Custer County, Nebraska - Founders and Builders, 1919 (part 23 of 32)

Mr. Moore is a member of the Modern Brotherhood of America and is independent in politics. The great sorrow of his life came about three years ago, when Mrs. Moore departed this life, October 9, 1915. leaving an unusually large circle of warm friends.

Custer county is deeply indebted to her citizens, and families like the one just described are heavy contributors to that high and commendable personnel.

JACOB KULHANEK. - There are few better farmers in Custer county than the subject whom this narrative concerns. An Austrian by birth and ancestry, he has contributed to Custer county the sterling characteristics of thrift and frugality.

Jacob Kulhanek was born in Moravia, June 23, 1869, and comes of a prominent Austrian family. His father, John J. Kulhanek, has extended mention in this volume. The education of young Jacob was commenced in his native province of Moravia, and later supplemented in Custer county. Educationally he is well equipped to transact all business generally arising from farm or stock transactions, and to keep himself abreast with the times, as well as thoroughly enlightened on every topic of current-day history. He began active labor on his father's farm, and, being industrious and frugal by nature, he has made a success of his life vocation. He stayed at home with his father until he was thirty-six years of age, and during this time he was the stay and support of the father's home.

Histurv Of Custhr Col'Xty, Xkhraska

In 1906 Mr. Kulhanck married Miss Flossie Jones, a daughter of James B. Jones, a popular Custer county citizen, who is individually mentioned on other pages of this volume. Mr. Kulhanek and his father-in law, James B. Jones, with their families, have recently made an extended trip over a large portion of the United States, and feel well repaid for the time expended. In the Kulhanek home are two sons, boys who give much promise of following in the footsteps of their father and grandfathers.

If you went to visit the Kulhanek home of to-day you would find a splendid farm of 200 acres, highly improved, with all kinds of buildings incident to stock-raising and grain farming, shelters for hogs and cattle, and all necessar)' eouipment to make farming render the maximum profits. There is a good farm house, in which the family are happily domiciled and prepared to live much easier than in the pioneer days, when such homes as the Kulhaneks have to-day were at least a hundred miles remote from the confines of Custer county. Mr. Kulhanek was reared in the faith of the Catholic church and his wife is a member of the Baptist church. He is independent in politics and cares little for partisan names or af^liation. With him the charactei of the candidate is the great and prominent thing, and the man who in his judgment is best fitted to fill the office will secure his vote. Custer county would be better off with more such men and such families.

J. H. BRAND. - In this sterling citizen Custer county has a practical and zealous agriculturist, and one who for nearly thirty-five years has done his share in promoting the best interests of the community. He still owns the claim which he secured in 1884, on first coming to the west, and durirrg his long residence here his conduct in all matters, agricultural, business, social, and civic, has been such as to establish his reputation as a helpful citizen and a man of strict integrity and probity of character.

Mr. Brand was born in Franklin county. New York, in 1849, a son of Luther and Lucy (Bateman) Brand. The Brand family originated in Germany but was transplanted in America at a very early date in the history of this country, as shown in the fact that Robert Brand, the great-great-grandfather of J. H. Brand, was a resident of Rhode Island. The paternal grandfather, Nathan Brand, was a native of \'ermont and fought as a soldier of the patriot army during the Revolutionary war, and the maternal grandfather was Datis

Bateman, an Englishman, who died in New York state. Luther Brand was born at Hinesburg, Chittenden county, Vermont, and as a young man went to Franklin county. New York, where he married Miss Lucy Bateman, a native of that county, born at Chateaugay. They became farming people of that vicinity and spent their entire lives there, Mr. Brand passing away at the age of fifty-seven years and his wife when a little older. They had a family of seven children, of whom five are living: J. H. ; W. W., a farmer in the vicinity of Grand Island, Nebraska ; F. E., a retired dairyman of Grand Island ; and Ida S. and Nellie M., maiden ladies, who live at Grand Island and keep house for their brother, F. F. The children were reared in the faith of the Baptist church, of which the parents were lifelong members. The father was a Republican in politics, and at one time served as school trustee, although he was no politician and only took a good citizen's interest in public affairs.

J. H. Brand received his education in the public schools of Franklin county, New York, where he grew to manhood on his father's farm. He was an enterprising and industrious young man and desired to make a success of his life. Thus when he noted that his progress was not fast enough, he decided that the fault lay with the locality and that by changing his place of residence he could better himself. Accordingly, he came to Custer county in 1884, still a bachelor, and took up the tree claim on which he has since carried on general farming, with constantly increasing success. In the meantime, the lady who was to become his wife had come here and homesteaded a claim, and they are now the owners of 320 acres, all under a high state of cultivation and with the best of modern improvements. The buildings on the property were all erected by Mr. Brand, as at the time of his arrival there were no structures here and no improvements of any other kind.

On June 27, 1918, Mr. and Mrs. Brand were the guests of honor at a surprise party, which commemorated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the marriage, June 27, 1893, of J. H. Brand and Mary A. (Miller) Hughes. Mrs. Brand's first husband was James A. Hughes, by whom she had two children: Fannie A., who is the wife of C. 'M. Kiplinger, living near the Brand home ; and Sidney R., who is farming his mother's property. Mrs. Brand was born in Harrison county, Indiana, April 7, 1862, and is a daughter of Oliver W. and Hester (McCulloughm) Miller. She is a granddaughter of \'alentine Miller and James McCulloughm, who were natives respectively of \irginia and Kentucky, and both of whom died in Indiana. Oliver \\'. ^liller passed his life as a farmer in the Hoosier state, where he was elected to the school board, on the Democratic ticket, and where he also served in official positions in the old. radical United Brethren church. Following his demise his widow came to Nebraska, where she was living with her children at the time of her death. Of the five children, four are still living: Mrs. Brand; Mrs. Ella Burley, of Slmrps Alill. Indiana ; A. S., rural mail carrier out of Litchfield. Nebraska ; and D. F., on a homestead in Colorado. Mr. and Mrs. Brand have had four children : Oliver F., who is engaged in operating his father's farm and also owns eighty acres of his own ; Wilbur D.. who also operates on his father's land ; Hester L., who remains with her parents ; and Lucy, who died at the age of seven years. The children have always resided at home, but it seemed as though the happy family circle would be broken by the cruel demands of war, as both of the sons were subject to the call. Mr. and Mrs. Brand have been members of the Free Methodist church for nearly a quarter of a centurj', having joined twenty -three years ago. Mr. Brand is a Republican, but has not cared for the doubtful honors of political life. He has found plenty to do in supporting good movements for the civic betterment and the general welfare, and has been content to till his acres and to take the awards that come through a life of industry and honorable conduct, as represented by the gaining of life's true compensations - the love of one's family and the respect and confidence of one's fellow citizens.

JAMES G. BASS, who is a prosperous merchant at Mason City, where he has been established since 1916, came first to this state when nine years old, accompanying his parents, who located in Hamilton county, in 1883. Although circumstances led to his residing in other sections during a busy interval, when he felt prepared to settle down permanently, Mr. Bass' choice of a home was in Nebraska. He is a self-made man, having had but meager advantages in early youth, but his honest efforts along many industrial lines have met with just rewards.

James G. Bass was born July 26, 1874, in Pike county, Indiana. He attended the district schools and after the family came to Hamilton county, Nebraska, he remained on the farm until he was seventeen years of age. As his tastes were not in this direction, he then sought other employment, and for a time he was a clerk in a hotel and also worked for the B. & M. Railroad. While living in Omaha he was in the barber business and he then pushed on to San Francisco, in the meanwhile filling the position of traveling salesman for several years. Finally he engaged in the mercantile business in San Francisco, and there he was comfortably situated when his business, like thousands of others, was destroyed by the earthquake and fire calamity. Mr. Bass then went back on the road and continued as a commercial representative until 1916, when he came to Mason City and engaged in the hardware and agricultural-implement business, under the firm name of C. E. Bass & Company. A verj' complete stock is carried and the firm has built up an enviable reputation for business integrity.

In 1903 Mr. Bass married Miss Maude E. Smith, who was born at Healdsburg, Sonoma county, California, and they have four children : GifTord E., Naoma, Irma, and James Darrell. Mrs. Bass is a meml:)er of the Christian church, while Mr. Bass is a Christian Scientist. He has always been a staunch supporter of the principles of the Republican party, but at no time has he been willing to accept public office. He is an earnest citizen, however, and his fellow citizens find him ready to co-operate with them in furthering all movements for the public good. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, including the Mystic Shrine.

CASPER VOGLER. - In the early -80s, when settlers and home-seekers were beginning to come into Custer county, the fame of this section spread all over the countrj', and many a young man saw here an opporttmity to secure a farm and establish a home such as was not offered in the locality in which he had been reared. These ambitious young men came from other states and from other countries, and by 1885-86, choice homestead claims in the neighborhood of Oconto promised a greatly increased population. One of these homesteads was secured by the late Casper Vogler, who. for almost a quarter of a century, was one of the county's highly esteemed citizens.

