Custer County, Nebraska - Founders and Builders, 1919 (part 10 of 32)

At the birth of Samuel W. Jacoby his mother died, and he was only two years of age when he lost his father in death, and at that time an uncle, Sam Laux, undertook to rear him. He did so until l;he lad was seven and one-half years of age, at which time he began making his own living, and from that time to the present everything that he has had has been selfgained. By accepting such odd employment as presented itself, he managed to gain an education in the Burlington public schools, after leaving which he spent four years in the employ of Henry Fogle, at Middletown, with whom he learned the trade of carpenter. This he followed as a journeyman at various points, and during the latter '80s and early '90s he spent several vears in California, where he went for his wife's health. He was young and strong then and earned five dollars a day - considered remarkably good wages for a mechanic at that time. When he gave up his trade, it was to engage in railroading, starting at Burlington, Iowa, whence he was later transferred to Alliance. Nebraska. For twenty-three years he acted in the capacities of fireman and engineer, and his record as a railroad man was an excellent one. He resigned, with a clean card, April 24, 1912, and engaged in a retail liquor business at Ravenna, Nebraska, continuing therein until the state went dry, when he came to Broken Bow and, August 13, 1917, opened a soft-drink establishment. He has made a decided success of this venture, and his establishment has already become one of the most popular in the city, counting among its regular patrons some of the most representative families of the community. He has established a reputation as a man of good business ability and one who is faithful to his engagements, the while he has laid the foundation for many lasting friendships.

Mr. Jacoby was married in 1889 to Miss Jennie Speigle, who was bom at Burlington, Iowa, where her mother still lives, her father being deceased. Mrs. Jacoby received her education in the public schools and resided in her native city until her marriage. She and her husband are consistent members of the Lutheran church. He belongs to Washington Camp No. 1, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Burlington, in which he is past noble grand. In politics he takes an independent view, voting rather for the naan than for the ])art_y which the candidate represents.

L. H. MASON. - One of the substantial citizens to be found in the Georgetown vicinity, where good men are far from being scarce, is the man whose name appears in the above title line. Modest in disposition, his life story should be modestly told, and its recital will pay a simple tribute to a worthy, honest, upright man who was reared in Custer county and who has made the county his home during the major portion of his lifetime.

Mr. Mason was born in 1875, and is a son of W. T. and Mary E. (Griffin) Mason. In the family of the fath'er and mother were six children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest. J. H. is in the employ of ( )s;ar Thompson, in Custer county: F. il. is himself a farmer in this county: J. L. is another Custer county farmer: Mabel G. Horn has her honie in this county : Grace Robinson lives in Ansley, this county. The father home- steaded in Custer county in 1884, the same year that he moved here, and, with nothing for a foundation capital, he provided for his family and made for himself a home.

From a lad of nine years, L. H. Mason grev^r up in Custer county, and here he received his education in the public schools. Here he learned the art of western farming, and here he learned to handle and feed all kinds of stock, and to do it successfully. Here he started for himself and established his first home. It was here that he led to the marriage altar Miss Jennie Smith, who is his splendid helpmeet and the mother of his children. To them have been born three children : Jennie E., L. H., Jr., and Dorothy, all of them at home and contributing to the cheerfulness and brightness of the household.

At the present time Mr. Mason is employed on the Ed. Gould ranch, and is giving splendid satisfaction. Reliable and competent, the world has a demand for many just such men. He is a member of the Woodmen lodge,, in which he takes an active part, and in politics he affiliates with the Republican party.

GEORGE F. PALMER. - The life of the late George Fremont Palmer was one in which there was illustrated the value of industry in labor and honesty and integrity in business transactions. Through the former, combined with his ability, he gained material position and accumulated a satisfying competence ; through the latter he \Von and held the respect and confidence of his fellow citizens. There were few men better known in the field of horse-buying, and at Broken Bow, where he made his home for twenty-seven years and where his death occurred February 10, 1915, no man was held in higher esteem.

Mr. Palmer was born in Bradford county, Pennsylvania. June 15, 1855, a son of Freeman and Mary (Raught) Palmer. His parents wete Pennsylvania farming people who never left that state, and George F. Palmer there received his early education in the district schools, while he had his earl)' training along the line of agricultural work under the preceptorship of his father. He grew up to sturdy manhood and was married, in 1874, at Laceyville, Pennsylvania, to Miss Harriet Pierce, who was born at Middletown, that state, a daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Rowley) Pierce, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of New York. There were four children in the Pierce family, as follows : Mrs. Palmer : Edith, who died at the age of eighteen vears ; Addie, who became the wife of S'am

Brewster, and resides in New York ; and \'ere \V., who for twenty years has 'been identified with a shoe factory at Johnson City, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce, who were farming people, both passed away in Pennsylvania.

In 1878 Mr. and Mrs. Palmer changed their residence to St. Paul. Nebraska, and it v^-as there that Mr. Palmer engaged in business as a horse-buyer. For three years he resided at Grand Island, and also for a time lived at Omaha, but in 1888 he came to Broken Bow, which continued as the stage of his activities and his successes during the remainder of his life. At one time during his career, in addition to his main business, he was engaged for three years in buying and selling hogs, in ])artnership with J. J. Wilson, but his principal enterprise was dealing in horses, and in his particular field there were few who were more successful and none better informed. He made a careful study of his business, which he found an interesting and congenial one, and thus he was able in many ways to outrank his competitors ; but while he was shrewd and far-seeing, with an eye toward opportunity, his dealings were always honest and aboveboard, and his associates not only had the greatest of confidence in his judgment but also in his integrity.

Mr. and ]\Irs. Palmer became the parents of three children - Elton F., who is an express messenger at Broken Bow ; Edson ^L, whose death occurred in 1907 ; and Hiram, who is assistant postmaster at Broken Bow. Mr. Palmer was a popular member of the local lodg'e of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He was a Republican, and took an interest in political and civic affairs, but his only office was that of deputy United States marshal, in which position he served three years. His religious connection was with the liaptist church. Mrs. Palmer, who survives her husband, holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. While she resides at Broken Bow, where she has numerous appreciative friends, she is the owner of a valuable and well developed farm of 320 acres, -seven miles from Broken Bow, and also has several pieces of city property.

COE KILGORE, whose story is related in this review, is a native of Bradford county. Pennsylvania, where he was bom March 3, 1836. He is one of the oldest settlers in Custed county and had to do with the early formation of county affairs and the initial days of county development. His name often appears in the official record of the early days

His father was John H. Kilgore and his mother's maiden name Lydia Haines. Both parents were natives of New Jersey. The father, who lived to be eighty-four years of age, was a tailor by trade but also farmed in Pennsylvania, where the subject of this sketch was born and spent his childhood years. There were nine children in the John Kilgore family: Robert lives in Elmira, New York, and is a successful farmer; Harriet is deceased; Coe is the subject of this sketch ; William was a farmer and early-day settler in Custer county ; the other children being Raymond, Sarah. Ellen. Anne, and one child who died in infancy.

In 1858 Coe Kilgore married Miss Libbie Lord : and to this estimable couple three children were born - Etta, who became the wife of Joshua Wood, one of the pioneer characters of this county ; Willie, who died in infancy, in 1861 : and Ellen, who married Tom Blunden.

Mr. Kilgore was again married, in 1883, when Anna Peterson became his wife. She is a daughter of Thomas C. and Anna Peterson. who came from Denmark in 1863, and walked most of the way from Ontario to Salt Lake City, hauling their goods with an ox team. Thev settled at Huntsville, where Mr. Peterson entered the mercantile business. They were connected with the Church of Latter Day Saints. There were no children by this second marriage.

In 1871 Mr. Kilgore came to Nebraska and settled at Gibbon. Buffalo county, but a year or so later he came to Custer county and at once entered upon his pioneer career. He homesteaded a fine piece of land and began operations in handling cattle and in stock-raising, in which enterprise he was very suc;essful. In relating his experiences he says that he went "dead broke" when fifty years of age ; but with loss of money he did not lose his pluck, nor was his indominable spirit broken. He commenced again, and the same thrift and shrewdness which fastened the first success proved equal to the occasion the second time, and he is now well and comfortably fixed. He has enough to provide comfort and ease for the rest of his days. He re:ently sold an eightyacre tract of land for ninctv dollars an acre.

W. W. WILLIAMS. - The energetic and well directed efforts of W. W. Williams, of Broken P>ow. have within three years resulted in the building u]) and development of a prosperous milk business and the placing of its founder in a position of comparative financial independence. Mr. Williams was born in \'irginia, February 11. 1877, a son of Hazel and ^Iary (Karnes) Williams, both natives of the Old Dominion.

Hazel Williams was engaged in agricultural l^nrsuits and was a man of some standing and influence in his community in Virginia, where he served for a time as constable. However, he felt that he could better himself by coming to the west, and in October. 1885. he brought his family to Nebraska and took up a preemption claim of 160 acres in Custer county. After proving up on this property he continued to cultivate it for some time, making developments and improvements, and eventually he sold it and moved to a tract located south of New Helena, that being his home until the .spring of 1918. when he once more sold, this time going to Anselmo. this county, his present place of residence. Mrs. \\'illianis died in July, 1914, in the faith of the Baptist church. Mr. Williams is a Democrat politically. All of the thirteen children of this couple survive and all are living in Nebraska. W. W. having been the second in order of birth.

