William R. Davis, resides in Avoca 
 Precinct. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have one adopted 
 child — Lulu M. 
 
 After his marriage our subject resided in Rock 
 Bluff Precinct for four years. He then removed 
 to Liberty Precinct, where he lived a short time; 
 in the summer of 1883 he settled in his present 
 home, where he owns 120 acres of land, which he 
 
 r 
 
a 
 
 1028 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •^1::^ 
 
 has very highly improved, by the erection of a 
 neat and pleasant dwelling-house, which is com- 
 fortably furnished throughout, conveniently ar- 
 ranged barns and other out-buildings for the care 
 and protection of his stock and crops. The farm 
 is divided into conveniently sized fields by perman- 
 ent wire fences and well-cared-for hedges. The 
 farm presents a picture of industry and untiring 
 zeal; a fine orchard and groves of trees add beauty 
 and value as well. 
 
 Mrs. Davis, the wife of our subject, came 
 with her mother to Cass County and settled in 
 Eock Bluff Precinet, where she lived up to the 
 time of her marriage with Mr. Davis. Mrs. Davis 
 is an active and consistent member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church; they take a lively interest in all 
 matters pertaining to the best interests of the i^eople 
 among whom they live. They occupy a prominent 
 position in the social life of the communitj^ and are 
 honored and respected. In political matters he is a 
 Democrat, and takes great interest in the success of 
 his party. He has served as School Treasurer in 
 Mt. Pleasant District four years. He is a leading 
 member of the I. O. O. F., belonging to the Lodge 
 at Weeping Water. He never has sought and does 
 not care for political or public preferment. 
 
 ARON L. VAN DOREN, a noted and snc- 
 S^/Lj] cessful breeder of English Sliire and Cleve- 
 1!* land Bay horses, resides in Salt Creek 
 Precinct, where he owns a valuable, highly 
 improved farm of 245 acres of land, on which he set- 
 tled when he came to Nebraska in 1 880. The gentle- 
 man was born in Chester, Morris Co., N. J., on the 
 8th of March, 1842. He lived in his native 
 place until he was a lad fourteen years of age, 
 wiien he migrated with his parents to Mills County, 
 Iowa. In the years prior to their leaving New 
 Jersey lie attended tlie excellent schools of New- 
 ark, in that State, consequently lie had a good 
 educational training when they went to Iowa. 
 There, however, the advantages were meager, and 
 presented a striking contrast to the schools in the 
 East. Their first residence in Iowa was in the 
 typical log house, built not for beaut}-, but for~com- 
 
 fort and shelter, and it can be truly said that the log 
 cabins of our country have been the homes and 
 birthplace of many of the brightest intellects and 
 noblest lives that have come to this world on which 
 we live. 
 
 The fatlier of our subject died when his son was 
 only fourteen years of age, leaving the mother and 
 our subject, with his brothers John and George, at 
 home in charge of the farm. John died in 1859, 
 leaving the two surviving brothers to care for the 
 mother and the farm. The father was a verj' ener- 
 getic, pushing man, and his sons inherited from 
 hinc that very desirable quality. The two sons 
 continued on the farm with their raotiier until the 
 opening of the late Civil War, when, in response to 
 President Lincoln's first call for 300,000 men, our 
 subject enlisted for three years, or during the war, 
 at Sidney, Iowa, Aug. 27, 1861. He, with his com- 
 rades, went to Davenport to Camp McClellan, and 
 then to Camp Harland, at Mt. Pleasant, where they 
 were drilled and instructed in the science of war. 
 Leaving Camp McClellan they departed for the 
 seat of war in the South, by the way of St. Louis. 
 The remainder of their military education was ob- 
 tained by actual experience under Confederate fire. 
 
 The command of which our subject was a mem- 
 ber took an active part in the battles of Springfield 
 and Pea Ridge, Mo., where the 4th Iowa Cavalry 
 did effective service. Our subject was a member 
 of Comp.any A, of this regiment. Beginning with 
 the Missouri campaign, the regiment was actively 
 and continuously employed, and was present and 
 took part in the engagements at Helena, Ark., 
 Grenada, Jackson, Guntown and Osage, Miss., 
 finding themselves at last a part of Grant's army 
 around Vicksburg. His brother George was killed 
 near our subject, being the third man from him, in 
 the same rank. In this engagement eight com- 
 panions of our subject were killed and nine wounded 
 inside of twenty minutes. During the siege of 
 Vicksburg our subject re-enlisted as a veteran in 
 Company A, 4th Iowa Cavalry, when he was granted 
 a furlough of thirty days, which gave him an op- 
 portunity to visit his home and friends. At the 
 ^piration of his leave of absence he rejoined his 
 regiment at Memphis, Tenn. 
 
 After rejoining his regiment our suViject accom- 
 
 »► 
 
-^•- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1029 
 
 paiiied it, and participated in the engagements 
 at the Big Blue and Montieello. Mo., Selma, Ala., 
 and Columbus, Ga., besides taking part in many 
 skirmishes, reconnoiteringand foraging expeditions. 
 Tliej' were at Macon, Ga., wlien Lee surrendered to 
 Gen. Grant at Appomattox Court House. They then 
 went to Atlanta, Ga., when they were sent to Dav- 
 enport, Iowa, where they were mustered out, and 
 honorably discharged Aug. 24, 1865. At Vicks- 
 burg he was made a Corporal, and in 1864, at 
 Louisville, he was promoted to Duty Sergeant, in 
 which capacity he served until the close of the war. 
 During his entire term of service, covering a period 
 of four years, he never missed a roll call. Our 
 subject and his comrade, Jacob Barnett, had the 
 best records of any members of the regiment, and 
 the commanding oflScer not wishing to make any 
 distinction between the two, who were equal in 
 every respect, granted them both a duty furlough 
 of forty days, as a reward for duties well and faith- 
 fully performed. In 1865 he returned home and 
 began farming. 
 
 In July, 1866, Mr. Van Doren and Miss Saraii F,. 
 Hill were married. The lady is a daughter of Ed- 
 mund and Harriet (More}') Hill. The father 
 of this lady was born in Ohio, and the mother in 
 Maine. The parents went to Henry County, Iowa, 
 in 1844, and there lived for a period of eighteen 
 3'ears, when they removed to Mills County, Iowa. 
 Her father was a wagon-maker, and by his industry 
 he became the owner of a farm in Mills Countj', 
 Iowa. In the years 1854-57 he visited the gold 
 mines in California, and then returned to his family 
 in Iowa. His sons, who are living in that State, 
 continued to wriie him such flattering letters, and 
 described the country in such glowing terms, that 
 they induced their father, at his advanced age, to 
 sell his home in Mills County and remove to Cali- 
 fornia, which he did in 1874, and lived there until 
 his death, which occurred Dec. 6, 1887, when he 
 was sixty-eight years old. The mother is still liv- 
 ing, at Cedarville, Cal., aged sixty-nine years. 
 
 Mrs. Van Doren is the second eldest in a family 
 of seven children, her brother Daniel E. being older; 
 and George F., Alvin (who died when one year 
 old). Nellie A., Charley (who died when four years 
 old), and ICva M. are younger. Sarah E. was born 
 
 in Henry County, Iowa, where she lived with her 
 parents until she was sixteen years old, when she 
 went with them to Mills County, Iowa. At the 
 age of seventeen she began teaching school, which 
 she continued for three years. After her mar- 
 riage she lived with her husband in Mills County, 
 Iowa, until they came to Nebraska in 1880. 
 
 The father of our subject, William Van Doren, 
 was born in New Jersey, where he was a farmer. 
 He moved to Mills County, Iowa, in 1855, settling 
 near Emerson, where he prfispered and owned a 
 large and valuable farm. He became widely known 
 as an excellent judge of cattle and horses. He 
 died on his homestead in 1856, aged fifty-four 
 years. The mother, Perthenia (Drake) Van Doren, 
 was also a native of New Jerse}' ; she was married 
 twice, and one child was the result of her first union, 
 named James A. Lusk, now an esteemed citizen 
 and farmer of Logan, Harrison Co., Iowa. Eight 
 children were born to her after her second mar- 
 riage, who were named : Ann Maria, Nancy J., 
 Caroline, William, Mary E., George W., John (now 
 dead), and our subject, Aaron L. George was mar- 
 ried, became the father of a son, and is now dead; 
 Ann M. resides at Alexander, Dak.; Nancy resides 
 in Lawrence, Mills Co.. Iowa; Caroline resides in 
 Topeka, Mason Co., 111. ; AVilliam resides in Mal- 
 vern, Iowa; Mary E. is the wife of William J. 
 Baldwin, for a sketch of whose life see another 
 page of this volume. After her husband's death, 
 the mother lived on the old homestead, where she 
 died in 1886. eighty-five j'ears old. The Van 
 Doren homestead is now owued jointly by the heirs, 
 but all of them have homes of their own, so none of 
 the family live there. 
 
 The paternal grandparents of our subject came 
 to America from Holland, and settled in New 
 Jersey in the early Colonial times. The mother's 
 people came from England at a very early date, 
 and settled in New Jersey. 
 
 A family of six children have been born to our 
 subject and his wife, named : Edgar W. ; Flora, who 
 died aged three months; Frank H., Freddie L., 
 Nellie M. and Raymond. His wife is a lady of 
 culture and refinement; kind and hospitable, she 
 takes and holds one of the first places in the social 
 life of the precinct. Coming to the West as she 
 
 »► I I <• 
 
 H^K 
 
»► ir ^ 
 
 1030 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 i 
 
 did at an early age, the toils, privations and dan- 
 gers of pioneer life are not strange to her, she hav- 
 ing borne unflinchingly her full share as a dutiful 
 daugliter and faithful wife, and she has richly 
 earned the life uf competence and ease which is 
 now her portion. 
 
 Mr. Van Doren is a gentleman who presents an 
 ideal of manly beauty and strength ; he is rather 
 above the medium stature, well and strongly built, 
 a frame closely knit, with sinewj' muscles, he has 
 all the attributes that make him a man of extra- 
 ordinary ph3'sical power. He is a man of great 
 force of character, and makes his individuality felt 
 and recognized bj- all. His career as a soldier is 
 one of which he may be exceedingly proud. There 
 may have been others who possessed one equally as 
 good, but no one surpasses him in that respect. 
 Bearing all the privations, discharging ever^- duty, 
 however dangerous, unflinchingly, seeing his only 
 brother shot down at his side, and exposing his ovvn 
 life to the same fate, show him to be a man of 
 courage and resolution. In tracing his ancestry 
 back to the early days of our country, no flaw or 
 stain can be found attaching to any of the name, 
 but each one faithfully discharged every duty of 
 patriotism and honor devolving upon them. 
 
 The love of horses exhibited by our subject is in- 
 herited from his father, and he has cultivated it from 
 his earliest childhood. The horse was an object of 
 great delight to him in his early years, and in his 
 later life and during the time of the Rebellion he 
 held constant companionship with the graceful 
 members of the equine tribe, and it is therefore no 
 wonder that in his years of mature manhood he 
 should engage in a business having for its purpose 
 the breeding and development of the most noble 
 animal of creation. Such has been his experience, 
 the result of study and observation, that his judg- 
 ment in all matters relating to stock-raising is ac- 
 cepted by his neighbors without question, it being 
 proverbial, and the farm which he has devoted to 
 this purpose presents to the eye of the observer a 
 placeperfect in all its details, designed especially 
 for the comfort and accommodation of the many 
 flne specimens of the horse — the property of our 
 subject. His farm is well improved by substantial 
 fences, large and conveniently arranged barns, and 
 
 a commodious, well-furnished dwelling-house, a 
 choice orchard, and numerous groves and numbers 
 of ornamental trees. A large supply of pure water 
 is available, made convenient to the barns and 
 dwelling by a system of piping from a large tank, 
 filled by a pump operated liy a large windmill. A 
 vievv of the place is shown on another page of this 
 work. 
 
 Our sul)ject is Junior Vice-Commander of the 
 G. A. R. Post at Greenwood, and is Past Chancel- 
 lor of the Knights of Pythias. He is a School 
 Director of District No. 81, and is now serving his 
 third term. In politics he is a strict Republican, 
 and takes a lively interest in the success of that 
 party. 
 
 ji^^RED WEHRBEIN is one of the leading 
 \rr^^ farmers of Plattsmouth Township, and his 
 Ji, ^ highly productive farm, one of the most 
 valuable estates in this locality, is sufficient evi- 
 dence that he has met with more than ordinary 
 success in his chosen calling. He comes of an an- 
 cient German family', and is a son of Frederic 
 Wehrbein, who was born in Lippe-Detmold, Ger- 
 many, and was there united in marriage to Amalia 
 Goedike. There were eight children born unto 
 them, namely: Wilhelmina, Amalia, Charlotte, 
 Dorothea, Frederic (who died in infancy), out sub- 
 ject, "William and Gustine; the latter is deceased. 
 In 1855 Mr. Wehrbein emigrated to the United 
 States with his famil3', and located in Jefferson 
 Count}', AVis., where he was prosperousl}' engaged 
 in farming for some j-ears. In 1868 he removed 
 to Nebraska with his wife and children, and made 
 his home here until his death, his wife also dying 
 here. He was a capalile. self-reliant man, and 
 while acquiring a competencj- contributed to the 
 material welfare of Cass County. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in the home 
 of his fathers in far-away Germanj', June 14, 1848, 
 and but seven years had passed over his head when 
 he left the Fatherland with his jjarents and came to 
 the United States, of which he was to become a use- 
 ful citizen after attaining manhood. He continued 
 to live with his parents until his marriage. He 
 first purchased eighty acres of land on section 18, 
 
^ 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 «4« 
 
 1033 
 
 Plattsnioiith Precinct, now included in his pres- 
 ent farm, and the good success that he liad in man- 
 aging it enabled him to buy more land, until he is 
 now the possessor of as fine a farm as is to be found 
 in Cass County, comprising 227 acres in all. It is un- 
 der good tillage, and is amply supplied with every- 
 thing necessary for carr3'ing on agriculture after the 
 most approved methods. Mr. Wehrbein lias erected 
 a conveniently arranged, substantial dwelling, corn 
 cribs and other necessary out-buildings, and every- 
 thing about tlie place wears an air of neatness and 
 thrift. 
 
 To the wife who presides over his pleasant home 
 Mr. Wehrbein was united in marriage in this 
 county, in January, 1873. Her maiden name was 
 Margaret Hagel, and she is also a German bj'' birth. 
 Mrs. Wehrbein's parents, Anton and Theresa 
 (Schoeule) Hagel, were likewise natives of Germany, 
 who emigrated to this country and spent their last 
 years in Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Wehrbein have 
 five children living, namely: Ida, Emma, Marj', 
 John and William. Frederic, their eldest child, 
 died at the age of nine months. 
 
 Mr. Wehrbein is a manly, upright man, of good 
 financial ability, and prompt and methodical in his 
 business habits. In him the Presbyterian Church 
 finds a useful and earnest member. Mrs. Wehrbein 
 is a much esteemed lady, was reared in the Catholic 
 Church, and has remained true to the faith of her 
 forefathers. Politically, Mr. W. is a Democrat. 
 
 « IfelLLIAM HENRY SHAFER is distin- 
 *Aj* guished in the annals of Cass County as 
 WW being the second oldest settler in point of 
 settlement, and to him and men of like energ3', en- 
 terprise and ability, does it owe its present impor- 
 tance and prosperity. He took up his residence in 
 Plattsmouth in 1854, when there was scarcely an- 
 other habitation for miles around, shrewdly 
 noting its eligible position for a town site, and it is 
 with pleasure that he has witnessed the various 
 stages of its growth from the wild, lonely prairie, 
 and then a struggling village, to its present size 
 and importance as the metropolis of one of the finest 
 counties and richest farming regions in the State, 
 
 •►^^^:'»— 
 
 and it must be to him a source of satisfaction that 
 he has had a hand in bringing about this marvelous 
 change. lie is extensively engaged in the real-estate 
 business in this city, aside from devoting much 
 time to looking after his private interests, as he has a 
 large amount of property, and at one time owned 
 1,000 acres of land in Cass County, besides 1,500 
 acres in other parts of Nebraska and Iowa. 
 
 The subje3t of this biographical notice was born 
 in Pendleton County, K}^,and his father, Frederic 
 Shafer, was likewise born in that State, Harrison 
 County being the place of his birth. His father, 
 Henry Shafer, was a native of Pennsjdvania, and 
 was there reared and married. His first wife died 
 there, and he married a second time, the gr.and- 
 mother of our subject being his second wife. After 
 his second marriage he resided in Mercer County, 
 his native State, until his removal to Kentucky 
 with several other families. They made the journey 
 from Pittsburgh down the Ohio River in a flatboat. 
 The country through which they passed presented 
 a very different appearance from what it does to-day, 
 the picturesque banks of the stream being thickly 
 wooded with tall, centuries-old trees. But in the 
 depths of the primeval forest lurked the implacable 
 enemy of the earl}- settlers, the Indian, and once on 
 the waj' they were attacked bj^ the hostile aborigines, 
 but all escaped unharmed. The grandfather of our 
 subject took up a tract of heavilj' timbered land in 
 Harrison County, after his arrrival in Kentucky, 
 and cast in his lot with the pioneers of that State. 
 The land had never been surveyed, and he marked 
 the boundaries of his claim by blazing trees. The 
 Indians being numerous, the settlers were obliged 
 to build a fort, to which they could flee on occasion 
 of hostile demonstrations from them. The men 
 had frequently to go out on scouting expeditions, 
 and Mr. Shafer was with Poe on one of these when 
 Mr. Poe killed the Indian thief, Big Foot. There 
 WBre no markets in that part of the country for 
 farm products for some years, and the people lived 
 in the most primitive manner. The grandmother 
 of our subject used to spin, weave, and make up 
 all the cloth used in the family, and the skins of 
 wild animals were utilized to make clothing. After 
 several years of hard labor, and the p.atient endur- 
 ance of hardships, Mr. Sliafer cleared a fine farm, 
 
 i 
 
 ■•►^h 
 
•^^fMt 
 
 ^^k 
 
 1034 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 t 
 
 which remained his heme until death claimed him. 
 His wife then n moved to Illinois with her ecu John, 
 and died at his home in Vermilion Countj'. She 
 was the mother of nine children, of whom the father 
 of our subject was one. 
 
 The latter was reared in Harrison County, but af- 
 ter marriage he moved to Pendleton County, in the 
 same State, and bought timbered land, from which 
 he cleared a farm. He built a log house for a 
 dwelling, and in that humble abode his son, of 
 whom we write, first opened his eyes to the light of 
 day. The father engaged in general farming there 
 for several years, then took up his residence in Gal- 
 latin County, where he bought a partially improved 
 farm. In 1836, seven years later, we tind him 
 among the pioneers of Decatur County, lud., where 
 he purchased a tract of land, which he cultivated 
 during his six years' residence there. After that 
 he spent eight years iu Tipton County, and then 
 he found a home in Nebraska with his son, our sub- 
 ject, until his death, Oct. 3, 1867, at the ad- 
 vanced age of seventy-eight. The maiden name of 
 his wife was Sarah Jones, and she was a daughter 
 of Joshua Jones, of Pennsylvania. She was born 
 in Harrison County, Ky., and died at the home of 
 a daughter in Cass County, this State, April 5, 186.5. 
 She and her husband were the parents of the fol- 
 lowing children: Seth, Milton, Thomas, William 
 H., Joshua and Harriet. 
 
 William Shafer was four j'ears old when his 
 parents moved to Gallatin County, and about 
 twelve years old when they crossed the border 
 to take up their abode in Indiana, the removal be- 
 ing made with wagons. The home that his father 
 selected comprised a tract of land in the wil- 
 derness, and tliere our subject was reared amid 
 the pioneer influences that often serve to bring out 
 strength of character and manly self-reliance. The 
 household lived in the most simple manner, lux- 
 uries being almost unattainable; the mother did all 
 her cooking before the lire in the rude fireplace, 
 and it was her skillful hands that made all the 
 clothing for her family. Our subject made his home 
 with his parents until he was about twenty j'ears 
 of age. although he had previously worked out by 
 the day or month, receiving for wages fifty cents 
 a day in harvest seasons and SB a month at 
 
 other seasons of the year. At the age mentioned 
 he went to Switzerland County, Ind., with two of 
 his brothers, and they rented land and engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits for two years at that point. 
 Our subject then married, and after that rented 
 land and farmed it on its own account for three 
 years. We next hear of. him in Tipton Countj^, 
 where lie invested the money that he had accumu- 
 lated in a 1 00-acre tract of timbered land, at 
 $2 an acre. He built a primitive log struct- 
 ure, with an earth and stick chimney at one 
 end of it, and in that house he and his wife took up 
 their abode. Pioneer conditions still obtained in 
 that part of the country, from which the primeval 
 forests had not yet been eliminated b3^ the ax of 
 the settler; nor had the wild turkeys, deer, wolves 
 and other wild animals fled before the advancing 
 steps of civilization, but venison and the delicious 
 meat of the wild turkey often set forth the table 
 of the settler. Mr. Shafer cleared and cultivated 
 twenty-five acres of his land, and made his home on 
 it until 1854. In the spring of that year he sold his 
 land, and migrating with his family to Iowa, pur- 
 chased a tract of timbered land, comprising 500 
 acres, near Glenwood. opposite Plattsmouth, and 
 there resided from ]May 25 until November 19. 
 His removal to that place had been by rail to Madi- 
 son, Ind., where he had embarked on a steamer for 
 Bethlehem, Iowa, traveling on the waters of the 
 Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. He paid his 
 first visit to Nebraska April 25 of that year, and 
 pre-empted the land whei-ehenow lives, which now 
 forms a part of the city. May 19 he erected a log 
 house on the place, with a stick and mud chimney, 
 and a few months later moved into it with his fam- 
 ily. At that time there were but two houses in 
 Plattsmouth, and the Indian titles had not been 
 quieted, but after the ratification of the treaties, the 
 Government sold the land for $1.25 an acre. In 1855 
 Plattsmouth was survej-ed, and Mr. Shafer assisted 
 in the first surve}' by carrying the chain. Two men 
 named Martin and O'Neill had kept a store on the op- 
 posite side of the river, and had later become the pro- 
 prietors of the town site, and had platted the citj-. 
 They both died here. In 1855 a post-office was 
 established here, it being kept in a log building 
 that was for some years used for a store, and the 
 :. c^ 
 
■^►Hl 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1035 
 
 mail pame once a week from Glen wood, Iowa. 
 After settling here Mr. Shafer turned his attention 
 to the improvement of his land, a part of which 
 was open prairie and a part of it covered with 
 brush. In August, 1850, he commenced freighting 
 across the plains to Denver, starting with two 
 wagons laden with flour, with three yokes of oxen 
 to each wagon. Two men accompanied him, and 
 they took provisions and cooked and camped by 
 the way. The Indians were at that time peaceable 
 and friendly, and did not attempt to molest them. 
 Buffaloes, deer, antelopes and other wild game were 
 plentiful and were seen nearly every day. It took 
 three months to make the round trip to and from 
 Denver, and each 3'ear after that he made two trips 
 across the plains until 1868, and then made trips 
 from Julesburg to Denver. During that year he 
 also made two trips from Denver to Ft. Wallace, 
 Kan., a distance of 160 miles, for the purpose 
 of teaming lumber, and during the time he 
 killed several buffaloes. The Indians were then 
 hostile, but he fortunately never happened to en- 
 counter them. In 1879 Mr. Shafer freighted from 
 Denver to the Upper North Platte, and also for the 
 contractors on the Union Pacific Railroad, be- 
 tween the Upper North Platte and Echo Canyon, 
 and from Bayant City to Salt Lake City. In the 
 fall of the year he disposed of his team at a good 
 price, and returned to his home in Plattsmouth, and 
 establislied himself in the real-estate business. In 
 the spring of 1876 lie concluded to resume freight- 
 ing, and started for Sidney, Neb., with three wag- 
 ons and seven yokes of oxen, and there loaded 
 freight for the Black Hills. It took six weeks to 
 make the round trip between Sidney and Deadwood, 
 and the cost of freighting articles to the latter 
 point was from two and one-half cents to three cents 
 a pound. Mr. Shafer continued freighting be- 
 tween those points for three years, and then he 
 went upon the route between Ft. Pierce and Dead- 
 wood for two years, July 12, 1881, he sold his 
 "teams at -Ft. Pierce, and returned home, In 1882 
 he set about the improvement of his real estate by 
 building, and during that year he erected seventeen 
 dwellings and a blacksmith-shop, thus giving Platts- 
 mouth's building interests quite a boom. In 1882 
 he formed a partnership with AVilliam Wise, and 
 
 they became agents for the Union Pacific Railroad 
 for the sale of that company's Cheyenne lands. At 
 the end of one season they dissolved partnership, 
 and our subject has been dealing in real estate 
 alone since that time. His is a busy, active life, 
 and has been fraught with much adventure. He 
 has accom]^)lished much where a less determined 
 and energetic man would have failed, and is now 
 numbered among the substantial and wealth}- men 
 of this community. 
 
 Mr. Shafer was married, May 30, 1846, to Eliz- 
 abeth Gullion,a native of Switzerland County, Ind., 
 Dec. 14, 1826, being the date of her birth. Her 
 parents, John and Elizabeth (Scudder) GuUion, 
 were also natives of Indiana. Dec. 22, 1872, 
 this devoted wife and tender mother was removed 
 from the cares and sorrows of earth, and many 
 there were to share the grief of the family tlius left 
 desolate. To her and her husband twelve children 
 had been born, seven of whom are living — John F'., 
 Melissa J., Missouri A. , Sarah C, Zilva, Hattie and 
 Ida. In early manhood Mr. Schafer was a Whig, 
 and he cast his first vote for Henry Clay. On the 
 formation of the Republican party he fell into its 
 ranks, and has firmly supported its measures ever 
 since. 
 
 Portraits of this noble old pioneer and liis equally 
 noble wife, who had witnessed and participated in 
 tlie growth of the city of Plattsmouth from its 
 primitive state of open prairie to its present flour- 
 ishing condition, are given herewith. 
 
 •"•' I ' ^ ' M'^ * ! '*"' 
 
 :*='?REDERIC GORDER is one of the leading 
 
 PJ) citizens of the city of Plattsmouth, standing 
 in the foremost ranks of its energetic and 
 enterprising business men, and taking a prominent 
 part in its civic life. He was born in Lippe-Det- 
 mold, German}', in 1838, and liis father, August 
 Gorder, was likewise a native of the same locality. 
 He was a shoemaker b}' trade, and followed that 
 calling in the old country for some years, after- 
 ward, however, engaging in farming. In 1853 he 
 embarked for America with his wife and six chil- 
 dren, setting sail from Bremen in Marcli, landing 
 in New York City the following May. He wtMiito 
 
 ■•►-Ih 
 
•►-Hl^ 
 
 ♦^H^ 
 
 1036 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^; 
 
 Jeflfei'son Coiintj', Wis., and worked at his tinde of 
 shoemaker there for two j-ears. After that he 
 bought a tract of improved land in Watertown 
 Township, and for several j'ears was prosperously 
 engaged in farming. He subsequently retired with 
 a comfortable competence to the town of Water- 
 town, and there passed his last years, dying in 1880. 
 He and his wife were higiily respected by all who 
 knew them for their many good traits of character. 
 The children born to him and his wife were as fol- 
 lows: Frederic, Henrietta, August, William, Mena 
 and Sophia. 
 
 The subject of our sketch attended school in his 
 native countrj'. and acquired a substantial educa- 
 tion. He was fifteen years of age when he accom- 
 jjanied his parents to the United States, and he 
 began life here by working on a farm at |5 a 
 month. After his father bought a farm he resided 
 with his parents until marriage, and assisted in the 
 management of the homestead, thus gaining a 
 sound, practical knowledge of agriculture. Feb. 
 14. 1862, Mr. Gorder established a home of his 
 own, and to the young lady, Miss Charlotte Wehr- 
 bein, whom lie asked to preside over it, he was 
 united in marriage. Six children have been born 
 unto them, namely: Emma, Fred, Annie, August, 
 Louisa and John. 
 
 At the time of his mairiage Mr. Gorder bought 
 120 acres of imi)roved land in Waterloo Town- 
 ship, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits 
 with good success until 18G8, when he sold all of 
 his proi)erty in Wisconsin, having decided to try 
 liis fortunes in the young State of Nebraska. He 
 came to Plattsmouth and bought a farm in this 
 precinct, which he managed with profit for Ave 
 years. At the expiration of that time he re- 
 moved into town and engaged in buying grain, 
 continuing in that business the greater part of the 
 time until 1887, and for the past eight years he has 
 also been engaged in the sale of farm implements. 
 He still carries on that business, and has built up a 
 large trade. When the Plattsmouth canning fac- 
 tory was established Mr. Gorder became a stock- 
 holder and director in the company, and in 1888 
 he was appointed manager and secretary. 
 
 Mr. Gorder is a fine example of the self-made 
 men of this country who, solelj' bj- their honorable 
 
 ambition, ])ersistence and industry, have placed 
 themselves among the most substantial and wealtliy 
 citizens of the localities where they reside. He is 
 a man whose genuine honesty, capacitj' for affairs, 
 and unblemished characters, have been instrumental 
 in raising him to responsible offices, as in him his 
 fellow-citizens saw one whom they could trust to 
 serve them faithfully, and, it is needless to add, 
 their confidence has never been betrayed. Mr. 
 Gorder is a stockholder in the Cass County Bank, 
 and he is prominently identified with the local 
 Board of Trade, having been a charter member. He 
 has been a member t f the City Council, and is at 
 present a member of the Board of Public Works. 
 He is independent in politics, voting for the men 
 whom he thinks to be best fitted for office, and sus- 
 taining such measures as in his judgment are for 
 the best interests of the countrj', regardless of the 
 party from which thej' may have emanated. He 
 and his family are among the most active members 
 of the German Presbyterian Church. 
 
 ^., RCHIBALD McFALL, who is profitably 
 Ig^Jyli engaged in agricultural pursuits on section 
 s 13 of Stove Creek Precinct, h.as been in 
 Nebraska only a few years, but during his 
 residence here he has gained the respect and confi- 
 dence of the community b}- his upright dealings 
 and fair business transactions. He was born in the 
 Province of Quebec, Canada, June 29, 1839. He 
 is of Scotch-Irish descent, his patern.al grand- 
 father having emigrated from Ireland to Canada^ 
 and was a pioneer in the Province of t^uebec, re- 
 maining there engaged in farming until his death, 
 at the advanced age of eighty years. AVilliam G. 
 McFall, the father of our subject, was born in Ire- 
 land in 1816, and when three years of age came to 
 Canada with his parents. When old enough to es- 
 tablish himself in life he bought 100 acres of 
 densely timbered land in Canada, from which he 
 cleared a farm. He took part in the Canadian Re- 
 bellion in 1838, going out as a volunteer in the 
 home guards. In 1855 he removed to the Province 
 of Ontario, where he began pioneer life anew. He 
 •^ 
 
 h 
 
^^- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1037 
 
 improved a farm of 200 acres, put up good build- 
 ings, and remained tliere many years. In 1881, 
 disposing of liis property in Canada, he came to 
 Nebraska, and has since lived with Ills son at Eagle. 
 He is a member of the Baptist Church, and a man 
 of e.xcellent personal character. He married Miss 
 Ellen Broadie, a native of the Province of Ontario, 
 who died there in 1857, when thirty-nine years of 
 age. Her fatlier was born in Scotland, and emi- 
 griited to Canada when a j'oung man, and spent the 
 remaining years of his life there. To Mr. and Mrs. 
 McFall were born eight children, namely: Archi- 
 bald, Ellen, .James, Adam, William, Mathew, Mar- 
 garet and ]\Iichael. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was reared in his na- 
 tive town, and remained at home, assisting his 
 father on the farm out of school hours, until six- 
 teen years of age, when he moved with his parents 
 to Ontario. He then worked with his father until 
 he attained his majority. Soon after that auspi- 
 cious event our subject bought 100 acres of land in 
 Canada, which was covered with a dense forest, and 
 began the arduous task of clearing a farm. He 
 succeeded, put up good buildings, and devoted 
 himself to general farming and stock-raising, wheat 
 having been his staple product. Becoming dissat- 
 isfied with the countrj^ Mr. McFall moved from 
 Canada to Nebraska, coming by rail to South Bend, 
 thence to his present farm, which he had purchased 
 the year before. It was in its primitive state, and 
 he at once commenced its improvement. He lived 
 in a small house, but has since built a more com- 
 modious one, and the first season broke fifty acres 
 of ground. The next season he set out groves of 
 forest trees and an orchard of 115 fruit trees, and 
 fenced his land. His farm is well watered, being 
 crossed by two streams of running water, besides 
 having two wells on the place. Our subject pays 
 much attention to raising cattle and hogs, feeding 
 out the larger part of his grain to them. His herd 
 of cows comprises some fine grades. He also keeps 
 throe teams of horses of a fine grade. 
 
 Mr. McFall was married in Perth County, Can- 
 ada, April 7, 1864. to Miss Ellen, daughter of An- 
 drew and Sarah (Mathewson) Morrow. Both par- 
 ents were natives of Ireland, and soon after their 
 marriage moved to Canada, where Mr. Morrow en- 
 
 gaged in the marcantile business in Queb3c. He 
 subsequently bought a farm of 300 acres in the 
 Province of Quebsc, on which he lived until his 
 death in 1864. In 1838 he took an active part in 
 the Canadian Rebellion, having enlisted as a volun- 
 teer. Mrs. Morrow died on the homestead in 1857. 
 They were the parents of six children, as follows: 
 Rebecca, Sarah, George (deceased), Ellen, John and 
 Gilbert. 
 
 The household of our subject and wife has been 
 brightened by the birth of eight children, seven of 
 whom are now living, namely: Ellen, wife of E. 
 Boyles, of Stove Creek Precinct; Annie, Emma, 
 George, John, Ida and Bertha. Mr. McFall is an 
 intelligent, industrious man, of sound judgment, 
 always interested in local and general affairs, and 
 during his residence in Canada was for many years 
 a member of the Board of Education, a position 
 which he has also filled here to the satisfaction 
 of all, and he has likewise been Supervisor of 
 Roads. Both Mr. and Mrs. McFall are worthj- 
 members of the Christian Church at Elmwood, and 
 contributed generously toward building it, and have 
 since helped to support it. Mr. McFall was natu- 
 ralized in 1886, and has since identified himself 
 with the Prohibition party. 
 
 ■S^ VERETT E. DAY. As one of the practical 
 liN business men of Weeping Water and repre- 
 (i^^ sentative citizens of Cass Count3% it affords 
 us pleasure to place before the reading public a 
 brief commemlatory notice of the gentleman whose 
 name appears at the head of this sketch. He is of 
 good New England origin, his great-grandfather, 
 AVilliam Day, having bsen born in Massachusetts, 
 where he spent his entire life. He was President of 
 the first body of men who came together to formulate 
 a petition to Congress praying for the Declaration 
 of Independence. John Day, the grandfather of 
 our subject, was born in Sheffield, Berkshire Co., 
 Mass., about 1770. He married a Miss Austin, and 
 after spending many years of their married life 
 in Massachusetts, they emigrated to Ohio with their 
 family of fourteen children in 1816. 
 
 Judge William Da}-, the father of our subject. 
 
 •► I I <• 
 
 i^V-M* 
 
•►HK-^^ 
 
 1038 
 
 CAbS COUNTY. 
 
 was born Dec. 15, 1796, in Sheffield, Mass., where 
 he remained until his removal to the Western Re- 
 serve in Ohio. When he crossed the Cuyahoga 
 River there were only a few houses on the site now 
 occupied by the city of Cleveland. He settled in 
 Sheffield, Lorain Co., Ohio, where he hewed out a 
 farm from the forest-C(3vered land. His father and 
 Isaac Burrill, afterward his father-in-law, bought 
 tlie whole township of Sheffield. He being only 
 about twenty years of age at the time of moving 
 to Ohio, remained with his father until he went to 
 New Orleans to take charge of a large hotel for his 
 uncle, and remained there for several years. In 
 1833 he returned to Ohio, and was soon after mar- 
 ried to Miss Augusta, daughter of Isaac Burrill, 
 who was born in Herldmer County, N. Y.. in the 
 latter part of the eighteenth century, and moved 
 with his family to Sheffield, Ohio, in 1817, going 
 with an ox-team, and cutting his road a large part 
 of the way. After their marriage Judge Day and 
 his wife settled on a part of his land Which he had 
 previously taken up, and he now has a magnificent 
 farm, the homestead comprising five or six hun- 
 dred acres of land. Besides this he owns other 
 farms, but the larger part of his fortune was made 
 by dealing in white oak lumber. He has been for 
 many jears Associate Judge of the District Court 
 of Ohio. He is still living, a hale and hearty old 
 man, having the universal esteem of the commu- 
 nity, and is a prominent and representative man of 
 his county. He, with a few Of the older families, 
 was a founder of the Congregational Church of 
 Sheffield, and has always contributed liberally to- 
 ward its support. The Judge's estimable wife died 
 Oct. 9, 1887, her death having been the first one 
 in the family since the marriage of herself and hus- 
 band fifty-four years before. She left seven children 
 and sixteen grandchildren. The record of the chil- 
 dren is as follows: E. I. Day lives in Weeping 
 Water; Maria is the wife of Prof. G. F. Wright, 
 of Oberlin College; William is now at the old 
 liomestead; Henry lives in Elyria, Ohio; Marietta 
 is now Mrs. Disbrow, of Atlantic, Iowa; Sumner 
 B., also living in Elyria, owns a large farm in 
 Weeping Water, and Everett E. The children were 
 all educated at Oberlin College. 
 
 Everett Day, of whom we write, was born in 
 
 Sheffield. Lorain Co., Ohio, Nov. 3, 1850, and re- 
 mained in his native State until through school. 
 After leaving the district school our subject en- 
 tered Oberlin College, and subsequent!}- pursued 
 his studies for two years at Tabor College, after- 
 ward returning to Oberlin for another year. Soon' 
 after finishing his education he started for the 
 West, and in 1870 visited Nebraska. He did not, 
 however, make a permanent stay here then, but 
 afterward engaged in business in Atlantic, Iowa, 
 where he remained two years, and in 1881 came to 
 South Bend, Neb., where he bought a bankrupt 
 stock of goods and an elevator, stajing there two 
 years. He then built two elevators on the Mis- 
 souri Pacific Railway, and had Mr. Norton take 
 charge of one. Five years later Mr. Day came to 
 Weeping Water, and continued the stock business 
 which he had before begun. His first investment in 
 stock was the purchase of a carload of Herefords 
 and Jerseys in Ohio, in 1884, and to this, besides 
 the natural accretions and single purchases, he has 
 since added two carloads of fine cattle, so that in his 
 herd he has fully one-half dozen Herefords im- 
 ported from England, and registered in the Ameri- 
 can Hereford Cattle Herd Book. He also has thirty- 
 five or forty-five .lerseys registered. "Sir Evelyn, 
 2d," stands at the head of the Hereford herd. 
 "Miss Barbara," full-blooded, at the age of eight 
 years won the sweepstakes at the St. Louis Fair. 
 "Miss Patti" won the sweepstakes at the Lincoln 
 and Omaha Fairs. "Lilac," a fine imported cow, 
 also won the sweepstakes at the Omaha Fair, and a 
 half'dozen others have taken premiums at various 
 fairs. 
 
 Our subject, besides attending to his stock, is 
 the owner of E. E. Day's dry-goods store, of 
 AVeeping A\"ater, and also of three elevators, one at 
 Walton, one at Eagle, one at Weeping Water, and, 
 until recently, one at Avoca; the one that he 
 owned at Wabash he sold about a year ago. His 
 real estate consists of two farms in Centre Precinct, 
 one on section 36 and one on section 35, one half- 
 mile west Of the town, on which he resides. He 
 also owns another farm in South Bend, one-half 
 mile from the station, all of which are used as 
 stock farms. 
 
 Mr. Day was united in marriage. Dec. 15, 1881, 
 
 •►Hl^ 
 
 >^i 
 
-•► 
 
 t 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1031) i^ 
 
 to Miss Jennie, daughter of G. W. Norton, of 
 whom see sketch on another page of this work. Of 
 this union two children have been born, Harold E. 
 and Mabel Bess. They are yet young, but will re- 
 ceive good educational advantages, both parents 
 believing a good education the best foundation for 
 future success and happiness. 
 
 Our subject is a patriotic, liberal-spirited citizen, 
 and, though avoiding all offlces as far as possible, 
 does his duty at the polls, voting consistently^ and 
 intelligently with the Republican party. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Daj- are people of good social standing, and 
 during their residence here have made man^- warm 
 friends and won for themselves an enviable place 
 in the regard of others in the community. Both 
 are highly- esteemed members of the Congregational 
 Church, and teachers in the Sundav-school. 
 
 ^P,BRA.n HATHAWAY. Among the old 
 '@EM pioneers of Libwirty Precinct and Cass 
 County, the subject of this biographical 
 sketch deserves more than passing notice. 
 as bj' his industry and practical farming he lias 
 been an important factor in the developineut of the- 
 rich agricultural resources of this region. The 
 farm that he occupies on section 21, in the south- 
 eastern part of the precinct, is the same which he 
 obtained from the Government by pre-emption in 
 the early days of the settlement of Nebraska, he 
 having been well satisfied with its location and the 
 unusual f.acilities it afforded for successfully culti- 
 vating the land, the soil being exceedingly rich and 
 well watered. The time, care and money that he 
 hasexpsnded ou it liavebeen well rewarded, and tiie 
 once wild prairie yields him bountiful returns. 
 The buildings are ample and well arranged, and 
 ever3'thing about is indicative of the thrift and 
 wise management of the owner. 
 
 Mr. Hithaway was born Feb. 16, 1813, in Steu- 
 ben County, N. Y., and his parents were P. U. and 
 Rebecca (Howard) Hathaway, who were also na- 
 tives of that State. During some period of their 
 married life they moved to Ohio, and some years 
 later to Lake County, lud.,' where they died at an 
 advanced age, the father being eighty-two, and the 
 
 mother, who died some years prior to his death, be- 
 ing over sixty. He was a farmer all his life, and 
 withhis wifea member of the Methodist Church for 
 many years. In politics he was a sturdy Demo- 
 crat, and zealously promoted the interests of his 
 party. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the third child in 
 a family of thirteen cliildren, eight sons and five 
 daughters. He was reared in his native State until 
 he was fourteen years old, when he accompanied his 
 parents to Ohio, and attained his majority in Shelb3- 
 County, that State. He afterward lived in In- 
 diana for some 3'ears, making his home at different 
 times in LaPorte, Porter, Lake and Shelby Coun- 
 ties. During his residence in that State he con- 
 tracted a matrimonial alliance with Miss Ann Can- 
 non, a native of the Hoosier State. She was born 
 Oct. 11, 1817, and was a daugliter of Abraham and 
 Jane (Thatcher) Cannon, who are both deceased, 
 the father dying in the prime of life in Ohio, and 
 the mother, wlio had married a second time, djing 
 at a ripe old age in Indiana. Mrs. Hathaway was 
 reared in her mother's home in that State, and was 
 married from there. The marriage of our subject 
 and his wife has been blessed with the birth of 
 twelve children, one of whom is dead, Elizabeth, 
 who was the wife of William Hard^-. The record 
 of the others is as follows: Rebecca J., Mary A., 
 Peter D. and Esther, all of whom are married ; Beth- 
 uel, single; Lewis P. and George, married; Alfred 
 D., Sylvesterand Joseph T., single; Charlotta, mar- 
 ried. 
 
 Some time after his marriage Mr. Hathaway re- 
 moved to Kankakee County', 111., and made his 
 home near the river of the same name for nearly 
 twelve years, and then crossed the Mississippi 
 River to Iowa, and was a resident of Polk County, 
 near Des Moines, until his removal to this State. 
 
 Since coming to Nebraska Mr. Hathaway has 
 crossed the plains to the Rockies, starting on his 
 journey in April, 1850, and after his arrival in the 
 vicinity of Pike's Peak engaging in mining until 
 September of the same 3'ear. He then returned to 
 his home in this county,, richer in experience if not 
 in pocket, and he has since lived on his farm in 
 contentment. 
 
 Mr. aud Mrs. Hathaway are well known and 
 
 :*^i^ 
 
•^"^ 
 
 •^ 
 
 1040 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 
 wnrinly liked in Cnss Coiintj- as goorl, Ltmcst peo- 
 jilf, and to tlieir many fi-ien<ls liiey present cxam- 
 [iles of busy lives fully rounded bj' their various 
 experiences into a serene and active old age. Mrs. 
 Hathaway is a devoted member of the Presbyterian 
 Church. Mr. Il!ithana3-, although taking a quiet 
 interest in public affairs, has never sought office. 
 In his |)olitical sentiments he is a Republican of 
 the first water. 
 
 --^ ' ^ ' i^' '^ 
 
 ijL ENRY ENGELKEMEIER. Perhaps no 
 \l \i- State in the Union has derived greater 
 i)j^ benefits from the enterprise and industry 
 (^; of the thrifty German citizen, who is rep- 
 resented in such generous numbers along its 
 southern line, than Nebraska. Among them may 
 be mentioned in no unworth}- terms the prosperous 
 agriculturist whose name stands at the head of this 
 sketch. He selected his location in the spring of 
 1880, on section 34, in Eight Mile Grove Precinct, 
 and since that time has been industriously engaged 
 in his farming pursuits, taking little part in the 
 noise and dissensions of the world outside. By 
 this, however, it must not be inferred that he is 
 in anywise an ignorant or uninformed man. for on 
 the contrary the very appearance of his farm in- 
 dicates his native intelligence. 
 
 Our subject is a direct offspring of the Father- 
 land, and was born April 10, 1854. The son 
 of Henry and Anna M, Engelkemeier, he was the 
 fourth of their eight children, seven of whom are 
 still living. William, the eldest, continues a resi- 
 dent of his native Germany; Frederick came to 
 America with friends, and is carrying on farming 
 in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, this county; Auo-ust 
 lives not far from the brother before mentioned, 
 while Charles is a resident of this county. The 
 parents have been content to remain upon the soil 
 which gave them birth. 
 
 Continuing in his native Province until a youth 
 of eighteen years, our subject received the benefits 
 of a practical education, and in revolving within 
 his mind his plans for the future, decided to seek 
 his fortune on another continent. Accordingly, in 
 the spring of 1872 he bade adieu to his old friends 
 
 and the associations of his childhood, and embarking 
 on a steamer at the port of Bremen, landed in the 
 city of Baltimore after an ocean voyage of seven- 
 teen days. Thence he made his way directlj- west- 
 ward to this county. His honest and intelligent 
 face soon secured for him friends and employment, 
 and for about seven years he worked b}- the month 
 as a farm laborer. He tben commenced operating 
 on rented land, and in the spring of 1882 had 
 made such good headway that he was enabled to 
 settle upon a farm which he could call his own. 
 This he still occupies. His first purchase was 160 
 acres, for which he paid $2,000, and upon which 
 there were no improvements whatever, it being 
 simply a tract of uncultivated prairie, which not 
 long before had been traveled over by wandering 
 bands of Indians. 
 
 The results of energj- and perseverance have 
 been finely illustrated in the career of our subject. 
 Beginning as he did from first principles, the tasli 
 which lay before him was of no small dimensions, 
 but with hereditar3- perseverance and by laboring 
 early and late, he soon gained a solid footing, and 
 there opened before him the prospect of a home 
 and a competencj'. In due time he added to his 
 first purchase, and is now the owner of 243 broad 
 acres, which he has enclosed with substantial fenc- 
 ing, and upon which he has erected the buildings 
 necessary for his comfort and convenience and the 
 successful prosecution of his calling. He keeps a 
 goodly assortment of live stock, and avails himself 
 of modern machiner}-, making of farm work not 
 the drudgery it used to be twenty years ago, but 
 changing it in many respects to a pleasure and a 
 pastime. 
 
 Among the interesting incidents in the life of 
 our subject, none was of more importance than his 
 marriage, which occurred in Cass Count}', Neb., 
 April 27, 1883, his bride being Miss Lizie Sieker, a 
 native of his own country, and born Oct. 29, 
 1859. Mrs. Engelkemeier is the daughter of Will- 
 iam and Minnie (Engelkemeier) Sieker, the former 
 of whom was a farmer by occupation, and died in 
 Germanj' about 1858. The mother is now living 
 with our subject. Miss Lizie, when a j'oung lady 
 of twenty-two years, came with her brother, 
 August, in 1881. to America, and located with him 
 
 :^^r*^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1041 
 
 i 
 
 in Woodson County, Kan. Later she came to this 
 count}' by herself, making her own living until her 
 marriage. Of tliis union there have been born 
 two children, sons: William, June 11, 1885, and 
 Charles, Oct. 7. 1886. Both Mr. and Mrs. E. 
 were reared in the doctrines of the German-Lu- 
 theran Church, to which they still give their lo^'al 
 adherence, attending services in this precinct. Our 
 subject, politically, votes the straight Democratic 
 ticket. He was well educated in his native tongue, 
 and has picked up a fair knowledge of English. 
 After coming to this country' he attended school 
 for a time, and this fact in itself indicates his 
 appreciation of those things which tend to the 
 elevation of society and the formation of the use- 
 ful and worthy member of the community. 
 
 yif AMES INGHAM, a thorough-going Scotch- 
 American citizen, resides on the well-im- 
 ^^ ' proved farm located on section 30, town. 
 ^)l s);ip 12 north. range 12. in Eight MileGrove 
 Precinct. He was born March 16, 1826, in Aber- 
 deenshire, Scotland, and is the son of Adam and 
 Alargaret (McGregor) Ingram. Mis mother was a 
 descendant of the clan McGregor, who were at one 
 time among the bravest of the brave of Scottish 
 clans. His father is now residing in Aberdeen, 
 Scotland, at the ripe old age of ninety years. 
 Our subject is the only child by his father's first 
 marriage. He lived in his native countrj' until he 
 was fourteen j'ears old, when he went to England 
 and worked for three years. He was on railroad 
 work the greater portion of the time, connected 
 with the track-laying department. Subsequently he 
 passed some three and a half years on the Channel 
 Islands, erecting a breakwater for the British 
 Government. It was designed for the protection 
 of their man of war ships. 
 
 During the early years of his life our subject 
 availed himself of all the educational facilities 
 afforded by the neighborhood in whicli he lived, 
 and has, since leaving his native country, made a 
 careful study of events, until he now possesses a 
 large fund of knowledge. About the year 1847 he 
 took |)assage at Liverpool, England, on an Ameri- 
 
 can sailing-vessel, called the " Florida." bound for 
 the New World. After an uneventful voyage of 
 one month he landed in New York City. Wend- 
 ing his way westward he arrived in Buffalo, N. Y., 
 July 4. and continued his jc)urney via Chicago to 
 Elgin, III., where he obtained employment on the 
 Chicago & Galena Railroad, which was then under 
 construction, working a portion of the time at track 
 laying, when he was promoted to the position of fore- 
 man. He remained there about six months. He 
 then went to Indiana, and obtained work on the 
 Michigan Southern Kailroad, whicii was then being 
 built, where he remained about six months, when 
 he left, and went on the Chicago & Rock Island 
 Railroad, near LjiSalle, III., forabout four months. 
 
 During much of the railroad work done by our 
 subject he was eui|)loyed by George Armonr as a 
 foreman. Armour was a railroad contractor and 
 builder in those daj's. Growing tired of working 
 for others he concluded to engage in business for 
 himself, when he secured a contract on the railroad, 
 which he completed. Subsequently we find him 
 connected with the Illinois Central Railroad, as a 
 contractor, for about nine months. He then went to 
 Guthrie Count}', Iowa, and began farming, wiiich 
 he followed for about two and one-half j-ears. 
 In the fall of 1856 he came to Nebraska having 
 heard the country so highly spoken of and as pos- 
 sessing superior ad vantages. Arriving in the then 
 Territory he located for a short time in what is 
 known at present as Louisville Precinct, where he 
 lived until he finally settled on his present farm in 
 1865. He " squatted " on 160 acres of land, which 
 he afterward pre-empted as soon as it came into 
 market. There was about one acre plowed when 
 he settled on it. He has improved it since then un- 
 til he now owns one of the finest improved farms 
 in the country. He novv exercises ownership of 
 over 280 acres of land. 
 
 The subject of our sketch and Elizabeth Urwin 
 were married May 16, 1857; the lady was born 
 in England, Nov. 16, 1840. She is a daughter of 
 William and Ellen (Wandless) Urwin. Her father 
 now resides in Cass County, Neb., and is one of the 
 oldest settlers. He was born in Newcastle, En- 
 gland, and when this lady was about eight years old 
 the parents emigrated to America, where they set- 
 
 •►Ht^ 
 
 >^h 
 
1 1U42 
 tio.i r 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 tied for a time in Wisconsin, where lier inotber died. 
 In the year 1856 her father removed with his fam- 
 ily to his present home, where he has resided ever 
 since. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ingram have become the ])arents of 
 a large family of children, of whom the following 
 named survive: William, Elizabeth, James, Adam, 
 Ellen, Margaret, George, Elsie, Andrew, Adellaand 
 Nora. Elizabeth is now the wife of A. Swasou, 
 itnd resides in Kearney County, Neb. ; fillen is the 
 wife of George Palmer, and resides in Cass Count}' ; 
 Margaret is Mrs. Isaac Tenant, and lives in Kearney 
 County, and her brother George is a resident of the 
 same county ; three children are deceased. They 
 were named: Joseph, Samuel and Mary. 
 
 The improvements that iiave been made b}' our 
 subject are of a very substantial and |)rominent 
 character. The barn and other out-buildings are 
 large and commodious, and well adapted to the pur- 
 poses for which they were intended. His resilience 
 contains manj' of the improvements that are seldom 
 found outside of older settled communities; the 
 house is roomy, well designed and nicely furnished. 
 His wife is the presiding genius of his home, and is 
 a refined and intelligent woman. She has in every 
 way possible been an assistant to her husband in 
 acquiring the liandsome property which they now 
 own. Both husband and wife occupy a prominent 
 place among the pioneer families of the county ; they 
 are widely and favorably known for their gener- 
 osity and hospitality. In politics Mr. Ingram is a 
 Democrat. AVitb the exception of being Treasurer 
 of the School Board for several years he has ac- 
 cepted no public office. 
 
 STERLING F. GIRARDET, senior member 
 of the firm of Girardet, Boone & Emens, 
 is, with his partners, conducting a lively 
 trade in dry-goods, groceries, fanc}' goods, 
 notions, carpets, and an unusually full assortment 
 of everything pertaining to the country or city 
 household. They have as fine an establishment as 
 is to be found in Weeping Water, where the busi- 
 ness was inaugurated in Januarj' of 1888. Mr. G. 
 
 IS essentially' a Western man, the son of one of the 
 earliest pioneers of the county, and was born in 
 Nebraska City, April 28, 1858. He is consequently 
 a young man still, and he has entered upon what at 
 present appears to be an undoubtedly prosperous 
 business career. 
 
 Our subject received a good practical education, 
 completing his studies in the Normal .School at 
 Peru, and also attending the school at Tabor, Iowa. 
 He entered upon his mercantile career as the clerk 
 of L. Wessel & Co., of Nebraska City, with which 
 firm he remained continuously for a period of five 
 years at that point. At the expiration of this 
 time, still in the employ of the same firm, he was 
 assigned to the brancli of their house at Weeping 
 Water, which they established in 1 883, and was 
 manager of this five years. The building, with its 
 contents, being destro3'ed in the general conflagra- 
 tion of Dec. 19, 1887, tlie firm withdrew from 
 business there. 
 
 In January of 1888 our subject associated him- 
 self with Messrs. Boone <fe Emeus, the latter of 
 whom had been for some time in his employ as a 
 clerk. They opened their doors for business on 
 the 10th of January, 1888, in the new brick block 
 on the south side of I street. They carry a large 
 and finely selected stock, and enjo}' a trade which 
 is steadiU' increasing. 
 
 On the 26th of October, 1887, our subject was 
 united in marriage with Miss Gertrude Potter, the 
 wedding taking place at the home of the bride in 
 Ogallala, Neb. Of this union there is one child, 
 Max. who was born Aug. 3, 1888. Mrs. Girardet, a 
 native of Ogle County, III., was born Sept. 17, 1866, 
 and is the daughter of Thomas L. and Urilla 
 (Heistad) Potter, who came to Cass County about 
 1872 or 1873. They are now residents of Maria, 
 Neb. Mrs. G. is a member in good standing of 
 the Congregational Church, of which her husband 
 is a regular attendant, giving liberally to its support. 
 Our subject, socially, belongs to the Modern Wood- 
 men of America and tlie K. of P., in the latter of 
 which he is Vice Chancellor. As a successful busi- 
 ness man he has avoided meddling with politics, 
 excepting doing his duty at the polls, when he 
 casts his vote with the Democratic party. 
 
 Jules Girardet, the father of our subject, and a 
 
 ■^•- 
 
 »► I I ^» 
 
"yf^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1043 
 
 native of Switzerland, was born in the Canton of 
 Bern, Nov. 6, 1818. When a }'oung man he emi- 
 grated to the Unitcit States, settling in New York 
 City, where he followed his trade of baker, and 
 came thence to Neliraska City in 185(), during its 
 pioneer days. He purcliased a tract of slightly im- 
 proved lanil in Otoe Precinct, Otoe Count}-, and 
 for a number of years labored in its cultivation 
 and the building up of a homestead, putting out an 
 orchard of apple trees and the smaller fruits, and 
 erecting a dwelling and the other buildings re- 
 quired for the comfort of himself and family. 
 Upon this farm he is still living, and it is now 
 numbered among tlie finest homesteads of the 
 count\'. The land, 160 acres in extent, has been 
 brought to a high state of cultivation. 
 
 In his native Switzerland Jules Girardet was 
 united in marriage with Miss Susan Zimmererer, 
 and they became the parents of six children, five 
 of whom are living and all residents of the West. 
 The wife and mother departed this life Aug. ol, 
 1872. She was born Nov. 6, 1818. Mr. G. is a 
 member in good standing of the Lutheran Church, 
 and a man held in high esteem by his fellow- 
 citizens. 
 
 Our subject rememliers Nebraska City when it 
 was only a village, and often recalls the interest 
 witli which the citizens watched the completion of 
 the first railroad, the Midland Pacific, which ran 
 through it. When he settled in Weeping Water it 
 was a little town of between 300 and 400 inhabi- 
 tants, and there was being built through it the 
 Missouri Pacific Railroad. He has practically 
 "grown up vvith the country," and takes the deep- 
 est interest in its progress and development. His 
 friends predict for him a most prosperous future, 
 and that when years have added dignit}' to his age 
 he will be numbered among the solid citizens of 
 the place. 
 
 T. L. Potter, the father of Mrs. Girardet, was 
 married in early manhood to Miss Urilla Heistad, 
 who was born in Ogle County, 111., and is now in 
 Maria, Neb. Of this union there were six children, 
 five of whom are living and residents mostly of the 
 W^est. Mr. and Mrs. Potter left this county in 
 1887, settling in Perkins County, Neb., where the}' 
 are now living, and the father successfully engaged 
 
 in farming. He was formerly in the jewelry busi- 
 ness, having harned the trade in Illinois, and was 
 one of the first practical jewelers of Weeping Water, 
 where he carried on the business until failing health 
 comi)elled him to seek a change of occupation. He 
 served as a sohlier three years during the late Civil 
 War, participating in several active engagements. 
 Both he and his estimable wife are members in 
 good standing of the Congregational Church. 
 Sterling F. Girardet has already signalized himself 
 as a citizen interested in education and the other 
 enteiprises calculated to build up a cit}-, giving to 
 these his support and his substantial encourage- 
 ment, and has served as a member of the Village 
 Board, besides occupying other positions of trust. 
 
 -l-f 
 
 +-H 
 
 LIVER JACOBS. In the career of the 
 subject of this sketch we have that of a man 
 ho has arisen to a liigli position solely 
 through his own unaided efforts, and through many 
 struggles. He was at an early age thrown upon his 
 own resources, and grew up to be a thoughtful and 
 industrious young man, self-reliant, and imbued 
 with those principles which have developed a char- 
 acter respected and liked by all who know him. A 
 man remarkably quiet in his demeanor, there is 
 little about him at first glance to indicate his strong 
 qualities of character, and that which he has accom- 
 plished in the space of comparatively a few years. 
 He possesses the innate culture and refinement com- 
 ing only from an excellent ancestry, and has been 
 fortunate in making the most of his opportunities 
 of observation, his mind naturally turning to the 
 useful and the good. Nature has not endowed him 
 with a very strong body, but mentally, he has at- 
 tained to the highest manhood. His business is 
 that of a merchant in the young and growing town 
 of W^abash, whose people have learned to respect 
 him for his genuine worth, and with whose devel- 
 opment he has been closely identified. 
 
 Mr. Jacobs was born in the citj' of Cleveland, 
 Ohio, April 7, 1853, and was orphaned by the 
 death of both parents when a tender child of three. 
 He was the j'onngest of three brothers and two sis- 
 ters, these being named respectively: John, Henry, 
 
 *► n^ 
 
 i 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 1044 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 Anna and Mary. Mr. Jacobs has no recollections 
 of his father, anfl but a faint reinembrance of iiis 
 mother. After tiie death of the latter, who only 
 survived her husband a sliort time, the little family 
 vras separated, and our subject was adopted by an 
 Englishman, Thomas Talliot, who lived on a farm 
 in the vicinity of Oneida, Knox Co., III. Mr. 
 Jacobs was therefore reared amid the quiet scenes 
 of rural life, with limited school advantages. 
 Through all these years he had his doubts about the 
 manner of his education and training, and when a 
 3'outh of nineteen left tlie farm, and began working 
 in one of the many iron manufacturing establish- 
 ments of Cleveland. He was thus employed a 
 period of five or six years, but in the fall of 1876 
 resolved upon another change of location. 
 
 Mr. Jacobs now leaving Ohio made his way to 
 the Wesl. The fall of 1878 found him this side of 
 tlie Mississippi, located near Blue Springs, in Gage 
 County, this State. Later he sojourned in various 
 places at Weeping Water and South Bend, employ- 
 ing himself at times on a farm and at times as clerk 
 in a store. Amid all these changes he managed to 
 pick up much useful information, gaining a good 
 idea of business methods. Finally he started in 
 business for himself at South Bend as a general 
 merchant, and soon afterward was appointed Post- 
 master, holding this position two years. 
 
 In April, 18HC, Mr. Jacobs desired to establish 
 himself at Wabash, and accordingly securing ground 
 began putting up his present store building. It 
 was completed in due time, and he moved into it 
 with a stock of goods. It is a two-story frame 
 structure which would do credit to a burg far more 
 pretentious than Wabash, and which will be an 
 ornament to the town when it shall have attained to 
 much larger proportions. He soon took two part- 
 ners in the business, Messrs. Emery, of Iowa, and 
 P. Horton, of Wabash, the firm name being Jacobs 
 & Co. They are all gentlemen of good business 
 abilities, courteous in demeanor, and are rapidly 
 building up a large and lucrative trade. 
 
 As one of the first settlers of Wabash and one 
 who risked his capital in a new town at a lime when 
 other men were afraid to invest a dollar, the name 
 of Mr. Jacobs deserves to be preserved in its annals 
 for ail time. Liberal-minded and public-spirited, 
 
 -^^ 
 
 he has done ranch to develop the town, and bring 
 to it a worthy cl.ass of people. When he put up his 
 store building there were few houses in its vicinity, 
 it being erected literally in a field. Wabasli has 
 now become one of the most promising villages on 
 the line of the Missouri Pacific, between Nebraska 
 Citj- and Lincoln, and ships more grain and live 
 stock than any other village of its size in the State. 
 The early experience of Mr. Jacobs among agricult- 
 ural pursuits has been of service to him in his later 
 enterprises, as in connection with his merchandising 
 he operates a market garden of twenty-five acres 
 adjacent to the village. Like Horace Greeley, 
 nothing gives Mr. Jacobs more pleasure and diver- 
 sion than the hours devoted to horticultural pur- 
 suits. With an organization fully appreciative of 
 the charms of nature, there is not a more lovely 
 sight to his eyes than the springing up of vegeta- 
 tion on the soil, and its development under the 
 action of the sun and rain. He recognizes as the 
 sitring of this the great Power which gives life to 
 the universe, and before which every intelligent 
 person must bow with reverence and praise. 
 
 With an eye to the near future of an intelligent 
 community who must have their pleasures and rec- 
 reations, Mr. Jacobs and Mr. Horton have established 
 a boating' park immediately east of the vill.age on a 
 branch of the Weeping Water, which here winds 
 around in graceful curves, as if purposely loitering 
 to enjoy the beauty of the situation. Mr. Jacobs, 
 upon discovering this bit of natural scenery, de- 
 cided that a park might here be established with 
 comparatively little trouble and expense, and 
 accordingly set himself about it with his character- 
 istic energy. He has, with the above-named partner, 
 spared no pains to make it attractive as a summer 
 resort, constructing a little lake, and placing row- 
 boats at the service of visitors, while the waters are 
 stocked with that favorite fish, the German carp, 
 for the recreation of anglers. This enterprise has 
 met with the hearty approbation of the people in 
 this vicinity, who fully appreciate the enterprise of 
 its |)rojectors. 
 
 In fact there have been few projects tending to 
 the growtii and progress of Wabash Village to 
 which Mr. Jacobs has not lent a helping hand. As 
 the iiead of tile Oliver Jacobs & Co. Commission 
 
 ■•►-II- 
 
■► I I <• 
 
 ■•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1045 
 
 »► B.^ 
 
 House of Lincoln, he has intercourse with the best 
 business men of the countj', and occupies a high 
 place in their confidence and esteem. Although 
 not a member of any religious organization he be- 
 lieves ia the establishment of churches, and to this 
 end has contributed liberally of his means, the 
 Methodist and Baptist Churches of Wabash being 
 the objects of his especial benefits. Sociall}-, he 
 belongs to the Modern AVoodnicn, having a lodge 
 at Wabash, in which organization he is the banker. 
 Distinctively a man of progress, it is hardh- neces- 
 sary to state that Mr. Jacobs is a stanch member of 
 the Republican party, to which he lends a hearty 
 support, and labors in the maintenance of its prin- 
 ciples as he has opportunit3'. During his incum- 
 bency of the office of Assessor of Elmwood Precinct, 
 he pursued a course which was eminently satisfac- 
 tory' to his constituents, and one reflecting great 
 credit upon himself. Cass County recognizes no 
 more worthy citizen within her limits than Mr. 
 Jacobs, who is building for himself a monument 
 that shall endure for decades to come. 
 
 jlL^IRAH -STANFORD was an early settler of 
 jiTj Stove Creek Precinct, where he is now 
 if^^ prosperously engaged in business as a car- 
 (^) penter, besides superintending his farming 
 and stock-raising interests on section 36. He is a 
 native of Boardman, Ohio, March 12, 1823, 
 being the date of his birth. His parents, Oliver 
 and Olive (Mason) Stanford, were natives respect- 
 ively of New York and Massachusetts. His 
 father was a pioneer of Ohio. He was a carpenter 
 and joiner by trade, and also carried on farming, 
 having cleared a 160-acre tract of land from the 
 primeval forests of Ohio. In 18.54 he sold his 
 property in that State and moved to Wisconsin, lo- 
 cating in Elkhorn, Walworth County. He subse- 
 quently removed to Waupon, where his death oc- 
 curred in 1864, at the age of seventy-two years. His 
 widow died in Howard County, Iowa, in 1876, at 
 the age of seventy years. They were active mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in 
 their exemplary lives were illustrated the beauties 
 of the Christian religion. He was a man of 
 
 strong convictions, one of which was that the 
 policy of the Democratic party of his day was the 
 right one to be pursued in the conduct of National 
 affairs. To him and his wife were born nine chil- 
 dren, namely: Leroy and Orin (deceased), Orce- 
 mus, Chauncey, Squire, Hirah, Wesley, William 
 and Mar}' (deceased). 
 
 Hirah Stanford grew to manhood on the home- 
 stead of his father, amid pioneer surroundings, 
 and gained an education in the common schools. 
 At the age of twent3--one he left the parental 
 home and began life for himself as a carpenter in 
 Ohio, remaining there until he was twenty -nine, 
 with the exception of three years spent in AViscon- 
 sin. After his marriage he removed to Elkhorn, 
 Wis., and there established himself as a carpen- 
 ter, also engaging in farming a part of the time. 
 In 1860 he removed with his family to Nebraska 
 City, traveling with a team and driving his cat- 
 tle before him. They were five weeks on the 
 journey, and forded every river between Wis- 
 consin and Nebraska except the Mississippi, 
 which they crossed at Savannah, and the Missouri 
 at Nebraska Citj-. Mr. Stanford immediately 
 identified himself with the agricultural interests of 
 Otoe County, beginning to farm on Summit Farm. 
 He owned 120 acres of land, which he culti- 
 vated five years. He then sold it and moved to 
 Nebraska City, built a residence, and his wife, de- 
 termining to do her share toward increasing the 
 family exchequer, kept a boarding-house, while he 
 was actively employed at carpentering. They con- 
 tinued their respective employments until the 
 spring of 1866, when the}' came to Cass Count}', 
 and in Stove Creek Precinct Mr. Stanford took up 
 his present farm xmder the provisions of the 
 Homestead Act. This 80-acre tract then formed 
 a part of the wild, treeless prairie, where but few 
 settlers had preceded our subject. Notwith- 
 standing the fact that the first few years were dis- 
 astrous, and but little was accomplished in the way 
 of cultivating the land on account of the grass- 
 hopper plague, drouth, etc., our subject has done 
 well, and has made many valuable improvements. 
 He has five acres of forest trees, an orchard con- 
 taining eighty fruit trees; has hedges and wire 
 fences around his land; has erected a good dwell- 
 
 ?^^ 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 1046 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ing, barns, and other needed buildings, and has 
 everything in order, so that his place compares 
 very favorably with others in the neighborhood. 
 Besides obtaining a good income from the prod- 
 ucts of his land, he finds stock-raising very profit- 
 able, and has his farm well stocked with cattle, 
 horses and hogs. He has had quite an extensive 
 business as a carpenter, besides attending to his 
 agricultural interests. 
 
 Our subject was very fortunate in the selection 
 of his wife, to whom he was married March 29, 
 1850, in Rootstown, Portage Co., Ohio. She has 
 been to him a true helpmate, and to their children 
 a wise mother. .She is an excellent housekeeper, 
 and rules her household with a firm hand, thus 
 contributing to the comfort of its members, and 
 making their home neat and attractive. She has 
 seen much of life on the prairies, and in the trying 
 times of pioneer days her cheerfulness and sj"m- 
 pathy encouraged her husband. She is a devoted 
 Christian and a member of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church at Elmwood. Of her happy wedded 
 life three children have been born — Henry, Nettie 
 and Fred. Henry is farming eighty acres of land 
 on section 27, Stove Creek Precinct, which he pur- 
 chased in 1882. He has it all broken, and has a 
 good house, barn, windmill, etc. He is a stalwart 
 Republican in politics. Fred married Miss Minnie 
 Donell}', and they have one child, Herbert. 
 They reside in Nebraska City, where he is engaged 
 as book-keeper in Lorton's wholesale grocery store. 
 
 Mrs. Stanford was born in Rootstown, Ohio, 
 March 14, 1826. She received a common educa- 
 tion and taught school. Her maiden name was 
 Sarah L. Shewell, and she was a daughter of James 
 and Mary (Chapman) Shewell, natives respect- 
 ively of New Jersey and Rootstown, Ohio. Her 
 grandfather, Henry Shewell, who was of English 
 descent, was a pioneer of Ohio, where he carried 
 on farming, and was also a preacher in the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. The maternal grandfather 
 of our subject, Nathan Chapman, was of English de- 
 scent. He was born in Connecticut, where he 
 learned the trade of chairmaker. He, too, was a 
 pioneer of Ohio, and carried on a farm there. 
 Mrs. Stanford's great-grandfather, Paine, was a 
 Revolutionary soldier and pensioner. Her father 
 
 and mother were married in Ohio, and there Mr. 
 Shewell engaged in the pioneer task of clearing a 
 heavily timbered tract of ninety acres, which lie 
 improved into a good farm, whereon he and his 
 family made their home until 1860. He then sold 
 it and moved to Nebraska City, where he died in 
 1865, at the age of sixty-five years. His wife 
 died on the old homestead in Ohio in 1858, at the 
 age of fift^'-one years. Thej^ were stanch mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Four 
 children were born of their marriage, as follows: 
 Sarah L.; Samantha L., who resides with our sub- 
 ject; Oscar, who owns and operates a sawmill in 
 Ohio; Henry, a banker in Nebraska City. 
 
 Mr. Stanford is well known and honored through- 
 out this community. His high character and gen- 
 erous nature are so evident to all as to need no 
 comment here. He is a man of good understand- 
 ing, and his opinion both in public and private 
 carries much weight. In his home life he is kind 
 and devoted to his family; in public, he is faithful 
 to his obligations to his neighbors and in his duties 
 as a citizen; he has been Justice of tlie Peace. 
 He takes great interest in politics, and is a prom- 
 inent member of the Republican party of Cass 
 County, and has served as delegate to conventions. 
 
 ^EORGE W. ADAMS, senior member of 
 the firm of Adams & Gilbert, is one of the 
 leading grain and stock men of Cass County^ 
 having his headquarters in Weeping Water. His 
 has been a remarkably interesting experience, 
 the main points of which, as near as we can gather, 
 are as follows: The fifth in a family of twelve 
 children, he was born in Crawford Count}-, Pa., 
 Dec. 23, 1836, and lived there only until a 
 little lad of three years, when the father, accompan- 
 ied by his family, started for the West with teams. 
 They lived afterward several years each in Ohio, 
 Indiana and Illinois. In the latter State the father 
 died six months after his arrival, leaving a widow 
 and eleven children. 
 
 The mother of our subject after the death of her 
 husband returned to Pennsylvania, where her death 
 occurred in 1872, she being about sixty-four years 
 
 -•► 
 
 f- 
 
»► i r^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1047 
 
 of age. David M. Adams, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was also a native of Crawford County, Pa., 
 where he spent the da3^s of his boyhood and youth, 
 and when reaching man's estate was married to 
 Miss Grazillia Hickernell, who became the mother 
 of seven sons and five daughters. Seven of these 
 are now living, being located in Pennsylvania, 
 Ohio, Kansas, California and Nebraska. 
 
 The subject of tliis sketch is numbered among 
 the earliest jjioneers of this county, and one of the 
 first men to settle upon the present site of Avoea 
 Precinct. There are now ver}' few remaining of 
 the men who followed him within the course of a 
 few j'ears to this place. His nearest post-office and 
 tr.ading point for some time was at Plattsmouth, or 
 Nebraska Citv, and for a number of 3'ears these 
 places seemed, as it were, to stand still, while In- 
 dians roamed over the countr}^ frightening tlie 
 white settlers, but really doing no serious injury. 
 Wild game was plentiful, and many were the ad- 
 ventures of whicli our subject and liis few com- 
 panions at that time were heroes. 
 
 INIr. Adams first set foot upon the soil of Ne- 
 braska in the summer of 1858, when became to the 
 southern part of this county and took up land on 
 section 3, in Avoca Precinct, upon which not a 
 furrow had been turned or a tree planted. lie 
 labored in true pioneer style in establishing a home- 
 stead, planting fruit and shade trees, making fences, 
 erecting buildings, and bringing about the other 
 improvements naturally suggested to the enter- 
 prising and progressive mind. In Jit. Pleasant 
 Precinct he has now a beautiful farm 520 acres in 
 extent, and .another tr.act of 100 acres in Avoca 
 Precinct, this also being brought to a high state of 
 cultivation. His stock operations yield him .annu- 
 alh' a handsome income. He deals largel}^ in fine 
 cattle and horses, being able to exhibit some of the 
 handsomest and most valuable animals in this part 
 of the State. 
 
 Mr. Adams put up the present family' residence 
 on his farm in Avoca Precinct in the year 1876. 
 It is a very handsome and commodious structure, 
 and at the time of being built was considered one 
 of the finest dwellings in this part of the county. 
 It has stood the storms of twelve years in an ad- 
 mirable manner, with no perceptible change in its 
 
 appearance since its completion. On this farm Mr. 
 Ad.ams has expended his best efforts, jnueh of the 
 land being enclosed with beautiful hedge fencing, 
 while he has planted an abundance of fruit trees, 
 and has five acres of forest trees, forming one of 
 the grandest windbrealis in this section. 
 
 The stock liarn of Mr. Adams is a ver^^ noticeable 
 feature of his farm, occup^-ing an area of 40x60 
 feet, with a fine basement, and ample conveni- 
 ences for the shelter of stock and the storing of 
 grain. In his stables are some splendid specimens 
 of the equine race, high-bred imported Norman 
 horses, and in another department registered Short- 
 horn cattle, comprising one of the finest herds in 
 the country. Among his horses are Nej', No. 2,950, 
 French imported, of the foal of 1882, an imported 
 two-year-old ; he is now a beautiful dark iron-gray, 
 weighing about 2,000 pounds, with fine points in 
 every particular, and valued at $2,000. In all, Mr. 
 Adams keeps about thirty head of horses, a number 
 of them registered, the others of high grade. INIr. 
 Adams is a lover of this nobleanimal, a good judge 
 of its value, and thoroughlj^ acquainted with 
 the best msthods exercised in its proper care and 
 treatment. 
 
 Mr. Adams in 1884 tr.ausferred his farming inter- 
 ests mostly to the h.ands of his son Himenus, a verj' 
 energetic and enterprising young business man, 
 possessing many of the traits of his honored father. 
 Moving into the city he associated himself witli 
 Mr. Gilbert in the grain business, of which the firm 
 has the monopolj' in Weeping Water and vicinity. 
 They have a larga elevator here as well as at Elm- 
 wood and Eagle, all of which are in constant use 
 and prove a great convenience to the business men 
 and farmars of the surrounding countr3\ The 
 present residence of Mr. Adams is a handsome 
 dwelling, finely situated on Eldora avenue, and 
 stands in the midst of seven acres of land, which 
 furnishes ample grounds for the carriage barn and 
 drive, and the various other conveniences and com- 
 forts which tend to make a charming suburban 
 home. In Avoca Precinct Mr. Adams served as 
 Assessor and School Director for a number of years 
 and was otherwise identified with local affairs. He 
 lays no claim to being a politician, in f.act, is desir- 
 ous of avoiding this channel of public life, except- 
 
J. 
 
 <- 
 
 1048 
 
 L. 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ing so far as to do his duty at the polls, when he 
 uniformly gives his support to the Republican 
 party. 
 
 After the death of the father of our subject, in 
 St. Clair County, 111.. George W. Adams passed the 
 three years following engaged in boating; tlien he 
 started for the West, his sole possessions the cloth- 
 ing which he wore, no money, in fact, nothing to 
 depend upon but his own resources. It is hardly 
 necessary to say that he traveled on foot, 
 worked his way along the Ohio, Mississippi and Illi- 
 nois Rivers, and finally landed in Peoria County, 111. 
 where he purchased a loaf of bread with five cents 
 he had left. His equipments were not near fine 
 enough to linger in the town, so he made his yrny 
 into the agricultural districts, and secured employ- 
 ment with a fanner about threa miles from LaSalle, 
 for whom he engaged to work the following sum- 
 mer for the sum total of $16 and his board. 
 
 Young Adams did not encroach upon his capital 
 during the time of his sojourn there,- but in the fall, 
 taking his money, made his way across the Missis- 
 sippi into Cedar County, Iowa. There he employed 
 himself at whatever he could find to do, working 
 on the farm in summer, and sawing wood in winter, 
 for a period of four years. In the meantime he 
 met and married Miss Sabra Girard, the wedding 
 taking place in Iowa, Aug. 17, 1858. The young 
 couple soon afterward, leaving the Hawkeye 
 State, came to this countj% then a bare prairie, and 
 began their wedded life together in a small house 
 on an open tract of land. The land now consti- 
 tutes the farm of our subject in Avoea Precinct, 
 but that first humble dwelling was long since aban- 
 doned for a more pretentious residence. 
 
 After a few years of earnest labor and strict 
 economy, our subject began to realize the reward 
 of his toils. It is not necessary to state here what 
 has been so often repeated in connection with the 
 history of the Nebraska pioneer. Suffice it to say 
 that Mr. Adams in his labors, in common with the 
 men around him. worked early and late and en- 
 dured many hardships and difficulties, and while 
 many men abandoned their purpose after coming 
 to the Territory, he persevered in his first resolve 
 and has had no reason to regret it. The universal 
 regard in which he is held by the people around 
 
 him is sufficient evidence of his personal worth and 
 integrit}-. He bears the reputation of a man hon- 
 est and honorable in all liis transactions, one whose 
 word is considered as good as his bond. 
 
 Mrs. Sabra (Girard) Adams, the wife of our sub- 
 ject, was born .lune 5, 1840, near LaFayette, Ind. 
 She received a common-school education and was 
 carefully trained in all housewifely duties — those 
 things which have so much to do with the happi- 
 ness and comfort of a home. Of her union with 
 our subject there were born five children, onl}- two 
 of whom are living. The eldest son, Himenus, of 
 whom we have before spoken, married Miss Louisa 
 Gruber, aud as before stated, is operating the home 
 farm. George G. makes his home with his parents 
 in Weeping Water. 
 
 James M. Girard, the father of Mrs. Adams, was 
 born Aug. 25, 1814, in Ohio, whence he removed 
 when a boy to LaFayette, Ind., when it was but a 
 small town. He was there married to Miss Eliza- 
 beth Miller, and they became the parents of five 
 children, four of whom are living. The family 
 about 1852 moved across the Mississippi into Cedar 
 County, Iowa, where the father, as before, followed 
 farming for a number of years, then changed his 
 residence to this county, making his home with 
 his daughter, Mrs. Adams, where his death took 
 place during the winter of 1888. The wife and 
 mother passed away at the same place in 1886. 
 Besides Mrs. Adams their surviving children are 
 located in Nebraska. 
 
 — l-i-l^ 
 
 JOHN G. WUNDERLICH. The subject of 
 this sketch is probably about the youngest 
 esttiblislied farmer in his community, being 
 not quite t.venty-four 3'ears old, and having 
 already a snug farm of 160 acres.a wife and a little 
 chihi. He owns liis farm, and is of tliat quality of 
 chiracter which constitutes him a prudent manager 
 and an industrious worker. His land is fertile and 
 he has comfortable buildings. 
 
 Mr. Wunderlich lias been a resident of Avoca 
 Precinct since the spring of 1880, and purchased 
 his present property two years later. He was born 
 on the other side of the Atlantic, in th- little King- 
 
-ij)aJ/^ /^^ (/' ^yWtrzc£^ 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1051 
 
 ^i 
 
 dom of Bavaria, July 2, 1865, aixl is the only child 
 of John F. and Maggie (Fatal) Wunderlich, who 
 were also natives of Bavaria, and of pure German 
 ancestry. The father was a blaeksraitli by trade, 
 and met his death accidentally in his native coun- 
 try, by falling from a train of cars, being caught 
 and having both legs severed from his body. He 
 onlyiived about fivehaurs. This calamity occurred 
 in the fall of 1869. lie was a good and worthy 
 man, and labored industriously to maintain his lit- 
 tle family in comfort. 
 
 Tlie mother of our subject remained a widow ten 
 years after the death of her husband, and was then 
 married to Henry Hepner, also a Bavarian bj' birth. 
 They came to the United States in the fall of 1880, 
 and settling in Avoca Precinct have since made it 
 their home. Mr. Hei)ner is carrying on farming 
 succ'^ssfully, and is regarded as a worthy citizen. 
 
 Mr. Wunderlich accompanied his mother and 
 stepfather to the United States before reaching his 
 majority. He had received a practical education 
 in his native tongue, and from his youth up been 
 accustomed to labor. He was married in Berlin 
 Precinct, Otoe County, March 9, 1887, to Miss 
 Lena Carsten, who was boin in Avoca Precinct, this 
 county. Dec. 26, 1865, being a few months younger 
 than her husband. The history of her parents is 
 given in the sketcli of Henrj' .Schomaker, which will 
 be found on another page of this work. 
 
 Our subject and his young wife settled soon after 
 their marriage at their present homestead, and are 
 the parents of one child, a daughter, Lotta, who 
 was born Dec. 14, 1887. Mr. Wunderlich votes 
 the straight Democratic ticket, and both he and his 
 wife in religious matters adhere to the faith of the 
 Lutheran Church, in which they were reared. 
 
 /^ APT. JOHN T. A. HOOVER, well known as 
 (l( the founder of Louisville, Cass County, has 
 
 "^^7 by that fact .alone, independent of his well- 
 known character for energy and enterprise, made 
 himself a man of much consequence along the north- 
 ern line of Cass County. His sagacitj' and fore- 
 thought made this point, in his judgment, a good 
 one for future operations, and after persuading the 
 
 Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company to 
 lay their track as near as possible l.o the projected 
 site of the village, contributed §500 for the location 
 of a station there. He put up the first house in the 
 place, and the town has since been the object of his 
 fostering care. 
 
 Capt. Hoover, it is hardly necessar}' to state, was 
 one of the pioneers of this county, to which became 
 with a ca[)ital of but $320. He has now a fine prop- 
 erty, and at his farm on sections 23 and 27, Louisville 
 Precinct, he has inaugurated the modern improve- 
 ments which have made it one of the most valuable 
 estates in the precinct. One noticeable feature is a 
 fish pond of seven acres, well stocked with German 
 carp, the first enterprise of the kind in this region. 
 The Captain has of late years been engaged in the 
 manufacture of fire brick, in which he utilizes some 
 of the best quality of clay found in the West, the 
 product of his own land. A citizen public-spirited 
 and liberal, giving generously of histimeand means 
 for the advancement of his township, he holds a 
 position second to no man in Cass Count\^ He 
 was the founder of the Louisville Pottery, one of 
 the flourishing industries of the place. 
 
 The birthplace of our subject was in the city of 
 Nagold, Wurteraberg, Germany, where he was born 
 Sept. 13, 1826. He was the youngest of twelve 
 children, seven of whomlived to mature 3'ears, but 
 only three of whom now survive. The father, 
 Ferdinand Hoover, was a farmer and stock-trader, 
 and was married in his native Germany to Miss 
 Catherine Scheahinger. This lady was born in 1783, 
 being five 3'ears younger than her hnsband, whose 
 birth took place in 1778. After marriage they sft- 
 tlod on a farm in their native Province, where the 
 father carried on agriculture uirtil 1846. He then 
 emigrated to America with his family, landing in 
 New York City after a V03'age of twenty-one d.ays. 
 From the great metropolis they proceeded directly 
 to Darke County, Ohio, where the parents settled 
 on a farm, and where the death of the father took 
 place in 1857. The mother survived her husliand 
 a perioi of seventeen 3'ears, pissing avv.iy in 1874. 
 
 The subject of this sketcli was placed in school 
 at the age of five years, and followed his studies 
 quite closely until a youth of sixteen. He then 
 entered an establishment for the manufacture of 
 
 t 
 
■♦■ 
 
 1052 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 essences, where he also learned the compounding of 
 medicines, and devoted himself to the stnd3f of 
 chemistry. He was thus occupied three years, and 
 then accompanied his parents to the United States, 
 and made his home with them in Ohio until the 
 death of his father. Upon the outbreak of the Civil 
 War he resolved to assist in the defense of his 
 adopted country, and soon after the first call for 
 troops enlisted in Company D, 58th Ohio Infantry, 
 which was assigned to the Army of the Tennessee, 
 under command of Gen. Smith. He met the enemy 
 in some of the most important battles which fol- 
 lowed, l)eing in the fights at Ft. Donelson, Pitts- 
 burg Landing, the siege of Corinth, and various 
 other minor engagements and skirmishes. Such was 
 his natural intelligence and energy that he was made 
 a First Lieutenant, and was a short time later pro- 
 moted to a Captaincy, receiving his commission 
 from Gov. Denison of Ohio. He was thus actively 
 engaged about two years, and then, on account of 
 failing health, was obliged to resign his Commission 
 in March. 1863. 
 
 Capt. Hoover now returned to his home in Darke 
 County, Ohio, and thereafter engaged in agricult- 
 ural pursuits. Later he disjiosed of his interests 
 in the Buckeye State and determined to locate in 
 Nebraska Territory. Coming to this county he 
 ])urchased land on section 23, Louisville Precinct, 
 securing at once 320 acres, upon which there were 
 no improvements, with the exce|)tion of a small log 
 house. Under many disadvantages he commenced 
 the opening up of a farm, and six years later, in 1 869_ 
 put up the i)resent stone dwelling, which is a fine, 
 substantial structure, commanding the admiration 
 of the country around. 'J'he material was quarried 
 on his farm, and the building is constructed tostand 
 for generatit)ns. The Captain has found that his 
 land was best adapted to the cultivation of corn, 
 from which he has realized as high as 100 bushels 
 to the acre. This he utilizes largely in the fatten- 
 ing of swine. His well-regulated pens, to which he 
 gives particular care, make a cleanly and healthy 
 domicile for his porkers, atid they have been sin- 
 gularly free from the diseases usually attending this 
 species of live stock. 
 
 The marriage of Capt. .John T. A. Hoover and 
 Miss Kva Hufnagel was celebrated in Darke County, 
 
 Ohio, Dec. 31, 1848. Mrs. Hoover was born in 
 Lebanon, Pa., in 1832, and is the daughter of Ben- 
 jamin and Elizabeth (Breckbiel) Hufnagel, who 
 spent their last years in Ohio. This union resulted 
 in the birth of ten children, six sons and four 
 daughters, all of whom are living, pi-esenting a 
 family group which any parent may well be proud 
 to look upon. These are recorded as: Benjamin G.; 
 Ellen, the wife of G. Metzger; Catherine, T\I is. Hern 
 Smith; Lizzie, Mrs. Morris Camay; Emily M.. Mrs. 
 William Worth; .James; Mary, Mrs. Nelson Dewey; 
 Andrew, William and Isabelle. The two latter are 
 at home with their parents. 
 
 After signalizing himself in a most decided man- 
 ner as a man well fitted for positions of trust and 
 responsibity, Capt. Hoover was, in 1867, elected to 
 represent this county in the Nebraska Legislature 
 on the Republican ticket, endorsed by the Democ- 
 racy. He served his term acceptablj', and in 1870 
 was appointed by President Grant the Postmaster 
 of Louisville, which position he held a period of ten 
 j-ears. He has served in the various other local of- 
 fices, and, socially, belongs to the G. A. R., Post No. 
 175, of Louisville. This well-known pioneei'tend 
 founder of one of the flourishing towns of Cass 
 County is fitly represented by his portiait, shown 
 on an adjoining page. 
 
 P^HOMAS GOODIER is one of the early set- 
 tlers as well as one of the most prosperous 
 farmers of Mt. Pleasant Precinct, and re- 
 sides on a well-improved farm located on section 2 1 . 
 He was born in Manchester, England, Jan. 17, 1831. 
 He attended the schools in his native country un- 
 til he was about eleven 3rears old, where he 
 acquired a taste for reading and study, which he 
 continues to the present time, In his twelfth year 
 he began the business of gardening, which he fol- 
 lowed for two yeai's; from this time for nearly 
 twenty years he was employed in the warehouse of 
 AVolff, Hassah & Co., in Manchester. England, his 
 duties in this house being principallj' the packing 
 of goods for foreign shipment. Another year was 
 spent in the same business for another firm. 
 
 In September of 1856 Mr. Goodier was married 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1053 4i 
 
 -f 
 
 to Frances Woolstencroft, a daughter of John 
 AVoolstencroft, who resided near the native city of 
 our subject. They are now the parents of five 
 children, named: Mar}' E., George, Anna, Maud and 
 Thomas. Mary E. is the wife of James Stockem, 
 and resides in Custer County, Neb.; the son 
 George also resides in the same county; Anna is 
 the wife of Jacob Staram, and resides in Mt. Pleas- 
 ant Precinct. 
 
 Feeling that there were countries that offered 
 better advantages than his native land, our subject 
 with his family came to America in 1872, sailing 
 from Liverpool, England, in the Cunard steamer 
 '■Batavia," and after a voyage of ten days they 
 landed at New York City,came direct to Cass County, 
 and purchased the eighty acres of land on which 
 they now live. When they arrived on their land 
 it was in a perfectly wild condition, not a furrow 
 had been turned or any improvement of any kind 
 had been made. With the pertinacity for which 
 his countrymen are noted, he went to work with a 
 will to improve his farm, and by close application 
 and continuous hard lalior he is the owner of one 
 of tlie most productive tracts of land in the county. 
 
 From a wild and unsettled condition our subject 
 has seen the countrj- about him develop into the 
 splendid, prosperous and highly cultivated state 
 it has now reached, and he has taken no unimpor- 
 tant part in bringing it to its present high and 
 flourishing degree of prosperity, and where a few 
 years ago deer and buffaloes roamed at will, we see 
 productive fields, pleasant, comfortable homes, 
 churches and school-houses abound, denoting an 
 intelligent and God-fearing people. 
 
 Our subject is the son of John and Mary Goodier. 
 The mother is now deceased. Both parents were 
 natives of England. He is the second oldest son of 
 the family ; all the surviving members of his parents' 
 family are still in England. He has become an 
 American citizen by complying with the laws of 
 the country relative to that question; all his inter- 
 ests are here and his sympathies are wholly and 
 entirely with the American people. 
 
 The residence of our subject is pleasantly situ- 
 ated, nea';ly designed and comfortably furnished. 
 The barns and other out-buildings necessar}' to the 
 successful prosecution of the business in which he 
 
 <•— 
 
 is engaged are conveniently located and are suf- 
 ficiently extensive to meet his present requirements, 
 A fine thriving orchard yields to his family an 
 abundance of fruit, and a number of orn.amental 
 trees and a quantity of flowering plants and choice 
 shrubbery add to the beauty of his home and the 
 pleasure of its inmates. The political allegiance of 
 ovir subject is with the Democratic partjr. He has 
 served one term as School Director, but declines to 
 accept further political favors from his neighbors, 
 as he cannot spare the time from his farm duties. 
 He is large-hearted and public-spirited, and with his 
 wife and family, takes a great interest in the social 
 matters of their locality. They are members of the 
 Christian Church, are widely and favorably known, 
 and enjoy the confidence and esteem of all who 
 know them. 
 
 fRA GORDON, one of the first business men 
 locating in the j^oung town of Wabash, estab- 
 lished himself in the hardware trade here in 
 March, 1888, and is now carrying on a prosperous 
 trade, receiving a generous patronage from the 
 people of this part of the county. He came to 
 Nebraska in 1879, from Dubuque County, Iowa, to 
 which he had been taken by his jjarents when a 
 little lad seven years of age, and where he devel- 
 oped into manhood on a farm. He was born in 
 the Province of Quebec, Canada, near the town of 
 Patton, April 15, 1847, and was the fourth child 
 in a family of seven, the oB'spring of Ransom S. 
 and Rachel (Little) Gordon, who were natives of 
 Maine and Ireland. The father died at the old 
 homestead in Dubuque County, Iowa, at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty years. He was twice mar- 
 ried, and was one of a family of fourteen children. 
 The mother is still living, making her home with 
 her son. Smith Gordon, in Red Willow County, 
 this State, and is now seventy -eight j-ears old. 
 
 This branch of the Gordon family is of Scotch 
 ancestrj', and was first represented in this country 
 forty years or so after the settlement of the 
 Plymouth colony by the paternal great-grandfather 
 of our subject, Alexander Gordon, who took up his 
 abode in Saco, Me. His progenitors were the heirs 
 of a large estate in Scotland, Gordon Castle and 
 
 ■HMi^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 1054 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 its appurtenances, -which is still in existence, and 
 estimated to be worth 140.000,000. The brothers 
 and sisters of our subject were named respectively: 
 Ransom, Smith, Henry and Lois. The first named 
 is now numbered among the prosperous farmers of 
 Centre Precinct; Smith is a resident of Red Wil- 
 low County; Henrj- is a soldier of the regular 
 army, and located at Ft. Windgate, New Mexico; 
 Lois is the wife of John Hess, of Elmwood Pre- 
 cinct, and a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in 
 this volume. 
 
 Mr. Gordon was given the advantage of a practi- 
 cal education in the common school, completing 
 his studies in Dubuque County, Iowa. He was 
 but a boy at the outbreak of the Rebellion, and 
 consequently did not enter the army as he wished, 
 in company with his brothers and half-brothers. 
 In the meantime they had pre-em])ted land in Cen- 
 tre Precinct, this county, where they settled after- 
 ward. Young Gordon, also deciding upon the 
 pursuit of agriculture, purchased, in 1879, eighty 
 acres of land in Stove Creek Precinct, to which he 
 came with his little family not long afterward. 
 He had been married, Dec. 22, 1875, to a Miss 
 Ida Tisdale, who was born in Dubuque County, 
 Iowa. Mrs. Gordon was carefully reared and 
 thoroughly educated, completing her studies in St. 
 Marjf's Academy in Dubuque. She became the 
 mother of two children, daughters. May M. and 
 p]mma M., and departed this life at their home in 
 Iowa, July 23, 1879. Thereafter our subject for 
 several years following lived in Iowa, and his 
 children wer6 taken care of by himself, his sister 
 keeping house for him. 
 
 On the 18th of February, 1886, Mr. Gordon 
 contracted a second marriage, with Miss Annie, 
 daughter of William Thaler, of Palmyra, Otoe 
 County, and a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in 
 this volume. Of this union there is one child, a 
 daughter, Bessie Lurettie. In March, 1888, leav- 
 ing his farm in Stove Creek Precinct, Mr. Gordon 
 purchased the hardware business of G. W. Wood- 
 ruff, the pioneer establishment of its kind in 
 Wabash. His energy and enterprise are proverb- 
 ial among the people of this section, and he has 
 become identified with the various leading interests 
 of the town, to which lie gives his encouragement 
 
 and support. He is one of the stockholders of the 
 Wabash Publishing Company, and uniformly votes 
 the straight Republican ticket. In religious matters 
 he adheres to the doctrines of the Free-Will 
 Baptist Church, and in Masonic circles is a member 
 of Euclid Lodge, at Weeping AYater. He has 
 distinguished himself as an able financier, and if 
 we may judge anything from the opinions of his 
 fellow-citizens, no man stands higher in the busi- 
 ness or social circles of Wabash and vicinity than 
 I\Ir. Gordon. 
 
 •^-~ 
 
 GREELEY GARRISON. The main points 
 in the history of this highlj- esteemed resi- 
 dent ot Plattsmouth are as follows: He was 
 born near Three Rivers, St. Joseph Co., 
 Mich., Feb. 16, 1854, and is the son of William 
 Garrison, a native of the State of New York. The 
 paternal grandfather it is believed was a native of 
 Holland, and upon coming to America early in life, 
 located in the State of New York, whence he re- 
 moved later to Michigan, settling in St. Joseph 
 Countjs and there spent the remainder of his days. 
 William Garrison, the father of our subject, was 
 reared to manhood in his native State, which he 
 left about the time of reaching his majority, cast- 
 ing his lot among the pioneers of St. Joseph County, 
 Mich. He purchased a tract of timber land near 
 which grew up the present flourishing city of Three 
 Rivers, eliminated a good homestead from the wil- 
 derness, and lived there until November, 1854. 
 Then crossing the Mississippi he established him- 
 self a short time in Glenwood, Iowa, where he so- 
 journed until March, 1855, and with the spirit of 
 adventure still upon him, once more changed his 
 residence, taking up his abode among the pioneers 
 of Nebraska Territory. He located this time in 
 Cass County, when there were little indications of 
 white men in this i-egiou. 
 
 The removal of the father of our subject from 
 Michigan was made overland by means of a team 
 of horses and a wagon. He crossed the Missouri 
 River at Plattsmouth, before this now flourishing 
 city had even assumed the dignity of a platted vil- 
 
"► i r^ 
 
 CASS COUXTY. 
 
 105.) 
 
 lage. There was one store, which was conducted 
 in a log building, and of this Mr. Garrison soon 
 secured possession. The Indian titles had been 
 only a short time extinguished, and the savages 
 themselves still lingered in the country. But few 
 white people had ventured within the Territory, 
 and the}' were mostly located along the river. The 
 land was still owned bj' the Government, and was 
 selling at $1.25 per acre. 
 
 For several years afterward the elder Garrison 
 carried on general merchandising in primitive 
 style, but flnallj' sold out and located on a tract of 
 land northwest of the city. This he improved and 
 occupied until about the time of the outbreak of 
 the Civil War, when he once more gathered to- 
 gether his family and his personal effects, and 
 journeyed to Douglas County, Col., where he now 
 resides. 
 
 Mrs. Mary A. (Crawford) Garrison, the mother of 
 our subject, was born in Richland County, Ohio, 
 and is the daughter of Robert Crawford, a native 
 of Maryland, who emigrated to Ohio and located 
 in Richland County during its pioneer days. Thence 
 a few years later he pushed still further westward 
 into vSt. .Joseph County, Mich., being also among 
 the first settlers there. He improved a farm, erect- 
 ing buildings and gathering together all the com- 
 forts and conveniences needful, and there closed 
 his eyes upon earthly scenes. Mrs. Garrison is 
 still li ving, making her home with her son in Platts- 
 mouth. The parental family included six children, 
 live of whom grew to mature years, and are now 
 living. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was but an infant 
 when his parents cams to Nebraska Territory, and 
 he has thus literally grown up with the country. 
 He has bsan a resident of this county all his life, 
 and has witnesssd the growth and development of 
 Southern Nebraska with the warmest interest, and 
 borne no unimportant part as an honest man and 
 a good citizen in building up its reputation. Platts- 
 mouth during this time has grown from a settle- 
 ment of a few log cabins and frame slianties to one 
 of the most important cities west of the Mississippi, 
 and contains now nearly 10,000 souls. Mr. Garri- 
 son spent his boyhood and youth at his father's 
 farm, amid the wild scenes of pioneer life, and 
 
 upon reaching manhood chose agriculture for his 
 occupation, and gave to this the most of his atten- 
 tion until the spring of 1888, when he disposed of 
 his farm propart}-, and moving into the city es- 
 tablished himself m a blacksmith, and is in the 
 enjoyment of a good patronage. He is a natural 
 mechanic, and without having served any regular 
 trade either as blar'ksmith or carpenter, is a regular 
 expert in the handling of tools. This talent has 
 been the means of saving him many hundreds of 
 dollars on his farm and elsewhere. 
 
 The marriage of H. Greeley' Garrison and Miss 
 Harriet N. Bailey- was celebrated at the home of the 
 bride in Cass County, July 19, 1883. Mrs. Garri- 
 son was born in Schenectady County, N. Y., Sejit. 
 4, 1855, and is the daughter of William P. and 
 Angelique (Van Slike) Bailey, who were natives of 
 New York, and are now residing in this township. 
 (See sketch of Mr. Bailey.) Of this union there is 
 one child, a daughter Letta. Our subject and his 
 family occupy a snug home in the northwestern 
 part of the cit^', and which is the frequent resort 
 of a large number of friends. Mr. G., politically, 
 is a member of the Democratic partj\ 
 
 ••■^t^w .;»t;^ 
 
 •^««^-»«^Jtf— 
 
 ^IL^EZEKIAH A'AN HORN, a highly respected 
 |l|j|; farmer of Plattsmouth Precinct, is pui-suing 
 •^^' the even tenor of his way on one of its well- 
 (^) cultivated farms, and has built up a good 
 homestead by his own persevering efforts, unaided 
 except by his faithful and devoted wife. He was 
 thrown upon his own resources early in life, and 
 his possessions are the accumulations of industry 
 and economy. He is one of the many men who 
 came to Nebraska with faith in its future, and 
 whose labors have been crowned with their legiti- 
 mate rew'ard. 
 