Casper Vogler was born in Massbach. Germany, December 7, 1858, the third in a family of four children born to John S. and Margaret ( Dittmar) Vogler, the others being Michael, Nicholas, and Maggie. Casper Vogler attended the established school in his native village and before he left Germany, in 1882, had complied with the military law of the land. He was twentv-four vears old when he came to the United States, and because many of his countrymen had settled in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, he made this his objective point. On reaching that county he easily obtained remunerative work on farms. Two years later Miss Carolina Schiiller came from Germany to America, and in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, she met Casper Vogler. Their friendship culminated in their marriage, on the 10th of May, 1885. Mr. Vogler then came to Nebraska and filed his homestead claim, southwest of Oconto, in Custer county, and in 1886, he and his wife moved on to this pioneer homestead, which thereafter continued to be the family home. Mr. Vogler was an excellent farmer and good business man, a kind husband and father and an accommodating neighbor. He died on his farm, November 7, 1909, leaving a fine property to his widow, who now owns 320 acres, adjoining the 160- acre farm of her only son, John G. Vogler.

Mrs. Vogler was one of a family of eleven children, of whom there are five survivors - - Mrs. Caroline Vogler, Casper Schiiller, Mrs. Margaret Knies, Mrs. Louisa K. Heim, and Otto Schiiller. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Vogler: Lena is the wife of Henry Miller, a farmer on Redfern Table, and they have two sons and two daughters : they attend the Lutheran church ; Casper, who is a carpenter and contractor, remains at home ; John G., who was born in Custer county, November 8, 1890, famis his own land and also his mother's 320 acres, and is well known all over the county as a young man of sterling character; and Martha J. is the wife of James McNamara. who is a farmer in Pleasant Valley, their one child being a daughter. The Vogler family belongs to the Lutheran church. When Casper Vogler first came to this countv and secured his homestead, his nearest neighbors were James Johnson and Michael McNamara. The first school, called the Johnson school, was established in 1890.

ALFRED O'BRIEN, who originally came to Custer county in 1882, as homesteader, but who for a number of years has been connected with mercantile pursuits, as the proprietor of a thriving and successful grocery and hardware store, is another of the men who have found awaiting them in the virile west splendid opportunity for advancement. He was born at Churubusco, Clinton county. New York, February 11, 1855, a son of Thomas and Anna (Corcoran) O'Brien, and a grandson of Kennedy O'Brien, a native of Ireland, who died on a Vermont farm.

Thomas O'Brien was born in Ireland, and was a young man when he came to the United States, the family settling in Vermont, where he met and married Anna Corcoran, who was born at Portland. Maine. Subsequently he went to Clinton county. New York, and settled on a fann near Churubusco, a small rural community, and he was living there at the time of the Civil war. In the last year of the struggle he enlisted in Company I, First New York Engineering Corps, with which he fought until peace was declared, and he then returned to his homestead, where he continued to be engaged in farming until the time of his death. He became a substantial and highly respected citizen, was successful in his business afifairs, and served his community capably as justice of the peace. He was a Democrat, and was a faithful member of the Catholic church. He and his wife were the parents of seven children : Alfred, whose name initiates this sketch ; Margaret, who is deceased ; George, who is a telegraphist, living at Concord, New Hampshire ; Arthur, who also is a telegraph operator, and is living at Cambridge, Massachusetts ; Miss Anna, who resides at Churubusco, New York : Agnes, who is the wife of Horace Martin, of Montreal, Canada ; and Thomas, who lives on the old home farm.

Alfred O'Brien received his education in the country schools of New York, and, like many farmers' sons of his day and locality, was attracted by the romance of railroading, which he took up as a vocation, in the west. From 1874 to 1882 he had a. run from Grand Island to North Platte, but in the latter year he gave up railroading for farming, securing a homestead and a timber claim in Custer county. He had practically no capital to start with, as represented in a monetary way, but he was full of ambition and energy and was able to overcome the hardships and obstacles that discouraged and defeated many who were not so sturdy or courageous in spirit. He has since sold his homestead, but continues to hold his timber claim, and has other land, which totals 800 acres. His career has been one of self-made success that has all the elements of creditable achievement. In 1894 Mr. O'Brien came to Mason City and established himself in business as the proprietor of a grocery and hardware store He has built up a large trade and is accounted one of the successful business men of the citv.

In 1861, Mr. O'Brien married Miss Ellen McAllister, who was born at Council Bluffs, Iowa, a daughter of William' McAllister, an earlv settler of Hall county, who had come up to Council Bluffs on a flat-boat, in 1848. The town at that time was known as Canesville. Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien are the parents of two children: Evelyn, who is the wife of C. AI. Anderson, of Scotts Bluff, Nebraska, a salesman for the Standard Oil Company ; and Frank M., who went to the east, where he was given a course of instruction in the celebrated Massachusetts Institute of Technology, after which, in connection with the nation's participation in the world war, he was sent to Millington, Tennessee, as a member of the United States Aviation Corps in which he received commission as second lieutenant.

Alfred O'Brien is a Scottish Rite Mason and has served as master of his lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons. In political matters he supports the Democratic party.

JOHN A. DAILY. - Some of the most profitably conducted and highly developed farming properties to be found in Custer county are those which were taken by their present owners as homesteads more than thirty years ago and which have continued through all this period to receive the person?.! attention of these owners. A case in point is the farm of John .\. Daily, which is located two miles from Ansley, and a part of whici was secured by Mr. Daily in 1884 For thirtyfour years he has applied himself to its cultivation and development, and the property is now one of the valuable and attractive estates of this section of the county.

Mr. Daily is a Pennsylvanian by nativity, born in Franklin county, June 3, 1858, and he is a son of John and Emily (Penwell) Daily. His parents were likewise bom in the Keystone state, the father in 1822 and the mother in 1830, and there they married. They later removed to Indiana, where they spent several years, and finally they established their home in Illinois. They were family people of the best type, industrious and (jod-fearing, and had the full respect and esteem of their neighbors in whatever comnimiity their home was made. Both passed away at Piano, Illinois, the mother in 1895, aged sixty-five years, and the father in 1907, when eighty-five years of age. He was a Democrat in politics and Mrs. Daily was a faithful member of the Presbyterian church. They were the parents of nine children, of whom six are living: Emily, the widow of W. T. S. Jamison, fomierly a merchant of Shippensbiirg, Pennsylvania : Sarah, the wife of Cicorge Bailey, a farmer of the vicinity of Piano, Illinois : John A., of this notice; W. H., who fonnerly conducted a store at Overton, Nebraska, for tvk'o years, but who is now a merchant of Knoxville, Illinois :

John A. Daily was educated in the public schools of Pennsylvania, and at the age of eighteen years left home and went to Illinois, where for four years he worked on a farm. In August, 1884, he came to Custer county and took a homestead two miles from Ansley, on which he still resides, although he has increased his acreage to one-half section of good land. Every acre of his land has been accumulated through the medium of his own efforts, and his pleasant residence and his commodious barns and substantial outbuildings were all erected by him. He has kept pace with modern agricultural methods and inventions, his general fanning operations being carried on along up-to-date lines and with highly improved farm power-machinery. In addition, he is a raiser of all kinds of live stock and has made a success in this direction also.

In 1894 Mr. Daily married Miss Agnes M. Elison, daughter of Major Elison, and of the three children of this union two survive: Charles P., who was graduated in the Ansley high school, in May, 1914. died in the following .August ; and Florence and Lurene remam with their parents.

Mrs. Daily is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and while Mr. Daily is not identified with any religious bodv he is a supporter of good movements. PoHtically a Republican, he has been somewhat active in the ranks of his party for some time past, being a former member of the county board, while at the j)resent time he has served si.x years as a member of the board of school directors, and his term continues for three years more. His official record is a good one, and as a business man he has won general confidence through his tmqualified integritv.

FRANK N. MOSSMAN. who is one of the substantial men of Custer county, is prominent in both business circles and in jniblic affairs at Mason City. Thirty-four years ago he accompanied his parents to Custer coimty and although he has not been a continuous resident, he has never lost interest in this section and in later years has been closelv identified with the county's substantial development.

Frank N. Mossman was born .Vugust 19. 1868, in Benton countv, Iowa. His parents were T. J. and Florentine (.Amsberry) Mossman, the latter of whom was born in Mason comity. West Virginia. January 29, 1848, and now resides in Butler countv, Kansas. T. T-

Mossman, father of Frank M., was born in Pennsylvania, in 1841, and died in Butler county Kansas, in 1906. He married in Marion county, Iowa, and lived in that state until he came with his family to Custer county, March 12, 1884. He took up a pre-emption claim and a tree claim and is worthy of special note tfhat in 1868 he homesteaded on the site of th6 present beautiful city of Lincoln, but never proved up. In 1884 he settled on a timber claim he had secured in 1882, but he sold this claim in 1891 and moved to Butler county, Kansas, where he spent the rest of his life. He was a good business man, an evidence being the fact that he came to Nebraska without appreciable capital and before he left the state owned 360 acres. Mr. Mossman was a man of enterprise also and was the first settler in school district No. 101 who made a move in the direction of building a schoolhouse, his son Frank M., with the assistance of Samuel Evans, putting up the walls of the structure after the former had hauled the lumber from ' Kearney, without charge. In politics he was a Republican and fraternally was a Mason and an Odd Fellow, as well as an honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic, in which he was actively identified with the post at Ansley, Custer county. As a valiant soldier in the Civil war he served as a member of Company D, Eighth Iowa Volunteers. With his family he belonged to the Baptist church. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Mossman. of whom the following survive: Frank M., whose name introduces this review ; Edward and Darius, both of whom are farmers in Kansas ; Sophronia, who is the wife of L. L. Hinnen of Butler county, Kansas ; Nola, who is the wife of Isaac Hammond, a farmer in Butler county : and Stella, who is the wife of George Manor, also of Butler county.

