Gage County, Nebraska - Chapter 31: People Who Have Done Their Part in Making Gage County, 1918 (part 14 of 29)

GEORGE T. STEPHENSON, who is now living practically retired in the thriving little city of Wymore, has been an influential and valued citizen whose varied activities along civic and business Hnes have been so wisely and honorably directed as to make them prolific in the furtherance of the general wellbeing of the community. His spirit of personal stewardship has been exemplified in his civic loyalty, as well as in his large and worthy achievement as a man of broad and varied interests, and none is more essentially entitled to recognition in this history of Gage county.

is a son of Thomas and Mary A- (McCune) Stephenson, both natives of Ireland. Thomas Stephenson, who was born in the year 1828, was reared and educated in his native land, and the year 1840 recorded him as a resident of the state of New York. There was solemnized his marriage to Miss Mary A. McCune, who had come from the fair old Emerald Isle to the United States in company with her parents, the year of her nativity having been 1827. Prior to the Civil war Thomas Stephenson and his wife numbered themselves among the pioneers of Iowa, where he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. When the Civil war was precipitated on the nation he showed his intrinsic loyalty to the land to which he had come as a youth, for he tendered his services in defense of the Union by enlisting in the Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. With this command he served faithfully and gallantly during his term of enlistment, and it may be specially noted that he was with General Sherman in the Atlanta campaign and in the subsequent and memorable march to the sea. After the close of the war he continued his farming operations in Iowa until 1866, when he came to Richardson county, Nebraska, and again girded himself for pioneer responsibilities and service. In 1878 he came to Gage county and here he purchased from the government two hundred acres of wild and untrammeled prairie land, and to this embryonic farm, in Sicily township, he brought his family by means of a team and "prairie schooner." He developed a finely productive farm property, and in the meanwhile he and his wife endured their full share of the privations and vicissitudes that so distinctly marked the pioneer era in Gage county history. They lived upright and righteous lives, were true to all the responsibilities that devolved upon them and gave to their children the goodly heritage of noble thoughts and noble deeds, though they had naught of the spirit of self-glorification or any desir^ to divert themselves from the even tenor of their way. They were sterling pioneer citizens who commanded unequivocal esteem, and Mr. Stephenson was sixty-six years of age at the time of his death in 1894. His widow has attained to the age of ninetyone years and is a resident of Lincoln, this state. Thomas Stephenson was aligned in the ranks of the Democratic party, was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and his wife is a member of the Baptist church. Of their eight children six are now living: William, a retired farmer, resides at DuBois, Pawnee county ; George T., of this review, was the next in order of birth; Riley is engaged in ranching in Montana; Alice is the widow of Albert Clayton and resides in the capital city of Nebraska; Emma is the wife of John W. Cutshall, a farmer of Pawnee county, this state ; and Martha is the wife of John K. Campbell, who is, in 1918, principal of the public schools of Wymore, Gage county- George T. Stephenson passed the period of his childhood and early youth on his father's farm, and in the meanwhile he profited duly by the advantages of the district schools- He was a lad of four years at the time of the family removal to Nebraska, and he continued his studies in the schools of Gage county, besides which he took a course in the well ordered business college at Lawrence, Kansas. He proved and tested his scholastic acquirements by devoting his attention to teaching for several years, and in 1891 he established his residence at Wymore, where he engaged in the hardware and agricultural-implement business. He developed a substantial and prosperous enterprise in this important line of trade, and continued the business for a period of ten years. Thereafter he was for several years engaged extensively in the realestate business, in which connection he developed a large and prosperous enterprise in the handling of both farm and village properties. The progressiveness and loyalty of Mr. Stephenson have been demonstrated also in other alliances of important order. He was the organizer of the Wymore Building & Loan Association, of which he became secretary, and with this vital corporation he continued his connection until 1917, when he resigned his position as secretary. He is vice-president of the First National Bank of Wymore and is the owner of valuable farm property in Gage county.

The political predilections of Mr. Stephenson are indicated in the unswerving allegiance which he has given to the Democratic party, and he has given yeoman service in behalf of its cause. He served for a number of years as tax collector of Wymore township and also gave effiecient service in the office of city treasurer of Wymore. He is affiliated with the local lodge of the Masonic fraternity and has passed the various official chairs in the same, as has he also in the Wymore camp of the Modern Woodmen of America.

In March, 1889, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Stephenson to Miss Nellie Beer, and they have two children: Bernice is the wife of Myrle C. Evans, efficiency expert in the employ of a Chicago electric-light corporation; and Doane, who was in the employ of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, at Wymore, is now at Fort Logan, in the service of the United States. Mrs. Stephenson was born in Illinois and is a daughter of WilUam and Adeline Beer, who were born in Pennsylvania and who came from Illinois to Gage county, Nebraska, in 1880, the remainder of their lives having been passed in this county-

ISAAC W. BURCH has continuously maintained his home in Beatrice since 1877 and for more than a quarter of a century he has been a member of the force of city mail carriers, a veteran in this branch of service and a citizen whose circle of friends is coincident with that of his acquaintances.

Mr. Burch was born in Cambridge, Washington county. New York, Dtecember 11, 1848, and is a son of Lorenzo and Hannah M. (Durfee) Burch, both of whom passed their entire lives in that county of the old Empire state, where the respective families were founded in an early day. Mr. Burch was reared to the sturdy discipline of the home farm and acquired his youthful education in the common schools of his native county. Upon attaining to his legal majority he engaged in working on a farm by the month, and he was twenty-four years of age when, in 1873, he made his first visit to Gage county, Nebraslca. Two months later he returned to New York state, but in 1877 he came again to Gage county and established his home at Beatrice, his memory thus having an indelible impression of the progressive movements that have resulted in the development of the frontier village into one of the attractive and prosperous cities of the state. On the 1st of July, 1891, Mr. Burch entered the employ of the government as a city mail carrier in Beatrice, and of this .position he has since continued the. efficient and popular incumbent, few citizens of the county being better known or held in higher esteem. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party and he takes a lively interest in all things touching the welfare and advancement of his home city. His wife, whose maiden name was' Mary B. Hill, likewise was born and reared in Cambridge, Washington county. New York, and she has gained a wide circle of friends within the long period of her residence in Beatrice. They have no children.

FRANK MASEK, a retired farmer living ill Odell, Nebraska, is the owner of two hundred and fifty-two acres of land, in Paddock and Glenwood townships. Mr. Masek is of the true pioneer 'type, - a type exemplifying both brains and brawn. It needs a character which can stand the hard knocks of privation and loneliness, and which can, with determined will and unswerving purpose, persist when others would fail- Such a personality is Frank Masek, a native born Bohemian. He was born in the village of Horcic, Pilsen, Bohemia, March 20, 1847. His parents, Joseph and Mary (Machasek) Masek, were born in Bohemia and lived all their lives in that Slav country, - one of little opportunity and few great achievements. These good people were the parents of twelve children and Joseph Masek plied his trade of carpenter all of his life. But of more venturesome blood were his two sons Frank and William, who longed for new fields of service and opportunity. June 24, 1867, the day after Frank Masek's marriage to Josephine Smola, this young Bohemian couple sailed for the United States, a land that to them was one with unknown tongue, unknown customs and unknown opportunities, but they faltered not, being ready to meet their destiny as it came. When only six days from land, the ship caught fire. So great was the fire that men and women were kneeling all over the deck, praying that God would save them. Life belts were put on, in expectation that any minute the passengers would have to take to the open sea, but the fire was finally extinguished and they were spared to reach their destinations. Mr. and Mrs. Masek, with the brother, William Masek, who came two years later, located at St. Louis, Missouri. For twelve years the family home was maintained in that city and Mr. Masek worked in the stone quarries.

In 1879 Mr. Masek, with his wife and three children, came to Nebraska to start life afresh on the soil. He had saved six hundred dollars while in St. Louis and expected to buy land. The first year he rented, but the next year he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land from his brother William, who had purchased this land but had not tried to improve it. All that Frank Masek possessed was a pair of horses and a wagon; he had. no tools to work with, no spade nor hoe, only his strong hands and a determination to make good. This land, which to-day is so well cultivated and dotted with farm homes, barns and silos and stocked with herds of cattle and hogs, was then one vast expanse of prairie. As far as the eye could reach no human habitation could be seen. There was no shelter for the people who had brought their all to "pioneer" in Gage county. Very soon they had their rude sod hut and a shelter for their horses, and were tilling the soil.

As the country was being settled, the children needed schools in which to receive the rudiments of education. The county seemed unable or too listless to give financial aid to this district for a school. Then Frank Masek,

The marriage of Frank Masek and Josephine Smola occurred in Bohemia, June 23, 1867. Mrs. Masek shared with her- husband all of his labors of the early days and lived to see the fruit of all of their striving. They became the parents of nine children, seven of whom are living. The mother passed away in 1903. Brief record concerning the children ia here given : William, born in St. Louis, Mo., in 1870, married Miss Rosa Murphy, and is now deceased ; Mary is the wife of Frank Hajek, living in section 5, Paddock township; Anna is the wife of Joseph Hajek, of Glenwood township ; Joseph died in infancy; Carrie is the wife of John Boch and they live near Oketo, Kansas ; Frank resides near Odell, Nebraska, in Paddock township; Joseph is deceased; John is living in Glenwood township; Minnie is housekeeper for her father.

