,-v .•iq v^^- ./\, V-" r^. ■^?- Civ-*,', O > %^^^ v-^^ ^^'^- ^0./•. 'bV •4.^ ^■>>- .^* v*'^^ t"?'^ .*'% "^.^-i.' /y^ rO' V'^^ ^"i^- 0^ .•-. % COMPENDIUM OF %%-t History Reminiscence and Biography OF WESTERN NEBRASKA CONTAINING A History of the State of Nebraska Embracing an account of Early Explorations, Early Settlement, Indian Occupancy, Indian History and Traditions, Territorial and State Organizations; a review of the Political History; and a concise History of the Growth and Development of the State. COMPENDIUM OF REMINISCENCE OF WESTERN NEBRASKA ContainiDg Biographical Sketches of Hundreds of Promiaent Old Settlers and Representative Citizens of •WTESTER-N NEBRASKA with a review of their life work ; their idenity with the growth and development of the Region ; Reminiscences of Personal History and Pioneer Life and other Interesting and Valuable Matter which should be preserved m History. ILLUSTRATED CHICAGO: ALDEN POBLISHING COMPANY, 1909 GENERAL INDEX. Title Page ^ 5 Table of Contents 7 History of Nebraska 15 Compendium of Reminiscence and Biography of Western Nebraska 121 Index to History of Nebraska CHAPTER I. . Geography, Topography, Climate, Geology, Soil, Natural Resources, Territory, etc 17 CHAPTER II. Discovery and Early History of the Province of Louisiana; Early Explorations; Early Settle- ment; the Birth of Nebraska; Principal Events in the History of the State 25 CHAPTER III. po:,iTiCAi.. Territorial Organization; State Organ- • ization; Territorial OflBcers; State Officers; Legislative ana Official Roster 53 CHAPTER IV. State Institutions, Societies and Associations.... 95 CHAPTER V. Railbo.^ds. Early Railroad Building in the State of Nebraska; Influence of Railroads in the Early Development and Growth of the State... 103 CHAPTER VI. Miscellaneous Historical Matters; The Locusts or Grasshoppers; Public Lands; Educational; Pop- ulation of Nebraska; etc Ill iK^ INDEX Compendium of REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY of WESTERN NEBRASKA PAGE. Abbott, Christopher.. 856 Abbott, John W 1002 Abley, Fred 515 Adamson. Daniel 667 Adamson. Jolm A 777 Adkins. Riclcles N.... 871 Ainslie, James 66S Akes, Joseph G 585 Alden, William M.... 199 Alderman, James M.. 6ij6 Alderman. Sterling P. 813 Alexander. Samuel D. 610 Altord. Harry D 166 Alford, George P 166 Allen. Charles 1094 Allen, Mrs. Mav C....1094 Allen. William H 525 Allen, wailiam J 829 Allison, Welby B 271 L 'Anderson, A. J 193 Anderson, Andreas ... 317 Anderson, Andrew ... 864 Anderson, Andrew W.1076 Anderson, August E.. 317 Anderson. Charles ...1011 Anderson, Charles S..1104 Anderson, David 730 Anderson, Q^JjC. 1045 Anderson, G^. M., Illustration 457 Anderson, Geo. M 455 Anderson, Gilbert V.. 193 UAnderson, John (Dawes Co.j.'r. 461 Anderson, John (Chey- enne Co.) 833 Anderson, John A 1083 Anderson, John G 350 Anderson, Oscar E... 889 Anderson, Per 622 Anderson, Samuel E.. 735 Anderson. Swan 278 Anderson, Hon. Victor 371 Andresen, P. N 686 Andrews. Dr. J. A.... 462 Antrim, Zadok F 541 Apolius, John H 887 Arbogast. Dr. H. J... 1084 "Arkansas Bob" 217 Armstrong, John 578 Armstrong, John, Illus- tration 580 Armstrong, Joseph G. 148 Arter, Charles 781 Ashbaugh, Val 1047 Ash worth. George D. 945 Atkins, Auburn W 843 Atkins, D. K 386 Atkins, P. L 3S6 Aufdengarten. Louis . 279 Augustine, Thomas B.1088 Austin. Franklin J 20S Avery, Charles 390 Avery, Sylvenus 390 Awrants, Nois 846 Ayres, John 516 Babb, David E 902 Babb, Stephen H 908 PAGE. Babcock, William W., Sr 209 Bacon, William S 348 Bahr. Peter 764 Bairn. John A 471 Baker, Arthur D 595 Baker, Hollv 204 Baker, James E 729 Baker, Samuel 278 Baker, Theodore 204 Baldwin, B. J 171 Bales, James 1 731 Ballieu, Richard R... 818 Banderet. Frank 986 Banigan. Ernest T....1006 Bannon. Michael A.. 505 Banwell. Captain W. H., M. D 554 Barber. Frank H 934 Bare. Ira L 154 Barker. Alonzo S 280 Barker, James Ed- ward 835 Barker, Joseph 475 'Barker, William S.... 509 Barkhurst. Joseph ... 712 Barlow, L. R 960 Barnes. C. W 181 Barnes. Dan 563 Barnes. Enos R 229 Barnes. Merlin D 412 Barnes. Moses 412 Barr. Clinton M 251 Barr. Elmer E 902 Barr. L. C 249 Barrett. Captain C. H 656 Barry. Edward J 256 Barry. Lawrence 256 Bartell. John H 270 Bartlett, Harry L 926 Bartley, John W 1027 Barton, Joseph 970 Baschky, August — 446 Baschky. Mrs. Jessie F 446 Bates, Bert J 985 Bates, Mrs. Columbia. 90S Bates, Frank C 1042 Bates, Levi D 907 Bates, Luke M 523 Bates, Mrs. Martha. ..1117 Bates, Seth R 1116 Bateman. William ... 660 Battershell. D. S 1123 Battv. Earl S.. D. D. S. 2S8 Bauder. E 7S3 Bauer. Frederick G... 956 Baumgardner. E. I^.. 216 Beach. R. V 469 Beal. Eugene 783 Beamer. Geo. W 435 Beatty, William 875 Beck, W. W 704 Becker, Martin 683 Beddeo. George 913 Beebe. Alhara D 552 Seed. James William 533 Beede. Arthur S 874 Beekman. W. H 708 Beeler, Hon. J. G 172 PAGE. Beeman, John D 368 Been, Dick, Portrait.. 837 Beers Bros 484 Beers. 'Abel 484 Belden, John 1108 Belden. W. Wallace.. 819 Belgum. Peter 649 Bellows, Frank J 919 Bender. Linens E 812 Benish. Anton 841 Bennett. James C 734 Benson. E. M 274 Berg. David H 936 Berger. Otto 955 Bergman. Andrew ... 439 Bergman. August 921 Berney, John 339 Berrv, George D 267 Berry, H. H 396 Berry, J. C 748 Berry, John H 233 Berry. L. A 186 Betson. William H.... 963 Bevnon. D. S 514 Bible, Francis S 976 Bigelow, Eugene A... 356 Bigelow. Payson B 246 Biggs. Robert N 1081 Billeter. Jackson 22S Billings, J. B 167 Billings. James Earl.. 167 Billings. Oliver P., Jr. 628 Billings. Robert F.... 167 Billings, Samuel Spen- cer 710 Bird, Robert 806 Birdwell. James R 576 Bisher. William B.... 526 Bishop. John 94'i Bivens. Leander K... 789 Bixler. Grant 324 Bixler. Samuel 324 Bixler. William S 581 Black. Abner 931 Black. Frank .-.■ 337 Black. John 631 Black. Richard S 473 Black, Samuel 531 Black, W. L 164 Blackman, John C... 188 Bliss. D. C 413 Blomberg, John B.... Si7 Boardman. Geo. P...43t Boehmer, August 421 Bogseth, Olaus 672 Bonner, J. N 692 Booth. Firth 296 Booth, Hugh 289 Bordwell. L. H 1046 Borgquist. Paul R.... 930 Bork. Fred 253 Borkv. Solomon 735 Bostrom, Earl W 824 Boulden. Geo. R 799 Bowden. Ernest E 849 Bowen. Arthur R 147 Bowen, Daniel L 147 Bowen. T. J 432 Bower. Oron B 483 Bower, Pete A 1107 PAGE. Bower, W. W 989 Bowers, Captain James M 145 Bowers, Webster E... 144 Bowlbv. John H 892 Bowman, Dr. W. L.. 495 Bowman. Frank M.. 495 Bowman. Wm, R 443 Bowring, Arthur E 1073 Bover, Bovd K 183 Boyer, Charles F 142 Boyer, F. L 153 Boyer, Hugh 504 Bover, Hugh B 197 Bovles, Harry J 395 Brady, Charles T 356 Brady, John 832 Brandel. Henry C... 718 Branz, Henry 899 Brav, Israel R 452 Bratz. Fred 1067 Brennan, Martin ,222 Brennan, Michael 642 Brennan, John 222 Bresee, Charles P 486 Brewster, Frank 974 Brewster, Mrs. Belle P 974 Brill. John W 398 Brill. John W 397 Brinckerhoff, Alonzo M.494 Britton, Charles H 517 Britton. Chester H 481 Broadhurst, Nat 773 Bromwich, Uriah 470 Brosius, Eliza G 509 Brosius, Mifflin, P 509 Brothers, B. E 229 Brott, Lewis 851 Brower, David N 933 Brown, Benjamin F.. 532 Brown, James A 601 Brown, John 205 Brown, J. M 681 Brown, Joshua H 1024 Bruce, Jeduthan 417 Bruce, Mrs. L. H 199 Bruce. Nelson F 417 Bruce. William Wall- ace 198 Bruer, John N 350 Bruns, Jacob U 317 Buchanan, Fremont T 993 Buchanan, Ruben 667 Buch, Z. U 837 Buckminster. Samuel. 691 Buhike, John 191 BuUis, William T 623 Bump, Albert G 517 Burg, Arvid 207 Burg C. Anderson 207 Burge, Geo. W 435 Burge, J. E 1«38 Burge. John 435 Burkitt, Wm. M 735 Burns, James 1043 Burns, James H 273 Burr, Alexander 343 Burt, B. J 327 Bush, John H 614 Bushee, Berton K.... 988 TABLE OF CONTEXTS. PAGE. Bushnell, H. J 706 Butler. John A 414 Butler. Michael 1103 Byerly. Dr. W. H 201 Byerley, John 1061 Byfleld. E. S 1054 Cady. Wilson 1 1092 CafEa. Frank, Portrait 837 Calkins. Elisha C 125 Callahan. Charles 151 Calver. J. W 775 Camm. Geo. A S69 Campbell, James S 927 Campbell, J. H 808 Campbell. T. B 299 Campbell, T. W 316 Canaday, Hon. J. S.. 270 Cannon, A. S 498 Cannon, Ephraim H.. 433 Cannon, John H 358 Carev. Samuel W 787 Carlile. J. A 758 Carlson. Andrew A... S75 Carlson. C. J 613 Carlson. Emil 884 Carlson. Gustav 558 Carlson. John 884 Carlson. Louis 693 Carlson. Sam A 408 Carlson. Victor C 613 Carothers, Robert S.. 157 Carothers. RoUo L.... 219 Carothers, Miss Vir- ginia 219 Carpenter. Ed. F 402 Carpenter. Elhanan W.360 Carpenter, John M 667 Carr. Andrew 685 Carr. Eli 685 Carr. John F 207 Carr. William Parker. 364 Carrier. E. A Z^Z Carter. A. L 715 Carter. Charles N 203 Carter. E. G 862 Case. Arthur N 212 Case, Edwin 410 Casselman, Clarence V. 1065 Castek. John 444 Chalberg. Andrew P.. 557 Chaloud. John R 310 Chapman. James R 596 Charlton. John H 469 Chase, Enos 1068 Chase. Murray 762 Cheesman. Dennis D.. 185 Cheney. Burt E 278 Cheney. Carmel E 264 Cheney. John 278 Chester. Mrs. Evelyn T 964 Chester. Uriah 964 Chester, William 350 Chester. William, Illus- tration 348 Childers, James 1130 Christensen, Hon. A. C 203 Christensen. Claus ...794 Christensen, Lars C..226 Christensen. Martin .. 592 Christensen, Peter K, 420 Christopher, Geo 566 "Chvirn Ranch," The. 597 Cilek. Frank 367 Cilek, Frank. Jr 367 Clapp, Wyman S 184 Clapper, Frank S 6.84 Clark, Geo. D 561 Clark. William 794 Clarke. Georee G 1090 Clarkson. William D.. 834 Clary, D. B 918 Clary. Morse P 918 Clasen. John 637 Clearman, J. H .549 Cleavenger. George M 169 Cleburne. Joseph 152 Cllft, Geo. A 8S7 Clopton. David A 1089 Coble. Clarence C 985 Coble, John M 255 Codr, Frank B 1014 Cody, F. D 529 PAGE. Coftman. Mrs. Marin- tha J 521 Coffman, William J.. 520 Cogdill. George K lAU Parker, Lynn W 797 Quinn. Thomas 347 Rowley. Nelson S... 575 Short. Captain Henr\ 798 1110 Royse. Cyrus N Rucker. Warren 487 422 W Patterson. Jeff Shultz, David H 10.55 Patterson & Wingart 698 Rundquist. Frank L. 661 Shumard. Albert N.. 867 Pavlat. John 394 Radchft. Mack 1071 Ruppel. Lewis F.. Sr.. 97S Siefer. John 937 Paxton. Benjamm F 810 Radford. John W... 582 Russell. Charles R.. 448 Sigea, William 457 Peacock, Frank W... 1128 Radford, W. H 1048 Russell. Geo. E 1045 Sillasen, Jens 879 Peacock. Mrs. Thomas. 544 Randall, Henry E... 1062 Russell. Irvin W. ... 908 SiUasen. Silas 855 Peacock. Thomas ... 544 Randall. Willam A... 754 Russell, W. 607 Simon. Dr. Lincoln G 776 Peany. Robert 256 Rankin. Joseph A... 243 Ryan, James T 936 Simons. Nicholas ... 570 Pease, Fred. E 894 Rasmussen. Erik 1054 Sims. James XI 8 Peckham. Herman K 859 Rasmussen, Pete 222 Sims, John W 818 Pedersen. Christian M.375 Rasmussen. Peter ... 881 Saali, Lorenz 992 Sindt, Emil 9-^4 Pedrett, Jacob 1093 Rauer. Julius A 644 Sager, Elmer H 732 Sisler, Geo. W 404 Peniston, Mrs. W. S 240 Raum. William J. A. 625 Sagert, Theodore , , . 1122 Sisson, Augustus L.. 476 Peniston. Hon. W, S. 239 Ray, Benjamin F... 232 Sailor, Charles H 265 Skidmore, Allen W.. 175 344 Rav, John S 814 Saltsgaber, G. F 971 Skinner, James H... 651 Percy. Jeremiah C... 847 Rebbeek, Charles M 403 Saniuelson, John M.. 338 Skoog. Charles A.... .384 Persinger. Albert B. 430 Record, Willis 1050 Sanders, John E 1058 Skoog. Charles P 384 Perso. Otto 1028 Reddish, Robert R... 827 Sanstead, Wm. M... 733 Slater. John A 139 128 718 Reece. Charles S 497 215 700 Slawson. Fred. N... Slawson, Hugh P '75 Peterson. Christian J 240 Reed. J. B 961 Sateren, Olaf 643 Smith, Antlionv H.. 383 Peterson. Erasmus . 376 Reed, Morris H 759 Satterlee, Edward ... 992 Smith, C. C 15h Peterson. Peter S 852 Rees. Isaac W 769 Sauerwein, John 378 Smith, Eber A 49:1 Peterson. Peter. Sr. .. 973 Rehder. Peter 374 Saunders. W. S 417 Smith, Edwin B 61 X Peterson. Swan P... 872 Reid. James K 419 Sawyer. Bathuel S... 465 Smith, Mrs. Eliza M. 936 Peters. Arnold Reid. Ransom W 419 Sawyer. C. R 864 Smith. Geo. A 10(13 Peters. Geo. S 758 Reinert. Charles F... 519 Saxton. Alvie S 845 Smith. Dr. Hal C 285 Peters. Herman A... 1101 Remv. Dr. George O 183 Scamahorn, Rev. J. A. 333 Smith. Jacob B HS.'i Peters. William H... 770 Renift. Philo 264 Scattergood, Arthur. 1037 Smith, John L 380 Pettit. Charles S 207 Rensvold. Helmer ... 627 Schaefer. Anna M... 409 Smith, Milton X44 Pettit. Edmund F 727 Rethmeyer. Henry . 583 Schaefer. Peter . 409 Smith, Milton E MX Pettvcrew. James E. 666 Reynolds. W. C 977 Schallenberger, Gov Smith. Orrin E 10X2 611 202 Rice. Elisha C Rice. Isaac M 732 A. C . 123 472 Smith. Willis D Snider. George W... 4:-f4 Phelns. Charles L... Schaper. William ... 459 Phillips. Charles N.. 523 Rice. Susan A Scherer. John N 1000 Snodgrass. Robert C. m Phillips. Frank E. .. 900 Richards. John D... Schill, Edward J 1030 Snow. George C Phillips. F. N lllC Richards. John D... Schimka. Adam . 290 Snyder, C. F 477 Phinnev, Dr. J. E... 345 Richmond, Captain Schlasman. Adam K . 495 Snyder. David R 914 Pliillips. S. R Phillips William H... 1028 Schmidt. Edward L. Schmidtt, L . 480 . 379 . 323 Snyder, George W. . . Snyder, James Snvder, W. F 804 252 Rickman. S. N Riege. Peter 369 603 993 Phillips, William T.. Schnurr, Albert L... 477 Phillips, Winfield S. . 663 Riesche. Lewis M... Schoenenberger, Em Snyder, W. J 47V Pierce. Frank Piersall, Samuel ... . 932 . 388 Solberg. Martin P SoUenberger, Wm. C. 589 Riggs. Leonard W... 898 Schrack, Theodore . 269 Piercv. David A.. Jr. 703 Rihn, Frank 1020 Schrear, George . 981 Sones. Joshua B 392 Piercv. Captain David Riley. Edward 3S5 Schrear, Geo. Illus Souther, William ... 42b A Sr 702 833' Rincker. Fred. W... Rincker. Herman C. 323 555 . 982 . 882 Spain, Sanford Q Spearman. Charles . ir^i Pike. Albert Schuler, William ... 392 Pike. Edward 704 Rmg, August L 766 Schultalbers. Herman 396 Spearman, J. D 393 Pike. John 3S7 Ripley, Clarence A.. 30.J Schumacher. F. J... . 527 Speer, L. R 997 Pilster. Henry 1041 Robbinault, Andrew J 275 Schurman. Henry ... .1026 Spencer, Fred W vov Pitts. Luther G 1023 Robbinault, Jeremiah 27o Scofield. James S... . 462 Spragg, Abner M.... V30 Planck. Emorv 775 Robbins, Fred C 881 Scott. George F . 160 Sprague. Henry H... suo Platte Collegiate In Robbins. Isaac 452 Scott. James .1124 Sprague. William H 989 stitute. Kearney Robbins. Capt. James Scott. Roswel P . 938 Starr, Comfort. 460 & ii'i 560 S 1063 Scott. William C... . 738 Starr, Murray S 4TC Plum. Walter F . 890 Roberts, Charles .... 401 Scott. Winfield . 437 Starr, Oscar 460 Poland. Rollin . 528 Roberts. Hon. E. W. 524 Scoutt. A. A .1132 Stamper, Edmund .. ,SS3 Polard. James M 619 Roberts. John W.... 154 Scribner. A. I .1038 Standt. John N 2X6 1065 Roberts. S. L 153 Scripter. Morrison R. . 996 Steele, Andrew Wi Pomerov. Edward V. S.324 Roberts, Wm. V 153 Seager. George H... .1016 Stephenson. A. L 406 . 737 Roliertson, Merrick E . 545 Searle, Edwin M., Sr. 1066 Stetson, Isaiah SS8 Pontius. Edward F.. . 199 Robinson, Fred H... 383 Seda. Wesley . 532 Stetter,' John G M6 Porter, F. H . 470 Robinson. Geo. W... 588 Sellers, William H.. . 368 Stevens, John, Jr 1110 Porter & Griffin . 205 Robinson. John . 958 Serres. John . 506 Stevens. Joseph 371 . 325 . 312 Rochford, Martin ... Rock County— by P 1058 . 998 . 823 Stevens. William .... Stevenson. Frank ... 371 Portrev, Charles J... Severson. John . 179 Potmesil. John, Jr.... Potter. Charles W... . 126 Rockefeller, Delia H. 909 Sexson. John G . 161 Steward. John C 950 Powell, Samuel H... . 542 Rodgers, Charles ... 737 Shadbolt Bros. & Stewart. Augustus N Pratt. Daniel . 223 Rogers. Alfred W 139 Fleischman . 597 Stewart. .Charles .... Stewart. Charles H... Pratt, John B . 223 Rogers, W. N 838 Shade. Peter P . 464 Pratt, Melville E.... . 307 Rohwer. Claus . 926 Shadie. Miss Mary . . 353 Stickler. Wm. W.... . 6U2 Pratt. M. B., Illustra - Romans, James R... . 975 Shaffer. Frank . 349 Stikker, Conrad T... . 923 . 308 Root. Edmond .1037 Shanon. William . 915 Stilson, Samuel E . 276 Preston, Mrs. Eliza Rose. E. M . 336 Sharp. John D . 486 Stilson. William E... . 276 beth S . 518 Rose, Francis M . 337 Sharp. Wm. C . 486 Stinard. Daniel . 548 Preston. Thomas W. . 518 Roseberry, John L... . 287 Shattuck. Wm.. Jr... ,1115 Stockton. A. . box Price. Benjamin P. . . . 321 Rosenbaum, Emanuel Shaw. Captain A. G. . 492 Stockwell. Clifton F. Price. B. F., Illustra M .1050 Shaw. Angeloah — . 960 Stone. Henry C ifetory, L. E tion 322 Rosenfelt, J. H 674 Shaw, John B . 960 H TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE. Story. Solomon R 741 Story, William 545 Strandberg. John A... 1016 Street. Irvine 63S Strohm, Henry 399 Strong, John F 550 Strotheide. William .. .596 Stuart, Almon 557 Stuart, John T 626 Stuart. Solon D 045 Sudman, August 846 Sudman, Henrv 919 Summers. Albert B.. 471 Summers, Peter N....1102 Sumner, Drs. J. B. & Ella 182 Sweenev. James P 268 Sweeney, Michael ... 268 Sweet. Captain H. T. 1022 Sweet. Elmer J 170 Swett, Alanson R.... 512 Swift. Moses A 622 Swiggart, Geo. W 393 Swiggart, Ralph N... 743 Swim. James Riley 504 Swinbank. Sam 397 Swindell. R. M 1106 Sylvester, Warren C. 917 Tash, Ira E 135 Tavlor, Geo. L, 688 Taylor, Robert D 381 Tavlor, Samuel 615 Tavlor. William J.... 848 Teaford, James H 391 Tecker. H. E 543 Teeters. Jefferson D.. 690 Teeters, Willis J 1053 Teeters, Wilson J 1052 Teller, Frank 610 Terrv, John W 802 Thein, Matthias 828 Thies. Peter 149 Thomas. Samuel M... 694 Thompson, Christo- pher C 745 Thompson, Lvnn 822 Thompson, Wm. P. S. 762 Thomsen. Jens 599 Thornberg. Benj. F.. 808 Thornton. Thomas M. 633 Thorp. William P 1047 Thorsen. Peder 826 Thorstonson. Nels 428 Thurston, Charles W. 814 Thurston, David .... 814 Tice. Lerov D 466 Tidd. John W 891 Tiffany. Louis B 1071 Tillinghast. John B.. 310 Tillman. S. J 842 Tilton. C. W 1107 Timm. John 601 Tinsley, George W 816 Tissot, Jules E 948 Todd, George S 127 Tomlin. Harrison B... 801 Tompsett. William N. 1.S7 Tongren, Emanuel 964 Toulson. William .... 929 Towne, Mrs. Olive O. 677 Towne. Judge W. R.. 577 Townsend. Warren G. 284 Townsend, Winfield P. 259 PAOE. Traver. E. M 152 Trindel. John 939 Trognitz.. Charles E.. 537 Troxel, John F 134 Troxel, John W 946 Truax, Daniel 559 Truax, James M 362 Tryon, Wallace L.... 858 Tschabold. Fred C... 802 Tucker. Clancy 616 Tucker. Placer 616 Turner, William 224 Tweed, William 217 Uhlken, Bernhard ...1024 Uhrig, Anton 263 Vacik, Vaclav 1133 Vallette, Dr. J. 493 Van Houten. John Z. 264 Van Orsdoll, Mary 556 Van Orsdoll, Maude. 556 Van Orsdoll, The Mis- ses, Illustration 559 Van Vleck, De F 817 Van Voorhis, Lee 292 Van Winkle, Aaron.. 703 Vargason, Geo. H 70) Vasey, George 655 Vath, Fred W 813 Vaughn, Ellsworth .. 885 Vaught, Charles L... 598 Vernon, W. R 644 Versaw, F. F 752 Vick. Henry 93S Viertel. Max E 873 Von Bargen, Henrv.. 1017 Vosika, Frank S 685 Vroman, George W.. 257 Wagoner. Carl 329 Waite, H. P 156 Walcott, John C 542 Wales, Elmer E 860 Wales, Henrv A 865 Walford, John A 924 Walgreen, Mrs. Annie H 95S Walgreen, Lawrence. 958 Walker, I. S 951 Walker, John E 451 Walker Bros. & Co 451 Wallin, E G 332 Wallingtord, Horace G.677 Walls. Matthew G 340 Walter, Ludwig P.... 297 Waltz, Robert H 1031 Wanker, Ignatius 350 Wanker, Ignatius 876 Ware, Isaac N 1080 Warneke, Henrv 613 Warriner, H. M 133 Warriner, William ... 133 Watkins, Alfred E....107O Watkins, Joseph E 293 Watkins, Peter 294 Watkins, Richard H.. 196 Watkins, Wm. J 125 Watson, John Taylor 752 Watson. "Pete" 752 Watt, Herman 630 Watt, W. R 174 Way, J. S 442 Weaver. Lester B 230 Webb, Homer H 823 PAGE. Weber, Louis F 189 Weber. Martin J 320 Webster, Milo E 1114 Weekly. John C 1088 Wehn, John W 826 Weinel. John 966 Weir, Charles A 312 Weir, James 312 Weirich. John 654 Weisflog, Geo. 591 Weisflog, Henrv A... 629 Weisflog. Oscar B 635 Welch. William 1078 Weller, Charles H 530 Welton, John H 125 Welton. Ross H 125 Wendler. Gustav 386 Wendt. Ferdinand ... 861 Wentworth. Artie A.. 595 Wentworth, Thos. A. 595 Wertz, Geo. R 1108 Wertz, W. W 1108 Wertz Bros 1108 West. Joseph E 176 Westing, Edward R..1033 Weston. William L.... 679 Westover. Robert J.. 689 Weyer, John 313 Weyerts, Christopher E 682 Weygint, William .... 234 Whaley. Isadore D...928 Wheeler, John T 1112 Wheeler, Joseph L... 576 Wheeler, Harry A 707 Wheeler, Lou 1111 Whetstone, A. E 1129 Whips, Fletcher N... 617 Whitaker, N. M 172 Whitaker, R. c 172 White, Burton E 400 White, John E 400 White, Newton T 1051 White, Wellington ... 742 Whitesell, Harry I... 492 Whiting, Henry 870 Whiton. John F 904 Whiton, Mrs. John F. 904 Wiberg. Mrs. Eliza- beth 533 Wiberg, Jonas 533 Wiberg, William D... 533 Wickard, Joel 952 Wickham, Andrew Grover 579 Wickham, Andrew G., Illustration 58) Wiegand, H. G 871 Wiker, Albert 193 Wiker. James H 59S Wiklund, Eric A 217 Wilbert. Robert 159 Wilcox, E. J 231 Wilcox. F. S 127 Wilcox. Hon. J. A... 231 Wildy. Calvin J 243 Wilier. John H 606 Willerling, Al 558 Williams, Da we L 502 Williams, Edwin C.... 507 Williams, Geo. H 315 Williams. Morgan J.. 373 Williams, Richard .. 747 Williams, Sheridan .. 232 PAGE. Williams, Thomas W. 776 Williams, Weyraan W. 232 Willits. Ed. L 445 Willits, Rebecca Metz 445 Willits, Wells 445 Wilson. A. M 489 Wilson. Hon. John... 184 Wilson, John A. (Keya Paha Co.)... 1023 Wilson, John A. (Box Butte Co.) 467 Wilson. Lorenzo J 599 Wilson, Mrs. Nina V. 587 Wilson, Dr. Oscar L. . 514 Wilson, Pres 711 Wilson, W. G 1049 Wilson. William 266 Wilson. William A 587 Wilson. William J 726 Wiltsey. Charles E... 988 Windsheimer, Michael 723 Wineland. Fred L 521 Wineland, G. W 522 Winslow. Samuel A.. 438 Winterer, William H.. 247 Winton. Henrv J 682 Withers, A. J 1017 Witters. Simon P 1034 Wittig. Fred 251 Wohlheter. Valentine 454 Wolf. E. C 711 Wolf. H. D 440 Wolf. Kaspar 659 Wollesen. Ferdinand 4.^0 Wolvington, James W.626 Wood. Mrs. Addie M. 593 Wood. Addison 594 Wood. James C 474 Wood. William R.... 828 Wood. William W.... 503 Woodruff. C. H 643 Woodruff. Emmet .. 173 Woodward. Samuel M. 437 Worley. Mrs. C. S 744 "^'orley. R. Clayton... 744 Worth, Geo. H 405 Worthley. John R.... 600 Wray. William 1 5.53 Wrieht, Amos A 872 Wright, Charles W...1029 Wright. Geo 4^0 Wright. James 706 Wright. M. F 702 Wright. Sherman G.. 400 Wiiest. Michael 903 Wunder. Paul 1031 Wyatt, A. A 331 Teagle, Edward R...10S5 Yearns. Isaac L 954 Yenst. Perrv A 307 Youngquist, Chas. G.. 574 Young. Jonathan F... 930 Young. John .530 Young. P. H 552 Young. Wilber E 770 Young, \V. T 513 Zaiesky. Emil 596 Zalesky, Frank 713 Zerbe, Angelina R 408 Zerho. Josiah 408 Zimmerman. Wm. H.. 524 Zinkon. Marti« D 888 HISTORY OF NEBRASKA (J,'ul\ /ii /-/■/:.•■ . I '/,',! IX J nU/ J, I /./,/■, /-•/,/ A'ujmi J'UlJTi: jm'/MS/MUPAA/oJ\;. X-L'/JJiAHli. i HISTORY OF NEBRASKA CHAPTER I GEOGRAPHY, TOPOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, GEOLOGY, SOIL, NATURAL RE- SOURCES, IRRIGATION, ETC. COMPRISING as it does an area larger by 14,259 square miles than all of New Eng- land, the State of Nebraska is justly entitled to the important position it holds among the Sis- ter States of the Republic. Twice the size of Ohio; larger in area by many thousand square miles than England and Wales combined, Ne- braska in area is an empire. The position occupied by Nebraska is quite near the center of the United States. The par- allel of forty degrees bounds it on the south, and the Missouri river is its eastern and north- ern boundary until the forty-third degree par- allel is reached. This parallel then constitutes the northern boundary until the west line of the State, on the twenty-seventh degree of west longitude is reached. The western boundary of the State follows the twenty-seventh degree of longitude west from Washington south un- til the forty-first degree of north longitude is reached ; it then follows the forty-first degree of longitude east, to a point formed by its intersec- tion with the twenty-fifth degree of longitude west from Washington ; then south to the for- tieth degree of north latitude. This, it will be seen, takes quite a notch, approximately 7,300 square miles, out of the State. If it were not for this off-set, the State would approximate the shape of a parallelogram. The extreme width of the State from north to south is 208.5 miles ; and its length from east to west is approximately 413 miles. ' Previous to 1882 the area of the State was almost 75,995 square miles. In that year by act of Congress the northern boundary was straightened which added approximately 900 square miles to its territory, giving a present area of 76,895 square miles, or 49,212,000 acres. In the heart of the great Union, grouped among the greatest states of the Commonwealth, directly in the great cen- ter of the Nation's wealth, Nebraska has re- ceived the overflow from the east, and blessed them with plenty. And its location, combined with its climate and natural resources, have made its settlement, growth and development so rapid as to place it among the greatest states in the Union in a time so short as to be within the memory of the present generation. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY TOPOGRAPHY. Nebraska has an extremely varied surface. Altliough there are no elevations high enough to be called mountains, yet in the northern and western parts of the State there are lofty hills of varied character. In the eastern states the ridges are generally the result of elevations and subsidences of the earth's crust modified by sub- sequent aquaeous agencies, but in Nebraska the rolling lands and hills are caused mostly by erosion. In the east massive rocks mainly make up the body of the hills ; while here they are to a certain extent composed of drift materials, loosely compacted, but chiefly of loess. The bottom lands are met with every few miles crossing the State. They are huge and in gen- eral shallow troughs; in breadth, proportionate to the size of the stream. In width they range from a quarter of a mile to twenty-three miles on the Platte and the Missoufi. Quite often we find them terraced. These terraces, like broad steps, lead gradually to the bordering bluffs. Sometimes the edges of the low terraces on the bottoms are so worn away that their character is concealed. What was once a ter- race has become a gentle slope. The slopes on the bottoms between Crete and Beatrice, and Ashland and Lincoln are good examples of this character. In regard to the surface the curve is the predominating geometrical form — streams, ter- races, bluffs, valleys, all follow curves. "The curve is the line, of beauty." This law is ex- emplified here. There is an amazing number of valley or bottom lands. By the thousand they must be numbered. As an example, take the region of the Rei)ublican river. On the average of every two miles a tributary valley comes into the bottom from the north side. Counting the small tributaries with their narrow bottoms, not less than twenty-five per cent, of the entire sur- face of the State is made up of bottom lands. The gently rolling lands of three-fourths of the State appear very much like billows of the ocean. Sometimes extensive stretches are met with which a])pear to be level, but even these on closer observation show to be gently undulat- ing. From these last mentioned forms to the few isolated sections of limited extent, broken by canons with precipitous sides, the transi- tion is gradual. It is altogether a prairie State, with rich alluvial valleys and table lands stretch- ing away into extensive level plains, with a gradual ascent from the Missouri river west- ward, reaching an altitude on its western border of between five and six thousand feet above the sea level, and yet the incline is so gradual that in the construction of the Union Pacific railroad up the Platte Valley, not a tunnel, trestle or fill of any importance was required ; nor a single difficulty encountered from the Missouri river to the west line of the State. Take the State as a whole, it slopes mainly toward the east, and in minor degree toward the south. The ascent west from Omaha is at the rate of five and a half feet to the mile for ICO miles. The second hundred miles increases the ascent to seven feet ; the third hundred, seven and a half feet; the fourth hundred to ten and a half feet to the mile; and the ascent of the last fifty miles at the west end of the State is eighteen feet to the mile. The figures are approximately correct. A similar gradual as- cent characterizes the south and north lines of the State. The southeastern corner of the State which is the lowest part of the State has an elevation of 878 feet. Here the ascent is only one and a quarter feet to the mile. Even less than this is the fall going northward to Dakota City. In western Nebraska the difference in elevation between the Union Pacific railroad and the Republican valley on the south side is approximately 352 feet. From the Union Pa- cific, on the west line, going northward, the elevation increases until Scott's Bluff is reached, where the elevation of 6,051 feet is the highest point in the State. From here to the valley of the Niobrara, toward the north line there is a gradual descent. As the elevation at Pine Bluffs, on the extreme western line of the State on the Union Pacific, is 5,061 feet, the ascent from this point northward is 635 feet, against a corresponding difference of less than 200 feet on the east line of the State. Taking the data, obtained principally by a reduction of railroad surveys in various parts of the State, the aver- age elevation of the whole State is about 2,312 feet. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 19 Although there are no large lakes in Ne- braska, there are many small ones, besides the lakes of fresh water there are a few saline or alkaline. In southeastern Nebraska many springs appear on top of limestone strata that underlie loosely-compacted sandy rocks or shales. In most parts of the State by sinking a shaft down* from fifteen to fifty feet fresh wa- ter can be had in abundance. In Fillmore, Clay, Adams and Phelps counties, and some other portions of the State, we find exceptions to this rule, where there is a great thickness of loess anil drift to be penetrated before impervious strata capable of holding water are reached. Some artesian wells have been bored. Among the rivers of Nebraska the deep and rapid Missouri is the principal one. At least 500 miles of this river are on the eastern and northern borders of the State. It is a highway to the commerce and markets of the world. Had it not been for the Missouri the settlement of this region would have been indefinately delayed. As the river is navigable for two thousand miles above Omaha it was a great highway for traffic with the mountain regions of Idaho, Dakota and Montana in early days. However, with the building of railroads, the business has fallen off. The Missouri river is the only navigable river in Nebraska and has always been described as an "exceedingly crooked, treacherous stream." Its source is in latitude 45 north, and longitude 110:30 west, high up in the Rocky mountains, and the distance it flows from the Great Falls to its junction with the Mississippi river is 2,- 575 miles. The Missouri seems to hold a mortgage on the lands that fiank it on either side, and it often takes such lands by force, only to return them when some other change in its every shifting course is developed. Previous to the exploration made by Lewis and Clark, the impression prevailed among the Spanish and French residents in what was then known as the Northwestern Territory, that the source of the Missouri was near a point where it joins the Niobrara, and most of the maps in use previous to the exploration referred to locate its source at or near the point mentioned. Having referred to the Missouri as being the only navigable river touching Nebraska it will doubtless be of interest in this connection to mention the first steamer on the Missouri. It was built at Pittsburgh by the United States Government in 1818, and named the "West- ern Engineer-." She left her moorings at Pitts- burgh, May 3, 1819, having on board an explor- ing expedition, sent out by order of the Gov- ernment to explore the Missouri river and the country west of the Rocky mountains. The expedition was under the command of Major S. H. Long and arrived at St. Louis on June 20, one month and seventeen days after starting. The mouth of the Platte was reached on the 17th of September following, and on the 19th of the same month the expedition cast anchor near the JNIouth of Boyer river, on the Iowa side, about five miles below Council Bluffs, where it went into winter quarters. The point of encampment was known as Fort Lisa, and was occupied by the Missouri Fur Company as a trading post. Here the explorers remained during the winter of 1819-20, J\Iajor Long, in the meantime, returning to Philadelphia, the then seat of Government, with reports of the expe- dition. June 20, 1820, Major Long returned to Fort Lisa with orders for the expedition to pro- ceed overland to the head waters of the Ar- kansas and Red rivers for the purpose of ex- ploring said streams and the country contiguous to them, and, in accordance therewith, the ex- pedition left the boat at this point and proceeded up the valley of the Platte, holding councils ' with the numerous Indian tribes through which they passed. The "Western Engineer" after the departure of the expedition received a new commander and was employed for many }ears thereafter in transporting Government supplies to forts and trading posts along the Missouri river. The Platte is the second great river in Ne- braska. It is nearly 1,200 miles in length. Its head waters originate in the mountain,s and some of them in lakelets fed by the everlasting snows. By the time it reaches Nebraska it is a broad, shallow, sandy but rapid current. Flow- ing from west to east through the State it divides it, leaving the larger part on the north. It is not navigable. Flood time is about the same for both rivers. Sometimes for the Platte it is a few days or weeks earlier. Among other improtant rivers and creeks COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY are the Republican, Niobrara, Keya Paha, White, Elkhorn, Logan, the Bow rivers, the Nemahas, the Blues, the Loups, Salt Creek, Weeping Water, the Wahoo, Elk Creek, South and West Iowa Creeks and others. SOIL, AGRICULTURE AND STOCK RAISING. The elements found in the soil of the greater part of Nebraska forms one of the richest and most tillable soils in the world, and the un- rivalled fertility of her soil places Nebraska in the front rank among the great grain pro- ducing states of the Union. The soil of the table and upland is composed of what is known as Loess or Lacustrine deposit, most valuable of all for agricultural purposes, and this de- posit, of uniform color, prevails over nearly three-fourths of the area of the State. In some places in the northeastern counties it is claimed to be nearly 200 feet thick, but in the balance of the State it ranges from five to 150 feet in thickness. One of the former State Geologists, Prof. Samuel Aughey, after a careful analysis of this soil from samples taken in different por- tions of the State, incorporated the following in one of his reports : "From my examinations I find that over eighty per cent, of this forma- tion is silicious matter, and so finely comminuted is it that the grains can only be seen under a good microscope. So abundant are the carbonates and phosphates of lime that in many places they form peculiar rounded and oval concretions. Vast numbers of these concretions, from the size of a shot to a walnut, are found almost everywhere by turning over the sod and in ex- cavations. The analysis shows the prescence of a comparatively large amount of iron, besides alumina, soda, potash, etc. These elements form one of the richest soils in the world. In fact, in its chemical and physical properties and the mode of its origin, it comes nearest to the loess of the Rhine and the Valley of Egypt. It can never be exhausted until every hill and valley which composes it is entirely worn away. Owing to the wonderfully finely comminuted silica of which the bulk of the deposits consist, it possesses natural drainage in the highest de- gree. However great the floods of water that fall it soon percolates through this soil, which in its lowest depths retains it like a sponge. When drouths come, by capillary attraction, the moisture comes up from below, supplying the needs of vegetation in the dryest seasons. This is the reason why all over this region, where this deposit prevails, the native vege- tation and cultivated crops are seldom either dried out or drowned out. This is especially the case on old breaking where deep plowing is practiced." Next in importance after the loess or lacus- trine are the alluvium deposits. From an an- alysis made of the bottom lands, it appears that chemically, alluvium diflfers from the loess chiefly in having more organic matter and alumina and less silica. The soil of the bottom lands is rich in organic matter. The depth of this soil varies greatly, it often being twenty feet or more in thickness, then again the sand of the subsoil is reached at a depth of two or three feet. The alkali lands are to be found in different sections of the State but chiefly in the w^estern portion. In the east half there are scarcely any such lands, the majority of the counties having none at all, while in others are small spots. These alkali lands are renovated and made very productive by irrigation, cultivation and drain- age. The time is rapidly approaching when these lands will become the most valuable farm- ing sections of the world. They are not con- fined to any one geological formation, but are found sometimes on the drift, alluvium or the loess. They increase in number from the eastern to the western portions of the State, and where they have been closely examined they are found to vary a great deal in chemical constituents. Generally, however, the alkali is largely composed of soda compounds, with an occasional excess of lime and magnesia or potash. Much of the alkali originated by the accumulation of water in low places. The escape of the water by evaporation left the saline matter behind, and in the case of salt (sodium chloride), which all waters contain in at least minute quantities, the chlorine, by chemical reactions, separated from the sodium, the latter uniting with oxygen and car- bonic acid formed the soda compounds. The alkali that exists far down in the soil is also COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY brought up during dry weather by escaping moisture and is left on the surface when the water is evaporated. . One of the most interesting features of the topography of southern Nebraska is the salt basins stretching along the west side of Salt Creek from Lincoln five or six miles to the north. An early writer said of these: "In ordinary sunny days, of which the climate of Nebraska is so prodigal, these basins, some of which are a mile in diameter, exactly resemble at 1 distance bodies of limpid water, and it is difficult for a stranger to realize that what he sees reflecting the rays of the sun from a mirror- like surface is a level floor of compact earth, covered with a layer of saline crystals and in- tersected with tiny rivers of brine flowing into the creek that obtains from them its name and character.'" Ihe discovery of these basins was made by the Government surveyors in 1856, and at that time great wealth was anticipated for those who would erect suitable works for the manufacture of salt. Several companies were organized to manufacture salt and a good deal of litigation resulted over the rival claims to the various basins. In certain sections of the western portion of the State are found the "sand hills." Sometimes these hills are comparatively barren but in most places they are fertile enough to sustain a cover- ing of nutritious grasses, and these regions are now famous stock raising areas. In many places in the sandy regions the soil has a mixture of drift and loess which makes it highly fertile when supplied with sufficient moisture. Irrigation, which is treated of in another part of this volume, has already begun in the west- ern portion of the State on an extensive scale, and the wonderful future of this line of develop- ment is surely foretold in the success that has been attained along the Platte river by irrigat- ing the lands. This great work as yet is in its infancy, but enough is already proven along this line to safely predict a most marvelous growth and development of the wealth and re- sources of western Nebraska by scientific and practical irrigation. Nebraska is essentially an agricultural State, the bountiful soil and mildness of climate are especially favorable to cereal crops, and in fact to all the products of the temperate zone, nearly all of which are grown here to perfection, and attain a size and quality rarely found in the older states. It is also one of the most favored and important stock raising countries in the world — in fact, the State of Nebraska, and more especially its northwestern and western portions, is fairly entitled to the first position among the western states and territories as a stock produc- ing and stock sustaining region. Its vast prairies ; abundant, luxuriant and nutritious grasses ; its rivers, creeks and springs of clear, sparkling waters; and still more, its uniform and delightful climate — these are a few of the more substantial reasons ' why Nebraska excels as a stock raising country. But even in the far western counties mixed farming is fast gain- ing headway, and the general rule of the moder- ate farmer is to raise grain along with stock, and the growth in wealth and productiveness of that region has been marvelously rapid and substantial. All of the factors which enter into the deter- mination of an ideal climate are found in Ne- braska — temperature, forms of relief, condition of the atmosphere, geographical position and rainfall— all combine to make this a climate as satisfactory as can be found anywhere in the Union. Long and mild autumns are character- istic here. During these months, excessive rains seldom fall. Occasionally there is a rough spell in October, but almost invariably it is fol- lowed by mild weather which is generally pro- longed into December and in some years into January. The climate is particularly healthful. No spot on the globe is absolutely free from disease but this State is singularly exempt from its severest forms. Fever and ague are more rarely met with here than in most States. Where they do occur it is owing to limited lo- cal causes or extraordinary exposure, and they are generally successfully treated by the simplest remedies. Many of these cases, contracted else- where, come here in hopes of having the disease cured by this climate and they are rarely dis- appointed if nature is given a chance to exert its full health-making power. The cause of the general exemption from this class of diseases and malarial poisons is found in the peculiar climate and surface conditions of the State. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY An early writer in speaking enthusiastically of this climate said: "Nearly everyone who comes to the State feels a general quickening and elasticity of spirits. The appetite and di- gestion improve wonderfully. Mind and body are lifted up. It must originate from our pe- culiarities of climate. I have myself felt in this State, as I have never felt it elsewhere, especi- ally when camping out far away from settle- ments and alone with Nature and God, how luxurious existence was and how pleasant lift- was intended to be." Western Nebraska, as a whole, has been what might be called semi-arid, though not in an ex- treme sense, as many sections have been pro- ductive since early settlement. During the last ten years moisture conditions in the entire sec- tion have been improving and the productivity has, therefore, been increasing, which has conse- quently caused a general and gradual increase in land values which is continuing at the present time. Two things in early days caused western Nebraska to be semi-arid ; first, lack of sufficient precipitation, and second, hot winds. There have been years when the annual rainfall was sufficient, but at the time when the crops were Hearing maturity the hot winds from the south and southwest would blast them. During the past few years innumerable irrigation projects, both government and private, have been turning hundreds and thousands of acres in Kansa^;, Colorado and ^^'yoming under irrigation, 'ihis gpeat transformation in the southwest will result in eliminating forever any further visitations of hot winds which originated in that territory, at least, under no conditions will they again visit this region with such destroying effect as in the past. This vast irrigated district surrounding Nebraska on the west, southwest and south will result in giving western Nebraska increased precipitation from the great evaporation occur- ring there. IRRIG.\TION IX XEIIKA.SKA. Irrigation in Nebraska has made consider- able progress during the past few years and the work contemplated by the government along the line of storing the flood water of the North Platte river will add a large number of acres to the irrigated area. In the valleys of the Platte and North Platte rivers are found the largest irrigation enterprises of the State. In many places the valley reaches a width of ten to twelve miles and contains some of the best soil to be found anywhere in the State. On the Republican some very successful ditches have been operated. The total length of these ditches is nearly two hundred miles, covering about fifty thousand acres. In the northwestern part of the State, a large number of canals have been built using the water from Hat creek. White river and Niobrara river and their tributaries. Most of these ditches are small, but they are of great value, as they furnish the means of supplying winter feed for the cattle which graze upon the range adjacent to these irrigated sections during the greater part of the year. These small ditches also enable the ranchman to raise a variety of products which would be impossible without ir- rigation. Many canals have been built taking their water from the Loup rivers and their tribu- taries. The largest of these, the Great East- ern canal, which heads a short distance above Genoa, has about seventy miles of canal con- structed and in operation and covers about forty thousand acres of land. These streams flow for the greater portion of their lengths through a section of the State where the na- tural rainfall is generally sufficient for the pro- duction of good crops, and for this reason only a very small percentage of the flow has been diverted for use in irrigation. Some very extensive schemes for the de- velopment of power have been jilanned invol,'- ing the use of the waters of the Loup, Elkhorn and Platte rivers. Only a few canals have been taken out of the Elkhorn and lower Niolirara rivers for ir- rigation. .Among the largest of ihese is the Elkhorn Valley canal. The Elkhorn river is used extensively for the development of power and application has been made for water for several large power plants on the Niobrara. :OMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 23 Some of the smaller streams, such as Lodge Pole, Pumpkin Seed and Frenchman rivers, ir- rigate an area very much in excess of what would be expected from an examination of the records of their discharge measurements. The Lodge Pole, which ra'rely flows more than twenty cubic feet per second at any point at this writing, supplies seventy-seven miles of canal, covering about twelve thousand acres of land, and a large percentage of this land re- ceives sufificent water to insure the production of good crops. In many localities in Nebraska the land un- der irrigation has reached a high state of culti- vation and a large variety of crops is produced. Under the older canals many well improved farms are found which will compare favorably with any to be found in the eastern portion of the State. A great deal of alfalfa is grown under irri- gation and the cultivation of sugar beets is be- ing rapidly developed. The beets show a very large percentage of sugar and the tonnage is heavy. The abundance of sunshine and the fact that the amount of moisture supplied may be regulated so as to give the growing beets just the amount required', and the further fact that the soil seems to be particularly adapted to their growth, make this an ideal locality for sugar beet culture. Much of the land under irrigation has never been broken up and is devoted to the I)roduction of , native hay. The native sod when irrigated produces large crops of hay of a very superior quality. Within the last few years the supreme court has handed down several opinions which have done much to settle the question of irrigation rights in Nebraska. These decisions declare the irrigation laws of the State to be constitutional, define the rights of riparian owners and uphold the rights of appropriators who have made bene- ficial use of the water. This has done much to establish the stability of existing rights and to en- courage appropriators. There are still a num- ber of important points which remain unsettled. Nebraska, extending as it does from the Mis- souri river almost to the mountains, includes within its borders two distinct regions. The eastern portion of the State is within the humid region and the rainfall is sufficient for success- full agriculture, and the extreme eastern portion might be classed as semi-arid. Here the rainfall in the past has been very variable. The con- ditions being so different in different portions of the State, render it very difficult to settle many of the questions which arise in regard to the use of water. The question of the distribution of the wa- ters of interstate streams is a very important one and one which should be settled as soon as possible. Nebraska is particularly interested in this question. A very large part of the land reclaimed in this State receives its water from the Platte rivers. The pioneers of irrigation have gone into this part of the State and en- countered all the hardships incident to the set- tlement of a new country, and have brought thousands of acres of land under the influence of irrigation and added millions of dollars to the value of the State. These people should be protected in the use of water which they have appropriated, and be assured that subsequent appropriators in other states will not be per- mitted to divert the water and ruin their work, of a lifetime. Some system should be devised whereby the appropriator of the water of any stream who has made beneficial use of the same, should be protected without regard to State lines or other political subdivisions. In the early days of the settlement of this State there was a great prejudice against irri- gation and any one who advocated it was looked upon as an enemy of the State. Many of the pioneers who settled in the western portion of the State, realizing the uncertainty of agricul- ture when dependent upon the natural rainfall, constructed a number of canals which demon- strated the value of irrigation. We quote the following article, bearing on this subject, from the latest report issued by the State Board of Agriculture : "Nebraska has now over 2,500 miles of canals, covering over one million acres of land. In the western part of the State the normal flow of many of the streams during the height of the irrigating season has already been appropriated, but only a small portion of the entire flow is used, and a large amount of land can still be reclaimed by an intelligent system of storage and by educat- ing the irrigators to use the water upon the 24 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY land when it is to be had, instead of waiting until the crops are suffering and everyone de- sires to use the full amount of his appropria- tion. On some of the smaller streams the plan of distributing the water by a time schedule has proved very successful. This allows each appropriator to use all the water available in the stream for a short period and then turn it out to be used by the next one who is entitled to it. In this way it is possible to accomplish much more than could be accomplished when each irrigator is restricted to the amount of his appropriation, which is sometimes only a frac- tion of a cubic foot per second and is allowed to use it for the entire season. "We have a district irrigation law in Ne- braska which enables a majority of the land- owners in any territory which is susceptible to irrigation from a common source to organize a district, and this district has authority to vote bonds for the construction or purchase of works, and to levy a tax to raise money to pay these bonds, and also to pay for the maintenance of the works. This law has worked out very suc- cessfully in many cases, and we have some dis- tricts organized under it which are finely im- proved and in good financial condition. "There has been considerable development along the line of pumping water for irrigation, and quite a number of plants have been put in operation, employing windmills, water wheels, gasoline and steam engines for the motive power." Taking everything into consideration, Ne- braska has made very good progress in irri- gation improvement, and is in position to make still greater development in the future. STATISTICS. In 1874 the government report showed that Nebraska raised only 3,619,000 bushels of wheat. In 1880 this had grown to 12,922,000. In 1890 the government gave the figures as 15,- 315,000 bushels, and in 1900, 24,810,000, but since then the State has made wonderful de- velopment in the way of wheat growing. In 1902 it raised a crop of 52,726,000 bushels ; its crop in 1905 was 48,002,000 bashels ; in 1906 its wheat yield was 51,709,000 bushels, and in 1907, when the crop was short everywhere, the government report made it 46,879,000 bushels. It has also become a great corn growing state. As late as 1880 its corn crop was only 59,- 507,000 bushels. Eight years later it raised 144,217,000 bushels. In 1S98 the government reported its crop at 158,754,000 bushels; in 1904 it was 260,942,335 bushels ; in 1906 its yield was 241,383,537 bushels, and the reports for 1907 gave the yield as being 169,732,885 bushels. The above figures are given to show by way of comparison the marvelous growth of the State, and its development as an agricultural region. The growth has been equally marked in regard to other crops, and also in its manu- facturing and commercial interests. This is evidenced by the growth of bank deposits in Nebraska. In 1890 the bank deposits in Ne- braska were reported as being $48,770,811. In 1905 they had grown to $134,991,210; and two years later (1907) were given as being $178,- 36i,355-i3- , In speaking of the prosperity of the State and general condition of its people. Governor Sheldon in closing his Thanksgiving proclama- tion in 1907, said : "Our granaries and our store-houses are tilled with the products of our farms and our factories. Our pastures and feed-lots contain cattle, hogs and sheep without number. Our conunercial and business institutions are solv- ent. Our people, realizing that they must go up or go down together, have full confidence in each other's honesty and integrity. The in- dustrious and frugal for a decade have been well rewarded for their labor. This has en- abled them to provide their families with the comforts of life and build beautiful homes in our cities throughout the country. For all these things that have promoted our peace, prosperity and happiness it is fitting that thanks should be rendered unto Him whose invisible hand con- trols our destinv." CHAPTER II. THE DISCOVERY AND EARLY HISTORY OF THE PROVINCE OF LOUISIANA; EARLY EXPLORATIONS, EARLY SETTLEMENT; THE BIRTH OF NE- BRASKA—PRINCIPAL EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE STATE. IT is difficult looking back through the mist of years to arrive at an incontrovertable conclusion as to just when and by 'whom the middle portion of the United States was first visited by white men. There is a wealth of interesting historical documents and writings recounting the invasion of this part of the con- tinent by whites and tracing the march of civilization, most of which base their begin- nings with the French explorers ; but it is now regarded as an established fact by many his- torical writers that the southwestern and middle portions of the United States were included in Spanish explorations early in the fifteenth cen- tury. One of the expeditions which is referred to by many historians is the Coronado expedi- tion. It is related that in about the year 1540 Coronado, who was then Governor of New Gallia, organized an expedition and executed a march from Mexico to the region which is now the heart of Nebraska and Kansas. That was as marvelous an undertaking as the history of this continent affords. Not only was the region to be covered an unknown land, but the ob- stacles to be overcome, the mountains between and subsequent stretches of sand plains and desert made the undertaking a gigantic one. And yet under these conditions it is said that an army of about one thousand men was pushed across the arid plains, the rugged mountains and barren deserts, which lie between what is now Nebraska and Mexico. This, it must be remembered, was eighty years before the Pil- grims landed on the shores of New England ; sixty-eight years before Hudson discovered the river which bears his name; sixty-six years be- fore John Smith commenced the settlement of what was afterward to be Virginia ; and nearly a century before Jean Nicolet established com- mercial relations with the Indians of Wisconsin. This expedition was organized to search for fabulous wealth which was supposed to exist in these regions, of which marvelous tales had been carried to Mexico. The end of the long march is graphically told by Judge J. W. Savage, a careful student and an eloquent writer on Nebraska's early history, in the following words : "Northward from the Arkansas river for many weary and anxious hours, the lit- tle band which accompanied the adven- turous general pursued its way over the Kansas plains. July had come, the days were long and hot and the sultry nights crept over the pri- meval prairie, seeming to rise like a shadowy and threatening specter out of the grass. But stout hearts and good horses brought them at last to what I am satisfied is the southern bound- ary of Nebraska. And here, along the Platte river, they found the long-sought Kingdom of Ouivera ; here was Tartarrax, the hoary-headed old ruler of the land. But alas for the vanity of human expectations ! The only precious metal they saw was a copper plate hanging to the old chief's breast, by which he set great store ; there were no musical bells, no gilded eagle, no silver dishes, no rosary, no image of the Virgin, no cross, no crown, that they had been led to believe e.xisted. In the midst of his dis- 26 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY appointment the general took a melancholy pleasure in hanging his guides who had so egregiously misguided him. It is said that the guides here boldly avowed that they knew of no gold, that they had brought the invaders into the wilderness to perish with hunger and hard- ship, to rid the peaceful dwellers in the Rio Grande and Pecos valleys of their hated pres- ence, and met their fate with stoicism which the Spaniards called despair and remorse. Here then, upon the southern boundary of this State at a point not yet easily ascertainable, but doubtless between Gage County on the east and Furnas county on the west, Coronado set foot on the soil of Nebraska and remained for twenty-five days. I have heretofore adverted to the fact that this location of the northern termi- nus has not met with universal acceptation. The arguments, however, in support of the theory seem to me to be unanswerable." ^^'hile it is true that the location of the northern terminus is not definitely settled, most writers concede that Coronado's march — fol- lowing the itinerary given in the Spanisn docu- ments and papers — must have carried this band of explorers up somewhere into the Kansas-Ne- braska prairies. The land of Quivera, and the Seven Cities of the Bufifalo, referred to is sur- rounded by much glamour of romantic mis- tery. Although a number of contcmporanious narratives are preserved referring to this king- dom and to remarkable searches made for it, it is singular that hardly any two writers agree 33 to the location or the ultimate terminus of the searching expeditions. At about the same time another event was transpiring, also under the folds of the Span- ish flag, which for years stood undisputed in point of priority and an epoch is marked in American history by the discovery of the Mis- sissippi by Ferdinand De Soto in 1542. It is related that in 1542 Ferdinand De Soto, with a band of Spanish adventurers, acting un- der a commission from the sovereign of his native land, discovered the Mississippi river about the mouth of the Ouachita. After the sudden death of their leader, in May of that year, liis followers, after burying his body in the river, built a small vessel, and in July, 1543, descended the great river to the Gulf of Mexico. Thus the mouth of the Mississippi was dis- covered one hundred and thirty years prior to the discovery of its upper valley by the French missionary priests. By virtue of this and the conquest of Florida, Spain claimed the country bordering on the Mississippi and the Gulf of ]\Iexico, but made no attempt to colonize it permanently. At that time it was tacitly understood by the vari- ous maritime states of Europe that the dis- covery and occupation of any part of the New World made a legitimate title to the country. Although the valley of the Mississippi was thus taken possession of by Spain, the failure of that power to consummate its discovery by planting colonies or settlements, made their title void, and the country was left open to be rediscovered and taken possession by other powers. In 1534 and 1535 an intelligent and cai)al)le French naval officer, Jacques Cartier, discov- ered and named the St. Lawrence river. He took possession of that country in the name of his king and built a rude fort, in 1541, near the present site of Quebec. This was sixty-six years before the English made a settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. From that time on the country became known and settlements sprang up along the great river and it became the prov- ince of New France. In 1608 Champlain se- lected the site of the old fort of Carticr's as the future capital of the province. Champlain made many explorations in and around the country, and in 1609, ascending a tributary of the St. Lawrence, found that beautiful sheet of water in New York that bears his name. After visiting France, he returned and in 1615, ac- companying a tribe of Indians to their far off hunting grounds, discovered Lake Huron. It was early in the seventeenth century when the revived religion of France quickened the fervor of her noble missionary priests. Led by their zeal to the New World, they penetrated the wilderness in all directions from Quebec, carrying the tidings of the Gospel to the heathen. Along the river St. Lawrence, through the chain of Great Lakes, westward, they pushed their way, establishing missions and en- deavoring to turn the savages to their faith. This movement began in 1611. when Father La Caron, a Franciscan friar, the friend and com- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 27 panion of Champlain, made a journey to the rivers of Lake Huron on foot and by paddling a bark canoe. In 1632, on the estabHshment of a government of New France, under the com- mission of Louis XIII, and the patronage of his great prime minister, Armand Duplessis, Cardinal Richelieu, the work of converting the Indian passed from the order of St. Francis, to that of Loyola, the famed Jesuit. Burning with a pious zeal and animated by a spirit of self-sacrifice, rarely, if ever, paralleled in the history of missionary work, these latter, simple priests, penetrated the wilds of the Canadian frontier, and through toil and pain, often *o martyrdom, carried the cross to the remote tribes of the Mississippi and its tributaries. Bancroft, the historian, says : "Tlie history of their labors is connected: with the origin of every celebrated town in the annals of French America ; not a cape was turned or a river en- tered, but a Jesuit led the way." In 1634 the Jesuits, Brebeuf and Daniels, followed by Lallemand, made a journey into the far west. Joining a party of Huron Indi- ans, who had been in Quebec, and who were re- turning to their homes, they pushed their way, enduring, without complaint, untold fatigue and suffering, by lake, river and forest. They pene- trated to the heart of the Huron wilderness. Near the shores of Lake Iroquois was raised the first house of the Society of Jesus in all that region, and soon two villages, named St. Louis and St. Ignace, sprang up among the primeval forests that were then the homes of the savage red man. The mission of Brebeuf gave to the world its first knowledge of the- water courses of the St. Lawrence valley. From a map pub- lished in France in 1660 it is seen that these pious priests had explored the country from the waters of the Niagara to the head of Lake Su- perior and had heard of or seen the shores of Lake Michigan. As early as 1635 Jean Nicolet, who had been one of Champlain's interpreters, and who had come from his native land, France, to Can- ada in 1618, reached the western shores of Lake IVIichigan. In the summer of 1634 he as- cended the St. Lawrence river with a party of Hurons. and thence onward to Lake Michi- gan, and during the following winter traded with the Indians at what is now Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 1635 he returned to Canada. He was married in Quebec, October 7, 1637, and lived at Three Rivers until 1642, when he died. Of him it is said, in a letter written in 1640, that he had penetrated the farthest into these distant countries and that if he had proceeded "three days more on a great river which flows from that lake (Green Bay), he would have found the sea, for such was the common belief in those days, even among geographers and other scientists. The hostilities of the Iroquois, or Fve Na- tions, a confederacy of fierce and ■ bloodthirsty savages, prevented the journey of Raymbault and Picard to the west in 1640, but the follow- ing year at the great feast of the dead, held by the Algonquins, at Lake Nipising, the Jesuits were invited to visit the land of the Ojibway or Chippewa Indians, at what is now Sault de Sainte Marie. Accordingly, September 17, 1641, Fathers Raymbault and Jogues left the Bay of Penetanguishene in a bark canoe for the ren- dezvous, where, after a passage of seventeen da3'S, they found two thousand Indians, who had congregated to meet them. At this assembly the fathers learned of many, as yet unheard of tribes. Here was heard the first mention of the Dacotahs, called in the Ojibway tongue, Nadouechionec or Nadoues- sioux. The latter name, abbreviated by the French, forms the present name of those fierce nomads of the North, the Sioux. It has been truly said "that the French were looking toward the homes of the Sioux, in the gl"eat valleys of the Mississippi and Missouri five years before the New England Eliot had addressed the tribes of Indians who dwelt within six miles of Boston harbor." In the ardor of his enthusiasm for ■ discovery Raymbault expected to reach the Pa- cific Ocean, then supposed to be but a few hun- dred miles west of where the Mississippi river is now found. However, he was laid low by the hand of death, dying in 1642, of sickness brought on by hardships and exposure. In August, 1654, two fur traders joined a band of Ottawa Indians and made a long jour- ney into the far west. In two years they re- turned with some fiftv canoes and two hundred and fiftv natives. Thev described the rivers 28 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY and lakes of the west, and the tribes whose homes stretched away to the northern sea and mentioned the Sioux who dwelt beyond Lake Superior and who wanted to trade with the white man. In this way the exploration of the western country was extended from the eastward into the wilds of the great west. The adventurous spirits from the St. Lawrence explored the great lakes and adjacent regions, planting the seeds of commerce and civilization, and we see the trend of exploration pushing still westward toward the land of which we write. Among those who should be mentioned as having helped to carry civilization west of the great lakes and who explored considerable territory in what is now Wisconsin and Illinois were Father Rene Menard, Father Claude Allouez and Father Jaquez Alarquette. It seems that in the year 1660 the superior of the Jesuits at Quebec, learning of the many savage tribes to the west of the missions, and burning with zeal for the advancement of the cause of Christ and his church, and aiming at the conversion of the heathen, sent this Father Rene IMenard and another priest as apostles among the red men. Father Menard's "hair had been whitened by age, his mind ripened by long experience, and, being well acquainted with the peculiarities of the Indian character, he seemed the man for the mission." The night previous to his de- parture sleep deserted the eyes of the venerable ])riest. He knew that he was going into the land of ruthless, savage barbarians, and he thought of hi^ friends. Two hours past mid- night he penned a letter to a friend, the pious sinipilcity of which is a monument to this esti- moble priest. Early in the morning of the 28th of August, 1660, in company with the party of fur traders, he departed ■ from Three Rivers. Oct. 15th lie arrived at a bay on Lake Superior, to which he gave the name of Ste. Theresa, its discovery occurring on her fete day. The party remained at this point all winter, hard pressed for want of food, being driven to all sorts of shifts to avoid starvation. Having, received an invitation to visit them from the Hurons and Ottawas, Father Menard started for their vil- lages on the island of St. Michael. In some manner he wandered away from his guide, got lost, and, although the guide sought him faith- fully, was never found ; he perished in some un- known manner. Relics of him were found from time to time in Sac and Sioux villages many years after, but no tale ever came to his many waiting friends to tell how or where he died. In the summer of 1663 the news of his death reached Montreal. His successor was soon found, for the impassive obedience of the mem- bers of the Order of Loyola brooked no oppo- sition to the command of a superior. Father Claude Allouez was chosen to carry the cross to these heathens and to follow in the footsteps of Father Menard. Impatiently waiting for the chance to proceed to his work, he was unable to find conveyance and convoy until the sum- mer of 1665, when, in company with six of his own race and color and four hundred savages, he started. He built a mission at La Pointe, on Lake Superior, where he taught the simple naitves his religion and took up his work among them. Here he, too, heard about the Indians that had their home on the banks of that mighty river, a stream which the natives knew by the name Messipi. Athough he had done a great work, ex- ploring the country around the southern bound- ary of what is now Wisconsin and in the north- ern part of Illinois and had preached to all the Indians met with in that region, Father Allouez grew discouraged and passed on to other fields. September 13, 1669, '^^ was succeeded by the famous Father Jacques Marquette. The design of discovering the Mississippi, a stream about which the Indians had told so much, seems to have originated with Father Marquette in the same year of his reaching the mission of the Holy Ghost, at La Pointe. The year previous he and Father Claude Dablon had established the mission of St. Mary within what is now Michigan. Circumstances about this time were favorable for a voyage of discovery among In- dians. The protection afforded to the Algon- quins of the west by the commerce with New France had confirmed their attachment and had created for them a political interest in France and in the minds of Louis XIV and his great financier, Colbert. The Intendent of Justice in New France. Talon, determined to extend the power of I'-rance to the utmost border of Can- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 29 ada, and for this purpose Nicholas Perrot was despatched to the west as an emissary. The lat- ter proposed a congress or convention of the Indian nations at St. Mary's mission, and the invitation to attend was extended far and wide. Perrot arrived, and in May, 1671, there assem- bled at the Sault de Ste. Marie a great gather- ing of Indians from all parts of the northwest. From the headwaters of the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi, from the Great Lakes and the prairies beyond, from the valley of the Red river of the north and from the plains of Dakota they came, and it was announced that there should be peace, and that they were all under the protection of France. The same year Pere Marquette gathered together one of the broken branches of the Hurons at Point St. Ignace, which became quite a religious establishment. These things having been done, the grand exploring expedition to the west to discover the great river so often heard about was the next to be attended to. May 13, 1673, Mar- quette and Joliet, accompanied by five other Frenchmen, set out. Louis Joliet was a na- tive of Quebec, born in 1645. He was educated by the Jesuits for the priesthood. He, how- ever, determined to become a fur trader, which he did. He was sent, with an associate, to ex- plore the region of the copper mines of Lake Superior. He was a man of close and intelligent observation and possessed considerable mathe- matical acquirements. In 1673 he was a mer- chant, courageous, hardy, enterprising. He was appointed by the French authorities at Quebec to discover the Mississippi. He passed up the lakes to Mackinaw, and found at Point Ig- nace the reverend Father Marquette, who was ready to accompany him. Their outfit was sim- ple, two birch bark canoes and a supply of smoked meat and Indian corn. The friendly Indians tried to dissuade the Father and Joliet from undertaking this voyage, saying that the Indians of that quarter were bad, that they were cruel and relentless and that the river was the abode of all kinds of demons and evil spirits, but this did not intimidate these bold and hardy men. Passing the straits, they followed the north and west shore of Lake Michigan to Green Bay, where they entered the Fox river. This they ascended with great labor until they came to the village of the Kickapoos and Mi- amis, the extreme point to which the explora- tions of the French had as yet extended. Here Marquette was much pleased to see "a beautiful cross planted in the middle of the town, orna- mented with white skins, red girdles and bows and arrows which those good people had of- fered to the Great Manitou, or God, to thank him for the pity he had bestowed upon them during the winter in having given them an abundant chase." On assembling the chiefs of the village and the medicine men, Marquette made them a speech, telling them that Joliet had been sent by the Governor of New France to discover new countries, and himself by God to spread the light of the gospel. He added that he feared not death nor exposure to which he expected to be called on to endure. From this place, under the guidance of two Miami In- dians, the expedition started to cross the port- age from the Fox to the Wisconsin river. On reaching the latter stream the guide left them and they pushed their way down the rapid wa- ters of the Wisconsin until, upon the 17th of June, their frail barks floated upon the ma- jestic waters of the Mississippi. Down the mighty "Father of Waters" they voyaged until they reached the mouth of the Illinois. Up the latter, stream they paddler their way through a virgin land, encountering many difficulties and privations. At the forks of the river they en- tered the Desplaines, and by that and the Chi- cago river reached Lake Michigan and finally Green Bay. At the latter point Father Mar- quette remained to recuperate his exhausted strength, while Joliet and his companions hast- ened on to Quebec to report his success to his superiors. The re-discovery of the lower Mississippi re- mained for the gallant, daring and indefatigable La Salle, to whose labors, privations and enter- prise the French settlements in the Mississippi valley were so largely indebted. La Salle was a poor man, for, having relinquished his patri- mony on entering the Society of Jesus, on his honorable retirement from that order he had nothing. In 1667, having in the meantime crossed the seas to the new world in search of fortune, he appeared as a fur trader near what is now the city of Montreal. His business led 30 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY him to explore both Lakes Ontario and Erie. Full of enthusiasm for discovery and for the colonization of the west, he returned to his na- tive land for help and authority to act. He re- ceived the title of Chevalier and considerable grants of land in Canada and returned in 1678. The same year he conveyed a party from Fort Frontenac (now Kingston, Canada) to the neighborhood of Niagara Falls in a vessel of ten tons. This was the first craft that ever sailed up the Niagara river. In 1679 he launched a vessel of some seventy tons burden. On the 7th of August of that year, amid the salvos of artillery, the chants of the Te Deum by the priests and the plaudits of the people and In- dians, he sailed from the little harbor. He passed through Lake Erie and through the De- troit and St. Clair rivers into Lake Huron. Onward through the straits of Mackinaw into Lake Michigan his little vessel ploughed its way, and was the first to navigate a sailing craft upon the blue waters of the latter body of water. Coasting down its western shore. La Salle in his bark, which he had called the Grif- fin, came to Green Bay, where he came to an- chor. He had named his little craft in honor of the coat of arms of his patron, comte de Frontenac, then Governor of New France. It was La Salle's intention to utilize his vessel in a regular commerce between the Indians and the settlements, but was doomed to disappoint- ment. Having loaded the vessel with furs and peltries, he ordered the crew to return with it to the Niagara river. He journcd down to the head of Lake Michigan, and, passing up the St. Joseph river, discovered a portage over the swamps and priaries to the Kankakee river. He followed the latter stream to the Illinois and paddled down the latter river until he reached a point about where now stands the city of Peoria. Misfortunes then accumulated upon the head of La Salle. His vessel was wrecked on its voyage down the lakes and its cargo of furs and pelts totally lost, and the expected stores upon which he had depended to found and keep his colony did not come. The men that were with him grew discontented and threatened to desert. Like a man, and a brave and energetic one, he went to work to carry out the object that he had come so far to accomplish. He built a fort just below Lake Peoria, to which he gave the appropriate name of Crevecoeur (Broken Heart). He sent Accault, Father Hennepin and others who had accompanied him on a voyage up the Mississippi. This expedi- tion, as related further on, was very successful, it being the first party of white men to tread the shores of the i\lississippi near its head and to gaze upon the falls of St. Anthony. After their departure La Salle set his men to work to build a barge or boat in which to descend the river, but as sails and cordage were necessary, he de- termined to make the journey back to Canada. It was in the depth of winter, and he could have no food but what he could gain by the chase, and no drink but what the streams would afford. Leaving the bulk of his httle force under his lieutenant, Tonti, he started with three companions on this almost unparalleled journjy through the wilderness. He accomplished his mission, but on returning to the fort which he had built and where he had left his men, he found it deserted. The party, who had been ordered before his departure to erect a new fort on the bluff, had been assaulted by a band of Pottawattamie Indians, and, becoming de- moralized, had fled to the shores of Lake iVlichi- gan for safety. After wasting some time in a fruitless search for his men. La Salle finally, with the party brought with him, started on his long voyage down the Illinois and Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. April 9, 1682, he took possession of the whole country watered by the great river from its source to its mouth in the name of the King of France, Louis XI\'. Thus was the Mississippi river in its lower course rediscovered and taken possession of as French territory, and thus to La Salle belongs the Iionor of first navigating its length from the month of the Illinois southward. He gave to this vast empire he had added to the French possessions in America the name of Louisiana, in honor of the king, Louis XIV, and to the river which now is called the Mississippi the name of Colbert, after that able minister of finance of France, then one of the foremost men in Europe. He erected a column or cross near tlic nKnitli of the river, Iiearing tlie leaden jilatc with an in- scription, wliich may be translated as: COiMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 31 "Louis the. Great, King of France and Navarre, Reigning April 9, 1682." He found the three channels of the delta, whereby the river empties into the Gulf of Mexico. In May, 1683, he returned to France to make a report of his valuable discoveries. In 1685 he returned from his native land with a fleet and with emigrants to colonize the coun- try he had found. Owing to the flat, level country, where land mingled with the water in marsh and swamp spread for hundreds of miles along the north coast of the gulf, he was un- able to find the mouth of the river. After beat- ing about for some time in search, he was finally abandoned by Beaujeau, who commanded the fleet, who returned to France. With his s,tore ship and two hundred and thirty emigrants, La Salle was driven ashore and wrecked in Mata- gorda Bay, in what is now the state of Texas. He hastily constructed a fort of the scattered timbers of the vessel and formed a colony, to which he gave the name of St. Louis. This settlement, made as if by accident, made Texas a part of Louisiana. After a four-months" search, which he con- ducted in canoes, for the lost mouth of the ■ iver, which proved fruitless, the restless La Salle, in April, 1686, turned his steps toward New Mexico, with twenty companions. He hoped to find the rich gold mines of that coun- try, the Eldorado of the Spanish. The colony did not prosper in his absence. Sickness and death soon took off many of the poor emigrants, so that on his return to that place he found it reduced to about forty or fifty persons. Moving them to a healthier locality, La Salle determined to travel across the country on foot to the set- tlements on the Illinois and to Canada and bring back emigrants and supplies. January 12, 1687, he started with sixteen men, leaving the fort and settlement in charge of Sieur Barbier. His little party passed the basin of the Colorado and reached a branch of the Trinity river, where, March 20, 1687, the brave and gallant La Salle was assassinated by three of his own party. One of his biographers, who calls him, truly, the father of the French settlements in Louisiana, says : "Not a hint appears in any writer that has come under our notice that casts a shade upon his integrity and honor. Cool and intrepid at all times, never yielding for a mo- ment to despair, or even despondency, he bore the heavy burdens of his calamities to the end ; and his hopes only expired with his breath."' In the meantime, in i68o-'8i, Louis Henne- pin, the Franciscan friar, started down the Illi- nois river to explore its mouth, and on reaching the Mississippi extended his explorations north- ward as far as the Falls of St. Anthony, which he named. The war between the Iroquois and British colonies on the one side, and the French of Canada on the other, commenced in 1689, and any further attempt at colonization of the lower Mississippi was interrupted, and for a number of years exploration and colonization in the west was at a stand still. It is now time to trace the growth .of the great French province of Louisiana in another quarter. This was the parent stem from which grew so many of the great and growing states of the northwest, foremost among which is Ne- braska. At the close of the seventeenth century France by right of discovery and occupation claimed not only Canada and Nova Scotia, then known as New France and Acadia, Hudson's Bay and New- foundland, but parts of Maine,' Vermont and New York, together with the whole of the Alis- sissippi valley and possessions on the Gulf of Mexico, including Texas as far south as the Rio del Norte. The English revolution of 1688, when William of Orange succeeded James II upon the throne of England, nor the peace of Ryswick in 1697, did not affect these possessions of France in the new world. At the period at the close of the great war which had just been brought to an end by the above treaty, in which so many powers were included, none of the pos- sessions of France in the new world engaged the attention of the French government so much as Louisiana. In 1697 D'Iberville still further aroused the interest of the minister of the colo- nies, and inspired the Comte de Pontchartrain with the idea of building a fort and making a settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi. Two vessels were fitted out, one under the command of the Marquis de Chateau-Morand and the other under D'Iberville. Both left France in October, 32 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 1698, to find the mouth of the river, and after touching at Pensacola, entered the delta of the Mississippi March 2, 1699. De Chateau-Morand soon went back to Hayti, but D'Iberville ascended the river as far as what is now known as Bayou Goula. At this point he met an Indian chief, who handed him a letter, which was written by Tonti, the man who had left his post at Fort CreveccEur, where he had been placed by La Salle, and was addressed to the latter as governor of Louisiana. It read as follows : "Sir: — Having found the post upon which you had set up the king's arms thrown down by the driftwood, I caused another to be fixed on this side about seven leagues from the sea, where I have left a letter in a tree by the side of it. All the nations have smoked the calumet with me ; they are people who fear us exceedingly since you have captured this village. I conclude by saying it is a great grief to me that we will return with the ill fortune of not having found you, after we had coasted with two canoes thirty leagues on the Mexican side and twenty-five on that of Florida." The receipt of this letter was twelve years after the death of La Salle and nineteen after he and Tonti had parted at the Peoria fort. Neither knew what had become of the other. Both had sought the other unavailingly. The letter is in- teresting as shedding some light on Tonti's con- duct, but more so for the peculiarity of the In- dian keeping it so long. D'Iberville again descended the Mississippi and went to the bay of Biloxi, between the Mis- sissippi and Mobile rivers, where he erected a fort. Missions, trading posts and small settle- ments began to be founded from that time on in the province. As early as 1712 land titles were issued as far north as Kaskaskia, in what is now Illinois. Other settlements arose along the Mississippi at various points from the mouth of the Illinois southward. The French determined to circumvent the English colonies on the At- lantic coast by building a line of forts from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, as was once suggested to the French government by La Salle. Part of this plan was carried into execution. Fort Chartres was constructed on the east bank of the Mississippi, in what is now Randolph county, Illinois, about sixty-five miles south of the mouth of the Missouri river. This was one of the strongest fortresses on the continent at the time, and its ruins were to be seen a hundred years later. It was the headquarters of the com- mandant of Louisiana. Shortly after that the villages of Cahokia Prairie du Rocher and others sprang into existence. Fort Vincennes, on the Wabash, was founded in 1702. A monastery and college was established in 1712 at Kaskaskia, a very important post at that time and afterward the capital of the state of Illinois. The French laid claim to all the great Mississippi valley at that time-. "France," says Bancroft, "had ob- tained, under Providence, the guardianship of this immense district of country, not, as it proved, for her own benefit, but rather as a trustee for the infant nation by which it was one day to be inherited." By the treaty of Utrecht, in 17 13, France ceded to England her possessions in Hudson's Bay, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, but the former power retained the sovereignty of Canada and Louisiana. In 171 1 the affairs of the latter were placed in the hands of a governor general, but this only lasted one year. The colony not meeting the expectations of the government of the mother country, in 17 12 was farmed out to a company to be carried on by private capital. In the year 1712 the entire province of Louis- iana, including the vast country between the Rocky Mountains on the west and the Alleghanies on the east — in fact the entire area drained by the Mississippi was granted to Anthony Crozart or Crozat, a wealthy French merchant of Paris. Within his grant was the whole of the territory which now forms the State of Nebraska. It was stipulated that every two years Crozart was to send two ships from France with goods and emi- grants. In his grant the river "heretofore called the Mississippi" is named "St. Louis ;" the "Mis- sourys" is called "St. Phillip," and the "Qua- bache" (the Wabash and Ohio united) is named "St. Jerome." Louisiana was made dependent iil)on the general government of New France (or Canada). The laws of Paris were to be observed. ( ozart's patent extended for a term of sixteen years but was resigned in 1717 after five years. Every Spanish port on the gulf was closed to its commerce and the occupation of Louisiana was at that time deemed an encroachment upon Span- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCEXCE AND BIOGRAPHY 33 ish rights by that proud nation. Soon after the reUnquishment of the Crozart charter the colony of Louisiana was granted to the Mississippi Com- pany. Projected by the dreamer John Law, of South sea bubble fame with a complete mon- opoly of its trade and commerce to declare and prosecute wars and appoint officers. This com- pany established Fort Chartres, about sixty-five miles below the mouth of the Missouri on the east side of the Mississippi. Mechanics, miners and artesans were encouraged to emigrate and in 17 1 7 the city of New Orleans was founded. The Illinois country received a considerable ac- cession and settlements now began to extend along the banks of the Mississippi. In 1 718 the new company sent eight hundred emigrants to Louisiana. These people Governor Bienville settled at what is now New Or- leans, but three years later the remainder of these people, some two hundred, were found still encamped on the site of the future city, they not having energy enough to build houses for them- selves. The larger part had died on account of the climate and malarious condition of the land. In May, 1720, the bubble burst, the land com- jiany went into bankruptcy, impoverishing France both in its public funds and private fortunes. The effect on the infant settlement in the new- world was more disastrous, if possible. The principal occupation of the new ■ settlers, like their Spanish neighbors, was the search for im- mense mines of gold and silver, for which they neglected the enormous natural agricultural re- sources of the country, now the granary of the world and the source of supply of the larger part of the cotton and cane sugar of commerce. The contrast was strong between the colonies of the Latin races and those of Anglo-Saxon origin. In 1719 there arrived in what is now Illinois one Phillipe Francois Renault, who had been ap- pointed director general of the mines of Louisi- ana. With him he brought two hundred miners and artisans. The extent of the country explored at that time embraced among others the head- waters of the Minnesota and the Red river of the North, the tributaries of the Missouri, and even extended to the Rocky Mountains. About this time hostilities with the Indians broke out. and a war with Spain threatened the lower part of the province. From 1712 to 1746 3 the settlers in Louisiana fought with the savages. In the latter year, at Butte des Morts and on the Wisconsin river, the Fox Indians were defeated and driven westward. During this time, in 1729, the Natchez, Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians rose and massacred all within their reach. Mili- tary operations against them were taken. The Choctows were detached from the confederacy by the diplomacy of Le Sueur, the famous ex- plorer, and the Natchez defeated. The latter's chief, Great Sun, and four hundred of his people were taken prisoners and sold as slaves in His- paniola, now the island of San Domingo-Hayti. Thus perished this interesting tribe, who were at that time semi-civilized or had a civilization of their own approaching in some degree that of the Aztec of Mexico. In 1719 Dutisne, a French officer was sent from New Orleans by the Governor of Louisiana into the country west of the Mississippi and re- visited a village of Osage Indians, five miles from the Osage river, "at eighty leagues above its mouth." Thence he crossed to the northwest one hundred and twenty miles over prairies abounding with buffaloes to some villages of the Pawnees. He traveled westward fifteen days more, which brought him to the Paloukahs a warlike' tribe of Indians. Here he erected a cross with the arms of the king, September 27, 1 7 19. It is thought that Dutisne set foot on Ne- braska soil on this trip. If he did not he could not have been far from the Nebraska line. From the writings of Charlevoix concerning these ex- plorations we quote the following: "We arrived at the mouth of the Missouri on October 10, 1721. I believe this is the finest confluence in the world. The two rivers are much the same in breadth, each about half a league ; but the Missouri is by far the most rapid, and seems to enter the Mississippi like a con- queror, through which it carries its white waters to the other shore without mixing them ; after- ward it gives its color to the Mississippi which it never loses again, but carries it quite down to the sea. The Osages, a pretty numerous na- tion, settled on the side of a river which bears their name and which runs into the Missouri about forty leagues from its junction with the Mississippi, send once or twice a year, to sing the Calumet amongst the Kalkaskias, and are act- 34 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY ually tliere at present. I have just, seen a Mis- souri woman who told me that her nation is the first we meet with going up the Missouri. This nation (the Missouri) is situated eighty leagues from the confluence of the Missouri river with the Mississippi." Charlevoix also gives the first information we have of the tribes of Indians above the Missouri nation. Higher up we find the Cansez (Kansas) ; then the Octotatoes (Otoes), which some call the Mactotatas; then the Ajouez (lowas) and Panis (Pawnees), a very populous nation divided into several con- tons, which have names very different from each other. All the people I have mentioned inhabit the west side of the Missouri, except the Ajouez (lowas), which are on the east side, neighbors of the Sioux, and their allies." Another \Vriter says : "It is evident that during the first half of the seventeenth century, the country now forming the State of Nebraska was inhabited along its southern border by the Kansas Indians ; that the Platte river, then called the Divere des Panis, was the home of the Pawnees, who also had villages to the northward at a point a con- siderable distance up the Missouri river. But to the westward, on the headwaters of the Kansas river, of the Platte river and of the Niobrara, lived the Padoucahs, a tribe long since extinct. In about 1721-24 the French under M de Bourgmont erected a fort on an island in the Missouri river, abovt the mouth of the Osage river, which post was called "Fort Orleans," But the stocl-ade was attacked after its comple- tion and occupation, and all the garrison slain. Bourgmont the builder of this Fort Orleans, be- fore its destruction passed many leagues up to the northwest of this fort into the Nebraska and Kansas country, and made firm friends with 'the Padoucahs, who had previously been seen by Dutisne. In 1732 the Mississippi company surrendered their charter to the French government and then came the bursting of the "Mississippi bubl)le." This company had held possession of Louisiana for fourteen years and left it with a population of five thousand whites and half as many blacks. On the loth of April, 1732, the French King declared the province free to all his subjects, with equal privileges as to trade and commerce. Though the company had done little for the en- during welfare of the Mississippi valley regions, yet it did something ; the cultivation of tobacco and rice was introduced; the lead mines of Mis- souri were opened, and, in the Illinois country, the cultivation of wheat began to assume some importance, but the immediate valley of the Mis- souri and the country to the west remained wholly in possession of the native tribes. For thirty years or more after this there was but little worthy of special mention that transpired in the upper portion of the Louisiana province. St. Genevieve, on the west side of the Mississippi, within what is now jNIissouri was founded, and during 1762 the first village was established on the Missouri river named "Village du Cote" now St. Charles, Mo. In the same year the Governor General of Louisiana granted to Laclede and others a charter under the name of the "Louis- iana Fur Company," which, among other things, conferred the exclusive privilege of trading with the Indians of the Missouri River. But just be- fore this time, momentous events had transpired in Canada. This country was conquered by the English, and the province of Louisiana became the property of other powers. A brief review of the events leading up to the transfer of Louisiana to Spain by the French will be appropriate in this connection. On the loth of April, 1732, after the bursting of the "Mississippi bubble" and the surrender of the charter of the Mississippi Company, the con- trol of the commerce of Louisiana reverted to the crown of France. Bienville remained as governor for the French king until 1735. In the meantime a jeolousy and rivalry had sprung up between Louisiana and the English colonies on the Atlantic coast which became fierce and bitter. In 1 753 the first actual conflict arose between the French and English colonists. The French ex- erted every effort to prevent the other colonists from attempting to extend their settlements to- ward the j\Iississippi. The avowal was made of the purpose of seizing and punishing any Eng- lishman found in the Ohio or Mississippi valley. To carry out their purpose the French seized upon a piece of territory claimed by \'irginia, and, alive to their interests, protests were made by the colonists of Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. In 1753 Governor Dinwiddic of \'irginia. sent George Washington, then a young COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 35 man of twenty-one, to the French commandant to demand by what right he invaded British soil in time of peace between France and England. Gardeur de St. Pierre, the French officer in com- mand, was met near the headwaters of the Alle- gheny by the young colonist, after a difficult win- ter journey. Washington, on stating his de- mands, received the insolent answer that they would not discuss right, but as they had dis- covered the country they would hold it. On the return of Washington, in January, 1/54, he made his report. Forces were raised, and, under Colonel Washington, marched upon the enemy. They had an action in western Penn- sylvania with some of the French troops, in which ten of the latter, with their commander, Jumon- ville, were killed. Some twenty French were made prisoners. The French receiving reinforce- ments, Washington was forced to fall back before overwhelming numbers. At Green Meadows he erected a rude stockade, which he called Fort Necessity. Here he was, shortly after, surround- ed by a force consisting of some six hundred French and a hundred or two Indians. On the 3d of July he was forced to capitulate, and July 4, 1754, the British troops (or rather the colo- nials) withdrew from the Ohio valley. War between England and France broke out in May, 1755- This conflict lasted, in the colonies, with various fortunes, until February 10, 1763, when the treaty of Paris was signed by the warring powers of Europe. By this instrument France renounced all her title to New France, now Can- ada, and all the land lying east of the Mississippi river, except the island and town of New Or- leans. By the conquest of Canada by the British in 1760 the province of Louisiana alone remained to France, but even this she was not in a position to hold. On November 3rd, 1762, she ceded it to Spain, shorn however; of its eastern half which fell to the English as stated. The entire region of the Missouri river including all that now forms Nebraska was thereafter for thirty-seven years, Spanish territory, but Spain did not at once take possession of this territory. On Feb- ruary 15th,' 1764, Laclede's company established itself on the present site of the City of St. Louis where he founded that city. A few years later a compan)' of Spanish troops took possession of St. Louis in the name of the King of Spain and, in 1770, French possession was at an end in so much of upper Louisiana as lay west of the Mis- sissippi, for in that year a lieutenant-governor arrived at St. Louis and extended his authority over the whole region. In 1783 Great Britain by a definite treaty of peace signed September 3, relinquished all claim and ceded to the United States all the territory east of the Mississippi river to the Atlantic ocean from a line along the great lakes on the north southward to the thirty-first parallel and southern border of Georgia. This was the treaty of Aix la Chapelle, which terminated the Revolu- tionary war. At the same time the British gov- ernment ceded to Spain all the Floridas which she had taken east of Louisiana and south of the southern limits of the united colonies just freed. It will therefore be seen that as yet the territory now constituting the State of Nebraska was no part of the United States, but remained a posses- sion of Spain, and the home of savage nations, visited only by the vagrant trader to traffic in furs with the different tribes. These traders were mostly Frenchmen. Sometimes they would have houses and remain stationary for one, two cr even more years; but sooner or later they all departed from the country At an early period after the conclusion of peace the' people of the United States began to demand the free navigation of the Mississippi river. The Spanish power holding one bank en- tirely, and both part of its course, assumed that they had exclusive use of it, and demanded heavy tolls on all imports south of the mouth of the Ohio. This was a vexed question at the time, r.nd came, at one period, near disrupting the country, the intrigues of Miro and Carondelet, the Spanish governors, tending to the separa- tion of the western colonies from the eastern. All these questions were quieted by the treaty of Madrid, October 20, 1795, by which the free navigation of the river was assured and the use of New Orleans as a port of entry or deposit granted. October 16, 1802, these rights were re- voked by Morales, then intendent of Louisiana, but this action was not acquiesced in by the gov- ernor. Indignation ran high in the United States at that time over the matter. To efl^ectually se- cure the risfhts of the LTnited States in the navi- 36 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY gation and commerce of the INIississippi, Presi- dent Thomas Jefferson, in January, 1803, sent a message to the Senate of the United States nomi- nating Robert R. Livingston and James Monroe ministers to the court of France, with full au- thority to conclude a treaty to that end. Previous to this all the Louisianas had passed back into the possession of France. By a treaty made be- tween the republic of France and Spain the lat- ter power had agreed to furnish a monthly war contribution to France, as she was unable to furnish soldiers for a common war. This debt, not being paid, accumulated until poverty-strick- en or favorite-ridden Spain could not pay. At the same time, the first consul, Bonaparte, had constructed out of some fragments of Italy re- maining in his bands the kingdom of Eturia. Now Spain proposed that she would, on the can- cellation of the debt due by her, and the gift of the kingdom of Eturia to the deposed Prince of Parma, son-in-law of the king of Spain, make over to Fr3nce her province of Louisiana. This was acceded to, and by the hands of her chief magistrate the new monarchs were crowned in Paris and sent to their new government, and, by the treaty signed at Madrid, IMarch 21, 1801, France received back the immense tract of terri- tory then known as Louisiana. Thus Nebraska was again French territory. The newly accredited ministers of the United States arrived in Paris at a critical time. The hollow peace which followed the treaty of Amiens between England and France was strained to its utmost. Napoleon, with the admirable foresight which governed all his military measures, saw that this vast colony across the seas would be lost to him if war should break out between France and England. He took measures accord- ingly. Summoning M. Marbois, the secretary of finance, he broached the idea of selling to th" Americans the whole province of Louisiana. In this he was governed by several motives. He felt he was making a friend of the American people and casting a bone of contention between them and the English government, and he also pro- cured money with which to carry on the war. M. Marbois sent for the ministers and proposed the matter. Messrs. Monroe and Livingston were, neither of them, dismayed at their want nf powers to make any such a treaty, entered inio the stipulation, subject, of course, to the rati- fication of their government. By the terms of this paper France ceded to the United States the whole province of Louisiana, for which she was to receive the sum of fifteen million dollars, and the United States assumed, also, the payment ot certain claims against the French government. These latter were by merchants and ship owners who had suffered loss by the seizure of their ves- sels and cargoes by the Directory, a former gov- ernment in France. The original price, which was paid through banking houses in Amsterdam, and the "spoliation claims" above mentioned, brought the price of Louisiana up to $27,267,- 621.98, as officially stated. This treaty was signed April 30, 1803. Much opposition developed in the United States to the ratification of the treaty. New England being particularly bitter against it. The far-seeing statesmen of that day alone appreciated the vast importance of the territory so cheaply purchased. The administration was bitterly attacked by the Federalists, and it was claimed that all kinds of danger to the republic would grow out of the confirmation of the treaty. Sober common sense, however, prevailed, and the treaty was confirmed. In December of the same year the province was officially delivered to the commissioners appointed to receive it, Governor Claiborne, of Mississippi, and General James Wilkinson, of the United States Army. It is related that these latter were just in time, as a British fleet was approaching New Orleans to take possession when the stars and stripes were being hoisted over it. By these means the United States became pos- sessed of a territory extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the forty-ninth parallel of north lati- tude, and from the banks of the Mississi])pi to the crest of the Rocky Mountains. If the treaty, which was confirmed through the i)crsonal influ- ence of President JefTerson, had miscarried our now grand republic would have been bounded on the west by the "Father of Waters." and the vast empire lying west of it, now a valuable part of the United States, would have been in the possession of a foreign power. To that act of Livingston and Monroe in transcending their powers, the personal influence and wisdom of President Jefferson, antl the acquiescence of the .'senate and the ]ieople in an act only after it had COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 37 been done, is due the fact that Nebraska is now a part of the Federal Union. At that time the territory since known by the name of the Louisiana purchase included what is now the states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri. Iowa, Minnesota (or the greater part of it), North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado. It also in- cluded Indian Territory and Oklahoma. The full text of the treaty of cession between the United States of America and the French Republic is as follows : The President of the United States of America and the First Consul of the French Republic, in the name of the French people, desiring to remove all sources of misunderstanding relative to the objects of discussion mentioned in the second and fifth articles of the con- vention of the Sth Vendemaire, an g (30 September, iSoo), relative to the rights claimed by the United States, in virtue of the treaty concluded at Madrid, the 27th of October, 1795, between his Catholic Majesty and the said United States, and willing to strengthen the union and friendship which at the time of the said convention was happily re-established between the two nations, have respectfully named their plenipotentiaries, to-wit : the President of the United States of America, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the said States, Robert R. Livingston, Minister Plenipo- tentiary of the United States, and James Monroe. Min- ister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary of the said States, near the government of the French Repub- lic ; and the First Consul, in the name of the French people, the French citizen Barbe Marbois, Minister of the Public Treasury, who, after having respectively ex- changed their full powers, have agreed to the following articles : Article I. Wheee.\s, By the article the third of the treaty concluded at St. Ildefonso, the 9th Vendemaire, an 9, (ist October, 1800), between the First Consul of the French Republic and his Catholic Majesty, it was agreed as follows: "His Catholic Majesty promises and engages on his part to retrocede to the French Republic, six months after the full and entire execution of the conditions and stipulations herein relative to his royal highness, the Duke of Parma, the colony or prov- ince of Louisiana, with the same extent that it now has in the hands of Spain, and that it had when France possessed it ; and such as it should be after the treaties subsequently entered into between Spain and other States;" and WHERE.A.S, In pursuance of the treaty, and particu- larly of the third article, the French Republic has an incontestible title to the domain and the possession of the said territory: the First Consul of the French Re- public desiring to give to the LTnited States a strong proof of his friendship, doth hereby cede to the United States, in the name of the French Republic, forever, and in full sovereignty, the said territory, with all its rights and appurtenances, as fully and in the same man- ner as they have been acquired by the French Republic in virtue of the above-mentioned treaty, concluded with his Catholic Majesty. Article IL In the cession made by the preceding article, are included the adjacent islands belonging to Louisiana, all public lots and squares, vacant lands, and all public buildings, fortifications, barracks and other edifices which are not private property. The archives, papers and documents relative to the domain and sovereignty of Louisiana and its dependencies, will be left in the possession of the Commissioners of the United States, and copies will be afterward given in due form to the magistrates and municipal officers of such of the said papers and documents as may be neces- sary to them. Article III. The inhabitants of the ceded territory shall be incorporated in the Union of the United States, and admitted as soon as possible, according to the prin- ciples of the federal constitution, to the enjoyment of all the rights, advantages and immunities of citizens of the LJnited States ; and in the meantime they shall be maintained and protected in the free enjoyment of their liberty, property and the religion which they profess. Article IV. There shall be sent, by the Government of France, a Commissary to Louisiana, to the end that he do every act necessary, as well to receive from the officers of his Catholic Majesty the said country and its dependencies in the name of the French Republic, if it has not been already done, as to transmit it in the name of the French Republic to the Commissary or agent of the United States Article V. Immediately after the ratification of the present treaty by the President of the United States, and in case that of the first consul shall have been pre- viously obtained, the Commissary of the French Re- public shall remit all the military posts of New Orleans and other parts of the ceded territory, to the Commis- sary or Commissaries named by the President to take possession ; the troops, whether of France or Spain, who may be there, shall cease to occupy any military post from the time of taking possession, and shall be embarked as soon as possible, in the course of three months after the ratification of this treaty. Article VI. The United States promise to execute such treaties and articles as may have been agreed be- tween Spain and the tribes and nations of Indians, un- til by mutual consent of the United States and the said tribes or nations, other suitable articles shall have been agreed upon. Article VII. As it is reciprocally advantageous to the commerce of France and the United States to en- courage the communication of both nations, for a limited time, in the country ceded by the present treaty, until general arrangements relative to the commerce of both nations mav be agreed on, it has been agreed be- 38 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY tween the contracting parties, that the French ships coming directly from France or any of her colonies, loaded only with the' produce or manufactures of France or her said colonies, and the ships of Spain coming directly from Spain or any of her colonies, loaded only with the produce or manufactures of Spain or her col- onies, shall be admitted during the space of twelve years, in the ports of New Orleans, and all other legal ports of entry within the ceded territory, in the same manner as the ships of the United States, coming di- rectly from France or Spain or any of their colonies, without being subject to any other or greater duty on merchandise, or other or greater tonnage than those paid by the citizens of the United States. During the space of time above-mentioned, no other nation shall have a right to the same privileges in the ports of the ceded territory; the twelve years shall commence three months after the exchange of ratifi- cations, if it shall take place in France, or three months after it shall have been notified at Paris to the French Government, if it shall take place in the United States; it is, however, well understood, that the object of the above article is to favor the manufactures, commerce, freight and navigation of France and Spain so far as relates to the importations that the French and Spanish shall make into the said ports of the United States, without in any sort affecting the regulations that the United States may make concerning the exportation of the produce and merchandise of the United States, or any right they may have to make such regulations. Article VIII. In future, and forever after the ex- piration of the twelve years, the ships of France shall be treated upon the footing of the most favored nations in the ports above-mentioned. Article IX. The particular convention signed this day by the respective Ministers, having for its objects to provide for the payment of debts due to the citizens of the United States by the French Republic, prior to the 30th of September, 1800 (8th Vendemaire, 9), is approved, and to have its execution in the same man- ner as if it had been inserted in the present treaty, and it shall be ratified in the same form and in the same time, so that the one shall not be ratified distinct from the other. Another particular convention, signed at the same date as the present treaty, relative to a definite rule be- tween the contracting parties, is in like manner ap- proved, and will be ratified in the same form and in the same time, and jointly. Article X. The present treaty shall be ratified in good and due form, and the ratification shall be ex- changed in the space of six months after the date of the signature by the Ministers Plenipotentiary, or sooner if possible. In faith whereof, the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed these articles in the French and English languages, declaring, nevertheless, that the present treaty was originally agreed to in the French language ; and have thereunto set their seals. Done at Paris, the tenth day of Floreal, in the eleventh year of the French Republic, and the 30th April, 1803. Robert R. Livingsto.v, [l. s.] James Monroe, [l. s.] Barbe Marbois, [l. s.] An act was passed by Congress October 31, 1803, which authorized the President of the United States to take possession of Louisiana and form a temporary government thereof. By this act, the government was vested in such man- ner as the President of the United States might direct. But the authority of the general govern- ment really dates from March 10, 1804, on which date Amos Stoddard assumed the duties of Gov- ernor of Upper Louisiana. On the 26th of that month, Congress erected Louisiana into the ter- ritory of Orleans and the District of Louisiana. The division Hne was the southern boundary of Mississippi territory and the thirty-third degree of latitude. So Nebraska was then a part of the District of Louisiana, the latter being all of the French cession west of the Mississippi river ex- cept the present State of Louisiana. The gov- ernment of this large district was committed to the officers of the Territory of Indiana. The Lewis and Clark expedition was the next move directed toward exploring and improving the newly acquired territory. This expedition was planned by the President in the summer of 1803 for the purpose of discovering the courses and sources of the Missouri and the most con- venient water communication thence to the Pa- cific ocean. Capt. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, both army officers, were given command. The party started in May, 1804, and consisted of nine young men from Kentucky, fourteen sol- diers of the United States army, who volunteered their services, two French watermen, an inter- preter and hunter and a colored servant of Capt. Clark. In addition to these, who were enlisted for the whole expedition, a corporal and six sol- diers, also nine watermen, were engaged to ac- company the expedition as far as the Mandan nation in order to assist in carrying the stores or repelling an attack. This expedition embarked in three boats up the Missouri river. On May 25th they reached LaCharrette a little settlement of seven houses on the Missoitri river about fifty miles above its nioiuh in what is now the State COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 39 of Missouri. This was the last settlement of white people on the Missouri river. From this point onward, there was no civilization. Con- tinuing up the river the expedition reached and encamped on a large island of sand on the north side of the Missouri, immediately opposite the mouth of the River Nemeha on the evening of July nth. As the party proceeded from this point northwest to the mouth of the Niobrara they explored much of w'hat is now the eastern boundary of Nebraska, an account of what they saw is of especial interest in this connection. We therefore give their daily journal until the Platte was reached : "Thursday, 12 (July, 1804). We remained here today for the purpose of refreshing the party and making lunar observations. The Nemahaw empties itself into the Missouri from the south, and is eighty yards wide at its confluence, which is in latitute 39 degrees, 55 minutes and 56 sec- onds. Captain Clark ascended it in the pirogue about two miles, to the mouth of a small creek on the lower side. On going ashore, he found in the level plain several artificial mounds, or graves, and, on the adjoining hills, others of a larger size. This appearance indicates sufficiently the former population of this country, the mounds being certainly intended as tombs, the Indians of the Missouri still preserving the custom of interring the dead on high ground. From the top of the highest mound a delightful prospect presented itself — the level and extensive mead- ows watered by the Nemahaw and enlivened by the few trees and shrubs skirting the borders of the river and its tributary streams the lowland of the Missouri covered with undulating grass, nearly five feet high, gradually rising into a sec- ond plain, where rich weeds and flowers are in- terspersed with copses of the Osage plum ; far- ther back were seen small groves of trees, and abundance of grapes, the wild cherry of the Missouri, resembling our own but larger, and growing on a small bush, and the choke-cherry, which we observed for the first time. Some of the grapes gathered today are nearly ripe. On the south of the Nemahaw and about a quarter of a mile from its mouth, is a cliff of freestone, in which are various inscriptions and marks made bv the Indians. The sand island on which we are encamped is covered with two species of willow^ — broad and narrow leaf. "July 13. We proceeded at sunrise with a fair wind from the south, and at two miles passed the mouth of a small river on the north called Big Torkio. A channel from the bed of the Mis- souri once ran into this river and formed an is- land called St. Joseph's, but the channel is now filled up and the island is added to the northern shore. Farther on to the south is situated an extensive plain, covered with a grass resembling timothy in its general appearance, except the seed, which is like flax-seed, and also a number of grape-vines. At twelve miles, we passed an island on the north, above which is a large sand- bar covered with willows, and, at twenty and a half miles, stopped on a large sand-bar in the middle of the river, opposite a high, handsome prairie, which extends to the hills four or five miles distant though near the bank the land is low and subject to be overflowed. This day was exceedingly fine and pleasant, a storm of wind last night from the north-northeast having cooled the air. "July 14. We had some hard showers of rain before 7 o'clock, when we set out. We had just reached the end of the sand island, and seen the opposite banks fall in, and so lined with timber that we could not approach it without danger, when a sudden squall from the northeast struck the boat on the starboard quarter and would have certainly dashed her to pieces on the sand island if the party had not leaped into the river, and with the aid of the anchor and cable, kept her ofi' — the waves dashing over her for the space of forty minutes, after which the river be- came almost instantly calm and smooth. The two pirogues were ahead, in a situation nearly similar, but fortunately no damage was done to the boats or the loading. The wind having shifted to the southeast, we came, at the distance of two miles, to an island on the north. One mile above, on the same side of the river, is a small factory, where a merchant of St. Louis traded with the Otoes and Pawnees two years ago. Near this is an extensive lowland, part of which is over- flowed occasionally, the rest is rich and well timbered. The wind again changed to northwest by north. At seven and a half miles, we reached 40 COiMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY the lower point of a large island on the north side. A sniair distance above this point is a river, called by the Maha (now Omaha) Indians, the Nishnabatona. This is a considerable creek, nearly as large as the Aline River, and runs par- allel to the Missouri the greater part of its course, being tifty yards wide at its mouth. In the prairies or glades, we saw wild timoth}-, lambsquarter, huckleberries, and, on the edge of the river, summer grapes, plums and goose- berries. We also saw to-day, for the first time, some elk, at which some of the party shot, but at too great a distance. We encamped on the north side of the island, a little above Nishnabatona. having made nine miles. The river fell a little. "July 15. A thick fog prevented our leaving the encampment before 7. At about four miles, we reached the extremity of the large island and, crossing to the south (side of the Missouri), at the distance of seven miles, arrived at the Little Nemaha, a small river from the south, forty yards wide a little above its mouth, but contract- ing as do almost all the water einptying into the Missouri at its confluence. At nine and three- quarter miles we encamped on a woody point on the south. Along the southern bank is a rich lowland, covered with peavine and rich weeds, and watered by small streams rising in the ad- joining prairies. They, too, are rich, and though with abundance of grass, have no timber except what grows near the water ; interspersed through both are grape vines, plums of two kinds, two species of wild cherry, hazelnuts and gooseber- ries. On the south, there is one unbroken plain, on the north, the river is skirted with some tim- ber, behind which the plain extends some four or five miles to the hills, which seem to have little wood. "July 16. We continued our route between a large island opposite to our last night's en- campment and an extensive prairie on the south. About six miles, we came to another large island called Fairsun Island, on the same side, above which is a spot where about twenty acres of the hill have fallen into the river. Near this is a cliflf of sandstone for two miles, which is much frequented by birds. At this place, the river is about one mile wide, but not deep, as the timber or sawvcrs mav be seen scattered across the whole bottom. At twenty miles distance, we saw on the south an island called by the French I'lsle Chance, or ijald Island, opposite to a large prairie which we called Baldpoint Prairie, from a ridge of naked hills that bound it, running parallel with the river so far as we could see, and from three to six miles distance. To the south, the hills touch the river. We encamped a quarter of a mile beyond this in a point of woods on the north side. The river continues to fall. "Tuesday, July 17. We remained here this day in order to make observations and correct the chronometer, which ran' down on Sunday. The latitude we found to be 40 degrees, 27 min- utes, 5 seconds. The observation of the time proved our chronometer to be slow 5 minutes and 51 seconds. The highlands bear from our camp north, 25 degrees west, up the river. Capt Lewis rode up the country and saw the Nishna- batona about ten or twelve miles from its mouth, at a place not more than three hundred yards from the Missouri, and a little above our camp. It then passes near the foot of the Bald Hills and is at least six feet below the level of the Mis- souri. On its banks are the oak, walnut and mulberry. "Wednesday, July 18. We passed several bad sand-bars in the course of the day, and made eighteen miles and encamped on the south (of the Missouri) opposite to the lower point of the Oven Islands. An Indian dog came to the bank ; he appeared to have been lost and was nearly starved. We gave him some food, but he would not follow us. "Thursday, July 19. The Oven Islands are small and two in number, one near the south shore, the other in the middle of the. river. Op- posite to them is the prairie called Terrien's Oven, from a trader of that name. We encainped on the western extremity of the island, in the middle of the river, having made ten and three- quarter miles. "Friday, July 20. W'e passed, at about three miles distance, a small willow island to the north and a creek on the south, about twenty-five yards wide, bv the French called L'eau qui Pleure, or the Weeping Water. Thence we made two and one-half miles to another island : three miles farther to a third ; six miles bevond, which is a COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 41 fourth island, at the head of which we camped on the southern shore ; (made) in all eighteen miles. "Saturday, July 21. \Ve had a breeze from the southeast, by the aid of which we passed, at about ten miles, a willow island on the south, near highlands, covered with timber at the bank, and formed of limestone with cemented shells. On the opposite bank is a sand-bar, and the land near it is cut through at high water by small channels, forming a number of islands. The wind lulled at 7 o'clock, and we reached, in the rain, at the distance of fourteen miles, the great river Platte." On the morning of the 22d of July, the party again set sail, and, having found, at a distance of ten miles from the mouth of the Platte, a high and shaded situation on the north side of the Missouri, they encamped there to make observa- tions and to send for the neighboring tribes for the purpose of making known to them the recent change in the government and the wish of the United States to cultivate their friendship. That time of the year was the one in which the In- dians go out into the prairies to hunt the buffalo, but, as some hunters' tracks had been discovered, and, as the plains were on fire in the direction of the Indian villages, it was hoped that they might have returned to gather the green corn. Two men were therefore dispatched to the Otoe or Pawnee villages with a present of tobacco and an invitation to the chiefs to visit the company at their encampment. Their first course was through an open prairie to the south, in which they crossed Butterfly Creek. They then reached a small beautiful river called Come de Cerf, or Elkhorn River, about one hundred yards wide, with clear water and a gravelly channel. It emp- tied a little below the Otoe village into the Platte, which they crossed and arrived at the town, about forty-five miles from the point of starting. They found! no Indians there, though they saw some fresh tracks of a small party. The Otoes were once a powerful nation, and lived about twenty miles above the Platte, on the southern bank of the Missouri. Being re- duced, they emigrated to the neighborhood of the Pawnees, under whose protection they were then living. Their village was on the south side of the Platte, about thirty miles from its mouth, and their number was 200 men, including about thirty families of Missouris (all that were left), who were incorporated with them. Five leagues above them, on the same side of t^ie river, re- sided the Pawnees. This nation, once among the most numerous of those inhabiting the valley of the ]Missouri, had gradually been dispersed and broken, until they were now greatly reduced in numbers. They consisted of four bands — the first was the one just mentioned, of about 500 men, to whom of late years had been added the second band called Republican Pawnees, from their having lived previously on the Republican branch of the Kansas River, whence they emi- grated to join the principal band on the Platte. They amounted to nearly 250 men. The third was the Pawnees Loups, or Wolf Pawnees, who reside on the Wolf Fork of the Platte, about ninety miles from the principal Pawnees. These numbered 280 men. The fourth band originally resided on the Kansas and Arkansas, but, in their war with the Osages, they were so often defeated that they at length retired to the Red River, where they formed a tribe of 400 men. To the westward of the Pawnees, upon the Platte, were a number of wandering tribes supposed to have previously been of the Padoucalis, previously mentioned. The expedition again started up the Missouri on the 27th of July. At ten and a half miles, there was seen and examined a curious collection of mounds, on the south side of the river. Not far from a low piece of land and a pond was discovered a tract of about 200 acres covered with these prehistoric earthworks of different heights, shapes and sizes, some of sand and some of both earth and sand, the largest being nearest the river. After making fifteen miles, the party encamped for the night on the Nebraska side of the Missouri. The next day (July 28), they reached the place where the Iowa Indians form- erly lived. These were a branch of the Otoes and emigrated thence to the river Des Moines. The hunter to the expedition, in the evening, brought to the camp a Missouri Indian, whom he had found with two others, dressing an elk. They were perfectly friendly, gave him some of the meat, and one of them agreed to accompany him in. He was one of the few remaining Missotiris living with the Otoes. He belonged to a small 42 COiSIPENDIUlM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY party, whose camp was four miles from the river. He reported that the body of the Otoes were hunting buffalo on the plains. He aj^peared quite sprightly and his language resembled that of the Osage, particularly in his calling, a chief 'inca.' This name was probably learned from the Span- iards of New Mexico. Capts. Lewis and Clark sent the Indian back the next morning, with one of their own party, with an invitation to the In- dians to meet them on the river above, and the expedition proceeded on its w-ay. What trans- pired during the next six days is best given in the record of the company : "Sunday, July 29. We soon came to a north- ern bend in the river, which runs within twenty yards of Indian Knob Creek, the water of which is five feet higher than that of the Missouri. In less than two miles, we passed Bower's Creek on the north (side of the Missouri), of twenty- five yards width. We stopped to dine under a shade near the highland on the south, and caught several large catfish, one of them nearly white, and all very fat. Above this highland, we ob- ser\'ed the traces of a great hurricane, which passed the river obliquely from northwest to southeast and tore up large trees some of which, perfectly sound and four feet in diameter, were snapped off near the ground. We made ten miles to a wood on the north (of the Missouri), where we encamped. "July 30. We went early in the morning three and a quarter miles and encamped on the south (Nebraska), in order to wait for the Otoes. "July 31. The hunter supplied us with deer, turkeys, geese and beaver; one of the last was caught alive, and, in a very short time perfectly tamed. Catfish are very abundant in the river, and we have also seen a buffalo-fish. One of our men brought in yesterday an animal called by the Pawnees chocar toosli, and by the French blair eau, or badger. "We waited with much anxiety the return of our messenger to the Otoes. The men whom we dispatched to our last encampment returned without having seen any appearance of its having been visited. Our horses, too, had strayed, but we were so fortunate as to recover them at tlie distance of twelve miles. Our apprenhensions were at length relieved by the arrival of a party of about fourteen Otoe and Missouri Indians, who came at sunset on the 2d of August, accom- panied by a Frenchman, who resided among them and interpreted for us. Captains Lewis and Clark went out to meet them, and told them that they would hold a council with them in the morning. In the meantime, we sent them some roasted meat, pork, flour and meal, in return for which they made us a present of watermelons. We learned that our man Liberte had set out from their camp a day before them ; we were in hopes that he had merely fatigued his horse or lost himself in the woods and would soon return, but we never saw him again. "August 3. The next morning, the Indians, with their six chiefs were all assembled under an awning formed with the mainsail, in presence of all our party, paraded for the occasion. A speech was then made announcing to them the change in the Government, our promises of pro- tection and advice as to their future conduct. All the six chiefs replied to our speech, each in his turn according to rank. They expressed their joy at the change in the Govermnent; their hopes that we would recommend them to their great Father (the President of the United States) that they might obtain trade and necessaries ; they wanted arms, as well for hunting as for de- defense, and asked our mediation between them and the Mahas (Omahas), with whom they were now at war. We promised to do so, and wished some of them to accompany us to that nation, which they declined, for fear of being killed by them. We then proceeded to distribute our pres- ents. The grand chief of the nation not being of the party, we sent him a flag, a medal and some ornaments for clothing. To the six chiefs who were present, we gave a medal of the second grade to one Otoe chief and one Missouri chief; a medal of the third grade to two inferior chiefs of each nation, the customary mode of recogniz- ing a chief being to place a medal around his neck, which is considered by his tribe as a proof of his consideration abroad. Each of these medals was accompanied by a present of paint, garters and cloth ornaments of dress ; and to this we added a canister of powder, a bottle of whisky and a few presents to the whole, which appeared to make them perfectly satisfied. The air-gun, too, was fired, and astonished them greatly. The absent chief was an Otoe named COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 43 Heahrushhah, which in EngHsh degenerates into Little Thief. The two principal chieftains pres- ent were Shongotongo, or Big Horse, and Wethea, or Hospitality ; Shosguscan, or White Horse, an Otoe ; the first an Otoe, the second a Missouri. "The incidents just related induced us to give to this place the name of Council Bluffs. The situation of it is exceedingly favorable for a fort and trading factory, as the soil is well calculated for bricks and there is an abundance of wood in neighborhood and the air being pure and healthy. It is also central to the chief resorts of the In- dians ; one day's journey to the Otoes ; one and a half to the Great Pawnees; two days from the Mahas ; two and a quarter from the Pawnees Loups village ; convenient to the hunting-ground of the Sioux, and twenty-five days journey to Santa Fe." After concluding the ceremonies of the coun- cil, Lewis and Clark set sail in the afternoon and encamped in what is now Nebraska, at a distance of five miles above Council Bluffs. The next day (August 5), after passing a narrow part of the river, they came to a place on the south side of the Missouri, where was a deserted trading-house. Here one of the party had passed two years in trafficing with the Mahas. Fifteen miles from their previous encampment brought the expedi- tion to a place where it was concluded would be a good stopping place for the night — where the hills on both sides of the river were twelve or fifteen miles from each other. From this point, nothing of especial interest transpired during the next three days ; meanwhile, a distance of nearly sixty miles was made, when (August 7) four men were sent back to the Oteo village in quest of the missing man, Liberte, also, to ap- prehend one of the soldiers, who left the party on the 4th of the month, under pretext of re- covering a knife which he had dropped a short distance behind, and who is was feared had de- serted. Small presents were also , sent to the Oteos and Missouris, and a request that they would join the expedition at the Maha village, where a peace might be concluded between them. On the nth of the month, after having made sixty miles farther up the Missouri, the expedi- tion halted on the south side of the stream for the purpose of examining a spot where one of the great chiefs of the Mahas, named Blackbird, who had been dead about four years, was buried. He died of the small-pox. This chief seemed to have been a person of great consideration in his na- tion. August 13 he brought the party, at a dis- tance of over forty miles from Blackbird's grave to a spot where, on the Nebraska side of the Mis- souri, a Mr. Mackay had a trading establish- ment in the years 1795 and 1796, which he called "Fort Charles." The diary of the expedition continues : "At fourteen miles (from the previous place of camping), we reached a creek on the south, on which the Mahas reside, and, at seventeen miles and a quarter, formed a camp on a sand-bar, to the south side of the river opposite the lower point of a large island. From this place, Sergt. Ordway and four men were detached to the Maha village, with a flag and a present, in order to in- duce them to come and hold a council with us. They returned at 12 o'clock the next day, Au- gust 14. After crossing a prairie covered with high grass, they reached the Maha Creek, along which they proceeded to its three forks, which join near the village; they crossed the north branch and went along the south ; the walk was very fatiguing, as they were forced to break their way through grass, sunflowers and thistles, all above ten feet high and interspersed with wild pea. Five miles from our camp they reached the position of the ancient Maha village ; it had once consisted of 300 cabins, but was burnt four years ago, soon after the small-pox had destroyed 400 men and a proportion of women and children. On a hill, in the rear of the village are the graves of the nation, to the south of which nms the fork of the Maha Creek; this they crossed where it was about ten yards wide, and followed its course to the Missouri, passing along a ridge of hill for one mile and a half and a long pond between that and the Missouri ; they then re-crossed the Maha Creek and arrived at the camp, having seen no tracks of the Indians nor any sign of recent cul- tivation. "On the morning of the 15th, some men were sent to examine the cause of a large smoke from the northeast, and which seemed to indicate that some Indians were near; but they found that a small party, who lately passed that way, had left some trees burninsr, and that the wind from that 44 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, RExMINISCENCE AND IJlOGRx\PHY quarter blew the smoke directly toward us. Our camp lies about three miles nortiieast from the old JNlaha village, and is in latitude 42 degrees, 13 minutes and 41 seconds. The accounts we have had of the effects of the small-pox on that nation are most distressing; it is not known in what way it was first communicated to them, though probably by some war party. They had been a military and powerful people, but when these warriors saw their strength wasting be- fore a malady which they could not resist, their frenzy was extreme ; they burnt their village and many of them put to death their wives and chil- dren to save them from so cruel an affliction, and that all might go together so some better country. "On the i6th we still waited for the Indians ; a party had gone out yesterday to the Maha Creek, which was dammed up by the beaver be- tween the camp and the village ; a second went to-day. They made a kind of drag with small willows and bark, and swept the creek. The first company caught 318 fish; the second, up- ward of 800, consisting of pike, bass, fish resemb- ling salmon, trout, red-horse, bufi'alo, one rock- fish, one flatback, perch, catfish, a small species of perch, called on the Ohio silverfish, a shrimp of the same size, shape and flavor of those about New Orleans and the lower part of the Mississ- ippi; we also foimd very fat muscles, and, on the river, as well as the creek, are different kinds of duck and plover. ''•"■ * * "Friday, 17. In the evening one of the party sent to the Otoes returned with the information that the rest were coming on with the deserter ; they had also caught Liberte ; but by a trick, he made his escape ; they were bringing three of the chiefs in order to engage our assistance in making peace with the Mahas. * * * August 18. In the afternoon, the party ar- rived with the Indians, consisting of the Little Thief and the Big Horse, whom we had seen on the 3d, together with six other chiefs and a French interpreter. * * * "August 19. The chiefs and warriors being assembled at 10 o'clock, we explained the speech we had already sent from Council TilufTs.and re- newed our advice. * * * "Tlie next morning, August 20, the Indians mounted their horses and left us, having received a canister of whisky at parting. W'c then set sail, and, after passing two islands on the north, came to one on that side under some bluffs — the first bluffs near the river since we left Ayauvva (Iowa) Village. Here we had the misfortune to lose one of cur Sergeants — Charles Floyd. He was yesterday seized with a bilious colic, and all our care and attention were ineffectual to re- lieve him. A little before his death, he said to Capt. Clark, "i am going to leave you." His strength failed him as he added, T want you to write a letter for me.' He died with a composure which justified the high opinion we had formed of his firmness and good conduct. He was buried on the top of the bluff' with the honors due a brave soldier, and the place of his interment was marked by a cedar post on which his name and the day of his death were inscribed. About a mile beyond this place, to which we gave his name, is a small river, about thirty yards wide, on the north side (of the Missouri), which we called Floyd's River, where we encamped. We had a breeze from the southeast and made thir- teen miles." On the 2ist of August the party reached the mouth of the Great Sioux river, where is now situated Sioux City, Iowa, and on the 27th of the same month reached the mouth of the / James or Dakota river. Here they met and held a council with the Sioux Indians, a large body of whom were encamped near by. This council was held at Calumet Bluffs, on the Nebraska side of the Missouri, August 30. The Sioux were foimd Ijy Lewis and Clark to be divided in ten separate tribes or bands — Yanktons, Tetons of the Burnt Woods, Tetons-Okandandas, Te- tons-Minnekenozzo, Tetons-Saone, Yanktons of the Plains, Wahpatone, Mendawarcarton, Wah- patoota, and Sistasoone. It was estimated that the men of the entire nation in 1804 was over 2,500 representing a population of over 10,000. From here on to the Rapid river (or as it was called by the French, Rivere qui Court — now the Niobrara) nothing of particular importance occurred, and here the expedition passed be- yond sight of Nebraska soil. The expedition finally reached the Pacific ocean, and returned down the Missouri in the summer of 1806. In the daily journal which was kept by Lewis and Clark an extended account is given of a remarkable pre-historic earthwork which COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 45 they visited before they reached the Niobrara. It was on the south side of the Missouri river in the north part of what is now Knox county, Nebraska. The journal says : "This earth- work is opposite the upper extremity of Bon- honime Island, and in a low, level plain, the hills being three miles from the river. It begins by a wall composed of earth, rising immediately from the bank of the river, and running in a direct course south seventy-six degrees west, ninety-six yards ; the base of this wall or mound is seventy-five feet and its height about eight. It then diverges in a course south eighty-four degrees west, and continues at the same height and depth to a distance of fifty-three yards, the angle being formed by a sloping descent ; at the junction of these two is an appearance of a horn work of the same height as the first angle ; the same wall then pursues a course northwest for three hundred yards. Near its western ex- tremity is an opening or gateway, at right angles to the wall, defended by two semi-circu- lar walls, placed before it; and from the gate- way there seems to have been a covered way communicating with the interval between these two walls. Westward of the gate the wall be- comes much larger, being about 105 feet at its base and twelve feet high. At the end of this high ground the wall extends for fifty-six yards on a course north thirty-two degrees west. It then turns north twenty-three degrees west for seventy-three yards. These two walls seem to have had a double or covered way. They are from ten to fifteen feet in height and from seventy-five to 105 in width at the base ; the descent inward being steep while outward it forms a sort of glacis. At the distance of sev- enty-three yards the wall ends abruptly at a large hollow place, much lower than the general level of the plain, and from which is some in- dication of a covered way to the water. The space between them is occupied by several mounds scattered promiscuously through the gorge, in the center of which is a deep round hole. From the extrcmitv of the last wall, in a course north thirty-two degrees west, is a dis- tance of ninety-six yards over the low ground, where the wall re-commences and crosses the plain in a course north eighteen degrees west for 1,830 yards, to the bank of the Missouri. In tlii:5 course, its height is about eight feet, till it enters, at the distance of 533 yards, a deep circu- lar pond of seventy-three yards in diameter, after which it is gradually lower toward the river. It touches the river at a muddy bar, which bears every mark of being an ancroachment of the water for a considerable distance, and a little above the injunction is a small circular redoubt. "Along the bank of the river and at 1,100 yards distance in a straight line from this wall, is a second wall about six feet high and of considerable width. It rises abruptly frojn the bank of the Missouri, at a point where the river bends, and goes straight forward, form- ing an acute angle- with the last wall, till it enters the river again, not far from the mounds just described, toward which it is obviously tending. At the bend, the Mis- souri is 500 yards wide ; the ground on the op- posite side, highlands, or low hills on the bank ; and, where the river passes between this fort and Bonhomme Island, all the distance from the bend it is constantly washing the banks into the stream, a large sand bank being already taken from the shore near the wall. During the whole course of this wall, or glacis, it is covered with trees, among which are many large cotton trees, two or three feet in diameter. Immediately opposite the citadel, or the part most strongly fortified on Bonhomme Island, is a small work in a circular form, with a wall surrounding it about six feet high. The young willows along the water joined to the general appearance of the two shores, induce a belief that the bank of the island is encroaching, and the Missouri in- demnifies itself by washing away the base of the fortification. The citadel contains about twenty acres, but the parts between the long walls must embrace nearly 500 acres." The District of Louisiana was changed to the Territory of Louisiana by an act of Congress passed March 3, 1805, which provided for a governor, secretary and two judges. It was detached from Indiana Territory and erected into a separate territory, so that Nebraska be- came a part of the "Territory of Louisiana." In 1808 the Missouri Fur Company was es- tablished, and an expedition under its au.spices was sent out under command of Maj. A. Henrv. 46 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY He established trading posts on the upper JMis- souri beyond the Rocky mountains. In 1805 JManuel Lisa, a wealthy Spaniard, with a party in search of trading grounds, reached the lands north of the Platte. The beauty of the scene caused him to exclaim "Bellevue," by which name the spot has since been designated. It is the present site of Belle- vue, Sarpy count)-, Nebraska. In 1810 the American Fur Company, a great trading monopoly under the control of John Jacob Astor, established a trading post at Bellevue. Francis De Roin was placed in charge of the business there, and a few years later was succeeded by Joseph Robiaux. In 1842 Col. Peter A. Sarpy became agent at Belle- vue and for thirty years he was the leading spirit of that region. In 1841 the government transferred to Bellevue the government agency which had previously been located at Fort Cal- houn or Old Council BlufTs. The settlement of Bellevue and the estab- lishing of the trading post there by the Ameri- can Fur Company in 1810 is claimed by many writers to have been the first settlement made by whites within the limits of what is now the State of Nebraska. By an act of Congress passed June 4, 1812, the ''Territory of Louisiana" became the "Terri- tory of Missouri," within the bounds of which was the present area of Nebraska. It provided for territorial ofificers and a council and house of representatives. The members of the house were to be elected by the people. On the 19th of January, 1816, the legislature passed a law making the common law of England the law of the territory. In 1819 an exploring expedition was started from Pittsburgh, Pa., to the Rocky mountains, under Maj. Stephen PI. Long, the principal ob- ject of which was a topographical description of the country visited. They came up the Mis- souri river and reached the mouth of the Platte river on September 15, 1819. Two days later they reached the trading establishment of the Missouri Fur Company, called Fort Lisa. This was five or six miles below Council BlufTs on the west side of the river. It was occupied by Samuel Lisa, one of the most active persons en- gaged in the fur trade. The expedition went into quarters for the winter about a half mile above Fort Lisa, on the same side of the river. In the meantime councils had been held with various Indian tribes, which eventually resulted in treaties being agreed upon. A treaty between the Otoes and the United States was proclaimed December 26, "1817; one was ratified with the lowas and one with the Mahas December 26, 1815, and one with the Pawnees as early as January 5, 1812. A treaty was also concluded with the Pawnees Grand and proclaimed Janu- ary 7, 1819; one with the Noisy Pawnee tribe on the same day, and one with the Republican Pawnees January 17, 18 19. The Yankton tribe of the Sioux treaty was proclaimed July 19, 1815; the Sioux of the River St. Peter's and those of the Lakes was proclaimed the same day. The treaties all provided that there should be perpetual peace between the Indians and Ameri- cans and the tribes all acknowledged themselves to be under the protection of the United States. It will therefore be seen that at the time of Major Long's visit to Nebraska all the Indian nations of the Missouri river and its tributaries as far up as the homes of the Sioux and down to the region of the mouth of the Namaha had been treated with by the agents of the general government. Major Long held various coun- cils with the Indians. During the winter of i8i9-'20, it was decided to change the course of the expedition and explore the sources of the Platte river. The expedition left "Engineer Cantonment" June 6, 1820, and reached the Elkhorn, a considerable tributary of the Platte the next day. Soon after crossing the Elkhorn, the party entered the valley of the Platte. The march was up this valley on the north side of the stream until the Loup Fork was reached. In this way the expedition proceeded up the Platte valley, crossing the entire State of Ne- braska, following the south fork to the Rocky mountains, visiting en route a number of the Indian villages. Major Long's party was the first exploring expedition ever to ascend the Platte from its mouth to the confluence of the two forks, but others had descended the river previous to that date. In 181 1 a part of the men engaged in Hunt's expedition to the mouth of the Columbia COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 47 river, on their return from tlie Pacific, fell upon the source of the north fork of the Platte and descended thence to the Missouri. Also in June, 1812, Robert Stewart, one of the partners ■of the Pacific Fur Company, with several others while coming from the Pacific struck the head- waters of the Platte, spent the winter on it, and final!}- reached the Missouri. It may now be said that the territory in- cluded within the preseiit boundaries of Ne- braska had been explored. The general fea- tures and the homes of its Indian tribes were pretty well known. On the 2d of Alarch, 1819, the Congress of the United States created, out of the Missouri Territory, the Territory of Arkansas. On the 6th of March, 1820, an act was approved author- izing the people of Missouri Territory to form a constitution and State government, and for the admission of the State into the Union. This was assented to by the people, in State conven- tion on the 19th of July following. On the 2d of March, 1821, the State was admitted, with conditions, by a joint resolution of Congress. These conditions were accepted, and Missouri became a State by proclamation August 10, 182 1. As first established, the State was bound- ed on the west by a meridian passing through the mouth of the Kansas river. An act was approved June 7, 1836, extending the boundary to the Missouri river, north of its intersection with this line, whenever the Indian title to this portion should be extinguished, and the State express its assent to the change. The Indian title was extinguished by a treaty with the lowas and Sacs and Foxes, September 17, 1836. This addition was known as the "Platte Pur- chase," and was sanctioned by the State Decem- ber 16, 1836, and: was declared perfected by a proclamation of the President March 28, 1837. This was bringing a state very close to portions of what are now included in Nebraska — only across the Missouri to the present counties of Richardson, Nemaha, and the southeast corner of Otoe. After the admission of Missouri as a State into the Union for nearly thirty-three years the country now included within the boundaries of the State of Nebraska was practically without a government, but before the end of this time the country was attached to the United States Judicial District of Missouri. In the spring of 1822, William H. Ashley, the head of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, of St. Louis, equipped two boats to ascend the Missouri river to the mouth of the Yellow- stone. This was a disastrous expedition, as during the first three months one-fourth of the men were lost by violent deaths, and a good deal of the property by accident, deceit and war with the savages. In the meantime negotiations were being carried on with the Indians of the various tribes. The Missouri Fur Company, one of the strongest and most active engaged in the trade, had at its head Dr. Pilcher. Benjamin O'Fallon was one of the principal partners and was one of the most active in bringing about the treaties between the government and the various Indian tribes of Nebraska and adjacent country already referred to. By a treaty proclaimed December 30, 1825, the Kansas tribe ceded to the Unitc.l States a large section of this country. On April 12, 1834, a treaty was proclaimed by which the four confederate bands of the Pawnees did like- wise. The Pawnees as well as the surrounding tribes were greatly ravished by smallpox in 1832. Sooti after the Pawnees by treaty agreed to confine themselves to the north side of the Platte, but in a short time the Sioux came down upon them with great slaughter. From this time their numbers rapidly decreased. In 1834, by an act of Congress, it was en- acted that all that part of the United States west of the Mississippi and not within the States of Missouri and Louisiana or the Territory of Ar- kansas should be considered Indian country for the purposes of the act, and certain regula- tions were prescribed for its government. This included the whole of the present State of Ne- braska. In 1835 another expedition under the direc- tion of the general government traversed the Platte valley. Col. Henry Dodge was in charge of this expedition and followed the west bank of the Missouri to the mouth of the Platte, then traced the last-mentioned stream to its source. Col. John C. Fremont's exploring expedition came in 1842. They reached the Big Blue on 48 COMPEXDIL'.M OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY June 20, 1842. Fremont reached the confluence of the North and South Forks of Platte river July 2d. From this point the party traveled up the South Fork forty miles, where it was decided to divide the party — one to ascend the fork they were then on, the other to cross over to the North Fork. W'hh five men Fremont continued his journey up the South Fork, reaching, on July 5th, a point near the western boundary of what is now Keith county, Ne- braska. The other party followed the North Fork up to the American Fur Company's fort, at the mouth of Laramie's Fork (Fort Laramie), where the two parties were reunited and went on west, returning later in the fall of the same year. The second Fremont expedition was undertaken in 1843. During the decade following the time when the Fremont expedition traveled over Nebraska, various circumstances conspired to send thou- sands of white men into this region for a longer or shorter period. First, in point of time and numbers were the Mormons. Their home in Nauvoo, Illinois, having been broken up, the greater part of the believers in that faith jour- neyed slowly across Iowa, and finally with few exceptions crossed the Missouri river during the years 1845 ^"^ 1846, locating about six miks north of Omaha, at what is now known as Flor- ence, but which was then called "Winter Quar- ters" by the Mormons. Here about 15,000 peo- ple congregated. The Indians were hostile to them, complaining that they cut too much tim- ber, and the complaints caused the exodus of the IMormons. Many of them found temporary shelter on the Iowa side of the river. Soon an expedition of eighty wagons was sent out in search of a permanent home for the Latter Day Saints, which resulted in the selection of the Salt Lake Valley — then far beyond the reach of government law and civilization. The presence of these families had no decisive influence on the future of Nebraska. In 1847 the Presbyterian Board of Missions confirmed the selection of Bcllevue for the lo- cation of a mission school. This was an import- ant step in the history of Nebraska. The mis- sion school buildings were finislied and formally opened in 1848. In 1849 there set in that wonderfully mi- gratory movement to California, directlv across what is now within the boundaries of the State. Bands of gold seekers crossed the Missouri at old Fort Kearney (now Nebraska City), tt Plattsmouth, at Bellevue and at Council Bluffs. Another great stream flowed from the southeast, striking the Platte at (New) Fort Kearney, pre- viously called Fort Childs, which had been es- tablished on the south side of the Platte, op- posite Grand Island. Thus the fever of 1849 swept over all the land and thousands found their way to the Pacific along the valley oi the Platte. The moving host left here and there a permanent impress on the land ; the knowledge of this fertile country spread, and later on many of these same "forty-niners" sought its peace- ful hills and plains wherein to erect homes for their declining years. Another effect of the emigration was the establishment of a ferry be- tween what is now Omaha and Council Bluffs by Wm. D. Brown, in 185 1 or 1852. In 1853 he made claim to the site of Omaha. In 1850 a military road was established leading from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Kearney on the Platte. By this time the territory was being so thoroughly travelled over that the broad and beautiful rolling prairies and the rich soil hv- came well known and it was clear now that it was only a question of time when emigration would cross the Missouri and in an irresistable wave spread itself widely over the fertile plains beyond. The general government, therefore, continued the negotiations for residue of the Indian lands and as rapidly as possible con- cluded treaties to restrict the Indians to moder- ate metes and bounds. Nebra.ska was the highway to the west, and a place should be given in this history to men- tion of the events and conditions which were largely instrumental in the original settlement of Nebraska. In remote times — scmote for the west — the beginning of "the West" was at the Mississippi. Western Illinois and Wisconsin and Western Iowa were accessible by water by the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The region beyond was known only to the courageous few who had braved the perils of a wilderness in- habited by hostile tribes. But. in 1850. when the fever for gold had spread throughout the 1 /(j/jU'in I !,'/! /.'A'/Vt'oA/ /,' uf./,'o 1!' /,'/////«/•.; uj:\/v\/-: \/:h//. l-/, i rrx.VKL /mc/, . /,/,•; -,/ /'/-:// 1 rofiA-/y,A'/-:H. so/j / 7/ ■!/'/.•/. ( j:i'/scuH\i,j AT /iENXJiM..\/:j/jL i.-i, i ' '/■/ //y OX .\ /o/wAi! I h'ti /.7/.si 1/ /// i;rr/,/,i_ i/y/// ;.-/i ; Sor>.srnooLt/Ot rf - // /// // f 1 a7 t -i/.j- \7/\'j^ \JHffi^h COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 49 East, the limits of civilization had extended so far that supplies of horses, mules, cattle, wagons, coffee, flour, bacon, sugar and the in- dispensables of a trip across the plains were ob- tainable at points on the Missouri river, in the State of Missouri. Parties endeavored to reach that stream early in the spring, that they might take advantage of the growth of vegetation as food for their teams. While some caravans followed the Arkansas, many more chose to come up the Missouri, and travel thence west- ward along the rich valley of the Platte. Thus was first opened up to observant pioneers the beauties of this region. Hundreds of improvid- ent but eager men set out so late in the season as to encounter the rigor of winter in the mountains, and many perished miserably from exposure and starvation. Others started early enough to safely pass the Rocky mountains, only to meet their fate in the inhospitable fastness of the Sierra Nevadas, where snow frequently piles to the depths of thirty and forty feet in lo- calities. Among the "early trials were the dan- gers incident to crossing a country inhabited by fierce Indians. If the truth could be known, probably every mile from the Missouri to the Pacific would demand at least one headstone to mark a victim's grave. At the time referred to, the whole region, from the Missouri to the Pacific, was vaguely known as "the plains," -though it embraced al- most every variety of country. First, the emi- grant crossed the rich, rolling prairies of Ne- braska. The soil grew thinner and thinner un- til it merged into dreary sand deserts. Upon these he found myriads of prairie dogs, some- times living in towns twenty miles square ; herds of graceful antelopes bounded over the hills, and huge ungainly buffaloes, which numbered millions then, blackened parts of the landscape. A day's journey was from ten to twenty miles. When the company halted for the night, they turned their animals to graze, with such pre- cautions as served to prevent their escape ; lighted a fire on the prairie of buffalo chips, and supped on pork, hot bread or "fla;i-jacks," and washed the frugal repast down with the inevitable tin cup of coffee. Their trusty guns were kept within easy reach, and the whitened skull of a buffalo, perhaps killed by some emi- 4 grant long before in wanton sport, served as a seat. The wagons were covered with stout canvas, and aft'orded protection to the few women and children during the later years of the excitement. All became inured to the con- ditions of outdoor life. When large streams were reached, the heavy wagon's were floated or hauled, and where it was convenient to do so, rude bridges were constructed over smaller streams. Every source of ingenuity was 'de- veloped. If a wheel gave way, and the me- chanical productiveness of the party could not replace it, a cottonwood log, with one end dragging on the ground, was made to serve in- stead. If a pole broke, another was extempor- ized from the nearest timber. If an ox died, some luckless cow was yoked in his place. Sometimes one family, or one party of half a dozen men, journed alone, and sometimes there were a hundred or more wagons in a single "train," with their white covers enveloped in an increasing cloud of dust. During the sea- sons when emigration was very heavy, caravans could, from an eminence, be seen stretching out for miles and miles, and at night every pleasant camping-ground was a populous village. The journey was not without its enjoyments, though one's philosophy was sorely tried at times- There were often long delays for hunting lost cattle, waiting for swollen streams to subside,, or in climbing the mountains. Storms and mis- haps frequently taxed the patience of all, and sickness came to feeble frame and hardy men alike. The first of a long line of trains often climbed steep hills, instead of going the longer and easier way through ravines, and the fol- lowers along the new roads were forced to de- sert the beaten track, and risk untried courses,, or labor on in their wake. It was not uncommon to see from ten to thirty yoke of cattle hitched to a single wagon, working slowly up the moun- tain. The summit reached at last, the wagon would be emptied, and, with a huge log trailing behind as a brake, the teams would descend to repeat their experience in ascending with other loads. The wild, majestic scenery along the way may have been a partial compensation to some for the hardships they endured ; but it is reasonable to believe that few would have re- fused to forego those delights if thereby they 50 CUAli'EiNDIU.M OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE A\D BIOGRAPHY niigl.t have gained easier transit. The tragedies of those days were numerous. The very nature of the journey, and the chances of sudden wealth, combined with the freedom of the man- ner of living, gathered many a desperate char- acter into the civil army. The baser passions were loo often allowed full scope, and hence it must be recorded that many a villain found his end at the hands of outraged companions. The travelers were a law unto themselves, and greed or lust were summarily avenged. An early settler wrote the following vivid description of the appearance of Nebraska in 1856: "In 1856 I first came to Nebraska, and the rolling prairies existing between the Big Sandy and Fort Kearney had been burnt off, so that as the caravan with which I was travel- ing passed along, a wide waste of desolation met the eye. The surface of the earth was black as charcoal, and here and there was spotted with the bleached bones of buffalo, oxen and wolves. It seemed as though nothing could live in that forsaken-looking country; and yet I thought then that where that black, charred surface was, there must have been long blades of brown and yellow grass, before the fire swept them ti.t of existence. And I thought, too, the grass must have been beauti- fully green in the spring and summer time ; and I hoped to see the summer bloom for me again. When I approached the Platte valley from the hills which skirt it, my eyes were delighted with the sight that met my view. Near by, lay that beautiful country, its land as level as a floor, the dense groves of trees stretching out as far as the eye could see. It was a gorgeous spec- tacle, and, it seemed to me, no valley on the earth could surpass it in agricultural possibili- ties. During the winter of 1856-57, I journeyed on to F'ort Laramie. The point at which I struck the Platte must have been 250 miles from its mouth. I'rnm there to Fort Laramie was about 375 miles. I, therefore, traveled fully 375 miles, so that my opportunity for judging of, its extent and general features was of the best, although it was seen under most disparag- ing circumstances. That was a terrible winter. From October to May snow was on the ground. On the last day of November, our party arrived at Ash Hollow, returning from l-'ort Laramie. The snow was a foot deep at the former place. That night, another storm came on and con- tinued for several days and nights. When it was over, we were snow-bound. We remained there two weeks and then moved on to a village of Ogallala Sioux Indians, where we remained more than a month, and were kept from starv- ing by the kindness of the Indians, who gave us all the buffalo meat we needed for our food. From this village to Fort Kearney we journej'ed en the ice of the Platte. On the land, the snow lay two feet deep, while the valleys were filled full with drifting snow. F'or months there was nothing to be seen but the dazzling whiteness of the snow. W'e were sixteen days in going from Ash Hollow to Fort Kearney, a distance of 150 miles, and necessarily encouatered many hardships and privations on the way. A few days after our arrival at the fort another severe storm came on with strong winds. This lasted several days and completely buried the one- story houses of the fort in the drifts. Barracks, officers' quarters, stables — all were covered, and trenches had to be dug around haystacks to pre- vent the cattle from walking on top of them. Cuttings were made from door to door of the houses, to allow the inmates to go in and out. The season was terrible, but it was general throughout the northwest. It was an unfavor- able time to form an opinion of the region, but I nevertheless resolved to make it my future home. I knew that the snow would finally dis- appear; and so it did. In June, the valley of the Platte was decked with living green ; tht trees were rich with foliage, and birds chirpeo forth their songs of joy." Early in the fifties a movement was begun which culminated in the organization of Ne- braska as a terrilnry. On F'ebruary 10, 1853, a bill organizing the territory of Nebraska passed the house byt failed to pass the senate. On tlie 14th of December, 1853, the second bill was introduced in the senate, and on May 30, the organic act creating the Territory of Ne- braska was signed by President Pierce and be- came a law. The first territorial officers ap- pointed by President Pierce were as follows : Governor, Francis Burt, of South Carolina; secretarv, Thonias B. Cuming, of biwa; chief justice, Tinner I'ergiison, of Michigan : associ- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENX'E AND BIOGRAPHY 51 ate justices, James Bradley, of Indiana, and Edward R. Hardin, of Georgia; marshal, Mark ^^'. Isard of Arkansas ; attorney, E. Estabrook, of Wisconsin. Governor Burt reached the Territory in ill health on the 6th of October, 1854, and pro- ceeded to Bellevue. He took the oath of office October 16, 1854, but his illness proved of a fatal character, and he sank rapidly. His death occurred October 18, 1854, and the duties of or- ganizing the territorial government devolved upon secretary Cuming, who became acting gov- ernor. Practically the first official act in the territorial government was the issuance of a proclamation announcing the deatli of Governor Burt. At the time of its organization the territory was divided into eight counties, viz. : Burt, Washington, Dodge, Douglas, Cass, Pierce, Forney and Richardson. The official headquarters of the territory were located temporarily at Bellevue until the assembling of the legislature in January, 1855. There was intense rivalry over the location of the capital between Bellevue, Florence, Platts- mouth, Nebraska City and Omaha, but it was decided in favor of Omaha. The erection of a capital building at Omaha was commenced in the fall of 1855, which was completed by Janu- ary, 1858. It was a commodious brick build- ing. In the fall of 1854, the first census of the. Territory was taken by virtue of a proclamation issued by the governor, and on December 12th, of the same year, the first election was held. In March, i860, the question of forming a State Government was submitted to the people and defeated by a vote of 2,372 to 2,094. The matter of State organization was again taken up in 1864. On April 19, of that year, the enabling act passed by Congress was ap- proved by the President and became a law. Ne- braska was now a State. In the meantime settlements were being made by a sturdy and thrifty class of pioneers in various portions of the State, and the inhabit- ants settled down to the peaceful pursuits of husbandry. From this time down to the pres- ent time we will here treat of only the most important points that have proven mile posts in the history of the State. For the more detailed mention of the different phases of the growth and development of the State we refer the reader to the special articles, elsewhere in this volume. The growth and development of the State and its settlement had only begun to reach sub- stantial proportions when it was interrupted by the breaking out of the civil war in 1861. In May, 1861, Gov. Alvin Saunders issued a pro- clamation calling for the immediate raising of a regiment of infantry. In pursuance to this Companies A, B, C, D, E, F and G, of the First regiment were all sworn into the service in June, 1861. Three more companies ware sworn into the service in July and all these com- panies took their departure for St. Joseph. In August a call was issued for two companies of cavalry to join the First regiment. In 1862 and also in 1863 a number of com- panies of cavalry were organized and mustered into the service. Additional companies of cavalry and infantry were organized in 1864 and sent to the front. In 1864 ai'id 1865 the Indians along the frontier gave the whites a great deal of trouble and many depredations were committed. On July 25, 1865, an attack was made on Platte Bridge Station by one thousand Indians. In 1866 the State constitution was adopted by a vote of the people and on March i, 1867, President Andrew Jackson issued a proclama- tion declaring Nebraska a State. The first ses- sion of the legislature after the admission of the State into the Union met May 16, 1867, under a proclamation issued by Governor Butler. The first State legislature (i866-'67) ap- pointed Governor David Butler, secretary of State, T. P. Kennard, and state auditor, John Gil- lespie, a commission for selecting a site for the State capital. The commissioners commenced their search in July, 1867, and made a thorough examination of all territory designated by the act of the legislature which embraced the coun- ties of Lancaster, Seward: and a part of the counties of Butler, Saunders and Saline. Sev- enty-two sections of land and twelve salt springs had been donated to the new State by the gen- eral government and these were located by the Governor within a radius of twenty miles of the 52 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Great Salt Basin. The balloting of the commis- sioners for location of the State capital occurred July 29, 1867, and resulted in favor of Lincoln (then called Lancaster). Work on the capitol building was commenced promptly. The build- ing was sufficiently completed by December, 1868, for occupancy and on December 3, 1868, Governor Butler issued a proclamation an- nouncing the removal of the seat of government to Lincoln, and ordered the transfer of the ar- chives of the State to the new capitol. In 1869 the University of Nebraska was founded. On the loth of Alay, 1869, there occurred an event which marked one of the most im- portant mile posts, not only for Nebraska alone but ill American history as well — the comple- tion of the Union Pacific Railroad to Ogden. On that day two oceans were united, a continent was spanned' by iron bandsand a revolution was accomplished in the commerce of the world. The event was observed in Omaha by a grand celebration. In 1871 articles of impeachment were formu- lated against Governor Butler. The trial began March 14th, and resulted in an order for his removal from office. On September 19th of this year a new constitution was submitted to a vote of the people and rejected. The first serious devastation by grasshoppers occurred in July, 1874. In 1875 a new constitu- tion was adopted by a vote of the people. In 1878 the State Historical Association was organized. In 1882 a great strike took place on the Burlington railroad, resulting in serious riot- ing, which required the militia to quell. In 1890 an Indian insurrection occurred at Pine Ridge Agency, which assumed such ceri- ous proportions as to require the calling out of the National Guards. The census of this year gave Nebraska a population of 1,058,910. In 1894 began the "famine period." The hot winds in July of this year throughout practically the whole State parched all vegetation, causing a practically entire failure of crops of all kinds. The crop failures (1894-1895) resulted in great suflfering in the western part of the State. In January, 1895, the legislature passed a relief bill, appropriating $50,000 for the relief of the western suflferers. This was followed in March of the same year by an additional appropriation of $200,000. In 1898, shortly after the breaking out of the Spanish-American war. Governor Holcomb issued a proclamation calling for vounteers, and as a result of this the First and Second regi- ments were mustered in at Lincoln, ^lay 9 and 10, 1898. The Third regiment was mustered in at Fort Omaha on July 7th, of the same year. One of the important events of recent years in Nebraska that should be mentioned was the opening of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition at Omaha, June i, 1898. The foregoing covers all the most important events that would be considered as marking epochs in the history of the State. It may oe said that the principal set-backs which the State has suffered were those caused: First, by the civil war in 1861-1865, which temporarily de- layed the settlement and development of this region by the drawing into the service of the government many of the able bodied men from all parts of the country. But the delay was only temporary and the emigration set in with renewed force immediately after the close of hostilities, and many of the war veterans found their way to Nebraska to settle down to peace- ful avocations. Second, the occasional out- breaks of the Indians in early days may be said to have been one of the causes which for a time most seriously delayed and interrupted the growth of the State as many living in the east- ern states were deterred from emigrating to Nebraska through fears of the Indians, aroused by the occasional outbreaks and the sensational rumors that were current in the east. The third great interruption to Nebraska's growth was from the grasshopper raids of the "sev- enties." Fourth, the drouth and consequent failure of crops which occurred about 1894 proved a serious set-back to Nebraska as well as to the entire western country. These however may all be justly considered as being the usual and ordinary set-backs that must be met in the development of any new countr}-. With these exceptions it may be said that the forward progress of the State has been steady and rapid. The seasons have come and COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 53 gone, leaving bountiful crops to enrich and sup- ply the wants of all, and prosperity reigns su- preme throughout the length and breadth of the State. The changes that have been wrought are truly marvelous. And as these changes of only a half a century are contemplated, one can scarcely realize or comprehend that the wonder- ful results of time's marvel-working hand are the achievements of a period, so brief, as to be within the remembrance of men who are still living. Turn back, as it were, the leaves of time's great book to but a half century ago, and the stranger would have gazed upon a landscape of great beauty, selected by the red men as their camping-ground, ^v!ith that singular apprecia- tion of the beautiful which nature made an in- stinct in the savage. These vast and rolling prairies were as green then as now ; the- prairie flowers bloomed as thickly and diffused' their fragrance as bountifully. It was the home of the red man with scarcely a trace of civilization. But today, what a contrast ! Then all was as nature had formed it with its varigated hues of vegetation; in winter a dreary snow- manteled desert; in summer a perfect paradise of flowers. Now all traces of the primitive are obliterated ; in place of the tall prairie grass and tangled underbrush, one beholds the rich waving fields of golden grain. In place of the dusky warriors' rude cabins are the substantial and often elegant dwellings of the thrifty farm- ers; and the "iron horse," swifter than the nim- ble deer, treads the pathway so recently the trail ■ of the red man. Cities and villages, the pc-r of those which have been centuries in building, have sprung up as if by magic ; civilization and progress are apparent on every hand'; schools and churches adorn the former prairies ; and the result is a prosperous land, filled with an enter- pirsing, intelligent and ha]ipy people. CHAPTER III. POLITICAL, TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION, STATE ORGANIZATION, LEGIS- LATIVE AND OFFICIAL ROSTER. MOVEMENTS TOWARD SECURING TERRITORIAL OR- GANIZATION. In 1 85 1 and 1852 the first effort was made to erect a territory west of Missouri and Iowa which was abortive and the matter did not reach a vote in Congress. At the next session, 1852- '53. Willard P. Hall, of Missouri, on December 13, 1852, offered a bill in the House of Repre- sentatives organizing the Territory of "Platte," which included in its area what is now the greater part of Nebraska, the northern limit of the region being generally described as "the Platte River." The bill was referred to the Committee on Territories. From that com- mittee William A. Richardson, of Illinois, re- ported a bill organizing the Territory of Ne- braska, covering the same area. The report did not meet with the approval of the southern mem- bers, and they made such a fight on it that the report presented recommended that the bill be rejected. Notwithstanding the objections, how- ever, the bill passed the House by a vote of 98 to 43, Feburary 10, 1853. Now began the contest which became notorious in the , history of the nation. The bill went to the senate, heralded by pro-slavery blasts of warning. There was organized, secretly, a system to prevent free soil from becoming a new territory, unless a similar tract of slave soil should be set oft', as a counterpoise in the National Legisla- ture ; for to admit a, free territory without one dedicated to slavery was to give the anti-slavery faction a political lever that mjght he used against the South. The bill reached the Senate where it was moved to "lay it on the table." This defeated the bill by a vote of 23 to 17, the senators from the slave states, with the 34 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY exception of those from Missouri were solidly arrayed against the bill. In the meantime the people of Iowa and many localities in the west had manifested their disapproval of the lines described in the bill, and they began to impatiently insist that the country west of the Missouri river be opened to settlement. Thousands of emigrants were camping along the eastern banks of the Mis- souri, impatiently awaiting the extinguishment of the Indian title to lands and were awaiting the permission of the general government to cross over and settle in the new territory. And to that end in the fall of 1853 a considerable number of persons crossed the Missouri from Iowa and assembling at Bellevue and Old Fort Kearney, proceeded to hold an election for a delegate to represent their interests at Wash- ington in securing a territorial organization. Said election was held on the nth of October, 1853, and resultedi in the unanimous choice of Hon. Hadley D. Johnson, a prominent lawyer and leading citizen of Council Bluffs, Iowa. On the 14th of December, 1853, a bill was introduced in the senate by Augustus C. Dodge, senator from Iowa, providing for the organiza- tion of the "Territory of Nebraska." This measure adherred to the former boundaries, and it was referred to the committee on territories. The bill contained no clause interfering with the interdict on slavery in this region laid down by the Missouri Compromise. The report of this committee contains so much information concerning the situation at that time that we quote the following from it, viz. : "A question has arisen in regard to the right to hold slaves in the Territory of Nebraska, when the Indian laws shall be withdrawn and the country opened to emigration and settlement. By the eighth section of an act to authorize the people of Mis- souri Territory to form a constitution and State government, and for admission of such State into the Union, on an equal footing with the original states, and to prohibit slavery in cer- tain territories,' approved March 6, 1820, it was provided : 'That in all that territory ceded by France to the United States under the name of Louisiana, which lies north of thirty-six and one- half degrees north latitude, not included within the limits of the State contemplated by this act, slavery and involuntary servitude, otherwise than a punishment of crimes, shall be and hereby are prohibited ; provided always that any per- son escaping into the same, etc., such fugitive may be lawfully reclaimed and conveyed to the person or persons claiming his or her labor 01 service as aforesaid.' Under this section, as in the case of the Mexican law in New Mexico. and Utah, it is a disputed point whether slavery is prohibited in the Nebraska country by valid enactment. The decision of this question in- volves the constitutional power of Congress to pass laws prescribing and regulating the do- mestic institutions of the various territories of the L'nion. In the opinion of these eminent statesmen who hold that Congress is invested with no rightful authority to legislate upon the subject of slavery in the territories, the eighth section of the act preparatory to the admission of Missouri is null and void ; while the pre- vailing sentiment in large portions of the Union ■sustains the doctrine that the constitution of the United States secures to every citizen an in- alienable right to move into any of the terri- tories with his property, of whatever kind and description, and to hold and enjoy the same, your committee do not feel themselves called upon to enter upon the discussion of these con- troverted questions. The)- involve the same grave issues which produced the agitation, the sectional strife and fearful struggle of 1850. As Congress deemed it wise and prudent to refrain from deciding the matters in controversy then * * * so your committee are not pre- pared to recommend a departure from the course pursued on that memorable occasion, either by affirming or repealing the eighth section of the Missouri act, or by any act declaratory of the meaning of the constitution in respect to the legal points in dispute. It is apparent that the comjiromise measures of 1850 affirm and rest upon the following propositions : First, that all questions pertaining to slavery in the terri- tories, and the new states to be formed there- from are to be left to the people residing therein." When the report of the committee was pre- sented .\rchibald Dixon, of Kentucky, gave notice that he would, when the bill came up, offer as an amendment a clause that the eightli COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 55 section of the Missouri act "shall not be so con- strued as to apply to the Territory of Nebraska, or to any other territory ; but that the citizens of the several states shall be at liberty to take an J hold their slaves within any of the territories or states to be formed therefrom." This, of course, would have aimulled the compromise act and it reopened hostilities. It was in the midst of this discussion and controversy that Hadley D. Johnson, representing the Ne- braska people, reached Washington. He had no official status, but, as representative of a large region affected by the measure, he was admitted to the councils of the committee on territories. He had a good deal of influence with the committee and it was mainly through his efforts that senator Douglas requested the rccommital of the bill. On January 23, 1854, a bill retaining the title was offered, but so amended as to leave but little of the original document. Two territories were now proposed — one to be called "Kansas," the other "Ne- braska." The amended bill contained the fol- lowing important provisions concerning slavery : First, that all questions pertaining to slavery in the territories, and in the new states to be form- ed therefrom, are to be left to the decision of the people residing therein, through their ap- propriate representatives. Second. That all cases involving the title to slaves, and questions of personal freedom are referred to the adjudication of the local tri- bunals, with right of appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States. Third. That the provisions of the constitu- tion and laws of the United States, in respect to fugitives from service, are to be carried into faithful execution, in all the original territories, the same as in the states. The fight that followed over this bill was a hotly-contested one. Senator Douglas intro- duced an amendment, affirming the principle of of non-intervention by Congress which pre- vailed. Senator Chase moved "that the people of the territory may, if they see fit, prohibit the existence of slavery therein." This was voted down. The contest and debate that followed was one of the most notable in the history of the country. It is not necessary to follow it in de- tail in this connection. So far as- the dcstinv of Nebraska is concerned it is only necessary to say that the senate passed the amended bill by a vote of 2,7 to 14 on March 3, 1854. In May a bill was passed by the house, in form as an original measure, although it was in essence the amended senate bill. This was sent to the senate May 24th, and was passed. The bill was approved by President Pierce May 30, 1854. The territory embraced 351,558 square miles, extending from the fortieth parallel of north latitude to the British possessions on the north ; and from the Missouri river on the east to the summit of the Rocky mountains on the west. The creation of the territory of Colorado, Febru- ary 28, 1861, decreased the area by 16,035 square miles ; and the creation of the Territory of Da- kota, March 2, 1867, further diminished the area by 228,907 square miles. At one time a triangular tract of 15,378 square miles was at- tached from Washington and Utah territories, lying on the southwest slope of the Rocky mountains, but this was afterward included in the 45,999 square miles which went to form the Territory of Idaho, March 3, 1863. NEBR.\SK.\ .\S A TERRITORV. The following is the full text of the or- ganic act which created the Territory of Ne- braska : Be it enacted by the Senate and tlie House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled, That all that part of the territory of the United States in- cluded within the following limits, except such portions thereof as are hereinafter expressly exempted from the operations of this act, to wit. : Beginning at a point on the Missouri river, where the 40th parallel of north latitude crosses the same ; thence west on said parallel to the east boundary of the Territory of Utah, on the summit of the Rocky mountains ; thence on said summit northward to the 49th parallel of north latitude; thence east on said parallel to the western boundary of the Territory of Minnesota ; thence southward' on said boundary to the Missouri river; thence down the main channel of said river to the place of beginning be, and the same is, hereby created into a tem- porary government, by the name of the Terri- 56 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY tory of Nebraska; and when admitted as a State or States, the said Territory, or any por- tion of the same, shall be received into the Union with or without slavery, as their constitu- tion may prescribe at the time of their admis- sion: Proinded, That nothing in this act con- tained shall be construed to inhibit the Gov- ernment of the United States from dividing said Territory into two or more Territories, -n such a manner and at such time as Congress shall deem convenient and proper, or from at- taching any portion of said Territory to any other State or Territory of the United States: Provided further, That nothing in this act con- tained shall be construed to impair the rights of person or property now pertaining to the Indi- ans in said Territory, so long as such rights shall remain unextinguished by treaty between the United States and such Indians, or to include any territory which, by treaty with any Indian tribe, is not, without the consent of said tribe, to be included within the territorial limits or jurisdiction of any State or Territory; but all such territory shall be excepted out of the boundaries, and constitute no part of the Terri- tory of Nebraska, until said tribe rhall signify their assent to the President of the United States to be included within said Territory of Nebraska, or to affect the authority of the Gov- ernment of the United States to make any regu- lations respecting such Indians, tlieir lands, prop- erty or other rights, by treaty, law or otherwise, which it would have been competent to the Gov- ernment to make if this act had never passed. Sec. 2. And he it further enacted, That the executive power and authority, in and over said Territory of Nebraska, shall be vested in a Gov- ernor, who shall hold his office for four years, and until his successor shall be appointed and qualified, luiless sooner removed by the Presi- dent of the United States. The Governor shall reside within said Territory, and shall be Com- mander-in-Chief of the militia thereof. He may grant pardons and respites for offenses against the laws of said Territory, and reprieves for offenses against the laws of the United States, until the decision of the President can be made known thereon ; he shall commission all officers who shall be appointed to office under the laws of the said Territory, and shall take care that the lavvS be faithfully executed. Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That there shall be a Secretary of the said Territory, who shall reside therein, and hold his office for five years, unless sooner removed by the Presi- dent of the United States; he shall record and preserve all the laws and proceedings of the legislative assembly hereinafter constituted, and all the acts and proceedings of the Governor in his executive department; he shall transmit one copy of the laws and journals of the legislative assembly within thirty days after the end of each session, and one copy of the executive pro- ceedings and official correspondence, semi-an- nually, on the 1st days of January and July of each year, to the President of the United States, and two copies of the laws to the President of the Senate, and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to be deposited in the libraries of Congress; and in case of the death, removal, resignation or absence of the Governor from the Territory, the Secretary shall be and he is hereby authorized and required to execute and perform all the powers and duties of the Governor, dur- ing such vacancy or absence, or until another Governor shall be duly appointed and qualified to fill such vacancy. Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the legislative power and authority of said Territory shall be vested in the Governor and a Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly shall con- sist of a Council and House of Representatives. The Council shall consist of thirteen members, having the qualification of voters, as hereinafter prescribed, whose term of service shall continue two years. The house of representatives shall, at its first session, consist of twenty-six members, possessing the same qualifications as prescribed for members of the council, and whose term of service shall continue one year. The number of Representatives may be increased by the Legis- lative Assembly, from time to time, in propor- tion to the increase of qualified voters : Pro- vided, That the whole number shall never ex- ceed thirty-nine. An apportionment shall be made, as nearly equal as practicable, among the several counties or districts for the election of the Council and Rei)resentativcs, giving to each COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 57 section of the Territory representation in the ratio of its quahfied voters as nearly as may be. And the members of the Council and of the House of Representatives shall reside in, and be inhabitants of, the district or county or coun- ties for which they may be elected, respectively. Previous to the first election, the Governor shall cause a census or enumeration of the inhabit- ants and qualified voters of the several counties and districts of the Territory to be taken by such persons and in such mode as the Governor shall designate and appoint, and the persons so appointed shall receive a reasonable compensa- tion therefor. And the first election shall be held at such time and places, and be cond'ucted in such a manner, both as to the persons who shall superintend such election and the returns thereof, as the Governor shall appoint and di- rect ; and he shall at the same time declare the number of members of the Council and House of Representatives to which each of the coun- ties or districts shall be entitled under this act. The persons having the highest number of legal votes in each of said Council districts for mem- bers of the Council shall be declared! by the Governor to be duly elected to the Council ; and the persons having the highest number of legal votes for the House of Representatives shall be declared by the Governor to be duly elected members of said House : Provided, That in case two or more persons voted for shall have an equal number of votes, and in case a vacancy shall otherwise occur in either branch of the Legislative Assembly, the Governor shall order a new election ; and the persons thus elected to the Legislative Assembly shall meet at such place and on such day as the Governor shall appoint ; but thereafter, the time, place and man- ner of holding and conducting all elections by the people, and the apportioning the representa- tion in the several counties or districts to the Council and House of Representatives, accord- ing to the number of qualified voters, shall be prescribed by law, as well as the day of the commencement of the regular sessions of the Legislative Assembly : Provided, That no ses- sion in any one year shall exceed the term of forty days, except the first session, which may continue sixty days. Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That every free white male inhabitant above the age of twenty-one years, who shall be an actual resi- dent of said Territory, and shall possess the qualifications hereinafter described, shall be en- titled to vote at the first election, and shall be eligible to any office within the said Territory; but the qualifications of voters, and of holding office, at all subsequent elections, shall be such as shall be prescribed by the Legislative As- sembly : Provided, That the right of suffrage and of holding office shall be exercised only by citizens of the United States, and those who shall have declared on oath their intention to become such, and shall have taken an oath to support the constitution of the United States and the provisions of this act. And provided further. That no officer, soldier, seaman or ma- rine, or other person in the army or navy of the United States, or attached to troops in the ser- vice of the United States, shall be allowed to vote or hold office in said Territory, by reason of being on service therein. Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That the legislative power of the Territory shall extend to all rightful subjects of legislation consistent with the constitution of the Unikd States and the provisions of this act ; but no law shall be passed interfering with the primary disposal of the soil ; no tax shall be imposed upon the prop- erty of the United States ; nor shall the lands or other property of non-residents be taxed higher than the lands or other property of resi- dents. Every bill which shall have passed the Council and House of Representatives of the said Territory shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the Governor of the Territory ; if he approve, he shall sign it ; but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to the house in which it originated, who shall enter the objec- tions at large on its journal, and proceed' to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of that house it shall become a law. But in all such cases the votes of both houses shall be de- termined by yeas and nays, to be entered on the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be returned bv the Governor within 5« CO.Ml'EXUIL'.M OF HISTORY, REMIXISCEXCE AND BIOGRAPHY three days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Assembly, by adjournment, prevent its re- turn, in which case it shall not be a law. Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, Thai all township, district and county officers, not herein otherwise provided for, shall be appointed or elected, as the case maj- be, in such manner as shall be provided by the Governor and Legis- lative Assembly of the Territory of Nebraska. The Governor shall nominate, and, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Coun- cil, appoint all officers not herein otherwise pro- vided for ; and in the first instance the Governor alone may appoint all said officers, who shall hold their offices until the end of the first session of the Legislative Assembly ; and shall lay off the necessary districts for members of the Coun- cil and House of Representatives and all other officers. Sec. 8. .Ind be it further enacted, Thai no member of the Legislative Assembly shall hold, or be appointed to, any office which shall have been created, or the salary or emoluments oi which shall have been increased, while he was a member, during the term for which he was elected, and for one year after the expiration of such term ; but this restriction shall not be applicable to members of the first Legislative Assembly ; and no person holding a commission or appointment under the L'nited States, except Postmasters, shall be a member of the Legisla- tive Assembly, or hold any office under the Gov- ernment of said Territory. Sec. 9. And be it further enacted. Thai the judicial power of said Territory shall he in- vested in a Supreme Court, District Courts, Probate Courts, and in Justices of the Peace. The Supreme Court shall consist of a Chief Justice and two Associate Justices, any iwo of whom shall constitute a quorum, and who shall hold a term at the seat of government of said Terri- tory annually, and' they shall hold their offices during the period of four years, and until their successors shall be appointed and qualified. The said Territory shall be divided into three judicial districts, and a District Court shall be held in each of said districts by one of the Justices of the Supreme Court, at such times and places as shall be prescribed by law ; and the said Judges .shall, after their appointments, respectively re- side in the districts which shall be assigned them. The jurisdiction of the several courts herein provided for, both appellate and original, and that of the Probate Courts and Justices of the Peace, shall be as limited by law : Provided, That Justices of the Peace shall not have juris- diction of any matter in controversy when the title or boundaries of land may be in dispute, or where the cebt or sum claimed shall exceed $100; and the said Supreme and District Courts, respectivel}', shall possess chancery as well as common law jurisdiction. Each District Court, or the Judge thereof, shall appoint its Clerk, who si. all also be Register in Chancery, and shall keep his office at the place where the court may be held. Writs of error, bills of exception and appeals shall be allowed in all cases from the final decisions of said District Courts to the Su- preme Court, under such regulations as may be prescribed by law ; but in no case removv;d to the Supreme Court shall trial by jury be al- lowed in said court. The Supreme Court, or Justices thereof, shall appoint its own Clerk, and every Clerk shall hold his office at the plea- sure of the court l(ir which he shall have been appointed. Writs of error, and appeals from the final decisions of said Supreme Court, shall be allowed, and may be taken to the Supreme Court of the United States, in the same manner and under the same regulations as from the Cir- cuit Courts of the L'nited States, where the value of the property, or the amount in con- troversy, to be ascertained by the oath or affirma- tion of either party, or other competent witness, shall exceed $1,000; except only that in all cases involving title to slaves, the said writs of error or appeals shall be allowed and decided by the Supreme Court, without regard to the value of the matter, property or title in controversy ; and except also that a writ of error or appeal shaii also be allowed to the Supreme Court of the United States, from the decision of the said Su- preme Court created by this act, or of any Judge thereof, or of the District Courts created by this act, or of any Judge thereof, upon any writ of habeas corpus involving the question of per- sonal freedom. Proiided, That nothing herein contained shall be construed to apply to or af- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 59 feet the provisions of the "act respecting fugi- tives from justice, and persons escaping from the service of their masters," approved Febru- ary 12, 1793, and the "act to amend and sup- plementary to the aforesaid act," approved Sep- tember 18, 1850; and each of the said District Courts shall have and exercise the same juris- diction in all cases arising under the constitu- tion and laws of the United States as is vested in the Circuit and District Courts of the United States; and the said Supreme and District Courts of the said Territory, and the respective Judges thereof, shall and may grant writs of habeas corpus in all cases on tvhich the same are granted by the Judges of the United States in the District of Columbia ; and the first six days of every term of said courts, or so much thereof as shall be necessary, shall be appropriated to the trial of causes arising under the said consti- tution and! laws, and writs of error and appeal in all such cases shall be made to the Supreme Court of said Territory, the same as in other cases. The said Clerk shall receive in all such cases the same fees which the Clerks of the District Courts of Utah Territory now receive for similar services. Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That the provisions, of an act entitled "an act respecting fugitives from justice, and persons escaping from the service of their masters," approved February 12, 1793, and the provisions of the act entitled "an act to amend, and supplementary to, the aforesaid act" approved September 18, 1850, be, and the same are hereby declared to extend to and be in full force within the limits of said Territory of Nebraska. Sec. II. And be it further enacted. That there shall be appointed an Attorney for said Territory, who shall continue in office for four years, and until his successor shall be appointed and qualified, unless sooner removed by the President, and who shall receive the same fees and salary as the Attorney of the United States for the present Territory of Utah. There shall also be a Marshal for the Territory appointed, who shall hold his office for four years, and un- til his successor shall be appointed and quilified, unless sooner removed by the President, and who shall execute all processes issuing from the said courts when exercisirg their jurisdiction as Circuit and District Courts of the United States; he shall perform the duties, be subject to the same regulations and penalties, and be entitled to the same fees, as the Marshal of the District Court of the United States for the present Territory of Utah ; and shall, in ad- dition, be paid $200 annually as a compensation for extra service. Sec. 12. And be it further enacted, That the Governor, Secretary, Chief Justice and As- sociate Justices, Attorney and Marshal, shall be nominated, and, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, appointed by the Presi- d'ent of the United States. The Governor and Secretary to be appointed as aforesaid shall, be- fore they act as such, respectively take an oath or affirmation before the District Judge, or some Justice of the Peace in the limits of said Terri- tory duly authorized to administer oaths and affirmations by the laws now in force therein, or before the Chief Justice or some Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States to support the constitution of the United States and faithfully to discharge the duties of their respective offices, which said oaths, when so taken, shall be certified by the person bv whom the same shall have been taken ; and such certificates shall be received and' recorded by the said Secretary, among the executive pro- ceedings ; and the Chief Justice and Associate Justices, and all other civil officers in said Terri- tory, before they act as such, shall take a like oath or affirmation before the said Governor or Secretary, or some Judge or Justice of the Peace of the Territory, who may be duly commissioned and qualified, which said oath or affirmation shall be certified and transmitted by the person taking the same to the Secretary, to be by him recorded as aforesaid ; and afterward the like oath or affirmation shall be taken, certified and recorded, in such manner and form as may be prescribed by law. The Governor shall receive an annual salary of $2,500. The Chief Justice and Associate Justices shall each receive an annual salary of $2,000. The Secretary shall receive an annual salary of $2,000. The said salaries shall be paid quarter-yearly, from the dates of the respective appointments, at the Treasury of the United States : but no such pa>- ments shall be nrnde until said officers shall 6o COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCE\XE AXD BIOGRAPHY have entered upon the duties of their respective appointments. The members of the Legislative Assembly shall be entitled to $3 each, per day, during their attendance at the sessions thereof, and $3 each for every twenty miles' travel in going to and returning from the said sessions, estimated according to the nearest usually traveled route, and an additional allowance of $3 shall be paid to the Presiding Officer of each house for each day he shall so preside. And a Chief Clerk, and Assistant Clerk, a Sergeant- at-Arms and Doorkeeper, may be chosen for each house; and the Chief Clerk shall receive $4 per day, and the said other officers $3 per day, during the session of the Legislative As- sembly ; but no other officer shall be paid by the United States: Prozidcd, That there shall be but one session of the Legislature annually, un- less on an extraordinary occasion, the Governor shall think proper to call the Legislature to- gether. There shall be appropriated, annually, the usual sum, to be expended by the Governor, to defray the contingent expenses of the Terri- tory, including the salary of a Clerk of the ex- ecutive department ; and there shall also be ap- propriated annually a sufficient sum, to be ex- ])ended by the Secretary of the Territory, andi upon an estimate to be made by the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, to defray the expenses of the Legislative Assembly, the printing of laws, and other incidental expenses ; and the Governor and Secretary of the Territory shall, in the disbursement of all moneys intrusted to them, be goveriied solely by the instructions of the Secretary of the Treasury of the L^nited States, and shall, semi-annually, account to the said Secretary for the manner in which the aforesaid moneys shall have been expended ; and no ex- penditures shall be made by said Legislative .\s- sembly for objects not specially authorized by the acts of Congress making the appropria- tions, nor beyond the sums thus appropriated for such objects. Skc. 13. And be it further ciutetcd, That the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Ne- braska shall hold its first session at such time and place in said Territory as the Governor thereof shall appoint and direct ; and at the said first session, or as soon thereafter as they shall deem expedient, the Governor and Legislative Assembly shall proceed to locate and establish the seat of government for said Territory at such place as they may deem eligible ; which place, however, shall thereafter he subject to be changed by the said Governor and Legislative Assembly. Sec. 14. And be it further enacted, That a delegate to the House of Representatives, of the United States, to serve for the term of two years, who shall be a citizen of the United States, may be elected by the voters qualified to elect members of the Legislative Assembly, who shall be entitled to the same rights and privileges as are exercised by the delegates from the several other Territories of the United States to the said House of Representatives ; but the delegate first elected shall hold his seat only during the term of Congress to which he shall be elected. The first election shall be held at such time and places, and be conducted in such manner, as the Governor shall appoint and di- rect ; and at all subsequent elections the times, places and manner of holding the elections shall be prescribed by law. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be declared by the Governor to be duly elected, and a certificate thereof shall be given accordingly. That the constitution and laws of the United States which are not locally ina])plicablc shall have the same force and effect within the said Territory of Ne- braska as elsewhere within the United States, except the eighth section of the act preparatory to the admission of Missouri into the Union, ar- proved March 6, 1820, which being inconsistent with the principles of nonintervention by Con- gress with slavery in the States and Territories, as recognized by the legislation of 1850, com- monly called the Compromise measures, is here- by declared ino])crative and void, it being the true intent and meaning of this act not to legis- late slavery into any Territory or State nor to exclude it therefrom, but leave the peojile there- of perfectly free to form and regulate their domestic institutions in their own way, subject only to the constitution of the United States: Provided, That nothing herein contained shall be construed to revive or put in force any law or regulation which may have existed prior to the act of 6th l\Iarch, 1820, either protecting, COMPENDIUiM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 6i establishing, proiiibiting or abolishing slavery. Sec. 15. And be it further enacted. That there shall hereafter be appropriated, as has been customary for the Territorial Govern- ments, a sufficient amount, to be expended vni- der the direction of the said Governor of the Territory of Nebraska, not exceeding the sums heretofore appropriated for similar objects, for the erection of suitable public buildings at thz seat of government, and for the purchase of a library, to be kept at the seat of Government, for the use of the Governor, Legislative As- sembly, Judges of the Supreme Court, Secretary, Marshal, Attorney of said Territory, and such other persons, and under such regulations, as shall be prescribed by law. Sec. 16. And be it further enacted. That when the lands in the said Territory shall be surveyed under the direction of the Government of the United States, preparatory to bringing the same into market. Sections Number 16 to 36 in each township in said Territory shall be and the same are hereby reserved for the pur- pose of being applied to schools in said Terri- tory, and in the States and Territories hereafter to be erected out of the same. Sec. 17. And be it further enacted, That, until otherwise provided by law, the Governor of said Territory may define the judicial dis- tricts of said Territory, and assign the Judges who may be appointed for said Territory to the several districts ; and also appoint the times and places for holding courts in the several counties or subdivisions in each of said judicial districts by proclamation, to be issued by him ; but the Legislative Assembly, at their first or any sub- sequent session, may organize, alter or modify such judicial districts; and assign the Judges, and alter the times and places of holding the courts, as to them shall seem proper and con- venient. Sec. 18. A)id be it further enacted, That all officers to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for the Territory of Nebraska, who, by virtue of the provisions of any law now existing, or which may be enacted during the present Con- gress, are required to give security for moneys that may be intrusted with them for disburse- ment, shall give such security, at such time and place and in such manner as the Secretary of the Territory may prescribe. Approved May 30, 1854. The first territorial officers were appointed under the provisions of the organic act by Presi- dent Pierce as follows : Francis Burt, of South Carolina, Governor; Thomas B. Cuming, of Iowa, Secretary ; Tenner Ferguson, of Michigan, Chief Justice ; James Bradley, of Indiana, and Edwin R. Hardin, of Georgia, Associate Jus- tices ; Mark W. Izard, of Arkansas, Marshal, and: Experience Estabrook, of Wisconsin, At- torney. Governor Burt reached the Territory in ill health on the 6th of October, 1854, and proceeded to Bellevue, where he was the guest of Rev. Wm. J. Hamilton at the Old Mission House. His illness proved of a fatal character, and he sank rapidly until his death, which oc- curred October 18, 1854. With the death of Governor Burt the duties of organizing the Territorial Government de- volved upon Secretary Cuming, who, by virtue of his office, became acting governor. The first official act performed in the territory by an ex- ecutive officer was the issuance by Governor Cuming of the following proclamation : "It has seemed good to an all-wise Provi- dence to remove from the Territory by the hand of death, its chief magistrate, Governor Francis Burt. He departed this life this morning at the Mission House in Bellevue, after an illness pro- tracted since his arrival, during which he re- ceived the most faithful medical aid and assidu- ous attention. His remains will be conveyed, on Friday next, to his home in Pendleton, South Carolina, attended by 'a suitable escort. In this afflictive dispensation, as a mark of respect and affection for the lamented and distinguished ex- ecutive and a sign of the public sorrow, the National colors within the Territory will be draped in mourning, and the territorial officers will wear crape upon the left arm for thirty days from date. "Given under my hand at Bellevue, Ne- braska Territory, this 1 8th day of October, A. D., 1854. (Signed) T. B. Cuming, Acting Gov- ernor of Nebraska." The official headquarters remained at Belle- vue until the assembling of the first territorial legislature in January, 1855, when Omaha be- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY came the seat of government. The machinery of the territorial government was set in motion in 1854. In October the acting governor issued a proclamation, by virtue of which the first cen- sus was taken. It was completed November 20, 1854, and gave tlie territory a total population of 2,732. Of this number 13 were reported as being slaves. There were 929 white males over twenty-one years of age reported. Immediatelj' after the census was completed, an election was held, at which a delegate to Congress and mem- bers of the first territorial legislature were chosen. The territory was divided into eight coun- ties, viz. : Burt, Washington, Dodge, Douglas, Cass, Pierce, Forney and Richardson. Burt county was bounded as follows : Com- mencing at a point on the Missouri river, two miles above Fort Calhoun, thence westwardly, crossing the Elkhorn river, 120 miles to the west boundary of lands ceded to the United States ; thence northerly to Mauvaise river and along the east bank of the same to Eau .Qui Court, or Running Water; thence easterly to the Aaoway river, and along the south bank of it to its mouth, and thence southerly along tlie Missouri river to the place of beginning. This county was subdivided into two voting precincts — one called the Tekaniah precinct, at the house of Gen. John B. Robinson, who, with W. N. Byers and B. R. Folson, formed the board of election ; W. \\'. ;\Iaynard and N. C. Purple, clerks ; and the second precinct, called Black Bird, located at the Black Bird House, with Frederick Buck, Dr. Shelley and John A. Laf- ferty, judges; and Lorenzo Driggs and William Sherman, clerks. Washington county was bounded as follows : Commencing at a point on the Missouri river, one mile north of Omaha City, thence due west to the dividing ridge between the Elkhorn and Missouri rivers; thence northwesterly twenty miles to the Elkhorn river, thence easterly to r. point on the Missouri river, two miles above Fort Calhoun, and thence southerly along said river to the place of beginning. There was one precinct of voting in this county. It was at the postoffice at Florence, or "Winter Quarters.' Ansclam Arnold, Charles How, and Willian. Bryant were appointed judges of election, and Henry Springer and William More, clerks. Dodge county was bounded as follows : Com- mencing at a point on the Platte river, twenty miles west of, Bellevue ; thence westerly along Platte river to the mouth of Shell creek, thence north twenty-five miles; thence east to the di- viding ridge between the Elkhorn and Missouri rivers; thence southerly to the place of begin- ning. The voting place was at the house of Dr. M. H. Clark, in Fontenelle precinct. The judges of election were William Kline, Christopher S. Leiber and William S. Estley ; the clerks, Wil- liam Taylor and E. G. McNeely. Douglas county was bounded as follows : Commencing at the mouth of the Platte river, thence north along the west bank of the INIis- souri river to a point one mile north of Omaha city; thence west along the south boundary of Washington county twenty miles ; thence south to the Platte river ; and thence east to the place of beginning. Two precincts or places of vot- ing were established, one at the brick building at Omaha City, and the other at the Mission House at Bellevue. David Lindley, T. G. Good- will and Chas. B. Smith were appointed judges of election, and M. C. Gaylord and Dr. Pattee, clerks in the Omaha precinct. Isaiah Bennett, D. E. Reed and Thomas Morton were appointed judges of election, and G. Hollister and Silas A. Strickland, clerks in the Bellevue Precinct. Cass county was bounded on the north by the Platte, east by the Missouri, south by the AX'eeping Water river, to its headwaters, thence westerly to the west boundary of lands ceded to the United States, and thence by said boundary northward to the Platte. Two precincts were named — one at the house of Colonel Thompson, the Kenosha precinct, with J. S. Griffith, Thomas B. Ashley and L. Young, judges; Benjamin B. Thompson and William H. Davis, clerks ; the other at the house of Samuel Martin, with James O'Neil, Thomas P. Palmer and Stephen \\'illes, judges ; and T. S. Gaskill and Levi G. Todd, clerks. Pierce county (now Oteo) was bounded as follows: Commencing at the mouth of Weep- ing Water river, on the Missouri, thence west- ward to ils headwaters: tlicnce due west to the COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 63 west boundary of lands ceded to the United States ( 100 miles) ; thence south twenty miles to the north line of Farney county ; thence due cast along the Farney county line to Camp Cl"eek, and along the north bank of said creek to the Missouri river ; thence northward along the river to the place of beginning. The single precinct was located at the house of Maj. H. P. Downs. The judges were William C. Fowlkes, Simeon Hargous and Henry Bradford ; the clerks were James H. Cowles and James H. Decker. I'^orney county (now Nemaha) was bounded as follows : Commencing at the mouth of Camp Creek, thence to the headwaters of the same ; thence due west to a point sixty miles from the Missouri river ; thence due south twenty miles ; thence east to the head waters of the Little Nemaha river ; thence along said river to the Missouri, following the Missouri northerly to the place of beginning. One voting precinct, known as Brownville, was established at the house of Richard Brown. Richard Brown, Allen L. Coate and Israel Cuming were ap- pointed judges of election, and A. J. Benedict and Stephen Sloan, clerks. Richardson county was bounded, as follows : Commencing at the northwest corner of the "Half-Breed Tract," thence westerly along the Little Nemaha river; thence westerly to a point sixty miles west of the ^Missouri river; thence south to the fortieth parallel, the boundary be- tween Kansas and Nebraska ; thence east to the Missouri river; thence North along the Missouri and west ten miles to the southwest corner of the "Half-Breed Tract;'" thence north to the place of beginning. Two precincts were desig- nated : One at the house of William Level, in Precinct No. i, with John Purket, Robert T. Archer and James M. Roberts, judges; Wm. V. Soper and John A. Singleton, clerks. Precinct No. 2 was at the house of Christian Bobst, with Henry Shellhorn, Henry Abrams and William J. Burns, judges; Christian Bobst and W. L. Soper, clerks. Another county, designated as Jones county, was to be created under the first division of the territory, but certain irregularities in the surveys decided Marshal Izard to report adversely to the measure. This countv would have included the southernmost section of the territory, from sixty miles west of the Missouri river westward, from the north corner of Richardson county as then established, along the Platte to the 103d degree of west longitude, thence along the southwest boundary of Richardson county. Another county composed of what is now Sarpy (then commonly spoken of as the "burnt dis- trict") was designated under the name of Omaha, but for some reason no official promul- gation of its creation was made and the section became a part of Douglas county. The following apportionment of councilmen and representatives was made in accordance with the census returns of November 20, 1854, viz. : Burt county, one councilman, two repre- sentatives ; Washington county, one councilman, two representatives ; Dodge county, one council- man, two representatives; Douglas county, four councilmen and eight representatives ; Cass county, one councilman and three representa- tives ; Pierce county, three councilmen and five representatives; Forney county, one councilman and two representatives ; Richardson county, cue councilman and two representatives. The first general election for members of the legis- lature and a delegate to Congress was held on December 12, i§54. The first territorial legislature convened at C)maha, January 16, 1855, and the occasion created intense excitement. The official roster of the first legislature stood as follows : Council — Richardson county, J. L. Sharp, president ; Burt county, B. R. Folsom ; Wash- ington county, J. C. Mitchell ; Dodge county, M. H. Clark; Douglas county, T. G. Goodwill, A. D. Jones, O. D. Richardson, S. E. Rogers; Cass county, Luke Nuckolls ; Pierce county, A. H. Bradford, H. P. Bennett, C. H. Cowles; Forney count}-, Richard Brown. Officers — Dr. G. F. Miller, Omaha, chief clerk ; O. F. Lake, Brownville, assistant clerk ; S. A. Lewis, Omaha, sergeant-at-arms ; N. R. Folsom, doorkeeper. House — Douglas county, A. J. Hanscom, speaker; W. N. Byers, William Clancey, F. Davidson, Thomas Davis, A. D. Goyer, A. J. Poppleton, Robert Whitted ; Burt county, J. B. Robertson, A. C. Purple ; Washington county, A. Archer, A. J. Smith ; Dodge county, E. R. Doyle, J. W. Richardson ; Cass county, J. M. 64 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Latham, William Kempton, J. D. H. Thompson ; Pierce county, G. Bennett, J. H. Cowles, J. H. Decker, W. H. Hail, William Maddox; Forney county, W. A. Finney, J. M. Wood; Richard- son county, D. M. Johnson, J. A. Singleton. Officers— J. W. Paddock, chief clerk; G. L. Eayre, assistant clerk; J. L. Gibbs, sergeant-at- arms; B. B. Thompson, doorkeeper. During the first session of the legislature many important matters were providedi for. The local machinery of government was pro- vided for, county offices created and the nature and emoluments thereof fixed ;^ the offices of territorial auditor, treasurer and librarian fixed. The legislature adopted the criminal code of Iowa with necessary alterations as the code of the territory. Napoleon B. Gidding, who had been elected delegate to Congress, was in- structed to use his influence in securing the passage of a homestead law for Nebraska simi- lar to that of New Mexico and Oregon. Edu- cational aflfairs received early recognition. The Simpson University, at Omaha ; the Nebraska University, at Fontenelle and the Nebraska City Collegiate and Preparatory Institute were in- corporated at this first session. Governor M. W. Izard, who had been appointed governor to succeed Governor Burt, deceased, arrived and took the oath of office February 23d, 1855, and delivered his first formal message to the legisla-" ture February 27. The agitation over the permanent location of the State capital at this time was intense. The eflforts'of the Omaha men were crowned with success in the matter al the seat of govern- ment. Governor Izard appointed James C. Mitchell sole commissioner to locate the capitol building. On the 17th of March, Commissioner Mitchell reported to the governor that he had that day selected the center of Capitol Square, in Omaha City, as the site for the edifice. One of the measures passed by the first legislature was an act adopted March 6, 1855, relative to the claims of squatters. At this time the territory contained hundreds of would-be settlers, who were temporarily debarred from becoming legal citizens, and at the same time owners of the lands of their choice, because at that period the public domain was not fully in the market. The survey was begun and prose- cuted! as speedily as possible, but not rapidly enough to gratify the ambition of emigrants or the greed of speculators. Those men who were determined to remain and abide their time were known as "squatters," and so numerous was this element that legislation in its behalf was enacted, as a protection against the abhorred class called "claim jumpers," or men disposed to violate the unwritten law of the territory. As in all new countries, where expressed laws were inadequate to insure equity and peace, the citizens formed clubs, and through the action of those informal but efficient organizations or- der was maintained. By this act of !\larch 6, 1855, it was provided that each claimant might hold 320 acres, when a member of a club, which Was duly governed 1)_\- established rules, a copy of which was filed with the registrar of the county. The clubs were vested with certain legislative power for their neighborhood. The constitutionality of this act was not permitted to be discussed. The clubs were a government unto and for themselves, as many a wretched man was able to testify, after daring their wrath. The first formal census of the territory was taken in 1855, in order that a re-adjustment of legislative representatives might be made. The reports from the existing counties showed population as follows : Burt county, 85; Cass, 712; Dakota, 86; Dodge, 139; Douglas, 1,028; Nemaha, 604; Otoe, 1,188; Pawnee, 142; Richardson, 299; Washington, 207 ; Total, 4,491. Pierce county ceased to exist. The one now bearing that name dates from 1859. Dakota county was not ac- credited in the legislative proceedings with a representative. The second session of the assembly convened at Omaha, December 18, 1855. The changes in the council were : John Evans, Dodge county, vice M. II. Clark, deceased; A. A. Bradford, Otoe county (newly created county), and S. M. Kirkpatrick, Cass county, vice Luke Nuck- olls. The council officers were : B. R. Fol- som, president ; E. G. McNeely, chief clerk ; M. B. Case, assistant clerk; C. W. Pierce, sergeant- at-arms. The house roster was : A. D. Kirk, Richardson county ; W. H. Hoover, Richardson and Nemaha jointly; Charles McDonald, Rich- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 65 ardson and Pawnee jointly. The census gave Pawnee county a population of 142, and this, it was claimed by some, entitled it to representa- tion. After considerable debate, Thomas R. Hare was accorded a seat, but he resigned Janu- ary II, after it became apparent that his presence might invalidate the acts of the body, since the bill creating the territory stipulated that the house should be composed of only twenty-six members. The remainder of the body was : W. A. Finney, L. A. Chambers, Nemaha county ; James H. Decker, M. W. Riden, J. Sterling Morton, William B. Hail, J. C. Campbell, John Boulware, Otoe county ; A. M. Rose, Otoe and Cass jointly; John F. Buck, William Laird, J. McF. Hagood, Cass county; George L. Miller, William Larimer, Jr., Levi Harsh, W. E. Moore, Alexander Davis, Leavitt L. Bowen, Alonzo F. Salisbury, William Clancy, Douglas county; P. C. Sullivan, Washington county ; William B. Beck, Washington and Burt jointly; and Thomas Gibson, Dodge county. The organization of the house was perfected by the election of the following officers : P. C. Sullivan, speaker ; H. C. Anderson, chief clerk ; I. L. Gibbs, assistant clerk ; A. S. Bishop, ser- geant-at-arms ; E. B. Chinn, doorkeeper. The auditor's first report was submitted which gave a valuation of the property, real and personal, in the territory of $617,822, not including the newer counties. A bill providing that counties in the then un- inhabited regions should be organized with boundaries of twenty-four miles square, with- out reference to the Platte or other streams was successfully passed. The so-called first report of the superin- tendent of public instruction was made under date of January 5, 1857, by H. Anderson. The report covers two pages of the Journal and is but a statement of what should be done, rather then what had been performed, in pursuance of an act entitled "Common Schools," approved January 26, 1856, which act is the origin of the public school system of the State. January 5, 1857, the third annual session of the territorial legislature began. The following members composed the council : Douglas county, A. F. Salisbury, George L. Miller, S. E. Rogers, L. L. Bowen for the Northern District ; South- ern District of Douglas, Washington, Burt and Cuming counties (jointly), James A. Allen; Otoe county, A. A. Bradford, Mills S. Reeves; Cass county, S. M. Kirkpatrick ; Nemaha county, R. W. Furnas ; Washington county, William . Clauncy ; Richardson and Pawnee counties, Charles McDonald ; Dodge, Cass, Otoe (jointly), Jacob Saft'ord ; Dakota county, A. W. Puett. The officers were: L. L. Bowen, presi- dent ; O. F. Lake, chief clerk ; T. H. Robertson, assistant clerk ; Samuel A. Lewis, sergeant-at- arms ; Patrick ]\IcDonough, doorkeeper. The house was organized by the election of I. L. Gibbs, speaker; J. H. Brown, chief clerk; S. M. Curran, assistant clerk; P. Lacomb, sergeant- at-arms ; J. Campbell, doorkeeper. The mem- bers were : Richardson and Pawnee counties, A. F. Cromwell, N. J. Sharp ; Nemaha county, W. A. Finney, I. C. Lawrence, S. A. Chambers ; Otoe county, H. P. Downs, I. D. White, H. C. Cowles, J. C. Ellis, I. L. Gibbs, W. B. Hail; Cass county, W. M. Slaughter, H. C. Wolph, Broad Cole ; Cass, Lancaster and Clay counties (jointly), J. A. Cardwell ; Douglas county (Southern District), S. A. Strickland, Joseph Dyson, C. T. Holloway, John Finney ; Douglas county (Northern District), W. E. Moore, H. Johnson, J. Steinberger, M. Murphy, R. Kim- ball, Jonas Seely, A. J. Hanscom, George Arm- strong; Dodge and Platte counties, Silas E. Seeley ; Washington county, J. A. Stewart, Wil- liam Connor, E. P. Stout; Burt county, G. M. Chilcott. On December 8, 1857, the fourth session be- gan with no change in the roll of council mem- bers from the foregoing session. Hon. George L. Miller, of Omaha, was elected president ; Washburn Safford, chief clerk; S. H. Elbert, assistant clerk; George A. Graves, enrolling and engrossing clerk ; John Reck, sergeant-at-arms ; Jacob R. Cromwell, doorkeeper. The house chose Hon. J. H. Decker, of Otoe county, speaker; S. M. Curran, chief clerk; R. A. Howard, assistant clerk ; Albert Mathias, sergeant-at-arms ; and Isaac Fisher, doorkeeper. The roll of the house showed : Richard and Pawnee counties, A. F. Cromwell, Wingate King; Nemaha and Johnson counties, A. J. 66 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMIXISCEXCE AND BIOGRAPHY Benedict, J. S. Minick, S. A. Chambers ; Otoe county, J. Sterling Morton, J. C. Campbell, J. G. Abbey, D. B. Robb, W. B. Hail, J. H. Decker; Cass county, E. A. Donelan, T. iNI. Marquette, L. Sheldon; Sarpy county, S. A. Strickland, C. T. HoUovvay, James Davidson, Amos Gates ; Douglas county, George Armstrong, J. Stein- berger, George Clayes, J. S. Stewart, M. Murphy, A. J. Poppleton, W. R. Thrall, J. W. Paddock ; Washington county, J. A. Stewart, P. C. Sullivan, P. G. Cooper; Burt and Cuming counties, William B. Beck ; Dakota and Cedar counties, W. G. Crawford, E. C. Jones ; Dodge and Platte counties, J. M. Taggart. On September 21, 1858, the fifth session of the legislature began. The following members composed the council : Richardson and Pawnee counties, Charles McDonald, whose seat was contested by E. S. Dunilv ; Xeniaha county, R. W. Furnas ; Otoe county, JVIills S. Reeves, W. H. Taylor; Otoe, Cass and Dodge counties, John H. Cheever ; Sarpy county, L. L. Bowen ; Douglas county, G. L. Miller, W. E. IMoore, John H. Porter ; Washington county, George E. Scott; Burt, Washington and Sarpy counties, George W. Doan ; Dakota county, W. G. Craw- ford. Hon. L. L. Bowen was elected president ; S. M. Curran, chief clerk : John G. Tredway, assistant clerk ; John ;\IcA. Campbell, Sergeant- at-arms, and John Reck, doorkeeper. In the house the roll stood : Richardson and Pawnee counties, \\"illiam C. Fleming, A. C. Dean ; Nemaha and Johnson counties, ISl. F. Clark, Jesse Noel, S. G. Daily ; Otoe county, John Cassell, O. P. Mason, H. P. Bennett, George F. Lee, W. B. Hall ; Cass county, Wil- liam A. Davis, William J. Young, T. M. Mar- quette, R. G. Doom ; Sarpy county, Charles C. Norwood, Stephen H. Wattles; Douglas county, James H. Seymour, Clinton Briggs, Augustus Roeder, James Stewart, William A. Gwyer, R. W. Steele, John A. Steinberger, George Clayes ; Dodge and Platte counties, Henry W. DePuy ; Washington county, C. D. Davis, P. G. Cooper, L. W. Kline; Burt county, David L. Collier; Dakota, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, John Taffe, D. T. Bramble. The officers of the house were : H. P. Bennett, speaker ; E. G. McNeely, chief clerk ; Hugh McNeely, assistant ck-rk ; J. D. N. Thompson, sergeant-at-arms ; F. H. Rogers, doorkeeper. On the 1st of November, 1858, Representa- tive S. G. Daily introduced a bill "to abolish slavery in the Territory of Nebraska." This bill with various changes and amendments occupied a great deal of the time of the various sessions of the legislature until January i, 1861, when a bill prohibiting slavery was passed over the veto of Governor Black. This matter is treated at length in another part of this work. Governor Richardson's term extended only from January 12, 1858, to the 5th of December of the same year. Secretary J. Sterling Morton assumed the functions of executive at that date, continuing as acting governor until the arrival of Governor Samuel W. Black, May 2, 1859. On December 5, 1859, the sixth session of the territorial legislature convened at Omaha. The only changes in the council were : Thomas J. Boykin, of Sarpy county ; Thomas T. Collier, of Dakota county, and W. A. Little, of Douglas county, who succeeded Messrs. Bowen, Craw- ford and Moore, respectively. The officers of the council were: F. A. Donelan, president; S. M. Curran, chief clerk; E. A. Allen, assistant clerk ; J. F. Coflfman, sergeant-at-arms ; and R. R. Kirkpatrick, doorkeeper. The house roll was : Richardson county, Houston Nuckolls, J. F. Burbank, Nathan Myers; Namaha county, George Crowe, W. W. Keeling, Jesse Noel, John P. Parker; Otoe coimty, John C. Campbell. .Alex Bain, Truman H. Adams. Stephen H. Nuckolls, Milton \\'. Reynolds, \\" illiam H. Broadhead ; Cass and Lancaster counties, J. N. Stephenson, William S. Latta, William R. Davis, Samuel ]\Iaxwell. T. M. Marquette; Sarp county, Matthew J. Shields, Silas A. Strickland ; Douglas county, A. J. Hanscom, D. D. Belden, Harrison John- son, George F. Kennedy, George B. Lake, A. B. Malcomb; Washington county, James S. Stewart, J. S. Bowen ; Burt and Cuming coun- ties, David S. Collier; Dakota county, Geoige A. Hinsdale, Barnabas Bates ; Dixon, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, James Tufts. Tin- officers were : Silas A. Strickland, speaker ; Jrmes W. Moore, chief clerk ; George W. Rust, COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 67 assistant clerk ; J. W. Coleman, sergeant-at- arms ; N. J. Sharp, doorkeeper. Among the most important legislation of the sixth session was "an act to frame a constitu- tion and State government for the State of Ne- braska." The proposition was submitted to the people March 5, i860, and decided adversely by a vote of 2,372 against it and 2,094 for it. On December 3, i860, the seventh session of the territorial legislature convened. The coun- cil stood: Douglas county, John M. Thayer, David D. Belden, W. A. Little ; Dakota, Dixon, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, John Taffe ; Washington county, John A. Unthank ; Sarpy county, Silas A. Strickland; Cass county, T. M. Marquette; Otoe county, William H. Taylor, John B. Bennett ; Nemaha and Johnson counties, T. W. Tipton ; Richardson and Pawnee counties, E. S. Dundy ; Cass, Otoe and Dodge counties, Samuel H. Elbert; Burt, Washington and Sarpy counties, John Q. Goss. The officers were : W. H. Taylor, president ; E. P. Brew- ster, chief clerk ; D. H. Wheeler, assistant clerk ; W. H. James, sergeant-at-arms ; D. C. Slader, doorkeeper. The house stood : Richardson county, F. A. Tisdel, A. M. Acton. H. B. Porter; Nemaha county, Thomas R. Fisher, James Hacker, John P. Baker, George Blane ; Pawnee county, E. W. Fowler ; Johnson, Clay and Gage counties, Hiram W. Parker ; Otoe county, Samuel P. Sibley. Alfred Mathias, Adin G. Cavins, Charles H. Cowles. Jacob Sallenberger, Hiram P. Downs ; Cass and Lancaster counties, Wil- liam Reed. E. \\'. Barnum, W. R. Davis, Lauden Mullen, W. Gilmour; Sarpy county, James Davidson, Amos Gates, William Cle- burne ; Douglas county, John I. Reddick, S. A. Lowe, J. T. Griffin, Merrill H. Clark, Henry Grebe, Ezra T. milliard ; Washington county, Giles Mead, H. W. DePuy; Dodge county, M. S. Cottrell; Burt county, J. R. Hide; Dakota county, William T. Lockwood, Thomas Cole- man; Dixon. Cedar and L'eau Qui Court coun- ties, Amos S. Chase. The officers were: H. W. DePuy, speaker ; George L. Seybolt, chief clerk ; S. D. Bangs, assistant clerk, F. M. Vir- den. sergeant-at-arms: \\'. A. Pollock, door- keeper. The roster of the eighth session stood : Council — ^John Taffe, president ; R. W. Furnas, chief clerk ; William Lehmer, assistant clerk ; J. W. Chapman, sergeant-at-arms ; A. J. Warner, doorkeeper. The only changes from the pre- ceeding session were : F. W. Sapp, Douglas county ; C. Blanchard, Sarpy county ; John Mc- Pherson, Nemaha and Johnson counties ; S. M. Kirkpatrick, Cass, Otoe and Dodge counties. The house — A. D. Jones, speaker ; George L. Seybolt, chief clerk ; J. W. Virtue, assistant clerk ; F. C. Morrison, sergeant-at-arms ; John Wolfue, doorkeeper. The representation — ■ Richardson county, L. Allgawahr, J. S. Ewing, H. B. Porter; Nemaha county, A. S. Holladay, George Crowe, William Reed, John Crothers ; Pawnee county, David Butler ; Johnson, Clay anl Gage counties, Nathan Blakeley; Otoe county, M. W. Reynolds, J. H. Croxton, J. Closser, W. P. Birchfield, \\'. Buchanan, N. B. Larsh ; Cass and Lancaster counties, S. E. Eikenberry, Isaac Wilds, James Chalfant, W. F. Chapin, E. W. Barnum ; Sarpy covmty, W. D. Rowles, Stephen H. Wattles, Henry T. Clarke ; Douglas county, James H. Seymour, Joel T. Griffin, A. D. Jones, Merrills H. Clark, Oscar F. Davis, Aaron Cohn ; Washington county, John S. Bowen, E. A. Allen ; Dodge county, E. H. Barnard; Burt county, S. T. Learning: Da- kota county, C. O'Connor, Barnabas Bates : Da- kota, Dixon and L'eau Qui Court counties, Daniel McLaughlin ; Dixon, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, R. M. Hagaman ; Platte, Green, Calhoun and Butler counties, John Reck ; Hall and Monroe counties, Enos Beall. The ninth session of the territorial legisla- ture assembled at Chnaha on January 7, 1864. In the council were : T. M. Marquette, J. E. Doom, O. P. Mason, John C. Campbell, David Bv.tler, William A. Little, John R. Porter, John McCormick, E. A. Allen, Frank Welch and A. H. Jackson. E. A. Allen was chosen president; J. W. Hollingshead, chief clerk ; John H. Mann, assistant clerk; S. A. Lewis, sergeant-at-arms; and W. B. Dixon, doorkeeper. In the house: Douglas county, John Ritchie, George B. Lake, Daniel Gavitt, Joel S. Smith, B. E. B. Kennedy, Henry Grebe; Otoe county, Henry A. Newman, Francis Sim, F. Renner, C. W. Seymour, W. McLennan, A. T- McCartney : Dodge county, Isaac E. Heaton : Platte countv, John P. Becker ; 68 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Dakota, Dixon and L'eau Qui Court counties, J. O. Fisher; Dixon, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, N. S. Porter; Burt and Cuming counties, D. Hobbs ; Washington county, J. Evans, H. J. Rohwer; Richardson county, Lewis Allgawhar, J. C. Lincoln, M. W. Bre- man; Sarpy county, C. Blanchard, Amos Gates, John Whalen ; Cass and Lancaster counties, J. W. Chapman, H. C. Pardee, D. G. Todd, R. D. Hoback, J. S. Gregory, Jr. ; Pawnee county, George L. Griffing; Nemaha county, G. W. Fairbrother, Lorenzo Rice, C. G. Dorsey, Jo- seph Dash. The officers were : George B. Lake, speaker ; R. Streeter, chief clerk ; T. A. Moore, sergeant-at-arms. During the session of Congress, 1862-1863, a bill was introduced, late in the session, authorizing the territories of Nebraska, Colorado and Nevada to take the preliminary step toward admission into the Union as states. This measure did not reacli final action during the life of that session. The Proclamation of Emancipation, issued by Presi- dent Lincoln, January i, 1863, was approved by the ninth legislature. On January 5, 1865, the tenth session of the territorial legislature convened at Omaha. The council was divided into districts for the first time. First, Thomas L. Griffey — Dakota, Dixon, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties ; Second, Edwin A. Allen — Washington, Burt and Cuming counties ; Third, John R. Porter and B. E. B. Kennedy — Douglas county ; Fourth, C. Blanchard — Sarpy and Dodge counties ; Fifth, Isaac Albertson — Platte, Monroe, Mer- rick, Hall, Buffalo, Kearney and Lincoln coun- ties ; Sixth, J. W. Chapman — Cass county ; Seventh, J. G. Miller — Cass, Lancaster, Saline and Seward Counties; Eighth, O. P. Mason and John B. Bennett — Otoe county ; Ninth, Andrew S. Holladay — Nemaha county ; Tenth, Oliver P. Eayne — Richardson county ; Eleventh, J. N. Mc- Casland — Pawnee, Gage, Johnson, Clay and Jones counties. The officers were : O. P. Ma- son, president; John S. Bowen, chief clerk; W. W. Morgan, assistant clerk ; Samuel Gamble, sergeant-at-arms; Charles Bryan, doorkeeper. The house was composed of : Richardson county, Oliver W. Dunning, F. A. Tisdel, Charles F. Walther, E. H. Jojinson ; Pawnee county, John Briggs ; Nemaha county, William B. Phillips, George Crowe, J. W. Taylor, Samuel Petit; Otoe county, Mason Crouch, R. Hedges, John Beuter, George P. West; Cass county, S. M. Kirkpatrick, Samuel IMaxwell, J. T. A. Hoover, J. AIcF. Hagood ; Johnson county, IMilo K. Cody; Lancaster, Seward and Saunders counties, ^^'illiam Imlay, Sarpy county, Amos Gates, Martin Langdon ; Douglas county, E. L. Emry, A. J. Critchfield, Charles M. Conoyer, Charles H. Browne, James W. Pickard; Dodge county, W. H. Ely; Platte county, Guy C. Barnum ; Washington county, W. N. }>IcCandish, H. ;\I. Hitchcock; Dakota county, John Hefferman ; Dakota, Dixon, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, Nathan S. Por- ter; Dakota, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court coun- ties, G. A. Hall ; Gage and Jones counties, H. M. Reynolds ; Saline, Butler, Kearney and Lincoln counties, A. C. Leighton; Lancaster county, John Cadman ; Burt and Cuming coun- ties, John D. Neligh. The officers were : S. M. Kirkpatrick, speaker; John Taffe, chief clerk; Walter C. Heydon, assistant clerk ; Anson Ris- ing, sergeant-at-arms ; jMitchell Fleming, door- keeper. On January 4, 1866, the eleventh session of the territorial legislature met at Omaha. The council was : T. L. Griffey, E. A. Allen, B. E. B. Kennedy, J. R. Porter, J. Albertson, J. S. Miller, J. W. Chapman, John Bennett, O. P. Mason, A. S. Hplladay, O. P. Bayne, J. N. Mc- Casland. The officers were : O. P. Mason, president; W. E. Harney, chief clerk; \\'illiam W. Watson, assistant clerk ; Charles Ulry, door- keeper. The house : Richardson county, L. Crounse, William Parchen, J. D. Ramsey, John Jay Hart ; Pawnee county, John R. Butler ; Nemaha county, \Y. B. Phelps, John Green, \\'. A. Pol- lock; Otoe county, John H. Maxon, James Thorn, M. S. Campbell, Albert Tuxbury, James A. Gilmore ; Cass county, Joseph .\rnold, W. F. Chapin, Samuel Maxwell, Benjamin Austin; Johnson county, James Robinson ; Lancaster county, John Cadman ; Clay, Lancaster, Seward and Saunders counties, Marcus Brush ; Sarpy county, T. H. Robertson, N. P. Lefler; Douglas county, G. B. Luke. J. \\'. Paddock, C. H. Brown, Fred Drcxcl, J. G. Megeath ; Dodge i county, J. G. Smith ; Platte county, G. C. Bar- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 69 niim ; \\'ashington county, E. H. Clark, Charles Eisley ; Dakota county, Cornelius O'Connor ; Dakota, Cedar, Dixon and L'eau Qui Court counties, R. H. Wilbur; Dakota, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, L. E. Jones. The officers were: James G. Mageath, speaker, George May, chief clerk; E. S. Towle, assistant clerk ; Chester Lusk, sergeant-at-arms ; Dennis Dugan, doorkeeper. The preceeding year had witnessed the close of the rebellion and the return of national peace ; but the Indian war upon the western borders of Nebraska still continued when this legislature met. During the year 1865, the savages, em- boldened by temporary successes, had grown ex- ceedingly reckless in their assaults upon set- tlers and upon the overland stages and tele- graph lines. Outrages of the most atrocious character had been repeatedly perpetrated. It had become necessary to call on Congress for more stringent action for the suppression of this form of lawlessness. This year (1866) the laws of the territory were revised, arranged and issued in the form of revised statutes, the immense labor being completed in time for presentation early in the session and approved February 12, 1866. The new laws went into effect July ist. On the 19th of April, 1864, an act of Con- gress was approved by the President and be- came a law, enabling the people of Nebraska to form a State constitution and government. But the continuance of the war and the conse- quent disturbance of national affairs, united with the partial suspension of emigration to the west and the Indian troubles on the frontier, united in rendering this permission undesirable. The territory had been drained of many men and much treasure in its generous assistance of the government during the years of its struggle for existence. With the return of peace and the suppression of border outlawry, however, came an awakening consciousness of the value of state institutions. The people once more turned their attention to the subject and revived an interest in the Enabling Act. A constitution was framed early in 1866, embodying these essential features : Declaring equal inherent rights to all men ; Prohibiting slavery in the State ; maintaining freedom of speech and press ; establishing the right of petition to the people; the justice of trial before the law ; civil and religious liberty ; the perpetuation of free government and the rights of the people ; declaring the elective franchise belongs to "white" citizens ; vesting the government of the State in the legislative, the executive and the judicial branches, and defining their powers and jurisdiction; provid- ing for methods of revenue and limiting ex- penditures, describing the jurisdiction of the State over the eminent domain ; naming the boundaries of the State, and arranging for the fundamental machinery of a State after the "manner and order usual in such miglity under- takings." The constitution provided that it should be voted upon June 2, 1866. The legislature au- thorized the submitting of the question and the election of State officers by an act approved by Governor Saunders, February 9, 1866. At this election the constitution was adopted by the following vote: For adoption, 3,938; against 3,838. It was approved and signed by Gov- ernor Cutler, February 21, 1867. NEBRASKA AS A STATE. On March i, 1867, the President issued his proclamation announcing the admission of Ne- braska into the Union and on the 2d, Hon. T. M. Marquette presented his credentials in the House of Representatives and consummated the bond. On the 4th of April, Governor Butler issued his call for an extra session, and on the i8th of May, the legislators came together and set in motion the machinery of the State. The constitution provided that the first ses- sion of the so-called State legislature should meet July 4, 1866, and in accordance therewith, the members chosen at the preceeding election assembled in Omaha in formal conclave on that day. The roster of that body was : House — Richardson county, William Parchen, B. F. Cunningham, J. M. Deweese, J. T. Hoile; Paw- nee county, C. H. Gere; Gage and Jones coun- ties, N. Blakely; Nemaha county, George W. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND' BIOGRAPHY Fairbrother, W. G. Glasgow, Daniel C. Sanders, W. A. Pollock ; Johnson county, A. W. Gray ; Otoe county, E. S. Reed, A. Tuxbury, D. M. Anderson, James Thome, John Graves; La.i- caster, Seward and Saunders counties. Jan.es Queen ; Lancaster county, Ezra Tullis ; Cass county, S. Maxwell, W. F. Chapin, T. R. Bell, H. D. Hathaway; Sarpy county, T. H. Robert- son, J. D. Smith ; Douglas county, P. O. Han- Ion, A. J. Critchfield, J. W. Paddock, V. Burk- ley, W. A. Denton ; Dodge county, George J. Turton; Platte county, E. W. Arnold; Platte, Merrick, Hall and Buffalo counties, James E. Boyd; Washington county, David McDonald, W. R. Hamilton; Burt and Cuming counties, G. P. Thomas; Dakota county, A. H. Baker; Dakota, Dixon, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, R. H. Wilbur; Dixon, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, Kelly Frazier. Officers : W. A. Pollock, speaker; J. H. Brown, chief clerk ; J. T. Davis, assistant clerk ; F. M. Dov- ington, sergeant-at-arms ; E. A. Graves, door- keeper. Council : Nathas S. Porter, Frank Welch, James G. Megeath, M. C. Wilbur, Da- vid Leach, Vincent Krummer, Thomas K. Hann, John Cadman, S. H. Calhoun, Oliver Stevenson, S. M. Rich, F. D. Tisdale, A. S. Stewart. Officers: F. Welch, president; C. E. Yost, chief clerk ; E. K. Valentine, assistant clerk; Wilson E. Alajors, sergeant-at-arms; P. Judson, doorkeeper. The following is the text of the proclama- tion issued by President Andrew Johnson de- claring Nebraska a State : '"Whereas, the Congress of the United States, did by an act approved on the 19th day of April, 1864, authorize the people of the Terri- tory of Nebraska to form a constitution and State government and for the admission of such State into the Union, on an equal footing with the original states, upon certain conditions in said act specified, and Whereas, said people did adopt a constitu- tion conforming to the provisions and condi- tions of said act and ask admission into the L'nion ; and Whereas, tiie Congress of the United States did on the eighth and ninth days of February, 1867, in mode prescribed by the constitution, pass a further act for the admission of the State of Nebraska into the Union, in which last- named act it was provided that it should not take effect except upon the fundamental con- dition that within the State of Nebraska there should be no denial of the elective franchise or of any other right to any person by reason of race or color, excepting Indians not taxed, and upon further fundamental condition that the Legislature of said State, by a solemn public act, shall declare the assent of said State to the said fundamental condition, and should transmit to the President of the United States an authenticated copy of said act of the legis- lature of said State, upon receipt whereof, the President, by proclamation, should forthwith announce the fact, whereupon the said funda- mental condition should be held as a part of the organic law of the State ; and thereupon, and without any further proceeding on the part of the Congress, the admission of said State into the Union should be considered as complete ; and Whereas, within the time prescribed by said act of the Congress on the eighth and ninth days of February, 1867, the legislature of the State of Nebraska did pass an act ratifying the said act of Congress of the eighth and ninth days of February, 1867, and declaring that the aforenamed provisions of the third section of said last-named act of Congress should be a part of the organic law of the State of Ne- braska; and Whereas, a duly authenticated copy of said act of the legislature of the State of Nebraska has been received by me ; Now, therefore, I, Andrew Johnson, Presi- dent of the United States, do in accordance with the provisions of the act of Congress last herein named, declare and proclaim the fact tiiat the fundamental conditions imposed by Congress on the State of Nebraska, to entitle that State to admission to the Union, have been ratified and accepted, and that the admission of the said State into the Union is now complete. In testimony whereof I hereto set my hand and have caused the seal of the United States to be affixed." "Done at the City of Washington, this first COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 71 day of March, in the year of our Lord, 1867, and of the Independence of the United States of America the ninety-first. By the President : Andrew Johnson. \Vm. H. Sew.^rd^ Secretary of State." The twelfth and last session of the territorial legislation met at Omaha, January 10, 1867. The roster is here given : Council — Barnabas Bates, J. D. Neleigh, G. W. Doan, W. Baumer, E. H. Rogers, F. K. Freeman, Lawson Sheldon, James E. Doom, M. S. Reeves, W. W. Wardell, T. J. Majors, W. A. Presson and A. S. Stewart. Officers : E. H. Rogers, president; O. B. Hewett, chief clerk; L. L. Holbrook, assistant clerk ; E. A. Kirk- patrick, sergeant-at-arms ; John Cadman, door- keeper. House — Pawnee county, John R. Butler ; Richardson county, G. Duerfeldt, J. M. De- weese, Joseph T. Hoile ; Nemaha county, George Crowe, William Daily, Lewis Waldter, C. F. Haywood ; Otoe county, W. M. Hicklin, J. R. Graves, A. F. Harvey, D. M. Anderson ; Cass county, D. Cole, W. F. Chapin, Isaac Wiles, A. B. Fuller; Johnson county, A. \\'. Gray; Lan- caster county, E. H. Hardenberger ; Lancaster, Seward and Saunders counties, E. L. Clark, Sarpy county, George N. Crawford, A. W. Trumble; Douglas county, G. W. Frost, D. S. Parmelee, H. Link, S. M. Curran, E. P. Child; Dodge county, J. E. Dorsey ; Platte county, -John E. Kclley ; Washington county, L. J. Ab- bott, Amasa S. Warwick; Dakota county, Daniel Duggan; Platte, Merrick, Hall and Buf- falo counties, John Wallichs ; Gage and Jones counties, Hugh M. Ross ; Burt and Cuming counties, Martin Stuefer; Lincoln, Kearney, Sa- line and Butler counties, William Baker. Offi- cers : W. F. Chapin, speaker, J. S. Bowen, chief clerk; W. S. Brewster, assistant clerk; J. M. Howard, sergeant-at-arms. The constitution provided that senators and representatives should be elected biennially, on the second Tuesday in October, at which time the State officers were also to be chosen. This, however, did not apply to the first set of officers designated under the constitution, those named under what mav be termed, for distinction here, the provincial officers. That first election was ordered by the constitution to take place June 2, 1866. Under this provision Hon. T. M. MarcjUttte was elected representative in Con- gress. The vote for treasurer (which may be taken as a fair estimate of the party lines) was 4,756 for the Republican candidate, to 4,161 for the Democratic. In accordance with the re- quirements of the constitution, although the territory was still out of the Union as a State, the first regular election was held on the second Tuesday in October. Then it was that Hon. John TafTe was elected to Congress. The new State began its existence under the official gfuidance of David Butler, governor; Thomas P. Kennard, secretary of State ; John Gillespie, auditor; Augustus Kountze, treasurer; Thomas P. Kennard, librarian; Champion S. Chase, attorney general. The congressional rep- resentatives were : Senators, John M. Thayer and Thomas W. Tipton; Representative, John Taffe. The so-called third session of the State legislature (but in reality the first session) met at Omaha under proclamation of Governor But- ler, May 16, 1867. The State comprised eleven senatorial districts, represented by the following named senators : First district, Harlan Baird ; Second district, J. T. Davis ; Third district, Isaac S. Hascall and J. N. H. Patrick; Fourth district, E. H. Rogers; Fifth district, F. K. Freeman ; Sixth district, Lawson Sheldon ; Sev- enth district, J. E. Doom; Eighth district, W. W. Wardell and Mills S. Reeves; Ninth dis- trict, Thomas J. Majors; Tenth district, William A. Presson ; Eleventh district, Oscar Holdfen. Hon. E. H. Rogers, of Dodge county, was elected president; L. L. Holbrook, secretary; Seth Robinson, assistant secretary ; D. W. Mc- Kimmon, sergeant-at-arms ; E. K. Caldwell, doorkeeper. The house consisted of : Richardson county, J. T. Hoile, G. Duerfeldt, J. M. Deweese, T. J. Collins ; Pawnee county, J. R. Butler, Nemaha county, William Daily, George Crowe, Louis Waldter, C. F. Hagood ; Otoe county, A. F. Harvey, W. H. Hicklin, John B. Bennet, George W. Sroat, D. M. Anderson ; Cass county, W. F. Chapin, D. Cole, A. B. Fuller, Isaac Wiles ; Clay, Lancaster, Seward and Saunders 72 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY counties, E. L. Clark; Saline, Lincoln, Benton and Kearney counties, William Baker; Sarpy county, A. W. Trumble, George N. Crawford ; Douglas County, G. W. Frost, J. M. Wool- worth ; Martin Dunham, Joel T. Griffin ; Platte county, John E. Kelley ; Washington county, D. C. Slader, John A. Unthank ; Burt and Cuming counties, Austin Rockwell; Dodge county, Henry Beebe ; Dakota county, James Preston ; Johnson county, George P. Tucker, Dakota, Dixon, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court Counties, Henry Morton ; Gage and Jones counties, Oliver Townsend ; Lancaster county, John Cadman. Hon. W. F. Chapin, of Cass county, was elected speaker; J. S. Bowen, chief clerk; W. B. Smith, assistant clerk; D. Labor, sergeant-at- arms ; E. L. Clark, doorkeeper. The specific purposes for which this extraordinary session was called, was the enactment of laws and the amendment of existing statutes to harmonize with the new order of government. The fourth session of the legislature was called for the purpose of making such provision as was essential, under the con.-titution of the United States, for the election of electors for President and Vice-President, this important duty having been unprovided for in previous sessions. The legislature met in Omaha, Octo- ber 27 and 28, 1868, and on the last named day, passed a bill which was approved by Governor Butler defining the method of choosing electors. The fifth session of the legislature (which is incorrectly called the "First regular Session" on the title page of the Journal) was the first to meet in Lincoln, after the removal of the capital to that place. It was also the first ses- sion by operation of the constitutional law, un- der the supreme ordinance of 1866; the preced- ing sessions, since the passage of the constitu- tion having been either practically territorial legislatures, or "called" sessions of the State body, hence the designation as "first regular session." The legislature met January 7, 1869. The members of the senate were by districts as fol- lows: First — Richardson county, E. E. Cun- ningham; Second — Nemaha, Charles J. Majors; Third — Nemaha, Richardson and Johnson, I. Rcavis ; Fourth — Pawnee, Gage, Jefferson, Sa- line and Lancaster, C. H. Gere; Fifth — Otoe, T. Ashton and T. B. Stevenson; Sixth — Cass, H. D. Hathaway ; Seventh — Cass, Sarpy, Saunders, Butler and Seward: W. F. Chapin; Eighth — Douglas, E. B. Taylor and G. W. Frost ; Ninth — Washington and Butler, William F. Goodwill; Tenth — Platte, Merrick, Hall, Buffalo, Kearney and Lincoln : Guy C. Barnum. The senate chose Hon. E. B. Taylor, of Douglas county, president; S. I\I. Chapman, secretary; J. R. Patrick, assistant secretary; W. H. Miller, en- grossing clerk; George Vandeventer, enrolling clerk ; W. A. Pollock, sergeant-at-arms ; John Bradshaw, doorkeeper. The house was composed of: Richardson county, O. C. Jones, Delos A. Tisdel, J. E. Gard- ner, J. T. Hoile; Pawnee county, A. S. Stewart; Gage and Jefferson counties, Nathan Blakeley; Johnson county, Hinman Rhodes ; Nemaha county, J. S. Church, H. Steinman, George Crowe, G. R. Shook ; "Otoe county, James Fitchie, W. IMcLennan, A. F. McCartney, J. W. Talbot, A. Zimmerer; Lancaster county, Ezra Tullis ; Cass county, David McCaig, J. JiIcF. Hagood, G. L. Seybolt, Joseph IMcKinnon ; Saunders, Seward and Butler counties, JMarcus Brush ; Saline, Lincoln and Kearney counties, J. S. Hunt; Sarpy county, J. N. Case and J. D. Smith ; Douglas county, S. C. Brewster, Joseph Fox, J. B. Furay, J. T. Griffin, D. S. Parmalee and Edwin Loveland ; Dodge county, E. H. Bernard; Platte county, C. A. Speice; Hall, Buffalo and Merrick counties. Wells Brewer; Washington county. Christian Rathman and W. H. B. Stout; Burt and Cuming counties, Wat- son Parrish ; Dakota county, John Naff ziger ; Dixon, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, C. B. Evans. The officers were: Hon. William McLennan, of Otoe county, speaker; John S. Bowen, chief clerk ; C. H. Walker, assistant clerk ; E. L. Clark, sergeant-at-arms ; H. J. Mumford, doorkeeper; Jessie Turner, engros- sing clerk, Abram Deyo, enrolling clerk. The sixth session of the legislature was an extraordinary convention for twenty specific purposes, first among which was the ratification of the proposed fifteenth amendment to the constitution of the L'nited States. The measure of greatest State interest was the erection of a COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 71 penitentiary, and the remaining objects of the session varied in importance from the incorpora- tion of cities to the payment of legislators. On February 17, 1870, the legislature met at Lincoln. The new representatives were : Samuel Carter, Leander W. Pattison, from Richardson county; Hiram O. Minick, from Nemaha county ; Fordyce Roper, from Gage and Jeffer- son counties, and C. A. Leary, from Douglas county. Speaker McLennan presided. The new members of the senate were : Second dis- trict, William Daily, Sr. ; Third district, Samuel A. Fulton and Eugene L. Reed. Immediately after the close of the sixth ses- sion, the seventh session assembled, at 8:30 p. m., March 4, 1870, on the order of Governor Butler, whose proclamation was issued during the day. The session was in fact but the con- tinuance of the preceding session. The objects enumerated in the executive message were the necessity of a passage of a herd law; the ratifi- cation of a contract made by the Governor for the conveyance of certain lands to Isaac Cahn and John M. Evans; to aid in the developments of the saline interests of the State and some local measures. The result of the session was not favorable to the desire of Governor Butler, rela- tive to his action in the saline land contract. The eighth session of the legislature began January 5, 1871. The senate consisted of: First — Richardson county, E. E. Cunningham; Second — Nemaha county, E. W. Thomas ; Third — Nemaha, Richardson and Johnson coun- ties, George P. Tucker; Fourth — Pawnee, Gage, Jefferson, Saline and Lancaster counties, A. J. Cropsey; Fifth — Otoe county, David Brown and Robert Hawke; Sixth — Cass county, Lawson Sheldon ; Seventh — Cass, Sarpy, Saun- ders, Seward and Butler counties, Willett Pot- tinger, contested successfully by A. W. Ken- nedy, who sat during the latter part of the ses- sion ; Eighth — Douglas county, Frederick Metz and I. S. Hascall ; Ninth — Washington and Burt counties, B. F. Hilton ; Tenth — Dodge Stanton, Cuming, Cedar, Dixon and L'eau Qui Court counties, A. W. Tennant (contested unsuccess- fully by J. D. Neighley) ; Eleventh— Merrick, Hall, Buffalo, Kearney and Lincoln counties, Leander Gerrard. Hon. E. E. Cunningham was elected president ; C. H. Walker, secretary ; C. M. Blaker, assistant secretary; A. T. Mc Carthy, engrossing clerk (Miss Cornelia Frost received two votes for this office, two less than Mr. McCarthy, the first instance of a woman being nominated for office in the Nebraska legis- lature) ; G. G. Beecher, enrolling clerk ; L. L. Kline, sergeant-at-arms ; C. E. Hines, door- keeper. The house contained : Richardson County, H. W. Sommerlad, James Wickham, Henry Schock, Ruel Nims ; Nemaha county, William Daily, S. P. Majors, G. -R. Shook, De Forest Porter ; Pawnee county, G. W. Collins ; Gage and Jefferson counties, D. C. Jenkins; Johnson county, Hinman Rhodes ; Otoe county, W. E. Dillon, J. E. Doom, Eugene Munn, John Ober- ton, J. W. Conger; Lancaster county, S. B. Galey; Cass county, F. M. Wolcott, J. K. Can- non, J. M. Patterson, John Rouse; Saunders, Seward and Butler counties, A. Roberts ; Saline, Lincoln and Kearney counties, Isaac Goodin; Sarpy county, E. N. Grinnell, Chas. Duby ; Douglas county, John Ahmanson, T. F. Wall, J. C. Myers, E. Rosewater, W. M. Ryan, L. S. Reed; Dodge county, A. C. Briggs ; Platte and Colfax counties, A. J. Hudson; Hall, Buffalo and Merrick counties, Enos Beall; Washington county, Elam Clark, H. C. Riordan ; Burt and Cuming counties, Frank Kipp ; Dakota county, James Clark; Dixon, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, D. J. Quimby. Officers: Hon. George W. Collins, speaker; Louis E. Cropsey, chief clerk; J'. R. Webster, assistant clerk; D. L. Snyder, engrossing clerk ; Charles Culbert- son, sergeant-at-arms ; E. L. Clark, doorkeeper. By an irregularity in the journals the election of Miss Cornelia Frost is not recorded, but that lady qualified as enrolling clerk and so served. On the 9th of January, 1872, in accordance with the order of adjournment, the legislature re-assembled in what was known as the eighth adjourned session. The ninth session of the legislature convened January 9, 1873, with the following senate: First district, W. D. Scott ; Second, G. R. Shook ; Third, A. Bowen; Fourth, E. W. Barnum; Fifth, W. A. Gwyer and O. Wilson; Sixth, L. W. Osborn; Seventh, J. C. Crawford; Eighth, S. W. Hayes; Ninth, G. C. Barton; Tenth, Job 74 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY A. Dillon; Eleventh, S. B. Pound; Twelfth, N. K. Greggs. Officers: Hon. W. A. Gwyer, ot Omaha, president ; D. H. Wheeler, secretary ; L. S. Estell, assistant secretary ; W. D. Wild- man, sergeant-at-arms ; S. L. Barrett, engros- sing clerk ; \\'illiam Caffrey, enrolling clerk ; C. E. Hine, doorkeeper. The house consisted of : Richardson county, E. S. Towle, C. L. Metz, H. Holcomb; Nemaha county, C. Blodgett, C. ^^■. Wheeler; Otoe county, J. H. ;Masters, J. W. Patrick, Logan Enyart, Paul Schminke ; Cass county, J. W. Barnes, J. L. Brown ; Pawnee county, A. H. Babcock ; Johnson county, L. H. Lafiin ; Gage county, J. B. McDowell; Lancaster county, A. K. White, S. G. Owen ; Saunders county, W. H. Deck ; Saline county, O. W. Baltzley ; Jeffer- son, Nucholls and Webster counties, Silas Gar- ber; York, Polk, Butler, Platte, Hamilton, Clay and Adams counties, J. E. Cramer; Lancaster, Saunders, Gage, Jefferson and Pawnee counties, M. H. Sessions ; Sarpy county, George S. Burtch ; Douglas county, C. F. Goodman, W. R. Bartlett, J. L. Webster, M. Dunham, H. L. Dodge, E. G. Dudley ; W"ashington county, Henry Sprick ; Burt county, Austin Nelson ; Dodge county, Milton May; Cuming and Wayne counties, R. F. Stevenson; Dakota and Dixon counties, R. H. Wilbur; Platte and Col- fax counties, A. J. Arnold ; Madison, Stanton, Pierce, Cedar and L'eau Qui Court counties, L. M. Howard; Hall, Merrick, Greeley, Howard, Boone and Antelope counties, Ed. Parker; Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Washington and Dodge counties, Bruno Tzschuck. Officers: Hon. M. H. Sessions, speaker ; J. W. Eller, chief clerk ; E. Cliadwick, assistant clerk ; U. B. Balcombe, enrolling clerk ; J. F. Zediker, engrossing clerk ; D. V. Stevenson, sergeant-at-arms. The tenth session was an extra one, begin- ning March 27, 1873, for the purpose of taking action on matters relating to the boundaries of certain counties and other legislation. The eleventh session of the legislature began January 7, 1875. The senate roll stood: First district, T. C. Hoyt; Second, J. B. Fisher; third, J. E. Lamaster ; Fourth, S. M. Chapman ; Fifth, C. B. Rustin and J. S. Spaun ; Sixth, Waldo Lyon; Seventh, Alexander Bear; Eighth, H. D. Perky; Ninth, Guy C. Barton; Tenth, Rufus H. Abbott; Eleventh, C. C. Burr; Twelfth, N. K. Briggs. Officers : Hon. N. K. Briggs, presi- dent, D. il. Wheeler, secretary; C. L. IMather, assistant secretary ; George F. Work, engrossing clerk; ]. W. Conger, enrolling clerk; Levi A. Stebbins, sergeant-at-arms ; C. E. Hine, door- keeper. The house was composed of: Richardson county, Henry Fischer, E. S. Towle, Seth W. Beals; Nemaha county, Church Howe, C. M. Hayden ; Otoe county, N. R. Pinney, Logan En- yart, J. II. Tomlin, Eugene Munn; Cass county, J. L. Brown, H. \\'. Farley; Pawnee county, W. F. Wright ; Johnson county, C. A. Holmes ; Gage comity, J. B. McDowell; Lancaster county, A. T. Hastings, Louis Helnier; Saun- ders county, J. F. Roll; Seward county, D. C. McKillip ; Saline county, G. H. Hastings ; Thayer, Jefferson, Nuckolls and Webster coun- ties, F. J. Hendershot; York, Polk, Butler, Platte, Hamilton, Clay and Adams counties, Al- binus Nance ; Lancaster, Saunders, Gage, John- son and Pawnee counties, Thomas C. Chapman ; Sarpy, James, Davidson and Douglas counties, B. H. Barrows, J. M. Thurston, Jacob Weiden- sall, John Baumer, Frank ]\Iurphy, A. II. Baker; Madison, Stanton, Pierce, Cedar and Knox counties, R. S. Lucas; Hall, Merrick, Howard, Greeley, Boone and Antelope counties, Loran Clark ; Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Washington and Dodge counties, J. W. Barnes ; Lincoln, Chey- enne, Dawson, Buffalo, Sherman, Yalley, Kear- ney and Franklin counties, M. V.' Moudy ; Washington county, E. S. Gaylord ; Dodge county, J. C. Scelcy ; Colfax county, Frank Folda ; Burt county, W. G. Olinger ; Dakota county, B. F. Chambers ; Cuming county, J. C. Crawford. Officers : Hon. E. S. Towle, speaker ; G. L. Brown, chief clerk ; J. F. Zedi- ker, assistant clerk ; S. B. Jones, engrossing clerk; Miss Sarah C. Funke, enrolling clerk; J. W. Manning, sergcant-at-arms ; J. W. Mc- Cabe, doorkeeper. The State constitution of 1875 was presented to the people for ratification or rejection in 1875. It was ratified by a vote of 30,202 against 5.474, which were against it. On December 5, 1876, the twelfth session of the legislature was called to pass upon the question of the legality of the election of Amosa COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 75 Coab to the office of presidential elector. Mr. Cobb was chosen by ballot, in joint convention of both houses, on the same day as the pre- ceding session the thirteenth session of the legislature was held for the purpose of can- vassing the popular vote cast for the State ticket and congressman. On January 2, 1877 the fourteenth session of the legislature convened in regular session. The senate consisted of the following members : First district, J. W. Holt, P. W. Birkhauser ; Second, Church Howe ; Third, G. W. Covell, C. H. Van Wyck; Fourth, S. M. Chapman; Fifth, G. W. Ambrose, C. H. Brown; Sixth, A. N. Ferguson; Seventh, W. C. Walton; Eighth, G. F. Blanchard ; Ninth, J. C. Crawford ; Tenth, Isaac Powers, Jr. ; Eleventh, S. W. Hayes ; Twelfth, John Aten ; Thirteenth, G. H. Thum- mel ; Fourteenth, J. E. North ; Fifteenth, H. Garfield ; Sixteenth, A. M. Bryant ; Seventeenth, Thomas P. Kennard and C. N. Baird ; Eighteenth, T. W. Pepoon; Nineteenth, L. W. Colby; Twentieth, J. \\'. Dawes ; Twenty-first, E. C. Cams ; Twenty-second, W. M. Knapp ; Twenty- third, M. W. Wilcox ; Twenty-fourth, J. S. Gil- ham ; Twenty-fifth, E. C. Calkins; Twenty- sixth, B. I. Flinman. Officers: Hon. Othman A. Abbott, president ; Hon. George F. Blanch- ard, president pro tern ; D. S. Wheeler, secre- tary ; E. J. Baldwin, assistant secretary ; Thomas Harlan, sergeant-at-arms ; Miss Ella Marlay, enrolling clerk; Miss Mollie Baird, engrossing clerk ; M. J. Houck, doorkeeper. The house roll by districts was : First dis- trict, J. D. Gillman, William Gerdis, Joseph H. Meyers ; Second, E. Jordan, W. J. Halderman ; Third, William Anyan, L. M. Boggs ; Fourth, W. H. Doolittle, William R. Spicknall ; Fifth, J. G. Evans, John Frerichs, J. J. Mercer; Sixth, George McKee, F. W. Robb, J. B. Elliott, Paul Schminke ; Seventh, John Cadman, W. C. Griffith, Henry Spellman, R.' O. Phillips ; Eightli, J. A. Jury, M. M. Runyon, E. M. Mengel ; Ninth, "j. C. Gilmore, T. N. Bobbitt, J. M. Beardsley ; Tenth, S. F. Burtch ; Eleventh, A. H. Baker, J. S. Gibson, William Neville, P. P. Shelby, G. E. Pritchell, James Creighton, L. L. Wilcox, Thomas Blackmore ; Twelfth, H. B. Nicodemus, N. S. Belden ; Thirteenth. Henry Sprick ; Fourteenth, F. M. Johnson ; Fifteenth, W. J. Mcicker, J. W. Pollock ; Sixteenth, J. C. Hefferman ; Seventeenth, J. P. Walters; Eight- eenth, L. C. Champlin ; Nineteenth, W. W. Fitzpatrick; Twentieth, S. T. Caldwell; Twen- ty-first, J. E. Smith; Twenty-second, S. Sadler; Twenty-third, James W. Small; Twenty-fourth, C. M. Northurp; Twenty-fifth, E. Whitcomb, T. B. Parker, Jamps McCreedy ; Twenty-sixth, Thomas Wolfe, Thomas A. Healey; Twenty- seventh, S. V. Moore, Lee Love; Twenty- eighth, Thomas B. Johnson ; Twenty-ninth, Peter Harrison; Thirtieth, S. W. Switzer; Thirty-first, Anthony Reis ; Thirty-second, B. B. Mills, Thirty-third, N. J. Paul ; Thirty-fourth, Henry A. Bruno; Thirty-fifth, Albinus Nance; Thirty-sixth, Cyrus Allen ; Thirty-seventh, N. W. Wells; Thirty-eighth, C. C. Barnum; Thirty- ninth, Alexander Bear; Fortieth, G. A. Hall; Forty-first, C. F. Eiseley, Forty-second', C. H. Frady; Forty-third, Thomas G. Hullihen ; Forty-fourth, W. B. Lambert; Forty-fifth, Loren Clark; Forty-sixth, J. H. McColl ; Forty- seventh, A. H. Bush; Forty-eighth, A. E. Har- vey; Forty-ninth, W. P. P. St. Clair; Fiftieth, Samuel Barker; Fifty-first, D. P. Whelpley; Fifty-second, J. O. Chase. Officers : Hon. Al- binus Nance, speaker ; B. D. Slaughter, chief clerk ; J. F. Zedizer, assistant clerk ; W. B. White, enrolling clerk ; Hannah M. Kellum, en- grossing clerk ; L. B. Palmer, sergeant-at-arms ; H. W. Gregory, doorkeeper. The fifteenth session of the legislature met January 7, 1879. Below is given the roster of the senate: First district, P. W. Birkhauser, G. P. Stone ; Second, Church Howe ; Third, C. H. VanWyck, D. T. Flayden ; Fourth, Orlando Tefft; Fifth, C. K. Coutant, C. H. Brown; Sixth, C. V. Gallagher ; Seventh, John A. Cuppy; Eighth, William Marshall; Ninth, Louis Otterstein, Tenth, W. B. Beck; Eleventh, Louis Ley; Twelfth, O. P. Sullenberger ; Thir- teenth, E. W. Arnold; Fourteenth, J. T. Clark- son ; Fifteenth, W. F. Kimmell ; Sixteenth, T. A. Bonnell ; Seventeenth, E. E. Brown, M. B. Cheney ; Eighteenth, B. F. Dorsey ; Nineteenth, James A. McMeans ; Twentieth, J. H. Grimm ; Twenty-first, T. L. Norval ; Twenty-second, D. A. Scovill ; Twenty-third, J. F. Coulter ; Twen- ty-fourth, A. L. Wigton ; Twenty-fifth, John D. Seaman ; Twenty-sixth, George H. Jewett. 76 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Officers : Hon. Edmund C. Cams, president ; Hon. William Marshall, president pro tern; Sherwood Burr, secretary; C. H. Babcock, W. M. Seeley, assistant secretaries; Miss Kate E. Stover, engrossing clerk; J. T. Allen, enrolling clerk; J. N. Cassell, sergeant-at-arms ; W. H.' Thomas, doorkeeper. The house roll by districts was : First dis- trict, John Kloepfel, B. R. Stouffer, W. M. Patton, J. Fenton; Second, R. A. Kennedy, S. Bornard; Third, John Sparks; Fourth, S. B. Starrett, W. R. York; Fifth, W. A. Pollock, N. Johnson, E. Lash; Sixth, J. L. Mitchell, R. D. Brownlee, Jacob Lisk, George Ferguson ; Seventh, M. H. Sessions, S. G. Owen, W. W. Carder, T. R. Burling; Eighth, H. A. Fisher, B. F. Hammitt, F. E. Davis; Ninth, R. B. Windham, I. F. Polk, Isaac Stone ; Tenth, Amos Gates; Eleventh, George Plumbeck, L. M. Ben- nett, R. E. Gaylord, Patrick McArdle, W. H. Burns, J. S. Gibson, B. E. B. Kennedy, C. J. Karbach ; Twelfth, C. F. Eiseley, G. M. Dodge ; Thirteenth, Giles ]\Iead, J. J. Thompson; Four- teenth, Ribert Hanson ; Fifteenth, B. A. Thomp- son, John E. Long; Sixteenth and Seventeenth, W. H. Vanderbilt; Eighteenth, C. B. Slocumb; Nineteenth, G. C. Bruce ; Twentieth, R. i\I. Simonton; Twenty-first, J. E. Smith, Twenty- second, R. A. Batty; Twenty-third, H. A. Dra- per; Twenty-fourth, J. D. Jenkins; Twenty- fifth, .M. B. C. True, J. W. Gilbert, N. H. Moore; Twenty-sixth, H. A. French, William Hickman ; Tw-enty-seventh, W. 1*. Scott, W. H. Keckley ; Twenty-eighth, R. W. Grayhill, Twenty-ninth, G. H. Bush; Thirtieth, J. H. Davis ; Thirty-first, A. H. Bradley, Thirty-sec- ond, P. J. Dempster; Thirty-third, J. F. Fred- erick ; Thirty-fourth, J. W. Sparks ; Thirty- fifth, T. S. Sparks ; Thirty-sixth, F. Engle- hard; Thirty-seventh, N. W. Wells; Thirty- eighth, T. C. Ryan ; Thirty-ninth, C. P. Mathew- son ; Fortieth, J. A. Ziegler ; Forty-first, R. N. Day ; Forty-second, Tobias Mack ; Forty-third, B. Y. Shelley ; Forty-fourth, F. H. Trowbridge ; Forty-fifth, Oscar Babcock ; Forty-sixth, T. L. Warrington ; Forty-seventh, Sidney Baker ; l-"orty-cighth, R. II. Rohr; Forty-ninth, F. W. Gassman; Fiftieth, A. W. Vandeman; Fifty- first, D. C. Loveland ; Fifty-second, M. S. Price. Officers: Hon. C. P. Methewson, speaker; B. D. Slaughter, chief clerk ; J. F. Zedicker, T. H. Benton, assistant clerks; Miss Kate Strickland, engrossing clerk ; W. P. Squire, enrolling clerk ; Isaac Goodin, sergeant-at-arms; C. H. North, doorkeeper. The foregoing pages have carried the vari- ous sessions of the legislature through terri- torial organization and also through the first dozen years of statehood in consecutive form. This was during the formative period of the history of the State. The men w-ho served in the councils of the State during these years may truly be classed as pioneers, and they were the representative men of their day from the vari- ous portions of the State. MEMBERS OF THE NEBR.'VSKA LEGISLATURE FROM 1866 TO I9IO INCLUSIVE. In the following pages we present an alpha- betical list of the members of the Nebraska legislature from 1866 to 1910 inclusive. The name is given first, together with the county from which the party was elected ; and the figures indicate the sessions in which the party served : SENATORS. Abbott. Rufus, Pawnee county, Sessions 11, 12, 13. Akers, Wm. R., Dawson county, Session 24. Alden, J. M., Pierce county, Session 28. Aldrich, C. H., Butler county. Session 30. .■\lcxander, C. L., Adams county, Session 26. .•\llen, E. N., Furnas county. Session 27. Ambrose, Geo. W., Douglas county, Session 14. Anderson, C. B., Saline county, Session 28. Arends, J. H., Otoe county. Sessions 26, 27. Arnold, E. W., Hall county. Session 15. .•\shton, F. W., Hall county. Session 30. .Ashton, T., Otoe county, Sessions 5, 6, 7. Aten, Jobn. Dixon county. Session 14. Babcock, Wm. N.. Douglas county. Session 23. Baird, Cyrus N., Lancaster county, Session 14. Baird, Harlan, Ricbardson county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Baldrige, Howard H., Douglas county. Session 27. Baker, Sidney, Buffalo county. Sessions 16, 17. Ballcntine. D. C., Lincoln county, Sessions 16, 17. Banning, W. B., Session 31. Barker, L. D., Saline cbunty. Session 18. Barniun, Guy C, Buflfalo county, Sessions 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, ID, II, 12, 13. . Barnum, E. W., Cass county. Sessions 9, 10. Barton, G. C, Lincoln county. Sessions 9, 11. Barton. W. R., Jobnson county, Session 26. Bartos, F. W., Session 31. Bauer, Wm. E., Butler county. Session 24. Bcardsley, S. W., Lancaster county, Session 21. Beal, C. W., Custer county. Session 25. Bear, Alexander. Madison county. Sessions 11. 12, 13. Beck, Wm. R., Burt county. Sessions 15, 22. Bcghtol. P. P., Lancaster county, Sessions 28, 29. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 17 Berlet, Peter, Nemaha county, Session 27. Besse. C. R., Session 31. Birkhauser, P. W., Richardson county. Sessions 14, 15. Black, Joseph, Buffalo county, Session 24. Blanchard, Geo. F., Dodge county, Session 14. Bodinson, E. F., Session 31. Bomgardner. D. E., Kearney county. Session iS. Bonesteel, H. E., Knox county. Session 20. Bonnell, T. A., Saunders county, Session 15. Bowen, A., Otoe county, Sessions 9, 10. Brady, James T., Boone county. Session 28. Bresee, Charles P., Sheridan county. Session 29. Bressler, John T., Wayne county. Session 24. Brown, Charles H., Douglas county. Sessions 14, 15, 18. Brown, David, Otoe county. Session 8. Brown, E. E., Lancaster county, Sessions 15-18. Brown Ezra, Clay county. Sessions 18, 19. Brown, E. P., Session 31. Brown, J. Marion, Washington county. Session 22. Brown, O. F.. Platte county. Session 18. Brown, R. G., Clay county. Session 20. Brown, W. C, Keyapaha county, Session 28. Bryant, A. M., Saunders county. Session 14. Buck, S. H., Otoe county, Sessions 30-31. Buckworth, A. D.. Lincoln county. Session ig. Burnham, S. W., Lancaster county. Session 20. Burns, Joseph, Lancaster county. Session 30. Burns, J. F., Dodge county. Sessions 16, 17. Burns, Martin, York county. Sessions 16. 17. Burr, C. C, Lancaster county, Sessions 11, 12, 13-19. Burton, George W., Harlan county. Session 21. Butler, David, Pawnee county. Session 18. Byrnes. J. C, Platte county. Session 30. Cady, A. E., Howard county, Session 29. Cady, H. F., Otoe county. Sessions 16, 17. Cadman, John, Lancaster county, Session I. Cain, J. R. Jr., Session 31. Caldwell, G. H., Hall county. Session 24. Caldwell, S. T., Clay county, Session 25. Calhoun, L. H., Otoe county. Session I. Calkins, D. K., Franklin county. Session 20. Calkins, Elisha C, Buffalo county, Session 14. Campbell. Frank, Holt county, Session 27. Campbell, J. E., Sarpy county. Session 20. Campbell, J. N., Nance county, Sessions 23, 24. Campbell, Wm., Otoe county, Session 17. Canaday, J. S., Sessions 25, 26. Canfield. George. Douglas county. Session 18. Cams, E. C, Seward county. Session 14. Case, O. C, Webster county, Session 18. Casper, C. D., Butler county, Session 20. Castle, G. H., Gage county. Session I". Chapin, Wm. F.. Cass county. Session 5. Chapman, S. M., Cass county. Sessions Ti, 12, 13, 14. Cheney, M. B., Lancaster county. Session 15. Cherry, A. B., Gage county. Session 19. Christofferson, George. Douglas county, Session 22. Clarke, A. L., Adams county. Session 30. Clarke, C. H., Douglas county. Session 23. Clarke, H. F., Sarpy county. Session 19. Clarkson. J. T., Platte county. Session 15. Coffee, C. J., Boyd county. Session 28. Colby, L. W., Gage county. Sessions 14-20. Collins, Geo. F., Gage county. Session 22. Conaway, J. B., York county. Session 25. Conger, W. H., Boone county. Session 20. Conkling, A. T.. Washington county. Session 18. Conner. A. H.. Buffalo county. Sessions 18-21. Coon, C. B.. Adams county. Sessions 16, 17. Cornell, C. H., Cherry county. Session 21. Correll, E. M., Thayer county. Session 23. Coulter. F. B., Hall county. Session 22. Coulter, J. F., Fillmore county. Session 15. Coutant. C. K., Douglas county. Session 15. Covell. G. W., Otoe county. Session 14. Cox, J., Hamilton county, Session 28. Cox, J. M., Session 31. Crane. T. D., Douglas county. Session 24. Crawford, J., Holt county, Session 24. Crawford, J. C., Cuming county. Sessions 9, 10-14. Cropsey, A J., Jefferson county. Session 8. Cross, George, Jefferson county. Session 24. Crounse, Lorenzo. Washington county. Session 27. Crow, Jos., Douglas county. Session 26. Cummins, H. B., M. D., Seward county. Session 27. Cunningham. E. E., Richardson county, Sessions 3, 6, 7, Cuppy, J. A., Washington county. Session 15. Currie, F. M., Custer county. Sessions 26, 27. Daily, Win., Sr., Nemaha county. Sessions 6, 7. Daily, Wm., Nemaha county. Sessions 16, 17. Dale, W. F., Harlan county, Sessions 23, 24. Darner, J. H., Dawson county. Session 23. Davis, Jesse T., Washington county, Sessions 2, 3, 4. Dawes. J. W., Saline county. Session 14. Day, C. A., Saunders county. Session ig. Day, George L., Nuckolls county. Session 28. Dav. T. J., Garfield county. Session 22. Dean, Frank A., Phelps county. Session 28. Dearing. W. H.. Cass county. Session 25. Deck, W. H.. Saunders county. Session 18. Dern, John, Dodge county. Session 21. Diers, Hennan, Session 31. Dillon, J. A., Johnson county. Sessions 9, 10. Dimery. Martin W., Seward county. Sessions 29. Dinsmore, J. B., Fillmore county. Sessions 16, 17. Doane, Geo. W., Douglas county. Sessions 16, 17. Dodson, P. F., Saline county, Session 30. Dolan, J. W., Redwillow county, Sessions 18, 19. Donahoe, J. A., Session 31. Doom, Jas E., Cass county, Sessions 2, 3, 4. Dorsey, B. F., Johnson county. Session 15. Dundas. John H.. Nemaha county, Session 25. Dunn, J. A., Platte county. Session 26. Dunphy, R. E., Seward county. Session 18. Duras, C, Saline county. Session 20. Durland, A. J., Madison county. Session 19. Dye. Wm., Fillmore county, Session 18. Dysart, Wm., Nuckolls county. Sessions 22, 23. Edgar, Wm. H., Gage county. Session 27. Eg.gleston, G. W., Lancaster county. Sessions 22, 23. Einsel. E. D., Phelps county. Session 19. Epperson, Chas. H., Clay county. Sessions 29, 30. Ervin, J. R., Johnson county. Sessions 16, 17. Evans, A. J., Butler county. Sessions 16. 17. Evans, J. H., Douglas county, Session 25. Everett, F, Burt county, Session 23. Farrell, T. F.. Merrick county. Sessions 25, 26. Feltz, F. Q.. Keith county. Session 25. Ferguson, A. N., Douglas county. Session 14. Fisher, J. B., Nemaha county. Sessions 11, 12, 13, 18. Filley, Elijah, Ga.ge county. Session 18. Filson, G. M.. Richardson countv, Session. 19. Fowler, C. A., Fillmore county. Session 26. Freeman, F. K., Kearney county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Fries, M. L., Valley county. Sessions 28, 29. Fritz. Nick, Thurston county, Session 25. Frost, G. W., Douglas county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Fuller, Frank, Wayne county, Session 20. Fulton, S. A., Johnson county. Sessions 6, 7. Funck, I. W.. Gage county. Session 20. Gallagher, C. V., Douglas county. Session 15. Gallogly. Jos. J., Merrick county. Session 21. Gamill, John C, Session 31. Garfield, H., Butler county. Session 14. Gere, C. H., Lancaster county. Sessions 5, 6, 7, 16, 17. Gerrand, Leander, Buffalo county. Session 8 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Gibson, L. C., Douglas county. Sessions 29, 30. Giffert, D. C, Cuming county. Session 26. Giffin, W. D., Dawson county, Sessions 28. 29. Gilliam, J. S., Adams county, Session 14. Gilligan. John P., Holt county. Session 29. Glcver, H. B., Custer county. Session 30. Goclmer, J. F., Seward county. Session 19. Gondring, J. \.. Platte county. Session 25. Good. Ellis E., Xemaha county. Session 29. Goodrich, L., Fillmore county, Session 30. Goodwill, W. F., Washington county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Gould. E. D.. Greeley county. Sessions 29, 30. Graham, Alex. Gage count}'. Sessions 23, 24. Graham, L. M., Frontier county. Session 25. Graham, Thos., Seward county. Sessions 16, 17. Gray, W. M., Valley county. Sessions 23, 24. Griggs, N. K., Gage county. Sessions 9. 10, 11, 12, 13. Grimm, J. H., Saline county. Session 15. Grothan, O., Howard county. Session 25. Gwyer, Wm. A., Douglas county. Sessions 9, 10. Hahn L., Adams county. Sessions 23, 24. Halderman, W. J., Richardson county, Sessions 26. Hale. F. J., !Madison county, Sessions 23, 26. Hall. Joseph, Rurt county. Session 28. Hall, Mathew A.. Douglas county. Session 28. Hallcr, W. D., Washington count}'. Sessions 25, 29. Hauna, D., Cherry county. Session 30. Hanna, T. K.. Cass county, Session i. Hannibal. R. R.. Hall county. Session 26. Harris. C. L., Boone county. Session 18. Harris, J. E.. Otoe county. Session 23. Harlan, Nathan V., York county. Session 27. Harrington. R. B., Gage county. Sessions 16, 17. Harrison, T. O. C., Hamilton county, Session 18. Harrison, W. H., Hall county. Session 28. Harsh, A. F., Kearney county. Session 29. Hart, David, Adams county. Session 29. Hascall, J. S., Douglas county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. 8. Hastings, Shelby, Butler county. Session 28. Hastings, W. G., Saline county, Session 19. I^asty, D. S., Furnas county, Session 28. Hatfield, J. D., Session 31. Hathaway. H. D., Cass county, Sessions 5, 6, 7. Hawke. Robert, Otoe county, Session 8. Hayes, S. W., Dodge county. Sessions 9, 10, 14. Hayden, D. T., Otoe county. Session 15. Heapy. J. W., Sherman county. Session 25. Heartwell, J. B., Adams county. Session 20. Hedge, J. C., Adams county. Session 28. Heist, G. W., Dawson county, Session 18. Henry, F. J., Session 31. Higgins, J. M., Cass county. Session 20. Higgins. P. M., Colfax county, Session 20. Hill, J. F.. Adams county. Session 22. Hilton. B. F., Washington county. Session 8. Hinman. B. I.. Lincoln county. Session 14. Hitchcock, J. H., Johnson county. Session 24. Hodges, B.. Kearney, Phelps & Harlan counties, Ses- sion 27 Hocbel, Louis, Otoe county, Session 19. I [ojhrook. W. D.. Dodge county. Sessions 24, 26, 30. Hnldcn, Oscar, Pawnee county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Holmes, C. A.. Johnson county, Session 20. Holt, J. W., Richardson county. Session 14. Hoover. J. S., Webster county. Session 21. Horn, Valentine, Hamilton county, Session 22. Howard, F. M, Hamilton county, Session 26. Howe, Church. Nemaha county. Sessions 14. 15, 19, 21. Howe J. D., Douglas county. Sessions 16, 17. Howell, F. F., Douglas county. Sessions 25, 31. Howell, M., York county. Sessions tS, 19. Howell. Robt. B., Douglas county. Session 28. Hoyt, T. C, Richardson county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Hughes, Hugh, Platte county. Session 29. Hurd, L. G., Clay county. Session 21. Hyers, Robt. W., Cass county, Session 19. Ijams, W. H. Douglas county. Session 21. Jackson, H. W. L., Gage county. Session 29. Jeffcoat, John, Douglas county, Session 25. Jeffres, E. W., Greeley county. Session 24. Jennings, W. H., Thayer county, Sessions 28, 29. Jewett. G. H., Lincoln county. Session 15. Jewett, L. H., Custer county. Session 21. Johnson, L. L., Clay county, Sessions 23, 25. Jones, R. W. W., Otoe county. Session 29. Kcckley, C. R., York county. Sessions 20, 21. Kelper. G. F., Pierce county, Session 22. Kennard, T. P., Lancaster county. Session 14. Kent, L. H., Kearney county. Session 30. Ketchum. Smith, Session 31. Kimmell, W. F., Butler county. Session 15. King, E. L., Polk county, Sessions 30. 31. Kinkaid, M. P., Antelope county. Session 18. Klein, Jacob, Session 31. Knapp, W. M., York county. Session 14. Knepper, A. J., Butler county. Session 26. Koontz. J. N., Hayes county. Session 22. Krumbach, Charles, Polk county. Session 27. Krummer, L., Platte county. Session i. Latta, J. P., Burt county. Session 30. Lamaster, J. E., Otoe county. Sessions Ti, 12, 13. Laverty. Alex, Saunders county, Sessions 29, 31. Leace, David, Sarpy county. Session I. Lee, J. D., Boyd county. Session 25. Lehr, W. J., Saunders county. Session 24. Lewis, T. L., Burt county. Session 19. Ley, L., Madison county. Session 15. Liddell, John L., Douglas county. Session 27. TJndsay, H. C, Pawnee county. Session 24. Lindsay. J. P., Furnas county. Sessions 20, 21. Liningcr, G. W., Douglas county. Session 20. Linn. J. L,. Richardson county, Sessions 20, 21. Lobcck, C. O.. Douglas county. Session 23. Love, E. M.. Antelope county. Session 19. Lowlcy, G. W.. Seward county. Session 23. Luce. C. A.. Harlan count.v. Session .30. Lyman, J. N., Adams county. Session 27. Lyon, W., Burt county. Sessions 11. 12, 13. Maher. M., Platte county. Session 21. Majors, T. J., Nemaha county. Sessions 2, 3, 4, S, 20, 31. Manning, J. R., Wayne county. Session 21. Marshall, Charles, Otoe county. Session 28. Marshall. Wm., Dodge county. Session 15. Martin, Francis. Richardson county, Session 27. Mattes, John, Jr., Otoe county. Sessions 22, 23. McAllister, W. A., Platte county. Session 19. McCargar, H.. Saline county. Sessions 26. 27. McCarty, T. F.. Howard county, Session 23. IMcDonald, B. F., Thurston county. Session 23. ^tcGann, M. W., Boone county. Session 25. McKeeby. G. E., Webster co'unty. Session 24. McKesson, J. C. F., Lancaster county. Sessions 24, 30. McMeans, J. S., Fillmore county. Session 15. McNaniar, C. W., Dawson county, Session 20. McShanc, J. A., Douglas county. Sessions 18, 19. Megcath. James G., Douglas county. Session I. Mciklcinhn. G. D.. Nance county, Sessions 19, 20. Meredith, George W., Saunders county. Sessions 27, 28. Meservc. Wm A.. Knox county. Session 29. Metz, F., Douglas county. Session 8. Mct7, Fred. Douglas county. Session 19. Michener. N. S.. Polk county. Session 22. Michcll, E. E., Hamilton county. Session 24. Miller James E., Buffalo county. Sessions 26, 27. Miller, J. E., Session 31. Miller, J. P.. York county. Session 23. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 79 Miller. Wm., Burt county, Session 25. Mills, M. A., Polk county. Session 19.' Mockett, John H., Jr.. Lancaster county, Session 29. Moore, R. E. Lancaster county. Sessions 20. 22, 23. Morgan, W. A^, Dixcn county. Session 26. Morse, W. R. Hall county. Sessions 16, 17. Muffly, C. T., Madison county. Session 25. Mullen, J. P.. Holt county. Session 23. Murpliy, G. A., Gage county. Session 25. Mutz Otto, Keyaoaha county, Session 25. Myers, John C., Douglas county. Sessions 16, 17. Myers, F. L., Session 31. Nesbit. J. I., Lincoln county. Session 21. Newell, W. H., Cass county. Sessions 26, 27. Nielson Fred C.. Cuming county. Session 29. Norris, C. H., Pawnee county, Session 19. Norris, Charles L, Pawnee county. Session 28. Norris, W. F., Dakota county, Session iS. North, J. E.. Platte county. Sessions 14, 23. Norval. R. S., Seward county. Session 21. Noryal, T. L., Seward county, Session 15. Noyes, Isaac, Douglas county, Sessions 24, 26. O'Connell. J. G.. Johnson county, Session 30. O'Neill. H., Holt county, Session 26. O'Neill Richard, Lancaster county, Sessions 27, 28. OIlis, J. A., Session 31. Olson, Andrew R., Cuming county. Session 27. Osborn. L. W.. Washington county, Sessions 9, 10. Osborn, John M., Pawnee county, Session 25. Otterslein. L., Cuming county. Session 15. Owens. E. D., Dawson county. Sessions 26, 27. Packwood, Samuel, Knox county. Session 23. Paschal, Joseph L., Platte county. Session 27. Patrick, J. N. H., Douglas county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Patrick, W. R., Sarpy county. Session 30. Patterson. J. M., Cass county. Session iS. Paul, J. N., Howard county, Session 19. Paulsen, J. T., Douglas county. Session 2r. Paxton, Wm. A., Douglas county. Session 21. Pemberton. L. M., Gage county. Session 28. Pepoon, T. W., Johnson county. Session 14. Perkey, H. D., Saunders county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Perkins. J. W., Dixon county. Sessions 16. 17. Peterson, J. E., Franklin county. Session 29. Phillips, F. W.. Holt county. Session .-^o. Pickett, T. J. Jr.. Saunders county. Session 21. Pierce, C. W., Lancaster county, Sessions 16, 17. Pitney, O. R., Webster county. Session 27. Polk, M. D., Cass county. Session 21. Pope. John D., Saline county. Sessions 21, 23. 24. Porter, N. S., Dakota county. Sessions i, S, 6, 7.' Pottinger, W., Saunders county. Session 8. Pound. S. B., Lancaster county. Sessions 9, 10. Powers, Isaac. Jr., Burt county. Sessions 14, 16. Poynter, W. A., Boone county. Session 22. Presson, W. A., Richardson county. Sessions 2. 3, 4. Prout, F. N., Gaee county, Session 26. Putnam. F. C., Hamilton county. Session ig. Randall, Charles A.. Madison county. Sessions 30, 31. Randall. H. L., Phelps county. Session 22. Ranson, F. F., Otoe county, -Session 21. Ransom. F. T., Douglas county. Sessions 25, 27, 31. Rathbun, F. M., Furnas county. Session 24. Raymond, I. M., Lancaster county. Session 21. Raymond, L. L., Session 31. Reavis, Isham, Nemaha county, Session 5. Reed. E. L., Richardson county. Sessions 6, 7. Reeves, M. S., Otoe county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Reutine, Henry. Clay county. Session 27. Reynolds, B. W., Dodge county. Session 28. Reynolds, S. S., Butler county, Session 18. Reynolds. W. PL. Dawes county. Session 26. Rich, H. M., Jefferson county, Session 18. Rich. S. M., Nemaha county. Session i. Ritchie, W. E., Butler county. Session 25. Robbins. A. M., Valley county. Session 20. Robinson, J. C., Cedar county. Session 21. Rocke, J., Lancaster county, Session 26. Roche, J. J.. Antelope county. Session 21. Rogers, E. H., Dodge county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Rogers, J., Otoe county, Session 18. Root, J. L., Cass county. Session 30. Rustin. C. B.. Douglas county, Sessions ir, 12, 13. Sackett. H. E., Gage county, Session 30. Sanders, W. A.. Saunders county. Sessions 22, 23. Sang, Charles, Dodge county, Session l8. Saunders, C. L., Douglas county. Sessions 28, 29, 30. Saunders, S.- Knox county, Session 24. Schaal, W. D., Sarpy county. Sessions 25, 26. Schminke, Paul, Otoe county. Session 20. Schoenheit, A.. Richardson county, Session 18. Schram, S., Butler county. Session 22. Scott, A. R., Richardson county. Session 23. Scott, W. D., Richardson county, Sessions 9, 10. Scoville, D. A., York county. Session 15. Seaman, J. D.. Buffalo county. Session 15. Shanner, L. T., Holt county, Session 21. Shea, J. C, Douglas county. Session 22. Sheldon, George L., Cass county. Sessions 28, 29: Sheldon, L., Cass county. Sessions 2, 3, 4, 8. Shervin, J. E., Dodge county. Sessions 19, 20. Shreck, George W., York county, Session 29. Shook, G. R., Nemaha county. Sessions 9, 10. Shumway. H. P.. Dixon county. Session 22. Sibley, C. G., Frontier county. Session 30. Skinner, J. B.. Nuckolls, Session 19. Sloan, C. H., Fillmore county. Session 24. Sloan, Robert J., Fillmore county. Session 28. Smith, A., Lancaster county. Session 19. Smith, B. K., Madison county, Sessions 16, 17. Smith, G. N., Buffalo county. Sessions 22, 23. Smith, H. L., Fillmore county, Session 19. Smith, J. F. S.. Antelope county. Session 26. Smith, Richard. Douglas county. Session 24. Snell, W. H., Jefferson county. Sessions 19, 20. Sowers, A. H.. Adams county. Sessions 18, 19. Spaun, J. S.. Douglas county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Spencer, E. R., Lancaster county. Session 25. Spencer, J. T., Dakota county, Session 19. Spohn, G. P., Nuckolls county. Session 26. Sprecher. John C, Colfax county, Se.ssion 24. Sprick, H., Washington county, Session 20. Starbuck, J., Thayer county, Session 22. Steele, C. F., Jefferson county, Sessions 25, 26, 27. Sterling, J. H., Fillmore county. Session 20. Steufer, Wm., Cuming county. Session 24. Stevens, J. K., Lincoln county, Session 22. Stevenson, O., Otoe county, Session i. Stevenson, T. B., Otoe county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Stewart. A. S., Pawnee county. Session i. Stewart, H. G., Dawes county. Sessions 23, 24. Stone, G. A., Richardson county. Session 15. Sullenberger, , Saline county. Session 15. Sutherland, , Burt county, Session 21. Switzler, W.. Douglas county. Session 22. Sykes, T. P., Adams county. Session 25. Taggart, F. D., Adams county, Session 21. Talbot, A. R., Lancaster county, Sessions 25, 26. Tanner, J. H., Session 31. Taylor, E. B.. Douglas county, Sessions 5, 6, 7. Taylor, S. B., Washington county. Sessions 16, 17. Taylor. W. M., Loup county, Session 22. Tefft, O., Cass county, Sessions 15, 16, 17, 23. 24, Tennant, A. W., Dodge county, Session 8. Thatch, S. H., Stanton county, Session 18. Thomas, B. F., Douglas county. Sessions 29, 30. 8o COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Thomas, E. W., Nemaha county, Session 8. Thomas, S. L.. Cass county. Session 22. Thompson, O. R., Session 31. Thomson, John, Dodge county. Session 23. Thomson, R. M.. Buffalo county. Session 30. Thorne, W. E., Webster county. Session 30. Thummel, G. H.. Hall county. Session 14. Tibbets, G. W., Session 31. Tisdale, F. D., Richardson county. Session i. Trompen, John J.. Lancaster county. Session 27. Tucker, E. A., Richardson county. Session 29. Tucker, G. P., Johnson county. Session 8. Turk, W. W., Richardson county, Session 16, 17. Turner, Edward, Saline county. Session 22. Turner, M. K., Platte county. Sessions 16, 17. Tzschuck, Bruno, Douglas county. Session 20. Umstead, J. H., Nance county, Session 28. Van Boskirk, J. R., Cherry county. Session 27. Vandemark, J. K., Saunders county. Session 20. Van Dusen, J. H., Douglas county. Session 26. Van Housen, J. C., Colfax county. Session 22. Van Wyck, C. H., Otoe county, Sessions 14. 15, 16, 17. Voipp, Fred, Session 31. Vore, T. A., Saline county. Session 29. Wall, Aaron, Sherman county. Sessions 28, 29. Walker, P. H., Lancaster county. Sessions 17, 18. Walton, W. C, Washington county, Session 14. Wardell, W. W., Otoe county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Warner, C. A., Fillmore county. Session 22. Warner, William P.. Dakota county, Session 28. Warren, A. G., Session 31. Watson, E. G., Saline county. Session 25. Watson, J. C., Otoe county. Session 24. Way, W. A., Platte county. Session 28. Webber, Chris., Greeley county. Session 27. Welch, F., Washington county. Session i. Weller, A. A., Otoe county. Session 25. Wells, H. M., Saline county. Sessions 16, 17. Wetherald. F. W., Thayer county. Session 21. Whaley. M. H., Merrick county. Session 29. Wherry, R. A., Richardson county. Session 16, 17. White, C. C, Saunders county. Sessions 16, 17. Wigton, A. L., Adams county. Session 15. Wilbur, M. C, Douglas county. Session i. Wilcox. F., M. D., Thayer count}'. Session 30. Wilcox, M. W., Fillmore county. Session 14. Williams, C. W., Johnson county. Session 22. Williams, J. J., Wayne county, Session 29. Wilson, O.. Douglas county. Sessions 9, 10. Wilson, W. H., Pawnee county. Session 30. Wilson, W. W., Dawes county. Session 22. Wiltse, George W., Cedar county. Sessions 30, 31. Wilsey, Albert, Frontier county. Sessions 29. 30. Wolbach, S. N., Hall county. Sessions 20, 21. Woods, L. H., Pawnee county, Session 22. Woostenholm, J. A., Hall county. Session 27. Wright, C. J.. Seward county. Session 20. Wright, J. B., Lancaster county. Session 24. Young, J. L., Johnson county, Session 28. Young, L. W., Furnas county. Session 23. Young, W. W., Stanton county. Session 27. Zehrung, H.. Cuming county. Sessions 16, 17. Zcigler, T. F., Cedar county, Session 27. REPRESENTATIVES. (1866 to 1910'). Abbott, N. C, Lancaster county. Sessions 16, 17. Abel. A., Dawson county, Session 18. Abrahamson, O., Kearney county. Sessions 20. 21. Adams, G. M., Dawes county. Session 30. Adams, J. M., Cheyenne county, Session 19. Agee, A. W., Hamilton county, Session 20. Ahmanson, J., Douglas county. Session 8. Aikin, R. M., Nuckolls county, Sessions 19, 20. Albert, H., Gage county, Session 22. Alden, J. M., Cedar county. Session 22. Alderman, F. B., Cuming county. Session 25. Alderson, T. E., Madison county, Session 30. Alexander, T. J., Nemaha county. Session 20. Allen C., Butler county. Session 14. Allen, H. A., Session 31. Allen, James. Douglas county. Session 24. Ames, G. W., Douglas county. Session 23. Ames, W. R.. Otoe county. Session 22. Anderson, Charles, Hamilton county. Sessions 28, 29. Anderson, C. J., Douglas county. Session 29. Anderson, D. M., Otoe county. Sessions i, 2, 3, 4. Anderson, F. E., Knox county. Session 28. Anderson, G. W., Lancaster county. Session 26. Anderson, N., Fillmore county, Sessicn 17. Anderson, Victor, Kearney county. Sessions 27, 28. Andres, H. C, Buffalo county. Session 20. Andres, P., Douglas county, Session 20. Andrews, J. A., Frontier county. Session 27. Ankeny, H. T.. Cedar county, Session 25. Anyan, W., Gage count}-. Sessions 12, 13, 14. Armitage, H. G., Adams county, Session 18. Arnold, A. J., Platte county. Sessions 9, 10. Arnold, E.. Gage county. Session 22. .\rnold, E. W., Platte county, Sessicn I. Armstrong, J. W., Nemaha county. Sessions 26, 27, 30. Armstrong, F. W., Session 31. Ashburn, S, P., Buffalo county. Sessions 9, 10. Ashby, T. F.. Franklin county. Session 18. Ashby, W., Clay county, Session 24. Atwood, S. S.. Seward county. Sessions 28, 29. Ayer. S. C, Buffalo county. Sessions 16, 17. Babcock, A. H., Pawnee county. Sessions 9, 10. Babcock, C. F., Redwillow, Session 18. Babcock, N. S., Fillmore county. Sessions 16, 17. Babcock, O., Boone county. Session 15. Babcock, W. E., Furnas county. Session 20. Bacon, F., Dawson county. Session 24. Bacon George E., Dawson county. Sessions 28, 29. Bailey, J. B., Washington county. Sessions 16, 17. Bailey, O. J.. Franklin county. Sessions 20, 21. Bailey, S. M., Jefferson county. Session 19. Baird. H.. Dakota county. Session 20. Baird, J. P., Valley county. Session 30. Baker, A. H., Douglas county. Sessions 11, 12. 13, 14. Baker, B. S.. Thayer county. Session 21. Baker, D. W., York county. Sessions 30, 31. Baker, S., Franklin county. Session 15. Baker, W., Saline county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Baldwin, A. S., Dawson county, Sessions 16, 17. Baldwin, C. W.. Douglas county. Session 25. Ballard, J. R., Fillmore county. Sessions 20, 21. Baltzley, O. W., Saline county. Sessions 3. 4, 9, 10. Barclay, A., Session 31. Barker, A. H., Dakota county. Session i. Barker, S.. Cass county. Session 14. Barnard, E. H., Dodge county. Session 5. Barnard, S.. Pawnee county. Session 15. Barnes, J. W., Cass (Douglas) counties. Sessions 9, 10, II, 12, 13. Barnes, S. C., Douglas county, Sessions 29, ,30. Barney, R. E., Buffalo county. Session 19. Barnum. G. C, Platte county. Session 14. Barrows, B. H.. Douglas county. Sessions 11. u. 13. Barry, P. H.. Greeley county. Sessions 23, 24. Barton, L., Kearney county. Session 18. Rartoo, A. E., Valley county. Sessions 28, 20. Bartholomew, , Antelope county. Session 22. Barllclt, E. M., Douglas county. Sessions 16, 17. Bartlett, W. R., Douglas county. Sessions 9. 10. Barrett, George. Buffalo county. Session 30. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Barrett, G. W., Session 31. Barrett, J. H., Cuming county, Session 20. Bassett, S. C, Buffalo county, Session 19. Bates, M. A., Session 31. Batty, R. A., Adams county, Session 15. Bauiher. J., Douglas county. Sessions ir, 12, 13. Beal, C. W., Custer county, Session 23. Beall, Charles H., Clay county. Session 27. Beall, E., Hall count}-. Session 8. Beals, S. W., Richardson county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Bear. A., Madison county. Session 14. Beardsley, J. M., Cass county. Session 14. Becher, Dirk A., Platte county, Sessions 27, 28. Becher, G. G., Platte county. Session 24. Beck, H. S., Pierce county. Session 24, Beckman H., Seward county. Session 21. Bedford, Wm. H., Holt county. Session 29. Bee, E. R., Furnas county. Session 24. Beebe, H., Sessions 3, 4. Beekly, Wm. H., Seward county, Session 27. Beethe, C. H.. Johnson county. Session 27. Begole, B. H., Session 31. Beisner, Conrad, Thayer county. Sessions 26, 27. Belden, H. S., Richardson county. Session 28. Belden, N. S., Dodge county. Session 14. Bell, T. R.. Cass county. Session i. Bender, John W., Platte county. Session 29. Benedict, E., Douglas county. Session 24. Bennett, J. B., Sessions 3, 4. Bennett, L. M., Douglas county. Session 15. > Bentley, W. G., Saunders county. Session 20. Berkley, H., Fillmore county. Session 18. Berlin, R. H., Douglas county. Session 21. Berlet, P., Johnson county. Session 26. Bernard, J. J., Pawnee county. Sessions 24, 25. Berry. E. M., Pawnee county. Session 21. Bertrand, G. E., Douglas county, Session 22. Besse, C. R., Webster county. Session 30. Best, F. C, Douglas county. Session 30. Beverly, J. A., Douglas county. Session 26. Bick, H., Seward county. Sessions 16, 17, 20. Bickley, W. M., Madison county. Session 19. Bierbower, V., Cheyenne county. Session 18. Bigland, I. S., Session 31. Billings, O. P., Keyapaha county. Session 25. Bisbee, M. B.. Holt county. Session 21. Black, Cyrus, Session 31. Blackmore. T., Douglas county. Session 14. Blaco, R., Washington county. Session 19. Blaine, W. H., Fillmore county. Session 19. Blake, P., Johnson county. Sessions 25, 26. Blakely, N., Gage county, Sessions i, 5. Elodgett, C, Nemaha county, Sessions 9, 10. Blystone, W. J., Lancaster county. Sessions ^o, 31. Bobbit. T. N., Cass county. Session 14. Boelts, J. G., Session 31. Boggs, L. B., Gage county. Session 14. Bohacek, W., Saline county, .Session 21. Bolen, J. M., Butler county, Sessions 29, 30. Boland, P. G., Session 31. Bolin, H., Douglas county. Sessions 16, 17. Booth, J., Dodge county. Session 19. Borroughs, W. W., Merrick county. Session 29. Bortis, C. W., Clay county. Session 21. Botts, F. J., Session 31. Boulier, Alex., Saunders county. Sessions 26. 27. Bowman, A. H., Session 31. Bowman, G. G., Platte county. Session 20. Bowman, H. E., Nuckolls county, Session 29. Bower, S., Howard county, Sessions 25. 26. Boyd, James, Nuckolls county. Session 27. Boyd, J. E., Platte count}-, Session i. Boyd, R. W., Session 31. Bradley, A. H., Lincoln county. Session 15. Brady. J., Buffalo county. Session 24. Brancht, H. G., Colfax county, Session 21. Brandt, Wm., Jr., Lancaster county. Session 19 Bredeson, Ole, Polk county. Session 22. Breen, J. J., Douglas county. Session 22. Brennan, J. C. Douglas county. Session 22. Brewer, W., Hall county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Brewster, S. C, Douglas county. Sessions S, 6, 7. Bnggs, A. C, Dodge county, Session 8. Brink. A. P., Boone county, Session 21. Britton, J., Stanton county. Session 18. Brcatch, W. J., Douglas county. Sessions 16, 17. Brockman, J. M., Richardson county, Sessions 23 24. Brcaderick, J. E., Session 31. Broaderick, M.. Clay county. Sessions 26, 27. Brokaw, W. A., Seward county. Session 24. Brownell, R. C, Saunders county. Session 24. Brownlee, R. D., Otoe county. Session 15. Bruce, G. C, Thayer county, Session 15. Bruno, H. A.. Merrick county. Session 14. Brush, M., Saunders county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Brown, C. M., Furnas county. Session 27. Brown, David, Cass. county. Session 27. Brown, D. J,, Seward county. Sessions 18, 23. Brown, E. A., Sherman county. Sessions 30, 31. Brown, E. P., Lancaster county. Session 30. Brown, E. W., Lancaster county, Sessions 30, 31. Brown, G. W.. Boone county. Sessions i6, 17. Brown, J. L., Cass county. Sessions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Brown, W. W., Frontier county, Session 20. Buckley, J. B., Polk county. Session 30. Bnfiington. J. R., Gage county. Session 19. Bunner, T. C, Douglas county. Session 19. Burch, J. C, Gage county. Session 24. Buresh, Vaclav, Douglas county. Session 27. Burgess, H. C. N., Lancaster county. Sessions 28, 29. Burke, D. W.. Cuming county. Session 24. Burkett, E. J., Lancaster county. Session 25. Burkley, V., Douglas county. Session I. Burling, T. R., Lancaster county, Session 15. Burman, F., Douglas county. Sessions 25, 26. Eurnhara. A. J., Cherry county. Session 21. Burnham, S. W., Lancaster county. Session 19. Burns, E. C, Dodge county. Session 24. Burns, J., Lancaster county. Sessions 23, 24, 26. 29 Burns, W. H., Douglas county. Session 15. Burtch, G. S., Sarpy co'jnty. Session o, 10. Burtch, S. F., Sarpy county. Session 14 Bush, A. H., Franklin county. Session 14. Push, G. H., Hall county. Session 15. Bushee, B. K., Session 31. Butler, J. H., Douglas county. Session 25. Butler, J. R., Pawnee county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Butt, William, Session 31. Byram. H. D., Burt county. Sessions 25, 30. Cady, A. E., Howard county. Session 21. Cadman, John, Lancaster county. Sessions 2, 4, 14 Cain, J. B., Hamilton county. Sessions 23, 24. Cnin, J. R., Jr.. Richardson county. Session 27. Caldwell, J. L., Lancaster county, Session 20, 21. Caldwell, P. A., Clay county. Sessions 28, 29. Caldwell, S. T., Nuckolls county. Session 14. Calkins, J. T.. Saline county. Session 27. Callahan, T. C, Saline county, Session 19. Cameron, M., Washington county, Sessions 20, 2r. Campbell, B. W., Clay county. Session 25. Campbell, R. W., Merrick county. Session 24. Cannon. J. F., Cass county. Session 8. Cannon, S. S., Sherman county, Session 20. Cantlin, J. R., Dodge county. Sessions 16, 17. 82 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Capek, T., Douglas county, Session 22, Carder, \V. VV., Lancaster county. Session 15. Carlin, J. J., Rock county, Session 30. Carlson, O., Kearney county. Session 24. Carman, A. A., Johnson county, Sessions 16, 17. Carnaby, Wm., Douglas county, Session 18. Carpenter, G. J., Jefferson county, Session 23. Carpenter. R. C, Butler county. Session 22. Carr. John F., Session 31. Carrigan, D.. Cheyenne county, Session 16. Carter, S., Richardson county. Sessions 6, 7. Carton. J., Holt county, Session 26. Case, E. S., Session 31. Case. J. H., Clay county, Session 16, 17. Casebeer, J. H., Gage county, Sessions 25, 29. Casper, C. D., Butler county, Sessions 23, 24. Casper, C. F., Butler county. Session 19. Cassell, Job, Otoe county, Sessions 28. 29. Castle, G. H., Gage county. Session 18. Cawthra. R., Gosper county, Session 26. Chaddock, L., Seward county. Session 17. ClKinil)crs, B. F., Dakota county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Chambers. J. H., Washington county. Session 26. Champlin, L. C, Jefferson county. Session 14. Chapman, T. P., Lancaster county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Chapman, W. O.. Saline county, Session 24. Chapin, C. C, Franklin county. Session 18. Chapin. W. F., Cass county, ' Sessions i, 2, 3, 4. Charlston, C. O., Harlan county. Session 18. Chase, C. H.. Stanton county, Session 24, 31. Chase, J. N., Sarpy county, Sessions 5, 6, 7. Chase, J. O., Fillmore county. Session 14. Chittenden, W. E., Gage county. Sessions 25, 26. Church, J. S.. Nemaha county. Sessions S, 6, 7. Christenson, A. C, Kearney county. Session 29. Christopherson, J., Douglas county, Session 18. Christy, G. S., Nemaha county. Session 28. Christy, H.. Dodge county. Session 21. Christy, S. W.. Clay county. Session 21. Clapp, H., Jefferson county. Session 22. Clark, A. F., Colfax county. Session 18. Clark, E., Washington county. Session 8. Clark, E. L., Lancaster county. Sessions 2, 3. 4. Oark, H. G., Douglas county. Session 18. Clark, Jas., Dakota county. Session 8. Clark, L., Hall (Boone) counties, Sessions 11, 12. 13,14- Clark, P. F., Lancaster county, Sessions 25, 26. Clark, R. A., Richardson county. Sessions 25, 31. Clark, T. S., Polk county. Session 15. Clark, H. T., Jr., Douglas county. Sessions 29, 30. Clay, J. H. M., Lancaster county. Session 28. Coats, W. N., Holt county. Sessions 28, 29. Coffee. Charles F., Dawes county. Session 27. Cole, A. v., Adams county, Sessions 19, 20. Cole, Charles. Richardson county. Sessions 16, 17. Cole, D., Cass county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Cole, L M.. Hall county. Session 18. Cole, J. W., Hitchcock county. Session 24. Cole, William. Kearney county, Session 25. Coleman, A., Polk county. Session 21. Coleman, J. M., Antelope county. Session 21. Collins, G. W.. Pawnee county. Session 8. Collins, J. S., Saunders county. Session 18. Collins, T. J., Richardson county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Collins, W.. Cuming county. Session 21. Colpetzer, F., Douglas county. Session 18. Colton, G. R., Butler county, Session 23. Conaway, J. B., York county. Session 24. Cone, T., Saunders county. Session 30. Conger, J. W., Otoe county. Session 8. Conger. W. H., Sherman county. Session 19. Connelly, J. F., Session 31- Conwcll, M., Fillmore county. Session 26. Cook, J. M., Nuckolls county. Sessions 16, 17, 18. Cook, W. L., Jefferson county. Session 18. Cooksey, W. H.. Fillmore county. Session 27. Cooley, A. S., Cass county. Sessions 23, 24. Cooperrider, I. J., Session 31. Cope, J. A., Pawnee county. Session 19, 20. • Coppoc, Ed., Holt county. Session 27. Copsey. A. H., Custer county. Sessions 28, 29. Corbin, O. A., Nemaha county, Session 21. Corneer, S. A., Douglas county. Session 27. Cornelius. G., Hall county. Session 19. Cornell, W. H., York county, Sessions 12, 13. Cornish, A. J.. Lancaster county. Sessions 22, 23. Corr, T., Seward county. Session 19. Correll, E. M., Thayer county. Sessions 16, 17. Cosgrove, J. H., Garfield county. Session 26. Cox, J., Hamilton county. Sessions 18. 19. Cox, Levi, Douglas county. Sessions 25, 26. Crab, John. Session 31. Craig, W. S., Burt county. Session 20. Cramb, J. C, Thayer county. Session 22. Cramb, J. O., Jefferson county. Session 24. Cramer, J. E., York county. Sessions g, 10. Crane, M., Valley county. Session 20. Crane, T. D., Douglas county. Session 23. Cravens, Joseph M., Pawnee county. Sessions 28, 29. Crawford, G. N., Sarpy county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Crawford, J., Cass county. Session 19. Crawford, J. C, Cuming county. Sessions u, 12, 13. Creighton, J.. Douglas county. Session 14. Crisscy, H. G., Johnson county. Session 27. Critchfield, A. J., Douglas county. Session 10. Crockett, Charles, Knox county. Session 27. Crockett, C, Knox county. Session 26. Cronk, J. H., Valley county. Session 25. Crook, W. H., Richardson county, Session 19. Cropsey, D. B., Jefferson county, Sessions 28, 29. Cross, George, Jefferson county. Session 23. Crow, J.. Douglas county, Sessions 24, 25. Crowe, George, Nemaha county, Sessions 2, 3, 4, 5. Cruzcn, A. R., Frontier county. Session 21. Culdice, C. H., Saline county. Session 30. Cunningham, A. V., Hamilton county. Sessions 28, 29. Cunningham, B. F., Richardson county. Session I. Cunningham, , Harlan county. Session 26. Curric, Frank, Dawes county. Sessions 28, 29. Curtis, C. E., Douglas county. Session 25. Curtis, C. W., Madison county. Session 22. Gushing, R. C, Douglas county. Session 21. Dahlsten, Peter, Wheeler county, Session 27. Daily, William, Nemaha county, Sessions 2, 3, 4, 8. Dastal, Joseph, Session 31. Davenport, H. H.. Cedar county, Session 18. Davidson, J., Sarpy county, Sessions n, 12, 13. Davies, J. A., Cass county. Sessions 23, 24. Davis, F. E,, Saunders county. Session 15. Davis, J. H.. Buffalo county. Sessions 15, 28, 29. Davis, F. J., Cass county. Session 30. Dawson, J., Harlan county. Session 18. Day, R. N., Burt county, Session 15. Dcch, W. A., Saunders county. Sessions 9, 10. Decker. F., Thayer county. Session 22. Delaney, M. C, Butler county. Sessions 21, 24. Dempster. John A., Fillmore county. Sessions 20, 21. Dempster, P. J.. Harlan county. Sessions 15, 19. Dcmpsey, W., Boxbultc county, Session 24. Denman, H. C, Hall county. Session 21. Denman. Z. H., Hall county. Session 18. Denton, W. A., Douglas county. Session I. Dernier, William Deles, Cass county. Sessions 28, 29. Detweiler, J. O., Douglas county. Session 26. Dctrick, H. M., York county. Sessions 28, 29. Dew, J. S., Johnson county, Sessions 16, 17. 23. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 83 Deweese, J. M., Richardson county, Sessions I, 2, 3, 4. Dickerson, A., Sherman county, Sessions 22, 23. Dickinson. J. W., Lancaster county, Sessions 20, 21. Diers, Herman, York county. Session 27. Diller, W. H., Jefferson county, Sessions 20, 21. Dillon, W. E., Otoe county. Session 8. Dimmick, J. M., Franklin county, Session 23. Dittman, R. A.. Otoe county. Session 26. Dobry, J. G., Colfax county. Sessions 26, 28. Dobson, R., Fillmore county. Sessions 22, 23, 25. Dodd, J. F., Howard county. Session 18. Dodge, G. M.. Dodge county, Session 15. Dodge, H. L„ Douglas county, Sessions 9, 10. Dodge, N. P., Jr., Douglas county. Sessions 29, 30. Doolittle, W. H., Johnson county. Session 14. Doom, J. E.. Otoe county, Session 8. Doran, T. H., Garfield county, Sessions 29, 30. Douglas, J. A., Rock county. Sessions 28, 29. Dowt}', J. R., Richardson county. Sessions 16, 17. Doleyal, Frank. Session 31. Draper, D. S., Cass county, Session 18. Draper, H. A., Clay county. Session 15. Draper, S., Knox county, Session 18. Duby, C, Sarpy county. Session 8. Dudley, E. G.. Douglas county. Sessions 9, 10. Duerfeldt, G., Richardson county, Session 2, 3, 4. Dunham, M., Douglas county. Session 2, 3, 4, 9, 10. Dunkin, M. W.. Otoe county. Session 30. Dun, P., Colfax county. Session 22. Dunn, W. J., Saline county. Session 21. Eager, DeWitt, Seward county. Session 25. Eastman, L. H., Session 31. Eastman, W. G., Custer county. Session 25, 26. Eberman, J. H., Thayer county. Session 19. Edmondson. J. H., Hamilton county. Session 27. Eggenburger, Peter, Fillmore county, Session 28. Eggleson, G. W., Lancaster county. Session 20. Eickhoff. A., Cedar county. Session 23. Eighmy. P. H., Brown county, Session 25. Eisley, C. F., Burt (Madison) counties. Sessions 14, 15, 20. Elder, S. M., Clay county, Sessions 22, 23. Filer, L C. Washington county, Session 30. Elliott, A., Harlan county, Session 21. Elliott, J. B.. Otoe county. Session 14. Ellis, C. C, Johnson county. Session 20. Ellis, E. E., Dixon county, Session 23. Ellis, F. O.. Session 31. Elwood, H. C, Antelope county, Session 26. Ely, J. F., Nemaha county. Session 24. Emerson, C. D., Kearney county. Session 19. Endicott, J. J.. Seward county. Session 26. Endorf. F. W., Saline county. Session 25. Englehard, F.. Seward county. Session 15. Engstrom, P. G., Phelps county. Session 29. Enyart, L., Otoe county. Sessions 9, 10. 11, 12, 13. Ernst, William, Johnson county. Session 29. Esterling, J. M.. Buffalo county, Session 26. Evans, C. B., Dixon county. Session 5. Evans, L D.. Adams county. Session 26. Evans, John E., Lincoln county. Session 27. Evans, J. L., Session 31. Everett, B. W., Burt county. Session 19. Everett. F., Burt county. Session 21. Ewan, J. G.. Nemaha county. Session 14. Ewing, J., Hall county. Session 20. Fablinger, G., Nemaha county, Session 18. Fairbrother, George, Nemaha county, Session I. Fannon, George, Session 31. Farley, H. W.. Cass county, Sessions 11, 12, 13. Farley, J. J., Hamilton county. Session 21. Farley, W. I., Hamilton county. Session 30. Farnsworth, J. B., Keyapaha county, Session 23. Farrell, J., Dodge county, Session 23. Faxouj J. W.. Gage county. Session 22. Fee, J. R., Cherry county. Session 22. Feeno, S. B., Douglas county, Session 21. Feichtinger, C, Dodge county. Session 22. Felker, W. S., Douglas county. Sessions 22, 25. Fellers. A. H., Richardson county. Session 27. Fellers, E. E., Platte county, Session 28. Felton, G. A., Nuckolls county, Sessions 22. 23. Fenlon, Peter F., Butler county. Session 29. Fenton, J., Richardson county. Session 15. Fenton, Wm.. Richardson county, Sessions 20, 21. Ferguson, G., Otoe county. Session 15. Fernow, M., Adams county. Session 25. Ferrar, H. S., Hall county. Sessions 28, 29. Field, A. W., Lancaster county. Sessions 18. 19. Fieldgrove, H., Buffalo county. Session 21. Filley, E., Gage county. Sessions 16, 17. Fishback, George C, Clay county. Sessions 28, 29. Fisher. A. G., Dawes county. Session 26. Fisher, H., Richardson county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Fisher, H. A., Saunders county. Session 15. Fitchie, J., Otoe county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Fitle, Frank J.. Douglas county, Session 29. Fitzpatrick. W. W., Thayer county, Session 14. Flamme, Wm., Otoe county. Session 22. Fletcher, W. G., M. D., Antelope county. Session 30. Flynn, T. J., Douglas county. Session 26. Fogarty, J. L., Session 31. Folda F., Platte county, Sessions 11, 12, 13. Ford, Harvey, Thayer county. Session 28. Ford. P., Douglas county. Session 22. Ford, P. H., Phelps county. Sessions 22. 23. Foster, Harry A., Douglas county, Session 29. Fouke, G. R., Gage county. Session 25. Fowler, Charles A., Fillmore county, Session 27. Fox, G. W., Dawson county. Session 20. Fox, Jos., Douglas county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Frady, C. H.. Stanton county, Session 14. France, C. L., Otoe county. Session 30. France, T. M., Cuming county. Sessions 16, 17, 18. Frantz, M. F., Saline county, Session 20. Frazier, K., Dixon county. Session I. Frederick, J. F., Howard county. Sessions 15, 16, 17. Freeburn, Wm., Johnson county, Session 18. French, H. A., Seward county. Session 15. Frerichs, J.. Nemaha county. Session 14. Fretz, L S., Valley county. Session 26. Fried, Wm., Dodge county, Sessions 16, 17. Friedrich. M. L., Cass county. Sessions 27, 28. Fries, S. M., Howard county. Sessions 28, 30, 31. Fritz, N., Thurston county. Session 24. Frost,' G. W., Douglas county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Frost, W. S., Burt county. Session 22. Fuchs, J. W.. Platte county. Session 20. Fuller, A. B., Cass county, Sessions 2, 3, 4. Fuller, F. W., Sherman county. Session 21. Fuller, George W., Seward county, Sessions 26, 27. Fuller, J. N.. Gage county. Session 20. Fulton, S., Harlan county. Sessions 22, 23. Funk, P. C, Phelps county. Session 30. Furay, J. B., Douglas county. Session 5. Gaffin, J. N., Saunders county. Sessions 22. 23, 25. Gafford, C. C, Gage county. Session 20. Gale, A. H., Brown county. Session 22. Galey, S. B., Lancaster county. Session 8. Gallogly, O., Brown county. Session 27. Gamble, A. J., Dodge county. Session 20. Garber, S.. Jefferson county. Sessions 9, 10. Gardner, J. F., Richardson county. Sessions S, 6, 7. Gardner. W. A., Douglas county. Sessions 21, 22. Garvey, P., Douglas county, Session 20. Gassman, F. W., Cheyenne county. Session 15. 84 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Gates, A., Sarpy ccunty. Sessions 15, 16, 17, 21. Gates, J. M.. Session 31. Gawne, W. Y. R., Merrick county. Session 27. Gaylord, E. S., Washington county, Sessions 11, 12, 13. Gaylord, F., Buffalo county. Session 25. Gaylord, R. E.. Douglas county, Session 15. Gelwick, C. C., Butler county, Session 28. Gerdes, Henry, Richardson county. Sessions 22, 23, 25, 29. 31- Gerdes, W., Richardson county. Session 14. Gere, C. H., Pawnee county, Session i. Gibson, J. S., Douglas county. Sessions 14, 15. Gifford, \V. M., Pawnee county. Sessions 22, 23. Gilbert. D. W., Douglas county. Session 28. Gilbert, E. A., York county, Session 21. Gilbert, J. W., Saline county, Session 15. Gilchrist, L. W., Sheridan county, Session 21. Gill, D., Thayer county. Session 19. Gillilan, J. J.. Lancaster county. Session 22. Gilman, J. C, Cass county. Sessions 14, 20. Gilman, J. D., Richardson county. Session 14. Gilman, L. S., Lancaster county, Session 30. Gishwillcr, C. W., Franklin county. Sessions 27, 28. Givens, F., Cuming county, Session 25. Glasgow, W. G., Nemaha county. Session I. Glenn, R. A., Franklin county, Session 19. Glicm, Philip, Redwillow county. Sessions 29, 30. Goar, L N., Custer county. Session 24. Goddard, S., Frontier county. Session 22. Goldsmith, B., Cuming county, Session 23. Good. Ellis E., Nemaha county. Session 28. Goodin, L, Saline county. Session 8. Goodman, C. F.. Douglas county. Sessions 9, 10. Gordon, H., Holt county. Session 18. Goshorn, J. S., Tliayer county. Session 25. Goss, C. A., Douglas county, Session 23. Goss, T. S., Wayne county. Session 23. Gow. J., Sarpy county. Session 18. Graff, C.. Cuming county. Sessions 30, 31. Grafton, W. S., Saline county, Session_26. Graham, R. B., Lancaster county. Session 16. Grammer, C, Howard county. Session 23. Grandstaff, J. L.. Webster county, Sessions 25, 26. Graves, John, Otoe county. Session i. Graves, J. G., Otoe county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Graver, Wm., Nemaha county. Session 18. Gray. .\. W.. Johnson county, Session i. Gray, F. W., Douglas county, Session 18. Gray, W. D., Fillmore county. Session 16. Graybill, R. W., Hamilton county. Session 13. Green, O. E., Platte county. Session 21. Green. S. L., Redwillow county. Session 20. Green, S. W., Holt county. Session 30. Gregg, F. M., Wayne county. Session 28. Greig, James, Platte county. Session 30. Grell, Claus, Sarpy county. Session 25. 26. 27. Grcncll, E. N., Sarpy county, Session 8. Griffm, B. F„ Session 31. Griffin, J. T., Douglas county. Sessions 2, 3. 4, 5, 6, 7. Griffith, P.. .^dams county. Sessions 23, 24. Griffith, W. C, Lancaster county, Session 14. Grigg, James, Session 31. Grimes. H. M., Valley county. Session 18. Grimes, M. C. Holt county. Session 25. Grinstead, R. E., Richardson county. Session 18. Grosvcnor, J. H., Hamilton county. Sessions 25, 26. Grout, A. P., Otoe county. Session 18. Groves, C. E.. Session 31. Gumaer, A. W., Howard county, Session 19. Grueber, Wm., Session 31. Ciurnett, J. M., York county. Session 22. Gulhric. D., Nuckolls county, Session 24. Hadsell, E. H., Session 31. Hagemeister, W., Hamilton county. Session 30. Hagood. J. McF., Cass county. Session 5. Hahn, L., Webster county. Session 21. Hairgrove, E. E.. Clay county. Session 24. Hall, E. J., Hall county. Session 22. Hall, G. A., Cedar county, Session 14. Hall, G. L., Lancaster county. Session 21. Hall, James, Brown county. Session 26. Hall, James, Cass county. Sessions 16, 17, 18. Hall, Joseph, Burt county, Session 27. Hall, P. J., Saunders county, Session 19. Hall, T. F., Douglas county, Session 8. Haldeman, W. J.. Pawnee county, Session 14. Haller. W. D., Washington county. Sessions 23, 24, 26. Hamer, T. F., Buffalo count}-. Session 30. Hamilton, D. W., Butler county. Sessions 25. 27. Hamilton, W. R., Washington county. Session I. Hammitt, B. F., Saunders county, Session 15. Hampton, L B., Webster county, Session 21. Hand. W. E., Cass county. Session 29. Hanks, H. H., Otoe county. Session 27. Hanna, David, Cherry county. Session 28. Hanna, J. R., Garfield county, Session 21. Hansen, L E., Merrick county. Session 30. Hanson. R., Burt county. Session 15. Hanthorn, James, Nuckolls county. Session 21. Hardenburg, E. H., Lancaster county. Session 2. Harding, W. A., Burt county. Session 21. Hardy, H. R., Polk county, Session 26. Harlan. N. V., York county, Sessions 19, 20. Harkson, H., Lancaster county, Sessions 24, 26. Harmon, F. P., Adams count}'. Session 23. Harman, W. J., Saunders county, Sessions 28, 29. Haroxby, Fred G.. Nemaha county. Session 27. Harrington, W., Burt county. Session 18. Harrington, B. S., Session 31. Harris, D. H., Otoe county, Session 26. Harris, J. E., Buffalo county, Session 27. Harris. R. D., Keith county. Session 24. Harrison, C. J., Saunders county. Session 20. Harrison, M. T., Otoe county. Session 30. Harrison, P., Hall county, Session 14. Harrison, W. G., Washington county. Session 28. Harrison. W. H., Hall county. Session 24. Hart, J. E.. York county. Session 30. Harte, A. C, Douglas county, Session 24. Harvey, A. E., Furnas county. Session 14. Harvey, A. F., Otoe county, Sessions 2. 3, 4. Harvey, A. R., Douglas county. Session 30. Hastings, A. T., Lancaster county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Hastings, A. J.. Webster county. Session 26. Hastings, G. H., Saline county. Sessions 11, 12, 13, Hatch, W. D., Washington county. Session 18. Hathaway. H. D., Cass county. Session i. Hathorn, J. E., Redwillow county. Session 26, 27, 28. Haven, H. H., Buffalo county. Session 18. Havlik, J.. Saunders county, 24. Haydcn, B. H., Saline county. Session 20. Hayden. C. M., Nemaha county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Hays, G. W., York county. Sessions 17, 21. Haywood, C. F., Nemaha county. Sessions i, 2, 3. Hazen, S. M., Gage county. Session 19. Heacock, P. S.. Richardson county. Sessions 16, 17. Healey, T. A., Seward county. Session 14. Heath, E. L., Sheridan county. Session 22. Hector. Fred. Session 31. Heffcrman, D. C, Dakota county. Sessions 30, 31. Hcffcrman. J. C, Dakota county. Session 14. Heimrod, G., Douglas county. Session 20. Heinrich, J., Dodge county, Sessions 18, 19. Hclnicr, L., Lancaster county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Helms, J. H.. Hamilton county. Sessions 16, 17. Hendcrshott, F. J., Thayer county, Sessions 11, 12, 13. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 85 Henderson, R., York county, Session 25. Henry, D. P., Johnson county, Session 19. Henry. H. R., Holt county, Sessions 22, 23, 30, 31. Herman, S. J., Saline county. Sessions 16, 17, 22. Hermanson, Niels, Howard county, Session 29. Herron, J. R., Antelope county, Session 28. Hibbert, Thos. E., Gage county. Sessions 26, 27. Hicklin, W. M., Sessions 3, 4. Hickman, William, Seward county, Session 15. Hicks, C. E., Webster county, Session 26. Higgins, J. M., Cass county. Session 19. Higgins, W. P., Custer county, Session 23. Hile, L. L., Buflfalo county. Session 25. Hill, John C, Chase county. Sessions 29, 30. Hill, J. S., Butler county, Session 21. Hill, R. H., Clay county. Session 25. Hill. W. C, Gage county. Session 21. Hinds, L. B., Gage county. Sessions 23, 24. Hinkle, H. S., Sarpy county. Session 22. Hinnick. C. W., Garfield county. Session 22. Hoare, Fred, Platte county. Session 29. Hocknell, G., Redwillow county, Session 19. Hoebel, L., Otoe county. Session 18. Hogrefe, W. H., Richardson county. Sessions 28, 29. Hoile, J. T.. Richardson count}'. Sessions I, 2, 3, 4, S- Holbrook, W. D., Dodge county. Session 25. Holcomb, H., Richardson county. Sessions 9, 10. Holland, L. J'., Redwillow county. Session 25. Holliet, J. G., Lancaster county. Sessions 28, 29. Hollman, J., Dakota county. Sessions 16, 17, 18. Holmes, C. A., Johnson county, Sessions II, 12, 13. Holmes, E. P.. Pierce county, Session 19. Holmes, R. A., Session 31. Holsworth. W., Dakota county, Session 19. Holt, F. H., Gage county, Session 19. Homer, J. C, Saunders county. Session 18. Hooper, E.. Hall county, Session 21. Home, O., Otoe county. Session 21. Horner, Wm., Dawson county. Session 25. Horst, Geo.. Polk coimty. Sessions 20, 23, 24. Horton, W. H., Keyapaha county, Sessions 27, 29. Hospodsky, J. H., Session 31. Hostetter, C, Merrick county. Sessions 16, 17. Houck, M. D., Douglas county, 26. Householder. W. B., Webster county. Session 27. Howard, L. M., Madison county. Sessions 9, 10. Howard, A. S., Adams county. Session 30. Howard, Edgar, Sarpy county. Session 24. Howard, E. E., Clay county. Sessions 18, 19. Howard. Jeremiah, Session 31. Howe, C, Nemaha county. Sessions 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 22, 23. Howe, F. A., Dodge county, Session 30. Howe, H. R., Nemaha county. Session 29. Hoy, C. H., Polk county. Sessions 27, 28. Hudson, A. J., Platte county. Session 8. Huff, E. T., Sarpy county, Session 19. Hull, O., Harlan county. Sessions .24, 25. Hullihen, T. G., Knox county, Session 14. Humphrey, Fred., Session 31. Humphrey. Geo. C, Hall county, Session 27. Humphrey, G. M., Pawnee county. Session 18. Hunggate, J. H.. Douglas county, Session 21. Hunker, F. D., Cuming county. Session 29. Hunt, Cary M., Douglas county, Session 27. Hunt, J. S., Saline county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Hunter, Chas. W., Howard county. Session 27. Hunter, Chas., Webster county, Session 28. Hunter, J. M., Holt county. Session 21. Huse, J. B., Douglas county. Session 22. Hyatt, N. S., Platte county. Session 25. Irwin, W. J., Platte county. Sessions 19, 23. Israel, F., Dundy county. Session 26. Jackson, A. H., Pawnee county. Sessions t6, 17. Jackson, N. D., Antelope county, Session 29. Jackson, S. K., Douglas county, Sessions 16, 17. Jahnel. Frank, Washington county. Sessions 28, 29. James, P. H., Gage county. Session 23. Jamison, James M., Saunders county. Session 27. Jansen, P., Jefferson county. Session 26. Jeary, E., Cass county. Session 20. Jenkins, D. C, Gage county. Session 8. Jenkins, E. M., Thayer county. Sessions 23, 24. Jenkins, G. E., Jefferson county. Session 25. Jenkins, J. D., Fillmore county, Session 15. Jenness, R. H., Douglas county, Session 24. Jennison, A. J., Clay county. Session 30. Jensen, J., Fillmore county. Session 23. Jensen, Thos., Butler county. Sessions 16, 17, 18. Jindra, J.. Saline county, Session 19. Johnson, Benj., Saunders county. Sessions 16, 17. Johnson, C. S., Saunders county. Session 18. Johnson, Chas. T., Douglas county, Session 27. Johnson, Eric, Phelps county, Session 21. Johnson Erick Adams county. Sessions 29, 31. Johnson, F. G., Saline county. Session 30. Johnson, F. M., Burt county. Session 14. Johnson, J. L., Hall county. Session 23. Johnson, J. S., Phelps county. Sessions 26, 28. Johnson. J. V., Valley county. Session 22. Johnson, N., York county, Session 23. Johnson, Nels, Session 31. Johnson, T. B., Hamilton county, Session 14. Johnston, B. F., Nemaha county. Session 23. Johnston, J. C., Lancaster county. Session 19. Johnston, J. W., Douglas county. Session 24. Johnston, N., Nemaha county. Session 15. Johnston, S., Seward county. Session 22. Jones, Cass, Richardson county, Sessions 28, 30. Jones, C. K., Adams county, Sessions 16, 17. Jones, D. A., Wayne county. Session 25. Jones, D. N., Nemaha county. Session 25. Jones, G. U., Gage county. Sessions 25, 26. Jones, J. O., Polk county, Session 18. Jones, O. C, Richardson county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Jones, R. F.. Burt county. Session 22. Jones, R. W. W., Otoe county. Session 28. Jones, T. P., Richardson county. Session 24. Jones, W. B., Polk county. Session 29. Jordan, E.. Pawnee county. Session 14. Jordan, Wm.. Buffalo count\'. Session 27. Jouvenat, Frank, Boone county, Sessions 27, 28, 29. Judd, L. P., Boone county. Session 24. Junkin, George C, Gosper county, Sessions 28, 29. Jury, J. A.. Saunders county, Session 14." Kaley, C. H., Webster county, Session 17. Kaley, C. W., Webster county, Session 29. Kaley, H. S., Webster county. Session 16. Kaley, J. L., Webster county. Session 19. Kapp, G. F.. Boyd county. Session 25. Karback, C. J., Douglas county, Session 15. Katons, Otto, Session 31. Kaup, W.. Saline county. Sessions 23, 24. Kaveny, John, Butler county, Sessions 27, 28. Keckley. C- R-, York county. Session 23. Keckley. W. H-, York countty, Session 15. Kehoe, J. A., Platte county. Session 19. Keifer, J. W., Jr.. Nuckolls county. Session 30. Keiper, G. F., Cedar county. Sessions 20, 21. Keister. H. C, Boone county, Session 25, 26. Kelley, J. E.. Platte county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Kelley, J. W., Session 31. Kempton, W. H., Saline county. Sessions 16, 17. Kennedy, B. E. B., Douglas county. Session 15. Kennedy. J. A. C, Douglas county. Session 28. Kennedy, R. A., Pawnee county. Session 15. 86 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Kenney, A. J., Franklin county, Session 20. Kerns, J. W., Nemaha county. Session 28. Kessler, J. F., Burt county, Session 23. Keyes, C. E., Sarpy county. Session 23. Killen, D. J., Gage county, Sessions 30, 31. Kilmer, G. M., Saline county. Session 19. King, E. L., Polk county, Session 19. King, H. G., Saline county. Session 20. King, H. P., Seward county. Session 16. Kipp, F., Burt county. Session 8. Kittle, E. H., Sherman county. Session 28. Kloepfel, J., Richardson county, Sessions 15. 16, 17. Klope. R. F., Cuming county, Session 23. Knowles, J. H., Dodge county. Session 30. Knox, D., Douglas county. Session 20. Knox, Oscar, Buffalo county. Sessions 28, 29. Koetter, F. W., Douglas count}', Session 28. Kraus, J. P., Session 31. Krick, E., Kearney county. Sessions 22, 23. Kruse, J. D., Knox county. Session 22. Kruse. J. G., Knox county, Session 23. Kuhl, John, Cedar county. Sessions 30, 31. Kuon\', J. B., Washington county, Sessions 18, 19. Kyd, Rohert R., Gage county, Session 29. Kyner, J. H., Douglas county. Sessions 16. 17, 23. Laflin, L. H., Jolinson county, Sessions 9, 10. Laflin, R. W., Gage county. Session 27. Lahners, Thos., Thayer county. Sessions 29, 30. Laird. G. C, Dodge county. Session 18. Lamar, C. M., Saunders county, Session 25. Lamb, C. L., Stanton county. Sessions 16, 1,7. Lambert, Wm. B., Antelope county. Session 14. Lamborn, J-. J., Rcdwillow county, Session 23. . Lamp, H. .\.. Washington county. Session 22. Lane, A. W., Lancaster county. Sessions 26, 27. Langhorst, H., Fillmore county. Session 23. Larson, L. P., Dodge county. Session 21. Lash, E., Nemalia county, Sessions 15. 21. Latta, J. P., Burt county. Session 20. Laughlin, J. C, Burt county, Sessions 16, 17. Lawrence, F. P., Session 31. Leary, C. A., Douglas county. Sessions 6, 7. Leeder, Ed., Douglas county. Session 30. Lee, C. IL, Merrick county, Se.fsion 19. Lee, J, M., Furnas county. Sessions iS, 19, 21. Lee, Michael. Douglas county. Sessions 29, 30. Leihhart, , Hamilton county. Session 19. Leidigh, L. W., Otoe county. Session 23. Leidigh, G. W., Session 31. Lehman, G. S., Platte county, Sessions 16, 17. Lcmar, C. M.. Saunders county. Session 26. Ley, H., Wayne county. Session 21. Lichty, John. Richardson county. Session 27. Liddell, J., Douglas county, Session 25. Liesveld. H. J., Lancaster county. Sessions 19, 20. Line. W. C, Jefferson county, Sessions 29, 30. Lingenfelter, G. C, Cheyenne comity. Session 23. Linkart, G. A., Madison county. Session 23. Linn, J. L., Pawnee county. Sessions 16, 17. Lisk, J., Otoe county. Session 15. Livengood, H. C. Franklin county. Session 29. Lockner, A,, Douglas county. Session 23. Logsdcn, S., Fillmore county. Session 30. Loomis, F. F., Butler county. Sessions 25, 26. Looniis, Geo. L., Dodge county. Sessions 27. 28. Lomax, H., Custer county. Session 22. l-ong, J. F... Cuming county. Session 15. Lord, G. W.. Butler county. Session 20. Lord, J. S., Richardson county. Session 29. Love, L., York coiuity. Session 14. Lovcland, D. C, Platte county. Session 15. Loveland, E., Douglas county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Lowe, Ellit)tt Harlan county, Session 27. Lucas, R. S., Madison county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Luce, C. A., Harlan county. Sessions 19, 29. Luthy, J. W., Richardson county. Session 18. Lux, Joseph. Session 31. Lynch, J. O., Dawson county. Session 23. Mack, T., Stanton county, Session 15. Mackey, C, Custer county. Sessions 29, 30. Majors, S. P., Ncinaha county. Session 8. Majors. T. J., Nemaha county. Session 21. Mangold, Pater, Douglas county. Session 28. Mann, W. H., Saline county. Sessions 25, 26. Marble, Wm. H., Saunders county, Session 19. Marks, Robert H., Fillmore county. Session 29. Marlatt, John. Kearney county. Session 30. Marlott, J. W., Session 31. Marsh, F. A., M. D., Seward county, Session 30. Marshall, Chas., Otoe county, Session 27. Marshall, C. C, Washington county. Session 25. Marshall, F. H.. Harlan county, Session 20. Martin, L., York county. Sessions 18, 19. Masters, F. W., Furnas county, Session 30. Masters, J. H., Otoe county, Sessions g, 10. Matheson, J. G., Wayne county. Session 22. Matthewson, C. P., Madison county. Session 15. Mathieson, J., Douglas county. Session 20. Mattes, J., Jr., Otoe county. Session 21. Matteson, G., Dixon county. Session 24. Maxwell, S., Cass county. Session i. May. M., Dodge county, Sessions 9, 10. McAllister, G. C, Deuel county, Sessions 28, 29. McAllister, W. A.. Platte county, Session 18. McArdlc, P., Douglas county, Sessions 15, 19. McBride. D. L., Redwillow county. Session 24. McBride. J. C, Lancaster county, Session 21. McCaig, D., Cass county. Sessions S. 6, 7. McCall, C. J., Session 31. McCann. W. A., Cheyenne county. Session 20. McCarthy. J. J.. Dixon county. Sessions 26, 27. McCarthy. R. S., Greeley county. Session 25. McCartney. A. F., Otoe county, Sessions 5, 6, 7. McClay. John H., Lancaster county, Session 29. McClure, H. W., Knox county, Sessions 16, 17. McClure, N. T., Lancaster county. Sessions 16, 17. McCoIl, J. H., Dawson county. Session 14. McConaughv, G. M., Polk county. Session 20. McCoy. Henry, Douglas county. Session 27. McCracken, D.. Franklin county. Sessions 25. 26. McCready, J.. Saline county, Session 14. McCullough. C. W., Gage county, Session 30. McCulloch, D. A., Harlan county, Session 28. McCutclicn. W. .^.. Boone county. Sessions 22, 23. McDonald. D., Washington county. Session I. McDougall. M., Saline county. Sessions 16, 17. McDowell. J. B., Gage county. Sessions 9, 10, n. 12, 13. McElhiimey. J. C, Burt countv, Session 29. McFadden, W., York county. Session 24. MrGavock, A.. Douglas county, Session 18. McGec G. H., Antelope county. Session 25. McGinley, W. J., Otoe county, 26. McGrew. S. W.. Nemaha county. Session 20. McKee, G. M., Otoe county. Session 14. McKenna, A. P.. Sarpy county. Session 20. McKesson, J. C. F., Lancaster county. Sessions 22, 23. McKillup, D. C. Seward county, Sessions 9, n, 12, 13, McKinnon. J., Cass county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. 16. Mcl.ain. John. Seward county. Sessions 28, 29. McLennan. W., Otoe comUy, Sessions 5, 6, 7. McLeod Chas., Stanton county. Session 29. McT-erd, D., Colfax county. Session 25. McMillon, J., Douglas comity. Session 21. McMi'lleu, .'Xdani. Gage county. Sessions 29, 30. McNickle, A. B., Gage county. Session 21. McNitt, R.. Webster county. Session 24. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 87 McReynoIds, L., Clay county, Session 22. McShane. J. A., Douglas county, Session 16, 17. McVey. E. A., Clay county. Session 23. McVicker, W. J., Cuming, Dodge counties. Sessions 14, 24. McVicker, W. D., Session 31. Mead, G., Washington county, Session 15. Mead, Geo. E., Douglas county, Session 27. Meeker, C. W., Hitchcock county,- Session 21. Memminger. F. T., Madison county. Sessions 26, 28. Mendenhall,.^J. E.. Jefiferson county. Sessions 27, 28. Mengel, E. M., Saunders county, Session 14. Meradith, Wm., York county, Sessions 28, 29. Mercer, J. J., Nemaha county. Session 14. Merrick. H. J., Gage county, Sessions 23, 24. Metz, C. I., Richardson county. Sessions g, 10. Metzger, A. H., Cherry county. Session 30. Meyers, J. H., Richardson county. Session 14. Mickey, J. H., Polk county. Sessions 16, 17. Milboiirn. G. F., Kearney county, Session 26. Miller, E., Session 31. Miller, L. W., Madison county. Session 18. Miller, M., Butler county. Sessions 19, 20. Miles. B. F., Richardson county, Session 19. Miles, F. W., Saline county. Session 24 Mills, B. B., Harlan county. Session 14. Mills, M. H., Lancaster county, Session 25. Milligan. J. O., Dixon county, Sessions 29, 30. Mikesell. S. P., Dixon county. Session 28. Tilinick, H. O., Nemaha county, Sessions 6, 7. Minnix, H. C, Adams county, Session 20. Miskell, Edw. W.. Saline county. Session 27. Mitchell, J. B., Seward county, Session 25. Mitchell, J. L.. Otoe county, Session 15. Moan, J. M., Cuming county. Session 22. Mockett, John H., Jr.. Lancaster county. Sessions 27. 28. Modie, A. C. Redwillow county, Session 22. Moehrman, H., Franklin county, Session 24. Montgomery, R. W., Furnas 16. Moran, O. S., Platte county, Sessions 25, 26. Moore, Frank, Session 31. Moore, J. O. Otoe county. Sessions t6, 17. Aloore, N. H., Saline county. Session 15. Moore, S. V., York county. Sessions 14, 16. 17. Morrison, J. R., Thayer county. Sessions 25, 26. Morrison, W. W., Gage county, Session 18. Morrisy, F. R., Douglas county. Session 21. Morsman. E. N., Jr., Douglas county. Session 28. Morton, H.. Dakota county, Sessions 3, 4. Moudy, M. v., Lincoln county, Sessions 11, 12, 13. Mullen, J. P., Holt county. Session 22. Mullen, P. M., Douglas county. Sessions 16, 17, 27. Mulvahill. J., Douglas county, Sessions 19. Munger, T. C, Lancaster county. Session 24. Munn, E.. Otoe county, Sessions 8, 11, 12, 19. Murphy. F., Douglas county. Sessions II, 12, 13, Murphy, P. A., Fillmore county. Sessions 30, 31. Murray, Mark W., Thurston county. Sessions 26, 27. Musick, John R., Nuckolls county. Session 28. Muxen, Mathew E., Douglas county, .Session 29. Myers. E. L., Rock county. Session 24. Myers, H. A., Dou.g!as county. Session 26. Myers, J. C, Douglas county, Session 8. Nance, A., York and Polk counties, Sessions II, 12, i,^. 14- Nason, W. N., Douglas county. Session 23. Naffziger, J., Dakota county. Sessions 5, 6. Neff. W., Franklin county, Session 30. Nesbit, J. F., Burt county. Sessions 25, 26. Neligh, J. D.. Cuming county, Session 19. Nelson, A., Burt county, Sessions 9, 10. Nelson, N. M., Pierce county, Session 28. Nelson, N. P., Dodge county, Sessions 22, 23. Nelson, W. T., Douglas county. Session 28. Nettleton, D. M., Clay county, Sessions 18, 19, 30, 31. Neumeyer, G. W., Merrick county, Session 19. Neve, W., Douglas county, Session 21. Neville. Wm., Douglas county. Session 14. Neville, W., Cass county. Session 18. Newberry, F., Hamilton county, Sessions 22, 23. Newcomer, D. D., Webster county, Sessions ig, 20. Newton, W., Clay county. Session 20. Nichol. J. R., Antelope county. Sessions 19, 20. Nichols, D., Buffalo county. Session 22. Nicodemus, H. B., Dodge county, Session 14. Nims, R., Richardson countj'. Session 8. Norris, C. H., Pawnee county. Session 20. North, F., Platte county. Session 18. Northrup, C. M., Fillmore county, Session 14. Noyes, C. E., Cass county, Sessions 30, 31. Oakley, R. H., Lancaster county, Sessions 22, 23. O'Connell, J. G.. Session 31. Olinger, W. G., Burt county, Sessions 11, 12, 13. Ollis, J. A., Jr., Valley county. Session 27. Olmstead, F. D., Adams count}', Session 21. Olmstead, F. P.. Adams county. Session 19. Olmstead, R. H., Douglas county. Session 26. Olson, C. O., Phelps county. Session 27. Olson, P. B., Saunders county. Sessions 22, 23. Orton, S. W., Cass county. Session 24. Osgood. C. E., Lincoln county. Session 19. Overton, J., Otoe county. Session 8. Overton. N. Otoe county. Sessions 16, 17, 20. Owen S. G,, Lancaster county. Sessions 9, 10, 15. O'Hanlon, P., Douglas county. Session i. O'Sullivan, P. F., Cuming county. Session 21. Paddock, J. W., Douglas county. Session i. Page. B. W., Session 14. Palmer, A. S.. Dixon countv. Sessions 16, 17. 18. Palmer, J., Saline county. Session 18. Patterson, J. M., Cass county. Session 8. Pattison, L. W., Richardson county, Sessions 6, 7. Patten, W. M., Richardson county, Session 15. Patrick, J. W., Otoe county. Sessions 9, 10. Parchcn, W., Richardson county. Session i. Parish, W., Burt county, Sessions 5, 6, 7. Parker, E., Hall county. Sessions 9, 10. Parker, H. C. Howard county. Session 22. Parker, S. M., Otoe county. Session 29. Parker, T. B., Saline county. Session 14. Parmalee, D. S., Douglas, county. Sessions 2, 3. 4, 5, 6. Parry, J. M., Otoe county. Sessions 16, 17. Paul, N. J., Howard county. Session 14. Paxton, W. A., Douglas county, Sessions 16. 17. Payne, R., Otoe county. Session 18. Peabody, V. P., Nemaha county. Session 29. Peabody, U. P., Nemaha county. Session 17. Peck, W. W., Holt county. Session 26. Pemberton, W. J., Jefferson county, Session 20. Perkins, Geo. A.. Fillmore county. Session 29. Perkins, J. M., Fillmore county, Session 24. Perry, E. B., Furnas county. Sessions 28. 29. Persinger, L. C, Webster county, Session 27. Peters, J., Boone county, Session 20. Peterson, A. M., Cuming county. Session 16, 17. Peterson, E. W.. Burt county. Session 19. Phelps, C. W., Dundy county, Session 24. Phillips, R. O., Lancaster county, Session 14. Pickens. Wes., Session 31. Pilger, A., Wayne county, Session 30, 31. Pinney. N. R., Otoe county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Pkunbeck, G., Douglas county. Session 15. Pohlman, J. H., Nemaha county. Sessions 22, 24. Polk. J. F., Cass county, Session 15. Pollard, E. M., Cass county, Sessions 24, 26. Pollock, J. W., Cuming county, Session 14. 88 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Pollock, W. A., Nemaha county, Sessions i, 15. Pool, C. W., Session 31. Porter, DeF.. Nemaha county, Session S. Porter, W. F., Merrick county, Sessions 22, 23. Pospisil, John J., Saunders county, Session 29. Post, Mark F., Knox county. Session 29. Potter, R. K.. Buffalo county. Session 21. Poynter. W. K., Boone county, Session 19. Preston, J., Sessions 3, 4. Price, M. S., Fillmore county. Session 15. Prince, F. P., Madison county. Session 24. Prince. W. A., Hall county. Session 26. Pritchctt. G. E., Douglas county, Session 14. Purnell, C, Lincoln count}-. Session 22. Putney, W. W., Antelope county, Sessions 16, 17. Quackenbush, E. B., Nemaha county, Session 30. Queen, J., Lancsater county, Session i. Quimby, D. J., Dixon county, Session 8. Raines, R. F., Session 31. Ramey, D. M., Saline county. Session 18. Ramsey, J. H., Gage county, Session 28. Randall. W. S., Clay county, Session 20. Ranney, H. D., Webster county, Session ;8. Ransom, F. L., Otoe county. Sessions 16, 17. Raper, W. B., Pawnee county. Sessions 30, 31. Ratclifife, J. R., Merrick county, Session 18. Rathman. C.. Washington county. Sessions S, 6, 7. Raymcr, H. St., Lincoln county, Session 21. Raymond, L M., Lancaster county. Session 20. Ream, J. D., Custer county, Session 27. Redman, Herman, Adams county. Session 27. Redmond, W, D., Nemaha county. Session 30. Reed. C. C, Johnson county. Session 28. Reed, E. S., Otoe county. Session i. Reed, G. C, Harlan county. Sessions 16, 17. Reed, Lewis S., Douglas county. Session 8. Reis. A., Lincoln county. Session 14. Rejcha, F., Lancaster county. Session 30. Remington, D. D., Seward county, Session 24. Renkel, W. F., Webster county. Session 30. Reyman. M. R., Nemaha county, Sessions 16, 17. Rhea, R. C, Seward county, Session 23. Rhodes, H., Johnson county, Sessions s, 6, 7, 8. Rhodes, H. F., Valley county. Sessions 23, 24. Rhodes, J.. Pawnee county, Session 21. Ribble, Curtis W., Saline county. Session 28. Rice, A. E., Holt county. Session 19. Rich, E., Douglas county. Session 25. Richards, C. L., Thayer county. Session 24. Richardson, F. W.. Madison county. Sessions 24, 29. Richardson. L. O., Frontier county. Session 30. Ricketts, M. O., Douglas countj'. Sessions 23, 24. Rief, C, Hall county, Session 20. Riggs, J. H., Douglas county. Session 28. Riley. A., Webster county. Sessions 22, 23. Riley, J. E., Douglas county. Session 19. RiorHan, H. C, Washington county, Session 8. Ritchie, C. A., Session 3r. Ritchie. W. E., Seward county, Session 22. Robb, F. W., Otoe county. Session 14. Robb. W., Johnson county. Session 21. Robl)crts. J. C., Platte county. Sessions 16, 17, 18. Robbins, W. E., Gage county. Sessions 28, 29. Roberts, A., Saunders county. Session 8. Roberts, Joseph, Dodge county. Sessions 28, 29. Roberts, E. W., Session 31. Roberts, J. E., Douglas county. Session 25. Robertson, J. A., Holt county. Sessions 24, 25. Robertson, S. P.. Nemaha county. Session 19. Robertson, T. H., Sarpy county. Session i. Robinson, C. S., Brown county. Session 23. Robinson, J. F., Stanton county. Session ig. Robinson, W. D., Lancaster county, Session 24. Roche, J. J., Antelope county. Session iS. Rockwell. A., Burt county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Roddy, P., Otoe county. Sessions 24, 25. Rohan, P. F., Cedar county. Session 22. Rohr, R. H., Furnas county, Session 15. Rohwer, Henry, Washington county. Session 27. Rohrer, Jacob J.. Saline county. Sessions 29, 30. Rolf, D. P., Otoe county. Session 2. Roll, J. F., Saunders county, Sessions 11, 12, 13. Root, A., Cass county, Session 19. Root, H. D., Cass county. Sessions 16, 17. Roper, F. E., (Gage and Thayer) counties, Sessions 6, 7, 20. Roper, W. B., Pawnee county. Sessions 12, 13. Rosewater, E., Douglas county. Session 8. Rothlenter. F., Cherry county. Session 24. Rothsack, W. A., Session 31. Rouse, G. L., Hall county, Sessions 24, 25, 26, 28, 29. Rouse, J. P., Cass county. Sessions 8, 12, 13. Ruggles. L. G., Dundy county. Sessions 22, 23. Runyan, M. M., Saunders county. Session 14. Russell, B. P., Valley county, Session 19. Russell, H. C, Colfax county. Session 20. Russell, W. J., York county. Session 18. Ryan, T. C., Platte county. Session 15. Ryan, W. M., Douglas county, Session 8. Sabcrson S., Session 31. Sadilek, F. J., Saline county. Session 18. Saddler, W. G., Adams county. Sessions 28, 29. Sadler, S.. Adams county, Session 14. Sandall, Andrew L.. York county. Session 27. Sandall, A. L., York county, Session 26. Sanders, D. C, Nemaha county. Session i. Sargent, J. E., Custer county, Session 21. , Satchell, N. M., Cass county, Sessions 20, 21. Saunders, Geo. W., Knox county. Session 30. Savage, E. P.. Sherman county. Session 18. Schaible, M. J., Richardson county. Session 26. Schappei, C. A., Pawnee county, Sessions 22, 23. Scilley. Hugh, Dodge county, Session 29. Scheele, Henry, Session 31. Schelp, W., Platte county. Sessions 22, 23. Schick, T. L., Nemaha county, Session 16. Schickedantz, H., Howard county. Session 24. Schinstock, Henry, Cuming county. Session 27. Schlotfcldt, H., Hall county. Sessions 22, 23. Scluniukc. P., Otoe county. Sessions 9, 10, 14. Schock, H., Richardson county. Session 8. Schoettger. H. D., Washington county. Sessions 30, 31. Schovillc, F. A., Saunders county. Session 19. Schrader, C., Session 18. Schram, C. W., Dixon county. Session 25. Schwab, H., Dodge county, Session 20. Scott, A., Pawnee county, Sessions 26. 27. Scott, A. J., Buffalo county. Sessions 23, 24. Scott, J. P., Saunders county. Sessions 16, 17. Scott, R. M., Dawson county. Session 22. Scott. W. T., York county. Session 15. Scoville, D. A., Hamilton county, Session 21. Scudder, A. L., Hall county. Session 30. Sears, F. A., Hall county. Sessions 16, 17. Sears, Wm. G., Burt county. Sessions 27, 28. Seed. A., Seward county, Session 21. Seelej', J. C, Dodge county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Selden, P., Platte county. Session 14. Severe, O. A., Otoe county. Session 25. Sevcrin, F. C, Lancaster county, Sessions 21. 22. Sessions, M. H., Lancaster county, Sessions o, 10, 15, 18. Seybolt, G. L., Cass county, Sessions 5, 6, 7. Shamp. J., Lancaster county. Session 20. Shedd, H. ?L, Saunders county. Sessions 16, 17. Shelby, P. R., Douglas county. Session 14. Sheldon, A. E., Dawes county, Session 25. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY' Shelley, B. Y., Knox county. Session 15. Shelly, Thos. C. Douglas county, Session 28. Shellliorn, E. J,, Lancaster county. Session 27. Shephard, G. W., Saunders county, Session 21. Sheridan, I. A., Redwillow county, Session 23. Shinstock, Chris., Cuming county, Session 28. Shipley, J.. Cuming county, Session 22. Shipley, W., Hitchcock county. Session 28. Shook, G. R., Nemaha county. Sessions 5, 6, 8. Shook, J. H., Richardson county. Session 24. Shore, J. H., Cherry county. Session 26. Shrader, C. D.,' Custer count}'. Session 22. Shryock, W. B.,- Cass county. Session 22. Shubert, J. F., Richardson county. Session 30. Shull, J. C, Nemaha county. Session 25. Shumaker. W. S., Session 31. Siecke, C. L., Cuming county. Session 26. Sill, J. A., Burt county. Sessions 16, 17. Silver, H. H., Gage county. Sessions 16, 17. Simanek, T., Saunders county, Session 20. Simms. B. M., Harlan county. Session 20. Sinionton, R. N., Nuckolls county. Session 15. Sinclair, J., Otoe county. Session 23. Sink, J. W., Session 31. Sisson, E. P., Burt county. Sessions 23, 24. Skeen, Ben T., Session 31. Slader. D. C, Washington county, Sessions 2, 3, 4. ■ Slater, A. B., Staijton county. Session 20. Slocumb, C. R., Jefferson county. Sessions 15, 16, 17. Smalser, H., Sherman county. Session 29. Small, J. W., Clay county. Session. 14. Smith. A. A., Boone county. Session 30. Smith, C., Richardson county, Session 26. Smith, D., Douglas county. Sessions 25, 31. Smith, G. F., Holt county, Sessions 23, 24. Smith, H. M., Saline county, Session 26. Smith. H. O., Dawson county. Session 19. Smith, Herschel V., Saline county, Session 28. Smith, G. L., Butler county, Session 26. Smith, J., Saline county. Sessions 22, 23, 24. Smith, J. D., Sarpy county. Sessions I. 5. Smith, J. E., Webster county, Sessions 14, IS- Smith, Robert A., Burt county. Session 29. Smith, T., Johnson county. Session 23. Smithberger, L.. Stanton county. Sessions 26, 27. Smythe, C. J., Douglas county. Session 20. Snyder, A., Douglas county. Session 21. Snyder, D. C, Johnson county, Session 25. ' Snyder, J., Harlan county. Session 30. Snyder, Joseph. Session 31. Snyder, J. M., Sherman county. Session 25. Soderman, E., Phelps county. Sessions 22, 23, 24, 25. Somers, W. H., Lancaster county. Sessions 12, 13. Sommerlad. H. W., Richardson county. Sessions i, 8. Spackman, E. B., Nance county. Session 24. Spanogle, A. J., Hamilton county. Session iS. Sparks, J., Gage county, Session 15. Sparks, J. W., Merrick county. Session 15. Speice, C. A., Platte county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Spellman, H., Lancaster county, Session 14. Spencer, Alvin D., Gage county. Session 27. Spencer, E. R., Lancaster county. Sessions 23, 24. Spier, S. S., Gage county. Session 28. Specher, John C, Colfax county, Session 27. Sprick, H., Washington county, Sessions 9, 10, 14, 16, 17 Spricknall, W. R., Johnson county. Session 14. Springer, E. P., Scottsblufif county. Session 30. Spurlock, Geo. M., Cass county, Session 28. Sroat. G. W., Otoe county. Sessions 3, 4. Stalder, Albert E., Richardson county. Session 30. Starrett, S. B., Johnson county. Session 15. Startzer, Samuel, Sarpy county, Session 28. Staver, H. O., Richardson county, Session 19. St. Clair, W. P. P., Cheyenne county. Session 14. Stebbins. J., Buffalo county. Session 22. Stebbins, L., Lincoln county, Session 25. Stedman, E. J., Session 31. Stedwell, A., Buffalo county. Session 18. Steever, A., Polk county, Session 18. Steinauer, N. A., Pawnee county, Session 30. Steinman, H.. Nemaha county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Steinmeyer, Henry, Gage county. Session 27. Stephenson, D. V., Richardson county, Session 18. Sternsdorf, G. J., Douglas county. Session 22. Stettson, Delbert A., Saline county. Sessions 28. 29. Stevens, A. D., Fillmore county, Session 22. Stevens, H.. Platte county. Session 22. Stevens, J., Furnas county. Sessions 22, 23. Stevenson, R. P., Cuming county, Session 9, 10. Stevenson. T. B., Otoe county, Session 19. Steward, J. B., York county, Session 22. Stewart, A. S., Pawnee county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Stirk, J. W., Madison county. Session 21. Stirling, J. H., Fillmore county, Session 19. Stockwell. H. M., Antelope county, Session 27. Stoeker, W. P., Session 31. Stolz, J. P., Seward county,_ Session 30. Stone, L, Cass county. Session 15. Storm. J. D., Nemaha county, Session 22. Stouffer, B. R., Richardson county. Session 15. Stout, W. H. B., Washington county. Sessions 5, 6, 7. Straub, V., Otoe county, Session 25. Sturgess, T. P., Douglas county. Session 26. Suessenbach. H., Douglas county, Session 18. Sullivan, J. J., Platte county. Session 20. Suter, L. H., Antelope county. Sessions 23, 24. Sutherland, W. J., Colfax county, Session 19. Sutton, A. L., Douglas county. Sessions 23, 24. Sutton. W., Pawnee county. Sessions 24, 25. Swan, H. N., Session 31. Swan, J. T., Nemaha county Session 26. Swanson, Daniel county. Dodge county. Session 27. Swartsley, J. C, Platte county. Session 21. Swearingen. J., Seward county. Session 18. Sweet, P.. Merrick county. Sessions 20, 21. Sweezy, P. A., Webster county. Session 28. Switzer, S. W., Buffalo county. Session 14. Taggart, R. M., Otoe county. Session 19. Talbot, J. W., Butler county, Session 30. Talbot, J. W.. Otoe county, Sessions S, 6, 7. Talcott, J. M., Session 31. Tanner, J. W., Nance county, Sessions 26, 27. Taylor, A. B., Session 31. Tavlor, P. M., Johnson county. Session 22. Taylor, J. H., Douglas county. Session 25. Tavlor, W. H., Butler county. Sessions 22, 25. Taylor, W. H., Fillmore county. Session 26. Taylor, W. J., Custer county. Sessions 26, 27, 31. Taylor. W. Z., Frontier county. Sessions 18, 19, 31. Tefft, C. R.. Lancaster county, Session 27. Ten Eyck, W. B., Douglas county. Session 28. Thiessen, J. P., Jefferson county, Sessions 30, 31. Thorn, J., Otoe county, Session i. Thomas, A. N.. Hamilton county. Session 24. Thomas, G. H., Colfax county. Session 19. Thomas, G. P., Burt county. Session I. Thomas, I., Burt county. Session 18. Thomas, J. W., Cass county. Session 19. Thomas, W. P., Session 31. Thompson, A. L., Jefferson county. Session 19. Thompson, P. A., Clay county. Session 26. _ Thompson, J. J., Washington county. Session 15. Thompson, M. J., Boone county. Session 18. Thompson, Oscar. Cuming county. Session 29. Thompson, R. A., Cuming county, Session 15. Thompson, W. T., Merrick county, Sessions 26, 28. 90 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Thonissen, Wm., Hall county, Session 27. Thornton. S. W.. RufFalo county, Session 20. Thorpe. Wm. P., Garfield county. Session 28. Thurston, J. M,, Douglas county, Sessions II, 12, 13. Timme, H., Douglas county. Session 24. Tingle, A. H., Holt county. Session 20. Tisdel. D. A., Richardson county. Session 5. Tomblin. D. M., Furnas county, Session 17. Tomlin, J. H., Otoe county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Tooley, J. J., Custer county. Session 28. Towers, L. H., .■\dams county, Session 18. Towie, A. L., Knox county, Session 21. Towle. E. S., Richardson county, Sessions 9, 10, 11, 12, 13- Town, W. A., Thayer county, Session 18. Townsend, O., G5ge county. Sessions 3, 4, Tracey, J., Lincoln county. Session 20. Trask, I. N., Fillmore county. Session 28. Troup, A. C. Douglas county. Session ig. Trowbridge, F. H.. Antelope county. Session 15. True, M. B. C, Saline county. Session 15. Truesdale, S. A., Thayer county. Sessions 20, 21. Trunible, A. W., Sarpy county. Sessions 2. 3, 4. Tucker, F. S., Douglas county. Sessions 29, 30. Tucker, G. P., Johnson county, Sessions 3, 4. Tucker, J. M., York county. Session 26. Tullis, E„ Lancaster county, Sessions i, 5. 6, 7. Turner, C. M., Seward county, Session 19. Turner. G. R., Gage county. Session 18. Turner, W. L., Knox county. Session 20. Turtle, W., Douglas county. Sessions 8, 19. Turton, G. J.. Dodge county. Session i. Tuxbury, A., Otoe county, Session i. Tweed, Robert, Thayer county. Session 27. Tyson, W., Washington county. Session 20. Tzschuck, B., Douglas county. Sessions 9, 10. Uerling. P., Adams county. Session 25. Uhl, Mel, Douglas county, Session 27. LTnderhill, G. C, Otoe county. Session 20. LTnthank, J. A., Washington county, Sessions T, 3, 4. Vandergrift, John, Sherman county. Sessions 26. 27. Vanderman, A. W., Cass county, Session 15. Vanderbilt, W. H., Dixon county, Session 15. Vanderventer, W. N., Richardson county. Session 22. Van Duyn, J. N., Saline county. Session 23. Van Horn. S. S., Dodge county. Session 25. Van Housen, J. C, Colfax county. Sessions 23, 24, 30. Varner, L. A., Johnson county, Session 19. Veach, M. A.. Richardson county. Session 20. Vlasek, J. J., Saunders county, Session 28. Vopalensky, F.. Saunders county. Session 30. Vorhes, J. T., Hamilton county. Session 22. Voter, Frank P., Cedar county. Session 29. Wait, A.. Otoe county. Session 24, Waite, C. V... Lancaster county. Session 25. Waitt. G. W., Dixon county. Session 19. Walker, Chas. R., Dundy county. Session 27. W'alkcr, M. K., Pawnee county. Session 18. Walcot. F. M., Cass county. Session 8. Waldron, W. H., Adams county, Session 22. Waldtcr. L.. Nemaha county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Wallichs, J,, Platte county, Sessions 2, 3, 4. Walling, A. M.. Colfax county, Sessions 16, 17. Walling, J., Dawson county. Session 26. Walsh, J., Douglas county. Session ,30. Walters. J. P., Dixon county. Session 14. Ward, John, Sarpv county, Session 29. Wardlaw, J. M. Gage county. Session 20, 23, Waring, I^, M., Holt county. Sessions 27, 28. Warner, Chas, J.. Lancaster county. Sessions 27, 28, 29. Warrington, T. L., Dawson county, Session 15. Wart. M. H., Knox county. Session 24. Watts, S. F., Lincoln county. Sessions 16, 17, 18. Watson, A. J., Cedar county. Session 27. Watson, G. P., Pierce county. Session 26. Watson, J. C., Otoe county. Sessions 20. 21, 22, 23. Weaver, A. J., Richardson county. Session 26. Webb, E. KL, Custer county. Session 2$. Weber, B. R. B., Saunders county. Session 21. Weber, L, C, Washington county. Session 24. Weborg, C. J., Thurston county. Session 28. Webster, J. L., Douglas county. Sessions 9, 10. Weems, J., Nance county. Session 30. Weems, J. H., Session 31. Weibe. C. E., Hall county. Session 23. Welch, W., Polk count}'. Session 25. Weller, H. D., Richardson county. Session 21. Wells, H. C, Franklin county, Sessions 16, 17, Wells, J., Dawson county. Session 21. Wells, N. W.. Colfax county. Sessions 14, 13. Wenzl, John F.. Pawnee county. Sessions 26, 27. Werhani, W. S., Jefferson county, Session 18. Werner, E., Richardson county. Session 22. West, F. S., Session 31. Westcott, M. H.. Lancaster county. Sessions 17, 18. Westover, H., Valley county. Session 21. Wetherald, F. M., Thayer county. Session 20. Whedon, C. O., Lancaster county. Sessions 16, 17, 18. Wheeler, C. F., Furnas count}-. Session 25, 26. Wheeler, C. H., Nemaha county. Sessions 9, 10.. Whelpley, D. P.. Platte county. Session 14. Whitcomb, E. W., Saline county. Session 14. White, A. K., Lancaster county. Sessions 9. lo. White, E. O., Hall county. Session ^o. White, Francis E., Cass county. Sessions 20. 21, 22. White, F. E., Knox county. Session 19. Whitehead, J., Custer county. Session 21. Whitford, A, D., Dixon county. Session 21. Whitham, J. W., Johnson county. Sessions 29, 30. Whitmore, John A., Hamilton county. Session 27, Whitmore, W. G., Douglas county. Sessions 19, 20. ■ Whitney, Howard, Sarpy county. Session 30. Whitzel, L J., Fillmore county. Session 18. Whyman, F. E., Gage county. Session 21. Wickham, J., Richardson county. Session 8. Wiedensall, J., Douglas county. Sessions ii, 12, 13. Willjur, R. H.. Dakota county, Session i. Wilbur, R. S., Dakota county. Sessions 9. 10. Wilcox, Burton E., Douglas county. Session 27. Wilcox, J. A., Redwillow county. Session 21, Wilco.x, L. T., Douglas county. Session 14. Wilcox. W. T., Lincoln county. Session 26. Wilder, T. G., Webster county. Session 24. Wiles, L, Cass county. Sessions 2, 3, 4. Willu'lmscn, J., Howard county. Session 20. Wilkinson, Ricliard, Cass county. Session 27, Williams. H., Nemaha county. Session 19. Williams, J. W., Gage county. Sessions 21, 22. Williams, T. J., Franklin county. Session 22. Wilscy, A. E., (York, Hamilton) counties, Sessions 16, 20. Wilson, C. G., Webster county. Session 22. Wilson, F. C, Custer county. Session 30. Wilson, J., Buffalo county. Session 23. Wilson, J. L., York county. Session 20, Wilson, V. E., Session 31. Wilson, W. H.. Pawnee county. Sessions 28, 29, Wimberly, T. M., Lancaster county, Session 25. Windham, R. B., Cass county. Sessions 13, 16, 17, 29, Winslow, W., Gosper county. Session 23. Winspcar, J. H.. Douglas county. Session 19. Winter, T., Brown county. Session 21. Wissenlnirch, H., Lancaster county. Session 18. Withnell, C. H., Douglas county. Session 23. Wolbach, S. N,, Hall county. Session 19. Wolenweber, N.. Seward county, Session 20, COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 91 Wolfe, T., Seward county. Session 14. Wolph, H. C, Cass county, Session 18. Wooilard, J. M., Hamilton county, Sessions 25, 26. ^\^H.(Is, J. D., Sheridan county. Session 23. WiKilwdrth. J. M., Douglas county, Sessions 3, 4. Wooster, C., Merrick county, Session 25. Worl, W., Lancaster county, Session iS. Wortliing, H., Dawson county. Sessions 30, 31. Wright, J. B,, Lancaster county. Session 19. Wright, J. H.. Nuckolls county. Sessions 25, 26. Wright, P. G., Dixon county. Session 20. Wright, W. F., Pawnee county. Sessions 11, 12, 13. Wyatt, C. C. Madison county. Sessions 16, 17. Wyman, E.. Buffalo county. Session 26. Yeiser, J. O., Douglas county, Session 25. York, W. R., Johnson county. Session 15. Young, B., Thayer cormtj'. Session 18. Ynnng, L. J., Session 31. Young, J. R., Douglas county. Session 20. Young, T. T.. Cass county, Sessions 25, 26. Yutzy, J. C., Richardson county. Sessions 20, 21. Zellers, M. T., Dodge county, Session 26. Ziegler, J. A.. Cedar county. Sessions 15, 16, 17. Zimmerman, D. S., York county. Session 25. Zimmerman, P. F., Madison county. Session 27. Zimmerer, A., Otoe county, Sessions 5, 6, 7. Zimmerer, F., Dawson county. Session 27. Zink, J. W., Sherman county. Session 24. Zink, v., Johnson county. Session 24. Zuelow, Otto, Colfax county, Session 29. TERRITORIAL OFFICERS. The following is a list of the various gentle- men who filled the most important positions in Nebraska during Territorial times, viz. : Governors — Francis Burt served from Oc- tober 16, 1854, until the time of his death, Oc- tober 18, 1854, and the vacancy was filled by Secretary T. B. Cuming to February 20, 1855. Mark W. Izard, from February 20, 1855, to October 25, 1857, when he resigned and the vacancy was filled by Secretary Cuming to Janu- ary 12, 1858. William A. Richardson, from January 12, 1858, to December 5, 1858, when his death occurred, and the vacancy was filled by Secretary J. Sterling ]\Iorton until May 2, 1859. The next was Samuel W.- Black, who served until February 24, 1861, when he re- signed; to enter the army, and the vacancy was again filled by J. Sterling IVlorton. Alvin Saunders was the next incumbent of the office of governor, and served until February 21, 1867. SECRETARIE.S — Thomas B. Cuming, from August 13, 1854, to the time of his death, March 12, 1858. John B. Motley, from March 2^. to July 12, 1858. J. Sterling Morton, from July 12, 1858, to May 6, 1861. Algernon S. Paddock, until February 21, 1867. Auditors — Charles B. Smith, March 16, 1855, to August 3, 1857. Samuel L. Campbell, to June I, 1858. William E. Moore, to August 2, 1858. Robert C. Jordan, to October 8, 1861. William E. Harvey, to October 10, 1865, when he was succeeded by the last under territorial organization, John Gillespie. Treasurers — B. P. Rankin was the first territorial treasurer, term of office began March 16, 1855. He was succeeded by William W. Wyman, whose term began November 6, 1855. Augustus Kountze was next, term of office began October 8, 1861. Librarians — The first was James S. Izard, whose term of office began March 16, 1855. H. C. Anderson, term began November 6, 1855. John H. Kellom, term began August 3, 1857. Alonzo D. Luce, term began November 7, 1859. Robert S. Knox, term began June, 1861. Supreme Court — Chief Justices — Tenner Ferguson, term began October 12, 1854. Au- gustus Hall, term began March 15, 1858. Wil- liam Pitt Kellogg, term began May 27, 1861. William Kellogg, term began May 8, 1865. Wilham A. Little, 1866 — diedi in office. Oliver P. Mason, 1866. Supreme Court — Associate Justices — Ed- ward R. Harden, term began December 4, 1854. James Bradley, October 25, 1854. Samuel W. Black, 1857. Eleazer Wakeley, April 22, 1857. Joseph ^Miller, April 9, 1859. William E. Lock- wood, i\Iay 16, 1861. Joseph E. Streeter, No- vember 18, 1861. Elmer S. Dundv, June 22, 1863. Clerks of the Supreme Court — H. C. An- derson, 1856. Charles S. Salisbury, 1858. E. B. Chandler, 1859. John H. Kellom, 1861. William Kellogg, Jr., 1865. District Attorneys — D. S. McGary, term of office began May 10, 1855. Jonathan H. Smith, June 9, 1855. S. A. Strickland, June II, 1855. John M. Latham, November 6, 1855. Jacob Safford, November 6, 1855. William Kline, November, 1855. James G. Chapman, August 3, 1857. William McLennan, August 3, 1857. George W. Doane, August 3, 1857. U. C. Johnson, October 11, 1859. United States Marshals — Mark W. Izard, term of office began October 28, 1854. Eli R. 92 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Doyle, April 7, 1855. Benjamin P. Rankin, March 29, 1856. Phineas W. Hitchcock, Sep- tember 19, 1861. Territorial Delegates to Congress — Na- poleon B. Gidding, elected December 12, 1854. Bird B. Chapman, elected November 6, 1855. Tenner Ferguson, elected August 3, 1857. Ex- perience Estabrook, elected October 11, 1859. Samuel G. Daily, elected October 9, i860. Phineas W. Hitchcock, elected October 11, 1864. state officers of NEBRASKA FROM ITS ORGAN- IZATION. In the following pages we give a list of all the most important State officials of Nebraska from the time of its organization as a State : Governors — David Butler, from February 21, 1867, to June 2, 1871. Elected in 1866, but did not enter upon the duties of the office until the admission of the State into the Union. Wm. H. James, acting governor from June 2, 1871, to January 13, 1873. Robert W. Furnas, from January 13, 1873, to January 11, 1875 Silas Garber, term began January 11, 1875 Albinus Nance, term began January 9, 1879 James W. Dawes, term began January 4, 1888 John M. Thayer, term began January 6, 1887 James E. Boyd, term began January 8, 1891 Lorenzo Crounse, term began January 13, 1893 Silas A. Holcomb, term began January 3, 1895 William A. Poynter, term began January 5, 1899. Charles H. Dietrich, term began January 3, 1901. John H. Mickey, term began Janu- ary, 1903. George L. Sheldon, term began January, 1907. A. C. Shallcnbcrgcr, term began January, 1909. Lieutenant-Governors — Orthman A. Ab- bott, term began January 4, 1877. Edmund C. Cams, term began January i, 1879. A. W. Agee, term began January 4, 1883. H. LI. Shedd, term began January 8, 1885. George D. Meikeljohn, term began January 3, 1889. Thomas J. Majors, term began January 6, 1891. Robert E. Moore, term began January 3, 1895. James E. Harris, term began January 7, 1897. E. A. Gilbert, term began January 5, 1899. Ezra P. Savage, term began January 3, 1901. Edmund G. McGilton, term began January, 1903. M. R. Hopewell, term began January, 1907 ; re-elected, term began January, 1909. Secretaries of State — Thomas P. Ken- nard, term of office began February 21, 1867. William IT. James, term began January 10, 1871 ; acting governor from June 2, 1871, to January 13, 1873. John J. Gosper, term began January 13, 1873. Bruno Tchuck, term began January 11, 1875. S. J. Alexander, term began January 9, 1879. Edward P. Roggen, term be- gan January 4, 1883. Gilbert L. Laws, term began January 6, 1887 ; resigned November 20, 1889, to fill unexpired term in Congress, caused by the death of James Laird. Benjamin R. Cowdery, appointed by Governor Thayer to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Secretary Laws, term began November 20, 1889. John C. Allen, term began January 8, 1891. Joel A. Piper, term began January 3, 1895. William F. Porter, term began January 7, 1897. George W. Marsh, term began January 3, 1901. A. Galusha, term began January, 1905. George C. Junkin, term began January, 1907; re-elected November, 1908. State Auditors — John Gillespie, term of office began February 21, 1867. Jefferson B. Weston, term began January 13, 1873. F. \\'. Liedtke, term began January 9, 1879. John Wallicks, term began November 12, 1880. H. A. Babcock, term began January 8, 1885. Thomas H. Benton, term began January 3, 1889. Eugene Moore, term began January 13, 1893. John F. Cornell, term began January 7, 1897. Charles Weston, term began January 3, 1901. Edward M. Searle, Jr., term began Janu- ary, 1905. Silas R. Barton, term began Janu- ary, 1909. State Treasurers — August Kountze, term of office began February 21, 1867. James Sweet, term began January 11, 1869. Henry A. Koenig, term began January 10, 1871. T- C. McBride, term began January 11, 1875. George M. Bartlett, term began January 9. 1879. Phelps D. Sturdevant, term began January 4, 1883. Charles H. Willard, term began January 8, 1885. John E. Hill, term began January 3, 1889. Joseph S. Bartley, term began January I3i 1893. John B. Messerve, term began Janu- ary 7, 1897. William Steufer, term began Janu- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 93 ary 3, 1901. Peter jMortensen, term began Janu- ary, 1903. L. G. Brian, term began Januar}'.. 1907. Attorxevs-General — Champion S. Chase, term of office began February 21, 1867. Seth Robinson, term began January 11, 1869. Geo. H. Roberts, term began January 10, 1871. J. R. Webster, term began January 13, 1873. Geo. H. Roberts, term began January 11, 1875. C. J. Dilworth, term began January 9, 1879. Isaac Powers, Jr., term began January 4, 1883. William Leese, term began January 8, 1885. George H. Hastings, term began January 8, 1891. Arthur S. Churchill, term began Janu- ary 3, 1895. Constantine J. Smyth, term began January 7, 1897. Frank N. Prout, term began January 3, 190 1. Xorris Brown, term began January, 1905. Wm. T. Thompson, term began January, 1907. Commissioners of Public Lands and Buildings — This office was created in 1875. F. M. Davis, term of office began January 4, 1877. A. G. Kendall, term began January 6, 1881. Jo- seph Scott, term began January 8, 1885. John Steen, term began January 3, 1889. A. R. Humphrey, term began January 8, 1891. Henry C. Russell, term began January 3, 1895. Wil- liam V. Wolfe, term began January 7, 1897. George D. Follmer, term began January 3, 1901. Henry M. Eaton, term began January, 1905. Edward B. Cowles, term began Janu- ary, 1909. Superintendents of Public Instruction — This office was created by the act of the legis- lature, February 15, 1869. S. DeWitt Beals was appointed by Governor Butler ; term of of- fice began February 16, 1869. J. M. McKenzie, term began January 10, 1871. S. R. Thompson, term began January 4, 1877. W. W. W. Jones, term began January 6, 1881. George B. Lane, term began January 6, 1887. A. K. Goudy, term began January, 1891. Henry R. Corbett, term began January 3, 1895. William R. Jackson, term began January 7, 1897. William K. Fowler, term began January 3, 1901. Jasper L. McBrien, term began January, 1905. E. C. Bishop, term began January, 1909. Supreme Court — Chief Justices — Oliver P. Mason, appointed by Governor Butler; term began 1867. Geo. B. Lake, term began Janu- ary 16, 1873. Daniel Gantt, term began Janu- ^I'y 3. 1S78. Samuel Maxwell, term began May 29, 1878. Geo. B. Lake, term began January 5, 1882. Amasa Cobb, term began January 3, 1884. Samuel Maxwell, term began January 7, 1886. M. B. Reese, term began January 5, 1888. Amasa Cobb, term began January q, 1890. Samuel Maxwell, term began January 7, 1892. -T. L. Nerval, term began January 4, 1894. A. M. Post, term began January 9, 1896. T. O. C. Harrison, term began January 6, 1898. T. L. Norval, term began January 4, 1903. John J. Sullivan, term began January, 1903. Silas A. Holcomb, term began January, 1905. S. H. Sedgwick, term began January, 1907. Supreme Court — Associate Ju.stices— George B. Lake, term of office began February 21, 1867; re-elected 1872- 1877. Lorenzo Crounze, term began February 21, 1867. Daniel Gantt, term began January 16, 1873. Samuel Maxwell, term began January 16, 1873 ; re- elected 1877-1887. Amasa Cobb, term began May 29, 1878; apoointed to fill vacancy; elected 1878; re-elected 1879-1885. M. B. Reese, term began January 3, 1884. T. L. Norval? term be- gan January 9, 1890; re-elected 1895. 'A. M. Post, term began 1892. T. O. C. Harrison, term began January 4, 1894. John J. Sullivan, term began January 6, 1898. Silas A. Holcomb, term began January 4, 1900. Samuel H. Sedgwick, term began January, 1903. John B. Barnes, term began January, 1905. C. B. Letton, term began January, 1907. Supreme Court — 1909-1910 — M. B. Reese, J.' B. Barnes, C. B. Letton. representatives in congress. Territorial Delegates in Congress — Na- poleon B. Gidding, elected December 12, 1854. Bird B. Chapman, November 6, 1855. Fenner Ferguson, August 3, 1857. Experience Esta- brook, October 11, 1854. Samuel G. Daily, Oc- tober 9, 1869. Phineas W. Hitchcock, October II, 1864. United States Senators — The following is a list of the different parties who have repre- sented Nebraska in the LTnitedi States Senate since the admission of the State into the Union, 94 COMTEiXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY viz.: John I\I. Thayer, iB>6y-'ji. Thomas W. Lipton, i867-'75. Phineas W. Hitchcock, 1871- 'yy. Algernon S. Paddock, i875-"8i. Alvin Saunders, i877-'83. C. H. Van Wyck, 1881- "87. Charles F. Manderson, i883-'95. x\lger- non S. Paddock, i887-'93. W. V. Allen, 1893- '99. John W. Thurston, 1895-1901. H. L. Hayward, 1899; died in office. W. V. Allen, 1899-1901. Charles H. Dietrich, 1901-. Joseph H. JMillard, 1901-. E. J. Burket, 1907-. Representatives — The following is a list of the different parties who have represented the various Nebraska districts in the House of Representatives since the organization of the State government: XXXIX Congress, i865-'67, T. IM. JNIar- quette. Mr. Marquette, who was elected to represent Nebraska in the House, presented his credentials J\larch 2, the day following Presi-_ dent Johnson's prolamation of the admission of Nebraska,, and thereby limited his own term to the short period of two days, as this session ex- pired March 4, 1867. XL Congress, i867-'69, John Taffe. XLI Congress, 1869-71, John Taffe. XLII Congress, 1871-73, John Taffe. XLIII Congress, i873-'75, Lorenzo Crounze. XLIV Congress, i875-'77, Lorenzo Crounze. XLV Congress, i877-'79, Frank Welch. Thomas J. Majors (to fill vacancy). XLVI Congress, i879-'8i, E. K. \alcntine. XL\TI Congress, i88i-'83, E. K. Valentine. XL\III Congress, i883-'85 : First district, A. J. Weaver; Second district, James Laird; Third district, E. K. Valentine. XLIX Congress, i885-'87 : First district, A. J. Weaver ; Second district, James Laird ; Third district, Geo. W. E. Dorsey. L Congress, i887-'89: First district, John A. McShane ; Second district, James Laird ; Tiiird district, Geo. W. E. Dorsey. LI Congress, i889-'9i : First district, W. J. Connell ; Second district, James Laird (died in office, and Gilbert L. Laws filled vacancy) ; Third district, Geo. W. E. Dorsey. LI I Congress, i89i-'93: First district. W. J. Bryan; Second district, W. A. McKeighan ; Third district, O. M. Kcm. LIII Congress, 1893-95. First district, W. J. Bryan; Second district, H. D. Mercer; Third district, George Meiklejohn; Fourth district, E. J. Hainer; Fifth district, W. A. McKeighan; Sixth district, O. M. Kem. LIV Congress, 1895-^97. First district, J. B. Strode; Second district, H. D. Mercer; Third district, George j\Ieiklejohn ; Fourth district. E. J. Hainer; Fifth district, W. E. Andrews; Sixth district, O. M. Kem. LV Congress, 1897-99: First district, Jesse B. Strode; Second district, David H. IMercer; Third district, Samuel Maxwell; Fourth district, William L. Stark : Fifth district, R. E. Suther- land ; Sixth district, William L. Green. LVI Congress, 1899-1901 : First district, E. J. Burkett ; Second district, David H. Mercer ; Third district, John S. Robinson ; Fourth dis- trict, William L. Stark; Fifth district, R. D. Sutherland ; Sixth district, William L. Cireen (died in office) ; William Ncvill (to fill va- cancy). LVII Congress, 1901-03: First district, Elmer J. I'urkett; Second district, David H. Mercer; Third district, John S. Robinson; Fourth district, William L. Stark ; Fifth district, A. C. Shallenberger; Sixth district, \\'illiam Nevill. L\TII Congress, 1903-05: First district, Elmer J. Burkett ; Second district, Gilbert M. Hitchcock ; Third district, J. J. McCarthy ; Fourth district, Edimund H. Hinshaw ; Fifth district, George W. Norris ; Sixth district, Moses P. Ivinkaid. LIX Congress, i905-'o7 : First district, Elmer J. Burkett; Second district, John L. Ken- nedy ; Third district, J. J. McCarthy ; Fourth district, Edmund H. Hinshaw ; Fifth district, Geo. W. Norris; Sixth district, Moses V. Kin- kaid. LX Congress, 1907-09 : First district, E. M. Pollard; Second district, G. M. Hitchcock; Third district, J. T. Boyd ; Fourth district, Ed- numd H. Hinshaw; Fifth district, George W. Norris; Sixth district, Moses P. Kinkaid. LXI Congress, l909-'ii: First district, John A. Maguirc; Second district, Gilbert M. Hithcock; Third district, James P. Latta; Fourth district, Edmund H. Hinshaw ; Fifth district, Geo. W, Norris; Sixth district, Moses P. Kinkaid. chapte:r IV. STATE INSTITUTIONS, SOCIETIES AND ASSOCIATIONS. THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA. The University of Nebraska, located at Lin- coln, was founded by an act of the legislature passed in 1869. It was opened and students re- ceived in 1 87 1. The various acts of the legisla- ture providing for its organization authorized the establishing of various" departments and laid the groundwork for one of the greatest educa- tional institutions in the Union. Allen R. Ben- ton, Ph. D. was the first chancellor. The university comprises the graduate school, the college of literature, science and the arts, the industrial college, the college of law, schools of agriculture, mechanical arts, and domestic science. Collegiate courses preparatory to law and jour- nalism, and medicine as well as a special teacher's course and summer sessions are offered. The regents of the university have also entrusted to their care the U. S. Experiment Station, and the central office of the Nebraska section of the cli- mate and crop service of the U. S. Weather Bu- reau is located within its grounds. Courses in University extension including Farmers' insti- tutes are given as a means of education to those beyond the bounds of the University. Admis- sion to the university is by certificate from about seventy-five accredited schools or by examin- ation. The degrees are A. B. ; B. Sc. ; B. Sc. in engineering courses ; LL. B. ; A. ]\I., and Ph. D. Tuition is free except in the professional and special courses, where a nominal fee is charged. A matriculation fee of five dollars is provided by statute. A system of fellowships and scholar- ships exists, and in each county maintaining a first-class three or four vear high school a scholar- ship is awarded the student passing the best competative examination. Several prizes are offered along certain lines of college activity, such as oratory and literature. The university has a campus in the center of the city of Lincoln of twelve acres, and an experiment station farm of three himdred and twenty acres. There is a score of buildings, the most prominent being university hall, the chemical laboratory. Grant memorial hall, containing the armory and gyna- sium, library building, Nebraska hall, mechanic arts hall, the library, the Patho-triological labora- tory, dairy hall, and Soldiers' memorial hall. The College Farm (including the Experiment Station farm) was secured by the exchange of State land and the payment of about $20,000 out of State funds. The property is now valued at about a quarter of a million dollars. On the farm are the buildings for the use of the Experi; ment Station. The total value of the entire prop- erty of the university is now estimated at over one million dollars. THE STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. The fifth territorial legislature, in an act ap- proved October 14, 1858, providing for the or- ganization of county agricultural societies, es- tablished a territorial board of agriculture to receive and digest reports from, and of the sev- eral organizations, and to hold annual meetings for the purpose of deliberating and consulting as to the wants, prospects and conditions of the agri- cultural interests throughout the territory. This board as originally constituted, consisted of Thomas Gibson, Harrison Johnson, A. D. Jones, 96 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY. REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY E. Estabrook, J. JNI. Thayer, Christian Bobst, Robert W. Furnas, Jesse Cole, S. A. Chambers, Jerome Hoover, Mills S. Reeves, Broad Cole, J. C. Lincoln, Harlan Baird, Joel T. Griffin and E. H. Chaplin, duly created a body corporate, with perpetual succession, empowered to fill va- cancies in its membership, and to elect officers it its discretion. The first meeting of the board was held in Omaha, October 30, 1858, the election of officers for the ensuing year resulting as follows : Presi- dent, R. W. Furnas; secretary, A. D. Jones, treasurer, J. M. Thayer; beard of managers, E. H. Chaplin, H. Baird, M. S. Reeves, Broad Cole, and C. Bobst. It was determined at this meet- ing that the first annual fair be held three days in succession, in September,. 1859, in such county as offered the largest donations, privileges and best accommodations. Under this arrangement Otoe county was selected as the location and the first territorial fair was held at Nebraska City, September 21, 22 and 23, 1859. The amount actually awarded in premiums was $355, in ad- dition to a gold watch, saddle and bridle, and two sets of jewelry valued at $115, and a goodly niunber of diplomas. The address of the oc- casion was delivered by J. Sterling Morton. At the end of the report of the fair to the next legis- lature, the committee "beg leave to say that this first territorial fair of Nebraska, though not a complete success, was far from a failure. Taking all things into consideration, it is a marvel that we have done half so well." This was the only territorial fair ever held in Nebraska, no decided effort appearing to have been made toward another exhibition until 1868, when the board having been changed to a State organization by the admission of the territory, held a second annual fair, also at Nebraska City, October 7, 8 and 9, 1868. Under the State or- ganization the number of incorporated members was increased from sixteen to twenty-eight. In early days of the State's history, the State fairs were held at various places, including Nebraska City, Brownville, Omaha and Lincoln. The State board of agriculture embraces all the minor kindred organizations, the horticultural society and others, reports of which are incor- ported in the official statements of the board to the legislature. It has since its institution as a territorial organization, fostered, encouraged and developed the farming interests of Nebraska, stimulating honest rivalry. To it the State owes much of its present popularity, and to the in- defatigable efforts of its officers, is due in a great measure the fact, not that Nebraska is an agri- cultural State, but that she is preeminently, be- cause scientifically, such. The object of the "as- sociation has been and is, to advertise and make known in every possible way the agricultural ad- vantages, products, resources, possibilities and promises of the State. Of late years this has been done, not only by holding annual fairs and exhibitions, but by the publication of a four hun- dred-page volume of agricultural, horticultural, dairy, forestry, live stock, crop, botanical, geo- logical, entomological, meteorological, civil en- gineering, zoological, and other important data and information. SCHOOL FOR THE DE.\F AXD DUMB. The Nebraska School for the Deaf and Dumb was established in 1869, with Prof. Wil- liam M. French as principal. The object of the institution, as set forth in the law and in the first report of the superintendent is "to promote the intellectual, phys'.cal and moral culture of the deaf and dunib by a ju- dicious and well adapted course of instruction, that they may be reclaimed from their lonely and cheerless condition, restored to society, and fitted for the discharge of the duties of life." The object of the organization has remained the same, and in many instances has been accom- plished. The first year there were enrolled twelve pupils and the school was housed in a rented building. This institution is doing ex- cellent work in carrying out the intent of the law and the object of the school. An exhibit was made at the Trans-Mississipjii and Inter- national Exposition of work from all depart- ments of the school, which attracted marked at- tention. The exhibit was awarded a diploma and gold medal by the exposition, and the committee appointed to judge of the work done in the edu- cation of the defective clas.ses, awarded llie Xe- Iira.ska School for the Deaf a diploma for first rank. This committee awarded but one of first rank. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 97 THE NEBRASKA INSTITUTION FOR THE BLIND. This institution, which is located at Nebraska City, was opened in 1875. To secure the insti- tution, Nebraska City donated ' $3,000 and ten acres of ground just north of the city limits. On this site substantial buildings have been erected, and the institution is admirably con- ducted and doing good work. The school was first opened in rented rooms, March 10, 1875. At the beginning there were only three students, but the enrollment reached twenty-one by the close of the first two years. Samuel Bacon was the first superintendent. STATE PENITENTIARY. The Nebraska State Penitentiary is located at Lancaster, about three miles south of the city of Lincoln. Under grants from the Congress of the United States, by acts of 1864 and 1867, the State of Nebraska received 32,044 acres of land for penitentiary purposes. The act provid- ing for the building of the State Penitentiary, on the site donated for that purpose by Capt. W. T. Donavan and Mr. Hilton, was passed March 4, 1870. W. W. Abbey, W. W. Wilson and F. Tlemplin were appointed prison inspec- tors to attend to selling the land granted by the government for prison purposes, and to superin- tend the building, $5,000 being appropriated for the erection of a temporary prison. The first' warden of the penitentiary was Henry Campbell. The institution has always ranked high among, the penal institutions of its class in the country. NEBRASKA HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE. This institution is located at Lincoln. As early as 1865, it was found necessary to make provision for the insane in the Territory of Ne- braska. Four cases were already being cared for in an Iowa hospital. The legislature authorized the governor to make some arrangement with the State of Iowa, by which they received and cared for the insane at the expense of Nebraska. Under this arrangment fifty patients were sent at various times to the hospital at Mount Pleasant. Soon after Nebraska became a State the gov- 7 ernor, secretary of State and auditor of public accounts were appointed a board of commis- sioners to locate a site for a State lunatic asylum near the city of Lincoln. The first building was completed at a cost of $137,000 in the fall of 1870, and the first patient was admitted No- vember 26th of that year. Early in the follow- ing December, seventeen 'patients were brought over from Mount Pleasant to the new institu- tion, and four were admitted who had been con- fined in the Pawnee county jail. Dr. N. B. Larsh was the first superintendent. In April, 1871,. the institution was destroyed by fire. Five patients were reported missing and were never afterwards accounted for. The remain- ing patients were taken to Lincoln and cared for in rented, houses until a temporary building was erected on the asylum grounds. As there was no appropriation available, and the citizens of Lincoln were fearful lest the Institution should be removed to some rival city, they advanced the func;s necessary to build a temporary frame structure, which did service as a hospital until a new stone building was erected the following year. Since that time the institution has ' been enlarged by the erection of additional buildings, until today it is one of the most modern insti- tutions of its kind in the country. As the popu- lation of the State increased, the number of in- sane persons likewise increased, thereby mak- ing it necessary to increase the capacity of the hospital. The congestion was also relieved by the erection of other institutions at Hastings and Norfolk. The first patients were sent to the Norfolk hospital February 15, 1888, and to the Asylum for the Chronic Insane at Hastings, August I, 1889. Originally the State guar- anteed' the expense of caring for insane patients, and, when possible, collected the amount so ex- pended from the estate of the patient, or from his or her natural guardians. Later the superin- tendent certified to the auditor the number of patients from each county, and the auditor of public accounts certified to the commissioners of the several counties the amounts due for the maintenance of their insane. In 1883 this was changed and the State assumed the entire ex- pense of caring for this class of persons. No effort has been spared to bring the hos- 98 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY pital service up to the highest standard of effici- ency, and the citizens of Nebraska may well be congratulated on the excellent reputation which the Nebraska Hospital for the Insane bears in the surrounding states. ASYLUM FOR THE CHROXIC INSANE. The Asylum for the Chronic Insane was located near the city of Hastings in the year 1888, the first building being erected from an appropriation allowed by the legislature of 1887. The capacity of the building at the time was one hundred and eighty patients. The in- stitution was opened for the admission of pati- ents in August, 1889, Dr. M. W. Stone being the first superintendent, having been appointed by Governor Thayer. The object of the institu- tion is to care for the more quiet and those found to be chronic after treatment in the asylums of the State for the acutely insane. The legislature has since from time to time made large appropriations for additional build- ings for enlarging the scope and usefulness of the institution. I, NORFOLK HOSPITAL FOR INSANE. The Norfolk Hospital for Insane owes its origin to an act of the legislature of 1885 ap- propriating $75,000 to build an insane hospital within three miles of the city limits of Norfolk, provided the city should donate three hundred and twenty acres of good land upon which to locate said institution. The three hundred and twenty acres were donated, commanding a most beautiful view of the lovely valley of the Elkhorn, its tributary, the North Fork, and the surround- ing country. The first building was completed in November, 1886. The legislature has from time to time made liberal appropriations to ex- tend and enlarge this institution and it ranks among the most important eleemosynary institu- tions of the State. NEBRASKA INSTITUTION FOR FEEIiLE MINDED YOUTHS. Tiiis institution is located at r.eatrice, Gage county. It was established bv the State of Ne- braska in 1885, for the benefit of feeble-minded children between the ages of five and eighteen years, who are by reason of their affliction, de- nied the educational advantages of the public schools, and who, likewise, because of their phy- sical weakness, are necessarily dependent. We quote the following from the act of the legisla- ture creating this institution, viz : "Besides shelter and protection, the prime object of said institution shall be to provide special means of improvement for that unfortunate portion of the community who were born, or by disease may be- come, imbecile or feeble-minded, and by a well adapted course of instruction reclaim them from their helpless condition, and through the develop- ment of their intellectual faculties fit them as far as possible for usefulness in society. To this end there shall be furnished them such agricul- tural and mechanical education as they are cap- able of receiving." Children who are residents of Nebraska, who are feeble-minded, and those who have such marked peculiarities or eccentri- caties of intellect, or those who, by reason of their being backward, are unable to receive the benefits of the common schools and ordinary methods of instruction, are entitled to care and training free of charge, except the expense of necessary clothing and transportation to and from their homes. Since the institution was founded about one thousand applications have been made for admission, about half of which have been received as patients. The work of the institution covers a useful scope. Aside from the school duties, the girls are taught sewing, house work, cooking, and all branches of do- mestic employment, while the boys are instructed in brush making, carpenter work, farm work, and such other branches of employment as may be useful to them after leaving the school. THE HOME FOR THE FR1ENI3LESS. This institution is located at Lincoln. In 1876 some of the charitable women of Nebraska organized a society known as the "Home for the Friendless," the object of which was to furnish a refuge for friendless children, girls, young women and old ladies. This society was duly incorporated under the laws of the State of Ne- braska, and has been managed continuously from COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 99 the time of its incorporation, by a board of la- dies, who have served without pay, mileage or financial recompense whatever. Absolutely non- sectarian, as every religious organization has been represented, and absolutely non-political. In 1 88 1 the State legislature appropriated the sum of $5,000 to aid the society in the erection of a permanent building. As the State has grown, this charitable work has increased and several legislative appropriations have been made to assist the society in carrying on their great work. It can safely be said that thousands of friendless children have been received within the shelter of this institution, and permanent homes have been found for them among the substantial citizens of the State. A record is kept of each child, and a useful future is assured to these unfortunate children, who otherwise would have contributed to the havmts of vice and swell the roll of crim- inals. Over a thousand wives and mothers have been cared for by the Home, besides caring for many aged inmates. The magnitude of this work can only be appreciated by those who intimately acquaint themselves with the work of the society. Christian women have devoted much of their time and contributed of their substance to the caring for these unfortunates for years. Auxil- iary societies have been organized by the charit- able women of many towns throughout the State, and the foundation has thus been laid for great charitable work in the future. soldiers' .\XD sailors' home — GRAND ISLAND. The Soldiers' and Sailors' Home at Grand Island was established under an act of the legis- lature of 1887. This act constituted the board of public lands and buildings a commission to locate and establish a home for honorably dis- charged soldiers, sailors and marines and hos- pital nurses who served in, the United States army or navy or hospitals during the war of the rebellion, and who by reason of such service, old age or otherwise have become disabled from earning a livelihood — providing such applicants have been actual bona fide residents of Ne- braska for two years next preceding such appli- cation. This commission approved and ac- cepted' a site near the city of Grand Island, con- taining six hundred and fortv acres of land, which was donated to the State by the citizens of Grand Island. The management of the home is vested in a visiting and examining board, consisting of five persons appointed by the gov- ernor, three of whom must be honorably dis- charged volunteer soldiers, and two of whom must be either wives, sisters or daughters of honorably discharged soldiers and members of the Woman's Relief Corps of Nebraska. soldiers' AND SAILORS' HOME MILFORD. A branch of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home was established by an act of the legislature, which took effect April 9, 1895. This home is located near Milford, on the banks of the Blue river, and the site comprises about thirty- five acres. It consists of the sanitarium, park and springs, together with a brick and stone building surrounded by broad piazzas. The home is governed in like manner as the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home at Grand Island. THE INDUSTRIAL HOME— 7MILFORD. The Industrial Home at Milford was estab- lished in 18S8. Its object is to protect and care for the unfortunate and homeless girls, and thus prevent crime. In this institution a home is offered and an opportunity given to commence life anew, as without this opportunity and re- fuge, often, if the will to reform is evident, the way is completely hedged in. The institution is doing excellent work, and is a charitable enter- prise that is worthy of the support of the State. STATE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL. The State Industrial School at Kearney was established by the legislature of 1870, under the title of State Reform School. The sum of $10,- 000 was appropriated for the erection of the first building and its temporary maintenance. The first building was completed in 1881, and the records of the school show that the first boy was committed by W. H. Ely, county judge of Dodge county, July 12, 1881. Since that time nearly 1,500 boys have been committed to the school by the different coun- ties of the State, besides about 200 girls that COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGR.\PHY were sent here previous to the establishing of the Girls' Industrial School at Geneva in 1891. In 1887 the legislature changed the title of the Kearney institution from the State Reform School to that of the State Industrial School, the name it now bears. The intention of the change in the name was to remove the school, as much as possible, from a penal institution to that of educational and industrial training, with the sole purpose in view that, as far as possible, no stigma should be attached to the unfortunate and wayward youths that have received their education within its confines. THE girls' industrial SCHOOL. The Girls' Industrial School at Geneva was established in 1891, and the main building was completed during the same year. Up to this time the boys and girls were in one school at Kearney. The site for the school is located less than a mile from Geneva, Fillmore county, on a beautiful, elevated tract of land, containing forty acres. This institution has done and is doing noble work. The school is divided into classes, or families as they are called, and graded or placed according to the commitment, and are assigned a certain number of demerits that must be cancelled by good behavior. They are detailed regularly every three months in the in- dustrial departments and work one-lialf of each day, and are in school the other half day. All are committed till they are twenty-one years old, unless sooner released by the governor or the board'. They have an hour and a half to play each day, and there seems to be as much happiness as is found in the ordinary boarding school. When a girl has worked out on her "honor" and has no home, one is provided for her where she goes on trial and is reported monthly. Many such are now commanding good wages ; some have married and have homes of their own. While inmates are committed here for certain offenses it is not a prison nor does it resemble one in any way. It has no fences, nor bars on the windows, and the sur- roundings are as inviting as any high school. The girls are not here to take punishment for past mistakes, but for education and protection from all harm, especially evil influences. No home has better moral training. STATE BOARD OF FISH COMMISSIONERS. The legislature of 1879 passed an act creat- ing the board of fish commissioners, for the purpose of protecting, propagating and stock- ing the waters of the State and to arouse inter- est in fish culture. Governor Garber appointed as the first board of fish commissioners, William L. May of Fremont, C. W. Kaley of Red Cloud, and B. E. B. Kennedy of Omaha. The present site, consisting of fifty-two acres of ground lying along the Platte river in Sarjiy county, just south of the village of South Bend, was purchased in 1880, and, being well watercil with several magnificent springs, has proven well adapted for the purpose for which it was ac- quired. J. G. Romine, of South Bend, was the first superintendent, appointed at a salary of $500 per annum. The board of commissioners received no salary, but were allowed $250 per annum for expenses. The superintendent's salary is now $1,200 per annum, and he is al- lowed several assistants. When the station was first located, considerable attention was paid to the hatching and distribution of white fish, and land-locked salmon, but it soon became appar- ent that the waters of this State, were not adapted to these kinds of fish, and this work was dis- continued, and the work of hatching carp, black bass, brook, rainbow and brown trout was taken up. The scope of the work has gradually been broadened until now, in addition to the varities named, they also propagate croppie perch, cat- fish, rock bass, tench and several kinds of orna- mental fish, and', on the whole, tlie work has been very successful. NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETV. The Nebraska State Historical Society was organized September 25 and 26, 1878, at Lincoln, with the following as charter members : Dr. Geo. L. Miller, Chris Hartman and J. T. Allen, Douglas county; Governor Silas Garber and 11. S. Kaley, Webster county; S. R. Thompson, T. I P. Kennard, W. W. Wilson and Samuel COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Aughey, Lancaster county ; Rev. J. M. Tag- gart and J. H. Croxton, Otoe county; C. H. Walker, Franklin county; Hon. L. Crounse and E. N. Grenell, Washington county ; Prof. C. D. Wilbur, Saline county; J. Q. Goss, Sarpy county ; D. H. Wheeler and William Gilmore, Cass county ; O. T. B. Williams, Seward county ; L. B. Fifield, Buffalo county; Rev. L. W. B. Shryrock and E. Shugart, Gage county ; Wil- liam Adair, Dakota county; Robert W. Furnas, Nemaha county; H. T. Clark, Sarpy county; J. H. Brown, A. Humphrey, J. H. Ames, John Cadman andl A. G. Hastings, Lancaster county; J. A. MacMurphy, Cass county; Hiram Craig, Washington county ; J. J. Budd, Douglas county ; F. J. Hendershot, Thayer county ; S. A. Ful- ton, Richardson county; Theron Nye, Dodge county. A constitution was adopted, providing officers and regulations, and the first president, secretary and treasurer were respectively : Hon. Robert W. Furnas, Prof. Samuel Aughey and W. W. Wilson. The organization remained un- changed from 1878 to 1883, having a president, recording secretary, corresponding secretary, treasurer and board of directors. During this time the funds of the society consisted solely of fees and dues paid in more or less irregularly, and were very small. The members first met at the old Commercial Hotel to organize, but usu- ally thereafter the annual meetings were held in some room at the State University. The sec- retary, Professor Aughey, gathered a small nucleus of a library, consisting of donations from R. W. Furnas, D. H. Wheeler, Moses Stocking and others. The society began also to carry out some of its proposed objects. These were: (i) To collect all material relating to the history of Nebraska; (2) to publish as much of it as possible; and (3) to found an historical library. A subject of no small interest at the time the societ-y was organized, was that of the "his- torical block." This was block twenty-nine of the original plat of the city of Lincoln, later known as "Haymarket Square," and having the city offices on it, which was set apart by act of the commissioners and of the State legisla- ture, February 15, 1869. It was called "State Historical and Library Association Block," and was for the benefit of the "State Historical Li- brary Association," organized August 26, 1867. The society in c|uestion had some sessions, and its president for some time was Hon. John Gil- lespie. But for some reason the legislature, by act of February 24, 1875, took away this block and gave it to the city of Lincoln. On the or- ganization of the Nebraska State Historical So- ciety in 1878, an effort was made to ascertain whether it was possible to recover this block for the latter society, but the attempt was aban- doned. In 1883, by act of the legislature of February 23, 1883, the society was made a State institu- tion, and a sum appropriated for its support. This opened up to the society a way to accom- plish the purpose of publishing historical ma- terial. The first volume was issued in 1885, which has been followed by a number of ad- ditional volumes. The biennial appropriations of the legislature for its support have increased from time to time, but have hardly kept pace with the needs of the society. Nebraska has made a good beginning in the matter of col- lecting its own history, but its work does not as yet compare with that of most of its sister stales. The plans of the officers of the society for the future contemplates an increase in the work and effectiveness of the organization. st.'lte bar association. The Nebraska State Bar Association was or- ganized January 6, 1876. The constitution states the objects of the organization as follows: The association is established to maintain a high standard of professional integrity among the members of the Nebraska Bar, to cultivate so- cial intercourse and courtesy among them ; to encourage a thorough and liberal legal education, and to assist in the improvement of the law and the due administration of justice to all classes of society without distinction." The constitution provided for its incorporation under the laws of the State, appointing the president to take the necessary steps in the matter. Any member of a county association may become a member and' all judges of the supreme district and federal courts of Nebraska are members by virtue of their offices and have all the privileges of mem- bership, except voting. Its constitution pro- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY vides for punishment of its members for miscon- duct toward the association and the administra- tion of justice, but it is also a vigilance committee to look after and punish in the courts the mis- conduct of non-members. NEBRASKA PRESS ASSQCIATION. An organization was effected on December 6, 1859, of what was known as the Editors' and Publishers' Association of Nebraska Territory. The first meeting was held at the Herndon House, Omaha ; the following persons being pres- ent: Thomas Morton and M. W. Reynolds, of the Nebraska City Nezcs; R. W. Furnas, of the Brownville Advertiser; T. H. Robertson, of the Omaha Nebraskan ; E. Giles, of the Plattsmouth Sentinel; Burbank & Jamison, of the Falls City Broad Axe; E. D. Webster, of the Omaha Re- publican; and ex-editors H. D. Johnson, J. W. Pattison and S. Belden. On this occasion M. W. Reynolds was elected president; R. W. Furnas, vice-president; and M. H. Clark, secretary. Among the resolutions adopted at this meeting is one: "That a public journal is an imperson- ality, and should be so treated on all occasions; and that in our intercourse with each other, we will neither use clfensive personalities nor en- courage them in ethers ; but that we will at all times discourage their use as ungentlemanly and degrading to the profession of journalism." At this meeting Geo. A. Hensdale and J. Sterling Morton were elected honorary members. The next reunion was held September 14, 1864, when the members of an "Editorial Con- vention" assembled at Nebraska City, the object as expressed in the call being to adopt uniform rates of advertising. T. H. Robertson was elected president; W. H. H. Waters, secretary; and a committee was appointed to prepare a schedule of prices. The rates, as adopted se- cured publishers $2.50 for weekly subscriptions ; $1.00 per month for daily subscriptions ; $5.00 per year for tri-weekly subscriptions. Legal and transient advertisements to be inserted at the rate of $1.50 per square for first insertion; $1.00 for each subsequent insertion, and the price of all job work advanced 50 per cent. In January, 1873, a preliminary meeting of the "Nebraska Press Association" was held in Lincoln, at which Maj. Caffrey acted as chairman and J. A. MacMurphy as secretary. With the appointment of committees the meeting ad- journed until February 27, 1873, ^t which time a constitution and by-laws were adopted. No meeting was held in 1874, but the organization has been maintained, increasing in importance and in the number of members and with growing zeal in the profession, up to the present day. Its membership is representative of all sections of the State, and its tendency the creation of per- sonal good will and harmony. STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY. The organization of the Nebraska State ]\led- ical Society was effected at a meeting held in Omaha, June 24, 1868. It w-as then declared that such an institution "organized and conducted so as to give frequent united and emphatic ex- pression to the views and aims of the medical profession in this State, must at all times have a beneficial influence and supply more efficient means than have hitherto been available here for cultivating and advancing medical knowledge, for elevating the standard of medical education, for promoting the usefulness, honor and interests of the medical profession, for enlightening and directing public opinion in regard to the duties, responsibilities and the requirements of medical men ; for exciting and encouraging emulation and concert of action in the profession, and for facilitating and fostering friendly intercourse be- tween those who are engaged in it." The mem- bers of the society, were, by the constitution, di- vided into three classes — delegates, members by invitation, and permanent members. The con- stitution was signed by the following, as the charter members : G. C. Monell, M. D. ; H. P. Mathewson, M. D. ; James H. Peabody, M. D. : J. C. Denise, M. D., S. D. Mercer, M. D., of Douglas county ; R. R. Livingston, M. D., of Cass county ; D. Whitinger, AI. D., N. B. Larsh, M. D., of Otoe county, and J. P. Andrews, AL D., and August Roeder, j\I. D., of Washington county. The first officers elected were as fol- lows : Gilbert C. Monell, president ; Robert R. Livingston, vice-president ; N. B. Larsh, second COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 103 vice-president ; J. C. Denise, corresponding secretary ; S. D. Mercer, permanent secretary ; Daniel Whitinger, treasurer. The first annual convention was held at Ne- braska City, June i and 2, 1869. The society is to-day in prosperous condition and growing in power and: influence. It has from time to time issued full and valuable reports of its pro- ceedings, accomplishing, as far as possible, that which it aimed to do — elevating the standard of medical education and promoting the use- fulness, honor and interests of the medical pro- fession. CHAPTER V. RAILROADS. The question as to who it was that first sug- gested the possibility of building a railroad across the continent has been a disputed .one. It was discussed by public men early in the century and was mentioned in various journals and newspapers, but it gradually assumed more definite shape, and culminated, finally, in the organization and construction of the Union Pa- cific railroad. While the scope of this work forbids an extended history of each particular road that has aided in the progress of the State, the inception and building of the great Union Pacific is so intimately connected with the pioneer history of Nebraska that the writer believes a more extended history of its inception and growth will be found interesting in this connection. The claimants for the honor of having first introduced the subject of a trans-continental railway to the American people have been nu- merous and persistent. The subject has been mooted time out of mind, and the Cjuestion, "who first suggested the Pacific railway?" pro- pounded and repeated incessantly. It is said that Jonathan Carver foreshadowed its con- struction as early as 1778, and if true, he was farthest ahead of all men of the age in which, he lived. When, during succeeding years, it was again and again mentioned and pronounced im- practicable, California, rich in wealth and re- sources, sprang as if by magic from the desert and the undertaking became an enterprise of the present rather than of the future. Since then, the march of progress has, with magestic tread, swept across the continent, populating the valleys, developing the agricultural resources of the plains, bringing to light the hidden mineral wealth of the mountains and inscribing her name on the brightest pages of history in every State. Upon the banks of the Father of Waters the steps of progress impatiently lingered, but spanning that stream, she swept along her magnificent career. Next she reached Nebraska, touching into life with her magic wand the hid- den wealth therein sleeping. The Rocky moun- tains were crossed, and the Queen of the Pacific reached. As early as 1835 the Rev. Samuel Parker, in his journal of a trip across the continent, recorded an opinion that the mountains pre- sented no insuperable obstacle to a railroad. In 1836 John Plumbe, Jr., a Welshman, but a naturalized American, residing at Dubuque, commenced, in person at his own expense the survey of a route for a railroad from Lake Michigan to the Pacific ocean, directing public attention to its importance in several well writ- ten articles in t?he newspapers of the day. In 1838 he succeeded, through the influence and cfl:orts of the Hon. George W^ Jones, in pro- curing an appropriation from Congress to de- fray the expenses of locating the first division of the line, devoting his entire attention to, and making constant exertions for, the promotion of this great national object. He lived until after the gold discoveries of California, and used them as additional arguments in support of his pet scheme. Among the many claims is also that advanced by the friends of John Wil- gus, formerly a resident of Brownsville, Pennsyl- I04 ^ COAIPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY vania. A full review of the Wilgus claims arc contained in an article published in the Union- town (Pa.) Republican-Standard, from which we quote the following: "Many public men bask in borrowed light. and in no instance is this proposition more signally illustrated than in the case of Hon. Thomas H. Benton, who as history records, is the accredited father of the Pacific railroad. Men of true moral and intellectual worth are more often modest and unassuming, and, though deserving the gratitude of their fellow-men, live in obscurity and go to their reward hardly known outside the village in which fortune cast their lot. Such a man was John Wilgus, the man who, above all others, is entitled to the credit and honor of originating the idea of a railroad to the Pacific. Born in comparative obscurity in a small town in southwestern Penn- sylvania, in the latter part of the last century, he very early gave promise of having a more then bright intellect. Poverty and a lack of schools stood in his pathway, but his insatiable desire for learning was only limited by insur- mountable obstacles incident to a new settle- ment on the border. The Bible was his com- panion from his youth, and in his manhood and declining years, he who sought a controversy on religious dogmas must come fully armed and equipped. He had examined in detail all contro- verted points, read all the standard authors on Bible lore, memorized whole chapters and books of the Bible, and from studies and researches in various departments, culling here and there logic and analogy, and with a memory never at fault when a topic was once scanned, he was a formidable opponent. While yet a young man, he conceived the idea of a railroad to the Pacific, and this not when railroads were out of their swaddling clothes, but in their infancy; before mountains had been scaled and rivers spanned. He contemplated and suggested congressional aid by giving ten miles of public land on each line of the surveyed routes ; laying the road out so as to run through the county seats of suc- cessive counties ; the eastern terminus should be the western shore of Lake Superior, near the present site of Duluth ; also, that it should cross the Rockies where the present road crosses, and its western terminus should be the Bay of San Francisco. Drawing a map and plan of his pro- posed railroad, he drew up a letter detailing the plans and methods, and the reasons for the same, and forwarded the whole to Hon. Andrew Stew- art, who was then a representative in Congress from Fayette county, Pennsylvania. The plans and details were shown to a number of mem- bers, andi it was thought advisable to have any proposition relating thereto come from a western man, and Mr. Benton, who was nearing the zenith of his glorj', was selected. Mr. Benton arose in his place in the Senate on the following day, and proposed the building of a railroad to the Pacific. Mr. Stewart wrote to Mr. \A'ilgus the disposition made of his submissions. Years after, in the later years of Mr. Stewart's life, when the Pacific road was building, he wrote a letter to Mr. Wilgus, recognizing him as the original proposer of the road, and compliment- ing him upon the grand consummation about to dawn upon his early hopes." The letter referred to, andi which is the only evidence now obtainable to substantiate ]\Ir. Wilgus' title to the honor, reads thus : Uniontown, Pa., June 25, 1869. John ll'llgiis, Esq., B'rozunsville , Fa: Dear Sir: I have just received your letter of yesterday, inclosing your communication to the Commercial, in reference to a corresjjond- ence between us, relative to the "Pacific Rail- road," between twenty and thirty years ago, and requesting me to give you my recollections in reference to that matter. I have a perfect recollection of having re- ceived numerous letters from you, urging me, as a member of the committee on railroads and canals, to call the attention of Congress to this subject, in which you took so much interest. Your first route was from Lake Michigan, by the Columbia river, to the Pacific, but after the acquisition of California, you changed it from St. Louis to San Francisco. Of this route you sent me a very handsome map, following, according to my recollections, very nearly the route on which the road has been lately built — which map I had, as you say, suspended in the hall of the House of Representatives, for the inspection of the members. I drew up a resolution authorizing the Presi- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 105 dent to employ a corps of engineers of the United States army, to examine and report upon the practicability of the proposed project, which resolution I submitted to a number of members of Congress, but especially to those of the west, who were most favorably disposed. Upon consideration and reflection, however, I concluded that the resolution had better be first offered in the Senate, being a smaller body, and where the small western states were com- paratively much stronger than in the House. I therefore took the resolution, with your map, to the Senate, where I was advised by those friendly to the project, to hand the papers to Col. Benton, whose son-in-law. Col. Fremont, had made the preliminary explorations. I did so and he promised to attend to the matter, in which he also took a very lively interest. I ad- vised you of this arrangement, with which you expressed yourself satisfied and said you would write to Col. Benton on the subject, who after- ward informed me that you had done so. Without referring to the journals, to which I have not now access, I can not undertake to state the action of the Senate on the subject, but may do so hereafter, and should I find any- thing further material to your inquiry, I will let you know. Very respectfully, your friend, etc., A. Stewart. Lewis Gaylord Clarke, in 1838, wrote to the Knickerbocker: "The reader is now living who will make a railway trip across the continent." In 1846, Asa Whitney began to urge the pro- ject of building a line from the jMississippi to Puget Sound, if Congress would donate public lands to the width of thirty miles along the en- tire road. Later experience has shown that the proceeds sought by Whitney would have been utterly insufficient. His plan was conceded to be superior to that submitted by Mr. Plumb, but it was not acted upon. In 1850 the first Pacific railroad bill was introduced into Con- gress by Senator Benton, of Missouri "Old Bullion" contemplated a railroad only "where practicable," leaving gaps in the impassable mountains to be filled up by wagon roads. The Alleghanies were not even then crossed by an unbroken railway, but by a series of inclined planes, upon which the cars were drawn up and let down by stationary engines. In all ages man- kind has sought the shortest, most expeditious and economical route to market. The work was demanded in a national point of view, and across the State of Nebraska must the road be built. The questions which primarily suggested them- selves — would it pay? — how should it be built? and where was it to leave the frontier? — were made the subjects of careful consideration. In 1 85 1 the Hon. S. Butler King submitted a plan which received almost universal approval. It was, practically, that the government should guaran- tee to any company or persons who would under- take and complete the road a net dividend of five per cent, for fifty or one hundred years; the road to be constructed under the supervision of an engineer appointed by the government, the cost of the road not to exceed a certain sum, and the guaranty not to begin until the road was completed and equipped for operation. In 1853- '54, nine routes were surveyed across the conti- nent on various parallels between British America and Mexico, under the supervision of Jefferson Davis, then secretary of war. The results were summarized in the interests of the extreme southern line. Up to this period, the Canadians and many residents of the United. States believed that a railway could not be built south of the British possessions, unless it was carried far down toward Mexico. In spite of all this, however, the Union Pacific shouldered the enterprise, and in four years built a total of 1,090 miles. With each returning session of Congress, thereafter convened, the benefits and pecularities of these several routes were sub- mitted. The impracticability of building the road had been from time to time removed by reports of engineers engaged in surveying designated routes, and many advocates were found who urged that the geography of the country and other features of excellence demon- strated incontestibly, that the old Mormon trail up the Platte river was the most available. A number of appeals were made to Congress urging that a reasonable grant of land and other aid be made as would give an impulse to the building of the road. As regarded the Platte valley route, its superiority was insisted upon, and the truth of history cited in that behalf. io6 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY In the early days of Brigham Young's domina- tion, trusty emmissaries were by him dispatched for the purpose of obtaining a knowledge oi the best road from the Missouri to Salt Lake. After every possible and impossible route had been explored this shrewd leader, who had more at stake than any man who ever crossed the western prairies, chose the North Platte route. The speed and safety with which he and his followers traversed it attest a sagacity which only a thorough knowledge of the country would enable him to employ. The first emigrants to California crossed the Missouri at St. Joe, Leavenworth, Kansas City, Independence and elsewhere. But, after the country had been ex- plored thoroughly, the emigration of 1852 was by way of Council Bluffs and the north Platte route. From the earliest days of the territory, the people and official representatives of Ne- braska favored the speedy completion of a line through the valley of the Platte. The proceed- ings of the legislature prove this. Every gov- ernor from Cuming to Saunders advocated the measure and a most urgent spirit was mani- fested from 1855 to 1865. On January 20, 1858, a committee of Con- gress, through Senator Gwin, of California, re- ported a bill which proposed to locate the road at some point between the Big Sioux and Kansas rivers to San Francisco. It provided for the donation of alternate sections of land on each side of the route, and $12,500 per mile, the same to be advanced on the completion of every twenty-five miles of the road until $25,- 000,000 was reached; the amounts to be re- turned in mail and army service and transporta- tion,, etc. This bill, however, was killed in the Senate. At the session of i859-'6o another ef- fort was made, and a bill introduced into the Llouse by Mr. Curtis, of Iowa. It provided for the construction of a road across the continent, with branches from two points on the navigable waters of the Missouri, to converge and unite within two hundred miles of that stream, thence run to the Sacramento river. The bill ran through a long and excited debate and was amended in several particulars and finally was ejected by Congress. The great difficulty it ;his time seemed the selection of a route. In i8Gi the war came on and monopolized public attention, but early in 1862 the possibility of constructing the road was again brought up and at this time first took definite shape. On February 5, 1862, Mr. Rollins, of Missouri, introduced a bill to aid in constructing a rail- road and telegraph line from the Missouri river to the Pacific ocean. The bill was finally passed by both houses of Congress June 24, 1862, and was approved July i, 1862, thus creating "The Union Pacific Railroad Company." The bill provided for the amount of the capital stock ; the election of directors ; the right of way through public lands ; the extinguishment of Indian titles ; the donation of alternate sections, except mineral lands ; the conveyance of lands upon completion of forty consecutive miles of road, and the issue and payment of bonds there- for, besides various other provisions. The act was amended later and the company was for- mally organized October 29, 1863, by the elec- tion of a board of thirteen directors. Work on the road was commenced at once and progressed rapidly. On March 13, 1866, it was announced that sixty miles of the road had been completed and awaited examination by the commissioners of the government. The completion of the road occurred on May 10, 1869. The foregoing cov- ers briefly the facts leading up to tlie inception and building of the Union Pacific. PIOXEER RAILROADS IX NEBRASKA. The L^nion Pacific railroatl was the first rail- way enterprise commenced in Nebraska. The mere talk of the project of building this line from the Missouri river westward to the Pacific attracted a great deal of attention to the west — and especially was emigration to Nebraska hastened by this. The location of the road and the commencement of operations looking to the building of its route, tended to fill up Nebraska, then a territory with a thrifty population, as also to develop the agricultural and mineral wealth of the country beyond. The immediate effects w^ere, of course, experienced first by th-it portion of the domain through which ll;e read passed, and in other portions of tlic territory as its influence gradually extended. The great em- pire west of Omaha, along the base of tlic Rocky Mountains, rich in mineral wealth beyond any COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY T07 other portion of the country, filled up rapidly with people. The productive lands of Nebraska were brought into requisition to furnish them with wheat, corn, potatoes and other cereals and esculents, and the wholesale merchants of the metropolis contributed to their necessities. The building of the road cheapened transportation and in every way promoted the growth and de- velopment of Nebraska. The bill passed by Congress creating the "Union Pacific Railroad Company," which was approved July i, 1862, provided for the con- struction of a continuous railroad and telegraph line from "a point on the looth meridian of longitude west of Greenwich, between the south margin of the Republican river and the north margin of the valley of the Platte river, in the Territory of Nebraska, to the western boundary of Nevada Territory. This great national enter- prise was formally organized in the city of New York, October 29, 1863, by the election of the first board of directors, as has already been stated. At that time four lines of railroad had been projected, and were in process of con- struction across the State of Iowa — The Bur- lington & JNIissouri, the most southern ; the ]\Iis- sissippi & Missouri, the next north; the Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska, farther north ; and the Dubuque & Sioux City. The first named was in operation about one hundred miles westward from Burlington, with its western terminus un- decided. The Mississippi & Missouri was in operation from Davenport to Grinnell, with its western terminus decided as Council Bluffs, op- posite Omaha. The Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska road was in operation from Clinton and Lyons to Marshalltown ; and the Dubuque & Sioux City was operated a short distance west of Du- buque with its western terminus at Sioux City. For this latter road, a connection with the trunk line of the Pacific road was expressly pro- vided in the act of Congress incorporating the Union Pacific, obliging that company to con- struct a branch to a point opposite Sioux City, whenever a road should be completed there to cross the State of Iowa. At this time there was great anxiety throughout the west as to what place on the Missouri river the President would select as the initial point of the Union Pacific road, and Omaha, it was insisted upon, offered superior inducements in that connection. On the morning of Wednesday, December 2, 1863, the engineer of the road received a telegram from New York, announcing that the President of the United States had fixed the initial point of the road on "the western boundary of the State of Iowa," opposite Omaha, and directing him to formally "break ground" and inaugurate the great work. To aid in the construction of this great national highway the United States government conferred upon the Union Pacific a magnificent land grant, amounting to over 12,000,000 acres, contained in alternate sections of one square mile each, within a breadth of twenty miles on either side of the railroad, and extended along its entire line. The act passed by Congress required that one hundred miles of the Union Pacific railroad, between the Missouri river and the looth meridian, be completed within three years after filing of the company's assent of the organic law, filed June 27, 1863. Considerable delay was occasioned by various interests fighting to secure the location of the line where it would serve speculative enterprises, but in 1865 the work of construction was being pushed with vigor. On March 13, 1866, it was announced that sixty miles of the road had been completed and awaited examination by the com- missioners of the government. Soon after the first hundred miles were completed, in July, 1866, one hundred and thirty-five miles were announced as ready for the "cars" west of Omaha. The final completion of the line to the Pacific ocean, one of the great events of the century, occurred on May 10, i86g. On that day, two oceans were united and a continent was spanned by the bands of iron, over which was to flow the commerce of the nation. An early writer, speaking of this event, said : "Fruitful as has been the present century in important discoveries and useful inventions, varied and multiform as have been the improvements wrought out by patient toil and unequaled energy of the men of the age in which they lived, no single achievement will compare in its immediate and ultimate consequences to the material prosperity of the people, not only of America but of Europe and Asia, with the grand work which reached its final consummation on Monday, May 10, 1869." io8 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGIL\PHY The bridge across the Missouri river at Omaha was completed in ilarch, 1872, at a total cost of $1,450,000. The first line from the east to salute the peo- ple of Omaha with the screech of the engine whistle was the Chicago & Northwestern, the first train on that road entering the city on Sun- day, January 17, 1867. The ;Missouri river was crossed on a pile bridge, which for several \ears was used during the winter months for crossing the river, it being removed during the months of navigation, and a ferryboat employed in its place to transfer freight and passengers. The second road to reach the State was the St. Joseph & Council Bluffs line. The Burlington & Mis- souri was completed to the city of Omaha in 1868. The Omaha & Northwestern was built to Herman, a distance of forty miles in October, 1 87 1, and during the same year the Omaha & Southwestern was completed to the Platte river. In February, 1869, the legislature of Ne- braska appropriated two thousand acres per mile to any railroad which should complete ten miles of its route within one year, the grant in no case to exceed 100,000 acres. It was stated that the members of the legislature appreciated its im- portance of prompt action and realized that the railroads alone could effect the desired end, and appropriated altogether 500,000 acres of land for the purpose of internal improvements. ^^love- ments to take advantage cf this act were inaug- urated in various portions of the State durir.g the summer of 1869. Early in October, 1869, James E. Boyd of Omaha made through the public press, a proposition, the substance of which was, that he would be one of twenty men to advance $10,000 for the purpose of constructing the Omaha & Northwestern road over a route pro- jected from Omaha to the Niobrara river. On the 19th of November, 1869, articles of incorpor- ation were drawn up and the organization of the company was i)crfected a few days later. The work of building the road was pushed with won- derful rapidity, and on February 3, 1870, the railway was completed ten miles on its route, at a cost for materials of $198,000. During 1870 twenty-six and one-half miles of road were com- pleted to De.Soto and a lease entered into with John I. Blair, of a branch of the Missouri & Pa- cific road, known as the "DeSoto Plug," by which communication between Omaha and Blair be- came direct and regular. On the 7th of October, 1871, the road was complete^ to Herman on the line of Washington and Burt counties. As show- ing the liberality with which railroads were treated by the State and the public generally in those days it may be said that the company re- ceived $200,000 in ten per cent, twenty-year bonds from Douglas county; $150,000 in eight per cent, twenty-year bonds from Washington county for the building of the line from the south to the north line of the latter county ; in addition, two thousand acres of land per mile from the State and liberal donations from other nortliern counties. During 1872 the road bed was graded to Tekama, but as the panic of 1873 came on it was not completed to Tekama until August, 1876, at which time the company received $45,- 000 in bonds from Burt county. The following year the road was sold under foreclosure pro- ceedings, and reorganized, and later was pushed on northward. The Omaha & Southern Railroad Company was one of the projects organized to take ad- vantage of the act of legislature passed in. Feb- ruary, 1869, appropriating two thousand acres ot land per mile to any railroad which should com- plete ten miles of its route within one year. This company was organized November 27, 1869, when officers were elected and plans laid for pushing the work. The aft'airs of the road were conducted with signal ability with a view solely to the completion of the first ten miles before the 1st of February, 1870. The work of grading was let to Smiley & Meson, McCarth & Flem- ing, William Knight and John Green, and com- menced without delay, so that its completion was reached and the last rail laid on the evening of January 29, 1870, at a total cost of $195,000. The celerity with which this railroad and also the Omaha & Northwestern line (which is men- tioned elsewhere) was incepted, pushed forward and completed the desired number of miles, was something marvelous, and up to that time ex- ceeded anything in the annals of railroad build- ing. Sixty days previous to their completion, the ties of both roads were in the primeval trees of the forest, the iron composing the rails was in a crude state six hundred miles away from where they were to be subsequently laid. This road, as COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 109 previously stated soon after its construction be- came a part of the Burlington & Missouri River — now the Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy system. On the nth of August, 1866, authority was obtained under the general law of Nebraska by the St. Joseph & Denver City Railroad Company to build a railroad from the Nebraska State line to Fort Kearney. The Northern Kansas Railroad Company was consolidated with this company, and the rights to lands granted by Act of Con- gress, July 23, 1866, of one million, seven hun- dred thousand acres was thereby obtained. Sub- scriptions from municipal corporations to the amount of one million, twenty-five thousand dol- lars were secured in aid of building the road. Work was commenced and eighty-miles of the line were completed and in operation in October, 1870, at a cost of about one million, five hundred thousand dollars. In 1871 the line was extended forty-eight miles and in the following year it was completed to Hastings. It later passed into the hands of the Union Pacific Company, and was extended to Grand Island in the summer of 1879. Later it was extended further north. Harrison Johnson, an early writer on Nebraska history, said of this line : "The total cost of the line from St. Joseph to Hastings was five mil- lion, four hundred forty-nine thousand, six hun- dred twenty dollars and seventy-seven cents, of which stockholders paid one thousand four hun- dred dollars ; seven hundred eighty-two thousand, seven hundred twenty-seven and ten cents from State and municipal aid, and the remainder four million, six hundred sixty-five thousand, four hundred ninety-three dollars and sixty-seven cents from the proceeds of mortgage bonds." Early in the "seventies"' the project of build- ing what was then called the "Julesburg cut-off" or the "Omaha & Denver Short Line" attracted a good deal of attention. In 1873 the Union Pa- cific road first fostered the enterprise of building this line and much of the projected line was graded between 1873 and 1875, when certain complications with the then inimical Kansas Pa- cific, forced an abandonment of the scheme. Upon the completion of the purchase by the Union Pacific of the Kansas Pacific, however, the reconstruction of the line was recommenced early in 1880 and it was rapidly pushed to com- pletion to Denver. On January 17, 1870, the first passenger train from Chicago to Council Bluffs over the line of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad marked the completion and opening of a third line of rail- way from Chicago to Omaha. To the Chicago & Northwestern is due the credit of having been the first, followed soon afterward by the com- pletion and opening of traffic on the Iowa division of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. This was followed as stated, by the Burlington & Missouri River Railway, a continuation of the Chicago, Burlington & Ouincy Railroad. This line became a part of the great organization known as the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad System. They rapidly pushed their lines beyond the Missouri river by acquirmg other lines already built or under construction, and by the construction of new lines. Their lines now traverse the richest portions of the State. In 1871 a line of railway was built from Ne- braska City to Lincoln, a distance of fifty-eight miles by a company organized that year under the title of the Midland Pacific Railroad. It was extended to Seward eighty-three miles from Ne- braska City, in 1874. It was the intention of the original company to build a line to Fort Kearney, or to some point farther east on the Union Pa- cific road. A branch was also projected from the main line in Otoe county to Fort Riley, in Kan- sas. The line was, however, sold under fore- closure and reorganized under the name of the Nebraska Railway, and later passed into the hands of the Burlington & Missouri Company, in 1876, and later was pushed on westward to York and Aurora and Central City in Mer- rick county; and was also extended southward frcm Nebraska City. The Sioux City & Pacific Railroad was one of the pioneer railroads of Northeastern Ne- braska. The Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Val- ley road which was operated by the Sioux City & Pacific was also among the pioneers. The first ten m-iles of this road was completed De- cember 31, 1869. This line reached Stanton, the county seat of Stanton county, in 1879. The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Rail- way with lines from Sioux City to Omaha, and branches, was a pioneer in Northwestern Ne- braska and was an important factor in the growth, CO.MPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY settlement and development of that region. These lines are now a part of the Northwestern System, one of the greatest of America's railway organ- izations. The Northwestern System has extended their lines throughout all of northern and eastern Nebraska. RAILROADS OF TODAY. The foregoing pages have treated of the rail- road development in Nebraska in early days. Perhaps no State in the Union owes more of its rapid growth to the railroad than does Nebraska. The last thirty years has been an era of railroad building throughout the West and especially is this true of Nebraska. The State has been cov- ered with a net work of rails that extend to all parts of the commonwealth and in all directions the lines radiate into the outer world. Trans- portation facilities today are excellent, not only within the State, but in all directions with the centers of trade and commerce of other States. The Union Pacific -has its main line extend- ing through the State from east to west, making it the greatest of all highways between the east and the Pacific coast. It also has various branches in Nebraska extending north and south from the main line, notably those reaching the followinar named towns : Norfolk, Albion, Spalding, Ord, Callawa and Stromsburg; also a branch south through Lincoln to connect with the Union Pa- cific lines in Kansas, and they also control the St. Joseph & Grand Island Railway extending from Grand Island southeast to St. Joseph, ^lissouri. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy System traverses the entire State of Nebraska from east to west, w'ith various branches. The Chicago & Northwestern line, together with the Chicago, St. Paul, ^Minneapolis & Omaha which it con- trols, is another of the great railway systems that today serve much territory within the State and connect the State with the outside world. Their main line to the northwest and to the Black Hills, with various branches serve the north and north- eastern part of Nebraska, while branches also extend southwest to Hastings, Superior and Lin- coln. In addition to these there are a number of other important lines of railway that have track- age interest in the State and add to the trans- portation facilities of Nebraska in connecting the State with the outside world, among which should be mentioned the following: Tl^e Mis- souri Pacific, Kansas City & Northwestern, At- chison, Topeka & Santa Fe, The Chicago Great Western, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, Great Northern, and the Illinois Central. CHAPTER VI. MISCELLANEOUS HISTORICAL MATTERS. THE LOCUSTS OR GRASSHOPPERS. In the early history of Nebraska notliing ex- cited more general interest than the locust ques- tion. Early in the decade between i860 and 1870 these insects invaded portions of the State and wrought great havoic and damage, but the great- est damage was done during the latter part of the following decade — the damage they accom- plished being particularly great in 1874, 1876 and 1877. In those days there were generally a num- ber of years between great locust invasions. It never occurred that the whole State suffered at one time, but in those years small visitations were more frequent and over comparatively small areas. This is now all a thing of the past, but as it forms one of the most interesting features of the natural history of Nebraska, we present the following article on this subject written by Prof. Samuel Aughey, Ph. D., in 1880, when the lo- cust question was one of vast importance to the settlers of the western states, including Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and the Dakotas. The settlers had then only recently suffered severely from the locust visitations and were constantly in fear of their reappearance. "The permanent hibitat of the migrating locust is the region between latitude 43 degrees and 53 degrees north, and 103 degrees and 114 degrees west of Greenwich. From their native habitat they move mainly in an easterly, south- easterly and southern direction. IMoving in this direction those that commence migrating from northern Montana by the middle of July reach southern Dakota Territory and in some cases probably Nebraska and even Kansas, sometime in August or September. Generally, however, those that come into Nebraska and Kansas were hatched and matured south of Montana. It takes generally from two to three seasons for them to reach these latitudes. Often the numbers that alight are amazing. During July, in 1866, in Cedar county, their numbers were so great that the sun was darkened. Many of the tree limbs were broken under their weight. This was an exceptional case. However, they often com- pletely covered the ground. Generally, the cereal grains are already harvested when the migrating locusts reach Nebraska. Wheat, oats and bar- ley are safe. Corn and the gardens are the vic- tims, if they come before the former is sufficiently ripened to resist their attacks. A swarm of lo- custs in July and August can ruin a field of corn in a few days and sometimes a few hours. Often the fields are only partially destroyed. Some- times the silk and foliage are partially eaten off and the ends of the ears bared, so that the crops cannot mature. If they leave at this stage of their proceedings, all is well, and if not their eggs are deposited and the wheat crop endangered during the coming spring. The countless num- bers that are hatched out, if the spring happens to be favorable to them, become exceedingly voracious. As they soon commence to move by jumping in one direction, when abundant they are apt to devour everything in their path. This continues until they are old enough to fly, when they depart for other regions. Generally some corn can be saved and late planting may entirely escape. Often the third planting of corn during locust years yielded a fair crop. The cereal grains have, however, in some places and during a few years, been largely destroyed during the time between the hatching out and flying of the locusts. As vet no successful method has been devised to destroy the locusts on their first ap- COMPEXDIUJ^I OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY pearance in migrating swarms from the north- west. The eggs, however, which are laid in autumn, have been frequently destroyed by re- peatedly harrowing the ground, breaking up the nests and exposing them to the action of rain and cold and birds. Plowing them under very deep also destroys great numbers. When they hatch out in the spring in destructive numbers, the most vigorous methods need to be employed. One of the most successful ways of destroying them is the digging of ditches around the fields, across the path on which they are moving. If the trenches are made* from twelve to fourteen inches deep, and still deeper holes dug every few rods in the trenches, the young locusts first get into the trenches, then into the holes, where unable to get out, they can be destroyed by piling ground on them. Some farmers have saved their entire crops in this way in the midst ot the most infested districts. However, nature has its own method of destroying locusts. The locust's natural habi- tat is a high, dry region where the rainfall is from ten to twenty inches a year. They cannot long endure a combination of low altitudes and moisture, combined with extreme and sudden changes of temperature. Hence, the locust can never become localized in Nebraska. From the time they leave their native habitat, constitu- tional impairment sets in, and a few years in lower moisture regions extemiinates them, unless they speedily return to their upland dry home. Generally, there are many years between great locust invasions. It never occurs that the whole State suffers at once, while the small visitations have been more frequent, the destructive ones occur at very long intervals and over compara- tively small areas. The small area under cul- tivation even in the thickest settlements has been heretofore, one reason for the destructiveness of locusts. The locusts seemed to select the corn fields and gardens for their feeding grounds. When the area under cultivation is trebled, the amount of damage they can do will be more than one-half less. Another more potent agency against their increase and destructiveness is the increasing rainfall of the State. The presence of the locust is by no means the pest that it some- times has been represented to be." (1880). The following very interesting article on the grasshopper raids was written by Harrison John- son, in 1879, viz. : "During the growing seasons of 1874 and '75 the Rocky Mountain locust, or grasshopper, visited Nebraska and did incalcu- lable damage by devouring the crops in a large portion of the State. In many sections, more particularly in the western and middle counties, the destruction of crops by these insects was al- most complete, not a vestige of anything green being left untouched by them ; and as many of the farmers living in the sections so afflicted were new settlers, thi total loss of their crops upon which they were dependent for the support of their families, was a great calamity and caused much distress and suffering. The destitution was so widespread and so great in some localities, that public aid was asked, for the relief of the suffer- ers. The prompt and generous responses to the call by the people of the East and other localities not so afflicted, in forwarding provisions, cloth- ing and money, saved many a poor family from actual want if not starvation. "While it is true that the damage done by the grasshoppers was very great, and caused much genuine distress among the people in several of the counties yet the whole matter was grossly exaggerated and enlarged upon by a certain busy class of persons who somehow always come to the front on such occasions, actuated, generally, more by a desire to further their own selfish ends than by any kindly, true feeling for the dis- tressed. This blatant, noisy class, with their loud demonstrations and universal begging, not only disgusted the more sensible people, but did the State an injury next to that of the grass- hoppers themselves. "Yet it is a stubborn fact that the timely suc- cor sent to the settlers in the devastated districts saved much suffering among the poorer portion ; and the people of Nebraska owe a lasting debt of gratitude to the noble men and women of the East, who contributed so willingly and bounti- fully to their aid in time of need. By an act of the legislature of Nebraska, fifty thousand dollars were donated as a relief to the grasshopper suf- ferers, which amount was judiciously expended and distributed for that purpose., but the grass- hopper scares have passed away, we hope, for- ever ; the seasons have come and gone, leaving us with bountiful crojis of all kinds to enrich and supply the wants of all, and prosperity reigns COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY. REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 113 supreme throughout the length and breadth of the State." (1879). PUBLIC LANDS. In early days the pubhc lands in JSIebraska were given with a lavish hand to aid in the set- tlement, growth and development of the country, as well as for internal improvements, railway grants, and school purposes. The State received from the general governijient millions of acres for various purposes. The records show that during the first ten years of statehood the State received grants of land aggregating nearly three and a half million acres, as follows : For internal improvement 500,000 acres ; for agricultural col- lege, 90,000 acres ; for university, 46,080 acres ; for public buildings, 12,800 acres; for peniten- tiary, 32,000 acres ; for saline purposes, 46,o8o acres ; for common school purposes two sections in every township, aggregating about 2,650,000 acres. The 500,000 acres for internal improve- ment purposes were granted to the State upon its admission to the Union, under the provisions of an act of Congress, approved September 4, 1841. These lands were selected through agents appointed for that purpose, and disposed of in pursuance to the provisions of an act of the legis- lature, approved February 15, 1869. Up to Feb- ruary 24, 1874, the general government had turned over 504,131 acres of land to Nebraska for internal improvement purposes. These lands were disposed of by the State in the following manner. Deeded to Saline county for bridges, 1,000 acres ; Gage county for bridges, 1,000 acres ; Elkhorn & J\Iissouri \^alley R. R., 100,030 acres ; Midland Pacific R. R., 100,384 acres ; Brown- ville & Ft. Kearney R. R., 19,989 acres; Bur- lington & ]\Iissouri River R. R., 50,104 acres; Sioux City & Pacific R. R., 47,327 acres ; Omaha & Southwestern R. R., 100,010 acres; Omaha & Northwestern R. R., 80,416 acres ; Burlington & Southwestern R. R., 20,000 acres ; Atchison & Nebraska R. R., 12,841 acres. The railroads received from the government an immense amount of land in the way of land grants. The aggregate amount of lands in Ne- braska received by the Union Pacific Railway from the government was about 5,926,400 acres, all contiguous to their line of road, and about half of these lands were in the Platte Valley. The Burlington & Missouri River Railway re- ceived from the government a land grant in Ne- braska amounting to 2,382,208 acres; they re- ceived from the State of Nebraska 50,104 acres, and when they took possession of the Omaha & Southwestern Road tliey acquired the land grant made to that line, by the State, of 100,010 acres. These lands were situated chietly in the north- central and south-central portions of the State, and were designated as "North Platte" and "South Platte" lands. The railroad lands were placed on the market at extremely low prices and on very reasonable terms, a very small cash pay- ment being required and long time being given for payment of the balance at low rates of in- terest. These conditions greatly stimulated the settlement of the State. On the first of January, 1863, the homestead law went into effect, and thereby public lands were subject to entry by those who acknowledged their intention to settle permanently, for a mere- ly nominal fee. Congress, in order that the bene- fits of the law might be justly distributed, from time to time amended its provisions and enlarged its scope. Liberal provisions were made by which the soldier, his widow and his orphans were permitted to receive enlarged privileges in securing homesteads, thus adding to the national recognition of the principle that every citizen of the republic was entitled to the rights to make himself a home upon the public domain, the still nobler and higher doctrine that it w^as the na- tion's duty to reward the defenders of the coun- try and provide homes for the families of those who gave up their lives in its defense. The preemption law also helped materially the early settlement and development of Ne- braska. Under tliis law with certain restrictions, every person who was the head of a family or over twenty-one years and a citizen of the United States, was entitled in early days to enter a quar- ter section of land under the preemption act. The rules of the general land office, in those days, required a person to build a house and break at least ten acres of land before he could make final proof and perfect his title to the land and in order to take a preemption, a settlement 114 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY on the land was required to be made within sixty days from the date of lihng the claim. A patent could be secured at the expiration of thirty months from the time of filing, on payment of one dollar and twenty-live cents per acre where the land was located outside the limits of a rail- road land grant and two dollars and fifty cents per acre if within such limits. Another important method of securing title to public lands was by means of tlie "timber cul- ture entry," or "tree, claim act" and this act left its impress throughout all the prairie regions of the West. Only one timber culture entry was permitted on each section, and this class of en- tries could only be taken upon "prairie land," or land naturally devoid of timber. No residence on the land was required. The law required that for a timber culture entry of 160 acres, five acres be broken within the first year; that it be culti- vated the second year, and planted to forest trees four feet apart each way, within the third year ; and that a second five acres be broken the second year, cultivated the third year, and planted as in the first instance the fourth year, and that if the ten acres be kept in a growing condition a patent was issued for the tract at the expiration of eight years, provided that not less than six hundred and seventy-five trees be found in a growing con- dition at the expiration of that time. The law also provided that in case the trees, seeds, or cut- tings should be destroyed by grasshoppers, or by extreme and unusual draught, for any year or term of years, the time for planting such trees, seed, or cuttings should be extended one year for every such year that they were so destroyed. EDUCATIONAL. In educational matters Nebraska has kept pace with any of the other states in the Union. Profiting by the experience of the older states, Nebraska, at its organization, incorporated into her common school system all that had been proven by experiment to be the best and most advantageous methods. To show the growth and development along educational lines we will state that in the year 1870, there were in the State only seven hundred and ninety-seven dis- stricts, employing five hundred and thirty-six teachers, and serving 32,789 children. The value of school property at that time was ap- proximately $178,604. For the purpose of com- parison we give the following statistics for the school year — twenty-six years later — in 1906, viz. : In 1906 there were in the ninety counties a total of 6,671 districts, employing 9,639 teach- ers, occupying 6,780 school houses and serving 373,829 children of school age. The total value of school district property at this time was $12,- 076,569. The number of graded schools in the State in 1906 was 492, giving employment to 3,570 teachers. These figures speak well for the intelligence of the people of any state. There are a great many institutions of higher learning scattered throughout the State. The State University, located at Lincoln, was estab- lished by act of the legislature in 1869, and opened in 187 1. It is mentioned at length else- where in this volume. The following is a list of the most important colleges, academies, busi- ness and normal schools in the State, giving the location of each, viz. : Aurora Normal and Busi- ness College, at Aurora; Bellevue College, at Bellevue; Brownell Hall, at Omaha; Brown's Business College, at Lincoln ; Central College, at Central City ; Chadron Academy, at Chadron ; Convent of the Holy Child Jesus, at Lincoln ; Cotner University, at Bethany; Creighton Uni- versity, at Omaha; Custer College, at Broken Bow; Dana College, at Blair; Doane College, at Crete; Franciscan Monastery, at Humphrey; Franklin Academy, at Franklin ; Fremont Col- lege and School of Pharmacy, at Fremont; Gates Academy, at Neligh ; Grand Island Busi- ness and Normal College, at Grand Island; Grand Island College, at Grand Island ; Hast- ings Business College, at Hastings ; Hastings College, at Hastings ; Kearney Military Academy, at Kearney ; Lincoln Business Col- lege, at Lincoln; Lincoln Syllabic College, at Lincoln; Luther Academy, at Wahoo; Lutheran Seminary, at Seward ; Nebraska Normal Col- lege, at Wayne ; Nebraska Wesleyan University at University Place; Northwestern Business College, at Beatrice ; Omaha Commercial Col- lege, at Omaha; Orleans Seminary, at Orleans; Pawnee City Academy, at Pawnee City ; St. Catherine Academy, at Jackson; St. Francis Academy, at Columbus; St. Mary's Academy, at O'Neill; St. Paul Normal and Business Col- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 115 lege, at St. Paul; St. Theresa Parochial High School, at Lincoln ; Union College, at College View ; Ursuline Convent, at Falls City ; Weep- ing Water Academy, at Weeping Water; York Business College and Normal School, at York; York College, at York. POPULATION OF NEBRASKA. The first census of the territory now com- prising Nebraska was taken in tl;ie fall of 1854, being completed on the 20th of November, of tliat year. It gave the territory a total of 2,732 white population. The first United States cen- sus was taken in 1S60, and this may be said to have been the first enumeration taken with any reasonable degree of accuracy. This gave the territory a population of 28,841. Taking the United States census, taken every ten years, as a basis, the following table shows the growth of the population of Nebraska : In i860 its population was. . . . 28,841 In 1870 its population was. . . . 122,993 In 1880 its population was. . . . 452,402 In 1890 its population was. . . . 1,058.910 In 1900 its population was.... 1,068,539 DID SLAVERY EXIST IN NEBRASKA? To the average reader of to-day it will be interesting to know that at one time in the his- tory of Nebraska the existence of slavery within its borders furnished the most important topic for discussion and legislation at several sessions of the territorial legislature. On November i, 1858, a bill was introduced in the territorial legislature "to abolish slavery in the Territory of Nebraska." The bill was referred to a com- mittee of five, three of whom recommended the passage of the bill, but two of the committee presented a minority report in which they "re- gretted the introduction of the bill, fearing it was done at the promptings of political ambition, and that the discussion of an abstract question, having no bearing on the practical affairs of the territory, could but sow the seeds of dissension." The bill was laid on the table, and the matter went over to the next session. On December, 7, 1859, ^ bill was introduced "to abolish, and prohibit slavery or involuntary servitude," by Wm. H. Taylor, and was referred to a commit- tee consisting bf William H. Taylor, George W. Doane and George L. Miller. The report of Mr. Taylor, of this committee, contains so many interesting facts bearing on the subject, that we quote from it the following: "The ostensible objections urged against the passage of the bill are twofold in their character. First, it is said by the opponents of free states and free territories, that "Slavery does not prac- tically exist in Nebraska Territory." In reply, I affirm the converse of the proposition to be true, and will give the facts to show that slavery does practically exist in Nebraska. There has never been to my knowledge a federal officer appointed to any office in this territory from any slave state of this Union who has not lirought with him into the territory, a negro or negroes, who have been and are now held in slavery. E. A. Deslonde, receiver of public moneys at Nebraska City, has one or two slaves. Now, if slavery does not exist here, then the slave is free the instant he sets foot on Nebraska soil, provided he came with his master for the purpose of residing in Nebraska. I know of my own knowledge, that Hon. S. F. Nuckolls, a Democratic member of the territorial legisla- ture, had three colored persons whom he claimed as slaves up to a very late period. Two of these persons escaped from Mr. Nuckolls in the winter of i858-'59, and the other, a colored man of twenty-five years of age, was sold by him, if I am correctly informed, and carried to some of the southern slaveholding states, as a slave, in the spring of 1859. This man has been a resident of Nebraska for about three years. ]\Ir. A. Majors, one of the government contrac- tors, has a number of colored persons in Ne- braska City whom he claims as slaves now in the Territory of Nebraska. Judge C. F. Holly has two colored persons whom he claims as slaves. How many more there are in the territory at present I am not advised. But the faxt is in- disputable. African slavery does practically ex- ist in Nebraska. Our eyes cannot deceive us, and if slavery is wrong, morally, socially or po- litically, it is wrong to hold one slave. There is no distinction in principle between holding one human being in bondage and ten thousand. ii6 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY "Again, as evidence that slavery does exist, and is considered to be a legal institution here, I have only to cite the fact that Hon. S. F. Nuckolls before alluderl to has instituted suit in the Second Judicial Court of this territory against certain parties residing in tlie State of Iowa, for the value of two colored persons, his slaves, whom he alleges were abducted from him in the spring of iSsS-'sg, which is now pending in said court and undecided. "Second. It is said by those who oppose the passage of this bill that the "let alone policy is most commendable." If it be true that we are all in favor of freedom, a free territory, and a free State, why recommend the "let alone policy" as the most commendable? Why curse our virgin soil with the foot-print of African slavery? * * * I would ask of the opposers of this bill, when is the proper time to pass an act like the one under consideration? Shall we wait until slavery has acquired a permanency? * * * It is said that "naught but mischief can arise from the ill-timed and injudicious agitation of the question." * * * If a con- stitutional convention was now in session, .t would be said by those who oppose the bill, "Don't agitate the question." * * * Gen- tlemen of the council, if you are honestly in fa- vor of Nebraska being a free territory and ulti- mately a free State, how can the passage of this bill generate an injurious agitation? Men hold- ing a common sentiment, and desiring a com- mon object, do not get up an ill-timed and in- judicious agitation. Nothing short of a sincere opposition to free white labor and a free terri- tory can produce agitation or excitement. Re- member, it is the clashing of public sentiment upon the same subject matter, and not its argu- ment that produces the results contemplated by you. Vote for this bill that makes Nebraska free and prevents persons being held in slavery, and there will be no agitation. We will have then done all in our power and our whole duty, to rid ourselves of the cursed institution of slavery. But, it is objected, the bill pre-sup- poses the existence of slavery by virtue of the constitution of the United States. It pre-sup- poses no such thing, but simply admits the fact that persons are to-day held in slavery by usage, or custom, or somehow", and that it ought not to be permitted ; however, we all do know that this administration and a majority of the American Senate, and ninety-three Democrats in Congress of the United States contend that slavery exists in all the territories of the United States, by virtue of the constitution, as much and as cer- tainly as in Georgia or South Carolina. "Attorney-General Black has recently writ- ten several pamphlets to demonstrate this propo- sition. It cannot be denied, it is contended by a large party in this country, that the people of the territories in their territorial capacity have no power to legislate upon the subject of slavery, until they become sufficiently numerous to form a State constitution, and ask admission into the Union. And this same party maintains that Congress has power to legislate upon the sub- ject. Thus leaving the people of the territories to be cursed with slavery, without the ability on their part or on behalf of Congress, to get rid of it so long as the territorial existence con- tinues. While, on the other hand, it is contended that the people of tlie territories, in their terri- torial capacity, have the right and power to pro- hibit and abolish slavery. This position is con- tended for and sustained by arguments of great force. How the friends of Senator Douglas can oppose this bill, if they are really in favor of making Nebraska a free State, is astounding to me. We can account for the opposition of the administration Democracy. The Territory of Kansas has prohibited slavery after an unpre- cedented struggle against the policy of the two last administrations, and why should not Ne- bracka act? Believing that the power exists in the territorial legislature under and by virtue of the organic act, and every community has the inherent right to regulate its own affairs and institutions, free from foreign or federal inter- vention, and that Nebraska should be a free territory, and forever dedicated to free white labor; and knowing that slavery does practic- ally exist here, I earnestly recommend the pas- sage of the bill. "All of which is respectfully submitted to the consideration of the council. "William H. T.wlor. Chairman." This report was. under the rules, laid over for future action. Whereupon, Hon. George L. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 117 Miller submitted the following minority report : "The first question suggested by the ex- amination of this measure, refers to the ne- cessity, if any, which exists for the enactment of such a law in this territory. It is understood that our power to pass such a law, and to im- part to it validity, is extensively desired, and, as there is known to be in the territory, as well as throughout the Union great diversity of opinion, both as to the power of the territorial legislature over the question of slavery and the expediency of attempting its exercise, your com- mittee deem it extremely injudicious for the legislature to lend itself to the agitation of a subject which, to the people of Nebraska, is con- ceded to be really of no practical importance. As to the necessity which exists at present, or is likely to exist in the future, for such a law in this territory, there can be no two intelligent opinions. No sane person for a moment sup- poses that Nebraska is in the slightest possible danger of being either a slave territory or a slave State. Popular sentiment, in Nebraska, is universally against the institution of slavery, and even if it were not, and the public voice were to pronounce to-day in favor of its es- tablishment here, the controlling laws of nature peculiar to this latitude, would utterly preclude the possibility of its obtaining a permanent place among us. Suppose it true — which it is not — that the territory does furnish a profitable field for slave labor, who is there so infatuated as to believe for an instant that this territory, peopled almost entirely by men whose associations from infancy and whose education in the midst of free institutions have conducted them into man- hood, not only with all their prejudices but with all the convictions of their judgment against the institution — who so foolish as to say that legis- lation is required or ought to be granted upon this subject? Your committee have felt it to be their duty to inquire into the cause which in- duced the introduction of the bill under con- sideration. Having made diligent search, with a view to ascertaining whether any slaves exist in Nebraska, to their utter surprise, after four days' anxious inquiry and labor, they are pre- pared to report to the council, that, south of the Platte river, owned and held as such by highly respectable gentlemen, there are six and a half slaves, the fractional portion referring to a small negro boy who is in excellent and humane keep- ing, in that section of the territory. Now, in- stead of becoming alarmed at this information, your committee are rather disposed to congratu- late the council and the country upon the fortu- nate condition in which these slaves are found. We are happy to add, on the best of authority, that their servitude is entirely voluntary, and that they are perfectly contented with their lot. It is to be observed that these slaves were originally from Missouri and Louisiana. One of them, we are informed, proves a great burden to his owner by being subject to fits. What can be done to lighten the burden of the master or remedy the terrible malady of the slave we leave to your careful and candid consideration. At all events, it is very clear that, in removing to this territory, these slaves have been changed from a worse to a better condition : and, sur- rounded as they are by increased comforts, and having before them the almost certain prospect of ultimately gaining their freedom, it would seem to be absolute cruelty in the legislature, even if it had the power and the purpose to do it, to enact a law here which would compel their owners to sell them into a worse bondage, where these prospects would be forever blasted. A noticeable fact is to be found by reference to the census record of 1855. At that time, thir- teen slaves existed in Nebraska. Under the operation of incidental causes, aided by the stealing propensities of an unprincipled set of abolitionists, inhabiting a place cal?ed Civil Bend, Iowa, the number has been reduced to the insignificant figure of six and a half slaves, all told. * * * "Your committee respectfully recommend that the bill be referred to the Committee of the Whole, and that it be made the special order for some future day of the session." A second report was submitted bv Hon. George W. Doane, the third member. This gen- tleman reported, after the two preceding re- ports had been read, and concurred "in the main with the views expressed in the report submitted by Mr. Miller." He did not admit that, prac- tically, slavery had any existence in the terri- ii8 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY tory. "To agree that, because a single instance may be found of a returning emigrant from Utah, who has pitched his tent in some remote part of the territory, and is cohabiting with two women claiming to be his wives, therefore, po- lygamy exists as an institution in the territory, would be quite as conclusive and sensible as the attempt made by the chairman of this committee to fasten upon our fair territory the stigma of slavery by the very slender data upon which his conclusion is based. * * * But if slavery does legally exist in the territory, as the bill reported by the chairman would advertise to the world that it does, is it proposed to confiscate the property of such as are interested in that description of property, by an unconditional abo- lition of the tenure by which it is held? And if it does not legally exist, what is the necessity of legislating for its abolition? The evil must be corrected by the judicial and not by the legis- lative branch of the government." Mr. Doane waived discussion of the principle involved in the abstract question of the right or wrong of slavery, and merely on the ground of inex- pediency at that moment, reported adversely to the bill. Still another bill "to abolish and prohibit slavery in Nebraska" was presented to the legislature December 7, 1859, by T. M. Mar- quette, of Cass county, which was passed on the 17th of December, by a vote of twenty-one to seventeen. This bill, however, when it reached the council was "indefinitely post- poned." At this time it was proposed as a sub- stitute that a resolution be passed bv both branches of the legislature, making the follow- ing declarations: "That slavery does not ex- ist in the territory and there is no danger of its introduction ; that it is unnecessary to waste the time of the legislature in enacting any legisla- tion relating thereto; that being opposed to slavery and asserting its right to the full con- trol of such matters within the territory, the legislature declares itself prepared to take what- ever action may be necessary to prohibit or ex- clude slavery at any time it may become neces- sary; but that the agitation of this question at that time was believed to be ill-timed, unneces- sary, pernicious and damaging to the fair name of the territory." This resolution was not acted upon. On the 29th of December, 1859, ^ bill for the prohibition of slavery in Nebraska was intro- duced by Mr. Little, which passed both houses of the legislature. The report of the committee to which this bill was referred is interesting at this day, as it shows the intense feeling that the question had wrought. We quote from the report the following: "The question, disguise it as you will, which is involved in this bill, is the great question of the age. Our entire Union is divided into two great parties on this ques- tion ; one party struggles ever to uphold the principles of this bill, the other labors as' earn- estly for its overthrow, and we are now called to take one side or the other. The power to prohibit, in the opinion of the majority of your committee, is conferred on us by our organic act, and by this measure, the opportunity is given us to test our fidelity to freedom and our oppo- sition to the extension of slavery. The oppon- ents of this measure have not a single reason to advance why this bill should not pass ; they put forth, however, some excuses for opposing it. They come forth with the miserable plea that they are opposed to blotting our statute books with useless legislation. Sir, this is not so much a plea against this law as it is in favor of blotting our territory with slavery. They say that slavery does not exist here, and that this mea- sure is useless. This excuse will not now hold good, for a President's message has just reached us in which it is declared, and' in this opinion he is backed by a powerful party, that men have the right to bring slaves here and to hold them as such, and that this is slave territory. 'We, it is true, may not be of opinion that this doctrine is true ; but, Sir, if men declare that they have the right to make this a slave territory, shall we not prohibit them in this act, and prevent the wrong they would do us? If the friends of slavery insist that they have the right to hold .slaves here, shall we tamely submit to it? If they insi.st on making this a slave territory, which they do, shall we not insist that it shall be forever free?" This bill was passed by both houses of the legislature January 3, i860, and placed in the COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 119 hands of Governor Black for approval. On the 9th of January he returned it with his veto. The most important objections noted in the veto message were the following : "This act necessarily involves the whole ques- tion of power or jurisdiction over the subject matter. If slavery exists here in law or in fact, to prohibit it is to abolish it. If it does not exist, where is the need for legislation? This bill is intended to interdict slavery or involuntary servi- tude, within the territory ; and raises the question whether the territorial legislature can do it. For the purpose of considering the question with dis- tinctness, I will first examine it, as it may or may not be affected by the treaty with France. This territory was a part of Louisiana, and all agree that when we acquired Louisiana in 1803, it was slave territory, and slaves were property. The third article of the treaty by which Louisiana was acquired by the United States is important at this point. It provides 'that the inhabitants of the ceded territory shall be incorporated in the United States, and admitted as soon as possible, according to the provisions of the Federal con- stitution, to the enjoyment of all the rights, priv- ileges and immunities of citizens of the United States ; and in the meantime they shall be pro- tected in the free enjoyment of their liberty, property and the religion which they profess. * * * Nebraska was acquired to become a State, and for no other purpose. For this pur- pose, and this alone, is there any power under the constitution to acquire foreign territory. * * * It is a stipulation in the treaty 'that the in- habitants of the ceded territory shall be incor- porated in the Union of the United States,' and it is every whit as strong a stipulation as that 'in the meantime they shall be protected in the free enjoyment of liberty, property and religion.' The faith of the country is pledged to it and it is just as good to the inhabitants of Nebraska territory to-day, or any day, as it was to the first inhabit- ants in 1803. Mr. John Quincy Adams under- stood this perfectly, and disposed of the question very briefly and conclusively when Arkansas was before Congress for admission in 1836. 'She is entitled to admission as a slave state as Louis- iana and Missouri have been admitted,' by virtue of "that article in the treaty for the purchase of Louisiana, which secures to the people of the ceded territories, all the rights, privileges and immunities of the original citizens of the United States, and stipulates for their admission, con- formably to that principle, into the Union.' " The argument continued that "if a party is a citizen of some one of the United States, he has a right to enter into the territory clothed with all his rights. He takes his property with him from his own State, and if he may not do so, then the territory is not acquired for the common and equal benefit of the several states. The terri- torial legislature was deemed but a temporary department having no right or power to pass a law which was regarded as conflicting with the individual rights of citizens." This veto pre- vailed and the matter was again indefinitely post- poned. When the seventh session of the legisla- ture convened December 3, i860, the question of slavery again came to the surface. On the 6th of December Mr. Mathias introduced in the house a bill "to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude in the territory" and on the following day Mr. Thayer introduced the bill in the coun- cil. The bill was ratified by both houses and was presented to Governor Black for approval, but on the 1st of January, 1861, it was returned to the legislature unsigned with a lengthy mes- sage giving the grounds on which the veto rested, they being mainly a duplicate of the reasons as- signed for the former veto. The bill, however, was promptly passed over the veto and became a law. Thus after a long and intensely heated con- test the subject was disposed of to the permanent honor of Nebraska. A "ROUND-UP" OF 3000 HEAD HEREFORD CATTLE. Ranch of Crescent Live Stock Co., B. F. Ankeny, General Manager, Deuel County. Nebraska. I RE/niNISCE^CE I AND ^ I BIOGRAPHY I ^ RE/niNISCENCE GOVERNOR A. C. SHALLENBERGER. Governor A. C. Shallenberger has for many- years been one of the most prominent resi- dents of Alma, Nebraska, and is widely known through Harlan county and the surrounding country as a successful agriculturist and stock- man. He is President of the Bank of Alma, which he established in 1887, and of which he was Cashier for six years, from 1887 to 1893 inclusive, then became the head of the institu- tion. He served for some time as Mayor of Alma and represented this district in Congress in 1900. In 1906 he was the Democratic can- didate for governor of Nebraska, and again in 1908, when he was elected to that office. Mr. Shallenberger was born in 1861 at Toulon, Illinois. He came to Nebraska in 1880, settling in Polk county. He was then eighteen years of age, and for some time after locating here was employed as a clerk in a store at Osceola, Nebraska, and also at Stromsburg, Nebraska. He has five brothers, two of whom are managers for the Interna- tional Harvester Company, and three are en- gaged in the banking business, so it was only natural for him to select this line of work. The Bank of Alma has a capital of $30,000. To illustrate the rapid growth of the Bank of Alma it is only necessary to say that while seventeen years ago the deposits were only $8,000, they are today $200,000. Then there were no farmers' accounts, and now the bank carries over five hundred accounts, the great- er portion of them being from farmers, which shows the wonderful progress of this vicinity and the prosperity of the farmers and stock- men. Since 1890 lands in this section of Ne- braska have advanced from 200 to 300 per cent. Mr. Shallenberger is the owner of one thousand seven hundred and twenty acres of fine farm land located near Alma, and since 1890 he has raised and fed large numbers of cattle and hogs each year. The farm land about here has become so high that he has gone out of ordinary stock, and breeds only the best, and keeps only thoroughbred Short- horn cattle, preferring these as they serve the dual purpose of beef and dairy, and the latter pays better on high priced land than beef cattle. At the Nebraska State Fair, in 1906, "Bar None 11" took first prize and sweepstakes, and at the Royal Exhibit held at Kansas City he captured second prize for yearling bulls. Mr. Shallenberger captured eleven first prizes in 1907, and in 1908 captured nine first prizes. He has now seventy-five to one hundred, thor- oughbred Shorthorns in his herd, and at his sales held each year, buyers come from all over Nebraska and Kansas, recognizing the fact that they will get. nothing but the best of stock. In 1906, he had forty acres of white corn, yielding one hundred bushels to the acre, which is an enormous crop, the average in Harlan county being fifty bushels per acre. He also has two hundred acres of alfalfa, and is experimenting with Turkestan variety. He is making these experiments at the request of the United States Agricultural and the Ne- braska State Agricultural Departments. The average corn crop of Nebraska exceeds the averag-e of both Illinois and Iowa for the same periods, and this state's corn holds the third place in quantity of product for these ten years. Out of ten hay states Nebraska ranks second in quantity and value of hay produced, and still has less acres devoted to its culture than any of the ten, showing a great yield per acre, which shows the immense possibilities 124 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY as this state increases the acreage of hay and alfalfa. An average of 10,000 head of cattle are fed each winter within a radius of eight miles from Alma, and this furnishes a fine market for hay, grain and rough feed. There is probably no man in western Ne- braska who has made a closer study of the financial and agricultural conditions and pos- sibilities through this section of the state than ]\Ir. Shallenberger, and he is recognized as an authority on all matters of this kind. Mr. Shallenberger was married in 1884 to Miss Eliza Zilg, of Spring Green, Wisconsin. They have three children, Martin Shallen- berger, who is second Lieutenant of the 16th U. S. Infantry ; Grace Shallenberger. at the University of Nebraska, and Dorothy Shallen- berger, si.\ vears of age, at home. HON. CHARLES H. CORNELL. Hon. Charles H. Cornell, an old settler, and one of the organizers of Cherry county, is one of the most prominent business men in this part of the state. He is President of the First National Bank of Valentine, and by his care- ful and conservative management has made it one of the most reliable financial institutions in the commonwealth. Mr. Cornell was born in Newburgh-on-the Hudson, December 19, 1854, a scion of one of the oldest and most prominent families of Orange county. New York. His father, Hiram Cornell, is of English descent, the fam- ily taking its name from a colloquial pro- nunciation of Cornwall, where the family originated, the spelling finally conforming to the sound of the name. Hiram Cornell's birth occurred June 24, 1815, and he is still hale and hearty, having attained more than four score and ten years. In 1857 he followed the stream of energetic men to the west, settling in Cal- loway county, Missouri, where his famih' was reared and educated in the common schools. During the war he served as captain of Mis- souri state militia. After the war he moved to Wisconsin and later to Nebraska, where he still resides, hale and hearty in spite of his weight of years. The mother, born Sarah N. Haight, came of a Quaker family in York state and became the mother of five daugh- ters and one son. After a common school education, Charles H. Cornell, at the age of fourteen, started out for himself, beginning an apprenticeship in the printers trade, a short time before his parents moved to Wisconsin whither he followed them, and there entered the railwa}' mail service, remaining for three years on runs out of Chicago. In 1877 he went to Wyoming, traveling by wagon from Green River on the Union Pacific Railway, thence to Fort Washakie, a militarj^ post 150 miles north on the Little Wind River, and came from there in 1880 with the troops that established Fort Niobrara in Cherr}' county, where for a time he was connected with the Traders' Store, at the post. In 1884 Mr. Cor- nell laid out the town site of \^alentine at the time the railroad came in here, opening a gen- eral store. He disposed of this store in 1886, to give his entire attention to the Bank of Valentine which he had established two j'ears before and of which he was the head. This was conducted as a private bank until 1902, when it was incorporated as the "First Na- tional Bank of Valentine" and it is now the largest banking institution in Cherry county, with officers as follows: Charles H. Cornell, President ; J. T. May, Vice-President, and M. V. Nicholson, Cashier. The First National Bank of \^alentine had in 1908 deposits of $225,000; capital and surplus $32,000, and loans $165,000. It's equipment and fittings are the finest in the state west of Omaha. Aside from this Mr. Cornell is at the head of several extensive enterprises and has done much toward the upbuilding of Valentine. He still owns a large part of the town site, and has large land and cattle interests, notwith- standing which he finds time to devote to local and state aflfairs. In 1884 he was elected county treasurer, serving one term, and was elected to the state senate in 1888. In 1889 he was appointed Register of the United States Land Ofhce in Valentine, serving efhciently until 1904. In 1902 Mr. Cornell was married to Miss Bertha Childc, whose father, Edwin P. Childe, is a leading physician of Omaha. Mr. and Mrs. Cornell are the parents of two fine boys, Elmore and Cyril. Mrs. Cornell is an active and enthusiastic member of the Episcopal church. Mr. Cornell is Republican in politics, stand- ing high in the party councils of the state. He is a member of the Governor's stafl^, par- ticipating in the presentation of a silver serv- ice to the -battleship Nebraska, in May, 1908, at San Francisco. He has been chairman of the congressional committee of his district since 1902. Fraternally he affiliates with the Minnechadusa Lodge No. 192 of Valentine, and Chapter No. 61. R. A. M., at Long Pine. He also holds membership in the A. O. U. W. of \'alcntine. A portrait of Mr. Cornell will be found clsewliere in this work. C. H. CORNELL. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY ELISHA CUNNINGHAM CALKINS. Mr. Calkins was born in Erie county, New York, in 1847. In the civil war he served as a private in Company B, Tenth New York Cavalry, from September, 1864, to June, 1865, and was present with his regiment in actions at Stony Creek Station, Jarrett's Station, Bell- field, Hatchers Run, Dinwoodie Court House, Sailors Creek, Farmville and Appomattox Court House. He studied law and was admitted to prac- tice in the supreme court of New York in 1869 and practiced there until his removal to this state in 1873. He settled in Kearney and has practiced his profession there contin- uously until his appointment as one of the commissioners of the supreme court in April, 1907. He was state senator in 1877 and Re- gent of the State University from January, 1902, to April, 1907, and president of the State Bar Association for the year 1906. He has been much interested in educational affairs and a member of the school board in his home city for more than twenty years. He has been identified with the Grand Army of the Republic since its first organiza- tion in Nebraska, having been the first Com- mander of Sedgewick Post No. 1. Mr. Calkins is the only son of Harrison and Elizabeth (Cunningham) Calkins. Harrison Calkins was born in Clinton county. New York, and his father, Elisha Calkins, was a native of Vermont. Harrison Calkins was a member of the state militia in 1837 and served in those disturbances on Canadian border that have passed into history as the "Patriot War." The maternal grandparents of the subject of this sketch, David and Phoebe (Bloomfield) Cunningham, lived in the Mohawk Valley be- fore they settled in Erie county. Mr. Calkins was married in New York to Arethusa Jewitt Patch and they -have become the parents of the following children: Har- rison V. of Lindsay, California; Jessie, wife of George Windel of Payette, Idaho, and Arethusa, who resides with her parents at Kearney. WILLIAMS J. WATKINS. Among those who have made Perkins coun- ty their home for many years past and who have aided materially in the development of the agricultural and financial resources of the region, the gentleman above named deserves a prominent place. !Mr. Watkins has held public office in the county for the past several years, serving as sheriff since 1903, and he makes his residence in Grant, where he has a pleasant home and is one of the leading citizens. Mr. Watkins was born in Will county, Illi- nois, and reared on a farm. His father was Richard Watkins, a native of England, who married Katherine Russell, also born and reared in England, they coming to this coun- try and settling in Illinois. They lived on the same farm until our subject was twenty- five years of age, although he had begun farm- ing on his own account when he became of age. In 1882 he came to Seward county, Ne- braska, where he carried on farming on rented land for five years, then moved to Perkins county and homesteaded on section 26, town- ship 9, range 40, driving to his new location from Ogallala. His first dwelling was a frame shack which he put up himself, later went through the "sod house experience," proving up on his claim and improving the place as he was able. He engaged in mixed farming and stock raising, and succeeded in b.uilding up a good home, adding to his farm until he be- came owner of a good ranch of eight hundred acres, all well improved with good buildings, fences, and every convenience for its proper operation. In November, 1903, Mr. Watkins was elected sheriff of Perkins county on the fusion ticket. He was re-elected in 1905 and 1907, and is now serving his third term. In 1904, while still sheriff, Mr. Watkins moved to Grant, and has since made it his home. He was married in 1877, at Joliet, Illi- nois, to Miss Eleanor Francis, of English descent, born and raised in Illinois. To them have been born the following children : Mar- tha, John. Sylva, Clarence, Emery, Arthur, Lucinda. Elmer, Ora and Roscoe. ^Ir. ^^^atkins has always taken an active interest in public aft"airs. He served as justice of the peace in Grace precinct, near Venango, for four years and has held some school office twenty years out of the twenty-one years he has lived here. JOHN H. WELTON. The gentleman above named is one of the leading citizens of Mullen, Nebraska, and for many years past has taken an active part in the development and growth of the western part of the state. He is editor of the Hooker County Tribune, also the Thomas County Her- ald, the latter being under the management of his son, Ross H. Welton, and published at I2b COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Thedford, Nebraska, and has always been un- ceasing in liis efforts to boom every laudable enterprise which has been started for the bene- fit of Hooker county. As a citizen he is broad- minded and public-spirited to the last degree, and he has taken a prominent part in local politics, at the present time serving as United States commissioner of the Nebraska district. John H. Welton was born in Cleveland, Minnesota. January 12, 1865. His father, Barnabas, was a native of New York state, a farmer by occupation, and he married Adelaid Huntley, daughter of Lodwick Huntley, a fa- mous Indian scout and fighter, both he and Barnabas Welton being among the pioneers in the state of Minnesota. During their early set- tlement there they took part in several Indian battles and skirmishes with General Sibley, at New Ulm and Mankato, and later on served in the United States regular army with the Four- teenth Minnesota Heavy Artillery, and saw hard service in the civil war. Our subject grew up in his native state, following the typical life of the frontier, father, mother and six children coming to Nebraska in 1879, and settling in Holt county, where they were again among the earliest settlers. There they established a ranch, and the former was elected one of the first sheriffs of that county after its organization, later served as police judge for several terms and became one of the best known men of the county and a leading citizen of the times. He died at O'Neill, Feb- ruary 27. 1894. at the age of sixty-four years, and was greatly missed by all as a man of su- perior judgment and active public spirit, al- ways standing for the best interests of his community. Our subject grew to manhood in Holt county, receiving his education in the country schools, later attended high school at O'Neill, and there first started in the newspaper busi- ness. For a while he published the Danbury Review at Danbury, Iowa, but in 1897 re- turned to Nebraska, settling in the western part of the state and there followed newspaper work in various towns. He was connected with the Beacon Light, at O'Neill, during a number of years, which paper exposed the startling robbery of $94,000 from the county treasury by grafters, which theft was perpe- trated while our subject was a resident in that town. He was married to Mary M. Chisholm in 1893, and four children were born to this union. In 1901 he was married to Mattie E. Everett, to which union one son was born, the little one passing away at the age of one year. Mr. Welton was finally compelled to seek change of climate on account of failing health, so traveled through the west for a time, but returned to Nebraska and settled permanently at Mullen, purchasing his present business in 1901. This paper was established in 1895. by F. M. Cudebeck. and subsequent proprietors had charge of the organ in the order men- tioned: Edgar Phillips, from 1897 to 1898; Charles Schilling, from 1898 to 1899; E. L. Everett, from 1899 to 1901, and the paper then came into the hands of our subject, who has since been sole owner, editor and publisher. It is at present the only newspaper in Hooker county, and is loyally supported by the people of the county with a circulation of more than 700 copies, and an advertising patronage that gives promise of a prosperous, steady growth. In political matters Mr. Welton is a Repub- lican, and a member of the congressionaT com- mittee for the sixth district, also chairman of the Republican county central committee, and takes a prominent part in all party affairs. He is a member of the village council, and his life has been spent in doing all in his power to help build up his part of the state. Mr. Welton has now devoted twenty-seven years to newspaper work in Nebraska, is one of the best known men in the profession, and also has followed the business in South Dako- ta, Iowa and several other states in the Union. CHARLES W. POTTER. Charles \\'. Potter occupies a foremost po- sition in Brown county. Nebraska, as a citizen of worth, and a successful and prosperous business man of Ainsworth. Mr. Potter was born in Whiteside county, Illinois, October 19. 1841. His father, Martin M. Potter, a farmer, was a native of Catta- raugus county, New York, descended from old Yankee stock, and came west settling in Illi- nois in 1831 or 1832. The nearest market place from his farm at that time was one hun- dred and twenty-three miles away, an'' this was Chicago, then a comparatively small town. Dianthony Pratt, a New Yorker, was our sub- ject's mother, he being the third member in a family of four children. His boyhood days were spent on his father's farm, where he se- cured a good sturdy training which fitted him for the work of his later years, and at the age of nineteen enlisted in Company G, Thirteenth Illinois Infantry, under Colonel John B. Wy- man, in the year 1861, one of *he first regi- ments to go to the front during the war. He was at the battle of Vicksbnrg. at Wilson COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 127 Creek and Pea Ridge ; he was with the Army of the Tennessee, and with Sherman to At- lanta, where his time expired and regiment was discharged in Woodville, Alabama. He immediately re-enlisted in Company I, Fifty- sixth Illinois Regiment, and served until Au- gust, 1865, receiving an honorable discharge at Little Rock, Arkansas. After the war closed he was transported by sea from Savannah to Washington, taking part in the Grand Review, a spectacle at which the nations of the Old World marvelled. Dur- ing all his career as a soldier he was never severely wounded, receiving slight scratches from time to time. In the spring of 1865 he returned to his old home and began farming, remaining here until the spring of 1872, when he came west, locating in Shelby county, Iowa. He remained at that point until 1884, then came to Nebraska, settling on a farm in Brown county. He lived on this place for eight years, following mixed farming and stock raising, then leaving the farm moved to Ainsworth. In 1899 he was elected county judge by the Populist party, serving two terms. In 1905 he was re-elected, and is serving his county in that capacity at the present time. In 1889 he was the nominee of the Independent party for lieutenant governor, on the ticket of which David Butler was the head. Mr. Potter was married on Christmas day, 1866, in Prophetstown, Illinois, to Miss Har- riet Shorett, a Canadian. Her parents were of French descent, residing at Toronto, Can- ada. Mr. and Mrs. Potter have a family of two sons, Marion J. and Clayton W. Mr. Potter is one of the old settlers in the western part of Nebraska, and has done his full share towards the building up of the coun- try. He is now a Democrat in politics and a member of the G. A. R. Post at Ainsworth. GEORGE S. TODD. George S. Todd, residing in section 18, township 21, range 15, who came to Nebraska many years ago, in 1884, and is well known all over Garfield county as a progressive and suc- cessful agriculturist, is now living on twenty acres of land where he settled twenty-five years ago, having sold most of his land of late years. Mr. Todd was born in Ohio in 1841, and is of Scotch descent, his grandfather on his mother's side being one of the Stuarts of the family of the Queen of Scots. He was reared as a mechanic, and followed that work in his native state until he was twenty-five years of age. He joined in the struggle of his coun- try for liberty and freedom, entering Company B, Twenty-fourth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in 1862, and served for three years. He saw active service through the Vicksburg cam- paign, to the Gulf, and then to Washington, District of Columbia, where he was mustered out. In 1866 he engaged in the work of build- ing and contracting in Iowa, which he fol- lowed for some years. In 1887 Mr. Todd settled in Nebraska, starting a farm in Wheeler county. He put all his energy into his enterprise and suc- ceeded in developing a splendid farm, which he has sold of late, only retaining twenty acres. He is well satisfied with the results of his labor in this state, and thinks a man's chances are much better here than in the East, as the investment of a small capital here will bring greater returns in a less number of years. However, to make money, a man must be industrious and able to adapt himself to the country and prepared to fight hard and overcome many discouragements and failures. A poor man, can of course, make a good living here, but if a man has a little capital to start with he is able to build up a fortune rapidly. Land here has advanced nearly a hundred per cent, in the past ten years, and one who began with a small farm then and has added to its acreage constantly since that time would now be a pretty wealthy man. Mr. Todd was married in 1865 to Miss Eda L. Brainard, a native of Ohio, daughter of L. D. and Maria (Vaughn) Brainard. To Mr. and Mrs. Todd have been born nine children, seven of whom are living, named as follows: Zeros Z., Clara E.. Mabel M., Viola V., Samuel S., Nina R., Logan D., Tetulah M. (deceased), and Stuart (deceased). The family are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church and all are held in the highest esteem in their community. Mr. Todd is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and also of the Masonic lodge- at Correctionville, Iowa. In 1893 he was elected county judge of Gar- field county, by the Republican party. He still takes a deep interest in local politics but does not seek office, preferring to lead a quiet home life. F. S. WILCOX. The above gentleman is known as one of the successful business men of McCook, Red- willow county, Nebraska, and recognized as among the best judges of live stock and all 128 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY conditions of ranching, farm lands and mar- kets in the western part of the state of Ne- braska. He is an authority on the subjects of breeding and feeding all kinds of stock, and one of the leading men of this locality. Mr. Wilcox was born in Canaan and reared in Columbia county, New York, settling in Oilman. Iroquois county, Illinois, in 1870, where he was engaged in the mercantile busi- ness for fourteen years. His brother, the Hon- orable J. A. Wilcox, is a merchant residing at Alma, Nebraska, and his sketch appears in this volume on another page. Our subject first came to Nebraska in 1884, embarking in the mercantile business, and the following year started in the live stock business in addition to his other interests, buying and shipping stock. He owns a large ranch of seven hun- dred acres situated on the river opposite Mc- Cook, and this he uses for feeding purposes. He is also the proprietor of another ranch of one thousand seven hundred and twenty acres on Dry Creek, and on this he keeps one hun- dred head of registered Hereford cattle, having one of the finest herds in this locality, selling these animals at private sales throughout this state, Colorado and the west, where he is well known. He begun with Hereford cattle in 1902, and has been most successful in this line of work. He ships about two hundred cars of hogs and the same number of cattle each year, and during the year 1907 expects to even exceed this amount, now having on feed about one thousand one hundred head of cattle which he bought in Nebraska and Colorado. Since first locating here he has raised, bought and shipped hogs, and finds this very profitable. He was one of the first in this localitv to sow alfalfa, beginning in 1889. This has added greatly to the wealth of this state, and is a wonderfully successful product. His first crop in 1889 cut five tons to the acre in 1906, and has never needed re-seeding. He has refused eight dollars per ton, which equals forty dol- lars per acre for this grass. He contends that this country is as nearly perfect as can be found anywhere for feeding and fattening cat- tle, as the cattle do well through the mild and dry winters. One winter he fed at Hooper, Nebraska, and says he would give from five to eight cents per bushel more for corn here owing wholly to weather conditions, as a per- son can make cattle so much more comfort- able here and fatten quicker and cheaper. All of the Divide land has doubled in the last eighteen months, and he has bought and sold a great deal. Bottom lands are scarcer and have been held firm owing to the cul- ture of beets and alfalfa. The land here to- day is not selling for one-half what it is worth, when a man can raise from thirty to forty bushels of wheat to the acre. Mr. Wil- cox has now on his three places about nine hundred head of hogs. He always selects the best breeds, but these he does not register. He has settled on the Black Poland China as the best suited to his purpose, after trying all other breeds, as when fat they sell for more money and they mature quicker and it takes less corn to fatten them. Mr. Wilcox was married in 1875 to Miss Katie Lovejoy, and this union has been blessed with one child, a son, named Harry J. Mr. ^^'ilcox is one of the representative men in western Nebraska, highly respected and esteemed by his fellowmen. He has built up a fine home in McCook, and is one of the wealthiest men in this locality. PETER M. PERSON. Peter M. Person, residing on section 18, Lake township, Phelps county, is proprietor of a fine one hundred and sixty acre farm, which he took up as a homestead in 1879, building a sod house and starting a home and farm. For the first five or six years he was unable to raise a crop, and up to 1884 he met with much discouragement in his work. After that he had good success, and for the past six years has raised a fine crop of winter wheat each season, and as he has tried all kinds, states that winter wheat is the best for his locality. When Mr. Person first settled here Kearney was the nearest market place, and the country very thinly settled, and he has watched the development and growth of the region from its earliest beginning, and has been no small factor in its development. Mr. Person is a native of Sweden, who came to this country when about twenty-six years of age. He was a sailor on the lakes, settling in Chicago after landing in this coun- try, where he remained for eleven years. He was captain and owner of a two-masted schooner, and was also engaged in carry- ing lumber on the lakes. Prior to this he spent twelve years on the ocean as first mate on the brigs Rosetta and James Crow. While in this work he traveled all over the world and had many interesting experiences, being shipwrecked at one time. Before going as a sailor four or five years he attended the navi- gation school in his native country, and grad- uated as captain of a first-class ship under a rigid examination. His father, Martin Person, COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 1 29 was a teacher for thirty years in the public schools there, and his son naturally followed in his footsteps and acquired a splendid edu- cation. He has been treasurer of Lake town- ship for several terms, and his early training and education has eminently fitted him to take a leading place among his fellows. From all his experience gained by travel of the different parts of this country, he considers this part of Nebraska the best he has ever seen, for health, farming or stock-raising, and he is content to remain here for the balance of his time. Air. Person was united in marriage in 1873 to Miss Hannah Erickson, born in Norway, who came to this country about 1865, at the age of fifteen. Their marriage has been blessed with a splendid family of children, who are named as follows: Edwin B. is man- ager of the grain elevator at Funk, Phelps county ; Albert W. is holding the same posi- tion at Sacramento, this county; Julius and Ernest T. are both living at home, and one daughter, Annie Caroline, is the wife of A. T. Curtis, of Sacramento, manager of a grain elevator at that place. Emma died at the age of twenty-one. John Martin is in the whole- sale store of Granger Bros, at Lincoln, Ne- braska. In political sentiment Mr. Person is an independent and reform voter. FLOYD H. FIELD. Floyd H. Field, residing at Dunning, in Blaine county, Nebraska, is one of the old timers of that region. He came to the locality ahead of the railroads, when the country was full of wild game of all kinds, and most of the land raw prairie with settlers few ajid far be- tween, and has watched every change which has taken place here since that time, and has the satisfaction that much of the success now- enjoyed by the people of the locality has come about through his aid. He is one of the wealthy residents of his county, enjoying a fine home, and is held in the highest esteem by all who know him. IMr. Field was born in Cook county, Illinois, in 1852. His father, Oliver, who married Nar- cissa Miner, was a farmer, and both were born and raised in Vermont. Floyd grew up in Illinois, twenty-two miles west of Chicago, and helped his parents carry on the home farm until he was about eighteen years of age, then left home and begun railroading on the Chi- cago and Northwestern Railway, working as a trainman for eleven years. During his career as a trainman he was in two serious wrecks, and on one occasion was buried in the debris of a baggage car, but was fortunate enough to escape without injury. He and his brother, F. W., came west to southern Colorado and worked in the mines at Silverton, remaining there for two years, then they came to Merna, Nebraska, landing there in 1880. He filed on a homestead and im- proved the place to the extent of one hundred and twenty-five dollars, then sold out for twen- ty-five dollars, living on the place for a part of one year, then went to Cherry county, south of Fort Niobrara, where he spent three or four months. His next move was to Lena, near where Dunning now stands, and there he be- gan working for the C. O. D. Cattle Company, and worked as a cowboy for two years, rough- ing it all of that time, most of the time camp- ing out on the plains, winter and summer. He finally went into the stock business for himself in 1884, establishing a ranch near Dun- ning on land which had formerly been used by the C. O. D. Cattle Company, and has been in the business ever since. He has a ranch of three thousand acres of deeded land, and runs from five hundred to seven hundred head of cattle each year. The place is well im- proved with substantial buildings and fences, has fine water supply, etc., and is one of the widely known stock ranges of the west. Our subject and his brother, F. W., have been as- sociated in business together ever since they came to Nebraska, and personally superintend their large ranch and both have fine residences in Dunning. Mr. Field is married and has one child, Albert Floyd Field. Our subject is among the prominent men of his section, and remem- bers all the old Nebraska times, having hauled posts from Upper Dismal river to Grand Is- land, which he traded for groceries in the first years of his residence here. HARVEY L. MILLAY. Harvey L. Millay, banker and successful business man of Springview, Keya Paha coun- ty, is accorded a high station among the worthy citizens of this locality. Mr. Millay is the active manager of the Stockmen's Bank of Springview, organized in 1900, incorporated and opened for business March 1st, of that year. This bank was the first institution of the kind in Springview since 1893, and is now the oldest bank in the town. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Mr. Millay is a native of Leland, La Salle county, Illinois, born October 17, 1866. His father, Robert Millay, was a stockman and pioneer settler in Keya Paha county, coming here in 1884, four years prior to his death. He came to this section in its early days, and was one of those who helped to establish the coun- ty-seat of Springview. The mother of our subject was Miss Ellen Deach, a native of Blane, Pennsylvania, who joined her husband in this county a year after his advent here, and she now lives in Springview. She was reared and educated in Livingston county. Our subject attended high school at Odell. Illi- nois, whither his parents moved in 1869, from which institution he graduated in 1883. The following \'ear he entered the employ of a large grocery establishment in Chicago and remained with this concern until 1887. when he came to Nebraska and located in Keya Paha county. Here he clerked for D. A. Davis for two years, and then purchased the hardware business of Wolf & Logan, which he conducted for the following ten years. In 1895 he was elected county clerk and served in this capacity for four years, and at the expiration of his term established the bank of which he is now the cashier, Mr. E. D. Reynolds, a capitalist of the east, being president. In 1904 these two gentlemen, together with Mr. J. '^\. Hack- ler. organized the Gregory State Bank, located at Gregory, South Dakota, on what was the Rosebud Reservation. This was the first banking institution established on that reser- vation, and opened for business in 1905 with a capital of S25,000. Its growth has been phe- nomenal, and now does the largest business of any l:)ank in that territory. Mr. Millay is active manager of t'he bank, dividing his time between this and the Stockmen's Bank at Springview. Besides these interests he owns three bodies of land aggregating two thousand acres, situated in Keya Paha county, and en- gages to a large extent in stock raising, per- sonally managing the affairs of the ranches. Mr. Millay was married in September, 1888, to Miss Emma Banks, born in Clayton county, Iowa, a daughter of James Banks, who is a prominent farmer of Clayton county. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Mil- lay, who are named as follows: Edna E., Robert Lloyd, Fern, Don B., and Ruth, all born in Springview excepting Edna, who was born on the old homestead in Custer precinct, within sight of the town. Mr. Millay has since his residence in this section taken a deep interest in all affairs that tended to the general improvement of his com- munitv. and has been instrumental in the de- velopment of. the commercial and educational opportunities throughout the county. He has held local office at dift'erent times, and at present is a member of the town board. Fra- ternally he is an active member of the Knights of Pythias and the Royal Highlanders of Springview. LOUIS JOHN FREDERICK lAEGER. Louis John Frederick laeger, better known throughout the western part of the LTnited States as "Billy, the Bear" is one of the pros- perous and prominent citizens of Dawes coun- ty, Nebraska, where for the past twenty-two years he has resided and acted in many official capacities, having been elected four terms as police judge and justice of the peace in the early days of the county when times were red hot for officials of any character. He was also elected for eleven years as city clerk of his favorite city of Chadron. Nebraska, and is at present serving a four-year term as clerk of the district court of Dawes county, as well as filling the offices of deputy clerk of the United States circuit and district courts. He is a native of Pennsylvania, where, in 1855, he first saw the light of day. His ancestors were all of strong German pioneer stock ; his great grand- father was spiritual adviser to Frederick the Great and the use of the royal coat of arms was given the laeger family, which fact is a matter of historical record, at this day, in Washington, District Columbus. His grandfa- ther on his father's side was the Rev. G. F. I, laeger, a pioneer who helped to settle Penn- sylvania and whose record is monumental among the Lutheran synods of that state for his good deeds in the pulpit of Berks county. From this venerable ancestor it is believed that the subject of this sketch inherited his own truly charitable instincts, his exceptional busi- ness integrity and his systematic quality of mind. His father. Charles S. laeger, was a coachmaker by trade and followed his profes- sion at Hamburg, Pennsylvania, up to the time of his death which occurred when Louis was five years of age. A year later his mother was stricken with paralysis, caused from a runaway team which killed his father the year before and at which time our subject was with his parents, but was unhurt in the aft'air. His democratic principles, as to the mean- ing of liberty and freedom of speech, never suited his next of kin after the death of his parents and at the tender age of six he was sent, via Central America, to California, where he was raised by his father's brother in Yuma, L. J. F. lAEGER. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 131 California, who, at that time, was one of the wealthiest and largest contractors on the Pa- cific coast and who was known as Don Diego. From 1861 to 1869 our subject's associates were mostly Spaniards, his uncle being mar- ried to one of Castile's beauties, and together with his cousins attended Spanish school until after the civil war, after which his education was entrusted to private tutors. His progress was rapid among the arts and mechanics of those days while nautical works were the pre- ferred studies of this wonderful boy of only thirteen who, by this time, had learned to be a pilot on one of the river boats, of which his uncle was owner. At sixteen years of age he passed the edu- cational exa'mination for the Annapolis Naval Academy; but was rejected on account of a slight defect with one of his ears. He never faltered, however, and in the fall of the same year underwent a critical examination before the New York Nautical Academy and was granted his diploma and two years later he received a navigator's certificate as a sailing master entitling him to sail the high seas as a captain notwithstanding he was at that time under the age limit and was compelled to un- dergo a severe examination in consequence. In 1873 he entered the employ of W. R. Grace & Co., of New York city, in what was then known as the California Grain Fleet between Liverpool and San Francisco ; but his blood was too fast for so slow going crafts and the following year, after having made a trip over- land from New York to San Francisco, he was especially employed as quartermaster on board the City of Pekin, one of the finest 5.000 ton liners then plying between San Francisco and the Oriental ports including the Yellow Pearl domain, and which vessel was a sister ship to the City of Tokio, both of which belonged to the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company. Having already traveled twice around the world as sailor and tourist and while thus employed as quartermaster on one of his trips, he made the acquaintance of a rich nobleman's son, who, taking a fancy to his roving spirit and bright disposition, sought him as a partner and guide in his travels over the world, offering to pay all bills, which offer was accepted and the "Ropes" were again overhauled and the world was seen from "High Points." In 1876 he cast anchor in the publishing house of A. L. Bancroft & Co., of 721 Market street, San Francisco, where he worked as proof reader on the Herbert H. Bancroft se- ries, the most remarkable original historical work ever produced on this side of the Atlan- tic by a single brain. "Around the world in eighty days" again took him to Australia in the early part of 1877 and, returning to San Francisco in June of that year, he appeared on the boards of the Grand Opera House in the play of "Snowflake." Buffalo Bill was at that time touring the Pacific coast with "The Buf- falo Bill Combination Company," and soon Mr. laeger was engaged to play the part of a bear in the play of "Red Right Hand," with which Cody was taking the Californians by storm. He soon became Cody's private secretary and, with the closing of the season, he accompa- nied the noted scout to North Platte, Nebraska, where he decided to cast his lot with the plainsmen and cowpunchers of the frontier, anything for novelty and newness being his sole enjoyment. The opening up of a new cattle country on the famous Niobrara river in the northern part of Nebraska next caught his fancy and in 1878 he was one of the leaders there in the warfare on the Cheyenne Indians who were burning ranches and killing the cattlemen. For two years this suited him and the hardships of a nomadic life proved to make him a man of steel. Soon, however, civilization commenced to move westward, and Fort Niobrara was es- tablished at Valentine, Nebraska. Sheridan and Fort Robinson were military posts further west and the white covered wagons of the early settlers were getting too numerous and consequently it was no more a good cattle countr}' and "Billy" migrated to the Snake creek country on the Black Hills road on the shores of Broncho Lake years before it could have been dreamed that Alliance would come and drink up its waters. In 1881 he again "moved camp" and went to Texas, where he purchased one thousand five hundred head of stock horses and, to use his own words, made a "wagon full of money." In the same year the Wood river gold ex- citement attracted his attention in Idaho and not until he had wasted $45,000 of money "that was good in Europe," did he make up his mind that mining was out of his class. Those were the days of strenuous and tumultuous life or spectacular times, — up one morning and down the next. The man who could stand loss was a safe one to tie to, but woe to him who sor- rowed for gold. Our subject was not of the latter kind ; he was constructed of steel bands, and when he came down, he found himself in the saddle once more punching cows for Sud- duth and Montgomery on Rock creek, in Wy- oming, content with $75.00 per month. Soon, however, Mr. laeger's services were sought by eastern capitalists then organizing a monster cattle company to be known as "The 132 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Yellow Stone Cattle Company," and Colonel Cody, his old friend, was foremost in testi- monials touching Mr. Jaeger's qualifications to manage this vast undertaking, but his star of fate seems to have been against him from this point, for this engagement was the forerunner of the saddest experience of his life, and which has been to him a tragedy for the past twenty- five years, and will be so no matter how hard he may seem to want to forget it until his remains are laid away in the silent tomb. He was on an errand in obedience to his employers, when, overtaken in a Wyoming blizzard, he lost both feet and all his fingers, after having been exposed for five days and four nights to the coldest weather Wyoming has ever experienced. His detailed story of those days and nights are enough to chill one's blood and, but for the fact that he has refused to re-write it for this work, we would gladly give it space. Left penniless and almost distracted at his loss, he still relied on science to assist him in the world. He at once procured a set of Kolbe Artificials and set about to educate himself more with a view of adapting himself to clerical work. From the time of his release from the hospital at Laramie City, Wyoming, May 5, 1883, to April, 1886, he continued his studies and exerted his all-powerful will to overlook his own wants and disadvantages and assist others who might be in greater distress. He has certainly accomplished wonders and bears the name throughout the entire west as a liberal, generous-hearted man, ever ready to lend a hand for the purpose of uplifting a brother in need. In 1882 he married one of the brightest and handsomest young ladies of his county and today stands as a living monument among his fellow citizens as a man fully and thoroughly capable of having a good home of his own adorned by a loving and devoted wife and two boys, aged fifteen and seven, who will soon be able to assist their father in his work for the advancement of mankind. He cast his maiden vote for Samuel J- Tilden and thereby incurred the displeasure of an uncle who cut him short $59,999, leaving him $1.00, while to his brothers and sisters, each was given $60,000. He is a Democrat to the core, and studies other governments in unison with our own. He swears by W. J. Bryan and hopes the God of Fate may be with his cause. His friends in fraternal orders are legion and especially so among the Fraternal Order of Eagles, in which order he holds high office, both at home and throughout his state, being recognized as a worker for anything that may befriend and do good to a brother in distress. Judge E. S. Ricker, ex-county judge and journalist, of Chadron, has this to say of him : "I have been personally acquainted with L. J. F. laeger in an official and a business manner as well as in a friendly relation for twenty-one years, and it gives me much hap- piness to say he possesses exceptional worth as a man ; a well recognized capacity for busi- ness, which has been developed by study and experience and that in his long service in minor judicial positions he has displayed sound and impartial judgment which recommend him to his fellow citizens for re-election. "Whenever called to any position of honor or trust he has not failed to continue to deserve the respect which raised him to the public place or confidential connections. He has seen much of the world, and his knowledge of men and of human nature helps to fit him with a special competency for the high and honorable place to which his aspirations invite him. "He is courteous and obliging in disposi- tion, which qualities of the agreeable man dis- tinctly mark his intercourse with others and at the same time he may be depended upon for ready decision and prompt action, spring- ing from his ability for both, and afterwards to maintain these by such firmness as gives stability to all proceedings. "It is to me both a personal pleasure and privilege to pay this tribute to such a remark- able and deserving man while he lives ; it could do him no good after he is dead." A portrait of IMr. laeger appears on another page of this work. MICHAEL D. JORDAN. Michael D. Jordan, county treasurer, is one one of the old settlers of Sioux county, Ne- braska, who has gone through many hard and bitter experiences during the early settlement of this region, and on three distinct occasions in his career experienced the sensation of be- ing down to "rock bottom" so far as finances were concerned. He has seen as much of the seamy side of pioneer life as any one who has settled in the wilds of Nebraska, but through it all has done his best to assist in the develop- ment of his locality, and his name will occupy a prominent place in the history of its growth. Mr. Jordan was born in Kenosha county, Wisconsin, on a farm, April IS, 1848. His parents were of Irish birth, both emigrating to this country when children, and were raised and educated here, where their parents settled in the early days. Our subject grew up in his native state, COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY ^33 assisting his father in carrying on the home farm, early learning to do all kinds of hard work, and when he was nineteen years of age the family left Wisconsin and moved to Boone county, Iowa, where they lived until Michael was thirty-eight. In 1886 Mr. Jordan came to Sioux county, Nebraska, and during the first several months in this region was employed on construction work on the Chicago & Northwestern Railway which was then being laid through to Douglas, Wyoming. He filed on a tract of government land situated twenty-five miles northeast of Harrison, and rapidly improved it and proved up on the claim. In 1893 he established a general merchandise store at Adelia, Nebraska, and conducted that place for about thirteen years, and did well in that line. In 1901 he purchased a nice ranch in section 29, town- ship 33, range 53, and still owns the property. It is well improved, and is at present rented out, while he is attending to his duties as county treasurer at Harrison. He occupies a handsome and pleasant home in Harrison vil- lage, where the family have a host of good friends and congenial neighbors. Mr. Jordan is one of the organizers of Sioux county, and was the first postmaster at Adelia, which was established in 1892. In 1907 our subject was elected county treasurer on the Republican ticket, and is now serving in that capacity, and has proven a most capable and popular public official. Mr. Jordan was married in 1905 to Mrs. Clara Davis. H. M. WARRINER. H. M. Warriner, proprietor of one of the finest farms in Franklin county, Nebraska, is one of the oldest settlers in this locality. He has done his full share toward the develop- ment of the agricultural resources of the re- gion where he chose his home, and is a widely known and universally respected citizen. Mr. Warriner was born in Geauga county, Ohio, in 1836, and brought up in that state. His father, William Warriner. was also a na- tive of Ohio, the family originally coming from New York state, and after our subject grew up, the father came to Nebraska and bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres situated near Riverton, which he lived on up to the time of his death. The mother, prior to her marriage, was Miss Emily Bushnell, daughter of Martin Bushnell. In 1861 our subject enlisted in the Forty- first Ohio Infantry, and served as a soldier for two years and a half. He took part in many of the large battles, among them the battle of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, Vicksburg and all the battles of the sixteenth army corps. He was obliged to leave the army on account of sickness, and he then went to Iowa where he farmed in Delaware county. Since his ex- perience here in Nebraska he states that this is a much better farming country than Iowa, as the land is fully as good, and the crops are as good as can be raised anywhere. Besides this, the climate is delightful, and one man can do as much work here as two can do there. Mr. Warriner has a farm of four hundred acres and has it in the finest shape imaginable. He has good buildings and everything in the way of rnodern machinery to properly run the place'. He is assisted in its operation by his eldest son, Willard David Warriner, who is married and living at home, taking the heaviest burdens from the shoulders of his father. They carry on mixed farming, and keep quite a large num- ber of grade cattle, also many hogs for market. Mr. Warriner was married to Miss Abbie Walder. Besides the son mentioned above, Mr. and Mrs. Warriner are the parents of the following children: George, married, and fa- ther of two children ; Roy. attending school, and Blanche, a teacher in "the Franklin county schools. ]\Ir. Warriner is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and for forty years has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and one of the earnest workers in that lodge. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. In political sentiment our subject is a strong Republican, and takes an active interest in party affairs. He has served Franklin county as sheriff for two terms, from 1900 to 1903, and in 1902 was superintendent of the county farm up to 1905. He has been a mem- ber of the school board for many years, and acted as secretary and treasurer of that body during a long period. JOSEPH OBERFELDER. Among the business enterprises which con- tribute in a marked degree to the prosperity of Sidney, Cheyenne county, Nebraska, as a business point, the clothing and gents' furnish- ing goods store of Joseph Oberfelder occupies a prominent place. This is one of the best and most complete stores in this section, and the proprietor is well known to the people of the county for his honest business methods 134 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY and careful attention to the needs of his pa- trons. Mr. Oberfelder was born in New York city, September 18, 1858. His father was a mer- chant there, and the family is of Bavarian stock, the lather coming to America in 1830, while his mother, who was Miss Betsy Bach- man, came to this country in 1834. Our sub- ject was educated and grew up in his native city, graduating from the grammar school when he was thirteen years of age. In 1875 he came west to Omaha, and there secured a position as cashier and bookkeeper for Max- meyer & Co., and had entire charge of the financial part of that concern. He remained there for two years, then came to Sidney and opened a store, carrying a general line of clothing, revolvers and ammunition, saddlery, pocket cutlery, blankets, chaperajos, boots, shoes, etc., also all kinds of sporting goods. He has built up a good trade and an enviable reputation as a business man, and now carries a complete stock of clothing, gents' furnishing goods, and sporting goods, and is well-known throughout this section and highly esteemed for his strict integrity and industry. Mr. Ober- felder has been in business here for thirty years in all, and is the owner of valuable prop- erty in Sidney and all through Cheyenne county. He has associated with him his broth- er, Robert S., and the Oberfelder block in Sid- ney is owned by the two brothers, as is also a fine ranch near Lodgepole. They are also ex- tensively engaged in buying all kinds of school and county warrants and municipal securities. In 1881 our subject returned to New York city and was there married to Miss Hannah Rosenthal, daughter of Gustave Rosenthal, im- porter of cloths and woolens. Mrs. Oberfelder is a graduate of the grammar school in New York, and is a very estimable lady. Eight children have been born to them, named as follows: Blanche, Sidney, Lillian. Clara Belle, Arthur M., Beatrice Hazel, Irving Tobias, and Leonie, all born in Sidney. During the time Mr. Oberfelder lived in New York city he was president and secretary of the Cooper Union Literary Class, president of the Charles Sumner Literary Union, also secretary of the Hamilton Literary Society. Since locating in Nebraska Mr. Oberfelder has been active in educational affairs, and has served as county superintendent of the public schools in Cheyenne county, from 1881 to 1883. He was mayor of Sidney from 1887 to 1889. He is a prominent member of the Masonic lodge here, Frank Welch No. 75, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; Sidney Lodge 196, An- cient Order of United Workmen ; Modern Woodmen of America No. 1096, and Legion of Honor. He belongs to the Mystic Legion of America, and takes an active part in the social affairs of Sidney. He is now Master Work- man of the A. O. U. W., and Venerable Consul of the Modern Woodmen of America Camp. In political views he is a loyal Democrat, and a particular friend and warm supporter of Wil- liam Jennings Bryan. JOHN F. TROXEL. John F. Troxel, deceased, was one of the very first settlers in Loup county, locating in 1879. He was born on a farm in Maryland, in 1845, and was the son of John and Sophia (Wilhide) Troxel. John F. Troxel, deceased, saw service in the civil war as a member of Company G, Third Maryland Infantry, and when the war was over he came west to Illinois, where, in 1868, he was married to Miss Mary J. Groves, a native of New York state. Her father was Jeremiah Groves, who lived and died in New York ; her mother was Miss Susanna Livings- ton before marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Troxel had seven children : Harvey, Alice, John, George and Harry ; Annie and Ernest are deceased. In 1869 Mr. and Mrs. Troxel came west to Saunders county, Nebraska, where they lived for ten years, and when they first came, only a few shacks could be seen. They migrated to Loup county in March, 1879, and located a homestead eleven miles up the Loup river from Taylor. They came overland in a cov- ered wagon and were two weeks on the road. The nearest trading points were North Loup and Ord ; and a little later Burwell and Sear- gent. Mr. Troxel's first house was a log cabin with a sod roof, and everything was of the most primitive nature. John F. Troxel died in the fall of 1888, when the oldest boy was eighteen years of age. Mrs. Troxel, from this time on, had to take all the responsibility of looking after the farm and providing for the family. The dry years came and these were hard times for the pio- neers. But Mrs. Troxel has succeeded by her good management in making a fine home and bringing the farm of three hundred and twen- ty acres to a high state of improvement. She has good buildings and machinery, a fine grove of forest trees and a nice bunch of cattle and other stock. In August, 1907, Mrs. Troxel moved to Taylor and left the oldest son, Harvey, in charge of the farm. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 135 Mr. and Mrs. Troxel were among the first settlers and took an important and honorable position in the growth of the community. They had many hard experiences during their pioneer days, but they survived them and grew in wealth and prosperity. Once, while her hus- band was gone for supplies, a number of Indians made their way into the house with- out her knowledge. After giving her quite a scare, the Indians asked for a little flour, but, as her supply was low, she had to refuse them. They made no trouble but hung around the house. Fortunately, Air. Troxel arrived the next day with his load of supplies, and a trade was made with the Indians so that they got their flour and went away happy. IRA E. TASK. Among the early settlers in western Ne- braska, who labored for the upbuilding of that region and has met with marked success as a business man and gained a high station as a citizen, none commands higher respect and es- teem than the subject of this review. Mr. Tash is a gentleman of active public spirit, and has been prominent in local and county affairs for many years past, serving in diliferent offi- cial capacities, to which he was elected on the Republican ticket, and is also well known in Masonic circles throughout this country. He resides in Alliance, Box Butte county, and has acted as postmaster of that place since 1903, proving a most popular and efficient man for the place, universally esteemed as a true and worthy citizen. Mr. Tash was born in Clark county, Iowa, in 1862. His father, Louis Tash, was a native of Indiana, whose grandfather was of an old South Carolina family. He married Miss Mary E. Weeter, and they started life together in a log cabin on a farm, where our subject grew up assisting his parents in carrying on the farm work and at the same time attending the country schools until he was nineteen years of age. He progressed rapidly and was able to teach in their vicinity during the winters, and his summers were spent in railroading. He followed this work for seven years, and in 1887 left Indiana and came west, first settling in Nonpariel (now extinct), then the county seat of Box Butte county. There he was en- gaged in the real estate and farm loan busi- ness for ten years, aiding materially in settling the country and developing the commercial and agricultural resources of the region. In the fall of 1889 he was elected county clerk and served his term, then the county seat was moved to Hemingford. At the expiration of his term of office he, together with S. P. Tuttle, opened a law, loan and real estate business, which they continued with success from 1892 to 1899, in September of the latter year our subject removing to Alliance, where the county seat had finally been established, he also mov- ing his dwelling house to Alliance. For the following two years he worked at railroad con- struction on the Union Pacific. In 1902 he became associate editor of The Times, a lead- ing newspaper of Alliance, retaining this po- sition for one year, then was appointed post- master, which position he is now filling with much credit. In 1905 he was appointed re- ceiver of the Bank of Hemingford and satis- factorily disposed of that business. Mr. Tash is a man of superior business tact and exec- utive ability, and had filled numerous respon- sible positions. In 1888 our subject married Miss Eva M. Wilcox, daughter of B, J. Wilcox, a farmer of Union county, Iowa. To Mr. and Mrs. Tash have been born the following children : Charles C, Emma E., and Nellie M. Since locating in Alliance Mr. Tash has been actively interested in all local affairs and has held numerous offices, in each of which he has discharged his duties faithfully' and well, gaining the confidence of his fellow-men by his strict integrity and honest dealings. He is past master of the Alliance Lodge No. 183, A. F. and A. M., and a member of the Sheba Chapter No. 54, also a member of the Eastern Star, and Bunah Commandery No. 26, Knights Templar. ALFRED C. KENDALL. In reviewing the list of prominent pioneer business men of Rock county, a leading place is accorded the name of Alfred C. Kendall. This gentleman has been intimately associated financially and socially with the development of this section of the country, and has been a potent factor in its upbuilding. Mr. Kendall was born in Canton, Bradford county. Pa., on January 4, 1837, the second in a family of three children. His father, Seneca Kendall, a native of Vermont and a wagon- maker by trade, was of Irish descent, and his mother. Miss Sally Andrus, was of German stock, and died when our subject was a small lad. He was raised in Pennsylvania and re- mained with his father until the latter's death, which occurred in 1877. In 1862 our subject was married to Miss Susan Andrus, of Ameri- 136 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY can ancestry, and six children were born to them, namely: Carrie, wife of J. B. Gould, of Brown county; Guy. who married Gertrude Harrison ; Monroe, whose wife was Edyth Piersall ; Chester C. ; Kate, who married Mr. Trogood and lives west of Bassett ; and Min- nie. The wife and mother died January 2, 1891, and Mr. Kendall was subsequently mar- ried to Mrs. Anna (Matson) Andrus. While in Pennsylvania Mr. Kendall fol- lowed carpentry, and after working at this for twenty years came to Cass county, Ne- braska, locating twenty miles east of Lincoln, in 1881, buying a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, on which he remained for three years. In 1884 the family moved to Rock county, settling on a government tract located in section 11, township 31, range 20, where they lived for twelve years. This land was subject to drouth and he sold out and in 1896 bought part of his present farm, situated in section 26, township 32, range 20, paying $650 for one hundred and sixty acres, this being en- tirely unimproved land, with a good growth of natural timber on it, and located close to the Niobrara river. Since then they have added to this farm and improved it, until now, to- gether with his sons, he has sixteen hundred acres of homestead and deeded land and leases four hundred acres additional, operating alto- gether two thousand acres, enclosed by thir- teen or fourteen miles of fence. They also have a good set of farm buildings, a fine or- chard of sixty bearing trees, and a twenty- acre tract of irrigated land, which is conceded to be the best market garden in northwestern Nebraska. Three reservoirs have been built on the range by damming the spring streams which run from the hills, one built in 1900, another in 1901, and the third in 1902, and from these Mr. Kendall conserves water enough to irrigate the twenty acres above men- tioned, although there are years when no irri- gation is necessary, the natural rainfall being sufficient. Dairying is one branch of industry of this enterprising family, the cream of twenty cows being shipped to eastern markets. Farm- ing and ranching also have their place on this productive estate, each of which is conducted on an extensive scale. Mr. Kendall insists that much credit is due his family, and in particular his son, Guy R. Kendall, who is business man- ager, for their part in the building up and im- proving of this property. Of the Kendall ranch thirty acres are situated on the river bottom, and this has been cleared of brush and timber, thus forming a valueble portion of the farm. During the Rebellion Mr. Kendall volun- teered twice and was rejected. Later he en- listed in the One Hundred and Forty-ninth Pennsylvania Infantry, in September, 1863, at Williamsport. He was assigned to duty with the Army of the Potomac under Colonel Dwight, serving si.x months during the winter of 1863 and 1864 on guard duty along a rail- road, a crippled foot preventing his partici- pating in long marches, a disability for which he was discharged in the spring of 1864. Mr. Kendall is a strong Republican, takes an active part in party politics, both local and state, having attended numerous conventions as a delegate. September 7, 1907, he was ap- pointed postmaster at Cuba postoffice and the daily mail is now distributed from his ranch. A view of the "Long Pine Valley Farm" and buildings will be found on another page. GUY R. KENDALL. Guy R. Kendall, a well-to-do young farmer of Rock county, Nebraska, where he is re- garded alike for his manly qualities and his farmer-like ways, was born in Canton, Penn- sylvania, in 1873, and reared in Bradford county, that state, until he was eight years of age. He is a son of Alfred C. Kendall, of whom a sketch appears on another page of this work. In 1881 the family moved to Nebraska and settled in Cass county, twenty miles east of Lincoln, and in 1884 moved to Rock county, some two and a half miles south of their pres- ent dwellings. At an early age our subject be- gan to handle a team and do farm work, and grew up accustomed to all sorts of hard work always to be found in carrying on a farm. He has remained at home with his parents, and has given all his time and best efforts in as- sisting in the improvement and operation of the large farm described in his father's sketch, being the business manager of their large and varied industries. Mr. Kendall was married June 23. 1903, to Gertrude K. Harrison, born near Jefferson, Green county, Iowa, in 1874. Her people were old settlers in Nebraska, where she was reared and educated. Her parents, James H. and Emma (Robinson) Harrison, were old settlers in Keya Paha county, where they started as pioneers, the family at first living in a log house, their first farming being done with a yoke of oxen. They built up a comfortable home in this locality, and were regarded as among the leading citizens of their commu- nity. Mrs. Kendall was, prior to her mar- riage, a teacher in the schools of Rock county for several years, and was a competent in- structor and verv estimable lady. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 137 Mr. Kendall has always taken an active part in the school work of his neighborhood, and has held different offices for the past twelve years. He is also active in political mat- ters, and was appointed county commissioner of Rock county in 1900, serving for one term. He was a Republican. Of the fraternal orders he is a member of two, the Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America. A view of his residence, together with that of his father, is to be seen elsewhere in this work. REINHARD GEISERT. A sketch of the history of western Nebraska would be incomplete without mention of Rein- hard Geisert, one of the most prosperous of the early settlers of this region. Reinhard Gei- sert was born in the little village of Eichstet- ten, province of Baden, Germany, August 3, 1861. His father, Matthew Geisert, was a farmer, and lived and died in Germany. His mother, who was Louisa Hornecker in her youth, died in Ogallala, July 31, 1908, at the residence of her son. Mr. Geisert remained in Germany until he was eighteen years of age, when he came to America, sailing from Havre. France, Febru- ary 10, 1880, and landed in New York after a voyage of thirteen days. He came direct to Henry county, Illinois, where several uncles had preceded him, and here he spent three years, at times engaged in farm labor and work in a sawmill, and attending school one winter during that time. In 1883 he turned west through Iowa and eastern Nebraska, looking over the country, seeing Keith county during the fall of this year. At that time cowboys and gamblers ruled the town of Ogallala and he saw man}^ thousands of dollars piled on the gambling tables of the town. Men were frequently killed in quar- rels during these days and drunken cowboys often rode through the town killing horses for which they afterward had to pay. In the fall of 1883 he filed on a homestead in section 28, township 13, range Z7 , which he im- proved the following year, farming a little and building a frame shanty and sod barn. He at times worked out for other settlers in eastern Nebraska, helping them to shuck their corn, to increase his income, when not employed on his own place. Until the winter of 1885 Mr. Geisert had been alone in this country, but at that time he revisited his old home and brought his mother, four brothers and a sister to this coun- trv, returning to Nebraska with them in 1886. Here his brothers settled on claims and com- menced farming with very little capital, after a time buying horses, cattle and machinery. They were obliged to endure many hard- ships during the dry years following 1890. From 1890 to 1895 they had but one good crop, the crop of 1892. In spite of all these discour- agements they persevered and began to raise cattle and horses, which made it possible for them to succeed when farming proved to be unprofitable. Mr. Geisert has a farm of one thousand acres at the present time, with as many more under his control ; two hundred acres he thor- oughly cultivates and the rest is devoted to pasturage, all enclosed with ten miles of fence. He has also several fine buildings on his farm, among them being a fine large house, and a barn which cost him two thousand dollars. ]\Ir. Geisert has from one hundred and fifty to two hundred head of cattle and fifteen head of horses. He milks from thirty to forty cows, whose cream brings in a comfortable and steady income. At times he raises hogs to help out his other enterprises, but does not raise a large herd every year. He was married in 1886 to Miss Katie Mil- ler, a native of Germany, whose father, Fred Miller, a native of that country, spent his entire life there. Mr. and Mrs. Geisert have eight children : Dora, wife of Otto Pankonin, of Perkins county ; Louisa, a teacher in the Keith county schools; Caroline, Reinhard, Jr., Min- nie, Robert, Mary and Ida. JNIr. Geisert has taken a prominent part in the establishment of the schools and has been school officer ever s-ince the schools were es- tablished. He also helped to build the first country church in the county. He was com- pelled to endure many hardships during the first years of his life in Nebraska and was often lost on the prairie where there were no roads or trails. The family all belong to the Lutheran church. Mr. Geisert is one of the most highly re- spected of the old settlers and has held many offices of trust, having been justice of the peace several terms and precinct assessor. He is a stanch Democrat. R. LISCO. R. Lisco is vice-president and general man- ager of the Rush Creek Land and Live Stock Company, with the home ranch located on sec- tion ZZ, township 16, range 46, situated at the head of Rush creek, in Deuel county, Nebraska. This company was organized in 1890, and was COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY formerly known as the Club Ranch, formed in 1883, was closed out in 1886 and reorgan- ized under the present name in 1890, with oiifi- cers as follows: Thomas E. Wells, president; R. Lisco. vice-president and general manager. R. Lisco. the subject of this sketch, was born in Worth county, Iowa, November 21, 1858. He grew up in Iowa, receiving a good schooling, following farming as a boy, and came to Platte count)' in 1873 and to Deuel county in 1881. Upon landing in this region he became interested in ranching and stock raising, and has devoted all his time to that pursuit ever since. The firm which he now represents owns forty-eight thousand acres of ranch land, besides other property. It is im- proved with good buildings of every kind and well equipped for the proper handling of a large herd of cattle, being (jne of the most complete Outfits of its kind in the west. They run from six thousand to eight thousand cat- tle each year, besides a large number of horses, at the present time having three hundred and fifty head on the ranch. Our subject was married at Chappell, Ne- braska, February 5, 1895, to Miss Addie R. Miller, who was born in Michigan and came west in 1894. They have no children. Mr. Lisco's father is living with him at the ad- vanced age of eighty-four years. Mr. Lisco has always taken an active part in local affairs and has been a leading citizen of his county since locating here. In 1889 he was elected sheriff of Deuel county, and served in all for four terms. COLONEL HARRY W. KIRBY. Colonel Harry W. Kirby, one of the Old set- tlers of Thomas county, Nebraska, now resid- ing in Thedford, is a leading citizen and popu- lar member of the business and social life of that community. Mr. Kirby was born in Carroll county, Ohio, in 1845, of American stock. His mater- nal grandfather, Jacob Bear, was of Pennsyl- vania Dutch blood, and one of the pioneer set- tlers of Ohio, having settled in Harrison coun- ty in 1813. The lather of our subject, Ephraim Kirby, was born in 1808 at Bedford, Pennsj-l- vania, and came to Ohio in 1824 with his mother, three brothers arid four sisters, all of whom were reared, educated and married and had large families. Ephraim taught school and entered a quarter of land, upon which he lived until his death in September, 1888. He married Elizabeth Bear in 1832, by which union they reared nine children, six boys and three girls, the colonel being fourth in line. At the age of fifteen our subject taught school and entered college and in 1861 he. with fifteen of his classmates, enlisted in the Eight- ieth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. This regiment followed the fortunes of Grant and Sherman through every southern state except Florida, and stained the soil with their blood at Shiloh, Corinth. luka. Yicksburg, Mission- ary' Ridge. Lookout Mountain, Atlanta, march to the sea. and up the coast to final surrender and grand review at \\'ashington. He was a brilliant soldier and held the position of lieu- tenant colonel of his regiment at the close of the war. After returning home when peace had been declared Colonel Kirby entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and took up a lit- erary course, graduating with high honors in 1869. He then read law and was admitted to the bar in his native state and later in In- diana, where he spent the ten years from 1880 to 1890 in law and editorial work as proprie- tor of the Decatur Journal. As a Republican he has always taken an active part in poli- tics. He came to the state of Nebraska in 1904, took up a section of. land under the Kin- caid law and has been twice elected county judge. Colonel Kirby was married in March, 1907, to Miss Elizabeth P. Crawford, a charming and accomplished lady, also from Ohio. JUDGE W. C. ELDER. W. C. Elder, of North Platte, Lincoln county, Nebraska, was elected judge of the county court in 1905. Prior to this he was clerk of the district court for fifteen years, and throughout all his public career has had the confidence and esteem of all who knew him for his honesty and integrity in all matters of public interest. Mr. Elder is a native of Indiana county, Pennsylvania, and his father was also born in that county. His grandfather, James El- der, was a fuller and farmer. In 1853, at the age of seven years, our subject came to Green county. Iowa, with his parents, where he aft- erwards farmed it for some time. He was jus- tice of the peace in that section, also assessor and deputy sheriff. He was the first man to sink a coal shaft in central Iowa, and was fortunate in obtaining a large amount of good coal. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 139 At the age of seventeen years he enHsted in Company C, Thirty-ninth Iowa Infantry, and served in the western army. He was at the battle of Red Mound, Tennessee, and scouted all over the central part of the latter state after the battle of Lookout jMountain. He was at Altoona Pass, Georgia, where the Thirty-ninth Regiment held the fort, over one- half of their number being killed or wounded, nine out of the eleven officers losing their lives in the encounter. At the same battle our sub- ject received two wounds which incapacitated him from service for a time, but he rejoined his regiment at Goldsboro, North Carolina, in April, 1865, and took part in the grand review at Washington in M,ay, 1865. In 1882 Mr. Elder came to Nebraska and located at ^Medicine Creek on a farm, where he engaged in stock raising, holding this prop- ert}- up to 1905, then sold out his interest. He settled in North Platte in 1889, and has been prominent in politics for forty-one years, al- wavs a strong Republican. He was justice of the peace for many years, and is widely known all through this section of the country as an active public-spirited citizen. Mr. Elder was married in 1867 at Rippy, Iowa, to ]\Irs. E. A. York. They have one son, Ora, of North Platte, who is a prominent real estate dealer and actively interested in county and state politics. He is chairman of the Re- publican county committee, and also of the senatorial committee. Our subject's first wife died at North Platte, Nebraska, in October, 1883, and on January 5, 1898, he married Mrs. Mary H. Clerk, of North Platte. This union has been blessed with one son, W. C, born September 8, 1900. ALFRED W. ROGERS. For over twenty years past the gentleman above named has been identified with the agri- cultural interests of Wheeler county, Ne- braska. He has aided materially in transform- ing this locality from its wild natural state into the thriving farming district it has now become. Mr. Rogers is a gentleman of un- usual perseverance and energy, and has met with deserved success in his labors and is to- day classed among the leading citizens of his community. Alfred W. Rogers was born in Kent county, Michigan, in 1853. His father, Joseph Rogers, was a native of Canada and married Lucinda Hathaway, also a native of that country, and they left their native land and came to the L'nited States during their young days, set- tling in Newaygo county, Michigan, where they built up a good home, and where their children grew up. Our subject remained there up to 1878, when he was twenty-three years of age, then came west, locating in Nebraska, taking up a pre-emption in section 26, town- ship 21, range 11, Wheeler county. He bought land as he became able, and kept improving his place, and is now proprietor of as. fine a farm as can be found in this locality, con- taining in all four hundred and eighty acres, on which he grows small grains of all kinds. In addition to his farming operations Mr. Rog- ers deals in stock to quite an extent, running cattle and hogs principally, but he is of the opinion that his farm is better adapted to grain raising and cultivates nearly all of it for this purpose. He has erected a good set of substantial farm buildings, has good wells, windmills, etc., and is widely known through- out the locality as an agriculturist of ability and a good business man. In 1883 Air. Rogers was married to Miss Helen Westbrook, born and reared in New York state, and of this union six children were born, who are named as follows : Ella, Ida, ;\lyrtle, Thomas, Frank and Alice. Air. Rogers is an independent voter, and while he takes a keen interest in local public aiTairs, has never aspired to office, preferring to give his whole attention to the development of his farm and in the quiet of his home life. How- ever, he has served on the school board in his district for several years. JOHN A. SLATER. For the past twenty-five years the citizens of Alinden, Kearney county, Nebraska, have had in their midst a gentleman who has been identified with the development and growth of this region from its early settlement. Mr. Sla- ter is engaged in the real estate and loan busi- ness, and has occupied the office where he now carries on his business since the year 1883. Mr. Slater is a native of Whiteside county, Illinois, born in 1856. His father, Roswell Sla- ter, was a member of the Seventy-fifth Illinois Infantry, and died while fighting for his coun- try in 1863. Mr. Slater is now chairman of the county board of supervisors, serving his second term. He is also president of the First National Bank at Bertrand, and controls most of the stock of that bank, which was established December 140 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 13, 1906. The contracts for the new $80,000 court house is under his control as chairman of the county board, and much of his time is spent in looking after these different matters. He has been county surveyor a great deal of his time since coming here. Kearney county rates as high as any, the best land averaging seventy-iive dollars per acre, and in 1905 Mr. Slater sold sixty farms in Gosper county. In 1906 he sold from thirty to forty quarter sec- tions in Cheyenne county, also a great deal in Phelps county and Kearney county. He has been one of the leading real estate men in western Nebraska for many years past. The Swedes who settle here buy land, but do not often sell, and some of them own up to two sections. Mr. Slater is owner of over two thousand acres in this and the adjoining counties, all of which he rents out, and he states that the land in this region has more than doubled in value during the past four years. Four years ago he bought three hundred and twenty acres, for which he paid eight thousand dollars, and only recently was offered twenty-two thousand dollars for it, but refused the oft'er. One of his farms is stocked with cattle and horses, and the balance are devoted to grain culture. Mr. Slater occupies a fine residence in Min- den, his family consisting of his wife, one son, Roscoe J., who is cashier of the First National Bank of Bertrand, and one daughter, Alena, wife of R. J. Strabel, and two unmarried daugh- ters, Edna and Loretta. For the past ten years Mr. Slater has been a member of the board of trustees of the Wesleyan University for Ne- braska. This school has had a hard struggle for existence, and he has given liberally of his money and time to help the institution along. He is a member of the executive com- mittee, and the school now has about one thou- sand students and is developing rapidly. He has been on the board of the Minden Alethod- ist Episcopal church since he first located here, and this church has recently built a fine new brick buildinar. TIMOTHY MORRISSEY, Dece.vsed. Timothy Morrissey, deceased, one of the most prominent early settlers in western Ne- braska, was proprietor of a fine ranch of six thousand acres located twenty-four miles from Cliadron, residing prior to his decease with his famih' in that town, where he moved in 1906 in order to give his children the advan- tages of the city schools. Mr. Morrissey was among the earliest settlers in the vicinity of Chadron, there being very few white men here when he arrived. He was an important fac- tor in the development of the financial re- sources of that region, and was widely and fa- vorably known throughout Dawes and the ad- joining counties. Mr. Morrissey was born in Livingston county, New York, in 1860. His father was Andrew Morrissey, born in Ireland, who came to this country when a young man and started a farm in New York state. He had brought his bride, who was Katherine Dowling, of Queens county, Ireland, with him to the new country, and together they began life in the land of the free, building up a comfortable home. They raised their family in Livingston count3^ where they were taught to do all kinds of farm work, and in his boyhood days our sub- ject worked out on dift'erent farms in the vi- cinity of his home. In 1884 he came west and arrived in Ne- braska on March 31, camping out on the Bor- deaux creek, Dawes county, in Pete Nelson's yards, where Chadron first started. Mr. Mor- rissey had footed it through this county from \"alentine, as he had no team and the railroad was not at that time through this section. In the spring of that year he fi4ed on a pre-emp- tion north of Chadron and later returned to \'alentine, where he remained for a short time and then went farther west, traveling by ox team through the country. His was the first shack ever built in what is now the town of Chadron, and he drove the first well on the upland near that place. The present site of Chadron was then "prairie dog town." Dur- ing the winter of 1885-86 he was city marshal and made Chadron his home up to the spring of 1889, serving as deputy treasurer of Dawes county under DeForrest Richards, and that same year moved to twenty-four miles south of Chadron, where he took up a homestead and timber claim, all of which was wild land. Here he tried farming for the first few years, but did not have very good success, so went into the stock raising business. He put up good buildings and improved his place con- stantly. He was owner of six thousand acres of good ranch land, engaging exclusively in sheep raising, and made a pronounced suc- cess of this line of work. When the C. & N. W. Railway was put through the sand hills in Cherry county, Mr. Morrissey was one of those who assisted in the work. Mr. Mor- rissey had a fine house containing nine rooms, the building being tWo stories high. His barn is 28x56, and plenty of good shed room, etc., and he put six wells on his place, with four \V. II. MILLER. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 141 windmills and everything necessary to make a model ranch. He had telephone connections at his ranch home, building the line himself out of his own pocket. In September, 1906, Mr. Morrissey purchased his town residence and moved his family there, and until his de- mise divided his time between his ranch and city home, devoting all his attention to the building up of these places. Mr. Morrissey died the 20th day of December, 1907. Mr. Morrissey was married in April, 1889, to Miss Agnes L. Bartlett, daughter of Al- fred E. Bartlett, farmer and ranchman of Dawes county, of Yankee stock, originally from Massachusetts. To Mr. and Mrs. Morrissey were born five children, namely: May, Inez, Harry, Reta and Mart, all of whom were born on the ranch. Mart, the baby, last named, died the 16th day of December, 1907, four days be- fore her father's decease. For six years Mr. Morrissey acted as jus- tice of the peace in Dawes county, during that time performing many marriages among the people of this region. He also held the posi- tion of postmaster at Dunlap, this county, for five years, and through these offices became a familiar and widely known citizen of the county. W. H. MILLER. W. H. Miller, county attorney of Franklin county, Nebraska, is one of the leading citi- zens of his vicinity. He is the only child of A. V. Miller, retired, of Franklin, who is one of the oldest settlers in western Nebraska, having located in this county in 1880, home- steading in Macon township one hundred and sixty acres, breaking up the land and building a sod house, and who went through all the pioneer experiences of failures of crops and the discouragements familiar to the early set- tlers in this state. A. V. Miller was born in Waldoboro, Maine, in 1841, and enlisted in the United States navy in 1864, serving on the sloop "Brooklyn" and the gunboat "Ottawa" on the Atlantic at the battle of Fort Fisher under Admiral Porter. He was mustered out at the Brooklyn navy yard in 1865. His father, Gilmore Miller, served in the Twentieth Maine Regiment through the Civil war, from 1862 up to 1865. He was in the Army of Port Hudson, under General Banks. Our subject's grandfather, Frank Miller, of Lincoln county, Maine, was in the war of 1812; also his father, William Miller, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, so that the Millers were of fighting blood from the earliest days. and were brave soldiers and patriotic citi- zens. Hiram Miller came to this country from Germany as early as 1767. A. V. Miller's mother was Elizabeth Hahn, of Waldoboro, Maine. He married Aliss Asenith Mack at Lawrence, Massachusetts, daughter of George and Louise Chase Mack, of Eaton, New Hamp- shire. Mrs. Miller was born in Carroll county, that state, and her mother was a daughter of Oliver and Abigail (Fernal) Chase, whose fam- ily settled there before the Revolutionary war. Our subject is the owner of a fine four-hun- dred-acre farm in Ash Grove township and Bloomington town.ship, while his son, W. H. Miller, owns two hundred and forty acres un- der ditch on Snake river, in Carbon county, Wyoming. The latter married Miss Verna Furry, of Franklin, daughter of L. E. Furry and Carrie Bender Furry, both of whom came from Bedford county, Pennsylvania, whose parents were early pioneers in that state. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have two sons, Leonard, Avy and Herbert Ross. Attorney Miller was born in Butler county, Iowa, in 1870. He attended Franklin Academy and studied law at the Lincoln State Univer- sity, and graduated from that institution in 1897, at once opening an office in Hildreth. He was elected county attorney the follow- ing year and served one term, and re-elected in 1906, on the Republican ticket. He is rec- ognized as one of the leading men of the pro- fession in this part of the state, and has gained a high position in the estimation of his asso- ciates as a man of superior ability and judg- ment in all matters. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and of the fraternal or- der of Independent Order of Odd Fellows. A portrait of Mr. Miller appears on another page of this volume. HENRY H. PROUTY. The history of Kimball county, Nebraska, would be incomplete without the life story of Henry H. Prouty, one of the most prominent of the pioneers of western Nebraska. Mr. Prouty was elected judge of the county in 1895, and. with the exception of the years 1897 and 1898, has held the office ever since, being the present incumbent. Judge Prouty has served his country with rare fidelity and acceptability and has won a high place in the esteem of his associates. Henry H. Prouty was born in Brattleboro, Vermont, December 28, 1842, being the young- est of ten children in his father's family. Mr. Prouty was reared in his native state, receiv- 142 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY ing a good education and working for years in a carriage factory in Brattleboro. In April, 1886. he came west, locating in Kimball (then Cheyenne) county, Nebraska. Mr. Prouty saw active service in the Civil war, enlisting June 20th, in Company C, Sec- ond \'erniont Infantry. He entered the serv- ice as a private and. when mustered out in 1865 he had risen to the rank of senior cap- tain of Company B of his regiment. Our sub- ject participated in many severe battles from Bull Run to Appomattox. He was shot through both thighs May 4, 1863, at Salem Heights, Virginia, and was confined to the hos- pital for three months, after which he returned to his company. He was adjutant and quar- termaster on the regimental staff, serving with honor and distinction, and was mustered out at Balls Cross Road. Virginia, July 28, 1865, after which he returned to \"ermont. Henry H. Prouty was married in Brattle- boro, Vermont, March 16, 1867, to Julia M. Hurley, a native of Ireland, and who died in Kimball, Nebraska, May 14, 1908. She was sincerely mourned by her family and a large circle of friends. Mr. and Mrs. Prouty were the parents of children: Edward M.. mar- ried and living in Kimball, Nebraska; Ella M., now Mrs. E. M. Farley, of Lawrence, Massa- chusetts, and Caroline M., who is Mrs. Frank Lynch and a resident of Kimball ; Harriet L., married to Lucian Stedman and living at Gard- ner, Massachusetts; and Julie M.. married to Thnrlaw Weed and living in North Loup, Ne- braska. Our subject, on coming to Nebraska, lo- cated on a claim in section 14, township 16, range 56, and later took a tree claim. In 1868 he sold his ranch and moved to Kimball, the county seat, where he has resided ever since. Mr. Prouty was postmaster of Kim- ball under President Cleveland's second ad- ministration. Judge Prouty is a Democrat in politics and his popularity is shown by the fact that, although he is a Democrat in poli- tics, he has been elected in a strong Repub- lican county and at the last election he was also nominated at the Republican primaries. CHARLES F. BOYER. The above is one of the old settlers of Ne- braska who came to this state when it was practically in its infancy and has remained to see it grow from a wild prairie tract to the fertile and productive country it has now be- come. While building up a good home and competence for himself he has also aided ma- terially in the growth of his locality and -is now prepared to enjoy the fruits of his many years of hard labor and share in the prosperity of the region. He has a comfortable residence and pleasant home in section 24, township 25, range 33. Cherry county, and is held in high esteem by all who know him. Mr. Boyer was born in Grayson county, Virginia, in 1874. He is a brother of Fiels L. B. K. Boyer, whose sketch appears in this book, and a son of Hugh Boyer, an old settler of Cherry county, of old American stock. When our subject was nine years old the family settled in Madison county, in the east- ern part of Nebraska, and with his father made the trip to Cherry county about 1886, where they picked out a location on which they made settlement in that year, the balance of the family coming here later on, traveling through the country by team with a covered wagon containing their goods. At the first they put up a rough building and started to break up land for a farm. All supplies had to be hauled from Purdum, a dis- tance of fifty miles from their claim, and their nearest trading post. \M'ien Charles was eighteen years of age he started out for himself in Madison county, where he farmed for three years, then returned to Cherry county for a time, and was back and forth between the two places up to 1898, finall)' settling permanently nine miles north- west of Mullen. He is now owner of a good ranch consisting of eight hundred acres, which is devoted to cattle raising, and he is also in- terested in the dairying business on quite a large scale. In 1901 Mr. Boyer was married to Stella Hewitt, daughter of ^\'ilson Hewitt, an old settler and owner of a good farm located near Kearney, Nebraska, where Mrs. Boyer was born and reared. Mr. and Mrs. Royer are the ])arents of four children, namely: Esther, W'ava, Bertha and Leonard. Mr. Boyer is in- dependent in politics, voting for the men and measures he believes best suited to the needs of the people. HON. DAVID HANNA. David Haniia. one of the older settlers of Cherry county, Nebraska, and a popular res- ident of Wood Lake, has watched the devel- opment and growth of this section for the past twenty-five years, and has gained an enviable reputation as a successful business man and HON. DAVID HANNA. MRS. DAVID HANNA. -^^OaQM^^^ PONV t-AKE PANOR/ KAX'Cll I'KOHKKT^ Cherry Stig Mg'ia^aa *'" "'^ 3jiB&i«*2i$ii.=oix=.' VIEW FROM NORTHWEST iN. DAVID HAXXA, Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 143 worthy citizen. He is engaged in the banking business and is widely known throughout this and adjoining counties. Mr. Hanna was born near Lisbon Center, St. Lawrence county, New York, Judy 4, 1844. His father, John Hanna, was of Scotch- Irish stock, farmer by occupation, and his family of eight children were reared and edu- cated on the farm where our subject early learned to perform all sorts of hard labor, and received a good old-fashioned training which fitted him for the struggle with fortune which he encountered later in life. He first started out for himself at the age of nineteen years, when, together with one brother, he came west to Winona county, Minnesota, where they worked on farms for three years. In 1888 the parents with five sons followed and each bought land on the Winnebago reservation. In 1883 Mr. Hanna first came to Cherry county in company with his youngest brother, driving a bunch of cattle from Minnesota to this coun- ty, and immediately settled in section 18, town- ship 29, range 27. on a homestead and tree claim and started in the stock raising business. He proved up on these places and having im- proved it with good buildings and fences, it is now considered one of the best ranches in the county. It is personally managed by him- self and he derives a good income from the stock which he keeps on the place. The range contains eight thousand acres, and he runs about sixteen hundred cattle and two hundred and fifty horses on it. The surrounding coun- try is well settled now, but when Mr. Hanna came here the nearest neighbor was thirty miles from his place, and he and his brother were the first white men to settle west of the village of Johnstown. There was no one liv- ing between his farm and Valentine, and no one south between his ranch and Broken Bow. He has always done his share in advancing the interests of Cherry county, and has built up a fine estate, which would be a great credit in the older and more thickly settled portions of the country. April 1, 1904, he bought a half interest in the bank at Wood Lake, purchased a fine residence and moved into town to give personal attention to the business. In 1890 Mr. Hanna was elected sheriff of this county, serving one term, and in 1902 was sent to the state legislature to represent the county as a member of the lower house. Since 1906 he has been a member of the state senate from his district. Mr. Hanna was married to Miss Janette Lambie, who was born in Hammond, St. Law- rence county, New York, in 1854, of Scotch de- scent. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hanna, four of whom are living, named as follows: Niel, Florence, Mary and Charlotte, all reared in Cherry county. They are consistent members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Hanna with his family occupies a beau- tiful si.x thousand dollar residence in Wood Lake, and devotes his time to his different en- terprises. He takes a keen interest in politics and keeps abreast of the times in matters of local and national importance. He is a Re- publican in politics. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, affiliating with the blue lodge at Wood Lake, the Chapter at Long Pine, the Commandery at Norfolk and the Shrine at Omaha. He also holds membership in the A, O. U. W. at Wood Lake. One of the most interesting illustrations in this work, and which is shown on another page, is a view of the home and its surround- ings. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Hanna will also be found elsewhere. JOHN GENTRY. Among the oldest settlers of western Ne- braska who has taken an active part in the de- velopment of that region and gone through many bitter experiences in building up a home and competence out of nothing excepting his strong heart and willing hands, the gentleman above named deserves prominent mention. He came here when this part of the state was en- tirely undeveloped, towns were few and far between, supplies had to be hauled from North Platte to his claim, which was located twelve miles northwest of where the town of Whit- man now stands, before the railroads were put through any portion of Grant county, and has come out victorious from the struggle. He had just gotten his home established and his farm nicely started when along came a destructive prairie fire and everything was swept away with the exception of his house, which was a rude aft'air built of sod. This occurred in 1894 and was a terrible calamity to him at that time, as well as to many other poor settlers in the vicinity, as it burned off miles of range and destroyed many humble homes, John Gentry was born on a farm in Monroe county, Indiana, in 1858, of American stock. He grew to the age of six years on the home farm, when the family moved to Illi- nois, settling in Hancock county, where he was reared and educated. In 1876 he left home and emigrated to Kansas, securing em- ployment on a ranch and worked as a cow- 144 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY boy, riding all over the western part of that state, eastern Colorado and into Nebraska, spending many years in that section of the country. He came to Grant county, Nebraska, in 1886, the following year took up a home- stead in Cherry county, twelve miles north- west of Whitman and started at once in the cattle business. His first buildings were a sod house and barns, corrals, etc., and he lived on the place for about eleven years. This ranch now consists of three thousand acres, all good range land, partly fenced and supplied with good farm buildings. There are four flowing wells on the ranch, and he has a large bunch of cattle and other stock, and has made a de- cided success in the ranching business. He puts u.p many hundreds of tons of hay each year and has some fine lakes on his ranch, which abound in many wild ducks and other kinds of wild fowl. Mr. Gentry personally con- ducts his ranching interests, but in 1896 re- moved to Hyannis with his family, where they occupy a handsome residence. In'lSSS our subject was united in marriage to Fannie Monahan Abbott, whose father is a prominent pioneer in this part of Nebraska. They have two children. Carver and Raymond. Both children are at home with their parents and are very bright boys, who attend school in Hyannis during the session. JUDGE FRED N. .MORGAN. Judge Fred N. Morgan, who enjoys an ex- tensive and lucrative law practice, is one of the leading citizens of Bassett. Rock county, Nebraska. He is recognized by the legal pro- fession as an able representative of the Ne- braska bar, and his successful practice is the result of his earnest efforts and sound judg- ment. He was elected the first county judge of Rock county, and held that office for eleven years, being re-elected six times. Judge Morgan was born in Marion county, Indiana, September 22, 1858. His father, Gran- ville Morgan, was a farmer and one of the pio- neer settlers in Indiana, of American stock. When he located in that state he filed on a tract of government land situated three miles from the city of Indianapolis. Our subject's mother was, prior to her marriage, Sarah J. Smith, whose father was a Virginian and served in the War of 1812. He was an old set- tler in Kentucky, where the daughter was born. Mr. Morgan was reared and educated in his native state, during his boyhood years remain- ing on his father's farm and assisting in the farm work, following the plow and getting a good sturdy training. He attended the coun- try schools, and afterwards went to school in Indianapolis, graduating from the high school there at the age of nineteen. After school he spent one year on the home farm, then came to Nebraska, settling in Washington county, making his home at Blair, where in 1882 he began the study of law. In 1885 he moved to Newport, remaining four years, then came to Bassett, where he received the nomination as county judge and was elected, being the first judge of Rock county after its organization. He had been practicing law for several years prior to this, having been admitted to the bar in 1887 at Ainsworth. In 1904 he was elected county attorney, serving in that capacity two years, and has come to be recognized as one of the leading lawyers of the locality. He de- votes his attention to the building up of his practice and has been successful in a marked degree. In 1904 he was appointed commis- sioner of the United States, having jurisdic- tion over land cases and preliminary hearings in cases that may come before the criminal branch of the court. October 7, 1889, Judge Morgan was mar- ried in Ainsworth to Miss Jessie C. Smith, a native of Iowa, daughter of Newton F. and Adaline (McAhren) Smith. This union is blessed with three children, namely: Alta Pau- line, Genevieve Irene and Lyle Newton. Judge Morgan is one of the influential and public-minded citizens of his community, and stands firmly for the principles of the Repub- lican party. The entire family holds commu- nion with the Episcopal church, while the judge affiliates with the Masonic order and the order of the Eastern Star, the Elks, the Workmen, the \\'oodmen and the Royal High- landers. WEBSTER E. BOWERS. Webster E. Bowers, a prosperous and suc- cessful member of the business community in Mullen, Hooker county, is an old settler in western Nebraska, having settled on the Dis- mal river in the southern part of what is now Hooker county in the spring of 1884. At this time there was no county organization. In fact, there were but two other families in that part of the country, and during the years in which this section of the state has been de- veloping into a prosperous and comparatively populous region he has taken an active part in its growth and upbuilding. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 145 Judge Bowers was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, in July, 1856. His father, James M., was a well-to-do iron worker when the Civil war broke out, and was among the first to en- list in West Virginia for the defense of the Union. The close of the war found him broken in health and financially ruined. The agita- tion regarding the admission of the territory of Nebraska into the union of states had brought this region prominently before the public and in 1869, with his worldly possessions in a wagon, he left La Salle county, Illinois, for Nebraska, locating in the fall of 1869, fifteen miles southwest of Fairbury, Jefferson county, where he saw the uninhabited prairie grow into a prosperous, well tilled farming commu- nity and was an important factor in that de- velopment. The following sketch of his life is from the Fairbury Journal of March 21, 1903: "Captain James M. Bowers died at Fair- bury. Nebraska, ^Monday, March 16, 1903. aged seventy-one years, eight months and twelve days. He was born July 4, 1831, in Blair coun- ty, Pennsylvania, and spent the early years of his life in that region. October 1, 1854, he was married to Miss ^Margaret Twinam at Mar- shall, West Virginia, and for the next ten years their home was at Wheeling. In 1861, when President Lincoln made the first call for volunteers, Mr. Bowers was among the first to enlist, being enrolled as a private in the First Virginia Regiment, United States Volun- teers. He was almost immediately introduced to the realities of war, being actively engaged in McClellan's brilliant campaign whereby the rebels were driven from West Virginia and that portion of the Old Dominion saved to the Union. He was loth to speak of his military services, but it was evident that they were very honorable to him, inasmuch as he was promoted to the captaincy of his company with- in five months after his enlistment. He was subsequently engaged in the operations of the armies opposed to General Lee and partici- pated in the battle of Gettysburg. On account of impaired health he was honorably dis- charged in August, 1863. "After the Civil war he resided for a short time in Illinois, and removed from there to Nebraska in 1869, residing for a short time at Blue Springs and since 1870 in Jefferson county on his farm near Reynolds. Some twelve years ago he began to feel the serious infirmity of the disease that ultimately resulted in his death and so retired from active labor and made his home in Fairbury. He has been known here as a quiet and honorable citizen, respected by all, beloved by the few whose privilege it was to know him intimately. So humbly that his good works were known to only a small number of his nearest friends, he was systematically charitable to the poor and distressed, and many suffering families have received the relief which he was so glad to ex- tend without knowing who their benefactor was. Though himself a man of moderate means, he was thus one of the most useful and worthy citizens. His kindness of heart was the fruit of a strong Christian faith. He had been a member of the JSIethodist church for over fifty years and was at one time a local preacher of that denomination. He was also an Odd Fellow and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Funeral services at the Methodist church were conducted by Rev. W. M. Balch and at the grave by the Grand Army of the Republic. "He is survived by his wife, six sons and two daughters, and was preceded in death by two of his children." Margaret Bowers, widow of the old vet- earn and pioneer, still lives -in the old home at Fairbury, and her gentle and lovable charac- ter has brought her the love and respect of all who are so fortunate as to know her. Though she is now seventy years of age, she is ever to be found w-here there is need of sympathy, or more substantial help. The long drive from Illinois developed in the subject of our sketch a slumbering desire to ramble, and after four years of drouth and grasshoppers with the old folks, at the age of seventeen he struck out on his own hook. Marysville, Kansas, was on the old Mormon and California trail, and the well known Inde- pendence ford across the Big Blue river was only a few miles below this town. As this was a general resting place for the traveler on the way to the coast country, or the Mor- mon bound for Utah, it promised a contrast to the lonely life on the claim, and accordingly it was attractive to the youth in search of a change of scene. Though no longer the ac- tivity of former years prevailed here, still it presented many attractions to the eye of young Bowers. United States soldiers, trappers, scouts and Indians were often on the streets of the little town, and he was soon on the great plains hunting the then numerous herds of buffalo. Several years of hunting and trap- ping followed, with many adventures of dif- ferent kinds, from riding day and night with- out rest and nearly without food to bring help for an injured comrade who lay nigh the jaws of death, a long hundred miles from a surgeon, to the plain matter of fact diet of straight jerked buffalo meat and alkali water. 146 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY "Web," as he is commonly called, is not much of a talker, but his story of a little too much whisky is amusing: "A party of hunters were coming in from a very successful hunt, and one of the num- ber. Rug. Beulis, an old United States soldier, was extremely fond of the red liquor. The crossing of the Republican river, near the mouth of Whiterock creek, was a hard one on account of quicksand, and Enoch Martin, who lived on the creek near its mouth, was engaged to help get the wagons over, and so save a great deal of labor unloading. When the cross- ing was made, and we were preparing for the night, Rug. was missed. A couple of the boys went back to the north side of the river, where he was last seen near the camp of a party of trappers, where he was found, dead to the world with whisky he had obtained by trad- ing the last of his ammunition to a trapper who had more whisky than gun feed. Martin was again pressed into service, and Rug. load- ed into the wagon. When nearly across the river on the way to our camp, a trace which had probably been strained in the previous heavy pulling, broke, and Martin tumbled out to repair the trace. During this operation Rug. roused enough to see the fringe of cottonwoods along the stream and hear the ripple of the water, and he broke the silence with 'Boys, letsh camp, wood and water sho handy,' and then he was gone again. We had been where wood and water were appreciated." In November, 1877, Mr. Bowers was mar- ried to Miss Roxy L. Ripley, daughter of Amos J. and Huldah S. Ripley, at ]\Iarysville, Kansas. To them were born nine children. In the spring of 1884 they located on the south branch of the Dismal river, in what is now Hooker county. At that time this was a hunters' paradise. Antelope, deer and elk were roaming the country by the hundreds. Here again began the life of the pioneer, with all that the term implies. North Platte, by the route then traveled, was seventy-five miles distant, and was the nearest trading point, and postoffice, and the road was sandy and hilly, but over it w^as hauled, one way timber and posts from the Dismal, and the other the nec- essary supplies for the family. The trip usual- ly required about seven days, and often ten. Grub, bedding, fuel to cook with, summer or winter, and a supply of water for man and team a great part of the time, all had to be hauled in addition to the regular load. From the river to the Platte was but one settlement : one Chapin, had a small ranch at the head of the South Loup river. This eternal drag through the sandhills can be estimated at its true meaning only by one who has had the actual experience. In 1889 Mr. Bowers began the study of photography, and in time became thoroughly proficient in that work. For about ten years he traveled in Hooker and surrounding coun- ties, making pictures of ranches, stock and the babies. Today the most highly prized me- mentos of many of the old timers are the pic- tures made by this wandering photographer. In 1890 he sold his homestead on the Dis- mal, and moved to Mullen, where he now lives. Domestic dissension caused a rupture in time which led to a separation of Mr. Bowers and his Avife. In 1901 he married Martha E. Rip- ley, a sister of his former wife. To them have been born two children. In 1901 our subject established the only photograph gallery in Hooker county, at Mul- len, where he has built up a good business, and is regarded as one of the best artists in the state, and is one of the substantial citizens of the town, and a worthy representative of his community. Judge Bowers has served his county in various official capacities, and has given satisfaction to his people as justice of the peace, county commissioner and county judge. He is a strong Republican, active in party politics. FRANKLIN R. HOGEBOOM. The subject of this review was born in Ghent, Columbia county. New York, March 11, 1854, of American-born parents. His fa- ther, John T. Hogeboom, was a civil engineer and lawyer by profession. The family came from Amsterdam, Holland, and settled in New Amsterdam, now New York City. His mother's maiden name was Sarah McClellen, and her father's name was Dr. Samuel McClellen, of Nassau, New York. Our subject was reared in New York, remaining until 1878, when he traveled in the west, and worked on different ranches. He also came up with cattle to Ogal- lala, which was the end of the old cattle trail from Texas, where over three hundred thou- sand were delivered and placed on northern ranges, to be shipped later to the Chicago mar- kets ; was located at one time seventy-five miles west of old Fort Hartsuff on the North Loup river and no one was between them and Rosebud Indian reservation many miles to the west ; was present at a Sioux Indian pow-wow at the mouth of G<5ose creek, where a beef was butchered and the pipe of peace — Calumet — was smoked and good feeling prevailed. The Sioux came to the ranch not in the best of COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 147 good feeling, as they were returning from an unsuccessful trip east, where they had been after stolen ponies. He came to his present location on the head of the South Loup river four years prior to the organization of Logan county. Settled on unimproved prairie land and was the first homesteader who settled in the unorganized territory and has developed a splendid ranch, all improved and fenced in up-to-date manner, giving his attention to stock raising, where one of the attractions is the herd of registered Mule-Footed hogs. Mr. Hogeboom was married in 1882 to Mrs. Georgiana C. Hilgard, widow of Theodore C. Hilgard, M. D., whose father was Theodore E. Hilgard, lawyer, born in Nassau, Germany, immigrated to Illinois in 1835 with a family of nine children. Her father was Albert C. Koch, M. D., who immigrated to this country from Germany, coming here to make collections for the European museums. Among his collec- tions were three skeletons of a big lizard seventy-five to eighty feet long. "Zeuglodon maciospondylus." One was burned at Chi- cago during the great Chicago fire. Judge Hogeboom had excellent educational advantages in his early life and prepared him- self for the legal profession by graduating from Columbia College of New York. He was well equipped with learning to par- ticipate in the political affairs of his county and to perform the duties of prosecuting attor- ney of Logan county, which position he held. He was county judge when the county was first organized and is at the present time the county judge. He was the first postmaster in Logan county, did surveying for man_y years, and quit only after his private and public interests de- manded it. No man has been more closely identified with the growth of Logan county than has Judge Hogeboom, and he is esteemed everywhere for his sound principles and wise counsel. ARTHUR R. BOWEN. The subject of this review is now the old- est settler on the North Loup river in Custer county, Nebraska. He has taken an active part 'in the development of his locality and is one of the successful old-timers of this part of the country. Arthur R. Bowen was born in Garden Grove Village, Decatur county, Iowa, August 26, 1856, and was of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His father, Daniel L. Bowen, was a native of Ohio and a pioneer of Nebraska, being the first man to bring a family west in 1873. He was an old-time homesteader and drove to the state overland in a covered wagon, locating near the North Loup river. The father and our sub- ject and brothers made trips with ox teams to Grand Island, a hundred miles away, to haul cedar posts and other supplies and material. They built rafts of cedar posts and floated them down North Loup river to Columbus, where they sold them. Our subject's mother died in 1884. His father died in 1907 at Sheridan, Wyoming, at the ripe old age of eighty-five years. He built up a good home and was prominent and influ- ential among the old settlers. Arthur R. Bowen entered a homestead in Custer county in 1877 and has been an inter- ested witness of the growth of the territory. He had to meet all the pioneer hardships, among them drouth, grasshopper raids for two years and the resulting crop losses. In 1904 a tornado wrecked his property in terrible shape, tore down buildings, windmills, trees, and his home, built of sod, was swept away from over their heads. His wife had to be dug out from under the sods and from under a heavy oak table after the storm had spent its fury. This was an awful experience and it is stamped indelibly on the minds of the family. Our subject has now a beautiful farm of four hundred and eighty acres with splendid im- provements, and he has plenty of timber in the canons on the ranch. He cultivates two hundred and thirty acres and is successfully engaged in farming and stock raising. Arthur R. Bowen was married in 1879 to Miss Mollie Hollopeter. Her father was American-born, but of German parents. He was a prominent Dunkard minister. Her mother, Eliza Zigler, was American-born, but her parents were natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Bowen have one child, Theresa, now married and living in South Dakota. Mr. Bowen is a strong Democrat in poli- tics and is a stanch supporter of the princi- ples promulgated in the platform of his party. He has held several minor offices with credit and distinction. He organized the Kent school district and built the school house years ago. C. H. GREGG. C. H. Gregg, a well known resident of Kearney, Nebraska, is a typical representative of this hustling and enterprising western city, and illustrates in his own career the conditions of success at the present day. For many years COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY he has lived in the city, where his clean and spotless life, his geneial disposition and pro- nounced ability won him a host of friends, whom he has fortunately retained. For some seventeen years he has been in the dry goods business ; lately he has been president of the hardware company, an institution organized and set in motion by him in 1904. He is a director of the business men's association of Kearney, and in that way has been able to greatly promote the welfare of the city. His public interests are many and varied and in a history of Kearney and Buffalo county his name would appear many times. Mr. Gregg is a native of Bracken county, Kentucky, where he was born in 1865. He was reared in Kentucky and educated in Wheaton, Illinois, College. After attending Wheaton College Mr. Gregg taught school for one year at Albion, Iowa. He came to Ash- land, Nebraska, in the spring of 1886 and was £n the clothing business for Hon. H. H. Shedd. In 1887 he married Miss Maude Taylor. He came to Kearney in 1890 to engage in business and has since been prominently identified with the business interests of Buffalo county. C. H. Gregg was on the city school board for five years, and his familiarity with school matters made him enthusiastic in the work of securing the location of the state normal at this point, an achievement largely due to his knowledge of the situation, his tireless zeal and his ability to approach men. In 1904 he was appointed a member of the State Board of Education, and served on the executive committee until the completion of the normal at this point. Its construction was under his management, and what has been done here is largely due to his energy and marked business ability. The normal is an enterprise of much moment, and it has cost up to date (1906), more than $50,000. For the heating and light- ing more than $15,000 have been expended, and for the building and furnishing of the dormitory more than $50,000. Mr. Gregg served on the furnishing committee. The land on which the normal stands consists of twen- ty-four acres west of town and at the head of Twenty-fifth street. The location of such an institution was agitated as usual a consider- able time, and there was intense rivalry for its location, fifteen towns seeking to have it in their midst. The contest for the normal is one of the historic struggles of the state. The business men of Kearney united in the effort to bring it to this city, and appointed a strong committee of the best men of the place, with Mr. Gregg as chairman, to work for it. Mr. Gregg's known business ability, and his strong personality, coupled with social qualities of a high degree, and backed by the natural ad- vantages and splendid location of Kearney, in addition to the work of a strong commit- tee and pledges of $50,000 in cash for the in- stitution, gave Mr. Gregg a long start in the struggle, and he threw himself into the fight to win. He watched the progress of the bill through the legislature, and staid right there until the bill for the appropriation and the location had safely gone through, and was duly signed. More than a thousand pupils were enrolled the first year, and what this school means educationally, socially and ma- terially to Kearney, even the most sanguine have not realized. yir. Gregg gives close attention to his mer- cantile interests and at the same time has been a shrewd investor in Buffalo county realty, having at different times owned several farms, which he has sold at good profit. JOSEPH G. ARMSTRONG. Joseph G. Armstrong, residing at Rushville, Nebraska, was born in the province of Ontario, Canada, in 1850. His father. Alexander Arm- strong, was a merchant in Millbrook, Toronto, born in the north of Ireland, and his mother was of English birth. The family consisted of eight children, of whom he is the third member, and when he was five years old his parents came to the United States, locating at Fairfield, Iowa. Here he was raised and edu- cated until he was eighteen years of age, then came west to Wyoming, obtaining employ- ment on the Union Pacific railroad as a fire- man, and followed this for two years. From there he went to southwestern Nebraska and took up a homestead and tree claim, also pre- emption, and proved up on all three. He lived in a dugout, later sod house, then log house, and hunted buffalo all over that part of the country and into Colorado. He followed a typical hunter's existence, camping out half the time, and roughed it winter and summer. He has camped out at night when the ground was covered deep with snow, being two hun- dred miles from any settlement, when the woods were overrun with wild animals of all descriptions, and passed through many excit- ing and dangerous experiences. For twelve years Mr. Armstrong made Bea- ver City, Nebraska, his home, during that time working at freighting from Cheyenne to the Black Hills. On more than one occasion on these trips his wagon was fired into and he had COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 149 narrow escapes from the Indians. For eight seasons he drove large bands of sheep from New Mexico to Nebraska, South Dakota and Kansas. In 1884 he first came to Rushville, driving in from the Black Hills country. He located in the town of Rushville, buying land, and established a bank in 1886, this being the second bank opened up here. He continued in this enterprise for twenty years, and also during that time has been engaged in the land business, dealing in Colorado and Mexican lands. In 1889 he established the Rushville Mercantile Company, which is now one of the largest stores in the place. This concern oc- cupies a building 25x100 feet, with basement, and they do an immense trade through the county. Mr. Armstrong still owns large ranch- ing interests in Cherry county, dealing in stock raising constantly. He has accumulated a large and valuable property through his in- dustry and good business ability, and is num- bered among the leading men of this section, who has always done all in his power to pro- mote the best interests of his community, and his name will go down in history as a promi- nent old-timer of Nebraska. Mr. Armstrong was married in April, 1889, to Miss Mary E. Jack, whose father, George B. Jack, was one of the early settlers in Sheri- dan county. Two boys have been born to them, George J., born in January, 1891, and Joseph T., born in December, 1898. In polit- ical faith Mr. Armstrong is an independent. PETER THIES. Peter Thies, one of the leading and most influential of the pioneers of western Nebras- ka, lives in a pleasant ranch home on section 24. township 14, range 38. in Keith county. Mr. Thies has traveled a great deal and lived in a number of different states, and now after a long life of useful endeavor has established himself in comfortable circumstances and is considered one of the well-to-do citizens of the community. Peter Thies first saw the light in the vil- lage of Wormaldange, near Luxemberg, the capitol city of the Grand Duchy of Luxem- berg, under the protectorate of Holland, Feb- ruary 2, 1844. His father, John Thies, had an estate on the Moselle river, and was a miller and wine-grower in the old country. His an- cestors were Hanovarian. Like all his race he was of a martial spirit and took part in the revolution in which Holland and Belgium were ens:ag;ed. One of the familv was a gen- eral in Napoleon's army. His mother, Mag- delina Punell, was of French ancestry. In coming to America in 1857, the family visited relatives in Paris for a week before sailing from Havre on the old sailing ship "Santa Anna." After a voyage of fifty-six days, dur- ing which Peter became enamored of the life of a sailor, they landed in New Orleans. Then they ascended the ^lississippi river to St. Louis, where a month was spent visiting rela- tives who had preceded them to the new world. The father settled in Iowa county, Wisconsin, where he started a brickyard, which he operated until the outbreak of the civil war. Peter's enlistment deprived him of his bookkeeper and manager. Our subject was reared in Wisconsin and was tutored by John Commons of the public schools, an Irish- man, to whom, in turn, Peter gave lessons in the French language, which he knew as fluent- ly as the German, Dutch and Lu.xemberger tongues. When the civil war broke out. our subject enlisted in Company E, Thirtieth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry at ^lineral Point. He was in the detached service scouting and on police duty and was in many dangerous sit- uations during the time he gave to his adopted country. For a time his command was sta- tioned at Milwuakee to enforce the draught and because of his intelligence and aptness in clerical work was assigned duty much of the time under General Pope. In 1863 he was sent into Minnesota to engage the Sioux In- dians, capturing many and putting an end to the Indian war. They marched across Minn- esota to Fort Ridgeley and thence across the plains where they built a fort called Fort Wadsworth, later changed to SiSseton, return- ing to St. Louis in the fall. Later they were sent on a dangerous expedition hunting gueril- las in Kentucky. His service was of long duration over a wide extent of country in which he experienced many perils. After the war was over, Mr. Thies returned to Wiscon- sin and was with his father for a time, going thence to Pikes Peak, Colorado, in the spring of 1866, and remaining in the far west with a brother until 1867. He again returned to Wisconsin where, he married and engaged in agricultural pursuits, operating three farms during a period of six years, accumulating considerable means. His health still remained poor, and he again sought relief in the moun- tains of Colorado, residing in Central City four years engaged in mining when able to work. Going to Colorado Springs, he was employed in the mines for a year before being placed in charge of the stamping mills, which were run- ISO COMPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, RE^^NISCE^XE AND BIOGRAPHY ning at a loss until he took charge. Return- ing to Wisconsin in such poor health that he had to stop off in Topeka, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago and Freeport to recuperate, he entered politics and was at one time candi- date for city treasurer. In 1885 Mr. Thies sold out all his chattel property and came west to Keith county, Nebraska, settling on his pres- ent farm. He came to the new country prin- cipally for his health and also to furnish his children the opportunity of securing farm homes to a larger extent than could be done in the east. Air. Thies found a country conducive to good health and he has built up a splendid ranch home of six hundred and forty acres and placed himself in very good circumstances. He has taken an active part in the affairs of his locality and has done his part toward the material advancement of the community. To- gether with his sons and daughters, he owns over four thousand acres of fine land, much of it in the immediate bottoms of the North Platte. In Wisconsin. October 5, 1868, occurred the marriage of Mr. Peter Thies to Miss Mary Wenner, a native of the village of Coutern, three miles from the capitol of Luxemberg, a daughter of John \\'enner, a farmer, besides, being an architect and builder. He was in- trusted with the keeping in perfect repair the fortifications of the city of Luxemberg, the strongest inland fortress in the world. Mr. and Airs. Thies have had six children: Mary Kathrine, who died in Colorado and was buried in the cemetery at Central City, Colo- rado : Alary Alay Alagdalena. wife of George Williams, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work; Alichael J., a ranchman, of Keith county; John, accidentally killed at Sidney, Nebraska ; Perry J., also engaged in ranching on the North Platte, and Annie V., one of Keith county's most successful teachers, now perfecting her title to a Kincaid claim north of her brother's ranches in Keith county. Air. Thies is a stanch Republican in polit- ical views. He was reared in the Catholic church in the old country. He was made a Mason at Black Hawk, Colorado, and was a member of the Ogallala Post, Grand Army of the Republic. B. F. HASTINGS. B. F. Hastings, a banker of Grant, Nebras- ka, is one of the leading men of his commu- nity as well as one of the old settlers in west- ern Nebraska, and to his efforts and influence (hiring the past many years have been due much of the prosperity enjoyed by the resi- dents of that region. Air. Hastings was born in AIcHenry coun- ty, Illinois, in 1863, and reared on a farm there, where his father was among the pio- neers, he a native of Connecticut, as was also his mother. Our subject received a good common school education and later attended the Oberlin College and graduated with the class of '86 in the classical course, and the same year came to Nebraska, locating at Crete and entering the law office of George H. Hast- ings. In December he came to Grant and filed on a homestead near the town, proved up on it in due time and made it his home for some time. In 1888 he was admitted to the state bar, and nominated for county judge, receiving the election and served for four years in that capacity, then begun the practice of law. He built up a good patronage and was most successful, and in 1900 was appointed county attorney, serving since that time as such. In 1899 he established a banking and loan business, carried it on for several years, and then organized the Commercial Bank of Grant in 1905. of which he is president and general manager. Besides his banking business Mr. Hastings is quite heavily interested in the lumber and coal business at Aladrid, Nebraska, also in farming and ranching in Perkins county. He is a gentleman of excellent business ability, a first-class financier and one who has the en- tire confidence and esteem of his fellowmen. Air. Hastings was married in 1890 to Aliss Elizabeth Buckland, daughter of David Buck- land, an early settler of New York state, where she was born and raised. Air. and Airs. Hast- ings have an interesting family of four chil- dren, all born in Perkins county, and named as follows: George, Irene, Louise and Charles. AIRS. FRANCES AIARIA BRAINARD O'LINN. The estimable lady who bears the above name is one of the early settlers in western Nebraska, and is well known throughout the state as a successful attorney and prosperous business woman. She is a woman of high lit- erary attainments, possessing a highly gifted mind thoroughly educated, and recognized as one of the leading citizens of Dawes county, esteemed and admired by everyone in that region. Airs. O'Linn and her daughter reside in Chadron. where tliey have one of the pleas- antest homes the city affords. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Mrs. O'Linn was born in Birmingliam, Iowa, in 1848, and is a daughter of Daniel Eg- bert Brainard, a prominent attorney and judge of the circuit court of Iowa, who served on the bench for thirty years. He was a native of New York state, born at Watertown in 1809, and married Elizabetli Anne Pickett, a Kentuckian, General Pickett of the southern army, being her own cousin, and Senator Clark, of Kentucky, her uncle. The Pickett family were prominent members of the old southern aristocracy, many of the male mem- bers occupying high positions in public life in the earlier days. Our subject was reared and educated in Iowa, graduating from the state university in 1865, and after leaving college, followed -the profession of a teacher at Mag- nolia. She was married at the latter place in 1868, to Dr. D. H. O'Linn. a rising young physician of that city, and they had a family of three children, namely: Daniel Egbert, Hugh Brainard and Elizabeth Anne, of whom but the last named is now living, widow of Clarence C. Smith, of Chadron, and mother of two children, Frances Minerva and Henry Holden. In 1872 th» family moved to Blair, Nebras- ka, and were among the pioneers of that town. Dr. O'Linn practicing his profession up to 1880 when he died, deeply mourned by his family and friends. Airs. O'Linn was prin- cipal of the schools at Blair and Tekamah for many years, resigning her position as such in 1884, when she first settled in Dawes county. Here she took up a homestead and built a log house, the place being located on the White river, now called Dakota Junction. She re- mained on the place until proving up on her claim, and it was while living there that her son, Egbert, was killed by the accidental dis- charge of a gun, while attempting to scare away the range cattle from their hay stacks. The region was then very sparsely settled, and there were not enough neighbors to bury him, so the mother was herself compelled to do her share of the work of preparing him for burial. In 1885 our subject moved to Chadron, and was the first postmistress at that town, the office having been just established, and she carried on that work for several years, and had previously held the same office at the Junction, which was called O'Linn, named so by the cowboys for the son, who was killed. She took up the study of law during this time, following the work she had already done with her father, and in 1887 was admitted to the bar of Nebraska, and in 1891 to the supreme court of Nebraska, and also, on October 17, 1893, admitted to the bar of the supreme court of the United States. She has become well known throughout the country as one of the most brilliant lawyers in the profession, and as a woman of great intellectuality and strength of character. Mrs. O'Linn practiced from that time on, and in addition to attending to her practice, is engaged in the settlement of estates, titles, doing abstracting and all the branches of the work. She is also interested in the insurance business, and has a large clientage throughout Dawes and the surround- ing country. Her second son, Hugh Brainard O'Linn, was killed by being thrown from a train just east of St. Louis, July 8, 1899. He was re- turning home from Central America, where he had been sent by the Associated Press. Her son-in-law, Clarence Cinclair Smith, was killed at Harrison, Nebraska, August 10, 1907, by being run over by a train, thus de- priving, for the third time, the family of a loved one in a shocking and heart-rending manner, without a moment's warning. Mrs. O'Linn is a lady of charming person- ality, broad-minded and liberal in her views of people and things, and her name will oc- cupy a prominent place in the history of the state of Nebraska. CHARLES CALLAHAN. Charles Callahan, proprietor of the electric light plant of Sidney, Nebraska, is a gentleman of wide experience in the business and has met with excellent success in his career. Mr. Callahan is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, born in 1861, and is a son of John P. Callahan, of American stock, engaged" in the nursery business in Indiana. Our subject grew up in the city of his birth, and from the time he was twelve years of age he hustled for himself, learning the printer's trade when a boy. He later worked in Chicago, St. Louis, and for a time was in Canada, and most of his education was self-taught, gained through con- tact with business men and in travel. In 1884 he first struck Sidney, and for a time worked on The Telegraph, purchasing a half interest in that organ in 1886, two years later buying the whole paper and was sole proprietor and editor up to 1891. He left Sidney for a time, spending about four years at Omaha. Hot Springs, and other places, always engaged in newspaper work. In the fall of' 1894 he came back to Sidney and again took up his position as editor and proprietor of The Telegraph, and COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY continued in that capacity for eight years. In 1897 he was elected postmaster of Sidney, and held ofifiice for five years, proving a most ca- pable official, well liked by all. He was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Sidney, started in 1902. He was also en- gaged in the banking business at Sidney, but sold out his interests. He now owns a fine business block. In 1905 our subject estab- lished the Sidney electric light plant, and is now sole owner and operator of the concern, the plant being built in duplicate to avoid a shut-down in case of accident to machinery. In 1899 Mr. Callahan was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary E. Cleburne, daughter of Joseph Cleburne, an old-timer of Cheyenne county, and pioneer previous to 1870. Our subject is a Republican, and takes an active part in local party matters. He is a thirty- second degree Mason. E. M. TRAVER. Edgar M. Traver, residing on section 7, township 22, range 44, Deuel county, Nebras- ka, has built up a comfortable home and en- joys the esteem of all who know him. He was born In Clinton county, Iowa, in 1865, and raised on his father's farm. He is a son of Cyrus Traver. a native of New York, whose ancestors were among the early settlers on the Hudson river. He was a farmer, and his wife, who was Abby Moorehouse, is also a na- tive of the same state, her family having set- tled on the Hudson river on landing here from Holland in early pioneer days. Our subject's father was married twice, and had a family of seven children, of whom he was the third member in order of birth. He left his parents' old home and came west in 1885, driving one thousand miles by team accompanied by his fa- ther and one brother, following the line of the Chicago & Northwestern railway. They set- tled in Box Butte county, Nebraska, the father taking a homestead in section 26, township 25, range 48, and our subject also took up a pre- emption on coming of age and held this for eight years, and had also taken up a home- stead during this time. He followed farming part of the time, and was on this place during the dry years, and also drove the mail stage in 1890, wliich was one of the worst years in this section. He had made quite a little money up to this time, but spent it all to pull through the hard times, and was compelled to sell his land and go into the cattle business to make a living. In 1895 he came to the sand hills and lo- cated on a farm here, and started out with one cow. Here he put up hay and baled it, hauling this to Lakeside and in this way paid for his cow. It was slow work getting a start in the cattle business when he had so little capital, but he gradually added to his herd and made a success of the business. He has a farm of six hundred and forty acres of deeded land now, and uses his brother's hay ranch for feed for his stock, of which he has two hundred head of cattle and about twenty horses. He has bought and paid for all of his place excepting an additional homestead of four hundred eighty acres. He is well satisfied with this region, and will remain here as long as he has to work for a living as his family likes the country and there is an excellent school within half a mile of his farm. His family consists of his wife, whose maiden name was Miss Maggie Schramling, whom he married in 1894, and their family of two children, namely, Elmer and May, both born and raised in this locality. Mrs. Traver is a daughter of Avery Schramling, of German descent, who was one of the first settlers in Jackson county, Iowa. He was one of those who wei^t through this state over the California trail during the gold fever of 1849, and afterwards located on a farm in the above county. Mr. Traver gives all his time and attention to the building up of his home and farm, and has never held office, although he takes a live- ly interest in all local and state affairs. He votes the Republican ticket, always going for the best man. His postoffice is Lakeside. C. W. HOXIE. The gentleman above named is prominent- ly known as one of the leading business men and worthy citizens of Kearney, Nebraska. Air. Hoxie is president and founder of the Hoxie Grocery and Mercantile Company, of that city, and is one of the public spirited men of this section of the country. Mr. Hoxie is a native of Vermont. He be- gan his business career at the age of seven- teen years. In 1883 he came to Nebraska from Ottawa, Illinois, locating in Lincoln. There he was principally engaged in the real estate and insurance business, and, like all energetic Xebraskians. in farming and buying and sell- ing farm lands. He was deputy sheriff of Lan- caster county, Nebraska, for four years, being appointed in 1891, and in 1897 he was ap- pointed superintendent of the State Industrial C. W. HOXIE, Superintendent, Kearney Industrial School. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY School at Kearney, filling this position with credit for three years, retiring February 1, 1900. In March of that year he bought the grocery business of M. A. Nye, located on Central avenue, Kearney, and organized the Hoxie Grocery & Mercantile Company, with W. J. Vosburg, then assistant superintendent of the State Industrial School, as vice-presi- dent. In 1902 Mr. Vosburg retired from his position at the ' Industrial School and since that time has devoted all his time to the busi- ness. During the latter year the company bought the Nelson grocery store located on North Central avenue, which establishment is managed by Mr. A^osburg. The following year they purchased the Johnson store on South Central avenue, and at the present time own and operate these three stores. The business has grown steadily, and both Mr. Hoxie and Mr. Vosburg are known as two of Kearney's most successful business men. Mr. Hoxie is a member of the city council, representing the third ward, and has been in this office since 1904. He served as president of that body, and chairman of the financial eommittee, also a member of the streets and alley committee. Mr. Hoxie was married November 12, 1879, to Mary M. Atkinson, a native of Wheeling, West Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Hoxie are mem- bers of the St. Lukes Episcopal church and Mr. Hoxie is one of the vestry men. Mr. Hoxie has a wide reputation as a business man of exceptionally good judgment, conservative in all matters of moment, and has gained the respect and confidence of his fellowmen. A portrait of Mr. Hoxie will be found on another page in this work. FIELS L. BOYER, The gentleman whose name heads this per- sonal history is one of the old settlers of Ne- braska, a gentleman of sterling character, hon- est, industrious, and who has made his mark in the affairs of his locality, and incidentally built up for himself a competence by dint of good management and thrift. Mr. Boyer was born in Grayson county, Virginia, in 1870. His father, Hugh, was a farmer and pioneer in Nebraska, and a sketch of him, also of two brothers, appear in this volume. When our subject was twelve years of age, in 1882, the family left Virginia and came west, settling in Madison county, Ne- braska, where they rented a farm for about five years. He lived with his parents until he was above seventeen, then started for himself. following farm work at first, then learned the trade of a telegraph operator and worked at that oft' and on for a number of years. In 1890 he came to Cherry county, spent one summer, then went to California and worked as an operator for the Santa Fe & Los An- geles Terminal company, remaining in their employ for six years. In 1900 he returned to NelDraska and filed on a homestead on the Loup river, in Hooker county, northwest of Mullen, and there begun ranching and farm- ing, living on that place up to 1905, then moved to his present ranch in section 28, town- ship 25, range 32. He put up good buildings at the start, drilled wells and put up wind- mills, and has every improvement. The place contains nine hundred and sixty acres, about eighty acres of which is devoted to farming and the balance used as a stock ranch. In 1894 Mr. Boyer was married to Alice Osborn, a daughter of T. C. Osborn, who is a well known ranchman and old settler in east- ern Nebraska, and one of the first homestead- ers in Madison county. Two children have come to bless the union of our subject and his good wife, named as follows : Glenn, aged twelve years; and Lynn, aged ten years. S. L. ROBERTS. In compiling a list of the prominent busi- ness and professional men of Alma, Harlan county. Nebraska, who have been intimately identified with the upbuilding of the commer- cial interests of that locality, and are widely and favorably known, a foremost place must be given S. L. Roberts. Mr. Roberts is a native of Clark county, Ohio, born in 1845, near Springfield. He is a son of William V. Roberts, a native of Berkeley county, West Virginia, and his grandfather. Captain James Roberts, was cap- tain of the Ohio troops in the war of 1812. In 1856 our subject's parents moved to Warren county, Iowa, and at the age of fifteen he en- listed in the Fifteenth Iowa Infantry, Com- pany G, serving for four years and ten months. He was never off duty only when shot off, and was wounded at the battles of Shiloh and At- lanta. Was taken prisoner at Corinth, and paroled from Vicksburg in a few weeks and exchanged in January, 1863. He was all through the battles around Vicksburg and was at the siege of Vicksburg. He was with Sher- man in the Georgia campaign, was with the company on their march to the sea, and through the Carolinas. He was mustered out 154 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY at Louisville, Kentucky, and took part in the Grand Review at Washington. Mr. Roberts came to Harlan county, Ne- braska, locating on a homestead in Alma in the year 1873, and seven years later moved into Alma, which had just been started as a town, the railway having been put through in 1879. He established himself in business as abstractor of titles, in 1890, and was one of the first trustees for the village of Alma in 1880. He served first the village, later the town, on the board and council for a number of terms. In 1895 he was elected county clerk and regis- ter of deeds, and was re-elected in 1897. hold- ing ofifice up to 1901. Back in the '80s he was justice of the peace for a number of years, and was on the school board in 1885, when the old school house was built, and has been a mem- ber off and on ever since then, and is now hold- ing the ofifice of president of the school board of Alma. They are this year building a fine new high school, to cost when completed. $25,000. This will contain ten rooms, and be an up-to- date, modern building in every respect. Mr. Roberts was married in 1872 to Miss Anna McGlathery, of Cass county, Missouri. One son, John W. Roberts, is now superin- tendent of the Alma city schools, appointed in 1906. He was born and raised in Alma and educated at the high school here, later attend- ing the state university, graduating in 1904. For two years he taught Latin and German at Falls City high school, and at the end of that time was tendered the position he now holds, without having applied for it. One daughter, Grace A., is a graduate of the Alma high school, also the state university, entering the latter institution when but sixteen years of age. and was for two years teacher of mathe- matics and Latin in the city schools, retiring in 1905. She has a brilliant record as a scholar, both at school and later as a teacher. Mr. Roberts is a Democrat. IRA L. BARE. The above mentioned gentleman is one of the prominent residents of North Platte, Lin- coln county, Nebraska. He is editor and pub- lisher of the Semi-weekly Tribune, established in 1885 by L. A. Stevens. Mr. Bare is a native of Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and was reared and educated there. The North Platte Semi-Weekly Tri- bune was established in 1885 by L. A. Stevens, and in June of the same year our subject bought a half interest in the paper. In 1901 he bought the whole paper, and was sole proprie- tor. From the time of first getting an interest in it, he has been the editor and active mem- ber of the firm. This paper has been a Repub- lican organ from the start and always taken a firm stand in upholding the party principles. It has always stood for the best interests of North Platte and its growth and advancement as one of the leading cities of western Ne- braska, and been an earnest advocate of the schools and all improvements which would add to the prosperity of this locality. The paper started and led the fight which resulted in the building of the new high school in 1905, at a cost of $25,000, and the city still needs four more rooms to accommodate the pupils properly. The only debt which the town has is $30,000 which was expended for sewers, and the city is now negotiating for the purchase of the water plant. This paper has also always dealt fairly by the L'nion Pacific railway, recognizing it as the principal factor in build- ing up the city. It has a large circulation in this and the adjoining counties, and is the leading news medium of this locality. The job department is thoroughly equipped for ex- ecuting orders promptly, and gives universal satisfaction. Mr. Bare was married in 1887 to Miss Mol- lie Thompson, of northeast Pennsylvania, and by which union a daughter and son are living. JOHN MORGAN COTTON. The gentleman whose name heads this per- sonal history is the popular editor and man- ager of the Ainsworth Star-Journal, the oldest paper published in Brown county, Nebraska. This paper is a reliable news medium, and has a wide circulation all over Brown and the ad- joining counties. The Ainsworth Star-Journal is the successor of the W'estern News, estab- lished in 1880, The Journal. The Star, The Idea, The Home Rule and The Herald. Mr. Cotton is a native of Indiana, born in 1853, of Irish descent. His grandparents were born in \'^irginia. His father, Isaac Cotton, was a farmer, and his mother was a daughter of John Morgan, a captain in the war of 1812. He is the elder of three children, and was raised in Iowa, where the familj^ settled about 1855, locating on a farm in Story county. He received his early education in the common schools, and then attended the college at Ames, Iowa. In 1872 he was appointed a civil engineer on the Santa Fe railroad, and fol- lowed this work for some years. He then re- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 155 signed that position and began teaching school. He was admitted to the bar in Ne- braska, in 1875, and has the distinction of be- ing the first person to be admitted to the su- preme court on examination in that state. He is a graduate of the University Law School in Kansas, and subsequently practiced in Kansas for five years. After having had about two months' experience in the printing business he located at Louisville, Kansas, in 1880, and be- came editor of the Louisville Reporter. The former editor of that paper had been arrested and charged with a serious crime two months after Mr. Cotton had settled in Louisville, and he was asked to take charge of the paper, and also to defend the editor in the suit which was brought against him. After a hard fought legal battle Mr. Cotton secured his client's acquittal in spite of the fact that public senti- ment was strongly against the man. In fact, although he was proven not guilty, the feeling against him was so bitter that he was at once compelled to leave town. This, of course, left our subject as editor and manager of the Re- porter. After some years in newspaper work he was on the road traveling for different lines of business, all over Nebraska, Iowa, North and South Dakota, ^ilanitoba, Kansas. Okla- homa. Minnesota, \\^yoming, Colorado, and in some sections of Wisconsin and Michigan. He was engaged in the newspaper business in Lin- coln for three years, also in Omaha for a time, and in 1903 located in Owatonna. where he acted as editor of the daily and weekly Journal for over two years. In the year 1905 he pur- chased the paper of which he is now editor and manager. Mr. Cotton was married in 1900 to Miss Nannie Remy, a native of Indiana, a daughter of Dr. G. O. Remy, of Ainsworth. Mr. Cotton has been very successful in his newspaper work, and is highly respected by the entire community for his active public spirit, and his paper is the exponent of all that tends to the advancement of the locality in which it is printed. C. C. SMITH. The gentleman above named is a well known business man and respected citizen of Alliance, Nebraska. He has given liberally of his time and influence in building up the financial interests of the town, and has taken an active part in every movement to better the conditions of his community. Mr. Smith is a native of England, born in Lincolnshire, in 1856, of American parentage on his father's side, the latter having settled in England in his young manhood and there married Sarah Barton, of English birth. The father was a horse dealer, and when our sub- ject was a boy the family came to America and settled in Iowa where he was reared and educated. When he reached the age of twen- ty-one years he begun railroading, beginning as a machine hand in the shops and working up to be engineer for the company he started with. He continued at this work up to 1892, the year previous having located in Alliance, and at that time was engineer on the Burling- ton railroad, having been with that company for fourteen years. In May, 1905, he met with an accident and was obliged to quit the road. In May, 1906, he started in the livery business in Alliance, and has had a good patronage since the beginning. He has also been en- gaged in the real estate and land business here. Mr. Smith was married in 1884 to Miss Addie Brenanstall, daughter of R. R. Brenan- stall, who is a large dealer in the hide and grease business at Creston, Iowa. Mr. Smith is a Republican politically, and active in party affairs. In 1906 he was elected a member of the town council, and the follow- ing year was nominee for mayor by all parties and elected by a goodly majority. He has been a member of the school board for a num- ber of years, and is one of the leading public men of his community, enjoying a host of warm friends and the confidence and esteem of his fellowmen. GEORGE. P. EMIG. One of the leading and most successful business men of Taylor. Nebraska, is the gen- tleman whose name stands at the head of this review. He has been engaged in the drug business ever since 1883 and has built up a large and prosperous trade. He is an enter- prising and successful business man and has the esteem and confidence of the entire com- munity. Mr. Emig was born in Columbus, Barthol- omew county, Indiana, in the year 1849, and was the son of Michael and Permilla (Ander- son) Emig, the former a native of Germany and the latter of New Jersey. The father was a barber by trade, and was a veteran of the Mexican war. George Emig was reared in Indiana, re- ceiving a good education in the city schools. 156 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Early in life he exhibited excellent 'business capabilities, learning the tannery and the boot and shoe business and also the drug line. At the age of sixteen years he was so proficient that he was placed in charge of thirty work- ers in the tannery and twenty employes in the boot and shoe department, and he followed this employment up to the year 1879. He then went west, locating on a farm at Ord, Ne- braska, where he remained for two years. At this time he went into the drug business in the village of Ord, remaining there for four years. In 1880, while on a hunting expedition, he visited Loup county, and in 1886 concluded to make it his home. On arriving in Taylor, the county-seat, he purchased his present drug business which had been established in about 1884 by F. A. and Otto Witty. At that time the stock was very small and IMr. Emig began at once to enlarge it and make it adequate for the increasing demands of the trade. For twenty-two years it has been Mr. Emig's con- stant aim to make his store one of the most modern and up-to-date establishments in this part of the country. He has been a warm supporter of educational matters, assisted in the establishment of the independent school district and has been an active member of the school board. George P. Emig was united in marriage in 1876 to Miss Mary Matilda Whiteside, a na- tive of New York state. Her father, William Whiteside, was born in Canada ; her mother was a native of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Emig have two children: Charles M. and Emma. H. P. WAITE. Among the popular residents of McCook, Red Willow county, none is better known or more universally esteemed than the gentleman above named, who has been mayor of the town for the past two years. Mr. Waite was elected in 1905, and succeeded himself the following year. His duties are many as McCook is growing very rapidly and its municipal gov- ernment consequently becoming important, imposes a greater tax upon the time and abil- ity of the mayor. During his term of office one of the most important and beneficial steps for the present and future good of the town has been inaugurated and completed, and much praise is due him for the very success- ful culmination of this enterprise. The sewer- age system is referred to by the above. Mc- Cook is much better situated than most west- ern cities for sewerage disposal, being on high land overlooking the Republican River, and although it was an immense undertaking, it is now in full operation and proving an impor- tant factor in the growth and development of its industries and commercial value. This work will cost the town about $40,000. The main sewer is one mile long, and empties into the river, the laterals being from eight to nine miles in length. With the fine supply of wa- ter from the works put in here in the year 1883. McCook is thoroughly up-to-date in all respects, and the health of the citizens and progress of the city is assured. Mr. Waite is a native of Vermont. He came to McCook in 1888, and in 1896 estab- lished a hardware business here and since lo- cating has been one of the active and success- ful citizens of the place. He is a director of the First National Bank. He has served the town as alderman for two terms. The city is building a new high school to cost between $40,000 and $50,000, and Mr. Waite was in- strumental in getting this for the city. Dur- ing the term of his office as mayor the Car- negie gift of $10,000 for a public library has been accepted, and the city has guaranteed a fund of $1,000 per year to support this, Mr. Waite having appointed the trustees for this. McCook has between four and five hundred n. & M. railway men residing here with their families. This is a division headquarters with the superintendent and many officials living here, also the roundhouse and machine shops are located here, which employ a large num- ber of men. SIMON FISHMAN. Simon Fishman is one of the prosperous business men of Sidney, where he is engaged in the general merchandise business and has built up a good trade through his industry and good managament, and is deservedly placed in a high rank among the worthy citi- zens of that thriving town. Mr. Fishman was born in the village of Thisit, Germany, in 1880. His parents were Jews, and lived in Germany all their lives. Our subject remained at home until he was thirteen years of age. then came to America, and from that time on has made his own way in the world. He located in Trenton, Tennes- see, and spent four years in that city. At the end of that time he came west to Sterling, Colorado, and there began working as a clerk and continued in this work for four vears when ROBERT S. CAROTHERS. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 157 he started in business for himself at Sterling, being just twenty-one years old, opening a general merchandise store. He ran this place up to 1903, then sold out and came to Sidney, Cheyenne county, Nebraska. Here he opened up in the same line of business and has built up a good patronage. He has a nice store building with a frontage of 50x135 feet and occupies two floors, carrying a large and com- plete line of merchandise. In 1901 our subject was married to Mary Firee. Mr. Fishman is looked upon as one of the city's substantial and successful busi- ness men. and is always active in local affairs promoting the commercial or educational in- terests. He is a member of the city council, and is now serving in that capacity. In 1907 he was elected mayor of Sidney, and is one of the best public officials the town has ever had, highly esteemed by all. ROBERT S. CAROTHERS. Perseverance and integrity are the stepping stones by which many men have reached suc- cess, but of the early settlers in the west these characteristics were required in a greater measure than usually falls to the men of a more settled region. Here they had little incentive to perseverance when their every efifort was almost fruitless for so many years, and the blasts of winter or storms and pests of summer destroyed the results of their toil. Those who remained through the pioneer days and witnessed a most radical change in the landscape and conditions are worthy of great praise for their work as developers of the country, and are citizens of whom their fel- lowmen may feel justly proud. Such a man is Robert S. Carothers, and he now resides in Perkins county, where he has a finely devel- oped farm and valuable estate. A portrait of him will be found on another page. Mr. Carothers was born at Frankfort Springs, Pa., August 15th, 1864. He comes of American stock, Scotch-Irish descent, and his father was a native of Pennsylvania also. When Robert was just one year old the fam- ily settled in Mercer county, Ills., where he grew to manhood, he going to Missouri in 1882, and there followed farm work. In the spring of 1886 he settled in Perkins county, locating on section 20. township 10, range 36. On coming to this region he shipped to Ogal- lala, which was the nearest trading point, driv- ing to his new location, and for two years every trip for supplies for his home was made to that town. His father had settled in the vicinity in 1885, and was hard at work building up a home. He had hauled water for house- hold use from Stinking Water Creek, several miles away, and was also going through the hardships and discouragements incidental to establishing a farm. His farm was on section 19. and his house a stopping place for many people who came to the region in search of homes, at one time he having twenty people crowded in his sod shanty for the night. He was one of the most hospitable of men, and was always ready and willing to lend a help- ing hand to the newcomer in getting located and his home started. Our subject's first dwelling was a sod shanty, and in this he led a bachelor existence up to 1891, then was married to Miss Nellie Coates. She was born in Wisconsin, the fam- ily settling in Keith county in 1885, and later her father, C. C. Coates, located in North Platte, where he opened a real estate office. During the construction of the C. B. & Q. Railway through the county Mr. Carothers helped survey the line through Perkins and Chase counties. He spent some time subse- quently in Colorado and Kansas in company with surveying parties, roughing it on these trips, and passed through several exciting ex- periences. At one time near Sterling, Colo., a blizzard struck the camp and blew their tents away, and they had a hard time to save themselves from severe suffering trying to find shelter, for two hours wandering around seek- ing an abandoned shack in which to pass the time until the storm abated, finally succeeding in locating the shanty and saving themselves from exposure and possible death by freezing. In 1893 and '94 our subject met with se- vere crop losses on his farm and during these times was compelled to work away from home in order to make a living for his family. After these times passed he gradually got ahead, im- proved his place in good shape and added more land to his original homestead until he became proprietor of a section of good farm and range land, which is supplied with good buildings, including a comfortable dwelling, commodious barn 28 x 54 feet with 14-foot posts, besides sheds, etc. He has 200 acres cultivated and uses the rest as pasture and hayland for a large herd of stock. It will be of interest in this connection to say that in the spring of 1894 our subject hauled hay from near Key- stone, on the North Platte river, thirty-five miles away. In the spring of 1886 hay was hauled from the South Platte. Mr. and Mrs. Carothers have a family of six children, namely: Roy N., Glen, Rex, COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Fern. Ray and Robert, and their home is one of the pleasant spots to be found in the com- munity. Mr. Carothers is a populist. In early days he was actively interested in the Farmers' Alliance and was secretary and treasurer of the Perkins county organization. I\Ir. Carothers relates many incidents of pioneer life that are interesting. On January 12. 1888, there was a school exhibition in the neighborhood, when the blizzard of that date occurred, and the people were compelled to spend the night in the sod house where the exercises took place. Mr. Carothers' father, Robert L. Carothers. was justice of the peace of his neighborhood for ten or twelve years in early days. It is related that when he per- formed his first marriage ceremony in pioneer times, the bridegroom called him out after the ceremony and asked for a chew of tobacco and told the magistrate that he was financially -'strapped" and would have to postpone pay- ing the fee. For years this first marriage fee that Mr. Carothers received was a standing joke in the neighborhood. HON. J. S. HOAGLAND. J. S. Hoagland, a prominent resident of North Platte, Nebraska, of the firm of Hoag- land & Hoagland. attorneys at law, was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1847. He is a son of W. V. F. Hoagland and Sarah L. Hoagland. his father at that time being en- gaged in the drug business in New York City in partnership with Dr. J. H. Schenk, of Phil- adelphia, and it was at the latter's request that our subject was named J. Schenk Hoagland. In 18.57 Mr. Hoagland moved to Bunker Hill. Illinois, and remained there up to 1872, then came to Nebraska, locating at Lincoln. There he served as deputy sherif?, and later as sheriff of Lancaster county, this in 1878. He was educated in Illinois, studying law at Bunker Hill and at Lincoln, Nebraska. In February. 1865. he enlisted in the 152nd Illi- nois Infantry and served his country as a private for nine months. Mr. Hoagland was married in 1868 to Miss Maria L. Waples, of Madison county, Illinois. They have two sons, one of whom, W. V., is in partnership with his father in his law busi- ness, and A. B. Hoagland, a prominent mer- chant of North Platte. Mr. Hoagland is a strong Republican. He has been judge of Lincoln county, and was elected a member of the Nebraska State Sen- ate in 1895. He has been the representative of Nebraska to the Sovereign Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows since 1889. and recognized as one of the most faithful and efficient members of this splendid body of representative men. He is a gifted orator and eagerly sought as a speaker on all occasions in the different cities in which they meet by the order itself and also other orders by which the Grand Lodge is en- tertained. LOGAN COUNTY. By an Early Settler. Logan county lies just west of Custer and north of Lincoln counties and was organized in 1885 by a soldiers' colony of about three hundred members who settled upon govern- ment lands under the homestead and timber culture act of Congress. The colony was or- ganized in 1883 at the office of J. S. Hoagland, then a practicing lawyer in Lincoln. Nebraska. Several veterans of the Civil war designing to enter upon government land consulted with Mr. Hoagland as to where such land could be found. They were advised that such informa- tion could be obtained by organized effort at much less expense than if each one attempted to ascertain such information for himself. A date for a meeting was fixed and the Lincoln papers printed a notice that there was to be a soldiers' colony organized at Mr. Hoag- land's oiifice at a certain time. At this ap- pointed time there were two hundred and twenty ex-soldiers on hand and joined the or- ganization, each paid in one dollar and a com- mittee of five members was selected to go out and find a good location where government land could be obtained. All railroads ofi^ered free transportation to the members of the com- mittee and one-half fare and one-half the reg- ular freight rates for members of the colony. The committee after having carefully exam- ined the countrj' in the northwest, southwest and central western portions made its report to a meeting of the colony called to act upon such report and it was decided almost unani- mously to locate in the unorganized territory where Logan county is now situated. The south Loup river, a beautiful little stream, runs through the center of the county. The valleys and table lands are very productive, and the prosperity of many members of the colony is shown by the comfortable houses, barns, splendid stock, fertile fields and grow- ing trees. The people have prospered without the aid of a railroad as no railroad company has as yet constructed any line through this coun- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 159 ty. Land there is selling from ten to thirty dollars per acre because of its great product- iveness. The farmers ship but little grain be- cause of the long haul necessitated in the mar- keting of their product. Mr. Hoagland, the organizer of the colony, went with his com- rades to their new home, procured a patent from the government for his quarter section of land in 1885 and is now one of the leading lawyers in North Platte. Logan county will probably have a railroad in the near future and so lands will rapidly increase in value. A daily mail runs between North Platte and Candy, the county seat of the county, and nearly every resident of the county has his telephone service. The raising of the best breeds of cattle, horses, hogs and sheep is the principal industry. They have good schools and churches and the people are happy even though they do not hear the whistle of the locomotive and the rumble of the railroad trains. WILLIAM P. HALL. Among the leading citizens and prominent business men of Holdrege, Nebraska, none occupies a higher position than the gentleman herein named. Mr. Hall has been engaged in the practice of law for the past twenty-five years, and is closely identified with every movement which has been inaugurated for the benefit of his locality, and his name will fig- ure prominently in the history of the region. Mr. Hall is a native of Morgan county, Illinois. He studied law at Jacksonville, Illi- nois, after having received his earlier educa- tion in the public schools, and was admitted to the bar in 1884. In that year Mr. Hall lo- cated at Holdrege, and at that time there was not a school building, church or a sidewalk in the town. He was the second mayor, elect- ed in 1889, and served one term. In 1898 he was again elected and held the office for one term. In his first term as mayor the city council took forcible possession of the water works, owing to the owners refusing to fur- nish water to the city, and after running it for one summer the city bought it and has since retained possession, which they have found a satisfactory arrangement. In 1889 the popu- lation of Holdrege was 1500, and it is now 4000. There are now two ward schools, a high school, eleven churches with many fine residences and altogether it is one of the most up-to-date towns of the state. Our subject served five terms as city attor- ney in the '90's, and also during 1904 and 1905. He has an extended practice throughout this section of the country in all courts of the state, and is recognized everywhere as a man of superior ability and sound judgment. In June, 1906, Mr. Hall was appointed post- master, and is now serving in that capacity, proving a most popular and efficient official. ROBERT WILBERT. The gentleman herein named has for many years been devoted to the interests of his com- munity in public matters, displaying an enter- prising spirit and the exercise of good judg- ment in a manner that commends him to all as a worthy citizen. Mr. Wilbert resides near Ainsworth, Nebraska, where he has a pleas- ant home and is proprietor of a large farm and ranch, to which he devotes all of his time and attention. Mr. ^^^ilbert was born in Pennsylvania in 1847. His father. Israel Wilbert, was of old American stock, a farmer by occupation, who died when our subject was a boy. leaving a family of six children and a widow, who was Elizabeth Eakert, of Pennsylvania Dutch blood. Of these six children, he is now the only one living. His mother, now in her eigh- ty-third year, is living at Dustin, Holt coun- ty, Nebraska. When he was thirteen years old he enlisted in the army serving in Gen. Sheri- dan's cavalry troops for three years and nine months. Was at the battle of Appomattox, Five Forks, and other campaigns, and was present at Lee's surrender, but most of the time was spent in the Shenandoah valley. After he left the army he spent one year at home, then traveled through the south for three or four years, and about the year 1870 went to Bismarck, North Dakota, where he scouted for the government, and also hunted and trapped. He took part in all the prelim- inary surveys of the Northern Pacific railway from Bismarck to Musselshell, Montana, and spent five years in that country. He next came to the Niobrara Valley in Holt county, and hunted and trapped for five years, and in the spring of 1881 moved to Brown county before it was organized, where he settled on a homestead in section 13, township 31, range 23. At that time there were only a few ranch- ers in this county, and the land abounded in wild game which very nearly supplied all his wants, which were few and simple. He built a log house and started to build up a ranch, but for the first few years had a hard time getting along, experiencing many losses in i6o COMPENDIU;\l OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY crops and stock, going through several dry seasons and destructive hail storms. He stuck to the work through all disappointments, and now has a farm of 1.480 acres, of which 650 are cultivated, and he engages in stock rais- ing and ranching. He runs about 150 cattle, thirty-five horses and three hundred and fifty hogs. His place is well improved with good buildings and fences, and he has a very valu- able property and is well known throughout this part of the country as a successful and prosperous ranchman and farmer. Mr. Wil- bert was married while living in Holt county in 1877. and his wedding was the first ever held in that count}-. His bride was ;\Iiss Mar- tha A. Berry, born in Boonesboro. Iowa, and came to Holt county in 1873 with her parents. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wil- bert. namely: Mabel, born in Holt county m 1879. and Hattie. born on the present home- stead in 1886. Mr. W'ilbert has been promin- ent in political circles for many years past, and was a strong Peter Cooper man, a green- backer, later deeply interested in the union la- bor question and anti-monopolist. He was a member of the Farmers Alliance and sup- porter of the populist party, always taking sides with the reform parties. He has never held any remunerative office of any kind, but for several years was postmaster at Mabelo, which has since been discontinued. Our sub- ject is a man of superior intelligence and great energy of mind, and a truly self-made man, never having attended an English school. He is among the oldest settlers in Brown county and this part of the state of Nebraska, his nearest neighbor as a pioneer, being ten miles away. His first garden was also ten miles from his house, and the nearest postoffice when he was first married was Paddock, Holt coun- ty. Nebraska. WALTER P. MANX. Walter P. Mann, a prosperous ranchman and worthy citizen of Dawes county, Nebras- ka, is a man of wide experience in business pursuits who has met with pronounced suc- cess and enjoys a comfortable home and the respect and esteem of a large circle of ac- quaintances as a result of his integrity and sterling character. Mr. Mann resides in Chad- ron. where he is engaged in business. Mr. Mann was born in Lexington, Ken- tucky, in 1869, of American stock. His father, Elias Mann, was a dentist. He married Miss Harriet Ballard, and came with his family to northwestern Missouri when our subject was an infant, settling in Nodaway county at the county seat, which was then Maryville, and there our subject was raised and educated. When he was fifteen years old he ran away from home and came to Dawes county, Ne- braska, with a freighting outfit, the party camping out nights and roughing it generally. He then put in ten years on different ranches in Wyoming, working as a cowbo}^, and saw all that country, including the Dakotas and parts of Montana, making Chadron his home and headquarters during all of the time. He grew familiar with the whole western coun- try, and liked Nebraska better than any part of the west, so finally bought a ranch situated fifteen miles northwest of Chadron which he operated for some time and still owns and personally manages the place. Mr. Mann is recognized as one of the lead- ing pioneers of western Nebraska, and has done his full share in building up the region where he chose his home. He has always ta- ken an active interest in every movement that tended to the advancement of the interests of his community, and deserves a first place among those who have helped make this coun- try what it is to-day. In political sentiment he is a Democrat. GEO. F. SCOTT. Geo. F. Scott, postmaster and influential merchant of Taylor for the last twent_v-four years, coming here in 1884, is a native of Min- nesota, and was born near Albert Lea, Febru- ary 12, 1857. His father. L. T. Scott, was one of the pioneers in Minnesota and was in the state during the Indian massacre. In early life he was a farmer, but, later, turned his atten- tion to banking and the mercantile business. Our subject's mother was Marion Purdy be- fore marriage and was of Scotch descent. Geo. F. Scott grew up on a frontier farm and was used to the hard work and the rough life of pioneer life. He came to Nebraska in 1878, locating in Furnas county, where for six 3'ears he was engaged in the mercantile business. He then removed to Taylor, where, in company with C. F. ^^^^eeler, he opened a store with a small capital of about $2,000. For twenty-four years Mr. Scott has been success- fully carrying on his large business which has increased as the years went by. He is inter- ested in a store at Burwell which was opened in 1891, and the management of that business is in the hands of our subject's nephew. I. A. Howard. COMPENDIUM Of HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY i6i Geo. F. Scott was married in 1885 to Miss Delia Farrand, a native of Michigan. Her fa- ther, A. Farrand, was a pioneer of Furnas county, Nebraska. Air. and Mrs. Scott have one child, a daughter named Aural. Mr. Scott was appointed postmaster of Taylor, in 1885, and has held the position ever since. He has become thoroughly identified with the interests of Taylor, and also of Loup county, and has done his share in building up the prosperity of the community. He has proven eminently successful as a business man and has merited the esteem in which he is held by his fellow citizens. EUGENE HARTWELL HILL. Eugene H. Hill, residing in tlie thriving town of Grant, is well known throughout western Nebraska as a business man of ex- ceptional ability, who has for the past many 3'ears been e.xtensively interested in the finan- cial and commercial afifairs of the region. He is at present engaged in the real estate busi- ness, handling land all over Nebraska and also in Colorado. Mr. Hill was born in Richland county, Wisconsin, June 15, 1862. In the pa- ternal line he is descended from an old eastern family, who resided in Lewis county, New York. Goodwin John Hill, father of our sub- ject, was born in Louis county. New York, in March, 1824, where he was reared on a farm and lived with his parents until he was mar- ried in 1843 to Miss Caroline Matilda Hubbard. They emigrated to Wisconsin in the pioneer days of that state, settling in Richland coun- ty, where there was born to them three sons and two daughters, the oldest son being Ralph K. Hill, now a resident of Hardy, Nebraska ; Mortimer W. Hill, now residing on a farm near Alexandria, Nebraska, and Eugene Hartwell Hill. Mrs. Fannie Stanclift, one of the daugh- ters, passed away in 1886 and the other daugh- ter, Mrs. Lillian Jackson, is now residing in Spokane, Washington. Goodwin J. Hill died March. 28, 1884. His wife survived him and passed away July 10, 1899. She was the daughter of William Hubbard, who was a soldier in the war of 1812, and died at the age of ninety-three years. His wife's maiden name was Caroline Elizabeth Bush. Our subject was raised in Richland Center to the age of eight years, then the family emi- grated to Nebraska, locating in Jefferson county in 1870, driving the entire distance from Wisconsin with a two-horse team and cov- ered wagon. After arriving in Nebraska they settled right among the Indians, living on the old Farrell ranch near Big Sandy River in Jef- ferson county, and there our subject grew to manhood. In 1883 he left home and started for himself, having previously learned the print- er's trade, and followed the work considerably from that time on, employed on different news- papers through eastern Nebraska. He came to Grant in April, 1888, purchased the Grant Enterprise in partnership with L. S. Lacey, and ran this paper for about four years, act- ing as editor and publisher. This was the first newspaper published in Perkins county. He sold the organ in 1892 and went into the real estate business, also in the stock business in 1898, carrying on both enterprises up to 1903, owning at different times large tracts of land, and running from 4,000 to 6,000 head of sheep on his ranches. He opened his pres- ent real estate establishment in 1903, and has been successful in making some large deals, and has induced many settlers to this part of the state. He is at present owner of a ranch containing one thousand one hundred and eigh- ty acres situated four miles north of Grant, and on this place he carries on stock raising and farming, having several hundred head of cat- tle, horses and hogs. Mr. Hill was married December 27, 1889, to Miss E. Alice Sexson, of Grant, Nebraska, who was born on a farm in Center township, Green county, Indiana, October 11, 1856, a daughter of John Granvill and Alartha S. (Walker) Sexson. She emigrated with her parents to York, Nebraska, March, 1883, where she taught school until 1886, when she accom- panied her parents on their removal to Per- kins county, Nebraska, where she again re- sumed her profession as teacher and was prin- cipal of the Grant high school at the time of her marriage to Mr. Hill. Her father was born in Kentucky April 27, 1825, and in early childhood moved to Greene county, Indiana, with his parents, to whom were born si.xteen children. This family moved west on horse- back all of that distance. He was married in 1850 to Miss Martha S. Walker and passed away March 13,1896, while his wife died May 15, 1896. She was born in Bledsoe county, Tennessee, November 16, 1823, and moved with her parents to Monroe count}^, Indiana, when a young girl, where she was reared amid the scenes and environments of pioneer life. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Granvill Sexson were as follows: Mary Abigail, who was born in 1851 and died May, 1852 ; Joseph Joel was born January 4, 1854, and is employed in the mail 1 62 COMPEXDIU-M OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY service running from Hastings to Omaha ; E. Alice was born October 11, 1856; Edward Hanigan and Edgar Harris were born June 3. 1858. Edward, who Hved in Greeley, Colo- rado, died January 6, 1899. Edgar served in the capacity of county treasurer of Perkins county, Nebraska, two terms, but is at present engaged in ranch business; Rebecca Cornelia was born August 2, 1860, is engaged in the millinery business in Grant; Viola Florence was born May 9, 1862, died January 26, 1890; Carol Speed was born August 11, 1864, en- gaged in farming and stockraising in Perkins county, Nebraska ; John Granville. Jr., was born August 9, 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Hill have become the par- ents of a son, Eugene Harold, born August 11, 1893. Mr. HiU was made a Mason in Plumb Lodge No. 186, Ancient Free and Ac- cepted Masons, in 1889 and is now a member of Ogallala Lodge, Ogallala, Nebraska. He and his family are members of the First Meth- odist Episcopal church, of Grant. Nebraska. HENRY J. LOWE. Henry J. Lowe, a leading business man of Mullen. Nebraska, has been closely identified with the development of Hooker county for many years past. He is proprietor of the lead- ing general store in that town, carrying a large line of merchandise, lumber, coal and farm machinery, and enjoys a good trade from the surrounding country. Mr. Lowe is a man of much enterprise, and no one is more highly es- teemed as a worthy and deserving citizen than the gentleman above named. Mr. Lowe was born at Cambridgeshire. England, in 1861. His father. Henry, Sr., was a carpenter by trade, and came to America in 1872 with his family, settling in Marshall \'il- lage, Michigan, where our subject grew to manhood. At the age of seventeen he left home and emigrated to Iowa, remaining there but a short time, then determined to go far- ther west, traveling by team and covered wagon, and finally settling in Goodland. Sher- man county, Kansas, landing at that place in March of 1885. He settled on a pre-emption and later took a homestead, and started to build up a home. During that year the In- dians Jiad begun troubling the settlers, and while they were considered e.\tremely danger- ous, our subject stayed on just the same, spending in all ten years in that region, and succeeded in establishing a good ranch and home. Mr. Lowe was married there in 1889 to Alarj' Kudrua, whose parents were early set- tlers in that state, and she grew up there. The young couple began on a small scale and went through the usual pioneer experiences, and lived in a dugout the first six months, working faithfully to accumulate a comforta- ble home, but in 1894 they, with many other settlers, left the region on account of the hard times and unfavorable conditions. They came to Hooker county, Nebraska, settling on a ranch situated ten miles west of Mullen, and after living on the place for a year traded a bunch of horses for a stock of merchandise valued at $500, which was his start in the busi- ness world. He put in a larger line, and con- stantly extended his patronage throughout the county, and is now considered one of the lead- ing merchants of his county, his trade at the present time amounting to $50,000 per year. He has a handsome and modern building, equipped with the most complete line of goods in this part of the state, and his floor space covers an area 25x60 feet, containing his small- er goods, while the shed, 14x70 feet, is used for flour and other goods. The machinery and lumber occupy a half block west and adjoin- ing the main store. The upper floor of his store is used as a town hall. Besides his mercantile business Mr. Lowe owns a fine ranch situated three miles north- east of Mullen, on which he runs from 700 to 800 head of cattle and about 125 horses, also 700 sheep, and he personally superintends the operation of this extensive ranch. Mr. Lowe's family consists of himself, wife and two children — Lewis, aged seventeen years, and Elliott, aged fifteen years. They have a beautiful home, and are well liked by all with whom they come in contact, occupy- ing a foremost place in the social life of the town. Mr. Lowe is a stanch Republican in po- litical views, and was county treasurer for four years. He was appointed postmaster at .Mullen, and held that office for eight years. J. W. JACKSON. J. W. Jackson, of Loomis. is one of the largest landowners of Phelps county, Ne- braska, being proprietor of two thousand one hundred and eighty acres, a part of which is located very near Iloldrege and the balance near Loomis, all of which is improved land. Mr. Jackson is one of the progressive and up- to-date argriculturists of this region, and it is J. W. JACKSON. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 163 through his good management and enterpris- ing spirit that he has reached the success he now enjoys. A portrait of him is presented on another page of this work. Mr. Jackson was born in Maryland in 1848. His father, Joseph Jackson, came west in 1856, settling in Logan county, Illinois, where our subject was reared and made his home until February, 1884. He first came to Nebraska in 1884 and set- tled in Phelps, section 3, Laird township. In 1884 he bought this land in Laird township, having $2,500 capital, which was the proceeds of a fifty-acre farm near Lincoln, Illinois. The following year he built and operated the first store at Loomis, the railway having made that a station. He also petitioned for a postofifice. and was appointed the first postmaster, hold- ing that office for nine years. From 1893 to 1901 he was engaged in the lumber business with one August E. Anderson, and they also put up the first grist mill and elevator at Loomis, with a capacity of fifty-five thousand bushels, the building costing thirty thousand dollars. He has since sold out his interest in this business. For four years he operated a general store at Loomis with an eight thousand dollar stock of goods, and during the dry years when so many became discouraged he went right on buying farms and farming with success. In those years he grew mostly rye and had big crops. At that time land in that vicinity was worth from fifteen dollars to twenty dollars per acre, and the same land is now worth sixty to one hundred dollars per acre, and he is still buying Phelps county land at these increased prices. ]\Ir. Jackson rents out his land in three hundred and twenty-acre farms, and thus, at one outlay, has better buildings and conveniences, giving his tenants a chance to do well and remain with him for several years. He believes in grain raising and only keeps stock enough for farming and domestic pur- poses. His annual grain crop is about fifty thousand bushels, which is his one-third in- terest in the farms rented. Mr. Jackson is an authority on farming lands all over the west. He has investigated farming lands with a practiced eye all over Texas, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Colorado, Kan- sas, etc., and considers western Nebraska the best of all. The soil here is very productive and can raise any kind of grain if properly tilled and cared for. His idea is to cultivate and keep cultivating the surface of the land, keeping it level ; if allowed to become ridged up it will not hold moisture in dry seasons. ind puB dn ji ajfojq 'iuj-bj v jijSnoq aij f^j^si "T in a crop of wheat, and the first year's crop paid for the land. Then came on a dry spell, and while other farmers were sticking to wheat and getting nothing out of it he planted rye and got a yield of thirty-five bushels to the acre, and kept at this, keeping the land abso- lutely level by harrowing and keeping the ground floated down, and his opinion is that this country will stand dry and wet spells bet- ter than any place he knows of. He advocates plowing under cornstalks, as they hold the moisture, whereas stubble should be burned off and not plowed under, as this tends to make the ground dry and the burning also kills all insects of wheat and oat stubble. As an ex- ample, plant trees with cornstalks or any rub- bish under them and they will grow much bet- ter, as the ground is kept moist. In 1892 Mr. Jackson erected a fine farm res- idence in which he and his family lived up to the fall of 1906, and he also owns considerable property in the town of Holdrege. He was married in 1872 to Miss Annie Bruner. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson have a family of seven chil- dren, namely: Alfred C, of Holdrege; Albert, deceased ; Andrew and Loda, Ada, Nellie and Lina. The younger children are all attending school. HENRY E. GAPEN. Prominent among Cheyenne county's worthy citizens is the gentleman above mentioned, as he has been largely instrumental in bringing about the present financial and commercial prosperity. Mr. Gapen located in this county in 1887, and since that time has done his full share in building up the section in a business way, giving liberally of his time and money to every movement which tended to improve conditions here. Cheyenne county is free of all debt and everything is run on a cash basis, and to Mr. Gapen great credit is due for this state of affairs. He resides in Sidney, where he is engaged in the practice of law, and his clientage extends throughout Cheyenne and the adjoining counties. Mr. Gapen was born in \^^aynesburg, Penn- sylvania, September 19, 1863. His father was \\'illiam E. Gapen, a prominent attorney, and judge of the municipal court at Bloomington, Illinois, where the family moved when our subject was three years of age. William E. Gapen was a delegate at the first convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for Pres- ident of the L'nited States, and also a dele- gate to the national convention nominating fames A. Garfield. He was well known all 164 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY over the country, and was a college mate of James G. Blaine. He married Miss Helen Minor, also a native of Pennsylvania. Henry Gapen grew to manhood in Illinois, receiving ■a common school education, and after leaving school he began studying law in his spare hours with his father. In the fall of 1885 he came west, locating in Deadwood, South Da- kota, where he took a position as clerk in the government land office, being obliged to travel from Chadron, Nebraska, to Deadwood by stage through a perfectly wild and unsettled country. He remained at Deadwood until the spring of 1887, then came to Sidney in June of that year, where he had secured the posi- tion of chief clerk in the government land of- fice, which was opened in July, 1887. Here he served for seven years, then began the practice of law, and in the fall of 1895 was elected to the office of county attorney, and has been re-elected for four successive terms, at present serving his fifth term in that ca- pacity. He has done a general law and land business, and has stumped and canvassed Cheyenne county many times in different po- litical campaigns. He is recognized as one of the leading old-timers and foremost barris- ters of this section of the country, and enjoys an enviable reputation as a business man and good citizen. Politically he is a Republican. CHARLES G. ELMORE, M. D. Charles G. Elmore, a leading physician and surgeon of Chadron, Nebraska, is an exceed- ingly proficient member of his profession and has ai> e.xtensive practice throughout Dawes and the adjoining counties. He is a man of keenest perception and superior ability, and has gained an enviable reputation by his strict attention to his work and for his unfailing sympathy and aid in times of need to his patrons. Dr. Elmore was born in Alamo, Montgom- ery county, Indiana, in 1858, of American stock, Scotch-Irish descent. His father was a merchant and farmer, and our subject was reared in the state of his birth, attending the academy at Alamo, from which he was grad- uated at the age of twenty. He immediate!}' began the study of medicine, devoting three years to this work at Crawfordsville, and also attending the medical department of Butler University at Indianapolis for two years. He remained in the vicinity of the latter place and. practiced for a time, then returned to school, taking a course of study at the Uni- versity of Tennessee, and graduated from that institution in 1887. In that year he came to Nebraska, locating at Gordon, where he opened an office and built up a good practice through that region. He constantly kept up his studies and received a diploma from the New York Polyclinic School, this being post-graduate work, and he is considered one of the best read men in the profession. He also has attended Johns Hopkins University and done post-grad- uate work in Chicago. When he first settled in Gordon, that now thriving town was a reg- ular "wild west" town, and he took an active part in building up the place and was one of the pioneers of the region, his practice in those days extending all through that section of the country, covering Pine Ridge Reservation and for many miles in each direction. Dr. Elmore came to Chadron in 1896 and opened an office, which he has maintained ever since, enjoying a good practice and an envia- ble reputation as the leading physician of the county. He has been coroner of Dawes county for a number of years ; surgeon for the C. & N. \V. Railway, and United States pension exam- iner for years at this point. W. L. BLACK. W. L. Black, residing in Prairie township, Phelps county, farmer, stock shipper and deal- er in Jersey R.ed Duroc hogs, pure-bred, is one of the leading stockmen of this locality. He is an authority on this subject, and has made a pronounced success since he has been en- gaged in the work. Mr. Black is a native of Illinois. His fa- ther, John L. Black, was born in Schuyler county, Illinois, and a sketch of his brother, Richard S., appears in this volume. The fa- ther was a soldier in an Illinois regiment dur- ing the Civil war and lost his life in defense of the Union. Our subject came to Phelps county in March, 1897, purchasing a farm of eighty acres adjoining the town of Holdrcge and another of seventy-six acres near by. The places were supplied with good buildings, and he paid ninety dollars per acre for the land containing eighty acres and one hundred for other property, and it is worth much more to- day. Prior to this he lived in Harlan county for nine years, where he farmed over eight hundred acres, most of it in, small grain and corn. There he fed cattle and hogs during the winters, and made a success of the business. In 1906 he sold the land, consisting of two hun- dred and ninetv acres, for sixteen thousand del- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 165 lars, and when he bought it he only gave twenty dollars an acre, showing a good ad- vance. Mr. Black lived in Iowa for four years, then in Missouri for ten years, and states that from his experience he thinks Nebraska by far the best place he has ever seen, taking one year with another. One has better crops here, it is healthier, better water, and the land is easier worked, one man being able to till twice the number of acres that he could in either of those states. When Mr. Black came here ten years ago he had very little to start with, and he has been one of the successful men of the section, and is now proprietor of a valuable estate. He now has sixty head of pure-bred Duroc Jersey hogs and feeds out and sells to the local markets over two hundred head each season. He has dealt in these hogs for the past six years and has met with decided suc- cess, and is of the opinion that the Durocs are the best hogs for this country, being healthier and better rustlers, making quicker growth and larger litters, usually getting a third more pigs. They are always in good de- mand and are the best lard hogs in the world. Mr. Black also ships from two to three cars of cattle and hogs each week during the ship- ping season, usually sending them to the St. Joe market. Mr. Black was married in 1893 to Miss Luella Lawler. By a former marriage Mr. Black had three children, one of whom was an adopted child. One son, C. C. Black, died in 1905 at the age of twenty-one. In the fam- ily there are now three children, named as fol- lows: Frederick L., Henry L. and Irene. Our subject went into the dairy business in 1906, and has a herd of forty-five dairy cows. He sells all his milk at the city of Holdrege. He has made a success in this busi- ness ; in fact, in his community he can't sup- ply the demand for dairy products. He has gradually increased his land until now he has a ranch of two hundred and forty acres, al- though his start was made with onlv seventeen ORLANDO U. LENINGTON. To the pioneers of a county is due most of the credit for the prosperity enjoyed there in after years, and among those who have spent many years in assisting the development of the agricultural and commercial resources of western Nebraska, the gentleman above named is accorded a prominent place. He went through all the hardships of a pioneer's life, starting in when but a boy, and despite many losses and discouragements which overtook him at different times worked steadily and earnestly on, and is now one of the substantial citizens of Dawes county, residing in Chadron, where he is engaged in the feed and grain business. Mr. Lenington was born at Marietta, Ohio, in 1866. His father, J. B. Lenington, was a farmer, of American stock, and the family re- mained in Ohio until our subject was six years old, then went to Minnesota, settling in Stearns county, on a farm, where he was reared and educated. He was brought up to do all kinds of hard farm work, and he and his father car- ried on the farm up to 1885, when they came to Nebraska, where the latter took up a home- stead and started a farm. He was only here two years when he died, and our subject was left to run the farm, which he did for two years. They had put up a log house and lived in that all the time they were on the place. He remained on his farm, also working out in the vicinity of his home, and part of the time worked as an engineer in a sawmill, where he had full charge of the lumbering operations. He then was employed as foreman of a horse ranch in Cherry county for five years. Mr. Lenington came to Chadron and for three or four years was engaged in the cattle business on his own account, and made a success ot the work, but opened his present feed store in 1900 and has built up a fine trade in that time. In 1891 our subject was married to Miss Ada M. Canaday, whose father died when she was a baby. To Mr. and Mrs. Lenington two children have been born — Marcie, aged four- teen, and Eva, aged nine. Mr. Lenington has taken a very active part in local aiTairs since coming to Chadron. He has been assessor in Chadron for several terms and has assessed nearly half of Dawes county eight different times. Politically he is a Re- publican. H. HAPEMAN, M. D. The gentleman whose name heads this per- sonal history is a widely known physician of Kearney county, Nebraska, who has been a resident of the town of Minden for the past twenty-five years. Dr. Hapeman is a native of La Salle county, Illinois, born in Earlville, Illinois. Dr. Hape- man first came to Minden in 1884 and opened up in the ofhce he now occupies, being the oldest physician in this county. He has made a specialty of surgery, and his practice ex- 1 66 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY i], | tends over the state and into Colorado and Kansas. He devotes his entire time and at- tention to his clients, and has gained the con- fidence and esteem of a host of people, all of whom recognize in him a master of his pro- fession. Prior to coming west Dr. Hapeman practiced in Polo, Illinois, for two years. He received his education and training at Rush Medical College, Chicago. He is a member of the State Medical Society and District Med- ical Society, also railway surgeon, and is sur- geon for the B. & M. railway at Hastings. Dr. Hapeman is interested to some extent in farming lands in this section of the coun- try, and is thoroughly familiar with all impor- tant matters relating to agriculture, and has seen the value of lands in this section raise from eight dollars per acre to seventy-five dol- lars in the past few years. GRANVILLE H. COX. In compiling a list of the prominent busi- ness men of Purdum, Blaine county, who have been for many years intimately identified with the upbuilding of the commercial interests of that locality and are widely and favorably known, a foremost place must be given Gran- ville H. Cox. He is engaged in the general mercantile business at that place, has estab- lished a splendid trade throughout the section, and enjoys the confidence of all with whom he has had to do. He is also one of the earliest settlers in the county, coming here in 1887, and has watched the growth of this region from almost its very beginning as a farming community. Mr. Cox was born in Preble county, Ohio, in 1872, and while a small boy the family lived in Iowa, Indiana and later in Nebraska, Levi Cox, the father, having been an early settler in this state, locating at first in Custer county, Granville being about fourteen years of age when they came to Nebraska. In 1887 they came from Custer county to Blaine county, driving the entire distance with a team and covered wagon, and settled on a homestead which they farmed for a number of years. Their nearest trading point at that time was Ainsworth, about fifty miles from the claim, and our subject lived with his parents, assist- ing them in building up the home farm, until he was past twenty-one, then filed on a claim for himself and started to develop a farm and ranch. He was married in 1896 to Miss Ger- trude Keller, whose father, George Keller, is a pioneer in this vicinity, and together they worked faithfully to build up a comfortable home, going through many hardships and pri- vations at the first, but gradually improved their place, proving up on the land, which he still owns. In 1900 Mr. Cox was appointed postmaster at Purdum, so removed to the town and soon afterwards established his present business, beginning with a capital of about four hundred dollars, putting in a small stock of general merchandise, and during the first weeks of his career as a merchant his sales amounted to something like two dollars and a half each day. His store was a rude little building, 12x 14 feet floor space, and from such a start he has grown to be one of the leading business men of the town, occupying a building 24x50 feet in size, and nearly as much used as a store room. He carries a very complete line of general goods and furnishings, hardware, groceries, shoes, etc., and besides this deals in farm machinery, having a machine shop 30x 36 feet for this stock. He has made a success of the enterprise, and is one of the well-to-do men of the town, taking an active part in local afifairs and recognized as a gentleman of su- perior business ability and a worthy citizen of the community. Mr. Cox has a pleasant home, and the fam- ily occupy a prominent position in the social affairs of the town. There are three children, Kyle, Bessie and George. HARRY D. ALFORD. Harry D. Alford, the popular mayor of Grant, has been a resident of Perkins county for the past twenty-five years, and is well known all through the region as a man of strong character and the strictest integrity. Mr. Alford was born in Jasper county, Iowa, November 12, 1868. His father, George P. Alford, is of Scotch blood, and was an early settler in western Nebraska. He married Jen- nie Kirk, of old American stock, and the fam- ily settled in Perkins county during its early days as a county, Mr. Alford being appointed postmaster at Grant and served for eight years. Our subject grew up in Iowa, coming to Nebraska with his parents when seventeen years of age, locating on the father's present homestead a mile and a half southeast of Grant, and he worked with his father until he was twenty-one years of age. He then left home and settled in Grant, establishing a draying business, starting with one team and wagon, did very well, and in 1894 added a livery busi- ness, which he carried on for several years. He COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAFHY 167 bought a small hardware store in 1900, started in this September 10th of that year with a small capital and a floor space 24x40 feet. He soon was obliged to increase his stock and now has a frontage of seventy feet on the main street of the town, and occupies a store of six hundred and fifty square feet floor space. He enjoys a good trade, and is classed among the solid and substantial business men of the town, always ready and willing to help in promoting the best interests of his community, financial, commercial and educational, and is one of the best known men in the county. On November 10, 1892, Mr. Alford was united in marriage to Miss Laura Yenney, whose father, John Yenney, was a homesteader and early settler in this county. A. T. DAVIS. A. T. Davis, one of the leading farmers of section 31, township 26, range 38, is also one of the old settlers of Cherry county, Nebraska. Coming here in the early days of its settle- ment, he has aided materially in the develop- ment of the region, and well merits the high standing he has gained as a citizen and pro- gressive agriculturist and stockman. Mr. Davis was born in Meigs county, Ohio, in 1858. He is a descendent of an old Ameri- can family, his father, Robert, being a native of New Hampshire and an early pioneer in Ohio. He married Elizabeth McNeil. When our subject was a lad of seven years the family came to Illinois and settled in Wayne county, where they lived on a farm for seven years, and then emigrated to Ne- braska, locating in Redwillow county. They landed there in 1873, traveling by team and covered wagon through the wild and unset- tled country, camping out along the road on the journey, and met with numerous exciting experiences. During the early settlement in Nebraska father and son did quite a good deal of hunting and killed many buffaloes and other wild game, and they went through the pioneer incidents, encountering many difficulties in getting their home established and opening up a ranch and farm. Our subject received his education in the country schools during his early boyhood, and later attended the State University for two years, the family having settled in Lincoln county, where the father died. After several years the mother with her little family came to Cherry county, arriving here in 1888, our subject settling on a ranch sixteen miles north of Hyannis, and was among the earliest settlers in that vicinity, which was later named "Davis Valley," one of the great- est hay valleys in the county, yielding annu- ally about twenty-five thousand tons of hay. Mr. Davis worked faithfully and succeeded in building up a good home, improving the place in good shape and grew into the stock business gradually, and now has some of the finest herds of cattle and horses in the county, which brings him in a nice income, and he has made a great deal of money in that line. He is now proprietor of a two thousand-acre ranch, all deeded land and splendid range coun- try. Although he has prospered in a won- derful degree since coming here, he has at different times met with reverses, in 1889 los- ing his entire hay crop by fire, besides other property. Also, several times he has had se- rious cattle losses on account of severe storms, but has in the main had great success in his ventures, now standing in the front ranks of the well-to-do men of his county. J. B. BILLINGS & SON. The above firm, successful business men of -Alma, Harlan county, Nebraska, are engaged in the real estate and investment business at that place. They are special agents for the Burlington Railway lands, and have acted in this capacity for over twenty years ; also for the B. & M. railroad and the Lincoln Land Company. They established this firm in 1877, and have carried it on continuously ever since that time, and have built up an enormous trade, extending all over the western part of the state of Nebraska and part of northern Kan- sas. It is the pioneer real estate business in Alma, and father and son are well and favor- ably known all over this section of the country. J. B. Billings was a pioneer of Wisconsin, ■born in Montgomery county, New_ York, in 1846. He has three sons, namely : Aubrey A. Billings, who lately was cashier of the Bank of Alma, having held that position for the past fourteen years, and has recently resigned ; James Earl Billings, a dentist, of Grand Junc- tion, Colorado, and Robert F., associated with his father in the real estate business. For sev- eral years Mr. Billings was a resident of Par- kersburg, Iowa, and then came to Harlan county in 1872, where he located on a farm near Alma, and remained on this place for eight years. He then moved to the town. He held the office of justice of the peace for many years, and was police judge of the city several years. He was county commissioner for six i68 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY years, and was appointed postmaster of Alma under President McKinley, proving a most efficient and popular public official. He was the first mayor of Alma, and a member of the town board for several terms. He also served on the school board for many years. The firm of J. B. Billings & Son have been potent factors in the development and growth of this section, and have aided materially in the building up of the community. They have brought many settlers to this county, and have the greatest faith in land here. They own sev- eral large tracts of land, having twelve hun- dred acres located in Phelps, Harlan and Fur- nas counties, most of which is in the first named. During the past four years lands in this part of the country have advanced more than double. On the first of March last year this firm closed sales of over one hundred thousand dollars. J. B. Billings is an active member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, also of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and takes an active part in all local and state af- fairs. In political faith he is a Republican. CLELL LA BELL. In the story of the career of this enterpris- ing and successful citizen of Newport, Rock county, Nebraska, we have a story of far more than the usual interest, and yet one that is repeated thousands of times in the redemption of the children of the old world from the op- pression of intolerable conditions, and their introduction into the larger life and liberty of the new. The transference of such vast mul- titudes from the almost hopeless poverty, des- titution and toil that so largely rule across the ocean to the freedom and enlightenment that attend manhood and industry on Ameri- can soil is a marvel of history, and gives a zest and a glory to the humble life of many who have toiled and labored here never dream- ing of the possibilities their achievements bring, not only to their own descendents, but to the land of their adoption as well. Mr. La Bell was born in Italy, near the city of Rome, April 10, 1865, where his father died when he was only eight years of age. At that time he was brought to this country by a German musician who agreed to teach him music, pay his mother $12 per year for his time and return him to her at the end of four years. On the arrival of the steamer the German was arrested for kidnaping a boy some three years before and Clell and three other lads were left strangers in a strange land to make their own way in the world alone. Cast adrift in the city of New York, it was his good fortune that he did not remain a home- less waif on its streets, but was cared for by the Humane Society and through them adopt- ed by Elijah Longbottom, of Rockford, Iowa, where for some three years he was employed in farm labor. He was cruelly treated here and to escape a threatened flogging for stay- ing overtime at a neighbor's ran away. From there he went to Hamilton county, after be- ing abandoned by a brother of his adopted par- ent, and was fortunate to fall into the hands of Abraham Johnson, who gave him the ad- vantages of school and a Christian home, and here he remained until eighteen years of age. The following year was spent by him in Mon- tana in labor and mining, from whence he re- turned to Hamilton county, remaining until he attained his majority. That year j\lr. La Bell came to Rock county, Nebraska, and filed on a homestead entry "six miles southeast of Long Pine, where he "kept bachelor's hall" for a year, and for two years did his farm work with oxen. Clell La Bell and Miss Luda O. De Witt were married April 5, 1891, and by this union he has become the father of two children, Ethel and Mabel. Mrs. La Bell is a daugh- ter of Solomon De Witt, who comes of an old American lineage. Mr. and Mrs. La Bell passed through several protracted drouth pe- riods and have seen hard times, but success has greatly crowned their efforts, \^^ith the opening of the year 1896 a fire swept away their hay and cattle sheds, causing a loss of about five hundred dollars, at that time a se- rious blow. However, with true grit he re- covered from it, and when he sold out in 1902 had acquired an entire section of land for his homestead, on which he had a five-room resi- dence and a barn that could shelter a hundred head of cattle. We show a view of this home- stead on another page, together with a view of the prairie at the time of his coming, covered only by the prairie grasses. We also show a view of his residence and business property in Newport. There was an abundance of water and an orchard that altesled faithful care. With the proceeds Mr. La Bell came to New- port and engaged in trade, opening a general store and inviting patronage especially to his harness, hardware, boot and shoe and grocery departments. He has been in business since leaving the farm and his store has become widely and favorably known alike for its re liable goods, fair treatment and the courteous manners of its management. In political af- 'TOnK /?/'.< /PKXrj-j c. /..I iJKJj. , x/:i\V'o/rj: x/:/i. inv^^ Ri'.siDi-xci-: ( IK c, LA r,i:i.L, Section 6, Township 2g, Range ig. Rock County, Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 169 fairs Mr. La Bell is a Republican. The family are all members of the Methodist church, while Mr. La Bell is a member of the Newport clan of Royal Highlanders and was formerly af- filiated with the Knights of Pythias. GEORGE M. CLEAVENGER. George M. Cleavenger, residing in Mullen, Hooker county, Nebraska, is one of the lead- ing and substantial citizens of that thriving town, highly esteemed for his unswerving in- tegrity and sterling worth. Mr. Cleavenger was born in Hardin county. West Virginia, in 1847, and is of English and Irish descent. His father, Thomas, was a farmer and blacksmith, and he followed his calling in Hardin county. West Virginia, for many years. The family moved to Ohio in 1851, remained there for about two years, then emigrated to Iowa, settling in LTnion county, where they were among the pioneers and spent several years on the frontier, our subject grow- ing up in that vicinity. When he reached the age of eighteen he left home and went to Kan- sas, locating in Washington c?)unty. At that time that country was full of Indians, also bufifalo and other wild game, and a great deal of his time was spent in hunting. He took up a tract of land and developed a good farm, liv- ing there for twenty-two "j-ears. He was mar- ried while in that region, in 1871, taking as a wife Belle Lavering, daughter of William Lav- ering, an early settler in Kansas. Mrs. Clea- venger's mother was Ann Snyder, and the for- mer grew up and was educated in Kansas. Our subject suceeded in accumulating a good home and farm in Kansas, but in 1888 disposed of the farm and moved to IMontana. settling in Custer county, the family driving through the country to their new location from White- wood, South Dakota. As soon as they reached Montana he took up a desert claim and began to open a ranch, starting at once in the stock business. His ranch was situated one hundred and twenty miles from the county seat. Miles City, which was also his nearest trading point, and his nearest postoffice was a distance of forty miles. Mr. Cleavenger succeeded well in the ranching business, and remained on the place for ten years, then came to Nebraska, settling in Hooker county. This trip was also made by team, they being on the road for forty days, camping out along the way, sleeping un- der their wagon and cooking their meals over camp fires. As soon as he arrived here Mr. Cleavenger bought land and began to start a ranch, also farmed some from the beginning, and has been following the same work for the past ten years. He deals principally in horses, raising the animals for breeding and market purposes, and is considered one of the best judges of horses in the region, well known all over this county as an authority on all matters pertaining to horseflesh. Mr. Cleavenger's family consists of seven children, who are named as follows : Elvery B., Carrie May, Georgia, Frank, Charles, Grace and Estelline. Our subject has always taken an active part in local affairs and is known throughout his locality for his liberal views on all mat- ters of public interest. He was elected county commissioner of Hooker county in 1899 and served in that capacity for five years. JUDGE ALBERT MULDOON. Judge Albert Muldoon, a prominent attor- ney of North Platte, Nebraska, is a gentleman of exceptional ability as a lawyer, one of the best informed men in the state of Nebraska, and is highly respected and esteemed as a worth}' citizen. He is probably the most widely known man in the profession in this section of the country, and has built up a large and lu- crative practice since settling here. Judge Muldoon was born January 28, 1860, in Logan county, Illinois, and was educated in the schools near his home, afterwards attend- ing the State Normal located at Normal, Illi- nois. After this he engaged in teaching and followed that occupation for six years in Lo- gan county. His parents, James and Mary Costello Muldoon, both natives of County Derry, Ireland, came to America in 1858 and settled in Illinois, where they raised their fam- ily, and they still reside there. Our subject came to Nebraska in 1889, locating at Ogallala, and there practiced his profession for about seven years, and then moved to North Platte, where he has resided ever since, following his chosen work. He was elected county judge of Keith county on the Republican ticket in 1890, serving one term, and county attorney for two terms. He has served on the county central committee for Lincoln and has been on the district committee. While in Ogallala he finished his studies, which were begun in his young manhood, and it was there that he was admitted to the bar. He is now district attorney for the Union Pa- cific Railway, and attorney for the Exchange Bank of Ogallala, the Sutherland and State 170 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Bank and the Commercial Bank of Paxton, Ne- braska. His time is fully occupied in looking after the interests of these different concerns, together with the general practice which he enjoys and which extends all over the western part of Nebraska, and the success which he has attained in his profession proves him to be one of the foremost lawyers of his time. Judge Muldoon was married in 1886 to ^Miss Mary E. Lucas, a native of Logan county, Illinois. PETER DAHLSTEN. Peter Dahlsten, of Bartlett, Nebraska, is one of the old settlers of Wheeler county and a public official of enviable reputation, well known throughout the northwestern part of the state of Nebraska. He is the present coun- ty clerk, and his popularity is best evidenced by the fact that for the past fifteen or twenty years he has constantly held ofifice in Wheeler county in some capacity or other, serving as postmaster at Erickson for six years, receiv- ing his appointment under President Cleve- land's regime. He has also held the office of treasurer of the county for four years, and was representative from the Forty-ninth District, consisting of eight counties — Greeley, W'heel- er, Garfield, Loup, Blaine, Thomas, Hooker and Grant — elected to that ofifice in 1900 on the People's Independent ticket. In 1905 Mr. Dahlsten was elected county clerk, and is still acting in this capacity, now serving his sec- ond term. He is a popular and efificient public official and one of the foremost men of this region, noted alike for his active public spirit in every matter pertaining to the good of the locality and for his many sterling qualities of heart and mind. Mr. Dahlsten was born in Clayton county, Iowa, December 4, 1862. His father, Carl Dahlsten, was a native of Sweden, as was also his mother, Carrie (Hansen) Dahlsten. Our subject's father died in Madison county, Nebraska, November 2, 190.S, and his mother in the spring of 1883. The family came to America in 1857, making the trip across the ocean in a sailing vessel, the journey taking three weeks from the time of leaving their na- tive country up to the time of landing in New York City, and during the trip they were ex- posed to much hardship and suffering. In 1876 our subject, with his parents, three brothers and a sister, moved from Clayton county, Iowa, to Cuming county, Nebraska, where they lived for three years. They then moved to Madison county, Nebraska, where our subject assisted in opening up a home- stead filed on by his father in 1883. When twenty-one years of age he came to Wheeler county and took up a homestead and tree claim on Cedar river, which is now three miles southeast of Ericson. Here he now has a ranch of six hundred and forty acres of deeded land, besides six hundred acres leased school land. He has forty thousand Cottonwood and ash trees and a large orchard growing on his place, mostly planted by himself. On December 25, 1893, Mr. Dahlsten was united in marriage to Hannah McCart, a na- tive of Nebraska, born in Otoe county, Febru- ary 13, 1875. .Her father, Henry O. McCart, and her mother, Minerva (Blevins) McCart, were pioneer settlers of Otoe county, near Palmyra, Nebraska. To Mr. and Mrs. Dahl- sten the following children have been born : Belle, aged fourteen ; Carl, aged eleven, and •Anna, aged nine, this being October 22, 1908. The family are all active members of the Lu- theran church and highly esteemed by all. Mr. Dahlsten is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. ELMER J. SWEET. The above name will be readily recognized as one of the leading business men and worthy citizens of Sidney, Nebraska. Mr. Sweet is one of the oldest settlers in this part of Ne- braska, and has various financial interests in Sidney and vicinity. He is a man of strict in- tegrity and of energy and one of the wide- awake and influential men of his community. Mr. Sweet was born in Dodge county, Wis- consin, June 8, 1858, on a farm. His father was. Dodge Sweet, of American stock, and came west as far as Denver as early as 1849. He married Miss Susan Crawford, of Ohio. Our subject was raised in his native state, at- tended tlie country schools and helped his par- ents in the farm work up to 1881. He had learned the carpenter's trade when a young fellow, making the farm his home for years, his father having died when he was four years old, and Elmer assisting in the care of his mother and the family. When he was twenty- three years of age he came to Sidney, settling there, where he followed his trade up to 1904. He did contracting here and all over the sur- rounding country, and he put up some of the finest buildings in the place and is considered one of the foremost men in his line of work. In 1903 he opened a lumber yard and carries a large stock of lumber, feed, building material, &f^- V^ w w^^l^ H 1 .>■ t^ k^ ^^ ^ ^K "^-r jj^ /^^^^^H ^^■-: J. H. DENSLOVV. Glen. Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 171 grain, etc., and has done a flourishing business since starting up. He also owns land in this vicinity. In 1881 Mr. Sweet was united in marriage to INIiss Lucy M. Rogers and she died in 1890, leaving a family of four children, named as follows: Samuel R., Arthur W., Susan and Henry, the latter having died in infancy. Mr. Sweet was married the second time, in 1894, to Miss Luella Fetterly, and she died in 1900, leaving one child, Irene. j\Ir. Sweet is interested in politics along re- form lines and votes the Prohibition ticket. Fraternally he affiliates with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Maccabees. J. H. DENSLOW. The gentleman above named is a represent- ative Nebraskan and one of the progressive farmers of Sioux county, owner of a fine es- tate of sixteen hundred acres in section 35, township 31, range 54. He is a young man of excellent business capacity and well merits his success and enviable reputation as an up-to- date agriculturist and worthy citizen. We take pleasure in presenting a portrait of Mr. Denslow on one of the illustrated pages of this work. Mr. Denslow was born in Dodge county, Nebraska, in 1870, on a farm. His father, Jeremiah, was a farmer and pioneer in this state, settling here in 1856, and he experienced all the phases of frontier life, freighting through the country when this region was practically a wilderness and was here ahead of the railroads. He gradually worked into the stock business, and in later years was recog- nized as one of the leading stock growers and ranchmen in western Nebraska. Our subject grew up on the home farm, re- ceiving his education in the country schools, spending his youth in eastern Nebraska, farm- ing in Dodge county, and later coming to Sioux county, arriving here June 22, 1902. This, however, was not his first trip to this section, as he had been through the territory previous- ly, locating the tract on which he settled, which lies fifteen miles west of Crawford, on the White river, and on seeing this locality was so well pleased that he decided to make it his home, which he did. The tract was en- tirely unimproved land at that time. The town of Glenn lies one and a half miles east of the place and is his postoffice. The ranch is well supplied with timber and is all good land, on which he has built a fine set of farm buildings and many miles of fence. His entire time has been spent in developing his farm and making it a model ranch home, and he intends soon to have one hundred and twenty-five acres under irrigation. He is a young man of energetic character and indomitable will, and is on the high road to wealth and success, who is doing his full share in building up the commercial and financial resources of this section. Mr. Denslow was married while living in Dodge county in 1892 to Miss Elizabeth Bald- win, daughter of B. J. Baldwin, a well known farmer residing at Fontanelle, Nebraska, and an old settler in that locality. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Denslow taught school in Dodge county, and is a lady of superior mental attainments. To our subject and his good wife have been born the following children : Au- relia, Grace, Rachel, Clyde, Ford and a baby, named Nina. The family occupy a pleasant home, and theirs is one of the most hospitable places to be found anywhere by the traveler through this part of the state. In politics ]\Ir. Denslow is a supporter of Mr. Bryan and the policies he represents. DR. J. L. KAY. J. L. Kay, prominently known as a leading physician throughout Redwillow county, re- sides in IMcCook, Nebraska. He has an ex- tended practice all over this and the adjoining counties, and by his skillful methods in all cases has won the confidence and esteem of every one in this section of the' state. Dr. Kay was born in the state of Ohio, in 1853. He came to Nebraska in 1883 from Cul- lom, Livingston county, Illinois, where he had practiced his profession from 1876 up to that time. He is a graduate of the Louisville (Ken- tucky) Medical School, class of 1876. For some time after locating in McCook Dr. Kay held the position of physician for the B. & M'. Railway, traveling from Hastings to Denver. Owing to failure of his health, in 1897 he removed to Joplin, Missouri, where he built up a large practice and was recognized as a master in his profession. He returned to McCook in 1905, and has rapidly regained his old practice, his patients of former years wel- coming him back, and he has also gained many new once since McCook has grown rapidly dur- ing the latter years. Dr. Kay is the owner of the Commercial Hotel, located on one of the best corners of the Main street. This is conducted by his son, 172 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Elmer Kay, and is the leading hostelry in Mc- Cook. Dr. Kay takes an active interest in all local affairs, and has served on the city council for two terms, also on the city school board. He is prominent in Masonic circles, and is a past master and high priest of the Chapter. He is a member of the Commandery and Scottish Rite. HON. J. G. BEELER. Hon. J- G. Beeler, a prominent attorney of North Platte, Nebraska, is a gentleman of ex- cellent qualifications and enjoys universal es- teem all through western Nebraska. Mr. Beeler is a native of the north of Hol- land and came to the United States when a small child, and has made a trip back there once since coming to this country, in 1872. He received his education at Hedding College, Abingdon, Knox county, Illinois, and also studied law at Bushnell, Illinois. He was ad- mitted to the bar in Nebraska in 1890, and was elected county attorney, serving from 1895 to 1898, inclusive, on the Fusion ticket. He was a member of the board of education for six years, and is now serving his third term as chairman of that body. During his earlier years Mr. Beeler followed teaching as a pro- fession and taught in Illinois, later in Hold- rege, Nebraska, for about twelve years. He has always taken a deep interest in educational affairs in his community and helped build the twenty-five thousand dollar high school build- ing at North Platte, also the wings on each of the ward buildings. The schools in this town are exceptionally well equipped, and has a force of twenty-seven efficient teachers. Mr. Beeler is at present acting as attorney for the town of North Platte, also in the same capacity for the McDonald State Bank and tlie N. P. Land and Water Company. In 1906 he was nominated to represent the Fusion party from his district in the state senate. He first located in Lincoln county in 1885; and in 1890 began the practice of law, coming to this place in 1895, where he has since resided, and has practiced all over the thirteenth judi- cial district. He is a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church and a trustee of the same, acting on the building committee. He is a prominent worker in the Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows lodge here, and trustee of the Workmen. Mr. Beeler was married in 1881 to Anna D. Thomas, of Abingdon, Illinois. To this union four daughters have been born, namely: Win- nie O., married to Marshall B. Scott, cashier of the Farmers' State Bank of Cuba, Illinois; Fenna C, who is attending the State Univer- sity at Lincoln; Jennie G., married to Charles F. Temple, stenographer and law student, and Myrtle, who is attending school. R. C. WHITAKER. R. C. Whitaker, one of the leading citizens of Lake township, Phelps county, is the owner of the celebrated Duroc Jersey farm of three hundred and twenty acres in section 5. He has this year sold oft' one hundred and sixty acres, and will now devote most of his at- tention to the breeding of pure-bred Duroc Jersey hogs. In 1892 our subject and his fa- ther, N. M. Whitaker, came to this county from Macon county, Illinois, and bought four hundred and eighty acres, and started in the hog business here. They had owned a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Illinois and there made a specialty of raising and feeding hogs for the Chicago market, and were very successful, and numbered among the best ship- pers in their locality. They are of the opinion that Nebraska is superior to that state for the successful raising of hogs, as the dry atmos- phere here is much better for their culture, while in Illinois the wet weather in the spring and fall is very damaging to their perfect growth and development. Since they have lo- cated here they have not lost one hog, where in that state they lost a dozen, and again, the alfalfa raised here and used as a food gives this country a wonderful advantage. In 1903 our subject established himself in the Duroc Jersey pure-bred business, and he now has- ninety head of hogs from the best strains in the country. He will hold iiis first sale in February, 1907, and as every farmer and stock raiser in the section knows the quality of his animals, he will be able to dispose of what- ever he has on hand at a good round sum. While living in Illinois he also handled a big bunch of cattle, but since coming here he has given up handling those animals and con- fines his attention to handling Duroc Jerseys exclusively. Mr. \Vhitaker considers Nebras- ka far ahead of Illinois for farming, as one man can attend to eighty to ninety acres of corn here while there forty acres would be all one man could successfully cultivate, and the yield and quality here will be just as good. His own farm is exceptionally well located for the markets at Holdrege, the county seat, which is five miles west, and Funk, located COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 173 three miles to the east. Sacramento, two miles distant, is also a good shipping point, so that they have only a short distance to drive their stock when ready for shipment. When they came to this locality they paid eight thousand five hundred dollars for one-half a section, and recently sold a quarter section for ten thou- sand dollars, which shows conclusively the rapid advance in land values. Our subject's father died here in 1903, aged seventy-one years. He was a native of In- diana, son of B. B. Whitaker, and his parents located at Lincoln, Illinois, when he was an infant. He married Mary C. Novell, who is now living with her son, he having been the only boy in the family, with four sisters, one of whom, Mrs. G. O. Perrine, now resides in Illinois, and two in Kansas, Mrs. T. F. Bridget and Mrs. L. E. Street ; one in Alberta, Mrs. B. M. McCurdy. Mr. Whitaker married Miss Irene Erick- son, daughter of Andrew Erickson, of Lake township, Phelps county, who is a success- ful farmer. The Whitakers are of Kentucky descent, and our subject and his two sons, Lloyd and Clinton, are the only representa- tives in a direct line on his father's side. He is an "old-line" Democrat, all the time, and has always taken an active part in politics. CLARENCE ELMER LAWSON. Clarence Elmer Lawson, known through- out Cherry county as a prosperous young ag- riculturist and ranchman and worthy citizen, resides on his well improved estate in section 15, township 25, range 39. He is a gentleman of good business judgment and is the proprie- tor of a valuable property by dint of his in- dustry, economy and honesty. Our subject was born in Lynn county, Mis- souri, in 1873. His father, W. J. Lawson, was a pioneer settler in Dawson and Custer coun- ties, Nebraska, a native of Tennessee. He married Miss Dicie Montgomery, a native of Kentucky. Clarence grew up on a farm in Dawson county, receiving a limited educa- tion in the country schools, and became well acquainted with the life on the frontier. He started for himself in 1894, coming to Cherry county, and the following year located on the place he now occupies, which lies in section 15, township 25, range 39. Here he at once put up a sod house and stables, beginning to farm a little the first year, but did not have very good success at first. He improved the ranch as fast as he was able and kept it up in splendid shape. There are three hundred and twenty acres of deeded land, all in one piece, and he also controls a thousand acres of leased land lying near Motler Lake, and he is part owner of this lake, which is a beautiful body of water, where many ducks and other wild fowl abide, making an ideal place for the sport during the hunting season. When Mr. Lawson first settled in this vi- cinity the whole country round was raw prai- rie land, and one look at it now will convince the spectator that he has certainly done some work to accomplish the task of developing it into the fine ranch it now appears. He has been earnest and painstaking in all his efforts, always striving to get the best possible results from his labors, and is one of those men who aim for the making of good homes and upright citizenship. He has good buildings and a com- fortable home. Air. Lawson was married in 1902 to Laura Woodruff. Mrs. Lawson was a native of Can- ada, daughter of Emmet Woodruff, one of the best known pioneer ranchmen of Cherry coun- ty, and her mother, whose maiden name was Mary Perrett, was born and reared in Eng- land. One child has been born to our subject and his estimable wife, a daughter, Lois, aged five years. GEORGE L. MATHEWS. Among the prominent citizens of Thedford, Thomas county, who has for the past many years taken an active part in the development of the county and is familiar with the changes which have taken place throughout the sec- tion, we mention the name of George L. Math- ews. This gentleman is one of the well-to-do residents of Thedford, where he was the first man to build a house. Mr. Mathews was born in New York state in 1854, reared on a farm in Delaware county, and is of American stock. His father, Robert, was a farmer all his life, his wife's maiden name being Jane Riddle. Our subject lived in his native state until he was twenty-one years of age, then came to Nebraska, settling in Lancaster county, where he was among the earliest settlers. He spent one year there, then went to Council Bluffs, Iowa, remained but a short time and drifted to Colorado, where he spent three years, engaging in mining near Leadville. From there he went to Arizona, re- mained for eight months, then to California for sixteen months, following mining nearly all of this time. A part of his time was occupied in ranching, following lumbering, etc. In 1884 1/4 CO:*IPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY he went to Utah, landing there in the spring of that year, and after a short time there returned to Leadville, Colorado. His next move was to Dunning, Nebraska, and there he was ahead of the railroad, that not entering Blaine county for some little time afterwards, and there was not a building up in that place when he ar- rived there. He finally landed in Thomas county in 1887, and his was the first house built in Thedford, he having previously taken a homestead about a mile and a half from the town site. There he put up a house and be- gan developing a ranch and lived on it for twenty years, transforming the tract from a barren prairie to one of the best improved ranches in the vicinity. He moved to Thed- ford in 1907, and here has a comfortable and pleasant home, and his family are among the foremost in the little town. For six years he held the office of county clerk of Thomas coun- ty, and is a popular and capable public official, enjoying the esteem and confidence of his as- sociates. Mr. Mathews was married in February, 1888, to Miss Addie Dunn, daughter of E. P. and Arabella (Thornburgh) Dunn, who were pioneers of Blaine and Loup counties and for several years Mr. Dunn held the office of county surveyor in that county. ^Ir. Dunn was born in Massachusetts, where he was reared, coming to Nebraska in 1878. Mrs. in Nebraska. Mrs. Mathews was reared and educated in Iowa, and has taught school to quite an extent in this vicinity. Our subject has a family of four children, as follows: Rob- ert, Jane, Ella and Sarah, all of whom were born on the homestead, which Mr. Mathews sold in 1907, the family then coming to Thed- ford to reside. ERNEST KRUSE, JR. Among the younger residents of Sidney, Nebraska, who have spent the greater part of their lives in western Nebraska, we mention Ernest Kruse, Jr., a successful business man and worthy citizen. Mr. Kruse was born in Davenport, Iowa, in 1872, and is a son of Ernest Kruse. a well- known carpenter of Davenport, born in Ham- burg, Germany, who came to this country as a young man and built up a home and com- petence -for his family in the western states. One brother of our subject. Rudolph, born at Davenport in 1877, is now a partner in the lat- ter's business. When Ernest, Jr., was fifteen years of age the family moved to western Neb- raska, landing in Sidney in January, 1888, the father taking up a homestead nine miles north- west of the town of Sidney. Here they lived in a tent for a time, and then built a sod shanty and frame house combined, and while living there went through all sorts of pioneer experi- ences, seeing many hard times and suffering much privation. When he was seventeen years old he went to Colorado and worked in the brick yards for three years, then returned to Nebraska and filed on a homestead adjoin- ing his father's place, and proved up on it. Three years and eight months were spent in working in the round house at Sidney, his i)rother Rudolph keeping house for our subject and another brother who also worked in the round house. Rudolph was graduated from the High School at Sidney, and was one of the brightest pupils in his class. The two brothers opened their present business, in 1897 and have been very successful. They are now erecting a 28x48 ft. one-story stone building on the principal street of the town, and are among the substantial citizens of Sidney, giving all their time and attention to their business. In 1901 Ernest Kruse was married to Miss Mame E. Tobin, born and raised in- Sidney. Rudolph was married in 1899, to Grace Moore, also born in Sidney. Albert, another brother of our subject, was married in 1904 to Miss Sophia Urbach, daughter of Morris Urbach, one of the pioneers in Sidney. They have one child, Myron. The brothers are all highly es- teemed in the community, and are good citi- zens and substantial business men. Mr. Kruse has been a member of the I. O. O. F. since 1898. W. R. WATT. W. R. Watt, one of the prominent residents of Minden, Kearney county, has for the past twenty-five years been closely identified with the development and growth of this section of the country. Mr. Watt is an active member of the community in which he lives, taking a deep interest in whatever tends to improve condi- tions relative to commercial and social alTairs, and is widely known throughout the country as a public-spirited citizen. Mr. Watt is a native of Warren county, Illi- nois, born in 1868. He came to Minden in 1883. opening a farm in Logan township, and remained on that up to 1895. He then started in the horse business, buying and selling horses and mules, shipping these to the eastern and southern markets. His operations extend all over the state of Nebraska, and during each year handles from 1000 to 1200 head. During COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY the war between England and the Boers, and also the war between the Spanish nation and United States, he furnished a large number of animals for the government to be used by the soldiers. In the past twelve years Mr. Watt has bought and sold over 15,000 horses and mules, and is well known throughout the en- tire country for the superior quality of the ani- mals he handles, and through his strict integ- rity and honest dealings has won the confi- dence of all classes of people with whom he d'Eals. He has a farm of eighty acres adjoin- ing Minden which he uses for feeding pur- poses, also owns 640 acres on the Platte River devoted to ranching purpose. He gives his entire attention to this business, and is the largest exclusive dealer in horses and mules in western Nebraska south of the Platte River. Mr. Watt was elected Mayor of Minden in 1903 and served his term, making a popular and efficient official. He has been Chief of Police for the last six years, and still holds this office. He is a strong advocate of temperance, and one of the foremost citizens in all mat- ters of local importance. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS LYON. The gentleman named above is one of the leading business men of the thriving town of Grant, in Perkins county. Mr. Lyon, as his name would indicate, is a man of patriotic 'spirit, untiring energy and active mind, and has done his full share toward the development of the financial interests of the community where he has spent so many years. Mr. Lyon was born in Marion county, Ohio, in 1866, and was reared on a farm. His par- ents were Virginians, and his father was one of the earliest settlers in Perkins county, com- ing here as early as 1887, proved up on a good homestead and made it his home until his death in 1906. When our subject was five years of age the family settled in Missouri and lived there for three years, and came to Nebraska in 1875, locating in Otoe county, south of Nebraska City, where they were among the pioneer settlers. There Mr. Lyon grew to manhood, becoming familiar with every phase of frontier life. He had a common school education, spending his entire time on his father's homestead, and at the age of about sixteen located in what is now Perkins county, spending three or four years there, and in the summer of '86 went into Colorado with a party of surveyors, and was in that vicinity for three years, two years for the B. & M. Railroad and one year for the Union Pacific, roughing it most of the time, spending many nights camp- ing out on the plains in all kinds of severe weather, winter and summer. During the winter of 1888 he returned to Perkins county, and opened up a butcher shop in Grant, which he ran for a short time, then started in the draying and livery business, also was engaged in the implement and flour business, in which he worked up a good trade in a short time. He also bought and sold hogs and cattle through the country during the hard times in the '"90's," continuing in the above lines up to 1901, then sold out all his enterprises and pur- chased his present store which was then but a small establishment. He put in a general line of goods, handling all kinds of merchan- dise, and has built up a good business through- out the surrounding country. He has two buildings, one of which is 22 x 110, and the other 22x50 ft., and conducts one of the finest and largest stores of its kind in Perkins county. He is a thorough business man, of splendid ability, and is making a success of his work. In 1892 Mr. Lyon married Miss Grace C. Hull, daughter of Milton B. Hull, a pioneer settler of Perkins county. To them were born four children. Fay, Estelle, Bruce and Cecil, and Mrs. Lyon died in the fall of 1907. Mr. Lyon is a Democrat and takes an active part in local affairs. ALLEN W. SKIDMORE. Allen W. Skidmore, a native of Indiana, was born on a farm in Brown county December 2, 1862. His father, John Skidmore, was a farmer by occupation and died in Piatt county, Illinois, about 1878. His mother, who was a Mrs. Maris at the time she married Mr. Skidmore, was Miss Thamar Lane in maidenhood; she came to Keith county in pioneer days, secured a homestead and died here in 1902. Our subject was reared on an Illinois farm in Piatt county and was educated in the com- mon schools. In 1886 he came west to Ogal- lala, Nebraska, taking a homestead 45 miles south of that city in Chase county. Here he put up a sod shanty, in which he made his home for a number of years. He had but a little to start with, having no team for nearly three years. He worked out at times and did the best he could with his limited means for seven years when he proved up on his home- stead. He experienced very hard times dur- ing seven years. His crops were either very poor or total failures and he was obliged to ' 176 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY turn his hand to almost anything in order to make a living. In 1904 he sold his Chase county land, came to Keith county and set- tled five miles west of Ogallala, purchasing his mother's old homestead, of 160 acres. He has succeeded in his farming and has also been successfully engaged in stock raising. He has excellent improvements and is rated among the well-to-do old settlers of this part of the state. He also owns property in the city of Ogallala, where he lives part of the time in order that his children may have the advantage of better schools. Mr. Skidmore and Miss Rose Mossberger were united in marriage March 2, 1890. Mrs. Skidmore is a daughter of Issac and Barbara (Landis) Mossberger, influential old settlers of Chase county. Mr. and Mrs. Skidmore have been blessed with seven children : Goldie, Harry, Ethel, Ruth, George and Boyd; the first-born died unnamed. When Mr. Skidmore reached Ogallala he was in very poor circumstances, his entire cap- ital being $70. But he has been thrifty and industrious and energetic and has attained a fine success, building up a farm and home that bring him comfort and a good competency. Mr. Skidmore has been active in politics, affili- ating with the Republican party. For two terms he was city Marshall of the city of Ogal- lala. He has been deeply interested in the development of the schools of the county; he served as school director for a long time. He is a man of strong character and wields a good influence in the community in which he lives. JOSEPH E. WEST. Joseph E. West resides in Rushville, Sheri- dan county, Nebraska. He was born in Jefifer- son county, New York, in 1838, and is a son of Eliab West, who was in the hardware business in the village of Mansville. There was a fam- ily of nine children, and our subject was the third member. They came to Wisconsin where the family were pioneer settlers when he was nine years old. Here he was raised, and in 1860 moved to Iowa and settled near Council Bluffs. He began working at freighting, travel- ing from there to Denver in 1861 and continued at this work up to 1865. Our subject was one of those who helped build the Union Pacific railroad through the western part of Nebraska. In 1880 Mr. West went to the central part of the state when he engaged in sheep raising, but met with much bad luck and after suffering heavy losses, 5000 sheep dying in one year, he was obliged to quit the business as he had lost everything he had. He came to Sheridan county in 1889, entering the government In- dian service, which subsequently brought him to Rushville, and remained in that work for eight years here. He had charge of the sup- plies which were shipped here for the Indians, and became thoroughly familiar with methods of dealing with those people and made an effi- cient and faithful employe of the government. After leaving the employ of the U. S. govern- ment he went into the hotel business, and con- tinued at this for six years, running the Com- mercial House at Rushville. Since closing this out he has been engaged in the real estate business, and in 1904 established the bargain store which he now operates. He has built up a good trade and enjoys a wide patronage from all over this section of the country. Mr. West also owns a large ranch located two miles east of Rushville, containing 1,600 acres, and here he does farming and stock raising, which nets him a fine income. He is counted among the pioneers of this state, and has taken a promi- nent part in the history of this section from the start. He made twenty-four trips across Nebraska to Denver and Salt Lake City in the early days. He has sold many sacks of flour in the west receiving in payment for this $100 in gold dust, for a hundred pound sack of flour. He at one time owned a freighting outfit of wagons, teams, etc., and had a party of one hundred and ten men working under him. Many times there were fierce Indian fights w'hich our subject witnessed, and he spent years in dealing with these dangerous people, at some times being obliged to station ten men as guards on outpost duty. Many trips were made when the redskins were on the warpath, and at different times he had some exciting skirmishes with them. In 1858 Mr. West married Miss Martha A. Lonsworth, of French-Canadian descent. M. N. HOLCOMBE. The subject of this review has for many years past resided in Lincoln county, Nebraska, and during this time has acquired a fine prop- erty and built up a comfortable home as a result of his industry and good management. He is widely known in his locality and held in the highest esteem as a citizen of true worth. A portrait of him will be found on another page. Mr. Holcombe was born near Atlanta, Georgia, January 1, 1853. He is a son of Reuben M N^ HOLCOMBE, COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 177 Holcombe, who was a prominent physician of Haralson county, Georgia, and also practised in Blount county, Alabama, whose death oc- curred during the civil war. The Holcombes were early settlers in Virginia. Our subject's mother was Miss Sarah Adams of Carroll county, Georgia. They were of a proud old southern family, and three brothers fought and died in the service of the confederacy. The family originally came from North Carolina, and settled in Georgia in the pioneer days of that state when Indians were still in the country. Our subject came to Nebraska in 1875, working for the U. P. railroad in the vicinity of North Platte. He was employed by the railroad as foreman of the track repair de- partment for the Mountain division west of North Platte, between there and Sidney, and was in this position for a period of nine years. At the end of this time he retired from the service of the road and went on a ranch of about 2,000 acres. This was in 1887, where he engaged in the stock business. He formerly owned 4.400 acres of land here, but disposed of over 2,000 acres, and now has a ranch of 1,600 acres, and runs about five hundred head of cattle. In past years his herd numbered from six to eight hundred head, and he has always been very successful in this work. He has done his part in the upbuilding of the county, and always takes a commendable interest in everything that tends to advance the commercial and educational matters of the locality in which he resides. He was for five years commissioner of Keith county, Nebraska, and afterwards held the office of county treas- urer of Lincoln county, being elected in 1898, serving one term, but refused the re-election. Mr. Holcombe married Miss Lulu Steele, Dec. 28, 1877, daughter of John and Nancy Honge Steele, natives of Georgia. Her ancest- ors on both sides were pioneer settlers in that state, serving in the revolutionary war, and in the civil war, always being prominent in public afifairs. Mr. and Mrs. Holcombe have six children, who are named as follows : John, who is manager of one of the leading jewelry establishments in Haywards, California ; Rob- ert, engaged in the ranching business near Maxwell, Nebraska ; Albert, attending school at Virginia City, Nevada ; Steele and Edith, also at school ; and Mrs. Salena Lowden, re- siding in North Platte. Mr. Holcombe is manager of a large ranch of 5,600 acres located just north of his own ranch. This place is owned by the Honorable J. A. Van Arsdale, Ex-Assistant Attorney Gen- eral of the U. S. at Washington, D. C, now Judge of Appeals of District of Columbia. On this ranch they run from five to seven hundred and fifty head of cattle, and Mr. Holcombe has successfully managed this extensive property in addition to his own large interests, for the past seventeen years. Mr. Holcombe takes a commendable interest in all public aft'airs, and is active in advancing the commercial and educational matters in his locality. He has served on the school board for six years in the Brady district. He is a prominent member of the order of the Alacca- bees and also a Modern Woodman. GEORGE E. MORGAN. George E. Morgan, an enterprising and pros- perous agriculturist of Deuel county, Nebraska, resides on section 5, township 22, range 44, where he has built up a comfortable home and valuable estate during the time he has spent in this locality. Mr. Morgan was born in Clinton county, Iowa, in 1858, and raised on his father's farm in that locality. He is a son of Samuel Morgan, of English birth, who was raised in that coun- try and came to America in the thirties. They were the parents of twelve children, the second youngest being our subject, who started in for himself at the age of sixteen years, beginning at farm work which he followed for three years. He then started to learn the black- smith's trade, and after mastering this con- tinued in it for five years in the vicinity of his father's home. He then took a farm in Craw- ford county, Iowa, remaining on that up to 1886, when he moved to Hay Springs, Ne- braska, and took a pre-emption located seven miles southeast of that place. Then he bought a relinquishment and as the place was utterly without improvements was obliged to go to work building a set of farm buildings, fences, etc. During the years 1887 and '88 his crops did not come up to his expectations so he de- cided to go to the sand hills and start in the stock business, as he did not think he could make any money in farming in that locality. When he landed in Hay Springs he had very little money, but he had gotten together some stock and added improvements so was able to sell his farm for $400 and this he put into stock after locating here. He brought three cows and four calves with him and kept buying more as he was able, so his herd kept increas- ing and he did well from the first. There were no settlers in this locality when the family moved here, and the town of Lakeside was then nothing but a side station, and the only store 178 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY was kept in a box car. He took a homestead in section 5, township 22, range 44, and still occupies this farm. For a time he had plenty of hay land and range for his stock, and he now owns 640 acres of deeded land, including 480 acres of Kinkaid homestead. On his ranch he runs 430 head of cattle and fifty-two horses, also quite a number of sheep. He devotes all his attention to stock raising and has never broken any land on the place except for a garden for home supply. He and his family lived in a sod house up to 1904, when he built a comfortable frame house, the timber for which was hauled from Lakeside, a distance of twelve and one half miles. Mr. Morgan thinks that he is much better off here than he would have been had he stayed on the table land, and the entire family is satisfied to remain here where they have such a pleasant home and comfortable surroundings. Mr. Morgan's family consists of his wife, (who was Miss Emmaline Welch, born of Irish parents,) and their three children, namely; Charlotte, Estella and Theresa, two of whom are married. Mr. Morgan has done his share in developing this section of the country and advancing the commercial and agricultural interests. He is a Republican and always votes that ticket, but never takes any active part in party politics, preferring to let the other fel- low do the talking. WILLIAM A. DANLEY. It is not necessary to introduce the gentle- man above named to the people of Dawes county, as he has been a resident of this region since its earliest settlement and has become widely known as a man of active public spirit who has always given his best efforts to aid in the development of the agricultural and com- mercial interests of his county. Mr. Danley resides in Chadron, where he is engaged in the bakery business, and occupies a pleasant home with his family, highly respected by all with whom he has to do. Mr. Danley was born in Danvers, McLean county, Illinois, in 1860. He is a son of Samuel Danley, of American stock, and father and son were born in the same house, the Danleys hav- ing occupied the old homestead for a great many years. Our subject was raised and edu- cated in his native state, attending school at Princeton, Illinois. When he was nineteen years of age he came with his parents to Ne- braska, settling in Niobrara, Knox county. He worked on the railroad, helping to grade the road from O'Neill to Buffalo Gap. He after- wards spent two years at Valentine and Fort Niobrara, he and his father working together all the time. In 1884 he came to Chadron where he worked at freighting and grading, roughing it all over this region. For two years he lived in tents, camping out through all kinds of rough weather and became thoroughly fa- miliar with the whole country. He saw the first houses ever put up in Atkinson, Stuart, Long Pine and Ainsworth, and distinctly remembers when the whole region was practically nothing but a wilderness, wild game of all sorts roam- ing the plains. He took up government land at Chadron and remained until he proved up on it, and then was for three years engaged in the milk business here. He went out of that and opened a hardware store which he ran for two years. After that he was appointed assistant postmaster and served in that capacity for four years. He established his present business, consisting of bakery and confectionery goods, in 1900, and built up a good business, but sold it out in June. l907. He was appointed postmaster June 11, 1907, and was re-appointed December 9, 1907, at Chadron, Nebraska. Mr. Danley was married in Chadron in 1888, to Miss Jennie Hollenbeck, daughter of John Hollenbeck. who was among the early settlers of Dawes county. Mr. and Mrs. Danley have one son, Neil, born in 1898. Mr. Danley is a Republican and takes an active interest in local party affairs, lending his influence at all times for good government. DR. NICHOLAS McCABE. Dr. Nicholas AlcCabe, mayor of North Platte, Nebraska, is one of the influential and prosperous citizens of Lincoln county. He is a phvsician of note and a skillful surgeon, also the proprietor of one of the leading drug estab- lishments of North Platte. Dr. McCabe is a native of Ireland and came to this country in his boyhood. He received his preliminary education at .St. Joseph's Col- lege at Buffalo. New York, and later obtained his M. D. degree from the ITniversitv of Buf- falo. In 1886 he came to North Platte and be- gan the practice of medicine, and since that time has resided here continuously and has built up a large practice and also has gained the confidence and esteem of the people among whom he lias chosen his home. He has been surgeon for the l^nion Pacific Railroad for the past ten years. About 1891 he established the North Platte Pharmacy, of which he was sole COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 179 proprietor until 1908, when he sold half interest to Edgar Schiller, and the new firm is conducted under the name of Schiller & Company. Dr. McCabe has invested considerably in farming lands in this county, and is the owner of 3,000 acres of land, 1,100 acres of which is farming land ; he also has a large herd of stock on this farm. One feature about Dr. McCabe's farm is that it is mostly all irrigated, 700 acres is watered by the regular irrigation process, 200 acres of which are watered by a ditch which was dug by the Doctor himself and is called the McCabe Irrigation Canal, and the other 500 acres being under the "Birdwood Irrigation District." In 1906 Dr. McCabe was elected Mayor of North Platte, on a ticket pledged to municipal ownership in buying out the private company that owns the water works plant here. He was reelected for three consecutive terms, the last one by a majority of two to one in the face of a bitter attack made upon him by his political enemies. Politically he is an Independent Democrat. Dr. McCabe is a man of broad mind, and has always taken a commendable interest in local public affairs and assisted in the upbuild- ing of the city and county and every public enterprise tending to the advancement of the better interests of the community in which he resides. JOHN ROSS LeLACHEUR. John Ross LeLacheur, who resides in sec- tion 29, township 26, range 32, Cherry county, Nebraska, has a valuable estate which he has gained by industry and good management. He was born in Delaware county, Iowa, in 1876, on a farm. Elisha LeLacheur, the father of our subject, was a native of Prince Edward Island, born in 1831, and came of French parentage. He grew up in that country and came to America with his parents when he was a lad of eleven, the family settling in Iowa, and he at- tended the country schools in Delaware county, and was married there in 1863 to Mary J. Bliss, of English and Yankee stock, the mother now residing in Mullen. John Ross LeLacheur was one of four children in his father's family, named as follows: Phoebe E., Frank W., John R. and Wm. H., and he was the third member in order of bixth. In 1882 our subject moved to Nebraska, driving from Iowa with a team and covered wagon, bringing with them a yoke of oxen and three horses, also three colts. The trip was a hard and tedious one, they being obliged to camp out at night, but they came through with no serious drawbacks, and after arriving in Nebraska settled in Nance county, where they lived for four years, then came to Cherry county and settled on a ranch situated eleven miles northwest of Mullen. There their first dwelling was a tent, in which they lived during the first summer. Storms and hail liter- ally tore the tent to pieces in a few months, and they were obliged to build a sod house be- fore the rough weather came on in the fall, and also built a hen house of sod, barns and sheds for their stock. They had hard times at first, but gradually kept improving the place and tried to farm, but lost several crops during the dry years, and had bad luck. On October 23, 1894, the father died as a result of an accident. He was helping fight a prairie fire and was so badly burned that he only survived his wounds eighteen hours. On January 1, 1901, the old ranch homestead building caught fire and burned to the ground. One son, Wil- liam, and his family occupied the dwelling at the time, and his wife was awakened at four o'clock in the morning by the smell of smoke, found the house on fire and they barely escaped from the burning building with their lives. As it was, William's hair was badly singed and his night clothes were nearly burned oft' his body. His wife and their child were almost caught in the fire, but managed to escape with- out serious harm. This put an end to occupy- ing the old ranch house, but the place is still used as a summer pasture for stock. In 1899 our subject went on a ranch of his own, which was situated in section 29, town- ship 26, • range 32. He had been married in December of the year previous, to Maggie Stevenson, daughter of Frank Stevenson, an old settler in western Nebraska. Mrs. Le- Lacheur's mother was prior to her marriage- Miss Adelaide Allen, born in Pine Grove, War- ren county, Pennsylvania. The young couple at once started out to build up a good home to- gether, and worked hard and faithfully to ac- complish that end, and have succeeded in a marked degree. Mr. LeLacheur is now the owner of a fine ranch of 640 acres, all of which is fenced and improved with good buildings, and he is extensively engaged in the stock raising business, also farming quite a portion of the place. He has two children, Clyde and Ross. One brother, William, also owns a good ranch of 640 acres, which he established in 1900, and is located in sections 26 and 27, town- ship 25, range 32, this being the property of his wife, who acquired it through homestead rights. She was Miss Anna Gibson, daughter i8o COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY of Alexander Gibson, an old settler in McPher- son county. Nebraska, and her mother's maiden name was Ellen Morrison. Two boys have been born to William Horton LeLacheur and his good wife, namely: Ralph and Earl. The LeLacheur family was among the first to settle in this part of Cherry county, coming here when there were but two houses in the entire neighborhood in which they located. Each has done his full share in the upbuilding of the region, and take leading parts in the community. During the early days the sub- ject of this review and his brother Frank, cap- tured two deer and tamed them so that they became household pets, but during the severe hail storms that swept the country and de- stoyed the tent in which they lived, these ani- mals were killed, and the entire family were as much grieved by their loss as they were at the serious property loss which they suffered. JOHN H. EVANS. Among the professional men of Thomas county, Nebraska, an able representative is found in the person of the gentleman above named, one of the most widely known at- torneys and public spirited citizens of the re- gion. He is a gentleman of superior attain- ments mentally, broad minded and thorough practical training, and by unbending integrity and faithful performance of duty, has built up an enviable reputation as an exemplary citizen. John H. Evans was born near Burlington, Iowa, March 21, 1851. His father, Robert A. Evans, was a, farmer by occupation, and was commissioned a Lieutenant in the 38th Regi- ment of the Indiana State Militia by Noah Noble, Governor of the State, in 1836, which place he held until he removed to Iowa, ten years later. The grandfather and an uncle of our subject, were soldiers in the war of 1812, and one uncle was drowned in the Platte River, near where Papillion, Nebraska, now stands, in 1836, while a Major in the U. S. Dragoon service. John's mother was Elizabeth Shoe- maker, and his grandfather Henry Shoemaker, was a soldier under Gen. George Washington, participating in the "Whiskey Insurrection." In May, 1851, John's parents removed to Winterset, Iowa, where he was engaged in working on a farm and attending the common schools, and later the High School. He then commenced the study of law, under the direc- tion of Gilpin Brothers, and later under Gen. Polk, one time Attorney General of Kentucky, and later Dean of the College of Law of St. Joseph. Mo. After completing his law studies, he engaged with a brother in the publication of a newspaper, and has been engaged in con- ducting a paper at Ord, Taylor and Thedford, Nebraska. While at Taylor, Nebraska, he was admitted to the bar, taking up a homestead near that place, and remained in that locality for about six years. He came to Thedford in 1890 and opened up a law office, was elected County Attorney, and has served in that capac- ity for sixteen years. He was also County Attorney of Hooker county for three years, and is now serving Grant county in the same capac- ity. All of his time has been devoted to the practice of his profession except a brief inter- val, while engaged in newspaper work. He has been prominently connected with numer- ous celebrated law cases, among them the trial of Michael Yoakum for the murder of Lincoln Downing in Blaine county in 1887, in which legal contest his address to the jury in behalf of the defendant was a marvel of pathos and which won for his client a verdict of not guilty. In the following 3"ear he was attorney for Wm. Croughwell, on a charge of sodomy in Richard- son county, this being one of the most notorious cases in that part of the state. He is a brilliant orator and one of the most successful lawyers in the state. Mr. Evans has been an attorney for the C. B. & O. Railroad for fourteen years past and has carried to a successful termination many suits for the company. He has been identified with every measure calculated to promote the interest of his county, holding office nearly «11 the time he has resided in the region. He has been a delegate to the National Irrigation Congress, a member of the National Institute of Farmers, and delegate to the Farmers' National Congress. In 1877 our subject was married to Miss Lusetta J. Norris. daughter of Alfred Norris, Esq., a well known farmer and public spirited citizen of Winterset, Iowa. They have four children, as follows: Alice G., wife of C. C. McKay, now living at Oakland, Cal. ; Theron E., a prominent young ranchman of the county; Mabel J. and Ivan D. who are at home. FRED A. GAPEN. Fred A. Gapen, a prominent business man of Sidney. Nebraska, is classed among the pio- neer settlers of that section. He is owner and editor of The Telegraph, a leading newspaper of Cheyenne county, and was born in Bloom- ington, McLean county, Illinois, in 1870, where C. L. MAYES. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY i8i he grew up attending the common schools there. When he was sixteen years of age he commenced work at the printer's trade, and has since followed that business, coming to Sidney in 1894, where he has lived continuously ever since. The Telegraph was the first paper in the county, having been founded by L. Connell in 1873, and purchased in December, 1875, by J. B. Gossage. In January, 1876, G. B. Darrow was admitted as partner, and in '79 it was sold to a stock company with Brainard & McNulty as editors. In 1880 James ^McNulty took con- trol, continuing up to March, 1881, when the paper was sold to A. C. Drake, then the editor of The Plaindealer, the two papers consolidat- ing under the name of the Plaindealer-Tele- graph. After Mr. Drake's death, his wife ran the paper until 1882, when it was purchased by J. C. Bush, and in 1885 the name was changed back to The Telegraph. In '86 a half interest was purchased by C. C. Callahan, the firm name being Bush & Callahan. In Sep- tember. 1888, C. C. Callahan assumed entire control and installed Frank J. Devlin as editor. In February. 1889, Mr. Devlin retired and A. C. Jordan took his place, and the following May his place was in turn filled by W. W. Robert- son. In September of the same year W. A. Scott became editor. In November Mr. Scott retired and J. L. Pennington, Jr., assumed edi- torial charge, giving wav in April, 1890, to J. F. Wellington. In May, 1890, Mr. Callahan sold The Telegraph to Messrs. L. B. Cary and Otis D. Lyon, with Mr. Cary as editor, and in May, '94, James McMullan purchased the paper and continued it up to January, 1895, when it was re-purchased by C. C. Callahan, who has continued it since. In August, '98, Fred A. Gapen was installed as local editor and man- ager. On February 1, 1899, The Sidney Telegraph and People's Poniard were consoli- dated. In May, 1902, Fred A. Gapen purchased the paper, and he is still sole owner and editor. He has a complete job printing outfit, and makes a specialty of that work, having made that a specialty while learning his trade as a young man. The Telegraph has a wide circulation, and is a splendid and thoroughly reliable organ. C. L. MAYES. C. L. Mayes, one of the prominent citizens of Rushville, Nebraska, is editor and proprietor of the Rushville Standard, a leading newspaper of that thriving town. A portrait of Mr. Mayes is presented on another page of this vol- ume. Mr. Mayes was born at Paynesville, Pike county, Missouri, in 1861. His father, Lewis C. Mayes, was a leading merchant and farmer, and settled in Dodge county, Nebraska, in 1877. There the family lived on a farm where our subject grew up, he being the sixth mem- ber of a family of fourteen children. He re- ceived a common school education, at the age of eighteen starting out for himself, following farm work. Two years later he began on The Flail, a newspaper published at North Bend, which was his first attempt at the printing business. He remained with that paper for some time, and kept on in this line of work, in 1889 establishing The Index at Dodge, Ne- braska. He soon after moved to Petersburg and started in business for himself, beginning with an outfit which cost him $160. and estab- lished The Index, building up a good paper, running it for eight years then sold out. He was associate editor on The Albion News for one year after this, and on July 1, 1900, moved to Rushville, where he purchased the Rushville Standard. This paper was estab- lished in 1885 by E. L. Heath, who had started the paper in a tent, building up a good paper and making a great success of the enterprise. Our subject has increased the business wonder- fully since taking hold of the enterprise, and it is now one of the largest weekly papers in this region, an Independent in politics, and active in advancing all measures for the benefit of the people of this section of the country. The present paper is a consolidation of two others which were established some years after it was started here. Mr. Mayes was married in 1888 to Miss Olive Richards, born at Hazel Green, Wiscon- sin, in 1870, of English parents. To Mr. and Mrs. Mayes have come four children, named as follows: Ralph, Halford, Harold, and Mil- dred. Mr. Mayes is one of the leading citizens of his community, active in all affairs of local interest. During the past year he has pur- chased the Rushville Telephone Exchange which he is conducting in connection with his newspaper business. C. W. BARNES & E. J. MITCHELL. The above firm are the well known and popu- lar editors and publishers of The Republican, a leading newspaper of ]\IcCook, Nebraska, which has a large circulation all over this sec- tion of the state. Both Mr. Barnes and Mr. 1 82 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Mitchell are pioneer newspaper men of Red- willow county, having in the early days in Ne- braska published papers at Indianola, which was then the county seat. Mr. Barnes pur- chased The McCook Democrat in 1890, and Mr. Mitchell moved the Indianola Courier to McCook in 1896. January 1, 1902, the two plants were consolidated under the name of The McCook Republican, a home paper de- voted to upholding the principles of that party, and since that time have made a marked suc- JACOB KASS. Jacob Kass, of the firm of Kass & Klinga- man, dealers in lumber, lime, cement, plaster and all kinds of building material, coal, wood and posts, of Chadron, Nebraska, is one of the oldest settlers in that section who has watched the growth and aided in the development of the region from its start. ^Ir. Kass has always been one of the foremost men in advancing the interests of his community, and enjoys an en- viable reputation as a business man and worthy citizen. Mr. Kass was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1855. Both his father and- mother were natives of Luxemburg. Germany, the former being a blacksmith by trade who followed that work in this country for many years. He set- tled in Wisconsin after landing in America, and then moved to Illinois in 1856, where his family was reared. When he was twenty-one years of age he struck out for himself, coming to the Black Hills, traveling by way of Yank- ton and Pierre, and remained in the hills up to 1885. going through all the rough experience of a frontierman's existence, part of the time engaged in mining, ranching, etc. For a time he clerked in a hardware store in Deadwood, then came to old Chadron and opened one of the first stores in the place, carrying a stock of S5.000. In August. 1885. he settled in the new town of Chadron. and went into the hard- ware business, continuing in it for six years. He next went into the plumbing business in partnership with Fred Poll, who had come here with him from the Black Hills, and to- gether they carried on the business for a time, and in addition to this had a furniture store which he ran for two years. About this time he became interested in politics and devoted considerable time to public affairs, and in 1898 was appointed deputy county treasurer, serving for two years. In 1899 he was elected treas- urer by the Democratic party, served his term and re-elected in 1901. He has always been a strong advocate of Democratic party princi- ples, and attended numerous conventions of both county and state, and is well known as one of the most active politicians in his section of the state. In 1895 our subject was married to Mrs. Kittie Oswald, a widow with one son, Harold, and the family occupy a pleasant and comfort- able home in Chadron, and enjoy a large circle of friends. DRS. J. B. SUMNER AND WIFE ELLA SUMNER. The gentleman and his wife whose names head this review are well known to the residents of Franklin county and the surrounding country, and have each met with remarkable suc- cess in the practice of their chosen profession. They have built up a large and lucrative prac- tice throughout the locality in which they have resided since 1882, and have gained the confi- dence and esteem of the people among whom they have labored for so many years. Dr. Sumner is a native of New Hampshire, born near Concord, in 1847, and his wife of Essex, New York, 1860. He is a graduate of the University of Vermont, class of '78, and for some years practiced in the east, before locat- ing in Nebraska. He received his earlier edu- cation at \A'illiams College. Massachusetts. In 1882 Dr. Sumner came to Bloomington and opened an office, and has practiced here con- tinuously since that time with the exception of the years 1884 to 1887, which he spent in Lincoln, Nebraska. Tie is physician for the C. B. & Q. railway, and an active member of the County. Republican \'alley & .State Medical Associations, a Mason and member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows. Dr. Sumner is a man of active public spirit, although his work does not allow of his accept- ing office. He is a Democrat, and in close touch with many prominent public men of his state. Dr. Ella Sumner shares with her hus- band in the good opinion of the public as to her ability as a pliysician and professional woman. She is a lady of superior intellectual powers and high attainments in her line of work. Mrs. Sumner is a graduate of the Med- ical Department. Nebraska University, of the Class of 1895, and since her start has had a large practice. Her preliminary education was received at Burlington. Vermont, where she grjftluated from both high school and acad- emy. Mrs. Sumner has been coroner of Frank- lin county for several terms, and is the first lady to hold this position in the United States, COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 183 which fact attracted considerable attention from all parts of the country. She is a capable person for the position, and she is wonderfully well adapted to work of that nature. The Drs. Sumner are both members of the County Medical Association, also the State and American Medical Associations. Dr. Ella Sumner has served as President of the County Medical Association and also Vice-President of the Republican Valley Association. The Drs. Sumner are owners of a drug store in Bloomington, which is managed by J. B. Sumner, Jr. GEORGE O. REMY, M. D. The gentleman whose name heads this re- view is one of the well known physicians and skilful practitioners in Brown county, Ne- braska, residing in Ainsworth, where he has built up an enviable reputation as a worthy citizen.. Dr. Remy was born in New Hope, Barthol- omew county, Indiana, October 1, 1851. His father, John T. Remy, was an old settler in that county ; he was of French origin, his ancestors coming to this country in colonial days. Our subject's mother was Miss Nancy Jones, born in Virginia, her parents being natives of Wales. Dr. Remy was reared on a farm and educated in the country schools, attending the Baptist college at Franklin, Indiana, in his young man- hood. In 1872 he began the study of medicine, attending school during the winters and farm- ing through the summer. He also taught school in addition to pursuing his studies, and followed this for three years, and in 1875 and '76 he attended the Indiana Medical College located at Indianapolis, followed by a year at the Ohio Medical College of Cincinnati, gradu- ating in the spring of 1877; he immediately took up the practice of medicine at Waymans- ville "in his native state, where he was located until the spring of 1884 when he came west with his family, locating at Ainsworth, where he practiced his profession up to 1892. The following year he spent in eastern Nebraska, but returned to Ainsworth in 1901, and has resided here continuously ever since. In July, 1905, he became interested in the newspaper business, and associated himself with J. M. Cotton, proprietor of the Ainsworth Star- Journal, — whose sketch appears in this volume on another page, — and is at present connected with that work. On June 11, 1906, he pur- chased an interest in a drug store with W. F. Smith, a business enjoying a wide patronage all over the country. Dr. Remy was married in May, 1871, to Miss Maggie Barrett, a native of Bartholomew county, Indiana, whose parents are prominent residents and well known all over the locality in which they live. Dr. and Mrs. Remy have two children, namely ; Nannie, wife of J. M. Cotton, and Charles E., attending the medical department of the State University at Lincoln. Dr. Remy is familiar with the early history of the state of Nebraska, and during the early days passed through many interesting experi- ences. He is a man thoroughly conversant with the important affairs of the times, and a man of great intelligence and capability in any direction. Independent in politics he casts his ballot for the man he believes to be best suited to the oflice. Fraternally he afSliates with the Masons, the Woodmen and the Tribe of Ben Hur at Ainsworth. BOYD K. BOYER. In mentioning the name of Boyd K. Boyer, we present the reader of this volume with one of the well-known family of Boyers, who are among the prominent old settlers of western Nebraska. Mr. Boyer was born in Grayson county, Vir- ginia, in 1872, and grew up there with his brothers. His parents were Hugh and Mar- garett (James) Boyer, whose names appear in this book as leading citizens of their respec- tive townships. When Boyd reached the age of eleven years he came to Nebraska, spending the first two years in Madison county. In 1887 he moved to Cherry county, accompained by his father, and there helped to establish a home and ranch. In the springy of 1898, he started for himself, filing on a home- stead in township 25, range 32, and in due time proved up on the place, remaining on it up to 1903, then moved to his present homestead, consisting of 800 acres, located in section 8, township 25, range 32. Here he has improved his ranch in good shape, and through hard work and perseverance has accumulated a val- uable property. During the first few years in this locality he went through hard times, los- ing several crops by drouth, and met with many discouragements, suffering hardships and privation in getting his ranch started. After a time, by careful management and faith- ful labor he saved a little money and got a start in the cattle business, so that he is now well-to-do, and owns one of the best ranches in his vicinit}', all of his land being good range and farming country. 1 84 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY In 1903 Mr. Boyer was married to Rose Pool, of Cherry county, Neb., daughter of J. R. and Missouri (Boyd) Pool, of American descent. Mr. and Airs. Boyer are the parents of three children, namely: Floyd Wayne, Blanche and Pearl, and they form a most inter- esting and charming family. Mr. Boyd occupies a foremost place in his community as a leading old timer, and well remembers the early days in this region when he freighted all over this part of the state in order to get a living and make a start for him- self. WYMAN S. CLAPP. \\'yman S. Clapp is a prominent citizen of Kearney, Nebraska, where his high character, integrity and general business ability have won for him the public favor to a marked de- gree. He deals in insurance and real estate, two lines in which the competition is the keen- est, and that he has forged so rapidly to the front, is proof of the man. He knows his busi- ness "from the ground up," does not misrepre- sent anything, and it is a known fact that his word may be trusted. He deals in the various lines of insurance, such as life, accident, and fire, and of late has handled surety bonds very successfully. Some of the most striking tran- sactions in real estate have been completed through his assistance, and he has a steady patronage in that line. He is also interested in various other enterprises, a director, secre- tary and treasurer of the Kearney Telephone Company, and is also secretary and treasurer of the Midway Gas, Light. Heat and Power Company. Air. Clapp is the secretary and treasurer of the Kearney Business Men's As- sociation, in the organization of which he was very active in 1900. This association has done many good things for the city, its most im- portant work having been the location of the State Normal at this point. While still in the east Mr. Clapp was in the service of the Watson Ranch Company, and came to this state in its interest. The Watson Ranch is a very important enterprise, and com- prises within its limits some eight thousand acres, mainly devoted to alfalfa and fruits. It was regarded as one of the sights of the county. Mr. Clapp has been in business for liimself since 1898, and in that time has won a name and a competence. Mr. Clapp was born in Deerfield, Massachu- setts, and was reared and educated in his native state. There he was married to Miss .Agnes T. Wait, who has proved a most helpful wife and companion, winning many friends by her charming personalitj' and attractive ways. In fraternal circles the subject of this writing is very popular, being a Mason of high degree, and is a past high priest of the Chapter. He is also an officer in the Commandery. In po- litical matters he is in affiliation with the Re- publican party, and takes an active interest in its various developments. In Kearney he is known as a successful, active and enterprising citizen. A portrait of Mr. Clapp is presented on an- other page of this volume. HON. JC : WILSON. For the past quarter of a century the gentle- man whose name heads this personal history has been associated with the commercial in- terests of western Nebraska. Mr. Wilson re- sides in Kearney, Buffalo county, where he has built up a pleasant home and is known through- out this locality as one of its most worthy citi- zens, and through his long career as a business man, and as a public spirited man he has be- come one of the most popular residents in western Nebraska. Mr. Wilson is a native of Pennsylvania, and came to Kearney in 1883 from Henry county, Illinois, and from that time up to 1888 was, to- gether with his brother Samuel engaged in the livery business at the town of Kearney, which at that time was a large and important item in the development of this part of the country. In 1888 he was elected sheriff of the county, and after serving that term was re-elected in 1900, acting in this capacity for a period of four years. During the time he held this office there were several murders in this section, also other important matteiis under discussion, and as the great boom was on during these vears the civil part of the sheriff's work wi^ ex- tremely strebuous. In 1892 he was elected to the State legislature on the Republican ticket for Buffalo county, and from 1895 to 1900 he held the position of deputy collector of internal revenue for western Nebraska, with head- quarters at Grand Island. In 1903 Mr. Wilson assumed the position of special land agent for the L'nion Pacific railway company for west- ern Nebraska, with the head office located at Kearney. 'Prior to this he was connected with the land department of that railway, which po- sition he occupied for two years, resigning to accept the former office. In the last four years there has been a big movement in western Nebraska lands, and our subject has sold for W. S. CLAP p. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 185 the Union Pacific company between seventy- five and eighty thousand acres of farming land at from two to five dollars per acre, mostly sit- uated in Cheyenne, Lincoln, Kimball, Keith and Deuel counties. In the last named two counties the U. P. lands are about all sold, and there is great activity in the private sale of lands there at figures much above the above prices. These farms are admirably adapted for the culture of alfalfa, broom grass, millet and for mixed farming and stock raising. The altitude at that point is about 4,000 feet, while in Buffalo county it is 2,000 feet, thus insuring warmer nights, which is much better suited for the raising of corn. Through these counties macaroni wheat has been known to produce a crop of forty bushels per acre. Mr. Wilson has lived continuously in Kearney since October, 1883. He was married in 1880 to Miss Rosa M. Beacher and has three chil- dren living: J. H. Wilson, of Salt Lake City, and Ella M. and Richard B. at home. Mr. Wilson has always taken a prominent and active part in public aft'airs. He has served in the council, and was for fifteen years chief of the fire department. He is a Mason of high de- gree and also a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. While living in Henry county, Illinois, Mr. Wilson served as deputy sheriff of that county from 1878 to 1883. ALEXANDER KERNS. Alexander Kerns, one of the enterprising and energetic citizens of Cherry county, Ne- braska, where he takes high rank for his many manly and sterling qualities, was born in Peoria county, Illinois, in 1865, on a farm, and is a descendant of good old American stock. Oliver Kerns, his father, was a native of Ohio, born in Highland county, and he married Kate Huffman, of Pennsylvania. Our subject was reared in his native state and educated in the country schools, devoting all his spare time to assisting his parents in carrying on the home farm. He lived in Ohio up to 1885. then came west, locating in Sheridan county, Nebraska, and began working at railway construction for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, which was then being put through that portion of the state. After spending about a year in that region he filed on a pre-emption, and built a log cabin, living on the place for a year, then returned to Illinois and spent one year. He came back to Nebraska in 1887, settled on a tract of land in Sheridan county and opened up a ranch and lived on the place up to 1901. There he went through pioneer experiences, having many hard times, and going through the worst times during the years 1890 and 1891, which was the time of the Indian scares, and when the settlers were having so much trouble with the redskins in South Dakota. In 1901 he came to his present ranch on which he filed as a homestead, this being situated in section S, township 25, range 31, Cherry county. Neb., and he has it improved in good shape. There are 640 acres in the ranch and he is engaged in stock raising principally, but farms from 150 to 200 acres. In June, 1886, Mr. Kerns was married to Nora Bell, daughter of James Bell and Hanna Bell of Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Kerns are the parents of five children, who are named as fol- lows : Addie (married); Alta, wife of Frank Clevenger; and Lena, Elmer and Grace at home with their parents. Our subject takes a commendable interest in local public aft'airs and the family are highly esteemed by all in their community. He is a Bryan Democrat in politics. DENNIS D. CHEESMAN. Dennis D. Cheesman was born on a farm in Cattaraugus county. New York, in 1868, of American parentage. His father, James Chees- man, was a farmer and pioneer settler of Loup county, his homestead being located in the southwest part of Sawyer precinct, to which he came in 1888. The maiden name of the mother of our subject was Emily L. Dye. The father died some time ago. Dennis D. Cheesman was reared in New York state, working on the farm and receiving a common school education. In 1888 he came with his father to Loup county and started in business for himself engaging in farming and stock raising. Our subject was married in February, 1899, to Miss Josephine Moyer. daughter of Oliver and Malinda (McVey) Moyer, who became pioneer settlers of Loup county, Neb., in 1886. This union was blessed with five children, — Theodore, Mary, James, Florence and Nolah. Mrs. Cheesman taught school in Loup county for several years and is a lady of talent»and scholarly attainments. Dennis D. Cheesman has always been active in public affairs and has participated in polit- ical movements of his community. He is re- garded as a man of strong convictions and his conscientiousness has made him many warm friends. In 1900 he was elected county com- 1 86 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY missioner and served three years and has other- wise been honored in a political way by his friends and neighbors. In 1905 Mr. Cheesman was nominated and elected on the independent ticket to the office of County Clerk and was re-elected in 1907. He has made an efficient officer and has strongly entrenched himself in the regard of the people. He still owns a farm in Sawyer precinct but lives in Taylor. HOMER M. GRAIN. The gentleman mentioned above is one of the successful and prosperous young farmers of Hooker county. Nebraska. He has a well improved ranch of about two thousand acres, all deeded, belonging to the estate of his fa- ther. Joseph Grain, and is well known as a young man of industrious habits and strict in- tegrity, highly esteemed and respected by his fellow-men. Mr. Grain was born near Grawfordsville, Indiana, in 1884. His father, Joseph Grain, was a prominent farmer and ranchman of Hooker county, Nebraska, an early settler in that region, and he died on their old home- stead June 6, 1900. The mother, whose maiden name was Sarah E. \\'eaver, died in this coun- ty February 22. 1907. There were five chil- dren in the family, and they settled in Ne- braska in 1887, locating in Hooker county. They drove to that vicinity from Broken Bow, having a team and emigrant wagon contain- ing their goods, and camped out along the road, and afterwards went through all the pio- neer hardships and privations, living for many years in that county, and built up a good home there. Our subject and his family came to Cherry county in 1887, settling on section 27, town- ship 24. range H, and started to put up build- ings, his father's first dwelling being a sod house, in which they lived for seven years, and then built a good frame house. He suc- ceeded fairly well from the start, although he began with very little, and was proprietor of a ranch consisting of sixteen quarter sections, all deeded land, when he died in 1900, the whole being well improved and all good land, most of it devoted to a cattle ranch. Since tlie death of his father, Homer and his brother Howard have carried on the farm, assisted by their sisters. The otJier children are: Maude E., Howard V., Burl R., Elsie A., the latter the youngest, born in 1899. Homer also has a Kincaid homestead adjoining his fa- ther's estate. During the family's early residence in Ne- braska they had many hardships to contend with, and suffered from crop losses, but never gave up courage, and they have been richly re- warded for remaining and putting in years of labor. L. A. BERRY. L. A. Berry, one of the solid business men and public-spirited citizens of Alliance, Ne- braska, is well-known throughout that section of the country as an able lawyer and promi- nent politician. Mr. Berry was born in Onondaga county, New York, in 1854. His father, Mathias, fa- miliarly known as "Major" Berry, was of Irish stock, a farmer by occupation, who married Sylvia Osborn, of Onondaga county, New York. Our subject grew up in his native state and received a good education, attending the Pompey Academy, and also Whitestown semi- nary. He was of a studious nature from early boyhood, and read Blackstone while living at home, and gained a good foundation for his studies later in life. On August 4, 1878, he was admitted to the bar in Iowa, having come west the previous year and located at Mar- shalltown. He first opened an office at Mar- shalltown and later at Oilman, remaining in those places for several years, then moved to Ida Grove, and practiced his profession for a time. About this time his health failed, and he was obliged to quit the law business and for two years was engaged in other pursuits. Mr. Berry came to Nebraska in 1893. going to the western part of the state where he hoped to recuperate his failing health, where he started at work on a ranch owned by his brother-in-law. Fie lived a free, out-of-door life in that part of the state, and in June, 1896, came to Alliance and opened a law office, and has remained here ever since. He has built up a good practice as an attorney thoughout this section of the country, and has also been active in local political affairs. In the fall of 1906 he was elected County Judge to fill a vacancy. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace for several terms, also Police Judge, and to his influence and aid is due much of the pros- perity and growth of the financial interests of his community. He is a Democrat politically. Mr. Berry was united in marriage at Oilman. Iowa, in 1883, to Miss Minnie Sparks. Mrs. Berry is a daughter of Lyman Sparks, of COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY. REMINISCEXXE AND BIOGRAPHY 187 Yankee stock, and Marietta Engram Sparks, of English descent. Prior to her marriage to our subject Mrs. Berry was a school teacher in her native state, and a lady of much charm and superior accomplishments. They are the parents of two sons, namely: Leo and Lyle. HON. FRANK ROTHLEUTNER. Frank Rothleutner, one of the leading busi- ness and ranch men of Cherry county, Ne- braska, is a man of wide experience, having made his way to success by perseverance and diligence, supplemented by honest dealings. He resides at Georgia Station, Nebraska, where he has a pleasant home and is engaged in the general merchandise business. Mr. Rothleutner is a native of Bergstadt, Moravia, Austria, born July 29, 1859. His fa- ther. Joseph Rothleutner, came with his fam- ily to American shores in 1872. They sailed from Hamburg on the steamer Gallert. land- ing in New York June 16, after a voyage of two weeks. Locating in Platte county, Ne- braska, where he was one of the pioneers, the father farmed for many years, and is now en- gaged in the hardware business at Columbus. Our subject is the oldest member of their family of five children, and remained at home with his parents until he was twenty-four years of age, then struck out for himself, going to Holt county and taking up a homestead there in 1881, before the railroad had been built that far west. He lived in a sod shanty while proving up on his homestead, going through the usual experiences of the pioneers of that sec- tion. His first team was a yoke of oxen, with which he freighted to the Black Hills during the years 1877 and 1878. He was engaged in freighting all through western Nebraska, mak- ing Holt county his home up to 1892, having acquired a good home and a well improved farm of four hundred and eighty acres. On March 20, 1892, Mr. Rothleutner came to Cherry county, settling on the Niobrara river south of Georgia. Here he began stock raising and ranching, and followed that work for two years. This property he sold and pur- chased a large ranch of three thousand acres adjoining the village of Georgia, and on this runs one thousand head of cattle and two hun- dred horses. In 1883 he and a brother-in-law, Gus Davis, purchased the mercantile business of John Steinbreaker, established in 1892, and ran it in partnership for a time, when Mr. Rothleutner sold out his interest, but later bought the entire business, and now operates a large general store, selling everything that a farmer, ranchman or Indian may need. He has an extensive trade all over Cherry and the adjoining counties and Rosebud reserva- tion, being one of the successful and prosper- ous business men of the county. A view of the ranch property will be found on another page of this work. Mr. Rothleutner was married January 16, 1884, to Miss Cornelia Davis, from New York state. To Mr. and Mrs. Rothleutner three children have been born, namely : Joseph Au- gustus, Stanley and Celia. Our subject is a Populist in political faith and helped organize that party, which elected him their representative in the state legisla- ture in 1894 for one term. Mr. Rothleutner was reared in the Catholic church. Frater- nally he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. WILLIAM N. TOMPSETT. William N. Tompsett, numbered among the pioneers of section 34, township 15, range 49, has built tip a good home in Cheyenne county' and there resides surrounded by the comforts of life and esteemed by his associates. He came to that region during the early days of its settlement, and during his career as a frontiersman has seen all the phases of western life, and is one of Nebraska's substantial citi- zens and a worthy representative of his adopt- ed state. Mr. Tompsett was born in Canada in March, 1854, and lived there until he was sev- enteen years of age, receiving a limited school- ing, and worked with his father as a boy, coming to the United States and striking out for the western states. He crossed the Mis- souri river on a ferry, landing in Omaha in 1871, and remained there up to 1877, and dur- ing the latter year went into the Black Hills on a prospecting trip. He afterwards traveled all through the western states and became fa- miliar with all that country, leading a roving life for a number of years. In 1885 he came into Cheyenne county and made settlement at Sidney, locating on the northeast quarter of section 34, township 15, range 49, his wife tak- ing up a homfestead on the northwest quarter of section 34 shortly afterwards, which place is now their home ranch. Mr. Tompsett has a good farm, cultivating seventy-five acres, and using the balance for hay land and pasture, running quite a herd of stock. He has all good' buildings, and is a prosperous and successful farmer and ranchman. 1 88 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Mr. Tompsett married Julia F. Grafton at Sidney, Nebraska, in 1890. Mrs. Tompsett was born in Iowa, and both her parents and her husband's are now dead. They have a family of three children, named as follows: Lambert H.. Clyde P. and Tom V., all living at home, and are now getting to be a great help to their father in carrying on the farm work. Our sub- ject is a member of the Democratic party, and a stanch supporter of Bryan principles. HIRAM O. PAINE. Dece.\sed. The above named gentleman was a promi- nent resident of Ainsworth, Nebraska, born in the town of Plattsville. in Grant county, Wisconsin. February 4. 1846. His father, Ste- phen O. Paine, was a prominent attorney in that state, and served in the Black Hawk war. He came of old American stock and was a member of the Sons of the American Revolu- tion. The Paines originally came from Rhode Island, and were associated with the history of the early days of that state. Our subject's mother. Aliss Pamela B. Bronson. was a na- tive of New York state, her people being among the first settlers on Staten Island. Of a family of five children, our subject was the second member, and was reared arid educated in Wisconsin, attending the common schools as a boy and later the Plattsville Academy. May 5. 1864, at the age of seventeen years, he enlisted in Company A. Forty-first Wisconsin Infantry, receiving his discharge September 23, 1864. and with his regiment saw hard serv- ice in Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia. After his discharge he was employed in the quartermaster's department until May 15. 1865. when he was discharged, settling in Omaha on his release from the service. He clerked in a store and remained in this work here and at Council Bluffs, Iowa, where the firm had a branch establishment. In 1869 he returned to Nebraska, and lo- cating at Fremont, was appointed postmaster and served in that capacity for sixteen years. He was a popular and efficient public official and won the esteem and confidence of all the people in that town. In the fall of 1885 he re- moved to Ainsworth, which was then a small village, and established a real estate and loan office. He was very successful from the start and continued in this work for twenty-two years, handling lands. all over this and adjoin- ing counties. He devoted all his time to this business, and consummated many large deals in land around the town of Ainsworth. He was actively engaged in business at the time of his death, June 22, 1908. He had always been one of those who ma- terially assisted in the growth and develop- ment of the commercial interests of this sec- tion of the country. He was a member of the Old Settlers' Association in Nebraska, and prominent in county and state politics. He was a member of Governor Crounse's staff for two years, and intimately associated with all the men prominent in public affairs of the state. Mr. Paine was married at Fremont, Janu- ary 13, 1874, to ^liss E. Frankie Blackman, born in Wisconsin. Her father, John C. Black- man, was station agent or car accountant on the Union Pacific Railway at Fremont for twenty-three years to a day, closing his serv- ice with the company on the anniversary of the day he began. The Blackmans originally came from New York state, settling in Ne- braska in 1869. Mr. and Mrs. Paine have been blessed with four children, who are named as follows: Loraine O., Sidney P., Pearl (now !\Irs. George C. Mills and the mother of two sons, George C, Jr., and Richard Hiram) and Charles K., who graduated in May, 1908, from the Ainsworth high school. Mr. Paine was a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic post at Ains- worth, where he had served as commander, as he had done in Fremont. He was also a mem- ber of the Sons of the American Revolution. In politics he was stanchly Republican, voting the party ticket straight. CHARLES KLINGAMAN, Charles Klingaman, of Chadron, dealer in lumber, lime, cement, plaster, all kinds of building material, coal, wood and posts, is one (if the substantial business men of that place. He is a man of sterling citizenship who has met with deserved success in his business ven- tures, and commands the respect and confi- dence of all with whom he comes in contact in a business or social way. Mr. Klingaman is a native of Tama county, Iowa, born in 1864. and reared and educated in the village of Traer. His father. Hiram Klingaman, was born in Pennsylvania, and when a young man came west, settling in Iowa, where he was one of the pioneers. \Mien a boy our subject learned the butcher's trade and followed that work for some years in Iowa, and in 1884 he came to Nebraska, locating in Dawes countv. He teamed from \'alentine, COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY seeing considerable of frontier life, roughing it, sleeping under his wagon many nights and camping out wherever he happened to be, and the first year in that locality operated a ranch. The following year he came to what is now Chadron, then simply a spot on which a few shanties were built, and here he worked as a carpenter, helping to build up the town. He followed this occupation for two years, then, together with two brothers, opened a meat market, and they carried this on for three years and at the end of that time Charles bought a market of his own and ran it for nine years, and in that time had a splendid trade built up and did a large business. He then sold out his butcher shop and went into his present business. He has associated with him Mr. Ja- cob Kass, and they are doing a good business, and are well satisfied with the general outlook of the northwest as the coming country. In 1892 Mr. Klingaman was married to Miss Bertha Stein, whose parents were among the early settlers in Iowa, where she was born and raised. Mr. and Mrs. Klingaman are the parents of three children, who are named as follows: Fowler K.. Kenneth and Lee. Mr. Klingaman is a Democrat and takes an active interest in party affairs, and is one of the public-spirited citizens of Chadron. He is a member of the city council and has been on that board for the past six years. LOUIS F. WEBER. Louis F. Weber, one of the leading busi- ness men of Chadron, Nebraska, is a gen- tleman of sound business judgment, intelli- gence and enterprise who enjoys an enviable reputation as a worthy and influential citizen. ^Ir. Weber was born in the LTpper Penin- sula of Michigan in 1854. His father, Anton Weber, was a farmer, and both he and his wife were born in Germany, coming to this country when quite young and settling in On- tonagon, Michigan, where our subject was raised. At the age of thirteen he came to Ne- braska with his parents, the family locating in Fremont, where they lived for a short time, then moved on a farm and began building up a home and farm. In 1876 Louis left home and accompanied the first expedition which went into the Black Hills, the party driving over- land with teams and covered wagons, the trip being very dangerous through the wild coun- try and they had many exciting experiences. He remained in that section for four 3'ears, doing freighting, contracting, etc. Their mode of life was most primitive, much of the time winter and summer being spent in camping out and often suft'ering from storms and other hardships. In 1880 he began working on a cattle ranch and continued at that up to 1885, then came to Chadron, where he engaged in the grocery business, his first store being in a tent, as there were few buildings there at that time. He ran his business during the sum- mer in the tent and in the fall moved to his present location, having carried on the store for twenty-two years, and through industry, good management, and honest dealings has gained a nice property and built up a comfortable home. His business is conducted in a system- atic manner, and his whole attention is de- voted to keeping up an up-to-date stock of goods, in every way meeting the needs of his customers. Mr. Weber was married in 1889 to Miss Agnes Joyce, whose people were early settlers in Indiana, where she was reared. Our subject takes an active interest in lo- cal aft'airs of importance and has aided ma- terially in the development of the commercial interests of that locality. He is a member of the Pioneer Club of the Black Hills, and is highly esteemed for his genuine worth of mind and heart and his friendly and courteous spirit. Politically he is a Bryan Democrat. GEORGE E. EDWARDS. George E. Edwards, the popular and effi- cient county clerk of Perkins county, Ne- braska, is one of the rising young men of that locality. Mr. Edwards is a native-born Ne- braskan, and is a typical western man, having spent all his life in the freedom of the plains, and is a healthy, wholesome and capable busi- ness man who has before him a promising career. Mr. Edwards first saw the light of day on January 28, 1881, born on a farm in York county, Nebraska. His father, William, was a native of England and came to America when he was a child five years old, landing in this country in 1858. He was a pioneer of York county, settling there as early as 1880, and after a residence of six years in that vi- cinity moved to Perkins county and there Avent through pioneer experiences, becoming one of the foremost citizens of the county. His wife was Miss Lillie E. Wright, born in New York State, and her father was also a British sub- ject, who settled in the United States many years ago, tlie family coming to Nebraska and 1 90 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY settling on a homestead about six miles south of the town of Grant. Our subject was reared on the farm, as a boy attending the district schools, and later was a student at the Fre- mont Business College, graduating from that institution in 1903, and in the same year was made deputy county treasurer, served his term, and then returned to the farm. He remained for two years, then was nominated and re- ceived the election to the office of count}' clerk, entering upon his duties as such in the fall of 1907. and has made a good record for himself in the position. Mr. Edwards was married in 1904 to Miss Lillie May W'illiams. whose father is a prom- inent Nebraska, settling in Omaha as early as 1873. and he has been identified with the affairs of that part of the state for many years. One child has been born to our subject, Herbert. Both Mr. Edwards and his charming wife are popular members of the younger social set of Grant, and their home is one of the hospitable places in the town. NATHAN E. FAY. Nathan E. Fay was born in March of 1833 on a farm in Canada, sixty miles east of Mon- treal and within fifteen miles of the north line of the state of Vermont. His father, Alvie Fay, was born in \^ermont and his mother, Augusta (Ellis) Fay, was a native of Massachusetts. Mr. Fay was reared on the farm in east- ern Canada, receiving a common school edu- cation, until 1853, when the family immigrated to W^isconsin, where for seven years our sub- ject was engaged in farming. In 1856 Nathan E. Fay and Miss Emily J. Calkins were united in marriage. The bride was a native of Canada, where she was born in the year 1839. Her father, Stephen Cal- kins, was an old pioneer of Wisconsin, hav- ing settled in that state in 1840. Mr. and Mrs. Fay have had seven chil- dren, four of whom are living and married: Elnora, Stephen, Herschel and Alberta. Those deceased were Emma, Eugene and Etta. When the family of our subject came to Minnesota in 1853 they traveled in a covered wagon, crossing the Mississippi river at La- Crossc, where they had a dangerous experi- ence crossing on the ice, which was not frozen very thick. They had to string the teams and loads out as far apart as possible, and then the cracking of the ice threatened to give way at any instant. No severe mishap occurred, however, other than the breaking through of one mule, which was soon recovered. But the nervous strain of the experience will never be forgotten by Mr. Fay.^ Our subject went on west to Fillmore county, Minnesota, and settled on a rented farm in the timber and prai- rie country and he also owned one hundred and sixty acres of land. Later he lived in Waseca for several years and joined an ex- pedition against the Indians after the New Ulm massacre. He then went south and was a mule teamster in Missouri for some time and later settled in the Loup river valley in Ne- braska, three miles east of Taylor. He drove through from Minnesota with a bunch of cat- tle, was three weeks on the road, living in a tent and camping out along the way. Mr. Fay lived on his land east of Taylor for seven years and in 1886 went by team to the Black Hills country and was in Custer City in Cus- ter county and up into South Dakota. He remained here in the hill country for about six and a half years and then returned to Loup county and stuck to his farm through all the years, regardless of the drouth and total crop loss in 1894, or any other hardship, and now he has a fine farm of two hundred acres, all improved in nice Shape with house, barns, fences, groves, etc. In 1903 he moved to Tay- lor and bought his present pleasant home. Mr. Nathan E. Fay is one of the old-timers and has had a most interesting history. He was one of the first members of the Repub- lican party in W^isconsin in 1856; he has been through the Indian excitement ; has lived the life of a pioneer in a sod house and dugout; experienced the 'hard times of the years of drouth ; but he has successfully met all these trying things and has now gotten in a posi- tion where he can take life easier. In the early days his home was the stopping place of trav- elers and freighters and he thus became ac- quainted with all the settlers for miles up the Loup river. He is a Republican in politics and has held the office of county commissioner. He was active in having the county seat lo- cated in Taylor and participated in all the county seat fights. Mr. Fay is a man of wide experience and mature judgment and is held in high respect by all who know him. He has been one of the most influential of the early pioneers. L. C. HUCK. L. C. Huck. who has filled the office of clerk of the district court of Phelps county for the past eight or ten years, is one of the most whole-souled men in the county. Mr. Huck MOWREV. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 191 is a cigarmaker by trade, and shortly after his arrival in Holdrege, many years ago, opened the first cigar factory in this section. Being a student of economic questions by in- clination, and a true sympathizer with the man who earns his bread by the sweat of his brow, he at once became identified with the old Union Labor and Alliance movements, and subse- quently the Populist party. Mr. Huck was born in Germany. In 1891 Mr. Huck was nominated for the ofifice which he now holds, and has since ad- ministered uninterruptedly, proving one of the capable and popular public officials of the county. While devoid of ostentation, Mr. Huck is a courteous gentleman, and the ad- ministration of his office has been beyond crit- icism of even political opponents. During the past couple of years he has been ably assisted in his duties by his daughter, Miss Laura, whom he appointed his deputy. JOHN BUHLKE. The gentleman whose name heads this re- view is one of the wealthy and progressive agriculturists of Garfield county, who has suc- ceeded in building up a valuable farm and home through hard labor and persistent ef- forts. He is a loyal Nebraskan, enthusiastic in his praise of this part of the state, consid- ering it one of the finest farming countries to be found anywhere. Mr. Buhlke was born in Germany, October 4, 1852, and grew up there, coming to the United States in 1881. He first located in Illi- nois, where he remained for a year, then came to Nebraska, and has lived here ever since. He first settled in Hall count}' and followed farming, building up a good home. In 1893 he removed to Custer county, locating forty miles southwest of Garfield county, and lived there for five years. During 1894 and 1895 he suffered a total loss of his crops and had a hard time recovering from this loss. In 1898 he came to Garfield county and purchased six hundred and forty acres of land, which is' his present homestead. He owns besides this farm one hundred and sixty acres on the table lands ten miles northeast of Burwell, and has a very valuable property. He engages in grain rais- ing, growing wheat, corn, oats and rye, and finds ready sale for all his products direct to the stockmen, who run large bunches of stock on ranches north of his place. He has never hauled a load of grain to town since coming here, and this saves him much time, and is much more satisfactory in every way. In 1905 he had a field of fifty acres of oats, which av- eraged seventy bushels per acre, and his corn crop showed a yield of forty-five bushels per acre, which is a fair average annually. He also raises quite a good deal of stock each year, running a good bunch of cattle and hogs for market. About half of his farm is devoted to raising hay and for pasture. Mr. Buhlke has a pleasant and comfortable home, all good buildings and modern improve- ments, well fenced and cross fenced. The farm is well supplied with water, having two deep bored w-ells and supply tanks at different points on the place. During the year 1907 Mr. Buhlke donated several acres of land for town sites in the new town which is being built a short distance from his home, which is in section 7, township 22, range 15. This town is named Deverre, and there are already sev- eral store buildings going up and one general store in operation. The place promises to be a good business center, as it is situated in the midst of a rich farming community. Mr. Buhlke was married in Germany in 1875 to Miss Katie Heintz, of German descent. When he came to this country he was accom- panied by his family, consisting of his wife and two children. Bertha and Julius. There are now seven children, named as follows: Bertha, Julius, August, Ella, Ermina, John and Anna. Mr. Buhlke is well satisfied with this part of the country and believes it offers many ad- vantages to a poor man, and he has proven this by building up a comfortable fortune since coming to this country without much capital other than willing hands and a strong heart. He is highly respected and has held different local offices of trust, serving as road overseer for several years, and has also been a member of the school board for six years. Politically he is a Democrat, but does not take an active interest in politics at the present time. FERNANDO MOWRY. In the person of the gentleman above named we find one of the substantial and worthy citizens of Perkins county, who has spent the past twenty-three years in this re- gion and watched its development from a wild tract of land into its present high state of cul- tivation, and has been instrumental in a large degree in this progress. Mr. Mowry is now a residena of Grant, where he is engaged in the milling and carpenter business. A portrait of him will he found on another page. 192 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMIXISCEX'CE AND BIOGRAPHY Our subject was born in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, in 1860. His father was a na- tive of Vermont and his mother of English descent, they settling in Pennsylvania when young people and raised their family there. As a boy Mr. Mowry learned the carpenter's trade and followed the work from the time he was fifteen years old almost constantly. He came to Hastings. Nebraska, in 1885 and worked in the vicinity for one year, then moved to Perkins county, locating in the old town of Grant at first. He soon afterwards took a homestead situated six miles northeast of Grant, and while working at his trade man- aged to improve his farm considerably and proved up on it. living on it for about eight years. There he went through many hard times, witnessing the drouths, severe storms, etc., and having a hard time to get ahead through losses and discouragements, and in 1897 left the place and spent one year at Cook, in Johnson count}^ ; also was in Keith county for two years, following his trade, and finally returned to Perkins county and again went on a farm, operating it up to the spring of 1908, when he moved to Grant and established his present grist mill, also started doing contract- ing work. He has done much of the building in Grant, putting up both churches in the town, and is well and favorably known throughout the locality. Mr. Mowry was married in 1884 to Miss Lorena Pierce, born in Pennsylvania, daugh- ter of David and Nancy (Andrus) Pierce, who were old settlers of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Mowry died in February, 1891. mourned by a wide circle of friends. ?he was a pioneer here and witnessed many of the trials of pioneer life. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Mowry was blessed with two children. Vance and Hilda, both bright and intelligent young peo- ple, and popular in their community. Our subject is a Democrat politically and has served as county assessor of Perkins county. He is active in local aiTairs. also takes a commendable interest in the schools and has held ofifice and been on the school board at different times. JOHN H. JACOBSON. Of the many prominent and leading old set- tlers of Sheridan and Cherry counties, Ne- braska, none are held in higher esteem by their fellow-men than John H. Jacobson. He has spent many years in this region, is a gen- tleman of wide experience and excellent busi- ness judgment, and is deservedly popular as a good neighbor and worthy citizen. Mr. Jacobson was born in the Province of Bergen. Norway, near the city of Bergen, in 1853. His parents immigrated to America with their family when he was but one year old. settling at Ottawa, Illinois, arriving there on July 8. 1854. After spending a short time there they moved to Dayton, remained a while, then to Otter Creek. Illinois. Their next lo- cation was Pontiac, Livingston county, Illi- nois, and at this place our subject grew up and attended the country schools up to his four- teenth year. In 1867 the family came to Ben- ton, Iowa, and there John grew to manhood and was married on February 6, 1876, to Dora Tow, also a native of Norway, born near the city of Stavanger, on the seacoast, coming to this country at the age of thirteen, landing in New York in 1866. The young couple set- tled in Story county, Iowa, soon after their marriage and farmed on rented land for ten years. In April of 1885 our subject came to Sheridan county, Nebraska, driving through the countrj' with a team from \''aientine by wagon containing their goods and personal effects. At that time the country was over- run with Indians, and many wild beasts roamed the woods and prairies. He made set- tlement eight miles northwest of Rushville, taking a pre-emption and tree claim, and in June of that year his family came to join him, they traveling on the construction train from \'alentine to a point west of Merriman. and from that place came the balance of the jour- ney in a wagon, camping tnit along the way un- til they reached their destination. Their first buildings were of logs, which were cut and hauled by our subject himself, and the house was all of native timber. One of the first ar- ticles of furniture he made after coming here was a cupboard of native timber, and this is still in his possession and among his most highly prized treasures. They occupied that ■place for fifteen years and succeeded in devel- oping a good farm, although meeting with many discouragements and suffering many hardships in the loss of four or five crops by drouth and other causes. For eleven years during the early times he ran a threshing out- fit, and in following that work became thor- oughly familiar with every part of the country and gained many friends. In the spring of 1900 he came to Cherry county and settled on his present ranch, which is in section 25, township 26. range 32, twelve miles north of Mullen. The place was then all wild prairie, and his first house was a dug- out and shanty combined. He soon put up COAIPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 193 good buildings, got quite a large piece of land under cultivation, and has done exceedingly well, owning at the present time six hundred and fort3^-three acres, and the entire ranch is fenced and cross fenced and improved in every way. He has engaged to quite an extent in stock raising, and his start on coming to this region was sixteen head of cattle. He began to rent out pasture to other settlers and in that way managed to get a little money to- gether so that he constantly enlarged his own herd and was able to build up his ranch in good shape. ]\Ir. Jacobson has a family of six chil- dren, namely: Henry C, Julia, Jessie (de- ceased), Ella, Arthur J., John E. and Alma. The first four mentioned were born in Iowa and the others in Nebraska. Since coming to this part of the state Mr. Jacobson has aided in a large measure in its development, helping to build up the schools and promote the general welfare of his local- ity. He has always been a stanch Populist and has taken an active part in political mat- ters. For a number of years he served as jus- tice of the peace in Sheridan county, and holds the same office now in Cherry county. He is also director of his school district, and has filled the office of president of the Farm- ers' Alliance in this and Sheridan county. In 1895 he was elected a member of the central committee on the Populist ticket. GILBERT V. ANDERSON. Gilbert V. Anderson up until January. 