Frank M. Mossman attended the district schools in Iowa and one term in Custer county, in the schoolhouse he had helped to build. He lived on the farm until he was twentythree years old and then went to Kansas, where he was foreman on a ranch for the next ten years. In 1901 he moved back to Custer county and here he purchased a half -section of land and engaged in a general-store business at Mason City. In 1905 he sold his store and went into the hardware business, but he sold out one year afterward and then became interested in concrete work. While in this line he did such work on a number of the most important , buildings erected in Mason City. In 1916 Mr. Mossman turned his attention to insurance and realty dealing and he is now

Mr. Mossman was married in 1891, to Miss Louie Amsberry, who was born in West Virginia, and they had four children, the survivors being : Jesse B., who is a soldier in the national army, a member of Company D, Three Hundred and Thirty-ninth Machine Gun Battalion, serving in France at the time of this writing; and Helen and Lillian Frances, both of whom are at home. The eldest daughter, Nellie, died May 17, 1916, when but twenty years of age.

In politics Mr. Mossman is a Republican. He has been a man of influence and prominence at Mason City, serving for twelve years as mayor and for six years he has been a member of the school board, of which he is now president. He owns a considerable amount of valuable property here, including his handsome private residence and also the hotel building. PVaternally he is a Modem Woodman and an Odd Fellow and he has passed all the chairs in the latter organization. With his family he belongs to the Baptist church.

HIRAM T. COFFMAN. - One of the pioneers of Custer county who came early, and later qualified in every way as a good man and valuable citizen, was the late Hiram T. Cofl'- man, a veteran of the Civil war. His property still remains in the possession of his family and his memory is revered because of his sterling traits of character.

Mr. Cofifman was born in IifSiana, in 1844, and died on his old homestead in Custer county, Nebraska, in 1910. His parents moved to Iowa during his childhood and there he had some meager educatioiial advantages, but the larger part of his education was self gained, in the hard school of experience. He was reared on a farm and it was from a farm that he responded to the first call of President Lincoln for soldiers to preserve the Union. He served for five months in an Iowa regiment and then re-enlisted, in an Illinois regiment, and he continued in his country's service until the close of the war. His war record was one that he could refer to with justifiable pride in later years when he gathered with old army comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic, in which organization he was interested as long as he lived. After the war closed he returned to Iowa and resumed agricultural pursuits, and there he remained until 1874, when he moved to Nebraska and settled in Howard county, where he homesteaded and remained until he had proved up. He sold his land in Howard county and in the spring of 1881 he came to Custer county and took a pre-emption. On this claim he continued to reside until his death, in 1910. During his active years he developed and improved the farm, and this work is being capably continued by his son Harry, who resides on the old homestead.

In Iowa, in the year 1871, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Cofifman to Miss Man.' J. B. Amsberry, who is a sister of Darius M. Amsberry, a representative citizen of Custer county and now incumbent of the office of secretary of state for Nebraska, a review of his career being given on other pages of this work and the same giving adequate data concerning the Amsberry family. Mr. and Mrs. Cofifman became the parents of seven children, of whom five attained to years of maturity: Mary is the wife of James Kelly, a prosperous fanner in Colorado ; Harriet became the wife of Charles Kelly and both were residents of the state of Wyoming at the time of their death ; Kittie is deceased ; Harry, as above noted, has the active management of the old homestead farm ; and Paul was one of the gallant young men of Custer county who went forth in the service of his coimtry when the nation became involved in the great world war : he went with the American Expeditionary Forces to France and was one of the noble young patriots who sacrificed their lives in defense of a righteous cause, a memorial tribute to him being given in Chapter XV of this publication.

Hiram T. Cofifman always manifested a lively and intelligent interest in public affairs, especially those of a local order, and he was in favor of the principles of the Populist party at the time when that organization was at the zenith of its influence, but after its waning he became staunchly arrayed with the Republican party. His religious faith was that of the Baptist church.

ALBERT BRASS. - Among- the cattlemen of Custer county who have been engaged in large and important transactions in cattle feeding and dealing, one deserving of more than ordinary mention is Albert Brass, one of the owners of the K. C. and Brass ranches. From his young manhood all his training has been along lines connected with the business in which he is now engaged, and in which the size and importance of his operations have placed him in a leading position.

and Emma (Wilberj Brass, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of New York. His father was a farmer and stock-raiser who bought and sold cattle on a large scale and who was known far and wide for his extensive deals as well as for his personal integrity and probity. He was a popular member of the local Masonic lodge at Woodstock, Illmois, was a staunch and unwavering Republican, and took an active part in civic affairs, as a progressive and constructive citizen. He died July 7, 1918, his wife having passed away in 1906, in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal church. They were the parents of nine children, of whom eight are living, but only three are living in the Custer county vicinity - Mrs. Charles Florida, residing on a farm near Comstock; Ed, a cattleman of Grand Island; and Albert, of this review.

Albert Brass received his early education in the public schools of McHenry county, Illinois, and was reared in an agricultural atmosphere, where he early learned to understand and appreciate live stock. From boyhood he made the most of the opportunities that presented themselves, to learn all he could regarding cattle, and when he came to Custer county, in 190+, it was but natural that he should engage in the cattle business, his partner in this venture being his brother. Edward Brass, of Grand Island. Their initial ventures were somewhat in the way of experiments, but as success gave them confidence they became operators on a larger and larger scale, until, during the winter of 1917-18, they reached their high point by making a shipment of $53.- 000. This was followed about August 1st by a shipment amounting to $43,000. this last being western cattle right off the grass. These animals were placed in the pasture about April 1st, and were sold August 1st, when, in addition to the loss by shrinkage between the time of their purchase and the time of their weighing at the Omaha market, each animal averaged a gain of 250 pounds. This refutes the statement or idea that Nebraska grass is not good for cattle, as this was the only food that the animals had to fatten on. The Brass brothers own the K. C. ranch, consisting of 2,945 acres, while the home property, known as the Brass ranch, in section 14, township 20, has 1,560 acres, of which the acreage not needed for stock is rented to outside parties. This ranch is improved with a large and commodious house, substantial barns, and anv number of splendid outbuildings, and the equipment of the entire property is up-to-date in every particular. Mr. Brass is a man who does large things in a large way. has no superior in his branch of the cattle industry, and is a business man of marked judgment and acumen and of high and honorable principles. He is a Republican in his political views.

On September 26, 1903, in McHenry county, Illinois, ilr. Brass was united in marriage to Miss Edith M. Joslyn, and to this union there have been born nine children - Ellwyn, Edwin. Maleda. W'endel. Evelyn. Lorcn. Orson, Nellie, and Albert, Jr.. all of whom reside with their parents except Evelyn, who passed away in March, 1918, at the age of seven years, after a fatal attack of appendicitis.

FREDERICK CAMIN, who is one of Custer county's large landowners, heavy taxpayers, and enterprising and respected citizens, has been a resident of Nebraska almost his entire life and takes great pride in the wonderful forward steps the state has taken within his memory. Mr. Caniin was born at Watertown, Wisconsin, a son of William and Mary (Minick) Camin. The father was born in Germany, February 7, 1833, and came to the United States in 1854. He was a strong, rebust young man and easily found employment in a saw mill at Watertown, where he remained until 1862, when he enlisted for service in the Civil war, as a member of Company E, Twentieth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and shortly afterward took part in the battle of Prairie Grove, in which he was seriously wounded in the left side, a bullet passing through his body and coming out through his breast. This caused him to be honorably discharged, for disability, March 24, 1863.

William Camin survived his severe injuries and lived many years afterward, although his condition was feeble for seven years before his death, which occurred December 6, 1905. During this period he was carefully cared for by his son Frederick. In 1867 William Camin left Wisconsin for Nebraska, driving a mule team and a yoke of oxen, and after reaching the new state, he located a homestead in Cuming county. The first home was a dugout, twelve by fifteen feet in dimensions, and this was quite as commodious and comfortable as any of those occupied by neighbors, the while it served its intended purpose until 1870, when Mr. Camin erected the handsome residence in which he lived until his death. He became a man of prominence in Cuming county, a leading factor in the Democratic party, and served in numerous local ofifices For three years he was county assessor and for three more was county commissioner of Cuming county. His children all survive, two sons and three daughters - William, Frederick, Mrs. Freda Hazencamp, Mrs. Mary Kuester, Mrs. Augusta Brockman - all of whom live in Cuming county except Frederick.

