Custer County, Nebraska - Founders and Builders, 1919 (part 9 of 32)

development and progress that followed their coming, a place of honor must be accorded to the late Amos W. Gandy, who established a record for industry and good citizenship and whose death occurred at Broken Bow, on the 30th of July, 1899.

J\lr. Gandy was bom at Preston, near Cheat Mountain, Wayne county. West Virginia, on the 12th of Januarj-, 1837, at which time his native state was still a part of Virginia. He was a son of Samuel and Catherine (Mathew) Gandy and his mother was of German descent. In 1851 Samuel Gandy removed with his family to Davis county, Iowa, where he became a pioneer fanner and where he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives. They became the parents of twelve children, namely: Rollo, Amos W., William, Lemuel, Caroline, Ellis, Asher, Elizabeth, Jesse, James, Mary, and John. Samuel Gandy gave his political allegiance to the Republican party, was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and he and his wife were earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Amos W. Gandy was fourteen years of age at the time of the family removal to Iowa, where he was accorded the advantages of the pioneer schools and where he earned his first wages by siilittinsJ- hickory .sticks for making the bottoms of splint-bottom chairs. For this service he received two and one-half cents for each bottom - or about thirtv-five cents a day. The principal work of his boyhood and youth, however, was that connected with his fathers farm, and when he attained to maturity he chose farming as his vocation. At Troy, Davis countv, Iowa, on the 21st of July, 1859, Mr. Gandy wedded Miss Mar>' E. Phelps, a daughter of Harrison C). and Eliza (Dodds) Phelps, and a granddaughter of William Phelps. Of a family of eleven children she is the younger of the two now living, the elder being Alfred H., who is a farmer by vocation and who married Mary Hall, daughter of George and Nancy CGandy) Hall, the children of this union being three in number.

Mr. and Mrs. Gandy were living on their Iowa farm when the Civil war broke out. and five of the sons of Samuel Gandy tendered their services in defense of the Union, all being accepted. Amos W.. the subject of this memoir, enlisted in the Third Iowa Cavalrs'. with which gallant command he served luuil the close of the war and with which he made a splendid record for valiant and faithful service. He participated in the \\'ilson raid, which started from Gravelly Springs : he went with his regiment to Jackson, ^lississippi, and he fought at Columbus and Baton Rouge, besides taking part in many skirmishes and other minor engagements. He was finally mustered out of the service, at Louisville, Kentucky, and duly received his honorable discharge. In connection with the Civil war few of the pioneer families of Custer county can boast of a record equal to that of Mrs. Amos W. Gandy. In the service of the Union during this climacteric conflict were her father, her husband, three uncles and nine cousins. Among these William Vermilliar was a captain in the Thirty-third Iowa Infantrj'; Burr Vermilliar held the rank of lieutenant : her uncle, DeWitt Thomas, was colonel of the Ninety-third Indiana Infantr}-; and Charles Thomas, a cousin, was taken prisoner at Lookout Mountain, after which he was held by the enemy about one and one-half years, having been confined in Andersonville, Belle Isle, Libby, and Macon prisons. After the war one of the soldier cousins of Mrs. Gandy's sen-ed as United States marshal in Iowa, and he resigned at the time when Grover Cleveland was elected president.

At the close of the Civil war Amos W. (jandy returned to Iowa, where he continued his active association with agricultural pursuits until 1875, when he came to Nebraska and settled in York county. There he remained until the early '80s, when he came with his family to Custer county. Here he continued to be engaged in agricultural and stock-growing -enterprise with marked success, the while he was closely identified with the best civic activities of the conuuunity, in which connection he became well known for his impregnable integrity and the public spirit which he displayed in supporting movements for the general good of the community.

Amos W. and Mary E. (Phelps) Gandy became the parents of nine children, and concerning the seven now living, the following brief record is given : Amanda E. is the wife of Lucian McCandless. who is a fanner near Broken Bow and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Modem Woodmen of America ; they have five children. Jessie is the wife of George Spurgeon, a fanner in the state of Montana, and they have three children, one of whom. Paul, is at the time of this writing a member of the United States Marines, stationed at Key Point. Bertha M. is the wife of William L. Graham, who was fonnerly a prosperous merchant of Broken Bow but who is now a resident of the state of Washington, their children being two in number. Mary A. is the widow of James Preston, who died at Somers, Montana, and who is survived by four children. Clara Bell is the wife of William Blackwell, a prominent banker at Bucklin, Kansas, and she has one daughter by a former marriage - Pauline Taylor. Frank O., who is engaged in the lumber business at Twin Falls, Idaho, married Ida Griswold and they have five children. Clinton E., who upheld the military honors of the family name by gallant service in the Philippine Islands at the time of the Spanish-American war, is now the proprietor of an automobile garage at Black foot, Idaho.

Practically all of the men connected with the Gandy family give allegiance to the Republican party, and without exception the members of the family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church. u\Irs. Mary E. Gandy survives her husband and resides in Broken Bow, where she is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which she is deeply interested and in the support of which she makes liberal contributions. She has a wide acquaintanceship among the pioneers of Custer county and can relate many interesting reminiscences concerning the days when conditions here were still crude and primitive and when settlements were practically in the initiative stage. Her original American ancestors, who came in an early day, were from England, and the Phelps family has given in each successive generation a valuable element of citizenship.

MALCOLM D. STONE, an experienced fanner and respected citizen of Custer county, is not a native of the section in which he is well and favorably known, but the greater part of his life has been spent here and he knows whereof he speaks when he calls Custer county a fine farming territorv'.

Malcolm D. Stone was born at Grand Haven, Michigan, May 31, 1873, the only child of Lafayette and Imogene (Van Bnmt) Stone. His father, who was probably born in Canada, died in 1885, in Michigan, where he was engaged in practice as a veterinary surgeon. The mother was born in Michigan and was a daughter of Leander Van Brunt. ]\Ir. Stone does not remember very much about Michigan, as he was only four years old when the family moved to Ottawa, Illinois, but he remembers being on a big asparagus farm near there when he was six years old. Later he earned a dollar by working for a week cutting asparagus for market. When seven years old he was sent into a glass factory at Ottawa, where bottles and glass chimneys were manufactured, and he worked there until he was eleven and then accompanied his parents to Washington, Iowa. The death of his father made it necessary for him to find a home for himself, and when fourteen years old he came to Custer county and was bound out to C. C. Biggerstaff, with whom he remained until he was twenty-one, in the meanwhile becoming a first-class, practical farmer. At present he is operating the fami of Mrs. Jennie Biggerstaff, which is situated north of Broken Bow.

Mr. Stone was married January 31, 1905, at Kearney, Nebraska to Miss Minnie A. Eagle, who is a daughter of Rev. Peter and Jane (McCurdy) Eagle, the ancestry being German on the father's side and Irish on the mother's. Rev. Peter Eagle was educated in Germany and is a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church, a circuit rider. Mr. and Mrs. Stone have three children : Dorris I., Leo M., and Eleanor M. Mr. Stone votes independently but his father was a Republican in politics.

ELLIS HANSON. - In the life record of Mr. Hanson are clearly set forth the advantages that America holds out to young men who, with nothing save their own industry, integrity, and self-reliance, set forth to face the world, with determination to gain a livelihood and eventually to build a home.

Ellis Hanson is a scion of sterling English ancestry. He was born in Keighley, Yorkshire, England, on the 9th of June,^ 1859, and his parents, Jonas and Sarah E (Scaife) Hanson, were bom and reared in that same locality. Jonas Hanson, who was an iron molder. worked diligently at his trade and was compelled to practice strict frugality in order to make the desired provision for the support of his family and for the proper rearing of his children.' Of the four children, Ellis, the immediate subject of this review, was the firstborn ; Mary is deceased ; Mrs. Emma ( Hanson) Thurman was the next in order of birth ; and William is the youngest of the number. When Ellis Hanson was a youth of seventeen years his father brought the family to America and settled at Oelwein, Iowa, and at this point it may consistently be noted that eventually the father and son came to Custer couny, Nebraska, in 1883, and took a homestead' about three and one-half miles northwest of Oconto, the other members of the family coming to the new home in the following year. Thus this family is one that is entitled to pioneer distinction in the annals of Custer county history.

While Ellis Hanson was growing up in his English home, the needs of the family required that he contribute his quota to its support. Accordingly, when he was but seven years of age, he began to work one-half of each day in a spinning factor)', while for the other half-day he attended school. For one year he received only twenty-five cents a week for his ser^'ices. and when he was thirteen years of age he was receiving the munificent sum of one dollar and twenty-five cents a week. It was at this age that he entered upon an apprenticeship to the trade of molder in an iron foundry- that was one of the great industrial establishments of England, his apprenticeship and ser\-ice covering a period of five years, during which his wages ranged from two to three dollars a week. 'Sir. Hanson has appreciatively stated that at the time of his parents' marriage his father was working as an apprentice and his mother was employed in a factor}', where she received wages of one dollar and seventy-five cents a week. Mr. Hanson thinks that young people of the present day would hardly chance the responsibilities of matrimony on salaries of such diminutive proportions.

