Custer County, Nebraska - Founders and Builders, 1919 (part 22 of 32)

January 4, 1898, recorded the marriage of Mr. Butler to Miss Louise Harris, who was born at Brighton, Indiana, a daughter of Ihomas Harris. Mr. Harris, who was a farmer by vocation, followed that occupation in Custer county from the time of his arrival, in November, 1895, until his death He was the father of five children : Sid and Fred, now residents of Brighton, Indiana; Frank and Charles of Custer county; and Mrs. Butler. Air. and Mrs. Butler are the parents of four children : Elsa. who was a member of the Ansley high school graduating class of 1918; and Thomas. Paul, and Robert, who are attending school. Mr. and Mrs. Butler are members of the Presbyterian church, and he is fraternally afifiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Royal Highlanders. A Republican in politics, he has taken an active, helpful, and constructive part in local affairs, and for the past five years he has rendered excellent service as a member of the city council.

WILLIAM B. SADLER. - Here is presented a biographical sketch of a man who came to Custer county after the pioneer days were over but who contributed to the presentday status of farming, a full measure of thrift, shrewd business ability, and keen executive skill.

Mr. Sadler was born in Will county, Illinois, November 24, 1856. His father, Thomas J. Sadler, was a western Canadian, and his mother, whose maiden name was Eliza Johnston, was a lady of fine culture and high standing, in whose character predominated the sterling trait of the best Irish blood.

in the family of Thomas J. Sadler were nine children - Oliver B., William B., Mrs. Ella (Sadler) Weese, Henr\' R., Frederick E., Joseph F., Edward T., Airs. Sadie (Sadler) Deline, and Rupert J. Together they made a strong family of seven characteristic men and two women - a family contribution to the state that any father or mother might well feel pardonable pride in mentioning. By occupation the father was an undertaker, and in his profession he was counted proficient, the while he was generally popular. He an^l his wife were devoted adherents of the Methodist church.

William B. Sadler states that the first money he earned was by helping his neighbors put in their spring gardens in the small village in which he lived and where he attended the public school. At sixteen years of age young Sadler took a position in a butcher shop in Ninooka, Illinois, and he has followed that line of business for the major part of his life.

He was married October 2, 1884, in Braceville, Illinois, to Kate E. \'arley, who was born at Jackson, Michigan, a daughter of Joseph Varley, who was from Nottingham, England, and who belonged to a sterling old English family. The maiden name of Mrs.

Sadler's mother was Charlotte Green, and she was a ver)' estimable woman. Both parents, while connected uith the Methodist Episcopal church in America, were members of the established Church of England.

In the family of Mr. and Mrs. William B. Sadler are six children : Joseph \'., who is a farmer by occupation, lives on his father 5 farm south of Lodi ; Mabel O. is the wife of Einer Klint, a young business man in a national bank in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he has a position at the teller's window ; Walter B. is a sergeant in Company L, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Infantry, and was in line for service in France when the great war came to a close; Addie N. is a graduate of the Callaway high school and attended the State Normal School at Kearney, Nebraska, besides which she is a graduated nurse from the Silver Cross Hospital of Joliet, Illinois ; Fred T., who is in the service of his country at the time of this writing, is attached to Companv C, One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Infantry, .American Expeditionary Forces, and is "somewhere in France" ; Lois is still at home, and has not yet finished her course in the jniblic school.

Air. Sadler came to Custer County in 1909 and bought a half-section of good land, threefourths of a mile south of Lodi. This is a splendid farm, in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Sadler's eldest son, Joseph V., lives on the place and conducts a successful farming and stock-raising business. Air. Sadler himself has his home in Callaway, where he is engaged in the business to which he has long given his attention. In connection with his meat market he buys and sells live stock, and he does a lucrative business.

The Sadler family is connected with the Protestant Episcopal church. In fraternal circles Mr. Sadler is a Royal Arch Alason and Knight Templar. His political affiliations are generally Democratic, although, being a man of keen discernment and good judgment, he persists in voting for the man rather than the party. The Sadlers are representative citizens - a family of whom Custer county makes distinguished recognition.

WILLIAM BAALHORN. - A frugal and thrifty farmer, of German extraction, who has attested his loyalty to the United States by contributing two stalwart sons to the army service, and who in other ways has done even-- thing possible to forward the interests of his adopted country, \\"illiam Baalhorn lives in a splendid farm home in the vicinitv of Anslev.

William Baalhorn was born May 21, 1860, in Germany. He is a son of Ludwig Baalhorn, a sturdy German sire who transmitted the characteristic traits of thrift and frugality to his offspring, both he and his wife having passed their entire lives in Germany. They were the parents of six children, all of whom are living at the present time. Two of these children came to America - William, who is the subject of this sketch, and Fritz, engaged in the nursery business in Los Angeles, California.

William Baalhorn lived in Germany until he was twenty-three years of age, at which time the call of America lured him across the water and the year 1883 recorded his arrival at Grand Island, Nebraska. At the time of his arrival he had just eighteen dollars with which to commence life and operations in the new country. Grand Island held him but one year, after which he came up to Custer county and located a homestead. On this pioneer farm he built the regulation sod house, and the same figured as his home for a number of years.

A most important event of the life of Mr. Baalhorn occured in March, 1892, at which time he led to the marriage altar Miss Maggie Harris, who was born in Illinois, and who is a daughter of George Harris, now a prominent citizen of Cherry county, Nebraska.

As the years passed by, ten children, nine of whom are still living, were born into the Baalhorn home: Fritz, who is at the time of this writing "somewhere in France," serving his country, has been in the service since March, 1918. John, who had the patriotic disposition of his brother, entered the service, anxious to do his bit, but he has recently been discharged on account of physical disability. Otto, Emest, and Clarence are at home under the parental roof. Anna is the Avife of Theodore Harmon, and they reside on a farm near Thedford, Nebraska. Three daughters, Tillie, ^lary, and Gracie, are inmates of the parental home and are pursuing their studies in the district school. The Baalhorn family is connected with the Lutheran church. Mr. Baalhorn is independent in politics. He votes for the best man and affiliates with no political party. Some years ago he bought the place where he now lives, and erected a splendid farm residence. He owns 480 acres of good land and conducts a general farming and stock-raising business. His stock-raising operations include all kinds of live stock.

WILLIAM N. ROSSO. - Prominent among the energetic and progressive agriculturists and business men of the younger generation whose activities have been centered in Custer county, one deserving of more than passing mention is William N. Rosso, who has now established his residence in Bufifalo county. During his comparatively short career he has been identified with a number of pursuits and vocations, and in each has demonstrated the possession of sound ability and practical knowledge, qualities developed through experience and training. He is a Nebraskan by nativity, having been born on his father's farm in Furnas county, Nebraska, December 19, 1884, and is a son of Fred C. and Athera (Newberry) Rosso.

Fred C. Rosso was born in Germany and was still a young man when he immigrated to the LInited States, taking up his home in Furnas county, Nebraska. He was a man of industry, made a good home for his family, and well merited his fellow citizens' esteem and regard. His wife was a daughter of Norman Newberry, and they were the parents of two sons : William N. ; and John C, the latter also a Buffalo county farmer.

\\'illiam N. Rosso was reared on the home farm and secured his early education in the public schools of his native community, subsequently graduating from the high school at Kearney. His first employment was at Alliance, Nebraska, where he worked ' for his uncle, C. H. Newberry, and learned the plumber's and tinner's trades, the mastery of which was not difficult for him, as he is a natural mechanic. Becoming an expert along these lines, he also learned the trade of blacksmith and naturally developed the ability necessary for automobile repairing, and he has followed both lines to some extent, with excellent success.' For several years he was engaged in the operation of his father's farm, but more recently has decided to secure a property of his own, his various activities having enabled him to accumulate sufficient means to entertain such a project. He is thoroughly familiar with all manner of agricultural work, having operated a corn-sheller and threshing machine outfit for about fifteen years, and in addition is a good judge of live stock and well informed in the various other matters essential to success in farming.

Butcher, who was born in Custer county, a daughter of Solomon D. and Lillie M. (Barber) Butcher, natives respectively of Wetzel county, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Rosso have one daughter : Olive F., born July 3, 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Rosso are members of the Highlanders and of the Christian chnrch.

GEORGE W. McKINNEY. who is a prosperous business man of Oconto, where he is engaged in selling real estate, owns a valuable farm that adjoins the town and is his own manager and farmer. Mr. McKinney has been an independent and self-supporting individual since he was sixteen years of age, and naturally he has little sympathy with those who excuse their entire lack of capital because of want of business opportunity. Mr. McKinnev was born near Jacksonville, Illinois. January 7, 1874. He was one of a large family born to his parents, John and Euphemia (Baird) McKinney. His father was born in Kentucky and his mother in Illinois. They were members of the Baptist church. They had children as follows: John H., Charles I., George W., Mrs. Millie A. Cox., Mrs. Harriet Six, ]\Irs. Mary Christenson, Gilbert, Mrs. Clara B. i\Iessinger, and William. William died at the age of sixteen years, and all of the other children are still living.