In 1912 Mr- Masek retired from active farming and bought property in Odell, where he now lives with his daughter Minnie. In politics he has voted the Democratic ticket. Be has held township offices, was road overseer and on the school board in Paddock township. He is a member of the Catholic church, which receives liberally of his means. He is owner of two hundred and fifty-two acres of land at the present time, but has owned many more acres. He bought land as fast as he could and gave it to his children, who are farming all through the neighboring townships. He is a shareholder in the State Bank of Odell and the. Farmers' Lumber Yard.

EDWARD F. DAVIS is one of the more venerable of the well known pioneer citizens residing in the city of Beatrice, and his career has been one marked by diversified experience as well as by the achievement of worthy success. With marked vigor of mental and physical faculties, though he has passed the eightieth milestone on the journey of life, Mr. Davis still gives a general supervision to his various property interest, the while he keeps in full touch with current events and takes lively interest in all things pertaining to the county and city in which he has long retained his residence. Mr. Davis was born in Herkimer county. New York, June 17, 1836, received in the old Empire state his early educational training, in the common schools, and as a boy and youth he there gained experience not only in farm work but also in the operation of boats on the old Erie canal. Later he was employed as inspector of street improvements in New York city, and this position he retained until a short time before his removal to the west. In 1876 Mr. Davis left the national metropolis and came to Gage county. After devoting about two years to farm enterprise in Riverside township he removed to Beatrice and became owner and manager of the Davis House, which was for many years one of the leading hotels of the city, the building being still owned by him, at the corner of Third and Ella streets, and being kept in good repair as a rooming house. He is the owner of other productive real-estate in Beatrice, as well as his attractive home, at 901 Lincoln street.

Mr- Davis had the distinction of casting his first presidential vote for General John C. Fremont, the first candidate placed in nomination by the newly organized Republican party, and he has voted for each presidential candidate of that party during the long intervening years, never wavering in his belief in the basic principles for which the party has ever stood sponsor. Mr. Davis made a remarkable record of efficiency during his incumbency of the office of sheriff of Gage county. He was elected sheriff in 1885 and continued in service until 1900. He carries himself with the vital erectness of a man many years his junior and with much of distinction, is genial and tolerant, broad-minded and well fortified in his convictions, and he has the high regard of the community in which he has so long maintained his home.

the 3d of October, 1842, and who continues as the gracious and popular chatelaine of their pleasant home. Of their four children only one is living. Miss Nellie, who remains at the parental home.

ARMSTRONG O. BURKET, senior member of the firm of Burket & Feldkirchner, which is successfully engaged in the retail coal business in the city of Beatrice, came to Gage county thirty years ago and was formerly established as one of the representative exponents of farm industry in Glenwood township. He is now one of the prominent business men and most insistently loyal and progressive citizens of Beatrice, a leader in movements tending to advance the civic and material prosperity of Gage county and its fine judicial center, and he is specially entitled to recognition in this history.

Mr. Burket was born on a farm near Dixon, Lee county, Illinois, December 29, 1863, and is a son of Henry and Mary Jane (Crawford) Burket, both natives of Pennsylvania, their marriage having been solemnized in 1848. Henry Burket became a pioneer farmer in Lee county, Illinois, where he won independence and prosperity through his earnest and honorable endeavors and where both he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives. On the old homestead farm in Lee county, Illinois, Armstrong O. Burket gained in his boyhood and youth the sturdy discipline that well matured his physical powers and that gave him enduring appreciation of the dignity and value of honest toil. He profited duly by the advantages afforded in the public schools of his native county and there he continued his association with farm enterprise until 1887, when he came to Gage county, Nebraska, and purchased a tract of land on that part of the Otoe Indian reservation that is now included in Glenwood township. There he developed a good farm and there he continued his successful activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower for a period of seventeen years. For the ensuing six years he gave his attention to effective service as manager of the Farmers' Elevator Company at Odell. He established his residence in Beatrice, and finally, in January, 1912, after spending eighteen months traveling for the Root Grain Company in Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Colorado, he became associated with his brother-in-law, E. Feldkirchner, in establishing the coal business which they have since successfully conducted under the firm title of Burket & Feldkirchner, with well equipped headquarters at 222 Ella street.

The political allegiance of Mr. Burket is given to the Democratic party, he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and both he and his wife are zealous members of the First Christian church of Beatrice, in which he holds the office of elder.

On the 23d of December, 1886, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Burket to Miss Ora E. Feldkirchner, who was born and reared in Lee county, Illinois, and they have an interesting family of four children: Hazel is the wife of H. F. Graff, of Beatrice; Neva is a trained nurse by profession and resides in the city of Lincoln; Lulu is a successful and popular teacher and at the time of this writing, in 1918, is teaching in the public schools of Spalding, Greeley county; and Bessie was a member of the class of 1917 in Doan College, at Crete, Saline county.

DANIEL ALBERT. - Few families have given more aggressive and successful demonstration of the splendid potentiality of agricultural and live stock enterprise in Gage county than that of which Daniel Albert is a popular representative, he being a son of Henry Albert, an honored and influential citizen of whom specific mention is made on other pages. Daniel Albert rents from his father two hundred and forty acres of land in Section 26, Clatonia township, and as a vigorous and discriminating young farmer and liberal citizen he is well upholding the prestige of the family name. He was born on his father's old homestead farm, in Clatonia township, November 18, 1884, and his early educational advantages included those of the high school in the village of Clatonia, as well as a course in a business college in the city of

Lincoln. He has had no desire to sever his association with farm enterprise and in connection with the same is achieving substantial success. His father gave him excellent opportunities for independent activities after he had attained to the age of twenty years, for it was at this juncture in his career that he assumed virtual control of his present large and well improved farm, which he maintains under conditions that reveal thrift and good judgment, the while he has shown his progressiveness by adding materially to the improvements on the farm, which is given over to diversified agriculture and the raising of excellent types of live stock. In politics Mr. Albert gives his support to the Republican party, he is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church.

On the 15th of February, 1912, Mr. Albert married Miss Scenta Krauter, who likewise was born and reared in Clatonia township and who is a daughter of Edward and Gezena (Carstens) Krauter, natives of Illinois, the father being still a resident of Clatonia township and the mother being deceased. Mrand Mrs. Albert have two children, - Henry K. and Zena Bernice.

STEPHEN V. SHAW. - One of Gage county's pioneer settlers and one who has contributed his full share to bringing about present-day conditions is Stephen V. Shaw, who is residing on the farm, in Section 21, Adams township, which has been his home for fifty years. Mr. Shaw was born in Dutchess county, New York, January 4, 1844. His father, Stephen P. Shaw, was bom in the same county, July 31, 1801, and he became a far-, mer in his native state. After a short residence in Connecticut he became a pioneer settler in Somers township, Kenosha county, Wisconsin. In 1857 he and his family started Overland for Nebraska Territory in true pioneer fashion, driving ox teams. There was a train of six wagons, and of the twenty-one persons who made up the party ten are still living. Mr. Shaw located and maintained squatter's sovereignty on eighty acres of land in what was then known as Clay county, Nebraska (now Gage county). From timber on the south branch of the Nemaha river he cut and hewed the logs with which to build the first house that was to be the family home. He helped organize the first school district in Adams township, and this is now District No. 51. Until his death, which occurred April 1, 1863, Stephen P. Shaw made his home on this pioneer farm. His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah Hicks, was likewise a native of Dutchess county. New York, where she was born February 10, 1801, and she died in Gage county, Nebraska, February 22, 1886.

Of theiir children the following record is given: William H. was killed, at St. Eouis, during the Civil war; Egbert, who also was a soldier in the Civil war, died at Adams, Gage county, in 1895 ; Mrs. Margaret A. Gale is deceased; Mrs. Emily Silvernail resides at Adams, this county ; Mrs. Elmira Lyons is deceased, as is also Mrs. Hannah Noxon; Mrs. Rebecca Silvernail resides at Indianola, Nebraska; James I., who was a soldier in the Civil war, lives at St. Cloud, Florida; and Stephen V. is the immediate subject of this sketch.