ICUis Hanson bore his full share of the burdens that fell upon the pioneers of Custer county, and here he has so ordered his affairs as to have attained large and worthy success. He and his wife have weathered the storms and endured the trials and hardships of the formati\e period in the county's histor)'. Thev have emphatically "made good," and they now have a beautiful home, with all the appurtenances that make for comfort and wellbeing. They have 1,280 acres of land, and every cent of the purchase price of this extensive landed estate was obtained as the result of well directed agricultural and stockraising enterprise in this county. Mr. and Mrs. Hanson are out of debt, and they have shown their patriotism and loyalty by investing twelve thousand dollars in Liberty bonds and thrift stamps within the period of the great world war. They have been glad to lend their money to their country, and were ready, if occasion required, to send their sons to the firing line - and that without murmur or protest - in order that militarism and autocracv. as exemplified by Germany, might be overcome for all time.

On the 1st of Xovember, 1886. at Lexington, Custer county, was recorded the marriage of Ellis Hanson to Miss Ida J. Simmons, who was bom at Bonaparte. V^an Buren county, Iowa, a daughter of Michael and Mary E.

(Dorsey) Sinunons. both natives of Ohio. IMr. and Mrs. Hanson have four fine children, in whom they have everj- reason to take pride. The eldest is Mrs. Cora Buckner. Harley E., the elder son, was in the last selective draft and prior to the close of the war had been called into the nation's service. At the time when he was thus called to the colors he had $1,000 in cash, and he invested the full amount in war-savings stamps. In addition to this he has purchased and paid for the old homestead of his paternal grandfather, this land adjoining that of his father. The younger daughter is Mrs. Annie L. Savage. Thomas S., the younger son, was placed in class 1, division 1 of the last selective draft, and had been called into sers'ice shortly before the great European conflict came to a close.

JAMES \V. HUFFAKER. - All of the early settlers of Custer county did not come from the east or the north. Once in a while Missouri made Custer county a contribution. It was -Missouri that gave James W. Huftaker to the major county of Nebraska. Mr. Hul¥- aker was bom in ^lissouri, in 1856. and is a son of Walter and Minen-a (Bartee) Huftaker, in whose family circle were eight children : Elick, Payton. and Sallie are deceased ; Mose, who is living at Garden Home, Oregon, has retired from active life, in the seventythird year of his age ; and Columbus, Nancy, James W.. and Walter are the others who make up the family circle.

On the 25th day of January, 1884, James W. Hufi^aker married Miss Anna George, and their union has been blessed with eleven children, ten of whom are still living: Clarence, who married Dulcie Wolf, is a farmer and stock-raiser near Wild Horse, Colorado : Alice lives at the parental home but at present is teaching school at Lillian ; Bertha lives in Colorado ; Walter, at the time of this writing, is in Camp Funston. a member of the medical corps ; James also is at Camp Funston and in the same corps with his brother ; Erma lives at home ; Leota is teaching school at Walworth ; Connie is at home : Frank died in March, 1918, in the nineteenth year of his age; and Ted and Claud are at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Huft'aker have been in Custer county ever since 1886, and in this period they have traveled the road of Custer county pioneers. They have had their difficulties, they have encountered their storms and have now come to the calm of riper years and rewarded toil. They were homesteaders of the early day and began with practically nothing, as compared with the ])roperty which surrounds them at the present time. To-day their place is well improved and their home is one of the monuments of the county's development. They have reared a family of whom they can justly be proud. W'ith two of their sons in active service in connection with the nation's participation in the world war, their daughter Bertha offered herself for service in the Red Cross, as army nurse, and all the other children are likewise a credit to the parental home and influence. This is a splendid family of good, substantial citizens. Mrs. HufTaker and some of her children are connected with the Methodist church.

JESSE F. SHOEMAKER, who is one of the substantial farmers and representative citizens of the Oconto section, was born at Lancaster, Iowa, on the 11th of September, 1861, and he is a son of Jacob and Sarah A. (Brunt) Shoemaker. Jacob Shoemaker was a contractor and builder, and in addition to following his trade in this way, he also gave his attention to farm enterprise. The maternal grandfather of Jesse F. Shoemaker was a clergyman and he continued earnestly in the work of his high calling until he was a veritable patriarch - he continued to serve in the pulpit until he was past ninety years of age, and it is worthy of note that during his entire ministerial career he never accepted remuneration for his services, preferring to devote his life gratuitously to service in consonance with his religious convictions. He officiated at a greater number of marriages, than did any other six or eight men in his community. Jacob and Sarah A. (Brunt) Shoemaker became the parents of twelve children, all of whom are living except Mary E. and Dewitt, the latter having been drowned when he was fourteen years of age. The surviving children are as here noted : William B., Mrs. Clara Kellogg, Albert E., Belle (who remains with her mother), Jesse F., Samuel, George, Mrs. Elva Cavender, Mrs. Anna Rathman, and Mrs. Edna Lennon.

In the spring of 1871 Jacob Shoemaker came with his family to Nebraska and located in Mar)', Brown county, but one year later he removed to Grand Island, Hall county. In the following year he established his residence on a pioneer farm three miles west of Grand Island, and there his death occurred in 1896, his widow still remaining on the old homestead, with her unmarried son and daughter. She and her husband bore the full weight of the burdens and trials incidental to the pioneer days, and endured the hardships incidental to the scourge of grasshoppers.

Jesse F. Shoemaker recalls that as a boy he earned his first money by dropping corn for his grandfather. He received five cents a day for this service and was ver}' proud of the money he thus earned. He acquired his preliminary education in the pioneer schools of

Iowa, and was a lad of ten years at the time of the family removal to Nebraska, so that he well remembers the conditions and incidents that marked the pioneer period of the history of this state. The major part of his active career has been one of close identification with the basic industries of agriculture and stockraising, and through his well ordered endeavors he has gained substantial success.

Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker came to Custer county in August, 1904, and purchased 160 acres of land, four miles northwest of Oconto. Here he has since continued to reside, and he has the satisfaction of owning one of the finest quarter-sections of land in the Wood river valley, the place being now known as Pleasant View Stock Farm. Mr. Shoemaker is affiliated with the Modem Woodmen of America and is a member of the Oconto Home Guards. His wife holds membership in the Royal Neighbors and is a charter member of the War Mathers' Club of Omaha.

March 4, 1888, recorded the marriage of Mr. Shoemaker to Miss Mae E. Countryman, who was born in Franklin county, Iowa, and who is a daughter of Elias H. and Eunice L. (Bailey) Countryman, the former a native of the state of New York and the latter of Pennsylvania, the mother having been a devout member of the Methodist church. Elias H. Countryman gave valiant service as a soldier of the Union in the Civil war. He enlisted at the age of fifteen years, as drummer bov in the Fourteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and he served four years. He participated in several important battles, in one of which he was severely wounded, and after having been captured by the enemy he had the experience of being confined in Libby and Andersonville prisons, the names of which are infamous in the history of the conflict between the north and the south. In the Countr}-man family were the following children - Walter A., Airs. Mae Shoemaker, Mrs. Rachel Brodgden, Cora E., Lyons, and Roy L.

In conclusion is given brief record concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker. William H. met his death in a railway accident at Seneca, Nebarska, while he was employed as a brakeman on the railroad. Edna G. is the wife of Ernest Van Antwerp, a farmer near Lodi, Custer county, and they have three children, all daughters. Gladys M. is the wife of James Armour, a fanner near Etna, this county, and their three children are sons. Arthur R., who is a bachelor, is emploved as a traction engineer and he resides at Chico, California. Albert E., a popular young bachelor, gave gallant senice as an American soldier on the battle-fields of France - as a member of Battery D, Field Artillery, a conimaiul which made a world record for the most accurate of practice-shooting, and he was killed in action September 21, 1918, in France. Myrtle E. is the wife of Arthur Weaver, a fanner living northeast of Oconto, and they have one son. Jesse H. and Cora P. remain at the parental home and are attending school, and Sarah L., youngest of the children, is eight years of age, in 1918, she being also a student in the public schools. In the death of Albert E. Shoemaker on the battlefields of France, Custer county made one more contribution to the roster of gallant young patriots who have given their lives in the great world war, and his name and memory merit enduring honor in the annals of Custer county and the state of Nebraska, as well as on the pages of our national historv.

MEL\*IN K. KOLBO, who is a progressive young farmer, residing near Lodi, was born January 29, 1881. in Westby, Wisconsin. He is a son of Oliver J. and Christina ( Lee) Kolbo, both natives of the rugged Scandanavian kingdom of Norway. Oliver J. Kolbo was a lifelong farmer and was a man of strong character and striking individuality - one who was held in high po])ular esteem.

Melvin K. Kolbo was but a small child when he came with his parents to Custer county, where he was reared and educated. He has been a farmer all his life. He began operations in the soil at the age of ten years, and through his energy and thrift in later years he has surrounded himself with fine farm equipments on a c|uarter-section of splendid land, three-fourths of a mile southwest of Lodi, where his farming operations are so skillful as to mark him as an example for emulation in a farming communitv.

April 13.' 1904, at 'Lodi, Nebraska, Mr. Kolbo wedded Miss Grace L. Johnson, who was born in Chicago, although she comes, like her husband, of sturdy Norwegian stock. She is a daughter of Severt and Anna (Oren) Johnson, who came to the United States in 1880, and whose marriage here occurred a year and one-half later. They came to Custer county in 1885 and located a claim three miles west of Lodi. The father died the same year, when the youngest son in the family was ten weeks old. The mother now lives in Seattle, Washington.