 The ancestors of our subject were originally 
 from Holland, where his paternal grandfather, by 
 name Christian Van Horn, was born, and whence 
 he emigrated to the United States when a young 
 man, locating in the vicinity of Philadelphia, Pa. 
 He served as a soldier in the War of 1812, and 
 when his services were nolonger needed located in 
 Belmont County, Ohio, about 1836. Thence he re- 
 
 >► I I < •" 
 
 .^^ 
 
-^^ 
 
 ■ar- 
 
 ioso 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 moved. to the vicinit}' of Xenia, in Greene County, 
 where his death took place in 1858, when he was 
 seventy-five years old. His son James, the father 
 of our subject, was born in Berks County, Pa., in 
 1817, .and aceornpanied his father to the Buckeye 
 State. He was there married to Miss Lydia Gray, 
 and they became the parents of eiglit children, viz: 
 Christian, our subject, Caroline, Thompson, J.ames, 
 Zeruiah, William and Edward. The mother died 
 when a young woman, aged about thirty years, in 
 February, 1853, at the home in Ohio. 
 
 The father of our subject was married the sec- 
 ond time, in Ohio, in 1857, to Miss Caroline Ruse, 
 a native of Virginia. Of this union there were 
 born six children : John W., Howard ; Maggie, who 
 died in August, 1885; Joseph, Ida and Laura. The 
 family lived in Ohio until the j-ear 1863, then de- 
 cided to push on further westward, and located in 
 the vicinity of Shawneetown, 111. Not being satis- 
 fied with their surroundings at that place, they 
 changed their residence to Posey County, Ind., but 
 later returned to Illinois, settling in Crawford 
 County. Thence in the year 1881 they moved 
 across the Mississippi to Union County, Iowa, 
 where the}' still live. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Belmont 
 County, Ohio, Nov. 8, 1843, and remained with his 
 father until a youth of fifteen years. He then started 
 out for himself, going first to his uncle, Joseph 
 "\an Horn, in Grape Grove, Greene Co., Ohio,with 
 whom he remained one year. He then returned 
 to his father in Greene County, and in 1863 went 
 with his parents to Illinois, and then he journeyed 
 alone to Iowa, in September, 1872. Two years 
 later he was married, Sept. 10, 1874, to Miss Mercy 
 I. Barlow, and they commenced the journey of 
 life together in Iowa, where they lived until com- 
 ing to this county, Oct. 19, 1879. Mr. Van Horn 
 was quite prominent in Grant Township, Iowa, 
 serving as a Constable, and occupying other posi- 
 tions of trust. Politically, he is a stanch Demo- 
 crat. Christian, the oldest brother of our subject, 
 was a soldier in the Union Armj- during the late 
 war, and was killed at Goldsboro, N. C, about the 
 time of Lee's surrender. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife there were 
 born four children, three of whom are living, viz: 
 
 George C, Albert M. and Emma Laura. One son, 
 James M., died Aug. 27, 1882, when seven years, 
 two months and six days old. Mrs. Van Horn 
 was born Aug. 14, 1851, in Crawford County, 111., 
 and is the daughter of Henry M. and Laura E. 
 (Barlow) Barlow. The father was a native of Craw- 
 ford County, 111., and the mother of Vermont. The 
 parental household consisted of three children two 
 of whom are now living. 
 
 WILLIAM EDGAR came to Nebraska three 
 years .ngo, and immcdi.itelj' attached him- 
 self to the farming community of Cass 
 County, having previously purchased a partly im- 
 proved farm on section 25, Centre Precinct. He 
 lias lirought his land to a good state of cultivation, 
 and is continually making impiovements. He raises 
 both grain and stock, and is meeting with unquali- 
 fied success. 
 
 Mr. Edgar w.ts born in Northumberland County, 
 Pa., Sept. 9, 1843, to Moses and Mary (Winner) Ed- 
 gar. His f.Tther was a native of the Eastern States, 
 although it is not known in which one he was born, 
 as he died when our subject was a child. He spent 
 his last years in Pennsylvania, where lie was en- 
 gaged as a weaver. To him and his wife were born 
 fourteen children, eleven of whom grew to matu- 
 rit}'. After his death his widow, who was a woman 
 of much capability and energy, moved with her 
 children to Wisconsin, thence to Illinois, and 
 finally to Iowa, where the most of the family are 
 now living. 
 
 He of whom we write was a lad of ten or more 
 years when his mother moved to Wisconsin, and in 
 Green Count}-, that State, he obtained his educa- 
 tion in the common schools, and was reared to a 
 practical, useful life. A few years later the family 
 moved to Ogle County, III., an<l he resided there 
 until he came to this State. He has always fol- 
 lowed farming, and had a good farm, which he had 
 brought to a high state of cultivation. But in the 
 spring of 1885 he sold all his property in that State 
 to start anew in Cass County, Neb., having pre- 
 viously purchased this one. It was partly improved, 
 but by his wise management and hard labor he has 
 
 ■► 11^ 
 
 =fej^ 
 
•►■ 
 
 -^•- 
 
 CAS!S COUNTY. 
 
 1057 ' ^ 
 
 greatly increased its value, and has made many fine 
 improvements. Tlie pastsummer (1888) lie erected 
 a large and conveniently arranged l)arn, 36x44 feet 
 in dimensions, with high posts, and well painted. 
 Everything about the place is neat and orderly, 
 denoting the practical, thrifty man in the owner. 
 There is a good orchard and grove, and from the 
 former Mr. Edgar already derives an inconie. He 
 usuall}' raises about sixty acres of corn and other 
 small grains, the fertile soil yielding large harvests. 
 
 Mr. Edgar was married to Miss Mary Jane 
 Vaiiderkar, Sept. 22, 1869. She was born in Sara- 
 toga County, N. Y., Sept. 14, 1850, and lived there 
 until she was five years old, when she accompanied 
 her parents to Ogle County. 111. She there grew 
 to womanhood, receiving from her good mother a 
 careful training in all that goes to make a good 
 housewife. She remained in the home of her par- 
 ents until oursubject claimed her assistance to build 
 up another. Her father, Michael Vanderkar, was 
 born in Saratoga County, N. Y., March 2'J, 1827, 
 and was a son of John B. and Mary (Warrington) 
 Vanderkar, natives of New York. His mother was 
 a daughter of James Warrington, who came from 
 England, and was a pioneer settler of Saratoga 
 County. He improved and owned two farms, clear- 
 ing them from the unbroken forest, and on one of 
 them he lived and died, having his home on the 
 banks of the beautiful Mohawk River. The father 
 of Mrs. Edgar married Miss Adeline Vandercook, 
 a daughter of Peter and Nancy (Filkins) Vander- 
 cook. and a resident of Saratoga County, which was 
 also the place of his birth. He was a farmer by 
 occupation, but later in life he retired from active 
 labor, and died at his home in Cohoes. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Vanderkar spent the early part of their mar- 
 ried life in their native county. Later in life, 
 about 1855, they removed with their family to Ogle 
 County, III., where they still reside, he owning a 
 valuable fai-m there. They have had nine children, 
 seven of whom grew to maturity. 
 
 The shadow of a heavy grief has darkened the 
 married life of our subject and his wife, in the 
 death of four of the five children who have been 
 born to them, Addie being the only one now liv- 
 ing. Of the others the following is recorded : 
 Blanche died Jan. 18, 1877, aged six years, six 
 
 months and six days; Carrie died January 24, the 
 same year, aged three years, twenty-four days; 
 Lula died April 4, 1886, aged six years, eight 
 months and twenty-eight days; Arthur, the only 
 son, died Nov. 11, 1888, aged five years, eight 
 months and twenty-seven days. The first two died 
 of membranous croup. In this great bereavement 
 Mr. and Mrs. Edgar do not sorrow without the 
 hope that their darlings will be restored to them in 
 a future and brighter life, and to them, in the beau- 
 tiful words of the poet: 
 
 More homelike seems the vast unknown 
 
 Since they have entered there; 
 To follow them were not so hard, 
 
 AVherever they may fare ; 
 They cannot be where God is not. 
 
 On any sea or shore, 
 Whate'er betides. Thy love abides, 
 
 Our God, forevermore. 
 
 Mr. Edgar is a man of good understanding, keen 
 and prompt, and, withal, honorable in his dealings. 
 Although he has been a resident of this place but a 
 comparativel}' short time, j'et he has made a favor- 
 able impression upon the people by his manly, 
 straightforward ways, and, with his wife, is justly 
 regarded with feelings of respect and friendship by 
 all in the community. He keeps well informed on 
 the political issues of the day, and is decidedly in 
 favor of the Republican party. 
 
 Mr. Edgar had three brothers in the Union Army 
 — John, Reuben ajid Lazarus. John was killed at 
 the battle of South Mountain ; the other two were 
 spared to return home, but broken down in health, 
 as were so many of our bravest soldiers. 
 
 "^ ^-i-B- ^ . 
 
 ANIKL G. MENDENHALL, an old set- 
 jj) tier of Stove Creek Precinct, is now num- 
 bered among its most successful farmers, 
 and is one of its leading citizens. He is a 
 son of Pennell and Mariali (West) Mendenhall, na- 
 tives of Lancaster County, Pa., the father born 
 April 27, 1811, and the mother May 17, 1811. 
 Both his paternal and maternal grandfather were of 
 English descent, and the former was a native of the 
 Keystone State. His father passed his earl3' years in 
 the State of his n.itivity, an I wiiea a youth learned 
 
 >► ■ < •• 
 
 ?^h 
 
•►Hl-^*- 
 
 1058 
 
 CASS COUNTY, 
 
 4- 
 
 the shiieniaUer's trade. AVlien a young man he went 
 U> Clevelanil. Ohio, and was there married. He 
 carried on shoemaking in tliat cit3- a short time, 
 and then moved to Indiana, and became one of the 
 first settlers of Randolph Connly. He bought tim- 
 ber land there, improved a good farm of 140 acres, 
 built up a nice home for himself and family, and 
 was prosperously engaged in agriculture there until 
 his death in 1871, at tlie age of sixty-eight years. 
 His widow died in Indiana, in 1881, at the age of 
 sixty-tive years. Tliey were active members of the 
 Free-Will Baptist Church, and occupied a high 
 position in tlie society of their community, where 
 they were valued for their many good traits of 
 character. They had eleven children, as follows : 
 Jesse, Sarali, Joseph (deceased), James, Lydia. 
 Susan, Daniel G., Eliza, Margaret, Ann (deceased), 
 William. Joseph enlisted in the defense of the 
 Union as a member of an Indiana regiment, went 
 to the front, and in Tennessee died of diarrhcea. 
 James enlisted in an Ohio regiment in 1861, served 
 three years without a wound, and was honorably 
 discharged in 1SG4. 
 
 Dfiuiel G., the subject of this biographical notice, 
 was born near Ridgeville. Randolph Co., Ind., July 
 7, 184G. He passed his early years on his father's 
 farm, and in the winter seasons attended school. 
 In February, I860, when a youth of eighteen 
 years, he enlisted in the 147th Indiana Infantry, 
 was mustered in at Richmond, Ind.. and with his 
 reoiment sent to join the Arm}' of the Potomac in 
 Virginia, but did not arrive in Richmond until Lee 
 had sui-rendered. Our subject acted mostly as 
 ouard in the Shenandoah Valley, and was finally 
 mustered out at Harper's Ferry, and discharged at 
 Indianapolis, having shown himself to be possessed 
 of the valor, patriotism, endurance and other quali- 
 ties necessary to make a good soldier. After his 
 military experience he went back to his father's 
 farm, and worked for huB until he attained his 
 majority. He then rented the home farm for three 
 years. In the fall of 1871 he determined to come 
 farther West to build up for himself a home, and, 
 coming to Nebraska City by rail, he came from 
 there to Stove Creek Precinct, and bought the 
 west eighty acres of the northeast quarter of sec- 
 tion 25. He broke the land, built on it, improved 
 
 and farmed it for two years, and then sold it. and 
 purchased 160 acres on the nortiiwest corner of the 
 same section, from the Burlington & Missouri 
 River Railroad Company'. This was also wild 
 prairie land, with not a tree on it. He broke the 
 soil, set out a large grove of forest trees, six acres 
 of orchard, containing 600 choice fruit trees, be- 
 sides a vineyard and plenty of small fruits. He 
 had to draw the timber for his first house from 
 McKesick Island, iii the Missouri River. He had 
 not paid for the whole of his land when the grass- 
 hopper raid came, and for two years he was the 
 only one who held on to railroad land in Stove 
 Creek Precinct, the others having to leave, starva- 
 tion staring them in the face. He pitied himself 
 against the grasshopper, and, though these insects 
 left nothing but the soil, his staying powers proved 
 the stronger, and he won in the end, and has now 
 much more than retrieved his losses. His farm is 
 in a fine condition, and is one of the best appointed 
 in the precinct, with a large, well-arranged house, 
 good barns, corn cribs, windmill, tank, etc. It is 
 well supplied with running water, and is willow 
 hedged and wire fenced. It is admirably fitted for 
 a stock farm, and he raises and feeds fine Durham 
 cattle, full-blooded Poland-China hogs, with a 
 thoroughbred sow, and he has three teams of 
 graded horses. 
 
 The marriage that united our subject to Miss 
 Jane Smithson, a native of Randolph Count}', Ind., 
 took place Aug. 29, 1868, and of their pleasant 
 wedded life seven children have been born, as fol- 
 lows: Rosetta B., born Aug. 21, 1869; P^lizabeth 
 F., Sept. 4, 1870; John W., M.ay 7, 1872; Charley, 
 born March 13, 1874, died May 22, 1874; Mar- 
 garet A., born Oct. 10, 1875; William H., May 19, 
 1877; Frankie O. S., Nov. 27, 1884. 
 
 Mr. Mendenhall is a practical man, endowed with 
 sufficient enterprise and tenacity of purpose to 
 make him successful in whatever he undertakes. 
 That he is an intelligent and skillful agriculturist is 
 demonstrated by the appearance of his farm, with 
 its well-tilled fields, and well-kept, finely graded 
 stock. He stands high in the esteem of his fellow- 
 citizens, who show their confidence in his ability 
 and integrity by entrusting to him such responsi- 
 ble offices .as the Super visorship of the precinct, 
 
 *^i^ 
 
 =t 
 
»» II <• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1059 
 
 and electing him to a position on the School Board. 
 He is influential in the councils of the Republican 
 party of his locality, being a strong believer in the 
 principles promulgated b\' that party. He lias 
 served as a juryman. Religiously, he adheres to 
 the doctrines of the Free-Will Baptist Church. 
 
 ^^^EORGE W. GRIMES, who settled in Otoe 
 III (— , County, Neb., in May, 1865, in McWilliams 
 ^Jl Precinct, and Sept. 20, 1869, moved to 
 his present home, owns an extensive farm in 
 Liberty Precinct, and is classed among the most 
 substantial and well-to-do representative agricult- 
 urists of Cass County. His farm is supplied with 
 good buildings and all the necessary improvements 
 to make it one of the most desirable estates for 
 many miles around. It comprises 380 acres of 
 finely' tilled land, which is distributed on different 
 sections as follows: 140 on section 19, eighty acres 
 on section 30, and 160 acres on section 17. It has 
 living water on it and many other advantages, 
 adapting it admirably to stock-raising or any other 
 purpose to which the owner chooses to apply it. 
 
 Mr. Grimes was born in Howard County, Mo., 
 Nov. 19, 1826. His father, Robert Grimes, was 
 a native of what is now West Virginia, and a son 
 of Aaron Grimes, a native of Ireland, who, coming 
 to America prior to the Revolutionary AVar, cast in 
 his lot with the struggling colonists and gallantly 
 assisted them in obtaining their freedom from the 
 mother country. After the war he settled in that 
 part of Virginia now known as West Virginia, and 
 there spent his remaining years, liis wife preceding 
 him to the grave. They had a large family of 
 children, and Robert Grimes, father of our subject, 
 was one of the youngest members of the family. 
 He attained his majority in Randolph County, where 
 was the home of his birth, and while yet a single 
 man, accompained by his elder brother George, he 
 made his way to Kentucky, living there some j'ears, 
 near Lexington. His brother became a prominent 
 man in public life, and represented either Bourbon 
 or Clark County in the State Legislature for a num- 
 ber of terms. He was married, but died without 
 children. Robert Grimes was married not far from 
 
 Lexington, Ky., to Miss Temperance Swetman, 
 a native of either Clark or Bourbon County' 
 where she was reared and lived until marriage, 
 after which Mr. Grimes began life as a farmer in 
 Kentuck}'. Subsequent to the birth of four children, 
 he moved with his family to Howard County, Mo., 
 and was among its earliest settlers, having arrived 
 therein the fall of 1826. The Indians were numer- 
 ous and troublesome at that time, and Mr. Grimes 
 took an active part in sujipressing their outrages 
 during the various raids made by the savages. He 
 had also been a patriotic soldier in the War of 1812, 
 while he was still a resident of his native State, 
 Virginia. Mr. Grimes later in life made another 
 move, and with his wife and children settled in 
 Randolph County, Mo., and began to farm in 
 Prairie Township, and there he and his wife made 
 a comfortable home. He served as Major of 
 Militia in the Mormon War in Missouri at the time 
 they were driven out of that State and located in 
 'Nauvoo, 111. During the last part of their lives 
 they moved to the northern part of the same county, 
 where they both died, he at the age of sixty-three, 
 Nov. 1, 1847, and she eight years later, when past 
 sixty years old. They were members of the Chris- 
 tian Church, and their daily lives exemplified the 
 beauties of its teachings. 
 
 Our subject was the first son and the fifth child 
 in order of birth of the six sons and seven daugh- 
 ters born to his parents and of this large famil}- all 
 are living but two. He comes of a long-lived, hardy 
 race, and inherits many of their independent, 
 sturdy traits of character, that make him inval- 
 uable as a citizen and successful as a, man. He was 
 married in Randolph County, Mo., June 15, 1854, 
 to Miss Nancy M. Goddard, a native of that county. 
 She was born Feb. 10, 1834, and was a daughter of 
 John G. and Talitha (Fipps) Goddard, now 
 deceased, they having died in Randolph County. 
 The father's death was tragic, for as he was stand- 
 ing on his own door-step he was shot by bush- 
 whackers, Feb. 26, 1865. He was then over fifty 
 3^ears old. During the war he had stood on neutral 
 ground. His first wife, the mother of Mrs. Grimes, 
 ten j^ears before his death had departed this life, 
 and he had married a second time. He and his first 
 wife were natives of Kentuckj', but were married 
 
 •>Ht:- 
 
 •►::ii-^ 
 
•►-11^^^ 
 
 1060 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 in Randolph County, Mo., to which county they 
 had gone from Kentucky some years before. Mr. 
 (ioddard was a lifelong farmer. Mrs. Grimes was 
 the eldest of a large famil}' of children, and she 
 was reared and educated in the county of her 
 nativity. She is the mother of ten children, five 
 of whom early passed to the great beyond, two of 
 them being named Francis E. and George E. 
 The other three died in infancy. The record of 
 the living children is as follows: Talitha T. is the 
 wife of E. M. Smith, a farmer of this pre- 
 cinct; Louvina is the wife of W. P. Comer, a 
 farmer of this precinct; Mary A., Floreta and John 
 E. are at home with their parents. 
 
 Mr. Grimes has not achieved success without 
 hard labor, but his toils have been directed by 
 a clear head and cool judgment. He is shrewd in 
 his dealings, and his credit stands high in financial 
 circles. He and his good wife are active members 
 of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Union 
 "Milage, and he is an Elder. In politics he is a 
 sound Democrat, and has been true to his party 
 ever since he became a voter. 
 
 -^ .#^ ^ 
 
 ylLLIAM HENRY H. CASSEL is a prac- 
 tical farmer, who is successfully engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits on section 26, 
 Weeping Water Precinct. He is the son of one of 
 Nebraska's pioneers, his father, John Cassel, hav- 
 ing been an earlj' settler of Otoe County, where he 
 evolved a valuable farm from the wild prairie near 
 Nebraska City. Our subject was only a boy when 
 he accompanied his parents to this State in 1856, 
 but he may well be denominated a pioneer of Ne- 
 braska, not only for his share of the pioneer labor 
 needed to improve his father's farm, but for the 
 hard work that he has performed since coming here 
 in developing his own farm from a state of nature, 
 and thus materially assisting in advancing the ag- 
 ricultural interests of Cass County. 
 
 Our subject was born in Indiana, May 7, 1 844, and 
 there the first twelve years of his life were passed, 
 and he gained the rudiments of his education in the 
 public schools of his native State. His father was 
 a native of South Carolina, and there lived until 
 
 he had attained manhood. He then sought the 
 wilds of Ohio, and was there married to Sarah 
 Thornas, and with her valuable aid hewed oat a 
 farm from the forest-covered land. They subse- 
 quently moved to Indiana, and later to Nebraska, 
 always keeping on the frontier, and again began 
 the pioneer task of building up a home far from 
 the haunts of civilization. On the tract of wild 
 prairie not far from Nebraska City he improved a 
 farm, and there spent his remaining years, dying 
 in 1882. He left the record of a life of usefulness 
 and good deeds, and his memory is respected by 
 his early associates in pioneer days, and by later 
 comers, as that of a just and upright man, whose 
 kind hand was readily extended to them in times 
 of trouble. He was an earnest Christian, and a 
 member of the Baptist Church, as is also his es- 
 teemed wife, who still survives him. Of their 
 wedded life twelve children were born, nine of 
 whom lived to maturity. 
 
 ,Their son, of whom we write, was a strong and 
 active boy of twelve years when they came to Ne- 
 braska, and thus it has been his privilege to witness 
 the growth of the State, its upbuilding from the 
 wild prairies, from which the buft'alo, deer and an- 
 telope had not fled when he first came, and where 
 the Indian still lingered. He can remember when 
 Nebraska City was an insignificant trading-post 
 with less than 100 habitations, and most of them 
 of rude style of architecture, or of no architect- 
 ure at all. In the early schools of that city he 
 completed his education, and on his father's home- 
 stead he gained a good knowledge of agriculture. 
 He remained an inmate of the parental household 
 until 1871, when he came to Cass County and pur- 
 chased the land comprised in his present farm of 
 ninety-two acres, flnelj^ lo3ated on section 6, town- 
 ship 10, range 1 1, Weeping Water Precinct. From 
 that cultivated prairie he has developed one of the 
 most productive farms in this region, and every 
 improvement has been the work of his own hand. 
 He planted a lovely grove of forest trees that adds 
 greatly to the attractiveness of his place; a good 
 orchard, and small fruits in abundance. His farm 
 is mostly fenced with hedge, and the buildings that 
 he has erected are in good order, and look neat and 
 substantial. He devotes his time principally to 
 
 •►■ 
 
 *^l 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1061 
 
 stock-raising, and his cattle, horses, and hogs of 
 good grades, are always in fine condition, and bring 
 good prices when thrown on the market. He makes 
 a specialty of raising hogs, finding them very 
 profitable. The first dwelling in which our subject 
 lived on his land was the typical dugout of these 
 Western States, which he built himself, and in 
 which he for a time kept a bachelor's establishment 
 until he could secure a more commodious residence. 
 The following 3^ear, 1872, after making various 
 improvements, he was mai'ried to Miss Sarah Emery, 
 and she lias cheerfully aided him in building up 
 their present comfortable home. In this four chil- 
 dren have been born to them, of whom three are 
 still living, namely: Way land, Lottie and Earl. 
 Their son Harry died when one year old. Mrs. 
 Cassel was born in Canada, and came to Nebraska 
 with her parents. They settled near Tecumseh 
 and lived there until latel}', when thej' moved to 
 Crab Orchard. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Cassel are members in good staqd- 
 ing of the Baptist Church, of AVabash, and they 
 earnestly and sincerely strive to live up to their 
 professions. They are cordially liked in this com- 
 munity, and none know them but to respect them. 
 Mr. Cassel votes with the Republican party, and 
 always takes an intelligent interest in politics. He 
 uses his influence to procure good educational fa- 
 cilities in this precinct, and has done good work 
 for the cause while serving as Director on the 
 School Board. 
 
 o-aSJ^ 
 
 -^^ 
 
 <«fi<f- 
 
 .>-Hl:: 
 
 ylLLIAM FRANS and his son R. H. are car- 
 rying on an extensive mercantile business 
 in tiie town of Union, and the}' .nay well 
 be classed among the leading merchants of this 
 part of Cass County. Mr. Frans was one of the 
 original settlers of Cass County, and during the 
 first decade of the settlement of Nebraska he was 
 one of its active pioneers. There are but few 
 people now living in this State who visited it as 
 early as he did, and saw it in all its primeval wild- 
 ness, when it was the domain of the Indian, with 
 scarce!}' a trace of civilization, and some time be- 
 
 4* 
 
 fore its great possibilities were realized, or it was 
 dreamed that it would one day become a powerful 
 commonwealth, occupying a proud position .is one 
 of the States of the great American Union. The 
 lime of Mr. Frans' first visit here to which we refer 
 was 1848. He w^s in the Government service, it 
 being the last 3-ear of the Mexican War, when he. 
 ail adventurous, high-spirited youth of eighteen, 
 crossed the Missouri River at Ft. Kearney, now Ne- 
 braska City, to enter the employ of the Govern- 
 ment as teamster. The fort was then occupied b}' 
 five companies of United States troops, known as 
 tiie Oregon Battalion, that had been recruited in 
 Missouri for service in the Mexican War if needed, 
 and had been sent from Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., to 
 tivke possession of the unoccu|)ied post at Nebraska 
 City. In the fall of that j'car old Ft. Kearney was 
 finally abandoned, and the garrison moved to what 
 was afterward known as new Ft. Kearney, in the 
 southern portion of the State, on the Platte River. 
 Our subject w.as engaged in iiauling supplies to the 
 new fort, making three trips during the year, and 
 on the last one he went in a diagonal direction across 
 the Territories from new Ft. Kearney to Ft. Leav- 
 enworth, where he was discharged from the service, 
 having been in the Government employ just five 
 montlis. He then returned to his home in Bu- 
 chanan County, Mo., and remaineil there until 1851, 
 when he took up a claim near Plum Hollow in Fre- 
 mont County, Iowa, and made several improve- 
 ments on his 80-acre tract of land, continuing 
 to reside on it until 1854. He then crossed the 
 Missouri River at a place kflown as Thompson Feriy, 
 which he himself had managed in 1853, and found 
 himself once again in the Territory of Nebraska, 
 this time as a settler He took up a claim where 
 the old town of Rock Bluff was first laid out, and 
 with his father-in-law and a son of the latter who 
 had come with him, each of whom took up claims, 
 paid the Indians a tribute of $13 for the privilege 
 of being allowed to stay and not be molested, as 
 those settlers who refused to pay the tribute ex- 
 acted were run off by the natives to whom the land 
 then belonged. Our subject and his kinsmen re- 
 mained on their farms until 1802, and during that 
 time had materiall}' aided in building up the now 
 defunct town of Rock Bluff, which was at that time 
 
 M^l 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 1062 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ii thriving little village, iind one of the foremost in 
 the county on the Missouri River. In 1862 Mr. 
 Fr.ins sold all his interests in the Territor}', and 
 again took up his abode in Buchanan County, Mo. 
 While a resident of Nebraska he had engaged to 
 some extent in freighting, and from the 17th of 
 March, 1861, until Jan. 10, 1862, had made three 
 trips to Denver on his own account. He afterward 
 made two other trips across the plains, one to 
 Denver, Col., and oue to Jewelbnrg, Neb. Mr. 
 Frans did not escape the vicissitudes of life in a 
 pioneer country, and avers tiuit it was desperately 
 hard times for the pioneers in 1858 to 1861, and 
 the only way to make money was to freight pro- 
 visions across the plains, and at that business he 
 was financially successful. 
 
 The early years of the life of our subject were 
 passed in Meade County, Ky., on the banks of the 
 Ohio River, where he was born March 1, 18;31. His 
 father, Tazwell Fraus, was a Virginian by birth, and 
 spent the first few years of his life in the Old Do- 
 minion, but while he was still a boy his parents, 
 likewise natives of Virginia, moved from there to 
 Kentucky and settled among the pioneers of that 
 State. The}' built a home in Meade County, and 
 there John Frans and his wife, the grandparents 
 of our subject, passed away, full of years, leav- 
 ing the blessed memory of well-spent lives. They 
 were Missionary Baptists in their religious faith. 
 and held tenaciously to the tenets of their church, 
 The father of our subject grew to manhood in 
 his father's home on the beautiful banks of the 
 Ohio, and there he and Ruan Hardin united their 
 lives for better or for worse, and began their 
 wedded life on a farm in that vicinty. Mrs. Frans 
 was a relative of the celebrated Ben Hardin. The 
 most of their family were born there, and in 1844 
 they migrated to Missouri and settled in what was 
 commonly called Platte Purchase, being the north- 
 west corner of the State of Missouri. Their remain- 
 ing years were passed there, the father dying in 
 1864, in the opening month of the year, and the 
 mother preceding him in death six months before, 
 having died in July, 1863, and they were both aged 
 sixty-three years. They were of the Baptist faith, 
 and were strictly honorable, upright people. Of 
 ' ' the sixteen children, eight sons and eight daugh- 
 
 •► ■ <■ 
 
 r 
 
 ters, born of their marriage, thirteen lived to marry 
 and settle in life, and twelve are yet living. 
 
 Our subject, who was the fourthchild of that large 
 family, was a lad of fourteen years when he accom- 
 panied his parents to their new home in Missouri. 
 We have seen that two or three years later he 
 started out in the world for himself, and have traced 
 his life to his return to Buchanan County, and we 
 will now resume the thread at that point. After 
 his return from the mountains he left Nebraska in 
 1862 and went to Buchanan County, Mo. He 
 there turned his attention to farming, which occu- 
 pation he laid aside awhile in 1864, at the call of 
 duty, to enlist with the State troops for the pro- 
 tection of the State. He was in the service for 
 seven months, and was then honorably discharged 
 without having taken part in any battles. He con- 
 tinued to reside in Buchanan and DeKalb Coun- 
 ties until 1884. In the latter county he sold his 
 interests and in the year just mentioned returned 
 to Nebraska, and in Factoryville, this county, 
 entered into the mercantile business with his son 
 R. H., who had established himself there the 3'ear 
 before. They continued to conduct their busi- 
 ness in Factoryville until October, 1887, when they 
 moved their stock of goods to this point, regarding 
 the location as more favorable for their trade. They 
 have a new and commodious store, 36x40 feet iu 
 dimensions, with a wareroom at the rear, 20x16 
 feet, a fine basement beneath the whole, and a com- 
 fortable tenement above. Thej' carry about $10,- 
 000 worth of stock, and have an annual sale of 
 about $20,000 of general merchandise, having to 
 suppl}' all the country trade for miles around. The 
 post-office is also in the store, and R. H. Frans has 
 held the position of Postmaster for several years, 
 while our subject is Deputy Postmaster. Mr. 
 Frans is a stanch Democrat, and takes an active in- 
 terest in local and National politics. He is a man 
 of honor, who is cordially liked by all with whom 
 he has dealings, and his credit stands high in the 
 commercial world. He is a man of deep religious 
 feelings, and has been for years Deacon of the 
 Baptist Church, of which his wife and all but their 
 three youngest children are also valued members. 
 
 Mr. Frans and Miss Rebecca Spiers were united 
 in marriage in Buch:inau County, Mo. Mrs. Frans 
 
 -•► 
 
 I 
 
*► 11 <• 
 
 -•»- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1063 
 
 is a native of Ohio, born in Coshocton C'ount3', 
 Sept. 9, 1835, and is a riaughter of Benedict and 
 Ruphena (Rife) Spiers. They were natives of Ger- 
 manj\ hoin near the famous Rhine, wiiere they were 
 reared and married. Soon after the Intler event 
 they came to America and located in Ohio, where 
 Mr. Spiers carried on farming and milling, being a 
 professional miller. In 1843 the family made their 
 way to Buchanan County, Mo., and there Mr. 
 Spiers was engaged as a miller for some time. In 
 1854 he and his family came to Nebraska, and set- 
 tled in Rock Bluff Precinct. In 1875 he left his 
 Cass County home, and with his wife and son 
 moved to Kansas, and settled in Smith County, 
 where they are yet living, the parents both being 
 past eighty' years of age. Mrs. Frans was quite 
 young when her parents moved to Missouri, and 
 there she completed her education. Of her mar- 
 riage with our subject eleven children have been 
 born, all of whom are living, and the following is 
 recorded of them : Augustus lives in DeKalb County 
 as a merchant, and he married Clara Jones; R. H., 
 in business with his father, married Jennie Fitch; 
 Charles W., a farmer in Wyoming Precinct. Otoe 
 County, married Belle Fitch for his second wife, his 
 first wife having died some years ago; Florilda is 
 the wife of Joseph Sands, a farmer near old Rock 
 Bluff Village; Rosanna is the wife of Robert Cog- 
 dill, a farmer of Factoryville; Isabel is the wife of 
 Dr. M. L. Thomas, a ph3-siciau of Union ; Betsy is 
 the wife of Wyatt Hutchinson, a fanner in Rock 
 Bluff Precinct; Lavinia is the wife of William 
 W. Wolfe, a blacksmith at Union; Colmore R. is a 
 clerk in the store, and lives at home; Harrj' is also 
 at home, and a clerk in the drug-store of Dr. 
 Thomas; Emma is at home. 
 
 eHARLES A. WEBSTER, proprietor of the 
 leading jewelry and book store of Weeping 
 Water, also carries a fine line of stationery 
 and fancy goods, and is transacting a large and 
 lucrative business. The house was established in 
 the winter of 1881-82, first as a jewelry store, and 
 was the first of its kind in the place. It has grown 
 gradually from a modest beginning, and enjoys a 
 
 constantly incre.ising patronage. Mr. Webster is a 
 thorough business man, a master jeweler, and num- 
 bered among the stirring and enterprising men of 
 his community. 
 
 Our subject was born in Batavia, N. Y., March 
 18, 1840, and lived there until a lad twelve years 
 of age. He then accompanied his widowed mother 
 to Oberlin, Ohio, and four years later, in 1856. to 
 Mills County, Iowa. He was a resident of the 
 Hawkeye State until after the outbreak of the Re- 
 bellion, and on the 12th of August, 1862, he prof- 
 fered his services .as a Union soldier, enlisting in 
 Company K, 29th Iowa Infantry, as a private. lie 
 was soon promoted to Sergeant. His regiment was 
 made a part of the Western Army^ and operated 
 mostly in Arkans.as and Louisiana. Mr. Webster 
 participated in many of the important battles of 
 that period, including the fights at Helena, Elkius- 
 ford, Poison Springs, Camden, Jenkins' Ferrv, the 
 siege of Spanish Fort, and numerous other engage- 
 ments and skirmishes. He escaped unharmed, and at 
 the expiration of his term of service was mustered 
 out at New Orleans, Aug. 10, 1865, and reached 
 home the first week in September following. 
 
 Mr, Webster now began his business career at 
 Tabor, Fremont Co., Iowa, where he first carried on 
 farming and then engaged in general merchandis- 
 ing a period of five years. Selling out in Jan- 
 uary, 1876, and coming to this countj-, he first pur- 
 chased 160 acres of land in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, 
 and occupied this farm until 1881. He effected some 
 excellent improvements, and added later to his 
 original purchase, providing the whole with good 
 fences, and setting out an apple orchard and trees 
 of the smaller fruits, putting up buildings, and gen- 
 erally adding to the value of the property. In the 
 year mentioned he sold out, and invested a portion 
 of his capital in his present enterprise. He is a 
 man who gives his strict attention to his business, 
 meddling very little with politics, otherwise than 
 giving his decided support to the principles of the 
 Republican party. He was one year persuaded to 
 accept the office of Alderman, and frequently 
 serves as School Director in his district. 
 
 Mr. Webster was married in Iowa, Nov. 13, 
 1862, to Miss JerUsha S. Reed, of T.abor, and they 
 became the parents of four children, only threa of 
 
 ■ ► II <•• 
 

 1064 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 whom are living, namely: Ellen L. S.. Charles E. 
 and William. They are all at home with their 
 parents, and are being trained and educated in a 
 manner which shall make of them worthy mem- 
 bers of the community. Mrs. Webster was born in 
 Gustavus Count3', Ohio, in 1842, and is the daugh- 
 ter of Augustus and Serena (Hutcliins) Reed, who 
 were natives of Connecticut, and the father for 
 many years was one of the prominent farmers of 
 the Buckeye State. About 1853 he removed to 
 Iowa, engaging in business at Tabor. Later, com- 
 ing to Nebraska, he took up his residence in 
 Weeping Water Precinct, and died about 1881. He 
 was one of the earliest pioneers of Washington 
 County, Iowa. Mrs. Reed is still living, making 
 her home in Weeping Water with her son. 
 
 William H. Webster, the father of our subject, 
 was born in Connecticut, and received a thorough 
 education, being graduated from Yale College. 
 Later he took up the study of medicine, completing 
 his medical course in one of the New York hos- 
 pitals. He commenced the regular practice of his 
 profession at Batavia, N. Y., and during a period 
 of eight j'ears accumulated a fortune while still a 
 young man. He possessed unbounded energy in 
 the duties of his calling, and labored beyond his 
 strength, in fact, working himself to death, de- 
 parting hence while in his prime, about 1842. He 
 had married Miss Victoria Bowen, of Fall River, 
 Mass., and they became the parents of four chil- 
 dren, the youngest of whom died after the death of 
 the father. The mother subsequently came to the 
 West, and spent her last j^ears in Kansas with her 
 daughter, dying about 1869. 
 
 "IL-^ENRY SCHOMAKER. Among the practi- 
 jlfjlj cal and thrifty farmers of Avoca Precinct 
 '^^ who have made a specialty of stock-raising, 
 ■f^j the subject of tills sketch occupies a good 
 position and is quite an extensive property holder, 
 being the owner of a fine farm of 320 acres on 
 sections 1 and 1 4. Tlie greater part of the land is 
 in productive condition, well watered, and with 
 good buildings. The whole forms a pleasant pict- 
 ure of country life, and suggests the idea of i)lenty 
 
 •► 
 
 ■•^ 
 
 and comfort where it would seem that that rare 
 article — happiness — might contentedly abide. 
 
 Mr. Schomaker may properly be- numbered 
 among the self-made men of Southern Nebraska, 
 having come here comparatively wirJiout means, 
 and commenced in a modest way to \>uiU\ up a 
 home and a competence. His first pureh.ase was 
 1 60 acres of land, to which lie has added 1)3' degrees, ' 
 and sucii has been his career both as a thorough 
 farmer and a reliable citizen, that he occupies an 
 enviable position socially and financially. He has 
 been a resident of Avoca Precinct since the sum- 
 mer of 1871. In .June of that year he crossed 
 the water from the Fatherland with his mother and 
 other members of the family, all of whom settled in 
 this locality, where they now Iiave con)fortal)le 
 homes. They arc not ashamed to admit that they 
 were as poor as " church mice" when they landed in 
 the United States, and their career has been an admir- 
 able illustration of the result of perseverance, in- 
 dustry and iionesty. There are now no more highly 
 respected residents in the county than the family of 
 Schomakers. 
 
 A native of the Uuchy of Sleswick-Holstein, 
 the subject of this sketch was horn Sept. 7, 1851, 
 and is the third child and second son of Peter and 
 Anna C. (Lau) Schomaker. who are both now de- 
 ceased ; the father died in his native Germany in 
 1849, at the age of fifty-nine. He is remembered 
 by his sons as a kind-hearted, honest and intelligent 
 man, one whose lot in life it w.is to be poor in 
 purse and who midehis living by hard labor. The 
 mother after the death of her husband came to 
 America with her four younger children, namely: 
 Henry (our subject). Christian, Jlargarette and 
 Herman. They settled in Avoca Precinct, where 
 the sons contributed to the snppf>it of the mother, 
 and where they all lived together until her death, 
 July 25, 1880; she was then fift3'-nine 3'eai-s of 
 age. Both parents were members of the German 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 Mr. Schomaker, our subject, landed in America 
 about the time of reacliing his majority, and later 
 found a bride in Avoca Precinct, being married. 
 Dee. 20, 1877. to Miss Minnie Carsten. This lady 
 w.as born in Cass County, this State, Sept. 20. 18G1. 
 and is the daughter of Frederick and Sarah (Storm) 
 
 t 
 
•*-«=«^ 
 
 t 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•»> 
 
 1065 
 
 Carstcn, tlie father a nntive of Mecklenburg. Ger- 
 many, and the noother of Elsass. They ennigrated 
 to tlie United States about 1850, coming to Ne- 
 braska and settling in Otoe County, where the 
 father died July 23, 1883, when ripe in years. He 
 had been a good citizen and a successful farmer, 
 and at his deatli left his wife and three children a 
 good propert}'. The}' are all living, tlie mother 
 making her home with her son, Louis Carsten, in 
 Berlin Precinct, Otoe County, and being now 
 about fifty 3'ears of age. 
 
 Mrs. Schomaker was reared to womanhood in 
 Cass Count}', and remained a member of the 
 parental household until her marriage. Slie is now 
 the mother of three children, viz: Frederick, 
 Bertha and Eda. In politics Mr. Schomaker is a 
 stanch Republican, and both he and his excellent 
 wife are membei'S in good standing of the Lu- 
 theran Church. 
 
 ^f^ 
 
 WILLIAM WETENKAMP, who is well and 
 favorably known throughout Plattsmouth 
 Precinct and vicinit}', is numbered among 
 its most successful Germ.an farmers, possessing all 
 the industr}' and perseverance of a substantial an- 
 cestary. A native of Hanover, Germany, he was 
 born -while it was under the rule of its own King, 
 Dec. 29, 1833, and was there educated and 
 reared to man's estate. His parents were Albert H. 
 and Margaret (Schwers) Wetenkamp, and spent 
 their entire lives upon their native soil. They 
 were of pure German stock. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were born 
 eight children, seven of whom are in the United 
 States. William emigrated to America in the 
 spring of 1857, when a young man in the twenty- 
 fourth j'ear of his age, crossing the ocean on the 
 sailing vessel "Republic," and after a voj'age of 
 twenty-seven and one-half days landed in New 
 York City. Thence he proceeded to Wisconsin, 
 settling near Manitowoc, where he lived two years, 
 and engaged in milling. Then he came to Ne- 
 braska Territoi'y, and commenced working by the 
 month on a farm in Cass County. He was thus 
 
 employed for two j'ears, and then was given the 
 post of overseer of a train of twenty-five wagons, 
 and began freighting to Denver and the mountains, 
 being thus employed a period of seven years. 
 
 The wild frontier experience of Mr. Wetenkamp 
 is one which he will remember vividly all his life. 
 The Indians were numerous and troublesome, and 
 Mr. Wetenkamp and his men were often obliged to 
 skirmish with them in order to protect their goods 
 and animals. He withdrew from this contract with 
 a reasonable amount of money. His homestead em- 
 braces 400 acres, which he has brought to a flue 
 state of cultivation, erecting thereon substantial 
 modern buildings, and gathering about him the com- 
 forts and conveniences required by the progressive 
 agriculturist. He has besides this 240 acres of 
 prairie land, and fifteen acres of valu.ible timber. 
 
 Mr. Wetenkamp came to this county without 
 means. His career is an admirable illustration of 
 what may be accomplished by perseverance and in- 
 dustry. It has taken years of labor and thousands 
 of dollars to bring his farm to its present condi- 
 tion. The handsome brick residence now occupied 
 by the family was put up in the summer of 1879, 
 at a cost of $4,000, and among his other buildings 
 is a brick structure for the purpose of packing 
 meat, and which proves an admirable repository 
 for this product. The corn cribs, cattle sheds and 
 improved farm machinery, with the herds of cattle 
 and swine, and the fat horses always associated 
 with the thrifty German farmer, give to the home- 
 stead that air of comfort and plenty which is de- 
 lightful to contemplate. 
 
 Our subject usu.allj' raises about twenty-five 
 head of cattle anuall}', and feeds upon an average 
 fifty head for market. He also keeps a herd of 
 about 1 00 hogs, and feeds to his stock most of the 
 grain raised upon his farm His labors and strug- 
 gles have been shared by one of the most estimable 
 of ladies, who in her girlhood was Miss Mary 
 Long, and to whom he was married in this town- 
 ship, July 8, 1868. Mrs. Wetenkamp is the daugh- 
 ter of S. I. and Elizabeth Long, a sketch of whom 
 appears elsewhere in this volume. Of her union 
 with our suljject there have been born three chil- 
 dren, one of whom, Elmer W. died at the age of six 
 years in 1880. The survivors are: Grant, born 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 1066 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 Dec. 8, 1869, and Albert A., Oct. 14, 1871. Both 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wetenkamp are members in good 
 standing of the Presbyterian Church, and our sub- 
 ject, politically, is a solid Republican. 
 
 '\f7AMES SEARS. Among the men of note 
 and public-spirited citizens of Tipton Pre- 
 , cinct, this gentleman occupies a position in 
 '^Mli tlie front ranks. Although not an old resi- 
 dent, he has become widely and favorably known 
 on account of his enterprise and intelligence. He 
 is well educated and well informed, and in all re- 
 spects a citizen calculated to assist in the social and 
 moral advancement of his community. He owns 
 and operates a well-regulated farm of 160 acres on 
 section 36, and makes a specialty of live stock, 
 shipping one or two carloads annually. 
 
 In noting the career of a man who has r.iised 
 himself to a prominent and worthy position in life, 
 it is the most natural thing in the world to glance 
 backward at the place and people whence he 
 sprang. Mr. Sears is of an excellent family; his 
 parents were both natives of the Empire State, his 
 father, James, Sr., born in Orange County, and the 
 mother, in her girlhood Miss Hester Rutan, in 
 Sullivan County. The paternal grandfather, also 
 named James, was born in Dutchess County, N. Y., 
 and moved later to Chenango County, during the 
 period of its earliest settlement. He cleared a farm, 
 established a sawmill, accumulated a good property, 
 and lived to the advanced age of eighty-six 3^ears. 
 He traced his ancestry to Ireland. The Rutans 
 were of German descent. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared to manhood 
 on a farm in his native county, and upon starting 
 out for himself in life took up his abode in Sulli- 
 van County, N. Y., where he engaged extensively 
 in agriculture, and like his father before him, also 
 operated a sawmill. He became prominent in the 
 affairs of Sullivan County, represented his town- 
 ship in the Board of Supervisors many years, and 
 after the organization of the Republican party was 
 one of its most active members. He departed this 
 life in March, 1888, at the old homestead, when 
 ninety-six years old. The mother had preceded her 
 
 -<• 
 
 aged partner only a few weeks, dying in February of 
 that year, at the age of seventy-eight. She was a 
 good woman in the highest sense of the term, and 
 a conscientious member of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were born 
 ten children, namely: Margaretta, Abigail, Eliza- 
 beth, Isaac, Deborah, James, Mary, Alfred, Charles 
 and William. Charles died when about thirtj^-six 
 years old. James, of our sketch, was born at Phil- 
 lipsport, Sullivan Co., N. Y., April 15, 1838, and 
 remained a member of his father's household until 
 twenty-six years old, assisting in the emplo.yments 
 of the farm, and for two or three years worked on 
 the Delaware & Hudson Canal. He was married, 
 Sept. 7, 1865, to Miss Lucretia Crossman, a native 
 of his own county, and a lady of fine education. 
 
 Mr. Sears soon after his marriage purchased 100 
 acres of partiall3' improved land in Sullivan County, 
 N. Y., upon which he operated seven years. There 
 was a blue stone quarry in the county, which prom- 
 ised excellent results to any man who could work 
 it understandingly, and of this Mr. Sears deter- 
 mined to become the possessor. He accordingly 
 sold his farm and invested a portion of his capital 
 in the quarry, which he began working, and ship- 
 ping the product thereof to the various cities East. 
 The young State of Nebraska, however, seemed to 
 offer better inducements than even the blue stone 
 quarry, and accordingly, selling out once more he 
 crossed the Mississippi, and a few weeks later- we 
 find him settled on a farm in Otoe Precinct, Otoe 
 County, this State, which he conducted until the 
 spring of 1882, when he changed his residence to 
 this county, purchasing the farm which he now 
 occupies. 
 
 All the improvements which we behold to-day 
 arouud the Sears homestead were effected by the 
 present proprietor. The fences are all of his build- 
 ing and the forest and fruit trees of his own plant- 
 ing. The land is finely watered by a branch of the 
 Nemaha. In addition to his cattle and horses Mr. 
 Sears is considerably interested in full-blooded Po- 
 land-China swine. His farming operations are 
 carried on in that systematic manner wiiich is cliar- 
 acteristic of the man. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Sears there were born two daugh- 
 
 -•►Hf 
 
""M,* 
 
 Q—tyLfCO 
 
 ■'■'■ i.f 
 
 :^f^^<^ 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1069 
 
 ^h 
 
 ters and one son, namely: Bertha 'M., Olive L. and 
 Elmer. Bertha is the wife of Joseph II. C'lapp, a well- 
 to-do farmer of Tipton Preeinct, this county; the}' 
 have two children, Leslie and an infant unnamed. 
 The other daughter is at home with her parents, as 
 is their son Elmer. Mr. and Mrs. Sears are mem- 
 bers in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and Mr. S., politically, votes the straight 
 Republican ticliet, as liave all the mole members 
 of the family so far as he has any record of them. 
 He takes satisfaction in the thought that he cast 
 his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln. 
 He frequently has been sent as a delegate to the 
 various State and County Conventions, has served 
 on the Petit and Grand Juries, and is a man of de- 
 cided views, whose opinions are generally re- 
 spected, as they are the outgrowth of his honest 
 convictions. 
 
 =E>- 
 
 WILLIAM H. PICKENS has for some years 
 actively promoted the growth of Platts- 
 moiith in his capacit}' of contractor and 
 builder, lie ranking among the first in that business 
 in Cass Count}'. He has been very successful in 
 pursuit of his vocation since coming here, and 
 has accumulated much property, from which he de- 
 rives a good income. 
 
 Mr. Pickens is a worthy descendant of an lionor- 
 able ancestry, some of whose representatives have 
 been prominent in the public life of this country. 
 He is a native of Ireland, although of Scotch par- 
 entage, and his birth took place in the city of Bel- 
 fast. July 4. 1 848. His parents, Arthur and Ann 
 (Clai-k) Pickens, were natives of Glasgow and Edin- 
 burgh, Scotland, respectively. His paternal grand- 
 father, Andrew Pickens, was born in Berivs County, 
 Pa., as was also liis great-grandfather, Gen. An- 
 drew Pickens. The latter took an active part in 
 the American Revolution, and was one of tiie 
 youngest and bravest of the Generals under Wash- 
 ington. He distinguished himself in the battles of 
 Cowpens, Eutaw Springs, Thickety Creek and Ft. 
 Harrison. After the war he w.as elected to Congress 
 from South Carolina, and served with distinction In 
 that body. He was of French parentage, and 
 
 ^ 
 
 went to the home of his fathers, loaded vvitli years 
 and honors, to die. His wife was a sister of Sena- 
 tor Carr, of South Carolina. Tlie grandfather of 
 our subject grew to manhood and married in his 
 native State, and then crossed the water to Scot- 
 land and settled in Glasgow, where he worked at 
 his trade of stonemason, and there died. His son 
 Arthur, father of oursubject, was reared in his native 
 city, and In his youth learned the trade of weaver. 
 Some years after marriage he moved to Belfast, 
 Ireland, where he operated a linen factory until his 
 death in 18-19. His wife survived him but a few 
 years, dying in Belfast in 1857. There were four 
 children born of their marriage: Lucy married 
 John Adams, and lives in Belfast; Margaret married 
 R. C. Montgomery, and lives in Chicago; Joiin, 
 who was an engineer, was killed In a collision in 
 California in March, 1888. 
 
 The other son, the subject of this notice, was 
 one year old when he was deprived of a father's 
 care, and was nine years old when the sad event of 
 his motlier's death left him an orphan. In March, 
 1858, he accompanied his brother and sister to this 
 country, and as soon as he arrived went to live 
 with Lyman Trumbull in Hyde Park, 111. He made 
 his home with that gentleman until he was fifteen, 
 and then commenced to learn the carpenter's trade, 
 serving three years, and acquiring a thorough, 
 practical knowledge of his work in all Its details, as 
 he had a natur.al aptitude for handling tools. He 
 subsequently did journeywork for a year, and 
 then established himself as a contractor and builder, 
 with one sliop in Chicago and another In Hyde 
 Park. He continued In business In those places 
 until November, 1873, and on the thirteenth day of 
 that month he enlisted for five years as a soldier in 
 the regular army, becoming a member of Compan}' 
 E, 5th United States Cavalry. He thus had an 
 opportunity to see the greater part of our western 
 territory, and became quite familiar with the great 
 plains, from British America on the north to the 
 Gulf of Mexico on the south, and from the Missis- 
 sippi on the east to the Rocky Mountains on the 
 west, as he was at different times statlone<l in Ari- 
 zona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, 
 Wyoming. Montana, Dakota, Utah, Nevada and 
 Texas; and he also s.iw soraetliliig of the Pacific 
 
 ■•►Ht 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 t 
 
 1070 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 tAi 
 
 Coast, as he was at one timestationefl in California. 
 He met with many stirring adventures, and one 
 listens to him with pleasure as he recounts tales of 
 his soldier life. He was with Gen. Crook in Da- 
 kota at tiie time of the terrible Custer massacre, 
 and ills regiment was at the same time under orders 
 from Gen. Slieridan to march for the place where 
 tlie massacre occurred, at the junction of the Big 
 Horn and Little Big Horn Rivers. While they were 
 cncamiied on Rosebud Creek the only survivor of 
 Custer's command came into camp and announced 
 the direful fate that had befallen the beloved and 
 gallant commander and his men. Two days later 
 our subject and his comrades were on the battle- 
 field, where they took up the Indian trail to Yellow- 
 stone River. While on that expedition thesoldiei'S 
 had lived fourteen da3's on horse meat, without any 
 salt for savor. In 1874 Mr. Pickens took part in 
 the battle of Tonto Creek, Ariz., and after the battle 
 was promoted to the rank of Corporal by order of 
 Gen. Crook, for personal merit and braver3' in 
 action. In 1877 he was on the Wind River expe- 
 dition, under Gen. Wesley Merritt, and in the 
 month of July he received promotion to the office 
 of Sergeant, an<l also served as Quartermaster-Ser- 
 geant and Sergeant-Major. AVhile in the army he 
 was with his regiment in all of its marches and en- 
 gagements, and took part in more than fifty en- 
 counters with the Indians. At the expiration of his 
 term of service he was discharged at Ft. McKenney, 
 Wyo., and returned to Chicago in November of 
 the same year. The December following found 
 him in Omaha, and in July, 1879, he came to 
 Plattsmouth from tliat cit}% and at once established 
 himself in his business as contractor and builder. 
 In 1879 he bought a lot in a desirable residence 
 portion of the city, and in 1881 erected the neat 
 and commodious dwelling in which he and his 
 family make their home. In 1883 he bought more 
 land, and built another house, and since tlien has 
 erected three other residences in Vallery's Addition. 
 He now owns five houses, several vacant lots, and 
 ten acres of improved land with buildings, joining 
 the city. 
 
 Mr. Pickens was married, Oct. 12, 1880, to Miss 
 Emma A. DeSpain, and their pleasant home is 
 gladdened by the presence of two children — William 
 
 Edward and Janetta. Their son Arthur John died 
 at the age of six months. Mrs. Pickens was born 
 in McDonough County, 111., a daughter of AVilliam 
 J. DeSpain, who was born in Green Count}', Ky., 
 March 19, 1812. His father, Peter DeSpain, whose 
 birthplace is unknown, was of French ancestry. He 
 was a Revolutionary soldier, serving under Wash- 
 ington, and after the war he settled in Kentuck}', 
 and was a pioneer of Green County, where he 
 cleared a farm from the wilderness, and there his 
 days were lengthened out far beyond Scriptural 
 limits, one hundred years having passed before his 
 vigorous constitution yielded to death. Mrs. Pick- 
 ens' father grew to manhood in his native count}', 
 and there learned the trade of carriage and wagon 
 maker. He went to Illinois when a young man. 
 and located near Decatur, where he plied his trade. 
 Later he was a resident of Sangamon and McDon- 
 ough Counties. In 1855 he moved to Schuyler 
 County, Mo., and buying a tractof wild land there, 
 devoted most of his time to its improvement, liv- 
 ing there until 1860. He next made his home 
 in Iowa for four years, and then became identifie<l 
 with the business interests of Plattsmouth, erecting 
 a shop here and following his trade for awhile. He 
 was elected Police Judge in 1876, and was re- 
 elected in 1877, dying while still an incumbent of 
 that office, Dec. 22, 1877, being the date of his 
 death. He was an incorruptible Judge, and his 
 sterling worth made him an invaluable citizen, 
 whose death was a severe blow to the communit}'. 
 The maiden name of William DeSjiain's wife was 
 Janetta Eaton, and she was born in Woodford 
 County, Ky., Oct. 31, 1815. Her father, George 
 H. Eaton, was born in the same count}', and his 
 father, Joseph Eaton, was a descendant of one of 
 three brothers who came from England in the " May- 
 flower." He was one of the first settlers of Wood- 
 ford County, Ky., where he improved a farm and 
 spent his last years, dying at the age of eighty- 
 seven years. The grandfather of Mrs. Pickens was 
 reared and married in Kentucky, and in 1830 
 moved with a team to Illinois, and bewime a pioneer 
 of Macon County. He settled five miles from De- 
 catur, and three years later his death occurred in 
 his new home. The maiden name of his wife was 
 Mary Shannon, and she was a Pennsylvanian by 
 
 ^ 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 birth. Mer father, Jose|)h Shannon, was a Euro- 
 pean, wlio, coming to America, settled in Penns^'l- 
 vania, and during the war of the Revolution served 
 in the Continental Army as teamster. He subse- 
 quently became a pioneer of Woodford County, 
 Ky., and there died. Mrs. Pickens' mother was 
 left a widow with ten children by the premature 
 death of her husband, but she bravely toiled for 
 their sakes, and kept them together until they 
 were grown and able to care for themselves. She 
 passed her last years peacefully in the homes of her 
 children in Sangamon County. There were ten 
 ciiildren born to Mrs. Pickens' parents, all of whom 
 grew to maturity, namely: Augustus S., Mary F., 
 Oscar U., Columbus, Amanda, Eliza, Albert, Emma, 
 Nettie and Belle. Oscar served in the late war as 
 a member of a Missouri regiment. 
 
 Mr. Pickens is a man of calm, clear intelligence, 
 just and generous in his treatment of others, an<i 
 his force and stability of character commend him 
 to those with whom he associates as one to be re- 
 lied upon in any and all cases. A fine portrait of 
 Mr. Pickens is given on an accompanying page. 
 
 --fo - ^ I' ^g -- 
 
 Jj SAAC N. WOLF, Assessor of Greenwood Pre- 
 l| cinct, is also numbered among its steady-going 
 ll and well-to-do farmers, and represents a good 
 property lying on sections 34, 11 and 9. A man 
 beginning life at the foot of the ladder, he has 
 made a good record, struggling amid the difficulties 
 which fall to the common lot of man, and better 
 than all, has gained the esteem and confidence of 
 his fellow-citizens. His snug home is suggestive 
 of peace and comfort, without any pretensions to 
 elegance, and it is quite possible that the inmates 
 enjoy life's blessings in as large a degree as many 
 others who are possessed of a greater amount of land 
 and gold. Aside from his present office, Mr. 
 Wolf has been quite prominent in public affairs, 
 and is a man enjoying in a marked degree the 
 good-will of those around him. 
 
 Mr. Wolf comes from excellent Pennsylvania 
 stock, his parents, Martin and Elizabeth (Clouse) 
 Wolf, being natives of the Keystone State. They 
 removed, before their marriage, to Ashland County, 
 
 Ohio, settling in Lake Township on a farm, where 
 the subject of this sketch was born Aug. 7, 1839. 
 Martin Wolf was a carpenter by trade, but was 
 also fond of farming pursuits, which he followed 
 almost exclusively the latter part of his life. From 
 Ohio the family finally removed, in 1855, to Indi- 
 ana, and thence a few years later they came to 
 Nebraska, where the death of the father took place 
 in Greenwood Precinct, in March, 1877, when he was 
 seventy-five years old. The mother is still living, 
 and makes her home with her daughter, Mary S. 
 Wolf, in Greenwood Precinct. She is now aged 
 eightj- -three, one of the oldest ladies in the place. 
 The parental household included nine children, all 
 of whom are living, making their homes mostly in 
 Nebraska. The}' are named respectively: George 
 W., Jacob, John C, Elizabeth, ]\Iartin V., Isaac 
 N. (our subject), Mary S., William S. and Eliza, 
 deceased. 
 
 Mr. Wolf accompanied his parents in their re- 
 moval to Indiana and Nebraska, and in Michigan 
 made the acquaintance of Miss Margaret Ann 
 Clouse, to whom he was married in Dover Township, 
 Lenawee Co., Mich. Mrs. Wolf is the daugh- 
 ter of Jacob and Barbara (Wolford) Clouse, who 
 were natives respectively of New Jersey and Ohio. 
 In the latter State Mrs. Wolf lived until a girl of 
 twenty-one years of age, then removed with her 
 parents to Michigan. Mr. Clouse was considerable 
 of a traveler, delighting in going from one place to 
 another and learning what he could of different 
 sections of the country. The family were after- 
 ward residents of Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. 
 Mr. C. died at the home of our subject, in this 
 State, Dec. 20, 1884, when eighty-two years old. 
 The motherhad died some years before, aged forty- 
 five. 
 
 After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wolf lived 
 for a time at Clayton, Mich., where Jlr. W. was 
 in the employ of the Michigan Southern Railroad 
 Company a period of three years. In the spring 
 of 1869 he came to this county and homesteaded 
 eighty acres of land in Greenwood Precinct. 
 Their first dwelling was a box house, in which they 
 lived in a style similar to the people around them 
 until they could do better. The plodding indus- 
 try of Mr. Wolf in time resulted in the cultivation 
 
 •► 
 
•p-if^ 
 
 l » ~1l •<• 
 
 1072 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 
 of the greater part of his land, of which l;e still 
 retains possession. He has heen a man more than 
 ordinaril}' public-spirited and liberal, uniformly 
 willing to assist by the best means in his power 
 the projects calculated for the good of the com- 
 munity around him. He is a stanch Eepublican, 
 politicallj^ and is serving his third term as 
 Assessor. In 1880 he was the Census Taker of 
 Greenwood Precinct, and has frequently served on 
 the Petit Jury. He has been active in the coun- 
 cils of his party in this section of the county, and 
 frequently been sent as a delegate to its various 
 conventions. Upon the organization of his school 
 district he was chosen a Director, serving as such 
 many 3'ears. He organized the second school in 
 his precinct. In religious matters, both he and 
 his estimable wife belong to the Free-Will Baptist 
 Church. They have two children only, iMary E. 
 and Nancj' L., who continue under the heme roof. 
 
 '\f OHN M. LLOYD is a practical farmer and 
 stock-raiser of Liberty Precinct, and he is 
 successful}}- engaged in agricultural pursuits 
 J on a fine farm of 160 acres on section 34. 
 It is well located and has on it an elegant residence, 
 very commodious and comfortable, beautifully situ- 
 ated on a knoll overlooking a fine scope of country. 
 
 Our subject is a native of Lycoming County, 
 Pa., his birtli having occurred March 8, 1857. His 
 father, P^dvv.ird Lloyd, was a native and lifelong 
 resident of the same State, his death occurring 
 when our sul)ject was a boy eleven years old. 
 His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Mont- 
 gomery, is still living, and is a very intelligent, 
 thoughtful woman of less than threescore j-ears. 
 
 J. M. and his twin brother, Harrison W., a 
 farmer in Liberty Piecinet, are the youngest but 
 one of the members of the family. His brother is 
 a married man, having taken as a wife Risa Bing- 
 ham, of Pennsylvani.T,. He of whom we write was 
 carefully reared b}' his mother, and was partly edu- 
 cated in his native Stale. He was a self-reliant 
 lad, of more than ordinary' push and intelligence, 
 and when fifteen years of age came to Nebraska, 
 making his home in Otoe County the first year. 
 
 He was in the employ of the Government as a star 
 route agent between Nebraska City and Ashland, 
 Neb. He was later engaged as a cattle herder for 
 some time, and finally took up his home in Liberty. 
 He was subsequently married in Liberty Precinct 
 at the home of his bride, Mrs. Maria R. Compton, 
 nee Reed. She was born in Fountain County, Ind., 
 Nov. 7, 1846, being a daughter of Hiram and 
 Sarah A. (Lyon) Reed. Her father is now deceased, 
 having died at Covington, Fountain Co., Ind.. in 
 December, 1883, at the age of sixtj'-four. Mrs. 
 Reed is yet residing in Covington, and, although 
 sixty-nine years old, is still hale and hearty. Hiram 
 Reed was a native of Pennsylvania, and came of a 
 good old Pennsylvanian family. He was a farmer, 
 and when a young man went to Indiana to pursue 
 his calling, and he was there married, his wife com- 
 ing from Ohio, her native State. Mrs. Lloyd, of 
 this notice, was reared in Fountain County, and re- 
 ceived an excellent education, which well fitted her 
 for the vocation of teacher, which she followed 
 with success a short time before her marriage, in 
 her native count}", to John Compton, also a native 
 of Fountain County, he having been born near 
 Hillsboro in July, 1846. He was a son of Terry 
 and Mar}' Compton, who are still living in Foun- 
 tain County in the enjoyment of a serene old age, 
 having retired from active life as farmers. Imme- 
 diatel}' after marriage Mr. and Mrs. Compton made 
 a trip to this State and settled on llie farm in Lib- 
 erty Precinct, Mr. Compton having previously ob- 
 tained it some years before. It was the 3'ear 187.5 
 that they settled in their new home and began life 
 as farmers with every prospect of future success. 
 But two years later death invaded the little home 
 and removed the husband. His marriage had been 
 blessed to him and his wife bj' the birth of one 
 child. Lulu, who died some months after her father's 
 death. 
 
 Since Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd were married, Nov. 
 17, 1878, they have spent three years in Fountain 
 County, Ind. After their return to this State they 
 settled on the farm which had belonged to her first 
 husband. Since it has come under our subject's 
 management, by a judicious expenditure of money 
 and labor he lias made extensive improvements, 
 and has <;reallv increased the value of the estate. 
 
 -!^iU 
 
•►HF^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1073 
 
 which may now justly be ranked ainoiig the model 
 farms t>f Cass County. 
 
 Of the happ}' marriage of oui- subject and liis 
 wife live children have been borii, as follows: 
 Hiram Reed, Henry L., Elizabeth M., John M. 
 and Grace. 
 
 Mr. Lloyd is a young man of high standing in 
 the farming communit}' of Cass Count3', his enter- 
 prise, independence and capacity for work making 
 him a valued citizen. He is a close and intelligent 
 observer of the political aspects of the day, and 
 gives his hearty support to the Republican party. 
 
 «l IfclLLIAM A. JOHNSON is a popular, highly 
 i\\ , /// respected citizen, residing in Salt Creek 
 
 W 
 
 Precinct, where he owns and operates a 
 valuable farm of 400 acres on section 15. He is 
 the son of Abraham and Nancy (Carney) Johnson. 
 Both of his parents were natives of New York 
 State. His father was a laboring man, and leaving 
 his native State he moved westward and settled in 
 Ohio, where he lived a consistent life, displaying a 
 marked individuality and morality. He died in 
 187G, seventy -seven years old. The Carneys were 
 among the celebrated Knickerbocker families of 
 New York, so graphically described by the famed 
 author, Washington Irving. The mother died at 
 their home in Ohio in October, 1868, aged fifty 
 years, leaving a family of six children, named: 
 Margaret A., Mary, William A. (our subject), 
 Georgiana, Eliza J. and Cornelius. After the death 
 of the mother, the father contracted a second mar- 
 riage, and was the father of one child, Sadie. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Tompkins 
 County, N. Y., in 1841. His earliest recollections 
 of life extend back to the journey westward to 
 Ohio, during which his father had a violent quarrel 
 with a dishonest boatman. Their home was in the 
 heavily timbered district of Ohio, and at an early 
 age he was taught to swing an ax. At the age of 
 fourteen our subject made his father an oflfer as fol- 
 lows: That if he would give him his time until he 
 was twenty-one, he would give the father in return 
 one-half of his earnings, to which the parent con- 
 sented. He then worked out on a farm by the 
 
 month for six years. He did not attend school six 
 months altogether in his life, and the great store of 
 practical knowledge which the gentleman possesses 
 at this time is the direct result of the study and 
 close observation of events as they transpired about 
 him. 
 
 Our subject enlisted as a soldier in Company II, 
 80th Ohio Infantry. He accompanied his regiment 
 to the seat of war in the South, and participated 
 with them in many skirmishes and engagements. In 
 looking over a list of the battles in which he took 
 part, the names are found of Farmington, Ky. ; 
 Corinth, where, in 1862, he received a wound in 
 the knee; Colil water. Holly Springs, Tallahatchie, 
 Memphis, Helena, siege of Vicksburg, Raymond 
 and Jackson. In the latter engagement he was se- 
 verely wounded in the left side. Here the rebels 
 came up and captured him. One of them tapped 
 him on his shoulder and said: •• What do you think 
 of Vallandigham.^ He is in our lines now, and is 
 going to be Governor of the State of Ohio." He 
 thought that if such feelings and sentiments were 
 expressed by the rebels, he could no longer be a 
 Democrat, and it was at Jackson, Miss., that he was 
 converted to the Republican faith, which he has to 
 this time steadfastly maintained. 
 
 Our subject pursued the following line of reason- 
 ing: Here is a man who has been tried for treason, 
 given every advantage and technicality under the 
 law of the land he has sought to betray, has been 
 found guilty, and banished to the side that held his 
 sympathy, yet in the face of all this he was taken 
 up by the Democratic party, and put forward as 
 one of its principal leaders. I can never swallow 
 that dose, and reclining backward, the wound that 
 was made by the rebel sharpshooter allowed the es- 
 cape of the last drop of Democratic blood in his 
 organism. From this battle-field he was taken to 
 Libby Prison, where he remained until he was 
 paroled, and he was finally exchanged at Columbus, 
 Ohio, in October, 1863. He then rejoined his regi- 
 ment at Stevenson, Ala., and took part in the 
 battles of Mission Ridge and Huntsvdle. Ala. At 
 Paint Rock River his right leg was broken while 
 assisting in building a stockade. He was sent to 
 the hospital at Chattanooga. Tenn., where he was 
 examined, and then sent back toKnoxville marked 
 
 • > II <• 
 
 ^¥^\- 
 
•►^H 
 
 1074 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 "ir 
 
 " rliscbargerl," and sent to the Louisville Hospital, 
 thence to New Albany, Ind., from where he went 
 to the solfliei-'s home at Indianapolis. Desiring to 
 obtain a furlough he applied to Gov. Morton, of 
 Indiana, who at all times and in all things was the 
 soldiers' friend, and he procured it for him. 
 
 At the expiration of the furlough our subject 
 was appointed on the Secret Police by Gov. Mor- 
 ton, and rendered the State valuable service in that 
 capacity, assisting in the detection and capture of 
 several desperate characters, who were opposed to 
 the Union cause. He was instrumental in ridding 
 tlie city of Indianapolis of the notorious " Knights 
 of the Golden Circle." From his earliest boyhood 
 days he was a true patriot, an<l his heart was im- 
 bued with an intense love of his country. While 
 a young man he was called upon to climb to the 
 top of a liberty pole in West Bedford, Ohio, to ar- 
 range the rope for hoisting a flag. His father was 
 strenuously opposed to his enlistment in the service, 
 as he was a Democrat of the old school. After his 
 enlistment members of the Democratic party tried 
 to bribe him "to desert and fly to Canada, but his 
 honor as a man and a soldier would not permit 
 him to so disgrace himself. He is now proud of 
 the record he made in the army, and of the assist- 
 ance he gave his country in her time of need, and 
 he is certainly justified in all he feels. 
 
 While at home on his furlough our subject was 
 married to Miss Rachel Loder, July 7, 1663. This 
 lady is the daughter of James and Ann (Polick) 
 Loder. She was born in Coshocton County, Ohio, 
 where they made their home for the six years fol- 
 lowing the close of the war, when he removed to 
 Hancock County, III., where he resided on a farm 
 until 1881, when he moved to Nebraska and pur- 
 chased eighty acres of land. He was prospered, 
 and has at various times added to his original pur- 
 chase, until he now owns 400 acres of choice, 
 eligibly- located farm land, which he devotes largely 
 to raising cattle and hogs for the general market. 
 He has now 280 head of cattle and 140 head of 
 hogs. The buildings on his farm are of the most 
 substantial and extensive character, conveniently 
 located, and complete in all their appointments for 
 the purposes for which they were designed. The 
 farm is divided into fields of convenient size by 
 
 substantial hedge and wire fences; an orchard of 
 choice varieties of fruit and a large number of 
 ornamental trees add to the beauty and value of 
 his property. His home is nicely located, is neatly 
 and tastefully arranged, and well furnished through- 
 out, and his wife takes especial pride in maintain- 
 ing lier home as one of the nicest of the many in 
 the precinct. The^- have become the parents of 
 nine children, of whom the following are living: 
 John Thomas. Kichard, James, Louis and Minnie. 
 Mr. Johnson has been an active member of the 
 Jlethodist Episcopal Church since he was fifteen 
 j-ears of age. He has been Superintendent of the 
 Union Sunday-school in Salt Creek Precinct, Neb. 
 He is a member of Greenwood Post, G. A. II., and 
 also holds a membership in the Odd Fellows' Lodge 
 at Ashland, and is a leading member of the Knights 
 of Pythias. In politics he is now and forever a 
 Republican. He is a progressive, wide-awake citi- 
 zen, a hard worker, popular among his fellowmen, 
 deserving and holding the respect of all who know 
 him. He is an earnest and hearty supporter of 
 every plan devised to further the best interests of 
 the community in which he lives. 
 
 'J OHN KRAEGER is one of those earnest, 
 hard-working German- American citizens 
 who have contributed so largely by their 
 perseverance and skill to make the State of 
 Nebraska the fruitful garden it is to-day. He resides 
 on his fine farm of 320 acres located on section 2 
 of Mt. Pleasant Precinct. He is a native of Hesse- 
 Darmstadt, Germany, where he was born April 5, 
 1864. There he lived with his parents, John and 
 Eve Kraeger, attending school until he reached the 
 age of fifteen j'ears, when he began learning the 
 trade of stonemason, which trade be followed for 
 six years. His life from that time to the present 
 has been passed in farming. In the fall of 1864 he 
 took passage for America in a sailing-vessel from 
 the port of Bremen, and after a voyage of thirty- 
 one days landed at New York City. 
 
 After he had reached that city our subject went 
 direct to Tazewell County, 111., where he lived until 
 1878, in which year became to Cass County, Neb., 
 
 !tJU 
 
•►HI-4*- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1075 4 
 
 where he has since lived. He was married to Sophia 
 Orth, Nov. 15, 1870, in Illinois. The lad.y was 
 born in Germany, June 1 6, 1848, and is the daugh- 
 ter of Peter and Elizabeth Orth. She came to 
 America with her parents when she was five years 
 old, and settled with them in Canada, where the 
 parents still reside. In 1867 she came alone to 
 Illinois. They have become the parents of nine 
 children: Elizabeth was born Aug. 27, 1871; 
 George, Jan. 12, 187.3; Adam, June 8, 1875; Johui 
 Jan. 9, 1877; Annie, ,Ian. 9, 1879; Louisa, Nov. 8, 
 1882; Jacob, Dec. 28. 1884; Mary, Nov. 6, 188G, 
 and Henry, in 1887. 
 
 Mr. Kraeger emigrated with his family to Cass 
 County, Neb., in the spring of 1878, and settled on 
 the farm where he now lives, to the improvement 
 of which he has from that time to the present de- 
 voted his every energy. His buildings, provided 
 for general farm purposes, barns, sheds, etc., are 
 among the best in the precinct; his residence is 
 large and tastefully designed and handsomely 
 furnished. The grounds about the house are orna- 
 mented witli evergreens and shrubbery. A thriv- 
 ing orchard of choice varieties of fruits, and both 
 natural and planted groves, add value to the 
 premises. 
 
 When our subject arrived in America he had no 
 means with which to help himself. He contracted 
 a debt of $20 to tide him over his necessities until 
 he could settle down to work at something. He is 
 truly a self-made man, and in gathering the fine 
 property together which now surrounds him, he 
 has shown an immense amount of energy and 
 .perseverance. In all things he has been ably assisted 
 by his wife, who has at no time ever hesitated to 
 assume any responsibility or enter upon the dis- 
 charge of any duty, however hard or unpleasant it 
 might be, th.at would forward the interests and wel- 
 fare of husband and familj-, and now having at- 
 tained the fulfillment of their hopes and desires, 
 they are enjoying a full competency, which they 
 have striven so long and hard to reacli, and have 
 been so richly rewarded. 
 
 The friends and neighbors of the subject of this 
 sketch have frequently solicited him to accept of- 
 ficial positions at their hands, which he has invari- 
 ably refused, except the office of Seliool Director, 
 
 in which position he felt that he could accomplish 
 the greatest amount of good, and the duties of which 
 office he has filled in a highly acceptable manner. 
 Himself and wife are valued and honored members 
 of the Lutheran Church. He is a Republican in 
 politics, and is an earnest worker in behalf of that 
 party. He is one of the leaders in the social life of 
 the precinct. 
 
 — -^^m- — 
 
 ^^M SA COLMAN, of Liberty Precinct, has been 
 ^^^Jji one of its solid institutions for many years, 
 I it and occupies his father's old homestead, 
 ^ wliich comprises 220 acres of valuable land, 
 
 pleasantly located on section 6. The elder Colman 
 homesteaded this during the pioneer days of this 
 county, and was numbered among its most valued 
 citizens. The modern improvements, however, 
 have been effected mostly by the present occupant. 
 A stream of living water runs through the farm, 
 adding greatly to its natural fertility, and aiding in 
 producing some of the finest crops in Southern Ne- 
 braska. 
 
 Mr. Colman has been a resident of this county 
 since November, 1858, having come here at that 
 time with his father's family vvlien a j-oiith of nine- 
 teen years. He has since also continuously resided 
 in Liberty Precinct on the old farm. He was born 
 in Noble County, Ind., Oct. 10, 1839, and is the 
 son of Hartwell and Elizabeth (Engle) Colman, 
 who were natives respectively of New York and 
 Ohio. Both the parents became residents of Noble 
 County, Ind., in their youth; they were married in 
 Ohio, and began life together on a farm in Noble 
 County. Both the maternal and paternal grand- 
 parents of our subject were among the pioneer set- 
 tlers of Noble County. The brothers and sisters of 
 our subject were mostly born in that county. The 
 family in the fall of 1851, leaving Indiana, moved 
 across the Mississippi into Jones County, Iowa, 
 settling on a tract of new land. The father effected 
 considerable improvement, with the aid of his sons, 
 then sold out once more and resolved to cast his 
 lot with the pioneers of Nebraska. Coming to this 
 county he selected land on section 6, Liberty Pre- 
 cinct, which lie took up from the Government, and 
 here with his estimable wife spent the remainder of 
 
 >► 1 1 <•• 
 
 ?^»- 
 
*► 11 <• 
 
 1076 
 
 *4r* 
 
 CA.SS COUNTY. 
 
 liis (lays. lie nas horn in 1800, and died in De- 
 cember, 18C4, being sixty-four 3'eais of age. The 
 wife and mother continued to live a few jears at 
 the homestead here, but finally returned to Indiana, 
 and spent her last da3S at the home of licr daugh- 
 ter in Tippecanoe County, where her death .took 
 place about 1878, after s-iie had reached her three- 
 score years. She was a good woman, and a member 
 of the Methodist Church. 
 
 The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood and 
 youth upon the pioneer farm in Noble County', Ind., 
 and accompanied his parents in their subsequent 
 removals, first to Iowa and then to Nebraska. In 
 due time he made the acquaintance of Miss Eliza 
 Copple, of Itock iJluff Precinct, to whom he was 
 married at her home there in January, 18C5. Mrs. 
 Colman was born in Barry County, Mo., Sept. 10, 
 184i), and came with her parents to Nebraska dur- 
 ing the progress of the Civil War. Thej' settled 
 fiist in Rock Bluff Precinct, but later sold out and 
 moved to Weeping Water, where the parents are 
 now living, retired from active labor. 
 
 Mrs. Colman was reared under the home roof, 
 and educated in the com m(jn schools. Of her mar- 
 riage with our subject there were five children, as 
 follows: Ida M. is the wife of Oliver Murdoch, and 
 they live on a farm in Gosper County; Delmer S., 
 Varrow H., Grace E. and Ray are at home with 
 their parents. Mrs. Colman adheres to the relig- 
 ious faith of her excellent mother, being a member 
 of the Methodist Church. Mr. Colman, politically, 
 is a sounil Republican. 
 
 ^ RS. LOUISA MATHEWS, an accom- 
 plished, intelligeut, self-reliant woman, of 
 * rare executive abilit}-. is the owner of 240 
 acres of land on section 30, Stove Creek 
 Precinct, where she has resided for a score of j'ears, 
 and which she has managed with unusual skill since 
 the death of her husband, showing excellent judg- 
 ment in all her business transactions, and a thor- 
 ough knowledge of the duties devolving upon her. 
 She was born in Freedom, Beaver Co., Pa., Nov. 
 10, 1841, and is of mingled Scotch and German 
 descent, her paternal grandfather, William Graham, 
 
 who was a farmer of Penns}lvania, having been of 
 Scotch origin, though a native of the Keystone 
 State. He was a strong Presb3'terian, and adhered 
 tenaciously to the faith of that church. His son 
 Joseph, father of Mrs. ]\Iathews, w-as born in Butler 
 County, Pa., where he married Henrietta Ghost, a 
 native of the same county. Her father, the ma- 
 ternal grandfather of our subject, was born in 
 German}-, but emigrated to America and settled on 
 a Pennsylvania farm. Mrs. Mathews' father was a 
 gunmaker by trade, and erected a gun factory in 
 Freedom, Pa., and carried on his business there on 
 a small scale. In 18.55 he sold his factory and 
 moved to Iowa, becoming one of the pioneers of 
 Scott County. He located twenty miles east of 
 Davenport, taking up 160 acres of land, which he 
 improved, and to which he has since added by pur- 
 chase, until he now has one of the largest farms in 
 Scott Count}-, where he still resides at the advanced 
 age of seventy-three years. His wife died in 1849, 
 at the early age of thirty-five jears. They were 
 the parents of three children, namely: Louisa; 
 Catherine, of Moline, 111., and Susan, deceased. 
 
 Our subject received a good education in her 
 native town, remaining there until fourteen j-ears 
 of age, when she removed with her father to Iowa, 
 and remained under the parental roof until her 
 marriage, Sept. 1, 1862, to Mr. J. M. Mathews. 
 He was born in Washington County, Ohio, Aug. 8, 
 1833, and was a son of William and Mary Ann 
 Mathews, early settlers of Ohio, born in 1808 and 
 Ma}- 2, 1812, respectively. His father was a stone- 
 cutter by trade, and also carried on a small farm, 
 continuing thus employed until his death, Dec. 12, 
 1863, at the age of fifty-five years. His mother is 
 still living in Ohio. Of the children born to them 
 two are still living, Charles W. and Alpha C, both 
 in Ohio. J. M. Mathews, hu.sband of our subject, 
 was a diligent scholar, who, improving every op- 
 portunity for study, acquired a very good educa- 
 tion in early life. When fourteen years of age he 
 was put in sole charge of the farm, his father hav- 
 ing work at his trade, and he remained thus en- 
 gaged for four years. In 1851 he went to Scott 
 County, Iowa, and worked on n farm until the time 
 of his marriage with our subject. Two weeks later, 
 filled with patriotic enthusiasm, and inspired by 
 
 •►Ht^ 
 
 »^t- 
 
»► I I < • 
 
 •«»• 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1077 
 
 the loyal courage of his bride, he enlisted in the 
 defense of his country in the 20th Iowa Infantry, 
 and was mustered into service at Clinton. In the 
 fall of that year he was sent into Missouri, and 
 afterward took an active part in the battle of Prairie 
 Grove, Ark., where he was shot in the breast, the 
 ball coming out below his arm, and was obliged to 
 spend the winter in the hospital, not being able to 
 join his regiment again until the following March. 
 Mrs. Mathews was sick at the time and was unable 
 to care for him. He afterward participated in the 
 siege of Yicksburg and the battle of New Orleans, 
 subsequently joining Farragiit's expedition to Mo- 
 bile and Ft. Fisher, and at the close of the war was 
 mustered out of the service at Clinton, Iowa, re- 
 ceiving an honorable discharge in July, 186.5, hav- 
 ing served two years and eleven months. After 
 resuming his duties as a private citizen Mr. 
 Mathews rented land for three years, and in the 
 fall of 1868 he removed with his family to Cass 
 County, Neb., and located on the present home- 
 stead owned by his widow, taking up onlj- eighty 
 acres at first. The laud was entirely uncultivated, 
 and he set out trees, planted an orchard, and put 
 up a dwelling, 15x12 feet, at a cost of §200, the 
 lumber for which he hauled from Nebraska City. 
 He met with the usual luck of settlers in a new 
 country, suffering at times from the wind or drouth, 
 and during the grasshopper raid met with severe 
 losses. Bj^ his energetic labors and perseverance, 
 coupled with wisdom and thrift in management, 
 he succeeded in evolving a line farm from the raw 
 prairie land, to which he afterward added 160 
 acres on section 31, which he bought of the Bur- 
 lington & Missouri River Railroad Company. The 
 farm is all improved, and surrounded by hedge or 
 wire fence, and has a 10-acre orchard containing 
 600 trees of various kinds. It is all well watered, 
 has a windmill, tanks, and various other improve- 
 ments. The original house has given way to one 
 of a more modern construction, and new barns and 
 out-buildings have been erected. In all of these 
 improvements Mr. Mathews took great pride, and 
 since his death, which occurred Feb. 10, 1886, our 
 subject has paid equall}- good attention to its man- 
 agement. In politics he was a good, honest Repub- 
 lican, firmly adhering to the principles of that 
 
 4 * 
 
 party. He was a member of the United Brethren 
 Church. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Mathews was 
 blessed by the birth of eight children, namely: 
 Charles W.; EUaB., wife of A. B. Lewton; Amelia 
 M., wife of George "Whisleman, of Stove Creek 
 Precinct; Rosa E., Laura B., George AV., Mamie 
 A. and Jessie. 
 
 Our subject, though still living on her farm, 
 expects soon to retire from active life and locate in 
 the beautiful residence that she has built in Elm- 
 wood. She is a large-hearted woman, of genuine 
 refinement, noted for her courteous and hospitable 
 manners, and her love of the beautiful is indicated 
 by her surroundings. She is a kind neighbor, sin- 
 cere friend, and true Christian, exemplifj'ing in her 
 dail}^ walk the teachings of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, of which she is a member. 
 
 Mr. Mathews' uncle, Daniel iMathews, was a min- 
 ister of the ]Methodist Episcopal Church for many 
 3'ears, and was the first white child born in Wash- 
 ington Count3% Ohio. 
 
 OBERT McGILL, a pre-emptorof 1857, and 
 a resident of Avoca Precinct for a period 
 of thirty-one years, is now living with his 
 *^son-in-law, William Case, on section 2, 
 where thej' own together 160 acres of land. This 
 constitutes one of the finest farms in this part of 
 the county, with excellent improvements, more than 
 ordinarily good farm buildings, and a fair assort- 
 ment of live stock. The farm is watered by a liv- 
 ing stream from Spring Creek, and yields to its 
 owners annually a handsome income. 
 
 County Down, Ireland, was the native place of 
 our subject, and he was born May 24, 1819. He 
 has consequently attained nearlj- his threescore years 
 and ten. The family Is of Scotch ancestry', being 
 among those who fled from their native land to the 
 North of Ireland during the religious wars. His 
 grandparents on both sides of the house were of 
 pure Scotch blood. His father, Robert McGill, Sr., 
 a well-to-do farmer of County' Down, married Miss 
 Mary McKnight, spent his entire life In his native 
 Ireland, and attained to the advanced age of over 
 elghtj' years. He was a lifelong Presbyterian, and 
 
 f 
 
i k 1078 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 had been a prominent man in liis coinmiinitj', oc- 
 cup3'ing many positions of trust and responsibility. 
 
 The mother of our subject, after the death of her 
 husband, came to America with her son Robert, in 
 1848. and died in Akron, Summit Co., Ohio, when 
 over seventy years of age. Robert, Jr., attained to 
 his majority in his native county, learning the trade 
 of weaver, an industry which was very generally 
 prosecuted iu that region. He was married there 
 to Miss Isabelle Young, who was also born and 
 reared in County Dovvn, and was of Irish ancestry. 
 Mr. McGill preceded his wife and little daughter to 
 America, they joining him in Summit County, Ohio, 
 in 1849, when little Mary was four years old. Mr. 
 McGill upon coming to the United States secured em- 
 ployment in a stove foundry at Akron, Ohio, wliere 
 he continued until coming to the farther West, in tlie 
 spring of 18.o7. In the meantime Mrs. Isabelle 
 McGill, his wife, had died in Akron, Ohio, about 
 1854. Our subject was thus left with two young 
 children, one of whom he took care of as best he 
 could, and the other was taken into the home of a 
 Mr. Walton, of Tallmadge Centre, Summit Co., 
 Ohio, who gave her a college education. She was 
 treated as their own child, and is now the wife of a 
 gentleman formerly living in Summit County, but 
 now a successful nursery-man of Washington Ter- 
 ritory. 
 
 Miss Mary McGill remained with her father until 
 her marriage with William Case, a native of Ohio, 
 who later removed to Iowa, and finall}' to Nebraska 
 with his father, Augustus Case, one of the earliest 
 settlers of Rock Bluff Precinct, this county. Here 
 William Case was reared to manhood, and is now 
 the owner of eighty acres of land adjoining that of 
 his father-in-law, our subject, which they have con- 
 structed into one farm, and which they operate with 
 a mutual interest. Mr. Case is securing by home- 
 stead claim IfiO acres in Lincoln County, he having 
 been a soldier of the Union Army during the late 
 war, belonging to the 1st Nebraska Cavalry. He 
 was in several skirmishes with the Indians, and upon 
 one occasion seriously injured bj' the falling of the 
 horse upon him, and in consequence was confined 
 in the hospital at Cottonwood Springs for some 
 time. Both Mr. McGill and his son-in-law are 
 stanch Republicans, politically, and Mr. Case is a 
 
 gentleman highly esteemed in his community, hold- 
 ing some of the local ofHces, and otherwise identi- 
 fied with its interests. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Case there have been born eight 
 children, one of whom, a son, Bertie, died when a 
 little over three years of age. Those surviving form 
 a most interesting and intelligent group. The eld- 
 est daughter, Bessie, is an interesting young lady 
 of twenty years; Robert is a promising youth of 
 eighteen; Leora is aged sixteen; Fannie thirteen; 
 Guy ten; Roy seven, and the baby, Maude. 
 
 "S^ZRA MURPHY has one of tlie finest stock 
 fe) farms in Cass County, which he is mauag- 
 (X=^ ing with great skill and with satisfactory 
 pecuniary results. It has a very fortunate loca- 
 tion on section 7 of the fractional part of Liberty 
 Precinct, and embraces 2 40 acres of land especially 
 adapted to stock purposes, as it has good living 
 water on two " eighties" and has excellent facilities 
 for pasturage; and it is also well fitted for other 
 purposes, Mr. Murphy also paying considerable 
 attention to other branches of agriculture besides 
 stock feeding. 
 
 Our subject is descended from one of the old 
 pioneer families of Indiana, and is a native of that 
 State, having been born in Madison Township, 
 W^ashington County, Jul^' 1, 1852. His father, 
 George Murphy, likewise a native of the Hoosier 
 State, was born, reared and married in Washington 
 County. He was the sou of David Murph}-, who 
 was born and reared in Virginia. He was married 
 in his native State to Mary Hintou, and in the vigor 
 of earl}' life they sought a home in the wilds of 
 Indiana during Territorial days, going there about 
 1812, and as pioneers doing their share in develop- 
 ing it and promoting its growth. They settled in 
 Washington County, and there spent the remainder 
 of their wedded life, rounding it out to a lengthy 
 period, both dying well advanced in years. They 
 were typical pioneers, of hardy, resolute natures, 
 with strong powers of endurance, and capable of 
 any sacrifice that thej^ might build up a comfort- 
 able home for their children, and they were also 
 
 •► 
 
 -•►HI- 
 
■► II 4» 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1079 
 
 4 
 
 true Christians. The father of our subject married 
 Eliza Rutherford, a daughter of H. H. Rutherford, 
 wlio had settled in Washington Count3' with his 
 parents in a very early day, having come from 
 North Carolina. He married Catherine Clawham- 
 mer, also a native of Nortli Carolina, whose parents 
 were earlj' settlers of Washington County. She 
 and her husband spent many j-ears together, and 
 both died in Washington County, Mr. Rutherford 
 at the age of eighty-two and his wife aged about 
 seventy. George Murphy and wife began their 
 wedded life on a farm in Madison Township, in 
 the county of their nativity, and made their home 
 on tlieir homestead until their death in the prime 
 of life, Mr. Murphy dying in 1861 at the age of 
 fortj'-two, and the mother in 1871 when she was 
 forty-five years old. She was a lifelong msmbsr 
 of the Mathodist Episoopal Church, and was in 
 every respect a most exemplary woman. Mr. 
 Murphy wa5 a good ma,n, whose conduct in the af- 
 fairs of life commended him- to the respect of his 
 fellowmen, and he occupied a warm place in the 
 hearts of those who knew him. He was a Jackson 
 Democrat in his political beliefs, and held un- 
 swerving allegiance to his party. 
 
 Our subject is the youngest of the two sons and 
 three daughters born to his parents. His brother 
 Franklin died in infancy. Two of his sisters were 
 married. Mattie, now deceased, who was the wife of 
 Robert Maxedon, M. D., a practicing physician of 
 Hardinsburg, Ind., and Marj', who is the wife of 
 Henry Rawlins, a farmer near Hardinsburg. Ezra 
 Murphy was reared on his father's farm in ^Madison 
 Township, and there received the benefit of a sub- 
 stantial education. He lost his parents before he 
 was very old, and he and his sister Emilj' have 
 since lived under the same roof, and have never 
 either of them been married. In 1880 they came 
 together from Salem, in their native State, to Otoe 
 County, this State, and after living there two 
 years came to this county, and have resided on 
 this farm since 1883. They have a cozy home, re- 
 plete with all the most desirable comforts, and its 
 hospitable board is often set for the entertainment 
 of the stranger who happens under their roof or 
 for the numerous friends that they have gathered 
 about them by their kindly and pleasant social 
 
 ways since taking up their residence here. Mr. 
 Murphy is a man of steady habits and excellent 
 principles, with a good fund of sound common 
 sense and natural shrewdness. As a good citizen, 
 he is, of course, interested in the political situations 
 of his country, and his influence is used in favor 
 of the Democratic party. 
 
 -#3-#- 
 
 -5— 
 
 ^^USTUS HENRY WIEDEMAN. Among 
 11 <^w} ^^^ S^^odly land-holders of the county, and 
 ^\^j) a gentleman respected for his sterling worth 
 and integrity, is the subject of this sketch. He re- 
 sides on his farm of 640 acres, being the whole of 
 section 15, in Greenwoo<l Precinct. He is a typical 
 German-American citizen, and was born April 11, 
 1850, near Berlin, in Germany. At the age of 
 three j'ears lie came with his father to America, and 
 located in Niagara County, N. Y., where he lived 
 until 1861, when he moved with his father to Des 
 Moines County, Iowa. From the latter county he 
 moved to Montgomery County, Iowa, wliere he 
 lived for four years, then going back to Des Moines 
 County, Iowa. In 1883 he came to Cass County, 
 Neb . where he had bouglit his farm two years 
 prior to his settling on it. He paid §20 per acre 
 for tiie land; the improvements consisted of two 
 frame shanties of but little value. 
 
 During the residence of our subject in Des 
 Moines County he was married to Miss Mary 
 Sciiearbaum, Feb. 24. 1876. This ladj- is a daugh- 
 ter of Henry Schearbaum, a farmer living in Des 
 Moines Couiitj'. Her father was a native of Ger- 
 many, and came to America about the same time 
 our subject did. Mr. Wiedeman is the second old- 
 est in a family of seven children. His sister Clara 
 is older, and Hannah, Charles, Elias F., Henry and 
 Herman. Clara is the wife of Herman Gerbeling, 
 a farmer of Des Moines County; Hannah is mar- 
 ried and lives in the same county; Elias F. mar- 
 ried Miss Julia Kampmyre, and follows the occu- 
 pation of carpenter in Des Moines County; he was 
 born in Niagara County, N. Y., in 1854. Charles 
 was married to Miss Olive Davis, daughter of Ben- 
 jamin Davis, and now lives on section 14, Green- 
 wood Precinct; he was born in Niagara County, 
 
•► 
 
 \f 1080 
 
 •►HI:-4« 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 N. Y., in 1858. Henr}' was boin in Niagara 
 County, and lives with liis mother on section 15, 
 this precinct. Herman was l)orn in Des Moines 
 County, Iowa, in 1862, and lives with his motiier 
 and brother Henry in this precinct. 
 
 The father of our subject, Herman, was born 
 near Berlin, Germany, Aug. "20, 1812. He made 
 his home in the mother country until 1853, when 
 he with his family emigrated to America, where he 
 located in New York State. The mother was born 
 in 1816, in the same Province of which her husband 
 was a resident. Both parents are descended from 
 the oldest German families of the Province. Their 
 friends and relatives have taken a prominent part 
 in the life of their country, and the names of many 
 can be found on tiie roll of honor which contains 
 the names of her heroes, soldiers and statesmen. 
 In America, where everyone stands on his own 
 merit, and official distinctions and castes are un- 
 known, where every peasant, so long as he is law- 
 abiding, is a peer to any in the land, our subject 
 can refer with gratification and pride to the long 
 line of honored ancestors which has preceded 
 him. 
 
 Our subject and his good wife are the parents of 
 five children — Ilenr}', John, Edward, Arthur and 
 Walter. The}' are all at home with their parents. 
 They possess the strong, rugged constitution which 
 is characteristic of their German origin, and are of 
 the same material of which the American citizen is 
 made. They are attending the excellent schools of 
 the neighborhood, and are availing themselves of 
 every advantage to secure a good education. The 
 father attended the public schools of New York 
 State in his earlier years, and in addition he re- 
 ceived a good education in German from his par- 
 ents, who from their knowledge and experience 
 were able to instruct him thoroughly'. 
 
 When our subject purchased his land it was in a 
 but little better than an absolutely wild state. The 
 two frame shanties that were on the land at that 
 time have given way to a fine, modern built resi- 
 dence. It is handsomely located and presents a 
 nice outward appearance. The interior is fitted 
 with many of the latest improvements calculated to 
 add to the comfort of home. The grounds sur- 
 rounding the house are ornamented with trees, 
 
 flowers and shrubberj'. The various out-buildings 
 are large, weH designed and substantially built, and 
 the barns and cattle sheds are supplied with water 
 by a system of iron piping from a tank filled by a 
 modern wind engine. In addition to his general 
 farming our subject prizes his fine herd of cattle 
 verj' highly', and it is admitted by all that he ha's 
 n3flnj' fine specimens of the bovine tribe. They 
 will not suffer in comparison with other herds that 
 have been exhibited at the different expositions 
 and highly praised by the judges of animals of that 
 class. In addition to the pleasure this branch of 
 the business affords him it proves a source of great 
 profit. His herd is so extensive that he counts them 
 by the hundred. The sheds required to shelter them 
 are immense, and the largest corn cribs in the coun- 
 try contain a sufficient quantity of grain to supply 
 their needs. Taken altogether, from the arrange- 
 ment of his buildings to the division of his farm 
 into its various fields, his is one of the best ap- 
 pointed and most completel}' equipped farms in the 
 Count}'. Everything is in such order that he man- 
 ages the entire place with the least possible help 
 and expense. He is one of those good German 
 farmers of which the old countr}' is so full, and 
 which she has supplied to the New World. 
 
 In the person of his wife the subject of this 
 sketch has an earnest, intelligent counselor, and his 
 present successful life is due to a large extent to 
 her valuable assistance and advice. Thej' are pro- 
 verl)ially hospitable and social. He has served on 
 the juries of his count}' impartially and conscien- 
 tiously. He is Republican in politics, but has 
 never sought or held any public office of trust. 
 
 MBROSE BICKERT is a prominent general 
 farmer in Stove Creek Precinct, of which 
 he was one of the very first settlers. He 
 is in good circumstances, financially, owning 
 a good farm on section 28, which he manages him- 
 self, besides attending to quite an extensive busi- 
 ness as a carpenter and wagon-maker. He is a 
 veteran of the late Civil War, and has an honorable 
 military record. 
 
 Our subject Is a German by birth, a native of 
 
 •► 
 
I 
 
 .»-ll^ 
 
 ii^H 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1081 
 
 i 
 
 Hessen, Gerraan3', l)orn Nov. 20, 1835, to George 
 J. and Elizabeth (Faust) Bickert, natives of the 
 same Province. His father carried on farming 
 quite extensively' in the old country, and had an 
 estate of some size there. His parents are now 
 dead, his father dying in 1870, at the age of seventy 
 years, and his mother in 1883. also aged about sev- 
 enty years. They were connected wiih the Catiiolic 
 Church, and led good Christian lives. Of their 
 happy wedded life seven children were born, as 
 follows : Joseph, in Germany ; John and Theresa, 
 deceased; Ambrose; Gertrude, also deceased ; Mo- 
 niga, in West Virginia, and Johanna, in Germany. 
 Our subject staid on the home farm in Germany 
 until he was twenty-one j'ears old, obtaining an ex- 
 cellent education in the meantime in tiie good 
 schools of his birthplace, which he attended until 
 he was fourteen. When he was twenty years old he 
 began to learn the wagon-maker's trade, and worked 
 at that until he was twentj'-five. In the spring of 
 1860 he sought to better his fortunes in the United 
 States, sailing from Bremen in the ship "Charles the 
 Great." and landing in Baltimore forty-two days 
 later. He made his way to Wheeling, W. Va., and 
 thence on the Ohio River to Marietta, Ohio. He there 
 obtained work in a chair factory, and was a resident 
 of that town when the great Civil War broke out. 
 On the first call for troops he dropped his work, 
 and enlisted in Compan3' F, 39th Ohio Infantry, 
 and was mustered in at Cincinnati. Ohio, and was 
 soon despatched to the seat of war with his regi- 
 ment. He and his comrades did gallant service in 
 the following battles: Lexington, Mo.'; Island No. 
 10, under Gen. Pope; Madrid, Mo.; Ft. Pillow, 
 Pittsburg Landing; Corinth, under Gen. Halleck, 
 the regiment of which our subject was a member 
 being the first in that battle that placed a flag on the 
 rebel headquarters. He took part in other lesser 
 engagements around Corinth; was at luka Springs, 
 under Rosecrans, in the second battle of Corinth, 
 at Pulaski; then his regiment was sent to join Sher- 
 man at Chattanooga. It was at the battles of Res- 
 aca, Dallas. Kenesaw, Marietta, Ga.. Chattahoochee 
 River, Jonesboro and at Atlanta. The latter, 
 which occurred on the 22d of July, was the hardest 
 l)attle in which he fought. On that day our sub- 
 1 ' ject's regiment was surrounded three times by the 
 
 enemy, but each time managed to fight its wa}' 
 out with desperate energy. On the 28th of July 
 the right wing of the army, including the 39lh Ohio, 
 was ordered to the rear, and then sent back to 
 Chattanooga, and thence to Cincinnati, Ohio, where 
 he and his comrades were honorably discharged. 
 Mr. Bickert then went to Marietta again, and worked 
 there in a wagon-shop until the spring of 1865, 
 when he came to Nebraska by boat, putting up a 
 wagon-shop in Nebr.aska Cit}', and was activel}' 
 engaged at his trade until the spring of 1869. At 
 that time he came to Cass County', and purchasing 
 eighty acres of land on section 28, began to farm 
 it, besides giving much attention to carpentering 
 and wagon-making. He broke his land with oxen, 
 planted six acres of groves, an orchard of 300 trees, 
 a willow hedge, and made various other improve- 
 ments. He built the first frame house in the pre- 
 cinct, having to draw the lumber for the purpose with 
 oxen from Nebraska City. His land is well watered, 
 Stove Creek having its rise on his farm, and it is 
 well adapted to raising stock. He buys and feeds 
 cattle, and has a flue herd of graded stock, and his 
 hogs are among the finest in the neighborhood, as 
 are also his horses, of which he has twelve of stand- 
 ard breeds. He has erected a large house and barns, 
 of which a view is shown on another page, and has 
 one of the finest places in this locality. So success- 
 ful has he been that he has been enabled to pur- 
 chase more land, 120 acres on section 28, 40 on 
 section 29, and at another time 80 on section 33, 
 and now has 200 acres of finely improveil land. 
 
