Custer County, Nebraska - Founders and Builders, 1919 (part 15 of 32)

Joseph Moroney accompanied his parents to Custer county and the old homestead has always been the scene of his activities, first as a young man assisting his father in the operation of the farm, and. after the death of his father, by his coming into possession of the property. He has added to the original acreage and is to-day the owner of 580 acres. The sod house has been replaced by a modern frame dwelling, erected two years ago. equipped with electric lights, pipeless furnace heat, and hot and cold water. It is a beautiful countr}- home and speaks well for the progressive spirit of its owner.

In Custer county, on the 9th of November, 1898. ]Mr. Moroney married ^liss Elizabeth Farritor. a native of Pennsylvania, and a daughter of James and Ann ( McDonald ) Farritor. of whom further mention is made on other pages of this history. Mr. and Mrs. ^loroney have become the parents of five children, all of whom are still at home. Their names are: John F.. Monica Marie. Josephine Elizabeth. Coletta Angela, and Thomas J.

CHRIS NELSON. - This is the story of one of the very early settlers, the man who had hair-raising experiences and pas.sed through all the hardships and privations inci-

Chris Nelson was born February 1, 1849, in Denmark. His father was Nels Christensen and his mother Anna M. Nelson, each descended from a long Danish line, and they had four children : Rasmus, Christina. Chris, and Anna. Nels Christensen, the father, came to the United States when young Chris was so small that he cannot remember. It was the intention of the father to make money as fast as he could, but things did not go as well with him here as he expected. When the Civil war broke out, he enlisted in a cavalry regiment under General Crook, as a substitute for a rich man's son, and he served three years, rendering valuable service. Just before being mustered out, he was one of the guards that held the Lincoln assassins. He received a wound at Vicksburg. After the war, the little money that he had he was persuaded to invest in an oil proposition, which proved to be a kind of "get-rich-quick" scheme that worked only one way, and that way was not in the direction of the investor. The investment was lost and there was no money to send for the family. The mother worked hard, kept the little family together, gave them the advantages of school and Chris kept himself busy and managed to learn the blacksmith trade, by the time he was twenty-one. Then he and his mother, one brother and one sister, came to America and joined the father at North Platte, after a long separation. They came to Custer county in 1877 and Chris located about five miles northwest of Callaway. Paul S'yerson came at the same time and located in the same locality. The two were neighbors and worked together at most anything that came to their hands. They went into a canyon and cut and stacked hay for their stock. Then trouble with cattlemen ensued. Cowboys came to interview the settlers, asked what they were doing and what they intended to do with the hay they were putting up. Nelson and Syerson declared it was for their own use. and that they expected to start farming. The cowboys then issued the verdict that thev could not farm in that locality and that they would starve to death if they tried it. .\fter they were gone. Nelson remarked that something was up. "but I cannot tell what it is." They decided to take precautions, and kept their stock tied and were prepared to receive "visitors" most any time - and sure enough they came. One night, about ten or twelve o'clock, the cowIx)ys came riding down the canyon, and when they found that Chris and his friend Paul Sver.son were both at home.

they pretended to be lost and tried hard to separate the two by getting one of them to go and show them the way down to the Gasman ranch. But the ruse did not work. They were finally told by Chris that he knew what . they were there for and that they were not lost, but that they would be. if they hung around there any longer. This had the desired effect, and the cowboys rode off.

Chris' father was a trapper and at that time was trapping near the ranch where the cowboys were employed. The morning after their episode with Chris Nelson, the father dropped in at the ranch house to get warm and the boys told him that he should have been with them last night, as they had been out trying to scare a couple of grangers out of the country, but failed to get them separated and that one of them was a young husky who didn't scare very well.

In November. 1879. at North Platte. Chris Nelson was united in marriage to Julia Schreyer. a native of Wisconsin, and a daughter of John G. and Sofia Schreyer, both of whom were natives of Germany. The youngcouple established their home, faced the difficulties of the day. overcanie the handicaps of the frontier and have made a success of everything they have undertaken. Eleven children have come to the home : Mrs. !Mary Kelly is living at Tacoma. Mr. Kelly is a bookkeeper for a transportation company. They have five children. Rosetta is the wife of Jesse Woodward, a farmer living near Callaway, and they have five children. Sofia is the wife of John Carlson, a lumberman in \\'ashington. and they have three children. John is living on a farm of 320 acres, twelve miles west of Callaway, and he and his wife have two children. Anna is the wife of Elmer Nicholson, a farmer living in the vicinitv of Callaway, and they have two children. Tina is the wife of Del Butler and they live on a farm near Finchville ; they have four children. Ray married .\nna Sorensen and is a farmer near Milldale. Margaret is the wife of William Lyons and they live on a farm near ]Milldale : they have one child, .\gnes is the wife of .Asa Ryan, who is a farmer living five and one-half miles northwest of Callaway, and they have one child. Willis, fourteen, and .Albert, twelve years of age, are at home with their parents and are in school.

Mr. Nelson earned his first money when a boy seven years of age. by watching and changing picketed cows in his native country. He there contracted the industrious habits and power of close ap]:)lication that have made his success in Custer county possible. He has a good farm, a splendid home, has made his money by farming and stock-raising, and in all his activities Mrs. Nelson has rendered valuable assistance. They have reared a fine family of children and are rated well in the community. Politically, Mr. Nelson affiliates with the Democratic party.

FRED NORDEN. - Domiciled in one of the comfortable homes in Custer county, within range of the Ansley postoffice, is one of Custer county's farmers who, being of Gerr man descent, is one of the best citizens as well as one of the most thrifty farmers to be found in any part of the county.

Fred Norden is a native of Germany, where he was born February 16, 1861. His parents, Johaan and Eldra ( Myer) Norden, were both German people of strong characteristics, energetic and frugal. The mother died in Germany ; the father came to the United States in 1882 and settled at Victor, Iowa, where he remained until the time of his death. In the immediate family of Johaan Norden were seven children. Three of them, Fred, Herman, and Henry, at the present time are living near Ansley, where they are conducting farm operations. All were formerly members of the Lutheran church, but they are now affiliated with the Methodist church.

Fred Norden lived in Germany until 1882, when he came to the United States with his father, making Iowa his first home. From that state they immigrated to Custer county in 1887. Fred Norden pre-empted and homesteaded a quarter-section of land and entered at once into the varied experiences of a Custer county farmer and pioneer. The first home was a sod house, in which he and his family lived until they built the present comfortable farm house, in 1889.

The same year that he came to Custer county Mr. Norden married Anna Lohman, who was a native of Germany and who proved his faithful helpmeet and home companion until her death. Mr. and Mrs. Norden became the parents of five children : Edward lives at the parental home: Mary is a Red Cross nurse at Little Rock, Arkansas ; Fred lives at North Loup, Nebraska, where he conducts farming operations; and Frieda and Minnie are still under the parental roof.

Mr. Norden has 480 acres of fine land which . he leases and operates in connection with his own holding, which makes a farm of a total area of about 1,000 acres. Mr. Norden commenced with nothing, and all of his possessions have been acquired by the work of his own hands and by his own efforts, so .that in this he offers a good illustration of what pluck and energy can do when applied in the right direction on a Custer county farm. He is a member of the Methodist church, as was also his wife, who passed away May 9, 1917.

FRANZ KOBL. - The blood of Moravia, Bohemia, flows in the veins of some of the staunchest citizens of Custer county. They have been pioneers and among the first and best of our citizens. One of these is the sterling citizen whose name is recorded above.

Mr. Kobl was born in Moravia in April, 1837, and he is a son of Wincil and Sarah Kobl, who spent their entire lives in Moravia. They became the parents of five children, but Franz was the only one who ventured so far from home as to come to the L^nited States. He landed in this country in 1881, and came directly to Custer county, where he at once selected a homestead. Here he lived in a sod house for sixteen years, after which time he was able to build the splendid farm residence the family now occupies.

In 1882 Mr. Kobl married Marie Jelenek, and of the children of this union eight are living : Fannie is the wife of Joseph Kopecka, living in Oklahoma ; Mary is the wife of Frank Tomselek, a Custer county farmer ; Frank is at home ; Anna is the wife of Vincel Kucera and they are living in Oklahoma ; Rosa is the wife of Joseph Malear and they reside in Montana ; Julia is the wife of .\ustin Martin, of Tecumseh, Nebraska ; and Joseph and Edward are at home.

This home place of Mr. Kobl comprises a half -section of good land, upon which a general farming and stock-raising business is transacted, and the farm presents the appearance of thrift and success, both of which are attributed to Mr. Kobl. The family belong to the Catholic church, and in ])olitics Mr. Kobl generally votes the Repul)lican ticket.

HARDY B. KLUMP. - One of the representative farmers of Custer county, in the full vigor of middle life, with blood of German extraction flowing through his veins, energized by birth and residence in the free land of America, is the man designated above. Hardy B. Klump was born in Willow, Illinois, in 1878, and is a son of Jacob B. and Jane (Parkison) Klump. The father was of German birth, a man of strong character who has accumulated a respectable fortune and is spending the years of a comfortalile retirement in

Broken Bow. The father came to this countn,- as a youth and later enHsted in the service of the Union, and was a vahant soldier during the Civil war. The mother, who was a native of Illinois, died in 1896. The father has since remarried. In the family circle to which Hardy B. Klump belongs were nine children : Sophia Bertrand lives on a farm near King City, Missouri : Herman lives on a farm near Ringgold, Nebraska ; Julia Halliwell lives on a farm near Merna; Fred, like his brother Herman, is on a farm near Ringgold; May lives near Merna; Ruby Hackbeth lives at Hershey, Nebraska ; Olive is in the state of Washington, where she is engaged in teaching; Hardy B. was the seventh child ; and August is farming near Gandy.