1908, resided with his father, A. J. Anderson, on the latter's well improved farm in section 4, Sher- idan township, Phelps county. Father and son operated this place together, and the latter also rented land adjoining, running in all a farm of over three hundred and twenty acres. Our subject and his father were among the most successful agriculturists in this region, and are well and favorably known throughout the locality in which they live. Mr. Anderson was born in 1885 on his fa- ther's farm in Phelps county. His father is a native of Sweden, coming to America in 1874, settling in Chicago, where he worked for a time, then came west and located in Ne- braska, where he took up a homestead, tak- ing advantage of the liberal laws of this coun- try to secure a farm equal to the best in the country, which is a competence for his old age and a good inheritance for his children. How wise this was in comparison with the course of so many thousands of his country- men who remain as toilers in the great cities is shown by contrasting their condition today with that of our subject and his family. The family first came here in 1883. and during the first years experienced all the reverses and toils of the pioneer settlers, but with the de- velopment of this section he has enjoyed the goodly measure of success which has attended all careful farmers in Phelps county who had the pluck and judgment to keep their land through the hard times. Our subject, Gilbert V. Anderson, although only just past his majority, has, ever since he was old enough, been an able second to his father and has relieved his parents of the great responsibilities of tilling the three hun- dred and twenty acres. While at home he has also taken the greater part of the work upon his own shoulders. He is a bright, in- telligent and clean-cut young man, a good son and citizen of the right stamp, pointing to suc- cess in the future that shall be an ample re- ward for his labors. He is an active Repub- lican, alive to the requirements of the day in agricultural pursuits and general citizenship. Their farm is well improved and stocked in good shape. The family are members of the Swedish Mission church here. Our subject sold his farming interests in January, l908, and has gone to contracting and building in Holdrege. Cement work is his specialty, having the con- tract for building the First Baptist church of Holdrege. This is to be one of the finest churches in Holdrege when finished. ALBERT WIKER. Albert Wiker, one of the old-timers and representative citizens of Alliance, Nebraska, was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Decem- ber 25, 1847. He is a son of John Wiker, a miller by trade and an old settler in Iowa, and the family came to ]\Iuscatine county, Iowa, when our subject was a child of four years. There they went through the usual pioneer experiences, and he grew up on the home farm, enlisting in the army in 1862, with the Elev- enth Iowa Infantry. His regiment was or- dered south at once, and he saw service in the western army, participating in the battle of Shiloh and also in the siege of Yicksburg. He re-enlisted in 1864 and was with Sherman's army all through Georgia and around Atlanta, taking part in the grand review at \A'ashing- ton. For three years and a half he followed 194 COAIPEXDIU.M OF HISTORY, REMIXISCEXCE AXD BIOGRAPHY a soldier's fortunes, going through all the suf- fering and hardships which fell to the lot of those brave boys in blue. After the war closed our subject returned to Iowa, remaining there until 1866, then went west, traveling through Colorado and spend- ing some time in Denver, also visiting \\'yom- ing, Texas and southern Kansas in his jour- ney, and for many years followed the life of a cowboy. In 1872 he went back to the old home and remained there for fourteen years, engaged in different enterprises. He first set- tled in Box Butte county. X'ebraska, in 1886. coming in here from Sidney, driving the dis- tance with a team and wagon. He took up a pre-emption located southeast of Alliance and proved up on the ranch, living there for four years, then moved to Alliance, and has since made that his home. Here he has been one of the leading citizens, taking an active part in the development and growth of the commercial interests of his community, and is well known and highly esteemed through- out Box Butte county. He was elected sheriff in the fall of 1905, and again in 1907, and is now serving in that capacity, this being his second term. Mr. Wiker has also been town marshal for a number of years. For several years our subject was proprietor of the Wiker Dining Hall. In 1872 Mr. Wiker was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth J. Gladstone, daughter of Thomas Gladstone and Rachel Johnson Glad- stone, both born in Ireland. To Mr. and Mrs. Wiker were born the following children : John, Mabel and Arthur. Mrs. Wiker died in "l889, and in her death the family suffered a severe affliction, as she was a lady of the most es- timable character, beloved by all who knew her. Mr. Wiker was married again in 1901 to Miss H. M. Frazier. COLOXEL J. H. HART. Colonel J. H. Hart is numbered among the leading business men and prominent citizens of Ainsworth. Xcbraska. He is a man of ac- tive public spirit and one of the best known and most highly esteemed residents of that thriv- ing city. Colonel Hart was born near Jack- sonville, in Morgan county, Illinois, May 16, 1840. He is a son of Millington E. Hart, a farmer, of American blood, native of Ken- tucky. His mother is also a Kcntuckian. and her maiden name was Mary C. Majors. Our subject is the eldest in a family of four chil- dren, and was reared in Sangamon countv. Illinois, and educated in the common schools of Auburn. At the age of eighteen years he started in the stock business and has followed in that line of work continuously ever since. In 1868 he went to Missouri and taught school in Pettis county for four years, remaining in that state until 1873, when he returned to his old home and engaged in the mercantile busi- ness at Auburn 'for two years. Then he en- gaged in farming in Sangamon county, which he followed for two years, after which he bought an elevator at Auburn and was in the grain business for six years. In 1890 he came to Xebraska and located in Ainsworth, going into the stock business, and in connection with this followed the auctioneer's calling, cry- ing sales all over the county. He has been an active and industrious business man all his life, having been engaged in many large en- terprises and has gained a large measure of success through his earnest efforts and strict attention to duty. He lost his father by death when he was but six years of age, and has had to depend entirely upon his own efforts and been obliged to hustle for himself since his boyhood days. Mr. Hart was married at Auburn, X'ovember 5, 1865. to Miss Mary Stone, a native of Kentucky, who was reared and educated in Missouri. She was a daughter of Dr. Peter H. Stone, also a Kentuckian by birth. Two children have been born to Colonel and Mrs. Hart, namely: Virginia (now Mrs. Jesse D. Cook, of Otsego county. X^ew York), and Stella, who died in 1892. Mr. Hart and' his wife both belong to the Rebecca Lodge, and take an active part in the work of that order. He has been a member of the !\Ia- sonic Lodge since 1861. serving as master of the lodge and attending grand lodge in Omaha. He has been an Odd Fellow since 1871. Since the Douglas campaign he has been a Demo- crat, voting the party ticket every campaign since that date. JOHX P. FISCHER. The gentleman above mentioned needs no introduction to the people of Cheyenne county, X^cbraska. He is one of the early pioneers of that locality, is one of the extensive land- owners, and a man who enjoys the respect and esteem of all who know him. John P. Fischer was born in eastern Ten- nessee on the 15th of X'ovember. 1858. Tiie family moved to Illinois in the spring of 1863, where our subject grew up and received a common school education, and in 1885 came R, E. CONKLIN. M. D. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 195 to Cheyenne county, landing in this region on March 3d, of that year. He homesteaded on section 14, township 12, range 50, proved up on the land and has added to it since, now owning half a section additional and one hun- dred and sixty acres under Kinkaid law. He has about one hundred and twenty acres un- der cultivation, and deals extensively in the stock business, running fifty head of cattle at the present time, also has twenty horses. Mr. Fischer has his farm well improved with good buildings and every kind of modern machinery for the proper operation of his farm, and has a fine residence, plenty of trees and a good water supply. In March, 1881, Mr. Fischer was united in marriage to Mary Kutzmann, who was born in Highland, Madison county, Illinois, on Jan- uary 6, 1863. Seven children have been born to them, all of whom are living, named as fol- lows : George M., born September 7, 1881, now proprietor of a fine farm which he took as a homestead, located in section 30, town- ship 12, range 50: Louise, now wife of Henry Laaker, residing in Colorado; Katie, Ida, Min- nie, Mary and Margaret. Mr. Fischer is ac- tive in public affairs and a loyal Republican in political views. J. L. DUFFIN. J. L. Duiifin is one of the prominent ranch- men in Deuel county, Nebraska, his home ranch being located on section 17, township 17, range 44. Mr. Dufifin was born in Canada, March 15, 1852, and came to the United States with his parents in 1854. They located in the eastern part of the state of Iowa and our subject remained there until 1881. He then came west to Greeley county, Nebraska, and in 1886 came to Deuel county, taking up a homestead. He has been very successful in Deuel county and now controls about one thou- sand one hundred and twenty acres. He is un- married. h R. E. CONKLIN, M. D. Industry, persistent efl:'ort and integrity go hand in hand toward success. To become pro- ficient in any walk of life requires all of these characteristics, and but comparatively few men possess them in marked degree. By constant- ly having this aim in view one is bound to suc- ceed, and the gentleman above mentioned is starting out in his profession with the right ideas. He is a graduate of the University of ■ Illinois, receiving his diploma in 1905, and be- gan the practice of medicine in his natice place, Alma, Harlan county, Nebraska. He was ed- ucated at the Alma high school, class of 1896, and here received a good foundation for his later studies. Dr. Conklin is a son of Thomas J. and Mary E. (Brown) Conklin, who came to Ne- braska from La Salle county, Illinois, locating in Harlan county in 1872, where they were among the first settlers here. They home- steaded in Prairie Dog township and farmed there for thirteen years, and in 1886 removed to Alma, where Mr. Conklin followed the build- ing and contracting business up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1887, since which time his wife has resided here. He left a family of two children, the subject of this sketch and one daughter, Blanch, now de- ceased, who was the wife of the late Ed L. Willits, a merchant and banker of Alma, al- ways referred to as the most enterprising and helpful business man of Alma. Dr. Conklin was married in 1905 to Miss Jessie Riley, of Fairbury, Nebraska, a daugh- ter of E. L. Riley. One child has been born to Dr. and Mrs. Conklin, named Robert Earl Conklin, Jr. During the short time that Dr. Conklin has been established in Alma his practice has grown to large proportions, extending all over this and adjoining counties, and his skill as a surgeon places him at the head of the pro- fession among physicians in this section. A portrait of Dr. Conklin appears on another page of this volume. CHARLES FULLER. Charles Fuller, a substantial farmer and a worthy citizen of Loup county, resides on sec- tion 11, township 21, range 17. He is one of the pioneers of that locality and has mate- rially assisted in its development and advance- ment. Mr. Fuller was born in Windham county, Connecticut, in 1841, and, on his father's side, his ancestry is traceable back to the May- flower stock of Puritans. His parents were Solomon and Margarette (Back) Fuller, the latter born in Brooklyn, New York, and of English descent. Our subject was reared near Hartford and attended the common and high schools. When the war broke out he enlisted in Company D, 196 CO.MPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCE.XCE AND BIOGRAPHY Twenty-second Connecticut Infantry, for nine months' service, after which he returned home, remaining until coming to Nebraska. Mr. Fuller was married in 1863 to Miss Elizabeth Phelps, daughter of Julius and Cor- delia (Steel) Phelps, the father being of the old Connecticut stock. Mr. and Mrs. Fuller have two children, Margarette and Albert. Mrs. Fuller died in 1871 and was sincerely mourned by her family and a very large circle of friends. In 1883 our subject came west to Nebraska, first stopping in Colfax county, where he re- mained for about a year. Then he came to Loup county, settling on a homestead and tree claim, where he now lives. His first buildings were built of sod, facetiously called "Nebraska brick" by Mr. Fuller. He set out a great number of trees and made other improvements as rapidly as his limited means would permit, and. for the first ten years, worked out a great deal of the time at the carpenter trade. Mr. Fuller has a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres with about half of it under cultivation, and the place is thoroughly im- proved in an up-to-date manner. The trees that he planted in the early days have devel- oped and now make beautiful groves for shade and shelter. Mr. Fuller was the first in the locality to experiment in the growing of alfalfa, meeting with splendid success. He does a great deal of gardening, raising vegetables of all kinds, and also small fruits in great pro- fusion. In one season he picked between five hundred and six hundred quarts of strawber- ries, and has also quantities of grapes and blackberries, thus showing that the soil of Loup county is excellent for the growing of all kinds of small fruits and vegetables. Mr. Fuller also raises a fine lot of hogs every year and now has one hundred head in his pastures. Mr. Fuller has made a fine record as a successful farmer and has placed himself in very comfortable circumstances. He has taken part in all matters of local interest and is wide- ly known and universally respected as an hon- orable citizen. RICHARD H. WATKINS. Richard H. Watkins, who for many years has been known by the sobriquet of "The Old Scout," is a prominent citizen of Alliance, Ne- braska, where he has resided since 1889. He was born in Mahaska county, Iowa, in 1857, and reared on his father's farm. His parents were both natives of Wales, and were early settlers in Iowa. Our subject lived in Iowa up to 1882, then came to Greeley county, Nebraska, where he pioneered there for a time, building up a farm and home. He left that county and moved to Holt county in 1883, traveling through the country on horseback, and helped his brother to drive a large bunch of cattle into Cheyenne county. He next settled on Indian Creek, eight miles from Camp Clark, there engaging in freighting, driving bull teams to Fort Robin- son, Rosebud Agency, Pine Ridge and the Black Hills, continuing at this work for five years, and roughed it all that time, camping out wherever he happened to be, exposed to all sorts of weather both winter and summer. Part of the time he worked as a cowboy and worked on large ranches in that part of the state. In 1889 he came to Alliance and opened a meat market, his capital being just one dol- lar and fifty cents. He bought the business of his brother, who was the first man to start a butcher shop in the town. Our subject ran the market for five years, then obtained a con- tract from the government for putting the stock on the Indian reservation, which he filled, and the following year returned to his butcher business and carried it on for a year and a half. In 1897 he began in the sheep and cat- tle business, buying, selling and shipping stock, and for a number of years carried on that trade, handling stock all over the western states, and is still in that business, associated w'ith a firm which handles more stock annually than any other concern in western Nebraska. Mr. Watkins is an authority on Texas cat- tle, and handles these exclusively. In 1889 our subject was united in marriage at Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Miss Lola C. Fos- ter, who died the following year. He was mar- ried again at Los Angeles, California, in 1905, to Miss Charlotte Iliil. Mr. Watkins was engaged in the real es- tate business here for a time. He also has taken an active part in local politics since his residence here, always voting the Republican ticket and standing firmly for the principles of that party. Mr. Watkins is an interesting gentleman in every way and has a host of warm friends among all classes. He is a genial, whole-souled gentleman, esteemed by all who know him. Among the interesting experiences he relates of the early days is the following incident: Dur- ing the time when the "gentleman's game" was largely played in .Mliance, Mr. Watkins and a few "pals" were passing a few pleasant hours settled on a tree claim and homestead, and in this manner, with the game getting stronger constantly. Finally all "stayed," each man at- COAIPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 197 tempting to make the other lay down, all hav- ing what he considered "a sure winner," After all available cash had been bet, check books were produced and used, and still no one would give up. At this time a man rushed into the room and told our hero that his meat market was on fire and burning up. He was consid- erably disturbed, but remained in the game. A second time some one came in and excitedly told him of the fire, but instead of hastening to the scene of the conflagration he coolly re- marked that it was "the first time he had ever held four aces, and he was going to see them through if the whole town burned up." This was taken as a bluff by his companions, and the betting still continued, when, not wishing to bankrupt the others, he called and threw down his hand, which indeed held four aces. He leisurely filled his pockets with the bills, checks and loose money and rushed out to look at the fire, which he found had been entirely extinguished without any great loss. HUGH B. BOYER. A foremost place among the farming com- munity of Cherry county, Nebraska, is occu- pied by the gentleman herein mentioned, who is a successful and progressive agriculturist and ranchman of township 25, range 32. He is the possessor of a good ranch, which he has acquired by hard and faithful labor, taking up land here in the early days as a home- stead and transforming it from a wild prairie tract to a fertile garden, enjoying a rich meas- ure of prosperity as a reward for his honest la- bors and good management. Hugh B. Boyer was born in Mercer county. West Virginia, in 1871. His father, Dennis Boyer, was a farmer for many years in that state, and he married Sarah E. Fielder. After our subject's birth the family only remained in West Virginia for about a year, then emi- grated to Tennessee, traveling to their new home by team in an emigrant wagon, settled on a farm in Sevier county, remained there for six years, then moved to Texas, locating in An- derson county, arriving there in the spring of 1878. There they started a farm, and our subject's boyhood days were spent irj that lo- cality, the family spending in all twenty-two years in Texas. Hugh lived at home until he was twenty, then took a farm for himself and farmed there for ten years. He was married in 1891. and came with his family to Nebraska in 1900, taking up a homestead in section 25, township 25, range 32. He at once erected sod buildings in which they lived comforta- bly for a number of years, but he has lately put up a good frame house, barns and other buildings and added many improvements to his ranch. His ranch consists of eight hundred acres, all of which is fenced and has a fine supply of water pumped by windmills. He is extensively engaged in the stock raising busi- ness, dealing principally in cattle, which he sends to the markets. He also operates a fine large dairy, and from this industry derives a snug income. Mr. Boyer farms about one hundred acres, on which he raises splendid crops of small grains. Mr. Boyer was married while living in Texas to Sarah Huntsman, daughter of Charles Huntsman, a farmer of that state, and she was born and reared in Houston county. The fam- ily had lived for many years in Texas, her grandfather, Joseph Huntsman, having been born and reared there; also her great-grand- father, William Hallmark, was a pioneer of that country. Mr. and Mrs. Boyer are the parents of three children, namely: Haskle, Lessie and Gussie. The family occupy a comfortable home, and are well liked by all who know them. MAJOR A. M. DILL. Major A. M. Dill, retired, first came to North Platte, Nebraska, in 1877, being con- nected with the Union Pacific Railway, and was employed by them continuously up to 1902, when at the age of seventy-nine years he left their service. He began working for the New York & Erie Railway when only twelve miles of that road was completed, in 1839, running to Piermont, Rockland county, on the Hudson. His first engine, run in 1842, was a single pair of drivers and a crank, built one the outside like a steamboat. There were five of these at that time, and were named Ramapo, Eliza, Lord Piermont. Orange and Rockland. These were afterward altered and made with two drivers and enlarged cylinders with crude hand tools. In 18S0 he left this road and took charge of the blacksmith shop at Elmira, New York, under W. E. Rutter, and during the following year he built a shop of his own- to make cars for the Buffalo & New York Railroad. These burned down, and he then moved to Canandaigua, remaining there up to 1856, when he came west, locating in ^^'isconsin, at Racine. Two years later he went to Springfield, Illinois, in the service of the Wabash road. 198 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY At this time our subject was well acquaint- ed with Abraham Lincoln, and on the night he was nominated for President, while waiting for the news, he remarked to those about him that "if it was not dark we would have a base- ball game." All adjourned to the Journal of- fice and watched for the returns. Lincoln was one of the people, always speaking in the most kindly terms to all whom he met, and every one at Springfield felt as sad when he left them for Washington as he did himself. Major Dill is a native of Orange county, village of Florida, New York. In 1857 he was married to Miss Julia A. Hoover. Their chil- dren were as follows: Charles A., engineer on the Union Pacific Railway ; \V. E. Dill, who was an engineer on the Union Pacific, and died in 1901, aged thirty-five years; and two daugh- ters, Mrs. W. L. Park, wife of the general su- perintendent of the Union Pacific Railway, for- merly assistant division superintendent at North Platte, and Mrs. Perry Sitton, of North Platte, whose husband is manager of the Union Pacific Hotel at that city. Nearly all of Mr. Dill's life has been spent on the railroad. He came to North Platte in 1877 and there was foreman of the Union Pa- cific Railroad blacksmith shop for fourteen years. He is now eighty-five years of age, and a man of active mind, intelligent and of fine appearance. Major Dill was pensioned by the Union Pacific Railroad Company in 1903. ROBERT GUNDERSON. Robert Gunderson is favorably known as one of the successful young ranchers of Kimball county. He was born in Potter, Cheyenne county, Nebraska, Sept. 15, 1876, and is one of the oldest native born Cheyenne county boys. His father, Adam Gunderson, was one of the pioneers having settled in the county in the early years, about 1871. Robert Gunderson was married April 6, 1904, to Miss Lizzie Asche, who was a native of Colfax county, Nebraska. Her parents are still living at a ripe old age after thirty years residence in the state. They are now living in Banner county, and are old settlers there. Mr. and Mrs. Gunderson have been blessed with two children: Florence Marie, and Zelma Annie. Mr. Gunderson 's father was a section fore- man at Potter. Nebraska, where our subject was raised, he being used to plenty of farm work. There he also gained considerable experience at the raising of sheep and other stock. In 1900 our subject started out for himself, and took a homestead on section 4, township 15, range 53, where he has established himself as one of the successful public spirited citizens of the com- munity. He now owns three hundred and eighty acres, with eighty acres under cultivation. He is energetic and progressive, and is not satis- fied unless he is pushing his farming operations to the utmost. In addition to his own land he leases nearly one thousand acres and runs about a hundred head of stock. Mr. Gunderson is a staunch Republican in politics, and is always able and willing to stand by his convictions. He has held the office of county commissioner of Kimball county, Ne- braska, from 1905 to 1907, his election being a decisive victory. He is at present moderator of School District No. 1, and takes great interest in all mattters of an educational nature. WILLIA^I \\"ALLACE BRUCE, Deceased. -Among the men who helped in the develop- ment and success of the western part of Ne- braska the gentlemaVi above named occupied a prominent place. He had built up a pleasant home in Rock county, where he was universally, respected and esteemed by his fellowmen. Mr. Bruce was born on his father's farm in- Livingston county, Illinois, June 15, 1862. He was a son of James Bruce, a native of Scotland, as was also the mother, Katherine P. Bruce, both coming to America when quite young. In a family of nine children our subject was the sec- ond member, and was raised in his native coun- ty, until he reached the age of twenty-one years, following farm work as his occupation. In 1883 he came west settling in Sheridan county on a homestead located fourteen and a half miles south of Hay. Springs. The nearest railroad point was Valentine, about a hundred miles distant and all supplies had to be hauled from that town. He immediately built a dugout in which he made his home for two years, then erected a sod house in which he lived seven years. During these days he spent his time in freighting between White River and Valentine, and at one time, for fourteen nmntlis he had never slept in a house, camping out through all kinds of rough weather. When he began he had only a team and wagon, meeting first with many discouragements and hardsliips, but he was possessed of a strong will and sturdy determin- ation : never giving up, he did whatever seemed to be best at all times, and gradually worked into the stock business combined with mixed farming. .At one time he had a wheat field of five hundred acres, from which, however, he COxAIPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 199 reaped no harvest, the entire field being parched by the severe drought of that season. When the dry years come on he lost several other crops, and had them twice destroyed by hail. After these }ears had passed and conditions become more favorable he got a new start and gained back much of his losses, and when he left Sheri- dan county, in 1900, he had accumulated quite a comfortable property, owning 209 head of cattle and fifty head of horses. From there he moved into Cherry county in the year 1898, remaining there for the winter, and in the spring came to Bassett, where he engaged in horse shipping, supplying the market in as distant points as Xew Jersey, Michigan, Indiana, Missouri and Arkan- sas. He was most successful at this line of work, and handled hundreds of fine animals, finding a ready sale at profitable prices. He was engaged in threshing for a time and in years gone by trailed horses into Canada and Mani- toba, shipping cattle from those countries back to Nebraska, where they were disposed of to advantage. Mr. Bruce was married in Nashville, Wash- ington county, Illinois, ]\Iay 17, 1887, to Miss Lou Hahler, a native of Illinois, born in Saint Clair county, of French and German parentage. Children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bruce, and are named as follows : Ollie I., Katie C, James W. (deceased) ; Nettie L., Wilmar W., Florence M., Marguerite G. (deceased) ; an infant that died unnamed, Margarett L. and Juanita C. The family is well known and highly esteemed all over the locality in which they reside. ;\Ir. Bruce died in April, 1908, regretted by a host of friends. He was a Republican in poli- tics and a member of the Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen. EDWARD F. PONTIUS. In compiling a list of the prominent pioneers of Sioux county, Nebraska, who have aided ma- terially in making that region a thriving agricul- tural district, a foremost place must be accorded the gentleman whose name heads this personal history. For the past several years Mr. Pontius has been closely identified with the develop- ment of Bowen precinct, and his labors to this end are well known to all who reside in that com- munity. He now occupies a pleasant home in the village of Harrison where he enjoys the contentment which comes from the knowledge of duties well and faithfully done. Mr. Pontius was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, December 18, 1849, of good old American stock. His father, Samuel G. Pontius, was a farmer, descendant of French ancestors, and he married Lea Reiman, of German blood. Our subject grew up on the home farm, where he did plenty of hard farm work during his early boyhood, receiving a common school education, and lived with his parents until he reached the age of twenty-one years. He then learned the trade of telegraph operator, and was employed by the Western Union Telegraph Company at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for three years. After that time he started railroading, traveling in the northern part of Ohio doing sta- tion work, and after several years, drifted around in different parts of the country following his profession, so that he was able to see a great deal of the different states. Mr. Pontius came to Nebraska in 1892, landing here on June 23d, of that year, coming from St. Paul, Minnesota, where he had worked for some time. He located in Harrison where he held the position of sta- tion agent up to the fall of 1903. He home- steaded a tract of land in section 3, township 31, range 56, Bowen precinct, and proved up on his claim, still owning this property. In 1873, Mr. Pontius was married to Eliza- beth Bloom, daughter of J. :\1. Bloom, of Shelby, Ohio, a leading undertaker and cabinet-maker of that place. Her mother was Susan Snyder, a native of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Pontius have a family of four children, namely: Wanda, wife of W. H. Davis, William, Myrtle and Jen- nie, who are also married and live in Harrison, Nebraska, except William, who is a resident of Orin Junction, Wyoming. The family is highly esteemed by all who know them, and are popular members of societv in Harrison. WILLIAM M. ALDEN. In casting about for the name of a represen- tative old settler of Nebraska, we give the reader that of William M. Alden, who was among the first to locate in Hamilton county, arriving there in 1879. That section was then barren prairie, and he went to work to help build up the country, spending his entire career in Nebraska, and watched the growth of civili- zation from its earliest start, assisting in no small measure in the work of its upbuilding. He now resides in Hyannis, where he settled in 1888. and carries on a general merchandise store, establishing this business when the state was in its first stages of development, and has re- mained to become one of the leading citizens and successful merchants of Grant county. Mr. Alden was born in L^nion, McHenry county, Illinois, in 1860. His father was a COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY well known merchant of that place, and when our subject was a small boy the family moved to Iowa, where he grew up. At the age of nine- teen he came to Nebraska and made settlement at Aurora, and for nine years made that town his home, working as a clerk in a store owned by his father. yir. Alden located in Hyannis in 1888, and opened the first store in the town, starting in the spring of that year. His first building was a lean-to, built against a house, and was twelve by twenty-two feet in size. His business ex- panded rapidly and he was obliged to enlarge his store space and put in a larger stock of goods, and eventually put up a commodious building, now occupying a floor space of twenty-two by eighty. He carries a splendid line of goods and enjoys an extensive trade through the surround- ing ranching community. Besides this business he runs a branch store at Whitman, established in 1893, and does a good business at that point. Our subject owns a good ranch situated seven miles from Hyannis to the north, and devotes this place to stock raising. Mr. Alden was married in 1881, at Aurora, Nebraska, to Nina M. Chapin, and to them have been born, Blanche, and Eva, who was the first child born of white parents in Hyannis, and first saw the light of day December 3, 1888. Mr. Alden has the distinction of having been instrumental with S. S. Sears, in incorporating the town of Hyannis, in which movement the\- encountered considerable opposition. When he first struck this locality nearly all of the white settlers made a living by hunting wild game and picking up buffalo bones, as every man who came here was, almost without exception, en- tirely without funds and unable to produce enough money to open a farm until they had worked and saved the price to file on the land. Mr. Alden has always been prominent in public affairs, is an active Republican, and served as deputy county clerk during the early history of the county. He has helped establish the schools in his locality and has been a mem- ber of the school board, also of the town council for many years. HARMON P. Mcknight, m. d. Harmon P. McKnight. a prominent physi- cian of Long Pine, Nebraska, is a gentleman of strong mind, and a capable, skilled and conscien- tious practitioner, and deservedly enjoys the es- teem and confidence of his patrons and associ- ates. Dr. McKnight was born in St. Lawrence county. New York, April 25, 1857. His father and mother, William and Martha (Packard) AIcKnight, were both of American blood and he was the fifth member in their family of nine chil- dren. He was raised in his native state, until the age of eighteen years, when in December, 1876, he enlisted in St. Louis in Company F, Eighth Cavalry and was sent to western Texas where he served five years, the two final years in hospital department, from which he was dis- charged in ]\larch, 1881. This gave him a liking for the medical profession, so proceeding to St. Louis he attended a course of lectures, after which he took up the practice of medicine in Shelby county, Iowa, where he remained one summer, followed by a course in Omaha Medi- cal College. He then opened an office at Long Pine on August 20, 1883, and at once began the practice of medicine, being the first physician in this and the adjoining three counties. He built up an enormous practice, and was widely known as a man of superior mind and great strength of character, everywhere winning the confidence and esteem of all with whom he came in contact. After locating in this vicinity Dr. McKnight had intended to get his degree as soon as possible but his practice increased to such an extent that he was unable to abandon it until 1889 when he took a final course in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, graduating and re- ceiving his diploma in 1890. In 1891, Dr. McKnight established a drug store in Long Pine, in which he carries a complete line of drugs, toilet articles and sun- • dries, doing an extensive business. He is also engaged in ranching, having taken up a home- stead in 1883 and proved up on it. This ranch contains one thousand four hundred acres on Pine Creek and is devoted to grain and hog raising, which pursuit he finds very profitable, personally superintending this work. In 1907, he purchased a finely improved farm of three hundred and twenty acres in section 22 and 27. township 30, range 20, Rock county, which is devoted to agriculture : it is almost completely encircled by a grove of fifteen years standing, has a fine orchard, a good dwelling, large barns and other buildings. We present a fine view of the ]iremises on another page of this volume. On March 12, 1884, Dr. McKnight mar- ried a very estimable lady in the person of Miss Mattie C. .Anderson, daughter of John .Ander- son, an old settler and prominent farmer of western Nebraska. He was an early settler in Missouri, but was forced to leave that state during the war because of his strong northern sympathies. Dr. and Mrs. McKnight have a daughter, Lena, born in Long Pine. She is now the wife of Dr. J. W. McLeran, a rising COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY young dentist of Springview. Our subject also has an adopted son, Euel P. For the past seventeen years Dr. McKnight has been local surgeon for the C. & N. W. Rail- way at Long Pine. He is also examining physi- cian for fourteen different life insurance com- panies, six of which are old line companies. He is a Democrat, and an ardent Bryan supporter. In 1906 he was appointed county commissioner to fill out an unexpired term, and he has been a member of the pension board for the past fifteen years. He is a member of the Congregational church, the Modern Woodmen, the Fraternal Union and the Odd Fellows at Long Pin^. DR. W. H. BYERLY. W. H. Byerly, the oldest physician in point of residence in the town of Franklin, Nebraska, has an extensive practice in his profession, and is one of the deservedly popular citizens of his locality. He has passed many years of his life here and built up a wide and lucrative practice by his skillful treatment of the ills of mankind and his conscientious service for the relief of his fellows. He also is proprietor of a drug store in Franklin, and his store is one of the best equipped in the county, in which he enjoys a large and constantly increasing patronage. Dr. Byerly was born in Virginia. He is a graduate of the Richmond, Virginia, Medical college, class of 1869, and has practiced his profession since receiving his degree of M. D. In 1879 he came to Nebraska, locating in Franklin, and has practiced successfully here since that time, his practice during the pioneer days reaching from the northern limits of this county to the center of Smith county, Kansas, west to Harlan county and east to Riverton. He is known throughout all the adjoining counties and western part of Nebraska as one of the best physicians who have ever come to these regions, and enjoys the con- fidence and esteem of all with whom he has had to do in a professional or social way. Dr. By- erly is devoted to his profession and has given his exclusive attention all these years to this work, with the exception of his drug business. As stated at the beginning of this sketch, Dr. Byerly is the oldest practicing physician in Franklin, and since locating here has been an important factor in its development. He has stood for its growth educationally, morally and religiouslv, and for its advance as a business cen- ter of one of the best farming regions of western Nebraska. His only son, Joe R. Byerly, is fit- ting himself for official service in the Alerchant Marine, on the Atlantic coast trade from Balti- more. Dr. Byerly was married in Virginia, in 1870, to Miss Anna Lee Ryan, who since her residence in Nebraska has been recognized as a lady devoted to her home, and the interests of her home community, along its best lines. Dr. Byerly is a member of the County. Republican Valley, and State Medical Associations, and a recognized authority on all subjects in his line of study. He is a member of the Episcopalian church, and also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and Masonic societies. \'\'ILLIAM N. FORD. Among the old settlers of Nebraska who have spent many years in the work of building up and developing the commercial industries of a new country, the gentleman above named holds a prominent place. He came here in the early days and has watched the growth of this section from its early organization, and his name will occupy a foremost place in the history of Sher- idan county and vicinity. Mr. Ford is a native of England, born in Bristol in 1854. His father, was a hardware merchant, whose wife was of French descent, and our subject was the second child in their family of six boys. They all came to America when our subject was eight years of age, and settled in New York City, living there for about three years. In 1866 they came west, the father helping to build the Union Pacific road through to Ogden, Utah, and our subject also worked in Utah for three years. During one trip which he made across the plains he got into a skirmish with the Indians and there was a rather excit- ing time for a while. He next moved to Omaha, and there worked on the bridge which was in the course of construction across the ^Missouri river at that place. Later he worked on the Central Pacific railroad in L^tah, and afterwards fired on the Union Pacific out of Omaha for some time. He next went to Shelby county, Iowa, and farmed there for fourteen years. In 1885 he came to Sheridan county, driving out from Val- entine by team with a covered wagon, and set- tled on a homestead five miles north of Rushville. Here he built his first house which was of sod. and remained on this farm until he had proved up. Three years later he came to Rushville and opened a blacksmith shop, and for the past six- teen vears has been engaged in this work. He has built up a good trade and has also put in a large stock of farming implements and hai-d- ware. His building occupies a space of twenty- five bv one hundred feet, two stories high, and he is doing well. CU-MPEXDIU.M OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY ^Ir. Ford was married in Iowa, in 1882, to Aliss Orilla Loving, whose father, James Loving, was a contractor and builder at Dunlap, Iowa. One child resulted from this union, Isa. Air. Ford takes a commendable interest in all local and county affairs, and has held differ- ent local offices here. He is a stanch Republican. CHARLES L. PHELPS. Charles L. Phelps, a leading old timer of Keya Paha county, Nebraska, was born in Cayuga county. New York, February 14, 1844. His father. Israel E. Plielns. was a farmer by occupation, a native of Connecticut, while his mother, Mary A. Leland, was born in Massa- chusetts, both of old American families. Their family consisted of six children, of whom our subject was the second member. He was reared and educated in his native state, and remained at home until 1863, when he enlisted in Com- panv L, 16th New York artillery, and with his regiment saw service on the Peninsula, between the James and York rivers. He remained in the army, participating in many actions, up to 1865, when he was honorably discharged. During his service in the army his parents had moved to Lenawee county, Michigan, and he went there as soon as he was released from duty, and took a farm which he operated for some time, besides being engaged in running a saw mill for several years. He had received a good education in his boyhood days, and while living in Michigan taug:ht school a portion of the time. In 1884 Mr. Phelps decided to strike out for the west, and came first to Boone county, Ne- braska, whence he drove to Keya Paha county with a team and covered wagon ; he settled on a homestead in section 26, township 35, range 22, and put up a rough sod house in which he lived until he proved up on his claim, which was in the vear 1887. In June of the following vear lie took a pre-emption and proved up on this, re- maining on the place up to 1893, when he came to Springview to assume charge of the village school and taught this for one year, and from that time up to 1897 followed teaching exclu- sively. In the latter year he was appointed post- master, and is now serving his third term in that capacity. The central telephone office is located in the postoffice, and the two combined make it one of the busy places in the town. Mr. Phelps is a popular and efficient public official, well liked by his patrons, and just the man for the place. He has been identified with the history of Springview since 1893 and has been a mem- ber of the village council for five years, anri schrol treasurer for six vears. Mr. Phelps' family consists of his wife, who was Aliss Ella Earl, and the following children: John Edwin, Roy E., Ezoa and Ezada (twins), the former of whom is the wife of Luther L. Williamson, the latter of Fred W. Skinner, both of Springview. They have a pleasant home here, and enjoy the society of a large circle of friends and acquaintances. Mr. Phelps is a staunch Republican in political faith, a member of the Congregational church, and affiliates with the Knights of Pythias ; he is a detached mem- ber of the Grand Army of the Republic. JOHN W. FRY, In compiling a list of the pioneers of Sioux county, Nebraska, who have aided materially in making of that region a thriving agricultural dis- trict, a prominent place must be accorded the gentleman whose name heads this personal his- tory. For twenty years Mr. Fry has been closely identified with the history and development of this locality, and his labors to this end are well known to all who reside in that connnunity. Mr. Fry is a native of Harrison county, Iowa, born twenty-five miles north of Council Blui?s, on June 1, 1858. His father was John Fry, of American blood, a native of Indiana, and his mother was Nancy E, Acre, also born in In- diana. The family lived on a farm in Iowa, where our subject was raised and educated, after he had grown up, having an interest in his fath- er's farm, later was in the employ of the C. & N. W. Railway company, working in the shops at Missouri \'alley, Iowa, for several years. In 1887 he came to Nebraska, and two years later located on section 34, township 53, Sioux county. Here he lived in a tent for six or seven months, and remained on the homestead for several years, proving up and improving the place. In 1896 he purchased his present farm on section 26, lo- cated on Dead Man's treek, and has put up a set of good buildings, house, barns and corrals for his stock, of which he has twelve horses and twenty head of catttle. He has a farm of three hundred and twenty acres, sixty acres under cultivation, and a small patch of irrigated land. The place is well supplied with natural timber, wild fruits and grasses, and everything is kept in first-class order. He has installed a complete set of water works, piped all through the house, with a fine bath room, and everything fitted up in modern shape. There is a nice spring of clear running water near the house, all concreted in fine shape for dairy and other pur- poses. Mr. Fry was married in 1884 to Miss Mary E. Frazier. Mrs. Fry's father is Thomas J. COAIPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 203 Frazifcr, a farmer and mechanic by occupation, and her mother's maiden name was Emily E. Frazier. J\Ir. and J\Irs. Fry are the parents of seven children, who are named as follows : Clarence, Leona, Harry, Lynn, Wilber, Lillie and Stella. The family are well known and highly esteemed by all. Mr. Fry did his full share in building up his region, and takes an active part in educa- tional affairs of his community. He is a Demo- crat, but not party bound. HON. A. C. CHRISTENSEN. The gentleman whose name heads this per- sonal history is one of the solid and influential citizens of ]\Iinden, Nebraska. ^Ir. Christensen is a prominent business man here, dealing in real estate, handling lands all over the western part of the state. Air. Christensen was born in Funen, Den- mark, in 1850, and grew up there, coming to the United States in 1868. In 1874 he came west and located at Fredricksburg. Kearney county, then took up a homestead in Lincoln township, also tree claim, and lived there for twelve years. He broke up a large part of the land and built up the place, raising fair crops and making a success of it. He still owns this land, being pro- prietor of three hundred and twenty acres alto- gether in this county. He has the distinction of having been the first Justice of the Peace in Lincoln township, and later held the office of assessor and other local offices. He came to Minden in 1887. and was a member of the city council for one term. After locating here he went into the implement business, and continued at that for fifteen years, making a success of this venture, as in all other enterprises which he has undertaken. Mr. Christensen is an active Republican, and in 1900 was a presidential elector from the fifth congressional district, casting his vote for Wm. !McKinley, and is the proud possessor of a pic- ture of the seven state electors which was taken at ^^'ashin.gton on the capitol steps. He was often a delegate to state conventions, and on the countv and congressional committees, and was elected to the legislature in 1905, from Kearney county. yir. Christensen was married in 1S79 to ]\Iiss Celia Claussen, a native of Sweden. They have one son, Harry, and two daughters, Mabel and Annetta. The family occupy a pleasant home in Minden, and are highly esteemed by all who know them. On the occasion of Mr. Christensen 's trip to Washington in 1900, his friends and admirers in Kearney county presented him with a beautiful gold-headed cane as a token of their esteem, and this is highly prized by him. CHARLES N. CARTER. Among the progressive and energetic pio- neers of Perkins county, who have contributed largely to the prosperity enjoyed in that vicinity, a high station is accorded the gentleman above named. For many years past he has been en- gaged in farming and stock raising in Perkins county, and he has acquired a valuable estate and enviable reputation as a worthy citizen. j\Ir. Carter was born in Stark county, Illinois, in 1847. He comes of German stock, his great grandfather having been born and raised in Germany, the family settling in the United States many years ago, and our subject's father was a pioneer in Illinois. His mother was of Scotch blood, and the family lived on a farm during Charles' boyhood. When he was thirteen vears of age they moved to Galva, Illinois, and there he attended the city schools and at the age of sixteen started out for himself, making his own living from that time on. He went to Mis- souri and remained for a year, then spent one year in Minnesota, coming to Keith county, Ne- braska, in 1884, where he took up a homestead on section 10, township 11, range 40, and proved up on it, making a good home of it, and still ' owns the property. His first buildings were of sod, and he spent about nineteen years on the place, going through all the experiences com- mon to the early settlers in that region, witness- ing drouth seasons, and suffering losses of crops, etc., but finally succeeded in building up a good farm. He has about one thousand two hundred acres in the vicinity, engaging in cattle raising principally. He has some land under cultiva- tion, the place is fitted with good buildings of all kinds, commodious residence, and he has all necessary machinery for operating his place suc- cessfully. He has good water on his farm and all the conveniences and comforts of a model rural home. He is progressive and energetic, and has met with deserved success. In 1893 Mr. Carter moved to Grant during the hard times on the farms, and his wife took in sewing to help things along, and in payment for her work she received calves in place of money. These our subject would raise, and in this way gradually got into the stock business, which was the nucleus of his present valuable property. In 1903 Mr. Carter was elected coun- ty assessor, and again moved to Grant and 204 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY opened a real estate office. Mr. Carter is now acting as chairman of the county Republican committee, and is one of the leading men in politics in the county. He has served as census enumerator, and was also precinct assessor I)revious to being elected county assessor. Mr. Carter was married in 1871 to Miss Hattie Burner, of Galesburg, Illinois. To them have been born the following children : Rollie E., Claude D. and Myrtle M. They have a pleasant home and a host of friends and ac- quaintances throughout the vicinity. HOLLY O. BAKER. Holly O. Baker was born on a farm in In- diana, in 1870. His father. Theodore, was a native of Ohio and was of American born pa- rents. The father was a farmer and carpenter by trade and was one of the earliest pioneer set- tlers of Blaine county, Nebraska. The mother was Flora Sparks before marriage. In 1877 the family went to Kansas, remain- ing in that state for four years, when they re- turned to Indiana. About two years later, in 1884, the family again started for the west, coming to Nebraska, which state has since been their home. The family located in Blaine county on the North Loup river and commenced opening up the lovely farm on which our sub- ject now lives. They did a great deal of freight- ing in the early days, hauling material and sup- plies from North Loup, eighty-five miles awav, and our subject had many hard experiences camping out on these trips, and sleeping under the wagon in all kinds of weather. Their first home was in a board shanty with a canvas roof, next was a sod house which, although used only a few seasons, stood for twenty years as a mon- ument of pioneer days. In 1896 the father moved to the city of Ord, Nebraska, and our subject took charge of the large ranch, retaining its management ever since. Our subject took a homestead of his own and also built up a splendid home and farm. He now operates a large ranch of one thousand one hundred acres and its fine condition reflects great credit on its successful manager and occupant. There is a good house, large conmiodjous barns and out- buildings, four beautiful groves of trees and the farm is nearly all fenced. Cattle and horse rais- ing are the principal pursuits of our subject and he is doing a profitable and prosperous business. Holly O. Baker was united in marriage in 1896 to Miss Mabel Copp, daughter of Henry Copp, one of the pioneers of Blaine county. Mr. and Mrs. Baker have had three children: Floyd, Bovd and Marion. Mr. Baker occupies an enviable position among the younger ranchmen of Blaine county. His operations have successfully established him on the road to wealth and a prosperous home. He has taken a prominent place among the pio- neer settlers of the county and is esteemed by his friends as a public-spirited citizen of strong and progressive character. G. W. COOK. The above named gentleman, as well as his father, Charles Cook, is well and favorably- known throughout western Nebraska. Charles Cook was born in England in 1852, coming to America at the age of eighteen years. He settled in Cheyenne county, Nebraska, in 1S89, and spent many years on the frontier, ex- periencing 'every phase of pioneer life in the west, and to his influence and effort was due much of the success in the agricultural districts where he has made his home at different periods. In 1899 he came to Kimball county, took up a homestead and proved up on it, and there built up a good home and property. He also bought land in section 8, township 14, range 58, grad- ually added to his original claim until he was owner of four thousand four hundred and eighty acres. He kept large herds of stock, and now has about four hundred cattle, six hundred sheep, fifty head of these sheep are imported Rambouillets, noted for the heavy fleece they produce, shearing from fifteen to thirty pounds. Mr. Cook took the first grand prize at tlie Trans- Mississippi Exposition at Omaha, on his sheep. He also has about thirty horses and is one of the most successful ranchmen of his section. He also farms a small portion of his land, and has met with success in that line. Mr. Charles Cook is the father of our sub- ject. Had a family of seven sons and one daughter. He is now making his home in Cali- fornia, although he is the manager and gives his entire time to the operation of his extensive interests here. Albert and Sam Cook, and one sister, Eliza Cook, are now livinc: on the home ranch, all of whom are single. They are a most highly es- teemed family, and all are popular in the neigh- borhood affairs. G. W. Cook, whose name heads this review, is the eldest son of Charles Cook, and he was born in Oregon, November 16, 1880. At the age of nine vears he came to Clieyennc county with his parents, and later to Kiiub-ill county, where he grew to manhood. In 1903 he pur- chased the F.lfblade ranch, located on section G. W. COOK. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 12, township 13, range 59, and now owns nine hundred and sixty acres, all good farm and hay land. He has about fifty acres devoted to diversified farming, but is engaged principally in the stock business, running one hundred cat- tle, principally Short Horns, and about one thousand five hundred sheep, all thoroughbred Rambouillets, besides quite a bunch of horses. He has a fine property, is progressive in his methods, and one of the substantial and success- ful men of his section. Air. Cook has never married. Politically he is a Republican, and is now serving his second term as justice of the peace. His portrait will be found on another page. MESSRS. PORTER & GRIFFIN. The above firm are among the prominent and successful business men of Alma, Nebraska, en- gaged in the real estate, loan and insurance bus- iness. This business was established in 1888, Mr. Griffin having come to Alma in 1886 and Mr. Porter the following year. The former held the position as cashier of the First National Bank at Alma for two years, and the latter was engaged in the practice of law for the same length of time. The firm was at first known as Griffin & Taylor, in 1888, and later as Porter & Taylor, from 1890 to 1892, when the present firm was established. Their trade extends all over this and adjoining counties, even in the state of Kansas, and they deal principally in im- proved farming land, handling loans, and have put through many immense deals, always being read_v and willing to make loans on good farms, extending liberal terms. During the past three years land values in Harlan county have in- creased from five to ten dollars per acre to fifty and sixty per acre, and this has been due in a great measure to the wonderful possibilities to be found in this section, owing to the fine farm- ing land, and excellent opportunities for stock- raising, feeding, etc. , Mr. Porter is a native of Monmouth, Illinois, and was raised and educated there, attending Monmouth College. He studied law and was admitted to the bar at Springfield, Illinois, in 1887. Mr. Griffin was born in Canton, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, in 1844. He enlisted in the Seventh Pennsylvania cavalry in 1864, saw- service in many famous battles, and was with the army of the Cumberland. After the war closed he returned to his native town and re- mained there up to 1886, when he settled in Nebraska. Mr. Porter is the proprietor of a fine farm of one thousand two hundred to one thousand three hundred acres in Harlan county, all of which he rents out, deriving a comfortable income from this source. Both Messrs. Porter and Griffin are prominent Republicans, active in public afliairs, and one or the other of them are always on the county committee. Both are also members of the Mason's blue lodge, and Mr. Porter is an Odd Fellow. WILLIAM GIBSON. William Gibson is one of the well-known citizens of Cherry county, and a prosperous and well-to-do farmer. His residence is on section 34, township 26, range 33, and he is the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of land, all of which is well improved. He is a gentleman of integrity and good judgment and well merits the success which has come to him and the enviable reputation which he enjoys as an old settler and worthy resident of his locality. Mr. Gibson was born in Rock Island county, Illinois, in 1867. His father, Alex. Gibson, was born in Ireland, as was also his mother. The former followed farming all his life, and the family settled in Iowa when William was a child one year old, and after that lived on several dif- ferent farms in that state, remaining there 'for sixteen years in all. He attended the common schools, and worked at farming through his boy- hood, coming to Nebraska with his parents about 1883, and when he was twenty-three left home and started for himself, taking a farm in Fillmore county, Nebraska, which he operated for several years. In 1893 he went with his family to McPherson county, settling on barren prairie land, filing on a homestead and proved up on it. There he put up sod buildings and built up a good ranch. That place was located thirty-five miles from a town, and they lived on it for about nine years, then moved to Mullen and made that their home for two years, coming to his present ranch from there. He now has a good ranch and home, having put up good buildings, fences and every improvement. He lately erected a fine barn fifty-six by thirty-two feet, and has plenty of sheds, with wells, windmills, etc. Mr. Gibson was married in 1891, to Miss Sadie Brown, daughter of John Brown, a farmer and native of Scotland, who settled in this lo- cality many years ago, her mother's maiden name was Agnes Brown. To Mr. Gibson and his good wife have been born the following chil- dren : John, Frank, Irene and Pearl, who form a most charming family group. 206 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Our subject gives all his time to the building up of his home and management of his ranch, and everything he now has is due to his own imaided efforts, as he had absolutely nothing to start with when he began for himself, and he deserves much praise for his success. He has also aided materially in the development of the region where he has spent many years, and is one of the leading old-timers. CAPT. I. H. DEMPCY. Captain I. H. Dempcy, a leading citizen of Arapahoe, Nebraska, holds the office of justice of the peace and notary public, and is well known in this locality as a man of sterling char- acter and integrity. Mr. Dempcy is a native of Delaware, born in 1833. His father, Thomas Jefferson Dempcy, settled as a pioneer in Cham- paign county, Ohio, on an Indian reservation, originally coming from Lancaster county, Penn- sylvania, his father, James Dempcy, grandfather of our subject, having taken part in the Revolu- tionary war. .\fter having settled in Iowa in 1856 with his family, I\Ir. Dempcy farmed there for several years, then came to Nebraska in the early days of this state, and the homestead on which our subject located was crossed many times by bands of Sioux Indians who traveled north and south on their way to fight other tribes, but that was about the last of the Indian scares in this part of the country. Mr. Dempcy came to Arapahoe in 1872 and took a homestead in Arapahoe precinct, which he still owns, and since then has added to it until he is proprietor of 240 acres of good land here. ]\Tost of this is used for hay and pasture land and he has it stocked with good graded stock and is engaged in raising and shipping stock. The farm is lo- cated on Muddy Creek. Mr. Dempcy has al- ways taken an active part in local affairs, and has been on the school board ever since coming here, and nearly always has been justice of the peace. He has helped to build two school houses, fine brick buildings, also two brick churches for the M. E. church society, acting on the building committee in both instances. .^bout the year 1873 he was elected county treasurer, when two sets of officers were elected in the county seat fight. Mr. Dempcy cast the first presidential vote for U. S. Grant that was cast in this precinct. He served for three years in tlie civil war with Company I. Fortieth regi- ment, from Iowa, and was mustered out as cap- tain. He took part in the \'icksburg campaign. Sixteenth army corps, then in the Seventh armv corps under Banks and Steele, was on the Red river expeditions. Then was promoted to sec- ond lieutenant and soon afterwards recommend- ed for post of first lieutenant, but before he received this office he became captain of his company. He is a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and for twelve years was commander of the post at Arapahoe and one year in Fitzgerald, Georgia. I\Ir. Dempcv was married in 1856 to I\Iiss Hannah Wilson, who died in 1860. In 1863 he married Hattie A. Gregory. Mr. and Mrs. Dempcy have two sons, namely: T. M. Dempcy, engaged in the banking business, also ranching, owner of one thousand two hundred acres near Curtis ; and I. N. Demcy, in the ranching and stock business on a two thousand four hundred acre ranch in Lincoln county, Nebraska. Mr. Demcy 's mother was ]Miss Jane Prichard, daughter of James and Elizabeth Prichard. GEORGE C. SNOW. George C. Snow, editor and proprietor of The Chadron Journal, published at Chadron, Nebraska, is one of the rapidly rising young newspaper men of western Nebraska. He has made a success of the work in his locality, and since taking charge of the above paper as sole manager has doubled the plant and circulation of the paper and added many improvements thereto. Mr. Snow is a native of De Kalb county, Illinois, born on a farm in 1874. He is a son of Beecher and Estella Lyon Snow, the former a farmer and early settler in Nebraska. Our subject is the oldest in his parents' family of four children, and he was reared in Illinois, attending the common schools and later the academy at Franklin, Nebraska. After com- ing to Nebraska he was a student at Doane College, located at Crete, and graduated from there with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. .\fter leaving college he taught school for two years in Chadron, and was for two ){ears a teacher in Washington, afterwards spending one year in Kansas. He holds a life teacher's certificate in Nebraska, and is one of the best known young educators in this section of the country. In March, 1906, Mr. Snow bought The Chadron Journal and is now editor and sole proprietor of this, which is the oldest paper in Dawes county. The first issue of this paper was published in a lumber wagon in 1884, es- tablished and edited by E. E. Egan, who was also proprietor of the paper at that time. Dur- ing: all this time there have lieen nine other COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 207 papers established here, and this is the only one which has survived, and is now the only newspaper in Chadron. It has a large circu- lation throughout the county and vicinity. Mr. Snow was married in 1901 to Miss Mary Battey, of American stock, native of Minnesota. Mrs. Snow graduated from the same college as her husband, at the same time, and also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, and followed teachirtg for several years. Mr. and Mrs. Snow are the parents of three children — Clayton, Mildred and George. CHARLES S. PETTIT. Among the early settlers in western Ne- braska who have given the best efforts of their lives to the development and upbuilding of the commercial and agricultural interests of this section, the gentleman above named occupies a prominent place. Mr. Pettit resides in Keya Paha county, in the town of Springview, where he has established a comfortable home and business, and is prepared to enjoy the fruits of his many years of labor. Charles S. Pettit was born near Red Oak, Iowa. June 16, 1872. His father, Edmund F. Pettit, was a pioneer settler in Keya Paha county, coming to this locality in 1883, where he took up a homestead southeast of Spring- view, the family living in a shanty built of sod and boards for several years. Here our sub- ject was reared; from the time he was old enough he was compelled to assist his father in the hard work of carrying on the farm, and early learned to care for stock, help with the planting of the crops, and followed this until his nineteenth year, then learned the black- smith's trade and followed this as an occupa- tion for a period of ten years. He owned a shop in Springview for several years, and aft- erwards worked at this trade in Bryant, South Dakota. In 1901 Mr. Pettit went into partner- ship with S. S. Allen in the hardware business, the latter having previously established this business in 1899. They were associated to- gether for five years, our subject buying Mr. Allen's interest in 1906. It is now the only general and exclusive hardware store in Springview, and its proprietor has an extensive trade all over Keya Paha and the surrounding country. The business occupies a large corner building, including warerooms, and is an up- to-date place in every respect. Mr. Pettit was married October 10, 1900, to Miss Stella Carr, whose father, John F. Carr, is an old settler in this county. Her mother, prior to her marriage, was Amelia Schulte. Mr. and Mrs. Pettit have a family of three children, namely: Clarence A., Frank F. and Carl S. The family is highly esteemed in the community and Mr. Pettit recognized as a leading business man and worthy citizen. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Masonic and Pythian fraternities of Springview. C. ANDERSON BURG. C. Anderson Burg is a native of Sweden and was born in the year 1839. He brought his family to America and settled in Cheyenne county, Nebraska, in the spring of 1886, where he located, being now in Kimball county. He chose his homestead in section 30, township 15, range 53, and by thrift and careful farming together with judicious stock raising he has gathered many broad acres and accumulated a goodly share of this world's goods. He now owns sixteen hundred acres of fine land and runs about one hundred and fifty head of cattle. C. Anderson Burg was married in 1866 to Caroline Gustason, by whom he had seven children: lima, married; Carl, married; Os- car, married ; Nannie, married ; Conrad, Arvid and Edith, the last three mentioned being sin- gle. C. Anderson Burg's second wife was Tilda Swanson. to whom he was married in 1884, in Sweden. There were no children by this union. In politics Mr. Burg is a Republican and always casts his vote for the furtherance of the principles of that party. Arvid Burg lives on the home ranch with his father. The land of his birth was Sweden and his natal day was September 9, 1880. Ar- vid came to Nebraska with his father while yet a child and has lived at home a great portion of the time, aiding in improving and building up the home place. He located and proved up on a homestead, the northeast quarter of sec- tion 6, township 14, range 53. He is a young man of sterling qualities and is esteemed by all who know him. JOHN GUMB. John Gumb, who owns a fine farm of about five hundred acres in sections 4. 5 and 9, town- ship 22, range 15, Garfield county, has been a resident of this region for the past twenty years. Mr. Gumb is an enthusiastic admirer 208 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY of this part of the country, and thinks that a workingman's chance for making a good liv- ing and becoming independent in this country is much better than in the eastern states, and a great deal better than in England, which is his native country. He is of the opinion that the same amount of labor for ten years here gives a man more returns than in twenty years in England. ]\Ir. Gumb was born in England and came to America in 1887, going first to Pennsylvania, but only remained there a few months, and then hearing of this rich western country decided to come here, the same year locating in Holt county, Nebraska, where he took up a claim of one hundred and sixty acres as a homestead. He remained there up to 1904. when he sold out and removed to Gar- field county, again taking up a homestead of four hundred acres, which he uses as a grazing farm, also raising wheat, corn. oats, rye and barley. He keeps quite a number ot stock, principal!}- cattle, hogs and horses. Since coming here Mr. Gumb has raised good average crops. While living in Holt county he was mostly engaged in stock raising, and used a large part of his farm for hay and pas- ture, but since settling in Garfield county has run mostly to raising small grains, as he finds the soil in this section best suited for this pur- pose. During the dry years, in 1893 and 1894, he raised a small corn crop, but his hay was a fair yield, and cured itself on the prairies ; also carried his stock through the winter in good shape. Some of the farmers near him rented feed farms at five dollars per head for their stock in the middle of the summer, thinking their hay was all ruined, but subsequently found they lost money, as the hay cured itself nicely and their stock fed out well through the winter. Mr. Gumb is a bachelor. He comes of good, sturdy English stock, is conservative in his views, and a practical and progressive farmer. He has taken an active part in local affairs since coming here, serving several terms as school treasurer while living in Holt county, and since locating here has given liberally in all movements for the public benefit. Polit- ically he is a Republican. FRANKLIN J. AUSTIN. Franklin J. Austin, one of the leading citi- zens of Franklin county, is a prosperous mer- chant of Franklin, widely known as a gentle- man of good business ability and true public spirit. He is a son of William E. Austin, born June 23, 1815, and reared on his father's farm. At the age of twelve years his father died, and in 1863 he sold his farm in Massachusetts and moved to Iowa, where he lived up to 1872. then came to Logan township, Franklin county. Here he was one of the first settlers. He was a native of Massachusetts and the fifth in a family of ten children born to John and Lo- demi (Daniels) Austin, whose parents were all born in Massachusetts, as was also our sub- ject's grandfather. The mother was a daugh- ter of Dan Daniels, whose father was com- mander of the British fort at Boston, but being a liberty-loving man, he deserted the British and joined the Colonial forces. A prize was ofTered for his capture by the British, but he kept out of their way and used his great wealth in cashing Colonial script and equipping sol- diers for the colonists. Dan Daniels, men- tioned above as his son, also served in the Rev- olutionary war as a courier. He was captured and tried, but escaped the death penalty. Their name was originally MacDaniels, but Dan dropped the "Mac." He was a justice of the peace in Massachusetts for sixty years, which was the longest time any man ever served in that capacity there. W'illiam E. Aus- tin came to this county in 1872. took up a homestead and started a small store as well. He was one of the foremost public-spirited cit- izens, and assisted materially in developing his home place into a handsome home and fine farm, and during the hard years was generous to his less fortunate neighbors, giving credit to all who came to his store, and is gratefully remembered by many. In 1845 he married Miss Emelinc Clark, daughter of Alex. Clark, of Massachusetts, and they were the parents of four children : Wil- liam H., John Franklin, our subject, Ed. L. and Charles F., who died young. William H. is postmaster at Franklin and a man promi- nent in all local affairs. Franklin J. began his business career in his father's postofiRce. the latter having succeeded in establishing a postal station in 1873, which he named "Macon," and in this place our subject opened a small store, one of the first in the county. In 1879 he was elected county treasurer, then moved to the county seat at Blooniington. After serv- ing two terms he came to Franklin and opened a general mercantile business, which, under his management, assisted by his two sons, has grown to be one of the largest and most pros- perous in the county. Mr. Austin was married at Macon to Miss Mary Dake. She is a daughter of Calvin C. Dake, an early settler in Macon, locating there in 1872, and who is well known throughout the COMPEXDIUxAI OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 209 locality, having served as county commissioner for several terms. Mr. Austin was the or- ganizer of a union Sabbath school in !Macon, started in 1872. WILLIAM W. BABCOCK, SR. Among the leading citizens of Cherry county, none stands higher in the minds of his associates than the gentleman here named. For many years he has been a resident of this section and has developed a fine farm and with his family enjoys the comforts of a fine rural home and the esteem of all with whom he comes in contact. William W. Babcock was born in Potter county, Pennsylvania, October 14, 1834. His father, William Babcock, was born in Living- ston county. New York, September 7, 1798, and the family lived in a lumber camp when our subject was born, the father having followed the life of a lumberman for many years in the east. They lived in Pennsylvania until Wil- liam was a lad of eighteen years, then moved to Steuben county. New York, and from there came west, locating in Hardin county, Iowa, in pioneer days, where he started farming for himself. On June 13. 1861, he enlisted in Com- pany G, First Iowa Cavalry, and was ordered south with his regiment, going directly to St. Louis, then to Memphis, Tennessee. He went to Austin. Texas, on the Rio Grande, and also was at Little Rock, Arkansas, where he re- enlisted January 5, 1864, serving in all four years and eight months. He saw some hard service in many battles, but escaped without any serious wounds. After receiving his dis- charge from the army he returned to Iowa and followed farming in Hardin county up to 1891, excepting a period of about four years, which were spent six miles northwest of Kingsley, Iowa, where they farmed heavily and made money. In the latter year he came to Gordon, Nebraska, and started farming, but during the first two years suffered heavy losses on ac- count of crop failures due to drouths, etc., and lost considerable money. He worked hard to get along, and managed to succeed fairly well, with the help of his sons and his wife, who aided him all in their power, and the latter especially deserves much credit for her faith- ful efforts with her husband in building up a home for themselves. They lived on that farm for seven years, at which time Mr. Babcock took up his present homestead, on section 8, township 28, range 36, bringing with him nine- teen head of cattle, which he has now in- creased to a herd of 300. Here he has a fine property, improved with good buildings, all fenced, and is one of the progressive and up- to-date ranchmen of his locality. Immediately after returning from the war Mr. Babcock was married in Iowa, to Miss Katherine Rhodes, the wedding occurring in the fall of 1866. Mrs. Babcock is of German descent, and a daughter of Peach Rhodes, her mother's maiden name Elizabeth Crouse, the former a prominent farmer in Iowa. Our sub- ject and his estimable wife have a family of six children, who are named as follows : Suell R., Albert J., Jessie C, William W. Jr., Nellie M. and George A. The sons all have Kincaid homesteads in the vicinity of their father's place, and each is industrious and earnestly working to accumulate a nice property and are worthy citizens of their community. HON. JOEL HULL. Joel Hull was born in Meigs county. Ohio, in 1831, and was reared there. In 1872 he came to Nebraska and went to the end of the Burlington & ]\Iissouri railroad then at Lowell, and on June 30th of that year located at Lowell, Kearney county. At that time there were no settlers there except on the river bottom, east and west of Lowell. The county was organized June 20, 1872, and Mr. Hull at once began as a merchant, purchasing a store from A. A. Andrews, and did an immense busi- ness, selling $130,000 worth of goods in twen- ty-four months. Purchasers came from Red Cloud, and west to the Colorado line, also from Kansas, many traveling one hundred and sev- enty-five miles to do their trading. The town of Hastings was not in existence at that time, and only two or three houses composed the town of Kearney, which did not boast of even a depot. After September of the year 1874 the river bridge was completed, and nearly all the trade then went to Kearney, which left Lowell a dead place. In 1874 Mr. Hull took up a homestead lo- cated four miles north of where Minden now stands, and in 1876 the town was organized and a committee of seven including our sub- ject, chose Minden as the county seat, sub- mitting the question to the people in Novem- ber of that year and was favorably voted on, as it was a geographical centre, and admirably located. The land was bought by Mr. Hull and he offered it to the county, but it was de- clined. The following year he laid out the site of the town and named it Minden, and began building a temporary court house and a hotel. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY He left a space in the north end of the town for the depot and in November, 1883, the Bur- lington and Missouri railway came in, and four years later the Kansas City and Omaha built in and took the south end of the town for their depot site, just as Mr. Hull had laid out the plans. In 1878 Mr. Hull had been admitted to the bar, and since that time has continuously practiced law. The population of Minden in 1882 was just two hundred and eleven people, and in April of that year it was made a village, growing very rapidly from the time the rail- road was built through the place. During the panic throughout this section the town went backward, and not Until 1896 did it begin to pick up, and now has a population of about 2,300, and still growing. In 1889 Mr. Hull was city engineer and surveyed for the location of the canal. The county surveyor now does the engin- eering work for the new $80,000 court house. Mr. Hull has always been active in all affairs of the town. He was county judge for some years, and since 1855 has voted the Republican ticket, in 1852 voting for General Scott, the Whig candidate for president. During the civil war he served in the Ninety-first Ohio Infan- try as second lieutenant, Company B, and was first lieutenant and adjutant of his regiment, and afterwards resigned as adjutant and as- signed to Company K, as first lieutenant, and appointed acting assistant adjutant general of the second brigade, second division, army of West Virginia. Our subject is a charter mem- ber of the Grand Army of the Republic post at Minden and has held all the offices in that post. In the early days when the settlers first began to come to this region many did not know how to break the land and put in their crops, and a few hit it right and raised good crops, but many met with failures, and those who were fortunate soon got rich. Mr. Hull is a son of Hiram Hull, whose father, Joel Hull, was born near Boston, Massachusetts, in 1776. He received a college education and became a merchant, spending several years in New York state, and in 1816 settled in Meigs county, Ohio, where his death occurred in 1827. Tie married Miss Mary Wallace, a native of Bennington, Ver- mont, born in 1779, and she died in Adams county, Illinois, in 1859. She was a Free Methodist, and a woman of much intelligence. Our subject's father was the youngest of ten children, and was born in Utica, New York, in September, 1812. In 1831 he left the family farm, settling in Chester, Ohio, where he en- gaged in the mercantile, tannery and boat building business. In 1852 he moved to Dela- ware, Ohio, in order to educate his children, sending them to the Ohio Wesleyan Univer- sity at Delaware. In 1872 he came west set- tling in Buffalo county, Nebraska. He lived for two years at Lowell, Kearney county, then at Kearney, where he was engaged in the merchandise trade and later in the real estate and brokerage business. Our subject's mother was, prior to her marriage. Miss Luna Bos- worth, of Meigs county, Ohio, daughter of Hezekiah and Huldah (Pearce) Bosworth, of WHiitehall, X. Y., who settled in Meigs county, Ohio. Her father was a Methodist preacher, also a teacher and farmer, who lived to be eighty-nine years of age, his death occurring February 23, 1859, his wife dying in 1863 at the age of eighty-eight years. Our subject is the eldest child of his father, born November 23, 1831 ; the second son, Wyman, was born ;\Iarch 27. 1835; third child. Catherine, is the wife of William K. Goddard, of Dane county, Wisconsin ; fourth, Helen, wife of William L. Kidd, of Oakland, California; fifth, Marinda, wife of S. W. Switzer, of San Diego, California. Mr. Hull's great-grandfather was William Hull, of Massachusetts. During his young manhood, our subject was educated at Ohio Wesleyan University, and there studied law with Sweetzer and Reid, of Delaware, both of whom are eminent lawyers, and both at one time members of congress. In 1862 Mr. Hull recruited a company for the Ninety-first Ohio and was commissioned a lieutenant of Company B. He was at the battle of Lynchburg, also at Winchester, battle of Bunker Hill, in the Shenandoah valley, and led the skirmish line of 1,300 men against 7,700 of Early's men. This force of 1,300 took more prisoners than their own number, besides capturing all of the enemv's artillery. For his part in this action Joel Hull was promoted to adjutant general of the brigade, commanded by General Crook, which brigade won at the battle of Winchester. In 1864 Mr. Hull was commissioned by the governor of Ohio to the colonelcy of a new regiment, but the closing of the war caused this to be countermanded. After the war. in 1869, Mr. Hull went to Toledo, Ohio, where he engaged in the tan- nery and leather business up to 1872, under the firm name of Joel Hull & Co., and in that year came to Kearney county, Nebraska, where he laid out the town of Minden and built the first four houses, presenting a lot to each of the seven religious denominations, also gave a fourth of a block for the first school building. THOMAS MULLALLY. COMPENDIUiM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Mr. Hull was married at Newark, N. J., in 1855, to Miss Mary E. Frisbee. They had a family of children, namely: Arthur E., George H., Frances E., wife of R. L. Marsh, and Carrie A. Mr. Hull was married the sec- ond time in 1879 to Mrs. Elsie E. Granger, daughter of Robert and Mary S. Scott, |nd to this union four children were born, namely: Joel L., Walter Scott, Otis H. and Jessie A. LOUIS METZLER, JR. Louis Metzler, Jr., a highly respected citi- zen of Chadron, Nebraska, was 'born in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1872. He comes of old German stock, his father, Louis Metzler, and his mother, who was Miss Kate Rice, having been early settlers in western Nebraska. Their family consisted of four children, of whom our subject was the second member, and he grew up in the city in which he was born, learning the trade of a cigarmaker in his father's shop when he was a boy. At the age of nineteen he left home and spent five years in Chicago and Naperville, Illinois, working at his trade, and has made his own way in the world since then. Mr. Metzler came to Nebraska in 1896, locating permanently at Chadron. he having visited the place in 1894. His father was en- gaged in business here, and he worked in his shop up to 1901, then purchased the place and started in on his own account. He has built up a good business and his trade extends all over this part of the country, where he is well known as an industrious and energetic worker, and a shrewd and capable business man. In political sentiment Mr. Metzler is a Republican, taking an active and leading part in party affairs throughout the town and county. He is now on the town council and has served as a member of that board for five years. JAMES N. McCLAIN. The subject of this review is one of the successful younger farmers of Keith county, Nebraska, and resides on an excellent farm located in section 26, township 13, range Z7 . James N. McClain is a native son of Ne- braska and was born in Cass countv March 24, 1881. His father, Nathan C. McClain, was a farmer by occupation and a native of Chris- tian county, Illinois. The mother's name was Mary McClain. however no relation of her hus- band's before marriage ; she, too, was born in Illinois. The parents of our subject were among the earliest pioneers of eastern Ne- braska, where they settled about 1877 and en- gaged in farming and hog raising. In 1885 the family shipped their goods to North Platte, whence they moved by teams thirty-five miles to a homestead on section 12, township 12, range 35, about eleven miles southeast of the village of Paxton. They had a good sod house, cemented inside and out, a barn, with a shed attached, to which they added first-cIass im- provements from time to time. There the family lived for thirteen years, engaged ex- tensively in farming. There were eight boys in the family, which enabled the father to farm very extensively, having so much good help. But the results from the crops were very poor for eight years owing to drouth and other causes, and the losses fell heavily upon the family. James N. McClain started out for himself in 1900, working out for a while and farming rented land. He located a homestead on sec- tion 26, township 13, range 37, where he now lives, and has improved it with good build- ings. He has three hundred and twenty acres, with half of it capable of cultivation. Mr. McClain was married March 21, 1906, to Susan Knowles, born and reared in Keith county, Nebraska. Her father, David Knowles, deceased, was one of the early pioneers of Ne- braska; the mother was Melissa Spurgeon. Mr. and Mrs. McClain have one son, Elmer. As a boy and man Mr. McClain has had great opportunity to witness the development of the region in which he lives, having come here with his parents in the pioneer days of 1885. He is making a success of life and will soon have a fine farm in productive operation. He has been honored with several political of- fices, among them being that of assessor for Logan precinct. He is a Republican in poli- tics and fraternally is a member of the Paxton camp of Modern Woodmen of America. THOMAS MULLALLY. Thomas Mullally, a retired farmer of Har- lan county, Nebraska, who now resides in Alma, is the proprietor of a fine property and one of the wealthiest men in this locality. A portrait of him is presented on another page of this volume. Mr. Mullally is a native of Longford coun- ty, Ireland, born in 1836. He came to America when a youth fourteen years of age, settling COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY in Dutchess count}^, New York. He first saw -Nebraska in I861, on his way to Pike's Peak, Colorado, where he stayed until 1863, then returned to this state, settling on a ranch on the south side of the Platte river, fifty miles west of Fort Kearney, and here he started a general store and hotel, also dealing in cat- tle and horses. The California trail was lined with wagons on their way across the plains to Denver, Salt Lake, Montana, Oregon, Mex- ico and every point throughout the western states, and for weeks and months the trail would be covered with cattle, horses and wagons. He remained on this homestead un- til 1867. then went to Cheyenne, as he was caused much annoyance by the travelers con- tinually passing his home here. In 1861 a band of Indians who were roving over the country entered his yards and drove oflf nine- teen head of horses and mules, and at Plum Creek, fifteen miles east of his ranch during the same year Indians attacked a party of travelers, including six covered wagons, fam- ilies on their way west, and out of this little band of people all were murdered excepting one woman, who was made captive by the redskins. He lived in Wyoming for three years, and in 1871 came back to ^Nebraska, lo- cating in Harlan county on the Turkey creek. Mullally township was named after our sub- ject, and Harlan cimnty was named after Tom Harlan, who came to Nebraska from Cheyenne in company with Mr. Mullally. While he lived on Platte Ranch at Willow Island he came to what is now Harlan county on a hunting expe- dition. The country was overrun by game — wild turkey, bufifalo. deer, elk. antelope, etc. — and was the best hunting field in all western Nebraska, owing to the fact that there was plenty of wild grass and water, and small tim- ber. When he went to Cheyenne he naturally told of the fine hunting grounds and fertility of soil to be found in the Republican Valley (then so called), and in 1870 he with a num- ber of others organized a party and the fol- lowing year they came down to Turkey creek in this county. There were seventeen men in the party, named as follows: Bill Carr. now of Alma; Tom Sheflfery, Harlan county; Tom Harlan, now residing in Michigan ; Mark Coad and John Coad. who had lived here "prior to this, and had built a dugout; Tom Murrin. de- ceased ; Alex Burk, deceased ; Charles Syden- ham, a brother of Mose Sydenham; Dick Mc- Donahue, Mike Morrissey, Jim Ryder and others, and besides these a party drove over- land with teams and wagons. Mr. Mullally remained here and homesteaded on three hun- dred and twenty acres situated on Turkey creek and lived on his farm until March, 1905, en- gaged in farming and raising cattle and horses and other stock. W'hen he sold out his hold- ings he had seventeen hundred and twenty acres of land in one block, for which he re- ceived thirty-one thousand dollars. He made a success of his farming and stock raising, and he is now one of the leading citizens of his locality. In 1857 Mr. Mullally was married to Miss Maggie IMurphy, a native of Dubuque, Iowa. They have a family of six children, as follows: Thomas, a farmer living in Turkey township; Joseph, a farmer of Mullally township ; Kate, wife of James Laird, of Mullally township; Lizzie, now Mrs. August Heffer, residing in Friend, Nebraska ; Maggie, located in San Francisco, California, and Mary, married to Arch Palmer, of Los Angeles, California. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer narrowly escaped the earth- quake which worked such destruction in San Francisco in 1906. They left the city at three o'clock in the morning, bound for a short trip on the water, and the quake occurred at five a. m., and undoubtedly they would have lost their lives had they been at home, as at the place where they were living over one hun- dred people were killed. ]\Ir. Mullally and his family are members of the Catholic church. Politically he is a Democrat. He takes commendable interest in party politics, but does not seek public prefer- ment. Mullally township is a strictly Demo- cratic settlement, never having had a Repub- lican officeholder. At one time there were only three men who voted the Republican ticket in the whole township. ARTHUR N. CASE. Arthur N. Case, of Brown county, has by dint of general industry, reliable character and straightforward business methods, built up for himself a name and a standing second to no man in this part of Nebraska. He is still in the full maturity of his powers, and commands a host of friends wherever he is known. His word is his bond, and both as an agriculturist and a carpenter and builder he is pushing and aggressive in his cfl^orts to reap the best re- sults and render the largest and most satis- factory returns for all thought and money in- vested in his time and labor. Mr. Case belongs to an old American fam- ily long established in the state of New York, where he was born on a farm in 1854. He was the second born in a family of three chil- COMPENDIU-M OF HISTORY, REMINISCENXE AXD BIOGRAPHY 213 dren, and was reared and educated in his na- tive community. As he grew into manhood he was set to learn the carpenter trade, which he thoroughly mastered under his father's watch- ful eye and careful instruction. In 1875 he came west, and for a period of years devoted himself to his trade in Lapeer county, Mich- igan. There he was married in 1881 to Miss Adath Westover, a native of Canada, who had come with her parents into that county in 1875. To this happy union have come two children, Leona and George, both of whom were born in Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Case removed to Brown county, Nebraska, in 1887, where he at first engaged in farming on a pre-emption claim some eight miles from Ainsworth. Here he constructed a sod house, which was unusually well built, and though primitive in its mate- rial was really very comfortable, and is now remembered pleasantly by the family. It was indeed a return to nature, as coyotes could be heard close at hand every night, and for a time game of all kinds was abundant. After the passing of six years the rapid growth of Butte seemed to present an exceptional opportunity for the skill and labor of the carpenter, which Mr. Case was quick to see, and accordingly he transferred himself and interests to Boyd coun- ty in 1891. For four years he followed his trade, with Butte City as a center, and had much to do with the construction of many homes and business buildings during that pe- riod. In 1895 he worked as a carpenter for some four months in Arkansas, and then made a home in the Ozark mountains in JMissouri, where he lived about three and a half years. In 1899 he returned to Ainsworth, and here put up for himself an attractive residence and a large shop for the steady pursuit of his oc- cupation as a builder and contractor. He soon had a large and grov^'ing patronage, and as he attended to it faithfully and well it is in every way creditable and satisfactory. Later they moved to the Aloon Lake region. IMr. Case is a member of the fraternal order of the Modern Woodmen of America. HORACE C. DALE. Amons' the old settlers who have watched the growth and development of western Nebraska from the earlv pioneer davs. who has ahvavs taken an active part in its history from the very besrinnins" and helped to advance its com- mercial and agricultural industries, the gentle- man above named holds a foremost place. Mr. Dale resides in Rushville, where he is engaged in the banking business. Mr. Dale is a native of Bellefont, Pennsyl- vania, born in 1859, on his father's farm. He was raised in his native state, assisting his parents until he was seventeen years of age, spending five years at the Pennsylvania State College, from which he graduated in the class- ical course. He also took a special course in civil engineering, and for three years worked in this capacity for the Pennsylvania Railroad on construction work. He afterwards followed land surveying for one year. In 1886 he came to Sheridan county, landing here in June, and soon after settling entered into partnership with M. P. Musser and J. K. Wohlford in the bank- ing business, establishing the Citizens' Bank. He remained with this concern up to 1897, then disposed of his interest in the bank and opened up the Stockmen's Bank, incorporating this institution in September, 1898. He has been cashier of the bank from its organization, with A. M. Modisett as president and H. A. Dawson as vice-president. In 1906 the bank erected a fine home building covering a space 25x56 feet, two stories and basement, built of granite and cement, fitted in the most modern style. This bank will be converted into a na- tional bank about July 1, 1908. Mr. Dale has the management of the in- tricate affairs of the bank of which he is cash- ier, and is a gentleman of ability and excellent business foresight. He has succeeded in build- ing up an immense business and gained the confidence of his fellow-men through his strict honesty and integrity. In 1885 Mr. Dale was married to Miss Lil- lian E. Satterfield, of old American stock, whose parents were early settlers in Penn- sylvania. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Dale, who are named as fol- lows: Helen M., George S., Edwin E., Hor- ace Albert and James Leland, all born in Rush- ville. In poHtical sentiment Air. Dale is a Re- publican. W. J. CRUSEN. W. J. Crusen, residing in North Platte, Ne- braska, was passenger engineer on No. 9 and 10, fast mail train between North Platte and Sidney, which makes a run of one hundred and twenty-three miles in one hundred and seven- teen minutes. Mr. Crusen came here in 1880 and ever since that time has been connected with the Union Pacific Railroad. He is well known all through this localitv as a man of 214 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCE^XE AND BIOGRAPHY sterling character and integrity, and is promi- nent in all local affairs. Mr. Crusen was born in Licking county, Ohio. His father, Thomas Crusen, settled at Terre Haute. Indianft, with his family in 1861. There were thirteen children, of whom only three are now living Our subject began work- ing on the railroad prior to 1861, and in that year enlisted in the Twelfth Ohio Regiment. Company E, recruited from Newark, Ohio, and served with this company for three years and three months. He took part in the battle of Antietam, where he saw late President McKin- ley, who was then a sergeant, serving hot cof- fee to the firing line in which the former was a private. Mr. Crusen was also at Winches- ter, South Mountain and all the battles through that section. In Tennessee he received a shot in the leg, and as soon as he was able to walk, ran an engine out of Nashville, Tennessee. His train was derailed and he was taken prisoner by the bushwhackers, the McNary's gang, who ordered him to blow up the engine, and when he let the steam off at the valve the natives were so badly frightened that they ran away and left him. Soon after a relief train arrived from the Union lines, and assisted him in getting away with his charge. After the close of the war he went back to railway service, and has since traveled all over every state in the Union in his work, never having had an accident. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, a prominent Mason, also Grand Army of the Republic man, well known in these dift'erent organizations. Mr. Crusen is now retired by the Union Pacific Railroad and is pensioned by that company. This makes it possible to attend more to religious work and he often fills out for different pastors in their pulpit work. Mr. Crusen is also proprietor of a fine farm of one hundred and fifty acres lo- cated near the city of North Platte, on which he makes a specialty of vegetables of all kinds and all his spare time is devoted to overseeing the work on this farm. Mr. Crusen was married in 1868 to Miss Elizabeth McCandless, of Philadelphia. They have one child, now Mrs. York Hinman, of North Platte, and a sketch of Mr. W. M. Hin- man appears in this volume. One brother, James, resides with Mr.- Crusen and his wife in their pleasant home here. Mr. Crusen is deeply interested in religious matters, is a member of the Methodist E])is- copal church, and a licensed preacher in the same. In 1896 he was a delegate from Ne- braska to the general conference of that church at Cleveland, Ohio. He has attended interna- tional Y. M. C. A. conventions at Topeka, Kansas ; Buffalo, New York ; Detroit, Michi- gan ; also has attended all state conventions in Nebraska. The Y. M. C. A. of North Platte was organized by Mr. Crusen and Mr. Nash, the state secretary. JAMES J. GRAGG. James J. Gragg, who has a valuable estate, is one of the foremost- residents of Hooker county, Nebraska, and has for the past fifteen years taken an active part in the political and social affairs of that locality, known far and near for his active public spirit and liberal views on every matter of importance to his community. Mr. Gragg is a native of Oakland county, Michigan, born in 1870. His father, James T., was born at the same place, and later came to Nebraska, and was an early settler in Red- willow county. The mother, who was Miss Amy Carey, was also born in the same county in Michigan as her husband and they lived there up to 1881, engaged in farming. The family first settled in Redwillow county after arriving in Nebraska, and lived in that vicinity for about thirteen years, and our subject was raised in that county, attending the country schools as a boy, and at the same time assist- ing his parents in carrying on the home ranch, in this manner acquiring a thorough knowl- edge of the ranching business, remaining at home until he was twenty-one years of age. Mr. Gragg came to Hooker county and lo- cated on his present ranch, which he took as a homestead, in the spring of 1895. This is situated in section 22, township 21, range 35. He started on a very small scale, his sole cap- ital being a few dollars in money, one cow and a calf, and to make matters worse the calf died. Now he has a finely improved ranch. The Methodist Episcopal church is located on his ranch a short distance from his residence. Prior to settling in this locality he had expe- rienced some very hard times in Redwillow county, losing six hundred and forty acres of crops in 1894. so after coming here he deter- mined to devote his entire efforts to the stock raising business and not try to farm. He gath- ered together a lew head of cattle at first, and from the start had very good success. He put up good buildings as he was able, im- proved his ranch, cultivating about one hun- dred and fifty acres, on which he raises good crops, and besides raising stock and farming he owns a good threshing outfit and was one of the first to operate an outfit in this region. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 215 He has done well in this venture, and in fol- lowing the work has become widely known throughout the entire country. Mr. Gragg was married in 1893 to Dollie A., daughter of Joseph Downs, one of the earliest settlers in Redwillow county. They are the parents of four children, who are named as follows: Jessie R.. Sylvia M., Amy A. and Vira J. The family is highly esteemed in the community as worthy citizens and good neighbors, and they have a comfortable and happy home. ^Ir. Gragg has taken an active part in local affairs, serving as county commissioner for six years and also as county assessor for one term and precinct assessor for two terms. In political sentiment he is a Republican. IRA REED. To the early settlers of Box Butte county, Nebraska, the name of Ira Reed is well known. He has been a resident of this section for the past twenty years and is one of the prosperous business men of Alliance, having been engaged for many years past in the horse business and is considered an authority in all matters per- taining to that business. Mr. Reed was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, in 1859. His father, Amos Reed, was a farmer, of Pennsylvania Dutch blood, as v\'as also his mother, and both died in that state. When our subject was twelve years old his mother died, and the fa- ther died in 1889. He was raised and edu- cated there, and at the age of fifteen years be- gan on his own account, renting his father's farm, which he carried on for three years. At that time he left Pennsylvania and came west, locating at Boone, Iowa, there engaging in the flour and feed business. He remained one year, then came to Nebraska, settling in the town of Superior, and opened a meat market, which he ran for three years. In 1887 he moved to Box Butte county, locating in Al- liance but taking up a pre-emption and timber claim situated thirty miles from the town, on the Niobrara river. \Anien he came here he drove from Superior, camping out on the trip, and as soon as he reached his destination start- ed to build a house, which was 16x24 feet, made of sod. He lived on the farm for four years, building up a good home and ranch, then moved to Hemingford and again started in the meat business, which he ran for three years, and also ran a livery barn for the same length of time. He did a good business and got along in good shape, but decided to go back to the ranching business, so settled on a farm sixteen miles northwest of Alliance and lived on that place for six years. During these years he was engaged in the horse business on a large scale, shipping a large number in and out of the state each year, and he handled some of the finest animals ever brought to this sec- tion. He has been most successful in his various ventures, and accumulated a nice prop- erty, all of which is due to his own efforts, as he had nothing to start with. He was one of the early settlers in Chadron, and helped de- velop that town in many ways. In 1907 he es- tablished his present business, dealing in real estate and insurance, and his knowledge of this part of the country, land values, etc., will en- able him to build up a large business. Mr. Reed is a Populist in political senti- ment, and has always taken an active part in politics, attending numerous county and state contentions. He was elected sheriff in the fall of 1901, and re-elected the following term. This necessitated moving his family to Alli- ance, where they have lived since with the exception of the year 1906, which he spent in the gold mines in South Dakota. Mr. Reed was married in 1879 to Miss Lizzie Savage, daughter of Henry and Anna Savage, of Northumberland county. Pennsyl- vania. Mrs. Reed died in 1884, leaving him with two children, Clayton C. and Delia M. In 1889 he was married again to Miss Sarah C. Dailey and he had two children by this mar- riage, namely: Ray E. and Elmer L. BENJAMIN WELLINGTON HARVEY. The gentleman Avliose name heads this re- view is a native of Iowa, being born in Cal- houn county in 1867. His father, Benjamin Harvey, whose biography appears elsewhere in this work, is one among Loup county's ear- liest pioneers. The mother's maiden name was Mary E. Ham. Benjamin W. Harvey was reared on a farm on the frontier in Nebraska and was with his father during the pioneer days when he learned to perform all the varied forms of farm work. He assisted his father in improving the home farm, driving ox teams and making many trips for supplies for the family to St. Paul and North Loup. In July, 1890, he went to Cus- ter county, taking a homestead, on which he lived a bachelor's life for eight years. He underwent many hardships, was far from neighbors and had to haul water for all pur- poses for a period of five years. CO.MPEXDIU.M OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY In 1898 our subject was united in marriage to Miss Ella Daman, who died in 1901, leav- ing two children — ^^'ayne and Claris. In 1904 Mr. Harvey was married to Miss Angie Thompson, daughter of Pembroke S. Thomp- son, a farmer and old settler of Loup county. Her mother died in 1905. Mr. Harvey and family lived on the Custer county homestead until 1904, busily engaged in improving and making it a valuable prop- erty. He then proved up and sold out. and in 1905 he purchased the farm where he now lives in section 12, township 21, range 17, it being the old homestead of his father-in-law, Pembroke S. Thompson, in Loup county, a splendid place of four hundred and eighty acres, in a good crop region of the country. He has about two hundred acres under culti- vation, the balance being pasture and hay land. There are nice improvements, house, barns, three wells and windmills, and the east farm is thoroughly fenced with cedar posts that were gotten out during the pioneer days of Loup county. Mr. Harvey is especially proud of his fine grove of forest trees and the orchard. Our subject has accomplished a great deal on his farm in the few years he has lived there and it has taken a vast amount of labor and expense to bring it about. He has taken a leading part in the afifairs of the community and has wit- nessed with pleasure the splendid growth of the country in the past twenty years. Mr. Harvey is a progressive citizen and has the respect of his associates and friends. EVERETTE L. DAUMGARDNER. Everette L. Baumgardner. one of the promi- nent business men of Perkins county, is engaged in the real estate business with offices in Grant, and is well-known throughout the county as a man of exceptional ability and straightforward principles. Mr. Baumgardncr was born in Page county. Iowa, in 1871. He first opened his eyes in an humble log cabin on a farm. His father was an early settler in Iowa, and later a pir)ncer in Perkins coimty, homcstcading here in 1886. Our subject lived at liomc mitil he was twenty-two years of age, helping him develop a good farm and build up a good home, going through all the pioneer exi)eriences familiar to the old residents of western Nebraska, wlien there were no wells and people were obliged to haul water many miles, and he well remembers when he had to drive thirty-two miles for drinking water. Dur- ing those years Mr. Baumgardner built twenty- two sod houses in the county for settlers who came in. In 1887 he began railroad construction work, helping build the C. B. & Q. Railway through Perkins county, and was overseer of a gang of men for a few miles of the work. In 1893 he started farming on his own account, for a few years living in the Sandy Valley, southeast of the town of Grant, and there was engaged in farming and ranching, raising principally hogs and cattle. He continued on that ranch up to 1898, then worked as a live stock shipper, buying and selling hogs and cattle. Later was employed as a shipping clerk at Marshalltown, Iowa, and for two years travelled on the road as a salesman. He next entered the ministry and followed that for some time, becoming a successful preacher and evangelist, but finally throat trouble com- pelled him to give up this work. After this he traveled all through the states west of the Mis- sissippi river except Texas, and saw every phase of life and the different countries, but found no region where the opportunities were better or in- ducements greater to the poor man or small in- vestor than this part of Nebraska. There is no better climate anywhere considering all things, and they here also have the best water on earth, getting the proper rainfall during the crop-grow- ing seasons, and he further states: "That there is ho country where a man can grow a horse suc- cessfully without feeding a kernel of grain, ex- cepting Nebraska, which is done here, and horses weighing one thousand five hundred to one thousand eight hundred pounds matured in this way are plentiftd throughout the state." Mr. Baumgardner is of the opinion that the day is not far distant when this region will be eagerly sought after as a health resort by the wealthy, as it has the finest summer climate to be found on account of the cool nights in summer, and mild winter weather, making this part of Ne- braska a very enjoyable region. In the fall of 1893 Mr. Baumgardner was married to IMiss Ethel Clark, daughter of John W. Clark, a prominent pioneer of this region. One child was born to them, Nellie May, now thirteen }ears of age. The family have a very pleasant home, and enjoy a host of friends. Mr. Baumgardner well remembers the last herd of buft'alo that was seen in this part of the country, and witnessed their extermination. He has been largely instrumental in the development of this part of the country and in its financial and agricultural progress. He is a self-made man in every sense of the word, becoming thoroughlv well read and a fluent conversationalist by his own efforts, as he received only a very scanty .schooling when a lad, and is now known as one of the leading men of his county, enjoying the esteem and confidence of his fellowmen and asso- ciates. :OMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 217 CLIFTON F. STOCKWELL. The above named gentleman is well known to the residents of Rock county, Nebraska, as the genial and popular postmaster at Bassett, Mr. Stockwell was first appointed to this po- sition in June, 1894, served for one term, and was again appointed on January 3, 1905, taking charge the 7th of February of that year. He is one o*^ the leading public men of the county, and a citizen of true worth, highly esteemed by all with whom he comes in contact. Mr. Stockwell is a native of Vermont, born near Brattleboro, August 28, 1865. His fa- ther, Francis Stockwell, was a farmer and old settler in western Nebraska, coming here in 1879 with his wife, who was Miss Harriet E. Hale, and family of seven children, of whom our subject is the fourth. They settled three miles north of Long Pine, and there he grew to manhood, going through all the pioneer ex- periences with his parents and brothers and sisters. During the winter of 1880 and 1881 the father made five trips to distant railroad points for supplies, at times traveling over a hundred miles and return. Our subject was one of those who organized the first school here, and his sister taught the first term. At the age of eighteen years Mr. Stockwell be- gan the study of pharmacy in Long Pine and Valentine and in 1886 became a registered pharmacist, going into business at Bassett the following year. He later took up chemistry, 'nd is now a member of the American Chem- ical Society, serving two terms as vice-presi- dent of the Nebraska section of this society, in which he is considered an expert. His drug store in Bassett was the pioneer store of its kind here and he has continued to do a large business during the years he has been located here. In 1886, after leaving school, Mr. Stock- well was married to Miss Mina Tweed, daugh- ter of William Tweed, an old settler in this part of Nebraska. He is a member of the Methodist church and of the Ancient Order of United Workmen of Bassett. ERIC A. WIKLUND. Eric A. Wiklund is one of the self-made and prosperous pioneer farmers of Kimball county, Nebraska, where he settled in March, 1888. He is a native of Sweden, his birth occurring July 15, 1849. Coming to America in June, 1882, he sailed from Goettenberg to Hull, and thence by rail to Liverpool, where 15 he embarked on the "Alaska," and after a voyage of seven days landed in New York on the 27th. He_ first went to Osage City, Osage county, Kansas, but thinking to better himself, he turned back to Chicago, where he found work in a foundry and later was similarly employed in Batavia and Aurora, remaining in the state of Illinois until March, 1884, when he came to Nebraska. He took a homestead in Octo- ber, 1887, and bought a relinquishment on a. tree claim a year later on the south half of section 4, township 16, range 53, which is now the home farm. He has a splendid home and a well equipped and up-to-date farm. He runs a bunch of cattle and horses. All the build- ings on the place are of his own construction. He has a blacksmith and wagon shop, and builds his own conveyances. A buggy of his construction has not needed a resetting of the tires in twenty-three years. December 19, 1875, occurred the marriage of Eric A. Wik- lund to Miss Anna Elizabeth Kling, a native of Sweden, who came to America a year after her husband, and by a coincidence on the same vessel, the "Alaska." Their parents are all dead. Mr. Wiklund is a stanch Repub- lican and votes with his party. He is active in local aflfairs and is a public-spirited citizen. He was reared in the Swedish Lutheran church. ROBERT F. GILLASPIE, Deceased. The gentleman whose name heads this per- sonal history was probably one of the best known and best loved of the residents of Cherry county, Nebraska. He had resided in this region since 1883, and was one of the first settlers here, watching the growth and aiding in the development of the commercial industries of his community from its earliest beginning. He was familiarly known all over this part of the country as "Arkansas Bob," and was admired and respected by every one who knew him for his sterling qualities of heart and mind. His death occurred at his home in Gillaspie precinct, June 19, 1906, and his cortege was probably one of the largest ever assembled in this part of Cherry county. If any man in the county was without an enemy it was "Arkansas Bob." His disposition was most affectionate, also his love for children and the tenderness for his wife and mother. Even in his affliction of total blindness his cheer- fulness did not desert him and during his stay in the hospital he kept them laughing all the time with his jokes. 2l8 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Mr. Gillaspie was born in Clark county, Arkansas, October 11, 1861. His father. Wil- liam Gillaspie. was of Scotch stock, and a farmer by occupation. He died when our sub- ject was a lad of eight years old. There were five boys in the family and he was the second in number, being brought up to all sorts of farm work and early became accustomed to the life of a farmer. When he reached the age of twenty-two he came to Cherry county, trailing a herd' of stock all the way from Arkansas, and being six months on the. way. He afterward worked as a cowboy here on the^ Metzler ranch for several years, as well as in New Mex- ico, Texas and Wyoming, and had the reputa- tion of being the best stockman in the coun- try. He served for a time as foreman on the Arkansas ranch, the brand of which he later purchased, and in 1887 he started in business for himself, taking what is called the T. O. ranch located at Chesterfield. He filed on a tree claim and homestead in Gillaspie precinct, w-hich w-as named after him, and was success- ful in this venture from the start, building up a fine ranch of from fourteen to fifteen quar- ter sections of land, all well stocked. In 1900 Mr. Gillaspie was married to Mrs. Leila S. Gillaspie, a widow of his brother, a native of Arkansas, being born in Clark county. She was the daughter of C. R. Stone and Eliz- abeth (McMinnas) Stone. There were three sons and five daughters in the Stone family, but she was the only daughter who ever came west to live. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gillaspie. named as follows: Alice Marie and Roberto Fern. Mrs. Gillaspie was married again Septem- ber 16, 1907, to Mr. Joseph Jennette. an as- sociate of her former husband, and they are living on the V Z ranch, which is leased for a number of years, and here each is running herds of cattle and horses which are increas- ing very rapidly from year to year. A view of the residence and surroundings is showp on another page of this work. DR. FREDERICK NASH DICK (DeCE.'VSED.) The gentleman named here was a promi- nent physician of North Platte, born at Green- borough, North Carolina, in 1844. Mr. Dick was in the southern army, enlisting at the age of fifteen years, and served all through the war. in 1863 being taken prisoner at Johnson Island. He served in a North Carolina regi- ment under Colonel Bingham and a brave and gallant soldier. Dr. Dick located in North Platte in 1868. He was a graduate of the Medical College at Baltimore, ^laryland, and was the first doctor to locate in North Platte, practicing here up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1896, at the age of fifty-three 3'ears. He was appointed surgeon for the Union Pacific Rail- way in 1870 for the division from North Platte to Ogden, Utah, and east to Omaha. This terri- tory was afterwards cut down, and he ran from Cheyenne to Omaha. He held this post during his lifetime, and also was county physician for two years, and coroner for several years. Dr. Dick's father, John AlcClintock Dick, was judge of the supreme court of the state of North Carolina for many years, and his brother, Robert P. Dick, also held that hon- orable position. One brother, James Dick, was an attorney, and two others, William and Jonathan, were physicians. Dr. Dick was married. May 2, 1871, to Miss Ella A. Webb, of Auburn, New York, daugh- ter of Z. L. Webb and Polly Maria (Hoffman) Webb, both of pioneer families in New York state. ]\Irs. Dick and Airs. Peniston, whose husband's sketch appears in this volume, are sisters. Dr. and Mrs. Dick were the parents of five children, who are named as follows: Parthenia N., wife of Albert Shaw, a ranch- man of North Platte; John L.. engineer on the Union Pacific Railway, residing in North Platte ; Leslie E. Dick, night express agent of the W'estern Pacific company here ; Anna R., at home, and Robert P., still attending school. Dr. Dick's memory is held in great reverence by all who knew him. He filled an honorable position as a citizen and physician who was a thorough master of his professian. Mrs. Dick came here and went through a regular pioneer life as the young bride of her husband, and is highly esteemed by all. Dr. Dick was the owner of an extensive ranch located near this tow^n, and also was the first man to start a drug store in North Platte. He took an ac- tive interest in politics, was a strong Demo- crat, and elected as county commissioner in 1874, serving for two terms. He was also a member of the school board, and a devout Episcopalian. J. J. KLEIN. The gentleman whose name heads this per- sona! history resides in Center township. Buf- falo county, and is owner of the White Bridge Pajk Farm. locaterogressive farming. Mr. Hummel finds it profitable to feed from two to three cars of cattle every winter, and considers no place bet- ter fitted for feeding cattle for the spring market, starling them in October and giving them a five or six months' feed. Mr. Hummel was married in 1889 to Miss .\nnah Clark, of Humboldt, Nebraska, daugh- ter of George W. Clark. Mr. and Mrs. Hum- mel have one son. H. L. Hummel. Jr.. and a daughter. Mabclle .\niia. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY JACOB H. JACOBSON. Jacob H. Jacobson, for the past twenty years a prominent representative of the ranch- ing community of Box Butte and Cherry coun- ties, Nebraska, has a pleasant home in section 20, township 29, range Z7 . He is one of the worthy citizens of that region, and his suc- cess and good name are well merited. Mr. Jacobson was born in Moedom, Nor- way, in 1855, where he grew to the age of five years, then with his parents came to America, the family settling in Houston coun- ty, Minnesota, on a farm, and were among the pioneers of that part of the state, the fa- ther's death occurring there in the fall of 1871, and the mother died in that state March 25, 1907. Our subject grew to manhood in Min- nesota, following farming all the time, after the death of his father assuming entire charge of the home farm, carrying it on for two years, when he left the state, taking with him a yoke of oxen, covered wagon and personal effects, and drove through to Madison county, Ne- braska, where he settled on a farm. There he went through many discouragements, witness- ing grasshopper raids and suffered severely- from crop losses, but stuck to the place for eighteen years, and succeeded in building up a good farm and home. From there Mr. Ja- cobson went to Box Butte county, where he picked out a location southeast of Hemingford, landing there in 1886, having driven through from Newman's Grove, a distance of two hundred and fifty miles. After working hard to put in crops the first season on his new farm, our subject was dried out, losing even the seed he had planted, and being convinced that he was unable to make a living on that farm he decided to try another location, so came to Cherry county in the fall of 1890, picking out a location on Gor- don creek, where he started in the cattle busi- ness, beginning on a small scale and gradually increasing his herd, and has a fine ranch with plenty of pasture and range land for his stock, the place consisting of eighteen quarter sec- tions deeded, besides a good deal of leased land. He sold out his Box Butte ranch about six or seven years ago, after being here in Cherry county some time. He claims he sold out a little too soon, as land advanced rapidly since his selling out in Box Butte county. 'Sir. Jacobson was married in 1883 to Miss Kristiane Stensrud, who was born in Norway and came to America in 1880. Mr. Jacobson's brother Charles married a sister of our sub- ject's wife, Josephine Stensrud, and the two families are closely associated in the ranching business. The brothers have been in partner- ship ever since locating in Box Butte county, and together they have built up a splendid property, being counted among the leading ranchmen of the county, who take an active part in the affairs of their community and are highly esteemed by all who know them. In politics they are Republicans. AUGUST HELMBOLD. August Helmbold. a leading old settler in Nebraska, resides in a pleasant and comfort- able home in Rushville, and is well known and highly esteemed in the community in which he lives. Sir. Helmbold is a native of Germany, born in 1853 on a farm in Saxony. His father, Henry Helmbold. died in his native land about 1878.' Our subject grew up in his native country, starting to learn the butcher's trade at the age of fourteen years, and continued at this work up to the time he left Germany, which was in 1881. He crossed the sea and landed in New York with his wife, whom he had married in the fatherland in 1879. They had one child, a boy, Edward, and in 1902 Mr. Helmbold had the sad misfortune in the death of his wife, who had been a true helpmeet in his labors in the new world, assisting him in building up a honae and sharing all his fail- ures and successes here. After landing in this country Mr. Helmbold came to Ida Grove, Iowa, residing at that place up to 1885, work- ing at the butcher's trade, then came on to Rushville in July of that year, where he opened the first meat market in that place. Here he took up a homestead and proved up on it, op- erating this farm in connection with his other business and being very successful from the start. Sir. Helmbold has conducted his meat mar- ket here for over twenty-two years, and has with him his son Edward, who is interested in the business also. He had practically no capital when he started here in 1885, and has gained all he has through his own efforts, de- voting his untiring energy to the building up of his trade and always running a first-class market. He also owns a farm of three hun- dred and twenty acres, on which he runs one hundred and twenty-five head of cattle and fifteen horses. He owns his house and lot in town, besides the building in which he has his meat market. Sir. Helmbold was married the second time in 1903 to Mrs. Emilia Milbrandt, who was COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY a widow with two children, both girls, named Mary and Bertha. In political faith Mr. Helmbold is a stanch Republican and takes a commendable interest in all local alt'airs. PETE RASMUSSEX. Pete Rasmussen. one of the patriotic and public-spirited citizens of Sioux county. Ne- braska, is a strikingr and impressive representa- tive of his section of the country. He is well known to all as an old settler and influential man, held in the highest esteem hv his fel- low-men. Mr. Rasmussen was born in Denmark in ISfiO on a farm. His father. Rasmus Jensen. a weaver by trade, lived and died in his native country, and our subject was raised and edu- cated there, learning the tailor's trade as a young man. and also assisting his father in carrving on the farm work. In lcS81 he came to America, and after landing in New York City came directly west to Dakota City. Ne- braska, remaining there for three years. In 1I^R5 he came to Dawes county, driving from Dakota City with a team and wagon, spend- ing the nights camped out along the road, the journey taking a whole month. He was ac- companied by his brother Nels. and after ar- riving at their destination took up a home- stead twelve miles from Crjiwford. where they built a log house and "batched it" for two years. They began breaking up the land, part of our subject's time being spent in eastern Nebraska. They lived on the homestead for two years, going through the usual pioneer experiences in handling ox teams, freighting, etc. Mr. Rasmussen also took up a pre-emp- tion in Dawes county and lived there for about eleven years, building up a comfortable home and farm, then was overtaken by the drouths and meeting with much loss and discourage- mi-nt decided to leave, and taking his fourteen head of cattle he rented a farm in the county on which he remained for one season. He had made but little money on his place, and was obliged to make a fresh start, so he took charge of the head gate of the Crawford Irri- gation Canal and held that position for four years, at the same time running a sriiall bunch of cattle. In 1900 he purchased his present farm in section 1. township 31, range 5.^. Sioux county, also took up a homestead adjoining this land and began in the stock raising busi- ness quite extensively, in partnership with J- E. Porter, of Crawford. Here he runs over four hundred head of cattle and carries on mi.xed farming on sixty acres of highly culti- vated land. He has a fine patch of forty acres of alfalfa, and has added many improvements on his farm, and it is one of the valuable prop- erties in the region. He located on a line of the Dead Man's Telephone Company, and gets connection with Crawford, Harrison and Chad- ron right from his house. His residence is on Dead Alan's creek. In 1887 Air. Rasmussen was united in mar- riage to Miss Anna Madsen, a native of Den- mark, who came to this country when a girl, settling in Dawes county, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Rasmussen are the parents of seven chil- dren, who are named as follows: Christina, Hans. Alinnie, Clara, Anna, Martha and Grace. The family are popular in their community, and are true and worthy citizens, enjoying a peaceful and happy home surrounded by a host of warm friends and kind neighbors. JOHN BREXNAN. The gentleman herein named is one of the largest ranchmen of western Nebraska, hav- ing his home in Alliance, his extensive ranch being in Deuel county. He is a leading old settler of western Nebraska, and has been in this part of the state since the early days, watching the region grow from its beginning to be the prosperous country it is today, and has been largely instrumental in its develop- ment and growth. Mr. Brennan was born at Stratford, Onta- rio, in 1860. His father. Martin Brennan. was born in Ireland, and married Mary Fitzgerald, also a native of Ireland, they coming to Amer- ica when quite young with their parents, and were married in Canada. The father was a lumberman, and when our subject was five years of age the family came to Michigan and located in the lumber district, where he was raised and educated, working in the woods in winter as soon as he was old enough, being employed on the log drives in the spring. For a time he was under sheriff of Bay county, Michigan, this office being the same as deputy sherifl-' in Nebraska. In 1887 he came to Ne- braska, driving from Haj' Springs to Box Butte county by stage, then to Nonpariel, where he took up a pre-emption and proved up on it. In the spring of the following j'ear he came to Alliance and here established a cat- tle ranch in the sand hills southeast of the town about thirty-five miles, in Deuel county, Nebraska. His first buildings were of sod, and he put in nearly all of his time on that COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 223 place up to 1904 and still operates it as a cat- tle ranch. There are three thousand acres of land in the place, of which two thousand is deeded, and he runs fifteen hundred head of cattle. This is one of the most valuable es- tates in the county, and through his good man- agement and business judgment it has become one of the best equipped ranches in the entire region. In 1903 our subject was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Ready, whose parents lived near Detroit, Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Bren- nan have one child, Margaret. Mr. Brennan has been numbered among the prominent 'citizens of his community -since locating here. He has seen the country grow from almost a vast wilderness to the prosper- ity it now enjoys, and has aided materially in that growth and development, also taking part in the organization of the county, and witnessed the fights which took place during the time the county seat was located. F. AI. KIMMELL. Among the very well known and highly re- spected citizens of the city of McCook, Ne- braska, a prominent place is accorded the sub- ject of this review, F. M. Kimmell. He is an old settler in this section of the state, and is familiar with the growth and development of the locality, and gives his best aid in the up- building of its commercial and educational in- terests. Mr. Kimmell is a native of the state of Pennsylvania, born and raised in Somerset, Somerset county, and after receiving a good education he entered upon newspaper work, obtaining employment with a local paper, and has followed that profession almost continu- ously since engaging in it in his young man- hood. At the age of nineteen he started -out for himself, and came west in 1881. locating in Columbus, Nebraska, and at once associ- ated himself with one of the leading newspa- pers in that city. He also was appointed dep- tity city clerk, which position he held for a year, and was an efficient and popular official. The Tribune, a leading newspaper of western Nebraska, was established in 1882. and the fol- lowing year Mr. Kimmell purchased this pa- per and took entire charge of the business, set- tling in McCook. where he has since resided. The Tribune is a weekly paper, devoted to the cause of Republicanism, and has a wide cir- culation all through Red.willow and adjoining counties. The plant has a splendid job depart- ment, and is an authentic and interesting news medium. It has always stood stanch advocate of the interests, development and betterment of this locality, and Mr. Kimmell as its ed- itor and manager has the confidence and es-" teem of the entire community. In 1898 he was appointed postmaster of McCook, and at the expiration of that term was again appointed, and after serving two years of his third term Mr. Kimmell resigned to devote himself en- tirely to the newspaper business. The city has grown so rapidly during the past few years that the ofifice has been raised to a second-class one, handling a large amount of business. In 1888 Mr. Kimmell was married to Mabel M.^ ?ileserve. This union has been blessed with one child, a son. Air. Kimmell has the distinction of having been elected the first city clerk of McCook, and served from 1883 to 1885, proving a very capable public official, and since then has held different local offices. He is a prominent mem- ber of the Masonic lodge at JMcCook, and is an earnest worker in the Congregational church here. DANIEL PRATT. Prominent among the enterprising and pro- gressive citizens of Brown county, Nebraska, and among the number who have been asso- ciated with the very early history of this part of the state, their connection with it running back to frontier times and days, is Daniel Pratt, of Ainsworth. While not old in years, and still in the m'aturity of his manly powers, he has seen Brown county as a dry and thinly settled wilderness, and has witnessed the pro- gressive steps of its conversion into the pros- perous community now the delight of the west. Daniel Pratt was born in Cook county. Illinois, not far from Chicago, October 7, 1857,, where his boyhood and earlier youth were passed. He was given such educational op- portunities as the means of his parents af- forded. His father, John B. Pratt, a native of New York, was a farmer, who, in 1884, removed to Nebraska. The mother, Ellen O'Connell, was of Irish parentage. The sub- ject of this narration was the second member of a family of seven children born to their union. Daniel Pratt spent part of his youth in Lee county, Iowa, and in early manhood ac- companied his father on his removal to Ne- braska. Here he remained at home and worked for his father until his death, which occurred in 1886; after that the subject of this writing followed farming for a couple of years. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY He then established a business in ice, doing in connection a dray and teaming business, in which he has been very successful. In No- vember, 1907, he disposed of his draying in- terests, retaining- only the ice business, in which he continues. He owns a neat and pleasant home in Ainsworth, also barns and ample accommodation for all his hauling out- fit. He is now enjoying a competence which he has acquired by honest and hard work, and which all who know him are g' \d to see in his possession. Mr. Pratt was married July 9, 1896. when Miss Emma Meyers became his wife. She was born in Danville. Illinois, and comes of Irish and German stock. They have four children : Ray, Joseph, Clara Berdetta and Joseph Fran- cis. Mr. Pratt votes the Democratic ticket and affiliates with the Masonic, the Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of United Workmen of Ainsworth. WILLIAM TURNER One of the leading men in Blaine county afifairs is the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this sketch. He operates a very large ranch and is one of the most substantial farmers of the territory. He has always been prominent in politics and has held the office of county judge for the past nine years and in all matters pertaining to social and econom- ical welfare of his community he has exhibited rare qualities of wisdom and judgment. William Turner is of English nativity, his birth occurring in Gloucesfershire, England, March 1.'?. 1859. His parents. Samuel and Emily fGibbons) Turner, were English people. When our subject was eight years of age the whole family came to America and set- tled on a farm in Dane county, Wisconsin, where they lived for three years, and then moved to Mitchell county, Iowa, where they were among the early settlers. Here our sub- ject remained for about nineteen years, re- ceiving his quota of hard work, as most farm- ers do. and when he was twenty years old started out for himself. In March, 1879. Mr. Turner was married to Miss Lucy Pike, daughter of Edwin and Diana Pike, natives of England and farmers by oc- cupation. Mr. and Mrs. Turner have been the parents of eleven children : William, Joe, Scott. Ester, Mark. Emily, Ruby, Pike, Fred, John and Harry. In the fall after his marriage our subject came west to Blaine county. Nebraska, and located nine miles northeast of Dunning. His first crop was destroyed by drouth and hail ruined things in 1891, and our subject had a hard time to support his family, but pluck and endurance won at last, although it was several years before better days dawned. In 1891 he located on the North Loup river, where he engaged in farming and stock raising for sixteen years. He has had many hard experi- ences. Once during a terrible windstorm his windmill was blown down, his wagons injured and the roof of his house was lifted, but was fortunately not blown off. Our subject has a splendid ranch of twelve hundred and eighty acres and operates altogether about four sections of land. He has been successful beyond all his early hopes and he is now enjoying the fruits of many long days of hard and painstaking la- bor. In politics Mr. Turner affiliates with the Democratic party. He helped establish his school district and has been school director for si.xteen vears. PERRY S. MAILEY. Perry S. Mailey. well and favorably known as a prosperous and successful young farmer of township 24. range SO, in Box Butte county, has met with decided success in his chosen ca- reer as an agriculturist, and is the proprietor of a pleasant home and a well improved farm. A portrait of Mr. Mailey appears on another page. Mr. Mailey was born in Nevada, Missouri, on a farm, in 1874. His father was a native of New York state who came west and settled in M^issouri, where he went through pioneer experiences, and the father and mother died in Trenton, Mis.souri, when our subject was an infant. Perry S. was thus left without a home in a land where all were strangers, so was adopted and taken to raise by John H. Mailey, who is well known as an old settler in Ne- braska, locating in the eastern part of the state in 1884 and living as a pioneer near Broken Bow. He improved quite a large tract of land in that vicinity, and in 1887 came with his family to Box Butte county. Mr. J. H. Mailey and Perry drove to this region by team with wagon containing their household goods, etc.. the trip taking two weeks, and while on the journey spent the nights camped out on the ground. After arriving here they settled on a farm about twelve miles west of where Alliance now stands, although at that time there was no thought of a town on that spot. Mr. Mailey began to improve his place, putting up a rough building as a dwelling, and PERRY S. MAILEY. CO^IPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY both father and son helped construct the Bur- lington Railroad through that section. They worked faithfully and managed to get along in pretty good shape, although they were obliged to content themselves with the usual disappointments in the way of failure of crops, etc., and as our subject grew up he gradually assumed the entire management of the home farm, and was very successful during later years. During this time he had also filed on a homestead and proved up, so is at this time the owner of a fine ranch of six hundred and forty acres, all fenced and with good buildings, wells, plenty of trees and good water, etc. Mr. Mailey is engaged principally in stock raising, but does a little farming. His place is kept up in fine shape, and he is considered one of the well-to-do men of his locality, a thor- oughly up-to-date agriculturist, and gives his whole time and attention to operating his farm. ORVIL KIDWELL. Orvil Kidwell. a prosperous and much re- spected citizen of the vicinity of Hemingford, in Box Butte county, Nebraska, much de- serves the abundant success that has come to him as a reward of industry, economy and thrift. Mr. Kidwell resides on the southeast quarter of section 18, township 27. range 49, about a half mile south of Hemingford, where he has built a fine house and barn and made other improvements. Mr. Kidwell was born in Plymouth, Mar- shall county, Indiana, November 15, 1849. His father was a wagon maker, who died in 1873, and his mother was, prior to her marriage, Charlotte Belangee, she continuing to live in Indiana after her husband's death, where she reared her family. Our subject worked on the home farm up to the time he was twenty-one years old, receiving a common school educa- tion, and only a limited one at that, as he was obliged to help support the family and could only attend school for a few months in each year. He began working hard when he was but twelve years old, and learned to do all sorts of hard work, assisting at home and also working out by the day and month in the vicinity of their home. In 1871 he went to Berrien county, Mich- igan, and was married there three years later, to Miss Mary Ann Hawkins, of English ex- traction, born at St. Johns, New Brunswick. They have no children. Mr. Kidwell farmed in Michigan up to 1885, then came to Nebraska and filed on a homestead and tree claim in Box Butte coun- ty, locating in section 1, township 26, range 50. Here he put up sod buildings, hauling the lumber for them fifty miles, over the roughest roads, from Camp Clark, from which point he did the first teaming. He lived on that farm for about thirteen years, then was overtaken by the drouth periods, losing his entire crops, and from 1890 to about 1895 was unable to do more than make a living for himself and fam- ily, so gave up the struggle, left his farm and moved to another location. This was in 1896, and here he did well. His farm consists of one thousand one hurxired and twenty acres, and he erected good buildings and put every- thing in first class shape. He farms about one hundred and eighty acres, keeping the balance for hay and pasture land. Mr. Kid- well only owns four hundred and eighty acres now, having sold six hundred and forty acres from his tracts of land. When he first struck this locality he freighted from Valen- tine, and during those days everything was very high in the way of provisions and feed, corn selling up as high as five cents a pound, and as his crop which he had planted the first season was entirely destroyed, he was unable to get a pound to sell. Mr. Kidwell is one of the influential men of his locality and has always done his share in building up the region, helping to establish schools, etc., and at different times has held local office. He is a firm believer in the prin- ciples of the Republican party. ERNEST G. GRAY. Among the younger members of the farm- ing and ranching community of township 23, range 28, Thomas county, the gentleman whose name heads this article occupies a prominent place. He is a voung man of industrious habits, who has exercised good judgment in the opera- tion of his estate and has been well repaid for his labors in the possession of a valuable estate and pleasant home in section 11. Ernest G. Gray was born in the eastern part of Canada in 1874. His father, George Gray, was also a native of that country, and a well- known farmer and ranchman, who came with his family to the United States when Ernest was a boy of seven years, settling in Dawson county, Nebraska, where they went through pioneer ex- periences in building up a home. The father filed on a homestead, and there our subject was reared, attending the common schools and assist- ing his father in carrying on the farm, living there up to 1890, when they came to Thomas 226 COMPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY county and started a farm. Ernest started for himself, taking up sjovernment land, on which he lived until 1904, then sold the old homestead and moved to his present location, which is situ- ated a short distance east of Thedford. Here he has a ranch of many acres, which is all dee'^ed land, and he leases six hundred and forty acres of school land, engaging almost exclusively in , cattle raising. He has the entire ranch fenced, and has good buildings and improvements of every kind for operating a model ranch. In 1907 Mr. Gray married Miss Elsie Ernst, whose parents are old settlers in Nebraska, now residing in Cherry couifty. Mr. and Mrs. Gray have one baby girl, Rosie, now three and a half months old. Mr. Gray is active in local affairs, and is a public-spirited citizen. He has been assessor of his township for two terms. LARS C. CHRISTENSEN. To the pioneers of a country is due most of the credit for the prosperity enjoyed there in after years, .\mong those who went to western Nebraska and have remained to enjoy prosper- ity, a prominent place is accorded the gentleman here named. He braved the hardships of pioneer life and, despite losses and discouragements, worked steadily and earnestly, and is now one of the substantial citizens of Kimball countv. Ne- braska, where he has a valuable farm. He has not only witnessed the growth of the agricultural resources of that region, but has been a potent factor in bringing about the same, and well merits his success and high standing. Lars C. Christensen. whose portrait ajipears on another pag,e. was born in Denmark, .\prir 16. 1864, and lived there until he was fifteen years of age. The whole family came to .Xmer- ica at that time, settling in Douglas county, Ne- braska. There were three girls and himself, and they all went to work with a will to build up a home in the new country. The father homestead- ed in Holt county. Nebraska, and eventuallv proved up on a tract of land, whicli they con- verted into a comfortable home and improved a rood farm. The father died in Holt countv in 1891, and our subject's mother is now residing in Fremont, Neb., with a daughter, while one daughter is married and lives at Loup City, Ne- braska. Mr. Christensen settled in Kimball countv in 1889. taking a homestead in section 10, township 16, range 34, proved up on the hnd, and has since added to his original farm until he now owns one and a lialf sections of sjilendid land. He has it all improved in good shape, cultivat- ing about one hundred and fifty acres, and is en- gaged quite extensively in the stock business, running one hundred head of cattle and other stock. He has good buildings of all kinds, and every improvement for the proper operation of his ranch. Mr. Christensen is unmarried. He is a Republican, has held school offices, and has also served as road overseer for some time. A. \V. FLEMING. A. W. Fleming, born in Cook county, Illinois, came to Phelps county, Nebraska, in 1892, purchasing the southeast quarter section 28. and resided on it and farmed from that time up to 1904, when he rented out his land but still occu- pies his pleasant home with his family, consist- ing of himself, wife and two daughters. He is a son of A. \\'. and Margaret (Scott) Fleming. His father was an active and leading citizen of his community, and strong anti-slavery advocate, dying when still a young man. The widowed mother, imbued with the beliefs of her husband, was an ardent worker during the late war in support of the soldiers and devoted her time to relieving their pressing wants in the way of clothing and supplies, and in this she was assist- er by our subject, then a mere lad. Both parents of our subject were born in Scotland and came to America when young people. At the age of twenty-one years Mr. Fleming left his home, then in Bureau county, Illiliois, and settled in Champaign county, w^here he bought a 160-acre farm and operated it success- fully up to 1892, then sold it out and came to Nebraska. Since coming here he has built up a fine property, and is perfectly satisfied with con- ditions. He greatly prefers the clear, bracing and healthful climate of Nebraska with its abundance of pure water from deep wells, and as he has just returned from a visit to Illinois where he has spent three weeks of the month of .August, states that he could scarcely breathe there owing to the oppressive heat. Illinois land is now selling all the way from S175 to $200 per acre, and the land here at S60 and S80 jier acre is just as pro- ductive and much easier worked. althou.gh in his oninion, our farmers need give heed to better tilling of the soil and consequent farming of less acres than has been the rule. In Illinois there is practically no wheat grown, while here wheat. corn and oats as well as alfalfa can be success- fully grown, which luakcs Nebraska a veritable "promised land." Mr. Fleming is married: his wife was in maidenhood Miss Louisa House, daughter of .■\bsali~)m House. Mr. and Mrs. LARS C. CHRISTENSEN. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY I'ZJ Fleming are the parents of two daughters. Ida and Maggie, both pupils of the Holdrege High School. The family are members of the M. E. church of Holdrege, of which Mr. Fleming was a trustee for a long time. Mr. Fleming is an active Republican, and has been a delegate to state and county conventions at different times. He is a man of wide experi- ence, and takes an active interest in all local affairs. HARRY Y. DOWNING. Harry V. Downing, one, of the prosperous ranchers of township 29, range 37, owns a fine ranch of seventeen hundred acres on section 30. and adjoining section, and is a progressive and industrious member of his community. 2\Ir. Downing was born in Jones county, Iowa, in 1868. Henry A. Downing, the father of our subject, was an old settler in Cherry county, Nebraska, and a prominent veteran of the civil war, passing through the state of Nebraska and other western states with the United Staes troops during the early days on Indian campaigns, and was one of the leading old-timers of the region. He passed many years in Iowa, where Harry was reared and educated, and when he was a lad of twelve the family came to Butler county. Ne- braska, where the father homesteaded and proved up on his claim, and after a short residence there returned to Iowa. In 1888 our subject come to Cherry county, traveling by way of a covered wagon from Iowa, spending six months on the trip, camping out along the way, their first loca- tion being twenty-two miles east of the town of Gordon. Mr. Downing first worked all over that country as a cowboy, and finally took a home- stead, "batching it" for several years, and proved up on the place, and established his first ranch. In 1894'Mr. Downing came to his present lo- cation, this ranch having been established in 1888. which was the property of Mrs. Jasen H. Cole, who was an old settler in the county, she owning part of the ranch in her own right. This has been improved in splendid shape by our sub- ject, all fenced, and a fine set of buildings which he has erected. He has bought other land from time to time and now the place contains about one thousand seven hundred in all. He culti- vates twenty acres only, using it almost exclu- sively as a stock ranch, and has met with splen- did success along these lines. At times since locating here Mr. Downing has suffered severe losses caused by blizzards, his greatest loss being in 1892, when property and stock destroved amounted to 40 per cent. In May, 1908, Mr. Downing purchased the Gates & Ganow ranch, containing one thousand six hundred acres join- ing his present ranch on the southwest, one of the best hay ranches in the county, yielding about one thousand to one thousand one hundred tons each season. In 1897, Mr. Downing married Mrs. Sadie Cole, widow of Jasen H. Cole, whose maiden name was ^McCawley. By her first marriage she was the mother of two children : Jay and Ray Cole, now attending the high school at Hastings, Nebraska. Jay expects to graduate this session ; and of her second marriage two children have been born, George, now aged eight years, attend- ing school at Kings. Cherry county, Nebraska ; and Doris, aged three years. Mr. Downing is identified with the Republi- can party politically, and is one of the leading men in local aft'airs. T. B. MESSNER. The gentleman above named, living a retired life in Minden. Nebraska, is one of the oldest settlers in Nebraska, having come to Richardson countv in 1876 where he bought a farm for five dollars per acre, and after farming it for one vear sold it for one thousand four hundred dol- lars, an advance of over six hundred dollars over what he paid for it. He then bought an- other farm, for which he paid two thousand dol- lars, improved with house, and aft^r keeping this for four vears and adding some improvements, disposed of the place at a profit of four thousand dollars. He was most successful in every un- dertaking, and everything he touched seemed to turn to money. In 1883 he came to Hastings, where he purchased three hundred and twenty acres, paving for this land five thousand eight hundred dollars, and after holding it for a year sold it for eight thousand, then came to Kearney countv two years later and bought a farm of one thousand and eighty acres in May township which he used for a stock ranch. He also bought one hundred and sixtv acres at Hartwell. and made that his home for several years, engaged in the cattle feeding and shipping business, with Omaha as a market. He left there in 1893 and moved to Perkins county, then returned to Kear- nev in Februarv of that year and has since that time farmed in this locality. In 1901 he came to Minden and has resided in that town since that time. He owns a farm in Phelps countv, also one in Clay county and one hundred and sixtv acres which adjoins Clay Centre. Mr. Messner was born in Dauphin county, near Harrisburg. Pennsylvania, and is a son of • Tohn Messner. who came to Ogle countv, Illi- 228 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY nois, in 1847, from Dauphin county, Pennsyl- vania. Before coming to Nebraska Mr. Messner farmed in Henry county, Illinois, and states that a man can make inore money here than in that state, considering the amount invested. He raises fullv as good crops here and the yield is as large and prices obtained equally as good. While living in Illinois Mr. Messner enlisted in the 92d Illinois Infantry in 1862, and served up to May, 1865, participating in the battle of Cumberland and in all of the battles of that regi- ment until after the fall of Atlanta, and was discharged at St. Louis on account of sickness. He was at Chattanooga. Chickaniauga. Lookout Mountain, the Resaca raid around Atlanta, and many other famous battles, and during all that time was never wounded. In 1903 Mr. Messner was married to Mrs. P. J. Merrill, who came with her first husband, P. J. Merrill, from Bradford county, Pennsylvania, settling where Newark now stands in Kearney county, in 187S. Mr. ^lerrill was engaged in the grain business at that place. He was county commissioner about 1888 and Democratic candi- date for county clerk previous to 1883. He died in 1893 at the age of forty-two years, leaving a widow and four children, Lena, Reye. Scott and Mason. Her maiden name was Hattie Sinsa- baugh, all of her relatives residing in Pennsyl- vania, when she came west, and after coming to Nebraska she saw the first house ever erected in Minden, which was moved here from Lowell. Mr. and Mrs. Messner are members of the M. E. church and he is one of its trustees. He is also a member of the G. A. R. post at Minden. DAX. W. HUGHES. Dan. W. Hughes, one of the well-known citizens of Box Butte county, Nebraska, is a prosperous and well-to-do business man of Alli- ance, where he has lived for many years. Mr. Hughes was born in Youngstown. Ohio, in 1865. His father, James Hughes, was born in Wales, and followed the occupation of a miner and farmer. He married Lydia H. Jackson, of English descent, after settling in .\merica, and when our subject was seven years old, the family moved on a farm in Oliio, wJierc he was reared, and in liis boyjinod attended the same school that our late President William McKinley did wJien he was a boy. He later attended the Oliio .State L^niversity and received a good education. In 1886 he ca'me to Box Butte county, driving out from Hay Springs, and took up government land located two miles south of the site of .Alliance, and put up his first building, which was a sod shanty. Here he "batched it" and worked out, later taking up a homestead west of Broncho Lake, and proved up on it. He was in this part of the state for about eight years, then went back to Ohio where he worked his father's farm for four years, when the latter died, then returned to Nebraska. During the year 1898 he worked for his father-in-law, who was in the ice business at Alliance, and the following year he bought the business and has run it ever since, and has an extensive trade. For one year he was in the livery business here, also spent a short time clerk- ing in the postoffice, and one year railroading. He is a man of industrious habits and good busi- ness ability, and has been successful in his differ- ent enterprises, always giving his best efforts to whatever he has in hand, which is the secret of success in any line of work. In June, 1894, Mr. Hughes married Miss Mary Fenner, daughter of Rosell Fenner. one of the pioneers of Alliance, settling in the town in 1888. His famil}- came in on the first emigrant train that came here, and he took up government land which he afterwards proved up on. Mrs. Hughes' mother was Miss Merica E. Chritton, and the family were originally from Illinois. To Mr. and Mrs. Hughes one child was born, Estelle. Mr. Hughes is a Republican, takes an active interest in politics and for the past several years has served as a delegate to different conventions and on the central committtee. He is a member of the school board, and has the distinction of being the youngest man and oldest member of that board. Mr. and Mrs. Fenner, parents of Mrs. Dan. Hughes, have been married forty-two years and are still quite active at their present advanced age. ^Ir. Rosell Fenner served about four vears in the civil war. JACKSON IlILLETER. Jackson Billeter. long familiar to the people of -Ainsworth, Brown county, where his fortunes have been cast for many years, is a striking rep- resentative of those sturdy qualities and manly virtues that somehow peculiarly marked the pio- neer settlers of Nebraska. His career demon- strates the value of persistent and well directed effort and the competence which he has ac- acf|uircd stands for hard and faithful work. Mr. Billeter was born on a farm in Clay county, In- diana, April 25. 1851, and comes of a family in whose veins flow mingled English, Irish, Scotch and Welsh blood, and the combination in part may account for the vim and energy he is wont OLP iioMJ-: /Lixr// ox rk for about twelve years, working for dif- ferent cattle outfits, also spent some time in Nebraska, and was all along the Powder river in Montana. He came to Cherry county, Ne- braska, in 1896, at that time being connected with the Spade ranching outfit, working as a cowboy, and continued with that company for about three years, then took a claim under homestead rights, locating on the land in 1900, during the spring of that year. He at once started to develop a farm, putting up build- ings and breaking up land for crops, and worked faithfully until he proved up on his place. He began raising cattle and 'is now owner of a good herd, with plenty of good pasture and hay land. His ranch contains two thousand six hundred and forty acres alto- gether, and he uses it almost exclusively as a stock ranch, cultivating only about forty acres. 'Mr. Freeman runs about fifteen hun- dred head of cattle, seventy-five head of horses, has five windmills and five flowing wells, and puts up about fifteen hundred tons of hay each season. There are several fine lakes on the ranch and plent}- of wild ducks and geese are to be found on the lakes, making it fine for sport during the hunting season of the year. JAMES DOUGHERTY. Although a comparatively recent settler in Alliance, the gentleman whose name heads this personal history is one of the old-timers of Box Butte county, settling in the county in the spring of 1886. and is well and favorably known to the residents of this part of the country. Mr. Dougherty was born in Canada, near New London, in 1863. His father, Michael Dougherty, was born in Ireland and came to Canada when a lad, where he was raised, and the mother was also a native of Ireland. When our subject was eight years of age the family left Canada and came to Iowa, locating at Du- Inique, where they lived for five years. From there they went to northeastern JN'ebraska arfd then to Dakota county. When still a young boy James started out to make his own way in the world, locating in Box Butte county. He drove here from Hay Springs, camping out nights on the trip, and after coming here he ran a bunch of cattle on a ranch, owned now by R. M. Hampton. He took up a home- stead situated six miles west of Alliance and proved up on it, and was in the cattle busi- ness on a large scale for a number of years, and also worked as a cowboy for years through the western part of the state. To- gether with a brother he owns a ranch at Lake- side, which thev have leased for a term of five COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 237 years, and he has done exceedingly well in a financial way since settling in this region. In 1904 he moved to Alliance and has since made this his home, where he has bought good prop- erty in the western part of town, has built a fine brick house and made other improvements, He has been a prominent member of his com- munity, and taken an active part in local pub- lic affairs, serving as marshal for two years, and also was assessor for one term. He is a Democrat and a strong advocate of the princi- ples of that organization. Our subject's fa- ther is about seventy-five years of a%e, but stands erect and is as active as a boy. His mother is deceased. DE LAFAYETTE FANCHER. Mr. De Lafayette Fancher, an energetic young farmer of Ainsworth precinct, Brown county, Nebraska, was born October 11, 1874, at Floyd Corners, Oneida county, New York, a son of Edward Fancher, a man of promi- fience in that state. He was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war. After re- siding in Iowa and eastern Nebraska for a number of years he removed to Brown county, Nebraska, in 1880, making his home in Brown county, where he settled on a homestead in section 11, township 30, range 23, where he died four years later. The family came from eastern Nebraska in a covered wagon and were about six weeks on the way, enduring the usual discomforts of movers in the early days. Mr. De L. Fancher, the third of a family of seven children born to his parents, was a lad of six years when the family moved to Brown county and here he was reared and educated in the early schools of the day, living for a time in a log house. He has memories of the priv- ileges and privations that come to hearty, healthy youth on the frontiers. He remained under the parental roof until his marriage, though he spent some ten months in the Black Hills four years prior to this interesting event. Mr. Fancher and Miss Ada Dwyer were married in Ainsworth, December 30, 1900, and she has proved a most helpful and companion- able wife. She was born on the home farm near Glenwood, Mills county, Iowa, a daugh- ter of Chester L. and Leonora (Warren) Dwyer. The former was a native of Vermont, and a settler in Iowa at a very early day. In 1884 he located in Brown county, Nebraska, settling on a homestead under a soldier's claim. Mrs. Fancher remembers Brown countv before schools or churches were established, and largely received her education at the hands of her mother, who was a highly educated lady. She became a teacher, too, and was engaged in the work of public instruction for some nine years prior to her marriage. She also secured a homestead, upon which she has proved up, and now holds a clear title. It lies in section 4, township 29, range 25, of Cherry county. That she has been able to sustain herself as an applicant for this homestead and meet all the requirements that were thrown around its acquisition by the land office, argues much strength of character and great persistence. Air. and Mrs. Fancher are the parents of three children — Ruth, Violet and Eunice. Mr. and Mrs. Fancher made their location on the farm where they are found at the pres- ent time in 1900. It is in section 17 and was originally a tree claim, constituting a part of the family estate inherited from his father. In political views Mr. Fancher is a Democrat, is a member of the Methodist church and af- filiates with the Modern Woodmen of America of Ainsworth. SAMUEL J. HEDGES. Samuel J. Hedges, whose labors in Chey- enne county entitle him to a foremost place as one of the developers of the agricultural interests of the locality, resides on an elegant farm in township 15, range 50. He is a pio- neer of that region, his wife and himself com- ing into the county by ox team from Buffalo county with a covered wagon containing all their earthly possessions, leading two cows and having several pigs and a few chickens to start their new farm with. When they finally arrived at their new location all the money they possessed was thirty-five cents, and from this beginning he has carved out a considerable fortune, and is one of the pro- gressive and well-to-do farmers of the com- munity. • Mr. Hedges was born in Lansingburg, New York, nine miles north of the city of Albany, on December 28, 1853. He grew up there, his mother dying in 1866. His father was a sol- ' dier in the Civil war, and lived in New York state up to the time of his death, which oc- curred in 1893. When our subject was twenty- six years of age he came west, locating in Buf- falo county, Nebraska, later moved to Wash- ington county, where he farmed for three years, then returned to his first location, fol- lowing farming up to 1886, then came to Chey- enne county, filing on a homestead on section ^38 CO.MPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 24. township 15, range 50. He constantly im- proved his farm, adding good buildings, fences, and gradually got into the stock business on quite a large scale, and has done exceedingly well, owning at the present time half a sec- tion of good land, of which he cultivates two hundred and fifty acres and keeps fifty head of cattle. Mr. Hedges married on March 28. 1883. Mary E. Allen, a native of Pennsylvania, born in Erie county. Her mother is now living in Lincoln, Nebraska, while the father is dead. Four children have been born to our sub- ject and his estimable wife, named as fol- lows: Allen \V.. Edgar M., Lucy J. and Roy T. The first mentioned has a homestead on section 2, township 16. range 15, on which he resides, while the others live at home. Mr. Hedges is prominent in local affairs, also in all matters of importance pertaining to his countv and state, voting the Prohibition ticket. A. H. GERICKE. A. H. Gericke, a well-to-do farmer, ener- getic and industrious, a typical representative of the sturdy German race, who came to this country to establish a home and accumulate a competence for his old age, resides on his fine estate in section 6. township 22, range 15. Mr. Gericke is one of the old-timers of western Nebraska, settling in Cuming county in 1878, and since coming to this part of the country he has taken a leading part in every movement for the benefit of his community. He now lives in Burwell. having traded his farm in the spring of 1908 for a hardware and implement business. He is working up a fine trade in this place. Mr. Gericke was born in Germany in 1864. and grew up there, remaining with his par- ents until he was a boy of seventeen years of age, when he left his native country and struck out for himself, coming ta America Au- gust 31, 1878, and on landing in New York City came direct to Nebraska, as he had rela- tives who had settled in this state some years previously. He lived in Cuming county for quite a time after coming here. Ijut as this county was becoming so thickly settled and the land was getting very high, he decided to leave, and moved to Garfield county, purchas- ing one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 6. township 22. range 15. and has since added to his original possessions until he is proprietor of about four hundred acres, en- gaging principally in raising grain, growing corn, wheat, oats and rye. He keeps quite a number of stock, including cattle and hogs, with enough horses for his farming purposes. Here he has made considerable money, mak- ing a splendid success of his different enter- prises. After locating here he was able to obtain some very cheap land on account of some of the settlers here becoming discour- aged during the poor years and who left their homes to return to the east, and Mr. Gericke thinks that a man's chances here are as twenty to one as against those in that part of the L'nited* States. He has always been lucky about his crops, and has never had a total fail- ure since coming here. He has plenty of wa- ter for every purpose, having good, deep wells, fitted with hydraulic force pumps and supply tanks, as have most of the larger farmers in this section, and he has never been out of water since having his well put down. Mr. Gericke was married in 1889 to Au- gusta Moritz, also a native of Germany, who came to this country with her parents in 1878. To Mr. and Mrs. Gericke have been born nine childien. named as follows: Lewis. Lizzie. Henry. Rudolph. John. George. Dick. Sussie and Annie. The family are active members of the German Lutheran cliprch and well liked by all in their community. Mr. Gericke is numbered among the wealthy residents of his locality and is a prom- inent citizen. He has held the office of road overseer for several years. He is a Repub- lican in politics. FRANK NIEHUS. For the past twenty-five years the gentle- man above named has been prominently iden- tified with the farming interests of Keya Paha county. He resides on section 5, township 34, range 21. which he took as a pre-emption when he first settled here, and since that time has alwaj'S been found supporting public in- terests and lending his aid toward the devel- opment of the social and commercial life of his home community. He is one of the lead- ing men of his precinct and county and highly esteemed by all who know him. ^ Mr. Niehus was born on a farm near the town of Ehiishorn. Hoistein. Germany, July 20, 1860. His father, Clans Niehus, never came to .\nicrica except for a visit during the World's FaiY in 1893. spending three montlis here, then going back to his native country, where he died in lOQO. The mother never left Germany, where she still resides at the age ■ICAGIJO HOCK KAXCII.- lil Kcya I'alia OF FRANK MEHUS, braska. CO:\IPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 239 of seventy-seven. When our subject was six- teen years of age he started out to make his own way in the world, coming to America in 1876, saihng from Hamburg on the "Fresia," and after a voyage of eleven days he landed in New York on May 23. He came directly to Nebraska, joining his brother at Grand Island. For three years he traveled all over the west, working for the Oregon Short Line, then returned to this state, and in the spring of 1883 located on his present farm, at the same time taking a tree claim adjoining it. He first built a small shanty, where he "batched it" for a few months, then was married July 9, 1884. to Miss Katherine Graham, born in 1866. Her parents came to this country from Scotland when they were young, the mother crossing the ocean in a sailing vessel, the voy- age lasting six weeks and three days. They first located in Wisconsin, and came to Grand Island in 1865, where both her father and mother died a few years ago. After our sub- ject's marriage, he and his bride took a wed- ding trip from Grand Island to Springview, traveling in a covered wagon to their home, camping on the way. An unusual wedding trip, even in the west. When he settled on this place there was not a tree to be seen, but he planted a large number and now has five groves of forest trees, comprising forty acres, with an orchard of twenty-five apple and pear trees, besides other small fruits. Dur- ing the earlv days he herded cattle and worked on the railroad, saving his earnings, from which he has accumulated all his large estate of today. He owns eight thousand acres of land, with five hundred acres in cultivation, all lying about twelve miles northwest of Springview except a tract of seven hundred and sixty act ;s, with two hundred and fifty acres under the plow situated on the Niobrara river. He keeps about six hundred head of cattle and fifty horses, besides other stock. Twenty-five acres are seeded to alfalfa, which yields in abundance every season. There are three tenant houses on the ranch. At one time Mr. Niehus had a lumber yard and livery barn in Bassett, both of which he operated with success, but sold them to advantage. For some years he was engaged in buying and selling cattle, first in Bassett and then from Ainsworth, and has for, a year or two been operating four threshing machines with gaso- line engines. Mr. Niehus has a nice home in South Oma- ha, where the family resided that the children might have the advantages ofifered by the city schools. In 1907 he built a large, fourteen- room frame dwelling, fitted with running wa- ter, bath room and other conveniences, being the finest country residence in the county. A view of this elegant home and surroundings is presented on another page. Mr. Niehus had a family of seven children, five of whom are living and reside with their parents, named as follows: Pearl E., Marie Augusta, \'\'illiam F.. John and Frances G. In 1899 Mr. Niehus revisited his native land, crossing on the "Persia" and returning after three months' absence on the "Russia" in 1900. Mr. Niehus is a Democrat politically, al- though he cast his vote for Roosevelt at his last election. In 1908 he gave his support to Bryan, returning to his old allegiance. Mr. Niehus was reared in the Lutheran church. Fraternally he affiliates with the Masons, the Knights of Pythias, the Eagles and the An- cient Order of L'nited Workmen. HON. WILLIAM S. PENISTON, Deceased. The gentleman whose name heads this per- sonal history was born in 1834 at Yorkshire, England. He came to Nebraska in 1859, and bought a ranch opposite Willow Island, where he built a log house and store on the old Cal- ifornia trail and carried a general stock of supplies for overland travelers. In the year 1866 he moved his store and dwelling to Front street. North Platte, this being the first store in that place. On the opening of the Union Pacific Railway for one year this town was the terminus of the road. Soon after our sub- ject located here Jack Marron moved his store here also. Mr. Peniston's partner at this time was A. J. Miller, who now lives at Rawlins, Wyoming, where the former owned a store in the early days of that territory, which was managed by Barney McDonald. In an early day Mr. Peniston was appoint- ed United States commissioner and afterwards was representative in the territorial legisla- ture of Nebraska. He held the former office over thirty years ago and occupied the office up to the time of his death. He was elected county judge for several terms, and was also county treasurer for two terms. Held the of- fice of justice of the peace for several years and to the time of his demise. He was elected a member of the territorial legislature and served several terms. He took up the first homestead in this part of the country, and this was afterwards included in the town of North Platte. Peniston's addition to the town was made by him, and his homestead was included in the site. 240 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Mr. Peniston came from his native land (where he was born at Peniston, a place named after his father's family) with his parents, the family settling in Quebec, Canada. His fa- ther was Richard Peniston. Our subject re- ceived his education at Quebec in the higher branches, and later came to the United States. In 1865 at Auburn. New York, he married Miss Anna A. Webb, daughter of Z. L. Webb and Polly :\Iaria Hoffman Webb. The young cou- ple immediately struck out for the west. Mrs. Peniston and ilrs. Dr. Dick, now of North Platte, are sisters, and a sketch of Dr. Dick appears in this work. At one time when our subject and Air. Aliller were running their store they were driven away by the Indians, and again in North Platte the redskins went on the warpath and entered their place and shot up the lamps and created general con- fusion. Mr. Peniston's death occurred in October, 1906, and he left a family as follows :_ His widow and eight children, namely: William, a ranchman and stock raiser, of Rawlins, Wy- oming ; Charles, a stockman ; Mrs. Catherine Blood, of Cheyenne; Airs. Carrie Alarti. of North Platte ; Miss Alary E. Peniston, of this town: Airs. Ann Gaunt, also of North Platte; Airs. Nellie Bennett, of Rawlins, Wyoming, and Airs. Elsie House, of Rawlins. Air. Pen- iston's death left a vacancy among the pio- neers of western Nebraska that is keenly, felt. He was an educated man and a gentleman in all his relations, private and public, and his widow and children have the sympathy and respect of all. Air. Peniston was a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows for many years, and in Alarch, 1906. his lodge presented him with a handsome token of their esteem in the shape of a jeweled pin. He was in this order for twenty-five years. Politically he was a Democrat. THOAIAS GUYNN. Thomas Guynn, a prosperous farmer of Phelps county, owns a valuable estate in sec- tion 28. Sheridan township, where he has re- sided since 1902. He first settled in this coun- ty in 1890, purchasing a half section of land located west of Holdrege, and later sold that and bought one hundred and sixty acres south of that place. In 1901 he .sold this out and moved to Kansas, where he bought a farm in Butler county, near Barton, remaining on that place for two years. He did not like that country, was unable to raise very good crops, and so came back to Nebraska, and he considers that Phelps 'county is far ahead of Kansas in every way. Air. Guynn is a native of Tyrxine county, Ireland, coming to this country when nine years old, with his father and mother, who were also natives of Tyrone county. The an- cestors of our subject on both sides originally came from Scotland to Ireland. In 1861 Air. Guynn enlisted in the Seventh Illinois Infan- try, and served with his regiment up to Au- gust, 1865. He was in the Army of the Cum- berland under General Sherman, Logan Corps, and his first fight was at Fort Henry. He then was at Fort Donaldson, on the march to Nash- ville, at the battle of Pittsburg Landing, also Corinth, Chattanooga, Chickamauga, Lookout Alountain, Atlanta, also on the march to the sea and at Altoona, where his company was detailed to guard the rations. Here the Sev- enth Illinois lost one-half of their number in the gallant and stubborn defense of the army supplies from the fierce onslaught of the rebels. During the last fight, which took place at Benton, near Raleigh, North Carolina, was a terrible struggle, and although shells burst all about him and the bullets pierced his clothes, he was never struck and escaped with- out a scratch. After leaving the army he returned to Illi- nois, and from 1867 to 1890 farmed in Logan county, where he owned one hundred and twenty acres, then came to Nebraska, where he likes it much better, as he has been in good health ever since settling here and it is a nni. farming countr3\ Here he has built up a fine farm and home, just outside the limits of Holdrege, and has everything in the best pos- sible shape. Air. Guynn was married in 1886 to Aliss Ida Dalbow. daughter of Isaac and Liza (AIus- tard) Dalbow, of Pike county, Illinois. There are three children in their family — two sons, Frank and Carl Guynn, who assist their fa- ther in carrying on the farm, and a daughter, Leigh, also living at home. CHRISTIAN JULIUS PETERSON. Christian Julius Peterson, one of the young- er residents of section 12, township 29, range 38. is nevertheless entitled to the distinction of being one of the leading old settlers of Cherrv countv, and has taken an active part in its "history and helped materially in building up his community. He resides on section 12, COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 241 where he owns a well improved ranch of over eight hundred acres and his estate bears evi- dence of good management, thrift and pros- perity. ]\Ir. Peterson is a native of Denmark, born on a farm July 17, 1872, and he grew up there, following farm work with his father up to his twentieth year, at which time his father's death occurred, and soon afterwards the mother came to America with her family, land- ing in Philadelphia in 1894, settling in Omaha, Nebraska, but remained there only a short time, then came to Cherry county. Christian, together with a brother, took homestead, and during the first year'witnessed very hard times. They went back to Omaha and spent the first winter, returning in the spring, driving both ways. The brother, Peter, was about four years older than our subject, and he had set- tled in Nebraska in 1888, following ranching from the first. His ranch was situated thirty- five miles south of the town of Alerriman. He was married in 1898, his wife's maiden name being Emelia Jansen, a native of Denmark. Our subject rapidly improved his present homestead, taken in 1899, putting up good buildings, fencing the land, and started in the stock raising business, meeting with many discouragements in the way of losses by severe storms, also crop losses, but stuck to his farm through it all, and has been most successful during later years. His ranch is beautifully located on Clififord creek, is w-ell supplied with water, lakes and wild game, has many trees on it, and altogether is a valuable property. He cultivates about thirty acres. He has really improved two places since coming to Nebraska, his first homestead having beep sold about 1898. HERMAN KREIZENBECK. Herman Kreizenbeck is a resident of Ains- worth. Brown county, and has so lived and labored that he is well worthy of a prominent place in any record of the men who have done and dared so much in the making of Nebraska. It is said that but a moment's reflection is enough to convince any one, as to the great weight of obligation this country bears' to- wards its children from German homes, who have brought art and literature, science and learning and all the high gifts of a lofty civ- ilization in their train, as they have ever moved to the westward. It is certainly a deeply interesting chapter of our national his- tory that tells the achievements of many thou- sands wdio have confronted helpless and hope- less conditions in the Fatherland, and have journeyed across the waters to find opportu- nity in a new and a strange country. That they have done so, and have prospered on every hand, becoming influential and rising to any station, shows something of what the United States has been to the world. Herman Kreizenbeck w'as born near Essen, in the Rhine Province, Germany, July 21, 1851. The parents, Johan and Elizabeth (Winkleman) Kreizenbeck, lived and died on a farm in Ger- many. Here young Herman was reared and attended scho'ol until he was seventeen years of age, graduating from the high school, or "gymnasium" taking Latin and French. He en- tered the army in 1869 as a volunteer in the light Hussars, and remained with the colors until the fall of 1872, his service thus including the Franco-German war, in which he fought from start to finish as a cavalryman. At the expiration of his military enlistment he came home to take a position in Elberfelt, as book- keeper and traveling salesman with a whole- sale house, a position he held until 1876. That year he was married, and became bookkeeper for a coal mining company in Heisengen, where he continued until 1880, his father's degjth at that time calling him home to the settlement of the family estate. The following year, with one child, he sailed from Antwerp in the steamer "City of Alontreal," on Decem- ber 31, and landed in New York January 18, 1882. Alaking his way to Crete, Nebraska, where for some time he visited his brothers, he sent for his family, the wife and remaining child coming in June, on the steamer "John Bridle," from Antwerp. After taking a somewhat hurried study of the field in which he was placed, he went to Omaha, and for a time was in the employ of Tom Murray, a real estate dealer and specu- lator. In the spring of 1883 he removed to Brown county, and located fourteen miles north of Ainsworth, almost on the Niobrara river. There he secured a homestead, and started as a farmer. At first the family dwelt in a log house, narrow and cramped for room, but an extensive addition of sod much in- creased the comfort of all. It was difficult making the beginning, and Mr. Kreizenbeck's aft'airs progressed but slowly. In 1888 he lost a crop — and this was repeated again in 1894 and the following year. The winters were warm and clear, with but little or no snow, and good grazing so the cows were about the only means of living. Here our subject remained until the spring of 1896, when he removed to a rented farm close to Ainsworth, that the 242 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY children might have a better opportunity for schooling, not to be found in the first location as there were but two families then in the school district, the Kreizenbecks and that of a Mr. ^lead. In 1901 Mr. Kreizenbeck bought a ranch six miles southwest from Johnstown, but the following year came back to Ains- worth. and bought his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres in section 16, town- ship 30, range 22. in 1903. It is fenced and well improved. Here, fortune has smiled upon him ; and though he lost his barn and contents by fire in 1905, he is making his way, and is acquiring a comfortable competence. Mr. Kreizenbeck has passed through many experiences that have called for all his nerve and courage. In 1888 he was caught in the great blizzard that swept the country far and wide. All the ravines were filled with snow and tumble weeds, and on the surface there was nothing to mark solid earth or deep gul- lies. While he w^as out hunting he broke through a crust of snow over one of these ra- vines and was precipitated perhaps forty feet down into the snow. Fortunately he remem- bered his directions, and after tunneling about a hundred feet through the light snow and the weeds, he once more regained the surface. For many years Mr. Kreizenbeck was affil- iated with the Democratic party, but later be- came a Populist, and was elected assessor for several terms. In 1894. he was candidate of his party for sheriff, and in 1905 for the office of county clerk. For several years he has taken an active part in political affairs, and his character and ability give him much in- fluence. Mr. Kreizenbeck was married near Essen, February 6. 1877, to Miss Matilda Stoetgen. a daughter of Heinrich and Katharine ( Stroet- er) Stoetgen. Of their eight children, the two elder were born in Germany, the others in Nebraska. They are: Herman A., Elizabeth B., Bertha M., Matilda F.. Katharine M.. Anna, Franz \V., and Karl \\'. The three elder girls are graduates of the Ainsworth high school, and are teachers of the county. The members of the family are communicants of the Cath- olic church. WESLEY PRINGLE. Wesley Pringle, a popular and much re- spected business man of Perkins county, Ne- braska, is a resident of Grant, where for many years he has been engaged in business, and still has large interests in the farming com- munity surrounding the thrfving town. Mr. Pringle has now retired from all active busi- ness, and is prepared to spend his declining 3'ears in peace and comfort, content that he has spent usefully his allotted time of more than three score and ten. Mr. Pringle was born near Richland, in Keokuk county, Iowa, in 1842. His grand- father, together with two brothers, came to the United States from Wales, in the begin- ning of the history of this country, all three taking part in the Revolutionary war, and the family has always been prominently con- nected with the history of their adopted land, the former settling in Ohio in the early days of that state, where our subject's father was born and reared, he finally settling in Iowa in 1836. He married Rachel St. John, a native of England, who came to Canada with her parents, the}- locating in Warren county, In- diana, at an early day. Mr. Pringle's grand- father, Seth St. John, was county judge in that county for many years. John P. St. John, who was the presidential nominee on the Pro- hibition ticket, from Kansas, is a cousin of our subject. Wesley Pringle received but a lim- ited schooling, attending the district schools during those times of year when he could be spared from the work on the home farm, but obtained in all a good practical training, fitting him well for his after years of hard work and shrewd management, starting out for himself at the age of sixteen years. He bought a team of oxen and begun farming on his own hook, then at the beginning of the war enlisted as a private in Company K, Third Iowa Cavalry at Knoxville, Iowa, in August, i861. He was sent south to St. Louis with his regiment, and saw service all through the west, being at Vicks- burg, Guntown, Pea Ridge, and was detailed with the guard of Jefif Davis after his cap- ture. Our subject was in the service until the war closed.' and during that time was twice wounded slightly, receiving an honorable dis- charge at Atlanta, Georgia. After the war Mr. Pringle returned to Iowa and lived at Knoxville for a time. He was married there on January 28, 1867, to Margaret A. Totten, daughter of Captain Paris T. Totten. captain of Company I, Thir- ty-third Iowa Infantry. After his marriage Mr. Pringle farmed in Iowa up to the spring of 1872. During the previous year he had homesteaded on section 30. township 11, range 6, and there he subsequently built up and de- veloped two farms, both in Hamilton county. In 1888 he came to Perkins county, locating in Grant and there established himself in the grain business, building an elevator, and con- tinued in the business up to 1905, succeeding in building up a splendid patronage, and accumulating a nice property through his in- CO-MPENDIU.M OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 243 dustry and good management. In the latter year he sold all his enterprises of which he was active manager, and retired from active work. For several years he has been pro- prietor of the Grant Lumber Yards, and also has owned considerable land in the farming community around Grant, and at different times engaged in the stock raising business in partnership with his son, William P. Our subject still owns a farm consisting of one hundred and forty-six acres adjoining Grant and still carries this on, although he does little work himself, merely superintending the opera- tion of same. Mr. Pringle is a stanch Republican. He has been elected justice of the peace several times, but would never consent to qualify, devoting his entire time to his business enter- prises. For the past twenty years he has served on the Soldiers' Relief Commission, and is a prominent Grand Army of the Republic man. He has always given his best efforts to the advancement of his locality, and one of Grant's most enthusiastic and loyal citizens having re- sided here when the town was incorporated, and also was a member of the first village board. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Pringle. three of whom are still living, namely: William P., Jessie I., and Cora B. CALVIN J. WILDY. Prominent among the successful business men of Hemingford, Box Butte county, is the gentlemen above named. Mr. \\'ildy has been one of the foremost men of this section in building up and developing the financial in- terests of his locality, and is a gentleman of sterling character, highly esteemed b}- all who know him. Mr. Wildy is a native of St. Clair county, Illinois, born in 1861, on a farm. His father, John Wildy. was a native of Switzerland, and mother of German descent. The father met his death in an accident when our subject was a lad three years of age. Our subject was reared on the* home farm in St. Clair county, Illinois, near Lenzburg, where he early learned to do all kinds of hard work, attending the common schools where he received his early education, and later was a student at the Nor- mal L^niversity of Illinois, taking a three years course. After leaving college he taught school in Illinois for one year. \^^hile at school he worked for his board to help along in his ex- penses. Our subject was engaged in business for several vears in Lenzburg. Illinois, under the firm name of Wildy Brothers. In 1887 he came to Nebraska, locating in Cheyenne coun- ty, where he took up a pre-emption, thirty-one miles southwest of the town of Hemingford, hauling his first supplies from Sidney, his first team being a yoke of oxen, which he used for one year trying to start his farm. In 1888 he opened a little store at Nonpariel, now extinct, the firm being C. J. Wildy and H. K. Zapp, and ran this for two years, when 3Ir. Zapp died, and Mr. C. J. Wildy moved to Hemingford and started in the mercantile business, and has since been operating a store in this place, being one of the pioneers in the trade, in fact, the oldest general merchant in the county. He went through hard times dur- ing the early years, but through good man- agement and constant efforts has succeeded in a remarkable degree, and now has a good trade and splendid business. He has a store 100x60 ft. with four front doors, and carries a complete line of general merchandise and lumber, building material, etc. Besides his store property Air. Wildy owns a ranch of sev- eral thousand acres in the southwestern part of the county and has a fine two-story, modern dwelling in the town of Hemingford. In 1900 Mr. Wildy was united in marriage to Miss A. E. Neeland, daughter of J. F. Nee- land, of Irish descent, who was one of the pioneer ranchmen of Dawes county. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Wildy was a school teacher, and for four years was county superintendent of schools in Box Butte county, having grad- uated from the Chadron Academy, making her own way through school. When Mr. and Mrs. Wildy were married they took an extended trip to Europe, going to Switzerland, Ger- many and Ireland, visiting relatives on both sides of the family. Mr. and ]\Irs. Wildv have been blessed with three children: Lois'. Ruth and Frieda. JOSEPH A. RANKIN. Joseph A. Rankin holds an important place in the aft'airs of Blaine county and is known all over the country as one of the most suc- cessful and largest ranchers of the territory. He is engaged in sheep, cattle and horse rais- mg on his fine ranch which exceeds two thou- sand five hundred acres. He has an excellent home and is counted among the leading old settlers. Mrs. Rankin is postmistress of^Ran- kin postoffice. which was established on our subject's farm in 1904. Joseph A. Rankin was born in 1848. in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and is of 244 COMPENDIU^I OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Scotch-Irish ancestry. His grandfather, James, was born in Ireland and, coming to America, he was a soldier in the Revohition- ary war. Our subject's parents, Thomas and Catherine (Wright) Rankin, were farmers in Pennsylvania. Joseph Rankin was reared on a farm in his native state and was given good educational advantages. Later he entered Monmouth College, at Alonmouth, Illinois, where he com- pleted his junior year. When our subject was twenty-two years of age, in 1871, he came west to Nebraska and became one of the early pioneers of eastern Cass county. The entire family came at this time and our subject conducted his father's farm and business for years. He made trips to western Nebraska as early as 1882 and helped estab- lish a large ranch in Blaine county. North Loup was the nearest railroad town at that time and Air. Rankin had a long way to go for supplies and material, eighty-five miles. Many a night on these weary trips he has slept under his wagon in all kinds of weather and miles from the nearest habitation. Joseph A. Rankin and Miss Elizabeth Peart were married in 1891. She was the daughter of. Samuel and Esther (Gibson) Peart, who were Pennsylvania farmers. After his marriage our subject spent one year in Cedar county. In 1900 he came to Blaine county and settled on his present ranch on the North Loup river, entering a home- stead and buying other land. His good house, barns and other improvements, prove that he has laid the foundations of permanent wealth and prosperity. Mr. Rankin is a man of ex- cellent business qualifications and education and wields a strong mfiuence for public good. ELMER JOHNSON. Prominent among the younger agricultur- ists of Kimball county is the gentleman above mentioned, who is owner of a well-improved estate in Kimball. His postofiFice address is Crossbar, which is located on his farm, and Mrs. Johnson is the present postmistress, fill- ing the office to the satisfaction of all. Elmer Johnson was born in Sweden, June 1, 1877, and at the age of three years came to America with his father, mother, three broth- ers and one sister. They first located in east- ern Nebraska, arriving there in the spring of 1880, remained for six years, then moved to Wyoming. While living in Saunders county, Nebraska, the family suffered a sad loss in the death of one daughter and one son. In 1888 our subject came alone into Kim- ball county, and in 1899 filed on a homestead on northwest quarter section 26, township 13, range 58, proved up on it, and later took a Kinkaid homestead in the same section. He worked faithfully, and by good management and industry succeeded in building up a good home and farm. He now has sixty acres un- der cultivation, raises good crops of small grains, vegetables, etc. His place is well im- proved and equipped with first-class buildings. He deals in stock to quite an extent, running at the present time forty-five head of cattle and seventy-five horses. He has a fine prop- erty, and richly deserves his success and high standing. Air. Johnson was married at Kimball, Ne- braska, on February 6, 1901, to Lillian Deach- er, who was born in northeastern Nebraska and reared there. Mrs. Johnson's parents are now living in Oklahoma. To our subject and his wife have been born the following chil- dren : Rena, Kenneth, Mamie and Andry, all bright and interesting youngsters, who bid fair to be a great help to their parents when they grow up. Portraits of both Mr. and Mrs. Johnson will be found on another page. Air. Johnson's father resides in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, while his mother is dead. Our subject is a Republican in politics, and is active in local affairs, having served as coun- ty assessor for two terms, from 1901 to 1903, and in 1907 was elected county commissioner, entering upon his duties as such January 1, 1908. One brother of our subject, Eric Johnson, is also a resident of Kimball county, coming here in 1906, locating on a Kinkaid homestead on section 10, township 13, range 58. He is married and has three children, while another brother, Conrad, residing on section 22, town- ship 13, range 58, is unmarried, and the pos- sessor of a good farm. All are held in the highest esteem as worthy citizens and good neighbors. CAPTAIN HENRY W". -SHORT. To the present visitor of the agricultural district of western Nebraska, a pleasant sight in the well improved farms and highly culti- vated tracts, greets the eye, and it is hard to conceive of the transformation that has taken place in the country within the past quarter of a century. The gentleman above named, settled in Saunders county in 1871. and the following year homesteaded in Marshall town- MR. AND MRS. ELMER JOHNSON. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 245 ship. Clay county, taking up one hundred and sixty acres, also three hundred and twenty acres as tree claim, and on the latter planted 13,778 trees, this being the third tree claim to be taken up in Nebraska. He has been one of the foremost men in the region and much of the prosperity which has come to the resi- dents of the locality has been brought about through the efiforts of just such men as Mr. Short ; men who have given liberally of their time, money and influence in building up and developing the natural resources of the coun- try. Air. Short is a native of Leicestershire, England, and came to America in 1848. and after landing in New York spent two years there. He then came west and was educated at the schools of Chicago, where his parents settled. They took up their residence at the corner of Clark and Harrison streets, and the district, which is now one of the busiest and most closely congested spot in that city, was then occupied by small cottages inhabited by families from foreign countries who had set- tled there, and many of them laid the founda- tion of good fortunes. Our subject attended the public schools of Chicago, and early read law, as he was ambi- tious to make that his life work. He was ad- mitted to the bar in Nuckolls county, Ne- braska, in 1876, opened an office at Nelson, and practiced there for twenty-five years, up to 1903. In 1862 Mr. Short enlisted in the First Illinois Light Artillery and served in this in the Fifteenth Army Corps. He was with the Army of the Tennessee, and took part in twen- ty-two battles, from Vicksburg to Nashville. His regiment lost one thousand four hundred and eighty-one men during' the war. At the close of the war he was transferred to Bridges' battery. After the war he returned to Illinois. Mr. Short settled in Franklin county, Nebraska, in 1871. He organized the Alexander Guards and was captain of this company, called Company H. First Nebraska, until after the Pine Ridge and Wounded Knee Indian outbreaks, his reg- iment taking an active part in these wars. Captain Short's son, Ed. M., attended the state university of Nebraska and was admitted to the bar before he was twenty-one years of age. Our subject has a good practice through- out Franklin and the adjoining counties, and he is a well-read, conscientious, safe and hon- est councillor and trial lawyer, gaining the confidence of all by his sound judgment and good advice. In 1866 our subject was married to Miss Fanny E. Smelt, of Ogle county, Illinois, and to them have been born the following chil- dren : Ed. M., i /now superintendent of schools for this county, this being his third term. He was formerly principal of the schools of Franklin for seven years, and also a teacher in Nuckolls county. The second son, Henry E., resides at Topeka. Kansas. Mary, wife of Rev. Keefer, was also a teacher before her marriage. George Ernest, of Nelson, Nebras- ka, is in the mail service at that place. Carroll W., a pharmacist, living at Los Angeles, Cal- ifornia. Grace, wife of P. M. Snyder, of Bur- well, Nebraska, now of Okanogan, Washing- ton, formerly a teacher in this vicinity, and Leslie, a graduate of the Franklin high school, now at home. Captain Short is a prominent Grand Army of the Republic man, also an Ancient Order of L^nited Workmen and Woodman, and mem- ber of the Mystic Legion. He has been notary public for many years, and an active Repub- lican, and is now serving his second term as citv attornev. JOHN K. ENGELHORN. John K. Engelhorn, one of the best known early settlers in western Nebraska, resides on his valuable estate in Hays township, Kearney county, Nebraska, retired from all active pur- suits. Mr. Engelhorn has resided in this sec- tion for the past thirty years, and during this time has become one of the representative cit- izens of the community, highly esteemed by everyone. Mr. Engelhorn is a native of Baden, Ger- many, born in 1842. He came to America with his parents. Matthias and Anna Engel- horn, who settled in Allemakee county, Iowa, on a farm. There he was raised, and in 1863 enlisted in the Civil war. joining the Ninth Iowa Cavalry, Company E. He served as a private until February 4, 1866. and after the close of the war was on the detached service for the government, performing outpost duty in Arkansas principally, and afterwards in Texas. Nearly all of the time he was engaged in the service of the government he was con- stantly in skirmishes, and never received a wound, but his health suffered from the rough life of a soldier and hardships to which he was exposed and he was unfortunate in having lost the sight of his left eye through an over- dose of medicine. Two brothers. Matthias and Thomas, were also in the war, the former a member of the Twelfth Iowa Infantry, and 240 COMPENDIUiM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY the latter in the navy. After the close of the war he returned to Iowa and engaged in farm- ing for several years, then came to Nebraska, settling in Sherman township, Kearney coun- ty, in 1878. Here he homesteaded one hun- dred and sixt)' acres and broke this up, remain- ing on it for nine years, then moved to Min- den in 1887. where he bought forty acres in Hays township. He sold his farm in Sherman township in 1895. While living there he was supervisor of his township, also served on the county board for many years, and since com- ing to ^linden has acted in the same capacity for three terms, also held the office of assessor for two years. Mr. Engelhorn was married in 1867 to Miss Sophia \\'illch, daughter of Philip and Eliza- beth W'illch, natives of Hesse, Germany, and the parents never left that land. She came to this country in 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Engelhorn have no children. Mr. Engelhorn is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic post in Minden, and has passed through all the chairs of that society, now acting as assistant conductor. His. wife belongs to the Women's Relief Corps here and both are members of the Lutheran church. PAYSON B. BIGELOW. Payson B. Bigelow, one of the best known residents of Harrison, Sioux county, Nebraska, is classed among the prominent old settlers of that region. Mr. Bigelow is an enterprising merchant of that town, carrying on a flourish- ing general merchandise business, and has built up an excellent trade throughout this locality. Mr. Bigelow is a native of Rock Island, Illinois, born in 1851. His father, Benjamin F., was from Vermont, of good old "Yankee stock," and he married Rachel Fairly, both be- ing of American blood. When our subject was a boy of one or two years of age. the fam- ily moved to Iowa, settling in Davenport, where our subject grew up and received a good education. When Payson was fourteen years old, he went to Jasper county, Iowa, with his parents, where they lived up to 1880, and from there to Adair county, most of this time being spent in following farm work. In 1888 Mr. Bigelow came to Sioux county and filed on a homestead, pre-emption and tree claim, all located about six miles from the town of Harrison. His first house there was a log cabin, and there he worked hard to im- prove his property and build u]) a home. He had ex]jerienced all kinds of hard times during the early days in this section, losing crop after crop by the drouths and meeting with dis- appointments in plenty. He became pretty well discouraged, and was at times tempted to give up the struggle, but determined to stick to his farm, and so kept on improving his place, slowly at first, but gradually getting ahead a little. In 1893 he had the misfortune to be burned out, losing almost everything, so that he was obliged to start all over again. Mr. Bigelow was from the first quite heav- ily engaged in the cattle business, and in this way managed to make a living and lay by a little money after the poor years had passed. He lived on the ranch for about eleven years, then sold the place out and came to Harrison, locating here in 1899. He established his present business, and has done well since starting here, in the nine years he has been operating, building up a good patronage and has gained an enviable reputation as a worthy citizen and good business manager. In February, 1892, Mr. Bigelow was mar- ried to Miss Emma E. Stewart, of Greenfield, Iowa, daughter of John and Minerva Stewart, both of American stock. They have no chil- dren. Our subject and his family occupy a pleasant and comfortable home, and are high- ly esteemed in their locality and liked by all who know them. He is prominent in local affairs, and has held office at different times, serving as village trustee for a number of years. He was one of the original organizers of the Republican party in this section, acting as chairman of the Republican county commit- tee for sev'cral years. ROBERT G. HALL. The nfifice of county judge of Rock county, Nebraska, was bestowed upon this gentleman, and he discharged the duties of the position with rare fidelity and ever-increasing popular- ity. !\Ir. Hall was appointed in 1906. and was deservedly honored and esteemed by his fel- lowmen. He held the office until January, 1908. Mr. Hall is a native of this state, born in Blair. January 17. 1885. Tic is a son of James Hall, a contractor, farmer and ranchman, who settled in Nebraska in 1860 and built up a good home here. He located first in Washington and was in Omaha several years. He is of Irish stock, a native of Pennsylvania. His wife was Miss Lucinda Gorton, a descendant of English settlers who came to .America dur- ing colonial times. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINIS,CENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 247 Our subject is the second member in a family of three children, and when he was seven years old his parents settled in Rock county, where they afterwards lived in differ- ent parts of the county, he receiving a good education. Mr. Hall, although a very young man to hold such an important ofifice, gained the re- spect and confidence of the people by his strict integrity and sterling qualities, and bids fair to become one of the leading public men of this section of the country. He is now asso- ciated with his father in the contracting busi- ness and lives at Bassett, Nebraska. He is a Republican in politics, and fraternally, belongs to the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, Ancient Order I'nited Workmen, and Modern Woodmen of America lodges of Bassett. WILLIAAI H. WINTERER. William H. Winterer was born in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, December 11. 1858. His father was Anton Winterer, a native of Baden Baden, Germany, where he was reared to young manhood and then emigrated to America, while his mother, who was Barbara Hirsch in her maiden days, was a native of Bavaria. They were married in Philadelphia about 1852. The family came to Milwaukee in the fall of 1863 and later settled in the thick hardwood timber country in Vernon county, ^^'isconsin, and lived there during the civil war. in which the father served as a member of the Forty-seventh Wisconsin Volunteer In- fantry during the last eighteen months of the war. He resides in Hillsboro, Wisconsin, re- tired from active life. They were among the very earliest pioneers in the locality where they settled. The woods were so thick that they had to cut a way through a mile of tim- ber for the wagon to pass, there being only a footpath to their destination. Here our sub- ject was reared on a timber farm, becoming inured to the hard work of grubbing and log- ging. Schools were few and far between, our subject being obliged to walk three miles to the school house and he therefore received only a limited common school education. In 1879 he went to Rollins county, Kansas, but that country was evidently not satisfactory, as the next year he came to the North Platte river region in Nebraska. He engaged to work with several ''cow outfits" and was with M. Burk & Son, and also John Bratt & Com- pany for some time. His duties brought him to the vicinity of Keystone, Nebraska, and being pleased with the country, he decided to locate on a farm and build up a home. The country was very new and crude, but our sub- ject saw possibilities which he thought prom- ised great things if one expended energy and industry to develop them. He spent several years roughing it over western Nebraska both winter and summer and had ample opportunity to judge the country. He saw buffalo roam- ing the prairie in 1881 and wild game was abundant. ]Mr. Winterer settled on his present farm in section 34, township 15, range 2>7, in 1883. He put up a sod house and a stable and made other necessary improvements. He worked out for the settlers, breaking prairie and put- ting up hay, thus earning enough for a living and a little more. He saved his monev and bought fourteen head of cattle, which was his start in the cattle business. He has now a fine bunch of two hundred and twenty-five head of cattle and fifty head of horses. He took land that other settlers seemed not to want and has made a grand success, having three hundred and twenty acres in the North Platte river valley, and one thousand two hun- dred and eighty acres back in the hills where our subject's home is located. He has nu- merous fine trees, running streams of water, has a good orchard of apple and plum trees and a variety of small fruits. His buildings are good and he has a house and ranch of which he is justly proud. W^illiam H. A\'interer was married Decem- ber 10, 1889, to Miss Louisa M. Cantrill, a native of Menominee, Dunn county, Wiscon- sin. She was the daughter of William Cant- rill, a ship carpenter and a pioneer of that state; he formerly resided in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in New York. Our subject has had quite a varied expe- rience since locating in Keith county. He has had many discouragements and losses ; once he was burned out, losing barns, sheds, and out-houses, and then there were the pan- icy times of 1893 and later; also the years of drouth, when the grass grew so sparsely that it took miles of range to support his bunch of cattle and horses. In spite of all these un- fortunate events, however, he stuck *to his business and has attained fine success as the result of his labors. Once, when he was out in the Dismal river country, McPherson coun- ty, he found the body of a Mr. Board, one of a hunting party, who had become separated from his party and had died from fatigue and sickness. He had been missing for ten days and much fruitless search had been made for 248 COMPEXDIUAl OF HISTORY, RE.MIXISCEXCE AXD BIOGRAPHY him. The body was buried in a plain wooden box by our subject and a few others. Mr. \\interer has been most activelv inter- ested in tlie affairs of his community and helped to establish the first school district on his side of the river. He has held various ofifices of trust and responsibility and has prov- en a capable and efficient public officer. He is a Democrat in politics. He is a member of the German Evangelical church, the ^lodern Woodmen, the Odd Fellows and with his wife, of the Rebekah lodge. He is a man of strong characteristics and a worthy citizen of the state. FRAXK P. FISHER. Frank P. Fisher, one of the representative agriculturists of Keya Paha county, X^ebraska, owns and operates a large farm in section 12, township 33, range 24, where he has built up a fine establishment and is recognized as one of the successful and prosperous citizens of the county. A view of the ranch house and numerous outbuildings, with grove and orch- ard are presented on another page of this volume. Mr. Fisher was born in the village of Studena, Bohemia, June 20. 1840. The father. Joseph Fisher, was a tailor by trade and in 1856 the family sailed from Bremen in the ship Sophia, and after a voyage of thirty- eight days landed in Xew York. In October they reached Chicago, where the father sought in vain for work for some weeks and also had the same disappointment in Milwaukee. Re- turning to Chicago he secured a small amount of work, which was so well done that he was thereafter given only fine work to do. The next spring he removed with his family to Johnson county, Iowa, locating on a farm where he lived for twenty years and where our subject received a common school educa- tion until fifteen years of age. while assisting his parents in carrying on the farm. In 1884 he came to Xebraska. settling in Keya Paha county, where he took a homestead. He ar- rived here in April, during a big snow storm, drivinsj from Ainsworth, and his first impres- sions of his new home were not altogether fa- vorable. Xot being able to sell his quarter section in Iowa to advantage until 1886 the family did not come west until that year. How- ever, he set to work at once putting up a frame house, and gradually improved his farm adding a timber claim, on which he also filed, proving up on both. He met with severe loss (hiring the drouth perinds. and two crops in succession were ruined in the years 1894-5. He went through hail storms when everything on his farm was beaten into the ground three dift'erent years. After these hard times he be- gan to have good crops, and engaged in stock raising in addition to mixed farming, and eventually developing a fine farm and home, building a_ substantial two-story house, numer- ous barns, sheds and outbuildings. He has six hundred acres of land in one piece, one mile southwest of Xorden, and one hundred and sixty acres in another piece located three miles northwest. He owns a house in the village where he has made his home for the past five years. Mr. Fisher was married in Johnson coun- ty. Iowa, October 19. 1871. to Miss Catherine Weyvoda. a native of Bohemia, whose father, Frank ^^'e^•voda, was a weaver and mason by trade in that country, and who came to .\mer- ica with his family in 1866. Children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Fisher, who are as follows: Mary, married William H. Gunsul, and is living at Lake Andes, South Dakota, the mother of three boys. Harry, Frank and Ralph ; the second son, Frank Fisher, is farm- ing on the home place, is married, and has one child, Elinor: Emil. the third son, is a farmer living in Idaho, also married ; Will, married, engages in farming on the home place with Frank : Libbie, now Mrs. John G. Betsel, her husband being a merchant of Xorden : Francis and Edmund are living with their parents in Xorden. Mr. Fisher has always been one of the public spirited men in his locality. He helped to organize the first schools in the neighbor- hood, and bought the logs and helped to build the first schoolhouse. He served as school moderator for several years, and was also jus- tice of the peace for about nine years. He is one of the foremost men in all matters which tend to advance the agricultural and educa- tional interests of his community, and lends his influence for the betterment of conditions wherever needed. Politically, he is a member (if the Peoples Independent party and affil- iates with the Royal Highlanders of Sjiringview. ALBERT J. GRAGG. Albert J. Gragg. who is among the old settlers in western Xebraska, owns a good ranch which he has improved in splendid shape during the past ten years, and lie occupies a foremost pi.}sition among the well-to-tio and progressive farmers and ranchmen of Hook- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY U9 er county. Mr. Gragg is well-known and high- ly esteemed throughout the community for his active public spirit and good fellowship. Mr. Gragg was born in Oakland county, Michigan, in 1873. His father, James T. Gragg, lived for many years in that locality, and was among the pioneers in western Ne- braska, coming to that state in 1881, settling on a farm in Redwillow county, near McCook, where the family lived up to 1894. At that time our subject left home and moved to Mc- Pherson county, there taking up a homestead on which he proved up in due time, and im- proved a good farm. He went through all the experiences of the early settler in that vicinity, suffering from many discouragements in the failure of crops, severe storms, etc., but man- aged to get along fairly well. He came to his present ranch in section 9, township 21, range 34, 'in April, 1901, and started a farm and ranch. He took the land as a homestead, and has put good building, fences, wells and wind- mills on it, devoting his entire time to its up- building, and is now proprietor of a ranch consisting of eight hundred acres, well stocked, and is making plenty of money. In June, 1897, Mr. Gragg was united in marriage to Miss Grace Swiggart, daughter of G. W. and Susie (Doyle) Swiggart, whose sketch appears in this volurne on another page. Our subject has one child, Dewey, born December 25, 1898. Mr. Gragg takes a commendable interest in local affairs, but gives all his time to his home and ranch. L. C. BARR. L. C. Barr, of Holdrege, Sheridan town- ship, settled in Phelps county in February, 1878, taking up a homestead in section 28, and from that time on has resided here con- tinuously. He is, therefore, one of the oldest settlers in this part of the state, and has gained an enviable reputation as a worthy citizen and leading old-timer, highly esteemed by all. Mr. Barr is a native of Washington coun- ty, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Jeremiah and Abigail Barr, the family being of German de- scent. In 1864 our subject enlisted in the Twenty-third Illinois Regiment, and served for eight months in the Second Division, Second Brigade, Twenty-fourth Army Corps. He was at Petersburg, Richmond, and at the surrender of Lee at Appamatox courthouse. After being mustered out Mr. Barr settled in LaSalle county, Illinois, where he farmed for 17 some years. He considers farming there more sure, but prefers Nebraska as it is healthier and we have better water with no waste lands and also good roads. For three years after settling in this state Mr. Barr was unable to raise a crop, owing to the hot winds that burned everything, and with his means ex- hausted and a wife and seven children to sup- port there were many times when want was keenly felt. Many times he walked for miles over the sparsely settled country, glad to find any kind of work and receive in return enough to carry home to his family the necessaries which they so badly needed. In the winter of 1881, when the snow reached to the tops of the corn stalks, he was obliged to dig down in the snow and cut the stalks which they used for fuel, and in this way kept his family from freezing to death. Remember- ing these times with a shudder, he also re- members the times when those brave pioneers met together and were cheerful and even happy in sharing a jack rabbit and other game, when they thought they were fortunate in hav- ing such a feast. During those years Mr. Barr owned an ox team with which he broke up his land and farmed his land, but one bit- ten by a poisonous snake and died, and then he was in pretty hard luck. However, he had a good trade as a plaster- er, and his brave wife agreeing to face the loneliness while he sought employment at his trade, he left his family, sold his ox, yoke and chains and with the proceeds started for Denver to find work. When he reached Loveland, Colo- rado, where he knew a friend lived, he started out for work. As he walked along the station platform he observed a man whose clothes and boots bespoke him a plasterer, and asked him for a job, and the man replied that in March there was but little work of that kind, but after telling the man of his condition and his suffer- ing family in Nebraska, he was given work to do and was kept busy all summer, sent money to his wife and saved some besides. Being called home by a sick child he bought a team and tools and started farming again with much better success this time. In 1882 he put in sixty acres of wheat, and got a crop of thirty bushels per acre, and a corn yield of eighty bushels to the acre. After that year he did not have another complete failure up to 1902 at which time he sold his farm. When the country was new the land was looser and dried out quicker, and besides, the farmers did not then understand proper methods as they do now. In his opinion, this state, and especiallv Phelps county, is destined to become one of the best farming localities in the world. COMPEXDIU^I OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY After selling his farm in 1902 Mr. Barr again took up contracting and plastering, and does a fine business. Although he is now si.xty-two years of age he does a day's work equal to any younger man and without fatigue. He has never tasted liquor, and is possessed of a clear and intelligent mind, well-read and progressive along every line of thought. Mrs. Barr was Miss Harriet Amanda Ferry, and she is also in the enjoyment of good health. This estimable couple occupy a pleas- ant and happy home in Holdrege. The place consists of five acres of beautiful lawn, garden and shrubbery, and they are passing the de- clining years of their life in peace and comfort, justly proud of their family of bright children, whom we will now proceed to present to the reader, together with the part they take in life's history. Nettie, now the wife of Rev. H. B. Allen, of Aledo, Illinois, pastor of the Presbyterian church at that place. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Allen taught in the Hold- rege public schools for a long time, and was also principal of the schools at Bertrand, Phelps county. For three years she taught at Colorado Sprirtgs, and has a fine record as a teacher. The second daughter, Helen, is the wife of E. P. Montgomery, of Fort Collins. He was at one time superintendent of schools in this county, and J^Irs. Montgomery also taught a number of terms in Phelps county. Lois \\-as for several years a teacher in the Holdrege schools, and for three years at Colo- rado Springs, one year at Springfield, Mass- achusetts, and is now attending Columbia Col- lege at New York City, fitting herself for a high career in educational work. Jennie, wife of Dr. B. L. Doane, of Lincoln, Nebraska, fol- lowed the profession of a teacher for a num- ber of years prior to her marriage, at Mc- Cook, Fairburj', and also near Lincoln. Her husband is a surgeon for the camp at Calcite, Colorado. Mrs. Doane died in 1905, leaving an infant child, her death being due to the high altitude there. Edna, the fifth daughter, was a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, afterwards taught music here, and is now the wife of Frank Love, of Lincoln, who is chief clerk of the chief engineers' depart- ment. One son of our subject, Edward, died during his last year at the State L'niversity, and two sons, Norman B. and Clinton M., were both teachers in this county. The family of seven children are all wonderfully bright and ambitious, all occupying a prominent part in tlie educational work of western Nebraska. During their early life they went through many hardships and struggles, and nothing hut indomitable pluck and energy could have surmounted the difficulties which beset them. \\'hen the times were the hardest and most of them were mere children, the family held a council as to whether they, as a family, should give their lives to reclaiming and farming and endeavor tO own acres and acres of prairie land, or to attaining an education, and suiting the de- sires and wishes of the stanch father and brave mother, they decided in favor of the education, planning that the eldest should have the ad- vantage, and each help the other down to the youngest. This they followed out to the let- ter, and the success which each attained, and the splendid work they have accomplished is evidence of their intelligence and integrity. Their parents now consider that the reverses and hardships which they encountered were the school that moulded their childrens' char- acters, although they would not care to go through the same experience twice in a life- time. During the pioneer days in this section 'Sir. Barr served as coroner, and was deputy sheriflf of his county for twelve years in succession, retiring in January, 1906. For many years he was a member of the school board. He has been an elder in the Presbyterian church at Holdrege ever since it was organized. One son, Clinton M. Barr, is principal of the schools at Wahoo, Nebraska. He was ed- ucated in the public schools of this county, and graduated from the state university. Rev. Norman, another son. is pastor of the Olivet Presbyterian church at Chicago. He is a grad- uate of the State L'niversity of Nebraska, also of the Presbyterian Theological College at Chicago. He has held the pastorate of Olivet church for seven years, and this was his first church. He is greatly beloved by his people, and is a leader in the Presbvterian sect. GEORGE A. ECKLES. Among the enterprising and successful pro- fessional and business men of Dawes county, Nebraska, none is better known or more uni- versally esteemed than the subject of this re- view. Mr. Eckles is one of the founders of the Chadron Academy, and was active in rais- ing the fir.st $12,000 'with which to build the institution, and after it was destroyed by fire in 1891, he was among those who assisted in raising ,$8,000 which was necessary to rebuild the school. He acted as secretary of the acad- emy since it was first started. Mr. Eckles was born in New Castle. Penn- sylvania. September 1, 18.^.3. His father. Jo- COiMPENDIUAI OF HISTORY, REMINISCEX'CE AND BIOGRAPHY seph Eckles. was a farmer by occupation, and an officer in the army during the civil war, and was killed in Kentucky, serving as an officer of his regiment at the time of his death. He was of American birth, originally of Eng- lish stock. Our subject's mother was Miss Margaret Patten, born in this country of Scotch parents. They had a family of ten children, he being the seventh child of his parents. When he was about five years of age the family moved to Indiana and lived there until he was seventeen. He then came to Nebraska and took up a homestead, locat- ing in Merrick county and proving up on his land. In 1877 he moved to Holt county and there settled on a ranch. He had previously studied law to some extent, and he associated himself with Judge Gerney, a prominent law- yer at Neligh, remaining with him for some time. During the spring of 1886 he came to Chadron and opened a law office, practicing up to January, 1899, then received the ap- pointment • of postmaster at that place and served his term. He was reappointed for a second term, and made a most efficient and popular public official. While practicing law here he was elected and served as county at- torney for two and a half terms. He always took an active part in politics, a strong Repub- lican, and served on the state Republican com- mittee for many years, attending all the con- ventions in the state for the past twenty-five years. At one time he was a prominent can- didate for state auditor, but failed to secure the nomination because the candidate for gov- ernor was chosen from his district. Besides these offices of public trust, Mr. Eckles had other large interests, having been extensively engaged in the sheep business, and owned a fine ranch in this county. A man of wide experience and good business judgment, his integrity and sterling character placed him among the most prominent and influential citizens of this section of the country. In July, 1907, Mr. Eckles moved to Omaha. I\Ir. Eckles was married when only seven- teen years of age, to Miss Eunice Paulins. of Fort W^ayne, Indiana, and they have a family of two children, Mrs. Cora G. Kelsey, of Ne- ligh, Nebraska, and J. Paul Eckles, of Omaha, Nebraska, FRED WITTIG. Should the reader of this volume ask for the name of a representative old settler of Cheyenne county, Nebraska — a man who came in mature years to brave the storms of the wilderness, and beyond the dreams of youth to hammer a home and fortune out of adver- sity — let him have the name that introduces this review. Fred Wittig was born in the village of Torna, Kingdom of Saxony, Germany, Au- gust 7, 1853, and was raised there until he attained his majority, following the occupa- tion of a farmer and laborer up to his twenty- eighth birthday. The parents, Fred and Hen- rietta Wittig, lived and died in the old country, the mother passing away when our subject was six weeks old. Fred Wittig came to the United States in 1881, sailing from Hamburg, on the "Gellert," February 21st, and landed in New York March 8th, He joined three friends in Ohio where he worked, near Toledo, on a farm, remaining there for about a year. He next went to Coldwater, Michigan, where he spent three years working in a hotel. In 1885, in company with a man by the name of Allen, our subject came to Nebraska and set- tled on a homestead in section 28, township 13, range 49, and remained through the pioneer days of that region, going through the usual hardships and privations of the early settler of those days. He had a hard time to get along in starting his farm, suffering from the drouth periods, hail and grasshopper raids which damaged this part of the country at different times, and had a hard struggle to make a living in the face of so many discouragements. Many years he was unable to raise much more than enough for seed, and was compelled to work out by the day and week at anything he could secure in the way of work to keep him- self and family, and while he often became almost ready to give up the struggle, kept up a brave spirit and continued to improve his place as fast as he was able. He came out victorious through the hard times, and has succeeded in accumulating a nice property. He is proprie- tor of the south half of section 28 and the northeast quarter of section 33, township 13, range 49, Sidney precinct, all of which is deed- ed land. He devotes about one hundred acres to farming purposes, keeping the balance for pasture for his stock. He has fifty head of cat- tle, and usually owns abfcut ten good horses. Mr. Wittig has a good set of substantial farm buildings on the ranch, including a com- fortable and commodious modern residence, and also every convenience for operating his farm in the way of the latest improved farm ma- chinery. On December 6, 1886, our subject was united in marriage at Sidney, Nebraska, to Miss Amelia Eichler, of German descent, whose parents were early settlers in Michigan, CO-MPENDIUAI OF HISTORY, REAilXlSCEXCE AND BIOGRAPHY where her mother still lives; the father died there about 1902. Air. and Mrs. Wittig have a family of five children, named as follows : Amelia, Fred, Jr., Emma, Frank, and Otto. The family are well liked in their community and enjoy a pleasant and congenial homelife. Air. Wittig has for the past many years been active in local affairs pertaining to the schools in his locality. In politics he is in- dependent and votes a mixed ticket according to his judgment of the men. The family are adherents of the Lutheran church. WILLTAAl T. PHTTJJPS. ^^''illiam T. Phillips, one nf the prominent business men of Rassett. Nebraska, is a man of exceptional ability and superior intelligence. He has made for himself an enviable reputa- tion by his honest and energetic labors, and enjoys the esteem and confidence of his fel- lowmen. Mr. Phillips was born near Maquoketa. Jackson county. Iowa. January 6, 184.3. His father. William Phillips, was a native of Ohio, and a farmer by occupation ; and his father fought in the war of 1812. and his grandfather in the revolutionary war. Our subject's mother was. prior to her marriage, Miss Lydia \\'^hittaker. also a native of Ohio. His parents had a family of nine children, of whom he was fhc youngest. He was raised and educated in Iowa, growing up in Maquoketa, Jackson county, where he attended school. When he was seventeen years old he started out for himself, after his father's death, engaging in farming, in Iowa, until 1883. Mr. Phillips first came to Rock county, Nebraska, 1883. and settled on a pre-emption in the northwest corner of this county, putting up a log house two stories high, and lived in it for six years. He made a success of farm- ing, and in 1889 moved to P.assett where he has since resided. In the latter year he was elected county clerk, and held this office for five years. He was one of the organizers of Rock county, in 1889. and. being the first county clerk, transcrited from the books of Brown county everytning necessary for the records of Rock county.. From 1805 up to 1901 he was engaged in the newspaper business, being editor and publisher of the Rock County Eagle, which he established tlie former year and disposed of in May of the latter date. On disposing of his journal he went into the real estate business in which he has pros pered. owning a great deal of town property, with business extending all over Brown, Keva Paha and Rock counties. He has done his share as an old settler and is recognized as one of the leading citizens and public-spirited men of his community, always ready to advance the interests of this locality by his influence and financial aid. Mr. Phillips was married in Storm Lake, Iowa, April 26, 1883, to Aliss Alaggie McCoy, of American stock, daughter of Clement J. AlcCoy, a native of Illinois, and an old settler in Iowa and Nebraska, whose death occurred November 29, 1890. Air. and Airs. Phillips have a family of four children, who are named as follows : Lottie, Cora, Nora and Charlie. Air. Phillips affiliates with Ancient Order of L'nited Workmen of Bassett. W. F. EVERIST. W. F. Everist, one of the influential cit- izens of Redwillow county, residing in Mc- Cook, has followed the ranching and stock business for many years, and is one of the substantial and prosperous residents of the lo- cality in which he lives. Air. Everist is a native of DeKalb county, Alissouri, and came to Nebraska in 1879. at the age of six years. He was raised on a farm, and has grown up in the stock business, and is one of the best informed men in this section of the country on the subject of ranching and stock raising and breeding. He has a brother, Eg- bert H. Everist, who is the owner and man- ager of a large ranch in this county, situated near the Kansas line. Mr. Everist started in the live stock busi- ness for himself in 1883. buying and shipping stock, and also raising cattle, horses and hogs, and has continued this ever since, making a success from the first. During the year 1897 he handled 10,000 cattle, purchasing them and selling them over again to farmers in this and surrounding counties. Nearly all his feeders are imported from the west and south- west, and he has traveled all over the western states in his work, and is thoroughly familiar with conditions existing all over the country ])ertaining to the stock business. His ranch is located on Driftwood creek, seven miles from the city of McCook. In three years he shipped five hundred cars of stock per year to Davis & Son, of St. Joseph, Alissouri. In Jan- uary of this year Mr. Everist organized the McCook Live Stock Company, and is manager of this concern. This firm has purchased the Allen ranch comprising three thousand acres of land in Redwillow county, and on this ranch ^> 1 i V (^^ 1 .'-^^^^A ^ 1 ^H^^^^^^^V jLi mM ^^r I^Bl %*' .'^ j^^j 91 MR. AMI MltS (HAHLES A. ERLEWIXE. (Photo taken the year Ihey homesteaded * in I'erkins County — 1S8C.) COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 253 they have put two hundred and fifty white face cattle. They also have one hundred and twenty-five head grazing on the Sheridan ranch, this place containing two thousand acres. This concern will buy, raise, feed, ship and handle cattle, hogs and horses on a very large scale, and expect to make a great suc- cess in their venture. They have five hundred . hogs at present which they are getting ready for market, and our subject alone has one hun- dred head of horses. The headquarters of the firm will be at the Allen ranch, and the post- office address is McCook. Air. Everist firmly belie\-es that Redwillow county is the best place on earth for farming and stock raising. It is great in growing alfal- fa and beets, and all stock product can be fitted for market here cheaper per pound than in any other section of the United States. The cli- mate is immensely in its favor, being warm and dry all through the winter, and stock make a good gain when not exposed to severe weather. Mr. Everist always makes a special- ty of buying nothing but the best grades, and he also deals in mules to quite an extent. He has investments in McCook that are valuable and expects to make his home there. Mr. Everist was married January 1, 1887, to Miss Minnie Albright, of Cambridge, Ne- braska, and they have a family of four daugh- ters. FRED BORK. Left fatherless when only two years old, Fred Bork has had most of his own way to make among surroundings that require grit, hard work and persistent effort. In his native country he had some advantages for an edu- cation and attended the German schools. Fred Bork has made a success and it has been done through the qualities named above. Our subject was born on a farm in West Prussia, Germany, in 1855. His father, Gott- lieb, died when Fred was two years of age, and the mother, Caroline, died after the son came to America. Fred Bork came to America in 1880, land- ing in New York, from thence going to Illinois and later to St. Louis. After a short time he went to Wisconsin, thence to Minnesota, and from that state to Iowa, engaging in various occupations. Then in 1883, he came to Ne- braska, settling on a farm near Burwell. and, in 1885, he came to Loup county and located on his present farm in section 4, township 21, range 17. He had practically nothing to start with, other than an abundant capacity for hard work and a strong determination to make his prairie farm a good home and a means of liveli- hood. He made the first road from his neigh- borhood to the city of Burwell. He built a sod house and commenced the improvements on his land. He has done well and been suc- cessful in every way. His fine farm of three hundred and seventeen acres has been equip- ped with a good house and other buildings, and he cultivates about one hundred acres of land. He raises cattle and hogs, his sales of- cattle in 1908 bringing $600.00. and he still has forty-one head left, besides forty-six head of hogs, and is increasing his herds all the time. He is a very energetic hustler. Mr. Bork has built up a good business and is looked upon by every one as a man of en- ergy and enterprise. He has done his part as an old settler and has merited the respect of his fellow citizens. CHARLES A. ERLEWINE. Charles A. Erlewine. whose handsome and well-kept farm home is in section 22, township 12. range 38, Perkins county, where he owns six hundred and forty acres of good land, is one of the old-timers of that region, and has passed through all the old Nebraska times. He was born in Monroe county, Ohio, .October 27 , 1857. He is a son of Isaac Erlewine, who comes of German stock, and was one of the earliest settlers of Fremont. Nebraska, locat- ing there in 1872. He married Eliza McCoy, of Scotch stock, the family coming to Ne- braska together, and Charles A. grew up on a farm near Fremont, going through all the pioneer experiences, witnessing drouths, grass- hopper raids, etc. One instance of these times is well remembered by our subject, when he saw an entire field of corn completely eaten up by grasshoppers, the destruction consum- ing just two hours, and then the pests left the place. Mr. Erlewine lived with his parents until he was twenty-two years of age, then struck out for himself, following farm work. He took a homestead on section 22, township 12, range 38, built a sod house fourteen by twenty feet in size, lived in that for many years, and it still stands on the same spot. His start was a team of horses, wagon and two cows, and with these he began to develop a farm and build up a fortune. His nearest trading point was fjgallala. a distance of some fourteen miles, and he hauled all his supplies from that 254 :O^IPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY town for several years. During the years 1892 to 1896, he witnessed drouths and had a hard time to raise any crops, often being out even the seed he put into the ground, but never thought of giving up his place, and as the sea- sons become more favorable he was able to im- prove his farm, constantly adding to his origi- nal homestead, and is now owner of a fine ranch of six hundred and forty acres, cultivat- ing about eighty acres and on which he raises good crops of grain, etc. He runs considerable stock, and besides his own ranch leases land in the vicinity which he uses as hayland and pas- ture for his stock. Mr. Erlewine was married in 1883. to Miss Ida Moore, daughter of Daniel Moore, a well known pioneer in Nebraska. They have a family of four children, namely: Eunice, Hazel, Rexford and Dale, all bright and intel- ligent young people and a credit to their par- ents' training. Our subject is an Independent in his political views, and has always taken an active part in local affairs, helping to es- tablish the schools of his locality, and lend- ing his influence at all times for good govern- ment. In about 1896 he was elected county commissioner, holding the office one term, and has held minor offices in his community. On another page of this work we present portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Erlewine. as they appeared in 1886, when they homesteaded in Perkins county. JOHN D. RICHARDS. The gentleman whose name heads this per- sonal history is one of the very oldest settlers of the west, and has experienced very phase of life on the frontier, and to his efforts not a little of the success and prosperity today enjoyed in different regions is due. He traveled all over the country, most of the time with pack horses, when the whole section was infested with Indians and wild beasts, and can relate many thrilling incidents connected with thr.se days. Mr. Richards is now owner of a good ranch, situated in section 18. township 29. range 38, which he has improved in good shape, and is one of the foremost citizens of his community, and numbered among the truly substantial residents of Cherry county. John D. Richards was born near Canton. Ohio, in 1848. His father. Adam, was of American stock, and a farmer all his life. His mother's maiden name was Lydia Hayden. He spent his chihlhood days in his native county, and about 18.=!8 the family moved to Williams county, Ohio, where the old folks made their home for many years. In 1864 John enlisted in the Civil war. becoming a member of the One Hundred Eighty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and his regiment was sent south. He saw active service in Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky, serving in the Fourth Army Corps under General Thomas, also partici- pated at the following battles: The battle of Nashville, the battle of Franklin, Williamson county, Tennessee, and the battle of Columbia. He saw every side of a soldier's life, and the horrors of war, and was honorably discharged in April, 1865. After leaving the army Mr. Richards re- turned home, and afterwards went to Michi- gan, where he spent three years in the lumber woods of that state. He next struck out for the west, first going to California, where he worked on dift'erent ranches as a cowboy, rid- ing the plains for two years. He finally drifted into eastern Oregon, and engaged in the cattle and horse raising business, establishing a ranch of his own, and succeeded in making a success of the venture, remaining there for nine years and in that time building up two ranches, each time selling out when he had everything in first-class shape. In 1880 he went to the Big Horn Basin, Wyoming, and settled on a ranch which he operated for two years, and from there came to Hat Creek Val- ley, Sioux county, Nebraska, locating close to Pine Ridge, at the head of W"hitehead Creek. He started another ranch there, and lived on the place for four years, that being the fourth ranch he had opened up and improved. Mr. Richards first came to Cherry county and located permanently in 1889. taking his present ranch as a homestead, which is situ- ated in section 18, township 29, range 38, on which he erected sod buildings and gradually added good improvements. The ranch contains four hundred and eighty acres, the greater part of it being good hayland, and he uses the place principally as a cattle ranch. He has done ex- ceedingly well since locating here, although has suffered some stock losses, the worst j'ear being in 1892, when he lost thirty-five head of cattle through severe storms. While living in Wyoming. Mr. Richards had many bitter experiences with the Piegan Indi- ans. At one time they ran off six head of cat- tle from his ranch, and altogether the}' stole one hundred and fifty head of stock from the locality. .A party of ranchmen banded to- gether, our subject being one of the number, and they followed the thieves for manj' miles, but one by one the searchers became weary and discouraged, dropping out of the party, so COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 255 that finally the hunt was abandoned and all re- turned to their homes, and gave up trying to recover their property, especially when they found that the cattle had all been eaten by the redskins durin? the cold weather. HEVNER & SONS. Messrs. Hevner & Sons, of Franklin, deal in stock and are the most extensive dealers in this business in that locality. The firm is com- posed of H. W. Hevner, banker and stockman, of Hardin, Missouri, and his two sons, C. W. and John Hevner, of Franklin, the former oc- cupying one of the finest residences in Frank- lin, and both highly esteemed by all. They located at Franklin in 1904, purchas- ing a forty-acre feed lot one mile east of the town, where they feed about 800 head of cat- tle each year, shipping them to St. Joseph, Kansas City and the Chicago markets. At Hardin they also feed about 600 each season, buying these feeders all over western Nebras- ka, Colorado and Kansas. The business at Hardin has been successfully conducted for the past twenty-one years, and they are widely known as the leading shippers in their section. Hevner & Sons feed also about as many hogs as cattle at each place, so that they prepare for market from 2,500 to 3,000 animals each season. In the fcmr years they have resided in Nebraska they have established a reputation as skillful feeders and expert judges of live stock, being among the best posted men in the business on the art of feeding and preparing for market, which is a profession needing care- ful study and attention down to the smallest detail. They weigh everything used, even the salt fed, and have a record of the increase in weight, the time taken, and cost, also the proper amount of feed, rotation, mixing and diet given their stock, and have reduced to a science each detail of the work. They now have on foot plans to increase their Franklin business to three or four times its present vol- ume in the near future, so that they will here feed from 2,500 to 3,000 cattle and as many hogs each season. The_v have already demon- strated that it pays better to ship cattle here from Missouri and to pay the freight here and then to market, rather than feed in that state, as they consider this the best feeding country to be found, there being less storms, better climate and plenty of alfalfa and corn. The}^ bu}- feed and ship it in here by train, hauling it to their vards themselves. They have recently bought four hundred acres located two miles east of Franklin on the river bottom, in addi- tion to their forty-acre yards. One brother, Clarence, came to Franklin in 1908 ; he owns a farm of two hundred and fifty acres close to Franklin, and to an extent en- gages in the feeding business, and in partner- ship with the old firm, Hevner & Sons. He is married and has a family. JOHN M. COBLE. Among the prominent business men and old settlers of Keva Paha countv is John M. Coble. Mr. Coble was born in Elkhart county, In- , liana, December 14, 1856. His father, Abra- ham Coble, was an Ohioan of American stock, while his mother, Mary Miltenberger, a lady of German descent, was born in Pennsylvania. He is the second in a family of four children, all reared and educated in Indiana. At the age of eighteen years he began life for him- self, making several trips west, and in 1879 settled on a farm near ^Vaterloo, in Douglas county, Nebraska, where he remained until 1884, when he moved to Keya Paha county, se- curing a homestead on section 22, township 33, range 21, where he erected a frame shanty. Here he hauled lumber twentj'-five miles, camping out nights under his wagon, a large part of the first summer. As soon as he set- tled here he began to break up part of his farm, and his first year's crop was a sod crop of corn-. He afterwards filed on a tree claim three-q.uarters of a mile west of Springview where he witnessed the devastating drouth periods, thereby sustaining heavy losses. In 1884 he was elected sherifif, serving for four years. This supplied him with ready money, and helped him pull through the dry years, and during this time he sold his home- stead, later buying a tract of land three miles northwest of Springview, which he still owns. This land comprises a ranch of one thousand and eighty acres, including three hundred and twenty acres of leased land, two hundred of which are ander cultivation devoted princi- pally to corn and oats ; the remainder is given over to stock raising. He has a sixty-acre tract adjoining Springview with several houses there- on and where he has resided since he was first elected sheriff. In 1893 he was appointed deputy U. S. marshal, under President Cleveland, and served three years. In "97 was again elected sherift', making a total in the sherifll's office of ten vears. Mr. Coble has alwavs taken an 2-.6 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCEXXE AND BIOGRAPHY active part in the politics of Keya Paha county and although a Democrat has frequently carried a Reiniblican countv. In 1884 Mr. Coble was married to Miss Eliza Peany. daughter of Robert Peany, a na- tive of Ohio, of American stock, and a pio- neer farmer in Douglas county, where he has a ranch near Omaha. Mrs. Coble died in March, 1889, leaving one child, Rena, now the wife of Emanuel Boshart, principal of the schools of Bellview, Nebraska. In 1890 Mr. Coble was married to Mar}'^ Hassed. a widow with two children, William, editor of the "Burton Inde- pendent" : and Walter, a practicing physician of Springview, Mr, Coble enjoys the close friendship of a host of people, and is universally respected. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Royal Highlanders. He affiliates with the Democratic party. EDWARD J. BARRY. Edward J. Barry, a successful business man and ranchman of Alliance, Nebraska, has been a resident of Box Butte county for many years past. He is one of the leading old tim- ers of that locality and has always been fore- most in the development of the commercial in- terests of his community. Mr. Barry was born in New York state in 1<%4. His father, Lawrence Barry, was a na- tive of Ireland, who came to this country when a young man, settling on a farm in • Dixon county, Nebraska. He married Bridget Ryan, who also was born in Ireland, and came from the same county. When our subject was a small boy his parents moved to Iowa and there lived in different places for several years, then, in 1877, came to Nebraska, and settled in Dixon county, where he grew to manhood. At the age of twenty-three years he left home and started out for himself, coming to Box Butte county, where he took up a pre-emption and tree claim and opened a ranch which he operated for a year. .Alliance was just start- ing at that time, and he put up the third build- ing at that town, erecting a hotel which was called "The Barry House." He owned and ran the hotel for three years, and also spent one year in railroading. The hotel is now car- ried on by his sister. Mr. Barry owns -a fine ranch located four miles from Alliance, and he is interested to f|uitc an extent in slock raising on that place. In 1899 he engaged in the saloon business at Alliance, and was proprietor of one of the leading places there. The town ''went dry" at the last election and saloons became a thing of the past. Besides these interests Mr. Barry owns considerable stock in the Black Hills mines. Mr. Barry was married in 1902 to Miss Lizzie Creason, daughter of Carl Creason, a prosperous farmer of Yolo county, California. In political sentiment Mr. Barry is identi- fied with the Democratic party, and is a stanch advocate of the principles of that organization. He takes an active part in all local affairs tending toward the improvement of conditions in his locality, and is universally respected and esteemed. RICHARD KRUEGER. Among the prosperous and enterprising farmers of Colton precinct, Cheyenne county, Nebraska, none is better known or more high- ly respected than the subject of this review. Mr. Krueger has devoted many years of his life to the pursuit of agriculture in this reg- ion, and has been a potent factor in producing the present prosperity enjoyed in his locality. His home is on section 29, situated at Colton Siding, which he purchased from the Union Pacific company. Mr. Krueger was born in Prussia, Ger- many, a few miles from Berlin, April 19, 1855. Lie came to America in 1856 with his parents, the family settling in Burlington, Wisconsin, where he spent his boyhood years. In 1879, after a short residence in Grand Island, Nebraska, he came to Cheyenne county and filed on a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres located in section 32, township 14, range 48, on which he proved up and to which he has since added many acres. Mr. Krucger's land is situatcrl along the banks of Lodgepole Creek, and is admirably located for all farm- ing and ranching purposes. He has put the whole tract in the finest shape possible, having on the place an artificial lake of ten acres known as Krueger lake, which he has stocked with fine fish. He has a good system of wa- ter works, irrigating about half of his farm, and has a good set of substantial stone farm buildings, including a handsome ten-room house, enlarged and remodeled in 1908, and a large stone bam. He is engaged in the ice business, cutting immense quantities during the winter months, and furnishes Sidney with its supply of ice in the summer, having built up an excellent trade ahmg this line. .About f)ne hundred of his one thousand three, hun- dred and twcnlv acres are umlcr cultivation, a COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 257 large portion being devoted to the raising of alfalfa, and many acres are in hayland and pasture, supporting about one hundred and twenty-five head of stock. Our subject was married January 1, 1887, to Miss Alice Carey, who is a native of Port- age, N. Y., and came to Nebraska in 1885 with her father, the mother having died in the East. Mr. Carey at present resides north of Sidney, in Cheyenne county. Mr. Krueger and his good v^-ife are the parents of seven children, named as follows : William F., Elmer T. ; Frank, who died in January, 1904; Jessie; Richard E. ; Grace E., and Chester G. The family comprises a charming and interesting group, and the home of our subject is one of the most hospitable to be found in the com munity. Mr, Krueger is one of the foremost citizens of his locality, and enjoys the confi- dence of all who know him. He is Republican in politics and is a member of the Odd Fellows and the Maccabees at Sidney. GEORGE W. VROMAN. George W. Vroman, of North Platte, Ne- braska, is well-known among railway men throughout the western part of Nebraska. He was passenger engineer for the Union Pacific railway on the Chicago & Denver special. Mr. \"roman is a native of Dane county, Wisconsin, born in 1841. His parents settled there in 1836, coming from near Syracuse, N. Y., of German descent. Our s,ubject came to Nebraska in 1869, in the year the Union Pa- cific railway was completed, the last rail being- laid on May 10th of that year at Promontory, Utah. He had been with the Wabash railroad for six years prior to this, beginning with them in 1862. He worked as a passenger engineer up to 1881, then was foreman up to 1884, hav- ing charge of the machine shops. After that time he resumed his place on the road as en- gineer. In April, 1877, he organized the first general committee of the engineers on the Union Pacific and was elected as chairman con- tinuously until 1905, with the exception of one term of two years. At first the jurisdiction of this committee extended from Omaha to Ogden on the main line, and over all the branches : i. e., the C)regon Navigation Company and the Colorado Central, but after 1891 these branches were put under another jurisdiction of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. At the beginning of this organization there were only eight on the committee, and now there are over 500 engineers in this territorv. Mr. \*roman has attended as delegate, thirteen na- tional conventions of the brotherhood. He was salaried chairman from 1891 to 1894, with twenty-four lodges of engineers under him. When the Union Pacific was in the hands of a receiver in 1894, they issued an order reduc- ing the wages of the scheduled men on the road, our subject representing the engineers of this 8,000 miles of road, and really, as well representing the case of the firemen, conduct- ors, shopmen, brakemen and other employees. He took the matter before Judge Caldwell, at Omaha, in- the U. S. Circuit Court, and the evidence introduced by him covered forty-one pages of the record. The decision was that the old schedule was fair and proper, and the receivers' lov\'er schedule should not take ef- fect. This is the highest court that any labor question has so far reached, and this was one of labor's greatest victories. The case was en- tered in February and decided in April, 1894. The first case in America in which questions between railway employees and the company was arbitrated, was on the Union Pacific rail- way in 1879, at North Platte, with Mr. Vro- man as chairman of the committee of the Brotherhood, he taking the case before the ar- bitrator. Captain Rustin, on one day, and the next day the decision was given, favorable to the employees. From this time the employees never make a demand, but put their grievances or wishes in the form of statements and re- quests. These are fairly considered by the officials and the matters agreeably adjusted. On the day the first award was given, a daugh- ter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Vroman, and she was named "Arba T." The most thrilling experience Mr. Vroman ever had in his railway work was when his train was held up at Big Springs, Nebraska, one night in September, 1877, at 10:30 P. M. The train stopped at this way station, but the robbers had compelled the agent to put out a red light to make sure. There were eight of them in the gang, two appearing at the side of our subject's engine and one at the fireman's side. One was on the coal tender. As Mr. \'roman saw the gun from above pointed at him he ducked and the bullet struck the boiler head, put out the lights and filled his cab with smoke. In the confusion he went by the win- dow over the boiler to the other side, when the bandits called for a surrender and he would not be injured. They secured $63,000 and got away, but five of them were mortally wounded in resisting arrest, and the other three never were apprehended. Mr. Vroman was married at Indianapolis, Indiana, to ^liss Marv Jordan, the marriage 2^8 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY taking place November 1, 1874. Six cliildreii were born of this union, who are named as follows : Blanche E.. Clarence, employed in the Union Pacific shops at Omaha: Walter J.", Cla}- \\'., in the U. S. mail service on the same railway: Arba T.. and Ralph W. In 1882 Mr. \'roman served one term in the town council. He is an independent voter. The family are members of the Unitarian church at North Platte. JOHN W. DYER. John W. Dyer, retired, is one of the best known and most highly esteemed citizens of Franklin county, Nebraska. He resides in the city of Franklin, where he has built up a pleasant home, surrounded bv a host of warm friends, and is regarded as one of the repre- sentative old settlers of this locality. He has crossed the continent from Atlantic to Pacific four or five different times, each time taking a different route. Mr. Dyer was born in Milo, Maine, and is a son of John Dyer, of Bridgewater, Massachu- setts, and Betsy Goodrich Dyer, who was born in Industry. Franklin county, Maine. Our sub- ject's uncle. General Nathan Goodrich, was one of the heroes of the Mexican war, and Commander Nathan Goodrich, a second cousin, was with Dewey at Manilla, on the gunboat Raleigh as assistant engineer for three years. In 1861 our subject enlisted in the Second Maine Infantry, Company I, and served with his regiment up to .August 5, 1862, and re- enlisted in the Second Maine Cavalry, Com- pany G. and with this regiment saw service through the Red River expedition, also in Florida, Alabama and Georgia under General Steele and later General ,'\. J. Smith, Sixteenth Army Corps. The regiment was mustered out at Barrancas. Florida. December 16, 186.S, a few months after the close of the war. While with the Second Maine Infantry he w?s in the battle which took place at Yorktow., .it Han- over Court House, Fairoaks or Seven Pines, and also in a number of exciting skirmishes under General Martin Dale, commander of the brigade, and General Porter was the divi- sion commander. .\t this time General Mc- Clellan was in command of the army. In 1872 Mr. Dyer came west to Smith county, Kansas, locating twelve miles south of Franklin, and October 1st of that year home- steadefl one hunderd and sixty acres and lived on it, farming until 1901. \^■hen he landed here, after filing on his homestead, he had just fort3--two dollars left with which to face the winter and supply himself, wife and two chil- dren with provisions, clothes, etc., so he and a companion went to Fort Dodge, Kansas, where thousands of buffalo roamed through the plains, and in four daj'S had killed and taken the hides from eighty buffalo, all the}' could carry on their wagon. After selling them at the nearest station he started for home with sixty-five dollars in his pocket and enough buf- falo meat to last him all winter, and dried meat which lasted throughout the following summer. At that time there were hundreds of hunters through that section of the country, and had it not been for the buffalo many of the pioneers could not have survived those times. During the first j'ears our subject's family lived in a dugout, then built a log house in which they lived for some time, and after being there for eleven j^ears they were able to build a good residence. He broke up his land gradually, and by dint of hard work and strictest economy on the part of himself and wife began to get ahead, purchasing more land as he was able until he owned three quarter sections. His home farm of three hundred and twenty acres was brought up to a high state of cutivation, and he had added improve- ments until it was one of the most valuable estates in the locality. He engaged largely in raising and feeding stock, which he shipped to market, each year disposing of a car of hogs and from fifty to one hundred steers, this netting him a verj- snug income. Mr. Dyer farmed in Jasj^er count, Iowa, for five years, coming there from Bureau county, Illinois, where he had farmed for about a A-ear, and in his opinion the Republican valley is a much better jilace for farming and stock raising than either Iowa or Illinois, as the climate is health- ier and there is no mud to contend with. Here the land is easier to work, so that one man can till as much ground as two men can do in those states, while the a\erage crops and prices obtained for them are equally as good. In ad- dition to his eastern experience. Mr. Dyer vis- ited California and Oregon twice in 1904. mak- ing a careful study of conditions there. He took his wife and children with him on the last trip, and all agreed that there was no country aheai! of Nebraska, so they returned to I'ranklin and intend to make this their per- manent home. In 190.^, after his return froin the west, he ])urchascd twenty-four acres of land located in the northwestern part of Frank- lin, and on this built a nice residence. He has the place in a very fine condition. In the fall of the same year he purchased eighty acres of second bottom land Iving about a mile west of COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 259 Franklin. Before he went to California Mr. Dyer bought thirteen acres located on the high grotmds overlooking Franklin and the river and valley, on which he erected a hand- some two-story house, planting trees and mak- ing it into a beautiful spot, then sold it. He also owned a farm of one hundred and twenty acres situated two miles northwest of Frank- lin, which he disposed of to good advantage. Mr. Dyer has the greatest faith in the possi- bilities of this country, and with good manage- ment and industry he has from a very small beginning worked up to a position of ease and prosperity. 'Sir. Dyer was married in 1867 to Miss Anna Peterson, of Galesburg, Illinois, her parents being natives of Sweden. Eight children have been born to ^Ir. and ]\Irs. Dyer, named as follows : George W. Dyer, a prosperous farm- er of Smith county, Kansas, operating a farm of four hundred and eighty acres ; Addie !^Iay, wife of Seth E. Roath, of Smith Center, Kan- sas : John Clayton Dyer, owner of a fine one hundred and sixty-acre farm in Marion town- ship, this county; Grace, wife of William Gret- chell, a farmer of Smith county, Kansas; Na- than G. Dyer, living on his farm three and one- half miles northwest of Franklin; Anna P. Dyer, a graduate of the Franklin Academy, of marked musical ability, holding three diplo- mas and now teaching music in Franklin and neighboring towns ; Daniel E. Dyer, recently married, a farmer living eight miles from Franklin, and the youngest, Oliver R. Dyer, helping his father at home. Mr. Dyer is a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic post here, and a man of active public spirit. He is a Republican. WINFIELD P. TOWNSEND. \Mnfield P. Townsend, Ainsworth. Nebras- ka, takes an honorable place among the early settlers of Brown county, and has enjoyed those rich rewards which agriculture is ever ready to render to those who engage in its pursuit with foresight and industry. He has had much to do with the early settlement and general improvement of this part of the state, and illustrates in his own experience the value of character, perseverance and industry as hab- its of life. Mr. Townsend was born June 22, 1849. 01; a farm in Muskingum county, Ohio, where his father, Jonathan Townsend, had long been established, not only being engaged in the til- lage of the soil, but also following the butcher and carpenter trades. About 1855 he moved to Yernon county, 'V\'isconsin, where he fol- lowed farming for years. He came to Holt county, Nebraska, at an early day, and died here in January, 1890. He came of \Yelsh and German lineage, and was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war, serving as a member of Company D, 18th Wisconsin Vol- unteer Infantry. He married Martha Goldrick, daughter of an Irish blacksmith, who married a Welsh girl. Winfield P. was the fourth child in a family of eight born to his parents. ^^'hen the subject of this sketch had reached the age of six years his parents removed to Vernon county, Wisconsin, where he grew to manhood, in the meantime attending country school and securing such educational training as the scanty opportunities of the times af- forded. He was familiar with hard work from his early youth, and was ready to start out in the world for himself at the age of twenty-two years. His marriage to Miss Vi- ola T. Chase occurred March 5, 1871. She was born in Vermont, and came from a family long associated with the early New England history. Her parents were farming people, and represent in their own history many of the best .traditions of that section where their fortunes had long been cast. To this mar- riage were born ten children, of whom are living: Julia A., wife of Alva H. Brobst; Alyrtle V. T., who married Burdette L. Lov- ett ; Clyde A., Lowell J., Alice L., Cornelia, William' A. L., and Leon E. M. The two old- er children were born in Wisconsin, and all the others in Nebraska. While the young couple lived in Wiscon- sin Mr. Townsend was engaged in farming, and at times "worked out" to sustain his fam- ily. In 1878 he removed to Nebraska, reaching Butler county the fifth of July, and settled in Clay county in the fall of that year, where he lived on rented land for three years, making his home in a sod house, enduring such priva- tions as were common to a new country. In 1880 he came to Brown county, "to look over the country," and was so pleased with its gen- eral appearance that he made haste to cast in his lot with its earliest settlers. Renting land for one year, he took a homestead on section 6, township 30, range 22. in the spring of 1882, and this he soon transformed into a neat and profitable farm, modern and up to date in ev- ery respect. Mr. Townsend in coming from southern Nebraska, drove across the country; reaching Brown county he installed his fam- ily in a "dug-out." which was their only home for two or three years. Now he has an es- tate consisting of two hundred and forty 26o COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY acres, on which he has erected a comfortable rural home, ample barns and other farm build- ings, a windmill and has provided an ample equipment of machinery for the operation of such a place. A picture of the place will be found on another page. The place is known as "\'ictory Farm," from his winning a nine years' contest before the land office, twice carrying the case up to the Secretary of the Interior. Secretary Noble settled the contest in favor of Mr. Townsend, November 16, 1892, giving him a clear title forever to the land now known as "Victory Farm." Mr. Townsend began bridge building in 1892, and has since been actively engaged in this work on a very extensive scale. He has a complete outfit for bridge building, including a pile driver and all necessary machinery and he has built bridges all over the county. Air. Townsend is a staunch Democrat politically. He is a consistent member of the Methodist church. LOUIS F. HOE\'ET. Louis F. Hoevet, an old-timer nf Dawes county, Nebraska, has succeeded in building up a good home and valuable estate here through his industrious habits and sturdy per- severance. He resides in section 11, township 31, range 51, where he has a comfortable home and is highly esteemed by his fellow-men. Mr. Hoevet is a native of Lake county. In- diana, born in 1860, on a farm. His father, Charles Hoevet, was a farmer, born in Ger- many, who came to Nebraska in 1880, first set- tling in Clay county, later settling in Dawes county in 1894, where he died January 6, 1904. He married Miss Elizabeth Ritter, born in Ohio in 1843, of German stock. A sketch of Charles Hoevet will be found on another page of this volume. Our subject grew up in Illi- nois, where the family had moved when he was a boy, and he attended the common schools during his spare hours, assisting his parents in the farm work. In the fall of 1879 he came west to Clay county. Nebraska, the rest of the family coming out the following year, and there they were among the first set- tlers in the region. He farmed in Clay county for several years, then moved to Perkins coun- ty, where he took up a pre-eraption and proved up on the land. There he lived in a sod sliantv and went through all sorts of pioneer experi- ences, but stuck to it and succeeded in build- ing up a good home and farm and made money. In 1894 Air, Hoevet came with his family to Dawes county, having sold his pre-emption in Perkins county, and here settled on section 11, township 31, range 51. He is owner of two hundred acres of good land, seventy of which is under cultivation, and the balance in pasture for his stock, of which he keeps quite a large number of cattle, hogs and horses. His place is well improved and he has every- thing in first-class shape, showing good man- agement and improved methods of agriculture. Air. Hoevet left home when he was twenty- six years of age. and at that time was united in marriage to Aliss Armenta Hiatt, daughter of Riley and Lementine Hiatt, early settlers in Appanoose county, Iowa. He was from North Carolina, and married Aliss Clementine Jones, born in Tennessee. Air. and Airs. Hoe- vet are the parents of three children, namely: Edna, Fay and Helen. CHARLES HOEVET, Deceased. Charles Hoevet, who was one of the prom- inent old settlers of Dawes county, died Jan- uary 6, 1904. He had been in failing health for some time and on the 30th of December he was seized with paralysis and from that time there was little hope for his recovery, and he gradually sank until the end came. The funeral was held at Bethel church and the services were conducted by the Rev. Mr. Shull, of Crawford. The whole country turned out in respect to the memory of this highly es- teemed neighbor. Air. Hoevet was born in Alecklenburg- Schwerin, Germany, on the 3d day of June, 1832, and consequently attained the ripe age of seventy-two years, seven months and three days. He was the youngest of nine children, all of whom he survived. In 1852 he emi- grated to America and for a few years resided in Indiana and afterwards settled in Kanka- kee county, Illinois, where he made his home until the spring of 1880. In that year he re- moved to Clay county, Nebraska, and in 1892 to Dawes county, where he established him- self with his family upon a well improved and beautiful farm cast of Crawford, where his life was brought to a close. In 1859 he was united in marriage with Aliss Elizabeth Ritter, who was the daughter of Jacob and Sarah C Ham- mond) Ritter. The children of this union were nine in number, seven of whom, with the aged widow, survive tn ninurn the loss of a good husband and father, and all of whom were present at the deathbed and funeral. The liv- co:mpexdium of history, reminiscence and biography 261 ing children are: Louis. Charles, Delia, Otto, Edward, Albert and Floyd. Mr. Hoevet was one of the most substan- tial and respectable citizens of Dawes county and his death will be recognized as a dis- tinct loss to the community. CHARLES T. HOWARD. On the banks of the Lodgepole creek, Cheyenne county, Nebraska, stands the hand- some residence of one of the leading citizens of that county. Among those who have en- dured many hardships and succeeded in spite of many discouragements which fell to the lot of the early settler of Western Nebraska, no one is more deserving of prominent men- tion than the gentleman who forms the sub- ject of this sketch. Mr. Howard was born in Plattsburg. New York, on September 14, 1845. He grew up in that locality, and at the age of eighteen years moved to Will county, Illinois, where he ac- quired an eighty acre farm one mile north of Manhattan. He first came to Cheyenne coun- ty in 1885 and filed on a homestead in section 26, township 13, range 49, and spent eight years on that place, making good improve- ments. He then purchased and moved onto a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in sec- tion 31, township 14, range 47, situated on Lodgepole creek, and still occupies this last mentioned place. Here he has made a fine farm, and owns in all one thousand two hun- dred acres, which includes the original home- stead. He devotes about thirty acres to crops, and has sufificient pasture for the stock he owns. He has erected good farm buildings, fences and necessary wells and windmills for the care of about thirty head of cattle and fifty horses which he keeps. The family oc- cupy a fine modern residence, and every cor- ner of the place shows good management, prosperity and painstaking care in its opera- tion. Mr. Howard was married at Alokena. Illi- nois, on the 24th day of November, 1876, to Miss Alice Turner, a daughter of James and Abeygail (Crandle) Turner, born near Ashta- bula, Ohio. Six children blessed this union, named as follows: Harry (deceased); Lila, wife of Leroy Dyke, now living in Portland, Oregon; Winifred, who married Carl Homan, of Sedgewick, Colorado : Lee, Lucy and Pot- ter, the three last named all living at home. Mr. and Mrs. Howard are of a most hospitable nature, and have a family of intelligent and congenial children, making a happy family which it is a pleasure for one to meet. Our subject himself is a man of very pleasant personality, and a gentleman of superior qual- ities of mind and character. Owing to im- paired health, Mr. Howard spent the winter of 1908 in southern California, in which place he rapidly recuperated. He has always voted the Republican ticket, and takes an active part in local and county afTairs. He is a member of the Odd Fellows, and with his family, of the Episcopal church. WILLIAM E. GAMEL. The gentleman above named is a leading merchant of Loomis, Nebraska. In 1899 he bought out the hardware business of D. T. Garrett, and has since that time successfully conducted the store, increasing his stock, and has more than trebled the business, so that his patronage extends all over the territory adja- cent to Loomis. Mr. Gamel has one of the largest and finest stores in this section, hand- ling hardware, furniture, harness, paints, oils, tin and kitchenware, stoves and ranges, plumbing and the last year adding automo- biles, and enjoys a great measure of prosper- ity and an enviable reputation as a business man and worthy citizen. Mr. Gamel is a native of Champaign coun- ty, Illinois, and is a son of O. J. Gamel, who came to this county locating in Lake town- ship with his family in 1888, his death occur- ing there in 1894, at the age of forty-eight years. He was the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of land in that township, and was a very successful farmer and agriculturist. He was by profession a druggist being a reg- istered pharmacist, and was engaged in that business, also the grocery business before com- ing to Nebraska. Prior to the time of our sub- ject starting in business in Loomis, he was engaged in the profession of a teacher here, having followed this for seven years, also taught in Lake township and the last three years spent in the Loomis public schools. Mr. Gamel was married in 1894 to Miss Helen Potter who, prior to her marriage, was a teacher in the Loomis schools, and a lady of much intelligence and charm. She was a native of Owego, New York, daughter of John O. Potter, now a resident of Denver, Colorado. Mr. and Mrs. Gamel have two chil- dren. Mr. Gamel received his education at the Fairmont. Nebraska, high school, and later attended the Franklin Academy and Lin- 262 CO.MPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY coin Normal, receiving a state certificate. Mr. Gamel is a genial, intellectual gentleman, pop- ular in business and social circles, universally esteemed and respected. BERNARD J. McGUIRE. Bernard J. McGuire, who enjoys the com- forts of a rural home in section 10, township 26, range 28, Cherry county, is one of the well known and wealthy residents of his locality. He is one of the old settlers there and his la- bors have become a part of the history of the county. Mr. McGuire was born in Roscommon county, Ireland, in 1865. His father, Michael McGuire, came to America several times on a visit, but spent his entire career in his na- tive land engaged in farming. He married Mary Buchanan, and they owned a good home and farm, on which our subject grew to the age of thirteen years, at which time he came to America by way of England, landing in Philadelphia. He spent five years in the east, then came to Nebraska. While in Pennsyl- vania he attended school, and also worked in the mines until coming west to Jefferson coun- ty, Nebraska, then went into the Black Hills and was there at the time of the Indian mas- sacre, taking part in subduing the insurrec- tions of the redskins. During that trip he slept on the ground and often awakened in the morning with his blankets covered with snow. He roughed it for two years in that vicinity, working as an engineer in a sawmill. As early as 1885 he came to Cherry county. Mr. McGuire was married at Fairbury, Ne- braska, January 31, 1891, to Miss Anna Shan- ley, daughter of Patrick Shanley, who was an old settler in Cherry county. After their mar- riage they went to Denver and remained in that city for five years, where Mr. McGuire was engaged in the ice business. He held considerable ranching property in Cherry county, having quite a herd of cattle and horses, which brought him in a good income. He acquired his present ranch in 1895, and the following year moved with his family on the place, which they have occupied ever since. At that time it was highly improved land, with good buildings, wells and windmills, and he has continued to improve it and keeps it in good shape. The place consists of one thou- sand nine hundred and twenty acres, all deeded land, and he also controls one thou- sand two hundred and eighty acres of leased land in the vicinity, using it almost e.xclusive- ly as a stock ranch, running a large bunch of cattle and other stock. Since coming to his present ranch the only bad luck he has expe- rienced was loss sustained through a cyclone which came along and blew the roof oft' his house and utterly destroyed a shed on the place, together with smaller damage. Mr. and Mrs. McGuire have a family of five children, named as follows: Michael B., Mary, Letta Beatrice, Berenice Rosetta and Patrick Leo, and they form a most interesting family group, all bright and intelligent, their home one of the most pleasant to be found in the community. They have a large circle of friends and ac- quaintances who enjoy their hospitailty. Most of Mr. McGuire's time is devoted to his family and the interest of his ranch, and while he takes a commendable interest in local att'airs, has never sought public oftice. D. C. SHETLER. For the past twenty-five years the gentle- man above named has been an important fac- tor in the development and progress of the section lying south of the Platte river, cover- ing Phelps and Kearney counties, Nebraska, He came to Nebraska in 1879, from Johnson county, Iowa, locating at Wilcox. Nebraska, and in 1886 engaged in the lumber busi- ness at Wilcox, which he conducted for five years. He was the first chairman of the village board of Wilcox, organized in 1889. and held the position of postmaster of that town for five years. Wilcox now has a population of fi\e hundred, and boasts two banks, two papers, three ele- vators and a number of fine stores. Our sub- ject is at present occupying the position of cashier of the Exchange Bank of Wilcox. This institution was established by him in 1905, with a capital and surplus of $12,000, and since its organization the bank has built up a pros- perous and growing business. It now owns and occupies a fine new brick building, and is one of the most reliable banking institutions of Kearney count}-. For the past twelve years Mr. Shetler has owned the Wilcox Herald, for which he has recently erected a substantial brick building and installed a new, up-to-date press and job ofiice, supplied with a gasoline engine, new press, and everj^ improvement, at a total cost of $3,500 for the plant. This paper has a wide circulation in the four coun- ties of Phelps. Harlan, Kearney and Franklin, the town of W'ilcox being located at the cor- ner of these counties. The paper is managed by J. B. Lane. Mr. Shetler also is interested D. C. SHETLER. co:mpendium of history, reminiscence and biography 263 largely in the real estate, loan and insurance business, with his headquarters and office at Wilcox, and has sold large .tracts of farming lands in the four counties above mentioned, amounting to millions of .dollars. His is the largest agency of its kind in this section, and has located hundreds of farmers in Nebraska, and is constantly advertising its advantages. Land in this vicinity has advanced 200 per cent, in the past fifteen years. Our subject is now owner of two thousand five hundred and twenty acres of fine farm land, three hun- dred and twenty acres of this being located near the town of Wilcox, one thousand six hundred acres in dilTerent parts of Nebraska and six hundred and twenty-five acres of it in Iowa. All of these lands are under rental, and he derives a substantial income from this source. He also owns five hundred head of Duroc Jersey pure-bred hogs, from the best strains in the country, and one hundred head of Shorthorn cattle. He has fed from five to ten cars of cattle and hogs annually for the past ten years, which he ships to the markets. The past year he raised one hundred acres of wheat which netted him $1,739 after paying expenses of $533. He is a strong advocate of sowing fall wheat at the end of August. He is also a firm believer in the state of Nebraska as a banner crop producer. Mr. Shetler also has large interests in Holdredge, where he now lives. He was married in 1876 to Ella Garey. and they have been blessed with three children : Ethel, Fay and Louise. ^Ir. Shetler was born in Ohio. A portrait of Mr. Shetler will be found on another page of this volume. ANTON UFIRIG. The gentleman above named was one of the first to settle in Box Butte county, and has, since the earliest days of settlement in this section, taken a leading part in the public affairs of the section, having been the first mayor of Hemingford. Mr. L'hrig is held in the highest esteem by all who know him, and his name will figure prominently in the his- tory of the development and growth of this part of the country. He occupies a pleasant and comfortable home adjoining Hemingford, and is one of the substantial and worthy cit- izens of the town and township. Mr. Uhrig was born in Nassau, Germany, in 1847, and his father was a merchant at that place, who spent all his life in his native country, his death occurring there in about 1873. Our subject was reared in the old country, learning the harness-maker's trade and followed the work for six years there, and when he was twenty years of age he came to America, landing here in 1867, and came di- 'rectly west to Illinois, locating in Carlyle, where he followed his trade for about two years, and later spending a short time at St. Louis. He then went to Council Bluft's and Omaha, working at his trade in both cities, then went to ilondamin, Iowa, where he opened a harness shop of his own, manufactur- ing and selling harness. Mr. Uhrig next moved to a farm in that vicinity, and after farming for one vear left the place and located in Mexico, Missouri, where he attended school for one year, striv- ing to gain a better knowledge of the English language to help him in his business career. He later engaged in the furniture business at that place, being manager of the store for over a year, and then begun as a traveling salesman for the firm of Heller & Hoft'man, chair, and other furniture manufacturers, and continued in that work for three years, traveling prin- cipally through western Iowa and Nebraska, having been the first salesman the concern had ever employed in the territory of western Nebraska. In 1884 Mr. Uhrig took a pre-emption and a tree claim, both proved up on later, and later a homestead three and a half miles southwest of Hemingford, and part of that town is now located on what was his tree claim. He sold the first carload of furniture that was shipped into Rushville, and in the fall of 1885 made another trip on the road. Air. Uhrig started farming in the year of 1885, in addition to his other business enter- . prises, and the following year opened his store in Hemingford. dealing in furniture, hardware and saddlery, and he had the first stock of hardware and saddlery that was ever brought into the town. He located here before the railroad was built in and also when the county seat was located, and was one of the men who went to Lincoln to interview the railroad offi- cials and ofifer inducements to the company for bringing the road to his town, part of his tree claim being presented to the railway com- pany as a bonus for locating here. Since coming to this locality Mr. Uhrig has been remarkably successful, and has accumu- lated a fine property through his good man- agement and steady perseverance. He is owner of six hundred and two acres of land near Hemingford, also two blocks, a part of the town site. He has a fine store building 264 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY twenty-five by sixty feet, with a basement and second story, on one of the main streets of the town. In 1886 Mr. Uhrig was united in marriage at Mexico. Missouri, to Miss Augusta Basse. Mr. and Mrs. Uhrig are the parents of the fol- lowing children : Nettie, Frank, Ida, Otto, Winfred, George and Margaret. Mr. Uhrig is a Democrat and a strong party man. CARMEL E. CHENEY. Carmel E. Cheney has been intimately identified with the early history of Brown county, Nebraska, and is known in the vicin- ity of Ainsworth as one of the most reliable and prominent representatives of its best farming circles. He owes his present forward position to honest purpose, fair dealing and industrious habit. His father, John Cheney, was a native of New England and achieved a competence in Nebraska by dint of thrift and labor. Carmel E. Cheney, born near the line of Lynn and Delaware counties, Iowa, December 29, 1860, was the third in his fa- ther's family and grew to manhood in his na- tive state, where his characteristics early in- dicated a substantial success in whatever oc- cupation he might address himself. His pa- rents resided in Lynn and Delaware counties, Iowa, until he reached the age of fifteen. They removed to Marshal county about 1876 and to Crawford county a year later. In the spring of 1882 the entire family came into Nebraska, and made a home in Brown county. Here the subject of this sketch located on his present farm property, taking it under the pre-emp- tion law, later making it a homestead claim, upon which, in due time, he made all the legal proofs and acquired a clear title. In the be- ginning it was a raw prairie, and all the im- provements that now make it sightly and pleasant owe their existence to the indefatig- able labors of Mr. Cheney. For a time he "batched," and then lived with his father until his marriage, April 8, 1896, when Miss Ellen McKeever became his wife. She was born in Iowa of American antecedents, and was a lady of more than the usual gifts and graces. Before her marriage she had taught school for some years in Boyd county, Nebraska. This union has been blessed with four chil- dren : Zenas D., Bessie M., Cordelia C. and Earl V. Mr. Cheney is the proprietor of a well ap- pointed farm of one hundred and sixty acres. It is all fenced and devoted to both grain and stock farming. The Cheneys take a very active part in school matters, and have been very instrumental in the successful operation of literary societies, and other intellectual stimulants in the neighborhood in which they live. ■ In politics Mr. Cheney is a Democrat and is a member of the Independent Order oi Odd Fellows of Ainsworth. JOHN Z. VAN HOUTEN. An honorable position among the pioneer settlers of Loup county is readily accorded to this gentleman, better known as "Jack Hou- ten," by every one with whom he is acquainted. He occupies one of the large and well-im- proved ranches of the county, and is greatly respected in the community where he has lived for so many years. JNIr. Van Houten was born in Ogle county, Illinois, in 1857. His father, John Van Houten, was born in the state of New York, a farmer by occupation and was of Holland- Dutch and Scotch ancestry. The mother was a native of Rhode Island, and her name, be- fore marriage, was Cornelia Johnson. The subject of our sketch lived in Illinois until 1862, when the family moved to New York state, where they resided for about six years, at the end of which time they came west to Humbolt county, Iowa, where our subject grew up on a farm and attended the country schools. In 1879 the family drove through with team and covered wagon to Loup coun- ty, Nebraska, and our subject settled on a homestead in section 27, township 21, range 17. He built the regulation sod shanty and prepared for the experiences of pioneer life. He had a team and drove to St. Paul. Ne- braska, for supplies and materials. He re- mained on the farm, and, although there were three successive failures of crops during the drouth years, he stuck to his work and now has a fine farm of four hundred and seventy acres along the North Loup river. His pa- rents lived and died in the county and they were respected and revered by all who knew them. In 1881 Mr. Van Hontei. was married to Miss Carrie Renifl, daughter of Philo and Mary (Wickson) ReniflF, old settlers of Ne- braska. The father was a native of New York state. Mr. and Airs. Van Houten have eight children: Burt, Harry, Horace, Jack, May, Peter. Mattie and Ella. Before her marriage, Mrs. Van Houten was a school teacher of good abilities and she has always been deeply in- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 26; terested in the educational affairs of the dis- trict. Mr. Van Houten has been an active par- ticipant in local political affairs, has been pre- cinct officer, assessor, road overseer and has held other minor offices. He is outspoken and frank in all things and his stand for advance- ment along all lines is firm and decided. CHARLES H. SAILOR. Charles H. Sailor, a leading citizen of Gor- don, Nebraska, is a prosperous merchant, widely known as a gentleman of good business ability and true public spirit. Mr. Sailor was born in Hancock count}-, Illinois, in 1864. His father, Richard A. Sail- or, was a native of Kentucky, reared and edu- cated in Missouri, and followed farming as an occupation all his life. Of a family of seven children our subject was the third member, and he was raised in Illinois until he reached the age of twenty, attending school until eighteen years of age, when he started to learn the carpenter's trade. In 1883 he came to Ne- braska and settled in Antelope county, where he remained for two years. In July, 1885, he moved to Gordon, where he took up a home- stead situated ten miles south of the town on Niobrara river. His first dwelling was a log house, and he lived in this for five and a half years, proving up and improving the place. He had early learned the carpenter and build- er's trade, and in 1891 moved to Gordon and followed this work for several years. He did well at this, and in 1901 begun to deal in farm- ing implements and has gradually increased his business until he is now' enjoying a lucra- tive trade. He established himself in his pres- ent location in 1903 and now handles all kinds of farming machinery, pumps, windmills, pianos, organs, sewing-machines, etc., his pa- tronage extending all through Sheridan and the adjoining counties. He and his son now have the finest hardware store in Sheridan county. Mr. Sailor was married in 1885, during the month of October, to Miss Lydia Wyman, of American stock, whose father, Charles M. A\'yman, was a farmer. Mr. and ]\Irs. Sailor have a family of five children, namely: Ralph, Ray, Hallie, Chester and Dwight, all born in Sheridan county. Mr. Sailor is prominent in all local affairs that tend to advance the commercial interests of his locality. He has acted as president of the Sheridan county agricultural association for six 3'ears, and has served as county as- sessor for the past four years. He was a mem- ber of the school, board for about five years, and for ten years was village clerk. He has aided in the bettering of conditions in his town, as when he first came here Gordon had thirteen saloons and about three stores, and since then the town shows wonderful growth and improvement. He is a strong Republican. WILLIAM G. FERNAU. \A'ilIiam G. Fernau, one of the earliest set- tlers in Brown county, Nebraska, is a prosper- c:ius farmer of this locality, and has gained a comfortable competence and enviable reputa- tion as a worthy citizen. Mr. Fernau was born on a farm in Wash- ington county, Wisconsin, March 10, 1855. His father, John Fernau, was a shoemaker and farmer, who came to this country from the province of Hesse Cassel, Germany, while a young man, settling in Wisconsin, where our subject was reared, receiving a common school education. He was the sixth member in a family of eight children, and during his boy- hood days assisted his father in the farm work, and thus grew up accustomed to good hard labor. In 1885 he came to Nebraska and set- tled on a homestead, and the first building he put up was a small shanty, in which he lived for some time. He went to work improving his farm, but the dry years came on and his crops were all ruined by the drouth and hail storms, and this discouraged him so greatly that he gave up trying to do anything, and left his homestead, going to Chicago, de- termined to change his occupation. He re- mained there for a year, working in a furniture factory and a cooper shop, saving his money, and then returned to Brown county and started over again ; from that time on he plodded along, slowly but surely, building up and improving his farm, in the hard times being very careful of expenditures, until now he is the owner of five hundred and twenty acres of good farming land, of which all but sixty acres are under cultivation and improved with a good house, barns, and other buildings, all his land being fenced, and well stocked with cattle, hogs and a number of horses. The land is well adapted to potatoes, of which Mr. Fernau is an extensive cultivator, having some years five thousand bushels at the digging. A view of the home and surroundings is pre- sented on another page. In 1879 Mr. Fernau was married to Miss 266 CO.MPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Lavina E. Eye, a native of Wisconsin, whose father came of Pennsylvania Dutch stock, and her mother of German descent. They are the parents of seven children, who are named as follows : John, Emma, George, Edward, David, William and Warren. The two eldest were born in Wisconsin, and the younger five in Nebraska. !Mr. Fernau deserves much praise for the substantial success which has attended his la- bors. Beginning with the most modest capital, he has worked his way up to the competence he now enjoys, and is an exemplary member of the community in which he chose his home. In politics he is Democratic, and with the family, a member of the Congregational church of Ainsworth. WILLIAM E. ROUDEBUSH. \\"illiam E. Roudebush, who for the past many years has resided in Deuel county, Ne- braska, is the possessor of a fine estate and one of the highly esteemed citizens of Chap- pell, where he now makes his home. Mr. Roudebush was born in Henry county, Iowa, in 1871, and was raised on a farm. His father, Jacob H. Roudebush, was a native of Pennsylvania, of old American stock, and later was one of the early settlers in Deuel county, Nebraska. He married Anna H. Brown, born in Indiana, of American blood. When our subject was a lad of fifteen years he came to Deuel county with his parents and has lived on the frontier since that time, being familiar with every phase of ranch life, helping his father build up his extensive ranching inter- ests, and is a thorough judge and master of the business from start to finish. When a ver}' young man be began in the cattle busi- ness on his own account, taking a homestead on section 9, township 20, range 44, built a shanty and roughed it for several years. The town of Alliance, thirty miles away, was his nearest railroad station, and from there he had to haul all his supplies. He lived on this ranch until -1900, building up a valuable es- tate, then sold out and nioveil to near r)shkosh, still running his ranch himself. He owns in all one thousand si.x hundred acres, which is devoted to stock raising. In 1905 Mr. Roudebush was elected treas- urer of Deuel county, served his term and was re-elected in 1907, still occupying the • office. He moved to Chappcil several years ago and has a pleasant home here. Our subject was married in 1896, at Al- liance, Nebraska, to ]\Iiss Mary Applegarth, daughter of Henry Applegarth, an old settler of this county. He located here in 1888 and , is well and favorably l-mown throughout the vicinity. Mr. and ^Irs. Roudebush have a family of three children, named as follows : Claude, aged ten; Elma, aged five, and Myron, a baby of three years, and they form an inter- esting and charming group. WILLIAM WILSON. Among the old settlers and prominent resi- dents of Chadron, Nebraska, the name of Wil- liam W'ilson deserves a foremost place. Mr. Wilson is well known all over the western part of Nebraska as a successful ranchman and farmer, owning valuable property in Dawes county, and he is one of the public- spirited citizens of his community, at present making his home in the town of Chadron. Mr. Wilson was born in ilorgan county, Indiana, in 1833. His father was Alexander Wilson, of American stock, owner of a fine farm in the timbered region, and was owner of a large sawmill plant ; was killed there in August, 1862. His mother was Mary Max- well, also of American blood. William grew up on his father's farm on the frontier, and was married in that neighborhood in 1856, to Miss I\Iary A. Hollis, whose parents were American born. Our subject entered the serv- ice of his country in 1862, enlisting in Com- pany H, Seventy-ninth Indiana Infantry, and served in Kentucky and Tennessee. He was at the battle of Stone River, Tennessee, and Perryville. Kentucky, seeing actual service, for many months. The following year, 1863. at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, he received his dis- charge and returned to his native county where he remained for several years, then came to Missouri and settled on a farm in Ilarrison county, on which he lived with his family for twenty years. There he opened up as fine a farm as was to be found in that part of the country, within two miles of Ridgeway, Missouri ; that town being established many years after he settled there. When he first came the country was all open prairie. Mr. Wilson's whole life has been spent on the frontier in Indiana, Missouri and Nebraska. Mr. Wilson first came to Dawes county in 1889, settling on a ranch six miles east of Chadron. and he built up that place and op- erated it for eighteen years. He had three hundred and twenty acres of good range land, part of which was cultivated, and made a sue- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 167 cess of the work from the beginning. Mr. Wilson was township treasurer in Missouri for years, in which capacity he collected the money and hired and paid the school teachers of the township ; and he has been treasurer of the first agricultural association of Dawes county. Nebraska. He moved to the city of Chadron in 1903, and has since made that city his home, and where he has a fine residence. He is police judge of Chadron, having held that office for four terms. He is well known and esteemed as a leading citizen and politi- cian, a man of high character and progressive ideas. Mr. Wilson suffered a sad bereavement in June, 1906, in the death of his wife, who left the following children : William A. ; Lovica, wife of Peter Tanner, residing in Missouri on a very fine farm ; Grace, now Mrs. J. P. Owen ; Jennie, now Mrs. E. R. Whetstine ; John T. ; Dolly, now- Mrs. R. A. Bowes ; Fred K. ; Hen- rietta, wife of C. B. Owen, all settled in this vicinity except Lovica. as stated above. I. A. GIBSON. J. A. Gibson, one of the leading citizens of Alma, Harlan county . was born in Marion county, Illinois, in 1848. He is a son of James and !\Iargaret (French! Gibson, the former born in Monongahela county. West Virginia, the latter of Champaign county, Ohio. The family moved to ]\Iarion county. Iowa, in 1854, where the father became one of the active pioneer settlers in that part of Iowa. Our subject's grandfather, Hugh Gibson, came from Kennykajig, in the north of Ireland, early in the seventeenth century, and settled at the mouth of the Cheat river. West Vir- ginia, then A'irginia. He married Miss Peggy Foreman, of Jamestown, Virginia. In 1864 our subject enlisted in the Forty- seventh Iowa Infantry, at the age of sixteen years, and served until the close of the war. He was with his regiment all through Mis- sissippi, Tennessee and Arkansas, taking part in the battle of Big Creek, Arkansas,, and in other engagements of that division. He had two brothers in the war, serving in the Ninth Iowa Cavalry. Mr. Gibson came to Nebraska and located in Harlan county in 1878. He drove here in a covered w-agon, accompanied by his wife and three children. They took up a homestead situated north of Alma, and resided on this farm until 1892, when they removed to the town of Alma, where Mr. Gibson engaged in the grocery and produce business. He op- erated this store up to 1894, and since that time 'has conducted a feed and poultry busi- ness here. He has built a fine residence and is one of the prosperous business men of this section. Mr. Gibsoij has held diii'erent local offices, having served as justice of the peace and township supervisor. He was a candidate for sheriff on the Republican ticket. Later he was appointed sheriff and filled an unex- pired term. He is a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic post at Alma, and past master of the Masonic lodge here. In 1871 Mr. Gibson married Miss Margaret Wilson, a resident of Sheridan. Iowa, at the time. They have a family of six children living, who are named as follow^s: Mary, wife of J. R. Punshon, of Morton, Kansas ; Clara, now Mrs. Kirkpatrick, of Colorado Springs, Colorado ; Nellie, now Mrs. Moore, als'o of Colorado Springs : Mrs. A. L. Burkey, of Alma : John L. Gibson, of Alma, and Bessie Gibson, living at home. They also have two adopted children, taken from the New York Orphans' Home. Bennie and Ida Jones. GEORGE D. BERRY. Among the prosperous and wide-awake business men of Bassett, Nebraska, who has been in this section since the pioneer times, we mention the name of George D. Berry. He has been intimately identified with the upbuilding of that locality and is widely and favorably known throughout Rock county. i\Ir. Berry is a native of Juneau county, ^^'isconsin. born September 5, 1854. His fa- ther, also George Berry, was born in England and emigrated to this country when a young man, settling in Wisconsin, where he farmed for many years, prior to establishing himself in Iowa, where he died. When our subject was five or six years of age his parents set- tled in Corydon, Wayne county, Iowa, where he attended the common schools, receiving a fair education. At the age of thirteen years he began working for himself, being employed as farm boy for a time. In 1884 he came to Nebraska and located in Rock county, wdiere he secured a place in a grocery store as a clerk, and continued at this work for several years. He came to Bassett in 1884 and settled on a homestead south of the town, clerking in Long Pine for some time. After settling here he opened a grocery store in Bassett on his own account, and in 1899 traded his home- stead for a lot and building: in the town. He 268 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY made a success of the business from the start, and built up a profitable trade among the resi- dents of Bassett and all over the surrounding country by his strict integrity and honest and fair treatment. He has accumulated a com- fortable property and is regarded as a success- ful business man and worthy citizen. Mr. Berry was married in Iowa September 5. 1886. to Miss Sadie C. Stewart, a native of Iowa, born at Henry. Her father, Charles Stewart, was a farmer by occupation, born of Irish stock, while her mother, Susan Ireland, was of Yankee and Dutch blood. Two chil- dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Berry, namely: George Milo and Harve}^ Park. Mr. Berry is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Odd Fellows and \\'orkmen at Bassett. willia:\i c. dugger. Another of the well-to-do residents and old- timers of western Nebraska is found in the person of the gentleman above mentioned, who is owner of a valuable estate in Chey- enne county. William C. Dugger was born in Scott Cdunty, Illinois, on December 10, 1857. His father was a native of Pennsylvania, and his mother born in England, the latter dying in 1864, and the former is also deceased. They lived in Illinois until William was seven years of age, then, after the mother's death, the fa- ther went to Kansas with his children, settling in Clay county, where he lived for about thir- teen years. From there he moved to Linn county, that state, and came to Cheyenne county in 1886, landing in the region April 22(1. He first took a pre-emption and home- stead, the latter on section 11, township 18. range .^1. which now forms the home ranch. There are four hundred acres lying along Pumpkin creek and three hundred and twenty acres on Middle creek, all good range and farm land. He has one hundred acres culti- vated, raising small grains, and he runs about one hundred and twenty head of cattle and twenty horses. There are good buildings and imjirovements on the place and Mr. Dugger is one of the leading men of his locality. On June 2, 1877, our subject was united in marriage in Linn county, Kansas, to Miss Avilla J. Millsap, who was born in Iowa, and reared there. They raised a family of six children, named as follows: Grace A., mar- ried to J. W. Nunn, living near her father's ranch, mother of four children : .\nianda mar- ried W. J. Cochran, and they have one child; Marion A., Thomas, Florence and Naomi, the last mentioned four living at home. The mother died September 22, 1907, leaving many sorrowing friends to mourn her loss, as she was a most estimable lady, greatly beloved by all who knew her. Mr. Dugger is president of the Court House Rock Telephone Company, and is active in all local matters of public benefit. He is serving as moderator of school district 143 at the present time. In political views he is a stanch Republican, and was elected county commissioner in 1905, and re-elected for the following term, which will expire in 1910. TAMES P. SWEENEY. Tames P. Sweeney, a prosperous agricul- turist and one of the leading citizens of town- ship 28. range 7\7 . Cherry county, is called one of the old settlers of western Nebraska, al- though he is one of the younger men in his locality. Mr. Sweeney was born in Oil City, Penn- svlvania, in 1876. His father, Michael Sweenev, was a farmer and teamster of that state for manv years, later a pioneer in west- ern Nebraska, where he settled with his family in 1885. locating at first in Holt county, and from there moved to .Sheridan county, where he lived for a number of years. He was one of the well known men of the region, and died on May 2d, 1907. in Cherry countv. Ne- braska, leaving his widow, whose maiden name was Miss Mary R. Zink, and five chil- dren, namely: Kate, married: Toe B. : James P. four subject) ; Ed. and Rose M. In 1895 James came to Cherry county with the family, landing here in the spring of that year, his father taking up a homestead on section 28. township 28. range y? . The place has been improved in good shape, is all fenced and our subject is engaged in stock raising principally, and is making a splendid success of the work with his two brothers, Joe and Ed., they being equally interested in the r^mching busi- ness. The mother and his sister. Rose M., both live with our subject. The ranch con- tains nine quarter sections of deeded land and is one of the most valuable estates in the coun- ty. .\11 the children have I. Gifford, now a resident of California, the family coming from Albany, New York, where ?ilrs. IMote was born. To this marriage six children have been born, namely: Walter, who is bookkeeper in the First National Bank in Chadron ; George, Esther, Howard, Anna and Francis. C. L. GRANLUND. C. L. Granlund, of Holdrege, Nebraska, deputy county treasurer of Phelps county, is one of the honored public officials of the county and a business man of enterprise and capa- bility. Mr. Granlund was born in Sweden in 1861. His parents, John and Caroline Granlund, were born in Sweden and came to the United States when j'oung people, locating in Por- ter county, Indiana, where they settled on a farm near Porter Station, later removing to Illinois. The father was a successful farmer, and in 1879 the family came to Nebraska, set- tling in Laird township, this county, taking a homestead in section 8. Here they broke up the land and farmed one hundred and sixty acres, the father dying in 1891 at the age of fifty-eight years. Our subject remained on the homestead up to 1887, then started in for himself clerking in stores. Mr. Granlund finally sold the father's property in Laird town- ship, which he had previously bought from the heirs. During the years 1891 to 1902, in- clusive, Mr. Granlund was engaged in the gen- eral merchandise business at Loomis in part- nership with C. E. Magnuson, and the firm did an extensive business. Mr. Granlund located in Holdrege in 1902 and since coming here has been one of the leading men in public affairs, being elected county treasurer of Phelps county in the fall of I9OI and 1903, serving two terms. He is a strong Republican and one of the best known men in this locality, popular with all classes and enjoying an enviable reputation as a worthy citizen and good neighbor, always lending his influence for the betterment of mat- ters in his community. He was deputy county treasurer of Phelps county for one 3'ear. Mr. Granlund is a member of the Swedish Mission church here, and while living in Loomis served as secretary of the church at that point. He has one brother, Andrew E. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Granlund, a successful and prosperous farmer of Center township. Mr. Granlund was married in 1885 to Miss Emma Anderson, of Laird township. To Mr. and Mrs. Granlund four children have been born, namely: Minnie \'., Agnes Luclla, Carl Bennett and Evald Ferdinand, and the family have a pleasant home and enjoy the friendship of a host of people. Since January, 1908. Mr. Granlund has been in the hardware business in Holdrege. BURT E. CHENEY. Burt E. Cheney is one of the progressive young farmers of Brown county, Nebraska, and counts a host of friends at Ainsworth and the vicinity, where his manly and upright character, his push and energy have brought him well to the front. The occupation to which he has addressed himself is a noble one, and the price it demands for success, hon- esty, integrity and industry Mr. Cheney is ready to pay. The subject of this writing was born in Lynn county, Iowa, December 3, 1875, where his father, John Cheney, was engaged in farm- ing. He was born in Milford, ]\Iassachusetts, coming with his parents when a boy to Jack- son county, Iowa. After his marriage he bought a farm in Dubuque county. He came to the state at an early day, living succes- sively in Lynn, Delaware, Alarshall and Craw- ford counties prior to moving to Brown coun- ty. He settled on a homestead in section 16, township 30, range 22. The first house which he constructed for his family home was a rough log cabin, which later gave place to a one and a half story log dwelling, which was afterwards covered with siding reseml)Iing a frame house. Burt E. Cheney was seven years old when the family sought a location in Nebraska, and here he was reared and educated. He re- mained at home as long as his father lived. and when he died took charge of the paternal estate. In 1898 he bought it, and here he has since made his home. Mr. Cheney and Miss Emma Baker were united in marriage December 19, 1897. She was born in southern Nebraska, a daughter of Samuel Baker, a pioneer in Brown county, where he settled in 1884. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Cheney has been blessed with three children — Freda I.. Nicl B. and Floyd A. They own a choice farm of one hundred and sixty acres, all fenced and in fine condi- tion, with a large new barn replacing the log structure which in earlier days served as a dwelling. In political views Mr. Cheney is Democratic. SWAN ANDERSON. Through exceptionally good management and persistent labors the gentleman .here named has acquired a well developed farm, and is enabled to enjoy the comforts of mod- ern farming. He is of a progressive nature and has had a wide experience in farming and every detail of his work is looked after and personally supervised by himself. His estate is situated in section 25, Westmark township, Phelps county, Nebraska. A portrait of him will be found on another page of this volume. Mr. Anderson was born in Wormland. Swe- den, in 1852, and came to this country in 1880, bringing his mother with him to this state, where she died in 1903. His father died when he was an infant. After landing in this coun- try he came to Chicago and worked for three years in the IMcCormick Reaper Works, and there are now hundreds of his Swede coworkers employed there, and all of them put together could not raise sufficient capital to buy the land and stock owned by our" subject, and this is one of the strongest arguments in favor of able-bodied men quitting the cities and wage work and getting onto farms, and young men to get out in the country and take hold of the breaking plow. Mr. Anderson's judgment and foresight realized this and he acted on his convictions, bought a team with his last money and came west, and the old saying, "He came, he saw, he conquered," holds good here. He landed in Phelps county in 1883, and bought a homestead claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Center township, improving it. put- ting up a house, barn and other buildings, planted over seven thousand trees, and soon afterwards bought one hundred and sixty acres in Anderson township. These two pieces of land he exchanged for four hundred and eighty acres on which he now resides ; also bought eighty acres adjoining that, and has bought several pieces more, so that his farm consists of six hundred and forty acres, and also has property in Holdrege. He also has three hun- dred and twenty acres of pa.sture land in Cot- tonwood township and a six hundred and forty acre ranch in Dawson county, where he rents an additional one hundred and five acres. In 1905 he sold six cars of cattle and one car of hogs, which netted him seven thousand dol- lars. He now has thirty-five horses, one hun- SWAN ANDERSON COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 279 dred hogs and two hundred and thirty-five head of cattle, the latter all raised by him for market. From the above it will be seen that he is one of the most successful farmers in this county, and he can say that it was all made since coming to Nebraska, by his own unaided work and hustling along intelligent lines, for he is a man of cast-iron constitu- tion, full of "go" and energy. He is well posted on farming, stock, markets and local and national affairs, in all of which he takes a keen interest, shrewdly recognizing what makes for success and general prosperity, and expressing his views with force and reason. He is owner of a threshing machine, wdiich he uses on his farm, doing only a limited amount of outside work. This year (1906) he raised four thousand bushels of wheat, thirteen hun- dred bushels of barley and oats and two hun- dred and thirty acres of corn, which promises a yield of fifty bushels to the acre. He had a large crop of hay also. He markets very little of his crop, preferring to make the profit by feeding it and selling the resulting fat cattle, hogs and colts. When he first came here he could not even harness a team prop- erly, but was not discouraged, as "Where there's a stout heart, strong arms, and a will, there's always a way," and he has certainly proven that it pays to go at a thing right and stick to it. Mr. Anderson was married in 1900 to Miss Emily Swanberg, and has a family of four chil- dren, as follows: Elmer, Ruth, Priscilla and Phoebe. The family are members of the Free Mission Swedish church at Phelps Center, and Mr. Anderson is a trustee of the same. For the past several years he has been a school treasurer for his section. He is a Republican, and takes a lively interest in all local and state aflfairs of his party. Our subject was burned out in 1906, lost barn, granary and corn cribs, and six horses and other valuable property. He has rebuilt and has better buildings and also added to his house. LOUIS AUFDENGARTEN. Louis Aufdengarten, a well and favorably known resident of Paxton precinct, has the honor of being the oldest settler now living in Keith county, Nebraska. Mr. Aufdengarten was born in Prussia, April 17, 1847. His fa- ther, Herman Aufdengarten, was a farmer and linen manufacturer, who spent his entire life in Germany, as did also his mother, who was Mary Witt'e. \A"hen our subject was fifteen years of age he left home and took passage at Bremen the middle of September on an emigrant steamer, the "Hansa," for America, landing after a stormy passage of seventeen days in New York City, and went direct to Toledo, Ohio, where he lived for about two years, employed in a sash, door and blind factory, the latter part of the time as shipping clerk. He then went to Omaha, Nebraska, ascending the Mis- souri by steamer from St. Louis. He spent four years in Omaha as a clerk in a grocery store. After that he went to Julesburg, Colo- rado, which was then the old town and sit- uated six miles from where the present town of Julesburg is located. In 1869 Fort Sedg- wick was moved from old Julesburg to Sidney, and he located at Ogallala, where he estab- lished a store, the first opened in that town. He also wa's the first man to erect a resi- dence in Ogallala, and his son Henry was the first white child born in the locality. He put in a small stock of general goods, dealing principally., with the Pawnee Indians and scouts, and with the white soldiers in the re- gion. The bufifalo soon began roaming through the region and then the hunters came in large numbers, which increased his business to a great extent. Soon after this period the ranch- men and cowboys began to settle in the coun- try, and he was obliged to constantly enlarge his stock, so that he carried a stock of $20,000 to $25,000, and had the biggest establishment in that part of the state. He carried on this business until 1876, when he sold out and went into stock raising, which he tried for three years, then went back to the mercan- tile business, continuing until 1886, but as his health began to fail he was obliged to quit, starting a mill, the first in Ogallala. The mill was burned in 1894. In 1898 Mr. Aufdengarten came to his pres- ent location, which he had taken as a tree claim in the early days, .and he then began to build up a farm. He improved it rapidly, and now has a tract of three hundred and twenty acres, with irrigated meadow land, pleasant premises, good buildings of all kinds, etc. He has ten acres devoted to fruit, having apple, peach, plum and cherry trees, besides grapes and other small fruits. There are over two hundred grape vines bearing splendid fruit, and his is one of the finest equipped and best cultivated farms in the vicinity, having the finest grove to be found in the region sur- rounding a dwelling. Air. Aufdengarten has been a leading citi- zen of Keith county since locating here, and was one of the men who helped organize it 28o COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY as a count)' in 1873. He was appointed the first county clerk and held tlie office for eight years. Later he served as county treasurer for four years, and has held other important offices in the region. In politics he is a Dem- ocrat and is a member of the Ancient Order of United \\^irkmen. PATRICK HENRY O'ROURK. Patrick Henry O'Rourk. one of the best known residents of Sheridan county, is hon- ored as a public-spirited citizen and one of the ablest attorneys in western Nebraska. He lives in Gordon and for the past thirteen years has followed his profession here, building up an extensive business, and is one of the in- teresting characters of this section of the country. Mr. O'Rourk was born in Granville. Mil- waukee county, ^^'isconsin. His father, Mich- ael O'Rourk, was born in Ireland, as was also his mother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Rogers, both coming to the United States when quite young, locating in Syracuse, New York, where they were married by the Rev. Father Hayes. Our subject was the second member of his parents' family of twelve chil- dren, and grew up in Wisconsin, attending the common schools, and has made his own way in the world since he was a small boy. He was an apt scholar and at the age of sixteen years began teaching school, and at the same time kept up his studies in law, graduating from the law department of the University of ^\'isconsin, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Laws and being admitted to the bar of the supreme court of \\'isconsin before he was of age. He tried his first case in the courts of law when he was nineteen j^ears of age. Mr. O'Rourk early developed marked abil- ity as a public speaker and was elected to the lower house of the \\'^isconsin legislature, be- ing the youngest member in the assembly, and the first man born in the state elected to the legislature of the state. He was afterward elected to the senate of Wisconsin and served two terms in that body, and while serving as a senator, Senator Spooner, of Wisconsin, styled him "the Marc Antony of golden-edged oratory." Mr. O'Rourk built up a prosperous law practice and was attorney foi' John Fitz- gerald, an extensive railroad builder, and he handled cases for this gentleman in the Da- kotas, Nebraska and several other western states. In 1873 he acted as reporter for ciit^crent papers in the east and traveled through the West Indies and Australia, and was also in some of the western states in this capacity, and it was during this year that he first traveled through the Platte valley. In 1893 he came to Gordon and located, opening a law office, and has since made this his permanent resi- dence. For some j^ears he was a lecturer and earnest worker in the cause of temperance, and lectured on the subjects of "John Weslev and the Methodist Church," "The Soldier and His True Dignity" and "Sisters of Charity." He has done a great deal of newspaper work in past years, and had become so thor- oughly conversant with conditions throughout the west that his writings of this section of the country influenced immigrants to these states to a large extent. Mr. O'Rourk is widely known throughout the western states as "Senator" O'Rourk. and through his varied experiences has met many of the leading men of the times, among whom he is accorded a prominent ]5lace. ALONZO S. BARKER. For many years past the gentleman whose name heads this review has been one of the prosperous farmers of Brown county. Nebras- ka, where he has built up a fine home and farm through his industry and good management. I\Ir. Barker is a native of Albanv county. New York, born July 13, 1862. His father, Nathaniel Barker, was a carpenter by trade, who moved to Ford county, Illinois, when our subject was a boy, and there on a farm Alonzo learned to endure the hard work of the farm in his younger days, receiving a common school education. In 1884 he came to Brown county with his parents, where they located on a farm on Long Pine creek. The father died in Fill- more county in 1898. Alonzo, on reaching maturity, took up a pre-emption in section 18, township 31. range 20, and proved up on his claim, living on that place for two years. He then homesteadcd his present place in section 17. at that time a bar- ren tract of land. He built a log cabin and other buildings, adding improvements as he could and purchasing more land as he was able, until he now owns a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres, with a good dwelling and sufficient barns, sheds, cribs and other buildings. He has thirty-five acres under cul- tivation and engages principally in stock rais- ing, which lias proved very profitable to him. Mr. Barker operates in all, with leased land, RESIDENCE OF A. S. BARKER, Brown County, Nebraska. cP ''^M*.jse;&, RESIDENCE OF HENRY H, GANOW, Cherry County, Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 281 three hundred and fortv acres, being recog- nized as one of the progressive citizens of the county. When he first came to this locality- he met with many reverses, losing three crops in succession, beginning with 1898. through the ravages of chinch bugs and by hail. On March 1, 1886, Mr. Barker was married to Miss Minnie Miller, whose father, Horace G. Miller, is an old settler in Brown county. His sketch appears on another page of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Barker have a' family of three children, all of whom were born in Brown county, named as follows: Nellie, Au- drey and Dale. Mr. Barker takes a commendable interest in all local affairs that tend to better condi- tions in his community and is held in high esteem by his fellow-men. He is a Repub- lican in politics and a member of the Royal Highlanders at Long Pine. On another page of this volume will be found a view of Mr. Barker's residence and the surrounding build- ings. CAPTAIN TOHN F. MORGAN and MRS. MARY R. MORGAN. The esteemed couple above named are prominent residents of Alma, Harlan county, Nebraska, having made this town their home for the past quarter of a century. Captain Morgan is a native of Ohio, born near Ur- bana, Champaign county, in 1842. He is a son of John and Sarah (Foster) Morgan. Mrs. Morgan was born at New Lexington, Ohio, and is a daughter of Andrew Ashbaugh, the families of both having been pioneer settlers in their respective states. Mrs. Morgan's great-grandfather, Ebenezer Donaldson, was killed in the Wyoming massacre in Pennsyl- vania. Captain Morgan came to Harlan county in 1878 and located on a homestead in Fairfield township. He remained there for two years, then removed to Alma, renting his farm. He served all through the late war, having en- listed October 14, 1861, in Company A, Sixty- sixth Ohio Regiment, under Colonel Charles Candy. This was a company of volunteers from Champaign county, Ohio, and they saw service in many large battles. He remained with this regiment up to December 16, 1863, then re-enlisted on Lookout Mountain. In October, 1862, he had been made sergeant and filled this post with honor. June 20, 1865, he was commissioned first lieutenant of Company A. He was in Virginia at the battle of Win- chester and Port Republic. Also at Cedar Mountain and Antietam. and at the latter place he received a severe wound which forced him to the Baltimore hospital for several months. He took part in the battle of Chan- cellorsville. and also in the battle of Gettys- burg, this battle lasting for three days, and the horrors of that famous action are still fresh in our subject's mind. He was then ordered to Chattanooga, Tennessee, with his regiment, having been transferred to the western army Here he participated in the battles of Mission- ary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Resaca, Ring- gold, Dallas and Pumpkin A'ine Creek, where there was continual fighting between the Fed- erals under General Sherman and Confeder- ates under Johnston. He participated in the ten days' siege at Kenesaw Mountain, at Peach Tree Creek and at the siege and capture of At- lanta. He was with Sherman on his march to the sea. at the siege of Savannah, and through South and North Carolina, and at the battle of Richmond and later at the grand re- view at Washington, D. C. Captain Morgan has been a member of the Grand Army of the Republic since 1878, and of Van Meter Post No. 94, as a charter member, and for a number of terms has held the office of commander and adjutant. He wa^ on Captain Henry's staff while department commander and in 1905 on the staff of Corporal Tanner, major general and commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, and others. Mrs. Morgan is one of the leading members of the X^'oman's Relief Corps of Alma. On May 11, 1886, she became a charter member and first president of Van Meter Relief Corps, and has been one of the hardest workers in that body. She was appointed press corre- spondent for the-Department of Nebraska, and assistant national inspector in June, 1886; served for two years as president of the De- partment of Nebraska, and was for two and a half years treasurer of that department, one year was department secretary, and is now serving as department counselor. She was the national secretary for the years 1905 and 1906, and at the present time is acting as chairman of the national executive committee of the Woman's Relief Corps. In this order there are over one hundred and fifty-five thousand members in the United States. In 1888 Captain and Mrs. Morgan edited and published "The News-Reporter," of Alma, an independent paper in the interest of the temperance cause, and this had a wide circu- lation in western Nebraska. They sold out their interest in this organ in 1900. Both Mr. and Mrs. ^lorgan are active in public affairs all through this section, the latter having 282 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY served from 1881 to 1888. inclusive, as county superintendent of education for Harlan county. Captain Morgan is a prominent member of the Masonic order and an active worker in Harlan Lodge No. 116; also an Independent Order of. Odd Fellow, being a charter member of Alma Lo'dge No. 81. which was the first of this order organized in Harlan countv — in 1878. He is an active Republican and has held the office of assessor, township clerk and treas- urer of the town of Alma, and many other local offices. Captain Morgan has now retired from all active business interests and his time is de- voted to his family and in the enjoyment of his comfortable home, surrounded by a host of warm friends and acquaintances. AL^■IN M. MILLER. A leading old-timer of Box Butte county ivho has watched the growth of that part of the county since its early beginning, resides in Hemingford, where he is engaged in the mill- ing and lumber business and is one of the prosperous and successful business men of the town. Mr. Miller was born in McHenry county, Illinois, in 1844. His father, Worthington Mil- ler, was of American birth and his mother was Miss Harriet Everett before her mar- riage, and who died when he was six years old. When he reached the age of twelve years our subject started out for himself, working on different farms in Kankakee county, Illi- nois, for a number of years, and at the break- ing out of the war he enlisted in the Seventv- sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Company F, and saw active service along the Alississippi river and in Florida. He took part in the siege of Vicksburg; also at the siege of Mobile and spent three years in a soldier's life. He was in the last battle of the war, fought at Fort Blakely. His company went into the war in 1862 with one hundred men, and at the close of the war only twenty-two men answered the roll call, while the company had been recruit- ed to the extent of fourteen men during that time. At the battle of Fort Blakely there were thirty-three men who went to the front, and after the battle came out with a loss of eleven men. After the close of the war he came back to his old home and went to farming and re- mained in Illinois up to 1880, moving to Che- banse, Illinois, in 1879, where he was engaged in the creamery business for five years. In the spring of 1885 he came to Hay Springs, Nebraska, locating on a homestead -iive miles from Hemingford, and here his first building was a sod house, at first occupying a tent for a few months after landing, with the tent pitched in the road. During the first years here he hauled wood and timber from Pine Ridge, and worked at different things to make a living and get a start on his farm, and broke up some land, proving up on the homestead after two years, using his soldier's right. About the year 1891 our subject moved to Hemingford, where he started in the milling business, purchasing an interest in the Hem- ingford Flouring Mills. This mill was built in 1890 by Schlunts & Thomas, who operated it for a time. The mill has a capacity of sev- enty-five barrels per day, and has been a suc- cess from the start, and Mr. Miller was con- nected with the business for sixteen years, and is now sole owner of the establishment. He also handles lumber and coal, and has a wide patronage throughout the town and county. Besides his business interests in Heming- ford, Mr. Miller owns a farm of two hundred and eighty acres in Iroquois county, Illinois, which was operated under his personal super- vision for fourteen years, and he still spends much of his time at the place, although giving much of his attention to the milling and lum- ber business in Hemingford. Mr. Miller owns about one hundred and sixty acres adjoining the town of Hemingford, which is well im- proved. Shortly after returning from the war Mr. Miller was married in Illinois to Miss Addie Pearson, and they are now the parents of two children, namely: Melvin L. and George A. Melvin L. is in Iroquois county, Illinois, on the farm, and George A. is in Hemingford. Mr. Miller was elected county treasurer of Box Butte county in 1895 and 1898. holding that ofifice for two terms. He has been on the town board for a number of years, and has always taken an active and leading part in lo- cal affairs of his communit}-. He is a Re- publican. HENRY H. GANOW. Henry H. Ganow, one of the pioneers of western Nebraska, is known throughout Cherry county as a prosperous and energetic ranchman and farmer. He has been closely identified with the development of this re- gion since 1880, when the family moved into this part of the wild west, and his name will occupy a place in the making of history of this part of the country. He resides on sec- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 283 tion 15, township 32, range 38, where he has a vakiable estate of eight hundred acres, im- proved with a good house and barns, larger and better than the average in this part of the west. Mr. Ganow was born in Fort Collins, Col- orado, June 13, 1871, where almost the entire population were Indians, and he grew up amid the excitement of a wild and dangerous peo- ple,- witnessing many uprisings of the red- skins. Mr. Ganow's father, Mallory B. Ganow, was a prominent old-timer in the west, com- ing to the plains many years ago. He acted as pilot for large herds of cattle and sheep driven from Texas and Mexico into this sec- tion, some times having as high as twelve thousand in a drove. He had a contract for ties and lived in the Colorado mountains for three years without seeing anything of civil- ization. There were six children in the fam- ily, of whom our subject was the fourth mem- ber, and he was raised in Colorado and Ne- braska, coming to this region in June, 1881. His parents settled on White Clay creek, north of Rushville. Sheridan county, on a ranch, and it was there that Henry began his career as a cowboy when but nine years of age. He after- wards rode all over this part of Nebraska and into South Dakota, leading a typical life of the wild west, camping out nights and expe- riencing many rough and dangerous times, and of his many narrow escapes that of a bear fight, while a friend, his brother and himself were on the Big White river, was the most exciting. The Bruin referred to was one of the largest ever seen in this territory. In 1899 he settled on a homestead, which he still occupies and on which he has resided con- tinuously since. His first house was destroyed by a cyclone on August 3, 1900, in which everything was demolished. He has since erected a good set of buildings, a commodious frame dwelling, barns and sheds 26 feet by 80 feet in extent, wind mills, irrigation reser- voir, fences, etc., making it one of the best equipped farms and ranches in that part of the country. His ranch contains eight hundred acres, with sixty acres under cultivation, and he has it well improved with a fine orchard and many kinds of small fruit. In July, 1900, Mr. Ganow was married to Miss Kathenka L. Beck, a native of the vil- lage of Nyckjobing, Denmark, and a daughter of James P. and Hannah M. (Elsberg) Beck. They came to America in 1874, sailing from Copenhagen in the Humboldt. The father was an expert machinist and traveled in Denmark, where his work carried him. He died in the old country. The mother with her little fam- ily came to America and settled in Chicago, where Kathenka attended kindergarten and school. Later on coming to Omaha she be- came forewoman in a mattress factory and nurse for a wealthy family who traveled a great deal. Mr. and Mrs. Ganow have a family of four children, namely: Laurine B., Harold E., Va- lerie M. and Curtiss C. Mrs. Ganow is edu- cating her children personally, there being no schools nearby, and is instilling into them re- finement and love for books not common in the ranch country. She is teaching them music as well as the ordinary branches of elemen- tary learning and for politeness they are not excelled by children city bred. Mr. Ganow is a Republican and takes a lively interest in all local and state party aft'airs. He is a mem- ber of the Modern Woodmen of America. A view of the family residence, with its surround- ings, is to be found on another page of this work. CHARLES E. ELL. The gentleman above named resides in North Platte, Lincoln county, Nebraska. He holds the post of passenger engineer on the L^nion Pacific Railway, and has a record as one of the most successful engineers on the road, his work being of such a high order that he is chosen by the railroad officials for the most of the special runs requiring skill, nerve and a cool head. He is very popular ^n railway circles, and has the esteem and friendship of a host of people. Mr. Ell is a native of Columbus, Ohio, son of John P. Ell, who came to Lodgepole, Ne- braska, in 1868 with his family. The father enlisted in the Eighteenth United States In- fantry, and served all through the Civil war in the Army of the Potomac under General Phil Sheridan, taking part in all the great bat- tles of the war. When the barracks were built at Omaha he was sent there, then being a member of the^ Twenty-seventh United States Infantry. He also served in the Mexican war with the Ohio troops, and owing to his expe- rience in that war was ofl^ered promotion in the Civil war, but declined the honor. In 1870 he came to North Platte and resided here up to the time of his death, which occurred in June, 1882, aged sixty-four years. Our subject began with the Union Pacific Railroad here in 1870, working in the round- house wiping engines, then was a fireman from 284 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Inly, 1871, to November, 1876, and since that time lias been an engineer. He has the record of having made the fastest runs west of here, taking his train from Sydney to North Platte, one hundred and twenty-three minutes, in one hundred and nine minutes. The train was late, and this is tlie record run for this division. He was engineer from Sidney to North Platte on the celebrated run made'by E. H. Harriman, president of the Union Pacific, and Mr. Harri- man had a record of this trip made and framed, sending a copy to each conductor and engi- neer who took part in it. ]\Ir. Ell is a mem- ber of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi- neers, joining that lodge in 1877. Mr. Ell was married in February, 1876, to Miss Maggie McGinn, of Pittsfield. Illinois, and they have a family of two sons — John, a conductor on the same road his father is with, and George, brakeman on that road. JOHN W. McLERAN. D. D. S. Dr. John \V. McLeran, a rising young den- tist of Springview. has gained the confidence and respect of a large circle of acquaintances as a skillful practitioner and worthy citizen. Dr. McLeran was born December 7, 1873, in Marshalltown, Iowa, and is the son of Sam- uel R. McLeran, a prominent resident of Mar- shalltown, who has served as clerk of the dis- trict court in Marshall county for fifteen years. He was born in \'erniont, of Scotch-Irish par- ents, served in the Civil war, and is widely known in political circles. His mother, who was Theresa P. Jones, died at the time of his birth. Our subject was reared in Marshalltown, and after graduating from the high school there entered the State University at Iowa City, and afterwards the dental department of the Northwestern University, in Chicago, Illinois. After receiving his diploma he re- mained in Chicago for two years practicing his profession, and from there went to Boston, where he spent two years. In 1899 he located at O'Neil, Nebraska, practicing^ in that town for four years, then removed to Springview, where he has since been located. He is build- ing up a splendid reputation and practice and is one of the solid men of Springview. On May 3, 1905, he was married to Miss Lena McKnight, whose father, Dr. McKnight, is a prominent old settler of Brown county, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. One daughter, Ruth, has been born to them, her nativity occurring at Long Pine. The Doctor is a Republican in politics. He has served the Masonic lodge at Springview as master since the institution of the lodge, and also afifiliates with the W'orkmen. He deals extensively in real estate, has served as county surveyor and as editor of the local paper. S. I. DUNN. S. J. Dunn, one of the leading citizens and foremost public men of Cheyenne county, Ne- braska, is a worthy representative of an old Nebraska family. He is a brother of I. J. Dunn, who has the honor of having nominated William J. Bryan for the presidency in Den- ver July 9, 1908. The Dunns are all well known in politics and have taken leading parts in the upbuilding and progress of western Ne- braska from its early settlement. Our subject was born in Omaha, May 14, 1862. living there until he was four years of age, when his parents removed to Sarpy county, where he grew up on a farm. Of the children in the family there were six sons and two daughters, and S. J. was the second oldest. The father is now dead, but the mother occu- pies the old farm in Sarpy county. Mr. Dunn came to Cheyenne county in 1895, arriving here in May of that year, and immediately took up a homestead on section 18. township 19. range 48, which he proved up on and has since added land to his original tract, owning at the present time three hun- dred and twenty acres, which he uses for grain and stock raising, running quite a bunch of cattle and horses. Mr. Dunn has been very successful in his ventures and is one of the well-to-do residents of his township. He has a pleasant home and well improved farm, and is up-to-date and pro- gressive in his method of farming. Politic- ally he is an Independent. WARREN G. TOWNSEND. In driving through the farming district of Brown county. Nebraska, many well kept, highly cultivated and splendidly improved places are seen, but none is more carefully con- ducted or successfully operated than that owned by the subject of this review. Mr. Townsend has spent many years on this farm and has become well versed in all modern methods of agriculture, and bj' experience and observation has acquired a wide knowledge, COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 285 to which his success is in a large measure clue. Mr. Townsend was born in Vernon county, Wisconsin, October 22, 1857. He is a son of Jonathan Townsend, a farmer of Pennsylvania German origin, and Martha Goldrick, who was also a native of the Keystone state. He is the seventh member of a family of eight children, was reared on a farm, beginning at an early age to assist his father in the hard work of which every one who has ever lived in the country knows there is much. He received a common school education, and after attending the state normal school began teaching in his native county. At the age of twenty-one he left home and began a career for himself. Com- ing west he first settled in Hamilton county, Nebraska, in 1871, where he followed teaching for two years. In 1880 he came to Brown county and remained there through the severe winter of 1880-81, having taken a homestead in the northwest quarter of section 11, town- ship 30, range 23, where .he put up a two- story dwelling built of hewed logs, and '"batched" it for several years. In 1890 this house burned and. all his household goods were lost. During these years all his supplies had to be hauled from Oakdale and Neligh, a dis- tance of about one hundred miles, and in mak- ing these trips he was obliged to spend sev- eral nights camping out on the road. He was employed part of the time during the early years here in teaching the district school in his locality, and has since first coming always taken a deep interest in all educational mat- ters in the county, for two terms serving as superintendent of schools of Brown county. In 1894 he purchased his present home, lo- cated in section 12, township 30, range 23, moving on it in the same year. This was en- tirely unimproved property, and he went to work building up a good farm, and now has a complete set of substantial and comfortable buildings, with windmill, fences, etc., which makes it one of the best farms in the locality. A view of the home and surroundings may be seen elsewhere in this work. He enjoys peace and prosperity and his pleasant home is sur- rounded by all the comforts of country life. He engages principally in grain raising, which he finds very profitable, also keeps quite a goodly number of stock. !Mr. Townsend was married November 15, 1887, to Miss Leona Hagerman, a native of Wisconsin. Her father, Calvin Hagerman, is an old settler in this county, and a sketch of this gentleman's life will be found in this volume on another page. Mr. and IMrs. Town- send have a family of four children, who are named as follows: Glen R., Lura B., Lvndon E. and Lisle ]\I. They are a happy family, and highly respected in the community in which they reside. Mr. Townsend has been a man of success- ful endeavor, and is now numbered among the substantial and prominent citizens of this lo- cality. In political faith he is a Democrat and affiliates with the Ainsworth camp. Wood- men of the World. DR. HAL. C. SMITH. The gentleman above named is one of the well known and highly esteemed residents of Franklin, Nebraska, where he has practiced medicine for the past two years. He is a young man of exceptional intelligence and good judgment, and has fitted himself for the pro- fession which he has chosen for his life work by a superior education and years of hard study and close application. Dr. Smith is a native of Pike county, Illinois, a son of Rev. John T. Smith, a well known minister of the Christian (Disciples) church, and our subject grew up in Illinois. He was educated at the Nebraska City high school and later the Lin- coln Medical College, graduating from the lat- ter institution in 1904. He then took a post- graduate course at the Chicago Polyclinic Col- lege and attended Pratt's Course in Chicago during 1905 and Northwestern L'niversity the following year. Dr. Smith is also a graduate of Neiswanger's School of Electro-Therapeu- tics, and in 1908 he attended the surgical clin- ics at the Post-Graduate ]\Iedical School and Hospital of Chicago and also Dr. Pratt's Course the same year at Herring Medical School. In addition to this, he spent some time at Dr. Mayo's Hospital, Rochester, Minn., and has thoroughly prepared himself for his career. In May. 1904, he located at Browns- ville, and came to his present location in 1906, where he is now enjoying a large practice, and rapidly gaining recognition as a master of the work. Dr. Smith is a Mason and Shriner, also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. He is a member of the Republican Val- ley and the Nebraska State Medical Associa- tions, also secretary of the County Medical Association, and special examiner here for the New York Mutual Life Insurance Company, the Bankers' Life, of Lincoln, and the Security Mutual Insurance Company, of Lincoln, be- sides acting also for the Middle West, of Lin- coln, and the L^nion Central, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and State Mutual Life Assurance Com- 286 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY pany, of Worcester, Mass. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and Ancient Order of United Workmen. ALLEN G. FISHER. Allen G. Fisher, whose name is familiar to all acquainted with the business men of North- western Nebraska, was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, in September, 1863, of Scotch- Irish, Pennsylvania Dutch and English blood. His father, George W. Fisher, senior, is a Presbyterian minister, still in charge of the First Presbyterian church of Trenton, Illinois, of which he was made pastor in 1868. Our subject was educated at McKendree College, Lebanon. 111., where though youngest he took third honor in his class with the de- grees of A. B., LL. M. and A. M. In 1884 he took third honors and degree of LL. B. at Washing- ton University, St. Louis. He served as deputy clerk of Cumberland county, Illinois, for twenty- eight months, and May 1. 1886, located at Chadron, where he was a member of the firm of Fall, Spargur & Fisher, the first lawyers in Chad- ron. He has practiced law there continuously since, except 1898, when he w-as in the army. He took a homestead in section 32, township 30, range 56, in Sioux county, Nebraska, and still owns this and other lands. His practice ex- tends all over central Wyonvng and Black Hills, and all over Nebraska. He is a Republican and from January, 1897, to June, 1898, was county attorney of Dawes county, being elected by the same majority that the county gave Bryan, and Holcomb for Governor on the fusion ticket. For three years he served as city attorney of Chadron. Having been since 1887 a member of the National Guard, he was com- missioned captain for services in Sioux war in 1891, and in 1898. at the declaration of war with Spain, he raised Company H, Second Regiment. Nebraska Volunteer Infantry, and was elected captain and commissioned as such and went south with it to Chickamauga Park, Georgia. They were mustered out with this regiment at Fort Omaha, October 24, 1898, at the end of six months' service, and he was offered a similar commission in the Philippine army, but the war being ended, declined this. During this service the county board removed him from the office of county attorney as a political stroke, but he was placed on the ticket as candidate for rep- resentative, after his muster out, to fill vacancy, by declination of Republican nominee, and he carriefl the district (then and later fusion by more than 800 votes) by a substantial majority. Mr. Fisher was married in 1884 to Miss Flora Yanaway, also a native of Ohio, and they are parents of six living children: John G., a Sioux county rancher; Bessie \'. and Winnie, both graduates of Chadron High School and Wesleyan students at L'niversity Place ; William Allen, Alice Regina and Charles Andrew, who survive their brother, George, who died in 1905. JOHN N. STANDT. Among the business enterprises which con- tribute in a marked degree to the prosperity of Holdrege, Phelps county, Nebraska, is the wholesale bakery and confectionery establish- ment of John N. Standt, sole proprietor and manager. ^Ir. Standt is a native of Bundenbach, Rhineland, Germany. His parents having died, our subject left his native land with an uncle when only a boy, going to London. England, and he there learned the baker's and confec- tioner's trade, working at it up to 1885. and at that time came to the L^nited States where he has been in the same business ever since. In 1889 he came to Holdrege and began in business, starting in on a small scale as he had not much capital, but he made a success from the start, and his good bread, cakes and confectionery brought him an ever increasing trade and he is accounted one of the leading business men of the town. He now turns out from one thousand five hundred to two thousand loaves of bread per day, and his cake and candy utput is correspondingly large, employing four bakers all the time. He sends his goods all through the western part of Nebraska, also into Colorado. He does not keep any solicitors to sell his goods, but sells them entirely on their merits. Mr. Standt owns his store and factory building, which is located on one of the main corners of Holdrege. Mr. Standt is one of the active public- spirited men of his community, and takes a leading part in all matters that tend to the advancement of commercial and educational affairs. He has been city treasurer for the past eight years. At different times has held the office of chairman and secretary of the county central committee of the People's In- dependent party of Phelps county. He is an active member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Woodmen of the World, the Highlanders, the Mutual Protective League, also the National Protective League, besides other fraternal and .social organizations. He has a genial, social disposition and pleasing COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 287 personality which makes and keeps him friends in all walks of life. Mr. Standt was married in 1901 to Miss Anna K. Standt and they have one child, John N. Standt. Jr. JOHX L. ROSEBERRY. John L. Roseberry, residing on section 25, township 28, range 35, Cherry county, was born in Green county, Pennsylvania, January 18, 1866. His father was a farmer and a veteran of the Civil war, who died in 1865 from the eflfects of his service during his career as a soldier. The mother's maiden name was Julia A. Stewart, and both parents were American- born, descendants of old American stock. Mr. Roseberry was reared in Pennsylvania on a farm, living at home until he was twenty- one years of age, then started for himself, com- ing west and locating in Clay county, Nebras- ka, where he spent two years farming. He then came to the western part of the state and took a tree claim on Dismal river, re- turned to Pennsylvania and spent a year,, then back to Nebraska, this time settling in Cherry county, taking a homestead here in 1890, which he has occupied ever since. He was the first white settler to begin improving land in the Dismal country and put up some of the first buildings, making the first fence in the locality. His buildings were all of sod, and his teams were oxen, which did all his farm work for a number of years. He got together quite a herd of cattle and other stock, and during the severe storms which swept the country in 1892 lost one hundred and forty-five head of stock, and for a few years went through very hard times, losing crops, stock, etc. He used his old tree claim as a summer pasture for his cat- tle, farming a small portion of his homestead, and about 1895 sold the former and afterwards leased land and ran stock for others, forging ahead slowly and bettering himself as he was able. He gradually added land to his original claim and is now possessor of three thou- sand three hundred and sixty acres of deeded land, besides leasing four sections, all of which is used for a stock ranch, having plenty of pas- ture and hay land. Mr. Roseberry has a fine ranch house 36x 40 feet, two stories, and water piped through- out the residence, a good barn, workshop and other buildings, wells, wind mills, three flow- ing wells, and has built sixty miles of fence. He also has a fine fruit orchard, has seven hundred apple trees bearing the finest fruit, also plums, cherries and small fruits. He has eighty acres of alfalfa, and cultivates one hun- dred acres, raising small grain of all kinds. Mr. Roseberry has done considerable experi- menting with grasses and different grains, in order to ascertain which is the best adapted to the soil and climate, and the past year has tried raising Mexican peas, and shipped a crop of five hundred pounds. He has also given much time to the patenting of a hay stacker, which proved to be a success, and on which he took out a patent on February 21, 1905, called the Roseberry Stacker, which is in quite common use in the western states, claimed to be one of the best on the market, and has made a nice income for the inventor. Mr. Roseberry deals heavily in cattle and horses, running annually from twelve hundred to fifteen hundred of the former, and at pres- ent has eighty horses. His ranch is one of the best equipped and finest in the west, he devotes his entire attention to its management, and deserves the success which has come to him. Mr. Roseberry was married in 1893 to Miss Oscee G. Garrett, daughter of James H. and Alice (Hamm) Garrett, well known in Nebraska as one of the pioneer families here. They have the following children: Ira L., Ray, Paul T., Alice, Mabel, Oscar, Irena and a baby, Gar- rett. Our subject has always taken an active part in local affairs, serving as justice of the peace at dift'erent times, and was county com- missioner for one term. He is president of the Hooker and Cherry County Telephone Company, organizer of that company and was active in getting the line established through the section. OSCAR E. FORSLING. The office of sheriff of Kimball county has been bestowed upon this gentleman, and he is discharging the duties of the position with rare ability and increasing popularity. He was elected in 1907, 'and prior to that time had served as deputy sheriff for four years, in that time becoming thoroughly familiar with the work, and he is deservedly honored and es- teemed by his fellow-men. Mr. Forsling was born near the city of Gothenberg, Sweden, on July 19, 1873. His fa- ther was a native of that country and followed farming as an occupation, also was for eight- een or twenty years a government officer, be- ing well and prominently known in this part 288 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY of the country. He was a very wealthy man, owner of two extensive estates, and a very in- fluential citizen. In 1883 he came to America with his family, locating^ in Kimball county, Nebraska, in 1885. He took a homestead and built up a comfortable home and became one of the prominent residents of that locality, known all over the section as one of the very old-timers and successful stockmen in that part of the state. A sketch of Mr. Forsling appears in this volume on another page. Our subject left home and started for him- self at the age of thirteen years, beginning as a cowboy, and at a very tender age rode the range all over the western part of Nebraska and the adjoining states, "punching" cows dur- ing the summer months and hunting and trap- ping through the winters. A considerable por- tion of his time was spent in Wyoming, Da- kota, Montana and Colorado, and he roughed it during summer and winter, camping out on the ground wherever he happened to stop in his travels. He finally settled permanently in iKimball county, and is now living in the town of Kimball, where he has a good home and is one of the leading citizens. On November 25. 1900, :\Ir. Forsling was married to ^liss Ethel Whitman, who is a daughter of F. M. Whitman, proprietor of the leading hotel in Kimball. Mrs. Forsling is a very charming and estimable lady, and their home is one of the most hospitable in tovvn. EARL R. BATTY. D. D. S. The gentleman above named is among the rising professional men of Alma. Nebraska. He has gained an enviable reputation in his line during the comparatively short space of time in which he has practiced, and is regarded as a man of sterling qualities, well qualified for the work he has undertaken, and has the support of a large patronage. Dr. Batty is a native of Illinois, and is of English descent. He is a son of E. H. Batty, who settled in Alma in 1887, who was engaged in the real estate, and later the flour, feed and grocery trade, and now resides at Hastings. He invested largely in farming land, which he sold at a good round figure, and now owns considerable business house property in dif- ferent towns in this section. He was for a time owner and publisher of the .Alma Record, which was the Republican organ of the county, and still owns this paper, but leases it to other parties. He came to Nebraska from Jo Da- viess countv, Illinois, in 1886. with his familv. locating in Alma, where our subject was reared, graduating from the Alma high school in 1896. After finishing high school he worked under Dr. Hill of this place and later studied dentistry at the Kansas City Dental School, and graduated from that institution with the class of 1901. He at once established an of- fice at Alma, and is the oldest dentist in length of time practicing in Alma at the present time. His clientage extends all over Harlan and the adjoining counties, and has made an immense success in his profession. One brother, Dr. A. J. Batty, is in the same profession, with ofifice at Wilcox, Nebraska. Dr. Batty was married in 1905 to Miss Anna Stewart, daughter of C. W. Stewart, a merchant of Alma. EVERETT :\r. ELDRED. .\m0n2r the old-timers in western Nebraska who have watched the development and growth of this part of the country from the time of the organization of the counties, and who has been an important factor in the upbuilding of this section, the gentleman above named holds a prominent Dlace. He resides on section 9, township 21, range 45, Deuel county, where he has a fine ranch and valuable estate. ^Ir. Eldred was born in Jones county, Iowa, in 1864, and raised in that locality. He is a son of E. J. Eldred, a native of New York state, who was among the first settlers in Jones county, where he settled on a farm. Our subject is the second member of a fam- ily of four children, all boys. At the age of sixteen years he left the home of his uncle with' whom he was then living and came to Saline county. Nebraska, where he followed farming, working out on ranches in that vi- cinity, and afterwards was engaged in the liv- ery business for some years. He remained there up to 1888. when he moved to Deuel county, taking a homestead, which is the farm he now occupies. When he struck here he had very little capital, but he went to work build- ing a set of sod buildings and began to start his farm. His brother Edgar came with him, and they had brought about one hundred and fifty cattle, and from that start gradually worked into the stock business, and have been engaged in this ever since. He batched it on his claim for ten years, constantly adding to his land, until he now owns a ranch of si.v thousand acres, on which he runs three thou- sand head of cattle and about two hundred horses. A large number of the horses are used in hanflling the cattle, as he re(|uires five men ^ ^ :^^k&mfm,ir>4i^^-^-^^^^'^'-'"7^^ v^ "^fSS^S^ ^Si Is**' K. M. LLDKtD Part of Iiis ranch and stock, Deuel County. Nebraska. RESIDENCE OF E. M. ELDRED. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 289 to assist him in the care of this stock and operate the ranch. His place is well improved, and his hay land, of which he has a large tract, is all fenced. He has never been through any- thing like hard times, and has been success- ful from the beginning. In 1906 he had about five hundred tons of hay which he was unable to cut on account of the valley where it was grown being wet, and this was quite a severe loss to him. He built a comfortable frame house in 1893, but this was burned down in 1895, and he then erected a brick adobe and plastered with cement. This is well finished off inside and has a fine porch around it. He has a pleasant home, burns coal for fuel, which is rarely done in this locality, and is a great believer in having the comforts of life. He is well contented here, but intends to move to town in the near future, as his wife wants to leave the hills. Mr. Eldred was married to Miss Mary El- len Avery in 1898. She is a daughter of ilr. and Mrs. Sylvenus Avery. Mr. and Mrs. El- dred have no children. Mr. Eldred is an independent voter, believ- ing it best to give the best man on any ticket the chance, and has never taken an active in- terest in politics, although he always gets out to vote. He has made a great success since coming to this country, and is satisfied with the result of his ventures in the cattle busi- ness. The nearest mail station from his ranch is at Orlando, a distance of one and one-half miles. His nearest trading point is Alliance, thirty miles distant. Lakeside, in Sheridan county, on the B. & M. Railroad, twenty-five miles distant, is his shipping point. Some interesting pictures are presented on another page showing some of Mr. Eldred's property. ALEX. LOWRY. Alex. Lowry, who is an old settler and highly estemed citizen of Harrison. Sioux county, Nebraska, and the owner of a neat little restaurant and confectioner's store at that place, is a man of good business judgment and sterling character. He is well known through- out his community as a man of energetic hab- its, and is well-to-do and one of the leading citizens in local aft'airs. Mr. Lowry was born in New Lenox, Will county. Illinois, in 1856. His father, J. W. Lowry, was a farmer all his life. He married Jane Davis and the family lived in different parts of Illinois during our subject's boyhood days. In July, 1861. the family went to Iowa. where they remained about eighteen months, then back to Illinois in the spring of 1863, re- maining two years ; then to Canada for a year, and in 1866 they returned to Illinois. In the spring of 1877 he again moved to Iowa and farmed there for four years in Warren county. From there he went to Calhoun county, Iowa, in 1881. purchasing a farm on which he lived up to 1892. Soon after leaving the last men- tioned place Mr. Lowry came to Harrison, and here filed on a homestead situated three and a half miles east of the town, and improved it, living on the place until he proved up on his claim. He then rented land near Harrison and farmed for ten years, also was interested in the live stock business to quite an extent. In August, 1903, Mr. Lowry left his farm and came to Harrison to reside permanently, open- ing up a restaurant and confectionery store, purchasing the building which he now occu- pies. He has done exceedingly well and has built up a good trade, carrying a nice line of goods, and has his place fitted up with all modern appliances for the proper handling of his business. While living in Illinois Mr. Lowry was married, October 19, 1876, to Miss Alice Cor- win, daughter of Nathan and Eliza (Cole) Corwin. Mr. and Mrs. Lowry are the par- ents of three children, namely: Mabel. Delia and John. The family occupy a pleasant home and are popular in their neighborhood as worthy citizens. Mr. Lowry was elected sheriff of Sioux county in 1900 and at the expiration of his term was again chosen. He proved a most capable and efficient public officer and served in all five years in this capacity, lacking about ten months of serving three full terms. HUGH BOOTH. Hugh Booth, a respected and successful farmer of Brown county, Nebraska, has a home and a habitation near Long Pine, where his cheerful countenance and genial ways have long been known and welcome. The vast farming interests of northern and central Ne- braska have long been suspected, but it has taken the labors of men like Mr. Booth to show something of what might be done in this, so long a barren and dreary waste. For many years he has been associated with pioneer ex- periences, and in any record of what has been done "out west" to make a garden out of a wilderness the name of Hugh Booth will de- serve a prominent place. 290 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Mr. Booth was born at Forest Lake, Sus- (luchaiina county. Pennsylvania, November 6, 1830, where his father. William Booth, was at the time engaged as a miller. William Booth was a native of England, near Nottmg- ham. in Derbyshire, where he married Hannah Wheatcrott and where his first two children were born. r -i Hugh Booth was the seventh in a family .if eight children born to his parents, all of whom are now living. He spent his childhood and youth in his native state, where he se- cured his education by attending the public schools. W'hen he reached the age of twenty years he started for himself. After sorne years spent in various occupations, mostly in farm- ing, he settled in 1882 at West Point, Cum- ing county, Nebraska, where he resided five years, then moved to Keya Paha county, team- ing from Cuming countv to their new loca- tion, the trip consuming ten days. Mr. Booth and his family made a location on a home- stead near the Keya Paha river, and their first home was a sod house. Here Mr. Booth lived until his election as sheriff five years later._ He was the third to be elected to that position m the new county. While sheriff he made his home in Springview, where his wife died. His wife was Mary Whiteman, to whom three chil- dren were born — Fred, Mary and Hugh, Jr. In 1892 he was married to Mrs. Eliza Hains. Three children have blessed this union — Oscar, Stella and Rose. By her first marriage Mrs. I'.ooth bore three children— Alice, John and Fern. In 1892 Mr. Booth removed to Brown county, where two years later he settled on a farm in section 1, township 30, range 22, which he sold in 1907 and bought one hundred and sixty acres in section 24. He is a true type of the best American farmer, upright and manly, industrious in his habits and of a kindly heart. Politically he is a Bryan Democrat. ED. T. ROSS. Ed. T. Ross, one of the early settlers in the western part of Nebraska, resides in Gor- don, Sheridan county, where he is widely known as a successful ranchman and business man. Mr. Ross was born in Fayette county, Texas, in 1862. His father, Anderson Ross, was a prominent merchant and cattleman, who lived on a large ranch in southern Texas, where our subject was raised. He was the fifth in a family of five children, and his fa- ther died wiien he was a small boy, leaving his mother, who was Mary Page Ligon be- fore her marriage, to rear her large family of children. There was plenty of hard work to be done in carrying on the farm, and he as- sisted in this until he reached the age of twenty, then left Texas and came north to Nebraska, helping to drive a bunch of horses to that country. He with his companions camped out during this trip and traveled over the spot where Gordon now stands in 1882. After coming to this state he worked on the E. S. Newman ranch, called the "N" Bar ranch, up to 1885. then moved to Montana, where he remained until 1889. In 1891 Mr. Ross came to Gordon and set- tled on a homestead twelve miles northeast of the town. He proved up on his claim and bought adjoining land until he owned a large tract, then sold it all out and purchased an- other ranch located eighteen miles northeast of Gordon. He is now proprietor of nineteen and a half quarter sections, and is extensively engaged in the cattle business. He has a very valuable estate and has been most successful in all his ventures since coming to this re- gion. He personally superintends the ranch- ing business, although he resides in Gordon, having built a fine residence there in the fall of 1897. Mr. Ross was married in 1888 to Miss Bes- sie Arnold, of Texas. Her father, J. C. Ar- nold, was a farmer of Fayette county, and her mother was of English descent. Seven chil- dren resulted from their marriage, named as follows: Roy, Jessie, Alary (deceased), Eva, Anderson (deceased), Hope ai)d Robert. Mr. Ross is a stanch Republican and takes a leading part in the ali'airs of that party. ADAM SCTTTMKA. Among the successful self-made men of Cheyenne countv. Nebraska, may be truly noted .Adam ^chimka. He came to the new world from his mother country when but a mere bov. and since his residence here has displayed an enterprising spirit and the ex- ercise of good judgment in a manner that com- mends him to all as one of the prominent and worthy citizens of his commnnitv. He now resides in section 4. township 12. range 48, and is a prosperous agriculturist and active, public-spirited resident. He settled in the re- gion as a pioneer and has accumulated a fine property, now possessing three hundred and twenty acres of deeded land, also controlling thirteen hundred and twenty acres under lease. Mr. .^chimka has closely applied himself to rOMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 291 the study of his calling-, is well versed in the same and possesses what years of experience teach to the observing only. Mr. Schimka was born in Bohemian Aus- tria on the 24th of December, 1859, and grew to the age of thirteen years in his native coun- try, then came to America, landing in New York City on June 1. 1872. He came to Mis- souri and settled in Benton county, remaining there until March 1, 1875, then moved to Wil- ber, Saline county, Nebraska, and lived in that place up to 1887. From there he removed to Lodgepole, Cheyenne county, arriving there April 9 of that year. He filed on a homestead in the southeast quarter of section 4, township 12, range 48, and developed a good farm, put up good buildings, etc., and still occupies the original homestead. He cultivates about one hundred and seventy acres and uses the bal- ance of his ranch for range and pasture, keep- ing about one hundred and fifty head of stock, mostly cattle. Mr. Schimka has been most successful during later years, but in the early days of his residence in this region he went through many crop failures and became dis- couraged, but determined to remain and has become one of the most successful ranchmen of the county, and especially prominent among those who have come to America from the old world and succeeded in building up a valuable estate and comfortable home. Mr. Schimka was married September 28, 1882, at Wilber, Nebraska, to Mary Novak, born in Bohemia, and who came to the United States in that year, then a girl of twenty years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Schimka are the par- ents of seven children, who are named as fol- lows: Edward, now living at Colorado; Mary, wife of Joe Brown, of Sidney; Emma, Rose, Joe, Ella and James, the last five all living at home. Three children, two boys and one girl, died in infancy, and both our subject's and his wife's parents are dead. Mr. Schimka is prominent in local affairs. He has been assessor of Colton precinct for a number of years. Politically he is a Dem- ocrat. WILLIAM KACKMEISTER. Among the successful self-made men of Brown county may be truly mentioned the gentleman whose name heads this review, lie came to the new world from his native coun- try when a very young man, and since his res- idence here has displayed an enterprising spirit and the exercise of good judgment in a man- ner that commends him to all as a worthy citi- zen. Mr. Kackmeister was born in the village of Kissdorf, Holstein, Germany, October 25, 1857. His father, Claus Kackmeister, served in the German army during the war of 1848 against Denmark and again in 1852. Our sub- ject was the fourth member in a family of five children, and was reared on a farm, receiving a common school education, and grew up as- sisting his father in all the hard farm work. At the age of twenty-one he entered the army, serving six months. In 1881 he came to the United States, sailing from Hamburg on the steamer Pennsylvania, landed in Philadelphia April 29. Here he remained for one year, working in a village near Reading, then came west to Omaha, securing employment on a farm near the city. He worked at this for a short time, then began railroading on the Union Pacific Railway, but soon became dissatisfied and quit that. He next bought a team and rented a farm near Omaha, but only remained on this place one year and one on a farm in Sarpy county, then moved to Howard county, there renting land which he worked for three years. From there he moved to Cherry coun- ty, where he settled on a homestead on the Xorth Loup and engaged in the cattle busi- ness. Here he lived in a sod shanty, twenty- five miles from a railroad, proved up on a pre- emption claim and took a homestead. He re- mained on this homestead until 1893, and then came on to Brown county, settling on rented land and farmed for nine years, when he bought his present farm, located in section 33, township 30, range 21. He at once went to work improving this property, and now is proprietor of four hundred acres of land in one piece, with eighty acres three miles north of this farm and a tract of one hundred and sixty acres south of the home place. His farm buildings are substantial and conveniently ar- ranged, and he has a good supply of water the year around. He has a fine apple orchard and other small fruits nicely growing, surrounded, as are also the buildings, by a thrifty grove of forest trees. He is progressive in his farm- ing methods, and is one of those who has done a great deal towards securing good schools in this locality. A view of the premises will be found on one of the illustrated pages of this volume. Mr. Kackmeister was married June 3, 1879, to Miss Sophia Schuman, a daughter of Jo- seph and Katharine (Goetch) Schuman, who was born and raised on a farm near his old home. Ten children have been born to them, named as follows: Henry, Annie, Willie, Au- gust, Tillie, Mary, Sophia, Tohn. Katie and Xellie. 29- :OMPENDlUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPH\ When Mr. Kackmeister first came to Cherry county his sole possessions were a cov- ered wagon and eighteen head of cattle and from this small beginning he has watched his fortunes and reputation expand and broaden until today he is the proud possessor of every- thing which goes to make up the comfort of a peaceful and happy home. He enjoys the friendship and esteem of a large circle of peo- ple, and is perfectly contented to remain in this locality the balance of his life. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Lutheran church. LEE YaxVOORHIS. Lee VanVoorhis, the efificient and popular postmaster of Crawford. Nebraska, is a pros- perous and successful business rnan of that thriving town. He is one of the progressive and consequently esteemed men of his commu- nity, and has built up a home of more than usual comfort through his energy and good business foresight. Mr. VanVoorhis was born at Oxford Mills. Jones county. Iowa, in 1861. He is a son of Garrett Van\''oorhis. a native of New York, and Lottie Smart VanVoorhis, also a New Yorker. The family moved to central Iowa when our subject was born and there he was raised, learning the miller's trade, and also spending some time in a hardware store in Union, Iowa, where he acquired a thorough knowledge of that business. In the spring of 1S85 he came to Hay Springs. Nebraska, where he opened the first and only hardware store in the place, and his store was the second frame building ever erected on the main street. He ran this business for two and a half years, and in the fall of 1887 sold out there and moved to Crawford, settling here on January 2 of the following year. He then purchased the W. F. Rockwell hardware store and con- tinued this business up to 1896, then sold out and opened up a fruit and confectionery store, at which he did well, building up a nice trade in the town. On February 11, 1903, Mr. X'anVoorhis was appointed postmaster, served one term and was reappointed January 31, 1907, proving a most capable man for the position, well liked by the general public for his accommodating manner and thorough fitness for the work. He has been active in local affairs from the time of locating here, serving on the village board for several terms, also a member of the school board for a number of years. He is a strong Republican. Mr. VanVoorhis was among the earliest set- tlers in this locality, coming here before the C. & N. \V. Railroad was laid as far as Chad- ron. When he first arrived he took up a home- stead and built a sod house in which he lived for about three years. This place was three miles from Hay Springs. In 1878 Mr. VanVoorhis was married to Miss Mary O. Humeston, whose parents were early settlers in Iowa. To them have been born five children, named as follows: Lottie, Roy, Garrett, Edna and Josephine, the last named having died in December, 1891. HENRY E. ERICSON. Henry E. Ericson, treasurer of Phelps county, elected in 1905, resides in Holdrege, where he has a fine residence and is highly esteemed by a host of people. Air. Ericson has been engaged in farming for many years of his life, and has met with pronounced suc- cess in this line of work. He has also taken an active interest in public affairs, and is one of the leading citizens of his community and county. Our subject is a native of Chicago, Illinois. The family resided in Iowa prior to settling in Nebraska, and his brother, A. S. Ericson, is well known throughout Phelps county, as he served as county clerk and resided at Funk, Divide township, for some years. (See sketch in this book.) The father. Andrew Ericson, homesteaded here in 1884 and farmed for many years. Our subject now owns six hundred and forty acres in section 19, Sheridan town- ship, and has his farm improved with fine buildings and every modern improvement for the proper running of a model farm. He has given close attention to good stock, has one hundred head of Shorthorn cattle and a num- ber of fine Perchcron and Clyde horses, con- sidering the first mentioned the best animal for the farmers in this vicinity, as it is good both for farm work and general purposes, whereas the Clydes are only good on the farm. He has pure bred Jersey hogs, and prefers this breed to any other for this section. Owing to the high price of land here the farmers will be compelled to work into the higher grades of stock for which best prices are obtained, otherwise it would not pay to encumber the land with poor stock. Alfalfa is a great boon to this county. Four hundred and fifty acres of Mr. Ericson's farm is under cultivation, seeded to wheat, oats and corn, and his wheat crop in 1906 showed a yield of thirty-three COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 293 and one-third bushels per acre. The average each year is about twenty-five bushels, and corn from forty to sixty, and has gone as high as seventy-five bushels per acre. Twenty- eight years ago our subject's father bought land at two dollars and fifty cents an acre, and the same land is now worth seventy-five dollars. Mr. Ericson was clerk of his township for eight years, also has served as treasurer of the school board in this district for several years. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and a prominent Mason, and he is a popular and worthy citizen as well as a good neighbor and friend. In political faith he is an independent voter. In 1891 Mr. Eric- son was married to Miss Amanda J. Carlson. NEIL PHILIP EASTMAN. Through exceptionally good management and persistent labors the gentleman here named has succeeded in building up a well de- veloped farm and comfortable home, and is enabled to enjoy the comforts of modern farm- ing. He is of a progressive nature and has had a wide experience in farming, and every detail of the work is carefully looked after and personally supervised by him. He resides in Rock county, Nebraska, where he is widely known and highly respected. Mr. Eastman was born in Madison county. New York state, March 22, 1860. His father, Neil Eastman, was a farmer and interested in the oil business ; he was born of Scotch-Irish parents. The mother, whose maiden name was Ellen Cassady, was of Irish descent. Our subject is the eldest member in a family of four children, and was reared and educated in the state of his birth. At the age of nine years he lost his mother by death and at that time began life for himself, having ever since made his own way. He drove a canal boat on the Erie canal for several years, and part of the time was engaged in working out on a farm. When he was fifteen he served an apprentice- ship of three years in a blacksmith shop, thor- oughly mastering that trade, at which he worked in his native state for two years, then came west to Iowa, where he followed that trade in Cass county and other parts of the state, spending some time in Des Moines. He first came to Nebraska in 1884, locating in Rock county, where he took up a homestead and tree claim. He immediately began im- proving his farm, put up a sod house as his first dwelling place, and lived in this for six years. He still followed the trade of black- smith, driving each day to Bassett, where he had a shop. Continuing this for years, he prospered reasonably well, escaping many of the hardships usual to pioneer experiences. In 1888 a terrible blizzard swept over that region, causing them much suflfering and loss, as did also the drouth periods. He operated the farm up to 1905. at the same time continuing at his trade in Bassett, whither he had previously re- moved with his family, and in the last named year traded his farm for a hardware store lo- cated in Edgar', Nebraska. Soon afterwards, however, he disposed of this business, and the same year bought his present farm of eight hundred acres, mostly in hay land. Here each year he mows and bales many tons of excel- lent hay for shipment to the eastern markets. Mr. Eastman was married in 1886 to Miss Lida Hunter, of American stock, born in Champaign county, Ohio. Her father. James Hunter, lived for fourteen years in Champaign county. Illinois, before moving to Nebraska to become an old settler in Keya Paha county, se- curing a farm there in 1884. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Eastman taught the first school in the district near their home. The school house was a log cabin, with rude benches for seats, and no modern paraphernalia to assist her in her work. She was one of the pioneer school teachers in that locality, and her ex- periences were many and amusing. Mr. and Mrs. Eastman have a family of six children, wdio are named as follows : Ellen L., James N". (deceased), Grover C, Amy B., Laura G. and Jessie M. The family is well known and highly esteemed throughout the community in which they reside, and enjoy a pleasant and comfortable home, surrounded by a large cir- cle or friends. They are members of the Church of God. Mr. Eastman has risen from a start of practically nothing to his present prosperous state, and well deserves much credit for his success. He has been one of those who helped build up this region, and is one of the regular old-timers in Nebraska. He is a Democrat politically and fraternally a member of Bassett camp, Modern Woodmen of America. JOSEPH E. WATKTNS. In a countv as well settled as Perkins county. Nebraska, it would be difficult to name the most prominent citizen, but a high station is willins'ly accorded the gentleman whose name heads this personal review. He has re- sided here manv vears and is alwavs found 294 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY standing on the side of right and justice, and has been one of the leaders in the develop- ment and upbuilding of his community. Joseph E. Watkins was born in Will coun- ty, Illinois, in 1867. His father. Peter Wat- kins, was born and raised on a farm in Eng- land, came to the United States when a young bov. and died in Illinois in 1881. He married Miivy Phillips, also born in England, who came to America when a child. When our subject was twenty years of age. the family came to Perkins county, the mother taking a home- stead on section 25, township 9. range 41, and Joseph also a pre-emption and proved up on it. They built a dugout and sod house on the mother's farm and improved the place as rap- idly as possible, although during the first few years it was rather uphill work, as condi- tions were not favorable for the raising of good crops, and they had many setbacks. Jo- seph remained at home up to 1902, helping run the home ranch, then settled on his own farm and improved it in good shape. In 1907 he bought his mother's old homestead and now runs the place, operating a farm of three hun- dred and twenty acres in all. He has about one hundred acres cultivated, and keeps quite a bunch of stock. The farm is well fenced, has good buildings and improvements of all kinds, and he is classed among the progressive and up-to-date agriculturists in his locality. Mr. Watkins was married in 1905 to Miss Florence Smith, whose father was a prominent pioneer of Perkins county. To them has been born one child, Goldie, a very charming baby. Mr. Watkins is a Democrat and takes a com- mendable interest in local and county affairs. In 1905 the vicinity of our subject's farm was swept by a very disastrous prairie fire, and he suffered severe loss. The head fire came within a few feet of his buildings and it was only by the hardest kind of fighting that they were saved. As it was, he lost several horses, some hogs, seventy-five tons of feed and other personal property. FLOYD JENKINS. Among the younger members of the farm- ing fraternity of Brown county, Nebraska, is the gentleman whose name introduces this article. He has set a high mark of efficiency in the following of his chosen profession and means to be a successful farmer in the best sense of the term. Familiar with the condi- tions that attend the tilling of the soil in what was once the eastern verge of the great Amer- ican desert, and having passed through storm and drouth, he knows Nebraska farming from beginning to finish, and under his cultiva- tion the soil smiles and puts forth abundantly. Mr. Jenkins is a son of Benjamin Jenkins and was born on a farm in Carroll county, Illinois, February 23, 1879. His father is an old settler in Nebraska, a sketch of whose life and career appears on another page. Floyd Jenkins is the third member of a family of ten children born to his parents, and his youth and early manhood were spent in this part of Nebraska. Plenty of hard work was dealt out to him, and but little schooling, as the country was very new and the schoolmaster, as yet, hardly abroad in the land. At twenty- three he left home and taking upon himself the burden of his own support began life as a farm laborer in Burt county, Nebraska, where he worked for about a year. His next move was to buy a farm in Brown county, settling on a homestead in section 24, town- ship 30, range 23, where he has six hundred and fbrty acres in addition to two hundred acres of deeded land. Mr. Jenkins was married in 1903 to Miss Pearl Homan, daughter of Palmer Homan, an old settler in this state, and a man highly respected for his sterling worth and indus- trious habits. Mrs. Jenkins is the mother of one child, Goldia. After their marriage the young couple de- voted themselves to the improvement of their place .and have converted it into one of the best to be found in the county. It comprises some eight hundred and forty acres, as above stated, one hundred and twenty being under the plow and the balance devoted to meadow and pasturage. Here they have a good house, a roomy barn and other farm buildings with such machinery as the successful operation of the place may demand. Mr. Jenkins is in- dependent in politi.cs. A. H. MATTSON. Among the most successful men in Phelps county, Nebraska, may be mentioned A. H. Mattson, a prominent farmer and stockman of Laird township, and a leading citizen of this locality, a portrait of whom appears on an- other page. Mr. Mattson is a native of Sweden. He lived near Oneida, Knox county, Illinois, and came to Nebraska in 1885, locating on one hundred and sixty acres in section 17. He built a comfortable home, and soon afterwards A. H. MATTSON. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 295 bought the adjoining one hundred and sixty acres, also homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres, on which he now Hves, adjoining Loom- is on the northeast. He has resided on this farm for eighteen years, and now owns eight hundred acres of land located in BuiTalo coun- ty, which he uses for pasture and hay land. Since settling here he has been a heavy buyer and shipper of stock, also a breeder of Short- horn cattle and Poland China hogs. He has had a drove of forty head of thoroughbred cat- tle on his home farm, and from two to four hundred graded cattle in the past. He raises and also buys and sells stock for the market, so that his herds vary constantly. For years he has had control of the hog market at Loom- is, shipping from one hundred and fifty to three hundred cars per year. He has been partly succeeded in this business by his son, Ed Matt- son, also a resident of Loomis. Mr. Mattson prefers the Poland Chinas to any other breed of hogs, both for shipping and farm use, as they are the easiest to fatten and get ready for market, and it takes less feed to keep them than other breeds. He also has a preference for Shorthorn cattle as good feeders, milkers, beef and all general purposes. He has been very successful in his ventures, both farming and stock raising and shipping. His posses- sions consist of a seven hundred and twenty- acre farm in Phelps county, besides the ranch of eight hundred acres located in Buffalo county, and has his place well improved. He has lately sold two hundred and forty acres of land, leaving twelve hundred and eighty acres he now owns. Mr. Mattson was married to Miss Carrie Bjorgland, who died, and our subject was mar- ried again, taking to wife .\nna Johnson. Mr. Mattson has one son and two daughters, namely: Ed, mentioned in the foregoing; Mrs. Charles Sansted. of Holdrege, and Han- nah, who lives at home. The last daughter, Hannah, is by the second wife, the other two from the first marriage. During his business career here Mr. Matt- son has won the respect and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact through business dealings, and is recognized as one of the sharpest business men and best citizens of the county. WILLIAM FOSKET. William Fosket, retired, is one of the old settlers and former prominent ranchmen of Box Butte county, where he has lived for many years past, and built up a valuable property through his industry and energy. Mr. Fosket now resides in Hemingford, where he has a comfortable home, and is held in high esteem by his fellow-men. Mr. Fosket was born in Tazewell county, Illinois, in 1844, on a farm. His father, Alvin Fosket, was of Scotch-Irish stock, a native of New York, and he married Miss Maria Shaw, of Pennsylvania German descent. Our subject grew to manhood in Mason county, Illinois, where he attended the country schools and helped in the work of carrying on the home farm up to 1864, then enlisted in Com- pany C, Second Illinois Cavalry, and went to Florida with his regiment, where he saw hard service, and also in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, in actual service up to the close of the war. He was mustered out in San Antonio, Texas, and after leaving the army returned to his old home in Illinois, where he followed farming for a number of years. In 1871 he came to Gage county, Nebraska, settling on a homestead located south of Lincoln, and there started to build up a farm and home, go- ing through the experiences of the early pio- neers in that section. He sold this place out prior to moving to Perth, Nebraska, where he was engaged in the livery business for fourteen years, and in 1885 came west to what is now Bo.x Butte county, settling on a claim twelve miles northeast of Hemingford. There his first house was a dugout, in which he lived for one year, then built a sod house, hauling all his supplies from Hay Springs. He spent seventeen years on this ranch, and was in the cattle and horse business principally, control- ling three sections of land at the time he left the locality. He had put good buildings and improvements on the property, and made a great success of the enterprise, and in 1906 sold out the ranch for a good round figure. In 1902 he had taken up his residence in the town of Hemingford, and has since resided here. For the past thirty-five years Mr. Fosket has been an auctioneer, and is widely known all through this section of the state. He has also for many years past dealt in horses, buying and shipping out to the different eastern and western markets. While living in Mason county. Illinois. Mr. Fosket was married to Miss Mary Piper, whose father, Ed T. Piper, was a well known physician and army surgeon. Mr. and Mrs. Fosket are the parents of six children, who are named as follows: Addie. married, now the wife of Ralph Jackson; Grove D., Orrian, Blanche, .'\lmeda and Earl. Mr. Fosket is one of the leading pioneers of both eastern and western Nebraska, and 296 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY has clone his share in the building up of both sections, helping to establish schools and has always taken an active interest in local pub- lic affairs. In political views he favors the Republican i)arty, and is a strong party man. FIRTH BOOTH. Firth Booth, one of the prominent farmers of Lodgepole precinct, Cheyenne county, who resides on his fine estate in section 29, town- ship 14, range 47, is one of the earliest pio- neers of that locality, and has during his residence there passed through all the changes that have taken place in the county, watching its growth and development from the time of its early settlement. During his residence here he has manifested true public spirit and gained the esteem and respect of his associates by his industry and persistent labors. Mr. Booth is a native of England, born in 1852. He grew u]j in his native country, and spent the first nineteen years of his life in the village of his birth. The parents resided there until death. Our subject quit England in 1872 and started for the new world, tak- ing ])assage on a steamer bound for the United States. His first employment was as a ma- chinist in the locomotive works at Paterson, Xew Jersey, where he remained for about one year. In 1874 he came west and settled in \\'isconsin and remained for a number of years, engaged in farming in Waukesha coun- ty. He then came to Xebraska, arriving in Cheyenne county in January, 1880, and short- ly after took up a homestead in section 20, township 14, range 47, where he spent a number of years, and developed a good farm. Me ne.xt moved to section 29 in the same town- shi]), where he has built a large, commodious home, lie is now proprietor of a ranch con- sisting of over three thousand acres, all lying along or near LodgeiJole creek, nearly all of it being in one body, admirably situated for farm and ranching purposes. He has three hundred and twenty acres under irrigation and raises sjilendid crops of potatoes and grain. There is also a fine lot of hay land and pas- ture, and he handles at times one hundred and fifty head of cattle each year and from twenty- five to fifty horses. He owns in all about three sections of grazing land, and has one of the finest places in the county. He has a complete set of good ranch buildings, fences, etc.. and is considered fine of the wealthiest men of tliis section, lie is i)riil),il)l\ ihc carH- est settler in the valley between Sidney and Lodgepole who has remained on his land. In 1888 Mr. Booth was married to Miss Essie L. Loomis, a native of Metamora, Wood- ford county, Illinois. Our subject and his es- timable wife have a family of eight children, all living at home at the present time. They are named as follows: James Eli, George M., Esther Ann, Louise, Leah Elizabeth, Firth, Jr., Paul and Eunice Lockwood. They are a happy and congenial family and have a pleas- ant and comfortable home, surrounded by a large circle of warm friends and acquaint- ances. Mr. Booth is prominent in aff'airs of his township and county, and is among the lead- ing public-spirited citizens who have always been found ready and willing to lend their best efforts for the improvement of condi- tions in their immediate community In polit- ical sentiment he is a Republican. REV. BAZEL HUNT. Prominent among the leading citizens of Cherry county is the gentleman whose name heads this jiersonal history. Mr. Hunt is well known all over this part of the country as an old-timer and one who has done everything in his power to aid in the upbuilding of this region, giving liberally of his time and influ- ence in every instance when he could be of as- sistance to his fellow-men. Mr. Hunt was born in Harrison connly, Missouri, September 10, 1851. His father, Jo- seph Hunt, was a farmer and nurseryman, and his mother was Flora Ensley, both of Amer- ican stock. There was a family of ten chil- dren, of whom he was the seventh in order of birth. He was reared in his native state, and his early years were spent in assisting his parents in the work of their farm, attend- ing the country schools during the winter months. He started for himseif at the age of fourteen years, at which time his father and mother both dic-cl. and he had to aid in taking care of the younger children. Mr. Hunt first came to Cherry county in 1890, landing here November 13, and his object in coining was to establish a home and farm of his own. He settled on Missouri I'lats. thirteen miles .south of Merriman, and his first dwelling place was a dugout, so familiar to the pioneers of this state. -He soon afterwards built a sod house 36x20 feet in size, which was of large proportions compared with the usual settler's home. During tlie first year< lie handled ox RESIDENCE OF B. HUNT, Cherry Countv, Nebraska. RESIDENCE OF PETER JERMAN, Cherry County, Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY. REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 297 teams and did freig"htin£^. working" out on ranches in the vicinity, at the same time build- ing up his farm, and succeeded in proving up on his claim. He then invested in land twelve miles west of Cody and lived there for four years, later taking up a Kinkaid homestead, which he now lives on, in section 9, township 34, range 35. This was unimproved property, and their first home was a tent. He soon had a good house erected, and all other farm buildings, putting down a good well and fenc- ing his land, etc. He farms twenty acres, rais- ing good crops. Mr. Hunt is of a strongly religious nature and early became interested in religions work. He was licensed as a local preacher in Mis- souri and in 1896 was ordained by the Meth- odist Episcopal conference at Chadron as a circuit preacher in this section. He has since preached at Conley Flats in addition to serv- ing his denomination at Merriman, Cody and La Vaca at diiiferent times. He is beloved by all in every community in which he has worked. A view of the family residence will be found on another page in this work. Mr. Hunt was married February 12. 1871. to Miss Melinda V. Koger, of Worth county, Missouri, and they have a family of ten chil- dren, named as follows: Mary, Ulysses, Bar- bara, Jessie R., James L., Amy, Ransom, Del- sina, Alcy and Lulu. Mr. Hunt is a member of the Modern W'oodmen and of the Odd Fellows lodges. LUDWIG P. ^^^\LTER. To the men of perseverance and stalwart determination who went to Nebraska when that region was in the early stages of devel- opment as an agricultural and commercial sec- tion, the present prosperity enjoyed there is due. Among the early settlers of Cherry coun- ty, who has been intimately identified with its development and has gained an enviable reputation as a citizen, may be mentioned Lud- wig P. Walter, a successful and leading farm- er and ranchman of his precinct. Air. Walter was born in Germany, in AVur- temburg, in 1857. He was reared there and served in the German army the time required by every loj'al subject. When he was fifteen years of age he came to America, but returned to Germany and remained until he was twenty- five years old, then made his second trip to this country. Our subject was married in 1884 at Tay- lor, Loup county, Nebraska, to Miss Paulina Lotzen. a native of West Prussia, Germany, and she was raised there. After their mar- riage they located on their present homestead, coming into the region with a team and cov- ered wagon, as did most of the pioneer set- tlers here. At that time Long Pine and Ains- worth were the nearest trading points, and many trips had to be made to those towns for supplies, the journey taking considerable time, the nights being spent in camping out along the way under their wagon, and many times Mrs. Walter and her children were forced to spend the night in a storm which overtook them. During the first years they were able to raise fairly good crops, but as soon as the. dry seasons struck the country they met with severe losses, one year losing their entire crops. In one particular instance they had forty acres of corn standing in the finest shape and in one day the hot winds totally destroyed the crop. They experienced many hardships and privations in order to keep their home- stead, and were obliged to dispose of a big drove of hogs, selling the best shoats for fifty cents each in order to get a little money, and because he had nothing to feed them on. They lived for many years in a sod house which they had built when first coming here, and sub- sequently built others of the same material. Of late they have erected a fine frame dwell- ing. Mr. AValter worked out at anything he could find to do, railroading, etc., during the vears 1894-95, the family living at Halsey v.hile he was employed as a section hand. He kept on trying to farm, gradually got into the stock business, and constantly improved his ranch as he was able. In the early days he has made trips taking seven or eight days in search of poles for a barn roof, and when the hard times were being experienced ift his vi- cinity he burned chips for fuel. He also had different severe fires, losing fence posts, hay, grass, trees, etc. His ranch now contains eleven hundred and twenty acres, situated on the Loup river. He has sixty acres cultivated and raises good crops, having a nice bunch of stock. There is a fine grove of trees which he himself planted, and many fruit trees are growing near their residence. There are sev- eral running springs and the water is pumped by windmills for all purposes. Mr. and Mrs. Walter have five children, named as follows: Elma A., now a teacher in the schools in Thomas county; Katie, mar- ried to C. Florey. and Frank, Mabel and Ray- mond at home with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Walter are strong believers in the edu- cation of their children. AVhen our subject settled in this vicinity 298 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY there were only four families in the section, and during those times their only church serv- ices were held in a sod building. Since then they have seen the county grow to be one of the most fertile and thriving communities, and have the satisfaction of feeling that they have been a part and parcel of this growth. PETER JERMAN. Peter Jernian. one of the prosperous ranch- men of Cherry county, is an old settler of Merriman precinct, and has a wide circle of acquaintances in the community in which he resides. He has built up a good home by his industry and honest dealings, and enjoys a comfortable income from the fruits of his la- bors. Mr. Jerman was born in Jackson county. Iowa, March 10. 