Frederick Camin was too young at the time to remember the long, slow trail to Nebraska, but he very readily recalls many incidents of early days in Cuming county. Herding cattle for his father and for the neighboring stockmen was one of his earliest ways of being useful, and it was through this means that he earned his first money. Perhaps every man, if questioned, could recall the time in his early youth when some unattainable object aroused feelings akin to despair. In Mr. Camin's case it was a new hat, and when he found that the only way to get it was to earn it, he forthwith set about the earning, the neighboring ranchmen being called upon to pay the sum of twenty-five cents a week for his herding services. He eventuallv secured the hat in this w-ay, and it is quite possible that his practical father watched with silent approval the son's industry and self-denial.

Mr. Camin remained at home until he was of legal age, his twenty-fist year, going to school during the winters and helping his father during the summers, and he then took upon himself the management of the home farm, which he operated for two years. After his marriage, in 1886, he went to Holt county, Nebraska, where he bought 160 acres, near Atkinson, on which he lived for two years. He then moved to Boyd county, in 1892, and took up a homestead, on which he lived five years, when he removed to Keyapaha county, where he rented land for two years. He then returned to Holt county, where he bought eighty acres and where he remained two years. In the meanwhile his father had become somewhat feeble, and Mr. Camin returned then to the homestead in Cuming county, as noted above. In 1909 he came to Custer county and bought 320 acres, the west one-half section of section 21, township 13, range 22. He has erected a handsome modern residence here and has 160 acres under a fine state of cultivation. His investments in Nebraska soil have turned out well and he now owns a total of 1,120 acres.

Mr. Camin was married October 21, 1886, to Miss Margaretha Albright, who was born in Germany, a daughter of John G. and Barbara (Schademaini) Albright, natives of Germany. They have the following children - Ida, Martha, Alma, Walter, Emil, Herman, and Anna, all of whom reside with their parents except the eldest daughter. This daughter, Ida, is the wife of Carl Achterberg, who is a farmer five miles south of Oconto, and they have four children. Mr. Camin and his family belong to the Lutheran church He casts his vote with the Republican party but has never sought office.

ANTON FORTIK. - The blood of historic Bohemia flows in the veins of Anton Fortik, a South Loup farmer who ran the gamut of early-day hardships and who, singlehanded and without help, has improved a splendid farm, reared a family, and made for himself a reputation as a reputable, reliable citizen second to none who began life under the same handicaps.

Mr. Fortik was born in Bohemia June 13, 1873, and is a son of Joseph and Anna (Cline) Fortik. In the ancestral line the blood of Bohemia flows through the veins of more than a dozen generations. Joseph Fortik and his wife and children came to Custer county, Nebraska, in 1884, and immediately he filed on the homestead upon which he lived during the remainder of his life. In the father's family were nine children, of whom seven are living: John lives in Custer county ; Anna married U. G. Brown and has her home in this county ; the third was Anton, the subject of this sketch ; Frank lives in Custer county ; Joseph lives on the old homestead; Josie is the wife of Lewis Kulhanek ; and Charles lives in the vicinity of the home of his brother Anton.

Mr. Fortik regrets the limited educational advantages of his youth. From early years he was compelled to work, and school opportunities were few, yet he is a man of keen intelligence and very competent to transact all kinds of business connected with general farming, the while he is able also to render very capably a great deal of public service. During his boyhood years he worked for a German four years, and then went to work on his father's farm and helped to support the family. This was necessitated by the illness of his father. In 1898 his domestic life really began, when he led to the altar Miss Anna Kulhanek, sister of John J. Kulhanek. Of this union Were born seven children, Anna, Rosa, Anton, Emil, Albert, Thomas, and Everette. For generations the families on both sides have been members of the Catholic church, and have maintained splendid reputations as honest, industrious, law-abiding citizens.

The Fortik farm consists of 400 acres of land, and this has long since developed beyond the sod-house period in which a pioneer "soddy" was the first dwelling of the Fortik family. The primitive domicile has passed away, and a beautiful farm home takes its place. The resources of a new county owned their development many times to the sturdy emigrants from the Old World who have contributed brain and brawn to the land of their adoption.

JAMES E. G. NELSON, whose activities as a general farmer and stock-raiser in Custer county have covered a period of thirtytwo years, owes a large share of his success to the sturdy characteristics of his race. The courage and perseverance which he displayed during the early days of the county's history have enabled him to succeed where others have failed, and the same judgment that led him to select his homestead has caused him to retain possession thereof, with continued faith in its value.

Mr. Nelson was born in Denmark, July 19, 1863, a son of N. P. and Emma (Sonson) Christinson. His parents, who were natives of the same country, passed their entire lives within its borders and never desired any other country for their home. The father was a farmer and a man of marked industry, in addition to which he was held in high esteem by his fellow citizens, who elected him a member of the body which corresponds to the town board here. He and his wife were devout members of the Lutheran church, and had nine children, of whom two now live : Lars, who resides in Denmark ; and James E. G.

Tames E. G. Nelson received his education in the public schools, and had just attained his twenty-first year when he decided to view the United States, the land of opportunity. .A.t that time he did not remain for any appreciable length of time, returning soon to Denmark, but in 1886 he again came to this country, this time to make his pemianent home here. Coming to Custer county in that year, he bought a relinquishment of his present farm, and settled down to the pursuits of general farming and stock-raising, in which he has been successfully engaged ever since. Mr. Nelson is one of the men of his community who have been progressive in their methods and in their ideas. Under his able management the land has been highly cultivated, until it is now some of the most fertile and productive to be found in this part of the county, and good buildings, including a large modern house, ha\e been erected, adding much to the farm's appearance and value. A reputation for integrity and honorable actions is one of Mr. Nelson's most cherished possessions, and he is likewise accounted one of his locality's men who can be depended upon to stand behind worthy and progressive movements for

In 1891 Mr. Nelson married Miss Matilda Johnson, who was born in Denmark, a daughter of Peter and Sophia (Johnson) Johnson. The parents of Mrs. Nelson came to Custer county in 1885 and settled near the home of Mr. Nelson, where Mr. Johnson became a homesteader. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson have had four children : Carl, who entered the United States service June 25, 1918, had his preliminarv' training at Camp Funston, and is located at Camp Mills, Long Island, at the time of this writing ; Alfred died when eight years of age; and Josephine and ]\Iarie died in mfancy.

WILLIAM J. CROSS. - One of the men who has been in Custer county since 1883 and had all the experiences of early homesteaders is William J. Cross, who was born in State Center, Iowa, October 15, 1877, a son of John H. H. and Melissa (Bullock) Cross, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of the Hawkeye state. The marriage of the parents was solemnized in Iowa and there they livea during their early wedded life. In the days of the Civil war Mr. Cross enlisted in Company H, Thirty-first Iowa Infantrj-, and he served three years, performing a hard and strenuous service for his country. He was on the remarkable expedition with Sherman through Georgia to the sea, and was one of the heroes who fought in the battle of Lookout Mountain. After the war he returned to Iowa, where he remained until he removed to Nebraska, in 1878, at which time he settled in the eastern part of the state, in Seward county. Feeling that opportunities were a little better in the new land farther west, he came to Custer county five years later, and homesteaded a substantial tract of land, eight miles southwest of Ansley. In the home of John H. H. Cross, father of the subject of this sketch, were five children, three of whom are still living. The sun-ivors are Oliver, who lives in .Ansley and is employed by the railroad company; \Villiam J., who is the subject of this sketch : and Dell, who lives eight miles west of Ansley.

John H. H. Cross is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, is a faithful member of the Methodist church, is a Republican in politics, and, withal, is a very highly respected citizen.

the farm, but during his early years he clerked in a Broken Bow store for a period of eight or nine years. He was educated in the public schools at Broken Bow. Mr. Cross is a reliable citizen to whom much credit is due fo"- the services rendered to the major county of the Nebraska commonwealth.

WALTER S. MOORE, who occupies a very responsible position as superintendent of the J. H. Melville Lumber Company at Mason City, Nebraska, is an experienced lumber man and is one of Mason City's energetic and public-spirited citizens. Mr. Moore was born on a fann near Sullivan, Aloultrie county, Illinois, February 29, 1880, and is a son of Joshua C. Moore, of whom specific mention is made on other pages of this volume.

From 1887 until 1896, \N'alter S. Moore lived in the vicinity of Broken Bow, Nebraska, attending school there and working on a fami. Thereafter he lived on a farm and was engaged in agricultural industries exclusively until 1903. He then went as far west as Oregon, where he learned something of the lumber trade, while working for a furniture company, and after returning to Broken Bow he engaged in the lumber business there. He continued his activities at Broken Bow from February^ 1907, until February, 1909, when he came to Mason City. Here he took charge of the business of the G. L. Turner Lumber Company, which is now operated under the style of the J. H. Melville Lumber Company, and he now has entire charge of the plant. He is a keen, capable business man, and no enterprise in this line is doing a larger or more profitable business here.