Hardy B. Klump received a good education and during the war of 1898 enlisted in the service of the government and served in the First Nebraska Regiment, in the Philippine Islands. This was the first money that he earned. During his war service he spent about one year in Manila and its vicinity.

In Custer county Mr. Klump homesteaded 160 acres of land and then secured a lease on a section of school land. This makes him a very large and protluctive farm, with practically 440 acres under cultivation. He maintains a good grade of horses and hogs, and has put on all the improvements himself. When the property came into his possession there were only two small frame shacks on the land. Everything now to be seen on the premises is the product of his toil. Mr. Klump's disposition is to make himself generally useful. While he is an inde])endent voter, he is always concerned for his friends and anxious to see the man of best qualifications elected. He has been a road overseer of his district a number of years and also a school director, and in these local ofiices he has charged himself with fostering the best interests of the community. It can be truthfully said that he is a representative Custer county farmer - one of industrious habits, one who is a good manager and has discerning judgment.

WILLIAM E. WARDROBE. - The subject of this record has been identified with the agricultural interests of Custer county for many years, and has seen the county develop from a pioneer district to one of beautiful homes and farms, with here and there thriving villages and towns.

William E. Wardrobe was born at Milwaukee. Wisconsin. Octolier l.\ 1861. His parents. James and Margaret (Thompson) Wardrobe, were natives of Scotland, in which country they were married, and in 1851 tliey immigrated to America, settling at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The father who was a machinist by trade, later moved to Dane county, and he continued to reside in Wisconsin until 1877, when he came with his family to Nebraska and lived in Fillmore county. In 1883 he came to Custer county and secured a homestead in township 18, range 23, where he lived for many years, and for a long time he was postmaster at Rest - - until advanced years compelled him to write to ^\'ashington and get released from the position. He passed awaj' at the home of his son James, in Logan county, at the age of eighty-seven years, and his wife also spent her last days in Logan county. They were devout Christian people, well versed in the Scriptures, and they were members of the Presbyterian church until past seventy years of age, when they changed their views on some of the doctrines of that denomination and were baptised in and united with the Baptist church. They were among the early settlers of their community and had their share of privations and other hardships. They were the parents of three children : Ann was born in Scotland and became the wife of John Schmitz, an early settler of Custer county: they were married in Wisconsin and she is now a widow, residing on the old homestead ; James is a farmer and resides in Custer county ; and William E. is the subject of this review.

NMlliam E. \\'ardrobe was reared on a farm in Dane county. Wisconsin, and the home fami in Fillmore county. Nebraska. The next year after his father came to Custer county William E. likewise came to the county, where he secured a homestead - the northwest quarter of section 4. township 17, range 23. The land had been surveyed, but the first wagon tracks made on the north and west sides of this section were made by Mr. Wardrobe when he drove up to the the spot where he erected his sod house and cast in his lot with the first settlers on West Table. The securing of water for stock and family use was a serious proposition in those early times, and it was necessary to go 400 feet or more to strike water. The machiner\- and methods of boring and fighting quicksand, were of jirimitive order, and a well was a luxury. Mr. \\'ardrobe hauled water thirteen years before he had a well on his place. liut the men and women who dared venture into a new country were of such caliber that hardships were made easy, and obstacles were overcome to the extent that by persistent eflfort and good management those who had the courage and foresight to stay in Custer countv have reached the goal of success.

For a wife and helpmeet Mr. Wardrobe chose Aliss IMartha F. Rice, who was born in Missouri, a daughter of Wilham J. Rice, who is mentioned on other pages of this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Wardrolie have become the parents of five children: William J. married Sarah Beardsley and they are residents of Custer county ; ^Margaret is the wife of Frank Seevers, a farmer of Custer county ; Lessie is the wife of Ernest Stinespring, and they are residents of Custer county ; Hazle is the wife of Ray Stupplebeen, of Custer county ; and Elva is still with her parents .

Mr. and J\Irs. Wardrobe are members of the Baptist church, and in politics Air. Wardrobe is a liberal Democrat, voting for men and measures regardless of party ties. ]\Ir. Wardrobe has watched the development of Custer county and is enthusiastic over the agricultural opportunities to be found here. He has been successful in his undertakings and is the owner of three quarter-sections of good farming land. The old sod house has been replaced with a frame structure, and William E. Wardrobe is one of the substantial men of his community.

GEORGE RIMPLEY. - The blood of thrifty German stock flowing through the veins of the Custer county ranchman and stockman whose name is displayed in this title line, has enriched Custer county and paid generous tribute to its productions. George Rimpley was born in Germany April 18, 18-k5. He is a son of Frederick and Mary M. Rimpley, in vvhose family were the following named children : Carl, Frederick, Theodore, George, ]\Iarv, Lota, Annie, and Louise.

Young George Rimpley came to America and landed in New York in 1855. He was accompanied by his uncle. Here he found his first employment as a gardener, and he worked for one dollar a month and board. Later he made his way to Burlington, Iowa, where he worked on a farm for two years, after whi:h he secured a position in the Burlington flour mills. He soon found himself foreman in the mill and in six months he was running the engine. He followed the work for nine years. and then enlisted in Company A, Thirteenth New York Infantry, in 1864. He served one year and eleven months, under General Sherinan, and he was mustered out at Richmond. \'irginia. He had part in engagements at City Point and in front of Petersburg. After leaving the army he found employment as engineer in a paper mill at Cedar Rapids. Iowa. There he stayed four years, and he then went to Des Moines, for the same company.

While in Cedar Rapids he was united in marriage, November 4, 1873, to Miss Etta Parkus, a daughter of Franklin and Sara A. Parkus. The Rimpley home has never been lonesome. Fifteen children have been born into the family circle. Letta Alatan lives with her husband at Prosser, Nebraska, and they have one son and four daughters. They are members of the Methodist church. Charles, who is a farmer living near Logan, Nebraska, married Alice Kimberling, and they have two sons and one daughter. They are members of the Baptist church. Frederick, who is living on a farm near Arnold, married Evelyn Philpot, and they have three daughters. The father and mother belong to the Methodist church. Man,' is the wife of Oral Gunter, a farmer living near Arnold, and they have one daughter and two sons. They are members of the Baptist church. Carrie married Chester Blakesley, a farmer living near Lomax. William married Ises Smith and lives on a farm near Arnold, and they have two daughters. Sadie is the wife of Walter Holt, a farmer living on the West Table, and they have one son and one daughter. They are members of the Nazarene church. Aaron married Beulah McGee and lives on a farm near Arnold. They are members of the Methodist church. Arthur is single and is farming part of his father's land. Anna is the wife of Emmett O'Brien, of Hoagland, Nebraska. Everett lives at home and is attending school. Florence is a school girl, living at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Rimpley date their residence in Custer county from the spring of 1883, at which time they located two miles southwest of Arnold, which place has been their home for thirty-five years. Mr. Rimply made his money by farming and stock-raising. For several years he has handled two thousand dollars' worth of hogs, hauling them in wagons to Merna. He is one of the pioneers who have made good, who tested the resources of the county, and who, by thrift and good management, has become the owner of 600 acres of valuable land. He and his good wife enjoy the confidence of their friends and neighbors, and are well and favorably known by a large circle of friends. He has thoroughly proved his loyalty to his adopted land. He served as a valiant soldier of the Union in the Civil war, and in connection with the great world war he has been a liberal contributor to the Red Cross and the Young ]\Ien's Christian Association, as well as a heavy^ purchaser of Liberty bonds and war stamps. Every one of his boys was in the draft age, but, because of the coming of peace, their services were not required.

Locally he has served as school director and road overseer for a number of years. He is connected with the Indep>endent Order of Odd Fellows, and he and his wife are Lutherans

FREDERICK L. HOFFMAN. - This paragraph presents the name of a man widely known throughout the southern portion of the county as a stockman and rancher - a man who has given some time to business and in many ways can be referred to as one of the substantial citizens of Arnold and vicinity. "Lace" Hoffman, as he is familiarly known, was born October 22, 1871, in Fairmont. New Jersey. He is the second born of the children of Frederick P. and Mary ( Cannedy ) Hoffman, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Illinois. In the immediate family of Frederick Hoffman were nine children : Anna May, Frederick L., Elizabeth L. Knox, Philip K.. Rosella Woo<l, Margaret Long. Oritt L.. Willie W. (deceased). Silas B., and Paul H. The parents belonged to the Presbyterian church, of which they were prominent and devoted members - persons uniformly respected and highly rated in the communities where they were known. In 1884 Frederick P. Hoffman came with his family to Dawson county, Nei)raska, where he located upon a homestead. Here it was that Frederick L. Hoffman passed his boyhocKl days and ran the gamut of the I ublic schools, in which he received a fundamental education that has served him well in the business transactions of his active life. He worked on the farm until he was about eighteen years of age, and then he secured work with the ranchmen of that locality. It was thus that he formed his early predilections for the stock business, in which he has since become an adept. Shortly after being thrown upon his own resources Mr. Hoffman firganized a hay outfit and in the summer and fall of those early years he put up hay on contract, for Dan Haskell and other stockmen, sometimes putting up as many as 100 tons in a dav.