W. W. Williams received his education in the Custer county public schools and was reared as a farmer, being given a good training by his experienced and skilled father. He continued to follow the pursuits of the soil in a general way. but finally came to a realization of the opiX)rtunities offered to one who would establish a well conducted milk business, and in January. 1916. he initiated the venture that has since developed into substantial success. At that time he bought four acres of land at the limits of Broken Bow. where he installed a first-class dairy, having had everything planned out in the way of sanitation and expediency in handling the product. He now has large and conimodious buildings, the most modern and highly improved equiiiment. inchuling milking machines, and everything else that goes to make up an up-to-date plant of this kind. His product, delivered in bottles, has found favor with the people of Broken Bow and the surrounding country, because of its purity and high (|ualitv. and his business has continued to grow and exi>an<l until he is now doing between $800 and $900 a month. He milks an average of fifty cows, his fine herd of Holsteins being we'l kept and contented, and the service that he renders in the way of delivery is expeditious and gratifying to his customers. This is a business which has been built u]) entirely through the iti'tiativc and industry of its owner, and Mr. \\'illiams may therefore be accounted one of I'.roken Bow"s self-made men.

Miss Eva Roberts, who was born in Illinois, a daughter of Timothy Roberts, a farmer near New Helena. Nebraska. To this union there have been born six children : RoUie, who is his father's assistant in the milk business ; and Charles, Lester, Mabel, Mary, and Ruth, all of whom are at home. Mr. Williams is a member of the Odd Fellows' lodge, in which he is very popular, and is a Democrat in politics. He has served efficiently as assessor of iVictoria precinct, and in other ways has demonstrated his good citizenship and willingness to bear his share of the responsibilities of community life.

FRANK KULHANEK. - Custer county can well be proud of her younger sons, proud of those young farmers who were born within her borders and who are devoting to her industries the strength of their manhood years. A man of that kind is named in the title line above. He was born in the county and this has been his home until the present time. He conies of fine Bohemian extraction and belongs to a family widely known throughout the south and east regions of the county. He dates his nativity August 12, 1885. and belongs to the family of John Kulhanek, whose life sketch is recorded elsewhere in this volume. It was in the Custer county public schools that Frank Kulhanek received his early education - an education which, augmented by wide reading, has made him a well informed and competent citizen. It was here he began his agricultural pursuits and developed that facility in soil culture that makes him one of the prosperous farmers of the section in which he resides.

In 1910 Mr. Kulhanek was united in marriage to Miss Gladys Jones, who. like her husband, descends from a well known and reputable family. Two children have blessed their home and union, the first, Violet, adds much of life and energy to the household ; the second. Dorothy, is deceased. Mr. Kulhanek bought his home farm about nine years ago and began operations in the farming line for himself. He owns 320 acres of well improved land and aside from being a careful, painstaking farmer he is an excellent judge of stock and is to be rated as one of the American food producers upon whom much has depended in the recent strenuous days of war activities and in making further provision now that the great war has terminated.

been at war and have been promoters of and contributors to all the various war drives so far inaugurated. Mr. Kulhanek belongs to the Knights of Pythias, in which order he maintains good standing.

WILLIAM R. TENNANT. - When he first came to Custer county, in 1888, the worldly possessions of William R. Tennant were represented by the span of mules which he had driven through from Missouri. He had the world before him. a cheerful outlook on life that goes with the individual just passing from youth into manhood, and inherent faith in his own ability to accomplish something, a faith that no discouragement could dim. This selfconfidence has been more than justified, for to-day Mr. Tennant is one of the leading business citizens of Berwyn, the owner of a successful creamery and light-hardware business, and the possessor of a valuable farm which pays substantial dividends.

Mr. Tennant was born in Columbia county, Wisconsin, February 10, 1867, a son of John and Jennette (Tennant) Tennant, the former born in Canada in 1844 and the latter in 1846. The parents were married in Wisconsin, whence they moved to Missouri, and during the seven years that they lived in the latter state John Tennant prospered in his affairs. In 1874 he decided to try his fortune in Kansas, whose opportunities he had heard loudly praised, and accordingly he settled in that state, on a school section. This proved to be an ill starred move, for he almost immediately met with reverses which swept away his small fortunes, and his death occurred there in 1879, his wife having passed away the previous year. They were meml>ers of the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Tennant was a Republican in his ix>litical views. Of the six children in the family, but two are now living: William R., and Almeda, the wife of James Maddox, a farmer of Hanson, Nebraska.

William R. Tennant received a somewhat limited education in the country schools of Missouri and Kansas, and after the death of his parents, he and his sisters returned to the former state, where he was variously emploved until he was twenty-one years old. .\t that time he struck out for himself, driving his greatly valued span of mules across the country until he arrived in Custer county, where he secured a homestead and in due time proved up on the same. For a number of years he was engaged in farming, and his success may he noted in the fact that he is to-day the owner of the old Evans farm, of 154 acres, located one-half mile east of Berwyn. on which are carried on general farming Gi)erations, although Mr. Tennant supervises the operations rather than taking any active part in them. He has been successful in the raising of thoroughbred Jersey cattle, of which he ships a large number to the market each year, and he has been successful also in raising hogs. He is thoroughlv informed in every branch of farming and stock-raising, and his long residence in Custer county has given him a reputation that makes him akin to an authority. In 1914 Mr. Tennant turned his attention to mercantile lines. For a time he was engaged in the implement business at Berwyn, but after his store and stock had been destroyed by fire he changed his line and is now conducting a creamery and light-hardware business, a field in which he has displayed marked ability for the affairs of trade and commerce. Just as his farm is beautifully improved with fine buildings and modern machinery, so is his store made attractive by a full line of superior stock of the latest manufacture. He has built up a gcn-A trade, in the develo]>meht of which his pleasing personality has pla\-ed a large part.

Mr. Tennant was married first to Miss \'iola ^IcRae, who was born in Indiana, and she died in 1894, leaving three children: Effie, the wife of Dr. H. C. Nichols, a practicing physician and surgeon of Carson, Iowa ; Charles W'.. a member of the I'nited States RegT.dar Army and now stationed at New Orleans ; and John Leonard, engaged in farming in Custer county. Mr. Tennant was again married in 1898, when he was united with Miss Maggie E. Mc- Cullough, who was bom in Iowa, and who is a daugiiter of John W. and Nancy McCullough. The parents are now residents of Custer county. Mr. and Mrs. Tennant have three children - Eva, who works for her father : and Gracie and Howard W., at home. The family belongs to the Baptist church. Mr. Tennant is a Republican in politics, and his fraternal connections are with the local lodges of the ]Modern Woodmen of America and the Indejiendent ( )rder of Odd Fellows, in the latter of which he has passed through the various official chairs.

JOHN A. JENNINGS. - The name in this title line belongs to a man who has been eminently successful in the accumulation of this world's goods and who, as a soldier in the Civil war, rendered to his country the highest possible service that can cither be demanded or rendered.

John A. Jennings was born in Warren county, Illinois, in 1840. He was the first-born son of Zachariah and ]\Iary ( Morris) Jennings. In the immediate family of his father and mother were ten children, of whom only six are living at the present time. The second lx)rn was Joseph, who was a minister in the United Brethren church and who pursued his calling in the state of Iowa ; Jane Gage is deceased ; David is living in Iowa : Edward is a retired farmer in the Hawkeye state ; Sarah Fitzsimmons is the widow of an Iowa farmer and maintains her home at Arlington, Iowa ; George lives in Wadena, Iowa.

Reverting to the military record of John A. Jennings as a valiant young soldier in the Civil war, it is to be recorded that his name appeared on the roster of Company A, Twenty-eighth Iowa \'olunteer Infantry. He served through the entire war and was in the last charge at lilakely. He was also in the \'icksburg campaign and earned a record of being a s])lcndid .soldier.

The first marriage of Mr. Jennings occurred in 1861, at which time he led to the marriage altar Lucinda Newton, who thus became the wife of his youth, the home-maker of his active years and the mother of his eight children, concerning whom a brief record is here entered : Lydia is the widow of the late Joe Cherry, Mary married Fred Durvain and is living at Milton, Nebraska, in a good farm home: .Anna and Emma died in infancy: Benjamin IS. is the subject of an individual sketch on otlier pages of this work : Sadie married Ed Robinson and they reside in Milton, Nebraska ; John is deceased.

Mr. Jennings retired from active life about ten years ago and has a very comfortable home at Sumner, Nebraska. He is an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic, .\bout fifteen years ago, the wife of his youth was called to the life eternal. In 1903 Mr. Jennings contracted a second marriage, when he wedded Rachel Wheeler, who is now the companion of his declining years and who enjoys with him the home and reputation they have acquired. They have a large circle of friends, wlio are delighted to see them surrounded by comfort and plenty in the days of their retirement. Their accumulations have been the result pf hard work and careful planning. When Mr. Jennings canje to Custer county, in 1883, and pre-empted a quarter-section of land, he had three ponies, which constituted the l>ulk of his worldly possessions, and with these he commenced his farming operations. The first home was a dugout, the .second a sod house, and in each of these the family lived for several years. The present landed ])ossessions of

Mr. Jennings are of a valuable order and represent the splendid reward of tireless efifort. What better praise does a county need than such an achievement on the part of one of its prominent citizens ?