The first childish recollections of Stephen V. Shaw are those of his home in the Nutmeg state, He also remembers the trip to Wisconsin, and he was a boy of thirteen years when the trip was made to Nebraska Territory. It was the 6th of July, 1857, when they reached the banks of the Nemaha river, where the home was established. After a trip across the prairies of Illinois and Iowa, the family crossed the Missouri river on a flat-boat. As a boy Mr. Shaw had received such schooling as circumstances would permit, and at the age of sixteen years he had completed his studies in the schools of Nebraska City. He continued to assist in the development and improvement of the home farm until he arrived at his majority, when he made a prospecting trip to Colorado, where he remained one year. Upon returning to Gage county he engaged in farming. He homesteaded a tract of land on Section 21, Adams township, and on this place

On November 8, 1866, Mr. Shaw married Miss Minerva Hand, who was born in Niagara county, New York, May 24, 1850, and who passed away on December 7, 1908. Mrs. Shaw was a daughter of William and Anna (Scott) Hand, natives of New York state. William Hand died on board a vessel while with the colony en route for Wisconsin and was buried in the lake. This was during the epidemic of cholera, to which he succumbed. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw became the parents of nine children: Louis V. resides in Custer county, Nebraska; Katie is at home with her father; Almira H. is the wife of J. C. Boyd, a farmer of Sherman township; Mrs. Ada McKnight resides at Adams, this county ; Mrs. Alice Kauffman is a resident of Havelock, Nebraska; Mrs. Carrie E. Palmer lives at Chappell, Nebraska ; May R. and Charles E. are at home ; and Eva Rae resides in the city of Lincoln, this state.

Mr. Shaw has been an eye witness to all the changes that have taken place in this county, and has always done his share in the march of progress. In 1862-1863 he freighted out of Nebraska City with oxen. In December, 1864, he drove to Colorado, distributing goods along the way. When the local Presbyterian church was organized, in 1860, his mother was made superintendent of the Sunday school, and she continued to hold that position until her death.

In both paternal and maternal lines Mr. Shaw's ancestors participated in the Revolutionary war. He has every reason to be proud of the record of the family in Gage county, and he is held in highest esteem by all with whom he has come in contact.

HENRY KASPAREK. - The untimely death of Henry Kasparek called from earthly activities one of the younger business men of Odell, - one who for fifteen years had given his best energies to the moral, social and commercial uplift of his community. Mr. Kasparek was born at Chicago, Illinois, April 11, 1874. He was a son of Adolph Kasparek, who was a native of Bohemia and who belonged to that class of foreign-born citizens who have done much for the development of Nebraska. Henry Kasparek was a child of two years when the family home was established in Jefferson county, Nebraska. Reared on a farm, he early learned those lessons of industry and enterprise which are of such va-lue as to assure success in any and every walk of life.

In 1900 Henry Kasparek came to Odell and purchased the business conducted by one of Odell's pioneer citizens, Frank J. Truxaw. Until his death, April 8, 1914, Mr. Kasparek gave his best efforts to make a place for himself in the business affairs of Odell. Success, had crowned his efforts, as may be seen by the neatly arranged place of business he had. established. His chosen line was the furniture and undertaking business, in connection with which he handled a full line of linoleums, rugs, and musical instruments. A complete and extensive stock of goods was carried, and the faith and trust reposed in him by the people of the community were unbounded. Since: his death his widow has continued the business, employing a capable manager to handleher affairs.

As a companion and helpmeet Mr. Kasparek; chose for his wife Miss Anna Tejcka, a native of Gage county, Nebraska, her parents, having been early settlers in Sicily township. Mrs. Kasparek is a daughter of Frank and Josephine (Prucha) Tejcka, natives of Bohemia. The father is deceased and the mother still resides on the old home place, in' Sicily township.

Mr. and Mrs. Kasparek became the parentsof four sons, who with their mother occupy a beautiful home in Odell. The names of these boys are Frank, Clarence, Vernon and Everett. Mr. Kasparek was a faithful member of the Christian church of Odell, havingjoined that church April 14, 1908. He was also a member of the Odell lodges of the I. O.O.F. and the Z. C. B. A. He was a devoted husband and father, an energetic business man and a first-class citizen, a man whostood for progress, and real friendship, and.

one who thought more of others than of himself. He lived an unselfish life, and was one whom his family and the community could ill afford to lose.

PHILIP A. BINDERNAGEL. - A member of one of the honored pioneer families of Gage county, Mr. Bindernagel has here maintained his home from the time of his birth and he is now numbered among the successful and representative agriculturists and stockgrowers of his native township, his well improved and ably managed farm of one hundred and sixty acres being situated in Section 35," Blakely township, and being a part of the large landed estate of the family.

Mr. Bindernagel was born in Blakely township on the 25th of November, 1874, and is a son of Philip and Margaret (Marschel) Bindernagel, concerning whose other children brief mention may here be made, the subject of this review having been the second in order of birth; Rosa now presides over the domestic economies of her father's pleasant home in the city of Beatrice, having assumed this responsibility after the death of her mother; David M. is numbered among the progressive farmers of Lincoln township, this county; Elizabeth is the wife of George W. Stevens, of Lincoln township; Caroline died in the year 1909; and Emma is the wife of l^. K. Stevens, of Blakely township.

Philip Bindernagel was born in Germany, on the 28th of January, 1838, and there continued his residence until 1852, when he established his home in the city of London, - England, where he found employment at his trade, that of baker. A few years thereafter he came to America and engaged in the work of his trade in New York city, and in 1866 he came to Nebraska Territory, and numbered himself among the pioneers of Gage county. He entered claim to a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, in Filley township, and here he endured the full tension of hardships and deprivations incidental to life on the virtual frontier. The passing years, marked by his indefatigable and earnest application, brought to him independence and definite prosperity, as is clearly demonstrated by the fact that he is now the owner of a valuable landed estate of four hundred and eighty acres in Blakely township, this county, and an equal amount in Sherman county, Kansas. He gave earnestly and effectively of his energies and abilities in furthering the social and industrial development and progress of the county, has ever commanded the confi.dence and good will of his fellow citizens and in his venerable years he is living in well earned retirement in his attractive home in the city of Beatrice. He has been a lifelong communicant of the Lutheran church, as was also his devoted wife, who was his true helpmeet in the days of their early struggle to make for themselves a home and a place of independence in Nebraska, the state having been admitted to the Union about one year after they had established their residence on the pioneer farm in Gage county. Mrs- Bindernagel was born in Germany on the 22d of October, 1850, and was summoned to the life eternal on the 23d of February, 1913, her memory being revered by those who came within the compass of her gentle influence. On other pages of this work appears a specific record of the career of Philip Bindernagel.

Philip A. Bindernagel supplemented the discipline of the district schools by attending the Beatrice high school, and in 1907 he rented of his father his present farm, which he has made a model of thrift and prosperity and upon which he has made many excellent improvements, including the erection of his commodious modern house and a barn thirtytwo by thirty-four feet in dimensions, with an eighteen-foot wing. He takes loyal interest in all things touching the walfare of his native county and home community, is a Republican in politics and both he and his wife are earnest communicants of the Lutheran church.

February 26, 1908, recorded the marriage of Mr. Bindernagel to Miss Bertha Brosious, who was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, where she was reared and educated - a daughter of Charles Brosious, who likewise was born in the old Keystone state. Mr. Bindernagel made the acquaintance of his wife while he was visiting in Pennsylvania, and there their marriage was solemnized. They have had two children, Orval Philip born November 5, 1910, and Louise A. born November 21, 1915.

JOSEPH KROTZ. - Among the citizens of foreign birth who have done much toward the upbuilding of Gage county, Nebraska, none deserve more credit than those sturdy men and women, natives of Bohemia, who came to Nebraska in the late 70s, and became instrumental in converting into productive farms and beautiful homes the raw prairies that had but recently- been occupied by the Indians. To this class belongs Joseph Krotz. In the province of Bohemia, dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, there lived one Vencel Krotz, who, having heard favorable reports of America from friends and neighbors who had found in the "land of the free" the opportunities that were not obtainable in their native land, gathered his family and a few earthly goods, and crossed the ocean. He made his way to Washington county, Iowa, where many of his countrymen had settled, and arrived in that state in 1867. Eleven years later we find him again seeking a new home, this time where he knew land could be had at much cheaper price than in the more thickly settled region of Iowa. The first year the family lived at the old town of Charleston, in Gage county, and then he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of raw prairie land in what is now Glenwood township. The first home was a sod house and in this the family resided while initiating the work of conquering the virgin Nebraska soil. Mr- Krotz prospered, and here he made his home until he was called from his earthly labors.

The maiden name of the first wife of Vencel Krotz, was Catherine Kumbera, who passed away in their native land. Later he there married a second time. Miss Anna Soper becoming his wife. She still resides on the old home farm in Glenwood township. The two children of the first marriage are

Mary, who is the wife of Fred Hoffmeister, of Imperial, Chase county, Nebraska, and Joseph, who is the immediate subject of this sketch. Of the children of the second marriage it is to be recorded that John is a farmer of Paddock township; Anna is the wife of William Hohl, of Prague, Saunders county, Nebraska; and Frances is the wife of Frank Benda, on the old home place in Glenwood township.