George W. McKinney attended the public schools and assisted on the home farm until he was sixteen years old, when he started out for himself. He can look back over an honorable record, for he satisfied his employers well and worked for one man continuously for three years, in all that time losing but thirteen days from any cause. Until he was twenty-one years of age he held rigorously to the old family custom of paying into the family treasury, and gave one-half of his wages to his father, although he did not live at home. Farming has been his main occupation all his life, and the success which has attended his efforts is largely the result of the intelligent interest he takes in his agricultural operations. He came to Nebraska in 1903 and has seen many sections of the state, but none impressed him so favorably as a location for a permanent home as did Custer county, to which he came in 1914. He shortly afterward bought 189 acres of choice land that adjoins Oconto on the southeast, and this land has since been greatly increased in value because of its being so highly cultivated and improved. His real-estate business is really a side line.

At Bluffs, Scott county, Illinois, on March 3, 1897, Mr. McKinney married Miss Adella A. Baker, who was born near Louisville. Missouri, and is a daughter of Albert and Emily (Davis) Baker, the former born in Missouri, and the latter at Griggsville, Pike county, Illinois. Mrs. McKinney was one of a family of eight children, only three of whom survive, her two sisters being Mrs. Sadie Atkinson and Mrs. Catherine \'annier. Mr. and Mrs. McKinney have four children - Vera E., Edna A., George V., and John G. - ^their ages, in 1918, ranging from seventeen to six years and all but the youngest being in school and making excellent records. In politics Mr. McKinney has long been identified with the Democratic party, and he remains loyal in his adherence to its principles. With his family he belongs to the Methodist Epicopal church.

BEN HARDIN. - Formerly a merchant and now a farmer of Custer county, Ben Hardin has been a resident of this county since the "SOs, and in his range of experiences he has known poverty and affluence, obscurity and prominence. It has been his fortune to have attained many of his ambitions, and hard and conscientious work has eventually resulted in the securing of the awards which compensate for former hardship and struggle. Mr. Hardin was born July 20, 1854, in Noble county, Ohio, a son of Nestor and Susan (Baker) Hardin.

The parents of Mr. Hardin were natives respectively of Virginia and Pittsburgh, and settled in Ohio as young people, their marriage taking place in that state, where their eleven children were born. Of the children eight are living : Mrs. Emily Dyer, John, Mrs. IMary Mincks, Absalom, Mrs. Minerva Taylor, Mrs. Susan Raney and George and Ben. All of these children reside either in Noble or Washington counties, Ohio, with the exception of Ben and a sister who lives at Scio, Harrison county. The parents were faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal chwrch, and the father, who was a farmer by vocation, supported the Republican party at elections. Ben Hardin was reared on his father's farm, and his boyhood was passed amid the exciting times of the Civil war period. The youth of all the land was at that time enthused with patriotic sentiment, and the lads of young Hardin's neighborhood were no exception. They accordingly fomied a company and started drilling, but the matter of uniforms bothered them until they struck upon the idea of picking wild grapes and from the result of their sale buying sufficient red calico for their mothers to fashion into uniform trousers and coats. Air. Hardin still has in his possession his own little red jacket, which is now nearly sixty years old, and which he retains as one of his dearest possessions.

While he was being brought up on the home farm, Mr. Hardin obtained his education in the public schools of Noble county, and he remained under the parental roof until long after he had attained to his majority. He was married May 9, 1880, to Miss Edna L. Sprague, of Beverly, Ohio, who was born February 21, 1858, at Coal Run, Washington county, that state, a daughter of Joseph S. Sprague. Mr. Sprague was born May 1, 1831, at Jacobsport, Ohio, and was married November 7, 1852, at Coal Run, to Henrietta Mason Laughery, who was born December 22, 1830, at Ceiiterville, Ohio, a daughter of Joseph and Edna (Penny) Laughery. Mr. Sprague died August 25, 1885, at Eddyville, Iowa, and Mrs. Sprague passed away December 11, 1915, at Ottumwa, Iowa. They were the parents of four children: Dr. Manly H., James A., Edna L., and Edwin C.

Not long after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hardin left Ohio and came to Nebraska, where Mr. Hardin entered upon a career in merchandising. His original venture was a modest and unassuming one, as he was possessed of only a small ca|)ital, and for a time it was a hard struggle to make his business pav. However, in the end he succeeded in the development of a worthy commercial enterprise that had the patronage and good will of the people of Arnold and the surrounding country and that brought him handsome returns. He became one of the [iromincnt and influential business men of his adopted place, ann stood high in the esteem of those with whom he was associated in business transactions. In the spring of 1918 Mr. Hardin decided he had followed commercial lines long enough, and accordingly he disposed of his mercantile interests and moved to a farm one and onefourth miles south of Arnold. Here he has a new and modern house on his fine tract of 480 acres, besides which he has fifty acres of splendid alfalfa, and the finest thirteenacre cottonwood grove in western Nebraska. His property is free from indebtedness of all kinds, and Mr. and Mrs. Hardin are now passing their evening of life in comfort and contentment, and in the knowledge that the things that are theirs have been gained honestly and honorably. During his lon<j and active career Mr. Hardin has at various times been called to posts of responsibility and trust, but he has never been an ofifice-seeker nor a politician in the generally accepted use of the word. He has supported his community's best interests as a citizen, but aside from that the greater part of his time and atention has been devoted to his business and his home. Mr. an I Mrs. Hardin are the parents of two children: Homer R., who is still a bachelor, is a farmer near Arnold, and is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and of the Christian church. He is a Republican in politics Edna Leora is the wife of Jay O. Walker, a well known business man and banker of Alliance, Nebraska. Mr. Walker is a prominent Mason and Shriner, belongs to the Elks and the Ancient C)rder of United Workmen, and is a Republican. He and his wife belong to the Christian church.

GEORGE E. PAINE, who is one of the capable and progressive representatives of the farming and stock-raising industry of Custer county, came here thirty-four years ago, and has since kept pace with the steady advancement that has marked this section. Mr. Paine was born in central Wisconsin, March 27, 1862, a son of George F. and Lydia (Ridland) Paine.

George Paine, the paternal grandfather of Mr. Paine, was born in England and in voung manhood immigrated to the United States and settled in Maine. There he married a Miss Lamb and there he settled down to agricultural pursuits, and rounded out an honorable career. His son, George F. Paine, was born in Maine, where he was educated, grew to manhood and was married, and in February, 1862, he went to Wisconsin, where he purchased land and engaged in farming. He remained as a resident of that state until 1879, when he came to Custer county. Nebraska, and took up a homestead in section 10, township 16, which continued to be his home until his death. He was a man of industry, had the respect and esteem of those in whose midst he made his home, and from small beginning, as a ]ioor man, he raised himself to be well-to-do and to a place of influence in his adopted community. He was a Democrat in politics, and he and his wife were Spiritualists in religion. They both passed over while residents of the old homestead. Mr. and Mrs. Paine were the parents of eight children, of whom four are living: Mettie, who is the widow of Samuel Guile, of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin ; Emma, who is the wife of Sylvester Hathaway, a retired farmer of Lincoln, Nebraska : \\". \'., who resided in Custer county

George E. Paine was born the month following his parents' arrival in Wisconsin, and there his education was acquired in the public schools, while in his boyhood he was not unfamiliar with hard work, but early learned the value of industry, thrift and enterprise. He was about seventeen years of age when his parents came to Custer county, and much of the work of developing the new pioneer homestead and of making it ready for the planting of crops fell upon his strong young shoulders. He remained at home until after he had attained his majority, but a few days before hi^ twenty-second birthday, March 4, 1884, he secured a homestead. Previously to this, and for some time thereafter, he was engaged in freighting from Kearney to Grand Island, and to Broken Bow from both points. After he secured his homestead, he "batched it" for a time, living in a sod house and caring for his own wants, but February 24, 1886, he married Alice (Cheesebrough) Hodge, who was born in New York and who accompanied her parents to Wisconsin, where they died. Mr. and Mrs. Paine have eight children : Dr. J. Lee Paine, a graduate of the Cleveland Medical College, is now a practicing physician and surgeon at Oconto, Nebraska ; Lynn is a clerk in the store of C. J- Stevens, of Ansley ; and Sam. Richard, Elsie, Clifford, Helen, and Elwin are all at home and attending school. By a former marriage, to a Mr. Hodge, Mrs. Paine has one son, William Hodge, who is now engaged in farming near W^esterville.

Mr. Paine has always made his home on the old homestead, where the sod house has long since given way to a pleasant modern residence, surrounded by good barns and outbuildings and the other improvements of an up-to-date country property. His acreage has increased from time to time until he now has a half-section of land, gained through his industry and good management, and on this land he has applied himself to general farming and the raising of stock, in both of which lines he has been distinctively successful. In politics Mr. Paine is a Democrat. He is one of his community's public-spirited men and one who has won confidence and esteem because of his high ideals of integritv.

WILLIAM C. PIERCE, who is a well known resident of the Oconto district, where he is engaged in business as a farmer, has been a resident of this state for thitry-five years and during the greater part of this time has been interested in agricultural development. Mr. Pierce, like many of the other substantial and dependable men of Custer county, is a native of the Hawkeye state. He was born near Valley Junction, Polk county, Iowa, September 15, 1878. His parents were John M. and Mary E. (Middles wart) Pierce, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Illinois. Of the family of five children three sons are living : Alfred R., James F., and William C. The father was a farmer all his life. He was an independent voter and was a member of the Knights of Pythias.