Mr. and Mrs. Melvin K. Kolbo have six children - Anna C, in the eighth grade at school ; Fay L., in the seventh grade; S. Lloyd, who has reached the third grade: Bernard M..

Mr. and Mrs. Kolbo are fine young people, with many years of activity and usefulness still before them, and those years, pregnant with promise, augur well for the accumulation of property, with ease and comfort for the proverbial "rainy day" and for the sundown of old age.

ilr. Kolbo takes an interest in public affairs, keeps himself well informed, and generally votes the Republican ticket. In religious matters the family is divided, the husband being connected with the Lutheran church and the wife maintaining connection with the Baptist church.

PERRY SLOGGETT. - One of the recent recruits to the farming industry of Custer county. Perry Sloggett has already illustrated tHe pMDSsession of energj' and enthusiasm for his chosen calling that promises to carrj- him far. While he has just entered this kind of work, it is not to be assumed that he is without agricultural experience, for his boyhood was spent on a farm, and for seven years he was connected with a threshing outfit. As an agriculturist upon his own account, he is showing the benefits of his earlier training.

Mr. Sloggett was born on a farm in Ogle county. Illinois. June 11. 1881, a son of .\lfred C. Sloggett. a review of whose career will be found elsewhere in this work. His education came from the country schools of Custer county. Nebraska, where the family had moved when he was a child, and the college at Broken Bow, where he spent two years in study, following which he returned to his father's farm and remained until he attained his majority. As before noted, he became identified with a threshing outfit, and, being possessed of mechanical ability and a liking for that kind of work, he was given the operation of the engine as his share of the work, and continued in that capacity for seven years. His love of mechanics al-so led him to accept a position in a garage, where for two years he studied the intracies of the automobile, but in the spring of 1918 he returned to farming, and has since been engaged therein, as a general farmer. It is a little early to speak of the success which he has attained in this field, but it may well be noted that he is using modern methods in a ])ractical and progressive way and that he brings to his new business the knowledge gained in his former years of experience. At this time he is renting 368 acres of land, and is steadily making improvements,

Mr. Sloggett was married March 29, 1915, to Miss Laura Jenkins, who wa.s born in Custer county, a daughter of Charles and Minnie (Daniels) Jenkins, who reside seven miles south of Broken Bow. Mr. Jenkins was born in \\'isconsin and Mrs. Jenkins in Pennsylvania, and they became residents of Nebraska in 1895, since which year they have been engaged in farming in Custer county. They are the parents of twelve children, namely: Miss Bessie, who makes her home with her parents ; Laura, who is now Mrs. Sloggett ; Irene, who is the wife of Joy Myers of Hastings, Nebraska ; Myrtle and George, who reside at home ; John, who is living with Mr. and Mrs. Sloggett ; and Ross, Leonard, Joe, Charles, Malvern and Evelyn, who live at home. Mr. and Mrs. Sloggett are faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is fraternally affiliated with the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is popular with his fellow members. His interest in politics has been confined to his casting his ballot as a voter, and in this direction he reserves the right to chose his own candidates, irrespective of party lines. However, he is progressive in character and has always been a supporter of beneficial movements.

B. A. McDERMOTT owns and operates a farm of 160 acres, and the place is endeared to him by many gracious memories and associations, as it is the old homestead upon which his father located upon coming to Custer county, thirty-five years ago.

B. A. AIcDermott was born in Pocahontas county, Iowa, December 2, 1871. His father, Bernard ]\IcDermott, was born in Ireland and was a child when his parents, James and Ann (Dougherty) McDermott, came to America and settled in Canada. As a young man Bernard McDermott married Miss Bridget Riley, who likewise was born in Ireland and who was sixteen years of age when she came to America, in company with her parents, Patrick and Mary ( Kearns) Riley. Upon his immigration to Iowa Bernard McDermott settled on a farm in Pocahontas county, where he continued his residence until 1883, when he came with his family to Custer county, Nebraska, and took a homestead in section 5, township 18, range 22. His first home was a sod house, and this farm was the stage of his productive activi- ties for many years. He finally sold the farm to his son B. A., subject of this review, after which he retired to the village of Anselmo, where he died in November, 1905, at the age of seventy-six years. He was a communicant of the Catholic church, as is also his widow, who still resides in this county. They became the parents of twelve children, of whom record is here given : Mary Ann is the wife of Thomas McDermott, of this county ; James is a resident of Grand Island, Nebraska : Patrick and Michael are deceased; John resides in the city of Omaha ; Margaret is the wife of James Milligan ; Bridget Agnes is the wife of Samuel Bowman, of Fremont, Nebraska ; Joseph remains in Custer county ; B. A., who owns the old homestead farm, is the immediate subject of this review ; Hugh is a resident of Omaha ; William resides in Custer county ; and Ella, who became the wife of Henry Morrissey, is deceased.

B. A. McDermott was a boy of twelve years when he accompanied his parents on their immigration to Custer county, where he gained his youthful quota of experience in connections with the hardships and vicissitudes of the pioneer days. He assisted effectively in the development and varied operations of the home farm and he purchased the farm when his father retired. Since that time he has devoted his energies to the ojierations and progressive activities of the old homestead and is consistently to be designated as one of the representative farmers of the county. The old "soddy" has given place to a frame house, which proves a modern and attractive domicile, and faces that appear frequently at its windows are those of representatives of the third generation of the family to call this farm "home."

As his wife and helpmeet B. A. McDermott wedded Miss Donna Scott, who was born in Indiana, and the four children of this union are: Thomas, Irene, Clara and Blanche. Mr. and Mrs. McDermott are members of the Catholic church, and in the community they ha\e a host of friends. '

WILLIAM S. WADDINGTON,^a .successful farmer and stockman of Custer county, was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, August 20, 1865, and is a son of James and Lydia (Boreland) Waddington, of whom further mention is made on other pages, in a sketch written for Samuel Waddington.

William S. Waddington was the second youngest of a family of sixteen children and accompanied the family to Custer county in 1886, making his home with his parents as long as they lived. He took a pre-emption on \Vest Table, proved up on the same and resided there several years. He then disposed of that property and bought the land where he now resides, becoming the owner of 560 acres. All of his land is under a high state of cultivation, and he is one of the successful farmers of the community. The farm is one of the well improved properties of the county, all of the buildings having been put here by the present owner.

For a wife and helpmeet Mr. Waddington chose Miss Ara May Burris. who was bom at St. Mary's Kansas, a daughter of Sylvester and P^liza (Robinson) Burris, the former of whom was born in Ohio and the latter in F^ngland, their marriage having been solemnized in the state of Iowa. From the Hawkeye state Mr. and Mrs. Burris removed to and settled in Kansas. On the 15th of March, 1905. they came to Custer county, Nebraska, and located on the farm, in \'ictoria Precinct, where Mrs. Burris still maintains her home, as do also three of her sons and two of her daughters, the honored husband and father having passed away several years ago. Mr. and Airs. Waddington became the parents of two daughters, of whom Nellie Jaimita is living, the name of the deceased daughter having been Lydia Viola.

Mr. Waddington has not only been an eyewitness of the vast changes that have taken place in Custer county since the family located here, thirty-two years ago, but he has also performed his part in the work of transformation and is to-day one of the substantial men of the county.

HANS J. KOLBO. - The countries of northern Euroi>e, in their contribution to America, have contributed few better men than Hans J. Kolbo, who was born September 7, 1851, near to the capital city of Norway. He is a .son of John and Carrie (Slatum) Kolbo, representatives of stanch old families in Norway, and in this sterling Norwegian family are eight children : May C. became the wife of Chris Torgenson, who was killed by a cattleman, in 1882, as the result of a quarrel about leaving open a gate oh the Olive ranch, near Devil's Gap. His assailant struck him over the head with a revolver, and he lived about six weeks. The other members of the family are: Hans J.. Christ, Martin, Mrs. Dinah ( Kolbo ) Johnston, John, and Barney.

Hans J. Kolbo's father came to the Unted States in 1861, and located on a farm in Vernon county, Wisconsin. Mr. Kolbo rememljers that when he was eleven years of age he attended his first Fourth of July celebration in this countr\'. During that day he earned ten cents, by nmning errands. This was the first money he ever earned, and it

"The young folks of to-day," says Mr. Kolbo, "expect their parents to give them five or ten dollars for the Fourth of July celebrations, but nothing of that kind was doing when I was young and began to attend celebrations and picnics."

Reared on the farm, Mr. Kolbo engaged in all kinds of farm work, and was especially attracted to the threshing operation - not the thresiiing sometimes administered by an irate ancestor, or a provoked school-teacher, but a grain-threshing operation that called for machinery and horses. This especially appealed to him, and in his boyhood years he learned to operate the separator and all parts of the machinery. He followed threshing for an occupation during six consecutive years, while yet in Wisconsin. Later he transfered operations to Custer coimty, Nebraska, where he continued in the threshing business and added another twenty years to his experience. He does not advise young men to try any "getrich-quick" project by leaving the farm to engage in the threshing business.