On April 29, 189<). at Broken Bow, M'r. Hoffman led to the marriage altar Miss E^olia Lowe, the marriage ceremonv being performed by the Rev. S. C. Cad well, a well known Ba])- tist cler_g}man of the pioneer days. Mrs. Hoffman is a native of Adrian, Michigan, and is a daughter of Burlin W. and Fannie E. ( Gaylor) Lowe, both of whom were natives of the Empire state. Baptists by church connection and highly connected with local societies. In her father's family, aside from herself, were the following named children : Eber C, Ethel

C., Arnott E., and Elroy P. oince their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman have maintained always a very comfortable and hospitable home. Whether on the ranch or in the town of Arnold, where their present home is located, they have always been surrounded with the comforts of life and into their home have been born three bright children, Florence AL, who at present is a high-school student in Arnold ; and Weir and Maxine E.

Air. Hoffman has been a resident of Custer county since 1887. His first location was eight miles southwest of Lodi, and'there he engaged in the stock business, which has been the major occupation of his entire career. The cattle business comes naturally to him. He can see the merits or demerits of the bovine species half way across a thousand-acre pasture. The cattle business has served him well and been profitable. He commenced in a small way. The first money he earned was by cracking peach stones for twenty-five cents a basket, and it required a good, long day to crack one basket full. The first team he owned was purchased on time, from the First National Bank of Lexington. To-day Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman are secure in the comforts of life and well provided for any emergency that may arise. They have 3,000 acres of land, 150 head of cattle, thirty horses, and over 100 head of hogs. The main ranch which Mr. Hoft'man operates is located six miles east of Arnold, in the Powell canyon. The Hoffmans are well comiected socially and are members of the First Baptist church of Arnold. Highly respected in thecommunity, they deserve the esteem in which they are held by their wide circle of friends.

HENRY T. MICHELE, who is one of the extensive land owners and progressive farmers of Custer county, is a native son of Nebraska, his birth having occurred in Saline county. He is a son of Christopher and Gertrude ( Stangl) Michele, who were born in Germany, where their marriage occurred and where they made their home until 1863, when they came to the I'nited States. They resided in Iowa a few years and then became pioneer settlers of Salline county, Nebraska. There they fallowed agricultural pursuits until 1883, when they came to Custer county and purchised a homestead claim of 160 acres - the southeast quarter of section 9, township 18, range 22. Their first home was in keeping with the times and was constructed of sod. this serving as the home of the family till the death of the father. The mother passed away at .\nselmo. Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Michele came to Custer county at a ])criod when settlers were few and far betweL-n, when but little improvement had been made, and when the usual pioneer hardships and privations were to be endured. They were among the worthy pioneers who were not afraid to venture and whose labors have made Custer county a better place in which to live. They were the parents of eight children and were faithful communicants of the Catholic church.

Henry T. Michele was a lad of eight years when he accompanied his parents to Custer county. His boyhood days v/ere spent in the usual manner of farm lads, and as his years and strength increased he assisted in the operation and development of the homestead. When he became a man he acquired from his father title to the home place and engaged in farming for himself. That he has been successful is evidenced by the fact that he has extended the boundaries of his possessions by the purchase of another quarter section of land, all of which, together with a quarter which he operates under lease, he is devoting to general farming and stock-raising. He also operates a threshing outfit, which adds materially to his income.

On February 7, I'^OO, was solemnized the marriage of Henry T. Michele to Miss Anna Fleishman, who was born in Wisconsin. Mrs. Michele is a daughter of Con Fleishman, who was an early settler of Custer county and whose record is to be found elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Michele have become the parents of eight children, all of whom are still under the parental roof. Their names are Leo, Raymond, George, Paul, Frances, Irene, Catherine, and Gertrude.

As an evidence in the change in conditions in Custer county, the old sod house has given place to a beautiful frame dwelling, which Mr. Michele has erected since he came into possession of the old home. The familv belong to the Catholic church and in politics Mr. Michele is a Democrat. He has taken an active interest in those things which have to do with the uplift of the communitv and has served on the school board since a young man of twenty-one j'ears.

WILLIAM C. BELTZ. - The .story of William C. Beltz reveals a varied experience and discloses the fact that during his younger years he was somewhat of a traveler and turned his hand to a good many occupations. That he made good at most of them is evidenced l)y the fact that he is to-day a property owner, a man of substantial influence, and prepared to live under conditions of comparative ease. He was born September 25, 1858, in Bedford county, Pennsylvania. His parents, John A. and Sophia ( Xycum ) Beltz, were natives of Pennsylvania and members of the German Reformed church. In their family were seven children of whom \\'illiam C. is the eldest, the others being: Elizabeth (deceased), Laura B. Ruddy, John S., Bruce B., Harvey A., and Burton E. The father was a soldier in the Civil war, in which he served three years in a Pennsylvania regiment of volunteers. In the Battle of the Wilderness he was severely wounded. The home place where young William C. Beltz received his early training was near Manns Choice, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, where his father died. William stayed under the home roof until 1884, when he came directly to Custer county and secured a position in the livery barn of William Xycum, of Arnold. In the spring of 1885 he accompanied Chris Hazlebaker to the headwaters of the Dismal river and helped him to locate a claim. That winter he hired out as "cow puncher" on the T. L. \ . ranch, some eighteen miles northwest of Arnold. He was employed on this ranch three years, then made a trip to L'tah, and later he returned to Xebraska and took a course in the Grand Island Business College. From Grand Island he returned to .\rnold. and he reports that when he arrived at Arnold he was broke. He and a young man named Charlie Kuhns, now living in Maxwell, formed a partnership for the summer and handled Singer sewing machines. In the fall their assets consisted of a bunch of broncos worth from ten to fifteen dollars each, and a big board bill. After this ex])erience Mr. Beltz again tried his luck on the T. L. ^^ ranch, where he worked eighteen months. .\bout this time his thoughts turned to matrimony, and in the spring of 1893, at Arnold, he was united in marriage to Miss Emma S. Burk, who was born in Illinois, and who is a daughter of James F. and Martha (Crabb) Burk. Since their marriage, Mrs. Beltz has been her husband's faithful helpmeet and a splendid home-maker. In the father's family were six children: John B., William. Laura Rogers, Flattie Xeedham, Emma S. Beltz, and Albert.

In the home Mr. and Mrs. lieltz established, plenty and comfort have always prevailed. In their family circle are three children: Loyd S., who is "soiuewhere in France" at the time of this writing, is a corporal in Company H. Three Hundred and Fifty-second Infantr)-, Eighty-eighth Division, A. P. O. 795, American Expeditionary Forces. He is a graduate of the Arnold high sciiool. Harry R. and Hazel are still under the parental roof. Hazel is a graduate and Harry is a student of the Arnold high school. For eight years Mr. and Mrs. Beltz lived in Mills X'alley, where they rented a farm and followed agricultural pursuits. After this they came to Arnold, where he conducted a hardware business about two years. Then he purchased 160 acres adjoining Arnold on the west, which is his present home. It is a well improved, valuable piece of land, and to-day he is prepared to take life easy. He laughs at the hardships of the pioneer days and thinks that this is a pretty fair country for a man who has any ambition. He has filled several local offices - was assessor three years, town clerk several years - and he is a member of the Masonic lodge and the Christian church. He affiliates politically with the Democratic party. Mr. and Mrs. Beltz are good neighbors and have a host of friends.

JOHN MORAN, who has been identified with important business enterprises in Custer county for more than thirty years, has been one of the leading factors in the upbuilding of the progressive town of Callaway. Mr. Moran was born in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, February 11, 1855. His father, Patrick Moran, was born in Ireland, and his mother, Mary Moran, was born in Scotland, and they were married in New Foundland. From there they immigrated to the United States and the father, who was a machinist and blacksmith, found work in Boston, Massachusetts. The mother died soon afterward, leaving three children: John, who was then an infant, is the subject of this sketch; Patrick H. is deceased; and Anna is tlie wife of James McGarrigle, a stock dealer living in a suburb of Boston, and they have five children.

John Moran was six years old when his father died, and then he went to live with a cousin, William McGlaughlin, who sent him to school and took care of him until he was about ten years old, when the boy began to provide in part for his own necessities. He worked up a newspaper route and for two years delivered the morning and evening editions of the Boston Herakl, a copy of which sometimes reaches him and in these later years naturally possesses much interest. John was about twelve years old when he secured a job in a custom tailoring shop, in which he worked two years. He than became a clerk in a clothing and furnishing store, where he gained mercantile experience that was of great value to him. In 1875 he went to Ottumwa, Iowa, as a member of a surveying crew for the Burlington Railroad, and afterward he was a brakeman for two seasons. Then promotion followed - he served as a freight conductor and finally was made passenger conductor. When the company took on the new branch lines, Mr. Moran's ability and fidelity were given recognition, in his appointment to the office of assistant superintendent of the Humeston & Shanando Railroad, and he had entire charge of the construction until the line was finished.