William C. Pierce was seven years old when he accompanied his parents to Nebraska, his father locating at Coft'man Siding, fifteen miles north of Omaha, which place was named for Victor Coft'man, who owned much lau'l, including the Coffman ranch in Custer county, situated seven miles north of Oconto, which was operated for eighteen years by R. C. Chumbley. The boy attended school when opportunity was afforded, but Mr. Pierce never had the advantages that he has been able to give his own children. He was sturdy and industrious even in childhood, and when only eight years old was employed as driver of the horse that operated the derrick when the great business of stacking hay was in progress. He remembers one occasion when he was about the most important member of the whole outfit. W'hile driving the derrick horse a sudden electricial storm came up, making it necessary to get the hay stacked expeditiously, but when one of the haymakers facetiously assured the little driver that from the appearance of the cloud they would all be blown away, they immediately found themselves without a driver, Willie having known of former storms of this kind and having promptly decided that the shelter of the house at such a time was only wise precaution. In 1890, when fourteen years old, Mr. Pierce came to Custer county and started to work on a salary basis on the Coff'man ranch, where he remained eighteen years. After retiring from the ranch he came to Oconto, where he continues to reside.

Mr. Pierce was married March 16. 1898, at Oconto, Nebraska, to Anna S. Helmuth, who was born in Germany, a daughter of William Helmuth, and they have five children - Robert C, Sadie M., William C, Wilna E., and Juanita M. - all of whom live at home except Sadie M. Mr. Pierce and his family belong to the Christian church. Although never an office-seeker, Mr. Pierce has many times proved himself a useful and public-spirited citizen and he has always been faithful to the principles of the Democratic party.

LYMAN E. A.MSBERRY is one of the citizens of Custer county who has devoted his entire energies to farming and stock-raising and who through his own ettorts has worked his way from modest beginnings to prominence and prosperity. While not bom here, he w-as a small lad when he began life within the county's borders, and his entire training, educational and otherwise, has been given him in the locality in which he now makes his home.

Mr. Amsberry was born in Marion county, Iowa, June 1, 1873, and is a son of L. Norton Amsberry and Jane Ann (CofTman) Amsbern-. natives of Virginia. He is a grandson of Zachariah Coffman, a Virginian. Soon after their marriage, in their native state, the parents removed to Iowa, where the father purchased land and continued to be engaged in farming during the remainder of his life. He was a Democrat, but never an officeseeker. As a farmer, he was industrious and energetic, but he did not live long enough to acquire marked success, as his death occurred in 1876. when he was still in the prime of life. There were twelve children in the family, of whom six are living : Florentine, - a resident of Butler county, Kansas, is the W'idow of the late Thomas J. Mossman, who was a farmer ; William Zachariah, for years a farmer of Custer county, is now living in retirement at Mason City, this county ; Nola, of Ansley, is the widow of Henry Zimmermann, who was a farmer ; Norton is the ])roprietor of a feed store at Ansley : Charles is engaged in farming near Broken Bow : and Lyman E. is the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Amsberry, in 1914, died at the home of her youngest son, and in the faith of the Baptist church, of which she had been a life-long member.

Lyman Edwin Amsberry was six years of age when brought to Custer countv, where his mother, in 1879. bought the right on a farm. There he grew to manhood, assisting his mother and brothers, and when he attained to his legal majority he secured eighty acres of the home property, on which he began agricultural operations. He has gradually increased his acreas;e, and at present he owns and operates a quarter-section, which he devotes to general farming and stock-raising. He has been decidedly successful in his work, in which he has used modern methods and the latest improved machinery and other equipment. He has a pleasant country home, with all modern conveniences, his batons are large and commodious, and his outbuildings suitable for the shelter of his equipment, grain and stock. The property throughout evidences the fact that he is a good manager and an energetic worker.

In 1897 Mr. .\msberr\- married Aliss Mary Luella Wayne, who was born in Wisconsin, and to this union there have been bom six children : Lyman Ray, who resides at home and is his father's chief assistant in the operation of the farm ; Rhoda Jane, who is employed away from home ; Lewis Norton, who died when he was between three and four months of age; and Alice, Charles, and Arthur, who remain at home and are attending school. Mr. and Mrs. Amsbern' and their children are members of the Baptist church at Ansley. He is a Democrat, with leanings toward Socialism, and has served as a member of the school board, of which body he is now treasurer. In his community he is know^n as a man of sound integrity and as a citizen of public spirit.

QUINTUS J. DADY. - When he first came to Custer county, in the fall of 1882, Quintus J. Dady was not far past his majority - a young man of energy, spirit and ambition, but without other capital. Only the strong and persevering among the early settlers of this locality were able to stand the strain of the few years that directly followed, but Mr. Dady belonged to that class, and his industry and good management have since been exercised to such good effect that he is to-day one of the substantial men of the Mason City community.

Mr. Dady was born on his father's farm in Mason county, Illinois, Februarv 25, 1861, his parents being Spencer and Adelaide (Wible) Dady, the former born in Pennsylvania in 1835, and the latter in Illinois, in 1840. They were married in Mason county, Illinois, where the father, a poor but industrious man, fanned for several years. Subsequently he went to Iowa, which was the family home until 1884. In that year Spencer Dady followed the example of his sons and came to Custer county, where he took up a homestead and where he continued to be engaged in farming and stockraising until his death, in 1890. He was successful in his operations and was known as a man of sterling integrity. He was first a Republican and later a Populist in politics, but never looked for public honors. Mrs. Dadv. who survived him until 1904, was a memljer of the Baptist church. They were the parents of four sons: Pern- M., who is engaged in farming in the vicinity of Mason City : Quintus J., who is the subject of this review : L. L.. who is engaged in agriculture in Ringgold county, Iowa; and N. C, who was for some years engaged in the implement business at Mason City, where his death occurred September 19, 1917.

Quintus J. Dady was still a lad when the family removed to Iowa, and in the public schools of that state his youthful education was acquired. Brought up to farming, he naturally adopted that vocation when he reached years of discretion, and when he was twenty-one he decided that he woyld try his fortunes in Nebraska, reports having come from Custer county to the effect that opportunities were splendid for young men of ambitioin, energy and industry. Accordingly, in the fall of 1882, he came, as the first of the Dady family, to the locality of Mason City, and forthwith settled on a homestead, which formed the nucleus for his present splendid property of 520 acres. Like others who took up life here during that time, Mr. Dady was forced to face numerous hardships before he was well started upon his career, but he eventually overcame all obstacles in his path, and set about to gain his present enviable position as one of the locality's successful self-made men. His property is now one of the well cultivated tracts of this part of Custer county, and Mr. Dady has enhanced its value by the erection of modern and substantial buildings, and the installation of up-to-date improvements of every kind. He devotes himself largely to general fanning operations, but also has made a decided success in his specialty of raising thoroughbred Red Polled cattle.

In 1886 Mr. Dady was united in marriage to Miss Sadie Burns, who was born near Quincy, Illinois, a daughter of Thomas and Nancy (Fender) Burns, the former born in Ireland and the latter in Virginia. Mr. Burns, who was a fanner by vocation, died in Iowa, where he owned a property, and his widow, who survives him, is a resident of Kellerton, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Dady have four children : Frank, who is farming eighty acres of his father's land, married Hazel King and has two children - Eunice and Irma May : Walter, single, is assisting his father in the operation of the home farm; Bert, of Kearney, who is engaged in farming, married Mabel Boker, and they have two children - lola and Winland ; and Flossie, the wife of Ralph Ming, a farmer of Custer county, has one child - Beulah May. Mr. Dady is independent in politics; he is a member of the local Grange and is interested actively in all progressive and public-spirited enterprises.

attractions of the city, and of agriculture gaining a devotee at the expense of professional and business life, is found in the career of Lewis S. Newcomb, who gave up professional opportunities and financial chances, in 1909, to engage in farming. He has had no reason to regret his choice, for his work has proved not only congenial but also profitable, and he is rapidly becoming one of the substantial men of the Ansley community of Custer county.

Mr. Newcomb was born at Windham, New York, September 4, 1880, and is a son of M. L. and Hattie B. (Steele) Newcomb, both of English descent. Mr. Newcomb's paternal grandfather. Captain Elijah Newcomb, gained his title through service in the old New York state militia, and was a well known citizen and business man. The maternal grandfather, Addison Steele, was likewise well known and honored in New York. M. L. Newcomb was bom in the Empire state, March 24, 1836, and there married Miss Hattie B. Steele, who was born October 23, 1856. He was a merchant by vocation and gained some success in commercial life, in addition to which he was a man of prominence and influence and served as supervisor and school commissioner of Greene county. New York. He was a Mason and a Democrat and his religious affiliation was with the Methodist Episcopal church, in the faith of which he died, in 1900. Mrs. Newcomb, who was a Presbyterian, passed away September 15, 1913. Of their six children, two are living: Lewis S., whose name introduces this review ; and Bessie, who is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, and is connected in an official capacity with the New York public librar\'. Another son, the late Walter E. Newcomb, was graduated with high honors in Brown University and became the first president of the Farmers State Bank of Ansley, Nebraska, an institution of which his brother Lewis S., of this sketch, is now vicepresident.