1852. His father, Peter Jer- man. -Sr.. a French Canadian, was a miner. He was accidentally killed four months be- fore our subject was born, leaving a wife (who was Mary .Ann Flathers, of Irish descent), and a family of two small children to support. Our subject lived with his uncle, Thomas S. Flath- ers. in Center county, until he was thirteen years of age. then struck out and hustled for himself, making his own way ever since. Dur- ing his earl}^ life he attended school three months in the year, having to return three- fourths of a mile at noon to do the chores and get his lunch. He severely froze his feet the winter he was ten years old. He took a man's place in the harvest field at nine years of age. following farm work in different parts of Iowa. : part of the time being spent grubbing and clearing new land, which was rather rough work for a boy of his years. He was also. em- ployed on a railroad for nine months, after which he went to farming and continued at that for two years. .At the end of this time he gave it up and went to work for a lime man- ufacturer in Iowa, having charge of three lime kilns at Marpioketa. remaining at that work for the following eight years. In ISS.^ he first landed in Cherry county, and located on sec- tions 18 and 19, township 33. range 36, on the Niobrara river. When he struck this place all the capital he had was one cow and a calf, one pig and eight dollars in cash. He lived here for nearly three years, proved up on a pre-emption, and then took his ])resent home- stead in section 29, township 34, range 37, where he has lived continuously ever since. This farm comprises eight hundred acres of good land, including homestead claims, and he has a hundred acres under cultivation, and on this raises "banner" crops. Most of his land excepting the new homestead is valley land. He has sixty head of cattle and other stock. The place is well improved with build- ings and fences, has a large number of young trees planted, and all machinery for conduct- ing a model ranch and farm. In addition to his ranching Mr. Jerman has for a number of j'ears been employed on section work for the Northwestern Railroad at Merriman. Mr. Jerman was married November 1, 1875, to Miss Mary Ann Greener, born in Dulnique, Iowa, in 1856. Her father, Joseph A. Green- er, was born in Bohemia, was reared there un- til twenty years of age and then came to this country, where he was married in Garrone, Jackson county, Iowa, to Rosa A. Clark, of American stock. Mr. and Mrs. Jerman have five children, named as follows: Joseph W., Mary R., a successful teacher of Cherry coun- ty; Flora E.. wife of E. G. Ward; Florence G., wife of Ira Rose; and Francis. Mr. Jerman and his family are now in position to enjoy the fruits of their hard labor. They have a pleasant home and farm, and he is glad now that he stuck to Nebraska, although he has seen some hard times, often felt discouraged and ready to give up, but is satisfied that he could not have done as well in any other place. He takes a commendable interest in all lo- cal aflfairs and has served his community as constable for a number of years. He has never held any political office, as he says he has had too many other things to engage his atten- tion. He is a Democrat, and with the family an adherent of the Catholic faith. On another page is shown a view of the residence of Mr. Jerman and family. JOHN H. LACY. John 11. Lacy, one of the foremost business men of Harrison, is a member of the firm of Lacy & I^ieckman, handling hardware, har- ness, lumber, grain, coal and machinery, and they conduct one of the largest stores of its kind in Sioux county, Nebraska. Mr. Lacy was born in Ontario. Canada, in 1867. on a farm. His father, Patrick, was alsc a native of that country, of Irish blood, and his mother was Elsie Hudgin, born and rearec in Montreal. When our subject was a lad oi about eight years the family left Canada and settled in Iowa, where he was raised and ed- ucated in the country schools, assisting his father in the work of carrying on the home A. G. JOHNSON. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 299 farm. A\nien he became of age he went to Ida count)-, in western Iowa, and there worked on farms for about six years, and at the end of that time began farming on his own account and remaining there for about two years. Mr. Lacy came to Sioux county in 1895, taking up a homestead located seven miles northwest of Harrison, and proved up on his land, improved it in good shape and putting up good buildings. The farm contained one hundred and sixty acres of good land and he lived on that place for about seven years. He was principally engaged in raising small grains and also in the stock business on a small scale, and did fairly well, but finally gave it up and bought a ranch farm in Kansas and spent one year and a half in that state. In 1903 he came back to Nebraska and purchased his present business, and has made his home here contin- uously since that time. The firm have im- proved the store considerably, putting in a large stock of goods and have built up a good trade. (A sketch of the life of Mr. Lacy's partner, John Dieckman, who came into the business in 1906, will be found in this volume on another page.) Our subject is also owner of a Kinkaid homestead consisting of four hundred and eighty acres in section 6, township 31, range 55. He has put over three thousand dollars' worth of improvements on this place and is still engaged in farming and ranching to quite an extent. In 1892 Mr. Lacy was united in marriage to Matilda Dieckman, a sister of his partner. Mrs. Lacy's father, Henry Dieckman, is an old settler and well known resident of this county. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lacy, namely: John H., William H., Elsie and Chester, Mr. Lacy takes a commendable. interest in all local political and school affairs, and has held school ofifice for many years and done his full share as a citizen. He is a Democrat. A. E. JOHNSON .\ND A. G. JOHNSON. Albert E. Johnson, President, and A. G. Johnson, Cashier of the Farmers' State Bank of Loomis, Phelps county, Nebraska, are con- spicuous examples of the success attending the Swede settlers who come to this country to carve out for themselves a home and fortune. This bank was organized in 1900, and pur- chased by the two gentlemen above mentioned in 1905. The entire management falls upon A. G. Johnson, who was educated in the pub- lic schools. He qualified himself as a thorough accountant by a correspondent course with Bryant and Stratton College, and by strict ap- plication and hard work became an expert in his line of work. The father of our subjects was a native of Sweden who came to America when a young man, settling in Kane county, Illinois. He was married in Sweden previous to coming to America but all of his children were born in America. In 1880 they came to Nebraska, lo- cating in Phelps county, homesteading a quarter section in section 6. Laird township, and so well did they plan and work that at the death of the fatlier, which occurred April 24, 1901, he left four hundred eighty acres of fine land, each son thus receiving an ample estate. As an instance of the prosperity of this county, A. G. Johnson states that in 1896 the total deposits in Loomis banks was $6,000, and at the present writing, the deposits amount to over $250,000. The stockholders of the Farm- ers State Bank are James 'McClymont, Presi- dent; A, G. Johnson, Cashier; Lynn Snodgrass, Vice-President; A. L, Johnson and Albert E. Johnson. A portrait of Mr. A. G. Johnson will be found on another page of this volume T. B. CAMPBELL. T. B. Campbell, the popular and efficient train dispatcher for the Republican Valley division, resides at McCook, Nebraska, and is well known all through this locality as a citizen of true worth. Mr. Campbell was born at Sheppard, Isa- bella county, Michigan, in 1858, and removed to Mansfield, Ohio, with his parents when a small boy. His father, Samuel J. Campbell, was county clerk of Isabella county and a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, and family originally coming from the north of Ireland, where our subject's grandfather, John Campbell, was born. His mother was Jane A. Barnett, daughter of James Barnett, an old resident of Philadelphia, who was a manu- facturer of edge tools. The Barnetts came from Holland to this country, locating in New York, and were in the Revolutionary war, A brother of our subject, J. W, Campbell, is assistant cashier of the 'Frisco Railway, lo- cated at Memphis; Tennessee, and another brother, J. B, Campbell, is a banker at Yuma, Colorado. When he was eighteen our sub- ject began for himself, obtaining employment with the Pennsylvania Railroad at Mansfield, 300 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Ohio, in 1876. and ran from there to Fort Wayne. Indiana. Two years later he went to the superintendent's office, where he learned train dispatching:, and the following year was attacked with malaria fever and was compelled to ,s:o west, and settled in Nebraska, and since that time his health has been perfect. During the year 1880. from April 25 to June 1. he was on tiie construction force of the B. & M. Rail- way from Lister to Table Rock, and at this time the telegraph outfit was moved from Pawnee City to Fremont Butte, five miles south of Akron. In 1882 there was one pas- senger train per day each way. and now there are in all eight heavy passenger trains in a day. Between 1882 and now' the freight rec- ord is: Then one freight train per day. and now there are four or five each day. and one of the trains now would have made four of that time, and this business has increased easi- ly twenty-four per cent, in twenty-six years. Todaj' there are more operators in the Mc- Cook office than there was in 1882 on the whole line. At that time T. G. Rees was chief dispatcher and J. F. Forbes, J. F. Kenyon and our subject were trick men be- tween Hastings and Denver. Today there are nine trick men. two chief dispatchers and one relief man. The most exciting experience that Mr. Campbell ever had in his work was in IMarch. 1886. when twelve cars loaded with coal were bhjwn out of the Akron yards onto the main line and sent east on the down grade. The first intimation he had of this accident was a message from Hyde. Colorado, that these cars had just passed there at sixty-five miles an Imur. The St. Louis passenger for Denver, with every seat taken, should just at that mo- ment be taking water at Haigier. Engineer lloag was in charge, who in the strike of 1887 was chairman, for the B. & M. division. Mr. Campbell called Haigier and No. 39 had just pulled out. This passenger train was sixteen miles east of Wray and the freight cars run- ning wild thirty-four miles west, so our sub- ject laid his plans at once. He called the agent at U'ray and told him to get the night operator at once, and for the agent to go to the west switch, and the night man to the east switch, and put whichever train came first onto the siding and let the other one through on the main line. He also ordered the section men at W^ray to go to the curve or siding and to ditch the freight cars if the passenger train did not get on the siding and clear. The wind was l)lowing at a terrific rate, so that the sec- tion men had just before been obliged to aban- don their work, but they obeyed the orders. The first to come was the passenger at full speed. The night operator threw the switch and signaled to take it without a slow-down. In it rushed, and at that moment the runaway cars rounded the curve at a terrific rate, and the agent gave them the main line, and in a moment they had cleared the station and rushed on down the track. The engineer, con- ductor and passengers were horror-struck when they saw the terrible engine of destruc- tion pass them and realized what they had escaped by a few seconds, for the whole train would have been ground to atoms, and hardly a person could have hoped to escape a horrible death. It was just twenty-one minutes from the first message to the time of safety. The superintendent stood by our subject breathless during this time, watching him operate the wires, and both seemed to grow years older in those few moments. An east bound freight was put on sidings at Benkelman. and the en- gine took after the runaways, when they went by. They overhauled the car^ in an eight mile run and the fireman jumped from the foot- board to the car and going to the farther end applied the brakes and brought the cars in without any mishap. Years later this incident was written up for Harper's Magazine by Spearman, and was regarded as one of the hairbreadth escapes among railroad incidents. Mr. Campbell was married in 1881 to Miss Ella M. Alter, of Parnassus, Pennsylvania, whose family were well-known pioneer settlers in that state. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have three children, named as follows: Harry A., with the B. & M. Ry.. employed as timekeeper; Mrs. E. J. Kates, residing at Plattsmouth, Xebraska. and Ruth, at home. CLARENCE A. RIPLEY. Charles A. Ripley, one of the pioneers of Kcya Paha county, has served his conntv ui dift'erent capacities for many years, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of his fellowmen. Mr. Riplej' was born in Lockbridge. Jeff- erson county. Iowa. February 20. 18.^8. the eldest in a family of three children. His father. \Vm. E. Ripley, now deceased, was a well- known merchant descended from Yankee stock: his mother. Miss Isabella Vanwinkle, was liorn in Indiana of .American parents. The family removed to Osceola county. Iowa, where the boy remained until twenty-two years of age when he returned to Jeft'erson county and entered the eniplo}'' of the C. B. & Q. Ry., as telegraph operator at Lockridge, remaining COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 301 with that company for three years. In 1882 he was married to Miss Hester L. Cutshall, daughter of Eli Cutshall, of Pennsylvania D.utch stock, an old settler in Buchanan county, Iowa. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Riplev, named as follows: Jessie B., Bessie j\I., Wifliam E., Hazel D., Madge E., Sterling M., and Genevieve. After his mar- riage Mr. Ripley farmed in Iowa for two years, and in 1884 came to Keya Paha county and took a homestead in section 14, township 32, range 21, and for seven years led the life of a farmer. In 1891 he moved to Springview and estab- lished a livery business, continuing in this for a year when he was appointed postmaster of the village, holding this office for about six years. In the fall of 1899 he was elected county clerk on the Republican ticket, and twice re-elected, performing his duties faith- fully and well. Mr. Ripley is a public spirited citizen, takes an active part in both local and state politics, and has represented his county at several state congressional conventions. He has been engaged in the abstract and real es- tate business and in August, 1907, purchased a lumber yard in Springview, to which he is de- voting his energy ; he also has extensive farming interests, owning several bodies of land aggregating one thousand one hundred and twentv acres, of which three hundred and forty acres are under cultivation. He is recognized as an able and efficient business man who well deserves a place among the makers and build- ers of Keya Paha county. He is actively inter- ested in the Masonic, the Pythian and tlie Woodmen lodges of Springview. AUGUST G. NEUMANN. Among those who have passed through all the early Nebraska times in building up a home and establishing a reputation for themselves, this gentleman deserves special mention as a worthy and substantial citizen of his commun- ity. Mr. Neumann is an active public-spirited man, and has held many important positions since becoming a resident of Deuel county, many years ago. Our subject was born in the Province of Rosen, Germany, in 1854. When he was an infant his parents came to America, the father settling in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, and there he was raised and educated, attending the common schools and assisting his parents in the work on the home farm. When a young man of twenty-five years he came to Nebraska, locating in Sidney, and purchased a ranch near Lodgepole, making that his home for eight years, engaging in the sheep business and car- ried it on all of that time, during the first four years living all alone, roughing it most of the time, camping out winter and summer. After leaving that ranch he came to Deuel county, settling on a ranch three and a half miles southeast of Chappell, and there began raising cattle and horses. He put up good buildings, planted trees and fenced the place, improving it as rapidly as possible, and finally became owner of two thousand six hundred acres, which lies along Lodgepole Creek for a distance of two miles, making it an ideally situated ranch. He occupied the place up to 1893, then moved to Chappell and took possession of the old Johnson House, and was proprietor and man- ager of the hotel for thirteen years. He be- came a familiar figure in public afifairs, and was known far and wide to the traveling public as a genial and popular host, his house being hberally patronized by all the commercial men going through this part of the state. Mr. Neumann was married in 1884 to Miss Mary Barrett, whose father, Harry Barrett, was a pioneer in Western Nebraska, and who helped in the construction of the Union Pacific Rail- way when it was built. Our subject is the father of four children, who are named as fol- lows : Guy, Grace, Harry and Mary. Politically Mr. Neumann is a Republican, and is now serving as County Commissioner, this being his second term. During 1885-'87 he held the same office in Cheyenne county. He has helped establish the schools in his com- munity, and held various school offices, at present being a member of the School Board of Chappell. HON. W. G. COIE. Honorable W. G. Coie, residing in Hays township, Kearney county, retired farmer, is proprietor of a fine estate adjoining Minden, where his family occupy a beautiful new resi- dence. Mr. Coie was elected on the Demo- cratic and Peoples party to represent Kearney county in the state legislature for 1896 and 1897. He has always been active in political affairs here, having been assessor of Sherman township for five years, and also township clerk for several terms. Mr. Coie is a native of Columbiana county, Ohio. His father, Robert Coie, was born in Donegal, Ireland, and came to America when a young man, settling in Ohio, where he met and married Miss Marv Elder, who resided 302 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY in Coshocton county. She was one of a family of nineteen children, her father also a native of Ireland. In 1872 our subject came to Neb- raska, locating at North Bend. He came here from Iowa, where he had farmed in Munroe county and later in Ringgold county. His brother, John Coie. was a member of the Iowa state legislature elected on the Republican ticket from Ringgold county to represent his district. One brother lives in Columbiana county, Ohio, and two others, Thomas and Samuel, served in the Union army for four years, the latter dying during the war. He was wounded at the battle of Murfreesboro. In 1884 Mr. Coie came to Sherman .township, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of school land and farmed there up to 1906, at which timo he met with a serious accident through being kicked by a horse. He then sold out his farm and moved to his present place. While farming, he dealt largely in stock, mak- ing a specialty of pure bred hogs and fine horses and cattle, and was the owner of a num- ber of as fine animals as could be found in this part of the state. In 1873 Mr. Coie was married to Miss Margarette J. Dunlop. of Mount Ayr, Iowa. They are the parents of five children, namely: Nannie, William R., Mabel O., a teacher in the Minden schools ; Mary and Una. The family arc members of the United Presbyterian church, and are highly esteemed throughout the community as worthy citizens and good neighbors. W^ILLIAM H. KKTCHAM. William H. Ketcham, an enterprising and energetic business man and worthy citizen of Crawford, Nebraska, is one of the pioneers in this section of the country. Mr. Ketcham is a native of Northumber- land, Penn.sylvania, born in 1841. His father. Lorenzo Ketcham, was a prominent man of Northumberland, of American descent; his mother's maiden name was Catherine Criss- man. He was reared in his native state until he reached the age of fourteen years, then went with his parents to Washington city and from thence to Philadelphia, where he learned the printer's trade. He afterwards worked on newspapers in diflferent cities, including New York, Pittsburg, Louisville, Chicago and St. Louis, and for twelve years worked on the morning papers in different cities. In 1875 he settled in Indiana where he started a paper called The Gosport Gazette, and ran this for four years, then went to Kansas for a short time. In 1881 he came to Pawnee county and established the Argus Tabarock, but soon sold out and moved into Holt county, locating in Stuart and there started the Stuart Ledger, which was the first paper printed at that place. He was editor and proprietor for about four years, and built up a large circulation and made a success of the enterprise. In 1886 Mr. Ketcham landed in Crawford, and began working on a newspaper, the Cres- cent, which he ran for a year, then established what is now called "The Tribune." This is one of the principal papers of the town and has a wide circulation, surviving twenty-nine competitors since its start. Mr. Ketcham has a complete, up-to-date job and printing office and does all kinds of work in this line. In 1898 our subject was appointed post- master of Crawford under President Mc- Kinley, and re-appointed at the end of his term, but resigned to devote his entire time to the management of his business. He takes an active interest in matters of local importance, politically and otherwise, has always been a strong Republican, and an ardent anti-railroad and corporation control man. Mr. Ketcham was married in 1871 to Miss Sierra Navader Brannock, a native of Cali- fornia. They have a family of four children, namely: Roy, Nellie, Willie and Harry. C. A. EDWARDS. Among the leading public spirited citizens of Kearney, Buffalo county, Nebraska, the name of C. A. Edwards merits a foremost place. He is a business man of more than ordinary ability and has gained the esteem and confidence of all with whom he has had to do since locating in Nebraska. Mr. Edwards was born in Moline, 111. He was educated at Valparaiso, Indiana, and from 1894 to 1902 held the position of manager and engineer of the Gothenburg Water Power and Irrigation Company, located at Gothenburg, Nebraska. He built for this company twenty miles of irrigation ditch, also the orchard and alfalfa ditch at Cozad. In 1902 the Gothen- burg company sold out all their interest to the Platte Valley Cattle Company. From 1887 to 1891 he was county surveyor of Dawson county, and he was the engineer in the build- ing of the Kearney & Black Hills railway, from the former place to Callaway. Prior to coming to Nebraska our subject was a resident engineer on tjic Burlington, Cedar Rapids and COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 303 Northern railway. He has platted many of the town sites through the western part of the state of Nebraska, and he has calls from all over this part of the state for his services. He has followed his profession as civil engin- eer and surveyor for the past twenty-four years in this part of the country, first coming to Nebraska in 1885, when he located at Guernsey, near Sumner. In 1902 he was elected county surveyor of Buffalo county, also city surveyor of Kearney, and has filled both of these positions with credit, and met with marked success in every undertaking. Mr. Edwards is also interested in agricultural pursuits to some e^vtent, and is the owner of a fine farm in Dawson county. He was married April 14, 1885, to Miss Alvina Lulen, a native of Dows, Iowa. They have five children — Florence, Gordon, Herbert, Gladys and Frank, all at home. f; a. carrier, E. A. Cprrier. who owns and operates one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 16. township 20. rangre 51. is one of the substan- tial farmers and hic-hly esteemed citizens of his community. He is a pioneer of his county, and has devoted his entire career to farming and .ranching, making a success of the business. Mr. Carrier was born in New York state February 11th. 1859, and lived there until he was seven years old, when his parents emi- grated to '\A''isconsin. They farmed there about three years, then came to the eastern part of Nebraska, where our subject was reared. ^^'hen he was twelve years old, his father died, and in 1887 E. A. left his mother's home and came to Cheyenne county, taking up a home- stead on section 14. township 18. range 50. which he proved up on. developed it into a good farm, and then sold. He then acquired by purchase a quarter section of land on sec- tion 16, township 20, range 51, which he has (mproved in good shape. All of this is under litch, and consists principally of hay. land. He has good buildings, plenty of water and every convenience of modern farming. The father and mother of our subject are both dead. On November 30th, 1880, he was united in marriage at Arlington, Neb., to Melissa Lamberson, who was born and reared in Stark county, Ohio. To them have been born seven children, named as follows: Laura, married to Robt. E. Davis, they living at Bay- ard ; C. C, who is married, and R. L. S., Myron, Florence, Myrtle and Julia, who are living at home. They have a very pleasant home and form a most interesting and congenial family circle. Mr. Carrier is a man of exemplary character, most pleasant and cheerful disposition, held in the highest esteem by his fellowmen. He is director of School District No. 44. ED. COLLINS. Among the leading merchants of Merri- man, the gentleman above named is accorded a first place by reason of his industry and in- tegrity, through which he has built up a splen- did patronage and gained the esteem and re- spect of all with whom he has ever had any dealings. Mr. Collins has made Nebraska his home since his early boyhood, and is thor- oughly familiar with the entire western part of the state, and is one of the substantial citi- zens of his community. Mr. Collins is a native of LHster county. New York, born December 29, 1869, on a farm. He is a son of T. H. and Louisa (DePew) Col- lins (the latter dying in New York while Ed- ward was a small child). T. H. Collins came to western Nebraska in the spring of 1885 with his family of three children, taking up a home- stead in Dawes county. The family drove from Sidney on the Fort Robinson and Black Hills trail into that county to their homestead, the trip consuming many days and nights, the lat- ter spent in camping out in a tent. Mr. Col- lins built one of the first frame houses ever put up in this region. In 1890 our subject started out for himself, going to Bessimer, Wyoming, where he worked at the printer's trade, then went to Casper and was employed on the Casper Derrick, remaining there for two years. He next went to Whitney, Ne- braska, his old home town, where he opened a store and was in business there for a number of years. In 1900 he sold out this store and came to Merriman, purchasing the general store of Frank E. CofTee, who had established the enterprise about two years previously. Mr. Collins has built up a large trade and car- ries a complete and up-to-date line of goods. His store occupies a floor' space 24x74, his suc- cess being due to his good management and thorough knowledge of the business. On June 13, 1894, Mr. Collins was married to Miss Grace Canfield, at Whitney. Her father, S. G. Canfield, was a pioneer in Dawes county, and a prominent citizen and politician, having served as county judge of Dawes county. Mrs. Collins was a teacher prior to her marriage, a graduate of the Chadron 304 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY schools. Four children came to bless this mar- riage, named as follows: Edna, Florence, Har- old and Doris, the first three born in Dawes county, and the youngest in Cherry county. :Mr. Collins takes an active part in all local affairs, and is a member of the town board. He is a Democrat in politics and a member of the Modern Woodmen of America at Mer- riman. W. P. HUXXICUTT. W. P. Hunnicutt, who resides on section 31, Laird township, is one of the prosperous farm- ers of Phelps county. Nebraska, and has gained a valuable estate and enviable reputation as a worthy citizen through his industry and enter- prising labor. Mr. Hunnicutt is a native of Indiana, reared and educated in Randolph county, where he as- sisted his father in running his farm, and from his experience in that and other states prior to coming to Xebraska. is of the opinion that the latter is superior to almost any place as a farm- ing region. In Indiana the soil is nearly all clay and wears out quickly, while the greater of this state has loamy soil and is richer and lasts better, and one man here can do as much as two men there. He first came to Xebraska in 1882, and in the fall of 1884 purchased his present farm. Since locating on this place he has gone in mostly for grain raising, but always keeps a number of head of good stock — from thirty to fifty head of Red Polled cattle and about four- teen fine Xorman horses for use on his farm. He also runs from fifty to one hundred hogs most of the time. He prefers the Red Polled cattle as best for all general purposes, being good milkers, beefers and gentle, having no horns. Mr. Hunnicutt raises fine crops of corn, the grain averaging forty to sixty bushels pel acre, and oats from thirty-five to sixty bushels. Wheat is also a good crop with him, yielding twenty-five to forty bushels per acre, and Al in quality. For three years, from 1882 to 1885, he farmed in Seward county, but likes it better here than there. He has three sons who assist him in carrying on his farm, and each cultivates one hundred and eighty acres of land, keeping it in first-class shape, where in Indiana it would take four or more men to work the same num- ber of acres. \\'hen Mr. Hunnicutt first located on his place there was only forty acres broken up. and only two frame houses between his place and Hoidrege, and the development and growth of this region has been very rapid since that time. He has a fine large grass jiasture. He also has a nice ten-acre patch of alfalfa. Mr. Hunnicutt was married in January, 1885, at Louisville, Indiana, to Miss Susan Bin- ford, of Henry county, Indiana, and they hav^e a family of three sons, namely : Frank B., Charles A. and Jonathan Raymond, all at home with their parents. The good wife died Septem- ber 28, 1908, mourned by all the family and a host of warm friends. She was a model mother and home-maker and is intensely missed by the members of the home. Mr. Hunnicutt's father was a native of Vir- ginia, settling in Indiana when a boy, and died there in January, 1907, at the advanced age of ninety-one. Our subject belongs to the Independent People's party, and was for some years on the county central committee, attending all the conventions as a delegate. He was also on the district school board for nineteen years. He and his family are members of the ^I. E. church at Pleasant View, and Mr. Hunnicutt acts as a trustee of that church, also is superintendent of the Sabbath school. He is one of the foremost citizens in all matters of local importance, and recognized as a leading public-spirited member of the community. CATA'TX E. HAGFRATAN. Calvin F. Hasferman is one of the oMor residents of Brown countv. Nebraska, and is widelv known around Ainsworth as a m,nn "•hn is to ^e rcsppcted alike fnr liit; plain P'nl honest rhamctcr. his UDriirht life and his lone qorvice in the I^nion armv during the war of the STcat Rebellion, when he bore arms for lib- erty and law. Now that his day is nearing the sunset of life it is his privileee to look back- ward over a long and useful career and to feel that he has done something for the world and the welfare of man. Mr. Hagerman was born on a farm in the state of New York. February 18. 18.^.^: h's parents were also born in that state, thonn-h his father came of Fncflish ancestry, while liis mother was of German descent. He was one of a family of eighteen children that blessed their union, eleven of whom reached mat^urity. He was reared in Michigan, whitlier his par- ents removed in 1836. being numbered amon? the first pioneers of the state. He was reared in Lenawee county, of that state, and secured limited school privileges until he was ten years of age; schools and teachers were not plentiful in a new country, and the young lad was early thrown on his own resources. While still a boy he made a trip in 1852 to Wisconsin working on farms but roturne(I to Lenawee COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 305 county, to remain until he was twenty-three years of age. In 1856 he made a permanent settlement in Bad Axe county, now Vernon county, Wisconsin, and for three years was in the employ of a brother in that state. In the meantime the country had gone wild over the stories of gold in the Colorado mountains, and our subject started for Pike's Peak in search of this fabulous wealth. But like many another craze, the closer he drew to the scene the less real it appeared and meeting over five hundred teams returning, before he reached the moun- tains, he had determined, after camping three days on Turkey Creek, near the Kansas-Colo- rado line, to turn back, as the chances seemed all against him. It was during this delay he enjoyed his first buffalo hunt. Starting out on foot, he met a herd coming his way. Hid- ing in the grass, he waited until they were in range, and then fired at a big bull but the shot missed. However, a second shot grazed the bull, which enraged him, and he started to hunt the hunter. The enraged bull was rapidly nearing the young hunter, who discovered at this juncture that his gun was useless. This was a serious matter, as he had only a hunting knife left with which to defend himself. For- tunately for our subject, the herd alarmed by the strange actions of the bull, stampeded, and in the wild scramble which followed, the bull was turned from his course. A bullet having lodged in the barrel of Mr. Hagerman's gun, he was unable to shoot at the now fleeing ani- mals. Shortly after this he went to ^Missouri, where he passed a year and a half. Then for the third time went to Wisconsin. This was in 1861, and in the meantime the war for the Union had . broken out, and Mr. Hagerman was among the first to enlist from Wisconsin, becoming a member of Company A, Wiscon- sin Volunteer Artillery. The battery very soon saw active service at Cumberland Gap and near the Cumberland and Kanawha. It passed through the Vicksburg campaign, and took part in the battles of Port Gibson, Champion Hill, and Black river, being sent the next year to the relief of the Red River expedition. Throughout the war they were employed much of the time in hard and dangerous cam- paigning. The captain of the company, J. T. Foster, of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, became the colonel of the battery, and achieved a reputa- tion as one of the very ablest artillery officers in the service. About the time of his discharge Mr. Hagerman was sent to New York as one of the detail in charge of a body of rebel pris- oners. He was discharged at Madison, Wis- consin, on the expiration of his enlistment, in 1864. The company started out with an equip- ment of light brass guns, but were soon sup- plied with twenty-pounders, and before the close of the war had two full batteries of the heavier cannon. When Mr. Hagerman returned to civil life he found work in a Wisconsin saw mill, and later was engaged in farming for several years. For a period of three years he lived in Iowa, and about 1880 settled on the Platte river in Nebraska. In 1882 he located in Brown county, having filed on a claim in Sep- tember, 1881, and partially constructed a sod house. They drove across country from the Platte, the trip occupying from February 9 to March 1, the day they reached their home- stead in what was then almost an unbroken wilderness for miles around. Mr. Hagerman was married November 2, 1861, to Miss Sarah J. Crandall, a native of St. Lawrence county. New York, a daughter of Ezekiel Crandall, and a descendant of an old American family ; the mother, Jane Coburn, was of German descent. Her father was a farmer, and is remembered as an honorable and upright man. :\Ir. and .Mrs. Hagerman became the parents of the following children : Leona, Elmer (dead), Hattie, wife of George A. Smith. Oran (dead), Edgar, Melvin, Worthy and Grace, wife of Leve Lindquist. When Mr. Hagerman and his family came into Brown county to make their new home they drove overland from the Platte. The journey across the prairie was a hard one at this time of the year. They rested on the trip for three days at O'Neill before proceeding on their journey through the rain and snow. On arrival at their destination they found the only improvement on the place consisted of a sod house with but half a roof and no floor. A start had been made, however, and after some six years the sod house was replaced with a better home. Mr. Hagerman was always im- proving and today has a fine establishment. He began with ox teams, and at first all the money he secured was from the sale of cedar posts, which he cut in the canyons and sold at the railroad station. At the present writing, 1909, Mr. Hagerman owns nearly a section of land, of which some three hundred and twenty acres are under active cultivation, and here it is said that he has the finest set of farm build- ings in the county. The farm house is a fine and imposing two-story structure, with one story addition. Here he, has cultivated a con- siderable orchard, one hundred and eighty apple trees and many cherry and plum trees. The small fruits are plenty, and his front lawn is regarded with admiration by all who see it, 3o6 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY ornamented as it is with deciduous trees and evergreens, interspersed with flower beds. He has a supply tank for irrigating and the house is equipped with two telephone lines. The ge- nial hosts dispense their hearty hospitality in true western style. A full page view of this elegant country place is to be found on another page of this work. LIXD NELSON. Lind Nelson, one of the best known and most highly respected citizens of Franklin, re- tired, has been a resident of western Nebraska for over thirty-five years. He has acquired a valuable property through his industry and thrift, supplemented by good management and honest dealings, and well merits the success he has attained. Mr. Nelson was bom in Christianstadt. Sweden, in 1849, and in 1869 came to the United States, locating in Sangamon county, Illinois. He farmed there up to 1872, then came to Ne- braska, locating in Nemaha count}' and lived there for six years : then to Gage county, where he bought a farm which he lived on up to 1900. In 1895 he was elected sheriff of Gage county and served for two terms. The first time he ran for office the Republican majority in Beatrice was seven hundred, and the cry was to defeat a foreigner. Our subject went out among the Bohemians and Germans, who were Democrats, and succeeded in getting enough votes to offset his opponents and succeeded in capturing the office, and the following term was elected with- out any trouble at all. the cry being to "let that Swede alone." proving a most efficient and pop- ular official. He farmed two hundred acres, buying, feeding and shipping stock, and also raised grains, all of which he fed out on his farm and bought more besides. In 1899 he pur- chased four hundred and twenty-seven acres sit- uated on the river one mile east of the Franklin dejOTt, and engaged in mixed farming and stock feeding, running from three to four hundred cattle each year, and the same number of hogs. In one year his profits from this source alone was six thousand dollars. Mr. Nelson is a splendid specimen of the Swedes who have made prosperity for them- selves and the state of Nebraska by their per- severance and earnest eflForts to get ahead. He is a finely developed man of large frame, enjoy- ing perfect health, genial and generous in dis- position, well liked by everyone with whom he comes in contact. Our subject was married in 1874 to Miss Anna Miller, of Nemaha county, daughter of Simon Miller, a pioneer of that locality, orig- inally from Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Nel- son are the parents of seven children, who are named as follows: Carl, cashier of the State Bank, of Franklin ; L. C, formerly of Cody, Wyoming, connected with Buffalo Bill, and now at Belle Fourche, South Dakota : John, owner of a three hundred and twenty-acre farm at Elsie, Nebraska ; Austin, cashier of the State bank, at Naponee ; George, at home : Lena, also living at home, and Bessie, wife of C. C. Butler, of San Francisco. All of the children are graduates of the Beatrice or Franklin high schools, and are bright, intelligent young people, highly esteemed throughout their home community'. The family are members of the Christian church at Frank- lin. For three terms 'Sir. Nelson was supervisor of Glenwood township, and on the school board at O'Dell for eleven years. He is an active Re- publican and takes a keen interest in all affairs of a political or educational nature in his locality. He is a Mason and has been a member of that lodge for over thirtv vears, and is also an Odd Fellow. THOMAS H. McCANDLESS. Thomas H. McCandless. a well-known resi- dent of Hemingford. Nebraska, was for some years engaged in ranching in Box Butte county. He is well known throughout that section and is held in high esteem by his associates. Mr. Mc- Candless is now engaged in the practice of law at Hemingford. and also handles real estate, and is in the newspaper business to some extent. Mr. McCandless was bom in Mercer county, Illinois, in 1856. His father, ^^'i!liam. was a farmer, and was a soldier in the Civil war. and was. killed during the battle of Stone River at Murfreesboro. Tennessee. The father married Miss Sarah Ann Duncan, of Pennsylvania. Our subject was reared in Illinois, and was educated in the common schools, as a boy help- ing in the work of carrying on the home farm, after the death of his father being compelled to help support his mother and the family. When he reached the age of twenty he went to Iowa, locating in Page coimty. where he remained for four years, then to Leadville. Colorado, engag- ing in newspaper work at the latter place, work- ing on the Herald Democrat and other news- papers for many years. He spent one year in Cripple Creek. Colorado, and then came to Box Butte county in 1897. arriving here in July. He immediately went on a ranch and was engaged in ranching up to 1905. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 307 In 1906 Mr. McCandless located in Heming- ford and engaged in his pre&ent business, handling real estate all through this section, and also practicing law. Our subject's mother came to this county in 1886, accompanied by one son, Wm. J. Mc- Candless, a younger brother of Thomas, who was then a land locater in this section. William became well known in the locality, and went through pioneer experiences, also following the profession of a lawyer, and is well known throughout the count}-, his death occurring in 1895, after witnessing Box Butte county's early development and growth. PERRY A. YEAST. In presenting to the public a history of Ne- braska, the list would not be complete without having mentioned the name of the gentleman above. Mr. Yeast is one of the leading old set- tlers and prominent ranchmen of western Ne- braska, having spent the past twenty years and more in the vicinity of his present homestead. He has always been engaged in ranching on an extensive scale, and has made a complete suc- cess of the work. Perry A. Yeast is a native of McDonough county, Illinois, born in December, I861, on a farm. His father was Adam Yeast, of Pennsyl- vania Dutch stock, and was an early pioneer in Illinois. Our subject grew up in his native county, where he followed farming', assisting his father os the home place, and at the age of eighteen left home and came to Nebraska, locat- ing in Saline county, forty miles from Lincoln. In 1883 he moved to Keith county, locating on the Platte river, and there went into the cattle business, working as a cowboy, rounding up herds o^ cattle, and seeing every phase of fron- tier life. About 1887, he came to Grant county, locating south of Hyannis, and has also spent some time in the vicinity of old Alkali Lake, twenty miles southwest of Hyannis. While there he did a great deal of hunting, as game of all kinds was plentiful in the early days in Ne- braska, and during his first year's residence on his present ranch a buffalo was killed on the place. He also freighted during those years, haul- ing stuff a distance of ninety miles, from Ogallala. At one time Mr. Yeast went into Iowa and bought a farm, starting in the cattle feeding business there and ran the place for several years. He has also bought and sold numerous ranches, and assisted in the establishing of Wyoming, where he ran cattle and made a suc- cess, having built up and operated three ranches in that state. He began in the stock raising business as soon as he settled permanently in Grant county on his homestead, which he im- proved in fine shape and still owns. In 1888 he began building up the Farm Valley Ranch, situ- ated twenty miles southwest of Hyannis, men- tioned above, which is also at present a valu- able piece of land. Aside from his own exten- sive ranching interests, owning in all three thousand four hundred acres, he manages and operates two ranches in Cherry county, which are the property of the Standard Cattle Com- pany, which contain in all about eighteen thousand acres of land. Mr. Yeast married, in 1883, Aliss Nancy Markland, daughter of W'm. R. ]\larkland. who is an early settler of Saline county, where he still occupies his original homestead, taken in the early Nebraskan days. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Yeast, namely: Lillie, Frank and Ruth. Mr. Yeast may be truly called a veteran ranchman, and during the time he has been in this vicinity has done his full share in the build- ing up of the region. MELVILLE E. PRATT. What may be accomplished by industry, good management and honest dealings is demon- strated by the life of the gentleman whose name heads this review. For many years past he has been a resident of Keya Paha county, and by honest endeavor has acquired a valuable estate and an enviable reputation. He is an agricul- turist of intelligence and capability, operating his farm in a thorough and painstaking manner. Mr. Pratt was born in Solon, Iowa, July 24, 1862. His father, Charles Pratt, was born in Elaine, and came to Solon in the early days of that vicinity, where he was a prominent mer- chant, until 1890, when he disposed of his busi- ness and moved to Iowa City, where he died in 1906. He had settled in Johnson county, Iowa, in 1840, and during the gold fever in the early fifties, went to California. He married Miss Annie N. True, a native of Maine, and they had a family of six children, of whom our subject is the second member. At the age of twenty-one he started out for himself, working on farms in their locality. He went to Montana in 1884, herding cattle for a time, then returned to Iowa and worked his father's farm for four years. In 1891 he first saw Keya Paha county, coming here in April and locating on section 20, town- 3o8 COMPEXDIU.AI OF HISTORY, REMLXISCEXCE AND BIOGRAPHY ship 35. range i8, on which he "squatted" for eight years before filing on it as a homestead. When he landed here he had very little money, but has worked hard and now owns four hun- dred acres of good land, cultivating fifty acres of it. He keeps twenty horses and thirty mules, and has raised a good many of the latter ani- mals for the market during the last eight years. Prior to that time he dealt extensively in sheep, but gave them up as he thought mules could be made more profitable. His place is well im- proved with good buildings, fences, etc., and he is one of the foremost farmers in his section of the country, and has done his full share in developing the county and community. We present a picture of Mr. Pratt's place on an- other page. Although Mr. Pratt is a strong Republican and takes a commendable interest in local alTairs, he has never held anv office. JAilES EDWARD ESTLACK. A man's part has been played in the making of Rock county, and conversion of the shining prairies of Nebraska into fertile and well kept farms by him whose name begins this article, and whose home is in Kirkwood precinct. Plain and unpretending in his manner, he is honest and straightforward in his character, industrious in his habit, and has proved him-self reliable at every point as does become a man. Mr. Estlack was born in Morrow county, Ohio, April 7, 1859. and the farm on which he first saw the light was set in the depths of the towering beech woods. His father, Erwin Prter Estlack, was a farmer through a long and use- ful life: was of Dutch descent, and a native of Pennsylvania. His wife, Martha A. (Roach) Estlack, was born of Irish parentage, though na- tiv-^ to American soil. They had a famjlv of eight children, of whom Edward was the fifth. The year following his birth the family left Ohio and settled in Benton county, Iowa, making their home near Blairstown, where the father died. When he was eight years old the mother, with her family went to Sioux City, where pres- ently a very exciting experience was had with the Sioux City and Pacific railroad. Their coming to that place had preceded the coming to the railroad, and when the right of way for the first road was laid out it passed directly through the center of their little home. No agreement for compensation was reached, and suddenly the railroad hands swooped down on their house, and set it bodily out of the right of way. After this somewhat rough and ready experience the family spent three years in Sioux Citv, and then settled in Clay county. South Dakota, where the grasshopper plague fell on them in all its malignancy. No headway could be made against so complete destruction, and they returned to Sioux City, where James Ed- ward Estlack mastered the butcher's trade, and was in the employ of one man for a period of fourteen years. Rheumatism compelled a change of vocation, and for some six years he was en- gaged as express driver and messenger. Then for a time he was in the restaurant business for himself at Yankton, South Dakota, and in 1901 came into Rock county, Nebraska. In 1902 ^Ir. Estlack was united in marriage with Mrs. iNIary Ellen Turpin, a pioneer settler of Rock county, and the widow of Robert N. Turpin, who came to what is now Rock county in 1878. Mr. Estlack now possesses a well-tilled farm of three hundred and ten acres, in the cultivation of which he takes much pleasure. He also owns one hundred and sixty acres farther to the west, and is pushing rapidly to the front as one of the leading stockmen and grain farmers of this western country. A view of the residence is to be found on another page. As a man and a cit-' izen, Air. Estlack enjoys the respect and confi- dence of the public, and taking, as he does, an intelligent and active interest in political affairs, his influence is exerted for the welfare of the towm and state. He has been a lifelong Repub- lican. PAGE T. FRANCIS. Perseverance and diligence are the stejiping stones to success. These characteristics, supple- mented by honesty and good citizenship, are among the many atttributes possessed by the gentleman herein named. Mr. Francis has re- sided in dift'erent jiarts of the state of Nebraska for the past forty years, and is one of the repre- sentative men of the west, highly esteemed by all who have met him either in a business or so- cial way. Mr. Francis is a native of Maine, Ixjrn on the 12th of February, 1843. His parents, Sam- uel and Naomi (True) Francis, lived in Andros- coggin county, where the former owned and operated a farm for many years. Our subject grew up in his native state and at the age of eighteen years enlisted in the Third Maine in- fantry. IHe partici]5atcd in the first battle at Bull Run. and was with the army of the Potomac for the first two years. He was in the Peninsula campaign, and was severely wounded at Fair Oaks, being discharged soon after on ac- RESIDENCE OF J. E. ESTLACK, Rock County, Nebraska. ^^^^i-:i>^*^:ii^^m£y RESIDENCE OF M. E. PRATT, Kfya Paha County. Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 309 count of these wounds. In 1863 he re-enhsted in the Thirtieth Maine regiment and saw service in Louisiana. He was with General Banks, up the Red river, and was again wounded at Cain River Crossing, and transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps, and during the balance of the war served in Pennsylvania, hunting deserters and clerking on court martials. In 1867 Mr. Francis came west, locating in Otoe county, Nebraska, as a pioneer. He bought government land, and soon sold this out and came further west, settling in Webster county in 1870, where he remained for two years then moved to Redwillow county. He hunted buffaio all through this section, and became thoroughly famliliar with all of the country. He went into the Black Hills from Sidney on the Union Pa- cific, from 1876 to 1880, and during the entire winter of '76 slept out doors under his wagon. He had always made his Redwillow- farm his home up to 1895, and then came to Dawes county where he took charge of the ditching of the Crawford Irrigation & Water Power Com- pany, and ever since that time has been identi- fied with that work. He is at present acting under the secretary of state, and board of irri- gation. In the early days Mr. Francis freighted lumber from Nebraska City to Lincoln before the railroad had reached this part of the country. Mr. Francis was married in i882 to Miss Betsy Johnson, and to them have been born four children, namely : Frank, a sheep rancher in Montana ; Ruth, working as a teacher in Chad- ron : and Bonnie and Grace, at home. BENJAMIN JENKINS. Benjamin Jenkins, Ainsworth, Nebraska, was very active in the settlement of Brown county, and is widely known as an earnest and reliable citizen, an energetic and hustling farmer, and a man who is to be relied upon and trusted in any and every circumstance. Coming here when northern Nebraska was a wilderness, and the coyotes close neighbors, he has seen the wilder- ness, and the wild beasts vanish, while blooded stock and alfalfa came into the land. Mr. Jenkins was born in New York in 1849, on a farm on which his parents had lived for many years. Coming of an old American fam- ily the best traditions of the east are preserved in his career. He was the only child of his parents, and when he was some four years old, his mother removed to Illinois and settled in Carroll county. His father had already died in New York. There he was reared to manhood, and given such educational advantages as the rural schools of the day afforded, finishing with a year at a more pretentious military school. In 1870 he was married to Miss Nora Green, a daughter of an old American family, though her mother's people were Irish. This union has been blessed with eleven children : Lizzie, who mar- ried Louis Ponton : Frank, Floyd, Lydia, Maude Ethel, Nellie, Daisy, Clara Belle, Elmer, Earl and Harry. The first three of the children were born in Illinois ; the others were Nebraska born. Mr. Jenkins lived in Illinois for nine years after his marriage, and was employed part of this time by "the Diamond Jo" line, a noted Missis- sippi river transportation company. Before leav- ing that State he was also engaged in farming for three years. In 1878 he came to Nebraska, and lived for some three years in Hamilton and Merrick counties, before his removal to Brown county, which occurred in 1884. He made the trip acros^ the State in a covered wagon, and had many unique experiences on the way. He secured his present farm property as a tree claim. He began operations here on another farm, but finally made permanent settlement where he is found today. Here he has lived some fifteen years, and out of somewhat hard and unfavorable conditions has reaped a rich reward. He owns a half section of land, about two hundred acres of which are under a high degree of cultivation and the balance devoted to pasture and meadow, and commands the respect and confidence of the community as a fair and straightforward man and a citizen of good re- pute. In politics Mr. Jenkins is a Democrat. P. L. ]\IAIRS. P. L. Mairs, who is owner of a good ranch, is an old settler in Kimball county. He was born in Sullivan county, Missouri, on July 17, 1862, and was the fourth member in a family of six children, having two brothers and three sis- ters. His father and mother were both born in Ireland, came to America when quite young and were married in Virginia, the father coming to the United States about 1840, settling in Jack- son county. West Virginia, and afterwards went to Kansas and located in Ness county, where he died in 1904. Our subject grew up in Missouri, following farming there up to 1900, then came to Kimball county, Nebraska, and at once settled on a homestead on section 18, township 12, range 53, securing in all one thousand two hun- dred acres, which is the home ranch. Here he cultivates about two hundred and fifty acres, and has met with splendid success. 3IO COMPEIs'DIUM OF HISTORY, RE.MINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Mr. Mairs is progressive in his methods of operating his ranch, and has many improvements in the way of farm machinery, every kind of good buildings, etc. He deals extensively in sheep, running from four thousand to six thousand each year, and derives a. handsome income from the same. He runs from one thousand five hundred to two thousand on each of his three improved ranches, marketing his sheep ?.t Omaha. Mr. Mairs was married in Kirkville, Missouri, February 24, 1885, to Miss Ida W'ilks, who is a native of Missouri. They have two children, Charles Allen, who has taken up a hoinestead on section 12, township 12, range 54, adjoining his father's home place, farming in summer, teach- ing school in winter ; also Elsie Lee, who is at- tending school. Mrs. Mairs' mother is a resi- dent of Kimball, living with a daughter. Mr. Mairs has two sisters living in Kansas, one in Oklahoma ; one brother in Missouri and the other brother in Kansas. Mr. Mairs and his family occupy a comfortable residence in Kim- ball, but he gives his entire time to active man- agement of his ranch. He is a Republican and strong party man, is well and favorably known, and since coming to this vicinity has taken an active part in local affairs and has left his im- press on the history of his county. He is a mem- ber of the county committee, chosen in 1905. He was active in establishing a county high school, the first in Nebraska. JOHN v.. TILLINGHAST. John n. Tillinghast. an influential and reput- able pioneer of Loup county, lives on his com- fortable home farm in section 8, township 21, range 17. where he located in the year 1883. Mr. Tillinghast was born in the town of Exeter, Was'iiington county, Rhode Island, in 1853, his parents being Clark and Sarah (Brown) Till- inghast. His father was a farmer by occupation and was of old English stock, and he reared five boys, Clark, Frank, John, Thomas and Byron; also four girls. May, Sarah, Annie and Nellie. John and Thomas are the only ones that came west. Thomas remained until 1895, then went to ■ Mississippi. John P>. Tillinghast was reared and educated in Rhode Island, and, later, followed farming in Rhode Island. He came west to Loup countv in 1883, and located on his present farm, and he has worked hard to improve his fine ranch of three hundred and twenty acres. He drove here with team and covered wagon and camped out several weeks on the way. His first buildings were built of sod, in the pioneer style, and he passed through many of the hard and rough- experiences that always come in the history of the pioneer. Drouth and hail storms worked havoc with his crops several years and then, to add to his troubles, fire came and destroyed his barns and harnesses, etc. But Mr. Tillinghast has weathered the storms of adversity and hard- ship and is now enjoying the well-earned fruits of his hard labor, and intelligent planning. Our subject has always been interested in the political movements of his community, and he has, by word and deed, sanctioned everything that tended toward the betterment of the vicinity in which he lives. He is an honored and a re- spected citizen. Mr. Tillinghast is surely one of the old-timers and it is a pleasure to meet him and hear his interesting reminiscences of early davs. JOHN R. CliALOUD. John R. Chaloud, whose biography forms an interesting page in the history of the early set- tlement of Nebraska, is a resident of section 22, township 28, range 29, Cherry county, where he has become widely and favorably known. He has developed a fine farm and ranch there, is one of the energetic and prosperous citizens, and enjoys a pleasant home and many warm friends, Mr. Chaloud was born in the province of Moravia, which is a province of Austria, in 1872. Llis father was of German stock, born in Moravia, and when John was a child of three years the family came to America, settling at first in Colfax county, Nebraska, and were among the pioneers in eastern Nebraska. The father took a homestead and begun to build up a home, our subject attending the common schools as a boy, and assisting his parents in the farm work. When he was fourteen years old he left home and secured employment on farms and ranches in the vicinity of their home, and for the first four years gave all his earnings to his family. He came to Cherry county in 1887, and worked out on ranches for fourteen years, beginning as a stock ranger, and working himself up to be foreman of big ranches. He rode all over the western part of the state as a cowboy, camping out on the plains both winter and summer, and knew every bit of the country as well as a scout, in his work of rounding up cattle. He trailed herds of cattle from Wyoming .-ind Colorado into Nebraska, and has seen as much of western ranching life as any man of his age here. In 1903 he started in business for himself, his first location being on Goose Creek, where he lived for two vears, then came to his S. L. JAMES AND FAMILY. kANXlI OF S. L. JAMES Cherry County, Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 311 present ranch, which is situated twelve miles northwest of Brownlee. Here he has worked hard to build up and develop a good ranch, and is now proprietor of one thousand two hundred acres which is all fenced, with good buildings and improvements. He has a fine grove of trees which he planted, also plenty of fruit trees for home use, and farms a small portion of his land, raising small grain and vegetables for his family. There is a good supply of water from wells, with wind mills, and everything is in the finest shape possible. His surroundings are very pleasant, and he is justly recognized as one of the lead- ing ranchmen of his township. Mr. Chaloud lived a bachelor existence up to 1906, on January 26th of that year taking as wife Miss Helen Anderson, born in Sweden, and daughter of Herman Anderson, a prominent old settler in Omaha. Two children have been born to them. Delmer Luverne and Vera Christine. Our subject takes a leading part in township affairs and has done his share as a public-spir- ited citizen. STEVEN L. JAMES. Steven L. James, a successful and promi- nent ranchman and farmer of section 18, town- ship 25, range 31, Cherry county, Nebraska, was born in Alleghany county. North Carolina, close to the Virginia line, in 1853. His parents. James Y. James and Elizabeth (Scott) James, were of old American blood, farmers by occu- pation, and our subject was reared on the home farm, remaining with his parents up to 1880. In that y-ear he emigrated to Texas, and settled on rented land and tried to open a farm. He first started to raise cotton, but was unable to make a success of it, and after remaining there for seven years and not getting on very well gave up the struggle and came north to Ne- braska, filing on a pre-emption and tree claim in Cherry county. The first five years were spent in working hard to get his ranch started, break- ing up land, and also working out in the vicinity to help in getting a living, and went through all the pioneer experiences. In 1893 Mr. James took a homestead, built a sod house and started to develop the farm and ranch where he now resides, using a pair of oxen for all his work, and while he did pretty well, saw many hard times. He kept at it, however, and added improvements as he was able, and each year was able to raise some crops. He worked faithfully, gradually adding more land to his original possessions, until he is now pro- prietor of a fine ranch of six hundred and forty acres deeded and besides this deeded land con- trols and operates quite a big tract of leased land and also has a Kincaid homestead, engaging in cattle raising and mixed farming. He has built up a good home, with fine improvements, orchards, etc., and is numbered among the weli- to-do and progressive ranchmen of his com- munity. Mr. James was married in Gra3'son county, Virginia, to Virginia Boyer, daughter of John Boyer and Jane (Fielder) Boyer, both of whom died in Grayson county, on their old homestead. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. James, named as follows : Enice, Fay B., Loy, Lillian and Cora. Both sons are homesteaders and have good farms near the father's ranch, and are also extensively engaged in the stock business, and are energetic and successful ranchers. Mr. James is a leading citizen, active in local affairs, and is a prominent member of the In- dependent party. Portraits of Mr. James and his family, together with a ranch scene on his property will be found on another page. JOHN H. DIECKMAN. Among the prominent settlers of western Ne- braska we- mention the name of John H. Dieck- man as being one of the best l- years. The latter, David Daniels, was of Scotch blood, born in this country, and he married Mary Potter, who came of old Yankee stock. Our subject was reared in his native state until he was thirteen years of age, then went to Council Bluffs where he spent two years, and in 1878 came to Kearney county, Ne- braska. This was a drouth year, when everv- thing was burned out liy the hot winds, and he became discouraged at the prospects and only remained one year, returning to Illinois and later went to Wisconsin and Iowa, drifting around for three or four years. Also spent some time in .Arkansas and did not locate permanently until i886, then struck Cherry county, where he has remained ever since. He first located on Watts Lake, and when he landed there his sole capital was four dollars and fifty cents : but he went to work, put up a sod house and barn and begun to Ijreak up land for crops. His first team was a pair of o.xen, and for several vears he lived alone, floing his own cooking and get- ting along as best he could. During the early days he witnessed prairie fires, and about l8t<8 was entirely burned out, losing crops, tools, grain, etc.. suffering a severe loss, as he had a hard time to get along anyway. He has fought fires for two or three days at a time, and used every possible means of saving his propertv. to- gether with others wJio worked hard with him. but usuallv were comnellcd tn abandon their efforts and sec everything swallowed up in the dest"nvinef fire. Mr. Daniels has a ranch of one thousand six hundred acres, a portion of which is leased land, which he uses principally as a stock ranch. He has plenty of good water on the place, with beautiful lakes filled with fish and game, and owns one of the finest homes in his locality. His property is situated near Beaver Lake, to which loca,tion he came in 1904, having sold his home- stead on ^^'atts Lake in the preceding year. In 1905 Mr. Daniels married Miss Lizzie Hays, whose parents were pioneers in Cherry county. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Daniels taught school in this county, and is a lady of superior education and charm. They have one child, ]\lav, aged sixteen months. JOHN T. JOHNSON. Some of America's best citizens claim their nativity in far off lands across the sea, and their immigration to the home of the stars and stripes has arlfled many strong, sturdy characters to our population. Such a one is John J. Johnson, who first saw the light in Sweden. May 21, 1859, \^erv soon after attaining his majority he sailed for the L'nited States, taking up his abode in Michigan where he remained for nine months. He then went to Chicago and engaged in various enterprises in that great city for about three and a half years. Then the call of the west came upon him and he came to what is now Kimball county, then Cheyenne county. Nebraska, and in November, 1885, located a homestead on the northwest quarter of section 34, township 15, range S3. He also took a timber claim in section 28 and it was not long until he purchased all of section 27, township 15, range S3, which is now the home ranch. Mr. Johnson has ]5roven one of the most successful farmers of Kimball county, and his industry has placed him in a most prosperous condition. He bought all of section thirty-four, e.xcept fifty-nine acres, and now owns, all told, one tliousand three hundvoil and sixty-one acres, Mr. Johnson also owns a store at Dix iiostoflfice, and was postmaster from 1897 to 1900. His home ranch is well improved with a nice dwell- ing and good buildings f<'>r stock. On this ranch there are only about one hundred and twenty acres under cultivation, much of Mr. Johnson's attention being directed in caring for his herd of mixed breed of cattle, ninnhering about one hundred and twenty head, in addition to a small bunch of horses. .\t stockraising he has been very successful, ami has built up a goiid home and ranch. He has watched with untiring in- terest the growth of the western country. The subject of our sketch was united in mar- MR. AND MRS. JOHN J. JOHNSON. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 319 riage June 27 , 1899, with Ida C. Standberg, also a native of Sweden. The wedding was a happy- one and was nicely celebrated at tlie Standberg home place near Sextorp postoffice. This union has been blessed with four children: Hilda Marie, Carl August, Alma Elizabeth and Len- nart Julius, all 9f whom are still at home. Mrs. Johnson's parents, who were old settlers in Cheyenne county, have both been called from earth to their eternal rest and this is also true of Mr. Johnson's father. His mother still lives in Sweden. Our subject stands high in the good opinion of his neighbors and he is recognized bv all as a broad-gauged, public-spirited citizen. His political affiliations are with the Republican party, of whose interests he is an active sup- porter. He is treasurer of school district No. I, and has helped establish and build up the schools of this region. He has also ser\'ed as assessor for two terms, and has taken an active interest in the affairs of the community. On another page of this volume will be found portraits of Mr. and IMrs. Johnson. NORBERT FROHNAPFEL. The gentleman above named is one of the leading business men and prosperous citizens of Hemingford, Nebraska, where he is engaged in the merchandise business, and has built up a good trade throughout Box Butte county. Mr. Frohnapfel was born in Hesse-Nassau Province, in the town of Fulda, Germany, in 1874. He grew up on his parents' farm there, and received a common school education, learn- ing the Uailor's trade when a young man. and followed it in Germany for several years, com- ing to America when he was seventeen years of age. After landing in New York he came west to Hemingford, arriving here April 23. 1892. He afterwards worked in Chadron, Crawford, and Fort Robinson, and while at the latter place enlisted in the United States arm,y, serving for five years and nine months in the Eighth In- fantry Band, at the same time following his trade. While he was in army service he was at Fort Russell, Fort Duquesne. Utah, and at Jackson Hole, Idaho, and was discharged from the service November 28, 1898. After retiring from the army he opened and ran a tailor shop at Cheyenne, Wyoming, for one year, and in 1900 returned to Hemingford and opened a shop here, remaining just a year. He next went to Alliance where he engaged in the work there, also clerking for W. D. Rumer and W. W. Norton. In July, 1903. he came back to Hem- ingford and erected a store building, and is now engaged in the general merchandise business, occupying a floor space of twenty-four by eighty- four feet, carrying a complete line of goods. He has a large patronage in this section, and is one of the leading merchants, well-liked for his honest dealings and business ability. He is also engaged in the hotel and livery business at the present time. On May 27, 1898, Mr. Frohnapfel was mar- ried to Miss Lizzie Ehlers. of German descent. Our subject is a strong Republican, actively interested in party affairs. W. H. COLTRIN. ^^^ H. Coltrin, whose biography forms an interesting page in the history of the early set- tlement of Nebraska, is a resident of Blooming- ton township, F"ranklin county, where he is wide- ly known and highly esteemed. He has develop- ed a fine farm and home there, and is one of the energetic and progressive farmers, well meriting his success and enviable reputation. "sir. Coltrin is a native of Ohio, where he was born in 1842. His father was Elisha Colt- rin, who settled in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, in 1852, going there from Berea, Ohio. In 1861 our subject enlisted in the Forty-fifth Illinois Infantry and served up to 1864 with Company B, Seventeenth Army Corps, under General Mc- Pherson and then General Blair. He was at Fort Donelson, Pittsburg Landing, Vicksburg, Corinth, Kenesaw Mountain, siege of Atlanta, and other battles until July 22. 1863, then was taken prisoner and thrust in Andersonville prison where he remained for two months, going through all the horrors of that place. He was then exchanged and rejoined his regiment, tak- ing part in the march to the sea, and was mus- tered out at Savannah, Georgia. After leaving the army he worked at brick masonry for some time, and in 1872 he came to Nebraska, home- steading in Hanover township, Adams county, on one hundred and sixty acres of land which he farmed up to 1886. There he was active in county affairs, serving on the county committee, and attending all the county and state conven- tions as a delegate. He was on the school board, also the township board, and for several years served as township clerk, being elected on the Republican ticket. He has always been active in Grand Army of the Republic circles, and a leading citizen wherever he has made his home. In 1886 he left Adams county and went to Brown county, where he bought a ranch of eight hun- dred acres, also renting a lot of government land, running from four to five hundred head of cat- 320 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY tie, good grade stock, and some thoroughbred Galloways, and made a success of the stock busi- ness. In 1903 he purchased his present home of one hundred and fifty-eight acres, improved with good buildings, fences, etc.. and is one of the leading farmers of the locality. He considers the state of Nebraska far ahead of Illinois, and the Republican valley, his present home, as the very best part of the whole state. Mr. Coltrin was married in 1882, to ]^Iiss .Marv Sinclair, and this union has been blessed with eight children : William H. is engaged in railroad work : Charles is attending Franklin Academy : Clara and Sarah are teachers. Mary. Dollie. Francis and Martha are the other chil- dren. Our subject and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. MARTIN T. WEBER. Martin J. Weber, one of the early settlers in Dawes county. Nebraska, is well-known through- out the community in which he resides as a successful and prosperous business man and cit- izen of true worth. He has always taken a deep interest in the development of the locality in which he has chosen to reside, and he is widely known and universally respected and esteemed. Mr. Weber was born at Handler's Landing. on the Genesee river. New York, in 1863. His father, Frank \\'eber, was born in Germany, a furniture dealer by trade, and his mother was an American girl, of German blood. Our sub- ject grew up in New York, and at the age of eighteen came west to Nebraska, arriving here in 1880. He enlisted in the United States reg- ular army and served for five years, coming to Fort Robinson in the year i880, and saw service at Forts D. A. Russell, Fred Steele and Jefferson Barracks, being discharged at Fort Robinson in the latter part of 1884. He entered the serv- ice as a recruit, and when he received his dis- charge he held the position of first sergeant of his troops, and had a brilliant record as a soldier. After, leaving the army service he started ranching on the ^^"hite river, and followed this work up to 190.^. He has been all over the northwestern part of Nebraska, and in the early days camped out altogether, never knowing what it was to sleep in a bed for many months at a time. He was often out in heavy blizzards and rain Rtorms for hours and days at a time, and experienced much suffering from exposure, but in spite of all these hardships, enjoyed the wild life of the west. He had taken up a homestead in the first days of coming here on which he proved up, and had altogether eight hundred acres of land well improved with buildings when he sold the place out in 1905. In 1905 he estab- lished his present business, feed and grain store and elevator, and has built up a nice trade and made a ""marked success in this work. Mr. Weber was married in 1884 to Miss Mary Bendi.xon, whose parents are old settlers in Chadron. They have a family of three chil- dren, namely : ^lay, who is a teacher in the Crawford high school : Roy, attending the high school, and Frank, at home. Mr. ^^'eber has always been prominent in local affairs and lent his aid in all matters that tended to the advancement of educational and commercial interests of his locality. He is a Republican, and was county commissioner in Sioux county for six years, and helped to e.stab- lish the first schools in that countv. JOHN S. MYERS. John S. Myers, who is a prosperous and suc- cessful member of the farming community of Liberty precinct, Perkins county, takes high rank among the thrifty and honorable agriculturists of this part of Nebraska. He was born in Indiana in 1855. and grew to the age of seven years on the homestead in Putnam county. His grand- parents came from the old country, his father be- ing of English and German descent, while his mother was of French-Scotch blood. His father was a faVmer by occupation, and when he was a child the family settled in Illinois, living in Champaign county for two years. There the fa- ther followed railroading, and from the time John was eleven years until he reached the age of twenty-eight, he also worked at railroading, being on construction work all over the state of Illinois. He spent some time at carpenter work there, and also as a clerk in the mercantile busi- ness in Christian county. In March. 1886. Mr. Myers came to Perkins county, Nebraska, took up a homestead on sec- tion 8, township 10, range 38, and started to build up a home for himself. During the first months .here he worked in a lumber yard in Grant, employed by the firm of Russell & Pat- ton, also worked for the Brule Lumber Co. He came here with practically no start, and was com- pelled to work out, following his trade as a car- penter, also clerked in different stores for two years, in order to make a living and get a little money ahead and improve his farm. He has the distinction of having built the first house in the old town of Grant. He was appointed postmaster at Grant in 1803. and held that office up to 1897, COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY then went back to his farm. He has lived on it continuously since that time, and now has eight hundred acres, well stocked and improved with good buildings, etc. Of this he farms two hun- dred and eighty acres, and uses the rest as a stock farm, having plenty of pasture and hayland. Mr. Myers was married in 1882, at Clayton, Adams count^v. Illinois, to Miss Louise C. Conn, and to them have been born two children, T. Wa_\Tie and Porter H. Politically, Mr. J\lyers is a Democrat, and has always devoted considerable time to the upbuild- ing of his locality and the good of his fellow- men. He has served in diiiferent capacities, hold- ing the office of township assessor during one year. Mr. Myers is now "building up" a second farm, this being for his son. Porter H., who was married November 15, 1908. BEXJA^IIN F. PRICE. Benjamin F. Price, a capable and prosperous farmer, is a gentleman possessed of a broad mind and excellent business ability, and has been prominent in agricultural circles in Box Butte county for over twenty years. He was born in Berrien county, Michigan, in i862. His father, John P. Price, was a farmer all his life descend- ed from Welsh-Irish stock, who married Kath- erine Hines, of Pennsylvania-Dutch blood. Our subject was reared and educated in his native county, and grew up on his father's farm, where he had plenty of hard work to do during his boyhood years, receiving his education at the country schools. Both parents died before he reached the age of fourteen years, and he was obliged to hustle for himself from that time on, following farm w-ork, hiring out by the month in the vicinity of his home, and he remained in Michigan until he was twenty-three years old. In the spring of 1886 he came west, and located in Box Butte county, filing on a homestead in Nonpareil precinct. When he landed here he had nothing to start with excepting $160.00. This money he h,ad brought with him from Mich- igan, and he used it in opening up his farm, at once building a ten by twelve frame shantv in which he lived for a time, then built a sod house and held down his claim until proving up on it. During this time he lived all alone, "batching it." and experienced some prettv hard times in get- ting a start. He occupied this place up to 1901, then sold out and went back to his native state where he spent nine months, then returned to Nebraska and purchased his present farm, sit- uated in section 11, township 27, range .^0. Dur- ino- the time he lived on his first farm in this region, he had several total failures of crops, and in the eight years he was there only raised enough grain to thresh twice. Mr. Price now owns a ranch of eight hun- dred and sixty acres, farming seventy-five acres of it, and keeping the rest for hay and pasture for his stock, as he raises cattle and horses for the market. He has erected good buildings, has a good well with windmills, tanks, etc., and every corner of his place kept in the best possible shape. Our subject has met with fine success in his agricultural ventures, and is numbered among the well-to-do men of his locality who have al- ways taken an active part in the history of this region from its early development and done their full share as an old settler in helping to build up the schools in his locality. j\lr. Price resides about three miles from the town of Hemingford, which place is his post- office address. A picture of Air. Price's ranch residence appears on another page. In 1890 Mr. Price was united in marriage to Miss Luzilla Best, also of Michigan, her parents being pioneer settlers of Box Butte county. The marriage was celebrated near Alliance, Nebras- ka. Two children were born of this union, Gail, aged eleven years ; and Merle, aged six years. Soon after JMr. and Mrs. Price were married they took stock, and found that their sole pos- sessions in the way of personal property was a team of horses and one or two cows, and they experienced a great deal of hardship and priva- tion during the hard times which swept their lo- cality in the dry years, fromi 1891 to 1896. For a time they gave it up, and went to Denver, where they spent a few months, but decided to come back and stick it through, and are now very glad that they did. Politically, Mr. Price is a Democrat. ADAM FRICKEY. Although one of the recent settlers in Phelps county, the gentleman herein named has gained the esteem and confidence of all with whom he has come in contact by his industrious habits, and honesty of dealing with his fellowmen. Mr. Frickey was born in 1854. His father, August Frickey, came from Somerset county, Pennsyl- vania, and settled in Illinois, where he farmed for many years. Air. Frickey came to Nebraska twenty-nine years ago, and later bought a farm in York county, in 1877, on which he lived for twenty- one years. He was engaged in the livery busi- ness at Benedict, and also in the horse business, dealing in imported animals. In 1905, our sub- 322 COMPENDIU.M OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY ject settled in Laird township, Plielps county, and liere lie has raised three as good crops as he ever saw any place, his wheat in 1906 running .thirty bushels and corn from fifty to sixty bush- els per acre. He states that farming is much ■easier here, the soil is better and there are less obstacles to contend with in wet weather, the roads are better, as a man can drive a load over them at any time without any trouble. He in- tends to start in raising registered red hogs soon, as he thinks this an ideal place for the raising of hogs and sattle. He took a trip through the west some years ago, and of all the places he encountered says there is no better than this •county for farming and stock raising. ilr, Frickey was married in 1878 to Miss Regalia Troutman. To Mr, and Mrs. Frickey six children have been born, four sons and two daughters, namely : Lillian. \\'arren. Earl, Scott. Ford and Lucile. Politically, our subject is a stanch Repub- lican. JOSEPH HULIXSKY. Joseph Hulinsky, one of the best known men in \'alley county, Nebraska, is also one of the oldest settlers in his locality, having located here with his parents in 1880, and has lived here ever since that time. He now resides in section 6, township 20, range 16, owning a nice i:)roi)erty and enjo^ving a comfortable home. Mr. Hulinsky was born in Austria in 1871, He, with his parents, came to America when "he was a boy of eight years, the father, Albert Hulinsky. taking up a government tract as a liomestead in \'alley county, and proved up on it. and at the time of his death which occurred in 1898. he owned a valuable farm of one hundred and sixty acres, all good land. The mother con- tinued to live on the home farm until she jilso died, in 1905, when it went to the children. Our subject is now proprietor of three hun- dred and twenty acres of farm land, on which tie raises fine crops of corn. oats, wheat, etc. He also handles considerable stock each year, and has met with decided success in his different enterprises. He is a jiractical farmer, industrious and a good manager, as every appointment of liis farm and home bears evidence, and is classed among the well-to-do citizens of his locality. On another ])age will be found a jiicture of Mr. Hulinsky's residence, together with his family. In 1898 Mr. Hulinsky was married to Miss Mary Hosticka, also a native of Austria, who came to America with her parents in 1881. the familv settling in \'allev countv, Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Hulinsky are the parents of four chil- dren, one son and three daughters, named as follows : Annie. Frank, Mary and Agnes, The family are devoted members of the Bohemian Catholic church of \'alley county, Nebraska. Our subject has always taken an active part in local affairs and has done his share in advanc- ing the interests of his community. He has served as justice of the peace and township clerk, representing the Democratic party : has always voted that ticket since a young man, and is a supporter and admirer of William Jennings Brvan. JOHN A. :\fACrMDER. The above named gentleman is one of the prominent old-timers of Dawes county, Nebras- ka, where he has materially aided in the growth of that region. Mr. Macumber is familiarly known as "The Headlight of Bordeaux." the cognomen which was applied to him through the Alliance meeting. He is a warm friend and admirer of James C, Dahlman, the "cowboy mayor'' of Omaha, with whom he became ac- quainted when he first came to this country, Mr. Macumber was born in Gallia countv, Ohio, on April 8. 1852. His father, J. A. Ma- cumber, was also a native of Gallia county, and died January 23, 1907. having settled in JMadison county, Iowa, in 1853. when our sub- ject was but one year of age, he having been a twin, and one of a family of eight children by the second marriage of his father who also had four children by a first marriage. The homestead in Iowa where thev lived for manv years is sti'I owned by a nephew. Emory Calison. and it was there that the children all grew up. There John learned to ('o all sorts of hard farm work and as- sisted his parents in building uji a good home and farm, going through pioneer experiences when they were obliged to suffer many hardships and privations, handle ox teams, etc.. and at the age of twent\--one years started in for himself, following farm work. He ownc^l a two hundred acre farm there, and went through the panic of 1873. coming out of the trouble in very good shape financially-. In 1886 Mr. .Macumber came west, arriving in Dawes count}- in the month of March: went back to Iowa, sold his farm and returned with his family on the 8th of Aoril. 1886. Thev lo- cated in sectiiin 34, township 34. range 48. on l')ordeaux creek, this stream also running through his land. He has plenty of natural timber on the place, and ninety acres is irrigated, on which he raises fine crons, and in all has one hundred and KlT^^ •ss, U m 1 1^^"^ m>^S^ m^rn^ ^■1. , «rik».^ jL "'-^ Ss>- ^^3r«v COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 323 fifty acres under cultivation. The ranch con- sists of eight hundred acres, and is well supplied with good water, wild fruits, and he has many acres of good hayland and grass for pasture. The first dwelling put up on the farm was a dugout in which they lived for one year. The dry years followed soon after he located here and many were the losses and discouragements they experienced, and also in 1890 and 1891 they were occasioned much discomfort and anxiety through the Indian uprisings throughout this part of the state, but no one was injured. Dur- ing the first years here he broke up all his land and did all the farm work with the help of two yoke of oxen, and used these faithful animals for five years. The ranch is now all fenced and well improved, free from all indebtedness, and he has one of the valuable pieces of property in the county, Snd a comfortable home. Otir subject was married while living in Iowa, April 20, 1873, to JTiss Melissa Shearer, a native of Indiana, who settled in Illinois when a girl, with her parents, and in 1866 they moved to Iowa where they were among the pioneers of Madison county. Mr. and Mrs. Macumber are the parents of five children, named as follows : William H., Edward A., James W., J. A. Jr., and Alida B., all married except John A. Jr., who lives in South Dakota. James W. alsoTives in South Dakota. The balance of the family live in Dawes county, Nebraska. Mr. Macumber is a stanch Democrat, inclin- ing strongly toward Socialism, and has always worked along reform lines and been closely identified with all reform movements in his sec- tion for many years. He is a man of superior intelligence and progressive ideas, and one of the foremost citizens of his locality. A picture of the residence and family will be found on another page. ALBERT L. SCHNURR. Albert L. Schnurr. who occupies a prominent place among the younger business men of Har- rison, Nebraska, is a man of very pleasant per- sonality, well liked for his straightforward char- acter and genial disposition. Mr. Schnurr was born at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, in August, 1879. His father, William, was a shoe merchant at that place, a good business man and well known throughout that section of the coun- try. He married Rose Rukgaber, who was born in Richmond, Virgina, and reared in Iowa. Our subject's grandparents on his father's side were natives of Germany. Albert was reared and edu- cated in his native state, graduating from the Mt. Pleasant high school in 1896. later attended the Mt. Pleasant academy and graduated from the commercial department of the Iowa Wesleyan University in 1898. In 1899 Mr. Schnurr came to Omaha and en- tered the law office of W. A. Saunders, and studied law with that gentleman up to 1905, and in April of that year he came to Sioux county with the intention of engaging in the cattle busi- ness. He was admitted to the bar in 1906, and the following year was elected county judge of Sioux county, and is still serving in that capacity. He received the office by a vote of all parties, and' against his own personal wishes in the matter, and has proven a most capable official. Mr. Schnurr is secretary and treasurer of the Flarrison Real Estate & Loan Company, and is also organizer and promoter of that concern, incorporated in 1906, with officers as follows: E. F. Pontius, president; John A. Anderson, vice president : A. L. Schnurr, secretary and treasurer; R. B. Schnurr, assistant secretary. This firm deals in real estate, ranch and farm lands. The\- have handled immense deals in town properties, and their responsibility and financial standing is unquestioned. R. B. Schnurr, 'brother of our subject, was born in Iowa, April, 1886, and received prac- tically the same training and education as Albert, coming to Harrison to locate permanently in June, 1907, when he associated himself with the firm as above mentioned. Albert L. Schmirr is interested in consider- able ranching property in this county, and he has been very successful since locating here, gain- ing an enviable reputation as a worthy and enter- orising citizen of his communitv. FRED W. RIXCKER. Fred W. Rincker, owner of the book and music and stationery store at North Platte, came here in 1894, and has since resided at this. place, where he has a pleasant home and is highly esteemed as a worthy citizen. Mr. Rincker was born in McLain county, Illinois, in the town of Lexington, in 1857. He is a son of Dr. Rincker, a native of Germany, and early settler in Illinois, who received his education as a physician in his native country. Our subject was raised in Illinois, and began working on the railroad in 1880 at Cheyenne, Wyoming. He first was emplo\-ed by the L^nion Pacific railway as a freight brakeman. continu- ing at this for two years, then was given the position of freight conductor, and in 1887 was appointed passenger conductor, holding this po- 324 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY. REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY sition continuously up to January 2, 1907. He was on the fast mail running from Cheyenne to Council Bluffs, from 1890 to 1894, and later on the limited train from North Platte to Cheyenne. Mr. Rincker is a member of the Order of Rail- way Conductors, and has been ever since 1883, filling all the offices in the local lodges, having held the post of chief conductor for several terms at different times. He was the second old- est conductor in the service up to 1907, and has never had an accident attributed to himself. He belongs to North Platte Masonic lodge. Mr. Rincker was married in 1884 to Miss Hattie \\'hite, born in Yankton, South Dakota. Her father, Clarence Sylvester White, went there in 1850 and located at Siou.x Falls, later at Yank- ton, where he was engaged in freighting in the earlv davs, in partnership with Colonel Laurence, also associated with W. A. Paxton, of Omaha, and he was well known throughout the western states among all the pioneers. He used a large number of teams and men in this business, and was at the head of a large force when he was killed from ambush. Mr. ^\'hite built the first house in Yankton. He came originally from \'ermont, first settling in Minnesota and driven out by the Indians, then moved to South Dakota. Mrs. Rincker's mother was, prior to her marriage. Miss Elizabeth B. Welch, a native of Vermont. Two children were born to our subject and his wife, namely: Ernest W., and Charles A. EDWARD \'. S. POMEROY. Edward V. S. Pomeroy, one of the promi- nent citizens of Cheyenne county, Nebraska, re- sides in Brownson precinct. He was born in Pittsfield. Berkshire county, Alassachusetts, Feb- ruary 11, 1865, and grew up there. His father, Edward Pomeroy, was also a native of that state, lived there for many years, and died in 1889. Our subject's mother, who was Lucretia Van Sanvoord, was born and reared in New York state, and she still lives on the old homestead in Massachusetts. Mr. Pomeroy left home in 1885, and came to Nebraska, settling in Cheyenne county, where he pre-empted a claim in section 26, township 15, range 51, which is his present home. He imme- diately went to work and proved up on the land, built up a good home, and has gone through all the pioneer experiences of the early days in this section. He started with a very small capital, worked with untiring energy and succeeded in a marked degree. He is now proprietor of a ranch containing three thousand and forty acres of deeded land, known as the "Montauk Ranch." and controls considerable leased land in addition to this. He erected a fine two-story stone house in 1886, and has good substantial farm buildings and all necessary equipment for operating a model ranch, and is one of the leading ranchmen of his locality. He is a genuine lover of fine stock, and breeds good running horses, many of which have been trained for the race track and proved to be among the best racers on the turf, winning many ribbons in different events. He has a fine track on the ranch where his racers recei\-e their first training for the racing events. He IS also a lover of outdoor sports and in the earlier days of his ranching here devoted much time to hunting and fishing. Mr. Pomeroy has about two hundred a'cres of land cultivated, and raises grains, fruits, etc. He deals quite extensively in the cattle business, running about two hundred and fifty head an- nuallv, and keeps from one to three hundred horses on his ranch at all times. His ranch is beautifully located on Lodgepole creek, the main part of it lying north of the stream on the table- land. Mr. Pomerov was married in New York city, April 27, 1887, 'to Mary A. Piatt, of that state, whose parents lived there for many years. The mother is now dead, but the father still occupies the old home. Mr. Pomeroy and his good wife have two adopted children, whom they took into tlieir hearts and home when small, and they are named Lucretia Ely, and Hilary Ruthven Pome- roy. Mr. Ponaeroy has devoted much of his time and efforts to the upbuilding of his locality and is prominent in local affairs. He is a Republican and stands firmly for his convictions. He is a member of the Episcopal church. GRANT BIXLER. Grant Bixler, who holds a prominent place among the pioneer settlers of Cherry county, is a very successful stockman and farmer. Mr. Bix- ler was born near Minonk, Livingston county, Illinois, July 5, 1868, living there until he was seven years old. In 1875 the family moved to Panora, Iowa, later they moved to Berwin. in Guthrie county, where the father bought a farm. His father was Samuel Bixler, of Pennsylvania Dutch stock, was a farmer, and served in the Forty-seventh Illinois for four years and nine months during the war. Though he fought in two battles he was never wounded, and is now living in Gordon. His mother was Miss ^Nlary Desano, of English descent. ))orn in Pliiladclphia, RESIDEXCE OF SHERIFF G. A. EVANS, Taylor. .Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 325 where Mr. Bixler now has relatives living. He is the second child in a family of six, and started in life for himself when eighteen years of age, following farm work. In 1884 he came to Broken Bow, Custer county, remaining here four years, and in 1888 moved into Cherry coun- ty and took pre-emption which he sold and took a homestead, in section 26, township 35, range Z7, still holding it as a ranch and has added to it until he now has six hundred and forty acres of deeded land, nearly all hay land excepting a small portion which is hilly range. On this ranch he runs about two hundred and fifty head' of cat- tle and a number of horses. He is also owner of some town property and makes his home there during the winter. Excepting for about two years in which he was engaged in the livery business, he has engaged exclusively in stock raising. Our subject was married to ]\liss Alice Pru- den in 1897, whose father was a farmer of Eng- lish descent. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bixler, named as follows : Lottie, Lottie, George, Clyde and Frost, all of whom were born in Cherry county. When Mr. Bixler landed in Cherry county all he had in the world was a horse, saddle and the clothes he wore. He has seen hard times, for several years working for difTerent ranchmen by the year for $14 a month. He now has his ranch well improved, all fenced, and has about thirty acres of broken land, and some tame grasses started. Mr. Bixler moved into town in order to give his children the benefit of the better schools. He has always worked hard and has met with suc- cess in the ranching business, but feels that his labor has not been in vain. In political faith he is a Republican, and is firm in his convictions. He is a member of the Merriman lodge of Mod- ern Woodmen of America. GEORGE A. EVANS. The subject of this review was born in Iowa, in 1863, and was reared on a farm, becoming accustomed to hard work of which there was plenty to do. His father, Hugh Evans, was born in Indiana, but was of Welsh ancestry. Our subject's mother was Susan Davis, native of Indiana. George A. Evans started out for himself in 1884, engaging in agricultural pursuits. In 1886, he came west to Loup county, Nebraska, work- ing for a while in Taylor, the countv seat. In 1887 he took a pre-emption claim in Blaine coun- ty, on the Loup river, and in 1890 he located a homestead three miles west of Tavlor. In 1890 Mr. Evans was united in marriage to Miss Nettie Hooper, who was reared in Loup county, where her father was one of the earliest pioneers. Her mother was Miss Mahaley Kin- ser before marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Evans have four daughters : Cristie, May, Ina and Blanche. George Evans had only a team of horses when he made his start in Loup county, but he has proven a man of ability and enterprise by building up a fine farm and home. He bought the place where he now lives in 1898, and has three hundred and twenty acres with nice im- provements, good house, barns and fine trees. For three years he engaged in the implement business in Taylor and was active in the upbuild- ing of that city. He has been one of the promi- nent pioneer settlers and old-timers of Loup county and has done his share in advancing the interests of that community. George A. Evans has taken an active part in the politics of the county and has been honored with several offices in the gift of the people. He has been road overseer, assessor and has held other minor offices. For several years he was chairman of the county central committee of the Populist party. In 1901 he was elected sheriff of Loup county and was re-elected in 1903, 1905 and 1907, and is the present incumbent of that office. On another page of this volume will be found a picture of ]\Ir. Evans' place. JUSTIN E. PORTER. Among the professional men of Dawes coun- ty, Nebraska, an able representative is found in the person of Justin E. Porter, an attorney of Crawford. He is a gentleman of broad mind and good practical training, and has built up for himself a good business and enviable reputa- tion as a lawyer and public-spirited citizen. Mr. Porter is at present serving as county attorney, having been elected in 1904 and re-elected in 1906. Mr. Porter is a native of Prince Edward Is- land, Canada, born in 1866, on December 25th, being a Christmas gift to his parents, who were of Scotch-Irish descent, his father a leather deal- er in Canada. Our subject was reared and edu- cated in that county, attending an Episcopal school and was graduated as a barrister m Win- nipeg in 1891. In 1894 he came to Nebraska and settled in Crawford, where he opened a law office and has continued in that work ever since, building up a large and lucrative practice in Dawes and the adjoining counties. He has done COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY well since locating here, and has accumulated a good property by persistent and faithful efforts supplemented by good management, and is one of the leading attorneys of this region. Mr. Porter is a Republican politically, and has taken an active part in party politics since locating here. He has been chairman of the county central committee for two years, and has acted as city attorney off and on for many years past. Mr. Porter has a family of two children, namely : Waldo and Caroline. S. C. GOULD. The above gentleman, residing in Alma. Har- lan county, Nebraska, is the genial proprietor of "The Double Store," which carries the largest stock of general merchandise of any establish- ment of its kind in the county, amounting to $33,000. Mr. Gould began as a clerk in this county, mostly under his father, G. H. Goula, who for years managed a large mercantile busi- ness in Republican, and the former started in business in 1897, with a capital of $1,100, being successor of his father-in-law, Frank Shaffer, widely known as the pioneer settler and merchant of Alma. Mr. Gould is a native of Iowa, born in 1870. His father, Garvin H. Gould, of Republican, Harlan county, is a native of Lincoln county, Maine, born December 19, 1845, and is a son of Joseph and Mary E. (Hamilton) Gould, the for- mer born in 1815. He has one brother. Albert H. Gould, residing in Flarlan county. The Gould family moved from Maine to Handy Hollow, New York, then to Yeoman's Mills, Tioga cuuu- ty, Pennsylvania, having been engaged for at least two generations in the lumbering business in Maine, New York and Pennsylvania. At the breaking out of the civil war Albert fl. enlisted in the Eighty-sixth New York regiment, and served until April 2, 1862. He wasup on his homestead and has made a good home out of it, putting up good buildings, fences, etc., and runs a large bunch of stock each year, having at the present time one hundred and fifty head of cattle and quite a bunch of horses. He has a fine grove of trees on his ranch, a good water supply, and everything necessary in the way of machinery and improvements. ^Ir. Burt has about fifty acres of irrigated land, the ditch running through the farm east and west. This practically insures a hay crop each year. Mr. Burt was united in marriage October 28, 1891. to Miss ^lary Ann Tracy, who was born in Iowa. She was a most estimable and charming lady, beloved by all who knew her, and departed this life on February 20, 1906. leaving a sorrow- ing family and many warm friends to mourn her death. She was the mother of three children. Isabelle Maude. Earl and Francis, all of whom- were born on the home ranch in Kimball county. and now living with their father. Mr. Burt is an active public-spirited citizen, well and favorably known throughout the region where he makes his home, and is one of the very few really old-timers left in this locality. He is a Republican and strong party man. At the present time he is serving as moderator of school district No. 7. On another page of this volume will be found portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Burt. WILLARD M. EVANS. Willard M. Evans, a well-to-do farmer and ranchman and a leading citizen of Box Butte county, whose residence is located on section 14, township 28, range 51, presents in his own career a strikipg illustration of the field of op- portunity this new western county abundantly oflfers the ambitious, as well as the rich results that have long waited on industry and integrity. He was born in Freetown, Courtland county. New York, in 1840, a son of Benjamin and Cath- erine (Familiar) Evans. The boyhood days of Mr. Evans were spent in his native state, where he attended school and assisted his father in the cultivation of their farm. Realizing the opportunities the great west- em country oflfered the ambitious, Mr. Evans, at the age of twenty-five years, decided to seek his fortune there, and leaving his home came west into Michigan and Missouri, where he spent sev- eral years. It was in 1886 that he came to Ne- braska, settling in Dawes county. For a time he did teaming and hauling from Hay Springs. ' and assisted in some of the first work of con- structing the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy rail- road through this part of the country. Mr. Evans is now the proprietor of a fine ranch of from one thousand two hundred to one thousand four hundred acres of land located on the tableland south of the Niobrara river, three hundred acres of which he has under cultivation. The first building which our subject erected for his home was a sod house. Through years of adversity and prosperity he has held the handles of the plow, working out for himself a comfort- able home. He did not escape the hardships with which so many of the early settlers of this west- ern country had to contend. His ranch is now well fenced throughout, and the improvements with which it has been fittetd are modem in every respect. Our subject enlisted in Company F, Nine- teenth New York Regiment, and during the civil war served in the army of the Potomac and on guard duty at Washington, and took part in many hard fought battles. In 1866 Mr. Evans was married to Carrie Kellan, at Syracuse, New York. She was a daughter of E. L. and Dorothy Kellan, natives of Germany. Four children blessed this happy union, namely : Jennie C, Willie, who died in September, 1881 ; Charles H., and Lydia. Mr. Evans is a man whose career is a striking illus- tration of persistence, pluck and energy, and shows what possibilities this great western coun- try have opened to those who could see an op- portunity, and had the courage to embrace it. Mr. Charles H. Evans, the only living son of \\'illard M. and Carrie Evans, was married June 15, 1908, to Miss Carrie Grant, daughter of Wil- liam and Mary Grant, of W'hitewood, South Da- kota. Mr. and Mrs. William Grant are Amer- icans by birth, being born in the state of Ken- tucky. Mr.' and Mrs. Charles H. Evans live on a ranch which adjoins the ranch owned by Mr. Evans' father. They have built up a fine ranch and have a very comfortable home. His farm is considered one of the model farms of the com- munity, as he has built some of the finest build- ings in the county. Mr. Chas. H. Evans' biog- raphy appears elsewhere in this volume. WILLI A.M II. HART. The gentleman above named, who came to Nebraska when he was a boy. is today one of the representative farmers of Rock county, where he owns and ojierates a large tract of land. He has reached Jiis present success through his own unaided efforts, and is numbered among the suc- cessful leading citizens of the county. COiMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REAIINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Mr. Hart was born in Guthrie county. Iowa, June 19, 1867. His father, Daniel Hart, is an old settler in Nebraska, having come here in 1879, with his family. Eight children com- pleted his family circle, of whom our subject is the seventh member. They settled on the Nio- brara river, in section 17, township 32, range 18. where they went through many pioneer hard- ships and privations in getting a home started. Their first building was a log house, and they lived in this for several years. During his young manhood our subject handled ox teams, which were generally in use at that time as it was almost impossible to keep horses on account of the prevalence of glanders in the section. All the supplies had to be hauled from Oakdale, a distance of over a hundred miles. It took eight days to make this trip and the way led over the roughest roads, often having great difficulty in getting to their destination. Mr. Hart was familiar with all that part of N'ebraska, and from boyhood has watched the growth of this section, aiding in its development and becoming one of the substantial citizens. He is now proprietor of a farm of five hundred and sixty acres of rieeded land, and engaged in grain and stock raising. In 1894 he was married to Miss Clara Wal- lace, a lady of American lineage, born in Iowa. Four children have come to bless this union, namely : Ethel, Belle. Roland and Amos. Mr. Hart always takes a commendable inter- est in local public affairs, and lends his influence and aid in the upbuilding of the community where he has made his home. He and his fam- ily are highlv respected, and their home is one of pleasant cheer and generous hospitalitv. His vote is usually cast for the Republican candi- dates : his lodge membership is with the .\ncient Order United Workmen at Carnes, and the In- dependent Order of (Jdd Fellows at Bassett. CARL WAGONER. Carl Wagoner, one of the prominent early settlers of Cheyenne county, Nebraska, is one of the leading ranchmen of the region, also farms to quite an extent, and has met with marked success in his work. He is a gentleman of untiring energy, excellent busi- ness capacity and strict integrity, and well merits his high standing as a worthy citizen and well-known old-timer of western Nebraska. Mr. ^^'agoner was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, on December 14. 1857. He lived in that vicinity until he was ten years of age. one of a family of eleven children, and the parents are now living near Peru, this state. In 1864 the family left Ohio and came to Ne- braska, settling in Nemaha county, where the father took up land and began farming, im- proving a place with the aid of his children, and our subject remained at home until 1884, at that time coming into Cheyenne county, homesteading on section 26, township 19, range 48. He went through all the old Ne- braska times in getting started with a limited capital, and at times found it difficult to more than make a living on account of the failure of crops, etc., but managed to stick to his farm, and as the better times came on, succeeded in improving the farm in good shape, adding to his acreage as he was able, until he is now owner of a ranch containing one thousand eight hundred acres lying along the river. One thousand acres of the land is under culti- vation, the home ranch being in the Sand Hills, while his buildings are on section 21. township 21. range 47. The place is known far and wide as the "^^'agoner Ranch," and is one of the valuable properties in the county. He has about seventy acres of sugar beets at the pres- ent time, and plenty of grain, hay, etc. His stock includes from 1,200 to 1.500 head of cattle and 100 head of horses. The entire ranch is well equipped with every building and con- venience. In the early days it was necessary to go 25 miles to Camp Clark to get mail. This trip was made only about once a month, and in a busy time, once in two or three months. The nearest railroad town was Sidney, 35 miles away. The trip to town was made once a year, bringing supplies to last for that period. It was 25 miles to the nearest polling place, and churches and schools were unknown for many years in this country. Mr. Wagoner was married in ^larch, 18S1, to Mary Ann Durell, the event occurring in Nemaha county. Mrs. Wagoner was born and reared in Beardstown, Illinois. Her father is dead, but her mother resides in Oklahoma, her parents coming to Nemaha county in 1864, re- siding near Auburn until 1903. Our subject is a Republican politically, and active in local and countv affairs. WILBUR A. McNALL. The gentleman above mentioned is one of the prosperous 3-ounger members of the farm- ing and ranching community of Cherry county, Nebraska, whose entire career has been passed in this state, he being born here in 1874, on a farm in Seward countv, where his father was 330 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY a pioneer. The latter, Wilbur, sr., was well known in that vicinity, and died when our sub- ject was a child of six years, his death deeply deplored as a worthy citizen and progressive farmer, who did all in his power to help build u]) the section where he chose his home. He married Miss Mary Jackson, who. several years after the death of her husband, married the sec- ond time, to Hiram Edgar. When Wilbur was twelve years of age the family located in Cherry county, driving up the Loup River by team in a "prairie schooner," arriving in February. 1887, bringing with them a hunch of stock. They located on the North Loup, on section 8. township 26. range 27, and started to build up a home and ranch. Our subject lived at home until he was twenty-one years of age. farming, using ox teams, and they lived in a sod house during those years. He began for himself in 1900. taking a homestead, on which he proved up in good time, improv- ing it with buildings, and met with good suc- cess. He purchased an interest in his father's old ranch in 1895. and later bought the whole place, his parents removing to Valentine, where they now reside. When he first came to this region Johnstown was their nearest trading point, and remained so for several years, the towns being very far apart, and the pioneers were obliged to travel long distances for supplies, through wild prairie, when the country abounded in wild game, and Indians were by no means uncommon sights, and often met with exciting adventures. In 1901 Mr. McNall married Miss Lillian Correll, born in Greenville county, Tennessee, where her parents settled many years ago. Mr. and Mrs. McNall have two daughters. Hazel and Thelma. The family have a very pleasant home, surrounded with all the com- forts of rural life, and have a host of friends and acquaintances who enjoy their hospitality. The ranch consists of one thousand one hun- dred acres, with good buildings of all kinds. fine groves of trees and many fruit trees, all in the finest growing shape, and is one of the well-kept and best improved ranches in the county. Mr. McNall has always done his share as an old settler, active in local afifairs, and has held numerous township offices. WILLIAM LESSIG. For many years past Brown county has had a representative citizen in the person of William Lessig, the subject of this review. He has given the best years of his life to the development of the farming, and incidentally, the financial interests of the community where he chose his home. Success has crowned his efforts and he is deserving of all that has come to him in his business career. Mr. Lessig was born in the town of Fan- nettsburg, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, Sep- tember 7. 1844. His father, Jacob Lessig, was a farmer of German descent, and his mother, Maria Moore, of Scotch-Irish stock. He was the eldest member of his father's family of six children, and was reared and educated in Pennsylvania, re- maining there until after the war. Having served with the militia sixty days, in May, 1863, he enlisted in Company B, 22d Pennsylvania Cavalry, and afterwards was with the 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, being one of those who saw service with the Army of the Potomac. He was in the siege of Petersburg and Richmond, through the Wilderness and at Cold Harbor. During the last three years of this war he saw much hard service all the time, participating in many battles, and re- maining with his company until he was mustered out at City Point and received an honorable discharge at Philadelphia in 1866. After the close of the war he followed the carpenter's trade in his native town until 1879, when he came west, locating at Great Bend, Barton county, Kansas. Finding no work at his trade there he went to Leadville, Colorado, where he spent five years in the mines, the smelters, the stamp mills, prospecting and working at his trade ; he then returned to Pennsylvania, working at difYerent employ- ments for a year. In March, 1887, he again migrated west and came to Omaha, where he worked at his trade until July, 1888, having spent the winter at home, working as a car- penter; but becoming dissatisfied with life in the city, he came to Brown county and settled on a farm, near the mouth of Plum Creek, where he lived for a year, before securing his present farm in section 12, township 32, range 23, where he erected his first dwelling, a log shanty, which was his home until 1901. By this time he had accumulated a substantial amount, and began to improve his property, building a large two story house, barns, and cow sheds and stocking up the place with a herd of cattle. He is now the owner of four hundred and eighty acres of good land, part of which is irrigated and engages principally in stock raising. He has had experience in farm- ing on the "Table," in Garfield precinct, where he spent some little time. He now enjoys a pleasant home, surrounded by all the improve- ments and conveniences of modern farming, and is accorded a place among the foremost COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 331 citizens of the community in which he resides. A view of the residence and surroundings, is to be found on another page. Mr. Lessig was married November 12. 1868, to Miss Sarah A. Jones, a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, where her parents, Sam- uel and IMary (Davis) died. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Lessig, namely: Frank, Ortha, wife of Gaylord W. Hurlburt, Jacob. Ethel, Samuel J. and an infant. Mr. Lessig takes an active interest in all matters looking to educational advancement of his community, and has been instrumental in organizing different schools and assisting in the betterment of the social affairs of the lo- cality. He is a Republican, and for the past seven years has been committeeman in his township. With his family, he is a member of the Methodist church. A. A. WYATT. A. A. Wyatt, sheriff' of Minden, elected in 1902, and re-elected in 1904, is one of the most popular citizens in this section. He is known all through Kearney county as a man of broad and liberal mind, and esteemed by all who know him for his active public spirit and a gen- tleman of strict integrity in every way. Mr. ^^'yatt is a native of ]\IcDonough county, Illinois, born in 1842. His father. Captain J. J. Wyatt, was a pioneer in that sec- tion, and a soldier in the Civil war. captain of Company I, 62nd Illinois infantry, serving through the entire war, his death occurring immediately after the close of the war in 1865. Capt. Wyatt was one of the underground rail- way conductors who assisted many negroes to escape to Canada during those times. He was a Kentuckian, his family originally comnig from Virginia, and his wife was Elizabeth Mayfield, of Tennessee. Three sons fought with him in the late war, one having lost his life in the service of his country. Our subject enlisted on May 24, 1861. in the 16th Illinois Infantry, and followed a soldier's fortunes through the entire war, taking part in the Army of the Cumberland, at Chattanooga. Lookout Mountain, Mission Ridge, and was with Sherman on his famous March to the Sea. He took part in the Grand Review at Washington. J\lr. Wyatt came to Nebraska in July, 1878, and located in Phelps county, tak- ing a homestead in Prairie township, and there farmed one hundred and sixty acres for sev- eral years. He then moved to Holdredge, and in 1879 was elected sheriff of Phelps county, serving for one term. He next went on the Burlington and Missouri Railway and for twelve vears was engineer on that road. In 1900 he came to Kearney county, locating at Wilcox, and was appointed deputy sheriff, serving for two years. Air. Wvatt was married at Roseville, Illinois, in 1871, to Miss Mary J. Sears, of Guernsey county, Ohio. Mr. Wvatt is a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic in Minden, and has eone through all the chairs. CEPHAS ROSS. Cephas Ross is well known among the resi- dents of Dawes county, Nebraska, as one of the leading old settlers in this region. Mr. Ross now lives in section 19, township 33, range 51, where he has a comfortable and pleasant home surrounded by many warm friends and good neighbors. His health fails him at times and then he boards in Crawford, Nebraska. He spends a good deal of his time with his son Hiram, who owns a homestead adjoining the father's estate. Air. Ross is a native of Alontgomery county, • Pennsylvania, born in 1838. His father, John Ross, was a miller by trade, of American stock, his ancestors coming to the United States from the north of Ireland. Our subject's mother, who was Elizabeth Stoker, was of German-Welsh descent. He grew up in Pennsylvania on a farm, and at the age of twenty-three years enlisted in Company A, First New Jersey Volunteer Cavalry. He saw ser- vice in the Army of the Potomac and partici- pated in a number of engagements during the civil war. After the close of the war he returned to his old home and engaged in farm- ing on his own account, follpwing this up to 1885. He had a nice farm of sixty-three acres, and was successful in operating it, but decided to go west, so sold out and came to Nebraska in 1886. He arrived at Chadron in March of that year, and took up his homestead in Dawes county. He at once went to work building up his farm and now owns one thousand one hundred and twenty acres, and for a number of vears has been engaged in stock raising on a liberal scale. His place is well improved with good house and farm' buildings, and he has been very successful in his undertakings since coming here, excepting that in September, 1904, his dwelling and the contents were des- troyed by fire, and also in July, 1908, another fire destroyed his barns, sheds, corrals and a large quantity of hay. In 1906 he suffered the 332 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY misfortune of a severe illness, and since that time has disposed of his interest in the stock on his ranch to his son. Hiram, who now oper- ates the land, and the father boards with his son most of the time when not boarding in Crawford, but Mr. Ross still owns his land. In Xovember, 1865. Mr. Ross was married to ^liss Johanna Carr. of Hartsville. Pennsylva- nia, who died there in 1882. In 1894 he married the second time. He has a family of three children, namely : Harvey and Hiram b\' his first wife, and Ma}-, by his second marriage. Mr. Ross has always taken a commendable interest in local aiifairs. He was elected county commisisoner in 1891 and served for one term. Politically he is a Republican. GEORGE E. FOWLER. George E. Fowler, one of the energetic and aspiring young farmers of Brown county, Ne- braska, who is taking a prominent part in the agricultural development of the countrv ad- jacent to the town of Ainsworth, has chosen a vocation in which lie many of the most pleasant features of life. Its independent char- acter pleases him. and he is ready to meet its demand for hard work and close application. Its free out of door activities stimulate his sturdy manhood and the winds that sweep across these broad Nebraska prairies are wel- come, as they tell a story of liberty, competence and opportunity not surpassed anywhere in the wide world. George E. Fowler was born on a farm in Jasper county. Iowa. October 15. 1867. and from his earlj- youth was familiar with hard work. His father was a farmer during his active life and an early settler in Brown count}'. He is still living in Ainsworth. a sketch of his career appearing elsewhere in this work. Of the five children born to his parents. George E. Fowler is the third in order of birth, and one of three now living. The father brought his family to Brown county in the spring of 1883. and made a homestead of the northwest quarter of section 20. township 30, range 22, and here the subject of this nar- ration grew into manhood, having enough hard work to occupy his mind and strengthen his sinews. When he came into the county there were no .schools in the town, the first being established in the winter of 1883 and 1884. The young George helped his father build up the family homestead and put the family fortunes on a solid foundation. He passed through some hard times at home, and found it difficult to maintain a stand against the disasters that followed in the wake of the drouth, but he remained at home until he was twenty-two years of age. and in after years had no regrets that he did so. George E. Fowler and^Iiss ^I;iry E. Bar- rett were married February 24. 1897. .She was more commonly known under the nick- name of "Lydia." She was born in Indiana, where her mother died when "Lydia," the nick- name by which Mrs. Fowler was commonly known, was nine years old. Her father. I. B. Barrett, was auditor of Bartholomew county, Indiana, at the time of death in 1898. I\Ir. and Mrs. Fowler have one child. Frank, born Feb- ruary 3. 1902. Mrs. Fowler came to Nebraska in 1887 to join her sister, Mrs. Dr. G. O. Remy, who had cared for her after the death of her mother. Illness for three years prevented her going west at the time the Doctor and his wife mi- grated to the frontier. After their marriage the young couple lived for some two years on old Fowler home- stead, but in 1899 built a house on their own land, where they have now a neat and attract- ive farm of one hundred and si.xty acres. -About ninety acres are under the plow, and the balance devoted to pasturage. In addition to his general farming ^Ir. Fowler is making much of stock raising, and more and more is throwing means and energy in that line. The family belong to the Congregational Church and Mr. Fowler affiliates with the Modern Woodmen of .America, of Ainsworth. In political faith he is Republican. E. G. WALLIN. E. G. Wallin was born in Sweden. March 30, 18.=^7. Coming to .America, in 1880. he made his home in New York City for six years, but during that time he made a six months visit to his native land. In June, 1886, he came west to Nebraska, settling in Kimball (then Cheyenne) county. He took a pre-emption claim and homestead, and also a Kincaid home- stead later. His home is located on the south- cast (|uarter of section 4. township 15. range 53. where he has surrounded himself with many evidences of wealth, prosperity and com- fort. He has been very successful with his farming operations and cultivates a consider- able portion of his land, having also a nice bunch of cattle and horses. He has good im- provements and his farm is well equipped in COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY every way. In early life Mr. \\"allin was an upholsterer by trade and he has followed that business more or less in this country, for some time being engaged thereat in Denver, Colo- rado. March 12. 1881, in New York City, Mr. Wallin and Miss Charlotte Lindberg were married. She was a native of Sweden and came to America in August, 1879. Air. and Mrs. Wallin have six children, all at home : Ernest, Prince, Morgan, Hulda, Alfred and Herbert. The parents of Mr. and Mrs. Wal- lin are all dead. Of two children in his father's family, our subject is the sole survivor. Mr. E. G. Wallin has taken an active part in the local political matters of his community and is an advocate of the principles of the Republican party. He has been county as- sessor of Kimball county several different times and is regarded as a safe and capable oflficial. He knows well b\- experience the hardships of the early days in this western country, and many times his good wife had the care of the place alone while he worked out. Many times she was forced to buy water and get wood from the timber. They had no team, and much credit is due Mrs. \\'allin as well as our subject for the success they have attained. REV. JOHN A. SCAMAHORN. Rev. John A. Scamahorn, pastor of the iMethodist Episcopal church of Gordon, is among the well known ministers of this part of the state of Nebraska. He has traveled over most of the state in an official capacity, and has gained a host of friends, highly es- teemed by all. Rev. Scamahorn was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, September 25, 1831. His father. Rev. Jacob Scamahorn, was a minister in the United Brethren Church for forty years, also a native of Ohio, of Holland Dutch extrac- tion, the Scamahorn family having settled in New York in 1600. Our subject's mother was of Irish descent, and he was the second child in their family of three. His parents moved to Indiana in 1850, and settled in Spencer county. He began working on a farm during his young manhood days, and in 1861 enlisted in Company C, 42nd Indiana Volunteers, as 'a private, and with his regiment was ordered south, serving in the Army of the Cumberland. He followed a soldier's life for four years, and was in many skirmishes and saw hard service. He was all through Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and .\labama, was captured at Stone River. Tenn. and afterwards exchanged. Was in the battle of Chickamauga, taken prisoner and held for fifteen months, but managed to escape from prison and rejoin his regiment. He was promoted from private to orderly ser- geant, then lieutenant, then became captain of his company and later major. After the war had closed and he had received an honorable discharge, he entered the Hartsville University and spent one year and then was licensed as a minister in the United Brethren Church, serv- ing with them for two years. He was elected to the Indiana Legislature from Spencer county, serving one term, from 1866 to 1868. In 1870 he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has served a total of thirty-nine years in the ministry. He held several im- portant charges in the Indiana conference. In 1884 he came to Nebraska at the head of a colony of 105 people from Indiana, settling in the vicinity of Gordon, Sheridan county, and soon afterwards organized the first Methodist Episcopal society in northwestern Nebraska, filling a number of charges in that part of the state, also serving as presiding elder in the Chadron district of the Northw-estern Nebraska Conference. In 1903 he took his superannu- ated relation in the conference, but still does a great deal of active work for the church. He was one of those who took an active part in the settlement of Gordon in the early days, and named the town, having been its first post- master. Rev. Scamahorn was married in 1853' to Miss Margaretta McCoUum, who died during the civil war. They had three children but none lived through their infancy. He was married the second time in 1866 to Mrs. Mary C. Radcliff, whose husband was killed in the bat- tle of Chickamauga. HORACE GREELEY MILLER. The gentleman herein named occupies a foremost place among the prominent citizens of Brown County, Nebraska. Air. Aliller is an old settler in this vicinity, and here he has become well known for his square dealing in a business way and by devoting many years of his life to his work, he well merits the suc- cess which he has attained. Air. Aliller was born in Union county,^ Indiana, August 12, 1834. His father, Alartin Miller, was of mixed nationality, American born, settling in Indiana with his parents when he was but ten vears old. Our subject's mother, whose maiden 3.-4 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY name was Cassandra Yeaman, was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1805 of American stock; she become the mother of seven boys, of whom Horace Greeley is the fourth in order of birth. He was reared in the county in which he was born, attending the public schools and in his boyhood years became accustomed to hard farm work, going through many pioneer ex- periences even at that time. He learned the miller's trade when a young man, following in the footsteps of his father with whom he entered into partnership in the business, con- tinuing together until 1864. From that time to 1871 our subject ran the business alone, and then selling the mill, came to Hebron, Thayer county, Nebraska, there engaging in the same vocation. In 1874 he witnessed the grass- hopper raids in that region through which he met with heavy losses. He afterwards built several mills for ditterent parties in that vicin- ity, doing his share in the building up of the country. In the fall of 1875 he spent some time in Nuckolls county, where he conducted a store at Spring Valley, noiv Hardy Station, on the Union Pacific ; thence he moved to Brown county in 1882, driving across country by team, he and his family camping out on the way in a tent, driving a few head of cattle with them. He located at the junction of Bone and Pine creeks, built a dugout and lot cabin combined, in which they lived up to 1896, when it was de- stroyed by fire. In 1885 he began the erection of a burr-mill, which in 1891 he remodeled and improved, installing the roller system, now making patent flour. He also runs a saw mill in connection, running both by water power from Pine creek in which he has a good dam. In 1882 Mr. Miller took up a homestead in section 5, township 31. range 20, the tract on which the mill stands, and engaged in grain and stock raising, at both of which he has made a success. When he first reached Brown coimty, his capital was seventy-five dollars in money, his household goods and a few head of stock. Mr. Miller has been a pioneer in sev- eral states, always pushing out to the borders of civilization. Mr. Miller was married February 7, 1861. to Miss Barbara E. Miller, of American stock, born in Union county, Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have a family of seven children of whom three are living: Winfield S., Minnie, wife of Alonzo S. Barker, farming near Mr. Miller's j)lace, and Moulton. While living in Nuckolls county. Mr. Miller took quite an active part in politics, and served as county commissioner for three years. In establishing the postoffice of Winfield to accommodate the neighborhood sur- ruunding the mill, Mr. Miller was appointed postmaster, an office he efficiently tills. He is Republican in political faith. A picture of Mr. Aliller's residence and the mill will be found elsewhere in this volume. THOMAS LINDBERG. Among the early settlers in western Ne- braska who have watched the growth and aided in the development of this region from its start, the gentleman above named holds a first place. Mr. Lindberg lives on section 2, town- ship 34. range 33. Cherry county, where he has built up a good home and farm, and is recognized as one of the leading citizens of his community. Mr. Lindberg was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. August 30. 1859, son of Peter Lindberg, a harnessmaker by trade, and the youngest of a family of five children. He grew up in his native town, and at the age of eighteen went to sea, sailing to England, and afterwards made a trip all through Europe. He had learned his father's trade and worked at that from time to time. In 1878 he came to America, sailing from Liverpool in the steam- ship Baltic, landing in Portland, Maine, and from there came west stopping at Omaha where he worked for a few months, then began work on the railroad south from that city. He next went to Chicago and remained for five years teaming there ; later he was employed in Boston, Philadelphia and Hoboken, New Jersey. In 1887 he enlisted in the United States army at Park Row, New York City, and assigned to Company A, Eighth Infantry, serv- ing at Fort Niobrara for a time. During the In- dian outbreak at Pine Ridge in 1891, he was with his regiment there and also at Rosebud, Wound- ed Knee, and Fort McKinley. Wyoming, receiv- ing an honorable discharge June 26, 1891. hav- ing marched one hundred and sixty miles through the mountains, often camping in the snow. Mr. Lindberg had married prior to his dis- charge and on his return from the army rented garden ground near Hanson's bridge, east of \''alentine, which was not ])rofitable. He then rented a farm for two years in Nenzel precinct and in 1901 filed on a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, since then taking up his addi- tional four hundred and eighty acres. Mrs. Lind- berg, prior to her marriage, had taken up a tim- ber claim on which the family now resides. Dur- ing the first years he worked on the section to sui)port his family, and saw many hard times, but conditions have improved and tlu-y are now RESIDENCE OF THO^IAS LINDBERG. Chcrrv County. Nebraska. MILL AND RESIDENCE OF H. G. MILLER, Winfield, Brown County, Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 335 independent. He has been successful since starting here, gradually adding to his land un- til he is now proprietor of eight hundred acres, cultivating one hundred and ten acres of it and the balance in hay and pasture land. He has good wells and windmills, and his ranch is well improved and one of the most valuable properties in this region. A view of the resi- dence and surroundings will be found else- where in this work. On August 11, 1890, our subject was mar- ried to Miss Johanna Zirfas, a native of the village Baden, Nassau, Germany. Mrs. Lind- berg has presented her husband with three children, namely: Mary, born May 29, 1891, Peter, born May 28, 1895, and Joseph, April 7, 1900. They are members of the Catholic church. Mr. Lindberg afifiliates with the Modern Woodmen of America and Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Codv. C. K. DAVIES. C. K. Davies, residing in Kearney, Nebraska, is one of the best known citizens of Buflfalo county. He came to Nebraska with his parents when a boy, and has never lived out of the state since 1867. Mr. Davies was born at Denver, Colorado, in 1862. His father, W. D, Davies, was a well known breeder of stock, and came to Nebraska from Denver. Our subject was for many years in the Shorthorn breeding business at Columbus, Nebraska, and in 1904 came to Buffalo county, establishing himself at Kearney. He has never exhibited his herd, but has sold many animals to farmers from all over western Nebraska, as when purchasing any of his stock they are sure of getting the very best that can be had. At the head of his herd is the "Goldendrop" strain. He paid $500 for the bull "Fame's Heir," sired by Imported Golden Fame, dam Imported Milkmaid. His Lancaster cow is the favorite in his herd, and the sum of $200 was paid for her daughter before she was a year old. Mr. Davies refused $200 for her last bull calf, which prom- ises to be one of the best of his kind. The best breeders from all over Iowa and Nebraska buy cows from Mr. Davies' herd, and he now has a herd of about one hundred and twenty-five, and runs a large dairy, from which he furnisljes most of the milk and cream used in Kearney. He prefers the Shorthorn cattle for all purposes. He states that western breeders have to cross their Herefords with Shorthorn stock, otherwise their herd will run out in a short time. The Shorthorn is A-1 for beef as well as milk, and this makes them the most desirable for both farmers and stockmen, and a Shorthorn bull will improve any strain or breed of cattle. At one time Mr. Davies was engaged in breeding Duroc Jersey hogs on quite a large scale, and is considered one of the best judges in this locality of these animals. He has no use for a pampered show pig, but selects those that have developed naturally, and followed that line in his work, his animals taking many prizes where- ever they were shown. He was offered $100 for Madam Banker, but refused to sell. The state industrial school select their stock of pure-bred hogs from his drove, which is the best evidence of their superiority over any others here. Mr. Davies has also been a breeder of horses, and his judgment of thoroughbreds is considered among the best. He owned Kitty Fenland, and at the state fair in 1903 she was first in her class, and her colt also took first prize. Both these animals were sold to James Barr, the leading horse breeder in Nebraska, to whom our subject also sold his eight hundred and eighty-acre ranch at Lomax, Nebraska. Mr. Davies has four sons, and all are inter- ested in ths stock business, following naturally in the footsteps of their father. George, who is liut twelve years of age, reared and cared for an animal which was pronounced by the best judges in the state to be the most fit thoroughbred ever shown as a yearling. This son also has a bunch of Rosecomb Leghorn chickens that are not sur- passed by any in the state. The other sons are Sumner, Alden and Jay. ANDREW McGINLEY. Prominent among the early settlers of west- ern Nebraska is the gentleman above named, who has taken part in the history of this region from the beginning, and has done his full share in its development. He was among the first of those to introduce the system of irrigation in this part of the country. He went through many hardships and privations, and during the year 1876 was never inside a house from November until the following May. Mr. McGinley also had many exciting encounters with the Indians, and can relate many interesting anecdotes of the frontiersman's life in the pioneer days. Our subject was born in county Donegal, Ireland, in December of the year 1838. His parents were of Scotch-Irish blood. The father, William, was a blacksmith by occupation, who married Annie Porter. The whole family came to America in 1850. landing at St. Johns, New Brunswick, and soon afterwards came to Maine, where our subject was reared and educated. In 336 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND L!I( -X^HAl-H V the vear 1857 Andrew went to work in the lum- ber woods of Maine and continued at that work for a number of years. In 1868 he came to Colo- rado, and teamed south from Cheyenne, being employed by the Union Pacific railway company, getting out ties for that road. The following vear lie did the same work for the Cheyenne and Denver railway. In 1870 he left the railroad and went into the stock Inisiness in Colorado, work- ing as a cowboy on a ranch of his own, and spent five years in that vicinity. He worked as a freighter in connection with his stock raising operations, and this brought him into the western ])art of Nebraska. He located on a ranch twenty- five miles southeast of Harrison, in 1879, and made that his home up to 1899. and succeeded in building up an extensive ranch which was sit- uated on the Niobrara river. He sold out this property in that year for $20,000. The place contained about two thousand five hundred acres, a large portion of which was irrigated land, and was a valuable piece of land. His partner. W. C. Stovers, was a well-known ranchman and old settler, and these two men were in partner- ship for over twenty years. • In 1899 Mr. ;\IcGinley came to Harrison and bought his present farm, consisting of two hun- dred and forty acres, and here he has a nice place, with good improvements in the way of buildings, fences, etc. Mr. ^IcGinley was married in 1865 to Miss Laura Haven, daughter of Joseph Haven, a farmer of Hartson. Maine. Mrs. McGinley was born in Hartson. Maine, of Yankee stock. Our subject has always taken a leading part in the affairs of his community, and has held numerous offices, serving as county commissioner when Sioux county was first organized, and was also one of the men who helped form the county. He is a Republican. ORI.VL C. (;askill. -Among the prc.iminent ranchmen ami stock raisers of Rock county, the gentleman above named holds an enviable reputation. He is among the oldest settlers in this section of the country, and has aided materially in the growth and success ni the region where he chose his home. Mr. Gaskill is a native of Ohio, born in 1848. His father, Thomas R. Gaskill. was a tanner by trade, and a native of the easterg states. Our subject is the second member in liis father's family of five children, and was reared in Ohii) until the age of fifteen years, when the whole familv left that state and moved to Wisconsin, in the fall of 1863, re- maining there for five years. He quit school before coming west, and had only had the ad- vantages of a common school education. After leaving ^^'isconsin the family settled in W'orth county, Iowa, and there he remained at home with his parents for three years, when he went to farming for himself. He followed this oc- cupation for about three years, then purchased a farm in Wright county and worked this for six years. In 1884 he came to Nebraska and located in Brown county, settling in what is now Rock county, eight miles northeast of the present site of Bassett. There he took up a homestead and remained on it for ten years, improving the place wonderfully with build- ings, fences, etc. He went through some hard times while on that farm, losing crops by the drouths, hailstorms, and other conditions, and became disheartened, so he sold out his hold- ings there and moved on his present farm, situ- ated in section 9, township 32. range 18. located on the banks of the Niobrara River. Here he has built up a pleasant home and fine farm. He has three hundred and sixty acres of land and engages in stock raising principally, and finds this one of the best places he has ever seen for that line of work. He has a valuable property, and well merits the success which he lias attained through his hard labors. While living in Iowa, Mr. Gaskill was mar- ried in 1878 to Miss Marion Boswell, an Amer- ican girl. Their marriage has been blessed with three children, namely; Arthur A., Lizzie and George. All of Mr. GaskilTs time is de- voted to the care and supervision of his farm and home, and he has the esteem and confi- dence of his fellnwmen. lie is a Repulilican politically. ELIX( )N .M. ROSE. Elinon .M. Rose, whose handsome home and well-kept farm lies on section 10. township 14, range 51, Cheyenne county, where he is owner of one hundred and sixty acres, beautifully lo- cated on Lodgepole Creek, is one of the ener- getic and persevering citizens of his community, and an old settler in Nebraska. He came to this part of the state in the early days of its development, and has secured for himself a good home and competence in this fertile an^ productive region. Air. Rose is a gentleman of broad mind and good practical trainjng, and he has gained an enviable reputation as a gen- tleman of sterling qualities, esteemed and ad- mired bv all who know him. vip:\\s c)\ ranch of frank black, Dawes CmnUy, Xcliraska. COMPENDIUJNI OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 337 Mr. Rose was born in Jasper county, Iowa, October 3, 1868, removing with his parents, Francis i\I. and Tabiatha (Flock) Rose, to Shelby county, that state, when he was about twelve years of age. His parents were highly respected residents of Cheyenne county, coming in 1885, and there they resided for twenty-two years, and now are living at Miller, Buffalo county, Nebraska. Our subject followed in April, 1886, and lived with his parents for about four years, then filed on a claim in section 4, township 14, range 46, upon which he proved up and sold in September, 1908. He purchased his present farm in March, 1907, an excellent prop- erty all fenced and with an unfailing supply of water in Lodgepole creek for stock and irriga- tion. He was very successful from the start, and although met with some discouragements, has, in the main, done exceedingly well, and is recognized as one of the progressive and prosper- ous farmers of his locality, a good business man and good manager. About sixty acres of his farm are cultivated, and he raises all kinds of small grains, using the balance for pasture and ranching purposes. The dwelling is of unusual- ly neat architecture being one of the prettiest residences in the Lodgepole valley. The grove soutli of the house is one of the tallest in the region. Mr. Rose was united in marriage March 20, 1902, to ^Miss Phebe Stewart, whose parents, Augustus N. and Martha (Coats) Stewart, now reside in Keith county, Nebraska. Four children have been born of this union, who are named as follows : Velma Vesta, Viola IMildred, Vernon Lester and Georgia Anna (deceased) ; they form a most interesting and charming family, their home being one of the most hospitable in this section. Mr. Rose occupies a foremost position in the affairs of his locality, is active in local politics, and liked by all who know him. Po- litically he is a strong Republican. Our subject and his wife are members of the Methodist church. OR\TLLE R. R'lXS. The gentleman above named is prominent among the younger professional men of Craw- ford, Nebraska. Mr. Ivins is engaged in the practice of dentistry here, and has gained a large clientage through his skill and genial personality. Mr. Ivins is a native of Danlap, Iowa, born in 1880, of American parents. His father, Cy- rus Ivins, was a well-known resident of Dunlap, and a successful business man, working as a trav- eling salesman through the state of Nebraska during the early pioneer days when the region was very sparsely settled. His motlier was Martha (Johnson) Ivins. In 1885 the family moved to Fremont, Nebraska, where our subject was reared and educated, attending school in (3maha in 1894. In 1898 he enlisted in the Third Nebraska regiment and went to Cuba with his company, where he saw service in the Spanish- American war. After his return from the Span- ish-American war he returned to Nebraska and began his study of dentistry, taking a course at the Omaha Dental College, which is a part of the L'niversity of (Jmaha. He was a brilliant stu- dent and graduated from that institution in 1903 establishing an office at Crawford in the same year, where he has built up a good practice and is considered one of the rising young men of the town. In 1904 Mr. Ivins was married to ]\liss Myrtle Hogel, whose father, J. H. Hogel, is a well known old resident of Crawford. Mr. and Mrs. Ivins have one child. Myrtle Louise. Mr. Ivins was elected a member of the city council in 1906, and is now serving on the vil- lage board. He is a Republican in politics. FRANK BLACK. Frank Black, for the past twenty-five years a resident of Dawes county, Nebraska, has iden- tified hiniseif with the interests of Western Ne- braska, and by building up a fine farm and lend- ing his influence for good citizenship he has be- come one of the deservedly successful and pros- perous citizens of his locality. Mr. Black was born in Henry county, Iowa, in 1854. His father, Lafayette Black, was a na- tive of Ohio, and among the pioneer settlers in Iowa. He married Annie Johnson, born in Kentucky. She is now seventy-four years of age and is living in Gentry county, Missouri. Our subject grew up in the latter state, where the family settled when he was about six years of age. He received but a limited schooling, at- tending the country schools, and much of his time was spent in assisting his parents in per- forming the farm work and helping build up their home. At the age of twenty he left home and started in for himself, following farm work for two or three years, spending some time in Madison and Henry counties, Iowa, and in the fall of 1876 came back to Missouri, where he was married and began farming on his own ac- count in the same county with his parents. He remained there for eight years, then came to Nebraska with the Sweat colony, arriving at Val- entine on April 6th. 1884, and teaming from that place to where he located, spending one month or more on the trip from Missouri. He took up a homestead, his present home, in section 23, 338 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY township 32, range 48, and built a log cabin on the place, finishing same with a dirt roof, and oc- cupied this for two years, then building a good log house. He owned some ox teams and these he used in breaking up his farm and hauling tim- ber for different purposes. The first crop he put in was a sod crop of corn, potatoes and vege- tables, and had a very good yield. He went through the drouth years, but never had an en- tire failure of crops, although was often obliged to haul wood and sell it to obtain a living and make up for his short crops. He continued to build up his farm, however, and through indus- try and perseverance succeeded in getting to- gether a nice property, constantly adding to his acreage, until he is now owner of a fine ranch of 1.000 acres located on Big Bordeaux Creek, and besides this controls altogether two thousand six hundred acres. The farm is well supplied 'with natural timber, wild fruits and good water, •and he has it well improved with good buildings, .and about twenty miles of fence. He raises con- siderable corn, and handles a great deal of stock each year. On another page we present an in- teresting picture showing views on Mr. Black's ranch. In January. 1879, ^Ir. Black was married to Miss Mary A. Green, daughter of Henry and Matilda Freeman Green, both born in London. England, who came to America in 1860, and w-ere early settlers in Missouri. To Mr. and Mrs. Black the following children have been born : .Sarah May, Thomas, Victoria, Samuel. Annie, Laura, William. Maude. Dickie and Ida. Georgie died at three years of age. Mr. Black takes a keen interest in local pub- lic affairs, at all times lending his aid and influ- ence for good government and the bettering of conditions in his community. He is a Repub- lican. JOHN DOE. John Doe, residing on section 36. Laird town- ship, is one of the successful agriculturists of Phelps county, Nebraska. He is a man of en- ergetic will and industrious habits and richly de- serves the success which he has attained here, and commands the respect and esteem of all with whom he comes in contact. Mr. Doe is a native of Illinois. His father originally came from Bangor, Maine, and his mother was a native of Troy, New York, the family coming west when our subject was a child and settling in Illinois, where he grew tip. The father later came to Nebraska, his death occurring in Phelps county in 1900, and the mother .still lives here. Father and son farmed in Bureau county for many years, the former living on one farm for forty years. This farm comprised one hundred and sixty acres, and while they were there raised good crops and accumulated quite a snug little property, but after coming to Nebraska found that the opportunities were much better here, and crops just as good as in Illinois, and climate more agreeable. Mr. Doe is engaged mostly in grain raising, and his wheat crops are of the best. He keeps only enough stock for farming and domestic purjjoses, and finds grain raising very profitable. For the past fourteen years he has owned and operated a threshing outfit, and threshes all over this part of the country, de- riving a nice income from this source. He is en- thusiastic regarding wheat raising, and thinks that winter wheat, if properly planted and taken care of, will make any man money. He came to his present farm in 1892. having purchased it six years previously, at that time the land being mostly wild, and he has broken it all up and now has it in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Doe has never married. JOHN M. SAMUELSON. John M. Samuelson. who lives on section i6, township 15. range 40, in Keith county, Ne- braska occupies an enviable position among the old timers and successful ranchers of the county. He was born in the province of Smolan. Sweden. June 23. 1853, his father being a mechanic and carpenter. Our subject grew up in his native land, where at an early age. he learned the cab- inet maker's trade, which business he followed in various parts of Sweden and Norway. He in the prosecution of his craft and was for some years connected with the government work of the two countries named, going at one time as far as Trondjam. Norway. In 1887. with his wife and five children, he came to America, sailing from Gottenburg for Hull, England, on the 14th of July; four days later he embarked at Liverpool in the Arabic and after a voyage of thirteen days, landed in New York the last day of July. Thence he came west to Nebraska, reaching Ogallala. August 5th, where he joined a brother and followed cabinet making for two years. During 1890 and 1891 he lived in the city of Denver. Colorado, plying his trade, after which he returned to Keith coimty. settling on a farm two and one-half miles northwest of Ogallala, where he entered a homestead on section 26, township 14, range 39. Here he put up good buildings and thor- oughly improved the homestead, living there un- ^^^g^^H B*> ^^^^^^H M [■[^^^^^^j^^^^^^B MR. AND MRS. FRED GUILDNER, (From photos taken when they were married.) COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 339 til 1897, when he proved up on the homestead and came to his present farm in section 16, town- ship 15, range 40. He has a splendid ranch of two hundred and sixty acres of fine land, all of which is irrigable ; it is thoroughly improved with good house, barns, sheds, granary, corn-crib, two wells and wind mills and a nice grove of forest trees. He has taken special pains in growing a fine orchard of apple, cherry and peach trees. He also has some wild plum trees and an abund- ance of small fruit. His farm is one of the best in Keith county. Mr. Samuelson was married in Sweden, in March, 1875, to Miss Anna Johnson, who was also a native of the province of Smolan, in that country. Mr. and Mrs. Samuelson have had six children : Matilda, wife of Clarence Mahafy, ranching near Ogallala ; Charles J., who is men- tioned below ; Francis Oscar, engaged in farming four miles northeast of Ogallala ; Theodore, a blacksmith in the county seat : Martin, a teacher at Dodge, Nebraska, and Gustave, who still re- sides with the old folks at home. Mr. Samuelson had but little of this world's goods to start on when he landed in Keith county, having but $60 in money and being burdened with debts amounting to ninety dollars. But he was full of grit and determination to win and he has made a fine success of life. He has occu- pied a prominent place in the aftairs of his com- munity and is known everywhere as an upright and progressive citizen. He is a Republican in political affiliations and a member of the Luth- eran church. Charles J- Samuelson, son of our subject, is farming for himself on five hundred acres of his own land and has proven to be a successful farmer. Charles J. has a finely improved farm, on which he has good buildings, an orchard of splendid trees and all necessary improvements. He settled on his land in 1903 and his industry and good management have, in four years, estab- lished him on the road to wealth and prosperity. JOHN BERNEY. John Berney, county judge of Wheeler county, Nebraska, is one of the foremost men of his section. He was elected to his present office on the Republican ticket in 1905, and re-elected in 1907 to same office, and is now serving his second term. Mr. Berney is a native of Sheffield, Illinois, born in 1871. His father, James B., was born in 1842, in Scotland, at the age of four years coming to the United States with his parents, who settled in New York state. Our subject's mother was 2\Iary Henderson, born in New York state, of Irish descent, and she was the mother of nine children, John being the eldest of the brood. Both parents are still living and own a ranch of eight hundred acres in Wheeler county. When our subject was a young man of eighteen years he left Illinois and came west, settling in Platte county, Nebraska, where he bought a small farm. After operating that place for sev- eral years he sold out and moved to Boone county, where he worked at the printer's trade and remained there up to 1904. He next came to this county and established the \Mieeler County Independent, at Bartlett, the county seat, the only county newspaper published in \\nieeler county, Nebraska. In 1905 Mr. Berney was elected to his present position, and he is one of the most popular public officials the county has ever had, able and efficient in every respect. Mr. Berney is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and is active in every movement introduced for the improvement of his locality. He is familiar with every part .of his county, well liked and a man of sterling character and honesty of purpose. He is enthusiastic re- garding the possibilities of this section and thinks the opportunities for the average man are better here than in the eastern states, also considers western Nebraska superior to any other part of the state as an agricultural section, on account of the healthful climate, good water supply, etc. Mr. Bernev has never married. FRED GUILDNER. Fred Guildner, a prominent farmer of Lib- erty precinct, resides on his well-improved farm of eight hundred acres, and conducts the same in accordance with modern methods and scientific principles. He is one of the old settlers of western Nebraska, and has done his full share in the building up of his locality, incidentally ac- cumulating for himself a fine estate and valuable property in Perkins county. Air. Guildner was born in the town of Erford, Germany, in 1860. When he was a small boy his father died, and the mother came to America with her family when he was seven years of age and for a time they lived in New York Citv. then emigrated to Wisconsin where our subject was raised and educated. As a young man he spent considerable time in the lumljer business in Wis- consin, working in the lumber regions near Lake Superior. In 1881 he came to Nebraska, settling in Hamilton county, and lived there for four years. There he began in the well business and followed it up to 1885, then came to Perkins 340 compendiu:m of history, reminiscence and biography county. Ogallala was his nearest railroad town. He took a pre-emption, proved up on that, and also had a timber claim which he filed on in 1884 but did not prove up on it until 1891. When he came into the country he drove through the vast country, where the settlers were few and far between. He at once built a sod house and went through the usual experiences of the pioneers in the far west. He had no water for domestic use, and was obliged to haul all his water and sup- plies from Ogallala, a distance of twenty-five miles. Mr. Guildner had a hard time getting started, breaking up his land for crops, and in 1893-'94 had heavy losses due to drouths, etc. As the times grew better he was able to improve his place considerably, and in 1898 took his present homestead in section 23, township 10, range 38, and now has one of the finest ranches in the section. He farms about two hundred acres and has the rest in pasture and hayland for quite a large bunch of stock which he runs each year. He has good buildings of all kinds, having a fine story and a half house, fourteen by twenty-two and twelve by fourteen feet, which he moved from Grant, seven miles. This was one of the buildings sold in Grant during the hard times. Altogether he now has one of the pleasantest rural homes to be seen in the locality. Along with his farming Mr. Guildner has continued tlie well drilling business from the time he began in 1881 up to the spring of 1908. He has put down wells all over this and adjacent counties and also in Colorado and has done his share as an old set- tler in building up the country. In 1892 ^ilr. Guildner was married to Miss Sarah Purintun. who is a daughter of Charles Purintun. one of the well known pioneers of Perkins county. Our subject has a family of seven children, namely : Harry, Lewis. \'irgil, Percy, Marian. Charles and Gretchen, who form a most charming and interesting group. Mr. Guildner is a Populist in political views. He was elected township assessor in 1908, and has always taken an active interest in local affairs. On another page wc present portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Guildner from a photograph taken at about the time of their marriage. CHARLES H. E\\\NS. Charles H. Evans, whose home is located in section H, township 28. range 3L Rox Butte county. Nebraska, is still in his early manhood, and his industry, economical habits and upright life are a credit to his race and blood. He was born on a farm in Michigan in lS7(i. His father \\'illard Evans, a prominent old settler of Box Butte county, and a sketch of whose life appears on another page of this volume, is a native of the state of New York. When our subject was four years old. the family moved to Missouri, where they settled on a farm and remained in that state for seven _\xars. In 1886 the family came to Box Butte county, Nebraska, and it was in this county, which Mr. Evans has made his home, that he grew into manhood. He received his education attending the countv schools, and for two years was a stu- dent at the Chadron Academy. He assisted his fatther in making a comfortable home for the family in Box Butte county, and in 1900 he se- cured some land of his own. From time to time he secured adjoining tracts of land, until he now has four quarter sections of deeded land. His ranch is located near the Niobrara river, and is well fenced and cross fenced. He has a home- stead of three quarters in sections 10 and 11, that he took in 1907. He has erected substantial buildings, has a barn thirty by sixty feet, and a fine dwelling. He has from two hundred and sixty to three hundred acres of land under cultivation, making the raising of small grain and potatoes a specialty. He also raises hogs, cattle and horses on a large scale. Mr. Evans gives the closest atttention to his work, and is becoming widely known as one of the progressive and up-to-date tillers of the soil in this county. His ranch is well handled, and he is proving himself a thoroughly alert and vig- orous farmer, and a business man of much sa- gacity as well. The many warm friends that he has made wish him well, and predict for him a bright future. Mr. Evans was married June 1.^. 1''08, to Miss Carrie Grant, daughter of William and Mary Grant, of Whitewood. South Dakota. Her ])arents are natives of Kentucky. MATTHEW G. WALLS. Matthew (_;. Walls is one of the enterpris- ing business men of Springview. He was born on a farm in Putnam county. Missouri, June 10, 1856. His father, Robert C. Walls, was born in Indiana, of parents who emigrated from Ireland, locating in Missouri, where our subject was reared. At the age of twenty-two he struck out farther west, going as far as Morton county. Kansas, and remained in this part of the country three years, being there during the time of the Indian massacre in west- ern Kansas, experiencing some very e.xciting times. He then went to Lancaster county, f^e- :OMPENDIUiM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 341 braska. and settled down to farming, remaining there until 1884, when he moved to Oklahoma about the time the "boomers" were moving off, and was among the men who saw Oklahoma be- fore that territory had begun its development. He afterwards visited the Ozark mountains in Missouri, remaining there one summer before re- turning to Kansas, while for a year he engaged in mining at Pittsburg. In 1886 Mr. \\'alls first saw Keya Paha county, taking a homestead in section 10, township 32, range 21, where he built his first log cabin. On June 20, 1878, he was married to Miss Effie Stalcup, whose father was an old settler in Kansas, of Swedish descent. They have one child, Inez, who is now Mrs. Lloyd Harris, of Ripple, Colorado. After settling in Keya Paha county j\Ir. \\'alls spent his first years hauling posts, freight- ing, etc., and then went to farming, which he followed for the next fifteen years. During this time he experienced many hardships and priva- tions, witnessing the drouth periods, through them losing two entire crops successively and others by hail, wind and storms. In 1902 our subject sold his farm and moved to Springview, there opening a restaurant and confectionery store, and is still engaged in this business, hand- ling groceries, confections, ice cream, etc.. and has a flourishing trade in this line. Mr. Walls is counted one of the solid busi- ness men of Springview, takes an active in- terest in all affairs pertaining to town matters, and has always done his full share towards the development of the financial interests of the com- munity where he has chosen his home. In po- litical sentiment he is a Republican. T. W. NUNN. J. \\'. Nunn, known throughout his com- munity as an energetic and progressive farmer, has been a resident of Che\enne county for the past twenty-five years. Mr. Nunn was born in Lewis county, Mis- souri, January 1, 1864, and at the age of five years went with his parents to Saline county, that state. There were fourteen children in his fath- er's family, and he was the ninth in order of birth, and has three brothers and two sisters still living. The father's death occurred on the home ranch September 21, 1907, and the mother died February 14. 1906. Both were highly respected old settlers of Cheyenne county, having passe 1 through all the early Nebraska times, coming here in 1884, accompanied by our subject, thev homesteading a piece of land which was after- wards sold. Mr. Xunn now has his home ranch on section 28, township 19. range 51. owning a ranch of one thousand six hundred acres situated on Pumpkin Creek. He has a small part of it culti- vated, but is engaged principally in the stock business, having at the present time one hun- dred and forty cattle. His place is well improved in every way, and he is a prosperous and success- ful citizen of his township. Mr. Nunn was united in marriage on ]\Iarch 10, 1897, at Middle Creek, Cheyenne county, to Miss Grace Dagger, daughter of Wm. C. Dugger, a well-known and highly esteemed resi- dent of that locality. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Nunn, named as follows: Alvin, Herbert (deceased), Esther, Henry and Francis, all bright and interesting youngsters, and the family have a pleasant and comfortable home. Mr. Nunn is treasurer of the telephone line of Bridgeport. He takes an active interest in local and school affairs, and is serving as mod- erator of District No. 106. ROBERT H. KOOXTZ. Among the residents of Cherry county, Ne- braska, none is more highly respected and es- teemed than the subject of this review, Robert H. Koontz. Mr. Koontz was born in Washington, Penn- sylvania. November 18, 1861. and came to Coun- cil Bluff's when but two years of age. His father, also Robert H. Koontz, was by profes- sion a lawyer, of German descent, and died sud- denly'just as the family were all ready to move to Iowa. His mother, who was Miss Mary A. Hunter, of Scotch-Irish descent, died in 1901 ; an only brother had passed away prior to this. Robert H. Koontz started out to make his own way at eighteen years of age, obtaining employ- ment in hotels, and at anything he could find to do, and in March, 1885, came to Cherry county, locating si.x miles west of Merriman. remaining there until 1899, when he sold out. He had been very successful and made some money in farm- ing and stock raising, but was obliged to give up all hard work on account of failing health. Our subject and Mr. A. Madder were the first white men to settle in this locality : together thev passed through all the pioneer experiences with its very hard times, but overcame all difficultie's and are now in comfortable circumstances and enjoy pleasant homes with hosts of friends and neighbors. In 1887 Mr. Koontz contracted a nervous trouble brought on by helping to lift a cow which had been stuck in the quicksands. After 342 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY assisting at this work he was compelled to ride seven miles to his home in his wet garments and the next morning the disease started in his right toot and gradually affected his entire body, so that he is now almost an invalid. This affliction began twelve years ago, and although he has tried numerous doctors and all kinds of reme- dies has never been able to get any relief. He has the sympathy of every person in his local- ity in his affliction, and his neighbors and friends are always ready and willing to do everything in their power to assist him in every way possible. Since his illness he has moved to town and gone out of the stock business entirely. Mr. Koontz was married in 1884 to Miss Minerva A'eria, who died twenty years later, leav- ing no children. In 1906 he was married to Mrs. Carrie (Hunter) Brown, a native of Mon- roe county. Iowa, born in 1882. Her father, Frank Hunter, now living in \'alentine, was of American stock, by trade an electrical and sta- tionary engineer, and her mother was Louisa Allen, of Scotch descent. One son. Robert H. Koontz, third, has been born of the second mar- riage. In political faith. Mr. Koontz is a Repub- lican, as were his father and grandfather before him. ALBERT R. KENNEDY. Albert R. Kennedy, an old settler and pros- perous ranchman of Sioux county, Nebraska, re- sides at Crawford, Dawes county, Nebraska, where he is engaged in the grocery and meat market business. He is well known throughout the county, and has the esteem of his fellowmen. Mr. Kennedy was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1857. His mother's people were English. When he was about three years of age the fam- ily came to the United States, locating in east- ern Iowa where he was reared and educated, attending the common schools and putting in his spare time in farming. After he reached the age of twenty-one he begun farming in Cedar county and followed this up to 1884. then estab- lished himself in business at Greenfield. Iowa. In 1888 he came to Nebraska, settling on a homestead in Sioux county. He was the second settler in township 32. range 57, and went through all the hardships that fell to the lot of the pioneers of that section. He was obliged to haul water for ten miles to supply his family, they occupying a small frame shack twelve bv sixteen. He steadily built up his farm and home, and added to it until he owned three hun- dred and twenty acres. In 1893 he moved to Crawford, and for a time was engaged in the butcher business for others here. Later he started in business for himself, opening up a store in a room twelve by twenty-four, with a stock of groceries. He soon gained a wide patronage, and increased his trade to such an extent that he now occupies one of the finest store buildings, twenty-five by one hundred, in the town of Crawford, carrying a complete line of groceries, meats, confectionery, etc. He is a thoroughly up-to-date business man and has met with marked success. Mr. Kennedy was married September 6, 1880, at Springdale. Iowa, to Miss Sarah A. Schooley. They have a family of six children, named as follows: Carroll, Nannah, Earl, Clara, Virgil and Avis. Mr. Kennedy still owns his homestead ranch on which he runs a large bunch of cattle, and his children also own considerable land in the vicin- ity of his farm. Mr. Kennedy was the man who put down the first well in the township he set- tled in. He has been a member of the city coun- cil for one term, and takes a commendable inter- est in all local aflfairs. JOHN M. LARSON. The gentleman above named resides on sec- tion 13. northeast, Sheridan township, and is one of the prosperous farmers of that region. He is a native of Sweden, and came to this country when a boy of fifteen. He landed in New York in 1852. and went to Andover. Illinois, where he settled on a farm, and farmed in Henry county, Illinois, for many years, having a farm of one hundred and si.xty acres there. In 1861, on September 1st, he enlisted in the Forty-third Illinois Infantry, Company C, and served for three years and twenty-six days, re- ceiving an honorable discharge on December 26tli, at Little Rock, .\rkansas. He saw all phases of a soldier's life, and had participated in many battles and skirmishes, being at Fort Henry, Fort Donaldson. Pittsburg Landing, at Corinth, luka. Jackson and Vicksburg during all of the siege. Later was under Major General .'"Steele through Arkansas and Louisiana ; at Texas, Duvall Bluff, Brownsville, following the rebels all the time, and fighting every da^v. At the battle of Pittsburg Landing he was shot in the neck. After the war he returned to Illinois and farmed up to 1884. then came to Nebraska lo- cating in this county, where he bought one hun- dred and sixty acres of land from the railway company, paying three dollars and a half per acre. He built up his farm and improved his RANCH SCEM-.- \l i i i WD FAMILY. Cherry County, Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 343 property in 1883 putting up a fine story and a half frame house and large barn later. His farm is in first-class shape, and he raises good crops, running quite a good deal of stock all the time. Mr. Larson was married to Miss Lena Pete.r- son, born in Sweden. She came to America in 1868. To Air. and Mrs. Larson have been born the following children: Albert, living at Hold- rege, engaged in the automobile business ; Will- iam, a farmer, living at home ; Gilbert, who oper- ates a corn shelling and threshing machine ; one daughter, Mrs. Phoebe Nye, of Rawhide. Ne- vada : and Amos at home. Mr. Larson is a prominent member of the Grand Army of the RepubHc post at Holdrege, and one of the popular citizens of his community. Politically he is a Republican. ALEXANDER BURR. Alexander Burr, known throughout Cherry countv as a man of good citizenship and untiring energy, is a resident of section 26, township 28, range 36, where he owns and operates an exten- sive ranch. He has been identified with the up- building of that locality for many years, and while acquiring his valuable estate has also gained for himself an enviable reputation. Mr. Burr is a native of Canada, born in On- tario, in 1846. He is of Scotch descent, both parents having been born and reared in Scot- land, his mother's name being Isabella Gerry, and his father, also named Alexander, a farmer by occupation. Our subject .grew up in Canada where he saw plenty of hard farm work, remain- ing at home until he was twenty-one years of age, then started out for himself, following farm work. He came to the L'nited States in 1870, locating in Detroit, Michigan, and from there went to Kansas, where he was among the earliest settlers. ]\Iuch of his time was spent in work- ing on the railroad in that part of the country, and he remained there up to 1888. during that time making two visits back to his boyhood home in Canada. He farmed in Kansas part of the time, going through many crop failures- caused by dry weather and suffering from the pest known as "grasshopper periods" which were frequent in the west in the early years. In 1887 I\Ir. Burr came to western Nebraska, driving from Kansas with a team, camping out along the way. The trip took eighteen davs. and he and his family experienced many difficulties and suffered from exposure during the iournev. but the people of those days knew how to brave many hardships without murmuring, and they finally reached their destination, locating in Box Butte countv, about eighteen miles west of where Alliance now stands, and their nearest railroad station was Hay Springs, Sheridan county. Their first buildings were of sod. and our subject went to work to raise crops, im- proving the place in Box Butte county and lived on it for seven years. He was elected county commissioner of that county and served for one term, and also held the office of assessor for three years, doing his full share in the affairs of his community, and was one of the leading pio- neers of that locality. He farmed a little, but was engaged principally in stock raising, and did fairly well. Mr. Burr first came to Cherry county in 1894, locating on section 25, township 28, range 36, twenty-eight miles north of the town of Whit- man, Grant county, remained there for several years, building up a good ranch, then moved to his present location in section 26, settling here in 1901. He is now owner of a good ranch, has it fitted up with good buildings and improvements, and has a splendid system of overflowing wells, which makes the place one of the most valuable in the locality. He has plenty of hay land and range for his stock, and has planted many trees, having a fine grove, and also many fruit trees, small fruits, and good garden. He has all of his children well provided for on good ranches, and has stocked them up with one hundred head of cattle each, giving them a good start as they commence life for themselves. Air. Burr was married in Kansas in 1872 to Miss Adelia Armsbury, whose parents were pio- neers there, coming from the New England states. Mrs. Burr died the 20th of August, 1907. Mr. and Airs. Burr were the parents of the fol- lowing children: Alex C, Elmer L.. James N., Frank G., Lewis, John H., and Isabella. Pull- man postoffice was established about 1887. and for the past four years the postoffice has been lo- cated on Mr. Burr's ranch, and he is postmaster also. In local affairs our subject has always taken an active part, and has held many public offices, being elected county commissioner of Cherry county, serving for one term, also was assessor for three years. He is a stanch Bryan Demo- crat, and stands firmly for his convictions. A picture of a ranch scene on Mr. Burr's property will be found on another page. JESSE P. GRIFFITH. Jesse P. Griffith, a prosperous and much re- spected farmer of Perkins county, deserves the abundant success that has come to him as the reward of industry, economy and thrift. He was born April 14, 1839, in Clay coimty, Illi- 344 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY iiois, on a farm. The family were Kentuckians, l)oth parents born and reared in Newcastle, set- tling in Illinois as pioneers, where Jesse grew to manhood. In 1861 he enlisted in the Twelfth Illinois Infantry, and later served in the Thir- teenth Illinois Infantry, and served in the army. In 1867 he went to Missouri, and there was mar- ried to Isadore (Stearns) Carder, daughter of Williams and Margaret Lariinore Stearns, both (li the state of \'irginia. Our subject and his wife settled oii a farm in Missouri, lived there for several years, then went to South Dakota. After some years there Mr. Griffith came to Ne- braska, settling in Thayer county in 1886, and lived for one year, then moved to what is now Perkins county. He secured employment on the construction of the Chicago. Burlington and Quincy Railway, then being put through the sec- tion, and took up a homestead, settling on .^cc- tion 27, township 10, range 39, on ]\Iay 10, 1887. The first summer the family lived in a tent, then put up a sad house in which they spent several years. Then caine on the drouth years and while he met with some losses, did fairly well, and was able to get along comfortably. He was always able to raise a good corn crop, and gradually succeeded in building up his place, (tutting up better build- ings, and getting considerable land under culti- vation. He now has a good farm of four hun- dred and eighty acres, and has eighty of this de- voted to diversified fanning, also runs consid- erable stock. There are nine children in our subject's fam- ily, named as follows : John. FJiza, Justin, Sam- uel. Whistler, Lovic and Katherinc, and two sons of ]\lrs. Griffith by a former marriage: James Carder and Joseph Carder. ISAIAH I'OWLER. Isaiah Fowler, an honored veteran of the civil war, and a highly esteemed citizen of Ains- wnrth. Brown county, Nebraska, was born on a farm in Harrison county, Ohio, in 1834, and dur- ing the course of a long and active life has dem- onstrated the possession in a marked degree of those high qualities and upright motiv-es that make the good American. He is familiar with the experiences of life on the frontier, and knows the privations that go along with i)ionccring ; and he has also enjoyed hcl])ing in the development of both Iowa and Nebraska into prosperous and orderly communities. Now as his years advance he has the confidence and respect of all who know him : _his years, character and patriotic service • Icinand no less. Garret Fowler, the father of Isaiah, was a na- tive American, and followed farming all his life in Ohio. His wife was also of American line- age, so that in the veins of our Ainsworth Fowler fiow currents of patriotic power that have spoken on many a field of struggle for the higher and better life of the land. I.saiah Fowler was the sixth in a fainily of ten or eleven children that blessed the marriage bond of his parents, and was reared on the Ohio farm to a life of hard work, and early taught to help and bear his full' share of the common burden. He attended union schools, though the family means were limited, and he had to do with but little school training. He was married in his native state in 1859 to Miss Marian Mc- Clintoc, her father being a native of Ireland, and her mother of Germany. She became the mother of five children, three of whom are living: George and Walter, who are now pursuing the occupa- tion of farming, and Adaline, who is living at liomc, comforting the declining years of her aged parents. W^hen our subject became of age. he left home to engage in life for himself, and in 1862 enlisted in the Federal army, becoming a member of Company F, Ninety-eighth Ohio \'okmteer Infantry, a command that saw much active and hard service in Kentucky, Tennessee, and in contiguous territory for three long years. After being mustered out in 1865, Mr. Fowler spent a little time in his old home com- munity, but in the fall of the same year journeyed west to Jasper county, Iowa, where he secured a farm, and for eighteen years was actively en- gaged in its cultivation. In 1883 he moved still farther to the westward, and became a resident of Brown county, Nebraska, where he took a homestead, and built uj) a very fine farm, win- ning for himself a most creditable standing as a citizen, a farmer and a man. In 1899 he sold out his real estate and buying in .Mnsworth. has es- tablished a home there where he is enjoying that well earned ease and comfort that should prop- crlv attend the closing of a most honorable and industrious career. He is a member of the Con- gregational churcii and in jiolitical faith a Re- publican. AIlRAilAM PFXSF. Abraham Pense, long and prominently known to the residents of Keya Paha county. Nebraska, as one of the worthv citizens and lead- ing public sjiirited men of this region, resides on his well-imnroved farm in section 24. township 34, range 22. Mr. Pense was born in Page COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY. REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 345 county, Virginia, November 21, 1832. His father, Peter Pense, was a farmer by occupation, of German descent, and died when our subject was a lad of ten years. His mother, whose maiden name was Sophia Aleshire. was born, married and Hved her entire hfe in Page county, dying there about 1896. She was the mother of fourteen children, Abraham being one of a pair of twins ; he was reared and educated in his native county on a farm, and put in many days of hard work there while still a mere boy. He hoed corn many days when a child, receiving for this work six and seven cents per day. In 1857 Mr. Pense came west, locating in Cedar county, Iowa, where he started a farm and also worked out by the day and month, to make a living. He went into horticulture, work- ing for Hammond & Humphrey, nurserymen, where he learned grafting and horticulture to quite an extent, and followed this for some time. August 7, 1862 he enlisted at Tipton, Illinois, in Compan}' B, Twenty-fourth Iowa Infantry, and saw service along the Mississippi river at Vicks- burg and other places. Owing to impaired health because of fever and ague he was on detached service nearly all of the time, guarding the Indian prisoners at Davenport, Iowa, up to the close of the war. Mr. Pense had five brothers serving in the confederate army, four of whom were killed, or died of exposure incident to camp life. After the war our subject returned to Iowa, again en- gaging in horticulture, remaining there up to 1887, when he sold his property there, which con- sisted of an eight|y-acre farm near Roland, in Story county, purchased in 1875. He then came to Nebraska, settling on his present homestead in Keya Paha county, Alay 17, 1884, where he built a log house, in which he still lives, having covered it with weather-boarding. He went through the usual experiences of the pioneers of this region, losing his cattle, five of which died the first spring. He had a hard time to get started, and suflr'ered heavy losses from drouths, storms, and other causes, and often became heartily discouraged, but stuck to it, and now owns a fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres, eighty of which are cultivated and the balance in hay and pasture. He has a fine or- chard containing all kinds of fruits, and his farm is one of the best-kept in his locality. Mr. Pense was married in Iowa. August 15, 1862, eight days after he enlisted in the army, to Miss Sarah Eliza Humphrey, who was born in Tipton, Cedar county. Iowa. Her father, Aaron Humphrey, was a preacher there, and a native of Connecticut. It required courage for a bride of a week to see her young husband march away to battle and possible death. Mrs. Pense was a woman of much intelli- gence and good education, having taken a course at the State University, located at Iowa City. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Pense, named as follows : Ernest E., married and living near Bonesteel, South Dakota, father of six chil- dren ; Ada, deceased ; Severn A., also married and living in South Dakota, father of three chil- dren; Etta v., married to Joseph S. Bingham, and mother of six children, residing in Keya Paha county ; Lenna, married to William Hast- ings, also living near her old home with one child ; George \V., residing with his family near Mullen postoffice, South Dakota ; Joy, a teacher in the county schools ; and Mary and Lillie E., both dead. Mr. Pense is a Populist, and is active in all local affairs. He has held office at different times, and also served on the school board. The first school organized in this vicinit}' was held in his house during the first two or three terms. Mr. Pense was reared in the German Baptist church and was at one time a member of the Odd Fellows and Good Templars ; the latter organi- zation he joined while in the army to avoid being urged to spend his time and money in drink. A view of his residence, orchards and groves, is to be found on another page. JULIAN E. PHINNEY, M. D. The medical profession of Sioux county has no more able representative than Dr. Julian E. Phinney, who has spent nearly all his life in the state of Nebraska, coming here with his pa- rents when a child of five years of age. Dr. Phinney was born in Walworth county, Wisconsin, in 1860, on the farm of his father, Calvin E. Phinney. The latter was a native of ( jhio ; and he married Catherine Olp, of Penn- sylvania, of German blood. The father died in 1873 ; the mother is still living at Utica. Ne- braska, aged seventy-three years. The family came west and settled in Utica, Nebraska, in 1865. and were among the pioneers of that re- gion. There our subject was raised and re- ceived his early education attending the common schools, and when a young man of twenty-six entered Rush Medical College at Chicago, grad- uating from that institution as a physician in 1889. Our subject's father served about five years in the civil war, acting as a scout a good part of the time. After his graduation, our subject immedi- ately begun the practice of his profession, estab- lishing an office at Utica, and remained there for three years, building up a good practice. In 1893 he removed to Harrison, and has extended 346 COMPENDIUiM OF HISTORY, RExMlNISCENCE AND BIOGRai-'HV his patronage by his skilful labors as a physician and surgeon, throughout the whole county. He is a gentleman of pleasing personality, honest and sincere in word and deed, and has gained the confidence and esteem of his fellowmen, profes- sionally and socially. His practice extends a dis- tance of thirty miles from Harrison, and often he has been compelled to go into W'yoming to attend some patient who desired his services. Dr. Phinney was united in marriage De- cember 24. 1889, at Utica, Nebraska, to Miss Minnie Learned, of Utica, Nebraska. To them have been born the following children: Ernest ].. Frank, Brownlee, Pearl and Ruby. Dr. Phinney and his son Ernest are joint owners of a large ranch in South Dakota, on which they keep a large number of horses and cattle. Our subject has devoted his entire attention to his professional duties, and his success is well merited. JOHN E. LAMB, SR. For over a quarter of a century John E. Lamb has resided in Nebraska, and has become well- known all over Rock county as a prosperous and progressive agriculturist. He was among the first to settle in this section and has watched the growth and development of this region from its early organization. Mr. Lamb was bom in Lafayette county, \\'is- consin, in 1849. His father, Curtis Lamb, was a farmer, of American parentage, born in the eastern states, as was also his mother, whose maiden name was Nancy Pycan. In 1850 the former started for California, spending the win- ter at Council Bluffs and in Woodbury county. Iowa, where he was a pioneer settler. He built the third house in Siou.x City, and this is still standing, a rude log hut, twenty-eight miles from the city. He was born in Indiana in 1818, and is still living. He has always been a strong Re- publican, and in his younger days was a prom- inent politician. There were twelve children in the family, of whom our subject is the fourth member. He was raised and educated in WViodbury county, Iowa, on his father's farm, w here lie was early taught to do all kinds of harvl labor. At the age of twenty years he struck out for himself. He spent two years in Kansas, then returned to Iowa, settling in Linn county. He remained there for several years, and in 1879 came to N''ebraska. settling in Knox coimtv. where he took a homestead and lived for six years, proving up and building his farm and home up. He put up his first dwelling, which was a dugout, and the only light which entered the place came through half a window which he built in the side of the hut. He started in with a team and wagon, and twenty-six dollars in money. He was very successful on that place, and got a good start through his energy and per- severance, then came to Rock county in 1886, taking up a tree claim in southeast section 34, township 32, range 18. This was entirely unim- proved and he at once set out to build up a home. His first work was to build a house six- teen by twenty. He continued to improve tlie place, getting it partly under cultivation, and raised good crops on it. He never experienced any of the hardships and losses through the dry years that fell to the lot of so many of the old settlers, and altogether has been extremely for- tunate in every venture since coming here. Prior to locating here he had made a trip to the Black Hills by team. He went through the hills, then through South Dakota, coming back through Nebraska along the Niobrara river. This was in the seventies, and before there were any set- tlers in this section, and not a railroad within many miles of this region. His farm now con- tains six hundred and forty acres of fine land, and he is engaged in stock raising and mixed farming. He has a splendid bearing orchard on his place which supplies the family with all kinds of delicious fruit, and has also many fine forest trees all over his farm. Mr. Lamb was married at the age of twenty, while living in Iowa, to Miss Elizabeth A. Wright. They have a family of five boys, named as follows: John E., Jr., Curtis M., E. Dewitt, Warren D., and Willie E. They have a pleas- ant and comfortable home, and all of our sub- ject's time is spent in improving this and sur- rounding himself and family with all the com- fo-ts of a rural home. He is an Independent voter. GEORGE C. FISCHER. George C. Fischer, who, as a land owner of Cheyenne county, has done his share toward the development of the agricultural resources of that region, is a widelv known and universally re- spected citizen. He is a man of wide experi- ence, and his good business judgment and in- tegrity have placed him among the prosperous men of his precinct. Mr. Fisher was born in Switzerland on April 24. 1845. and in that year his parents emi- 'rrated .to .America with the family, sailing from Havre to New Orleans, then went by river to Nashville, Tennessee, thence by wagon to Mor- gan county, Tennessee, where thev lived until he was fifteen years of age. .At that time they COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 34- moved to Nashville, living there three years. Prior to their migration to Highland, Madison countv, Illinois, where they lived for many years. In 1884 our subject came to Nebraska, taking up a homestead in section 12, township 12, range 50, and settled permanently on the land the follow- ing year, where he has lived constantly ever since. This was raw prairie, but he at once be- gan improving and developing, and has made it one of the valuable estates in the locality, putting up good buildings and improvements of all kinds. He now owns about three hundred and twenty acres of good land, farming one hundred acres, and using the balance as hay and pasture land for his stock, of which he has a large number. He has at different times during the early years in this region met with losses, and had a hard time to get along, but has worked hard and faithfully, and is now recognized as one of the progressive and substantial farmers and ranch- men of his county, prospering through good management and strict attention to the details of his farming, and enjoys a comfortable rural home. Mr. Fischer was married in Madison county, Illinois, on the 30th of December, 1869, to Bertha Bossart, who is now the mother of seven living children ; one daughter, Mary, died August 31, 1897. They are named as follows: John Henry, Bertha, Lena, Edward, Eliza, Rosa and Amelia. Lena is now the wife of Edward Col- lins, and Rose married Elmer Bowman, both liv- ing in Cheyenne county, while Eliza married Will Young, at present residing near Crook, Col- orado. John H. Fischer, the eldest, born Janu- ary 13, 1873, is living at home, assisting his father in carrying on the home farm. Mr. Fischer is a respected citizen of his town- ship ; in political sentiment he adheres to the Re- publican party. THOMAS OUINN. Thomas Quinn, occupying a leading position in Hooker county, is one of the old timers there who has played an important part in its develop- ment and growth. He resides on his well-kept and valuable estate. Mr. Quinn is a native born Nebraskan, and was the first baby boy born in McPherson county, June 17, 1884, being born in a wagon. His father, John B. Quinn. was an old settler in that locality, coming there in 1883, he having been born and reared in Ireland. He married Mar- garet Elliott, also a native of Ireland, in Iowa, in 1882, then struck out for Nebraska to build a home for themselves, traveling by team to their new location. They raised a family of three chil- dren : \\' illiam J., Anna M., and our subject, Thomas. Their first location after coming to Ne- braska was on a homestead in sections 1 and 2, township 20, range 35, McPherson county, and there for three years, Mrs. J. B. Quinn never saw a woman. He worked hard on the home farm, having erected sod buildings, and on De- cember 17, 1899, the father departed this life, leaving to his widow and their children a good ranch and an untarnished reputation as a worthy public-spirited citizen. He had served as county commissioner for three or four terms in McPher- son county. The nearest trading point to the ranch for four years was North Platte, a dis- tance of seventy miles. They were extensively engaged in stock raising, the sons assisting their father in this work up to the time of his death, when Thomas took full charge of the ranch, also filed on a homestead of his own in section 35, township 21, range 35, and has improved the place in fine shape. Our subject's mother is the owner of a ranch comprising fourteen quarter sections, add besides this she and the children own three Kincaid homesteads, making one of the largest and most valuable estates in the county, and indeed, in that part of the state. On the ranch there are from eight hundred to one thousand tons of hay cut each year, furnishing support for over eight hun- dred head of cattle. In 1906 Mr. Thomas Quinn was married to IMabel Sanders, daughter of W. T. Burnham, (Sanders being her step-father's narne). She taught school in Hooker county for some time prior to her marriage, and is a lady of good edu- cation and charming personality. Our subject has one child, Myra Josephine, now a baby of two years. While Mr. Quinn takes a commendable inter- est in public affairs locally, he devotes the larger part of his time to his family and home. His ranch is beautifully situated iri the vicinity of Cody Lake, and the old Colonel Wm. F. Codv ( Buffalo Bill) ranch is comprised in his property. JOHN R. LEE. Among the leading old settlers in western Nebraska who has always done his full share in the development of the locality where he chose his home, and who has spent much of his fortune in aiding the public good, we mention the name of John R. Lee. now a resident of section 32, township 27, range 28, Cherry county. Mr. Lee has held many local offices since coming here, was the first postmaster of Brownlee and the first school director, justice of the peace, notary public and road overseer, and has alwa,vs been 348 COMPEi\DIUM OF HISTORY. REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY held in the highest esteem as a good citizen and accommodating neighbor, and is one of the most popular men of his locality today. Mr. Lee was born in Ireland, in the town of Monaghan, in 1838. His father, Thomas, was of English blood, a farmer by occupation, who mar- ried Ann Martin, of Scotch-Irish descent, they coming to America with their family in 1849. As a small boy our subject attended school in Ire- land, and after arriving in the L'nited States he finished his education in the common schools, his parents settling in Wyoming county, Pennsyl- vania. They lived there up to 1854, then came to \\'isconsin where they spent three years, and next to eastern Nebraska. Soon after landing here John begun work as a freighter, and during the early days here hunted all over the state, shooting bufifalo on the plains in the western part of Nebraska, and also worked as an Indian trader for three years, much of his time being spent with the redskins in their camps, and he learned to speak their language as fluently as his own. He was always honest in his dealings with them, and they considered him a friend and was glad to have him come amongst them. In 1877 Mr. Lee went into the Black Hills and did government work at Fort Laramie, for several years leading the typical frontier life, traveling all over the plains and for months at a time did not sleep in a house. He was an eye witness of several battles between the Pawnee and Sioux Indians, himself taking part in some of these engagements. He has traveled all over Wyoming and Colorado, and since those years has been all over the Ignited States, engaged in different enterprises, and is a man of most inter- esting personality, well-read and intelligent, with whom it is a privilege and pleasure to converse, as he relates some of the most wonderful tales of life in the west during its early settlement. Mr. Lee finally returned to Nebraska, set- tling in Saunders county at \\'ahoo. which ti:)wn he named, and was the first white man to build a house there. He opened a store and blacksmith sho]i. and kept the first postoffice at the place, making it his home for about six years, and dur- ing that time was instrumental in having the county seat removed to Wahoo. In 1886 he came to Cherry county, landing here in Julv of that year, his first location being northeast of P.rownlce. where he lived for about a year, then moved into the town. Tie was the organizer of the town of Brownlee, naming the place after a Mr. Brown who was the first man to file on the land where the town was started, and himself, making the two names (Brown and Lee') into one. He established a general store there and continued in the business for eight years, also was postmaster of Brownlee. .Miout this time he brought a large bunch of cattle in the county and started in the ranching business, still mak- ing his home in the town with his family for about fifteen years, then moved to his present ranch on North Loup river. Here he is owner of nearly- seven thousand acres, which is one of the most extensive ranches in Cherry county, nearly all of it good hay land, and stocked with a large herd of cattle and horses. While living at Wahoo ^Ir. Lee was united in marriage to Miss Mary D. Olson, born in Den- mark. They have a family of six children, all filling honorable positions in the world, named as follows: Robert S.. William il.. Charles J., Mary Alice, Henry H.. and Roy. Of late years Mr. Lee has given the active management of the ranch over to his sons, who are all good ranch men and capable business men. WILLIAM S. BACON. W illiam S. Bacon, among the early settlers of Keya Paha county, Nebraska, has a well im- proved farm on section 8, township 34. range 24, Norden precinct, and is well known as an in- dustrious and energetic man. highly respected and esteemed in his community. Mr. Bacon was born in Sheffield. England, December 18, 1849. His father, William Bacon, came to this country in 1856 with his wife and child. The father was a preacher in the Meth- odist Episcopal church, and his wife prior to her marriage was Miss Susanna ^^'amsley. also of English birth. The family settled on the iVIonon- gahela river in Allegheny county. Pennsylvania, in the village of Rock Run. and there our subject was reared and educated until the age of twenty- one, at which time he started out for himself, working in the coal mines, following that work for twenty-one years. He did very well at the mining and accumulated quite a comfortable amount of property, then left Pennsylvania and came west, settling in Cherry county, Nebraska, in 1887. There he liought a farm and lived on it for two years, in 1889 moving to Keya Paha county, locating on a farm in section 4. townshij) 34. range 24. He made many improvements, and succeeded in building up a good home and farm, and s])ent seventeen years on that place. In 1906 Mr. Bacon took up his present farm as a homestead, the tract comprising three hun- dred and twenty acres, on which he is adding improvements all the time, and as it is beautifully situated, he will have one of the valuable estates in this section. A view of his dwelling, new barn and outbuildings is to be found on another page. j'Wsge^' RESIDENCE OF W. S. BACON, Keya Paha County. Nebraska. RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM CHESTER. Brown County, Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 349 Mr. pjacon was married in 1873, in Pennsyl- vania, to Aliss Xancy J. Alelki. and they have a family of five children, named as follows : Anna, wife of W. C. Jones, of Bruce, South Dakota : Oella, wife of Jacob Swim, of Keya Paha county ; Pearl, who married Porter Billings, living near home ; James, now at Bruce. South Dakota, and Linnie, wife of John Todd, of Homer, South Da- kota. Mr. Bacon is Republican in politics : he holds membership in the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pytliias and the Improved Order of Red Men. FRANK SHAFFER. The gentleman above named came to Har- lan county, Nebraska, in 1873. In the spring of that year he built the first house on what is now the site of the town of .