At that time Mr. Moran conceived the idea of going into the cattle business in Nebraska, and in October, 1883, he came to Custer county with that intention. After further investigation, however, he changed his mind and decided to engage in the mercantile business, in which he had had experience. He formed a partnership with Harry E. O'Niell and they put in a large stock of general merchandise at a point then bearing the name of Olax, where a postoffice had been established. This embryonic town was situated thirty-five miles north of Pluni Creek, and is now the town of Lexington. Later, in 1885, the firm established a branch store at the postoffice village of Delight, the original name of Callaway. The above partnership continued until 1886, when it was dissolved, Mr. O'Niell taking up the practice of law. Mr. Moran continued the business at Olax for a short time and then sold that store to the firm of Crossett & Johnson, who moved the building to Oconto, where it is utilized at present by George Mary as a hardware store. In the course of time the tow^nsite of Callaway was platted and the postoffice name was changed, the name of Delight being now almost forgotten. As Callaway, through capital and enterprise, became an important shipping point, Mr. Moran assisted in the general progress by enlarging his business interests, and he continued the leading merchant until he retired from that field of enterprise, in 1914. He then engaged in the insurance, real-estate, and farm-loan business, handling life, health, accident, fire, tornado, hail, automobile, and live-stock insurance. He is a Knight Templar ]\Iason and a Sliriner and is past worthy patron in the Order of the Eastern Star.

Mr. Moran was marrietl September 10, 1885, at Ottumwa. Iowa, to Miss Minnie Konantz, of that place, who is a daughter of Joseph and Margaret (Lunkley) Konantz, the former of whom, a railroad man, was born in Germany, and the latter of whom was bom in Illinois. Air. and Mrs. Moran have four children; E., John O., Walter E., and Cora A. This is a patriotic family, and at the time of this writing two of Mr. Moran's sons are in the service of their country, while the third son is preparing for sen-ice. The eldest, Robert E. ^loran. is a graduate of Boyle"s Business College. Omaha, and before enlisting in the national army he was manager of his father's large department store, besides having been assistant postmaster for eighteen months. He is now in France and is a corporal in the Three Hundred and Eighteenth Engineer Corps. John Moran. Jr., attended Creighton University for six years, was graduated in the law department and was employed as one of the legal stalT of the Union Pacific Railroad for one year, after which he openetl an office for general practice. \\'hile with the Union Pacific he had become acquainted with officials of the Oregon Short Line, who were impressed with his legal ability, and he was engagefl by that road as a specialist on interstate commerce law. A bright professional future undoubtedly was interrupted when, from a loyal sense of duty he enlisted, June 28, 1918. making choice of the marine branch of the United States navy, ^^'alter E. Moran is a graduate of the Callaway high school and continued with the Callaway Telephone Company until such time, as a selective, he should be called to the colors. Cora A., the only daughter of ]\Ir. and Mrs. Moran, is the wife of Arthur R. Young, clerk in a hardware store at Callaway, and they have one daughter, Margaret A.

MRGIL ALLYN, who is probably one of the best known cattlemen in western Nebraska, has a beautiful home and large ranch interests near Callaway. He is a pioneer of the county, which has been his home for fortv years. Mr. Allyn was born in Posey county, Indiana. December 17, 1849. His parents were Philo H. and Sarah A. (Welborn) Allyn, the latter a daughter of Moses Welborn. who was a native of North Carolina Virgil Allyn was the firstborn of the family of six children, the others being: Joseph. Mary, and \\"illiani. all of whom are deceased : Julia A., who is the wife of James W. Thompson, a professional accountant at Denver. Colorado; and Charles H., who is a ranchman near Denver: he married Minnie Tesch and the)' have one son.

Virgil Allyn was four years old when his parents moved to Missouri and settled near St. Joseph, where he was reared and attended school. His first land was bought with the nionev he earned while working with his father in buying and feeding stock. This purchase was one of eighty acres of prairie, and with the proceeds of the sale of the land he went into the mule business at St. Joseph, being then twenty-three years old. He continued this first mule market in that city for eighteen months, shipping to St. Louis, and then he went to Chicago and for the next four years bought cattle for Swift & Company. In 1878 Mr. Allyn came to Custer county and located on the South Loup river, eighteen miles southwest of Broken Bow. He organized the Brighton Ranch Cattle Company, with an investment of $180,000. 7.200 acres of land, 5.000 head of cattle, and 100 head of horses. Mr. Allyn was manager, and had charge of operations about ten years, by which time Custer county had become so thickly settled that it was deemed best to close operations. Many cattlemen in Custer and other counties remember the palmy days of the business on the South Loup river and recall Mr. .Allyn as a princely host. He still owns 720 acres of the old ranch, and has 280 acres west of Callaway, 150 acres of which he has in alfalfa.

In June. 1877, Mr. Allyn married Miss Mary Jane Mintun, of Chicago, Illinois, and she died on the home ranch, in 1888, leaving no children. Mr. AUyn's second marriage took place in 1889. when Miss Arvilla Kern became his wife. She is a daughter of William and Marinda ( Bennett) Kern. Mr. and Mrs. Allyn have had three children : \'irgil is deceased : Winnie is the wife of Jesse May, a farmer whose land joins Mr. .\llyn's on the north, and they have two children; and Marjorie.

It is worthy of special note in this sketch, as a matter of historic interest, that Mr. Allyn was the first to introduce, in 1882, in Custer county the propagation of alfalfa, he having secured the seed from California. He also brought into the county the first white-face, short-horn .Angus cattle, in Tanuarv. 1883.

JOHN F. WESTCOTT. - The value of a useful and essential trade and of making one's eflforts count, are exemplified in the career of John F. Westcott. one of the well known citizens of Comstock. where he has been eng"aged as a carpenter and builder for a luuuber of years. He is one of the substantial and reliable men of his community, a skille<l artisan and mechanic, and one who values high principles, and endeavors to live up to all the rules of business and good citizenship. He is a native of Green county. Wisconsin, where he was born June 29. ISfA. and is a son of John and Matilda (Fort) Westcott.

The parents of Mr. \\'est:ott were born at Saratoga Springs, New York, the former September 26. 1825, and the latter August 6, 1825, and there they were reared, educated and niar- I ied. In 1855 they migrated to Wisconsin, where Mr. Westcott bought government landin Green county. There lie was industriously engaged in both farming and following his trade as a cabinetmaker until the Civil war came on to interrupt his activities. While residing in New York he had been a member of the state militia, rising from the rank of corporal to that of second lieutenant, and in Wisconsin, in March, 1865, he enlisted in Company I, Forty-sixth Regiment, Wisconsin \'olunteer Infantry, with which he served until he received his honorable discharge, in September, 1865. During his army service he contracted in camp a disease from which he never recovered, it finally causing his death in February, 1867. - He was a Republican in politics, but never held or cared for office. His widow survived him by many years, passing away in the faith of the Presbyterian church, in October, 1897, when seventy-two years of age. They were the parents of the following children: Eda and Ada are twins, the former being the wife of George Houder, a farmer in the vicinity of Dunning. Nebraska, and the latter the widow of Robert Cooper and a resident of Walworth, Custer countv ; John F., of this review, was the next in order of birth; Eliza C. taught school in Wisconsin for two years and then came to Nebraska, where she has been teaching for thirty-five years, the last twenty years in the public schools of Omaha: and Kate, deceased, was the wife of the late Newton Taylor, they having been prominent pioneers of Custer county and their only son, John, being, at the time of this writing, in service with the American Expeditionary Forces "somewhere in France."

John F. Westcott was educated in the public schools of Wisconsin, and as a youth showed much mechanical ability. ])robably inherited from his father. However, when he entered upon his career he elected to follow the vocation of agriculturist, and accordingly homesteaded a tract of land south of the town of Wescott. On this place he resided seventeen years. The location of the railroad changed the destinies of .Wescott and Comstock. the latter being the favored town, and to this community Mr. Westcott came, here establishing himself and seeking business as a carpenter and builder. Patronage was not long in coming to him, as he showed himself reliable, trustworthy, capable, and industrious, and with the passage of the years he has succeeded in building up an excellent custom among the people of Comstock and the surrounding communities, where there are many structures to show evidence of his skill and good workmanship. Mr. Westcott is a Republican, but not a politician, and his only public service has been as a member of the board of directors of school district No. 1. which was the first schoolhouse erected in Custer county.

Mr. Westcott was married July 20. 1892, to Mi.ss Lillian L. Cleaveland, at Wescott. she being a daughter of Elias and Alma ( Hutchinson ) Cleaveland. who are natives of the state of IMaine and who came to Custer county in 1883 : here they bought land and secured tree claims, and both are now residents of Comstock, after many years of successful agricultural effort. Mr. and Mrs. Westcott have no children.

JOHN B. SCHMITZ. - One of the early settlers of Custer county, a man wiio was faithful to every trust and who spent the best years of his life in helping to make his community a better place in which to live, was the honored pioneer whose name initiates this memoir.

John B. Schmitz was born in Waukesha county. AMsconsin, January 16, 1847, and was a son of Henry and Gertrude (Krumhultz) Schmitz. The parents were natives of Germany and came to America in 1845, locating in Wisconsin, where they spent the remainder of their lives. They had four children, the second youngest being John B.

John B. Schmitz was reared on-a farm, attended the public schools in the ac<|uirement of his early education and when a young man became a farmer. C)n the 15th of March, 1869, at Brookfield, Wisconsin, he was united in marriage to Miss Ann Wardrobe, a native of Scotland. She is a sister of William E. Wardrobe, who has furnished data for a genealogical record of the family given elsewhere in this volume.