January 8, 1878, at Westby, Wisconsin, Mr. Kolbo married Miss Agnette Johnson, who was born in Norway, a daughter of John and Patrene (Dahl) Johnson, representatives of sturdy Norwegian stock. In the Johnson family were twelve children. Those surviving are: Mrs. Clara J. Stairs, Peter W., Mrs. Elvina Browet, Mrs. Anna Bond, John, Henry G.. Clarence, and Reuben.

Clarence Johnson made readv to do well his part as a member of our national forces in the great world war, and at the time of this writing he is a member of Battery D. One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Field Artillen,', at Fort Sill. Oklahoma. Reuben Johnson, youngest of the children, remains at home with his father.

Mr. and Mrs. Kolbo came to Custer county in 1882. and located on Wood river, one-half mile south of Lodi. Mr. Kolbo has just sold his land and is preparing to buy a new home. He and his wife belong to the Lutheran church, and are honest, industrious, frugal ])Cople who well represent the type of fanners and producers that has made Custer county the niightv emporium of resources that it is. In politics Mr. Kolbo is a Rei>ublican.

JAMES M. INGR.VM. - The life record of James M. Ingram is an illustration of what may be accomplished by a laudable ambition and a determintion to succeed. From the modest circumstances in which he found himself when he arrived in Custer county, twenty-

Mr. Ingram was born in \'ermiHon county, lUinois, June 3, 1854, a son of Abe Ingram, who was born in Virginia and came to Illinois, settling in Vermilion county in 1851. The father married a Mrs. Huddleston, who bore the maiden name of Mary Kennedy. The parents were farming people and resided in Vermilion county till their death.

James M. Ingram spent the days of his boyhood and youth in his native county, and recalls having done work for "Uncle Joe" Cannon when their homes were not far apart. On reaching manhood he became a farmer, and he carried on agricultural pursuits in Illinois until 1891, when he came to Custer county, Nebraska, with his wife and their two children. His worldly possessions at that time consisted of a team and wagon and one dollar and forty cents in money. Some friend had arranged to have a place for them, but when they arrived, the house could not be had, so they moved into a dugout in the canyon twelve miles from where they now live. They lived in this primitive home from March until October. For several years Mr. Ingram rented land, and twenty-one years ago he came as a renter to the land he now owns. To-day he owns 320 acres, all under cultivation, having made a success of his undertakings. The sod house in which the family live was erected thirty-five years ago and at that time was the finest one in this part of the country ; it is still a very comfortable home.

In Illinois, Mr. Ingram married Susan Davis, a native of Vermilion county, that state. Her parents, Reese and Lucinda (Rickert) Davis, were natives of Ohio and became early settlers of Vermilion county, Illinois, where they spent the remainder of their lives. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Ingram has been blessed with four children : Pearl married Inez Hutchinson and resides at Lakeside, Nebraska ; Robert married Clara Herman and is a farmer in Custer county ; Ida is the wife of Earl Meyer, a farmer of Custer county ; and Ollie, unmarried, is still with his paernts, assisting in carrying on the old farm.

Mr. Ingram has a record of having been a farmer fifty- four years continuously, has always been a hard-working man. The success w^hich has come to him is the result of good judgment and years of persistent labor, and by all who know him he is held in the highest of esteem.

AIICHAEL McCarthy. - The subject of this record is one of the wide-awake, progressive farmers of Custer county, where he owns and operates 320 acres of land.

Michael McCarthy was born in Franklin county, New York, September 25, 1857. His father, Charles McCarthy, was a native of County Cork, Ireland, and was a young man when he came to America. In New York state he married Ann Haverty, who was a native of County Tipperary, Ireland, and who was a young woman when she came to the United States. The parents bought a farm in the wooded section of New York, where the father chopped the trees, cleared the land of stumps and carried on farming until 1863, when he removed to Hancock, on the upper peninsula of Michigan, and found employment in the copper mines. When his son Michael was a lad of twelve years the family home was established on a farm in Whiteside county, Illinois, where the parents resided many years, their last days being spent at Grand Island, Nebraska.

Michael McCarthy began working on a farm when twelve years old and received the magnificent wages of one dollar a week. When a young man of twenty years he came to Nebraska, and for several years he was in the employ of the Union Pacific and other railroads, having charge of a gang of men laying steel rails. It was while working in this capacity for the Burlington Railroad that he formed a liking for Dale valley, Custer county, and in 1903 he came here and purchased the northwest quarter of section 25, township 18, range 22, on which he has made extensive improvements, and recently, he has extended the boundaries of his holdings by purchasing a quarter-section adjoining on the north, all of which is devoted to general farming and stock-raising.

It seems that Dale valley had attractions for Mr. McCarthy other than her beautiful farms, for here he found a companion and helpmeet, when he was united in marriage to Miss Lizzie McGrath, a native of Kane county, Illinois, and a daughter of Philip Mc- Grath, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Mc- Carthy has been blessed with four children : Philip, Edward, Mary, and Alice, all of whom are at home and assist in the work of the farm and the home. The family are communicants of the Catholic church and in politics Mr. Mc- Carthy votes the Democratic ticket.

PHILIP McGRATH. - One of the pioneer settlers of Dale valley, Custer county, who has been called to his reward was Philip McGrath, who passed away at Merna, March 18 1916, at the patriarchal age of ninetyeight years.

Philip ^IcGrath was born in County Tipperan,-, Ireland, June 29. 1818, next to the youngest of thirteen children born to Thomas and Nellie (Hanley) ^IcGrath. He was reared and educated in his native land and was married there, Februarv' 1, 1848, to Miss Catherine Hogan, also of Irish birth. In July, 1848, they came to America and located first at Pleasantville, New York, where they spent six years, he being engaged in railroad work. In 1854 he went to Chicago, where he served three years on the police force, and they made their home in that city for several years. In 1861 they moved to Lily Lake. Illinois, and there Mr. McGrath carried on his first farming operations in America. In 1865 they went to Lacon, Marshall county, Illinois, which was their home for many years.

June 7, 1884 Mr. McGrath came to Custer coimty, to visit his daughter, Mrs. Terry Johnson, who with her husband had come to Nebraska in 1881 and secured a homestead in this county. Mr. McGrath bought a relinquishment on 160 acres in section 19. township 18, range 21, his family joining him the next year. Here he carried on agricultural pursuits for many years, and he then retired, in Febniary, 1900, and moved to Merna. Mrs. McGrath was called to her final rest February 11, 1907. She was the mother of five children : Thomas, who has not been heard from by other members of the family for some time; Mrs. Al. Thomas, of Holly, Colorado: Mrs. Terry Johnson, of Sargent. Custer county ; Mrs. Michael McCarthy, of this county; and Frank, a resident of Colorado.

Mr. McGrath passed through many discouragements in his early days in Nebraska and had the usual experiences of pioneer life. He served eleven years as treasurer of his school district. He was a successful man in business and had a host of friends. He was one of the oldest men in Custer county at the time of his death.

EMERSON R. PURCELL. - If one were delegated to choose the leaders of public affairs in Custer county he would name Emerson Purcell almost, if not quite, the first one. Since an early date he has been so actively identified with all matters of public interest, and so prominently before the public, that he is known throughout the entire country, and his acquaintance and rejjutation, not to lie confined Ijy county lines, extend throughout the state. He is editor and proprietor of the Custer County Chief, a pai>er so marked and distinguished among publications of its kind that further mention of it will follow later.

Emerson R. Purcell was born September 9, 1866. and is a son of the late George Purcell and Marietta ( Root ) Purcell. who still survives, and who during a long life has been an exceedingly devoted and careful mother. The father, George Purcell. was born in Dublin, Ireland, lulylO, 1832, and died in Broken Bow, March 3, 1918. The mother was bftrn in Connecticut, of old colonial stock. The parents were married in Cincinnati. Ohio, in 1854. and their gracious companionship, covering a period of sixty-three years, was severed only by the death of the father. The celebration of their golden wedding was one of the largest gatherings of its kind ever held in Custer county.

In early life George Purcell was a carriagepainter. In later years, after his sons. Enierson R. and William G. Purcell. established the Custer County Chief, he had charge oi the binding department of that establishment for several years. He came to Custer county in the spring of 1884. and he homcsteaded and entered a tree claim north of ]\Ierna. He proved up on both of these places and one of tliem is still in the possession of the family.

George Purcell and his two sons. William G. and Edward H. Purcell, all took land north of Merna in 1884. and on their claims they erected three sod houses, which belonged to the mansion class of their day. George Purcell lived five years on his land, and later moved to Broken Bow, where he died on the date above recorded. In the immediate family of George Purcell and his good wife were four children : William G., whose home is in Broken Bow and who has individual mention elsewhere in this volume ; Edward H. who lives in Broken Bow ; Ella, who is deceased : and Emerson R.. who is the subject of this sketch. George Purcell was a communicant of the I'rotestant Ei)iscopal church, and was very devoted and liberal in its support. He was a (|uiet. unassuming man of sterling character, and had many friends in Broken Bow. The widow is a devout communicant of the Episcopal church and is revered by all who have come within the sphere of her gentle and gracious influence.