BENJAMIN B. JENNINGS. - This name belongs to a young farmer who was born in Custer county and who is here operating in the region of Cumro, where he has already demonstrated his farming ability and established a home. He is following in a very profitable way the occupation of his choosing and is forcing the soil to pay him lucrative tribute.

Mr. Jennings was born May 12, 188.\ on the home place of his father. John A. Jennings, of whom individual mention is made on other pages of this volume. His entire career to the present time has run its course within the confines of Custer county. Here he passed his boyhood years and searched for knowledge in the common schools - a search which was rewarded in such a way as to make him a good business man and an intelligent citizen.

In 190.S, two days after Christmas, Mr. Jennings led to the marriage altar Miss Matie Overton, who was born March 18, 1888, and who presides over his home and who has been unto him a companionable wife and valuable assistant. Domestic in her inclination, Mrs. Jennings has been a good homemaker and is the fond and careful mother of their two sons, Everett A., born June 22, 1908. and Raymond R.. born January 14, 1911. These energetic lads, full of romp and life, are contributing to the happiness of the home.

Mr. Jennings is farming 160 acres of land which belongs to his father and on which is maintained a splendid set of buildings ample to meet the requirements of all the operations of a farm of this size. General farming, in which croDS are rotated and cereals of all kinds featured, is energetically conducted.

Mr. and Mrs. Jennings are highly respected, have the confidence of a large circle of friends and neighbors and, as the years go by, their toil and eff^ort will bring the reward and the emoluments which shall bless the years of their retirement.

GORDON THOMAS'. - Another young farmer living in the vicinity of Ansley, from which place the rural route brings his mail, is Gordon Thomas, who was but two years old when he came with his parents to Custer county.

county, Missouri, and is a son of George Thomas, whose life sketch is a matter of record in this volume. Since he was but two years of age when he came to Custer, it goes without saying that here Mr. Thomas ran the gamut of his boyhood years and received his education in the public schools. On May 29, 1907, he and Nella Miller plighted their fortunes and joined their lives at the marriage altar. The bride, who came to Custer county when one year of age, is a daughter of J. C. Miller, a Custer county citizen who came with his family from Greene County, Iowa, in 1883. He has been a resident of this county since that times and still lives on his homestead near Ansley.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have had but one child, which died in infancy. The splendid home Mr. Thomas maintains is the direct result of his own energy. He commenced operations when young, and by good judgment and exceeding diligence now owns a well improved farm of 334 acres, on which he does a profitable farming business. The main feature of the stock-raising part of his operation is hogs. He specializes in fat, blocky porkers and they have been in the last few years a source of great profit.

To-day Mr. Thomas would be rated as wellto-do and prosperous, but he has seen pioneer days and remembers the hard times of 1894, at which time his people moved back to Pike county, Missouri, in a covered wagon. Those days, however, are past and gone ; they will never come again ; the development of the land and .its resources have provided for the present generation and secured them against any repetition of fonner calamities.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are members of the Grange and in the matter of politics Mr. Thomas exercises his own judgment. They are a very excellent couple, held in high respect and esteem throughout their community.

GEORGE H. HART. - The mercantile interests of the prosperous little city of Berwyn are well represented by George H. Hart, who has here been the proprietor of a thriving establishment since 1906. Mr. Hart belongs to the energetic, enthusiastic class of business men, and has a wide acquaintance in Custer county, where he has been a resident for thirty years.

Mr. Hart was born in Harrison county, Indiana, January 19, 1876, and is a son of John W. and Maggie (Walter) Hart, both born in Indiana. His father was for many years a merchant in the southern part of the state, and was well alonsf the highway toward success when death overtook him. He was a Catholic in his religious view, and was a man imitormly esteemed and respected in business and social circles. While he never held public office, he was a staunch Democrat. He and his wife became the parents of three children : Katie J. is the wife of J. M. DeVolt, of Custer county ; George H., of this review ; and John, a farmer of the Berwyn community. After her first husband's death Mrs. Hart married George W. McRae, now a successful retired farmer of Berwyn, a sketch of whose career will be found elsewhere in this work.

George H. Hart received his education in the public schools of Indiana and Custer county, having been brought to the west by his mother in 1888. Upon attaining years of maturity he engaged in farming, and continued to be so occupied until 1906, when he turned his attention to commercial affairs, and since then has been busily engaged in building up a lucrative and representative patronage among the people of Berwyn and the surrounding country. Air. Hart carries an attractive and well arranged stock, selected in accordance with the needs of the people of the locality, and his good business management has enabled him to make a decided success of his undertaking. He is a Republican in politics and takes some interest in local government atTairs. but his only public office has been that of member of the school board, he having been on that body for ten years. Fraternally he is a well known Woodman and Odd Fellow, and has passed through the chairs in both lodges. His public-spirited citizenship is well known among his fellow citizens.

Air. Hart was married in I'^OO to Miss .Andrea Christen.sen, who was born in Denmark, a daughter of Jens Christensen, an early settler of Custer county. Mrs. Hart died June 3, 1918, in the faith of the Lutheran church, leaving three children : \'era. Howard, and Harold.

WTLLIAAI O. BOWLEY was one of the first settlers of Custer county, arriving here but one year after the first j^ermanent settlement was made, and it is fitting that in this publication be entered a tribute to his memory. A native of West \'irginia. he was born in Monroe county, December 18, 1838. His parents were Presley and Kancy (Fair) Bowley, who were natives of the Old Dominion, and who there moved in an early day to what is now West \irginia, where they si>ent the remainder of their lives in Monroe countv.

Williame O. Bowley was reared on a farm in his native county and December 26, 1867, he was united in marriage to Aliss Ena Callaway Alinerva Jane Huddleston, who was born in the state of West Virginia, her natal day being Alarch 22, 1847. Her parents, Abraham and Leah ( Bowyer) Huddleston, were natives of \'irginia. the Huddleston family having beeti founded in that historic commonwealth more than 300 years ago.

In the spring of 1875 Air. and Airs. \\'illiam O. Bowley started for the far west, coming by rail to Kearney, Nebraska, and there paying forty dollars for transportation to Loup City, where they remained from Alay until September. They then purchased an o.x team and wagon and came on to Custer county, where they secured a homestead in section 20, township 19. range 21. On this embr}-onic fami they erected a log house with a dirt roof and dirt floor and became permanent settlers of the county - neighbors of Charles R. Alathews, who was the first to locate here, only one year before. Pioneer conditions were on every hand, hardships and privations were to be endured, but these early settlers were people of determination, and obstacles were met and overcome with that fortitude which is possessed by no people in greater measure than the pioneers of a new coimtry. The nearest trading point was Loup City, but when anything worth while was needed the Bowleys had to go to Kearney, and it was not till 1880 that they secured the lumber for a floor in their house. There was an abundance \of cedar trees growing in the canyons and from these they hewed the logs for the house which was the home of the family until was built the frame hou.se which still stands on the old farm. .\ tree claim was added to the old homestead, and here was the scene of activities of this pioneer couple until 1909. when Air. and Airs. Bowley left the farm and retired to .Anselmo. Here on the 6th of .April. 1913. Air. Bowley was called to his final rest, and in his passing his family lost a loving husband and father and the county a loyal citizen and honored pioneer.

Air. and Airs. Bowley were the parents of si.K children, as follows : James R. resides at Taylor, Loup county. Nebraska : D. G. is a farmer north of Merna. Custer county; Oscar resides at Taylor. Nebraska ; .Annie is the wife of I'urt Garrison and they reside in Custer county : John is operating the home farm ; and DeWitt is a business man of Broken Bow.

of these have a place in the general history of Custer county. A few of the personal experiences of this pioneer family will not be out of place in a sketch of this kind.

In the fall of 1880 ;\Ir. Bowley made a trip to Kearney for provisions, and he had started with a load when an awful blizzard came on, and for ten miles he stopped at every house and asked for accommodations in the way of shelter from the storm. At last he stopped at a house where some little children were at home, but the parents, who had gone on a visit or were absent for some other reason, were not at home. The oldest of these children, a girl of about fourteen years, realized how bad the storm was and let Mr. Bowley come in. He was there five days before the storm abated enough for him to continue his journey. The family who played the good Samaritan were Norwegians or Swedes and impressed their guest as being very pious. Whenever they sat down to a meal all would bow their heads and each child would say a few words of thanks. At night before retiring the oldest girl would read a chapter from the Bible and each child would repeat a prayer, all in a language foreign to the stranger. Though not a member of any religious organization, Mr. Bowley was much impressed with the religious fervor of the family and often told the story. It was fortunate that enough of the real early settlers are still with us and can tell of the hardships and experiences of those pioneer days, as they will in years to come be a source of real inspiration to future generations.