 Jlr. Bickert was married in Marietta, Ohio, July 
 22, 1860, to Miss Magdalena, daughter of- Adam 
 and Elizabeth (Eisnach) Schentelhurd. Her par- 
 ents are natives of Germany, tlie father owning a 
 farm in Hessen, where he lived and died, his death 
 occurring in 1841. at the age of fort3'-seven ^-ears; 
 the mother died there in 1859, at the age of 
 sixty-four years. They were the parents of seven 
 children, five of whom grew up — Barbara, Joseph, 
 Mary A., Catherine and Magdalena. The latter, 
 the wife of our subject, was born in Hessen, May 
 28, 1836, and in 1860 came to America on the same 
 ship as our subject. Their pleasant wedded life has 
 been blessed b^' the birth of nine children, as follows : 
 Henry, John, George, Lizzie, Mary, Theresa, Will- 
 
 -^^ 
 
 ^U. 
 
1082 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •► 
 
 
 iam, Robert and Julian. Henry and John are en- 
 gaged in farming in Colorado. 
 
 Mr. Bickert, as one of the pioneers of Stove 
 Creek Precinct, takes a lively interest in its ad- 
 vancement, and in him it finds one of its most use- 
 ful citizens. Besides doing much to develop its 
 agricultural resources and to extend its business 
 interests, he has taken an honorable part in Its 
 government, and is at present Supervisor. He is 
 also one of the leading Democrats of Cass County, 
 and has been a delegate to County and State Con- 
 ventions several times. He is identified witii the 
 G. A. R. at Elm wood, Kenesaw Post No. 123. He 
 has served on the Grand Jury two terms. He and his 
 wife are zealous members of the Catholic Church, 
 at Elunvood, and were active in securing the erec- 
 tion of the present house of worship. 
 
 ENRY HOWLAND. Among the pioneers 
 of Cass Count}' who have taken part in the 
 upbuilding of Plattsmouth is the subject of 
 this sketch. He is a well-to-do wagon 
 manufacturer, and for more than thirt}- years has 
 been identified with the industrial interests of this 
 part of the county. He erected the first w.-igon- 
 shop in this region, and for many years carried on 
 his business in this city. He finall}' sold out at a 
 good profit, and built for himself another shop on 
 his estate adjoining the cit^-, and is still activel}' 
 engaged in his trade. He is well patronized, as his 
 wagons are made of good materials and are found 
 to be strong and durable, and he never fails to 
 give satisfaction to his customers. 
 
 Mr. Howland was born near Centre Square, 
 Montgomery Co., Pa., Aug. 6, 1826. coming of 
 sturdy New England stock. His father, Isaac 
 Howland, was a native of Rhode Island, and his 
 grandfather, whose name is thought to have been 
 Joseph, was, so far as known, a native of the same 
 State. The fatherof our subject went to Philadelphia 
 when quite young with an aunt, and he was there 
 adopted by a man named Stover, who took him to 
 his home in Montgomery Count}'. After he was 
 married he engaged in a wood-working establish- 
 ment, making mast hoops and w.ngon bows, follow- 
 
 ing that trade a number of 3'ears. He was a man 
 of sober, honest habits, and by prudence and thrift 
 saved a competencj', upon which he retired in 1805. 
 He died at his home in Montgomery County in 
 October, 1876, leaving behind the precious legacy 
 of an untarnished name. The maiden name of his 
 wife was Ann Neavil. She was born in Montgom- 
 ery County, and there died in 1861. She was a 
 daughter of David Neavil, a soldier of Revolu- 
 tionary fame. She and her husband were the 
 parents of ten children, five of whom grew up, 
 namely: Henry, William, Franklin, Joseph and 
 Mary J. 
 
 Henry Howland attended school in his youth, and 
 as soon as he was larg(3 enough to be useful he 
 commenced to assist his father in the shop, and was 
 thus employed until he was twenty-two. He then 
 went to Philadelphia and found work in a fluid 
 factor}', laboring there the ensuing six 3'ears. In 
 18.54 he started westward, via rail to Alton, III., 
 then the terminus of the railway; from there he 
 went down the Mississippi River to St. Louis, 
 where he embarked on a stage for Glenwood, Iowa, 
 eight days and eight nights being consumed before 
 he reached his journey's end. He found Glenwood 
 to be but a small place, with but two or- three 
 stores. His first work there was in a saw and grist 
 mill in the village, and later ho helped to construct 
 a mill on the Missouri bottom. In the winter of 
 1856-57 he worked in a wagon-shop there. He 
 shrewdly foresaw that in the Territory of Nebraska, 
 which had alreaily begun to attract the notice of 
 men seeking land for cultivation, there would 
 be a demand for wagons, and he came to Platts- 
 mouth to locate and establish a manufactory. He 
 made a claim at once to the land he now occupies, 
 anil when it came into the market entered it at the 
 lahd-offlce at Nebraska City, paying the Govern- 
 ment $1.25 an acre for it. He erected a small 
 frame house, 13x15 feet, but has since replaced it 
 by a more commodious dwelling, replete with all 
 the comforts that could be desired. His land, com- 
 prising nearly 200 acres, the most of which is well 
 wooded, is, owing to improvements and to its 
 proximity to a flouri>hing and wealthy metropolis, 
 now a very valuable estate. When our subject 
 came here in 1 857 the settlements in the Territory 
 
 ■•►HI- 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1083 
 
 i 
 
 of Nebraska were eonfinerl to the region arljaeent to 
 the Missouri River, and it was still far from its pres- 
 ent advancerl state, and a little further west deer 
 and antelope were plentiful only a few miles away. 
 In the month of Maj' he erected the first wagon- 
 shop, and became the pioneer in the manuf.acture of 
 wagons. His building was of the most primitive 
 style of architecture, consisting of posts set in the 
 ground, and a board roof. That fall he erected a 
 frame building, 16x20 feet, and continued to carry 
 on business in it for twenty-three years, until he 
 sold out and retired to his present manufactory, 
 as before related. 
 
 Mr. Howland was married, in April, 1857, to Miss 
 Catherine Kuntz. She was born in Northampton 
 County, Pa., and is a daughter of Jacob Kuntz. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Howland have four children living, 
 namely: Jasper N., Fred G., William and Ann 
 Belie. 
 
 Our subject is a man of strong understanding, 
 with a well-informed mind, whose intelligence and 
 unswerving integrit3- make him a most desirable citi- 
 zen. His political views are identical with those 
 of the Republican party, of which he is a strong 
 supporter. 
 
 - orx> ■ 
 ' oi5o ■ 
 
 ■« JfclLLIAM A. RHODEN, one of the younger 
 \^// ™enibers of the farming community of 
 \y^ Rock Bluff Precinct, has a snug homestead 
 of 120 acres, the land of which he purchased in the 
 3'ear 1880, before it had undergone the process of 
 cultivation. His industry has been amply rewarded, 
 he having been successful in his farming operations, 
 and besides raising the products of the soil in their 
 season, he has erected a good set of frame buildings, 
 fenced his land, planted an apple orchard and the 
 smaller fruit trees, and from time to time added the 
 comforts and conveniences necessary to the well- 
 being of the family, and essential to the complete 
 home. 
 
 Our subject, a native of Missouri, was born Nov. 
 6, 1851, in Schuyler County, where his father lived 
 a period of probably twenty-five years, and of which 
 most of the children of the family were also natives. 
 They ivere named respectively: Josephine, James 
 Allen, Jiilia, Alexander, Dama, George, Don, Ricli- 
 
 ard and Thomas. The parents left Missouri in the 
 year 1865, coming to Nebraska Territory, and 
 locating on section 17, in Rock Bluff Precinct, 
 where there were added to the household circle Mary 
 and Lily, the latter of whom died in infancy. Of 
 this largp, family of thirteen children eleven are 
 living. One son, Alexander, was shot b}' Indians 
 in Idaho Territory, Nov. 23, 1877, while at work 
 on a ranch. William A. Z. and Nancy (Arnold) 
 Rhoden, the parents of our subject, were nntives 
 respectively of Indiana and Schuyler County, Mo. 
 The father left his native State when a young man, 
 stopping for a time at Galena, 111., and later migrat- 
 ing to Schuyler County, Mo., where he was married. 
 The paternal grandfather, James Rhoden, married 
 Miss Elizabeth Lashbrook. He was a farmer by 
 occupation. The great-grandfather was named 
 William Rhoden. William A. Z. Rhoden departed 
 this life. Feb. 18, 1885, at his home in Rock Bluff 
 Precinct. The mother is still living, making her 
 home with her children in this county. William A., 
 our subject, was married, Nov. 24, 1881, to Miss 
 Josephine, daughter of Harvey and Agnes (Sim- 
 mons) Carper, and thej' have three children — Will- 
 iam, LeRoy and Jessie. Mr. Rhoden, politically, 
 is a Democrat, and has served a number of times on 
 the Election Board. Sociallj', he belongs to Lodge 
 No. 6, A. F. & A. M., of Plattsmouth. He has 
 many friends in this vicinity, and is numbered 
 among the men who have a decided influence in 
 bui<ding up their cammaiiity socially, morally and 
 financially. 
 
 ^RANK FETZER. In the subject of this 
 ) record we have a man who has ever been 
 willing to put his shoulder to the wheel 
 in the busy walks of life, and who, after per- 
 forming his part in the strife, has now retired from 
 active labor, and is enjojing the comforts of a 
 pleasant home in the town of Louisville. He came 
 to this place in 1876, and established a shop for 
 blacksmithing and the general m.anuf.acture of road 
 veliicles. He was actively engaged in the prose- 
 cution of this business until 1888, giving emploj^- 
 ment to a number of men and securing a compe- 
 
 ipe- 
 
1084 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 tence. Such was the quality of his workmanship 
 that he had no difficulty in disposing of it at re- 
 munerative prices and in the home market. He is 
 a mechanic of no mean skill, and therefore well fitted 
 to superintend the operations of such an establish- 
 ment. 
 
 Mr. Fetzer is a native of \\'isconsin, and was born 
 in Manitowoc County, Dec. 22, 1854. He is the 
 youngest of a family' of six children, comprising five 
 sons and one daughter, tlie offspring of (iodfrey 
 and Rosa Fetzer, who were both natives of Germany. 
 The parents emigrated to America about 1849, and 
 from New York City proceeded directly to the 
 young State of Wisconsin, which had been ad- 
 mitted into the Union the previous 3'ear. The 
 father secured a tract of land, and there both parents 
 spent the remainder of their d.ays, engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits, the mother passing away in 1874. 
 at the age of fifty-four years, and the fatlier in 1886, 
 in his seventy -third year. 
 
 Our subjejt attended the district school until 
 about fourteen years of age, and then began an ap- 
 prenticeship at the blacksmith trade, serving three 
 years. Later he worked as a journeyman with his 
 old employer, Mr. Charles Schumacher, but in the 
 fall of 1874 resolved to seek a home in the farther 
 West. He -sojourned at Plattsmouth two and one- 
 half years, then came to Louisville, and established 
 himself in business as bsfore stated. Dec. 22, 1881, 
 witnessed the marriage of our subject with Miss 
 Bertha Heitzhausen, who was born in Mayville, 
 Wis., and is the daughter of Dietrich and Minnie 
 Heitzhausen, who were natives of Germany. The 
 mother lives in Louisville; the father is deceased. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Fetzer began their wedded life to- 
 gether in Louisville, where the}' have since lived, 
 and are now tlie parents of one child, a daughter, 
 Celia M. Mr. Fetzer owns his residence and shop, 
 the formsr making a neat and comfortable home, 
 and the latter thoroughl}- equipped witli all the 
 implements necessary for the business, which is now 
 carried on by Charles Siekjost. Besides this property 
 he has a valuable timber tract of 320 acres in 
 Perkins County, this Stiite. He is a solid and re- 
 liable citizen, and has contributed his full quota to 
 the industrial interests of his adopted town. 
 
 Mr. Fetzer cast his first Presidential vote for 
 
 •»-^h^ 
 
 Tilden and is an uncompromising Democrat, a 
 warm supporter of the late administration. He 
 has been quite prominent in local affairs, officiat- 
 ing as Town Trustee and serving as a mem- 
 ber of the City Council a period of seven years. 
 He is an industrious worker at the time of gen- 
 eral elections, never begrudging the time and 
 money spent to carry out the principles of which 
 he has been a supporter for a period of twelve 
 years, when he entered upon the privileges and 
 duties of citizenship. 
 
 -^-^B" 
 
 '■^NDREW C. FRY, a respected resident of 
 ©/4Hl Plattsmouth, was among tiie gallant de- 
 li' fenders of our country during tlie trying 
 times of tlie late Rebellion, and is now 
 peacefully pursuing agriculture in Cass County, 
 Neb. He is a native of Franklin County, Pa., 
 where his birth occurred June 2, 1838. His father, 
 George Fry, was likewise born in the Keystone 
 State, an<l was there reared and married, his wife 
 dying when our subject was a mere babe, leaving 
 eight children. After her death Mr. Fry moved 
 to Allegheny County, Pa., and was there married 
 again. He resided there until after the death of 
 his second wife, then removed to Jefferson County, 
 Iowa, where he died at the home of his son Jacob, 
 in January, 1879. Of his second marriage one son 
 was born. 
 
 When Amirew was a boy he went to Stark County, 
 Ohio, to live with his brothers John and Jacob. He 
 staid there two j'ears, and in July, 1853, removed 
 to Jefferson County, Iowa, where he made his home 
 until 1873, excepting when he was in the South 
 fighting for the defense of his country. He was 
 married in that State, Aug. 2, 1860, to Miss Clara 
 Davis, and of their union eleven children have been 
 born, namely-: Charles, Ella (now Mrs. Martin 
 Ruby), George, Jennie, Cora. Fdwanl, Clarence, 
 Frank, Anna May, Walter and Harry. Walter is 
 deceased. 
 
 In 1862 Mr. Fry felt it to be his sacred duty to 
 cast in his lot with his noble fellow-citizens, and 
 assist them in the defense of the Government 
 under which he had been born and reared, and 
 
'M>^^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1087 
 
 August 9 of that year he enlisted in Company B, 1 9th 
 Iowa Infantry. From that time until his services 
 were no longer required he was a brave and etii- 
 cient soldier, taking an active |)art in many of the 
 principal engagements. He was in the battle of 
 Prairie Grove, Ark., Dec. 7, 1862; was present at the 
 siege of Vicksburg, and went through the fifty-five 
 days of actual battle unscathed; he fought in the 
 battle of Ymzoo City, Miss., in Jul}', 1863; thence 
 his company was sent to Ft. Hudson to reinforce 
 Gen. Banks, from there to Madisonville, where 
 they had an engagement with the enemy ; thence 
 to Morganidy's Ben(), where 300 of his regiment 
 were taken prisoners; from there to Brownsville, 
 Tex., where they had a slight encounter with the 
 rebels. Our subject was then granted sixty days' 
 furlough, and was once more reunited with his fam- 
 ily. At the expiration of his leave of absence he 
 hastened to rejoin his regiment in September, 1864, 
 at New Orleans, and from there he was sent with 
 his comrades to Florida. He there took part in the 
 eng.agemeuts that resulted in the capture of Fts. 
 Morgan and Gaines, and of the Spanish Fort. This 
 latter was the last battle fought by his regiment. 
 Mr. Fry was honorably discharged Aug. 7, 1865, 
 and returned home in sound health except from the 
 effects of exposure. 
 
 On March 15, 1873, Mr. Fry came to Hastings, 
 Neb , and in October of the same year his family 
 came to Plattsmouth, where he joined them, and 
 where they have ever since made their home. Mr 
 Fry is a sturdy, honest, upright man, a good citi- 
 zen, a kind neighbor, a faithful husband and tender 
 father, in every way worthy of respect and confi- 
 dence. He is an earnest Republican, and a valued 
 member of McConnie Post No. 45, G. A. R. 
 
 ^f^ii^^zr> ** 'V/w* 
 
 ^y- 
 
 ■-•"jim^m^^ 
 
 iLj^ENRY J. DAVIS, actively engaged in the 
 ||f~jV management of his fine, productive farm on 
 ■^^^ section 36, Liberty Precinct, is a good rep- 
 
 {^j resentative of the stalwart men who came 
 here less than a quarter of .a century ago, and have 
 in the meantime witnessed the wonderful trans- 
 formation of this section of the State from a wild, 
 unbroken prairie, sparsely inhabited, to a fruitful 
 
 farming region, with thriving vill.iges and prosper- 
 ous towns. 
 
 In the development of Cass County our subject has 
 taken an intense interest and given material assist- 
 ance. He is an intelligent, industrious man, of keen 
 preceptive faculties, and has proved himself a most 
 desirable citizen of his adopted town. His pleasant 
 homestead, which consists of 240 acres of arable 
 land, well watered and under good improvement, 
 with its comfortable house and substantial farm 
 buildings, compares favorably with any in the ])re- 
 cinct, and is a credit to his executive ability, skill 
 and good judgment. Mr. Davis gives mucii atten- 
 tion to the raising of stock, his cattle being princi- 
 pally Durhams. At the head of his large herd is 
 the well-bred bull Jumbo, which comes of a high 
 gr.ade of that breed. Besides his homestead our 
 subject also owns another good farm, principally 
 grass land, lying on section 31 of the fractional 
 township and precinct of I^ibertv. 
 
 Mr. Davis was born in Monongalia Countj'. AV. 
 Va., Dec. 21, 1828, being of Welsh origin. His 
 parents, William and Sarah (Pride) Davis, were 
 natives of Virginia, and settled on a farm there, 
 where the death of Mrs. Davis occurred when her 
 son Henry was only four years of age. She was an 
 estimable woman, and a devoted wife and mother. 
 To her and her husband were born nine children. 
 The father of our subject married for his second 
 wife Mrs. Betsy McGill. who died on their Virginia 
 homestead. Of their union one child was born. 
 
 Later in life Mr. Davis moved from Virginia to 
 Ohio, and after a stay of two years in that State 
 went to Ottumwa, Iowa, where he remained about 
 a year. He then spent a few months in Boone 
 County, that State, going thence to Des IMoines, 
 but did not establish himself in an}' part of the 
 State, not being as pleased with that part of the 
 countr}' as with Ohio. Accordingly, accompanied 
 by his son Henry J., Mr. Davis started for his old 
 home in the Buckeye Stale, but was attacked by 
 the cholera while on a steamlioat on the Ohio River, 
 and died near Cairo, 111., in the spring of 1854. and 
 was buried in Vanderbnrg County. Ind., being then 
 sixt3'-three j'ears of age. Our subject was at that 
 time but a j'oung man. and the sad scenes of that 
 journe}' will never be forgotten by him. He was 
 
 #^1-^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 1088 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 N r the 
 
 the only member of the family i>rivileged to care 
 for his father in his last moments, and to perform 
 the last sad rites at the grave. 
 
 Subsequently the subject of our sketch returned 
 to Iowa, whence he came in 1857 to Nebraska, cross- 
 ing the Missouri River August 13 of that year, and 
 locating in Nebraska City. The ensuing year Mr. 
 Davis pre-empted 160 acres of land in what is now 
 AVyoming Precinct, Otoe County, selling it a few 
 months afterward, but slightly improved. In 1872 
 he purchased his homestead propertj', wliere he has 
 since lived. 
 
 Mr. Davis has been twice married. During his 
 residence in Des Moines, Iowa, he was united to 
 Miss Elizabeth Hughes, a native of Highland County. 
 Ohio. She accompanied her husband to this State, 
 her death occurring during their residence in Otoe 
 County, July 4, 1859. She bore her husband two 
 children, .Tohn and William, both of whom are de- 
 ceased. The second marriage of our subject oc- 
 curred in Nebraska CitJ^ May 28, 1861, when he 
 was united to Miss Irena Barnhill, who was born in 
 Wayne Count}\ in the southern part of Illinois, 
 April 1 4, 1837. She was reared in that State, and re- 
 moved to Wyoming, Otoe Count}', with her parents 
 in 1857, and remained under the parental roof un- 
 til her marriage with our subject. Her parents, A. 
 H. and Nancy (Walker) Barnhill, were natives re- 
 spectively of North Carolina and Kentucky. After 
 tlieir marriage they lived several years in Illinois, 
 and tlien coming to Nebraska, lived in Wyoming, 
 Otoe County, for three years. They subsequently' 
 moved to Saunders County, where Mr. Barnhill 
 died in the fall of 1885, having lived be^'ond the 
 allotted threescore years and ten of man's life. Mrs. 
 Barnhill survives her husband, and is now living in 
 Saunders County, at the ri[)e old age of seventy- 
 seven years. She is a member of the Baptist 
 Church, and a good Christian woman. 
 
 To our subject and his wife have been born seven 
 children, of whom four are deceased, namely : Henry 
 H.. Admiral, Elizabeth and an unnamed infant. 
 The three living are Mary Docia, Emmer Elsie and 
 Ina A. They are bright, intelligent children, and are 
 receiving good educational advantages. Mr. Davis 
 is a true gentleman, possessing all the polish and 
 the warm, generous heart, and the high mind char- 
 
 acteristic of the Southerner. He and his family 
 move in the highest social circles of their commu- 
 nity. In their religious views they ha-ve the courage 
 of their opinions, and believe that following the 
 teachings of the Golden Rule, and living a moral, 
 upright life on this earth, will fit them for any- 
 thing that may come beyond the grave. In poli- 
 tics our subject is a Republican. The portrait of 
 this enterprising citizen is given on an accompany- 
 ing page, and is that of one of Cass County's best 
 farmer residents. 
 
 \TSRAEL WARD is a contented and happy far- 
 I mer living on his original homestead of eighty 
 /ii acres on section 8, in Elmwood Precinct, where 
 he arrived many years ago. after a tedious and 
 wearisome overland journey in company with his 
 wife and little son Albert, then a babe of four 
 months. This gentleman was born in Eden Town- 
 ship, Licking Co., Ohio, Jan. 5, 1839. At the 
 early age of seven years he lost his mother by 
 death. He lived with his parents, for his father 
 remarried, until he was twelve years old. alternately 
 attending school and working upon the farm, when 
 his father removed with the entire family to Ogle 
 County, 111., in 1851, where they lived the ensuing 
 five j'ears, when his father bought another farm in 
 Marshall County, near Lacon, III., to which he re- 
 moved. From here he removed in 1859 to Mus- 
 catine County, Iowa, where they resi<led three 
 years, and in 1862 they settled in Keokuk Count}', 
 Iowa, our subject accompanying the family on 
 tiieir various migrations. While residing in Mus- 
 catine County, Iowa, he met the lady who is at 
 present his wife, ftliss Louisa Ellen Eveland, a 
 half-sister of Peter Eveland, Esq., at present an es- 
 teemed citizen of Elmwood Precinct, and whose 
 biography is presented on another page of this 
 book. 
 
 This lady is the youngest of a family of three 
 children. Her sister Jeanette and brother Beal 
 Dimraitt are older. She was born in Clermont 
 Count}', Ohio, where she lived with her father, 
 Joseph, and her stepmother until she was eight 
 
 ■•►Hh 
 
» ,r^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1089 
 
 •1-^^ 
 
 years of age, when the entire family removed to 
 Iowa, where, in the public; schools of tlie neighbor- 
 hood, she laid the foundation for tlie practical 
 knowledge which distinguishes her. Her raotliet 
 was Louisa Ellen Dimmitt. who died when her 
 daughter was only two weeks old. .Six years' after 
 the marriage of our subject and his wife, he found 
 that he was afflicted with serious lung trouble and 
 lie determined to make his home in the West. His 
 brother-in-law, Peter Eveland, having come to 
 Nebraska and settled, and being so well pleased 
 with the prospects about him, Mr. Ward decided 
 that this was the place for him. So he started on 
 his journey westward with a good wagon and team. 
 During the trip he was so unfortunate as to lose 
 one of his horses, which was a serious loss to him; 
 but he repaired it and com[)leted his journey, and 
 he is to-day comfortably situated in his new home. 
 Four children have been born to this couple: Al- 
 bert was born in Iowa; Mary C, and Florence and 
 an infant, deceased. 
 
 The father of our subject, William Ward, and 
 his mother, Abigail Huston, were married in Lick- 
 ing County, Ohio, where the father was a farmer 
 and one of the earl}- settlers. He was a leading 
 member of the community, and was allied with the 
 Abolitionist party, taking a strong and active in- 
 terest in its purposes. The mother was a native of 
 Ohio. She died in 181:6, aged twenty-nine 
 years. Grandfather Ward was born in Pennsyl- 
 vania. The great-grandfather, William, was a silk 
 weaver, and was born in England. A family con- 
 sisting of four children were born to the parents of 
 our subject — Isr.ael, Elizabeth, John and Howard. 
 Elizabeth is the wife of John W. Torrey, and re- 
 sides in Russell County, Kan.; John and Howard 
 reside in Cass County, Neb. 
 
 Mr. Ward is a wide-awake and progressive far- 
 mer, and believes in enjoying life as it passes, as is 
 shown by the improvements which he has com- 
 pleted and projected on his farm, which at present 
 embraces necessaries and many of the comforts, 
 often only found on farms that have been culti- 
 vated much longer than that of Mr. Ward. He 
 values a good education for his children as being 
 paramount to all other advantages; he therefore 
 provides every facility for them to oljtaiu the high- 
 
 est place, and they certainly deserve it. He is 
 notably one of the happiest dispositione<l men of 
 the precinct. He claims that by treating his fellow- 
 men well and honestly, and living soberly .and up- 
 rightly, to be the prime source of his extreme con- 
 tentment. His wife is a sister of Peter Eveland, a 
 farmer of Elmwood Precinct, is an educated and 
 refined lady, and a model housekeeper. Mr. Ward, 
 with his wife and eldest daughter, Mary, who is by 
 common consent admitted to be one of the handsom- 
 est young ladies in Elmwood Precinct, form an im- 
 portant factor in the social circles of the neighbor- 
 hood. Our subject and his two brothers were 
 among the earliest grain threshers in Elmwood 
 Precinct, and none were considered to do their 
 work any better. He was with Mr. Eveland on the 
 buffalo hunt when the latter met with the misfort- 
 une referred to in his biography, which crippled 
 him for life. 
 
 Our subject has alwa^-s taken a lively interest in 
 the public affairs of the precinct, especially in edu- 
 cational matters. He assisted in the organization 
 of School District No. 61, and has discharged the 
 duties of a Justice of the Pe.ice in a highly accept- 
 able manner. Both himself and wife are consistent 
 members of the Congregational Church. In poli- 
 tics he is a straight Republican. 
 
 — -f-+ 
 
 +-J- 
 
 m 
 
 %ji 
 
 APT. EDWARD DONOVAN has a dis- 
 tinguished military record as an able and 
 
 _ gallant officer in the Civil War, and later in 
 the regular army in its campaigns on the north- 
 western frontier and in Texas. He is now a resi- 
 dent of Plattsraouth, where he is engaged as ac- 
 countant with the Burlington & Missouri River 
 Railway Company'. He has a lovely home in this 
 city, beautifully located on high ground, com- 
 manding a tine view of the surrounding couutr}'. 
 The house was built by him in Oreopolis, and 
 moved to its present locition. He has spent much 
 time in beautifying the grounds, which are neatly 
 and tastefully arranged, and he raises plenty of 
 small fruit for himself and friends. 
 
 Our sul)ject comes of an old and respected Irish 
 famil}-, and was himself born in Ireland, the city of 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 1090 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 Dublin his birthplace, and June 7. 1833, the date 
 of his birth. His fothcr, the Rev. George Dono- 
 van, who was a learned and polished gentleman, 
 was born in Ballymore, County Wexford, Ireland, 
 and was a son of Richard Donovan, a native and 
 lifelong resident of the same county. The father 
 of our subject was reared in his native county, and 
 was given the advantages of a liberal education. 
 He was graduated from that famous institution of 
 learning, Trinity College. Dublin, and was soon after- 
 ward ordained to the ministr}', taking orders in the 
 Church of England. He first preached at Camolin, 
 County Wexford, and was then given a pastorate 
 at Castle Knock, County Dublin, and later had 
 charge of a church at Leixlip, County Kildare, 
 eight miles from Dublin. And there his useful and 
 honored life was brought to a close, and he now 
 lies peacefully sleeping his last sleep in the quaint 
 old churchyard of the church to whose members 
 he used to minister the consolations of religion. 
 His good wife lies by his side. She was a native 
 of Countj' Dublin, and her maiden name was Cath- 
 erine McKenna. Eleven children were born to 
 this worthy couple. 
 
 The son of whom we write was fourteen 3'ears 
 old when his father died. Prior to that time he 
 had alwaj's attended school, as his parents were 
 anxious to give him a good education, but that sad 
 event changed the course of his life, as the family 
 were then scattered, and our subject "was appren- 
 ticed to a druggist in the town of Carlow, Count3' 
 Carlow. He served five years, and then went to 
 Dublin to attend lectures on pharmacy, and re- 
 ceived a certificate as assistant apothecary. ]n the 
 month of May, 1 855. he left the shores of his native 
 isle, and proceeding to Liverpool, secured a posi- 
 tion as apothecar3' on board of an American-bound 
 vessel, and five weeks later disembarked at New 
 York Citj'. The second day after his arrival he 
 found employment in McKesson & Robin's whole- 
 sale drug-store, and remained with them six months. 
 We next hear of him far away from there in a 
 Southern city, he having gone to New Orleans, 
 where he was engaged .as a manufacturing chemist 
 in G. N. Morrison's wholesale drug-store. Six 
 months later he tried life in Chicago, and was with 
 a firm of wiiolcs.ile druggists for a time. He then 
 
 entered into business on his own account, opening a 
 drug-store at Evanston, a few miles from Chicago. 
 He there met Dr. Evans, who was then booming the 
 town of Oreopolis, in this county, and that gentle- 
 man persuaded him to accompany him to Nebraska 
 in the fall of 1857. Oreopolis was situated one and 
 one-half miles from Plattsraouth, and at one time 
 had a much better class, of buildings, and much 
 brighter prospects of a prosperous future than this 
 city, but in the mutations of time the situation h.ns 
 been reversed, and Plattsmouth has shot ahead of 
 its ancient rival. Onr subject manfully took what- 
 ever work came to hand, and one winter chopped 
 wood. He lived in that town until 1861, when the 
 Rebellion broke out, and he was among the first to 
 volunteer for the defense of the institutions of his 
 adopted country, and in the trying j-ears that fol- 
 lowed none of bis comrades displayed more un- 
 flinching courage in the face of danger, more patient 
 endurance, heroic daring, or faithful service than 
 he. He was a member of Company A, 1st Ne- 
 braska Infantry, enlisting in Ai)ril, 1861. and was 
 mustered into the ranks at Omaha as a private. 
 His regiment was ordered to Missouri, and thence 
 to other places, where he took part in several im- 
 portant battles and minor engagements. He was 
 present at Ft. Donelson and Shiloh when they 
 surrendered, and at the siege and capture of Cor- 
 inth and Cape Girardeau, and for a long time fol- 
 lowed and fought the bushwackers and guerrillas 
 in Arkansas and Missouri. He veteranized in the 
 winter of 1863-64, and served until July, 1866. He 
 was commissioned Second Lieutenant Jan. 2. 1862, 
 and at the battle of Shiloh he commanded his com- 
 pany, the First Lieutenant and Captain not being 
 present, and for gallant and meritorious conduct 
 during that hotly contested battle he was promoted 
 to the rank of First Lieutenant, his commission 
 bearing the date of Jnne 1, 1862. He received his 
 commission as Captain Oct. 11, 1865. After the 
 war closed his regiment was sent to the north- 
 western frontier; here he was for a time Assistant 
 Inspector General. While holding that ofHce he 
 had to travel from Ft. .Sedgwick to Omaha and 
 return each month, and thus had a stage ride of 
 some 400 miles, and each two months he had to 
 go to Dakota City, Xeb., where he received iiis 
 
 r«/ 
 
11-^^ 
 
 •► 1 1^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -«► 
 
 1091 
 
 (liscliaige witli bis regiment in .Inly, 18GG, and tlien 
 returned to Plattsmoutli. He was engaged in the 
 <lrug business in Omaha until 1867, when he ob- 
 tained a commissiou as Second Lieutenant in the 
 regular army, and was attached to the 41st Regi- 
 ment, wliich was afterward consolidated with 
 another, and became the 24th Regiment. In 1869 
 our subject was made Adjutant of the regiment, 
 and served in that capacity three years, when he 
 resigned the position, and subsequently he served 
 with his command the greater part of the time in 
 Texas until his resignation from tiie army in 1878 
 to accept his present position. 
 
 Capt. Donovan was married, in 1856, to Cath- 
 erine Keife, a native of County Dublin. She was 
 a woman of many lovable qualities, who held a 
 warm place in the hearts of many friends, and her 
 death in 1882 caused sadness in other households 
 besides that of her own family. To her and her 
 husband four children were born — Robert, Katie, 
 George and Flora C. Katie married John M. 
 O'Grady, and died in Plattsmouth at the age of 
 twenty-two. Our subject and his famil}' are all 
 communicants of the Episcopal Church. The Cap- 
 tain combines the quick wit. the warm and gener- 
 ous heart, and the never-failing courtesy and tact, 
 of the true Irish gentleman, and he is popular with 
 all. 
 
 HRISTOFF MEYER. The enterprising 
 German citizen is to be found all over the 
 United States, pusliing his way into new 
 sections, and, planting his stakes, usually abides, 
 distinguishing himself for his thrift, industry and 
 prudence, and so laboring as usually to obtain a 
 competence. His children who come after him will 
 proudly rei>eat the stor\' of his life, and thus he has 
 Ills reward. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, a true son of the 
 Fatherland, is substantially located on a good farm 
 on section 4 in Avoca Precinct, where he has now 
 158 acres of thoroughly' cultivated land. His 
 original purchase embrace<l 165 acres, a portion hav- 
 ing been cut off by the Missouri Pacific Railroad, 
 wliich runs across a corner of his farm. He settled 
 ^ ' here when the land was in its primitive condition, 
 
 without a building upon it, and unfenced. The labor 
 of years has resulted in one of the most finely im- 
 proved farms in this section, with an imposing two- 
 story stone dwelling, ereeteil in 1880, and the 
 out-buildings naturally arising to meet the require- 
 ments of the modern farmer who keeps track of the 
 improvements of thed.ay,and operates accordingly. 
 None but he who has performed it can gain a cor- 
 rect idea of the labor involved in the construction 
 of the well-regulated farm, and in addition to this 
 there has been no small amount of hard cash ex- 
 pended in connection therewith. This, however, 
 has proved a safe investment for capital, being out 
 of the reach of the defaulting bank cashier. 
 
 The Atlantic Ocean separates Mr. Mej'er from the 
 home of his childhood, he being a native of the 
 Empire of Germany, and born Dec. 23, 1824. He 
 was reared under the paternal roof, and received 
 an excellent education in his native tongue. At an 
 early age he distinguished himself as a natural 
 mechanic, being able to handle all kinds of tools 
 with facility, and this gift lias been the means of 
 saving him hundreds of dollars in connection with 
 his farming operations. 
 
 The parents of our subject were Charles and 
 Lucy (Newe) Meyer, also natives of the Empire 
 of Germany, and who spent their entire lives in 
 their native land, dying at a ripe old age. 'Iheir 
 family consisted of two sons and four daughters, of 
 whom Christoff, our subject, was the only one com- 
 ing to the United States. He was unmarried at 
 this time, making the journe.v in the summer of 
 1854. Soon after landing upon American soil he 
 proceeded to Washington County, "Wis., settling 
 among strangers and without means. His honest 
 faee and evidently correct habits soon procured 
 him friends and employment, and he lived in Wis- 
 consin until the spring of 1860. In the meantime 
 he was mirried, Sept. 18, 1858, to Miss Ellen 
 Hal mas. 
 
 Mrs. Meyer, also a native of Prussia, was born 
 April24, 1841, and came to the United States with 
 her parents when a young girl of thirteen years. 
 They also located in the Badger State, living in 
 Oconto County until after the marriage of their 
 daughter Ellen. Later they removed to Chicago, 
 111., where the fathei' died in middle life. The ^ ' 
 
■► II ^» 
 
 1092 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 molher fulifc qiieiitly can.e Ici Kcliarkn, .ir.d died at 
 the home of her son Kitbolns.-in this county. She 
 wns about seventj-four years of age. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Hahnas were tlie parents of five children, all 
 of whom are living and located mostly in the 
 United States. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Meyer there have been born 
 thirteen children, two of whom, Lucy and John, 
 died at the ages of one and six years respectively-. 
 The survivors are Nicholas, Mathias, Marj% Mar- 
 gareMa, Susanna, Peter. Charles, Lizzie, August, 
 Henry and Joseph. Jlathias is married and living 
 in this county; Mary, Mrs. Jergonson, is a resi- 
 dent of this county; Margaretta is the wife of J. 
 Denue. and makes her home in Otoe County. Mr. 
 Meyer, politically, is a stanch Dcmociat, and 
 botii he and his estimable wife are members of the 
 German Catholic Church. They are people of 
 standing and importance in their cc'mmunity. and 
 are am|)Iy worthy of vi presentation in the Album 
 of Cass Coui.ty. 
 
 R. JOSEPH E. HALL, a regular practicing 
 physician and surgeon of good standing in 
 f^J^^ Weeping Water, located at this i)laco aliout 
 1881, and during his seven j'ears' residence 
 has built up a remarkably fine business. He bears 
 an excellent reputation as a citizen and a practi- 
 tioner, and enjoys in a large degree the confidence 
 and esteem of the people of this vicinity. He is a 
 gentleman of marked ability, a close student, and 
 conscientious in the discharge of the duties of his 
 profession. 
 
 Dr. Hall first set foot upon the soil of Nebraska 
 June 17, 1881, and at once took up his location in 
 Weeping Water, of which he has since been a resi- 
 dent, attending strictly to business. In 1887 he 
 completed a fine residence on South Randolph 
 street, which, with its surroundings, forms one of 
 the attractive homes of the city. In its enterprises 
 and Improvements he has taken an active part since 
 becoming a resident here, serving on the School 
 Board three years, and has held the office of County 
 Physician two years, also for two 3'ears that of 
 surgeon of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Companj'. 
 
 Socially, he is a K. of P.. and also belongs to 
 the Modern Woodmen of America, holding vari- 
 ous olficial ca])acilies in his lodge at Weeping 
 Water. 
 
 Dr. Hall was born in Alexandria, Ind., April 24, 
 1858, and lived there until he was a young man 
 twenty years old. He had in the meantime re- 
 ceived a good'preliminar^' education, and now be- 
 gan the reading of medicine with Dr. J. W. Perry, 
 of the same jjlace, continuing with him one year, 
 and spending the year following with Drs. Chitten- 
 den & Jones, of Anderson, Ind. Later he entered 
 upon a course of lectures in the Indiana Medical 
 College at Indianapolis, from which he was gradu- 
 ated with honors IMarch 3, 1881. He still belongs 
 to the Sydenham Society of that college, and is also 
 prominentlj' connected with the State Medical So- 
 ciety of Nebraska, and the Railroad .Surgical So- 
 ciety of the State. 
 
 Dr. Hall, after being graduated, established him- 
 self at once in Weeping Water, where he has one of 
 the finest equipped ollices in the city, and a remark- 
 ablj' complete assortment of surgical instruments 
 and appliances, together with a library' and every- 
 thing else needful for the successful prosecution of 
 his practice. 
 
 Our subject, on the 4lhof May, 1882, was united 
 in marriage with Miss Rosetta J. Blake, of Alex- 
 andria, and they are now the parents of three chil- 
 dren, two sons and a daughter, namel}': Virgil, 
 Ethel and Homer. Mrs. Hall was born March 27, 
 1858, in Markleville, Ind., and is the daughter of 
 W. P. and Isabella (Williams) Blake, who are now 
 living upon a farm in the vicinity of Alexandria. 
 She was carefully trained and educated, and taught 
 school a period of four years before her marriage. 
 They have a snug home in the central part of town, 
 and enjoy the society of many friends. 
 
 Jesse H. Hall, the father of our subject, was born 
 in Highland County, Ohio, Nov. 22, 1822, and 
 lived there until a lad of eight j'eais. He then re- 
 moved to Indiana with his pareuts, they settling in 
 Madison County dining its pioneer days. Upon 
 reaching man's estate he was married to Miss Eliza- 
 beth Ellis, and they became the parents of thirteen 
 children, eleven of whom lived to mature years, and 
 six sons and two daughters are still living. Mr 
 
 »» - l L^ 
 
 Mr. 4 
 
-^- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1093 '' 
 
 •► 
 
 
 Hall was successful in his labors as an agriculturist, 
 and carried on farming extensively in Lis adopted 
 State (luring the latter j-ears of his life. In early 
 manhood he was engaged as a teacher a period of 
 twelve years. He is a very intelligent man, one 
 who keeps himself well posted upon current events, 
 and is a stanch supporter of the Republican party, 
 in whose principles he trained his sons, and of which 
 our subject, th§ Doctor, is an equally ardent ad- 
 vocate. Both parents have been for many years 
 connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and from their sterling worth and integrity of char- 
 acter stand high among the people of their com- 
 munity. 
 
 Joseph H. Hall, the paternal grandfather of our 
 subject, w.as a native of Ohio, whence he removed 
 to Indiana about 1830, where he spent his last days, 
 dying at the old homestead in Madison Count}', in 
 February of the year 1872, when sixty -six years 
 old. Dr. Hall's wife is a member of the Baptist 
 Church in Weeping Water, of which they are regu- 
 lar attendants, and to which they contribute a lib- 
 eral support. 
 
 ■«l +»+■«^^I^■p5)•i^-w^-•^ 
 
 ^^EORGE OBERLE. a well-known and sue- 
 Ill ,— , cessful agriculturist of Tipton Precinct, has 
 ^^^ a well-regulated farm pleasantly located on 
 section 30, and which embraces 250 acres of good 
 land. Upon it are neat and substantial buildings, 
 including a tine new residence, commodious and 
 built in modern st3'le of architecture, which has 
 been but recently completed, and is the admiration 
 of the country around. Our subject belongs to 
 that nationality to which the Great West is largely 
 indebted for its growth and development, and was 
 born on the beautiful Rhine River, near the village 
 of Ottenheim, March 9, 1840. 
 
 Mr. Oberle spent his boyhood and youth in his 
 native Province, acquiring, in common with the 
 young people of German}'^, an excellent education 
 in the public schools. Afterward he emplo.yed him- 
 self mostly at hunting and fishing, rem.aining on 
 his native soil until 1867. In the meantime he 
 entered into partnership with his brother and other 
 men, they being engaged in building a stone wall 
 
 4* 
 
 on the River Rhine, to protect the land. In 
 18S6 our subject entered the army during the war 
 between Germany and Austria, and was under 
 the enemy's fire in many a battle. After a service 
 of six months he returned to his old business, but 
 in the April of 1867 resolved to seek his fortunes 
 on the other side of the Atlantic. Repairing to 
 Havre, France, he made his way by steamer to 
 Liverpool, and there embarked on the ocean vessel 
 "Walda," landing in New York City after a vo}-- 
 age of eighteen days. 
 
 Our subject tarried a very little while in the me- 
 tropolis, then proceeded westward to St. Clair 
 County, in Southern Illinois, and in the vicinity 
 of Belleville found emplo3'ment as a farm laborer, 
 and sojourned in that locality a period of five 
 years. In the spring of 1872 he made his wa}- 
 west to Nebraska City, and the year following 
 came to this county and homesteaded a tract of 
 land in Tipton Precinct, which is included in his 
 present farm. He commenced at first principles 
 in the construction of a homestead, there having 
 been no attempt, whatever, at improvement. His 
 first business was to cultivate a portion of the soU, 
 after which he commenced fencing his land, putting 
 up buildings, planting trees in groves iind orchards, 
 and gradually gathered around himself the com- 
 forts and conveniences which have made his home- 
 stead a noticeable feature of his precinct. Later he 
 added to his first purchase as follows: Fifty acres 
 on section 29, eighty on section 30 and 130 on 
 section 31. It has all been brought to a productive 
 condition, and is amply watered by the Little Ne- 
 maha. Mr. Oberle gives considerable attention to 
 stoclc-raising, producing excellent grades of horses, 
 cattle and swine, having usually a herd of fort^- 
 cattle, sixty hogs and ten head of horses. 
 
 Mr. Oberle was married, in Nebraska City, March 
 15, 1873, to Miss Mar}^ Stolz, a native of the same 
 Province as her husband, and born in April, 1847. 
 Mrs. Oberle came to America in her girlhood with 
 friends. She is the daughter of George Stolz, who 
 was of German ancestry, and whose family con- 
 sisted of four children. Three of these are living, 
 located in the old country. The parents are de- 
 ceased. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Oberle there have been born 
 i» 
 
 f 
 
* ► J l "^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 1 094 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 five children, namely: Geofge. Jr.; Carl, who died 
 when about six years old; Frederick, Rudolph and 
 Emil. Mr. and Mrs. O. are Lutherans in religion, 
 and our subject, politically, is a solid Republican. 
 His parents were Deibold and Auna (Hauser) 
 Oberle, who were natives of the same place as their 
 son. They spent their entire lives in their native 
 Germany, and the father was by occupation a fisher, 
 hunter and trappei*. He served for a time in the 
 German Arm}', and after rounding up a ripe old 
 age passed away in 1880. The mother survived 
 her husband four ^-ears, dying in 1884. They were 
 members of the Evangelical Protestant Church. 
 Their family consisted of eight children, of whom 
 our subject was the fourth child born. They were 
 named respectively: Deibold, George, Carl, Fred- 
 erick, Annie M., Kate, Christina (who died when 
 about thirty 3'ears old) and Lena. Three sisters of 
 these came to America. 
 
 LBER r E. LEWIS is a prosperoiisyoung far- 
 (j^'iOj iiier who came to Nebraska in February, 
 (4 1880, and settled on eighty acres of land on 
 the southern half of the northwest half of 
 section 31 .Ehnwood Precir.ct,to the improvement of 
 which he has devoted his entire time and attention. 
 Coming to Nebraska without any great financial 
 means, in fact, a poor man, he lias done exceedingly 
 well, and the various improvements which he has 
 planned and begun making bespeak a future replete 
 with comfort and happiness, should his life be 
 sjjared to realize a full fruition of all his hopes. 
 
 Mr. Lewis was married in the fall of l>i80 to 
 Miss Lydia E. Hite, the daughter of DaVid and 
 Mary (Curyea) Hite. Her father was a native of 
 Ohio, and her mother of Virginia, and she was one 
 of a family of nine children born to her parents : John 
 M., now deceased; .lames Alva, Theodore >!., Flora 
 B., Charles F., Lydia E., Nellie M., Lenora M. and 
 Alice M. Mr. Lewis is the youngest of three chil- 
 dren. The other two were named Ellizabeth and 
 William R. He was born on the 28tli of July, 
 1850. in LaSalle County, III. He evinced a great 
 love for study and books at an early age, and never 
 
 lost an opportunity of attending the schools near 
 his home. The father of Mr. Lewis came to Illinois 
 in 1838. He died in 1871. sixty-five years of age. 
 The mother. Eliza A. (Holder) Lewis, died at the 
 age of forty-one \"ears. 
 
 Mr. Lewis is a man who aspires to attain the 
 highest place among his fellows, and shoukl he con- 
 tinue to live in the years to come as he has lived in 
 years that have gone, there is no question hut that 
 the fondest aspirations of his heart will be fully 
 realized in this direction. He has been in his pres- 
 ent location eight years. During that time, by 
 strict integrity of purpose, and a close attention to 
 all the details of farm life he has been enabled to 
 build a snug little home. Although small in ex- 
 tent, there are none showing a greater amount of 
 happiness and home comfort, and giving a belter 
 promise of brighter days in the future. All the 
 avenues leading to a snug competency are open to 
 him, and we find him most zealously pursuing his 
 way to reach that goal. In his wife he has a true 
 and in fact a genuine helpmate, always ready and 
 anxious to share every burden and every care, and 
 bestow every joy and comfort of which she is capa- 
 ble. A lady of refinement and taste, her home 
 shows evidence of her skill as a housewife. To- 
 gether they are a most estimable couple, and deserve 
 all the good tilings that can come to them. In 
 politics Mr. L. acts ivith the Democratic party. For 
 a sketch of the lady's ancestry see the history of 
 David Hite, Esq. As to the ancestry of the gentle- 
 man's mother, refer to the sketch of William R. 
 Lewis. 
 
 Vi: 
 
 •►^t^ 
 
 ILLIAM MARSHALL, manager of the 
 loot and shoe house of Charles Marshall, 
 Weeping Water, has charge of one of 
 the largest concerns of the kind in the city. The 
 business was established by the father of our sub- 
 ject in September, 1872, and has been familiarly 
 known as Marshall's Shoe .Store eversince that time, 
 although having been owned by difl:'erent members 
 of the same family. Its success is indicative of the 
 good judgment and discretion which have character- 
 ized its management from the beginning. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Yorkshire, 
 
 f 
 
-J^ 
 
 •^ 
 
 4- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1095 
 
 England, April 17, 1862.anil ca'ue to America with 
 his parents when a little lad ten years of age. 
 After landinif upon the soil of this continent they 
 made their way directly westward to this county, 
 settling in Weeping Water, where the father en- 
 gaged in the boot and shoe tra<le, and where our 
 subject was reared to manhood. Here also he 
 completed a practical education, and spending much 
 time during his youthful days in his father's store, 
 became at an early age familiar with all the details 
 of the business. He assumed the management in 
 .Iul3% 1886, and is keeping u|) the reputation of the 
 family and the house in the old-time manner. 
 
 Mr. Marshall was married. Nov. I 'J, 1885, to 
 Miss Ella B. Savage, who was born in McDonough 
 County, 111., Dec. 16, 1863. .James Savage, the 
 father of Mrs. Marshall, was one of the solid 
 farmers of that county, his property being located 
 within the township limits of Macomb. He came 
 to Nebraska about 1882, and purchased land in 
 Hamilton Count}', where his death took place in 
 July, 1884. Mrs. Savage is still living, and makes 
 her home with her daughter Ella in Weeping Water. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Marshall are the parents of one child, 
 a son, Spencer J., who was born .Sept. 4, 188G. 
 Mr. M. belongs to the I. O. O. F.. the K. of P. and 
 the Modern Workmen of America. 
 
 John Marshall, the father of our subject, was born 
 in Yorkshire, P^ngland, April 18,1830, and lived 
 there until 1 872. He married Miss Charlotte Day, 
 a native of Worcestershire, and they became the 
 parents of ten children, six sons and four daughters, 
 who, with one exception, all came to America with 
 him. Weeping Water at the time of his settlement 
 here was a little town of 400 or oUO people, and he 
 established his shoe store on the corner of Randolph 
 and I streets, where it still remains. In due time 
 there was a sign put out having upon it Marshall <fe 
 Son, and later, as the father witlidrew from the act- 
 ive business, and the sons took his place, it was. 
 changed to Marshall Bros. The first two brothers 
 assuming charge of the business were John T. and 
 William. Next the former withdrew and William 
 and Arthur U. conducted the business. It is now 
 the property of Charles Marshall, who makes his 
 home in Syracuse, Neb. 
 
 John Marshall and his sons are equal to several 
 
 full teams in their advocacy of the principles of the 
 Repul)lican party. They meddle vei-y little with 
 politics, but keep themselves thoroughly posted 
 upon State and National events, and wield a silent 
 influence whicfl has its weight. They are first-class 
 business men, attending strictl}- to the details of 
 their trade, .are prompt to meet their obligations, 
 and in both the business and social circles of Cass 
 County are marked A No. 1. 
 
 \^=^JCHOLAS HALMES, one of the most lib- 
 I )// eral and public- spirited citizens of Platts- 
 lk\,£L) mouth Precinct, is pleasantly located on a 
 good farm occupying a portion of section 8, and 
 may be properly ranked among the self-made men 
 of Cass County. Of German birth and ancestry, 
 he is a native of Prussia, where he was born Aug. 
 15, 1831. His parents were Martin and Mary 
 (Newell) Halmes, the mother a native of the same 
 Province as her son; they spent the latter part of 
 their lives in Wisconsin and Nebraska. Both are 
 now dead. 
 
 Martin Halmes, Sr., the grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, was born in the Province of Elza, France, 
 where he married, and where Martin, Jr., was also 
 born. The latter in 1814 joined the French Array, 
 and the year following was taken prisoner by the 
 Prussians into their countr}', and subsequently 
 served in the ranks of the Prussian Armj^ a period 
 of three years. At the close of the war he married 
 a Miss Newall, and was a resident of Prussia until 
 the year 1853. 
 
 In thej-ear above mentioned Martin Halmes, Jr., 
 accompanied by his wife and five children, emi- 
 grated to America, and proceeding westward lo- 
 cated in Wisconsin, where he followed farming 
 until 1857. He then retired from active labor, and 
 was making his plans to come to Nebraska and live 
 with his son, our subject, when his death occurred 
 in 1860, after having spent a few months in Chi- 
 cago with his daughter, Mrs. Margaret Craig. 
 
 After the death of his father our subject brought 
 his mother home, and she lived with him until her 
 death, which occurred in the year 1878. Mr. Halmes 
 came to Nebraska Territory in 1857, locating in 
 
 ?^J 
 
 I 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 i 
 
 -•►Hl- 
 
 1096 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 the vicinity of the present town of Weeping AVater, 
 pre-empting 160 acres of land, which he occupied 
 until 1866. Then selling out he removed to 
 his present home on sections 7 and 8. Here he 
 purchased 200 acres, twenty acres of which had 
 been broken, but further than this there was little 
 improvement. He at once put up a stone house 
 and began farming. He was prospered in his la- 
 bors, and invested his surplus capital in additional 
 land, being the possessor of 1,010 acres, all of 
 which is in a productive condition. 
 
 For a man who landed upon the soil of Nebraska 
 with a capital of §5 in his pocket, Mr. Halmes has 
 cartainly made a good record. A part of this he 
 invested in a pair of boots, and then began work- 
 ing for the farmers around. The first $300 which 
 he made he lost, being the victim of misplaced 
 confidence. He secured unto himself a wife and 
 helpmate in 1860, being married to Miss Henrietta 
 Obernolte, of Plattsmouth. Of this union there 
 were born seven children, namely: Mary, Nicholas, 
 Peter, Lena, Rosa, George and Joseph. Mrs. Hen- 
 rietta Halmes departed this life in 1880. 
 
 The present wife of our subject, to whom he 
 was married in 1881, bears the name of Henri- 
 etta Plager. This lad}', as was the former wife 
 of our subject, is a member of the Lutheran 
 Church, while Mr. H. belongs to the German Cath- 
 olic. He is a man of decided ideas and votes in- 
 dependently, aiming to support the men whom he 
 considers the most trustworthy and efficient for 
 office. 
 
 ,OBERT EMEN8 is a member of the firm of 
 Gerardet, Boone & Emens, pioneer dry- 
 IV goods, grocery and notion merchants of 
 ^ tiie city of Weeping Water. Tiiese gen- 
 tlemen are young, active and enterprising, and 
 have a bright and promising future before them. 
 , Our subject was born in New Jersey, May 21, 
 1857, a son of Abraham Emens, who was born in 
 the same Stale in 1830. The father was in busi- 
 nsss in Dayton until middle age, and there married 
 Anna Van Arsdale, a most estimable woman, and a 
 member of the Reformed Church. They are the 
 parents of two children, Gertrude and our subject. 
 
 Their daughter is now Mrs. F. E. Adams, of Pekin, 
 111. When Mr. Eraens was about forty years of 
 age he abandoned his native State, and the home 
 of liis birth, with all its associations, to begin life 
 again in tiie Prairie State, and settling in Pekin, 
 III., established himself in tlie mercantile business, 
 which he carried on for three years witii good suc- 
 cess. After that he turned his attention to farm- 
 ing, and he now owns a fine farm eight miles west 
 of Pekin, where he and his vvife make their home. 
 He is a man of prominence in that locality, and 
 has held several township and county offices. His 
 father, Jonathan Eraens. was a native of New 
 Jersey, where lie carried on farming and was also 
 engaged in other business. 
 
 Robert Emens was twelve years old when his 
 parents became residents of Illinois, and he com- 
 pleted his education in the excellent Higli School 
 of Pekin. After leaving school he engaged with 
 his father on the farm until he attained manhood, 
 and he then started out in life for himself. He re- 
 mained in Illinois until 1882, when he came to 
 Weeping Water. For some 3'ears he acted as clerk 
 for different merchants in this State, a part of the 
 time for Mr. Gerardet, his present partner, who was 
 then manager for Wessel & Kohn, of Nebraska 
 City. After the big fire of 1887 our subject, with 
 other members of tlie firm, opened a new store, the 
 doors being first opened to the public Jan. 10, 1888, 
 since which time the}' have done a good and prom- 
 ising business. Their establishment is well fitted 
 up and neatly arranged, and every department is 
 well stocked with goods, tlie best in the market, 
 and at reasonable prices. 
 
 Mr. Emens was married to Miss Cora Boone, of 
 Utica, Neb., Nov. 26, 1884. To this union have 
 been born two children — Sterling, Jr., and Hazel. 
 Mrs. Emens was born in Manito, 111., in 1863, and 
 is a daughter of Tnomis and Harriet (Robinson) 
 Boone, Her father was a native of Pennsylvania, 
 and in later life he moved to Illinois, where for 
 some years lie was engaged in farming, and there 
 his death occurred. His wtilow moved to Utica, 
 Neb., where she lived until the marriage of her 
 daughter Cora, and is now living here with her. 
 
 Our subject is a wide-awake mm. of good busi- 
 ness principles an I e.K33ptio:ial haliits, and his 
 
 •► 
 
 .^h 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1097 
 
 sense of honor ami honesty is held in such higli 
 respaot by those with whom lie has dealings that 
 his word is as good as a bond. He avoids all poli- 
 tics, except so far as duty calls him to the polls, 
 where he votes with the Republican partj-. He is 
 prominent socially, and is a Iv. of P. 
 
 0~ HARLES H. WARNER, of Plattsmouth Pre- 
 ^ cinct. came to this county without means in 
 ' 1876, but is now the possessor of a gooil 
 property embracing a fine farm of 150 acres, which 
 he has brought to a good state of cultivation, and 
 upon which he has erected neat and substantial 
 frame buihlings. He is a man highly esteemed in 
 his community, a Republican in politics, and with 
 his estimable wife a member in good standing of 
 the United Brethren Church. He has been quite 
 prominent in local affairs, serving as School Treas- 
 urer in his district two terms, and is at present a 
 Director. 
 
 Mr. Warner is a self-made man in the strictest 
 sense of the term, having been thrown upon his owu 
 resources when a mere child, and obliged to look 
 out for himself. Ho was born in Woodford County, 
 111.. Dec. 25, 1853. and is the son of Calvin and 
 Nancy A. (Clark) Warner, who were natives re- 
 spectively of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The paternal 
 grandfather, John S. Warner, w.as a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, and the great-grandfather of our subject 
 a native of Germany. The latter emigrated to the 
 United States at an early day, settling in Pennsyl- 
 vania, where it is supposed he spent the remainder 
 of his life. 
 
 John Clark, the maternal grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, was of Scotch ancestrj', and possibly born in 
 the "land of the thistle."' It is known, however, 
 that he was one of the earliest settlers of Wayne 
 County, Ohio, where he spent his last days. Cal- 
 vin Warner took up his abode in Woodford County, 
 III., when his son Charles H. was a small boy. He 
 ■was born in 1817, and departed this life at his home 
 in Woodford County, 111.. May 15. 1862. Mrs. 
 Nancy A. (Clark) Warner survived her husband a 
 period of twenty years, and also passed from earth 
 p at her home in Woodford County, in 1882, at an 
 
 »► I L ^* 
 
 advanced age. The parental household included 
 five sons alid two <laughters. Six of these children 
 are living. 
 
 Our subject was the fifth child of his parents, and 
 was only seven years of age at the time of his 
 father's death. He was then taken into the home 
 of his uncle, Reuben Skinner, who married a sister 
 of our subject's father. The boy lived with them 
 until fourteen years old, then starting out for him- 
 self, made his way across the Mississippi to Ne- 
 braska Territory, and thence a short time later to 
 Texas. He was a resident of the Lone Star Slate 
 a period of five years, employing himself at what- 
 ever he could find to do. and then returned to bis 
 old haunts in Illinois. From there he came back 
 to Nebraska in 1876. 
 
 Mr. Warner was married, Dec. 23, 1879, to Miss 
 Barbara E., daughter of Stephen and Elizabeth 
 (McCorkle) AViles, of Plattsmouth Precinct. They 
 commenced the journej' of life together here, and 
 are now the parents of three children — Altiii G., 
 Millie M. and Frederick M. The eldest of these 
 is seven j^ears of age, and the j'oungest two. 
 
 ETER PETERS. The name of this gen- 
 tleman is entirely familiar among the lead- 
 ing farmers and stock-growers of Cass 
 County, with whose agricultural interests 
 he has been closely identified for many j^ears. His 
 history is not widely different from that of many 
 of the prosperous men around him, he having 
 crossed the Mississippi poor in purse and depend- 
 ent upon his own resources. He now represents a 
 fine property, and during his tweut3'-flve j'ears' res- 
 idence in Cass County has continuously made his 
 home in Avoca Precinct, and has built up a repu- 
 tation second to none in the county as a skilled 
 agriculturist and an upright business man. His 
 farm of 160 acres is under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion and improved with substantial buildings, 
 while his live stock is first-class, including horses, 
 cattle and swine, he making a specialtj^ of the two 
 first mentioned. 
 
 Prior to becoming a resident of Nebraska Mr. 
 Peters had sojourned in Lake County, 111., for 
 
 f 
 
A 1098 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 some years. He had emigrated to the Prairie 
 State from Missouri, where he located when coming 
 a stranger to a strange land. He was born in the 
 Duchy of Holstein, Germany, in 1833, and was 
 the fifth child and fourth son of Teis and Sophia 
 Peters, the latter of whom died when he was a 
 small child, and he consequently knows very little 
 of her family history. The parental household 
 consisted of five sons and three daughters. Teis 
 Ifeter, also a native of Holstein, was reared in the 
 agricultural districts, and upon approaching man's 
 estate was in the Government service of Denmark 
 for some time, and during the progress of the 
 Danish and Prussian War. He spent his entire 
 life aftervrard in his native Holstein, where his 
 death took place when he was about fifty-flve years 
 old. 
 
 Young Peters, in common with the youth of 
 Germany, was placed in school at an early age, 
 where he acquired the rudiments of a practical edu- 
 cation in his native tongue, and being a bright 
 and observant bo^', he early in life began to lay 
 his plans for the future. Not being satisfied with 
 the prospects in the Fatherland, he before attaining 
 his eighteenth year set out alone for the United 
 States, embarking on a sailing-vessel from the 
 port of Hamburg, and arriving sixteen weeks 
 later, in 1850, in New Yoi'k City. Thence he 
 proceeded to Chicago, 111., by water and rail, and 
 soon found employment on a farm in Cook 
 County. He remained there long enough to have 
 his heart ensnared )»y Miss Magdalena Schomaker 
 and they were married in Cook County, Aug. 16, 
 1858. 
 
 Mrs. Peters, like her husband, was a native of 
 Holstein, and born Feb. 23, 1826. She was the 
 youngest of half a dozen cliildren, the offspring of 
 Michael and Anna (Johaken) Schomaker, who are 
 both now deceased. The father died in Germany 
 when his daughter, Mrs. Peters, was a child five 
 years of age. Later the mother emigrated to 
 America with her little family, settling in this 
 county. Her last days were spent at the home of 
 her daughter, Mrs. Timm, in A voca Precinct, where 
 she died when nearly seventy-five j'ears old. Both 
 parents were Lutherans in religion. 
 
 Mrs. Peters was reared to womaniiood in her 
 
 native Empire, and was about eighteen years old 
 when coming to this country with other members 
 of the family. .She has become thoroughly Arasri- 
 canized, and is a lady in every respect praiseworthy 
 as a wife, mother and neighbor. Of her union 
 with our subject there have been born eight chil- 
 dren, all of whom are living : Sophia C. W. is the 
 wife of Richard Francen, a farmer of Valley 
 County, this State ; T. J. William married Miss 
 Sophia Buck, and they live on a farm in Avoca 
 Precinct ; Herman O. F. B. married Miss Anna 
 Betts, and is conducting a saloon in Avoca ; H. C. 
 Louis married Miss Ettie Bozard, and resides at 
 Cook Station in Otoe County ; A. Amelia H. is 
 the wife of Louis Lence, a farmer of Valley 
 County ; P. George A. remains at home assisting 
 his father in the management of the farm ; Einma 
 C. C. and Alvina A. M. (twins) are also at home 
 with their parents. 
 
 Mr. Peters upon becoming a naturalized citizen 
 identified himself with the Democratic party, and 
 cast his first Presidential vote for Douglas. He 
 has held the various local offices and signalized 
 himself as a member of the community, thoroughly 
 interested in its progress and welfare. Both he 
 and his estimable wife are members in good stand- 
 ing of the German Lutheran Church, attending 
 services at Avoca. 
 
 'I(,ENRY F.TAYLOR is one of the most promi- 
 Ijfjl] nent of the energetic and successful farmers 
 !*V^ and stock-raisers who have been instru- 
 ■(^ mental in [jlacing Cass County among the 
 first counties of the State by the development of her 
 wonderful resources, and he is now among the fore- 
 most in sustaining her material prosperity. He h'as 
 a large and very valuable farm, lying partly on sec- 
 tion 25, and partly on section 36, Liberty Precinct, 
 his residence being on the former section. Every- 
 thing about the farm shows the presence of tlie 
 master mind and hand, and in all its appointments 
 it is a model estate. Mr. Taylor came to Cass 
 County in 1864, and after being employed for a 
 year in breaking prairie and teaming logs, he made 
 
 t^* 
 
•► I I ^«- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1099 
 
 -t 
 
 his first purchase of IGO acres of land included in 
 his present faini, and has ever s'nce been actively 
 engaged in improving and adding to it. His home 
 farm comprises 500 acres, and the sura total of his 
 land is over 1.000 acres. In 1876 he turned his 
 attention to raising mules, and has since been ex- 
 tensively and profitably engaged in that branch of 
 business, keeping three animals of choice breed for 
 the purpose all of the time, and he can boast of 
 supplying the county with as fine a lot of mules as 
 there is in the State. 
 
 Mr. Taylor was born in l^edford County, Xa., 
 Sept. 11. 1837. and his f.ather, Henry Taylor, was 
 also a native of the Old Dominion, coming of Scotch 
 parents, who were American-born. The father of 
 our subject was reared in Bedford County, his place 
 of birth, and was reared to the calling of farmer. 
 He was married to Jane Agnew, a native of the 
 same county as himself, and although her parents 
 
 ■ were American-born, they were undoubtedly of 
 Scotch descent. After marriage Henry Taylor and 
 
 . wife lived in Bedford County until 1848, when, 
 with their family, they took up their abode in 
 Meigs County, Ohio. They settled on a farm in 
 that county, and there some of their children were 
 born. At the time of their settlement Meigs 
 County, especially' the part in which they located, 
 was still in a wild state, and theirs was the pioneer 
 task of aiding in its development by clearing a farm 
 from the surrounding primeval forests, and in the 
 home in Salem Township that the}' thus built up, 
 with the attendant hardships and struggles of pio- 
 neer life, Henry Taylor and his wife died, he April 
 13, 1863, at the age of sixty-five, and she March 1, 
 1884, aged seventy-six. Their old farm is still in 
 possession of their sons. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the fourth child 
 and third son of the family of ten sons and two 
 daughters, nine of whom lived to maturitj-, six 
 of whom are yet living, and five of these are now 
 married. He was reared on the old homestead in 
 Ohio, having been a boy of nine years when his 
 parents lefo their Virginian home for the one in 
 Ohio. He was a quick, self-reliant, helpful little 
 lad, and he was obliged to .issist iiis father in de- 
 veloping his farm, so that his school privileges were 
 very meager, but he m.anaged, nevertheless, tojjick 
 
 up enough of an education to make him a good 
 business man, and make life a success. After he 
 became of age he left Ohio, and started for the 
 West in 1860, and arriving at St. Joseph, Mo., he 
 and seven others formed a company to cross the 
 plains to the Rocky Mountains in search of gold. 
 He and his comrades crossed the Missouri River 
 April 20, 1860, and after a long and weary journey 
 over the plains reached their destination in Colo- 
 rado Territorj'. Mr. Taylor worked at mining in 
 Russell Gulch for one season, and in the vicinity of 
 Pike's Peak the rest of the time, where he had an 
 interest in the Lode claims. He met with fair suc- 
 cess, but owing to Indian troubles springing up, he 
 having considerable property in teams and wagons, 
 considered that his chances of retaining them were 
 very slim on the pl'iins or in the mountains, where 
 the redskins might seize them at any moment, so 
 he disposed of them, and selling out all his inter- 
 ests in mines and claims, retraced his way back un- 
 til he arrived in Nebraska, and, as we have seen, 
 subsequently settled on his present farm. 
 
 That same year, 1864, our subject was married 
 in Lil)erty Precinct, October 23, to Miss Barbara A. 
 Lynn. She was born in Pennsylvania. Aug. 24 
 1 849, and is a daughter of Joshua and Sarah (Truax) 
 Lynn, who are now living near Union, in this county. 
 Mr. Lynn is a well-known, prosperous old settler of 
 this county, he having crossed the Missouri River 
 about 1857 or 1858, and has ever since made his 
 home where he now lives on section 23. Mrs. Ta}'- 
 lor was only a year old when her parents moved 
 from her native State to Ohio, and later to South- 
 ern Illinois, where they lived five years. From 
 there they moved to Fremont Countj', Iowa, and 
 one year later to Nebraska, and began life on an 
 unimproved farm, her parents then being very poor. 
 Mrs. T.aylor was trained to a thorough knowledge 
 of domestic work, is a fine housekeeper, looks well 
 to the ways of her household, and is a devoted wife 
 and mother. To her and her husband twelve chil- 
 dren have been born, two of whom, Thomas and 
 Ida, are de.ad. Those living are: Emma J., the wife 
 of Charles Morton, a farmer in Liberty Precinct; 
 Eva L., wife of A. L. Becker, a farmer in Liberty 
 Precinct; the others are all at home, and are receiv- 
 ing good educations in the public schools, their 
 
 ?^ri-^ 
 
naiues lieing as follows: William. Mary, Andiew, 
 Louisa, Callahill. Luella, Minnie and Elsie B. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are among the active and 
 energetic people of this county, have done their 
 share toward its improvement, and have had no 
 unimportant share in its present wonderful develop- 
 ment. Mr. Taylor is a sound Republican, and takes 
 an active interest in local politics. 
 
 ^ ^^^ ^ 
 
 t 
 
 SAAC N. APPLEGATE is prominently identi- 
 fied with the local interests of Liberty Precinct, 
 and is one of its leading farmers and stock- 
 raisers. His farm on which he resides is undoubt- 
 edly as well improved and under as good a state of 
 cultivation as the best in the neighborhood, and its 
 broad, fertile acres yield him a fine annual income. 
 Our subject was born in Mason County, Ky., 
 March 17, 1832, being a descendant of some of the 
 brave, sturdy pioneers of that State. Kichard Ap- 
 plegate, the grandfather of our subject, was a pa- 
 triot of the Revolution, and also fought in the War 
 of 1812. He was a native of Virginia, and a far- 
 mer by occupation. He was reared to a strong and 
 vigorous manhood in the Old Dominion, and was 
 there married to a lady whose maiden name is 
 thought to have been Wall. They afterward moved 
 to near Washington, Mason Co., Ky.,and were vevy 
 early settlers of that part of the State. They im- 
 proved a farm in the wilderness, and after many 
 long years they died of old age, and all that is 
 mortal of their remains is reposing in the old fam- 
 ily graveyard on the old homestead, which is still 
 in possession of some of their descendants. 
 
 Their son Vincent, the father of our subject, was 
 the youngest son of a family of four sons and three 
 daughters, all of whom are deceased. He was 
 reared to manhood in Mason County, and after he 
 attained liis majority he went to Ripley, Brown Co., 
 Ohio, and was married to Ann Lemon. She was a 
 native of Miry land, as were her parents, who had 
 moved to Ohio when she was young. Her father, 
 Hugh Lemon, and her mother spent their declining 
 years in Brown County, where they died at an ad- 
 vanced age. After marriage Vincent Appjegate re- 
 turned to his native county in Kentucky, and lived 
 
 there for some time. He subsequently went back to 
 Ohio with his family, and settled in Brown Countj', 
 and there he and his wife lived to build up a com- 
 fortable home and to rear a family of eight chil- 
 dren. In November, 18G9, the father closed his 
 eyes to the scenes of earth, having rounded out a 
 busy life of seventy-four years. His wife survived 
 him until May 12, 1881, when she too passed away, 
 having attained the venerable age of seventy -seven 
 years. They were both upright, Christian people, 
 the mother being a member of the Methodist 
 Church. 
 
 Our subject was the fourth child and third son of 
 those worthy people, and he was quite young when 
 they took up their residence in Brown Count}', 
 Ohio. He was there reared and educated, and after 
 he became of age, attracted by the many induce- 
 ments for settlement in the Great West, held forth 
 to stalwart, energetic, self-reliant young men like 
 himself, who wished to build up comfortable homes, 
 he made his way to Iowa, and the next fourteen 
 years of his life were spent there, three years in 
 Fremont County and eleven years in Montgomery 
 County. In the latter county .he improved a farm, 
 ■which he sold on coming to this State. In 1865 he 
 visited Cass County and purehase<] his first land 
 (1 60 acres, which he has given his son), but did not 
 live on the place until 1868, or attempt any im- 
 provements until that time. His farm now com- 
 prises 320 acres of land, nearly all well watered, and 
 admirably adapted in every way to raising stock, 
 to which he pays special attention, with great suc- 
 cess, and he has his farm well stocked with cattle of 
 good grades. He has provided it with comfort- 
 able buildings. 
 
 During his resilience in Iowa Mr. Applegate was 
 married, Nov. 28, 1855, to Miss Margaret Carlisle. 
 She was born in Highland County, Oliio, 5iay 23, 
 1837. Her father, James Carlisle, was born in Vir- 
 ginia, of Virginian parentage; he was reared in his 
 native State. He w.as married there, in Adams 
 County, to Miss Abigail Wade, and they subse- 
 quentl}- began their wedded life in Highland County, 
 where he engaged in farming. In 1852 the}' moved 
 to Iowa with a family of eight children, and settled 
 permanently in Montgomery County, being among 
 the earl}' settlers of that part of Iowa. Mr. Car- 
 
■•»• 
 
 
 <• 
 
 •► 1 1^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1101 
 
 lisle pre-emptetl land, and with the assistance of his 
 wife, built up a home from the wild prairie. They 
 died on the homestead, the mother Aug. 13, 18t)9, 
 at the age of sixty-six years, and the father in De- 
 cember, 1878, being then fourscore years old. Mrs. 
 Applegate was in her girlhood when her parents 
 moved to Iowa, and there she liecame of age. Since 
 their marriage she and her husliand have devoted 
 their earnest efforts to making a comfortable, happj' 
 home. They have one child. LeRoj', who is at 
 present engaged at his trade of blacksmith, at Ne- 
 hawka, where he has a smith^', and is carrj'ing on a 
 flourishing business. He married Ida F. Warfield, 
 and they have three children — Joy R., Clce and 
 James C. Mrs. LeRoy Applegate was born in 
 Rochester, Mo., Dec. 9, 1861, and is the daugh- 
 ter of Samuel and Emma (Elkin) Warfield, now 
 residents of Broken Bow, Custer Co., Neb., where 
 Mr. Warfield is conducting the tinner's trade. Our 
 subject is gifted with much sagacity, foresight and 
 practical tenacity of purpose. In his political views 
 he is an independent Democrat. 
 
 ^^TRUS RODNEY ANDRUS, a homesteader 
 [l( of 1869, took up tlic southeast quarter of 
 
 ■^^7 section 26. in Tipton Precinct, in the fall of 
 that year, and has since given to it his best efforts 
 in the construction of a farm. In noting his sur- 
 roundings to-day the traveler is impressed with the 
 fact that the labors of Mr. Andrus have met with 
 ample reward. His land has been brought to a 
 good state of cultivation, and improved with neat 
 and substantial buildings, and the whole premises 
 very nearly approach the modern idea of the com- 
 plete country home. Mr. Andrus has now reached 
 his fifty-first j'ear, but is strong and robust, as the 
 result of temperate living and correct habits, and 
 would pass for a man many years younger. 
 
 The career which our subject marked out for 
 himself in his early manhood and which he has 
 endeavored to follow, has been such as to commend 
 him to the good opinion of his fellow-citizens, who 
 regard him with the highest confidence and esteem. 
 He comes of an excellent old New England family, 
 
 being the son of Thomas and Eliza (Beardsley) 
 Andrus, the father a native of Rutland, Vt., and 
 born in 1803, and the mother born in Hartford. 
 Conn., in 1808. The paternal grandfather, also 
 Cyrus Andrus, was a Vermont farmer in good cir- 
 cumstances, but finally left his native State and 
 migrated to Pennsylvania, where he continued the 
 pursuit of agriculture until his death, after he had 
 arrived at the advanced age of eighty-six years. 
 The great-grandfather of our subject was a man of 
 propertj', being owner of the entire marble quarry 
 at Green Mountain, Vt. On the mother's side 
 Grandfather Isaac Beardsley was born in Connecti- 
 cut, whence he migrated to Pennsylvania, engaged 
 successfully in farming, and rested from his earthly 
 labors at the age of eighty-four j'ears. 
 
 Thomas Andrus, tlie father of our subject, leavino- 
 New England when a boy, settled with his parents 
 near Seneca Lake, New Y'ork State, and was reared 
 to manhood on a farm. At this period of his life 
 he became interested in the lumber business, en- 
 gaged in making shingles, and otherwise became 
 identified with this industry in the Empire State. 
 There also he was married to Miss Beardsley, and 
 not long afterward they removed to Pennsylvania, 
 joining the parents on both sides of the house. Mr. 
 Andrus took up a tract of timber land in Bradford 
 County, and before leaving the Keystone State had 
 cleared three farms. 
 
 In the fall of 1867 Thomas Andrus decided to go 
 beyond the Mississippi, and see something of the 
 Great West. The end of his journey found him in 
 Muscatine County, Iowa, where he settled and re- 
 mained two years. Not quite satisfied with the 
 prospect, he -again changed his residence, coming in 
 the fall of 1869 to this county, and homesteading 
 eighty acres of land in Tipton Precinct. He was 
 fairly prosperous in his labors of opening up a 
 farm, and operated with his usual industry until 
 advancing years admonished him it would be wise 
 to retire. He, with his estimable partner, made his 
 home with his son Cyrus, our subject, where he 
 died Dec. 27, 1888, aged eighty-five years, seven 
 moiUhs and sixteen days. Prior to coming to this 
 State the3' had been for manj- years identified with 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which Mr. 
 Andrus was a chief pillar, officiating as Class- 
 
 t^l-M* 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 ^ ^n <• 
 
 1102 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 Leader, and holding; other positions of trust. Since 
 coming to Nebraska they have been connected with 
 the United Brethren. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were l)orn 
 eight children, naniel}': Jane and Mabel, who died 
 wiien eigliteen and forty-six 3^ears ol<l ; Marietta, a 
 resident of Pennsylvania; Truman, living in Ore- 
 gon; C. Rodnej% oursubject; Tlionias J. and Hiram, 
 deceased ; and Susan, a resident of Nebraska. Tru- 
 man and Thomas served as Union soldiers in the 
 late Civil War, the former three years, and the lat- 
 ter nearly four. Thomas died from the effects of 
 hardships and exposure in Pennsylvania. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born near Canton, 
 Bradford Co., Pa., March 17, 1838. and spent his 
 boyhood and youth after the manner of most 
 farmers' sons. He attended the brief winter season 
 of the district school until seventeen years of age, 
 and continued a member of the parental household 
 until reaching his majority. At this period, desir- 
 ous of starting out for himself, he purchased sev- 
 enty-five acres of timber land in the vicinity of the 
 olil homestead, a part of which he cleared, made 
 good improvements, and remained upon it until 
 1867. He had in the meantime visited the State 
 of Iowa, and after that could not get rid of the idea 
 that he was on the wrong side of the mountains. 
 He accordingly, in 1867, disposed of his property 
 In Pennsylvania, and returning to Muscatine County, 
 Iowa, operated on rented land there two years. In 
 the spring of 1869, deciding to push still further 
 westward, he gathered together his family and per- 
 sonal effects, and started overland with two mule- 
 teams for the young State of Nebraska. Mr. 
 Andrus made the journey to Nebraska in better 
 style than many of his compeers, having sent his 
 household goods by rail, therefore to the family 
 it was rather a pleasure trip than otherwise. They 
 crossed the Missouri River at Plattsmoulh, and pro- 
 ceeding to the southwest corner of this county our 
 subject pitched his tent in Tipton Precinct, and in 
 February, 1869. horaesteaded eighty acres of his 
 present farm. Upon it there iiad been no attempt 
 whatever at improvement, and he could not even 
 see a iiuman dwelling from his place. His first busi- 
 ness was to put up a shelter for the family, and for 
 this he was obliged to haul lumber from Platls- 
 
 mouth, thirtj'-five miles awaj'. There were then no 
 paved streets or even a macadamized road, and the 
 task of transporting building material over the 
 country can better be imagined than described. 
 The men of that time, however, were well equipped 
 with resolution and perseverance, and Mr. Andrus 
 was in nowise lacking in these qualities. It never 
 occurred to him to look back after he had put his 
 hand to the plow, and he surmounted this as well as 
 the scores of other dilHculties which presented 
 themselves from time to time. 
 
 After effecting tlie most urgent arrangements for 
 the comfort of his family our subject began the 
 cultivation of his land, the planting of fruit and 
 forest trees, the fencing of his fields, and the erec- 
 tion of additional buildings as he had need. He 
 has now a flourishing apple orchard of 380 trees, 
 and a fine grove. The land is plentifully watered 
 by a running stream, and tiie fields are enclosed 
 with hedge and wire fencing. Mr. A. in due time 
 ad<led to his real estate b}^ the purchase first of 
 eighty acres, his father's homestead, and liter 160 
 acres of well-improved land besides. The farm is 
 largely devoted to stock-raising, Mr. Andrus having 
 good grades of cattle, horses and swine. 
 
 Our subject prior to leaving his native State pro- 
 vided himself with a wife and helpmate. Miss Anna 
 Matson, their marriage taking place at the home of 
 the bride in Bradford County, Pa., Feb. 1, 1860. 
 Mrs. Andrus was born in Maj', 1841, iu Ohio, and 
 is the daughter of James and Mary (Kels) Matson, 
 who were natives of Vermont, and are now in New 
 Jersey. Of her union with our subject there were 
 born, in 1861, twins, who died not long afterward. 
 Thej' have since had no children. They have, how- 
 ever, performed the part of parents to a boy known 
 as John Andrus, who is now living on his homestead 
 claim in Lincoln County, Neb. In that co'Mity also 
 Mr. Andrus has a tract of 160 acres of timber claim. 
 
 The first Presidential vote cast by Mr. Andrus 
 was for Abraham Lincoln. In view of this fact it 
 is scarcely necessary to add that he is a Republican 
 of the first water, and he has assisted in the election 
 of every Republican President since that time. He 
 has been .active in the support of the princiiiles of 
 his partj' in this section, officiating as a delegate to 
 the county conventions, and laboring as he has had 
 
 •►H !:::<!«•: 
 
M 
 
(?j) coi.-^^^ • (p-.^A^d^^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1107 
 
 opportiinitj' to further its interests. He lias been, 
 most of the time since coming here, a member of 
 the School Board of his district, served as Justice 
 of tiie Peace two years, and has re|)resented his pre- 
 cinct in the County Board of Supervisors. Both 
 he and his estimable wife are members in good 
 standing of the United Brethren Church, attending 
 services at Union. Mr. Andrus ofliciates as Class- 
 Leader, and is Assistant Superintendent of the 
 Sunda3f-school. In this brief summary of his life 
 it will be seen that he has been a good and useful 
 citizen, and one whose name will beheld in remem- 
 brance long after he has been gathered to his 
 fathers. 
 
 •^ 
 
 
 "^F SGIL S. WILL. There is no pleasanter 
 < .©/lJI , picture to be found on the face of the globe 
 
 jjl IM than a well-regulated country estate, with 
 ^§ fields of green and gold, with well-fed cat- 
 
 tle, horses and swine, substantial farm buildings, 
 groves of forest trees and orchards of fruit trees, 
 and the air of plenty and comfort which surrounds 
 the ideal homestead. These thoughts were sug- 
 gested in a most forcible manner as the biographer 
 strolled over a portion of the farm belonging to 
 the subject of this sketch. He found hiin comforta- 
 bly located on section 1, in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, 
 and the owner of 400 acres of land, of which he 
 became the possessor in February, 1883. 
 
 During the early settlement of Nebraska, and 
 before making his present purchase, Mr. Will had 
 for some years operated on rented land, and thus 
 acquired the capital with which to secure his first 
 quarter-section, which lay in Rock Bluff Precinct. 
 In the spring of 1886 he added to his real estate, 
 and by subsequent purchase has become the owner 
 of 400 broad acres, which, under his wise manage- 
 ment, makes an estate of great value. Tb« improve- 
 ments are first-class, the dwelling being convenient 
 and substantial, and the barn and other out-build- 
 ings suitably arranged for the storing of grain and 
 the shelter of stock. Of the latter Mr. Will keeps 
 about 200 head of cattle alone; he is, in fact, one 
 of the largest stock-feeders in this locality. By 
 close attention to business this industry has been to 
 
 him tlie source of a fine income. The Will home- 
 stead, with its appurtenances, is one of the distinct- 
 ive features of Mt. Pleasant Precinct, and reflects 
 great credit upon the perseverance and industry of 
 him by whom it was inaugurated and is being per- 
 petuated. 
 
 A native of the Old Dominion, our subject was 
 born in Highland County, April 2.3, 1848, and is 
 the son of Washington W. and Elizabeth ( Arbo- 
 gast) Will, the former of whom died about 1877. 
 They also were natives of Virginia, and traced 
 their ancestry to England. The paternal grand- 
 father settled in Virginia during its early days, 
 and there spent the remainder of his life. On the 
 mother's side of the house the family were among 
 the pioneers of Highland County. The parental 
 family inctluded seven children, six of whom are 
 living. Of these Asgil S., our subject, -was the 
 eldest born son. Susan is the wife of Josiah Pal- 
 mer, of Highland County, Va.; Swope H. came to 
 the West about 1883, and lives in Mt. Pleasant 
 Precinct, this county; Virginia married J. A. Har- 
 old, and they continue residents of West Virginia; 
 Molly, the wife of Isaac Eckard, also lives there ; 
 William came to Nebraska about 1887. The mother 
 is still living, being now nearly seventy years of 
 age, and continues a resident of her native State. 
 She is a good woman iti the broadest sense of the 
 term, and is held b}- her children and neighbors in 
 the highest regard. 
 
 Mr. Will was reared to man's estate in his native 
 county, where he was early trained to habits of 
 industry, and received but a limited education. 
 He, however, availed himself of every opportunity 
 to gain useful knowledge, and there are few men 
 possessed of more practical information, and with 
 whom it is more pleasant or profitable to converse. 
 He found his bride in his native county, being mar- 
 ried, Jan. 16, 1870, to Miss Barbai-a, daughter of 
 Miles and Catharine (Waybright) Harold, who 
 were also Virginians by birth, and who are now 
 living in that State. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Will commenced their wedded life 
 together in Highland County, Va., and there be- 
 came the parents of three children. Their house- 
 hold finally numbered seven, four sons and three 
 daughters. These were named respectively: Fred- 
 
 ■•►Hh 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 1108 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 erick S., Jasper N., Blanche, Nora B., Thomas, 
 Minnie and Grover. Mr. Will cast his first Presi- 
 dential vote for Horace Greeley in 1872, and has 
 since continued a strong supporter of Democratic 
 principles. He is at present serving as a School 
 Director in his district, and lends a helping hand 
 to those projects designed for the general welfare 
 of the conimunit3-. A man prompt to meet his 
 obligations, and one scorning a mean action, he is 
 a typical A'irginian, with decided ideas, and one 
 who, while having a thorough respect for the old 
 usages, avails himself also of the new methods, 
 and takes advantage of the age of progress, reduc- 
 ing to practice the theories which commend them- 
 selves to his judgment and understanding. In the 
 management of his farm and business interests he 
 displays the practical good judgment which is in- 
 variablj^ crowned with success, and thus we find 
 him surrounded by all of the comforts and many 
 of the luxuries of life. 
 
 Portraits of our subject and his estimable wife 
 appear on adjoining pages, and elsewhere in this 
 volume will also be found a view of his fine resi- 
 dence, which is a feature of the precinct. 
 
 ^! OSEPH T. JMILLS, a prosperous farmer and 
 leading citizen, resides on section 8, Elm- 
 wood Precinct. He was born July 19, 1838, 
 in the town of Argyle, Washington Co., 
 N. Y., where he lived with his p.arents until reach- 
 ing the age of twelve years, when the family re- 
 moved to Peoria County, 111., where his mother 
 died in 1880, aged seventy years. He was the eldest 
 son in a family of ten children, four sons and six 
 daughters, born to his parents. His father now re- 
 sides on section 4, in Elmwood Precinct, seven tj'- 
 seven years old. The early j-ears of our subject 
 were spent in the ordinarj^ farm duties of the time, 
 and for many winters he drove oxen, hauling saw- 
 logs and other similar work, in which he became an 
 expert, having driven as high as nine teams of oxen 
 at once. He pursued this life until the Civil War 
 opened, and he at the age of twentj'-four enlisted, 
 Aug. 11. 1862, in Company- E, 77th Illinois In- 
 fantry. He was mustered into the service at Peo- 
 
 ria. From Peoria the regiment was sent South, and 
 was attached to the 1st Brigade, 4th Division. 13th 
 Army Corps. They first encountered the rebels in 
 the swamps of the Yazoo River, before the battles 
 of Vicksburg. They also i)articipated in the en- 
 gagement at Arkansas Post. 
 
 The regiment of which our subject was a mem- 
 ber was engaged in digging the canal that was de- 
 signed by Gen. Grant to turn the floods of 
 the Jlississippi River, and leave Vicksburg an 
 inland town. They took an active part in the 
 siege of that city, and had a fierce and bloody en- 
 counter with the rebels at Champion Hills. In 1863 
 they were in the Louisiana campaign; in the 
 autumn of the same year were in the Matagorda 
 Ba^' expedition. In the spring of 1864 he was in 
 the Red River campaign. In the desperate battlt, 
 at Sabine Cross Roads or Mansfield, he and many 
 other comrades were taken prisoners by the reliels 
 and taken to Camp Ford, as the prison at Tyler, 
 Tex., was known. At this place thej' suffered 
 everything but death. The second night after 
 arrival they had only raw cornmeal and salt meat 
 to eat, and no water to drink. After suffering 
 similar hardships for a long time, Lieut. Henry L. 
 Bushnell and our subject planned to escape, and on 
 Feb. 12, 1865, they were successful in getting 
 away, and they eluded their pursuers until they 
 reached Louisiana, when they were recaptured and 
 placed in the bull-pen at Shrevesport, La. The 
 adventures and experiences had by the comrades 
 wei'e at once hazardous and romantic. Being pur- 
 sued, and right in the rear of the rebel army, 
 making their way slowly onward, suffering every 
 hardship and hunger, cold and exposure, and their 
 final recapture, would furnish an inexhaustible 
 theme for the pen of the novelist. 
 
 In April, 1865, they were removed from Shreves- 
 port to Tyler, Tex., and confined in their first 
 prison. For many weeks and months he, with his 
 comrades, eked out a miserable existence in this 
 Southern hell. While there the last time he became 
 .acquainted with John T. Roberts, of Lieut. Earl's 
 United States Secret Service, who had been taken 
 prisoner while out on a scouting expedition up the 
 Mississippi River, and taken to Shrevesport, 
 La. Here also he met Confederate Maj. Robin- 
 
•► ^f"^ 
 
 ^iPllr 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1109 
 
 son, who proved to be a loyal man at heart, 
 although forced to serve in the Confederate 
 Army. Upon conversation the3- found they were 
 both born near the same place in New York. The 
 Major gave our subject a blanket and woolen shirt, 
 which he needed very badly. While traveling in 
 New York State a year or two ago he was happily 
 surprised to meet the Major, and they passed many 
 hours recalling the life in Tyler. The soldier Rob- 
 erts, above referred to, did not dare reveal his 
 identity, either to the prisoners or the Confeder- 
 ates. Had he done so he would have been tried 
 and executed as a sp3^ He passed himself off as 
 being a member of the 2d New York Cavalry. 
 
 Our subject was the only man who gained his 
 confidence to such a degree that he told him his 
 real character and the branch of the service to 
 which he belonged, and when captured was out on 
 an expedition as special spy. Roberts was an in- 
 teresting character, and it would have been pleas- 
 ant to have continued the friendship formed under 
 such trying circumstances, but Mr. Mills has lost 
 track of him since he parted with him at New Or- 
 leans, at the close of the war. "Roberts of Natchez," 
 as he was usually called, was a Southern born man, 
 but a loyal Union citizen. He was offered a com- 
 mission as Lieutenant Colonel if he would enter 
 the Confederate service, but he hated the rebels 
 and their cause, and to all their overtures he re- 
 plied: "The stars and stripes shall be my winding 
 sheet." They tried to make their escape in many 
 ways. A second attempt was unsuccessful; they 
 were quickly discovered and brought back to the 
 prison. While in that prison our sul)ject saw deeds 
 of cruelty that would make one's blood run cold. 
 Although they were often defeated in their attempts 
 to get away they were determined to trj- again, and 
 were always on the watch for something to turn 
 up that would be to their advantage, and it was 
 hot long until the opportunity came. One day 
 twenty prisoners were out in the woods for the 
 purpose of gathering brush for fuel. Roberts and 
 our subject met a disabled prisoner from the 6th 
 Kansas Cavalry. Arrangements were made at 
 once to have him go back to prison in order to 
 make the number twenty, and let Roberts escape, 
 and Roberts was to wait until Mills could make his 
 
 •► 
 
 escape and meet him. Like a flash this plan sug- 
 gested itself: Twenty more of the boj'S would be 
 let out in the afternoon to gather brush, and it was 
 his plan to jump over the stockade while the 
 guards were not looking. In this hazardous under- 
 taking he was singularly successful, and the same 
 afternoon he joined Roberts at a ravine west of the 
 grave3'ard. as previously agreed upon. 
 
 Mr. Mills and his comrade Roberts now being 
 out of the stockade, laid their course toward the 
 Sabine River. Thej^ had no arms or means of de- 
 fense but a dirk knife. They put asafetida on 
 their feet so the hounds might not trace them. At 
 length, after enduring many hardships and priva- 
 tions, the^' reached the river. The.y ingeniously 
 constructed a raft from sassafras poles that had 
 been used in a trap to catch wild hogs. Moimt- 
 ing their raft away they went down the river, 
 until finally the raft, began to sink, the wood hav- 
 ing absorbed so much w.ater, and they were obliged 
 to abandon it. Scouting along the river bank they 
 finally discovered a flat-bottom boat, which they 
 appropriated to their use, and continued their 
 journey down the river for a distance of 400 miles. 
 It would require a volume to describe this journey 
 with all its incidents, narrow escapes and dangers. 
 They traveled at night and camped in the day- 
 time, when the^- would conceal themselves and 
 their boat. At one time the^' were lost in one of 
 tlie numerous bayous. 
 
 For the first time in their journey they were not 
 able to agree — Roberts wanted to leave the boat 
 and Mills wanted to keep it. Roberts was of a 
 very nervous disposition, and he broke down en- 
 tirely. Being lost in a dismal place and at the 
 point of starvation, and at the constant risk of be- 
 ing recaptured, were things that would test the 
 bravest heart. Roberts swore, prayed and cried 
 alternately. Mr. Mills finally succeeded in per- 
 suading him to stick to the boat, and carefully 
 watching the current of the water, they were, 
 in the course of an hour afterward, in the main 
 channel of the Sabine River. Their objective point 
 was the United States gimboats, which they knew 
 were on the coast in the Gulf of Mexico. They 
 had but little food for several d.ij^s, and were now 
 growing desperate. The small amount of parched 
 ■» 
 
 T 
 
t. 
 
 •►Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 1110 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 J^ , He a 
 
 cornmeal and sugar Mr. Mills had received from 
 the bo\'S, which he had stored away in his haver- 
 sack while in the prison, was exhausted. Roberts 
 declared he would sooner starve than be caught in 
 attempting to procure food, but a hungry man will 
 undertake almost anything to relieve his sufferings. 
 One night about 12 o'clock they came to a large 
 plantation. Roberts at first thought it would be 
 advisable to kill a mule with their knife, but finally 
 they came to a place where a lot of hogs were con- 
 fined. He got a piece of a rail and raised it to 
 strike a porker on the head, but the blow took 
 effect on a beam overhead. This aroused the hogs 
 of course, so he came down to the river again, as 
 he had left it, without any food. 
 
 There was a fine cypress canoe belonging to the 
 plantation, which they decided to take in exchange 
 for their old friend, the flat-bol torn boat. After a 
 little consultation they formed the following plan: 
 :Mills should go up again to the plantation and 
 make an effort to get some corn out of the crib, 
 and if he was detected he should run back to the 
 canoe, get into it and float down with the current. 
 He was to lie flat on the bottom of the boat so he 
 could not be hurt should he be fired at. This was 
 a good plan, and its fulfillment undoubtedly saved 
 his life. He approached the corn-crib very care- 
 fully, as he thought, but not so still but that he 
 awakened a pack of hounds, who came rushing at 
 him. He, thinking discretion the better part of 
 valor, made for the canoe with all the speed of 
 which he was capable. By the time he reached the 
 boat twenty of the dogs were on the bank ready to 
 .attack him, he having escaped them by a very 
 small margin of safety. Entering the boat with 
 Roberts they resumed their journey down the 
 stream. Their search for food in this instance 
 proved unavailing. 
 
 As morning was approaching they turned their 
 boat into a bayou for the day's rest, and both be- 
 ing exhausted they fell soundly asleep. Our sub- 
 ject awakening from a frightful dream heard 
 strange noises. Climbing to the top of a burr-oak 
 tree he could see a large plantation in the distance. 
 The noise which awoke him were the yells of a 
 colored woman who was being terribly whipped. 
 He aroused Roberts and told him of their danger- 
 
 o\is situation. Without another word they got 
 into their boat and moved down the river, seeking 
 a more secluded place, which they found, and 
 where they landed and concealed their boat. They 
 had just got the boat hidden and themselves into 
 shelter, when three white men, armed with guns, 
 rowed down the river, evidently looking for our 
 refugees. They apparently belonged to the plan- 
 tation where the hounds had made the racket the 
 night before. This was one of the many provi- 
 dential escapes and deliverances which occurred 
 during this eventful journey. For two days more 
 they had nothing to nourish them but sweet-briar 
 root. Every night they would pass from two to 
 four rebel boats. In such instances they rowed 
 alongside of the rebels, so the men on board those 
 boats could not see our wanderers, who had pro- 
 cured and wore the rebel uniform. If they had 
 rowed on the opposite side of the stream they 
 would have been seen and detected. During all 
 the journey they spoke only to negroes, and when 
 they got food or other supplies from them they 
 swore them into eternal silence. 
 
 Mr. Mills says he will never forget one full- 
 blooded African he met. One night, driven by hun- 
 ger, they stopped at a large plantation and went up 
 to arouse one of the negroes, and if possible pro- 
 cure something to eat. Of course this was a great 
 risk. He succeeded in arousing a colored man and 
 making him swear that he would never tell on 
 him, and that he would support Abe Lincoln's 
 government, and much more on the same line, to 
 which the colored man eagerly assented, and faith- 
 fully gathered up all the crumbs and food left from 
 the previous evening meal, and a quantity of corn 
 meal, which he gave Mr. Mills. The old darkey was 
 loyal to the heart's core, and he jjleaded that he 
 might go with our subject, promising him that he 
 would assist liim all he could, and when the war 
 ended he would live with him all his life. They 
 did not take him with them, but sped on their 
 journey down the river. 
 
 The rebels were stationed close to Sabine Lake, 
 near which the refugees must pass. There they 
 sunk their boat and concealed themselves in the 
 rushes, having no weapons but 03rster shells to 
 protect themselves from the alligators, which 
 
»► ir^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1111 
 
 abounded in the water. Resuming their journe}' 
 at nightfall they repeated the experience the fol- 
 lowing day. On a large beech tree they cut their 
 names; our subject says he would give $50 for a 
 small piece of that tree if he could get it now. 
 They pushed their way onward, and soon found 
 themselves at the delta of the Sabine, which they 
 found to coincide exactly with the information 
 they had received from the colored man who was 
 so anxious to accompany them. The next prob- 
 lem that presented itself for solution was to pass 
 the rebel fort without being discoverd. After 
 liaving suffered so much they were now confronted 
 by one of the gravest difficulties. At the hazard 
 of their lives they rowed past the piling along the 
 side of .the fort. It seemed as though their hearts 
 were in their throats, and that they would never 
 get past it, although thev pulled at the oars like 
 madmen. 
 