Essentially the entire career of Emerson R. Purcell belongs to Custer county. His early education was received in the district schools of Saline county, this state, and the public schools of Crete, that county, where later he finished at Doane College. His first work was done in a printing office at Crete, .-\fter coming to Broken Bow he secured a position in the okl sod printing house in which the Custer Conntx Republican was then published. He Hved with his parents on the claim near ^lema. and he and his brother. William G.. worked for R. H. Miller, on the paper just mentioned. They had to undergo some hardships, but they were equal to the emergency. They brought their "grub" from home every ^Monday morning, and made sleeping apartments in the office. They had breakfast and supper in their room and took their dinner at the old Commercial hotel. This is the way they made their start in the printing and publishing business.

The year 1886 found William G. and Emerson R. Purcell established in a job-printing business of their own. in the building next to the sod Republican office, and as they look back now to that office, the dimensions of which were seven and one-half by sixteen feet, they feel that they have no occasion to despise the day of small things. A few weeks after the establishment of business for themselves. they built an additiop on their office, twelve by sixteen feet, and this was their first expansion, as well as the beginning of business growth. In this place they did a large business. This was the year of the coming of the railroad and in the fall they established the first newspaper in the town of Merna. Emerson R. Purcell, who had not as yet reached his majority, assumed charge of the new venture, which was named the Merna Record, and the first issue was given to the public Thanksgiving day. He conducted this paper five years, during which time William G. conducted the job-printing business in Broken Bow. After disposing of the Alerna business. Emerson R. returned to Broken Bow, and in April, 1892, the two brothers established the Custer County Chief. They continued as partners for fifteen years after the establishment of the Chief, and in 1907 the business had grown to such an extent that they found it advisable to divide the business. William G. taking over the job business and Emerson R. continuing the publication of the Chief.

The Custer County Chief has a larger weekly edition than any other country weekly in the state. It came into prominence as a weekly paper back in the and. by the push and persistence of its editor, kept on increasing its patronage and influence until, in 1914. it reached the highest point in circulation of all weekly papers of its class in the state. Its present circulation is more than 4.200. and aside from standing at the head of the circulation list in the state, it occupies fourth or fifth place among the country weeklies of its class in the United States.

December 23, 1896. recorded the marriage of Mr. Purcell to Grace Cox, of Broken Bow, she being a daughter of W. H. Cox, who came to Custer county in 1890, and served a number of years as manager of the Chicago Lumber Comjjany. Mr. Cox was a tinner and jilumber and eventually established a business for himself at Broken Bow.

In the Purcell family to-day are five children : Helen, who finished her education in the Broken Bow schools, later became secretary to the supervisor of playgrounds in \\'ashington, D. C. : the other children are Josephine, .\lice. Emerson R.. Jr.. and Harry Cady. Mrs. Purcell is a member of the Episcopal church. Mr. Purcell is high in Masonic circles, being a past master of the Masonic blue lodge, a Royal Arch Mason, a Knight Templar, a member of the Scottish Rite bodies and affiliated with the Ancient .Arabic Order of the Xobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a past grand of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

.A. Democrat in politics. Mr. Purcell was, in November, 1918, elected to the Nebraska legislature from the Fifty-eighth district, and in the thirty-seventh session, which convened early in 1919. was an able member of that body. For many years he has been active in the Nebraska State Press Association and is now vice-president of that organization. He was identified with the Custer County Fair for many years, holding the position of both secretary and president at different times, and his success as a fair manager attracted such favorable attention in the state that he was elected, and for the past seven years has been, a member of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture. He has been a recognized factor in the promotion and success of the great Nebraska State Fair and for the past three years has been one of the board of managers of that institution.

He has served his county and his community in too many capacities to warrant the enumerating of them here, but among his activities which are appreciated by his home town are his services as a member of the board of education, and his lone: tenn of sen-ice on the library Iward of the city. He served in the city council and was twice elected mavor of I'.roken Bow without opjwsition. It was during his term as mayor that municipal ownership of the present city waterworks plant was acquired bv Broken Bow. He and his family are valuable assets of both the town and the

GEORGE W. SIMMONS. - Over in the vicinity of Milburn lives a successful farmer who is coming to the time of his retirement from hard work and active life. He has been successful, and has around him a good showing for his Custer county years of toil.

Mr. Simmons was born in the year 1858, and his good wife, Alice (Barber) Simmons, was born in the same year. Mrs. Simmons is a daughter of Philo and Sarah Jane Barber, her father having died in the sixtieth year of his age and the mother when in her fortieth year. Philo Barber was a railroad man and for a number of years he maintained the family home at Aurora, Hamilton county, Nebraska. He and his wife became the parents of eleven children, and of the number five are living in addition to Mrs. Simmons : Isaac is a farmer in the state of Washington ; Tom is a Kansas fanner ; Walter lives in Iowa and is retired from active work ; John lives in Colorado, where he works at the carpenter trade ; and Mrs. Susanna Mencer lives at Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Simmons is a son of John Simmons, and his mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Hazen. John Simmons, a man of general versatility and good education, turned his hand to several occupations. He served several years as sheriff of Sullivan county, Pennsylvania, and for a time taught school in that state. He at one time operated a blacksmith shop, and in these callings, varied as they might seem to be, he was rated as very successful.

George W^ Simmons, the subject of this sketch, came to Custer county in 1879 and bought out a relinquishment, on which he filed a homestead entry. To this original homestead, by hard work and stringent economy, he has added until his landed possessions now consist of 640 acres, all well improved. On his ranch are to be found good blooded horses, a fine grade of shorthorn cattle, and Poland-China hogs of good and fancy grade. After his arrival in the county Mr, Simmons spent his first seven years working on a ranch. For four years he made his home in Seneca, where he was in the employ of the railroad company. He has had the varied experiences of the Custer county pioneer. He began with primitive improvements on his pioneer farm, these tentative improvements including a sod house, and he added to and rei)laced them until he has to-day the present excellent equipment.

Most of the life of Mr. Simmons has been spent in bachelorhood. It was only four years ago that he married the gracious wife and helpmeet who now makes for him a comfortable home.

Mr. Simmons is in good standing as a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and delights in attending all of the meetings of the lodge. In politics he is independent, selects his own principles, and votes for the man above reproach. Both he and his wife belong to the Christian church, and are liberal contributors to its maintenance. Very excellent people, and rated among the best in the vicinity of Milbum, is the estimate placed on this worthy couple by the Milburn conimunitv.

ANTON P. DOBESH, one of the most widely known men of Custer county, Nebraska, belongs to a representative family, and one that is highly respected wherever known. He is a man of business ability and energy, being progressive in his ideas and actively interested in all measures tending to advance the general welfare and prosperity.

Mr. Dobesh was bom in the village of Rouchorany, Moravia, a part of Bohemia, January 13, 1861, and was next to the eldest of thirteen children born to Thomas and Josephine (Job) Dobesh. The parents were bom, reared and married in Moravia and came to the United States in the spring of 1871, sailing from Bremen to Baltimore in the "Columbia," it is believed, and spending nineteen days on the water. With their six children they first located on a homestead which the father secured in Saunders county, Nebraska, and there several children were born. There were seven sons and six daughters in the family. One daughter, Annie, now Mrs. Poland, lives on the old home farm. Two sons and one daughter live in Custer county and one son and two daughters live in Butler county, Nebraska. The mother of these children died in Saunders county, in 1884, and the father died in 1916, at the age of eightyfive years. He had retired from farm life and lived in Weston, Saunders county. He was highly respected as an unright and reliable citizen and had many friends.

Anton P. Dobesh accompanied his parents to America when he was ten years old and as a youth helped with the work on the farm in Saunders county, where he received a common-school education. In the spring of 1879 he came to Custer county for the purpose of looking the county over, thinking to locate here. In due time he took a homestead and a timber claim in sections 18 and 19, township 14, range 18. His nearest neighbor was four miles distant and the nearest trading point was Kearney. He is one of the homesteaders to retain possession of his original farm throughout the years to the present time and has been closely identified with the progress and development of the region. He has made a specialty of stock-raising and ships several car-loads of cattle to market each year. He is a self-made man and has passed through the various periods of hai'dship and privations that have been the lot of the old settlers in Custer county. He has made a specialty of Durham cattle and during later years has raised a large amount of grain. He owns 1,600 acres of rich farming land and is one of the successful fanners of central Nebraska. In Saunders county, on March 19, 1882, Mr. Dobesh was united in marriage to Mary Tomsicek, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Novacek) Tomsicek, who came to America in the spring of 1875, sailing from Bremen to Baltimore. Mr. and Mrs. Dobesh have five living children : Anton K. is married, lives in Custer county and has five children ; Frank is farming ; Josephine is at home ; Thomas is farming and is individually mentioned on other pages ; and Mary is at home. These children were all bom on the homestead and attended the public schools.

Anton P. Dobesh was reared in the Catholic faith and is a member of the Ancient Order of United \\'orkmen. In politics he has been a staunch Republican and at one time was one of the only two members of his party in his jjrecinct.

The hard times of the early '90s bore severely on the settlers, several years of drouth and hail succeeding each other with little intermission. In 1894 Mr. Dobesh harvested but little fodder and two years later lost everything by hail. As before stated, Kearney was their nearest market in the early years of settlement here, the trip requiring three or four days of travel. Deer and antelope were to be seen on the prairies in great numbers, but soon disapjicarcd. ^Ir. Debosh has now retired and is living in .Ansley.