^Ir. Bowley accepted religion before his death and Mrs. Bowley has been a Methodist for twenty years. Though past the psalmist's allotted span of three score years and ten, Mrs. Bowlev still manages her own household duties and finds time to assist in Red Cross work, by knitting for the soldiers. The historian would be remiss in his duties did he not enter on the pages of this Custer county history the life record of such sterling pioneers as Mr. and Mrs. Bowley.

CHARLES RICHARD MATHEWS. - One of the unique characters of the present day is the venerable citizen whose full name is paraded in the title line, but who is widely known throughout the county as Judge Mathews, a title which he earned in his official capacity as county judge in an early day. The honor of being the first settler of the county lies between Judge Mathews and Lewis R. Dowse, of Comstock, and Judge Boblits, of the South Loup. These three, and perhaps a few more, constituted the advance guard and are deserving of all the honors to which their early-day sacrifices entitle them.

The Judge is a native of Pocahontas county, Virginia, now West Virginia, at which place he was born March 11, 1838. His father was Samuel G. and his mother Neoma (Hudson) Mathews, both natives of Virginia and the father a direct descendant of Governor Mathews who was the colonial governor of \'irginia, in 1660, and for whom Mathews county, Kentucky, was named. Scotch-Irish blood flows in the Judge's veins and imparts to him the characteristics of that ratio combination.

His boyhood days were spent in his native state, where he attended the public schools and later finished his education in Washington College, an institution which was burned during the Civil war. His people were well-to-<lo when the war broke out, but the region in which they lived was a sort of "no man's land" or a buffer strip of territory between the contending forces.

The Judge was one of a family of seven children. One brother entered the Confederate army and served with distinction, being promoted to the rank of captain. This brother is now a resident of Greenbrier, Mrginia, where he has accumulated a small fortune. The Judge himself was exempt from military duty because of physical disability - a white swelling in one of his limbs made him a life cripple and has handicapped his activities during all his residence in Custer county.

In Alay, 1874, the Judge landed in Custer coimty. He was carried across the Loup river on the back of Harve Andrews, and with a party of friends made his way into the New Helena district, where he located his present homestead and built on it the house he occupies at the present day. At that time the county was unorganized, had no schools, no postoffices, and none of the present-day organized conveniences. The Judge, however, was 3'oung and ambitious and, having received a liberal education, was looked upon as a leader. He probably wrote the first petition that ever requested the organization of a school district. This was presented to the Valley county superintendent of public instruction and secured the organization of the New Helena school district. lUit for a protest on the part of a man named Merchant, this would have been the first district organized in the county. As it turned out, however, it became school district No. 2. The Judge also wrote the first petition presented to the supervisors of the new county after its organization, in whicli he and his neighbors joined in asking for a voting ]3recinct in the vicinity of New Helena, which was granted them. The Judge also holds a commission as postmaster, signed by the postmaster-general under President Grant and designating him as postmaster at New Helena in Kountz county, Nebraska, by which name the county was known before it was organized and christened Custer. The Judge took a hand in early-day politics and in those early days when political affiliations were little heeded he was one of the leading spirits in all public affairs. He was the third county judge elected to serve in Custer county and held the office for two terms, with credit to himself and with valuable service to the county. His homestead, on X'ictoria creek, was one of the best in the county. Low ground and fertile soil made it especially prolific in the production of trees and, consequently, one of the largest groves in the county flanks either bank of the little stream and surrounds his picturesque log cabin. He has retained but eighty acres of his homestead, which has always been rented, owing to the fact that he was not able to work it himself. His habitation is unique. Two cedar cabins, made of solid cedar logs, are, perhaps, twelve by fourteen feet, and stand close together, with doors facing each other in genuine southern style. The only thing lacking to complete the southern architecture is the providing of a roof over the passage-way between them. Here for forty-four years, like King E>avid. the Judge has lived in a house of cedar and here, no doubt, he will end his days. Every pioneer of Custer county will attend his obsequies and bury with honors the Custer county pioneer.

On the Judge's farm is a mineral spring which is said to l>e the only mineral spring in the state of Nebraska. A few years ago he built a warehouse, provided bottling machinery and commenced to ship the mineral products of the spring out into the markets of the world, but owing to his lameness and physical inability to look after the business, he discontinued the operation.

The Judge is a man of rare qualities, with artistic and classic mind. He is a genius with the pen and writes a hand that closely resembles steel ])late. His drawings of birds and flowers, scrolls and escutcheons, engrossed with Latin mottoes and embodying lofty sentiments, are very remarkable and have attracted the attention of all his friends. He has a genius for literature and has written very commendable poetry, some of which embodies his liberal religious views and high ideals of morality.

One of his short poems is published in another chapiter of this volume and pays splendid tribute to the womanhood of the west. His literar)' ideals are artistic and inclined to the classic. His conversation, as well as some of his writings, discloses very readily to the careful observer that the Judge has been a careful stu<lent of Pope's "Essay on Man."

Withal. Custer county has had no more remarkable citizen and one who has rendered more valuable assistance in the development of the county. His political tendencies to-day are toward the Democratic party, with which he affiliates on most national and state propositions, but locally' the Judge has friends in both parties and his sense of justice and honor stimulates him to weigh the individual planes of local candidates and cast his vote accordingly.

The family from which the Judge descends has held the faith of the Presbyterian church and has been very closely allied to the fine old aristocracy of the Mrginia planters. Consequently, the blood of the Cavalier flows in the veins of our distinguished citizen and finds expression in his open-hearted hospitality and courtly manners. Any man, woman, or child who ever met Judge IMathews was heartily welcomed, delightfully entertained, and has ever since that time been his staunch friend.

W'illiaTn H. Kelly was born in Grundy county, Illinois. November 2. 1867, and is a brother of R. J. Kelly, of Merna. who has furnished data for the sketch of the Kelly family, which will be found elsewhere in this volume. William H. Kelly was reared on a farm in Iroquois county, Illinois, where his parents located when he was a child. He and two brothers remained at home and operated the farm until the death of the parents, when the estate was divided and the brothers came to Custer county and bought land.

Mr. Kelly is the owner of the southeast quarter of section 31, township 18, range 21. also 160 acres east of ^lerna, and 320 acres in the north part of the county, this last being used for [xisture land.

In Illinois Mr. Kelly married Miss Frances Spitz, a native of Iroquois county, that state, and they have six children - Olive, Bemice, Walter. Robert, Lawrence, and Margaret - all of whom are still at home.

ty. with a first-class set of improvements, the vahie of the land being enhanced by its proximity to the village of Merna, the corporate limits of which it adjoins. The family are members of the Catholic church and Mr. Kellv is a Democrat in politics.

EBER BARBER, than whom Custer county has no better known or more highly respected pioneer resident, has been identified with the development of this section for almost forty years and has done his full part in bringing about the substantial conditions which make Custer county one of the most desirable parts of Nebraska. Mr. Barber comes of old New England stock, and was born at South Kingston, Rhode Island, September 1, 1848. His parents were James C. and Elizabeth ( Sherman ) Barber, and his grandparents were Moses and Sarah Barber and Eber Sherman, all of South Kingston. Farming has been the general family occupation, and the principles of the Democratic party have been adhered to for generations. The parents of Mr. B.arber were members of the Free Will Baptist church. The names of their children are here given : George, Pardon, Mrs. Mary Fielden, Airs. Elizabeth Dulphy, Mrs. Patience Coon, Eber, and Sarah.

Eber Barber was but nine years old when his father died and little provision had been made for the widow and children beyond the income from the Rhode Island farm, and Eber. as soon as possible, assumed the responsibility of caring for his mother and youngest sister, beginning to work for wages when very young and being elated over the suni his grandfather gave him for picking apples. He remained on the home farm until he was twenty-eight years of age, carrying on its various industries as best he could and in the meanwhile he attended school as opportunity offered. In 1879 he came to Nebraska and located a very valuable claim, which is now known as the old Krutzen ranch, on the South Loup river, and which is now the home place of Judge Eugene J. Boblits. Mr. Barber sold his claim by relinquishment in 1882 and located the land he now owns, six miles northeast of Broken Bow. Here he has 477 acres, 175 of which are under cultivation. All his land is substantially fenced and cross-fenced and among recent improvements made, at a cost of $3,000, is a handsome residence that cost $1,200. An adopted son, George Barber, operates the farm, Mr. Barber and his wife having retired some time since to Broken Bow, where both have many friends. In addition to his other business affairs, Mr.

Mr. Barber was married in April, 1872, at South Coventry, Rhode Island, to Miss Fannie Place, a stepdaughter of Orville Belknap, who came to Nebraska and settled at the forks of Wood river. To that marriage one daughter was born, Alice E. Barber. Mr. Barljer's second marriage took place at Broken Bow, Alarch 10, 1890, when Mrs. Elizabeth Meade became his wife. Her parents were Nathan and Candace S. (W^ard) Whipple, who were natives of Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Barber are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Barber retains a lively interest in the early days of Custer county and can relate many interesting incidents of those times, now all passed away, although they should not be forgotten, for it was through the hardships and privations of pioneer days that the present prosperous and peaceful ones have come.