Joseph Krotz was but four years of age when the family home was established in the new world, he having been born in Bohemia, .the land of his fathers, on the 21st of May, 1863. When the home was transferred from- Iowa to Nebraska he was a boy of fifteen years. He gave valuable assistance in transforming the Indian lands to productive property. Remaining with his parents until his thirty-first year, Joseph Krotz was then assisted by his father in the purchase of the farm on which he began farming on his own account. Mr. Krotz made further preparation for a home of his own by his marriage, on May 21, 1894, to Miss Carrie Bednar, also a native of Bohemia, where she was born November .4, 1872. Her parents were among the early settlers of Nebraska and a record of them will be found elsewhere in this history. Mr. Krotz has met with success in his farming operations, and to-day is the owner of seven hundred and twenty acres of valuable land. For several years he has made a specialty of raising pure-bred Aberdeen Angus cattle, and in the spring of 1918 he had forty head of fine registered stock in his yards just south of Odell.

Mr. Krotz and family occupy a beautiful home in Odell, and in the household are three happy children, - Marcellus, Laird and Evelyn. The family are communicants of the Catholic church, the faith of which was the religion of the parents of both Mr. and Mrs. Krotz. In politics Mr. Krotz is a Democrat, but he has never desired or held any office, preferring to devote his entire time to his business affairs, in which he has met with goodly success. There was no railroad in the vicinity when the Krotz family located on what had been the Otoe Indian reservation. Odell was not in existance. The old town of Charleston had been located, but in later years it was abandoned. The old site of Charleston and land on which WilHam Le Gourgue founded the town now belongs to Mr. and Mrs. Krotz. Mr. Krotz has seen the wild, unbroken prairie develop into beautiful homes and farms, and in this splendid transformation he has done his full share.

THOMAS REMMERS was a vigorous and ambitious young man of twenty-three years when he came to Gage county, in the year in which Nebraska was admitted to statehood. None has borne with greater fortitude and determination the trials and vicissitudes of pioneer life on the western frontier, and it is gratifying to record that the passing years have brought to him a generous measure of prosperity. He accumulated and developed a fine landed estate in this county and continued his active association with farm enterprise until 1906, since which time he and his wife have lived retired in the city of Beatrice, in enjoyment of good health and the gracious rewards of former years of earnest endeavor, their attractive home being at 1009 High street.

' Mr. Remmers was born in East Friesland, a district in the extreme northwestern part of the province of Hanover, Germany, and the date of his nativity was September 16, 1843. He is a son of John and Catherine (Henrechs) Remmers, and his father followed farm enterprise and operated a brick yard in East Friesland until financial reverses overtook him, and in 1868 he came with his family to America. Near the city of Springfield, Illinois, he and his adult sons found employment in a harvest field, and while thus engaged he suffered a sunstroke that caused his death. In the autumn of the same year (1868) the bereaved widow came with her six children to the new state of Nebraska, and later she became the wife of John Eilers, the closing years of her life having been passed at Sterling, Johnson county, where she died in 1883, when about

Thomas Remmers acquired his youthful education in his native land and was twentytwo years of age when he came to America, the family following two years later. After passing a few weeks at Springfield, Illinois, he came to Nebraska. He arrived at Nebraska City on the 4th of July, 1866, and later in the month he joined a freighting outfit with which he made the arduous overland trip to Fort Laramie and D'enver, as driver of an ox team. He arrived once more in Nebraska City in the middle of the following November, and he then found employment at farm work, at fifty cents a day and board, he having been nine dollars in debt when he first arrived in Nebraska City. In the spring of 1867 Mr. Remmers came to Gage county and entered claim to a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres of untrammeled prairie land, in Hanover township. His first house was a rude dug-out, which later gave place to a log house, and in the latter he continued to maintain bachelor's hall until his marriage, in 1871, to Mrs. Sophia Day, widow of Benjamin Day. Mrs. Remmers was born in Hanover Germany, in 1845, a daughter of John and Maria Yelkin, and she was a child of eighteen months when the family came to the United States and located near Springfield, Illinois. She was there reared to the age of twelve years and then came with her parents to Nebraska City, the family home later having been established on a pioneer farm in Nemaha county, where she was reared to adult age and where she became the wife of Benjamin Day. Mr. Day died a few years later, leaving his widow with two children, - John, who is now a resident of Adams, Gage county, and Ida, who is the wife of Frederick Schuster, of Beatrice. Mr. and Mrs. Remmers have five children : Henry, John and William are all prosperous and representative farmers in Hanover tonship; Mary is the wife of Harms D. Harms and they reside on her father's old homestead farm, in Hanover township; and Catherine is the wife of Frederick Damerow,

In their primitive pioneer home Mr- and Mrs. Remmers bravely faced the hardships and privations of the early days when they were striving to make their way forward toward the goal of prosperity, and their devoted companionship has continued during the long intervening years. In taking his young wife to the new home Mr. Remmers used a wagon and ox team. He finally provided one horse, but had no buggy. He later traded oxen for another horse, and the harness for the new team consisted only of hames and chains. From his farm he took a quantity of butter to Lincoln, where he sold the same for a sufficient sum to enable him to buy a harness for his team. The little log cabin constituted the family domicile many years, and though humble it was the abode of happiness and known for its hospitality. Coffee was made ready for use by pounding the same into fragments, but eventually the household was provided with a coffee-mill. Indefatigable industry and good management brought cumulative success to Mr. Remmers and eventually he became the owner of a valuable farm property of eight hundred acres, all of which he has sold to his children with the exception of forty acres, which he still retains.

Mr. Remmers was one of the honored and influential citizens of Hanover township until he and his wife removed to Beatrice, and he was called upon to serve in various positions of public trust. He .was township assessor five years,' tax collector three years and served many terms as road overseer. During the long period of his residence on the farm he only twice had to call for the ministrations of a physician for himself, and he and his good wife are now hale and hearty, and in the gracious twilight of their long and earnest lives find that their lines are cast in pleasant places. Both are active members of the German Lutheran church and in a fundamental way he gives his allegiance to the Democratic party. Mr. and Mrs. Remmers have been true apostles of social and industrial progress in Gage county and here their circle of friends is limited only by that of their acquaintances. Mr. Remmers related that in 1868, when his nearest neighbor was two miles distant, four Indians called at his home and demanded provisions- He supplied them and they then took their departure.

JOHN E. CARSTEN. - Measured by its rectitude and worthy achievement, the life of the late John E. Carsten counted for much, and his character was the positive expression of a strong and noble nature. He established his home in Gage county nearly half a century ago, did well his part in developing the resources of this section of the state and in supporting civic progress. He reclaimed and improved one of the fine farms of Clatonia township and was one of the substantial and influential citizens of Clatonia township, he having removed from his farm to the village of Clatonia about three months prior to his death, which occurred July IS, 1908, and his widow still maintains her home in that village, - one of the gracious and revered pioneer women who bore her full share in the trials and struggles of the early days.

Mr. Carsten was born in the province of Hanover, Germany, on the 24th of February, 1843. He was the eldest of five children born to John M. and Gesche (Eschen) Carsten, the latter of whom died in Germany and the former of whom passed the closing period of his life in Gage county, Nebraska. The subject of this memoir was reared to the discipline of the farm and gained in the schools of his native land his early educational training. In 1866, as a young man of twenty-one years, he entered the Hanovarian army and assisted the Germans in their conflict with Austria and participated in various engagements, including the battle of Langensalza. He completed his military service before the close of 1866, and in the same year immigrated to America, embarking in the port of Bremen and landing in that of New York city about three weeks later. Continuing his way to the west, he located in Schuyler county, Illinois, in which state he continued his association with farm enterprise until 1873, when he came with his family to Nebraska and became one of the pioneers of Gage county. From the BurHngton & Missouri River Railroad Company he purchased, at seven dollars an acre, one hundred and sixty acres of raw prairie land, in Section 11 Clatonia township, four and one-half miles northeast of Clatonia. He developed his farm, made the best of improvements on the same, adding eventually to the area of his landed estate in Clatonia township. He lived up to the full tension of pioneer experience and in making his way to the goal of independence and material success he ever attributed much of credit to the earnest cooperation of his devoted wife, who was a veritable helpmeet and who re- . fflained his cherished companion until the close of his life. Mrs- Carsten owns the attractive home which she occupies in the village of Clatonia and also an interest in the two Gage county farms which are now operated by her sons.

At Rushville, Illinois, on the 12th of March, 1868, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Carsten to Miss Mary Schmid, who was born in Germany, on the 1st of February, 1847, and whose parents, Jurgen and Etta (Goldenstein) Schmid, there passed their entire lives. Mrs. Carsten was reared and educated in her native land and was a young woman of eighteen years when she came to the United States, in the autumn of 1866. She established her residence in Illinois and there she and her husband remained until after the birth of their first two children, who accompanied them in 1873 to Nebraska and were reared to maturity in Gage county, where were born the younger children. George J., eldest of the children, was born in Schuyler county, Illinois, on the 24th of February, 1869, and is now a resident of Stockton, Kansas, where he follows the vocation of farming; Lillie G., who was born July 15, 1873, was an infant at the time of the family removal to Nebraska, and she is now the wife of Harry Hersema, of Clatonia township; Arthur E., who was born August 16, 1876, is a resident of Mountain View, Oklahoma; Mary Anetta, Born April 12, 1879, is the wife of J. H. Claussen and they reside in Danforth, Illinois; Theodore Frederick, born January 31, 1881, is engaged in the banking business at Hiallam, Lancaster county, Nebraska; Alvin Benjamin, who was born October 27, 1882, resides upon and has the active management of the old homestead farm, in Clatonia township; and Emma F., born June 29, 1885, remains with her widowed mother.