 Having successfully passed the fort a new and 
 hitherto unthought-of difficulty presented itself. 
 They had no water to drink; the bodj' of water on 
 which they were was brackish, made so by the salt 
 waters from the Gulf, so that the}^ were enduring 
 not onlj' the pangs of hunger but of thirst also. 
 They passed the wrecks of the steamers "Sachem" 
 and "Clifton," that were wrecked by the rebels, 
 the crews of which they had seen while imprisoned 
 at Tj4er, Tex., the place they were now fleeing 
 from. After suffering everything but death in 
 their perilous journey of sixteen days and nights, 
 they at Iflst beheld the United States man of war, 
 named "Owasco," commanded by Capt. Penning- 
 ton, Ij'ing some four or five miles out to sea. The 
 wind blew a gale and the waves rolled fearfully, 
 yet not to be deterred by these, they started di- 
 rectly toward the ships. As the waves would raise 
 them to the crest they signalled the ships, a life- 
 boat was lowered from one, uniformed men and offi- 
 cers starting out to meet them. 
 
 By this time our subject and his companion were 
 so seasick and exhausted from their privations that 
 they could not lift an oar. They were clothed in 
 Confederate gray, and when thej' met the rescuing 
 vessel the Captain greeted them thus: "Hello, 
 Johnnies!" Roberts said: "Damn you, we are not 
 .Tolinnies." Captain: "Well, who the devil are 
 
 youthen.?" Roberts: "We're live Yankees from 
 Tyler, Tex." Captain: "Do you loiow the offi- 
 cers of the "Sachem" and "Clifton? " They replied 
 that they did. Our subject was so sick and weak 
 he could scarcely climb the ladders lowered to the 
 boats. He was so emaciated he could have easily 
 spanned his waist. Upon stepping on board the 
 vessel the reaction from the long-continued sus- 
 pense was so great that Mr. Mills trembled vio- 
 lently, the first time in his life he had ever ex- 
 perienced anything of the kind. The ship on which 
 they were received was the man of war "Owasco," 
 commanded by Capt. Pennington. 
 
 Our subject says his conception of heaven is no 
 sweeter than the feelings he experienced when he 
 found himself on board the "Owasco," after pass- 
 ing through the many perils and dangers in his 
 journey from Tyler to freedom. The officers and 
 soldiers on board the vessel vied with each other 
 in showing deeds of kindness. Their clothing, 
 which they had worn so long, was infested with 
 vermin. It was taken away, and after a lux- 
 urious bath, and passing through the barber's chair, 
 where they were shaved and had their hair cut, Mr. 
 Mills and Mr. Roberts were provided with nice 
 flannel shirts and officers' clothing. They were 
 daily tendered princelj' receptions, and were 
 allowed the freedom of the boat. After living this 
 life for sixteen days, the United States mail 
 steamer "Augusta Dinsmore" took them on board, 
 and landed them in New Orleans, where they met 
 the members of their old company who had been 
 with them in Tyler, who had been exchanged and 
 had arrived in New Orleans six days before our 
 subject and his companion. Here our two com- 
 panions in misery, j\lr. jMills and Mr. Roberts, were 
 obliged to separate, and they have never met since 
 that time. Mr. Mills was mustered out of service 
 and honorably discharged at Springfield, 111., in 
 June, 1865. Upon his arrival at New Orleans he 
 had written to his home at Peoria advising of his 
 safe return, the receipt of which was like a mes- 
 sage from the dead, and many s.ad hearts were made 
 happy. 
 
 Mr. Mills was married, in 1867, to Miss Frances 
 Morris, a native of Indiana. After their marriage 
 they made their home for one year in Henderson 
 
 r 
 
••► 
 
 <t 
 
 1112 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 County. 111., where tbey rented a farm. Like 
 many other old soldiers he came to the growing 
 State of Nebraska, in 1868, and settled in Elmwood 
 Precinct. Their experiences were common with 
 all other early settlers in this State; their hardships 
 were no greater and no less. They have an inter- 
 esting family of five children— ^Lizzie, Hattie, 
 James M., .Joseph T. and jMabel. In 1869 Mr. Mills 
 sold his homestead to Mr. Towle, and the same year 
 purchased his present farm on section 8. where he 
 has prospered and done well. Both himself and 
 wife have worked hard .and long, and in conse- 
 quence they And themselves surrounded witli com- 
 forts and a competency that will carry them 
 through to the end. 
 
 The father of our subject, .James Mills, as well as 
 his mother, were natives of Washington County, 
 X. Y. Grandfather Mills served in the American 
 Army during the War of 1812. The ancestors of 
 both parents came to New York from Ireland and 
 Scotland. 
 
 Our subject has just purchased .nnother tract of 
 eighty acres of land, making him the owner of 
 280 acres in all. His farm is very valuable on ac- 
 count of its favorable location, as well as the many 
 improvements thereon. He has planted a fine 
 orchard, large quantities of shrubbery and orna- 
 mental trees, has two fish ponds well stocked with 
 carjD. His residence is large and roomy, his barns 
 and cattle sheds are first class, and taken altogether, 
 it shows that the gentleman is well informed and 
 abreast of the times in the science of agriculture. 
 He is a member of the G. A, R., and a strong Re- 
 publican. 
 
 '^ OHN WOLPERT. In the record following 
 we have that of a man who has seen much 
 of pioneer life, and has performed his part 
 ^&)j in the development of a section of land in 
 this county. Self-made in the strictest sense of the 
 word, he from the beginning was dependent upon 
 his own resources, acquiring early in life the habit 
 of industrj' and perseverance, which served him so 
 well in later j'ears. He came to this county in the 
 summer of 1871, and for a time worked around 
 among the farmers, gaining anioiig them a reputa- 
 
 tion for honesty and indufli^y. i^liitl) made friends 
 for him wherever he went. In the spring of 1874 
 he settled upon tlie land which he now owns, and 
 which, under his good management, soon began to 
 assume the jiroportions of a comfortable home- 
 stead. 
 
 A native of the Province of Baden, Geimany, 
 our subject was born Jan. 15, 1831, and is the son 
 of Sebastian and Margaret (Kiihngamberger) Wol- 
 pert, who weie also of German biilh and ancestry. 
 The father was a farmer by occupation, and the 
 parental houseliold was cympleted by the birth of 
 six children, of whom the fullowing survive, naniel^^ : 
 Michael F., a resident of Detroit. Mich.: John, our 
 subject, and Sebastian. Jr., of LaSalle County, III. 
 The parents are deceased. 
 
 Mr. Wolpert continued in the Fatherland until 
 reaching man's estate, receiving a good practical 
 education in tiie public schools of his native Prov- 
 ince. March 23. 1852, he took passage at Havre 
 on a sailing-vessel bound for the United States, and 
 after an ocean voyage of thirty-two days landed 
 safely in the city of New Yoik. He was accom- 
 panied I)}' neighbors, and after a ver^' brief sojourn 
 in the great metropolis, set out for Southern Ohio, 
 and for two months was employed at gardening 
 in tl)e vicinity of Cincinnati. Later he migrated 
 to Indiana, and spent about one year in the city of 
 Indianapolis and vicinity. During his migrations 
 he was by degrees learning to speak and read in 
 the English language, and made very good head- 
 way. Finally returning to Ohio, he went up into 
 the northeastern part of the State, and for a short 
 time worked on a farm near Sandusky City. We 
 next find him in Chicago, 111. He there employed 
 himself at whatever he could find to do, and later 
 sojourned in various parts of the Prairie State, 
 whence he finally came to Nebraska. 
 
 It will thus be seen that Mr. Wolpert has traveled 
 over a considerable portion of the West, and in his 
 migrations he kept his eyes open to what was going 
 on around him, gaining a good idea of the people 
 of the United States, and the manner in which they 
 carried on business. After becoming a resident of 
 Nebraska, and ready to establish a fireside of his 
 own, he was united in marriage with Miss Annie 
 Exmaker, the wedding taking place in Cass County, 
 
 •^ 
 
"► II M* 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•»> 
 
 1113 
 
 Feb. 10, 1874. Mrs. Wolpert, like her husband, 
 was a native of Germany, and a lady possessing all 
 the womanly virtues, being a faithful and devoted 
 wife, a true and careful mother. There were born 
 of this union three children, namely: Joseph, Nov. 
 21, 1H74; Maggie, March 22, 1878; and Katie, 
 April 17, 1880. Mrs. Annie Wolpert departed 
 tliis life at tlie homestead in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, 
 Dec. 14, 1884, leaving a most affectionate family to 
 mourn their loss. They have sadly missed her since 
 she passed away, and her name will ever be lield in 
 the tenderest remembrance. 
 
 The farm of Mr. Wolpert was a raw prairie when 
 he first tooli possession, without buildings or other 
 improvements. In his career have been finely illus- 
 trated the thrift and prudence inherited from his 
 ancestry. To the German nationality, Nebraska, 
 as well as other Western States, is largely indebted 
 for the development of her resources, and the sub- 
 ject of this sketch has in nowise been behind his 
 countrymen in contributing his quota to the best 
 interests of his adopted country, as a representative 
 of her thrift and intelligence. Mr. W. cast his first 
 Presidential vote for Fillmore, and is an unwaver- 
 ing supporter of Democratic principles. In re- 
 ligions matters he belongs to the German Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 ^fjOHN G. HANSEN. The large and well- 
 I cultivated landed possessions of the subject 
 ^_^ of this sketch are finely located on section 
 (^^^ 1 1 in Avoca Precinct, to which the proprie- 
 tor came and selected his claim when there was not 
 a white man within sight. He was in fact the very 
 first settler in this part of the county, and has been 
 a resident of Cass and Otoe Counties since 18o4 — a 
 period of thirty-four years. He pre-empted his 
 present homestead of 160 acres in the fall of 1857, 
 and for thirty years has given his time and atten- 
 tion to its cultivation and improvement. It is one 
 of the finest bodies of land along the southern line 
 of the county, amply watered by a branch of the 
 Weeping Water. The home farm of our subject by 
 no means comprises the extent of his possessions, 
 for he is one of the largest land-owners in Cass 
 
 County, his property probably embracing an area 
 of nearly 800 acres. The most of this is very fer- 
 tile, and largely devoted to stock-raising. At the 
 homestead proper is a substantial stone residence, 
 flanked by the other farm buildings indispensable 
 to the modern agriculturist, together with the other 
 surroundings of modern country life. 
 
 A native of the Duchy of Holsteln,«CTermany, our 
 subject was born Sept. 18, 1828, of parents who 
 were of pure German ancestry. His father, Peter 
 Hansen, was a highly educated gentleman, and for 
 years a teacher in the public schools of the Father- 
 land. Later he turned his attention to farming, 
 and spent his entire life upon his native soil, passing 
 away in 1846, when fifty-two 3'ears old. He had 
 married in early manhood Miss Catherine Huesman, 
 who is still living, and has now reached the ad- 
 vanced age of ninety-two j'ears. She continues a 
 resident of her native Holstein, and for some time 
 has been afflicted with blindness. The household 
 circle included nine children, four of whom are liv- 
 ing, and residing mostly in Germany and the United 
 States. 
 
 Mr. Hansen began his early education in the 
 schools of his native land, and when reaching man's 
 estate joined the army, and participated in the 
 Revolution of 1848. Later he was a soldier of 
 the regular army of Denmark, and during those 
 years of his military service saw considerable active 
 fighting. He was still unmarried when in April, 
 1853, resolving to seek his fortunes on another 
 continent, he took passage at Hamburg on the sailing- 
 vessel '-John Hermann," Capt. Hickman command- 
 ing. He had an unusually smooth voyage of six 
 weeks and three days, and landed upon American 
 soil in the city of New York. Thence he proceeded 
 to Davenport, Iowa, where he employed himself as 
 a farm laborer. He had been thrown upon his own 
 resources early in life, and came to this country a 
 poor man. After reaching Iowa he labored with 
 genuine German thrift, prudence and industry, and 
 in due time found himself in a condition to operate 
 as his own man. 
 
 Mr. Hansen decided to commence farming for 
 himself on the soil of Nebraska, and coming to this 
 county, July 3, 1854, l)egan operating on land 
 which he pre-empted. He kept bachelor's hall 
 
t 
 
 t 
 
 ••► 
 
 1114 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 until the summer of 1861, but on the 17th of June 
 of thnt year secured unto himself a wife and lielp- 
 mate in the person of Miss Wilhelmina Ohernolte. 
 This lady was born in the town of Detmold, Ger- 
 many, Nov. 8, 1843, and is the daughter of Christ 
 and Henrietta (Kahee) Oliernolte, who came to 
 America with their f.imily in May, 1869, locating 
 first in Cook County, 111. Later they sought the 
 fartlier AVest. and settled at Platlsmouth, this 
 State, in 1860, where the father died the year fol- 
 lowing, aged sixty-eight years and nine months. 
 
 The father of Mrs. Hansen was a bricklayer and 
 stonemason by trade, at which he was employed 
 from early manhood until his decease. The mother 
 survived her husband many years, spending her 
 last days with her daughter, and passing away Sept. 
 7, 1887, when nearly sixty-nine years old. Both 
 parents were members of the Lutheran Church. 
 Mrs. Hansen was a maiden of sixteen years when 
 she came to the United States, and she remained 
 under the licuie rdof until her nmrriage. Of her 
 union with i.ur suliject there have hi en born nine 
 children, one of whom died in infancy; Peter C. 
 married Miss Maggie Burdis, and is farming in 
 Cass County, Neb.; Emma C. is the wife of Henry 
 Obernolte, and they live on a farm in Sibley 
 County, Minn.; Simon, E. George, Helena A., Au- 
 gustus F., Charles W. and Anna M. H. are at home 
 with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Hansen are 
 Lutherans in religion, and our subject, politically, 
 votes the straight Republican ticket. In the con- 
 struction of one of the finest farms of Cass County 
 he has thus contributed to its general development 
 and progress, and should by no means be left un- 
 recorded in a work of this kind. 
 
 ELAM K. PARMELE, proprietor of a livery, 
 feed and sale stable at Elm wood, is one of 
 the oldest settlers of Nebraska, coming here 
 in 1857, and he has spent all but four years in this 
 State since that time. He may be denominated a 
 pioneer of this town, to whose upbuilding he is con- 
 tributing much bj' his enterprise. He has quite an 
 extensive livery establishment here, and is doing a 
 thriving business. 
 
 Our subject is a native of New York, born near 
 
 Buffalo, March 1, 1833, and his early years were 
 passed in the place of his birth, gleaning an edu- 
 cation in the public schools. His parents, Quortus 
 and Martha (Kincaid) Parmele, were natives of 
 Pennsylvania, of English and Scotch descent re- 
 spectively. The paternal grandfather was a farmer 
 in Pennsylvania. The father of our subject studied 
 medicine; and was graduated from some school, 
 from which he received a diploma. He was a fin- 
 ished scholar, and subsequently adopted the pro- 
 fession of Readier. He was also a talented musician, 
 one of the finest singers in New York State, and at 
 one time taught singing school. He afterward en- 
 tered the mercantile business, having a dry-goods 
 store in Rochester, N. Y. His establishment was 
 burned at the time of the Rociiester fire, and he did 
 not resume business in that cit}'. In 1847 he 
 moved to Chicago with his familj", going from 
 Buffalo on a sailing-vessel, the •' Sandusky," by the 
 lakes. In that city he was employed two years 
 keeping books. At the end of that time he took 
 up his residence in Mackinaw Township, Tazewell 
 Co., III. His death occurred in that town in 1853. 
 He was a man of good parts, of a vigorous mental- 
 ity, and was in his day a man of prominence in his 
 community. He was gifted with oratorical pow- 
 ers, and was a noted stump speaker in his native 
 State, being a leader in the Whig part}'. To him 
 and his wife were born eight children, as follows: 
 Lydia, who died in Illinois; Calvin H., a banker in 
 Plattsmouth; Ellen, now Mrs. Hutchinson, of Lin- 
 coln ; Elain K. ; Sarah, who died in Plattsmouth ; 
 Coralineand Martha; Allie lives in Weeping AYater. 
 Elam K was fourteen years old when his parents 
 moved to Chicago, and he attended the public 
 schools in that city until the removal of the family 
 to Tazewell County, two years later. When nine- 
 teen years of age he began life for himself, secur- 
 ino- work in a foundry, and was in the employment 
 of Mr. D. W. Wizner, driving a four-horse team for 
 three years. He tlien went to Oskaloosa, Iowa, in 
 the interests of a lightning rod agency, and was 
 thus engaged for the ensuing five years. 
 
 While in the employ of Mr. Wizner, who oper- 
 ated a sawmill, our subject drew the first load of 
 timber to Bloomington that went into the Illi- 
 nois Central Railway depot at Bloomington, 111. 
 
 ^t^ 
 
 ^tJ f ■* 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 •«»> 
 
 1115 
 
 '^ 
 
 In 18o7 he came to Plattsmoulh. finding it but an 
 insignificant place, amid wild surroundings, witii a 
 few rougli liouses. and tlie one store liept in a log 
 house. He went into partnership with his brother 
 in the livery business. They remained together 
 one year, and then his brother disposed of his share 
 to him. and our subject continued business alone, 
 doing a prosperous business. In 1861 he went back 
 to Marion County, Iowa, and estal)lished himself in 
 the same business in tlie town of Knoxville, putting 
 up a livery barn. He had it well fitted up with a 
 good supply of horses, and was doing well, when a 
 fire occurred in 1864, and everything was destroyed, 
 barn, teams and .all. This was a severe loss, and 
 nearly ruined him financially, but with characteris- 
 tic pluck, he was soon up and at it. setting up an- 
 other stable, and gradually picked up his olil trade. 
 In the spring of 1865 he returned to Nebraska, 
 driving across the country, and again opened a 
 livery stable in Plattsraouth. He continued there 
 until 1879, when he sold out, and moving to Saun- 
 ders County, purchased 120 acres of wild land, a 
 part of it improved, near Ashland. He there en- 
 gaged in fai^raing and stock-raising. But that vent- 
 ure did not prove successful, so at the end of two 
 years he disposed of his property, and once more 
 took up his residence in Cass County. He bought 
 a farm of eighty acres in Elmwood, which was well 
 improved, and had a large orchard. He managed it 
 for two 3'ears, and did well financially. In 1874 he 
 traded it for a livery stable in Greenwood. He 
 went into partnership with another gentleman, but 
 their connection proved disastrous, and in 1876 
 Mr. Parmele sold out. and in the month of April 
 came to Elmwood to reside and do business. He 
 soon erected his present commodious barn, 36x80 
 feet, with a windmill attachment to the well, sixty- 
 three feet in height, and all the other appointments 
 of a first-class livery stable, and he is doing an ex- 
 tensive business. He has erected one of the finest 
 houses in the town, the one in which he resides, 
 pleasantly located ; it is well built and well fur- 
 nished, and is provided with the modern conveni- 
 ences. 
 
 To the lady who presides over this beautiful home 
 our subject was married in Iowa in 1858. She was 
 at that time Miss Emily Marks, a native of Mc- 
 
 Connellsville, Ohio. She is a woman of fine tact 
 and education, and pleasing disposition. To them 
 two children have been born: Matt, who died in 
 Plattsmouth at the age of two months; and Paor- 
 tus, who was born in Cass County, March 19, 1870, 
 and is at home with his parents. 
 
 Mr. Parmele is well endowed mentally and 
 physically, and his frank, obliging manners have 
 drawn to him manj' warm friends, and he and his 
 estimable wife move in the best society in this com- 
 munity. She is a sincere member of the Christian 
 Church, and he contributes very liberally toward 
 its support. He has a good capacity for business, 
 and conducts it by strictly honorable methods. He 
 is a straight-out Republican, and is influential with 
 his party, acting as delegate occasionally at County 
 or State Conventions. He has served on the Grand 
 and Petit Juries in the court at Omaha, under Judge 
 Dundey. Mr. Parmele is identified with the I. O. 
 O. F., having joined the order at Knoxville, Iowa, 
 during the war. 
 
 -^^^ 
 
 I 
 
 FREDERICK SCHOMAKER. One of the 
 finest farms of Avoca Precinct is located on 
 , sections 1 and 12. and is well known as the 
 (^^1/ property of Mr. H. H. Timm, uncle of our 
 subject. The latter is one of the most successful 
 stock-raisers in the county, and owns 160 acres of 
 good land in Berlin Precinct, Otoe County, which 
 he purchased in the spring of 1881. He came to 
 the young State of Nebraska in May, 1867, and 
 has since made his home with his uncle, Mr. H. 
 H. Timm, a prominent citizen of Avoca, and a 
 sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. 
 Mr. Schomaker came to this country a poor boy, 
 " worse off than nothing " as he expresses it, having 
 had to borrow money to pay his passage across the 
 Atlantic. This debt was liquidated long ago, and 
 his stead}' perseverance and industry have consti- 
 tuted him one of the prominent property-holders 
 in this part of the country. He was born in Hol- 
 stein, Germany, Jan. 31, 1849, and is the eldest son 
 and second child of Peter and Anna (Lau) Scho- 
 maker, who are both now deceased. The father 
 died in his native Holstein, in 1869, at the age of 
 
 .^►-i^ 
 
 r?^^:^^ 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 1116 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 fifty-two 3'ears. The motlier after the death of her 
 husbanil came to the United States with her four 
 younger children, and they located on section 1 in 
 Avoea Precinct, where the mother died July 25, 
 1880, at tlie age of fifty-nine years. They were 
 good, honest people, although it was their lot in 
 life not to be able to accumulate much of this 
 world's goods. The father during his early man- 
 hood served as a soldier in the standing array of 
 Denmark, and received the education common to 
 the youth of Germany, being placed in school at an 
 early age and pursuing his studies until master of 
 them. He is remembered by his children as a kind 
 and indulgent parent, and a man generally respected 
 by his neighbors. 
 
 Mr. Schomaker, our sut)ject, received a very good 
 education in his native Germany, and was a youth 
 of eighteen years when coming to the United States. 
 He took up his residence with Mr. and Mrs. Timm, 
 with whom he resided and married their adopted 
 daughter. Miss Christina Baumgartner. This lady 
 was born at the homestead where she still lives, Jan. 
 22. 1860, and was the only child of her mother, who 
 died when little Christina was but two 3'ears old. 
 That excellent lady, Mrs. Timm, proved to her a 
 true mother, and she was reared to become a good 
 and intelligent woman. Of her union with our 
 subject there have been born two children — Katy M. 
 and Edwin H. Mr. and Mrs. Schomaker are Lu- 
 therans in religion, and politically, Mr. S. uni- 
 formly supports the principles of the Republican 
 party. 
 
 \ij ACOB SCHLANKER is a fine representative 
 of the farming community- of Cass Count}', 
 ^,^ ] who has been instrumental in advancing her 
 (^^ agricultural interests, owning and managing 
 a large farm on sections 34 and 35, Stove Creek 
 Precinct, with a substantial home on the former 
 section, and neat barns, other out-buildings, stock- 
 yards, etc., on the other section, across the street 
 from his house. He was a pioneer of this precinct, 
 and one of the first settlers on the prairie where he 
 still lives, and in him this community has found 
 one of its most trustworthy public officials. 
 
 Our subject is derived from good German and 
 
 French stock. His father. Jerard Schlanker, was 
 born in the vicinity of the beautiful, famous Rhine 
 River, in one of the German Provinces. His 
 mother was a native of Holland, but was married in 
 German}'. The paternal grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, Mathias Schlanker, was born in France, and 
 when he became of suitable age he entered the 
 French Army and fought under the illustrious Ka- 
 poleon during the memorable Russian cami)aign. 
 He was a blacksmith, and after leaving the army he 
 followed that trade, and became well-to-do. The 
 father of our subject was also a blacksmith, as well 
 as a farmer, and did very well at both callings. He 
 likewise did military service, but with the Prussians, 
 serving in the arm}' seven years. On account of 
 religious beliefs, he determined to emigrate to 
 America, where he could have more freedom, and 
 exercise his reason as he chose. Accordingly, in 
 1848, with that end in view, he embarked with his 
 family at Amsterdam for Liverpool, where they 
 boarded an American-bound sailing-vessel, and a 
 few weeks later landed in New York. He and his 
 family proceeded to Iowa, going by way of Chicago 
 to Freeport, thence on to Clayton County, Iowa, 
 where he located near Clayton Centre, above Du- 
 buque. Mr. Schlanker bought wild land, he being 
 a pioneer there, cleared it and improved a very- 
 good farm with the necessary buildings, etc. He 
 also set up a smithy, and was actively engagel at 
 his trade for a number of years. In 1864 he sold 
 out all his property in that place, and moved to 
 Dubuque, where he lived in retirement until his 
 death, at the advanced age of eighty years, he hav- 
 ing accumulated sufficient money to enable him to 
 spend his declining years in ease. His wife died in 
 Clayton County, Iowa, iu 1853. He was a man of 
 liberal and progressive views, and was tolerant of 
 others' opinions while holding tenaciously to his own 
 convictions. He and his estimable wife lived re- 
 spected and died regretted, as they were people of 
 great worth. They were the parents of the follow- 
 ing children: Peter and Catherine (deceased), An- 
 nie, Agnes, Paul, Verona and August B. (deceased), 
 Jacob. August was a veteran of the Mexican War, 
 in which he served until its close, and during the 
 late Rebellion he offered his services again to his 
 adopted country, enlisting in Dubuque in 1863, and 
 
 •►-lh-4*- 
 
 •^•^ 
 
-^•■ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1117 
 
 was a faithful soldier unlii its close. After retir- 
 ing from the army he settled in New Orleans, where 
 lie engaged in the butcher business until his death 
 of yellow fever in 1868. 
 
 The subject of whom we write was born in Ger- 
 many, Nov. 15, 1848, and when quite small came 
 with his parents to this country. He grew up in 
 lona, attending the common schools and assisting 
 his father iu his work. He staid at home until 
 nearl}' sixteen years of age, and in the spring of 
 1864, ambitious to become a soldier and assist in 
 the defense of the stars and stripes, he enlisted, but 
 was not accepted bj- the military authorities, on ac- 
 count of his youthful appearance, presumablj-. He 
 then started for the -West, determining to try life 
 on the plains. lie went down the JMississipi)i to 
 Hannibal, thence by rail to St. Joseph, where he took 
 the steamer for Council Bluffs. After a stay of 
 two weeks in that town, where he worked iu a ware- 
 house, in the month of June he crossed the plains 
 on a freighting expedition to Denver, thence to 
 Empire City. lie thus made several trips back and 
 forth for the next two years. After that he began 
 working on a farm on Wilson Creek, and was em- 
 ployed there four j-ears. In 1867 be tiled a pre- 
 emption claim on eighty acres of his present farm. 
 He followed threshing and other farm work, and a 
 year later paid for his land. By persistent and en- 
 ergetic toil he has since wrought a wondrous change, 
 in which the wild prairie land has been converted 
 into an exceedingly productive and valuable farm, 
 equal to an3' in the neighborhood. He broke all 
 the land himself, set out a grove of cottonwood 
 trees, orchards, etc., and has his land under fine 
 tillage; has his farm ampl}^ provided with good 
 barns and other necessary out-buildings, with wind- 
 mills, tanks, and all the conveniences for conduct- 
 ing agriculture successfull3'. Notwithstanding the 
 serious drawbacks in the shape of grasshoppers, 
 drought, etc., that the early settlers had to contend 
 with, he has been more than ordinarily successful, 
 and has added much to his original homestead, so 
 that his estate now comprises 320 acres of well- 
 watered, well-fenced, and well-improved land. In 
 1878 he bought his second 80-acre tract of land, 
 adjacent to his first purchase, and in 1880 bought 
 another eighty joining that, and in 1886 he bought 
 
 his fourth 80-acre tract. The lumber for his house 
 and other buildings was brought from Nebraska City. 
 Mr. Schlanker devotes his attention largely to raising 
 horses, graded C'lydes and Normans, of which he 
 now has seventeen head, and Poland-China hogs, 
 of which he has quite a herd. 
 
 Mr. Schlanker and Miss Sarah Radcliff were 
 united in marriage in Nebraska City, March 16, 
 1870. She was a native of New York, and to her 
 skill and management he is greatlj^ indelited for his 
 comfortable home, and for the material prosperitj* 
 that he enjoys. Ten children have blessed their 
 union, namel^^ : James, Venora, Viola; William 
 (deceased); Hattie, William, Clarence; Hugh (de- 
 ceased); Ro.y and Mary Ettie. 
 
 Mr. Schlanker is eminently public-spirited, and 
 liberally contributes to various improvements in 
 the precinct, and does all that in him lies to benefit 
 the community. His wisdom and advice have l)eeii 
 sought in the guidance of public affairs, and he has 
 served three 3'ears as Supervisor, and eight years as 
 School Treasurer, and iu 1868 was a member of the 
 Petit Jury. In him the I. O. O. F. of Elm wood has 
 a valued member, and the Republican party one of 
 its strongest allies in this vicinity. 
 
 AVID WOODARD. one of the earliest pio- 
 neers of Cass County, is to-day a promi- 
 nent and representative citizen of Weeping 
 '\^'ate^. He conducts one of the most pop- 
 ular livery stables along the southern line of Cass 
 County, and within its precincts numbers hosts of 
 friends. He has held the office of Constable for a 
 period of nine j^ears, being still its incumbent, and 
 for the last year (1888) has officiated as Deputy 
 Sheriff. He bears the honor of being the first man 
 to establish a livery stable in Weeping Water. 
 
 Mr. Woodard was born in Saratoga County, N. 
 Y""., Jan. 29, 1840, and lived there until a youth of 
 fourteen years. The next five years were spent in 
 Connecticut. Subsequently he emigrated to Stark 
 Count}', 111., where be sojourned a period of seven 
 years, and from the Prairie State came to Nebraska 
 in the spring of 1869. Selecting eighty acres of 
 new land on section 13 in Centre Precinct, he 
 
 «»-Hr^ 
 
 I 
 
1118 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 operated there successfully as a farmer, and effected 
 vast improvements in the condition of the proi^erty, 
 putting out orchards and trees of the smaller 
 fruits, planting hedge, erecting the necessary build- 
 ings, and bringing the land to a good state of cul- 
 tivation. 
 
 In the fall of 1874 Mr. Woodard sold his farm 
 property, and thereafter was a resident of' Platts- 
 mouth a short time. Near the close of the year, 
 however, he came to Weeping Water, and until 
 1876 was connected with the mercantile hovise of 
 Reed Bros. We next find him operating as "mine 
 host" of a hotel, the Weeping Water House, the 
 first institution of its kind in the place, and not 
 long afterward he established the livery stable 
 which to-day is the leading institution of its kind in 
 this section. lie withdrew from the hotel business 
 in 1878, and turned his entire attention to that in 
 which he is now engaged. He keeps first-class 
 road horses, with a tasteful assortment of vehicles, 
 and receives the patronage of the best people of 
 Weeping AVater and vicinity. In the spring of 
 1885 he completed a fine residence south of the 
 creek, which, with its surroundings, forms a most 
 beautiful home. 
 
 Mr. Woodard was the Constable of Louisville 
 two years. He cast his first Presidential vote for 
 Lincoln, and uniformly supports the principles of 
 the Republican party. Socially, he belongs to the 
 L O. O. F., and is a member of the Masonic frater- 
 nity, also theK. of P. He has been prominent as an 
 office-holder in his lodges, and takes a warm inter- 
 est in the principles of the orders. He is a man 
 genial and companionable, prompt in his business 
 obligations, and in fact one of the representative 
 men of the flourishing little city of Weeping 
 Water. 
 
 Mr. Woodard was married in early life to Miss 
 Oretta Rhodes, of Toulon, 111., who died while still 
 a young woman, leaving two little daughters, Eva 
 and Ella. The younger makes her home with her 
 father, and the elder is the wife of Daniel Rock- 
 well, of Centre Precinct. Mr. Woodard, about 
 1876, contracted a second marriage, with Mrs. Mary 
 E. Dunn, who was born in New York, Dee. 14, 
 1839. She came to Nebraska with .her children 
 about 1870. Her parents ai'e deceased. Of this 
 
 marriage there are no children. Mr. Woodard has 
 given to his two daughters a good education. 
 
 Martin Woodard, the father of our subject, is 
 supposed to have been a native of New York 
 State. He married Miss Lj^dia Shaw, and they be- 
 came the parents of three children, who lived to 
 mature years. The father died when his son David 
 was a little lad of seven years, and as he remem- 
 bers him he carried on farming and shoemaking 
 combined in Saratoga County, N. Y. He spent his 
 last years at the farm, where the mother remained 
 until her second marriage, to Joseph Flansburgh. 
 They are now living in Plattsmouth, Neb. Silve- 
 nous A., a brother of our subject, accompanied 
 him West, and located on a farm on section 22 in 
 Elmwood Precinct. He died about 1878. His sis- 
 ter Hannah, Mrs. Rockwell, is a resident of Louis- 
 ville, this county, where her husband is engaged 
 as an attorney-at-law. 
 
 ^|, LFRED HAWKINS, of Tipton Precinct, 
 Il^\ and a gentleman numbered among its most 
 useful and prominent men, owns and oper. 
 ates a snug farm on section 32. He be- 
 lieves thoroughlj' in the theory of Horace Greeley 
 that a small farm well cultivated is more desirable 
 than a larger extent of land partially neglected. 
 He has neat and substantial buildings, and all the 
 adjuncts of a good home. A soldier of the Union 
 Army during the progress of the Civil War, he 
 came out of the struggle with his health greatly 
 impaired, and from the effects of which he never 
 expects to recover. As a pioneer settler of his 
 precinct, he is accorded that tacit respect naturally 
 given to those who looked upon Nebraska in its 
 pioneer days, and who, in the building up of a 
 good homestead, have contributed so much to its 
 general prosperity. 
 
 Our subject is the son of William and Elnora 
 (Hill) Hawkins, who were both natives of Wash- 
 ington County, Pa., the father being born in 1813, 
 and the mother in 1816. The paternal grands 
 father, Thomas Hawkins, also a native of Washing- 
 ton County, was of Holland-Dutch descent, and a 
 farmer in good circumstances. He left his native 
 
 t= 
 
••► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1119 
 
 State for Columbiana County, Ohio, in 1835, and 
 there spent the remainder of his days. On the 
 mother's side Grandfather James Hill was born in 
 Ireland, and crossed the Atlantic at an early day, 
 settling in Washington County, Pa., in time to 
 take a hand in the Colonial and Indian Wars and 
 in the War of 1812. He died when ripe in years 
 in Washington Countj-. 
 
 The father of our subject settled in Columbiana 
 County, Ohio, at an early day, and, purchasing a 
 tract of timber land, felled the trees and improved 
 a good farm. In 1848 he changed his residence to 
 Shelby County, settling in the vicinity of the pres- 
 ent flourishing town of Sidiie}', where he prose- 
 cuted agriculture until his death, March 14. 1854. 
 The mother continued at the old homestead until 
 the fall of 1865, then, coming to Nebraska, settled 
 with her family near Peru, in Nemaha County, 
 where she at present resides, surrounded with all 
 the comforts of life. She is a member in good 
 standing of the Protestant Methodist Church. 
 
 The parental household of oxar subject included 
 six children, Alfred being the eldest. The second 
 son. Freeman by name, died when about twenty- 
 two years old; Lyman, Madison and Mary A. are 
 all residents of this State. Freeman, during the 
 late war enlisted in the 20th Ohio Infantry, which 
 was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland, and 
 died at Shiloh, and was buried there. L3'man was 
 a member of the Home Guards in Shelby County. 
 
 Alfred Hawkins, our subject, was born in the 
 vicinity of Georgetown, Columbiana Co., Ohio, 
 Nov. 12, 1837, and was a lad of eleven 3'ears when 
 his parents removed to Shelby County. He com- 
 pleted his education in the schools of that county 
 and was a youth of seventeen years at the time of 
 his father's death. Being the eldest of the family, 
 he necessarily was obliged to take upon himself 
 many responsibilities. He assisted his mother in 
 keeping the family together, and remained with 
 her until the spring of 1860. Then, desiring to 
 see something of the farther West, he journe^^ed 
 to Gentry County, Mo., where he worked for a 
 time on a farm, but there being more laborers 
 than work to perform, he proceeded on his way 
 westward, and landed in Nemaha Countj-, this 
 State, in June of that year. Here he found em- 
 
 ploj-ment in the vicinity of Peru, cradling in the 
 harvest field at $1 per day. He sojourned there 
 until December, 1861. Next we find him experi- 
 menting as a soldier in the New Mexico Brigade, 
 which was consolidated at Ft. Leavenworth with 
 the 8th Kansas Infantry and sent to Ft. Riley. A 
 mouth later they were ordered back to Ft. Leaven- 
 worth, and then south to Corinth, Miss. Tliej' 
 afterward saw the smoke of the battles of Holly 
 Springs, luka and Florence, Ala., and then entered 
 upon a forced march to Louisville in order to 
 head otf the rebel General, Bragg, in which ex- 
 pedition they succeeded. Later thej' participated 
 in the engagements at Perryville and Nashville. 
 Mr. Hawkins was finally detailed to one of the 
 pioneer corps, becoming a member of Companj' 
 K, in the 2d Battalion, which followed Gen. Bragg 
 to Stone River. Near the close of the war he 
 joined his old regiment at Atlanta, participating in 
 the siege of the city, then followed Hood to Nash- 
 ville, and took part later in the battles at Franklin 
 and Spring Hill. 
 
 Up to this time Mr. Hawkins had not been ii\ an 
 ambulance or hospital, but now succumbed to 
 the hardships and privations which he had en- 
 dured. He was sent to the hospital at Nashville, 
 afterward transferred to Louisville, and finally to 
 Jeffersonville, Ind. Upon recovering he rejoined his 
 regiment at ^luntsville, Ala., and not long after- 
 ward, in January, 1865, received liis honorable dis- 
 charge at Louisville, K3\ 
 
 Upon retiring from the army our subject re- 
 turned to his old haunts in Shelbj' Count}', Ohio, 
 and thence, in the spring of 1865, returned to the 
 West. He first worked on a farm in Nemaha 
 County, this State, but in the fall of 1866 pur- 
 chased land in that county, which he operated 
 until the spring of 1869. Then, selling out, he 
 took up his abode at his present home in Tipton 
 Precinct. It was then a tract of uncultivated land, 
 and his first shelter was a dugout, which he occu- 
 pied for five 3'ears. After getting in the crops of 
 the first season here, he commenced making fences 
 and planting trees. The lapse of a few 3'cars has 
 effected a remarkable change in the condition of 
 his property. The present residence was erected in 
 the spring of 1874.- Adjacent to it is a spring of 
 
 i 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 1120 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 living water, an excellent orchard of 150 bearing 
 apple trees, and a grove of three acres of forest 
 trees. The fields are mostly enclosed with wire 
 fencing. Mr. Hawkins makes a specialty of cattle 
 and swine, and has a number of fine horses. 
 
 Upon coming to Nebraska, like many of the 
 men around him, Mr. Hawkins had many dif- 
 ficulties to contend with, the most serious being 
 the state of his health, as he was scarcely able to 
 walk. His career is a fine illustration of the result 
 of determination and jierseverance. To the lady 
 who has been his faithful partner and companion 
 for a period of fourteen years, and who in her girl- 
 hood was Miss Ruth Marrs, our subject was married, 
 in Whitley County, Ind., March 11, 1874. Mrs. 
 Hawkins was born March 11, 1829, in Champaign 
 County, Ohio, and is the daughter of John and 
 Elizabeth (Johnson) Marrs, who were natives re- 
 spectively of Kentucky and Virginia. They emi- 
 grated to ludiana at an early daj', and there spent 
 the remainder of their lives. Of this union there 
 are no children. Mr. Hawkins, politically, is a 
 sound Republican, and has been quite prominent 
 in local affairs, serving as a Road Supervisor and 
 Constable, and holding otlier positions of trust. He 
 is also a member of the G. A. R., belonging to Mas- 
 field Post, at Palmyra. He is a charter member of 
 the United Bretliren Churcli, to which his excel- 
 lent wife also belongs, and has officiated as Super- 
 intendent of the Sunday-school a number of years. 
 His choice, however, would be with the Methodists, 
 but there being no society of this denomination 
 convenient he has been willing to cast his lot with 
 the United Brethren. 
 
 UILLIAM J. MONROE. The livery, feed 
 and sale stable interests of Weeping Water 
 ^^^ are creditably represented by the subject 
 of this sketch, who operates the largest business of 
 the kind in the central portion of Cass County. His 
 arrival in Nebraska dates from March, 18fi9, when 
 he came from Omaha to Centre Precinct, this county, 
 and purchased 160 acres of new land, comprising 
 the southwest quarter of section 25. Upon tin's not 
 a furrow had been turned : neither were there an}' 
 
 other signs of improvement. His first business was 
 to put up a dwelling, and then he began breaking the 
 sod. setting out trees, and adding from time to time 
 the other buildings necessar}' for his comfort and 
 convenience. Upon this farm he lived and labored 
 a period of eleven years, during which time he 
 brought the land to a high state of cultivation, and 
 constructed a homestead which bore the reputation 
 of being one of the most valuable for its age in that 
 section of country. 
 
 In March, 1880, Mr. Monroe sold this farm anil 
 l)urchased another nearer town, in Weeping Water 
 Precinct, upon which he lived four years. In 
 the meantime he proceeded as he had done before, 
 making improvements, and brought this propertj' 
 up to the status of the first. This he traded in 
 1884 for his present business — a change which he 
 has had no re.ason to regret. His livery stock con- 
 sists of a goodly number of driving horses and sev- 
 eral " boarders." He has one very fine English 
 full-bred coach horse, a registered animal, " Buck- 
 sliales," No. 1438 (Hackney Stud Book), imported 
 from England in July last. He is a magnificent 
 animal, of perfect s^yminetrj', and possessing some 
 of the finest points of his race. Mr. Monroe is 
 a good judge of horseflesh, understands fully the 
 care and keeping of equines, and takes pride in hav- 
 ing the best establishment of its kind in this part of 
 the county. It is hardlj' necessar}' to state that he 
 enjoys the patronage of its best people. 
 
 Mr. Monroe was born fifty-one years ago, Oct. 1, 
 1837, in Chautauqua County, N. Y., and when six 
 years old went with his parents to Lagrange County, 
 Ind., where he lived until coming to Nebraska. He 
 was given a practical education, completing his 
 studies in Lagrange Collegiate Institute, after which 
 he occupied himself in farming until embarking in 
 his present enterprise. He is a prominent man in 
 his community, and has held the various local of- 
 fices, altliough making no pretenses to be a politician. 
 He keeps himself well posted, however, upon current 
 events, and uniformly votes the Republican ticket. 
 Socially, he belongs to the K. of P. 
 
 While a resident of Indiana Mr. Monroe was 
 united in marriage with Miss Mary J. Fuller, Oct. 
 6, 1800, the wedding taking place in Lagrange. 
 Mrs. Monroe was born June 10, 1840, in Gilead, 
 
 ■•►Hh 
 
^1-^^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 •40 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1121 
 
 Mich., and is the daughter of E. W. and Katurah 
 (Sanders) Fuller, the father a native of Genesee 
 County, N. Y.. and the mother of Virginia. They 
 settled first in Branch Count}'. Mich., then removed 
 to Lagrange County, Ind., where Mr. Fuller is still 
 living. The wife and mother died many years ago, 
 about 1849. To Mr. and Mrs. Monroe there have 
 been born three children, the eldest of whom, a 
 daughter, Helen M.. is the wife of E. A. Sackett, 
 who is engaged in the hardware trade in Weeping 
 Water; they have one child. The younger daugh- 
 ters, Hatlie E. and Jessie W.,are at home with their 
 parents. They all have been carefully trained and 
 educated, and hold a good position in the social 
 circles of their community. 
 
 James Monroe, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Paulet, Rutland Co., Vt., Jan. 28, 1808, 
 where he spent the days of his boyhood and youth. 
 Upon leaving New England he emigrated to Chau- 
 tauqua County, N. Y., where he married Miss Har- 
 riet Joyce. The young people settled in the wil- 
 derness on a tract of timber land, from which the 
 father felled the trees, prepared the soil for culti- 
 vation and built up a good homestead. There their 
 two children were born: William J., our subject, 
 and his sister Haltie, who died when a 3'oung child. 
 
 James Monroe, about 1844, changed his residence 
 from the Empire State to Lagrange County, Ind., 
 and only lived five years thereafter, his death" tak- 
 ing place at the farm, Jul}' 14. 1849. He was a 
 man of more than ordinary intelligence, an old-line 
 Whig in polities, and a member in good standing 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Possessed of 
 great perseverance and industry, he improved two 
 farms, and wherever he lived was regarded as one 
 of those solid and reliable men whose word is as 
 good as their bond. 
 
 dl felLLIAM P. BAILEY, a substantial English- 
 \/sJ/' '^orn citizen, now of Plattsmouth Precinct, 
 V7\P occupies a good position among the agri- 
 culturists of this county, to which he came in Sep- 
 tember of 1879, and purchased 280 acres of land 
 on sections 3 and 4, Plattsmouth Precinct. Upon 
 it there was a small house, and an embryo orchard 
 
 planted bj- some discouraged settler, who had aban- 
 doned his enterprise and moved to another locality. 
 Mr. Bailey thus from this small beginning com- 
 menced to build up a homestead, and his present 
 surroundings would indicate that his labors have 
 l>een amply rewarded. He has now a substantial 
 residence, with stables, corn-cribs and the other 
 necessary out-buildings — in fact, is surrounded by 
 all the comforts and conveniences of farm life. 
 
 The infant years of the life of our subject were 
 spent in Yorkshire, England, where his birth took 
 place June 25, 1815, under the modest roof of his 
 parents, Abraham and Sarah (Powell) Bailej'. They 
 were of excellent English stock, and the father 
 was a cabinet-maker bj' occupation. The latter, not 
 being satisfied with his condition and prospects, de- 
 cided to emigrate to the United States, and accord- 
 ingly set sail for the land of promise in the year 
 1818. Landing in New York City, the father be- 
 gan work at his trade, and conducted the business 
 of cabinet-making about two 3'ears, when liis death 
 took place at Schenectady, N. Y., Dee. 20, 1820, 
 leaving his wife and one child, William P. The 
 mother was subsequently married to Ahasuerus Van 
 Slyck. and spent the remainder of her life in Sche- 
 nectady, dying Feb. 12, 1865. 
 
 Our subject was reared in Schenectady, N. Y., re- 
 ceiving his education in its common schools, and 
 upon approaching manhood learned the carpenter's 
 tr.ade, at which he was engaged until 1879. There 
 also he was married to Miss Angelica Van Slyck, 
 Sept. 25, 1839. They became the parents of eleven 
 chililren, eight of whom survive, namely : Sarah, 
 now Mrs. A. Howland; Jane, Mrs. D. Haltz; Will- 
 iam P., Jr.; Nicholas; Angelica, Mrs. Irwin How- 
 land; John D.; Harriet N., Mrs. Horace G. Garri- 
 son, and Charles H. The deceased are Jane, Abra- 
 ham and Henry. 
 
 Nicholas and Jane (Smith) Van SIvck, the par- 
 ents of Mrs. Bailey, were natives of New Yoi'k and 
 England respectively, and were married in the Em- 
 pire State, where their eight children were born and 
 reared. Of these Mrs. B. was the eldest daughter, 
 and but three are now living. Mr. Van Slyck died 
 in his native State of New York. Nov. 12, 1864. 
 The mother had emigrated to the United States 
 with her parents when a little girl ten years of age. 
 
 Ht^ 
 
 •►^ll-^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 1122 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 and her father died soon afterv?ard. She is now de- 
 ceased, having died in 1863. 
 
 Mr. Biiley is a quiet and unobtrnsive citizen, 
 pursuing the even tenor of his wa}', confining his 
 attention mostly to his farming pursuits. In poli- 
 tics he is a lifelong Democrat of pronounced ideas. 
 
 ^h^ 
 
 MMI B. TODD, a retired farmer, is a 
 prominent citizen of Cass Cou ity, and has 
 li borne an honorable part in its public life- 
 He is a son of one of Cass County's pio- 
 neers, and, coming here when a boy of fifteen, the 
 I'eniaining j'ears of Ins youth were passed here, and 
 he has thus witnessed almost the entire growth of 
 the township and county, and it has been his privi- 
 lege to aid in tlieir development. He was born in the 
 town of Chautauqua. Chautauqua Co.. N. Y., April 9, 
 1842, to Thomas Jefferson and Mary (Smith) Todd, 
 natives of Herkimer County, N. Y. His paternal 
 grandfather, the Kev. Caleb Todd, a native of 
 Vermont, was a pioneer of Herkimer County. He 
 tuove() from there tt> Chautauqua County in 1818, 
 with a colony, 'the removal being made with teams 
 through the wilderness, where they had to cut 
 down trees in some places to make a road. He 
 bought a tract of land of the Holland Patent, which 
 was heavily timbered. He cleared a fine farm of 
 300 acres, Ijeaulifuliy located on the banks of 
 Chautauqua Lake, opposite Fair Point, and he re- 
 sided there until his death. 
 
 The father of our subject was fifteen years old 
 when his. parents moved to Chautauqua County, and 
 he there grew to manhood. He learned the trade 
 of cabinet-maker, and continued to reside in Chau- 
 tauqua County until 1845. During that time he 
 had studied medicine, and in that 3'ear he moved 
 to Ohio, and practiced his profession in Geauga and 
 Monroe Counties for awhile. He then moved to 
 Owen County, Ind., and turned his attention to 
 farming, buying a farm six miles from Spencer. 
 He was thus prosperously engaged there until 1857. 
 when he came to the Territory c)f Nebraslia, start- 
 ing in April with two wagons, two pair of oxen, 
 and one pair of horses and a carriage. He was 
 accompanied 1)3' his wife and four children. Thc-y 
 
 traversed the State of Illinois, crossed the Mississippi 
 River at Ft. Madison, and thence across the State 
 of Iowa, crossing the Missouri River at Plattsmouth, 
 and tlius arrived at their destination. Mr. Todd 
 bought a claim to some Government land in the 
 precinct, four miles from the city, paj'ing $1.25 
 an acre for it. He built a dngout, which the fam- 
 ily' occupied until the fall, and he then erected a 
 small frame house. The surrounding country was 
 in a wild slate, settlements being few and far be- 
 tween, and but little attempt had been made to 
 cultivate the land. The Indians had been removed 
 from here, but were frequent callers as they passed 
 through the country. Deer, prairie chickens and 
 other Willi game, were plentiful a little farther west. 
 He improved a valuable farm, and continued to 
 manage it until 1879, when he moved into the 
 town, and lived in retirement until his death, Aug. 
 11, 1880. 
 
 The subject of tliis sketch was six years of age 
 when his parents moved to Indiana, and he at- 
 tended school there as opportunity offered, and as- 
 sisted his father on the farm. After coming to 
 Nebraska he attended school two terms here, and 
 then completed his education by attending the 
 Waubansey School, in Mills County. Iowa, one 
 term. After he had grown to manhood he took 
 charge of his father's farm until his marriage. He 
 subsequently engaged in farming until 1882. He 
 then rented his farm and came to Plattsmouth, and 
 has resided here since. 
 
 Mr. Todd was united in marriage to Mrs. Mar- 
 garet Thom.as {aee White), in 1872. She was born 
 in Ohio, and. her parents dying when she was very 
 young, she was adopted by the Rev. Mr. White. 
 She was married to W. L. Tlioinas, and came to 
 Nebraska in 1861. They resided in Plattsmouth 
 for a time, and then removed to a farm in the pre- 
 cinct, where he died in 1869. Two cliildren were 
 born of tliat marriage, Leiia and Harry. The 
 luip[)y married life of our subject and his vvifo was 
 terminated in February, 1888, by her deatli. She 
 was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Cl)urch, 
 and was faitliful to all that belongs to true Christian 
 womanhood, leaving behind her a sweet and pleasant 
 memory. 
 
 Mr. Todd is lield in high estimation by his fel- 
 
 "•►Hh 
 

•► .V " 
 
 4- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 112.5 
 
 low-citizens, and in him tliey finrl one who is always 
 ready to co-operate with them to advance the in- 
 terests of the city or county. He was elected 
 County Commissioner in 1882, and was re-elected 
 to that important office in 1885, and again in 1888. 
 While acting in that capacitj' he paid close atten- 
 tion to the duties devolving upon him, discharging 
 them in such a manner as to give general satisfac- 
 tion, and his official career is without a stain. He 
 is a leading Republican in Cass County, and lie has 
 been a delegate to numerous conventions of his 
 party. He cast his first vote for Abraham Lin- 
 coln, and has since been a stanch supporter of the 
 party. 
 
 -^!1^= 
 
 ^\z 
 
 -i»t!»i 
 
 'S^OHN FREDERICK STULL. (This name w.as 
 I I always spelled in the German language b}- 
 Ij his ancestors, StoU. His father also spelled 
 (^J/y it Stoll, but John F., our subject, changed 
 the spelling to Stull, after he became old enough to 
 do business for himself. When he writes in Ger- 
 man he spells it Stoll, in English, Stull — hence this 
 explanation). Mr. Stull was a pioneer of Nebraska, 
 and to him and men of like decision, courage and 
 practical energy, Cass County, of which he was an 
 early settler, is greatly indebted for its high rank 
 among its sister counties in regard to commerce, 
 agriculture, and the various interests that go to 
 make up a prosperous and wealthy community'. Me 
 is prominently identified with the farming and stock- 
 raising interests of Plattsmouth Township, where 
 he has a large and valuable farm and a pleasant, 
 commodious home. 
 
 Mr. Stull was born in Germany, May 13, 1831, 
 and in October, 1834, he came with his parents, 
 Henry and Elizabeth (Degen) Stoll, to the United 
 States. They were likewise natives of Germany, 
 as had been their ancestors as far back as known. 
 They located in Pike County, Ohio, where the 
 mother, a woman of genuine worth, passed away 
 from the scenes of earth Oct. 20, 1840. After her 
 death our subject and his father kept house alone 
 for two years, when the father married Magdalena 
 Spohn. Two years later John Frederick and five 
 brothers and sisters went out in the world to eain 
 
 their own living among strangers. Our subject at 
 that time began to learn the trade of blacksmith at 
 Piketon, Ohio, with Louis Rogers and Horatio 
 Adams, serving an apprenticeship of two and one- 
 half years. He subsequently opened a shop for 
 himself two miles out of town, and continued 
 in business for himself there for two years. In 
 1849 he went to Kentucky, but after a stay of two 
 j'ears there he returned to Ohio, and lived in Co- 
 lumbus for a time. From there he went to Illinois 
 and worked awhile at his trade, and then he sought 
 Council Bluffs, Iowa, in the fall of 18.')5, finding it 
 only a small town, with but few houses. He met 
 there a Mr. Savers, agent for the Western Stage 
 Company, whom he had known in Ohio, and that 
 gentleman wanted to employ him to shoe horses for 
 the company, he having previously worked for that 
 company in Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Stull was thus engaged for a short time, and 
 then took a trip into Nebraska, on a sort of ex- 
 ploring expedition, going as far west as Salt Creek, 
 thence south about 100 miles, where he emiiarked 
 on the Missouri River and came to Plattsmouth, 
 arriving here Feb. 28, 1856, at which time there 
 were but three shanties in the place. Here he was 
 offered twelve lots in the business part of the town 
 if he would put up a smithy, the contract being 
 that he keep the shop open for business one vear 
 before receiving the deeds. He was also offei-ed 
 eight lots in Omaha, and four lots in Council Bluffs, 
 with a shop and stock, if he would locate in either 
 of these places. But he liked this point so much 
 better than other parts of the Territory that he de- 
 cided in favor of Plattsmouth, on account of the 
 quality of the land, and erected the first blaek- 
 smitli-shop in the county. The City Board of 
 Plattsmouth was in Glenwood, Iowa, and at the end 
 of the year, when he was to get his deeds for his 
 lots, they had so risen jn value as to be worth from 
 $500 to $1,000, so that he got but one lot. He sold 
 out his shop and claim for $1,500 one month before 
 the year expired, and took up a pre-emption claim 
 of 320 acres on the land where he has made his 
 home ever since, and became the first actual settler 
 on the Platte River bottom. He built a frame house, 
 arranging the planks |)erppndiculai-ly. and then a 
 wallof sod two feet thick and planks outside of that. 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 • ^ l •<• 
 
 1126 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4thei 
 
 building in that fashion as a means of defense 
 against the Indians, putting holes through the thick 
 walls so that he might shoot at them if he were at- 
 tacked. In the same summer (that of 1857) the 
 Indians threatened to kill all the white settlers at 
 Plattsmouth, and the women and children were 
 shipped across the river to Glenwood, Iowa. But 
 Mrs. Slull. with dauntless heroism, resolutely re- 
 fused to accompany them, saying that she would 
 not leave her husband, and if he died she would die 
 too. Therefore thej' braved together the horrors 
 of living in a region where life was made uncertain 
 on account of the treacherous redskins, and bravely 
 staid on in their gunboat, styled house. 
 
 A Frenchman at St. Mary's, Peter A. Sarpj', for 
 whom Sarpy County was named, who was an agent 
 employed by the Government, scared the Indians 
 out of their first threatened raid by showing them 
 some mowers which had been shipped up the river, 
 and told them they were cannon that the Govern- 
 ment had forwarded with orders to kill the " red 
 devils" if they did not behave themselves, and the 
 Indians were thus quieted for a time. They were 
 very troublesome in other ways, however, as they 
 would beg or steal everything they saw. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Slull passed through those trying days with 
 better success than some of their fellow pioneers, 
 and with the growth of the county, which they have 
 witnessed and aided, their prosperity is deservedly 
 insured, and they are now numbered among the 
 substantial and well-to-do citizens of this township, 
 ■where they have made their home for so many 3'ears. 
 Mr. Stull lias a fine farm comprising 400 acres, with 
 all the necessarj' improvements, and he raises all the 
 stock that the farm will cany, feeding all his grain. 
 
 In 1866 Mr. Stull, having incurred many expenses 
 througli the long illness of his wife and the resultant 
 doctor's bills, took a trip across the plains as a 
 teamster with others, in order to make money more 
 rapidly than he could at home, he having his own 
 team. Thej' journeyed through the heart of the 
 country where the Indians were the most trouble- 
 some, and while on the frontier were pursued many 
 times, quite often having slight encounters with the 
 savages. On their return the towns and settle- 
 ments were burned and the inhabitants killed in 
 their rear, our subject and his companions being 
 
 only a day ahead of the Indians, who were on the 
 warpath. On his return from the trip across the 
 plains a Mr. Davis accompanied him from the 
 northwestern part of Nebraska, near Cottonwood, 
 to Salt Creek. That gentleman had some §80,000 
 in gold and bonds in a belt, and he asked Mr. Stull 
 to let him travel with him in his wagon, as he did 
 not want his men to know that lie had so much 
 money with him for fear they would kill him for it. 
 He and Mr. Slull took out the thimbles of wagons 
 that the Indians had burned, and filled them with 
 gold and bonds, and thus concealed them. Mr. 
 Stull remembers very elearlj' about the murder of 
 the Johnsons and a Mr. Kell3' in 1857, and he i.-* 
 under the impression that they were killed for their 
 monej' by a mol) of about nine men, who were very 
 likely citizens of this county, and that they threw 
 their bodies into the Missouri River. He speaks of 
 this, as it has been jireviously written that " we, the 
 citizens of Cass County, put the murderers across 
 the river," while, in fact, it was only a mob who 
 did the whole work, beyond a doubt. 
 
 In 1857 Mr. Stull broke and cleared forty acres 
 of land on his 320-aere claim at a cost of $5.50 an 
 acre for breaking, and he erected a small house 
 thereon, at a cost, for the lumber, of $85 a thousand 
 feet. He also planted a large orchard on it and 
 made other improvements, but the man who had 
 pre-empted the land for him sold it to a speculator, 
 and our sultject had to leave and begin life anew, 
 having lost all that he had previously saved, 
 amounting to $3,000. However, he did not lose his 
 pluck and ambition, but by honest endeavor, inces- 
 sant and well-directed toil, aided and encouraged 
 by a good wife, he retrieved his fallen fortunes. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stull were united in marriage Dec. 
 25, 1856. She was formerly Agatha Hengstler, and 
 was born in Baden, Germany, on the 17th of January, 
 1836. They have six children living, namely: John 
 J., John F., C. Laurence, Amelia. Henry and 
 Agatha. Mr. Stull .and his wife are deservedly held 
 in high esteem by the many true friends that they 
 have gathered about them in their many years' resi- 
 dence here, not only as early settlers of this town- 
 ship, in whose upbuilding they have had a hand, 
 but on account of their many good qualities of 
 head and licart. They were reared in the Lutheran 
 
 lerau ' ■ 
 
•►Hf^^i^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1127 
 
 •►Hh-^^ 
 
 belief, but as there is no church of that denomi- 
 nation here they have united with the Presbj'terian 
 Church, and are faithful and zealous workers in the 
 cause of Christianity. Mr. Stull is a wide-awalje, 
 intelligent, well-informed man, and is deeply inter- 
 ested in a'ny scheme for the advancement of his 
 adopted townsliip. Especially is this true concern- 
 ing educational matters, arrd for twent}'-eigiit3'ears 
 he has been identified with the local School Board in 
 various official capacities, and he has done all tiiat 
 lies in his power for the education of the young. 
 In politics he is a Democrat. 
 
 The portrait of this pioneer settler of Cass County, 
 and well-known and highly respected citizen, ap- 
 pears on an adjoining page. 
 
 iICHARD DOUGLAS JONES, one of the 
 thrifty and intelligent farmers of Cass Coun- 
 t3', is living pleasantly on his farm on sec- 
 ^tion 18, Liberty Precinct. He owns ICO 
 acres of land, which is admirably tilled, is under 
 good improvement, and is well stocked. Our sul)- 
 ject is in prosperous circumstances, owing not onh- 
 to his own skill as a farmer and to his wise and 
 judicious management of his property, but also to 
 the fact that during his wedded life of forty years 
 he has been ably assisted hj a good and true wife 
 in the building of the cozy and substantial home in 
 which they are spending their declining years, sur- 
 rounded b3' ever}' comfort that heart could wish. 
 Mr. Jones has been identified with the agricultural 
 interests of Nebraska since 18G7, and for two years 
 and a half was a resident of Custer County, where 
 he owned 320 acres of fine farming land. 
 
 Mr. Jones is a native of Tennessee, born in White 
 County, March 4, 1825, coming of Southern parent- 
 age. His father, Ebenezer Jones, was of Welsh de- 
 scent, and was a native of North Carolina. He was 
 reared to a farmer's life in his native State, and was 
 married there to Elizabeth Cass, a native of that 
 State, who came of similar parentage as her husband. 
 They subsequently moved to Tennessee in pioneer 
 days, and settled on a tract of land in the unbroken 
 forests of White Count}-, not far from the Cumber- 
 land River. They built up a good home, and im- 
 
 proved aflne farm, from which they derived a com- 
 fortable income. They spent most of their wedded 
 life amid the scenes where they had been pioneers, 
 but after they became quite old they moved over 
 into Warren Count}', the same State, and lived with 
 their son, E. Jones, Jr., until their long pilgrimage 
 of nearly fourscore years on this weary earth was 
 over. They were people of rugged and stalwart 
 virtues and strong natures, and their simple, unos- 
 tentatious lives were above reproach. They were 
 Cumberland Presbyterians, and were charter mem- 
 bers of the first churc'h of that denomination estab- 
 lished on the Cumberland River, and as its members 
 were dissenters from the old-school Presbyterians, 
 they called their church by the name of the river 
 near whose waters it stood, and the name is still re- 
 tained to designate a branch of the Presbyterian 
 Church. Mr. Jones was particularly active in the 
 organization of that church, being one of the four 
 who planned it. and he was for years one of its 
 Elders, and was otherwise prominent in religious 
 circles in his community. 
 
 Our subject was the youngest of the seventeen 
 children, thirteen sons and four daughters, born to 
 his parents. It is rather a remarkable circum- 
 stance that the parents lived to see every child of 
 this large family grow to maturity, marry and settle 
 in life. There are only three of the family now 
 living: John, who resides in Arkansas, at the age of 
 eighty years; Andy, who lives in Warren County, 
 Tenn., and is sixty-seven years old, and our sub- 
 ject. The latter was reared and educated in Ten- 
 nessee, and was married in his native county to 
 Miss Elizabeth Weaver, the date of their wedding 
 being Feb. 7, 1849. Mrs. Jones was born Nov. 9, 
 1831, in White County, Tenn., to William and 
 Fanny (Hampton) Weaver. Her father was a 
 farmer by occupation, and he and his wife died on 
 their homestead in Tennessee. Mrs. Jones was 
 reared in the home of her birth, and she was oue of a 
 family of sis children, two sons and four daughters. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Jones removed from their native 
 State in 1851, and as their parents had done liefore 
 them, became pioneers in a new State, settling in 
 Iowa, and in Polk County, that State, Ml'. Jones 
 was actively engaged in farming. In 18(57 he 
 sought "greener fields and pastures new" in Ne- 
 
 H»^l 
 
■M^ 
 
 128 
 
 " ^ ► ^ 1 ■ ^ « 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 braska, and two years and a half later pitched his 
 tent in Cass County "When he first purchased this 
 place it was but slightly improved, and althciiigh Mr. 
 Jones was not rmong the first settlers, he may be 
 classed among its pioneers for the work that he h.ns 
 perforn^ed in developing his farm, and so adding to 
 the large agricultural interests of the county. 
 Since coming here he has put up a first-class set of 
 farm buildings, and in 1870 built his present resi- 
 dence, a neat and substantial brick house. He is a 
 man of more than ordinary scciabilitj-. genialit}- 
 and tact, and has inspired a warm friendship in the 
 hearts of man}' in this community, as he treats 
 everyone with that degree of respect that makes 
 them feel proud of his companj'. He and his wife, 
 who is held in equal esteem by their mutual friends, 
 are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
 Chuich. of Union, of which he is an Elder, and they 
 ever hold firmly to the failh of their fathers. Mr. 
 Jones is strongly in sympathy with the Democratic 
 part}' in his political sentiments. 
 
 — -H-f^-- 
 
 ^ I^ILLIAM P. C. CRITCHFIELD, an agri- 
 \\/iJi t'ulturist of energy, abilitj- and enterprise, 
 V^^ residing on section 24, Centre Precinct, 
 operates a fine farm, which shows for itself the 
 amount of time, judicious labor and skill, which 
 have been used in bringing it to its present condition. 
 Our subject was born in Holmes County, Ohio, 
 Nov. 15. 1857. His parents, Lewis H. and Harriet 
 (Shreve) Critehfield, were also natives of the same 
 State. (For further parental history, see sketch of 
 Mrs. Harriet Critehfield). 
 
 William was reared in his native town and re- 
 ceived a good common-school education. Being 
 brought up on a farm, where he assisted liis fatiier, 
 he early became acquainted with the duties and 
 details connected with the tilling of the soil, and 
 concluded to make farming his life occupation. He 
 remained at home until the spring of 1881, when 
 he came to Nebraska with his family, and settled 
 on the farm in Centre Precinct where he has since 
 lived. The land was at that time uncultivated 
 1 'prairie, with scarcely any improvements. But Mr. 
 
 Critehfield at once went to work with a will to 
 evolve a farm from the raw land, and in all bis un- 
 dertakings he has met with success. He is a worthy 
 representative of the sturdy 3-eomanry of this sec- 
 tion of the country, who. commencing life with no 
 heritage save that of strong hands and willing 
 hearts, have won for themselves substantial positions 
 and fair competences. • 
 
 The marriage of our subject with Miss Jessie 
 Price, of Valparaiso, Ind. was celebrated Sept. 10, 
 1878. She is a native of the Hoosier State, born 
 in Porter Countj% Oct. 16, 1856. Her early days 
 were spent in her native town, where she received 
 a good education, and was initiated by her excellent 
 mother into the mysteries of housekeeping, so that, 
 since marriage, she has been able to be a true help- 
 mate to her husband and to aid him by her thrift 
 and good management in his varied duties of de- 
 veloping a farm from the wild prairie. Of her 
 marriage with our subject four children have been 
 born, namely: Edith, Otto, Maud and Day. Mrs. 
 Critchfield's father, James A. Price, is Deputy 
 Recorder of Cook County, 111., and lives in Chicago. 
 He married Miss Eunice House, b}' whom he had 
 one child. Mrs. Critchtield. The latter's mother 
 died when she was three years of age. 
 
 Our subject is a man of much force of character, 
 is well thought of in his neighborhood, and, making 
 many friends, retains them all by his frank and cor- 
 dial manners. Socially, he is a member of the 
 Roj'al Arcanum. • 
 
 -^ €-*-^ ^^ 
 
 \f| OHN DOMINGO is an enterprising, indus- 
 trious farmer, of good business capacity and 
 great intelligence, who resides on section 25, 
 1]^/' township 11, range 11, Centre Precinct. He 
 was born in Denmark, Ma}' 5, 1854, and was there 
 reared and educated. His parents, Jorgen (in En- 
 glish called John) and Ellen (Christenson) Domingo, 
 spent their entire lives in Denmark, his father dying 
 there in 1861, and his mother in 1872. They 
 were industrious, well-educated people, holding an 
 important position among the citizens of their 
 town. Of their union four children were born, 
 three of whom are n(jw living, one of them on the 
 
 -4» 
 
•^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1129 
 
 home farm in D3iim.ark, aud two of tliem in this 
 State (see sketch of Jacob Domingo.) Mi\ Do- 
 mingo owneil his farm in Denmark, he having lived 
 and died on the same one on which he was born. 
 He was a prudent, thrifty farmer, who gave his 
 sons good educations and some money to start life 
 with. 
 
 Our subject was educated in his native country*, 
 aud at the age of eighteen years emigrated to this 
 country alone. He at first located in Bloom ington, 
 111., staying there until 1881, and the same year 
 bought the farm of 160 acres where he now resides. 
 It was then under cultivation, and some buildings 
 had been erected. With characteristic energy our 
 subject set to work to l)uild for himself a home, and 
 in the few j-ears that have since elapsed he has ef- 
 fected a vast improvement in his property. He has 
 fenced his entire farm, and has a good bearing 
 orchard, and has quite a large grove of fine forest 
 trees. He has erected a good set of farm build- 
 ings, having just completed an elegant frame house, 
 26x26 feet, two stories high, which is a model of 
 convenience and taste, and would be an ornament 
 to any village or city. The pasturage on his farm 
 is all tame grass, being especially' adapted to stock- 
 raising, to which he pays much attention. His 
 herd of Short-horns, 100 in number, is of great 
 value and very fine. He also raises a large num- 
 ber of horses aud hogs, finding stock-raising of all 
 kinds to be a lucrative business. 
 
 Mr. Domingo was married, June 7, 1881, to JMiss 
 Lottie Wiuff, who was also a native of Denmark, 
 born June 7, 1864, and who came to America in 
 1880. Her parents, Jesse and Metta Maria (Ander- 
 son) Wiuflf, natives of Denmark, are now living in 
 Humboldt, Iowa. They have had eight children, 
 five of whom grew to maturity. Both Mr. and 
 Mrs. Wiuflf are members of the Lutheran Church. 
 The union of our subject and his wife has been 
 blessed by the birth of three children, namely: 
 Ellen, born April 28, 1882; Jesse, Sept. 13, 1883; 
 Laura, June 7, 1886, her birth having occurred on 
 the anniversary of her mother's birth and wedding. 
 
 Mr. Domingo is a man of sterling worth and 
 ability, and is highly respected by his fellow-citi- 
 zens. By his industry and thrift the small sum of 
 nioney that lie had when he came here has I)een gradu- 
 
 »► I L^ ' 
 
 ally increased, and by using it advantageously he 
 has now a good income, a fine homestead, and is as 
 pleasantly situated as any man could desire. Our 
 subject uniformly casts his vote with the Republican 
 part3', but has all the business he can attend to 
 without desiring to take upon himself the respon- 
 sibilities of office. Both Mr. .and Mrs. Domingo 
 are members of the Lutheran Church, and contrib- 
 ute generously toward its support. 
 
 RANCIS G.KENDALL. Numberedamong 
 the practical and progressive agriculturists 
 of Cass County is the subject of this brief 
 biographical history, who is prosperously engaged 
 in his independent calling on section 12, Liberty 
 Precinct, where he owns 160 acres of well-improved 
 land, which he entered in 1857 from the United 
 States Government under the pre-emption law. 
 
 Our subject was born Sept. 10, 1835, in Erie, 
 Erie Co., Pa., where his paternal grandfather, Frank 
 G. Kendall, was an early settler and spent his last 
 years. Robert Kendall, father of our suiiject, was 
 married in Erie, Pa., to Miss Anna McNair, whose 
 father. Col. David McNair, was originally from near 
 Pittsburgh, and was one of the original settlers of 
 Erie County, and platted the city of Erie, where he 
 built the first distillery and brewery in the county. 
 He took an active part in the sieges of the War of 
 1812, and spent his declining years in Erie, where 
 he had prominently identified himself with all its 
 interests. Robert Kendall and his wife remained 
 in Eric County until their remo.al, with their fam- 
 ily, to Monmouth, III. There they acquired con- 
 siderable property, and lived until well advanced 
 in years. Both were active members of the United 
 Presbyterian Church, and donated liberally toward 
 its support and to the college of that denomination 
 in that place. They had six children, three of 
 ■whom are now living: David M., the eldest sou, 
 lives at Monmouth, Warren Co., 111.; Francis G.; 
 Margaret, wife of Amos Buford, a prominent far- 
 mer and stock-raiser of Monmouth Township, War- 
 ren Co., 111.; William £. died at the age of twenty- 
 one years; James died at the age of ten years. 
 Clark A. was a graduate of Monmouth College, and 
 
t 
 
 1^1 
 
 .^t^ 
 
 1130 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ii noble and promising youth; he lost hi? life in the 
 battle of Ft. Donelson. He was a member of Com- 
 pany F, 17th Illinois Infantry, a brave and ambi- 
 tious soldier, and a favorite among his comrades, 
 by whom his early death was lamented. 
 
 Francis G. of our sketch received a good educa- 
 tion in his native town, remaining there until the 
 removal of his parents to Illinois, in March, 1853. 
 In 1857. desiring to try his fortune in some other 
 part of the country, Mr. Kendall came to Cass 
 County, bringing with him a sawmill, which he had 
 bought in Chicago and shipped to Muscatine, Iowa, 
 and thence here in wagons, anil set it up in Liberty 
 Precinct. It was the first mill of the kind in the 
 precinct, and he operated it for two years, then sold 
 it. He subsequently visited Colorado, and spent a 
 few months prospecting among the mines of the 
 Rockies, but returned to Nebraska, and in June, 
 1861, enlisted in defense of his country at Plaits- 
 mouth, joining Company A, commanded by Capt. 
 Livingston. 1st Nebraska Infantry, the regiment 
 under comniand of Cul. Jolin M. Th.-iyer. The regi- 
 ment was ordered to the front, and Mr. Kendall 
 was witli it in the J)attles of Ft. Donelson, Pitts- 
 burg Landing and many other minor engagements, 
 being once thrown from his horse and severely in- 
 jured. He was tiien sent home on a sick furlough, 
 but afterward returned to the ranks, and was hon- 
 orably discharged with the rank of Corporal at 
 Omaha, having served with honor three years and 
 three months. He afterward secured a position as 
 Captain of the Guards at the Government corrallat 
 St. Louis, Mo., which was a depot of supplies for 
 receiving and branding horses. 
 
 After the war closed Mr. Kendall went to Mon- 
 mouth, 111., and spent a year, then returned to liis 
 farm in this State, which he has since occupied. He 
 has worked hard, and made all the necessary im- 
 provements to place his homestead among tiie finest 
 in the locality. It is well watered, very productive, 
 and stocked witli horses and cattle of good grades. 
 A stream of running water heads about 100 rods 
 from his house from springs on his farm, and mean- 
 ders through his farm, crosses his feed lot, and gives 
 an ample supply of water the year around for slock 
 purposes. 
 
 Mr. Kendall has been twice married. His first wife. 
 
 whose maiden name was Rachel Allison, was a native 
 of Washington County, Pa. Of that marriage three 
 children were born — Birdie, deceased ; Rol)ert C. and 
 Mary. The second marriage of our subject took place 
 in Nebraska Cit}'. where he was united to Mrs. Vir- 
 ginia Ballinger, npe Jones. She was born in Mis- 
 souri, May 28, 1843, and is a daughter of John C. 
 and Maria (Brinker) Jones. Her father, who is 
 now living in Arkansas, was born more than four- 
 score years ago in White County, Tenn. When a 
 j'oung man he moved to Missouri, where he was 
 married. His wife was a native of St. Louis, where 
 he was a merchant for a time. In 1845 Mr. and 
 Mrs. Jones moved with their small family to Des 
 Moines, Iowa, where he became one of the pioneer 
 drj'-goods merchants, and for many years carried 
 on the mercantile business on what is now one of 
 the busiest thoroughfares of that city. Mrs. Jones' 
 death occurred during their residence there in 1 853. 
 Mrs. Kendall, the wife of our subject, was only two 
 years of age when her parents moved to Des Moines, 
 where she was reared and educated. She presides 
 with hospitalit3' over the household of her hus- 
 band, and they lead a pleasant and social life. Mr. 
 Kendall was a brave, gallant soldier, who served his 
 country well in time of war, and now, in time of 
 peace, does his duty equally well as an intelligent, 
 patriotic citizen. In politics he is an active Re- 
 publican, and stands firmly for the principles of 
 the party. 
 
 Ih.A RS. SINA WILBERN is a lady of worth 
 and refinement, holding a prominent place 
 in the social life of Salt Creek. She is the 
 widow of Robert Wilbern, who settled on 
 the site of her present homestead in 1872. This 
 lad}^ was born Dec. 24, 1824, in Gallatin County, 
 111., on the banks of the Ohio River, near Sbawnee- 
 town. Her father was Robert Henderson, and her 
 mother was Cassandra (Ta3'lor) Henderson. Her 
 father was born in Brandenburg, Ky., and went to 
 Illinois with his parents when he was seventeen 
 years old, in the earlj' Territorial days of that now 
 proud State. The Henderson family were among 
 
 
> ► I I M - 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1131 
 
 the first settlers in Kentucky, originally settling 
 among the Shawnee Indians. Iler father died in 
 Kentucky, in 1828, aged twenty-eight 3'ears. Her 
 mother died near East St. Louis, 111.; when about 
 seventy-five years old. She was a native of Virginia, 
 and was born in 1807. 
 
 The mother of the subject of our sketch bore two 
 children by her first marriage, Sina and Maria. She 
 was married the second time, and became the mother 
 of six cliildren. four boys and two girls, all of 
 whom are living. Mrs. Wilbern attended the pub- 
 lic schools of Union County, near Morganfield, 
 and was in a Catholic convent at Morganfield for 
 the period of three j'ears. She removed with her 
 parents to Sangamon County, 111., in 1840, and 
 there became acquainted with Robert Wilbern, 
 whom she afterward married. This gentleman was 
 born in Kentucky, and was four years old when his 
 parents went with their family to Illinois in 1818, 
 and settled in Sangamon County. Mrs. Wilbern 
 and her husband were married in 1842, and resided 
 in Sangamon County, 111., until they came to 
 Nebraska, and settled on their present homestead 
 in 1873. They were the parents of eight children, 
 named: Robert, Thomas J., Elizabeth, Jennie, 
 Charles, Eddie, Lottie and John W. Charles and 
 Lottie are dead; Robert resides in Decatur Countj', 
 Kan., where he is a farmer; he is married to Miss 
 Doom, and is the father of five children — Myrtle, 
 Robert, Gordon, MoUie and an infant unnamed. 
 Our subject's son Thomas J. married Miss Lena 
 Chapiu (see sketch elsewhere in this volume); 
 Elizabeth is now the wife of W. J. Mastou, a 
 merchant living in Oxford, Harlan Co., Neb., and 
 is the mother of three children — Sina, Robert and 
 Addie; Jennie is now the wife of N. B. Hamilton, 
 an enterprising hardware merchant, and resides in 
 Emporia, Kan., and is the mother of one child. 
 Lottie; John W. is at home and manages his 
 mother's interests on the home farm; Addie is 
 the wife of F. C. Baldwin, and resides in Salt 
 Creek Precinct. 
 
 Mr. Wilbern was during his life an earnest and 
 conscientious member of the Baptist Church. Mrs. 
 Wilbern is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church at Greenwood. She is widelj' and favorably 
 known as a lad3- of large heart and generous 
 
 impulses, ever ready to assist in a substantial man- 
 ner any who come to her in need. Her life is a 
 bright and shining example of Christian devotion, 
 which is not without its effect for good on the 
 people among whom she lives. 
 
 (S\ IfelLLIAM ROSE. Imagine that you see a 
 \^// tailor by trade, poor in purse, dressed up 
 WW in a style suggestive of his calling and cir- 
 cumstances, starting out from the cit^' of St. .Joseph , 
 Mo., with a diminutive road wagon loaded up with 
 a small outfit of household supplies, among which 
 is a pleasant looking little woman. To this wagon is 
 attached a yoke of ancient and very small oxen, 
 worth about 14.50 each, and the owner working 
 about as hard as they in order to continue them in 
 their slow locomotion and hasten them if possible. 
 They started out over a new and lonesome looking 
 country toward the West, and in this manner pur- 
 sued their way for some days. They finally 
 "squatted" on a piece of land lying along the banks 
 of the Weeping Water River, in what is now 
 Avoca Precinct, this county. The above furnishes 
 the outline of the first appearance of the subject of 
 this sketch in Cass Counter. It is hardlj^ necessary 
 to state that under these circumstances he was, as 
 he says, the "greenest kind of a farmer." His later 
 life has exhibited in a remarkable manner the large 
 amount of energy and perseverance with which he 
 was endowed by a kindly Providence. He is now 
 called "a big-hearted and successful farmer and 
 stock-raiser," and few men are more popular in his 
 precinct. He still retains the land where he first 
 settled, although he has added to its boundaries, 
 and his labors have resulted in the construction of 
 one of the most valuable farms in this region, and 
 lying on section 13. 
 
 The first arrival of Mr. Rose in this county dates 
 from the fall of 1857, when he pre-empted his land, 
 but did not settle on it until 1861, being employed 
 in the meantime as a tailor. In the 3'ear last men- 
 tioned, he, with his little family, took possession of 
 a plank house, when his neighbors were few and 
 far between,, and the face of the country gave little 
 indication of the presence of the white man. His 
 
 >► 11, o 
 
 >^1r 
 
-■»• 
 
 1132 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 subsequent record is that of hundreds of other pio- 
 neers of Cass County, whose experiences are de- 
 tailed over and over throughout this volume. His 
 possessions now embrace 480 broad acres, the greater 
 part under a high state of cultivation, and embracing 
 very little waste land. He has erected convenient 
 and substantial buildings, aud at the same time 
 made for himself a record ns an agriculturist and a 
 citizen second to none in the county. 
 
 In view of the facts above noted it will not be 
 surprising to learn that Mr. Rose is a native of 
 Germany, born in the Duchy of Brunswick, Sept. 15, 
 1832. He is of unadulterated German stock, and 
 of a good family, being the son of Henry Rose, 
 who was a skilled mechanic, and who, with his esti- 
 mable wife, in her maiden days Miss Christina M. 
 Muehe, spent his entire life in his native land, 
 both passing away in middle life. They were the 
 parents of two children. 
 
 The subject of this sketch acquired a good edu- 
 cation in the German language, learned the trade 
 of tailor, and when a youth of eighteen years left 
 home, and journeying to London, England, so- 
 journed in that city three and one-half years. Upon 
 leaving England, in August, 1854, he set sail for 
 the I'nited States, landing in Ne.w York City, and 
 worked there and at other places in the East for 
 some years. We find him in Missouri about 1857, 
 and later he established a shop in Elmwood, Kan., 
 which he conducted until September, 1861. Then 
 selling out hi' resolved to cast his lot among the 
 pioneers of Nebraskaj He had prior to this se- 
 cured his land in this county, upon which he set^ 
 tied in the fall of 1861. 
 
 Commencing with scarcely any knowledge of 
 agriculture, Mr. Rose had more than the ordinary 
 amount of difficulties to contend with in a new set- 
 tlement. He, however, after a few seasons had 
 learned much from experience, which, after all, 
 is the most practical and useful teacher a man can 
 have. What he lacked in the practical knowledge 
 of farming he made up in industry and persistence, 
 and his labors in due time met with their legitimate 
 reward. 
 
 During his sojourn in St. Joseph, Mo., our subject 
 was united in marriage with Miss Kersten Peter- 
 son, the wedding taking place Sept. 27, 1859. Mrs. 
 
 Rose was born in Norway, June 16, 1834, and came 
 to this country in her girlhood with her mother, 
 her father having died in his native Scandinavia. 
 She was then a young girl of fourteen years, and the 
 family located in the vicinity of St. Joseph, where 
 they made their living by farming, and where the 
 mother remained until her death. Their family 
 consisted of three children, who are now in Nor- 
 way and the United States. 
 
 We have already gained an idea of the manner 
 in which Mr. and Mrs. Rose commenced the jour- 
 ney of life together. They have labored side by 
 side in the accumulation of their property and the 
 building up of their homestead, the wife and 
 mother performing her duties in her sphere as 
 faithfully and conscientiously as has her husband 
 in his. They became the parents- of six children, 
 three of whom are deceased — Ida M., Ellen K. and 
 an infant unnamed. The survivors are: Anna H., 
 the wife of Elsworth Norris, a farmer of Avoca 
 Precinct; William A., unmarried, and operating a 
 farm not far from the homestead, and Fred P., who 
 remains with his parents. Mr. Rose, politically, is 
 a sound Republican, and both he and his wife are 
 Lutheran in religion. Mr. R. is a man of intelli- 
 gence and abilit}-, and is prominent in local affairs. 
 
 yp^ILLIAM W. DAVIS. This enterprising and 
 public-spirited citizen isafarmer and stock- 
 ^^' raiser on the northwest quarter of section 
 14, Weeping Water Precinct. He is the eldest in a 
 family of ten children. He was born in Mercer 
 County, Pa., April 2, 1830, and lived at home until 
 he was twenty-eight years old. He attended the 
 common schools of the neighborhood, but his other 
 sources for education weie quite limited, for when 
 ten years of age he began working on his father's 
 farm, among the roots and stumps of Pennsylvania. 
 His grandmother helped to start the plow, and from 
 that time on he almost ran his father's farm witliout 
 other assistance. When twent3'-three years of age, 
 in 1853, his father moved to Tama County, Iowa, 
 where he took up a large tract of land. Our subject 
 took charge of it, broke the virgin soil, using three 
 yoke of cattle, set out the grove and orchard, and 
 
 •►^1^ 
 
 »^l- 
 
Residence of G.W. Grimes,Sec.19.(io=ia.) LibertyPrect. Cass Co. 
 
 RE51DENCE0F H . G. HaWLEY, SEC.31. M^. PLEASANT PrECT. CA55 CO . 
 
 Residence OF Ambrose Bickert^Sec.28.StoveCreek Prect,Ca55 Co 
 
^f= 
 
 4^ 
 
 ^ii^^h-* 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1135 
 
 biiilL the fences, houses anrl stables; lie persevered 
 in this work until 160 acres were brought under a 
 high state of cultivation, remaining here until his 
 twenty-eighth j-ear. In 1858 he went to Toledo, 
 in the same county, where he started a dry-goods 
 store, which he operated for four years and was 
 eminently successful ; he was in partnership with his 
 cousin, who got aw.iy with most of the assets, and 
 left our subject at the foot of the lailder ready to 
 begin again. 
 
 In 1862 our subject bought 120 acres of land in 
 Tama County, which he improved and operated 
 until 1873, when he sold it and determined to try 
 his luck in Nebraska. He came overland withthree 
 teams, crossing the Missouri River at Plattsmouth, 
 coming on to Weeping Water, where he left his 
 stock and went to Red Cloud, Kan. ; not liking it 
 there he came back to Weeping Water, and bought 
 IGO acres in Avoca Precinct, improved it. and made 
 it bis home until the spring of 1878, when he sold 
 it aud moved to his present home, on 160 acres of 
 section 14. Only seventy acres of this was under 
 plow when he purchased it. He has made all other 
 improvements, set out fifteen acres of grove aud an 
 orchard of 600 trees, planted hedge and built wire 
 fences to divide the farm into convenient fields. 
 He hauled all the lumber from Nebraska City to 
 build the various houses and barns and other im- 
 provements necessary to the successful and profita- 
 ble operation of the farm, which he devotes to 
 general farming, raising cattle, and dairy purposes. 
 The Short-horn breed of cattle are his favorites, of 
 which he has a fine herd of high-grade animals, and 
 which certainly reflect high credit on the proprie- 
 tor, showing care and strict attention as well as a 
 thorough knowledge of the business. The herd is 
 headed by two thoroughbreds. He has six hand- 
 some horses, Hambletonians. 
 
 The father of this gentleman, John Davis, was 
 born in Westmoreland County, Pa. The mother 
 wasMarjr Tice, born in Canada. Grandfather Davis 
 was in the Revolutionarj' War and the Warof 1812, 
 was a farmer in easj' circumstances, and vvas of Ger- 
 man descent. Grandfather Frederick Tice was born 
 in Canada, of German parentage, was in the British 
 Army, and during the War of 1812 he deserted and 
 joined the Americans. He had a large amount of 
 
 »»Htr»" 
 
 property in Canada, but never dared return to claim 
 it. The father and mother were married in Mercer 
 County. Pa. The father was a brickraason and 
 stone-cutter. He also owned a farm, and lived 
 in Mercer County until the fall of 1853, when he 
 disi)osed of his property and removed to Iowa, 
 where he bought more than a section of land in 
 Tama County. He was one of the pioneers in that 
 section, being the fourth man to settle in the count}'. 
 Here he turned all his attention to improving 
 his propert}' until he died. He enlisted in the 28th 
 Iowa Regiment, but was olijected to on account of 
 physical disabilit}'. He died in 1879, sixty-seven 
 years of age. The mother died in Weeping Water 
 in 188.T, seventy-three years old. He was the eld- 
 est in a family of ten children, many of whom are 
 dead, and the remainder are widely scattered. Mary, 
 John H., Frederick T., Jesse and Frank are in 
 Weeping Water ; Sarah A., in California, while Eliza- 
 beth, Richard and an infant unnamed are dead. 
 Tlie brothers, J. H. and Jesse, served creditably in 
 the late Civil War, in the 28th Iowa Infantry. They 
 were mustered into the service at Iowa City in 1861, 
 and served until the close of the war, when they 
 were honorabh' discharged. J. H. was severely 
 wounded, being shot through the thigh, but has re- 
 covered. 
 
 Our subject and Miss Jennie Parker, daughter of 
 Harrison and Lucia (Strickland) Parker, were mar- 
 ried in Tama County, Iowa, Feb. 28, 1856. The 
 lady's father was a native of Mentor, Lake Co., 
 Ohio. Her mother was born near Boston, Mass. 
 Grandfather Strickland was a native of England. 
 Grandfather Parker was born in Virginia. The 
 lad}''s father and mother were married in Massa- 
 chusetts, and went to Mentor, Ohio, where he farmed 
 and traded with the Indians. They removed from 
 there to Constantine, St. Joseph Co., Mich., where 
 they bought and improved land. The father sailed 
 on the lake during the summer season, trading with 
 the Indians. In the spring of 1855 they removed 
 to Iowa, where he farmed 160 acres of land, and in 
 1860 he went to Nodaway County, Mo., also farm- 
 ing there, where he died in 1872, fifty-eight j'ears 
 old. The mother is still living in Avoca, and is 
 seventy-three years of age. 
 
 The wife of our subject is the fourth child in a 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 ■•►-41- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 family of twelve; she was born in Mentor, Lake 
 Co., Ohio, Sept. 15, 1841. This couple have a fam- 
 ily of nine children: Ida, now married to Mr. L. 
 McDermid, residing in Weeping Water, has four 
 children. — Glennie, Verie, Elmer and Jennie. The 
 remaining children of the family of our subject are 
 Allen and Alfred (twins), who died when eight 
 months old ; Frederick died aged ten months ; Will- 
 iam died at six months; Jessie, Lottie, Stewart and 
 Elsie are at home. The gentleman has occupied 
 various positions of trust and confidence reposed in 
 him by his neighbors, served on the School Board 
 six years, was Supervisor of Roads for ten years, 
 is an esteemed member of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church at Weeping Water, and has served as 
 Trustee of that society. In politics he is a strong 
 lie publican. 
 
 <Sf^DWARD POST, the third homesteader of 
 l^ Tipton Precinct, and one of its first actual 
 /*' — ^ settlers, has been a man of note in his com- 
 munity, a man second to none in assisting Cass 
 County to its development and prosperity. An old 
 army veteran, he saw hard times in the late war, 
 from which he came out so seriously crippled as to 
 be unable to accomplish much manually, but Provi- 
 dence endowed him with a large and generous 
 spirit, and bis influence has been felt amid the vari- 
 ous causes and enterprises which have received 
 the commendation and encouragement of good 
 men. Inasmuch as the pen has been designated as 
 mightier than the sword, so the influence of a sin- 
 gle man in a community may enter very largely 
 into its development, and in establishing its stand- 
 ard of morality. The record of Mr. Post has been 
 one of which his descendants can never be ashamed. 
 He is at present living in a pleasant home, sur- 
 rounded by all the comforts of life, his companion 
 an amiable and intelligent lady, and his friends 
 surrounding him b3' the score. His farm propert}' 
 lies on section 10, and comprises 160 acres of good 
 land with modern improvements. 
 
 Mr. Post comes of good ancestry, who settled 
 in New England during the Colonial days. His 
 father, Martin Post, was born in Hebron, Conn., 
 
 March 20, 180.5, and married Miss Abigail Hen- 
 drick, also a native of that State. The paternal 
 grandfather, Daniel Post, also born in Connecticut, 
 was reared to farming pursuits, and finally emi- 
 grated, about 1808, to Chenango County, N. Y. 
 He purchased land from the Government, from 
 which he constructed a good farm, and there spent 
 the remainder of his days. 
 
 The paternal great-grandfather of our subject, 
 in company with four brothers, came over from 
 England prior to the Revolutionary AVar, in which 
 they all served as 'soldiers. They enlisted from 
 Connecticut, and after the war became scattered-, 
 one remaining in Connecticut, another settling in 
 Vermont, a third locating in New Jersey, and the 
 two others were lost track of. Edward, our sub- 
 ject, is a descendant of the one who settled and re- 
 mained in the Nutmeg State. On the mother's 
 side grandfather Joel Hendrick, a genuine Con- 
 necticut farmer, finally left New England, and 
 also, like the Posts, took up his residence in Che- 
 nango County, N. Y. He served in the War of 
 1812 as a commissioned officer. 
 
 Martin Post, the father of our subject, was but 
 three years of age when, with his parents, he took 
 up his residence in Chenango County, N. Y. At 
 an early age he developed much skill as a natural 
 mechanic, and his mind was given to scientific re- 
 searches. He was a lover of books, and employed 
 his leisure hours among them. Upon approaching 
 manhood he started out for himself and engaged to 
 work by the month for Mr. Hendrick, who in due 
 time became his father-in-law. At the age of 
 twenty-one years he was married, and purchased 
 land in Chenango Count}', from which he cleared a 
 portion of the heavy forest, and put up one after 
 another three sawmills, two having been burned. 
 
 The father of our subject in 1850 disposed of his 
 interests in the Empire .State, and rented land one 
 year in the same State. After the death of his 
 father he purchased the interest of the heirs in the 
 old homestead, and carried on farming there until 
 1874. Then selling out and retiring from active 
 labor, he made his home with his children until his 
 death, which occurred at Afton, N. Y., April 17, 
 1877, when he was seventy-two years old. The 
 mother had died July .3, 1871. Both were active 
 
 •P^h 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ]137 
 
 members of the Baptist Clmrcli at West Baiiibridge, 
 N. Y. 
 
 To Martin and Abigail Post there were born 
 eiglit cliildren, namely: Celestiii; Edward, our sub- 
 ject; Lucina; Pldelia; Ellen, who died in 1842; 
 Lydia, Eliza J. and Hubert. Edward was born 
 near Bainbridge, in Oxford Township, Chenango 
 Co., N. Y., Feb. 8, 1833. His childhood and youth 
 were spent at the old homestead, and he was at an 
 early age trained to habits of industry and econ- 
 omy. He assisted his father on the farm and in 
 the sawmill, and attended the first school established 
 in the district. He remained a member of the pa- 
 rental household until reaching his majoritj', then 
 began farming on his own account. 
 
 In the fall of 1854 our subject migrated to the 
 vicinity of Grand Rapids, Mich., and purchased in 
 Allegan County eighty acres of land, which he 
 cleared, and upon which he effected some improve- 
 ments. There also he found his wife, being mar- 
 ried, Aug. 10, 1856, in Michigan, to Miss Marilla 
 Hanor. Mrs. Post was born in Oakland, Mich., 
 Aug. 20, 1835, and departed this life at her home 
 in Michigan, Nov. 18, 1865, after having been the 
 companion of her husband a period of nine years. 
 
 Mr. Post continued on his Michigan farm until 
 the spring of 1861. In the meantime he purchased 
 other land, which he improved and sold, and thus 
 built up three different farms, selling all. The 
 second year of the war he enlisted as a Union sol- 
 dier in Company E, 1 1 4th New York Infantrj', being 
 mustered in at Norwich, his regiment assigned to 
 the Army of the Gulf. They were first sent to 
 Baltimore, and later joined Gen. Banks' expedition 
 in the Southwest, doing duty along the railroads 
 in Texas, and Mr. Post frequently assigned to de- 
 tached service. He was often given responsible 
 positions under the Government. 
 
 In the spring of 1863 this division of the army 
 was sent to Southwestern Louisiana, and met the 
 enemy in some of the most important engagements 
 of the war. On the 14th of June, 1863, Mr. Post 
 was wounded in the right thigh by a minie ball, 
 and in the left arm by a double buckshot. This 
 laid him up for several months, and when conval- 
 escent he returned to camp. In the spring of 1864 
 he joined the Red River expedition, meeting parties 
 
 •►^t:^ 
 
 of the Confederates nearly every da}', skirmishing 
 along the line until the serious engagement at Sa- 
 bine Cross Roads, when they fell back to Pleasant 
 Hill on account of being out of provisions. After- 
 ward they took boats to New Orleans, expecting to 
 join the Army of the Potomac, but at Ft. Monroe 
 were ordered to Washington for the defense of the 
 capital. They arrived there in time, remaining as 
 long as it seemed necessary, then repaired to tlie 
 valley of the Shenandoah, joining the command of 
 Gen. Sheridan. Later followed the battle of Win- 
 chester, Sept. 19, 1864, when Mr. Post was shot in 
 the right ankle, entirely shattering it. He was 
 placed in the hospital, and the entire limb swelled 
 to the size of a barrel. It was four days before the 
 ball was extracted, and then it was found wedged 
 into the bone so tightly it was almost impossible 
 to withdraw it. He remained in the hospital at 
 Winchester until the close of the war, being then 
 unable to bear his weight on his foot. He received 
 his honorable discharge at Chestnut Hill Hospital, 
 Pa., April 4, 1865, and returned home. 
 
 Mrs. Marilla Post departed this life at her home 
 Nov. 18, 1865. A few months later the family was 
 broken up, and Mr. Post, removing to St. Clair 
 County, 111., engaged as clerk in a general store 
 nearly two years. Then returning to Michigan he 
 sold his farm of 120 acres. He tlien went back to 
 New York State, and in the fall of 1867, turning 
 his steps southwestward, he established himself in 
 Macon City, Mo., where he spent that winter. In 
 the spring of 1868 he came to Nebraska overland 
 on horseback, landing in Nebraska Cit}"^ on the 1st 
 of June. Later he returned to Macon City to cast 
 his Presidential vote for Gen. Grant, and this done, 
 bent his steps toward Tipton Precinct, this county. 
 
 Mr. Post on the 6th of June, 1869, homesteaded 
 eighty acres of land, which is included in his pres- 
 ent homestead. He hired a breaking team, and 
 after pajing for his papers and breaking his land, 
 he had left $5 in money. He now went back to 
 Nebraska City, where he lived until his money was 
 gone, and when hardly able to walk went to 
 work for a Mr. Pendleton near there, remaining 
 with him during the harvest season. Later he se- 
 cured a job at husking corn on Cascade Creek, at 
 five cents per bushel. In the spring of 1869 he 
 
•► 
 
 1138 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 went out to his liomestearl, purchased a ''plug" 
 team, commenced breaking more land, and planted 
 his first crops on his own property. He had in 
 the meantime sheltered himself in a dugout, but in 
 the fall put up a house and set out trees. He took 
 out the remaining papers for his homestead in Tip- 
 ton, and purchased eighty acres of land adjoining, 
 of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Com- 
 l)any. He was fairly prospered in his labors as a 
 tiller of the soil until 1874, when the grasshoppers 
 came along and destroyed his crops. The season of 
 1877 he rented his place for a term of five years, 
 the consideration being $100 per year. 
 
 Tliis furnished our subject with money to buy 
 land, and he took up his residence in Anderson 
 County, where he purchased 160 acres and farmed 
 there five years. Later he returned to the farm in 
 Tipton Precinct, and turned his attention to stock 
 raising. He gathered together a herd of good cat- 
 tle, Polled-Angus mostly, and also swine, with 
 blooded English horses, of which latter he now 
 has ten head. He has by his own industry effected 
 all the improvements which we find upon his place 
 to-day, including substantial buildings, a grove of 
 three acres of forest trees, an orchard of 100 apple 
 trees, with good out-buildings, windmill, water 
 tanks, and the necessary machinery for carrying on 
 agriculture successfull3^ 
 
 Mr. Post was married the second time, in Elm- 
 wood Precinct, this countj^ Aug. 8, 1870, to Miss 
 Jane Brittain, who was born Aug. 8, 1833, in 
 Trumbull County, Ohio. Mrs. Post received care- 
 ful home training in her youth, and a good educa- 
 tion, developing into a school teacher, which pro- 
 fession she followed before her marriage. Of this 
 union there have been born three children, namely: 
 Merrett M., who died when fourteen months old; 
 Lulu, also deceased, and Francis, who was born 
 Sept. 2, 1875, and is at home attending school. 
 The two children of Mr. Post by his first marriage 
 were Judson and Ardilla. The former is farming 
 in Hitchcock County, Dak.; Ardilla is the wife of 
 Albert A. Hardy, and lives in the viciuitj' of Vic- 
 toria, this State. 
 
 Mr. Post was the first Justice of the Peace in 
 Tipton Precinct, and officiated at the first mar- 
 riage taking place here. He was also the first 
 
 Postmaster at Sunlight, holding the position four 
 years. He has occupied other positions of trust 
 and responsibility, and has made the record of an 
 honest man and a good citizen. Socially, he be- 
 longs to Kenesaw Post No. 123, G. A. R. at Elm- 
 wood. Both he and his estimable wife are members 
 in good standing of the Congregational Church at 
 Eagle, in which Mr. P. has officiated as Deacon for 
 the last three years. To this, as to other laudable 
 enterprises, he has contributed liberally, and in 
 politics, it is hardly necessary to add is a straight 
 Republican. 
 
 1^^— ^^^J/OT»»>- 
 
 ■vTOHN W. WILBERN. This gentleman is, 
 I I perhaps, one of the youngest of the many 
 
 d energetic citizens represented in the pages of 
 I ■' this volume. He was born in Christian 
 County, III., April 14, 1862, forty miles from 
 Springfield, the State capital. His educational ad- 
 vantages were excellent, and he improved them to 
 tiie fullest extent and when a boy of twelve years he 
 came to Nebraska, coming to Salt Creek for the first 
 time with his father, who then purchased a tract of 
 160 acres of land in. Salt Creek Precinct from Curtis 
 Sheffer. 
 