FRANK H, WEISENVEDER, whose business foresight and large acreage of productive land make him one of Custer county's substantial capitalists, is a native of Nebraska and was born near Aspinwall, in Nemaha county, December 15, 1875. His parents are Edward and Wilhelmina (Rothenberger) Weisenveder. His father was born in Germany and his mother in ]\Iissouri. They had three children : Adelia, who is the wife of Louis E. Higgens, was born in Nebraska prior to the admission of the territory as one of the sovereign states of the LJnion ; Minnie is the wife of John H. Morehead : and Frank H. The parents are members of the Roman Catholic church. The father has been a merchant and also a farmer,

Frank H. Weisenveder attended school at Aspinwall and was fifteen years old when the family came to Custer county and located at Broken Bow. When questioned as to how he earned his first money, Mr. Weisenveder explained that it may have been made through hoeing sunflowers out of a neighbor's field, and while he does not recall the amount he received, he believes he earned all that came to him. While this may not have been the actual foundation of his fortune, it proves that he was industrious in boyhood and this industrious habit has always prevailed, as shown by the fact that to-day Mr. Weisenveder personally superintends all his business affairs. Within the past twenty-two years he has become the owner of great tracts of land, which include 1,100 acres situated one and onehalf miles west of Broken Bow, a half-interest in 1,200 acres situated eight miles north of

Broken Bow, and 27^ acres that he devotes to the production of alfalfa. This alfalfa farm is very profitable, as the alfalfa can he cut three times a year with an average crop of from 500 to 700 tons. As mentioned above, Mr. Weisenveder keeps the management of this large estate in his own hands, and through good judgment and business enterprise he is not only setting a good example but is also adding to his substance. Mr. Weisenveder is a Republican in his political views and fraternally is an Odd Fellow.

Mr. Weisenveder was married Mav 12, 1898, at Broken Bow, to Miss Rita Herbert, who is a daughter of Mitchell G. and Martha ( Simms j Herbert, and a granddaughter of George Simms. Mr. and Mrs. Weisenveder have two children, Edwin H. and Louise R.

ALBERT L. JUKER. - Two generations of the Juker family have contributed to the development of the handsome farm, near Berwyn, which is now the property of Albert L. Juker, a resident of Custer county since his eighth year, when his pioneer father, the late John Juker, brought him to a new homestead. During the thirty-six years that have followed, numerous changes have taken place on the farm, its owners having kept fully abreast of the developments being made throughout the county along all lines.

Albert L. Juker was born in Adams county, Indiana, October 22, 1874, a son of John and Anna ( Summers ) Juker, natives of Switzerland. The parents were married in their native land, following which they lived there for two years, and within that time one child was born to them. Coming then to the L'nited States, they settled in Indiana, where, in Adams county, the father followed farming. Mr. Juker had the industry and thrift of his race, and worked hard and managed his affairs carefully, but in spite of his be.st efforts he did not make progress that was satisfactorj- to himself, and eventually he came to the conclusion that in the west better opportunities were to be found for the establishment and building up of a home and the making of a position. In 1882 he brought his family to Custer county, where he took up both a timber claim and a homestead and started in to build up his fallen fortunes. At the time of his arrival he was possessed of nothing in the way of material capital, but his energ\' and ambition were sufificient to make up for -his lack of means, and after some years of discouragement he began to make progress, with the result that at the time of his death he was one of the substantial men of the community, the owner of a good farm, and known as a man who had overcome obstacles and gained success in an honorable and straightforward manner. Mr. Juker was a Democrat, but not a politician, and public life never held out any inducements to him. He and Mrs. Juker, who survives him, were the parents of nine children, six of whom are deceased, the survivors being: Sarah, who is the widow of George W. Deardoff, and lives in Custer county : Emma, also a widow, who lives with her brother on the homestead : and Albert L.

Albert L. Juker was eight years of age when he accompanied his parents to Custer county, and here he secured his education in the public schools. Reared as a farmer, he adopted that calling when he reached years of maturity, and at the present time he is the owner of 160 acres of good land, a part of the original homestead. Mr. Juker at one time was the owner of a full section of good Custer county soil, but he has recently disposed of a threequarter section. He carries on general fanning, and is well versed in all branches of his business, so that he has always received ample returns from his labors and has made his land pay him in full measure for all the work he has expended upon it. In more recent years Mr. Juker has spent much time in making improvements. When the family first settled here the only habitation was a sod house, and other improvements were of the most primitive kind. ]\Ir. Juker has erected substantial barns and outbuildings, provided good fences and other equipment, and has just completed the building of a beautiful home.

Mr. Juker is a bachelor. He is a Republican in his political views, and his main connection of a social character is found in his membership in the local Grange.

FRANK BAKER. - One of the prominent and truly representative men of Custer county is Frank Baker, who is president of the Fanners State Bank at Ansley, and who has other large and important interests in the county. He belongs to an early pioneer family and has spent almost all his life in Nebraska, to which state his devotion is as sincere as if he were a native son. He was born August 18, 1866, in Poweshiek county, Iowa, and is one of a family of twelve children.

When Frank Baker accompanied his parents to Nebraska he was about six years old. They settled at first in York county, where he had early school opportunities, and in 1878 the family came to Custer county, where the father homesteaded and lived until his death, in 1918. Mr. Baker has continued to live on the homestead all through its devlopnient from a wild piece of land to a richly cultivated tract which he devotes to mixed farming, while his valuable stock graze over many acres of other land that he has acquired from time to time. For a number of years Air. Baker has been a leading financier in the county, and as president of the Farmers State Bank of Ansley, he enjoys the confidence of the public generally. He has taken an active interest in other local enterprises of recognized merit and his public spirit has many times been sufficiently exercised to warrant his reputation as an earnest and able citizen of the county. For the past ten years he has been treasurer of Westerville school district No. 39.

At Westerville, Nebraska, March 16, 1890, Mr. Baker was united in marriage to ]\Iiss Margaret Gardner, who is a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Allen) Gardner. Mr. and JNIrs. Baker have the following children : Lizzie, who was born May 26. 1891 ; Tina, who was born March 4, 1893 ; Herbert, who was born January 6, 1907, and who was killed by accident September 27, 1918 ; Glenn, who was born March 28, 1911; and Wade, who was born March 30, 1913. Mr. Baker and his family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he is a Republican and fraternally is an Odd Fellow and has served in the offices of the lodge at Ansley, while Mrs. Baker is a member of the auxiliary order of the Daughters of Rebekah.

ANDREW F. ALLEN. - That so rich and productive a section as Custer county, Nebraska, should ever have entailed hardships on its early settlers seems scarcely possible now, but records of the pioneer days of the early '80s prove that sturdy qualities belonged to the men and women who came here and remained. The Allen family belonged to this class and it is the Allen farm, situated in section 16, township 17, range 18, Custer county, that is declared to be one of the best improved and most valuable in the township. Its present owner, Andrew F. Allen, is one of the extensive farmers and stock-raisers in this section, and is a highly respected citizen.

Andrew F. Allen was born May 22, 1879, in the city of Dublin, Ireland. His parents were Andrew and Sarah (Foster) Allen, the father being a native of Ireland and the mother of Scotland. They had six children, namely : Mattie, who is talented and highly educated, is a teacher in the L'niversity of Nebraska, at

Lincoln ; George, who married Dolly Gager, is a rairoad contractor and lives in Denver ; Margaret resides in Denver ; Lena remains on the Allen homestead ; Andrew F. is the immediate subject of this sketch; and William carries on farming operations on the old place.

The parents of Andrew F. Allen came to the United States with their children and in 1880 settled seven miles east of Lincoln, Nebraska, where they remained three years. In 1883 they came to Custer county and they soon made comfortable the little sod house that was their first home and that was situated on school section No. 16, the father also prudently securing a tree claim. At first there were few school privileges possible, but by the time Andrew F. Allen reached school age he was not deprived of educational advantages. Industry and thrift were household slogans, and through persistent elifort, and in spite of hardship and privation, the parents lived to enjoy the fruits of their work. The father passed away in September, 1905, and the mother is still living on the old farm.

December 30, 1906, recorded the marriage of Andrew F. Allen to Miss Edna Mills, one of a family of thirteen children born to Fabius D. and Louisa (Copsey) Mills. Mr. and Mrs. Allen have the following children : Margaret, who was born May 12. 1909; Hazel, who was born April 21, 1911; Clarence, who was born February 1. 1913 ; and Frank and Lucile, twins, who were born January 30, 1917. Mr. Allen and his family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he is not identified with any party but does his own thinking, and votes accordingly. He has always been an advocate of good roads and of all those things which promote good government, good feeling, and neighborlv interest and harmonv.

FRANK KALOUS is one of the sterling citizens contributed to Custer county by the fine old province of Bohemia, and from this source our county has had much to gain and nothing to lose. Nowhere can be found a better type of progressive, hard-working people than those in whose veins flows the red blood of historic Bohemia. Sixty-three years ago. in Bohemia. Frank Kalous was born, and his first papers in application for citizenship in the United States were filed in the year 1882. He is a son of Joseph and Frances (Kadevish) Kalous, honest and industrious folk who immigrated to America in 1882 and became pioneers in Nebraska. The father entered claim to a homestead in Box Butte county and after perfecting his title to this property he finally transferred his residence to Custer county, where both he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives, he having seen seventy-seven years at the time of his death and his widow having; passed away at the age of seventy-nine years and nine months. The remains of both were laid to rest in a cemetery in Dawson county.