FRANK JELINEK is another young fanucr in whose veins courses foreign blood of fine extraction and who is living in the vicinity of Mason City. He was boni on July 8, 1883. His father, Joseph Jelinek, was a native of Bohemia and died, in Nebraska, at the age of forty-five years. The mother. Mary (Hiak) Jelinek, was also Bohemian by birth and lived just half a centur>-, ending her days in this countrj'. In the family were nine children. Aside from Frank, the family roster reads as follows : Josie Howell, Mary L. Davis, both of whom are married to Custer county farmers ; Fannie Fries, who lives in the vicinity of Elm creek ; Hannabel, who is deceased : Barbara Smith, who lives in Alliance : Clara Senate, who lives on the old homestead ; and Joseph and Fred, who are at the old home. The father first located in Wahoo, Saunders county, Nebraska, from which place he came to Custer county when twenty-one years of age and located homestead and timber claims. The place now contains 520 acres, on which are good buildings, and the farm land is developed into a high state of cultivation.

Frank Jelinek was married November 8, 1914, to Elvina Wagner, who is a member of a fine family and is a very estimable lady who is doing everything in her power to make a happy home and to contribute to the material advantages of fann life.

]\Ir. Jelinek has splendid live stock, owns his farm implements and is laying the foundation of a very successful career, when he shall have reaped the full benefit of the work he is now doing. He began life in a sod house, but for prosperous farmers the sod house only served the day of beginning, and something better soon came to take its place. This family was no exception.

Mr. Jelinek is a Republican in politics, is affiliated with the Knights of the Maccabees and he and his wife are members of the Evangelical church. ]\Irs. Jelinek carries insurance in the W'oman's Accident Company. The energ)- they are displaying will insure a comjtetency for the years of retirement and win them a reputation as industrious and desirable citizens.

JOSEPH H. CHERRY, JR. - Down in the Cumro section, by the winding South Loup, where the river valleys of fertile soil make corn and alfalfa prolific, and where the outlying hills graze fine herds of cattle, lives Joseph H. Chern.-, Jr.. a young farmer who was born in the old commonwealth of Wisconsin, thirty-five years ago. He is a son of Josei)h and Mary (Williams) Cherry, both of whom are deceased. The father died December ('). 1017, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. The mother died in the forty-second year of her age, in Nuckolls .county, Nebraska. In the fnniiiv of Joseph Cherry were eleven children, five of whom are living at the present time - Mrs. Elizabeth J. Watts, who is living in Custer county : Joseph H., Jr., who is the subject

The migrations of ^Ir. Cherry have been rather extensive, and he has shifted about in seeking the land of promise, but found nothing to his liking until he struck Custer county. Born in Wisconsin, in the public schools of which state he received his early education, he moved from there to Iowa, then to Brown county, Nebraska ; from there to Box Butte county, where he located a homestead ; from Box Butte county to Custer county ; then to Nuckolls county, whence, after a residence of five years, he returned to Custer county, and finally made up his mind that this was the best place he had found in his travels.

Mr. Cherry owns 240 acres of land, which he purchased, and upon which are good improvements and a fruit orchard. The house is of frame construction, is cozy and comfortable within, and will answer the purpose of the home domicle until such time as a larger and more pretentious building shall take its place, which time cannot be long, when we reckon with the thrift and energy displayed by Mr. Cherry.

Air. Cherry is independent in politics, claims affiliation with no^ party, votes for the man whom he considers the best suited for the position, and thus discharges his obligation to his country. The family are connected with the Presbyterian church, and, withal, are good people of a substantial character, respected by the wide circle of friends and neighbors in their community.

LUCIAN McCANDLESS. - A resident of the same homestead property in Custer county for a period of thirty-six years, Lucian McCandless during this time has established himself firmly as one of the substantial and dependable men of the Broken Bow community. At the time of his arrival his capital was largely bounded up in self-faith, determination and a willingness to work sturdily and perseveringly ; so well did he invest this capital that to-day he is possessed of 295 acres of some of the best and most productive land in the county, and of a recognized place in the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens.

Mr. McCandless was born June 25, 1854, in McDonough county, Illinois, and is a son of Samuel Harper McCandless and Delia (Reed) McCandless. The family is of Scotch origin, but has lived in the United States for many years, William McCandless, the paternal grandfather of the subject of this review, having been a Pennsylvanian by birth. In that state also, in 1816, was born Samuel Harper McCandless, a man of superior education and fine intellectual attainments, who in young manhood went to Illinois. He followed farming as a vocation, but also took a prominent part in public and political affairs, and in 1860 he was sent to the Illinois state legislature, where he made a splendid record for accomplishment and legislative ability. His death occurred on his Illinois farm, in 1861, when he was at the height of his career. In the Prairie state Mr. McCandless met and married a young school-teacher, Delia Reed, who was born in New York, in the year 1821, and who had lived for several years in Ohio. They became the parents of four children, of whom two are living: William Reed, of York, Nebraska; and Lucian, of this review. Mrs. McCandless died in 1900, in the faith of the Presbyterian church, of which her husband was a member. He was a Republican in his political views.

Lucian McCandless was reared and educated in Illinois and his youth was not one in which he was given numerous advantages, for his father had died when he was but seven years of age and it was necessary that he do his share in the support of the family. He left the home community in 1882 and came direct to Custer county, where he settled on the homestead that has since been the stage of his agricultural operations. Mr. McCandless is now the owner of 295 acres of productive land, situated within one mile of Broken Bow, and here he makes a specialty of dairying, with a good grade of Holstein and Durham cattle and some Swiss Jerseys. He is doing well also in hog-raising and in general farming, and his operations are all carried on along modern, progressive lines. Mr. McCandless has erected a handsome set of buildings, including a commodious, comfortable and well furnished residence, and the other improvements on the property are fully in keeping with these structures.

In 1878 Mr. McCandless was married, in Illinois, tO' Miss Emmeline Gandy, daughter of Amos W. Gandy, who came to Custer county in 1882 and fanned here until his death, his widow being now a resident of Broken Bow. jMr. and Mrs. McCandless became the parents of eight children, of whom five are living: William L. is cashier of the Berwyn State Bank, and in November, 1918, was elected treasurer of Custer county ; Raymond B., who, in August, 1917, became a lieutenant of Company B, One Hundredth and Twenty-seventh Machine Gun Batterv, was stationed at Camp

Deming. New Mexico, at the time this sketch was written. Harrison P., Man,- Belle, and Charles W'., remain at the parental home. Mr. and Mrs. McCandless and their children are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is fraternally affiliated with the local lodge of the Indejiendent Order of Odd Fellows. As a rule he is a Republican in his political views, although inclined to be independent, and he has served acceptably in the capacities of justice of the peace and member of the board of county commissioners. As an agriculturist, business man and public official, as well as personally, his record is an excellent one, fully entitling him to the marked respect and esteem in which he is uniformly held bv his fellow citizens.

ROBERT FARLEY. - One of the big men in the Milburn district, physically and influentially, is Robert Farley, a retired farmer and Custer county pioneer, who is known throughout the entire north region of the county, and who is a man of blameless character - one who by long residence and public activity has proven his worth.

Mr. Farley is a retired farmer, and has well earned the rest he enjoys in his declining years. He was born in Platte county, Mis- February 14, 1844, and is a son of and Nancy (Mason) Farley. His was a native of Tennessee, and was 1 1812. His mother was a native of

Kentucky. When still a young man the father moved to Missouri, where he was married in the spring of 1841. In the home of Josiah Farley were bom eight children, only two of whom now survive,- - the subject of this sketch, and his brother, James E. Farley, of Milburn, this county. Josiah Farley died in Kansas, in 1857. having removed to that state with his family in the spring of the same year. His wife survived until 1872.

Robert Farley was educated in the common schools of Missouri, and from boyhood on he followed farming until he was eighteen years of age. In 18f)2 the call of the west overwhelmed every other youthful inclination, and an o]iportunity which came to him to wield the bull whip over the backs of freight oxen could not be resisted. Accordingly, he drove ox teams in hauling freight from Leavenworth, Kansas, to Denver, Colorado, the trip each wav takine three months. Later, in 1883, he freighted with oxen between Leavenworth and Fort L'nion, New Mexico, hauling government supplies. H'e seemed to like the trail, and the camp had for him a peculiar fascination. In 1864 he made a trip with oxen in an ox train from Fort Leavenworth to Salt Lake City. The caravan started from Leavenworth about the middle of August, 1864, and reached Fort Laramie, Wyoming, where they remained during the winter, and in the spring of 1865, they proceeded to Salt Lake City, which destination they reached July 24th. From Utah Mr. Farley drifted back into Missouri, where he farmed until 1868. Then the call of the trail came again, and he went to Texas, in quest of cattle which he and other cattle men were to drive to Abilene. In the spring of 1869 he helped take a herd of 2,000 cattle from Abilene to Spot Trail Agency, in South Dakota, and in 1871 he made that trip again with cattle. This outdoor, in-the-saddle and in-the-tent life had its fascinations, and the cattle business especially api>ealed to him, so he contiinied in the same occupation until 1880, when he came to Custer county, Nebraska, and homesteaded in section 10, township 20, range 21. He had been in Custer county on a previous trip, two years before this, which makes his advent into the county date from 1878. It was the same year, 1880, that he married Miss Ellen Carpenter, of West Union, a very estimable lady who became a faithful, companionable wife, and the mother of his six children. Concerning the children the following brief record is availal)le: Nina, who was bom May 13. 1881, is now the wife of F. R. Dryden, of Bed Rock, Colorado : Mar\-, who was bom September 16, 1882, is the wife of John T. Hufifman. a Custer countv fanner ; Gertrude, who was born March 28, 1884, is the wife of M. S. Daily, a prominent Custer county farmer who resides in the vicinity of Milbum; Ellen Frances, who was born December 14, 1885, is the wife of John Barton, of Dunning, Nebraska ; Arthur, who was bom July 20, 1887, is married and resides on the father's home place, and with him and his family Robert Farley makes his home ; and Rubv, the voimgest of the children, was bom May 24. 1898.