Mr. Moore was married in 1908, to Miss Ella Green, who was born in Kansas. Her father, the late Col. J. T. Green, who died at Broken Bow, was a veteran of the Civil war and was one of Broken Bow's citizens of ample means.

Mr. Moore has been more or less active in civic affairs ever since locating in Mason City. He has served usefully and efficiently on the town board and at present is town clerk. He votes independently, and fraternally he is an Odd Fellow. Both he and his wife are members of the Christian church. They have no children.

JOHN .A. SNYDER, whose valuable ranch and beautiful home are located in Custer county, has lived here for a quarter of a century and has one of the best cultivated farms in this entire section of the state. He has led an active, vigorous life ever since early manhood, and his reminiscences of cowboy life arc not only interesting but also historical. Mr. Snyder was born near Jefferson City, Missouri, December 10, 1863. His parents were John N. and Barbara (Grogan) Snyder, both of whom were born in Cole county, Missouri, their children having been seven in number - Peter, John A., Mrs. Margaret Uling, Andrew M., Charles B., Mrs. Mamie Mullins (deceased), and Clara (deceased).

When John A. Snyder was nine years old his parents came to Nebraska. His father had served over four years as a soldier in the Union army through the Civil war. When he came to Nebraska John N. Snyder settled twenty-two miles north of Fremont, which was the nearest railroad town and supply depot for a long period afterward. The country was yet in a wild condition and the hunting of wild animals was largely engaged in. Young John became a successful trapper in boyhood and on one occasion caught three minks in his traps. These he sold to a neighbor for forty cents apiece, although he learned later that he could have obtained for the skins two and one-half dollars each in Fremont. He consoled himself with the thought that a tramp of forty-four miles to and from Fremont, would not have been a pleasure trip, even to make a better business bargain.

Mr. Snyder grew up strong and hardy, and he was only thirteen years of age when he came with David Rankin to the Bar-7 ranch, on the Middle Loup river, one and one-half miles east of the present town of Seneca. He was already a fearless horseman, and his first venr's work was riding a range some 200 miles in circumference. He remained with the Bar-7 ranch until he was twenty-two years old. In 1893, haviu'r married several years previouslv and desiring a settled home,' he came to Custer county and located three miles south of Oconto, where he has continued ever since. He owns 480 acres here, has placed 180 acres under a high state of cultivation and has put improvements on the place until it is in everv wav a desirable rural home, while its proximity to Oconto, but three miles distant, gives town advantages.

Mr. Snyder was married in June, 1891. at Nonpareil. Nebraska, to R'liss Sarah Fritz, who was born in Favette countv. Iowa, and who is a daughter of Harriet S. (Weaver) Hassler. her mother's second marriaee havin? been with Harr\f Hassler and both havinof been bom in Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder have two daughters : Mabel is the wife of Harry Hodson of Deertrail, Arapahoe county.

Colorado, and they have two daughters ; and Blanche remains with her parents. Miss Blanche Snyder is highly accomplished, being a graduate of the Fremont Normal School, and also of a business college at Broken Bow. She is proficient in music, and teaches the same. Air. Snyder has never been specially active in politics but has always voted the Republican ticket and has done his duty in upholding the law and furthering public improvements.

BENJAMIN P. MORRIS, who has accumulated about 200 acres of land since coming to Nebraska, has passed his active career as a farmer in Custer county, having arrived in this locality in 1883. He is now one of the substantial men of the Ansley community and has not only been successful as an agriculturist, but has also been an active factor in public affairs and for a long time rendered his fellow citizens excellent service as an office-holder.

Mr. Morris was born in Henry county, Ohio, July 15, 1857, a son of John W. and Susan N. (Pindar) Morris, the former born at Baltimore, Maryland, and the latter in Virginia. The parents were young people when they went with their respective families to Ohio, where their marriage occurred and where Mr. Morris was engaged in farming for a number of years, in Henry county. In 1867, John W. Morris came to Nebraska and took up a homestead in Otoe county. There he farmed for a number of years, but in the evening of life he came to Custer county, where he and his wife made their home with their son Benjamin P., and where both passed their remaining days. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom seven are living: S. O., who is engaged in farming in the vicinity of Merna; Mrs. Anna Reed, whose home is located near Syracuse, Nebraska; Sue; Mrs. Alwilda Klein, who resides at Burr, this state; . Mrs. Evelyn Klein, who lives at Burchard, Nebraska : and Mrs. Ella Himmelright and Mrs. E. M. Green, both of whom are residents of Custer county. Mrs. Morris was a member of the Presbyterian church. The father, who was a stanch Democrat, was quite active in politics and wielded considerable influence therein.

Benjamin P. was about ten years of age when brought to Nebraska by his parents, and here his education was completed in the public schools of Otoe county. As a young man he adopted farming as his life's vocation, and in 1883 he came to Custer county and filed on a homestead, which forms a part of his present property, for since his original settlement he has added from time to time to his holdings, until he now has about 200 acres. He made all the improvements on his own farm, and they are appropriate, modem and substantial, reflecting the owner's good judgment, taste, industPk' and prosperity. He has always carried on general farming, and has also raised considerable stock, and in both departments he has met with the success that his energj' and good management have merited and warranted. In business circles his word i'. held as good as a bond, and he has always kept his reputation inviolate. Like his father, he is a strong and unfaltering Democrat, and has taken some interest in political affairs in the past. During the sixteen years that he sen-ed as a member of the board of county supenisors he gave his fellow citizens fine and constructive service, and in 1914 he retired from that body with a splendid record. Mr. Morris has never married.

CARL E. BOWMAN. - One of the progressive young farmers and stock men of Custer cc'inty who is now engaged in the realestate business, is Carl E. Bowman, of Broken Bow. Mr. Bowman was born April 7, 1883, in Cass county, Nebraska. His father was -Abraham D. Bowman, and his mother's maiden name was Ella M. Bethel. His parents immigrated to Custer county in 1885, when Carl was but two years of age. The first Custer home was the regulation "soddy," with brush and sod roof, supported by a large cedar log. nearly two feet in diameter and twentv-five feet in length. This log made an impression upon the boy's mind, and is to this day closelv associated with his childhood. Like most of the primitive dwellings, this pioneer domicile had no floor and no more windows than were absolutely necessary. Carl claims that there were stormy days when the roof leaked and the only dry place where he could perch was under the ridge pole. He grew up in Custer county, imbibed tlie spirit of the west, and earlv formed the western practice of trading and cattle dealing. On a pony that his father purchased for him, Carl E. Bowman commenced his career bv herding cattle on the prairie, in the davs before pasture fences were fashionab'e.

The first money that he ever picked up by individual eft'ort was for carrying cedar chips from the canyon. For this service his mother ])aid him thirty-five cents. He invested the entire amount in candy and .stuck to tlie sack until he had eaten the last piece. He claims

The occupation of herding is one that tends to make a boy an expert horseman and atf'ords him splendid opportunity to practice with rifle or revolver. Accordingly, young Carl became a good rider and a splendid marksman. He lived in the day when broncho-busting was the sport of the '"Wild and W'ooly West," and on picnic occasions and Fourth of July celebrations all the youths of the country were there with their "bad horses." and riding the broncho was the principal program of the day.

Carl narrates that on one occasion when he and John Christy were holding a bunch of cattle which Carl's father had purchased of a neighbor, Thomas Christy, that he proposed to ride a two-year-old bull which seemed to be head and boss of the herd the boys were holding. Young Christy agreed to lead the bull, and the operation of lassoing was soon performed. The bull was drawn up close to the saddle-horse and Carl, getting close enough, sprang on to its back. Then young Christy thought it was time for the show to commence. He loosened the rof)e from the saddle horn and threw it toward the bull, with a whoop that would have done credit to an Apache Indian. That was the signal for the start. Away went the bull, headed for home, paying no attention whatever to speed limits and hitting only the high places in the prairie. Carl's horsemanship and riding ability stood him in good need. He clung on for dear life and succeeded in staying on the animal's back. Young Christy, seeing the terrific speed with which the bull made for home, followed quickly on his pony, but was not able to stop the runaway until the animal had reached the home where it had been raised. There it stopped, almost exhausted, and Carl had opportunity to alight in regulation form. For a rough ride, Carl says that the bull has a "Ford" car beaten a country block.

Mr. Bowman made good as a cattle man and trader, as a farmer and stock-raiser. He now resides in Broken Bow and is doing a good real-estate business. He is the junior member of the firm of Bowman & Bowman. He is married to an amiable lady and his family consists of himself, wife, and one child. He and his wife have a host of friends, and still young in years, their lives are. for the major part, before them. Mr. Bowman is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, including the Eastern Star, and he has passed all of the official chairs in the lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, besides holding membership in tlie

THORNTON S. CROSLEY, SR. - With his venerable head touched by the snows of eighty years and his strong face and capable hands bronzed by the sun which has beat upon almost as many harvesting seasons. Thornton S. Crosley is to-day a striking illustration of ,\ life well lived, of activities properly directed, and of a career spent in co-operation and communion with the forces of nature. He was a homesteader to Custer county in the year 1883 and has been a successful farmer and raiser of live stock, being at the present time the owner of 400 acres of valuable land.