Krank Kalous was reared to manhood in his native land, and in his determination to find wider opportunities for the winning of independence and prosperity he found in the United States a veritable land of promise. He has pioneer distinction as a resident of Nebraska and is one of the highly esteemed citizens of Custer county. He maintains his home in the village of Sumner, and here most pleasing family reunions are held at intervals. He is a stone-mason and plasterer by trade and vocation, and is known as a proficient workman in this field of enterprise, in which he controls a prosperous business. Mr. Kalous, as a loyal citizen of the land of his adoption, takes lively interest in public afifairs, and while a resident of Box Butte county he served as road overseer and school director. He is at the present time a member of the Sumner Home Guards, and is actively affiliated with the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He and his family hold earnestly to the faith of the Catholic church, and constitute a valuable asset in the community life. Of the children of the first marriage of Mr. Kalous three are living - Frank, Jr., who is married and who resides in Sumner, Nebraska ; Mrs. Anna Omara, who resides on a farm in Colorado, as does also Mrs. Fannie Ouigle.

On the 17th of Jufv, 188.S, Mr. Kalous wedded Mary Kudera. who was bom in Bohemia, and concerning the children of this union the following brief record is entered : Mary is the wife of Samuel Radcliff and they reside in York county, Nebraska ; Mrs. Grace Caloup resides at Alda, Hall county: Mrs. Victoria Erwin is a resident of Eddyville, Dawson county ; Elmer is a farmer in Colorado : Joe, who entered service as a soldier in the ranks of those preparing to take part in the world war, is now at the parental home : Mrs. Emma Sheldon, twin sister of Joe, resides at Eddyville, Dawson county.

GEORGE T. BAILEY is a sterling pioneer who has been a resident of Custer county since 1884 and who has established a name and reputation as one of the foremost citizens of the north Arnold territory, the while he

George T. Bailey was born in Spencer county, Kentucky, on the 13th of December, 1855, and is a son of George W. and Winifred (Hite) Bailey, both of whom were likewise born in the fine old Bluegrass state. The maternal grandparents of George T. Bailey also were Kentuckians, and thus he may claim a full share of the excellent blood that has made that favored commonwealth one of great historic importance and interest. Mr. Bailey was the third in order of birth in a family of seven children - Airs. Mary Sands, Mrs. Amanda Green, George T., John S., Henry E., Lorenzo, and Mrs. Courtney B. Philpott. During the most of the boyhood and youth of the subject of this review his parents maintained their home in Davies county, Kentuckv, and there he acquired his early education in the public schools of the period. It was there also he earned his first money - a fifteen-cent scrip piece which he received in compensation for work in his uncle's barn. He invested this stupendous capital in a "Barlow knife," and it may be said that it will probably require an "old-timer" to make perfectly clear to the rising generation what a Barlow knife was. The knife thus acquired by Mr. Bailey was soon lost, however, and by it not much damage was done in whittling operations on the home or schoolhouse furniture.

When Mr. Bailey had attained the age of twenty years he decided that it was time for him to take unto himself a wife, and accordingly, on the 16th of January, 1876. in Daviess county, Kentucky, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Elizabeth Green, a daughter of Jackson and Lucinda (Phillips) Green. The parents of the bride were Kentucky people, and so the new Bailey household was to be formed by a confluence of Kentucky blood flowing in frQm both ancestral courses. Mrs. Bailey is one of a family of five children and is one of the two now living, her brother, James K., being a resident of Dewey, Oklahoma. One sister, Mrs. Lucinda Shoemaker, was a resident of Custer county at the time of her death.

Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have always maintained an attractive and hospitable home - a home in which the fine southern hospitalitv as exemplified in Kentucky has at all times been in evidence. They became the parents of nine children, all of whom are living except one daughter, Leona A., who died in infancy. Concerning the surviving children it is pleasing to made a brief record at this juncture. Walter

S. married Josephine Porter and they have five children. They are members of the Christian Union church. James H., who is a rural mail carrier, resides at Arnold. He is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He married Miss Wilda Hurless and they have three children. Lou is the wife of Bert Nelson, of Buckley, Washing^ton, and they have three children. They are Presbyterians in their religious affiliations. Winifred E. is the wife of Henry Strassburg. a farmer near Arnold, and they are the parents of five children. They hold membership in the Methodist church. Mamie is the wife of Fred Hircock. a farmer on the West Table in Custer county, and they are members of the Christian Union church. They have four children. Mabel is the wife of George Kruser, a farmer near .\rnold, and they have four children. They hold the faith of the Methodist church. Lida is the wife of Charles S'eaney. another of the prosperous farmers of the Arnold community, and they have one child. They are members of the Methodist church. Burton married Miss Ruby Zimmerman and they reside on a farm near Lantry. South Dakota. They have three children.

In 1884 George T. Bailey came with his family to Custer county and located on a home.stead seven miles distant from the present village of Arnold. Here he still maintains his residence and here he has recently erected one of the best farm houses on the Arnold edge of the East Table. He is the owner of 320 acres of good land and has accumulated his property principally through his operations in the raising and handling of live stock. He is inclined to the belief that in this field of industrial enterprise hogs have been more profitable than cattle or other stock. The Baileys are known far and wide for their upright, religious lives, and the hospitality of their homes. Mr. Bailey is proud to relate that one of his great-grandfathers. Rev. Mr. Hickman, was a clergyman of the Baptist church and that as such he preached the first Baptist sermon ever delivered in Kentucky. He delivered this earnest address in the open air, under an elm tree, and special reference to and record of the event appear prominently in the history of the Baptist church of that state. It can be consistently said that in Custer county one may ride all day and not find better people than the Baileys.

professional and agricultural interests of Custer county and he has established a lasting reputation for medical skill, agricultural ability, business integrity, and personal probity. In the evening of life he is living somewhat in retirement, and during the last seven years the greater part of his time has been spent in California, but no record of Custer county and the accomplishments of its representative men would be complete that did not include a review of his career.

Dr. Talbot was born at Danville, Indiana, March 16, 1847, a son of Willis and Nancy ( McCoun) Talbot, and a grandson of Louis Talbot, a native of Virginia, who spent the greater part of his life as a farmer in Kentucky. The maternal grandfather was Robert McCoun, a stock dealer, who died in Indiana. The parents of Dr. Talbot were born near Paris, Kentucky, where they were married, and on horseback they started from their home in the Bluegrass state for Indiana, eventually settling in Hendricks county, where they passed the remaining years of their lives as farmers. Mrs. Talbot was a member of the Baptist church, and while her husband was not affiliated with any denomination he was a believer in religion and a supporter of church movements. He was a Republican in political belief. Of the ten children of this worthy couple, four are living: Robert C. ; Charles W., an attorney and surveyor of Hanford, California; Scottie, the wife of Charles Sheetz, a farmer of Danville, Indiana; and Florence, the widow of John English, of Indianapolis, Indiana.

After attending Danville (Indiana) Academy, Robert C. Talbot enrolled as a student at Miami Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was duly graduated with his degree, in 1870, and he at once began the practice of his profession at Syivania. Indiana, where he remained for five years. Later he spent a like period at Pittsboro, Indiana, but in 1879 he came west to Nebraska, taking up a homestead near Berwyn. a property which he still owns. In 1884 he moved to Broken Bow, having been elected county treasurer, and that city continued to be his home for a number of years. One of the earliest physicians of Custer county, he practiced over a wide territory, winning the confidence, regard, and affection of a large clientele and steadily advancing to a place of prominence in his profession. He was a leading member of the Custer County Medical Societ)', of which he served as president for several years, and belonged to the Nebraska State Medical Society, among the members of which he was held in the highest esteem. In 1911 Dr. Talbot retired from the practice of his profession and since that time he has passed the greater part of his time in Cahfornia. During the time that he was practicing medicine and surgery with so much success, Dr. Talbot was not neglecting his farming interests, and his faith in the future of Custer county took the form of investment in prop^erty. He accumulated large tracts, solely through his own efforts, and until recently owned 840 acres of land, but he has just disposed of 400 acres. Mrs. Talbot also is one of the landowners of the Berwyn locality, where she holds 240 acres.

Dr. Talbot was married December 25, 1869, to Miss Hattie Warrick, who was born at Pittsboro, Indiana, and to this union there were born three children : Willis E., a graduate of the Omaha Medical College and now with the medical staff of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, with the rank of major ; Claris, who is carrying on operations on the homestead farm near Berwyn ; and Mrs. H. F. Kennedy, of Broken Bow. Dr. and Mrs. Talbot are consistent members of the Baptist church. He has always been a supporter of the principles of the Republican party, and frequently has been called upon by his fellow citizens to represent them in offices of public trust. In addition to having served as county treasurer for four years, he was a member of the board of trustees of Broken Bow during the early days, and rendered valuable service as a member of the board of school directors, for eight years. The Doctor's militar)' record consists of 100 days' service during the Civil war, when he was a private in Company H, One Hundred and Thirty-second Indiana Volunteer Infantry.