*John E. Carsten was progressive both in his individual activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower and also in his civic attitude. His course was guided and governed by the highest integrity and he commanded the unqualified respect and confidence of all who knew him. He was zealous in giving to his children the best possible educational advantages and was influential in community affairs. He was a Republican in politics, and he was called upon to serve as assessor of Clatonia township, as a member of the township election board and as a member of the school board of his district. He was a most earnest and active member of the German Methodist Episcopal church of Clatonia township, of which he was one of the founders and of which he served many years as a trustee, his widow continuing an earnest member of the same religious organization. The name of Mr- Carsten merits enduring place on the roster of the honored pioneers of Gage county and his memory is cherished by those who came within the compass of his unassuming and kindly influence.

JOHN TJADEN. - The march of civihzation has ever been westward, and in reviewing the career of John Tjaden one is impressed with such trend of advancement as manifested in the individual person. Mr. Tjaden's parents. Harm and Antgie (Fahsler) Tjaden were born and reared in Germany and about the year 1870 they left their native land and came west to America, first settling in Missouri and later in Richardson county, Nebraska. Here Harm Tjaden engaged in farm enterprise and later he removed to Marshall county, Kansas, where he purchased land and continued his farming activities. His wife died in February, 1913, and since 1917 he has lived retired in the city of Beatrice, Nebraska. Of the family of ten children eight are living: WilHam, George, and Flora reside in Kansas, where Flora makes her home with her brother William; Henry resides at Wymore, Gage county, Nebraska; Margaret is the wife of J. J. Remers and they live in Kansas ; John is the subject of this sketch; Anna, the second of the name, is the wife of W. C. Ehnen, a farmer of Barneston township; Emma is the wife of John Ubben, and they live in Kansas ; and Anna (first of the name) and Meta are deceased. Harm Tjaden is a Republican in politics. He disposed of his land in Kansas and Nebraska and is now retired from active life, to enjoy the reward of his past labor as a pioneer of Nebraska and Kansas.

John Tjaden was born December 31, 1879, and received his education in the district schools of Kansas. From his boyhood he has been identified with agricultural pursuits - lirst in his apprenticeship, during which he was employed as a farm hand, and later in conducting operations on his own land.

February 12, 1902, John Tjaden married Miss Rena Agnes Ehnen, who was born January 4, 1883, in Illinois, the daughter of Rempt Ehnen. Mr. and Mrs. Tjaden became the parents of four children, of whom three are living: Eleanora Meta was born September 12, 1911; Harm Wilke was born February 21, 1916; Relma Rosella was born January 14, 1917; and Relma Antgie, died at the age of three months.

John Tjaden owns two hundred and eighty acres of land in Gage county and eighty acres in Kansas- He is a vigorous and progressive young farmer and is devoting all of his time to his successful industrial enterprise. In 1914 he built a beautiful farm house on his home place, in Section 33, Bamston township, and he has thus provided an attractive home for his family, besides giving evidence of his progressiveness and definite prosperity. It is his earnest desire to give to his children good educational advantages and also the refining influence of an ideal home life. In politics Mr. Tjaden is independent. He and his wife hold membership in the Lutheran church. He is a member of the Farmers Union, an organization which has in its membership the best element of the yeomanry of the county and which is doing much in promoting the advancement and best interests of the farmers of Gage county.

ADDISON P. KELLEY, who is the efficient and popular manager of the general-delivery department of the postoflSce in the city of Beatrice, was born at Marengo, McHenry county, Illinois, April 16, 1855, and is a son of Henry D. and Roxcey A. (Sponable) Kelley, the former a native of Danby, Rutland county, Vermont, and the latter of Eden township, Seneca county, Ohio, their marriage having been solemnized in McHenry county, Illinois, where Mrs. Kelley's parents settled when she was eight years of age. Henry D. Kelley was reared and educated in the old Green Mountain state and was twenty-one years of age when he established his residence in Illinois. In that state he continued his association with farm enterprise until 1872, when he came with his family to Nebraska. Later he took up a homestead claim in Phillips county, Kansas, where he improved a good farm and where he and his wife passed the remainder of their hves. Mr. Kelley became one of the prominent and influential citizens of Phillips county, was a successful exponent of farm industry, and served for a time as postmaster of the village of Myrtle. His political allegiance was given to the Republican party and his wife was an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Concerning their children the following brief data are available : George C. is deceased, John died in infancy; Frank is a successful carpenter and contractor in the city of Beatrice; Addison P., of this review, was the next in order of birth; William D. is a prosperous farmer in Morgan county, Kansas; Jennie C. is the widow of Ray P. Foy and resides at Beatrice, her two children being Mrs. Taylor M. Cain of Ogden, Utah, and Charles H., who is a railroad man, residing at Laramie, Wyoming; May, next younger of the children of the Kelley family.

is 'the wife of W. E. S. Kuhn, of Fort Morgan, Colorado; and Edson M. was killed in a railroad accident, when about thirty-two years of age. Daniel Kelley, grandfather of the subject of this review, was bom in Rutland county, Vermont, and passed the closing years of his life at Prospect Park, Illinois. The maternal grandfather, Christopher Sponable, was born in Ohio and became a pioneer settler in Illinois, in 1832. He became a man of wealth and influence, accumulated an extensive farm property in Illinois and at one time was the owner of eleven acres of land lying adjacent to Wabash avenue in the city of Chicago - property now of prodigious value.

Addison P. Kelley acquired his early education in the public schools of McHenry county, Illinois, and in 1872 he came to Gage county, Nebraska, where he found prompt requisition for his services as a teacher in the district schools, his pedagogic career having been initiated when he was eighteen years of age. In Gage county his professional services included a year of successful teaching in the schools of Beatrice, he having taken preparatory normal study at Vinton, Iowa. His ambition was to fit himself for the medical profession but upon the death of his father he was thrown upon his own resources, besides assisting in the support of his widowed mother and the younger children. On the 1st of September, 1894, Mr. Kelley began his service in the Beatrice postoffice, with which he has since continued his connection without interruption and in which he now has charge of the general-delivery department, his advancement having been won through efficient service and his long experience making him an authority in connection with postal affairs in Beatrice and its various rural mail routes-

In politics Mr. Kelley is a staunch Republican, he holds membership in the Centenary Methodist Episcopal church in Beatrice, and is prominently affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masonic fraternity, in the former of which he has passed the official chairs not only in the lodge but also in the encampment body.

LEWIS RATHBUN was born in Henry county, Illinois, June 8, 1861, and is a son of James Rathbun, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. Reared on a farm in his native state, he was a young man of twenty-two years when he came to Gage county. He has always been engaged in farming and is now operating one hundred and sixty acres belonging to his father. He is practical in his methods and meeting with the success which always comes to the man who is industrious.

Mr. Rathbun was married to Miss Anna Hebel, a native of Bohemia, Germany, and a daughter of Joseph and Mary Hebel, who are mentioned elsewhere. Mr. and Mrs. Rathbun are the parents of six children : Bertha is the wife of Joseph Kasparek, of Odell; Lee is in the national army, at Camp Pike; Elmer is married and lives at Anamosa, Iowa; and Arthur, Jesse, and Genevieve are at the parental home.

Mr. Rathbun is a Democrat. He has been road overseer for ten years, and a member of the school board for seven years. He is also a director of the Cemetery Association. His home is in the corporate limits of Odell.

OWEN L. SAVAGE clearly manifests his progressivenes in his effective management of his well equipped meat market in the city of Beatrice, and the efficiency of the service has gained to the market a substantial and representative supporting patronage. This well ordered business establishment is located at 513 Ella street- -'

Mr. Savage was born in Putnam county, Illinois, on the 25th of August, 1862, and is a son of Hiram and Angeline (Angle) Savage, both of whom were born and reared in Pennsylvania, where their marriage was solemnized and whence they removed to Illinois, in which state they maintained their residence until the spring of 1868, when they came to the newly admitted state of Nebraska and numbered themselves among the pioneer settlers of Gage county. They located on an unimproved and not large tract of land, near the present village of Dewitt, where they established their residence on the 21st of March, 1868, and the father began the reclamation and improvement of this farm, on which he continued his operations until 1875, when he removed with his family to Beatrice,, which was then a mere village. Here Hiram Savage served for many years in the office of constable and he was the incumbent of this position at the time of his death. He died when about seventy-one years of age and his wife passed away when she was about the same age, both having been members of the Methdist Episcopal church and his political support having been given to the Republican party. The father of Hiram Savage was born and reared in Pennsylvania, of Irish lineage, and he sacrificed his life while serving as a soldier of the Union in the Civil war, he having been killed in an engagement near Cottonwood Grove, Arkansas. Of the eight children of Hiram and Angeline Savage four are living: Milo is a resident of Seattle, Washington; Owen L., of this review, is the next younger ; Nancy Ellen is the wife of Schuyler Jackson, -of Beatrice ; and George W., who resides at El Paso, Texas, is a passenger conductor on the Southern Pacific Railroad.