 After the return of our subject with his father to 
 Illinois, he was general chore boy at his father's 
 side in making the preparations for their removal 
 from Springfield to Greenwood. Finally all work 
 was completed, and the journey was begun, with 
 five wagons loaded with goods, and seventeen loose 
 horses in the procession ; they brought no cattle 
 with them. It was a trip he will never forget. He 
 bore his part of the work, and care incident to the 
 management of that amount of property, without a 
 complaint. After the}' arrived in Nebraska, for 
 many long weary days John followed cattle herding 
 until the death of his father, when he took charge 
 of the homestead, and for years after cultivated 
 the same fields. During his earliest years in Ne- 
 braska he was given the opportunity of attending 
 the country schools and the graded school at Green- 
 wood. He early acquired a taste for reading and 
 study, and in addition to the advantages for ob- 
 
 ■•►HH 
 
t 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ••►^ 
 
 1139 
 
 taining a school education that were afforded him. 
 he has made a close stud3' ever since of the papers 
 and man3' good books which are now within the 
 reach of everyone. 
 
 We now Qnd him in charge of 200 acres of land, 
 160 of which belongs to his mother, with whom he 
 lives. He takes rank as one of the most prosperous 
 j-oung men of Salt Creek Precinct, and it is safe to 
 prophesy that he has a brilliant and successful busi- 
 ness career before him. • He is well and favorably 
 known as being a hard-working, temperate, energetic 
 young man. The mother with whom he lives is a 
 lady of great worth and refinement. She takes the 
 greatest comfort in the company of her son, and finds 
 in him the most intense devotion to her interests and 
 welfare, and there is no doubt but that the gentleman 
 will, in the years to come, receive at the hands of his 
 fellowmen a continuation of the esteem which he 
 now holds, and that he will fill his place in life with 
 honor and credit to himself and benefit to the peo- 
 ple about him, and that he will at the end of life 
 be able to say, " I have finished the work and I hope 
 the world is better for mj' having lived in it." In 
 politics he is a Democrat. 
 
 ?RAXCIS H. WILLIAMS has been identified 
 with the farming and industrial interests of 
 Stove Creek Precinct since 1875, formerly 
 owning an extensive farm here, which he managed, 
 while at the game time engaged in the manufacture 
 of wagons. He is now in the evening of life, 
 mostly retired from its cares, being an invalid, 
 although he still makes his home on what has re- 
 mained of his farm after providing for each of his 
 children. By a life of well-directed toil, and by 
 the excellent management of his affairs, he now has 
 an ample income, and is classed among the sub- 
 stantial, well-to-do men of this precinct. 
 
 Our subject was born in Monmouthshire, Wales, 
 June 27, 18:0. His parents, Thomas and Ann 
 ( Roberts) Williams, were natives of the same count}', 
 and were there married. The father was a master 
 blacksmith, having a shop of his own, besides a 
 Louse and lot. He did well in business, and at the 
 time of his death, in 1830, at the age of sixty years, 
 
 •►Hl::^ 
 
 he had accumulated a competency. His wife died 
 in Wales in 1858, at the age of seventy j-ears. They 
 were devoted members of the Episcopal Church, 
 and for their good and virtuous lives and many 
 acts of kindness were held in respect and affection 
 by their neighbors. Unto them were born ten chil- 
 dren, four of whom grew to m.<iturity, but three of 
 them are dead — Morgan, Thomas and James, the 
 two latter twins. 
 
 Their sou Francis IL, of whom we write, re- 
 mained an inmate of the home of his birth until he 
 was sixteen j'ears old, and was then apprenticed to 
 gain a knowledge of the wagon-maker's trade, be- 
 ing bound under the Government for seven years, 
 his father being his bondsman. Our subject served 
 his time, and became a first-class wagon-maker, 
 and then worked at his trade in different places, 
 finally putting up a shop in his native shire, and 
 erected a house. Besides carrying on the manu- 
 facture of wagons he also did cabinet work and 
 made furniture. He continued in that business in 
 Wales until 1850, when he determined to try his 
 fortunes in America, and sailing from Newport to 
 Bristol on a packet, there embarked on the ship 
 "Mar}- Ann Peters," and after a voyage of eight 
 weeks, in which severe storms were encountered, 
 he landed safel}' in New York. He went to L'tica. 
 N. Y., and worked at building there for a year and 
 a half. After that he followed the same vocation 
 in Racine, Wis. He established his home there, 
 but was often engaged in Chicago a part of the 
 time, in the employ of the Chicago & Galena Rail- 
 way Company, building bridges, and he worked on 
 the bridge of that company that spans Rock River 
 at Rockford, 111. A year later Mr. Williams re- 
 moved to Allamakee Count}', Iowa, of which he be- 
 came a pioneer, purchasing 140 acres of wild land 
 from the Government. It was partly timbered and 
 partly prairie land, and with infinite toil he eon- 
 verted it into a well-improved farm, with a good 
 set of buildings, and there lived in his comfortable 
 home until the spring of 1865, when he sold out, 
 having decided that Nebraska possessed superior 
 advantages and attractions, and wishing to avail 
 himself of them. He and his family came by rail 
 to Plattsmouth, and he was soon settleil on his 
 present i)lace. having about 320 acres of arable laud 
 
 
 <• 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 1140 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 on the Burlington & Missouri River Railway. 
 There were no improvements on it, and not a stick 
 of timber where he now has fine groves of forest 
 trees and a good orchard, all of which he planted 
 himself, or had them put out under his supervision. 
 He built a large house, ample barns, and other nec- 
 essary buildings, and before his retirement in 1882, 
 had as fine a place as any in the vicinity. His farm 
 is well supplied with running water, and is admira- 
 bly adapted to both raising grain and stock. 
 He has now given all but 120 acres to his sons and 
 daughters. 
 
 Mr. Williams was married, in Monmouthshire, 
 Wales, Sept. 29, 1833, to Miss Ann Harris, daugh- 
 ter of William and Margaret (Lewis) Harris, na- 
 tives of W.ales. Her fatlier was extensively 
 engaged in farming in his native land until his 
 death, in 1826. at the age of eighty-four 3'ears. He 
 was a member of tlie Episcopalian Church, and his 
 wife, who died in 1858, at the age of seventy-five, 
 belonged to the Baptist Church. They were the 
 parents of five children, namely: William is a 
 resident of Wales; John, Henry, Ann, and Margaret, 
 deceased. Ann, the wife of our subject, was born 
 in Monmouthshire, Wales, March 7, 1810. To her 
 and her husband seven children have been born, 
 as follows: Margaret, Ann E., Emma C, Louisa 
 P., William H., JNLithew B. and Sarah J. Mar- 
 garet married Thomas W. David, who is at present 
 farming in Allamakee County, Iowa; Ann E. mar- 
 ried H. Harris, a farmer of Allamakee County, and 
 they have one child, Ida S; Emma married S. 
 Osley, a farmer in Winneshiek County, Iowa, and 
 they have four children, namely: Ida N., Ernest 
 S., Alden and Nellie. Louisa mapried Silas Green- 
 slate, a merchant of Elmwood, and they have five 
 children, namely: Delbert, Bertha, Ellis, Fern and 
 Dean. William, who is farming in Colorado, is 
 married and has one daughter, Maud; Mathew, a 
 farmer in Stove Creek Precinct, is married and has 
 two children, Silas B. and Lottie M; Sarah mar- 
 ried James Turk, a farmer in Stove Creek Precinct, 
 and they have one child, Alden. 
 
 Our subject and his wife are regarded with feel- 
 ings of sincere respect and veneration by the whole 
 community, where all are their friends. To them 
 it has been given to pass more than fifty j'ears of 
 
 their life in happy wedlock, mutually sustaining 
 and sympathizing with each other in the joys and 
 sorrows that come to all. On the occasion of tlie 
 golden wedding that marked the anniversary of 
 that other marriage ceremony, performed so long 
 ago and so far awa}^ amid the beautiful scenes of 
 their native land, their children and friends in com- 
 memoration of that event gave them each a gold- 
 headed cane, gold-mounted glasses, and other pres- 
 ents. Mr. and Mrs. Williams are sincere Chris- 
 tians, and he is a member of the United Brethren 
 Church, and she of the Christian Church at Elm- 
 wood. In his political sentiments he is a firm ad- 
 herent of the Republican part3\ They are very 
 pleasant, hospitable people, making the stranger 
 feel at home within their gates. 
 
 LLEN CRABTREE. This gentleman is 
 numbered among the younger members of 
 the farming community of Tipton Precinct, 
 where he settled in the spring of 1880. He 
 owns and operates 110 acres of land lying on sec- 
 tions 30 and 31, and while being acknowledged as a 
 tiiorough and skillful agriculturist is at the same 
 time a man popular among his neighbors, possessed 
 of sound sense and good judgment, correct in his 
 business transactions, and thus occupies an honored 
 position in his community. He has for his wife 
 and helpmate a lady of more than ordinary intelli- 
 gence, educated and refined, and who is the en- 
 eourager of her husband in all his worthy efforts. 
 With these elements there has been built up a home 
 pleasant both witiiin and without, and one which is 
 the frequent resort of a large circle of friends and 
 acquaintances. 
 
 Our subject was born in Portsmouth, Jackson 
 Co., Ohio, in August, 1849, and four years later his 
 parents removed from his native State to Polk 
 County, Mo. The journey was made in pioneer 
 fashion, mostly by water. Allen G. lived in that 
 State until the fall of 18.54, then accompanied 
 his parents northwest into Nebraska, crossing the 
 Missouri River at Kenosha, and taking shelter their 
 first niglit in the Territory at that point. Mr. Cral)- 
 tree distinctly remembers tlie first night s[ient in 
 
 •►Hl-^ 
 
-^•- 
 
 -a^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1141 '. 
 
 Nebraska and many other incirients connected with 
 the journey and the after settlement of the family. 
 The country around them was wild and new, and 
 they experienced the hardships and privations com- 
 mon to the lot of the pioneer. 
 
 Mr. Crabtree grew to manhood at his father's 
 homestead in Rock Bluff Precinct. Cass County, 
 making himself useful at an early age in the culti- 
 vation of the soil and the development of the 
 homestead. His educational advantages were ex- 
 ceedingly limited, and he started out in earl}' life 
 to make his own way in the world, leaving home at 
 the age of fourteen j-ears. He first joined a train 
 of freight wagons going across the plains to Denver, 
 Col., making two trips. Later he returned home 
 and lived on the farm until reaching his majority. 
 For the next four years he was engaged in team- 
 ing and herding in Lancaster County, having 
 charge of 600 head of cattle from the spring of 1876 
 until 1879. 
 
 Mr. Crabtree made his first purchase of land in 
 the fall of 1878. He rented this a year, moving 
 upon it In the spring of 1880. There were then no 
 buildings, and his first business was to secure shel- 
 ter for his family. He was obliged to haul lumber 
 from Lincoln fourteen miles away, and after put- 
 ting up his house he commenced fencing his land 
 and planting trees. He has now a fine grove and 
 an apple orchard, besides trees of the smaller fruits, 
 and his land is well watered by a branch of the 
 Nemaha. He keeps good grades of cattle, horses 
 and swine, making quite a specialty of the breeding 
 of stock. 
 
 Our subject was married in Elmwood, Dec. 25, 
 1879, to Miss Eliza, daughter of Henry and Anna 
 (Herter) Umland. The father of Mrs. Crabtree is 
 a prominent citizen of this county, and a sketch of 
 him will be found elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. 
 Crabtree was born in Maseoutah, St. Clair Co., 111., 
 Nov. 16, 1857, and when twenty 3-ears of age came 
 with her parents to Nebraska. She is now the 
 mother of four children — Ettie N.. Henry R., Clara 
 M. and William A. The eldest of these is eight 
 j'ears of age, and the youngest three. They are 
 pursuing their studies. 
 
 Mr. Crabtree, politically, uniformly votes the 
 Democratic ticket, and has been quite prominent 
 
 with his party in this section, being sent as a delegate 
 to the various conventions and otherwise laboring 
 for the principles in which he believes. He has 
 been a member of the School Board in his district 
 for a period of six 3'ears, and socially, belongs to 
 the K. of P. 
 
 Our subject comes of a good family, being the 
 son of Abel and Elizabeth (Clemons) Crabtree, 
 who were both natives of Ohio, and the father was 
 born in Jackson County. The paternal grandfather, 
 James Crabtree, w.as also a native of the Buckeye 
 State, and carried on the business of farming and 
 milling combined, being the owner of mill property. 
 Tlie maternal grandfather, familiarly known as 
 " Capt. John Clemons," was born in Ohio in 1812, 
 the same year in which it was admitted into the 
 Union as a State. He served valiantly in the Mexi- 
 can War, wherein he obtained his commission of 
 Captain. When quite well advanced in years he 
 emigrated to the West, being among the pioneer 
 settlers of Cass County, Neb., and one of the first 
 white men to locate on the Missouri River. He 
 emplo^-ed himself in freighting across the plains a 
 number of years, and accumulated agood propert}-. 
 He spent his last years in Rock Blutf Precinct, dying 
 in Jul}-, 1880, at the age of sevent}- -eight years. 
 His good wife survived him until 1882, and passed 
 awa}' at the same age. 
 
 William Clemons, the maternal great-grandfather 
 of our snbjoct, was of English descent but Ameri- 
 can born. He also came to Nebraska, and died in 
 Rock Bluff Precinct. Abel Crabtree. the father of 
 our subject, was a collier by trade and also carried 
 on farming. In the fall of 1853, removing from 
 Ohio he took up his abode in Holt County, Mo., but 
 the year following came to Nebraska and took upa 
 claim in Rock Bluff Precinct, this county. His 
 land l.ay along the l)anks of Rock Creek, and after 
 making some' improvements he sold out and se- 
 cured land in another part of the same precinct, 
 upon which he farme<l successfully, and to which he 
 added until he became the owner of a quarter-sec- 
 tion. He is still living at the old homestead, being 
 now sixty -eight j'ears old. The mother died July 
 31, 1886, aged sixty-two. Both parents were mem- 
 bers in good standing of the Christian Church, and 
 
 •► I I <» 
 
h 
 
 1142 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 were people careful and conscientious in their lives 
 and liiglily respected in tlieir community'. 
 
 Tlie seven children of the household were named 
 respeetivel}' : Allen, Noah, Ross, Travis, Elsie, 
 Silas, and Abel, who died when one j'ear old. 
 Those living are located in Cass and Lancaster 
 Counties, Neb. 
 
 ,.^ RS. FRANCES JANE SMITH, widow of 
 III 1\\ Fi'incis Smith, is a representative of the 
 noble, self-sacrificing pioneer women of 
 Cass County who have contributed their 
 share toward its upbuilding. She is a woman of 
 marked decision of character, and of su|)erior ca- 
 |):icity. who has shown by her able management of 
 her property great sagacity and far-reaching fore- 
 sight, so that she is now in comfortable circum- 
 stances, and has retired from active labor, renting 
 her farm on section 34, Stove Creek Precinct. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Robert and Mary 
 (Chesman) Clark, were born in Durham, En- 
 gland. Her grandfather, Thomas Chesman, was a 
 farmer in England, and lived to the advanced age 
 of eight^'-seven years. The father of our subject 
 was a miner during his j'onth, and when he was 
 twenty-one he enlisted in the English Army, and 
 served twenty years, and during that length of time 
 witnessed and took part in many famous battles, 
 was present at the battle of Waterloo, and saw 
 much of Europe, was all through France, Portugal, 
 Spain, Italy, etc. He finally retired from the serv- 
 ice on account of ill-health, his sister buying him 
 off. He was married, and began mining, becoming 
 overseer in some mines, which position he held 
 until his death in 1851 , at the age of fift3'-six years. 
 He was a man of much stability of character, one 
 in whom his fellow-citizens placed implicit confi- 
 fjence, and he was devoted to his employers' in- 
 terests, and at the same time was kind and consid- 
 erate to the men under his charge. He was a con- 
 sistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 His widow survived him a few years, dying in 1861, 
 at the age of sixty-three. She was a woman of 
 much worth, and her memory is cherished b^' her 
 children, (jf whom she had seven, as follows: Eliza- 
 
 beth, in Illinois; Thomas, in England; Jane Fran- 
 ces; Mary and Sarah, both in England; Robert and 
 George, deceased. 
 
 Our subject was born June 20, 1823, in New- 
 castle, Durham, England. March 20, 1842, she was 
 married in the town of Atchester, England, to 
 Mr. Francis Smith, son of Adam and Margaret 
 (Brown) Smith. He was the second child of the 
 family, and was born in the town of Newcastle, 
 Sept. 8, 1818. When a boy of seven years he was 
 obliged to go into the mines to work to assist in 
 the support of his family, but he managed to glean 
 an education in the night schools, at which he was 
 a faithful attendant. His steadiness and good hab- 
 its made a favorable impression on his employers, 
 and they raised him to the position of overseer of 
 the mines, and he continued in that ofHce until 
 1852, when he and his family emigrated to Amer- 
 ica, setting sail from Liverpool on the ship " Co- 
 lumbus." After a long and stormy voyage of six 
 weeks and two days, they landed in New York, and 
 proceeded to Detroit, Mich. Mr. Smith obtained a 
 position as copyist in a lawyer's office, and they re- 
 sided in that city eight months. We next hear of 
 the family in Kingston, III., where Mr. Smith se- 
 cured the position of "overseer in the coal mines. A 
 year later the ague drove them away from there to 
 Peoria, in the same State. They lived there one 
 year, and Mr. Smith worked in the mines as car- 
 penter. In 1857 he was almost crippled b}' the fall 
 of some rocks, and was never very strong after that. 
 He then moved to Marshall County, bought a small 
 piece of land, and mined drift coal, staying there 
 until 1870. He then concluded to invest his money 
 in land in Nebr.aska, that he might enjoy the bene- 
 fit of its salubrious dimatfe and other natural ad- 
 vantages. He and his wife and children came all 
 the way with a team, bringing their belongings that 
 thej' considered indispensable with them. They 
 crossed the Missouri at Plattsmouth, and in Stove 
 Creek Precinct Mr. Smith took up an 80-acre tract 
 of land under the provisions of the Homestead Act, 
 and with the able assistance of his wife he began 
 its improvement. He had to hire the land broken, 
 as his health was so poor, and upon Mrs. Smith de- 
 volved the task of setting out the trees of the grove 
 and orchard, and planting the small fruits, of which 
 
J^^« xp^t- 
 
 5T0RE&. Residence of 0. M. Andru5,5ec.35. Tipton Precinct , Cass Co 
 
 ItmrniTtliiin'-raiTf*!-; ..f i ».»»-je.»t-;^j av.»mi«t.-r..'w--« <M»iit«>tKo.jwS-4ia^i3ai-H.i.MYt-<„jv.i^»M^ 
 
 Residence or A. L.Van Doren,Sec.17. Salt Creek Precinct Cass Co 
 
 ' ^4^k ^A lK t !ttkikitA.*ii^ yitU.gul t^>^M, { u fes-^ ii;-j;...>jaLl^.t^t?l,ria S c_>,V rt ti,V^-^ t i fa t 
 
 Residence OF Edwin r. Richards, 5ec. 24. Elmwood Precinct, Cass Co 
 
•»*J^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1143 4 > 
 
 there is an abundant supply, and she also had to 
 look after the payments on the homestead, and to 
 prove up on it in 1877, after her husband's death. 
 They managed to hold on to their claim through 
 the grasshopper raids, in which many were ruined 
 and had to abandon their land. The farm is now 
 provided with good and comfortable buildings, is 
 neatly fenced with hedge and wire, and is well 
 watered by the waters of Wolf Creek, and is one of 
 the most substantial and attractive places in the 
 neighborhood. Mrs. Smith managed it with marked 
 success some years after her husband's death, and is 
 now jiving in the enjoyment of an income ample 
 for all her wants, having rented her farm. 
 
 As before mentioned, Mr. Smith had been quite 
 out of health for several years, and Feb. 8, 187G, 
 death came to his release. This precinct then lost 
 one of its most useful and honored citizens, one 
 whose probitj' of character, sound business prin- 
 ciples and clear head, gave him weight and influence 
 with his fellowmen. He took an honorable part 
 in public affairs, held the oflioe of Justice of the 
 Peace, and was a stanch all}' of the Republican 
 party. Of his marriage with our subject ten chil- 
 dren were born, three of whom lived to maturity : of 
 these, Sarah J. is now Mrs. William James; her hus- 
 band is a farmer in Stove Creek Precinct. Francis 
 W. and Henry R. are dead. 
 
 In the many sorrows that have come to our sub- 
 ject in the death of husband and children, she has 
 been sustained in the darkest hour by her strong 
 religious faith, she being a devoted member of the 
 Baptist Church, and is serenely awaiting reunion 
 with her loved ones on the other shore. She is 
 active in the interests of church and society, and 
 her kindness and benevolence are too well known 
 to need any further mention here. 
 
 '■^S^^S»1^ 
 
 •*?*tf^»«^i<f— 
 
 •► 
 
 ,ETER EVELAND is the name of a man 
 well and favorablj' known through Elm- 
 wood Precinct and through Cass County. 
 He was born March 11, 1846, in Moscow 
 Township, Muscatine Co., Iowa, where he was 
 brought up on th^ farm. The duties required of 
 him in his farm life were so onerous as to require 
 
 all his time to such an extent tliat his opportunity 
 for acquiring a scholastic education was very 
 limited in extent, but by diligent application to 
 study at his own fireside, and a close observation of 
 events as they transpired aljout him, he has been 
 able to overcome the effect of his earlier disad- 
 vantages, and is now one of the best informed and 
 leading men of the county. 
 
 The father of the subject of our sketch was mar- 
 ried twice. Two children were born to him as 
 the result of the first marriage: Jeanette Hop- 
 kinson, living in Muscatine, Iowa, and Louisa 
 Ward, who now lives in Elmwood Precinct. Four- 
 teen children were born to the couple as the result 
 of the second marriage, seven of whom reached 
 the age of maturity. Among them was our subject, 
 his sisters, Martha and Sarah N., and his brother 
 Herman were older ; and his sister Hester M., 
 Katuraha, and brother, Frank P., were younger. 
 He lived at home with his parents on the farm 
 until he was sixteen years old, when he enlisted in 
 Company E, 18th Iowa Infantry, July 20, 1862. 
 He first went into camp at Clinton, Iowa, where the 
 regiment was instructed in various military tactics, 
 and whence they were sent to Sedalia, Mo., in 
 1862. From there they were ordered to Spring- 
 field, where he saw blood shed for the first time in 
 his life. For a season after this the time of the 
 regiment of which he was a member was quite 
 busil}' employed, occupying among other places 
 the towns of Fayetteville and Van Buren, Ark., 
 Prairie Dean, Poison Springs and Jenkins' Ferry. 
 At Ft. Smith, Ark., he was promoted to the 
 post of Corporal. They went into winter quar- 
 ters at that fort. In July of 1865 our sub- 
 ject was at Ft. "Smith, at which place they were 
 at the close of the war, when he was honorably 
 discharged from service at the age of nineteen 
 years — undoubtedly the 3'oungest soldier serving 
 in the ranks of the Union Army. 
 
 After his discharge from the army in August, 
 1865, our subject returned to Muscatine, Iowa, 
 after having served for three years in one of the 
 bloodiest wars the world has ever known, and re- 
 sumed his home occupation. In the fall of 1866 
 he was married to Miss Sarah A. Metteer, the 
 daughter of Robert and Chloe Metteer. The Lady 
 
 t» 
 
1144 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 
 was born in Pennsylvania, going to Muscatine 
 with ber parents in 1863, where she met our sub- 
 ject after the close of the war. She was one of a 
 family of six children. Her father and her 
 brother reside in Plattsmouth, and one brother re- 
 sides in Weeping Water Precinct. 
 
 In 1867 Mr. and Mrs. Eveland, just one year 
 after their marriage, came to this precinct, settling 
 on a farm on section 20, which he jn-oceeded to im- 
 prove for their home.' In 1888 he built a full two- 
 story residence, complete in all its appointments, an 
 ideal home, by planting groves and setting out an 
 orchard of choice varieties of fruit. He was here 
 during the time when the grasshoppers devastated 
 the crops of the country, which rendered him poor. 
 In the years 1870-71 he worked on the railroad as 
 a Iniilder. During this time he had a leg broken 
 l)y the caving in of an earth bank, but from which 
 injury he fully recovered. In 1874 he went out on 
 the plains on a buffalo hunt along the Republican 
 River. Mr. Ward, his brother-in-law, was with 
 him. His gun was accidentally discharged, and 
 the charge took effect in his right arm, injuring 
 the muscles so much as to make his right hand 
 almost useless for all time to come. 
 
 In Colonial days four Eveland brothers came to 
 New Jersey from Scotland and took part in the In- 
 di.in Wars of that time. From one of them our sub- 
 ject descends. His mother was descended from an 
 early English family, a resident of Virginia ; the 
 father removed with his family to Ohio, thence to 
 Iowa, and settled in Muscatine County, where he 
 lived and farmed until the time of his death in 
 September, 1884, when he was seventj^-four years 
 old. The mother still lives in Iowa, and is now 
 seventy-three j'ears old. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Eveland have a family of eight 
 children: Laura F., born in Iowa, died in Ne- 
 braska at the age of nineteen months; Melinda 
 N.; an infant boy unnamed, deceased; Leonora M., 
 Davonia U., Chloe Myra, Blanch E. and Gertie- 
 The children living at home with their parents are 
 exceptionally bright and intelligent, and are a 
 source of great pride and comfort to their parents. 
 The home farm of Mr. E. embraces a tract of 240 
 acres — the eight}- acres on section 20 is the original 
 homestead on which he settled on his arriv.al in 
 
 this State — and 160 acres on section 17; it is finely 
 located, and supplied with an abundance of good 
 water, and possesses many natural advantages. All 
 these broad acres are brought to the highest state 
 of cultivation under the skillful direction of our 
 subject. In .addition to the system of general 
 farming which he follows, our subject takes a 
 special interest in the development of thorough- 
 bred Clydesdale horses. The great pride which he 
 takes in this branch of his business is certainly 
 pardonable, and an examination of the stable of 
 these fine animals owned by him reveals to the 
 observer indisputable evidence of the good judg- 
 ment exercised bj- their owner in raising them. 
 
 Although our subject takes a special pride in his 
 horses, it is not to the neglect of other animals — 
 cattle and hogs — of which he has a large number, 
 the best of their class obtainable. His experience 
 pertaining to agriculture and horticulture has been 
 so varied and broad that his judgment in these 
 matters is deferred to, and accepted by his neigh- 
 bors as being correct, and those who follow his 
 advice seldom fail to attain the end desired. 
 AVith his wife and his most estimable daugh- 
 ter, Melinda N., he occupies and fills to per- 
 fection a high place in the social circles of the 
 county. There is no social circle that is consid- 
 ered complete without the presence of some mem- 
 ber of this family. Thej' are so hospitable in their 
 own home that a stranger visiting them is made to 
 feel that the home is his and the family are the 
 visitors. They have the welfare and interests of 
 the neighborhood so close at heart that there is no 
 religious, social, educational or ])olitical matter 
 undertaken but what some one or more of the 
 family takes an active and imijortant part. 
 
 Mr. Eveland is ever ready to engage in the dis- 
 cussion of any question which maj^ interest the 
 people, and it is an hour well spent to listen to him 
 recall the many incidents and anecdotes and thrill- 
 ing experiences which came to the early pioneers 
 of the State, and he has a large fund of such to 
 draw upon and all are based upon facts. He re- 
 calls the time when he played base ball with Gov. 
 Butler. Mr. Gillespie and others, afterward leading 
 citizens of the State, one day in Lincoln, where 
 they were attending a sale of town lots. He is 
 
 *^h 
 
t 
 
 t 
 
 i 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1145 
 
 gifted with a constitution of iron ; it is simply 
 wonderful to those who know him, how he has 
 been able to accumulate so large a fortune, and dis- 
 charge such a vast amount of labor, both physical 
 and mental, as was necessary to attain the position 
 lie now holds. He is in truth and in fact a self- 
 made man. Other men of less energy and deter- 
 mination would have given up in despair after 
 having met witli such an accident as crippled him 
 for life ; but our subject, however, improved the 
 time that others would have lost by adding to his 
 storehouse of knowledge. 
 
 In looking back over his ancestry we find him 
 descended from the best old Scotch and English 
 stock, seeing no stain upon their names, but to the 
 contrary, possessed of that stern sense of right 
 which we see exemplified in the person of our sub- 
 ject. Tliere is no man of any rank who possesses 
 a brighter and more brilliant army record than 
 our subject. Coming home from the bloody frater- 
 nal war when only nineteen years of age, having 
 served his country faithfully and well, passing un- 
 flinchingly through many terrible engagements, 
 and encountering the many dangers which are inci- 
 dental to a soldier's life, we find him settling 
 down, enjoying the peace and quietude which he 
 has so richly earned. In viewing the character of 
 the man we do not lose sight of the brave woman 
 who has stood unswervingly by his side and lent 
 him strength by her presence and counsels. Com- 
 ing to the West, away from home and friends, set- 
 tling down on a homestead with no near neighbors, 
 and with but very few of the necessaries of life 
 and none of the comforts, seconding her husband's 
 efforts in every possible direction, she deserves the 
 full complement of praise ; sharing with him 
 every struggle, bearing more than her share of 
 every burden, and directing and guiding her chil- 
 dren in the ways of uprightness and virtue, she has 
 proved to be a helpmate to her husband in every 
 sense of the word, and has richly earned the j^ears 
 of rest and content which she is now able to enjoy. 
 
 Our subject has served the people in various 
 public capacities, all with honor and credit to him- 
 self and benefit to his constituents. He helped or- 
 ganize the school at Bushberry. District No. 44. He 
 is nov,- a member of the South Calahan District 
 
 n 
 
 No. 89 ; he has served as school otHcer in various 
 districts for the last seventeen years, was Assessor 
 for two terms, and has been Justice of the Peace. 
 He has repeatedly been a delegate to the different 
 County, State and Congressional Conventions of 
 the Republican party, and as a delegate voted for 
 the nomination of Govs. Dawes and Thayer. He 
 is a prominent member of Kenesaw Post No. 128, 
 G. A. R., at Elmwood. where he has served as 
 Chaplain since the date of its organization. Both 
 himself and wife are valued members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church at Calahan Corners ; 
 he is a charter member of the societ}'', has served 
 on the Building Committee, and is Trustee of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church at Wabash. 
 
 ETKR VOLK. Among the well-regulated 
 I farms of Eight Mile Grove Precinct that 
 of the subject of this biography is par- 
 ticularly noticeable, as having been sub- 
 jected to that careful cultivation which has marie 
 the land valuable and productive. It is embel- 
 lished with neat and substantial buildings, the fields 
 are enclosed with good fences, the live stock and 
 machinery are creditable to the proprietor, and 
 the whole premises, with its appurtenances, forms a 
 lasting monument to the industry and perseverance 
 of Mr. Volk, aided by his estimable wife. This 
 lady has in her si)here probably performed her part 
 as effectually as has her husband. The far.m lies 
 on section 28, and has about it the air of comfort 
 and plenty which is pleasing to contemplate. 
 
 A native of Tazewell Couut3-, 111.. Mr. Volk was 
 born Feb. 2fj. 1847, and lived there until reaching 
 manhood. His parents, Nicholas and Maggie 
 (Urich) Volk, were born in Germany, where tlie 
 father lived until a man of twenty-five years. He 
 then emigrated to America, and was afterward mar- 
 ried. The mother was a child of two years when 
 she was brought l)y her parents to the United 
 States, tliej' settling in Tazewell County, HI., where 
 she formed the acquaintance of and married Nich- 
 olas Volk. 
 
 To the parents of our subject there were born 
 
•^f^ 
 
 1146 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4- 
 
 Ji. 
 
 th'irteen children, of whom the following survive, 
 namely: Peter; Mar^', the wife of Charles Hen- 
 nings; Elizabeth, the wife of Jacob Tritsch; Ja- 
 cob, all residents of this county; Eve, Mrs. Martin 
 L. Freidrich, of this precinct; Bals. in this precinct; 
 Nicholas, of this county; Lizzie, John, George and 
 Philip, in Tazewell County, III. Caroline died 
 wiien about twenty-three years old. The parents 
 still continue residents of the Prairie State, and are 
 well advanced in years. They settled in Tazewell 
 County during its pioneer days, where the father 
 battled with the elements of a new soil and built 
 up a good homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas 
 Volk in their declining years are surrounded by all 
 the comforts of life. Mr. Volk is the owner of a 
 valuable farm, and has been quite prominent in the 
 affairs of his township. He is numbered among 
 the solid men of Tazewell County. 
 
 The subject of this sketch received a limited 
 education, not having the advantages of many of 
 the young men of to-day. He, liowever, has been 
 one who has kept his eyes open to what was going 
 on around him, and, by his natural sagacity and 
 industry, has accomplished what perhaps a college 
 education would not have enabled him to do. He 
 left his boyhood home in the spring of 1872, com- 
 ing to this countj', where he sojourned two years, 
 and employed himself as a farm laborer. In the 
 meantime he purchased 160 acres of land, for the 
 consideration of 8lC per acre, and which now forms 
 his homestead. In 1874 he returned to Illinois, 
 remaining there about a }'e!vr, then came back to 
 Nebraska, and here has since been content to re- 
 main. 
 
 Mr. Volk settled upon his present land when it 
 could by no meaus be called a farm, as there were 
 no fences or buildings, in fact there had been no 
 attempt whatever at its improvement or cultivation. 
 He thus began at first principles in the construction 
 of his homestead, and has been amply rewarded for 
 his labors. He battled with the usual difficulties 
 of pioneer life in Nebraska, and occupies a posi- 
 tion in the front ranks of the successful men around 
 him. After deciding to become a resident of this 
 county he was married, Jan. 1, 1873. in Cass 
 County, to Miss Elizabeth Nolting. They com- 
 menced tlie journey of life togetlier on the new 
 
 farm in a manner corresponding with their means 
 and station, and labored hand in hand to rear their 
 children, and provide for them the necessities of life, 
 and as much beyond as they could. The house- 
 hold circle in due time included three daughters 
 and four sons, six of whom are living. The eldest, 
 Maggie, was born Nov. 25, 1873; Bals, May 9, 
 1875; George, Feb. 12, 1876; Henry, Nov. 12, 
 1877; Lizzie, born Aug. 9, 1882, and died Sept. 9, 
 1883; Edwin was born Oct. 29, 1884, and Mary 
 July 4, 1887. 
 
 The wife of our subject was born in Jefferson 
 County. Wis., Feb. 16, 1852, and was the daughter 
 of William and Elizabeth Nolting, who were na- 
 tives of Germany. The3' emigrated to America in 
 1852, and settled at once in Jefferson County, Wis. 
 The father carried on farming, and died about 
 1882. in Cass County. The mother passed away in 
 1 855, in Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Volk were 
 reared in the doctrines of the Lutheran Church, 
 and have been members of this body a number of 
 years. Mr. V., politically, affiliates with the Demo- 
 cratic party. He is a man in whom his neighbors 
 have confidence, and is serving his second 3'ear as 
 Road Supervisor of District No. 12. 
 
 Mrs. Volk was one of the two children of her 
 father's first marriage. Her si.-ter Rachel is the 
 wife of Leontird Bourne, of Cass County. Mr. 
 Nolting by his second marriage became the father 
 of several children, the eldest of whom, a daughter, 
 Minnie, is the wife of Adam Kaffenber. of this 
 precinct; Henry Yasper is farming in this county; 
 Bertha, August and Frederick live at home with 
 their mother. Mr. Nolting came to this county 
 about 1866, while Nebraska was a Territory, and 
 settled among the pioneers of Plattsmouth Pre- 
 cinct, where he died in 1882. 
 
 <jf7 EWIS H. YOUNG, an energetic and thriv- 
 I (© ^"S farmer, and one of the pioneers of Cass 
 jll—^ County, residing on section 24 of Mt. Pleas- 
 ant Precinct, was born Dec. 24, 1852, in Smith 
 County, Va.; ifi the spring of 1867, in company 
 with his parents, he came to Cass County. Neb. 
 From his early boyhood our subject has been 
 
 m»- 
 
•^-Hf^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1147 4 
 
 reared on a farm, amid the scenes of pioneer life, 
 and has observed this country develop from a raw, 
 wild and primitive condition, into the splendid 
 garden of the West that it now is. Valuable 
 farms have grown as if by magic, school-houses 
 and churches thickly dotting the countr3' as an 
 evidence of the advance of civilization, and it is a 
 matter of pride with him tliat he has talcen no un- 
 important part in producing tliis magnificent 
 change. 
 
 Having assisted his father in his pioneer labors in 
 Ohio, as well as in Nebraska, he has a full concep- 
 tion of the life of a pioneer. He was married to 
 Sarah Shryder April 9, 1873. This lad}^ was born 
 in Peoria County, III., Dec. 9, 1854. She is the 
 daughter of George F. and Margai-et (Parr) Shry- 
 der. Her father was a native of New York State. 
 Her parents came to Nebraska, bringing her with 
 them, in 1856, settling here among the very first 
 families that made this State their home. They were 
 the parents of six children, three of whom are living: 
 .Sarah, the wife of our subject; Ida, the wife of R. 
 A. Y'oung; and George L. Both parents are mem- 
 bers of the United Presbyterian Church, are widelj^ 
 and favorabl}' known, and enjoy the esteem and 
 confidence of all their neiglibors. 
 
 Our subject is the son of Lewis M. and Levniah 
 Y"oung. The father is a native of Virginia, and of 
 Scotch descent. The mother died March 18, 1873, 
 leaving behind a wealth of love and affection, and 
 many friends who sincerel}- mourned their loss. The 
 father is now living at an advanced age in Keya 
 Paha County, Neb., where he went in 1885. A 
 family of seven children was born to the parents 
 of OUT subject, six of whom are living: Mary, tlie 
 wife of Asher Tanner; George W.; Robert A. re- 
 sides in Mt. Pleasant Precinct; Lewis H.; Sophia, 
 the wife of G. W. Carroll, resides in Keva Paha 
 County; Julia A., the wife of Charles Troop, resid- 
 ing in Rock Bluff Precinct; Vicey J. is deceased. 
 There have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Young two 
 children: .lohnnie was born March 26, 1874; and 
 Christmas C. was born Dec. 25, 1876. They are 
 very bright and intelligent children. 
 
 Mr. Y''oung owns a splendid farm of 160 acres 
 of land, having made all the many valuable 
 improvements thereon himself, and when he looks 
 
 over his broad and well-tilled acres it is with 
 the consciousness that their present condition Is the 
 direct result of his energy and application. His 
 dwelling is neatly furnished, and his good wife is 
 supplied with all the labor-saving appliances tliat 
 will in any way lessen her household cares. The 
 accommodations that he has provided for the pro- 
 tection of his stock, and the care of the crops 
 raised, are conveniently arranged and sufficiently 
 extensive to meet his present requirements. 
 
 In politics our subject is an earnest worker in the 
 ranks of tlie Republican party. He has never held 
 any oflSee of public trust, feeling that he was bet- 
 ter content to pursue the even tenor of his way In 
 improving his farm and home, feeling also that 
 the remuneration received would fall far short of 
 compensating him for the vex.ations and cares inci- 
 dent to the public service. 
 
 ^4 ATHIAS A. .JOHNSON, deceased, was num- 
 
 j 1\\ bered among the shrewd, practical men of 
 I Is Cass County, who have been important 
 * factors in developing Its great agricultural 
 
 resources, and in his death it lost an honored and 
 useful citizen. He was a member of the farming 
 community of Liberty Precinct, and he had a good 
 farm there, with many substantial improvements. 
 The widow of our subject and her sons, Walter A., 
 Rudolph, Antone and .Julius A., oceup^^ the home- 
 stead, and are among the most highly respected 
 residents of this communit}-. 
 
 Mr. .Johnson was a native of Germany, his birth 
 occurring Dec. 24, 1834. He came of respectable 
 and honest German parents, from whom he in- 
 herited good traits of character, and he was given 
 the benefits of a sound education in botli German 
 and English branches, acquiring a knowledge of the 
 latter after coming to this country. When he was 
 sixteen years old he came to the United States. 
 His parents died In tlie Fatlierland. 
 
 Mr. Johnson's first seven 3'ears in this eountrj- were 
 sjjent in Iowa, and from there, in company with 
 three others, with teams, he crossed the plains to 
 California some time in the fifties. He spent four 
 3'ears in tlie Golden State, prospecting for gold In 
 
 > ► 11^^ - 
 
 ^|i 
 
f 
 
 1148 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 r 
 
 the mining region with fair results. lie was finally 
 taken severely ill with a fever, and was obliged to 
 leave the Pacific Coast. He went to New York by 
 waj^ of the water and isthmus route, and there em- 
 barked on the Atlantic for his old home in Germany. 
 He spent some time amid the familiar scenes of his 
 youth in order to recuperate, and with renewed 
 health once more crossed the ocean to his adopted 
 country. He located in Jackson County, Iowa, and 
 some years later removed to Fremont County, in the 
 same State, and there, when he was thirty-two years 
 old, was married in Plum Hollow, Nov. 7, 1867, 
 to Mrs. Amanda Surber, nee Wollf. She was born 
 in Johnson County, Ind., July 4, 1843, to Peter and 
 Rhoda A. (Kelly) Wollf. Her parents died about the 
 year 1850 in Illinois, near St. Louis, Mo., thej' hav^ 
 ing gone to Western Illinois two years before, from 
 Indiana. The father was a farmer by occupation, 
 and a good, honest, hard-working man, and he and 
 his wife were in the prime of life when death 
 terminated their mortal existence. Mrs. Johnson 
 of this notice was the youngest but one of the 
 family, and she was very young when her parents 
 moved to Western Illinois, and was but seven years 
 old when she was bereaved of their care. Two years 
 later the little orphan was taken by a family of the 
 name of McDonald, in Missouri, and reared by them 
 to womanhood. She afterward went to Tabor, 
 Mills Co., Iowa, and later still to Nebraska Citj^ 
 Neb. There her first marriage took place Dec. 
 18, 1864, John Surber becoming her husband. 
 He was a native of Switzerland, and came to the 
 United States when sixteen years of age. He made 
 his home in Indianapolis, Ind., for four years, and 
 was there engaged as an engineer in a foundry. He 
 lost his health, however, and finally after marriage 
 located in Fremont County, Iowa, where he was ex- 
 tensively engaged in the sawmill business until his 
 death, nearly two years after marriage. To him 
 and his wife had been born one daughter, Rachel, 
 who was a bright, interesting child, and her death 
 at the age of fourteen was a severe blow to her 
 mother. 
 
 After Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were married they 
 settled in Fremont County, and he was engaged in 
 running a sawmill there until he came to Nebraska 
 with his family, and located on 160 acres of land on 
 
 section 33, Liberty Precinct, which he had taken 
 up as a pre-emption claim before he went to Cali- 
 fornia. He labored hard to improve his land, and 
 during the ten j'ears that preceded his death he had 
 wrought a great change in the tract of wild prairie 
 on which he settled, had it under good tillage, and 
 otherwise well improved. His death occun-ed here 
 Feb. 3, 1877, while yet in the prime of life, and 
 many sincerely mourned his death with his bereaved 
 family. To him and his wife four sons had been 
 born. Mr. Johnson was a man of high manly 
 character, with a warm heart and kindly nature. 
 His neighbors placed implicit confidence in his 
 word, and none knew him but to trust him. He 
 was a devout Lutheran in his religious belief, and 
 in his political faith a stanch Republican, and his 
 sons are also supporters of that party. 
 
 LFRED S. COOLEY, one of the leading 
 f.armers and stock-buyers of Tipton Pre- 
 cinct, was born in Jolinsonville, Trumbull 
 ^^ Co., Ohio, June 7, 1846, where he lived 
 
 with his father on the home farm until be was 
 eleven 3'ears of age, wlien tiie family removed to 
 Wisconsin, where he continued on the farm with 
 his parents, and went to school. When he was 
 twenty-one years old he began the operation of his 
 father's farm on his own account. He continued 
 there, working his father's place, until 1 872, when he 
 started for the West. H'j first located in Ringgold 
 County, Iowa, where he bought 120 acres of land, 
 which he cultivated for seven months. He did 
 not like the location, so he sold out in the fall of 
 1872, and came overland with teams to Nebraska, 
 crossing the Missouri River at Nebraska City, and, 
 coming to Tipton Precinct, lie located on his pres- 
 ent place, where he homesteaded eighty acres, and 
 purchased eighty acres more, for which he paid 
 $1,000, which gave him a tract of 160 acres of 
 choice, eligibly located farm land. 
 
 Having secured his land, our subject set to work 
 with a will to improve it by building a sod house, 
 in which he and his family lived the first winter. 
 During this time he suffered intensely with the 
 ague; his wife taught school until spring. The next 
 
 he 
 
 xt A 
 
»► ir^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ••► 
 
 1149 
 
 ''^ 
 
 spring he hauled lumber from Lincoln, and built a 
 comfortable house. The loss of the crops in 1874- 
 75, on account of the grasshoppers, compelled him 
 to mortgage his farm. After the 3'ears named 
 above he was exceedingly prosperous in his farm- 
 ing operations. Recognizing the advantages and 
 future value of the land, he set about increasing 
 his possessions. In 1879 he bought 160 acres of 
 land from the Burlington & Missouri River Rail- 
 road, for which he paid 85.50 per acre; in 1882 he 
 bought 160 acres more, for which he paid $12 
 per acre, botii tracts on section 9. Abundant 
 water is supplied to his farm by Camp Creek, and 
 a good quantity of native timber is growing on his 
 various tracts. The property is enclosed and cross 
 fenced by substantial wire and hedge fences. 
 
 Mr. Cooley is one of the most extensive bu3'ers 
 and shippers of stock in the county, buying cattle, 
 hogs, horses and sheep, which he siiips to the gen- 
 eral markets at Lincoln and Omaha. He makes a 
 specialty of raising hogs and iiorses, raising and 
 shipping four or five cars of hogs each season. His 
 horses are graded Normans; he has twenty-four 
 head in all, and they certainly reflect great credit 
 on their owner, evidencing the great care and skill 
 and thorough knowledge of the business possessed 
 bj- him. The barns i)rovided for the care and pro- 
 tection of his stock are exceedingly comfortable, 
 and conveniently arranged for the proper care of 
 the different classes of animals for which they were 
 designed. Water is supplied in the barnyard by a 
 system of piping from a water tank, which is filled 
 by pumps operated by a large windmill. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is one of the youngest 
 of a family of eight children. His sisters Mary J. 
 and Rhoda L., and his brothers, Franklin B., Roswell 
 D. and Richard S., being older, and his brothers 
 Timothy M. and Edward L. l)eiug younger. His 
 brother Richard S. served during the late war in 
 the 6th Ohio Cavahy, enlisting when only nineteen 
 years old. His regiment was with the Arm^' of the 
 Cumberland, and accompanied Gen. Sherman in his 
 famous mai'cli to the sea. In different engagements 
 in which . he participated he had two horses shot 
 from under him. While out on a scouting expedi- 
 tion from Sherman's army he was taken prisoner 
 ' by the rebels and sent to Libby Prison, thence to 
 •►H I O 
 
 Belle Isle, from which latter place he was exchanged 
 and restored to the service with his regiment. He 
 was honorably discharged in Washington in 1865. 
 
 Our subject was married to- Miss Rosalie M. 
 Smith, the daughter of Franklin and Mary E. (Par- 
 ker) Smith. This lady was born in Stafford Hol- 
 low Township, Onondaga Co., N. Y., Jan. 31, 
 1847. When she was nine years old her mother 
 died, after which she made her home with an aunt. 
 When she was eleven years of age she removed 
 with the other members of her family' to Forreston, 
 Ogle Co., 111. From there the}' removed to Platte- 
 ville, Wis., where she attended the Normal School 
 for three years. After completing her course in 
 this institution she taught school for six years. She 
 is one of a family of nine children. Her brothers, 
 Franklin D., William S. and Andrew J., and her 
 sisters, Anna L. and Abbie A., being older; and 
 her sisters, Ruth H., Ella A. and Mary E., are 
 younger. The latter two are deceased. Her brothers 
 Frank and Andrew were in the late Civil War. 
 Frank served as Second Lieutenant, and Andrew 
 as First Orderly Sergeant. Both served through 
 the war, and were honorably discharged at its 
 close. 
 
 The lady's father was a farmer in Connecticut. 
 He removed with his family to Onondaga County, 
 N. Y., where he cultivated a farm, and also built a 
 sawmill, and operated the same for many years. 
 He is at present living in Port Byron, N. Y., now 
 over eighty j-ears of age. Her mother died in 
 1855, aged forty years. Her grandfather Parker 
 was a lumberman and farmer in Vermont, where 
 her mother was born. He removed with his family 
 to New York State, and there his decease occurred. 
 Her grandfather, Ira Smith, was a soldier during 
 the Indian War, moved to Onondaga County, N. 
 Y., and from there to near Ciiarlotte, Mich. 
 
 The father of our subject was Sherman Cooley, 
 a native of Connecticut, where he was born in 
 1806, near Granby, Hartford County. He farmed 
 there until 1832, when he removed to Ohio, and 
 located on a farm in Trumbull County, being one 
 of the first to settle in that count}'. The mother, 
 Diana Day, is still living, in Lima, Grant County, 
 at an advanced age. She was born in Vermont, in 
 the year 1811, and is an active member of the 
 
.J^ 
 
 ••► 
 
 1150 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -f 
 
 Christian Church. Graiulfalhi'r Cooloy was a na- 
 tive of Connecticut. Alter his marriage in that 
 State he removed, in 1832, to Ohio, locating in 
 Trumbull Count}% in that State. He was one of 
 the earliest settlers in that part of the State, where 
 he bought 160 acres of Government land in the 
 midst of a heavy forest, which he cleared uj). He 
 was Justice of the Peace for a number of years; 
 as a civil engineer he acted as County Surveyor, 
 but paid most of his attention to his farm. In 
 1856 he sold the farm and went to LaFayette 
 County, Wis., where he bought wild land, improved 
 it, and eng<aged in farming and stock-raising. Here 
 again he was elected Justice of the Peace and 
 Town Clerk, also a member of the Board of Super- 
 visors. He bought 100 acres of land in Grant 
 Count}-, Wis., to which he removed in 1880, and 
 where he lived until his death, which occurred Feb. 
 20. 1888. He could trace his ancestry back to the 
 landing of the Pilgrim Fathers. Grandfather Giles 
 Day, a nativi- of Vermont, wns a blacksmith by 
 trade, and could trace hisancchtry liack to the Puri- 
 tans of Plymouth Rock. 
 
 A family of seven children has been born to 
 our subject and his estimable wife, who were named 
 respectively: Sherman, Harold O , Archie B., Ferris 
 F., Ora A., Florence. P. and Hazel, all at home with 
 their parents ; two are dead. The gentleman whose 
 name heads this sketch is known throughout the 
 country as a man having an unlimited amount of 
 push and energy. Such is his reputation in this 
 district, that, whenever any work is to be accom- 
 plished requiring an extra amount of vim, he is the 
 one called upon to take charge of it, and success 
 generally crowns his efforts. If a question of vital 
 importance is to be voted upon at any election, he 
 is indefatigable in his efforts to secure the at- 
 tendance of a sufficient number of voters to carry 
 the measure in question. He carries the same 
 amount of energy into his everyday life, and dur- 
 ing the busy season his farm presents a lively ap- 
 pearance, eveiyone employed receiving inspiration 
 from its proprietor. In politics he is a strong and 
 aggressive Republican. During his busy life he 
 has found time to serve his neighbors in various 
 official capacities; has held the office of Postmaster 
 at Eagle for six years; District Treasurer, Consta- 
 <• 
 
 ble, vvas a member of the Republican County Cen- 
 tral Committee, and has been a delegate to the 
 various State and County Conventions. He is a 
 member of the Knights of Pylnias. and I. 0. G. T., 
 and was an active member of the Grange. He is 
 a strict and conscientious member of the Episcoi)al 
 Church. He is Past Commander of the Knights of 
 Pythias. 
 
 ^;AC0B FORSYTH, an honored and re- 
 spected citizen of Tipton Precinct, was born 
 in Muskingum County, Ohio, April 25, 1836, 
 (^^7/ where he lived with his parents until he was 
 fifteen years of age, working on the farm with his 
 father and attending the common schools of the 
 nei2;hborhood. In 1851 he went with his father 
 to Scott County, Iowa, where he lived ^ith the 
 latter until reaching the age of twenty-six years. 
 Aug. 25, 1862, he enlisted in Company G, 20th 
 Iowa Infantry, and was mustered into the service 
 at Clint(m, Iowa. 
 
 The regiment of which our subject was a mem- 
 ber went southward into Missouri and took part 
 in the battle of Prairie Grove. In June, 1863, 
 they were sent to Vicksburg, where they remained 
 until the final surrender of that city, taking an 
 active part in many battles and skirmishes about that 
 place. After the surrender the regiment was sent 
 down the river to New Orleans; from there they 
 went into Texas, taking an active part in the 
 engagement at Brownsville. After being in Texas 
 one year they were ordered northward, were 
 present at the siege and capture of Ft. Morgan, 
 in Alabama, then north into Arkansas, where they 
 went into winter quarters; the following spring 
 they were sent by water to Pei^sacola, Fla. From 
 there they were ordered to Mobile, Ala., where they 
 took part in the storming and capture of Ft. Blakes- 
 ley. Our subject passed through the war un- 
 scathed by wounds, but he was sick for two 
 months and a half in the hospital. During his term 
 of service he was granted but one furlough to visit 
 home. After serving his time, till the close of the 
 war, he was mustered out of the service and hon- 
 orably discharged at Clinton, Iowa, Aug. 24, 1865. 
 
 For three years after his return home Mr. 
 
 T 
 
i 
 
 ■^•- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ••»» 
 
 1151 
 
 Forsyth engaged in breaking prairie and thresiiing 
 grain. He then began farming on rented land in 
 Scott County, which lie followed for three j'ears 
 more. In the spring of 1874 he came to Nebraska 
 overland with teams, crossing the Missouri River 
 at Plattsmouth, coming into Tipton, where he 
 rented land for the following five years. During 
 this time he had bought eighty acres of land from 
 the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, and 
 in the autumn of 1880 he removed to it, 
 and immediately proceeded to improve it, 
 building a house, barn, setting out a grove vi 
 five acres, an orchard of tjiirt^' trees, and 
 a large number of cedars. The entire farm is 
 well fenced by substantial wire fences. 
 
 From tlie time he moved to this farm our sub- 
 ject has devoted his time and attention exclusively 
 to its cultivation and improvement, raising corn 
 and hogs, and he has been eminently successful. 
 In the spring of 1888 he erected a new residence as 
 large as any in the precinct, conveniently arranged 
 for the comfort of his family. He uses five head 
 of graded horses in the operation of his farm. 
 
 Our subject was married in LeClaire, Scott Co., 
 Iowa, Nov. 25, 1870, to Miss Ellen F. Stophcr. 
 This lady possessed a most estimable character, and 
 was highly honored by all who knew her. Her 
 death, which occurred but recentl}', May 7, 1888, 
 was a sad affliction to her husband, who was 
 devoted to her. He feels her loss greatl3', and the 
 blow was especially heavy, coming at the time 
 when they had everything gathered around them 
 to be comfortable and enjoy life, which result w.as 
 due in. a great measure to her earnest and devoted 
 assistance. She was born in Scott County, Iowa. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the second eldest 
 in a family of seven children; his brother Jasiel 
 was older; and his brothers William, .John, Luther, 
 Jasper and .Jesse, were younger. John served 
 four years in the 13th Iowa Infantry, during the 
 late war; Jasper served three years in the same 
 regiment; Luther served in the 21st Iowa for 
 three years, and William served one year on detail 
 in Davenport, Iowa. All the brothers were hon- 
 orably discharged. 
 
 The father of our subject was John Fors3'th, a 
 native of Virginia. He settled with his jjarents in 
 
 Muskingum County, Ohio, when a boy. He 
 bought Government land in that county and cleared 
 a farm on which he lived until 1851, when he 
 removed to Scott County, Iowa, where he remained 
 one year. He then removed to Clinton County, 
 where he bought 400 acres of land, and remained 
 there one year; then moved into Princeton, Scott 
 County, where he built a sawmill on the banks of 
 the Mississippi River. In this venture he was very 
 successful. He sold his mill and bought eighty 
 acres of land near Princeton, which he rented. 
 He lived in the town of Princeton until his death, 
 whicli occurred in February, 1885, aged seventy 
 years. His wife, the mother of our subject, died 
 in 1881. Both parents were of English descent, 
 and were consistent members of the Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 Mr. Forsyth is a member of Ivenesaw Post No. 
 103, G. A. R. In politics he is a thorough-going 
 Republican, taking a lively and active interest in the 
 councils of that party. He is a man of considera- 
 ble prominence in the community in which he 
 lives, and has the esteem and good opinion of all 
 who know him; kind, generous and open-hearted, he 
 has a welcome for each and every one. He is 
 always glad and happy to meet an old army com- 
 rade, and live over again the scenes and incidents 
 of a soldier's life. 
 
 ANIEL W. FOSTER represents both the 
 industrial and farming interests of I^ib- 
 erty, and he is a man of prominence in liiis 
 precinct. He is a verj' skillful mechanic, 
 and also a practical agriculturist, owning a farm of 
 which eighty acres are on section 26, this precinct, 
 and eighty acres in Otoe County. It is well watered, 
 is provided with substantial improvements, and has 
 every facility for conducting farming. On the 
 home farm is a fine bearing orchard of 270 choice 
 ft-nit trees, the place is well stocked, and our subject 
 has some fine horses. He is prominently identified 
 with the Wyoming <fe Liberty Stock Company, 
 having been officially connected with it as Sec- 
 retary. The head of the horses of higii grade 
 owned by the company is "British Lion." He is a 
 
 m 
 
 ^i:^ 
 
 >^h 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 ■•►Hl- 
 
 1152 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 magnificent imported animal, dark bay in color, 
 weighing 1,820 pounds, and five years of age. 
 
 Our subject was born in Wasliington County, III., 
 in the town of Beau(^oup, Jan. 11, 1834. He was 
 the third son born to Andrew and Nancy Jenning 
 (nee Cox) Foster, the father of Irish-Protestant 
 stock, and the mother of English descent. They 
 both died in Washington Counl3', 111., when scarcely 
 past the prime of life, the father at the age of 
 forty-five, and the mother at the age of forty-three. 
 The former was a native of Campbell County, Ky., 
 and received a liberal education in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 Through some misfortune he was crippled in his 
 lower limbs, and chose thesedentar3' life of teacher, 
 for which he was well fitted, being a man of more 
 than ordinary' intelligence and information. He 
 made that profession his business the most of his 
 life until his premature death, going to Washington 
 County for that purpose, and he had a varied ex- 
 perience in his capacity as schoolmaster. 
 
 Our subject was a resident of Ohio from 1853 
 until 18G8. He took a mercantile course at Smith's 
 College, Cincinnati, and also at the school at 
 Granville, Ohio. He completed his education in 
 Fayette County, and learning his trade there 
 of carpenter, followed it for some time in that 
 county. July 20, 1861, our subject threw aside 
 his personal interests to enlist with the brave boys 
 in blue to assist in the defense of the stars and 
 stripes, enlisting in Pickaway County, Ohio, as a 
 member of Company A, 27th Ohio Infantry, and 
 serving in the capacity of mechanic for awhile. 
 He took part in several engagements, was at Corinth 
 and Atlanta, and at the latter place was taken from 
 his duties as mechanic and appointed on speci.nl 
 dutj' as one of the signal service, and by his stead- 
 fast devotion to his work won the encomiums of his 
 superiors. He was raised to the rank of Corporal, 
 and Aug. 17, 1864, after more than three years of 
 hard service, was honorably discharged. He made 
 his way back to Pickaway County, Ohio, and was 
 there married to Letisha McKinley, a native of the 
 North of Ireland. She was born Aug. 3, 1842, and 
 when young came to the United States with her 
 parents, Edward and Ann (Riddle) McKinley. 
 They settled in Pickaway County, Ohio, and there 
 ^ the father died at the age of sixty-eight, and the 
 
 •►Hb^: 
 
 mother in her eighty-first year. Mrs. Foster was 
 only two years old when her parents brought her 
 to this country, and she was reared in Oiiio, know- 
 ing no other home until her marriage. Her parents 
 were very worthy of esteem and respect, and were 
 Protestants in religion. Of the seven children born 
 to our subject and his wife, four are dead — Andrew 
 W., Alma, an infant and Fred. Those living are: 
 Nettie, a gradu.ate of the Lincoln High School, and 
 Mary and Reuben, all at home. 
 
 After marriage Mr. Foster settled in Fayette 
 County, Ohio. Four years later we find him in 
 Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he was engaged as a 
 contractor for two years. Then Kansas claimed him 
 as a citizen, and his next point of settlement was 
 Bismarck, Dak., of which he was the first Justice of 
 the Peace, being one of the earliest settlers. He 
 lived there one j'ear, and then came to Cass County 
 and took up his residence on his present farm, and 
 has ever since been a valued citizen of this com- 
 munitj'. He owns other valuable property in the 
 county besides his farm, and has recently erected 
 in the village of Union a pleasantlj" located busi- 
 ness house of commodious dimensions. Mr. Fos- 
 ter is a man of high moral character, honest, straight- 
 forward and incorruptible, and wields an undoubted 
 influence for good in his community. He is an 
 earnest supporter of tiie Prohibition party in poli- 
 tics, and leads a temperate life in accordance with 
 the principles that he professes. 
 
 ►^+ 
 
 ■<-r- 
 
 JOHN CLEMENTS. This thorough-going 
 and public-spirited gentleman, now a resident 
 of Elmwood, was born in Somersetshire, 
 England, Oct. 26, 1838, coming to this 
 country with his parents when only three years of 
 age, after a long and tedious voyage of six weeks 
 by sailing-vessel from Bristol landing in New York 
 City. The family finally settled in Marcellus, On- 
 ondaga Co., N. Y., where our subject lived with 
 his parents until he attained his majority. Having 
 a strong desire to secure a foothold for himself, he 
 boTight a farm of 120 acres of improved land in 
 that county, and devoted his entire time and at- 
 tention to the cultivation of his farm and raising 
 
 4^ 
 
 
t 
 
 M*- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1153 1 
 
 stock for five j'ears, when he sold out and reraovefl 
 to Skaneateles in tlie same county, where he bought 
 a house and h)t. He remained there a couple of 
 years, engaging in the tobacco trade. In 1868 he 
 sold out and removed to Nebraska, coming by rail 
 to Nebraska City, thence by team to Stove Creek 
 Precinct, where he settled on a homestead on section 
 34, taking up eighty acres of raw land. He broke 
 this prairie with three 3'oke of oxen, planting a 
 grove of ten acres, and an orchard of 200 fine trees, 
 set out l\v himself. He lived on this farm for five 
 years, then proved up and moved to Lincoln, Neb., 
 where he engaged in the grocery and dry-goods 
 business, in i)artnership with his brother. They car- 
 ried on the business for two years, losing mone}' on 
 account of the grasshopper plague, there being no 
 crops, and consequently no mone3- coming into the 
 country. 
 
 The appointment of head janitor in the Peru 
 Normal School wsvs given Mr. Clements in 1875, 
 which necessitated the removal of hisfamilj' to that 
 l)lace. He held this position for five years. In 1880 
 he determined to try farming again, having in the 
 interim bought an addition of 160 acres, making a 
 tract of 240 acres for cultivation. 
 
 Once more on his farm Mr. Clements devoted his 
 attention to general farming and the raising of hogs 
 and cattle. In this he was very successful, and carried 
 it on until 1886. During the two years prior to 
 
 1886 he served as County Commissioner, which oc- 
 cupied about one-half his time, consequently he 
 simply superintended the operations on the farm. 
 He served as County Commissioner, the highest 
 and most responsible office in the county, until 
 .January, 1887. In 1886 he moved into Elmwood, 
 where he bought eigiity acres adjoining, forty of 
 which he laid out as an addition to that town. In 
 August, 1886, the railroad was built through the 
 town, which gave the real-estate business in which 
 our subject was greatly' interested a great impetus. 
 He lias built three large store buildings on D street, 
 besides the large building occupied by the firm of 
 which he is the senior member, devoted to the fur- 
 niture and implement trade, which he began in 
 
 1887 under the firm name of Clements & Elliott, 
 which firm was dissolved in June, 1887, he then 
 taking his son into partnership, under the firm name 
 
 of Clements & Son. He is at present engaged in 
 the purchase and sale of real estate, and has large 
 interesis in Lincoln, the capital city. He still owns 
 the olrl home farm, hut rents it. After the sale of 
 the first addition he platted and sold the other 
 forty acres adjoining Elmwood. 
 
 The father of our subject was George Clements, 
 born in Somersetshire. England ; his mother was 
 Harriet Richards, also born in Somersetshire. His 
 father was a farmer, and came to America in 
 1842, settling in Marcellus, Onondaga Co., N. Y., 
 where he bought 400 acres of improved land, which 
 he operated until the fall of 1864, when he moved 
 into Marcellus, where he lived until 1888. He and 
 his wife are now living with one of his sons on the 
 old homestead, and have reached the advanced age 
 of eighty years. Both are active members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Our subject is one of a family of six children: 
 Infant brothers, Thomas and Charles, are deceased; 
 and Thomas, the second, lives in New York State; 
 1. N. and Ephurem G., in Lincoln, are younger. Isaac 
 N. and E. G. served in the 122d New York In- 
 fantry during the late war. The scene of their serv- 
 ice was laid in the Peninsula, participating in the 
 battles of Chancellorsville, the Wilderness and An- 
 tietam. E. G. was honorably discharged at Alexan- 
 dria. Va., on account of physical disabilitJ^ I. N. 
 served as hospital steward, was shot through his 
 ankle during the battle of the "Wilderness, was taken 
 prisioner by the rebels, who amputated his leg and 
 sent him to Libby Prison, where he remained six 
 months a prisoner of war, when he was paroled and 
 exchanged. L^pon reaching Annapolis, Md., he was 
 honorably discharged. He is at present Principal 
 of the seminary at Cazenovia, N. Y'". 
 
 Mr. Clements was married in Marcellus, N. Y., 
 March 12, 1857, to Miss Sarah J. Barnett, the 
 daughter of William and Maria Barnett. She was 
 born in Marcellus, N. Y. Five children have been 
 born to our subject and his wife, namely: Hattie; 
 Sanford and Samuel, twins, deceased; Byron I. and 
 Albert are living. B3'ron I. married Miss Minnie 
 Bailey, and is the junior partner of the firm of 
 Clements & Son. Albert is at home with his par- 
 ents. 
 
 The beautiful home of Mr. Clements is situated 
 
 •► m ^ - 
 
 H 
 
»► ir^ 
 
 ■•►Hlr 
 
 <k 1154 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 on the corner of F and Second streets. The house 
 is 32x48 feet, the finest in the town; water is sup- 
 plied throughout by a system of pipes from a large 
 reservoir tank which is filled by the operation of a 
 large windmill, and otherwise arranged in the in- 
 terior with every appliance to add to the comfort 
 and well-being of the inmates. The lawn is nicely 
 arranged, and taking the home both inside and out, 
 is the most beautiful place in Cass County, and does 
 great credit to the liberality and enterprise of the 
 owner. But few homes in our cities are better 
 adapted to the giving of pleasure and comfort than 
 that of our subject. 
 
 The citizens of Elrawood are indebted as much 
 if not more to this gentleman than to any other for 
 the prosperity of their town. It is owing rnainly 
 to his efforts and zeal that the Missouri Pacific 
 Railroad was built through the town. After the 
 two surve3's had been made, neither of them going 
 through the town, our subject, with Dr. Hobbs, C. 
 D. Clapp, C. Alton and John Hart, formed a cor- 
 poration between thernselves, and after correspond- 
 ing with and interviewing the Superintendent of 
 the road, and by raising ^1,200 in cash, and giving 
 the right of way and one-half of 160 acres of the 
 town site, they induced the company to abandon 
 the proposed route and lay the road through Elm- 
 wood. The $1,200 was raised by subscription; the 
 eighty acres of land donated the road was given by 
 the five men mentioned, Mr. Clements giving one- 
 fourth, or twenty acres of the amount. The road 
 was completed in 1886. 
 
 In all matters pertaining to the welfare of the 
 people among whom he lives Mr. Clements has 
 taken and occupied a foremost position, being al- 
 ways on the alert to secure for himself and neigh- 
 bors all and every advantage that could possibly be 
 secured by energy and push. He has received and 
 deserved at the hands of his fellow-citizens the most 
 complete confidence and regard, being placed by 
 them in many positions of trust, serving for three 
 j'ears as Countj' Commissioner, which is the highest 
 and most responsible local office within the gift of 
 the people of the county. He is at present Justice 
 of the Peace and Notary Public, a member of the 
 Board of Trustees of Elmwood, and a member of 
 the A. F. & A. M., of Plattsmouth. He is Past 
 
 Chancellor of the K. of P., of Elmwood, and a 
 valued member of the A. O. U. W., of that place. 
 Both himself and wife are members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Ciiurch. He donated the site for and 
 contril)uted largely to the budding of the church 
 edifice. Always generous, large-hearted and genial, 
 he is the ideal citizen of the West. 
 
 In politics Mr. Clements is a strong Republican, a 
 delegate to the State and County Conventions of 
 that party time after time, a conscientious and con- 
 servative member of both the Grand and Petit 
 Juries. He can rejoice in the fact of every duty 
 well and faithfully performed. 
 
 4-1^.^^^1-1-4-- 
 
 ylLLIAM HEROLD is the oldest merchant 
 in Plattsmouth, and he has a well-kept es- 
 tablishment, with an extensive patronage 
 among the best class of people. He represents both 
 the business and public interests of the city, and is 
 numbered among its most enterprising and substan- 
 tial citizens. 
 
 Our subject was born in Bustadt, Saxe-Weimar, 
 Germany, and his father, Gotleib Herold, was a na- 
 tive of the same place. His grandfather, Frederick 
 Herold, was born and reared in France, and served 
 in the French army under Napoleon. He was with 
 that great leader in the raid on Moscow, and in the 
 subsequent terrible retreat through the winter snows. 
 Mr. Herold proved to be so courageous and efficient 
 a soldier that he was made an officer in the army, 
 and he used often to be sent to Russia to buy horses. 
 He was a great admirer of the great commander 
 under whom he fought, and he used to tell his chil- 
 dren many anecdotes concerning him, and also con- 
 cerning the campaigns in which he himself took part. 
 After his retirement from the army he opened a 
 liotel one mile from the county seat of Saxe-Wei- 
 raar, and was for many years profitably engaged as 
 " mine host." He spent his declining years with 
 the mother of our subject, dying at the ripe old age 
 of eighty-four years. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in liis native 
 place, attended school in his3'outh and subsequently 
 learned the trade of butcher. He owned a farm 
 which he managed himself, besides keeping a meat- 
 
 ^H*- 
 
 -•►Hh 
 
»► ir^ 
 
 •«► 
 
 -^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1155 
 
 market in town. He died while yet a yonng man, 
 and left a wife and four children, the names of the 
 latter being Adam Bernhard, William, Gustave and 
 Herman. The mother of our subject spent her 
 whole life in her native country. Being left a 
 widow thus earl J- she faithfully performed the duty 
 of rearing her children to honest and useful lives, 
 thus making them good citizens of their adopted 
 country, for they all came to America in after 
 years. 
 
 William Herold was eight j-ears of age when his 
 father died. He attended school quite regularly 
 until his sixteenth year, and obtained a sound edu- 
 cation. He then bought his time of the Govern- 
 ment until he should be of age, and through his 
 uncle purchased his freedom from railitar}" service, 
 and then he and his brother Gustave set sail from 
 Hamburg in the fall of 1849 in an American-bound 
 vessel. The}- encountered high winds in mid-ocean, 
 and the ship was driven from its course, and the 
 provisions becoming scarce, all on board lived on 
 rice and molasses for two weeks. At length, after 
 a perilous voyage of sixty da3-s, the}' landed in 
 New York. They went directly to LaSalle Countj', 
 111., and our subject found work there with a butcher, 
 receiving §8 a month in payment for his services. 
 At the expiration of a year he left Illinois, crossing 
 the Mississippi to St. Louis, where he worked at the 
 butcher's trade for one year. In 1851 he engaged 
 to go with a man from Illinois to California, to as- 
 sist him in driving a herd of cattle across the plains 
 and mountains. They started from Independence, 
 Mo., in the spring, and made the journey across the 
 wild prairies of the unorganized territor}' now com- 
 prising Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, etc., to their 
 destination in Marysvillc, arriving in October. The 
 traveler of the present day can scarcely realize, as 
 he speeds along over the iron rails in luxurious pal- 
 ace cars, that such an undertaking in those days in- 
 volved many wear\' days and months of slow trav- 
 eling across the mountainous plains and the rugged 
 mountain passes, through a country infested by 
 Indians (who were, perhaps, hostile), and wild ani- 
 mals, such as deer, elk, antelopes and buffaloes. 
 
 Mr. Herolil engaged in Initchering in San Fran- 
 cisco for other parties, and remained there a year. 
 We next hear of him in Drytown, Amador County, 
 
 where he opened a meat-market, which he managed 
 with great profit for two years. He then left Cali- 
 fornia and returned home by the Nicaragua route 
 to New Orleans, and thence up the Mississippi River 
 to Muscatine, Iowa, where he took the stage for 
 Council Bluffs. He then bought two yoke of oxen 
 and pushed on to Omaha, which he found in an em- 
 bryo state, it having just been platted, and contain- 
 ing onlj' from fifteen to twenty houses. He engaged 
 there in breaking the prairie with his teams, receiv- 
 ing §8 an acre for his work. All the land in Ne- 
 braska was then owned by the Government, and for 
 sale at $1.25 an acre, and Indians still inhabited 
 that section of the countr}-. In the fall of 1855 he 
 came to Plattsraouth, which he found to be an in- 
 significant hamlet, with about fifteen houses, about 
 half of which were log structures, and the remain- 
 der small frame buildings. He continued on west 
 of that town and took up a timber claim one mile 
 southwest of the present site of Louisville. After 
 entering his claim he went to Glenwood, Iowa, and 
 opened a general store there. In 1857 he estab- 
 lished a branch store at Plattsmouth, and thus be- 
 came one of the pioneers in the mercantile business 
 in this city. In 1859 he sold out at Glenwood and 
 settled on his land near Louisville, and commenced 
 to improve a farm. In 1862 he came to Platts- 
 mouth to engage in business, opening a general 
 store, which is now the oldest in the city. He has 
 prospered exceedingly, and has built up an exten- 
 sive and paying trade. 
 
 Mr. Herold was married, March 2, 1858, to Miss 
 IClizabeth O'Neil, a native of Hocking County, Ohio, 
 and a daughter of James and Rachel (Aubery) 
 O'Neil, of whom see sketch. Four children have 
 been born of this marriage, namely: James, who 
 married Mar^- Clark, and is in business in Boston; 
 Emma, who is the wife of Frank Hager, of Platts- 
 mouth; Henr3^ and Dora, who are at home with 
 their parents. 
 
 Mr. Herold is a self-made man in the truest sense 
 of the word, owing his good fortune solely to the 
 exercise of his own powers. His conduct in life is 
 guided by good principles, and in all of his trans- 
 actions he is foun(i to be fair and upright. In him 
 the Episcopal Church has a devoted member. As 
 a good citizen he is deeply interested in the welfare 
 
 •►Ht::* 
 
 •►^i-<« 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 1156 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 of the city whose growth he has witnessed and pro- 
 moted, and as one of the Board of Conncilmen 
 for two years, has heartily entered into all schemes 
 looking to its advancement. Politically*, he is a 
 Democrat, firmly believing that the policy of that 
 party, if carried out, would stimulate the various 
 industries of the United States to an unprecedented 
 activity. Socially, he is identified with the A. F. 
 & A. M., Plattsmouth Lodge No. 6, and the I. O. 
 O. F., Plattsmouth Lodge No. 7. 
 
 ^ .^^ ^ 
 
 ^OHN W. SHANNON, now deceased, was one 
 I of the earliest settlers of Plattsmouth, com- 
 ing to this region when there was little indi- 
 cation of the present wealth and prosi)erity 
 of this flourishing city. A native of Colliorne, 
 Northumberland County, Province of Ontario, 
 Canada, he was born in 1821, where he was reared 
 and received a common-school education. Upon 
 approaching manhood he learned the trade of a 
 tailor, at which he was occupied until 1852, then 
 migrated over into the States, and worked at his 
 trade in New York and Ohio for a period of seven 
 years. 
 
 About this time the gold excitement at Pike's 
 Peak attracted thither a large number of men 
 desirous of bettering their condition financially, 
 and Mr. ShannoTi, joining the caravan setting 
 thitherward, made the journey overland across the 
 plains. He at once entered the mines, and met 
 with very good success. He afterward decided to 
 seek another locality. In the meantime he had 
 made the acquaintance of George Gilpin, who gave 
 him a letter of introduction to Kit Carson, at that 
 time Indian Agent at Taos, New Mexico, whither 
 he repaired. He did not remain long, however, in 
 that region, but returning east as far as the pres- 
 ent site of Plattsmouth, concluded to locate here, 
 and here he spent the remainder of his life. 
 
 Mr. Shannon is a man of great energy and enter- 
 prise, and after concluding to make Plattsmouth his 
 headquarters, gathered together teams .and other 
 equipments and commenced freighting across the 
 plains to Denver, and other important military 
 posts in the West. lie was thus occupied until 
 
 •►^ 
 
 in 1864, when, settling down in Plattsmouth, he 
 established in the livery business, and was thus 
 occupied until in 1886. Being now near his three- 
 score years and ten, he decided to recire from act- 
 ive business and accordingly sold out. His death 
 took place Sept. 8, 1888. 
 
 On the 2d of February, 1873, Mr. Shannon was 
 united in marriage with Miss Martha .1. Erway, the 
 wedding taking place at the home of the bride. 
 Mrs. Shennen was born at Three Rivers, St. Joseph 
 Co., Mich., and is the daughter of Albert H. Erway, 
 a native of Tompkins County, N. Y^ The paternal 
 grandparents of Mrs. S. were Charles and Susannah 
 (Corchit) Erway. They settled in St. Joseph 
 Count}' during its pioneer d.ays, and Albert H. re- 
 mained with his parents until approaching manhood. 
 His business career commenced as a clerk in a store 
 of general merchandise. So great was his applica- 
 tion to his duties, his honesty and integrity, that he 
 not only made many friends, but managed his 
 finances wisely that he was enabled to purchase the 
 business of his employer, which lie conducted after- 
 ward for a period of thirteen years. 
 
 In 1852 Mr. Erway started for California, mak- 
 ing the journey via the Isthmus, and landing in 
 San Francisco on the 7th of April. He first en- 
 gaged in mining on Mormon's Island. The winter 
 following, .associating himself with a partner, he 
 purchased a stock of goods in San Francisco, and 
 established himself in business at a place called 
 Fiddletown. and remained there until after the 
 destruction of Sacramento by fire. He then en- 
 g.aged in freighting from Stockton to the mines, 
 making his headquarters at the former place. 
 
 In 1855 Mr. Erway returned to Michigan, and 
 locating in Cass County, occupied himself there 
 until in 1860. He then crossed the Father of 
 Waters again, locating in Iowa, but a year later 
 sought Nebraska Territory, and for a year there- 
 after occupied himself as a hotel-keeper. We next 
 find him in the young cit}' of Denver, where, how- 
 ever, he sojourned but a short time, but migrating 
 farther northwest resumed his old business of 
 freighting, transporting goods from AValla Walla to 
 the mines in Idaho. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. Erway again sought the Pacific 
 Slope, and began freighting to the mountains. 
 •^ 
 
^f^ 
 
 •^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1157 
 
 Later he purchased a ranch sixteen miles below 
 Sacramento, where he lived until 1868 ; then went to 
 Nevada, and again became interested in freighting, 
 doing an extensive business. Here, however, his 
 usual prosperity seemed to have deserted him, as 
 he finally' lost the accumulations of years and was 
 obliged to start anew. His perseverance and reso- 
 lution, however, brought him out a victor from the 
 struggle, and in the course of eighteen months he 
 Lad accumulated 13,000. A part of this, in 1876, 
 he invested in a ranch in Esmeralda County, the 
 Mason Valley, where he engaged extensively in 
 stock-iaising, built a beautiful home, and there 
 spent his last days. He closed his eyes upon earthly 
 scenes on the 8th of March, 1886. 
 
 Mrs. Abigail Jane (Phillips) Erwaj', the mother 
 of Mrs. Shannon, was born in Kentucky. Of this 
 union there were eight children, namely : Benjamin, 
 James, Amanda, Emma, Mark, Martha, Edward 
 and Charles. Mr. Shannon was a member of the 
 Masonic fraternity. 
 
 (^^•HOMAS T. YOUNG. Among the many 
 ((^^^ valuable farms which make South Bend 
 ^^^y Precinct a veritable Garden of Eden, there 
 are none that present to the eye a finer appearance, 
 or are under a higher state of cultivation, than the 
 home farm occupied by the gentleman whose name 
 heads this sketch. He owns and operates a farm of 
 240 acres on section 32, devoting It to general 
 farming and stock-raising. He is a native of Ohio, 
 being born in Pickaway County, June 29, 1844, 
 the 3'onngest child in a famil}' of four, having 
 three sisters older, named Sarah J., Marj' E. and 
 Allie A. They are the children of Thomas and 
 Sarah (Cole) Y'oung. The father was born in 
 Pennsj'lvania, and the mother in Pickawa}' 
 County, Ohio. The parents lived for many years 
 in the northern part of Ohio, when they removed 
 to Iowa in 1852, where thej- settled on the land 
 in what is now Mt. Pleasant. The father died 
 at the present home of our subject in 1874, aged 
 seventy-five 3-ears. The mother still lives in 
 Greenwood, and is now eighty -two years old. 
 
 Our subject was taken to Allen County, Ohio, 
 by his parents, when he was eight years old; he at- 
 
 tended the Union Schools while living in that 
 county, and after his parents migrated with their 
 family to Iowa, he took a course in the Iowa Wes- 
 leyan University. After leaving this school, he 
 engaged in business in Iowa as a clerk. Not feel- 
 ing satisfied with the possibilities of his position, 
 and hoping to advance his interests favorably, he 
 went to Colorado in 18C4, where he engaged in 
 farming in El Paso Count}'. The results of this 
 venture did not entirely satisfy him, and after five 
 years' experience he came in 1869 to Eight Mile 
 Grove Precinct, this county. 
 
 Mr. Y''onng was married to Miss Susie Creamer, 
 a daughter of Cyrus and Sarah Creamer. This Lad}' 
 was born in Indiana, and at the age of three or 
 four years, her parents moved to Bloomington, 
 111., where they resided for several years, when 
 they again moved, this time from Illinois to Ne- 
 braska, where they finally settled in Eight Mile 
 Grove Precinct. This lad}' was then about twelve 
 years of age. She resided at home with her par- 
 ents, taking her part in the various household 
 duties pertaining to their home, attending school, 
 and otherwise preparing herself for a life of use- 
 fulness. She has become the mother of eight chil- 
 dren, five of whom are living, named: Eva M., 
 Mary E.. P'rank T., Alice E. and Myra B. Her par- 
 ents were natives of Indiana. 
 
 Since his filial settlement on his present farm, 
 Mr. Young has devoted his time and attention to 
 the improvement of his land, and the raising of 
 stock for the general market. The improvements' 
 which he has from time to time placed on his 
 farm, are of the most substantial and solid na- 
 ture, and built with a view of being permanent and 
 lasting. He has good barns which are models of 
 their class; large and roomy, they are aclmirably 
 arranged for their intended use. His cattle sheds, 
 corn cribs, granaries, and the sheds for the protec- 
 tion of the various farming machinery, are first 
 class in every respect. He feels that successful 
 farming depends largely on taking proper care of 
 the animals and implements on a farm. He is 
 wide-awake, pushing, and well informed in his busi- 
 ness, possessing an eminently practical knowledge, 
 derived from experience and observation, of all the 
 details pertaining to farming and stock-raising. 
 
 t^t-M* 
 
.J^ 
 
 1158 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 t= 
 
 The flue frame residence in wliich our subject 
 resides occupies a commanding location, and is 
 one of tlie most tastily built residences in tlie pre- 
 cinct, is nicely furnished tliroughout, and contains 
 the latest improvements for reducing the labor of 
 housekeeping to the smallest |>ossible amount. His 
 wife, who is at the head of his domestic establish- 
 ment, is a handsome and most excellent lady in all 
 respects. She takes a pardonable pride in the in- 
 ternal arrangements of her home, which is certainly 
 justifiable, for it reflects great credit on her judgment 
 and artistic taste. She is genial and hospitable, 
 which qualities make her a leading spirit in the 
 social life of the locality. Herself and husband 
 are earnest and consistent members of the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church. They carry their religion into 
 their everyday life and live fully up to their con- 
 ception of what a true Christian should be. Mr. 
 Young has filled acceptably' to his neighbors and 
 with credit to himself various public otBces, being 
 elected Assessor for two terms, was also from 1871 
 to 1880 an active member of the School Board. 
 He served on the Grand and Petit Juries of the 
 county, in which latter position he discharged his 
 duties in an impartial manner. In politics Mr. 
 Young is a Republican. 
 
 ■jl^aCOLAS YOUNG has a farm of 200 acres 
 I )/) ^^'T pleasantly located, partly on Weeping 
 11\,£L) Water Creek, on section 27, Liberty Pre- 
 cinct. It is well watered, well stocked, and well 
 improved, comparing favorably in all respects with 
 the best of the many fine farms in this section of 
 Cass County. Our subject is a representative 
 farmer and citizen of his precinct and county, and 
 is eminently' wortliy of a place in this biograph- 
 ical work. 
 
 He was born in Berlin, Germany, May 3, 1826, 
 and was reared and educated in one of the Rhine 
 Provinces, some fifty miles from that capital. His 
 father, Simon Young, was a laboring man, and 
 worked in a tobacco factory. He married a lady 
 of the same town as himself, and they are both now 
 deceased, he dying at the age of sixty -six and she in 
 
 the prime of life, when our subject was but six 
 years old. They were both people whose blame- 
 less lives and honest, industrious habits gained 
 them the respect of their neighbors. Mr. Young 
 was a Lutheran in his religious belief, and was ever 
 faithful to the tenets of his church. In early 
 manhood Mr. Young, of whom we write, sought 
 the United States of America, this Mecca of so 
 many of his compatriots, after having plied tlie 
 trade of stonemason in the Fatherland nine years, 
 hoping to secure more profitable wages here in re- 
 turn for his labors. That was in the year 1854, 
 and lie made his way to St. Louis, and followed 
 his trade in that city more or less until he came to 
 Nebraska and turned his attention to farming in 
 1856. He spent the first year after his arrival in 
 Wyoming Precinct, Otoe County, and in 1859 
 came to Cass Count}'. He pre-empted eighty acres 
 of land, and immediately entered upon the labor of 
 improving it, and later he bought the 120 acres 
 where he now resides, and has 200 acres of well- 
 tilled land, provided with buildings and every- 
 thing needed for successful!}' prosecuting his work. 
 July 5, 1860, our subject took one of the most 
 important steps of his life, in his marriage with 
 Miss Maria Schmitz, who has ably assisted him in 
 building up their comfortable home. She was born 
 in German}', Sept. 17, 1833, and is the daughter 
 of John and Catherine (Bonsen) Schmitz, now 
 both deceased, her father having died at a good 
 old age, and her mother in the prime of life, when 
 her daughter, Mrs. Young, was a child of three 
 years. Mr. Schmitz was a tailor by trade. Mrs. 
 Young was reared and educated in Germany, and 
 was twenty-three years old when she came to the 
 United States and took up her home in Nebraska. 
 She is the mother of nine children, four of whom 
 are dead — John W., Andrew, Henry and Peter. 
 The remaining children are Fred W., Simon, Anna 
 M. and Anna Frances (twins), and Charles E., and 
 all are at home with their parents. jMr. and Mrs. 
 Young are Lutherans in their religious belief, and 
 are active in the church. Mr. Young is independ- 
 ent in politics, always exercising his reason in 
 casting his ballot, and voting for those men whom 
 he thinks will best serve the country, without re- 
 gard to their political affiliations. 
 ■ 4^ 
 
 t 
 
h= 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 116L ik 
 
 RANCIS R. GUTPBIAXN, a capitalist of 
 
 PPlattsmoutli.is numbered among the wenlMiy 
 and substantial citizens of Cass County. lie 
 has now practically retired from business, alMiont^h 
 he still supervises his extensive interests. II3 has 
 contributed largely to the upbuilding of the city, 
 and ha.s a great deal of property here, including a 
 handsome residence, the best hotel of the place, and 
 two smaller ones, besides stores and other buildings. 
 Mr. Guthmann was born in the village of Wald- 
 hausen. near Buchen, in the Graud Duchy of Bidjn. 
 
 husband, and ten of them grew to maturity. Caro- 
 line married Peter Rauen; Helen married Valentine 
 Egenberger; Charles, who served in the 3d Missouri 
 Regiment under Gen. Sigel for four j^ears, and 
 afterward settled in Lancaster County, Neb., died 
 at the home of our subjei't in 1882; Maria L. 
 married Benjamin Hempel; William, who served in 
 the German Arm}^, died in Plattsmouth in 1884; 
 our subject w.as the nest in order of birth; then 
 Maria Catherine, who married J. V. Weekbach, of 
 whom sea sketch on .another page of this book; 
 
 ll'lltlhl 
 
 •►HH^: 
 
 RESIDENCE OF F. R. GUTHMANN, cornes of 
 Germany, .Tuly 2, 1841. His parents. Francis and 
 Anna Maria (Gramlich) Guthmann, were natives of 
 the same place, as were also their parents. The 
 paternal grandfather of our subject owned a farm 
 there and was a lifelong resident of that place. His 
 father, Francis Guthmann, was reared to agricult- 
 ure, which he pursued in his native land until his 
 death, Nov. 2C, 1875. His wife, Anna Jlaria, was 
 born in a village near her husband's birthplace, and 
 spent her last years in the home where .all of her 
 married life was passed. She died Dec. 11, 1860. 
 There were fourteen children born to her and her 
 
 Fourth and Locust Sts., Plattsmouth, Neb. 
 John F. M. died in his native village; Fred and 
 Oswald are the youngest msmbers of the family. 
 Seven of these are living in Nebraska, and all in 
 Cass Countj-. with the exception of Fred, who is a 
 resident of Seward County. 
 
 Francis R. received an excellent education in the 
 Fatherland, attending school pretty steadily in his 
 boyhood until he was fourteen years of age. He 
 then assisted his father in tiie labors of the farm 
 until the month of December, 185(1, when he and 
 one of his sisters set sail from London, and landed 
 in New York Feb. D. 1857. Another bro'her and 
 
 i» 
 
1 1 62 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 sister had preceded them, and they joined them in 
 Davenport, lOwa, where they had settled. Our sub- 
 ject had come to America with but little means, 
 and he immediately set about procuring work that 
 he might better his financial condition. The first 
 year of his stay in this country he was employed 
 at the saddler's trade. In 1859 he started with a 
 party bound for Pike's Peak in search of gold. 
 Going from Davenport with teams, they traversed 
 the wild prairies of Iowa, and crossing the Missouri 
 River at Plattsmouth, then an insignificant hamlet, 
 they pushed on across the plains through the Ter- 
 ritory of Nebraska to near Ft. Kearne.y, where they 
 were stayed in their course by meeting many weary 
 and disappointed emigrants returning from Pike's 
 Peak with very discouraging reports, so the party 
 concluded to abandon their purpose. Our subject's 
 brother decided to take up a claim in Nebraska, and 
 selected a tract of land in Lancaster County, about 
 ten miles east of the present site of Lincoln, which 
 was then a wild, open prairie, owned by the Gov- 
 ernment, and for sale at $1.25 an acre. Indians 
 still lingered in that part of the country, and deer, 
 elk .and wolves roamed at will over the plains. Our 
 subject was then too young to make a claim to some 
 land, so he returned to civilization. He spent two 
 months in St. Louis, and then went to St. Joseph 
 and worked in a bakery. After thoroughly mas- 
 tering that trade, he engaged in pantry work in the 
 Pacific House in that city, remaining there until 
 1863. He then crossed the plains to Denver, and 
 there engaged as pastry cook in the Planters' 
 Hotel, then the leading hotel in Denver. Ten 
 months later, in February, 1864, he left that place, 
 and, with others, started with six wagons for that 
 part of Idaho now included in the Territorj- of 
 Montana. While traveling in the mountains the 
 party encountered severe storms and nearly per- 
 ished. In one place they were five days making 
 seven miles, and one night the wolves killed and 
 devoured one of the mules. On the 15th of May 
 the party arrived at Virginia City, and there le.arned 
 that it had been reported that they had all perished 
 in the mountains. Mr. Guthmann oitened a bake 
 shop and boarding-house in that city, but his resi- 
 dence in that part of the country was of short du- 
 \\ \ ration, as in the f.<ill of 1864 he came to Platts- 
 
 mouth to invest his money in city property, and 
 made arrangements to erect a store building. In 
 1865 he returned to the mountains and established 
 a b.akery and boarding-house in Blackfoot City, 
 Deer Lodge Co., Mont., conducting both with good 
 financial success until 1868, when he again came to 
 Plattsmouth. He engaged in the bakery business 
 here, and the following year added pork packing. 
 In 1870 he opened a billard h.ill, and in 1871 a 
 grocery store, giving his personal attention to these 
 varied enterprises until 1874, all the while carrying 
 on his bakery. He then sold the grocery store, 
 but continued to manage the billard hall until 
 1881. Since that time he has not been engaged in 
 any actual business, but devotes himself to the 
 supervision' of his multiplicity of interests, from 
 which he derives an ample income. Mr. Guthinann 
 is a man of great enterprise; he has a clear head 
 for business, and displays much tact .and shrewd- 
 ness in his various undertakings. He has done 
 much toward building up Plattsmouth, having 
 erected two dwelling-houses and three stores, be- 
 sides other buildings. The brick hoiise which he 
 occupies with his f.imily is one of the finest in the 
 city, and was erected in 1886. Mr. Guthmann is a 
 stockholder in the Citizens' Bank, also in the Bank 
 of Cass County, and also in the Plattsmouth Can- 
 ning Factory, of which he is President. He has 
 taken an honorable part in public affairs, having 
 been a member of the City Council. He h.as always 
 been identified with the Democrats in his political 
 affiliations. 
 
 Mr. Guthmann was united in marriage to Anna 
 M. Pankratz, Jan. 10, 1878, and to them have been 
 born four children — Nellie. Ch.arles F. M., Henry 
 A. J. .and Minnie T. Tliey have also an adopted 
 daughter, Annie. Mrs. Guthmann was born in 
 Manitowoc County, AVis., Nov. 24, 1860, and is a 
 daughter of Joseph and Katrina (Bruner) Pan- 
 kratz, natives of Bavaria. They were reared and 
 married in that country, and resided there until 
 1853. In that year they crossed the water to the 
 United States, and located in Manitowoc County, 
 Wis., being early settlers of that part of the coun- 
 try. jMr. Pankratz Ijought a tract of timber land, 
 and first erected a round log house to shelter his 
 family, and then commenced to clear a farm from 
 
 ^^ 
 

 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1163 
 
 the wiUlerness. Later he erected a substantial, 
 two-story, hewed log house, and other necessary 
 farm buildings, and resided there until his death 
 in 1863. His widow is still living on the old 
 homestead. There were eight children in their 
 family, as follows: Anton, who died at the old 
 home in 1888; Mary, who married Joseph Lem- 
 berger, is now deceased; Katrina, who married 
 Joliu Steiner. and lives in Manitowoc County, 
 Wis. ; Theresa, who married Henry Fetzer, and 
 lives in Lancaster County, Neb.: Frances, who 
 married Fabian Heitzraann, and lives in Gage 
 County, Neb.; Joseph, wlio lives in Manitowoc 
 County; Mrs. Guthmaiin; Maggie, who married 
 John Smith, and lives in Manitowoc County, Wis. 
 The life of Mr. Gutlimann has been an active 
 one, full of enterprise and stirring incident, and 
 through all he preserved the cool headedness and 
 good judgment which enabled him to acquire the 
 fortune lie is now enjoying. On an adjoining page 
 appears an excellent portrait of this well-known 
 resident. 
 
 !f/__ ON. A. M. ROSE, an honored resident of 
 jr^^ Union Village, occupies an honoral)le place 
 jlwjjf among the prominent pioneers of Nebraska^ 
 (^\ who were its earliest settlers. He settled in 
 Nebraska City before it was surveyed, and at the 
 time there were but very few settlements of whites 
 in the wliole Territorj', it then being tlie home (^f 
 tiie Indian. Mr. Rose is tlioroughly conversant 
 with the early history of this portion of the groat 
 AVest. and converses very interestingly of his ex- 
 periences here at the time, and of the many i)ioneer 
 incidents that fell under his notice. It was the cus- 
 tom for settlers coming here then to pay tribute to 
 the Indians for the noble privilege of settling on 
 this side of the Missouri River. This was to prevent 
 thievery by the redskins, as there was then no law 
 to protect the property of the white settlers in In- 
 dian Tenilory.nnd the sum nf uKiney exacted was 
 $10 for the men who had stock and $u for those 
 who did not. 
 
 When Mr. Ri *-■ first crossed the Missoui'i at Ne- 
 braska City lie found only a few buildings besides 
 ' the aliandoned forts of the Government, and a 
 
 ■<^ 
 
 wild and desolate country surrounding the town, 
 which was then known as Ft. Kearney. It was at 
 about that time that Maj. Gatewood, Indian agent 
 for the Otoes and other Indian tribes on this side 
 of the Missouri River, acting under instructions 
 from the United States Government, ordered the 
 settlers off their lands in this State. This order, 
 however, was never executed, as Maj. Gatewood 
 himself did not favor the idea, and through Maj. 
 Downs succeeded in circulating the report that the 
 settlers would leave, and that seemed to satisfy the 
 authorities at Washington. Maj. Downs, who was 
 one of the original settlers of Nebraska City, and 
 once owned a large part of its present site, had 
 charge of the abandoned forts of the Government 
 at that point. He was one of the most prominent 
 men in the Territory, and he and his wife were 
 particular friends of the natives and exerted great 
 influence over them, understanding their language 
 and customs, and the Indians placed implicit con- 
 fidence in them and would swear by them. This 
 trust proved of great advantage to Mrs. Downs, as 
 at one time her rights to a claim that her husband 
 had taken were tlireatened by a quarrelsome man 
 who lived on the Iowa side. But by the aid of her 
 savage .allies iMrs. Downs was enabled to hold her 
 own despite his attempts to wrest her land from 
 her. All such incidents in the early history of Ne- 
 braska are perfectly familiar to Mr. Rose, as he was 
 acquainted with every man (official or civilian), 
 woman and child for miles around. He carried the 
 chain for Charles Pierce and Dr. Dewey, the gen- 
 tlemen who made the first survey of the city. In 
 Territorial days our subject took a conspicuous 
 part in the management of public affairs, and in 
 185.T represented Cass and Otoe Counties in the 
 Second Territorial Legislature that was convened 
 in Nel)raska. 
 
 In the spring of 18.59 Mr. Rose returned to his 
 old home in Trumbull County, Ohio, and remained 
 there six years. On his return to this part of the 
 country a second time he settled on land in Cass 
 County. On his first arrival in Nebraska he en- 
 tered land that is now occupied by the packing- 
 house. He afterward sold that place, and coming 
 to Liberty Precinct, purchased a farm on the banks 
 of Weeping Water Creek, not far from its mouth, 
 ..^ -•► 
 
 f 
 
t•>-^f^ 
 
 ■•►HI 
 
 1164 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 and here he began to build up an entirely new- 
 home from the wild prairie, in which he lived 
 nntil his recent retirement from active life to a 
 pleasant place in Unionville. lie has a good farm 
 of 100 acres, which he has put in a fair state of 
 imjirovement. 
 
 Mr. Rose was born in the township of Bristol, 
 Trumbull Co.. Ohio, Jan. 1, 1824, and was tiiere 
 reared and educated. He learned the cooper's 
 trade, but never followed it after he came West. 
 His father, Ira Rose, was a shoemalcer by calling, 
 and ran a small f.arm at the same time He was a 
 native of Connecticut, and came of an old New 
 England familj^ of English extraction. He grew 
 to manhood in the State of his nativity, there 
 learned his trade, and later was married, Julia 
 Maltby, also of Connecticut birth, and of simi- 
 lar parentage and descent, becoming his wife. She 
 nKjved with her husband to Trumbull County. 
 Ohio, when that county and State were almost 
 an unbroken wilderness, and a few years after 
 their advent there she died, leaving four children. 
 Mr. Rose married for his second wife Mrs. Betsy 
 Barnes, nee Morley, a native of Massachusetts, com- 
 ing of a good family. It is thought that she mar- 
 ried her first husband in Ohio. To her and Mr. 
 Rose were born five children, of whom our subject 
 was the eldest. She was a woman of exceptionallj' 
 fine character, and her death, in 1 844, was a seri(His 
 loss to her family. Mr. Rose was married a tiiird 
 time, Laura Preston becoming his wife. Thej- 
 subsequently moved to Geauga County, Oliio, and 
 there Ira Rose died, at the age of nearly fourscore 
 j'ears. He was a man whom to know was to re- 
 spect, as his every act and deed were governed liy 
 right motives, and his integrity was unquestioned. 
 
 The Hon. A. M. Rose, of this biographical notice, 
 was married in Bristol Township, Ohio, Oct. 8, 
 1845, Miss Sobrina Webster becoming his wife, and 
 for over forty 3'ears they have traveled life's road 
 together as true and devoted companions. jNIrs. 
 Rose was born March 28, 1824, in Chautauqua 
 County, N. Y., her parents being Joseph and Olive 
 (Ackley) Webster, likewise natives of the Emi)ire 
 State. They were reared and married there, the 
 latter event occurring in Chautauqua County, where 
 they began life together as fai'mers nvar Dunkirk. 
 
 In 1834 they removed with their family to Ohio, 
 and settled on a farm in Bristol Township, and 
 there both departed this life, Mr. Webster in 1859, 
 when about seventy-eight years old, and his wife 
 some years before, when less than sixty years of 
 age. She was an active member of the Christian 
 Church, and he of the Methodist. In politics he 
 was a sound Whig. BIrs. Rose was one of the 
 youngest of eight children, all girls, born to her 
 parents, all of whom lived to be married and rear 
 families, and three of them are 3'et living. Mrs. 
 Rose was reared in her father's home and edu- 
 cated in Ohio, and since marriage has been one of 
 those whole-souled, faithful wives, loving and wise 
 mothers, and of her happy marriage seven children 
 have been born, of whom four died in infanc}'. Those 
 living are: G. Albert, a store-kee|)er in Union, who 
 married . Elizabeth Dodge; Laila K., the wife of 
 Charles Barrow, a farmer in Libertj' Precinct; and 
 Virgil E., at home, is going to manage his father's 
 farm, as he is now nearly twenty-one years old. 
 