CHESTER A. KLINKMAN, who is a substantial and prosperous young farmer of Custer county, belongs to Nebraska by birth, rearing, and education, and is a fine specimen of the type of young manhood of which the state is justly proud. Mr. Klinkman was born in Polk county, Nebraska, September 21, 1890. His parents are Frank and Caroline E. (Timm) Klinkman, the former of whom was born in St. Joseph county, Michigan, and the latter in Wisconsin, their children being as follows: Chester A., Edith, Mrs. Mattie Booker, Lillie, Roy and Ruth (twins), Vida and Vera (twins), Harold, and Ivan.

Chester A. Klinkman grew up on the home farm and obtained his education in the public schools. His early and practical training on the home farm has been of great benefit and he is considered one of the most capable and enterprising young agriculturists of Cusfter county. He came here with the family when his father located, in 1905, in the northeastern part of Wayne township, and went right to work improving the homestead and taking a deep interest in developing this section. He now owns 320 acres of fine land, devoting it to grain and stock, and has made an admirable showing of what intelligent industry along agricultural lines can accomplish. His activities now provide him with a large income, but he remembers when the money he received as a boy, for shocking corn and cutting sunflowers, was very acceptable and very carefully expended.

Mr. Klinkman has never been very active politically and has never desired public office. Nevertheless he has taken note of all that is occurring in his own and in other countries and stands ready to do his patriotic part when duty calls. He was reared in a Christian family and from principle lends his influence in favor of temperance, education, and religion - proved agencies working for the general welfare. Mr. Klinkman is still arrayed in the ranks of eligible young bachelors in Custer county.

ADOLPH PETERSON. - Few of the settlers who came to Custer county in the early '80s have done so well as Adolph Peterson, who now lives retired from active work, and whose present beautiful and comfortable home is in Gothenburg, Dawson county. Many others came to the county in 1884, but not all of them were as industrious as Mr. Peterson, nor did all possess the same foresight and good judg^ient in making investments. Mr. Peterson is one of the county's heaviest land-owners, and his agricultural operations were always carried on with the extreme care and frugal methods that he learned in his native country. Mr. Peterson was born in Sweden, August 27, 1853. His parents were Peter Erickson and Stina (Grita) Peterson, who had three children. John and Adolph surviving.

Adolph Peterson was only six months old when his father died. He was three years old when his mother married again, and he worked for his stepfather and later for himself, receiving wages of fifty cents a day for farm work, exclusive of board, the ploughing being then done with oxen. Labor conditions were not satisfactory to a young man with ambition, and this led ^Ir. Peterson to think of immigrating to the United States. In the year following his marriage he and wife crossed the ocean and came as far west as Chicago. In that city he worked at different occupations, but, as he was anxious to secure land and engage in agricultural pursuits, he found that if he were to realize his ambition he must go farther west. In 1884 he came to Custer county, Nebraska, and located two miles west of Etna postofifice, on the Odencrantz Table. He was able to secure this homestead for a reasonable price and he still owns the property, although tempting offers have frequently been made for it. He continued to live on that place until 1909, when he retired, on account of failing health, and at that time he removed to Gothenburg. Mr. Peterson is fortunate enough to have well trained farmer sons, and they have ever since capably managed 555 acres. He owns 1,920 acres and a school section. When he bought this land he paid from three to ten dollars an acre, and in 1917 he was offered fifty dollars an acre for the land that had no improvements whatever except fencing. Adolph Peterson was married October 4, 1879, to ^Nliss Ida Johnson, who was the third in order of birth of the four children Ixjrn to John and Louise (Carlson) Johnson, the other ciiildren being: P. A., Wolfrey, and Emma. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have six children : Mrs. Nannie Erickson is a widow; William G., who lives on his own farm situated east of Etna, is still a bachelor; Elmer, who operates land for his father situated two miles west of Etna, is likewise a bachelor; Arthur, who is a farmer four miles southwest of Etna, married Anna W'eathers ; Harry is operating his father's land in association with his brother Arthur ; and Louise has been a school teacher for the last four years. Mr. Peterson and his family are members of the Swedish Mission church, and they are people who command the highest respect and esteem. Though they have never been very active in political matters, the father and sons in their voting have always supported sturdy and honest candidates for office.

JOHN P. ANDERSON. - A resident of Custer county for thirty years, John P. Anderson now belongs to the retired colony at Gothenburg, Dawson county, after a career characterized by industrious cultivation of the soil, active participation in the developing movements of this part of Nebraska, and good and public-spirited citizenship in the matters that have been factors in the community's civic, educational, and moral growth. Mr. Anderson is a native of Sweden, born at Westervik, Gothland. February 3, 1855. a son of Andrew A. and Elizabeth M. f Nelson) Anderson, natives of the same country. There were four children in the family: Alfretl N., Mrs. Sopha Jacobson, John P.. and Charles W.

John P. Anderson received a common-school education in his native land, where he began to work for his father on the home farm, at the age of twenty-one years, and he continued as a wage-earner for several years after his marriage. In May, 1888. ]\Ir. Anderson, who in his native land had not made all the progress that he desired, immigrated to the Lhiited States and at once came to Custer county, where he had been preceded by a number of his countrymen. He had some small capital, which, with his native thrift, he had been able to save from his earnings - enough at least, to make a substantial payment on 160 acres of railroad land, situated five miles south of Etna. There he continued to be engaged in farming for many years, cultivating his land with care and skill, adding improvements from time to t'me and erecting new buildings, and eventually converting what had been useless and valueless property into one of the finest cultivated farming estates in the southwestern part of Custer county. Mr. Anderson, continuing as a general farmer and stock-raiser, managed his business affairs with such success that he was able to add to his holdings from time to time, and he now has 800 acres, in addition to various other investments. While he is p'ractically retired from active pursuits, he is still ready and capable of giving excellent service, and liolds himself in readiness to assist his boys whenever assistance is necessary. Among the citizens of Custer counts- Mr. Anderson is known as an industrious man of high principles, excellent business ability, and utmost personal probity. He has their respect for what he has accomplished and the manner in which he has achieved it. Public life has never been attractive enough, nor political rewards strong enough, to take his attention from the cultivation of the soil, and he has been contented to carry his career straight through as a representative of the agricultural interests of his community.

Mr. Anderson was married, in Sweden, June 7, 1879, to Miss Augusta Nelson, who was born in that country, daughter of Nels and Mary (Moseberg) Nelson, natives of that country. To this union there were born four children : Mrs. Anna O. Anderson lis deceased ; Fred J. is a stock-raiser and farmer, who is renting a part of his father's land, and he is an energetic and progressive agriculturist ; Charles E., a successful and skillful farmer and stock-raisei', one and one-half miles .southeast of Etna, married Hattie E. Peterson, a daug-hter of Henry Peterson, and they have one daughter ; and Ezekiel F. is more fully mentioned in the concluding paragraph of this review. The parents hold membership in the Lutheran church.

Ezekiel F. Anderson was born in Custer county, January 6. 1893, and passed his boyhood on his father's farm, dividing- his time between attending the district school and assisting his father and brothers in the cultivation and development of the soil. After his graduation from Boyle's Business College, at Omaha, he was for several months bookkeeper in the Gothenburg Bank, but eventually he returned to farming, and he now owns and operates 320 acres of land, of which he is giving ninety acres to wheat, the crop which proved so essential in winning the great war. Mr. Anderson was in the selective draft and was ready to do his part as a soldier of the nation, but the world conflict came to a close before he was called to the colors.

CHARLEY LONGFELLOW. - The subject of this record was born on the old homestead in Custer county, November 10, 1885. He was reared on the farm and attended the public schools, assisting his father in the operation of the old place until four years ago, when he rented land and engaged in farming independently. He is a Republican and a member of the Broken Bow camp of the Modern Woodmen of America. He was past thirty-one when the draft was made June 5,

1918, he was registered and stood ready to offer his sen'ices whenever his country needed him. He is a son of John R. Longfellow, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume.

OLAF G. ANDERSON represents the sturdy, progressive type of citizens which has been furnished Custer county by Sweden. When he first came to this community he had little experience in agricultural industry and was forced to work out his own problems, but he possessed willingness and the inherent ability, and so well did he direct and manage his affairs that in 1911 he was able to retire, when still in the prime of life, with a satisfying competence. He is now accounted one of the substantial citizens of Gothenburg, in the adjacent county of Dawson, where he is the owner of a beautiful home.

and was one of a family of four children, of whom three sons survive. He received a common-school education and resided with his parents on the home farm until he reached the age of twenty-one years, at which time he immigrated to the United States and located in Rock Island county, Illinois, where for one year he worked on a farm. For si.x years thereafter he was engaged in coal-mining, and in 1884 he came to Custer county, Nebraska, and purchased one-half section of land, in section 21, about two miles northwest of Etna, a village whose site at that early date was about six miles east of the present town. Later, in May, 1888, he brought his family here and located on a homestead adjoining the property named. There he lived five years, during which time he experienced all the hardships incident to a life on the frontier, the hauling of the greater part of his water a distance of nine miles being only one of the many things which made existence hard during those days. After five years, when he had perfected title to his homestead. Mr. Anderson moved to the purchased land, on which he erected a beautiful and commodious residence and also other substantial farm buildings, besides making other improvements. He continued to be engaged in the raising of livestock and in general farming until 1911, in which vear he and his wife retired from active pursuits and moved to Gothenburg, where they now reside, surrounded by every comfort and by a wide circle of friends and well-wishers. They had passed through the days when the merest conveniences were not to be thought of, and it was necessary that the children drive three miles to school, but Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were determined that the children should have good educational advantages beyond those implied in the rudimentary branches. Thus the children were so well prepared that they all became school teachers, and all were also given musical education. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, in addition to their property at Gothenburg, are the owners of 960 acres of valuable Custer county land.