Lewis S. Newcomb attended the public schools of New York state, where he was graduated in the Catskill high school as a member of the class of 1902. He had decided upon a professional career, and for two years he studied dentistry at Buffalo, New York, but in 1905 he came to the west and settled at Ansley, where he accepted a position with the Farmers State Bank, as assistant cashier. After two years in that capacity, he turned his attention to farming, and in 1909 he purchased his present property, a splendid farm of 240 acres, upon which he carries on operations in diversified agriculture and hog and cattle raising. In all departments of farm enterprise he has met with the most encouraging success, and his prosperity is all the more remarkable when it is recalled that his early training had been along entirely different lines. He is a student of his adopted vocation and keeps fully abreast of its various advancing movements ; his methods are modern and progressive, his equipment is of the most up-to-date character, and his improvements and buildings are the best of order and in excellent repair. In his work he has proved that the city man can achieve success on the farm if he applies himself industriously and intelligently and if he possesses a due amount of business ability.

In 1907 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Newcomb to jMiss Abbie Geeseman, who was born at Ansley, and who is a daughter of Orrin Martin Geeseman and Elizabeth (Talbott) Geeseman. The parents of Mrs. Newcomb were pioneers who came to Custer coimty in 1881 and settled on a homestead near Berwyn. In 1887 they changed their residence to Ansley. where Mr. Geeseman died ten years later, and where his widow still maintains her home. Mr. Geeseman, in addition to his agricultural operations, was a carpenter whose services w'ere much in demand, and many specimens of his capable workmanship can still be found in the earlier buildings and residences of Ansley and vicinity. It is worthy of note in this connection that a part of the present residence of Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb was erected by the latter's father, the late Orrin M. Geeseman, who was one of the pioneer carpenters and builders of Custer county and who could have had no thought that the building would later become the home of his daughter. He was a Republican in politics and for a number of years served in the capacity of justice of the peace, his fellow citizens knowing him as a man of mature judgment and absolute integrity. Fraternallv he belonged to the Independent Order of (Jdd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America, and he was popular in both of these organizations. His religious connection was with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which his widow is an earnest member. Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb are the parents of one son, Walter Martin, who was iiorn in 1908, and who is now attending the public schools.

In politics Mr. Newcomb gives his allegiance to the Republican party, and he is well fortified in his opinions concerning governmental policies. He is affilated with the Masonic fraternity and he and his wife are zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Ansley, of which he is serving as treasurer, as well as superintendent of its Sunday school. He has been specially influential in Sunday-school work and is at the present time president of the Southeastern District Sunday School Association of Custer county. His dee]) interest in the communal welfare is ftirther indicated by the fact that he is secretary of the Ansley township librarj'.

AUGUST H. MILLER. - A striking illustration of the value of determination, persistence, and industry in the achievement of success is found in the career of August H. ^filler, who, starting life in Custer county without capital, has risen to a place of affluence and independence, so that in 1906 he was able to retire from active life and take up his residence near Litchfield, Sherman countv, where lie is the owner of a comfortable home. Air. Aliller, who is one of the highly respected men of his community, was born near Hinckley, DeKalb county, lUinois, May 22, 1859, and is a son of John and Catherine (Krumm) Miller.

The parents of Mr. Aliller, who were natives of Dillcnbcrg, Saxe-.\Itenburg, Germanv, were married at Bremen, and on immigrating to the L'nited States, in 1852, settled near Piano, Illinois. Subsequently, the father purchased what was known as Squaw Grove Farm, near Hinckley, Illinois, and he continued to operate this for a number of years, his indnstrv and native ability enabling him to rise from modest circumstances to the possession of a comfortable competence. In the summer of 1884 he came to Nebraska, and later pre-empted land, but he died in 1896, before he had it proved up, and his widow subsequently homesteaded the property, residing thereon until her death, in 1901. They were members of the Evangelical church and Mr. Miller was a Republican in his political adherence. Of the seven children in the family, four are living: Rev. John is a Methodist minister, with a charge at Kankakee. Illinois, and is the leading minister of his conference : Lizzie is the wife of George Davis, now living near Garden City, Missouri, although Mrs. Davis was formerly a pre-emptor in Custer county ; August H. is the immediate subject of this sketch ; and E. C. lived in Custer county for a number of years but now is a resident of Oregon.

August H. Miller received his education in the country schools of Illinois, and began work on his own account when still young, always having been a man of great energy- and industry. He farmed for himself one year in Illinois, in which state he married. In February, 1883, he came to Custer county and filed on a homestead, and in that year he built his first house, which was made of sod, and which cost seven dollars. There were but one or two other families in the neighborhood, and as Mr. Miller was in very poor financial circumstances when he started his career, he had ^ numerous liardships and privations to face and many obstacles to overcome, but he was sturdy, persevering, and self-reliant, and gradually made progress where many others failed. During the threshing seasons he would leave his worthy and industrious wife in charge of the home place and join the threshing crews, and in this way would add to his income, as he did also in accepting various other forms of honorable employment which helped him to carry on his operations of development through the dark days. He had his share of disappointments and discouragements, as well as of successes, and gradually the latter began to become more numerous than the former and he saw himself slowly but surely advancing to success. Through his intelligent and well managed general farming and stock-raising operations, he began to make money, and this he invested in more land, until he became recognized as one of the well-to-do citizens of his community. He now is the owner of 1,015 acres, all of which land has been secured through his own efforts and in an honorable and strictly legitimate manner. In 1906 Mr. Miller decided that he had done his share of the hard work of development, and accordingly retired from active agricultural life and moved near Lit;hfield, buying a tract of eighty acres not far from that town and another of seventeen acres in the corporation limits. He still owns much of the property on which he made liis initial success and this is improved with good buildings. Mr. IVIiller is a Republican and has .served as a member of the school board. He has also served in church offices, having always been active in the work and movements of the United Brethren church, while ]\lrs. Miller, who died in the faith of the Free ^^lethodist church, April 17, 1917, was likewise a church worker.

Mr. Miller was united in marriage February 5, 1883. to Miss Lizzie J. Hennies, who was born near Steinfeldt. Germany, and came with her parents, Mr. and IMrs. Ludwig H. Hennies, to tile United States about 1857, the family first settling in Illinois. They came to Nebraska in 1887, and settled in Custer county, where the father died in 1903 and the mother in 1914. Mr. and Mrs. Miller became the parents of si.x children, as follows: William H. resides with his father, and is his associate in his farming ojjerations ; Creorge A., who is a traveling salesman for Rumely & Company, with hcailiiuarters at Sidnev. Nebraska, enlisted in the United States service ; Laurel B. is the wife of Fred Gier, who is employed in a railroad roundhouse at Ravenna, Nebraska; Ellen B. is the wife of Arthur Betts, the owner of a farm near W'olcott, New York ; Fred C, a railway man at Casper, W'yoiuing, enlisted antl entered service as a soldier in connection with the world war : and Frank A. likewise enlisted in the L'nited States ser\'ice.

JOHN BACKES, SR. - The record of Custer county's retired farmers will not be complete unless the name in this title line is located somewhere close to the top. The name is one familiarly known in the Arnold locality. It comes down from pioneer days and is connected always with honorable traditions.

Mr. Backes was bom September 21, 1852, across the water in the frugal land of Germany, where habits of thrift and industry are inherited as well as cultivated. He is a son of Peter and Man- C. (Will) Backes, native Germans of staunch characteristics, in whose family were eight children - - Elizabeth Priester, Peter, John, Catherine Keisel, Henry, Louisa Goosman, Mary (deceased), and Charles. All were members of the Lutheran church. The parents immigated to America in 1S53 and located in Clayton county, Iowa, where they bought government land for one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. It was here that the father died, in 1889. When John Backes was a mere lad he helped to earn the living for the family and found considerable profit and amusement in trapping rabbits and quail. He worked for the neighbors ofttimes, but his money always went into the family pocket-book. He remembers no money which he had to spend .upon himself prior to the time when he became of age. But his father was a good provider and the wants of the family were well supplied, even if money were scarce. After reaching his majority, by the practice of rigid economy John Backes managed to earn and save about $225 a year. As he was doing pretty well himself, he imagined he could do better if he had someone to help him. Accordingly on March 18, 1880, at the home ol the bride's parents, in Delaware county. Iowa, he claimed in marriage the hand of Lydia Clendennen, an excellent young ladv who was bom in Dubuque, Iowa, and who is a daughter of William Clendennen, said to be a second cousin of Robert Fulton, of steamboat fame. Her mother was .Ann J. (Boone) Clendennen, a second cousin of Daniel Boone, the Indian fighter and pioneer spirit of Kentucky. The Clendennen family was composed of seven children, J\lar\' J- Cornwell ; Jessie Clendennen ; Josepli ; Lydia Backes ; Sarah E. Brown; Lucy j\l. Way, and Emma F. Clute. This family was connected with the Christian church.

Mr. and Mrs. John Backes came to Arnold, Custer county, Nebraska, in 1886 and located a claim of 160 acres two and one-half miles southeast of Arnold. This property Mr. Backes still owns as the home farm, and to the same another quarter-section has been added. Every foot of this place is good land and under a high state of cultivation, with good improvements and all necessary ec[uipment for the pursuit of agriculture.