Mr. Crosley was born in Hampshire county, Virginia (now West Virginia), October 13, 1838, and is a son of Joseph and Mar>' (Thrasher) Crosley, the fomier born in \'irginia and the latter in Pennsylvania. The parents were married in Virginia, w-here the father died after a career passed as a farmer and tanner, while as a voter he had been a Whig. After his demise his widow removed with her children to a farm in Iowa and there passed the remaining years of her life. She was a faithful member of the Baptist church. Of the ten children, only Thornton S. sur\'ives. Mr. Crosley received his education in the public schools of his native state, and was still a youth when he' accompanied his mother and the other children to Iowa. There his real career began on a farm, but when he reached manhood he chose mercantile pursuits for his life work and for a time was proprietor of a general store in Iowa, in addition to which he acted in the capacity of postmaster. When hostilities between the north and the south culminated in the outbreak of the Civil war, Mr. Crosley enlisted in Company I. Twentyfirst Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with which he served almost three years, participating in some of the hardest fought engagements of the Civil war. including X'icksburg and Mobile. He received his honorable discharge after a service marked by a splendid record, and returned to his home, where he once again took up the reins of business. In 1883 Mr. Crosley migrated to Custer county and located his claim, but did not remain at that time. In 1884 he came out again, this time with one son. and built a sod house, and in 1885 he brought his family here. From then to the present he has devoted himself without cessation to farming and stock-raising activities, and in both lines he has been rewarded by constantly increasing success. In the meantime he has added to the improvements and building on his farm, which now consists of 400 acres, and in 1903 he erected a comfortable house, which has all modern conveniences. Mr. Crosley is greatly respected in his community, where he has always been found a man of the highest integrity and strictest probity. He has taken an active part in civic affairs, and has assisted in the administration of governmental matters in the capacities of justice of the peace and town clerk, in both of which ofiices he has established a record for conscientious, efficient and expeditious ser\-ice. His political faith is that of the Democratic party and his religious faith that of the United Brethren church, which he attends at Broken Bow. Mr. Crosley has never forgotten his old army friends, and is a valued comrade of the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic.

While a resident of Iowa, in 1857, Mr. Crosley was united in marriage to Miss Lucinda Holcomb, who died in ^larch, 1864, leaving one son, Joseph Siegel Crosley. In 1866 Mr. Crosley was again married, being united with Miss Margaret A. Hunter, who was born in Christian county, Illinois, a daughter of James Hunter, a farmer who died in the Prairie state. Eight children were born to this union, of whom four are living: H. L., a merchant of Mason City ; Thornton S., Jr., engaged in farming in Custer county: Jennie T., the wife of Pern,- Smith, a farmer of Upton, Wyoming; and Richard N., residing on the farm with his parents.

JOHN E. CAVENEE. - The name which initiates this paragraph is one that guarantees both the character and standing of the man to whom it belongs - at least this is assured in the estimate of the old settlers of Custer county.

John E. Cavenee claims the Buckeye state as the place of his nativity. He was born within twenty miles of Zanesville. and not far from Lexington. Ohio, and the date of his birth was July 29. 1851. He is a son of Patrick and Mary (Montgomery) Cavenee. excellent folk who ever commanded unqualified ]X>pular esteem. Patrick Cavenee was born in Bedford county. Penn.Mlvania, on the same day that .Abraham Lincoln came into the world, and thus he continued in a special sense the contemporary of the martyred president until the latter came to his tragic death.

John E. Cavenee has given virtually his entire active life to the great basic industries of agriculture and stock-raising, through the medium of which he has achieved worthy success and provided a competency for the proverbial "rainv dav." In his native state he was reared to the age of five years, when lie accompanied his parents on their removal to Iowa, the family becoming pioneer settlers in Henry county, that state. The subject of this review was thus reared under the conditions and intlucnces that marked the pioneer era in the history of the llawkeye state, and there he gained his youthful education in the common schools of the i)eriod. His training in school and in connection with the jiioneer farm proved specially prolific in the development of that experience and those sterling- qualities that have been of inestimable value to him in his independent activities and business affairs in later years.

Mr. Cavenee came to Custer county in the spring of 1878, and here he became one of the early settlers of the South Loup region. He recognized the opportunities here otTered. and thus he was led to secure homestead, pre-eni])- tion, and tree claims and become the owner of land that is to-day very valuable. The early days brought their hardships and trials - experiences that will never be forgotten by those to whom they came. The first home of Mr. Cavenee was the regulation sod house - very appropriate for the time and place in which it was built. From the first Mr. Cavenee gave particular attention to cattle, and he was thoroughly imbued with the belief that it was essentially profitable to raise the best possible grades of all kinds of live stock produced on the farm. Accordingly his breeding stock was always marked by purple blood of fine selection. Thus he early gained reputation as a progressive and successful cattle and general live-stock man. His ])rimitive holdings of the early days were augmented until the f.nrm home and stock farm grew to 1.040 acres, and this valuable landed estate lie held intact until a short time ago, when he sold 400 acres.

In the early spring of 18''0 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Cavenee to Mrs. .'Mice !M. Wright, who has proved a devoted comjxinion and helpmeet and shared with him in the blessings and sorrows that the intervening years have brought in their train. Of the two children one is deceased, and the survivor, Paul E., is a representative young farmer who is made the subject of individual mention on other pages of this volume.

Mr. Cavenee has been a true apostle of civic and industrial deveIo])ment and progress in the county that has long been his home and in which he is held in unequivocal po])ular esteem. He has been influential in community affairs and was for eight years a member of the county Ixiard of supervisors, while his was the distinction of having been a member of the first grand jury empaneled in the countv. He is afliliated with the Ancient ( Jrder of United Workmen and has been prominent and influential in its local lodge. He and his wife are affiliated with the Presbvterian church.

JOHN CHERRY, Sr., who is one of the substantial exponents of farm enterprise in the southern part of Custer county, with mail service on one of the rural routes out of Sumner, is consistently entitled to pioneer honors in Nebraska, in which state he has maintained his residence since 1884, the while he has maintained his home in Custer county for somewhat more than thirty years.

Mr. Cherry was born in Iowa countv, \\"isconsin, on the l()th of December. IS5(). and is a son of Joseph and Amelia ( Killian) Cherry, who were sterling pioneers of the Badger state. This worthy couple became the parents of nine children and four of the number are living in Nebraska - Thomas, who is a resident of Furnas county; Mrs. Sarah \\'illiams. who resides in Nuckolls county ; John, who is the immediate subject of this sketch ; and George, who is a resident of Sartoria, Buffalo county. Another of the family was the late Joseph Cherry, who died in Custer county and to whom a memoir is dedicated on other pages of this work.

John Cherry was reared and educated in Wisconsin, and there he gained youthful experience in connection with farm industrv. He continued his residence in Wisconsin until 1882, and spent two years in Woodbury county, Iowa, before coming to Nebraska, where he first located in Box Butte county. There, in the year 1891. was solemnized his marriage to Miss .Mice Watts, a daughter of the late John Watts, and soon after their life destinies were thus joined, the young couple set forth for Custer couuty. fortified with the courage, self-reliance, and ambition that enabled them to face the trials and responsibilities of pioneer life. Upon their arrival their material possessions were mainly represented in the pair of broncho mules which had afforded them transportation to the new home. Notwithstanding their financial handicap, they girded themselves earnestly for the work of developing and improving the land which they obtained in this county, and the pa.ssing years have awarded them with a goodly measure of success and pros]>erity. Their attractive farm home, in section 27. townshij) 13, range I'X bears evidence of the success which has been theirs, for the place has excellent buildings, including a pleasant and commodious residence, and has its due coni])lenient of horses, cattle, and hogs - all coiiibiniiiij;- to give evidence of what may be achieved through well directed energy and determined effort. Mr. Cherry now owns a well improved landed estate of 440 acres, and the property is splendidly adapted to progressive agricultural and stock-raising enterprise.

Loyal and public-spirited as a citizen, Mr. Cherry has had no desire for ptjlitical activity or public office, but he is found aligned as a supporter of the cause of the Democratic party. He and his family hold the faith of the Presbyterian church. Mr. and Mrs. Cherry have five children - Anna, John William, Teddy, Carl, and Marcus - and all possess the sterling characteristics which have brought success and good repute to the parents, who command unqualified popular esteeni.

FRANK DOBESH. - Living in well deserved retirement, in a comfortable home in Ansley, will be found Frank Dobesh and his family, who have been residents of Custer county since 1881, and he has been one of those successful farmers of the county who have been splendid contributors to the presentday wealth and resources of the commonwealth.

Frank Dobesh is the-third in order of birth of the thirteen children born to Thomas and Josephine (Jobe) Dobesh. The parents were l)orn, reared and married in Moravia, Austria, and came to this country, with their six children, in 1871. On other pages the sketch of Anton Dobesh gives further data concerning the family history.