Mr. Anderson was married May 27, 1887, at Ro:k Island, Illinois, to Miss Hilda E. J. Rosell, daughter of John F. and Eva G. (Bergstrom) Rosell, who were members of the Lutheran church, and who came from Sweden to the L'nited States in 1867, settling at r>erlin (now Swedona), Illinois, where Mr. Rosell followed the occupation of bridge-builder. There were nine children in the Rosell family, of whom eight are living: Alfred, Mrs. Hilda E. J. Anderson, Mrs. Cecelia E. Bursche, Mrs. Emma S. Burke, Mrs. Sadie

A. Anderson, Arthur. Mrs. ^linnie M. Engstrom, and Lawrence E. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson became the parents of five children : Mrs. Mand E. Peterson died August 5. 1912, at Gothenburg; Minnie M. is the wife of Michael H. Rosentratcr, a farmer near Etna postoffice. and they have a son and a daughter: Emma C. Anderson is the wife of Albert Anderson, a farmer two miles northwest of Etna, and they have two daughters and one son: Miss Sadie E., who has been a teacher in the public schools for five years, resides with her parents at Gothenburg; and Robert G. is deceased.

Mr. Anderson has not sought public office, but is a man who has been indifferent to no call for support of worthy public movements, and his status in his community is that of a reliable, constructive, and public-spirited citizen.

WILLIAM C. HUFFMAN, who has lived in Nebraska since 1875, is one of the intelligent, enterprising farmers and well educated men of this state and owns and operates the old Charles Shell homestead, which is situated six miles northeast of Broken Bow. He comes of sturdy old Pennsylvania-Dutch stock and was born near Muncy. in Lvcoming countv. Pennsylvania, .\ugust 1.^. 1870. the eldest of the four children of Martin F. and Amanda (Shell! Huffman. The mother of Mr. Huffman was born near Turbotsville. Pennsylvania, a daughter of Jonas Shell, and she died in Nebraska, in February, 1917. Martin F. Huffman was born near Muncy. Pennsylvania, a son of Daniel C. and ?klary (Frymire) Huffman. He has always been a farmer and when he came to Nebraska, in 1875. he settled with his family on railroad land, near Aurora, where he still lives. He is a faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as was also his wife. Thev became the parents of four children - William C. Ella L.. Guy E., and Maizie.

William C. Huffman was four and one-half years old when his parents brought him to Nebraska and he grew up in Hamilton county. In boyhood he attended the common schools and later he spent one year in the Wesleyan University, for one year was a student in the normal school at Lincoln, and also took a business course. Mr. Huffman has found his education very helpful in solving agricultural problems and has built up a substantial reputation as a progressive and judicious farmer.

E. Pendell. who is a daughter of Willianj L. Pendell, the family name of her mother having been Slonecker. Mr. and Mrs. Huffman have no children. They attend the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics, like his father, ^Ir. Huffman is an independent thinker and voter, and he affiliates with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

JOHN R. LONGFELLOW, a well known and highly respected retired farmer living at Broken Bow. was for many years active in agricultural industries in Custer county and still retains the ownership of his original homestead farm. He is a native of Illinois, born in De Witt county, July 11. 1855. His parents were Moses R. and Alalinda (Br^^e) Longfellow, his father being a native of Ohio and his mother of Indiana. All his life his father was a farmer and both parents were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They had five children - John R.. J. Edward, Mrs. Mary Thomas, Mrs. Ella Bryan, and Moses N.

John R. Longfellow lived in De Witt and Logan counties, Illinois, in his boyhood. His advantages were meager in every wav. as his father was an invalid for many years and thus heavy responsibilities fell on the oldest son. He attended school whenever he could be spared from home duties, and made the best of his opportunities. It was in 1882 that his attention was called particularly to Custer county, Nebraska, and in the spring of that year he came here and settled on the fine place which he still owns and which is situated six miles west of Broken P.ow. There he lived continuously for thirty-three years. During this time he has not only improved and developed his own property but has also taken a good citizen's interest in comity affairs generally. He votes the Republican ticket.

Mr. Longfellow was married June 12. 1884, at Aurora, Nebraska, to Miss Catherine Philipsen, who is a daughter of John J. and Mary (Stone) Philipsen. the paternal grandparents having been Abraham and Rcnettie ( Seick) Philipsen. Mrs. Longfellow's father was born in Germany, but her mother was born in \\'abash county. Illinois, a daughter of Herman and Catherine ( Besley) Stone. Mrs. Longfellow was the firstlx)rn of fourteen children, nine of whom grew to maturity, as follows : Catherine is the wife of the subject of this review; Augusta is the wife of George Harget. a laborer living at Seward. Nebraska, and they have three sons and one daughter, the eldest son, John, being, at the time of- this writing, a soldier in the national army ; Edmund F., who is farming in Custer county, iour miles northwest of Broken Bow, married Phoebe Freels and they have six daughters and three sons : Elizabeth, who died in July, 1915, was the wife of Joseph Dagan, a saw-mill worker at Portland, Oregon, and they had one son, Cornelius ; John is married and is a farmer near Scottsbluff, Nebraska ; Rosettie Hannah is the wife of Roy Hannah, a ranchman, and they have three children, their eldest son being in the United States navy at the time this article is written ; Irene is the wife of John Hannah, a farmer, and they have five children ; William, who carries the mail between Dunning and Brewster, married Ethel Wymore and they have one son ; and Anna is the wife of Albert Brown, a farmer, and they have three children. Mr. and Mrs. Longfellow have seven children : Mrs. Daisy Kindness, Charley. John R., Jr., Mrs. Lillie Brong, and Alice, Florence, and Esther. The last two are at home. Charley is individually mentioned on another page of this work, and Alice is employed in the war del^artment ofifice in Washington, D. C. Mr. Longfellow and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. In the fraternal order of the Modern Brotherhood of .America Mr. Longfellow is a valued member.

DANIEL H. FISHER. - Some persons maintain there is nothing in a name, but Daniel H. Fisher's father seems to have believed otherwise, and as young Daniel grew up he proved by his push and energy that his father had named him well. While he was never cast in a lions' den. he overcame many difficulties that would have discouraged a less selfreliant and determined spirit.

For the purnose of beginning the new year right. Daniel F. Fisher was born on the l«;t of January. 1873, the place of his nativity having been in Saline county, Nebraska, where his father had located upon coming to Nebraska, from Washington. Kansas, at the tinie of the Civil war. He whose name initiates this review is a son of Frederick T. and Mary A. (Triplett) Fisher, the former having been born in \'ermont and the latter in Indiana. This sterling Nebraska pioneer couple became the parents of ten children - Mrs. Mary J. Holcomb ; William F. and Armina Foster f twins), the latter being deceased : Willard J. : Linnie B. Wheeler; Daniel H., the immediate subject of this sketch; Gayther F. ; Guy E. : Carrie M. Kaiser : and Molet M. Kaiser.

The early educational advantages of Daniel H. Fisher were those afforded in the rural schools, and as a boy and youth he gained full fellowship with the work of a pioneer Nebraska farm. He has stated that as a boy he dreamed of gaining fame as a "Little Buckshot" or a "BuiTalo Bill" of the wild and wooly west, but as time passed, he conformed his views to the circumstances by which he was governed and made his ambition one of productive achievement. In 1896, by his thrift and industry, he had accumulated sufficient money to come to Custer county and initiate independent operations as a farmer. Here he rented land for three years, and thereafter he purchased 320 acres in Rose valley, east of Broken Bow. He made this the stage of his activities and marked his possession of the property by efifective and progressive management. Eventually he sold this land in Rose valley, and he now owns a valuable tract of 465 acres of fine land, in what is known as Dutchman valley, four miles east of Broken Bow. Here he and his good wife are enjoying the comfort and pro.sperity which are justly their due - a fitting reward for former years of earnest toil and endeavor. Mrs. Fisher has done her share in the developing and upbuilding of this beautiful farm home. She has efficiently marketed the surplus produce from the garden, as well as butter and eggs in excess of the amount demanded in the home, and thus has defrayed a large part of the cost of groceries and other current expenses, the while her husband has given his attention to raising corn to fatten cattle and hogs and to producing crops that aided him in paying for his land. Mr. Fisher to-day is rated among the substantial farmers of the countv' and is always found ready to lend his co-operation and support to any public enterprise advanced for the betterment of the community in which he lives.