In addition to the farm home, Mr. and Mrs. Backes maintain a fine residence in Arnold. This attractive home they have occupied for ten years. Mr. Backes is retired from active life, after twenty-two years on the farm. Mr. and Mrs. Backes are the parents of six children : John W. Backes, who married Mary McCants, owns his own farm but lives in Arnold and is working in a garage. He and his wife are members of the Methodist church, and he is a Woodman and Oddfellow ; Charles H. owns a farm, but lives on a farm of his father, near Arnold. He belongs to the -Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and both he and his wife, whose maiden name was Elma B. Parsons, are members of the Christian church. They have two daughters. Thomas E. married Jennie Marsh, and they live at Arnold, where he is following the carpenter's trade for occupation, although he owns a farm of his own. He is a member of the Odd Fellows and of the Christian church, his wife belonging to the ]\Iethodist church. Andrew J. married Etta Brummett. He is in the service of Uncle Sam at the time of this writing, being a member of Company 39, Tenth B. N., One Hundred and Sixty-third Depot Brigade, at Camp Dodge, Iowa. He is a Woodman and he and his wife are members of the Christian church. George A. is single, is a graduate of the Arnold high school and works at the carpenter trade in Arnold. He is a member of the Christian church. Leona M. is a graduate of the Arnold high school and for two years has been bookkeeper for a mercantile company in Arnold. She makes her home with her parents and is a member of the Christian church.

^fr. and Mrs. Rackes arc devoted members of the Christian church and are well and favor ably known in the community. They look back over the past and express gratitude for the blessings that have come to them, feeling that, while many hardships and trials have

AUGUSTUS MORROW, an honored veteran of the Civil war and a pioneer settler of Custer county, was for many years actively engaged in agricultural pursuits but is now living retired in Arnold.

Mr. Morrow is a native of the Keystone state, born at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, June 8, 1835, and he is a son of Wilson J. and Barbara (Metz) Morrow, likewise natives of Pennsylvania. In 1855 the family settled at Peru, Illinois, and there the parents both passed away. Augtistus Morrow as a young man found employment on Illinois and Mississippi river boats, having charge of ice barges being shipped to sotithern states and also being employed as watchman on steamboats, as well as in other capacities of similar order.

When the Civil war came on, Mr. Morrow enlisted, at Chicago, in June, 1862, as a member of Company A, Sixty-ninth Illinois Volunteer Infantr^^ He served on gimboats and transports during most of his term of service and also was on detached guard duty. He was mustered out in the fall of 1864 and returned to Peru, Illinois, where he again found employment on the river.

In January, 1870, Mr. Morrow married Miss Esther Robinson, a native of Ireland, and they established their home on land Mr. Morrow owned near the village of Peru. There he carried on farming in the summer and he continued to work on the river in the winter season. In the fall of 1883 he came to Custer county, Nebraska, to look over the country, and he took as a homestead the southwest quarter of section 22, township 17, range 25. He then returned to Illinois, where he spent the winter. In the spring of 1884 he came to Nebraska, bringing a car of household goods, three horses and a cow. The journey was made by rail to Cozad and from that point the family drove to their new home. All of the usual experiences fell to the lot of this pioneer family, but they weathered all storms and contributed in every way to the upbuilding of this section of the state. When the Kinkaid law was passed, Mr. Morrow again became a homesteader, and he proved up on a farm in Logan county. He still owns his old homestead, but for several years he has lived retired in the village of Arnold. Mrs. Morrow, who was one of the pioneer women of Custer county, passed away February 4, 1904, and of her seven children six are living, all being residents of Custer county - Miss

Martha, residing with her father ; Dr. John H., of Mema ; and George W., Augustus J-, Charles R., and Wilson E., all residing in the Arnold neighborhood.

JOHN H. CAROTHERS, D. V. S. - In the career of Dr. John H. Carothers, of Ansley, there has entered none of that monotony that comes from the constant following of one vocation or occupation. Few men have been so versatile in their accomplishments and attainments and few have followed so many divergent lines of activity. The law, medicine, farming, and stock-raising, all have attracted his interest and all have brought him success, but at the present time he is devoting his energies entirely to the practice of veterinarj' surger)-, a field in which he has few, if any, superiors in Custer county.

Dr. Carothers was born at Chicago, Illinois, January 3, 1851, and is a son of Henr\- and Mar}- (Buck) Carothers. His paternal grandfather was Henry Carothers, who was married in Scotland, where two of his children were born, following which he moved to Ireland where six more children were born. One of his elder children was Henrj- Carothers, who was born in Scotland, in 1821. and who came to the United States about the time of attaining his majority, he being a resident of Chicago, from 1842 to 1869. There he married, and there he conducted a small farm, was engaged in the stock business and also operated a meat market. During the Civil war he served the Union as a member of the secret service. He was also a prominent Republican of his day and was a delegate to the convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for president. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Upon leaving Chicago he went to Guthrie county, Iowa, where he had purchased a farm, and there he continued to be engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, in 1885. There his wife, a native of New York state, also passed away. They were the parents of seven children, of whom five are living - .\lexander, who is engaged in farniiiig near the old home place in Iowa: Miss Mar>' Etta, who is a resident of Des Moines ; Dr. John H., whose name introduces this sketch ; Frances, who is the wife of Charles Blanchard, president of \\'heatland (Illinois) College; and George Robert, who has conducted several colleges and is now a resident of Yardley. Pennsylvania.

he went with his parents as a youth of eighteen years. When he made a choice of vocation, the law appealed to him, with the result that he prepared for that profession and was duly admitted to practice at the Iowa bar. Later he took up he study of medicine, at the Iowa Medical College, and at various times, tip to 1902, he practiced medicine in connection with his other vocations. In 1885 Dr. Carothers came to Custer county, where he settled on a homestead and improved a farm, and it was about this time that he became deeply interested in the subject of veterinary surgery. He found that his knowledge of medicine enabled him to effect cures, and this made his services greatly in demand among the early settlers, while his reputation extended all over this part of the county. His business finally became so large that he was forced to give his entire attention to it, and since 1892. when he moved to Ansley. he has devoted almost all his energies to the treatment of all kinds of animal diseases. In this special field he has been most successful, and his ability and skill are generally recognized, so that by painstaking and diligent attention to his work he has built up a large and remunerati\-e practice.

In 1879 Dr. Carothers married Miss Alar\- A\'. Wallar, who was born in (Jhio, and to this union there have been born six children : May is the wife of George Llewellyn, of Chicago, a music dealer and a vocalist of note ; Paul H., who was educated at Lincoln, Nebraska, is now a successful and prominent physician and surgeon at Mason City, Custer county, where he conducts a private hospital: John W. is a physician in Lincoln, with a large and lucrative practice : Agnes resides with her parents and is the widow of Lester W'. Curtis : Everett C. was fomierly connected with Souder's jewelry store at Broken Bow, but after this country's entrance in the war he identified himself with the United States wireless-telegraph service and was stationed at Leavenworth. Kansas, awaiting call to service in France: Marietta remains at the parental home. The familv belongs to the Christian church. Dr. Carothers is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in politics is independent in his views.

ARTHUR B. CORNISH. - Located in that productive part of Custer county adjacent to Lodi and almost midway between Callaway and Oconto, is the beautiful farm home of .Arthur B. Cornish. He is one of the substantial farmers and stockmen of the southern Custer district, and is one of the prominent and influential citizens of this part of the county. Mr. Cornish was born at Cherry Valley Otsego county, New York, on the 16th of Januar)', 1863, and is a son of Lyman W. and Eunice A. (Lowe) Cornish, the former of whom was born at Cooperstown, New York, and the latter in South Valley, that state, so that both branches of the ancestral line of Arhur B. Cornish are to be traced back to the old Empire commonwealth of the Union. Of the three children of Lyman W. and Eunice A. Cornish, the subject of this review is the eldest ; the second child, Louisa L., became the wife of William C. Johnston, and she was a resident of the Lodi section of Custer county at the time of her death ; Lee, the youngest of the children, is individually mentioned on other pages of this volume.

Lyman W. Cornish came to Custer county in 1885 and took a homestead about three miles southeast of Lodi. He was one of the honored pioneers of the county and he and his wife were sincere Christian folk, always connected with some church organization and active in all departments of its work. In this connection it is pleasing to record that on the first Sunday after their location in the Lodi valley they assisted in the organizing of a union Sunday school, in the sod house of Joseph Thurman. Their son Arthur B., immediate subject of this review, was elected assistant superintendent of this Sunday school, and for twenty consecutive years he served either as superintendent or assistant superintendent of a neighborhood Sunday school, the while he has been otherwise instrumental in maintaining and vitalizing religious influence in the community.

For the first nine years of his career in Custer county Arthur B. Cornish worked on the farm during the summer seasons and taught school during the winter terms. In the meanwhile he saved his earnings and arranged for the day when he should engage in independent farm enterprise.