Frank Dobesh was born in the province of Moravia, r)ctober 19, 1862, and was nine years old when brought by his parents to Saunders county, Nebraska. The family sailed on the "Columbia" from Breemen to Baltimore, and spent fourteen days on the sea. Mr. Dobesh came to Custer county in 1881, his eldest brother having already taken up a homestead, and here he secured a homestead for himself, - the northwest quarter of section 12. township 14. range 19. Since that time he has made this place his home. For thirty years he has owned the place, and has improved it and added to it until now he is the owner of vast acres of land, and has large cattle interests. The first dwelling of the family was a sod house, but in after years, when prosperity had come to them, the sod house was vacated and a splendid farm home of eight rooms erected to take its place.

Mary, daughter of John and Mary (Delbelka) Jelivek, who came from Bohemia to America in 1864. They lived here ten months, and then took up a home in Saunders county. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Dobesh five children were born: Mary, is the wife of Joseph Orchard, and they live on the old homestead of Mr. Dobesh; and Charlie, Arthur, Grace, and Emil all remain at the parental home.

Mr. and Mrs. Dobesh can well afford the retirement and rest upon which they have entered, and they have a host of friends who are glad to see them so well and favorably located, and who, while extending congratulations, wish for them many years of comfort and life enjoyment.

CHARLES C. FISHER. - One of the energetic, successful farmers living in the vicinity of Mason City, from which place the rural carriers bring his mail, is Charles E. Fisher. His life story commenced April 22, 1850, at which time he first saw the light of day, in Gallia county, Ohio. He is a son of Isaac and Sarah (Fisher) Fisher, both of whom sprung from old Virginia stock.

Isaac Fisher immigrated to Ohio in 1848, and his future wife was twelve years of age when her parents established their home in the Buckeye state, some time in the '30s. Isaac and Sarah Fisher became the parents of thirteen children, eight of whom are still living, the subject of this sketch being, however, the only one of the family who lives in Custer county. The parents moved back to that ])art of Virginia which at that time had become West Virginia, and there they passed the remainder of their lives. The father's occupation was that of a carpenter, and he was rated a very fine workman. He was a member of the Free Will Baptist church, and in politics he affiliated with the Democratic party. Isaac Fisher's father was Solomon Fisher, who was a native of Holland. This grandsire immigrated to the United States and settled in Virginia. The maternal grandfather of Charles C. Fisher was John Fisher, who died in Ohio.

In the old Buckeye state Charles C. Fisher received his early education in the common schools, and there he laid the foundation of that mental structure which has served him so well in a business way in all his farm transactions, and by which he has come to be deservedly rated as one of the intelligent and broad-minded citizens of Custer county.

In 1881 Mr. Fi'sher wedded Miss Laura J. Amsberry, a daughter of Francis Amsberry, who became a pioneer homesteader of Custer county. To this union were born four children: Dore Alena is the wife of Henry Keller and they live near Mason City ; Delia Alberta is the wife of William Smith and they reside at Seattle, Washington ; Chester, at the time of this writing, is in France, he having entered the military service of his country^ in November, 1917; Leander, the youngest of the children, is at home and is assisting on the farm.

On the splendid rural estate of Charles C. Fisher is to be found an elegant farm residence, which was built in 1912, and in which the family is at the present time comfortably and happily domiciled. Mixed farming operations are carried on. Fifty head of cattle constitute the average farm herd. The fanning and stock-raising operations are conducted under the title of Fisher & Son. Aside from the grain and stock farming, Mr. Fisher and his son run a small dairy with twelve cows. Mr. Fisher relates that when he reached Custer county and had filed on his land he had a wife and one child and fifty cents in money. The splendid home and farm equipment - the property and everything that represents wealth - have been accumulated since that time.

Mr. Fisher is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, is independent in politics, and he and his family enjoy the confidence and respect of the entire community.

EDMOND J. A\'IS'. - The agriniltural interests of Custer county find a worthv representative in the gentleman whose name introduces this record and who for twentv-s'x vears has successfully conducted farming operations here.

Mr. Avis was born in Cumberland county, Illinois, February 26, 1865. His father, Colbert Avis, was a native of Ohio, and became a farmer of St. Clair county, Illinois, where he resided until 1884. He then became a resident of Saunders county, Nebraska, where he spent the remainder of his davs. The mother of our subject was Margerv ( Rryan) Avis. She was a distant relative of AMlliam Jennings Bryan, and she passed away in Illinois.

Edmond J. Avis was a young man of nineteen years when he first came to Nebraska, and he made a trip to Custer connty that year, but he returned to Saunders county, where he remained until 1892, when he again came to Custer county, where he bought land. He has resided on his present farm for the past fifteen years, this being a valuable tract of 240 acres, in section 24, township 17, range 23. The [iroperty was unimproved when it came into his possession, but he has erected substantial buildings, has made other excellent improvements, and successfully carries on general farming.

For a wife and helpmeet, Mr. Avis chose Miss Theodosia Calbreath, a native of St. Clair county, Illinois, and they have a family of four children, all of whom are still under the parental roof. Their names are Arthur, Ethel, Clarence, and Maud. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics Mr. Avis is a Democrat. Though he has never aspired to nor held public office, he has rendered efficient service as a member of the school board, the cause of education finding in him a stalwart champion. Pioneer conditions were still in evidence when Mr. Avis made permanent location here, and he has contributed to the upbuilding of the community in which he is held in high esteem by all who know him. In the words of a neighbor who has known him all these twentysix years, he is "a dandy good fellow, a fine man."

THOMAS DOBESH. - It is not necessary to cross the water to the European countries or to search through any of the eastern states in our own country to find the birthplace of Thomas Dobesh. He belongs to Custer county ; here he was born and bred ; here he was educated, grew to manhood, married, and established his home: and here he is one of the prominent citizens belonging to the generation that is now coming into the full responsibilities of active and middle life. On the farm where he now lives, Mr. Dobesh was born August 11, 1888, and he is a son of Anton Dobesh, of whom extended mention is made on other pages. He secured the best possible education froin the public schools and very early took up farming for a life occupation.

In January, 1912, Mr. Dobesh married Bertha A. Curtis a very excellent lady who, like her husband, was born in this county. She was a daughter of W. S. Curtis, who lives near Algernon schoolhouse. The happiness of the new home was soon disturbed, for Mrs. Dobesh was called to her long home after a married life of only four years.

church, belongs to the Non-partisan League and is a progressive young farmer who is operating one full section of land, which he leases from his father. He is conducting a general farming and stock-raising business. He exjjects, with ordinary luck, to market one hundred hogs each year. He keeps a good grade of cattle, having about sixty head on his farm throughout the entire year. Just such industrious, hard-working farmers are the present-day hoj)e and basic strength of our country.

FRED AND HENRY SCHULTZE. - There are few existing associations that are productive of better results than those which exist between brothers in the operation of a business or agricultural venture, and this is applicable to the partnership of Fred and Henr\- Schultzc, who are carrying on extensive farming and stock-raising activities in the vicinity of Mason City. They have always been farmers, and in the several communities in which they have resided have impressed themselves upon their fellow citizens as practical, progressive and energetic men, thoroughgoing masters of their vocation, and honorable factors in the civic life of their locality.

Fred Schultze, the elder brother, was born July 13, 1874, in Illinois, and Henry, the younger, was born October 24, 1877, in Seward county, Nebraska. They are sons of Fred and Amelia (Zilke) Schultze, natives of Germany, the former of whom came to the United States at the age of five years, and the latter when nineteen years of age. Married in Illinois, the parents resided there for three more years, and then moved to Seward county. Nebraska, where their home was made for a quarter of a century. Subsequently Mr. Schultze came to Custer county and bought school land, and later he went to Canada, where he lived for some time, but eventually he returned to Seward county, Nebraska, and retired from active pursuits. He is a Republican in his political views and he and Mrs. Schultze are members of the Lutheran church. Of their six sons and four daughters. Fred and Henr)" are the only ones living in Custer county.

The early educational discipline of Fred and Henry Schultze was secured in the district schools of Seward county, and they were brought up under the training of their practical father, who instnicted them fully in all the departments of agricultural work. When they reached manhood they began farming together, and on coming to Custer county, in 1893, they purchased 320 acres of land, in the vicinity of Mason City - a property which formerly belonged to their father. Together they have since farmed it successfully and have made their farm one of the fertile and well improved properties of the locality. Their buildings are large, well kept and substantial, their improvements and equipment are modern, and their stock of a good grade. They are men of integrity and high standing, and while they ha\e devoted their entire time to farming, and therefore have not figured prominently in public affairs, their are known as public-spirited citizens. Their political preference is for the Republican party's principles and candidates, and both are members of the Lutheran church.

On Februarjf 3, 1910, Fred Schultze married Mrs. Mar>' (Lang) Neben. the widow of August Neben. and to this union there have been born four children : Elsie, Amelia, Minnie, and Arthur. Henr}- Schultze is a bachelor.