Soon after their marriage John B. Schmitz and his wife moved to Dane county, Wisconsin, where they continued to reside until 1880, when they came to Nebraska and established their home in Fillmore county. In 1884 they came to Custer county and secured a homestead in section 33. township 18. range 23. This tract was wholly unimproved, and in the passing years Mr. Schmitz made it one of the valuable farm properties of the township. He shared in all the hardships and privations of the pioneer days, but eventually the old sod house was replaced with a good frame build- ing and other improvements were made, in keeping witli the development of the country. On this farm, December 2, 1917, Mr. Schmitz was called to his eternal rest, and his passing was a severe loss to his family and friends. He was active in all affairs of his commimity, served as a director of the school board and was a public-spirited and useful member of society.

Mr. and Mrs. Schmitz became the parents of eleven children: Anna M. is the wife of J. M. Ford; Isabel B. is the wife of L. E. Fish ; Agnes F., who died on the 12th of January, 1918, was the wife of William Smith ; Gertrude is the wife of J. R. Rice ; Walter E. is a resident of Custer county ; Elizabeth J. is the wife of Bryan Leonard, of Callaway, this county: William C. married Ethel Stockham and they reside in Custer county ; John J, married Ada Waddington, and they likewise reside in this county : Laura A. is the wife of C. E. Whitney : Henry G. married Nellie WHiitman. and their home is maintained in Custer county : and Irene is the wife of Homer Beardsley.

Mrs. Schmitz is making her home on the old farm and is one of the revered pioneer women of Custer county, within whose borders she has resided thirty-six years.

ELRAY H. KRUSER. - The subject of this sketch belongs to the young contingent of Custer county farmers who are moving along the line and into the places that mark the success of their fathers and the generation before them.

EIray H. Kruser was Ixjrn in Lincoln county, Missouri, in 1883. He is a son of Henrv Kruser, a widely known farmer and prominent citizen of Cus-ter county. Elray H. Kruser has for some time maintained a home of his own and been responsible for the cultivation of his father's ranch. His early years, for . the most part, were spent in this county, and here he received a liberal education and formed the habits of a careful, painstaking, businesslike fanner. He was married, in Indiana, to Maud Seaney, of Richmond, that state, and since that time she has not only shared the comforts of the home but has also, in a large measure, helped to provide them. All the efforts of her husband have been ablv sccowled by her intelligent companionship and co-operation. Mrs. Kruser is a native of Indiana, and is a daughter of Jacob and Nancy Seaney. of Richmond. Mr. and Mrs. Kruser have three children - Garner, Borgia, and Donzel - and the two older children are in school, treadinsr

As previously stated, Elray H. Kruser operates his father's farm, and here he has demonstrated his ability as a farmer. This is a good ranch, with excellent improvements, and Elray sees to it that the grade of live stock is maintained in high type. He cultivates 200 acres in rotated crops and aside from hogs and cattle is paying some attention to sheep, of which, at the present time, he has 145 head on the place. During the war just ended, Elray has been an active spirit and liberal contributor in every drive and in every possible way has shown his lovaltv to his native country.

Arnold is the nearest town and is the trading point for the family. Here they are well Ivnown and have a splendid rating with the business men. Independent in politics, Mr. Kruser votes for the man whom he deems best fitted for the office.

ROLLY C. LEACH. - This record of Mr. Leach is to be credited to Arnold. He belongs to the retired farmer list and well deserves the pleasure of the retirement he is now able to enjoy. He was born in Iowa January 3, 1862, and is a son of Hiram and Miriam ( Chillcotte ) Campbell Leach. The mother was twice married and her children by the first marriage were Sylvia E. Campbell Pierce; Mary P. Powell (deceased) ; and Leo L. Campbell. Of the three children of Hiram and Miriam Leach the subject is eldest, the others being John R. and Carrie \'an Horn.

The early years of Mr. I^each were spent in Iowa, where he received a liberal education in the schools of S'eymour and Promise City. He came first to Custer county in December, 1883, and located in section 34. township 18, range 24. This claim was commuted in 1886 and in the next year he removed to Holyoke county, Colorado, where he worked at the carpenter trade till 1889, after which he moved to Denver where he followed the same trade for five more vears. While in Denver he was married May 30. 1889, to Brittle M. Payne, who was born in Davis county, Missouri, and who went from Holvoke. Colorado, to Denver, that state, in December. 1888. Mr. Leach having gone to that city in March, 1889. and their marriage having occurred about two months later. Mrs. Leach is a daughter of Reuben L. and Nancy ( Folley) Payne. Mrs. Leach came of a splendid family, well connected Kentucky people of sterling f|ualitv. In the Payne family were five children. John, Marv E. Harris. W. Na-

Mr. and Mrs. Leach have six children: Brittie L. is the wife of EHhu O. Alexander, a garage man of Arnold, and they have one daughter and two sons. They belong to the Methodist church. Charles R., unmarried, was educated in the common schools and took a course in the York Business College. He is a land-owner in South Dakota. He is a member ofthe Methodist church, is a fourteenth degree Scottish Rite Mason and is also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Erma P. is at home with her parents. She is a member of the Methodist church and also the Eastern Star. Carrie E. is a clerk in a mercantile establishment at Arnold, and she makes her home with her parents. Sarah M. is still under the parental roof and is a student at school. Swain M. also is pursuing an educational course in the Arnold schools.

Mr. Leach returned with his family to Custer county in the fall of 1893 and here he rented land, which he farmed for the next ten years. He then bought 720 acres, which he farmed and upon which he and his wife made their home until the spring of 1918. Then they sold the property and moved to Arnold, where they purchased a beautiful home and where Mr. Leach is now retired from active life. He and his wife are well and favorably known, and are members of the Methodist church.

Mr. Leach is prominently affiliated with the time-honored Masonic fraternity, in which he has received the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, besides being identified with the Mystic Shrine, and being worthy patron of the local chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. In addition to his social duties, he is the teacher of a large Bible class in the Methodist church. Mrs. Leach holds the chair of worthy matron of the Eastern Star, is president of the Ladies" Aid Society of the church, and is secretary of the War Saving Society No. 2. Three of their children, Reuben, Erma, and Carrie, also are members of the Eastern Star. The Leaches are an influential and popular family.

LOL'IS C. LONGMORE. - If you are familiar with the Callaway country, you have often heard the name of Longmore. There the subject of this sketch, a prominent young farmer, operates about a thousand acres of land for the landlord of a familiar name, and exercises an energy and skill which put him

Louis C. Longmore was born May 6, 1882, in Marion county, Iowa, and is a son of William and Martha ( Runyan) Longmore, both natives of the old Hoosier state. In this excellent Indiana family were nine children, the names of whom are given in the biographical sketch of Roy L. Longmore. elsewhere in this volume.

When Louis C. Longmore was a lad of five years his parents came to Custer county and located north of Mason City, where they resided for perhaps nine years, when they sold out and moved to Missouri. Four years in Missouri proved a sufficiency of experience in that state, and the Longmore family came again to Custer county, where at this time location was made in the favored section of Callaway, in which locality the Longmores have resided most of the time since.

Louis C. Longmore received a commonschool education, learned the rudiments of farming by practical experience and also very early in life received a training in the care of his stock - a general discipline that has done him splendid service in the years of his active life. He became a benedict February 18, 1906, at which time, in the home of the bride's parents, in Triumph township, Miss Mary Etta Schreyer became his wife. Mrs. Longmore was born in Custer and is a daughter of Alfred and Addie (Mnlvany) Schreyer, the former a native of Wisconsin and the latter of Indiana. In this branch of the Schreyer family were found the pioneer spirit and the potential home development. Accordingly Mrs. Longmore has been an invaluable assistant to her husband. Thev have four oright children, all of whom give fine promise for the future, their names and respective ages, in 1918, being as here noted: Irvin H., twelve years; Lois Irene, ten years ; Ena Alarguerite, eight vears ; and Grant Elwood, six years.

Mr. Longmore is operating a farm of 1,000 acres, on which are splendid improvements, including good buildings,, wells, fences, windmills, etc. He is conducting a very profitable business and is rated as one of the successful farmers and stockmen of Custer county. Politically he affiliates with the Democratic party, vet the Democratic candidate who receives his vote must possess the characteristics of efficiencv and morality or else there is "nothing doing." He insists that the man is the first consideration. In their home community Mr. and Mrs. Longmore are rated as good neigh- bors - kind and obliging, and generous to every ap])eal. During the war activities their patriotism has expressed itself in all the common avenues in which Mr. Longmore has been able to respond.

CHARLES W. FODGE. - When he arrived in Custer county. May 28, 1880, Charles W. Fodge had been through the experience of having twice secured a start upon the highway to success and twice had seen the result of his laborious efforts swept away by misfortune. He was in depressed financial condition, and had a growing family to support, but in Custer county he found the means at hand which gave him the opportunity of exercising his industry and real ability to good advantage, and the resut is tliat he is to-day one of Broken Bow's most substantial retired citizens. Mr. Fodge was born in Clayton county, Iowa, May 19, 1856, and is a son of David and Martha (Mansfield) Fodge.