The subject of this sketch was a lad of five years at the time of his parents' removal to Nebraska, and he was reared under the conditions and influences of the pioneer days, his early educational advantages having* been those of the public schools- He was ten years when the family home was established in Beatrice, and as a youth he here attended school during the winters, and in the summer seasons gave his attention to the herding of cattle on the prairies. In the establishment of Bradt Brothers he finally learned the butcher's trade, and he worked in the meat market of this firm for eighteen months, besides having been employed about one year on the ranch owned by the brothers. Finally he engaged in the meat-market business in an independent way and he is now one of the veteran representatives of this important line of business enterprise in Beatrice, his market having been conducted in the present location since 1910 and the establishment being definitely metropolitan in appointments and service. In 1886 Mr. Savage wedded Miss Emma Jackson, who was born in the city of Rochester, New York, and whose parents came to Nebraska about 1870, she being a daughter of the late William Jackson, a resident of Thayer county at the time of his death. Mr. and Mrs. Savage became the parents of four children, of whom only one is living. Pearl Lorene, who is the wife of William H. Schwartz, the latter being associated with Mr. Savage in the conducting of the meat market. Mr. Savage and his wife and daughter are all active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, he is a Republican in politics, is a loyal citizen who takes deep interest in community affairs, and he is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America, the Knights & Eadies of Honor, the Royal Neighbors and the Royal Highlanders. His success represents the concrete results of his own efforts and he is one of the representative business men of the Gage county metropolis.

HENRY RICE. - An honored soldier of the Civil war and an early settler of Gage county is the subject of this review, and by his own efforts he has made the success that enables him to spend the evening of life in well earned rest from active labors.

Henry Rice was born at Hagerstown, Maryland, September 20, 1842, a son of Henry and Hannah (Friedly) Rice, who likewise were natives of Maryland, the father having died June 30, 1842, about three months before the son Henry was born. Henry Rice was but little past two years of age when he was bereft also of his mother. He then fell to the kindly care of an aunt, Catherine Rice, by whom he was taken to Ogle county, Illinois, and there reared to manhood. He attended the public schools, which education was supplemented by a course in Rock River Seminary, at Mount Morris, Illinois. He was a student in this institution when arose the dark cloud that threatened to disrupt the Union. Having watched the course of events, his patriotism was aroused to responsive protest, and December 12, 1863, he enlisted in Company D, Fourth Illinois Cavalry, with which he served in defense of the Union during the Civil war. His service covered a period of nearly three years, and he was mustered out at Houston, Texas, his honorable discharge having been given in June,' 1866.

He took part in fifty-eight engagements and skirmishes, the principal ones being Vicksburg. Red River" campaign, and Hood's campaign against Nashville. He rendered valued service in guarding the Memphis & Charleston, the Mississippi Central, and the. Mobile & Ohio Railroads. He was distinguished for coolness and bravery in time of battle and returned home unhurt, .though he was often in the thickest of the.fight. lichen he started out for himself in life after returning from the war Mr. Rice took up the noble profession of teaching school, and for eight years he devoted his attention to this service, readily imparting to others the knowledge he had gained and carefully saving his earnings. In 1874 he was thus enabled to engage in agricultural pursuits and to purchase eighty acres of land in Ogle county, Illinois. In 1883 he sold out in Illinois and came to Gage county, Nebraska, where he purchased two hundred and forty acres, on which stood a little shanty and a small board stable. He immediately set to work developing and improving the farm and in due time it became one of the finest farms of Paddock township. Until fifteen years ago he was actively engaged in general farming, since which time he has lived retired, having placed the mantle on the shoulders of his sons, who operate the farm.

March 25, 1874, Mr. Rice was united in marriage to Miss Mary J. Hitt, a native of New York state, where she was born September 21, 1846, a daughter of Samuel and Janet (Campbell) Hitt, who became residents of Ogle county, Illinois, in 1856. August 1, 1917, Mr. Rice was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who, for more than fortyfour years had been a loving companion and helpmeet. She bore her husband three sons: Charles E. and Andrew are unmarried and operate the old home farm ; George, who married Hazel -Brooks, operates the Brooks farm in Sicily township.

Mr. Rice is a Republican in politics and maintains pleasant relations with his old army comrades by membership in Reserve Post, No. 148, Grand Army of the Republic, at Odell. Mr. Rice has contributed much to the growth and development of Gage county and in all these years of peace he has been as true and loyal as when he was following the stars and stripes on the battlefields of the South.

FRANK H, WANDERSEE was born in Beatrice, Nebraska, August 4, 1879, and in the spring of 1880 his parents established their home in Sicily township. Here he was reared to manhood and here he has continuously resided in his present neighborhood. Mr. Wandersee is a son qi. Frank Wandersee, whose record ' appears elsewhere in this volume.

Frank H. Wandersee was educated in the public schools of Gage county, and spent his boyhood days between the district schoolroom and his father's farm, early, learning the best methods of tilling the soil and the proper care of crops and live stock, so that when he arrived at young manhood he was in position to assume the responsible duties of a farmer on his own account Mr. Wandersee is now farming a quarter-section of land, in Section 8j Sicily township, and is meeting with the success, that always comes to the man who is industrious and efficient.

Mr. Wandersee made preparation for a home of his own when he chose for a wife and helpmeet Miss Susan Lewis, of Carlton, Nebraska. She is a daughter of George G. Lewis, whose record appears elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Wandersee have two children, - Edna and LeRoy.

resides on a valuable farm of one hundred and sixty acres, in Section 20. Mr. Lewis was born in Mills county, Iowa, September 28, 1866, and is a son of George W. and Maria (Waitt) Lewis, the former of whom was born in Illinois and the latter in Ohio. The marriage of the parents occurred in Mills county, Iowa, they having been children when their parents there became pioneer settlers. George W. Lewis was a successful farmer, owning land in Mills county, Iowa, where both he and his wife remained until their death.

On the old home farm in Mills county, Iowa, George G. Lewis, the subject of this record, was reared. At the age of nineteen years he became a farmer on his own account, but he continued to make his home under his father's roof until he had attained to the age of twenty-three years- He then came to Nebraska, and for two years he operated a farm in Sicily township, Gage county. He then moved to Thayer county, Nebraska, and bought one hundred and twenty acres of raw prairie land, entirely unimproved. For fourteen years he lived on this farm, which he then sold. He then came again to Gage county, where he purchased his present farm. Here he has since been successfully engaged in general farming business.

In Gage county Mr. Lewis married Miss Mattie C. Heddings, who was born in Seneca county, Ohio. Her parents, Jacob and Mary (Grill) Heddings, came to Gage county more than fifty years ago, when their daughter was one year of age, and were among the earliest settlers near Blue Springs. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis became the parents of six children: Susan is the wife of Frank H. Wandersee, of Sicily township; Ceola is the wife of J. D. Snyder, of Blue Springs, this county; Howard is married and lives in the city of Beatrice; Jessie is teaching in the schools of Gage county ; and Mamie and Fay are at home.

Though they lived several years outside of the county, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis began their domestic career within the borders of the township where they now live, and they are here held in high esteem by a host of neighbors and other friends-

LEE L. CHAPMAN, the efficient and popular foreman of the freight department at the Beatrice station of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, was born at Metamore, Woodford county, Illinois, on the 30th of March, 1858, and is a son of John and Verona (Kellogg) Chapman, both natives of the state of Vermont and both representatives of sterling old families of New England. 0^ohn Chapman was about seventy-eight years of age at the time his death and his venerable widow, who was born at Stowe, Lamoille county, Vermont, October 25, 1834, now maintains her home at Beatrice, Nebraska. He was a son of Simon Chapman, who removed in an early day from the old Green Mountain state to Ohio, where he passed the remainder of his life. John Chapman removed from Ohio to Illinois about the year 1852, and though he was a shoemaker by trade, he purchased land in Woodford county, Illinois, and there turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. In 1885 he came with his family to Gage county, Nebraska, where he purchased land and where he became a substantial farmer and highly esteemed citizen. About one year prior to his death he removed to the city of Beatrice. He was a man of fine mentality and most gracious personality. He was reared in the faith of the Universalist church and as a splendid vocalist he sang in church choirs for many years. His political allegiance was given to the Democratic party and he was insistently loyal and public-spirited as a citizen. He was the owner of two hundred and sixty acres of land in Gage county at the time of his death, and the property is still owned by his family, his widow owning an additional tract of eighty acres of land in Woodford county, Illinois. Of their eight children seven attained to years of maturity and six are now living, the subject of this review having been the second in prder of birth; Jesse is a carpenter by trade and lives at Saybrdok, Illinois ; Smith is a skilled mechanic and is employed in one of the leading industrial establishments in the city of Beatrice; Verna is the wife of C. B. Bell, of this city; Percival J. has the active management of his

Lee L,. Chapman acquired his early education in the public schools of Illinois and there supplemented this discipline by a course in an academy. He was reared on his father's farm and was twenty-seven years of age when he accompanied his parents to Gage county, Nebraska. Here he was associated with farmenterprise one year and then he found employment in the Beatrice freight office of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, he having been foreman of the local freight department for somewhat more than fifteen years and having proved a most efficient and popular executive in this field of service.