 Our subject is a man of acknowledged integrity', 
 of unblemished honor, broad and liberal in liis 
 views of life and its mauy problems, and of more 
 than average vigor of mind. Such a man w.as an 
 invaluable citizen in pioueer diys, and is not less 
 so at the present time. Mrs. Rose is a devoted 
 membei- of the Cumberland Presl)3-terian Church, 
 while Mr. Rose, holding advanced opinions on re- 
 ligious questions, has not identified himself with 
 any church, although Ciutributing liberally to the 
 one in which his wife is interested. He Ikis liceii 
 an active local politician, and has nhvays voted the 
 Republican ticket. 
 
 ON. J.VMKS .M. IIIGGINS, a resident of 
 Tipton Precinct, at present (I8S.S) repre- 
 sents his district in the State Senate, and is 
 spoken highly of Uy his constituents, mem- 
 bers of the Democratic I'arty. He was elected to the 
 olfice in the fall of ISSfj, and is disciiarging his du- 
 ties in a conscientious and intelligent manner. The 
 present Assembly is the twentieth session of the 
 Nebraska Legislature, find tliei'e are naturally many 
 interesting questions I'OusUintly arising, especially 
 
 ->Hil- 
 
•►41^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 llGo 
 
 that pertaining to the relations between capital and 
 labor, in which subject Mr. Higi^ins is especially 
 interested. He is a man of good sound sense, self- 
 educated, and has had a practical experience in 
 life, which enables him to take a practical view of 
 tliose interests most nearly affecting the common 
 people. 
 
 A native of Franklio County, Ohio, our subject 
 was born near the city of Columbus, then in its in- 
 fancy, Nov. 22, 1826. His parents were Samuel and 
 Perraelia (Patrick) Higgins, the former a native of 
 Prince George County, Md., and the latter born 
 near Petersburg, in Virginia, in 1803. The pater- 
 nal grandfather, Samuel Higgins, Sr., also a native 
 of Maryland, emigrated to Ohio soon after it had 
 been admitted into the Union as a State, and prior 
 to the War of 1812. He converted a portion of the 
 wilderness into a well-regulated farm, became 
 prominent as a stock-raiser, and there spent the re- 
 mainder of his days. He was a substatial citizen 
 in all respects. 
 
 Grandfather Thomas Patrick was a native of 
 Ireland, and upon emigrating to America settled 
 first in the Old Dominion. Thence he too emi- 
 grated to Franklin County, Ohio, and carried on 
 agriculture successfully until resting from his 
 earthly labors. Samuel Higgins, the father of our 
 subject, was a lail twelve years of age when he went 
 with his family to Ohio, and was reared among the 
 pioneer scenes of the Buckeye State. He possessed 
 a large portion of the business talents of his father, 
 speculated considerably in lands, andrdso operated 
 as a stock-buyer, at the same time carrying on the 
 cultivation of his farm, which he cleared from the 
 wilderness. He was at one period in his life the 
 owner of a fine property, but by an unfortunate 
 venture lost the whole of it. He only lived to be 
 middle aged, dying in 1843, when forty-two years 
 old. He was a man of strong character and de- 
 cided views, and was regarded as one of the 
 shrewdest business men in Franklin County. 
 
 The mother of our subject survived her husband 
 a period of forty-five years. She was a second 
 time married, to Jacob Myers, who died in 1858. 
 After his death she remained a widow until her 
 death, in March, 1888, at the home of our subject, 
 at the advanced age of eighty-four years. The 
 
 parental family included five children, namely: 
 James Madison, our subject; Tabitha A., who died 
 when forty years old ; John, a resident of Jefferson 
 County, this State; Sir.ih and Sxrauel, vvho died in 
 infancy. John during the late Civil War served 
 in the Missouri State Militia. 
 
 Our subject pursued his first studies in the sub- 
 scription schools of the Hawkeye State, and at the 
 age of fifteen entered the academy at Columbus, 
 where he spent two years. He made his home at 
 the farm until reaching his majority, and being a 
 bright and observant youth became possessed of a 
 fund of useful information, which paved the way to 
 his future success. At the age of eighteen he 
 ofSuiated as a pedagogue three months, and after- 
 ward, going to Columbus, began an apprenticeship 
 at the carpenter trade. He worked at the bench, 
 however, only about eighteen months, then resumed 
 teaching, but later worked as a carpenter during the 
 summer season and taught school in winter for 
 several years thereafter. 
 
 In the spring of 1847 Mr. Higgins was given the 
 post of superintendent of repairs and bridge 
 builder of the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad. 
 This occupied his time for three years. In the 
 meantime he put up the first depot in the present 
 flourishing city of Springfield, Ohio, among other 
 structures of note at that time. Later we find him 
 a contractor in connection with the county court- 
 house, and in the winter of 1850 he taught school 
 in Marion Count3-, Ohio. The spring following he 
 was married, and settled upon a farm in Marion 
 County, pursuing farming and carpentering for 
 the four years following. 
 
 In the spring of 185 4, determined upon seeing 
 something of the Great West, Mr. Higgins started 
 overland with a team for Iowa, and distinguished 
 himself as one of the first settlers of Clark Count}'. 
 He purchased in the forest 320 acres of Govern- 
 ment land, constructed a sawmill on Long Creek, 
 speculated in land, and sojourned there until the 
 outbreak of the war. He watched the course of the 
 struggle a year, and then, seeing no prospect of its 
 termination, proffered his services as a Union 
 soldier in Company B, 18th Iowa Infantr}', and 
 was assigned to the Army of the West and oper- 
 ated on the frontier. Later thej' were ordered 
 
 »► II < »■ 
 
 ?^h 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 11G6 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 "^V 
 
 to foil! Sherman's aimj- at Cairo, Jll., wliciue tliey 
 ])i()C'ee(led to St. Louis anrl from tlitie to Spring- 
 field, Mo. 
 
 At this point a corps was organized, and they 
 proceeded to do battle with the rebels and 
 guerrillas in that vicinitj'. during which time 'Mr. 
 Higgins was assigned to provost dnt}- at Springfield, 
 Mo., for a period of eleven im nllis. In the fall of 
 1863 he went with his regiment after the rebel 
 General, Price, in the northern part of the Slate, 
 driving him across the Arkansas River, Vhen pro- 
 ceeded to Ft. Smith, remaining there on post duty 
 until April, 1864. 
 
 The regiment of our subject was now assigned 
 to tiie command of Gen. Thayer, and sent to the 
 vicinity of Camden, Ark. They skirmished thirty 
 days toward Camden, and were nearly starved to 
 death on account of failure of expected forage. 
 About that time was fought the battle of Parsons 
 Springs, when the regiment was nearij' cut to 
 pieces, but Mr. Higgins fortunately escaped with a 
 few others to Camden. Thence they wem sent 
 back to Ft. Smith, where tbey remained until the 
 close of the war, being mustered out on the26lhof 
 August, 1865. 
 
 Our subject now proceeded homeward as rapidly 
 as steam could take him, and resumed the peaceful 
 pursuits of agriculture and carpentering, combined 
 with stock-raising. He had in the meantime estab- 
 lished a sawmill in Clarke County, which he now 
 sold, together with other propert)', and changed his 
 residence to Page County. In this latter he pur- 
 chased 160 acres of land, upon which he effected 
 considerable improvement, and rented 400 acres 
 besides, operating thus an area of 560 acres. This 
 employed his time and attention until the spring of 
 1878. 
 
 Mr. Higgins now disposed of his interests in the 
 Hawkeye State and started for Nebraska over- 
 land with teams, crossing the Missouri at Nebraska 
 City and made his way to Tipton Precinct, this 
 county, locating shortly afterward on section 11, 
 securing 120 acres of land, which he still owns and 
 occupies. Upon this not a furrow had been 
 turned, and there was no evidence that its soil had 
 ever been pressed b^' the foot of a white man. Af- 
 ter providing a shelter for his family Mr. Higgins 
 
 liegan planting fiuit and forest trees, and erected, 
 as his means justified, the buildings, one after 
 another, necessary for his comfort and convenience. 
 A noticeable feature in the htmrsttad is the fine 
 grove of 150 maple and eottonwood trees, which 
 retain their living green in winter and summer alike, 
 and serve to make a most pleasant picture in the 
 landscape. A large portion of the farm is enclosed 
 with hedge fencing, and for the last few years Mr. 
 Higgins has given his attention largely to stock- 
 raising, keeping about twelve head of horses and a 
 goodly assortment of cattle and swine. The present 
 residence was completed in the spring of 1878, and 
 is in every respect suitable to the requirements of 
 the modern household. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Higgins with Miss May 
 Stiverson took place in Marion County, Ohio, 
 March 28, 1851. This lady was born in that countj', 
 in 1827, and is the youngest of seven children, the 
 offspring of David and Mary (Barnes) Stiverson, 
 who were natives respectively of Kentucky and 
 Ohio. The father was numbered among the well- 
 to-do farmers of the Bucke3'e State, and with his 
 estimable partner, is now deceased. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Higgins there w-ere born nine children, the 
 eldest of whom, Byron, is farming in Page County, 
 Iowa; Elon is the wife of David i^dwards, a well- 
 to-do farmer of Washington County, Kan.; John, 
 who has inherited a large portion of his father's 
 enterprise, is stock-buyer for the Occidental Pro- 
 vision Company, at Lincoln, this State, where he 
 resides; William M. is residing in Tipton Precinct, 
 this county; Mary J. is the wife of D. Allen, a far- 
 mer of Custer County, this State; James M., Jr., is 
 farming in Dundee County, together with his 
 brother Frank; Charles is at home with his parents; 
 Permelia died when three years old. 
 
 Mr. Higgins in the spring of 1882 consented to 
 become the candidate of his party for the State 
 Legislature, being on the minority ticket, but was 
 defeated by a small majority. Two years later he 
 again ran on the Democratic ticket, and was elected 
 a member of the Nineteenth General Assembly, 
 serving with credit to himself and satisfaction to 
 his constituents. In 1886 he was made a State 
 Senator. Prior to this he had frequently been sent 
 as a delegate to the various conventions of his 
 
 I N 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 11G7 
 
 paity, in which he has been an industrious worker. 
 He is one of the oldest members of tiie Masonic 
 fraternity in this county, with which he identified 
 liiraself in 1856 while a resident of Iowa. He also 
 is a member of the R. A. M., and of the G. A. R., 
 at Elm wood. Religiously, he is an adherent of tiie 
 Baptist Church. 
 
 Mr. Higgins entered the army as a private, but 
 upon the organization of his company was made 
 an Orderly Sergeant, in wiiich capacity he served 
 five months, and was then promoted to the rank of 
 Second Lieutenant. He was mustered out of this 
 company as such and mustered into the same com- 
 pany again as First Lieutenant. Later he was ton- 
 <lered the office of Captain, but preferred to operate 
 as First Lieutenant. Later he was detailed as 
 Regimental Quartermaster, serving as such until 
 the close of the war. His army record was credit- 
 able in the extreme. 
 
 "ffJACOB DOMINGO, an energetic and pros- 
 || perous farmer, resides on the highly im- 
 ^^ I! proved farm on section 30; Mt. Pleasant 
 ^^/ Precinct. He is a native of Denmark, 
 where he was born March 16, 1836, but is now an 
 American citizen, through and through. He is a 
 son of John and Ellen Domingo, both natives 
 of Denmark, and is one of a family of four chil- 
 dren. Mincus is at home in the old country; 
 Christian is deceased; John lives in Centre Precinct, 
 Cass Co., Neb., and Jacob, our subject. The early 
 years of his life, until he attained his majority, 
 were passed in his native country, where he received 
 a good education in his native tongue. When he 
 arrived in America he possessed no knowledge of 
 the English language, but by close application he 
 has mastered it to such an extent that he can speak 
 it very fluently. He is well informed on current 
 events. 
 
 The life of our subject, when not in school, was 
 passed on a farm, where he took his full share of 
 the labor and duties. After he had obtained his 
 education he felt there would be a greater scope for 
 his powers in the New World, and in consequence of 
 this decision, in the autumn of 1877, started for 
 
 America, taking passage from Copenhagen on No- 
 vember 3d, in a steamer of the Anchor Line, which 
 landed him in New York City November 17th of 
 that year. He at once came westward to Ford 
 County, 111., where he farmed as a renter for sev- 
 eral years. In the spring of 1882 he came to Ne- 
 braska and settled on his present farm, where he 
 has resided ever since. He owns 160 acres of good 
 land, which he has brought to a good state of cul- 
 tivation. AVhen he bought the land there were no 
 improvements on it, but by energy and hard labor 
 he has so improved it that it is now in excellent 
 condition, considering the length of time which he 
 has owned it. 
 
 Our subject has begun his improvements in a 
 systematic manner, and has a well defined plan 
 which he is putting into effect as fast as time and 
 circumstances will allow, and, when completed, no 
 farm in the State will be better arranged or more 
 convenient than his. With the exception of .some 
 $400 which he received from the estate of his 
 father, he has had no assistance from any source 
 whatever, having to depend entirely on his own 
 efforts to reach the desired end, which makes him 
 in all respects a truly self-made man. 
 
 Mr. Domingo was married to Annie M. Ander- 
 son, Nov. 20, 1884. The lady was a native of Wis- 
 consin, where she was born Nov. 3, 1862. She is 
 the daughter of Peter and Annie M. Anderson. 
 Her father is a native of Denmark. He located in 
 Wisconsin for a time after coming to America, then 
 removed to Ford County, 111., where he now lives. 
 The lady's mother was a native of Denmark, and 
 is now deceased. Her father was married the sec- 
 ond time, and is the head of a family of twelve 
 children, eight of whom are living, named: An- 
 drew, Annie M., Peter; Christiana, who is now the 
 wife of Nelse Robison; Annie, Jennie, Lizzie and 
 Lena. To our subject and wife there has been 
 born one daughter, Annie E., Dec. 15, 1887. 
 
 Our subject and his wife are active members of 
 the Lutheran Church, conscientious and consistent 
 in their profession. They take an important part 
 in all social matters of their neighborhood. In 
 politics he is a Democrat, is wide-awake and pro- 
 gressive, believing , in the greatest good for the 
 greatest number, and enters heartily into any pro- 
 
 ■ ► IL» ' 
 
>► ,1 1 < >■ 
 
 -•► 
 
 <t 
 
 1168 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ject that is intended to elevate or benefit the peo- 
 ple. He ranks high among the leading, intelligent 
 Danish-American citizen, of whicli there are a large 
 number in Cass County. He is widely and favora- 
 bly known for his integrity of character and indus- 
 trious habits. 
 
 -€^^^ 
 
 <¥)OHN MURDOCH. Thirty-four years ago, 
 {|| Dec. 1, 1854, Mr. Murdoch made his way to 
 
 dl|| Dec. 1, 1854, Mr. 
 |l the Territory of Nebraska, and three years 
 I) later settled on a tract of wild land in the 
 southeastern part of this county, and which has been 
 familiarly known since Liberty Precinct. His farm 
 is in the northwest corner of the precinct. He se- 
 cured by pre-emption the northwest quarter of sec- 
 tion 6, and in the year 1859 entered upon its 
 improvement and cultivation. It is now one of 
 the most attractive homesteads in this part of the 
 county, having neat and substantial buildings, good 
 fences and farm machinery, the land assisted to 
 fertility by a branch of the Weeping Water, and 
 its natural resources more than ordinai-ily abun- 
 dant. This, together with the judicious care exer- 
 cised by the proprietor in its cultivation, renders 
 the farm exceedingly valuble. 
 
 The property of Mr. Murdoch is the result of his 
 own industry and perseverance, he having come 
 to the West without capital, having only his stout 
 muscles and courageous heart. He worked sev- 
 eral years as a farm laborer before purchasing his 
 land, and two years afterward operated in the 
 same manner before settling upon it. As time 
 passed on, and he found his meatis accumulating, he 
 wisely invested in additional land, and is now tlie 
 owner of 400 acres, all lying in Cass County. A 
 quarter-section of this is in Kock Bluff Precinct, 
 and eight\' acres in Mt. Pleasant. The whole is in 
 a good state of cultivation. 
 
 The boyhood home of our subject is in Franklin 
 Township, Richland Co., Ohio, where he was born 
 April 17, 1834. His father, Samuel Murdoch, was 
 a native of Maryland, a miller and millwright by 
 trade, and emigrated to Ohio when a j'oung man. 
 He was married in that State to IMiss Susan Poisel, 
 who was born in Ohio, and whose family, like the 
 
 Murdochs, were of Scotch ancestry. The parents 
 of our subject began life poor in purse, and it was 
 their lot to remain thus. Thej- became the parents 
 of nine children, and died in Richland County, 
 Ohio, in middle life, and within a few months of 
 each otlier. 
 
 Our subject was a little lad only eight years of 
 age when he was orphaned by the death of his par- 
 ents. He was the youngest of the household, and 
 made his home with his brothers and sisters until 
 able to earn his own living. He then started out 
 to work for the farmers in his neighborhood, and 
 continued a resident of his native State until com- 
 ing to Nebraska. He found a bride in this county, 
 being married Oct. 27, 1861, in Mt. Pleasant Pre- 
 cinct, to Miss Sarah H. Oliver. This lady was 
 born in Edgar County, HI., April 17, 1843, and is 
 the daughter of Rev. Lutheran and Cyrene J. 
 (Rounsavell) Oliver, who were natives respectively 
 of Vermont and Ohio. They emigrated to Hlinois 
 in their j'outh, and were married in Edgar County. 
 The father later entered the ministry of the Meth- 
 odist Church, and after a few years' sojourn in 
 Illinois, crossed the Mississippi River into Wapello 
 County, Iowa,' where he took up his abode on a 
 farm, but continued his pious labors as a local 
 preacher from 1844 until 1859. The familj' then 
 all came to Nebraska and settled on a tract of new 
 land in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, this eountj^, where 
 the father still labored as a farmer and "circuit 
 rider." He exerted himself industriously for the 
 comfort of his familj-, and deemed no sacrifice too 
 great to insure their well-being and happiness.. At 
 the same time he was also a public-spirited citizen, 
 and evinced an interest in the moral and religious 
 welfare of the people about him. 
 
 Mr. Oliver after a sojourn of some years in this 
 county changed his residence to Seward County, 
 taking up a homestead and settling once more 
 upon a tract of new land, still continuing as a 
 farmer and a preacher, and traveled over a large 
 portion of Western Nebraska in the pursuance of 
 his pious duties. Finallj^ worn out from hard 
 labor, he was persuaded to take up his abode at 
 the home of his daughter, Mrs. Murdoch, where he 
 spent his last days, passing away Nov. 15, 1884, at 
 the ripe old age of seventy-four years. He was 
 
 f 
 
■•»> 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1169 
 
 ^ 
 
 quite helpless during tbe last few ^-ears of his life 
 from age and infirmities. The faithful wife and 
 mother had preceded her husband to the land of 
 the hereafter nearlj' twenty years, her death tak- 
 ing place in .Tune, I860, at the age of forty-six. 
 She w.<is a lifelong memlier of the Methodist Church. 
 ■ Mrs. Murdoch was the eldest of seven children, 
 one son and six daughters, and was reared under 
 the home roof, acquiring her education in the com- 
 mon school. Under the training of her excellent 
 parents she became imbued with those principles 
 which have constituted her one of the truest women 
 ever becoming the helpmate of a good and worthy 
 man. Of their union there have been born eight 
 children, one of whom, a little daughter, Julia E., 
 died April 13, 1874, when only eighteen months 
 old. Of the survivors the record is as follows: 
 Oliver S. married Miss Ida M. Coleman, and they 
 are living on a 160-aere farm in Gosper County, 
 this State; Henry married Delia Colvin, is also a 
 resident of that county, engaged in the same call- 
 ing, and is the owner of a fine tract of land of a 
 like extent; Mary is the wife of Scott Norris, and 
 they live on farm in Antelope County; G. Albert, 
 •Tohn W., Cyrene and Ruth O. are at home with 
 their parents. 
 
 Mr. and !Mrs. Murdocli are members in good 
 standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at- 
 tending services regularly at Mt. Pleasant. The 
 two eldest sons, departing somewhat from the re- 
 ligious bias of their parents, belong to the United 
 Brethren Church. Mr. Murdoch is a Democrat of 
 pronounced ideas. 
 
 The first studies of i\Ir. and Mrs. Murdoch, as 
 children, were conducted in the log school-houses 
 of the olden times, structures widely different from 
 those in which is carried on the education of the 
 present generation. Then the temple of learning 
 was built of logs, with a wide fireplace occupying 
 nearly one end of a cabin probably 12x16 feet 
 square, and the chimney built outside of earth and 
 sticks. Light was admitted through a few small 
 panes of glass or greased paper, and tlie floor was 
 made of puncheon — a log riven and placed with 
 round surface downward. The roof was probably 
 of clapboards held in place by weight poles. The 
 system of learning corresponded with the other 
 
 4^ 
 
 surroundings, and the books utilized descended 
 from the elder child to the j'ounger as long as they 
 would hold together. Children in those days were 
 taught to be useful as soon as old enough to labor, 
 and while their liardships were plentiful, there 
 were still many simple sources of enjoyment, and 
 people were probably happier in those times than 
 many are at the present, surrounded with comforts 
 and luxuries. There is an air of romance woven 
 within the history of the old pioneers, which forms 
 a tale ever listened to with readiness and attention 
 both by old and young. Few can relate a more 
 interesting story than the subject of this sketch and 
 his interesting wife. 
 
 The year after the outbreak of the Civil War, 
 although in the midst of his labors and plans in 
 his new home, Mr. Murdoch felt it his duty to lay 
 aside his personal interests, and on the 18th of No- 
 vember, 1862, enlisted in Company H, 2d Ne- 
 braska Cavalry, under Capt. Marshall, the com- 
 mander of the regiment being Gen. Sully. They 
 were assigned to the Army of the Northwest, and 
 operated mostly along tlie White Stone Valley, 
 Dak., keeping the Indians in subjection, and during 
 wliich time Mr. Murdoch was under fire in two 
 active engagements. He saw his fill of life on the 
 frontier, and when his services were no further re- 
 quired received his honorable discharge, in Decem- 
 ber, 1863, at C)maha, and soon thereafter, returning 
 home, he resvimed his farm labors, which have 
 since been comparatively uninterrupted. 
 
 "•' t - l 't' l - t '"- 
 
 ,,Ji LBERT A. MILLER, senior member of the 
 j^iCili firm of Miller & Olmstead, is with his 
 partner conducting a prosperous trade in 
 clothing, hats, caps, trunks and general fur- 
 nishing goods, forming a house which occupies a 
 leading positition in trade at this point. Their 
 headquarters are in a fine brick structure, the I. O. 
 O. F. building, and they number among their 
 friends and patrons the best people of Weeping 
 W^ater and vicinity. 
 
 Mr. Miller first set foot upon the soil of Ne- 
 braska in 1869, less than' two years after it had 
 been admitted into the Union as a State, on his 
 
 *^h-^ 
 
t 
 
 •►Hl^ 
 
 ♦^K-* 
 
 1170 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^t- 
 
 way to the Pacific Coast, While pleased with the 
 face of the country he did not locate here until 
 about 1881, wheii he began business as one of the 
 firm of Reed Bros. & Co., of whom mention is 
 made in the sketch of E. L. Reed, found else- 
 where in this volume. That partnership continued 
 a period of three years. The career of Mr. Miller 
 in this county has been been uniformly fortunate, 
 and he has invested considerable capital in town 
 ]iroperty, putting up two good residences, one of 
 which he sold at a round sum. 
 
 The firm of Miller & Olmstead was established 
 in October, 1888, and both partners are men of 
 first-class business capacities. Mr. Miller started 
 out in life dependent mostly upon his own re- 
 sources, but Providence endowed him with that 
 genial and courteous manner and fine integrity 
 which has gained him the friendship and confidence 
 of those with whom he has been associated. He is 
 a stanch Republican politically, although having 
 no desire for the responsibilities of office. Socially 
 he belongs to the I. O. O. F. and the Knigiits of 
 Pythias. In religious matters he is a prominent 
 member of the Regular Baptist Church, in which 
 he officiates as Deacon, Financial Secretary and 
 Trustee. 
 
 Mr. Miller was born in Liberty Township, Trum- 
 bull Co., Ohio, August 5, 1848, and lived there 
 with his parents until he was about five years old. 
 They then removed to Warren, Ohio, where he com- 
 pleted a good education and whence he went at the 
 age of twenty years to Indianapolis, Ind., where 
 he sojourned a period of twelve years, eng<aged in 
 business as salesman. Mr. Miller was connected 
 with several mercantile houses and lived in Indian- 
 apolis until 1881. In the meantime he was married, 
 Oct. 10, 1872, to Miss Frances Seaman. Of this 
 union there have been born five children, three 
 only of whom are living, namely ; Francis, Laura 
 and Clara. They are all at home with their par- 
 ents and are being given the training and education 
 suitable to their station in life, which will make of 
 them worth}' and respected citizens. 
 
 Mrs. Miller was born in Indianapolis, Ind., Oct. 
 11, 18.53, and is the daughter of Edwin and Cyn- 
 thia (Crutchfield) Seaman. Her father was en- 
 gaged in mercantile business the greater part of his 
 
 life. He was born in Ohio, Sept. 3, 1824, and came 
 to Nebraska in 1881. He now makes his home with 
 his son-in-law, Mr. Miller. He has been a promi- 
 nent light in mercantile circles. Since coming to 
 Nebraska he has served as a Justice of the Peace 
 in Weeping Water, and like Mr. ^liller belongs to 
 the I. O. O. F. and the K. of P. Mrs. Seaman died 
 in October, 1864. Mrs. Miller was her onl}' child. 
 Reuben Miller, the father of our subject, was 
 born in New Jerse}', Jan. 11, 1811. When an in- 
 fant he was taken by his parents to the cit}^ of 
 Washington, D. C, where he lived until a young 
 man of twenty years. Then starting out for him- 
 self he made his way to the vicinity of Liberty, 
 Trumbull Co., Ohio, where he was engaged in man- 
 ufacturing in connection with farming. In the 
 Buckeye State he married Miss Emeline Fuller, 
 and they became the parents of six children, of 
 whom but two are living, Albert A. and Laura M., 
 Mrs. Titus, of Minneapolis. Mr. Miller departed this 
 life at his home in Pennsylvania in February, 1867. 
 The mother had preceded her husband to the si- 
 lent land, dying in November, 1862. She was born 
 in Orange Countj', N. Y., August 28, 1815, and 
 was the daughter of Ira and Sallie Fuller. The 
 paternal grandfather of our subject was James 
 
 Miller. 
 
 ■ o<r>o . 
 
 - ooo " 
 
 ILLIAM W. GULLION. Among the 
 many extensive land-owners within the 
 confines of Cass County we find the sub- 
 ject of our sketch, who was one of the earliest of 
 the earlj' settlers in the count}'. He settled near 
 Plattsmouth in 1854, and on the 14th of June of 
 that year, he and his brother-in-law, William H. 
 Sheffer, both laid the foundations for rude log houses 
 on their respective claims, at a time when there 
 was but one house in Plattsmouth, and that was a 
 trading-house belonging to Samuel Martin, who was 
 perhaps the first settler in Cass Count}'. 
 
 The brother-in-law Sheffer built the first house, 
 and our subject helped him, completing his own 
 afterward. At the first election, in the spring of 
 1855, Mr. Gullion was elected Constable, the first 
 person filling that office in the count}'. In those 
 days justice was administered in a primitive, yet 
 
 '^^ 
 
■<- 
 
 f 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1171 
 
 extremely effectual manner, the entire legal system 
 being exclusively managed hj' a vigilance commit- 
 tee, and it can be said in favor of those times that 
 justice was generally rendered. He pre-cipted a 
 claim of 160 acres adjoining Plattsmouth on the 
 north. 
 
 On the breaking out of the gold excitement in 
 1858, our subject went to Pike's Peak and Denver, 
 where he passed one winter, after which he returned 
 to Plattsmouth and engaged in freighting across 
 the plains, which business he followed with varying 
 success for six j-ears. As he has prospered he has 
 from time to lime added to his ownership of land, 
 until he now owns an extensive tract in Salt Creek 
 Precinct. It is not possible to enter into a full his- 
 tory of the earlier years of thia gentleman in Ne- 
 braska. To do so would require a volume. Coming 
 to the State at the time he did, when there were 
 but very few settlers within what is now the limits 
 of the county, at a great ilistance from the markets, 
 he had his full share of the discomforts and troubles 
 attending the life of a pioneer, which for a verity, 
 in this case, he was. He possesses a large fund of 
 information regarding the early times of the State, 
 having had an active part in making its history, 
 and none should know it better than he. Then 
 again, it would not be possible for the pen to paint 
 sufficiently vivid word pictures, that would convey 
 to the reader such knowledge as would enable them 
 to comprehend, in all its bearings, the life they 
 were compelled to lead. 
 
 Among the least of the dangers our subject was 
 obliged to endure was the treachery of the Indians 
 who were then thickly scattered over the broad 
 domain, which they claimed as their inalienable 
 birthright, and on which they considered every 
 white man to be a trespasser. To appreciate this 
 life one must hear the description from the lips of 
 those who went through it, and it is time well 
 spent in engaging the subject of this sketch in 
 conversation relative to those frontier times, when 
 men and women took their lives in their hands, 
 and dared to undertake that which they knew be- 
 forehand to be fraught with untold dangers. 
 
 Our subject was married to Miss Mary Elizabeth 
 Mayfield, the daughter of LeRoy and Martha 
 (Baskett) Mayfield. The lady's mother is still liv- 
 
 i»Hir^ 
 
 ing, at the ripe old age of eighty-two 3"ears, and 
 makes lier home with our subject. Mrs. Gullion 
 was born in 1839, in Monroe County, Ind. Her 
 father died in 1851. aged fifty-two years. Herself 
 and husband are the parents of two children — John 
 Willmer and James E. 
 
 Our subject came to his present farm in the j'ear 
 1879; it contains 240 acres of nicely located 
 land, a large portion of which he has improved. 
 Like many others he has not proved to be a success- 
 ful financier, but whatever troubles may have 
 come to him from this source, they cannot in any in- 
 stance, or in any way, be attributed to any failure 
 on his part to act fairly, honestly and uprightly 
 with every man with whom he has had business re- 
 lations. In fact his honest}- and integrit}' of char- 
 acter have become proverbial, and he is above 
 reproach. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is one of the best citi- 
 zens of the precinct. He is public-spirited and 
 generous to a fault, and every suggestion that has 
 for its object the advancement or improvement of 
 the locality in any sense of the word meets with his 
 earnest and heartj^ approval. Since reaching 3ears 
 of maturity he has voted at everj' election, never 
 voting but once outside the State. He was the first 
 Constable and Deputy Sheriff elected in Cass 
 County, the duties of which he performed in a 
 highly acceptable manner. 
 
 JOHN CORBET. The sons of Scotland are 
 always pardoned for pride in their national- 
 it\'. The subject of this record, one of 
 the solid men of Avoca Precinct, was born 
 in Lanarkshire, the land of the thistle, Feb. 2, 
 1837, and crossed the Atlantic with his parents at 
 an early period of his life, they settling in Trum- 
 bull County, Ohio, where he received his education 
 and was reared to man's estate. 
 
 Mr. Corbet is now the owner of 240 acres of fine 
 land on section 2, all of which has been brought to 
 a high state of cultivation. It is embellished with 
 neat and substantial buildings and forms the ideal 
 country home. Stock-raising is made a specialty 
 of at this farm, Short-horn cattle taking the lead. 
 
•► 
 
 1172 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 The land became the property of Mr. Corbet in 
 1859, when it was in a wild and uncultivated state, 
 and he did not settle upon it until eight years 
 later. Upon taking up his residence here in the 
 April of 1868, he began in earnest the cultivation 
 of the soil, the planting of trees, the erection of 
 buildings, and the gathering about him and his 
 family the conveniences and comforts necessary to 
 modern life. No man is more highly respected in 
 liis community, and none have contributed in a 
 greater degree to build u() its reputation and de- 
 velop its resources. 
 
 While a resident of Trumbull County, Ohio, our 
 subject was united in marriage with Bliss Catherine 
 Jameson, a native of his own shire in Scotland, and 
 born July 10, 1839. Mrs. Corbet is the daughter 
 of William and Jannett (Hamilton) Jameson, ex- 
 cellent families of Scotch birth and ancestry, who 
 came to the United States about 1842 and settled 
 in Trumbull County, Ohio. They sojourned there 
 until the death of the mother, about 1881. Later 
 Mr. Jameson came to Nebraska and is still living, 
 making his home with A. E. Jameson in Avoca 
 Precinct, and is now quite aged. 
 
 Mrs. Corbet was reared and educated in Trum- 
 bull County', Ohio, and of her marriage with our 
 subject there have been born four children: Frank 
 is a student of the Commercial College at Lin- 
 coln; Robert is attending school; Jannett and 
 Katie are pursuing their childish studies in the 
 district school. Mrs. Corbet is a very estimable 
 lady an<l a member in good standing of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. Our subject, politically, is 
 a stanch supporter of Republican principles, public- 
 spirited, high-minded and intelligent, prompt to 
 meet his business obligations, in fact, one of the 
 most valued members of his community. 
 
 Robert Corbet, the father of our subject, also a 
 native of Lanarkshire, married a lady of his own 
 county, who died after the birth of three children 
 of whom John, our subject, was the second born. 
 He was only three years old at the time of his 
 mother's death and knows very little of her history. 
 His father was a second time married in Lanark- 
 shire to Miss Catherine Currie. This lady was also 
 of pure Scotch descent, and after the birth of one 
 child 113' this marriage the familj' all came to 
 
 America, lieing on the ocean four weeks less two 
 days, and landing in New York City. That same 
 year, 18 49, they settled in TrurahiiU County, Oliio, 
 where the father engaged in farming in Fowler 
 Township, of which he continued a resident until 
 within a few years of iiis death. He tlien removed 
 to Vernon Township where his death occurred in 
 1886, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. 
 His last wife is still living with her children in 
 Trumbull County, and is now rii)e in j'ears. They 
 were Presbyterians in religion, and the father, after 
 coming to America, identified himself with the Re- 
 publican part}'. 
 
 .Janet, the own sister of our subject, is now the 
 wife of John Cleland, a well-to-do farmer of Craw- 
 ford County, Pa.; Andrew, his brother, lives on a 
 farm in Berlin Precinct, Otoe County, this State. 
 
 ^p^ AMUEL RICHARDSON is certainly cn- 
 ^^^^ titled to take a front I'ank among the pio- 
 Ijl/^U) neers of two States, being born a member 
 of one of the first families that settled in 
 Ohio, which at that time was wild and unsettled, 
 and coming to Nebraska while it also was in a com- 
 paratively new condition. In 1860 he settled on a 
 farm on section 1 of Mt. Pleasant Precinct, where 
 he now resides on his highly cultivated and well- 
 improved farm, surrounded by the comforts and 
 conveniences of life, accumulated by many years of 
 hard and anxious toil. 
 
 This gentleman was born in Belmont Count}', 
 Ohio, Dec. 12, 1827, a son of Thomas and Sarah 
 Richardson. His father was a native of Pennsyl- 
 vania, and his mother of West Virginia. They were 
 the earliest settlers in Belmont County, and their 
 family, including our subject, were reared amid the 
 scenes of a wild country. He lived there with his 
 parents until he was about seventeen years of age, 
 when he went to what is now known as Noble 
 County. When he was eight years old his mother 
 died, leaving a large family of children, of whom 
 the following named survive: Rebecca is now the 
 wife of John H. Pool, and resides in Cass County; 
 Sophia is now the wife of William Preshaw, and 
 lives in Ottawa, Kan. ; and Samuel. The deceased 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 •^t::4 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1173 
 
 membeis of the familj' were named : Maigavet, 
 Jane, Thomas A., Mary A., James and Sarah. 
 
 The paternal ancestors of our subject were of 
 English-Irish origin ; the ancestors on the maternal 
 side were Enoilsh. As far as can be learned, the 
 Richardson family are supposed to have first lo- 
 cated in Pennsylvannia, but nothing definite can be 
 ascertained upon this point. 
 
 Our suliject lived in Noble County, Ohio, until 
 he was married, Nov. 29, 1849, to Jane E. Thomas, 
 who bore him Ave children, one of whom, Mary E., 
 who is now the wife of J. R. Vallery, and resides in 
 Cass County, survives. The four deceased chil- 
 dren were named Sarah L., Melissa J., Margaret E. 
 and Jennie C. The first wife of Mr. Richardson 
 departed this life at her home in Mt. Pleasant Pre- 
 cinct March 24, 18G4. Siie was a model wife and 
 loving mother, and her death was felt to be a great 
 loss to the community as well as to the family. 
 
 On Aug. 21. 1864, our subject married Mrs. 
 Mary E. Kennedy, the widow of James B. Kennedj-, 
 who was a resident of Cass Count}', Neb. This 
 lady is a native of Ohio, having been born in Mus- 
 kingum County. Aug. 15,1837. She was the daugh- 
 ter of William and Mary (Richey) Colvin. 
 
 This lady's parents were both natives of Mus- 
 kingum County. Her paternal ancestors were 
 pjnglish. When she was a child of about five years 
 old her parents removed with their family to Frank- 
 lin County, Ohio, where they lived until she was 
 sixteen years old, when the family moved west to 
 Marion Count}', Iowa, where they lived until she 
 reached her maturity, and was there married on Jan. 
 31, 1857, to Mr. J. B. Kennedy, by whom she had 
 two children: Loran V., now residing in California, 
 and May, now the wife of J. M. Hamilton, Attorney 
 at Law in Lincoln, Neb. James B. Kenned}', her 
 first husband, met his death in Colorado while out 
 with two companions prospecting, under the follow- 
 ing circumstances: Being short of provisions he 
 and one of his comrades had gone to the top of the 
 mountain to procure some game for breakfast; 
 while they were looking for game five Indians came 
 and took supper in their tent. The Indians pre- 
 tended to be going on down to Denver; instead of 
 doing so they hid in the bluflf and killed Mr. Ken- 
 nedy and his companion, a Mr. Shanks of Omaha. 
 
 A Mr. Slaughter, who was one of the trio, alone es- 
 caped to tell the tale. 
 
 The first wife of Mr. Richardson was a daugliter 
 of Samuel and Elizabeth Thomas. By the second 
 marriage, and his present wife he is the father of 
 four children: William T., now at home with his 
 parents; Lily A., deceased: Frank S., nowattending 
 the Lincoln Business College, and Florence E., who 
 is attending school at Lincoln. 
 
 In the spring of 1860 our subject came to Cass 
 County and settled on his present farm, which at 
 that time contained 160 acres of land, for wiiich he 
 |)aid $1,000. The improvements at tiie time of his 
 purchase consisted of a log cabin and twenty acres 
 of plowed land. From the day of his arrival on his 
 farm to the present, he has devoted his time and 
 energies to the further development of the resour- 
 ces of his property, until he now owns one of the 
 finest improved farms in the precinct. His large 
 and elegant residence, roomy and well designed, is 
 furnished handsomely, and is well equipped witli 
 all of the conveniences necessary to make the task 
 of the wife one of pleasure and satisfaction. The 
 grounds surrounding his home are elegantly ar- 
 ranged and beautified with fine ornamental trees, 
 shrubbery and flowering plants. 
 
 The large and conveniently arranged barns are 
 models of their kind, designed as they are with a 
 view to accommodate his large herds of stock, and 
 to storing and handling the grain products of the 
 farm economically and to the best advantage. A 
 large orchard of thrifty trees of the choicest vari- 
 eties of fruit best adapted to the climate, and a 
 number of groves, both natural and planted, add 
 value and beauty to the homestead. He has at 
 different times n.ade additions to his original pur- 
 chase, until he is now the owner of 320 acres of 
 land. 
 
 When the first husband of Mrs. Richardson (Mr. 
 Kennedy) came to Mt. Pleasant Precinct, in 1857, 
 there was not a house between their home and 
 Plattsmouth, and no land had been plowed within 
 that distance. This lady during the life of her first 
 husband, and also since her marriage with our sub 
 jpct, has borne many of the privations of pioneer 
 life with great bravery, and she deserves a proud 
 place in the roll of honor containing the names of 
 
 f 
 
•^^fMt 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 tlie gooil wives and mothers of Nebraska, and since 
 her marriage to our subject she lias contributed 
 largely to tiieir present prosperity by her wise coun- 
 sel and excellent management. 
 
 William T. Riciiardson, the son of our subject, 
 is now at home. He was for three years foreman 
 in a large lumber-yard in Omaha, and filled respon- 
 sible positions for the same firm elsewhere, and has 
 traveled over the greater portion of the West, visit- 
 ing the various States and Territories. He attended 
 the State University at Lincoln one 3'ear, and for a 
 time attended the Business College in Omaha. 
 
 The subject of this sketch holds a prominent 
 position among the people of the precinct. He has 
 been called upon by them at varions times to ful- 
 fill certain public duties requiring the highest in- 
 tegrity. He was elected Commissioner of Cass 
 County in the autumn of 1878, re-elected in 1881, 
 serving two terms of three j'ears each, with credit 
 to himself and benefit to his constituents. He has 
 discharged the duties pertaining to the office of 
 Justice of the Peace. He and his wife are mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, where 
 he has served as Steward for many years. They 
 both take an active interest in society, and are 
 widely and favorably known, and they stand 
 among the leading and representative pioneer fam- 
 ilies of Cass County, and we are pleased to repre- 
 sent Mr. and Mrs. Richardson in this Album. 
 
 '^HJllN HOLSCIIUH, one of the most enter- 
 prising Gei-man farmers of Cass County, 
 first opened his eyes to the light in what was 
 ^^7/ then Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, July 6, 
 1824. He is the son of J. William and Sophia 
 (Grenc) Holschuh, who were also of German birth 
 and ancestry. He spent the first years of his life 
 in his native country, where he united his fortunes 
 Maj- 24, 1853, with a maiden of his own Province, 
 and the same month in which they were married 
 they started to the United States, landing in New 
 York City on the 6th of August, 1853. They made 
 the voyage on a sailing-vessel, spending fifty-two 
 days on the high seas. Visiting with friends a few 
 days in the metropolis they proceeded on their 
 
 journey into Franklin County, Ohio, where they 
 arrived August 14, and established themselves in 
 the city of Columbus, where they lived until 
 July, 1885, then gathering together their personal 
 effects, they started once more westward, halting 
 in Washington, Tazewell Co., 111., where Mr. Hol- 
 schuh rented a tract of land upon which he operated 
 until the spring of 1857. He now concluded to 
 cast his lot among the people of Nebraska Terri- 
 tory, and accordingly set out with his little family 
 via the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers to St. Louis, 
 thence up the Missouri to Plattsmouth, where they 
 arrived on the 17th of April, and our subject, es- 
 tablishing his family corafortabU' began working 
 by the day. 
 
 Mr. Holschuh had been accompanied from Illi- 
 nois by Jacob Horn, and the two purchased a lot in 
 Plattsmouth and a team of mules. Later they dis- 
 solved partnership, dividing their property, Mr. 
 Horn taking the te;.m and Jlr. Holschuh the lot. 
 Our subject traded his property for two yoke of 
 oxen and a plow, and thus equipped began break- 
 ing prairie for the settlers around. He managed to 
 save a little money and after a time invested his 
 capital in another lot and put up a house which he 
 sold later. He operated considerably in real estate 
 after this, in a small way buying lots, building 
 houses and selling, and has traded considerably in 
 city property, besides timber land, etc. He at one 
 time cleared quite a tract of timber, then sold the 
 land at a good profit. 
 
 Mr. Holschuh finally after years of labor pur- 
 chased forty acres of land two miles northwest of 
 Plattsmouth, and later added to it sixty more, 
 whereon he made improvements, and finally sold the 
 100 acres for the snug sum of $10,500. This tran- 
 saction was completed in May, 1887, and later Mr. 
 H. purchased the farm of 142 acres where he now 
 lives. Of this he took possession in March, 1888. 
 It is one of the finest in the precinct and he has 
 effected various improvements, putting up a barn 
 and corn cribs and making a large amount of fenc- 
 ing. He also in 1888 bought another farm west of 
 his present homestead, in this precinct, of 120 acres. 
 
 The wife of our subject was in her girlhood Miss 
 Catharine Michel, and they were married May 24, 
 1853, in their native Province of Hesse-Darmstadt, 
 
»► i r^ 
 
 -•»> 
 
 ^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1175 
 
 Germany. Mrs. Holschub was born Aug. 31, 1831, 
 and is the daughter of Jacob and Ann (Miller) 
 Micliel, who were of German birth and descent, 
 and spent their last years in Germany. Mr. and 
 Mrs. H. have six children living, namely: Mary is 
 is now Mrs. G. V. Eigeniberger; Hernion; Anna, 
 Mrs. (r. V. Eigemberger, Jr.; William; Nettie, Mrs. 
 John Herz; and Rosa. Our subject and family are 
 members in good standing of the German Lu- 
 theran Church. Mr. 11., politically, is independent, 
 aiming to support the men best qualified for office. 
 He has been Road Supervisor in liis district a pe- 
 riod of eight or nine years, and is a man of decided 
 views, whose opinions are generallj' lield in respect. 
 
 RS. HARRIET CRITCHFIELD. It gives 
 us much pleasure to place in tliis biograph- 
 ical volume a brief record of the life of 
 this most estimable woman, the widow of 
 the late Lewis H. Critclifield, who owns a fine farm 
 of 160 acres on section 24, Centre Precinct, where 
 she still resides, surrounded by kind friends and 
 neighbors, by whom she is much esteemed and re- 
 spected. Our subject was born in Waj'ne Count3', 
 Ohio, June 18, 1834, and there lived until the time 
 of her marriage. She is the daughter of John 
 and Elizabeth (Foltz) Shreve. Her father was a 
 native of Ohio, where he spent his entire life, dying 
 at the age of thirty j'ears, when our subject was 
 only six years old. Of his marriage five children 
 were born, four of whom grew to maturity. His 
 widow married again, and lived many years after. 
 She of whom we write was married to Lewis H. 
 Critclifield, Sept. 9, 1852, and of their union ten 
 children were born, all of whom are still living, 
 namely: Jason lives in Ohio; A. Bird, William P. 
 Cowen an.l Casper, live in Centre Precinct; Alice, 
 now Mrs. Moore, lives in Ohio; Jenny lives with 
 her mother; Exa lives In Plaltsmouth ; Wade is at 
 school; Anna and Lorenzo Dow are at home. All 
 have received good educational advantages, and 
 have pleasant prospects for a successful future. 
 
 Mr. Critehfield was born in Holmes County, Ohio, 
 April 6, 1832. and was reared and lived for half a 
 century' on the farm on which his mother lived 
 
 from the time she was fourteen years old until her 
 death. He was the son of L. D. and Julia (Hum- 
 barger) Critehfield, who reared a family of six chil- 
 dren, four of whom are still living. Mr. Critehfield 
 received his education in his native town, and on 
 deciding to establish himself in life, married, and 
 brought his young bride to the old homestead where 
 he had always lived. The young couple were in- 
 dustrious, prudent people, who, by careful economy, 
 energy and frugality, succeeded in bringing up 
 their large family of children in comfort, and giv- 
 ing each a good education. After toiling there for 
 many years, desiring to still further inprove their 
 fortunes, they came to Nebraska in the spring of 
 1882, and purchased the present homestead. The 
 farm was partly improved, a house, barn, and even 
 a cyclone cellar, having been built. Mr. Critehfield 
 continued working on the land, put up a windmill, 
 and made other needed improvements, and by con- 
 tinuous labor succeeded in bringing his property 
 into as fine and productive a farm as is to be found 
 in the vicinity. He raised grain, cattle, horses and 
 hogs, living here prosperously and happily until his 
 death, April 28, 1887. He was a man universally 
 respected for his many worthy traits of character, 
 and his death was deeply regretted by a large circle 
 of friends. Socially, he was a member of the K. of 
 H. He was a member of the Christian Church, 
 where our subject also communes. 
 
 ANS H. TIMM. Many of the most thrifty 
 and intelligent agriculturists of this section 
 of Nebraska were born and reared on the 
 other side of Ihe Atlantic, and to Germany 
 especially is Cass County indebted for some of her 
 most enterprising and prosperous citizens. Among 
 them may be numbered the subject of this sketch, 
 who owns a fine body of land in Avoca Precinct, 
 embracing 320 acres each on sections 1 and 12. 'I'he 
 homestead proper has been brought to an especially 
 fine state of cultivation, is well stocked with the 
 domestic animals, and upon it has been erected a 
 neat and substantial set of frame buildings, which, 
 with tiieir surroundings, fruit and shade trees, and 
 the various little conveniences having so much to 
 
 »► I t^ 
 
 t^t-M» 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 1176 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^\- 
 
 do with the happiness and comfort of the family, 
 form a goodly sigiit to tlie eyes. The land is kept 
 in pi-odiictive condition by the proximity of the 
 Weeping Water. The whole was originally prairie 
 soil. Mr. Tiram has planted forest trees which 
 form the purpose of shade and windl)reak com- 
 bined. He has in fact been in no respect l)eiiind 
 the other progressive men of his precinct in insti- 
 tuting the improvements which serve to aid in 
 forming the complete homestead. 
 
 A pioneer of 1859, Mr. Timm .July 4 of that year 
 first set foot upon the soil of Nebraska, eight years 
 before it had been admitted into the Union as a 
 State. He secured eighty acres of land from H. 
 Loz, upon which he settled \pith his estimable wife, 
 who is still surviving, and they began laboring hand 
 in hand in hope of accumulating something for their 
 declining years. Their first dwelling was a log 
 house, and their surroundings were widely different 
 from those amid which we behold them to-day. 
 AVith genuine German thrift and prudence they 
 were content to labor early and late, live economi- 
 cally, and in due time were rewarded vvith the fruits 
 of their industry. 
 
 Mr. Tiiiim about 1865 doubled his first purchase 
 by an additional eighty acres, and later purchased 
 another quarter-section of land, all of which at the 
 time it came into his possession had been undis- 
 turbed by the plowshare. He had emigrated to 
 this section of the country from Cook County, 111., 
 of which he had been a sojourner four years. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Timm lauded first upon American soil in 
 New York City in May, 1855, and were then ap- 
 proaching middle life, Mr. Timm being thirty-nine 
 years old, having been born June 5, 1816. His 
 first recollections are of his boyhood home in the 
 Duchy of Holstein, Germany, where he was born of 
 respectable parents, and was reared to habits of in- 
 dustry and principles of honor. In accordance 
 with the laws and customs of his native land he 
 was placed in school at an early age and given a 
 practical education. His father was a farmer bj' 
 occupation, and Hans H. from the time of leaving 
 school until his marriage was employed mostly in 
 Germany at farming. The lady who has for a pe- 
 riod of forty years been his faithful and devoted 
 companion was in her girlhood Miss Margaretta 
 
 C. Schomaker, and they were married in their native 
 Holstein, April 29, 1849. 
 
 Mrs. Timm was born Sept. 26. 1818, not far 
 from the boj'hood home of her husband, and is the 
 daughter of Michael and Anna (Youngke) Scho- 
 maker, the father a farm laborer who spent his entire 
 life in his native Germany. He did not live to be an 
 aged man, dying when thirty-six years old. The 
 mother came to America with her daughter and 
 son-in-law, Mr. and ]Mrs. Timm, in 1855. and died 
 at their home in Avoca Precinct, April 13, 1870, 
 at the age of seventy-four years, John Timm, the 
 father of our subject, also a native of Holstein, 
 married a lady of his own Province, and they set- 
 tled upon a farm where they spent their entire lives. 
 John Timm was fifty-six years old at the time of 
 his death, which occurred about 1836. The mother 
 survived her husband a number of years, and 
 attained the age of threescore. They were people 
 more than ordinarily careful and upright in their 
 lives, and consistent members of the German 
 Lutheran Church. Their family consisted of five 
 children, three sons and two daughters, of whom 
 Hans H. was the second son and child. Of these 
 three are living, making their homes in Nebraska 
 and Germany. 
 
 Our subject and his estimable wife have been 
 parents of one child onl^', which was born in Ger- 
 many and died in infancy. In coming to America 
 they brought with them besides Mrs. Schomaker, 
 the mother of Mrs. Timm, Lena and Elizabeth C, 
 sisters of Mr. Timm. The latter is (ieceased. Lena 
 is the wife of Peter Peters, of Avoca Precinct. Onr 
 subject and his good wife have performed the part 
 of foster-parents to a niece, who before her marriage 
 was Miss Anna C. Baumgarten. This lady was 
 born Jan. 22, 1860, at the Timm homestead, and 
 was deprived of a mother's affectionate care when 
 a little child of one year old. She was then taken 
 into the hearts and home of Mr. and Mrs. Timm. 
 Her father, John C. Baumgarten, is a resident of 
 Chicago, 111., holding one of the city ofHees. Anna 
 C. is now the wife of J. Frederick Schomaker, and 
 still lives at the farm, which is operated b}' her 
 husband. They have two children — Edwin II. and 
 Katherina M. 
 
 Mr. Timm after becoming a naturalized citizen 
 
 ■•►HI- 
 

 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1177 
 
 aiifl having full}"^ acquainted iiimself with tlic 
 general metliods of American institutions, iileuti- 
 fied himself witli the Republican partj', as meeting 
 his idea of libei'ty and justice, and has since been 
 one of its most ardent supporters. Both he and 
 his amial)le partner were trained in the doctrinesof 
 the Lutheran faith, to which they still loyally ad- 
 here. There is probably no more hospitable home 
 within the precincts of Cass County than that pre- 
 sided over by Mr. and Mrs. Timm, of Avoca. 
 
 * ft^ILLIAM T. ADAMS is one of Cass 
 \aj// County's enterprising and successful 3'oung 
 \y\fl farmers, who is actively pursuing his call- 
 ing on the old homestead in Plattsmouth Township, 
 where nearly the whole of his life has been passed. 
 He is a native-born citizen of this place, May 2, 
 1SG4, being the date of his birth. 
 
 Jacob Adams, the father of our subject, was born 
 in North Carolina in September, 1814, and when 
 very j'oung his parents, William and Rachel 
 Adams, moved to Indiana and cast in their lot with 
 the pioneers of that State, and there the mother 
 died in 1819. A few 3'ears later his father emi- 
 grated to Missouri and became an early settler of 
 Ottawa County. He subsequently became a pio- 
 neer of Mills County, Iowa, and from there came to 
 Plattsmouth in 1862. He staid here only a short 
 time, however, and then returned to Iowa, where 
 he lived for a year. At the end of that time he 
 came back to Plattsraoutli, and some months later 
 rounded out a good old age, dying here in Septem- 
 ber. 18G4. He may be said to have spent his en- 
 tire life on the frontier as a pioneer in four States 
 of the Union. 
 
 His son Jacob was thus reared amid pioneer 
 scenes, and grew in strength and vigor to a robust 
 manhood. He adopted the iionorable calling of 
 farmer for his life work and pursued it with good 
 success. While a resident of Missouri he met and 
 married Miss Rachel Wiles, a daughter of Thomas 
 and Elizabeth (Hobson) Wiles, Sept. 8, 1841, being 
 the date of their marriage. In 1864 they came to 
 Nebraska and identified themselves with the pio- 
 
 neers of Plattsmouth, and Mr. Adams became an 
 important factor in the development of its agri- 
 cultural resources. In 1865 he purchased the farm 
 now occupied b3' our subject, and in the few years 
 of life left him made many valuable improvements. 
 Jan. 15, 1874, his useful life wa.s terminated by his 
 death, and a valued citizen was removed from our 
 midst. He was a man of good capabilities and in. 
 dustrious habits, and it is the united testimony of 
 those who knew him well that he was upright in 
 his dealings and always true to his obligations. He 
 occupied a good social position in this community, 
 and was a charter member of the Plattsmouth 
 Lodge, I. O. O. F. To him and his wife six 
 children had been born, namely: Elizabeth, now 
 the wife of Judge Simuel Maxwell, of the District 
 Court, a resident of Fremont, Neb. ;• Mary F., who 
 died April 5, 1849; Lydia E.. the widow of John 
 Livingston, who died Aug. 8. 1874, and she is novv 
 living on the old homestead with her mother and 
 brother; Rebecca J., who died Nov. 9, 1856; Lou- 
 viera, novv Mrs. Ezra Horning, of York Count}', 
 Neb. ; and our subject. 
 
 The latter came to his present home with his 
 parents when he was one year old, and has lived 
 here since. He received a good, practical educa- 
 tion, and has an intelligent knowledge of agricult- 
 ure, so that lie bids fair to place himself among 
 the leading farmers of his native county at no dis- 
 tant date. He has bought the interests of the heirs 
 in his father's home farm, witli the exception of one 
 sliare. It is finely located on section 25, and com- 
 prises 120 acres of very fertile and liighly produc- 
 tive land. It is ampl}' provided with substantial 
 buildings, comprising a large brick house, a stable, 
 corn-cribs, wagon-sheds, etc. The farm is well 
 stocked and is all under cultivation and pasture. 
 
 Our subject vvas married, June 5, 1887, to Miss 
 Ella Cole, a daughter of William T. Cole, whose 
 biograph}- appears in this volume. They have an 
 infant son, William. Our subject still makes his 
 home with his mother, a rnost estimable woman, 
 who commands the respect of all the community. 
 Mr. Adams is a member of the United Brethren 
 Church, and he takes an active interest in promot- 
 ing the good work carried on within its fold, lie 
 is a sincere and manl}' Christian, is well endoweil 
 
 .^h 
 
t 
 
 •►-11^ 
 
 t 
 
 ■•► 
 
 1178 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 mentally and physically, with good powers of ob- 
 servation, and a keen, practical insight into busi- 
 ness, and he is undoulitedly well deserving of the 
 high favor in which he is held. In his political be- 
 liefs he is strongly Republican. 
 
 j^\ HRISTIAN I.ORENSON, an energetic Dan- 
 (^ ish-American citizen, lives on his well-im- 
 
 e 
 
 •¥ 
 
 proved farm on section 30, Mt. Pleasant 
 Precinct, where be, with his family, settled in the 
 winter of 1884. He was born in Denmark, Europe, 
 Oct. 21, 1850. He is the son of Erie and Anna 
 Lorenson, and his mother is still living at the old 
 home in Denmark. When our subject was seven 
 years old his father died, leaving a large family of 
 children. At this early age he was thrown on his 
 own resources, and as a means of livelihood he 
 worked at farming until he attained his majoritj', 
 when he emigrated to America. A family of five 
 children were born to his parents, who were named : 
 Louis, Jesse, Eric, Christian (our subject) and Ella. 
 Louis and Jesse are in Denmark; Eric is in Ne- 
 braska. 
 
 Prior to the time he left Denmark our subject 
 spent a year and a half working at wagon making. 
 In 1871 he left his native land for America, sailing 
 in an Anchor Line Steamer from Copenhagen, on 
 June 15, landing in New York one month later, he 
 having taken passage via Glasgow, Scotland. The 
 voyage was entirely uneventful. From New York 
 City he went directly to New Orleans, remaining 
 there but a few months; he then went to Jackson 
 County, Miss., and secured employment in a large 
 shingle mill. He stayed here but two months, when 
 he went to Oson Springs, Miss., where he worked 
 at different occupations for seven months. He then 
 came north to McLean County, 111., and worked 
 for three years as a farm hand. He then went to 
 Tazewell County, 111., where he rented land for the 
 next eight years. At the expiration of this time 
 we find him located on his present homestead. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was married, in 5Ic- 
 Lean County, 111., to Anna S. Graves, March 1, 
 1879. This lady was born in Denmark, Dec. 17, 
 1848. She is the daughter of Christian C. and 
 
 Anna M. Graves. She is the oldest child in the 
 family; she came with her parents to America in 
 1872. Our subject and his wife are the parents of 
 seven children, six of whom are living, namelj-: 
 Anne M., Jenna G., Etta A., Tena S., ^laria A. and 
 Louis. 
 
 Mr. Lorenson has brought all his native energy 
 and perseverance into play in opening and improv- 
 ing his farm, working early and late, in fair weather 
 or foul. He has been prospered, and to-day he 
 finds himself the owner of a choice farm of 160 
 well improved acres, surrounded by the comforts 
 and enjoyments of life. In all his efforts he has 
 found an able assistant in the person of his wife, 
 who has bravely taken her part of the cares and 
 trials of life in a new country, and has found abund- 
 ant time, and has, by both precept and example, 
 educated their children in the ways of honesty, 
 uprightness and virtue. Himself and wife are 
 identified with the Lutheran Church, and they are 
 foremost in all matters of charity and benevolence. 
 He has never held any public office, feeling that 
 the time required to obtain the position and dis- 
 charge the duties properly could not be spared 
 from his farm. In politics he is a straight, earnest 
 Republican. 
 
 /^ HARLES W. SHERBIAN, editor and niana- 
 ((( ger of the Plattsmouth Daily and Weekly 
 ^^(' Journal, was born in the village of New 
 Castle, Ohio, June 9, 1841. His father, Henry 
 Sherman, was a native of Shippensburg, Franklin 
 Co., Pa., and his paternal grandfather, Salisbury 
 Sherman, was a native of the State of Connecticut 
 and a descendant of English ancestry, who emi- 
 grated to America during the Colonial times. 
 
 Grandfather Sherman learned the trade of too'- 
 raaker in his native State, and when a young man 
 migrated to New Jersey, where he enlisted as a 
 soldier in the Revolutionary War. He distinguished 
 himself for his bravery, and met the enemy in the 
 battle of Monmouth, besides other important en- 
 trao-ements of that memorable time. After the war 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 •►^*-* 
 
 CASS COUKTY. 
 
 1179 
 
 ! 
 
 he settled in Franklin Count}'. Pa., remaining un- 
 married until forty 3"ears of age. Ho then to )k for 
 his wife Miss Sarah Whealan, and occupied himself 
 at his trade the remainder of his life, dying in Frank- 
 lin County at a very great age, said to have been 
 one hundred and twelve years. His wife also lived 
 to be remarkably aged, her death taking 'place in 
 1805, when she was one hundred and four years old. 
 
 Henry Sherman, the father of our subject, was 
 the eldest of six children, and early in life learned 
 the trade of a blacksmith as well as that of tool- 
 maker. In 1827 he journeyed overland to the 
 j-oung State of Ohio by means of teams, and settled 
 among the pioneers of Richland County. He pur- 
 chased land near the present site of Ontario, and 
 six miles west of Mansfield, where he first cleared a 
 spot large enough to erect a log cabin and establish 
 a blacksmith-shop, in the latter of which, by means 
 of a charcoal furnace, he ra.ade himself remarkably 
 useful to his neighbors for miles around. He was 
 prospered in his labors of farming and blacksmithing 
 combined, and cleared quite a large tract of land. 
 The log cabin in time gave place to an imposing 
 two-story log house, which was weather- boarded 
 outside, and was the admiration of the country 
 around. 
 
 The elder Sherman was injured while shoeing a re- 
 fractory horse, and died Nov. 30, 1844, in his prime, 
 when forty-two years of age. The mother of our sub- 
 ject, Mrs. Mary (Nazor) Sherman, was a native of 
 Pennsylvania, and the daughter of William Nazor, 
 who was born in Germauj' and emigrated to America 
 in 1801. He settled in Lancaster Count}', Pa., where 
 he engaged for a time in farming, then changed his 
 residence to the wilds of Richland (Jounty, Ohio, 
 where he cleared another farm and spent the remain- 
 der of his daj's. 
 
 The mother of our subject lived on the home- 
 stead in Richland County, Ohios until 1858, then 
 joined her children in Knoxville, Marion Co., Iowa, 
 where her death took place in 1880. Of the sons 
 and daughters comprising the parental household 
 seven lived to mature years, viz: Sarah J., Mary C, 
 Salisbury, Jacob. Henr^^ H., Elizabeth and Charlie 
 W. The latter, the youngest child, was but three 
 years old at the time of his father's death. The 
 faithful and devoted mother kept her family to- 
 
 -<• ' 
 
 gether until they were able to go out into the world 
 and do for themseves. 
 
 Charles W. Sherman pursued his first studies in 
 the district school, and as soon as old enough com- 
 menced to assist in the labors of the farm. When 
 a lad of eleven 3'ears he began learning the trade of 
 a brickmaker with his elder brothers, at which he 
 employed himself two summers. During his boy- 
 hood daj-s his time was utilized morning and even- 
 ing cutting wood and splitting rails, -while the in- 
 termediate time was spent in school. He thus 
 earned money with which he was enabled to start 
 out for himself in 1857, being then a 3^outh of six- 
 teen years. Turning his face toward the farther 
 West and crossing the Mississippi, he joined an elder 
 brother in Winneshiek County, Iowa, where the lat- 
 ter had previously located, and after a brief sojourn 
 with him made his way by rail to the embryo city 
 of Dubuque. 
 
 The summer following young Sherman employed 
 himself on a farm, and in the fall joined two other 
 brothers at Knoxville, Marion Countj', and all three 
 that next winter engaged in cutting timber for saw- 
 logs. In the spring o; 1858 Mr. Sherman conceived 
 the idea that he would like to learn the printer's trade, 
 and accordingly addressed letters to parties in vai-i- 
 ous towns in Iowa, receiving in return several very 
 encouraging replies. One of these was from the pro- 
 prietor of the Nonpariel, of Council Bluffs, and he at 
 once started on foot across the prairie for that office. 
 He walked the entire distance, making the journey 
 in seven days. 
 
 Young Sherman served an apprenticeship of two 
 years in the office of the Council Bluffs yonpariel. 
 and in the year 1860 proceeded thence to Omaha, 
 Neb., and became an employe of the Republican. 
 A few months later we find him in the office of the 
 Nebraskian and Herald, and on the 9th of Novem- 
 ber, that same year, he assisted in setting up the first 
 telegraphic news ever published in the Territory of 
 Nebraska. This great event occurred in connection 
 with the Omaha Telegraph, which was published in 
 the office above named. 
 
 Our subject employed himself as compositor un- 
 til the spring of 1861, then materially changing his 
 occupation, engaged to drive a team loaded with 
 merchandise across the plains, stopping at different 
 
 ^ 
 
f 
 
 M^ 
 
 1180 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 trafling-posts on the way. He thus made two trips, 
 ami upon the last journey homewarfl stojiperl three 
 months at a ranch three miles east of the present 
 site of Kearney. While at that point he received 
 news of the firing upon Ft. Sumter, and in July 
 following started on foot for the States. He had 
 proceeded but thirty miles when he overtook a train 
 of wagons, and there being more teams than drivers, 
 Mr. Sherman made arrangements to conduct a cer- 
 tain number of the oxen into Des Moines. He ful- 
 filled his contract satisfactorih', and again entered 
 a printing-office, where, however, he staid only one 
 week, having heard that iiis brother Henry had en- 
 listed ill Company B, 3d Iowa Infantry, had been 
 killed in Missouri, and his remains sent home for 
 burial, which was to take place the day following, 
 and he started that night for home. 
 
 After recovering from the shock and sorrow of 
 this affliction Mr. Sherman was employed in a print- 
 ing otflce in Knoxville, Iowa, until August, and 
 then obtaining his mother's consent, he eulisted on 
 the 20th of that month in Company K, 3d Iowa 
 Cavalry, which went into camp at Keokuk, and 
 when receiving marching orders moved to the vi- 
 cinity of Rollo, and finally to Salem, Mo., where 
 they tarried two months. In the meantime they 
 were scouting in the southern part of the State, 
 harrassing the various rebel bands roaming around 
 iu that region, and putting a stop to the recruiting 
 of rebels. In the middle of March, 1862, they 
 joined the command of Gen. Curtis, and fought at 
 the battle of Pea Ridge. Later, in the month of 
 Jul}', the}' proceeded to Helena, Ark., which was 
 their headquarters until June, 1863. 
 
 This regiment was then made a part of Grant's 
 command, and moved to the vicinity of Vicksburg, 
 assisting in keeping the troops of Gen. Joe John- 
 ston from attacking Grant in the roar. On the 5th 
 of July thej' started for Jackson, Miss., participat- 
 ing in the battle there, then returning to the out- 
 skirts of Vicksburg, started thence in August on a 
 raid through the enemy's country in Mississippi and 
 Tennessee, via Grenada to Memphis. From that 
 point they proceeded by boat to Helena, and thence 
 to Little Rock, where the regiment united and 
 moved toward Benton, thirty miles away, and from 
 there to Little Rock, another thirty miles. Here 
 
 they were engaged in garrison duty until the month 
 of October, 1863, when Mr. Sherman, with seven- 
 teen others, was sent home to raise recruits. 
 
 In January, 1864, our subject received orders to 
 report to Davenport, and found on his return that 
 the greater part of the regiment had re-eniisted_ 
 He and one other man of the seventeen concluded 
 to do the same, and were obliged to make out their 
 own muster roll. At Davenport they received the 
 thirt}' days' furlough gr.anted to veterans, and at its 
 expiration the regiment re-assembled at St. Louis, 
 whence they proceeded to Memphis and later to 
 Mississippi, participating not long afterward in the 
 ill-fated battle of Guntown. Mr. Sherman in the 
 thickest of the fight came near being captured. 
 The commanding officer finally gave them word to 
 save themselves as best they could, and putting 
 spurs to his horse he made a dash for life and lib- 
 erty. The enemy was surrounding them, and Mr. 
 Sherman soon encountered another band bj^ whom 
 he was ordered to surrender. He wheeled his horse 
 about and plunged into a creek, which the noble 
 animal swam while the bullets flew thick and fast 
 around them. The horse received a mortal wound, 
 but lived to carry his rider safely out of the reach 
 of the enemy, then lay down and died. 
 
 Our subject pursued his way now on foot, carry- 
 ing with him his accoutrements 160 miles to Mem- 
 phis. He subsequent!}' participated in the battles of 
 Pontotoc, Harrisbug, Tupelo, Ebenezer Church, 
 Selma,and Montgomer}', Ala. On the 16th of April, 
 1865, his regiment made the last charge in the last 
 battle of the war east of tlie Mississippi River, at 
 Columbus, Ga. Thence they proceeded to Macon, 
 where tliey learned of the truce between Gens. 
 Sherman and Johnston. He was mustered out with 
 the regiment in August. 1865, and shortly after- 
 ward greeted his friends and acquaintances at home. 
 
 In the fall of 1865 Mr. Sherman first established 
 in business for himself, becoming proprietor of the 
 Elizabeth Star, which he conducted one year. At 
 the expiration of that time he became associated 
 with the Burlington Haivk-Eye, and later with the 
 Burlington Merchant. Later he was at Quincy 
 and Villisca. In 1872 h« established the 3fills 
 County Journal, at Glenwood, which he conducted 
 a period of nine years. That year also he w.as 
 
 
t 
 
 •►-Jl^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 electerl Sergeant-at-Aruas of the Iowa House of 
 Representatives, serving acceptably two terms. On 
 the 5th of November, 1881, he established the 
 Flattsmouth Daily and Weekly Journal, wliich he 
 lias since conducted successfully'. With him is asso- 
 ciated Mr. J. W. Culright. 
 
 Mr. Sherman was ra.avried, Aug. 27, 18G6, to Miss 
 Graeme, who was born in Van Buren County, Iowa, 
 in 1847. This union resulted in the birth of these 
 children, viz: Eva C, Charles S., Mary, Francis M., 
 John, Freddie, Albert and Helen. Mr. Sherman is 
 a member of the McConchie Post No. 35, G. A. R. ; 
 also of Lodge No. 84. A. O. U. W., and as a repre- 
 sentative of the '-art preservative" belongs to the 
 Burlington Tj-pographical Union No. 51, and the 
 Nebraska Press Association. 
 
 ARTIN PROPST. The life labors of the 
 
 subject of this biography, a farmer in good 
 
 circumstances and a resident of Platts- 
 
 mouth Precinct, have been crowned with 
 
 more than ordinary success. He has one of the 
 
 most beautiful homesteads in the northeastern 
 
 part of Cass Count}' — a highly cultivated farm 
 
 pleasantly located, with handsome and substantial 
 
 stone buildings set in the midst of well kept 
 
 grounds, fulfilling the modern idea of the complete 
 
 country home. 
 
 A native of Pendleton Count}-, Va., our subject 
 was born Dec, 7, 1830. He is the son of Eli and 
 Sarah (Eye) Propst, who were natives of Virginia 
 and of German descent. They removed to and set- 
 tled in Scott County, Iowa, engaged in farming, and 
 lived there until they both died. In his native 
 county he spent his bo^diood and youth and lived 
 with his parents until twenty-two 3'ears old. Then 
 desirous of seeing something of the western 
 countr3',he started out for the young State of Iowa, 
 and purchasing land in Scott County set himself 
 to work improving his purchase, living there until 
 the j'ear 1868, his parents settling there at the 
 same time. He was married April 7, 1859, at 
 Davenport, Iowa, to Miss Catharine, daughter of 
 Abraham and Susan (Ileavener) Sn3-der, the 
 wedding taking place in Davenport, Iowa. They 
 
 lived on the farm in Scott County, Iowa, until 
 the year 1868, then selling out. Mr. Propst made 
 arrangements to cast his lot with the pioneei'S of 
 Nebraska Territory. Upon his arrival in this coun- 
 tj' he put up a shant}' of Cottonwood boards which 
 lie transported from across the river in Iowa, and 
 the humble dwelling served as a residence for him- 
 self and little familj- for several years. In the year 
 1876 he was enabled to put up one of the finest 
 residences in the countr}' round — -a large stone 
 structure which is the admiration of all who pass 
 by it. Later he added to the attractions of his 
 homestead by the erection of a two-story stone 
 barn, 44x80 feet in area, with side walls twenty- 
 one feet in height above the foundation. The low- 
 er story provides shelter for twent}' horses and 
 fifty cattle. 
 
 The farm of our subject now embraces 480 broad 
 acres, and adjacent to the dwelling are fruit and 
 shade trees, including a fine apple orchard. Mr. 
 Propst makes a specialty of swine, feeding for 
 the market each j'ear about 100 head. There is a 
 fish-pond near the house which is supplied by a 
 never-failing spring of pure water, and in which 
 the liighl}- prized German carp flourishes finely. 
 He has taken out some carp for the table weighing 
 four pounds. 
 
 The parents of our subject, Elias and Sallie (Eye) 
 Propst, were also natives of ^'irginia. The pater- 
 nal great-grandparents were born in the Duchy of 
 Holstein,Germany,whence they emigrated to Amer- 
 ica at an early period in the historv of this coun- 
 tiy, settling in Virginia, whSi-e their son Daniel, the 
 grandfather of our subject, was born. The latter 
 in coming to Iowa was accompanied bj' his parents, 
 thej' settling with him in Scott County, where 
 the}^ spent the remainder of their days, the mother 
 passing away in the year 1870, aged sixty-eight 
 years, and the father in July, 1874, at the age of 
 seventy. Martin was the third of their eight chil- 
 dren, six of whom are living and residents of Iowa 
 and Nebraska. 
 
 Our subject and his estimable wife are members 
 in good standing of the Baptist Church, .attending 
 services at Eight Mile Grove. Mr. Propst cast his 
 first Presidential vote for Stephen A. Douglas, and 
 is a stanch advocate of Democratic principles. The 
 
■M^ 
 
 1182 
 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 
 household circle includes three children — two sons 
 and a daughter— John A, Walter L. and Marj- S. 
 The eldest is twentj'-eight years of age and the 
 youngest twenty. They are all at home with their 
 parents. Another child, William P^dwin, died at the 
 age of twenty-one montlis. 
 
 ELIA8 S. GILBERT, farmer and stock-raiser, 
 is now a resident ot Weeping Water. This 
 / gentleman is one of tlie most prominent and 
 leading citizens of the neighborliood in which he 
 lives, and devotes his time to general farming and the 
 raising of thoroughbred bank stock, horses, hogs 
 and cattle, having twenty-four head of the fine 
 graded Norman horses, a herd of fifteen head of 
 thoroughbred Short-horn cattle, and 200 full 
 blooded Poland-China hogs. He has made a study of 
 the business, and an inspection of his herds of cattle 
 and hogs will convince the most skeptical that he 
 possesses a complete Icnowledge of the business, for 
 it is but seldom that herds of both classes display 
 so many fine points and so few poor ones as those 
 the property of Mr. Gilbert; besides he buys and 
 feeds from forty to one hundred head of cattle 
 annually for the general market. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in (jntario 
 County, N. Y., Dec. 17, 1816, where he lived and 
 attended the common schools of the county until 
 his fifteenth j^ear; he then spent three months at 
 Temple Hill, N. Y., then two years at the academy 
 at Canandaigua, N. Y.; when he had completed 
 his course there he went back to the farm. He 
 there, purchased the home farm of 400 acres from 
 his father, and began life for himself, about the age 
 of twenty-one. He remained here until he was 
 thirty-five years old; he had done exceedingly well, 
 and in the spring of 1852 sold all his property and 
 moved to Davenport, Iowa, where he bought 120 
 acres of improved land near the town. He had 
 previously bought a one-third interest in the 
 Moline Water Power, and 260 acres of land in 
 Moline, which comprised about one-half of the 
 town site. He lived in Davenport and attended to 
 his affairs successfully until the crash of 1857 came 
 and swept the entire fortune away, only succeeding 
 
 in paj-ing his debts. He continued farming and 
 engaged in tlie fruit business, planting twenty-five 
 acres in orchard, and carried on that business until 
 1875. In 1876 he removed to Nebraska with his 
 son, and came to Weeping Water and bought their 
 present home of 160 acres in partnership, wliich 
 was partly improved at the time, and since then has 
 improved the balance, and has now all necessary 
 buildings, house, barn, granaries, to the value of 
 $3,000. He also has six acres in grove and a fine 
 orchard. He has a large improved windmill, 
 which supplies water to four tanks, which is con- 
 veyed to the different yards and barns for the use 
 of the stock by a sj-stem of piping. 
 
 The subject of this sketch has been married 
 twice, the first time in Ontario County, March 4, 
 1846, to Miss Caroline E. Pitts, the daughter of 
 Hon. Gideon Pitts, who was the first settler in the 
 town of Richmond,Ontario Co., N. Y., and a wealthy 
 farmer ; he served several terms in the New York 
 Legislature. Caroline E. Pitts, wife of our subject, 
 was born in Ontario County, N. Y., May 24, 
 1819, and died in Gilbert, Iowa, Aug. 2, 1862, 
 leaving two children, Cyrus P. and Carra G, Cyrus 
 P. married Miss Emma Kellogg, and is a farmer 
 and grain buyer in Eagle, Elmwood and Weeping 
 Water. His family consists of four children — 
 James S., Chauncy K., Louisa J. and Fanny P. 
 Carra G. is married, her husband being Mr. George 
 S. Jewett, a merchant in New York Citj'. The 
 second marriage of our subject was contracted in 
 Philadelphia, in December, 1864, to Miss Frances J. 
 Lambaert, daugliter of the Hon. Charles Lambaert, 
 who superintended the building of the railroad 
 from Philadelphia to Baltimore. She was born 
 near Philadelpliia, Pa. One child is the result 
 of this marriage, Anna, now married to Edward 
 E. Howell, an insurance agent in Omaha, Neb. 
 
 The father of our subject was Elias Gilbert, who 
 was born in Litchfield, Conn., in November, 
 1776. His mother was Polly Greene, born in 
 Rhode Island. Grandfather Joseph Gilbert served 
 through the entire Revolution as a non-com- 
 missioned officer, was a shoemaker by trade; his 
 father came from England. Grandfather James 
 Greene, a farmer, was of English extraction, and a 
 distant relative of General Greene of Revolution- 
 
 n 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ••► 
 
 1183 
 
 ary fame. The father and mother were married in 
 New York, the father being a farmer" as well as a 
 merchant in Ontario County, was also a tanner, 
 currier, harness-maker, saddler and shoemalvcr, and 
 was in very easy circumstances. He was a mer- 
 chant at the time the panic swept away his property, 
 but he, by close attention to business, regained it. 
 Tlio parents left New York in 1854, and went to 
 live with their son, our subject, at Gilbert, Iowa. 
 They remained with him until the death of the 
 father, March 4, 1872, aged ninety-five years, three 
 months and five days. Our subject's mother died 
 in fxilbert, Scott Co., Iowa, Oct. 29, 1867, seventy- 
 three years old. Both parents were active members 
 of the Congregational Church. Elias S. was the 
 sixth child in a family of eight children. Horace 
 died when an infant; his second brother Horace, 
 sister Polly, sister Maryette and sister Theodosia, 
 are dead. Sister Amanda is older and brother 
 Warren is younger than our subject. Many posi- 
 tions of trust and confidence have been held by our 
 subject; he was Trustee of the city and township 
 of Davenport, Iowa, for five years, lias served 
 several years as school officer and served as Justice 
 of the Peace six years, and was largely interested 
 in the formation and successful operation of the 
 Farmers' Alliance, and it can be said to his credit, 
 the man never sought the office but the office al- 
 ways sought the man. In politics he always was 
 found in the ranks of the Indei)endent or Repub- 
 lican parties, and was frequently delegate to the 
 County and State Conventions of one of those par- 
 ties. Botli himself and wife were active members 
 of the Congregational Church, of Victoria, teachers 
 of the Bible Class, and took a leading part in all 
 good works. The life of our subject presents 
 many changes, many difficulties met and overcome 
 by the exercise of the indomitable will and inflex- 
 ible integrity, and all embarrassments and troubles 
 which have come to him in business have been 
 brouglit about by the financial crush of 1857, and 
 it can be safely said that he has never failed in 
 anything he has undertaken to carry through by 
 himself, and he presents to the mind of the reader 
 and to those who know liim, the appearance of a 
 man self-reliant, honest, shrewd and ambitious. 
 He always takes an active part in the political can- 
 
 vass of the country, delivering speeches, and doing 
 all in his power to further the interest of the party 
 which claims his allegiance, and in the times prior 
 to the war he was connected with tlie "underground 
 railroad," and did much toward helping many col- 
 lored men to the North and freedom. 
 
 The nobler impulses of his nature revolted at tlie 
 system of slavery existing in this country, and he 
 very early assumed a positive stand against it. In 
 fact, when only seventeen years of age he began 
 his vigorous anti-slavery work in Richmond, 
 Ontario Co., N. Y., then a town of 2,000 inhabit- 
 ants. In those da3^s pronounced opposers to slav- 
 ery were few, and strange as it may seem, young 
 Cxilbert stood alone as the champion of universal 
 freedom in that city. He was aggressive, and by 
 his able discussion of the question threw such light 
 upon it that ere long his copatriots were many, 
 and included the best men of the community. He 
 was the founder of the town of Gilbert near Dav- 
 enport, Iowa. 
 
 —4-+ 
 
 -H-S- 
 
 ^^, B. KNOTTS, editor and proprietor of the 
 v@/-J| Plattsmouth Herald, one of the best con- 
 
 \\\ » ducted and most popular newspapers in 
 @j/ Cass County, has already shown that he 
 
 possesses ability that will no doubt some day place 
 him in the front ranks of the journalists of the 
 West. He was born in Lumberport, Harri- 
 son Co., W. Va., February 9, 1859. His father, 
 Joseph Knotts, was born in Knottsville, W. Va. 
 Sept. 24, 1832, his father, Absalom Knotts, 
 having been born in the same house. His grand- 
 father, the great-grandfather of subject, was born 
 of Scotch parentage either in Scotland or America. 
 He lived in Princeton, N. J., in the early part of 
 his life, and finally went from there to West Vir- 
 ginia, and became an early settler of Knottsville. 
 He bought quite a large tract of heavil}' timbered 
 land, and built a grist and saw mill, which he oper- 
 ated for many years, spending the remainder of 
 his life there. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject succeeded his 
 father in the proprietorship of the mills, continuing 
 to manage them for some years. In 1860 he sold his 
 
t 
 
 O 1184 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 "T^ 
 
 property in "West Virginia, and moved to Warren 
 County. Iowa, where, in companj' witli Messrs. 
 Read and Felton, he bought a tract of land and 
 platted the village of New Virginia. He was a 
 local ]3reacher in the Jlethodist Church, besides 
 being a farmer, and was quite well known through- 
 out that part of the State in that capacitj-. He 
 improved a farm in Warren County, but he subse- 
 quently disposed of it, and moved from New Vir- 
 ginia to Osceola, Clarke County, where lie was en- 
 gaged in the mercantile business until about 1879, 
 when he removed to Lucas to conduct the same 
 business, which he carried on in that city until his 
 death in 188.5. The maiden name of his wife was 
 iSIatilda Sa3n'e, and she was a native of Taylor 
 County, W. Vii, She spent her last years 
 in Osceola, Iowa, and with her husband lies buried 
 in the cemetery of that place. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in his native 
 State, and early in his youth joined the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and when quite a 3'oung man 
 commenced teaching and preaching. He resided 
 in West Virginia until 1860, moving in that year 
 to Iowa, being transferred to the Iowa Conference 
 and assigned to duty in the western part of the 
 State. When the conference was divided he be- 
 came a member of the Des Moines Conference. In 
 1865 he was appointed to the pastorate of the 
 Broadway Society in Council Bluffs, and during 
 the two years that he ministered to the people there 
 a church was built under his auspices. But a 
 wider field of usefulness was open to him, and he 
 became agent for the Methodist Church Extension 
 Society, and was actively engaged in the work of 
 that society the following two years. He was then 
 appointed Presiding Elder of Council Bluffs, which 
 position he held for four years, and during that 
 period was delegate to the General Conference of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church at Philadelphia. 
 The responsibility and work connected with the 
 oftice of Presiding Elder proved too liiuch for his 
 health, which became impaired, and he was obliged 
 to relinquish his beloved calling. He then turned 
 Ins attention to book and job printing, and edited 
 and printed the Inland Advocate a number of 
 years, also the Weekly Independent, a political 
 paper. In tlie fall of 1874 he lost all of his ma- 
 
 terial by fire, and at that time his liealth was also 
 injured, and the winter of 1874-75 lie spent in 
 Washington. Gen. Gtrant appointed him United 
 States Consul at Chihuahua, Mexico, and while in 
 that country he became interested in some valuable 
 mines, and resigned his Consulship to turn his at- 
 tention to mining, and was thus engaged until his 
 death in El Paso, Tex., Jan. 23, 1888. He was a 
 man of marked talent, both in the pulpit and as a 
 financier. In him the Methodist denomination 
 suffered a great loss, as he was instrumental in 
 building up a number of churches, and even after 
 he retired from the pulpit took an earnest interest 
 in the work. The maiden name of his wife was 
 Rebecca Hall, and she was a native of Barbour 
 County, W. Va. She now resides at Council Bluffs, 
 Iowa. Seven sons and one daughter were born to 
 them, namely: Edith, now Mrs. Robinson; our 
 subject, T. H., L. G., E. F.. James E., Gordon B. 
 and Joseph. 
 
 He of whom we write received liis education in 
 the public schools of Council Bluffs, Iowa., and was 
 subsequentl}'^ graduated from the Iowa Business 
 College at Des Moines, in December, 1876. Pie 
 then went to Texas in the early part of 1877, with 
 the intention of going into the cattle business. At 
 the expiration of six months he was satisfied with 
 his experience of life in that State, and returned to 
 Council Bluffs to resume work in the office of the 
 JVonjjareil, where he had previously commenced to 
 learn the ti-ade of printer. He worked there until 
 1882, and in the fall of that year went to Mexico 
 and took charge of 'the stamp mills at the mines of 
 Parral in Chihuahua, continuing thus engaged 
 for four months. He then returned to his old 
 home in Council Bluffs, and in July, 1883, bought 
 the Indianola iJe?-a?d, in Warren County, Iowa. He 
 retained the proprietorship of that paper for three 
 years and three months, and then sold it at a good 
 profit, but continued in the office as one of the 
 staff of the paper until Dec. 1, 1886. At that time 
 he went to Dallas, Tex., and sjient the winter in 
 that delightful climate. In the following spring 
 he came to Plattsmouth and bought the Herald, 
 his brother T. H. being associated with him in the 
 purchase, and continuing in partnership with him 
 until July 5, 1888, wlien our subject bought his 
 
 
-4- 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1185 
 
 interest, and has since conchieted the paper alone. 
 He has an easy, pleasant style of writing, and liis 
 editorials are marl^ed b}- vigor, earnestness, and a 
 tiiorougli comprehension of the subjects under 
 discussion. 
 
 Mr. Knotts was married, Nov. 1,1888, to Miss 
 May Russell, a daugiiter of Judge Kussell, of 
 whom see sketch on another page of this work. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Knotts have a very attractive home, 
 and their many friends meet with a cordial recep- 
 tion beneath its roof. Religiousl}^, our subject is 
 a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 Socially, he belongs to the Indianola Lodge No. 
 71, I. O. O. F., and to Three Rivers Lodge No. 84, 
 A. O. I". W. Ilis views on the political questions 
 of the day are sound and sensible, and in conso- 
 nance with those expressed by the Republican party. 
 
 ■^^^■ 
 
 ORRIN P. SMITH, a druggist by profession, 
 is carrying on his business in Plattsinouth in 
 __ connection with Dr. E. W. Cook, having 
 bought an interest in the store of that gentleman. 
 He is a man of education i^nd wide experience, and 
 has a good, practical knowledge of piiarmaceutics. 
 Mr. Smith is a native of Ohio, born in the town of 
 Marion, Marion County, to Joseph and P^Iizabeth 
 (Hartman) Smith, natives respectively of Elizabeth 
 and Newark, N. J. His paternal grandfather, 
 Daniel Smith, vvas born in that State, of mingled 
 Scotch and German antecedents. The great-grand- 
 father of our subject was born in Scotland, and 
 after attaining manhood took up his residence in 
 America, in Colonial times, settling in New Jer- 
 sey, where he practiced his profession of attorney, 
 and there he spent the remainder of his life. Before 
 coming to this country he had visited Germany, 
 and married a German wife. The grandfather of 
 our subject, who was also a member of the legal 
 profession, moved to Ohio in 1803, and was a pio- 
 neer of Franklin County. He became prominent 
 as a law5'er, practicing his profession there, and 
 serving as Justice of ■the Peace for many j-ears, 
 and as an educator. Through his zeal and influence 
 the first school district was organized in Franklin 
 County, and he taught the first school. His home 
 
 was eight miles northeast of Columbus, where he 
 spent his last years. The maiden name of his wife 
 was Harriet DeCamp, and she was born in New 
 Jersey. Her father was a native of France. 
 
 The father of our subject was young when his 
 parents removed to Ohio, and he was there reared 
 amid the pioneer influences of the earlj' settlers of 
 tluit State. In his j^outh he was sent to Columbus 
 to learn the trade of iron moulder, and afterward to 
 Mt. Vernon, to finish learning it. He subsequently 
 established a foundr}' at Marion, and made the 
 iron for the rolling stock of the Indianapolis, 
 Bloominglon & Warsaw Railroad. He took his 
 payment in real estate, which afterward depreciated 
 in value, so that he was obliged to assign to his 
 creditors. He was an exceedingly honorable man, 
 with a great dislike for debt, and he did not rest 
 until he was finally able to settle his indebtedness 
 dollar for dollar, and then commenced life again 
 with nothing but his home left. He is now a resi- 
 dent of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he is Superin- 
 tendent of Whiting's iron works. He has a fine 
 military record, one of whicli his family may well 
 be proud. He and his six brothers, Aaron, Levi, 
 Elias, Daniel, Hiram and Fr.ank, all served in the 
 army during the late war, and were all commis- 
 sioned officers. The total service of the seven 
 bo3's counts up thirty-two years. One brother died 
 in the service; another, Daniel, was shot seven 
 times, but is still living. The father of our sub- 
 ject was an Orderly Sergeant in an Ohio regiment. 
 The parents of our subject have nine children — 
 Oliver H., Edward IT., Mary J., Josephine, Com- 
 modore P., Benjamin F., Orrin P., William G. and 
 Harry C. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was a lad of good 
 abilities, and was bright and apt in his studies. 
 He laid the foundation of his education in the pub- 
 lic schools of Westerville, and, so rapid was his 
 progress, that he was admitted to the High School 
 at an unusually early age. When he was onlj'^ 
 eleven years of age he was engaged in pattern 
 making and drafting for the C. & G. Cooper 
 Manufacturing Company, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and 
 he remained with them three years. When he was 
 fourteen he went to Iowa, and worked on his 
 brother-in-law's farm in Victor for a j^ear. At the 
 
 •►^r^ 
 
 f 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 1186 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 expiration of that time he returned to Mt. Vernon, 
 and formed a partnership with his brother Benjamin 
 to buy and manage a drug store in that city. 
 They continued together in that business for five 
 years, and then sold and went to Granville, Ohio, 
 where they embarked in the same business. A 
 year and a half later our subject went to Chicago, 
 and was employed as a traveling salesman for a 
 year, and then was on the open Board of Trade in 
 that city for two years. We next hear of him in Red 
 Cloud, this State, where he was employed as a clerk 
 in a drug store for a year. In 1887, having a fine op- 
 l)ortunity to purchase an interest in Dr. Cook's 
 drug store, in Plattsmouth, he came here for that 
 l)urpose, and was enabled to make satisfactory terms 
 with that gentleman. He is a man of high purpose 
 and fine character, is gentlemanly in his deport- 
 ment, and prompt and attentive in waiting on 
 customers. Although he has been a resident of 
 this city but a short time, he has favorably im- 
 pressed those with whom he has come in contact, 
 and has made many friendships. While a resident 
 of Ohio he became identified with the Knights of 
 Pythias, joining Timon Lodge No. 45, Mt. Vernon, 
 and was made a Knight in 1879. 
 
 (^^HOMAS J. FOUNTAIN. The pioneers of 
 um^s 1857, coming to Nebraska during its Terri- 
 ^^^ torial days, deserve more than a passing 
 notice in a work of this kind. Among them may 
 be numbered the subject of this history, who, in 
 the spring of that year, settled on his present farm, 
 which occupies a portion of section 24, in South 
 Bend Precinct. He secured at first eighty acres, 
 and to this he has given his close attention for a 
 period of over thirty years, building up a good 
 homestead, and bringing the soil to a high state of 
 cultivation. Upon it, as may be supposed, there were 
 no improvements whatever, and his neighbors were 
 few and far between. The contrast between the 
 past and present is one which only those who have 
 marked the transformation are able to realfze. To 
 the men who first br.aved the dangers and difficulties 
 of life on the frontier, is Nebraska indebted for 
 her position as one of the most prosperous com- 
 
 monwealths west of the Mississippi. Mr. Fountain 
 has contributed his full share toward her wealth 
 and prosperity by eliminating from her soil one of 
 her model homesteads, and otherwise performing 
 the duties of an honest man and a good citizen. 
 
 Our subject first opened his ej'es to the light on 
 the other side of the Atlantic, in Buckinghamshire, 
 England, May 22, 1830. His father, John Foun- 
 tain, was a prosperous farmer and stock-dealer, and 
 also engaged in merchandising. The mother, Mrs. 
 Ann (Franklin) Fountain, was a native of the same 
 shire as her husband, and they came to America 
 when their sou, Thomas J., was a little lad five 
 years of age. They landed in New York City, and 
 thence proceerled to Middletown, Conn., which was 
 their home a number of years, and where the mother 
 died in middle life, leaving six children — four sons 
 and two daughters. They were named respect- 
 ively: Henry, Esther, Richard, David, Thomas and 
 Ann. Of these, three are living — Thomas and 
 Ann in South Bend, Neb., and Esther in Oregon. 
 
 Our subject pursued his early studies in the com- 
 mon schools of Middletown, Conn., and later served 
 an apprenticeship at the blacksmith trade, laboring 
 as a journeyman thereafter for a number of years, 
 and as long as he remained in New England. He 
 was first married in Massachusetts to Miss Abelene 
 Phipps, who became the mother of three children 
 — Jason, Isabelle and Lafayette, and departed this 
 life at her hoiiie in South Bend Precinct in 1886. 
 These children are now living in South Bend, Neb. 
 
 Mr. Fountain's present wife was formerly Mrs. 
 Mary Ann (Hamilton) Cummings, born in Chariton 
 County, Mo. Later she removed with her husband 
 to Sarpy County, this State. She is the daughter 
 of William Hamilton, who, when leaving Missouri, 
 removed first to Linn County, Iowa. Of her 
 marriage with Henry Cummings there were born 
 three children — Ethleen, Harriet and Erwin, all of 
 whom are married and living — two in Sarpy County, 
 this State, Harriet and Ethleen, and Erwiu in 
 Lyons, Col. 
 
 The father of our subject left New England in 
 1858, and came to this county, where he sojourned 
 until his death, which occurred in 1882, after he 
 had arrived at the advanced age of eighty-five 
 years. Mr. Fountain, politically, votes the straight 
 
•►-11^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1187 
 
 Democnitic ticket, and otherwise than serving as 
 Treasui-er of the Scliool Board, has carefully 
 avoiderl the responsibilities of office. He is re- 
 garded as a law-abiding and peaceful citizen, one 
 who attends strictly to his own concerns, making 
 little stir in the world, content to work qnietly in 
 his own sphere, and forming a worthy- factor in tiie 
 element constituting the bone and sinew of law and 
 good order. 
 
 ^p\ HARLES H. BP:0DEKER. an enterprising 
 (l( _ farmer and stock-raiser, resides on section 24, 
 v^^ in Mt. Pleasant Precinct, was born March 
 30, 1852, in St. Louis, Mo., and is the eldest in a large 
 family: Charles II., Lewis, Adoljih F., Henry ; Ella, 
 now the wife of George Delezene; Theodore; Min- 
 nie, now the wife of Arthur Blackwell; Nora, now 
 the wife of John Dnnson; John, EIHe and William 
 C, now deceased. When about three 3'ears old 
 his parents removed with their entire family to 
 Jefferson Countj', Wis., where they resided six 
 years, when they settled in Muscatine County, 
 Iowa, where they lived until the spring of 1866, 
 when the entire family, including our subject, came 
 to Cass County, Neb. The educational advantages 
 enjoyed by our subject were limited to the district 
 schools in the neighborhood of his home. He had 
 a natural taste for reading and study, which he has 
 cultivated, and he is now a man well versed in the 
 general topics of the day. 
 
 Our subject was married to Miss Sarah J. Hob- 
 son, Oct. 19, 1875. The lady was born in Mills 
 County, Iowa, July 16, 1859, and is a daughter of 
 Hadley and Rebecca Hobson. Her father was a 
 soldier during the late Civil War, in which service 
 he died in the hospital, of the measles. The mother 
 married Jasper Bedwell, and now resides in Noda- 
 way County, Mo. She is the elder of two chil- 
 dren born to her parents; her brother is Nathan 
 L. Hobson. As the result of the mother's second 
 marriage there are seven children : Effle, the wife 
 of John T. Atkinson; Ida E., now the wife of 
 Price McCoppin; William E., Mary C, Carrie A., 
 Alvin and Lulu. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is the son of Theodore 
 
 •►-^h:^ 
 
 and Patience Beodeker, who are now residents of 
 Louisville Precinct. The father is a native of 
 Germany, and came to America when he was about 
 nine years old. The mother is a native of New 
 York State. After various journey ings the par- 
 ents settled on their homestead in Louisville Pre- 
 cinct, and thej' were among the first settlers there. 
 They have continued residing on the original home- 
 stead from that date. His means were quite limited, 
 and, like all pioneers in starting in a new country 
 they had continuous hardships and privations. In 
 the summer season he devoted his time to the cul- 
 tivation and improvement of his land, and in the 
 winter he performed such jobs of freighting as 
 time and occasion offered. In this way he man- 
 aged to improve his property, until he now has a 
 fine, well-imi)roved farm, and is classed among the 
 leading and rei)resentative men of the precinct. 
 In polities he is a Democrat. He was a soldier 
 during the Mexican War, having enlisted when 
 quite a 3'outh. Now, in the evening of life, they 
 are enjoying the fruits of a life well spent. 
 
 Our subject has been practically reared to man's 
 estate in this countj', and has experienced manj- of 
 the cares of pioneer life, giving the assistauceof 
 his strong right arm to his father in opening their 
 then new farm, and bearing a heavy share of the 
 labor incident to that purpose. Three children 
 have been born to our subject and bis worthy wife: 
 Alta M. was born Dec. 17, 1876; Ida E., Dec. 4, 
 1879; and W^illie- Glenn, June 10, 1885. Mr. 
 Beodeker settled on his present farm in the spring 
 of 1876, where he has lived ever since. At that 
 time it was perfectly wild. He had devoted him- 
 self to the improvement of his land so intelligently 
 and assiduously, that he now has one of the finest 
 improved farms in the countj'. He has a large and 
 commodious dwelling, which, with the barns and 
 other buildings, commands the attention and ad- 
 miration of all, and is a continuing monument to 
 the industry and persistent efforts of our subject. 
 
 Mrs. Beodecker came to Nebraska with her 
 mother and step-father. She also knows what it is 
 to be a pioneer, and she has faithfully seconded 
 her husband's efforts, and rendered him all the 
 assistance that a devoted wife can extend to a hus- 
 band. She is a very intelligent, refined woman 
 
 f 
 
•►-11^^^ 
 
 1188 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1^ 
 
 and her home displays the exercise of rare taste. 
 Herself and husband arc members of the United 
 Bretliren Church, and are foremost in all >vorks of 
 charity and benevolence; they hold a leading posi- 
 tion in the social life of the precinct. 
 
 Mr. Beodeker, the owner of this fine farm, has 
 been very successful in life. He attributes this 
 success to the fact that he endeavors to live in a 
 strict observance of the Golden Rule: "Do unto 
 others as ye would that they do unto }^ou." Hon- 
 est and upright, he merits and has the respect and 
 admiration of all his neighbors. The family are 
 noted for their generous hospitality and sociability. 
 In politics he is a Democrat. Up to tiie present 
 he lias never sought or held any public office, feel- 
 ing that lie could not forego the quiet of his home 
 that an entrance into public life would destroy. 
 Hence, he lias persistently refused to accept an}' 
 favors in this line, although he is i-epeatedly re- 
 quested to allow his name to be used. 
 
 yi|ULlUS F. KAGOSS. Among the tillers of 
 I I the soil of America no nationalit}' has dis- 
 ^^1 ; tinguished itself in a more praiseworthy man- 
 i^^y ncr than that owing its origin to the German 
 lunpire. To this the subject of this sketch, a prom- 
 inent farmer and stock-raiser of Mt. Pleasant Pre- 
 cinct, traces his direct origin, having been born in 
 Prussia, Sept. 24, 1845. When a youth of seven- 
 teen years he emigrated with his parents to Amer- 
 ica, embarking on a steamer at the port of Bremen, 
 and after an ocean voyage of fourteen days landed 
 safely in New York City. Thence they proceeded 
 directly to Henry County, III., where the parents 
 settled, but about 1867 moved across the Missis- 
 sippi into this county, and took up their abode in 
 Eight Mile Grove Precinct, where they still reside. 
 
 Jacob and Epfrasine (Ziebart) Ragoss were also 
 natives of Prussia, and Julius F. was their eldest 
 son. The family included three other children, 
 who are now located in Nebraska and California. 
 Our subject lived with his parents about two years 
 in Illinois, then started for the farther West, and 
 spent some time looking over the country in Mis- 
 souri, Arkansas and Minnesota, drifting to Nebraska 
 
 about 1866. He, however, returned to Illinois, not 
 being yet ready to settle in this Slate, but the j'ear 
 following took up his residence in tiiis count}', upon 
 tlie quarter-section of land which he now occupies, 
 and for which he paid the sum of $8 per acre. 
 