David Fodge was born in Indiana, was there reared as a farmer, and was educated in the public schools. In his native state he married Miss Martha Mansfield, daughter of James Mansfield, who passed away in Missouri, in 1869. About the year 1854 Mr. Fodge removed to McGregor, Iowa, in which vicinity he remained about two years. His next settlement was in Putnam county, ^Missouri, but subsequently he returned to Iowa and took up his residence on a valuable farm in Wayne county. He was just getting well established in life when the Civil war came on to interrupt his career, for after three and. one-half months in the Union service, as a private of Company G, Twenty-fourth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry, he contracted pneumonia and died. He was a member of the United Brethren church, was a Republican in politics, and for several years had served as justice of the peace. He and Mrs. Fodge, who later joined the Christian church, were the parents of three sons and three daughters, the sons being: J. M.. engaged in the insurance business at Broken Bow ; J. R.. a carpenter of Thedford. Nebraska, a vocation which he has followed for thirty years; and Charles W.

Charles W. Fodge commenced his education in the district schools of Iowa and completed it in Nebraska, to which state he had accompanied his mother, in 1871, in which year she took up a homestead in Hamilton county. Mr. Fodge developed this land for his mother, and as all the government land was by that time e.xhausted in Hamilton countv, he became a pioneer of Custer county, taking up a homestead near Merna. His property was located from ninety to one hundred and ten miles from a railroad, and he was forced to haul his necessary supplies from a far-distant point. After five years he had the satisfaction of finding himself in better circumstances, a railroad line having been built through this locality. At the time of his arrival he was $200 in debt and had a wife and two children to support, his earthly possessionsconsisting of a cow, a team, and $10 in money. To-day he is the owner of a valuable and highly-productive farm of 320 acres, located northwest of Broken Bow, where he has made a specialty of alfalfa, which he has grown, with grain, during the past seventeen years. Mr. Fodge removed his family from the farm to Broken Bow in March, 1914, but continued to conduct operations himself, with hired help, until the spring of 1918, when he leased his property and took up his residence at the county seat. As a pioneer of two counties of the state, and one who experienced all the difficulties and discouragements of the early settlers, he is able to speak authoritatively in regard to conditions here, and the greater part of the work of development and progress has passed under his eye.

Mr. Fodge was married February 23. 1878, to Clara A. Brotherton, daughter of Noah and Mary Brotherton. Mr. Brotherton was a member of the Twenty-fourth Iowa Infantry, from Lucas, count}'. Iowa, during the Civil war. but after two years was honorably discharged, because of eye affliction. In 1871 he came with his family to Hamilton county, Nebraska, where he homesteaded a farm aiid passed the rest of his life. Mr. and Mrs. Fodge have ten children, all of whom are in splendid circumstances. They are: Orpha M., who taught school prior to her marriage, is the wife of Jesse St. Clair, who formerly was in charge of two ranches, but is now a merchant of Calgary, Canada : Blanche G. is the wife of A. A. Shaw, a farmer near Broken Bow ; Estella, who taught school before her marriage, is the wife of E. G. Scott, a farmer near Ord, this state: Aurella A. is the wife of E. G. Todd, who is in charge of Standard Oil interests at Anselmo, Nebraska; Pearl I), is the wife of John Kerns, who is engaged in the vulcanizing business at Broken Bow ; Dorothea is the wife of Asa C. Furrow, a well driller and repairer, of Wild Horse, Colorado ; Flora is the wife of Walter F. Haefele. a farmer near Cozad. this state; Alberta Fern has taught in the public schools for six years; Beryl W. is a

Mr. and Mrs. Fodge and their children are members of the Christian church, and he is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Modern Brotherhood. He is a Democrat in politics and has taken quite an active part in local public affairs, having served as town clerk and assessor and as constable of his township, while still residing on the farm.

ERXEST R. DEAL. - It is to such energetic and progressive young farmers as Ernest R. Deal that the great advance in agriculture and stock-raising during the past few years is due, and it is to such as he that Custer county looks for a continuation of her present unparalleled prosperity. Mr. Deal, who owns 160 acres four miles southwest of Broken Bow, in section 11, was born June 18, 1885, on a farm in Hamilton county, Nebraska, and he is a son of H. E. and Nettie ( Mitchell) Deal.

H. E. Deal was born in Wisconsin, and as a young man came to Hamilton county, Nebraska, where he subsequently had an agricultural career in which he won success only after many discouragements. At one time, after amassing a comjsetency, he saw it swept away by misfortune, but he possessed the courage and resiliency necessary for a new start, and he is now one of the well-to-do retired citizens of Aurora. He is a Democrat in politics, and belongs to the Christian church. Mr. Deal was married in Hamilton county. Nebraska, to Nettie Mitchell, who was born in Iowa, and they became the parents of nine children, of whom seven are living: Ernest R. is the immediate subject of this review ; Guy is in the L'nitcd States Army: Ed. is identified with the telei>hone business in .Aurora : Irma is the wife of Christ Miller, a railroader of .\urora : Marvin is in the United State Army : .-Xnnis is the wife of C. \'. Evans, a farmer of Custer county ; and Lyle is the youngest of the number.

Ernest R. Deal received his early education in the public schools of Aurora, Nebraski. and was reared to agricultural pursuits, wliich he has always foUowefl. He was twenty-three years of age when he first came to Cu'^er county, in 1908. but after two years he disposed of his interests here and went to Thomas county, where he honiestcTded a tract and remained for six years. Selling his claim at the end of that period, he returned to Custer county and bought a quarter-section near Merna, and when he sold that propertv he bought his present place, in section 11. four miles southwest of Broken Bow. Here he has installed modern improvements of an attractive and useful character, and erected substantial buildings. He does a general farming and stock-raising business, and is a student of his vocation, being an active member of the local Grange, of which he is master. .\ Democrat in politics, he is not an officeseeker, but he has always displayed a lively and intelligent interest in local atTairs. and at present is a member of the school board.

yir. Deal was married in 1905 to Miss Cora Hunnell. who was born in Hamilton county, Nebraska, daughter of James Hunnell, an early homestea<ler of that county and a member of the board of county commissioners for a number of terms. Mr. and Mrs. Deal became the parents of two children: Robert H., who was born March 11, 1906, died at the age of two and one-half years ; and the surviving child, Virgil, was born June 16, 1914.

PHILIP C. ZOERB is a substantial young farmer in the vicinity of Callaway, and has inherited a wealth of thrift and energy- from German ancestry, while by his industrious habits he is achieving a well earned success in practical farming.

His natal day was January 24, 1879, and Germany is his native land. His father, Philip Zoerb, Sr., and his mother, .Anna (Miller) Zoerb. were sterling German ])eo])le and were the parents of five children - Anna Ryun ( deceased). Christina Butler (deceased), Philip, William, and John.

Philip C. Zoerb was but two years of age when his parents decided to try their fortunes in America. Their first home in this countrv was in Cincinnati, Ohio, where they staved three years. They then came to Custer county and, in the spring of 1884, located on the South Loup river, about one and one-half mile east of the present site of Finchville. Young Philip stayed at home until he was twenty-four years of age. and he and his two brothers then rented the father's place, which thev worked about six yenrs.

June 10. 190S. in St. James. Missouri. Phi'ip C. Zoerb wedded 1^'is Anna A. Reissans. who was born in Wisconsin, and who is a daughter of Charles and Ida (Silz) Reissans. both natives of Germany. In the family of Charles Reissans were the following chi'dren. .Anna A. Zoerb. Elsise Zoerb. Clara. Paul. .Adolph.

The Zoerb home has every evidence of thrift and prosperity. Plenty and comfort mark the habitation. Mr. Zoerb owns 160 acres of his own and in addition to this he farms 320 acres of his father's land. He is a hard-working, substantial young- farmer and makes g'ood in every enterprise he undertakes. He and his wife have a fine family of six children - Marvin P., Ada, David, Alfred, Walter J., and Marie A.

Mr. and Mrs. Zoerb are held in high esteem and are counted as obliging neighbors and dependable citizens. He belongs to the Royal Mystic Legion, and partisan politics has small attractions for him. He votes independently and selects well the candidate for whom he votes.

S. NETH. - Self-acquired prosperity, liberal ideas, ideals expressed in promoting agriculture, education, and sim])licity of living, as well as unquestioned pubilc and private integrity, constitute the fundamentals upon which rests the enviable standing of S'. Neth, who became a pioneer of Custer county in September, 1882.

Mr. Neth was born in Wurtemberg, German}-, January 17, 1857, and was sixteen years of age when he came to the L'nited States. He is a son of Conrad and Abbie (Mang) Neth, the former of whom was born February 17, 1829, and the latter December 24, 1830, both in Wurtemberg. There were .six children in the family, of whom four are living - John, a farmer of Fairbury, Illinois ; S., of this review ; and Conrad and George, farmers in Germany.