On the 27th of December, 1893, the event so important in every young man's life had its place in the career of Arthur B. Cornish, for on that date was solemnized his marriage to Miss Isabel Fodge, in Ortello valley. The young wife was a bright, intellectual schoolteacher of gracious personality and was splendidly adapted to become the head of a Christian home. Mrs. Cornish is a daughter of James M. Fodge, who is still living and who is well and favorably known by all of the old settlers of Custer county, his prominence in Sunday-school work being indicated by reference made to him in the historical department of this work, to wliich he contributes an interesting article concerning Sunday-school avtivities in the county, said contribution being found in Chapter XL Mr. Fodge is one of the gallant soldiers who went forth in defense of the LInion in the Civil war, and for a number of years he has been a prominent figure in the Nebraska ranks of the Grand Army of the Republic. The early home of Mrs. Cornish was in Lucas county, Iowa, and she was a baby at the time of the family removal to Hamilton county, Nebraska, from which she came with her parents to Custer county in 1883, the journey having been made in an old-time "prairie schooner," and her father having settled in the Ortello valley, his claim having been that on which the Ortello United Brethren church now stands. For several years Mrs. Cornish was a pioneer teacher in the schools of Custer county, and she made a reputation for being a splendid instructor and being a successful and popular representative of the pedagogic profession in the pioneer community. At the time her parents settled in the state the nearest railroad point, from which all supplies and provisions had to be hauled overland, was seventy-five miles distant, and she gained a plethora of experience in connection with the hardships and other trials of pioneer life. Mr. and Mrs. Cornish are faithful members of the Baptist church and are devoted and active in all departments of church work. They have shown deep interest in all missionary enterprises, have contributed largely of their means to every missionary appeal and have done much to extend Christian propaganda in their home county, throughout the state and in foreign lands.

Mr. Cornish is one of the prominent men of Custer county and has here been identified with every progressive movement. In all county-wide work in which some representative of the Lodi district w-as needed, Mr. Cornish has generally been drafted into service, and he has never disappointed those with whom he has worked, nor has he failed to accomplish the task assigned to him.

By long years of toil, thrift and saving, Mr. and Mrs. Cornish find themselves in comfortable circumstances, and they are to-day the owners of 1080 acres of land, on which are a splendid equipment of farm buildings and fine herds of live stock. The new home, built in recent years, is a spacious and attractive farm bungalow of modern design and facilities, and it stands forth in sharp contrast to the primitive sod house in which Mr. and Mrs. Cornish began their wedded life and in which their children were born, this unpretentious domicile having served as the family home during the years of the pioneer epoch in Custer county.

Itistory Of Custer Col'.Xtv, Xep.Raska

Among the experiences of his boj'hood Mr. Cornish states that he became consumed with a desire to become a hunter and trapper. Like David of old. his weapons were crude - his first equipment in this hne having been a club. With this club he slew not the lion and the bear, but tackled two opossums. He succeeded in getting not only the scalps but also the hides of these little animals, and from the sale of the hides he received twenty-five cents. He invested his money in a steel trap, and from that time forward the capture of small game was somewhat easier, while hides ready for market came in more frequently. This was the first money which Mr. Cornish remembers of earning for himself.

Mr. and Mrs. Cornish became the parents of three children, concerning whom brief record is consistently given at this junctu'-c. Tames L., who was graduated in the Broken Bow high school, is one of the gallant sons of Custer county who tendered his service to the nation when it became involved in the great world war. In June, 1917, he enlisted in Company L, Fourth Nebraska Infantrv, under Captain L. J. Butcher. In October of the same year he was transferred to Camp Cody, at the time when an army reorganization terminated the existence of the Fourth Nebraska. which was then transferred to a new unit, the One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Heavy Field Artillery. In March, 1918, James L. Cornish was appointed corporal and qualified as gunner. A little later he was recommended for the officers' training school at Louisville, Kentucky, and on the 31st of August, 1918, he received his commission as second lieutenant of light artillen,'. At the time when the war came to a close he was with his command at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The second son, Lvle Maynard, is a graduate of the Broken Bow high school and prior to the close of the world war he had entered the students' army training coriis of the University of Nebraska. The third child, Mar\' I., was but two years of age at the time of her death.

The Cornish family and the Cornish home are typical of Custer county, where character and virtue are held in high repute and home comforts are counted more than wealth.

EDWARD T. LARSON. - In banking circles of Custer county, Mr. Larson enjoys a reputation for conservatism and shrewdness. He is cashier of the Farmers State Bank of Sargent, and, in the opinion of those competent to judge, is one of the capable financiers and progressive citizens of his community. Mr. Larson is a native of Boulder, Colorado.

The parents of Mr. Larson were born in Sweden, and shortly after the close of the Civil war immigrated to this countrj' and took up their residence in Boulder county, Colorado, where Mr. Larson became a homesteader. He proved up on his claim, developed his property and put in good improvements, and he passed the rest of his life in industrious labor as an agriculturist, becoming one of the substantial and reliable men of hi.^ community. He died in Colorado, after a career characterized by self-attained success, and his widow still makes her home at Boulder. They were the parents of eight children, of whom five are still living: Perry, who is identified with the Chino Copper Company, at Gurley, Nebraska ; Bettie, who is the wife of Charles Gunneson, employed as a cabinetmaker at the University of Colorado and residing at Boulder ; Edward T., whose name introduces this review : Oscar, who is engaged in the grocery business at Boulder ; and .Arthur, who is a statistician for the Butte & Superior Copper Company, at Butte, Montana .\. F'. Larson was a Republican and was a member of the Lutheran church, to which his widow belongs.

Edward T. l^arson received ordinary educational advantages in the public schools of Boulder, this attendance being followed by one year spent as a student at the Boulder Business College. His first employment was in a general store at his native place, and in 1910 he first came to Sargent and was employed by the Farmers State Bank, with which he remained until 1914. He then went to Butte, Montana, and for two years worked for a copper company. He next went back to his native city, where for one vear he was teller in a bank, and in Januarv', 1917, he again came to Sargent, this time to remain permanently. He started in the capacity of assistant cashier, and in 1918 was advanced to his present office, that of cashier of the institution. The Farmers State Bank of Sargent has a capital stock of S15.0CX3. atid surplus and undivided profits of $12,000, while its average deposits are $323,000. Mr. Larson's career has been illustrative of the possibilities presented to a voung man of detemiination, who in spite of the fact that he has no financial or other influential support to aid him still works his way to a position of recosrnizcd prominence. Each step forward that he has taken has been iij accortjance with his increased ability, and his varied experience has given him knowledge of conditions and methods that is a decided addition to his equipment.

Mr. Larson is unmarried. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, being popular with his fellow lodge members at Sargent, and in politics is a Democrat, with independent inclinations. While he has been too interestedly busy with his duties at the bank to take any particularly active part in public matters, he has not failed in his responsibilities of citizenship, and has served very efficiently and acceptably in the capacity of treasurer of the local school district.

JOHN E. STAAB, one of the energetic and progressive citizens of Ansley, is representative of the spirit that in recent years has proved such an important factor in the advancement of Custer county. The owner of a valuable and productive farm, he is also identified with the business interests of the community and already in his career has given e\idences of versatility that should do much to make him one of his locality's substantial and influential men.

John Ernest Staab was born in Colfax county, Nebraska, near the Platte county line, January 28, 1883, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Mayer) Staab, a record of whom appears elsewhere in this volume.

John Ernest Staab was educated in the country schools of Platte county, and there had his early training on his father's farm. Accompanying his parents when they came to Custer county, he here engaged in farming on his own account, and he successfully continued therein imtil 1912. While he does not now engage actively in farming, he still owns the property, a fertile tract of 160 acres, and superintends its operation. Since coming to Ansley, in the year mentioned, he has devoted himself principally to conducting a restaurant, having a large, well regulated establishment that has become very popular, not alone with the people of Ansley but also with the traveling public. He is interested also in conducting a coal business, and in his various capacities he manages to find an outlet for his boundless energy. He has made a place for himself among Ansley's business citizens, and his reputation in business circles is of the best. As to political matters, Mr. Staab acknowledges allegiance to no party, preferring to use his own judgiuent in the supporting oi candidates. He is a member of the local organizations of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, is popular in both, and in the latter fraternity he has passed the ofificial chairs. The family belongs to the Baptist church.

Miller, who was born at Polk, Nebraska, and to this union there have been born five children, whose names and respective ages (1918) are here noted : Lawrence H., eleven years : Julia Esther, ten years ; Bessie, eight years ; Voyle, five years ; and Waneta, three years.

WILLIAM L. MILLER, who owns and resides upon a fine farm of two hundred acres, in the vicinity of Callaway, was born in Henry county. Iowa, on the 17th of June. 1860, and is a son of William and Sarah (Cubbison) Miller, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania and the latter in Ohio. In the immediate family were seven children - Levi, Frank, Oliver, William L. (subject of this sketch). Mrs. Irene Kohlby, James, and Cora. The father, a farmer by vocation, was a valiant soldier of the L'nion cause in the Civil war. He was a member of the Fourth Iowa Cavalry, and he saw four years of strenuous service in the great conflict through which the integrity of the nation was preserved. He not only participated in many important battles and minor engagements, but it was also his to have been captured by the enemy and to have been held for several months in the famous Libby Prison, of odious memory.