\lma, and in April a town site company was organized with Mr. Shafifer as president, Judge A. N. Cook. Captain JMurray. Mr. Richmond, Mr. \'anNess, Jack Young and Peter Londeville on the com- mittee. They laid out one hundred and sixty- acres, and staked off forty acres, and to those who would build they presented a lot. Dur- ing the following year a blacksmith shop was put up by Mr. Broadmore. and a store by Sap- pington & JMoore. The town began to grow gradually. Mr. Guyer building a store in 1874, and he was appointed the first postmaster. In the same year the county was organized and Alma was made the county seat, a big fight being made over this. In 1883 the railroad was put through the town, the population then being about three hundred, and from that time on the place grew more rapidly. Mr. Shaffer was then in the livery, hotel and implement business. He built the largest hotel west of Hastings, called the Shaffer House, and was the only implement dealer in this county up to 187.^. He had a large trade all over this section, selling an immense amount of ma- chinery to the settlers who came to the state arid engaged in farming, hauling goods from Beatrice, which is seventy-five miles east of Lowell and from Lowell fifty-five miles east. He continued in this business up to 1886, then sold his implement store to A. B. Laferty. and the latter was engaged in business here until 1908. Our subject: sold his livery barn in 1888, and in the same year rented the hotel to J. B. Hamlon. and subsequently the place was de- stroyed by fire and a new hotel put up. • In 1873 Mr. Shaft'er killed a huge buft'alo on the spot where the postofiice now stands. He bought farms all over this countv, and owned about twenty-two hundred acres at one time, devoting his entire time and attention to the farming and stock raising business. He raised, bought and shipped a great deal of stock. The Alma opera house was built and is now the property of our subject. He started the largest general store establishment in Alma in 1877, which was at that time the largest store in w^estern Nebraska, operating it up to 1887. This was the Double Store, now owned and operated by his son-in-law, S. C. Gould, whose personal history appears on another page of this volume. Our subject now is en- gaged in farming west of Alma. The farm consists of one hundred and eighty acres of river bottom land and timber and fourteen acres of land in Alma, on which he resides. He is a successful breeder of Poland China pure bred hogs, and sells his stock at private sales. He also feeds from fifty to sixty head of cattle each winter. He breeds standard horses, and produces some fine animals. One month he sold five hundred and sixty-four dol- lars' worth of hogs, and is of the opinion that the hog business is much more profitable than cattle, as a man can turn hogs from three to four times per year, and' this state is an ideal place in which to raise and fatten them cheap- ly and quickly. Mr. Shaffer is a native of Pennsylvania. He is a son of Jacob Shaffer, a native of Som- erset county, Pennsylvania, who settled in Iowa and owned a large tract of land, includ- ing the site where Waterloo now stands. Our subject lived in Butler county, Iowa, prior to coming to Nebraska, and there held the office of deputy sheriff., at Parkersburg, which town he laid out, and was engaged in the livery business, also running a hotel from 1886 to 1872. He enlisted at Waterloo in Company C, Thirty-second Iowa Infantry, serving for three years and three months, and was ap- pointed sergeant and elected first lieutenant, but was so young would not qualify. Four brothers who entered the service were all killed. Our subject was ordered east with his regiment, and was at the famous battle of Shiloh, at Pittsburg Landing, on the Red River expedition (after Banks's defeat), un- der General A. J. Smith, when eighty men in his regiment were killed at Pleasant Hill. He was at \'icksburg. and later in Alabama at the battle of Nashville, then in the Atlanta campaign. He was mustered out at Trenton, Iowa, in September, 1865. Mr. Shaffer was married in 1872 to Miss Jennie Gutchus. daughter of Morris Gutchus, who at one time owned one hundred and sixty- acres of the land on which the citv of Chicago 350 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY now stands, selling it for seventeen hundred dollars, and later moved to Iowa. Mr. Shaf- fer has ten children, namely: Elmer, a farmer in Prairie Dog township, Harlan county; Ed, a farmer in Floyd. Iowa: John, residing in Alma : Charles, living at home with his par- ents ; Alma, wife of S. C. Gould, a merchant at Alma ; Mrs. Mary Yokeman, Butler. Mar- vin, Jennie and Ethel. ^Ir. Shaffer was second commander of the Grand Army of the Republic post at Alma, and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to the latter for the past thirty-five years. Also an Ancient Or- der of United Workmen and yeoman and dep- uty yeoman of all Nebraska south of the Platte river. He is a Republican politically, but would never accept any office. WILLIAM CHESTER. Among the leading old timers in Brown county, Nebraska. Mr. Chester is given a first place. Mr. Chester is a native of \Msconsm : born in the village of Pewaukee. Waukesha county. December 2. 1858. He is a son of Will- iam Chester, an old settler in that region, and a mason by trade. There was a family of eight children, of whom our subject is youngest : he was raised in his native county, and from boy- hood becalne accustomed to hard work, assisting his parents in the su])port of the family. He had little schooling, and is an entirely self-made man. Starting out for him.self at the age of twenty- five years, he came to western Nebraska in com- pany with his brother, L'rial Chester (deceased), and took up a homestead in section 3. township 27 . range 22. Brown county, on which he put up a sod house and farm buildings, in which he lived for fifteen years. They were extensivelv engaged in stock raising from the start, liegin- ning with very small capital and gradually in- creasing their farm and holdings. He followed the life of a ranchman for twenty years, and had a well stocked, finely improved property at the end of that time, and was one of the prosperous men of the region. In 1904 he and his brother sold the ranch for a comfortable sum and re- tired to Long Pine. Here William Chester bought three hundred and eighty acres adjoining the vil- lage and engages extensively in raising hogs. The place is equipped with a comfortable house, numerous barns, hog houses and sheds and has a growing thrifty young orchard. .\ fine view of the premises is to l)e found on another page. Mr. Chester was married in I-ong Pine. Mav 2(^. 1801, to Miss Lillie Wanker, a native of Clark county. Iowa. Her father, Ignatius Wanker, was a farmer and old settler in Nebraska, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Chester have two children named Marcus and Lila. In politics he is Republican and is a member of the clan of Roval Highlanders of Long Pine. JOHN G. ANDERSON. The gentleman here named has for the past thirty years resided at North Platte, where he is well known as a man of industry and a citizen of true worth. Mr. Anderson is con- nected with the I'nion Pacific Railway and is one of the genial and trusted employes of that company. Mr. Anderson was born in Sweden in 1852. He came to this country when a boy and lo- cated at Chicago. Illinois, where he began working as a railroad man in his young man- hood. He was employed by the Northwestern road for six ^-ears, and afterwards by the Bur- lington, making his headquarters at Aurora, Illinois, from 1870 to 1874. In 1876 he came to Nebraska, locating at North Platte, Lin- coln county, and associated himself with the L'nion Pacific in 1877, and three years later was made conductor on a freight train, hold- ing that position for ten years, then was given the position of passenger conductor and con- tinued at this ever since. He is now running on the Los Angeles Limited, and has a splen- did record all through his career as a train- man. Mr. .Anderson is a member of the Or- der of Railway Conductors and a prominent Mason in the Blue Lodge. Chapter and Com- mandery, also a Shriner at Omaha. In 1880 'Mr. Anderson was married to Miss Mary B. Rose, a native of Sweden, and they have one daughter. Bessie, wife of F. ^V. Placek. Mr. Anderson is a fine specimen of the suc- cessful Swede, popular with his fellows, and held in the highest esteem as a citizen in his community and well known and liked through- out railway circles in this section of the coivntrv. JOHN N. BRUER. Among the prominent old settlers of Dawes county, John N. Bruer is accorded a fore- most place. He has been a resident of Craw- ford for many years ])ast and is well known and highly esteemed by all who know him. Mr. Bruer is a native of the state of Ohio, born at Toledo in 1861. His father, Jacob COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 351 Bruer, was born in Germany and followed the career of a sailor during his younger days, coming to America in about the year 1858. When our subject was a lad of twelve years he left home and started out to make his own way in the world. He went to Iowa, locat- ing in Carroll county, and worked out on farms in that vicinity up to 1878, then went west to Colorado, obtaining employment on a railroad, which occupation he followed for a year. He next entered the government serv- ice, located at Fort Russell, Wyoming, re- maining there for about a year. In 1880 he started in the ranching business in Nebraska, settling on the Niobrara river, in what is now Dawes county, and followed ranching up to 1890. He also took up a homestead and proved up on his land. He did well at the work, but went through some hard times and led rather a rough life, as did so many of the settlers here in those days. He spent many nights in camping out on the prairie, and when he lo- cated here there were only two ranches es- tablished between the Platte river and Pine Ridge agency. He came to Crawford in 1890 and started in business, still retaining his ranching interests and personally superintend- ing the management of his property. Mr. Bru- er is engaged in the real estate and saloon business. Mr. Bruer was married in 1887 to ]\Iiss Minnie Rich, an estimable lady of German de- scent. To Mr. and Mrs. Bruer six children have been born, namely: Elinora, Flora, John H., Clara, Willie and Minnie. The family oc- cupy a pleasant home and are well liked and popular throughout the community. Mr. Bruer has always taken an active in- terest in all local affairs, and has done his share in the building up of his locality and the development of educational and commercial interests there. He is a Democrat in politics. WILLIAM HALSTEAD. As a citizen of integrity and true worth, and a man of industrious and energetic char- acter, the gentleman above named is well known to the residents of Brown county. Ne- braska. Mr. Halstead was born in Lynn coun- ty. Iowa, March 20, 1858. of American stock. His father, J. M. Halstead, is a carpenter by trade, and was a homesteader and early set- tler in Brown county, Nebraska, now resid- ing at Cripple Creek, Colorado. The Halstead family was among the pioneer settlers who landed in America from the old countrv dur- ing the early colonial days. Our subject was the eldest member in his father's family of five children, and was reared in Iowa on a farm, where he grew up accustomed to hard work during his boyhood years. At the age of eighteen he began railroading in his native state, and it was while he was engaged in this work that he had the misfortune to lose his right leg in an accident which occurred on the C. R. I. & P. Railway. This unfitted him for a railroad career, and he went to work in a brick yard, remaining for one year, and became an expert brick thrower. In 1880 he came west, locating in Dodge county, Nebras- ka, and the next four or five years were spent on a farm there ; then he left that place and moved to the northwestern part of Brown county, taking up a homestead where he lived for eight years, at the same time provmg up on a tree claim in the same locality. His first dwelling place was of the familiar dugout variety, and the second building he erected was a log house. Progress was slow at the start, as he had no capital to begin with, and the first years were spent hauling hay for ten miles over unbroken roads, through all sorts of weather, for an income. He also cut and hauled posts to help eke out a living for him- self and family. During these years he never shaved, but allow^ed his whiskers to grow to considerable length, and many times during the severely cold weather he was obliged to thaw the ice off his face before he was able to eat his meals. However, he stuck to this place through all kinds of hard luck up to 1889. and then moved on his present home- stead located in section 32. township 30. range 22. This property was improved with a log house and barn, and he at once began put- ting up fences and planting trees and making necessary improvements. His farm now com- prises one hundred and sixty acres of land, one-half of which is in a high state of cultiva- tion, and on this he raises fine crops. He rents other land, so that in all he has three hundred acres in operation, together with half a section of hay land. Mr. Halstead was married in Avoca, Iowa, July 24, 1880, to Miss Mary Ella Plum, a na- tive of the state of Illinois, born of American stock, her father being an old soldier and one of the pioneer settlers in Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Halstead have a family of thirteen chil- dren, who are named as follows : Harp, Ha- zel, for three years a teacher in Brown county, now engaged in teaching in Montana ; Hollis, Hal and Hugh (twins). Mary, Heath, Hol- comb, Harold, Harry, Hope, William Harvey and Helen. All excepting the two eldest chil- 352 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY dren were born and reared in Brown county. Mr. Halstead lias telephone connection in his house and everythint;- which goes to make up a pleasant and comfortable home. Much of his time is spent in literary work, and he is a writer of no mean ability. He is a Dem- ocrat politically, a member of the .Ancient Or- der of United Workmen and with his wife has taken the degree of honor of that order. CONSTANT GUENIN. The highly cultivated fields of Nebraska and well equipped ranch properties bear lit- tle semblance to the land as it was in the time of the pioneer settler, when he found it a vast wilderness or barren prairie, perhaps covered in parts witli brush or submerged. None of it was in shape for cultivation, and yet many of those who went to that country under these unpromising conditions have re- mained to become the owners of some of the finest farms in the state. Deuel county was one of the most unseemly farming regions of the state, and it is now one of the most pros- perous. .\mong those who have brought about this most pleasing condition is the gen- tleman above nam6d. Constant Guenin, who has a pleasant and comfortable home in Sugh- rue precinct. Mr. Guenin has opened up and developed a fine estate, and is one of the well known and highly esteemed citizens of his locality. Our subject is a native of Switzerland, born April 6, 1867, and grew to the age of twenty- five years there, following the life of an agri- culturist during his boyhood and as a young man. He landed in .America in 1892. settling at first in Scott county, Kansas, where he spent one year, then came to Deuel county, and in September, 1893, filed on homestead rights, built a dwelling anrl proved up on his claim. He went through many hardships in getting his home started, meeting with discourage- ments and partial failure of crops during the first few years, but stuck bravely to his work and gradually improved the land, erecting good buildings, etc. His home ranch is now on section 20, township 15, range 43, and he is the owner oi sixteen hundred acres, which he uses mostly as a stock ranch. He has about sixty acres unfler cultivation, and has a large bunch of stock, at present running two hun- dred cattle and a number of horses. His house is a comfortable one and he has starterl fine shade and fruit trees and has many im- provements which make it an ideal rural home. He has also a complete set of farm buildings and all necessary machinery and equipment for conducting a modern farm. Mr. Guenin was married while still liv- ing in Sw-itzerland to Miss Anna Guenin, the event occurring on January 10, 1891, and the young pair struck out for America to seek their fortune the following year. Mr. Gue- nin's father is dead, but his mother still lives in her native land, while both parents of Mrs. Guenin are dead. To our subject and his wife have been born the follow'ing children : Mark, born in April, 1892 ; George, born in March, 1896; Morris, born in February, 1899; Walter, born in November, 1900, and Helen, born in May. 1904, all living at home. Mr. Guenin is a wideawake citizen of his community and politically is identified with the Republican party. RAUPH LEWIS. Ralph Lewis, residing on section 29, town- ship 35, range 19, is one of the old settlers and worthy citizens of Keya Paha county. Mr. Lewis was born in Farmersville, New York, April 3, 1842, and was raised and educated on his father's farm. The latter, Caleb Lewis, was born in Rhode Island, and his family were all killed at the Wyoming massacre except his father and grandmother. He tlied in 1856 at the age of si.xty-six years. Our subject's mother, who was prior to her marriage Miss Johanna Wade, was a descend- ant of the Wade family of Ohio, whose ances- tors came to America and landed near New- ark, New Jersey, in the seventeenth century. In a family of eleven children our subject was the tenth member, and at the age of nine- teen years he started out for himself, enlist- ing in Company D, Sixty-fourth New York Regiment, in the .Army of the Potomac, and served for three years and three months, later enlisting in Hancock's corps, known as United States Veteran Volunteers, serving for one year. He took part in fourteen battles and many skirmishes. -After the war he began farming in New "S'ork, and continued at that up to 1878. He was employed in team contracting in McKean county, Pennsylvania, until the spring of 1882 and for the following y?ar was employed in Warren county. Migrating west, he arrived in Keya Paha county in .April, 1883. Here he took up a homestead and pre-emption on the nurtli one-half of section 29, township 35, range 19. and also took a tree claim, and still lives in that section. He went through the usual COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 353 pioneer experiences, and lost considerable stock during the raids by the cattle rustlers, as he lived right on the line over which they drove their stolen stock. Mr. Lewis was one of the vigilantes during those times, and was one of the foremost in trying to suppress these thieves. He built up his place steadily and early planted trees, now having about one hun- dred and sixty acres of fine forest trees, in- cluding the natural timber on the river. His ranch, known as Clover Leaf Ranch, consists of sixteen hundred and forty acres of good land, and of this he cultivates two hundred acres, keeping the balance for hay and pas- ture. He runs over three hundred head of Hereford cattle and forty horses and uses a great deal of the grain raised on his farm at home. His place is well fenced and cross- fenced, and he has a complete set of good farm buildings, altogether owning one of the most valuable estates in the county. We pre- sent a page view of his extensive buildings, fine two-story dw-elling with its tasteful sur- roundings, which gives some idea of the beau- tiful scenery of the region as well. Mr. Lewis was married April 3, 1866, to Miss Emma Otto, born in Allegheny county, New York, July 25, 1844. To them have come the following children : Stilman O., Frank A., Harry O., Mary L. (w^ife of Frank J. Rhoades), Guy \\\ and Ernestine, wife of James Runyan, all now settled within eight miles of the old homestead. Seventeen grandchildren may be gathered into a family reunion, a record cred- itable beyond the usual family. Mr. Lewis is a Populist, or "Old Abe Lin- coln Republican." He has never taken a very active part in politics, except to act as dele- gate to county and national conventions, al- though he lends his influence and aid in the interest of good government. He was elected the first treasurer of Keya Paha county after its organization, but has not held office since that time, preferring to spend his time in the building up and improving of his home and farm. MISS MARY SHADIE. The estimable lady who bears the above name is well known and greatly esteemed by all who know her. IMiss Shadie has been a res- ident of Crawford, Dawes county, Nebraska, from the time the town was first started, and has since that time been one of the prominent citizens and an important factor in the de- velopment of its business interests. Miss Shadie is a native of Knox countv. Maine, and was reared and educated in the state of her birth. In 1884 she came west to Chicago and from there went to Pine Ridge Agencv, where she taught the Indian school for two years, then came to Nebraska. At that time all traveling was done by team, and she was obliged to drive through the country from Valentine, camping out for two nights on the trip. Miss Shadie moved to Crawford in 1886, and taught school for a year, and in August of the following year opened one of the first millinery stores in the place, buying out a Mrs. Russell, who had run a small store for a short time. She put in a first-class stock of goods^ and built up a good trade, running the business alone for a number of years. In 1903 she pur- chased an interest in the Crawford Mercan- tile Company, of Crawford, and three years later increased her interest in the business, so that she is now one of the principal stock- holders in the company, and the firm is doing a splendid business. This store carries a large stock of dry goods, shoes, millinery, etc., and is a thoroughly up-to-date and first-class es- tablishment, their trade extending throughout Dawes and the adjoining counties. j\Iiss Shadie is an alert and active busi- ness woman of marked force of character and a lady of tact and good business judgment, which is fully evidenced by her succe.ss in the work to which she has given her entire time and energy for so many years, and is one of tlie highly esteemed and worthy citi- zens of her communitv. JOHN A. NUGENT. John A. Nugent, who for four vears was the popular postmaster at Cams. Nebraska, is well known all over the county as a promi- nent citizen and capable business man. Mr. Nugent is a Canadian by birth, and he is a son of Edward Nugent, a mechanic by trade, and an old settler in Gentry, Mis- souri. Our subject was born April 1, 1863, in Hamilton, and came across the border with his parents when a child, settling in Gentry county, Missouri, on a farm, wdiere he was raised and educated, assisting his father in the farm work. The latter died when John was six years of age, and two years later he was obliged to get out and hustle for himself. He has made his own way ever since, remain- ing in Missouri up to 1881, then came to Ne- braska and settled in Clay county. Three years later he moved to Rock county, follow- ing farm work, being employed by the month 354 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY until lie was twent)' years old, then learned the printing business, and afterwards was ed- itor of the Bassett Herald for one year. He was appointed deputy county clerk of Rock county, and he transcribed the Brown county records of Rock county when the latter was organized. In 1889 he went to \\'ashington, where he remained for a year, then came back to Rock county and acted as principal of the Newport schools for two years. In 1891 he was elected county superintendent of schools, and re-elected in 1893, serving for four years in this capacity. After this he opened up a farm and lived on it for three years, and also spent one year in White Cloud, Michigan. In April, 1903. he took charge, as manager, of E. L. Myers Mercantile Company at Cams, and in that year, on May 25th, was appointed post- master. He combined the two businesses and handled a large amount of merchandise each year. He resides on his homestead, which he took in section 23, township 32, range 19, in Rock county, and the farm comprises two hun- dred and sixty acres, situated on the Niobrara river. He is a hustler of the first water, and it is through his industry and good manage- ment that he has acquired the comfortable competence which he _ enjoys, and he well merits much praise for his success. I )n May 2. 1902, Mr. Nugent was married to Miss Ruth Kershner. They have one cliild, named Jennie. Mr. Nugent is a strong Republican and deeply interested in all party affairs. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United \\'orkmen lodge at Cams. WWRRl'IX L. jFA\ELL. ^^'a^ren L. Jewell, who takes a leading part as an agriculturist in the affairs of Box Butte county, Nebraska, where his ranch of many broad acres shows hinfi to be both industrious and persistent, was born in Stratford, near Bridgeport, Connecticut, June 19. 1858. His father, George Jewell, was a butcher by trade and came of Holland Dutch stock. His mother, who was Elizabeth (Lewis) Jewell, was of English descent. The start of the Jew- ell family in America is dated from the set- tlement of three brothers, who located on the Hudsiin river back in colonial days. The boyhood days of Mr. Jewell were spent in Connecticut, wiiere he received his educa- tion attending the common schools. Here he remained until 1876. when he left his home, and coming west into Iowa, entered the drug business in Des Moines as a clerk. After gaining the necessary experience in this line he started in business for himself, opening a store in the same city. Here he remained for about ten years, during which time he en- gaged in dift'erent business enterprises. He also spent some time in Hamilton and Green counties. Iowa, where he was engaged in the mercantile business. The subject of this narrative came to Box Butte county in 1887, and the following year took a pre-emption claim on which he proved up. He had a dugout for two years, and lived the life of a bachelor for the first five years here. In 1892 :\Ir. Jewell and Miss Hattie Bass were united in marriage. Her father, Aloses Bass, was a pioneer of Box Butte coun- ty. Her mother, Elvira (Moberly) Bass, was a native of ^Missouri. One boy, George O., was born to this union. In 1895 Mr. Jewell returned to Iowa, where he spent four years in farming. He returned to Box Butte county in 1899. In 1902 he set- tled on the place which is his present home in section 2, township 27, range 52. He has added many acres of adjoining land to his original entry, and now has a ranch of eleven hundred and twenty acres, upon which he has constructed five miles of fence. He culti- vates one hundred acres, and engages exten- sively in the raising of horses, sheep, hogs, cattle, small grain and potatoes. He did not escape the periods of drought and the many hardships which confronted the early settlers in this western countr}-, but met the years of adversity with a determination which has resulted in grand success. Mr. Jewell votes the Republican ticket. He is prominently identified with the history of Box Butte county and has always taken a keen interest in local aft'airs. He devotes his time very closely to his ranch, and his many warm friends consider that he has done won- derfully well, and that his career in Box Butte county is to be regarded as a marked success. FR.V.XK 11. KIXG. In Frank H. King, of King precinct, Chey- enne county, we have one of the oldest set- tlers in that region, and a leading citizen of the locality in which he lives. Mr. King was born in Wisconsin. Septem- ber 2, 1855, and when a small boy his parents moved to Iowa, where they lived for two years, then to Missouri, where he remained until of age. He left home at that time and COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 355 spent two years in Texas. He "trailed" a large bunch of cattle from Texas into this country, it taking about three months with two Texas cow ponies; then returning to ]\Iissouri and going into the Black Hills. This was in 1876. and he traveled through the wild country by wagon, going through Kearney. One summer was spent in the hills, and it was about this time that the country was stirred by the in- cidents surrounding the killing of "Wild Bill." He next went to Red Cloud Agency, remain- ing there during the winter of 1877, this at that time being a part of Cheyenne county before its division. About 1885 he took a pre- emption and timber claim, and a short time later homesteaded on sections 5 and 6. town- ship 19. range 49. proving up on all three. Dur- ing the early years he passed through all kinds of hardships and privation in getting started, and no one is better acquainted with the early history of the state than himself. He is a genuine old-timer, who has through all time had the greatest faith in western Nebraska, evidenced by his continued residence here through the years of drouth and all hard times, and has come out successful and prosperous. He has a finely equipped ranch and farm, own- ing in all 'over six hundred acres of River ranch, which is under ditch, besides other land in the vicinity. One hundred acres are in alfalfa, and he cultivates one hundred and sev- enty-five acres in crops, also a fine large hay ranch. He has a large tract of leased school land which he uses for pasture for a large bunch of cattle and horses. He is owner of the old Brown Creek Ranch, which is famous for having had the first house built on it north of the river. There is every kind of improve- ment on the ranch, and he has a fine grove of trees, making it altogether one of the finest and most valuable in the region. On February 8, 1885,* Mr. King was mar- ried to Grace Raynes, at Humansville, Mis- souri. She was born in Washington, D. C, and when she first settled in. Nebraska on the Platte River Ranch she was the only woman within a radius of forty miles, which was a rather unique experience for one reared in a city. The father of both Mr. and Mrs. King is dead, while their mothers still live. Si.x children, all of whom are living at home, were born to our subject and his estimable wife, and are named as follows: Harry R., Fred A.. Grace C, Hazel, Frank H., Jr.. and Kathryn. a baby. They occup\- a fine ranch house, and usually spend the sum- mers there while the winters are spent in Sidney, where they have a handsome residence, and where the children have received their edu- cation. From 1898 to 1902 Mr. King held the office of sherifT of Cheyenne county. He has always taken an active part in county and state af- fairs, voting the straight Republican ticket. King precinct in Cheyenne county was named after him. FRED DUERFELDT. Among the successful and prosperous citi- zens of Gordon. Nebraska. Fred Duerfeldt is counted as worthy a prominent place. He is engaged in the lumber business here, and has built up an extensive trade through his strict integrity and honest dealings. Mr. Duerfeldt was born in Richardson county. Nebraska, in 1868. on his father's farm. He is a son of Fred Duerfeldt. Sr.. a native of Germany, and his mother was also born in Germany, coming to this country when young people, both having died when our sub- ject was a young lad. There was a family of nine children and he was the fifth in order of birth. He v.-as reared in his native coun- ty and since he was eight years old has been compelled to hustle for himself and also as- sist in supporting his younger brothers and sisters. In 1886 he first came to Sheridan county, remaining here for two years, then went, to \A'voming where he followed the life of a cowboy on dififerent ranches, being em- ployed by the Swan Land & Cattle Company for three years. He afterwards returned to Gordon and worked on a ranch thirty miles from town, employed by W. A. Margrave as foreman for eight years, putting in altogether ten years in his employ. In 1901 Mr. Duerfeldt came to Gordon and established a lumber yard, buying out one of his competitors. This yard is now owned by Margrave & Duerfeldt. and in addition to handling lumber, they deal in tank manufactur- ing, and it has come to be one of the largest business enterprises of Gordon. Mr. Duerfeldt was married in 1894 to Miss Mary E. Margrave, her father, T. E. Margrave being one of the old settlers in Sheridan county, and a pioneer ranchman. He is the senior member of the firm of Margrave & Duerfeldt. Mr. and Mrs. Duerfeldt have had a family of five 'children, one of whom. Fred- erick T.. is dead, the others named as follows: George M.. Catherine. Clifford and Leonard. In political faith Mr. Duerfeldt is a Repub- lican, and takes an active part in all local and county afifairs of his party. He is now serving as a member of the -town board, and for eight 356 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY years held the office of assessor in the Spring Lake precinct. He is also president and man- ager of the Gordon Telephone companj', and occupies a high station as a citizen and man of affairs here. CHARLES T. BRADY. The gentleman whose name heads this per- sonal history is one of the old-timers, and well- to-do farmers of his precinct, and his career has been interesting since he settled in the western country. He has not come to his present comfort and ease without passing through many trials and much privation in the early days. He is at present residing on sec- tion 1. and has taken an active part in the growth and development of this western country for twenty-five j'ears past. Charles T. Brady was born in Hills county, Texas, in the town of Hillsborough, in 1866. His father, Alexander, was a farmer and ranch- man in that county, and he married Elizabeth Todd, whose parents were plantation owners and had always resided in the south, being thoroughly familiar with the old slave days in that country. The family moved to Mis- souri when our subject was a baby, and he grew up there to the age of six, then they came to Nebraska, settling in the southern part of the state, homesteading in Nuckolls countv where they spent about seven years. Our sub- ject next located on the Loup River, in Custer county, where Charles started to work for him- self, remaining in that vicinity for a year, then came up on the Platte River to Lincoln county, where he worked as a horse breaker and cow- boy for a tnne. His next move was to what is now known as McPherson county, locating there about 1882, where he engaged in ranch- ing and led a typical cowboy existence, part of the time camping out on the plains, both in winter and summer, and seeing all sorts of rough life. Ho took a ranch of his own in McPherson county and made that his home up to 1802. running his own i)lace, also ^W^^" con- siderable work for John Bratt & Co. He sold- his ranch and moved to Grant county in 1894, Iricating twelve miles south of Whitman, where he run a herd o{ cattle, and remained there for about twelve years, and built up a good place, but finall\- left and moved to Pullman. Nebraska, where he worked as a mail carrier, for about a year and a half. He came to his present loca- tion in 1904, at first being employed by the Standard Cattle Company, then established hi^ r>wn ranch. whi.l> w v;t,,nted in section 1, township 26, range 34. Here he has all good buildings, the ranch all fenced and in good con- dition. He farms a small part of the place, but nearly his whole section is devoted to ranching purposes, running quite a large num- ber of stock. Some interesting pictures will be found on another page of scenes on the ranch propertv of Mr. Brady. In 1896 Mr. Brady married Miss Lottie Whitton, daughter of J. F. Whitton, a pioneer in Nebraska and Kansas, and whose sketch a]i- pears in this volume. They have a family of live children, named as follows: Esther, Flor- ence, X'ictor and Ruth, and Elizabeth, and form an interesting and charming group. The family is held in high esteem by all who know them, and they have a happy and pleasant home. EUGENE A. BIGELOW. The gentleman above named is one of the oldest settlers of Sioux county, and one who has always taken an active part in its develop- ment since its earliest days. He has been prominent in the political affairs of his com- munity, and is well-known all over this sec- tion of the state. Mr. Bigelow was born in LeClair, Scott county. Iowa, in 1854. He is a son of Benja- min F. Bigelow, a farmer and stonemason, who spent many years of his career in Iowa. One brother, Payson B., has given a review of his life for this volume also, which will be found on another page. Eugene was raised in his native state, and grew up there to the age of eleven vears, then with his parents moved to Jasper county, and later to Adair county, remaining in Iowa up to 1888, follow- ing farming all of that time, most of the time working rented land. He came to Sioux county in the latter year (1888), starting at the bot- tom of the ladder, with very small capital, tak- ing up a pre-emption and later a homestead, and proved up on both : and in 1904 filed on additi'mal land as a Kincaid hdniestc.-iil. the latter located in section 18, township 32, range .^6. His first building here \\;is ;i r'>us.''h shanty, in which he "batched it" until his fam- ily (whom he had left in Iowa) could join him, then he erected a log house which they occu- pied for a number of years. During the first several years the two brothers were in iiartner- ship, their start being five head of cattle and sixty dollars in money on landing in the county. The first fall they were here Eugene RESIDENCE ON RANCH OF CHARLES T. BRADY, Cherry County, Nebraska. STOCK SCENE ON RANCH OF CHARLES T. BRADY, Cherry County, Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY had the misfortune to break a leg, and he was laid up by this accident all of that winter. He gradually improved his place and succeed- ed in building up a good home and is now pro- prietor of a ranch of one thousand one hun- dred and twenty acres, all deeded land, besides four hundred and eighty acres of Kincaid land, altogether controlling about one thousand nine hundred acress, all well fenced and improved with good buildings, etc. He uses one hundred and sixty acres for farming purposes and runs a large number of cattle, having plenty of good pasture and hayland. Mr. Bigelow was married at Newton, Iowa, in 1883, to Aliss Elizabeth C. Cope, a native of Illinois. Her father, Levi, was a wagon- maker by trade, who emigrated to Jasper county, Iowa, and lived in that vicinity for many years ; then went to South Dakota where he died in 1903. Five children have been born as a result of this union, who are named as follows: Mabel L., Lee Franklin, Delmar, Cleo, and Ray. Mr. Bigelow and his family spend the summers on their fine ranch, and in the winter occupy a handsome residence in Harrison, where their children have better ad- vantages for attending the city schools. Mr. Bigelow has for a number of years been an auctioneer, "crying" sales all over the county, and is well-known by every man in this sec- tion. In 1901 he was elected county commis- sioner, served his time and was then re-elected, still acting in that capacity. He is a Repub- lican. F. W. HARRIS. F. W. Harris, whose name is familiar to nearly all the residents of Franklin county, is a worthy representative of the progressive farmer of western Nebraska. He was one of the earliest settlers in this county, coming here in 1884, and has lived here continuously since that time. Mr. Harris resides in Blooming- ton, where he has a nice home and is highly respected and esteemed by his fellowmen. Mr. Harris is a native of Brattleboro, Vermont, born in 1848, and is a son of Olive Milton Har- ris, born at IMarlborough, Massachusetts, and his mother, who was ;\Iiss INIinerva A. Easter- brook, born at Brattleboro ; the latter de- scended from the Wells family, which settled on Long Island in 1644. The family removed to Pamfret township, Chautauqua ccnmtv, New York, where they lived for sixteen years, then came to Bureau county, Illinois, where they lived for nineteen years. Here our sub- ject farmed during his young manhood, and from his experience in the east and here, con- siders Nebraska far superior to any place he has been, as the climate here is better and the soil easier to work. The Republican Valley is one of the best feeding countries known, and in the future the farmers here will have to farm less land and till it more carefully, rais- ing the grade of stock, as the land here is get- ting too high priced to keep poor stock and for careless farming. In 1899 Mr. Harris bought the quarter section he lives on. adjoining the town of Bloomington on the north, for which he paid two thousand dollars, and could now easily obtain ten thousand dollars for it, but does not wish to sell. He keeps a drove of from seventy-five to one hundred pure bred Poland China hogs, which he disposes of at private sale to the farmers in this county and vicinity. In 1906 his sales of hogs amounted to $800. He does not exhibit his stock, but fixes fair prices and any statement he makes in regard to his animals can be absolutely re- lied upon. His hogs are of the old substan- tial Tecumseh strain, crossed by Expansion, which is one of the best. He also has some of the Perfection E. L. and also keeps quite a herd of cattle, milking from twelve to fifteen cows all the time, selling to the Bloomington trade. Mr. Harris has alwavs done his ]>art in local public afl:'airs, serving as road overseer in his precinct for some years, also as town- ship assessor several terms. In 1897 he was elected county clerk, serving for four years. He was nominated for the ofifice on the Fusion ticket and elected by a large majority. -\Ir. Harris was united in marriage in 1876 in Bureau county, Illinois, to Miss Maggie Gingrich, daughter of Otto and -Anna Ging- rich, both natives of Germany, born near Hes- seldornstadt, who came to America in 1850, locating in Illinois, where they built up a fine farm and home. Mrs. Harris has a brother living in Washington township, engaged in farming, E. J. Gingrich, by name, also one brother, Otto Gingrich, living just over the line in Kansas, directly south of Riverton, Neb., also a farmer, who has lately built a fine new house and barn. Mr. Harris and his wife are the parents of the following children : Cora, wife of L. G. Bevis, of the firtn of Bevis Bros., loan brokers, of Mt. Ayr. Iowa : Lucv, at home, and Otto, of Bloomington, operating the home farm. The family is highly esteemed by all who know them, and Mr. and Mrs. Harris are en- joying the declining years of their life sur- rounded by all the comforts of modern times, 358 COMPENDIU.M OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY which were gained from long years of labor during the pioneer days. They are genial, con- tented and happy, and richly merit the success which has come to them. JOHN H. CANNON. The well regulated farms and ranches in Keith county contribute largely to the wealth of that region, and the gentleman whose name introduces this review is proprietor of one of the valuable estates situated on section 22, township 13. range 39. in Paxton precinct. He is prominent in local aflfairs, and one of the substantial and esteemed citizens of his com- munity. . ^ [ohn H. Cannon first saw the light in New Holland, Pickawav countv. Ohio, July 18, 1843 He is the son of Minas M. and Mary (Dawson) Cannon, who were old settlers in Ohio, the former a carpenter by trade, who died at Camp Point, Illinois, in 1869, and the latter departing this life in Ohio when John was a child four vears of age. The father settled in Brown countv, Illinois, as a pioneer, in 1850, and there our subject was reared and educated, follow- ino- farm work until 1861 ; in that year he en- lisled in Company E. Sixteenth \ olunteer Infantry serving for three months in state ser- vice, and re-enlisting May 24, 1861 at Kelly's Ferry, Tennessee, and serving for three years. He served in Missouri wMth his regiment for several months and later was with the Army of the Cumberland through the Chattanooga and Nashville campaigns, participating in the engagements around Atlanta and served under Sherman in the march to the sea. On Decem- ber 23, 1863 he re-enlisted as a veteran, re- mained in the army until the close of the'war and in all his service received but one slight wound, an injury to his thumb. He was in the ranks at the grantl review and returned to his home in Illinois full of honors. In 1865 Mr. Cannon went to Quincy. Illi- nois, and followed railroading on the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific railway, employed in train service for twenty-one years. He came to Nebraska in May, 1886, settling in Keith county, where he filed on a homestead situated seven miles southwest of Ogallala, and there started a farm, building a sod house, breaking up land for crops, planting trees, and improv- ing the place as best he could during the first years; while meeting at times with losses through failures of crops, he was on the whole very successful. He also filed on a tree claim two miles nearer town, proving up on both tracts. Since locating here he has followed ranching and farming constantly, and now owns four hundred and eighty acres, all of which is irrigable, having one hundred and fifty under cultivation, and a large herd of cat- tle and other stock. He has a good house, substantial barns, \vells and wind mills. In 1905, during April, he had the misfortune to lose his barn by fire, but replaced it with an- other and better building, although the loss was a heavy one to him. In February, 1906, he sold the homestead. In 1866 Air. Cannon was married to Miss Georgia Wright. One child was born to- them, Clarence, who married Miss Emma Reed, and resides in Green River, Wyoming. They have three children. The wife and mother died in Illinois in 1871. In 1873 he married again, taking as a wife, Miss Alaria E. Giddings, daughter of Austin R. and .-Metha C. ( Keller) Giddings. natives of Ohio and North Carolina respectively. Mr. Giddings was a nephew of Joshua Orr, for many years a senator from Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Cannon have one adopted daughter, Grace L., who is a successful teacher in the Keith county schools. Mr. Cannon is a loyal Republican, and has always been prominent in county and national politics, holding local oflfice at various times, and for ten years served as justice nf the jieace in his township. The family are members of the Methodist church, while Mr. Cannon holds membership in the Grand Armv and the Workmen. HORATIO G. NEWCOMB. Horatio G. Newcomb, one of the leading old settlers of Dawes county, Nebraska, is known throughout that locality as a gentle- man of good business capacity and active pub- lic spirt. He is a resident of Crawford, where he has been one of the prominent citizens and foremost business men for many years. Mr. Newcomb was horn in Franklin county, \'ermont. in 1848. where his father was engaged in the butcher business. The latter was a native of Boston and married Charlott Sixby. bom in St. Armond, Province of Quebec, of Ger- man stock, she dying when our subject was but three years of age. He was reared in Montpelier, and while a young man learned the butcher's trade, working for different parties in his home town for several years. For a time he traveled extensively, going across the Isthmus iif Panama, and all -along the coast of COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, RKA'llNlSCKNCK AXD IlloCK M'tlN 359 Central Americi. and saw a great deal of that country about which he relates many interest- ing incidents. He also spent three years on cow ranches in California, and in 1875 went to Chevenne. ^^^•ominp■, where he worked as a cow puncher for T. A. Kent, a large ranchman and banker of Cheyenne. He also was em- ployed by Hy. Kelly and Butcher Phillips for some time, and became very familiar with that part of the country. In 1877 he started a ranch of his own on Reshaw Creek, Wyoming, and ran that for two years, then sold out to PTaniilton, Hall & McCrary and acted as ranch foreman for them for some time. He next moved to the Platte river, where he h'ved up to 1883. when he started in the sheep business on a large scale, and in that vear was unfortu- nate enough to lose 2.000 head of sheep, so he gave that up and went to Fort Laramie where he owned and ran a hotel for three vears. There he served as deputy sheriff for three years. In 1887 he left Fort Laramie, as the place was being abandoned, then had a ranch at Lnsk, Wyoming. He was among the early settlers at Chugwater, Wyoming, and there went throueh rough experiences in that new country. He landed in Crawford, December 17, 1880, and followed the saloon business up to 1900, then got the Klondike fever, so went to that country and remained a year prospecting and looking over the country. He had a rough time while there, from July 10th 'to September 15th. covering one thousand two hundred miles on foot, and soon got enough oi that place and came back to Crawford, where he has since remained, engaging in the saloon business ever since. Since coming to this country Mr. New- comb has seen all the pioneer exneriences of the earlv davs, witnessing the immigration into the Black Hills, and has been a potent factor in the building up of the region where he chose his home. In 1875 ]\Ir. Newcomb was married to Miss Martha Holsapple, a native of the state of New York, whose parents were early settlers there from Canada, her father being a farmer and cabinet maker. To Mr. and Mrs, Newcomb two children were born, namely: Jav F. and Jessie. SAMUEL S. FAIRHEAD, Samuel Fairhead is one of the most pro- gressive and enterprising ranchmen of Cherrv county, Nebraska. He resides in section 11, township 34, range 37, where he is the pro- prietor of a fine ranch and comfortable home and enjoys his well deserved success and high standing as a citizen. Mr. Fairhead was born in Sidney, New South Wales, Australia, and was of English stock. The family lived in Australia until 1860 when they returned to England, living in the shire of Suffolk, where the father died in about 1870. At the age of thirteen, Samuel went to London, and secured employment as clerk, receiving at the age of sixteen years one pound sterling per month, large wages for a boy at that time. Resigning his position as clerk he embarked with his older brother, James, to Canada, living in Ontario for thirty years. The brother, James, engaged in the ice business from which he has accumulated a good fortune. In 1885 our subject, in companv with two brothers. Joseph and Garrold, came to Cherry county, Nebraska. When he landed here he did not know the first thing about farming or the care of stock, so went to work on the railroad, which was then in the course of construction, driving a team, working as far up as Buffalo Gap. He w-as unfamiliar with the value of land around here, and after a time went back to Canada and worked there a while, but was not satisfied with conditions there and became anxious to again go back to the frontier, so ten years later he returned to Cherry county, and since that time has never lived away from this locality. On his last arrival here he had just forty dollars in cash, and for five years worked on ranches in this vicinty. saving his money, and by being careful and industrious got a pretty fair start, nlthough had he been able to begin earlier he would have been much better of? today than he is. He only regrets that he did not stay in Cherry county when he first came here, in- stead of returning to Canada. He now owns a ranch of one thousand two hundred and eighty acres, well improved with good build- ings and fences, and keeps one hundred head of cattle and some horses. He has accumu- lated all this property in nine years, which is doing very well, and speaks well for his good judgment and business ability. Mr. Fairhead was married in Toronto. Can- ada, July 23, 1874 to !Miss Fannie Long, who was a native of Ontario, born in 1854, of Eng- lish stock. Mr. and Mrs. Fairhead have two children, namely: Alvin S., a plumber by trade, working all over the southwest, is mar- ried and now living in California ; and Laura M.. married to Percy St. Jean, of French de- 'icent, living in Idaho. Mr. Fairhead takes a commendable interest in all public afifairs of local importance, has at 36o COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY different times held offices of trust, and at pres- ent is serving as roadmaster for his township. Politically he is a Republican. He is a mem- ber of the Modern Woodmen of America, of Merriman. and with his wife, a communicant of the Methodist church. ELHANAN W. CARPENTER. One of the beautiful country places to be found in the farming districts of Dawes county, where everything- about the premises bespeaks care and pride in its appearance, is found in that of the gentleman above men- tioned. Mr. Carpenter's home presents a beauti- ful sight to the eye of the visitor in this sec- tion, having a comfortable and handsome house, fine lawns and beautiful shade trees all around it. also a fine fish pond, and everything about his home shows careful attention and good management. Mr. Carpenter was born in Chenango county. New York state, April 13. 1833. His father, Jesse K., was a blacksmith, a native of Windsor, ^'e^mont. and a veteran of the war of 1812, who married Polly Beckwith, also born in Vermont, in 1800. When our subject was a young boy his family came to Indiana, settling in Parke county, where they were among the pioneers, and there he grew up until he was about fifteen years of age, when his parents moved to Illi- nois. After living there a short time they came to Iowa, and again went through pioneer experiences in Clayton county and Elhanan remained in that vicinity up to 1855, when he moved to Washington countv, and lived up to 1885. again leading the early settler's life in that region. In the latter county he started a farm, and built up a good home and made a success of his venture. He was the owner of one hundred and twelve acres, and helped to establish schools. anteran Reserve Corps, from which he was mustered out July 5, 1865, just three years to a day from the date of his enlistment. Our subject returned to Illinois after being discharged from the army, and farmed there up to 1892. then came west to Buffalo county, Ne- braska, farming in \'alley precinct about twelve years in that locality before removing to Chey- enne county, where he has since resided. Reach- ing Sidney March 20, 190.^, he filed on a home- stead in section 18. townshij) 13, range .^0. nnd began to develop a home. The place is well sit- uated and contains as fine land as is to be found in this region. One of the natural curiosities of the region. Tower Butte, is situated but a few rods from the dwelling, and is ime of the land- marks of the region. Mr. Henderson was married in \'ermiIlion county, Illinois, March 7, 1872, to Mary F. Jones, a widow, whose maiden name was Lough. ;\Frs. Henderson was born in Ritchie county. West \'irginia, in 1849, and she had one child bv her first marriage. Dora M., who married Abraham Long, and resides in Kimball county. Mr. and Mrs. Henderson have a family of six children, who are named as follows : Druzilla E.. now Mrs. Charles Stafford, of Sidney ; John R. Hen- derson, now living in Kimball county ; James F. Henderson, of Buffalo county; Donna M., wife of \\'illiam Davis, of Kimball countv : E. C. Hen- derson, of Cheyenne county. One son, Nathaniel Beeson, is living at home, and assists his father in carrying on the home ranch. While living in Illinois the family were all members of the Cum- berland Presbyterian church, and Mr. Henderson was a comrade in the Grand Army of the Re- public. He is a Republican in politics. PETER REHDER. Peter Rehder, a prominent farmer and stock- man living on section 20, township 22, range 15, is well known throughout Garfield county as a progressive and successful agriculturist, highly esteemed by all with whom he has had to do. Mr. Rehder is a native of Germany, born in 1854. He grew up in his native country, and in 1881 left home and struck out for the new world, arriving in America in May, 1881. After landing in New York he came across the country locating in Davenport. Iowa, where he remained for a time, then emigrated to Nebraska in 1885, on account of the land there being cheaper and the better chances a ])oor man had for gaining a competence, locating in Garfield county on a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres. Here he succeeded in developing a good farm, engaged in mixed farming and stock raising, and now owns about two hundred and fifty acres of good land, half of it under cultivation, raising sjjlendid crops of corn and oats, with some wheat and rye. He has a good supply of water from deep bored wells, and his place is well improved with good buiUlings and a comfortable residence, fine groves, orchards, etc. Mr. Rehder is of the opinion that the average man here is much better off financially than in Iowa, as the land here costs less ami crops grow just as well with less labor, one man taking care of a hundred acres as easily as he could fifty in Iowa. Since locating here he has had fair suc- cess every year with the exception of 1894, when his crops were burned out by the hot winds, and that \ear everyone suffered some bad luck; but after the coming of the better years he was very fortunate, and has accumulated a nice property. The only disadvantage here is the poor schools, but these are now being improved wonderfully, and it will only be a short time before they will FRED \V. JOHANSEN^ COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 375 be as good as can be found anywhere. The school section embraces about twelve square miles. Mr. Rehder raises and feeds stock for the market, mostly cattle and hogs. He has a small orchard, and for the past two years, 1906 and 1907, has had excellent crops of apples. The trees do not do so very well here, but he states that with good care and close attention they can be made to produce-very fair crops, and there are plenty of blackberries growing wild in the vicin- itv of his farm, which is sufficient for their home use. Mr. Rehder is a typical German farmer, hon- est and industrious and a hard worker. He has made considerable money since settling here, and is classed among the wealthy residents of his section. In 1884 our subject was united in marriage to Miss ]\Jaggie Mohr, also a native of Germany, who came to America with her parents in 1881. To Mr. and Mrs. Rehder four children have been born, two of whom, Fritz, aged fourteen, and Rudolph, aged seven, are still living. Two daughters died in 1892. The family are members of the German Lutheran church. Mr. Rehder is a Democrat, but has never held office, as he has never had any time to worry over politics, preferring to devote his whole attention to the building up of his liome. CHRISTIAN M. PEDERSEN. Christian M. Pedersen, a progressive farmer and ranchman of Cherry county, is owner of a fine estate of eight hundred and eighty acres in township 28, range 29. His residence is on sec- tion 22, of the above township, and he is the pro- prietor of one of the most valuable ranches in the section as a result of his good business ability and untiring energy. Air. Pedersen was born in Denmark, on a farm, in 1869. His father was a carpenter by trade, and follovs'ed that in connection with his farm work, and was also handy at many different occupations, making a good living for his family. Our subject was reared in his native village, as a boy learning the miller's trade, and, in 1891, came to America, arriving in New York city on December 13th of that year. He went directly west to Nebraska, settling in Nuckolls county, but only remained for about eight months, then came up the North Loup and next to Thedford. He secured employment on a ranch and followed that work up to 1894, when he moved to Swan Lake and filed on a homestead, later went to a homestead on Goose creek. Cherry county, and proved up on the latter place. He "batched it" during all this time and worked throughout the region, operating a well outfit which he pur- chased, and became familiar with many of the old settlers in the county and surrounding coun- try. Two springs were spent in Wyoming and Montana shearing sheep, and during these times he managed to lay by considerable money, finally returning to Nebraska and spending about two years in Brownlee, where he was engaged in the well business. In 1904 he went into South Da- kota, driving through the country with a team and covered wagon, locating near the mouth of Pielle Fourche river on the Cheyenne river, but did not like the country and only spent one sum- mer there, then came back to Nebraska with his family, settling on his present homestead, which is situated nine miles northwest of Brownlee. Here he has improved a good place, having two hundred acres broken up which he uses for grain raising, and is constantly breaking more ground, as he intends to devote most of his time to farming. He has good buildings, wells, wind- mills, several miles of fence, and keeps quite a bunch of stock. When he took the ranch there was simply an old sod house which was ready to tumble down, and he has lately erected a good residence, and has every kind of farm machinery and improvement for the proper operation of a model farm and ranch. In 1901 Mr. Pedersen was married to Miss Kate L. Auguston, wdiose father was born in Denmark and her mother in New York state, of German stock. Three children have been born to them, John, Herman and Peder. Mr. Peder- sen is classed among the leading old-timers in the region, as he has taken an active part in the development of the commercial and agricultural interests for the past eighteen years. FREDERICK WILLIAM JOHANSEN. F. W. Johansen, a prominent business man of Hay Springs, Nebraska, is a young man of exceptional energy and ability, and his success in the enterprises in which he has been engaged from time to time is due to these characteristics combined with his sound business judgment. A portrait of him is presented on another page. Mr. Johansen was born on a farm near Yank- ton, South Dakota, on the 24th day of June, 1876. His father, Christian A. Johansen, of Danish descent, is a ranchman and farmer in Sheridan county, Nebraska, having settled there in the spring of 1883, with his family, his wife's maiden name having been Anna Wortman, whose 376 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMIXISCEXCE AND BIOGRAPHY parents were of German descent. There were ten cliildren in his father's family and Fred is one of the twins, his twin lirother's name being Ferdinand J. Johansen. Fred was raised on a farm and ranch com- bined, in Sheridan county, attendino^ the country schools during: liis boyhood, and later the normal school at Rushvijle. After leaving school he followed teaching for three years in Sheridan county, then went to Chadron. Nebraska, where he attended the academy for a year and follow- ing that, five terms at Fremont Normal College. graduating from that institution in the scientific course with the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1899. He again took up teaching and taught in Sheridan and Dawes counties. After this he re- turned to the Fremont Normal College and re- ceived the degree of Bachelor of Pedagogy, graduating in the didactic course in 1902. He was then principal of the public schools of Gresh- am, Nebraska, in the year 1902-03. In the sum- mer of 1903 he established an implement store at Hay Springs and realizes a profitable trade from the surrounding townships. He also sells many pianos, and is a successful real estate dealer. In the fall of 1903. the People's party tend- ered him the nomination for county superintend- ent of public instruction. There were three tick- ets in the field that fall, namely: Republican. Democratic and People's party, consequently his chances for election were few. Although not elected, he was the youngest of all candidates and was often termed the "Boy Candidate." The following year, on September 3, 1904, he purchased the Hay Springs Leader, a weekly newspaper, and changed its name to the Hay Springs Enterjirise. This paper was established in January, 18S7, and has changed hands several times, and it has been run under different names also. This paper is of the Democratic and Popu- list faith, and is one of the reliable mediums of this section. F. W. Johansen \§ a man of marked character, showing a determination to do right in all cases whatsoever. He has always been much opposed to intemperance anrl he now enjoys, above every- thing else, the distinction of having been the first person in Sheridan county to start and to sign a remonstrance against the liquor traffic. He now lives in a quiet, progressive town, which has had no saloon for the past three years, and there is none at present in all Sheridan county. Mr. Johansen delights in Christian work also; at present he is one of the deacons of the Congrega- tional church, and su]5erintendent of the Sunday- school. He has served the Christian Endeavor as president for a number of years, and was among the first to organize Sheridan County Sunday-School Associatioli, and has served it at different times as secretary, treasurer and presi- dent : the same is true of the Sheridan County Anti-Saloon League. He was its first secretary and foremost organizer. For three years he was scribe of the Congregational churches of north- west Nebraska. ERASMUS PETERSON. A striking example of what may be accom- plished by the exercise of industry, perseverance and good management, is found in the life of the gentleman here named. Mr. Peterson had a verv small start, and he is now one of the successful and ]jrosperous agriculturists of Sheridan countv, Nebraska, highly esteemed by all who know him. Mr. Peterson was "oorn in Denmark in 1857 and was raised on a farm there. His father and mother never left the old country, and he remained with them, the sixth member in their family of eight children, until 1873, when he struck out for himself and crossed the ocean, locating in Kasson, Dodge county, Minnesota. He had partly learned the mason's trade in his na- tive land, and he followed it in Minnesota for nearly- nine years. In 1882 he went to South Dakota, settling in Yankton, where he worked for two years, and in the fall of 1884 first came to Nebraska. The following spring he .took up a claim in section 13, township 31. range 46, and the first summer lived in a covered wagon, later building a log house, in which he lives, hav- ing sided it over and plastered it inside, making a very comfortable dwelling. He went to work breaking up his farm and ]nit in twenty acres of corn and raised a good crop. Bv the time the dry years came on he was farming quite heavily, and for three years his crops were a total loss, so that he never cut them. He became discour- aged and went to work for the Homestakc mines, following his trade of a mason for nearly seven years. During the last four years he has gone back to farming, and raised good crops, but still does quite a lot of mason work. He has added to his homestead until he now owns eight hundred acres of good, rolling farm land, and of this he cultivates about two hundred acres, keei)ing about one hundred head of cattle and twenty-six horses. He has experienced his share of hard times in the earlier days and would not care to go through the homesteader's life again, although the first years in this section were the best the family ever saw. At one time he would have sold out if he could have persuaded his wife to si'jn th.e ]iapers. but is glad he stuck to it. and now intends to make this his permanent home. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 0// He has every convenience on his farm and in his home, with telephone connection and rural mail delivery. He was married in Yankton, in ISSc, to Miss Flora Johansen. a native of Effingham, Illinois, who moved to Yankton with her parents in 1873. Her father, Christian A. Johansen, was born in Denmark, and came to this country at the age of eighteen years. He was a farmer and cooper m the old country. :\Ir. and Mrs. Peterson have one child living, Charles, who resides with his parents. He graduated, in 1908, from the high school at Hay Springs. They have lost two chil- dren, one who died in infancy, and Roy, at the age of sixteen, the death of the latter being caused by the kick of a horse. Mrs. Peterson is a great money maker, as well as her husband, keeping her own bank account. She sells large quantities of poultry, eggs, butter, etc. Mr. Peterson is a strong Democrat and an ardent admirer of the Bryan faction. He has never held any except local offices, and states that he is not even boss of his own house. The family have a pleasant home, and enjoy the friendship of a host of people in their locality, who frequently partake of their general hospi- talitv. FERD. J. JOHANSEN. Ferd. J. Johansen, one of the leading business men and highly esteemed citizens of the thriving town of Hay Springs, Nebraska, is a young man of exceptional business ability. He is a man of enterprising spirit and strict integrity, and has gained the confidence and respect of his associates. Mr. Johansen was born near Yankton, South Dakota, June 24, 1876, and was reared in Sheri- dan county from the time he was nine years old, attending the common schools and later the Rushville Normal and Chadron Academy, grad- uating from the Fremont Normal College in 1899. After leaving school our subject taught school in Sheridan and Dawes counties for sev- eral years. In 1899, Mr. Johansen became manager of the Hay Springs Creamery Company, and from that gradually drifted into the prodtice business and later into the general merchandise business. On October 1. 1906, he formed a partnership with Herman E, Clements in establishing a large general store, and they have built up a good trade and made a success of the venture. Mr. Johansen is also agent for the DeLaval Sepa- rator Company, also for a threshing machine company, and for the Waltham automobile. In 1901 Mr. Johansen was married to Miss Levina May Bolin, daughter of Elridge Bolin, an old settler in this county, who, prior to her mar- riage, was a teacher in the schools in this county, and a graduate of the Hay Springs high school, class of '99. Mr. and Airs. Johansen have a family of four children, who are named as fol- lows: Enona Dell, Ethelyn Flora, Burnetta May and ^^iva Anna Johansen. Air. Johansen is a young man of great prom- ise, and has already accomplished a great meas- ure of success in the different enterprises with which he has been associated. He is an active member of the Peoples party. CHRISTIAN A. JOHANSEN. The gentleman whose name heads this per- sonal history is a native of Denmark, born in 1841. He is a son of Peter Johansen, a Dane, who came to America in 1859, settling in Illinois, where he remained up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1865. Our subject is the fifth member in a family of twelve children, of whom but eight were living at the time the family came to this country. At the age of twenty-one he started in on a farm for himself, as he had al- ways assisted his father in the work on his va- rious farms and was early accustomed to this business. He remained in Illinois, living near his father's farm up to 1873, when he left that state and went to Yankton, South Dakota, where he took a farm and operated it until 1886, but he had hard times there, grasshoppers destroy- ing his crops during the first years and sustain- ing many financial losses. He liked Dakota and would -have remained there, but for the fact that he wanted to get where his children could get free land as they grew up, so bought a relin- quishment in Sheridan county. Nebraska, on which he field as a pre-emption and began to build a home. There was an old sod house on the place when he came, but this soon went to pieces and he then put up a frame house, putting in a large basement and made a very comfortable dwelling. He began breaking up the land and put in some crops and just got nicely started when the dry years came along and caused him severe losses which put him back considerably. Mr. Johansen was married in 1862 to Miss Anna Wortman, a native of Ohio, born in 1843, of German descent, whose parents come to this country when the}' were both ver\' young. Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Johansen, who are named as follows : Flora, Edward, Caroline. Alice, Ferd J. and Fred W. (twins), Dora, Emma. Albert and Arthur, all of whom live near their parents' homestead except one 378 COiMPEXDIUiM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY daughter, who resides in Iowa, and all are on the telephone lines. ^Ir. Johansen has had the experiences of a pioneer settler in two new countries, both in Da- kota and here, and states that were he young again he would not mind trying it over. He had a large family to support, and his labors were hard and they suffered much hardship during some years, but his heart was in the work and thev were happy together, and through all the trials he enjoyed himself and has no fault to find with those times. He has done well and accu- mulated a fine estate, his farm now comprising three hundred and twenty acres of good farm- ing land, cultivating about two hundred acres, and runs sixty head of stock. He does not feed much through the winter, but roughs them through, and also keeps some stock on shares. In addition to operating his own land he leases a school section which he uses for hay and pas- ture for his stock. He milks a good many cows, and derives a snug income from this source, and it was due to this that he was enabled to get through the drv seasons with so little financial loss and suffering. He also manufactured a large amount of cheese which he shipped ana for which he received a good price. He has improved his farm, and has good buildings and fences, also a large number of trees growing nicely. He says that he hardly knows where he saw the hardest times, whether in South Dakota or Nebraska. In the former state he did not have much to start with, but it was harder to make a living, and since coming to Nebraska, has had more money but always had a large fam- ily to support. His children have been a great help to him since growing up, however, and at one time he had seven children engaged in teach- ing in .Sheridan county. Mr. Johansen is an independent voter in local affairs, but in national matters leans toward the Populists. Although he takes a keen interest in all matters of county and state he has never had time to devote to party work, and never cared to seek office. JOHN .SAUERWEIN. Among the successful self-made men of I'ox P)Uttc county, Nebraska, may be mentioned John Sauerwein. who came to the United States from his mother country, Germany, when he was a young man twenty-three years old, and since his residence here has displayed an enterprising spirit and the exercise of good judgment by the manner in which he has forged ahead, that com- mands tlie rcs])ect anrj esteem of all who know him. He now resides in section 13, township 27, range 50, and is one of the prosperous farmers of his locality. Mr. Sauerwein was born in 1860, in the Province of Hessen, Germany, on a farm. His father. Jacob, farmed all his life in his native land, assisted by his sons, who lived at home up to 1883, and after his father's' death, which oc- curred in 1877, our subject carried on the home farm alone, and was the mainstay and support of his mother. ;\Ir. Sauerwein left his native land in 1883 and started out to seek his fortune m the new world, and after landing in New York went to Pennsylvania, where he worked in the mining regions, employed in the car shops as a carpenter and at odd jobs around the plant. Our subject came to Nebraska, locating in the eastern part of the state and followed farm work for about six months, then in the fall of 1885 came to Dawes county, making his first set- tlement seventeen miles west of Hemingford, on the Niobrara river. There he built a log house and worked in the timber regions, hauling wood, etc. He handled ox teams and worked on his place, and for seven years hauled water from the Niobrara river. He lived in Dawes county for about eleven years and succeeded in building up a good farm and ranch and accumulating a nice property there, although he suffered many fail- ures of crops during the dry years, and during several seasons was only able to raise enough of the different grains he planted, to get the seed back. He sold his place there and moved to Box Butte county in 1896. Here he bought the place he now occupies and has built up a fine farm and ranch, owning altogether seven hundred and eighty acres, and farms about one hundred and sixty of it, using the balance as hay and grass pasture for his stock, as he runs quite a large herd of cattle on the ranch. He also raises quite an amount of small grain and makes raising po- tatoes a specialtN' Mr. Sauerwein w'as married in 1886 to Mary Marchen, a native of Germany, who came to America as a young girl. Mr. and Mrs. Sauer- wein had a family of four children, namely: Jacob, Amelia, Anna and Susie. In 1893. the mother departed this life, and after three years, our subject married the second time, taking as his wife Emma Hoffman, daughter of Rudolph Hoffman, one of the oldest settlers in Dawes county. She was reared and educated in Ger- many. ( )f this union seven children were born, named as follows: Birdie, Eliza, Minnie, Fritz, Hattic, Ruth and Albert. Mr. -Sauerwein is of the Seventh Day .\d- ventist religion and has followed this faith close- ly, adhering strictly to the rules of the sect by observinsr the seventh dav of the week alwavs COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY as the Sabbath day. Politically, our subject is a Republican, taking an active part in local af- fairs since he located here, and has served his township as road overseer for two years. ELISHA C. RICE (Deceased). The gentleman above named was for many years one of the leading citizens of Keith coun- ty, and to his efforts were due much of the pros- perity enjoyed in that region. He was a man of strong character, and during his lifetime enjoyed the esteem and respect of all with whom he came in contact, and his memory is cherished by a host of warm friends throughout the country. Elisha C. Rice was born in Springfield, Mas- sachusetts, January 31, 1834, and grew up in that state, during his young manhood being en- gaged in newspaper work. He was business manager of the "Norwich Morning Bulletin" for fifteen years, and later established an evening paper at Norwich, of which he was editor and proprietor. On account of ill health he came to Nebraska in 1885, locating in Keith county, in company with his father-in-law, John C. Palmer, and they were partners in establishing what was called the "Lone Tree Ranch." situated on the North Platte river. On this tract they put fine improvements, and the old "Lone Tree Ranch" will be long remembered by old settlers in these parts as a place of large cattle operations. The buildings are all on section 26, township 14, range 36, and the house on the place is today the largest ranch house in Keith county. The tract contains two thousand acres lying along the river, and is a valuable property. About the year 1890 Mr. Palmer established a bank at Paxton, which was one of the first banking institutions in the county. Both he and Mr. Rice were active in building up the com- mercial resources of the region, and thev were largely instrumental in getting the first church and Sunday-school established in the eastern part of the county. Mr. Rice was niarried April 22, 1874, at Nor- wich. Connecticut, to Mrs. Susan A. Mason, onlv daughter of John C. Palmer, above mentioned, who, in his younger life, was a wholesale provi- sion merchant at Norwich. His wife was ]\Iiss Louise Brown, and all are natives of Newport, Rhode Island. Mr. Rice had been previously married and had three children, namely: Elmer P. Mason. Kittie L. Mason, now married and liv- ing at Springfield, Massachusetts, and Julia Mav, now deceased. To our subject and his good wife were born two children : Leon C. Rice, presi- dent and manager of the Ogallala and Kevstone telephone line, and Grace M., now married to George P. Boardman, a merchant of Paxton. Mr. Rice departed this life January 17, 1896, and Mr. Palmer died on December 30, of the same year, leaving the entire management of the ranch and other large interests to Mrs. Rice, who at once saw that she could not handle the extensive herds successfully, so she had a sale and disposed of the greater part of them. She afterwards im- ported some pure blood Shorthorn cattle, and was one of the first ranchowners in this part of the state to begin the raising of registered stock for the market. By this move, in reducing the size of her herd by one-half and improving the quality of her stock, she has made a decided suc- cess, and in the present year, 1908, she has begun to dispose of the entire herd and intends retiring from the active management of so large a busi- ness. The same year the ranch was divided into farms and sold, leaving Mrs. Rice free to spend the winters in the south and summers in the east with her children. Mr. Rice was a Republican in politics and a strong advocate of prohibition. He was a life- long member of the Baptist church, and while in the east affiliated with the Masonic order, as did Mr. Palmer. L. SCHMITT. The gentleman above named, residing in Gor- don, Nebraska, has won for himself a good standing, where he is highly respected for his many excellent qualities and manlv worth. Mr. Schmitt was born in Germany in 1852, in the village of Poppenrod. His parents were farmers and never left the fatherland. Our sub- ject was raised there until he was nineteen years of age, then came to America, and located in In- diana where he remained for a short time, then went on to Chicago where he obtained employ- ment as a bricklayer, having learned tliis trade during his young days in Germany. He left Illi- nois in 1877 and wandered to South Dakota, settling west of the city of Yankton, there tak- ing up a homestead and began to build up a home. He first put up a frame shantv and lived in this for some time, breaking up his land and doing teaming for a living, and, in fact, anything that he could get to do. After remaining there for eight years he struck out for Nebraska and landed in Sheridan county in 1885, driving here by team. He located in Gordon, and was one of the first men to enter into business in that town, opening up a mercantile establishment. He began on a verv small scale, in a store twenty bv twenty-six feet, and he has gradually increased his trade so that he now occupies a building 38o CU.MPENDlUAi OF HISTORY, RHAilNlSCEXCE AND BIOGRAPHY twenty-five by one hundred feet, carrying a large general stock of merchandise. He has a wide patronage from the farmers all through the county, and is one of the prosperous and suc- cessful business men of the place. In addition to conducting this enterprise he is interested in the land business, and owns thirty-two quarter sections in Sheridan and Cherry counties, and is engaged in farming to quite an extent. Mr. Schmitt was married in 1880 to Miss Elizabeth Kirsch, born in Wisconsin. They have a family of eight children, named as follows : Carrie, Rose, Anna, Mamie, John, Helena, George and Raymond. The family have a pleas- ant and comfortable home in Gordon, and are well and favorably known. Mr. Schmitt takes an active part in all local ailfairs, and has been a member of the town board for years, and is at present serving on the school board. He is numbered among the old settlers of this region, and his name will occupy a prom- inent place in the early history of Nebraska. JOHN L. SMITH. Among the prominent old-timers of western Nebraska who have done their full share in the building up of the region in which they chose their home in the early days, the gentleman above mentioned is recognized as a leading spirit. Mr. Smith has a nice farm in section i2, township 35, range 24, of Keya Paha county, where he is pre- pared to enjoy the fruits of his many years of labor, surrounded by his family and a host of good friends. Mr. Smith was born in Saginaw county, Michigan, February 14, 1865. His father, John L., Sr., was a farmer : the mother was Ermina Rhodes in youth. The father died in 1864, and shortly afterwards the latter married Ezra J. Smith, born in Pjuffalo. New York, who settled in eastern Nebraska in 1875. Our subject was reared in the eastern part of Nebraska on a farm, where he became inured to hard work during his boyhood years, remaining at home and com- ing witli his parents to Keya Paha county in 1889. Here he took up and improved a home- stead, whicli is his ])rcsent home. Here he has built up a good farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres of deeded land, with one hun- dred and fifteen acres held under lease. He went through the dry years when for several seasons he was unable to raise a crop, and during that time was compelled to work out to make a living for himself. When he first took this place he had two cows a'; a start in the cattle business, which he had increased to seventv head at the time he disposed of them to discontinue cattle raising. His dwelling is a commodious grout house, with substantial out-buildings, good well and windmill. A fine view of them is to be found in this work. Mr. Smith is a strong Republican, and has held the oftice of assessor of his district for the past three terms. JOHN N. FERGUSON. John N. Ferguson, one of the representative citizens of Brown county, Nebraska, was born in Richland county, Ohio, April 18, 1838. His father was a farmer of Scotch descent, and his mother, who was ^Margaret Snook, was of Amer- ican blood, German descent. In a family of six children he was the second member, and when he was three xears old the family came to Jefferson county, Iowa, where they were among the pio; neers of that state. Our subject was reared on the frontier, where he became accustomed to all kinds of hard farm work, receiving but scant schooling in his boyhood days. At the age of twenty he went to Des Moines, where he attended school for a time. In 1861 he enlisted in Com- pany D, Second Iowa Infantry, and saw service in Missouri during the first year of the war. He was at the battle of Belmont, and with Grant's army during the winter of 1862 and 1863, guard- ing prisoners at St. Louis. He also participated in the charge on Fort Donelson. at the battle of Shiloh, the advance on Corinth and later the Ijattle there. He also took part in the .Atlanta campaign, then through Savannah and to Washington in the grand review, and was mus- tered out in 1865 at Louisville, Kentucky. He served in the army for four years and three months, taking ]3art in thirty-one battles, and in all that time received only one slight wound. After the war closed he went into Montana and spent one year in the mining regions, then to Iowa, where he bought a farm in Taylor county and farmed for six years. In 1880 he came to Neliraska, bringing his family with liim in a team and covered wagon, settling at Blue Springs, in Gage county, where he opened an office and was engaged in the real estate busi- ness for four years. In the spring of 1884 he purchased his present farm in section S. town- ship 31. range 24. moving liis family here in the same way thev had come into tlie state, by team and wagon, driving through during a season of heavy rain storms, much of tlie time com- pelled to camp out during the night. His was the first white family who came to Porter X'^alley, and fnr three or four years they occupied a rude Ki-'.siDi-.xci-; (ii jDiix X. i-i:K(,rsi)N, Brown County, Nebraska. a«Bi. ^^'^^'^^^SSHSiUSB^- RESIDENCE OF JOHN L. SMITH, Keya Paha County. Nebraska. COMPENDIUAI OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 381 sod shanty, at the end of which time they erected a log house. The dry years came on, but he managed to raise fairly good crops and got along pretty well, later engaging largely in stock rais- ing. He has accumulated a splendid property, his ranch containing two thousand eight hundred and forty acres, which includes homesteads of his sons, Frank and Charles, and a section of leased school land. He has summer pasture for one thousand head of stock, and farms some of his land. He has erected a good set of farm buildings and has altogether one of the most val- uable estates in Brown county. When he first came here Wood Lake had only one small store, and the town of Johnstown boasted of just -a section house. He helped to build a house and organize the first school, and was for many years director, also treasurer for two or three terms. Mr. Ferguson was married in Iowa, Septem- ber 3, 1868. to Miss Alice Slatten, who died in October, 1879, leaving one child, Guy, now liv- ing in Kansas City, Missouri. Our subject mar- ried again, May 2, 1880, Miss Ida C. McCasky, daughter of Reuben ^NlcCasky, of Scotch descent, born in Pennsylvania, and an early settler in Ohio and Iowa. Five children were born of this union, namely : Francis V.. Charles ]M.. Nellie, Fred and Winnifred (deceased). Mr. Ferguson adheres to the Republican party and affiliates with the Masonic lodge at Wood Lake. A fine view of his home appears elsewhere in this work. ROBERT D. TAYLOR. Probably no citizen of Franklin township, ■Franklin county, has shown a more active public spirit, or done more for the upbuilding of the better interests of his commimity, than the gen- tleman whose name heads this review. Mr. Tay- lor has resided in Franklin county for the past thirty years, where he has formed a wide ac- quaintance and is held in the highest esteem as a progressive agriculturist and worthv citizen. He is a man of unquestionable character, and well merits his success and enviable reputation. Mr. Taylor is a native of Scotland, born in May, 1847. He grew up there, and during his young manhood was a conductor on the Cale- donian railway there. In 1878 he came to America, coming direct to Nebraska, after landing in New York, and bought his home place from the railroad com- pany, paying five dollars and fifty cents per acre for the land. The same land he now values at seventy-five and eighty dollars per acre, which is a pretty good gain. He owns two hundred and thirty-six acres in the home farm. On his place he has a herd of thoroughbred Shorthorn cattle, and some pure-bred Poland China hogs, raising from one hundred to three hundred hogs each year. He used to keep about one hundred and seventy-five head of cattle dur- ing the earlier years here, but later marketed but one carload a year. At the present time he has sold all stock. He has done exceedingly well here, and is well satisfied with what he has accomplished. In 1904, Mr. Taylor was united in marriage to Mrs. Jane Simpson, also a native of Scotland, daughter of Alexander Murray, now of Rhode Island, L'nited States of America. Mr. Taylor has three nephews with him, namely : William, David and Robert. Mr. Taylor is one of the pioneers in Nebraska. When he came to Nebras- ka, antelope, deer and all kinds of wild game was plentiful. Our subject was county supervisor for three terms, elected the first time in 1893, and for a second term in 1901, and again in 1903, serving six years altogether. Mr. Taylor and his wife visited Scotland in 1906. They are held in the highest esteem by the people of their locality, and enjoy a pleasant home and many friends. FRED. A. MACOMBER. Fred. A. Macomber, prominent among the progressive farmers of Dawes county, Nebraska, is a young man of sterling character and strict integrity. He is energetic and industrious and has gained a valuable estate and has a pleasant home in section 27. township 32, range 52, and is highly esteemed by his associates and well merits his success and enviable reputation as a worthy citizen. Mr. Macomber was born in Bennington county, \'ermont, in 1860. His father was a me- chanic, of Vermont. When our subject was a small boy the family moved to New York, where he grew up, and at the age of twenty-one came west to Iowa, where he spent two years, then came on to Nebraska, locating in Brown county, but only lived there one year. In 1883 he ar- rived in Dawes county, driving from Valentine by team, with three other men who wished to lo- cate in the section. Here he "batched it" for several years, living in a log house and during the first few years went through many hard times and much privation. He was severely afifected by the drouth periods, when he could not raise a crop, but kept on building up his farm and home as best he could, and finally succeeded in getting together a little property. He gradually added to his acreage, and now owns a ranch of one 382 COiMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY thousand acres, five hundred of which can be irrigated, and is counted among the prosperous and successful farmers of the county. The ranch is finely located and well supplied with good water and natural timber, and is a valuable prop- erty. In 1889 Mr. Macomber was married at Con- way, Iowa, to Miss Emma Rowland, who was born in Illinois. Mrs. Macomber died in 1901, leaving a family of two children. Arunah and Prudence. Mr. Macomber is a Democrat in political views. JAMES G. JOHNSTON. James G. Johnston, who for the past many years has been successfully pursuing agriculture in Phelps county, Nebraska, is a gentleman of energetic spirit and capable mind. Mr. Johnston has a pleasant home in Prairie township, and there is enjoying the fruits of a well-spent career. Mr. Johnston is of Scotch-Irish descent, born in Pike county, Illinois. The familv came from Fermanaugh county, Ireland, in the early days. His father, Ezekiel Johnston, owned a good tarm in Logan county, Illinois, on which he was reared, and as he is thoroughly familiar with farming conditions in that state, is capable of good judgment in comparing the two sections, preferring Phelps county as an agricultural and stock raising proposition. A young man can not get land in Illinois as they can here, and those who were tenants and remained there are ten- ants still, whereas tenants from there who set- tled in Nebraska now own fine farms. When he first came here, in 1887, he paid two thousand dollars for a quarter section, and the same land is now worth five or six times that amount. He l)rought with him good stock and has bred and handled Clydesdales and Shires ever since, also gone in for thoroughbred Poland China hogs and Shorthorn cattle. His farm comprises two hundred and eighty acres in section 26. The land is all im])roved. and he has a nice residence, barns, orchard and altogether owns one of the show places of the county. His thoroughbred horses have been famous. Jubilee Roberts taking first prize at the Nebraska State fair. He also C)wns lams Roberts, who took second premium at the Harvest Jubilee held at Holdrcge in 1903, and is the sire of two first prize winners at the same show. He is also sire of a two-year-old filly which beat a registered filly that sold for three hundrerl and forty dollars. His hogs are equally well-known, and he has some out of Old Expansion, and a number of fifty dollar pigs, keeping altogether about one hundred and fifty hogs all the time. He keeps from five to eight brood mares all the time and breeds for the market, making more monev from the colts than from the horses. Mr. Johnston is a director in the Farmers Elevator Company, and was the only organizer and a director until recently of the Phelps County Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He is an Inde- pendent in politics and has never sought public preferment. To show the advantage to the farm- ers of the organization of the Elevator Coinpany, before this elevator was built, all they received for their product was thirty-six cents per bushel for wheat, and after the elevator was in opera- tion the price jumped to fifty cents. In 1884 Mr. Johnston was married to Miss -Sarah E. Keys, a native of Pike county, Illinois. To Mr. and Mrs. Johnston the following children have been born : Elmer. Silas James. Ernest Paul, Ethel Dell. Susan Jane and Bertha Mav. C. K. LA\\-RENCE. C. K. Lawrence is a bright and pushing >oung business man of Potter. Cheyenne county, where he is engaged in the lumber and hardware trade, and is bidding very successfully for his share of the public patronage. The firm is known as The Potter Lumber Company, and was estab- lished in 1907. For a number of years Mr. Lawrence was a well-known educator, and was engaged in teaching in this vicinity. Our subject was born in Racine. Wisconsin. June 9, 1872, and during his boyhood lived in that city and Milwaukee with his parents, and received his early education there. The family located in eastern Nebraska in 1880, spending some time in Seward county, also made Lincoln their home for about twelve years, where he at- tended school most of the time. They next came to Cheyenne county, landing here about 1892, and bought a large tract of ranch land and en- gaged in the stock business, following the work for a number of years, but Mr. Lawrence finally sold out his interest to a brother, although he still owns about fifty head of horses which he runs on the ranch. He is a progressive and up- to-date business man. and is making a success in his line of work. On June 9. 1904, Mr. Lawrence married Juanita Maud Rose, in Bayard, this county. The event was the occasion of a double wcdrling. a sister of Mr. Lawrence being inar:ied at the same time to Mr. Ben W'agner, of Redington. Mr. Lawrence's wife is a native of Shelby, Iowa, and both brides are charming and accomplished young women. The jiarents of Mrs. Lawrence RESIDEXCE AXD FAMILY GROUP— A. H. SMITH, Dawes County, Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 383 are now living at Miller. Nebraska. Our sub- ject's father resides in Fremont, Nebraska. Mr. Lawrence is active in local affairs, and is fast becoming one of the leading men of his town, and enjoys the esteem and confidence of all who know him. • FRED. H. ROBINSON. Fred. H. Robinson through his long residence in Cherry county. Nebraska, and his wide experience in farming has become thor- oughly versed in the growth and development of that region. He is one of the leading citizens in his community, and has acquired valuable possessions by his industry and good manage- ment, supplemented by honesty and integrity. Mr. Robinson was born in Yorkshire, Eng- land, in 1864, and raised there. His father. Rev- erend Hugh G. Robinson, was connected with the English Endowment School Commission of England and Wajes, and served on this commis- sion for nearly twenty years. Later he was on the commission looking toward the higher edu- cation of Wales, and while in this position was associated with some of the best known and most prominent men of Europe. His mother, who was Miss Emma Chamblers, is a secorid cousin of Mrs. Wm. E. Gladstone. She is still living, and at the advanced age of eighty years is hale and hearty, and spends a large part of her time in climbing the mountains in Wales, where she resides. They had a family of nine children, all but one of whom are now living. At eighteen years of age our subject left his parents' home and came to America, locating with Hughes' English Colony in Tennessee, remaining there for two years. In 1881 he went to Den- ver and was employed on different ranches there for three years, then came to Nebraska, and lo- cated northeast of Chadron. engaging at first in ranching, and later in farming to some extent. When the drv years came he lost what he had worked so hard to gain, and in 1891 gave up try- ing to farm and moved to Cherry county, taking a homestead near his present place, and engaged in the cattle business. Since coming here he has been very successful, and is now the proprie- tor of a ranch comprising fifteen thousand acres, two thousand of which is good hay land. He has about eight hundred head of cattle and sixty horses. When he first came to Nebraska he went through some hard times, living in a sod house where he "batched" it for several years. He was obliged to go one hundred and fifty- miles for his supplies during those times, and although he does not regret the time and ha"d labor spent in the building up of his home, he would not care to go through the same experiences again. His ranch has all the improvements of a model farm, and he has a fine grove of trees which he planted, plenty of water, and everything that goes to make up a comfortable rural home. Mr. Robinson was married in 1896 to Bessie Taylor, born in Alabama in 1874. and raised in California. Her father. Captain M. F. Taylor, of good old American stock, was on General Robert E. Lee's staff' during the civil war. and is now manager of W. R. Hearst's estate in California. Her mother was a daughter of Colonel Thornton. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson have two children, namely : Butler B., and Frederick Hampden, both born and raised in this locality. Mr. Rob- inson is a Democrat, always voting for the best man on the ticket. ANTHONY H. SMITH. . Among the early settlers in the western part of Nebraska who came here when the place was still practically a wilderness and out of its wild state has succeeded in building up a good home and valuable possessions, is the gentleman above named. Islr. Smith has spent many years of his life in this region, and has now reached an inde- pendent position after his hard struggles and endeavors to acquire a competence by industry and strict integrity, and is recognized as one of the leading old timers and worthy citizens of his locality. JMr. Smith was born in Jackson covmty, Ten- nessee, in 1838. His father, Calvin M. Smith, was of American stock, who followed farming all his life, and he married Miss Susan Penning- ton, also of .American blood. Our subject grew up in his native state until he was thirteen years of age. then, with his father, came to Iowa in 1851. where they were among the pioneers, lead- ing frontiersmen's lives and building up a farm there. In 1870 Mr. Smith came to York county, Nebraska, and again went through pioneer ex- periences, remaining there for seven years, when he moved to Furnas county and took up a pre- emption and lived on it up to 1894, building up a good home and farm, and was most success- ful in his operations in that county. In the latter years he sold out his holdings in Furnas county, Nebraska, and came to Sheridan countv, same state, settling in the Sand Hills forty miles ea.st of Alliance, and started in the stock business, ranching it for six years. In 1900 he came to Dawes county and purchased his present farm, located in section 10. township 31. range .^0. this being a partly improved place. He now has a 384 CU.MPEXDIUiM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRArHY ranch of one thousand four hundred acres, one hundred of which are luider cultivation, and he is engaged in the ranching and stock business. He has some fine horses and a large herd of cat- tle. The place is admirably adapted to his busi- ness, as Indian Creek runs through the ranch, furnishing plenty of living water the year around for his stock. Mr. Smith was married in Iowa, December 15, 1859, to Miss Missinda Criddlebaugh, who is a native of North Carolina, daughter of Will- iam Criddlebaugh, a farmer and shoemaker by trade. ^Ir. and 'Sirs. Smith have two children, Chelesta, born in 1860. and Celia, born in 1875. On another page we present a picture of the res- idence and family group. CHAS. H. NEWMAN. Among those who have contributed to the prosperity of Sioux county, Nebraska, in no small degree, and whose pushing energy and well-directed industry have brought individual competence, mav be mentioned the name of Charles H. Newman, whose valuable estate in section 12, township 30, range 56, evidences his success. Mr. Newman is a native of Ontario, born on April 21. 1866. His parents were of English blood, born in Canada, the father a wagon-maker by trade. The family left Canada and came to the United States, settling in Greenville, Michi- gan, in 1871, and our subject grew up there until he was about ten years of age. At the age of ten years he left home and began working on a farm, and from that early age has made his own way in the worlil. The whole family moved to South Dakota in 1881, locating in Bon-Homme county, where they were among the pioneer set- tlers, and five years were Spent in that vicinity. In 1886 our subject came to Chadron, Nebraska, walking through the country to Sioux county, and upon arriving here had just seven dollars in money in his pocket. He immediately went to work on a ranch as a cowboy and followed that work for several years, going through many hardships and privations, when for months at a time he slept on the ground through all kinds of rough weather. During a part of this time he worked at freighting, and managed to make a living and lay by a little money. He traveled on horseback ail over the western part of Nebraska and into \\'yoming, and for a time drove stage into Lander, Wyoming, from Casper, and trans- ferred to the Rawlings line, and was in that vi- cinity of the country at the time of the Indian outbreak. In the vear 1896 Mr. Newman filed on a cl.iim in the Sand Hills, situated thirty miles from Harrison, and there put up a rude shack and other rough buildings, and started in the live stock business. About eight years were spent on this ranch, and he then sold the place for eleven thousand five hundred dollars, left the country and opened a hardware store in Harrison, hand- ling in addition to his hardware stock farming implements, and succeeded in building up a good trade, conducting the business for about two years. He sold out his interests in the busi- ness in 1904. and purchased the ranch on which he now resides, located in section 12, township 30, range 56. This place contains one thousand one hundred and twenty acres, all fenced, having in all about fourteen miles of good fencing. There are good buildings and improvements on the ranch, and he is extensively engaged in the stock and grain raising business, cultivating about one hundred acres, and running one hun- dred head of cattle, and other stock. Mr. Newman was married September 14, 1898, to Miss Catherine Christensen, who was born and raised in South Dakota, whose parents were natives of Denmark, the father. Claus. com- ing to this country when a young man and set- tling in Sioux county, Nebraska, where he is well and favorably known as a worthy citizen and prosperous farmer, a sketch of his life ap- pearing elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs, Newman have a family of four children, named as follows : Arthur, Lottie, Harry and William. Mr. Newman is one of the oldest settlers in the county, and has always taken an active part in local affairs tending to the betterment of con- ditions in his locality. In jjolitical views he is a Democrat. CHARLES A. SKOOG. Charles A. Skoog, residing on the east one- half of section 15. Prairie township, is the owner of nine hundred and sixty acres of fine land, six hundred and forty acres of this being in one block and the balance near by. Mr. Skoog has abiding faith in this country and his sterling (lualities in a business and social way coupled with great thrift and industry, have made him a prosperous citizen. He came here at the age of eighteen, in 1876, with his father, Charles P. Skoog. and on coming of age, in 1878. homesteaded the quarter section of land on which his fine residence now stands, surrounded by a fine orchard and grove. He also took the adjoining quarter section as a tree claim, beginning with no capital, and there were some years of disappointment, hardships and struggles, which is the penalty paid in all COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 385 new settlements for the privilege of occupying the virgin soil. Mr. Skoog states that they did not know the country nor how to crop and till the soil until they had been here some time and learned by bitter trials and experience. Every one went in for small grains, with spring wheat as the leader, while mixed farming would have produced better results, as they now know. During the first years our subject met with heavy losses, in 1880 one entire crop being de- stroyed, and another in 1894, but the last four years have been exceptionally good and he has been most successful. When the railway was being built in here in 1884, a number of Mr. Skoog's relatives and friends were tempted by the one thousand six hundred dollars and one thousand eight hundred dollar prices offered for their land, and sold out and moved to other parts, and the result proves his wisdom in remaining and refusing all offers. He has never offered an acre of his land for sale, but, as he prospered has bought more at prices constantly increasing, showing his judgment in keeping what he had. He purchased a half section in 1898 and since that time another quarter and an eighty. This year — 1906 — has been one of the best for years, and his yield was twenty-five to forty bushels per acre, of A-1 quality, although there was no rain from April until after harvest, which shows how the soil here stands a prolonged dry spell. Again, in a very wet season crops are very good and do not drown out as in some sections of the country. Mr. Skoog devotes a great deal of his atten- tion to stock raising, always keeping a good grade of cattle, and he now has a few head. His imported Belgian horse, Sacratiff, cost three thousand dollars. Last year he searched the en- tire country for two imported fillies, and selected them from a number of others, paying one thous- and dollars for them. As yearlings they weighed one thousand four hundred and eighty and one thousand five hundred and ten pounds, and are both splendid animals. He now has twenty work liorses on his farm, and a number of fine colts He keeps about one hundred and fifty pure-bred Poland-China hogs. For several years Mr. Skoog has owned one of the best threshing outfits and corn shellers. operating them each season with great success, contrary to the old adage, "Run a threshing ma- chine until all your money is in." On this ac- count he keeps a good share of his land in pas- ture and does not farm on so large a scale. He was one of the organizers of and has been presi- dent for twelve years, of the Phelps County Mu- tual Insurance Company, fire and lightning risks. He is also a shareholder and director in the Farmers Elevator Company, and of the Ander- son Grain Company, both successful and strong companies. The former has its elevators all paid for and the investors have their money back, and it has been the means of keeping up the price ot grain in local markets and a great boon to the farmers of the county. Mr. Skoog was born near Johnshipping, in Smoeland, Sweden, in 1856, and came to this country at the age of ten years. In 1882 he mar- ried Miss Sophia Bergstrom, a native of Sweden, and they have a family of eight chil- dren, named as follows: David, Melvin, Alvin, Alfreda, Esther, Carl. Leone and Iva. Mr. Skoog takes a commendable interest in all local and public affairs, is an independent in politics, and was one of the first to join the re- form movement and very active in that party, but did not care to hold office. For the past twenty years he has acted as school director in his dis- trict, and is a member of the Swedish Mission Church. EDWARD RILEY. For the past quarter of a century the gentle- man whose name heads this personal history has been a resident of Keya Paha county, and has aided materially in the development and growth of the agricultural section of the county. He is among the oldest settlers in western Nebraska, and is familiar with all the early history of these parts. Mr. Riley was born in County Cavin, Ire- land, March 16, 1832. He was reared on a farm, and learned to do all kinds of hard work there, which experience stood him in good stead dur- ing his later years. He came to America at the age of eighteen years, sailing from Liverpool on the "Siddons," a sailing vessel and after four weeks landed in New York City in 1850. He went direct to A^ermont to join a brother and sis- ter who has preceded him and there he obtained employment in the marble works, remaining for four years : he then came west and settled in Grant county, Wisconsin. He spent eight years there working in the lead mines during the win- ter, and in the summer season worked on farms. From there he went to Minnesota, locating at Stillwater, and rafted there for two years in the lumber woods. After this he went into the lumber region of Arkansas and remained a winter, then returned to Wisconsin walking from St. Louis to Dubuque having exhausted his funds. After working in the lead mines for some time, he moved to Iowa Falls, in Hardin county, Iowa, and worked in that town four years, then went to Des Moines, where he was employed in the coal mines an equal period, and in the brick yards for 386 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY ihree vears. His next move was to near Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he opened a farm and oper- ated it for seven years. Then he first came to Keva Paha county, landing here in 1883, driving through the country with a team and wagon, camping out at night along the way. His wife came as far as Long Pine by train, and when she arrived there could find no hotel accommodations. Their first experiences in this section were very hard, as they were obliged to haul all supplies from Stuart, a distance of thirty miles. He lo- cated on section 21, township 32. range 19. build- ing a log cabin in which he and his family lived for a year and a half. His first crop on this land was utterly ruined by hailstorms, and the follow- ing year met the same discouragement, then came the dry years, and for two years was unable to raise anything. However, he stuck to it, and kept on cultivating his land, and adding improve- ments gradually, until he now owns a farm of three hundred and twenty acres, with about sev- enty-five acres under cultivation on which he raises fine crops, and. the balance is devoted to pasture and hay land. The whole place is fenced, and he is engaged largely in stock raising, run- ning from fort}'^ to fifty head of cattle. Mr. Riley was married in Des Moines in July, 1867, to Miss IMatilda Powell, a native of Mis- souri, whose father was a farmer originally from Kentucky, and her mother of an old Virginia family, and who located in Iowa when she was twelve vears of age. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Riley, who are named as fol- lows: Mary, Edward H., Rose Ann (deceased), John P. (deceased), Elizabeth Julia, Thomas W., and Frank. During the past twenty-five years the whole family have never been off the farm but one night. Mr. Riley votes the Demo- cratic ticket, and is a member of the Catholic church. D. K. ATKINS, D. K. Atkins was a native of Iowa, his birth occurring in D^vis County, February 1, 1871. His father, P. L. Atkins, was a farmer by occu- pation but after years of residence in the Hawk- eye state, left and went with his family to Mis- souri in 1882, from thence in 1887. removing to Kimball county (then Cheyenne county). Ne- braska. The father, tiic mother and two sons composed the little family that here started the foundations of s<:)licl and advancing fortunes. They homesteaded the southwest quarter of sec- tion 30, township 16, range 53. and in the fall of 1886 took a tree claim. After living on the old homestead for about twelve years they iiurchased and moved to a large ranch of nine linndrcd an he experienced his hardest times going through grasshopper raids, and not Jiaving had much of a start, he became almost dislicartcned at his failures. In the year 1876 he lost everything, stables, farming imple- ments, and his year's crop of grain by fire, and had to start all over again. However, he began again and by hard work and the utmost per- severance soon got on his feet and gained back his losses. He was alwavs of the oninion that where one loses is the place to find, and he worked on this principle with great success. The sod school house of his district was three miles distant from his home when he came to this town- ship. This he helped build. He was made road overseer and held this office from 1875 to 1886. He was also superintendent of Sabbath school for five years, and was on the county board for two years. He remained on his homestead for thirty- one years, engaged principally in stock raising, as this county is one of the best for this industry to be found in western Nebraska. He also engaged largely in raising alfalfa when this grass ^rs first introduced in this locality. He usually kept from one to two hundred head of hogs, and a large number of cattle, and found this branch of his work very profitable. In 1902 he moved into Alma, and had his first experience with windmills, as on his farm he had natural springs and hydraulic wells, with water all through his house and bams. Mr. Schrack was married in Stephenson county, Illinois, in 1861 to Miss Catherine Mey- ers, daughter of Conrad Meyers, a Dunkard min- ister, who came to Illinois from Pennsylvania. Mrs. Schrack shared all her husband's hard- ships in the pioneer days in the west, and for weeks stayed alone in their home while he was obliged to be away working in order to make a living for the family. She died in April. 1904, aged sixty-four years. They had three children, named as follows: John E., residing in .Alma; A. G. Schrack, of Caron, N. W. Canada, and Ervin D., now living on the homestead in El- dorado township, which he purchased from his father. In 1906 Mr. Schrack was married to Miss Rebecca McHoes, of Phelps county, Ne- braska, who came to this state in 1883 from Fay- ette county, Iowa. She is a native of North- ampton county. Pennsylvania. Mr. Schrack is now one of the prosperous citizens of this lo- cality, but he has passed through many discour- agements, in 1889 suffering heavy losses on his farm. .-\t one time fourteen of his best cows were killed through poison in the cornstalks, which was so prevalent that year, and also lost fifty hogs from cholera. All this tended to put him hack, and he deserves much credit for the stick-to-it-iveness he has exhibited through all his misfortunes. Mr. .Schrack is an honored member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge in Alma, also of the Grand .Army of the Repub- lic, and has held the office of commander of the local post several times. In politics he is a Re- publican, having cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, and takes a deep interest still in all local and state party affairs. Mr. Schrack had one brother. L. F. Schrack. who formcrlv lived COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY. REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 389 in Harlan county, and had since removed to Ok- lahoma, where his death occurred. ^Ir. Schrack has two brothers in Iowa, David and Jonas Schrack. He also has one sister there, Rebecca Betts. JENS P. JENSEN. Jens P. Jensen is a gentleman of active public spirit and sterling character who has taken a leading part in the upbuilding of the region where he chose his home some twenty-three years ago. Mr. Jensen is a typical representative of the westerner who has gone through many hard- ships and privations in building up a home and fortune by overcoming difficulties which would seem insurmountable to many who come of a less sturdy and independent race of people. Mr. Jensen is a native of Denmark, born there in 1861, and reared on a farm. His father owned a good home and farm, and our subject grew up accustomed to doing all kinds of hard work. At the age of twenty-one years he de- cided to leave his native land and seek his fortune in the new world, accordingly set out on his journey, landing in New York City at Castle Garden in IMarch, 1882. He was the first of his family to leave his native country, and he prom- ised those he left behind to send for them if he found the new land all that it was pictured to be. After landing here he started west, locating in Douglass county. Nebraska, where he worked on different farms for two years, also spending one year in ^^'ashington county, where a sister and brother-lin-Iaw had settled a few months after he came to the United States. In 1890 his parents also came over, settling in Washington county. Nebraska, and along about this time our subject traveled through the western part of the state and came through Val- entine, looking for a place to locate. He was well pleased with the appearance of the countrv in Box Butte countv. and settled on section 3, township 26, range 50, in the fall of 1885, build- ing a cabin and started his farm. He owned a team of mules and besides breaking up his farm, worked at railroading on the Chicago & North- western line which was being extended through this region. He lived all alone and did his own cooking, "batching it" for a number of years. After just nicely getting started, the dry years overtook him, and he was unfortunate in losing several crops, in 180], suffering a severe set-back by the hard storms which swept that section, de- stroying his grain, and he became about discour- aged. He purchased a number of cows soon after coming here, and during the hard times these were almost his only means of support, and their products brought him through many tight places. He gradually worked into the cattle business, also raising horses, and kept on buying land un- til he owns about one thousand seven hundred and sixty acres, on which he has built seven and a half miles of fence, and the whole place is im- proved in fine shape. In 1887 Mr. Jensen decided to join the ranks of "benedicts" and was united in marriage to Miss Anna Lund, also a native of Denmark, our subject having made a trip to his boyhood home for his bride, returning with her to his new home in the summer of the year 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Jensen never had any children, but reared three adopted children, namely : Helga, Christine and Emma, all three sweet and beautiful girls and devoted to their adopted mother and father. Mr. Jensen has held different local offices, serving as assessor, and being elected county commissioner in the fall of 1906 on the Populist ticket. He is also a member of the school board, and has been sitting in this body for the past twelve years. ED^^'IN R. GOULD. Edwin R. Gould, engaged in farming in Ains- worth precinct. Brown county, Nebraska, is a gentleman of wide experience who has become well known throughout this region as a worthy citizen and representative agriculturist. ]\Tr. Gould was born in Chautauqua countv. New York. February 22, 1836, of English de- scent. He is the ninth member of a familv of twelve children, and during his infancv his pa- rents moved to Boone county, Illinois, where he was reared, receiving a common school educa- tion, and afterwards attending an academv at Poultney. Vermont, where he prepared for a col- lege course, but circumstances were such that he was obliged to give up his college career. After leaving school he began teaching, and fol- lowed this intermittently for several vears. He had been admitted a member of the Methodist Episcopal conference, preaching in Fayette and and Benton counties, Iowa, for a time. During the last year of the war he enlisted in Company E. Seventeenth Illinois Cavalry, being mustered in at Marengo. Illinois, after honoralDlv serving his country as a soldier in the noblest war ever, fought : he was discharged at St. Louis, June 6, " 1865, and again took up his work in Benton county, Iowa. He remained there for a short time, then came to Saline county, Nebraska, in 1871, where he settled on a homestead and lived a pioneer's life for eleven years. In 1882 he came on to Ainsworth and located on his present 390 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY homestead as a tree claim. He remained here for a short time only, then traveled north through Idaho and Oregon, where for seven years he spent his time preach- ing and exploring the country: finally drifting back to Brown county, Nebraska, he began to improve his farm and now has a very comfort- able and pleasant home of one hundred and twenty acres of excellent farming land, on which a thrifty young orchard and grove are growing. During his young manhood years Mr. Gould was one of the most clever and advanced men of his age, possessing an active and versatile mind which enabled him to successfully engage in almost any profession requiring more than or- dinary intelligence and quick perception, and it was a severe disappointment to him that he was compelled to forego the advantage of a college education. Mr. Gould was first married in Buchanan county. Iowa. April 2, 1866, to Miss Libbie Rob- inson, to whom two children were bom. The surviving one. James B.. is a resident of Brown countv. The second marriage of 'Sir. Gould was solemnized at Ainsworth, April 4, 1907, Mrs. Anna Mowery. of Michigan, assuming the duties of helpmeet at that time. Politically Mr. Gould is a Republican. SYLVENUS A\'ERY. Sylvenus Avery, residing in section 21. town- ship 21, range 45, Deuel county. Nebraska, on Pioneer Ranch, as a native of the Green Moun- tains, Massachusetts, born March 13th, 1837. His parents moved to Canada in the same year he was born and remained there until lie was seventeen years of age, then came to Michigan, locating in the northern part of that state. Air. and Mrs. Avery were both of American stock, and had a family of thirteen children, of whom Sylvenus was the fourth member. Since grow- ing up their children are scattered all over the country. Two were killed in tlie war of the Re- bellion in taking .Arlington Heights. Our sub- ject left home at the age of seventeen, and since that time has never returned to his father's home where he was raised, but some of the family have visited him here. He began working on railroads, being emploxed in the work of grad- ing, and continued at that business up to 1890. He first began on the railroad in Canada, and has always done his work by contract, never working for anyone else. He was following this occupation in the southern states when the Civil war broke out. In December, 1861. he went to Cuba where he worked on grades, and he has the record of having laid the first steel rail on the island of Cuba. While in that country he heard of the Union Pacific road starting out from Omaha, so he went to that place and held the first plow used in the building of that road. This was in 1865, and Nebraska was still un- settled at that time, and Omaha was merely a small village. He helped put this road through, and afterwards assisted in the building of every railroad in the state of Nebraska. He has rail- roaded all over the western part of this state, also in sections of Wyoming and Colorado, work- ing on the Chicago & North Western, when it was laid across Nebraska. In 1885 he went to Chadron and worked north of that place for a time, and was a resident of both Chadron and \'alentine when they first started as towns, and were without officers of any kind. When the Burlington & Missouri railroad was put across this state he went to Lincoln and helped build it clear through, and while on this road made up his mind to quit the railroading business for all time, so in the fall of 1887 he came to this locality hunting, also looking about for a location for a cattle ranch. He looked the country over thoroughly and on this trip camped out one night where his house now stands. The following spring he settled on his homestead in section 21, township 21. range 45, Deuel county, Nebraska, and has lived on this place ever since, occupying a sod house for some years, and this still stands where it was built. The first years he tried farming, but lost over four thousand dol- lars, and then came to the conclusion that farm- ing did not pay in this locality, so started in the cattle business on a small scale. He at once saw that he needed more land so he figured that the thing to do was to "get the land and the cattle will come," and followed this idea, which was correct. He had a hard time the first years, as the whole country was infested with cattle and horse thieves, but he was used to rough frontier life and knew something of how to handle them and did not have much trouble from this source. Mr. Avery is now proprietor of four thous- and acres of deeded land, all hay land, and he also purchased another ranch costmg thirty thousand dollars, and runs about two thousand head of cattle and two hundred- horses. He has as fine a bunch of stock as can be found in the hills, and is more than successful in handling his stock. His son Charles, who has been with him all his life, is now interested with him in the business, and when he gets done with the ranch Charles will get this property. They divide the work on the place, the father looking after the horses and the son after the cattle end of the business. Mr. .-Nverv's familv consists of his wife and MKS. JOHX i;\VBAXK. JOHN EWBANK. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 391 three children, they having lost one son by death when six years of age. Those living are Charles, mentioned above, Ellen, now Mrs. Eldred, and Belle, wife of Richard Brennan. Mrs. Avery is a daughter of \\illiam Pierce, a native of New Jersey, of English descent, who, with her family came west in 1845, settling in Nebraska in 1857. Mr. Avery first met the lady who afterwards be- came his wife, while working on the Union Pa- cific railroad. Mr. Averv has one of the most valuable es- tates in this section of the country, and would not sell his holdings for two hundred thousand dollars. He is perfectly contented here and will probably spend the balance of his life in this locality. His postoffice is Orlando, located in his house about seven years ago, and his son Charles is the postmaster. His nearest trading point is Alliance, Box Butte county, Nebraska, thirty miles distant. His -shipping point is Lakeside, in Sheridan county, on the Burlington and Missouri railroad, twenty-five miles distant. Politically he is a Republican. He was raised a Democrat and always voted that ticket. He was a stanch Bryan man in 1896 and a great admirer of that gentleman for a time, but after meeting him he was sadly disappointed and since then has changed his political views. He does not take any active part in politics further than to aid his localitv in voting bonds for railroads. JAMES H. TEAFORD. Prominent among the old settlers and ranch- men of Blaine county, Nebraska, stands the name of James H. Teaford. He is accorded a high place because of his excellent business traits ac- quired in early life on the farm and in the em- ploy of one of the leading rjlilroad corporations of the country. No one is more public spirited than he, and his progressive attitude relative to matters of a local nature, bring him to the front in the afTairs of his community. James. H. Teaford was born on a farm near New Albany, Floyd county, Indiana, in 1849. His father, Jacob S., was a native of Virginia; his mother, Phoebe Hickman, before marriage, was horn in Indiana. When our subject was sixteen years old, the family moved to Illinois, settling in McDonough county, where he was reared to manhood, recen- ing a good common school education. He was reared on a farm and, as with most farmer boys, became inured to hard and systematic work. On attaining his majority he went to Hamburg. Iowa, and engaged at clerking. Entering the emplov of the Chicago, Burlington & Qumcy Railway Company he was made check clerk, holding the position for thirteen years, also performing some work as expressman and baggage man. At Hamburg, in 1873, our subject was mar- ried to Miss Laura Mapes, a daughter of Thoniias and ]\Iartha (Swinney) Mapes, who came from Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Teaford have four children, all grown to man and womanhood: Mrs. Gertrude Stewart, Ralph, ^Irs. ]\Iattie Stewart, of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Samuel. In the year 1888 Mr. Teaford came to Ne- braska, and located on a homestead in Blaine county, in the North Loup river valley, two miles from the town of Purdum. Here he lived for eight years, building a sod house and, com- mencing with nothing but wild prairie land, he worked out a fine farm and comfortable home. Then he proved up on his homestead and soon after came to his present location where he pur- chased a farm of considerable size. He has eight hundred acres in his ranch, has constructed com- fortable and commodious buildings and has made- many valuable and up-to-date improvements. Our subject's son has considerable land, and, be- tween them, they operate a large ranch of two thousand five hundred acres. This ranch with its excellent improvements, buildings, fences, groves and fine spring of water, is one of which its owner may be justly proud, and the visitor is' impressed with the tokens of thrift and good management that present themselves at every hand for Mr. Teaford has been a successful farmer in every sense of the word and has laid broad and deep the foundations of wealth and prosperity. He has done his part among the old settlers in developing the material growth of his community and has been deeply interested in all matters of a local natVire. He was county- commissioner for two terms and has proven a capable official in various other political posi- tions. JOHN EWBANK. John Ewbank, one of the well known and most highly esteemed citizens of Kimball county, Nebraska, has been a resident of that region for the past ten years. Prior to locating here he spent many years in western Nebraska, going through all the pioneer times in developing dif- ferent farms, and has been an important factor in the growth of the localities where he has lived. He now resides about one mile north of the vil- lage of Kimball. Mr. Ewbank was born in Yorkshire, Eng- land, August 15th, 1856, and grew to manhood there. Both parents spent their entire lives in their native land, and are now deceased. When 392 :OMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY our subject was twenty-five years of age he struck out for the new world, and after landing in the United States settled in Wisconsin, re- maining one year, then went to Custer county, Nebraska. He lived in that section for about six years, homesteaded. and proved up on a tract of land, then went to Wyoming, locating on a ranch situated a short distance northeast of Cheyenne, and followed ranching there for five years, going to Colorado in 1892. There he es- tablished a ranch in Weld county, and prospered in a marked degree, now having large interests. owning a big herd of cattle and about twelve thousand sheep. ^Ir. Ewbank came to Kimball county in 1899, purchased two thousand four hundred acres of land north of Kimball, now known as the "Ewbank Ranch." He has put .■sixty acres under cultivation, has seventy acres cof good alfalfa, and raises small grains, fruit, •etc. He has erected a fine house and other build- ings, and has every improvement, his ranch be- ing one of the best equipped in Kimball county. Mr. Ewbank was married to Alice Ann Wilk- inson. May 4th. 1889, in Cheyenne. Wyoming. ^Irs. Ewbank is a daughter of John \\'ilkinson, a well-known resident of Pine Blufif. Wyoming, his family coming from the same section in England as our subject. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ewbank, seven of whom are living, named as follows : Mary Alice. Isabel Deborah. Margaret Elizabeth. John T.. Robert J.. Evalina Ada, and Helen Lenore. Mr. Ewbank is a mem- ber of the Kimball town school board, district No. 3. and takes an active interest in local affairs. He is a Republican. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Ewbank will be found elsewhere in this work. JOSHUA B. SONES. For over twenty-two years the gentleman here named has been closely identified with the farming interests of Cherry county, and during this time he has acquired a valuable estate by dint of his industry and honesty, and is classed among the substantial and highly esteemed cit- izens of the locality in which he resides. Mr. Sones was born in Sullivan county. Penn- sylvania, October 15. 1847. and was reared there. His father, Isaac Sones. served in a Pennsyl- vania regiment during the Civil war. and was a farmer by occupation. Of a family of twelve children born to his parents, our subject was the sixth member in order nf birth, .At the age of fifteen years he began working out, his first employment being the hauling of iron ore. In 1874 he came west to Warren county, Iowa, rented land and farmed one year, then returned to Pennsylvania for eighteen months, during which time he was married and afterwards came west the second time in the spring of 1877, locat- ing in Iowa near his former farm, and here re- mained for six years before moving to Nance county, Nebraska. Farming there for four years, he migrated to Cherry county, enduring many hardships before arriving at his destination. He was snowbound for five days on the way west, and suffered a great deal. After many difficulties in starting anew in the west he was just nicely settled and everything seemingly prospering when the dry years came on and he was com- pelled to sell part of his cattle and work out by the day in order to make a bare living for his family, at times hauling wood seven miles, with the proceeds of which he purchased scant provi- sions, at times paying fifty cents a bushel for potatoes. He lived in a sod house for a while, then in a dugout on his pre-emption which the family occupied for sixteen months, at the end of which time he erected a good log house which, with a frame addition makes a good farm resi- dence. The family also owns a neat cottage in Gordon, which they occupy and where the chil- dren have been attending school since 1905. The familv have seen the hardest of pioneer experi- ences but conditions have improved in this lo- cality and of late years they have had good crops. Mr. Sones has been adding to his farm until he now owns nine hundred acres, stocked with two hundred head of cattle and a number of horses. His place is all fenced except a very small por- tion. He has good buildings and plenty of farm machinery, having under cultivation about one hundred and seventy-five acres, partly on leased land of which he controls nine hundred and sixty acres. He has seven acres of alfalfa growing. In January. 1876, Mr. Sones was married to Miss Alary Francis, born in Pennsylvania in 1855, of German parents. Mr. and Mrs. Sones have a family of seven children, who are named as follows: Annie (deceased), who married Ulysses Hunt ; Arthur. John Burton, William (who died when the family first came here), Cora, Minnie, and Elsie. The family enjoy a pleasant home and are highly respected in the communitv. CHARLES SPEARMAN. Charles Spearman, one of the foremost agri- culturists of Dawes county, resides on his fine farm in section 7. township 32. range 51. where he has built up a good home and is widely known ■XOKTll" AND -SorTII,- KAXCIIF.S OF (iKORGE W. SWIGGART, I. Residence on North Ranch 2. Residence on South Ranch. 3. View of Grove on South Ranch. 4. Scene on Nortli Ranch. COAIPENDIURI OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 39: as an old settler and worthy citizens of his com- munity. Mr. Spearman was born in Mt. Pleasant. Henry county, Iowa, in 1858. His father. J. D. Spearman, was extensively engaged in the cattle business in Iowa for many years, and when our subject was twelve years of age the family moved to Sarpy county, Nebraska, and during the trip they crossed the ^Missouri river on the ice, the river being frozen from bank to bank. There they went through pioneer experiences, and Charles attended the country schools, at the same time helping his parents build up their farm and home. When he reached the age of twenty- one he started in for himself, going to the south- western part of Kansas where he spent one year. then to Springfield, Nebraska. He started in at railroading, running from Columbus to Fuller- ton, Nebraska, and next went to Oregon, where he remained up to the fall of 1884, engaged in general work. Mr. Spearman first located in Dawes countv in 1885, settling near Crawford, where he lived for a time in a tent, and then a dugout, which he occupied for a period of six months, doing all sorts of work in order to make a living, and beginning his farm. He saw hard times, and worked at freighting, and hauled bones to Chadron, receiving nine dollars per ton for them. He located on his present farm in 1898. and has a ranch of one thousand two hundred and eighty acres, all deeded land, and is engaged in the stock raising business. He has two hundred and fifty acres of his ranch irri- gated, and has made a success of the work he has undertaken. He has one hundred and twenty- five acres in alfalfa and harvests a large quan- tity each year. In 1889 Mr. Spearman was appointed post- master of Crawford and held the ofifice for four years, and in 1893 was elected marshal serving for four years, and also was state water com- missioner for three years. He has always taken an active part in public affairs, and to his efforts are due much of the success of this region as an agricultural and business section. Mr. Spearman was married in 1881 to Miss Josephine ]\Ieyer, daughter of Frank Mever. a farmer and old settler of Sarpy county, Ne- braska. Mr. and Mrs. Spearman are the pa- rents of the following children : James B., Cvrus, Grant, Eliza, Alerle, Eunice and Francis. GEORGE \V. SWIGGART. During his career as a farmer and ranchman and one of the pioneers in western Nebraska, the gentleman above mentioned has incidentallv be- come one of the best best known citizens of this section of the country. He came to this region during its earliest stages of development and has remained to see it changed into a splendid fertile farming" and ranching community, and has the satisfaction of knowing that to his efforts part of this growth has been due. He now resides in section 4, township 21, range 36, on his Kincaid homestead where he occupies a pleasant rural home, and has a host of good friends by whom he is held in the highest esteem. George W. Swiggart was born in 1857, in .Sullivan county, Missouri. He is a son of George \\'., Sr., and Martha (Grimm) Swiggart, the former of German and the latter of English descent. The family came to Nebraska when our subject was an infant, first settling in C)maha, arriving there in 1860. and there George grew to manhood, attending the common schools, and he well remembers when the Union Pacific railway was built through and west of that vicinity. They went through every phase of pioneer life in the west, and had many bitter experiences during those days. At the age of eighteen George emi- grated to the western part of the state, locating near McCook, in Redwillow county, and there again went through pioneer trials and privations, following ranch work, traveling all through that section of the country as a cowboy, rounding up cattle, etc. Mr. Swiggart settled in Grant county, driv- ing in with a team and covered wagon, locating on section 10, township 21, range 36. He erected a sod house and other necessary buildings, and at once started in the stock business, but had a hard time to get ahead, as the region was swept by prairie fires at regular intervals, and one year he lost nearly all of his bunch of cattle m this way. He kept improving the place as he grew better able, and added to his ranch so that he finally became owner of two thousand and fort\- acres, a large part of which he has lately sold to his sons. He has a good house, large barns and many improvements, and the entire place is fenced and cross fenced. He has about fourteen acres of heavy grove that he planted himself on his south ranch, which is a valuable part of the property. The place is devoted exclusively to stock raising and he keeps a large number of cat- tle which he uses for breeding and market pur- poses. Mr. Swiggart has a family of seven children, named as follows: Ralph, Grace. Edith, Ora, W^alter, Ray and Georgia, the last mentioned a child by a second marriage, his first wife having died in this county in 1892. Her maiden name was Susan Doyle, of Lancaster, Nebraska, of Irish descent. Mr. Swiggart's second wife's maiden name was Lyda Worth, of Washington countv, Kansas, daughter of John R. Worth and 394 COMPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Margaret (.Dunlapj Worth, old settlers in Kan- sas. Our subject was one of the organizers of the county in which he now resides, and was elected one of the first county commissioners, having held that office for twelve years. He has been a member of the school board for many years past. has helped organize many schools, and always given liberally of his time and money in aiding every movement toward the advancement of the best interests of his locality and the county. An interesting picture of several views of \h. Swig- gart's properties is presented on another page. Mr. Swiggart has traveled extensively through the west, and is thoroughly familiar with condi- tions existing in Wyoming, Montana and Col- orado, having spent considerable time in those states while following his ranching interests. PATRICK ROWLAN. The gentleman above named resides in Chey- enne county, where he is the owner of a good ranch and one of the substantial and prosperous men of his locality. Patrick Rowlan was born in Canada, grow- ing up there to the age of nine years, then came to the United States with his parents, they set- tling in Kansas about 1873 and lived there until he was seventeen years old. In the fall of 1880 he went to Nevada and there followed freighting for a time, returning to Kansas after about one year, and then back to Nevada, this time pur- chasing a horse and cattle ranch in that state. HC' only remained about a year and a half, at the end of that time going to Wyoming. In 1893 Mr. Rowlan came to Cheyenne county and took a homestead on section ?>5. township 19, range 48, proved up on same and added more land to his original tract so that he now is owner of three hundred and twenty acres of deeded land besides controlling a section of leased school land. Dur- ing the first few years he went through hard times in getting his ranch started, but gradually improved his place, erecting good buildings and getting a portion of it under cultivation, so that he now crops one hundred and fifty acres, has plenty of fine bottom hay land, etc. >Ir. Rowlan runs about four hundred and fifty head of cattle, and a bunch of seventy-five horses. His land is connected with Brown's Creek Ditch Company, and he also has a private ditch. He also owns and controls about one thousand acres situated fourteen miles northwest of his home ranch, besides some Bridgeport prop- erty. He has a handsome ranch liousc and sub- stantial barns and everv modern device in the way of machinery for the proper operation of his ranch and farm. ]\lr. Rowlan's father and mother are both dead, and he is the youngest of a family of eight children. He was married on May 19th, 1896, at Alliance, Nebraska, to Miss Annie C. Hog- gerty, wfio was born and reared in Illinois. They have a family of two children, Stella May and John Francis, both bright and interesting young- sters. Mr. Rowlan is well and favorably known to all the old residents in his vicinity, and is ac- tive in local afifairs. at present serving as treas- urer of school district 128. In political faith he is a Republican. JOHN PAVLAT. John Pavlat, one of the extensive and wealthy farmers of Lodge Pole precinct, is a prominent citizen of Cheyenne county. He has built up for himself a valuable estate and an enviable name as a man of sterling worth and active public spir- it, well meriting his high standing and success. The subject of this sketch was born in the village of Dodleb, Bohemia, on the 19th of June, 1846 ; he grew up there, and came to America in 1867, landing in New York on March 15th of that year, after a voyage of nine and one-half days. The first three years after coming to the new world he spent in Chicago at harnessmak- ing, and then went to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he remained for about five years working at his trade: next moved to Hanover, Kansas, and for about eleven years followed his vocation in that state. He first saw Che\enne county in the spring of 1887, arriving on the last day of April; he immediately filed on a homestead which was located in section 32, township 14, range 47. and has remained on that place ever since, leading a typical ranchman's existence, having gone through all the experiences that fell to the lot of the early settler in that region. He worked hard and faithfully, and succeeded in developing a good farm and ranch, now owning four hundred and eighty acres of good land. He cultivates about eighty acres and deals in stock quite heav- ily, running at the present time fifty head of cat- tle and twenty horses. His ranch has a good set of buildings, and every part of it shows good management and thrift in its operation. Besides his ranch property Mr. Pavlat owns considerable property in Lodgepole. which is his postoffice address. On Christmas day, 1871, he was united in marriage to Miss Mabel Tehel, at Cedar Rap- ids, Iowa. She was born in Bohemia, coming to .America when eight years of age with her pa- rents. Her parents are both deceased, the moth- COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 395 er's demise occurring in the spring of 1908. Both of ^Ir. Pavlat's parents have also passed away. To our subject and his estimable wife the fol- lowing children have been born : John, married and living at Sidney ; Joseph, married, residing in Denver; Mary, wife of Joseph Bell, living in Oklahoma ; Rosa, now Mrs. J. L. Mcintosh, liv- ing at Sidney ; \nasta, now Mrs. Frank Doyle, living in Old Alexico ; Libbie, now Mrs. Noah Walters, residing at Rock Springs: Richard, Jennie, Millard, Lilly, Henry and Frank, of whom the four youngest are living at home. Two children, Jennie and Ray, are now dead. Mr. Pavlat has always taken an active inter- est in political affairs, both state and county. He has been school director of District No. 12 for the past few years, and prominent in township mat- ters of importance. In politics he is a Democrat. HARRY J. BOYLES. Harrv J. Boyles. residing in Gordon, Ne- braska, is the genial and popular proprietor of a pool room which furnishes amusement and pas- time to many of the younger members of Gordon families, and is a man well known and liked in the community. Mr. Boyles was born in Bellefonte, Center county, Pennsylvania, in 1867. His father, Ebenezer Boyles, was a glassworker in Nebraska, and later moved to Nebraska, where he farmed for manv vears,- taking up a homestead in Sheri- dan county, in 1886. Our subject was reared in his native state, and came west with his parents, the family settling four and a half males east of the town of Gordon. Here they put up sod buildings and started in to improve the place. \Miile living in Pennsylvania our subject had learned the glassworkers' trade and after com- ing west attended school in Denver two years, then went to San Francisco, where he worked at his trade. He next returned to Pennsylvania, where he remained for twelve years working in different parts of that state, following his irade all the time. This broke down his health and he was obliged to leave there, so came back to Nebraska to recuperate. Prior to this he had been to Findlay, Ohio, and also Shirley, Indiana, working at his trade, but did not like those places well enough to settle permanently. In all he spent twenty years as a glassworker, and in 1903 came to Gordon. He purchased his father's ranch, and operated this for one year, then gave it up and moved to the town of Gordon, where he established a pool room in June of the latter year, taking active management of this business in 1904. He runs a first-class place and has the patronage of the best citizens, enjoying the re- spect of all who know him in a business or social way. yir. Boyles was married in 1895 to Miss Elizabeth E. Pethnes, of French descent, whose father was a glassworker. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Boyles, namely : Leonora, aged eleven, and Sarah, now four years old. Air. Boyles is classed among the old settlers here, having gone through the pioneer days with his parents, and at different times has worked all over this section of the country and become ac- quainted with many of the early settlers lo- cated here. HENDERSON MURRAY. Henderson Murray, a well-known old settler of western Nebraska, resides on his pleasant farm in Bloomington township, Franklin county. He came to this county in 1872, taking a homestead in Marion township, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres which he broke up and on which he built a log house and farmed for a period of twenty-five years, then bought another one hun- dred and sixty acres there which he used for farming and hog raising purposes. He kept steadily at work and has accumulated a nice property, and is one of the solid and progressive citizens of his locality. Mr. Murray was born in Campbell county, Tennessee, and his grandfather, Thomas Murray, was one of the first settlers in that state. Our subject's father, James D. Murray, married Susan Langley, who was a native of Surry county. North Carolina, daughter of Alathew and Patience (Osborn) Langley, who moved from there to Campbell county, Tennessee. Our sub- ject's great grandfather, James Langley, served in a North Carolina regiment through the Revo- lutionary war, and received a severe wound in one of the battles. His father's ancestors were pioneers of Tennessee, and went through terrible experiences, especially fighting Indians, when at times women were known to take up arms. Our subject came to Cass county, Nebraska, when a boy, with his father, James D. Alurray, who lo- cated in Rock Bluff's, where he became a mem- ber of the town board and occupied a prominent place among the leading citizens of his commun- ity, holding dift'erent local offices. Mr. Murray was united in marriage in 1875, to Miss Bridget Doher, a native of Ireland, who came to America with her parents when a child, the family set- tling in \"irginia, and later moving west. Mr. and Mrs. ]Murray have a family of seven chil- dren, who are named as follows : Stephen A., of 396 COMPENDIUiM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY Franklin : Horatio J., assistant cashier in the Ex- change Bank of Franklin : Ernest E., with his father on the farm ; W'illiani H., also at home, and Susan M., wife of Charles E. Shoemaker, of Franklin, and two dead. Our subject has been a ?\Iason since 1868. and a prominent member of that organization. He is held in high esteem by all who know him, and is a man of high character and sterling qualities which gain him friends in every walk of life. Politically he is a Democrat. In 1891 he was elected county treasurer, and re- elected the following term, and has served as assessor of his township at different times. HER^IAN SCHULTALBERS. A striking example of what may be accom- plished by the exercise of industry, persever- ance and good management is found in review- ing the life history of the gentleman above named. He started his business career without means excepting a strong heart and willing hands, and is now classed among the foremost substantial citizens of Box Butte county. He is an old settler in that region, is a prosperous farmer, owns a fine farm, and is enjoying a com- fortable and pleasant home. Mr. Schultalbers was born in Hanover. Ger- many, July 3d, 1857. His father was a farmer and lived and died in Germany, as also did his mother. Our subject was reared in his native country until he was twenty-five years of age, at which time he struck out for the new world, landing in Baltimore. December 23d. in the year 1882. He came directly west, to St. Louis, and joined a colony of German settlers in St. Louis county, Missouri, and there worked out bv the month, spending about four years in that vicin- ity. He then came to Cuming county. Nebraska, worked one suiumer and came to Box Butte county, in 1886 and bought some land. ]Mcked out a location and filed on a tree claim, later took up a pre-emption in 1888 and a homestead in 1889, all on the same section, then returned to Mis- souri and worked for another year, at which time he came back to Nebraska and began to improve his land. He Ijroke ground for crops, put up a sod shanty, and froiu the spring of 1889 began living in the house, steadily improving his place, doing all his work with the aid of a team of mules during the first years. He "batched it" up to ]X'H. and in that year ret^irned to St. Louis and was married to Mary Moellerhaus, who was l)orn and reared in Germany anrl came to Amer- ica in the year 1894, being here only a short time before Iicing married. Mr. Schultalbers bought his ]ircsent farm in northwest quarter section 3, township 27, range 48, in 1886, and moved to the place with his bride after his marriage and begun building up the place as a jjermanent home. He has im- pvoved the farm splendidly, and now owns eight hundred acres of deeded land, also operating three hundred and twenty acres of leased land, all of which is fenced and kept in first-class con- dition. He farms about seventy acres and raises good crops, and even during the dry years was fortunate in always having a fair yield. In Au- gust. 1896. lightning struck his barn and com- pletel}' destroyed the building, but he at once rebuilt it and was getting along well, when three years later during a severe electrical storm he •was struck by lightning and was unconscious for quite a long time, but recovered, although the report soon became circulated that he had been killed. He was severely injured, by the shock, one-third of his body being entirely burned over, but he suffered no very permanent injury, being left a little deaf. At the same time one of his cows was struck and the animal was instantly killed within a few feet of where our subject stood. Mr. .Schultalbers' family consists of himself, wife and six children, who are named as fol- lows: Mary, Lena, Rose, Henry, Freda and Annie. ( )ur subject is a strong Democrat, active in local politics, always working for the best inter- ests of his locality. He has been on the school board for several years past. H. H. BERRY. Among the prominent and successful business men of McCook. Nebraska, we wish to mention the name of H. H. Berry, the subject of this review. He is well known all over the surround- in,g country as a man of ability, industrious and a citizen of true worth. Mr. Berry is a native of Illinois and was born in 1845. His father. Keeling Berry, was an old settler in Illinois, locating there in 1822. He was a native of old \'irginia, where the family were early settlers. At the breakin.g out of the war our subject determined to aid his country in the fight for liberty and freedom, but waited until 1864 and enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Illinois Regiment at \'irginia. Cass county, Illinois, and served until the close nf the war. In 1884 he came west, locating in Mc- Cook. where he took charge of a dry goods de- partment in one of the leading stores, con- tinuing in this jiosition for three and a half vears. He then established himself in the grocer\- busi- RESIDENCE OF CHARLES LaRUE, Keya Paha County. Nebraska. RESIDENCE OF JOHN W. UklLL, Brown County, Nebraska. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 397 ness and remained at that for two years, then started in the real estate business, in which he has continued up to the present time. He is also a capable auctioneer, and is well known all over Redwillow and the adjoining counties where he has acted in that capacity. He has been judge of probate court for the past sixteen years, and has held the office of police judge for over fourteen years, and has proved himself a popular and effi- cient public official. Mr. Berry was married in 1870 to Miss Amanda L. Mitchell, 'a native of Illinois. They have six children, who are named .as follows : Carl R., with Colorado Iron & Fuel Company as master mechanic, located at Sunrise. Wyom- ing ; Everly N., a druggist at Parsons, Kansas ; Floyd M., connected with the Burlington & Alissouri railway at McCook ; Elbert W., with the Alaxwell Company, Chicago ; Chester B. was as- sistant train despatcher on the Burlington & Missouri railroad for a time and now in the train service at McCook ; jMildred P., living at home with her parents. Mr. Berry is an active worker in the Meth- odist Episcopal church at McCook, and now is and for many years has been local minister here. He is also a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and has filled all the offices in that lodge in the past. He has always voted the Republican ticket, and takes an active interest in all party affairs. CHARLES LA RUE. Charles LaRue. residing on section 34, town- ship 33, range 23, Keya Paha county, Nebraska, is one of the leading old settlers in this county, and has always been foremost in helping to de- velop the region where he chose his home. Mr. LaRue was born on a farm in Grant county. Indiana, April 3, 1823. His father. Brit- ton LaRue. was of French-American blood, and follov/ed farming and sawmilling all his life, and Charles also worked at this for many years, be- ginning when a young man. The mother died when he was so young he does not remember her, and at the age of fourteen started to make his own way in the world. He followed freight- ing and mine work in different states, also spent a part of his time in hunting in Colorado, Wvom- ing, Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and other west- ern states, and during those years killed an im- mense number of buffalo, deer, antelope and other game. For fourteen years he wandered all over the western states and saw much of pio- neer life in the west, crossing, during that time, every stream between the Rio Grande and the Canadian border, finally settling in Keva Paha county in 1882, where he took up a homestead, on which he now resides. When he landed here he had only ten dollars in money, and a team and wagon. He went to work at once building up his place, and now is proprietor of five hundred acres of good land, farming one hundred and twenty-five acres of this, and runs about seventy head of cattle and the same number of hogs, ili.s land was well covered with timber, and before he was able to build had to clear it off, putting up a log house, which is still a part of the family dwelling. His land has two and a quarter miles of river front. The garden tract is irrigated. There are twenty acres of alfalfa, producinglarge crops of that excellent forage plant. He has seen hard times occasionally since coming here, and often did not know where their next meal was coming from. He worked out to support his family, but although it was often discouraging, he never felt like giving up, but stuck to it. and has been most successful. At one time he went to Canada to look for land, but came back satis- isfied to remain here. Mr. LaRue was married in Gosper county to Miss Harriet Board, October 25, 1879, and they have eight children, namely: Clyde, Ethel, wife of Fred Hutton. of Rock countv : Marion. Les- ter, Bertha, wife of Bert McDonald, of Wyom- ing; Leon, Angeline and Therese. Mr. LaRue is a straight, unadulterated Dem- ocrat. He has been on the school board for the past twelve years, and active in school affairs. He is a member of the Odd Fellows. Mr. LaRue is an interesting storyteller and his account of the many stirring incidents of his life read like romance. Since settling on his present farm he has killed five of the last six deer to cross the place. We present a view of the home and picturesque surroundings on another page. SA.M SWIXBANK. Sam Swinbank, a thrifty and energetic resi- dent of the township of section 13, township 32, range -•Z. where his business abilitv has put him' well to the front in the ranks of progressive farmers, was born in Westmoreland, England, in 1860. His father, John Swinbank, was a farmer in his native land, and came to this country with his family in 1875. There were eight children, of whom our subject was the fifth in order of birth, and he attended the common schools in England as a lad, growing to manhood in Kane county, Illinois, v.-here the familv settled after landing in America. He remained at home with his parents until he was twentv-three years of age, assisting them in carrying on the farm, then 398 COMPEXDIU.AI OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY came to Nebraska in the fall of 1886. settling half a mile south of Whitney. There he started a farm, and through failure of crops and other misfortunes, lost cVery cent, only succeeding in raising one crop in five years. While on that place he kept "bachelor's hall." and had a hard time to get along, meeting many discourage- ments so familiar to the old settlers in this region. Mr. Swinbank then gave up farmmg and started in the stock business, borrowmg money for a beginning, and met with better success. He located in Sioux county, in section 14, town- ship 34. range S3, where he built a dugout for his first dwelling place and lived in it for two years. He built up the place in good shape and remained for twelve years, and made a success, purchasing his present farm in 1902. This is situated in section 13. township 32. range 52. which is a well improved property, and he is in the stock raising business, dealing mostly in horses. He has a fine house, supplied with every convenience, with a complete tank and water works system, and uses this as a wintering place, as he also has a large ranch in Sioux county. His ranch consists of six hundred and forty acres here, two hundred of which are irrigated, and he raises large quantities of alfalfa, wild hay. etc. Mr. Swinbank was married while living in Siioux county, in 1894, to Miss Katie Raben. :Mrs. Swinba'nk's father was an early settler in that countv. also well-known ranchman of the section. Mr. and Mrs. Swinbank have two chil- dren. John Chester and Ruth Marguerite. Politically, our suliject is no party man. advo- cating good government and voting for the best man on anv ticket. JOHN W. BRILL. John \\'. Brill, one of the oldest settlers in Brown county, Nebraska, is one of the best- known residents in this region. He was one of the first men to take out papers filing on gov- ernment land in this section of the country, and has resided here continuously ever since, build- ing up a good home and farm, and is recognized as one of the leading citizens of his community. Mr. Brill was born in the town of Franklin. Franklin county. Vermont. April 24, 1838. His father. Thomas Brill, was a farmer by occupa- tion and carpenter by trade, who came of old Yankee stock. Our subject was reared and edu- cated in Vermont, and at the age of twenty-one vears started out to make his own way in the world, following farm work as an occupation. He came west in June. 1861. settling in Rice county. Minnesota, and was among the pioneers of that state, remaining there for five years. The journey was made by lake from Ogdens- bnrg to Milwaukee. Wisconsin, in the propeller "Ogdensburg."' by rail thence across the state to McGregor. Iowa, where they proceeded by boat to Redwing. Minnesota, from which point they weut overland forty miles to Rice county. At the close of the war he moved to Blue Earth county, securing land in the Winnebago reserva- tion, and remained there up to 1879. at that place forming the acquaintance of Charles Cowley, with whom he came to Nebraska in that year, driving through the country by team, their fam- ilies following later on also by team and covered wagons. Mr. Brill located on a pre-emption on Plum creek and a tree claim on the tableland. He. spending most of his time on the latter, which lay in section 5. township 30. range 23, Brown county.. His first house was a log cabin, built by himself, and his first team was a yoke of oxen, and these he used for several years in breaking up his land and starting his farm. Dur- ing the years 1894 and 1895 his crops were total failures, and he had heavy losses. He recovered from these as soon as the good years came on, and built up and improved his land until he was the proprietor of as good a ranch as could be found in that locality. In November. 1905. he sold out his place for S4.000. and then lo- cated on Evergreen creek, where he owns a sec- tion of land, and each of his two sons also owns a section of land in the vicinity of their fatlier s property. They run two hundred head of cattle and twenty horses all the time, constantly im- proving their herds. During the early days of his residence in this part bf the state Mr. Brill hauled all family supplies from Neligh. a distance of one hundred and sixty miles from his home, the distance being reduced as the railroad pro- ceeded westward until their supplies could he se- cured within a few miles of home. He cut cedar posts and hauled them all this distance to pay for the provisions needed, camping out nights under his wagon during the trip back and forth, through both summer and winter weather. He has seen his share of pioneer life, and is now content to enjoy the fruits of his hard labor in days gone by. An engraving of the residence will be found on another page of this volume. Mr. Brill was married in \'ermont. November 10. 1859. to Miss Helen Coffrin. a native of the town of Morristown, \'ermont. Seven children were born to them, three of whom are now living, namely; Nellie R.. wife of .Mfred Marcuson. of Los Angeles. California. He is largely interested in water power, electric' light and other utilities in Lower California. They have one daughter. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGR.\PHY 399 Emma Grace; John \\. and George. JNIr. Brill is a stanch Republican ni political attihations, never having voted any other ticket since attain- ing his majority. HENRY STROHM. Henrv Strohm, a representative farmer and agriculturist of Rock county, NeT5raska. resides on his valuable estate in Long Pine precinct. He is among the early settlers in this locality, and can recount with accuracy many of the pio- neer experiences of the settlers of this county who braved the hardships and privations, be- coming permanent settlers and prosperous farm- ers. The above mentioned gentleman has suc- ceeded in acquiring a good farm and home and gained the confidence and esteem of a large cir- cle of acquaintances. Mr. Strohm was Ix^rn in Washington county. Wisconsin, April 24. 1860. His father. George Strohm, was born in France on the Rhine, and after serving about fourteen years in the French army emigrated for America about 1846 and made his home in Wisconsin some five or six years later. The mother of our subject, Mary Mogal in maidenhood, was born in Germany, near the Rhine, and of her nine children, Henry is sixth. He was reared on his parents' farm in Wisconsin, receiving a common school education in the country schools there. He was early taught to do all kinds of hard farm work and the training he received at home fitted him for the hard labor he encountered in later years. At the age of twenty he left home and moved to Tama county, Iowa, where he remained for two years. He then went to Hamilton county, Iowa, remaining about two years before returning to the former place, where he lived for another twelvemonth. In 1884 he came to Nebraska, and at Valen- tine filed on a pre-emption claim on the White river. He remained there for a short time only, then came on to what is now Rock county, driv- ing overland, camping out nights under his wagon. He traded for a relinquishment on which there was a log house, covered it with a dirt roof, and where he lived with his family for a time. During these first years he haJ but one horse, one cow, a heifer, and a few chickens with which to make a start as a stock man. Prior to locating on his present farm, Mr. Hastings liad made several trips to Colorado by team, coming back by way of Colorado Springs and Hastings. Kan- sas, but preferring Nebraska, settled on the farm where he now resides. When he located on this there were no improvements whatever, except the log house above mentioned, which has since been replaced with a substantial dwelling, good buildings and fences. He has planted trees and now has a fine orchard started. Rock creek runs through his farm, and this stream furnishes plenty of good water the year round for his stock. The farm comprises a homestead entry of one hundred and sixty acres and four hun- dred acres of deeded land, of which seventv acres are under cultivation. He is largely engaged in stock raising and dairying, running eighty-tive head of cattle with ten or a dozen milch cows. At one time he, together with J. R. Hughes, owned and operated a threshing outfit, and car- ried on this business for three years in the earlv days, covering a territory of some thirty miles square, throughout which they became thorough- ly acquainted. He was obliged in the early days to haul wood to help make a living for his family, and turned his hand to whatever he could find to do. In 1887 Mr. Strohm was married to ]Miss Mattie A. May, whose father, Thomas Mav, was among the early settlers in Rock countv, having come here in 1883. Mr. and Mrs. Strohm have two children, Lura and Etha. A Republican in politics. Mr. Strohm uses his influence and vote for the candidates of that partv. He is a member of the Workmen's lodge at Carnes. CHARLES W. HICKOX. Charles W. Hickox is a native of Ohio, born in Summit county, born January 25, 1839. His father. Watson Hickox. who was American born, was in business as a clothier, and came to Illi- nois in 1840: the mother, Sarah Scott, was a native of the state of New York. Charles W. Hickox was reared on a farm in Lee county, Illinois, until he was fourteen vears of age, when the family moved to Waukesha and thence to Richland county, Wisconsin, where they were among the early pioneers. Our sub- ject spent a number of years in the timber of northern Wisconsin, lumbering and logging, and learned woodcraft thoroughlv. In 1861 he en- listed in Company H. Fifth \\'isconsin Infantry, and was sent south, joining eastern armv corps. He saw three years and three months of active service, being in twenty-six engagements. He was severely wounded in the battle of Rappahan- nock Station and was confined in the hospital until he was discharged from the service. After his discharge, Mr. Hickox returned to Wisconsin and was married August 11. 1864, to Miss Julia Dean, a native of Ohio, and daughter of Charles W. and Ellinor (Seelev) Dean; her 400 CO-MPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, RE.MINISCEXCE AND BIOGRAPHY father was also a native of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Hickox have had six children: Myrtle, wife of Joseph Mover, living west of Brule ; and Ellinor, married to Nathaniel Prebble, of Mitchell, Scott's Bluff county; Roy, Ernest, Mary and Rosie. In 1880. our sul)ject moved to Nebraska, coming overland by team and covered wagon to Lancaster county, and settling on a farm where he lived for seven years, they then came to Keith county, locating on their present farm in section 18, township 13, range 38, where they located a wild prairie homestead. Our subject has a splendid little farm of one hundred and sixtv acres, almost all of it under cultivation. Mr. Hickox is a thorough farmer and has made a fine success in agricultural lines, although he has had many losses, especially in the years of drouth. Of late years, owing to advancing age, Mr. Hickox has been living a somewhat retired life, not being able to personally perform the hard work of the farm. He has a good force of helpers in his sons and attends to the manage- ment while they perform the work. He is now- enjoying the golden fruits of years of toil and his later days find him in peace and possessed of a comfortable competency. Mr. Hickox is among the earliest settlers of his community and has won many friends by his public spirit and ex- cellent traits of character. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Ogaliala post. Grand Army of the Reiniblic. In Wisconsin the family were members of the close communion Baptist churcli. SHERMAN G. WRIGHT. Among the younger ranchmen of Cherry and Grant counties, Nebraska, an able representative is found in the person above mentioned. He is proprietor of an extensive ranch, and one of the substantial citizens of his locality. His ca- rter has been devoted to outdoor pursuits, and he is thoroughly conversant with modern meth- ods of operating his estate, conducting it in a thorough and painstaking manner. Since locat- ing in this vicinity he has gained many friends, and well merits his success and good name. His home is in section 34. township 27. range ZT. Mr. Wright is a native of \'ernon countv, Missouri, liorn in 1S72. His father, George Wright, was a farmer and prominent pioneer in Missouri. later settling in Cherry county, coming here in 1888, when that region was in the early stages of its development. Both parents were born of American citizens, the mother's maiden name being Mary Charles. The family lived in Missouri until our subject was fifteen vears of age, then moved to Nebraska, at first settling in Custer county, remaining there until April of the following year, when they came to Cherry county. In making the journey to this state from Missouri, they came by team, with a cov- ered wagon containing all their goods, camping out at night along the way, and they were thirty days on the road. After spending about two years in this vicin- ity, Sherman began working on his own account, following ranching and hunting for a living, and in this way became thoroughly familiar with the country in his travels on the range and in making long hunting trips. When he was twen- t\-one he filed on a homestead situated twenty miles north of Whitman, and in 1893 he began to establish a ranch, his location being one of the very best in the region, having a fine range and large tract of fertile valley for his stock. He batched it for about ten years, living alone in a sod house, put up sod stables and sheds, and at once started to gather a good herd of cattle together. He was successful from the first, and has now become owner of nine hundred and sixty acres of land, and he operates four hundred acres of leased land besides his own ranch, which he uses for range and pasture. In 1898 :\Ir. Wright was married to Lila Peacock, daughter of \\'illiam and Mary Dixon Peacock, her father a native of England and her mother of Michigan, but both reared in Ohio. Our subject has a family of three children, who are named as follows : Grace, Claude ana Clarence. All were born and reared in Cherry county. The family occupies the ranch in Cherry county as a summer residence, but during the school niDHths reside in \\'hitman, in order to give the children the benefit of the citv schools. BURTON E. \MIITE. Burton E. White, one of the ])romineiU busi- ness men of Merriman, Nebraska, aTul long as- sociated with the commercial and business inter- ests of Cherry county, has built up an enviable reputation for integrity and abilitv. Mr. White was born in Buchanan countv, Iowa, May 26, 1865. His father. John E. White, was a farmer and an old settler in western Nebraska. His mother's maiden name was Ma- bel L. Peterson. There was a family of eight children, our subject being the eldest, and all but one are now living. They were reared in Iowa, our subject being his father's main stay in the work of carrying on their farm. When he was about eight voars old the fainilv moved to COAJPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIUGRAPHY 401 Jewel county, Kansas, remaining three years, witnessing the grasshopper raids. Returning to Montgomery county, Iowa, the family remained until "l885, when they came to Dawes county, locating seven miles northwest of Hay Springs, there going through sod shanty experiences and the usual pioneer hardships. The father soon built a log cabin and begun to improve the homestead he had taken up in that vicinity. The family came into the count}- by team and covered wagon, driving from Iowa. They started on the journey April 22, 1886, and arrived at their destination June 2d, having had many uncom- fortable experiences during the trip. In 1887 the father pre-empted a claim of one hundred and sixty acres which he later sold. During the first two years after starting in here Mr. White, the subject of this sketch farmed for his father and taught school during the winters. He taught the first school that was established in that region, located at the head of Bordeaux creek, which opened in the fall of 1887. He also clerked in a general store at Hay Springs, and since then has been in the mercan- tile business constantly. In 1896 he came to Merriman, and on June 1st took charge of the branch store of Mills Brothers, of Gordon, re- maining in that position for six years. He then entered into partnership with Edward Collins (whose sketch appears in this work), and re- mained with him for three years, then on June 22, 1905, started in the general merchandise busi- ness for himself. He has a good location, large floor space, and carries a fine stock of goods, en- joying a large patronage throughout the sur- rounding country. Mr. White was first married June 12, 1889, to Miss Ann Hahn, to whom seven children were bom. The living are: Mabel, John, Alberta, Stella and Graydon. On March 4, 1902, :\Ir. White married jvliss Faith Hail, who is the moth- er of a daughter. Fern. They have a pleasant home and are well liked by all who know them. Mr. White has always been a great lover of sport, and hunted all kinds of game in the earlv days through Nebraska, Wyoming, the Dakotas and Colorado. During his younger days he was a member of Company F, Second Regiment Ne- braska National Guards, acting as captain of that body; was serving as lieutenant at the time they took part in the Indian war of 1890-'91, doing patrol duty along the state line. He was a mem- ber of the southwestern Iowa baseball league and took a leading part in many games played in Nebraska and Iowa. He still loves to twirl a ball with the boys. Air. White has always taken an active and leading part in all local public affairs, and been one of the foremost citizens in building up his community. On August 18, 1896, he was ap- pointed postmaster, in which office he is still in- cumbent. He, with his family, is a member of the Methodist church, and fraternizes with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modern \\'oodmen of America and its auxiliary degree. CHARLES ROBERTS. Charles Roberts, a prominent resident of Cherry county, Nebraska, is an old settler in this state, and through his efiforts in his locality has added materially in bringing that region into one of thrift and prosperity. He is proprietor of a well improved estate, and is one of the well-to-do men of his community. Mr. Roberts was born in Denmark, January 3, 1848. and reared on a farm until he was twenty years of age. His father and mother never left Denmark. He is the second member in a family of three children. In 1868 he left his parents' home, sailing from Hamburg to Hull, crossed England and sailed from Liverpool to X'ew York, landing May 11, after a voyage of seventeen days. Coming to Wisconsin, he remained for six months, and in the fall of that year he came to Omaha, where he remained until the spring of 1871. He worked that summer in Iowa and started for the south, passing through Chicago at the time of the great fire. He worked in Mississippi and Arkansas for a time, and in 1874 he settled in Howard county, opening a general merchandise store there, and was en- gaged in this business for eight years at the time the grasshopper raids were so frequent in that part of the state, and on account of the crops be- ing ruined his trade fell ofif so that he lost every- thing and was obliged to close out his store. From here he went to Brown county and farmed there for three years, and in 1884 he sold his property there and took a homestead, his present home, in section 20, township 33, range 40, in Cherry county, and the following year moved on this farm, driving the entire distance with a team, his family coming on later bv train. Here he went through the drouth periods, and for three years was unable to raise a crop, and the family had a hard time to make a living, but he stuck to it, and when conditions changed and the better years came he raised good crops and succeeded in building up his farm, improving it all the time, gradually adding to his property, buying when land was cheap, until he now owns and operates eleven quarter sections. He farms about five hundred acres of this, and keeps a large drove of cattle. He has built a fine two- 402 COMPEXDIUM OF HISTORY, REMIXISCEXCE AXD BIOGRAPHY story, eight-room liouse and commodious barns, granaries, etc., and has all the machinery nec- essary for properly operating the farm to best advantage, and his success only demonstrates what may be done by strict attention to business and honest hard labor. A view of the family residence will be found on another page in this work. Mr. Roberts was married in Howard county, November 27, 1875, to Miss Elsie Petersen, born in Denmark, who came to this country when a young girl to join a brother and sister who had preceded her. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have a family of eight children, named as follows: Otto (deceased), Fannie, Alvania, wife of Ralph Gulp : Louisa, Otto, Walter, Hattie and William. The family is highly respected and classed among the enterprising and industrious citizens of the community. In politics they are Democrats. ED. F. CARPENTER. Ed. F. Qarpenter, an extensive and wealthy farmer of section 30, township 34, range 47, is a well-known citizen of Dawes county. He has built for himself a valuable estate and an enviable reputation, and well merits his high standing and success. Mr. Carpenter was born in Washington coun- tv, Iowa, in 1867. His father. Elhanan W. Car- penter, is an old settler in Nebraska, coming here in 1886, and his mother was jNIiss Charlotte Laten, prior to her marriage. Our subject was reared in Iowa, and was taught to do all kinds of hard farm work as a boy, attending school in the country and receiv- ing a limited early education. He remained with his parents until some little time after they set- tled in this state, then started out for himself. The father settled on a ranch in section 28, township 34, range 47, and erected a rude dug- out for his family, and later a log cabin in which they lived for about eight years. They had the troubles of the majority of pioneers in this section, visited by drouths, etc., and had a hard time in getting started in their farming operations. In 1897 our subject located on land of his own and opened up a ranch. He remained on that place for some time, then moved to his present homestead, in section 30. Here he has built a good home, barns and other buildings, and has made a great success of his undertaking. He has seventeen quarter sections of deeded land, besides operating eight quarter sections of leased land. He is extensively engaged in the cattle business, also raises a large number of horses each vear. His ranch is all fenced, and has plenty of good living water for his stock, natural timber, etc. His ranch joins that of his father, E. W. Carpenter. Mr. Carpenter was married in June, 1898, to Miss Lilly M. Augustine, whose father, John Augustine, is a prominent farmer of Marshall county, Iowa, where Mrs. Carpenter was reared. Our subject has one child. Bemice. Mr. Carpenter is actively awake to the in- terests of his community, and aids materially in its advancement. He votes the Republican tick- et, and is a strong party man. JOHN SHEARER, Deceased. For over twenty years the gentleman whose name heads this personal history has been as- sociated with the agricultural interests of Dawes county, and as an old settler and one of tier worthy citizens he was prominently known. i\Ir. Shearer was proprietor of one of the fine farms of that locality and accumulated his property and gained his good name by his persistent and hon- est labors. He resided in section 34 up to the time of his death, which occurred in May, 1903, and he was sincerely mourned by a host of warm friends and relatives. Mr. Shearer was born in Grant county, In- diana, in 1849. His father, John Shearer, was a farmer of Irish stock, and his mother was oi German stock, both born in Guernsey county, Ohio, and from there moved to Grant county, Indiana, where the whole family of fourteen children were born. They moved to Mercer county, Illinois, and then to Fort Madison, Iowa, where the parents died. Our subject grew up in the east, but during his younger days traveled considerably all through the western states, and finally located in Dawes county about 1885. filing on the homestead which he occupied for so many years. This was located in section 34, township 34. range 48, anil was entirely unimproved prop- erty, but he went to work to build it up, but it was up-hill work, as the drouths overtook him during the first years there, and several crops were total losses. He had a few cows and chick- ens, and the products from these formed the principal food for his family. Since the demise of Mr. Shearer times have changed for the bet- ter. His family have been able to raise good crops, and they have gone into the stock raising business on quite a large scale, have steadily forged ahead and his widow is entirely free from debt on their farm. They have a good home and farm and have put up a complete set of good buildings and added many improvements. There are one hundred and si.xtv acres in the farm. COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 403 which is located on Big Bordeaux creek, and the place is supplied with plenty of natural tim- ber, wild fruits, etc. Mrs. Shearer has a fine orchard started, and the good order prevailing m every part of the farm bespeaks good manage- ment and thoroughness of purpose. Mr. Shearer's wife was Miss Mary Derrick, of Randolph county, Missouri, daughter of John D. Derrick, a native of Germany who was a farmer, and came to the United States when a voung man and spent a great deal of time in traveling all over the country. Mrs. Shearer's mother was Sarah Ann Hurd, of Pennsylvania- Dutch blood, and the family settled in Randolph county, Missouri, in 1868, where the wife of our subject was born. In 1887 she came to Dawes county with her parents, where she met Mr. Shearer and their marriage resulted. Four chil- dren were born to them, as follows: Bessie, now aged eighteen ; Homer, aged sixteen ; Nellie, thirteen, and Sadie, ten years of age. I. A. DeCOW. Dr. J. A. DeCow, of Holdrege, Nebraska, veterinarv surgeon, is well-kno\yn throughout Phelps county as a man thoroughly familiar with his profession and capable in all branches of the work. Dr. DeCow is a native of western Ontario, born in 1876. He is a graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College, at Toronto, Canada, and after leaving school located at Holdrege in 1905, and since coming here has built up a large prac- tice, traveling all over Phelps, Harlan and Kear- ney counties. He has been most successful, and likes this part of the country, as the stock here is exceptionally good, every farmer having good grades. The horses are splendid for the road and as draughters. and the cattle are gradually improving through the importation of thorough- breds, while the hogs are also A-1. His father, Daniel DeCow, is a large breeder of Shropshire sheep, and this last year sold twenty-two ewes and rams for $740. He is an authority on these animals, and has devoted eighteen years to the sheep business, also deals quite extensively in horses. Dr. DeCow practiced for two years and four months in the veterinary department of the Brit- ish army, and in this way secured a vast deal of experience which has been of immeasurable value to him in following his profession. He has trav- eled over Canada, South /\frica and Great Brit- ain, and thinks this country the best of all. Dr. DeCow is a young man of sterling qual- ities, thoroughly equipped for the practice of his profession, and in the short time that he has been in this locality has gained the esteem and confidence of a host of people, who all join in wishing him the greatest success in his work. He was married January 25, 1908, to Miss Lena Jorgensen, of Holdrege, Nebraska. Her parents are old settlers in Nebraska, coming as early as 1888, she being four years old at the time. Her parents came direct from Denmark. CHARLES M. REBBECK. Charles M. Rebbeck, the popular and energet- ic proprietor of the restaurant at Gordon, Ne- braska, was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1865. His father, Frederick Rebbeck, was a tailor by trade, and came to America with his familv in 1871. Our subject is the oldest of six children, and on landing in the L^nited States thev struck out for the west, settling in Hillsdale, Michigan, where the mother still lives. In 1885 Mr. Rebbeck left his parents' home and started out for himself, spending one year in Chicago, where he was connected with a wholesale and retail grocery house, then came on to Nebraska, locating in Gordon in 1886. He worked on ranches in this vicinity for two years, then took up a homestead situated fourteen miles northwest of the town, where he at once put up a sod shanty and remained there until he had proved up on his claim. During the years 1888 to 1891 he was mail carrier, traveling from Al- bany, Nebraska, to Wounded Knee postoffice in .South Dakota, and was at the place where Wounded Knee battle was fought in 1890. the postoffice having been abandoned shortly before this event took place. He became thoroughlv familiar with the country, and was afterwards employed as a scout for the Nebraska National Guards during that uprising, and was an eve witness of the battle. After this Mr. Rebbeck spent one vear on a farm, and -in February, 1894, bought the Albany store in Sheridan county, and ran this business up to October, 1904. During this time he was also the local representative of the Kimball "Bros. Marble Works, of Lincoln, and he was the man who sold the Wounded Knee monument to the relatives of the Indians who were killed in the battle at that place. This monument now stands on the old battle ground, and is a lasting tribute of respect and love from the loyal red"skins of that section of the country, having been erected on May 30. 1901. In 1904, Mr. Rebbeck sold out his mercantile business and moved to the town of Gordon for better school advantages for his children. Here 404 CO-MPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGR.\PHY he has opened a restaurant and confectionery store, and does the largest business in this line of any one in Gordon. He has been engaged in the stock business for a time, while livmg at Albany, and shipped a large number of cattle and horses. On December 29, 1891, our subject was mar- ried to Miss Paulina Polzin, daughter of Rich- ard Polzin, a farmer and old settler in Rich- ardson county, Nebraska, she having settled on a homestead in this county during the early days, where she met the man who subsequently became her husband. Mr. and ]^Irs. Rebbeck are the parents of four children, namely : Jerene, The- resa. Amelia and Fred. ^Ir. Rebbeck is widely known throughout this section of the country as a man of active public spirit, counted among the oldest settlers who has assisted in the building up of the region from its early days. He is a hard working and industrious citizen, well liked by all who know him. He has held different local offices, and served as justice of the peace for ten years in Wounded Knee precinct. Politically, he is a Brvan Democrat. GEORGE W. SISLER. George W. Sisler, an old-timer of Cherry county, Nebraska, lives on his valuable estate situated in section 12, township 34, range 30. He was born on a farm in W'est Mrginia. July 24, 1853, a son of Jacob and Margaret ( Teets) Sisler, and was reared and educated in his na- tive state, learning in his boyhood to do all kinds of hard farm work. Their home was in the timber country, and he helped his father to clear and open up a farm and build up a home. At the age of seventeen his father died and he then started out to make his own way in the world, following farming on the old home place for six years. In 1880 he left W'est \'irginia, settling in Sibley county, Minnesota. There he farmed for two years, then returned to his old home, re- maining until February, 1884, when he again went* to Minnesota. His ne.xt move was to Cherry county, where he landed in (Ictober, 1886, filed on a homestead northwest of his pres- ent residence on the 27th of that month. He immediately went to work on his place, putting up a sod shanty, and using a team of oxen to break up his first piece of land. In the winter of 1887, a severe storm and blizzard struck his locality, and he sheltered his seven head of cat- tle in his sod shanty to protect them from the severe weather, fearing that he might lose them if left out in the open. He had only two rooms, and the family lived in one and the stock was kept in the other. To such straits as this were the early settlers subjected, hardships almost in- credible to be endured. He was obliged at that time to haul his wood and provisions for twenty miles, from \'alentine. One of his worst hardships was to get stuck in the Niobrara river with a load of wood in the winter time when the ice was floating, and was compelled to get out m his bare feet and float the load to shore. These were hard times to him, and he experienced much suffering and privation with his family until the country was more thickh- settled and a trading post established near his home. There he went through the drouth periods and other financial losses, but stuck to the farm until he attained success. In 1901, he sold his first possession and moved to his present place, where he has a fine farm of four hundred acres of deeded land lo- cated on ^ilinnechaduza creek. This is improved with the necessary buildings, and as fine a grove of trees as is to be found in the county. Wild plums grow in abundance on the place and a fine young orchard will, in a few years, be bear- ing in abundance. A view, of the residence will be found elsewhere in this work. Mr. Sisler was married in November. 1874, to Miss Rosa Glass, a daughter of Moses and Lena (^Kimmelj Glass. They are the parents of ten children, seven of whom are now living, named as follows: ^^largaret L., wife of Wil- liam Mowan : Nora \'., wife of William Ayers ; Sarah C, wife of Samuel Swinger, all three living in Washington ; Ada B., wife of John Brown, of Mississippi: Mary \". : John M.. who has a six-hundred-acre homestead south of Crookston, and Jesse L. The family have a pleasant home and a host of warm friends in their community. ^Ir. Sisler has held different school offices, and takes an active leading part in building up the schools in his locality. He votes the Prohibition ticket, and is an earnest advo- cate of the principles of that party. Together with his family, he is a member of the Dunkard church. WTLLIAM ELI FRY. William Eli Fry, the subject of this review, is one of the representative farmers of Brotvn county and a man who has done his full part in promoting the development of the agricultural interests of the community in which he lives. Mr. Fry was born in Harri.son county, Iowa, April 8. 1869. His father and mother were farmers, both of American stock. Of eight chil- dren, William Eli is the fourth member. He COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY 405 was reared in Iowa, receiving a common school education, assisting his father in the hard work ahvays to be found on a farm, out of school hours, becoming from early life inured to hard labor. In 1889 he came to Brown county, Ne- braska, and settled on a tract of land on the Calamus river in the southern part of the county. Here he put up a rough sod house and "batched" it for several years. Going extensively into the cattle business, he remained on this range for nine years, when he received a good offer and sold out his herd. He spent the following sum- mer in the mining camps and fruit districts of Colorado, looking for a place to locate, but de- cided that the opportunities offered there were not nearly so good as in Nebraska. Returning to Brown county in the fall of 1889, he pur- chased his present home, located in section 10, township 29, range 22, which was partly im- proved with a house and a nice grove of young trees. Here he made a success from the start, and is now proprietor of a farm of seven hun- dred and twent}' acres, with three hundred and twenty acres of this under cultivation, on which he raises fine crops. The balance of his farm is in meadow and grazing land. He has his place all improved with good barns, sheds, windmills, fences, etc. One hundred and sixty acres of the land lies northeast of Ainsworth, and on this he has also erected a good set of buildings and im- provements. Everything is in the most perfect order, evidencing thrift, industry and good busi- ness judgment in its operation. On March 29, 1895, Mr. Fry was married to Miss Lillian Lewis, whose father is an old settler in Brown county. Here she followed teaching for some years prior to her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Fry have two children, namely: Leo, born in 1897, and Murle, born in 1902. They are a happy little family, and enjoy a pleasant and comfortable home. Mr. Fry is a Democrat in political faith, and Mrs. Fry is a member of the Methodist church of Ainsworth. GEORGE H. WORTH. George H. Worth has made a good record as a prominent settler of Loup countv, Nebraska, where he settled April 29, 1884. 'Through all the pioneer struggles he has done his part in the upbuilding of the general interests of the countv and has won the respect and confidence of his friends and neighbors. George H. Worth was born in Henry countv, Illinois, in 1857, His father. John Worth, was a native of England and came to America before the Civil war, settling first in Illinois and later in Iowa, where he was one of the early pioneers. Our subject's mother's maiden name was Ann Dugdil before marriage and she was also a na- tive of England. Our subject was reared on an Iowa farm, living in three different counties. He worked at home until] he was twenty-three years old. help- ing his father build up a good home and farm, and in 1880 took the management of the home- place. Mr. Worth was married December 23, 1880, to Miss Lucinda Swift, the marriage being per- formed in Creston, Iowa. The bride's parents were Charles F, and Unice (Hurlbert) Swift. Mr. and Mrs. Worth have a family of seven chil- dren living and six dead : Grace A., Eliz- abeth, Nellie, Ralph, born in a tent. Walter, Ed- win and George Dewey, all living. Calista A., John A., Freddie, Robert O., Lester H, and Har- riet are deceased. Several of the children are accomplished musicians, playing the violin and organ, and taking a leading part in all local musical entertainments. In 1884, our subject and famdy drove through from Crawford county, Iowa, in cov- ered wagons to his present farm in Loup county, Nebraska, coming in company with several other families. His parents came also and lived and died in the county. Our subject took a home- stead and settled down to pioneer farming, living in a tent the first summer, where the son Ralph was born. He owned a team of horses and a yoke of cattle, but otherwise had only limited means to start with. Mr. Worth and Ashley B. Coolley, one of the oldest settlers, built the first bridge across the Loup river in this vicinity. He built the usual sod shanty and put in all the sod crop he possibly could, and this was mostly sod corn, but he raised a fine garden and had a good supply of vegetables. North Loup was the trading point for all the surrounding coun- try and his place was the stopping place for the settlers coming up and down the river. The years passed with varying experiences and the returns from the farm were not large and during the drouth years our subject had to employ his time at diff^erent things in order to make a living. He hunted and trapped, bagging many prairie chickens in his long tramps over the country. He marketed a part of his game at Ainsworth, fifty miles away, and he obtained good prices for everything he could bring in. He proved up on his homestead in 1903 and now has an addi- tional homestead in Kinkaid, where he makes his home. His farm embraces all told, about two thousand two hundred and eighty acres, belong- ing to the family, and it is one of the best farms in this part of the country. The North Loup 4o6 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY, REMINISCENCE AND BIOGRAPHY river runs for a mile along the boundary of the farm. There is a fine spring on the place and groves of forest trees with some fruit. Mr. Worth is extensively engaged in the live stock- business, carrying large herds of cattle, horses and hogs and ships to the different markets in the east. ^Ir. \\orth has always exhibited an active interest in all political matters and has held various offices of honor and trust within the gift of the people. He assisted in the organization of the school district and for years was a school officer. ANDY L. STEPHENSON. Andy L. Stephenson, whose fine farm in Perkins county is a credit to his locality, is a man of untiring energy, and is classed among the wealthy and substantial agriculturists of that county. He settled here during the pio- neer days, witnessed the drouth years, but never had a failure. As the hard times came on he gradually worked into the stock raising business, and has made a splendid success of his different enterprises. Mr. Stephenson was born in Madison coun- ty, Kentucky, in 1850, on a farm. Both his parents were natives of that state, and his great-grandfather was an early settler there, he being killed by the Indians. This was one of the historical events of those days, the house being attacked by the redskins, and on being fired at from the inside of the house they all fled except one chief. This savage attacked ^Ir. James and they fought for some time, the Indian being killed, but Mr. James was se- verely wounded and never recovered from his injuries, his death occurring during that year. Our subject was reared in Gentry county, where the family settled about 1852, and his entire early life was spent on the frontier. He started for himself at the age of twenty-one, buying part of his father's farm, and worked that up to 1886, then came to Perkins county and took a homestead on section 18, town- ship 9. range 39. He built a dugout and went through the usual pioneer experiences in get- ting his farm started. His nearest railroad town and trafling post was Ogalalla. thirty miles away. All the water he used had to be hauled a distance of six miles. He worked hard and proved up on his claim, then moved to his present location, where he has a fine ranch of eight hundred acres of deeded land and one section leased, cultivating one hun- dred and seventy acres. He has good improve- ments, substantial buildings of all kinds. He has built ten miles of fence on his ranch. Dur- ing the first years here when he was just getting started on his homestead, he owned a good team of horses, and had the misfortune to lose them by lightning. He was unable to buy another team, so his neighbors got together and bought him a team and presented them to him. In 1871 Mr. Stephenson married Martha Swearingen, who was born in Iowa. She is a daughter of Thomas Swearingen, an old settler in Missouri, and a colonel in the Civil war.' Six children were born to our subject, namely: Minnie, Lulu, John, Thomas, Dale, and Florence, now deceased. Mr. Stephenson is a Democrat. He has been active in local politics, serving as road overseer and district treasurer, and also helped greatly in building up the schools of the lo- cality. H. B. KAUFFMAN. H. B. Kauftman, who owns a valuable estate on section 18. township 14, range 58, is one of the prosperous and highly esteemed citizens of I