For three months after his arrival in America, S. Neth lived in Ohio, and he then went to Illinois, where he resided until 1882. In that year he paid a visit to Custer county, where he secured a homestead. He returned to Illinois, but March 4, 1883, he came back to this county, where he has since remained. His original home was a tract of 160 acres, in addition to which he had a tree claim of a like acreage, and when he had these put under cultivation and in a productive shape he started to add to his holdings. He continued to follow this wise policy and is now the owner of 1,200 acres, all accumulated through his own industry and able management of afifairs. Mr. Neth has always been a general farmer, but of late years has made somewhat of a specialty of breeding: full-blooded Shorthorn cattle and full-blooded Poland-China hogs. In addition to selling at home he ships to the large cities and finds a ready and profitable market for his Hve stock, for he has established a reputation as a man of the strictest integrity and one at all times honorable in his transactions. The fact that he is an able stock-raiser is shown by the premiums which his animals have won in Custer county fairs, and he is frequently called upon for advice by his less well informed fellow-stockmen. Until 1897 Mr. Neth resided in his original sod house, but in that year he erected a pleasant and comfortable frame home on his farm, and he has added other buildings which contribute to the attractiveness and value of his property. He has taken an active and helpful interest in the afl^airs of the community and has been the incumbent of public office on several occasions, having served as a member of the board of county commissioners in 1892, 1893, 1894, 1898, and 1899. Mr. Xeth's mother died in Germany, in 1894, but at the time he last heard from him, in 1917, his father was still living.

Mr. Neth was married in Illinois, to Miss Alice Huffman, who was born in that state, a daughter of Jacob Huffman. Her father, a farmer for many years in Illinois, died there, and her mother still survives. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Neth : Frank, who is engaged in farming in Custer county ; Homer, who resides at home and is assisting his father in his farming and .stock-raising operations ; Mary, who is the wife of Frank Jenkins, a farmer of Custer county; Carl, who is farming near his father's place : Irene, who is the wife of D'. C. May, a farmer of this county; Belle, who is the wife of Floyd Rapp, also a Custer county farmer; and Raymond, who still remains on the homestead. In politics Mr. Neth is a Democrat, with independent inclinations.

WILLIAM MILLER. - Here is a young man upon whom the responsibilities of present-day activities rest heavily, and who, responding nobly, is to be rated as one of the efiicient food producers and substantial men of afifairs. Those who know him well know him favorably, and in every day parlance they will transpose the more sedate "William" into "Willie," so that far and near in his neighborlioofl community, he is known as Willie Miller.

Mr. stiller is a native of Nebraska, having been born in Franklin county, Anril .i, 1882. His parents, Henry and Doris (Minso) Miller, were born in Germany, and transmitted to their progeny the frugal characteristics of the thrifty

German people. The father's home sheltered the following children: Henry. Albert and George I twins j, and Willie, the fourth born and youngest of the family. The first three sons were born in Germany, but Willie is fortunate in being able to claim America as his native land and to have his home in the very heart of America - Nebraska.

When William Miller was but three years of age his parents came to Custer county and settled on the Redfern Table. It was here that Willie grew up, here that he had his boyhood experien:es, and here that he received his education in the public schools - a general discipline that has qualified him for the burdens and responsibilities of the present day. When twenty-one years of age he took a homestead, and on that same tract of land he has his home at the present time.

In 1912 Mr. Miller married Miss Esther r^Iorris, who was born in Custer county, in the vicinitv of Sargent. She is a daughter of James and Edith ( Fry ) Morris, very excellent people of English descent. Mrs. Miller is one of a family of five children, only three of whom are living, the other two being Amos and Mrs. Mabel Zoerb.

The Millers maintain a splendid home, are endowed with peace and prosperity, and they have three happy, promising children - Frederick and Louis, and a baby who is but five months of age at the time of this writing. The thrift and energy of Mr. Miller and his good wife are indicated in the statement that follows : They own 1.200 acres of good land, well improved and splendidly adapted for profitable farming and stork-raising lines of enterprise through which thcv have made the money that has paid for their land and home. They have gone through the hardships and privations of early years. They know the way of success in Custer county, and they are now preoarcii to appreciate the good things that are coming their way. They have a splendid neighborhood rating, are courteous and obliging, and the neighbors depend on them for every public enterprise that will help and uplift the community. Mrs. Miller is a member of the Episcopal church, and the Woodman lodge afifords a medium for Mr. Miller's social activities.

CURTIS B. BENGER. - There is no better known breeder of registered Hereford cattle in Custer county than Curtis B. Benger. a young man whose career has been one of marked success. Even before he had left his studies at the Nebraska State University he had entered activelv into the stock business.

and since leaving that institution he has been increasingly progressive in the directing of his business interests, his standing among the stockmen of the state being shown by the fact that he is secretary ^of the Nebraska Hereford Breeders' Association, a position which he has held for the past eight years, besides being sales manager for that vigorous organization.

Mr. Benger is one of Custer county's sons who has made a place for himself among the men who are accomplishing real results. He was born at Callaway. June 1. 1888. his parents being George O. and Clara B. ( McCreary ) Benger, the former a native of England and the latter of Ohio. The parents were Episcopalians and the father was a member of the Knights of Pythias. Besides Curtis B. there was but one other child : Gladys, who is now the W'ife of Harry Lamb, cashier of the Seven \'alleys Bank, and who has one son.

Curtis B. Benger early showed an inherited predilection for the stock business, his father having been a well known stockman. The lad, while on a visit, earned his first money by taking care of a bunch of hogs for a neighbor. Securing a little pig. he raised it to maturity, and with the money he received from the sale of this animal he Ixiught more pigs, and thus he started himself in business in a small wa}-. Finding how the lad's inclinations lay. his parents sent him to the agricultural college at the State L'niversity. after he had left the Callaway schools. At that time his father was a member of the firm of Benger & Derker. dealers in hardware and implements and breeders of registered Hereford cattle, and in the spring of 1909 Curtis B. Benger bought the interests of Mr. Decker in the stock business and became his father's partner, an association which continued successfully until the death of the honored father, April 1. 1916. The son then bought the estate's interest in the stock business, which he has continued with constantly increasing success. One-quarter of a mile west of Callawav he has ')40 acres of vallev land under a high state of cultivation, with 113 acres devoted to alfalfa and 240 acres of farm land. Here has has a beautiful residence, and his other buildings are substantial and handsome, while his general farm ecuiioment is of the most modern order. Included in Mr. Benger's ninety head of full-blooded registered Herefords have been several chanr ion prize-winners, notably his present individual. "Beau Carlos." No. 496658. first prize-winner at the Denver stock show of January. 1916. As previously noted. Mr. Benger has for the past eight years been secrctarv of the Nebraska Hereford Breeders' Association, and sales manager for tliat organ- ization. Aside from his cattle, Mr. Benger raises from 250 to 300 Poland -China hogs annually, as well as large black hogs. He is energetic and progressive, is alive to all opportunities, and in his absolute integrity he has firmly impressed those with whom he has had dealings.

Mr. Benger was married June 1, 1909, at Callaway, to Miss Lydia Hebbel, daughter of Detelef Hebbel, and they are the parents of two children: Mabel E. and Ruth H. Mr. and Mrs. Benger are members of the Episcopal church. He maintains the right to independent views in regard to political matters.

PRESTON W. HOUGH. - In the life of Preston W. Hough, one of the well known and prosperous farmers and stockmen of Custer county, is presented a lesson for the youth of any land - something encouraging to the young aspirant who, without friends or fortune, is struggling to overcome obstacles in his efforts to acquire a comfortable competence. If not absolute wealth.

Mr. Hough was born June 13, 1865, near Williamsburg, North Carolina, a son of William and Elmira W. (Howell) Hough, natives of that state, and on the maternal side he is a grandson of James and Juda ( ^iloore ) Howell. His parents were farming people of North Carolina and were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. His father, although not an office-seeker, was a staunch Democrat. There were fourteen children in the family, but onlv five survive - John K.. William T.. Joseph 'M., David S.. and"Preston W. In 1869 the family removed to Hancock county, Illinois, where, in the vicinity of Carthage. Preston W. received his early education in the public schools. He earned his first money plowing for a neighbor, at the wage of twenty-five cents a day, which amount he turned over to his father to buy clothes with. When he was thirteen years old he began to fend for himse'.f, and he was variously employed until his marriage, at Augusta, Illinois, to Martha Pierce, who was born in Adams county, Illinois, a daughter of Edwin B. and Jane A. (McNulty I Pierce, natives of that state. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce were farming people, were members of the Evangelical church, and Mr. Pierce was a Republican and a member of the Masonic fraternity.

In 1886 Mr. Hough decided to try his fortunes in Nebraska, and he arrived at Wood River, Hall county, with the sum of two dollars and fifty cents in cash. He was willing and energetic, and he secured employment with

Chauncey .\bbott, for whom he went to work in the fall. During the next few years he had his ups and downs, like other young men striving to gain a foothold, but he was industrious and persevering, and, with the aid of his worthy wife, by 1906 he had accumulated sufficient of this world's goods with which to con\e to Custer county and purchase 480 acres of land, known as the E. E. Switzer farm. On this place were an old sod house and other primitive improvements, but these have since disappeared, having been replaced by a modern home, strongly-built barns and other t'arm buildings, and, with up-to-date equipment and machinery, the projjerty now presents an attractive and prosperous appearance. Mr. Hough has his original purchase under a high state of cultivation, raising bumper crops, and has recently comiileted the purchase of 160 acres additional. He believes in modern methods in his work and makes a careful study of the business of agriculture, with the result that he is gaining marked success in both farming and the raising of good types of live stock. In line with his progressive spirit, he has been a supporter of all worthy movements which his judgment has told him would benefit the community, and educational and good-road projects have his assistance and co-operation. In political matters he is a Republican, but his home and farm duties have kept him busy to the exclusion of outside matters, and he has not cared for public office.