To the homestead holding the Farleys added other land adjoining, until they had a considerable section of very valuable rivervalley land. Recently some of this land has been sold, but the home is maintained on the old homestead.

Mr. Farley is one of Custer county's supervisors at the present time, and is a man somewhat advanced in years, - one who enjovs the confidence and respect of all his friends. His wife passed away Ai)ril 4. 1901. Since that time his active labor has not been of the strenuous character that marked his

HARRY F. B^RNHAM. - Among the widely known residents of Custer county few are more highly considered than Harry Burnham, who has extensive fann and stock interests in the county and is prominent and trustworthy in public affairs. He has been a resident of Custer county for almost fortv years and has been identified with its remarkable development along many lines.

Harry- F. Burnham was bom October 9, 1875, at Norway, in Oxford county, Maine. His parents were Horace and Lizzie (Frost) Burnhan, of well known old New England families, the father having been born at Augusta, Maine, and the mother at Norway, that state. Harry F. Burnham has four brothers : Frank, Eugene, Sumner, and Silas, and two half-sisters, Lizzie and Addie. During all of his active career the father of Mr. Burnham carried on farming and dealing in live stock. He was a staunch Republican in his political opinions, and after coming to Nebraska, in 1877, he became affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America. His death occurred in Custer county, March 7, 1902. The mother of Harry Burnham died February- 21, 1889.

When the parents of Harry F. Burnham moved from Maine to Nebraska he was only two years old ; hence he has no recollection of what was then a journey of some magnitude. The family located in Lancaster county and lived there four years. Removal was then made to Custer county, where the father homesteaded, and since then the Burnhams have all belonged to this section. Harry Burnham attended the public schools, including the high school, and subsequently he completed a course in the Lincoln Business College, in the capital city of Nebraska. Mr. Burnham was brought up with the idea that educational training never comes amiss, and to his other acquirements, in the course of time, he added knowledge of the scientific methods that have made modern fanning and stock-raising so much more profitable than ever before in this country, and this knowledge has been successfully applied in his extensive agricultural operations. It has been to intelligent farmers and stock-raisers that the country has looked for relief in time of war stress. Mr. Burnham's farm lies in section 28, township 35, Custer county, and because of his excellent methods of land treatment, his acres are growing more valuable day by day.

At Westerville, Nebraska, January 13, 1901, Mr. Burnham married Miss Alaggie Copsey, who is a daughter of Alonzo and Annie (Wal- Jin) Copsey, and they have two sons, Frank and Harr)'. j\Ir. Burnham has been a prominent factor in Republican political circles for a number of years and has served frequently in local offices of marked responsibility. He was supervisor of District No. 1 during the construction of the new court house, and was chairman of the county board during 1913 and 1914. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which latter organization he is very conspicuous and has held high offices.

ANSON T. MASON. - The man whose life's sketch is here appended belongs to a well known family of progressive, enterprising Cumro people - a family that in every possible way has made good in every undertaking, and has been an asset and a credit to Custer county.

Anson T. Mason is a native of Illinois, where he was bom in the county that bears his name, in the year 1863. He is a son of Elias and Mar\- ( Kane ) Mason, of whose six children, five are still living, and have rendered valuable services to the localities in which they have their homes : Warren was born in Cumberland county, New Jersey ; Isaac died in Custer county ; Ella is the wife of Casper Thompson, a farmer living in New Jersey ; Benajah is a Custer county farmer; the fifth born is Anson T., the man of whom we write; Mehetable married Charles Griffin and lives on a farm in Colorado.

The Mason family of which Anson T. is a representative came to Custer county in 1885 and homesteaded here. The boys took homesteads of their own, and all began operations in the new country- with practically no capital. They were thrifty and industrious, and have at different times had extensive land holdings, equalling at least four sections at different times. In the family holdings are now one half-section of well improved land.

In 1911 Anson T. Mason married Mary (Rumbaugh) Mason, his brother's widow. Mrs. Mason's father came from Ohio and her mother from Pennsylvania, though she herself is a native of Michigan. At the time of her second marriage she had five children by Isaac Mason, her former husband : Ida is the wife of Nelson True, who has a home in Custer county ; Delbert is deceased ; Charles is a farmer and resides in this county ; Lucy is the wife of John Cherry ; and Harris Mason lives at Cumro, Custer county.

In the earl\- days the Mason home was a dug-out. Later a sod house was built, in which they lived until sixteen years ago. When through with his first building operation, the young proprietor had besides his landed possessions, just fifty cents with which to face the world. In 1878 he moved into Saline county, where his father I)ought a quarter-section of land, and where the family lived for seven years, then nioving to Custer county, where they now reside.

The Masons are among the best people of the community, and are devoted communicants of the Baptist church. Mr. ]\Iason is independent in politics, selecting the candidate according to his standing and reputation.

FRANK H. DOBESH is a young, progressive and respected farmer, and is a member of a large family, all of whom have honored the family name. He is hard-working and energetic and has developed a farm which ranks well with the Custer county farms, the while he maintains a home that for the years of its existence equals the record of any. He is a son of Anton P. and Mary (Tomsicek) Dobesh, both natives of Bohemia, a definite mention of them appearing on other pages of this ^-olume.

Frank H. is essentially and in fact a Custer county product, all his life having been spent in the county. He was married January 10, 1912, to Miss Cleo Kna])p, who is a daughter of John Knapp, an implement dealer in Ansley. Into the Frank Dobesh home the passing years have brought four children - John, Marius, \'alaire. and Gwenivere. all at home and constituting a happy quartet of promising children.

The land operated by Mr. Dobesh consists of 320 acres - a result of his purchase - and on the pro])erty are good improvements and a splendid home. He has fine horses, a good grade of cattle, and hogs of high breeding. He conducts general farming, raises all kinds of grain, dejiends upon corn and alfalta and by practical application of good judgment and shrewd management makes every department of the farm pay profit. His wife, a very excellent lady, co-operates with him in ever)- activity and does her part to maintain the high standards of the home. .Aside from the immediate circle of his own family domicile<l under his own fami roof, Mr. Dobesh has four brothers and sisters. Anton K. and Thomas both reside in this county, and both are individually represented elsewhere in this work ; Josie is a bookkeeper in Omaha; Alary is at home in Anslev.

Mr. and Mrs. Dobesh are ven^ agreeable, kindly neighbors, obliging under all conditions, and have high rating among their acquaintances and the large circle with whom thev have dealings. In politics Mr. Dobesh subscribes to the principles of the Republican party and is one of the leaders and counselors in the local ranks of the party.

JAMES J. LEE has been prominent among the citizens of Berwyn for a number of years, in various capacities. He has been successful in the stock business, has been manager of a grain elevator, and has served as a public official. At the present time he is here one of the most progressive of the exponents of agricultural industry. Mr. Lee was born in Hall count)', Nebraska, November 11, 1880, and is a son of John and Margaret ( Concannon) Lee.

On both sides of the family .Mr. Lee comes of Irish ancestors, both his paternal and maternal grandparents having died in the Emerald Isle. - The parents of Mr. Lee were bom in Ireland and their marriage was solemnized in Louisville, Kentucky. They came to Nebraska after several years of residence elsewhere. In 1886 John Lee secured a position in the sen'ice of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and two years later he was made a section foreman, a position which he has held at Berwyn during a period of thirty years, and in which he has established an excellent record for fidelity and capable discharge of duty. His life has been a successful one. as he has not only taken care of his responsibilities in a manly and efficient manner, but has also been prosperous in a material way. He is now the owner of a good farm and other property. He is a staunch Democrat in his political allegiance, and his religious faith is that of the Catholic church, of which Mrs. Lee also is a devout member. Of their six children, three are living: James J., of this review, and John W. and Mary, who reside with their parents.

James J. Lee was given good educational advantages in his youth, attending first the common schools and later Grand Island College. After leaving the latter institution he was for a time engaged in the stock business, but disposed of his interests therein to take charge, as manager, of the Central Granaries elevator. He handled this enterprise in a capable wav. but eventually turned his attention to farming, and he has since been successful in the accumulation of a good property and the building up a reputation for capability in a section that does not lack skilled men. He has good buildings and up-to-date equipment and carries on his operations in a manner that leaves no doubt as to his progressiveness and his knowledge of his vocation.