In 1883 Mr. Chapman wedded Miss Frances A. Van Meter, who was born in the state of Indiana, and they have two children : Dale R., who resides in Beatrice and is in the employ of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, married Miss Laura Yule, and they have three children, - Glenn, Helen, and Donald L. ; Jessie is the wife of L. J. Griesel, who is engaged in the banking business at University Place, Nebraska.

In politics Mr. Chapman is found aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the' Democratic party, he is affiliated with the Woodmen of the World, and both he and his wife are most zealous members of the Presbyterian church in their home city, he being a deacon in the same.

LAMMERT W. FRERICHS came to Gage county in 1882 and acquired a tract of raw prairie land in Logan township. His financial resources were limited but he had the genius of industry and perseverance, as well as mature judgment, so that he proved successful in his farm enterprise, the successive yedrs of earnest and constructive application bringing to him cumulative prosperity. He is now the owner of a valuable landed estate of eight hundred acres, in Logan township, and the various farms included in this property are under the able management of his sons, he and his wife having lived retired in the city

Mr. Frerichs was born in the province of Hanover, Germany, September 19, 1845, was there reared and educated and there gained his initial experience in farm enterprise. In 1866, shortly after attaining to his legal majority, Mr. Frerichs came to America, proceeded to the state of Illinois and found employment on a farm near Mount Sterling, Brown county. Later he was similarly engaged in Adams county, that state. After his marriage he became the owner of a farm of forty acres, in Hancock county, Illinois, and there he continued his activities as an agriculturist until 1882, when he came with his family to Gage county, Nebraska, and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of unimproved land in Logan township. On the embryonic farm he erected a frame house, sixteen by twenty-six feet in dimensions, and as success attended his strenuous activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower he not only made the best of improvements on his homestead but also gradually added to the area of his landed estate, which is now one of the valuable properties of Logan township.

At Carthage, Illinois, March 20, 1869, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Frerichs to Miss Maria H. Rankin, who Hkewise was born and reared in Hanover, Germany, and who came to the United States in 1867, their acquaintanceship having been formed near Mount Sterling, Illinois. Mrs. Frerichs has proved a true helpmeet to her husband and shares with him in the rewards that have crowned their years of earnest endeavor. Concerning their children the following brief record is properly given at this point: Polk and his wife reside on one of his father's farms in Logan township, all except one of the other sons being likewise in charge of farm properties owned by their father in that township; Lammert, Jr., and his wife have four children; Gerhard and his wife likewise have four children ; John is the father of three children; William is a representative farmer in Franklin county and is the father of eight children; Maria became the wife of John

Fritzen and is now deceased, being survived by six children; Lena is the wife of Diedrich Ordman, of Logan township, and they have ten children ; Alice married O. Zimmerman, a farmer in Logan township and they have five children ; Annie is the wife of Thomas Trauernicht, of Logan township, and they have three children ; and Gracie died in childhood.

Mr. Frerichs lived up to all civic responsibilities incidental to increasing prosperity and was one of the liberal and progressive men of Logan township while there actively engaged in farm industry. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and and while on the farm he served one year as tax collector, while for fifteen years he was treasurer of his school district. Both he and his wife are earnest communicants of the Lutheran church.

WILLIAM N. FARLOW, now sole owner of the prosperous and important industrial enterprise conducted under the title of the Beatrice Brick Works, is essentially one of the progressive business men and representative citizens of the Gage county metropolis and judicial center. He gained as a child his initial experience in connection with pioneer life in the west, and thus it is but natural that he should exemplify in his personality the vital spirit that has significantly characterized those reared under the inspiring and sturdy discipline of the great empire of the west.

At Miamistown, Indiana, on the old Miami Indian reservation, Mr. Farlow was born on October 10, 1852, and he has the distinction of being a scion of one of the old and honored pioneer families of the Hoosier state, his grandfather, Simeon Farlow, having been born in North Carolina, of English ancestry, and having become a very early settler of Indiana, where the history of the state records

^feaching to and otherwise aiding the Indians. He whose name introduces this article is a son of John and Lydia (Goodwin) Farlow, the former a native of Wayne county, Indiana, and the latter of the state of Ohio. The marriage of the parents was solemnized in Indiana and there they continued their residence until 1856, when they numbered themselves among the pioneers of Taylor county, Iowa. There for a time John Farlow clerked in a general store and later he turned his attention to farm enterprise in that county, where he achieved success and was influential in community affairs. He passed the closing years of his long and useful life at Beatrice, Nebraska, where he died at the age of eightytwo years and where his widow still resides, she having celebrated her eighty-fourth birthday anniversary in 1917.

William N. Farlow was about four years of age at the time of his parents removal to Iowa, where he was reared under the conditions and influences of frontier life and where he gained his early education in the common schools of the period, his more advanced education having been obtained in the Iowa Agricultural College, at Ames. For eight years he did successful service as a teacher in the schools of Taylor county, that state, and thereafter he held for two years the position of bookkeper in a leading bank at Bedford, the county seat. He then became cashier of a bank in the village of Conway, in the same county, and this incumbency he retained two years. In 1892 Mr. Farlow came to Nebraska and established his residence in Beatrice, where he engaged in the real-estate and abstract business and developed a prosperous enterprise. In 1909 he became one of the stockholders and the manager of the Beatrice Brick Company, and since 1912 he has owned the major portion of the stock in the business. The well equipped and effectively conducted manufacturing plant has a capacity for the output of thirty thousand brick daily, employment is given to an average force of twenty men and the high-grade products find ready demand in connection with building operations through Gage and adjoining counties, the business being one of substantial order.

that county, a daughter of the late David and Adehne (Johnson) Griffith, natives respectively of Pennsylvania and Ohio and numbered among the sterling pioneers of the Hawkeye state. Mr. and Mrs- Farlow have three children, of whom Orville W., the eldest, is m.arried and associated with his father in the brick business ; Dale remains at the parental home, and is a graduate of the Beatrice high school ; Vera, the only daughter, is the wife of Guy Magee, of Fremont, this state.

In politics Mr. Farlow is an advocate and supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, and while residing in Taylor county, Iowa, he served four years as county recorder. Both he and his wife hold membership in the Christian church, and their pleasant home is marked by distinctive culture and refinement. In 1917 Mr. Farlow erected as the family residence his present modern and attractive brick bungalow, which is situated at the corner of Eighth and Beaver streets, and is one of the beautiful homes of Beatrice. Mr. Farlow is a Knight-Templar Mason.

WILLIAM I. REED, a prosperous agriculturist of Gage county, was born in Menard county, llinois, August 26, 1863, and is a son of Andrew Jackson Reed and Sarah Jane (Sheneman) Reed. Andrew Jackson Reed was born in Kentucky^ in 1844, and when an infant was brought to Illinois by his widowed mother, who lost her husband when the child was six weeks old. He received his education in Illinois and later followed farming in that state until 1878, when he moved to Nodaway county, Missouri. Andrew J. Reed remained in Missouri until 1883, in which year he came to Gage county, . Nebraska. Here he remained several years, and he then returned to Missouri, but later he removed to Topeka, Kansas, where he died at the home of one of his sons, at an advanced age. His wife, who was born in Wayne county, Ohio, died at Pattonsburg, Missouri. Mr- and Mrs. Reed were the parents of five children : Charles L., who was formerly register of deeds of Gage county, Nebraska, is now living in Arkansas ; Laura, the widow of Del Whitmarsh, resides at Blackwell, Oklahoma; William lies is the subject of this sketch; Frank C. lives at Pattonsburg, Missouri; and Lulu is the wife of John Frazier, of Interior, Washington.

William lies Reed was reared on a farm in Illinois and gained his early education in the pubhc schools of Menard county, that state. When fifteen years old he went with his parents to Missouri, and with them he came to Gage county, Nebraska, in 1883. Here he rented land in Sicily township, where he continued farming operations several years. He later bought eighty acres near Odell, and there he lived eight years. At the expiration of this period he purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Section 22, Sicily township, where he now lives. At that time the farm was very well improved, but Mr. Reed has added to the improvements until he now has a home that is up-to-date in every particular, his house being lighted by electricity and heated' by furnace, so that he and his family enjoy the comforts of a city home. Mr. Reed does a general farming business and has been very successful. He is a Republican and has held several township offices. He is now a member of the school board.