^Ir. and Mrs. Hough have five children: Lulu M. is the wife of F. VV. Morrison, a Custer county farmer, and they have three sons ; William E., who entered the national army, and was stationed at Camp Dodge, was later given an honorable discharge, on account of disabilities ; Carl W., a graduate of the Broken Bow Business College, was assigned to class 1 of the selective draft, but had not yet been called for service at the time this sketch was prepared ; Earl P.. a graduate of the Broken Bow Business College, is now taking a three years' course at Western Union College, at LeMars, Iowa, preparing himself for the ministry of the Evangelical church ; and Cecil, an adopted daughter, is nine years old and still attending public school at Callaway.

WILLIAM L. STEVENS, who is a prosperous farmer in Custer county and owns a large acreage of valuable land, came with his parents to this county in 1889 and here he has lived during the entire intervening period.

History Uf Custer Col'Xtv, Xebraska

Mr. Stevens was born in Bradford county, Pennsylvania. November 29, 1874, and is one of four children born to Levi and Cordelia E. (Lyon) Stevens. The other son, Charles, is deceased; and the daughters are Mrs. Ethel M. Johnson and Mrs. Edith Whitman.

L'pon coming to Custer county Levi Stevens located a pre-emption claim four and one-half miles southeast of Callaway, and this property is now owned by his son, William L., of this review, who owns also the old Oscar Gore place, situated but a short distance northwest of Devil's Gap canyon, this place being somewhat noted in local history and consisting of 160 acres. Mr. Stevens did not have the educational advantages he is giving his own children, but he went to the country schools when opportunity offered and grew to respected young manhood, not confining his activities to the farm entirely. He worked in lumber yards from 1898 until 1913, and most of the time was foreman for the Dierks Lumber Company which operated at Anselmo, Ord, and Callaway. He filled that position for fifteen years prior to turning his attention to agricultural pursuits. Since then he has made wheatgrowing somewhat of a specialty and his wheat crop in 1918 proved to be unusually heavy.

Mr. Stevens was married May 9, 1897, at Broken Bow, Nebraska, to Miss Anna Douglass, a daughter of John and Emma (Morehead) Douglass. Mrs. Stevens has two sisters and one brother: Jennie is the wife of George B. Mair, who now lives retired in Oakland, California, but for si.xteen years was clerk of the Custer county court ; Ethel is the wife of Edward Pinnell, who is a carpenter living at Grand Island, Nebraska ; and Curtis D., who is secretary of the Long Oil & Gas Company, of Kansas City, Missouri, married Luella Fritz. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens became the parents of five children : Leone. who was a clerk in the postoffice at Callaway. was the first from Custer county to enlist as a nurse, and was sent to Wilmington, Delaware, where she is working in a government hospital, at the time of this writing: Sadie M. remains at the parental home ; William D. is deceased; and E. Louise and Helen E., aged respectively ten and seven years (1918), are very engaging children and are still in school. Mr. Stevens is one of the solid, representative men of his neighborhood and is ever ready to prove his good and earnest citizenship, but he has never been specially active in politics and seeks no public office.

of and the useful service rendered by one of Broken Bow"s most substantial citizens. William G. Purcell belongs to a family known throughout the entire county and most of the state - a family who have rendered every possible public service demanded of thein, a family who have been qualified to serve in a public and useful capacity in almost every department of official or social life.

William G. Purcell was born in Ravenna. Ohio, June 5, 1857. He is a son of the late George Purcell. whose family record will be found in the biographical sketch of Emerson R. Purcell. on other pages of this volume. Early in his career the family of which William G. Purcell is a member, settled in Illinois, and the subject of this narrative received a practical education in the public schools of Springfield, tlie capital city of that state. He began his active life in the printing office, and has followed that vocation practically until the present time.

Imbued with the pioneer spirit, Mr. Purcell came to Custer county in January. 1884. and located upon a homestead in the vicinity of Merna. Later on he and his bnother bought a job-printing office of R. H. Miller and they began its operation in 1886. Since that time printers" ink of some color has constituted the brand that discloses without announcement his vocation. More extended notice of his business connection with his brother is detailed in the biographical sketch of Emerson R. Purcell. During the early years of their partnership they were publishers of the Mcrna Leader and Custer County Chief. Later, to better farilitate business, their plant was divided, William G. taking over the job-printing department, which he operates at the present time, and in which he is rated as one of the best job printers in the central portion of the state.

October 27, 1880, Mr. Purcell married Miss Fannie Scherr, of St. Louis. Missouri. They established an ideal home, in which were all the comforts to be obtained in that day, and to which every convenience was added as the years went by and modern conveniences were obtainable. Mr. and Mrs. Purcell have three children. The first, Caroline, is the wife of J. P. Hayden. a prominent citizen of Petersburg, this state, and they have one child, Emma Walker. The second child and only son, Theodore, maintains a home of his own, and his wife, who presides graciously over the home, was formerly Miss Margaret Orr, of Broken Bow. In their home is one child, Elizabeth. Theodore learned the printer's trade in his father's establishment, but at the present time has forsaken the "art preserva- ti\e" and is farming his father's place, where he has developed into a practical and successful farmer. The younger daughter, Marietta, is a trained nurse. She began her career at Kearney, but is now with Dr. Ramsey in the Lincoln Hospital, where she has had charge for several months. She will soon go to St. Louis. Missouri, where she will finish her training course.

The family are members of the Episcopal church, faithful and ardent supporters upon whom the church depends for much of its active service. As a prominent Odd Fellow, Mr. Purcell is past grand patriarch of the Nebraska grand encampment, and past grand representative of the sovereign lodge. He is connected also with the Highlanders, in the circles of which he has been prominent for a number of years. He is a Republican in his Ijolitica! affiliations, but has never aspired to any political position in the gift of any jiarty. He has been a member of the school board, and has served in other official capacities in a minor way. He has a splendid business at the present time, and is rated in Broken Bow as one of the substantial and dependable citizens. The Purcells are fine people and Custer county is deeply indebted for the services they have rendered.

ARINCE T. HILLMAX. - In recounting the men who have come from other states and have acquired substantial standing in Nebraska, attention may be called to Arince T. Hillman, who is a heavy landowner in Custer county and one of the responsible citizens of Broken Bow. In business operations covering many years, he has built up a reputation for business astuteness as well as for personal integrity.

Mr. Hillman was born in Johnson county, Indiana, March 10, 1878. His parents were Nelson and Eliza (Alderson) Hillman, natives of Mercer county, Kentucky, and farming people all their lives. They had three daughters and t\vo sons, and two of the daughters are deceased. The family survivors are: Arince T., whose name introduces this review: Sixton. who is a farmer in Moragn county, Indiana, and a soimd Democrat in IKililics; and Malvina. who is the wife of Elmer Wing. Mr. \\ ing is a farmer, located eleven miles southwest of Broken Bow. He is a Democrat in politics and belongs to the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. Mr. and ^Irs. Wing have one daughter, Mary, who is five years old. By a former marriage Mrs. Wing had three sons: Herman, Carl, and Robert Krembzow.

Arince T. Hillman attended the pub'.ic schools in boyhood and was reared on his father's farm, remaining with his parents until he was nineteen years old. In February, 1897, he was united in marriage, at Broken Bow, to Miss Ina B. Williams, who was born in Indiana, a daughter of John L. and Catherine (Fisher) Williams, and a gran<ldaughter of John P. Williams. Mrs. Hillman has four sisters, namely : Etta is the wife of William WafTensmith, a well known business man of Merna, Nebraska, an Odd Fellow, and a Democrat, and they have three children : Isa is the wife of Leish Davis, who is telegraph operator at Hazard. Nebraska, an Odd Fellow and Democrat, and they have three children : Nondice is the wife of Albert Carter, who is a farmer near Gibbon, Nebraska, and is a Democrat ; and Mamie is the wife of Robert Winchester, who is a farmer and a Republican, and they have two children. Mr. and Mrs. Hillman have five children, namely: Lawrence D., who is a farmer and lives at home ; John R., who works on a farm claim but still lives with his parents ; Nelson and Kenneth, both of whom are students in the Broken Bow high school, and Floyd, who is yet in the graded school.

Mr. Hillman not only owns 500 acres of valuable land, well adapted to both farming and grazing, but he also has one of the most attractive residences in Broken bow. the family residing here mainly in order to give the children the best of educational advantages. \\ bile never very active in ]X)litics and always declining every suggestion of holding public office, Mr. Hillman has always been a thoughtful and earnest citizen ever ready to do his full duty to country, state and comnuuiitv.

WILLIAM IHLOW. - The Ihlow farm, in the eastern part of Custer county, may be said to constitute one of those landmarks on which may be found evidence of almost every phase that has marked the progress of agricultural industry in Custer county during the past thirty-seven years. This fine landed estate now comprises 6-10 acres - an entire section - and it includes the old homestead on which the present owner located when he came as a jiioneer to this county. In addition to fulfilling its mission as a medium of financial profit, this farm property has been developed to a state in which it compares most favorably with any other Custer county landed estate likewise accumulated through pioneer courage and deterniination. The owner of this i>roperty is William Ihlow, who is now one of the sterling and honored pioneer citizens of Ansley. in which pleasant village he has maintained his home since the time of his retirement from the farm, in 1915.