William L. Miller was reared and educated in Iowa and there he early gained practical experience in connection with the work of the pioneer farm, the while the discipline caused him to grow strong and self-reliant. At Audubon, Iowa, on the 9th of December, 1883, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Sarah A. Dill, who was born at Bellbrook, Ohio, and \A'ho is a daughter of Joseph E. and Mary C. (Hopkins) Dill, both likewise natives of the old Buckeye state. Mrs. Miller is the eldest in a family of five children, one of whom died at tiie time of birth. The names of the others are here given, in respective order of birth: Charles E., Nellie ^lay, and Franklin M. Mr. and ]\Irs. ]\Ii!ler have a fine family of four children, besides which one child died at the time of birth. Concerning the surviving, brief record is here consistently given : Jennie is the wife of Roy Lee Longmore, a farmer living one and one-half miles west of Callaway, and she is an active member and liberal supporter of the Evangelical church. Mary is the wife of Harry Watkins, who is a farmer in Sand valley, six miles southwest of Callawav. and they have one child, a daughter. Mrs. \\'atkins. like her older sister, is a member of the Evangelical church. Myrtle, the third daughter, is the wife of Houghland Harper, likewise a prosperous farmer in Sand valley, and they have two children, Garnett and Garlyn. Mrs. Harper is a member of the Evang-elical church. Ralph D. Miller, the only son, is a successful young- farmer in Custer county and is the proud father of a fine litt'.e son. The maiden name of his wife was Elsie Myers and they hold membership in the Evangelical church.

Mr. and ^Irs. Miller have the distinction and honor of being pioneers of Custer county, for in the year 1885 they established their home on an embryonic farm in Brown valley, five miles southwest of Callaway. J\Ir. Aliller pur- chased of Robert Brown a relinquishment of this claim, upon which he filed a pre-emption. He secured the land by paying $200 in cash and transferring to Mr. Brown also a team of horses. After paying for his land he had just twenty-eight dollars as his financial reinforcement in founding a home in the new county. He and his devoted wife encountered many hardships and weathered many storms, but they did not falter in courage, made the best of circumstances, without complaints, and manifested the faith that has been graciously rewarded in these later years. Industrious by nature, Mr. Miller in the early days obtained work wherever he could find it. and by means of such employment he ]irovided for his family and was able to retain his land and gradually carry forward the improvement of the property. This farm has been his home continuously during the long intervening period, save for three years, during the time of the drouth in this section, when, like so many others, he found it expedient to return east and "make his wife's folks an extended visit." Mr. Miller's admirable farm of 200 acres is now in a high state of cultivation, is well equipped for intensive farming and profitable stock-raising, with buildings of model type, and he has a fine orchard that adds much beauty to the home plat. Mr. Miller is progressive in spirit and has taken a specially deep interest in school affairs, in which connection he has for many years served his home district in the capacity of director and treasurer. Both he and his wife have been active members of the Evangelical church for many years, and they are numbered among the sterling and honored pioneer citizens of Custer county.

DAVID A. GOODRICH, who is widely known as a breeder of registered Percheron horses. Shorthorn cattle and the red type of hogs, is the owner of Cedar Crest, which adjoins the thriving little city of Oconto, and which is well equipped as a stock farm. Mr. Goodrich is an important factor in the stock industry in this section of the state. He was born in' the city of Brooklyn, New York, May 26, 1850. His parents were George P. and Hannah M. (Lent) Goodrich, the latter of whom was bom at Hartford, Connecticut, a daughter of Stephen Lent. George P. Goodrich was a native of New York, from which state he entered the LTnion army as a soldier in the Civil war, and he met his death while on a scouting expedition, in August, 1863, near Harper's Ferry - falling ji victim in an engagement with Colonel Mosby's guerillas. Before he entered the army he was a shoe manufacturer. He was a member of the Baptist church, was a Republican in politics, and fraternally was an Odd Fellow. He was a man of sterling character, tn:e and loyal in every relation of life. He was the father of eight children, namely : Nathaniel, Mrs. Martha M. Whiting, David A.. Harriet, Stephen H., Mrs. Fannie E. De LaFountain, George P., and Ada.

David A. Goodrich engaged in his first business transaction when he was not more than six years old, and from the w^ay he managed it, under trying circumstances, a suggestion may be gained as to the business acumen he has shown in many undertakings since then.

It was pretty much of an accomplishment for a lad of his age to catch a big eel in the Delaware river, and one can easily imagine how proud and heroic he felt as he dragged his prize home and exhibited it to his father. The latter viewed the catch with approbation and then ordered little David to dress the eel and earn,' it to the minister, his idea, probably, being that it should be in the nature of a gift. It was hard work to dress that eel, as any one who has ever tried such a job will agree, and by the time David had reached the minister's house the price had risen and risen until it had reached the dollar mark, which the good man paid without cjuestion. To get full enjoyment from this story one should hear Mr. Goodrich tell it.

In 1872 Mr. Goodrich went to Cambridge, Illinois, where he erected a business building and was engaged in the meat-market business for a time. He then sold out and located in Davenport, Iowa, where he worked for three years for Robinson & Kirk, wholesale butchers, and learned every detail of the business. Mr. Goodrich then visited for a short time in Pennsylvania, where his people were living, but in 1876 he came west again, to Peabody, Kansas, and was accompanied by his brother Stephen. Two months later he bought a shop and a store in that city and went into the meatmarket and grocery business, in which he continued for seventeen years. In 191 5 Mr. Goodrich came to Custer county and estah-

Mr. Goodrich was married September 13, 1882, to Miss Mary C. I\Iiller, who was born in Pennsylvania, a daughter of George M. and Margaret J. (Wyley) Miller, the former being a native of Lancaster county and the latter of Perrv' county, that state. The father of Mrs. Goodrich is a Democrat, a Alason, and a member of the Evangelical church, Mr. and Mrs. Goodrich have six children : Llewellyn L., who is a mechanic with the Pierce-Arrow people at Omaha, is a Republican, a Woodman and an Elk. He married Etta, daughter of John Smith, and they have four children. James E. is associated with his father in the Cedar Crest Stock farm. Anna M., who is the wife of Arley O. Homan. has a daughter, Margaret Brundage, by a fomier marriage. George M., who is a traction-engine expert, at Kimball, Nebraska, was in the selective draft for the national army. C. Edgar at the time of this writing is in the national army, in the balloon general - supply depot. Raymond R. is a mechanic with the F. II. Gilchrist

Lumber Company, at Oconto. In politics Mr. Goodrich is a strong Republican, as are his sons. He is an Odd Fellow, and for thirtysix years has been a member of the Modern Woodmen of America - one of the oldest in membership in Nebraska. He was reared in the Baptist faith and has never changed his church membership.

ARTHUR C. RUMERY, M. D. - Of the men who have contributed technical skill antl personal dignity to the profession of medicine and surgen,' in Custer county, few are held in higher esteem than is Dr. Arthur C. Rumery, who has been engaged in practice at Mason City since 1905. He has steadily advanced to a recognized place in his profession, and has attracted a practice that is as remunerative as it is important. Doctor Rumery was bom in the southwestern part of Fremont county. Iowa, April 17, 1879, and is a son of Albert M. and Ellen (Cady) Rumer}-.

Sewell C. Rumery, the patemal grandfather of Dr. Rumery, was born in New Hampshire, whence he removed with his family to Iowa, and after some years spent there he came, about the year 1890, to Nebraska. Here he purchased farm land which he leased and here he remained until his death, at which time he was one of the well-to-do men of his community. Albert M. Rumer>' was bom in New Hampshire, in 1852, and was a small boy when he accompanied his parents to Iowa, in which state he was reared to manhood. There he married Ellen Cadv, who was born there. For several years they made their home on a farm, but in 1884 they came to Nebraska and settled on a property in Madison county, a homestead upon which they lived until in 1904. He then moved to one of his father's farms and was there engaged until about 1913, when he moved to his present home, in Litchfield. Sherman county. .\ man of ability, resource, and industrj', Mr. Rumery was successful in his various ventures, and he now has a substantial competency for his declining years. He is a Republican in politics and fraternally is affiliated with the Masons and Odd Fellows, while he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They are the parents of seven children : Dr. Arthur C, whose name initiates this review: Ilenn,-, who is engaged in cultivating the homestead farm ; Frances, who is the wife of Ira Runyon, residing on a farm near Mason City; Lura, who is unmarried and resides with her parents ; Nettie, who is the wife of Lester Rynian, residing near Halsey ; Luther, who is engaged in farming

After graduating in the high school at Madison, Nebraska, in 1888, Arthur C. Rumery took up the profession of teaching, and for three years he carried on educational work. In the meantime he had become interested in medicine and had started to prepare himself for a career in that profession, eventually entering the Omaha Medical College, which is now the medical department of the University of Nebraska. In this excellent institution he was graduated, in 1905, with his degree of Doctor of Medicine. At that time he went tO' Centerville, South Dakota, where he practiced three months, and he then settled permanently at Mason City, where he has since been located, having won success in his profession, both as to standing and as to a large and lucrative practice. He has held the office of city health officer of Mason City and has done much to preserve the health and sanitation of the community. He is a valued member of the Custer County Medical Society, the Nebraska State Medical Society, and the American IMedical Association, and he keeps fully abreast of all the advancements being made in his profession. He maintains an independent stand upon political questions, while in civic affairs he endeavors to give his support to those things which he believes are for the greatest general good. Fraternally, Dr. Rumery is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, having been master of his lodge four years and being: affiliated also with Scottish Rite bodies. He belongs to the Baptist church, as do the members of his family.