William lies Reed wedded Miss Addie Clayton, daughter of Isaac R. Clayton, a record of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Reed are the parents of six children - Ollie C, wife of Frank Gish, of Rockford township ; Fred Lee, manager of the Farmers' Lumber Company of Wymore, this county; Ada V., wife of Christmas Roberts, of Wymore ; Nora E-, wife of Raymond Salisbury, who has recently established himself on a cattle ranch near Long Pine, Brown county; and Clarence M. and Ethel Lucile, at home. Mr. and Mrs. Reed are members of the Baptist church.

FRANK P. WICKHAM has built up in the city of Beatrice a very prosperous and vital enterprise in the handling of newspapers, magazines, stationery, etc., and his attractively equipped establishment is located at U6j4 North Sixth street. He has the local agency for all metropolitan newspapers circulated in the city and keeps in stock a fine line of stationery and various office supplies, besides presenting for the consideration of his patrons all of the current popular magazines and other periodicals. Mr. Wickham is a native son of Gage county and is a scion of a family that was founded in Nebraska in the territorial days.

Mr. Wickham was born in Blakely township, this county, on the 28th of April, 1871, and is a son of Horace M. and Isabelle (Alexander) Wickham, both natives of Ohio, the former having been born near Newark and the latter near Ironton, that state. Horace M. Wickham gained a wealth of frontier experience. Erom Ohio he removed, in 1845, to Holt county, Missouri, and from the latter state he went to Iowa in 1857. March 30, 1859, recorded his arrival in Gage county, Nebraska, - -nearly a decade prior to the admission of the state to the Union. For eight years thereafter he was actively engaged in freighting operations across the plains and about 1866 he took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, in Blakely township. On this pioneer farm he erected a little log house, and eventually he developed the place into one of the valuable and well improved farm properties of the county. He was twice married, and his first marriage was the first ceremony of the kind to be performed ii' Gage county, - - May 8, 1859. His second marriage was to Mrs. Isabelle (Alexander) Beebe, and her first husband and their only son were killed in an Indian raid, in 1864. Of the first marriage was born also a daughter, Rua Beebe, and her husband, Mr. Conally, is a prosperous farmer in York county, Nebraska. Horace M. and Isabelle W'ickham became the parents of two children, of whom the subject of this review is the younger; Clarissa became the wife of James Nelson and her death accurred at Beatrice, in April, 1907. The parents were active members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mrs. Wickham passed to the life eternal in the year 1873 and her husband was one of the venerable and honored pioneer citizens of Gage county at the time of his death, in 1906.

Horace M. Wickham contributed his quota to the civic and industrial development and progress of Gage county, was a man of ability and sterling character and was influential in public affairs in the county. He was independent in politics and he served in various local offices of trust, including that of county supervisor, of which he continued the incumbent twelve years. His father, Thomas Wickham, was born and reared in Ohio and became a pioneer settler in Missouri, where he passed the remainder of his life.

Frank P. Wickham found the period of his childhood and youth compassed by the benignant influences of the home farm and his early education was acquired in the public schools of Gage county. He continued his active association with farm enterprise until 1907, when he removed to Beatrice. Here he conducted for the ensuing four years a billard and pool room, and he then sold the business and established his present thriving enterprise, to which he gives his undivided attention. He is the owner of his attractive residence property in Beatrice and also a well improved farm of one hundred and twenty acres, in Sicily township. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party, he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, including the adjunct organization, the Daughters of Rebekah, and also with the Modern Woodmen of America, the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Royal Neighbors, he and his family holding membership in the Christian church.

The year 1894 recorded the marriage of Mr. Wickham to Miss Martha Howard, who was born in Hancock county, Illinois, a daughter of Jasper N. Howard, who is a representative farmer in Thayer county, Nebraska, since 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Wickham have one child, Norva, who now holds a responsible position in the office of the Von Steen Lumber Company, and who is one of the popular factors in the social life of Beatrice.

the Dempster Company, at Beatrice, is a member of an honored pioneer family that was founded in Gage county nearly a decade before the admission of Nebraska to statehood, and adequate data concerning the family are given in the article dedicated, on other pages of this work, to his father, the late Homer BAustin, who was one of the very first settlers in what is now the city of Beatrice.

Charles N. Austin was born at Austinburg, Ashtabula county, Ohio, on the 21st of May, 1855, and his early education was received principally at Augusta and Galesburg, Illinois. He was about two years old, however, when his parents, Homer B. and Mary A. (Dunbar) Austin came to the Nebraska Territory, in 1857, the father erecting a small cabin on the homestead claim which he entered near the present village of Pickrell and then turning his attention to breaking his land and developing a frontier farm, he having been one of the earliest settlers of the county. Later he returned with his family to Ohio and for a number of years prior to returning to the west the family home was maintained in Illinois.

Charles N- Austin has been continuously a resident of Gage county since 1890 and for six years he was here employed in a leading nursery. About 1895 he established his residence in Beatrice, and for virtually a score of years he has here been in the employ of the Dempster Company, with which representative industrial concern he now holds a responsible department foremanship, as previously intimated.

On the 7th of March, 1876, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Austin to Miss Stella Hall, who was born at Seneca, Missouri, near the Oklahoma line, and who is a daughter of William G. and Margaret R. (Roberts) Hall, the former of whom was born near the historic old city of Vincennes, Indiana, and the latter of whom was born in Missouri, from which state they came to Nebraska in 1887, here passing the remainder of their lives. John A. Hall, a brother of Mrs. Austin, now resides in the city of San Francisco and is in the civil service department of government service. He was a member of Company C.

First Nebraska Volunteer Infantry, in the Spanish-American war, thereafter served two years in the regular army, in Alaska and Hawaii, and he has been a resident of San Francisco since the time of the great earthquake in that city.

Concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Austin the following brief record is consistently entered : Harry A. is now a member of the American army preparing for service in the great world war and at the time of this writing, in the spring of 1918, he is with his command at Deming, New Mexico. He enlisted in the Nebraska National Guard on the 28th of July, 1910, and in his present company he holds the office of first lieutenant. He was married January 2, 1918, to Miss Selena Brown, of Crab Orchard, Johnson county. Louis is a member of the class of 1919 in the Beatrice high school; Mary R. likewise is attending the public schools of Beatrice.

In politics Mr- Austin is aligned staunchly in the ranks of the Republican party, and he has been actively affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since May 28, 1876. He has been specially active in the affairs of this admirable fraternal order and is past grand of his lodge. He is identified also with the Woodmen of the World. He has served twenty-two years as a member of the volunteer fire department of Beatrice and he and his wife are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

JOHN SHALLA. - One of the substantial agriculturists of Gage county is John Shalla, owner of an excellent farm of four hundred acres in Section 3, Paddock township. A native of Iowa, he was born in Johnson county, near Iowa City, on December 10, 1864. His parents, Vencil and Barbara (Yarosh) Shalla were born in Bohemia where their marriage was solemnized, and where they made their home until 1864, when they sought a home in the United States, settHng in Iowa. Soon afterward Mr. Shalla bought forty acres of land near Richmond in Washington county and engaged in farming, where he remained until 1878, when he came to Gage county,

Nebraska and took a homestead in Paddock township, south of the site of the present village of Odell. He also took one hundred and twenty acres as a homestead for his son John, who was then only fourteen years of age. Two years later Mr. Shalla sold his land and bought two hundred acres in Sections 3 and 10, Paddock township, the land being wholly xinimproved. To the improvement and cultivation of this land Mr. Shalla gave his full lime and attention until he retired from the farm to make his home in Odell, where he pased away in 1912 at the age of seventyfour years. His widow still resides in Odell and is now (1918) in her seventy-second year. They were among the first families on the Otoe Indian reservation and contributed their share toward transforming the wild land to the beautiful farms and homes we see to-day. Mr. and Mrs. Shalla were members of the CathoHc church. They reared a family of children as follows : Anna, born in Bohemia, is the wife of Joseph Pecka, a farmer in Marshall county Kansas ; John is the immediate subject of this record; Joseph is a farmer in Gage county ; Mary is the wife Tony Hirmon, of Wymore, this county ; Emma is the wife of Frank Hirmon, of Odell ; Fannie is the wife of Charles Costel, of Odell ; Nettie is the wife of Henry Monsterman, of Gage county; Tena is the wife of Harry Meyer, residing near Lanham ; and two children died in infancy, one in Washington county, Iowa, and one in Gage county- John Shalla, the eldest son of this pioneer family, was a lad of fourteen when the home was established in Nebraska. Reared on the farm and under the pioneer conditions, he learned the lessons of industry, and when a j Paddock township and purchased an improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres. Here he has been successful in his farm enterprise, as is attested by the fact that he is now the owner of four hundred acres of valuable land in Section 3. He follows the best methods of planting and harvesting, and his is one of the best improved tracts of land in the township. Mr. Shalla completed the preparations for a home of his own by his marriage to Miss Fannie Hirmon, a native of Washington county, Iowa. They have four children : Mary is the wife of John Cacek, a farmer of Paddock township; and John W., Emma and Edward remain at the parental home.

Mr. Shalla has been a member of the district school board for the past eight years. He is a very progressive, up-to-date farmer, and any worthy cause always has his hearty endorsement.