 This land, when coming into the jjossession of 
 Mr. Ragoss,-was nothing but a wild, uncultivated 
 prairie, upon which not a furrow had been turned, 
 it being just as the Indians had left it. His first 
 business was to put up for himself a temporary sliel- 
 ter. and then to get in the crops of that season. He 
 had come to this county empty-handed, and endured 
 in common with the pioneers around him the har<l- 
 ships and privations incident to life in a new settle- 
 ment. He knows how every dollar of his projjerty 
 has been accumulated, and gives due credit to the 
 excellent woman who has been his companion for a 
 period of seventeen years, and has labored equally 
 with him in the building up of a homestead. To this 
 lady, who in hor girlhood was Miss Mary Ahl, he 
 was married Feb. 22, 1871, at her home in Cass 
 County, Neb. 
 
 Mrs. Ragoss, also of German parentage and an- 
 cestry, was born in the Province of Hessen, Jan. 2\f, 
 1854. Her parents, John and Catherine (Huff) Ahl, 
 were natives of the same country, and the mother 
 died in Nebraska about 1878. The parents emi- 
 grated to America when their daughter Mary was a 
 child a year old, and lived for a time in New York 
 City. Laier they were residents of various States, 
 and about 1865 made their way to this county, where 
 Miss Mary was reared to womanhood. The father 
 took up a tract of land in Eight Mile Grove Pre- 
 cinct, where he still lives. He was one of the pio- 
 neer settlers of that region, and is an honest and 
 reliable citizen, greatly respected by his communitj'. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ragoss began their wedded life to- 
 gether in Cass County, and are now the parents of 
 six children, who were born as follows: Henr}- H., 
 Feb. 28, 1873; Julius A., Jan. 9, 1876; Edward, 
 Dec. 7, 1878, and who died May 5, 1881 ; Ida C, 
 Sept. 18, 1881; Olga, June 22, 1884, and Hugo A., 
 Jan. 14, 1887. Our subject and his estimable wife 
 are members in good standing of the German Luth 
 eran Church, and Mr. R., politically, exercises the 
 right of a free American citizen, to support the men 
 whom lie considers best qualified for ofHce, irre- 
 
 I 
 
.^1^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1189 ' ) 
 
 spectjve of pnrtj'. He attended school a short time 
 after coming to tills coiintrj', and employs himself 
 ill reading as time and opportunity permits. He 
 tiiiis keeps himself posted upon the important events 
 transpiring upon both hemispheres, while in the di- 
 rection of his farming interests he keeps abreast of 
 new methods and modern machiner3'. The prop- 
 erty which he has accumulated forms a standing 
 monument to his industry and perseverance: one 
 which will endure until his children are old enough 
 to appreciate the diligence and forethought which 
 ciiaraclerized the labors of their honored sire. 
 
 'jfp^LI SAMSON, Superintendent of the Cass 
 iMl Count}' Farm, Plattsmouth, and of the in- 
 /i^ —^' flrmarj' connected with that institution, is 
 well fitted by his practical sagacity, sound common 
 sense, and sterling integrity, for the responsible 
 position that he is so satisfactorily- filling. He was 
 born in Scioto County, Ohio, Aug. 1, 1833, to James 
 and Margaret (Bradford) Samson. In 1845 bis par- 
 ents, accompanied by their children — our subject, 
 his brother Ezra, his sister Sarah and her husband, 
 E. E. Bennett, embarked on a boat ou the Ohio 
 River bound for IMissouri, and after a voyage of 
 several days down the Ohio and up the Mississippi, 
 they landed at St. Louis. The\' proceeded bj' team to 
 their destination in Andrew Countj^, Mo., four miles 
 south of Savannah Landing, now the county seat, 
 where the father had a short time previously pre- 
 empted some Land. Missouri was then in quite a 
 wild condition; the Indians still living there, and 
 wildcats, and other obnoxious animals then com- 
 ^ mon in the sparsely settled i-egions of the West, 
 were plenty. St. Joseph had but one store, being 
 an insignificant trading-post, kept by a Frenchman 
 of the name of Rubideaux, to whom belongs the 
 honor of laying out the town. Mr. Samson and 
 his children immediatel}' set to work with a 
 good will to build up a home in the wilds of that 
 country-, clearing the la!nd from the heavy forest 
 that covered all but five or six acres, which were 
 all ready to cultivate, the tall, old trees having 
 been removed before Mr. Samson purchased it. 
 They succeeded in developing a fine farm, which 
 
 the}- fenced, and erected a good dwelling, barn and 
 other necessary buildings. Mr. Samson had a fine 
 sugar camp, and thej- made all the sugar and mo- 
 lasses that thej" used. The parents of our subject 
 died in Andrew County, leaving behind them the 
 legacj' of a good name and the record of lives well 
 spent. 
 
 He of whom we write was a lad of twelve }-ears 
 when he accompanied his parents to Missouri, and 
 there he grew to manhood. He was married in 
 that State to Miss Mar}' -Lyons, in Dec. 1858. They 
 continued to live in Missouri about four years, and 
 then took up their abode in Brown County, Kan. 
 In February, 1863, he enlisted in Co. L, 2d Ne- 
 braska Cavalry, and served with bravery and effi- 
 ciency until Dec. 24, 1863. He took an active part 
 in the battle of White Stone Hill, and was there 
 wounded Sept. 2d by an Indian, the shot penetrat- 
 ing the right leg near the hip, and coming out near 
 the knee, shattering a part of the bone, and it was 
 not removed until eight years later. His eyesight 
 was also greatly impaired while in the service, and 
 at times he is almost blind. Mr. Samson continued 
 to reside in Kansas some sixteen years, spending 
 the last four years in Wabaunsee County. He then 
 returned to his old home in Andrew County, Mis- 
 souri, where he lived until November, 1877, when 
 he came to Cass County with his family. He first 
 located on a rented farm four miles south of Platts- 
 mouth, but he subsequently bought an eighty acre 
 farm on section 32, this township, to which he re- 
 moved. At the expiration of a 3'ear and a half he 
 sold that at a good advance, having been appointed 
 in March, 1884, to his present position to take 
 charge of the County Farm, the paupers and infli'm- 
 ary. He has been found by the commissioners to 
 be the right man in the right place, and tliey have 
 made a contract with him to retain the position of 
 superintendent another year. Under his able man- 
 agement the farm is in a very satisfactory condi- 
 tion, and the paujjers are well and kindly cared for. 
 Mr. Sampson is indentified with the G. A. 11., be- 
 ing a member of McConihie Post No. 43, Platts- 
 mouth. Politically he supports the Republican 
 party, and he has always proved a good and loyal 
 citizen. Mr. Samson and wife have a family of 
 nine children living, viz: David, married Sophia 
 
 •►Ht::* 
 
 lia X 
 
 4 
 
Jf^ 
 
 ■•► 
 
 1190 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 Marler, they live in Rock Bluff Precinct; William 
 married Mar^' Goodwin, tlie3' reside in Plattsniouth 
 Precinct; Susan, wife of William Moore, lives in 
 Plattsniouth; Lewis, Jlichael, Thomas, Oscar, Sarah 
 and E^ttie, all single. 
 
 ,^^^) A. -EOSE is one of the oldest general mer- 
 |f| (=7 chants of the village of Union, and one of 
 '^^41 the best known liusiness men of Liberty. 
 He established his present store in this village in 
 May. 1887. and S. A. Weimer is associated with 
 hira, under the firm name of G. A. Rose & Co. The 
 latter is from Nebraska City, and was forrneriy en- 
 gaged, for a perioil of twenty years, as general mer- 
 chant, and being an enterprising, progressive man, 
 was successful in his business. Our subject and his 
 [)artner have a well-appointed store, and carry a 
 full line of general merchandise, with a large supply 
 of every tiling their trade demands. The stock runs 
 as high as $7,000, and the sales are about double that 
 amount. This is not Mr. Rose's first venture in the 
 mercantile business, as he had a year's experience in 
 the same line in a countr3r store one and a half miles 
 from Union, carrying groceries chiefly. In that he 
 was very successful, but a man of his enterprising 
 and energetic spirit and fine talent for business of 
 course craved a broader field, and as a result he is 
 established here, and is prospering as he deserves. 
 Mr. Rose began life, however, as a farmer, having 
 had a good property on section 30 of the fr.actional 
 township or precinct of Wyoming. He still owns 
 the old home farm, which comprises eighty acres of 
 fine farming land, the most of which he improved 
 himself and put into a suitable shape for a comfort- 
 able home. 
 
 Mr. Rose is a native of Oliio, born in the town- 
 siiip of Farmington, Trumbull County, Nov. 4, 1847. 
 He is a son of Hon. A. M. Rose. (For further paren- 
 tal history, see the biographical notice of the father 
 of our subject, the Hon. A. M. Rose, on another 
 page of this volume). He was married in Liberty 
 Precinct, this county, in 1868, to Miss Elizabeth M. 
 IJouge. She was born in Indiana, Nov. 3, 1848, 
 ^ ' and is the daughter of N. G. Douge, likewise a na- 
 
 five of Indiana. He is a farmer, and has also en- 
 gaged in various other enterprises. Mr. Douge was 
 married in Indiana to Miss Eliza A. Beaty, who was 
 most likely a native of that State. Some 3'ears after 
 marriage Mr. and Mrs. Douge came West, and he 
 engaged in the various occupations of mechanic, 
 merchant, well-digger and farmer. On coming to 
 this State he located near the west bank of the Mis- 
 souri River, on the boundary line of Cass and Otoe 
 Counties, and that was his residence for some 3'ears. 
 He finally sold out his interests in that locality and 
 moved to Saline County, where he is still living, 
 owning and managing a store at Pleasant Hill. His 
 first wife, the mother of Mrs. Rose, died in Cass 
 County in 1882, aged nearly threescore 3'ears. Mr. 
 Douge was subsequently' married to Mrs. Worth 
 AVright, who is still living. Mrs. Rose was well 
 roared in a good home, and lived with her parents 
 until her marriage. To her and her husband have 
 been born ten children, two of whom, Sidney and 
 LeRoy, died in infancj-. The remaining children, 
 all of whom are at home with their parents, are: 
 Vinnie N., Viola M., Orpha B., Edna V., Lliota P., 
 Lena, Fabian and Rajnnond. Mrs. Rose is a faitii- 
 ful Methodist in her religious belief, and with 
 her husband is of high soci.al standing in this com- 
 munity'. Mr. Rose is an active, wide-awake man 
 of business, prompt and decisive in his dealings, of 
 good financial ability, and his credit is of the best. 
 His interest in politics centers in the Republican 
 party, he being an enthusiastic advocate of the pol- 
 icy' of that party. 
 
 i^F BEL CRABTREE. Among the early pio- 
 i@/yi| neers of Cass Count}-, few have rendered 
 w more efficient assistance in the develop- 
 ment of its resources than the subject of 
 this biography. He settled upon a tract of new land 
 in the early days, and after years of industrious 
 labor found himself in possession of a good farm 
 and surrounded by all the comforts of life. He has 
 recentlj' sold his farm to his son. It comprises 160 
 acres of improved land, with good buildings, a fair 
 assortment of live stock, and all the other appur- 
 tenances of a well-reofulated country homestead. 
 
 ■•►4K 
 
 i 
 
■► m^ 
 
 :^t^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 The family history of our subject is essentially 
 as follows: His father, James W. Crabtree, a 
 native of Virginia, was the son of AVilliam Crab- 
 tree, who was born in Virginia, and married IMiss 
 Sarah, daughter of James and Mary Graham, who 
 it is supposed were also natives of the old Domin- 
 ion, where the family existed for several gen- 
 erations. 
 
 .Tames Graham, Sr., the maternal great-grand- 
 father of our subject, served as a soldier in the 
 Revolutionary War, receiving an honorable wound, 
 and later drew a pension from the Government until 
 his deatli. which took place in Virginia. Grand- 
 mother Graham later emigrated with her son 
 James, the father of our subject, to .Jackson 
 County, Ohio, at a ver}- early period in its history, 
 about 1820. He had in the meantime been married, 
 and Abel, their first son, was born May 6, 1821. 
 Grandmother Graham lived a period of over thirty 
 years in the Buckeye State, dying in 1852 at an 
 advanced age. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared to man's 
 estate in .Jackson Count}', Ohio. In the meantime 
 his father had died, about 1874. I>ater the mother 
 joined her son Abel in the West, making her home 
 with him and another of the bo3-s about three 
 years. She then returned to Ohio, and took up 
 her abode with her daughter in Scioto County, 
 where she passed away in the spring of 1885, when 
 about eighty-six years old. Their family included 
 eighteen children, seventeen of whom lived to 
 mature years, and were married ; and thirteen are 
 still living, and for the greater part are engaged 
 in agricultural pursuits. 
 
 Our subject found his bride in the Buckeye 
 State, being married in his native count}', July 9, 
 1848, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Capt. .John 
 and Ruth (Peterson) Clemmons. The parents of 
 Mrs. Crabtree were natives of Ohio, and came to 
 Nebraska with their daughter Elizabeth, after her 
 marriage. The father obtained his title of Captain 
 on account of h.aving raised a company during the 
 Mexican War, which he commanded in that strug- 
 gle. Mr. and Mrs. Crabtree, after their marriage, 
 lived in Scioto County, Ohio, until 1853, when 
 they emigrated to Missouri, making the trip via 
 the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, to St. Joseph, Mo., 
 
 and thence across the country with teams to 
 Andrew County. After one year's residence there 
 they journeyed overland to this county, and 
 located near the present site of the city of Rock 
 Bluff as early as 1854, in the Territorial days. 
 Indians were encamped all around them, the treaty 
 not having yet been consummated by which settlers 
 could come in and locate land. The Crabtree 
 famil}' were really dangerously situated, but by the 
 most careful conduct and the avoidance of giving" 
 offense, they succeeded in living without molesta- 
 tion, until the treaty was completed and the survey 
 effected, the Indians then leaving. 
 
 The first winter our subject and his little family 
 spent 'in Nebraska they were sheltered in a log 
 pen, with both roof and floor of dirt. The cracks 
 were stopped up with leaves, and there was left a 
 hole in the roof through which the smoke from 
 their fire, which was made on the ground, could 
 escape. They had neither fireplace nor stove, the 
 cooking being performed, as the house was warmed, 
 by the Are on the floor. The spring following, 
 however, Mr. Crabtree put up a log house, which 
 the family occupied comfortably several years. 
 
 When the land came into market Mr. Crabtree 
 pre-empted 160 acres on section 15 where he now 
 lives. It was then an unbroken prairie, and the 
 habitation of a white man was not to be seen in 
 that vicinit3^ It has taken years of labor and 
 thousands of dollars to bring the farm to its 
 present condition. In the meantime civilization 
 has been slowly moving westward, and the culture 
 and comforts of to-day form a wide contrast to 
 the toils and deprivations of the pioneer times. 
 The household circle in due time numbered seven 
 children, namely: Allen, Noah, Ross, Tarvis, Elsa, 
 Cyrus and Abel. The last-named died at the .age 
 of eighteen months. The others are living and all 
 have homes. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Crabtree became identified with 
 the Christian Church many years ago, and iSIr. 
 Crabtree has officiated as Elder a quarter of a 
 centur}'. In the full faith of this belief Mrs. Crab- 
 tree triumphantly passed from earth .July 31, 1886, 
 at the age of sixty-three years. She was a lady 
 possessing all the Christian virtues, and her name 
 is held in tender remembrance bj' her family and 
 
 ^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 119-2 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 :i host of friends. Mr. Crabtree cast his first Presi- 
 dential vote for Harrison, subsequently became a 
 Democrat, prior to the formation of the Republican 
 liarty a Whig, .and is now a Democrat. 
 
 — > #>#- — 
 
 (^^^HOMAS RUBY is a prosperous farmer who 
 (jf^^^ may be classed -among the pioneers of this 
 ^^^y county, having been a resident of the State 
 since 18.56. He resides on a well cultivated farm, 
 located on section 10, in Mt. Pleasant Precinct. He 
 was born in Madison County, Iowa, Aug. 12, 1854, 
 where he lived with his parents until 1856, when 
 the entire family migrated to Nebraska and settled 
 on a claim of 160 acres of Government land that 
 his father had pre-empted in Plattsmouth Precinct. 
 From the day of bis arrival in Cass County to the 
 present time, he has continuously resided within its 
 limits. His education was obtained in the district 
 schools while a boy; when he entered into business 
 for himself it was as a farmer and stock-raiser, 
 which occupation he has pursued continuously up 
 to the present time. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is a son of James and 
 ^Vray J. Ruby, who were residents of Holmes 
 Count}', Ohio. His maternal grandfather was a 
 Scotchman, and his grandmother was a Quaker. 
 His paternal grandfather, Isaac Ruby, was born in 
 3Iaryland in 1801, and now resides in Madison 
 Count}', Iowa. Our subject's father lived in Holmes 
 Count}', Ohio, until he had readied his majority. 
 There he married and later removed to Madison 
 County, Iowa, where he resided for some time, 
 when he migrated to Cass County, in 1856. He was 
 the father of two children — Thomas, our subject, 
 and Mary, who is now the wife of TN'arren Fletcher 
 and resides in Georgetown, Col. Both parents are 
 now residents of Plattsmouth Precinct. 
 
 Our subject and Miss Martha Jeffers were mar- 
 ried Sept. 27, 1879, in Montgomery County, Kan. 
 The lady was born in Cass County, Neb., Oct. 13, 
 1857. She is the daughter of George W. and Mary 
 A. Jeffers. Her father now resides in Athens 
 County, Ohio. He is a native of Ohio, as was also 
 the mother, who is now deceased. Her parents 
 removed from Clark Countv. Iowa, to Nebraska in 
 
 1857, and settled in what is now known as Rock 
 Bluff Precinct, where her father pre-empted a claim 
 which he improved and lived upon until 1876, then 
 returned to Ohio. Her mother died Nov. 20, 1883. 
 This lad}' is one of a family of eleven children, 
 namely: Joseph, Sarah, Mary, Benjamin F.; Martha, 
 the wife of our subject; Charles W., William L., Ele- 
 uora, Ernest H., and two children deceased. Joseph 
 resides in Washington Territory ; Sarah is the wife 
 of O. J. King, and resides in ]\It. Pleasant Pre- 
 cinct; Mary is the wife of Isaiah White, and re- 
 sides in Idaho; Benjamin F. also resides in Idaho; 
 Charles W. lives in Buffalo County, Neb.; Elenora 
 is the wife of Lewis Barker, and resides in Eight 
 Mile Grove Precinct; William and Ernest H. reside 
 in Mt. Pleasant Precinct. Our subject and wife are 
 the parents of three children — Frank R., born Jan. 
 15, 1881; Bessie, Jan. 10, 1883, and James G.,Der-. 
 28, 1885. 
 
 Mr. Ruby has improved his farm by planting an 
 orchard of choice trees, buildings conveniently ar- 
 ranged and well located barns, cattle sheds and 
 granaries, for the comfort of his stock and the 
 economical handling of his various farm products. 
 His residence is nicely located, is comfortably 
 furuished, and is supplied with many of the luxur- 
 ies of life. It is presided over by his good wife, 
 who is ever ready to lend her aid to the further- 
 ance of the interests of her husband at any and all 
 times. The parents take great pride in their grow- 
 ing family, and the love lavished on their children 
 is fully appreciated and reciprocated. Their home 
 farm is composed of 160 acres of nicely located 
 land, fenced and sub-divided into fields of conven- 
 ient size and thoroughly cultivated. Mr. Ruby makes 
 a specialty of raising thoroughbred English Shire 
 horses, and is now the owner of several fine graded 
 animals; he takes great pride in them and they 
 certainly show the large amount of attention and 
 care bestowed upon them. He owns one imported 
 horse which is valued at $1,200. He is also the 
 owner of a herd of high-grade cattle and a number 
 of fine hogs. 
 
 The subject of our sketch is a man possessing 
 great force of character, and being a public-spirited 
 citizen, he makes his influence felt in all matters 
 pertaining to the advancement of the best interests 
 
 •^f 
 
 i 
 
t 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 of the coummunit}' in which the^' live. Himself 
 nnd wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and have alwa3'S taken an active interest 
 in religious matters. They also hold au enviable 
 position in the social circles of the neighborhood, 
 lie is a Republican in politics. He has filled no 
 public office except that of School Director, of 
 which he is now the incumbent. 
 
 lASlL SWEARINGEN RAMSEY, one of 
 the ablest members of the legal profession 
 in Southern Nebraska, established himself 
 in the city of Plattsmouth in the spring of 
 1881. and entered upon a most successful career. 
 He comes of excellerit Pennsylvania stock, and was 
 born in the vicinity of Frankfort Springs, Beaver 
 County, that State, July 4, 1844. His father, Will- 
 iam Ramsey, a native of the same place, was born 
 Jan. 11, 1808, and the paternal grandfather, Samuel 
 Ramse^', was also a native of Beaver County. The 
 great-grandfather. James Ramsey, was a native of 
 either Scotland or Ireland, whence he emigrated at 
 an early day to America, settling among the pio- 
 neers of Beaver County, Pa. He was one of the 
 most highly esteemed members of the farming- 
 community of that region, where he spent tlie re- 
 mainder of his life, building up a good homestead 
 and making for himself a worthy record. His re- 
 mains were laid to rest in Kings Creek Cemetery, 
 where his son, William, and grandson. William, 
 were also buried. 
 
 James Ramsey was the father of fifteen children, 
 and from him probably- sprang tlie people of that 
 name in the Uhited States. Samuel Ramsej^ also 
 followed farming, and spent his entire life in his 
 native county. His son William, the father of our 
 subject, was reared and educated in his native 
 county, and departing somewhat from the career of 
 his forefathers, chose the profession of law, while 
 at the same time, he became the owner of a farm 
 where he made his home and the operations of 
 which he superintended. He thus spent his entire 
 life practicing law and carr^-ing on agriculture, and 
 was a life-long resident of his native county. He 
 rested from his earthlv labors in October, 1870. 
 
 Basil Swearingen, the maternal grandfather of 
 our subject, was a native of Marjdand, and was 
 the son of Samuel Von Swearingen, who was born 
 also in that State. The family came originally 
 from Holland, and were among the earliest settlers 
 of Maryland. The great-grandfather migrated to 
 Beaver County, Pa., about the time of the trouble 
 with the Shawnees, Mingoes and other tribes of 
 Indians along the Ohio River. He being contem- 
 poraneous with Lewis Wetzel and others who ac- 
 quired reputation as skillful Indian fighters. He 
 opened up a farm from the wilderness and there 
 spent the remainder of his da^ys, his i-emains being 
 laid to rest in the famil3- burying ground on the 
 farm. His son, the grandfather of our subject, 
 also cleared a large farm in that region and lived 
 to be ripe in j-ears. He was buried in a cemetery 
 near Poe, Hanover Township, Beaver Co., Pa. 
 
 The mother of our subject, in her girlhood Miss 
 Mar3' Swearingen, was also born in Beaver Count_v, 
 Pa., Oct. 13, 1813, and surviving her husband a 
 little over ten years, departed this life Dec. 22, 
 1880. The parental household included eight chil- 
 dren, seven of whom grew to mature years. Al- 
 letha married Daniel Standish, a lineal descendant 
 of Miles Standish, the Captain of the Mayflower, 
 and died in Beaver Count}', Pa. ; John came to the 
 West several years ago, and is now a resident of 
 Eight Mile Grove Precinct, this county; Sarah 
 Ann continues a resident of Beaver County, Pa.; 
 Catherine married John Ramsey, of Beaver County ; 
 Basil S. was the next in order of birth ; William 
 died when eleven years of age; Bella married Dr. 
 J. M. W.aterman, and lives in Hay Springs, Sheri- 
 dan County, this State; Rebecca lives with her sis- 
 ter Sarah, on the old homestead in Pennsylvania. 
 . Mr. Ramse}' pursued his early studies in the 
 common schools of his native town, and lived there 
 until the 3'ear 1863, when he resolved to seek 
 his fortunes in the West. Coming to Nebraska 
 Territory he settled first at Mt. Pleasant, this 
 count}', and for the first two winters emplo3ed 
 himself as a school teacher, while in summer he 
 worked on a farm. He w.<is thus teacher and far- 
 mer alternatel3- for a time, but Bually occupied 
 himself in teaching the year around, until 1874. 
 
 In the year 1870 young Ramsey commenced 
 
•►-ir^ 
 
 " ^►~^ i ^ 
 
 1194 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 reading law under the instruction of Judge Samuel 
 Maxwell, of Plattsmouth, now on the Supreme 
 Bench, and was admitted to the bar in 1879. He 
 had in the meantime opened an office at Louisville, 
 and practiced there. Later he formed a partner- 
 ship with A. W. Crites, who is now Receiver of 
 Public Moneys at Chadron, and opened an office in 
 Plattsmouth, of which he has since been a resident. 
 His partnership with Mr. Crites continued until the 
 j^ear 1887, when the latter withdrew to accept his 
 present position. 
 
 Mr. Ramsej' was married quite late in life, Dec. 
 25, 1882, to Miss Libbie Crites. daughter of Joseph 
 and Lydia (Darling) Crites. She is the youngest 
 sister of his former law partner, A. W. Crites. Mrs. 
 Ramsey was born in Racine County, Wis. Her par- 
 ents were natives of Pennsylvania and Xew York 
 respectively. The mother is deceased. The father 
 is a resident of Plattsmouth. Mr. and Mrs. Ram- 
 sey are the parents of one child, a son, Willie Paul, 
 who was born June 30, 1884. Mr. R. has always 
 been a Democrat politically, and in 1885 was elected 
 County Commissioner, receiving a large majority 
 in a Republican county, which sutficiently indicates 
 Ids standing in his community. He fulfilled the 
 duties of this office three years acceptably. In 
 1 883 he was Journal Clerk of the State Senate. 
 
 ■jf? AMES COLBERT, an enterprising farmer of 
 I Ehnwood Precinct, was born in Huntington- 
 ^.^^ i shire, E;ngland, Aug. 19, 1833, and was the 
 (^^' youngest in a family' of six children. The 
 father died when our subject was twelve years old, 
 leaving liira alone to shift for himself at that eavly 
 age. His educational advantages were very limited. 
 At the age of twenty he came to America to join 
 his brother John, who had emigrated to America, 
 and settled in Niagara County, N. Y., two years 
 previously. In 1856 our subject went to Micliigan, 
 residing for a time in the counties of Allegan, 
 Barrj' and Kent. In 1862 lie was married to Miss 
 Sarah Jane Van Avery, the daughter of Samuel 
 and Cordelia (Hitchcock) Van Avery. The lady's 
 l)arents were of Dutch descent, and were natives of 
 Canada, where they lived until the wife of our sub- 
 
 ject was twelve years old, when they removed to 
 Michigan, where she resided until her marriage 
 with Mr. Colbert. 
 
 After his marriage onr sultject rented a farm in 
 Michigan, but soon realizing the fact that there 
 were better opportunities in the West for obtaining 
 a home of their own, they, in May, 1868, packed 
 their effects in a wagon, and drove off toward the 
 wild West. At the time of starting his final desti- 
 nation was not specificallj' determined, they intend- 
 ing to travel westward until they discovered the 
 the location most favorable for their purposes. On 
 June 27, 1868, while travelling westward their pre- 
 sent homestead came into view. He at once filed 
 a claim on his present eighty acres, unloaded his 
 household goods, and immediately began the im- 
 provements, of which the present well arranged and 
 comfortable home is the result. Mr. C. has made 
 all the improvements on the farm, erected a fine 
 new barn, planted an orchard of choice trees, set 
 out groves and ornamental trees, until he has a 
 farm whose improvements rank second to none in 
 utility and convenience. 
 
 Mr. Colbert and wife are parents of ten children — 
 William H. (deceased), Elvira B., John W., George 
 Lincoln, Charles Wesley (deceased), Benjamin 
 Franklin, Thomas Elmer, Mary L., Samuel Eugene 
 and Perry Edwin. Elvira, the eldest daughter, is 
 now married to Mr. Edwin H. F. Richards, a thrifty 
 young farmer of the neighborhood, and is the proud 
 mother of one child. Mary, who is the idol of both 
 her parents and grandparents. The son John W. is 
 a respected citizen of Elmwood Precinct. All of 
 the family were born in Nebraska, except the three 
 elder children, whom they brought to Nebraska 
 with them in 1868. Our subject's son John W. 
 was married to Miss Lucy Frisbey, Dec. 18, 1888, 
 at the home of the bride in Weeping Watsr Pre; 
 cinct; she is the daughter of .James and Saraii Fris- 
 liey. 
 
 Robert Colbert and Sarah, his wife, the parents 
 of our subject, were natives of England, where the 
 father was a laborer, which position in that coun- 
 tr}' was not conducive to the accumulation of great 
 wealth, in consequence he was not able to give the 
 subject of our sketch any substantial financial as- 
 sistance, and as a result he has had his own way to 
 

 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1195 
 
 make in the world from the start, and it is but due 
 to liim to say that he has performed his part faith- 
 fully and vvell. Having nothing but his hands and 
 head to depend upon, he made such good and effect- 
 ive use of them that he can now look over his 
 broail well cultivated acres and pleasant and com- 
 fortable home, and feel that they are the direct re- 
 sult of the labor of himself and wife. He is highly 
 esteemed bj' his neighbors, and any enterprise for 
 the good of the people finds in hira an earnest 
 supporter. In politics lie is a stanch Republican. 
 Himself and wife are botli esteemed members of the 
 Baptist Church. 
 
 U 
 
 •) J. WARRICK. To anyone acquainted 
 '/ with the business circles of Piattsmouth the 
 
 r 
 
 name of our subject is well known as that 
 of the popular druggist and accurate prescriptionist 
 of that place. He was born in Washington County, 
 Pa., April 20, 1861, and is tlie son of George M. 
 and ]\Iarj' (Wilson) Warrick. His father and 
 mother were also resi<lents of Washington County. 
 The famih' is of P]nglish extraction, and tlie grand- 
 father of our subject, Jonathan Warrick, was born 
 in Kew England, of English parentage. 
 
 Jonathan Warrick was an educated man, and 
 became a civil engineer. He went to Western Penn- 
 sylvania as a surveyor In the early daj's of settle- 
 ment there, and had charge of the surveying of a 
 large section of the then new country. Many of 
 his field notes are now preserved and kept for ref- 
 erence in Washington, Pa. He located in Washing- 
 ton Countj% and there spent the latter years of his 
 life. There the father of our subject was reared, 
 and as a young man learned the carpenter's trade, 
 which he followed for about ten years, and then 
 engaged in mercantile pursuits. He is now retired 
 from the more active engagements of business, but 
 owns and is interested in two farms in CassCountj' 
 and one in Otoe County, of this State, and also a 
 farm in Montgomery County, and another in Cass 
 County, Iowa. 
 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject 
 was Mary Wilson. She was born in Taylorstown, 
 Pa., and is the daughter of William Wilson. She 
 
 has become the mother of five children, who re- 
 ceived the following names: Matilda Belle, wife of 
 Thomas C. McCarrell ; our subject; John Martin, 
 Rachel Mary and Jennie May. 
 
 Our subject was educated in the schools of 
 Washington, taking the High School course, and also 
 that of Duff's Mercantile College at Pittsburgh, 
 being graduated from the latter institution on the 
 31st of October, 1878, after which he returned to 
 Washington, and attended the classes of Washington 
 and Jefferson College; after leaving this institution 
 he became a drug clerk in one of the leading drug- 
 stores of Washington, remaining there for about 
 two years, and coming to this count}' in the year 
 1882. He settled at Piattsmouth, and bought a 
 drug-store of 0. F. Johnson, and from that time 
 has continued prosperously in tliat line of business. 
 
 On the 5th of Aiiril, 1882, Mr. Warrick was 
 joined in matrimony with Annie Poland, who was 
 born in Washington, Pa.," and is the daughter of 
 Henry Poland, of Washington. Pa. There have 
 been three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Warrick, 
 and these bear the following names; Annie M. B., 
 who died Dec. 9, 1888; George H. and William J. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Warrick are much esteemed members 
 of the community. Our subject is a member of 
 the Republican part}', and Is a wrjrthy and loyal 
 citizen, and takes a deep interest in all questions 
 that pertain to the National welfare. 
 
 HILLIP HORN, well known throughout 
 1 Piattsmouth Precinct, is comfortably lo- 
 cated on section 17, and bears the reputa- 
 tion of an honest man and a good citizen, 
 a life-long Democrat politically, and with his fam- 
 ily members in good standing of the P^vangellcal 
 Lutheran Church. He has made of agriculture a 
 pronounced success, having a finely improved 
 farm, which forms one of the most attractive fea- 
 tures in the landscape of that section of country. 
 
 Our subject is of substantial German ancestry, 
 and the son of Peter Horn, a native of Hesse- 
 Darmstadt, who married Miss Anna Katie Kump, 
 and lived In Germany until after the birth of nine 
 children. The paternal grandparents, also natives 
 
 -^ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 t 
 
 1196 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 of Hesse-Darmstadt, spent their entire lives upon 
 their native soil. To Peter and Anna Horn there 
 were born five sons and four daughters, namely : 
 Margaret, Mike, George. Lizzie. .lacob, Margaretta, 
 Phillip (our subject), George P. and Elizabeth. The 
 mother died in Germany wlien comparatively a 
 young woman, in 1845. 
 
 The father of our subject, about eleven years 
 after the death of bis wife, emigrated to Amer- 
 ica, in 1854. locating in Tazewell Coufity. 111., 
 where his death took place that same year. Phil- 
 lip and his brother George P. had preceded tbeir 
 father to the United States in June, 1851, making 
 the voyage on a sailing-vessel in twenty-four days. 
 After Landing in New York City they proceeded to 
 Cincinnati. Ohio, first by boat to Albany. N. Y.. 
 thence across the State, and by lake to Toledo, and 
 thence down the Miami Canal to the Queen City. 
 At that point. embarking on the Ohio River, they 
 proceeded to tlie Mississippi and St. Louis,aiid from 
 there to Pekin, III., where, securing a tract of 
 land, our subject engaged in farming. 
 
 In Illinois Mr. Horn made the acquaintance of 
 Miss Margaretha Schwabel, to whom he was mar- 
 ried Feb. 12, 1859, and lived in the Prairie State 
 until 1868. In that year he came to the young 
 State of Nebraska, and purchased his present farm 
 of 160 acres. It could scarcely then be dignified 
 by the name of a farm, as but fortj' acres had been 
 plowed, and the only building was a small frame 
 house. Under this humble roof the little family 
 took up their abode, and Mr. Horn proceeded to 
 the building up of a homestead. The steadfast 
 labor of years has been amply rewarded, the soil 
 yielding bonntifuUj' to his tliorough culture and 
 excellent management. The first humble dwelling 
 was replaced, in 1878, by a more substantial resi- 
 dence, and there is also a barn, granaries, corn 
 cribs and all the other necessary out-buildings. 
 Mr. Horn subsequently invested a portion of his 
 surplus capital in another quarter-section of land, 
 whicii is now also improved, and he has about 200 
 acres of pasture. His farms consist of 500 acres. 
 
 The career of our subject has been that essen- 
 tially of a self-made man. He came to the United 
 States poor in purse, and his posse.ssions are the 
 ^ ' result of his own perseverance, aided by an indus- 
 
 trious and sensible wife. They are the parents of 
 four children, the eldest of whom, a daugliter, 
 Mary, is the wife of Theodore Starkjohn, a sketcli 
 of whom will be found elsewhere in this work; 
 Maggie, Mrs. Fred Kehne, is a resident of this pre- 
 cinct; Katie is the wife of Henry Hirz, who is 
 written of elsewhere in this work; Lizzie, Mrs. 
 John Kaffenberger, resides with her husband on the 
 home farm, with her parents, and has one child, a 
 daughter. Anna. Mrs. Horn is the daughter of 
 Jacob and Caroline Schwabel, who were natives of 
 Germany, and are now deceased. 
 
 
 m^i'!^^^ 
 
 ENJAMIN F. RUBY. The spring of 1879 
 found the subject of this sketch journeying 
 on his road from Ohio to this county, ac- 
 companied by his wife and four children. 
 He first settled upon a tract of land in the vicinity 
 of Eight Mile Grove post-office, upon which he 
 operated four years with such good results that in 
 the spring of 1883 he took possession of a farm 
 which he could call his own. Upon this he has 
 since resided, and it is pleasantly located on section 
 9, Mt. Pleasant Precinct. Eighty acres of good 
 land are comprised within its boundaries, which 
 under careful cultivation have become productive 
 and valuable. In addition to general farming, stock- 
 raising forms a prominent feature of the operations 
 connected therewith. 
 
 Monroe County. Ohio, was the boyhood home of 
 our subject, and where his birth took place Sept. 
 19, 1843. iidward R. and Rosetta (Haines) Ruby, 
 his parents, were also natives of the Buckeye State, 
 and are now residents of this count}'. Ten children 
 completed the sum of the parent.al household, eight 
 of whom survive: John W. lives in Red Willow 
 County, this Stale; Mary died when about thirty- 
 nine jears old; Benjamin F., our subject, was the 
 third child; Hiram H. is in Colorado; Hester lives 
 in this count\'; Robert lives in Gage Count}'; Jesse 
 resides in this county; Harriet died when about 
 twenty-five years old; Edward R. is engaged in 
 farming in this county, and William is numbered 
 among the well-to-do farmers (jf Hitchcock, Neb. 
 Mr. Rul)y continued a resident of his native 
 
11^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 -•► 
 
 1197 
 
 ■♦ 
 
 county until a young man ot twenty j'ears, and 
 then the whole family changed their residence to 
 Morgan Countj-, in the same State. Later he was 
 married there, March 4, 1868, to Miss Mary C. 
 Sanders, who was born in Morgan Coant}^ Dec. 22, 
 1844. Mrs. Ruby is the daughter of Hezekiah and 
 Ann (Rose) Sanders, the father a native of Massa- 
 chusetts and the mother of Virginia. It is known 
 that Grandfather Rose was a Captain in the War of 
 1812, and it is believed that Grandfather Sanders 
 distinguished himself in a like manner. The pa- 
 rental faniil}' included four children, three of whom 
 are living, namely: Stillman, a resident of Morgan 
 Count}-, Ohio; Mrs. Ruli3'and Hannah A., the wife 
 of Abraham Long, a resident of this county. Hiram 
 died in Ohio when about twent^'-eigiit ^-ears old. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Ruby were numbered among 
 the pioneer settlers of Morgan County, Ohio, of 
 which they were residents for man\' years, and rec- 
 ognized as among the best element of its people. 
 The mother died at the homestead there March 9, 
 1878. Mr. Sanders survived his wife for over ten 
 years, dying in Ohio, Nov. 29, 1888. Four chil- 
 dren were born to Mr. and Mr.s. Rub}', only two of 
 whom survive: Mary E. came to the household 
 Dec. 5, 1868, and passed away when a little over 
 seventeen years of age, Dec. 26, 188,'); Jesse F. was 
 ))orn March 29, 1871. and died June 15, 1881; 
 Edward M. was born June 5, 1873, and Rosetta 
 A. March 12, J 876. These two bright young peo- 
 ple, as may be supposed, are the joy and pride of 
 their parents' hearts. They are being carefully 
 trained and educated as the representatives of a 
 prominent and highly respected famil}-. 
 
 Mr. Ruby acknowledges that a large portion of 
 Ills success is due to the helpful efforts of his worthy 
 and excellent wife, who with him has borne the heat 
 and burden of the da}', and contributed her share 
 toward the accumulation of their property. Mr. 
 Ruby, politicall}', votes the straight Republican 
 ticket, and before leaving his native State had dis- 
 tinguished himself :ts a public-spirited citizen, fre- 
 quently serving on the School Board of his district, 
 and often gccupj'ing other positions requiring good 
 judgment and integrity. Socially, he belongs to 
 the G. A. R. Post at Weeping Water. During the 
 r late Civil War he was a member for ninety d.ays of 
 
 the Ohio National Guards, ready to shoulder his 
 musket and prevent the Confederates desecrating 
 the soil of his native State. Fortunatel}' a more 
 arduous service was not required, and the Guards 
 in due time disbanded, and resumed the peaceful 
 vocations of civil life. 
 
 ■VTOSHUA P. P,URDICK. The farmers in 
 the southwestern part of Cass County, in 
 and around Tipton Precinct, are men fully 
 ^^^ as capable and enterprising as their neigh- 
 bors further east, and among the most prominent 
 of these Is the gentleman whose name stands at the 
 head of this sketch. One of the heaviest stock- 
 feeders of that section, he utilizes largely in this 
 industry the 640 acres of land which constitutes 
 one of the finest farms in Cass Count}'. He ships 
 usually 2.50 head of cattle per annum, besides horses 
 and swine, and realizes, it is hardly necessary to 
 say, a handsome income. 
 
 Mr. Burdick is the offspring of an excellent old 
 family, his great-grandfather having been one of 
 seven brothers, who emigrated from Scotland over 
 a century ago and purchased a whole township of 
 land in New York State. From them sprang the 
 Burdicks of America. Abel, the grandfather of 
 our subject, a native of New Y^ork, after reaching 
 manhood served as a soldier in the War of 1812. 
 He later followed agricultural pursuits, and spent 
 his last years in New York State. His son, Abel 
 Jr., the father of our subject, was born in Allegany 
 County, N. Y., Sept. 30, 1799, and married Miss 
 Lucy Hadsell. a native of the same place and born 
 March 9, 1806. 
 
 Grandfather Hadsell was of linglish descent and 
 one of the early pioneers of New York State. He 
 was a lumberman, .also owned a farm in Cattarau- 
 gus County, and later he operated a saw-mill on the 
 Alleghany River, rafting his lumber down the Ohio 
 to Cincinnati, and was thus engaged until about ten 
 years before his death, then removing into Alle- 
 gany City he retired from active labor. His death 
 took place Aug. 29, 1866. The mother survived 
 until March 10, 1879, when she too died in Alle- 
 gany City. Both were members of the Baptist 
 
 ll-^^- 
 
 •►^1-^ 
 
•►-IH-^^ 
 
 1198 
 
 ■•» 
 
 =ih-» 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 *it 
 
 Cburcli. The parental famil}^ consisted of nine 
 children, two of whom died in infancy. One 
 daughter, Barbara, died when about fifty-seven 
 years old. Those living to mature years were: 
 Abel R., Joshua P.. our subject, Euphemia, Han- 
 ford D., Albertus P., who died when twenty-one 
 years old, and Sarah. Abel, during the late Civil 
 "War enlisted in the 99th Illinois Infantry, in which 
 he served until the close, being neither wounded or 
 captured, and safely returned, settling in Pike 
 County, 111., where he is now living. Albertus 
 enlisted in a New York regiment, served under 
 Gen. McClellan, and died near Richmond, Va., of 
 fever, in August, 1862. His remains were laid to 
 rest near the old home in Allegany City. N. Y. 
 The other children are living. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born near Alford, 
 Allegany Co., N. Y., Sept. 30, 1832. He was 
 reared to manhood in the lumber districts of the 
 Empire State, and after attending tlie subscription 
 school completed his studies in the High School at 
 Moline. When a youth of eighteen years he re- 
 paired to Pike County, 111., on a visit, and was so 
 well pleased with the country in that region that he 
 never returned. Upon leaving Pike County be 
 journeyed by rail to Detroit, thence to Chicago by 
 canal, and down the Illinois River to Griggs ville. 
 Here he was employed by the month on a farm and 
 whatever else he could find to do until the spring 
 of 1852. 
 
 Young Burdick, not j-et satisfied with his explora- 
 tions, migrated to Minnesota and assisted in the 
 survey of the old State wagon road, and later 
 crossed the lake to St. Peters River, and finally en- 
 gaged in rafting lumber down the Wisconsin. We 
 next find him back in Pike County, 111., there hav- 
 ing been an unusual attraction in that locality 
 which was more fully explained on the 3d of 
 April, 1853, when he was united in marriage with 
 Miss Deborah Gray, the wedding taking place at 
 her father's, in Pike County. 
 
 iVIrs. Burdick was born near Barry, Pike Co., 
 111.. Oct. 21, 1835, and is the daughter of Anson .-ind 
 Jane (Harris) Gray, the father a nativeof Onondaga 
 County, N. Y., and the mother of Pennsylvania. The 
 paternal grandfather, Jolin Gray, was also a native 
 of New York and of Welsli ancestry. Grandfather 
 
 #i 
 
 Harris, whose Christian name was William,was born 
 in New York State, and followed the trade of gun- 
 smith. In due time he migrated to Ohio, settling 
 near Tiffin, where it is supposed he spent the re- 
 mainder of his life. His father, the maternal great- 
 grandfather of Mrs. Burdick, was of Irish descent, 
 and was the founder of the present flourishing city 
 of Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania. 
 
 Abel Burdick when a youth of eighteen years 
 enlisted in a New York regiment as a soldier in tlic 
 War of 1812. Later he emigrated to Seneca 
 County, Ohio, and emploj'ed himself as a farmer 
 and traveler, being a hunter of no mean skill. 
 Lefiving the Buckeye State in 1833 he migrated to 
 Pike County, 111., and was one of the first men to 
 settle there upon a tract of Government land. 
 Here as before he prosecuted farming and hunting 
 combined, became wealthy, and died Feb. 15, 1870. 
 at the age of seventy-four years. The wife passed 
 away twenty-three years prior to the decease of her 
 husband, hei* death tsiking place at their home in 
 Pike County, Aug. 10. 1847, when she was in the 
 forty-first year of her age. 
 
 To Anson and Jane (Harris) Gray there were 
 born eleven children, namel}^: Mary, who died 
 when thirt}- years old; John; William; Jerome, de- 
 ceased at the age of thirty; Adelia, Deborah, An- 
 geline, Benjamin, Sylvia A., Jane and Harriet. 
 Benjamin, during the late Civil War enlisted in the 
 99th Illinois Infantry and served until the close. 
 Deborah, the wife of our subject, was born near 
 Barry, Pike Co., 111., Oct. 21, 1835. Mr. Burdick 
 after his marriage purchased land to the extent of 
 200 acres in Pike County, where he commenced 
 farming, but later sold out and purchased another 
 farm of 100 acres. Upon this he operated until 
 the spring of 1858, then, seized with a desire for 
 still further adventure, disposed of his property 
 interests in the Prairie State and set out with teams 
 for Brown Count}', Kan. 
 
 Our subject operated upon the soil of Kansas a 
 period of three years, and in the fall of 1862 came 
 to Nebraska, and pitched his tent in Nemalia 
 Count)'. He was engaged in teaming that year and 
 in the fall, the Civil War being in progress, enlisted 
 as a Union soldiei' in Comp.any E, 2d Nebraska 
 Cavalry, the boys furnishing their own horses. 
 
 M* 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 -A 
 
 CASS COUNTV. 
 
 II 1)9 
 
 He was mustered in at Omalia as First Sergeant and 
 the regiment was detailed to operate against the 
 Indians on the frontier. They met the enem^- in 
 a pitelied battle on the White Stone River, and in 
 man3^ other lively engagements and skirmishes. 
 After a service of thirteen months Mr. Rurdick re- 
 ceived his honorable discharge at Brownville, Xeb., 
 in the fall of 1863. 
 
 Returning now to Nemaha County, Neb., JMr. 
 Burdick engaged in general merchandising at Peru, 
 but a year later sold out and began freighting to 
 Denver, which occupied him two years. Then re- 
 turning to mercantile pursuits in Peru he busied 
 himself at this for a time, and Anally drifted into 
 the grain trade, which he prosecuted six years and 
 until the spring of 1875, in connection with mer- 
 chandising. Thereafter he turned his whole atten- 
 tion to the bu\'ing and shipping of grain, until 
 1882. Then, having purchased land In Tipton 
 Precinct, he moved upon it, and commenced the 
 farming operations which have resulted so success- 
 fully. He began at first principles, turning the first 
 furrow upon it, planting groves and an orchard of 
 400 trees, besides the smaller fruits, erecting a good 
 house and barn and gradually adding the other 
 structures necessary to the complete homestead. 
 
 The farm of Mr. Burdick is finely located and 
 receives the necessary moisture from a branch of 
 the Nemaha River, from which a windmill conveys 
 it to tanks, both around the farm and in the house. 
 Eighty acres of land lies on section 28, and the re- 
 maining 160 on sections 33 and 34. the residence 
 being on section 33. In his stock operations Mr. 
 Burdick ships annually about eleven cars of cattle 
 and swine, and keeps about thirty head of graded 
 Percheron horses. 
 
 Ten children came to bless the union of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Burdick, the record of whom is as follows: 
 James, the eldest sou, is married, and farming in 
 Dakota; Lucj' W. married W. J. Miller, a farmer 
 of Garfield Precinct, in Lincoln County, Neb.; 
 they have two children — Frank and George. Re- 
 besca is the wife of M. D. Zinkon, and they reside 
 in Callaway County', Mo.; Anson is married and 
 farming in Lincoln Count3'; Ida M. is the wife of 
 (ieorge Tappen, editor of a paper in Broken Bow; 
 Jeroms is unm:irried and following the profession 
 
 of a teacher in Palmyra Precinct, Oloa County; 
 Edward P. is farming in Lincoln County; William 
 H.. Sylvia L. and Iven are at home with their par- 
 ents, Thej^ are a group of verj- interesting and 
 intelligent children, comprising a family of whicli 
 the parents have reason to be proud. Thej^ have 
 been well educated and carefulh* trained, and are 
 thus prepared to bear worthily in later years the 
 mantle of their honored parents. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Burdick are members in good 
 standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 
 which our subject officiates as a Trustee, and politi- 
 cally, he uniforml}' votes the Republican ticket, lie 
 has been quite prominent in local politics, and for 
 a period of twenty-five j^ears, with the exception of 
 One or two instances, has represented his partj^ in 
 the various State and County Conventions. He 
 has had considerable experience as a juror, and has 
 uniformly signalized himself as a liberal and pub- 
 lic-spirited citizen, encouraging all enterprises cal- 
 culated for the best good of the people. lie be- 
 lieves in education, and was instrumental in organiz- 
 ing Peru College, while he has been a member of 
 the Scliool Board since attaining manhood. In 1887 
 he was elected Justice of the Peace, and still holds 
 the office. Mrs. Burdick, like her husband, is held 
 in high esteem in her community, being a lady 
 looking well to the wa^^s of her household, kind, 
 hospitable and generous, ever ready to do a favor 
 to those about her, while her cultivated and intelli- 
 gent mind has had its influence, not only in her 
 own household, but in the circle in which she has 
 moved for so many years. No family stands 
 higher among the intelligent people of Cass County. 
 
 OLIVER WARD occupies a prominent place 
 among the pioneers and early settlers of the 
 count}^ and State, and now lives on a highly 
 
 improved farm of eighty acres, on section 20, Eight 
 Mile Grove Precinct. He took possession of his 
 present home farm in the spring of 1863. He is a 
 native of Union County, Ind., where he was born 
 Dec. 25, 1825, He attained to years of manhood 
 in Putnam County, Ind., arci,id the scenes of pioneer 
 life, and he did much of the hard labor incident to 
 
 -5^1^ 
 
••► 
 
 1200 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 opening- nevv farms in a heavilj^ timbered country. 
 His educational advantages were extremely limited, 
 as liis time was full}' occupied in farming-, however, 
 by closelj' observing the actions of men, and noting 
 events as tliey transpired he is now fully informed 
 on all matters of general interest. 
 
 Our subject is the sou of Isaac and Beulali ( Brad- 
 waj-) Ward. The mother was born in New Jersey. 
 His father was born in the same State, and is the 
 descendant of an old English family that emigrated 
 to America previous to the War for Independence, 
 (irandfntlier Ward was a soldier during the Revo- 
 lutionary War, and tlie father of our subject was a 
 bo}' at tlie time. The parents removed with their 
 family, when Oliver was ten years old, to Putnam 
 County, Ind., where they were also among the 
 earliest settlers. Here there was no cessation to the 
 labor of the farm the_y proceeding to clear a farm in 
 the midst of the heavy timber, and our subject 
 remembers when in Indiana he "rolled logs" for 
 twenty-three days in succession. Log rolling in 
 tliose days was made a neighborhood affair, when 
 all the male members of the community gathered 
 by appointment on the farm of some one of their 
 number, and proceeded, with the aid of numerous 
 ox-teams, much whisky, many dQgs and loud 
 shouting, to roll into immense heaps the trunks of 
 the trees that bad been felled by the owner of 
 the land, after which they were burned. These 
 gatherings served as opportunities for the 
 widely scattered settlers to form the acquaintance 
 of new-comers, for the dissemination of work, 
 and devising plans for the better protection of 
 their interests. 
 
 This gentleman is one of a family of eight chil- 
 dren, three of whom survive, namely: Jonathan, 
 who now lives in Taylor County, Iowa; Josiah. 
 who now resides in Indiana, and our subject. ■ The 
 fivedeceased were named: Jefferson, Thomas, Abi- 
 gail, Joseph and William. Mr. Ward was married to 
 Sarah A. Jenkins, Sept. 22, 1846. This lady was 
 bom Sept.l, 1828, in Putnam County, Ind. She is a 
 daughter of Benjamin and Catherine Jenkins. Her 
 father was born in Montgomery County, Ky., Nov. 
 15, 1811, and was of German origin. Her mother 
 was born in Indiana and was of P>nglish descent. 
 A large number of her ancestors took an active 
 
 and honorable part in the War for Independence. 
 Her parents settled in Putnam County at a very 
 early da}', and reared a family of seven children, 
 five of whom are living. They were named: Sarah, 
 the wife of our subject; Elizabeth, Emily, Elijah 
 and Columbus. Elizabeth is the-wife of William 
 Jenkins, and resides in Charleston. 111.; Emily is 
 the wife of Marion Buis, and now resides in 
 Andrew County, Mo.; Elijah lives in Greenwood, 
 Neb., and Columbus lives in Logan Comity. Iowa. 
 The two deceased were Jessie and Renia. 
 
 Our subject and his wife have become the 
 parents of eleven children, eight of whom are liv- 
 ing: Benjamin, Marion, Emily E., Margaret, 
 Henderson, David A., John O. and Charles. Ben- 
 jamin resides in Washington County, Col.; Marion 
 lives in Cass County, Neb.; Emily is the wife of 
 John Sayles, and resides in Greenwood, Neb.; and 
 Margaret is the wife of Jesse Livingston, and 
 resides in Louisville Precinct; Henderson also 
 lives in Louisville Precinct; David, John O. and 
 Charles are at home with their parents. 
 
 ]\Ir. Ward and family removed to Andrew 
 County, Mo., in the spring of 1850, where they 
 lived tmtil the spring of 1855, when they removed 
 to Mills County, Iowa, where the}' lived until the 
 family came to Nebraska in the spring of 1860 and 
 located near Plattsmouth, where he lived until the 
 spring of 1863, when he settled on his present 
 farm. The improvements at that time consisted of 
 an 18x24 feet square, rudely built board house, 
 and thirty acres of land had been plowed. He has 
 devoted all his time and energy to the improvement 
 and cultivation of his farm, in which he has been 
 very prosperous. He has added to his original 
 purchase at different times until he is now the 
 owner of 170 acres, .and a house and two lots in 
 Louisville. 
 
 The residence of our subject occupies a very 
 prominent location, and is surrounded by a large 
 number of ornamental trees, a fine orchai-d is grow- 
 ing, and presents a very thrifty appearance. His 
 barn is well arranged for the purposes for which it 
 was intended, he has numerous cattle sheds, corn 
 cribs and granaries. The farm is divided into 
 fields of convenient size by substantial fences, and, 
 taken altogether, the entire property reflects great 
 
 •► 11^ 
 
 n 
 
•V 
 
 M^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ■•► 
 
 1201 
 
 credit on the owner anrl shows the result of intelli- 
 genth' directed labor, bj' a man thoroughl3' well 
 informed in all the details of his business. 
 
 During the late Civil War Mr. Ward was in 
 military service for about fourteen months; he 
 was stationed on the Upper Missouri River among 
 the Sioux Indians. He was attacked by a very 
 serious illness, and was confined in the hospital at 
 at Ft. Pierre. Dak., for a long time. After his 
 recovery he did not enter the active service again, 
 but was honorably discharged with the remainder 
 of his command, when he returned home. Both 
 himself and wife are among tlie leading and repre- 
 sentative families of the precinct, are members of 
 the Christian Ciiurch, and take a leading part in 
 all charitable and church matters. The wife has ably 
 seconded her husband's efforts in accumulating the 
 splendid property which they now own, and richly 
 deserves the life of contentment and comparative 
 ease which they are now enable to enjoy. Thej^ 
 are important factors in the social life of the 
 precinct. In politics he is a straight Republican. 
 He has never sought or held an}^ public office, 
 preferring to devote his entire time to his own 
 affairs, which has rendered him and his good wife 
 so favorably and widely known throughout the 
 locality in which thev live. 
 
 ^^ HARLES yi. HOLMES, a Cass County pio- 
 
 (ll „ neer, is proprietor of a livery stable in Platts- 
 VV y^ 
 
 ^^C mouth, and is numbered among the sub- 
 stantial and well-to-do citizens of that city. He 
 is a man of wide and varied experience, keen, 
 prompt and trusty in his dealings, and he is well 
 known and well liked by an extensive acquaintance. 
 He was born in Gilboa, Schoharie Co., N. Y., May 
 21, 1835. He comes of an old Scottish family of 
 that name, and Jiis father, John Holmes, was born 
 in Paisley, Scotland, of which country his parents 
 were life-long residents, as were his ancestry, for 
 the most part, as far back as known. The father 
 of our subject, with his brother Walter and sister 
 Jane, were the only members of the famil}- that 
 ever crossed the water to this country. The father 
 
 •► Bj ; 
 
 of our subject learned the trade of a weaver in 
 his native town, and he served seven years as 
 a soldier. He came to America about 1818, and 
 locating in Delaware County, N. Y., woiked there 
 a few years at his trade. He subsequently moved 
 from there to Schoharie County, where he bought 
 a farm, on which he lived until 1840, when he sold 
 that and bought a farm tive miles from Delhi. 
 During tlie winter seasons he did weaving for the 
 neighbors, and the rest of the year he farmed. He 
 died on his homestead in Delhi in 1854. The 
 maiden name of his wife, mother of our subject, 
 was Jane jNIayer, and she was also a native of Pais- 
 ley, Scotland. She died at the home of a daugh- 
 ter in Pennsylvania some years after her husband's 
 death. I'hey were very worthy people, and from 
 them our subject inherited the characteristic Scotch 
 traits of thrift, energy and foresight. They were 
 the parents of twelve children, eleven of whom 
 grew up, namely: Ann, John, Rebecca, William, 
 Jane, James, Elizabeth, Margaret, Lovisa, Charles 
 and Walter. William served in the Mexican War, 
 and died in the military hospital at Pueblo, Mex. 
 The subject of this sketch was the next to the 
 youngest child in that large family of children. 
 He was a bright, quick little lad, more than or- 
 dinarily^ gifted with independence of spirit, and 
 at the extremly youthful age of seven years was 
 ambitious to earn his own living, and started out 
 into the world for that purpose. His parents 
 found him and took him home again, and he lived 
 with them until he was fourteen years old. He 
 then made another start, and from that time forth 
 took care of himself. He first went to Pennsylva- 
 nia, and there began to learn the trade of a black- 
 smith with his brother-in-law, working at it for 
 a year and a half. After that he was employed at 
 various kinds of work for a year, and at the end 
 of that time, having prudently saved all the money 
 that he could, he bought a small stock of groceries 
 witli his little capital, taking a part of them on 
 credit, and opened a store at Clarksville, Mercer 
 Co., Pa. In March, 1857, he sold out his business 
 there, and started for the Territory of Nebraska on 
 the 3d da3' of March, going by wagon to Newcastle, 
 Pa., from there by rail to Pittsburg, and thence 
 down the Ohio, and up the Mississippi and Mis.souri 
 
 I 
 
 •4* 
 
•►Hl^-^ 
 
 120-2 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^ 
 
 rivers to St. Joseph, Mo. AVhen he arrived there 
 he found himself somewhat short of funds, and 
 so took Lis grip in his hand and started on foot for 
 Nebraska. He arrived at his destination. Rock 
 Bluff, Cass County, with $2.60 in his pocket. He 
 did not allow the low state of his finances to 
 discourage him, however, but sought the means of 
 replenishing his funds. There was a small village 
 at Rock Bluff, with about 150 inhabitants, and with 
 briglit prospects of rapid growth. The surround- 
 ing country was sparselj' settled, and nearly all 
 the land was owned by the Government. Mr. 
 Holmes soon found employment quarrj'ing rock 
 at 12 a daj'. He worked at that twelve daj^s, and 
 then turned his attention to the lumber business. 
 He bought standing cottonwood trees, cut and 
 drew them to the mill, and then used them iu the 
 construction of two houses at Rock Bluff. In 
 April, 1859, our subject and two companions 
 started for Pike's Peak, with two pair of oxen, one 
 pair of cows, and six months' provisions. They 
 arrived at Denver early in June, and after spend- 
 ing two days there passed on to Gregorj-'S diggings 
 in the mountains. Thej^ engaged in prospecting, 
 and while doing so Mv. Holmes used, or generously 
 gave way to needy companions, all of his outfit. 
 After remaining in the Rockies two months he re- 
 traced his steps to Denver, and there engaged to 
 work in a shingle mill for fifty cents a day. Five 
 days later, with characteristic boldness, he con- 
 ceived the idea of buying the machine, and did so 
 on credit for S200. He ran the machine for four 
 weeks, and with such success that he was able to 
 pay for it, and he then traded it for five yoke of 
 oxen and a wagon. AVith them he went to team- 
 ing lumber from a point on C'herry Creek to Den- 
 ver, twentjr miles distant, receiving |20 a thousand 
 for drawing the lumber. He teamed three weeks 
 only, and then bought Mty yoke of cattle and ten 
 wagons from D. C. Oakes, for which he was to pay 
 in lumber. In less than four months he had can- 
 celled the whole amount of his indebtedness. He 
 continued teaming for a .year, at the expiration of 
 which time he returned to Rock Bluff and invested 
 some of his monej- in a gristmill, buying a third 
 interest therein. He operated that six months, 
 then sold it. and soon bought a farm in Rock Bluff 
 
 Precinct. AVhile actively engaged in farming there 
 he dealt in cattle and horses, making his residence 
 in Rock Bluff village and precinct until 1872. His 
 next venture was to come to Plattsmouth and en- 
 gage in shipping cattle and hogs for some years. 
 In 1877 he opened a livery stable, and since that 
 time has been conducting that business. He has a 
 fine outfit of good driving horses, and neat and 
 stylish vehicles of various descriptions, and he is 
 well patronized. 
 
 Mr. Holmes was married, in 1860, to Marietta 
 Kauble, and of their pleasant wedded life five chil- 
 dren have been born, namely: William H.,who died 
 at the age of twenty months; Walter, Pearl, Ivan 
 and Bertie. Mrs. Holmes was born in Shelbyville, 
 Shelby Co., Ind., March 15, 1843. Iler father, 
 David Kauble. was a native of Indiana, and his 
 father, Jacob Kauble, was a pioneer of that State, 
 and later of Page County, Iowa, where he passed 
 his last years, dying at the remarkably old age of 
 one hundred and three years. Mrs. Holmes' father 
 was reared and married in Indiana, and from there 
 moved to Missouri about 1843, and became a pio- 
 neer of Andrew Count}'. He bought a tract of 
 wild land on which he built a log house, and con- 
 tinued to reside there until his death. The maiden 
 name of his wife was Mary Cratzier. She was a 
 native of Indiana, and a daughter of John Cratzier. 
 She spent her last da3^s in Andrew County, dying 
 three years after her husband's death. Mrs. Holmes 
 was thus left an orphan at an early age. Mrs. 
 Holmes has for twenty-four years been a member 
 of the Presbyterian Church. Politically, Jlr. 
 Holmes is a stanch Republican. 
 
 -l-+f^^^^4^-H- 
 
 (F C. IIIXNERS. The general merchandising 
 
 j|f)|] interests of Avoca acknowledge the subject 
 -i^^ of this sketch as a leader of the trade, be. 
 (^) ing senior member of the firm of Hinners 
 & Lindemann. They carry a general stock of the 
 articles required both in the village and countr}- 
 household, and from a business established by Air. 
 H. in the spring of 1883, have built up a good 
 patronage. Mr. Lindemann was admitted as a 
 partner in August. 1884. Mr. Hinners is a man 
 
^ 
 
 >► ■ ^» 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 
 interested in eveiy -way in the prosperity of Avoca, 
 being the owner of good property in the village 
 and otherwise intimately associated with its con- 
 cerns. He is recognized as a reliable business man 
 and a valuable citizen. 
 
 Our subject was born across the water in what 
 was then the Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, near 
 the city of Bremerli.aven. Sept. 24, 1860. He is the 
 offspring of an excellent family, his father being 
 Nicholas Ilinners, also a native of Hanover, and of 
 pure German ancestry. Nicholas Ilinners upon at- 
 taining manhood, carried on farming, to which he 
 had been accustomed since his earliest youth, and 
 was married to Miss Anna Eden. Both had been 
 thoroughlj- educated in the manner common to the 
 cliildren of the Fatherland. They lived there and 
 became the parents of seven children, and there 
 also closed their eyes upon earthly scenes, each 
 passing awaj- when a little over Bfty ^-ears of age. 
 They were members in good standing of the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church, and jjeople of more than 
 ordinary intelligence. 
 
 Our subject at an early age gave indications of 
 more than ordinary activity and enterprise and 
 soon began to lay his plans for the future. As soon 
 as old enough to reflect he nourished a desire of 
 coming to America, and when a lad of twelve there 
 was presented the opportunity. He embarked with 
 John Harms on a vessel at Bremerhaven, and four- 
 teen da3-s later set foot upon the soil of the United 
 States, in the city of New York. Our subject 
 completed his education in the Badger State, 
 attending the High School at Plattville, and later 
 the Normal School at the same place. 
 
 The business career of our subject began as clerk 
 in a store at Plattville, which he entered when a 
 youth of fifteen j^ears. He was thus engaged until 
 coming to Nebraska, and in the meantime was mar- 
 ried. April 4, 1883, to Miss Jlarj^ Loofborow. She 
 received a good education and taught school some- 
 time before her marriage. Of her union with our 
 subject there are two children living — Charles C. 
 and Harry E., at home with their parents. 
 
 Our subject, politically, is an uncompromising 
 Democrat. He has occupied some of the local of- 
 fices, having been a member of the Village Board, 
 and is generally interested in the matters pertain- 
 
 -^tr^ 
 
 ing to the well-being and progress of the people 
 around him. Socially, he belongs to Lodge No. 
 29, I. O. O. F., of Avoca; a man prompt to meet 
 his obligations, and one whose opinions are gener- 
 ally held in respect, he worthily- fills his niche in 
 a very intelligent community. 
 
 -<^= 
 
 ^IL^ON. THEO. NEWTON BOBBITT. The 
 |i|)I' subject of this biographj-, a resident of 
 ■i)^' Tipton Precinct, deserves more than a 
 (^^ passing mention, as he has been for a pe- 
 riod of twenty years closely identified with the 
 growth and prosperity of Cass County. 
 
 He first arrived upon the soil of Nebraska in 
 the fall of 1869 in company with his family, they 
 having made the journey overland with teams 
 from Mahaska C'ount3'. Iowa. Thej^ crossed tiie 
 Missouri at Plattsmouth on a steam ferry, and our 
 subject, making his way to Tipton Precinct, home- 
 steaded eighty' acres of land, of which he still 
 retains possession. Later he journeyed into Sew- 
 ard County, where he remained over winter, in the 
 meantime suffering two months from a disabled 
 foot, but in the spring of 1870 moved with his 
 young wife upon the present homestead. He had 
 just comjjleted a temporary shelter, hauling lum- 
 ber for this purpose from Plattsmouth. and put up 
 the structure with his own hands. 
 
 The present surroundings of Mr. Bobbitt are 
 widelj' different from those of twenty years ago. 
 He now has a well developed farm, with fruit and 
 forest trees of his own planting and his fields 
 neatly enclosed by hedge and wire fencing. In 
 due time he added to his first purchase and lias 
 now a well-regulated farm of 160 acres with good 
 buildings, a fair assortment of livestock, the 
 requisite farm machinery and the general appur- 
 tenances of the modern country estate. Of late 
 years Mr. Bobbitt has made a specialty of cattle 
 and swine, and also keeps a number of good horses. 
 
 While the cultivation of the soil has absorbed 
 much of his time and attention, Mr. Bobbitt has in 
 nowise neglected the culture of his mental capaci- 
 ties, and is a gentleman of rare intelligence and 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 1204 
 
 CASS COUNTY, 
 
 good education, refined and gentlemanly, one with 
 wiiora it is pleasant and profitable to converse. 
 He has for his life companion a lady his equal in 
 every respect, intelligent and amiable in dis- 
 position, and one who has made home for her 
 family the pleasantest spot on earth. Mrs. Bobbitt 
 has been in delicate health for a number of years, 
 but is no less dear to her family and friends. The 
 domestic life of this household presents a picture 
 rarely met with amid the vicissitudes and sorrows 
 of a changeful world. 
 
 A native of jMorgan County, 111., our subject 
 was born near the town of Bethel, Feb. 23, 1843, 
 and was reared amid the quiet pursuits of country 
 life. He has an ancestry of which he may well be 
 proud. His father," Everett H. Bobbitt, was born 
 in Madison County, Mo., in 1816, and married 
 Mary A. Newton, who was born in Hancock 
 County, 111. William Bobbitt, the paternal grand- 
 father, was a native of South Carolina, born near 
 Columbia, and traced his forefathers to Wales. 
 He was farmer and miller combined, and spent his 
 last years in Morgan County, 111. 
 
 The paternal great-grandfather of our subject 
 carried a musket in the Revolutionary War, and 
 did good service at the battle of Guilford Court- 
 house, and in a number of other engagements. At 
 the close of the struggle he settled in South Car- 
 olina and engaged in farming and milling. Later 
 he moved to Kentucky, and from there to Morgan 
 County, 111., where he died at a ripe old age. 
 Grandfather Henry Newton was a native of Ireland, 
 whence he emigrated to America early in life, and 
 settling on a farm in the vicinity of Bloomington, 
 111., there spent his last days. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared to the age 
 of fourteen years on a farm in ]\Ilssouri, whence 
 he removed to Morgan County, 111., during its 
 pioneer da3^s. He assisted his father in the mill- 
 ing operations of the latter during his lifetime, 
 then began farming on his own account and also 
 occupied himself considerahlj' as a teacher, mostly 
 during the winter season. He remained a resident 
 of Morgan County until the fall of 1848, then 
 crossed the Mississippi into Mahaska County, Iowa, 
 where he operated still as teacher and farmer com- 
 ^ f bined. He is still living and a resident of the 
 
 Hawkej'e State, where he owns a good farm of 140 
 acres. The mother died at the homestead a year 
 after their removal there, in the spring of 1849, 
 when a young woman only twenty -six years old. 
 
 To E. H. and Mary A. Bobbitt there were born 
 four children, of whom our subject was the eldest. 
 The next younger, David F., is operating a farm 
 in Washington County, Kan.; Lizzie J., (Mrs. 
 Hillery), resides in Washington Territory.; one 
 child died unnamed in infancy; Theo. N. was a 
 little lad six years of age when his parents 
 removed to Iowa and he lived there on the farm 
 until a young man of twenty years. He launched 
 out as a teacher when a youth of nineteen, and 
 later entered a printing ofHee, but soon found that 
 office work had an unfavorable effect upon his health 
 and abandoned it. In the spring of 1864 he jour- 
 neyed to Montana and occupied himself in mining 
 in the vicinity of Virginia City and Helena. Dur- 
 ing his sojourn in the farther West he also engaged 
 in freighting for a period of six months, after 
 which he returned to the Hawkeye State. 
 
 In 1861, after the outbreak of the Civil War, 
 Mr. Bobbitt proffered his services as a Union 
 soldier at Fremont, Iowa, but being considered too 
 3'oung was rejected. 
 
 Upon his return from the mountains, in 1866, 
 Mr. Bobbitt located in Iowa and commenced farm- 
 ing on rented land, at which he continued until his 
 marriage. This interesting event in his life was 
 celebrated in Wapello County, Iowa, Nov. 5, 1868, 
 the maiden of his choice being Miss Amelia 
 Phillips, daughter of John S. and Sarah (Moss) 
 Phillips, of Iowa. Shortly afterward the young 
 people started for the young State of Nebraska, 
 making their way overland with teams to this 
 county, crossing the Missouri River at Plattsmouth 
 on a steam ferry. Not long after his settlement 
 here Mr. Bobbitt was invited to participate in the 
 various enterprises calculated to advance the inter- 
 ests of Tipton Precinct, socially and financially. 
 He was discovered to be a man worthy of the 
 esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens, and 
 after creditably filling various positions of trust, 
 was elected to represent Cass County in the State 
 Legislature, serving from Jan. 1, 1877, to 1879. 
 This was the first session after the adoption of the 
 
 ■•►Hl-^ 
 
I 
 
 •^^f^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1205 
 
 present Constitution, wbich had been remodeled 
 and more fully adapted to the growing needs of 
 the people. During his term also occurred the 
 election of the Plon. Alvin Saunders, in which Mr. 
 Bobbitt bore a prominent part. He was also a 
 member of three of the most important committees, 
 namely: Federal Relations, County Seat and 
 Boundaries, Mines and Minerals. 
 
 Although reared a Democrat, Mr. Bobbitt upon 
 attaining years of discretion, felt that the principles 
 of the Republican party more nearly coincided 
 with his progressive ideas. With it he accordingly 
 identified himself, and has been one of the most 
 active workers in its ranks in Southern Nebraska. 
 His services in that Legislature received much 
 favorable comment by the leading journals of this 
 part of the State. He has been a member of the Re- 
 publican Central Committee; and has given of his 
 time and means for the furtherance of the enterprises 
 generally calculated to advance the interests of its 
 people. Socially, he belongs to the K. of P., No. 
 104, at Eagle. He is a member of the Congrega- 
 tional Church at that place, and contributed gen- 
 erousl}' toward the erection of tlie church edifice. 
 He thoroughly believes in the religious education 
 of the j'oung, and has carried out his sentiments 
 in this respect by ofBciatiug as Superintendent of 
 the Sunday-School and studying to make this 
 important subject a matter of interest to the rising 
 generation. 
 
 The parents of Mrs. Bobbitt were of English and 
 German descent, the father a native of Ohio, and 
 the mother of Van Buren County, Iowa. The 
 paternal grandfather, a native of Germany, 
 possessed more than ordinar}' musical talent, being 
 a musician of considerable note, while he also 
 prosecuted farming pursuits. On the mother's side. 
 Grandfather Moss traced his ancestors to England, 
 was one of the earliest settlers of Van Buren 
 County, Iowa, and became the owner of a large 
 tract of land both in that and Wapello County. 
 John S. Phillips, the father of Mrs. B., was a well 
 educated man, and while conducting his farm 
 occupied himself considerably as a teacher. He 
 was one of the pioneers of Iowa, purchasing land 
 from the Government and built up a good home- 
 stead in Wapello Countj', where he still holds 
 
 m-M* 
 
 property. His present home, however, is at 
 Agency. lie is sixty years old and his estimable 
 wife is fifty-eight. They are the parents of twelve 
 children, of whom Mrs. B. was the second born. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Bobbitt there have been born 
 six children, namely: Charles E., John F., who 
 died in infancy, Lewis E., William M., George D., 
 and an infant son who died unnamed. The eldest 
 son, Charles, is attending the academy at Weeping 
 Water; The other cliildren are at home with their 
 parents. They are being carefully reared and will 
 be given the education suitable to their station in 
 life as the offspring of one of the leading citizens 
 of Southern Nebraska. 
 
 ^iJEORGE W. BARRETT. The ordinary 
 if <^t7 observer must admit that the life of a 
 ^^S farmer, though attended with much arduous 
 labor, surely has its compensations. Most forcibly 
 is this suggestion illustrated in viewing the home- 
 stead of the subject of this sketch, which is finely 
 located on section 29, in Mt. Pleasant Precinct. 
 The buildings are neat and substantial, and the 
 land, embracing an area of 110 acres, is mostly 
 under a high state of cultivation, yielding under 
 favorable circumstances the richest of crops of 
 Southern Nebraska. The proprietor, a gentleman 
 in the prime of life, bears the reputation of an 
 industrious and persevering citizen, who has been 
 the architect of his own fortune, and indebted to 
 no man for his present position in life. From a 
 worthy ancestry he inherited those qualities which 
 have enabled him to labor to good advantage with 
 his hands while his mind is a storehouse of useful 
 information, and experience has been his safe guide 
 through life's devious wa3's. 
 
 Our subject, a product of the Empire State, was 
 born in Jefferson County, Jan. 12, 1848, and is the 
 son of Nial and Ruth (Coon) Barrett, who located 
 in that county during the early years of their mar- 
 ried life. Their household included five children, 
 but three now living, namel3': Laura A., Mrs. 
 Henry Strouts,of Berrien County, Mich.; Charles a 
 resident of Jo Daviess County, 111., and George W., 
 
 •^ 
 
•4^ 
 
 1206 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 our subject. The family is of English-Irish descent, 
 and farther than this Mr. Barrett knows com- 
 paratively little of his ancestors. 
 
 When a youth of fifteen 3'ears our sulijeet 
 removed with his parents from his lative State to 
 Berrien County, Mich., where they have since 
 resided. They are both now quite aged, the father 
 having been born in 1806, and the mother two 
 years later, in 1 808. Their lives have been distin- 
 guished liy honest industry, and now in their 
 declining years the}' are surrounded by hosts of 
 •friends, and are living in the enjoyment of all need- 
 ful comforts. Young Barrett attained to manhood 
 in the Wolverine State, and was educated in the dis- 
 trict schools of Berrien County, being deprived, 
 however, of many of the advantages enjo3'ed by 
 the rising generation. In the fall of 1867 he began 
 an apprenticeship at the trade of plasterer and 
 stone-mason, which he followed much of the time 
 since until within a few 3'ears. His preference, 
 however, is for farming pursuits, and to these he 
 has devoted himself mainly since coming to this 
 countr}'. 
 
 Mr, Barrett was first married in jMiehigan, Feb., 
 13, 1869, to Miss Inez Pearl, daughter of Lewis and 
 Julia E. Pearl, of Berrien Count}', Mich. Of this 
 union there was born one child, a daughter, Ethel, 
 who is now in Berrien County, Mich., and eighteen 
 years old. Mrs. Inez Barrett departed this life at 
 her home, in Michigan, Jan. 8, 1870, less than a 
 3'ear after her marriage. Our subject contracted a 
 second matrimonial alliance, Dec. 25, 1873, with 
 Miss Olive C. Wolcott, in Jo Daviess Count}-, 111. 
 This lad}' was born in Jo Daviess County, 111., 
 Aug. 27, 1853, and is the daughter of Henry 0. 
 and Eliza A. (Williams) Wolcott, who were natives 
 of Ohio. Mr. Wolcott was a wagon maker and 
 farmer by occupation, and died at their home in 
 Illinois about 1857; the mother is still living and a 
 resident of Jo Daviess Count3', 111. 
 
 Mr. Barrett and his present wife are the parents 
 of five children, naniel3': L3'nn, W., born Sept. 12, 
 1874; Laura M., Oct. 14, 1875; Loren A., May 5, 
 1877; Ralph L., Sept. 6, 1878, and Tina L, March 
 28. 1881. Mr. Barrett resided in Jo Daviess County, 
 111., a period of six years, then came directly to 
 this county, and settled upon the farm which he 
 
 now occupies. Aside from casting his vote with the 
 Republican party, he meddles very little with 
 politics, having an abundance of business in the 
 managemant of his farming interests. His excel- 
 lent wife is a member in good standing of the 
 Christian Church, and Mr. Barrett believing in life 
 insurance, is a member of the Ro3al Arcanum. 
 
 IF ^ ARRY G. RACE, editor and proprietor of 
 
 the Cass County Eagle, is a gentleman of 
 English birth and ancestry, having first 
 opened his eyes to the light in Yorkshire, 
 England, Dec. 28, 1845. He lived there until a 
 youth of fourteen years, acquiring the rudiments 
 of a practical education. Later he came to Amer- 
 ica and completed his studies in the High School 
 of Eldora, Iowa. Subsequently he engaged with 
 his father in farming until the spring of 1872. 
 We next find him in the vicinity of Salt Lake 
 City engaged in the search for silver and gold in 
 the Bingham and Echo Canyons. Upon leaving 
 the mines he engaged as a shipping agent for the 
 firm of Reed & Benson, at Big Cottonwood Can- 
 yon. Finally, returning to Iowa, and sojourned 
 there a brief season, and from the Hawkeye State 
 made his way to this count}', arriving at Weeping 
 Water on the 9th of September, 1879. The present 
 flourishing city at tliat time could scarcely be dig- 
 nirted by the name of a hamlet, there being but a 
 few clumsily-built houses upon the spot now 
 occupied by liandsome brick blocks and other 
 structures adapted for residence and business pur- 
 poses. Mr. Race at once engaged in mercantile 
 business, purchasing first the interest of Mr. Kim- 
 ball, in the firm of Fleming & Kimball, and later 
 the firm became Fleming & Race, operating thus 
 until Sept. 10, 1874. They continued successfully 
 in business for a period of ten years. They were 
 preceded in this line of trade by the firm of 
 Reed Bros., onl}-, the latter having been the pioneer 
 merchants of Weeping Water. 
 
 Mr. Race was soon recognized as a valuable 
 addition to the community, and it was not long- 
 before he was solicited to take a part in the offi- 
 cial deliberations of the vouua: town. He fullv 
 
 •► 
 
 •^^ 
 
*► i r^ 
 
 •«► 
 
 ^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1207 
 
 identified himself with its interests, investing his 
 capital in real estate, and in due time Weeping 
 Water was enlarged by Fleming & Race's addition, 
 being the finest in the city, the lots sold quite 
 readil}', although Mr. Race still holds some of 
 them. In the f.ill of 1888 he completed an 
 elegant residence on Eldora Avenue, the avenue 
 being named after Eldora, Iowa, the place of his 
 former residence, and which he still holds in much 
 affection. He also has a good residence on I Street, 
 and is still considerably engaged in real-estate 
 transactions. 
 
 Soon after disposing of his interest in the firm 
 of Fleming & Race, our subject, who had .alwaj's 
 been interested in newspapers, jiurchased the Cass 
 County Eagle, which he has conducted with rare 
 ability, making of it an assured success. Under 
 his m.inagement the Eagle was the first paper to 
 put forward the name of John M. Thayer for Gov- 
 ernor of Nebraska, and its influence bore no unim- 
 portant part in securing his election. Mr. Race 
 has never sought office, but as a conscientious 
 Republican is an ardent advocate of the principles 
 which appeal most effectivel}- to his good sense 
 and judgment. 
 
 Our subject is the son of .Joseph Race, who was 
 born in Milnthorpe, England, Oct. 11, 1817, and 
 lived there until about 1859. He was there mar- 
 ried to Miss Mary Bell, and there were born to 
 them upon their native soil seven children, who 
 were named respectively: Joseph, William, Harry 
 G., Anne A., Eliza, Mary Jane and Walter. They 
 all came to America with their parents about 1859, 
 the latter settling in Eldora, Iowa, at a time 
 when it was little more than a hamlet. They 
 lived in that town five years, then moved to a farm 
 two miles east, where the mother died April 10, 
 1883. She was born in 1815, in Yorkshire, Eng- 
 land, and was the daughter of Joseph and Mar}' 
 Bell, who were also of English birth and ancestry, 
 and who spent their entire lives upon their native 
 soil. Mr. Race and his wife were reared in the 
 doctrines of the Church of England, in which faith 
 the mother died, and of which denomination 
 Joseph Race is still a member. The latter lived 
 on the farm until the fall of 1888, when retiring 
 from active labor he came to AYeeping AYater, and 
 
 •►41^ 
 
 now makes his home with his son Harry G. Dur- 
 ing the years of his active life, he was engaged 
 quite extensively in agriculture and stock-raising, 
 and became owner of a fine large farm of 250 
 acres, which he built up from the primitive soil 
 and which he still owns. He has been a reader all 
 his life and keeps himself well posted upon cur- 
 rent events. A genial, pleasant and companion- 
 able old gentleman, he numbers hosts of friends 
 among the people of Cass County, where he is 
 regarded as one of its most honored citizens. 
 
 .John Race, the paternal grandfather of our sul)- 
 ject, spent his entire life in his native town, Miln- 
 thorpe, Yorkshire, on the old battle-ground of 
 Wakefield, which w.as made memorable by the 
 scenes of 1460. The house of Grandfather Race 
 was constructed from ruins of the old castle, and 
 under that historic roof-tree the father of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch was born. 
 
 The marriage of H. G. Race and Miss Carrie C. 
 Selleck, of Hastings, Mich., took place at the home 
 of the bride in Weeping AYater, .Jan. 5, 1875. Mrs. 
 Race is the daughter of William S. and Jennie 
 Selleck, the former one of the prominent business 
 men of Plymouth, this State. About 1882 he 
 came to AYeeping AYater, where he now lives. Mrs. 
 Selleck died when her daughter Carrie was only 
 two years old. She was in her girlhood Miss 
 Outhwaite. Mrs. Race is a highly esteemed lady 
 and a member in good standing of the M. E. 
 Church. 
 
 'i^>.- ■ 
 
 VTAMES DYSART. Cass County owes its 
 I prominence and prosperitj' not alone to its 
 ' vast natural resources, its genial climate 
 ^^j) and other advantages, but in part to its 
 early pioneers, who devoted themselves earnestly to 
 its development and improvement. And among 
 those who are still identified with its agricultural 
 interests, is the sul)ject of lhis_ sketch. In tlie 
 month of June, 185(J, lie, then a stalwart, active 
 young man, in tlie pride and strength of earl}' man- 
 hood, crossed the Missouri River, and making his 
 way to the part of Cass County now known as 
 Liberty Precinct, pre-empted 160 acres of land on 
 section 34, and became tlie very first settler in this 
 
 f 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 1208 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 neigliborliootl. The land tliat he thus obtained was 
 in a wild, unbroken state, and his was the pioneer 
 task to develop it by the aid of strong muscle and 
 well-directed toil into a productive farm. That he 
 has succeeded in this attempt is manifested even 
 to the causal observer, who sees its neat farm build- 
 ings and various otlier imprnvemeiits. and looks 
 over its carefully tilled tifbls, each acre of which, 
 by wise cultivation, is made to yield to the utter- 
 most, and season after season affords rich harvests 
 to reward his persistent labors. 
 
 Mr. Dysart is of Scottish birth and ancestry, 
 having been born in Forfarsiiire. Scotland, Jan. 9, 
 1834. His father, James Dysart, a native of 
 Cooper, Angushire, was the son of William Dysart, 
 a Scotch clotli manufacturer of some prominence in 
 his native shire. He lived and died in his native 
 land, attaining an advanced age. His wife, also of 
 Scottish birth and ancestry, died in her native shire 
 before she had passed middle life. They belonged 
 to one of the old Presbyterian families of the Low- 
 lands of Scotland. James Dysart was reared in his 
 native shire, and married a Scotch lady, Anna 
 Sutt by name, also born and bred in the same 
 shire. Their family of eight children, all sons, was 
 born in Scotland, of whom only four lived to come 
 to the United States. While he remained a resident 
 of that country, Mr. Dysart followed the occupa- 
 tion of drover. In 1844. with his wife and children, 
 he emigrated to the United States, and located in 
 Carroll County, Olaio. Shortly afterward he began 
 to farm there, and in his new home in that county his 
 wife died, Feb. 1, 1847, when only forty years of 
 age. This was a sad blow to her husband and child- 
 ren, to whom she was greatly devoted. Mr. 
 Dysart afterward moved to Columbiana County, in 
 the same State, and there he married for his second 
 wife. Miss Ann Everett, who was born in Mary- 
 land, was reared in Ohio, and also died in Colum- 
 biana County, before her husband, her death oc- 
 curring in the prime of life. James Dysart, Sr., 
 was a third time married, and this wife also died 
 there, but not till after her husband had passed 
 away. He departed this life Aug. 24, 1870, thus 
 rounding out seventy-six years, which had been 
 usefully spent. He was a good man and a steady, 
 hard-working farmer. He was a life-long Pre.-by- 
 
 ■^^ 
 
 terian. the faith of his forefathers for many genera- 
 tions, and left a name to be held in respect and 
 reverence by his descendants. 
 
 Our subject spent five years of his early life in his 
 father's home in Columbiana County, and then at 
 the age of twenty-one set forth in the world to begin 
 life in earnest, at first finding work as a farm 
 laborer in Ohio. But he soon afterward made his 
 way westward, and going to Jones County, Iowa, 
 found work there at the same occupation. Eighteen 
 months later, with the sum of money that he had 
 prudently saved up for some time, he crossed the 
 Missouri River into the then wild territory of 
 Nebraska, having determined to build up a home 
 here, as with the prescience and foresight of the 
 genuine Scot, he shrewdly reilized that this was 
 one day destined to be a rich farming country. 
 We have seen the results of his venture, and that 
 his hard labors have placed him among the pros- 
 perous and solid men of Cass County. 
 
 Mr. Dysart is blessed with a good wife, who, b}' 
 her thrift and good mmageraent of household 
 affairs, has co-operated with him and encour.aged 
 him in his work. She is a devout Christian, and 
 with two of her children, is a member of the Baptist 
 Church. Her marriage with our subject was 
 solemnized in Liberty Precinct, Sept. 13, .18G0. 
 Mrs. Dysart's maiden name was Nancy J. Hoback, 
 and she was born in Nodaway County, Mo., Aug. 
 17, 1843. She came of German-Scotch-Irish an- 
 cestry, and was a daughter of Robert and Louisa 
 (Clark) Hoback, natives of West Virginia. After 
 the birth of one child, her parents moved to Mis- 
 souri, and settling on a farm not far from Mary- 
 ville, in Nodaway County, there lived until 1855, 
 when the family all moved to Nebraska, and began 
 to farm near Nebraska City in Otoe County. Some 
 few years later they came to Cass County and Mr. 
 Hoback pre-empted land on section 34, and there 
 the family lived for some time. The mother died 
 therein 1883, the 22d day of May, aged sixty- 
 two years. She was an earnest Methodist in her 
 religious faith. After the death of his wife, Mr. 
 Hoback sold his property in this precinct and re- 
 moved to Mt. Pleasant Precinct, and there lives 
 with his daughter Mrs. Rebecca Alford, he being 
 now sixty-eight years of age. He has been a de- 
 '• •►t* 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 ■4» 
 
 1289 
 
 i 
 
 a mason and stone-cutter by trade, an(l (luring 
 early manhood carried a muslcet in the Mexican 
 War. as a member of an Ohio Regiment. After 
 this conflict was ended lie settled down to his trade 
 again, until the outl)reak of tiie Rebellion, when he 
 again hastened to the rescue of his country, serving 
 five j-ears in Companj' H, 4th Iowa Infantry, and 
 Company D, 7th Iowa Cavalry, as a non-commis- 
 sioned officer, and operating mostly on the frontier, 
 among the Indians of the Northwest. He received 
 his honorable discharge at Leavenworth, Kan., in 
 Jul3', 186C, and returned to private life In Van 
 Buren County, Iowa, where he remained with his 
 family until the fall of 1875, when he changed his 
 residence to this county, settling in Weeping Water, 
 where liis death took place three weeks later, on the 
 9th of November, when he was fifty-three years 
 old. Reuben Sperry was a good man in liie broad- 
 est sense of the term, kind in his famil3'and towai-d 
 his neighbors, making it the rule of his life to do 
 unto others as he would they should do to him., 
 and in his whole career exhibiting the example of 
 the conscientious man and law-abiding citizen. In 
 religious belief he was a Universalist. The family 
 included nine children, five sons and four daughters, 
 seven of whom are living and located mostly in 
 Nebraska and Iowa. The mother is still living in 
 Iowa, and is now the wife of James Hunt, of Davis. 
 Her jige is about sixty-one years. 
 
 Our subject, in common with his brothers and 
 sisters, was educated in the common schools, and at 
 an early age was taught those habits of thrift and 
 industry which have been the secret of his success. 
 He was but a year old when his parents removed 
 from his native State to Iowa, where he was reared 
 to manhood and served his apprenticeship at the 
 trade of mason under the instruction of his father. 
 Imbued with the patriotism of his sire, he, upon 
 the outbreak of the Civil War, enlisted, when but 
 a youth of seventeen, in Company H, 3d Iowa 
 Cavalry, the regiment being assigned to the com- 
 mand of Gen. Wilson. Young Sperry, with his 
 comrades, participated in most of the important en- 
 gagements of that campaign, being in the fights at 
 Selma, Ala., and Columbus, Ga., and on the tr.ack 
 of the rebel Gen. Price during his raid through 
 Missouri, a campaign of ninety-six days, the 
 
 most of which time he was in the saddle. He was 
 later on the steamer -'Maria" when she exploded 
 near St. Louis, and had a portion of his hair burned 
 off, besides being severely injured in his spine and 
 scalded on his leg. Otherwise he came out of the 
 army uninjured, after a service of nineteen months, 
 and received his honorable discbarge at Atlanta, 
 Ga., Aug. 9, 1865. He was content to serve his 
 country as a private all the way through, the con- 
 sciousness of having done his duty being ample re- 
 ward for his hardships and privations. 
 
 After the war Mr. Sperry returned to his parents 
 in Iowa, and later migrated to this country. He 
 lost his heart in Avoca Precinct, and was married 
 at the home of the bride. Miss Margaret J. McDer- 
 med, Nov. 29, 1874. Mrs. Sperry was born near 
 Peoria, III., Nov. 17, 1852, and is the daughter of 
 Alfred and Elizabeth (McFarland) McDermed, who 
 were natives of Kentucky' and Ireland, and came to 
 Nebraska in the fall of 1866, settling in Avoca 
 Precinct, this county, where the father carried on 
 farming, and where the parents still live. Mrs, 
 S|ierry is a very intelligent and amiable lady, and 
 enjoys the friendship and respect of a large circle 
 of friends. Our subject and his estimable wife be- 
 gan their wedderl life together at the home which 
 they still occup}', and which they have together 
 built up with industrious care, gathering about them 
 the man}' little comforts and conveniences indis()ens- 
 ableto those wholive properly' and well. They have 
 no children. Mr. Sperry, politically, is a sound 
 Republican. It is hardly necessary to state he forms 
 but another example of the self-made man who has 
 not labored in vain, and is held in due respect 
 among his fellow-citizens. 
 
 0'~' HARLES SPOIIN. Avoca Precinct has been 
 ., particular!}' fortunate in the men who 
 ' sought her borders during the pioneer days, 
 
 selected their homesteads here and have been con- 
 tent to remain. The subject of this sketch, one of 
 her most highly esteemed citizens, is pleasantly lo- 
 cated on section 5, where he had formerly 140 
 acres of good land, but has parted with six acres on 
 account of the construction of the Missouri Pacific 
 
 fie f 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 1290 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 Railroad across it. He dates his residence here 
 from 1861, although he secured the land two years 
 prior to that time. 
 
 The farm of Mr. Spohn was but slightly im- 
 proved when he took possession of it, but by a 
 course of improvement and thorough cultivation it 
 lias been made valuable, having upon it good 
 buildings and receiving the requisite moisture from 
 a branch of the Weeping Water. A notable feature 
 in the farm is three or four acres underlaid with stone 
 suitable for building purposes, which not only 
 furnishes the owner with this material, but his 
 neighbors around. Mr. Spohn is a child of the 
 Fatherland, having been born in the Grand Duchy 
 of Baden, Aug. 30, 1836, and is of pure German 
 ancestry for generations back. 
 
 Upon emigrating to the United States our sub- 
 ject settled with his parents first in Pike County, 
 Ohio, where he lived from 1843 to 1859. He emi- 
 grated to America in 1843,with his parents and their 
 four other children to the United States,' and they 
 made the voyage on a sailing-vessel, occupying 
 forty-five days in the passage across the Atlantic. 
 After landing in New York City they proceeded 
 directly to Pike County, Ohio, where the father be- 
 gan farming, and was thus occupied on the soil of 
 the Buckeye State until the death of tlie wife and 
 mother, which occurred in the spring of 1859. In 
 the meantime the family had been enlarged b}' the 
 birth of one child. After the mother's death the 
 father and children came to Nebraska, and the 
 elder Spohn occupied himself in farming as before. 
 He lived to be ripe in years, having passed his 
 eighty-third birthday at the time of his death, 
 which took place in the fall of 1877. 
 
 The parents of our subject were active, industri- 
 ous and hard-working people, careful and con- 
 scientious in their lives, and to the last remained 
 faithful adherents of the Lutheran Church, in the 
 doctrines of which they had been trained from 
 childhood. Charles, our subject, was the youngest 
 but one of the family, and attained his majority 
 in Pike County, Ohio. He was there educated in 
 the public schools and came West a single man. He 
 assisted his father in the development of the new 
 farm in Avoca Precinct after their arrival in Ne- 
 braska, and remained single until July 2, 1869, when 
 
 he was married to Miss Sophia L. Dow. This lady 
 was born in Illinois, May 14, 1854, and is the 
 daughter of Frederick Dow, of Otoe County, a 
 sketch of whose life is given elsewhere in this 
 volume. 
 
 Mrs. Spohn was a child four years of age when 
 her parents came in 1858 to this country. Her 
 mother died eight years later, and she remained a 
 member of lier father's household until her mar- 
 riage. She was a lady of many excellent qualities, 
 and after becoming the mother of five children de- 
 parted this life at tlie homestead in Avoca Precinct, 
 April 25, 1887. Two of her children are since de- 
 ceased, namely : Albert and an infant unnamed. 
 The survivors are Tilda A., Charles, Jr., and 
 George, all of whom are at home with their father. 
 Mr. Spohn, politically, is a sound Republican, as 
 was his father before him, after becoming a natural- 
 ized citizen. The latter, Mathias Spohn, was a 
 cabinet-maker by trade, which he pursued in his 
 native country during his early manhood, and was 
 there also married to Miss Lena Winters. After 
 their marriage the parents of our subject located 
 in the town of Ilaagen, Baden, where the father 
 followed his trade until deciding to emigrate to 
 America. 
 
 '\Y' JACOB STULL is a native-born citizen of 
 I Plattsinouth, and is still an honored resident 
 of the city. He is a son of John Frederick 
 ^0/J and Agatha Stull, well-known i)ioneers of 
 this township and county, whose biography appears 
 elsewhere in this volume. Our subject was born 
 Aug. 26. 1858, on the paternal homestead. He 
 earl^' commenced attendance at the local scliools, 
 receiving a substantial education in all common 
 branches. He grew to a strong and self-reliant 
 maniiood amid the pioneer scenes that surrounded 
 his early home on every hand. He obtained a 
 sound, practical knowledge of agriculture in all its 
 departments, while assisting his father in the care 
 of his extensive farming and stock-raising interests, 
 and continued to be an inmate of tlie parental 
 househfjld until he was twenty-four 3 ears old. He 
 
CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 1291 ik 
 
 then established a home of his own, marrying. Sept. 
 29. 1883, Miss Ella, daughter of P. S. and Olive 
 Wheeler. Two children have blessed their wedded 
 life, Olive and John F. The latter died iu infancy, 
 Aug. 21, 1888, and his death has been the sorrow 
 of an otherwise liappy married life. 
 
 'Tis a wear^' world, at best, 
 
 This world that he will not know. 
 Would we waken him out of such perfect rest. 
 
 For Its sorrow and strife.? Ah! no. 
 
 Escaped are its thorns and harms; 
 
 The only path he has trod 
 Is that which leads from his mother's arras 
 
 Into the arms of God. 
 
 Mr. Stull was born when Nebraska was under 
 Territorial government, and nearl}' the whole of its 
 wonderful development has taken place within his 
 remembrance. He is now numbered among the 
 young men who of recent 3'ears have identified 
 themselves with the pioneers and later comers of 
 their native State in sustaining its various interests 
 and in advancing its prosperity. He owns a good 
 residence and house lot, pleasantly located in a 
 desirable quarter of Plattsraoulh. He is an ener- 
 getic, enterprising young man, of sound habits and 
 excellent business talents, so that his success in life 
 is assured. He and his wife are esteemed members 
 of the Presbyterian Church, and in their daily lives 
 they endeavor to carry out the precepts of their 
 religion. Mr. Stull is an emphatic believer in the 
 policy pursued by the Democratic party. 
 
 ^/OHN C. KNABE, of Avoca Precinct, bears 
 the distinction of being one of its oldest 
 and most prominent German settlers. He 
 (^^' has reason to be proud of his nationality, for 
 his brethren of the Fatherland have borne no un- 
 important part in the development of the great 
 West. Mr. Knabe is a farmer in good circum- 
 stances and makes a specialty of stock-raising. 
 
 The property of our subject, which he pre- 
 empted from Uncle Sam in the winter of 1858, 
 while Nebraska was a Territory, is located on sec- 
 
 tion 12. He first secured 160 acres, but has gr.ad- 
 ually added to his possessions until he is now the 
 owner of 504 broad acres. He arrived in Cass 
 County on the 1st day of January, 1855, when 
 there were no settlers in the neighborhood and 
 when it required no little determination to make 
 up his mind to begin the construction of a home 
 on what was then a barren waste, with the excep- 
 tion of jjrairie grass. He did not, however, take 
 up land until three years later, in the meantime 
 employing himself at farming. He came to this 
 locality poor in purse, having nothing to depend 
 upon but his own exertions, and at a time when 
 there was not even a road to be seen and no neigh- 
 bors but Indians. These, however, could not be 
 called neighbors, as they only went strolling 
 through the country, keeping an eye out for what 
 they could carry off. Mr. Knabe, however, had no 
 trouble with them — in fact the newly-arrived 
 white man and his Indian neighbors seemed to re- 
 gard each other with a sort of friendly curiositj'. 
 
 Mr. Knabe worked among the farmers in .another 
 part of the County until he could get a little money 
 ahead so as to purchase farm implements and be- 
 gin the cultivation of his land. It has taken years 
 of labor and thousands of dollars to bring his 
 land to its present state, the whole being now in 
 productive condition. Upon it he has erected a 
 set of substantial buildings and added one improve- 
 ment after another until the homestead has become 
 an object of admiration to all the countr3f around. 
 The fat cattle and the well-fed horses always as- 
 sociated with the well-to-do German farmer, the 
 sheds, corn cribs and pens and the comfortable 
 dwelling, altogether form a goodly sight to the 
 eye. Mr. Knabe improved his first quarter section 
 before he attempted to add to his real estate. He 
 has wisely invested his surplus capital in a manner 
 which cannot be carried off b^' the defaulting 
 bank cashier. 
 
 The Duchy of Holstein, Germany, was the early 
 home of our subject, and where his birth took 
 place Oct. 1, 1824. He was the youngest of five 
 children, two sons and three daughters, the off- 
 spring of Henry .and Margaret (Grofe) Knabe, 
 who were natives of the same province, good, 
 honest people, but poor in purse, the father mak- 
 
•►Hl^^ 
 
 ♦^1--* 
 
 1292 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ing a living for his family by hard labor. In 
 early manhood Henry Knabe served in the Danish 
 standing army and spent his entire life upon his 
 native soil, passing away after he had reached his 
 threescore years and more. The wife and mother 
 died along in the fifties. The parents in religion 
 were German Lutherans, and trained their children 
 carefully and conscientiously in their own religious 
 'faith. 
 