In 1907, at Dayton, Ohio, Dr. Rumery married Miss Abbilene Deal, who was bom in eastern Ohio, and to this union there have been born two children : Helen Louise, and Lucile.

LEWIS KULHANEK. - One of Custer county's sturdy farmers, just merging into middle life, belonging to the pioneers upon whom the burdens and responsibilities of the present day rest heavily, is Lewis Kulhanek, a son of John and Fannie Kulhanek, whose family history is traced elsewhere in these pages.

Lewis Kulhanek is a native of Moravia Austria, where he was born June 23, 1879. He came to this country with his parents as an infant and reached Custer county when but two years of age. He received his education in the county of the family's adoption, and credits the public schools for equipping him for business life and for activity in the wav of farm and stock transactions. He is a farmer by lifelong occupation, and the fanii home in which he and his family are now living stands on the original tree claim entered by his father in the early days.

Lewis Kulhanek was married June 30, 1908, to Josephine Fortik, she being a daughter of Joseph and Anna Fortik, natives of Moravia. Mrs. Kulhanek is a native of Custer county, and since she was born here and her husband has lived here since he was two years of age, and their children were born here, and they have of this world's goods was made here, all that they can be truthfully styled a Custer county family domiciled in a Custer county home.

In their pleasant home two boys have come to bring happiness and sunshine - - Andrew Joseph, nine years old, and Anton Lloyd, six years of age, are sturdy young candidates for, useful manhood and prominent citizenship in Custer county. They are at the present time wrestling with the curriculum of the public schools.

Mr. Kulhanek owns 160 acres of land, does a general farming and stock-raising business, enjoys the confidence and respect of neighbors and friends, and is rated as one of the best men of foreign birth now in Custer county. He is patriotic and loyal, and has been a liberal contributor to every national appeal for assistance in the recent period of the world war.

Religiously, the family are Catholics and faithful supp6rters of the church. In politics Mr. Kulhanek trains with the Republican party, yet the character of the local man must be above reproach or the candidate of some other ticket will receive his vote.

WILLIAM WALSH was one of the pioneers of Custer county and endured the hardships and privations of the early days, but he became one of the substantial and well-to-do men of the county.

William Walsh was born in Ireland, in June, 1835. He was reared on a farm in his native land and came to America in 1868 and engaged in fanning in Lee county, Iowa. In 1874 he returned to Ireland, and February 8, 1875, he was there united in marriage to Ann Nolan, also a native of the Emerald Isle. Tlie month after their marriage they came to the United States, and again Mr. Walsh took up the occupation of farming in Iowa, where they remained until 1880, when they came to Custer county and secured a homestead and tree-claim in section 26, township 18, range 22. He helped organize school district No. 31 and served for a number of years as a school director. He made a success of his farming ventures and became one of the prosperous men of his community. He assessed his township for several years and also served as a member of the county board of supervisors. In 1909 he retired from active life and took up his abode at Merna. His death occurred in Omaha. His widow still survives and is a resident of that city. They were the parents of ten children.

WILL D. AMSBERRY, who has been a resident of Custer county since 1885, has passed his entire career in the pursuits of general fanning and stock-raising, and through industry and good management has become the possessor of a handsome farm of 160 acres, located in the vicinity of IMason City. Mr. Amsberry is a native of West Virginia, born July 7, 1868, and is a son of Francis E. and Lucy C. (Beard) Amsberry, natives respectively of West Virginia and Virginia, a review of their lives being given in the sketch of John A. Amsbern-. elsewhere in this worlc.

Will D. Amsberrj' received his education in th", public schools of West Virginia, and was seventeen years of age when he accom panied his parents to Custer county, whither they had been preceded some years before by his eldest brother, John A. Amsberry, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. He was reared to farm work and farm life, an^ when he attained his majority he began operations on his own account. He has continued to follow general farming and stockraising to the present time, with a full meaure of success. Mr. Amsberry built his own house, barns and other farm buildinjjs. and has an attractive and valuable property. Cultivated by modern methods, his farm is in a high state of productivness, giving him a position among the successful farmers of his locality. He keeps fully abreast of the advancements made in agricultural science and practice and is an interested member of the local Grange, in the meetings of which his voice is frequently heard in connection with the consideration of important farming and stock-raising questions. Politically he is a Republican, but is independent in his stand upon some subjects.

In 1897 Mr. Amslierr)' married Miss Jennie Myers, who was born in Indiana, a daughter of Philip Myers, who came to Custer county, Nebraska, in 1885, and homesteaded the land on which he farmed until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Amsberry are the parents of three children : Ruby, who is attending school at

ALBERT B. DOWNIN. - The state of Illinois has contributed its share of useful citizens to the middle west, and it would seem on first appearance that the best of her contribution has been given to Custer county. Albert B. Downin is part of this contribution. He was born September 28, 1881, in Fulton county of that famous state. His father was James Downin, who came of Alaryland stock. His mother's maiden name was Hettie Cattlet, and she, like her son, was born in the Illinois commonwealth. In the James Downin family were seven children - - Emery L., Mrs. Mary J. Kitch, Joseph V., Mrs. \'ina \\'ard, Carl J., and Tolliver K. The last named son is serving at the present time in the United States Navy, on the battleship "Georgia." The father of this family was a farmer of strong integrity and was highly esteemed in circles where he was known. He moved with his family to Adams county in 1886, and ten years later, in 1896, he came to the Wood River valley, south of Lodi. Custer county,. where he rented and farmed land for three years. Later he bought a quarter-section in township 14. range 22, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died in Mav, 1902.

Albert B. Downin's early training was naturally on the farm. Doing always a boy's work, and sometimes a man's work, he acquired the art of husbandn,' very early in life. His first money was earned by drowning ground-squirrels for a neighbor, and for this service he was paid one cent for each animal thus destroyed. In this business he had a partner, who was a neighbor's boy. Together they did a thriving business, for squirrels were found in abundance on the farm where they operated.

Albert I3ownin, who had always made his home with his parents, after his father's death assumed the resix)nsibilities of home and farm and worked the place for his mother, who survived his father only six years. By hard work and industrious and careful management, he has accumulated money and property, and is now owner of the home place, having bought the interests of his brothers and sisters. To the home place he has added by other purchases until he now owns and operates 595 acres. All this has been made by successful farming and stock-raising.

In the Albert Downing home to-day are two fine sons, Ralph C, and Morris L., and the younger son. Master Morris, is said to be the king of the realm and the manager of the Downin establishment. Mr. Downin is counted as a good neighbor, a thinking, active, progressive farmer. He is intelligent in politics, voting always according to his convictions and for the man he believes will make the best officer. Interested in educational affairs, he is at the present time serving his school district as treasurer.

JOSHUA C. MOORE is one of the substantial business men of Broken Bow, where he is engaged as abstractor and searcher of real-estate titles, and friends and neighbors who know him well and intimately cut the name short and refer to him as "J. C."

Mr. Moore was born in Moultrie county, Illinois, August 22, 1857, and is a son of Peyton and Maria (Roney ) Moore, both of whom were natives of old Kentucky. The parents moved to Illinois, where their marriage occurred and where they continued their residence until the time of their death. By trade the father was a saddler and harnessmaker, and he established at Shelbyville, Illinois, a harness shop which he operated a few years, but later he took up farming. There were thirteen children in the family, only five of whom are now living - William H. is \ farmer in Illinois ; John T. farms in Oklahoma ; the subject of this sketch was the next younger ; and Henry and Willis are farming in Illinois.

Joshua C. Moore is a very faithful member of the Christian church, in which he has been a leader and heavy contributor for many years. He is a man well qualified for any position in church, society or business. He ran the gamut of the public schools in Illinois, entered college at Lincoln, Illinois, where he studied for one year, and he then took a course in the business college at Jackson, Illinois. He thus received a liberal education, and this his riper years have developed by wide reading. He was brought up on a farm, but later engaged in clerical work, at which he is accounted as an adept.

Mr. Moore came to Custer county in 1886 and for the first few years he was auditor of the county books. He also served as deputy treasurer and clerk of the county, and in 1896 he turned is attention to farm enterprise. In 1901 he retired to Broken Bow and engaged

Domestic life in a home of Mr. Moore's own establishing dates from 1877, in which year he married Emma T. Roll, a very excellent lady of fine Christian culture. Mrs. Moore was a native of the state of Iowa. To them the passing of time brought three children, who are still living and well established in the confidence and esteem of a wide circle of friends: The firstborn, Walter S., lives in Mason City ; Sylva D. is the wife of John Turner, who lives in Thedford, Nebraska, and who is well known in Custer county as a reliable young business man : Mr. Turner operates a lumber yard in his resident town and is also owner of the yard in Dunning; Kate is at home and finds steady employment in the office of the register of deeds of Custer county, she being a very competent young business woman and having been the incumbent of her present position four years. The children are all members of the Christian church and are valuable assets to that organization.