Mr. Lee was married in 1909 to Miss Jennie Geeseman, who was born in Butler county, Nebraska, and who is a daughter of Orrin E. and Elizabeth A. Geeseman. Mr. Geeseman was a native of Ohio and an early settler of Nebraska, where he rounded out his life in farming and stock-raising.. To Mr. and Mrs. Lee there have been bom three children - Margaret, Elizabeth, and Berenice. Mr. Lee has invariably used his own judgment in supporting candidates for political offices, recognizing no i)arty ties, and therefore he may be termed an independent voter. He has rendered excellent service to his community in the various public offices to which he has been elected by his fellow citizens, having been justice of the peace and town clerk, as well as a member of the board of county commissioners. At the present time he is acting as a member of the board of school directors. Mrs. Lee was postmistress of Berwyn for three and one-half years.

FRANK AIILLER. - During a period covering the last quarter of a century Frank Miller has been engaged in the elevator business at Berwyn, where he is known as a progressive and industrious man and as one who has made his own way in the world. He has been a resident of Custer county since 1889, in which year he came here as a comparative stranger, without capital or other favoring influences. To-day he is one of the substantial men of the community, owning not only his successful grain-elevator business, but also a modern automobile garage, although his prosperity has not led him to change his mode of activity, and he is still industrious and strictly applied to his business responsibilities.

Mr. !\Iiller was born in Lee county, Illinois, October 27, 1855, a son of Daniel and Cleo (Gittinger) Miller, the latter born in 1831, in Ohio. Daniel Miller was born in Pennsylvania, in 1822, and was a young man when he went to Ohio, in which state he was married. He reinained there until 1855, in which year he moved westward to Illinois and took up a farm in Lee county. Mr. Miller had been a hard-working man, but various causes had combined to make him unfortunate, and when he started life anew on the Illinois prairies, it was with a debt of $1,000 hanging over him. However, he made a great success of his life, not only clearing ofif his indebtedness, but also accumulating a competency which enabled him to spend his declining years in comfort. His death occurred in 1910, when he had reached the advanced age of eighty-eight years, and liis wife was si.xty-eight years old when her death occurred, in 1899. They were faithful members of the Lutheran church, and were the parents of nine children, of whom eight are living. Mr. Miller was a Republican.

Frank Miller was the fourth in order of birth of his parents' children, and as the family was in rather modest circumstances during his boyhood, he did not enjoy any special advantages in the way of schooling, the while he was early called upon to do a man's work in the field. In 1878, when he was twentytwo years of age, he left the Illinois home and came to Nebraska, his first place of settlement being York. There he remained two years, following which he went to Colorado, where he spent the next five years in various pursuits. In July. 1885, he came to Custer county, where for a short time he worked in an elevator, and he then turned his attention to the grain business, still as an employe. By the year 1893 he had accumulated sufficient capital to permit him to engage in business on his own account, and during the years that have followed he has succeeded in building up a large and prosperous trade, his business relations and activities extending over a wide radius of the surrounding countryside. In 1917 Mr. Aliller extended the scope of his business interests by building a large and up-to-date garage at Berwyn, and this also has attracted a large patronage. He does all kinds of repair work, and numbers among his customers not only the residents of Berwyn, but many who travel through this place from far-distant points and who have confidence in his integrity and workmanlike ability.

Mr. Miller's life has been one in which he has worked hard and in which he is still continuing to be industrious. He has always ap- ])reciated the dignity of labor, and has found that the best . rewards in life come to those who have won their own way rather than those who have been the beneficiaries of the results of another man's labors. He is a Republican, but his interests have kept him busy to the exclusion of other affairs, and he has never cherished a desire for public preferment, at either the hands of political party or his fellow citizens.

BERNIE D. HORNE. who is one of Custer county's representative citizens and intelligent and enteqirising farmers, has spent almost his entire life in Nebraska and has been identified with much of the development that has taken place in the state. Mr. Home was born near Cedar Rapids. Iowa. September 9, 1879. His parents are Fred F. and Elizabeth ( Speck) Home, the latter of whom was early left an orphan and was adopted and reared by her uncle. James Speck. Fred F. Home was born near JJeilford. Pennsylvania, a son of Jacob and Man,- E. { Smith ) Home, who lived near Friendly Cove, that state. Mr. Home is a retired business man of Marshalkown. Iowa. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcoi)al church, and in political matters he gives his support to the Prohibition party. They have three children: Mrs. Zulu Xelson, Bessie, and Bernie D.

Bernie D. Home was four years old when his parents brought him to Nebraska. They located in Saunders county, two miles east of Ceresco. and there his boyhood was spent, his parents continuing to reside in that county for a number of years. In a successful man's career it is interesting to recall his first efforts looking to independence, and ^Ir. Home believes the first money he ever really earned was when he hauled water to residents of Ceresco, who had no wells at that time, making many trips in carrying the precious fluid in buckets on his sled. He went to school with the sons of other pioneers and years later enjoyed better educational advantages, taking a business course and attending the Wesleyan University at Lincoln, Nebraska. He remained with his father until he was twenty-two vears old and then engaged in farming for himself. For several years after his marriage he rented farm land, with the purchase of a nice home in view, however, and his cherished ambition was gratified when, in 1917, he and his estimable wife were able to buy the beautiful farm of J. T. Cole, containing 360 acres, which is favorablv located just three one one-half miles north of Broken Bow. in Tappin valley. In the spring of 1918 they located here and this is a liome of which they can be justly proud.

Mr. Home was married February 25. 1903, in the Pleasant Hill Methodist Episcopal church, near Ceresco, to Miss Myrta Nicodemus. who is a daughter of Reuben F. and Mary ( Boydston ) Nicodemus. and a granddaughter of Jacob and Margaret ( Fouse I Nicodennis and Burris B. and Rachel ( Berge ) Boydston. For eight years prior to her marriage Mrs. Home taught school in Nebraska and for six of these years she drove ten miles a day, back and forth, through the heat of summer and storms of winter. The competency she thus earned she invested with her husband in their present beautiful farm. She is widely kudwn and very highly thought of as a teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Home have three chiUlren : G. Marie, V. Ardis, and B. Gaylord. Mr. Home has never been very active in politics and is an independent voter. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

ALBERT BADER. - An American farmer of German lineage, patriotic and loyal in his allegiance to this, his native country. Albert Bader, a representative farmer and citizen whose story is here recorded, equals in thrift and industry the best of whom the county boasts.

Mr. Bader was bom in Illinois. July 2. 1882. He is a son of Stephen and Monika Bader. both natives of Germany. The parents immigrated to the United States about 1880 and settled in Illinois, where their marriage was solenmized the same year. The father followed farming in the state of his ado])tion until the year 1887, when with his family he came to Custer county and took a homestead in section 21, township 20, range 21. The mother died in 1905, and the father remarried. In 1911. with his second wife, he returned to Germanv. where he now makes his home. In the father's family, aside from Albert, were two sisters - Anna, wife of George Fleishman, of Mema, Custer county, and Emily, wife of Charles Mc- Graw, of Gates, Nebraska.

In his youth Albert Bader received the advantages of the public schools, and after his graduation in the high school at W'ahpeton, North Dakota, he put his acquirements to practical test and utilization by turning his attention to pedagogic endeavors. In this connection he made an excellent record during the two years that he was engaged in teaching in the public schools. In Custer county Mr. Bader has proved himself a progressive and successful exponent of agricultural and livestock industry, and few in his community can be credited with the attainment of a greater measure of prosperity. His characteristics of thrift and industry have been so directed as abundantly to reward his toil. He is the owner of 760 acres of land in this county, and carries on a general agricultural and stock-raising business, keeping on hand at all times at least 100 head of cattle and many hogs. Evervwhere on the premises is the evidence of prosperity. The stock looks fine, and the horses are well fed and adverti.se the good care they receive. The buildings on the place are adequate for all needs and show that they receive the attention of a painstaking manager.

religious affiliation is with the Roman Catholic church. He is a member of the Woodmen of the World, and, withal, is a substantial citizen upon whom the commonwealth can depend in every emergency. He has been liberal with his contributions to all demands.

SAMUEL W. J ACO BY. - Strict attention to business and undaunted faith in his ability to succeed, have been foremost factors in the rise of Samuel W. Jacoby. who is now the prosperous projjrietor of a soft-drink parlor at Broken Bow. In whatever circumstances or whatever capacity he has found himself, he has never lost self-confidence, and his ready adaptability has made it possible for him to succeed where others might have failed. Mr. Jacoby was born at Burlington, Iowa, September 17, 1868. and is a son of William and Elizabeth ( Laux ) Jacoby.

William Jacoby was born in Germany, and at the age of seventeen years, in order to escape military service, he ran away from home and made his way to America, taking up his residence at Burlington. Iowa. For some years he was section boss on the Chicago. Burlington & Quincy Railroad, but his life was cut short in its prime and he was not allowed to taste the fruits of success. He and his wife both passed away at Burlington and were laid to rest in the graveyard of St. John's Catholic church, they having been lifelong members of that faith. They had four children : Michael, who died at the age of forty-four years; Airs. Elizabeth Gavette. a widow, of Los Angeles, California ; Mrs. Alarie Warren, of Dnluth, Miimesota, wife of the general superintendent of the Dnluth Street Railway Comjjany; and Samuel W.