 Our subject remained a member of the parental 
 household until reaching his majority, and for 
 eight years thereafter employed himself at farming. 
 He was not satisfied with his surroundings or bis 
 prospects, and finally decided to seek his fortunes 
 on another continent. He accordingly gathered 
 together his personal effects, and in March, 1852, 
 set sail from the Port of Hamburg, and after a voy- 
 age of seven weeks and two days landed in the 
 city of New Orleans. Thence he made his way up 
 the Mississippi River to Davenport, Iowa, arriving 
 there June 20 of that same year. He began work- 
 ing as a farm laborer and was thus occupied ' until 
 coming to Nebraska. Up to this time he had been 
 a single man, but he met his fate in Avoca Pre- 
 cinct, being married Nov. 22, 1857, to Miss Anna 
 Lohse. The parents of Mrs. Knabe. Henry and 
 Catherine (Hamsheldt) Lohse, natives of Holstein, 
 came to America with their family in the spring of 
 1858, and took up their home in Avoca Precinct, 
 where they spent the remainder of their lives. 
 The father, however, only lived a short time there- 
 after, passing away Sept. 21, 1859, at the age of 
 fifty-nine years. The mother survived her husband 
 nearly nine years, her death taking place Feb. 4, 
 1868.she being of the same age as her husband at his 
 death — fifty-nine. They also, like the Knabe fam- 
 ily, were excellent Christian people, and Lutherans 
 in religion. 
 
 The wife of our subject was born in Holstein, 
 Feb. 4, 1836, and was the youngest of the two 
 children comprising the parental family. Her sis- 
 ter Lena is now the wife of Conrad Mullis, a 
 sketch of whom is found in the history of Otoe 
 County, in this volume, and of which they are 
 residents. Mrs. Knabe was a young lady of twenty- 
 one years when coming to America, making the 
 journey alone, but was soon afterward joined by 
 
 her parents. She has proved the true and effici- 
 ent helpmate of her husband in his labors and 
 struggles, working bravely by his side in tlie ac- 
 cumulation of their property and the building up 
 of their homestead. They are the parents of four 
 children, all living. The eldest daughter, IMarga- 
 ret C, is the wife of John Buhrns and they live on 
 a farm in Avoca Precinct; Henry J. married Miss 
 Louisa Ileepner, who is also farming in this pre- 
 cinct; Helena, Mrs. Charles Brandt, lives with her 
 husband on a farm in Liberty Precinct; John C. 
 remains at home with his parents and assists his 
 father in the management of the farm. ilr. Knabe, 
 politically, votes the straight Republican ticket and 
 takes an interest in everything pertaining to the 
 welfare of his adopted county. Both he and his 
 excellent wife are members in good standing of the 
 Lutheran Church, attending services at St. John's, 
 in Avoca Precinct. 
 
 HILLIP F. HARRISON, one of the self- 
 made men of Plattsmouth, is a native of 
 ^ the Old Dominion, having been born in 
 Upshur County, now AVest Virginia, June 
 17, 1854. His father, Selden Payton Harrison, 
 was a native of France, whence he emigrated to 
 America early in life. He was a brother of Presi- 
 dent William Henry Harrison. His parents, the 
 paternal grandparents of our subject, crossed the 
 Atlantic prior to the beginning of the nineteenth 
 century, and settled in Loudoun County, Va., where 
 they spent the remainder of their lives. 
 
 The father of our subject was reared in his native 
 province, and learned the trade of cabinet-maker. 
 After coming to the United States he enlisted as a 
 soldier in the War of 1812, and at the close of the 
 struggle lived with his parents in Loudoun County, 
 Va., for a number of years. He then removed to 
 LTpshur County, following his trade in the village 
 of Buchanan, where he spent the remainder of his 
 days, his death taking place in August, 1854. 
 
 The maiden name of the mother of our subject 
 ■was Alary B. Roberts, who was born in Loudoun 
 County, A'a., and was the daughter of John Roberts, 
 supposed to have been also born in Virginia. He 
 
 •►^ll-* 
 
•^f^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 I2a3 i M 
 
 spent his entire life in tlie Old Dominion. Our 
 subject at the time of liis father's death was an in- 
 fant of a few weeks old. There were six other chil- 
 dren iu the family, namely: Elizabeth, William, 
 Fi-ancis, Sarah, George and Robert. The mother 
 kept the family together until they were enabled 
 to look out for themselves, and iu May, 1871, left 
 A'irginia, coming to Nebraslia, and is now living 
 with her daughter in Plattsmouth, and is sixty-eight 
 years old. Her husband received a land warrant 
 for his services as a soldier, and Mrs. II. draws a 
 pension from the Government. 
 
 In March, 1871, young Harrison, then seventeen 
 years of age, came to Plattsmouth, and for awhile 
 was engaged in teaming. Later he secured a position 
 as clerk in a general store, where he remained two 
 years, then entered the employ of the Burlington & 
 Missouri River Railroad Compan}-, being for a 
 time in the shops at this place, and finally was pro- 
 moted to a position in tiie office of the Master 
 Mechanic. Upon leaving this position, three years 
 later, he began buying and shipping grain. 
 
 In August, 1877, Mr. Harrison established a 
 dra3' line, and in time built up an extensive busi- 
 ness in general teaming, which lie has con- 
 tinued until the present time. That year also 
 he became interested in blooded chickens, . Black 
 Cochins and Light Bramahs being his favorite 
 breeds. At the county fairs he has exhibited 
 some of the finest specimens of the feathered race 
 to be found in the West, invariably carrying off 
 the blue ribbons. 
 
 The marriage of our subject was celebrated at 
 the home of the bride in Plattsmouth, on the 
 3d of May, 1876, the maiden of his choice being 
 Miss Elmira Ilollister. Mrs. Harrison was born 
 in Walworth County, Wis., on the 10th of June, 
 1860, and was the daughter of Herbert H. and 
 Nancy (Bush) Ilollister, the former a native of 
 New York State, and the latter of Germany. Mr. 
 HoUister was reared to manhood in his native 
 State, whence hp migrated to Wisconsin and set- 
 tled among the pioneers of Walworth County. He 
 purchased a tract of prairie land about sixteen 
 miles west of the present site of Delevan, from 
 which he improved a good farm, and where he lived 
 until about 1869. Tlien coming to Nebraska, he 
 
 settled in Plattsmouth and entered the employ of 
 the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Com- 
 pany, with which he has been connected since that 
 time. Mrs. HoUister emigrated to America with her 
 parents when quite young. She died in Walworth 
 County, Wis., in the year 1854. The parental family 
 included two children only — Albert and the wife of 
 our subject. Mr. Harrison is a stanch Republican 
 in politics. 
 
 -S^^- 
 
 I^EV. ALPHA WRIGHT, who died Nov. 30, 
 lUr 1888, better kuown as '• Chaplain Wright," 
 /LW, was an honoi'ed citizen of Plattsmouth, 
 \^wliere he formerly lived in the enjoyment 
 of an ample income and in one of the pleasantest 
 homes ill the city. He was chaplain of a Mis- 
 souri regiment during the late Civil War, and dur- 
 ing the contest was promoted to places of honor 
 and trust, at one lime serving on the staff of Gen. 
 Ewing. After peace was declared he became a 
 chaplain in the Regular Army, and acted in that 
 capacity on the frontier for several years, and sub- 
 sequently was stationed at Fort Omaha, finally re- 
 tiring on three-fourths pay, with the rank of Cap- 
 tain. 
 
 Our siil)ject was born in the town of Wilming- 
 ton, Windham Co., Vt., April 16, 1814. His great- 
 grandfather, Silas Wrigiit, w.as, so far as known, a 
 native of New England, and his grandfather, Mar- 
 tin Wright, likewise a native of that part of the 
 country, is thought to have been born in Rhode 
 Island. He served in the Revolutionary War, and 
 his widow, who survived him a number of years, 
 w.as a |jensioner. He was an early settler of Wind- 
 ham County, Vt., where he spent his last years. 
 The father of our subject, Erastus Wright, was 
 reared on the old homestead in Vermont, and re- 
 sided in Windham County until 1814, when, with 
 a colony, he started for the wilds of Central New 
 York, the removal across the mountains and through 
 the wilderness being made with ox teams. The 
 colony located in that part of New Y'ork now in- 
 cluded in Steuben County, being among the ear- 
 liest settlers there. The father of our subject 
 bought a tract of timbered land, on which he 
 Cieuted a rounrl log hunse with a slab roof. H 
 
 '^JL. 
 
-^ 
 
 1-294 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 t 
 
 ^t^ 
 
 ing no stove the mother of our subject used to cook 
 the meals before the firepliice. The father kept 
 sheep and raised fliis, and the mother used to tpin 
 and weave for many years, and her children were 
 all clothed in garments of which the material was 
 the skillful proiluct of her own hands, the woolen 
 cloth being colored with butternut baik. There 
 were no railways or canals in that section of the 
 country, and Baltimore was the most convenient 
 market for grain. The settlers used to raft lumber 
 down the Coshocton and Chemung Rivers, thence 
 to the Susquehanna, and thence to the seaboard. 
 They used to build boats that they called aiks,each 
 boat iioldiiig 1,000 bushels of wheat, which sold for 
 thirty cents a bushel in Steuben Count}' and would 
 bring $1.00 a bushel in Baltimore. After they had 
 sold their wheat in that city they would sell the 
 boats for lumber and return on foot to their homes 
 in Steuben County. Mr. Wiight cleared three farms 
 in that vicinity and erected good frame buildings, 
 continuing to live there until feeble health com- 
 pelled him to retire, and he spent his last years in 
 the home of our subject, where he died in 1858. 
 The maiden name of his wife was Lydia Wheeler, 
 and she was born in Connecticut. She was a daugh- 
 ter of Jeremiah and Warj' (Joselyn) Wheeler, na- 
 tives of Rhode Island. She died at the home of a 
 daughter in Steuben County. There were ten chil- 
 dren born to her and her husband, seven of whom 
 grew to maturity. 
 
 "Chaplain" Wright received the preliminaries of 
 his education in the pioneer schools of Steuben 
 County, generally attending in the winter season, 
 and the remainder of the year helping on the farm 
 or in the timber. When he was nineteen j'ears of 
 age his father gave him his time, andhestarted out 
 on foot with a small bundle of clothing and some 
 food and made his way to Lima, N. Y., where he 
 entered the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary. He 
 studied there one year and then returned to Steu- 
 ben County to teach school, receiving as compen- 
 sation $12 a month and board, boarding around at 
 the homes of his pupils, as was customary in early 
 times. He taught in Steuben and Wayne Counties 
 until 1836, when he joined the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Conference and was ordained as a preacher in 
 that denomination at Angelica, Allegany Co., N. 
 
 Y., by Bishop Morris. He became well known in 
 that iiart of the country, and held several jmstor- 
 ates in different parts of the State, including one of 
 four years at Rochester, and another of the same 
 length of time in Buffalo. In IS/iG he was called 
 to Cleveland, Ohio, and from there he went to San- 
 dusky to preach, and thence to Milwaukee. In 1861 
 he went to St. Joseph, Mo., where he received the 
 appointment of chaplain of the 25lh Missouri Vol- 
 unteer Infantry, and was stationed a short time in 
 New Madrid. In December, 1863, he was detached 
 from that regiment and sent to Pilot Knob to take 
 charge of the refugees and contiaLands. His ad- 
 ministration of affairs there was so satisfactory in 
 every way that in May, 1864. lie was promoted to 
 the staff of Gen. Ewing, and was given charge of 
 all refugees and contrabands in the department of 
 Missouri, his ofHce then being in St. Louis, Mo. His 
 duties in that responsible office were to furnish 
 provisions, clothing, transportation, etc., to those 
 requiring them, and to see that the sick were cared 
 for. He remained at his post of duty until the 
 close of the war, having his headquarters at St. 
 Louis. He proved to be the right man in the 
 right place, looking after his charges with the 
 uttermost care and tenderness, and doing all 
 that his large heart prompted for their comfort, 
 and manj' a poor, forlorn being had reason to bless 
 him. After the cessation of hostilities he was ap- 
 pointed chaplain in the regular Army, and was 
 stationed at Fort Laramie tor four years. He was 
 next sent to Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming Ten, 
 where he remained two and one-half j'ears. After 
 that he was stationed at Fort Omaha seven years, 
 and at his own request was then retired on three- 
 fourths pay, with the rank of Captain, and since 
 that time lived in retirement here until his death. 
 In 1868 he severed his connection with the Meth- 
 odist Church, joined the Presbyterians, and from 
 1879 until 1882 he preached with great acceptance 
 in the Presbyterian Church at Bellevue. In 1865 
 he bought a fine building site in this city and 
 erected the home in which, the remainder of hia 
 life was passed. He subsequently purchased an en- 
 tire block of land, on which he afterward built six 
 houses, which he rented at a good advantage. 
 Chaplain Wright was married Sept. 15, 1835, to 
 
 •►;ll-* 
 
•►Hf^^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 ••►- 
 
 12'J5 
 
 Ir 
 
 A. Juliaette Langley. and four (laughters have been 
 born to thera, namely: Amelia, wife of W. F. Mor- 
 rison, who resides in Rochester, N. Y.; J. Amanda, 
 wife of Willard N. Buell, deceased ; his widow re- 
 sides in Plattsmouth; May E., wife of R. D. Galla- 
 gher, of Chicago; Frances E., wife of J. N. Wise, 
 Postmaster of Plattsmouth. 
 
 Mrs. Wright was born in Huron, Wayne Co., N. 
 Y., Aug. 31, 1818. Her father, Charles Langley, 
 was a native of Canada. His father was born, 
 reared and married in France. He came to Amer- 
 ica with his wife and children and settled in Mon- 
 treal, Canada, where he was engaged as a whole- 
 sale merchant. From there he moved to Boston, 
 where he carried on the same business. Mrs. 
 Wright's father went to Utica, N. Y., when he was 
 a young man, and was there married to Betiiany 
 Parker. She was a native of that city, and was a 
 daughter of Jared and Temperance (Hnestie) 
 Parker. She died in Newark, Wayne Co., N. Y., 
 in 1838. Her parents were among the early pio- 
 neers of Utica, and her grandparents died there at 
 the age of ninety-seven and ninety-three years re- 
 spectively. After marriage Mrs. Wright's father 
 settled in Wayne County, and was busy looking 
 after his shipping interests, as he owned vessels 
 that plied on the lakes. In 1824 he removed with 
 his family from the town of Huron to Newark, 
 where he engaged in the wholesale drug business 
 until his death in 1845. "Chaplain" Wright was 
 buried in Oak Hill cemetery, at Plattsmouth. 
 
 UL. BROWN, well-known in the city of 
 Plattsmouth as a stirring and efficient busi- 
 'J^^ ness man, .associated himself in the fall of 
 1888 in partnership with Otis H. Ballon, and they 
 are now conducting a very successful general law 
 practice, while making a specialtj- of real-estate and 
 collections. 
 
 Mr. Brown is essentially a western man, with west- 
 ern interests, being a native of Grant Count}', Ind., 
 and his birth taking place Oct. 15, 1881. His 
 father, John R. Brown, was a native also of Grant 
 Count}', and his paternal grandfather a native of 
 Scotland, emigrated to America in tiie company of 
 
 his ssven brothers, at an early period in his life. 
 Making their w.ay to what was then the far West 
 they took up their abode about 1830 among the earli- 
 est pioneers of Randolph County, Ind. Grandfatiier 
 Brown took up a tract of heavily limbered land, 
 cleared a farm in the wilderness and there spent 
 the remainder of his life, dying at the advanced age 
 of eighty-seven years. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah (Rogers) Brown, the paternal grand- 
 mother of our subject, also died at the old home- 
 stead in the eighty-sixth year of her age. Their 
 son, .John R., the father of our subject, was con- 
 verted in his youth and became a member of the 
 United Brethren Church. Of a thoughtful and 
 serious turn of mind always, he commenced preach- 
 ing at the age of nineteen years, being one of the 
 first to assist in spreading the Gospel in Grant 
 County and vicinity. He was for mauj' years very 
 active in the ministry, and organized many societies 
 of the United Brethren denomination, officiating 
 also as presiding Elder, and otherwise laboring 
 faithfully in the Master's vineyard; at the same 
 time he combined farming with preaching, becom- 
 ing possessed of a tract of land in Huntington 
 County, about four miles from the town of that 
 name, and where he is now living, retired from 
 active labor. 
 
 John R. Brown married Miss Rebecca Daly, who 
 was born in Pennsylvania, and was the daughter of 
 Dennis Daly, who moved from the Keystone State 
 to Grant County, Ind., during the daj's of its early 
 settlement. He also, like Mr. Brown, improved a 
 farm from the wilderness, and there spent the re- 
 mainder of his life. The parental family of our 
 subject included four children, viz: W. L., Letitia 
 A., Maj' A. and Frances J. 
 
 Our subject, the eldest child of his parents, pur- 
 sued his early studies in the district schools of his 
 native township, mostly in the winter season, until 
 a youth of eighteen years. He then began teach- 
 ing, which he followed ten terms successfull3'in the 
 fall and winter, being variously employed the re- 
 mainder of the year. In 1877 he commenced the 
 study of law in the office of M. D. Call at Hunting- 
 ton, Ind., and the year following was admitted to 
 the bar. In 1879 he turned his face toward the 
 far AVest, eitablishing liimself at Plattsmouth, and 
 
 •►^ll-^ 
 
•^"^ 
 
 ••► 
 
 129(5 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 iiiiiugurnting tlie practice wliich he liss since cnrried 
 on so suocessfully. In 1886 he accepted a position 
 with the Lonihard Investment Company of Lin- 
 coln, as Examiner of Pities, but in November, 1887, 
 withdrew and returning to Plattsmouth resumed his 
 regular practice. Mr. Lombard, in answering Mr. 
 Brown's letter of resignation, complimented him 
 highly upon the correctness and efficiency of his 
 work, and the manner in which he had in all respects 
 discharged his duties in connection with the firm. 
 One of the most interesting events in the life of 
 our subject took place on the 18th of December, 
 1884, when lie was united in marriage with Miss 
 ]\Latllda Peterson, at the home of the bride. This 
 lady was born in Sweden, and was brought by her 
 l)arents to America wiien a girl ten years of age. 
 Of this union there have been born two children. 
 
 --w -\t2jej2'®-^ 
 
 «i/^-S!/JT?TJ»\~ -l/v~- 
 
 APT. .JONATHAN UATT and Ills partner, 
 J. W. Marthis, are proprietors of one of the 
 best managed and most extensively patron^ 
 ized meat markets in Plattsmonlh. He was born 
 near Leamington, Canada, Dec. 1 2, 1 848. His father, 
 Anthony George Hatt, was a native of England, as 
 was also his father, who was of German ancestry. 
 The latter came to America previous to the Crimean 
 AVitr and joined his children in the Province of 
 Ontario, Canada. He subsequently went from there 
 to Waj'ne County, Mich., where he died in the home 
 of a daughter, six miles from Detroit. Three of 
 his children came to America: James settled near 
 Leamington, Canada, and there died ; Sarah married 
 Joseph Batishill, and died near Detroit, Mich., and 
 the father of our subject is living in Plattsmouth. 
 
 The latter was reared in his native county, that 
 of Essex, England, and in his youth he there learned 
 the trades of wheelwright and carpentry. At nine- 
 teen j'ears of age he came to America and located 
 in Buffalo, where he worked at his trade, opening a 
 wagon shop in company with liis brother-in-law. 
 They carried on business there a few years, and 
 then our subject bought a tract of timbered land 
 in Mercy Township, near Leamington, Canada, and 
 there improved a farm. He afterward sold it in 
 1856 and bought another in Colchester, on which 
 
 he lived until 1861. He then disposed of this prop- 
 erty' at a good advance on the original cost price, 
 and went to Amherstburg to open a hotel, wiiich 
 he managed for two years. At the end of that time 
 he sold his hotel and moved to Windsor, where he 
 engaged in business as carpenter ^nd builder until 
 1864. He then went to Detroit, and was emjjloyed 
 in building in that city about a j'ear. Hisnextmove 
 took him to Dayton, Ohio, and he there assisted in 
 buililing the Soldiers' Home. From there he went 
 to Cincinnati, where he erected several buildings. 
 From that city lie went to Chicago and operated 
 there nearly a year. Council Bluffs was his next 
 destination, and after that Omaha, and in both 
 places be was engaged at his trade. He came to 
 Plattsmouth from the latter city to assist in build- 
 ing a hotel here (that building has since been 
 burned). He had been here a short time when he 
 seized a good opportunity to establish a meat-mnr- 
 ket. He carried on that business with good finan- 
 cial success until 1888, when he sold out to his son 
 Jonathan and partner. Since then he has lived in 
 retirement, having an ample income, and is spend- 
 ing the winter in California. The maiden name of 
 his first wife, mother of our sublcct, was Ann Bati- 
 shill, and she was a native of England, coming to 
 America with her parents. She died in 1856, leav- 
 ing eight children, namely: Emily A., Sarah J., 
 Elizabeth, William, George, Jonathan, Mar\' and 
 Charlotte. Mr. Hatt married a second time, Eme- 
 line Majiles becoming his wife. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is the youngest son of 
 his parents. He was reared on a farm, and remained 
 at home in his native county until he was about 
 sixteen j'ears old. He had an eager desire to be- 
 come a sailor, and at that age shipped on l)oard a 
 lake vessel. He sailed on the lakes for several j'ears 
 and gained a good practical knowledge of naviga- 
 tion, so that when he was offered the captaincj' of 
 a steara-ti'g plying on Lakes Erie and Huron he 
 was well fitted for the position and accepted it. He 
 was master of that tug until 1876, when he engaged 
 as mate on the steamer "Fred Kellej-," which voj'- 
 aged up and down Lakes Erie and Huron. He 
 retained his position on board that steamer four 
 years, and then signed as mate of the Marj- Jerecki. 
 and occupied that [josition for one j'ear. He then 
 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1297 
 
 suceeefled Capt. Sliepard as commanding ofDcer on 
 board of a boat that ran on Lake Michigan. In 1883 
 he abandoned life on the lakes to make his home 
 under Nebraska's sunny skies. In .lanuary of that 
 year he came to Plattsmoutii. and forming a part- 
 nership with .1. W. Marthis bought his father's 
 market, and the}- have ever since cairied on the 
 business with signal success. 
 
 Our subject was married, in February, 1885, to 
 Miss Elvira .Sharping, a native of Milwaukee. They 
 have one ciiild, John Victor, who is a year old. 
 Their daughter Lilian died in infancj'. 
 
 Capt. Hatt's early experience as a sailor on the 
 lakes has been of use to him in various ways; has 
 rendered him independent and self-reliant, and be 
 is keen and prompt in his dealings, yet he is frank 
 and hearty in his manners, and no one fs more ready 
 than he to extend a helping hand to those who have 
 been less fortunate than himself. He is eminently 
 sociable and companionable, and these quilities And 
 him favor among his fellow-members of Trio Lodge 
 No. 84, A. O. U. W. Politically be a Republican. 
 
 "jf? P:0NARD C. W. MURRAY is a pioneer of 
 I (^ Cass Count}' of 1855. The pioneer element of 
 IIL^^ . Cass County has no more worthy factor than 
 the subject of this biography, who, with his estima- 
 ble wife, began housekeeping on an 80-acre farm 
 four miles south of the present city of Plattsmouth 
 in the spring of 1870. They lived there until 1882. 
 then moved to a farm on section 30, in Plattsmouth 
 Precinct, where they have since resided. This em- 
 braces 160 acres of good land, which, with the ex- 
 ception of having been plowed, was at the time of 
 purchase destitute of improvement, there being no 
 buildings. Mr. M. has put up a comfortable resi- 
 dence, a barn and other outbuildings, planted an 
 orchard, fenced the fields, and by degrees added the 
 other conveniences necessary for the successful 
 prosecution of agriculture. Besides a large amount 
 of labor involved he has expended over $4,000 in 
 money, and has a homestead at once desirable and 
 attractive. 
 
 Mr. Murray is essentiallj' a Western man, having 
 been born in Moniteau County, Mo., June 6, 1848. 
 
 His parents were Jonathan and Elizabeth (Berger) 
 Murray (see sketch of his brother Joshua), and were 
 among the ver}- earliest settlers of that part of Mis- 
 souri, going there with their parents from Tennes- 
 see when small children. They were reared and 
 married in Moniteau County, where they lived un- 
 til 1851, then removed to Mills County, Iowa, 
 where they live<l two years, and thence came to 
 Nebraska Territory in 1855. The father selected a 
 tract of land north of the present citj' of Rock Bluff, 
 wliere the family lived a number of years, and where 
 their thirteen cliililren were reared to maturity. 
 
 The father of our subject died at the home farm 
 in this precinct. He had been a pioneer of three 
 Territories, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, in fact 
 his entire life w.as siient on the fi-onticr. The 
 mother is still living, making her home with her son 
 Alvars, in .Smith County, Kan. Leonard was the 
 tenth child of the famil}'. and was a little lad of five 
 years when he came witii his parents to Nebraska. 
 There were then many Indians in the vicinity of the 
 present site of Rock Bluff, and probably about six 
 white families. Our subject labored with his father 
 in the development of the Nebraska homestead, and 
 early in life began to form his own plans for the 
 future. A few months after reaching his m.ajorit}' 
 he was married, Sept. 2, 1869, to Miss Rebecca A., 
 daughter of .Stephen and Elizabeth Wiles, of Platts- 
 mouth Precinct. This lady was born Feb. 1, 1857, 
 in Missouri, and of their union there are eleven 
 children living: Charles A., Clarence, John, Isa- 
 bell, Laura J., Ida May, Leonard C. W., Jr., David, 
 Florence, Eddie and Christopher C. Cordelia, the 
 second child, died at the iige of eighteen months. 
 
 When the father of our subject began life in Ne- 
 braska he was without means, and got his first cow 
 and their limited stock of household furniture with 
 money earned by mauling rails at fifty cents per 
 hundred. The mother added to the family income 
 by weaving and spinning. Thus commenced the 
 married life of the j'oung people, in wide contrast 
 to the condition of most of the newly weiided peo- 
 ple of to-da}', who would consider themselves 
 greatl}' abused by fate or Providence were they 
 compelled to make the shifts and turns which 
 pioneers cheerfully underwent together. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Murraj' have gathered around them scores of 
 
 •»-Hr^- 
 
 *:^^ 
 
•► 
 
 1-298 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 friends during their long residence in tins county. 
 They are botli members in good standing of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. M.. politi- 
 cally, is a stanch Republican. 
 
 — «i-MK< 
 
 (^:Ss^ AMUEL McCLINTlC. This farmer, grain- 
 ^^^ bu^'er and public-spirited citizen of Eaglei 
 ^&J_3) ^^^ born near Fostoria, Hancock Co., Ohio, 
 Jan. 19, 1839, where he lived with his par- 
 ents until he was thirteen years old, when the fam- 
 ily removed to Michigan, where he lived with his 
 father until reaciiing the age of twenty-eight. One 
 year prior to this time he married, and with his wife 
 lived with his parents for one year, working on the 
 farm. He then went to Black Hawk County, Iowa, 
 in 1867, and rented 400 acres of land, which he 
 cultivated for two years. In the spring of 1869 he 
 concluded renting was not what he wanted, and in 
 search of a better location and better opportunities 
 he went to Arkansas, Kansas and Texas, but in all 
 his journeyingshe found nothing that satisfied him. 
 He then came to Lincoln, Neb., where he had a half 
 brother; from that cit^' he came to Tipton Precinct, 
 Cass County, and discovered the land that seemed 
 to meet his requirements, and he filed a homestead 
 claim of 160 acres on section 20. He then went 
 back to Iowa for his family. He came back to Elk- 
 horn in the spring, by rail and stage to Lincoln, 
 and rented a farm near the latter place, for the first 
 season, and began plowing and otherwise improv- 
 ing it. In the fall he homesteaded eighty acres of it, 
 and let eighty acres go. In the spring of 1 870 he 
 built his house, which was 14x22 feet; when com- 
 pleted it was the largest house at that time in the 
 Precinct. He hauled the lumber for it from Oak 
 Grove. 
 
 The nearest markets to the home of our subject 
 were Lincoln and Ashland. Neighbors were scarce, 
 trials and hardships many, but our subject stuck 
 right to it, and made a grand success of his venture. 
 Not a hill or a tree were to be seen, to break the 
 monotonj' of the view, so he set out his trees in 
 groves, which after these j-ears of growth present a 
 fine appearance, and add great value to his home- 
 stead, on which he still lives. Himself and brother. 
 
 
 in partnership, bought and shipped stock, and in 
 1873 they shipped to the Chicago market. They 
 purchased land at various times, as opportunity 
 offered, until they owned one entire section of 640 
 acres, described as the south one-half of section 21, 
 soutlieast quarter of section 20, and the northeast 
 quarter of section 29. This land they owned and 
 operated in partnership until 1884, when our sub- 
 ject bought his brother's interest, and became the 
 sole proprietor. In 1886 he sold to the Missouri 
 Pacific Railroad Company the quarter-section of sec- 
 tion 20, his original homestead, on which to locate 
 the town site. He was very instrumental in getting 
 the road through the Grove, donating the right of 
 way for a mile through his property. 
 
 Mr. McClintic has his farm fenced and cross- 
 fenced in convenient sized fields for the purposes 
 for which the^' are intended, with substantial wire 
 fences. A large orchard yields a large supply of 
 excellent fruit, and ten acres of cedars, and a num- 
 ber of groves, afford abundant shelter to the large 
 number of cattle which he handles annually. He 
 raises and ships to market from five to six car-loads 
 of hogs, and the same number of car-loads of cat- 
 tle. He has eighteen head of one-half to three- 
 quarter blood Norman horses, all of which he uses 
 in the cultivation and operation of his farm. 
 
 When twentj'-seven years old our subject was 
 married to Miss Harriet McConnell, the daughter 
 of Thomas and Mar}' (Ford) McConnell, Jan. 1, 
 1866. in Charlotte, Mich. This lady was the young- 
 est of a family of eleven children — William, Ele- 
 nora, James, Phcebe, Rebecca, Thomas, John, Marj', 
 Oliver and Elizabeth. William, John, Phcebe, Re- 
 becca and Elizabeth are deceased. Harriet was 
 born in Orange, Ashland Co., Ohio, Oct. 24, 1844. 
 Her brothers Oliver and John served in the Union 
 Array from the beginning of the Rebellion to its 
 close. They enlisted from Michigan, and were hon- 
 orably discharged. Her father and mother were 
 natives of Pennsylvania; her fathers' family moved 
 to Ashland County, Ohio., where he bought land 
 and improved it. In 1852 he moved to Eaton 
 County, Mich. He was a veteran soldier, serving 
 in the American Army in the War of 1812, having 
 enlisted when he was only sixteen years old. He 
 died in Michigan in the fall of 1860. Her mother 
 
 *::il 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1299 ' ^ 
 
 (lieri in 1849, in Ohio. Both were earnest Chris- 
 tians, and WL're memhers of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Clinrch. 
 
 Her grandfather McConnell was of Scotch-Irish 
 descent, and was a soldier in the Warof 1812. Her 
 grandfather Ford was a fanner near Mansfield, Ohio; 
 one of liis sons, Thomas, was Governor of the State 
 and a Colonel in the army. The father of our subject 
 was George W. McClintic, born in Bradford Countj', 
 Pa., Feb. 15, 1806. His mother was Elizabeth 
 Daly, born in Guernsey County, Ohio. The father 
 was of Irish descent, and moved to Ohio when a 
 boy, and was one of the ver3' first settlers in Mor- 
 gan Countj', in that State. He bought land in the 
 heart of the forest and cleared up a rich farm. He 
 was married there, Miss Mary Lupone becoming his 
 first wife; she died about one j-ear after their mar- 
 riage. On the 1 8th of Februarj', 1 836, he married 
 Jliss Elizabeth J^ailey, and then removed first to 
 Hancocii: County, Ohio, where he was one of the 
 pioneers of that county. There he bought Govern- 
 ment land and cleared two farms. In 18.54 he re- 
 moved to Eaton Township, P^aton Co., Mich., wliere 
 he purchased land and improved it until he had a 
 farm of 240 acres, planting a fine orchard and vaii- 
 ous other fruits, lie was highly respected and 
 honored by all who knew him, hale and hearty un- 
 til he died. Eight days before his death he was 
 digging ditches; he died Oct. 10, 1884. The mother 
 died in 1 885 aged sixty years. 
 
 Our subject's grandfather McClintic was a vet- 
 eran soldier, he having served in the War of 1812. 
 He was one of the pioneer settlers of Morgan 
 County, Ohio, where he bought and improved land. 
 He was of Irish descent, his father having come 
 from Ireland. Grandfather Dailey was also a vet- 
 eran soldier, having served in the War of 1812; he 
 was of English descent and his home was in Ohio. 
 
 The parents of our subject had a family of eight 
 children, of whom Samuel was the second oldest. 
 One sister, Margai-et, deceased, being the eldest. 
 Mary, Joseph, George, Katharine, Elizabeth and 
 Ida A. being younger. All these children were born 
 in Ohio except Ida A. Tiie home circle of our 
 subject and his estimable wife has been graced with 
 five children — Maud, Newton, Estella, Grace and 
 Nellie; the two daughters, Grace and Maud, and a 
 
 son, Newton, have passed away, leaving Estella and 
 Nellie to cheer by their presence the declining years 
 of their affectionate parents. Gentle and loving in 
 their natures, they give great promise of being a 
 source of joy and comfort and of lasting sunshine 
 in tneir home. 
 
 When a name was sought for a new town it was 
 proposed to name it McClintic, in honor of our sub- 
 ject, but with the modesty born of true merit he 
 declined the compliment, suggesting that it be called 
 by the name of the old post-office, which was accord- 
 ingly done. The land now occupied by the town 
 of Eagle is his original homestead. He owns a 
 large amount of property in the town, as well as 
 480 acres adjoining the town. Mrs. McClintic is 
 one of those ladies without whom the world could 
 not well prosper; quiet and unassuming in her man- 
 ner and hospitable to the fullest extent, she is a 
 source of comfort to all who know and are brought 
 into contact with her. Our subject has been Post- 
 master at Eagle for four years, has been on the 
 School Board of the town, and aside from this he 
 has filled no public offlee. In politics he is classed 
 with tlie Democrats, but does not always vote with 
 them, tiie man, not party, claiming his suffrage. He 
 voted for Abraham Lincoln, and has been a dele- 
 gate to State and County Conventions. 
 
 ^ )>ILLIAM 
 \y\5' promine 
 
 ILLIAM T. .JOHNSON, a lifelong farmer 
 good circumstances and one of the 
 prominent men of Rock BInff Precinct, 
 has recently sold his homestead on section 16, and 
 proposes to retire from active labor. The rest 
 which he proposes to enter upon he has most justly 
 earned by years of industry, during which he has 
 obtained a competency sufficient to keep him in 
 comfort during his declining years. 
 
 Our subject is a Western man both by birth and 
 in all his sympathies, his native place being Mont- 
 gomery County, Mo., where he began life Oct. 27, 
 1845, when they all carae to this county, and Will- 
 iam T., on the 13th of January, 1870, was united in 
 marriage with Miss Mary J. McNurlin. The young 
 people began the journey of life together in Cass 
 Countj', and Mr. Johnson occupied himself as before 
 
 ♦rJ»- 
 
a 1300 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 in farming pursuits, which he prosecuted thereafter 
 for a period of nineteen years and until deciding 
 to lay aside its labors and I'esponsibilities. 
 
 Mr. Johnson made his first purcliase of land in 
 this township. Tiiis comprised 160 acres in extent 
 and was located on section 16, in Rock Blufif Pre- 
 cinct. He battled successfully with the elements 
 of the new soil and after a few years, finding the 
 live-stock business remunerative, gave much of his 
 attention to the raising and feeding of cattle. 
 John and Jemima Johnson, the parents of our 
 subject (see sketcli on another page) also reside in 
 this township. 
 
 Mrs. Johnson was born Jan. 27, 18oo, in Ohio, 
 and is the daughter of Marshall and Martha 
 (Smith) McNurlin, the former of whom was a na- 
 tive of Huntingdon County, Pa., but reared in 
 Ohio. The parents were married in Indiana in 
 1848, and remained residents of that State until the 
 j'ear 1865, when they came to this State, settling 
 in Rock Creek Precinct, where the father engaged 
 in farming. His death took place Feb. 11, 1884. 
 Mrs. McNurlin is still living, making her home 
 with her children. Grandfather James McNurlin 
 was also a native of Pennsylvania, where he was 
 reared to manhood and married Miss Rachel Jef- 
 ferson, of that State. The paternal great-grand- 
 father was a native of Ireland. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife there have 
 been born seven children, namely: Leiia, John A., 
 Lily, Ixlna, Artie, William M.and Charles C. John 
 died in infancy, March 3, 1872, aged five months 
 and twenty-three days. Mr. Johnson, politically, is 
 an uncompr(jmising Democrat, and his esteemed 
 lady is a member in good standing of the United 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 W^;ILLIAM J. BALDWIN, a prosperous far- 
 mer and thorough lover of horses, is a resi- 
 dent of Ashland Precinct in Saunders 
 County, on the ''cut off."' His home is situated on 
 the southeast quarter of sections 7, 12 and 9, which 
 •was cut off from Cass and annexed to Saunders 
 County, in 1866, when Ashland was made th^ capi- 
 tal of Saunders Countv. He was born in Essex 
 
 County, N. J., seven miles from the Atl.antie coast, 
 Dec. 4, 1837. He remained there on the home farm 
 until 1856, when at the age of nineteen he came 
 West and settled in Mills County, Iowa, where he 
 was a pioneer, and for many years was acquainted 
 with and personally knew every inhabitant of the 
 county. When he went there it was with the in- 
 tention of making it his permanent home, whicli 
 idea was brought about apparently by his youth- 
 ful marriage, which took place when he was only 
 eighteen j'ears old, in 1855, when he was united in 
 holy matrimony with Miss Mary E. Van Dorn. 
 She was born in Morris County, N. J., and grew uj) 
 there. See sketch of Aaron L. Van Dorn elsewhere 
 in this work. 
 
 When our subject came to Iowa his wife accom- 
 panied him and bore her share of the cai'es and 
 hardships of pioneer life, and she has the honor of 
 being among the first white mothers in Mills County. 
 Five children have been born to this worthy couple 
 who are named: Frank, born in New Jersey; W. 
 Roscoe, Anna, Charley and Willie. The son Frank 
 resides in Cass County, where he owns and operates 
 a farm and is married to Miss Adale Wilburn; W. 
 Roscoe married Miss Samantha Corey, and also re- 
 sides in Cass County; they have two children, 
 Claudia and Cora; Anna is the wife of W. C. Gor- 
 don, Esq., an enterprising grain dealer, residing in 
 Ashland; Charley is attending the High School at 
 Ashland, and is in the class of '91; Willie is at 
 home with his parents. Mr. Baldwin came with his 
 family to Nebraska in February, 1880, where he 
 settled on his present farm. 
 
 ^Ir. Baldwin has been in partnership with his 
 wife's brother. Aaron Van Dorn, since the close of 
 the war, and of late years they have been giving their 
 attention almost exclusivelj' to raising fine thorough 
 bred horses. The}' have imported and now own the 
 English Shire Stallion "Logan," and the imported 
 Cleveland Bay Stallion, "Sporting Times." Each ani- 
 mal is worth a fortune. The firm have large and com- 
 fortable stables in both Cass and Saunders County. 
 They are the first to engage in the business in 
 this part of the State and success has been theirs. In 
 the early years of their venture they met with many 
 discouragements, and were thought by their neigh- 
 bors to be entering into a business which would re- 
 
 •►HI-<» 
 
 1 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 •«► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1301 
 
 suit in ultimate loss, but tliey knew that the venture 
 could be made to pay a handsome profit on the in- 
 vestment necessary, and tlieir present flourishing 
 business is full proof of the correctness of their 
 ideas. 
 
 The father of our subject, Horatio A., was born 
 in New .lersey in 1802, was of Scotch and French 
 origin, deriving the French blood from liis mother's 
 side. He is still living in Mills Countj^, Iowa, hav- 
 ing come there from New Jersej^ in 1859. The 
 grandfather Baldwin held a commission as Major 
 in the American Army during the AVar of 1812, 
 liaving had a previous experience in armj' life, hav- 
 ing been in the service when a boy under Gen. 
 Washington during the Revolutionary "War. His 
 mother, Mary E., was born in Engl.and: she died in 
 June, 1882, aged eighty -one years. Two children, 
 Mary and William J., our subject, were born to 
 the parents. Mary is the widow of A. 11. Sherman, 
 and she now resides in Malvern, Iowa. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin, our subject, is popular, and well and 
 favorably known as a horseman througliout the 
 Southeastern part of the State. His love for the 
 equine tribe is inherited, and aside from the profits 
 he realizes, his horses afford him an unbounded de- 
 gree of pleasure, and the animals, exhibiting a de- 
 gree of intelligence approaching human knowledge, 
 seem to realize that he is their friend, and recipro- 
 cate the feeling in a touching manner; by gentle- 
 ness he has won their confidence, and when he is 
 among them the happy feelings are mutual. He 
 traces his ancestry back to the early Amei-ican 
 families, many of his people having fought 
 valiantly in both the Wars of the Revolution and 
 of 1812, to secure and hold the absolute freedom 
 and liberty of their country. The Baldwin people 
 as a family are like our subject — large, handsome, 
 heavily bearded, broad-shouldered, deep-chested 
 and base- voiced, possessing a remarkable strength 
 and wonderful degree of vitality. i\Irs. Baldwin, 
 although past the meridian of life, is hale and 
 hearty, and is very active in body and mind, and a 
 study of her face and bearing shows tliat in lier 
 youth she was an exceedingly handsome woman, 
 which she has not yet outgrown. Always cheerful 
 and happy, kind and considerate of the comfort and 
 pleasure of her familj' and friends, she holds and 
 
 fills to perfection a prominent place in the first rank 
 of the wives and mothers of our State. Her home 
 gives evidence throughout of a rare taste and skill- 
 ful management. 
 
 The home of these excellent people is a neat one 
 and one-half story frame house, equipped with all the 
 available conveniences, and is surrounded by fruit- 
 ful orchards and shady groves. The farm yards are 
 large and laid off regnlai-ly so as to accommodate 
 to the best advantage the stock for which they are 
 provided, and their arrangement indicates the 
 action of a mind able to grasp all the details of the 
 business. The barns and sheds are good and ad- 
 mirably adapted for sheltering the herds, and are 
 supplied with water by a system of iron piping 
 from a tank which is filled by a windmill pump. 
 
 Our subject is a prominent member of the 
 Knights of Pythias, being Master of Finance to that 
 Order. He has never sought nor held any public 
 office, preferring to devote his time exclusively to 
 the pursuit of liis private aff.airs. 
 
 ETER ROELOF.SZ was the first man to 
 take up and improve a homestead in Tipton 
 Precinct, which he did in the spring of 1868. 
 He had been renting farms in Monona 
 County, Iowa, and feeling that he could do better 
 bj' making a home for iiimself, he started overland 
 with teams and wagons to Nebraska, crossed the 
 Missouri River at Nebraska Cit^', continuing on to 
 Tipton, where he took up his present home and im- 
 mediately began improving the same. He built a 
 small house and spent the summer there, and In the 
 fall he went back to Iowa for his family. He re- 
 mained there until the winter came on, then moved 
 to Glenwoo<l, Iowa, where he obtained work. He 
 returned to his homestead the following spring, and 
 resumed the improvement of his claim by setting 
 out groves and |)lanting an orchard. At this time 
 it was rather a lonely life, as it was four miles to 
 the nearest neighbor. 
 
 When not engaged In Improving his faiin ho 
 followed freighting between Nebraska City and 
 Lincoln. Under no circumstances could he be In 
 duced to part with his homestead, but continued 
 
 •►Hl:^ 
 
 ed ▼ 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 1302 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 to improve it in all directions, dividing it up into 
 fields !>}' well-kept fences of hedge and wire. In 
 1879 he built a new and comfortable residence. 
 He devotes his attention to general farming and 
 the raising of thoroughbred stock, graded Short- 
 horn cattle and full-bh^oded Poland China hogs. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Galler- 
 land, Holland, Aug. 8, 1839. His early life was 
 spent on the farm, and he attended one of the ex- 
 cellent schools of that country. At the age of 
 fourteen he began to learn the weaver's trade, 
 which he followed until he left Holland for Amer- 
 ica. When fifteen years of age, in the fall of 185-t, 
 he came to America with his parents, by the way 
 of Havre, France, and Liverpool, England; thence 
 by sailing-ship to New York, where they landed in 
 Castle Garden, after a voy.age of twenty-three days. 
 The whole family continued their journey to Iowa, 
 where they settled on a tract of forty acres of raw 
 land in Monona County. 
 
 Our subject remained here until he was twenty- 
 one years old, when he began to engage in business 
 for himself. In October, 18G2, he enlisted in the 
 3d Missouri Cavalry, Companj- C. He was mus- 
 tered into the service at Palmyra, Mo., and saw 
 service under command of Gen. Prentiss, Col. 
 Glover and Capt. Black. The regiment was largely 
 employed doing guard duty along the line of the 
 Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad. When they were 
 relieved from this service the regiment was or 
 dered to Rolla, Mo., where our subject was taken 
 sick, and was sent to the geneial hospital at 
 St. Louis, Mo., where he remained until he re- 
 covered. He was then mustered out, and hon- 
 orably discharged at St. Louis on account of 
 physical disability. The bulk of his army service 
 was in chasing bushwhackers and squads of Gen. 
 Price's men; he participated in the battle of Stur- 
 geon, Mo. Returning home after his diseliarge, he 
 went to work on a farm in Lynn County, Iowa, 
 drove an omnibus for a season in Cedar Rapids, 
 which engaged his attention up to the time we find 
 him located on his homestead ai Tii)ton. 
 
 This gentleman is one of a family of ten children 
 — Elizabeth. Henrietta, Chaunccy, Corrina, Johan- 
 nah, Joseph, Josina, and Cora and Henry, younger; 
 all living except Cliauncey and Corrina, who were 
 
 drowned, and Joseph, deceased. The brother Jo- 
 seph was a Captain in the Netherlands army, and 
 was stationed in the East Indies. He was killed 
 b}' the giving way of a veranda. 
 
 Peter Roelofsz, Sr., the father of our subject, 
 was born in Amsterdam, Holland, and was a clerk 
 in a large wholesale establisiiment. After marriage 
 he moved into Gallerland, and went into stock- 
 raising, also operating a grist and oil mill, until he 
 became vevy wealthy. At one time he was worth 
 more than $100,000, but, going security a great 
 deal for his friends, he finally failed. In the fall 
 of 1864 he came to America, and settled in Monona 
 County, Iowa, and he began improving his home. 
 At the same time he engaged in the mercantile 
 business in Pella, Iowa. In this venture he did 
 fairly well for a while, but. going security for his 
 son-in-law, he failed a second time. He then moved 
 to St. Louis, and lived with one of his daughters 
 until he died, in September, 1880. at the ripe old 
 age of seventy-nine years. The mother had died 
 in Iowa in 1862, being then fifty-two years old. 
 She was Miss Elizabeth G. Phillips, and was born 
 in Germany. 
 
 Grandfather Roelofsz was a banker in Amsterdam, 
 and was very rich. Our subject was married in 
 Lynn County, Iowa, Oct. 9, 1863, to Miss Julia 
 Hawks, daughter of James ami Annette (Dunckler) 
 Hawks. Grandfather Dunckler was a cooper. He 
 went to Chicago when there were only two or three 
 houses, and bought 900 acres of land a few miles 
 from the present site of the city. He built a resi- 
 dence in Chicago, and his decease occurred there 
 in 1861, when he was sixty-nine years of age. The 
 father of the wife of our subject was a farmer, and 
 also a merchant of Grand Rapids, Mich., and re- 
 moved from there to Chicago. He owned a farm 
 west of that citj', and operated it until 1861, when 
 he removed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he pur- 
 chased a farm and operated a hotel. 
 
 The family next moved to Kingston, .again en- 
 gaging in the hotel business. Leaving Kingston 
 they went to Nebraska, where they took up a home- 
 stead in 1869. Thej' operated this farm until 1881, 
 when they sold the property and went to Howard 
 City: he is now living with his daughter at Buffalo, 
 Neb. The father is seventy years of age, and the 
 
 -•►HI 
 
-11-^^ 
 
 -•► 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 1303 
 
 mother sixty-seven. Julia A., the wife of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, was one of a family of twelve 
 children — Mary E., Laura A. and William are 
 older; Alonzo A., Hiram, Vincent R., Chase M., 
 Eben, Frank, Jennie and Carrie E. Of this num- 
 ber Hiram, Ebin, Frank and Jennie are deceased. 
 The brother William served three and a half 
 years in the War of the Rebellion, enlisting when 
 only sixteen years of age. 
 
 The lady was born in Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 
 8, 1849, and was tliirteen years of age when the 
 family removed to Iowa. She received a good edu- 
 cation, is a kind and considerate wife, and is a joy 
 and comfort to her husband and family — very hos- 
 pitable, striving to make the stranger within her 
 gates happy and content. Twelve children have 
 been born to this couple — Elizabeth A., Chrislma 
 I., Anthony D., Peter, Jr., Josina. Maud, Arthur, 
 Ralph, Blanche. Grace, Raj' and Ethel. All are 
 living except Elizabeth, Anthonj', Peter, Jr., Maud 
 and Arthur. Josina is at school in Weeping Water; 
 the rest are at home. 
 
 Our suliject has been in America so long and has 
 become so thoroughly identified with the country 
 that he feels perfectly at home. He has never en- 
 tered largely into public life, preferring to attend 
 strictly to the improvement and care of his farm. 
 He has been a member of the School Board for a 
 j'ear. Postmaster at Sunlight for two years, and 
 Constable. Himself and wife are members of the 
 United Brethren Church, and he has been Superin- 
 tendent of Sunday-school at Tipton school- house. 
 In politics he is a strict Republican. 
 
 ^HILIP TRITSCH,one of the early pioneers 
 of Eight Mile Grove Precinct, owns and 
 occupies a good farm on section 12. He 
 was borji in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, 
 May 9, 1846, and is the son of Philip and Maggie 
 Tritsch, who were also natives of the Fatherland, 
 and the former is now deceased. The fatiier died 
 when Philip, Jr., was a lad nine years of age, and 
 two years later our subject emigrated with his 
 mother, one brother and one sister, to the United 
 
 States, making the voj^age from Havre to New 
 Yoi-k City on an ocean steamer, in fourteen daj-s. 
 
 The Tritsch family proceeded directly westward 
 from the metropolis to Tazewell County, this 
 State, where they located, and where the mother 
 was subsequently married to Philip Horn, now a 
 resident of Plattsmouth Precinct, this county. Of 
 her first marriage there have been born three chil- 
 dren: Elizabeth, now the wife of Adam Fornoff, 
 of Eight Mile Grove Precinct; Philip and Jacob. 
 Of her marriage with Mr. Horn there were born 
 four children: iMary, the wife of Theodore Stark- 
 johann; Maggie, Mrs. Frederick Kahne; and Cath- 
 erine, Mrs. Henry Hirtz; all of whom live in 
 Plattsmouth Precinct. Lizzie is the wife of John 
 Koffenberger. 
 
 Our subject was reared to man's estate in Taze- 
 well County, 111., where he attained his majoritj-, 
 and a good education in both German and En- 
 glish, largely through his own efforts. He at the 
 same time became familiar with farming pursuits. 
 In 1866 he came to this county, where he sojourned 
 one jear, then returned to Illinois, but in 1869 
 came back to Nebraska, und has since been con- 
 tented to remain. He was married, in December 
 of the latter year, to Miss Charlotte "\'ellery, a na- 
 tive of Ohio, who bore him three children — John 
 P., Philip H., and Henry, deceased. Mrs. Charlotte 
 Tritsch died April 4, 1874. 
 
 Our subject contracted a second marriage, 
 April 26, 1876, with Miss Mary, daughter of 
 Theas and Magdalena (Timm) Stark johann; .she 
 was born Nov. 26, 1854. Her parents were natives 
 of Germany, and emigrated to America in 1867. 
 The father is now deceased. Mrs. T. was thirteen 
 years old when her parents came to this country, 
 and made permanent settlement in Plattsmouth 
 Precinct, where the death of her father took place 
 Feb. 20, 1874; the mother is still living on the old 
 farm, and is now nearly seventj- years old. Their 
 family consisted of six children, only three of 
 whom are living, namelj': Theodore; Mary, the 
 wife of our subject, and William, all residents of 
 this county. The deceased are Henry, Emile and 
 August. 
 
 To our subject and his estimable wife there have 
 been born six children, namely: Helen, deceased; 
 
 f 
 
•►Hl^ 
 
 1304 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 William, Edward, Anna, and Mary and Maggie, 
 twins, both deceased. For a number of years before 
 settling upon his present farm Mr. Tritsch operated 
 as a renter; he came to this place in 1874. He has 
 240 acres well improved and very fertile, and one 
 of the handsomest residences in the county, erected 
 in 1884. Tlie other buildings correspond with the 
 dwelling, and the whole premises reflect great 
 credit upon the proprietor. Mr. and Mrs. T. are 
 identified with the Lutheran Church, and our sub- 
 ject, politically, votes the Democratic ticket. Al- 
 though frequently solicited to accept office he 
 invariably declines. 
 
 The traveler in passing through this section of 
 Cass County seldom sees a more desirable estate 
 than that built up by Philip Tritsch. He inher- 
 ited from his excellent German ancestry the quali- 
 ties most needed in the pioneer citizen, those 
 qualities which led him to persevere amid difficul- 
 ties and hardships, and have placed him in the 
 front rank among his fellow-citizens. A man 
 prompt to meet his obligations, his word is consid- 
 ered as good as his bond, and his name is eminently 
 worthy to be placed among those of the representa- 
 tive citizens of Southern Nebraska. 
 
 ^ ON. S. M. KIRKPATRICK, late a member 
 I'lf)!] of tlie State Legislature, and one of the 
 JW^ most prominent men of Cass County, has 
 (^i for years been intimately connected with the 
 most important interests of Southern Nebraska. 
 He came within its precincts when it was but a Ter- 
 ritory, making a claim on the 18th of June. 1855, 
 the land ]3rc-empted being on section 18, in Liberty 
 Precinct, and he was the very first settler in the val- 
 ley of the Weeping Water at this point. He came 
 here when around him was an unbroken waste, be- 
 fore the county could boast of but one log house 
 and a cabin, of sufficient importance to be designa- 
 ted as a village, and when the flourishing city of 
 Plattsmouth was the site of a few little huts, put 
 up by adventurous but impecunious people, who 
 were struggling to delve from the soil enough to 
 keep soul and body together. Indians still roamed 
 over the countrv. and wild animals also. The out- 
 
 look was anything but promising, but the subject 
 of this sketch was a man of more than ordinary 
 determination. He had come to stay, and was not 
 to l>e driven from his purpose by anyordinar}' cir- 
 cumstances. He clung steadfastly to his resolution 
 to continue and "grow up with the country," at a 
 time when white settlers were frequently making a 
 I stampede from the depredations of the Indians, 
 although to tell the truth Mr. Kirkpatrick says 
 that there was a great deal more smoke than fire 
 during those times, and many of the people were 
 unnecessarily alarmed. 
 
 Our subject secured his land before the Govern- 
 ment survey had been completed. It included one 
 of tlie finest mill sites along the Weeping AYater, 
 which he utilized as soon as possible, erecting a 
 sawmill, from which he began dressing lumber in 
 September, the same year of his arrival. It is 
 hardly necessary to state that the equipments of 
 that mill were somewhat inferior to those of the 
 present time. The year following, however, Mr. 
 K. introduced some new improvements, including 
 a set of burrs, with which he intended to grind 
 wheat, but afterward transferred the property to 
 other parties, before beginning operations as a 
 flour miller. This was the first mill building erected 
 on the Weeping Water, in fact the first mill of any 
 kind built in the county. For some years it ac- 
 commodated the people for miles around. 
 
 At the time of the settlement of Mr. Kirkpatrick 
 there were only about 180 voters in the county. 
 He was readily recognized as a man of more than 
 ordinary ability, and was soon selected to represent 
 the county in the Territorial Legislature at Omaha, 
 being a member of the Senate, and re-elected three 
 times by the Republicans of his district. He was 
 in the Constitutional Conventions of 1871 and 1875, 
 in the latter of wliich were adopted the existing 
 laws of Nebraska. Prior to this he had represented 
 the people of Cass County in the Territorial Leg- 
 islature, and afterward was Speaker of the House. 
 Since 1874 he has withdrawn from politics, although 
 often being solicited to return to the field. During 
 his public life it was conceded, even by his enemies, 
 that in his day lie was one of the most able parlia- 
 mentarians of the State. 
 
 The public duties of Mr. Kirkpatrick brought 
 
 .^h 
 
•►Hf^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 
 ^V* 
 
 -t 
 
 him into contact with many eminent men, while his 
 own habit of observation resulted in yielding him 
 a large fund of useful information. He is inti- 
 mately acquainted, not only with the history of 
 Nebraska, but the general development of the 
 Cireat West, which has been a subject uppermost 
 in his mind for a long period. A close student 
 and an extensive reader, and a man of decided 
 views, he is one also whose opinions are generally 
 respected, and who has borne no unimportant 
 ]3art in the building up of Cass County, and intro- 
 ducing those measures best calculated for its ad- 
 vancement. The village of Nehawka was platted 
 on his land, and to it he has extended his fostering 
 care. It is evidently destined in the near future 
 to be a business point of no small importance. 
 
 The farm of Mr. Kirkpatrick embraces about 300 
 acres of finely improved land, and upon it are the 
 buildings naturally suggested by the means and 
 requirements of its proprietor — a substantial dwell- 
 ing with pleasant surroundings, an abundance of 
 fruit and shade trees, which, together with the live 
 stock and farm machinery, fulfill the modern idea 
 of the well-regulated rural estate. 
 
 A native of Adams County, Ohio, Mr. Kirkpat- 
 rick was born Aug. 31, 1815, and is thescion of an 
 excellent family, being the son of Absalom Kirk- 
 patrick, who was the son of Andrew, the son of 
 William. The latter was the first representative of 
 the family in the United States, crossing from Lon- 
 donderry, in the North of Ireland, probably dur- 
 ing the Colonial da3'S, and settling in Maryland. 
 The\- were of Scotch ancestry, and like the fore- 
 fathers of hundreds of other people in this country, 
 were driven from their native land during the re- 
 ligious wars of three centuries ago. William Kirk- 
 patrick must have made his home in Marj-land the 
 remainder of his life. His son Andrew enlisted in 
 the Revolutionary War, and participated in the bat- 
 tle of Brandywine, at which he had a brother killed, 
 and also in other important engagements. He mar- 
 ried a lady of Welsh descent. Miss Elizabeth Bowen, 
 who was born on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. 
 They subsequently moved to Virginia, and later to 
 Ohio, locating a few miles east of the present city 
 of Cincinnati, where they spent the remainder of 
 their lives, dying when quite aged. 
 
 Absalom Kirkpatrick, the father of our subject, 
 was one of the seven sons of Andrew and Elizabeth 
 Kirkpatrick, which completed their family, they 
 having no daughters. The sons all lived to man's 
 estate, were married and became the fathers of fam- 
 ilies. Absalom, with four other brothers, was sub- 
 jected to the general call for soldiers in the War 
 of 1812, in which, however, they were not called 
 upon to engage in any active battles, probably be- 
 
 iug held in the Reserve Corps. Absalom must have 
 attained his majority in the Old Dominion, as he 
 was not married until the removal to Ohio. He 
 was there wedded to Miss Elizabeth Van Pelt, wlio 
 was born in St. John's, Nova Scotia, where her 
 father had settled about the time of the beginning 
 of the Revolutionary War. Prior to this he had 
 lived on Staten Island. Upon removing from Nova 
 Scotia to the States they settled first on the Nola- 
 chucky, a branch of the Tennessee River, in Ten- 
 nessee, whence they removed to Ohio, where the 
 father, Tunis Van Pelt, died soon afterward. 
 
 Absalom Kirkpatrick and his wife began their 
 wedded life together on a farm in Ohio, where they 
 lived until after the birth of all their children. 
 They then changed their residence to Montgomery 
 County, Ind., where they spent the remainder of 
 their days, not far from the town of Crawfords- 
 ville. The father died in 1855, at the age of sixtj'- 
 eight years. He was a man of strong character and 
 fine intelligence, and was prominent in public af- 
 fairs. The mother, after the death of her husband, 
 made her home with her son A. F., at the old home- 
 stead, and passed away in 1863, at the advanced 
 age of eighty years. She was in all respects the 
 suitable companion of her husband, being a ladv of 
 more than ordinary intelligence, higb minded, with 
 cultivated tastes, and was a beautiful singer. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was the fourth child 
 and second son of his parents, whose family included 
 five sons and three daughters. Of this large fam- 
 ily only two sons are surviving, S. INI. and his 
 brother C. Q., of Lafayette, Ind. Our subject 
 lived in Ohio until a lad of fourteen years, where 
 he began the rudiments of a practical education. 
 He removed with his parents to Indiana, and from 
 his youth up has been a lover of books, and by this 
 means added to his store of knowledge when he 
 could no longer attend school. He has always en- 
 tertained an especial interest in matters of history. 
 and there are few men of the present day possessing 
 a more complete store of general information. 
 
 The marriage of Hon. S. M. Kirkpatrick and Miss 
 Elizabeth C. McMillin was celebrated at the home 
 of the bride in Crawfordsville. Ind.. Oct. 11, 1836. 
 Mrs. K. was born in 1816, in Campbell Couiitj-, 
 Tenn., and brought up in Tazewell County, Va., 
 and accompanied her motlier to Indiana when fif- 
 teen years old, in the fall of 1830. Later she spent 
 one and one-half years in Louisa County, Iowa, 
 wliere Mr. K. vvas engaged in mercliandising. and 
 where Mrs. Kirkpatrick died, together with their 
 only child, in September, 1839. 
 
 Mr. Kirkpatrick contracted a second marriage, in 
 Thornton, Ind., April 1, 1841, with Miss Elizabeth 
 Craig. This lady was born in Adams County. Ohio, 
 
 ■ » 
 
•►-ir^ 
 
 1306 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 May 6, 1823. and is the (laughter of Robert Craig, 
 a native of Ctuinty Down. Ireland. Robert Craig, 
 the father of Mrs. K., was of Scottli anceslrj'. and 
 her mother. Sarah Kerr, the daughter of Paul Kerr 
 and Jane Weir, who were married on the Atlantic 
 Ocean while coming to America. Many of their 
 descendants became prominent jieople.and are now 
 scattered in various jmrts of the Union. One cousin 
 has for forty years been a resident of Canton, Ciiina, 
 belonging to the American Foreign Mission. 
 
 Mr. Craig emigrated to the United States when a 
 child, and was reared liy an uncle in Pennsj'lvania. 
 There also he was married, later moved to Ohio, 
 and thence to Indiana. He died in Boone County, 
 that State, when a ver}' old man. aged ninety-three 
 years. Mrs. Kirkpatrick was well reared and edu- 
 cated, and is a very intelligent lady, possessing all 
 the womanly virtues. Of her union with our sub- 
 ject there have been born ten children, two of whom 
 are deceased : Sarah V., who died when three years 
 old, and Julia F., who died in infanc}'. The sur- 
 vivors are recorded as follows: Edwin A. married 
 Miss Oella D. Black, daughter of Dr. John Black, 
 of Plattsmouth, and is engaged in the grain trade 
 at Nehawka; John M. married Miss Cornelia F. 
 Goodrich, and is Cftrrying in farming extensively 
 in Wheeler County, this State, where he owns a 
 large amount of land ; Elizzie H. is the wife of 
 Orlando Teftt, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere 
 in this volume; Lee C. is residing at the home of 
 his parents; William W. married Miss Maggie Gafif- 
 ney, and is farming in Wheeler County ; Robert C, 
 Mary S. and Kate L. are at home with their par- 
 ent}^ Mary is a student of Lincoln University. 
 
 ON. NICHOLAS SATCHELL, the present 
 Representative to the State Legislature from 
 the Cass County District, is pursuing a ca- 
 reer in the assembly which is creditable to 
 himself and satisfactory to his constituents. He 
 conveys the impression of a man studious of the 
 best interests of his community and conscientious 
 in the discharge of his duties. His homestead 
 comprises a fine farm located on the southeast quar- 
 ter of section 18 in Weeping Water Precinct, and 
 with its improvements forms one of the most at- 
 tractive features of that part of the country. His 
 domestic affairs are presided over by a very amia- 
 ble and intelligent Lad}', who has the welfare of her 
 husband and children at heart. 
 
 Mr. Satchell is the offspring of an excellent 
 family, the son of Daniel and Atha (Moore) 
 Satchell, the former a native of Dorchester County, 
 Md., and the latter born in Ohio. The paternal 
 
 grandfather, Joseph Satchell, was of English des- 
 cent, while grandfather Nicholas Moore traced 
 his ancestry to Germany. Daniel Satchell removed 
 with his parents, when a child of six years, to Ross 
 County, Ohio, and some years later to Illinois, and 
 engaged in farming in both Clinton and DeWitt 
 Counties. His next removal was to Poweshiek 
 County, Iowa, where he purchased 300 acres of 
 Government land, which he improved and sold, 
 then removed to Mahaska County, where he lived 
 during the war. Next he changed his residence to 
 Marion County, where he spent his last daj'S, dying 
 in 1875, at the age of sixty-nine years. lie was in 
 early life a Whig, then a Republican, and in relig- 
 ious matters belonged to the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. The mother of our subject passed away 
 prior to the decease of her husband, dying in 1856, 
 at the age of thirty-five years. Their, five children 
 were named respectively, Nicholas M., Joseph, 
 Daniel, Jr., William M. and Sarah C. Joseph, dur- 
 ing the Civil War, enlisted in Company C, 28th 
 Iowa Infantry, and served until the close. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born in Clinton, 
 DeWitt Co., Ill, Jan. 2, 1842, and remained under 
 the parental roof until a j'oung man of nineteen 
 years. He assisted in the labors of the farm .and 
 attended the district school. Soon after the outbreak 
 of the Rebellion he enlisted in Company F., 10th 
 Iowa Infantry, under the first call for the three 
 j'ear's men, this being the first Company which left 
 Poweshiek County. He was mustered into service 
 at Iowa Citj', Aug. 7, 1861. His regiment was as- 
 signed to the Army of the Tennessee, 15th Corps, 
 under command of Gen. Logan, find going South 
 at once participated in m.any of the important 
 battles of the war. 
 
 Our subject in the spring of 1863 joined the 
 Yazoo River expedition under Grant's command, 
 and later was in the siege of Vicksburg, and fought 
 in other important battles. He was slightly wounded 
 across the head at Champion Hill. Later he was 
 with Gen. Sherman and witnessed the famous 
 fight of Hooker above the clouds. At the expira- 
 tion of his first term of service he re-enlisted, and 
 later participated in the famous march to the sea, 
 after which the troops journeyed up through the 
 Carolinas to Washington, and Mr. Satchell was 
 present at the Grand Review. He was in Little 
 Rock, Ark., until August, 1865, and from this point 
 was sent to Davenport, Iowa, where he was must- 
 ered out and received his honorable discharge on 
 the 1st of September. 
 
 Our subject on retiring from the array spent one 
 year in farming, then became a student in Oska- 
 loosa College, remaining there also a year. After 
 this he resumed farming, which he prosecuted in 
 
 ^ 
 
•►-11-^ 
 
 CASS COUNTY. 
 
 4 
 
 1307 ' 
 
 <• 
 
 Iowa until 1872. Tliat year he came oveilanil with 
 teams to Nebraska and tooiv up a iioinestead claim 
 five miles south of Aurora, in Hamilton County. 
 Two years later he rented a farm in Cass County, 
 located in what was then Elmwood, but now Mt. 
 Pleasant Precinct. In 1880 he sold his Hamilton 
 County farm and purchased that which he now 
 owns. The improvements have been made mostly 
 bj' himself, and in connection with general .agricult- 
 ure he engages considerably in raising and feeding 
 cattle and full-blooded Poland-China swine. 
 
 In Oskaloosa, Iowa, Jan. 4, 1881, our subject w.as 
 united in marriage with Miss Minerva White. This 
 lady was born in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Jan. 4, 1848, and 
 is the daughter of William and Jane (Huskey) 
 AVhite, the father born in North Carolina in 1785. 
 and the mother in Indiana in 1820. Mr. White 
 served as a soldier in the War of 1812, after which 
 he settled in Indiana, where he w.as married. He 
 carried on farming there until his removal to Iowa. 
 He purchaserl land in the latter State in 184.5, 160 
 acres near Oskaloosa, where he lived until passing 
 away, in 1864. The mother is still living at the 
 old homestead, and is now sixty-eight 3ears old. 
 Their eight children were named respectively: 
 Martha, Rebecca, Minerva, Ella, Emma, William, 
 Isaac and George. Mr. and Mrs. Satchell liave 
 three children: Raymond V., Jessie B. and Gail L. 
 
 Mr. Satchell in the fall of 1886 w.as elected to the 
 Nebraska Legislature on the Republican ticket, and 
 re-elected in 1888. He has held the various school 
 offices of his district. He uniformly votes the 
 straight Republican ticket, and h.as frequently served 
 as a delegate to the County and State Conventions 
 of his party. Socially he belongs to Euclid Lodge 
 No. 97, A. F. & A. M., of Weeping Water. He is 
 a K. of P., Crescent Lodge No. 91, Elmwood. and 
 belongs to LaFayette Post No. 61, G. A.R., at Weep- 
 ing Water. 
 
 |/ A. HARDEN, a resident of Avoea village, 
 was the first man to erect a business house 
 
 /// It within its limits, in 1882, and is engaged 
 quite extensivel}' in handling pumps and 
 windmills, 0|3erating over a large territory through- 
 out this and Otoe Counties. In former years he 
 engaged considerably in boring wells. He owns 
 considerable property in Avoca and vicinity, in- 
 cluding sis lots within the town limits. 
 
 Mr. Barden removed to this point from Weeping 
 AVater Precinct. He has been a resident of this 
 county most of the time since 1866. He carried 
 on farming a number of years up to 1877, then 
 began well-boring, which he prosecuted a period of 
 ten years, more or less. Some of his wells were 
 
 twenty feet dtep and some ninety. He came to 
 Nebraska from Illinois, in which State he had set- 
 tled with his parents in the spring of 1855, remain- 
 ing there eleven years, and there was reared and 
 educated. 
 
 A native of Bennington County, Vt., Mr. Bar- 
 den was born Sept. 28, 1850. His father, J. T. 
 Barden, was a Vermont farmer in fair circumstances 
 and the son of Alden Barden, a patriot during the 
 Revolutionary War who lived and died in New 
 England. Alden Barden departed this life when 
 compariitively a young man, and the father of our 
 subject was reared by his maternal grandparents, 
 whose names were Baily. Ujjon reaching manhood 
 he was married in his native State to Miss Mary 
 McC.all, who was also born in Vermont, of Scotch 
 ancestry. Her father, Hugh McCall, was a farmer 
 by occupation and served as a commissioned officer 
 in the AVar of 1812. He was born on the Isle of 
 Lesmore in Arg3'leshire, Scotland, and was the son 
 of John and Isabelle (Campbell) McCall, who came 
 to America when Hugh was a lad of seven j'ears, 
 settling in the Green Mountain State, where they 
 spent the remainder of their lives. Hugh McCall 
 lived to be over ninety-two years old. 
 
 The parents of our subject spent the first years 
 of their wedded life on a farm in Vermont, where 
 their three eldest children were born. They came 
 to the West in March, 1855, locating in Cook 
 County, 111., and from there some years later re- 
 moved to Ridgefield, McHenry County, settling on 
 a farm, where they still live. The father, how- 
 ever, is in failing health. He is sixty-three years 
 old, and the mother one year younger. 
 
 Our subject was yet a minor when he landed in 
 Nebr.aska. He spent some time as a teacher in this 
 county. Upon the event of his marriage he re- 
 turned to Cook County, 111., where he was married 
 to Miss Fannie G. Hawks. This lady was born at 
 Schuyler's Lake, near Otsego, N. Y., June 4, 1852. 
 and is the daughter of Charles and Fannie (Leigh- 
 ton) Hawks, who are still living there, and occupy 
 a prominent position in their community. They 
 are each approaching their fourscore years, and 
 were also n.atives of the Empire State. Mrs. Bar- 
 den was reared under the home roof, and educated 
 in the common schools. She removed to Illinois 
 with a sister, and lived there several years before 
 her marriage. This union resulted in the birth of 
 six children: One infant, born July 3, 1882, died 
 July 10 following: Alton F., was born March 19, 
 1877, and died March 31, following. The living 
 are: Robert M., who was born July 9, 1874; Alden 
 A.. Aug. 21, 1878; Blanche M., Aug. 5, 1885; and 
 M. Ethel, April 1, 1888. Mr. Barden, politically, 
 is a sound Re|)ublicau, and has held the local offices. 
 
•^H 
 
 Abbott, M. D 938 
 
 Adams, George 573 
 
 Adams, G. W .....1046 
 
 Adams. Himenus 765 
 
 Adams, John 23 
 
 Adams, J. Q 39 
 
 Adams, William T 1177 
 
 Adams. W. W 482 
 
 Akeson. Mattes 937 
 
 Albert, Joh-n 1210 
 
 Albright. Adolph 353 
 
 Alexander. George S 323 
 
 Andersen. Lars 27' 
 
 Anderson. Capt. D. M . . .. . .470 
 
 Anderson. James N 576 
 
 Andrews. Edwin 598 
 
 Andrews. Thomas ....267 
 
 Andrus, D. D 877 
 
 Andrus, C. R iloi 
 
 Andrus. J. E 832 
 
 Andrus, O. M 1244 
 
 Applegate. I. N iioo 
 
 Arends, John Hermann 736 
 
 Arends. J. H 540 
 
 Armstrong. W.J 478 
 
 Arthur. Chester A -.99 
 
 Jackson, Andrew 42 
 
 Ashley, W. D 480 
 
 Ashmun. R. A 880 
 
 Ashmun, Henry 889 
 
 Ashton. Dr. T. H 197 
 
 Ashton. T. H , 233 
 
 Atkinson, Albert G 6a6 
 
 Austin, Thomas L 174 
 
 Babcock. p. D 346 
 
 Bahr. J.J 832 
 
 Bailey, W. P 112, 
 
 Baird, John R 978 
 
 Baker. R. F 733 
 
 Baldwin. E. H 385 
 
 Baldwin. W.J 1300 
 
 BIOGFJfl^P^I^pIi. 
 
 Balfour. William 252 
 
 Ball, Franklin 629 
 
 Ballarnian, Joseph 499 
 
 Ballon. Otis H 791 
 
 Barden. A. A 1504 
 
 Barnum. E. W 915 
 
 Barr. H, D 927 
 
 Barrett, George W 1205 
 
 Barrett. W. L 1217 
 
 Bassett. Cyrus K 562 
 
 Bartling. H. H 522 
 
 Baumgarlen.Marius 334 
 
 Beasley, David 281 
 
 Becker. John H 1004 
 
 Beckman, William 209 
 
 Beetem, loseph 732 
 
 Eeetem.J.T 6.7 
 
 Beetem, R.G 737 
 
 Behrends.J. H 191 
 
 Behrns. Henry 807 
 
 Eein. Amelia 1237 
 
 Bell. R. H 4,9 
 
 Bell, Thomas 305 
 
 Beodeker. C. H 1187 
 
 Berger, E 776 
 
 Bcrger, Ueorse L 989 
 
 Berger.JamesW 776 
 
 Berlet. Peter 481 
 
 Besch. August 620 
 
 Beuller. Jacob 346 
 
 Bey, John 333 
 
 Bickal, C. B.... 396 
 
 Eickert, Ambrose 1080 
 
 Biggs, Allen 242 
 
 Billings. S. S 1251 
 
 Birchfield, Hon. W.P 4,5 
 
 Bird. Lewis 955 
 
 EischofF. Christian 658 
 
 Bischof. William ,.669 
 
 Black. John. M.D 801 
 
 Black, R. W 1376 
 
 Blum, Christian 292 
 
 Bobbitt, Hon. T. N 1203 
 
 Borcheiding, Frederick 197 
 
 Bord. Henry 547 
 
 Botsfoid, George S 500 
 
 Botlcher. George K , .498 
 
 Boyd, Hon. J. C 283 
 
 Boyer, George W 364 
 
 Braddock. David 514 
 
 Brady, Barnard 64-.- 
 
 Bradley. T. K 227 
 
 Brauer, F. H 521 
 
 Brehm, Charles 6ti 
 
 Brinker.Dr. G. M 148 
 
 Brinkmann. Henry 497 
 
 Broking. C. H 534 
 
 Brooks. J. W 12,8 
 
 Brown. Bros 393 
 
 Brown. Hon. David 283 
 
 Brown. E. A 5^9 
 
 Brown. F. E .747 
 
 Brown. G. W 182 
 
 Brown. JamesE 5-2 
 
 Brown. John P 563 
 
 Brown. Martin 424 
 
 Brown. O. K ....698 
 
 Brown. W.L 1295 
 
 Brownlee, George 254 
 
 Bruner. F. H 521 
 
 Bruns. Brune 264 
 
 Buchanan, James 75 
 
 Buchanan. Hon. William. ...609 
 
 Buck. Hon. J. F 935 
 
 Bullis.J. W 797 
 
 Bnmford, O. H 208 
 
 Burdick, J. P ^-1197 
 
 Burget, G. H 246 
 
 Butler,David ..loi 
 
 Butler. Dr. M.M 1017 
 
 Butt. Henry A 473 
 
 Buxton. William B 695 
 
 Calhoun. S. H 749 
 
 Calkins, N.J 1272 
 
 Campbell. E. T 633 
 
 Campbell, Hon. J- C... 659 
 
 Campbell, Jesse 421 
 
 Campbell, M. D 549 
 
 Campbell, M. S 545 
 
 Campbell. Hoh. William 541 
 
 Campbell. Paul M 632 
 
 Carey.M.F 335 
 
 Carlin. James 726 
 
 Carmichael. J. D 607 
 
 Carney. Rev. T.J 925 
 
 Carter, Samuel 1247 
 
 .^^i^ 
 
 Case.SackettC 433 
 
 Caspers, John J 742 
 
 Cassel. H.G 405 
 
 Cassel. William H.H 1060 
 
 Cassell.J. W 375 
 
 Castelman, J. E 243 
 
 Castleman.C. B 313 
 
 Castleman. F. T 291 
 
 Chaddnck. J. W 704 
 
 Chalfant.John 1223 
 
 Chapin. R. A ....95tj 
 
 Chapman, Calvin 568 
 
 Chapman, C. B 6i,i 
 
 Chapman. Samuel M 981 
 
 Chatfield.Ira D 224 
 
 Childs, Capt. H. H 423 
 
 Christenson, James 858 
 
 Church, Reuben 74, 
 
 Cla 
 
 .752 
 
 Clary, W.C 748 
 
 Clayton, Edgar 361 
 
 Clements. John 1,52 
 
 Clemmons, Noah... 995 
 
 Clemmons. S. E 825 
 
 Cleveland. S.Grover 103 
 
 Coe, Gen. Isaac 69ft 
 
 Colbert.James ,,94 
 
 Cole, Hon- Brand 1013 
 
 Cole. W. T.. 997 
 
 Coleman, E. C 946 
 
 Colman, Asa. 1075 
 
 Compton, E. M 919 
 
 Conkel, Frank J jjft 
 
 Conklin. George 150 
 
 Conklin, GeorgeS 1266 
 
 Conn. J. W ,,79 
 
 Cook . Lawson 623 
 
 Cooley. A. S 1148 
 
 Coon. Peter 767 
 
 Corbet. John 1171 
 
 Cornutt.L.F 533 
 
 Cotton, C. E 587 
 
 Coveil.M.J 604 
 
 Cowles.C.C 181 
 
 Cowden. Dr. A. M 552 
 
 Cowles, Hon.C. H 624 
 
 Cox.J.W 828 
 
 Crabtree, Abel 1190 
 
 Crabtree, Allen 1140 
 
 .840 
 
 =fcf- 
 
•«»* 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Cremer, J. M 803 
 
 Critchfield, W. P. C 1128 
 
 Critchfield. Mrs. Harriet. ... 117S 
 
 Curry, Mrs. Jennie B 558 
 
 Curry, Robert 555 
 
 Cutforth, Walter. , g66 
 
 Cutler, George T Q57 
 
 Culler, Henry C 920 
 
 Dakan, N. P 546 
 
 Damma, Fred 341 
 
 Damma, Henry 639 
 
 Dan,ma,J.H 145 
 
 Damma, Louis 632 
 
 Dann, Charles 494 
 
 Davenport, Mrs. Carrie 507 
 
 Davidson, J. H 601 
 
 Davis, A. L 636 
 
 Davis, Edwin 1229 
 
 Davis, H. J 1087 
 
 Davis, Joseph 163 
 
 Davis, b. J 456 
 
 Davis, Wesley A 1027 
 
 Davis, \V. W 1132 
 
 Dawes, James W 126 
 
 Day, E. E 1037 
 
 Deutsch, Frederick 161 
 
 Dewey, Thomas 232 
 
 Dicner, Jacob 686 
 
 Dimmitl, B. H 1264 
 
 Dimmitt, Edwin 1249 
 
 Doane.G.W ,54 
 
 Dobney, Frank 8n 
 
 Domingo, Jacob 1167 
 
 Domingo, John 1128 
 
 Donovan, Edward io8g 
 
 Dorman, Burton 463 
 
 Dougall, W. J 7,6 
 
 Dow, Frederick 388 
 
 Duerschner, F 153 
 
 Duff,M. E 513 
 
 Duff, N. A 425 
 
 Dunbar, John 394 
 
 Dunlap, Robert 322 
 
 Dy.sarl, James 1207 
 
 Edgar, William 1056 
 
 Egenberger, John V 786 
 
 Eiben, Henry 543 
 
 Eickhoff, L. C 982 
 
 Eikenbery, William 817 
 
 Eis, J. D 146 
 
 Eis,W. S 168 
 
 Eiser,G. W 747 
 
 Elliott, J. T 595 
 
 Ellis, Egbert L 594 
 
 Ellis, Lathrop 285 
 
 Elvin.R. C, M. D 365 
 
 Embree, Noah 238 
 
 Emens, Robert 1096 
 
 Entjelkemeier, Henry 1040 
 
 Engell, Philip C 999 
 
 F.nyart, Logan 706 
 
 Ernst, Albert 1286 
 
 Eveland, Peter 1.43 
 
 Farley, Isaac 188 
 
 Farmer, JohnO-...* 684 
 
 Farnsworth, H. P 251 
 
 Fass,Folkert 172 
 
 Fass,H. H 345 
 
 Ferguson, Hon. George 184 
 
 Ferguson, Col. H.C 537 
 
 Ferguson, R. C 408 
 
 Felzer, Frank 1083 
 
 Fillmore, .Millard 67 
 
 Fischer, Charles G 683 
 
 Fitchie, Hon. James 724 
 
 Flodin, P. A 307 
 
 Flower, Perl F 1263 
 
 Flower, W. A 1257 
 
 Foltz, Louis 885 
 
 Forsyth. Jacob 1150 
 
 Foster, D. W 1151 
 
 Foster, N. D 237 
 
 Fountain, T.J 1186 
 
 Fowler, J, M 881 
 
 France, C. L 469 
 
 Frans, R. H 1061 
 
 Frans, William 1061 
 
 Frenzel, F.W 378 
 
 Frerichs, M . Herman 532 
 
 Frerichs, John 398 
 
 Frerichs, Theodore R 161 
 
 Fry, A. C 10S4 
 
 Gahrka.John 529 
 
 Gant,S. L., M. D 561 
 
 Garber, Silas 119 
 
 Garfield, James A 95 
 
 Garrison, H. G 1054 
 
 Garrow, E. D ...373 
 
 Gilbert, E. S 1182 
 
 Giles, G. W 188 
 
 Gilman,G. W 273 
 
 Gilman, J. C 381 
 
 Gilmore, John 1256 
 
 Gilmore, Thomas A 325 
 
 Girardel, S. F 1042 
 
 Gleason, H. W 850 
 
 Godding, Asa 713 
 
 Goodicr, Thomas 1052 
 
 Goos,Fiederic 1218 
 
 Gorder, Frederic 1035 
 
 Gordon, Ira 1053 
 
 Graham, W. R 403 
 
 Grant, Ulysses S 87 
 
 Gray.J.S 214 
 
 Gregg, J. H 581 
 
 Gregory, S.C 637 
 
 Grimes, G. W 1059 
 
 GuUion. W. W 1170 
 
 Guthmann. F. R 1161 
 
 Guenzel, Ernst 338 
 
 Hail, S. A. 
 
 .461 
 
 Hail, Hon. WiUi.im B 492 
 
 Hain. George 1016 
 
 Hall, Dr. J. E 1092 
 
 Hall, James 244 
 
 Halmes, Nicholas log^; 
 
 Halverstadt,D. S 891 
 
 Handy, H. G 293 
 
 Hanks, Cannoy 444 
 
 Hansen, John G 1113 
 
 Hanson, Knud 1281 
 
 Harp.D. M 216 
 
 Hartman. George 502 
 
 Harris, JohnL 219 
 
 Harrison, Benjamin 107 
 
 Harrison, W. H . . . .r .51 
 
 Harrison, Phillip F 1292 
 
 Hasemeier, JohnH 95- 
 
 Hathaway, Abram -'039 
 
 Hatt, J 1296 
 
 Haupmann, Albert 303 
 
 Hawke, George W 427 
 
 Hawkins, Alfred in8 
 
 Hawley, E. S 646 
 
 Hawley,HiramG 1002 
 
 Hay, Valentine 822 
 
 Hayes, Rutherford B 91 
 
 Hays, J. G 1235 
 
 Hayward, B. F 3*7 
 
 Hayward,Hon. M. L 475 
 
 Hazelton. F. P 199 
 
 Heil, Adam 9^5 
 
 Heil, George 99' 
 
 Heil, Wendel 988 
 
 Heise, Charles 325 
 
 Helmers, H. F 735 
 
 Hendricks, George B 198 
 
 Hendricks, Hiram 692 
 
 Hendricks, Joseph 146 
 
 Heng, Michael 457 
 
 Hennings, Charles C 977 
 
 Hennings, John A 961 
 
 Herold, Williim i'54 
 
 Hershey.D. W., M. D 315 
 
 Hess, A. E 1225 
 
 Hess, John 979 
 
 Heye, Henry 327 
 
 Biggins, Hon. J.M 1164 
 
 Hild, Adam 928 
 
 Hill, D. T 488 
 
 Hill, J. P 5.';o 
 
 Hinners.H.C 1202 
 
 Hite, David -283 
 
 Hirz, Henry 287 
 
 Hoagland, J. W 318 
 
 Hobbs, Dr N. R 851 
 
 Hochsteller, J. J 523 
 
 Hoebel, Hon. Louis 263 
 
 Holden.S. M 1241 
 
 Holmes, Charles M 1201 
 
 Holmes.J. B..". 81 
 
 HoUchuh, John „; 
 
 Hoover, J.T. A ,oi 
 
 Hopp, Jacob 6 
 
 Horn, George P ,2. 
 
 Horn.P ,„ 
 
 Home, Othniel s: 
 
 Horrum. L 
 
 Hostetter, John B.... 
 
 Hostetter, S. A 
 
 Howland, Henry 
 
 Hubner, Charles M.. 
 Huckins, Henry.... 
 
 Hulfish, Stephen 97 
 
 Hunt, James 
 
 Hunt, William 
 
 Hunter, Charles F... 
 Hurst, Rev. Hiram.. 
 
 23S 
 
 619 
 
 Ingalls, W. E .49 
 
 Ireland, Frank P. 
 
 Jackson, Andrew 43 
 
 Jacobs, Oliver 1043 
 
 James, A. A 450 
 
 James,Charles 753 
 
 James, John W 669 
 
 James, William 813 
 
 Jarrett, J. M 574 
 
 Jasper, Wilhelra 1255 
 
 Jefferson, Thomas 27 
 
 Jenkins, Aaron 774 
 
 Jenkins, E 1273 
 
 Jessen, Mrs. Margaret 487 
 
 Johnson, Andrew 83 
 
 Johnson. Mathias 1147 
 
 Johnson, James 902 
 
 Johnson, John 78S 
 
 Johnson, Magnus Taylor.. .740 
 
 Johnson, W. A 1073 
 
 Johnson, W. H 437 
 
 Johnson, W.T 1399 
 
 John, Theodore 786 
 
 Jones, R. D H27 
 
 Jones, T.S 527 
 
 Judkins, S. B 866 
 
 Kasbohm, John 
 
 Keithley. J. K 
 
 Kendall, F.G 
 
 Kennicott, W. E 
 
 King, C. H 
 
 King.E.G 
 
 Kirkham,R. M 215 
 
 Kirkpatrick, Hon. S. M. ... 
 
 f 
 

 ■•►41 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 1 
 
 Klepser, A.J 336 
 
 Knabe,JohnC 1291 
 
 Knotts, A. B 1183 
 
 Koonu, William 387 
 
 Korff, C. H 476 
 
 Kraeger, Adam 998 
 
 Kraeger, John 1074 
 
 Kramer, Jurgen F 203 
 
 Kreifels, Herman 460 
 
 Kressen.C.H 615 
 
 Kropp, William 667 
 
 Kuhn, William 407 
 
 Kunzmann, Jacob 929 
 
 Lambing. G. W 935 
 
 I.ana. Benjamin F., M. D ...879 
 
 Lathrop, Jerome 509 
 
 Latia, W. E 830 
 
 Laugh lin, E. G 1005 
 
 Langhlin, B. F 896 
 
 Laughlin. W. J 1023 
 
 Lee. George F...; 157 
 
 Leesley, J . E 1233 
 
 Lebnhoff, F. D 910 
 
 Leis, John M 918 
 
 Lewis* A. E 1094 
 
 Lewis, James 597 
 
 Lewis, Lewis 635 
 
 Lewis, Rich.ird 026 
 
 Lewis, William R 912 
 
 Leyda. Reuben K 905 
 
 Lincoln. Abraham 77 
 
 Liulefield, R. A 752 
 
 Livingston, R. R ■ -tSb 
 
 Livingston, Nehemiah goo 
 
 ' Livingston, Theodore P. . . . . .764 
 
 Lloyd, J. M 1072 
 
 Lockie, George 417 
 
 Long, Simeon I 967 
 
 Lorenson, Chris 1178 
 
 Lowe, William H 254 
 
 Luff, Elijah 657 
 
 Madison, James 31 
 
 Magee. A. H 1246 
 
 Magney,John 808 
 
 Mallar, John 218 
 
 Mapes, J. S 459 
 
 Marcellus.P. W 991 
 
 MarnelUE. D 44° 
 
 Martin, C.J 1265 
 
 Martin, Mrs. Ann 263 
 
 Martin, J . F 472 
 
 Marshall, John T 765 
 
 Marshall, William 1094 
 
 Martine, Capt. John 630 
 
 Mason, S. H 442 
 
 Massey, Talton 193 
 
 Masters. Hon. J.H 371 
 
 Matbew, James S 1275 
 
 Mathews, Mrs. Louisa 1076 
 
 Mattes, John 441 
 
 Maxam,H. W 225 
 
 Mayfield, A. U 888 
 
 Mayticid, G. W 956 
 
 McAleer, Thomas F 187 
 
 McCart,H. O 287 
 
 McCarthy, John 411 
 
 McCartney, Frank 614 
 
 McCartney, A. S 751 
 
 McClain, James O 857 
 
 McClintic, Samuel 1298 
 
 McConnaha, John 843 
 
 McConnell, Wilson 308 
 
 McCormick, J. W 484 
 
 McDermed,J. W 815 
 
 McFall, Archibald 1036 
 
 McGill, Robert 1077 
 
 McGinley, John 20. 
 
 McGuire, Patrick 446 
 
 Mclntyre, Alexander 454 
 
 McLennan, Hon. William. ...331 
 
 McKee,Hon. George W 217 
 
 McKee,J.R 343 
 
 McKce, W. I 618 
 
 McMechan, J.H 177 
 
 McPhersonTJ P 986 
 
 McPherson,R. T 719 
 
 .McReynolds, Nel.son 898 
 
 McVay, J. R 1015 
 
 Meek, M. F 256 
 
 Mendenhall, D.G 1057 
 
 Messner, Henry L ...885 
 
 Meyer, Christoff 1091 
 
 Meyer, Frank ... : 328 
 
 Meyer, G. H 207 
 
 Michael, John 295 
 
 Miller, A. A, 1169 
 
 Milliken.John A 404 
 
 Mills. J. T 1108 
 
 Misegadis. Diedrich 723 
 
 Mitzner. Edward 470 
 
 Mitchell. Thomas 878 
 
 Mohrman. J.H 418 
 
 Monroe.James 35 
 
 Monroe, William J 1120 
 
 Morgan, M. W 1277 
 
 Morgan, T.P 591 
 
 Moore, Edwin 363 
 
 Moore, Hon. J. O 438 
 
 Moore, W. H 511 
 
 Morrow, Rozzel 1238 
 
 Morrison, S.H 351 
 
 Morton, J. Sterling 750 
 
 Mothersead.B S 510 
 
 MuUis, Conrad 392 
 
 Munn. Wallace 169 
 
 Murdoch, John J168 
 
 Murphy, Ezra 1078 
 
 Murphy, William 839 
 
 Murray, Joshua 968 
 
 Murray, L C. W 1297 
 
 Murray. Rev George R 1252 
 
 Mutz, Walter 931 
 
 Nance, Albinus 122 
 
 Neeley, J. M., M. D 87. 
 
 Neemann, D, A 326 
 
 Neemann, Herman 426 
 
 Neff. Hon. Dauverse 173 
 
 Nelson, J. W 640 
 
 Nelson, O. N 616 
 
 Neu , Fred 344 
 
 Newton, B. E 274 
 
 Nicholson, W. T 699 
 
 Nickel, George P 959 
 
 Noelting, B. H 257 
 
 Nolting. Mrs. Wilhelmma . ..941 
 
 Normand, Julius , 449 
 
 Norris,Dr U.H 921 
 
 Northcutt, James B 490 
 
 Norton, G. W 870 
 
 Nutzmann, John 461 
 
 Oberle, George "... - 1093 
 
 Oeike, Christopher 264 
 
 Oelke, George 393 
 
 O'Neill, James 1240 
 
 Orton.S. W 859 
 
 Osborn, Phoebe 694 
 
 Paap, Frederick 671 
 
 Pahde, Frederick 158 
 
 Paley, James 3'<i 
 
 Parent, Martin 567 
 
 Parmele,E. K 1114 
 
 Patterson, Hon. J. M 757 
 
 Pendleton, Henry 585 
 
 Penn, Jacob 220 
 
 Perkins, W. P 1212 
 
 Peters, Peter 1097 
 
 Peterson, John 231 
 
 Philpot, Charles 911 
 
 Philpot, John, Jr 992 
 
 Philpot, John,Sr 972 
 
 Pickens, W. H 1069 
 
 Pierce, C. W 641 
 
 Pierce, Franklin 7" 
 
 Pindar, Ben S i8g 
 
 Pittman,J. W 930 
 
 Pittman, Andrew 960 
 
 Pittman,E. J 862 
 
 Plympton,!). A 160 
 
 Polk. James K 59 
 
 Post, Edward 1136 
 
 Pratt, Jerome B 700 
 
 Propst, Martin 1181 
 
 Quible, George 
 
 Race, Harry G. 
 Ragoss, Julius I 
 
 Ramsey, B. S ; 1193 
 
 Rankin. Thomas 775 
 
 Rausch, Henry 806 
 
 Ray, William 663 
 
 Redfield, William 662 
 
 Redfield, W. P 211 
 
 Reed, E. Clarence 674 
 
 Reed, Harry D .. .1222 
 
 Reed, Hon E. L 908 
 
 Reed, H. H 4,4 
 
 Reeves, Alexander 569 
 
 Reiber, Emil 40(1 
 
 Renken,John F 170 
 
 Reynolds, A, J 652 
 
 Reynolds, W. B 1268 
 
 Rexford, F. F 759 
 
 Rhoden, W. A 1083 
 
 Richard, L B 742 
 
 Richards, Edwin F 1003 
 
 Richards, F. C 681 
 
 Richards, H. T 985 
 
 Richardson, Charles D .413 
 
 Richardson, John 1209 
 
 Richardson. Samuel 1172 
 
 Richey, Hon F. M 770 
 
 Riegle, Daniel 354 
 
 Riley, James M figo 
 
 Ritchie, H. C... 802 
 
 Rittcr, Rev. Josiah 282 
 
 Robb, Hon. F. W 645 
 
 Robbins, John 128. 
 
 Roberts, Josiah 748 
 
 Rockwell, A. M ..792 
 
 Roddy, John C -..592 
 
 Roddy, Capt. Patrick 664 
 
 Rodenbrock, F. W 15. 
 
 Roelofsz, Henry 826 
 
 Roelofsz, Peter 1301 
 
 Rolfe,Hon. D. P 143 
 
 Rolfe,R. M 384 
 
 Romine, J G 837 
 
 Root, Hon. Anderson 1008 
 
 Root, Dr. A. S 846 
 
 Root, Rev. Edward 940 
 
 Rose, Hon. A. M 1163 
 
 Rose, G. A 1190 
 
 Rose, William 1131 
 
 Ross, E. W ,94 
 
 Rottmann, Mrs. Margaretha..579 
 
 Rottmann, W. F 579 
 
 Rowland, W. M 841 
 
 Ruby, Benjamin F 11 96 
 
 Ruby, Martin 1254 
 
 Ruby, Thomas 1192 
 
 Rummel, Christina 932 
 
 Rush, Nicholas 673 
 
 Russell, Lycurgus 969 
 
 Rusterholz, Jacob 773 
 
 Sabin, T. D 715 
 
 Sackett, E A loiB 
 
 Sacks, Julius 816 
 
 Sage, Elias 7M 
 
 Eli 
 
>>-ll^ 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Sand. Frank Joseph 401 
 
 Satchcll, N. M 1306 
 
 Saunders, Joseph 376 
 
 Schacht, Louis 177 
 
 Schacht. William 753 
 
 Schafer, Philip J i,8o 
 
 Scharp. John 272 
 
 Scharp, Peter 085 
 
 Schildknecht, W. H., M. D...8ss 
 
 Schindler, Dietrich 720 
 
 Schlanker, Jacob 11 16 
 
 Schminke, Hon Paul .......697 
 
 Schmitz, John 164 
 
 Schomaker, Fred 1115 
 
 Sch rider, Emil .l. .798 
 
 Schroeder, F. W •. 683 
 
 Scofield, R H 266 
 
 Schomerus, D. J... 680 
 
 Sears, James 1066 
 
 Severe, O. A .'^j 
 
 Seymour, Hon. Charles W. . .391 
 
 Shafer. William H 1033 
 
 Shannon, J. W 1156 
 
 Sharp, C. H 603 
 
 Sheffer, William , 948 
 
 Sheldon, A 876 
 
 Sheldon, Hon. Lawson... 1231 
 
 Sherfey. Charles W (^77 
 
 Sherman. Charles W ,178 
 
 Sherwood, Robert 1234 
 
 Shoemaker. M. H 714 
 
 Shomaker, Henry 1064 
 
 Short, Thomas W 1285 
 
 Shrader, Fred 183 
 
 Shrader, Henry 294 
 
 Shrader, Z. W 1236 
 
 Shry.der, G F 1000 
 
 Shryock, William B.... 842 
 
 Sibert, Peter 729 
 
 Sidles, Charles Z 699 
 
 Sim, Hon. Francis 261 
 
 Simpson, J. D 916 
 
 Sfnsabaugh, L. E 689 
 
 Skinner, Linwood E 861 
 
 Sloan, W.T 342 
 
 Smallfoot, C. F 206 
 
 Smith, C. A 192 
 
 Smith, George 382 
 
 Smith, Mrs. Frances Jane. .. 1142 
 
 Smith, O. P 1.85 
 
 Smoyer, L. B 731 
 
 Snyder, William 962 
 
 Snyder, William H 574 
 
 Sperry, J W 1288 
 
 Spicknall, L. T 663 
 
 Spink, Maynard 997 
 
 Spoh n , C 1 389 
 
 Springman, Adam, 375 
 
 Spurlock, Burwell 1025 
 
 Spurlo'ck, Wesley 347 
 
 Sroat, G. W 429 
 
 Stafford, Robert 226 
 
 Stahlhut, C. W 493 
 
 Stab Ih ut, Frederick ■ ■ 332 
 
 Stall, David 357 
 
 Slander. Frank looi 
 
 Stanford, Hiram 1045 
 
 Starkjohann, l"heodore ..990 
 
 Stedman,C. R 223 
 
 Stedman.H. E 582 
 
 Steele, John R 738 
 
 Stevenson, Hon. Thomas B..321 
 
 Stevenson , Wallace 403 
 
 Stewart, Col. S. N 741 
 
 Stewart, George A 981 
 
 Stillwell, HerbertG 298 
 
 Stine, John 075 
 
 St. John, H. F 593 
 
 Stoehr, Christ 891 
 
 Stone, Isaac 970 
 
 Stooker, F. J 614 
 
 Stopher, E . A 766 
 
 Stout, Andrew 691 
 
 Strong, G. A 709 
 
 Stukenholtz, Frederick A. ...26a 
 
 Stnll, Jacob 1290 
 
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 Stutt, J.D 2.1 
 
 Sugden. Jonas 679 
 
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 Taylor, Zachary 63 
 
 Tefft, Hon. Orlando 868 
 
 Teten, Herman 375 
 
 Teten,Jobn H 422 
 
 Thaler, W. M 687 
 
 Theis, Albert 489 
 
 Theis, Nicholas liio 
 
 Thomas. Hon. J. W.,M.D..847 
 
 Thomas, Thomas 230 
 
 Thomas, Thomas 899 
 
 Thompson, Thomas E 544 
 
 Thorp, E. F 205 
 
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 Todd, A. B 1122 
 
 Todd, William 819 
 
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 Tritsch, Philip 1303 
 
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 Van Horn,Hezekiah. 1054 
 
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 Ward, Israel 1088 
 
 Ward, Oliver 1199 
 
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 Warner, Charles H 1097 
 
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 Wathen, Henry 483 
 
 Weatherbogg, Charles 368 
 
 Weatherhogg, Thomas 719 
 
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 Webster, C. A 1063 
 
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 Wells, Gilbert 304 
 
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 Wells, Luzerne ,9, 
 
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 Westlake, William 796 
 
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 Whittaker, T. R 668 
 
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 Wilbern. Mrs. Sina 1130 
 
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 Wilhelm, Euzenius 162 
 
 Wilhelmy, Wilhehn 710 
 
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 Williams, Thomas E ,214 
 
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 Wintersteen, William 1270 
 
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 Chapman, Samuel M 780 
 
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 Cole, Hon. Brand 10.2 
 
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 Davenport, Mrs. Carrie 506 
 
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 Guthmann, F. R 1160 
 
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 Hayes, Rutherford B 90 
 
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 Jessen, Margaret 486 
 
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 Normand. Margaret 447 
 
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 Parent, Martin 566 
 
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 Pendleton, Mrs. Henry 584 
 
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 Tait. JamesN 3,0 
 
 Taylor, Zachary 62 
 
 Thayer, John M ,30 
 
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 Washington, George 18 
 
 Wells, Hon. Luzerne 590 
 
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 Will, Mrs. A.S 1105 
 
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