JOHN A. AMSBERRY. - A resident of Custer county for forty years. John A. Amsberry has the distinction of being the oldest breeder of Aberdeen-Angus cattle in the state of Nebraska, and few cattlemen are more widely or favorably known. His connection with stock-raising has always been of a helpful and progressive character, and as president of the Angus Breeders Association Institute his broad knowledge and long experience, always at the call of his fellow-breeders, have done much to encourage the industry and to place it upon a high plane.

John A. Amsberr}' was bom September H, 1850, in West \irginia, and is a son of Francis E. and Lucy C. (Beard) Amsberry, both natives of \'irginia. They were married in \ irginia and came to Custer county in 1884, Mr. .\msberry homestcading on section 35. townsiiip 15, range 18, where he continued to carry on agricultural pursuits on his 160 acres until his death. He was a Republican in politics, and he and his wife were members of the oldschool Baptist church. There were twelve children m the family, of whom ten are living: John A. is the subject of this review; Martha, twin of John A., is single and is living with her brother Will : Margaret is the wife of Nick Peterson, and they reside in Custer county ; Rosetta is the wife of J. N. Greenlee, a farmer of this county ; Laura is the wife of C. C. Fisher, of this county: J. M. is an Oregon farmer; Mvra is the wife of Charles Amsberrry, a farmer northwest of I'lrokcn Bow; Ella is the wife of Lou Coleman, a blacksmith of South Da- kota; Will D. is farming near Mason City, and a sketch of his career will be found elsewhere in this work ; and Frank is operating his father's old homestead.

John A. Amsljerr}' received an ordinary public-school education in West Virginia, and early learned the lessons of industry and money value, as, being the eldest of his father's children, it was necessary that he start to work as soon as he was old enough and to contribute his share to the family support. Leaving his native state in 1871, he came to the west and passed four years in Iowa, where he found employment at farm work. In 1874 he came to Nebraska, and after entering and perfecting title to a pre-emption claim in Valley county he returned to Iowa, where he remained four years. In 1878 ]Mr. Amsberry came to Custer county and settled on a homestead, this county having continued to be his home and the stage of liis productive activities during the long intervening period of forty years. How successful he has been in his operations may be discerned when recognition is taken of the fact that he is now the owner of 1,000 acres of land, all made through his own efforts and abilities, without outside assistance. For many years he has been one of the leading cattlemen of the count}', and, as previously stated, he is to-day the oldest breeder of Aberdeen-Angus cattle in Nebraska. He generally keeps 100 head on hand and his stock is much in demand, bringing top prices and taking many prizes at fairs. He is president of the Angus Breeders Association Institute, and has been a life member of the Farmers National Congress for the past fifteen years. Alfalfa is his principal crop, and in the raising of this staple he lias met with the success that his skill and hard work have merited. The splendid improvements to be found on Mr. Amsberry's property have all been put in by him, and the buildings are of his own erection. Mr. Amsberry is a Republican and a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and he and the members of his family belong to the Baptist church.

In September, 1880, in Iowa, Mr. Amsberry was united in marriage to Mi.ss Mary Buckley. She was born in West Virginia, a daughter of Frank Buckley, who was an early settler of Iowa and who there met an accidental death in the woods. Mrs. Amsberry died May 2, 1918, leaving three children : Zadee, who is the wife of R. H. Duke, a druggist of Mason City, Nebraska ; Frank, who is associated with his father in his farming and stock-raising operations ; and Nellie, who is the wife of Will Dorsette, a farmer of Custer county.

VERNON E. FLEMING. - One of the farmers of Custer county who is living in the vicinity of Mason City, and operating successfully a small farm, with every indication of a prosperous future before him, is the young man whose name the title line heralds.

Mr. Fleming was born January 28, 1887, and is a son of John and Rachel (McKee) Fleming. The Hoosier state is the place of his father's nativity, and Illinois is the state in which his mother was born. The parents were married in Illinois and in 1882 they came to Custer county, where they took a homestead. Mrs. Fleming died in 1907, and the father now makes his home with his daughter, Mrs. Arthur Zahn, near Mason City.

In the parental family circle were three children - Pearl, the wife of Oscar Fletcher, died in March, 1916, at Portland, Oregon ; Vernon E. is the subject of this sketch ; and Minnie is the wife of Arthur Zahn, of Custer county. The father is a memljer of the Baptist church, as was also his wife, and he is a Socialist in politics. He served as justice of the peace a number of years ago.

Vernon E. Fleming received his early education in the district schools of Custer county, attending in school district No. 71 principally. His early years were devoted to farming, to which occupation he has given his entire life. He lived on his mother's old homestead for twenty-five years and then removed to his present farm of 160 acres, which he purchased in 1908. He has made good improvements and developed the place into a firstclass farm. At the time when he took the farm there were only ten acres broken on the entire place.

October 27, 1909, recorded the marriage of Mr. Fleming to Rosetta A. Hauck, for whose family history see the Fred Hauck sketch in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Fleming have two sons - Loyel, bom September 23 1910, and Clyde, born October 17, 1911.

Mr. Fleming is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He generally votes the Democratic ticket and has served on the school board for a number of years. He does a general farming and stock-raising business, in which he has been very successful. He has full-blooded Duroc-Jersey hogs, and makes a success of breeding fine specimens whose lineage entitles them to place in the register of the society that maintains the records of the Duroc hogs. He and his wife are also making a specialty of Rhode Island Red chickens, and their poultry flock at feeding time presents one of the attractive features of farm life as the Flemings are living it. This is a splendid family, and, beyond

HARRY A. SHERMAN, vice-president of the Sargent State Bank, of which he was formerly president, is also a leading and prominent real-estate and insurance man of Custer county, has been identified with numerous business and financial enterprises here and has established a high reputation for capability, judgment and general acumen. His introduction to Sargent was in the role of schoolteacher, but it was not long until he becani':' connected with banking afifairs, and since that time his rise has been sure, rapid and consistent.

Mr. Sherman was born November 3, 1871, at Streator, Illinois, his parents being George W. and Ruth (Courtney) Shennan. A record of the family will be found in the sketch of Mrs. Ruth Sherman, which appears elsewhere in this work. The country schools of Custer county furnished Harry A. Sherman with his early education, as he was but a child when brought to this county, and this preliminary training was later supplemented by one year's attendance at the University of Nebraska, at Lincoln, and a course in the Liiicoln Business College. Until he was twentyfive years of age he was engaged in farming, and he then went to Rochester, New York where for a time he was employed by the Rochester Railroad Company. Returning to Sargent, he taught school until 1902, when he secured a clerkship in the Farmers & Merchants Bank. In the following year that institution was consolidated with the Custer County Bank, in June, 1903. and Mr. Sherman was elected cashier of the new banking house, known under the latter name, and being the oldest bank in the county. Later the Custer County Bank was reorganized, and Mr. Sherman was elected president, a position he retained until 1914. At that time other interests became too pressing for him to do full justice to his duties, and he resigned from the presidency, but accepted a vicepresidency and also became chairman of the board of directors of the Sargent State Bank, positions which he still holds. In these capacities a great deal of the bank's policy is directed bv him. and his abilitv as a banker and financier has served to make this one of the stron-jest institutions in this jiart of the state. In 1914 Mr. Sherman bought out the partnership of Ebenezer Miller, and entered actively into the real-estate and insurance business, with James W. Lundy as partner. He has been interested in a financial wav. more or less, with real-estate and insurance matters during the past fifteen years, and the development and growth of his connections made it necessary that he give more of his time thereto. His reputation in busines and financial circles is of the highest order, and he is frequently dependupon for advice and leadership in matters of large importance.

Mr. Sherman is a Republican, but has not sought ofticial recognition by his party, although his influence therein is marked. As a friend of education, however, he is serving efificiently as a member of the school board. An active worker in the Methodist Episcopal church, he has been prominent in its affairs, and belongs at this time to its building committee. Likewise he is prominent in fraternal circles, being a Scottish Rite Mason and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in the latter of which he has passed all the ofticial chairs.

Mr. Sherman was married July 10. 1902, to Miss Ora S. Spooner, a daughter of A. F. and Anna (Wilbur) Spooner, early settlers of Custer county. To this union there have come two children - Paul G., born April 26. 1906, and Dean F., born :\Iay 31, 1908.

JOSEPH H. CHERRY, Sr. - The life record of a good man who lias gone to his reward is briefly reviewed in the following memoir to one who lived his life with a high sense of personal stewardship, who served his Master according to his earnest convictions, who reared his children in the Christian faith he had received from his father, and who was fifty-six years of age when he passed forward to "that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns." The life of Joseph H. Cherry was one of distinctive honor and usefulness and it is gratifying to enter in this publication a tribute to his memory.

Joseph H. Cherry was born in Richland county, Wisconsin, on the 1st of June. 1851. and he passed to the life eternal on the 6th of December. 1917, secure in the high regard of all who knew him. He was a son of Joseph and Amelia ( Killian ) Cherry, of whose nine children four are living - Thomas, who is a resident of Furnas county. Nebraska ; John, who is individually mentioned on other pages of this publication ; Mrs. Sarah Williams, who lives in Nuckolls county. Nebraska : and George, who is a resident of Sartoria, Buffalo county, Nebraska.